Chapter Four: The Contrast
Darkness itself was something he had never truly feared. As a child he had needed no night lights, and no teddies to hug, instead sitting comfortably on feather stuffed mattress he had begun the odd habit of talking to his shadow.
He remembered that Oka-san had thought it an odd habit, one she asked him about once, and he had simply explained with a blank look that his shadow talked back. His shadow's name was meaningless, the fact it was a person was what mattered.
At this statement Oka-san had left the topic alone, assuming that on the few occasions she had managed to make him watch Peter Pan he had been so amused by the shadow running around that he had given his own a life and personality, as children tended to do when lonely.
She never realized that after asking Itachi about it, he made a point of never speaking to his shadow in her presence, or anyone else's. Instead he had taken on the façade of a good well raised well mannered young man from a rich family. He had done everything his father and mother expected of him.
Albeit… a little coldly.
He had even attempted to be…brotherly to his younger ball of trouble when it arrived and began to grow up.
Sasuke… with big wide open eyes and the innocence he was supposed to have, but could never manage.
His shadow had told him this and many other things.
Leaning comfortably against the shattered streetlight, with glass spread out like feathers against the darkness of the pavement and the bright moon above to shine down its light Itachi blinked mildly, looking through the giant window of a building he had been studying for weeks.
The design outside was simple- ugly even, with a dull gray color and stained railing, fading metal that she had chosen not to replace. He knew why after he had entered the building itself, after all the employees were gone and studied the rooms.
The contrast between the beauty of within and the bare ruggedness of outside was what she had been wanting. Like looking at an ugly human being and then stepping into their hearts to see the beautiful soul within.
He had been forced to admit his admiration for her then, though that's not when it had begun.
Watching Sasuke struggle slowly but surely through life without his eyes had been an amusing episode that had lost its charm far too soon. Itachi had grown tired of seeing him go to school and back, lead by the little mouse-like young woman who was more often red than pale and more often stuttering that speaking.
However, that had been what caught his attention. First it had been the way she studied his brother. Perhaps it was because she thought he was completely blind- something that Itachi had realized was not true. Sasuke had survived with no physical ability to see, that did not mean that training from years before did not give him some tools to make up for the lack of sense.
Quickly and with the famed Uchiha sense of control his younger brother had become so adapted to his new way of life that Itachi had been tempted, more than once, to simply slit his throat.
He was gaining too much, too much control, and precision. He was gaining so much that he was beginning to forget about his brother, and Itachi found it aggravating. Despite everything his sibling was gaining, there wasn't anything that he could take away that would make him scream the way he had made him scream that night.
Jealousy was a strong drug, the need to hear that earth shattering cry of "Why!?" was a goal that never left his mind, running in circles, even as he watched through the bare window of the gallery, unconsciously clenching his jaw until his gums ached.
Sasuke had returned, embracing the woman that Itachi had begun to call his own months ago, driving her to the wall in a passion that made him both sick and envious, like watching an addict shoot up before you and be free of the worldly troubles… while you were unable to do so.
Yes, he had recognized the emotion, finally. It was envy.
Envy was driving him mad.
Through the starlight he could see their rough affection intensify to the point of gripping each other tightly, buried so deep within each other's arms that it would be hard to make out who was who.
He could almost hear her voice, soft and delicate, hardly audible as she whispered his brother's name and not his own. Her voice had always reminded him of the underside of an owl's wing…hardly there at all, and yet so missed when gone.
He licked his lips slowly, biting in the end until blood, metallic and crimson poured into his mouth and down his chin, surprising him slightly with the liquid.
It had not been planned, to feel this way for the woman. It had snuck up on him, festered in his brain unbeknownst to him and before he knew it the flower was bearing rotting vile fruit that gagged him with the poisonous taste.
Quietly the Uchiha murderer moved away, pushing away from the streetlight without a sound to express the vicious anger rising within him, a monster that he could never chain.
Without so much as a backward glance at the lovers behind him he walked away, he had research to do anyway.
After all…
Didn't Hinata Hyuuga have a little sister…?
Twittering birds.
Hinata flinched slightly, coming from the depths of sleep with some distaste already. The sound of the fluttering wings of late summer birds and their singing was surprisingly irritating.
She had a headache, one of the biggest most oppressive pains she had ever endured in her life. Breathing out heavily she sat up, eyes tightly shut against the brightness of the light she could sense beyond her world of sleepy darkness.
