Quick Note; Ooh, sorry I'm uploading this late at night! Tnogiht was homecomnig and...yeah (We won BAD!!!) Anyway, this chapter was debatable on whether I'd submit it or not, but in the end I did so to help clear up loose ends on the past that occured prior to the story...It's a 2 part thing (Perfect for my 2-upload thing, eh?) Anyway, hope you like it!
Disclaimer- Nu-uh...
The sun was almost set; just a giant red dot in the sky that was creeping behind the horizon. Like an enemy retreating from battle; pathetic.
She continued to stare at the sky, the fleeing sun, and the glowing pink-tinted clouds. To anyone who had patience and a sense of beauty, they would have found the sight breath taking. However, this was not the case for a certain pearl-eyed, raven-haired Kunochi. She found the scenery rather boring and dull; it would have been much more to her liking if the sky itself was blood red, and the sun high and triumphant. However, like it really mattered what the sky looked like. She only watched it to pass time away.
She had stopped awhile ago. The air seemed strange to her, and she felt like resting for a moment. As she did so, she had begun to stare at the sky, and that is how she had found herself looking up at the setting sun.
Something triggered in her mind; a memory. This was unusual for Hinata. She remembered little about her life before Akatsuki; just enough to get a conclusion that told her she hated her old life.
She remembered the mistreating family, the never-ending battle to gain the love of a certain shinobi who would never recognize her, and the constant feeling of grief, pity, and worthlessness. She remembered small clips of mission failures, of beatings afterwards because of these failures, and one incident that led to near heart-failure, though the details were sketchy. She only remembered hiding in shadows, avoiding the gaze of others, yet longing for that loving touch and feeling of warmth, but only ever receiving that cold, harsh hit. Hinata could not remember anything good about her previous life, and what more she couldn't, for the life of her, figure out why that one night she had fought so hard to be free, to return to her old life.
Yes, the clearest memory Hinata had was on the night of the first rescue mission.
Screams; that's what filled the air. A thin figure huddled in the corner of the cell. Two others curled beside each other, shivering. A fourth sat blankly in the middle, lost in a daze. She was thrown in, caressing her clenched-too-hard-wrist. She scanned over the four others sharing her prison.
S-sakura...
She easily detected her, huddled with...
I-ino?
Tenten shivered alone in a corner. Temari was lost on the cold floor, trying to recollect what had just happened. Hinata put a hand to her heart, feeling the cold ink now etched into her skin. The seal...
She shut her eyes tight, trying to ignore the shot of pain that returned. He, the Akatsuki leader, had caught them. He, Pein, had applied the seal. He had mentioned something about 'true potential' and 'surpassing the limits of elements' but she hadn't cared. All she had focused on was the pain; the pain that caused the scream which now echoed in her mind.
After long, silent moments, they heard a large crash from above. Their cell, located deep in the lower parts of this castle of a fort in the middle of this secretive city that never ceased to be rained on, was cold and damp. Everything echoed in this hollow dungeon. Moments later, another crash sounded, this time even closer. Only seconds passed and the ceiling crashed a few meters away from where the girls huddled. Two figures leapt down, eyes wide with shock and hurt.
Hinata watched the two. Her eyes widened in recognition. Her mind was slightly dazed, thinking this was a dream. She couldn't believe it; they had finally come. Two figures, both dressed oddly, stood only a few feet away. One was dressed in strange green garments, with orange leg warmers. The other was completely concealed in his hood, coat, and glasses. "Lee, Shino, hurry up!"
The two figures turned to stare up the now crashed ceiling at another figure which had called to them. Hinata could not see the figure, nor recognize the voice.
But, that was enough remembering. Hinata closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and continued onward. She felt a presence closing in on her; someone was coming, and they didn't seem to be alone.
Screaming; that was the first thing they had heard. Shino's eyes drifted in and out of reality into memory as that day flooded back to him. He could remember Lee's body crashing down level after level, trying to reach the prison in which the girls were kept. Shikamaru, Naruto, and Neji battled the Akatsuki who had stayed to guard the newly captured prisoners. Among those Akatsuki was their leader, Pein. Lee and Shino had been told to search for the girls; it only took a second to locate their odd chakra, which had been drastically changed.
