Author Uozumi
Genre Drama/Romance
Rating PG-13
Disclaimer I do not own nor claim to own this. The characters, ect...contained within are not my property. This is an act of fandom and I do not make a profit from this endeavor.
Summary Tanabata, a fable about two lovers fated to meet one night out of each year. As Hinata’s relationship with Gaara gets more serious, nightmares plague her. Not about losing her position as heir, but of how she might advance in her clan. HinaGaa, HanaKono.
Chapter One
Note Anue = older sister, Imôtosan = little sister, Obaasama = grandmother
Chapter One
Hanabi let the kunai fly through the air watching it hit precisely where she wanted it to with enough force to embed it firmly in the wood she was using for a dummy. Whenever she had to think, she practiced with her kunai. The harder the problem, the more velocity her throws had and the deeper they embedded in her target. This she used to her advantage in the field. It cleared her mind and made things simpler. Yet, the problem at hand was anything but simple.
“Hyûga-sama, I have startling news.”
Hanabi watched the board shake with her next throw as she remembered the conversation she had overheard that morning. She had taken the opportunity to sleep in and when she went to get breakfast, she overheard the cook talking to her grandmother.
“A couple months ago I was taking a walk and I saw something, you should know about before it becomes a big problem.”
Hanabi threw her last kunai and surveyed her work. The cook had been out for a night walk and saw Hinata and “some boy with red hair.” Red hair was nonexistent in Konoha, and the only redhead would have to be the Kazekage. Not only that, but Suna had the most redheads out of all the ninja countries.
“What’s wrong?”
Hanabi looked over her shoulder and then ran a hand over her thin long hair. Konohamaru had his hands in his pocket as he walked up. “The elders,” was all she said. Hanabi didn’t dodge questions, but she never gave detailed answers. Konohamaru nodded simply, she really didn’t have to go into details. Elders and the Council seemed similar enough to him that he could understand the gist.
The younger ninja walked over to the dummy and began forcibly pulling the kunai out. She had forgotten about meeting Konohamaru. She hated problems hanging in the air, and she wasn’t afraid to admit she was an opportunist. Yet, not in the way many people saw her. Most, she knew, thought she was after the position of heiress, and it ticked her off. Not only that, but the elders and her father were looking for a way to keep Hinata from being the leader of the clan. Hinata was the weaker ninja and was too gentle in the eyes of many to lead the most prominent clan in the village.
“I don’t want to become heir,” Hanabi twisted and pulled another kunai out of the dummy, “and I don’t want Hinata to be removed.” She gritted her teeth but before she could pull the next one out, Konohamaru had his hand over hers, trying to calm her motions down.
“Hinata won’t be disowned,” he said. This wasn’t the first time Hanabi had been like this over the possibility. The pair had been together for two years now and he was used to these episodes. “There isn’t any reason – “
“There is now,” Hanabi replied and stepped away from him. She motioned for Konohmaru to follow her so she could throw the kunai she had taken out of the wood.
“Wha – “ Konohamaru started and then stopped. It wasn’t his business and by Hanabi’s look, it was too serious for him to get involved.
“I have to figure out how to stop this,” Hanabi decided as she threw another kunai. “Before the next meeting,” she paused. Putting the end of the kunai close to her lips her eyes lit for a split second.
Konohamaru watched her closely. That look was indicative of a solution, but her silence unnerved him. It wasn’t uncommon for her to arrive at a solution and not tell him what it was, but he had a bad feeling about this one.
Hinata let her hair down. It was getting close to the time she would take over as the leader of the clan and she was expected to attend ceremonies. Sitting down on her bed she slipped off her wooden sandals and put on her ninja sandals. She rarely wore them anymore, but they were the most comfortable footwear she owned.
Closing her eyes, she opened them again. The more time she spent with her father and the elders, the more the dream came even when she was awake. It wasn’t uncommon for those with Byakugan or even Sharigan eyes to have precognitive dreams, but Hinata didn’t want to believe that Hanabi would do such a thing. There was nothing for Hanabi to gain by killing the elders. Not only that, but it would put the main house in a dangerous position with the branch house. It was true that Neji had gone from blind hatred to an almost older brother position, but even he couldn’t stop a feud between both branches. Nothing was worth killing off any of the clansmen.
