I know I’m late. I apologise. I had everything written out and then I decided I was rushing things again and pushed the written chapter to chapter eight. I still feel I’ve rushed it and haven’t got some points across. Oh well...I’m back to school now and won’t have easy access to the net so updating will be iffy. I just need to brush up chapter eight and I’ll have it posted for you.

I forgot to do this in the last chapter but Agent Simmons is all mine...sick bastard that he is. I might bring him back later just to stir up some trouble.

My deepest gratitude to all those who have reviewed in the past. You know who you are. You make my day.

There’s a tiny bit of citrus in this chapter. Just a warning for those who didn’t take the M status of this story seriously.

Chapter 7

She knew she was running but didn’t give a damn about it. Running had never felt so good. Then again, neither had the feel of her palm smacking across someone’s cheek. Had she been too hasty in reacting to the Agent’s words? Had she allowed her shame to overcome her judgement? Hinata had never hit anyone save for Chantal Johnson all those years ago when the girl had pulled Hanabi’s hair and it hadn’t felt as good as when she slapped the FBI agent. The tingling in her palm was well worth it, she thought as she locked her bedroom door and threw herself onto her bed.

Slipping her earrings onto the bedside table, Hinata allowed the tears to flow freely, allowing the grief to pour out in waves, her anger and frustration taking over towards the end and finally, exhaustion...pulling her into sleep.

Meanwhile with the others...

Sasuke was rubbing Sakura’s swollen feet as she’d propped them up onto his lap. He knew the action often put her to sleep and that was his intention. They both needed to catch a few winks since they’d been on the road for so long, her especially, considering her ‘condition’.

“Mmm Sasuke... right there. Ooh yah that’s the spot.” Sakura moaned. “If we weren’t already married I’d ask you to, just to get you to do this every night.”

Sasuke gave her a teasing smile. “Only this? I believe the reason you’ve gained thirty pounds is because you loved the other thing that I do.”

His wife blushed as he leaned forward to whisper in her ear, “You seemed to love it when I did this to your nipple.”

He tweaked her little toe and watched as his wife jumped. He increased the pressure of his thumb and rubbed in circles on the same spot on her arch.

“Or when I did this to your little jewel.” Sakura’s face soon matched the colour of her hair and Naruto squinted from across the room, where he was talking to Neji and Hiashi, at the couple.

“Oi, what are you saying to her? She’s blushing and Sakura doesn’t blush!” This only made her turn a darker shade of pink as the other men turned to study her.

“Dope.” A raised eyebrow followed the response. Sasuke turned back to his wife and eyed her hungrily.

“Sasuke! Don’t look at her like that. The last time was how she ended up like this in the first place. Oh wait. Seeing as you were at it like rabbits, I doubt you know which time finally did it eh?” This earned a giggle from Hanabi who had returned to her drawing. The giggle quickly turned into laughter that only stopped when Chip silenced her with a kiss.

“Be careful or I just might put you in the same state.” He said which resulted in more laughter.

“My father would have you at the altar so fast you’ll think superman flew you there.” He laughed then pinned her to the bookshelf for another kiss.

“I think that’s a good incentive. Just say where and when.” He placed his book on the floor as he kissed her again. The adults in the room froze. Did he just?

“Dude. Did you just ask her to marry you?” Naruto was staring incredulously at the youth.

“Yeah. And she’ll put me down again.” Hanabi scrambled to her feet and dragged Chip along with her out the door. She paused as she walked by her father and said, “Don’t you dare get any ideas. You will not be hearing wedding bells anytime soon.” She made her exit and Naruto turned to Neji.

“What’s next? Oprah running in and screaming that she’s bought me a private plane?”

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Chip waited till they were safely in Hanabi’s room before pinning her against the door. He reached for the lock and turned it then leaned into her, breathing in her scent.

“Remind me again why you say no every time I ask you?” Hanabi gasped as he nibbled on her ear. He bit down gently then sucked on the spot, eliciting a moan from her. She reached her hands up and wrapped them around his neck then parted her legs, allowing him to fit himself to her.

“You know why Chip. Let’s not go into that again.” She moaned once again, as he flicked his tongue into her ear and drew a leg up and about his waist, grinding the evidence of his arousal gently against her.

“Let’s pretend I’ve forgotten. I love you, you love me...I practically live in your house, which is quite amazing seeing as how your dad is a controlling ass and in a few minutes I’m going to be doing things to you that no father would want to know about.” Hanabi giggled at this and Chip shook his head before lowering it to capture her lips.

“You torture the old guy, you know that? He wants grandkids and Hinata hasn’t given him any. You’re his last hope.” He said this as he ran his hands down her sides, touching everywhere but where she wanted them.

“He’s enjoying this.” Hanabi thought as the butterflies fluttered about in her stomach and warmth pooled at her core. “He’s going to make me beg.”

