Learn To Be Lonely

Surprise! New story! This concept was one of those shower thoughts and I simply had to write it down. I'm definitely not giving up on Another Love Story, I have more chapters in the works but this is only supposed to be four parts or so (unless I get requests for more). Inspired by the song Phantom of the Opera, it is more of a hijacking of the Naruto plot line post Konoha Crush. Obviously, I have no rights to either but I still like to play around in the sandbox. Enjoy and please review, it makes me a better writer.

Updated AN: I am editing and reposting with some minor changes: shorter chapters and fixing some mistakes here and there. I will try to post once a week but good news… It's nearly done! I promise there will be no more irritatingly long waits as long as nothing terrible happens in the next few weeks.

A young woman stood at the top of a secluded tower staring across the moonlit desert. Sparse shrubs danced upon the sand in the gentle breeze that ruffled her long raven hair; she took a deep breath of the dry air, enjoying the faint smell of cactus blossoms. It wasn't her turn for the night watch but over the past four years she had grown to love the desert at night, it held a silent yet deadly beauty, though her lips thinned as she thought about the circumstances that brought her to the isolated outpost four years ago.

"Hinata-sama," a stern voice broke the silence.

Hinata sighed as her moment of peace ended.

"Yes, Neji-nii-san?" She asked, glancing at her cousin.

"What are you doing up here? You aren't on watch."

She turned back to watch the desert, "I enjoy seeing it like this."

Neji grunted, "It's the same as daytime, only not as hot."

Hinata merely shook her head wishing her over-protective cousin would leave her alone. She had learned to be lonely in the darkness of the desert.

It was Neji's turn to sigh, "Hinata-sama, I am sorry about the arrangement…"

"Stop," she cut him off with a frown, "I have long since come to terms with being sent away from our family, split from my team simply because this was the easiest place to put a burden like me."

"Doesn't sound like it," he muttered.

"Please leave me alone, nii-san."

"I travel to Konoha tomorrow for training with uncle, is there any message you wish me to relay?"

Lavender eyes scanned the unforgiving landscape. There was much she wished to relay: to her father she wanted to rant and rave about how he had cast her aside in order to make the way clear for her little sister, Hanabi, to take the position of heir; to Naruto she wished she had the courage to ask if he had perhaps been interested in her as she was once in him; to the Hokage, Tsunade, as to why she was never summoned back to the village either for battle or revels when everyone else in this desolate place was allowed to return home through the years.

Four years ago, after the death of the third Hokage, an outpost had been established on the border with Suna. Team Gai had been assigned to the fort along with several other nin, including herself. Her father had been adamant she accept the position, as if she were allowed a choice, forcing her to leave her teammates behind to be deadweight with her cousin's team who had been together since their academy days. At first, the only thing that saved her from despair was Neji wanting to rebuild their relationship after the first Chunin Exams. He trained her, talked to her, encouraged her to talk to him: he could still be rather cold and stoic but their relationship had truly reached that of a brother and sister and for that, she would be forever grateful.

"I have no message." Hinata's tight shoulders relaxed as she turned to him, briefly taking his hand in hers, "But be safe, nii-san. I will miss you."

Still uncomfortable with such declarations, her cousin only grunted before leaving her on the tower still staring into the desert. Hinata yawned, rubbing tired eyes. Judging by the moon, it had to be after two in the morning and she had an early training session with Lee; it was time to head to bed. She turned to the stairs, giving one last glance out into the sands.

A movement caught her eye.

"Byakugan!"

Across the desert, past where the scrub ended and endless sands began, a shape moved. It was so far, even with her byakugan, she couldn't make out exactly what it was. Judging by the amount of sand being moved, it was likely many somethings. Her eyes widened as a small hill was detached and flung over the desert. Could it be a group of Suna nin training? Not likely, they rarely bothered training this close to the border and the outpost typically received notice when a group would be passing through. Besides, she had never seen sand manipulated in such a raw manner. Almost as if she were hypnotized, Hinata watched as even more sand was disturbed, a huge shape appearing in the middle of the raging cloud.

Definitely not a group of ninja.

Eventually the rampage moved off, all traces of its presence gone from her sight, save for the tiny misplaced hill in the distance. She had the afternoon off tomorrow and she felt a flicker of adventure stir at the thought of investigating the churned up sand hoping to find a clue as to who or what had disturbed the peace of the desert.

oOoOoOo

The next day Hinata was distracted, something her sparring partner, Lee, picked up on almost immediately. She had grown to like the overly exuberant jumpsuited ninja and his sparring sessions were a welcome relief during the weeks Neji was summoned back to Konoha, either for a specialized mission or training with her father. At first, she had been deeply hurt that her father made a point of insisting Neji keep training while she was entirely unwelcome in her family home. Over time she decided that if that was what her father condemned her to then she would just have to do the best she could to become stronger at the outpost by training with her nii-san and his teammates, along with the handful of other ninja stationed with her. It still hurt but she had purpose, bleak as it may be, and her heart hurt for deeper companionship.

