There's so much a person could say. Alas, my brain is fried, and I shall not.
Except, I hope you all got through the past year well enough.
Enjoy!
.
.
.
.
Black and Purple Don't Mix #36
When Sasuke woke up, his mind was nowhere near where he needed it to be.
There was no moon tonight, but the sky was clear and the canopy of the trees was not thick enough to effectively filter light. His first thought was about the contrast between how rested his mind felt and how bogged down his body felt. Physically, he felt as though his muscles were recovering from a sort of shock. Muscle pain from training was welcome and hardly something he would consider pain, but what he felt now was an oppressive kind of fatigue.
It didn't take long for his eyes to land on the mass of dark hair next to him. For a moment, he was shocked because he thought it was Hinata, but it only took another moment for it to dawn on him that this was Hinata. He realized they had been spooning.
Sasuke found it hard to breathe. He retracted his arm from around her and sat up slowly. The next few minutes were spent trying to release a genjutsu he most certainly had to be in, but nothing changed. Hinata still stayed beside him, breathing evenly and without a care, and his mind was relentlessly picking up speed in the incoming whirlwind. He remembered the events of just a few hours prior—and, God, its only been a few hours—and none if it could possibly be real.
Hinata showing up at his door? How could she possibly have found him? No one has been able to find him for years, but Hinata could do it after not seeing him for a year? Hell, he didn't even think she knew enough about him to take a logical guess at where he could possibly be because Sasuke wasn't logical—not this last year. Not by a long shot. He hadn't intended to get stuck here for so long yet he had made damn sure he wouldn't be found.
Yet Hinata does it like it was the easiest thing in the world.
.
"I found you."
.
Sasuke struggled to take in a deep, deep breath. Why had she smiled at him like that? Hinata never smiled at him like that because Hinata would never smile at him like that. She looked like a crazed person finally having some clarity. She looked as though she actually needed to see him, as if she hadn't been right since she last saw him. And that didn't make sense. There's no way that could ever make sense in reality. Hinata didn't like him. She didn't want him. In the real world, Hinata would never be where Sasuke was willingly.
But if this wasn't a genjutsu . . .
He looked at the young woman next to him again, still faced away from him. Her shoulder length hair splayed out in a silky sheet over the thin, lumpy pillows. The smooth rise and fall of her shoulder assured her deep slumber as she took in thick, stale air. Her worn yet considerably clean clothing clashed with the dingy, matted sheets they lie on.
Sasuke stared and stared, trying to rationalize his thoughts. He used to toy with the idea that he was going crazy, but now that he actually began to consider he might have lost it last night, he was terrified. He was terrified of how pathetic he was. Even if Hinata was still alive, why the hell would she waste her time trying to track him down? The Hinata he knew had a fatal injury, and she had to have been exposed to the plethora of diseases in the hideout. For fuck's sake, he had to pull rocks and concrete out of her exposed entrails. He had spent hours scrubbing away the feel of her blood on him, and he burned the clothes that he wore that day—what was left of them anyway. Hinata was nowhere close to the Hidden Leaf Village when she sustained her injuries, so he knew . . .
He just knew . . .
So he had to have gone insane. That was the only explanation. Sasuke had guilt and regrets in his life, but nothing compared to what he's been feeling ever since that day. There was no way for Sasuke to explain the immense dread and guilt and regret he had after Hinata left.
It all happened because of him.
She . . . wasn't here because of him.
He should have stayed away from her. He knew Hinata could never love him, and he thought he didn't care about that. He damn well thought he'd end up murdering her himself, but things started to change . . . when she kept coming back.
Really, things started to change because he was actually getting to know her and was surprised he still liked who he was getting to know, but Hinata had many opportunities to turn him in. Threats aside, Hinata had to know that things would be a lot harder for Sasuke if she had just told anyone about his presence. She was smart enough for that. He didn't believe threats would work forever—hence why he thought he'd kill her. But it was hard not to note the changes in her. She was falling for him before she even realized it—far before Sasuke started to realize it for himself—and he was addicted to that. He honestly didn't know what to do with that because he just never truly believed it would happen with her, not willingly. And even when he did realize it, he suspected it to be as real as a fantasy could be.
As real as love born out of Stockholm Syndrome.
As real as Sasuke had ever been in her life before he forced it.
And he missed her. God, did he miss her. Even if her love was fake, the actions were real—were very fresh and crisp in his mind. She kissed him. She touched him. She smiled at him. She loved him. In her own way, Hinata had begun to love Sasuke and he could never let that go. Is that why he finally broke? Is that why this Hinata was with him now?
This Hinata . . .
Hinata with the shoulder length hair, like when he saw her in bed that one night all those years ago. Back then, he was so sure she was growing it out because of him—because despite never speaking to him, she missed him and she wanted him back. She wanted his attention. If not for the anger defending his pride, hadn't he been devastated when she didn't even know who he was?
