CHAPTER ONE
"Hyuuga Concerns"
It was late. Her eyes hurt and her back was tensing, signals her body gave her to call it a night and crawl into her bed. She muffled a yawn while she stretched back hearing all the pops in her spin, sighing she turned back to her paper work. She was almost done; just a few more papers to sign, a few more cases to file and she was home free.
It had been a seemingly boring day, but still a long one none the less. With most of the jounin at the sand borders and the medics doing their job there, there wasn't much she could do back at home. So no real A or S class mission had been dispatched yet, all availably and body ninja where sent to the border to aid the Sand. She hadn't done much all day expect work on some training bumps and bruises from the young ones and stretch a few times. If she was asked she would have taken the days of complete chaos above such an uneventful one in a heart beat, she almost lived for that adrenaline rush you got saving another person's life.
She heard the shouts before she saw them. Yells and footsteps thundering through the halls; anxious to be apart of the newly found excitement Sakura abandoned her file work almost started off in a sprint outside her door. She knew she would be of good use at some point. She was prepared for blood, she was even prepared for a familiar face or two, but she wasn't prepared for what she saw next.
She saw the tall Hyuuga first. He was almost covered in blood; dark red stained the white of his robes on his chest. His face was dark and tense, something Sakura had seen before but this time it gave her a dark dead like chill. She had known Neji was sent on a mission, her mind put the pieces together. A mission…a casualty…his team…her heart seemed to drop in her chest.
She started in a dead run toward the doors where the commotions was. What ever happened, to who ever it happened too, she needed to be there. She needed to make sure it was going to be okay, he would expect her to be there.
She saw him turn sharply through the doors and disappear. She saw the doors burst open with the bleeding girl on a stretcher. Her limbs went cold. She gasped so hard she almost choked herself.
The girl's porcelain skin was so pale she could be mistaken for death; her long blue black hair was a mess of tangles and blood in her dark locks. Her dark blue outfit has covered in black looking blood; parts of it were torn to pieces exposing deep fresh wounds. For a moment, Sakura wanted to close her eyes and make this image go away, she actually wanted to crawl back into her hole and do her paper work. There were many things she was prepared for, but this? This was probably one of the worst situations she could think of.
"Sakura!" Tsunade called her to her side snapping her out of her corner. The medic's eyes snapped to attention. She tried to catch her breath, she had to recompose herself.
"Her heart rate is dropping!" Shizune yelled as they rushed by her.
"Sakura, find the other wounds stop the bleeding!" Tsunade ordered her own hands working on the sliced artery in the girl's neck. Sakura noticed her protective headband she always wore around her neck was gone from her body.
With a small shake to her senses she turned away from the intense blood flow. Concentrating again on her chakra moving into her friend's body; she tried to hide her shock. She had a job to do.
Slowly but surly while they ran down the hall way Sakura helped the bleeding stop. Soon there was just an unconscious girl was dangerous wounds on her body. She turned to get some bandages while Tsunade still worked on the major wounds on her body.
There was pain. She couldn't pin point it but she felt it; harsh angry pain in all her joints and muscles. She was tired, so tired it hurt to even be awake; but her eyes betrayed her and opened themselves. Her lids felt heavy but she couldn't keep them closed, curiosity peeked even in such a lethargic state.
"Thank you Sakura…" Said a female voice who sounded so close yet so far away from her, her mind didn't register the words, she only heard the voices. She tried to open her eyes more to see the owner of such a soft voice but the light burned her eyes. She blinked several times slowly letting the bright room come into better focus. Shapes too clearer form between people and large blunt objects.
Soft beeps and hums began to fill her ears. A stiff metallic smell filled her nose. Her neck hurt to move, even here eye lids but she forced herself to scan the room. The colors were bright and blurred but she could make out an assortment of dark colors moving about around her.
She tried to force her head to move again. It was so stiff and sore. It was swift and almost dream like, a blurred figure stood above her. She felt something cool on her fore head; it felt soothing to the touch. A feeling she didn't realize how much she needed until it was on her.
"You're okay, you're safe." She felt sudden cool pressure on her forehead. She tried to look up at the owner of this voice again but what ever was behind her was too bright. The figure was blanketed in shadows, shadows too dark to see any distinctive features.
