Disclaimer – Naruto does not belong to me.
The sound of approaching footsteps woke Hinata up from her fitful sleep. Beside her, Karui and the other kunoichis were stirring, aware of their captor's sudden presence. They had been travelling for what seemed like days, hands and legs in chains and unaware of their final destination.
Karui had joked that they were finally meeting their creator and though Hinata was not afraid of death, she wasn't ready to die yet. Not without knowing the fate of her friends, her family…Naruto. Two years in captivity had not dimmed her hopes that one day, she would see them again – alive.
She held onto this hope, even after seeing Tenten's, Ino's, Chouji's and Shino's body. Even after seeing Neji, her cousins and father buried in a mass grave. She had wanted to scream, to cry and succumb to death's welcoming embrace. But she was done with emotions, she was done with weakness and she was done with self-pity.
They were taken from her when Naruto fell, when Nejidied protecting her and when the world descended into chaos.
She remembered feeling numb with shock when Madara, with Sasuke's help had managed to defeat Naruto. All around her, people were stunned with the revelation that the war was now over – that they had lost. Before anyone could regain their senses, Obito had unleashed his surprise wood attack; sending spears of wood soaring through the battleground and impaling everyone in its path.
Hinata was destined for such a fate in her anguished and defeated state but Neji, her beloved cousin, had other plans. With the spikes covering all his body and blood pouring from his mouth, he had shielded her body with his own.
His last dying words to her had broken her heart and if it wasn't for his wish that she survive, that she lived, she would've held onto him til hunger took her last breath away. She held him until her crying was reduced to hiccups and it was only after her father and Ko had appeared, that they were able to extract Neji's body from her iron grip.
Sensing her state, Kolifted her up into his arms and held her close. Her father was yelling at them to go, to run away and had she been stronger, she would've remembered Ko's reluctance to leave him. Had she been more alert, she would've sensed the White Zetsus approaching. Had she been a better daughter, she would've died by her father's side. Instead, she was whisked away by Ko, left in a hidden branch whilst he went back to his leader's side and it was only later, when her senses returned that she realised how truly foolish she really was.
It did not take long before her hideout was discovered. By that time, many shinobi had either died or fled the scene. All remaining survivors had their chakras sealed and imprisoned whilst Madara's men celebrated.
She never knew what became of Naruto. They never found his body and that knowledge alone was enough for her. She had failed Neji and her father but she would live for Naruto, for Hanabi, for her surviving friends. They would need her again one day and she vowed to be a better, stronger Hinata when that day came.
X-X
The shock of sunlight made Hinata's eyes water as she and her companions alighted from the carriage. The sight of high stone walls made her stomach clench. Were they being moved to the dungeons? Why only the young Kuniochis and not the men or older women from their previous prisons? Were they being sold off? As if reading her mind, Yumi, a young brunette from Suna gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. 'We'll get through this' she seemed to say. Hinata smiled back at her in kind. 'Yes we will'.
Before Hinata had time to ponder more on their surroundings, the girls all found themselves ushered into a narrow concrete room. Their menacing and cold male guards were now replaced with female caretakers - all of whom were dressed in brown yukatas and emitting the same aura of disgust.
"Strip" one woman yelled, "Or we will do it for you...with these" she smiled evilly, holding up a pair of sharp scissors.
Without needing to be told twice, Karui, Yumi and a few other girls started stripping. Hinata would love to be rid of her dirty rags but self-preservation and modesty was still ingrained in her.
Seeing one of the ladies approach her menacingly, Hinata divested herself of her dirty clothes with lightning speed. A sudden spray of water from the ceiling caused a few to yelp in shock and before Hinata could recover from her shame, a bar of soap was thrown in her direction. This time, the smell of fresh soap and clean water was enough for the girls to squeal in delight. It had been a while since any of them had had a shower, let alone with soap. So it was no wonder that moaning and furious scrubbing was the only sound that was heard from their group for some time.
After their refreshing shower, the girls were led to another nondescript, windowless room; one that was filled with shelves of slippers, undergarments and yukatas. Hinata glanced at Riku, a pretty little red-head from Suna and Yumi's best friend. Both girls were whispering (loudly) and giggling at their nudity. How they could still be so happy and carefree after everything they've been through, Hinata didn't know, but she hoped they'd never change.
"Silence!" the lady whose name Hinata later learnt was Namiko bellowed.
"Get dressed quickly. You have 15 minutes!" And with those parting words, the girls quickly sprang into action. No one wanted to be naked and vulnerable when facing the next unknown, after all.
For the next couple of hours, the girls were fed, de-liced, de-flead and medically assessed. A white tag was placed around Hinata's wrist after her internal examination was complete.
She had never felt more mortified or ashamed, especially hearing their comments about her bust size. Even with her weight loss, her curves were still quite obvious and with the general consensus that they were being sold off (to the local brothels Riku had dramatically proclaimed), Hinata could only pray that her new 'master' lived in the Fire Nation.
She needed to know what happened to her clan, to Hanabi and if that meant she had to use her womanly ways to seduce that information out of her patrons, then so be it. It was better than being locked up, starved and unaware of her family's fate. Not too long ago, the Hyuuga in her would've been embarrassed and horrified at entertaining such thoughts, but Hinata needed to know. She needed to find Hanabi and she needed to escape.
Nothing else mattered.