Shino soon found himself remembering that day all too clear.
"Lee, Shino, hurry up!"
Lee and Shino nodded at Shikamaru, who was in the middle of dodging paper kunai, sharp and fast, that were now swarming him. Shino and Lee turned back to the girls. Sakura and, he presumed, Ino were huddled in the shadows, barely visible. Tenten also was hidden. Temari was towards the middle, but was hard to make out in her position and the lighting. Hinata, however, was knelt on her knees, starring curiously at the two figures like a four-year-old who was intently watching something interesting. They all were bruised, slightly bleeding, and had flaring chakra. Shino and Lee quickly ran to the girls. Lee went towards Sakura and Ino to try and rouse them. They merely starred at him like he was an enemy, crouching lower to avoid being attacked. Shino went to Hinata.
"Hina-"
She reached up, grasped onto his sleeve, and starred. Lee was having no luck even getting near the others; something blocked their recognition of the two. But, Hinata somehow, knew Shino and gave him a silent plead through her eyes for help.
"Hinata..."
He grabbed her arms, pulling her up; too quickly, though. She stumbled, fell, and grasped at her chest. Something snapped in her mind, and she suddenly was lost; confused. She starred up at Shino, unable to grasp what exactly was going on, and she quickly backed away.
"Hinata, we have to go!"
She starred at him, confused.
"Y-you know my n-name?"
Shino's heart dropped; she doesn't remember me, he thought.
"H-Hinata, it's me...Shino."
She looked awkwardly at him, still confused.
"I'll explain later; c'mon! We have to get you and the others out of here and fast!"
Hinata understood that he was trying to help obviously, for she turned to Temari, Tenten, Sakura, and Ino, and spoke.
"Th-they're here to help!"
Temari lifted her head, staring suspiciously at Shino and Lee. Tenten, desperate to get out of here in whatever possible way, quickly rose to follow Lee. Seeing this, and Hinata following Shino, the other three also followed, but more cautiously.
They had made it up, almost to the battlefield on the first level where the others fought. The whole place was pipes after pipes and walls of pure stone. It had no light, and even the few windows did nothing but show the grey clouds and heavy downpour of rain. Shino held tightly on Hinata's hand, pulling her quickly behind him. She grasped onto Tenten, who was followed by Temari, Sakura, and Ino. Lee was the caboose.
Shino couldn't understand for the life of him how Hinata had recognized him at first, but after a moment, was lost. She kept grasping her chest, like some pain was there that wouldn't leave. Every time this happened, he felt her chakra flare; her mind and body both were a whirlwind of confusion, unable to grasp what exactly was going on. This was too much strain on her.
Suddenly, they reached the giant entrance hall where the original five ninja had crashed into, only to be greeted by Akatsuki.
Shino quickly scouted out Shikamaru, still fighting off swarms of what looked like paper butterflies.
"Shikamaru, we've got them!"
Shikamaru turned, nodded, and then dodged more attacks.
"Get them out of here; we'll hold them off!"
Shino then yanked on Hinata, turning to explain to her and the others what was about to go down. Though, an explanation wasn't needed; the look in her eyes showed that she understood. Shino couldn't help but smiling. So, she was still the same determined Hinata he had known. She looked as beautiful as ever; Kiba would be jealous.
Kiba...
He hadn't come, because he'd broken his leg on an earlier mission. His heart was nearly broken when news had arrived that the retrieval team was leaving without him. He had confronted Shino, telling him, and making him swear, to bring Hinata back. Shino had agreed, and he wouldn't let Kiba down. He would make sure they all got home.
Shino, along with the others behind him, led them behind the battle, dodging stray kunai and jutsus. He was almost out when a voice cackled from behind.
"Thinking to escape? Futile."
The cold, heartless voice made Shino freeze, causing Hinata to run straight into him, followed by Tenten and Temari. Lee quickly held Sakura back, who accidentally tripped Ino from stepping another step further, but neither fell. Shino turned to face none other than Pein, the Akatsuki leader.