The ground was hard and cold, she could feel the boards of the gallery wood flooring beneath her as she shifted back against the nearby wall, putting a hand against her forehead.
Oh… Kami-sama…She flinched, rubbing her face roughly. What happened?
Flickering images began to come forth from the fog of her sleep, hard bruising touch and dark thirsty eyes that made her start awake in a hurry, looking around the brightness of her gallery in shock.
Sasuke!?
Breathing unsteadily the Hyuuga scrambled to her feet, stumbling slightly as dizziness snuck up around her, making the ground wobble beneath her.
The gallery was silent, the light of the morning sun blasting through the open window at the far back, coating the entire world in a beautiful gold.
Swallowing unsteadily the girl leaned against the wall, plastered there between paintings of the very young man she had been dreaming about all night.
To her right were the shattered champagne glasses she had dropped, presumably when she passed out from exhaustion.
Bitterly she closed her eyes against the sudden tidal wave of tears threatening to overpower her at the realization that it had all been a dream.
Breathless she buried her face in her hands, leaning forward to keep from letting out a frustrated cry.
Idiot! What made you think he would come back?
A sound interrupted the misery of her world, the buzzing vibration of a cell phone. Frowning the girl scrambled towards it, letting herself drop to the ground where a man's jacket she did not recognize was.
Her cell came flying out of the depths of the cloth, and a little puzzled by the item she turned to her cell, wiping tears away irritably in an effort to see who's call she had missed.
14 missed calls
Yamanaka, Ino
Yamanaka, Ino
Yamanaka, Ino
Inuzuka, Kiba
Yamanaka, Ino
Inuzuka, Kiba
Hyuuga, Neji…
Hinata stared at it blankly for a moment, disoriented slightly by all the commotion. "Ugh." She whispered, bowing her head for a moment, one hand gripping her hair in a fist of frustration.
Everyone must be so worried… Hanabi is going to kill me- Kami-sama… Neji's probably on his way here already…
Anger, at herself, at Sasuke, at the world in general built up effortlessly in her chest, and with one shaking hand she punched the ground hard, satisfied with the numbness that spread up her arm like wildfire and the echo of the impact ricocheting off the empty gallery walls.
"Damn it." Despite the curse, her voice was still her voice; soft, hardly audible and fragile.
The sound of someone scoffing slightly in surprise behind her made her freeze, back straight and tense. Staring in shock at the window and the city beyond it, oblivious to her sudden fright.
"…I don't think I've ever heard you curse before."
Hinata didn't move.
Blinking rapidly she stared at the glass, looking for the reflection of the person behind her. Was she going crazy? It couldn't be…
But she knew that voice.
…she knew that voice.
Her grip on the man's jacket on the ground suddenly tightened until her knuckles were white and tense, the scent of clean soap and pine that always accompanied him rising up with it's familiarity.
The painful but appreciated bruises on her mouth from hard desperate kisses suddenly throbbed and she reached up tentatively, touching her lips in disbelief.
…I thought it was a dream…
Through the rushing of the blood in her ears she scrambled to her feet, using the wall to assist herself as her legs shook.
Frightened out of her mind she turned, staring at him, the obvious shock and disbelief there, written all over her face. Pale lavender eyes surprisingly dry of tears though wide, unbelieving.
Sasuke bit his lip tentatively, hands clenched inside the pockets of his jeans.
"Hinata-"
Before he finished saying her name she was holding on to him, face buried in his chest, trembling from head to foot from some unknown emotion she didn't know how to name.
"Shut up." It was an order, in the same shaking voice she used to apologize and to cry, but an order none the less.
Sasuke sighed, holding her tightly as her breathing slowed and steadied, aware that she was far thinner and more frail than he remembered. Dark circles he had not noticed before decorated her eyes and her lips were dry from dehydration. The last few months had taken it's toll, just as he had feared.
"…I thought…" she stopped, took a deep breath, her knuckles white from the tightness of her grip on his clothing. "…I had passed out a-a-and…I…"
His lips interrupted her explanation, making the tears start all over again. "You're shaking." He muttered as he pulled away, studying her face, hand caressing her cheek gently. "And you're pale… you haven't been well…"
Hinata ignored his comment, lavender eyes focused on the fact that he was looking at her, looking at her with dark worried eyes, studying her as carefully as she had studied him the first few months after meeting him.