"Rest." Said a soft voice in her ear, though she couldn't see the owner it gave her an odd sense of comfort. As quick as it was, it was over.
"Thank you Sakura, I think you've done everything you could here." Tsunade said her hands still on some lingering injured body parts. Sakura nodded, she knew the injuries were intense but she also knew that right now it was crucial for Tsunade to be left to do her job as perfectly as she could. She bowed to her master and walked out the door, she couldn't bare to give the dead like girl on the table one last look.
She spotted a nurse near by and stopped her.
"I need you to inform the family…"
"I was told Hyuuga Neji has already seen to that." Said the nurse suddenly, breaking of Sakura's feeble attempt to sound authoritative.
"Where are the other members of the team?" Sakura asked changing the subject. This was something she did require to know; when the family members arrived she would be hounded with all sorts of questions.
"Inuzuka Kiba is in room 403 and Aburame Shino is in room 406." The girl handed Sakura the forms, obviously thinking Sakura was there to take over. "As far as I know their captain was uninjured and as I said; went to retrieve the family."
Sakura nodded to the nurse accepting the tablets with out questions. She was actually a bit thankful for the distraction and walked over to the designated rooms her mind still wild with too many thoughts.
So that's where Neji had left to in such a hurry. She let her lips turn up into a small, some what forced smile, so Neji wasn't as cold as he always seemed to be. No doubt they'd be here in no time then, she made her way to where she knew the others were. No sense in making herself extra anxious, she needed to busy herself.
She knocked on the door to room 403 pushing it open as she did. She saw the mess of black hair under the sheets. She waited for the normally loud and hyper man to greet her excitedly demanding he was fine and complain of how much he hated being here. But when he said nothing, Sakura's frown deepened. She saw a nurse come up behind her and then scurry over to him with some kind of ointment.
"Injuries?" Sakura asked even though she had the information in her hands.
"Minor. Some nasty cuts and scratches but nothing…life threatening. And a small concussion, but he should be fine in no time." The nurse said with out making eye contact with Sakura.
Shino's information wasn't much different, and just like his team mates he was unconscious and sound asleep. Though the nurses and the information in her hands screamed at her that everything was going to be fine with them, but still, seeing such a close friend unconscious and other friend…it was just hard sometimes. She quietly closed the door behind her and went back to her place near the ICU. Best wait for him here then have him cause a scene when he showed up.
She hadn't been there long when she felt that sudden rush of intense fire like chakra burn through her. Sometimes their connection was so strong she felt him long before she saw him, and times like this she hated it and she loved it. That's intense feelings was so comforting but at the same time she wanted to run and hide from it.
"Sakura!"
She saw him charged down the hall way, he yelled so loud she thought he must have woken some of the coma patients. His jacket flung open, his hair was more of a mess then usual, he was unkempt. His bright blue eyes that always blazed with such excitement were almost hollowed with signs of lack of sleep and the worry she knew he felt. Suddenly all she wanted to do was just wrap him into a big hug, but then again maybe she needed it more then he did right now.
She moved her hair behind her ears and bit her lip. A look he only saw when she was about to say something she really didn't want to say. She saw him visibly tense; she hated saying bad news, especially to him. She willed her professionalism into her; she couldn't afford to go emotional now.
"She's lost a lot of blood and there's a lot of damage. Tsunade is with her now, we won't know until she's done." She had to look away at the boy's intense eyes.
The blue in them seem to ignite into fire. She tired to think of something to say, anything to console him in the fear she knew he felt. She made a move to touch him but he simply let himself fall down on the bench outside the ICU. The words she had just said must have felt heavier then a ton a brinks, which was saying something because she had seen this man hold up bolders as a child.
"The others?" He asked not looking at her.
"Kiba and Shino are unconscious as well but they don't seem to too bad; just small concussions. They should be fine in a few days."
He nodded in response then let his head rest in his hands.
"What about her?"
"I don't know, we'll have to wait for Tsunade to tell us." She repeated, but this did not seem to satisfy him.
"Really Sakura, how bad?" He asked still not looking at her.
