A Mirror for the Sun - Chapter 3
Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine.
IMPORTANT: UPDATE 01/04/10
This is the betaed version. It is about three pages longer than the original chapter, and it is much better, with significantly more details than before. Therefore I suggest that you read this again to make sure you know what's going on. I will update soon! Bear with me, it will be a week at most. Thanks guys for putting up with me, and happy new year!
Thank you, Celia!
So here we go!
A Mirror for the Sun: Chapter 3.
"So then what happened?" Kiba asked.
"Tsunade-sama told us what our mission was, and then he left."
"Just like that? He didn't say anything?" he asked incredulously from his place over the cardboard box labeled 'dishes--FRAGILE'. Disregarding the sign, he dropped the box carelessly onto the wooden floor. Hinata threw him an exasperated look.
"Not exactly," she said after he apologized. "I felt bad that he was stuck with me-again, after all this time-so I told him I was very sorry."
"And?"
"He said," she started, deepening her voice to match Neji's baritone, "'you are in a dangerous situation as well as the heiress to the Hyuuga clan. There is no need for such wasteful emotion'."
Kiba snorted and threw himself onto Hinata's once comfortable couch, now covered completely in plastic. "That sounds like him. He's always been an asshole. Goddamn."
Hinata looked up from her own corner of boxes, regret clear in her white eyes. "Even if he said it, I can't help but feel…" she trailed off quietly.
"Nah, you really shouldn't feel guilty. I think we both know Neji places duty in front of everything so it's okay."
She sighed. "This is true."
Her words were followed by an amiable silence, broken only by the soothing ticks of the second hand on the clock Hinata left on the wall. Hinata wistfully looked around at the bare walls of her soon to be sold apartment. She, along with Kiba, Shino, Kurenai, as well as Amaya-Kurenai's four year old daughter-had painted the walls of her living room a soothing lavender when she first moved in. Hinata smiled a little, remembering the set of handprints the group left in her linen closet; it was a particularly precious moment, and she teared with nostalgia.
"Oi, Hinata. I have to go. My mom wants to set me up with another girl-" here he rolled his eyes in frustration-"and she'll kill me if I go looking like this," he said, indicating his sweaty, wild appearance.
"Go. It's ok, really! The movers will do all the work from here; I just needed help packing up."
After Kiba departed, Hinata fell upon the couch, fatigued from the day's work. She put an arm over her eyes and remembered the meeting exactly, wondering what she had gotten herself into.
"Listen well," Tsunade began. Her face was tense, and immediately Hinata's spine straightened in response. "In nine months, Tanaka Ichiro will come to Konoha. Do you recognize the name?"
"He's a politician," Hinata responded uneasily. At the side of her bed, her cousin went still.
Tanaka Ichiro was a notoriously cruel man whose cunning had saved him from lifelong imprisonment. While he had never (officially) done any scientific projects on humans, like Orochimaru, he was responsible for a good deal of the genocide in the Land of Waves.
"Correct" Tsunade said grimly. "His goal is to acquire Konoha as an ally in his quest to conquer Suna, whom he's had a personal vendetta against for years." Tsunade's nostrils flared, and Hinata couldn't help but look at her cousin in dismay. Unsurprisingly, he offered no sympathy and stared straight at the Hokage.
"He already has huge support due to the infamous cruelty of the former Kazekage, and nothing we say would be able to deter him or his followers," Tsunade continued, ignoring the unpleasant twists in Neji's face. "We cannot remain neutral or risk losing Suna as our ally. No doubt, if Tanaka is successful, he would turn on us and we would become his next target."
"Excuse me, Hokage-sama."
Tsunade turned to Neji, her eyes sharp as a hawk. She raised an eyebrow, waiting.
"Why," Neji demanded slowly, "is elimination not a viable option?"
"If Tanaka was a simple ninja, we would not hesitate to eliminate him. But in this case, since he is a civilian political leader, assassination would grant him martyrdom." She paused bitterly. "His cause would surpass his death, become infallible; his followers are not only shinobi, but civilians. Civilians are the most dangerous," she breathed grimly, "because civilians will always be considered casualties. Their deaths infuriate other civilians and the next thing we know we have more bloodshed than all three shinobi wars put together."
