#have a great one

Happy New Year Everybody! I hope you’ve all had some nice time on the slopes in 2015 and that you’ll get some more nice shredding done i 2016!!
Now get drunk, live, laugh and love your way into 2016!
Cheers!
- WickedSkiing 

Ch.1 |  Ch.2|Ch.3|Ch.4(1)|Ch.4(2)|Ch.5(1)|Ch.5(2)|Ch.5(3)|Ch.5(4)|Ch.6(1)|Ch.6(2)|Ch.6(3)|Ch.7(1)|Ch.7(2)|Ch.7(3)|Ch.7(4)|Ch.7(5)|Ch.8(1)|Ch.8(2)|Ch.8(3)|Ch.9(1)|Ch.9(2)|Ch.9(3)|

Ch.9: No lies (4)

“Ah, you f-felt that?" 

Naruto stares at Hinata’s round belly, where his hand covers her whole abdomen. 

"I did,” he whispers. Still amazed at the movement going inside Hinata’s body, at their baby moving. 

Hinata covers his hand with hers, moves it to the side of her stomach. “I think next is h-here." 

And she is correct. Naruto feels a kick in his hand a few seconds after, and he can feel in his chest something he can’t explain yet. He crouches down and presses his lips to Hinata’s pregnant belly. "Hello, baby.”

She giggles and rests her hand on his hair. In love with him and the way he loves their child already. 

“So, dizziness and nosebleeds, is that all?" 

Naruto rests his ear on her stomach and Hinata ends up resting her hands on his arms. “N-nosebleeds sometimes, yes.” 

Naruto nods and hears her heartbeat against his ear. Her hand on his hair, her fingers sometimes tracing his whiskers. He closes his eyes and lets silence reign for a few seconds, before remembering something he wanted to talk to her about. “I’ve seen you taking your walks with Neji a lot these past few days.”

Her fingers stop for less than a second, and Naruto makes it as if nothing happened. 

“I h-have asked him t-to accompany me on my s-strolls.”

Which Naruto knows, because Sai has shared as much, but the question remains, “I thought you didn’t have that great of a relationship with him.” He remains on the floor, with his head on her, doing his best not to overwhelm her.

Hinata keeps quiet a second, but Naruto knows it is her putting her thoughts in order as her fingers trace absent-minded patterns across his cheek. 

“I… we have b-been talking about a lot of th-things. It’s been f-fun.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes. Uhm, we d-didn’t have the best ch-childhoods, I think.” Her voice gets lower, her breathing more controlled, “I… always wanted a r-relationship with him, I b-believe. He was the only one who… he w-was the only one who didn’t seem to h-hate me back then.”

Naruto raises his head, sits with his legs crossed facing her. Hinata looks at her hands, and doesn’t seem to want to look Naruto in the eyes. “He would do th-things that s-seemed to be for me, but then h-have the perfect excuse as to w-why do it for my f-father, so I thought… I w-wondered, you know, am I just a n-nuisance to him as w-well?”

Her voice is quiet, “I n-never knew… I couldn’t k-know, he barely talked b-back then,” she chuckles. Naruto offers his hand, touches hers with the softest of touches, and Hinata reciprocates, grabs his hand between hers. She is not crying. “It’s b-been good, talking to h-him. S-Sharing stories… having- h-having a relationship.”

Hinata fears tears will follow next, so she bites her lip. She knew she wanted to have a relationship with her cousin for a long time. For longer than a long time. He was the only thing keeping her from losing herself in screams and self-pity, he showed her the barest of kindness, the barest of encouragement and yet she treasured them, because that’s what they were in that house. Treasures. Tiny and yet important. 

She would have loved to receive more. 

And so she followed him. Bothered him. Looked for him for the things no one else would give her. And he did sometimes, and then he didn’t most times. And she still wonders whether it was duty or love or pity or a sense of at least being better off than her…

They still have yet to talk about the harsh stuff. They still have to talk about their actual relationship. Hinata yearns and fears that moment, but at least now… at least now she has a relationship with a person she holds so dear -against all odds-, a person she is ashamed to hold in such regards, and yet… 

She is so happy she can walk with Neji and talk about the weather without worrying about what’s gonna appear as they turn the next corner, about the people walking around them, about what’s going to be reported back to her father, about the disgusted face her father would give her as she came ba-

“I’m glad, then.” Naruto’s warm hand brings her out of her trance, as he gets closer and searches for her eyes, as his hands move up and down her arms, as he brings her in for a hug. She feels herself relax, lays her head on his shoulder and lets him pamper her. 

“Thanks, for… for t-taking care of him, t-too.”

Naruto remembers Neji’s silent work, as he asked for his help when Hiashi’s letter first came. The way he read the letter, explained what he thought all of this meant without even asking for them to be alone, his excellent work and his disposition. Never questioning Naruto, asking for permission to voice his opinions. 

Nothing like the rude man who had faced him that first time. 

Naruto tries to connect the rude man with the eager cousin. The cold asshole with the warm family member. But maybe none of that is important, because what he cares about is that his wife was able to make it this far with his… help. 

And thanks to that she is with him now, and Neji has shown nothing but his best behavior. So Naruto puts his worries to the side, “I love you.”

Hinata chuckles as she buries her face in Naruto’s shoulder. Nothing matters. Nothing matters because Naruto is here. 

Naruto wonders whether he should share with her his godfather’s news before his father arrives. But what would he say? And what would she say, too?

No answer is enough to let him relax, so he does the next best thing. He peppers kisses all over his wife’s face, filling the room with their laughs. And he remains quiet.

⁂⁂⁂

Minato arrives at the compound with Mito in tow and they stop in their tracks as they watch Jiraiya taking a stroll through the gardens with Naruto and Hinata. 

    Minato bolts towards his master, with a flustered Mito following behind. 

“Master!”