"Really bad Naruto. I got scarred, Tsunade was scarred…"
He nodded and hid his face in his hands. She took a seat next to him, when she placed her hand on his shoulder she half expected him to jolt away but instead he just sat there. Maybe he was crying, maybe he was still trying to soak it in, what ever he was doing he didn't budge, and Sakura didn't push.
She wanted to say something, anything. She wanted to give him reassurance that their Hokage was the best person for the job. Tell him she would fix her just as she had fixed him so many times before. However for the life of her none of the thousands of things she thought of saying would pass her lips. So they sat there quietly, long into the night just waiting.
"Oh…fuck…" Kiba groaned his hands flying to his pounding head.
"Good morning." Sakura giggled at her friend who always had such a refreshing wake up calls. "Don't sit up, you'll make yourself nauseated." She advised crossing the room and checking his machines.
"Damn." He responded looking around the room. He looked confused as to why it was empty.
"If you're looking for Akamaru I think he got bored waiting for you." She teased him. The big dog knew his friend was going to be just fine.
"How long was I asleep?"
"A few days. We put you under a drug induced sleep to help you recover faster; you might still be woozy from it so I suggest you stay still for the next few hours." She smiled at him.
"What happened?" He asked looked up and down his own body that was bandaged. She looked at his chart and read it silently, nothing she had never seen before.
"Broken bones, sliced muscles but nothing too serious. You should be ready for battle again in just a few weeks." Her voice was tender even somewhat playful, her eyes were soft looking at him. The kind she had when she tried to hide her fear. He had seen it before, he hopped it wasn't the same reason she was doing it again.
"Shino and Hinata?"
"Shino was about the same as you, he's still asleep but he's doing well."
"Hinata?" He repeated to her. She hated being the one to say bad news. Why couldn't she be the one to announce to the married couple they were pregnant?
Her cheerful face fell; he didn't realize he had stopped breathing. She hesitated, he was sure he didn't want to hear it, but at the same time he needed to.
"Between you and Shino it seems she got the worst of it all. She's been asleep since you arrived. There was so much damage, but they say she's better now but…we won't know for sure until she wakes up." He looked so solemn she felt horrible saying the words to him.
"Is she under that drug sleep like me?" He asked sounding hopeful.
"No, she's just unconscious. Tsunade believes some trauma to the brain must be pretty serious, but again we won't know anything until she wakes up and we can talk to her."
Just as instructed she was obligated to inform her superior one of the two men had woken up. Their state was cognitive and they were aware even though they were in pain. She walked down the quiet halls, sometimes it was strange that the hospital could be so quiet in the middle of the day when just out side its walls a whole city burst to life with noise loud enough to sometimes make your head spin.
"Sakura?" A nurse stopped her.
"Yes?"
"I have an emergency, can you take my next patient?"
"Sure." Sakura agreed taking the nurses papers.
She was making her rounds; she was scheduled to check on a young genin who had shattered her hip bone in a mission. She crossed a room; her heart broke at the scene.
He was still there. His head of greasy blond hair bent down holding her hand. Was he asleep? No, of course not, he had stopped sleeping.
"I want to be here when she wakes up." He had told her through such tired eyes on the third day after she arrived.
She didn't hear anyone coming up behind her but she certainly felt him. It was hard to miss a rainy cloud when they loomed over your head. She moved out of the way to let the tall Hyuuga pass.
"Naruto, you need to go home." Neji's voice was commanding, the voice she heard him use on their missions. Naruto didn't move, he didn't even acknowledge the old friend; he seemed too lost in his own world. Neji's hands on his shoulder seem to shake him a bit, their eyes met. "Tsunade orders." He said to the blond, this one less stern then before.
"She'll wake up…" He said quietly but just as stern as Neji. However his body betrayed whatever strength he was trying to show in his voice. Too tired to really fight the man pulling him from the chair, theirs eyes met when they reached the door way.
"I'll be here Naruto." She said and smiled, even though he had heard it, and looked at her with his tired eyes she knew it didn't register in his brain.
"If she wakes up..." He said weakly.
"I'll send Neji for you, you need to sleep."
"No I…" He didn't finish his sentence; he had literally collapsed in the jounin arms.
Sakura had to watch as the tall Hyuuga had to escort him out, practically pulling him out of her room. She forgot all about her young genin with the shattered hip for a moment.
