#Oh to be a cow playing housewife for his hunter

[shokujin-art]

Hunter breakfast ✨

[ourloveisforthelovely]

To the Ends of the Earth 17

A/n: Supernatural AU. OOC Gabriel

Link to Chapter 16

Pairings: Gabriel x Reader

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Gabriel did not let go of you for a good five minutes. You were not about to argue about it either. This had been the first bit of physical affection that the two of you had shared is some time.

After a few moments longer, Gabriel finally let go of you. He glanced over his shoulder at Amelia, who was not even looking up. The kid was too busy building her mud pies or whatever she was doing. Gabriel smirked. The kid reminded him too much of you as a child. Sometimes it was like looking in a gigantic mirror!

“Hey kid, why don’t you go inside and clean up?”

Gabriel said with a smile. Amelia nodded before standing up and dusting off her dirty pants.

“Okay, I am really dirty anyway. My daddy is going to have a cow.”

Gabriel partly wished that he could see Sam’s face when the kid walked in with mud and dirt all over her.

The amused feeling vanished as Gabriel remembered what he had to talk to you about. This wasn’t going to be a good conversation in the slightest.

“Y/n, I need to talk to you about something.”

Your happy smile quickly vanished and was replaced by that serious expression that Gabriel wished that he never had to see. He liked making you smile. This look was the furthest thing from a smile imaginable.

“Gabriel, I don’t like conversations that start like this.”

You said. It was the truth too. It seemed like every time Gabriel talked to you with this particular tone something was going straight to hell in a giant dumpster fire.

Gabriel looked at you sympathetically.

“Sugar, I was talking with Dean. We both had thought that it would be a good idea for me to keep an eye on Raphael. It seems like he is taking up making some friends around here. When I say friends, I mean other angels that have been on earth for a long time. I’m going to be gone for a few weeks...I don’t want….”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!”

You snapped. Gabriel sighed. He didn’t say anything for a moment. In fact, you didn’t give him a chance to get a word out. Gabriel only looked at you with that annoyed expression that he seemed to be wearing a lot more lately.

“Where was I in this conversation? Why am I never considered? I’m supposed to be your wife and I am always left out in the cold on these decisions! It's like you are just fine talking to my brothers and Cas more than me. Would you just prefer it if you kept me locked at home all barefoot and pregnant or something? I’m not some 1950’s housewife that is just going to sit around and wait for you to come home! This is insane Gabriel! Every time you go anywhere near your psycho brothers you come back not in the condition that you left in! You are just getting your grace back to 100% and now you are going back after them...this is insane!”

Gabriel gave you an innocent shrug.

“First off, barefoot and pregnant? Who the hell says that? Second, gross. You know I want nothing to do with children. Amelia is fine. She isn’t ours! We can play with her then send her back to Sam when we get sick of her. Third, I don't want you to be a stereotypical housewife. I like you the way you are. It's what I love the most about you...even though you can be difficult. Now that my grace is back, it would be the best time. Nothing is going to happen this time, Y/n.”

You shook your head wanting to sit down and hold your head in your hands.

“Then let me go with you. You know that I can hold my own in a fight.”

Gabriel shook his head.

“Not happening. I won’t be able to keep my thoughts where they will need to be. I will be worrying about you the whole time. That is how people get killed.”

You muttered something about being a big girl and not needing to be watched over all the time.

“Yes, you do and you are not going. That’s my final word.”

Gabriel said, taking on his “archangel” tone. You looked at him coldly before turning and storming back toward the bunker’s entrance. In a few hours, you would regret not kissing him goodbye or saying “I love you” at the moment, however, you wanted to kick the archangel in the shins.

“I think that I am going to form my own country and declare war on you and Dean!”

“Y/n…”

Gabriel started but stopped when you held your hand up.

“You aren’t going to listen to me anyway. I am just wasting my breath. Be ready to get a declaration of war notice...hope you and your new best friend forever Dean are up to it.”

You stormed into the bunker without another word.

Storming into the kitchen, you froze seeing Amelia looking at a gooey pancake that Sam put in front of her.

“Daddy this is gross.”

Sam looked up with a sigh and immediately knew what was wrong.

“Hold that thought, sweetheart.”

Sam said, petting Amelia’s head and turning to face you.

“I see Gabriel talked to you.”

Your eyes flickered in your older brother’s direction. Sam’s face was wary as he gave you a sympathetic expression.

“I see you knew about it too. I’m declaring war on you also.”

You snapped. Sam frowned.

“I said that he was wrong to handle this the way that he is.”

You stopped dead in your tracks and was silent for a moment. Sam was on your side. Good old Sam! You could help but be thankful for him at the moment. It was always Sam that stuck up for you when Dean treated you like a kid. Sam wanted to make sure that you had equal say in whatever the situation was.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

You said softly. Sam shook his head.

“You don’t have to apologize. I know that you get sick of being treated like a little kid.”

You nodded, coldly. That was an understatement! You were beyond sick of being treated like a child. This was the perfect opportunity to throw your feelings up in Gabriel’s face. He hated when his older brothers treated him like that kid in the family now here he was doing the same thing to you!

“I really do. Sam, do you think that I am a capable hunter?”

Sam nodded, looking over his shoulder making sure that Amelia was busy with her coloring and not paying attention to the conversation at hand.

“You know I do.”

You stepped forward and wrapped your arms around Sam’s waist. He didn’t wait before wrapping his arms around you.

“Y/n, I know that you can handle almost anything that comes your way. I also know that Gabriel and Dean are trying in some annoying way to protect you too. It doesn’t mean that you should be sidelined to the kids table though.”

“All Gabriel and Dean want me to do is sit around here and play den mother. Normally I don’t mind but today I am extra pissy!”

Sam chuckled.

“Want me to take you out for ice cream?”

You stubbornly nodded. Sam smiled before turning back to Amelia who was looking up at ice cream.

“I wanna come.”

She said with a pouty expression that mirrored her father’s. You smiled at your niece before motioning her forward.

“Well, come on, sweetheart.”

Half an hour later, you sat nibbling on what was left of your ice cream cone. Amelia was halfway through a very messy hot fudge cake. You smirked as Sam sat the napkin that he was holding down in clear defeat of keeping Amelia’s white shirt clean.

“She eats like Dean.”

You said with a smile. Sam shook his head with a loud sigh.

“She is a lot like her world's okayest uncle.”

Glancing around the restaurant, you couldn’t help but notice several sets of eyes starring in your direction. You tried to keep the obviousness of the situation under control as you gazed at the multiple being looking in your direction.

“Angles.”

You muttered. Sam looked up.

“What?”

You looked around the room again discreetly before focusing your attention on your older brother.

“There are a shit ton of angels here. 1 guess as to who they are after.”

Sam didn’t even have to respond. He knew. It was you. Michael and Raphael had made it clear to any angel that you were hit number 1.

“Do you have your angel blade?”