    “Oh, calm down, calm down, I’m not going anywhere!”

    Jiraiya is the one to bring the excitement down, with laughs and pats in the back that make Minato’s high come down in an instant. There are anxious looks coming and going between Minato and Mito that Hinata catches but knows not how to feel about. 

    Naruto remains impassive and he is the one to offer they go and find a private room in which to talk. 

    Hinata feels her chest tighten slightly, and although in any other time Naruto’s tranquil attitude would help her calm herself, this time, she grows nervous. 

    Jiraiya starts to tell of his travels -as he did before with Naruto and Hinata-, and it is with a mixture of interest and obvious haste that Minato asks questions. He wants to know, but he also doesn’t care about anything at all but whatever information can help Naruto. And yet he fears to hear no new information at all, or anything worthwhile. 

    Lady Mito remains quiet, staring at Jiraiya with her eyes shining in anticipation. Jiraiya is stuck between a rock and a hard place. He tries to gauge the room’s ambience, tries to control the emotions that reach him and he ends up anchoring himself in Naruto.

    Naruto and his tight smile. 

    Naruto and his resigned attitude. Out of anyone in this room, he knows what will follow. It’s what always follows whenever Jiraiya comes back, pleas and requests he never answers.

    He can never answer them.

    And now, although Jiraiya should feel accomplished and happy, although his travels have at long last brought forth an answer, he dreads talking about it.

    He knows what comes next. And Naruto stares at him, without blinking. Waiting to remain quiet and bear the sure goading that will follow.

    “What?” Minato catches on, and his eyes travel from his son to his master. “What’s going on?” 

    “So,” Jiraiya starts, “good news first, I learned of a technique that allows one to… uh, gather energy from the environment and replenish the user’s.”

    He looks around, with a face that asks for some smiles or positive feedback. Hinata gives him a faint smile and Jiraiya smiles back. She doesn’t know what this is about.

    “And?” Minato urges, and whatever ambience Jiraiya had been able to bring into the room disappears in a second. 

    “You know, that means that the Beast will take less of a toll on Naruto’s body.”

    “Good, then why aren’t you as excited?”

    “It’s… you gather energy from the environment but it asks for the user to become one with nature, so it entails extreme meditation and barely moving a muscle-”

    “I could do that,” chimes in Naruto. 

    Jiraiya nods to him, “Good, good, it will help. But, uh, I’m not as excited because from what I could tell from the quick check I did on Naruto, well…”

    “It took a toll, right?” Minato hates the idea, but Naruto just came out of a forced tearing of the seal. For him to come out of it unscathed is just, idealistic. “The forced tearing of the seal took a toll on Naruto’s body that you can’t fix, right?”

    “Good news is, it can be fixed, in fact, I think it will be fixed if he adds this new technique. Bad news is just-”

    “We’re back on square one,” Naruto finishes. 

    Lady Mito makes fist of her hands. Naruto’s life could have been extended… if none of this would have happened. But it did. 

At least… at least they’re on square one…

    At least they are back where they were before. 

Lady Mito feels her emotions going unchecked and raises her head to compose herself. But then sees Jiraiya’s eyes locked on Naruto’s and her heart squeezes. “What is it?”

Naruto’s eyes flash to her, almost ashamed, and she fears, anguishes over what’s to come. 

“Well,” Jiraiya starts again. Minato keeps his eyes glued to the floor. “Do you remember what we talked about, long ago?” 

Lady Mito tilts her head. They have talked about so many a thing regarding Naruto’s seal. Each time with a little more urgency. “Would you mind refreshing my memory?” 

Jiraiya lets out a heavy sigh and then blurts out everything all at once, “Back then we surmised that the Beast’s chakra seeping out of Naruto for so long meant we could in turn add something to the seal that could, you know, help with that, and if Naruto’s body didn’t have to worry about that, then, in turn, it may send resources to keep himself alive instead of sealing the Beast.”

Lady Mito doesn’t ask. Fears the answer.

“Do you remember?”

“Yes.”

“It’s done.”

Naruto doesn’t move a muscle and the euphoria of having something so tangible in front of her is enough to send Lady Mito in a spiral of anger towards the stubbornness of her grandson. 

“Does that,” she tempers her exhilaration, “does that mean that Naruto would have a normal… normal lifespan?”

“If he undergoes the procedure then he will have a longer life compared to what we expected before, yes.”

All eyes fall on Naruto. His eyes fixed on his godfather. 

“If I undergo the procedure, will I be able to use the Beast’s chakra as usual?”

“No.”

Naruto evades everyone’s eyes, stares to the floor for a second and then answers, “then it’s not an option.”

Jiraiya is the only one who seems to accept this answer. As Minato and Lady Mito open their mouths trying to find anything to say, but keeping quiet in hopes that the other would talk first.

HInata looks at everyone in turns, her last glance at Naruto’s profile, whose jaw is tight. And then she stares at the floor. Quiet. 

“Why not?” says Minato, and Lady Mito seems to want to drill a hole in Naruto’s mind in search of an answer.

“We have just been attacked by a clan that was thought to be dead, we are now under unprecedented times with a truce between Beast Tamers and- hell, even if we were under normal circumstances it doesn’t make sense for us to give away our best card against enemies.”

“We can fight without your Beast. We can put up a fight.”

“Putting up a fight doesn’t sound that promising, dad, sorry.”

“We can fight without your Beast, Naruto.”

“Really? Are you sure?”

“We have better guards and patrols and people on our side, and Shikamaru-”

“I remember an attack happening and reaching the inner compound a year and a half ago.”

“Even without the Beast you could have handled it.”

“But what if I couldn’t?”

“If you’re going to go down that way, then what, are you going to keep that damned Beast to protect us from even the weakest of enemies? You’d rather obliterate whoever comes than to try to keep yourself-”

“Listen,” Naruto presses his hand forward, stares his father down, “I am in charge of protecting this clan, and I will do that. If that means keeping this damned Beast inside of me then I will.”

