Dream of Future

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Spoilers: Up to manga chapter 380. Obviously I tweaked a few things to fit my story. There are some parts/dialogues that I took directly from the manga. Let's see if they are recognized… :o)

Rated: T (To be safe)

(It may change later to Rated M?)

Chapter: 2

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The three men worked on setting up their camp quickly and efficiently. Hinata has not heard anything from the other two men, except for the grunts they gave earlier as acknowledgment when the man carrying her made his announcement to stop. She doesn't know why she was taken captive and who these men are and why she was taken.

Even though she comes from a shinobi clan, she has been so out of touch with the outside world, specifically the shinobi world, that she cannot even begin to take a guess on the why's and the who's for her current predicament. Hinata surreptitiously studied the men around her. She could tell that they are all shinobi. By the raw power emanating from them, they are strong shinobi. She does not recognize any of the three men, well at least two of the three. One of them, the person who carried her from her room, looks vaguely familiar to her, but she just cannot place him at the moment.

They are all tall men, especially when compared to her height. The other two men both have light colored hair. The first one, Hinata estimates his height to be at least six feet tall, with lean muscles covering his tall frame. He carries a huge sword on his back, and looks like he knows exactly how to wield it.

Then there is the other one, with the wild, untamed hair. This man is a veritable giant, at a height of at least six feet six inches. There isn't much Hinata could tell about him, save for his height. He isn't carrying any type of special weapon, that she could see, but his size alone spells danger.

Finally, there is the dark-haired man – the one who is obviously in-charge. His dark hair is longish and wild in the back. He too carries a sword on his back; however, his is a slim katana. Hinata estimates his height to be a little over six feet tall. His lithe body is obviously honed to perfection; his movements are graceful and he seems to be always at the ready to spring into action.

Hinata saw the dark-haired man approach her after he's completed the task of assembling their tent. She saw him replace the scroll back in the supply pack he carries on his person. She realized that is where the camping gear was sealed in after seeing the scroll.

He took her arm and escorted her inside without actually looking at her. "Here, you can have that sleeping bag. Go and rest. It'll be a long day tomorrow. I don't need to remind you that you have nowhere else to go, so don't even think of trying to escape. Behind you is the woods were wild and dangerous animals abound," he then turned away after making that announcement.

Sasuke settled himself down against a tree, facing the tent Hinata is currently occupying, to keep a better eye on it, and proceeded to take the first watch.

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Hinata can't help but think of the people left at the Hyuuga compound. How many lay dead? She thought of the guards posted at the walls, and of the guards at the Konoha gates, and her eyes filled with tears. Hastily, she brushed them away. Crying will avail her nothing.

Sasuke had the same thoughts in his mind – the people left behind at the Hyuuga compound. No doubt everyone at the compound slumbered still. The missing heiress won't be discovered until morning, when it would be too late to do anything – except to inform the Lord Hiashi that his precious daughter is gone.

Sasuke can't help but smirk at this thought – imagining the proud Hyuuga's reaction. At the very least, he expects rage at the contemptuous and easy way that the whole matter was executed. If Lord Hiashi truly cared for his daughter, he would be rightly tormented by thoughts of her fate. Life for those left in charge will most likely be extremely unpleasant.

He felt no regret at that as he put all such considerations aside and concentrated on the task at hand. Or at least he tried to. Thoughts of the lady in the tent intruded despite his best efforts to ignore them. He hasn't had the chance to truly study her appearance, but what he had seen so far had stunned him with the beauty and grace that had been hinted at.

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For the moment, he decided, it was good that she was afraid. It would make her more pliable, more easily bent to his will. In time, he would reassure her that her fate would not be quite so dire as she feared. She was bound to be thankful for that, Sasuke is sure. He could think of all sorts of ways she could show her gratitude.

He was smiling again, a feral smile of purely male anticipation, when a slight motion behind the tent caught his eyes. Immediately, Sasuke activated his Sharingan. He stared in disbelief as he saw the gentle lady trying to cut into the back side of the tent. Where she got the knife, he doesn't know, nor does he really care.

The fact that totally surprised Sasuke was that she even attempted to escape after being warned, nay, ordered against doing so. He is not used to having his directives disobeyed.

Sasuke sat up and watched to see what she'd do next. A head appeared where the incision was made, then followed swiftly by slender shoulders and then all the rest of her as she moved, almost flowed really, across the small clearing toward the woods in front of her.

Immediately, Sasuke flickered in front of her to intercept her on her headlong flight, and caught her by the shoulders. She fought, more earnestly than she had in her chamber when he'd had the advantage of complete surprise. She lashed out with hands and feet, trying to kick him where it would do the most good and to scratch at this face. All the while, she twisted, struggling to loosen his hold.

He tightened it instead, cursing under his breath, and hauled the clawing, biting termagant back down on the ground and into the tent. Flinging her on to the sleeping bag, he stood with his legs braced apart, arms crossed over his chest, and glared at her in righteous male outrage.