"…you can see me." She whispered. A smile, the first honest smile she had seen on his face, ever graced his features, making her heart do odd painful things in her chest she had never felt before.
"Hai…." He whispered, feeling his face grow warm in a manner that made him feel utterly foolish and young. "…you're beautiful."
It had been months since the last time Hinata had blushed quite so hard, looking away instinctively though his grip on her waist and his breath soft and sweet against her neck only made her feel the warmth spread from her cheeks down her neck to the rest of her body.
Face buried against his clothing she mumbled something that might have been 'arigato' or not, though Sasuke really didn't care, smirking bemusedly at her response. It was so characteristic of Hinata that he had almost expected it.
Questions, a thousand a minute rushed through her mind, and through his but she pushed them all aside, piling them up one by one like irritating bits of homework she didn't want to attend to yet.
Life, however, had other plans.
It was the sound of the phone buzzing again that made her start, looking over her shoulder at it with a slight frown of worry.
"Hanabi…" she whispered softly, letting go of him reluctantly to get the cell from the floor.
Sure enough the caller I.D stated the name Yamanaka Ino in what looked like tired letters.
Sighing she picked up, glancing over at Sasuke at the feel of his eyes watching her intensely, making her cheeks flush crimson instantly.
"Ino…" she began, running a hand through her hair nervously. "I-"
Through the silence of the gallery Sasuke listened to the abrupt response from the blonde, hysterical and panicked.
"Hinata! Where the hell have you been all night!? I've been trying to contact you since midnight- Neji is nearly having a heart attack- Kiba said he went looking for you at the gallery and found it all locked-"
"I-ino! Ino, I'm all right, I must have not heard him knocking, I was-" Hinata stopped, startled.
"Someone broke into my apartment last night, Hinata! Hanabi's in the hospital…"
It was only then that Sasuke and Hinata heard the sound of Ino's wavering sobs. Hinata felt her knees shake and leaned up against the wall, sliding down it's surface to the ground, eyes huge.
"Nani?" she breathed.
Sasuke rushed forward, steadying her, brow furrowed in sudden worry.
"They left a note for you…" Ino continued, her voice thin with the strain of not crying. "I'm sorry, Hinata… I tried… demo… he…Gomen… Gomen."
Hinata didn't reply as she hung up, letting her hand drop to her lap, staring down at the silent device in her grip.
Sasuke took it from her gently, studying her carefully. "Hinata… we have to go."
She nodded, trembling slightly. "He… left a note, this time."
It didn't make sense. Her body shook pale she turned to look at him, obviously in shock. "He left a note."
Please Hanabi, please, please be okay, please be okay…
Sasuke stared, feeling his blood turn cold at the expression on her face.
"Hinata… who? Who did he…?"
Because he already knew who had done it. He knew who had taken someone from her, he suddenly knew why she was pale, and why her body shook with the effort of standing.
Itachi had come, and tried to break her, his beautiful fragile Hinata.
He would pay.
Beep beep beep beep beep…
It sounded like her heart, probably was her heart, could have been her heart, the truth was uncertain…
All she knew was that she was staring at the window, and the figure in the darkness that stared back with shadowed eyes.
She felt her heart beat speeding up, getting heavy, the blood rushing in her ears.
Beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep
Her scream shattered the stillness the way he shattered the window, the glass splashing almost like her sister's ink in every direction, slicing into her skin and through her favorite pair of pajamas, the ones that Hinata and Tenten had spent a whole month making for her last Christmas.
Before Otou-san died, before this monster showed up, splashing her blood in all directions.
Ino was suddenly in the room, the door flung open with such force it echoed as Hanabi fell, scrambling backwards in the dark room. The sound of cars beyond the shattered window and the sidewalk beyond echoed.
Flashing lights of them passing by at high speed flickering through the murk and tears as she scrambled back, cradling her ripped arm where glass had inserted itself into her flesh.
She didn't realize she was sobbing a single word.
"Onee-san, Onee-san…Onee-san!"
Ino's body suddenly in front of her, arms spread wide, screaming out something in warning.
He looked…normal. Dressed in a dark suit, with an expensive tie around his neck and clean white collar. He dusted the shattered glass from his sleeves. How he had broken it was a miracle. Ino was not foolish, the glass was re-enforced. She didn't come from a cheap family, they made sure their daughter was safe.
