184 Burning Courage: Hinata Shines! - 8

After setting out to locate the Hokage they were informed that she had already gone to the hospital to tend to the wounded ninja who had returned to the village. In due course Gaara and his companions went there only to discover Sato, Shino, and Tama loafing off near the front entrance.

Tama had pulled Sato's shirt down successfully after much toil, while the silver haired boy went about explaining himself to his friend. Shino was clearly as offended as Tama had been about being excluded from the retrieval mission.

"Really, Shino, it was nuts," Sato summed it up glumly, "If you had been there maybe we'd all have been alright, but…something tells me that even you would have had a tough time."

"Your assumptions have been off before." Shino retorted stiffly, his sharp hazel eyes gleaming behind his dark glasses, "Since you had the privilege of going you'll meet with me to train every morning for the next month."

"…sometimes I really hate you, Shino."

Tama grinned to herself, glad that Sato was receiving some well-deserved discipline.

The young Hatake spotted Gaara approaching with his cohorts, and he was quick to greet him, "Hey! Gaara-kun! We were wondering where you disappeared to!" He proceeded to fill him in on the details and status of the mission, and who was and wasn't out of commission.

"What do you mean Naruto and Hinata aren't back yet?" Gaara snapped furiously after hearing the news, "You left them out there?"

Sakura's eyes were wide with apprehension. She had thought that everyone had returned at least partially intact, but after being informed her good friends were still in danger, the guilt she had felt earlier resurfaced.

"There was nothing we could do! We were all exhausted, by then," Sato explained, half-heartedly, "The only people who might've been able to keep fighting may have been Shikamaru and Chouji, and they were on their last legs too! What would you have wanted us to do?"

Gaara turned from him, "I'm going to find them."

Temari and Kankuro seized his arms straight away, and his older brother glowered at him warningly, "Need I remind you that your Hokage ordered no one else to leave? Besides, you think Temari and I are going to let you go anywhere without us?"

"I can go." Sato volunteered, smiling blithely, "We didn't exactly go to help before under orders and penalties for insubordination aren't that strict-!"

Tama grabbed him roughly and asked, "Shino-kun, how about a little help here?" The Aburame assisted her in dragging the foolish Hatake home, ignoring his protests and assurances that he was perfectly fine.

It was quiet after that with only the Sand siblings remaining. Gaara calmed down, understanding that what Kankuro had said was true. Leaving would be irrational, especially when Sakura had that despondent look about her again, 'If I leave her alone it could get worse.'

"I want to go make sure Kiba-kun is okay…" The pink haired girl spoke after a moment, "Will someone come with me?"

Kankuro and Gaara looked to Temari and she scowled at them, but then sighed, "Sure, Sakura. I'll go too."

She followed after Sakura into the hospital, deciding to keep the downhearted girl company only because Gaara was so deeply fond of her.

After that it was only Gaara and his older brother, and the red haired boy sat on the curb of the street, sighing heavily. Kankuro did the same, seeing the magnitude of the situation was far worse than what they had originally believed.

For a long while they watched people come and go from the hospital, neither speaking to the other. The roads were uncommonly empty at such an hour of the day and it only made them more anxious.

"When are you going back to Suna?"

Kankuro looked sidelong to his brother, "What?"

"You and Temari don't have to stay here anymore," Gaara reminded him, "When are you two going back?"

He looked ahead at an office building on the other side of the avenue, and a lopsided smile appeared on his face, "Well…we thought we'd stay here until we aren't needed. With you being a Leaf shinobi and all…we thought we're kind of obligated to help you and your village in any way we can."

Gaara snorted at the sentimental logic, but inwardly was grateful they were still willing to stay with him for as long as they could.

"Watch out, Kankuro, or soon you'll be wearing a Leaf headband too."

*

It had been a frantic race back to the village. Naruto felt energy drain from his limbs with every second, but his indomitable spirit forbade him from stopping to rest. He was too proud to show weakness in front of Kakashi either, particularly when his best friend was in such a state.

Naruto had barely noticed when they had reached Konoha.

They flew past the gate, and Kakashi had gotten ahead of him, he being heartier at the time. Both kept to the rooftops with their passengers weak and huddled silently on their backs. Naruto looked over to Hinata from time to time curiously, his heart rate picking up every time he glanced at her demure face, 'I wish things had gone a bit differently. The last thing I wanted was to tell her everything when we were both losing it back there…it still went pretty well, though.'

He was also hoping her eyes were not ailing her, and that Kabuto had not inflicted any injuries to her that they had not yet noticed, 'He said he attacked her heart. He did that to me once and I only made it because Baa-chan was there. How did Hinata-chan survive something like that?'

