A/N: A bit earlier than planned, but I think you all won't mind that. I actually managed to get a few chapters finished so I'll be posting them on a regular basis until I run out. Yes this chapter title plays off of the previous one. This is a more serious, but still has some tender moments. I hope you all enjoy it.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Text examples:
"Hello." Biju or jinchuriki using biju's powers speaking
'Hi.' Person thinking
'Hi there.' Person speaking through mental link
'Howdy.' Biju speaking through mental link
Chapter 5: Before Bad Days
Hinata awoke from a very pleasant dream that she could not quite remember. She thought it involved Naruko somehow since she remembered red hair, but for some reason she felt foxes were there too. It was some kind of big ceremony. Other than that all she had was a happy feeling about the dream. The Hyuga girl opened her eyes to see someone's face right in front of her. She almost panicked before she realized it was Naruko. Memories from the previous night came back to her and she smiled at the sleeping red head. They were sharing the same pillow. Naruko had her arms wrapped around Hinata's waist and their legs were tangled together. Hinata brought up her hand and stroked Naruko's hair. After a few moments of this the red head snuggled closer to Hinata and rubbed her cheek against the Hyuga girl's jaw letting out a small noise of affection. Hinata giggled a little at the sound. Naruko finally opened her eyes.
"Mmm, morning Princess." The red head moved a bit to rub her cheek against Hinata's. Hinata returned the gesture in kind.
"Good morning Naru. How did you sleep?" Naruko pulled away a little and looked into her friend's eyes. They really were as white as snow.
"I slept great! How about you?" Hinata sat up on her bed so she could stretch and then looked down at her friend.
"I slept well thank you." The two smiled at each other and then heard a knock on the door before Himeko entered.
"Oh good, you're both up. I was just coming to wake you." Himeko was glad the girls were up already. She would have felt bad if she had to wake them. Hinata got off the bed first and went over to hug her mother.
"Good morning mother." Himeko smiled as she heard another statement without any stuttering. Naruko was a miracle worker and the girl did not even know it. The red head got off the bed and walked in front of Himeko before she bowed.
"Good morning Aunt Himeko." The Hyuga woman kneeled down and took both girls into her arms.
"Good morning girls. I trust you both slept well?" She pulled back a little and both girls nodded their heads. "Excellent! I'm glad to hear it. Now why don't you both get changed and come have breakfast with me?" More nods were given as the girls separated from the woman. Hinata went into her walk in closet and closed the door behind her as Naruko went over to her bag in the corner to get some clothes. She pulled out her favorite orange shirt and a pair of shorts. As Hinata came out of the closet Naruko walked in to get changed. In a few minutes both girls were dressed and ready to go. Hinata looked up at her mother.
"W-will f-father be j-joining us?" Himeko frowned a little. It seemed that not even Naruko could free Hinata of her stutter when her father was involved. Himeko loved her husband, but he was still very strict with Hinata. He treated her more like a small person than a child. His behavior resulted in Hinata acting very anxious around the man.
"No Sunflower. He had a meeting to go to this morning with the elders and the other members of the main family. I will be joining him after breakfast." Hinata let out a small sigh of relief. She loved her father but sometimes she was not sure if he loved her back. This always made Hinata nervous around the man. Naruko looked between the two wondering if she missed something, then her stomach growled loudly and all the tension left the room. She laughed a little and rubbed the back of her head.
"So breakfast?" Himeko and Hinata both giggled at the girl. Himeko turned and led them to the same room where Hinata and Naruko had eaten lunch the other day. The three kneeled down on the cushions and food was shortly brought out for them. They chatted lightly as they enjoyed their meal. Hinata was noticeably quieter than the other two, but she still contributed to the conversation and had a smile on her face throughout the meal. When they were all finished Himeko excused herself so she could go to the meeting. Hinata and Naruko made their way back to Hinata's room. Once there Naruko looked around the room quickly.
"So Princess? What do you want to do now?" Hinata thought for a moment and then shrugged her shoulders. Normally at this time she had lessons, but her mother has changed her schedule so she could spend more time with her new friend. Naruko thought for a moment then snapped her fingers as she got an idea. "How about we spar?" Hinata paled a little.