As it were the blonde shouted something, making Hanabi's ears ring. And suddenly Ino's arms were no longer spread wide in front of her but stretched out directly at the intruders chest, a gun shaking visibly in the her grip.
Hanabi's eyes widened, her throat constricting as the demon in their midst made eye contact with her suddenly, focusing on her pale eyes like she was his target.
It was enough to make the air vanish in her lungs.
His eyes were a void, empty, unseeing, dead. Aside from the slight smirk of amusement as he stared at her, the way a subtle pink tongue slipped out to lick his lips. Hardly a visible motion at all.
The movement was fluid, his gloved hand dropping a piece of paper onto the glass covered floor. Ino flinched, stepping back until she had Hanabi pressed up firmly against the wall, her grip on the 9 mm handgun suddenly steady, blue eyes deadly.
She wasn't the daughter of a police chief for nothing.
"I come with nothing but a message."
Hanabi whimpered, throwing her arms over her ears despite the blood. It was spreading all over her body. She must have cut a vein, the pain was getting to a point of numbing her entire torso, but she ignored it, hot crimson liquid staining her face and ears as she strained not to listen to him.
Monster, demon.
But Ino heard, licking her dry lips nervously, flicking the safety switch off.
"The game starts tonight." He eyes flickered to the paper on the ground, and Ino flinched, looking down as well despite her best intentions.
First mistake.
As she looked up she gasped, for he was standing in front of her, the gun past him already, his grip on her wrists solid, like iron shackles ready to tighten and shatter her bones.
Hanabi heard her scream and was forced to look up.
The sight of Ino being thrown uselessly to the side, like a rag doll, or garbage was burned into her mind forever, and with stains of tears and blood covering her young face she looked up.
He towered over her. The flickering lights of the passing cars making the shadows dance. It was an eternity of staring, his gaze intense and dead, searching every feature of her face, drinking her in like a forbidden poison. It made her skin crawl, her heart throb and her gut heave.
She was going to be sick.
Abruptly his grip on her throat appeared and she was being lifted up into the air, shoved against the wall.
Air was something she could only dream of now, beg for. He had her life in his hands.
Her eyes flickered to the crumbled shadow of Ino, still and lifeless on the ground.
Her life…
Onee-san!
His face was suddenly there, taking over her world as he leaned in, studying her eyes, only her eyes, eating up the fear and horror there, the sheer panic. No air, no blood, no life, no light. Darkness and nothing else.
Darkness and repulsion, maybe, but nothing else.
"You… are not like your sister." He whispered softly and suddenly her eyes widened.
There it was… he could see it. The connection.
Hanabi stared.
Sasuke!?
Darkness came then, of a different kind. A merciful kind.
And he vanished as it came to claim her.
Only the sound of her heart beat echoing shattered the stillness, only the sound of it continuing to beat gave her any indication that life still existed.
Beep, beep, beep…
Ino flinched again, biting her lip viciously as she stared at Hanabi, lying still unconscious in the hospital bed, brow furrowed and her face slick with sweat.
She had been tossing and turning for hours already, whispering a nonsensical manner since she had been stabilized and her arm cleaned.
Bandages spread from the tips of her fingers to her shoulder where the glass had bit. A severe cut had spread over her wrist. Ino had woken from being knocked out approximately five minutes after the incident and that alone had saved Hanabi's life. The wound was dangerous, she could have lost enough blood to die.
Along with the wounds along her arm she had damaged a head injury that needed stitching. The doctors supposed she had been thrown against something solid like the wall, and her throat had a necklace of violet bruises, showcasing that more than likely she had hung from the attackers hand in a choked grip.
Ino buried her face in her hands at the thought, one of them bandaged heavily and in a sling from a heavy fracture that her wrist had endured. His grip on her wrist had twisted her arm in an improper fashion, and with a knock against the back of her head she had been out cold.
Aside from that, however, nothing had been done, and police were busy scrambling to find out what the note he had left said, straining to get answers from the two witnesses, impatient for the younger one to wake.
Hanabi however, was under severe protection. Aside from the fact that Neji stood at the door with pale Hyuuga eyes simply daring anyone to enter, a handful of well paid lawyers held the press and the police at bay, reciting from memory explicit rights a family held to what a witness had to endure.
