CHRYSANTHEMUM THRONE
皇位
Chapter 3 The Hunter & The Hunted
ஜ:::-:::-:::ღ:::-:::-:::ஜ
(..ღ..PAST.. ღ..)
It was midday when the hallways were empty, occupied only by a few servants finishing up on their assigned chores. The floral specialists had completed their jobs and a few left to fetch their lunches while the others tended to the chrysanthemum flowers in the greenhouse. The Kōshitsu Household was more lifeless then usual with its small happenings of activity, concerning the young and playful Kōtaishihi. The servants who usually kept up with her activeness were busy and no one wished to play. She always ran a full schedule, but she didn't feel cared for as she had no friends since Royal rules denied such frivolities. This was her palace life— lonely and empty.
A ray of sunlight beamed through the window to shine upon the carved chrysanthemum walls, enhancing the flowers with a beautiful glow. The area of wall the sun touched was warm, but without the Kōtaishihi's warm presence, there was a cold chill within the hallway. She didn't visit the chrysanthemum wall today, leaving it dull in its pastel colors. Her koto instrument was left untouched near the hungry koi fish that were waiting to be fed a melody. The window remained open to the ground outside, but her opal eyes that gleamed in excitement were present elsewhere.
Hinata gleefully smiled, obediently following behind her okaa-sama whom she had not seen in a long while. Kiku, being the Kōgō of the country, hardly paid attention to Hinata except for bedtime, that being the only time either saw each other. And it was a rare opportunity when Kiku summoned Hinata. Kiku opened the door to her chamber and stepped aside to allow Hinata to enter the corridor of the room. Once both ladies did, Kiku closed the door behind them and leaned against a nearby wall.
Hiashi was sitting on the edge of the bed with his elbows resting lazily on his knees, but his eyes immediately fell upon his daughter as she stood a few feet in front of him.
As for the young Kōtaishihi, she had frozen in complete shock when she caught sight of her sick otou-sama, as she had not been able to visit. Hinata held her fingers to her mouth shyly and glanced between her mother and father in slight confusion. Finally, she settled on looking to her mother for confirmation. "Okaa-sama?"
Kiku smiled. "Hinata, your otou-sama asked for you." Hinata continued to stare at him in question, her bottom lip gnawing timidly—her common fetish. Hiashi glanced at his young daughter's reaction while he tried to tame the many emotions he felt. He remembered holding the girl in his arms, when she was so small. He remembered getting her to giggle freely when playing with her. Deep down he knows he will miss everything of his daughter's upcoming age. For he is weak, ill, and he will certainly be absent the day of Hinata's announcement of Kōgō.
In an attempt to break the prolonged silence, Hiashi cleared his throat and the corner of his mouth tilted upwards. "You have definitely grown."
Hinata couldn't help the rising emotions dwelling within her heart and mind. They easily ranged from joy to tearful relief. Hinata huffed in annoyance at her sudden show of timidity, and slowly began to walk towards him. She stopped directly in front of him and curiously gazed into his pearlescent eyes. Hiashi thought she looked beautiful in her traditional children's kimono; adorable and cliché. People knew Hiashi was a stern, stubborn, straight forward, persistent Tennō and will not delay his work when he's seated in his council chair. No one except Kiku knew of his soft side reserved only for Hinata and herself. Hiashi met Hinata's curious gaze with his own. "Hinata…"he spoke.
Slowly, her hands reached out for him and hesitated a few times, before finally resting over his cheeks. With his face held firmly in her small hands, she looked at her mother before locking eyes with her father once again. "Otou-sama…" She murmured just above a whisper.
Hiashi resisted the urge to smile and instead stroked his thumb over her cheek tenderly. "Gomen, Hinata…"
:::ღ:::
HUFF… HUFF… HUFF…
Long, thin, manicured fingers spread apart pine tree branches and twigs as if in search for close by treasure. The cape spread open and waved a distance behind the petite girl while her ends of indigo hair blew in the wind. There was a sense of terror hidden in the absent lavender of Hinata's eyes.