Hinata lay back on her bed so her legs hung off the edge. Things would only get harder if she kept up her rendezvous with Gaara, and she knew that she would have obligations once she became the leader of the Hyûga. She would have marry and produce an heir. Putting her hands over her eyes, she fended off an impending headache. She always meant to break it off, but she couldn’t. This couldn’t continue, and even if they had a child, if the baby had red hair, it would be too suspicious. Not only that, but she wouldn’t ask anyone to marry her just to cover up her relationship with Gaara. It also wouldn’t be fair to Gaara or even her to simply end it abruptly.
Looking up at the ceiling, Hinata tried to recall how exactly it had all happened. It started on Tanabata when she had a bout of insomnia. It was her first Chûnin Exams and she was psyching herself out over them again. Unable to sleep, she decided to take a walk and ended up by the small lake beneath the Hokage mountain. He had been there staring down at the waters. He seemed approachable, but as she took a few steps forward, he became intimidating. Then the next year in the Cloud, she was heading back from training when she spotted him in a field. She didn’t know why, but she approached him and this time he let her. He seemed different then, but he had only been Kazekage for nine months at that point. He was almost vulnerable.
The next Chûnin Exams were held in Suna. Hinata had already become a Chûnin along with her teammates, but the Godaime sent her with the delegation to Suna. Suna was a country different than Konoha in many ways. The country was dry with only a few days of rain every other year. The religion was also different along with customs and food. It had been nice to get out and experience something without several Hyûga with her, though she missed having Kiba and Shino by her side.
On Tanabata, she decided to get a better view of the sky. The myth of Tanabata centered around the story of two lovers in the sky who are only allowed to see each other every year on July seventh. Hinata sat up on the roof of the building she was staying in. For some reason she can’t remember anymore, Gaara was soon sitting with her. They said a few things between each other and that’s when it all started.
Hinata closed her eyes where she laid on her bed. The third time they met was when it started officially. She still doesn’t know who kissed who or why they did it. It wasn’t a very romantic kiss either. She got his chin and he got her nose. Absently she poked at her nose. It was weird for someone to put their lips over one’s nose. The next time the exams were in Konoha. Normally the other dignitaries arrived in August in time for the tournament, but Gaara had come early for a three day stay to check on something. He didn’t explain what he was doing, but they met by the lake again. Only a week later, he had died and come back to life.
That’s when Naruto came back and the blonde still made Hinata’s heart skip and her brain get fuzzy. He was her first love so it was probably natural. Given the choice, she would choose Gaara. It would be better to be with someone that didn’t cause her to lose her senses and faint. Not only that, but Gaara was more special. Naruto might be her first love, but Gaara was her love.
Hinata sighed inwardly. That was the problem. Naruto would be less of a problem than Gaara even if the elders seemed to hate Naruto. Yet, she didn’t want Naruto. Even if he made her stomach clench and made her lightheaded, she didn’t want him in the end. She wanted Gaara and that began the cycle all over again.
Hearing a knock on her door, Hinata sat up, smoothing out her kimono and then said, “Come in.”
A woman about her height with Hanabi’s figure opened the door. Instantly Hinata stood up and bowed. “Obaasama,” she greeted the woman and was prepared to say more but stopped at the wave of the woman’s hand.
“Hinata-sama, I must speak with you privately,” the woman said in a sharp yet quiet tone. “Follow me.”
Hinata readily followed the woman. Since the death of her grandfather, her grandmother was the head elder in the clan. Her word trumped everyone else’s including her father’s though he was the head of the clan. The woman led her down to the main room where they received business guests. Her grandmother instructed her to close the door once they were inside the room. The pair took seats facing each other. Hinata remained silent to keep from psyching herself out. There was no need to thing up possibilities, her grandmother was a direct woman who would tell her straight out what she wanted.
“Hinata-sama,” the elderly woman stated once both were seated, “you are twenty-two years old, almost twenty-three. Soon you will have to succeed your father; however, your lack of courting is disconcerting.” The woman’s pale eyes seemed to be searching Hinata, but the heiress did her best to hide her worries. “How many suitors have you had?”