“Naruto-”

“Dad. Even you can’t be sure of what’s to come now. Who would have thought an Uchiha would appear? How long till a clan breaks the truce between Beast Tamers? How long till a bunch of clans come together and try an attack?”

Hinata feels her chest being pressed down, but does her best not to lose her composure. She wishes Naruto’s answers weren’t so obvious, weren’t so factual, she wishes he were more selfish or weaker. But he remains unfazed, unflinching, and so Hinata bites down whatever tries to come out of her. 

“Maybe further down the road, dad… maybe, when we can be more sure of what’s to come.”

Lies, though. Because Naruto knows enemies won’t stop appearing, and not even Shikamaru is able to come down with predictions for the future that are without a surprise. But Naruto knows the people in this room worry for him, so his tough persona crumbles down a little. Just a little, just a second. 

“Further down the road won’t give you as much time, son…”

“I know… I know.”

Jiraiya believes some ripples will turn up regarding this matter, but the thick of it is now dealt with. He believes that if Minato can’t change Naruto’s opinion, then it’s not even worth it for him to try. He believes everyone in the room thinks that Minato is their last resort, maybe Naruto’s wife, but seeing her biting her lip and looking like talking is the harshest of tasks is enough to realize she won’t add on the issue.

But then Lady Mito speaks.

“If we could talk with our people and improve our security?”

“Grandma Mito…”

“If we could get all of this approved by Shikamaru? I know how much you trust him, we would get his approval first, and then-”

“Grandma Mito.” 

The room is silent, and then Naruto closes his eyes in pain, “Please, just, not now.”

Lady Mito is shaken, “We have the chance to recover so much time, Naruto.”

“I know.”

“You could live till- till you’re 50, 52 maybe. Naruto, this is such a gift.”

“We can’t now. If we are under attack and I can’t use my powers as usual it could mean-”

“We would protect the clan!”

“So what? You know how much the Nine-Tails chakra means in a fight, jeez, you know why whole ass clans try to get their hands on the Beasts, it’s because we win wars.”

“We are not under war.”

“We are not under war now, yes. Am I really the only one worried about the Uchiha’s going around? The same ones that were able to knock me out by looking at my eyes?”

“Now everyone is preparing countermeasures, you are ready to fight them again-”

“Am I, though? What if I’m not?” 

Lady Mito snarls, “Then we would step up.”

“And then a bunch of my people die. No, thanks.”

“Because now only you would die, right?”

Lady Mito feels white hot rage filling her. Because all of this could have been dealt with if she had been here when her daughter was attacked. And then she could have spared her grandson from this. All of this. But she wasn’t here. She is never here. And she hates it, and she hates it, and she hates it. She is desperate. She is guilty. She wants to cling to Naruto’s robes and beg and plead and cry and whine and never let go until he decides he is more important than them. 

She wants him to want to stay here. 

She lays eyes on Hinata, and Naruto puts his arm in front of her, his other hand pointing at her, “Don’t you dare.”

She is hurt. She is hurt and she is trying to come up with any kind of excuse that can shake her grandson’s resolve even a little. Enough to make his dumb stubborness crumble. She means to bring Hinata into the discussion, but Naruto shows his fangs too, and now Lady Mito wants to bawl. 

See? See how much you care? So her brain focuses on this tiny little bit of hope, and doesn’t think too much about it. It’s a fear of hers, too. It’s something she would never say out loud, because it’s a low blow. Something she regrets the moment it comes out of her mouth.

“Don’t you want to see your child grow?”

She freezes the second after, and she can feel Minato’s eyes on her. 

Naruto’s blue eyes open wide, impossibly so. He’s hurt and ashamed and his resolve does crumble. She can see that. He stares a second and she thinks he is going to cry. 

But he whips his head the other way, and leaves the room in haste. 

Nobody moves a muscle and Lady Mito whispers after a few seconds, “I’m sorry.”

But nobody blames her. They can’t.

It’s Hinata that stands then, with her hand on her belly.

“Hinata…,” starts Lady Mito, but Hinata looks at her with empathy in her eyes.

“It’s o-okay.” 

She follows after Naruto and finds him near a flower patch, under a tree. He stands there, but doesn’t let his weight rest on the trunk.

He feels her before she can say anything.

“Just give me a minute, love.”

But she can’t. Not now. So she keeps on walking and stops just behind him. Her hand to his back. 

“Please.”

“N-Naruto.”

He doesn’t move. 

“Naruto.”

He turns to her, and his eyes shine. His hair looks blonder than ever under the sunlight and he’s close to tears. He opens his mouth, trying to justify his actions, lest Hinata think he doesn’t actually care about her, about their child.

But he doesn’t get to say anything, because Hinata brings her hand to his face, to his whisker marks. She drags her fingers along, “I-It’s okay,” she whispers.

And Naruto breaks. 

His tears fall and his lip trembles, and it’s not until Hinata brings him into her that he buries his face on her shoulder and shudders as he gasps for air.

“It’s okay.” 

Ch.1 |  Ch.2|Ch.3|Ch.4(1)|Ch.4(2)|Ch.5(1)|Ch.5(2)|Ch.5(3)|Ch.5(4)|Ch.6(1)|Ch.6(2)|Ch.6(3)|Ch.7(1)|Ch.7(2)|Ch.7(3)|

Ch.7: Of burdens and duties (4)

Naruto tries to look like he is not bored out of his mind. But they sure are testing his patience. To go see a lord he already forgot his name when he’s free, to consider sponsoring a new trade route Naruto had already discarded with the council, to lend his power to suppress an uprising someplace he didn’t care to remember. 

    His father’s hand touching his shoulder almost made him whine in relief. 

