Oyasuminasai: "good night"

For Hanabi, setting the bait was pretty easy.

All she had to do was tell her neechan's teammate that her sister wanted to do a little extra training for the upcoming Jounin exams, and that they should meet her at the private training grounds behind the mansion. She also explained that her neechan might come a little late, but for them to come at the confirmed hour, just in case. She needed to make sure they showed up rather than take their time getting there.

Her neechan was actually taking care of some clan business with otousan, but they either didn't know that, or believed Hinata's plans have changed. Whatever was the case, they were still coming, and they will be there in less than ten minutes.

Some of the supplies had been a little hard to get without raising suspicion, but she is Hanabi, the sneakiest little girl in all of Konoha, with a pretty badass reputation in the underground world (not that anybody suspected).

Her targets were getting closer to their mark, and she has yet to see Kuri-kun since his briefing. Surely he wasn't too scared of the dog to abandon his mission? Abandon her?

A little brown blur in the trees in front of her killed off any doubt.

In the time they got to know one another, she and Kuri-kun had developed a sort of psychic connection or bond with each other. Even though she kept her face pretty emotionless outside the compound (like many other Hyuuga), he could read her face and know, to some extent, what she was thinking of, and vice versa.

Of course she didn't see him! He's in training to be stealthy and secretive at all times. She would just have to trust that he would stay in position, because she couldn't take the risk of activating her bloodline, not when nobody was to know of her intentions, and definitely not when her neechan already knows.

She could hear them coming closer. Mutt breath was exclaiming something out loud, and his bug-infested comrade silently listened or ignored him, she couldn't really tell. Her prize barked in agreement of some sort.

Does her Kuri-kun know the mission? Had she made it clear enough? Did he understand?

Distract the dog. I'll handle the humans. Get him far away from them.

Akamaru is a well-trained and experienced dog-nin. Would he fall for the genjutsu she placed on Kuri-kun to make him look and smell like a cat? Would the dog feel something was amiss if he was being separated from his partner? She was still an Academy student, even if the Academy is currently in ruins. Her genjutsu had been impressive to her classmates, but the trick was merely amateur to any ninja who had completed at least four Genin missions.

She should have thought out this plan more thoroughly, trained Kuri-kun more, and watched her targets more. She had been too distracted after their failed first mission. Her neechan never did promise to keep Kuri-kun a secret. Neither of the mischievous duo felt her neechan's presence until it was already too late. Kuri-kun had later reported chakra seals all over neechan's room, even at the hidden compartment. Had Hanabi activated her Byakugan like she never dared to, would she be able to see through the chest and drawers? Had Kuri-kun triggered something the moment he sneaked in? There were so many questions left unanswered. Hanabi had thought she had done her research thoroughly.

Kuri-kun aggressively chattered. Concentrate my lady!

Yes, she mustn't be distracted; else they would fail the second mission.

She made one faint clap and then a snap. I'm focused. Position?

Three twitches. A pause. Two twitches. The area is secured. Targets sighted.

She lightly slapped her right flat hand against her leg, then snapped her fingers; sign language for dog.

Two twitches.

She made a low whistle and gestured with one finger. One minute to go.

Then they both stood as still and as silent as possible.

"Hey Shino! Think I can get Hina-chan to take off her jacket today? I bet she's hiding some really good assets in it."

"……….."

"Aw, come on! Say something! I know you've been thinking of it too."

"………I do not engage in such hormone-driven thoughts."

"Ehh, fun sucker. How 'bout you, Aka? If Hina-chan was a dog, you'd do her right?"

Akamaru gave a low whine. Don't say such inappropriate things about your teammate, Kiba. She is a sensitive lady.

"Since when did you take Shino's side over mine, buddy!?"

A woof. Since you hit puberty I really wish you could keep your thoughts to yourself. Sometimes they drive m…!

Growl.

Mreow.

"Huh? A cat? They Hyuugas don't own any… hey Akamaru! Stop! Come back buddy! Wait fo……YAHHH!"

Akamaru was barking in the distance. Kiba had stepped onto the trap and was now covered head-to-toe with sticky honey and leaves. Shino stood like a statue outside the well-covered hole, but had a wire loop snagged on his right foot.