Her body was drained and exhausted, but fear of them finding her and escorting her back to the Kōshitsu Household led her to continue onward. The forest was eerie from the dissolving mist, dull and petrifying. Countless pine trees grew in the nourishing soil. Refreshing woodland air inflated Hinata's nostrils and offered a soothing, internal chill. Pebbles to stone boulders surrounded the milieu biome forest. Mucky pallid mushrooms grew on the borders of the tree logs.
Imagining she'd just heard a throaty chuckle from somewhere nearby, Hinata picked up her pace. With a quick look over the shoulder, her foot caught to a tree root, launching the Kōtaishihi into the air. Her eyes widened in shock of her upcoming landing, downhill. Hinata hit the ground and rolled downhill, passing trees and luckily dodging a few boulders. Her well-stitched kimono was sullied from her tumble, but she didn't care, it was now about Hinata escaping for her life. Her hair is now rumpled and chaotic, but she hadn't gained any injuries from the landing. Weakly, she stood and continued forward.
Hinata tugged the auburn hood over her as grains of dust flit against her soft face. She'd been running since her escape, and doesn't know the estimated time of her hysterical running but abruptly she stopped when a twig snapped behind her. Hinata pressed her back to a tree trunk for support and a hiding place, carefully scanning the area for potential threats.
The muscles in her body tensed, her senses enhanced, and she could feel her heart hammering against her chest, while nervous beads of sweat rolled down her neck.
Tips of her fingers seized the various diminutive cracks of the tree trunk, as terror coursed through her shivering body. A side of her face was partly in sight, but also hidden behind the large pine tree. From a scan of the surroundings she found nothing though she was certain she had heard someone.
Hinata turned on her heels until another snap had her recovered behind the same trunk. Her indecisive heart pounced uncontrollably against her chest, thumping and striking her internal core. Scanning the perimeter again, a rustling movement behind a dense wild bush caught her sight. Hinata heaved from the sight. She had to be brave if she counted on living to the next day. Hinata sighed between her unsteady breaths and inspect the bush once more, this time with courage. The ruffles progressed into a greater shake which wholly horrified Hinata until a brown tail prod out of the bush. Her eyebrows knotted when a small squirrel scampered out with an acorn in its mouth.
Hinata sighed in relief and felt a little silly for being frightened by a small rodent. Her attention went back to the road until—
It was a sense in the air, a frightening aura that made the savage wolves whimper and scatter off like pups. A low growl penetrated Hinata's ears, warning that she was hinging in territory. Then she heard it again, the throaty chuckle coming from all corners, surrounding and suffocating her. She and everything that could get in the way was prey. Hinata felt the thing move behind her and immediately spun, terror-stricken and staring into the darkness. She waited, eyes focused for her attacker to make its silent appearance, but it never came until—
Hinata's breath hitched once her back hit the trunk when a pair of iridescent red eyes made their appearance. It growled again and disappeared. The image unleashed in her mind the allusion of a giant bear and she trapped in a cage, the walls pressing in on her.
"Show yourself," Hinata commanded and all surrounding noise halted; every creature afraid to anger the terrifying monster lurking in the forest.
Hinata wished she hadn't said anything since the monster had seemed ready to leave her alone, but decided against it when Hinata's voice was heard. She asked for it and the predator would act on her request. She must have angered the creature since the eyes flared dangerously with a deep growl of authority. Wary, Hinata nodded, feeling apprehensive when a paw with sharp claws came forth into the moonlight. She carefully examined the predator and could almost assume the process of her death. The Kyubi no Kitsune finally came forward. He didn't look like any other normal Kitsune. The fox was the most beautiful and exquisite Kitsune Hinata had ever laid eyes on. She had thought the rare fox species were marvellous in themselves, but this creature was not of those written in the Nihon Ryakki. Folklore told of the foxes living close together with humans and portray them as faithful guardians who served as messengers. But this was the Kyubi no Kitsune, King of the forest, a feral nine-tailed fox.
The fox snarled, sauntered to a nearby boulder, and sat on its haunches, back straight. It was like she was seeing him sit upon a throne with its nine tails spread upward into all different directions. The pointy edges of the tails shone sharply, dangerously, ready to strike at any moment.
Was this how it was for those who watched her family sit upon thrones…?
And it frightened Hinata. She perceived others were petrified when the Tennō sat upon their throne. She was the Naishinnō, but how the Kitsune held his façade was powerful enough to break Hinata's posture. And Hinata realized she was weaker than the fox and that the Kitsune knew he was indeed the stronger being.
