Have I mentioned I love you guys?
Enjoy!
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Black and Purple Don't Mix #7
Orochimaru walked to the entrance of the hideout. The sky was hazy blue, and the sun had yet to rise, leaving the air cool and crisp. He enjoyed this spot the most. The trees that surrounded the hideout gave off the most pleasant scents.
He leaned against the entrance, crossing his arms, and allowed himself to be content with feeling nothing. During moments like this, he did not have a sinister grin and his eyes did not gleam with daring mischief. He rarely had time to feel nothing in the company of others—experiments or otherwise—and he needed moments to not feel.
To not think.
To just live.
He closed his eyes, taking deep breaths and letting them out slowly, and listened to the quiet morning.
Footsteps approached from within the hideout, prompting the man to turn around.
"Well, well, well." Orochimaru smiled. "Are we all set?"
He looked at the four boys in front of him. His beloved apprentice looked as annoyed as the first day he arrived; his arms were crossed, and his gaze was drawn to something outside. Or someone. That was for Sasuke's mind to dwell in.
The two younger ones had big plans ahead of them. Shana stood obediently at Kabuto's side. Jibo trembled next to Shana, eyes darting all over the ground. Orochimaru couldn't wait to hear how today's experiment went. And Kabuto...
"What happened to your neck?"
The white haired ninja put a hand over the gauze taped to his injury. "Just a scratch."
Orochimaru noticed the corner of Sasuke's lips twitched. "I see. Well, I'll be seeing you all soon, then." He turned to look back out the entrance, his smile dropping. "Three of you, anyway."
Five days, twelve hours, and nineteen minutes.
When can a day be considered over, she wondered.
Hinata was in her bed, staring at the ceiling, and tried to find the answer to that question. She was allowed to be back home, but she had been detached since that night. Numb. Upset. With whom, it was hard to say for sure.
Neji was the first person to find her, and he was put into a panic when he took in her appearance. He asked her many times what had happened. She couldn't answer. When she got home, she was asked many more times, but she still didn't know what to say. She was overwhelmed by everyone being in her face, launching so many inquiries at her. All she wanted was rest. The night died down to Neji, Hanabi, and Kō spending a few hours with her.
.
"Hinata," Kō spoke softly, his hand on top of hers as she lied down to rest, "I've always...worried over you since you stopped being under my care." He squeezed her hand, trying to smile. "But...I... I'm always here for you...my lady."
.
She turned on her side, gripping her blankets.
Kō's words had been gentle, but they were laced with sorrow and worry.
When they thought she had fallen asleep, Hanabi and Kō left. Neji stayed at her bedside, making a space for himself on the floor. He asked her one more time what had happened. If anything, he wanted to know how she got that bruise on her face. She said nothing for minutes then softly replied with, "I passed out."
He didn't believe her, and she didn't expect him to, but he stopped asking.
The next day, medical ninja tended to her face and anywhere else they thought could be the source of her problems. She wasn't allowed to leave the compound for any reason, and Neji was by her side always. She was permitted to leave after that day, but only in the daytime, and of course, Neji was to be with her (anyone from the family, really, but it was Neji who immediately took the position), but she had no desire to go. So, she stayed in bed all day.
Now, as another day trudged on, Hinata was more or less content with doing the same thing.
She looked at the clock on her nightstand. It would be noon soon. She had not properly slept since she was allowed to come home, so she did not feel bad for being in bed. Besides, staying in bed all day was the least of her worries.
She felt pathetic, and she felt...confused.
Not only did she let herself be led away by a dangerous criminal, but she was obeying his orders by not telling anyone what happened. Why? Did she believe his threats? Did she consider her clan so inferior to one rouge ninja? She would like to say she was doing this so no one would get hurt, but what would happen if he attacked the village? What if people got killed all because she listened to someone who probably couldn't last even half a battle with her whole village? It was foolish to keep this up because Sasuke Uchiha was an unpredictable person. Out of all the people he could be targeting, he was targeting her.
For what?
The Byakugan?
What could he do with it? Was it for Orochimaru? Was a man of his notorious ranking even concerned with the Byakugan when he had the Sharingan in his arsenal?
