Espial: Part 3 -- NaruHina

Espial Part 3



     Sakura paced back and forth near the fire, glancing anxiously at the edge of the forest where Naruto had disappeared from nearly an hour and a half ago. She felt really bad for revealing Hinata’s secret; they were friends and she had betrayed their trust. Hinata seemed really upset… she was crying. All she could do was hope that Naruto took it well and said the right things to make her feel better. Naruto was often too dense to understand a certain situation, but at the same time, he often knew the right things to say. It was hard to predict what was happening, and it made Sakura tense and irritable.

     Just when Sakura was about to enter the forest herself, two figures appeared from a distant cluster of trees. It was completely dark now, but the kuonichi happened to have pretty good night vision. And so even from the far distance, Sakura could tell something was off.

     Hinata and Naruto were approaching slowly, almost apprehensively. When they drew nearer, Sakura observed that they were walking awfully close together, their shoulders bumping against each other in rhythm to their hesitant steps. Had something happened…? Naruto and Hinata were avoiding each other’s gaze, both staring warily at the bewildered pink-haired shinobi in front of them.

     Finally they were face-to-face and the silence was filled with awkward tension. Sakura was frustrated that neither shinobi seemed to want to speak, even after they both disappeared so unceremoniously.

     "Er… Hey," Naruto casually ran his fingers through his blonde hair and attempted his best at a nonchalant smile. Sakura frowned. It became apparent that no one was going to fill her in on what had happened. She would just have to figure it out herself.

     Although Naruto was easy to read at times, Sakura knew Hinata was a dead giveaway. She scanned her short figure, taking in her appearance. Hinata was clearly blushing, even in the dim glow of the firelight. She was nervously fidgeting with the hem of her dilapidated hoodie, her eyes fixed on the ground. Yes, something definitely happened. One look at Hinata’s face confirmed this – the skin between Hinata’s neck and collarbone had a slightly red mark upon it, just the right size of someone’s mouth…

     Though Sakura usually had self-control of steel, it took all she had to refrain from bursting out laughing right then and there. But it wasn’t impossible.

     Sakura smiled innocently and masked her amusement with a pretense of confusion, "I’m relieved you’re back! You worried me, Baka!" The kuonichi testily ruffled Naruto’s hair. The blonde grunted noncommittally and Hinata frowned. For a short instant, a flash of anger appeared in the depths of her eyes.

     Oh, tormenting them would be fun.

     But much to Sakura’s dismay, she knew it was late and they needed their sleep. Especially Hinata. And they couldn’t get distracted by a budding romance now that they were so close to retrieving Sasuke.

     The name sent tiny stabs of pain through her body and Sakura winced slightly. "'Kay, guys… you can fill us in later on what happened. You should get some sleep. I’m going to go to bed, too; Neji’s taking the first shift at keeping watch." Sakura casually gestured at Neji, who was sitting on a log behind the fire, his usual look of petulance in his eyes. He watched the scene silently, and Sakura was willing to bet anything that Neji knew what happened even better than she.

     "Naruto, you and I will take the other shifts,” Sakura continued, “Hinata needs to sleep as much as possible to make sure she recovers completely."

     Hinata nodded and smiled weakly, eager to escape Sakura’s and Neji’s watchful gazes into the safe refuge of one of the tents. She eagerly turned and started toward the tent, but not before Naruto briefly squeezed her hand. Since they had been standing so close, he didn’t have to move very far to reach it. She blushed furiously at the touch and wasn’t sure if the others caught the quick exchange, but didn’t turn back to check. It certainly had been an overwhelming day, and fatigue finally caught up to her full-blast.

     After entering the confines of the small tent, Hinata took no time in finding her backpack and quickly discarded the remains of her hoodie. Knowing that she’d probably stay inside the tent throughout the entire night, Hinata pulled on a plain gray t-shirt in favor of another hoodie. She did this swiftly and in a matter of seconds; Hinata knew it was silly to worry about such things like changing clothes, being a ninja and all, but she had yet to overcome her extreme low-confidence.

     Sure enough, Hinata was changed and tucked in to her sleeping bag by the time Sakura finally entered the tent. She had the urge to feign sleep but knew the attempt would be futile, seeing as only a few minutes had passed since she had entered the tent in the first place.