She went into the room; the beeps were soft to her ears. Her eyes followed the outlined body of her friend until they met her face. Pale and serene, she looked at peace; Sakura wasn't sure she really liked that look. She touched her hand; it was still warm from where Naruto had held it for a week long. She gave it a light squeeze, hoping to the smallest amount of hope, that the girl would feel it and return it.
"Wake up Hinata." She whispered into the empty room.
"Can she hear you?" Sakura looked up remembering her patient again, who was probably in a lot of pain. A girl with short black hair and the same white eyes stood at the door way.
"I don't know, but it doesn't hurt to talk to her." She told the younger girl.
She didn't know Hanabi personally and the only times she had met her was when she came to the hospital for one injury or another, the girl struck her as rather cold. Sakura removed herself from the room and closed the door behind her allowing the sisters their time together.
Once she heard the soft click of the closed door Hanabi let her feet carry her closer to her sister's bed.
"You're really stupid." Hanabi said placing a flower on her sister bed side table. She felt her throat burn; she couldn't remember the last time she cried. Was this what it was like?
Her sister lay motionless on the bed hooked up to feeding tubs and machines. Her sister, the girl who she always saw as weaker then she, the girl she saw and strived to defeat but always secretly envied. She had seen Hinata hurt before, but this felt different. This time it scared her.
"Dad is really pissed off at you. He can't really sleep; you're getting a lot of people worried and upset just because you wanted to prove yourself." She said her voice choking now.
The sight of her sister started to get blurry; she started to feel hot tears down her face. She didn't know why she cried, her sister wasn't dead yet. She was breathing, there was a heart beat but with the touch of her pale hand that had no returned movement. Hanabi couldn't help but think darkly she might as well have been.
Sakura knocked on the door, when she heard the familiar grunt to enter she opened the door. She stopped short, her hand still on the door knob when she met the faces in the room.
"Oh…sorry I didn't realize you were in a meeting…" She made a small bow and started to leave with Tsunade stopped her.
"It's okay Sakura, what is it?" Tsunade's tone told her guests whatever they had to say could be held for a moment. Sakura gave glances to the men as she walked by to the front of the Hokage's desk. She didn't personally recognize them, but it was hard to mistake those white eyes and white robes of self proclaimed superiority. The two men of the most prestige clan in Konoha looked down on her, as if truly insulted, someone such as she would dare impose on their time with the Konoha Hokage. Sometimes she really hated the Hyuuga clan.
"Kiba woke up this morning." Sakura informed. "We're still waiting on Shino but he should be up soon if Kiba has already woken up. He didn't mention anything about his mission, but I expect things will come back to him in a few hours."
"Any change on Hinata?"
"No…no changes, she continues to stay in her stable condition."
"Thank you Sakura." Tsunade said and gently waved her hand at her a signal for her to leave. Sakura gave a small bow and almost at once turn on her heel and was out the room. The door hadn't even completely closed before she heard one the men burst into an argument.
"How can you wait this long! This could be the down fall of everyone…"
Whatever they were fighting about, if Tsunade had waved her out, she had meant for Sakura to hear nothing of it. If it was really important she would tell her in due time.
"Sakura!" The voice sounded familiar, but since when did Ino ever refer to her by her real name?
"Ino." Sakura said greeting the blond who just caught up with her.
"Is it true?" Ino asked her blue eyes dancing alive with new gossip. Gossip that apparently Sakura had yet to hear, which oddly enough usually seemed to happen. The only exception was the pandemonium of her teammates relationship that had erupted several years prior. She had front row seats for that one.
"Is what true?"
"You didn't hear them? I thought for sure you heard something seeing as you were just in there."
"Ino what are you talking about?"
"The latest Hyuuga conspiracy!" Ino said with a small skip on her step.
"The what?"
"I was working in Tsunade's office with her and they came barging in yelling something about this being an attack to get the secrets of the clan."
"They always seem to think everything is about them." Sakura mused half heartedly.
She had heard it all before, every attack seem to a attack on the clan, at least according to one individual or another. This time though Sakura had a pretty good feeling that the head of the clan himself had nothing to do with this outburst.
"I think they say that because Neji and Hinata were both on the mission." Ino answered.