But if this was about what Sasuke wanted... Then it made absolutely no sense that he wanted her for himself. If he had separated from Orochimaru completely and was trying to create his own ninja army, she could not follow his line of logic with wanting her. He should start with people he knew—people who might actually go along with him without protest—so perhaps she was just bait. He may have wanted Neji to join him, but Neji would not be swayed by him unless someone was being held captive. Maybe even Kiba, Shino, Naruto or anyone else was the true target, but she still did not know why she was home if that was the case. Sasuke could have immobilized her and hid her away, but...he brought her back. It was risky—he had to know it was risky—so what was his logic? Why was he so certain she would not tell?
But...maybe she was thinking about this wrong because Sasuke... He... He...
Hinata shut her eyes, curling into herself and firmly pressing the blankets to her lips. Her cheeks heated, but she couldn't place why.
Embarrassment.
Disgust.
Anger.
Sasuke...kissed...her.
He intentionally kissed her; he wanted to kiss her.
Her first kiss had been forced. He snuck into her home, led her away from safety, and kidnapped her tall while claiming-
She opened her eyes as they began to sting and swell with tears.
He manipulated her desire to go home and her affections for Naruto... It was supposed to be Naruto. Her first kiss was supposed to be shared with Naruto, not taken by Sasuke or anyone else. She was supposed to be held gingerly yet firmly, not achingly crushed. Naruto was...
Naruto was never going to do that anyway. He didn't see her that way. Unlike Sakura, she wasn't viewed as someone beautiful and strong. She wasn't brave; she couldn't draw attention; she had no confidence in herself...but she loved him. She loved Naruto.
.
"...you claim to love him, don't you?"
.
She does love him! She did not delude herself into thinking she felt something she didn't. Her affections started as admiration when they were children, and it flowered into true, genuine emotion as they grew up. She was sure of what she felt, and she would not allow some emotionally detached rogue ninja make her question that part of herself.
.
"We have a lot in common, you know."
.
How dare he lump her together with him!
He may be impulsive, but she could not love someone without a good reason, and Naruto gave her more than enough reasons over the years. What would Sasuke, a person who had girls falling for him even now, know about love? He wouldn't know what it was like to develop feelings for someone in childhood and have it grow to this day. He could have any girl he wanted, so-
.
"...I don't want them."
.
He could... It didn't have to be her, so why-
.
"...call it a fatal attraction."
.
She shot up, staring down at her fists clenching her blanket. What did that mean? What did that mean coming from him? Sasuke was a sick, twisted person who would use a person's most treasured weakness against them. He betrayed Konoha, hurt his teammates, and...kissed her.
He kidnapped her, hit her—abused her!
But...she's alive. He could have killed her in the forest, but he chased her down just to tell her he's taking her back.
He brought her back...and kissed her...
Hinata violently shook her head, almost allowing a scream to escape her lips. A kiss means nothing! To someone like Sasuke Uchiha, a kiss from her was just another way to gain control. He obviously knew how much her first kiss meant, and yes, she was devastated when he did it. She was many things: Hurt, angry, degraded, used, confused—everything!
No, she couldn't gauge Sasuke just by that one encounter, but he could have went about very differently if he wanted to be dominant in the matter.
But then there were...certain looks he gave her...
But she shouldn't think about it. She wouldn't understand. Sasuke was a boy, and boys liked to...look. She's seen the way Kiba looked at girls he found appealing, but he rarely wanted more than to just look from time to time. Really, she only had him to compare looks of that caliber to, so Sasuke's looks could mean anything. She didn't know what a guy like him would look like if he saw someone appealing. Many girls were sure to flock to him wherever he goes, so he probably learned to keep his face stoic.
So...that look she saw when she first woke up with him was just... It was just anything but...adoration.
Sasuke feeling anything towards her was just... It didn't sit right with her.
There was a knock from her door. Hinata forced all her thoughts down as she called for the person to enter. Neji cautiously came in, a cautious Hanabi clinging behind him.
"G-good morning," Hinata greeted, her voice apparently feeling the strains from the lack of use.
"Hinata-sama." Neji bowed his head. Hanabi waved briefly. "How are you feeling today?"
