In Another Life
Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews. Well, the results are in. This was a very close vote and I believe that even some reviewers aren't entirely sure which way they were leaning. In the end though, it was 7-6 in favor of a more cautious approach. So I've decided to go with something of middle ground approach.
Chapter Notation: The vote was close enough, that I believe it's best to combine cautious and feisty Hinata. So while it won't be an outright rejection, Hinata isn't going to fall into either of their arms right away either. Happy reading.
Chapter 4
He knew. Sasuke knew that she was pretending to stutter. That was a bad sign. He shouldn't know that!
"I d-don't know what you're talking about." Hinata pulls away from his touch. "I've always had a s-stutter. You should know that." It had been an uncharacteristically gentle touch for someone like him. "W-We did go to the Academy together!"
Sasuke barely knew who she was. He shouldn't know whether or not she was pretending to stutter and to make matters worse, he was Madara's reincarnation. So if he could figure it out, then his ancestor could as well.
The raven haired ninja shakes his head in amusement. "You're right we did and while I'll freely admit that I don't know you that well, I know enough." Enough to get her killed, probably!
"Y-You're imagining things." Like he said, they were scarcely more than strangers. "Perhaps, you should have Orochimaru look at you."
He might believe her, if she really made a compelling argument. All Hinata knew was that she definitely didn't want Sasuke to 'tattle' on her to Madara.
Sasuke raises an eyebrow as if he was surprised she was really going to try this. "We both know that I'm not, but I'm not going to tell him." His eyes trail all over her body in a way that reminded her far to much of Madara. "You're not the only one who has issues with him, but I'm not Naruto."
Oh Hinata knew that much. It had taken years, but the bluenette could now see the distinction between admiring someone and being in love with them. She admired Naruto, but she'd never actually been in love with him.
The bubbly blond and Sasuke were about as different as it was possible to be. "Meaning that you're only pretending to be on Madara's side." Day and night.
If Naruto was still alive and Hinata could only pray that he was, he was likely fighting with everything he had to take Madara down immediately. He wouldn't care that his plans had an almost zero percent chance of success at the moment. He'd try anyway.
"Exactly." Sasuke sighs and looks at her. "I have almost no chakra on me, Hinata. Neither do you." He almost looks apologetic. "Like it or not, we're both sitting ducks for now."
Sasuke was more strategic though. Well, at least whenever his emotions didn't get the better for him. It did make sense that he might really just be biding his time, but was she willing to bet her life on that?
"I understand." Hinata nods sadly.
She didn't know. That's what she was doing anyway and Sasuke could be a useful ally. Perhaps, even more so than Orochimaru. Though in some ways, he might actually be less trustworthy.
Sasuke reaches for her again. "I know that you have no reason to trust me and every reason not to." Hopefully, the Rinnegan didn't come with mind reading abilities because Sasuke was getting too good at guessing what she was thinking. "We could help each other though."
"I don't know what to think anymore." Hinata gives him a hard look. "If this is some kind of trick to make me fall into your arms or his, it's not going to w-work though!"
She needed to stand her ground. Sasuke was essentially in the same position she was. He probably wouldn't push the matter.
The Hyuga Heiress had no idea why he was suddenly protective of her. It was likely a whim or maybe, it was just because Madara wanted her. Who could really say what went on in Sasuke's mind? That's what was what made him such an unreliable ally.
Sasuke actually snorts in amusement at that. "Hinata, do you honestly think that I was trying to seduce you?" For a moment, she finds herself almost offended. Was she not worthy of being seduced?
"I don't know anything anymore!" Hinata was trying her best not to scream, but she was slowly losing that battle. "You've never spoken to me before and now, you're offering to be my…protector?"
Actually, she didn't know what Sasuke was really offering. Was he just offering a sympathetic shoulder to cry on? He really needed to stop confusing her so much?
The youngest Uchiha crosses his arms and shakes his head. "That's understandable and I suppose you could say that's what I was offering." He pauses for a moment. "I hadn't actually thought of a label."
That might have been Sasuke's version of a joke. As Hinata's eyes warily take in the depressingly barren walls of the hospital room, the bluenette knew one thing for damn sure. This situation was not funny. How dare Sasuke laugh at it?!
"I remember back at the Academy." She gives him a dirty look. "All the girls liked you because of your looks and you were so smart." Everyone wanted to be his friend and yet, Sasuke hadn't wanted to be anyone else's friend.
Sasuke looks like he was about to say something, but Hinata wasn't going to give him a chance to do so. If she didn't get this out now, she never would. So no one was going to stop her from saying what she needed to say.
