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Hinata rarely found her life as suffocating ever since she ran away from home. Life as an Anbu had never been too hard to endure for her. That was why she had always thought being an Anbu was her calling.
Before that fateful mission, she only had one heat episode when she was seventeen years old, two years after she ran away from the Hyuuga Compound. That was her first time, indicating her maturity as an Omega at the same time the basis to estimated dates of her future ovulations. She'd only been in Anbu training for six months, imagine how terrified she was experiencing the inevitable for the first time yet also relieved because the heat didn't start until she had arrived at her then newly rented apartment. An emergency injection Neji had given her as a gift for getting accepted in training program to be an Anbu was her life savior at the time.
Because of the first appearance of her heat, it was also her first time coming to Neji's office while he was still a medic jounin in training specializing in Omega Internal Medicine. Since then, her cousin had planned a prophylaxis program strictly individualized for her and she had never been in a heat since even after becoming an Anbu for five years. Having been devoid of her natural Omega traits for too long, she had almost believed herself as a Beta. Where as long as she swallowed down her oral suppressants diligently, an Alpha's presence wouldn't be a threat.
Alas, the last day of her last mission has changed everything.
It is an overstatement to say the past five days have been suffocating. Although she had been restless at home for only able to assume the probable causes of her first heat after seven years and fear for her future as an Anbu, the gravity of her troubles hadn't quite hit her due to the fact that everything were based on speculations.
Because it wasn't expected to occur so early after the first one, it took her the second heat to finally grasp just how big of a trouble she is in.
Her mind is a mess. Her body is a mess.
She still has two days to do anything necessary to rectify whatever her problems are before she is assigned to another mission. She can't afford to have another unexpected heat again. She has to admit she was lucky it was Captain Uchiha she was with when the heat episodes happened… who up until this moment only did what was required. What if she was assigned with other Alpha-Anbu? No one could guarantee what they would do to her. She fears herself most to be honest, because when she was in heat, she couldn't think straight she could only think on how to stop the heat. It scares her like no other.
And then there is this much needed talk she has to have with the captain. She has allowed it to be delayed for too long. She has to know where it will lead her, whether it will risk her future as an Anbu or not. She has to at least plan some countermeasures for the worst.
And with that burdening thoughts, she brings her feet to visit Neji—the least she can do to start on something.
Troubled yet self-driven beyond words, Hinata skips the whole patient-doctor rapport building and decides to cut to the chase. "Can I have a stronger suppressant? I don't think the one I have is working effectively anymore."
Neji, of course, arches an eyebrow. "Something happened?"
Before Hinata could nibble on her lip, she discloses quickly, "I was in heat again."
Rather than rise even higher, her cousin's eyebrows scrunch forming fine creases on his usually smooth forehead. "When?"
The image of her captain kneeling between her legs not more than an hour ago is still as vivid as it could get. "Yesterday," she lies through clenched teeth.
Neji scribbles something on her medical report in swift and smooth movements as if programmed. Whenever he writes, she endlessly has doubts as to whether he is writing accurately or not.
His pen hover over her paper and his eyes do not leave the blank space he is supposed to write next. "Did the new emergency injection work?"
She hasn't needed to use the medicine, but he doesn't have to know. "The heat subsided, yes." She holds her breath as she observes any sign of disbelief from Neji. Fortunately, she sees none.
"All right… I'll make no change for the injection and I'll give you the same oral suppressant but in higher dose. How does it sound?"
Hinata nods. "Perfect. Thank you, Neji-niisan." Just when she is preparing to stand, Neji raises his eyes to look at her and opens his mouth and she is compelled to listen and throw away the option to leave for now. As much as she wants to keep this short, Neji is still her cousin playing the role as an older brother. He has helped her too much and is the reason she is what she is right now—a Third Rank Anbu.
Neji and hesitation rarely come in one sentence, but his tone was all but hesitant. "Hinata-sama…"
Hinata stiffens. "What is it, Neji-niisan?"
Her doctor, while holding his gaze at her eyes, is silent for a moment, as if searching for her real old self beneath her Anbu façade. "Aside from two of your heats…something odd is also happening, isn't it?"
Hinata flinches subtly and Neji's subtle widening of his eyes tells her he has found what he was looking for. "Odd… in what way?"