"I'm...better. I'm sorry for all the-"
He raised his palm. "No more apologizing. Forgive me for being so bold, but I think it would do you some good to get out of the house."
"Ah... Well, I mean..."
"I say this mainly because Kiba and Shino have been requesting you for missions these past few days. They sense something is wrong, and apparently, they were thinking the same as I."
"Oh! Right. I can go with them right away."
Neji turned to Hanabi. He stared for a second, amused. "Go tell them she'll be out shortly."
Hanabi nodded and ventured out the door.
Hinata gasped. "They're here?!"
"Yes. As I said, they've been requesting you. By that, I meant they have been asking for our permission to let you leave."
"I-I'm sorry!" Hinata jumped out of bed and rushed over to her closet to pull out her usual attire.
"Hinata-sama," Neji called. "You are...up for this, yes?"
She hesitated. She didn't look at Neji because she dreaded the looks he'd been giving her lately. He was too worried. She understood it, but Neji... "I am."
"And the incident concerning the other night?"
"I just...wandered off and passed out."
"Then are you capable of going on a mission so soon? Your medical results show no signs of any illnesses, but that doesn't mean there's nothing wrong."
"Yes...that's true..." She caught herself. "But it won't happen again."
He studied her for a moment longer. Hinata was surprisingly stubborn when she wanted to be, so pressing her would get him nowhere. He sighed to himself, leaving the room. "Very well."
Hinata quickly got dressed and joined her teammates outside the compound. Kiba and Akamaru greeted her like the enthusiasts they were, and Shino remained as aloof as ever.
"Man, Hinata!" Kiba exclaimed as they began walking to see the Hokage. "No offense, but I couldn't take being locked in with your family for days on end. I was starting to worry that you'd never come see us."
"I didn't mean to be gone for so long. A lot...was happening."
"If you can," Shino said, "warn me the next time you take extended leave. Kiba gets frantic when you're gone."
"I was not frantic! Hinata has two more years until she's an adult, and her family is going to work her into her grave trying to get her ready to be head of her clan!"
"Ah," Hinata paused. "Well...I was actually thinking of...s-stepping down from that title."
Kiba gasped, running in front of her so she would stop. "You can't be serious. Hinata, do you know what an opportunity this is?! They finally recognize all that hard work you've been doing! You can't just give it all up!"
"But I'm not...good at leadership."
"You just need more practice, that's all. Two years is enough time to prove you have the skills, and your dad more or less still runs things until... Well, ya know."
"Um... Well, I mean..."
"Listen," Kiba walked between her and Shino, hooking his arms around both of them, continuing their walk. "Me, Shino, and Akamaru are always here when you need us." He grinned. "Like it or not, you're stuck with us until the very end, so don't go thinkin' you won't see us just 'cause you've become a big-shot."
Shino adjusted his glasses. "I wouldn't have phrased it quite like that, but we are always here for you, Hinata. Keep that in mind."
Hinata smiled at them, cheeks slightly tinting from the happiness trying not to erupt. She really loved her team. Kiba was high-strung, brash, and uncouth at times, but he always knew when to boost their spirits. Shino was withdrawn, cynical, and had a low tolerance for things that held little logic, but he was the foundation of this group—he kept things together, in his own way. The other teams may stand out more than they do, and maybe they were regarded higher as well, but as far as Hinata was concerned, they didn't have Kiba, Shino, or Akamaru.
"Hey, Kiba!"
The four stopped walking. They were in front of Ichiraku; Shikamaru was waving him over.
"Hey." Kiba responded. "What is it?"
"What do you mean 'what is it'? Last week you lost in a game of Go and promised to pay for the next time Choji and I ate. We're eating. Come pay."
"What?!" Kiba released his teammates. "Can't you see I'm busy?! I'll pay next time." He pointed at him. "You're a pro at that game anyway, so don't badger me!"
"Calm down." Shikamaru sighed, scratching the inside of his ear. "Look, this wouldn't be a problem, but you see," he jabbed a thumb into the shop, "Choji has been looking forward to this all day. You don't want to pay, you come break the news to him."