    “I’m afraid I need Lord Naruto for a while, if you’ll excuse me.” His father actually looks apologetic, and Naruto almost wants to congratulate him for being such a good actor. Do whatever you need to do, just get me out of here, he thinks.

    And although the lords and ladies surrounding Naruto complain and whine about his father taking him, Minato takes him away amids excuses and apologetic glances everyone else buys. 

    They are out of earshot when Naruto sighs and thanks his father for his timing, “I was dying of boredom.”

    His father snickers, “Thought it was time for you to get stressed out.”

    “Hinata?”

    “With Lord Gaara.”

    Naruto raises an eyebrow at him, but doesn’t press further. He’s going to her right now to make sure she’s all right anyway. 

    There are some people who look at him and make as if getting closer, but Naruto raises a hand in apology and keeps on walking. He has already spent a good amount of time with them, let him leave, jeez. 

    Temari is the first one to notice him, and she gives him a nod before moving her body to give him a clearer view. Sai is looking around, sitting right beside Hinata. She is sitting straight, all poise and elegance, and her attention is on Gaara, who’s talking and moving his fingers as if counting.

    He comes closer, keeping his eyes on her. Kankuro turns then, Sai glances over him and Gaara raises his head as he realizes his siblings’ attention is elsewhere. Then Hinata looks away from Gaara, follows his line of sight and looks at him. 

    Her shoulders drop in relief, her eyes widen and Naruto has to stop himself from gathering her up in his arms and crushing her against him. Sai stands up the moment he’s close enough and Naruto sits beside her. She stays unmoving and Naruto searches for her hands before bringing it to his thigh. Hinata gives him a small smile and as he rubs circles over her skin she squeezes back.

    Gaara resumes his talking when Hinata looks back at him. 

    “So,” he continues, “only in attendance today are the One-Tail, the Five-Tail, Six-Tail and the Nine-Tail.” His fingers come down as he remembers. “The Four-Tail is allegedly dying-”

    “Which him not coming today kind of fans the flames of that rumor,” Kankuro shrugs and Temari nods along. 

    “And reports have been coming in that the Two-Tail has been sealed already but they are giving time to their Beast Tamer to acclimate.” 

    Hinata frowns, “T-the others… w-where are the o-other B-beasts?”

    “In the wild,” chimes in Naruto, “being restrained by the clans who want a claim on them.”

    “W-who?”

    Naruto shrugs, “We can’t know unless someone comes forward and claims their stake, but so far no one has done so. We don’t know where they are either.” His tone is matter of fact and his stance tells Hinata he doesn’t mind the situation one bit. 

    She keeps her worries to herself. If it’s not enough to worry a Beast Tamer, then surely they were unfounded. But Naruto presses on her hand, grabbing her attention.

    “Anything else?”

    “Ah, w-well. Isn’t it d-d-angerous?” 

    “Oh, well, if the Beasts were roaming freely then sure, and we Beast Tamers would have to step up and contain it. But since they are out there doing nothing, it’s better for us not to waste resources on that. They are being taken care of, and eventually a new Beast Tamer will appear.”

    “H-have you h-had to?”

    Naruto cocks his head to the side in confusion.

    “T-take care of a w-wild B-beast.”

    “Oh, no,” he says, “not in our generation. That kind of thing happened like three generations prior, when we were starting to seal them in ourselves.”

    Hinata nods, as now everything starts to come together with the knowledge she had of Beast Tamers before becoming the wife of one. Before the Beasts were sealed in humans the clans either drew them off into the wild and far away from them or tried to seal them in places. A mountain, a cave, a forest. Only when they started sealing them within themselves to draw from their power did the Beast Tamers came into reality.

Hinata wonders, steals a glance at Naruto  who is starting a conversation with Lord Gaara. Would it be so bad to let the Nine-Tail out into the wild again? Tied to a forest far away from everyone? That way Naruto…

    He brings her out of her thoughts as he scoots closer to her and lays their intertwined hands over her thigh now, Hinata feels herself blushing and notices immediately the mischievous smirk on Naruto’s face. 

    He is enjoying this.

⁂⁂⁂

Hinata spends the rest of the day by Naruto’s side. Like his father did before, when people don’t accept Naruto’s hand wave and leave, he walks to them, away from the group and comes back immediately after. 

Lord Gaara and his entourage left a while ago, as soon as the demonstrations started. Each Beast Tamer sits in a specified area around the arena, at the highest part of the structure, in order of the number of tails of their respective Beasts. Lord Naruto sits at one of the edges and Lord Gaara is right in front of his line of sight. 

Naruto relaxes the moment the show starts, and it’s obvious why. The area the Beast Tamers sit at is off-limits to anyone but the people sanctioned by them, and a quick glance around tells Hinata that the Beast Tamers only keep their guards and a selected handful of other people. Many of the lords Naruto talked with before were not in here and new faces were presented before Hinata with a whole new attitude. 

These people he liked, she realized, and by the way they conducted themselves the feeling was mutual. 

Most of the lords and ladies that came to Naruto before sit under them, in the next level. Still substantially high up, but incapable of bothering the Beast Tamers. Not that they seem to mind, as they are now enthralled in the fights under them. With their hands intertwined and grabbing their clothes in suspense, Hinata sees some of them groaning in frustration while others clap in glee at the results. 

Naruto sits with his hand on her thigh, and he glances back at her every once in a while. Rubs his thumb over her clothes, offers drinks and food Hinata ends up refusing after a while. 

Sai sits right beside her, on her other side, and Sakura has come sit next to Naruto instead of Shino. They comment on the fights and some of the lords and ladies they met before and Sakura’s laugh fills the room in intervals. 

Hinata snickers at some of their comments, harsh and way too honest, and whenever she sits there, confused since she’s missing information, either Sakura or Naruto lean to her and add an explanation. 

