Nature is Often Hidden
Ten Ten looked up with relief as she saw the cousins come towards her. Neither were prone to tardiness yet both were slightly late. She had been worried they had had a fight. Well, not a fight really, more like a bout of awkwardness. They never really fought like cousins were supposed to.
She got up from her seat at the base of the tree. She had sat down after her warm up. They were going to train this morning and then leave after lunch. They were three days time from the meeting and two days journey from the contact. They wanted a head start.
Hinata was smiling as she chattered to Neji about the council meeting her father would have while she was gone. Ten Ten smiled at her dancing eyes. Then she noticed Neji's attire. His shirt was draped over his back, instead of being on his chest were she was sure it was supposed to be, and he was soaking wet. She went towards them.
"Morning!" After receiving a response from the pair she continued, "Neji, why are you already wet when the day has barely begun?" Neji gave his cousin a good-hearted glare before responding.
"I accidentally took a dip in the river." Ten Ten looked confused as her "why?" resounded in her eyes. He shook his head "It wasn't intentional on my part in the least." Ten Ten shifted her gaze to Hinata, who had a hand over her mouth and looked on the verge of giggling.
"Hinata?!" The heiress took a deep breath to calm herself and answered.
"It really was an accident." Ten Ten shook her head smiling in response to Hinata's smile. She decided that Hinata was just teasing Neji slightly and let it go. It was such a good thing to see Hinata feel comfortable enough around Neji to be able to tease him that she didn't want to ruin it.
"Yosh! Let's train!" The other two nodded affirmative and they started a general spar to finish warming up. Ten Ten saw Neji glance at Hinata several times before settling into that routine. Each time he smiled slightly and relaxed further.
Sakura was sitting in the cafe waiting. She had already ordered her tea and was sipping it when Shikamaru and Temari sat across from her. They exchanged pleasantries. After both had ordered their drinks, tea for Shikamaru and water for Temari, Sakura began on the reason of the meeting.
"So we have a project to continue, Shikamaru." Shikamaru nodded and explained to Temari.
"Before Naruto left, Sakura and I began researching demons in our library in an attempt to understand them, and Naruto better. At the time, we were all still new to the idea that he had a passenger. In addition we were getting ready to send him on his training journey, however, as he is gone now and our own training has settled down some, we want to pick up the project again. Since your brother carries Shukaku, I was hoping you could help." Sakura nodded. They had discussed this and had decided that the view of someone who was around a bijuu would be helpful. Temari looked at them.
"I'm not sure how helpful I'll be, Gaara has only become talkative in the last year or so." Receiving nods to continue, "He can't speak with his bijuu directly, only in dreams. He says that the seal used on him is combining parts of the demons chakra with his in dangerous amounts. The result seems to be that Shukaku has become unstable and that is why Gaara has had a hard time with controling his chakra. The same factor that allows Gaara such control over Shukaku is driving them both crazy. Gaara's treatment in our village didn't help matters either. We really know little about the bijuu himself." Shikamaru thought about this as Sakura responded.
"Any information is better than none at all. We can all go to the library after this and continue to look up the topic."
"What topic?" They looked up to see Asuma and Kurenai behind them. Shikamaru looked at his sensei a moment before answering.
"We were researching demons, specifically the tailed beasts." His tone was clipped as he tried to gauge his sensei's position on the matter. Asuma was one person Shikamaru had a hard time reading. Asuma held his gaze a moment as if the jonin was doing the same of Shikamaru. Finally he sat down next to Sakura.
"It's a risky topic to research. Most people hate demons, or distrust them at the very least. They have a more open idea at the Shunsui Temple but even there it is hard to understand such different creatures." He looked at his pupil and then rose. "Come one, Nai, I think they were just leaving. We can sit over here." Shikamaru looked after his sensei and then around. He spotted the problem immediately. A pair was sitting int he corner and staring at the chunnin. They did not look happy. With a nod he left money for the bill and rose. Sakura and Temari followed his lead, knowing that he would explain when it was safer.
Naruto rode the boat across from Jiraiya. He had said that Naruto needed to understand genjutsu. Takamaru had taken off earlier, supposedly for hunting. Naruto sat as he waited for his teacher to start.
Hinata and Ten Ten were leaning against a tree resting as Neji sat on the ground. Ten Ten hadn't thought it possible to tire him out without Lee. Apparently another Juuken user could do it. She looked at Hinata. While she was glad they were getting along so well, she was kinda jealous. Her relationship with Neji had hit a snag as they had come overworked with missions. Every time she started to bring up the mission where he had broken down, he avoided the topic. She half-thought he was scared of it. She didn't know what to do with him.
