BK: I'm back! I kind of felt readers running at me with kunais and pitchforks. I swear... summer is too much fun. Don't forget to read the Canon Canon story! It's called Savior and on my profile page.
BK
"I don't know. I don't know anything. Urgh - ARGH!"
He shocked her.
Again.
It felt strangely familiar. As if she knew the feel of electricity. As if she knew that person's electricity.
And all Hinata could do was laugh. She really knew nothing.
They could lock her up, torture her, even brainwash her – she really knew nothing. What could they get out of a person who didn't know anything about anything?
She was the consummation of professional. An ANBU. She does her job, walks off, and doesn't even get the guy. She was that amazing – she didn't even need the guy.
Of course, that's what she told herself. All the time, she told herself the same thing.
She couldn't believe they tied her in ropes. How pathetic did they think she was? Did she look like she had no more life in her? She sat in a chair, her arms behind her in ropes, and her legs tied in the same heavy hemp. Did she really look that useless? And where was she? It looked like a poorly constructed shack.
The torturer who was trying to get the truth about the Scroll of Regeneration turned and looked at the wall. He sighed heavily and tried once more. Hinata finally realized that it was Danzo. Had he found her outside of Konoha and brought her here? He was insane wasn't he? Completely bat-shit crazy.
He walked around the room with regalia, his head held high and haughty as if everything around him wasn't even worth the bottom of his shoes. And Hinata stared at him with former memories of her ANBU days flooding her mind.
Punishments, impossible missions, physical and mental torture. Danzo scared her.
She hadn't seen him in a long time. The words echoed in her mind again and she clenched her mouth shut, unwilling to cringe. She was tired.
Truly – she was just tired.
Tired of everything. Of Itachi and his weird messages and intents. Of Kakashi and his complicated love for her. Of Sasuke and his illogical actions. Of Danzo and his tiresome games. Of her mother and her insanity. She was just tired of everything.
And she knew death was an easy way out.
She stared at her feet, the only thing of her body that she could see, and saw that it was already starting to regenerate. They could slice her up, try to kill her, Hinata knew it would not work. Danzo would never get the scroll.
"So Hinata... I never expected to find you at the palm of my hand. You made it almost too easy."
Hinata didn't respond. She continued to stare at her feet and she thought.
Not only was she tired, she hated the feeling of bowing her head down to everyone and swaying her own beliefs to appease them. For once, why could she not just love herself? Wasn't this the root of the problem? She didn't love herself?
She wanted to save the village because she thought she could be of use, of help to the people even if she was poisonous. She wanted to give Itachi contentment and security, who in turn taught her happiness. She wanted to love Kakashi who had to choose between duty and love. She wanted to help and bring Sasuke out of loneliness because of his past. And finally, she found out the truth about how she became poisonous. It was because of her mother.
They were all selfish weren't they? They wanted one or the other and they couldn't decide, destroying her life in the process. Had she never chosen anything for herself? Had anyone – anyone – ever done anything for her because they knew she wanted it?
No, more often than not, they did it because they thought it would benefit her. They pushed it onto her. Well, she was tired of it.
"You do remember those ANBU days when I punished you? You were the black lamb, no one wanted you in their team."
And then something burned inside of Hinata. Her chest expanded and her blood seemed to ignite. Her eyes closed and then opened, her Byakugan flaring, and she laughed loudly, the strange laugh filling the small and sad torture room.
"I don't know anything Danzo! And to finally free myself of this wretched life, I'm going to have to stop it from the very roots! It's you!"
She ripped her hands through the ropes, relying on her regenerating skills to heal the skin that would be scraped from the rough hemp, and sent a chakra induced fist to Danzo's shoulder. Surprised, he felt the full brunt of it and fell without recovery. Hinata sent another precise attack, this time towards his lungs.
She was tired. She had done her fair share of helping. She wanted to be selfish. It was finally her turn to be selfish. And she wasn't going to let one tiny mistake on her part ruin what would be her future.
Danzo wheezed, finally kicking himself into gear, and intercepted Hinata's next attack. But she was feral and burning with purpose. She sent a kick barreling into his side quicker than he could see and with a deafening thwack! Danzo was sent flying to the wall. Hinata pounced on him. If she still had poison, she would have stuffed it into Danzo's mouth. It would be one of the first things on her list if she ever got her poisonous traits back. She was starting to miss it. The only thing that was her constant companion was her poison. It had always protected her.
With another chakra induced finger, she knocked out his ocular nerves renderless, the fingers landing on his temple and his head shock back hitting the wall. He yelled loudly, but it no longer bothered Hinata. She had been killing men all her life. This one in front of her just had one thing more that any other man had – he knew her personally. And that was enough reason to kill him.
Her fingers were positioned to kill. She broke his arms and then dislocated his legs. Soon, Danzo was nothing but a wheezing body that was unable to move. Hinata stood above him and she spitted in his face. If she weren't raised a Hyuuga, she would have cursed in his face.
The bastard.
She could have sent him the death blow – but she knew that was an easy way out. And Hinata knew that Konoha wanted him back for interrogation and imprisonment.
With a deep breath and finally turning off her Byakugan, Hinata stared at Danzo who was slowly turning blue in the face for lack of oxygen, and smiled.
Yes, this was it. This was what she decided to choose.
BK
Sasuke was searching for Hinata, full of intent on saving her. Full of repent and bursting with feelings to voice his thoughts. He barely recognized Kakashi was following him in tow. He had let Sasuke out using his own mark. It had frozen him again, but it didn't hurt nearly as before. He assumed that he didn't feel it because he didn't care for it. His mind was on something else.
