Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Bird of the Moon ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

--Disclaimer--

 

I do not own Naruto, or any of it's characters. Masashi Kishimoto does. I did, however, write this fanfic.

 

 

 

Hinata awoke with a groan as the sun's rays became unbearable to her closed, slumber-desiring eyes. The young Hyuuga ran her arm across her eyes as she sat up in bed, not entirely prepared to meet the new day, but knowing she had no choice in the matter.

"I see you've finally decided to join us in the world of the waking, Lady HInata."

All thoughts of exhaustion immediately left the girl as her face snapped towards her door, and Neji Hyuuga, dressed in his usual clothing, stood against it.

"How long have you been there?" the tired kunoichi asked.

"Oh, not long," Neji teased. "I just entered, in fact, figuring I'd wake you before you missed breakfast."

Hinata thanked him with a smile and a quick nod, as she stood and went to her dresser. She pulled out a few articles of clothing, and was about to start to dress, when she remembered that Neji was in the room. But when she turned around to shoo him out, he was gone.

'He must be polite enough to leave without being asked,' Hinata thought to herself, not able to help letting out a small giggle.

 

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Dressed and fed, Hinata walked out of the Hyuuga complex, and down the path to Konoha, admiring the floura and fauna around her. Small birds flew overhead, adding to the shadows that fell over her from the trees over the dirt path. Slowly, as her steady pace took her down the beaten dirt trail, memories of the night before crept into her mind, and a slight blush ran across her face.

'Why am I blushing?' she thought to herself. 'It's not like we did anything bad, right? All we did was kiss.'

'And admit our love to eachother,' the darker half of her mind reminded her. 'Don't forget that part. It could have gotten further, if I hadn't been wise enough to cut it off where it was.'

'But there was no harm in what we did. It was a harmless kiss, nothing more. No one will care.'

'Or will they? One can never be too sure.'

Hinata was about to continue the argument with her concious self, when a yell from behind stole her attention. The female ninja whipped around, not sure what to expect, only to see Neji puffing to catch up, his hair slightly mussed from the run.

"Oh, Neji-kun!" Hinata exclaimed. "Is something wrong?" Neji came to a stop as he caught up.

"Of course not," Neji replied. "I merely thought I'd offer to walk you to the village."

Hinata began to blush again at Neji's noble offer. She nodded slightly, and began her walk again, Neji at her side. Slowly, Neji's hand crept into hers, and Hinata took it, clasping tightly. Neji looked down to Hinata, and smiled sincerely. Hinata smiled as well, but a blush quickly ran across her face and she was forced to look away, letting her attention be drawn to the scenery around the two Hyuugas. Neji quietly siffled a laugh, and smiled, letting his own eyes be drawn to the sky.

'Harmless, huh?' Hinata's other voice chastised her. 'How many cousins are there holding hands like this? And me, giddy as a schoolgirl on a date with the class hottie.'

Hinata made a point to ignore the voice the rest of the walk to Konoha.

 

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Kiba dropped out of a tree to the dirt trail below, and Shino soon followed suit. Down the way, Hinata and Neji could be seen, hand in hand, without a care in the world.

"You see? I told you it wasn't Naruto that was distracting her," Shino explained to his friend. If Kiba could be called that. "She's changed, Kiba. And whether for the better or worse, I can't tell."

Kiba walked over to a tree, reared his fist back, and punched the rough bark, drawing a little blood from his knuckles. Small tears in his eyes, Kiba wiped his arm across his face, and punched the tree twice more.

"I don't get it, Shino," the beast-nin whined. "I mean, Hinata wanting to be with Naruto was one thing, but Neji? Last I knew, they didn't even like each other!" Shino hated to admit it, but he had a point.

"Well, it's not our place to judge. Now let it go." Kiba looked at Shino like he didn't know him.

"You don't get it, do you? I can't just let it go! I was in lo-." Kiba quickly stopped himself before he revealed to much information, but he wasn't quick enough. Shino smirked beneath his collar, and held two fingers out to Kiba, palm up, waving them as if to draw out the information.

"You might as well finish your sentence, Kiba. I've already guessed the gist of what you were going to say, but it may be wise to tell me, so I don't have to assume too many things and get it wrong." Kiba saw the wisdom in his friends' words, and took a deep breath.

"For I don't even know how long, I've been in love with Hinata. Everything about her just turns me on. Her shyness, her blush, her stutter. I've been lovestruck for years."

"You hide it well," Shino complimented. Kiba only nodded in recognition.

"And it's been obvious forever that she was always in love with Naruto, but she didn't have the courage to tell him. Yesterday during training, when I saw she didn't freak out when Naruto showed up, I thought that might have been my chance. But this. . .This is just. . .Too much!"

Kiba whipped around and threw his fist at the tree again, not even aware of the dull pain he felt. To him, the shock in his hand didn't amount to the ache in his heart. Shino walked over to Kiba and placed a hand on his shoulder as Kiba hung his head down.

"Look, I'm not going to pretend I know how it feels to be in your place. The truth is, I don't know how it feels. But I can tell you that it'd be in your best interest to not get yourself wound up over her being with Neji. No good will come of it." Kiba let out a heartfelt sob, his bleeding hand falling to his side. He looked up to Shino, tears running down his face as he laid his heart bare.

