Didn't think I'd be back so "quickly" didja? Well, here it is... ENJOY! (And review. That's realllll nice. It's also the reason I got this chapter up so quickly.
Prodigals
Chapter 07
Part One: Lament of the Lovelorn
Part Two: The Mission Begins
"Kunai."
"Check."
"Senbon."
"Check."
"Shuriken."
"Check."
"Civilian clothes."
"Check."
"Summoning scrolls."
"Check."
"Camping supplies."
"Check."
"Racy lingerie."
"Check."
Sasuke looked at his partner with a suspicious expression. "Okay, now I know for sure something's wrong."
Hinata stared into her bag sightlessly. "Check," she said.
"Oi, Hinata. Hi-na-ta. Wake up and smell the ramen."
"Eh?"
"This is completely hopeless. I'm getting Naru –"
"NO!"
Hinata had leapt up as soon as his mouth had begun to form the syllables of Naruto's name. Her cheeks were flushed red with anger as she glared at him and shook an accusatory, warning finger.
Sasuke looked at her for a moment. "Narut –"
"No-no-no! I have everything, we're done with the checking!" She practically screamed at him.
"… is it – "
"No, it is not that time of the month! I just didn't sleep well is all."
"If that's the case, you haven't been sleeping well for over a week and a half. Seriously. What is the problem?"
She looked at him finally, steeling her expression into a relaxed state. "Nothing. Just I am just having some trouble sleeping in our new environment. We've haven't lived in Konoha for years! That's it."
This was a very true statement - partially. She was having trouble sleeping, but it wasn't because of the "environment". Recently, her dreams had taken a turn for the negative. She had never told Sasuke this, but she had a sort of 'dream-friend' who helped her sleep sometimes; he would talk to her until her nightmares of her Kumogakure prison had gone away and she got some rest. She suspected it was a side effect of having a bijuu inside of her body. With the absence of this 'dream-friend', she had slept rather badly the past couple of weeks.
However, while this was a true statement, it wasn't the entire truth of the situation.
Naruto, as always, was at the center of her world; and Naruto, as always, seemed to be totally unaware of the fact. He paid her almost no attention and started flirting outrageously with Yuugito (did she really mean that little to him? Was she not even worthy of his time anymore?) – or at least, that was how it had appeared to her eyes. Strangely enough, the Cloud-born girl didn't seem to thrive on his attention as she had previously; in fact, she seemed distant and slightly uncomfortable when talking to the boisterous blonde. Maybe they were breaking up…?
But that didn't matter anyway, because Hinata had decided in the midst of her fight with Yuugito that she had been hurt by Naruto enough times, whether he was conscious of the fact or not, and while he would always have a special place in her heart, she just couldn't bear to love him like that anymore. It only hurt her more than she already was, which happened to be quite a bit.
I can still do this, she thought to herself. He can still be the center of my world. Just not the center of my heart. Naruto-kun, you will always be my guiding light, my inspiration, the goal to which I aspire… but I won't – no, I can't love you anymore.
She prayed that he could somehow hear and understand her message (though that was quite impossible), and started, once again, to go through the things in her bag periodically. Kunai, check… senbon, check… shuriken, check…
"So you'll be staying in Konoha for the moment, Yuugito-chan?" asked Sakura kindly as the blonde exited Naruto's favorite place to eat, Ichiraku Ramen. The other woman nodded.
"Yes. I hope I will find a place here soon… not to say that you and Naruto-kun haven't been supportive, Sakura-chan, because you two have been a Solis-sent gift to me! …I want to be accepted by everyone in the village. I mean, I know that Konoha has had some trouble with Kumo in the past, but I just want to put that village behind me…"
"Don't worry about it, Yuugito-chan. You'll always have Team 7 to count on, remember that."
Yuugito smiled superficially at Sakura, who seemed to accept it at face value. "There you go, cheer up! Well, I'll see you later. Tsunade-shishou is expecting me soon. Ja!"
The pink-haired kunoichi took off. Yuugito looked behind her at Naruto. He was clearly on another planet. Though he had followed her attempts at conversation fairly well for the average person, he was strangely distant from his usual attentiveness. However, he had been following the two kunoichi as they spoke without much energy or enthusiasm; his movements were listlessly and thoughtless – he was preoccupied, even while he dined voraciously on Ichiraku Teuchi's finest. He was thinking about that Hinata again.
The woman smiled sadly. It appears that I really don't have any chance. I should just stay out of it. Try to move on.