After Hanabi made sure her neechan's teammates were securely stuck, Kiba unable to escape the syrupy ditch, and Shino whose bugs couldn't chew through the specially-made wire, she threw a kunai up to the top of the trees. With a swish and a slice, the makeshift platform came down, along with all the squirrels, chipmunks, possums, mice, lizards, and other critters that Kuri-kun had gathered with the promise of a firefly show. The forest critters, now shocked and pissed off that their little get together went down the ground, turn to the two humans and began their onslaught of bites, nicks and nips. Most of them went for the boy that smelled like a mutt and was covered in thick honey. The more docile ones went after the other, but decided that he must be friend since he smelled like bugs. They went after the mutt-boy instead.

Hanabi could faintly hear the yelps and screams from Kiba as she ran. She wondered if Shino was restraining his shouts of pain or hadn't been bothered. She didn't hate the bug-user too much, so she hoped that the woodland creatures went for Kiba instead, the perverted loudmouth that always said suggestive things to her naive and innocent neechan.

In the small clearing she sees that Kuri-kun's disguise had vanished, and he was once more a rode…uhh, squirrel (her neechan explained one breakfast that Kuri-kun wasn't a rat).

Akamaru realized the trick that was pulled on him and felt a little bit foolish. Word better not get to the other dog-nins, or else he'll die of humiliation. He, a talented Chuunin-level ninja(though he still has trouble speaking human), was outwitted by a fat squirrel and a little girl who wasn't even a ninja! He wonders if his constant companion's stupidity was rubbing off of him.

The little girl appeared and revealed to be his female teammate's little sister. Well, that probably explains why he got fooled.

The young Hyuuga girl began to pet him. Akamaru wagged his tail. He is quite fond of the girl, even if his human partner isn't. Soon the squirrel, whom had been a little nervous around him, came a little close, feeling that the dog wasn't going to harm him. Akamaru turned to the small mammal as Hanabi continued to show him great affection.

Yip. Akamaru.

Chchi. Kuri

Yip. This girl's partner?

Squeak. Hai.

Woof. Nin?

Chchcht. In training.

Yip. Ah, I see.

Chchcht. Friends?

Yip! Sure!

And for the rest of the day the tri rolled around the grass and ran and skipped around the area behind the mansion. Carefree and full of joy, Akamaru was now somewhat glad that he had gotten fooled by the girl and the squirrel.

After the long meeting with her father and the council, something about a budget and renovations, Hinata went straight to one of the indoor gyms to practice a little bit of her heiress-required sword training. However, a servant came before she could began and informed her that strange noises that sounded like one of her teammates came from the private training grounds.

She had a hunch about what happened. She hasn't seen her imouto since this morning.

She came to one of the grounds further from the mansion. With her Byakugan activated, she could see the Kiba struggling inside a ten-foot high, five-foot wide hole in the ground. Although not much of a feat for the average ninja, he was also covered in very sticky honey, and lots of it, that had traces of familiar chakra that she suspected made the honey thicker than usual. Kiba also had a lot of bite marks all over his body, and holes here and there on his leather clothes. Shino was close by, with a thin steel wire trap around his right foot, but was otherwise unharmed.

Akamaru was nowhere nearby.

She was no fool. She knew what had happened. She knew who the two culprits were.

But she will not say anything.

Instead, she will act a little shock.

"A-ano. Kiba-kun, Shino-kun. What happened?"

"………."

"What happened!? What happened!? I'll tell you what happened!!! We came here to train for the exams and this stupid trap was here and then some crazy vermins attacked me. Why the hell….!!!!"

Blah, blah, blah.

After dinner, Hinata confronted Hanabi. Their cousin Hayato was cleaning the dishes, listening. The other cousins living in Wing C with the two Clan head daughters had already finished up and were doing their own things.

"Did you have fun today Hanabi?"

"Uhh…"

"I'm sure Akamaru did. He missed playing with you."

"……….."

"I bought some new nuts and cranberries earlier today. Here, take a handful."

"…arigato, neechan."

"Take care, imouto-chan, and clean up your room. It's starting to smell like a zoo in there. We have a new vacuum in the closet."

"Arigato, neechan. Oyasuminasai!"

Hanabi left, Hinata went back to the kitchen to help her cousin with the dishes.

"Hinata-sama, is there something going on?"

"Just Hanabi being herself, Hayato-kun."

"Ah, very well……"

"Hayato-kun?"

"Well, Hinata-sama, you may go to your bedchambers now. I can clean up from here."

"Are you sure?"

"Hai."

"Very well. Goodnight Hayato-kun."

"Oyasuminasai, Hinata-sama."

...

....

.....

Long after Hinata-sama had left, Hayato still wondered what the conversation between the two sisters was all about.