"Good evening, Naishinnō."
Oh my gosh, it talks?! "Oh Kami…" Hinata whispered. She couldn't speak openly in the enemy's territory, not with the Chrysanthemum embroidery on her kimono. Her identity was her life. If anyone found her torn up body in the forest, it would bring shame upon the Hyugas.
The Kitsune King nodded once upward in gratitude and Hinata's exhale was shaky, waiting.
"May I ask why the Naishinnō is roaming the forest in this hour?"
"Ano…" Hinata couldn't make out any noises around, the other creatures hid in the shadows, observing. "I'm…I am—"
And it chuckled, rudely cutting Hinata off as he said, "My, my Kōtaishihi. Don't be afraid."
Just by hearing the Kitsune's low smooth voice scared her! She couldn't think straight as she stared into the fox's red eyes, glowing like a lit fire in the midst of darkness. The fox again waited for an answer that never came so he explained. "Oh, the Namikaze Uzumaki Shinnō will greatly award me if I returned you."
"Huh?!" She gasped.
And it smirked! She didn't know such things could smirk casually like a human. "I've been ordered," the fox explained. "Word got out that you are missing."
Hinata frowned, monitoring the fox's change of movement.
"But I'd rather not…return you." Its eyes flickered on her trembling form, "Why?" He said and laughed, audibly silencing everything, "because I resent the Uzumaki clan for sealing me within a chosen Uzumaki jinchuuriki. Pathetic, hn, for they had failed since I was released by my master."
Hinata could feel a cold chill crawl up her spine when the fox's red eyes pierced into her soul. And those eyes reminded her of a certain clan's ultimate possession, the cursed sharingan.
"And to make him suffer, I would rather—"
And that was the answer she needed to prepare herself.
"KILL YOU!"
Dust danced in the air behind the Kitsune King when he launched at her. Hinata pressed her hands on the trunk and pushed herself away, diving to the side and barely making an escape. She screamed in terror, palms open and ready to accept her brutal fall. The King tasted wood chips instead of Royal Hyuga blood and he shifted his gaze to the soaring Kōtaishihi. Hinata hit dry ice before she began to slide on the slippery ground.
The Kitsune King pounced onto a trunk for support and dived for her again, but Hinata rolled aside to dodge him. She abruptly stood and tried to make a dash for it, but instead slipped from lack of balance on the ice and in accordance slid through an ice pond. The Kitsune's landing impacted the ground enough to splinter open cracks and create slabs of ice floating on top of the water's surface. The King watched the Kōtaishihi cautiously leap onto one island at a time and tried to imitate her. He leapt onto his chosen island when his left leg slipped into the frozen water.
"Kuso!" He growled. The fox directed his attention ahead onto a diminutive glacier floating alongside his chunk of ice. Carefully he leapt onto the flat surface of the ice-
SMACK!
-Only to hit the side of the glacier with an audible smack, causing the surrounding observers of animals to flinch at the sound.
Hinata didn't slow her running when she reached solid land and dash straight into the forest. It didn't take long for the Kitsune King to recover and launch after her. Each breath Hinata exhaled formed a puff of fog in the air. Her hair waved behind her as the King made ready to pounce and snap her neck.
WHAM!
Hinata released a strangled cry when the fox's paw latched on her shoulders and the sharp nails dug deep into her skin. The Kitsune's weight forced Hinata to lose balance of her footing, falling forward full front. While both figures were in the process of falling, a strong object collided against the fox's right side sending the King off Hinata and her soaring alongside the creature.
Biting her lip to cover the pain and stifle her sobs, Hinata pushed her body up from her position on the ground and tried her best to maneuver her head to see what had collided into the Kyubi no Kitsune. At the sight of a dark figure, proudly standing in front of the howling King on the ground, Hinata was terrified into using her remaining strength to make a dash for it. Blood was splattered everywhere: on the ground, on the tree trunks, and most importantly, on him. Yet he didn't stop. The individual pulled back the katana he had pierced the King with and wiped the blood onto the Kitsune's orange fur. He wasn't amazed. He merely stared blankly and continued.