Aside from that they were also pressing for Neji to find his older cousin quickly, before the media went for a manhunt after her. One death might be marked as odd for such a popular artist, a threat to her younger sister's life was starting to talk of not foul play, but foul play involving money.
Conspiracy theories would be rising like the flowers at spring.
The door to the hospital room opened, and Ino looked up quickly, rubbing tiredness from her face with her one good hand as Kiba entered, looking strained and more than a little upset.
"Shino is outside bickering with the nurses." He muttered softly, walking over to Hanabi's bed. "He's really pissed off about the amount of press walking around the lawn. You'd think we were holding a pop star hostage."
Ino flinched again, looking away. It was her fault that Hinata's career had taken such a heady flight towards stardom. And now with the current situation, her popularity was rising higher and faster than it should- no longer because of her work, now it was her story.
People loved to watch others break.
"Did you contact Hinata at all?" Kiba muttered again, shifting through his pockets for his phone. "It's nearly ten thirty, you'd think someone would have heard from her-"
"Hai." The blonde cut in dully, shaking her head. "She…was at the gallery."
Kiba froze, frowning at her. "I went to the gallery-"
"I know. She said she didn't hear you." Ino didn't mention she thought that was an outright lie. Hinata had been avoiding Kiba like the plague, she had probably hidden from sight at the sound of his voice through the windows.
"Is she coming…?" he enquired, flicking his keys repeatedly. "I should maybe go pick her up, it's a long ways and she doesn't have a car-"
"She's fine, Kiba." Ino grunted, glancing up to see Neji entering the room out of the corner of her eye, face set into a grim line. "She'll be here soon."
"Hasn't woken yet?" Neji grunted, shoving past Kiba towards his little cousin. Frowning visibly the young man took a step back. Neji only had to take one look at the guy to know why he was there- not to mention every second word out of his mouth was 'Hinata'. The Hyuuga guardian was in no mood to put up with any such nonsense. Ino would have been amused if she didn't feel like she was the equivalent of dirt.
"No. She's been having some pretty rough nightmares." The blonde murmured softly, reaching out to push some of Hanabi's hair from her sweat soaked face. After a moment she sat back down, looking at the ground.
"…Gomen ne, Neji-san." She mumbled, letting out a breath. "I tried."
Frowning the young man looked up, studying the slumped figure of Hinata's more annoying friends. Oddly enough, he found himself pitying her slightly.
"Hn." He grunted in reply, surprised. Perhaps the blonde had more of a brain in her head than he knew.
The sound of feet and hurried nearly hollered voices in the hallway made everyone awake in the room turn expectantly towards the door, a frown washing over all their faces.
"Don't they know it's a damn hospital?" Kiba hissed, heading like a rabid dog towards the door.
It opened before he had reached it, making him stumble back slightly in surprise as a pale dark haired young man in glasses pushed none other than Hinata Hyuuga inside, turning with a frown that put Neji and Kiba combined to shame at the crowd of reporters.
Slamming the door closed as soon as Hinata was inside Sasuke began a snarling vicious reply to the impudent people shoving microphones at his face.
Hinata, on the other hand was suddenly facing a different kind of rabid crowd, wide eyed and a little shaky still from the entire bloody morning.
The stillness in the room was as though time itself had stopped. Nothing but the steady beep beep beep of Hanabi's monitor broke the stillness.
Swallowing the knot in her throat Hinata turned first to Neji, forcing herself with her hands clenched at her sides to meet his pale eyes. "…Neji-nii-san, I-"
"T-t-that was-!" Ino interrupted, jumping to her feet. Her already tired face looked more than just confused, incredulous. "Sasuke?! What the hell is he-?"
"Sasuke?" Neji and Kiba both stated at once, in varying tones of anger and surprise.
The door opened then, just when Hinata felt she was about to break, her eyes landing on Hanabi tossing and turning in the hospital bed.
The object of everyone's shock closed the door quietly behind him, where only a few reporters of varying degrees of stupidity or bravery still stood demanding a story. Silently the Uchiha slammed the door in their faces and, knowing full well what he would be faced with turned to Neji, and the other guy he couldn't place.
"Uchiha." Neji snapped. "What the hell do you think you're doing here?"
Ino swallowed, looking back and forth between the two men. Sasuke looked surprisingly calm for someone who was looking at one of the most irritable young men in the country.
