Ch.7 Departure With New Friends
Hinata watched Hanabi's retreating back with the pain of her sister's betrayal shining in her eyes. So it was true; everything Kabuto said was true. Her wet eyes lowered down to look at Neji's face, still reflecting the pain he had recently endured with the activation of his seal. She gently caressed his face as she felt the darkness shroud over them. Thunder could be heard above their heads before cold drops of water fell from the sky.
Hiashi called for a servant to help Neji to his room. He looked back to his daughter and nephew with regretful eyes. Over the years it had been getting more and more difficult to keep Hanabi in line. He was not a blind man; he could see the changes in his daughter. He could see the bitterness in her, her hatred for her sister. He could see it all, but there was nothing he could do. She was the only heir before Hinata had retuned to reveal that she was still alive. But even with her presence, they had already appointed Hanabi as heir, for better or for worse. Hiashi slowly turned and walked away, disappointed. Disappointed with the turn of events, with Hanabi, but mostly with himself.
With the help of the servant, Hinata was led to Neji's room and placed him onto his bed. The servant left but Hinata could hear his whispered words before he left the room.
"Damn her, this is the fourth time in two months. She's going to kill him."
Hinata sat down onto the bed next to him. Apparently Hanabi enjoys every time she activates his seal. It entertains her. Hinata covered Neji's forehead with a cool wet cloth while he desperately tried to recover from his ordeal.
"Hinata…" he whispered to her, "I'm sorry…for not telling you." Hinata looked down at her hands in her lap.
"I understand why you didn't." she said softly. Hot tears started to once again form in her eyes as the weight of what she was planning to do weighed heavily upon her heart. "And…it's all my fault." She cried, drowning in her misery, their misery. Neji struggled to sit up, his whole body in pain and protesting to the movement. But he ignored it as his hands tightly gripped her shoulders and shook her gently.
"Don't say that. Don't ever say that! It's not!" he stated raggedly but firmly. But Hinata just shook her head, denying herself the comfort of his words.
"It would have been better if we never loved each other." She whispered, her hands covering her weeping face. Her words cut him deeply and her tears were like acid dripping on his heart. The pain in his chest caused by her words made it difficult for him to breath, how they tore him apart. Neji gently pulled her hands away from her face and replaced them with his own. Wiping her tears with the pads of his thumbs and slowly lifting her face to look at his.
"Hinata…I would rather live in this hell, than live in a land of paradise without ever knowing the warmth of your love." He lowered his head to rest it against her forehead, though it pained him to do so.
"But…we can never be together." Hinata countered desolately. Neji closed his eyes and sighed deeply.
"Whatever happened to never giving up hope?" he asked her softly. She was the one who taught him, all those years ago, that there was always hope. Hinata shut her eyes tightly as she ripped herself away from his embrace and stood with her back to the bed.
"I lied. There is no hope. There will never be hope for us!" she cried. She turned to see the disappointment and sadness in his eyes. Pale eyes that still showed love for her. Unable to bare such a gaze she turned her back on him again. "I cannot stay. I cannot endure to see you everyday and know that you are no longer mine. To know our love can never be." She whispered to him. Neji's heart was pounding painfully in his chest.
"No." he said softly.
"I'm sorry Neji…" she continued painfully on.
"Don't." he begged her softly. She turned to him once again, her love for him shining in her ivory eyes.
"I will always…love you." with those whispered words, she turned and ran out of the room, forcing herself not to look back.
"Hinata!" Neji called to her, getting up to go after her. But his world immediately spun before him as he stumbled to his knees.
"No, Hinata." He whispered as he struggled to stay conscious. "Don't leave…" against his will his body collapsed to the floor, his whole world going black, "me."
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A cold pair of white eyes watched as Hinata ran out of the compound and into the pouring rain. Soft footsteps padded in the hallway and stopped, reaching Neji's room. Those same cold eyes stared down at his unconscious body sprawled on the floor. Hanabi's face was void of any emotions as she continued to stare down at her husband. The servant who had helped Hinata carry Neji to his room came back to check on him only to find Neji passed out on the floor with Hinata no where to be found.