"We need to sabotage him, and this is where you come in. You will instigate a memory loss," Tsunade stated calmly. "'His undiagnosed memory loss will affect his behaviour accordingly and paint him more irrationally to his followers."
Which, Hinata reflected unhappily, would undermine both Tanaka and his movement. The patchiness of the memory loss would make him behave more irrationally and erratically, effectively emulating mental imbalance. And yet...
"You will steal his memory one day, give it back the next, and so on and so forth until the men disband."
"Excuse me," Hinata said, beginning to panic. "I-I-With all due respect, wouldn't Yamanaka Ino's abilities be a little more fitting for this kind of thing--"
"Hinata!" Tsunade boomed. "Do you think we haven't reviewed the possibilities? Ino can only control his mind for a few very brief moments, and during that time he will know that someone has invaded his mind. He needs to truly lose his mind, and to do that, he needs to believe he's losing his mind." She looked at Hinata meaningfully. "Your own abilities, on the other hand…can be much more permanent."
Hinata instead stared hard at her white hands, avoiding eye contact with her cousin and mentor.
"Then it is decided," Tsunade said, moving to stand. "Hyuuga Hinata, you will train with ANBU captain Hyuuga Neji everyday until you are able spar on equal grounds with him. After five months are up you will join Tanaka's camp site and follow him for as long as necessary."
Hinata shut her eyes.
"Yes, Tsunade-sama."
Yes, Tsunade-sama.
The words that came from Hyuuga Hinata's mouth not a few days ago were so incredibly forlorn Tsunade couldn't help but wonder if Hinata perhaps was aware that the mission would, in all likeliness, take her life.
It was an A-ranked mission, but Tsunade knew it merited at least an S rank.
She pursed her lips and looked out her window at the Hokage monument. What would her predecessors do? The village came first, she knew.
But, if she had read him correctly, Tsunade saw that Neji had recognized the high probability of the Hyuuga heiress not returning from the dangerous mission.
Hiashi would be beyond furious; the loss of political support - not to mention the donations that practically rebuilt the village after its decimation at the hands of Akatsuki, and still maintained parts of Konoha that the villagers themselves could not fund with their meagre salaries - would be guaranteed. However, the emotions of an unstable father could push Hiashi further past the expected losses she'd considered. Losing Hyuuga support was acceptable; gaining Hiashi's enmity, however...
Tsunade rolled her neck in order to relieve the stress that had built itself up as the problems exponentially increased. A few weeks ago, the crick in her neck was a tiny nuisance, but it had long since become a health hazard. Tsunade looked out the glass window to stare at the rock carvings of her forefathers.
And then one-eyed weasel was becoming more audacious by the day. Despite his attempts to sneak about, Tsunade was well informed of his plans at a coup d'état. She also knew that in nine months time-the same time Tanaka Ichiro was due to arrive at Konoha-Danzou would go about this attempt on her life. It was easy for her to recognize the ties between Danzou and Tanaka; obviously, the politician had promised the ROOT leader power if he agreed to support Tanaka in his efforts to capture Suna.
What would the first Hokage do?
She growled lightly, stuck in a political rut. There was no direct evidence to imprison Danzou, who was not a threat to be taken lightly; alone, she could take him-this was a guarantee. However, with the ten or so ANBU members dedicated to him…
She wrung her fingers together. Luckily, Danzou had fallen for the first part of her plan. Unfortunately, that part of the plan involved Hinata.
The rocks that resembled her grandfather and the other great Hokage did not move to guide her, and they never would. Tsunade knew she was alone.
There was a knock on the door. "Come in."
Shizune entered the room with an armful of folders. Tsunade sat down heavily in her chaise. "What am I going to do, Shizune?"
"About what, Tsunade-sama?"
She heaved a great sigh. "Tanaka Ichiro."
"Ah." Shizune frowned. "You have a problem, indeed."
"He is a dangerous, dangerous man."
"It's not like you to get so nervous, Tsunade-sama," Shizune commented worriedly.
