Whispers In The Dark

Love, Hate And Curses

Hinata woke up to a familiar scent; something warm and yet rusty. Something fluffy tickled her cheek and from the corner of her eyes, she saw familiar adorable whiskers. Sasuke came into her view, "Are you alright Hinata? We are heading to the tower now. Hang in there,"

She felt feverish, cold and light headed.

Someone hummed a familiar lullaby...

She woke up in a hospital room and turned her head to see that the table by her bed near the window has a vase holding a stalk of white lily. She blinked at it, somehow knowing that it was Naruto as he sometimes bring her random stalks of white lily. Sasuke would always suspiciously stare at it. It was only when they visited his house because he had food poisoning that one time and didn't appear at the training ground did she realize why he was suspicious of Naruto's flower. He had a garden of it and must have been paranoid that Naruto had stolen his flowers.

Then when they went to Naruto's house that one time because he didn't appear at the training ground even after Kakashi showed up, it turned out he had been growing white lilies in pots at his apartment. From the careful cut she can see from the flowers she knew where Naruto get his white lilies from. She wondered why both boys have this strange fascination with the flower...

Naruto was fine by the way. He just got stuck on the white throne from drinking bad milk...

But Sasuke never bring her any kind of flowers. She was glad that he didn't, actually. She won't know what to do with it and his fan girls will go rabid on her...again. So that could only mean one thing; Naruto. She groaned as she moved, her head heavy from lingering fever.

The door opened and Naruto entered with a new stalk of white lily. He caught her awake and his face lit up, "Hinata-chan! You're okay!"

Hinata asked, "The exam...what happened?"

He hummed, taking his time to answer as he changed the day old white lily in the vase for a fresher cut. He looked at her, "Well...you're too sick to continue so you're disqualified. Sasuke's stubborn and he did won the preliminary. Oh! That happened because there're too many people so we had to do some elimination round first. Sasuke and I passed though, so don't worry,"

Hinata looked down, "I..."

Naruto grabbed her healthy hand, "Hinata. Don't blame yourself. You protected us, dattebayo! You did your part and you did it wonderfully! We would have been dead had you not pushed through for us even with your own injuries. This has nothing to do with being a Hyuuga or a Kunoichi. You did what you can and your own part as Team 7. That's all that mattered!"

Hinata blushed at the warmth of his words, "Thank...thank you," She sobbed, tears burning her sight. She had been so afraid. She was so afraid that none of them would make through. It was truly the Forest of Death. She felt Naruto's arms circling her. She remembered, his cold face as he told Sasuke to end the enemy in the forest without torturing them. She shivered.

She wanted to push him away but...he did that to save her. He did that to keep her safe. He didn't prolong their suffering. He just ended them right there and then. Hinata wondered if she was just deluding herself so she won't think the worse of Naruto...

She grew drowsy from crying so much. Hinata felt Naruto gently arrange her to sleep on the bed proper. She looked at him and saw his face, gentle and serene as he smiled at her. His eyes warm but...something dark lurk under the still water of his blue gaze...

The ocean is pretty and warm under the summer sun but...the depth still hid deadly secrets...

As Hinata slept, she didn't notice her late night visitor. Sasuke looked at her asleep on the bed. Her fever had gone down from what he can tell from her more peaceful expression. He noticed that the flower looked fresher and knew that Naruto had visited her. Her fever was due to her injured kidney. Had they been any slower Hinata would have died from toxic poisoning due to the rupture in her kidney. She had been held under sedative by the hospital since she was sent to them for quick dialysis and surgery.