Dedication goes to emerden101 for the amazing drawing she drew for Hisashi!! It’s on the side.

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Chapter 42

“I swear to Jashin, stop saying that art is eternal you psycho Hyuuga!” I snapped, yet again at Hisashi. He smirked at me, as always. I think he gets satisfaction out of getting me to snap at him like this. This is about the twentieth time today that I’ve snapped at him… and it’s only mid-day. I groaned at the smirk and I rubbed my face.

I’ve known this kid for nearly a week, and we fight on art about every ten seconds. Okay, not really every ten seconds but you get the idea. It’s driving me crazy on all accounts. Me, Emiko Kin, has got someone that can get under my skin like a bug… I now know how Shino feels… sort of. I don’t feed let this guy feed from my chakra though, thank jashin for that.

“Well, Emi. Stop claiming that art is fleeting and I won’t say that’s its eternal,” he retorted and I rolled my eyes at him.

“Don’t call me that, only my friends can call me that,” I muttered, rolling into a back bend to stretch out a bit more. Today I’ve been mostly focused on stretching and moving.

Even though Hisashi has been annoying me, he has been helping me train. I’ve basically perfected my E4, and now he has been pushing me to train when he sees me slaking off. (Which didn’t happen often) Or he really ticks me off and I actually attack him, and he fights back and fight well! You’d think a puppet master would hide behind his puppets but he doesn’t. His taijutsu is better than mine and it annoys me on all ends. But since my training with Guy sensei, I’ve been improving in leaps and bounds. My stamina is up to par and getting better, I’ve swapped out my weights once for heavier ones and my flexibility is way awesome. Two more weeks of training like this and Rin doesn’t stand a chance in hell.

“Aww! Emi, I thought we were friends,” Hisashi cooed at me, and I snickered at the tone of voice.

I won’t admit it to the fellow artist, but he has grown on me. I do consider him a friend, sort of. We have moments that don’t involve an argument about art or my attacking him out of frustration. He is usually a very calm person. He told me a few stories of his life, very vague but I got that he was a ninja, sort of. He doesn’t belong to a village though, so does that make him a ninja or a civilian with ninja abilities? When we just talk, I’ve told him things about me, my team, friends and Deidara, how much I really miss him. I don’t know why I just trust Hisashi, but I do. You know how you meet someone and even though they anger you to all hell, you just know you can trust them? It’s like that weirdly enough.

Rikku has met him twice, her reaction to meeting him was her almost attacking him thinking he was an enemy because Hisashi and I were arguing about art and we were in fighting position. After we settled that, she helped me in training as well, teaching me her two earth style ninjutsu’s. But she comes and she goes, to help Yumi and a scheme she was setting. I think it may just be a prank.

“Be careful there, Hyuuga. Cooing might bring out my pout of doooom! Un,” I warned him and he snickered. He hasn’t seen the pout yet, I’ve mentioned it but he hasn’t seen it. Heh, score one for Emiko.

“I’ll believe it when I see it, little bomber,” eye twitch. Yep, this guy somehow knows that I’m the little bomber. When I asked when he first said it he said. ‘I’ll tell when you need to know,’.

“Do I need to know yet?” I asked and he snorted a laugh. “Yeah, didn’t think so,” I flipped up onto my hands and started to do hand stand push ups. “You suck,” I stuck my tongue out at him.

“And you have mood swings,” he pointed out and I smirked at him.

“I care why?” I asked and he laughed at me. I chuckled as well. “So, Hisashi. Your my age, why weren’t you in my class at the academy?” I saw his eyes become guarded and I pressed on. “I mean, it’s obvious that you’re trained. And trained well. Are you an apprentice of someone? I know a few Hyuuga’s, but they all use their clans Doujutsu and no other type of jutsu.”

All during my words, he tensed up, bit by bit. It wasn’t obvious, but for an artist it was. After all, an artist needs to see all things to truly understand its true beauty.

He looked me in the eyes and he knew I noticed the subtle change in his persona. He sighed and plopped on the ground and stretched his legs out in front of him.

He patted a spot next to him and I understood that he wanted me to sit next to him. I moved from my exercises and I moved near him.

We both looked out the dam, something we tended to do when we talked. It was usually me doing most of the talking but I guess it’s his turn.