"If he succeeds," the fifth Hokage stressed, "we will have the greatest war known to mankind on our hands."
Shizune shook her head, her brows furrowed. "That man is pure evil."
"And Hyuuga Hinata accepted the mission."
"Now what?"
Tsunade reached for a bottle of vodka kept underneath her desk. "Now, we watch as things unravel."
Shizune stared at Tsunade. "What about Danzou? You're just going to let him do whatever he wants?"
Tsunade threw back a shot like the pro she was. "Correct," she mumbled, as the liquor burned its way down her throat. "Neji and Hinata have been instructed to allow him to find out the 'extent' of her abilities."
Shizune gaped. "Which is?" she demanded incredulously. She helped train Hinata as well, after all, and hardly wanted her student to fall prey to Danzou--much less Tanaka.
"That she can only delete memory. He will find out no more than that," the woman promised. "Meanwhile, his preoccupation with Hinata and Tanaka will give me some room to breathe and think up a way to foil his plans. If I have it my way, Hinata will never have to leave Konoha."
"And if things go wrong?"
Tsunade ran her tongue over her teeth; it was a habit she'd developed when she'd began her medic training.
"Hinata most likely will die. Neji might get away. Tanaka Ichiro is a very intelligent man, surrounded by ninjas even more intelligent than he. They come to Konoha. There will be a war," she predicted grimly. She took another shot.
Shizune shook her head slowly. "Tsunade-sama, I hope you know what you're doing."
"I hope so, too."
Hinata looked around at her childhood home. It had not changed, save for a few decorative items replacing formerly empty space.
"Hello?"
She walked in two separate rooms before anyone answered.
"Hinata-sama, you're here already!" remarked a wrinkled old woman--Hyuuga Tomoyo. "I'm sorry, I haven't prepared anything yet, I thought you were coming later--
"It's fine," Hinata assured the chef. "Really. Um. Is my father in? Or my sister?"
"No, I believe he had a meeting to attend. I don't know where Hanabi-sama is, but most likely she is with her team."
"I see. Or--" she paused. "Is Neji-san here?" she ventured.
"Neji?" the old woman repeated. "Why, that boy hasn't been to the compound in ages. I'm sorry dear."
Hinata shook her head. "It's fine. I was just wondering."
"Is there anything else you need?"
"Um, if someone could perhaps help me move my things in--
"Oh yes, yes, I'll find someone. Please get some rest, your things can be moved after dinner time."
Hinata smiled gratefully at the old woman, who was somewhat like a grandmother to her. "Thank you. I think I will."
Excusing herself, she walked up the wooden stairs, feeling the ridges and smooth planes of the familiar walls of her childhood underneath her fingers. Hinata inhaled the clean scent of jasmine that always surrounded her home and smiled wistfully--perhaps, she wondered with some amount of irony, if she should thank Danzou; it felt surprisingly good to be home.
She turned right and slid the shoji door open. The smooth, lavender-fragranced sheets of her childhood beckoned and Hinata slipped into her old bed.
Dinner was a surprisingly light affair. Hanabi and Hiashi both greeted her warmly (as warmly as the Hyuuga patriarch and genius could, anyway). The food was, as always at the Hyuuga home, delicious and Hinata bowed her head in thanks.
"Thank you for the meal."
Hiashi stood up from his place at the head of the table. Hinata and Hanabi followed. "Goodnight, Hanabi," her father said.
The girls exchanged glances and Hanabi raised a perfect brow. "Good night, Father."
"Hanabi."
The younger Hyuuga turned around gracefully. "Yes, Father?"
"I will not tolerate any snooping."
Hanabi never lost her composure. "Of course, Father." But she threw a quick look towards Hinata, who knew she would be pressed for details once her father was done disclosing whatever he needed to tell her.
The door slid shut and Hiashi waited a few moments to ensure that Hanabi was out of hearing range.
"You never clarified why you so suddenly needed to move back."
Hinata lowered her gaze to the floor, uncomfortable with the conversation. It was an unpleasant reminder that, despite her being somewhat comfortable and accepted by her family, she was still in danger.