“Yeah well he’ll have to deal with it.” She said between pants as her body reacted to her boyfriend’s every touch. His hand cupped a tender mound of flesh, causing her to arch her back while he bit and sucked gently on a spot on her neck.

“Chip. You’re going to drive me crazy if you don’t...” His hands slid under her shirt and Hanabi lost all coherent ability.

She allowed him to wrap her other leg around him and carry her over to the bed. Finally feeling her warm sheets beneath her she reached a hand out to his jeans protected length only for him to pull back and slide her mini skirt up.

“Oh no you don’t. Did I ever tell you how much I love seeing you in tights?” He grabbed the edge of the black tights with his teeth then tugged slowly, pulling them down, using his hands when necessary. He stopped mid-thigh.

“Or how much I love it when you go commando? His hands yanked off the hosiery and Hanabi scooted back as his breath hit her bare skin. He looked up from his resting place at her private spot and met her eyes.

“I won’t beg you Chip.” He laughed then blew gently on her heated skin, watching her squirm.

“Oh no Tempest. I don’t want to hear you beg.” He blew once more and before he lowered his head said,

“The only thing I want is to hear you screaming one word. Now, will you marry me?” The next instant, a breathy moan filled the air.

“Oh Chip.”

“Wrong answer.” He said and proceeded to find out the number of different words that could pop into the head of one delirious Hanabi Hyuuga.

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Breakfast had been an awkward affair, with Hinata staying in her room the entire time. Hanabi and Chip escaping earlier meant the three outsiders had to share an uncomfortable meal with Hiashi and Neji.

Neji had tried to loosen up the atmosphere by talking about work and describing his latest project to His new boss. It was a remote controlled device that he’d shaped like a fly, complete with buzzing sound, a microphone and tiny zoom camera that could infiltrate the Pentagon if need be. He insisted he would be done with it in a few more weeks. Sakura had been enthusiastic in her praise for his ingenuity as she sat leaning against Sasuke, his hands soothing the ache in her lower back. She’d joined Neji’s attempt by telling him about the attack on her and Sasuke.

“How did you get away from them with a flat tyre then?”

Sakura had smiled at the younger Hyuuga and stated simply, “Run Flats. They’ll take you for a maximum of seven hours if need be. We just stopped when Sasuke felt it was safe and changed the tyre. No biggie.” Neji nodded and made a mental note to look into these Run Flats. Naruto pointed out that the man was hopeless with anything that didn’t have to do with electronics and it was the truth.

Naruto had thought initially that the glares Hiashi was dishing out were directed at him. Suffice it to say he was surprised when he noticed Sasuke was doing the same. The two kept it up all through the meal and in the end, Neji gave up his attempt at having a normal conversation. He sighed then gazed pointedly at the silently warring males.

“I mean no disrespect uncle, but don’t you suppose that you and the Uchiha could pull out the sticks you’ve shoved so deeply into your behinds for the few minutes we’ll be together?” He paused, sighed once more then placed his hands on the table as he stood.

“It’s been five years for Christ’s sake. Admit it uncle, you were wrong, the Uchiha was right...I won’t stay here and endure this childish behaviour. You’re grown men. Fight it out or something.” With that, he grabbed the last bagel and left the room. Naruto looked round the table.

“Okay, that was awkward.” Knowing he wouldn’t get answers from the Hyuuga patriarch, he turned to his best friend.

“What happened five years ago?” Hiashi scowled at Sasuke one last time then left the room, his anger radiating off him in waves.

“Nothing much idiot, only that I punched out the bastard.” Sasuke smirked then jumped as Sakura pinched him.

“What? It was before I met you and you took care of my anger issues.” Finally left to themselves, the three friends pored over the information they already had.

“Ok, so we know that Itachi was killed and someone grabbed Hinata. Somehow she ended up with Orochimaru if our guess is right from the description she gave. We know he joined them. I can’t believe that snake is still alive. After ratting out SHADOW he should have been taken out.” Sasuke frowned.

“You know there’re only seven people who fit into her description of Itachi’s murderer. Who do you think is most likely to be our man?”

Naruto pondered for a minute then said, “well we know that one of them, Raiga is dead...damn bastard was burying people alive and crying at their funerals...my team took him out...one of my first missions with SHADOW. Three of them are in jail right now...no chance of a prison break and that leaves us with three more choices.” The two men sighed.

“We’ll need to speak to Hinata, see how well she knew Itachi’s pals. Only she can help us narrow this down.” Naruto said as he stared down at his plate. When she wakes up we’ll sit her down. It’s time Mrs. Uchiha told us what the hell is going on.”

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Akamaru lumbered into Hinata’s room and jumped onto her bed. He lapped at her face till she giggled then lay flat out, allowing her easier access to his ears.

“Well aren’t you smart? Opening doors and letting yourself in uninvited.” She laughed as he rolled over onto his back and began to scratch his tummy, a move that resulted in exultant yips and the kicking of his legs in the air. Akamaru was in doggy heaven.