Hinata heard Ten Ten sigh as she laid back against the tree in defeat. Hinata had been watching her as she watched Neji throughout the session. She saw most of the glances and sighs. She could guess what was going on. They had started the habit of meeting every week possible and the girls had been meeting an hour earlier to talk. Ten Ten hadn't said anything specific, but Sakura and Hinata had guessed she and Neji were moving at the pace of a snail and it was Neji's decision. She really wasn't the interfering type, that was more Ino's and Sakura's department, but this was really getting ridiculous. She looked over at her cousin as he rose. He was looking at her, then Ten Ten uncertainly. She cocked her head in confusion, bringing his attention back to her. He looked at her thoughtfully. He then sighed and looked at Ten Ten, who had remained oblivious to this exchange.
"Ano, Ten Ten?" She looked up at him as he continued "I was wondering if you would like to see what I've been working on before lunch?" Ten Ten's eyes widened. She hadn't thought it was ready. Neji was a perfectionist. "Hinata-sama helped me with the idea this morning and I wanted your opinion." Ten Ten looked at Hinata quickly as the heir rose and stretched her arms up. She looked at Ten Ten.
"Ten Ten, why don't you come and see." Ten Ten stood uncertainly and followed them to the river.
Shikamaru stopped once they were at the gates to Konoha. He turned to the two girls that were following him. He had been going through the different scenarios in his head and had come to an understanding within himself.
"You both have the next several days off right?" At their nods, for this was the reason they had gotten together today. "Sensei's clue should be our focus then. The Shunsui Temple is only three hours walk from here. If you could pack and meet me here, we should go there to study. They are happy to take in scholars this time of year, their normal bustle is down. Pack for three days." After a second to consider, both girls nodded and they went to pack.
Ten Ten sat on the edge of the river as Neji stood in the middle. He was concentrating hard. Gently he placed his hands on the river's surface. In slow, long circles he drew the water out of the gentle current into a circle before allowing it to rejoin the river. The loop held for several seconds before he let it go. As he let it go, he sank into the water with a harsh sigh. Hinata immediately placed her hand in the water and his head surfaced as the water parted slightly where he sat on the bottom. Ten Ten stared for a moment before she clapped her hands excitedly and stood. She jumped over to Neji. Impulsively giving him a squeeze, she squealed.
"That was so cool! How did you do that? Are you using Juuken or somethign else? Thank you for showing me! Do you know what you are going to try to do with it yet? Is it fun? What does it look like to your Byakugan?" Neji was chuckling as she continued. He felt very light-hearted all of a sudden. He hadn't realized how much he had missed Ten Ten.
Since that mission where he had confessed some of his feelings, he had been distancing himself from her. Even if he knew what to do, which he didn't, he didn't want his family getting wind of it quite yet. He had placed a great deal of distance between them and he had missed her. He smiled slightly as he stood and felt Hinata release the water. It was time to have lunch with two of his favorite females.
Hinata and Ten Ten started walking towards town, with food on their minds as well. Neji patiently answered Ten Ten's questions.
Sakura, Shikamaru, and Temari met back at the entrance to the village, packed for a few days. They took off to the temple. Temari turned to Sakura as they were traveling.
"What kind of temple is this place?" Sakura thought back.
"It is a strange place. 20 years ago it was burned to the ground, and yet they rebuilt it in the exact same place. It has scrolls that can be found no where else. I went there is Tsunade-sensei once. She let me roam while she spoke with the head monk. There entire place is built like a fortress. I could never figure out how such a place could have gotten burned down in the first place. As I walked further into the shelves I found people there. Some were normal monks that I expected. However, some of them were very different." Shikamaru had fallen back next to them as Sakura had talked.
"Different how?" Sakura shuddered.
"Some of them were simply quiet or deformed. Some of them were muttering to themselves. It was like they were crazy or something. Every now and then a monk would approach one and they would talk. Then the person would follow the monk. They looked lost, like there was no sun anywhere on earth but they had to live anyway. Some of them looked sad, but some looked scared. It was hard." Temari frowned.
"What kind of place is this temple?" Shikamaru answered.
"Cursed. The villages around it consider it cursed. You go there for information but you shouldn't stay more than a week for fear of the curse getting you." Sakura shuddered again.
"There was one thing. I spoke to Tsunade-sensei after we left. She said that it wasn't a bad place, just misunderstood. When she said that I thought about those people. I hadn't seen any joy or jubilation in there at all, but there was another thing I didn't see that I didn't realize at the time. While I was in there I had felt confused, even a little anxious, but never afraid. I felt uneasy, but not fear or pain. There was absolutely no hatred or anger in there. They were all living at peace with each other. And while I didn't see cheer or excitement, I did repeatedly see something nearly as important."
"What was that?" Sakura looked forward determinedly. She remembered this feeling well. It had filled her with confidence even when walking to confusing shelves of people. It had kept her from running or screaming or knowing that the temple was in fact cursed. Every person she saw, no matter what other emotions were on their face, she saw it.
"Hope."
Hinata waved to her sister as she and Neji left to meet Ten Ten at the village gate. They had a long mission ahead of them and they wanted a headstart.
