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Chapter Ten
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Sasuke
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The Aftermath
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Victory
"Run, run, run away
Buy yourself another day
A cold wind's whispering secrets in your ear
So low only you can hear
Run, run, run and hide"
-Kingdom Come, The Civil War, The Hunger Games OST
"Vanish, with the roar of thunder."
-Uchiha Sasuke
The dramatic end of this year's Hunger Games reminds Sasuke of when he first emerged from the tropical island that he was stuck in several days, surviving and killing children with his twelve year old, half-naked body. The dried blood from his katana cleaned off from the night's heavy rain. The lightning boomed in the distance. The sky sobbed. Below him, the hovercraft lifted five prone bodies, all dead through silent heart attacks and lightning jolts. Painless and a quick way to go. At the time, Sasuke felt like he finally did something right.
The similarity ends in the terrain and the background. Hinata won the worst way possible.
The Capitol had been fastidious of his victory back then, or at the very least, in the way he chose to orchestrate it. Sasuke later learned that he was meant to be the beautiful young slasher who slit throats and severed heads with a charming smile, his body covered in blood and a semblance of a red, dangerous cloak. The sponsors expected him to seduce the eighteen-year old Career from Kiri in the finale, choking the life out of her eyes as he came inside her. The Capitol wanted him to win as the sadistic, ruthless, attractive killing machine he was supposed to be, not to mercy-kill the rest with a spark of unexpected genius.
The Capitol does not want Naruto to die. That was evident enough in the angry and protesting sighs he heard the moment they announced the revocation of the new rule. It was meant to test their "love", for Hinata to come up with a clever way for both of them to survive. Or for them to think that suicide is the better option than to kill each other off before the Gamemakers interrupt and they were made heroes of this tragedy. But Naruto ends up impaled by Hinata's hand and this is by his own volition.
The Gamemakers cannot control everything.
There are loopholes in the arena.
Naruto did not show what the Capitol wants to see. And he knew it, lifting his fingers in the air in the long forgotten "fuck you" sign and kissing Hinata for the one last time whilst telling her that in this damn, cruel world, we were just not meant to be. "Maybe some other time, Hinata." He had said and that tragic-hero face he made at the last, captured moment will stay in the screens for the rest of the year.
It is a little known fact that Naruto's death provoked a revolt from the Seam kids, those of whom believing that the Capitol should never have played such trick all for the sake of a good show in the first place. Nobody could blame them and even as the Peacemakers tried to pacify the situation, the rascals still managed to inspire a statement. This was never meant to happen. Naruto was not supposed to die. This world sucks big time.
The story was covered up but the animosity as for the outcome was leaked in any case.
The Capitol went wild.
Green-haired mothers cried hysterically. "This is so unfair!". Men shed tears because the current trend is that if you don't feel a bit of sympathy in the way the beautiful story of Hinata and Naruto ended, you would be a heartless fool. And nobody in the Capitol ever wants to be labelled heartless or a fool. The younger generation are upset. "So we also don't have a chance for love in this world?" is the raised question. And in every rhetoric follows another more complex one. "What kind of world do we live in anyway?"
What kind of world do they live in? A world where you butcher children for your enjoyment, make incubus out of twelve-year olds and kill the dream of two young lovers who were just looking forward to getting married and being back in Konoha and…
Hinata's victory made a latest fad is for one to dress in the colours of grieving. Death is the new black. And around the country, Naruto is being quoted as he confessed that he would have preferred to be in a different world with Hinata, where he and Haku would have had a chance to be rivals. The streets are no longer as bright. And the Capitol behaves like they are apologizing, a first.
"Avenge me."
And everybody conveniently ignores that whispered plea.
But for the first time in history, the Capitol finally began to question whether what is happening is right and still "fun". And amidst the grieving masses and the harsh wrath of those that hailed from the Seams and the districts realizing that they can do something like Naruto said they could, perhaps that is enough.
For Sasuke, he is just glad that Hinata was the one who lived.
Make them pay.
And that reminds him…
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Scar
"Somewhere no one else can find
Tall trees bend and lean pointing where to go
Where you will still be all alone
Don't you fret, my dear
It'll all be over soon
I'll be waiting here for you"
-Kingdom Come
"If being like them it what it means to be beautiful, then I'd rather be ugly for the rest of my life. That's exactly the thing Naruto-kun would say. And if we have to step on each other to be alive, I'd rather be dead."
