A/N: Ehmahgawd, lateness. It's something I can't really get over. Mostly becasue I've been frantically trying to get my grades up to acceptable levels. Which would be all A's and B's. Which are my parent's standards.
On the bright side of things, I FINALLY WROTE THIS CHAPTER!!! I HAVE BEEN PLANNING THIS MOMENT SINCE NEARLY THE MOMENT I STARTED WRITING THIS STORY. OMGZORZYAY.
I uploaded on my DeviantArt account the scene in chapter 16 when Naruto wakes up and finds Hinata sleeping on him, all colored and whatnot :3 Take a quick glance, if you please. I've also been drawing other things like Ouran High School Host Club and Deathnote and I read the entirety of both series since I finished the last chapter ( XD ) so if you check my DA account soon, there shall be more stuffs there later.
NARUTO CHAPTER 437-438 SPOILER RANT AT BOTTOM SO BEWARE :D
Oh, and Manu, I never even thought about going that far into Haku's past. That's really cool, actually. So sure, I'll use it as Haku's background story when the time comes :)
Read, review and enjoy!! ^-^
Chapter 19 – Just Like You
Numbness.
Darkness.
That was all she felt at first.
Slowing…drifting…
The blackness of her eyes stayed. She didn't know for how long.
But at one point, it started to fade. Slowly. Graying.
And then she could hear. A sound, Dripping of water into a puddle; Drip…drip….drip… it was the only thing that marked the passage of time.
She really didn't open her eyes. Things more or less came into focus steadily. Another endless moment passed. She could see.
It was a dark yellow-gray, wherever she was. Those were…rocks, yes, rocks. Large ones…so big that they formed walls! There were other ones too. Cone shaped. Dripping with water? Water… Ah!
A cave. She was in a cave.
It was so dark. She didn't know any fire Justus, so there was no light. Byakugan was a good substitute though.
She tried to bring the chakra up to her eyes but found that she couldn't. She tried harder…and harder. So hard she thought she might pop a vein. And then…
An intense pain radiated outward through her whole body from her stomach. Her knees buckled and she crumpled to the floor. It was another moment before she could move again.
Hinata felt her way down through the cave. It slanted downward and branched off in a few places, but she just went straight, just to be safe. A few times she thought she heard a far-off growl.
The tunnel continued on and on, going deeper and deeper. She thought it would never end.
Maybe this was one of those nightmares. But why couldn't she wake up?
Suddenly, there was a faint glow up ahead. Eagerly, she walked faster in a straight line without the cave wall's guidance, which somehow fell away.
The dripping sound continued on from all around her as walked through the cave. All to quickly she noticed that she now stood in almost knee deep water.
The glow came from two eyes. Two large, yellow eyes with slits full of scrutiny looking down upon her.
A deep growl echoed. It came from the direction of the eyes.
Hinata was too scared to speak.
"Finally…" The word, voiced by a feminine voice, hung in the air.
"Don't look at me like that."
Hinata continued to stare.
"Don't you know who I am?"
She tried to shake her head but the movement came out small and jerky.
The eyes grew brighter and gave off more light. Hinata saw blue and black fur emerge in the faint light and a muzzle, nose, a set of ears, paws and the rest of the front half of a giant cat. It was all behind a gate that had a paper that had the word "seal" written on it in the Old Language as the thing that kept the bars together.
"And now?"
Only one thing she had ever known had the same description, but was from the mind of another.
"Are y-you one of the N-Nine Bijuu?"
"Correct. I am the second of the Nine. The Niibi, the Two-Tailed Demon Cat, Queen of all cat spirits and cat demons to name a few."
"Why am I here with you? Where is this place anyways?"
"'When the one breathes his first breath, he shall turn his stone brethren to life as well.' Do you know what this means, kitten?"
"N-no-"
"It means that because of the Kyuubi, I am no longer completely sealed within you. His chakra weakened the seal-" She stopped short at Hinata's horrified expression. "You did not know I was sealed inside you?"
The girl's eyes were focused somewhere far away.
"Didn't your father ever tell you?"
"H-he never m-mention-ned o-or anyth-thing about you."
"I was roaming the forests of the thunder land when I happened upon a caravan of white-eyes people like yourself. They attacked me and then the next thing I remember, I was locked inside this cave inside you."
"Th-that must have been wh-when uncle Hizashi…" The thought was left incomplete.