Ten Ten was waiting for them. They all took off in the direction of their first stop. The mission was actually pretty simple. Meet the person, get the scroll, get it back to Konoha. They could do it. They had a two day journey to there meeting location, and three day to get there. They had already chosen their spot for the night. The sooner they could get there, the sooner they could stop and talk and relax. Soon, Neji, ans mission leader, took point and Hinata and Ten Ten paced several feet behind him. Both Hyuuga were scanning with their Byakugan, but they weren't really expecting any trouble.
Hinata checked their distance from Neji and gauged the boy's hearing range before turning to Ten Ten beside her.
"Ano, Ten Ten?" When the weapon's mistress looked at her, "could you tell me happened between you and Neji-ni-kun?"
Ten Ten looked down as she thought back to the tough mission. Neji had been caught in a genjutsu where he had seen something very disturbing. Ten Ten blushed when she thought about what happened later after they had calmed him down and settled for the night.
-Flashback-
She reached forward and placed a hand on his shoulder.
When he felt her hand he leaned into it slightly. He looked up at her eyes.
Ten Ten nearly gasped at the emotion in his eyes. He looked at her with such intensity that is was scary. Scary and enticing. She waited. It wasn't in vain. His lips grazed her's. She felt his breath on her cheek as his arm slithered around her waist. He pulled her toward him as he got down on his knees from the log he had been sitting on. Her body fell flush against his as she felt his lips on her jawbone. Tilting her head to give him more access, she gasped at the sensations. One of her hands rested on his neck and the other intertwined with his free hand. He held her close as he came back to her lips for another kiss.
When this one broke they rested their foreheads against each other. Neji looked at Ten Ten. She could see worry in his eyes. "Neji-kun, what is it? What did you see?" He winced as his arms tightened.
"You were done waiting for me. Everyone was done. I was alone and I was the enemy." Ten Ten watched as he averted his eyes and tried to pull away. She wasn't allowing that.
"I'll always wait, Neji-kun. We all will. Because we care about you." He didn't say it, but she knew. It wasn't just her and Lee, it was also Hinata. She loved him. She would wait an eternity. She pulled him with her arm around his neck. "You aren't running away this time." Neji looked at her as they met in another kiss. Her free arm wrapped around his shoulders in passion as his free hand traveled to her side, feeling her stomach and back. It maneuvered upward until it felt her soft breast. She gasped in the kiss as she felt his hand. Her head tilted back in pleasure as his hand massaged her hand in blind desire to please his woman. Neji nuzzled and kissed the exposed neck as he allowed his hand free rein. His hand traveled from her breast down to her buttocks to pull her against him. He felt her chest against his as his hand squeezed her thigh.
Ten Ten felt his strong chest against her soft one. She didn't know how he knew what to do, but she wasn't complaining. She looked down at his eyes. Her hands came down and traveled his chest, feeling the chiseled features. She nuzzled his cheek as her hands traveled his back. Neji dipped her into another breathless kiss. This one contained all her passion even as it contained his. She felt tremors in his body as she leaned against him. When the kiss broke, she rested her head on his shoulder as he turned her body to rest against his comfortably. They sat there feeling each other's closeness. Ten Ten could hear his heartbeat in her ear as she cherished his proximity.
-End Flashback-
They had stayed under the stars most of the night. She had been so close to him. She looked at Hinata.
"He...I thought he liked me, but I don't know. He won't even be near me most of the time." Hinata saw the sad face on Ten Ten and felt her heart go out to her. She filled in some blanks about the mission. It had been tough, something had happened to Neji and he had needed to be near Ten Ten. She knew from experience that when you are down often you just want to be near the person you love, if for no other reason then their love makes you feel safe. She figured she could clear up something for Ten Ten.
"Ano, I looked at the marriages in our clan. If a branch member marries outside the clan, the spouse must be branded with the caged-bird seal." Ten Ten glanced at Hinata to see her looking at Neji's back. "Our council dislikes adding new things. Once you have that seal it can never be removed. The main family and any member of the council can activate it." Hinata had practically spat the word "seal". She had spoken of her council with contempt as well. She watched Ten Ten as she thought about it.
"Hinata, could you...tonight, I mean... could you...?" Hinata smiled.
"Be scarce? Aa, I have a form I'm working on and it is best done by myself. I will meditate. You two talk. Also, tell my cousin that its rude to eavesdrop on his friend's conversation." She said the last sentence in a slightly raised voice. Neji's head ducked in embarrassment. Ten Ten smirked as they caught up to him. Hinata continued. "Neji-ni-kun, you and Ten Ten need to talk tonight. I have to work with my form, so don't worry about me." Neji looked at her with wide eyes as she smiled. Finally he nodded.
Shikamaru, Sakura and Temari arrived at the temple in time to share evening meal with the monks and arrange for a room for several days. They decided to start looking for the section tonight and then to actually start the research in the morning.
Temari looked around warily. She could see where Sakura had been coming from. There were people randomly wandering around the shelves. Some did carry books, however most of them just wandered around looking at things or muttering to themselves. Monks would show up here and there and take them somewhere, however they seemed to be doing this practically one at a time. Temari figured it would be a while before they all left. The three wandered the shelves looking for a system of sorts.