"Hanabi-sama, what happened?" he asked as he quickly rushed to Neji's side. Laying him back in bed the servant turned to look at Hanabi. She smiled and chuckled softly as she turned and continued walking down the dark hallways.
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She was cold. Her body was wet from the rain and though she could feel her heart beating in her chest, Hinata felt as if she was no longer living. The sky was dark from the storm and the night that had descended. She didn't know where her tired running legs were taking her, and she didn't care. Her mind, body, and soul were numb. She didn't care about anything anymore. When she has stumbled over a tree root, Hinata finally looked around her. She could vaguely remember passing the gates of Konaha a while ago, but it didn't matter to her.
Hinata slowed to a walk, her feet sticking in the mud, her clothes clung to her body, and her long dark hair was plastered to her face. Her eyes were dull and her lips were light blue. She felt that with ever breath she took, life was draining away from her. She didn't know how long she had been running or how long she had been walking. Hours she supposed, her body was exhausted but she kept going. Putting as much distance as she could between herself and the compound. However her unseeing eyes failed to notice the two tall dark figures blocking her path. It wasn't until she almost ran into them and the sound of one of their voices when she was aware of them.
"Hmm what do we have here?" the taller one asked. Hinata stopped walking and just stood before them, her eyes on the ground. A pale hand reached out of the dark cloak from the shorter one. He gripped her chin gently yet firmly and lifted her face up. Her ivory gaze slowly rose from the ground to meet a pair of pitch black eyes.
"A Hyuuga." The black eyes stated softly. The taller one stared down at him, curiosity written on his face. Black eyes bore into her pale ones, studying, calculating, cold.
"Do you know who I am?" he asked her. Hinata's eyes trailed up to his Konaha head protector; it had a slash through the symbol. Her eyes then lowered to his cloak; it was black with red clouds on it. Returning her eyes back to meet his cold gaze she slightly nodded her head once.
"Uchiha Itachi." She said softly, emotionlessly. Itachi continued to stare into her eyes; the eyes of someone who has given up all hope. This is the Hyuuga Orochimaru had. Hhmm this could prove to be entertaining.
Hinata watched, detached, as he activated the infamous Mangekyo Sharingan. Suddenly images of Hanabi activating Neji's seal, and his body rolling on the floor with pain flashed through her mind. Memories of sitting in her cell with a bloody kunai and her forearm soaked in blood and throbbing in pain, bubbled to the surface of her mind. Images, memories, sounds, voices; all the things she desperately tried to bury in her past were now coming back to haunt her.
Itachi watched as Hinata's eyes clouded with emotions, pain, regret, sadness, anger. Her body started to tremble as her mind was remembering the pain and torture she had experienced at the hands of Kabuto. The eight years of hell she was forced to go through because of…because of her sister.
"You mean you didn't know? Poor little naïve Hinata-chan. Haha, well with you out of the way, she's now the only heir. Exactly what she wanted." Kabuto's voice mocked her. Hinata could no longer see the world around her, her eyes and ears filled with the darkness of her heart.
"If you hadn't disappeared, I wouldn't' have been able to become heir." Her mind was overwhelmed with the hatred and venom of Hanabi's voice. "Thanks for giving me your most wanted possession."
Suddenly an image of Neji smiling at her, his arms around her came to mind. His handsome face, his usually cold hard eyes softened with love, his long beautiful hair blowing softly in the wind. He was whispering words of love to her, kissing her forehead softly. They were in a green field with blue sky, butterflies flying around them. When slowly the sky began to darken, the field turning to a desolate place. The warmth of the sun was draining away as a cold wind blew between them. Neji screamed with intense pain as he felt to his knees, he arched his back with his eyes shut tightly. He fell to the ground and his body thrashed about from the powerful burning pain of his seal.