"I know, Shino. But I can't help it. It's not fair."

Kiba leaned on Shino, who understandingly let him cry on his shoulder. 'Ok, this is a little awkward,' Shino thought to himself. 'Still, he needs someone to help him. I suppose there isn't any harm.'

A few minutes later, Kiba had cried himself out, and got up from Shino's shoulder, thankful for Shino being there for him. Shino asked if he was ok, to which Kiba nodded, and and the two of them raced off their seperate ways, glad for a day off from training and missions.

 

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At the gates of Konoha, Neji removed his hand from Hinata's. 'We don't want to let everyone know,' he whispered in explanation. Hinata only nodded her agreement. They continued their walk through the gates, acknowledging the guards with a simple nod, and made their way into Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

HInata gave a slight nod to Neji, as the pair of ninjas came to the Town Market. They both took their seperate paths into town, longing for one another's touch.

Neji continued walking down the cobble street, letting the sights and sounds, and smells, of the village ensnare his senses. Children ran and played in the streets in the Residentral district, and laughes and screams filled the air. In the business district, people walked around shopping, entering and leaving restaurants, where scents of delicious foods wafted out. Neji looked up to the sun, and noted the time to be around 11:00 in the morning, so he ventured off to the Ichiraku Ramen shop to meet Tenten and Lee, for a little get together on their day off from training. The Hyuuga rubbed his left eye with the butt of his palm, and walked on, hating the lack of sleep from the previous night. But loving the reason for the lack of sleep. 'Sometimes I confuse even me,' Neji thought to himself.

"Oh, Neji! You have arrived at last!" Neji glanced over at Rock Lee, sitting at the bar of Ichiraku, a bowl of ramen in front of him. Tenten sat beside him, her own bowl in front of her as well. Neji smiled as he noted a third bowl of ramen, currently untouched, in front of the empty seat to Lee's left.

"Yeah yeah, I'm coming, mother," Neji teased his comrade. Lee smiled at Neji's jovial comment.

"Let us rejoice in the glory of youth, Neji!" Lee exclaimed. Neji took his seat in front of the extra bowl, and smiled as he saw his friends had ordered him his favorite dish.

Neji closed his eyes and leaned back in his stool, stretching his arms towards the sky before digging in to his ramen. A simple beef broth, accented with various peppers and spices, made for a delicious lunch for the Hyuuga. He intended to enjoy this day, although the thought of a certain kunoichi might make it rather difficult.

"So, Tenten," Lee asked with quiet reason. "Do you have any ideas as to what we should do on this fine day?" Tenten stopped eating her ramen, and rubbed the back of her head while in thought.

"Well, that new movie just started at the theaters," Tenten pointed out. "Maybe we could go see it?"

"Eh, I'm not really one for movies," Neji stated, gulping a mouthful of ramen. "Still, I did hear good things about it. Maybe that is a good plan." Lee smiled as Neji gave in.

"Then it is settled! Today, we shall go see that movie!" Lee jumped up on the counter and struck a pose.

"Typical, Bushy Brows. Can't you go five minutes without looking like some male model without a clue?" Naruto walked into the ramen shop, tossing a casual insult towards the green-clad taijuttsu specialist on the counter.

"Ah, Naruto. Still enjoying the novelties of youth, I see."

"And you're obviously feeling much better since your surgery. Guess I can't call you 'Limpy' anymore, huh?" Naruto snickered.

Naruto sat next to Neji, and called the cook over, ordering his usual dish of chicken and fried egg ramen. "And keep 'em comin', too!" he yelled out, rubbing his hands together in excitement. Neji glanced over at Naruto, wondering if he was able to tell the difference in Hinata.

"So, Neji, have you noticed anything different about Hinata lately?" Naruto asked, as if he read Neji's thoughts. "She just seems a little. . .different. A little bolder than she used to be."

"Why, no, I haven't noticed anything like that," Neji lied to the blond shinobi. "Maybe you're just seeing her show different emotions."

"Well, I kinda thought about that, but I don't know if that's it." Naruto leaned back in his stool, and stared at the straw overhang roof of the shop. "You see, it's kinda like she used to act all shy around me. As soon as she knew I was around, she'd clam right up and start to stutter. Not to mention the red face." Naruto sat forward as the chef brought him his order. He picked up his chop sticks, and began to absently rotate them in his soup. "But nowadays, it's like she's a whole different person. I ran into her training session yesterday with the rest of her squad, and she looked straight at me and smiled. It's like. . .I dunno what it's like, but it's wierd."

Naruto finished his speech, and immediately started downing his ramen as fast as he could. Neji sat there in thought, his own food forgotten. Had Naruto finally figured it out?

"Neji, are you done eating?" Tenten prodded the Hyuuga in the shoulder, and he turned about, seeing that Lee and Tenten had finished eating. "We were about to head over to the theaters. You coming?" Neji looked down at his bowl of soup, noting that he didn't have the appetite he did five minutes ago. He slid his bowl over to Naruto, who nodded his thanks before digging into the free bowl of ramen.