     Sakura luckily sensed Hinata’s reluctance to converse, so she merely smiled in greeting before turning around to find a set of clothes of her own.

     Despite the fatigue that threatened to close her eyelids shut, Hinata couldn’t help but be overcome by jealousy. She knew Naruto used to like Sakura… Her crush on him never ended – had Naruto’s crush for Sakura ever ended? If Sakura were to suddenly confess her love for him, would Naruto ditch her for Sakura? Hinata was desperately afraid that a love triangle of some sorts was about to form.

     Sakura was strong, confident, and smart. And regardless of some of the girly paranoia Sakura had once confided in to Hinata, Sakura did have a pretty and curvy figure. Especially when she discarded her ninja outfit, like now. Of course, Hinata noted with grim satisfaction that she didn’t have quite the amount of curve as herself.

     Hinata froze and shook away those thoughts. Why was she comparing? Naruto kissed her… for quite a long time. The memory quickened Hinata’s heart rate and sent a warm, jittery feeling coursing through her stomach.

     That had to have meant something, right?

     Though, no matter what, the ninja needed to focus on the mission now. That was a priority, and romances could wait... Well, it had to wait.

     "Hinata?" Sakura’s voice sounded through the darkness, interrupting Hinata’s train of thought.

     "Y-yes?"

     "Go to sleep. You need it."

     Thought Hinata wanted to stay up longer and continue thinking about Naruto, she was certainly exhausted. She rolled over onto her side, and finally submit herself to long-awaited sleep.



----((Naruto's Dream))----


     Naruto found himself in a wide forest clearing, enclosed by soft swaying trees on all sides. The sky was a bright and happy blue, and birds flitted eagerly in and out of sight. It would have been a beautiful scene, but Naruto only had eyes for the girl in front of him.

     Hinata was kneeling down on the wispy grass, scratching the ears of an ecstatic orange kitten, giggling with euphoria. It was more than a little ironic. Her lips were pulled back in a sweet grin and her long, black hair danced in the breeze.

     Eventually Naruto’s longing overcame him and he stepped forward, gently tapping the girl on the shoulder. She stood up and faced him, still smiling.

     Naruto drank in her full appearance. Her lavender eyes sparkled and pierced him with their intent gaze. Long bangs framed both sides of her angelic face. She was wearing her favorite purple hoodie, but this one was much looser. The zipper was pulled down halfway and the sleeves slipped down her arms, revealing her petite shoulders and not-so-conspicuous wire mesh shirt. It pulled against her soft skin and curvy chest...

     Naruto’s stomach tightened as he fought the urge to press her body close to him. That had to wait – at least for now.

     "Hinata, I’m sorry for… for kissing you earlier. I –"

     Hinata shook her head, a playful look in her eyes, "I won’t forgive you."

     Although the comment should have alarmed Naruto, he stayed calm.

     "Why is that?"

     Hinata grinned wickedly. "It ended too soon."

     Now was the time to forget about restraint.

     Naruto quickly stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Hinata, eagerly crushing his lips to hers. He relished in the warmth of her body, her soft lips against his. His tongue lightly skimmed her lower lip, and was soon granted entry. He pulled her closer yet, wanting more… needing more…

     Suddenly Naruto felt something was wrong. He broke away from Hinata, staring down at her. She had a sad smile on her face, and she squeezed his hand lightly before turning around and running away, quickly swallowed by the darkness of the trees.

     And then the scene dramatically changed.

     Naruto found himself standing on the edge of a lake, Hinata nowhere to be seen. The sky looked similar to the previous place, but this time they were probably far away from Konoha – the vegetation had a dry look to it and could hardly be called a forest. The place looked extremely familiar, but Naruto couldn’t quite recall where he had been here before.

     But then he noticed Sakura, who had waded in a few yards from the shore, and was lazily spearing fish. She was several years younger – her bubblegum pink hair cascaded down her shoulders and landed at the small of her back, just a little bit shorter than Hinata’s. Her eyes were wide and bright with childlike innocence and her old, red outfit lay loosely on her un-developed body.

     "Don’t just stand there and stare, Dobe." Naruto froze. He knew that voice so well, and suddenly two things became apparent. First of all, he was standing at a river where Team 7 had been assigned a D-rank mission long ago, and second of all, Sasuke was still with them.

