I know, I know, it's been FOREVER. It's insane. The updates will come very quickly on this one, though, because I've already got 5 chapters written. It's a NaruHina, but very much an AU one. Hinata may be slightly OOC at times, because I wanted to make her a little bit tougher. I think she's still Hinata. Also, Naruto's slightly more...streetwise. But he's in a gang, so I think that makes sense too.

Naruto is Masashi Kishimoto's. The setting, and nothing else, is mine. Now I think I'm done delaying your reading. I'm very curious to see how this will be received.

Lady Hyuuga Hinata would have been the last to confess her mixed feelings about the place into which she had been born, but that was only because she had learned from birth to hide any such feelings. To her, the Hyuuga castle meant home and school—and danger. Like any well-bred palace girl, she had her friends in the ornately grim halls of her home. The staff favored her over the rest of her noble family, mainly because the young heiress treated them like people rather than domesticated labor animals. She had attendants who were frivolous and superficial, but they were enjoyable company if you were in a good mood. Hinata thought of them as friends because she had enough enemies that adding a few extra names into the other category could only help her.

This didn’t trouble Hinata unduly. She was a keenly intelligent girl, and the frequent battles of verbal steel with various members of her family had come to be another form of entertainment for her. Overall, she thought, the most useful thing she had ever learned was by far the ability to defend herself in the field of discussion while pretending to be unaware of the attacks. The Hyuuga family would defend her virtue and her livelihood, but the first of the two was in no danger and the second was trivial to Hinata. She was nobility, and most concerned with her pride, reputation, and character, though the latter was rare in one of her position. The Hyuuga would have marginalized Hinata into the role of a dutiful and maidenly puppet that they could both show off to visitors and control with ease if she was ever truly permitted to receive her birthright, but Hinata had both subtly and emphatically resisted their efforts. Her family spurned her and isolated her, but she could tell they feared her, too. She was proud of that.

The Hyuuga adults could be used for protection and advancement, even if that advancement was always gradual and reluctant. Hinata’s maidenly façade prompted her family to give her things she wanted or needed without much questioning, and her iron will kept them respectful enough to listen to her if she was insistent enough. Hinata’s quiet determination also kept the others constantly suspicious, but she was careful enough with her strengths that those cold figures could only suspect without proof. She was clever—her whole life had been a battle where she was expected to fight with a sheathed sword. Hinata had once been a sweet, shy, dependent girl who was sickeningly obedient, but that had changed with the death of the last person who truly cared about her—her mother.

Aleya Hyuuga was as strong as her daughter appeared weak. She died defending her home from an assassin when her father was hospitalized with a wound. For five years before she died, starting on Hinata’s sixth birthday, Aleya had summoned her daughter each day for lessons in strength and poise. The girl was shy and hesitant, afraid to take risks or even call attention to herself. When she saw her brave, strong mother’s death occur without acknowledgment or ceremony because Aleya was an in-law, Hinata began to take those lessons to heart. She had grown strong, and just a little cold. The local boys were awed by her, but they feared her too. She didn’t care. Hinata had seen her mother die for a man, and saw that same man refuse to defy propriety to honor her death. She would take no suitor, no chauvinistic nobleman courting her for looks and dowry.

If I am ever loved, it will be for who I am.

It was the day after the Midsummer Feast, a grandly boring affair that everyone on the mountain—the Hyuuga, their entourage, and a few neighboring clans—was to attend. Hinata had danced and smiled as much as any girl, while still managing to avoid any pursuits that she perceived in the wine-addled brains of the young men around her. Until you’re positive you found the right one, the only way you should ever touch a man between his legs is to kick him there, her mother had once told her. Aleya could be vulgar, and she never sheltered her daughter from unpleasant truths. Though Hinata hadn’t learned the value of her mother’s teachings until Aleya was dead, they governed her life now. She spun nimbly out of the boys’ reaches, and blushed shyly if anyone spoke to her. Well did Hinata remember shyness, and she used those memories to guide her away from the idle flirtation. One day, she told herself, I’ll find someone who knows how to flirt as a man and not a bull. Until then, I stay away from the games of shallow boys. Their horns are dangerous.

The sun set slowly the next day, and Hinata watched it ease gradually over the horizon. The feast had gone well, and the Hyuuga was gaining influence. Economically, nothing much was different, but the heiress noticed that the servants were receiving better wages. She approved, because Aleya had always reminded her that servants were people, and people are dangerous when they’re unhappy. All the same, there was no hint of unhappiness in the castle that day, and everyone went to bed content that those in the Hyuuga household were as well-off as anyone could be.