"Hinata. I am not a fool. Did you think I would not realize something urgent must have taken place, if you decided to suddenly move out of your apartment, and back home, without giving me any prior warning?"
"No, Father."
And Hinata began to explain her predicament as vaguely as she could. The familiar feeling of fear crawled into her heart as her father's face tightened with every word uttered. His brow furrowed and the lines around his mouth firmed.
She abruptly stopped talking once the veins around his eyes began to bulge. Waves of anger rolled off his body.
"F-Father!" she exclaimed, alarmed.
"What," he growled, "is that Hokage thinking? I will put an end to this madness now."
Hinata panicked. "Father, please--
"You are not qualified for such a burden--
"--don't!"
"Don't interrupt me, Hinata!"
Hinata bristled; it was no small annoyance to still be treated like a child despite her nineteen--almost twenty years. Straightening her shoulders, she mimicked what she'd seen her father do for years.
"Father," she started firmly. Her lips even thinned the way his did.
Hiashi momentarily forgot his distress, not a little surprised by the firmness of his elder daughter's voice, and he would have cracked a small smile in pride had not the matter been so grave.
"Leave the matter to me. I will--"-- here she almost faltered--"--complete the mission Hokage-sama has asked of me."
Hiashi sighed. In matters as important as what she had previously described, there was no other option than to complete the mission. He just wished--
It was of no matter. Hiashi found out years ago that what he wished for was very different from what destiny had in store.
"The matter is closed then," Hiashi reluctantly after a long pause and Hinata breathed a sigh of relief. Tsunade-sama no doubt, would have been greatly annoyed had Hiashi attempted to step in on behalf of his daughter; Hinata knew she would have been mortified.
Before she could retire for the night, Hiashi had another matter weighing heavily on his mind.
"I leave for Earth Country in a fortnight."
Hinata stared at her father. 'And?' she wanted to ask.
"You cannot stay here longer than that."
"Wh-Why not?" she demanded with the least amount of force she could, lest her father think she was being obstinate.
"Last time I was out on a mission and you were left alone, you very nearly died."
Hinata wanted to argue, but she'd already won one battle, and that was a great battle indeed. Not eager to start another war of wills with her father, she remained quiet--regardless of the fact that it was over four years ago, and she was fighting Pein--not to mention she had already been gravely harmed before doing so.
"I won't be alone, though," she ventured.
"My word is absolute on this matter, Hinata. You managed to heavily injure yourself despite being in the presence of your bodyguard."
"Where would you have me go?"
"You will be with Neji."
Hinata closed her eyes. Why? "I released him of his duties two years ago."
Irritation surged through Hiashi. Why could she not understand how perilous her situation was? Neji had accepted it as his duty to protect Hinata. He would not love it, Hiashi knew; however, he would tend to her diligently as Hiashi understood only Neji could. His prowess as Hinata's protector had been proven time and time again. The only time Hiashi had entrusted Hinata to another protector--Hyuuga Ko--Hinata had very nearly died. It was unacceptable, and so it was decided: whether or not Hinata had officially let her cousin go, Hyuuga Neji would be the only protector for Hinata; it seemed he was born for it.
"It is my final decision, Hinata. Either he will return to the compound for the duration of this mission, or you will go there. That is your choice."
Admittedly, Hiashi knew his daughter well. Unwilling to inconvenience Neji by forcing him to relocate, she would choose to move to the other side of Konoha so that Neji would not have to relocate himself. This was fine with Hiashi, who knew that Neji could identify intruders much better in a smaller vicinity than the Hyuuga compound.
Hinata agreed--rather morosely, he thought with some amount of distant amusement--and exited the room, leaving Hiashi alone with his thoughts. Thinking of his nephew brought up unpleasant emotions in the Hyuuga patriarch, who had heard rumors of Neji's desolate situation.
He'd attempted on several occasions to speak to his nephew candidly, but Neji was considered a genius for a damn good reason, and Hiashi could never quite catch him. He even used his authority as Hyuuga leader to summon the ANBU captain, but Neji's mastery of lack of facial expression surpassed even Hiashi's, and with very little satisfaction, Hiashi allowed Neji to leave after hours of silence.