Concerned about her unusually distracted state after she nearly missed a block that would have taken her head off, Lee called their session early so that she could rest. Hinata felt slightly guilt about telling him she wasn't feeling well when all she wanted to do was explore the desert in the light, but she wasn't in the mood for his overzealous company today. No, today was a day for quiet adventure and a chance to forget about her disappointing past and loveless future.

It was easy for her to slip past the guards during their lunchtime rotation, though another inkling of guilt set in. She knew she should take a partner to explore, especially after what she had seen last night just as she knew she should have reported the disturbance to the guards on duty but she couldn't bring herself to. It felt like a secret between herself and the desert, one she was going to unravel.

A bead of sweat trickled down the back of her light grey shirt. She was thankful for the cooling shorts she wore while lightweight high socks kept her pale skin from burning in the sun. She paused in the shade of an outcropping about 12 miles into the desert and covered her mouth in horror as she reached the area she had watched last night. Huge feet had torn up the area and there was a deep hole where the hill had been heaved up. What could cause such damage?

The immense tracks led off into the desert. Hinata wrung her hands in front of her; she wasn't one to shrink back from a challenge, not anymore, but whatever had torn up the landscape was beyond her abilities as a chuunin. It was likely even a single jonin would pause before running after the… creature. However, she had no intention of confronting whatever it was, no, she just wanted information.

Channeling the courage she had admired in Naruto-kun for so many years, Hinata took off at a sprint using chakra to propel her over the sand. She kept her byakugan activated relying on it to warn her of movement. As she covered the distance, she noticed a large outcropping that the tracks seemed to be haphazardly heading toward. She was about a mile away from the rocky outcropping when she slowed to a stop. The wind had kicked up last night, as it tended to do in the desert and while it had left the other tracks unobscured, this section of desert had been wiped clean by what looked like a massive dust devil.

Dust devils were common in the area: high winds would whip sand into a swirling tornado and move across the desert flattening brush and dunes. This one had been large enough to eliminate the giant tracks as far as Hinata could see; however, she continued on toward the rocks. If the creature had continued in a straight line, it should have either moved past the rocks or found shelter in them. Hinata finally reached the large mound and cautiously began to climb what she estimated to be about eight feet, thankful the sun was casting her shadow behind rather than before her. She creeped around to the side of a large rock, heart pounding. She may not be as timid as she used to be but only a fool would remain unafraid of such a powerful unknown creature. She peered around a rock down into the hollow on the other side.

Her breath caught in her throat.

It was an oasis! The rocks formed a half dome nearly all the way around and in the center of the hollow, surrounded by green, was an enormous pool of water. She blinked, briefly wondering if she had been in the sun too long. No, it was still there. The emerald water sparkled like a jewel among the drab sand, a handful of date trees rising almost to the top of the rocks where she perched, and for a moment Hinata forgot the monster she was tracking.

Sudden movement across the pool reminded her why she was there.

Hinata held her breath as a figure emerged on the far side of the pool. It was much too small to be the creature she sought and as she focused her sensitive eyes, she saw it was a man. The figure was clothed in flowing robes of tan so that it blended in with the sands but the cloth fit in a way that spoke to the tailored V of a fit male rather than the soft curves of a woman. His head was covered with a wrap so she couldn't see what color hair he had or any other distinguishing features but he appeared to be on high alert. She decided that if he were there, either he hadn't noticed the creature, unlikely given how observant he appeared to be, or the area was safe. Feeling far more confident about approaching a human, Hinata quickly dropped down the other side, wanting to talk to the strange man. Perhaps he had seen tracks as well or could at least give her an idea as to what the beast was, he moved like someone familiar with the desert.

It took her several minutes to make her way around the pool as she did not want to use her shinobi speed and frighten the man. He was sitting in the grass next to the water, staring at something in front of him; as she neared, she scuffed her toe against the ground hoping to avoid startling him. Dark rimmed jade eyes locked with hers. They were the only feature she could see but they looked… frightened. He quickly got to his feet and crouched like a wild animal ready to flee.

"Hello," Hinata said in what she hoped was a soothing voice, "My name is Hinata. I'm from the outpost near the border."

The wild-eyed man didn't speak though he took a step back. Hinata stopped walking; apparently, she had reached the limit of the man's personal space.

"This place is beautiful," she tried talking again. If he lived around the pool, maybe he could explain why no one used it considering water was such a rarity in the desert.

He still didn't speak.

Hinata sat in the grass, saving her byakugan as a precaution; the man was tense and in her experience men like that typically would resort to aggression if pushed. She didn't worry too much, between Neji helping her refine her gentle fist technique and Lee encouraging her taijutsu, she knew she was a formidable force. Not that her father would ever acknowledge it. She shook her head, now was not the time to dwell on distracting thoughts.

"Do you live here?"

Silence.