Kiba hesitated, weighing his options. He did get Hinata out of the house, which he's sure is what she needed. And a hungry Choji was not an easy person to reason with. He sighed, defeated. "Sorry, guys." He forced a grin for his teammates' sakes. "You mind waiting a while?"
"That's alright." Hinata assured. "I'll stay out here with Akamaru."
"Same," Shino said.
"NOOOO!" Lee burst from the ramen stand, projecting himself in the air while doing a series of spins and landing to a crouch in front of Team 8. He looked up, a gleam in his serious stare, and shot to a standing position. "Shino! If you will recall last week, in exchange for not engaging in a tree climbing contest, you said you would accept my twenty bowl ramen eating contest! Choji has agreed, so you cannot let us down now!"
"You can eat that much?" Hinata asked Shino.
He sighed. "We'll find out. Kiba's paying anyway."
"Wait what?!" Kiba retorted. Shino began walking into the shop. "Shino, that's about forty bowls you're asking me to cover!"
"Actually," Lee said, raising his hand, looking as determined as ever, "I do not have my wallet either, Kiba. Shikamaru assured me you had this covered." He patted him on the back. "I cannot thank you enough, my friend."
"He what?! Shikamaru!" Kiba stormed into the shop.
"Will you be joining us, Hinata?" Lee asked.
She smiled wearily. "Thank you, but I'll pass."
"Suit yourself! I will eat at least forty bowls in your place!" Lee assured as he rushed to the shop.
"The hell you will!" Kiba roared.
Hinata laughed softly to herself. She had missed her friends. The liveliness of them all never ceased to amaze her, and the fact that they were all so close only made her elated to be part of this village.
To think she was ready to close her life off to all this...
She and Akamaru walked to the other side of the shop and planted themselves there. Despite being in public, Hinata laid against Akamaru; he seemed to suggest she do just that. It was a nice day, and Akamaru was more comfortable than her own bed. He was almost as comfortable as the bed Sas-
She shook her head. Not now. As far as she was concerned, he wasn't coming back, and she wasn't going to let herself ruin this day. She closed her eyes, nestling into Akamaru further.
"Hinata?"
Her eyes flashed open and connected with deep blue ones. Naruto was leaning over Akamaru, and his face was hanging upside down in front of hers. A massive flood of deja vu hit her.
"N-N-N-Naruto!" she squeaked, ducking under him and standing, spinning around to face him. He looked up, still leaning on the large dog. Akamaru nudged him with his nose.
"Were you sleeping?" he asked as he walked over to her, petting the pooch.
"N-n-n-no, I-I-I, uh, I..."
He frowned slightly, raising an eyebrow. "Well, sorry for waking you up." He ducked down, looking into the shop. "Were you waiting to go in? There's one seat left."
"U-um..." She shook her head. "E-e-e-eating c-c-conteset... Uh..."
Naruto tried not to show his confusion, but he had no idea what she was trying to say. "You...want to have a eating contest with me?"
"No! I meant... I m-meant..."
He scratched the side of his face. "Did you want to do something with me?"
Hinata's face boiled over with heat.
Akamaru jumped to his feet, barring his teeth at the buildings, and barked ferociously. Naruto turned; Hinata swished her foot back, both narrowly dodged two kunai that flew at them.
"Are you alright, Hinata?" Naruto asked, a kunai of his own drawn as he stared into the trees. He didn't sense anyone.
"Yes," she said, her eyes searching as well.
"Hinata!" Kiba came running out of the ramen shop, all the other occupants following suit. "What happened?!" He ran to Akamaru.
"Someone attacked us," Naruto said. "They were fast about it, too."
Hinata stared at the kunai jammed into the ground; she had since they landed.
"Naruto, your face!" Lee exclaimed. They all looked at him.
"What about my face?" He brought a hand up to his cheek. Pulling his hand back, he took notice of the blood.
Hinata sat in her room, huddled into herself. The moon shone through her window—a window she made sure to lock. Her eyes were vigilant, her Byakugan activated. Those kunai were hers, there was no doubt about it, and the last time she saw them was when they were being hurdled at Sasuke. It had to be him who threw them earlier. He tried to kill Naruto.
With her own weapons.