Perhaps this little intervention would help both his daughter and his nephew. Hinata had a way of getting under Neji's skin, and he had witnessed firsthand Neji's special way of training Hinata so that she grew exponentially stronger.
It would be for the best.
Three days later, Hinata found herself at her cousin's doorstep. When her father became aware of her delay in speaking to Neji, he threatened to summon the jounin--which they both knew he hated--and tell him the news himself. Knowing how harsh and blunt her father could be, Hinata immediately agreed to speak to Neji the very same day.
She raised her arm.
She put it back down.
She raised her arm.
She put it back down.
She raised her arm, ready to knock.
She put it back down.
Hinata raised her arm once more, poised to knock--
Neji opened the door. Hinata squeaked. "Is there something I can do for you, Hinata-sama?"
"H-hello, Neji-san," she greeted sheepishly, blushing at her foolishness.
"You've been out here for ten minutes," he stated, unimpressed.
"Ahh, y-yes, I guess I have." The rosy tint on her face bloomed.
He stared, hoping that the weight of his gaze would stir some sense into his petite cousin. Why didn't she just knock?
Well, Neji conceded, as he looked into her frightened, shifting eyes. He does know why. He opened the door wider and she walked through the portal.
He motioned for her to sit. As Neji locked the door, Hinata placed herself on the very edge of the sofa-- directly across from the weapons shelf. The combination of Hinata's desire to leave the apartment with the glare of the sunlight reflecting off of the glass covering protected her eyes from seeing anything more than an impressive weapons collection, and Neji was infinitely thankful for it.
He repeated his earlier words calmly. "Is there something I can help you with?"
Hinata straightened, stoutly ignoring the vodka bottle lying on the floor, right next to her chair. It was not her place to ask him questions about his personal life; not now, not ever. She put it out of her mind. "There…is a problem."
He waited.
"Although I have moved back to the Hyuga compound, my father thinks it to be unsafe, as he leaves for a mission in less than two weeks."
Hinata hesitated to continue, but Neji immediately understood.
"He would like for me to come back to the Hyuuga vicinity," he said emotionlessly.
Hinata didn't know why she was so anxious--he was reacting just the way she thought he would.
"Yes. Well," she amended, "there is another choice. You could stay here, but…"
"You would move in." The line of his mouth was set.
"Yes," she said quietly.
Neji once again stared at his cousin. At the hospital, he found his situation oddly cyclical--everything, somehow, came back to the pretty young heiress. He had no idea how right he'd been.
Though Neji was not particularly fond of the idea, it would not be terrible for Hinata to move in. He still felt a protective obligation towards her, despite her releasing him from his Hyuuga duties. She was also the kind of person who would not overstep her boundaries; he'd known she'd seen the vodka bottle not one foot away from the couch, and yet she'd said nothing. And they would train, sometimes, during the day, and at night they would be civil to each other, and maintain their distances.
Hinata would get the bedroom, of course, and it was no loss for Neji, who barely used the it.
Hinata stood up. "Obviously you will need time to think about--
"When would you like to move in?"
The "choice" in Hiashi's ultimatum was too easy.
It was almost pitch black, but with his years of training, the Root ANBU could see almost perfectly. He soundlessly appeared in the darkened room and headed toward the large chaise that sat on top of a small set of stairs. He kneeled. "Pardon me, Commander."
"What is your report?" came the croaky voice of Danzou.
"It appears as if the target has relocated into the abode of one Hyuuga Neji."
There was a pause. "And?" he asked.
The Anbu swallowed, not liking the nasty undertone carried over in the syllable. "It also appears that the Hokage's personal Anbu will watch over Hyuuga Hinata while Hyuuga Neji is not present."
"This, presumably, is why you have come here without the girl."
"…Yes, sir."
"Useless," Danzou muttered. "Very well. I'll have to do this the hard way, that's all."
"Yes sir."
"You are dismissed."
Hinata hefted a large box into the small living room. "Neji-san, I'd like to thank you again for this."
"There is no need."
Hinata paused. "Are you absolutely sure it's ok for me to-
"Yes."