But this certainty was blown aside that night in the mind of one young woman, who, upon hearing the unmistakable sound of foreign footsteps climbing her stairs, realized that improving the Hyuuga security might be a prudent idea. The stairs were long, and Hinata’s hearing was good, so she had a few minutes to prepare for the unidentified visitor. The only way to evade him was a near-suicidal jump off the balcony of her tower. She would have to bluff her way out of this one.

Thinking quickly, Hinata used the resources she had to her advantage. Using all she’d heard from the books her attendants gushed about, she created the image of a beautifully helpless captive and set about making herself look the part. Briskly, Hinata picked a lacy white nightgown and stripped out of her more practical sleepwear to put the thing on. It was somewhat revealing, but it was the best she had. With that same efficiency, Hinata fixed her hair, arranging it so it was just mussed enough to suggest innocence. She lay restlessly on the bed, waiting for whoever it was.

Before too long, she heard the expected hands picking her lock. When the door burst open, she gave a very convincing gasp of surprise and curled up next to her pillow. Through forcedly wide eyes, she looked her intruder over—and had to bite her lip to keep from gasping again. Unruly blonde hair, wicked sky-colored eyes, whisker marks across tan cheeks…it had to be.

Hinata knew who the man in her bedchambers was. Everyone on the mountain would have recognized him. Her eyes swept across the deceptively innocent face of one of the most dangerous criminals in the area. Shinobi was a gang of teenagers Hinata’s age that were famous for terrorizing nobility, and had gained notoriety all over the mountain. Naruto was one of the ringleaders.

“You’re Uzumaki Naruto,” she whispered, not needing to overact her astonishment much. He raised a golden eyebrow. She could see the predatory satisfaction he took from situations like these. Sick, Hinata thought, cornering a defenseless girl in her own room and calling it sport. She straightened up a little. But I am not as defenseless as I seem. Her musings were curtailed by the boy’s reply.

“You’ve heard of me.” It wasn’t a question. He walked towards her with trouble in his smile, and bowed jauntily in a way that could only have been a mockery. “I’m sure none of it was good. Your father hates me.” His tone was bright, as if he was an invited guest at a party.

“Why are you here?” Hinata stammered, trying to sound afraid. She inched backwards against the bed, and he watched her with amusement.

“Only information, milady,” he said with a reassurance that any woman without Hinata’s self-possession might have found seductive. She felt Naruto’s eyes sweep over her seemingly afraid posture. “Though I’m not sure I came to the right place.” Almost despite herself, Hinata raised her head to meet his eyes. Just before she would have given herself away, she smothered her indignation. It’s praise that he’s so fooled, she told herself firmly. Never mind that mother would have a knife at his throat by now. She’s dead, and I have to handle this my way. But how can I keep him interested enough to keep me alive? And as she wondered, she thought of an idea that made her smile.

“What do you want to know?” The question emerged somewhere between a purr and a murmur. She leaned forward a bit, trying to make the action seem unconscious. Hinata felt the front of her nightgown slide downwards as the lace on her leg crawled a bit up her thigh. Naruto’s eyes widened a little, and she felt his gaze move away from her posture. Almost curious, she looked discreetly at the scene in the vanity. Naruto’s eyes were fixed on her, but not her eyes. It was safe. Casually, Hinata noted the appearance she took. It seemed to be working, so it was something to remember.

Her hair was hanging in wisps down her bare neck. The nightgown was nearly falling off one marble shoulder, and a light blush swept the ivory skin of her cheeks. Elegant legs crossed perfectly, almost fully shown when the cream silk of the nightgown halted mid-thigh. From the thief’s standing position, Hinata was sure Naruto could see an indecent amount of what the deep V of her nightgown was supposed to hide. She took in her beauty easily, waiting for him to respond.

“I wanted to know the layout of the castle,” he said. “Everyone says you can’t get in.” He scoffed a little, and Hinata’s blush deepened a calculated shade as she thought of how easily he’d come through her door. Thinking of an easy way to get him caught, Hinata rose from the bed and walked to the balcony in a way designed to call his attention to her. She brushed his shoulder with the lace neck of her nightgown, and he followed her. They stood facing each other, the wind raising the gown’s hem still further and ruffling his hair. It was a warm night, and Hinata could hear echoes of merry chatter from the corners of the castle. He’s a fool if he thinks I’ll give away the secrets of my own home, she thought. “What are you going to show me?” Naruto asked, a hint of desire shading the edge of the question. He met her gaze.