Hinata left Neji and Ten Ten near the fire and walked over to the water. They were camped near a river-fed pond. Hinata smiled as she extended her chakra int the water. She sat down gently and allowed the water to hold her as she swirled it around her. She Glanced over towards the campsite once more before closing her eyes and visiting her passenger.
-inside Hinata's mindscape-
"Good evening, Hinata-chan." Hinata smiled at Mui as she sat on a coral bench. The water was clearer than it had been the first time she had visited and she could see changes. Since she had started meditation, her mind was becoming organized and she could tell. Over to one side she could see images of Naruto and further Neji, Kiba and Shino, her father and sister, and other people she cared about. She also saw images of training, the council, missions, and the compound. Her mindscape was like a sea of images of her life. She looked at Mui.
"Hello, Mui. How are you feeling tonight?" The great bird sighed as she eyed her jinchuuriki.
"I am relaxed today. The countryside was beautiful. I enjoyed watching it pass as you spoke with your cousin's crush." Hinata blushed. She could hear a rebuke in that statement. She really didn't usually interfere like that, but both of them had been miserable. She looked at Mui.
"I only did what I thought would help. Just like I want to tell Neji-ni-kun about you." She saw Mui shake her head in negation, "I am aware you don't trust him, but I do. It would be nice to have someone to talk to about you and our situation. You won't trust Naruto because of Kyuubi. I'm not sure I know who to turn to. My sister isn't experienced enough and even if you trusted my father, I don't. Not with this." Hinata was panting, trying to keep control of herself.
"Dear, do not fear your father. I sense only care from him, as I do from that cousin of yours. Your cousin has a seal that makes him less reliable. This worries me." Hinata sighed, there wasn't much she could do against that accusation. It would simply take time for that one to prove true or false. She really didn't know how he would react to that type of attack either. She would like to think she could protect him from that type of attack, but she knew that was naive.
"I will not give up." Mui smiled, her sapphire eyes looked at her container gently.
"That is a good philosophy, Hinata-chan. Now about your training. I would like to see you complete this jutsu during this mission. It uses the total amount of integration that we can perform with this seal." Hinata thought on this a moment.
"Mui, Naruto has brought Kyuubi's chakra in a solid form. Isn't that possible for us as well?" Mui regarded.
"Possibly, however, it would place a tremendous strain on you because you cannot access my chakra directly, it would call water to act as my chakra. If there is none near I don't know what it would do." Hinata nodded distractedly "Hinata, do not try it." She looked at the Hyuuga with worry. To force chakra through the seal would take both their strengths and leave them very tired if not injured. Hinata nodded again, this time much more convincingly before disappearing back to her world to practice. Mui believed her, Hinata wasn't one for rash choices, but she could help worrying about the future. She couldn't give Hinata much help with this current seal. She really wished she knew where Byaka was.
Shikamaru finally gave up on figuring out a filing system as there didn't seem to be any, and decided to ask a monk. The monk, they approached looked at them a moment then turned and walked down an aisle. He met with another monk.
"Hiro, these young people wish to know in what part of our library is the demon scrolls." The second monk looked at them a moment before walking around yet another shelf. They all followed. Sakura and Temari were getting confused. Did anyone in this place know? The monk stopped to talk to another monk behind a desk, who pointed them in the direction of the back corner. The monks bowed to each other before the monk walked back there. Once there he approached a short man. Sakura, Shikamaru, and Temari followed.
This man was sitting int he corner stacking books on their ends cross-wise. He had a stack of four when they arrived. Monk Hiro stood in front of him a moment before speaking.
"Anaboko, can I ask you a question?" Sakura looked at Shikamaru and Temari in confusion. The man looked at Monk Hiro and then his followers. In a little voice the man, Anaboko spoke.
"Do you have any oranges?" Monk Hiro looked back at the group, who shook their heads, after a bewildered look. Anaboko looked satisfied. He looked at Monk Hiro. "Master, demons are in order now. In 76 under 21." With that Anaboko went back to his stacking. Sakura looked at Temari in confusion as Shikamaru watched Monk Hiro. The monk thanked Anaboko and walked away. Once they were in the hallway, he turned to the chunnin.
"That part is closed for the evening. I suggest you come tomorrow. Ask for section 76D" The monk bowed to the three and walked off before they could ask questions. Shikamaru sighed.
"I guess we get to wait until tomorrow. Let's go." Temari looked at him, annoyed.
"Looks like it." Sakura growled. She turned to Shikamaru.
"Wait a minute. What was with that? 76 and 21 and now 76D? What the heck?" She followed the other two as they walked to their rooms. Shikamaru turned to her.
"He said 'In 76 under 21' So it is in section 76 and under section 21, which we passed by. I would assume 76 D is the part of 76 under section 21." Temari nodded briefly as she settled on her sleeping pallet. Sakura stared at him a moment before deciding this could wait until they were all more alert. She nodded to them and went to sleep on her pallet.