When Sasuke got to Hinata, hours later after looking for her, she had appeared to him like a hero emerging from dust of debris. Her white hair swam around her in the dusty air and her ruby eyes changed and stony. She didn't look like the Hinata who had ran out just hours before.
Slowly, when Kakashi appeared next to him, she rose from whatever she was sitting on and kicked it towards Sasuke and Kakashi. Danzo wheezed at their feet and Hinata crossed her arms, settling on staring at them. She said nothing more, her petal lips set and stern.
Sasuke stared at her, meeting her red eyes, his own onyx eyes apologetic and searching for something, but her veils had appeared and walled around her. She looked every bit the ANBU that Sasuke had met on his first day back in Konoha. She looked like the ANBU that had never met him. Somehow, it registered in Sasuke's mind that he had changed her. Changed her greatly and now she had chosen to forget about him and revert back to whoever she used to be.
But there was another change in her that wasn't related to the old ANBU Hinata and Sasuke felt that she hadn't included him those changes.
Kakashi stared at her and he frowned, his heart sinking.
BK
"Hokage-sama, we have detained the object of the mission: Danzo."
Tsunade stared at Hinata who had spoken with strict professionalism and raised an eyebrow at her lackluster teammates. Kakashi, strangely silent and business-like, stood more than a few steps away from her and Sasuke, still an Uchiha with a cold presence, stared coolly at Tsunade. Hinata glanced at Naruto who stared back at her. Her ruby red eyes softened in his blue ones for a split second before they flitted back to Tsunade.
"I am sorry to have done it without informing my teammates or Naruto for any matter. There was an instigation that prompted me to take action... alone."
Tsunade glanced at the paper Hinata had hastily filled out and then motioned to Naruto.
"Naruto, I understand that now you are in charge of the ANBU department. Be sure to keep Danzo isolated. Don't bother fixing his bones or legs. They're useless now. Someone shattered the bones." The Hokage's frank voice broke the strange air within the room.
There was a shuffle in front of Tsunade when she said the medical statements dryly. And it didn't come from Hinata who issued the warrants, but rather Kakashi who kept his head tall. Sasuke had turned his head slightly to look at Naruto who had a constant frown on his face and decided to speak. Kakashi followed second.
"Nice promotion Naruto."
"Looking forward to working with you soon."
The blonde's frown deepened and Hinata in tow looked fazed for a second. She spoke as well, her wall thinning a tiny bit just for her old crush who used to smile all the time despite anything that happened.
"Take care of Konoha. I believe in you." Hinata said, her voice smooth and calm and constructed, sounding genuine but at the same time changed. As if she was saying goodbye.
Naruto stared at them, his eyes lingering on Hinata for a while, and then finally cracked a smile. He nodded solemnly, the grin still present, and then waved, exiting the office.
Tsunade fingered the paper in front of her and then tilted her head, finally deciding that there was no use asking them any questions. Kakashi, the most sensible one of the three, was too bothered to answer. Sasuke, still under house arrest, certainly should have nothing to answer about. And Hinata, the one who completed the mission in one day due to unforeseen circumstances, was suddenly turned ANBU and nothing would come out of her mouth no matter how hard she tried.
With an aging sigh, full of wisdom and experience, Tsunade tapped her desk three times.
"Dismissed... Oh, and Hinata, stay."
BK
The next day, Sasuke woke up in Hinata's home, feeling oddly strange that they were still able to stay under one roof without trouble, and walked into the living, his things packed. He knew that there was something more to when Tsunade asked Hinata to stay afterward during the mission statement.
Hinata sat in her chair, the one that she always sat in when she was poisonous, and lifted her eyes to his when she heard him enter. Her eyes were still reserved and they betrayed nothing of what she really thought.
Kakashi, on the other hand, was on the other side of the seat and his things were packed as well. They seemed to have been talking before Sasuke came out and cut their conversation short. Kakashi's face and ears were red as if he was blushing, and he looked quickly away from Hinata and Sasuke. Sasuke took note of how Kakashi was acting, saving it for later, and then turned his attention to Hinata. He had a feeling he knew what Hinata was going to say next.
Strangely enough, he felt he could predict this ANBU Hinata more than when he knew the vulnerable and slightly in love Hyuuga before.
"Morning. We've been placed for a mission. We're bringing Uchiha Itachi back. I see you have your things packed. We're leaving this morning at 0900 hours sharp. I've already said my farewells. I hope you do yours soon."
Hinata smiled at him, out of politeness, and she stood up from her seat turning towards the door. Sasuke's arm reached out, his hand latching onto hers right in front of Kakashi who stood up himself, and looked hard into Hinata's eyes, searching them.
They were settled and stony. She had already decided what she thought of them two. She didn't want anything more with Kakashi. She certainly had no plans for Sasuke. Kakashi was merely her partner and Sasuke was the little boy she had to babysit.
Sasuke couldn't help it. Well, if she had decided that was who he was to her, then great. Even better for him. Now she had no reason, but to fight if she didn't want him in her life.
Sasuke smirked. His lips curving upwards into a confident persona, his cheeks dimpling. His dark eyebrows raised slightly and suddenly his whole body emanated something more than just usual coolness, isolationism, and strange reasoning. He looked rather handsome as he stared at Hinata's decided eyes and then pulled her in and kissed her.
He wasn't giving her up. Not in a long shot.
BK
BK: Well, this arc was short. Anyways, on to the next arc! Finding Itachi!
So... We finally have Hinata who has decided to love herself and choose her own destiny! And we have Sasuke who finally admits to his feelings! And then we have Kakashi who... was red in the face til recently.