There are few instances in which Hinata had the fortune of visiting a festival before. All of them under the eyes of the Hyuga. The places were beautiful and the people were happy and Hinata could only watch. Her stutter made her keep her mouth quiet and it meant she could never join in anything worth doing. 

Naruto presses his hand on her leg, inches closer to the edge of his seat as the fight reaches its climax. One of the fighters uses a flashy fire technique that engulfs half the arena and the people watching hold their breaths as they expect to see the opponent laying on the ground. But he’s cocooned inside walls he raised from the ground, and he dashes forward immediately after. His enemy yields the moment he sees him running towards him. 

And Naruto laughs in joy. “Did you see that?” He asks, and Hinata can feel his eyes on her. She smiles and can’t control the feeling that overcomes her as Naruto looks at her expecting a reaction. Whatever it may be. 

She takes her time, as usual, but she doesn’t worry, because she knows he will wait. “Went all or n-nothing on that last one, d-didn’t he?”

Naruto’s energy is contagious, and Hinata can’t remember a time in which she was so mesmerized in fighting before. He nods along and shrugs, “You always gotta keep your chakra supply in check.”

“Like you’ve ever had to worry about that,” jabs Sakura, and Naruto turns to her with mock hurt on his face. 

“I’ll let you know I am very conscientious about my own chakra, thank you very much.”

Lord Minato rarely comments and spends his time quiet and attentive behind his son, but this time he inches forward, right between Hinata and Naruto, and he says, “You are very welcome, son, thank you very much.”

Naruto turns to him and looks as if he’s been betrayed in the worst way possible. Sakura keeps on pestering him, now that Lord Minato has joined in, and Naruto waves them away frowning as if he’s pissed, but he snickers the second after, and he can’t help but laugh as he attempts to defend his position with weak arguments. 

Even Sai chimes in, and Hinata can feel herself relishing this ambience, this situation. She is enjoying herself. And she brings her hand to her mouth in an attempt to hide the laugh that threatens to spill forth. 

The tremor that rattles their room is enough for the conversation to die out immediately and for everyone to stand alert. Naruto grabs her arm and brings her closer to him. 

The sound comes to them from the farthest corner of the arena. The people standing in attention stare at the direction where the sound came from and Hinata can feel Naruto’s hand trembling as they realize that it’s-

“Gaara,” Naruto whispers and he squints his eyes as if that’s enough for him to be able to see between the people and the cloud of dirt that stands between them. 

“The structure gave away?” Ventures Sakura, and they all remain quiet, still ready for action, aware of their surroundings and everything around them. 

The screams are still far away, but it’s enough for Naruto to grab Hinata and start walking away from the windows. His eyes still glued to the commotion, glancing around every now and then to make sure that whatever was there was not yet here. 

“An attack?” Lord Minato looks dumbfounded, and the lords and ladies inside the room whisper around them with the same tone. Nobody aside from Naruto and Sai have moved and it’s clear nobody yet believes there is even a chance for an attack to be happening. 

“Everyone, gather your things, your guards and leave this place immediately.” Naruto’s voice resonates within the room, and he breaks the spell. Everyone begins to stand, looking more and more worried by the second. 

And then Gaara’s One-Tail comes into view, and Naruto can feel a shiver run down his spine. “What the fuck…" 

The Beast roars to the sky. His weight is too much for the wood and metal structure under him, which is why every move he makes make the place collapse. The Beast’s body is like a gigantic bear made out of sand, with purple linings running through its body like veins. His yellow eyes are surrounded by black and they lock on the people under him. 

Naruto has trouble breathing. He wishes to go and help, make Gaara regain control, but there are so many things yet he doesn’t know. He can’t put Hinata at risk due to his carelessness.

"I’m going to help,” his father states and then runs towards the window. 

“Sakura!,” Naruto shouts, trying to reign control of the situation and start giving the orders they desperately need. But Sakura is already on his father’s heels.

Minato throws a kunai in front of him, breaking the glass before jumping out, with Sakura at his back. They disappear into the sea of people who have already started to leave the premises as fast as they can, making the dire situation even worse. Naruto follows his father’s back for a second before losing them completely. And then he turns around and brings Hinata to his side, his arm around her shoulders.

“We need to leave,” he orders. Hinata trembles under him and his brain starts working with one goal in mind: getting her out of here.

“Shino, you guide us out of here. Sai, at my back." 

Shino’s bugs are already buzzing and flying around them and he starts moving immediately after receiving the instruction. Naruto feels Sai glued to their backs and he allows himself a second of relief before moving. 

The people pile upon each other in a desperate attempt to escape, but it only makes it harder to do so. Naruto understands Shino’s instructions without the need to voice it. He crouches, places his arm behind Hinata’s legs and raises her into his arms.

She brings her arms around him as a reflex, her eyes wide and filled with worry.

"It’s gonna be all right,” he whispers against her head, “it’s going to be all right. I got you.”

They jump in between the people. Like many others lords and ladies are doing as well, being carried in the arms of the guards they brought. They keep away from each other, still too worried about the source of the attack. 

The One-Tail stops roaring and Naruto feels himself stand straighter. He knows this pattern. He looks at the monster and sees it breathing in.

“Take cover!!” He yells, hoping Shino and Sai hear him. He falls to the floor, covers Hinata with his body and raises his hand in front of him, letting the chakra of the Beast pour out. 

The One-Tail shoots out balls of pressured air to the people. In no order. The ground trembles, the arena starts falling apart wherever the attack touches and then it stops. 

Naruto lets his chakra die out and looks around. There are people splayed out in ways that no living being could withstand, and he brings Hinata closer to him. The arena still stands, but it’s a matter of time before the One-Tail pounds it to the ground. 

“Shino! Sai!" 

Sai jumps next to him, with his scroll on his hand and a bleeding gash at the side of his head. Shino is nowhere to be found. "He’ll find us,” he tells Sai, who only nods before following again. Shino specializes in tracking, if anyone will be able to find them after being separated will be him… or so Naruto wants to believe. 