"Spar?" She did not like the sound of the idea. She did not want to hurt Naruko or be hurt by her either. Naruko nodded her head vigorously.
"Yeah it'll be fun!" The red head sounded very enthusiastic about the idea but Hinata was still skeptical.
"I don't want either of us to get hurt though." Naruko looked into the girl's snow white eyes and gave her a smile.
"We won't hurt each other. We're just sparring not fighting." Hinata looked down at the ground.
"But father says that I must treat every engagement as if it were actual combat, to defeat my enemy by disabling or killing them." The words sounded forced, almost like she had practiced saying them over and over again. Naruko walked up to Hinata and embraced her.
"Hey now, it doesn't have to be like that. Sparring can be fun. Almost like play fighting. We aim to just miss hitting each other and go back and forth, kind of like taking turns. We can watch each other and point out good things and help work out bad points. It can be fun, I promise." Hinata wrapped her arms around Naruko as she nodded. What the red head had described sounded so much better than the sparring her father had her do, this actually sounded fun. The two separated and Naruko took Hinata's hand as they walked out of the room. Hinata took the lead from there and guided Naruko to one of the empty training grounds that the main family had access to. They separated as they got in the ring. Naruko looked at her new friend and gave her a reassuring smile.
"Ready?" Hinata nodded and got into the Gentle Fist stance. Naruko spread her legs apart and raised her arms with her fingers spread wide, almost like she had claws. The two raced towards each other at the same time as if there had been some kind of unseen signal. They meet in the middle of the ring and began trading blows. After a few exchanges Hinata realized that Naruko was pulling her strikes at the last second so that only her nails grazed against Hinata's clothes lightly, just enough force to be felt, but not enough to cause pain. The blue haired girl followed Naruko's example and soon she was smiling realizing that it was more like they were dancing than sparing. The red head returned Hinata's smile with one of her own. She was glad Hinata seemed to be having fun. The Hyuga girl was enjoying herself greatly. She did not have to worry about being hurt by anyone or hurting anyone in return. She could just move with Naruko and enjoy the movement. She began to try things out to see what would happen. Sometimes she was met with a light counter hit other times she landed a light blow on the red head. As she got more into it she started aiming for Naruko's chakra points, but did not put enough pressure into the strikes to cause any damage. She performed a number of strikes in rapid succession and was pleased that they all mad contact. Hinata did not know it, but she had just performed the Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms. A technique she had not even been taught yet. It just felt like the right thing to do at the time. After about an hour the two finally stopped and collapsed onto the ring floor. They were breathing heavily but had huge smiles on their faces. Naruko got up first and walked over to Hinata. The red head stuck her hand out for Hinata to take.
"I told you it could be fun." Hinata smiled up at the girl before she took hold of the out stretched hand and was lifted to her feet.
"I believe you now. It really was fun, almost like we were dancing." Naruko nodded her head as she led Hinata back inside the building, all the while still holding the Hyuga girl's hand. Neither of them noticed the strange man that had been watching them.
-Hinata's Room-
The girls had made their way slowly back to Hinata's room. They were both quite tired and were leaning on each other for support. On their way to the room they past a servant and Hinata asked him to send some lunch to her room. When the girls made it inside they headed for the bed to take a nap. After a couple of hours there was a knock on the door and the two girls woke up. An elderly Hyuga woman walked in with a tray covered in food with a pot of tea as well. She greeted the girls as she placed their food down on the nightstand and then exited the room. Naruko walked up to the food first.
"Alright! Fish!" Naruko loved fish, almost as much as she loved chicken and beef and pork and veal and venison and turkey. Well she loved all meats really, except for fox of course. The red head took a plate and placed some of the fish as well as some rice on it. She walked over to Hinata, who was still on the bed, and handed if the Hyuga girl. Hinata was a bit surprised at how courteous Naruko was being by serving her first, but she got over it quickly and accepted the plate with a smile. The red head went back to the night stand and put some food on the other plate. She then sat down next to Hinata and the two began to eat. After a few mouthfuls Naruko looked over at Hinata.
"So Princess? What do you want to do after lunch?" Hinata stopped eating for a moment to think about the question.
"I'm tired so I don't want to run around too much, but I don't want to sit around either. I think I might fall asleep again." Naruko took in what Hinata said and thought for a moment before she snapped her fingers.