Sam whispered. You nodded, not even having to feel for the weapon at your side. Glancing down to Amelia, you muttered fuck. This was going to be a hell of a way from your niece to figure out that angels were real and weren’t always the good guys.

“Make sure that she doesn’t peek.”

Sam nodded before leaning down and whispering something into his daughter’s ear. His eyes rolled back to yours.

“I’ve got your back.”

You nodded before stepping out of the booth. Pretending to be unaware of the danger at hand, you walked to the restaurant door. You stopped and looked out into the pleasant Kansas sunny afternoon. After taking a few deep breaths, you returned to the counter where the owner stood counting money.

“Can I get you something?”

He asked, casually. You nodded.

“A glass of water, please.”

As he went to the soda machine to fill up the cup in hand you slowly felt for the revolver in the back of your jeans.Angel killing bullets...check

“So do you have insurance on this place?”

You asked. The owner shook his head.

“Nah, nothing ever happens here.”

“Too bad.”

You muttered before taking a sip of your water. After a few more moments of silence, you turned to the angels casually sitting about the place.

“Hello, you bunch of holy fuckers. I am Y/n Winchester and I am here to deport you right back to heaven where you belong.”

As soon as the words left your lips, an angel had a hold of your hand. It took you all of two seconds to sink the angel blade into the chest of the being. After the angel was dead you turned to face a few others that were stepping closer to you.

“Oh look, you brought your friends.”

You muttered as Sam took out a few angels to your left. You reached behind you taking out your revolver and blasting the angel killing bullets into the others.

“Sam, remind me to thank Dean for his hard work on these bullets.”

Before Sam could respond, a voice you knew well began to speak

.“Yes, let's thank Dean.”

Your eyes widened as Raphael stepped out from the booth that you couldn’t see. Christ…

‘Hello, Y/n. I see you don’t have my brother watching your every move?”

You swallowed as Raphael gave you that cold brutal smile that could scare anyone to death.

“I don’t need Gabriel to watch my every move, dickbag. I have my big girl panties on. You and Michael need to get some new hobbies. I swear you two are like our little annoying fan brats that just won’t go away. I hear that scrap booking is nice.”

Raphael raised an eyebrow.

“Is that supposed to be funny? Do you think that you are funny or something?”

You grinned.

“In the words of my dear brother, I think that I am adorable.”

Raphael’s unnamed expression deepened.

“You are about to be dead. It won’t be a bad thing. I will just have to watch Gabriel be in agony for the rest of eternity but I think that I can manage that.”

You glanced at Sam out of the corner of your eye, he was watching Raphael's every move and was ready to pounce on the archangel.

“I’ve got it, Sam.”

You said softly before looking back to Raphael.

“You first.”

Before Raphael could get his hand up, you fired the gun, hitting him square in the chest. Raphael blinked stupidly as the pain began to take over.

“Bet you never expected this did you, you stupid son of a bitch? Archangel killing bullets. You thought I was just playing? Bitch I never play! Now you're dead and Michael will be next.”

You looked away as Raphael died. Part of you wanted to watch. The other part didn’t. You knew that this would be what it would be like if Gabriel died and your mind didn’t want to process it. You also didn’t want to process the thought that you would have to tell Gabriel that you had killed his brother. At odds or not, Raphael was still Gabriel’s brother and this would probably be a rough thing.

Sam’s hand touching the small of your back made you jump. You turned to face your brother, who cradled his clearly stunned daughter in his arms.

“What did aunty do?”

She whispered, looking around. Sam sighed. He had all of the intentions of letting his daughter grow up in ignorance of the ways of their “world.” Amelia could be the one that went into the world without fooling with the supernatural but who was Sam kidding? This would be her life just like it was his and yours.

“She saved all of us.”

______

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[hinatadovahkiin]

Hinata the Dragonborn #2

Faendal and the Golden Claw

Breakfast was an interesting affair, in Hinata's opinion. The whole family had woken up fairly early, a little before dawn. Gerdur had gone out in the garden to take care of it and then went on to feed the chickens and the cow. The Hyuuga girl had tried not to stare too much at the 'cow'. It looked anything but one, but she decided to keep that opinion to herself. It's milk was no different than that of the cows from home, though. Gerdur had brought in a whole bucket of milk and had poured it in some pot to boil it by the fire place. Hod had also gotten out early, returning with several fresh loaves of bread.

That morning, Hinata decided, breakfast was rich but fairly simple. There was bread and cheese, and also some of the smoked bear meat. Both men had eaten heartily, smoothing down their bites with large gulps of freshly prepared herbal tea. Gerdur had also helped herself to a piece of bread and some cheese, but had opted to have mostly porridge with milk, which was also Hinata's and Frodnar's main choice for breakfast. Stump was laying near the fireplace, gnawing on a big, meaty bone that Delphine, the innkeeper, had procured for him. Or so Gerdur had told her.

"Hinata." Gerdur called her, while wrapping up some bread, meat and cheese in some cloth. She also noticed a canteen with what she assumed was some tea."Could you be a dear and take this to Faendal? He's our local hunter and also helps out at the mill. He's been rather distracted lately and I think he might've forgotten to eat again."

"Uhm, Gerdur, how do I-"

"He's easy to spot, being the only elf in town. Either look for that or for his lovesick expression." Hod laughed heartily at his wife's explanation.

Gerdur handed her the package and Hinata made her way out of the house. It was early enough and she could hear the roosters from the neighbouring houses crowing. The sun was barely poking its way over the horizon, throwing a frenzy of shimmering light and shadow spots through the trees. Despite the sunny morning, it was quite chilly and Hinata could see her breath. Before heading off, she took a slow, deep breath and exhaled contently. The scent of the air was sweet and fresh, somewhat unlike the one at Konoha's surrounding forests, but still vaguely familiar and reminding her with a bittersweet feeling of home.

It didn't take her long to find Faendal. In fact, he was all too easy to spot with her Byakugan, seeing as he was all nervous energy and very distinctly different from the surrounding human forms. Hinata found him pacing near a tree stump, by the wood mill. He was holding some sort of letter on his hands, expression shifting between anger, hopelessness and desperation. Occasionally he would throw a dirty look towards a small house on the other side of the street and mumble some things which a proper girl like Hinata would not care to find out or repeat.

Elves were strange creatures, the Hyuuga heiress decided. Their skins were of distinctly non-human color. The elf she had seen at Helgen was taller than the Jarl, Ulfric (who was the tallest human she had ever seen), but this particular elf was shorter than the average Nord, but still slightly taller than her. Faendal was of a tanned complexion and even so he looked somewhat pale. His eyes were dark, a very vivid brownish color. His facial features were pleasantly handsome with what she determined to be distinct elvish sharpness to them. His hair was near shoulder lenght, straight and silvery. It was worn loose, but by his currently slightly unkempt look she guessed he hadn't had a wink of sleep last night. There was this haunted tiredness to his face that made her relate with him. Gerdur had been right in at least that – he indeed had the look of someone who was lovesick. In a way, he reminded her of herself.