"But-
"I don't use the room anyway." To an outsider, he would have seemed unaffected; however, to Hinata's sensitive ears his voice was full with irritation, and she looked down. She had only been a resident for about three hours and she already had gotten on her cousin's nerves.
"Ok," she quietly agreed, and moved her possessions to the room quickly.
She dragged the box by a flap and made a sharp turn into the room. Once inside, she surveyed it, unsurprised that it was minimally furnished and very, very tidy. In fact, it was so tidy and impersonal that Hinata began to understand that Neji, in fact, really did not use the room-just as he had claimed.
She frowned, a little thankful that she was not intruding as much as she had thought she would be, and more than a little worried about her cousin's habits. By nature, Hinata was a mother hen-albeit a timid mother hen-but she knew that worrying about and prying into Neji's life would be unwanted. She was indebted to him enough that Hinata could not imagine doing him any kind of disservice.
And so she ignored whatever questions popped up in her mind and got to business.
She parted the other flaps of the cardboard box and began sorting her things out. Her herbs and other medicinal creams belonged on the ledge, clothes went in the small shelf she'd brought for herself, Team 8 picture went on the desk, her two aloe vera plants went on the balcony-
Hinata stopped.
There was a balcony.
She slid open the door in amazement and stepped onto it, feeling the cold stone under her toes. To the side there were vines crawling up the building, little streams of leaves becoming more and more dense until the wall underneath was no longer visible. The view was magnificent, especially as the sun set over the small river.
Neji entered the room silently, needing a change of clothes. Immediately upon his entrance he stopped. It was no longer his room for the time being, and it was blatantly obvious. The room, with what small decorations Hinata brought along, gave the room personality Neji never bothered to.
Hinata turned around and noticed Neji's expression. "I-I'm sorry," she said. "Do you mind? I just thought I could-
"No. It is fine," he said. "It is your room now. I should move my clothing out."
"Please don't," she said firmly.
Neji nodded took out a simple black ensemble out. He left for the bathroom and upon his return, Hinata fought down a blush. The ANBU outfit was a popular fantasy among the women of Konoha, and Hinata was no exception to this.
"I have a mission tonight. I will be back in a week. Please be ready to train by then."
Hinata nodded, focusing on his words and not his outfit.
Neji slid on his arm protector. "There will be ANBU nearby. Exercise caution nonetheless."
His words stirred a previously dormant worry. Hinata firmly squashed it. She was a shinobi, and had enough 'what-ifs' as it was. "But I would like to go out."
"Do whatever you please," he replied, shifting his mask so that it covered his face. "But do not be reckless, and have your guard up at all times."
And with that last piece of advice, Neji disappeared.
Two days later, Hinata met up with some of her old friends for dinner. Her heart felt light after what seemed like years, and Hinata nearly skipped to the restaurant. It was nice to see everyone after so long, and after more than a few stressful days, she was finally able to relax.
Hinata looked around at the restaurant they regularly met at. There was some construction going on, but it was still the same as ever, with bright colors and music faintly playing in the background. When they were children, Hinata mused nostalgically, sometimes Kurenai-sensei and Asuma-sensei would join them, and it would feel like a big, patchwork family.
"How are you feeling, Hinata?" Sakura asked, interrupting her thoughts. "I know it's been a while since I saw you last, so I haven't been able to ask…"
Hinata shook her head. "It's fine," she replied happily. "My chakra flow is perfect, but I haven't been able to train too much yet."
"You should do that as soon as possible," Sakura said with some worry. "If you don't, the muscles-
Ino and Naruto groaned as Sakura got into medic-mode. "She knows! We all know," Naruto complained.
"Ok, ok. Jeez."
Hinata smiled at their antics. After the waitress took their orders, they caught each other up on what was going on in their lives. Lee was training to attempt to open the next gate without dying; Naruto was beginning to learn his father's famous flash technique; Tenten was assigned a team to teach.
"Wow, really?" Naruto asked.
"Yup," she said contentedly. "Those suckers have no idea what they're in for."
The table laughed.
"So far I like them, though. They have spunk."