Neji interlocks his fingers over his desk, they tighten by the second until his fingers are blanching. "Have you heard anything about fated pair?"
Hinata blinks once. Twice. Her spine inclines further into the chair backrest. Why the sudden change of topic? "Only that it's urband legend?"
"But do you know the meaning?"
It is urband legend—that's all she knows. An urband legend made up by the Betas as the majority of the world population, who are recognized by the others and regard everything in life as mediocre, including love and sexual desire. An imagination of the Betas to swoon over, a powerful love story about an Alpha and Omega who are fated to mate meeting each other for the first time and inseparable ever since. Her eyes widen. "An Alpha and Omega who are fated to mate?"
"In a way… yes. But, it isn't urband legend. It's just rare to meet your fated ones amongst billions other people in the world. That's why it is regarded as urband legend because the probability of it happening is close to zero."
"And we're talking about this because…?"
Neji inhales deeply and exhales completely before he continues. "I didn't explain everything two days ago. It's troubled me the last two days from leaving out … the information from my patient, from you."
Hinata's eyes widen. Her cousin rarely admitted his wrongdoing, because he rarely did wrong. It shows her how serious it must be. "Then… tell me. Tell me everything."
"Hinata-sama." Her cousin starting with calling her name first looks as if he was confessing a grave sin from his past lives. Hinata is entirely at a loss. She searches for something, anything on his pale eyes, but all he gives away is his genuine reluctance to proceed. Yet, he complies by letting loose of his mouth. "Recent studies are limited, but it's been proven that any currently available medicines are useless against Omega's heat episodes triggered by their fated mate. Suppressants, antidotes, even at the highest doses. Sexual intercourse with their fated mate is the only solution." Neji breathes in deeply again. "Meeting your fated partner… it could explain the unexpected heats despite taking your suppressants and why the emergency injection was not working."
What is Neji talking about? It has been years ago when she first heard about the tale of fated pair. It has only been minutes ago when she was first reminded again about the long-time forgotten urband legend. And now, he is saying that it is scientifically proven and that she has the probability of experiencing it herself?
It is absurd.
"So… when you were in heat the last two episodes, was there a particular Alpha around? And when you said your previous emergency injection didn't work to stop the first heat… was the Alpha—"
"Neji-niisan!" Hinata abruptly stands, eyes wide and cheeks aflame red in anger. "You said it yourself the probability is close to zero. I was just stressed over work, being an Anbu…is exerting physically and mentally. There is no way whatever you're trying to say is happening to me…"
Neji also rises to his feet. "Hinata-sama—"
"Please, give me the prescription. It'll all be fine once I take the adequate medicine and implement the correct stress management."
Neji's lips are slightly agape, but he collects himself easily as he purses his lips into a thin line. He sits down quietly with a nod, then proceeds to write her prescription. "All right, please wait a moment."
Silence that is far from comfortable looms over the two cousins. Only the sound of the tip of Neji's pen meeting white paper as he writes her prescription is all they can hear.
After he finished, Neji looks at the paper a little bit too long as if he weren't ready to part with said item. In truth, he just doesn't want to part with his beloved cousin with bitter feelings on both parts. At last, he hands her the prescription, but eyes still locked to the paper in hand.
When she grasps the paper, he still doesn't release his hold. Hinata stares at his face curiously and smiles subtly when he is still not looking up. She is aching to say something, but she waits when Neji opens his mouth.
"Hinata-sama, I went too far. I … apologize."
"Neji-niisan." Hinata waits until he looks up and when he does, she smiles warmly. "There's nothing to apologize for." Her smile only widens. "We're still having nishin soba for dinner next month, right?"
Neji's eyes momentarily widens before the tension lessens and he is back to Neji with poised countance of a pleased man. "Of course. I'll see you next month, Hinata-sama."
All is well. With that, Hinata leaves his office feeling emotionally lighter.
Lighter not entirely at ease, because while she's managed to secure her healthy relationship with Neji, she still has a lot of things at stakes.
And the only solution she can think of is to meet the particular Alpha that Neji was so curious about—her own captain, Uchiha Sasuke—and see for herself if her cousin's far-fetched suspicion turns out to be true.