"It was enjoyable watching you grow up and even more within these past few years. I must say, I'm impressed. Someone who has been put down so much and failed would have usually given up on life."
Silence followed and lasted while Hinata thought.
"A-are you sure this isn't one of those dreams again? Finding this out is…really…surreal."
The cat roared so loud that Hinata thought her eardrums would burst and the cave would collapse on top of her. "If you haven't woken up from that," the cat explained "then I would say that this is quite real."
He ran and ran. He wouldn't stop. His need for her to live was insatiable.
He grew impatient when Izumi told him to rest for an hour before moving on. As they continued, he argued that down to a half hour. He held her inanimate body in his arms for much of that time, whispering promises in her ear that he swore to uphold. He believed she could hear him and he wouldn't believe she was gone. He held onto the fact her body was still slightly warm and her heart beat at just over ten times a minute.
"She's mine." Naruto muttered to the sky. "I won't let you have her." In truth, he had no idea what he would do with himself if she died because it would be his fault. He didn't know how to think, to act if she wasn't there with him for the rest of his life. She was the glue that held him together.
It crossed his mind once or twice as to why he felt this odd way about her. It was unsettling. He wanted to hug her and kiss her all over when she came out of her state and apologize for doing this to her. He wanted to hold on and never let go.
He twined his hand with hers and nuzzled her neck. Oh how it felt so wrong but still so right. He squeezed. Everything will be alright. I promise.
When they stopped again at the two Oni guards the next morning at daybreak, Naruto didn't argue when Izumi told him to slow, nor did he flinch when he saw their massiveness. He merely looked them in the eye with all the ferocity of a tiger whose young were threatened. They in turn, sensed the Kyuubi's chakra within him and let them pass without Izumi reciting the password poem.
"Ah! Izumi-chan! Naruto-kun! Hinata-chan! You're finally here! What took you so long?" A young man, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, ran alongside the pair. He looked Naruto up and down, and then to the girl he carried on his back. A spark flared in his eyes but he said nothing. He kept silent after his entrance too when he noticed Naruto's determined expression and the tension in the air.
It took another ten minutes to get to the cottage on the mountain. "Here, give her to me." Michinaga said once they had arrived. "I know what to do." Naruto unwillingly gave Hinata to him. "Wait outside until I'm done. Do not, I repeat, do not come in until I say so." His eyes followed her blank face to the cottage until it disappeared behind the sliding door.
Naruto took her pack of his front, sat on the porch and hugged it to his chest. Almost immediately, he fell asleep and he welcomed the blackness with the knowledge that his girl was in trustworthy hands.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
After what seemed like a split second, a hand peeled that black away by shaking him. "Naruto-kun. Naruto-kun. Hey." He looked up into someone's face, bleary-eyed. "She's going to be alright. She'll live."
It felt like the bottom of his stomach had dropped out, and the black nearly completely consumed him again.
"You know Izumi-chan, your family never ceases to amaze me."
"Un, what?"
"You brought me two Jinjuuriki to teach, not one!"
Silence.
"What?" the voice responded weakly.
"Ah, you didn't know? She's the container of the two-tailed Bijuu, the Niibi Demon Cat."
That tore the blanket completely away. His back snapped straight. Two pairs of eyes looked in his direction.
"Is that…true? Sage-sensei?"
Michinaga's eyes seemed to sparkle. "Yes. I figured as much when I first saw you carrying her that she herself housed a demon. She had gone into shock then a coma when your Kyuubi's chakra touched her seal and weakened it. Once she wakes up, she will be able to use its power, just like you."
…Just like you.
Just like me.
Just like me.
…
I've found someone who I love that is just like me.
"C-can I see her?"
"Yes. Just don't wake her up. She's sleeping."
Naruto slowly but awkwardly went inside the cottage. Hinata laid there tucked inside a futon, sleeping peacefully. She never looked so delicate, so breakable, so beautiful, as she did now.
The one I love.
Who is just like me...
He sat against the wall and let the blanket swallow him again, her face the last thing he saw.
I'm in love with her.
"Ah? What's this?" The yellow cat eyes narrowed.
"What?" Hinata looked up curiously.
"Can you feel it?
"Feel what?"
"I guess you are still numb to your body's condition." The Niibi's voice was fading now, more muted. "Kyuubi-kun's chakra is being drawn out of you."
"Oh… What's going to happen then? To you?"
"I will still be in you until the day that you die. You just have to look inside yourself until you find my cage." It had a normal, human volume now.
