Chapter 30

-Hinata's POV-

"Come on, Hina, I just wanna talk about it."

I frowned as Naruto followed me upstairs after we finished unpacking from our supply run, "T-There's nothing to talk about. I saw my old room and got uncomfortable: that's all there is to it."

"You were more than uncomfortable. You were terrified! Talk to me," he shut the door behind us once we were in our room.

I turned to face him with heat rising to my cheeks as I finally gave up, "Okay, yes, I was scared, but you're here with me now and I'm not locked in there anymore. C-Can you just hug me and tell me that everything's okay and then we can move on? I really don't want to think about it any more than I have to."

Beautiful blue eyes bore into mine with a look of defeat, but Naruto still wrapped his arms around me, "Everything really is okay, y'know? I just want you to be able to talk about this kind of stuff so it doesn't get all bottled up."

I pressed my face into his shirt and took a calming breath to keep myself from getting worked up into tears, "Thank you for switching with me." His arms tightened further and I sensed that he was desperately trying to cheer me up.

A knock came at the door and we pulled apart slowly before Naruto opened it to reveal Neji standing there with a clearly uncomfortable expression. "Can I speak with Hinata alone?" I gave the blonde young man a reassuring grin when he looked back at me and then he left the room to go downstairs.

Neji came inside the rest of the way and I closed the door softly behind him, feeling apprehensive. Rather than sit down somewhere or try to beat around the bush, the tall man faced me and immediately began speaking, "I'm sorry for hiding who I was from you. It wasn't my intention to come clean the way I did, either. I thought you were…"

My back rested softly against the closed door and I nodded awkwardly, "Me too."

We just stared at one another in a tense silence for a few moments before both of us looked away and ran a nervous hand through our hair, only to freeze when we noticed how our movements mirrored one another.

A small laugh left my mouth and I clutched my hands together in front of my body, "S-So…we're siblings, then," Neji's jaw flexed as he obviously grit his teeth, but I kept on speaking, "I won't lie and say I wasn't surprised or hurt that you hid it from me, but I understand why you hesitated."

"No, you don't understand at all and that's the problem."

My mouth clamped shut and I gave him a confused look. His silver eyes searched my face as he stared at me with a tormented expression before he finally let out a sigh of defeat, "Our mother is still alive. She and I live in the Inaka area."

A million questions and even more emotions flushed through my entire being and I found myself falling toward the floor. He lurched forward and caught me, helping me upright once more with an arm around me, "I'm sorry, again. I should've had you sit down before telling you." The longer we spoke, the more annoyed he seemed to be getting with himself.

I let him help me to sit at the edge of the bed and then he took a few steps back to stand in front of me with a serious expression, "Mom won't tell me anything about that night and I wasn't old enough to know to ask until years had already passed."

Tears were steadily dripping down my cheeks as I stared at him in disbelief.

All these years…Over fifteen years have passed since she "died" and even if we didn't struggle to make ends meet, Dad and I did our suffering. I couldn't count on my hands the number of nights I've cried myself to sleep over the years, dreaming about what my life would've been like if my loving mother hadn't been taken away too soon.

"I want to be patient because I know this is a lot to take in, but can you please say something?"

My focus came back and I realized I'd been sitting there in a silent daze with my eyes glazed over as I tried to process what felt like the biggest betrayal I'll ever experience in my life. My brow furrowed and I tried to keep my voice from wavering, "W-Why did you wait so long to meet me?"

He looked just as bothered by the entire situation as me, "I only found out you existed maybe a year ago, if that. Mom had a photo album hidden away that I found and when I went through it…there you were."

My eyes widened, "She doesn't know that you know?!"

He grit his teeth again and shook his head, "The only person I told was Tenten and she followed me here. Mom knows I applied to The Program and tried to talk me out of it because she said she was worried I'd get hurt, but I know she just wanted to prevent me from accidentally running into anyone in Konoha that might recognize my eye color."