Ino smiled wistfully. "Those kids are lucky. Asuma hated us when he first got us."
"Same with Kakashi-sensei," Naruto exclaimed. "I'm sure Asuma-sensei never said anything to you, but that bastard actually told us he didn't like us."
Hinata could not believe that the teachers could be so rude, and Kiba expressed his disbelief as well. His eyebrows rose. "No way!" he said, almost in awe.
Hinata shook her head in exasperation.
"It's true," Sakura affirmed.
The waitress interrupted and distributed their orders. As they all dug into their food, Ino immediately confronted Hinata.
"Oh yeah! Hinata! I heard you're living with Neji now!"
Hinata choked on her lemonade. "E-Excuse me?"
"Ino!" Sakura scolded, patting Hinata on the back gently. "What the hell?"
"What? Everyone's dying to know, anyway, and it's better if Hinata clears up any rumors!"
"You are clueless as usual, Pig," Sakura glared.
"How did you know?" Hinata asked weakly. Her living situation was not something she exactly wanted broadcasted, though she supposed that if Danzou was interested enough, he would have known the moment she left her home that she was moving in with her cousin.
"Umm…common knowledge?"
Hinata sighed.
Naruto leaned in, as did Tenten and Lee, who were suspiciously silent through the discussion. "So it's true?" he asked, surprised.
"Yes," Hinata confirmed softly.
"Why?" he asked, surprised.
"Um, well…it's…kind of…umm…" Hinata paused, cursing herself. The stutter was something from a different life, and she hated when it came out through her nervousness. "I can't really-
"Out with it!" Tenten snapped.
The table went quiet. Tenten flushed.
"I am so, so sorry, Hinata-san." Mortified with embarrassment, Hinata just nodded, and proceeded to look at her fork.
Ino changed the subject awkwardly, but the hot blush never left Hinata's face. She put down her spoon.
"I'm sorry," she announced, "But I should go. I have to wake up early…"
Ino and Sakura threw nasty looks at Tenten, who looked down shamefully.
"Are you sure, Hinata-san?" Lee asked, his shamefaced on behalf his teammate.
"Yeah, Hinata-chan," Naruto piped up. "You should stay a little bit longer."
Hinata abhorred fuss, and her cheeks turned red with embarrassment. "But I really must go. I apologize," she said, bowing low to hide her face.
"I should go too," Tenten said guiltily.
The two girls put down some money on the table and left after an awkward parting.
"Hinata," Tenten urgently apologized as they left the restaurant, "I just want you to know, that I am so incredibly sorry."
"It's ok," the petite kunoichi replied uncomfortably.
"Really, I was out of line."
Hinata was quiet.
"If I were you, I would have slapped me without a second thought. But you aren't me, are you?"
Tenten rushed to explain in the face of Hinata's continuous silence.
"It's just that, we-me and Lee, I mean-haven't spoken to Neji literally in years. That's why…"
Hinata sighed, beginning to empathize. If Kiba or Shino suddenly were ripped from her life, she would be just as desperate. "It's ok, Tenten-san. I understand."
"I'll walk you home," Tenten volunteered, hoping to redeem herself by offering some kind of service.
"I'd like that."
Tenten and Hinata spoke on several subjects-all light matters, until they approached the apartment building.
Tenten looked glanced furtively at the building.
"Would-would you like to come in?"
Tenten refused. "I won't make you feel awkward."
"Maybe just for some tea?" she ventured.
Tenten smiled. "Thank you, Hinata-san."
Neji sprung through the trees of Konoha, eager to get back to his apartment. The mission ended early, and terribly; one of his subordinates had perished in what was supposed to be a routine checkup of the outskirts of Fire Nation. It was what happened when people let down their guard, Neji knew, but it didn't stop the rage and guilt from consuming him. The intruders were eventually killed, but their deaths did not bring the remaining ANBU any real peace; each of them had learned lifetimes ago that one death did not bring justice to another.
The branches behind him rustled as his surviving team members brought up the rear. Seeing the approaching gates, Neji leaped over a log and stopped running. His teammates came down from the trees.
"We meet at the Hokage's office tomorrow at eight A.M."
