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Hummingbird	By : Onileo Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female Views: 2119 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto; that honor belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. My fanfiction is for entertainment only and is not intended for financial gain.

Chapter List
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Chapter 24
          A snowflake drifted down to melt away on the damp ground. Another followed, and another, until a steady stream of them floated down from the gray sky. Moegi pulled her plum colored jacket closer to her body and tried to ignore the shiver that ran down her spine. It didn't help that every time the wind decided to blow, it went right up her skirt, freezing the parts of her legs not covered by her calf high boots. Glancing ahead at her temporary teammates, she wondered how they did it. The cold didn't seem to affect them at all.
          Kiba looked back over his shoulder to see Moegi falling behind. Smiling, he called out to her. "Hang in there, Moegi-chan. We'll be at the inn soon!"
          As if given an unspoken command, Akamaru bounded to her side. Pressing his body to her hip, he walked alongside her. She buried her hand in his thick fur, grateful for the additional warmth. With a sigh, she wished for the millionth time that she was back in Konoha. They had been on this mission for two days now, and she was already missing her friends and family. She especially missed Konohamaru.
          Pushing thoughts of her boyfriend aside, she smiled back at Kiba. She had to be strong, she reminded herself. Ninjas don't wilt like flowers. Waving her free hand, she shouted back to him to be heard over the wind that picked up again. "I'm f-fine, Kiba-kun. Thank you!" she said, clamping her teeth shut to keep them from chattering anymore.
          A strange look passed over Kiba's face and he quickly turned away from her. Shino, who had seemed to be lost in thought up until this point, turned his head and looked at his partner, an eyebrow arching high over his sunglasses. He said nothing, and returned to watching the horizon as he walked. Moegi, thinking something was about to happen, rushed to catch up. Slowing to a walk just behind them, she gripped her jacket nervously. "Is something wrong?" she asked.
          "No." Shino replied.
          "Oh, but you are mistaken. Something is terribly wrong." a strange voice called out. Kunai were automatically drawn as the team snapped their heads toward the source of the sound. Only bare trees and falling snow greeted their vision. Akamaru dashed over to Kiba, nose in the air, sniffing. But the wind was against them, carrying the scent of the unknown threat away. Several minutes passed and they still could not locate the source of the voice.
          Shino sighed in frustration. This was why he hated winter the most. The low temperatures were his insects' worst enemy. Even if he tried to send them out, they would be dead before they could return, any information they had, lost. If he could get them to go at all. At the moment they were still and quiet, hibernating within his body. Normally he wouldn't be on a mission this time of year, but since they were just supposed to rendezvous with Kurenai and escort a daimyo to his winter home, Tsunade had sent him anyway.
          Moegi tightened her grip on her weapon. The inactivity was making her shiver in earnest now. The slight tinge of fear didn't help matters either. If Kiba and Akamaru couldn't detect the enemy, they could be in serious trouble. Dry laughter rang through the trees, making her jump. "Look, the little kunoichi is scared." a second, feminine voice taunted. A vein popped out on Moegi's forehead. She was about to retaliate when something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention.
          Two figures stood in the road ahead of them. One was tall, obviously a man, and the other was short, only a little taller than Moegi herself. She couldn't see their faces, the hats they had on obscured them completely. When she saw what they wore, her breath caught in her throat. They both had black cloaks with red clouds drifting across the material. Finding her voice, Moegi warned her teammates of the newly discovered danger. "Akatsuki!" she cried out, moving closer to Kiba.
          Shino and Kiba turned their heads to where Moegi was pointing. Akamaru raised his hackles and started growling. Kiba stepped forward and glared at them. "What's this about?" he asked angrily. "If you want to fight us, come out and do it, not hide like cowards!"
          Ignoring his rant, the taller one turned to his partner. "Are you sure you want to do this? It could mean trouble." he said in a low voice. Nodding, his partner stepped forward, walking until only a few feet separated them from Kiba. The tall one hung back and watched. Stopping, the figure reached up and grasped the edge of their hat. "It's n-not us." a familiar voice said as the hat was removed.
          "Hinata-chan?" Kiba said in surprise. There, before his very eyes was his friend and former teammate. A smile broke out on his face and he moved to hug her, but a warning glance from the kunoichi reminded him that they were not alone. Behind her, her partner removed his hat as well, revealing a shaggy head of crimson and black hair and glowing golden eyes.
          "Hinata-chan." Shino said quietly in greeting.