She glared, scanning more intently. If he was in the village, then he would be here soon, possibly tonight. She didn't see anyone suspicious lurking about. There were those walking around and others in their rooms. She looked into the center of the compound and saw her father.
At this, she lost some of her focus.
He hadn't come to see her since she's been back. Had he known she was gone? Did he know things were alright, so he decided not to look into it? Maybe she should have visited him today, but... Did he even care?
And then she spotted something strange. There was someone walking her way, dragging their feet and swaying. Whoever it was, they were going to pass by her window. She jumped to her feet, ready in her fighting stance.
They came closer, stumbling into the wall. They pushed forward, unable to pull away from the sturdy surface. This person...
Something wasn't right.
Closer, and they stopped just before her window, bringing a hand up; she heard terrible coughing. The person forced themselves to stand up straight, legs wobbling, then they fell, falling past her window. Hinata gasped.
It was a child.
She hesitated, seeing if anyone was near, but saw no one. She rushed to her window and looked down. The person wasn't moving. Unconsciously deactivating her Byakugan, she opened her window and carefully climbed out, kneeling next to the body that appeared to have trouble breathing.
"Are you okay?" she asked, turning the person over. He was a young boy, maybe eleven or twelve, with hair the same shade as hers. He was wearing a white kimono, and his eyes were shut as he forced himself to take deep breaths.
"H...help," he whispered. His voice was low, weak, and raspy. He was very ill. Hinata cradled his upper body in her arms. He was incredibly thin; it was as though he weighed nothing. "Don't... D...on't move me so much... Hurts."
"S-sorry! Where does it hurt?"
"Hurts... Always..." He coughed again, his body violently shaking. Hinata panicked. Something was terribly wrong with him. Despite his protests, she brought him into her room and laid him on her bed. She fanned him lightly, kneeling on the floor.
"Please, tell me what's wrong." She pressed a hand to his forehead. He was cold, but he was sweating. "Where did you come from?"
He wheezed, peeling his eyes open to look at her. His eyes were foggy white. Was he blind?
"Your...heat signature..."
"My what?"
He coughed again. "Hyuuga...Hinata...?"
She softly patted his chest. "Do you...know me?"
"Oh, man," he wheezed. He looked at the ceiling, sighing shakily. "I didn't...want to actually find you."
"What?"
He brought an unsteady hand up to his ear. "Target...acquired."
"Poison Mist Jutsu!"
A thick, white fog descended from somewhere outside. It quickly filled into her room, making her eyes water and breathing difficult. She coughed and gagged, her vision darkening.
"Forgive..."
Walking through the foggy compound, Sasuke looked at all the fallen bodies. He eyed each one carefully, seeing if he could pick out her immediate family from the others.
Too easy.
This could be the end of the Hyuuga clan, if he so chose. In the middle of the night, at a time no one was suspecting, the Hyuuga clan could fall, and by all appearances, it would be blamed on the Mist Village. He contemplated the very tempting opportunity...but could he do that? To her? He knew what it was like to lose it all, so could he do that to Hinata? Could he strip her of her family no matter how distasteful the lot of them were? Could she deal with the trauma after the fact? Could he really do it?
He smirked, walking on.
Yes, he realized. He could do it, and he wouldn't feel sorry. However, he wouldn't do it because—and only because—he cared too much about what she would think or what she would do. The last thing he needed was for her to become despondent.
Maybe another time.
If he did get back to it, there wouldn't be anything for her to do about it, anyway.
"...ke...up...up...please... -ease...wake up... Miss?"
Hinata felt herself being shaken. She was groggy; she's never felt this disoriented before.
"Quit it," another voice pleaded. This one was higher, frantic. "We're already going to be in enough trouble, so just leave her alone."
"They don't know we did anything. Besides, I need to know she's okay."
"Shana, quit!" the other whispered. "They'll be back soon!"
"You just saw Sasuke disappear in that meadow. And even if Kabuto saw us, he wouldn't kill us."
"What makes you so sure?"
"I'm not."
"Do you want to get us killed?!
"Miss?" The raspy voice hesitated. "Hi...Hinata?"
"Don't say her name!"