"So were Kiba and Shino. Wouldn't it be an all out attack on the clans all together if that be the case?" Sakura frowned, her small bubbling dislike for her friend's clan seem to grow since leaving the office.
"It would, but when have some of those Hyuuga's ever been logical?" Ino asked with a small smirk on her lips. The walked in silence again before Ino let out a frustrated huff.
"It's really disgusting isn't it?" She started again; Sakura gave her a confused side look. "Its so horrible what happened and they make it about them! Of everyone that was there, of everything that happened or could have happened they make it about them! Even Naruto isn't…" She stopped herself looking at Sakura expectantly.
"What?" Sakura asked a little confused and suspicious. She wasn't sure if she was expected to say something to complete that sentence.
"How is he? I mean he can't be very good…"
"No he's not." Sakura said, her tone said it was the end of that conversation. She didn't like discussing Naruto's feelings with anyone, much less Ino of all people.
For the remainder of the walk back to the hospital Ino gossiped about the latest scandals in Konoha. Most of the people mentioned in these epic stories Sakura had never even heard of before.
Tsunade rubbed her temples. The demanding voices that filled her office had faded into low pitched screeching in her ears. How could two people possibly argue something so profusely with so little, if not any, evidence to back up their claims? Humanity would never cease to amaze her.
When Tsunade came in this morning and was told that members of the Hyuuga clan were waiting for her in her office, she expected Hiashi himself to be there on account of what had happened in the last few days. When she saw these two men instead, she expected they were there on Hiashi's behalf. This was the only reason Tsunade did not throw them out of her office, now she was very much regretting her decision. She had half a mind to go track Sakura down and bring her back in, and engage in her a very deep and sophisticated medical mumbo jumbo just to get these two to shut up.
"They attacked a Hyuuga, and not just any one at that! They went for Hinata herself!" Argued one of the men, one of the only two who spoke, he seemed to have an opinion for everything in his warped little mind of his. Sometimes Tsunade wondered if there really weren't inbreeding in these so called prestige's clans. Maybe she should start a study?
"Hinata is a ninja of Konoha. She was on a mission, she would have been attacked regardless of her blood or clan or gender." Tsunade explained again, her voice very lazy but her temper quickly rising.
"You do not know that for sure! What if Hinata's attack was in fact to get to the secrets! She is the daughter of the Hiashi! She was once the heir!"
"And you do not know that for sure. As I said before Hinata is a ninja of Konoha, she was attacked as being one just as every other ninja is always attacked for. Now," She said a bit louder to stop their interruption. "Had they noticed Hinata was in fact a Hyuuga, yes probably. Had they tracked her down and separated her from the group for this soul purpose? I can not say, nor can you. As for her once being heir, that may have been true but the only people with knowledge of that was in your clan no outsider would know of that detail."
"Then you agree Hinata may have been attacked based on her blood line?" He demanded his eyes sparkling with the thought that he had outsmarted the Hokage!
"I have received a report on their mission by Neji, however I must wait for the other three to regain consciousness to add to that. Until then I will not see this as a personal attack on Hinata or your clan."
"We are on the brink of war! The last time this happened Hyuugas died by the handfuls at the enemy's hand! And why? Because we didn't see it as a personal attack, we didn't pay attention to that, we just wanted to protect Konoha!" The man was now quite red in the face and almost screaming at Tsunade.
"We are not on the brink of anything. We are assisting the Sand with the precautions they are taking. There is no talk of war…"
"Do not take us for fools Hokage." The Hyuuga who spoke had been the quiet one in the room, however his tone was an obvious warning to Tsunade. "We know the signs just as much as everyone else."
"I do not take you for fools. I tell you the truth. There is no threat of war, the sand is taking precautions, and us as allies are aiding in those. The attack on Neji's team is unfortunate but was not proven fatal, nor have there been any similar attacks at that. We can not jump to conclusions just because Hinata had a worse impact then the others."
The first man began to start up to protest but Tsunade had had enough for one day. She held up her hand and momentarily closed her eyes.
"This meeting is over gentlemen. Thank you for expressing your concerns, but I am afraid I have other matters at hand." She said and as impolitely as possible waved them off to leave.
As much work as she did indeed have to do, Tsunade found her time would be more at use elsewhere. So with out a second thought she found herself walking briskly to the hospital.