Yuugito had tried – and failed – numerous times to hint at Naruto's incompatibility with Hinata, and how he would be so much happier if they were together. All hints had flown far, far above his head. She had smiled ruefully. Well, she didn't love him for his perceptiveness. She decided to confront him directly about it.
-
She requested a walk through the park with him quietly. He didn't understand why Sakura shot such a sad glance at Yuugito as they left.
They had been walking for a few minutes, Naruto looking curiously at Yuugito every few seconds, energy apparent in his every step. He didn't seem to notice the women whose jaws dropped as he passed, nor the jealous glances he garnered from more than a few men. She smiled fondly. Then again, his cluelessness was part of his charm.
"Naruto-kun."
They had stopped in front of an empty park bench overlooked by a sakura tree with barren branches. It had just recently shed its beautiful flowers, leaving the ground a sea of whitish-pink with patches of green grass interrupting it.
"Pretty scenic spot you picked out!" said Naruto cheerfully. "What's the occasion?"
"Take a seat." He did as she said. Yuugito grasped onto his hands firmly, which seemed to startle him.
"I care about you a lot, Naruto-kun." She looked up into his eyes, hoping to see the familiar warmth that she found there every time someone admitted that they cared for him. She was disappointed. His eyes were sad, bordering on cold.
"For years – years! – I've cared about you! The longer I know you, the more I can't help but – but –"
"Yuugito…"
"I can't help but fall more and more in love with you! What I can't understand is how someone who hasn't even been around for years and years can just come and take you away from me! Before those two came back, we were getting closer, I know we were, and then suddenly –"
"Yuugito!" he said sharply. She instantly stopped talking. "We were getting closer… just not in the way you wanted it to be. You'll always be my close friend, but that's it. You don't know me like you want to…"
"And she does?!"
"She – understands things. And I need her," he said truthfully. "Somewhere, there's a great guy and he's waiting for you. You just have to find him."
Yuugito knew she was losing. But she wasn't used to losing, and she didn't like the feeling, so she pushed that little tidbit of information to the back of her head using the "Denial Lobe" of the brain. Maybe… using a little bit of trickery… (a very small voice in the back of her head told her that this would be a very good idea. She listened.)
Tears started to form in her eyes. "N-Naruto…" she said breathily, sobbing slightly as a slight flush invaded her cheeks. Naruto paused, eyes widening. For a moment, she had an uncanny resemblance to -
"Stop!" he said, and for the first time ever, Yuugito felt Naruto's anger directed toward her. He was glaring at her. Glaring!
"Yuugito, I respect you as a friend and a person, but if you ever do that again, I won't be held accountable for my actions," he nearly hissed. "I don't have romantic feelings for you – please drop the subject. I'll find someone else to escort you around Konoha for the remainder of the day," he finished formally before turning on his heel and walking away. She could see the barely contained anger in every step he took.
I've ruined my last chance.
She did then what love-struck girls are apt to do. She put her head in her hands and cried.
-
"Naruto-kun?"
"Yuugito-san," he said stiffly, snapping out of his reverie. She flinched. "I believe we've reached your destination," she said, very quietly. He either didn't notice or pointedly took no note of the quaver in her voice.
"Thank you."
He turned away after giving her an unnaturally soft-spoken and cold goodbye. His mood resembled that of his former, emotionless self – that is, until he caught sight of Sasuke and Hinata, waiting patiently for him by the Great Gate. His eyes brightened; his lips upturned in a wide smile that showed off his sharp canines. Yuugito watched all of this happen with a look of subtly resigned depression.
After he had rescued her from the Akatsuki, very nearly dead and only alive by the grace of the Nekomata, she was instantly indebted to him. During the week it took to get her to the Konoha hospital, she became totally infatuated with him. In the month of recovery that followed, she had slowly fallen in love with him. The feeling had only increased day by day, year by year. She had felt hope when Sakura said that his eyes were warmest around her; but that was before she had returned, and Yuugito now realized that his eyes were warm around her not because he was in love, but because he was empathetic to a fellow jinchuuriki.
Goodbye, Naruto. Goodbye forever.
"Hey guys! Ready to go?"
Naruto was quiet.
This fact was making both of his mission partners distinctly nervous and unsettled. Sakura had told both of them about the time when Naruto was cold, seeming unfeeling, and mostly silent. They had listened with an air of polite incredulity, but now it seemed as though Sakura hadn't been joking around. This new, professional Naruto was a definite departure from the loud, boisterous Naruto of old.
