Normal
"Speech"
Thought
Kyuubi
Warnings: I do not own Naruto. Rated "M" for language and adult situations.
Chapter 32: 13th Hour Part 2
9 hours, 16 minutes and counting:
Naruto was sprawled out across the soft grass of the clearing in front of the dojo. Gaara raised an eyebrow and walked over to his friend.
"You need to focus." Gaara crossed his arms. Naruto sat up on his elbows. "I hate waiting."
"I've noticed. I don't know why she puts up with you." The Kazekage mused aloud. Naruto looked up at Gaara with a wide grin. "Jealous?" He teased.
"Honestly," The read head took a deep breath and held out a hand to help up his blonde friend. "I am." Naruto blinked at Gaara in shock and took his hand. Gaara helped Naruto to his feet. "But I have resigned myself to a life of solitude. I doubt I could find someone that could love me the way Myra loves you." Even Naruto could feel how much Gaara hurt. The blonde didn't get a chance to protest Gaara's little pitty party.
Hinata came running out of the forest. "NARUTO!" She was breathing heavily like she had been running all the way from where ever it was she had been running. The Hyuuga girl skidded to a halt in front of the boys. Naruto's heart jumped into his throat.
"What is it Hinata? Is everything ok?" Naruto was letting his worry show. Hinata gulped and tired to catch her breath. She looked at Naruto and there was panic staring back at her. Hinata gulped again and pushed back her own emotions. She didn't want to tell him what she had overheard for fear it would crush him.
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11 hours, 23 minutes and counting
The birds were no where to be found and Myra stood at the gates of the Hyuuga manor. She took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing." Myra pulled the long rope and she heard bells chime somewhere on the inside of the large house. She took a deep breath and steadied herself. "With Knowledge and Wisdom comes power." She whispered to herself.
The door opened and Hinata stood at the door and blinked at Myra. "Ca – can I help you?" Her voice was very high pitched and timid. Myra had washed her self of all emotion and glared at poor Hinata. "I wish to speak with Lord Hyuuga." Myra demanded through gritted teeth.
Hinata bowed to Myra and was very polite about letting Myra in the manor house. Hinata brought Myra around to the courtyard where Neji and Hanabi were practicing. "Would you wait he-here for a moment?" Hinata asked. Myra nodded and leaned up against the wall.
Neji glanced over at Myra and stopped Hanabi. "That is enough for now Hanabi-san." Hanabi stopped and turned to look at Myra. Once again, Myra could feel the stares of the Hyuuga clan all around her. Myra just shook her head. "You people need to get a new hobby."
Myra continued to lean against the wall. Hanabi wondered off to her room and Neji walked towards Myra.
"You didn't beat me." Neji stared at Myra. Myra looked up at Neji with cold indifference.
"And your point is?' She raised an eyebrow.
"I expected better from a Sharingan Master." He smirked. Myra stood up from the wall and continued her cold stare mixed with a touch of "I loathe you" in her stare. She felt Neji's twinge of intimidation that he channeled into anger. Myra shrugged and repositioned her lean on the wall. "I didn't come here to meet anyone's preconceived expectations."
"Why did you stop using your sharingan during our match the other day?" Neji demanded.
"Because I didn't need it." Myra answered with a laugh in her tone. Neji started to believe that Myra had inherited the typical Uchiha overconfidence.
"It is your greatest asset, so why not use it that way?" He scolded her.
Myra sighed heavily and closed her eyes. "Look Billy…" Neji clenched his fists.
"My name is Neji." He growled at her.
"What ever…" She stood up and opened her eyes to look directly at him. "Had I kept using my sharingan the match would have been over too quickly. I felt like playing with you and you rose to the occasion quit nicely." She took another deep breath and smiled impishly. "I took great delight in putting my boot in your face… Oh wait? I didn't beat you." She looked at him with mocked surprise. "So I guess that hint of purple above you eye is from one of the other girls beating you?" She laughed at him.
Neji lunged at her, but she had already moved out of his way. He had sunk his hand an inch into the wall. Myra stood behind him and shook a finger at him.