They were closing in on the hospital and they descended back down to the ground since there was little traffic to avoid. The building came into sight and they were only a block away from it before Naruto stalled suddenly, and Kakashi halted as well, looking back to him, "Naruto? What's wrong?"

They were in the middle of the street. The hospital entrance was dead ahead. Naruto found it funny that things only got worse before they got better. He carefully slipped Haku off of his back, quietly inspecting him after he had sensed a sudden change in his friend.

Naruto's face went ghostly pale and he looked up at Kakashi with eyes wide as saucers, "Haku-kun, he's…he's not breathing anymore."

As if on a silent cue Hinata shimmied away from Kakashi and scrambled over to the blonde boy as he frantically tried to revive Haku. Kakashi approached as well, tentatively, quite upset that they may have been too late.

Hinata, unusually proactive, gently pushed Naruto aside as he began to get hysterical, and she looked for a pulse, a heartbeat: some sign of hope. Her eyes scanned over Haku's numerous wounds morosely, but she frowned in determination, not willing to let the dark haired boy slip away.

Naruto watched her bend down, her small mouth initiating rescue breaths and some part of him clenched up at the sight of the desperate act. He could hear her cooing softly, trying to persuade Haku back to life in-between breaths.

Kakashi laid a hand on her shoulder and pulled her away. She whimpered miserably, but allowed herself to be relocated, already feeling like a failure. Naruto cried openly, letting go of the optimism he'd been clinging to earlier. For once he could be honest with himself in front of Haku, and he hated that his friend wouldn't even know it.

"…I'm sorry…" His voice shook despairingly, "I know that you…you're not like Gaara-kun and I. You don't heal like we do and you can't keep up like we can…but I thought that if I pretended you were…like us…that you would be! That you'd make it!"

Hinata sobbed beside the Copy Ninja, listening to Naruto, and somehow understood what he was referring to. She had always known that he was different, and in some ways recognized that it was the reason for him being ostracized, but she had never suspected that it had also been something he and his friends had been depending on.

"If it were different…if it had been me with these wounds…I would've been okay!" Naruto cried, angrily, "I'd take it all, Haku-kun! I'd take it from you, if I could, in a second! I don't want you to…there's no way that you deserved any of this!"

His mournful wails had drawn attention.

Gaara could recognize Naruto's voice from a mile away, but at the present, he had only been across the boulevard when he had realized his friend had returned. Kankuro followed him quickly to the sight of Naruto's lament.

Hinata looked over to the red haired boy sorrowfully. The look of shock on Gaara's face was as clear as it was on his brother's.

Naruto completely ignored the newcomers' presence and continued on, "Was it worth it, then? I let him go thinking that I could help you. But if it would've turned out like this either way, Haku-kun…would you have wanted me to stay? Would you want me to kill him to get back at him? Settle the score? I would've done it! I would've done it if I'd known!"

"Naruto." Gaara said, his voice low and aghast.

"What did you want me to do?" Naruto asked, staring at Haku's face, unwilling to bring himself to raise his eyes to Gaara.

When the medics arrived they had to pry the blonde ninja away from Haku before taking him into the building, and Kakashi restrained him from chasing after the interns, knowing he'd try to get his friend back if he could.

"Let go!" Naruto was hissing, and with a summoned strength he tore himself away from Kakashi's hold, flailing about, "What the hell do any of you know, anyway? He didn't die on top of you! He didn't suffer near you! Don't act like you-!"

Gaara walloped him ferociously in the side of the head, backhanding him, and Naruto was sent crashing down to the concrete. Hinata made a start to go to him but Kankuro held her back, shaking his head when she gave him an inquiring look.

The small group of shinobi stood in a circle around Naruto, silent, and the blonde boy hobbled to his feet, wiping his lip. He looked over to Gaara, finally back to his senses, "Thanks…Gaara-kun."

Gaara folded his arms commandingly, seeing his friend was again lucid, "You have to stay calm. He isn't dead yet. But if you continue on acting like this then it's just as well."

"I know. I'm sorry…it's just," Naruto's voice grew quiet, "I don't know how I'd get by without Haku-kun. He was there for us since the very start…"

Gaara nodded, "I know."

Seeing an opportunity to check on his team, Kakashi asked at length, "I'm sure at least one of you knows what condition Sakura and Kiba are in, am I right?"

Gaara turned to him, helpfully, "Sakura is fine. She's with Kiba now."

The Copy Ninja nodded in thanks before departing to speak with his students.

"Naruto-kun…"

Naruto glanced over to Hinata who was standing timidly a short distance away from him. She spoke again, "I believe everything is going to be alright. We've come too far for things to fall apart now."

He felt the warm feeling in his chest return again and he edged over to her, miraculously cured of his bleak mindset. He felt like kissing her again, mostly.