"How about we play hide and seek? I can hide and you can come find me. We don't have to have the chase rule. If you find me you win or you give up and I win. Sound okay?" Hinata smiled a little. It did sound like a good idea. The blue haired girl nodded and Naruko did a little bounce where she was sitting. "Awesome! I'll go hide and you have to count to one hundred before you can come looking for me." With that Naruko was out the door and making her way down the hall. Hinata giggled a little at her friend's enthusiasm. She started counting to herself aloud. She got to sixty-two when she felt a sharp blow to the back of her head and she lost consciousness.
-Somewhere in the Hyuga Compound-
Naruko was proud of herself. She had found the best hiding spot in the entire Compound. The red head was in a hole underneath one of the buildings. She saw the hole as she was wandering and managed to widen it enough to fit inside. She found it strange how easy and natural it felt to dig a hole to hide in. Kurama had to laugh.
'Kit, all foxes can dig holes, it is second nature to them. They need to dig holes to make dens. Even the Palace is underground.' Naruko thought for a moment. She had no idea that the Fox Palace was underground.
'Dad, that sounds awesome! An entire palace underground, how does that even work?" Kurama was glad that his kit was taking an interest in the palace. He and Aika had both tried in the past to tell her about the Fox Court, but neither of them had gotten very far.
'Well kit the Palace exists beneath the Great Forest of the Demon realm. The trees there are massive and their roots are just as big. The elders of the Fox Clan manipulated the roots and made a giant cavern underground that could be accessed by tunnels hidden beneath the trees. In the cavern they built the palace and the surrounding village. They even came up with the idea of making hollow trees so that light and rain could be brought done to the cavern. It is a marvelous place Naruko.' The red head was amazed with the description that Kurama had given her. It sounded fantastic and it definitely made her list of places she wanted to visit.
'Dad can I go there? Please? Please? Please please please?" Kurama chuckled and grinned to himself.
'You can when you're older kit. It can be a dangerous place, especially for a half demon.' Kurama knew that some of the older families were prejudiced against half breeds and made it their mission to see that they never set foot in the palace. Naruko became solemn as she realized that the demon realm could be just as bad of a place for a half-demon as the mortal realm could be. It seemed that hatred existed everywhere. Naruko knew she was lucky to have so many people who accepted her for who she was. She still hoped that one more person would accept her though.
'Kurama? Do you think Hinata would hate me if she knew I was a half-demon?' Kurama smiled in his forest.
'No kit. I don't think she would hate you. In fact I'm sure that you being a half demon won't change anything between you two. Speaking of Hinata, where is she? With her Byakugan I would have thought she would have found you by now.' Naruko realized that it was strange. With the Byakugan's three hundred sixty degree view Hinata should have found her right away, especially since it allowed her to see chakra networks.
'She could just be playing fair, but I still think I should go look for her. She said she was tired so she could have gone to sleep.' Naruko dug her way out of her hiding place and began to search the compound. After about fifteen minutes of searching the red head began to panic.
'Calm down Naruko. You know her scent. Just use your nose.' Naruko nodded as she closed her eyes and began to sniff the air. Lilacs. She found the smell and began to follow it. It was strongest in Hinata's room, which was not surprising. What was surprising was a scent trail that led out through the window. Naruko almost dismissed it as being from the night Hinata snuck out to get a present for Himeko, but then she noticed it was not latched shut. Naruko bolted for the window and opened it to follow the trail. She followed it up the wall that was around the compound and onto a nearby rooftop. The red head went from rooftop to rooftop as she followed the scent of lilacs all the way to the wall that surrounded the village. She got closer to the wall and found a small hole at the base of it that was covered over by some garbage. Naruko got worried.
"This doesn't look good." Naruko bit her thumb and preformed the hand signs for the fox summoning jutsu. There was a cloud of smoke as her hand hit the ground and a black and orange fox with two tails bowed before Naruko.
"Lady Naruko, how may I help you?" Naruko motioned for the fox to rise. She was glad that he respected her, but she could do without all the bowing.
