Thank you to all those who commented, and followed and/or favorited this story.
Possessions
The next couple of days as Sasuke traveled on his journey with his team, he forgot any notion about reading the book he had gotten from the library. Instead his mind kept focusing on Hinata. The state he found her in that day on the balcony had shaken him to the core. She was about to jump off the balcony yet the only thing she could think of to say was 'I'm sorry.' And then there were those scars on her wrists. That could not be normal. She could not do those to herself. Could she?
Sasuke heaved a sigh as his chest felt too heavy all of a sudden. How long had Hinata been trying to kill herself? His eyes stung at the thought of her ending her own life. He wasn't a fool. He knew very well what her predicament was and what kind of life she lived, but never did he realize how much it must have affected Hinata to be treated as an object like that.
Sasuke smirked darkly at the fact that once again he was making the mistake to feel something for her when she belonged to someone else. But this time should he just stay back and let everything happen to her? Could he, now that he knew what she was feeling?
"Hey, bastard. What's gotten your panties in a bunch?" Naruto asked as he noticed his childhood friend and teammate's melancholy demeanor. After joining the king's army, there was never a time that they were not placed together on a mission, especially when their Team 7 was always well praised for their abilities.
Sasuke glared at the blonde but did not respond. He did not know how but the man somehow always knew when something was wrong, but that did not mean he was going to let him know anything about it, at least not yet.
"Naruto, stop bothering Sasuke-kun. We still have a long way to go and I don't think anyone wants to watch you two fight again," Sakura sighed from her perch on her horse. She had been with these two as long as Team 7 had existed and by now she was fairly familiar with her male teammates' tendencies to annoy and fight one another.
The mission went as planned without any issues, and after arriving back to Konoha, Sasuke walked through the Uchiha District late at night to get to his home. Even though it was the middle of the night, he knew his mother would be waiting for him to get home safely. She always stayed up for her youngest son whenever he was supposed to arrive from a mission. Who could blame her for worrying since she had no one left but Sasuke. He guessed it had started after Itachi disappeared on a mission. Many presumed that he was already dead but Sasuke refused to believe anything if a body was never found, even if it had been five years now.
From the beginning, Madara always knew what he wanted. He was the first-born, heir to the throne, yet he could not wait patiently to be king.
At a young age Madara was one of the most revered Uchiha's. It was not just his strength and power that made him famous. It was his ideas that brought a rise through many of the Uchihas. He was always hesitant to voice his opinions at first, but it was not until he surpassed his teen years and was into adulthood that his maturity allowed him to see logic through his impulses. Some had criticized him and called his ideas too revolutionary, but in the end him and his supporters had won.
His father, the King at the time, was too soft and lenient in his opinion. Madara saw that at numerous occasions, his father would bend to the will of the people they ruled over. He would concede his power to keep the people happy and the nobles satisfied just to hold on to a fragile peace they so often threatened. The last straw had been his father pardoning his brother's murderer.
The Senju clan had always been fighting the Uchiha over land and power, and in one of these fights Madara's younger brother had been killed by a Senju from the main family. But instead of getting justice and avenging his son's death, his father talked with the other clan, and settled on an agreement just so the bloodshed could stop. This was when Madara realized how unfit his father was to rule.
Madara knew that they were compromising too much just to hold on to some ideal facade, so in the end he gathered his support and started a rebellion, overthrowing his father and starting a new era, one where he would expand his reach. Afraid of his power, many of the noble families relented and joined his new kingdom, while some fought against his tyrannical rule for years. One of these had been the Hyuga clan.
The Hyuga had always been loyal to the Senju clan and so their downfall was inevitable, but something changed that allowed him to a show a moment of benevolence to such a traitorous clan. He had not planned to let the clan survive. He was going to end anyone who went against him. Yet, his tough resolve changed in a mere insignificant moment when he saw her. Madara knew it was morally wrong to desire for such a young girl, but it was something about her that reminded him of a dream he always wished for, her innocence, and the naive ability to look for only the good in someone. She was his wish, and even though he was more than twice her age, he wanted nothing more than to have her, to absolutely and completely possess her.
In the light of their impeding demise, the Hyuga clan made a decision to save itself from extinction. They noticed the king's interest and offered something they knew the he could not refuse in hopes that he would accept it as a peace offering. They offered their clan heiress signifying the acceptance of their defeat, leaving the clan as just a shell of its past, but nonetheless surviving in deprivation.