She opened her eyes slowly; her lap came into view. There was grass on either side of her, and someone was next to her. Her head bobbed as she forced it up; she felt as though everything was moving. Her back was against something solid (maybe a tree), and it was dark...outside.
Right.
She was outside.
Her eyes swung to her left. The boy from earlier was there.
"She's awake," the other said as though it should be impossible. "This is bad."
"Are you alright?" the boy next to her asked.
"Wheezing..." she whispered. "You... Something...wrong..."
"Stop talking to her, okay?" said the other. She couldn't force herself to see where it was was coming from.
"Listen," said the dark-haired boy, "you inhaled a lot of the poison. I had Jibo give you the gas that contains the antidote-"
"It has a name, you know."
"-but he used up most of his chakra giving the antidote to your clan."
"Shh! Don't say it out loud! We're in trouble if they hear you!"
"My...clan...?" She looked into his eyes. How was he able to see her? "Are they...okay?"
"Yes, they should be." There was a pause. "I'm sorry...for getting you into this. I'm just following Lord Orochimaru's orders, but I want to help you, too."
"Help?!" the other exclaimed, still a whisper. "We've done enough!"
"We can fight them, if we try. You can still use taijutsu, and I have more than enough chakra left in me."
There was a gasp. "You're insane. You want to get us killed. We can't take them! Especially not Sasuke!"
Hinata's head jerked.
"Well, we have to try! How long before she gets her strength back?"
"I don't know... Thirty...forty minutes. I don't know how much gas she actually inhaled and- It doesn't matter! This is crazy!"
"If we win, we save her, and we can go home."
"That's a gamble and you know it."
"Don't you want to-?"
"Don't..." Hinata flopped a hand near his knees. "Too...dangerous..."
"But-"
"You're...okay...?"
"What?"
"Wheezing... Your...body...is..."
"Oh," he whispered. "You're worried about me? After..." He shook his head, becoming guilt-ridden. "You shouldn't worry about me. I'm fine. This isn't anything new."
Hinata's eyes drooped. She gathered her chakra and activated her Byakugan.
"Hinata! You're too weak for this!"
"I told you this was bad!"
She brought her hand up, focusing as much chakra as she could and bringing it to the boy's chest, and released a focused pulse. He gasped.
"Shana!"
"Hinata... What... What did you...?"
"Are you alright? What did she do?!"
He didn't answer for a long time, shifting in place. "I feel...a lot better."
"Chakra..." Hinata muttered. "Organs... Chakra blocked..." She sighed, unable to hold onto her Byakugan any longer. "Released."
"You...helped me?"
"She...? Why would she...do that?"
Shana's head shot up, looking somewhere over her. "Sasuke's coming."
"What?! Wh-where? I don't see him."
"I can faintly see his heat signature if I focus hard enough."
"Not good! We need to get away from her."
"Hinata, listen," he leaned close to her, "Sasuke's not going to kill you. I don't know why he's after you, but as far as I know, it has nothing to do with Orochimaru."
"Shana, what are you doing?!"
"But that doesn't mean he isn't dangerous, okay? He may not kill you, but he'll hurt you without a second thought. He's hard to read...but I think... I think he might-"
"What are you doing?"
The boys gasped. Someone emerged from the right—someone who sounded a lot like Sasuke.
"Just making sure she's alive," the one next to her said.
"You used the antidote on her, right?" This was directed at the other.
"Y-yes, sir!"
He spoke to the one next to her, "Move."
"Sorry." The space next to her became empty.
An arm came around Hinata's torso and under her knees, lifting her up. Her head fell backwards, but she was jolted so it'd fall on him.
"Will that be all?" the boy from earlier asked.
"Sure. Just go." And then he began walking. Hinata's eyes closed, too heavy to keep open.
"Sasuke," she said, more of a slur.
"I kept my promise, didn't I?"
"What are..." She sighed, eyes rolling fluidly. "Don't...d-do...anything."
"If I do anything to you, you won't remember."
She ignored that. "Promise...me..."
"Promise you?"
"Don't...kill them..."
"Those boys?" He paused. "Why would I promise you that?"
"Because...you..."
There was silence.
There was numbness.
Then there was darkness.