The screams and now wails of pain fill the air and Naruto feels his senses heightened due to the danger around them. Which is why he stops before the One-Tail even stops screaming. 

The Beast gives out an interrupted yell before disappearing under a flash of light. 

His father did it. 

He did it. 

Gaara is okay.

He doesn’t realize he’s trembling until Hinata brings her head out of his neck and he puts her on the ground, cups her cheek. His fingers can’t stop spasming. “Are you hurt?”

Hinata shakes her head no and hugs him, rubbing her head against his chest. Naruto can’t help the sigh of relief that leaves his body. 

He has to go check on Gaara. 

He reaches the ground with Hinata in his arms first. Whatever happened to Gaara can happen again and it’s best for Hinata to get out of here. 

Sai will take her. Naruto looks around, hoping to see Shino or Sakura coming to him, but only the people jumping down from the stands are running around. The guards with their clients under their arms, looking around in search of danger while they move as fast as they can. There are whimpers and wails of agony around them, but the thunderous racket from before gave way to a sort of calm that only makes Naruto more nervous. 

His father must be with Gaara, tending to him. He will not come back until Gaara is fine, and he’s grateful for it. But that means that Sakura won’t leave his side either and if Shino doesn’t come back soon only Sai will be there to protect Hinata. And taking the current events into consideration, Naruto fails to feel comfortable without sending at least two guards with her. 

He takes too much time thinking. It’s the first thing that comes to mind as the tremors come back again and the noise escalates around them. It’s terrifying, the sight before him. Aside from Gaara’s, he has never seen another Beast on the loose. Wouldn’t even think he would ever do so in his lifetime. And yet…

The Five-Tails stands now before him, a horse-like Beast with white fur extending from its face to its five tails. The stands are already in shambles so the moment it appears, his hoofs start stomping in an attempt to stabilize itself. 

The wave of dust and air that moves to them leaves Naruto with no time at all, and his only reaction is to cocoon Hinata in his arms and throw himself to the ground, hoping no debris falls to them. 

The second the trembling settles they are running away. Naruto coughs as the particles latch to his lungs and he worries whether Hinata is having a hard time breathing as well, but he refuses to stop now. First they need to get out of here.

The dust makes everything harder to see and Sai tries his best to make a way for him to go through, moving people out of their way. They move faster than almost everyone on the ground and yet they are still inside when that distinct trembling happens again. 

Naruto knows what’s happening before he even turns around. Somehow, his senses catch onto his surroundings before his brain can have a chance. He puts Hinata on the ground, looks for her face.

There are tears going down her cheeks and he doesn’t know whether it’s because she’s scared or because the dirt around her is irritating her eyes. 

It doesn’t really matter.

He raises her head, cups her cheeks with his hands while his thumbs wipe her tears. She locks eyes with him, “Stay close to Sai.” 

Hinata frowns at him, confused, but  Naruto doesn’t have the time to explain, so he pushes her towards her guard, who is already right behind her.

Naruto smirks, he catches on quick. 

Sai, like never before, latches onto Hinata’s wrist and mid-section to keep her from moving, as she tries to reach for him. “My lord-” she calls, but Naruto walks backwards with growing intensity. 

He catches her struggling with Sai, who remains still as a statue. And as if on cue, the Six-Tails gurgles to the sky. Slimy and gooey, the slug-like Beast stands behind him too. Naruto can’t find any explanation for what’s happening. He just fears-

“Naruto!!” Hinata cries and Naruto can feel his heart squeezing. He forces himself to keep on walking. Not now. She has to leave and he has to put distance between them. 

Whatever is happening, it’s targeting Beast Tamers. And if there is any pattern to this.

-he fears he’s next.

Ch.1 |  Ch.2|Ch.3|Ch.4(1)|Ch.4(2)|Ch.5(1)|Ch.5(2)|Ch.5(3)|Ch.5(4)|Ch.6(1)|Ch.6(2)|Ch.6(3)|Ch.7(1)|Ch.7(2)|

Ch.7: Of burdens and duties (3)

Naruto has her hand in his while his eyes scan document after document, he looks unfazed by the carriage’s movement. So does Shino, whose bugs move around the collar of his jacket and buzz out and into the window.

Sai sits in front of Hinata, his eyes full of interest as he stares at the landscape. He sometimes finds interesting features he shares with her in detail, but his body is tense, and she knows he’s ready to jump to action if needed. Naruto squeezes her hand and as she looks at him, he points out the window.

“Look,” he says, moving back to let her get a better view.

The town is filled with people and carriages and stands and it looks like too many people are in one single place. The sound is starting to be heard and Hinata can already know it will make the ground tremble. She looks at Naruto, worried.

“Don’t worry, it has the best security you could find. The Beast Tamers all gather here, you know? We haven’t had an issue since it started.”

Sai edges towards her, “I will be right beside you, my lady.”

Hinata can even feel Shino’s eyes on her and she sits back with a small smile. “I-I understand.”

Naruto comes to her, grabs both her hands on his, “I’ll be with you.”

And that is enough to make Hinata relax.

⁂⁂⁂

They don’t enter through the same way everyone else does. Their carriage deviates and enters a more calm environment, with more stern looking people around. 

Hinata doesn’t know if she prefers this somber looking entrance or the colorful and loud one. At least she can see they take their work seriously, as even when Naruto comes and talks to them -Shino in tow-, the guards check every nook and cranny of their entourage. 

Sakura waves at Hinata from her spot. She is standing right under another carriage window, where Hinata can glance another spiky blonde head that smiles immediately after making contact with her. Lord Minato remains seated and doesn’t come out. Much like herself. 

Naruto is chatting with a high-ranking looking man and rests his hands inside the sleeves of his kimono. He looks relaxed, and Hinata tries to remind herself that she shouldn’t burden him on this trip. 