"NEJI!" Hinata screamed, his figure slowly fading. She ran towards him, but was stopped by a vision of her sister. She was smiling maliciously, her eyes flashing her murderous intent.
"NO! HANABI STOP IT! YOU'LL KILL HIM!" Hinata screamed in a panic. She couldn't lose him. She couldn't bare it if he died.
"He's mine." Hanabi just whispered. "Mine."
"Don't." Hinata pleaded, falling to her knees and tears running down her cheeks.
"It's amazing how a person can change when they are filled with hate."
Suddenly the images, the visions were gone, and all that was left was Hinata on her knees. She was surrounded with darkness, cold freezing darkness. And silence. It was so loud, it was making her deaf. She held herself as the memories of what just occurred filled her heart. She was nothing, she was empty, she was the darkness. She was alone in the darkness for seconds, for hours. It felt like eternity, yet it didn't. Then a voice pierced through the darkness, with it, bringing the hated images back.
"Betrayal…Greed…Hatred…" the voice whispered into the darkness, the words taking a tight grip on her heart. "Revenge."
"No…" Hinata whispered into the darkness, "she's…she's my sister." Then the images came back. Images of Kabuto experimenting on her, images of herself trying to commit suicide, images of Neji in pain.
"Your…sister, did this to you. Betrayed you and sent you to hell. She enjoys the though of you in pain."
"No…" her voice wavered as she could feel the pain of the needles and scalpels cutting her eyes. She moved her hands and arms to cover her eyes, but when they came up to her face, she stared in horror to see them covered in warm red blood. Sharp throbbing slashes crisscrossing her forearms. Hinata cried out in pain and fear.
"Look at what she's done to you."
"But…" Hinata breathed shakily. When an image of Hanabi activating Neji's seal flashed again.
"Look at what she does to him."
"STOP IT!" Hinata screamed as she ran towards Hanabi, she lunged forward to tackle her, only for the image to disappear once again. Hinata was surrounded with darkness, the images gone.
"She enjoys hurting the one you love. She enjoys killing the one you love."
Hinata collapsed and curled herself in a ball, crying harder than she could ever remember. The pain of her sister's betrayal and the pain of knowing that her sister really does enjoy hurting her and Neji consumed her, making her crazed from the tortuous thoughts.
"Don't you want to save the one you love? Don't you want to save him?"
Hinata continued to cry, but she nodded her head ever so slightly, it was barely noticeable.
"Then hate her…despise her…kill her."
"No! I can't!" Hinata cried as she covered her ears trying to block out the voice. But the only response was more visions of Neji screaming in pain as Hanabi just stood there with a smile. Hinata cried as she pleaded for the visions to go away, but they didn't. Instead his screams only got louder and louder, soon she could not only hear him scream, but seemed to feel it as well. She tried covering her ears again to block it out, when suddenly his scream stopped. She gasped as she looked up to see his body no longer thrashing around, instead it was deathly still.
"No." she whispered, she covered her mouth with horror as the image came closer. Neji's eyes were still open and lifeless, and staring right at her.
"He should've known by now that he cannot go against me."
Suddenly Hinata shot to her feet as she rushed towards a still smiling Hanabi.
"YOU KILLED HIM!" she screamed as she tackled Hanabi. Hatred and rage burned in her wide eyes as she grabbed her throat tightly. Hanabi gripped Hinata's hands as she struggled against her, but Hinata's grip only tightened.
"You killed him….you killed him…you killed him!" she kept repeating as she choked Hanabi. Soon her sister's struggles became weaker and weaker, till finally they stopped altogether. Then the image once again disappeared and Hinata was shrouded in darkness.
"Feel the power of hatred…the power of rage."
Hinata panted for breath, but her eyes were dim, hypnotized by the voice, the words taking hold of her heart, filling it, turning her into something else.
"So will you seek your revenge and save the one you love?"