"If you plan to rescue your friends, you're mistaken. Waza kaihou no jutsu
Shino stood still, frozen in pure horror, as five screams at once sounded. Hinata was the first to fall to her knees, followed by Sakura, Ino, Tenten, and lastly Temari. Sakura and Ino's screams quickly ended, both girls bowing their heads and kneeling still. Tenten collapsed on her side, and a shout from Neji quickly followed. Temari's scream ended in muffled gasps for air and she, too, fell with her head bowed on her knees. Hinata's scream lasted the longest, and she continued to shake and clutch her aching chest and head in agony long after the others were still.
"Now, rise!"
Sakura, Ino, Temari, and Tenten all rose, their heads hidden in shadows of their bangs. Hinata remained unmoved, still wincing in pain. Slowly, the other four lifted their heads. A cruel smile rested on their lips, and their faces twisted with malice. But, the biggest surprise was their eyes; bearing no pupils, they were just blurs of their natural colors, showing no emotion. The four then, in one flash, leapt forward in different directions, taking on new targets. Sakura latched on to Lee, who was behind her. Ino plunged towards Neji, who was also nearby. Tenten randomly fell towards Shikamaru, and Temari quickly lashed out against Naruto, who was close to kyuubi mode at this point. Hinata was still unmoved, and Shino was too afraid to go near, to look into her face and find the same malice. But, she perked her head up, still the same innocent face. No evil smile occupying her mouth, or cold eyes that gazed with vengeance and violence. No, only tears of pain stained her face. Shino saw the cocked eyebrow of suspicion from Pein, and knew then the consequence of Hinata's rebellion.
"So, you've managed to fight the seal? Your resistance is strong, but futile."
"I-I...n-never g-give...up..."
Everyone was startled by her words. Hinata herself, by the look of shock, didn't understand where the courage had come from. She didn't remember what meaning those words truly had to her, but they had been said none the less. Shino wanted to smile at her courage, but now wasn't the best time to congratulate. Pein, irritated, made signals with his hands, and then called out the jutsu once more, this time visible chakra flowing from him into Hinata. Her wail of pain was heard throughout the fort. Loud, painful, and heart-breaking.
"It would have been easier for you to just give in as the others had, but you had to fight it, and now look."
Hinata, in only a moment, now stood before Shino, tears still in her eyes. But, those very eyes now held the same look of death and lack of emotion that the others before her had.
"It's a shame I had to increase the seal so much; now, I'm afraid she'll feel no emotion, rather than a lack of it as the others. But, it is not my loss."
And thus, the battle continued, and Hinata lunged towards Shino. He dodged, and did only that. He couldn't find it in himself to send his insects to attack his friend. He felt pain just looking at her, which ultimately left to his downfall as she caught him off guard, quickly knocking him from behind with a blow from her 'Kaiten'.
When he came back around, Shino found that both the Akatsuki and the girls had disappeared. Shikamaru was left trying to help heal Naruto, who had many bruises and was gasping for air. Neji 's arm was numb, and Lee had cuts all over him, only lined by bruises and punctures. Shino himself wasn't badly harmed, having been able to avoid most of Hinata's blows. Though none of them were fatally injured, their hearts felt broken and they felt dead inside . This mission had been a failure, and one that no one wished to remember.
Shino couldn't even imagine how they'd tell the Hokage of this failure. He didn't even want to think about how he'd tell Kiba.
Shino opened his, aware now that someone was approaching, and quickly.
"Kiba, heads up!"
Kiba nodded, understanding, and sped up, Akamaru straining to reach whoever it was. Shino closed his eyes once more, imagining the innocent, pure look on Hinata's face when they had first seen her and told her they were here to rescue them. He just hoped that wasn't the last time he'd see that smile.
Hinata felt the presence of the shinobi grow; she was coming up on them quickly. Maybe she'd remember them this time, whoever they were. Maybe seeing their faces, a memory would trigger and she might finally understand why, and how, she battled the seal that day; what made her want to return to her old life? The only unsolved mystery she could not find an answer to; the only philosophical meaning to life she had yet to solve.
The unsteady pool rippled, restless with questions yet unanswered.