"What a temper you have? You may want to learn to count or something, because if I have to be stuck here with you for two weeks, I am going to enjoy annoying the FUCK out of you, just because I can." She giggled evilly.
Hinata had come around the corner. Her eyes were wide. She was mildly afraid of Myra, but Neji scared Hinata when he was angry. "M-my Father w-will see you now." Hinata squeaked
Neji and Myra stared at each other. Neji looked away first. Myra just won a small victory, but not the victory she wanted. Myra started to walk towards Hinata. Neji blocked her path.
"This isn't over." He scowled. Myra could feel the anger and fury that was radiating off of him.
"Oh… It most certainly is not." She smiled. Neji stepped out of her way. Hinata looked worried. Myra smirked and followed Hinata down the corridor to Hiashi's study. Neji glared at her until they were out of sight. The Hyuuga leader sat behind a large wooden desk. Hinata knocked on the door frame. "Father?"
Hiashi looked up from his papers. "Good to see you Lady Ravenheart. I've been expecting you. Hinata, please bring some tea for our guest." Hinata bowed. "Yes Father." And headed for the kitchen.
"Sit." The man commanded and motioned for Myra to sit in a chair.
"No." Myra dropped her usual cheerful tone to a dangerous lower tone. Hiashi squinted at the girl. "I came here to find out what you really want from me." She glared at him.
"I wish the pleasure of your company in my house hold. Perhaps Hinata can learn to be more confident with someone as willful as you are around to teach her." He let out a chuckle.
Myra didn't laugh. "You want me to teach that ghost of a creature confidence? I highly doubt that can be done. The Hyuuga clan is extremely adept at sucking the freedom of will out of a person. You're avoiding my question." She continued her glare.
The Hyuuga leader dropped his fake smile and scowled at her. "Your attitude has not improved."
"Did you expect a phone call from my Father would adjust my attitude?" She crossed her arms.
"I would expect you to know how to address your superiors." He took a deep breath to cool his anger.
"Heh, just because you're higher on the totem pole, doesn't make you superior." Myra kept her tone cold. Hinata felt a little awkward bringing in the tea. She set down the tray and quickly exited. Hinata didn't look at Myra or her father. The Hyuuga girl was confused about Myra. This Ravenheart girl wasn't afraid of anything. Myra had insulted the great Hyuuga clan leader, beaten Neji, and was still taunting both of them mercilessly. Hinata hadn't seen her father this angry in ages. However, the resent gossip about Myra's relationship with a certain blonde ninja didn't sit well with Hinata.
Myra sensed the internal turmoil in Hinata. She had seen Hinata in Naruto's memories and knew the girl had a serious crush on Naruto, even if Naruto never noticed. Myra wanted to reach out to the girl that Pretty Boy thought of as a friend, but now was not the time and place to make friends with Hinata.
Myra crossed her arms. "You still haven't answered my question. What is it you really want?" Hiashi sat forward and steepeld his fingers in front of him. "I would like you to get to know my family better."
Myra felt the gentleness of Hinata's stare. The Hyuuga girl was interested in what was going on and had decided to eavesdrop on the conversation. Hinata had pressed up against the wall on the other side of the study so she could hear.
"Cut to the good part already. Are we seriously going to play this stupid game of polite insults back and forth, or will you tell me what you really want from me?" Myra rolled her eyes.
There was silence for a few moments while Hiashi studied the girl standing in front of his desk. "I could have you thrown in chains right now and completely avoid the rest of this discussion." He let his anger show.
"But you won't because My Father would be here faster than you could blink." She countered dangerously. "I'm sure Neji told you how he got that lovely bruise on his face." Myra slapped a silver tag on the desk. "Wanna see what kind of range my Father has with the Lightning Rider Jutsu?" Her gaze did not waiver and she stared right through him.
The Clan leader flinched at the mention of Myra's father. "What Do You Want?" Myra enunciated each word and continued her glare.
Hiashi took a deep breath. "A marriage of alliance between Clan Hyuuga and Ravenheart." Myra burst into a hearty almost evil laugh.