          She smiled and nodded at her longtime friend. Then turning to Moegi, she greeted her as well. "Moegi-chan, is t-that you? I do believe y-you have grown some. H-how are you?"
          Moegi wasn't sure what to say. This whole situation was surreal. Here she was, standing in the cold with two S-class criminals, and her teammates were chatting it up like they were at a family picnic. It was true that Hyuuga Hinata was once their teammate and friend, but what about loyalty to the village? Weren't they at least a little angry that she had abandoned both the people she swore to protect and her friends? And wouldn't they be in trouble for not trying to bring her in?
          She was about to ask them what they thought they were doing when she was stopped by the first voice again. "Ah, the Akatsuki. This victory will be much sweeter now that you've come to die with the Leaf nins. But don't worry, I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to catch up in Hell."
          Ignoring the taunt, Kiba turned to Hinata. "Can you see them?" he asked.
          Hinata activated her Byakugan. Searching the surrounding area, she finally located the hidden ninja. "They are behind us." she said quietly. "There are f-four of them. They m-must be using some sort of jutsu t-to throw their voice to a d-different location." She motioned for Kisho to join her. When he walked over she asked, "C-can you flush them out?"
          Kisho shook his head. "The ground is frozen solid. I need it loose to create my dust cloud."
          Moegi listened to their conversation intently. Inside she was torn on what to do. A part of her told her it was wrong to help them, no matter what the consequences to herself were. Another part reasoned that if they were willing to help them out of this situation, it would be acceptable to work together. Deciding that seeing Konohamaru again was preferable to death, she lowered the hood of her jacket and spoke up. "I can help you." she said, a little timidly.
          Kisho gave her a skeptical look. She was definitely the weakest of the group here. "You can?"
          Nodding she walked a little ways away from them. Holding out her hand, she let her chakra flow into it, just like Sakura taught her. She had tried to train as a medic nin, but didn't have the control necessary for the jutsu. But she didn't leave with nothing. Sakura had also worked with her on enhancing her taijutsu, and at that she excelled. Dodging the shuriken that whizzed by her head, she slammed her fist into the ground, breaking the frozen earth and creating a small crater. She did it a second time, and breathing hard, stepped back.
          "Will that do?" she asked.
        Kisho glanced at her in surprise. 'A kunoichi's greatest asset is being underestimated.' Once again, Konan's words were proven true. "Yeah, that will work great." he replied.
          Stepping to the edge of the broken ground, Kisho formed hand seals and closed his eyes. Seeing an opening, the enemy ninja launched shuriken at him from three different directions. Stepping up, Hinata blocked the attack so her partner could finish his jutsu. After a moment, he opened his eyes and held out a hand. The loose rocks from the ground rose and orbited around his palm. Letting chakra flow into them, Kisho made the rocks break and crumble until it was a mass of spinning dust.
          Turning, he directed the cloud into the nearby trees. Hinata told him where each ninja was located, and he sent it to them, one by one. The dust surrounded them, and coughing was heard until they dropped down to the ground, unable to breathe properly. Still catching their breath, they glared at Kisho and Hinata. Kisho glanced at their headbands. Sound ninja.
          "You'll pay for your interference. Orochimaru-sama doesn't take kindly to meddlers." said the apparent leader in a menacing voice.
          "We don't give a damn what he thinks!" Kisho yelled through the sudden gust of wind that blew snow across his vision. When it died down, two of the ninja had started running toward him, while the Sound kunoichi stepped back and started forming had seals. Kiba and Shino rushed forward to intercept the ninja, and Hinata fell back to stand at Moegi's side while Kisho went after the leader.
          "Air Element: Siren's Doom!" the kunoichi cried out. A wave of chakra enveloped the area and she began to sing. The song was low at first, but as she continued, it rose in volume until it echoed off the trees.
          Moegi was standing there contemplating whether or not she should join in when a pain swept through her head. Clutching her ears, she fell to her knees. Her vision started swimming and she looked over at Hinata. She was quickly forming hand seals and soon had created a chakra barrier that enveloped herself, Moegi and Akamaru, who had passed out first from the effects of the jutsu.
          The three way battle was intense, and Hinata could only stand by and watch her friends fight, unable to help and protect Moegi and Akamaru at the same time. Shino was having the hardest time. Without the use of his bugs, he was reduced to using only taijutsu and basic jutsu. Kiba was attacking fiercely, and even without Akamaru's help, soon had his opponent dispatched. An idea came to Hinata, and she called out to her former teammate.
          "Kiba! Take over for Kisho. Kisho! Get the kunoichi's chakra, quickly!"