"Oh. Did I see you talking to Sven?" the elf had whipped so fast in her direction that she nearly jumped in fright. He spoke quickly, but with a clear voice. He glared at her for what was all two seconds after which his expression turned into something more friendly (or at least neutral). He frowned. "Hm. Maybe not. Maybe...nevermind."he shook his head thoughtfully." But I would stay away from him if I were you."

"Uhm." was Hinata's intelligent reply and almost immediately she felt embarrassment crawl its way on her cheeks, as she mentally kicked herself for lack of manners. "G-good morning. G-gerdur s-sent me to give you t-this." She nearly shoved the package and the canteen on top into his hands in her nervousness.

For a while, he just kept staring at her critically, without uttering a word. She didn't dare to look up, feeling his gaze upon her. It eerily reminded her of the way some of the Elders still looked at her. Elves, Hinata decided, had something creepily perceptive about them. Predatory intelligence, if you will. Finally, after what seemed to be forever, he spoke.

"You are not a Breton." he started, never removing his scrutinizing eyes from her."And you are not blind. You arrived yesterday with Gerdur's brother, did you not?"

Finally, Hinata gathered the courage to look up. His head was slightly cocked to one side, indicating his peaked interest. Absently, she took note of the slight circles underneath his eyes. Faendal sighed and he shifted the package to his free hand so he could look at the letter again.

"Nevermind that now. Tell Gerdur I give her my thanks." the elf sat down on the tree stump and ran his fingers through his silvery hair.

Obviously dismissed, Hinata bolted for Gerdur's house, nearly tripping over the semi-full loading cart in front of the inn. Whatever kinship she felt about Faendal, it was outmatched by her sense of discomfort. He was so...intense. There was no better word to describe him. She wondered what was written in that letter to make him be so... Hinata stopped in her tracks, several feet away from the gate of Gerdur's and Hod's place. No. It was completely wrong and intrusive to one person's privacy. But Faendal was so distressed about the letter and maybe she could help if she knew what was written in it. Besides, nobody would know.

A chill ran down her spine as she tried to shove that little voice out of her mind. She was a Hyuuga and not some mingling, gossipy housewife of no consequence. She was also a ninja and ninja were curious and suspicious beings by nature. In the end, after standing frozen like that by the gate for ten minutes, said nature won over her sense of better judgement. She headed right back to the wood mill, activating her Byakugan and hoping the overly perceptive elf wouldn't notice her.

Dearest Sven,

I really enjoyed that last poem you sent me. It flattered me to no end as you compared my hair to chocolate waterfalls and my skin to the softness of the pale petals of a white, moonlit rose...

Hinata felt as her gentle heart broke over Faendal's predicament. Apparently, he was madly in love with this Camilla and he was vying for her affections along with this Sven fellow. She bit her lip as Faendal sighed sadly again, his expression absolutely crestfallen. The Hyuuga's sad eyes now gleamed with determination. She would help the elf win over Camilla. If he could do it, then so can she win Naruto over! With these thoughts in mind, she headed back, again, to Gerdur's house.

Frodnar was playing with stump by the river. Ralof was dressed in farmer's clothes and looked well rested and clean. He had tied his hair into a pony tail, though that little braid still hung to the side of his face. She smiled shily as he waved hello and grinned at her. She quickly entered the house and found Gerdur cleaning the mess the men had made at the table.

"Gerdur?" Hinata started. "What c-can you t-tell me about Camilla?"

Late morning found the Hyuuga girl cleaning up the various armors and weapons in the company of Frodnar and his dog Stump. She was sitting on a log at the back of the house, humming lightly, as her trained hands worked expertly over the various crevices and kinks of the armor pieces. Frodnar was watching her with something akin to awe and Stump was sitting beside him, lolling his tongue and doing his happy doggy grin.

"Uncle Ralof told me you killed the headsman with a single poke to the chest." he suddenly blurted, having worked up the nerve to talk to her.

Hinata stopped humming and looked at him, blinking twice.

"Uhm, y-yes I did." she replied softly and continued with her work.

"Wow! And if you poke them in the head, do their brains squirt out through their ears? That would be totally awesome!"

"Uhm. N-no. T-the enemy just d-drops dead."Hinata wondered where this line of questions was going.

"And uncle Ralof said you killed a bear with just an Iron Dagger. I saw the pelt! That bear must've been huge!"Frodnar exclaimed."Are you some kind of an assassin? Like those from the Dark Brotherhood? I mean, they'd totally kill someone with a single poke! And Faendal would be so jealous! He killed a bear once at three hundred yards during a blizzard and I bet it wasn't as big as yours! Hey! Can you teach me how to do that poke thing? I'd totally want to kill Imperial Soldiers like that!"

"Uhm. I-it's a family secret, Frod-dnar." Hinata mumbled. "It t-takes years of t-training, too."

"Aww. Maybe you can show me how to throw daggers? That would be totally awesome as well! Uncle Ralof said you killed a bunch of them Imperials with daggers to the throat. I've been begging Faendal to teach me how to use the bow, but he says I'm too young. I'm not too young to use daggers, am I? I mean, they're small  and I already know how to throw, so..."

"N-no, Frodnar. I started w-when I was four."

"Sweet! So you can show me how to do it later, since you're busy right now." With a grin, Frodnar ran off to play with Stump.

Hinata could not shake the distinct feeling she had just been played into a rather elaborate verbal trap. She sighed. There was no backing out of it now, and it would probably be better if she actually did show him some throwing techniques. It would be the least she could do for the boy and his family to return their hospitality. She picked up the armor she was polishing and gave it a once-over. Satisfied with her work, she took up an Imperial Sword. She would be done in another hour or so and then she would head off to sell her goods to Lucan Valerius, the local merchant. She had a plan that had been carefully constructed after her rather lengthy chat with Gerdur about one Camilla Valerius.

Apparently, several years back, the Riverwood Trade had been owned by this very old Nord fellow. One of his children had decided he was getting too old to live on his own and had taken him to live with them in one of the farms near Whiterun. It was around that time that the Valerius siblings had appeared and with every last bit of their meager coin had managed to keep up some business within the small community of Riverwood. And it was also around that time that Sven the Bard and Faendal the Hunter had discovered they both found the younger Valerius sibling to their liking.

Camilla was a charming young thing, if a bit too stuck in the clouds sometimes. She was one to seek adventure and was also a die-hard sucker for romantic poetry and novels. Gerdur described the somewhat comical at times rivalry between the two young men. But, as of the last few months, things had taken a more desperate turn and both Faendal and Sven were ready to do nearly anything to win Camilla's affections once and for all.

Hinata could see how Camilla found it hard to choose between the two of them. On one side there was the incredibly intense, intelligent and cunning persona of Faendal, who happened to spend a lot of time hunting for various types of wild game, sometimes returning after being missing for days with a troll skull and a sizeable amount of troll fat (an expensive commodity). He also happened to be quite handsome in his own, elvish way and, according to Gerdur, was usually very polite and witty.