"Isamu, I need you to track down Jiraiya and tell him that Hinata seems to have been kidnapped and taken out of the village. I want you to stay with him and lead him back here. Hinata's scent is like lilacs. When you get back here pick up her trail and lead him to us. Now go!" Isamu was off in a flash. He was not considered to be the best messenger fox in the demon realm for no reason and he only worked for those he liked. Once Isamu was gone Naruko entered the tunnel and made her way under the wall to the forest outside.
-The Jolly Toad-
Jiraiya had entered The Jolly Toad around noon to get some lunch and have some sake while he thought about how best to go about training Naruko. She had already showed promise in taijutsu as well as chakra manipulation. He could help her with both, but he would have to defer to Kurama for taijutsu most of the time since the white haired man did not know how a half fox demon should fight. Naruko could already summon so he did not have to worry about that. Given her chakra levels were so high it was safe to assume that regular clones would just be over loaded so he would have to teach her a more advanced one. Shadow clones would probably be the best bet since he did not have to worry about what nature chakra she had in order to teach it. Jiraiya had just started to map out the first few weeks of training in his head when a fox came running into the bar. He recognized the fox as Isamu and was about to ask why the fox was here when Isamu bit down on his leg and started to pull him towards the door.
"Ow! Dammit Isamu! What the hell are you doing?!" Isamu stopped as he dropped the man's leg and turned to bow towards the man.
"My apologies Jiraiya. I had thought you were intoxicated since you were in a drinking establishment." Isamu had figured that the man was drunk so he decided the best way to get Jiraiya to where he was told to lead the man was to drag him there. Jiraiya had a scowl on his face as her stood up and looked down at the fox.
"It's alright I guess. Just why were you trying to drag me away in the first place?" Isamu stood up and looked Jiraiya right in the eyes.
"Lady Naruko has instructed me to tell you that Lady Hinata has been kidnapped and that she is in pursuit of them now. I am to take you to her last location and pick up the trail there." Jiraiya was shocked at the news. Hinata had been kidnapped? It did not seem possible, but then he realized that the Hyuga main family was attending a meeting with the Hokage to discuss peace matters with Kumo. It made sense. Kumo had these peace talks arranged so they could get the Hyuga main branch away from the compound and get one of their ninja inside and capture Hinata. He needed to find Hiashi.
"Isamu we need to make a stop first!" Jiraiya charged out of the bar with Isamu right on his heels. They were headed to the Hokage mansion.
-Konoha Forest-
Naruko was starting to get worried. She had run for the last hour as she followed the scent and she still had not caught up with Hinata and her kidnapper. Whoever he was he must have been extremely skilled to outdistance her so much in her natural habitat. It was downright insulting for a fox to be outrun in a forest. Kurama could agree, but he also agreed that the man must be very skilled, obviously a trained ninja of at least chunin level.
'Kit, be careful. I know you are in a rush, but you could run head first into a trap if you aren't paying attention.' Naruko slowed her pace a bit after her Dad's advice sunk in. She stretched her senses to the limit and began to absorb as much information as she could. How high she was, which way the wind was blowing, how far away from the village she was, and where traps could be hidden or enemies lying in wait. It was almost like the world opened itself to her examination. She wondered if this is how it felt to be an actual fox. The thought left her quickly as she noticed she was approaching a small clearing. Naruko slowed her advance even more and began to detect the smell of lilacs fresh on the breeze. As she approached she saw Hinata tied and beaten on the ground. She would swear she saw red. The fox girl tore from her hiding spot not even hearing Kurama's warning. Her demonic chakra was flaring and she felt a bolt of power run down her spine. She had not realized it but her transformation had dropped and she started to grow a second tail.
Naruko reached Hinata in a flash and found the girl barely conscious. The Hyuga girl's left eye was swollen shut. Her lip was torn open and bleeding. Bruises were already starting to form all over her body. Naruko was crying in pain for her friend while she gritted her teeth in anger. She was going to make whoever did this pay. The red head got Hinata into a sitting position and began to undo the ropes on her hands when Naruko heard a twig snap behind her. She turned to find a groundhog running off into the brush. She faced Hinata again and received a heavy blow to her head that sent her tumbling backwards. When she righted herself she saw a ninja standing near Hinata. Kurama did not like the feel the man was giving off. He seemed like the type who enjoyed hurting others.