"I'm not like them though." Not even Sasuke. "I am the heiress of the Hyuga Clan. So d-don't treat me like some A-Academy girl who is foolish enough to trust you because you say a few nice words!"
Sasuke tilts his head at her as if he was truly stunned. "You're feistier than I remember." He shrugs, trying to hide his reaction though. "It was a sincere offer though, Hinata. I can't pretend that I can keep you safe from him or even myself safe from him, but two heads are better than one."
He might have a point there. Hinata bites her lower lip at the thought. Maybe, she had been too harsh on him.
"If you really mean that, w-we could try to be friends." The bluenette just couldn't tell.
Was Sasuke lying? Had Madara put him up to this as a way to spy on her? It would be quite the clever trick.
Sasuke smirks at her. "Alright." His eyes looked softer than the smirk though. "We'll see how it goes."
Meanwhile on the other side of the castle, Kakashi was busy delivering his letter. "Excuse me, Miss?" He smiles at a pretty maid. "You wouldn't happen to know where the Imperial Council Room is, would you?"
He'd never seen her before. Kakashi could only assume that she was a civilian. If she was a ninja, he would have recognized her from mission reports instantly.
The brunette nods at him. "Oh right." She smiles. "Please follow me, but try not to get lost. This castle is so big."
One thing was for damn sure though. The woman hadn't been living here before the war. Otherwise, she would have known her way around.
"Yes, it is." He follows after her. "What should I call you by the way?"
In this new era, not everyone went by their true name. Some people were coming up with new ones, if they could get away with it. Of course, civilians were having a much easier time getting away with such a thing than ninjas though.
"Maya." She nods at him as she leads him down a long hallway.
There were many rooms along it, but all of them seemed empty as far as Kakashi could tell. All except the last one. He could sense extremely faint chakra signatures coming from that room.
She looks at him. "You're the Imperial Messenger." Maya blushes at him. "So I guess it's okay for you to come here, but you never saw me. Only someone suicidal would come here without the Emperor's permission."
"Of course." He tries to smile at her in a reassuring manner. "Well thank you for your help, Maya. I know that only a handful of people must have permission to be back here like ourselves." Whether or not, she actually did Kakashi wasn't sure. "So I appreciate the help and don't worry, I won't tell a soul." With that being said, he takes out a key from his chain of keys and opens the door as Maya races off.
The poor thing was half frightened to death, but she wasn't the only one. Kakashi definitely hadn't been prepared for what he found on the other side of that door.
"Kakashi Sensei?!" Naruto stares at him in shock.
He wasn't the only one though, Kakashi notes as he darts inside the room. The other Kages and Shikamaru were all there. Was Madara keeping them there in hopes of executing them publicly soon or as prisoners of war?
"What is going on?" He gapes at his friends.
Tsunade sighs as she looks at him. "The 'Emperor' so generously donated these quarters for us to stay in until we agree to abdicate our positions publicly." Ah. So that was his game.
It was unexpected that Madara would be that strategic. The CopyCat Ninja had been certain he would have just executed them or left them for dead on the battlefield, but it seemed neither had turned out to be the case.
"I can get you out of here." Kakashi just had to figure out how to get them out of those chains.
That's when Mei mumbles something at him. Yes, mumbles. It took Kakashi a moment to realize that she had been gagged.
"I'm sorry." He looks at her apologetically. "What was that?"
Gaara shakes his head and sighs. "Even if you got us out of here now, we're still ridiculously low on chakra and there are palace guards." Well, the Mizukage did have a point there. "Normally, that wouldn't be an issue for us, but without our chakra it'd be almost impossible to get out of here and then he'd just have us executed."
Shikamaru groans. Things were bad when even the lazy prodigy couldn't hide his irritation.
"What a drag." Asuma's former student looks down at floor that he seemed to be sketching patterns with through the dust on it. "We've got someone that could get us out, but the Mizukage is right…we wouldn't get far."
Onoki decides to step in. "We need to come up with a plan." Damn right they did. "Which is why you need to stop pouting and start thinking, Boy!"
Calling Shikamaru a boy was a stretch. He was far closer to twenty than ten and he had been influential in the war. Granted, they had lost. That wasn't his fault though. No one had been ready for Madara. That was all.
"Don't call him a boy." A rolls his eyes. "He's a man now." Yes, that's exactly what Kakashi had been thinking.
Shikamaru just sighs again. "What a drag." He glances at Kakashi. "Maybe, you can try to smuggle food or something to us to get our strength back up faster." He pauses for a moment as though doing some calculations. "Madara wants us alive so he'll feed us, but I wouldn't put it passed him to keep us deliberately weak by withholding more than the bare minimum."
