3
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The rest of the trip has been giving Hinata an idea of what a solo mission would be like. The current world hasn't deemed Betas to be capable enough to lead a solo misson—hence another exemption for non-Alpha Anbu. Thus, she, a Beta on Anbu's data book, hasn't been ordered a solo mission before.
She restarted her journey alone, without apparent presence of her captain. As a consequence, she is required to activate her Byakugan often to locate him up front. True to his word, he hasn't been too far nor close enough as if he knows—which she is certain that he knows—her dojutsu limit of range.
Contrary to their fear of luring in Alpha enemies to their location minutes ago, when she inevitably transmitted pheromones to open air, the rest of the trip has been so uneventful. Peaceful even because she has time for deep introspective thoughts seeing that she has all her surroundings for herself, for the time being.
In a way, she feels thankful because her heat does not hinder their mission more than it already did.
When she barely passes the country border on the land of Konoha's forest, Captain Uchiha decides to show his presence by landing on her path thirty feet before her. She slows her pace and displays no sign of surprise for she has discovered his recent location with her Byakugan beforehand.
"I'll report to Hokage myself," he announces once she is a mere three feet before him. "You can go."
Her head bows in impulse. "All right, sir."
But none is moving. He is hesitating on something and she is also, but her need to act on her distress is more crucial for them than for her alone.
With head still bowed, she looks at the tip of her boots, searching for strength if there is any. "Uchiha—"
"About your situation," the man in question suddenly interjects. Hinata doesn't know whether she should hold or release her breath. The former because she doesn't know what he has decided, the latter because he has saved her from begging hopelessly and most likely onesidedly. "I won't tell a soul." His voice is clear and nonchalant but immersed with power that could actually stir a soul. He then nods, more to himself. "For now." Then, after a pause, "and we do need to talk."
Without looking up, her eyes widen. Then she proceeds to a full bow, wafting air of respect and gratitude towards her captain. "I owe you greatly, sir."
His answer is just a gust of wind of his leaving, her hair flutter on his wake—oddly, or not at all, so does her heart.
There is always a first to everything. Hinata still remembers her first time talking back to his father before on the next day for the first time she ever considered running away from what she had initially thought was her home. Years later, after she'd gathered informations of how the outside world work and at the same time her courage, she stepped outside the compound on her own will for the first time.
Her many other firsts came as she joined Anbu. She can recollect clearly her first interaction with fellow Beta-Anbu in training as a Beta herself, her first time relying her life at the hand of her partner in mission and vice versa, her first raise in title and wage, her first time acquiring a praise from her Alpha-Anbu Captain, and many more firsts that come to her mind.
She's had her first mission with an Alpha Captain years ago, but the recent one has oddly struck her helplessly at a loss that if someone told her that it was in fact her first mission with an Alpha, she would undoubtedly agree.
In a way, it was indeed her first time in a return mission with an Alpha of his status; the youngest Vice Head Division, a 4th Rank Captain after only enlisted as an Anbu for nine years with remarkable—some unprecedented—achievements throughout his career.
There are talks of evident proof of his life as an Alpha prodigy. However, they never stopped at how great he is as an Alpha-Anbu, it went to such length about the possibility of how he was gifted. Some said his aptitude came from the Uchiha blood flowing within his veins. Some said it came with the harsh life he'd been leading. One issue jumps to the next, there would be talks about his fallen kin, namely the Uchiha Clan—massacred to nothing by their own blood leaving behind the seven year-old youngest son of the clan head, who, in his quest of acquiring power as an Anbu, has killed his own older brother the Uchiha Traitor ten years after the fateful day.
What went afterwards—the reasoning behind the Uchiha's tendency to murder each other—was taboo, still is. None has any knowledge—other than the Last Uchiha standing—despite the overwhelming curiosity within the walls of Konoha.
She had never taken an interest to the matter for she already had so much on her plate from living 'independently' away from her own clan.
But one thing leads to the other, the day she met the Last Uchiha in person for the first time has changed her view about it.
How did he survive all those years living his life as the lone survivor of the Uchiha Massacre? How did he accomplish all those achievements with dark past looming over on every step he took? The answer is actually easy if she's talking about an Alpha, of the Uchiha Clan at that.
But even an Alpha of the Uchiha Clan must still have flaws, right? Some form of weakness before his enemies? Tiny quiver on his voice when faced with higher-ups? Limitless cuts on his hands from those uncountable combats? Fine tremor of his fingers when he was checking his comrade's carotid pulse?
She has witnessed his so renowned prowess from their first ever encounter; the frighteningly impeccable control of his aura, the unmarred quality of his voice, the perfect outline of his hands covered in fingerless leather gloves, and the tenacious movement of his fingers in making seals of ninjutsu. In conclusion, it is indeed difficult to find faults in his bearing.
Yet, as she is remembering her first ever fail-to-control heat, she does realize that even the impeccable has leaks of imperfections. She did sense his growing aura while they were travelling together, his voice had raised in volume giving room for imagination of his true emotions at the moment, his hands had roamed aimlessly inside her pack looking for their supposedly emergency solution, and his fingers…
"—this happen?"