As she tried to sleep, she couldn't get that man out of her head. Do you have any oranges? ... Anaboko, can I ask you a question? ... Anaboko ...Anaboko...Anaboko... It wasn't right. Anaboko...Hollow She shuddered as she fell into an uneasy sleep.
Neji sighed as he watched Hinata walk off. He knew he was supposed to talk to Ten Ten, but in truth, he didn't know what to say. The mission had been very embarrassing for him. He had been caught in a genjutsu, fought his teammates, and broken down in front of Ten Ten. He was very ashamed of the mission. It was everything he had been taught was weak.
"Neji?" He looked at Ten Ten like she might bite him. "Are you going to actually drop that stick before you burn yourself?" Neji looked down to see that the stick he had been poking the fire with was on fire and burning nicely. His hand was next if he didn't drop it. Tossing it in the fire he sighed in annoyance at himself.
"Ten Ten..." She looked at him and then down at the ground.
"Is it really that complicated for you to talk about?" Neji looked at her in surprise. She looked at the stars. "The last mission you said that everyone had given up on you, you couldn't bare it. Now you've given up on us."
"What do you mean?" His question hung in the air as she looked at him sadly.
"Us, Hinata, Lee, and myself. You think we can't handle being close to you, so you push us away." Neji looked at the fire.
"You don't understand my family Ten Ten." She frowned.
"Hinata told me what happens to people who marry into the branch of the clan." Neji's eyes raced to hers in surprise. "Did you think I wouldn't find out? I had guessed it already, she just confirmed it." Neji looked down again.
"I cannot protect you from my family. I...You are in danger when you are with me." His eyes closed as he said this. Ten Ten stood up sharply.
"And I'm not in any danger at all when I'm not around you?! I'm a kunoichi! I can handle danger! I can defend myself!" She stomped in front of him and knelt down. Gripping his chin, she stared fiercely in his eyes. "I can deal with anything, as long as you are here to help me bare it." Neji's eyes widened as he stared into her determined gaze.
"But, the council-"
"Is being changed! Your cousin and uncle are working on it. The changes can already be seen in your home. I can tell the difference in the people! Believe in them! They need your support now! Just like I do." Ten Ten's gaze dropped to the ground as she fell down to her knees with the last statement. Neji looked at her, slightly frightened. Her voice was quiet and unsure now. "I wanted to be near you, to help and support you as you guarded your cousin. I just thought maybe...you...I...everyone needs support, even you." Neji hated to hear her voice sound so defeated. He realized that she was right. For years she had been his backbone. When everyone else told him one thing or another, she simply would smile or cheer him on, believing in him all the way. She had given him her determination back before he even realized they were friends.
His hands fisted on his knees.
"I do...I do need you. Ten Ten...I'm sorry. I'm so weak. I was weak. I can't let you be hurt because of me though. Please, Ten Ten." He was close to tears. The idea that his family would harm her was too much for him. He felt her hand glide over his cheek, wiping his single tear away.
"Being afraid isn't wrong, Neji-kun. Fear isn't a weakness. Needing someone isn't failure. Courage isn't the absence of fear, just the understanding that something is more important than fear. Am I more important, Neji?" Neji looked at her. He thought back. Hinata had been afraid and had needed Naruto. He did not consider her weak. Naruto had needed friends, people, and he was one of the strongest people Neji knew. He saw Ten Ten. She needed him. She was always strong. His voice caught in his throat as he realized how much this must have hurt her. His finger gently lifted her chin.
"You are important..." His whisper was against her cheek as his forehead protector leaned against her forehead. He felt his cheek soak with tears as his arms wrapped around her, pulling her close in relief and happiness. "You are very important to me..." They knelt there for some time in their embrace. Ten Ten was content to let him stay put. She wanted him to know that she was there for him as long as he needed her.
Naruto was sitting on his pallet. His two bonds were tingling with uncertainty. Both Neji and Hinata were upset about something, Neji more-so than Hinata. He didn't want to interrupt but he did send a sense of comfort their way before he returned to his study of shogi with Jiraiya.
Neji felt Naruto's concern and comfort as he pulled away from Ten Ten slightly. He looked at her carefully.
"Ten Ten, I would like to...well...explore this relationship." Both parties blushed. "But, please, promise me, we will not show any of it in the village or anywhere it could get back to my family's council." Ten Ten looked into his worried eyes.
"Even Hinata?" Neji shook his head.
"Hinata is okay, and I trust Lee but...no one else. Is that alright?" Ten Ten smiled. It was a step forward. An important one. They were beginning to understand each other. She smirked as she leaned toward him.
"But when we're alone, I get you to myself." She gently brushed his lips with hers. She could feel his smile as he agreed and pulled her in closer for a more passionate kiss. Ten Ten leaned back slightly as she wrapped her arms around the Hyuuga boy, allowing them to fall over. She wasn't worried, at the last moment, Neji's hand caught the ground as it raced towards her back. He gently lowered them to the ground as she felt the thrill of being held by a person she trusted so completely. She felt his hands, gently and strong, travel her shoulders and arms to her hands. She felt her hands grasped by her sides as he pressed his body into hers. Their kiss broke with moans by both of them. Neji's lips traveled to her neck as arched into the feeling.