          Kiba reached the redhead just as the sound ninja managed to score a hit. His arm was sliced open, and the cold air stung the wounded skin. Jumping between them, Kiba pushed the leader back, giving Kisho time to dash over to where the kunoichi was standing. Fighting both the pain in his arm and head, he struggled to reach her. He grabbed her arm just as Shino finished off his opponent and fell to his knees, giving in to the pain, clutching his head.
          Golden eyes locked with the pale blue ones of the kunoichi as he began draining her chakra. Determined to keep him from winning, she used her free hand to draw a kunai out of her pouch. With a swift thrust she attacked, slicing his arm open. But it was in vain. Finished, Kisho stepped back as the jutsu was dispelled. The kunoichi fell to her knees, defeated.
          Hinata dropped her barrier, and helped Moegi to her feet. She caught movement out of the corner of her eye and glanced over at Kisho. He had turned around and was heading back to them. The kunoichi behind him had regained her feet and charged him, ready to plunge a kunai in his back. Praying she would make it in time, Hinata raced to intercept her. Metal clanged and Hinata breathed a sigh of relief as the other girl was pushed back.
          But she wasn't finished yet. Not giving the enemy a second chance, she attacked, a determined, almost feral gleam in her eyes. She wasn't about to let this woman hurt her friends and keep her from going home to Kisame. "Hakkeshou Kaiten!" she cried. Hands flying, she quickly doled out her sixty four palms. But this time, her goal wasn't to shut down her chakra. Kisho had already dealt with that. She had sharpened the chakra in her hands, and with each blow landed, she scored the kunoichi's body. When she was finished, her opponent dropped back to her knees, head down, bleeding heavily.
          Shino watched Hinata from where he sat a few yards away. From the expression on his friend's face, he half expected her to finish the sound ninja off. Instead, she rapped her on the back of the neck with her hand, knocking her unconscious. Then she walked over to where Kisho was standing to examine his wounds. Reminded of his own teammates, Shino turned to see how they were faring. Moegi was assisting Hinata, and the dog ninja was still engaged in battle.
          Kiba finally managed to create an opening and plunged his kunai into the leader's chest. Falling back, the other ninja glared at him in defiance. Knowing his time was growing short, he charged Kiba, uncaring of his injury. He managed to take him by surprise and knocked him back, Kiba falling to the ground. He stood over him, katana in hand, ready to strike. He might die, but he could at least take one of the Leaf ninja with him. The last thing he saw was the surprised look in the dog nin's eyes before a white blur blocked his view and he was knocked to the ground, a pain shooting through his neck as it was ripped open.
          Akamaru's jaws closed with a sickening crunch. He had regained consciousness just in time to see his master in trouble. Reacting on instinct, he charged, jumping over Kiba and taking the enemy ninja down. Growling fiercely, he held on until the man between his teeth stopped moving. As soon as he did, Akamaru dropped him to the ground and turning, made his way over to Kiba. Licking him on the face, he sniffed him over to make sure he was uninjured.
          "Thanks, Akamaru. You saved my life." Kiba said in an emotional voice. Wrapping his arms around the dog’s neck, he hugged him, burying his face in his bloody fur. The dog whined softly, and Kiba released him. Standing up, he looked around at what remained of the battlefield. Blood soaked into the snow covered ground and kunai lay everywhere. Walking over to Shino, he helped him to his feet, then the pair went to check on Hinata and Moegi.
          Kisho tried not to wince as the unpracticed kunoichi stitched up the wounds on his arms. The bitterly cold air made it sting, and he was starting to shiver. They had removed his cloak to tend to his injuries, and he sat on the snowy ground in nothing but his thin, long sleeved shirt and pants. After a few minutes, Moegi was finished, and Hinata wrapped the wounds with a bandage. Grinding his teeth against the pain, he shrugged his cloak back on and stood.
          Hinata stood at his side, and Moegi made her way back over to Kiba. The two teams stared at each other, an awkward silence falling over the group. It was Shino who finally broke the tension. "It's good to see you again, Hinata-chan."
          A blush made its way across her cheeks. "T-thank you, Shino-kun. It's g-great to see you all t-too."
          Half afraid that seeing her friends would make her want to go back, Kisho turned and stared at his partner. "We need to be going soon. Leader-sama is expecting us back today." She nodded and relieved, he moved off to give her some space to say goodbye.