My mother and father both had a variety of silverish-lavender eyes, which was why Neji, me, and Hanabi all share the similar trait.

I leaned forward and let my head fall into my hands as my tears continued to fall, "I-I-I can't believe it…"

More than I was surprised or angry, I was hurt beyond belief. I obviously don't know what it's like to have a child, but I do have Hanabi and I would never even consider abandoning her like my mother had me, regardless of the fact that we've fought so much over the years. She's my family, my little sister. My loyalty to her was stronger than my own mother's was to me.

"When Naruto told us you were alive, I hoped that…I want you to come home with me and Tenten. You deserve the chance to confront Mom and I want to know why she did what she did, as well."

I lifted my head from my hands with wide eyes. Meet her? How could I possibly face her after all these years? Not only that, but I have very important things I have to focus on.

"I can't, Neji. My sister's somewhere out there, probably scared for her life, and I'm not doing anything else until I find her."

My rejection seemed to sting him a bit and his expression fell slightly, but he didn't argue or try to change my mind, "I understand. I mean, that's kind of the same thing that got me into this situation to begin with."

A small smile tugged at my lips, surprising me, "I-I suppose it is, huh?"

After a few silent moments, I took a deep breath and forced myself to stop crying as I tried to lighten the mood, "So…what kind of person is my b-big brother?"

Neji looked stunned by my inquiry and a cute pink blush dusted his face as his brow furrowed, "I-I'm, um, I'm a pretty normal person, I guess." Our eyes met and we both let out awkward laughs. "I'm not sure how to respond."

I slid down to the floor with my back against the bed and he naturally sat down in front of me. With a slightly warm face, I gave him a hopeful look and took a page out of Naruto's book, "We could play twenty questions. I want to learn more about you."

He averted his gaze down to his crossed legs and the soft blush on his cheeks didn't fade away, "Okay."

We spent the next couple hours talking and learning more about one another. It didn't take long for me to figure out that he really wanted to become close enough to resemble actual siblings and it made me so happy that it distracted me from the shocking news he'd given me about my mother.

Neji's favorite color is green, favorite school subject was history, favorite food was herring soba, and his dream job was to own his own car repair shop. These, and many other things, helped me get a better picture of who he was and I couldn't stop the relieved feeling in my chest from placing a smile on my face.

Naruto came back into the room after knocking softly on the door and we both turned to look at him. "I'm going to go now. Good night, Hinata." After just a couple hours, Neji's tone and demeanor seemed to have relaxed greatly. I also felt much more comfortable around him.

We both got up and I smiled shyly, "Good night, Neji. I-I'm really glad you came to talk to me."

He didn't return my smile, which I picked up was normal for him, but did pause near the doorway before turning to face me with the awkward expression on his face from earlier returning, "After you find your sister, I hope you'll consider coming with me." He didn't wait for me to respond and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

It was sunset outside already, I noticed. When I looked over at the window, sleet was still falling from the sky. It looked like everyone's plan to spend the day sparring tomorrow was going to be a sure thing.

My mind wandered onto Hidan as I recalled the last fight I'd been involved in. The others said he, Kisame, Deidara, and Sasori went south to Suna rather than north with the rest of us. The chances of us all meeting again were slim, but it wasn't impossible.

Would I be afraid to approach him if we did happen across one another someday? Would he have treated me differently if we hadn't met in The Program? My mind replayed the memory of his fist colliding with my stomach so recklessly and my hand absently rose to press over the area. From day one, something about him made me uncomfortable. Even if we met on the streets, I don't think his personality would change much. The man seemed to enjoy chaotic things like violence and crime.

"Hey, is it hurting?"

I blinked, snapping out of my deep train of thought to see Naruto kneeling in front of where I sat on the edge of the bed with a soft look on his face. My eyes danced down to where my hand pressed against my middle section and shook my head, "N-No, I was just thinking about something."

"About Hidan, I bet."