"Are you alright?" he asked Hinata, mostly expressionless except for a soft look in his eyes that she could not identify. Hinata averted her eyes.
"Sort of… I mean… you're…um…"
"I'm…?"
She trailed off into mumbling.
"What was that?" He was listening attentively, hoping to figure out why they were both so tense, she especially so.
"You're too quiet," Sasuke snapped at him. "You're all… serious. And stuff. It's too different from what we're used to. Plus, Hinata feels doubly out of sorts because we're not her team. She's used to Kiba and Shino, it's the only team she remembers from Konoha."
Naruto blinked. "Oh." He turned to look at Hinata. She looked sheepishly up at him from behind a curtain of her indigo hair. Sorry, she seemed to say.
"Would this help?"
There was a poof of smoke, and suddenly Sasuke and Naruto were not standing next to her anymore. Kiba and Shino were standing there, as well as a former rock that had been henge'd into Akamaru. She laughed out loud, the sound pealing prettily through the forest. Her eyes crinkled as she smiled at "Kiba".
"Ah, thank you Naruto-kun, but that won't be necessary."
He was grinning stupidly and the grin continued as he released the henge.
"Idiot," Sasuke mumbled.
"Shut up, ya bastard," Naruto shot back, unconcerned. His entire posture was now relaxed, hands locked together behind his head and a little slouch to his shoulders. He seemed more human. The grin on his face rather than the blank slate helped immensely with this image.
Hinata exhaled quietly, releasing the tension she didn't know she was harboring as she continued to smile softly.
At least one thing was finally back to normal.
-
It took them approximately five days to reach the Hi no Kuni – Tsuchi no Kuni border alternately walking and running. The trio proceeded to walk on foot to the nearest town and the place where their contractor resided, Ukiyo-no-Urami. They walked mostly for Sasuke's benefit; much to his chagrin, he now appeared to have the least amount of stamina amongst the three of them (the fact that his stamina was nothing to sneer at put in perspective just how super-powered this team was. Perhaps Tsunade had made a mistake in forming this particular squad…).
Hinata eyed the stiff Uchiha in front of her, noting his posture and other little things about his attitude and body language that gave him away. He was tired. He would sleep soundly tonight, she was positive; she would have to talk to Naruto about letting him have first watch, so he could sleep the rest of the night uninterrupted.
She turned her head slightly to glance at the blonde, only to find him already watching her. Her cheeks flushed a bit, which made him smile, before she flicked her head toward Sasuke. Naruto nodded understandingly.
"Yo, Sasuke!"
The dark-haired man turned around; a trace of sullenness lined his face. Naruto grinned.
"We're gonna split up for a bit, investigate the town," said the blonde. "I want you to find us a good inn where we can stay; by the looks of this place, whoever this Mitsuhide Akechi is won't have the room to spare for us."
Sasuke nodded and disappeared in a flicker of movement. Hinata turned to face Naruto.
"Thank you. He needs time to heal his wounded ego," she said. "Did you really want to explore the village in better detail? Or was that just your excuse?"
"No, I really would like for you to poke your nose in places, if you're not against the idea. I'll scope out the west side of town." He had noticed earlier that it was the more crime-prone, seedier portion of Ukiyo-no-Urami; it would be better for Hinata simply to steer clear of that district altogether.
She rolled her eyes, suspecting his thoughts. "Whatever you say, Naruto-kun."
Ukiyo-no-Urami was a small, small village, the closest village to the edge of the Fire Country. After the great wars between their respective hidden villages, nobody was too keen on building homes close to the other. The landscape was mostly brown and grey, uninviting; the people here didn't like newcomers. They didn't like change. They were solid, dependable, yet stubborn. Their personalities definitely resembled earth, just as the name of their country suggested. Hinata wondered wryly if the people here had a "Will of Rock", just as back in Konoha there existed a Will of Fire.
Five minutes later she was perusing the streets of East Ukiyo-no-Urami, also known as Ukiyo. Of course, using her ninja skills she was virtually undetectable to the townspeople, but she got the scope of the place well enough. It was laid out in a grid-like fashion, making her think that the city itself had been planned from the beginning, or perhaps it had just been this portion. The townspeople, while they did not reflect the vibrant, welcoming, and cheerful attitude of Konoha civilians, seemed well-adjusted enough, if a little more quiet than her home villagers.