"Yes, sir."
The trio separated, and Neji headed west towards his apartment. Despite his eagerness to shed his bloodied outfit, he couldn't help but dread the moment when he would meticulously place the shuriken that went through Inoue's throat into his shelf. He touched it lightly, the somewhat dry blood still smearing on his fingers.
Another man was dead, and it was his fault.
Neji hopped from one building to the next, relishing in the fierce wind picking up from the south; Neji never wanted more to smash his mask so hard to pieces, to grind it to dust lifted by the wind, so he could feel that same wind, that whimsical freedom glide over his face.
It was a fool's dream, but one he wished to ascertain nonetheless.
Arriving at the door to his apartment, he pulled off the mask and slid it into his ANBU vest. He jiggled open the door.
Neji froze, as did the two kunoichi.
"Neji!"
He had seen her face around, but made it a point to ignore her and his other former teammate. They were nothing but distractions, links to a happier, more ignorant life he'd forced himself to abandon once he began to wear the mask of death incarnate.
"Tenten."
It was a bland greeting, and her bright eyes seemed to dim. Hinata moved herself to the smallest corner of the room, as if sandwiching herself into the corner by the fire extinguisher would somehow help hide her appearance in the forthcoming confrontation.
"It...it's been a while, hasn't it..." Tenten noted lightly with a weak smile on her face.
It was the smile of a martyr, and Neji's blood began to boil. "No," he said icily, barely restraining the anger. The red-coated shuriken in his vest seemed to throb almost like an open wound.
Tenten gaped. "What?"
"I said 'no.' It has not been time enough," he elaborated slowly, making sure every word was filled with his bubbling rage. How could that woman possibly feel she had a right to his pity, his sympathy when his dead subordinate--
Tenten's eyebrows snapped together. "Hyuuga Neji," she whispered dangerously. "Do you have any idea--ANY idea--what you have put me and Lee through?"
Neji stared. The shuriken seemed to grow heavier and heavier by the minute.
"I am unconcerned." Hinata fell back into the corner even more. This was all her fault, all her fault, why did Neji have to come at this precise moment--
"What?" Tenten shrieked, and Neji thought it fitting that it sounded like the high-pitched clash of two metals screeching against each other.
"You were like our family! You were Lee's brother, my best friend--
"Get out."
Tenten closed her mouth as gracefully as she could. Loathing radiated off her being, and if Neji was the person he was two years ago, he would have been mortified. But he'd learned very painfully that energy used to feel these simple human emotions could not be wasted when so much more energy was needed to look over his country and subordinates.
"You make me...goddamn it, Neji. When you want to apologize you know where to find me."
In response Neji walked past her, past Hinata, towards the bathroom, taking his gear off along the way. With tears in her eyes, Tenten left--but not before acknowledging the frozen stiff figure against the wall.
The apartment door snapped shut, the small sound echoing through the flat.
Hinata slid to the floor, still reeling from the force of the fight. Hearing soft footsteps against the wooden floor, she looked up fearfully.
"Do not invite her or Lee to this place."
Hinata nodded immediately. After a moment, Neji turned and headed toward the shower, and Hinata sprinted into her--no, HIS--room.
What have I gotten myself into?
Tsunade frowned, scanning the note. It was marked with an official seal, but still the Hokage couldn't believe what she was reading.
HYUUGA NEJI PROVEN UNSTABLE
SUGGEST HE BE TAKEN OFF MISSIONS
- TENTEN
Tsunade had, actually, sent Tenten to investigate upon the mental state of one Hyuuga Neji. Shecould not ask shy, kind Hinata for a true evaluation--the only people she knew to be relatively close to the stoic ninja were Lee and Tenten; the former would be impossible to get information out of, and Tsunade was left with only Tenten as a reliable spy. The girl was more than willing to do it.
She'd been hoping for a good report. A relatively good report, anyway--where Neji was only slightly unhinged, like the rest of his ANBU comrades. But he was one of the best, and she couldn't afford to have him lose it on a mission, like so many good shinobi before him.
Tsunade knew what to do.
There was a knock on the door. "Come in."