When she finally stopped pampering the dog, Hinata got off her bed and proceeded to wash her face, trying to erase the tell-tale signs of crying. She gave up in the end when the puffiness refused to go away and consoled herself with the fact that they were no longer as red.

Hyuuga did not cry...and if they were weak enough to do so, they waited till they were alone. No one had ever said anything about Hyuuga not letting anyone see them after the shameful act. She had to go see Naruto and she doubted he would be happy with what she had to say.

Meanwhile, Naruto had gone back to his room when they were done with breakfast. After refilling Akamaru’s dish with mineral water he plugged in his laptop. The first thing he did was send an email to Jiraiya demanding to know what was going on and assuring him of his safety. The second thing was to check his portfolio. He sent a couple more messages then signed out and shut down the machine, making sure to stow away his pride and joy. Just as he was beginning to wonder where Akamaru had run off to, the door to his room opened to reveal said dog and a panicked looking Hinata.

“What’s wrong?” He pulled her into the room and shut the door. Naruto waited till she settled herself on the bed before squatting down before her. He drew a dainty hand into his and stroked it while he looked into her pale eyes. He noted the slight red tinge to them.

“Hinata, what is it?” Her breath was erratic, her sizeable chest heaving in time to its wild tempo. Hinata swiped a hand across her eyes and hiccupped before she spoke.

“You’re the Red Fox.” She said and Naruto drew back as though slapped. There, she’d confirmed her suspicions.

“What? How did you...?” He stared back at her incredulously as she swallowed his unconscious admission.

“I felt I had seen you somewhere before and something father said about me not paying attention to people I meet at events...I always stayed hidden when Itachi took me out and people ignored me, assuming I couldn’t speak...” She paused and he waited patiently for her to continue.

“I remember you from the Akimichi benefit two years past. Itachi spotted you and pointed you out to one of his friends. He called you the Red Fox.” She placed a hand on his cheek and smiled wistfully.

“You’re the one who’s been causing them all that trouble. You’re the one the Akatsuki want to kill. Father said he didn’t want your trouble to spill into ours...it’s too late.” Okay, so she actually knew he was Red Fox. Practically anyone in law enforcement knew about him, it wasn’t that big of a secret. The fact that she’d garnered that information from Itachi, one of the most active members of Akatsuki didn’t sit well with him though. And what did she mean by it was too late? What exactly was she keeping from them?

“Hinata, you have to trust me okay? I don’t want you to get hurt anymore than you already have. You have to tell me the truth.” She nodded, whimpering.

“I was afraid to...”

“You were afraid telling me would drag me into this, yeah I know but it can’t get any deeper than it is right now. Tell us what we need to know...leave out what you feel is too personal. We already know the most of it from what the FBI forensics team uncovered.”

“I’ll try.” She said as she pulled herself up from the chair. She smiled at him ruefully and walked to the door. Naruto waited till she had her hand on the knob before calling out, “Hinata, I know your secret!” The twisting motion of her hand stilled and she turned to face him, her face white as a sheet. She stammered slightly as she spoke. It was over. She’d been found out and any hopes of pretending he was wrong were shot when she’d frozen at the sound of his voice.

“How long have you known?” He smiled and walked up to her to whisper in her ear.

“Since the morning after I found you.” He ruffled her hair. “Your secret’s safe with me. I’m just wondering why you’d keep quiet about it.” He stroked the clip-on on her ear and eyed it cautiously.

“Neji.” He said, not needing her confirmation. “Sheer genius that man. How long has it been?” Hinata sighed and slumped her shoulders in defeat.

“Almost six years now. It was before father arranged the marriage with Itachi.” She looked down at her feet.

“Why? Why would you pretend?”

Hinata looked away, her head bowed as she said, “You wouldn’t understand.” It was purely for selfish reasons that she’d pretended to still be deaf.

Naruto leaned back and gave her a look that stated, “Try me.” She sighed, shame registering across her features.

“I’m not ready okay? I can’t let anyone know until everything’s perfect. Father will never accept less than perfection. Hanabi doesn’t want to run the family businesses...and father would never let me take over. He thinks I’m too weak. I need to bid my time.”

She gave him one last imploring look. “Please, promise me you’ll tell no one. It could mean death for me.” He nodded and before he could ask her anymore questions, she was out the door, tugging off the ear rings and slipping them into her pocket. So Hinata didn’t just stumble onto something. She may actually have heard Itachi and his buddies making plans. That put a whole new spin to the equation.

Naruto felt his blood boil. What sort of a father pushed his children that way? Here she was, twenty five years old and scared to death of not living up to his expectations, having to resort to treachery just to obtain that which should rightfully have been hers. Hyuuga Hiashi had no idea how strong a woman he had raised and to what extent she would go to make him proud.

The citrus also concerns me. Was it tacky? Should I remove it? I have a feeling someone will say that Hanabi was too submissive. (thinking in head... ‘oh you have no idea what she does when she is in control’)