Now, in the middle of the night, as he walked through the dimly lit hallways, Madara could not help but feel pleased at how things turned out. Making his way to the one place he often spent his nights at, he smirked at the thought of what was awaiting him. He had a wife who was nothing more than a political incentive placed by him to only give legitimate heirs, but his heart could never belonged to her. He could never feel something for any woman except for one, and she was his most prized possession. He obviously could not let the Hyuga heir become the queen of the kingdom, or else he would have married her along time ago. So instead he kept her as his possession.
Opening the door to Hinata's room, he did not wait to be let in. He owned her. He needed no permission. And tonight, just like many other nights, he would claim her in whatever way that pleased him. He did not know what it was about her but just being in her presence always made his head filled with thoughts that were so unfamiliar and unstable. One could even think, if they dared, that he was obsessed with her, yet there was no one that could stop him, certainly not the weak Hyuga girl. Yet, the same weak Hyuga girl was able to control him in a way he could not imagine.
Walking into the room, Madara was greeted by one of the maids he had assigned specifically to Hinata. Behind her stood the castle's physician who looked like he had been woken up from his sleep to attend to Hinata while she slept in her bed.
"What's going on?" the king asked, taking special care to hide any worry from his voice.
"Uchiha-sama, the Hyuga had another fainting spell today and her heartbeat has been irregular since then." Madara frowned at what the maid told him. Since finding out about her pregnancy, this had been the fifth time she had become unconscious and her heart had gone unstable without any reason.
"Uchiha-sama, the girl's health continues to worsen. It seems her condition continues to weaken her heart." The doctor spoke after he was done checking up on the sleeping girl.
"Can't you do something?" Madara glared at the physician. He had known about Hinata's heart and her childhood condition, but it was never something significant, until now.
"I-I can only do so much. I'm not specialized in treating conditions of the heart as hers, especially when combined with her pregnancy."
"Is there no one here that can treat her?" He was almost on the verge of yelling. He had to find someone to keep his Hinata, and his child, safe.
"Well…" the physician spoke but stopped in fear of what the king might do
"What?" Madara snapped.
"If I may," he began again hesitantly, "I would suggest she see an expert I've heard about…"
Mikoto stood in the doorway to her son's room, hesitant to make any noise. He had returned from his mission last night and now he was asleep in his bed even though it was past noon. Her son was always up with the sun, trying to make the most of the day with training and working, but it was nice seeing him take a day off and just rest once in a while. He had been flocked with missions back-to-back for the past few weeks. There was obviously something important going on since most of the Shinobi had been assigned missions lately, but Mikoto did not care much for it, as long as her son came back home safely, that was her only concern.
Mikoto was about to leave so she could let Sasuke sleep for a little longer before something caught her eye halting her in her retreat. It was something shiny that had caught the sun's light at an angle and made it shine only for a second. As quietly as possible, she approached his bed to find something in Sasuke's hand. Even in his deep slumber he clutched the object in his right palm. It would have just looked like any other necklace to someone, but Mikoto knew that one all too well. It was Itachi's that he would wear whenever he went on missions. It was like a good luck charm, and the last time Itachi did not wear it, he never returned from his mission.
Knock knock knock
Abruptly, both raven-haired individuals jerked their heads at the sound of someone knocking on the door. Sasuke eyed his mother in confusion before slowly blinking away the sleepy daze from his mind.
"I'll get it," Mikoto smiled at Sasuke before rushing to open the door.
Outside stood a messenger she was acquainted with more often than she would like. There was a new mission for Sasuke.
"You can't give him a mission. He just got-" Mikoto tried to argue but was cut off by Sasuke as he placed his hand on her shoulder.
"What is it?" he asked the man at the front door.
"Show up at the castle in two hours to get the details for your new mission." And without another word, the messenger was gone.
Sasuke sighed as he thought about what this new mission could be if they had to call him right after he finished another one.
"You can't go. You just got back and you haven't been able to get proper rest-" Mikoto pleaded with Sasuke but was cut off.
"I'll be fine." He tried to assuage his mother's worry with a small smile, hoping she would not be sad at his sudden departure.
At the same time, on the other side of Konoha, Hinata was packing her clothes for her journey to meet the medical expert the castle's physician had spoken about, all the while thanking whatever god she could think of for a chance to get out of the castle and the vilage. Now all she needed was a plan to ditch the caravan and the guards that would be accompanying her. This was her only chance yet she was too naïve to think it would be that simple.