     Sasuke’s features were so painfully familiar. His perfectly groomed black hair, his intense eyes, his impassive features. Naruto wanted to reach forward and drag the boy back to Konoha, but in his dream-like state he felt compelled to wade further into the water and help the team spear fish.

     Naruto’s heart hammered as he did the effortless task, avoiding Sasuke’s eyes. He wanted to open his mouth, to say some kind of warning or something to stop Sasuke from doing what he inevitably would do in a few years’ time. But, of course, the words wouldn’t come. So he grit his teeth instead and focused all attention at the fish flitting past his feet.

     "Hey." Sasuke’s voice sent Naruto’s heart beating faster than ever.

     "Yeah?" Naruto asked, hesitantly. For once, he glanced up at his comrade and found Sasuke’s cold eyes locked onto his.

     Sasuke’s lips pulled back into an uncharacteristic, almost malevolent grin. "These fish… What would it be like to be them? They would find a worm, and eagerly chomp down on it. They would notice too late that a hook was strung through the worm, and before they could react they’d be caught in an inescapable snare. Then the fish would try with all their power to swim away from their fate – the fisherman.” Naruto frowned. This was definitely not the Sasuke he used to know; he was talking far too much and his voice reminded him painfully of his impending kidnapper. Orochimaru. And he wasn't even really sure what Sasuke was rambling on about. Fish?

     "But what if the fisherman was really a scientist? What if he had discovered a wonderful new world for the fish – a world where all its desires would be granted? What if the scientist only wanted to catch the fish to bring it into this new world? What would the fish do then?" Sasuke’s eyes flashed with anger. He half turned away, carelessly tossing his spear toward the shore.

     "No," Naruto growled, "The fish would stay. He would stay in the ocean, where his friends were. Hardships are better to live through when you have friends, than if you were alone in a paradise." Distantly, Naruto realized he didn’t sound much like himself, either, but at the moment he had other pressing things to think about.

     Sasuke merely smirked and turned away completely, walking into the depths of the lake.

     "NO! Sasuke, SASUKE! Why is that so hard for you to understand?" Naruto ran forward, desperately trying to reach Sasuke’s sinking form in the clear water. It was of no use; Sasuke’s form never got any closer no matter how hard Naruto ran. And then, in a matter of seconds, Sasuke was fully submerged. He was gone.





     Naruto woke up, panting, a light sheen of sweat across his forehead. He leaned back and shook his head, trying to clear his mind of the recent disturbing images. He realized that his fists were clenched tightly around the fabric of his sleeping bag, so he relaxed his grip and waited mutely for his heart to slow its rhythmic thrumming.

     The morbid dream brought back renewed vigor; Naruto’s spirit was back and he focused now on one thing only: Sasuke.

     He was alone in the worn-out tent – Neji must have woken earlier to prepare for another long journey ahead. Groaning, the blonde ninja slowly stood and opened the flap to the tent, squinting in the bright sunlight. He was expecting to see the team packing up everything into their compact bags – Naruto admitted reluctantly that although he was always the most persistent ninja during missions, he was always the one to wake up last– but what he saw instead surprised him.

     Sakura was slowly grilling fish over their makeshift campfire, and Neji was lounging on one of the logs. Naruto angrily stepped out of the tent and rounded on Sakura. "Why are we all sitting around doing nothing? We need to hurry and leave!"

     Sakura looked up warily. "Save your breath, Naruto. It seems we’ve forgotten one of our bags at the place where the sound nin attacked us, and all of our food was in that bag. We need the protein desperately to keep our energy high, so the fish’ll be good. We need to travel a lot faster than yesterday to make up for the lost time." Sakura’s voice seemed dry, even to Naruto. Clearly she wasn’t any happier about the situation than he.

     Naruto shrugged. "Fine…" Realizing something, the ninja scanned the campsite. "Where’s Hinata?" It seemed like a casual enough question, to him at least.

     "She’s changing," Sakura replied, still sulkily. She didn’t even have the heart to tease Naruto at this point; a feeling of doldrums filled the campsite almost tangibly. Everyone would be on their one hundred percent today – no more games.

