'What's this ache I'm feeling…?'

Beep… beep… beep…

'Where am I…?'

Beep… beep… beep…

'What the hell is that sound?'

BEEP… BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

"Sasuke? Sasuke! Someone go inform Lady Hokage that he's waking up! Call in the medic he's going through shock!"

"Ms. Haruno would you like us to get Narut—

"Get the medic now!"

"For-ggive m-me. R-right away M-miss!"

Sakura pulls out the restraints from under his cot while two Anbu guards enter the room witnessing the very missing nin who killed their master Danzo. From the looks of it the medic nin, Sakura, is struggling to restrain the Uchiha who's body is shaking violently.

Luckily, the Anbu were trained to get rid of their emotions so no such thing as revenge or malice towards the Uchiha were present—only following orders. "What are you two gawking at! Someone forgot their invitation in mail? Ah! I need one of you to set up a team to put up highly advanced concealed barriers around this vicinity," the Anbu nodded and left to do as he was told.

"And you, I need you to hold him down while I—ah," Sakura squealed while the dangerous man wearing nothing but a thin sheet of cloth on his body and bandages wrapped around his eyes took hold of her shirt and threw her off to the other side of the room.

He heard a thump, guessing that's from her head making contact to the wall. From her distinct pitch of voice, he knew that was Sakura and from the flickering chakra he can sense in the room she is unconscious.

'Good,' he thought as he faced the other person in the room. From what he can tell, this person's chakra is somewhat higher rank than a regular Jonin. 'Anbu hmmm… must say they sure know how to—AHHH,' Sasuke fell out of bed and was writhing in pain while the machines he was hooked on were spiraling out of control.

Sakura waking from her thump episode hearing the Uchiha crying out in pain, she turned to the Anbu who is taking his kunai out ready to pounce the Uchiha should he get near the door way.

"Don't," she croaked when she hissed in pain from her concussion and can smell the blood that's coming out from the back of her head. "Go get the nearest medic nin you can find, now," she hissed out the last word to the Anbu and off he went.

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"Welcome home Lady Hinata," Emi, Hyugga's branch maid, greeted as she bowed her head to the kind heiress.

"Good to be home Emi is Neji here," Hinata questioned as she made it to the porch, setting herself down removing her shoes.

"Yes my Lady, he is out around the courtyard sharpening his tools. You know boys and their toys. God knows what in the world use it'll bring to him since he's—," she was cut off as Hinata visibly shown that she was displeased by her unfinished sentence.

Emi means well but sometimes she just doesn't know when to hold her tongue. Eyeing the Lady as she makes her way to where Neji was, showing she's a tad guilty and will apologize as soon as her work is finished first.

Not a few minutes later did she notice an unexpected visitor waiting at the entrance of the Hyugga's fortress, "hmmm, can I help you?"

The rabbit mask Anbu straightened up at the old woman's line of sight and huffed out, "ma'am, I am seeking Lady Hinata Hyugga. It's an emergency and no time to waste."

The old woman visibly twitched at the 'ma'am'. She may be small and insignificant not to mention being part of the branch house, but one's thing's for sure she will not tolerate rudeness from a man behind a mask!

"Now hold your horse's young man, you dare request Lady Hinata and no authorization from Lady Tsunade at that—," she was cut off by the Anbu, "the Uchiha has awaken."

Well, that's more than one way to shut someone up.

Distraught by the new found news she fell down on her knees and doom was written on every wrinkle her face shown. The Anbu had no choice but to enter without permission inside the fortress calling out 'Hinata Hyugga' within the walls of the Hyugga's Household.

"Do you hear that Lady Hinata," Neji questioned as Hinata is giggling from a funny story Neji told her about Rock Lee went on his rampage at yet another Tea House. Something along the lines of him grabbing Guy sensei's sake on accident then went in drunken fist mode destroying three more shops next to it. How Guy sensei was responsible paying the damages himself and now running down into debt because of beloved and youthful student…

She abruptly stopped giggling having heard her name too, "who can that be…" surely not a voice she can put a face to.

Then the voice in question appeared in front of Hinata and she can see it was none other than one of the elite Anbu Black Ops.

"Lady Hinata, I've come at Sakura's request that she is need of your assistance immediately, you are the only closest Medic ninja available at the current moment," Anbu in questioned down on one knee, his rabbit mask facing the ground.

"What is this about," Neji stepped between the rabbit mask Anbu and Hinata.

Hinata perked her attention as the Anbu stood his full height facing Neji who's a little shorter than he. Evidently showing he's not intimidated by the least bit from the former Jonin who is now decommissioned due to his lung condition.

"Sasuke Uchiha has awakened."

"…"

"…"

Neji, the first to react with a calm indifference but failing to keep up the front terribly, "what does Sakura need Hinata for, can't she take care of it herself? What of Naruto? Hinata can't—,"

"Neji," he was caught off by Hinata's stern voice that he has grown to be proud off but still irks him that now she has a mind of her own. Meaning whatever the danger she will face it head on and cannot be stopped.

Just as she now determined to go into the snake's pit on her own.

"My Lady, this is Sasuke we are talking about—," he turned to face her but he cannot bring himself to finish his sentence looking at that grown and determined face of hers. Why Naruto rejected this strong woman was beyond him.

"Take me to Sasuke," she ordered the rabbit mask Anbu as he offered his hand for a teleportation jutsu. She reaches for it then noticed Neji and his pained expression on his face, she knows that face all too well. A face someone wears that that you are no help to anyone at all, hopeless, a burden, no good for nothing.

Yes, she knows that face indeed.

In return she gave Neji a warm smile, a hope that he's not alone and she understands him completely. He wavered when she gave him that smile and tried to give her a smile back but faltered. He knows Sasuke is a danger and to think Hinata of all people is going in there on her own is so much that he can take.

He's weak. Weakness is something he needs to get used to. "Be careful, Hinata," forgetting their formal statuses for now.

"Hm," she nodded then grabbed hold of the indifferent rabbit mask's hand and there the one minute and gone the next.


BOO YAH! Yes my lovely lilies, Neji is indeed back from the dead (if you kept up with the manga, he is indeed dead... I think e.o?) but unfortunately is stripped of his ninja duties due to his lung condition... for now x].

Alrighty I'll try to update soon! Sorry there's no sasuhina poof in this chapter but the next... who knows, do you? OF COURSE NOT.

~Parting2Eyes