'Don't underestimate him Naruko. He's powerful.' Naruko nodded as she registered the advice. She took her stance. Feet apart, arms up, and fingers spread. She was quite the sight for anyone who would look at her. Her ears were pointed straight up and seemed rigid. The two tails were back and out of the way. Her canines were on open display along with her claw like nails. They had lengthened when she grew her second tail. With a very fox like roar she charged the man ready to rip his throat out with her teeth if she had to. She was promptly smacked to the ground by a back handed slap from the ninja. Naruko then felt something impact her stomach forcefully and she let out a yelp from the pain. She would have been done for when the ninja tried to stomp her head into the ground but Kurama got Naruko moving and back on her feet. The two glared at each other before trading blows. Naruko's strikes were light and fast but her nails cut deep. It did not seem to be doing much to the ninja though. He was shrugging off every hit she landed and returning them with punches that were at least three times stronger. It was not long before Naruko began to lose focus. Her wounds were taking a toll on her and she was having trouble breathing. The man closed in to finish her off. Naruko watched as he slowly walked up to her and drew a kunai from his belt. He grabbed her by her hair and lifted her into the air as he held the blade to her throat. She stared right into his eyes. She wanted him to remember her, to remember the girl who was about to change his life forever. With the last of her strength Naruko delivered a swift powerful kick to the man's groin. The man dropped her and Naruko landed on her feet. The red head had a triumphant smile on her face as she watched the man teeter backwards and fall flat on his ass. She could not help but laugh as she dropped to her knees. The ninja looked at her from his place on the ground.
"You little bitch! I'll make you pay for that!" The man got back on his feet and rushed towards the red head only for a red and white mass to block his path and send him spinning right into a nearby tree. Naruko looked up at her white haired savor and smiled when she realized who it was.
"Took you long enough Gramps. Did I soften him up enough for you?" Jiraiya turned and just smiled at his goddaughter despite her injuries. She really was a brat sometimes. The white haired man bent down and picked up the red head.
"Yeah you did Naruko. You made it real easy for me and Hiashi to come get you two. And don't worry about reinforcements. We already took care of those." Naruko looked over at the tree that Hinata was under. A man with long brown hair that Naruko could only assume was Hinata's father had picked up the girl and was carrying her in his arms. They made their way towards the other pair and Naruko got good look at Hinata's wounds.
"Is she going to be okay?" Hiashi looked up from his daughter to the half-demon being cradled in Jiraiya's arms. He did not like their kind.
"Such matters should not concern a half-breed, but yes she will be fine once she gets medical attention." Naruko nodded to herself. She did not care about the disdain she heard in this voice or the look of pity in his eyes. All she cared about was that her friend was going to be okay.
"Good." The red head noticed that Hinata had passed out and she decided that the other girl had the right idea.
-Konoha Hospital-
Hinata had awoken some time ago, but she had not opened her eyes yet. She did not want to. She just wanted to enjoy the pleasant darkness that was surrounding her. There was no pain there, just nothingness. It was not long though before she heard a door open and close.
"How is she?" It was her mother. She sounded concerned.
"She is stable. You're lucky you got her here when you did. That broken rib could have been a real problem if it shifted and hit her lung. That little fox girl really came through for her by finding her so fast." It was an unfamiliar voice. It was definitely a man though.
"Her involvement did not matter. I would have found her anyway." That voice was a familiar one. It was Hiashi, her father.
"Hiashi don't you dare! Naruko risked herself not only once but twice to save Hinata. The first time she didn't even know her. Hinata was a stranger on the street who was being picked on by bullies and Naruko came to her rescue. And then again today she chased after the kidnapper and fought him to try and save Hinata. The girl fought a jonin Hiashi. A jonin! And even more amazingly she survived. If it wasn't for Naruko our daughter could be on her way to Kumo right now or, Kami forbid, dead. So tell me Hiashi how her involvement does not matter?" Hinata was surprised. She had never heard her mother speak to her father that way before. There was a long pause after Himeko finished her rant.
"I suppose you're right. The half-demon did help in returning Hinata to use so I should be more grateful to her. I apologize for my behavior." Hinata thought that she was dreaming. Her father never apologized to anyone.