Then there was Sven, who was the typical tall and broad-shouldered Nord. Who also happened to be ridiculously good at singing and writing sickeningly sweet romantic poetry. Hinata had yet to hear him sing or to recite some of his works, and her only contact with him had been distant, as she was busy with Ralof, finding his sister.

And speaking of Ralof...

"You really did a good job with the armor and weapons. Don't let Alvor, the local blacksmith, see you, though. He'd whisk you away to make you his apprentice." the tall blond man joked as he examined one of the Imperial Swords. " These should fetch quite a good price. If there is one thing those Imperial Bastards do well, it's their smithing. Their armor is usually lighter than a Nord's, but it isn't designed to battle with the cold, nor does it withstand the steady pounding of a nice, two-hander. Their swords are of superb quality as well-"

"T-they have good b-balance and the handle is c-comfortable."

Ralof grinned.

"You really know your stuff, don't you, Hinata? You know, I've been meaning to ask you...I hope it isn't too personal or that you don't take it the wrong way... But you seem to have military training. I find that to be very strange for someone as gentle as you." His voice steadily grew from slightly teasing and cheerful to more serious. "I wouldn't be asking, but I need to know my family would be safe."

"I-I understand, Ralof." she replied softly, her eyes looking down at her hands that were already fiddling with each other nervously,"I told you I-I was a ninja, r-right? And I c-come from K-konoha. Village hidden in-in the Leaves. I-it is called a hidden v-village, because it is w-where ninja live a-and train. We a-are like mercenaries b-but under the d-direct c-control of the Daimiyo, t-the leader of o-our land. W-we answer t-to the Hokage, the supreme c-commander of all ninja in a c-country and the Hokage o-only answers to the Daimyo. Some ninja, l-like myself, come from clans. I-I am from the Hyuuga clan. W-we possess a bloodline c-called the Byakugan. Y-you a-already know w-what it does. Uhm."

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Hinata. It wasn't right of me to-"

"N-no, Ralof. It w-was the right thing to do. They are your family. I understand." She said, managing not to stutter in the end, looking him in the eyes. She would've done the same, after all.

Ralof sat next to her and remained silent for a while.

"I'm leaving for Windhelm tomorrow." he suddenly said, looking sadly at her. "I don't want to go so soon, but every moment I spend here puts Gerdur and her family in danger. Maybe when the war is over I can return without worrying about the Thalmor bursting through the door. I've told you already several times, but I really think you should join us in the fight for the Freedom of Skyrim. You're a capable woman and I'd  rather have someone like you to watch my back."Ralof chuckled."Even when you are in front of me."

The effort earned him a blush and a shy smile from the Hyuuga.

"You don't have to leave with me right now, you know. I've spoken with Gerdur and she agreed to help you find your way around here for as long as you need it." the blond man tucked in one of her dark locks behind her ear and by doing so gently brushed his thumb against her burning cheeks.

She squirmed a bit, glowing a new shade of red while he chuckled. It took her ten more minutes after he left her to her own devices for the blush to recede. She wished he didn't look so much like Naruto. She also wished she knew how to tell him that she didn't like him like that. And then she'd imagine his broken, crestfallen expression and she'd feel inexplicably guilty about it. With a sigh she carefully packed the armor and weapons in bags and headed to the Riverwood Trade.

"Well, one of us has to do something!"

"We are done talking about this!"

"Well, what are you going to do then, huh? Let's hear it."

"I said no! No adventures, no theatrics and certainly NO THIEF CHASING!"

"Uhm."

"Oh, a customer. Sorry you had to hear that. What can I do for you, young lady?"

"I-I brought some armor and weapons to sell, and hopefully I c-can look at your robes." the shy girl sad softly and brought up the two bags.

Lucan Valerius was all too happy to take a look at the weapons and armor. He took his time examining each and every piece, noting down prices or if they had scratches and the like. Hinata took her time examining the shop. She had heard something about thieves but the only thing that seemed out of order was the broken lock of the front door. Lucan noticed her stare.

"Oh. Eh, we had a bit of a...break in. We still have plenty to sell, though. Apparently, the robbers were after only one thing – an ornament made of solid gold. A golden claw of ancient Nord craft." The man looked whistful while describing said artefact."Camilla here wanted to go and chase them, but these are armed bandits, and at Bleak Falls Barrows no less."

Lucan sighed and then looked at Hinata.

"I can offer you 2 300 septims for all of the armor and swords."

Hinata nodded, trying to hide her surprise at the offered amount. Ralof had told her to expect between 1000 and 1 500 septims for the entire set of gear she had cleaned, oiled and polished. Apparently, she had done a good job to fetch that prize and Lucan was no push-over when it came to his job as a pawnbroker and local merchant.

"Now that this is settled... Camilla, help the lady choose some robes!"

"No need to yell, Lucan, I am right over here." the young woman said as she rolled her eyes in exasperation. As the older sibling tactfully took the armor and weapons to the back room, Camilla gave Hinata a look from head to toe. "You know, Lucan can be a little thick sometimes, but he means well. Come on, let see what we can find."

Camilla pulled out a box in which there were several different types of clothes stacked.

"Why do you need robes, anyways? You don't strike me as a mage.Hmm. This one is too light and pale and this one...brown doesn't suit you. This one is enchanted, but I doubt the ugly color is worth the price. You need something blue or...lilac.Hmm. Oh ! How about this one? It's a brand new one. No enchantments or anything. The outer tunic isn't too long and it gives a lot of room for movement, the pants are thick and keep the cold out. Also, they go marvelously with this pair of black shoes! And these gloves will keep the cold out. Oh, come on now, put them on!"

In the end, Hinata bought what Camilla had suggested and was on her way to Gerdur's home with about 1 500 septims in her coin purse. Her improvised Kunai wrappings were easily hidden by the upper tunic of the dark grayish-blue apprentice robes she was wearing. She made note to ask Gerdur about this Alvor that Ralof had mentioned. She'd  need those knives and daggers sharpened, and probably a few new daggers as well.

"Hey boy. I heard you nailed a septim to Lucan's doorstep. Damn near drove him crazy. That true?"

"Yeah, so?"

Hod looked around for his wife but apparently, she wasn't around. The man grinned proudly at his son and ruffled his hair.

"Ha! I knew it! Had your name written all over it, that one did!"

"That ain't nothing! Wait till you see what I've planned for next week!"

Hinata giggled, the father-son interaction reminding her of Naruto's antics. Both turned to her, surprised by her presence but then Hod grinned and Frodnar rushed at her side.

"Hinata! Can you show me how to throw daggers now? Huh? Can you?"

"Uhm. I-I need to find Faendal to speak with him and t-then I c-can give you some pointers?"

"Oh, okay. I'll be playing with Dorthe by Alvor's smithy." the boy ran off, Stump following close behind him, barking happily.