"Yes, I'm done. Let's go." Neji stood and left for the theaters, followed by Rock Lee and Tenten. Neji closed his eyes as he walked, and asked himself the ever important question.

'If Naruto is this observant, will he notice Lady Hinata and I? And if he does, what will happen?'

 

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Hinata walked into a small restaurant, and sat herself at a small table in the corner of the room. A thin haze of smoke drifted about the ceiling, and the dim lights of the room gave it a rustic, dull feel. The wooden tables, chairs, and flooring took on a `lifeless appearance.

A waitress walked up to Hinata, and she ordered a glass of water and a salad. "Nothing too fancy, eh Ms. Hyuuga?" The waitress teased with a smirk. Hinata blushed and nodded in agreement as the waitress walked away.

The raven haired kunoichi leaned back in her chair as she lost herself in thought, waiting for her food. Her mind started on training and recent missions, and quickly made their way to Neji.

'What do I feel for him?' Hinata silently asked herself.

'Love. Just like Naru-'

"No!" Hinata jolted upright in her chair as she yelled the single syllable aloud. Her face turned blood red as she realised her blunder, and shrank back in her chair, trying to make herself appear small as the entire room looked her way, trying to find the source of the yell.

'I don't want to think about him now,' Hinata continued the conversation with herself.

'But why? There's no reason for me not to think about him.'

'Yes there is. I can't think about him the way I used to anymore. Not after what Neji's done for me.'

'But what did Neji do for me that he didn't?'

Hinata's self conversation was cut short as the waitress returned with her water and salad. She gladly accepted the food, and started to eat, turning down the offers of anything else to go with her meal.

 

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Naruto was in the process of finishing his fifth bowl of ramen, twenty minutes after Lee, Tenten, and Neji had left for the theaters. A cherry haired ninja made her way into the Ichiraku Ramen Shop, and quickly spotted Naruto, leaning back in his chair, drinking the last of his ramen from his bowl. She let out a small smile, and sat down next to the blonde, prodding his shoulder.

"Hey, nice to see you're still gorging yourself with ramen on a daily basis," Sakura joked. Naruto set down his bowl and pushed it away, then turned to face his team mate.

"Oh, hey Sakura! Are you here because you're finally ready to go on a date with me?" Naruto gave a wide smile.

Sakura let out a sigh, and leaned back on the bar, sitting backwards on her stool, and looked out at the street. She turned towards Naruto, brushing a stray lock of hair from his face.

"No, I'm not here for a date, and you know that Naruto. I'm here because I have a few questions to ask you." Naruto crossed his arms in front of him, and sat backwards on his own stool.

"What kind of questions?" the ninja asked, curiosity overcoming him.

"Well, it has to do with Hinata. Have you noticed anything strange lately? Odd new habits, strange behavior, anything?" Naruto squinted his eyes in thought, and leaned back, his eyes drifting to the ceiling.

"Well, actually, I have noticed a few things weird about her lately." Sakura's eyebrows raised. Did Naruto finally understand Hinata's feelings for him? Or was it something else?

"You see, it's like this," Naruto began. "Before I went off to find Granny Tsunade, Hinata would always get real quiet when I was around. She'd act all normal, but once she knew I was there, she'd clam right up, and act real wierd." Sakura's eyes slowly widened bit by bit as Naruto relayed this information to her. Maybe he really did figure it out. "But since I got back," Naruto continued, "she acts the same all the time now. I can't figure it out." Naruto leaned over to Sakura, and looked at her very seriously. "Do you have any idea why Hinata was acting all shy before? Or why she stopped? Is she sick or something?"

Sakura nearly fell out of her chair as she realised Naruto was as clueless as he always had been. She stifled a laugh as she regained her composure, and sat straight up in her stool, looking out at the street.

"No, I'm not entirely sure why she's been acting so strange lately," Sakura half lied. "Or why she was so shy before. I have a few ideas, but I want to look into it a bit more before I jump to any conclusions." Sakura stood up, and stretched her arms to the heavens. "I'll keep you posted, ok?"

"Thanks, Sakura!"

Naruto stood up from his stool, and left a handful of ryo on the counter, as he walked down the cobblestone street, ready to go on his own training session in the forest. Sakura stood there and watched the blonde ninja leave, knowing she would have some injuries to tend to in the morning before the teams' real training session could start. Sakura closed her eyes, and thought about what was happening with HInata, before walking down the road herself, trying to find something to occupy her time.

'Man, things just keep getting more and more complicated, don't they? First Hinata starts acting like Naruto's just another person on the street, then Neji starts to act lovestruck, what's next?'

Sakura stopped in the middle of the road, realising what she just thought. Hinata, no longer liking Naruto? Neji, lovestruck? That couldn't mean. . .Well, she had heard stories of monarchies marrying into the family in order to keep the bloodline pure, but. . .Surely, that didn't mean. . .

The pink-haird kunoichi looked into the baby blue sky, and saw the moon in the daytime, just barely behind a stark-white cloud. The very same moon, at that, which had appeared the previous night over the Hyuuga complex.