-Hyuuga Hinata
Hinata chooses to keep the scar.
"But we could remove it!" the stylist shrill protest makes Hinata's otherwise eerily composed countenance visibly flinch. One hand strongly holding off the colourful woman's persistent wrist, Hinata swats her off with finality. And the authority in her motion shuts them up. Her exhausted eyes have the glare that Sasuke does not recall ever seeing. But then again, he never saw Hinata this defiant.
Hinata had not been a victor before.
And she is now.
The Hunger Games change you.
"I don't care." Neither her syntax or her tone of voice are familiar either. The Hunger Games change you. Victor-Hinata is born. She frowns at the people crowded around her bedside as if she does not want them there. "It stays where it is."
The scar runs vertically across her eye, evidence of a vicious attack and that which a lasting brand that she has survived. They have managed to restore the eye but Hinata has been explicit in her instructions not to touch anything else. This is not at all uncommon as when Sasuke became a victor, he thought of not having his severed left arm restored. It was just that Capitol woman wanted him to work at his best and he could only please them with both hands. He had no choice. They like to chew on his new fingers. Given the choice, he would have preferred to get rid of it.
Naruto's attack however had been anything but vicious. Her face turns to the side and the now healing laceration now is just a brown line tracing her white eyes. Hinata must have thought that this is the least she could do.
I want you to remember me every time you look at the mirror.
Or, what is more accurate is that Naruto wants the world to remember his unnecessary death because the world shall see a victor's face. And by telling Hinata that, he is implying that she should hold their gaze with a will of fire.
Or perhaps he is just a narcissi who wants his name engraved in history books, the most memorable Hunger Games.
"Just let her be." Sasuke says and his voice must have startled her because she looks up and appeared entirely too surprised to see him. She did not notice him. She is too absorbed. She is thinking about Naruto. Sasuke decides to let that pass. "It's her choice and besides wouldn't that gain her more supporters?
The irony in his voice goes unnoticed by the Capitol-appointed staff who all nod enthusiastically about Hinata still being as beautiful as ever and fuzzes about the victory interview with Deidara later tonight. She would wear a black gown tonight, the colours of lamentation. The whole world would once again fall to their knees in grief. But Kurenai's red eyes penetrate his soul, accusing and implicating. And it does not help at all that Hinata does not appreciate what he said.
They stare at each other for several moments, the unsaid words floating overhead and the unasked questions a weight to bear before Hinata just breaks it off without a word and closes her eyes.
Sasuke leaves the room.
He meets Otsutsuki Toneri in the hallways, blue Hyuga eyes narrowed and kimono as prim and proper as ever. His stance is rigid, making him taller than when Sasuke last saw him and the imposing authority makes the air heavy. Toneri is one of the most influential men in the Capitol, a lineage that formerly held office until the current president took over. In a matter of years, it is predicted that he would regain back the mantle that his ancestors had worked hard for in the last century and this powerful man wants to marry Hinata as part of that decree.
Sensing the question that he has been asked so many times since Hinata won, Sasuke walks briskly towards him, hand proffered and offering the fake smile he has long since perfected after years of dealing with these brand of assholes.
Toneri accepts the hand, shakes it with a condescending smile and begins the dreaded conversation with the affable charm of a politician. "I want to see Hinata." is his carefully veiled demand. The white-haired man's voice could not hide the imminence of this order, his impatience. Toneri is one of those who were glad that Naruto died but they are still a minority. "Lead her to me."
Inside his jacket pocket, Sasuke clenches his fist. But he tries to keep his smile from faltering. "She's resting." He explains. And he tries to make himself sound like anything he says matters because in truth if the main sponsor insists… "You'd see her later at the interview anyway. There's a lot for us to do before she shows up in public."
Prepping a tribute up is always something that any Capitol-bred man understands. Always people who revel in a good, perfectly-scripted show.
Sasuke is about to walk past the man but Toneri frowns, unsatisfied with this dismissal. His voice is as composed as ever but the inflection is anything but calm and collected. "I hear she does not want to take that ugly scar off."
Sasuke freezes, his blood running cold.