"Gerdur told me you might be planning to get Faendal and Camilla together," Hod stated seriously. "I've told that girl, Camilla, time and again You need to choose between those two boys. It ain't fair to Sven or Faendal to keep tuggin' on their heartstrings like that." Hod shook his head. " Camilla's a nice lass but she spends way too much time with her head in the clouds, fancying herself some sort of princess and the boys... meh. I'd usually say that one should stick to their own, but Faendal is a fair and hardworking lad and Camilla would do better with him. Sven's taken too much after his own father, and that ain't a good thing, let me tell you that. But listen to me, rambling on about people like some gossipy wife. You'd better go talk to Faendal. He's cutting wood right now, by the wood mill."

Hinata thanked Hod for his time and went for the wood mill. She found the elf easily enough, chopping wood just as Gerdur's husband said he would.

"Uhm. F-faendal? C-can I talk to you for a m-minute?" Hinata started nervously.

The elf placed another log and chopped it into two with ease. He put away the two pieces and finally looked at her.

"The not-Breton. Hinata was it? Gerdur mentioned you'd be staying with her family for a few days." she had his full attention, which unnerved her to no end."You said you wanted to talk? Well then, speak."

Hinata blushed at his tone and looked down at her fiddling hands. She took a deep breath and prepared herself as best as she could.

"IknowhowtomakeCamillachooseyou." she blurted out rapidly, mortified at the thought that he might end up insulted by her mindling. Hinata half hoped she hadn't understood what she had said.

"Oh? Let's hear it then."

Hinata wasn't one to swear, but had she been...well...fuck.

"U-uhm. S-some b-bandits stole a g-golden c-claw a-and C-camilla w-wanted t-to go and g-get it. B-but i-if you g-go t-then...I-I t-thought t-that m-maybe...uhm..." She blushed a darker shade of crimson and the words died out in her mouth. She took another deep breath. "Iwashopingyou'dcomewithmetoBleakFallsBarrowsandgetthegoldenclawback."

She bit her lower lip, trying to calm her nerves. Faendal blinked once. Twice. Then, slowly, his eyes brightened and a very small smile stretched upon his lips.

"If I bring back the golden claw and then Camilla would...but that would mean...and then...Oh. That's  a brilliant idea! Why didn't I think of it sooner? And here I was busy forging a letter. What are we waiting for? I'll go get my armor and my bow and arrows. Wait for me by the other side of town, by the bridge. I will be there shortly."

Hinata nodded, not trusting herself to speak again. As Faendal went to get his gear, so did she went to Gerdur's house to prepare a few bags, some potions and maybe some food, just in case.

"Oh, Hinata? Where are you going?" Ralof asked, coming from upstairs, after hearing the door open and get shut.

"Uhm. B-bleak Falls B-barrows. F-faendal a-and I are getting the g-golden c-claw back for Camilla." she explained, while figuring out how and where to attach the various pouches and the big knapsack.

"Bleak Falls? I'll come with you."

And before she could say anything, Ralof was already attaching pouches of his own and taking up a shield and his trusty Stormcloak War Axe.

888

"Ralof? I didn't think you'd still be around." Faendal said while shaking hands with the blond Nord. "So, what brings you with us? Other than keeping the not-Breton girl safe, that is."

"Hah. You've always had a bit of a mouth on you. I'll be leaving tomorrow and, to be honest, I don't want to miss out on the fight." Ralof grinned at the Elf."And Hinata here will probably have you eat your words. Right, lass?" He winked at the pale kunoichi and she turned slightly pink at his antics.

"Don't tease the-, ah, Hinata. She is shy and I doubt Gerdur would be pleased, either." Faendal said sternly and seriously, as the three of them headed for Bleak Falls Barrows.

Not too far away, two pairs of eyes watched curiously.

"So, that's Hinata." Dorthe said skeptically. "She doesn't look like much. And your Uncle is all over her."

"I'm not lying! Uncle Ralof said she poked a man in the chest and he died! Come on! Let's follow them. They are going to fight bandits at the Bleak Falls Barrows and I bet she's going to kick ass!"

"Fine, but if your Uncle or that Wood Elf end up saving her, I get to tell you I told you so."

888

"The wind's picking up. Let's hope the weather persists and there isn't a blizzard." Faendal said as he readjusted his fur cloak.

"There's the old Imperial Watch Tower up ahead. Hinata, can you check if there are any bandits?" Ralof turned to the kunoichi and she nodded.

Faendal was just about to say that it would be unwise to do so when the petite pale girl suddenly exclaimed Byakugan and the veins on her temples bulged.

"One armed with a two-handed hammer resting by a tree, next to the bridge. Male, average height, favors his right side. Female with a longsword, also armed with a longbow and...18 arrows. Has a dagger hidden in her left boot. She's resting by the entrance of the tower and talking with target number three. Male, tall, heavily armored, possesses a sword and a shield. Fourth target is male and at the top of the tower, observing the surrounded area. Hasn't spotted us yet, also heavily armored and bearing a two handed sword. There is a chest there and something is glowing in it. Unable to determine what."

Ralof looked particularly smug at Faendal's awestruck expression.

"That is useful." the elf finally stated. "Very, very useful."

Hinata released her eye-technique and the veins receded.

"That isn't any normal magical ability. And your eyes...That is hereditary, is it not? Simply fascinating."

"Y-you're very observant, Faendal." Hinata finally said, as the three of them crept closer and closer to the tower. Thankfully, the wind had mostly died down and it wasn't shoving snow particles into their eyes. That, however, also meant that they could not use the snow gusts for additional cover and Ralof's Stormcloak Curiass and heavy shield did not make it any more easier for them to sneak.

"I think I can take out the bandit by the tree from this distance. As long as the wind doesn't pick up again." Faendal said quietly and in one swift motion took out a steel arrow and set it on his bow. He aimed carefully and he was about to unleash the arrow when there was a loud dog yelp and two child-like screams not too far away from them. Apparently, the Bandits had heard the sounds as well, as the bandit by the tree drew out his huge hammer and the only woman present prepared her bow. An arrow whizzed by Faendal's cheek as Hinata activated her Byakugan.

"Frodnar!" she exclaimed with sudden alarm and darted to the children's location.

Another arrow whizzed and Ralof used his shield to block it. He did not wait for the bandit with the hammer to come any closer, and as her lifted his two-handed weapon, the Stormcloak smashed his shield into his torso, forcing him to stagger backwards. With a swift hacking movement, he slashed the man's throat with his axe, leaving him on the ground, gurgling and bleeding to death. The bandit woman was almost dancing around Faendal's arrows, showing a lot more fighting aptitude than her now dead comrade. The third bandit  was upon Ralof as the woman decided to attack Faendal in a melee fashion, bandishing her one-handed longsword. Anticipating her move, the Wood Elf took out his Iron Dagger and parried as best as he could. The longsword, while quite worn, was well kept and of superior quality. Faendal was well aware that any slash would be enough to break his dagger. He needed to do something, and quick. A quick side glance to Ralof revealed that the Nord wasn't fairing any better against his opponent, who was also wielding a shield and a sword. And quite expertly too.