It wasn't hard to read between those lines. The other Leaf Ninja thought that Madara would only give them enough to keep them alive and not a crumb more. Sadly, he was probably right about that.
"I'll see what I can do." He frowns and tries to blink back tears from his eyes at the sight of his comrades in such a pitiful state. "Try to stay strong. Do whatever you need to do to stay alive."
A proud ninja was of little use, if they were dead. These were some of the strongest ninjas alive. If there was going to be any hope of defeating Madara, they all needed to make it through this somehow. Kakashi just hadn't figured out how yet.
"Don't worry, Kakashi Sensei." Naruto grins at him. "We'll figure this out."
Kakashi wished that he could be as optimistic as his student, but he just didn't feel it. Though at least they were all alive and in reasonably good condition considering everything.
"I'll be back with food." He sighs as he looks over the fallen Kages and Shikamaru. "I mean it. Don't let your pride get you killed." With that being said, he hands reads them the letter that he had been assigned to give them.
Dear Kages and Shikamaru Nara,
I spared all your lives because I believe this will make an easier transition. Should you abdicate publicly, I will ensure that you and your people who do not resist my rule are treated fairly.
I will not tolerate anyone questioning my authority, but I will allow you to live. If you care about your people or even your own lives, you will accept that my word is law.
Should any of you or all of you agree to this demand, you will be released from prison. If you do not, you will rot there until the day you die or that I decide to kill you. Whichever comes first.
As for Shikamaru, the same principle applies. He doesn't rule over a village, but he is well known in the Ninja World. I would give him an advisory role, were he to publicly recognize my rule.
I await your decisions, Emperor Madara Uchiha.
"He's such a dick." Shikamaru sighs and well, Kakashi couldn't disagree with that assessment. "Well, what do you guys want to do?" Not even a little bit.
"Kakashi, if he asks, tell him that you delivered the message and that we'll think on the matter." Tsunade gives him a hard look. "I don't like it, but our only real option at the moment is to stall for time."
Kakashi nods in agreement. They didn't really have many other viable options, but there was no way to tell how quickly Madera's 'patience' would run out.
"I will." He gives them all one last apologetic look before leaving.
He couldn't risk being seen taking too long to deliver that message. As badly as he wanted to free them all, he knew Mei was right. They'd never make it out of that castle.
His chakra reserves were returning, but they were likely weak from chakra exhaustion and barely moving for days. They didn't stand a chance against Madara's guards at the moment.
Later that night, Madara makes his way back to the hospital room. He was carrying two boxes on his person, but neither were very heavy.
He felt a bit like a fool, but sometimes Izuna's approach did yield better results. "Considering how ill she is, it's probably best to try the honey instead of vinegar approach." The Uchiha shakes his head in amusement as he makes his way down the hall.
As expected, Orochimaru was waiting outside the hospital room. His reincarnation was amusingly predictable at times.
"He kicked you out of the room." Madara raises an eyebrow, feigning surprise.
Orochimaru sighs and nods. "I thought it was best not to argue." Of course, because Sasuke could have killed Orochimaru again…if he had. "In any case, they've been quietly talking for most of the day and I didn't see a reason to intervene, other than to occasionally take her vitals."
Madara nods at that and opens the door. The picture that he was presented with was almost….cute in a way. Sasuke was sleeping on a nearby chair and Hinata was quietly reading something. Most likely, a medical journal since it had probably come from Orochimaru.
"How are you feeling, My Dear?" Madara smiles as he strides over to Hinata. "I'm sorry that I was away for so long. Setting up a new government can be a time consuming process." He chuckles as he sets his gifts on the bed.
Hinata blinks as she cautiously reaches for them. "I'm s-still alive, if that counts for anything." Hmm. She could be cheeky at times. Good to know. "W-What are these?"
Madara had been about to explain what they were when a kunai goes flying at him. Fortunately, he manages to catch it in his hand before it does any actual damage. Though he notices a few drops of his blood flow onto the weapon.
"Really, Sasuke?" He turns around in amusement. "Was that strictly necessary?"
Sasuke stares at him as his Sharing and Rinnegan whirl. "I was asleep and heard someone coming towards her." He quickly recovers from his shock. "So of course, I acted on instinct. You did say to protect her."
Well that was true. Sasuke was apparently rather good at getting by on technicalities. He'd have to choose his words more thoroughly in the future.
"Accurate." He nods. "You've done a fine job. I see that my Byakugan Princess is still in one piece." Madara smiles at him smugly. "You should go and get some training in. We'll be fine here."