"But wait!" Hinata stepped forward. "I want to ask you something!"
"What?"
"Why haven't I known or been able to talk to you until now?"
Her question echoed into the cave.
"Some things are better off being revealed at the proper time."
The quiet in the cave was deafening.
The world faded into gray. Someone had taken a blanket off of her eyes and ears, or at least that was how it felt. She could hear the chirping of a bird, the rush of the wind over the treetops and two voices, low and discussing something.
She began to make out colors. Cream. Brown. Tan. Colors from the inside of a house. Wait, she was in a house.
Something yellow to the left caught her eye. It was an unruly mop of blond hair.
Naruto-kun.
He was asleep and leaning against the wall. He looked really tired with the dark circles under his eyes. She sat up but a sense of vertigo overcame her, forcing her to lie back down for a moment before trying again.
Wait, where was she? Who's futon was this? Who's house was this?
A door opened behind and to the left, letting sunlight spill all over the wood floor. "Ah, Hinata-chan? You're awake?" She turned to the male voice, but was blinded by the light.
The tall man walked over and crouched down to her eye level. He was young, with dark hair and grey eyes and very handsome. "How are you feeling? You were out for a while there." His eyes probed her expression.
It took her a minute to collect her thoughts. "Are you the… Demon Sage?"
He smiled. "Not what you expected, eh?"
Hinata shook her head. "No, Michinaga-sensei."
"Ahh, stop that. I hate formalities. Call me Yoshi, 'kay? Short for Yoshisune, my first name."
She nodded, then looked back at Naruto. He followed her gaze. "He carried you all the way here from what Izumi told me. You guys didn't stop until you got here."
Her expression softened with overflowing emotions for him. "How long? As in days?" she asked in a small voice.
"Three. He looked like he was on the brink of collapsing when he arrived."
She gripped the blanket. He noticed.
"You really love him, don't you?"
She bit her lip and nodded. He had no idea.
Yoshi watched her try not to cry. He stood and mussed her hair. "Go back to sleep. You just went through a lot of trauma and need to recover." He left and closed the sliding door behind him.
Hinata snuggled back down into bed facing Naruto. A liquid diamond slid down her cheek.
His neck rudely woke him up. He groaned as he sat up straight and massaged the knot.
The other thing he noticed was that Hinata had moved. She laid on her side, facing him. He tried to stand up but his sore muscles failed and he fell backwards with a very loud thump.
She stirred. And then she opened her eyes.
He had never felt so happy in his entire life like right now to see that pair of eyes conscious.
She sat up, looked at the sheets and then at him. "Naruto-kun"
His name never sounded better.
So quick that she nearly missed the movement, he was hugging her, crying and had his face buried in her hair. "Naruto-kun?!" she repeated, alarmed.
It took him a few minutes to recover enough from his outburst to form words. "I'm…so glad…you're alive." He said in between sobs.
She was alarmed to have this man-child in her arms so suddenly, but she knew his need. "Shh, it's okay. I'm here." she murmured while she rocked him back and forth and stroked his hair.
He pulled back but kept his hands on her shoulders. His eyes didn't meet hers; he was too embarrassed by his sudden move to her.
Hinata didn't resist. "Hey, what's wrong?" She leaned her forehead on his.
"I…" His voice was low and husky, only for her ears.
I love you, he wanted to say. I want to be with you…forever....
"I'm glad you're alright." What an understatement. He leaned backwards.
She smiled and lifted his chin up with one finger. He didn't look at her. "Hey, Naruto-kun." His gaze met hers even though he had the strong urge to look away. "I'm happy." She smiled.
He scrambled to his feet so she wouldn't see his blush. "Well, um, I'm sure Izumi-baa-chan is worried about you. Let's go outside." She looked after him oddly, but she followed him out.
Yoshi stood from sitting on the porch. "You're both awake? Good, now we can get down to things."
"Sasuke-san, why? Why must we go back to my old home?" Haku watched him dry his wet hair with one of the hotel's towels.
Sasuke shook his hair one last time and then draped the towel over his shoulders. All he wore was pair of slightly too small drawstring sweats, showing off his well muscled chest. "I thought back to the time when I fought Zabuza with Team 7 initially and then the second time when I fought both of you on the bridge. Both of you were pretty strong, I'll have to admit. I know that it probably won't be enough to kill my brother, but there is power in your old home." He lay back on the second bed, folded his arms behind his head and closed his eyes.