"Urgh!" the woman suddenly grunted, as a knife lodged itself to the side of her throat. Faendal lost no time and picked up her longsword, shoving it down her chest with one clean, smooth move. In the spand of a few seconds, he watched in awe as the otherwise shy and timid girl took on the last bandid with nothing but her bare hands.

"Gentle Fist 8 Trigrams 64 Palms!" she intoned, the veins around her eyes bulging. Her fingers literally glowed in a pale, slightly bluish light. Faendal wondered if the girl was out of her mind. And then she intoned: "Two Palms! Four Palms! Eight Palms! Sixteen Palms! Thirty-Two Palms! Sixty-Four Palms!"

Her hands shot out so fast that they were practically blurrs, even to his acute elven sight. The man stood paralized for a few moments, then he coughed out blood and fell to the side, dead before he even reached the ground. The Bandit with the shield had  turned only for a second but that was all Ralof needed to shove his axe into his neck, separating the head from the body in one swift, but bloody strike.

Hinata let out her breath and her strange stance loosened. The veins around her eyes receded and she turned around to face Ralof and Faendal. Or that's what the elf thought she did. When he followed his gaze, he saw the two children and the dog he had heard earlier.

"Frodnar, Dorthe!" he exclaimed sternly, glaring at them both. Ralof's own glare was no less intense."What in the name of the Nine possessed you to follow us up to the Barrows?"

"If your mother sees you here, Frodnar, she'd skin us both alive! And Dorthe! I thought you were the sensible one!"

Dorthe looked properly abashed but Frodnar was too busy staring dreamily at the three of them, nothing on his mind but their impressive battle.

"Uncle Ralof! You chopped that man's head clean off! That was SO AWESOME! And Hinata! She poked a whole pack of wolves to death in the blink of an eye and-"

"Frondar, Dorthe, you will go back to Riverwood immediately. Do you have any idea what would've happened if we hadn't heard you and Hinata hadn't come to your rescue? You two are in so much trouble-"

"Mister Ralof, please don't tell father or mother! I promise I'll keep Frodnar away from such ideas, just please don't tell them! We're sorry! We really are." the girl, Dorthe, pleaded.

Faendal shook his head and Ralof sighed. Kids these days. At least he knew he could count on Dorthe to keep her word.

"Very well. I won't say anything to your parents or Gerdur." the children looked relieved, but he wasn't finished. "BUT! You will help Gerdur at the mill or Alvor at the smithy. This isn't some game you know. You could've died. Look at Stump, the poor sod. Do you want him to die because of your little 'fun' games?"

Both children shook their heads no, shame clear on their faces.

"I'm sorry." Frodnar mumbled, trying not to cry.

"No one got hurt, so it is quite allright. I believe you've learned your lesson."Faendal said and then turned to Ralof." I'll make sure the kids do as they're told. Well, you better be off now. We've still to reach the Barrows and we've lost enough daylight as it is."

The two children ran off down the road, along with Stump and the three of them watched their descent until they could no longer be seen. After rummaging through the tower and discovering a nice frost enchanted short sword (which Faendal took in lieu of his earlier encounter), they headed out.

"We'd best hurry up. Let's go, Faendal, Hinata." Ralof took the lead up the snowy road to the Bleak Falls Barrows.

There they were met by several bandits, most of them archers and a single one wielding a heavy two-handed axe. As they quietly entered the temple itself, they made note of the numerous freshly killed bodies of skeevers and also one dead, heavily bitten all over, bandit. There was a fire cackling at the other side of the hall and Hinata informed them there was a man and a woman there. With two swift and accurate arrows, Faendal made quick work of them.

"There is a locked chest here." Ralof said as he finished looting the bodies of anything useful.

"I'll take care of it." Hinata said and activated her Byakugan. She shoved two glowing fingers at the lock and it made a distinct clicking sound. And extremely useful technique, but one that literally killed the lock for any further uses. Sadly enough, they only got a  Potion of minor healing and about fifty septims.

As they made their way quietly through the temple, they saw a man, another bandit, standing by a lever of some sort. Silently, Hinata prepared one a dagger and activated her Byakugan. The man, however, pulled the lever and suddenly mechanisms from all about the chamber started moving, visible only to her all seeing gaze, and small poisoned darts started shooting out from all directions. With a pained grunt, the man fell to the floor, dying quickly from the large amounts of poison. Hinata lowered the dagger and turned off the Byakugan. Faendal and Ralof shared a look as the kunoichi tenderly approached the body.

"T-there is an entire complex m-mechanism all around us in-in the walls. It is c-connected to the gate ahead of us and t-these pillars over here." Hinata said as she approached the three pillars. She stared at them for a while and then Activated her Byakugan again. Faendal and Ralof watched her as she slowly turned each of the pillars untill they were positioned in a snake-snake-whale configuration. Her gaze was oddly intense, almost unseeing in the way she was glaring.

"She's looking at everything and everywhere at once." Faendal mumbled, fascinated by his realization."She really is all-seeing."

Ralof merely nodded in acknowledgement to his words.

"You c-can pull the lever now." she said as she turned aroud, veins receding once more. As Ralof pulled the lever, Faendal spoke to her.

"This room was designed as a puzzle" he pointed towards the head statues with the animal symbols, including the one that had crumbled next to the lever. As the door opened and no darts pelted their bodies, the three of them moved on to the next room, as cautious as ever.

"Someone has been through here." Faendal finally spoke, taking note of his surroundings.

"H-hai."Hinata agreed, her ninja training not leaving her far behind the elf's observations.

"I don't like this place. It's too quiet." Ralof finally said, after entering yet another devoid of life room.

"Hmm..."the Hyuuga heiress activated her Byakugan once more, opting to leave it on for longer this time. "there are t-three small specks of life b-beneath us, down the spiral stairs. I t-think they're sk-keevers?"

Ralof and Faendal nodded as the former took out his axe and shield, while the latter prepared his new, enchanted sword. Ralof took the first rodent with a shield bash and a well-aimed stab. Faendal took out the second one by cleaving it in two with a single swish. The third ran past the men and aimed a pouce at Hinata, who easily sidestepped and poked it at the side of its neck. A nasty crunch resounded and it lay dead on the ground.

"T-there is a man ahead. N-no. An elf. I think?" her glaring eyes took on a spark of uncertainty. "I also see a spider. A big one. It's lying in wait on the ceiling. It's using the elf as a bait."

"That...is a big spider." Ralof stated as he hefted up his shield higher and tightened his grip on his axe. He dashed forward as the Wounded Frostbite Spider lunged for him, only for its mandibles to clash with his shield. It screeched as Faendal's flurry of arrows hit their mark. Hinata rushed past the two men and went for the web-trapped elf.

"Thank Arkay! I'd thought I'd never make it out of here alive!" the dark colored elf exclaimed as she nimbly slashed at the thick webbings keeping him in place."Now hurry up and get me free before that damn spider turns around and tries to eat me!"