“I was born in Konoha, Emiko. In the Hyuuga clan but I don’t consider myself a Hyuuga,” I cocked my head to the side in confusion. He chuckled at me. “My mother, she was the younger sister to Hizashi and Hiashi,” he noticed my confused look and he chuckled lightly. “Hiashi is the clan head and Hizashi was his twin and a branch member,” my eyes widened a bit. I knew a little about the curse of hatred from Lee. We were training together once and mentioned that one of his teammates was a Hyuuga, and then he spoke briefly about the curse mark on Neji’s forehead when he was ranting about how his teammate was un-youthful and a prodigy. I actually forgot about it. It was such a long time ago since that conversation with Lee… a whole different time and it didn’t seem all that important to me because it didn’t affect me and it was mentioned in the passing.

“But that would mean that Hizashi was branded with the curse mark,” I pointed out and Hisashi nodded.

“SO was my mother,” he added and I nodded. “however, when I was born, I was a bit different. My mother noticed right away but the rest of the clan didn’t, not until I was three and my Cousin Hinata was going to turn three did the clan elder, my grandfather notice when my mother died. I didn’t have the Byakugan, my eyes weren’t right and I became the shame of the clan. Oh the shame, the grandson of an elder, the nephew of the head of clan didn’t have the Byakugan,” he sneered and then shook his head to remove the anger in his tone. “The elders planned on killing me, I was no use in the protection of the main household. I overheard this, luckily. Ran back to my home and grabbed my things, I was only able to grab one thing that was my mothers and that was her Forehead Protector. I planned on running, and I did. I don’t know how I got out the compound and then out of the village without being caught to this day, but I did it,” my eyes were wide and I pulled my legs to my chest, hugging them. “I was found by someone not long afterwards and it’s thanks to him that I’m still alive. He is my sensei, my mentor and sort of my idol.”

It was silent between us and my heart went out to him. “So, why are you in Konoha then? Wouldn’t they try and kill you if they found you?” I questioned him and he smirked at me.

“As if they could now. I know that clan, they’re attacks are mainly up close combat, I’m a distance fighter,” he retorted and looked away from me. “Also, my chakra control… you know that a Hyuuga’s control is one of the best in the ninja world right? I’ve still got the control, I just can’t see the chakra points,” my mouth formed an o. “I’m also not going to be caught by that clan, they can’t touch me now. They denounced me as part of the Hyuuga clan, disowned me when I was declared to be killed because I was useless, it’s how it goes in clans,” (AN made that up!!)

I bit my lip and I sighed. “I really hate the Hyuuga clan… Hinata, your cousin, she’s a really nice person but she’s been pushed so hard that she formed a shell around her, a shell of shyness, un,” I informed him. then it clicked in my head. “Wait… you said Hinata was your cousin… she’s cousins with Neji I think…”

“Neji is my cousin as well,” he stated and then snorted. “A prodigy, even as a kid he was one.”

It was my time to snort. “More like a guy with a stick up his butt,” I stated and he chuckled lightly at me.

“There is usually a reason why some people are like that,” he informed me and I shrugged before I stretched my arms above my head.

“Yeah, I know,” I then jumped onto my feet. I smirked down at Hisashi. “Neji is still going to be beaten by my best friend, Naruto Uzumaki, hmmm,” he smirked back up at me and then he got up.

I then fell into a stance once I had stepped away from the river, my hand rising in front of my face and I started to run through the stances for each taijutsu move. As I started to move without a thought, my thoughts ran towards Sasuke. Why hasn’t he come to see me so we can hurry and get over the revel of our relationship? He knows that I’d want to do this quick right? So it’s over and we can face the backlash for a second and then avoid Sakura and Naruto’s anger and Kakashi’s perverted ways… oh jashin damn him to hell! No wonder he doesn’t want to tell, he has to be around Kakashi on his own for training! No way, that’s not fair; I don’t want to draw it out! We have to tell and soon, Sasuke’s worries of being harassed by Kakashi and bugged by him isn’t going to be as bad as Naruto’s reaction from being told that we kept it from him for a long time! I gritted my teeth together and I moved quicker in my punches, that I almost hit Hisashi but he dodged it.

“Whoa! Emiko! What set you off?” He asked and he had my attention. I aimed a kick at his head and he blocked with his forearms.

“He did!” I snapped, getting angrier. “He is going to end up making Naruto doubly mad at me for this! I don’t want my best friend angry at me for this!” I dropped to the ground as Hisashi did a round house kick and I countered with an upwards kick.