"Neji." Hinata snapped suddenly, walking towards Hanabi with a new sense of purpose. Frowning she leaned over her little sister, putting a hand lightly on her sweaty forehead. "Not in here- not at all." She looked up at him, pale eyes surprisingly commanding despite the tears welling there. "Leave it be."
Her cousin clenched his jaw, eyes flickering from her to the Uchiha standing silently at the doorway, hands stuffed into his pockets as if he didn't give a damn. Kiba looked like a dog being held back by a chain, hands clenching and unclenching at his sides.
"This is the ass you've been moping about for nearly a year?!" Kiba gasped, turning to look at Hinata like she had gone crazy. "And you expect us to just let him waltz in-"
"Kiba." Ino hissed, shutting up the moment Sasuke stepped in the way, cutting Hinata from Kiba's sight.
"Sasuke…" Hinata murmured quickly in warning. Automatically he glanced back, almost before she said his name. A fluid movement in reply to her voice, like he was wired to her thoughts.
With one smooth nod he turned back to Kiba, dark eyes locked on his for half a second before stepping out of the room quietly.
The moment the door closed Neji grunted in frustration, turning to Hinata with more emotion on his face than she had seen in some time. "Him, here? Again? It's been eight months, Hinata-"
"Neji!" the girl snapped, shoving herself shakily to her feet from kneeling beside Hanabi's bed. Lavender eyes fixed him with one of the most determined stares he had ever seen, jaw set and hands clenched.
"I am not going to discuss this, not with you- or a-a-anyone." She murmured, eyes flickering to Kiba in warning. "If you can't take it…." She breathed in deeply, swallowing nervously before spitting out what she knew she had to say. "…then leave."
Kiba took a step back, nearly reeling at her words. "What the hell?" he gasped, waving a hand in his frustration. "Are you crazy? He ditches you for nearly a year, comes back and you're suddenly in love with him again?"
Hinata flinched, turning away. "K-kiba-kun I-"
"Tch." Neji grunted suddenly, grabbing his coat from the bedside. "Ino." He added as an after thought, stepping out into the hall, a storm cloud of contained anger, frustration and worry.
Ino scrambled out after him, closing the door quietly behind.
"I d-d-on't believe this to be any o-of your business." Hinata stated as soon as the door closed, turning to look at him shakily.
Kiba scoffed, pinching the bridge of his noise in an attempt to stay calm. For a moment the silence stretched out between them, showing for once the giant impassable divide that had always been there but had gone unacknowledged by one of their party.
Hinata frowned down at the ground, unable to look at him as realization hit. Instead she studied the smooth tile flooring, a marbled pattern of gray and lavender stone there splashed like acrylic paint amongst the white. Dark shadowed lines from the blinds sketched awkwardly over the ground as the sun began to glow with a noonday force.
Suddenly her sweater from the night before felt far too stuffy, sweaty and gritty with the gallery floor dirt.
She shifted uncomfortably, looking up sharply as he approached, taking her shoulders and startling her with his closeness.
Breathless she stared up at him, wide eyed. "Kiba- l-let go of me."
"What? What does he have that I don't?" he stated softly instead, looking directly into her eyes, and the slight panic there.
"…you know I care for you… I would never leave you like he did."
"L-l-let go of m-me." Hinata's voice shook slightly, feeling his grip on her arms tighten slightly.
"That bastard is just using you. You're convenient. You're so soft and so naïve that he's taking advantage of you, Hinata." Kiba hissed, his patience finally wearing thin. "Don't you see that jerk wants nothing more than a common prostitute-"
Slap.
Hinata's hand stung, but for some reason it felt good. The blow had been harder than any she had ever landed on anyone. Well aimed and well placed it would leave more than just a red mark on his cheek. It would bruise and ache and swell. Her taijutsu training had taught her more than just hand on hand training.
Kiba stepped back, resisting the urge to touch his face. Frowning he stared at her, jaw set. The throb of the blow made him wince just slightly.
"I see." He murmured thinly, voice strained. The beep beep beep of Hanabi's monitor continued in the background, slow in comparison with Hinata's raging heart.
"How dare you." She whispered softly. "Get out."
Silently and with nothing more to say Kiba turned around, flinging the door open so hard it hit the opposite wall.