"What the hell were you thinking of? Was I unclear on what I told you earlier? Do you even know where you are and where you're going? You were about to enter those woods, where there are dangerous and vicious animals!"

Sasuke was practically yelling at her at this point. He was so furious at her, actually shaking at the thought of her being in danger – wanting alternately to strangle and to caress her.

Incredibly, she seemed heedless of her peril. Tossing hair out of her eyes, she glared at him. "What do you care for my life? You invade my home, kidnap me, and expect me to just accept my fate? No!"

He should have seen it coming, should have at least anticipated it, but he was still so stunned by her actions and her words that he wasn't prepared when she leaped up and tried to run past him, seeking again to gain freedom through the darkness of the night and into the woods. She almost made it.

At the last moment, Sasuke's hand lashed out, closing on a length of soft cotton. It tore with a rending sound that reverberated against the walls of the tent. He tightened his grip involuntarily, tearing the cloth farther, dragging her toward him, no thought in his mind but controlling this woman, forcing her to his will. The ruined garment fell from her body, leaving her naked to his gaze.

They both froze. Neither moved through the space of several heartbeats until finally Hinata made a low moan of despair and wrapped her arms around herself, turning away from him. She lost her balance and began to fall forward. Sasuke did not hesitate. He caught her and lowered her back onto the sleeping bag. She curled on her side, drawing her legs up, the veil of her midnight blue hair her only concealment.

His breathing ragged, heart hammering against his ribs, Sasuke stood up. He closed his eyes for a moment, inhaling deeply. When he looked at her again, he had regained some of his composure back.

"I understand now why your father kept you secluded in the farthest part of your compound," he snarled. "You'd drive the sanest man mad."

She didn't move, didn't even acknowledge him, but he saw her stiffen. With a curse that would have scorched the ears of the most hardened shinobi, Sasuke turned away and left the tent. Outside, he did a few hand-seals to create a barrier around the tent, something he should have done in the first place. After the sealing, Sasuke finally turned away and muttered, "Damn woman."

In the safety of their tents, both Suigetsu and Juugo grinned and felt a moment's relief that the lady wasn't their problem.

Sasuke sat back down and leaned against the tree, again facing the tent.

Inside the tent, Hinata lay trembling on the ground. The comfort that she might have taken in the knowledge that at least she had tried to escape was scant indeed. She knew that she'd only worsen her situation. She was naked, trapped, held prisoner by an unknown, but an unmistakably dangerous shinobi.

Her stomach clenched at the thought of her likely fate. Nausea swept over her. She was no innocent that she didn't realize the horror that might await her.

'He hasn't hurt me.' Oh, that was absurd. How could she even think such a thing? He's a shinobi. An enemy shinobi. And he's strong… and dangerous…

She'd hurt herself during the struggle, that's true enough, but now that she forced herself to think about it, he'd actually held her rather gently all throughout. Even when he tossed her down, he'd already lowered her most of the way first.

Hinata can't believe she is actually having an internal argument with herself about the shinobi's actions. She must be stark, raving mad to think anything of him but the worst. So deep was she in thought that she didn't hear the flap of the tent opening or the footsteps approaching. She had only the briefest moment to realize that she was no longer alone before she felt a garment being tossed her way.

She started and gave an involuntary yelp, while trying to shove off the item tossed on her.

"Stop that," Sasuke said. He crouched beside her, clasping her flailing hands, his voice oddly soothing. "It's a cloak." Patiently, as though she might still not understand, he added, "To keep you warm." He paused, then said dryly, "And to protect your modesty."

A cloak. Nothing dangerous. Just a cloak. Slowly, Hinata ran her fingers over the material. It was soft, obviously of excellent quality. The hood had fur trimmings. She could feel the luxurious warmth that enveloped her. She had never felt anything so enticingly soft.

"It's mine. You may use it for now," he said as though he'd read her thoughts.

'He'd brought her his own cloak,' Hinata thought to herself. Truly, she didn't understand this man at all.

"Thank you," she said with dignity.

He sighed, a long drawn-out sound of male endurance. Hinata was reminded of her old friend, Shikamaru. Any minute now, she expects him to mumble, "How troublesome." But the man instead said, "Listen to me. Obey me and I will not hurt you."

With honesty, if not great sense, she said, "I'll try."

When he did not reply, she gathered her courage and looked at him directly. His eyes are almost black, especially in the filtered starlight. She had the odd sensation of having seen them before, somewhere, sometime. In a previous life perhaps, or a dream. She is getting maudlin again, she noticed.

So softly, as barely to stir the air, Hinata murmured, "Who are you?"

He rose, standing very tall and powerful above her, cast in shadow and stone. She felt those onyx eyes all along the length of her body. In the still darkness, broken only by the chirping of cicadas, his voice was like velvet drawn over granite.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

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