When she got to the desired she was greeted by a wary smile.
"Sorry, still no change." Sakura said almost apologetically.
"Nothing at all?" Tsunade asked her eyes on the dark haired girl in the bed. It wasn't that it was uncommon for patients to undergo such intense trauma when they took such an attack. But something this time made Tsunade feel different; it didn't feel like a regular attack. Something, she couldn't say what, but something was different. Something felt…wrong. And the longer Hinata stayed peacefully asleep the more dangerous this feeling became.
"Is everything okay?" Sakura's sweet voice broke her thoughts.
"Everything is everything it can be." Tsunade said with a shrug. "Why do you ask?"
"Those men in you office before…I mean Ino was telling me they are saying this was a Hyuuga attack?"
"That they are, but they do that every time. There isn't enough evidence to support that just yet. I mean Neji did say that Hinata got separated but what happened during that separation we don't know. And it's hard for me to say it was a deffinant attack when the victim is still very much alive and back at home." Tsunade said almost smiling at the last of her words.
"What does Hiashi think?" Sakura asked her eyes fixed on the tablet in her hands.
"Hiashi has yet to see me, surprisingly. But I'm sure he'll be breaking down my door sooner or later. I don't think he has yet because, unlike others, he understands this line of work." The blond looked around the room, noticing something was missing.
"Where is Naruto?" She asked a little confused.
"Neji said he was under direct orders to get some rest." Sakura said smiling at her. Tsunade nodded agreement though she had no recollection of ever giving that order.
"Well I have patients to fix and mend; I'll come back in a while to check up on her." Sakura said putting the tablet back in its holding at the foot of the bed. They said their good-byes and Tsunade was left alone.
She checked the machines and made her fingers and mind to something to keep from thinking those really annoying thoughts. What if, by chance, those Hyuuga's were right? What if, by chance, they did recognize Hinata not as daughter to the head of the clan, but a Hyuuga non the less. And what if, by chance, they did indeed attempt to gather information. She did say it was a long shot, but to be completely honest it wasn't that long of a shot. They didn't know anything about these enemies who popped out nowhere, they had no warnings to their attacks, and they have no real concrete knowledge of them at all.
She heard a small gasp come form the bed that seemed to shock her out of her thoughts. Her eyes shot up to the girl blinking and attempting to move her head on the bed. She rushed to her side.
"Take it easy." Tsunade cooed at her. "Do you remember what happened?"
She was met with lethargic white eyes. A small pathetic grunt came from the girl's mouth.
"You're unit took the most damage Hinata. You however took the hardest hit, you've lost a lot a blood, and you've been asleep for about almost a week, but you're going to be okay. You need to rest now."
Hinata seemed to try and register this for a moment before accepting it and then allowed her eyes to close again. Tsunade touched her head, if something catastrophic really had happened, such as attempting to steal the Hyuuga secrets, she would sense something abnormal in her mind wouldn't she? But no, nothing, she was just hurt and her body was trying to recover.
TBC - Chapter Two - "Wake Up"
AN: It is by the grace of god, I was able to revise and become pretty damn satisfied with this chapter in such short time. Working two jobs, and working on other fics AND The new HARRY POTTER book. (I haven't finished it so shut your mouth about it!) Good lord I don't think I've slept more then four hours a night for the past several weeks! But is all good, I'm actually pretty happy with the way this new chapter turned out.
Things to look forward to: Hinata does fully wake up in the next chapter as she did at the end of the beginning of the first chapter in the original story (so don't worry there). The story will continue through Hinata's and Naruto's eyes. I really like the first chapter in Sakura's POV and Tsunade's because I think it give a good feel of the story. A lot more Kiba and Shino and everyone else, I really hated how I skipped on them all in the original story, and they are a big part of eachother's lives. More flash backs yay! As for the SMEX, this is NOT a smut story, but yes there will be steamy scenes! (So again, don't worry!)
Thanks to you all for not giving up on me. Chapter two to come out ASAP! I just gave in my two weeks notice to one of my jobs so I'll be back to working just 35-40 a week which leaves a considerable amount of ME time to finish up the chapters! And for those who are reading "The Gift". Chapter seven schedualed to come out early next month. SO like a few weeks (one or two).