"It makes no difference to me if you come with me there. You might not want to come because of bad memories or whatever, but it doesn't matter to me the reason why. It's your choice. Let me remind you that I will be staying there for a while and not just months. I mean years. So if you're not comfortable with that, then leave."
They had been traveling together for over a year now, and he was still indifferent to her. Was he really that much of an insensitive jerk as to not care about her after all this time? Haku stared at him, frustrated.
"When are you leaving?" she asked.
"Tomorrow." he replied simply.
Her mouth pressed into a thin line. "Is that who you met at the restaurant? One of their shinobi?"
"Yes." He still hadn't opened his eyes.
"Did you make arrangements?"
"Yes."
"You know, I would really appreciate it if you told me about these things beforehand so I wouldn't have to worry about you."
"It's my business. I can tell whomever I want about it. And there is no reason to worry, okay? I can get along fine."
"But-"
He heaved a big sigh and sat up. "Look, I don't appreciate to you poking into my business. And remember the deal we made? You can follow me around but I have the right to order you away if I want. If you don't want that to happen soon then just shut up and butt out." He flung the damp towel into the bathroom with precision and climbed into his bed with his back facing her.
That was his usual signal that the conversation was now over.
She sighed in frustration. He got really annoying sometimes like this. Of course, there were those few times when she really felt like they were friends, like when they laughed together, or after they had jointly beat a few gangs looking for Sasuke's capture. He had rewarded her with a smirk she had come to identify as his smile.
She had also picked up on other things, like how he refused to call Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi and anyone else from Konoha by their name and even the village. He just referred it as his 'old village' and nothing more. And how he loved tomatoes. And how the full moon on a cloudless night scared him for reasons she did not know. That one was probably associated with his brother, she figured.
Ticked off, she stared at his back. He was such an ass. She didn't even know why she traveled with him anymore.
She climbed into her bed as well. She turned the bedside lamp off with a click. "Goodnight." she shot at him icily.
"Hn."
A thought crossed her mind. Maybe she could freeze his bed sheets with her ice and watch him struggle and shiver to get out. That would be highly amusing indeed.
She just shook her head and lay on her side so she wasn't facing her companion. Now wasn't the time to be childish. It was time to sleep.
Sasuke was really glad that she couldn't see his face right now. His eyelids were delicately shut and his brow scrunched in frustration with himself.
He had upset her again.
Sasuke considered Haku to be his good and dear friend. She was someone he could depend on. He didn't want to lose her because of that. And here he was again, pushing her away just like he did with his former female teammate. Oh great.
He would try to apologize in the morning. Again. It would be another failed attempt at being nice because nice wasn't something he had a lot of experience in.
His open hand curled into a fist. Damnit. Why was it so hard?!
Two figures approached the cliffs out of the sandstorm.
"Don't take too long. You know I hate waiting."
"Yeah I know, yeah. I'll be quick. He can't be too tough, right?"
"Stop yapping, get in there and get him. I want this to be over as soon as possible."
"Fine." The pair, wearing straw hats and dressed in large black cloaks with red clouds, entered Suna.
A/N: BWAHAHA I IZ ARE EVIL. YESH HE DOESN'T CONFESS. YESH IT WILL BE A BIT BEFORE HE DOES. BWAHAHAHA!
-CAUTION- RANT LINE -CAUTION- RANT LINE -CAUTION- RANT LINE-
Holy...crap. Hinata. I love you. You confessed. To Naru-kun. X} BUT WHY MUST YOU SCARE ALL US NARUHINA FANS OF ROBBING US OF OUR WISH FOR THERE TO BE CANON NARUHINA!?!?!? Sheesh, don't scare us like that with your death evar again! X3
-END RANT--END RANT--END RANT--END RANT--END RANT--END RANT-
Yeeeah. So I had a bit of a problem with where Sasuke was going to find his power. Initially, it was Suna then I though 'Nah... doesn't fit.' Then Iwa, but Iwa doesn't fit either. So of course I coud go to my trusty BETAs for ideas. And my second one puumps out the idea of Mist and well.... that actually fits into the plotline better than I thought it would. :D Thanks Mike.
Until next time!
-IBP-
Next Chapter: With Deidara on the move to get the Ichibi from Gaara, what will Gaara and Sakura do? What will the details of this "demon training" entail? And how, with his newfound feelings for her, will Naruto and Hinata's relationship change?