Toneri looks over the floor to ceiling windows displaying the Capitol main street, huge billboards with Hinata's tribute picture glowing in prominence. And the last time she was interviewed in public. The Girl on Fire, she was called back then whilst twirling with the glowing dress and holding hands with the equally glowing Naruto. Right now, she was more like the scorned, broken woman. But she definitely is on fire, Sasuke thinks and it makes him angry because Hinata was never supposed to be a tribute, she was never supposed to be a victor. She was not supposed to be looking at him like that.
Maybe Naruto was right. They were not supposed to be born in this world.
But Hinata never was, is, would be ugly.
"No wife of mine should bear that scar." Toneri concludes and the dissatisfaction in his expression is apparent. "As soon as we get married…"
"You fucking bastard." Sasuke seethes because Hinata is never supposed to be a tribute or a victor or this vile man's or anyone's sextoy and Sasuke feels damn selfish for keeping her alive for this people to devour and he promised Naruto to protect Hinata and he certainly would do that and so he launches his fist.
He never felt so free and liberated in his entire life.
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Funeral
"Run fast as you can
No one has to understand
Fly high across the sky from here to kingdom come
Fall back down to where you're from"
-Kingdom Come
"I protect her from the enemies inside. You promise me to protect her from the real ones, okay? They're the more dangerous in the bunch. Them, I mean."
-Uzumaki Naruto
The news that presidential candidate Toneri was sent to the hospital by the mentor of the year and Capitol's golden boy, Uchiha Sasuke travelled fast.
The controversy about the furious altercation surprises Hinata in her interview however and her wide eyes makes that obvious as she sits before Deidara after he fails to congratulate her. A testament that he is also following the current trend. That there is nothing to congratulate Hinata about. The girl has lost everything and when Sasuke once thought that these people had been painfully oblivious of what really was going on, he realizes that they know all along that she is about to lose more.
And it would have been better if she just died, hm?
For the first time in history, the Capitol felt pity for their victors.
Hinata's eyes sparks upon the question and in an instant, her eyes quickly searches for his. They connect and in that swirl of eye of contact, she questions him, looking dubious. But in a second, she is listening to Deidara's senseless quips once again. In so short a moment, they are able to understand each other like never before and Sasuke realizes that this might be the beginning of another bond.
"I heard Toneri-san called you ugly."
The crowd lets up an collected, agitated gasp, with some of whom muttering unrecognizable snorts about spoiled brats and Hinata-san never ugly. Over the projected screen flashes a series of bashing tweets. Toneri is to be incarcerated and eaten up by the public because of this "obscene" remark. And Hinata is meant to be glorified by her supporters.
Naruto is being remembered.
The dobe is succeeding and Sasuke does not know what to think.
"I am sure Naruto-kun would not think like that." is her soft answer after a moment of pause. It is the first she spoke since the victory and the viewers absorb her laconic words with zealous gusto, mascaraed eyes wide in happiness and arms waving in cheers. She mentioned Naruto!, celebrates the ever increasing tweets. This short reply prompts the screens to turn back to the reruns of the most memorable deaths in the Games. The worlds stare, transfixed.
Deidara for once, is not laughing as the cameras and the recordings rolled.
All respect for the dead. Is that even possible?
The Kumo girl collapsing in delirium. Hinata trying her best to help. The next frame later showing how she lets the snake bite the girl. How she just stares in fear but doing nothing. The seal lifting. Naruto confronting her later in the caves (the most downloaded scenes), asking why she let her die. i don't know. Naruto forgiving her.
The girl from Iwa struggling with the elder and slightly larger Hinata. The better-trained girl almost winning, until Hinata instinctively pressed a pressure point. And she turned the fight over her favour. I did not mean to, was her unspoken agony. The crowd croons in sympathy.
Hinata unable to protect Haku. The girl from Dream executed. Hinata grieving over a funeral of flowers, saying something about beauty and how it was never meant to be here. I'm sorry. The pyre burns.
Naruto deliberately meeting the blade. It is no secret. A few more angles and it is more apparent than daylight. Naruto chose to die and the viewers once again shed tears. Naruto-kun.
Amidst all of these, Hinata makes sure she stands strong.
The rest of the interview is a eulogy to both Naruto and Haku. And because Hinata is a victor, the camera would not look away from her. With the flourish that Sasuke never would have associated with her before, she shares their last words to her. The whole world would hear it because it is mandatory to listen to whatever the victor says.