Tensing, Hinata slowly turned and almost jumped out of her skin to see the shadowed figure behind her. She took a step forward to get a better look, seeing he was tall and broad-shouldered; very big. Her only hope at the moment was that the male was gone, but looking at the silhouette, she knew that it was a hopeless wish. She turned and ran.
"Oi!" the man shouted. "Matte yo!"
She did not wait. In fact, she ran even faster. She heard him continue to follow and she panicked. Her surroundings flew passed her as she jumped along the snowy boulders, through a labyrinth of trees hoping to slow her perpetrator with obstacles.
Her breath was harsh as she ran farther into the darkness; the unknown. His footsteps following after her own, she felt herself start to cry in distress. Tears streamed down her cheeks, the cold breeze chilling her skin, and the horror driving her into the center of the large forest.
The branches and brambles tugged and clawed at her, sawing her down painfully as they cut her tender flesh, crimson droplets glittering darkly on their thorns. She cried out in pain and grief. This only spurred her on to run faster, but it didn't seem to make any difference. She was lost and afraid, and he was hunting her. Hinata busied herself trying to maneuver through the darkness and didn't see the giant hole in the ground. It was when she noticed the hole, she had already slipped in.
"Okaa-sama!" she screamed, fingers holding on for dear life.
A warm hand enclosed hers and her breath caught. Hanging over the cliff, she looked into her okaa-sama's eyes. Hinata sobbed her mother's name over and over again, apologizing until her okaa-sama's face blurred and reconstructed to that of the man who had been chasing her. She gasped. Hinata struggled; she had rather fall to her death. But he pulled her up over the edge and tugged her to his chest as she cried in frustration.
—Wrong move.
Hinata forcefully spun towards the man's chest, stiffly holding her index and middle fingers outward, ready to strike.
And he didn't see it coming.
She forced strength into her two fingers and swiftly jabbed the man's pressure point below his right shoulder, instantly paralyzing his arm.
"Shit!" Sasuke growled, letting go of her arm. Gentle fist?
Sasuke glared at her with his sharingan activated, dangerously spinning. She looked so small and weak that he felt he could snap her in two with one hand. The only thing he could see of her face was her opal eyes, everything else was covered in her long hair and choppy bangs. She was frantic, he could easily tell by her breathing yet she still looked…beautiful with her chaotic hair and disarrayed kimono.
But he wasn't going to let her alluring beauty fool him.
Sasuke launched his other arm at her and Hinata dodged, absorbing strength into her two fingers again; quickly proding the tenketsu in the left of his torso.
He grunted. She'd paralyzed half of his body now and it angered him. He knelt to inhale quick breaths, but snapped his head up when he heard her soft voice apologize.
"Gomenasai…"
He stared at her retreating figure, her petite silhouette dashed through the mass of trees and disappeared in a haze.
:::ღ:::
BAM!
The double doors swung open as the door frame hit the wall. Tennō Minato sat neatly in his chair with his beautiful and beloved wife, Kōgō Kushina beside him. Their still posture was like a professional painting canvas in Naruto's vision; neither jumped in surprise from Naruto's furious entrance like the surrounding guests in the room. A wave of anger burst from Naruto's core and he could feel the veins along his neck pulsating with adrenaline. It was as if something snapped inside him. His once blue eyes tore into rage and he shouted, his cry echoing far across the land and piercing the ears of the villagers.
"The Naishinnō was kidnapped!"
Sai promptly bowed with the other samurais. Naruto's words echoed pass the Royal Chamber and across the quiet village. No one dared utter a word with Naruto in such a furious rage. A dark aura exuded from his very poise.
"The Shogun-bakufu, Uchiha Sasuke assumed that the bandits entered the Kōshitsu Household during the Royal Wedding. And they made their move when they verified the house's weakness from ground up."
"It has been an hour and a half already," Minato explained. "Who knows if the Kōtaishihi isn't already murdered?"
Naruto then looked down at the dirty hands he touched Sakura with, and he could vaguely hear his own heart pounding within his chest.
"We have to search for her," Kurenai angrily voiced. "She is a Kōtaishihi and not just any Kōtaishihi, a Hyuga Naishinnō!"
"She's still alive…" Naruto whispered, shamefully running a hand through his hair.