“Why would Naruto be mad?” he asked and he jumped back from my upwards kick and I got up from the ground, following through for a barrage of punches.

“Because I sort of fell for a dark duck!” I snarled, getting angrier yet again. “But I haven’t seen the jerk-face since the preliminary’s, two weeks ago after we started this stupid relationship, un!” Hisashi aimed a punch at my face but I flipped back and dodged it.

“A relationship?! You have a boyfriend?!” he asked in total shock and I gritted my teeth.

I launched myself at Hisashi and he was so caught off guard, that I tackled him right into the ground. I was now straddling the boy and I pulled out a kunai, setting it at his throat.

“I win, and yeah. Don’t sound so shocked. But if the boy won’t came see me after we just got together then he is going to lose me and back to friendship we will go,” I angrily stabbed the kunai into the ground by his head and I jumped off of Hisashi, crossing my arms. “Stuipd Uchiha, I swear, I am going to hunt him down soon enough and explode. He knew I wanted to tell Sakura, Kakashi and Naruto together, but soon I’m going to tell them on my own because he has no back bone because he doesn’t want to be around Kakashi-sensei on his own when sensei knows.”

Hisashi looked at me with wide eyes before laughing. I glared at him darkly and he slowly stopped laughing at me.

“Your brother is going to kill you and him. You know that right?” Hisashi pointed out and I glared at him, he put his hands in the air. “Hey, just stating the truth.”

I waved his comment off. “It doesn’t matter, because I’m going end this relationship with Sasuke if he just… does this and breaks one of the ground rules for this… thing we have,” I wrapped my arms around myself and I looked down. “I guess Sasuke doesn’t really care huh? Am I dumb because I believed him?” I watched as Hisashi got up from the ground.

He looked like he was about to say something to me, but a yell interrupted him. We both turned and faced the sound. A blur of orange hair shot towards me and then stood between me and Hisashi, I blinked my eyes at a defensive Rikku.

“You’re going to break up with Sasuke for Hisashi?!” Hisashi and I looked at each other from over Rikku’s shoulders. Before us both cracked up laughing. How she came to that conclusion I have no idea.

I hugged myself tightly, almost falling to the ground. “No! Hahaha,” I laughed, looking up at her as my laughs slowly drifted off. “Hisashi is a fellow artist, but our art clashes. His believe its Eternal while I believe that it’s Fleeting, un,” I explained to her.

Her mouth formed into an O shape and then smiled over at him. “Sorry about that, but I think the relationship between Sasuke and Emiko is to cute, and I will kill you if you mess with it,” Hisashi blinked at the girl and I snickered to myself. She’s so supportive of my relationship with Sasuke.

I petted her head and I smiled when she looked back at me. “He wouldn’t. Trust me on that. But Rikku…” I muttered and I looked down. I told her my concerns about my relationship that I just dished out to Hisashi. She straight away, hugged me tightly.

“Aww, Emi. You don’t have to worry, okay?” she whispered to me and she rubbed my back. I sighed and I nodded. “Trust me, okay? I wouldn’t let my best friend be sad on her birthday,” I tensed and I jumped back.

“Wha…wha… what?!” I exclaimed and she laughed at me. “It’s my birthday? Are you serious? Rikku, how could I forget that it’s my birthday?!”

She laughed at me and she shook her head. “You’ve been training really hard for two weeks, it must have slipped your explosive mind,” she stated and I groaned at that.

Half my day, gone. My day of birth… I didn’t even notice. I dropped my head towards the ground, my arms dangling by my side. What a great birthday Emiko, training, being angry, worried. Ugh, I’m not being myself today!

I felt Rikku patting my hair. “I’ll be right back, I’ve got to go and fetch my birthday present to you. Hisashi!” she turned on her heal and pointed at the boy. “Make sure she doesn’t leave and she freshens up! Also, no training and just say to her that art is fleeting if you start arguing, it’s her day,” and then Rikku’s off.

Hisashi’s eyes are widened in shock at the order from Rikku. “She doesn’t even know me and she orders me around…” he tralled off and then looked at me carefully. I snickered at him. “Happy birthday,” he said.

“Thanks, I can’t believe I just forgot,” I rubbed my arms and he chuckled. I glared. “It’s not funny Hisashi! You have to be nice to me now!” he shook his head at me.

“I’m always nice,” he retorted as I headed to the dam and I knelt near it. Cupping some water and flicking it over my face and wiping away any dirt on my face.