.
"Oh, him. He's gone?"
.
Sasuke tried to take in another deep breath but found himself doubled over. He straightened himself and got out of bed on rubber limbs. He didn't look at the illusion in his bed as he exited the hut.
Hinata awoke because she felt as though she were falling.
Last night was a dream, even though she specifically means the hour before she finally drifted to sleep. She and Sasuke had settled into bed, and she was so tired. Sasuke lied down and she settled beside him, intending to curl on her side with ample space between them, but she was near flush against him when she felt contact behind her.
They both tensed for a second—both feeling a familiar and foreign jolt between them—before Hinata closed the gap between them completely. She didn't think too much about it—just acted. To scoot away now would be a step in the wrong direction, and she . . .
Well, it was hard to think about the future clearly, but she was here, wasn't she? She was here with Sasuke.
For Sasuke.
They lied like that for what felt like minutes with Hinata putting all her focus into keeping her breath calm. Sasuke didn't move or seem to react at all, and she . . . felt exhilarated. It was maddening. A part of her wondered what he could be thinking, but her wandering thoughts intrigued her when they would have unnerved her. More than anything, she was experiencing a high with the realization that this was real. She actually found him again and she could be like this with him again.
Well, not quite.
She couldn't ignore that the dynamics between them were different. Sasuke was different. It was plain to see as soon as she saw him. He was a lot more vulnerable—a lot less guarded in every way possible. He didn't even appear as though he had been training this whole time. Part of her desperately held back the urge to think of all the implications of this because the other part wanted to bask in this joy she felt.
In the change.
As much as she now cared for Sasuke, she relished in the fact that he was the way he was now. He still cared. She knew he still cared. While she had barely been clinging to life and wasting away, he was suffering, too. He actually feared losing her.
It made her smile.
When she felt herself fading into sleep, Sasuke sighed. Hinata was sobering up when she felt Sasuke place his arm over her. She inhaled.
"You're messing with my head," Sasuke said, defeated.
She exhaled.
.
Good.
.
So, when she woke up, she was basking in that memory for a moment. This was, of course, after expertly pushing down the confusion of where she was and the fear of what her actions were to bring in the days to come.
Not now.
Just . . . Not right now.
It didn't take long for her to realize she was in bed alone.
Hinata sat up and noticed the pieces to the door were piled next to it. She stared out the doorway blankly and activated her Byakugan. A quick search of the area showed Sasuke was sitting behind the hut. She crept out of bed and made her way to him. The night air was warm with a breeze, and she quietly filled her lungs with the fresh air, instinctively keeping all noise to a minimum as she rounded the corner to the back of the hut. The moonlight was dim here, but it illuminated Sasuke just fine. He was leaned forward with his arms on raised knees, and as Hinata got closer, she realized Sasuke was watching her with activated eyes. She was more aware that hers were still activated as well.
"Did you hear me coming?" she asked.
He said nothing, but when he spoke, his voice was dry. "Why are you really here?"
She deactivated her eyes. He did not. "I wanted to see you."
He scoffed. "And now?"
She sat next to him, feeling hollow. "I still . . . want to see you." Her heart was pounding, but she didn't want to run away from this moment.
Sasuke stared into the forest in front of him. He didn't know what to feel about her statement; he just knew he felt dangerously dizzy. This was an impossible situation. "If this ends with you going home, go home now."
"I can't."
"Hinata."
"I can't go back . . . without a way to see you again."
"That . . ."-wouldn't be safe-"doesn't make any sense."
"No, it doesn't, but it's either that or . . ."-never go back-"um . . . or-"
"How did you find me?" He looked at her, eyes still red. "Have you been looking this whole time?"
She couldn't help but smile a little. "I was in a coma for a year. I've been awake for about six, almost seven, months training, mostly. I didn't start looking until a few days ago." But, yes, I've been searching this whole time, she thought with a touch of pleasure.
Sasuke knew she was bragging; he hoped she didn't think she was good at hiding it. He found her actions to be odd. Very odd. If this was all a trap to capture him, then he wished it would happen already. He honestly didn't care what Konoha or whatever village wanted to exact on him. He didn't even care that Hinata was claiming to want to be with him because, if this wasn't a trap, this was most surely a hallucination.
But if it wasn't . . . In the very slim chance this was real . . .
They were fucked.
He deactivated his Sharingan and backed down for the moment. Whatever happened . . . happened.
"What now?" he asked.
Hinata thought. "We really need to put a genjutsu on this place, for one."
"For two?"
"Let's take care of one first."
Three Days Later
Shino was . . . okay with the morning hours.