I nodded, my face warming as he gave me a knowing look before rising to envelope my body in his arms until I lay flat on the bed, where he rolled to the side so we were laying face to face. "If it makes you feel any better, when he learned there wasn't any prize money, he seemed to regret what he did." A humorless laugh left me and he made a sound of agreement.

I searched his eyes in silence for a few moments before pressing myself closer and softly kissing him. Ten minutes could've passed or it could've been an hour that we lay there, but it comforted me more than he probably knew.

The content aura in the room faded when his lips suddenly moved away from mine so he could speak in a hesitant voice, "I want to go with you to look for Hanabi."

I frowned and he gave me a look that said he expected my reaction to be what it was. It was likely going to be a long and dangerous road locating my sister, one I've intended to travel alone all this time. "She's my sister, Naruto. I can't ask you to risk your life for her."

"I'll risk my life for you, though. If you care about her, then I care too."

Blush dusted my cheeks when I noticed his bashful emotions flowing softly into my understanding. He must've taken my silence as doubt because he continued, "It's not like I have a family out there looking for me, so you can't feel guilty for keeping me from anyone."

Rather than reassuring me, his words made me sad. No one was looking for him or thinking about him every day and hoping he was safe. How could anyone not want such a wonderful person in their life? He jumped from foster home to foster home while growing up, in multiple different cities.

"Why are you suddenly angry?"

Tears welled back up in my eyes and I tried to wipe the glare off my face, but couldn't, so I had no choice but to explain myself, "You deserve so much more than you've been given." I couldn't manage to raise my voice above barely a whisper or I'd surely lose my composure.

He gave me a small grin, "I'm coming with you, then?"

A shaky breath slid past my lips and I closed my eyes when he lifted his head slightly to press his lips against my forehead, "I-I can't say no when you ask like that."

His lips slid into a grin against my skin and my own smile tugged at the corner of my mouth, only to drop when he spoke again, "And after that? Will we stay together?" Naruto pulled back as I did. I realized by the unsure look in his eye that he was as nervous to ask as I was to be asked.

My face burnt hot, "I-I-I don't want you to feel guilty if you want to leave. You have your own life to live."

"I want you to tell me, honestly, if you want to keep me around."

My heartbeat was racing as he hypothetically pressed me into a corner where I had nowhere to run. Blue eyes searched mine and I felt a bit intimidated by how serious my feelings had gotten for him over the past week. It was incredibly scary, realizing one person had the power to break your heart into a million little pieces and there wasn't anything you could do to stop them if they wanted to.

As I felt his warm arms around my body, though, my fears were quelled enough that I could answer sincerely with my eyes squeezed closed, "I want you to want to s-stay with me." He grinned, obviously happy with my response.

After a moment he asked yet another question about the future, "If things go back to normal, would you consider getting an apartment together?"

My eyes widened and I stuttered out, "T-That's a serious question, Naruto! Moving in together is…"

He rolled his eyes, "It'll be the same thing as what we're doing now, but it'd just be the two of us instead of with everyone else."

My hand rose to my face and I felt that it was incredibly hot. My voice got quieter as I bashfully admitted, "I didn't think you were that sure about me."

He laughed lightly before giving me a warm look, "Of course I am! I don't want you to feel pressured or like we're rushing things so take your time thinking about it and let me know when you've made a decision. Deal?" I nodded with an embarrassed frown, moving closer so I could bury my face in his shirt as he chuckled.

The next morning, everyone was paired up to spar and I was paired with Shikamaru, whom I've yet to have a one on one conversation with. We fought in silence for a bit, focused on the task at hand, before I was finally able to pin him down.

After releasing him and taking a few steps back so he could get up, I grinned sheepishly, "I hope I didn't hurt you."

The tall man rubbed the back of his neck with a frown, "It's not very cool to get beaten by someone so much smaller than me, is it?"

A small giggle slid past my lips and I offered him a reassuring smile, "The point of all this isn't to look cool."