He gave her a soft word, trying to draw her in nearer, but curiously, she took a large if not startled hop back from him, leaving him puzzled. For no explicable reason Hinata's eyes had grown wide and were directed behind Naruto's fuzzy, golden head.

"Hinata."

Naruto turned around to see Hiashi had appeared behind him, and it was then he understood why Hinata was desperate not to show any signs of the new relationship.

It would be a swift death warrant for her beloved, as well as her own traditional Hyuga "examination of chastity." She shuddered.

Hinata bowed to her father and he nodded, not hiding the look of relief of his face at the sight of her unharmed. She was quite touched by such an expression.

"We're returning to the compound now. Are you alright, Hinata?"

"I'm fine, Father, but I…" She hesitated, "I do need to tell you something."

"Very well, then." He turned back in the direction of the compound, but Hinata was reluctant to tag along. Naruto gave her an understanding look, mainly comprised of disappointment that he wasn't able to kiss her publicly, but he knew that she was going to be fine, somehow.

Hinata gave a soft squeak of farewell to him before following her father home.

Naruto turned to go with Gaara after that and as they neared the hospital, Gaara thought to ask, "So it's you two as well?"

Naruto was befuddled, "What the heck is that supposed to mean, bastard?"

He smirked, "You look at her like you own her, Naruto. Don't think her father didn't notice."

"Maybe I want him to notice!" Naruto growled, protectively, "I'm not gonna hide how I feel!" There was a pause, "And what do you mean by: as well?"

"Sakura needed a disciplinarian."

Naruto snickered, "Is that what you call it?"

Once in the lobby they had finished arguing over who had been more romantic. It had ended in a stalemate, but Naruto was convinced that he was the undisputed winner since he didn't have to knock Hinata out. Gaara promptly told him to shut up.

"You said that Neji's in surgery?" Naruto was absolutely perplexed after being informed, "You mean he's okay?"

"Okay, as in, not dead yet: yes." Gaara confirmed darkly, "Tsunade-sama is with him now."

Naruto sighed, relieved and shocked, "Whoa. Hinata-chan and I thought…well…some things happened."

"We can discuss it later." Gaara dismissed the subject, sensing Naruto had a long story to tell.

Kankuro announced that he was going to fetch some food because they hadn't eaten anything since the day before. He asked them if they wanted anything before he left: unanimously ramen. Deciding not to question their tastes he went ahead to the cafeteria, unsure if they served noodles in a hospital.

Naruto and Gaara had found the waiting room on the second floor was empty of civilians. Apparently, at Hayate's request, it had been reserved for only shinobi who were waiting on word about their injured teammates. Tenten was fast asleep in one of the burgundy armchairs, and they kept quiet, not wanting to disturb the anxious kunoichi.

Time dragged by hauntingly and the sun sank down below the horizon.

Passing nurses knew better than to ask the waiting ninja to go home (since they were notoriously stubborn and had dealt with them before) as hours crawled by in the night. The three of them sat silent in the echoing, empty room, the sound of their breathing was the only communication they needed.

The following morning Gai and Lee had come to check on Tenten, who was in no better state of emotional or physical health after spending the night waiting. Eventually, after a long, semi-persuasive speech from Gai and his protégé they managed to convince her to get some proper rest.

They escorted her from the hospital to her apartment with youthful assurances that their treasured Hyuga warrior would be well in no time. Yet she was reluctant to assume anything when she still didn't know what condition he was in.

Gaara and Naruto did not budge from where they were, even at Temari and Kankuro's insistence.

They were brought food periodically as they waited endlessly for word on Haku. Day turned into night again and they slept in the waiting room, spread out on the chairs uncomfortably. The next day arrived unceremoniously, and neither had heard a thing from any doctor on their friend, even after Naruto had implored some of them for information.

All they had been told was that Shizune had gone to him and that her face had been wracked with panic.

That didn't necessarily make them feel any better, so after a while they stopped asking altogether.

They fell asleep again, both exhausted with worry. Naruto woke at noon to see Jiraiya sitting across from them in a chair, his hands resting on his knees while he watched them with a contemplative expression.

Naruto roughly shook Gaara back to consciousness, "The Perv's back!"

The red haired boy blinked awake, disoriented and stiff-necked, but quickly gave his teacher his attention.

"When did you get back, Ero-sensei? Where were you?"

"I got back two hours ago from doing some reconnaissance near the country border." Jiraiya answered succinctly, none of his playfulness present at the time, "I've just spoken with Tsunade."

Naruto and Gaara quickly understood that he was referring to Haku's situation, and they kept silent, waiting for results.

There was a lack of something in Jiraiya's gaze. He sighed deeply, staring at the both of them intently, "Listen. We all need to have…a long chat about what's just happened…"

Naruto felt something fluttering inside of him die.