“You’re not the first man in my bedroom,” she told him with just a hint of boldness in her face. Turning away, she pointed out at the guard towers littering the grounds. “But you’re the first to break in. The guards are my father’s best.” She had to sound shy but matter-of-fact, not arrogant or even deliberately flirtatious. Naruto was just a man, even if he was a clever one. Her nightgown and her blush were flirtation enough.

“There are ways in, though, I’m sure.” She looked at him, gauging the innocence of his remark. Idly, she took in his appearance in the same way she did her own. He was attractive, she supposed, if she were the type to get attracted. The hair was blowing gently over lively blue eyes, and he was strong—she could see bold muscles beneath his vest. Yet the eyes that stared back at her showed a dangerous interest in her response.

“I’m not allowed out much,” she admitted softly. “I see how my friends get through, and not much more. You’d probably be much cleverer than them, though,” she kept her tone neutral, not wanting to lay it on too thick. She spoke of the palace’s impregnability while stealthily easing towards the alarm bell by one of her many windows.

“I wonder how good your guards are,” he mused. Hinata grinned to herself. Want to find out?

“Well,” she said, “I don’t know,” and with that, she reached quickly for the bell rope.

She underestimated Naruto’s speed. He grabbed her wrist before she could pull but one of the alarm rings. One signaled nothing, and Hinata knew the guards would assume a bird had knocked it. Looking in Naruto’s eyes, she saw a flash of steel and felt the tiniest flicker of fear.

“You were going to call the Eagles on me, weren’t you?” He used the street nickname for the Hyuuga guards, and his voice was frighteningly soft. It made Hinata shiver. “That’s not very fair, birdling.” What could have been a term of endearment was almost a threat from his lips. “They can fly, and I can’t.” As quick as he grabbed her hand, she felt the flat of a dagger burn ice into the shadowed place between her breasts, right over her heart. She made to scream, but he covered her mouth with a broad hand.

“I can’t fly either,” she replied, hissing to make the words intelligible. She pressed against the knife just slightly enough to draw a little stream of blood. When it hit the ground in a puddle, she traced whiskers discreetly onto the floor so they would know who he was. If he killed her, she wanted him hanged for it. He drew back when he saw her bleeding, but didn’t notice what she had done with the blood. Keeping the knife close enough to threaten, he put a steady finger to the cut. As he spoke, he drew lines across her cheek with terrible softness until she was whiskered, like him.

“No, you can’t. You whore your way along until someone will help you, and you don’t stand up for yourself. I can see hints of someone with a spine in you, but you hide her.” He regarded her with blank eyes. “I knew your mother, and you’re nothing like her.”

Naruto’s words struck a nerve. He’s wrong about me, Hinata told herself fiercely. But, a little voice in her head whispered, is he really? That’s all you’ve done so far. No. She fought with herself, confidence and self-dislike warring in her mind. Stop. Hinata didn’t care who won the argument. If Hinata was going to prove herself, she had to get out of the mess she was in. Letting her anger guide her, she decided to act. Hinata made a quick decision. She gasped at his touch with all apparent helplessness. Then, as Naruto drew his hand away from her cheek, she grabbed the pinky of the hand over her mouth and pulled until he let go, using his surprise to take his knife. Holding the blade aloft, she let all the fire she’d been keeping back burn out through her eyes. He leapt onto the railing, away from the weapon. I should kill him for what he’s said, she thought. Yet even as she held the knife steady, she realized that she couldn’t kill Naruto for a few reasons. For one thing, she couldn’t explain how she’d been able to overpower him when her whole family thought of her as weak. He knew her mother, and that was a subject of constant interest for Hinata. And finally, he’d treated her like a person, rather than a mistress or a doll. But just because she wouldn’t kill him didn’t mean she would show mercy.

“You’re wrong about me. I’m not a whore, and I won’t sell you this palace’s secrets for anything. This is my home. Leave it now.” With her final words, she shoved him from the railing with all her strength. Hinata heard him land on his hands and knees.

“My apologies,” he whispered up at her. “I mistook you for a lady.” She didn’t know how he did it, but suddenly his voice was at her ear. “I’ll have to call again to see what kind of girl you really are.” Then he was gone.

Sometimes you need to be pushed from the tree in order to fly. And sometimes you realize you had wings all along.

Kind of a cliffhanger, but don't worry, the next chapter will be up quite soon, though sadly, Naruto's not in it.

The line at the end is my own invention. The bird/cage/flight analogy will show up again, I'm sure. It just fits the Hyuuga so well, and the Hyuuga are quite prominent in this story.

Until Next Time,

Rebellia