"Don't apologize to me. Apologize to Naruko. You wouldn't even let her come in with us to check on Hinata. And another thing, her name is Naruko Uzumaki, not half-demon." Hinata was sure of it. She was definitely dreaming.
"Very well." Hinata heard the door open and close again and decided now would be a good time to wake up. She opened her eyes and tried to sit up but a sharp pain shot through her chest and she let out a cry. The two left in the room were at her side in a second. The doctor ran some chakra through his hands and began to relieve Hinata's pain. Himeko took her daughter's hand while she stroked the young girl's hair.
"Hey Sunflower, how are you feeling?" Hinata opened her mouth to respond but instead let out a cough. Her mother handed her a cup and the Hyuga girl took a drink.
"It h-hurts, but n-not as bad as b-before." Himeko frowned. The stuttering was back. She hoped Naruko could relieve her daughter of that burden permanently someday.
"That's good Hinata. You should be able to get out of here in a few days." Hinata smiled a little at the news, glad that she did not have to stay in the room for long. Her thoughts quickly turned to a certain red head that had come to her rescue.
"Where's Naruko? Is she okay?" Himeko smiled and nodded.
-Outside Hinata's Hospital Room-
Naruko was sad and mad and relieved all at the same time. She was sad because she was not allowed to see Hinata. She was mad at the people who gave her dirty looks while they past her. The red head had not bothered to preform her transformation again. And most of all she was relieved that they got Hinata to the hospital fast enough and the girl was going to be okay. Naruko did not even give a thought to her own wounds. They were already almost healed. She had her demonic chakra and Uzumaki blood to thank for that, both afforded her amazing regenerative abilities. One of the doctor's had even asked if he could take a blood sample for research. Naruko flat out refused. She did not want anyone messing with her blood. The fox girl's ears perked up as she heard the door next to her open. She turned and saw Hiashi step out of the room. She let out a little growl and stared daggers at the man. Hiashi sighed. He knew he deserved the treatment for how he acted before.
"Naruko." The red head was surprised that the man even knew her name. "I am sorry for how I treated you before. Himeko has told me of how you met our daughter. It has been made clear to me that you are a good friend to my daughter despite your heritage. You helped save my daughter and for that I am in your debt. You may have anything you desire, just name it. Money. Land. Influence. Any of it can be yours." Naruko just shook her head slowly.
"I don't want any of that. I just was to see Hinata." Naruko was crying a little. She was not sure why, it was just painful being away from Hinata when she knew the Hyuga girl was hurt. Hiashi was humbled by the response. He had just bared the entirety of the Hyuga wealth and power at this girl's feet and she turned all of it away just to see his daughter. He did not know people like that still existed. Even children had things that they wanted, but all she wanted was to be with her friend. So he did the only thing he could do. He stepped aside and opened the door for Naruko as he gestured for her to go inside.
"Hinata!" The Hyuga girl looked away from her mother and saw Naruko race to her side. The red head was crying as she took hold of Hinata's arm and clutched it tightly. Hinata began to rub the girl's head and scratch behind her ears. Naruko looked adorable with her fox ears. Himeko smiled a little at the scene and decided to take her leave.
"I'll let you two have some privacy." She stood and motioned for the doctor to follow her out of the room. Naruko finally looked up at Hinata, tears still running done her face.
"I'm sorry Hinata. I'm sorry for everything. If I hadn't suggested hide and seek we would have been together when he tried to take you and I could have fought him off. I'm sorry I didn't realize sooner that you were gone. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you I was a half-demon. I also want you to know that I'm the jinchuriki for the Kyubi. He isn't as bad as everyone makes him out to be. He helped raise me and he is kind of like my dad. I was so afraid that you would hate me and wouldn't want to be my friend anymore so I didn't tell you. I'm sorry. Please don't hate me." Naruko was still crying as she felt a hand lift her chin. She looked up to see Hinata smiling at her.
"Naruko, how could I ever hate you for being who you are? You're the same girl that came to my rescue a week ago. You were just as much a half-demon then as you are now. So nothing has really changed." Hinata smiled brightly as she leaned forward and hugged the red head. Naruko was still crying, but this time they were tears of joy. Hinata really did give the best hugs. She was not going to lose her friend today and she hoped that she would never lose Hinata. Naruko climbed into the hospital bed with Hinata and the two spent the rest of the day sleeping.