"Have you seen a large creature in the desert? Bigger than an antelope?"

One eye twitched and he gave his head a brief shake but he still didn't speak. Well at least she knew he could definitely hear her. She gazed into the bright pool, mesmerized by the gemlike tone of the water; it truly was a beautiful place, one she would like to spend more time at. That is, if the silent man didn't mind.

"I do not wish to intrude in your space…" She paused, giving him a moment to respond. He didn't. "However, I would like to return here, should you not object. I have fallen in love with the desert but I do miss the water back home. I'm from Konoha, you see, and I haven't been able to journey home in some time…" Hinata continued her one-sided conversation, keeping her voice soft and steady. Perhaps idle chatter would put him at ease. The man did not object, nor did he give any input; he merely stood and listened. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw some of the stiffness leave his shoulders as she talked of trivial things: she spoke about the desert, about Konoha, about what she enjoyed doing in her spare time and how she missed bodies of water. Soon the sun began to dip toward the horizon and she was reminded of what led her to the pool in the first place, not wanting to get caught out after sundown.

"I suppose I should get back to the outpost," She said, directly looking at the man for the first time in what seemed like hours. He remained standing in the same spot, tension flooding back into his body as she stood, brushing sand from her backside.

"I haven't heard you tell me to stay away." A belated thought occurred to Hinata. "Can you speak?"

"Yes."

She blinked in surprise at the raspy word.

"May I return here?"

"Yes."

Hinata smiled at the man inexplicably happy to hear him speak, even if it was a single word in an ill-used voice. She gave him a tiny bow before turning toward home, walk transitioning into a run as she left him behind though she could feel him staring after her.

"Irresponsible!"

Hinata winced at the raised voice, fighting past urges to cower from shouted words.

"You told no one! What if you were hurt? Or attacked? Or passed out from heat?! All things that have happened to experienced shinobi before, I remind you."

Slowly she met the irate gaze of the acting commander of the outpost.

"Apologies, Raido-sama."

The man rubbed a hand over the left side of his face, the side covered in scars.

"You should be more responsible, Hinata-san. As punishment, you will take night watch for the next two days and will not be allowed to accompany Rock Lee and Tenten on their trip to Konoha."

She blinked, "I would have been allowed home?"

Raido sighed, closing his dark eyes, "This is home now, Hinata-san."

"And I am not allowed to return to Konoha, is that it? At least now you don't have to make up an excuse."

"Watch your tongue, girl!" He spat.

Hinata hung her head again, "Sorry, Raido-sama."

The corner of his mouth twitched, "I believe you've said that already. Now, relieve Gai on watch and try not to cause more trouble. I count on you of all the nin here to stay out of it, you know?"

"Of course!" She said with a smile and a salute before disappearing to one of the towers.

She had gotten lucky, Namiashi Raido, former bodyguard to the third Hokage, was not one to suffer disobedience lightly. When the outpost had been constructed he had been given the choice: leave Konoha and take the commander position or serve the new Hokage as bodyguard. After the death of the third, he felt ashamed to continue in a failed position so he had chosen the outpost. At least he had a choice. Her father had cast her out in order to clear the way for Hanabi, a slight even gentle Hinata took issue with. The worst part was staying away from the town she grew up ins and all of her friends, although Kiba and Shino were always quick to take missions that led them past the outpost so they could check on her.

It wasn't fair. All the other shinobi stationed at the outpost were allowed to return to Konoha through the year but never Hinata. She was always given some excuse and forced to remain in her exile.

Hinata yawned and shook her head. She was capable of not sleeping during missions but after the late night and long day she just wanted to crawl into bed. For something to do, she activated her byakugan and scanned the desert. It was something she would do periodically on watch anyway, though right now it served as more distraction than detection. A rabbit hopped from bush to bush, long ears waving above the brittle grasses, an owl from the nearby forest flew over the sand alert for a stray mouse. Once more, she appreciated the life in the desert, though her mind drifted to the silent man she had met today. What was he doing alone by the oasis?

A small cloud of sand caught her enhanced eye.

Odd, considering it was a rare night when the air was completely still. Hinata focused on the disturbance: it was too much to be a person walking or running, something was intentionally moving the sand. Could it be the creature from last night?

She watched as it transitioned from a random cloud into different shapes: definitely not the rampaging creature. It danced in lazy circles before turning into what looked like a tree then it was all sharp lines jabbing at each other before shooting up into dusty fireworks. Aware it may be a ploy for her to abandon her defenses for an ambush, she scanned the area around the compound, yet she still watched the sand dance.

She wasn't sure how long the event lasted but she felt a tinge of sadness when it slowly came to a stop, the cloud fanning over the desert and settling back among the still sands. She felt like it was… a performance, one only for her; she just wished she knew who could make the sand move in such captivating ways.

I always appreciate any comments, criticisms, or encouragements you wonderful people can throw at me. It all makes me a better writer and is a great source of joy when it comes to posting stories. I'll see you all next week.