     Sure enough, Hinata soon left her tent wearing a dark purple hoodie. It wasn’t her favorite jacket, but was close to it. Hinata’s usually smooth hair was a little scraggily and she staggered over to a vacant log, stiff from sleep. She looked at each of her comrades in turn, her gaze lingering a little longer on Naruto. Hinata nodded her head infinitesimally, communicating silently that she was okay with the situation and new what had to be done. She knew full well that he would understand her meaning.

     No one spoke again until after they were done eating and their things were packed.

     Sakura lifted her head and sighed. "Okay guys! We should go now." Naruto was relieved that her mood had lifted somewhat.

     Neji nodded and added, "The village that Tsunade mentioned – the one where the Anbu are waiting for us – is a few hours’ distance from here. We’ll get there as soon as we can, and stop for only as long as it takes to join up with the Anbu and pick up some more food supply. Then we’ll head out as fast as we can to the Sand Village. If we hurry, I think we can get there by tonight."
     And with that, they were off.




     "This village really is tiny," Naruto murmured as the four ninja stepped through the desolate town. There were no children playing in the streets, no women bustling through crowds to buy their groceries. In fact, there were very few people around at all. The tiny buildings were pressed together, tightly, with little surrounding vegetation. Tiles fell from the makeshift roofs onto the dusty paths. Overall, the town had a barren, dry feel to it.

     They were heading on a main path to a tall building in the center of the village. It was no more elaborate than any of the other structures, but clearly it was the place where all official business would be taken care of.

     However, at the doors to the building, a set of guards stopped the team. "Are you the Konoha ninja sent here to meet up with some members of Anbu?" One of the guards asked in a deep, bored voice.

     Neji nodded. "Yes. Are they here?"

     "No… They left late last night. Apparently a village nearby is at war – one of your allies. They left to assist the village, and wrote this note for us to give to you, four."

     Naruto growled angrily. They left against Tsunade’s orders? He quickly grabbed the scroll, released its seal, and unraveled the parchment. Sure enough, it confirmed the guard’s words.

     Sakura groaned and Hinata sadly shook her head. Neji simply grabbed the note, stashed it into his bag, and turned around. "Regardless, we need some food. Let’s go, guys. We can do this alone." Now Naruto was really freaked. If he had any doubts about retrieving Sasuke before, the feelings were now magnified a thousandfold. He was still fully determined, but couldn’t ignore the uncertainty nagging at the back of his mind. They’d have to do this… alone?



     The group didn’t need to search long for supplies; there was a handy convenient store a mere block from the central building. A tall, lanky boy wearing an ugly green apron eagerly rushed up to the group at the entrance. "Hi!" His job must have been really monotonous; he was exuberant at the sight of only a few customers.

     Naruto wasn’t sure he liked the guy. He appeared to be a few years older than them, and had eyes of a strange shade of gray. The dislike intensified as the teen appraised Hinata’s appearance, measuring her up and down. Naruto recognized that look too well. "Can I help you?" It wasn’t hard to notice that he was speaking only to Hinata now.

     "No." Naruto’s voice was hard and furious, and he quickly herded his team into the food aisle. Sakura couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the juvenile scene.



     In a matter of about thirty minutes, the team was packed up and ready to leave. They left through the north gates of the town, and soon were back on track with their relentless pace.

     By now Sakura and Naruto had cooled off, having time to recollect their composure. They were still silent but Hinata could feel the renewed peacefulness in the air.

     Gradually, the scenery changed – the trees became less dense, the air felt warmer and clear.

     But all of a sudden, several hours later, Hinata stiffened. Naruto was the first to notice so he drew back, a concerned expression masking his face. "Hinata! Are you okay?"

     Hinata’s eyes were wide and glazed over, her thoughts somewhere far away. Her arms shook slightly and the veins on both sides of her head were constricted tight. Clearly, she was trying to figure out something in the distance.

     "We… we should stop for a second," Hinata murmured, her voice shaking slightly.

     Sakura’s voice sounded from behind Naruto, and was equally concerned. "Why?"

     "S-someone’s coming…" The group slowed to a stop and Hinata looked at each person in turn, looking extremely nervous but completely resolute about her decision.

     "I think it’s Sasuke."