Neji felt her moan vibrate through them as he brought his elbows up to either side of her head to prop himself up. She looked at him with glazed eyes and Neji closed his eyes as her lips rose to his. Then the world turned as she pushed on his shoulder with one hand, the other around his waist. Using her substantial strength, she reversed their positions, her hands ending on either side of his head. Neji stared up in disorientation for a moment before her head dipped for a kiss. His brought his hands up to cradle her lower back. Her hands traveled through his hair. Neji started as he felt his hitae loosen and brushed back. He opened his mouth to protest but she took that opportunity to explore his mouth with her tongue. All his thought processes stopped with the sensation. He felt desire course through him as he stroked her tongue in time with her. When they broke for air he panted as he looked at her soft eyes in question. She reached up and kissed his forehead where he knew his seal was located. His breath caught in his throat as she gently looked into his eyes.
"Shhhhh, Saiai." She rested her head on his chest as he pulled her close. He closed his eyes as he relaxed.
Nearly an hour later Ten Ten opened her eyes to see Hinata sitting across the fire, reading a scroll. Ten Ten smiled as she felt Neji's firm grip on her. She tightened her grasp on his shirt. Hinata looked over and saw Ten Ten awake. She smiled and placed a finger in front of her mouth in a shushing motion. Her Byakugan was activated. Ten Ten understood. Hinata was keeping watch. She frowned at Hinat, concerned. Hinata shook her head. She mouthed the word tomorrow and went back to her reading. Ten ten pulled the blanket Hinata must have draped over them higher and fell back asleep.
Barely a few days journey away, Naruto smiled as he and Hinata lazily discussed the scroll about shogi. She was helping him learn. When she had shown him the image of Neji and Ten Ten and the idea that she would keep watch all night, he too volunteered to stay up and keep her company. They were discussing strategies until dawn.
Sakura, Shikamaru and Temari wandered the library after eating a brief breakfast, they went down into the basement of the library. After some difficulty they found section 76 and then stopped. They had no idea how to go about finding 76D in 76. They were about to hunt down a monk when a young woman came around the corner. She looked at them, startled.
"What are you doing down here? Are you lost?" She seemed sane enough. Sakura finally nodded to her.
"We're looking for 76D." She nodded.
"This way." She led them down a row and to another shelf. "These 28 shelves are in 76D." Temari and Sakura's jaws hit the floor as they swore you could hear a "Troublesome" muttered behind them. The girl must have seen this because she asked. "I could point you in a more specific direction if I knew what you were looking for." Temari answered as Sakura nodded quickly.
"We are researching demons." Shikamaru added.
"Specifically the tailed beasts." The woman frowned.
"Why are you looking up them?" Her voice was neutral, but Sakura bristled at it all the same.
"Because we have friends that contain them! There is nothing wrong with that! Now are you going to help us or just stand there?!" Sakura panted from her outbreak as the woman giggled.
"Chill out, jeez. My name is Yuuki. I recently re-ordered all the demon stuff. Come on, the Bijuu section is over here." Yuuki led them to a part of the shelves. Pointing to the shelves she showed them where it started and ended. "Before you start I was wondering if you would let me tell you a tale." They looked at her. "You won't find it in here, because it isn't bijuu specific, but I think you'll enjoy it nonetheless." Shikamaru and Temari look at Sakura and they all shrugged and nodded.
The Story of Demons
It was along ago. There was a large village near here. They lived together in relative peace. One day a villager found a creature in the woods. The creature said his name was Ashi and he was lost. He was trapped in this dimension. See, his people lived in another dimension. He needed three weeks to get his strength back. He begged the village for help.
With some small reluctance, they did. They fed and sheltered him and in return he used his great power and spells to protect them from pirates and disease. After three weeks passed, he walked to the center of the village and opened a portal to his dimension. Before he stepped through he shed his disguise fully and showed the people his true form. They smiled and watched as he went home.
Several weeks passed and on the next full moon a portal in the center of the village opened. The villagers were happy because they thought that their friend was visiting, but it was not to be. Ashi had returned with friends. They demanded food and entertainment. When they were denied, they began to destroy parts of the village until the villagers gave in. When the sun rose the next morning, Ashi and his followers bid the villagers goodbye with a promise to visit next full moon.
After several years of this the villagers fell into despair that they would ever be free of the creature that seemed to remain forever young. Then one day, a week or so before he was due a young woman appeared in the village. She said she was searching for Ashi and had come to fight him. The villagers were skeptical but gave her the benefit of the doubt eventually. She told them to evacuate when Ashi was to appear in case their fight harmed the town.