He nodded with a smirk, "Yeah, yeah."

We sparred again and I was left stunned when he expertly took me to the ground in a complicated hold. I tapped his arm twice and he released his hold. As I got up and caught my breath, I narrowed my eyes, "Y-You're holding back, aren't you?"

He gave me a guilty look, "Can you blame me? If someone even hears you say "ouch", they'll probably try to kill me."

My face warmed as we went back to fighting, "That's not true!"

He caught my hand when I threw a punch and swiftly had my hands pinned behind my back. Instead of going further to pin me down again, he spoke in a matter-of-fact tone, "Wanna bet?"

I shook my head, "You're crazy."

He laughed, but spoke in a softer voice, "There wasn't a single day that passed in the two months they were locked up that someone didn't ask me if I'd heard anything about you."

A sad, but somehow warm feeling rose in my chest and I frowned as I tugged against his hold, "I-I don't want to know that."

He paused before letting go of my arms. When I turned to face him in disbelief, he gave me a bored look, "Just watch." Suddenly, he was attacking me with much more intent and skill than before and it was all I could do to defend myself.

After a minute or two, I was in yet another complicated hold, panting as I tried to catch my breath. He didn't let me go when I tapped his arm, but swiftly pinched my arm, making me cry out in surprise, "O-Ow!"

In an instant, I was pulled away from his grasp and it took a few seconds for me to process what'd happened. Kiba had a hold on my arm and Sasuke and Naruto were wrestling Shikamaru to the ground while Gaara stood nearby with a glare on his face.

I realized what was going on then, but couldn't say anything before Kiba grabbed my shoulders and looked me over, "Are you hurt? Show me where. Actually, let me go get Sakura-"

I put my hands up defensively and gave him a small smile, touched at how sincerely he was trying to verify I was alright, "I-I'm okay, Kiba. He just surprised me." A blush rose to his cheeks and he nodded before turning to the guys. Sasuke had Shikamaru's hands behind his back and Naruto was yelling at him like a parent scolding a child.

Tears rose to my eyes, but it wasn't because I was injured or sad. In fact, it was the opposite. Even Sasuke, whom I've only ever spoken directly to a handful of times, was actively standing up for me.

"You said you were okay. What's wrong! Why're you crying?"

A bright smile came to my lips and I wiped at my tears, sensing the others approaching to see what happened, "I-I'm okay, really. I'm just really happy to be friends with people like you guys."

Naruto laughed as he bent down to hug me and lifted me up off the ground, "You're such a baby!" I laughed as he sat me back onto my feet.

Before I could say anything, we heard a commotion from across the giant yard and turned to see Kankuro shaking Matsuri's shoulders, but she wasn't responding in the slightest. Everyone hurried in their direction and my heart dropped down into my stomach when the older Subaku brother resorted to giving the unconscious girl CPR.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Gaara take a few steps closer with a look of terror on his pale face. My attention was pulled away, though, when suddenly my brunette friend was coughing underneath Kankuro. Relief flooded my body and I briefly wondered what caused her to pass out like that to begin with, but averted my gaze to Gaara to see his reaction. The color had returned to his face, but he still looked like he wanted to run far away.

My eyes followed his gaze to the girl who was now punching his brother in the stomach. When did the redheaded boy get so…expressive? Had something happened I wasn't aware of between him and Matsuri? He swiftly appeared at Sakura's side when she asked him to help the petite girl back inside.

I looked over at Naruto and tugged his arm. He leaned toward me instinctively with a curious expression and I whispered in his ear, "Are those two together, too?"

His eyes widened and moved to look at the pair walking toward the house before he leaned down closer to whisper back, "I don't think so. It's hard to picture Gaara like that."

My lips formed a firm line. I didn't know about that. He sure seemed worried, something I've never witnessed from him. Maybe Matsuri's efforts were finally paying off and the Subaku's ice was finally starting to melt.