Minutes passed where the only thing that could be heard was her labored breathing. Then Hinata took a deep breath and gulped, making a decision, there was no going back.
"Yes."
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Itachi deactivated the Mangekyo Sharingan, his eyes turn back to his normal black color. He watched as Hinata blinked and looked around herself as if waking from a trance. Her eyes landed on him once again.
"I can help you achieve what you want…will you join us?" he asked. Hinata lowered her gaze to the ground, remembering all that had transpired in her mind. She breathed deeply, feeling the rain beat down on her head and the water sliding down her face to drop from her nose and chin. Then her eyes looked at her arms, she turned it looking at the scars that crisscrossed along her skin. Hinata's head lifted up as her pale eyes, emotionless, looked into his black ones.
"Yes." She whispered, killing every emotion in her except the ones she would need. Her hatred. Her anger. Her rage. She could feel the old Hinata dying and fading away. A corner of Itachi's mouth lifted slightly as he turned to his partner.
"Kisame, we've traveled all this way and now we're leaving. It would be rude to not make our presence known to the Hokage…"
"Got ya." Kisame said with a smile before he disappeared in a puff of smoke.
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Tsunade was enjoying another cup of sake when Shizune suddenly burst into her office. She spit out her drink in surprise at being interrupted from her 'break'.
"Tsunade-sama, a message for you." Shizune said urgently. Tsunade snatched it out of her hands and was about to yell at her for barging in when Shizune continued. "It was found on a kunai…that had killed a shiobi that was apart of the ANBU." She said seriously, solemnly. Tsunade quickly opened the note, reading the one sentence on there. She sighed deeply with frustration.
"Tsunade-sama, what is it?" Shizune asked worriedly. Tsunade handed the note over to her as she tried to think of what to do. Shizune read the short note aloud.
"We have a new member. The Akatsuki…But Tsunade-sama…weren't they all killed?"
"No…" she sighed again as she rested her head upon her hands, "there are only two surviving members left….Hoshigaki Kisame and Uchiha Itachi." Shizune grew silent as she digested that bit of information.
"But the question is…why would they bother informing me of a new member?" Tsunade thought to herself aloud. Usually the only way they would find out information on the Akatsuki was from spying on them. Suddenly someone burst through her door again, this time it was a young Hyuuga.
"Hokage-sama…Hinata-sama is missing again." The young Hyuuga panted.
"What!" Shizune cried. Tsunade remained silent, though just as worried as Shizune. Kiba and Shino had reported in earlier, she was surprised they had come back from their mission early. But when they told her that they had managed to find Hinata, and they thought it best to bring her back home. Now Hinata was missing once again and there was the Akatsuki running around close to Konaha.
"Oh no Tsunade-sama…do you think that the Akatsuki kidnapped her?" Shizune asked. Tsunade suddenly closed her eyes and shook her head with disappointment. She looked back up to the Hyuuga before her.
"Thank you, I will take special action immediately. You may return back home." The Hyuuga bowed before her.
"Thank you Hokage-sama." When Shizune and Tsunade were alone once again, Tsunade turned to Shizune and looked at her sadly.
"You're partially correct. She is in the presence of the Akatsuki, but she is not their hostage." Tsunade informed her.
"She isn't?" Shizune asked confused.
"No…she…is their new member."
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AN: Woah, yes! Longest chappie so far. How do you guys like it? Yeah I know, the Mangekyo Sharingan probably doesn't work like that, but I've yet to read or watch how it works, so I just made it up. I hope you guys don't mind. I know everyone is like way OOC, and I'm sorry, I only hope you like the way I changed them. So yeah, the next chapter is going to be the last chapter…sad I know. But if you guys review enough and give me enough lovin' I might think about doing a sequel. But it's still a maybe. So yeah I hope you enjoy this chappie, the next one will be longer. Yay! And I hope you guys like the way I end it. Till next time…ja ne!