Standing across the hall from the door was Sasuke, leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest.
Kiba looked at him silently for a moment, meeting his dark eyes and noting for the first time that threat hid dangerously behind the glasses. The threat of someone willing to hurt him in protection of someone.
Scoffing at the sight of him Kiba turned, storming down the hall past Ino and Neji coming back with coffee.
Ino turned to look at him as he walked by, wide eyed at the sight of the bright red mark on his cheek.
Hinata stepped out of the room, face buried in her hands. It only took a few seconds for Sasuke to walk over to her, taking her into her arms with such familiarity that Ino and Neji stayed back, startled by the sight.
Wordlessly Sasuke took her into the room, closing the door after them.
Ino slumped into a waiting chair outside, sighing heavily. "…this is just turning out to be a freaking beautiful day."
Neji grunted, rubbing at the frown seeming to have made base camp between his brows.
Before he could say anything the sound of a shrill phone ring echoed in the hubbub of the hospital. Nurses were arguing calmly but firmly with the reporters still lingering in the halls, ordering them off the premises.
Despite their good intentions Neji knew that once he or anyone of the Hyuuga family stepped outside of the hospital they were going to be swamped by microphones and tapes, questions thrown ruthlessly at them from every side. You had to be a heartless bastard to be a good reporter.
Silently he put the phone to his ear, handing Ino the cup of coffee in his hand. The blonde took it without a word, leaning her head back for a moment and closing her eyes.
"Neji Hyuuga." The young man muttered, stepping away slightly.
"Hyuuga-san." A voice he didn't recognize said quickly, making him stop, a frown on his face.
"Who's this?"
"Kakashi-sensei, from Konoha Prep- you had me for a few history classes I believe, but never mind. I was just wondering if Sasuke Uchiha was anywhere in the nearby premises."
Neji froze, recalling quickly that Kakashi was the Uchiha's current caregiver, per say. Though technically Sasuke was past the point of needing a guardian. Frowning he glanced over his shoulder at Hanabi's room, unable to see inside. The blinds were pulled shut.
"Hai… he made an appearance." Neji grunted, sounding less than pleased.
Kakashi cursed softly, surprising the young man on the other end. "Listen, Neji… I have a favor to ask. My godson is obviously incompetent when it comes to following orders, but I'm going to ask you to make sure he doesn't leave the house."
"House?" Neji grunted, looking around skeptically. "You called my cellphone."
"…hai…" Kakashi paused for a second. "…I was wondering about that- where are you?"
Neji grunted in disgust. "We're at the hospital, Kakashi. My cousin has had an accident, now excuse me, I have a few things to deal with right now."
Before he could hang up however Kakashi was shouting on the other end. Irritably the Hyuuga grunted into the phone.
"Please, don't let Sasuke leave." Kakashi stated, sounding more demanding and more firm than Neji had heard before. It was the voice of a sergeant not a teacher.
Frowning slightly the Hyuuga sighed, glancing over his shoulder again at Hanabi's room.
"Hai."
"I'll be there in a few minutes."
Before he could state how unhelpful that would be the teacher was gone, leaving Neji holding a phone blaring out a dead tone.
"Who was that?" Ino enquired from her chair, sipping her coffee quietly. Neji continued to stare at the cell in his hand, puzzled.
"…Kakashi." He muttered.
"What'd he say?"
"…that we have to keep Sasuke here."
Ino blinked, sitting up slightly in her chair at the odd statement. "Even if he wants to leave?"
"Hn."
She scoffed, rubbing her face. "Oh this is a nightmare…"
So um….
Uh…
Sorry? Lol
Exams are over though, guys- cept for… you know… three more. Eh. Yeah. Lol, but those three are relatively easy compared to my IB ones. (if anyone out there is considering IB I'm telling you now, unless you want to go to… I dunno, Harvard, and like… become a brain surgeon or the guy or girl to discover a cure for AIDS, don't bloody do it. It's a sadistic thing that only idiots and or masochists take.
I am an idiot, btw. Not a masochist.
Anyway.
This chapter sucks, cuz my mind is still somewhere in limbo between the fairytales I've been forced to write for writing class (gag me with a spoon) and the history exam of doom that destroyed any braincells I had left. However, it is moving forward… in a weird disabled sort of way, so please, please
Leave me some love, ne?
-(feeling not so happy about writing as a whole) Inky