"And how would you know?" Minato asked.
"I don't, but with Sasuke pursuing after, her chance of surviving is greater." Naruto's voice was solemn, "Find her…no one is allow to kidnap her, no one is allow to hurt her, and no one will touch her—!"
Naruto stared at Sai, "Form a team of seven and find her. Bring. Her. Back."
Naruto turn away from the group and furiously slammed his fist against the wall, crafting a hole.
No, he didn't love her.
But—
He cared for her and the title she held, his wife.
"Hinata…" It came out in a bitter whisper.
:::ღ:::
Multiple lit paper lanterns hung on the ends of the awning, giving the tiny booth a welcoming glow. Hinata's gaze often shifted to linger on the moving colorful lanterns when the breeze brushed through the area, and many regulars noticed she smelled like tea. She was in a daze.
The booth's location was by the border of the village, another town by Konoha and it was what Hinata had been seeking for to drown her misery in. Her chosen seat was under the awning, her side leaning against the wall from lousy stool construction. She liked to be isolated. She didn't want the people to interrogate her with 'you have similarities to the Kōtaishihi!' as if she'd purposely announced her presence rather than concealed it. And with her few predictions, it led to the very reason why she chose the far cornered bar to hide from view. The consequences would be hell to deal with.
Many male passersby often tried to initiate a conversation with Hinata by either flirting or buying her shots, but her empty eyes were enough to inform bystanders to continue on if they wished for company. Some individuals actually thought she was ill from her drained expression and passed her without bothering to make a conversation. That was what she wanted; silence. Most of the stores in the shopping district closed for the night, leaving a few food booths and most bars opened for the nocturnal folks. And as population thinned, that left the night for males seeking the opposite sex and roaming geishas.
Though Hinata was lost in a daze, she still managed to sit properly with her legs tucked above the level metal bar beneath the stool. As she stared intently at her cup of hot tea, she wondered when she had placed the order. Perhaps when she entered without realizing, she had ordered the tea to sooth her emotions. And she hated knowing she couldn't take care of herself when she couldn't even handle simple things like her emotions. Oh the joy! Hinata felt that she had leapt a mountain when she struck the Uchiha by surprise. It was something to be proud of. It was a start for her, and from there, she could continue on her journey and ditch the lone Uchiha! A small, fleeting feeling of victory crossed her mind, but it was gone the moment she lifted the cup of tea to her lips a little too quickly and flinched, burning her lips and placing the cup down again.
When Hinata fled Konoha and the frightening Uchiha, the last person she expected to see in the reflection of her tea cup was him. "Baka," said the very male's angry voice. And it was Sasuke when Hinata turned to acknowledge him.
Earlier, he had rushed through the streets in search of the Kōtaishihi who managed to escape.
How did she do it? He had no idea since she lacked stealth, but she scored points for escaping by attacking him, an ally! He wanted to laugh, or rather, crush Hinata for making him look like an idiot for not noticing her offending stance. He exceeded her in stealth, dammit! He was entitled Shogun for her parish and in return, his professions lacked in stopping one useless girl?! It angered him, wrecked his pride!
That baka! Sasuke quickly examine the isolated booth, when I find her, that baka will—wait! Sasuke did a double take at the figure sitting still on a stool in the corner. He frowned in recognition of the Hyuga who, upon hearing 'baka,' looked up to see him stared intently. She then lowered her frightened gaze to her steaming tea cup.
With an annoyed huff, he made his way to the stool beside hers that others had tried to claim, but left from Hinata's silent rejection. He sat beside her, languidly relaxing into the seat. He didn't know what obligated him to sit, he was hardly the benign type, but considering the dangers that could be put upon the Kōtaishihi, he acknowledged her who was lucky he even paid her attention. He waved a hand without looking at the waitress and ordered in a lazy tone, "Sake." Hinata herself didn't make any effort to thank the pretty waitress who suled when she came by to serve Sasuke's alcohol.
"Here you go," said waitress batted her lashes, hoping to get Sasuke to flirt, but left immediately when the attention she received was from those who weren't him.
Ano, what am I going to say if he asks? She knew he was staring daggers at her, waiting for an answer, so she looked up from under her bangs and offered him a nervous smile. "G-Good evening, Uchiha-san."