He'd need to be more specific though. Knowing Sasuke, Madara couldn't give him even an inch to find a loophole in.
"That is an order and not a request." Madara shoots him an annoyed look. "I will come and collect you when I'm finished speaking with Hinata."
For a moment, Sasuke looks like he was going to argue, but eventually he leaves. Hmm. His fellow Uchiha really was protective of the princess. Oh well. He could hardly fault him for it. Hinata just had that effect on people, he supposed.
"I'll give you, your privacy as well." Orochimaru nods. "I do have other patients to check on." Madara nods approvingly at that and the Sannin departs as well.
Good. He was alone at last with the Hyuga woman. Perhaps now, they could finally get somewhere.
A few minutes later, Hinata honestly had no idea what to make of this strange situation. Madara had gotten her chocolate covered strawberries and white roses. He was actually trying to court her in some way, it seemed.
"Thank you." She looks at the gifts, feeling rather stunned. "That was very kind of you."
What else could she say? If she was going to yell at him, yelling at him for giving her food and roses didn't seem like the best time to do it.
He nods at her. "I know that you must think I'm some kind of savage." Well, yes actually. "That's not entirely inaccurate, but as Sasuke said I wouldn't disgrace our Clan in such a fashion. So I believe that I should do you the courtesy of at least being blunt about my intentions."
Oh boy. Suddenly, Hinata didn't like where this was going. Sasuke and Orochimaru weren't here and she was far too weak to run.
"H-Honesty was good." This time, she didn't even have to fake her stutter.
It was definitely real. Madara was like a lion and she was a wounded zebra. This might not end well for her.
He chuckles at that and nods. "Yes, I suppose it is." Madara seemed amused and Hinata wasn't sure if that was a good sign or a bad one. "I do have every intention of taking you for my wife. Every emperor needs an empress."
She bites her lower lip at that. What could she possibly say without enraging him? Maybe, if she just made herself seem unworthy, he'd move onto a more interesting 'target?'
"I'm f-flattered, but I'm still very ill." Yes, the stutter definitely wasn't fake this time. "I'll need rest and if I m-may speak frankly, I'm s-sure that you would prefer are a more worldly woman to stand by yourself."
Madara shakes his head at that and the mirth was back in his eyes. "You're dancing around the edges of it, but I'm as capable of reading between the lines as any other man." Uh oh. "I don't mind the fact that you're an innocent. If anything, it's refreshing and I'm not an animal. I'm more than willing to let you get your bed rest." He glances at the chocolates. "You should eat to keep up your strength though."
Orochimaru had bought her some time. Not much of it, but Hinata still had time to plan out her next move.
"Oh thank you." So for now, she wouldn't argue. "D-Do you know what happened to m-my family?"
If he was trying to 'court' her in some strange way, maybe Madara would tell her at least that much. She would ask about the others, but Hinata didn't want to push her luck.
Madara clearly wanted to restore his Clan. To some degree, family was important to him. So he might humor her in this matter.
"Some of your family were injured during the war." Madara pauses for a moment, clearly not happy about having to deliver bad news while trying to win her over. "There were astonishingly low causality rates for your Clan though. You're father, sister, and a cousin of yours are still alive though."
He knew about Neji? Hinata could understand Madara checking on Hiashi and Hanabi, but Neji was a Branch Member. How did he know about her cousin being so close to her?
Madara laughs at her expression. "My dear, I know that you think me a savage, but I assure that I'm quite capable of reading." Oh. "I read your file and every once in awhile there is information of a more personal nature in those kinds of files. So yes, I know that you care about your cousin a great deal."
Hinata didn't know whether to find that sweet or disturbing. So she settles on a strange mixture of both.
"I'd like to s-see them." She might be pushing her luck, but Hinata had to try.
Madara nods at her. "You will in time." He pauses for a moment. "Neji was badly injured during the fighting, but not fatally. He'll be fine soon enough and as for your father and sister, they're assimilating into this new world that I am creating for us."
Hinata wasn't sure how to take that last part. That could mean almost anything. Still, it did mean at least one thing. They were alive.
"Thank you." She smiles at him. "Thank you for telling me what happened to them. It means a lot."
Madara nods at her and shakes his head. "Of course, but don't mistake me." He shakes his head. "I will not take kindly to you're trying to run or any other man trying to win your affections. Fire is a very passionate and possessive element." With that being said, he walks off and Hianta shivers. That had been a warning and suddenly, the Hyuga Heiress found herself feeling very dizzy.