This is the part when she is supposed to thank the Capitol for letting her live.
But Hinata does not do that.
"Anything beautiful is not supposed to be in this world of ours." She says, instead and Sasuke cannot help but think that she sounds like a victor now. That she sounds like Naruto is putting words on her mouth. "Naruto-kun, Haku-kun and those other tributes. They were beautiful. Very beautiful. They were children. And I know I am ugly." She runs her fingers over her scar. Poignant touch. She ignores the Capitol's dissent and emphasizes. "That is probably the reason why I live on."
Hinata regards the rest of the world and those white eyes bore into numerous souls, millions of whom had been grieving because she is the victor, not any of their tributes. And Sasuke realizes that in her words, she is asking for forgiveness and at the same time standing tall to justify what she did. "This is an ugly world we live in. And we are all ugly."
And so the crowd once again goes wild.
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Nightmares
"Don't you fret, my dear
It'll all be over soon
I'll be waiting here for you
For you, for you"
-Kingdom Come
"It's not like we think that she is the saviour right away or something. We are aiming to have Naruto as our Mockingjay, to have him lead the army against the people he has always despised. But Naruto saved Hinata and he always has a good eye for character. He must have seen something special in her and we aim to expedite that and make the world see it too."
-Nara Shikamaru, resident strategist of the Shinobi Alliance.
Going back home to the village gave Sasuke and Hinata enough time to be alone and talk things out that was left unsaid. But Sasuke does not even know what to say. And Hinata, somehow does not care enough to ask. The train ride back to Konoha closes the literal distance and yet the gape between them continues to expand. Life is a fissure, he remembers his niisan saying sagely. Problems would make an already strong bond stronger. And with the same principle, it will end up breaking a fragile one.
But the third night, a shrill scream breaks the quiet night. It is all too familiar. Sasuke is there in Hinata's room before anyone else and he closes the door behind him.
The pitiable state of the seventy-fourth victor the Capitol worships now should not have surprised him. Tougher men broke down in face of such nightmares and undeniably, he is still one of those. Hinata's mouth is poised into an agonized, voiceless scream, her hand raking her hair desperately and her eyes holding the stare of an unseen enemy. The girl who did not flinch as she watched death unfold on the screen once again is now breaking down so fast and Sasuke is unsure whether he could put her back together again.
He only stands there watching her, letting her know that he cares and knows that she does not want to be touched this time. That like him she is broken. That he understands. But he would always be there when…
Don't kiss me.
… when she is ready.
The next morning during breakfast, Hinata acts like nothing happened and the rest of the crew does too. But neither made any attempt for small talk and the silence hangs as the forest of Konoha looms for the awaited welcome. Sasuke sits beside her, observing and wondering as to when she would snap, when she would break down…
Or when she would look in his eyes again.
He could not bring himself to ask.
For after all, what right does he have?
He is not Naruto. He is not Haku. He is just Sasuke. Like her, ugly like the rest of the world because he lived through the nightmare. He killed. She killed.
The Gates of the village open and as Hinata stands with the rest to greet the whole cheering village, Sasuke braces himself for the new chapter in their lives. Hanabi runs towards the platform, tear-stained face beaming. Hiashi follows behind with a polite nod to all of the entourage. The villagers chant her name in unison and even those from the Seam wave in welcome. Hanabi and Hinata hug. The Capitol reporters take shot of every moment, cameras blinking in impossible speed. Hinata comes home as a hero, that is what they want the world to think.
Hanabi clings to her sister and for the first time albeit sadly, Sasuke sees Hinata smile. She meets his eyes once again and in those pearly depths, he witnesses what she always wanted to say but has no courage to say. That despite everything, she is thankful. Thankful that she is alive. Thankful that she could live. Because her life is no longer just her own. And thank you Sasuke, at least for giving me a chance.
In relief, he sighs to himself.
So maybe there is hope.
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Change
"Run, Run, Run Away
Run, Run, Run Away"
-Kingdom Come
"I have a feeling… that these Games would change the world. Don't you think you should back down before it's too late?"
-Gaara, in the Quarter Quell Interviews
Feeble hopes such as this are meant to be crushed however and some promises are to be shattered. Sasuke finds Hinata crouched silently at their usual meeting place, her fingers twiddling at the Victor's pendant that glowed brilliantly in the sunlight. Sasuke did not know that she kept it and never noticed that it was not hanging down around her neck. But the Uchiha pendant is clasped on her right hand and she is reaching now to give it back to him.