He did say this whole ordeal wouldn’t be a problem.

They get off right inside the stadium where the demonstrations take place. The carriages get lost in the distance, with a number of servants inside, who will prepare their chambers where they will rest. Naruto and his group will go up the stairs and mingle with the other Beast Tamers inside, as well as every other high-ranking noble who wants a slice of whatever they had. 

Naruto is unimpressed with everyone attending this show.

His father follows behind, with Hinata right beside him. Sakura, Shino and Sai follow closely, beside them, behind them. They look as alert as ever, and even more professional and menacing than usual. Hinata keeps her head held high, her shoulders rolled back and her eyes glued to Naruto’s back. She can see from the corner of her eyes the people around them. Eyes following their group, and Hinata shudders as their eyes don’t seem to blink. 

“Lord Naruto,” a man bellows. Breaking the formal ambience that surrounds the place. Hinata can see Naruto tensing and she knows he dislikes the man. He is large and comes straight to Naruto, without a care to the people around him. His eyes are beaded and they zoom in on Hinata, and she has to force herself to keep her eyes on Naruto. 

Naruto moves to stand in front of her, a slight change of his feet, and Hinata lets out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. 

“What a lovely wife,” shares the man and Hinata can’t help the uncomfortable feeling that overcomes her. Naruto says nothing, staring down at the man whose eyes show no sign of shame. “I would love to have a chat with the lord, if you could be so kind as to come with me. Of course, your wife is also invited, I have the most exquisite of foods at my disposal, I assure you.”

“I have yet to greet my fellow Beast Tamers, Lord Graff, I’m sure you understand.”

The man pouts his lips and tries to look behind Naruto, “I’m sure your lovely wife could come wait with me as you make your rounds, my lord.”

Sai is right beside her, but the moment Lord Graff takes a step to get a better look, Naruto grabs him by the arm and squeezes. “Do not be impolite,” he smiles. 

Lord Graff scoffs in surprise, as if the mere thought of him being impolite was ridiculous. “Oh, Lord Naruto, please, I am but trying to be-”

“Naruto,” a monotone voice greets, and Naruto’s head whips around. His stance relaxes, his eyes shine and his face changes immediately into the boyish smile Hinata knows. 

“Gaara!” he greets, motions for him to come closer. His body remains a wall between Lord Graff and his wife and the moment Gaara comes closer his own guards move the lord out of the way. There are two of them, a man with purple face paint that looks at Lord Graff with disgust and a blonde woman that stands next to the other guard with her arms crossed. Gaara doesn’t acknowledge the man who was on his spot before. 

Naruto brings his arm around Hinata, pushes her towards him, “My wife,” he presents and Gaara looks at her. He is tall, though not as tall as Naruto, although Hinata has to look up anyways. His hair is dark red and all around his eyes he has a thick layer of eyeliner that contrasts with his pale skin, he looks menacing, and the way his face shows no emotion at all is even more intimidating. But Naruto is right beside her and Gaara is the only person he wanted to introduce to her, so Hinata bows and pinches herself to get her words out. 

“My n-name is Hinata U-u-uzumaki… It’s a p-pleasure to m-meet y-you.” 

Nobody around her says anything. But she wants to die. She can feel the shame rising inside of her and the tears prickling at her eyes, but Gaara remains impassive and he bows to her.

“The pleasure is all mine. My name is Gaara of the desert, I’m glad to finally meet you.” He gives her a smile. A tiny smile, the barest of movements of the corners of his mouth, but Hinata sees it, and she understands immediately that his friendship with Naruto is real and true. 

Naruto moves his hand up and down her back, and he kisses the top of her head before turning to Gaara, “Do you mind taking her and my dad as I make the rounds?” He whispers. 

“Of course,” says Gaara, with the same tone he has had through all their conversation. 

Hinata worries whether someone has seen Naruto’s impromptu show of affection but she realizes immediately that it’s unlikely. Naruto and Gaara cover her front, Sai covers her side, Shino is at her back and Lord Minato with Sakura stand opposite him, all with their eyes away from them. 

“Shino, you come with me.” Naruto pushes Hinata to Sai, “I’ll be right back.” 

Sakura comes right beside her and Lord Minato covers now her back. Hinata is starting to realize that she’s being overly protected by everyone. 

As Gaara brings them towards one side of the room Hinata realizes that everyone brings a couple of guards with them and they -her- do not look out of place at all. Naruto walks away with Lord Graff -who’s already chatting away- and makes a beeline for a group in the distance. 

“What a fucking prick,” hisses Gaara’s male guard.

“I said we let Lord Naruto have a go at him, one punch is all he’ll need,” the blonde smiles. 

Sakura is the one who comes in with the common sense. “You both know he can’t do that,” she sighs. 

But the blonde just scoffs, “Who’s gonna stop him, though? The Ten-tails?” She mocks. The male guard chimes in with another witty remark and Sakura starts bickering back. 

Hinata glances at them, nervous, but Sai looks used to this and Gaara stops in front of her while pointing towards a chair. “Care for a refreshment or some food?" 

Hinata shakes her head no, doesn’t say anything out of shame and ducks her head to make herself look smaller. All habits she wishes she stopped doing. 

"Don’t worry about them,” Gaara continues, “they love to banter with whoever is nearby. I don’t usually fall for their shenanigans though, so they always go extra hard with people who do. Sakura is used to this.” Hinata sits and whispers a thank you she wishes is soft enough to get lost. But Gaara answers back, sits beside her and crosses his legs, leaning forwards. And Hinata realizes he’s looking at her. “They are my brother and sister,” his hand raises towards them, pointing to them in turns, “the one with the face paint is Kankuro, the blonde one is Temari. They’ve known Naruto for as long as me.” He turns to her again, “if there’s anything I can help you with, be it answering questions or doing something for you, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

Hinata tenses, because although Gaara has been nothing but nice and respectful she can’t bring herself to say or do anything but nod and stare in front of her. 