"I think I can suffer two weeks of the Hyuuga hospitality. I will apologize for disrupting the harmony of your house hold today. After today, you brought my disruption upon yourself." Myra started to walk out the door again. The clan leader tried to keep her listening.
"You haven't even heard the rest of the proposal." He pleaded.
"I don't have to. I don't like Neji and he REALLY doesn't like me."
"Neji will do as he is told." Hiashi hissed.
"I guess that's where Neji and I are different. I bow to no man, woman, beast or creature." Myra spat back.
"That's very interesting to hear." The man calmed. "Rumor has it that the free spirit of the Ravenheart clan as been tamed by a lower creature." Hiashi smirked and sat back in his chair. Myra didn't risk rising to his obvious insult of Naruto. She had to maintain the illusion. She thought quickly and giggled impishly.
"Naruto Uzumaki is a BLAST, but he's all fun and games. Even fun and games have to come to an eventual end." Myra sounded malicious. Hinata's eyes went wide. There was something about Myra's tone that chilled Hinata to the bone. The byakugan ability could see the subtle hints in chakra flow that gave a person away when they told a lie. Myra wasn't lying.
"That's good. I do not think someone of your status in life would do well with someone like Uzumaki." Myra could hear how much Hiashi didn't like Naruto.
Hinata was on the other side of the wall still in shock. She had caught a glimpse of the two strolling with Shikamaru to the reception, they looked so happy, although Naruto looked a little green. She had listened to Gaara tell Sakura how much Naruto cared about this girl. Hinata had seen how upset her disappearance had made Naruto. Now, Hinata had heard with her own ear that it was all fun and games to Myra? She couldn't let Myra hurt Naruto. She had to do something. Hinata broke off from her eavesdropping and headed out the front door. Myra sensed the Hyuuga girl's urgency and wanted desperately to run after her, but it couldn't be helped. Myra would deal with it later.
Myra realized she wasn't going to get any more information out of him. She was going to have to call her father into this. She wanted to foil the evil Hyuuga plot all on her own, but it didn't look like that was going to happen. She was going to need more help. "My personal play toys aside, I can make you a deal. I will get my Father to come here to negotiate on the condition that you delay my confinement until after the Chunin Exams. I think you would be very hard pressed to keep me confined to quarters while there are so many diplomats in town." She uncrossed her arms.
The clan leader contemplated the offer. "Since you have been kind enough to convey to Captain Rai the importance of this proposal, I will agree to delay your incarceration until after the Chunin Exams. How soon do you think your father will be arriving?" He looked elated.
"He should arrive in 18 hours give or take." Myra grinned and was actually out the door of study.
"Good. I look forward to our future business endeavors." He seemed hopeful.
"As do I." Myra disappeared around the corner. She was nearly out the front door when she crashed into Neji. She hit the ground seeing stars.
"You need to watch where you're going, Neji." She looked up at him.
"I am sorry, I was trying to catch Hinata-sama." He offered his hand to her. Myra looked at his hand then smirked back up at him.
"You had me going back there ya know. You almost had me believing that you hate me." She took his hand and he helped her up.
"You were very convincing as well." He smirked.
"Thank you." Myra smiled.
"I've known my uncle was up to something since he heard you would be coming to Konoha. His greed and want for power has been increasing steadily for the last several years. I do not have the ability to bring him to justice. For that you will need Hinata and the rest of the council." Neji stayed toneless.
"And Hinata will need you to stand behind her. I can only do so much. We will have to wait it out and see what happens. Worst case is… Well… I like you Neji, I really do… I don't like you that much." She smiled. Neji had to stifle a chuckle. "I don't think TenTen would be all that pleased about it either."
"Good, we agree about something. Now, we have crowd control to deal with. Hinata will have run directly to Naruto." Myra chewed her bottom lip.
"I am sure Naruto will listen to reason." Neji raised an eyebrow. Myra glared at Neji.
"Uh hu… Think about why you just said… You said Naruto, listen and reason all in the same sentence. What do you think is going to happen?" Myra had both eyebrows raised. Neji hung his head. "I'm glad I learned to dodge bullets." Myra grumbled.