-Konoha Gates-
A week had passed since the kidnapping and Naruko had visited Hinata every day at the hospital without fail, only returning to the hotel to sleep and clean up. They never seemed to run out of things to talk about, but sometimes they stopped and played bored games with Himeko, Jiraiya, or even the Hokage when he came to visit. It was the day after Hinata was released from the hospital that Jiraiya decided it was time to get back on the road. Naruko did not want to but she knew that she had to. Jiraiya said that he was going to start her ninja training and if she wanted that she had to go with him. She was walking towards the gate, but got a strange felling in the pit of her stomach. She stopped and waited. A smile appeared on the red head's face when she caught the scent of lilacs on the wind. Naruko turned and saw Hinata running towards her as fast as she could. Naruko opened up her arms and enveloped her friend in a hug when the Hyuga girl reached her. Hinata was breathing heavily in Naruko's arms and the red head could tell she was still in pain.
"You shouldn't have run. You're still hurt." Hinata nodded her head in agreement as she pulled away a little to look at Naruko's face.
"I know, but I had to see you one last time before you left." Naruko smiled and pulled the girl close to her again as she rubbed the blue haired girl's back.
"And I'm grateful. You have no idea how much it means to me that you came to see me off. You're my best friend Hinata and I promise that that will never change. This isn't really a goodbye, just a see you later. I'll be back, I promise. And when I'm not here I'll write you letters. You'll get so many letters that you'll get sick of them." Hinata giggled at the thought. She did not think she could ever get sick of getting anything from Naruko.
"I'll read every letter and treasure each one." Naruko smiled brightly and pulled back to look into Hinata's eyes.
"I'll see you later Princess." Hinata smiled. She really loved the name Naruko had given her.
"I'll see you soon Naru." Naruko thought for a moment before throwing caution to the wind and leaned in to plant a quick kiss on Hinata's cheek. The Hyuga girl went wide eyed with a blush on her face and promptly fainted on the spot. Naruko was still holding her so the girl did not fall to the ground. The red head chuckled and shook her head. She was getting used to Hinata's fainting already. Naruko felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Himeko standing next to her. The woman bent over and took Hinata in her arms. She smiled down at the other girl and rubbed Naruko's head with her free hand. Naruko let out a happy noise.
"You really look much better with the fox ears Naruko, you shouldn't have to hide. And I know Hinata would agree with me." Now it was Naruko's turn to blush. She had performed the transformation before she left the hotel that morning. Maybe she would not use the technique the next time she came to the village at least when she was in the Hyuga Compound anyway. Naruko turned to the woman and bowed deeply.
"Thank you for everything Aunt Himeko. It means a lot to me. And thank Hinata for being my friend for me when she wakes up. I would do it myself, but I can tell Gramps is getting annoyed that we haven't left yet." Himeko turned her head and saw Jiraiya standing just outside the gate tapping his foot. He did seem a bit annoyed.
"You're welcome Naruko and I'll do that. I really should be the one thanking you though. You have done so much for my daughter. More than you even realize and for that I am forever grateful." Himeko bowed her head and would have done a proper bow if Hinata was not in her arms. Naruko returned the bow and waved as she ran off after Jiraiya. They walked off down the road. Hinata woke up shortly after they were no longer in sight.
"What happened?" Himeko smiled at her daughter and placed a kiss on her forehead.
"You fainted when Naruko kissed you." Hinata's blush came back in full force at what her mother said.
"Was she upset?" The woman shook her head as she turned to head back to the Compound.
"No Sunflower, quite the opposite really, she seemed content. In fact when you fainted she held you tightly in her arms to keep you from falling." If Hinata's blush could get any redder it would have and she had to fight from fainting again.
"She's really nice. I can't wait for her to come back again." Himeko smiled at the idea.
"Neither can I Hinata." Himeko wanted the red head back as soon as possible. The red head did wonders for her daughter.
A/N: I hope you all liked how I handled the kidnapping attempt. The next chapter should be up in the next week or so, I still have some things I want to edit. Until then. As always please review, it makes doing this even more worthwhile.