He stares at the extended arm, eyeing the heirloom he gave her. You're an Uchiha now. And he never felt rejected in his whole life. "Why?"
"Things change Sasuke-kun." She mutters softly and the wind billows on her long hair. The birds whistle. The leaves rustle. And the breeze takes away the impact of her words. One hand rubbing the scar slightly once again and Hinata exhales with apparent regret. "We just could not be…"
"Are you telling me that what we did doesn't mean anything to you?" He did not mean to be so forthcoming but amidst his beating heart, his tongue is loose. Sasuke grabs her wrist forcefully, pulling her towards him. He closes her fingers to the crest and wills her hands not to let go, never… "Look at me, Hinata."
Hinata avoids his glare and struggles to no avail from his hold. Sasuke does not budge. "Sasuke-kun…" she pleads. Sasuke is too angry to realize what he is doing. "You don't understand!"
"I guess you think you got it worse. I electrocuted five kids with the fucking thunder, Hinata! Do not fucking tell me I don't understand!"
"I killed Naruto-kun!" she finally snaps and for a moment, his hold relents and Sasuke stands dumbfounded. Hinata pushes him away harshly, beating his chest repeatedly and Sasuke only stands there, letting himself take the brunt.
The tears flow and in a full minute, Hinata sobs as each cacophony of her agony escalates into hits. Sasuke puts his hands on her quaking shoulders and while Hinata does stop her abuse, she continues to cry.
He does not want to tell her it's okay.
It's not.
It fucking is not.
"The Games never end, Sasuke-kun." She whispers in between pitiful sobs. Sasuke draws her closer and finally, she buries her pained face on his chest. Her voice is muffled when she continues. "The Games never end and I don't want to kill you. I don't want to kill you. I don't want to lose you. And victors lose everything."
Softly… softly… softly…
The burnt husk of the Uchiha household. Itachi's boat missing in the treacherous Nakano river, his body never recovered. Hinata rising on the platform. The countdown starting. Naruto kissing Hinata. Hinata kissing back.
Hinata as a victor. Hinata alive.
"No they don't. You are wrong." he says bravely and he wraps his arms around her, afraid to let go. He puts his lips on the shell of her ear, draws her closer. He never felt so complete in his entire life. Oh, Hinata. Because in the end, she is still here with him and that never is a mistake as far as he knows. "I still have you. And I am here. I will stay, I promise."
I never go back on my word.
He regrets nothing.
And perhaps as the birds chirp for the culmination of the new chapter of their lives with Hinata embracing him back, that is enough for now.
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(End of Part One)
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This chapter concludes the first of the trilogy and thus now, we can begin the slightly more complicated Catching Fire AU. More characters would be introduced into place as you can see on the sneak peeks. The Quarter Quell would take place. The Shinobi Alliance would form. This time, I would focus on developing SasuHina's now fragile relationship and at the same time, throwing in Naruto ever omnipresence. I have always wanted to do a pseudo-love triangle, where Sasuke will find a potential rival EVERYWHERE, only to find out that his real rival is their own society that prevents them from being happy.
I decided to make an OMAKE as the next chapter and I will describe a number of character's point of view about certain points in the plot, There's a few of them that I admittedly want to write about. And we have to introduce some of our villains too.
There are no words to measure how grateful I am that people still read this. Considering that this is pretty much a crossover with a mainstream franchise and that using it might be a little bit controversial. You know who you are pips. And such is what I really like about SasuHina fandom. We are patient and we see between the lines. We see a lot of possibilities and we are not restricted by the rules of canon. In a way, the SasuHina fandom has satisfied the inner artist in me by letting me continue this fic with such massive support and encouragement. Now, I am not afraid to step out of the line as long as I can write about my favourite couple. Thank you so much and I hope you will still be there as I write about Mockingjay. You have been absolutely unbelievable guys. Seriously.
In any case, I also want to thank some of the nice NaruHina pips who passed by. And even the flamer who only inspired more encouraging comments from my shipmates. Remember, this ship would always sail and no storm would bring us down. I would always believe that at another time and place as Naruto in this story would likely say, they would have had a chance.
Once again, thank you. And stay tuned for more.
Review?
-holmesfreak1412