On the day of the visit, they did just that. All the villagers left, but they missed one. One small boy remained behind in a house on the edge of the village hill. He saw the entire battle. And he saw the woman defeat Ashi and seal his portal forever. The villagers rejoiced. They asked her over and over what the secret was, how he could not return. She told them a secret to his kind. Without a stable portal his kind arrived in three stages; instinct, intelligence, intent. The first stage was simple reactions to what was happening around them. the second simply assumed that everyone was an enemy, like the first, but calculated the perfect fight. The last step was the one they control. Without a portal, he would dare risking coming here and being vulnerable while his third stage arrived.
The villagers accepted the woman into their village and she became a swift hunter. It wasn't long before they noticed that every new moon she slipped into the woods for the night. When they asked her about it she told them that she had always done it and to please allow her bizarre activity. They agreed and little was said.
Nearly a year later, the boy who had watched her glorious battle had grown into a young man. He was not satisfied with her answer and one night he followed her. He found her chained to a thick tree and unconscious. He raced back to the village to tell the others what had befallen their hero. Together the villagers came to the tree and saw her chained there. They broke her chains quickly but could not revive her. They sat there all night with her and waited to see if she would revive with the sunrise. She did.
When the sun rose over the trees her body transformed. It attacked the villagers blindly, screaming in anger and fear. Suddenly it stopped and looked around. It then picked up the chains left and started to use them as weapons. It attacked the villagers over and over again. Finally it stopped. It gazed at them in confusion as its body shrunk back to that of the woman. It looked at the villagers, but they were not fooled by it's appearance anymore. They had seen that it was the same as Ashi. They decided not to give it a chance to find its friends. It did not fight them as they tossed the broken chains around its body and bound it to the tree. They took a spear and thrust it through her, claiming that her kind will never enslave humans again.
After they had walked away in joyous triumph, the boy knelt beside the dying woman-thing. It looked at the boy gently.
"I'm sorry" it said "I'm sorry our criminal made its way to your world" The boy looked at it. "I was sent to eliminate the threat to you and confine Ashi to our dimension so we could punish him for his crimes. Afterward, I stayed just encase. However without visiting my own dimension once a moon I would have died." It breathed heavily, trying to keep enough breath to finish. "I can only hope my death will ease the suffering of the village and repent for our carelessness and give peace and a sense of safety to your people. Please, tell this story, so others know of my kind. Never should any people believe they are better or more deserving than another." The boy could take no more. He undid the chains around the person he had admired for so long. As it lay on the ground dying it gave one last statement to the boy. "I like the sky. It always looked so hopeful and tru..."
It died. The boy howled in his misery as the body reverted back to its original shape. Finally, he rose and carried the creature down to the center of the village. Laying its body on the alter in the center where it had fought Ashi, he turned to the curious villagers that had approached. Angrily, he shouted what it had said with its dying breaths. The villagers were stubborn and refused to believe. But standing there, looking at its body, the villager began to see the woman they had worked with and come to know. Feeling sad they asked what they could do. The boy replied.
"Teach. Teach understanding and peace. Tell this story to others. In so doing, she will live." The villagers tried but too many would not listen and the story became lost in time. But now the brave soul lives on everywhere. For it was decided to call these creatures demons after the first true demon they met; Demonica.
End
"The boy eventually wrote down the story, before he died and entrusted it to his daughter. It ended its journey in this temple well over a century ago. The rumor is that Demonica is buried here on this mountain on the highest point, where she can always see the sky." Yuuki smiled slightly as she watched the awe on her listeners faces. They had sat at the end of one of the shelves at some point during the story.
"So Demonica really came to help, but she couldn't tell the villagers out of fear?" Yuuki nodded.
"Yes, she wanted nothing more than to protect the villagers. There is good and evil in all of us, human and demon alike. Eventually Ashi became a word for evil in remembrance of that creature." Yuuki sighed as she rose.
"Well, I'm off for lunch. I'll be around for another day or so before I move on if you have any questions." Sakura looked at her.
"Why are you here?" Yuuki considered her a moment.
"I needed a place to collect my thoughts before I strike out on my own again. I also help out the monks with their helpers."
"Helpers?" Yuuki smiled softly.
"Most of the people here, who are not monk are here because they have no where to go. They were mistreated or even tortured and now have no place to be so they are here. Here they are not judged or persecuted. This is a secret sanctuary. Eveyone believes in the curse so they never know that people the consider dangerous, but are really misunderstood live here in peace." She stretched as they rose. "Alright, those are your books. Have fun!" She walked off as they stared after her.
Neji slowly became aware of his surroundings, including a bright, persistent light that was shining in his eyes. As he tried to move he felt a weight on his chest and realized that he wasn't in a bed but on the hard ground.