"Damn spider!" Ralof shouted as he brought down his axe upon its head, killing it. "I really hate spiders."

"Ha! I'm free! Sorry, but i have a treasure to get to – Ack!"Arvel the Swift, as previously web-trapped elf was known, tried to make a dash for it, only to find himself at the mercy of Hinata's powerful Chakra pokes. "Bloody bitch, what did you do to me! I can't move my legs and arms!"

"He has t-the golden c-claw." Hinata stated as she removed it from the sputtering elf. "D-don't worry, Elf-san, t-the p-paralysis will wear off in several hours." the Kunoichi stated as she gently positioned his limbs in a more comfortable position.

"That is useful. Very, very useful." Faendal exclaimed, amusement evident in his voice.

"Should we get back? We have the golden claw." Ralof asked.

"Uhm. T-there is something up ahead. "she looked in a certain direction at a wall, eyes squinting as she concentrated on her vision. "It's at the edge of my d-divination field, b-but I c-can make out a wall. With glowing words. I-I think they're words."

Ralof and Faendal shared a look again.

"We can continue on, if you like. We got so far, why not go through it all, then?" Faendal said and Ralof agreed.

"Hey! You're  not leaving me here like thi-" Alver tried to complain, but Hinata pinched him at the base of his throat.

"Sleep, Elf-san."

"These are the burial chambers?" Faendal guessed as he looked at the various symbols and signs carved in the stone walls.

"Aye. Ancient Nord Burial grounds." Ralof explained as he looked at the well preserved state of the various bodies. "Would you look at that armor." He whispered as his hand  rose to touch the surface of the finely crafted metal piece."

"Grr!" the eyes of the dead body opened and one hand grasped tightly around Ralof's arm.

"DRAUGR!" Ralof yelled as he hacked away at the undead creature with his axe.

Suddenly, bodies started rising all around them. Hinata's eyes widened as she realized she couldn't see them through the Byakugan.

"Hinata!" Faendal yelled as he  whooshed past her with his enchanted sword and slammed it firmly into the head of the draugr behind her.

They were too many. Hinata deactivated her Byakugan and took a deep breath.

"Run upstairs! Now!" the kunoichi yelled as she prepared her Gentle Fist Stance."Go!"

"Damn it, Hinata!" Ralof yelled at her.

"I don't want to hurt you, just GO."

Faendal grabbed the shouting Nord and pulled him away as much as he could.

"KAITEN!" the pale girl almost screamed as almost all of the Draugr were nearly upon her. She started spinning. Really fast. And then she was surrounded by whisps of that pale white-blue light. The light intensified and for a few seconds Faendal and Ralof could see nothing but the light. And then there was the screeching sound of ripped metal, the sound of metal against metal, metal against hard stone, bones cracking, dry flesh ripping... then the light faded and all was silent, except for a dull thud and the heavy panting of a girl.

"Hinata!" Ralof yelled in alarm as he saw her collapsed form in the middle of a whirwind of dead body parts.

"I-I'm allright." she said meekly as she squeezed her eyes shut. "I-I need a m-moment."

Her head was spinning and she was pretty certain she'd need a Magicka potion or two.

"You should stop saving me, Hinata. I'm supposed to be the big strong Nord." Ralof chuckled, albeit it was strained, and he brushed away some of the stray strands of hair that were upon her face.

Faendal moved on ahead.

"There are quite a few traps here, be very careful where you step." He cautioned, as he gingerly sidestepped any loose plates on the ground. Going even further ahead, he saw a corridor with swiping blades trap. Moving swiftly, having timed the movement of the blades, he made it unscathed to the other side and deactivated the trap.

Ralof and a rather unsteady looking Hinata catched up with him as another wave of draugr were upon them.

"Sit this one out, Hinata." Ralof said and helped her sit down by one of the stone coffins.

Faendal noticed that Ralof was now sporting a new axe, or, rather, an Ancient Nord War Axe. The draugr in this room were a lot less numerous than the one in the first. As they moved forward, Hinata cautioned to be wary of the oily liquid that was splattered on places on the floor and also of the precariously hanging oil lamps above their heads. As they progressed, Hinata's step became more steady and soon enough they found themselves in a cavern-like area with blue glowing mushrooms. The Kunoichi took interest in the and harvested almost all of them. Among the ruins of the temple they found several gems, various ancient rings, ear pieces and other jewelry, some in better condition than others. Faendal was particularly satisfied by a jeweled golden necklace, which he immediately claimed for Camilla, along with two matching golden rings that they had stumbled upon earlier. For himself, the elf took an Ancient Nord bow, along with a set of Ancient Nord Arrows. His own bow was better, but he liked the idea of having this one gracing the wall beside his fireplace as a memento of this adventure.  It was only a bonus that it happened to be enchanted with fire damage.

"You could make instant dinner with that one! One shot and wham! Instant roast rabbit!" All three had laughed heartily at Ralof's joke, though Hinata's version of a hearty laugh was more of a melodic giggle.

Finally, the three of them approached a closed gate. It was easy enough to guess how to open it, as the correct combination of symbols was etched onto the bottom part of the golden claw. Hinata, however, said that, with her Byakugan she would've been able to pass by the locking mechanism of the gate. At that, Faendal had amusingly remarked that she would make the greatest thief since the infamous Gray Fox of legend. Ralof had given him a dirty look at that comment.

"Is that the wall you spoke of?" Ralof asked as they entered the final chamber of the Bleak Falls Inner Sanctum.

Hinata nodded as she strained to hear better the very faint sounds of...chanting?

"Ano... d-do you hear that?" she asked, looking at both of the men.

"I don't hear anything except for the bats." Faendal immediately exclaimed, looking as confused as Ralof. He was certain she was not talking about the bats.

"It's like ... chanting." she mumbled as she approached the wall.

"There is a coffin here, might be another Draugr" Ralof stated.

"C-can't you hear it? It's so loud." the kunoichi exclaimed as she traced the cuneiform script.

Here lies the Guardian

Keeper of the Dragonstone

and a FORCE of eternal

rage and darkness.

"Fus..." she mumbled and at the same time something kicked out the heavy stone lid of the coffin.

"Ro...Dah!" the massive draugr hissed and an invisible force slammed all three of them painfully into the wall.

"Ungh!" Hinata cried out as she felt one of her shoulders getting dislodged.

"Argh!" Ralof was first on his feet as he body-slammed into the heavily armored Drauger, forcing it to stagger backwards. But as he was about to shove his axe into the Draugr's neck, the undead creature kicked him in the chest. Faendal, finally on his feet, fired several arrows in quick succession and then took out his sword and flanked the creature.

Hinata activated her Byakugan again. Her shoulder was definately dislodged and she also sported several cracked ribs, making breathing somewhat painful. At least they weren't completely broken. The Kunoichi stood up rather tentively and then slammed herself into the cuneiform script wall, forcing her Humerus back into position. Very painful but effective. She then uncorked one of the remaining Healing Potions and gulped down the disgusting liquid as quick as she could. She threw the empty glass bottle to the side and rushed into the battle, slashing the Draugr at its joints and its neck. Faendal dealt the final blow as he managed to shove his swords through the undead creature's chest from behind. With a heavy grunt, the elf pulled out the sword and the dead body fell limply to the ground.