Some of the buildings suggested a relatively lavish lifestyle in the impoverished Earth nation. One house in particular caught her eye; it looked to be the biggest building in town, taking into consideration both sides of the city. It was built in the style of Classical architecture, just like her one-time home, the Hyuuga Compound, though it was nowhere near as large. The wood was especially dark, and she realized that it must've been especially imported; trees were rare in Tsuchi no Kuni and, by extension, wood.
From her perch on the southernmost edge of the wall surrounding this little enclosure, Hinata admired the way the exotic dark wood made a sharp contrast to the pale yellow tinge of the stone walls and the sharp white of the shoji doors. It was really a work of art, though it could've done with more vegetation in her humble opinion. Hinata loved the terrain of her homeland, which was severely lacking here.
With a sigh, she slipped silently away from the house, stealthily making her way back to the shopping district of the town. She had situated herself in the dark alley between a shop that sold wigs and the local blacksmith when she felt the chilling metal of a katana on her neck.
"Come with us… or die."
"Naruto."
The blonde turned and glanced into the shadowy alleyway on his right.
"Bastard." They shared a secret grin of brotherly understanding before Sasuke stepped into the light. "I've found a place that'll be suitable for the time being; the room I got only has two beds, but we can work it out, I'm sure."
"Ohhh, yeah… we'll work it out, for sure…" said Naruto, a strange grin overtaking his face while his cheeks were a light pink. Sasuke scowled at him.
"Pervert. Touch her like that without her consent and I'll fucking kill you."
"Ooh, touchy touchy! Don't worry about it, I'd never try anything like that 'without her consent'. But if I ever happen to get her consent…"
"I'll get my own room," muttered the brunette, turning to hide the embarrassed blush on his cheeks. Naruto's still-perverted grin was a mile wide.
"Atta boy! Now, let's go find Hinata-chan."
"We should just head on and find Mitsuhide."
"Eh? What about Hinata-chan?"
"She likes to wander off sometimes, to think. She'll find her way to wherever we are."
"If you say so. Look, his directions point us toward Ukiyo. C'mon."
The Konoha shinobi were soon flying over the rooftops toward the house of Mitsuhide Akechi, not knowing it was the same large home that Hinata had observed earlier. When they arrived about one minute later at their destination, they were both surprised at the lavishness of their building in comparison to others in the small town.
"Maybe he'll have room for us after all," said Sasuke, mildly surprised. The inn was a good fall back if for some reason they couldn't stay at the mini mansion; sometimes, he and Hinata felt uneasy in these large houses anyway. It reminded both of them too much of their childhoods.
Naruto stepped up to the gate and knocked, loud and clear. Almost immediately, a haggard-looking woman entered. She might have been beautiful once, but age and harsh living had taken their toll on her. Her once-blonde hair was frayed and graying, pulled back in a low ponytail. The skin of her hands looked cracked and rough, unused to such a harsh environment. Crows' feet lined her eyes and mouth, which was turned down in a grimace. Despite her small stature, they soon found out when she dragged them in by their wrists that she had hidden strength.
"Come in, come in, don't hang around the doorstep like that!" she hissed at them. Her sharp brown eyes examined the two of them mercilessly.
"We were told that Tsunade would send three shinobi," said the woman suspiciously.
"Our last team member is still scouting the area, ma'am," answered Naruto instantly. His voice was polite with a hidden undercurrent of annoyance. Sasuke suppressed a smirk.
"I see," she said, dropping their wrists out of her iron grip. "And when will he be back, hm?"
"I'm not inclined to reveal the details of the mission to you, ma'am. I'll need to speak to Mitsuhide Akechi, as he's the one who contracted us."
She huffed angrily. "Fine! I'll take you to my good-for-nothing husband if you want." She began to stomp off angrily, not even gesturing for the two of them to follow. Naruto sighed.
"Pleasant lady, isn't she?" murmured Sasuke.
"Yeah, she's really great." The deadpan sarcasm wasn't missed.
For all the outward appearances of the mansion, it seemed to be fairly simple on the inside. It took only about half a minute to reach its innermost rooms, apparently where this woman's "worthless husband" resided. Pulling open the door, she hit her head with her palm, frustrated.
"Akechi!" she shrieked at the man, who was asleep at his desk, drool leaking out of the side of his mouth. He jumped up at her scream, wiping his mouth in reflex before looking up at the two interlopers. His leaf-green eyes were wide and kind, and blinked furiously as he slipped on silver, wire-rimmed glasses. His hair was long and black with streaks of dark-grey at the temples; he had aged infinitely better than his bitter, jaded wife.