"Relax, we're fine." Ten Ten's lazy voice brought the previous night into sharp relief. He inhaled quickly as he tried to reveiw what had happened calmly. He had talked with Ten Ten. They had agreed to be close, secretly. They had...he blushed at that thought. THey had fallen asleep, in the middle of a mission, with his cousin near. Hinata! He opened his eye and activated his Byakugan quietly and located his cousin. She was sitting to one side next to the burned out fire. He opened his eyes, minus the jutsu, and looked at her. She was scanning the area with her Byakugan and then looked at him. Seeing him looking at her, she simply smiled and returned to her task, which appeared to be so form of jewelry craft. Neji blushed lightly as he tried to sit up without waking Ten Ten.
"Oh, you don't need to get up yet, Neji-ni-kun. Ten Ten is still asleep. I don't want to disturb her." Neji blushed and barely kept from stuttering.
"Hinata-sama! Have you been awake all night?" Hinata frown slightly at him before nodding.
"Hai, we are on a mission. I kept watch." Neji struggled to find something to say that wasn't embarrassing. Hinata smiled at the floundering boy. He really looked more her age when he was like this, unguarded. She rose and knelt next to his head. "Its okay Neji-ni-kun. Relax and rest. I'll keep watch. You two can split tonight's watches. We're safe." Neji looked at his cousin as she stroked his forehead. He tensed on reflex, just managing to keep from raising his chakra and alert the girl in his arms. He watched Hinata with wide eyes as she smiled sadly. "Someday, cousin, someday you will be able to be free, I swear." She rose and sat back in her seat and continued to braid wire into a bracelet.
Several minutes later, Ten Ten started to waken. Sitting up she looked at Hinata.
"Well, Hinata, what do we have for breakfast?" Neji turned red as Ten Ten sat on his lap as he sat up. Hinata smiled and handed her some tea and jerky. She could see what Ten Ten was doing and it was adorable. She giggled lightly as Neji took his breakfast blushing.
After a day of looking through books the three fell into bed exhausted. They had decided to take notes and tomorrow they were going to review the findings together. Sakura was glad they had come though. She really wanted to understand the bijuu now. They always seemed so different. In fact, that was what everyone focused on, but now she was coming to realize how similar humans were to demons. She felt much better knowing that, and knowing the reason behind the people in the temple.
She sighed, it had been a good day.
It had been a good day, Neji decided. Despite their late start, they had made good time to their second campsite. Neji sat by the newly made fire as Ten Ten set up traps for the night. Hinata was putting away their dishes from the meal that he had cooked.
"Hinata-sama?" She looked up. "Is something bothering you?" Hinata frowned slightly at the question before shaking her head.
"No, not really. Why do you ask Neji-ni-kun?" He looked into the fire as he thought.
"You've been more closed in the last month. Not just to me, you rarely train with your team now, or your sister and father. I heard your father talking to Shino in the street a week ago. He's worried about you. Hinata-sama, what is going on?" Hinata looked at the fire to avoid her cousin's gaze. She could hear Mui's groan in her head. He is way too observant when it deals with something not related to HIS feelings Hinata silently agreed as she faced her cousin.
"Gomen, Neji-ni-kun. I'm just trying a new form and its taking a lot of effort. I'm sorry to make you worry." Neji frowned. Her tone was apologetic and familiar. He watched her bowed head a second before it hit him. It was her old voice. The one she used before Naruto came around, before they became friends, before she found confidence. It was a shield she used to use against the world. Just. Like. Naruto. He frowned at this change in her behavior. He looked at her hands to see them fisted. If he pushed her further on this, she would probably even start the finger touching thing again. But he didn't know what to do. He wanted her trust, and pushing her would be a step in the wrong direction for Hinata, who had been forced to do what others thought was best for her most of her life, and then pressured to do more when she couldn't meet standards or thrown away. Pushing her would be too much like that, but he felt that he couldn't leave her like this.
Hearing a sound in the woods, he identified Ten Ten as he thought. Then he had an idea. Actually it came from Ten Ten. He rose and knelt in front of Hinata. She looked at him in surprise as he knelt on one knee uncertainly. Her worried eyes firmed his decision.
"Its okay, Hinata-sama" He pulled her into a hug. She just froze. "You don't have to tell me. I can wait until your ready." Hinata's hands came around his shoulders to fist in his shirt as she buried her face in his neck. Neji rested his cheek against her ear as he waited. Like Ten Ten had been last night, he was content to let her take what she wanted from this hug. He felt her inhale as she took in his scent. Her voice mumbled against his skin.
"Arigato, Neji-ni-kun. Arigato, Itoko." Neji sighed softly as he held her loosely. Over his shoulder she saw Ten Ten sit across the clearing and smile. Pulling back she felt Mui's happiness and Naruto's concern. She looked at her cousin. "Arigato." He nodded. Ten Ten came over.
"Now, Hinata, you are over-tired from being up all night. Bed!" Hinata chuckled as she lay on her pallet.
Naruto smiled as he felt her relax. He sent her soft feelings of love and comfort and she dreamed.
Naruto smiled even as Neji and Ten Ten held each other and kept watch. Across the forest, in a small temple, three chunnin slept knowing they would understand and help their friends upon the morrow.
Nature is often hidden
Sometimes overcome,
Seldom extinguished