Hinata considered her answer. She had liked Naruto, then there was Kiba who liked her, and there was Gaara. The actual answer was one, but that could be a trap. Without taking what she hoped was too much time, Hinata replied, “Two.” It was true, Kiba had asked her on a couple of dates when they were young. She had always turned him down politely first due to Naruto and then due to Gaara.
“Two?” Her grandmother eyed her. “Are any of them current?”
Hinata felt her mouth go dry. Was her grandmother looking for a confession to Gaara? Trying to hide her anxiety, the young woman answered without thinking, “Why?”
Affronted, the woman leveled her gaze with her granddaughter, “Child, I am your elder. Answer my question with a statement, not another question.” It was a warning.
Hinata considered her options and then lowered her eyes. “Sorry, Obaasama.” She gathered herself and replied, “Yes, one of them is current.”
The elder’s lips turned upwards into something that wasn’t a smirk nor a smile. “Very well. You do know the procedures, correct?”
“Procedures, Obaasama?” Hinata looked up at the woman. She knew the procedures, but she was trying to get out of too much trouble.
Her grandmother sighed inwardly and then said, “Hinata-sama, when the heiress finds a suitor, especially at your age, she is to introduce him to the head of the clan and later to the elders.” She left off the fact that they would have to approve the man Hinata chose. “Now, when you were a Genin, this could be overlooked, but I know you know better than to sneak out with a lover.”
Hinata felt her eyes go small before she could force her face to stay normal.
“I heard about the man you have been seeing, Hinata-sama, and I am displeased. You are old enough to know the correct procedures and to follow them. This is behavior I would expect of someone ten years younger than you,” the woman scolded. “Not only that, but a man with red hair can only be from another country. You know that the Hyûga must pick someone from Konoha or at least somewhere in the Fire Country. It is important for secrecy and other complicated matters that arise from marrying a foreigner.”
Hinata lowered her eyes again. This could only get worse she was sure.
“Would you like to tell me his name now or would you like me to find out on my own?” the elderly woman’s tone was warning.
Hinata considered her answer. She could make up a name, but that was to bet that her grandmother didn’t know who it was. Her grandmother might even make her produce this man, and then where would she be? Everyone knew the Kazekage, especially with his raccoon eyes and forehead tattoo. Yet, was this fair to Gaara? Hinata’s nature wasn’t to be self-serving, but it was hard to think of a way to get out of this.
“Well?” her grandmother pressed.
“His name…” Hinata trailed off. There was no avoiding it. “His name is Gaara.”
Again her grandmother’s lips twitched upwards into an ambiguous expression. “Gaara,” the woman repeated, “as in the Kazekage.”
Hinata didn’t answer. She could only imagine where this was going. Opening her mouth, she shut it again as an urgent knock came at the door.
“Come in,” the older woman said.
Hanabi rolled the screen back and then said, “Hinata-sama is needed quickly. I just came from reporting to Hokage-sama and she said to get Hinata-sama.” Only around the elders did Hanabi forego calling Hinata “Anue.”
Hinata looked to their grandmother. The woman gave Hanabi a hard stare and then she looked at Hinata. “We are not finished here,” she said as she stood. When she passed Hanabi, the teenager bowed and then she looked to her sister.
The sisters walked out onto the street when Hanabi said, “I lied. I haven’t even been on a mission in a week,” Hanabi snorted.
“Imôtosan!” Hinata looked to her sister, scandalized. As if her problems weren’t great enough, Hanabi had added another!
“I got you out of it, didn’t I?” Hanabi commented. “The cook told her,” she added offhandedly after a while. “She saw you two a few months ago and felt compelled to tell Obaasama the other day.”
Hinata was quiet. Hanabi was hard to understand at times. The girl did whatever she wanted even when it was uncertain if she would get away with it. Shaking her head a bit, Hinata banished the image of Hanabi standing over the elders. It was only a dream.
“You look pale,” Hanabi noted. “Don’t worry about Obaasama. She can be scary, but not brutal.” It was the only thing Hanabi could say. Both sisters knew that this issue was far from over.
“Thank you, Imôtosan,” Hinata said quietly as they wandered through the residential district.