Insomnia

V

So, they had gotten caught after all, but only after Naruto brought Neji back to the Hyuuga compound. Naruto had taught Neji so much in those short hours they wandered around, letting Neji learn to use his other sense now that his eyes had stopped functioning. Touch was always an adventure, but Neji had learned that different textures always told a story; scent was another big one, and Neji was beginning to learn how to differentiate the scent of a person to the scent of food and animals; sound, which Neji learned was more difficult to pick apart and place with a single life form; and pressure. Naruto had taught him that little trick first today, and how to use it in an open area more so than a confined room, but that didn’t stop Neji from trying and practicing.

He would never heal – he knew that. It was an unyielding truth, but here he had a chance to adapt. He’d never be as he once was, but maybe greater. Naruto hadn’t let him believe otherwise and now Neji didn’t want to believe otherwise. He would practice honing his other senses, if only to kick Naruto’s ass later.

Neji snorted. Trust fall my ass, the young Hyuuga thought. He cocked his head and listened, hearing the gentle heartbeat of Hinata approaching. He judged her distance to the door and debated about making a break for it. He wouldn’t get far, he finally decided, and since Naruto was stuck on jungle gym duty for the next month, there really was no point. Neji just couldn’t navigate on his own very well yet. The door slid open and Neji listened to Hinata shuffle across the floor and set something down. A tray. Food, then. His guess was answered when the pungent smell of teriyaki wafted at the nose. A bitter part of his mind wondered if this was his last meal before the execution, but Hiashi had already blamed Naruto for Neji’s disobedience.

“Please eat, Neji-nii-san. You’ll need your strength.”

Neji sighed. “Hinata-sama, I appreciate your concern, but I’m not an invalid.”

“We know,” Hinata said with a bit of vehemence. “But you aren’t giving us a chance to help you.”

“You’re treating me like a terminal patient. At least Naruto has the guts to defy Hiashi-sama and treat me like a person.”

“Naruto was out of line!” Hinata said. “He shouldn’t have been here.”

“I wouldn’t think you would have approved.” Neji whispered. The pressure of the room changed slightly. Was Hinata embarrassed or upset?

“Eat,” she finally said curtly. He listened to her rise and leave, waiting a moment before he followed the scent to the food, found his chopsticks, and began to eat. Taste, he decided, he would have to work on by himself.


Hinata was a flurry of motion as she took her anger and frustration out on a practice dummy. It never ceased to amaze the young woman how much she had changed over the years, from her attitude to her demeanor to the love of her life. She loved Neji like a brother, and she wanted to help him, she really did, but Hiashi forbade her from doing so. And it wasn’t because Neji was blind, she understood, but because Hiashi was afraid of losing him again. If she told Neji this he’d be torn between obeying and being free, so she kept her mouth shut. However, in doing so, she knew she was tearing herself up inside. She gave a hard punch to the training dummy and gasped as it blew apart with the force of her chakra.

There was a whistle from behind her, and Hinata flushed scarlet when she turned to see Naruto and Ino behind her. Almost, for a moment, jealousy coursed through her, but she knew Ino was just in the same squad as Naruto. Besides, Ino loved –her– not –him–. Hinata saw Naruto flinch a bit and suddenly wondered if she shouldn’t have told Hiashi about Naruto’s involvement with Neji’s escape.

“Hey, Hinata,” Ino said, pulling Naruto along with her. The male gave her a quick salute.

“Hey, Ino was looking for you. And hey, look, we found you. Gotta go, bye!”

And Naruto was gone in a puff of smoke and burning ozone.

Ino frowned. “He’s getting better at that.”

“I think it’s my fault.” Hinata said softly. “I got him in trouble with my family.”

“You’re cheating on me?”

Hinata flushed scarlet, her eyes watering. “What!? –NO–! How could you think that!?”

Ino grabbed onto Hinata and hugged her tight. “Easy. I was joking.”

“Some joke.” Hinata whispered with a sniffle. Ino sighed and pressed her lips to the brunette’s hair.

“I’m sorry.” Ino said finally. “I’ll make it up to you somehow, okay?”

Hinata nodded and gave a soft sigh. “I think it’s the whole situation with Neji that’s driving me crazy. Naruto tried to help him and he got in trouble.”

“I have to agree with Naruto on this one, Hinata,” Ino said after a moment. “I know your dad’s upset about what happened, but babying Neji isn’t going to make him better.”

“I know that! But he doesn’t believe that. I want Neji to be happy and I can’t think of a way to do that.”

Ino frowned and tilted her head in thought, finally sighing. “Maybe Naruto will have an idea.”

Hinata frowned but nodded. Naruto did have good ideas, as hair-brained as most were sometimes. After all, he managed somehow to stay alive after every idiotic move he made, so maybe he would have an idea as to heal Neji’s spirit. It worked when he’d snuck onto the Hyuuga grounds to kidnap Neji, so maybe it would work now. The thing every ninja feared was being predictable. The only exception seemed to be Naruto, who probably didn’t care either way. He was Kyuubi’s vessel after all. Couldn’t get more conspicuous even if he tied a bulls’ eye to his back. So they found him at Ichiraku, downing yet another bowl of ramen. Ino sat down on Naruto’s left, Hinata his right, and the only response the women received was a loud slurp.

“Graceful,” Ino muttered.

“Not my etiquette keeping me alive,” Naruto replied after swallowing a mouthful of noodles. “What would the ladies like?”

“We need your help.” Hinata replied. “With Neji.”

“As I recall, I’m banned from anything having to do with Neji.”

“Don’t be an asshole, Naruto.” Ino groused. “We just need your opinion on how to make Neji better.”

Naruto glanced at Ino, then to Hinata. Finally he shrugged.

“My honest opinion,” Naruto began, “is that Neji will never heal if he’s kept in the Hyuuga household. He’ll be treated as an invalid ‘til the day he dies. So take him out of there.”

“And put him where?” Hinata asked. “He can’t wander around by himself and my father will never agree for a single guard.”

“That’s easy. Gaara owes a few favours to us.”

“You want him to go to Suna?”

Naruto shrugged. “He’ll be pushed there. He’ll be forced to use what’s left of his senses to survive. Besides, I’m sure Momogi wouldn’t mind seeing Gaara and Temari.”

Ino looked to Hinata who shrugged. Naruto finished his ramen, pulled out a few bills and set them on the counter before he smiled at the women.

“Make it a family trip to Suna, and invite Neji to go along. It’s not rocket science. See ya.”

He left the pair then, humming. Man, if Gaara found out what Naruto was trying to do, he’d never be found. After all, the desert is a very big place.