"That Draugr...it shouted. Like the Greybeards...like Jarl Ulfric. That was a shout!" Ralof rambled on in excitement and awe. And shock. For a while he just stood there, staring at the undead thing they had just defeated. Suddenly, he started laughing like a maniac. " My brothers and sisters...haha! At Windhelm! Oh, Talos! They'd never believe me when I tell them we dispatched a huge Draugr that could shout! Oh, this is going to be quite the story to tell the future generations!"

"You can take its armor as proof." Faendal suggested, prodding at the huge corpse with his boot." He's a bit larger than you, so the armor would definately fit. Hmm. Hinata, can I borrow your steel dagger for a second?"

It took Faendal the better part of an hour to remove the armor of the creature by releaving it of its arms and other body parts. In the end, he was pretty proud of his handy work, Ralof was pretty disturbed and Hinata had opted to look at the pretty stone plate at the bottom of the coffin for the sake of her own gentle psyche. But she had to hand it to the elf. He had a very clinical approach to the whole... dispatching process.

"I think Alvor can fix the huge holes on both sides. What do you think, Ralof? Ah, Ralof?" Faendal looked at the Blond Nord to see him staring with a pale face at the hand the elf had thrown absently to the side. Its palm was lying on his boot. "Oh, for the love of... it's  just an arm, Ralof."

Hinata actually giggled at that, despite the horridness of it all, or, perhaps, because of it.

"Uhm, c-can I take this stone p-plate with us?" the kunoichi pointed at it.

"Oh, of course, Hinata. Let me carry it, though. It looks heavy." Ralof immediately picked it up and gently wrapped it in the old linen cloths lying about the coffin."Looks secure enough to me. Okay, let's head out before it gets too cold outside. It's probably already dark."

In only a matter of a few minutes, the three of them were at the exit.

"Ah, at least the sky is clear tonight. Imagine trying to get this load to Riverwood in complete darkness, eh Hinata?" Ralof commented, but his words went unnoticed by the Hyuuga girl.

"Hinata, is everything allright?" Faendal was first to notice that she was staring unblinkingly, with wide horrified eyes at the sky, quickly beginning to hyperventilate.

"Hinata!" Ralof cried out in alarm as she collapsed to her knees, crying, whimpering, shivering violently.

The Blond kneeled and grasped Hinata's shoulders, squeezing them gently and calling out her name. She was unresponsive, not even registering neither his attempts nor those of Faendal's to get her out of her sudden state of shock.

"Two moons!" she suddenly croaked out through sobs, then rambled on in her native tongue. Ralof embraced her tightly, gently rocking her back and forth, trying desperately to understand what was going on.

Beside them, Faendal stood as still as a rock, hand covering his mouth and his vividly colored eyes wide with his terrifying realization.

"Hinata, please tell me what's wrong!" Ralof pleaded again.

"T-two moons! Two moons, Ralof!" she sobbed. " I-I'll never go h-home!NEVER!"

"Hinata calm down!" came Faendal's cold and sharp voice."Look at me, girl. Ralof, let her go. She needs to get over her shock. Hinata, I said look at me!"

He shook her violently and then forced her face to meet his eyes.

"You are not alone, Hinata! We are here. I want you to breathe in slowly and then breathe out. Stay with me, Hinata. Ralof, give me the canteen."

The elf spashed the cool liquid on her face and then gently slapped her.

"We will get home, Hinata! Stop crying, woman! This will not get you back to your world. If there is a way to get you here, then there is a way to take you back home as well. Get yourself together or are you giving up!?"

Faendal's steely words finally got to her and she blinked. Her face was red and her eyes were puffy from the crying. She wiped at her tears and then she frowned at the elf.

"I'll never give up!" she stated with determination and then wiped her face again. "L-let's go."

Not a word was uttered on the way back.

After a late night dinner at Gerdur and Hod's home, Faendal went to his home, but not before giving Hinata a reasurring smile. As the rest prepared to bed, Gerdur could not help but notice the Hyuuga's strange mood. When she asked her brother about it, he explained that there was nothing they could do, except giving their support.

"Please Gerdur, I know it may be too much to ask, but let her stay as long as she wants to. She has nowhere else to go."

Somehow Gerdur knew that Ralof was not just repeating himself. There was this desperation in his eyes that spoke silent volumes about what had transpired in the Bleak Falls Barrows.

"I already told you that I will, Ralof. Don't you worry about that." with that, Gerdur went to sleep.

"Hinata, are you awake?" the blond Nord whispered.

"I-I am." she replied quietly, her voice slightly hoarse. Ralof sadly reflected that she was crying again.

"You've been crying again." he said softly.

"I-it's just t-that I-I'll never see them again." she sobbed quietly."F-father, my sister Hanabi, m-my cousin N-neji...M-my team, Shino, K-kiba and K-kurenai-sensei. A-and Naruto-k-kun. I-I'll never see him again."

As she shook with her quiet sobs, Ralof felt as if someone splashed him with cold water. Of course, she had someone in her heart. Feeling incredibly sad and somewhat guilty of his behavior, Ralof gently placed an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to his chest, gently rocking her back and forth.

"Shh..." he whispered in her hair." It's okay to cry. Let it all out. It's okay to cry, but not okay to cry all the time, you know?" he joked gently as his fingers ran through her hair. His effort was rewarded with a weak giggle. He smiled at her. "You are a strong girl, Hinata. Strong and gentle, and smart. You will find your way back home. I am sure of it. And then you will be back to that Naruto of yours and if he isn't waiting for you then I will come there and kick his ass into Oblivion."

And despite herself, Hinata giggled again.

"Y-you're a g-good person, Ralof." She whispered as she wiped her tear streaked face.

The blond man grinned at her and then kissed the side of her forehead before letting her go.

"Go to sleep Hinata. I don't want you to be groggy when I leave tomorrow."

"Good night, Ralof-kun." Hinata mumbled sleepily.

"Goodnight, little princess." Ralof mumbled back, and soon both were asleep on their cots.

The next morning they woke up early and the entire household had a rich, filling breakfast. With cheerful laughs and lots of smiles, Ralof said farewell to his sister and her family. Finally, he turned to Hinata  and pulled her into a bear hug and off the ground, making her blush prettily.

"Oh, and one more thing before I leave!" he said and swiftly leaned down to her face and stole a kiss before she realized what happened.

With a high-pitched eep, and face as hot as the sun, her pale lavender eyes rolled back into their sockets and she fell unconscious into Hod's hands.

"RALOF, YOU DIRTY PIG!" his sister screeched after him, as he laughed heartily, a pretty pink blush marring his own face. Now he would go to Windhelm, knowing he had kissed the prettiest girl of two worlds.