          A pained look haunted her pale lavender eyes as she stepped forward. She hugged Shino first, then Kiba. Stepping back, she took in the sight of her friends, committing it to memory. After all, she never knew when, or if, she would see them again. Tears threatened to well up in her eyes, but she fought them back with a smile. She really did hate goodbyes. "I guess I n-need to go. Please t-take care of yourselves." she said.
          She turned away, only to be stopped when Kiba grabbed her arm. Looking back, her eyes locked with his. "Hinata, are you happy? Did you make the right choice?" he asked, searching her expression for the answer.
          A smile broke out on her face as she thought about Kisame waiting for her back at the base. "Y-yes, Kiba, I did."
          "Then goodbye, Hinata-chan. Hopefully we'll see you around again. But I warn you, happy or not, next time I just might drag your ass back home to Konoha!" he teased with a grin. She just shook her head at him and with a wave, jumped into the nearest tree, followed closely by Kisho. They watched her until she was out of sight, then turned and looked at each other.
          "We need to go as well." Shino said. "Kurenai-sensei will be waiting on us."
          "Yeah, let's go. Akamaru!" Kiba called. The dog bounded over and his master hopped onto his massive back. They started off down the road, Shino walking beside them, Moegi trailing behind.
          Troubled, Moegi caught up with the pair. "Umm, won't we get into trouble for letting them go? Shouldn't we have at least tried to stop them?" she said, at last voicing her concerns.
          Kiba turned to grin at her and reached down to pat her on the head. Shino glanced back at her as well. "No." he said. "Why? Tsunade-sama understands the reason Hinata left. She chose not to send a retrieval team after her."
          Tilting her head, Moegi tried to understand. "Doesn't that go against the rules, though?"
          "Kid, you'll learn that the world isn't as black and white as you were taught." Kiba said. With a small frown, Moegi followed after them. She would be so glad when this mission was over and she could get back with her own team. She much preferred their brand of insanity. It was far less complicated. Thinking of Konohamaru to keep her mind off the cold, she silently trudged along behind them.

          Kisame was sitting in his room, going over Samehada's many blades when the door opened and Hinata walked in. He frowned a little when he took in her tired appearance. "Hey there, Hummingbird. How did your mission go?" he asked in greeting.
          Hinata smiled at his nickname for her. "Fine." she said. Unclasping her cloak, she lay it on the edge of his bed. Pulling her forehead protector off, she set it on his dresser before climbing on his bed. The warmth of the room was a welcome contrast to the cold outside. Relaxing back on his pillow, she breathed deeply, taking in his masculine scent. Stretching the tension out of her muscles, she watched as he finished with his sword and quickly rewrapped it.
          A feral gleam came to Kisame's eyes as he watched her, stretched out on his bed. Unable to resist the temptation, he set Samehada to the side and walked over to the bed. Climbing in beside her, he wrapped an arm around her waist. He leaned down to kiss her, but the look in her eyes made him pause. Something was bothering her.
          "Just fine?" he asked. "Did anything happen?" If that asshole Kisho did anything to her, he would kill him.
          "Well, on t-the way back, w-we ran into Kiba and Shino."
          Kisame couldn't help the little stab of jealousy that went through him when she mentioned her friends. "Did they attack you?" he asked. If so, he would just have to kill them too. Well, that rule pretty much applied to anybody that messed with her.
          "N-no. They were b-being attacked by a team of S-sound ninja and we h-helped them out." she answered.
          Going quiet, Hinata rolled towards him and snuggled into his chest. He could feel her warm breath through his mesh shirt. She lay there for several minutes without a sound. Kisame knew she wasn't asleep. She must still be thinking about her friends. Dropping his chin on her head, he rubbed her back, warming her cool skin.
          "Hinata, do you regret being here? Being with me?" he asked. He knew if she said yes, he would let her go again, even if it did kill him. Holding his breath, he waited for her answer.
          Hinata lifted her head and studied his face. She could easily see the worry there. He thought she wasn't happy with him. Locking eyes, she smiled shyly. "Kisame, I will n-never regret being with you. I do m-miss my friends sometimes, but I w-wouldn't trade the day we m-met for anything." she said.
          His somber expression vanished, to be replaced by a wicked smirk. "Because I'm so damn good?" he asked, teasingly.
          Hinata laughed and smacked him lightly on the arm for it. "Yeah." she said with a blush. She watched his smirk fade and he leaned down to kiss her. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. Yeah, she had made the right choice.

A/N: Just wanted to let you know, this is the last chapter before the epilogue. I'll warn you, if you want the happy ending version, stop now, this is it! If you don't mind getting a little angsty, grab a tissue box and hang on tight.
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Hummingbird