And she hates it.

⁂⁂⁂

Naruto doesn’t come back and Lord Minato has stood and walked away to greet the people who came near them a few times already. Lord Gaara has remained unmoving and the only sound Hinata can hear nearby is the still ongoing conversation Kankuro, Temari and Sakura have going on a few meters from them. Sai has remained a few meters apart, closer to her and Lord Gaara, but still able to chime in when the group asks him a question or he feels the need to share something to their talk.

    Hinata realizes that neither Kankuro nor Temari have said anything at Sai’s crude way of speaking, and Hinata soon realizes it’s because they talk that way too. Speaking what they think without wondering first how that will affect the people around them. Kankuro especially has even smirked at Sai’s words.

    They have talked gossip and guarding strategies and lords and news and Hinata has absorbed all the knowledge with guilt. 

    Lord Gaara has remained next to her, sharing his thoughts every once in a while but she has only been able to answer with yes and no and the need to talk is only making it harder for her to do so. She wants to ask and share things and smile and have a good time. Lord Minato is near her, Sai and Sakura are near her. She feels safe, so why?

    Why can’t she just mutter a simple answer longer than one word? Why can’t she smile lightly and ask a question enough to keep their conversation going? Hinata bites her lower lip, feeling the turning of her stomach as she feels shame coursing through her body. 

    Just ask anything. Anything. Anything, anything, anything at all. 

    It takes Hinata an embarrassing amount of courage to raise her head and turn her head slightly to Gaara, who catches her movement but remains still. The fact that he is nice to her makes this even worse.

    She will stutter, she knows. She doesn’t want to, but she will. Feels it in the way her mouth refuses to open, in the way her tongue feels heavy and locked. She will stutter and she will hate it. So it stands to reason that she remains silent. 

    So she does.

    Lord Minato stands again and moves away from the group, talks with a man before coming back, drink in hand. He stands right in front of her and offers the cup, Hinata reaches out and grabs it out of habit. He has shared with her drink after drink of tea in their classes, fewer as they shared more time together. As she started feeling more confident in his presence.

    He gave her an excuse to remain silent. 

    “I think it’s time I go get Naruto away from everyone,” Lord Minato says. His voice calm and soothing. “He should be bored out of his mind by now.”

    Lord Gaara nods, scans the room looking for Naruto, but the amount of people makes it difficult for him to do so. 

    “I’ll be back as soon as I find him, okay?” 

    Hinata stares at her cup, now resting in her lap and she raises her head. He’s looking directly at her, reassuring her. She nods her head, keeps it down, and feels disgraceful. 

    “Ye-ye-yes,” she manages to say. Lord Minato’s hand raises and pats her shoulder, and that tells her enough. He was worried. 

    Hinata remains as composed as she can. Back straight, head held high, and although her eyes are focused on the cup on her hands, she wants to at least appear confident. 

    Naruto will be back in a minute. It’s that thought that gives her a surge of self-assurance she grabs and holds onto. It’s the cup in her hands that warms her cold skin that she grounds herself with and it’s Sai’s feet moving in front of her as he moves to be beside her that Hinata focuses. 

    “L-l-lord Gaara?” She asks. Hating every sound that leaves her mouth, looking straight ahead to the sea of people in fear of seeing pity in his eyes.

    “Yes, my lady?” 

    He’s coming back in a minute. He’s coming back in a minute. 

    “Why… h-haven’t you d-d-done a round like the o-o-other Beast T-t-tamers?”

    She tenses, as worry starts to wash over her body. But whatever, she tried, she talked and asked and at least did something about their conversations. Even if he didn’t answer, even if he ignored her. She did it. And that’s what mattered to her. 

    There is a second of silence that freezes Hinata completely. Until Kankuro’s husky voice lets out a controlled laugh.

    “Because he’s the One-Tail,” he mocks. He and Temari are now closer to them than before, as Sakura left with Lord Minato. 

    “Because his allegiances are already set in stone,” Temari adds with a smirk.

    It’s obvious by their tone and glances at Lord Gaara that they want to get a rise out of him. But Lord Gaara stares them down. “I believe the question was directed at me.” He remains impassive and calm, and Hinata is in awe at his composure. 

    Kankuro snorts, “Oh, come on!” 

    But Gaara ignores him. “As my brother and sister shared,” he starts, giving them a bored look, “I don’t really gain anything by doing rounds. My friendship with Naruto is very well-known throughout the clans.”

    “Everyone and their mothers know that Gaara listens to whatever Naruto says,” Kankuro looks at Temari, shaking his head in confusion, and Temari mimics him.

    “But…” Hinata feels more comfortable now, seeing as Lord Gaara waits and listens and doesn’t bring attention to anything else but her actual question. “Then w-w-why does L-Lord Naruto makes t-the r-rounds?”

    “Because he’s the Nine-Tails,” Kankuro shares. His antics with Temari dying off as Gaara didn’t fall for them. “He’s powerful as fuck, and everyone wants in on that.”

    “Both physically and politically,” Temari adds, “in a way, Gaara is better off than every other Beast Tamer because of Lord Naruto.”

    Hinata scans the room again, trying to find his blonde head. If he was nearer she would find him immediately. He towers over everyone here. 

    “He usually does the rounds to let me and Lord Minato get out of them. People will find him anyway, so he mingles, does what’s expected of him and then comes back.” He turns to her, “though he usually lets people wait for him, I guess he was eager now to get it over with and not expose you too much.”

    Temari smiles at her, and Hinata blushes, “Don’t worry, Lady Hinata, we can pull off the don’t-you-dare-come-near-us mean look.”

    “Kind of experts at it,” laughs Kankuro.

    As if to demonstrate, they frown, glance around and effectively scare off the people around them. And Hinata finds herself relaxing a little.