I snorted. “Yeah right, un,” I looked into the water to see my reflection and I pulled my hair out, before running my hand through my hair, to remove a bit of the knots. I looked at the clips in my hand and I shook my head. Today, I am keeping my hair out. I can’t be bothered to put my hair back up for a second time.

I stood up, flicking any dust off of my clothes. I turned and looked at Hisashi, who was watching me carefully. “I’m not saying art is fleeting,” he dead panned and my eye twitched.

Then I smirked. “You just did,” I sung, skipping around him towards my bag to put the clips in. I could feel the eye twitch coming off of Hisashi.

“I didn’t! I said that I wasn’t going to say art is fleeting!” He shouted and I snickered.

“You did it again,” I stated and he glared at me.

“God damn it!” he muttered and I laughed.

I crossed my arms and I said. “Don’t you mean Jashin?” his eye twitched at me. “I mean, your copying me a lot today, art is fleeting, being more talkive. You might as well go the whole way,” I shrugged simply.

“Art is eternal. Not fleeting, you blind artist,” my eye twitched this time.

“Blind… artist?! No way. I am not blind to art! I see art in its true form every day because I live it! I am not blind to art, it is you who is blind! Blinded by the beauty of my art!” I snarled and he glared at me.

“Blinded by its god awfulness!” he snapped and my eyes narrowed at him.

By this time, we were really in each other’s faces, glaring up a storm. My hand was twitching towards my clay pouch, ready to attack him with it.

Suddenly, we heard a cough… a manish cough. Which we both ignored for the glaring contest. Hisashi slowly smirked at me.

“No retaliation, little bomber? Your belief in your art must be fleeting as well,” He said and I was about to throw myself at him to strangle him but I was interrupted.

“What is going on?” my eyes widened and I tensed.

I turned on my heel and there he was… Sasuke. He was glaring… past me and at Hisashi. I crossed my arms and I huffed.

“Hisashi the blind idiot is an artistic loser with no idea on art, he is mediocre at best and can’t see art if it blew up in his face. Which it has, yah,” I informed my… boyfriend? Damn that’s still weird.

Hisashi hit me over the head and snorted. “You’ve been hit with too many explosions to understand true art,” I glared at him and suddenly, between me and Hisashi was Sasuke. Sasuke’s hand was around Hisashi’s arm, gripping it tightly. My eyes widened. Whoa, Sasuke’s gotten fast!

“Don’t touch her!” He snapped at Hisashi.

Hisashi’s eyes narrowed on Sasuke and I bit my lip in worry. “You must be the boyfriend. You know, you had your girlfriend worried. She was doubting your relationship with her because you ‘broke one of the ground rules,’ or something. She beat out her emotions on me, by the way,” my eye twitched at Hisashi’s words.

Sasuke tensed and looked back at me. He hand dropped Hisashi and he threw a final glare at him. “Leave us,” Hisashi rolled his eyes at the order from Sasuke.

“I will… but you break her heart, Uchiha. I’ll break you, she’s a nice girl and I won’t stand to see her hurt because of you,” and then he was gone. My eyes wide at his declaration.

“Well, I’ll give him one for being the type to leave an impression. Fleetingly,” I muttered, shaking my head.

I felt a hand on my check and I looked up to Sasuke. He was looked at me with something on his face… in his eyes… something I’ve only seen in him towards me. I smiled at him and he chuckled.

He wrapped his arms around me tightly. “Sorry about not… finding you to tell Kakashi, Naruto and Sakura. But I thought that we’d both be really busy with training,” my eyes widened at his words. He knew that was what I was upset about.

I wrapped my arms around him with a sigh. “It was annoying; I thought you were avoiding telling them because you’re stuck with Kakashi sensei for the month,” he chuckled a little at me.

“It did pass my mind, but I knew you would probably do something drastic if I let that stop me,” I snickered at his words.

“You know me well, un,” I un-wrapped my arms from him. “Hisashi was right… I was getting a little unstable. I mean, I know you could have any girl you wanted and I’m not exactly girlfriend material… oh jashin, I’m getting all unsure of myself!” I yelped and I pulled my hair. “Ew, ew, ew! I’m never unsure, never! This is your fault!” I accused him and then I ripped myself from Sasuke’s arms and I ran to the dam. I fell on my knees by it, scooping water and splashing it onto myself and scrubbed.