The first thing he noticed was her eyes. The lavander hues had ebbed, shadowing her eyes with a red rim. Her nose and cheeks also burned the same colour. Raising a brow, he dryly commented, "Baka—," again.
Baka, baka, baka! Hinata knew she was an idiot, but to have it said directly was wrong. At this, her hair fell over her face as her gaze returned to her forgotten drink.
"Baka," she whispered behind her shield of hairs. "I am the worst…" She said and it took Sasuke a moment to realize she wasn't conversing with him, but rather to herself.
Interesting, he didn't know the Kōtaishihi talked to herself. It was odd. He almost wanted to laugh but refrained from doing so. "Hn, you really are a baka."
"Gomen," she responded.
"If you think of fleeing again, I will hunt you down like how I did to the Kyubi no Kitsune."
He thought that since he was invited, he might as well enjoy the night with a few drinks. And he really did need a few drinks to drown his broken pledge. Sasuke was supposed to escort the
Kōtaishihi back to the Kōshitsu Household, but instead he involuntarily accompanied her on her excursion. It was unbelievable that he even agreed to such foolish request. Ugh, the more he thought about it, his thirst for a remedy to forget all about the pledge got the better of him. He poured sake into the shot glass till it filled and raised the cup into the air, calling out 'kampai' to himself before lifting the cup to his lips to drink, savouring the burn. In a single gulp, he banged the cup down just a little too loudly and stared at the silent girl beside him. He knew he'd said something wrong as her lip started to tremble. She mumbled something under her breath as tears welled up in her eyes and sniffed before allowing quiet sobs to take her over.
The fleeting feeling of guilt killed him knowing he was the reason behind her tears. He sighed and swore under his breath for such luck to accompany a depressed woman. Sasuke watched as her fingers drew patterns on the tea cup; a few times she almost burned her own digits with the hot liquid.
Annoying. He didn't know how to comfort and never learned how to. He drank often, but with male colleagues and they consoled each other differently from females. Instead of positive criticism like most females often gave, males offered sarcastic remarks. He poured another glass and brought it to his mouth, once again to consume the remedy he had been seeking.
"Ano," Sasuke glared at the source that disturbed his drinking ritual, making the waitress squeal in embarrassment. "Gomen…I apologize, but would you like to be seated elsewhere?"
Again, he wanted to laugh. Females were so kind to him, always trying their best to please him in anyway. Said waitress had fixed her eyes on him since his entrance, but tonight wasn't his night since he consumed alcohol and was supposed to keep an eye on the beauty beside him.
"Napkin?" He asked.
"Excuse me?" Sasuke almost wanted to slap his face but did so mentally. This girl must be joking, right? He didn't bother to respond and left the girl to figure out what he asked for.
She stared at him quizzically before noticing his gaze lingered on the crying woman beside him and she hurriedly gave him an unused napkin. Sasuke nodded once in gratitude whilst his dark eyes travelled momentarily to Hinata. Without thinking, he uncurled her fingers and placed the tissue in her palm. But her sobs increased in volume, which only irritated him, and he immediately reached over an arm to fit his hand beneath her chin.
"Get a hold of yourself baka," he hissed, his thumb and fingers squishing her cheeks in.
"G-gom…gomen." She could barely utter the word while he continued to mash her cheeks and hell, it hurt! He thought that he had fixed the problem by telling her to control herself, but he was wrong when he inspected her expression, never letting go of her face.
Her chest clenched and her tears were visible for the world to see. Baka, was what he called her, and Hinata agreed she was an idiot crying over the fury she had for her husband and she sobbed, a hot tears trailing onto Sasuke's hand. But she hold this back—the fact that she was betrayed by her husband and the schemer who poisoned her okaa-san. Her breath hitched and she squeezed the hand he held her face with, the hot tears blurring her vision as she nodded jerkily. "…Plea-please, let go." Her voice came out in a broken whisper, and her eyes look away whilst her head was immobile under his grasp, a free hand reached up to cradle her own itching throat.