His fingers had all but transmitted solid heat through their naked skin—
"How many times?"
The familiar voice of her doctor comes in spurts of startling siren inside her head.
"Ah…" Hinata blinks, then focuses back her sight to a composed countance of a man. Because she knows better, his actual soul must have been everything but composed.
"You weren't listening," the man concludes.
"I-I'm sorry, I was out of it. W-where were we?"
The doctor exhales deliberately slowly. "When did this happen? For how many times have this happened?"
Hinata lowers her gaze to watch at his right hand, tapping the pen he is holding to her medical record in impatient gestures. "Three days ago. It was… the first time actually. Nothing happened since."
The doctor scribbles something on her paper, then he puts the pen and interlaces his fingers together under his chin. She is forced to look at him directly.
"And you took the pills I had prescribed for you?"
Hinata nods. "Daily. I've never skipped a single day."
There is a pause, as if his following inquiry is worth the contemplation. He clears his throat. "Were there, you know, an Alpha nearby?"
That, almost made Hinata surrender into biting on her lower lip. No matter how many years it has been or many ranks she's achieved in Anbu, there is always an air of familiarity between them that forces her to partially forget her role as an Anbu and let out her nervous quirk.
"Not that I knew of," she manages in a barely confident answer—the lowest kind acceptable for an Anbu.
Another silence, tension looms over the two. "Was it in a mission? With an Alpha?"
Hinata avoids his unnerving glare by focusing on his name tag over the breast pocket of his white coat.
Omega Internal Medicine
Hyuuga Neji
"Hinata-sama."
At the way he addresses her, which she always reprimanded him to correct only to be refused every single time without fail, Hinata finally looks up.
"Neji-niisan, I left the compound almost ten years ago."
"Yet you still call me niisan."
"You know it's different. You're my niisan, but I hold no higher title from you any longer."
Neji sighs, placing down his arms over his desk. "Hinata." His lips twist, as if he just swallowed something bitter. "-sama, don't interrupt me." He immediately adds with a daring glare which succeeds in crumbling any answer she may have formed. "I think I may have an idea about your condition. A few number of Omegas are more specific than the rest… very rare, I haven't even met one. To them, not all kinds of antidote can work. You see, the emergency injections available out there are acting as an antidote to pheromones, they neutralize Omega's hormonal composition by binding to active pheromones hence deactivating them. There are four types of active ingredients, I've given you the most effective type, I'll give you a different type this time.
"Note this, this one could take ten minutes longer than the previous one to take effect and any kind of antidote can take sometime to some people. In addition, because you take suppressant daily… it could cause your body to overwork paradoxically making your body easier to be stimulated.
"As it was the first time you had heat outside of your ovulation cycle despite taking your daily suppressant diligently, it is important to identify the triggers. You might have known that heat can be triggered by an Alpha's presence, which couldn't be avoided in your line of work," he says the last line in distressing tone, as if confirming she was the one in the wrong. "Other common trigger is also stress or strain, physically or psychologically, so try to lose some stress, which would be difficult in your line of work…" He pauses, brow contorts deeply as he continues his explanation in a mumble more to himself than to his patient. "Emergency injection should have worked on those cases though… unless…"
"Unless?"
As if realizing his cousin-patient's presence for the first time, Neji cocks his head to the side, now brow losing its linear patterns. "Nevermind. Just be careful from now on. We can't know which one unless you tell me everything or we proceed to further tests which I don't think is necessary at the moment. If you are indeed one of the few specific Omegas, it would be even more troublesome to hide your identity."
He is not telling something, she muses. But she can't say she didn't leave out something important either. So she decides to let it slide, for now. "I'll be careful. Thank you, Neji-niisan."
Neji nods, but the slow movement gives away his scepticim. "Here's your prescription, come back if something happens. If not, you know the drill."
Hinata too nods, reaching out a hand to take her prescription. "Come back for monthly appointment, noted."
"When are you scheduled for the annual physical?"
"Not for another six months."
"Might as well advance to a couple of months earlier if something happens again."
"All right, anything you want to add?"
Neji blinks, there is a moment of emptiness on his gaze. "I'll visit you for dinner on the weekend."
The brown haired Hyuuga has always visited her once a month, sometimes more frequently if he was stressed over work which she genuinely didn't mind. But he has visited her last week and he doesn't seem to be under pressure of work, and she doesn't want any dinner that will make room for him to further discuss about her heat. At least for now, she is not ready.
"Make it next month," she replies, quietly standing up then proceeds to take baby steps backwards. "I'll cook nishin soba for you."
Neji sighs. "Make it two portions."
Hinata smiles warmly as she turns to open the door.
"Hinata-sama."
Puzzled by the sudden call, Hinata turns her head to face Neji. Similar sets of pale eyes meet in contradictory gazes; one of confusion, the other of understanding.
"I know you might have left out something. Know that I'm all ears and I'll try to help."
The smile that hasn't completely disappeared moments ago, intensifies in warm appreciation. "I know, Neji-niisan. I'll see you next month." With that, she turns the knob and makes her way out of his office.
Author's Note : This chapter is supposedly the answer to some arising questions, tehe xD.