“Umm… Emiko what are you doing?” he called out and I snorted.

“It’s obvious, I’m scrubbing away my unsureness in myself,” I called right back to him.

Sasuke sighed and he came over to me, he yanked me away from the water and without any warning, his lips were on mine. My eyes fluttered close and I let him pull me tightly to him. This kiss was a bit heated… for 13 year olds. It was like we were both a bit worried and trying to push feelings into each other, to reassure the other. It was warming I guess. My arm wrapped around his neck. There was no full on make out, which I was glad for. One day, maybe, but not now. Like I said we are 13, even though ninja are technically adults, we are still kids in a way, just more mature… so we’re like 15 mentally but 13 physically… I think.

We finally parted and I smiled at him. He smiled back. “better?” he asked and I chuckled lightly.

“Yeah, way better. Not unsure anymore,” I retorted and I then rested my head on his shoulder. “What did you need to be reassured about? You were… worried too,” he tensed and his arms tightened around me.

“I don’t like that Hisashi guy… the way you were so close to him… it looked like he was about to kiss you,” I snorted at Sasuke’s words.

“What you saw Sasuke, was too artist’s, about to go at it to defend their art,” I informed my clueless boyfriend. “You think my arguments with Sakura can get bad, just you wait to you actually watch Hisashi and I go at it. It’s all taijutsu, but Rikku says that the killing intent coming off of us is chuunin to jounin level,” Sasuke snorted at me.

“Still don’t like the guy. He is protective of you… but not like how Naruto is… I don’t like it,” Sasuke’s arms tightened again and I sighed. It seems like I’ve got Boyfriend and boy friend troubles.

“Don’t worry so much, I’m your girlfriend, you got the girl. You know just as well as I do that I wouldn’t enter this thing we got if I wasn’t going to put my all into it, un,” I informed him and he nodded his head and rested his head on mine.

“I missed you… your verbal tick… it’s weird to know it’s grown on me,” I laughed at that, pulling my head back and I smirked.

“Oh? So you’re with me for my verbal tick, hmm?” I asked, purposely using my tick.

He smirked right back at me. “Yes,” I snorted and then I pressed my lips to his in a quick peck. “And that.”

I laughed whole heartedly. He is actually being playful… it’s weird… but I don’t entirely hate it. “We’re getting mushy,” I whispered and he rolled his eyes.

“Don’t care,” and then he pressed his lips to mine yet again. I chuckled a little, and kissed him back. We pulled back and rested our foreheads on each other’s. “I like this… us… together and alone.”

I hmmm’ed an agreement, I think I’m a bit dazed right now. Before I knew it, Sasuke’s lips were on mine yet again. When we heard it… two loud gasps and a deep chuckle. Sasuke and I jumped away from each other and faced the sounds.

My eyes widened and I looked at Sasuke and back to them. Oh crap… Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi.

Naruto was shaking and then pointed at Sasuke. “what the hell did you do to her?!”

Oh crap… we are, officially dead.

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And they were caught… ah oh!!

So, you guys now know more about Hisashi, you’ll learn more later. Wow… I didn’t mean for there to be so many kisses… I sort of got my head in the gutter a tiny bit... whoops, sorry for that. But it sort of called for it. They were both unsure in there new relationship after a two week separation and then they are a new couple and teenagers exploring something so new to them... don’t worry, there will be no lemon’s.

So… Sasuke doesn’t like Hisashi and by the looks the feeling it mutual. Aww, poor Emi is friends with Hisashi and the girlfriend with Sasuke and they don’t get along… she’s stuck in the middle!

Question time!!

First off, how was everyone’s Christmas’s? Were they good? Mine was, my sister and brother-in-law were here (both I don’t see often) so it was a great day and time with them. Now for a non Naruto related question, when my entire close family was here, we went to the beach and to a creek/river, (that I live near, it’s really clear and its fresh water and pretty amazing, beautiful too) and there was a mini discussion over what’s better, so my question to you guys is what is better? The creek/river or the beach? Personally, I love creeks/rivers better. Quietness, the sounds of wildlife, maybe the sound of a stream nearby. It’s just so nice and relaxing.

Anyway, tah, tah for now. remember the three things FVC Follow (if you haven’t) Vote (Oh my jashin, nearly 3000 votes!! WHAT!!!) and comment. (Nearly 1100… I’m mind blown here… seriously.)

BOOM!