He didn't release her, but did soften his hold as her head slowly sank onto the bar counter, her chin slipping out of his clasp. She couldn't breathe, suddenly it was hard to breathe and she'd forgotten how to. Her heart was hammering, and her chest was aching in pain as if her lungs were quitting on her, the air she consumed was halted. Hinata's head finally reach the counter and she was breathing hard as she clutched to the fabric resting above her heart. "Oi!"
Sasuke yelled.
What's happening…? Everything was spinning, colors became a sudden blur. Just in a few seconds, her face paled immediately and suddenly there was a strong pain, a strong force that pierced her and she felt like screaming, but instead bit her lip until it bleed. She was sweating now, her forehead was soaked, the under kimono layer that touched her bare skin was drenched, and she felt raw.
"Hey!" Sasuke grabbed Hinata's shoulders to prevent her from falling over and turned her, cradling her petite body against his. Hinata… His fingers brushed across her forehead before setting her damp bangs aside. Oh she was so cold to the touch, the warmth that settle on her cheeks earlier had disappeared, replacing it with a look Sasuke hated on her. She wasn't supposed to have a wintry aura; her name defined everything about her. She was supposed to be bright like the sun, like the chrysanthemum flower she was expected to be. "What the fuck?!" He cursed aloud, his frustration overtaking him since this happened. He can feel her whole body begin to burn up against his shaken form, but realized he wasn't the one quivering, it was Hinata altogether with her short intake of breaths.
"She's hyperventilating," someone said in the crowd.
"Panic attack!" Another yelled.
The bar was a cacophony of sound; geishas gasped in shock at the sight, males conversed aloud for a solution, workers yelled for bystanders to make room, and everyone was chatting back and forth trying to be heard over everyone else. Items were dropped and it was painful to Sasuke's sensitive ears.
"Shut up!" He yelled and everyone went silent, he threatened them with his own death glare.
Everything was infuriating him the moment she collapsed and everyone just wouldn't shut the hell up. Sasuke huffed once before he focused on Hinata again, her pale face terrified him.
Yes, she annoyed him, but he couldn't let this happen because she was a Hyuga Kōtaishihi, the last Hyuga, the clan his surname pledged to protect and he couldn't get the job done if he allowed her to die.
"Ne, giving up already?" She heard a familiar feminine voice.
Okaa-san…?
"I entrust you Nata-chan, there are still things you must clarify…" This familiar voice was incredibly soothing, immediately calming Hinata, and steadying her breathing.
"She's breathing evenly again," the waitress said. She studied Hinata's expression, somehow determined in the midst of a lot of remorse.
She felt empty. There was no more pain in her heart, just pure tranquility with the help of this unknown voice speaking to her.
All of a sudden, she could breathe, remembered how to breathe, and was gasping for air.
"Everything will be alright, Hinata." It came out in a mere whisper. This time it wasn't the feminine voice, it was a masculine one.
Uchiha…san?
The ghostly white realm weaved through a mass appearing in a flash of yellow and white, nothing more than a yellow blur disappearing and replaced by darkness. She could feel her body become lighter. The last thing she heard was the rough scraping of sandals against the ground telling her Sasuke was rushing them somewhere.
By now Sasuke assumed her body had forgotten how to function on its own and had collapsed from the Kitsune's mal doings. If his assumption was correct, he would return her straight to the Kōshitsu Household. It certainly would make his life easier, not to mention she did leave Konoha without permission. Quickly sifting through his options, he carried her beyond the village border and ran deeper into the forest.
He swathed the cape over her frail body for warmth and frowned when she began choking. That most definitely wasn't normal. Yet despite her sharp, strangled breaths, she didn't wake up. Cutting through the forest, he carefully made his way through the labyrinth, stepping over roots and poison ivy until he emerged into the cool evening air of a crystal lake.
Dammit! Sasuke cursed and narrowed his eyes at the girl he'd become responsible for. They could return, but not with the Kitsune's injuries on her. He considered letting the forest claim her, or perhaps even another Kitsune, but he couldn't. With an irate and frustrated sigh from all the trouble the girl has given him, Sasuke instinctively cradled her closer to his warmth when she stirred with a soft whimper from the winter night air.
:::ღ:::
Thanks to all the reviewers!
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Inspired by Deviantart Artist: Warrior-of-Ruin
Lastly, much love for my AWESOME Beta: Lost-puppyEYES~