"Thank you, Miyuki my love," said the man, shooting the woman a thankful, doting look. "Forgive my slovenly ways!" She huffed again and pushed her way passed Naruto and Sasuke rudely, not bothering to excuse herself.
"You'll have to forgive my wife," said Akechi, standing up to welcome the two ninja into the study. His form was tall and skinny, and his elaborate formal clothing seemed to overpower him. "She's been in foul mood as of late, because of all these dangerous happenings… Please, please come in!"
"I am Mitsuhide Akechi, the mayor of Ukiyo-no-Urami and I hired you to help me figure out why people keep disappearing in my town."
Naruto and Sasuke nodded; they had read as much in the report Tsunade have given them.
"However… I requested this as an A-rank mission because, frankly, the townspeople have become restless and unruly; they don't listen to me anymore, and I think they may attempt to… to…"
"Incite rebellion?" Naruto tried to finish. Akechi nodded. "Exactly." His voice was weak and tired. For the first time they noticed the dark circles around his eyes, in contrast with his smiling, healthily colored cheeks.
"We're here to do whatever we can. Is there anybody who witnessed the kidnappings that we could talk to?"
"I have a list," began the man hesitantly. "But it will be a miracle if you can get them to listen to you."
"We'll take the list," said Sasuke without expression. "We have ways of getting people to talk."
"Not anything that will hurt them," added Naruto quickly, seeing the horrified look on Akechi's face. "Things that mimic hypnotism, stuff like that. Nothing violent." Naruto glared at Sasuke as Akechi put his head in his hands, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Is there anything else you'll want us to know?" the blonde interjected smoothly.
"Oh, I don't know, maybe something about Iwagakure ANBU should be included," hissed a feminine and distinctly pissed-off voice from the shadows of the room. Naruto and Sasuke immediately stood at attention and rushed over to her.
"Hinata-chan!"
"Hinata…"
There was a cut across her face and a quickly-yellowing bruise on her ankle, but otherwise she seemed fine.
"What the hell happened?"
"Didn't you hear me? Iwagakure ANBU squads are patrolling the streets of Ukiyo-no-Urami. In fact, one just tried to accost me as I was going to meet up with you," Hinata growled out. The Gobi let out of a pleased growl in the back of her head; she'd been itching for a fight recently, and her appetite hadn't been sated by the pathetic squad. Mitsuhide looked shocked.
"What! I knew that they were running the streets, but I had no idea – none at all, you simply must believe me –"
"Why don't you start explaining, because I don't like those who double-cross terribly well," said Hinata. Her voice was still shaking with restrained anger.
"For as long as I've been mayor the Tsuchikage assigned them here, seeing as we're so close to the border. Seemed to think that we would send out our jobs to Konoha instead of Iwagakure –"
"And you didn't see fit to mention this in the preliminary report?"
"It didn't think it was so important! I had no idea they would attack foreign shinobi!"
His eyes were shining at her, imploring her to understand what he was saying, to believe him. The old Hinata would've been taken in. The new Hinata decided to let him believe he had her trust for now… but she would be keeping an eye on him. Two, actually.
"One more question." She loosened her stance slightly, and the man relaxed with her.
"Yes, anything, anything at all!"
She looked at him with a cold smile, and his own relieved grin faded slightly.
"Who are the people hiding behind that wall?"
Translation time!
Ukiyo-no-Urami – Ukiyo – this sad life, this transient life; Urami – bitterness. Altogether, "Bitterness of this Sad Life". Great name, eh?
Well, as to the HanabiSasukeSakura debate, I've decided to leave it up in the air for now… SasuSaku is a good solid pairing, but it's so overdone, and I really want to expand upon the interaction of SasuHanabi. But SasuSaku would be so much easier, and I'm sooo lazy… as you can see, I'm still torn. I'll probably just make it a love triangle… but if you have any last requests put them in now, before it's too late!
Wow, guys, thanks for all the reviews I got for last chapter! They were what really inspired me to finish this so much more quickly than the other ones. And sorry about the Yuugito-heavy first part… I swear I didn't mean for it to come out that way. I kinda like to play with her as a character. I guess I'm setting her up for interaction with another character – nudge nudge wink wink! But since you probably aren't reading this, as author's notes tend to get long and rambling, you missed that hint. So it sucks to be you!
Ciao! Panda out!
FPC