Chapter 10:

The addresses were written down on a ripped up sheet of paper. It was tattered, shredded at some spots, yet what was important wasn't it's condition. Rather, it was the contents. Sasuke carried it in his right pocket, like a treasure map leading to answers. Hinata closely followed him to his side. Her anxiousness and pressure was leaking over to Sasuke. This was a mission for the two of them now. It was his resolve that lead him. To show that he was serious he made it his goal to find her father. They first headed off to the inner city trolley.

"Wouldn't it be easier if we just took the bus?" she asked Sasuke in confusion.

"Normally, yes. But I think it'd be better if we tackled the closest homes first that are near the heart of the city. Then from there we can go to the homes that are further away." he replies. While they're sitting at the stop, he points to the guide map to their side. "You see? The trolley can take us to most of the closer homes, conveniently enough."

She perks her lips in interest and says, "Interesting… Man, am I ever glad you're with me."

They rode the trolley to six of the addresses. Each one led to dead ends. The first few were in sketchy areas. Sasuke made sure Hinata was near by and holding his hand for some of these. He would knock on the door and someone would answer. A random person would show up and listen to their story, although none of them were her father. They would apologize and wish they could've been more helpful. So then they went to the next few that happened to be living in old homes.

Same deal, no change. Weird looking guys opened the door to them, but to no avail. One of the oldest and ugliest men even invited them inside, but Sasuke shut that down real quick. Just the idea sent chills down his back and gave him a bad vibe. The sixth house they visited was an abandoned one. Run down with shingles from the roof on the floor, the siding was being eaten up from the earth and the windows were riddled with holes and cracks.

The only thing that stood out was a bundle of cardboard and old clothes in the backyard, mostly obscured by the tall grass. Sasuke brushed it off. All that was left were four homes that were at more of a distance. They took the bus around town visiting the nice apartments and mid sized homes that belonged to these addresses listed under the name they were looking for. Three of the four closed the door on them and ran them off.

This only discouraged them to their core. Hinata was wanting to give up and go back to the hotel. Unwilling to give up, Sasuke rushes her off by the hand and yells out:

"We still have one more address to check out! Lets not give up just yet!"

This added fire to her dying flame, just what she needed. She couldn't hide it, Hinata was gushing over Sasuke's determination. Each step closer to their final home made her feelings grow ever more in strength. The final home they visited was a cute tiny home. Sasuke knocked on the bright red door. A disheveled, bearded man wreaking of alcohol comes out. As soon as his door is pulled, the stench of filth and booze fills their nostrils. The house was a bad representation of what was in it.

The bearded man pulls out his arm for Sasuke to shake it, but he pretends it isn't there and says:

"I'm sorry, were looking for someone." He then turns to Hinata, who disappointingly shakes her head and says:

"That's not him."

Sasuke lowers his head in defeat and says to the greasy man, "But you're not that person. Sorry for wasting your time."

The old man retreats his hand and puts it into his vest pocket. His shaking voice speaks and says:

"Is this man important to you?"

Hinata covers her mouth, both to disguise her sad face and to shield herself from the stench. "He is. He's my father, although I haven't seen him in years. I just want some closure. But from the looks of it, it appears that I'm asking for something I'm not gonna get."

The old man scratches his beard in thought. He replies, "He's out there, I'm sure." He steps back and, right before he closes the door behind, him he says, "Sometimes, to find something, you just need to retrace your steps."

Sasuke and Hinata stare at each other in lost thought. What did that old man mean? At first, they took it as just a quirky little saying he was sharing with them. As they were crossing the road, it was then that it struck him. Sasuke stopped abruptly causing Hinata to bump into him. The cars started honking and flashing their lights for them to move. Hinata freaks out and yells:

"What are you doing Sasuke? We need to move!"

"I know where he is."

Hinata turned to face him and said, "Really? Where is he?"

"We just need to retrace our steps."

Sasuke again takes the lead and pulls her to the stop. They ride the bus to the trolley, which takes them to the old abandoned home that they had previously visited. Hinata doesn't understand what was going on.

"What are we doing here? Clearly no one has lived here for at least few years now."

He doesn't say anything and takes her to the front gate. It was rusted and deteriorating from the elements. Sasuke pushes it open with his leg. The sound of its swing stabs their ear with cringe. They both push through the tall grass until they reach the back yard. Sasuke points at the cardboard and pulls it up.

"You see this?" he says as he reveals a man under layers of cardboard and old clothes. "Is this your father?"

"Oh my god." Hinata stood in amazement. "It's him."

This man was sleeping in a layer of dirt. The only thing warming him up were rags, cardboard and old, beaten up shirts and pants. His skin was covered in bruises from head to toe. She couldn't believe it, this sad, sad man was her father. She doesn't even know how to approach this situation. Her sleeping father didn't even bat an eye at being uncovered from his layers of junk.

"Wake up." She says quietly. Hinata then softly kicks him. None of this affects him. Before she kicks even harder she feels a raindrop hit her forehead and fall down to her cheek.

Sasuke feels the air and says, "Dang it. It's about to rain."

The rain pours down like a deluge, filling the air with water. The beat up father finally awakens, sits up, and clears his face from the water. He looks up to see the two teenagers before him.

"Can I help you?" Her father says.

"Can you help me?" Hinata replies. "Do you even know who I am?"

All her father could do was shake his head as the rain kept falling down onto them. The grabs a rag and puts it over his head to shield his eyes.

"Sorry, but I don't know who you are." he says.

Sasuke clenches his fist and closes in on him. "You can't be serious! You don't know who she is?!" he says.

"It's me. Hinata."

Suddenly, the old mans eyes open wide. So wide that the whites of his eyes get bigger than his iris.

Her father says, "Hinata… I can't believe it. How are you, baby?"

Hinata starts breathing heavily, almost making rain go inside her mouth from her breaths. She bites her lip and says, "How am I? HOW AM I?"

The rain mixes in with her tears, hiding her crying. She goes on and says, "You left us! You used to beat me as a child! You took my innocence, cheated on mom, and hated dealing with me. I can't believe you have the guts to ask how I'm doing. You know how I'm doing. I'm livid."

She kicks him in the leg. The old man, still on the floor, falls to his side and says, "But Hinata, I-"

"NO!" she interrupts. "You don't have the right to talk to me. I came all this way because I wanted closure. I wanted to rid myself of these feelings that I've been holding onto for years. But now looking at you..."

She can't even stand to look at him. Hinata turns the other way, ignoring him. "You're not even worth my time."

Sasuke stays behind her, ready to support her if necessary. He was making sure he was at a safe distance in case Hinata's father went after them.

"Hinata..." the worthless father said. Reaching out his hand to her.

She continued ignoring him and says, "Come on Sasuke, lets go." She grabs Sasuke's hand. "Good bye, Dad."