His insects usually were still resting or sluggish when he awoke in the mornings, which was usually a few hours after sunrise, so those few hours were the closest he ever got to alone time. He didn't crave the solitude; he enjoyed having his insects always with him. Sometimes, though, it was nice to hear his own thoughts and be at one with himself.
Then again . . .
This grace period was not so welcome when he had to be alert. Missions, for example, were a little unnerving when he had to rely solely on his own sense. He was not at all near the bottom when it came to his innate ninja skills amongst his graduating class, but the security in a swarm would always feel immensely better than if he were alone.
Luckily, this morning he was neither on a mission nor was he alone. He was with Neji and Shikamaru, along with the few dozen insects that had already thawed out for the day. It did nothing to calm his newfound unease, however. He began to seriously wonder if he still wanted the answers he thought he did.
Because Shino wasn't stupid.
He noticed a lot, and he remembered a lot. Wasn't that the ninja thing to do? Wasn't that the self-preserving thing to do, as well? If he had, perhaps, collected information on the chakra signatures of every ninja he encountered via his insects, would that have been such a wrong thing to do? Did such a thing need to be a factor in his world? Identifying a chakra signature could potentially identify a friend in distress or a foe in disguise. It could even detect certain genjutsu or other afflictions others may not even have detected yet. And maybe it's good to keep a record of those Shino never cared to associate with, in case he needed to remember it later.
You never know who might come back, Shino found himself thinking again. And when he found himself thinking that, he couldn't stop himself from thinking about . . .
"Damn Hyuugas," Shikamaru yawned, stretching for a prolonged amount of time. "'Early bird catches the worm' my ass. 'Restless Hyuuga wakes before the sun' should be the new phrase."
"You're exaggerating," Neji said, looking away from the meadow. "And those statements express completely different sentiments."
Shikamaru sighed. "Well, that's my sentiment now."
Neji didn't let his amusement show as he shifted to look at Shino. "How many insects do I need?"
"Six."
Neji couldn't keep the unease from creeping into his eyes. Hinata's eyes used to look like that before she got used to the insects—her face, not so much.
"You won't notice them," Shino said, but the unease in Neji's eyes didn't go away. "You don't have to watch me put them on."
Neji contemplated before nodding his head once and looking back into the meadow. Shino was glad he didn't tell Neji the insects were already on him. He must not have noticed yet, Shino concluded.
o0o0o
It was late afternoon when the Leaf shinobi arrived back through the village gates, and Naruto had had a lump in his stomach the whole journey home. Tsunade was convinced Hinata was a compromised shinobi, and the other adults said little on the matter. Even Naruto had to wonder if that was because no one wanted to say anything against their Hokage or if they feared what this would mean with the Hyuugas.
Naruto, on the other hand, couldn't possibly see Hinata as compromised. Not in the same way as Tsunade, at least. Hinata was as compromised as Naruto was, but the only difference between them was that Hinata had a stronger drive and one hell of an opportunity. She must have seen something in Orochimaru's hideout that made her determined to bring Sasuke back. Naruto has seen what Orochimaru's curse mark and malice could do, but what in the world did Hinata see that would make her so determined?
He had to admit, Hinata suddenly going off on her own during a Sasuke scouting mission was very hard to wrap his mind around. If she wasn't determined, then something about her changed while she was in a coma. Could it have been . . . Naruto himself?
After the first month of Hinata being in a coma, Naruto began to wonder if his chakra would have some affect on her. There were occasions when Naruto arrived to the sessions with low chakra reserves due to an important mission or task he couldn't avoid, and Sho would tap into the Nine Tails chakra. Was it possible Hinata was more ambitious about Sasuke because of the Nine Tails chakra? Or . . . because of some deeper transfer of his true essence? Did Naruto even believe something like that was possible? Even if he thought his chakra could actually alter her in some way, he was having a hard time deciding whether or not Nine Tails would even care enough about Naruto's personal woes to have it mixed with its chakra. Maybe it was a combination of . . . many things.
Funnily enough, Naruto was certain this had to be what was happening because the alternatives were just implausible. There was no way Hinata had somehow turned rouge and was working for Orochimaru because Hinata would never condone the type of things Orochimaru has done. Naruto had learned a lot about Hinata's past thanks to Kō. Naruto learned a lot of things thanks to Kō, and it all related back to Hinata in some way . . .
Naruto cocked his head, something in his brain clicking. He was hesitant to admit he felt awkward around Hinata in a self-conscious way these days, but maybe that was because he knew too much about her that she herself never told him. He felt closer to her, but she hadn't consciously bonded with him over the past year.
Of course, he sighed. Of course.
He ignored the uneasy relief for now.
"Naruto."
He blinked hard, focusing on the woman sitting across from him. Tsunade had her hands folded in front of her face, and her eyes were firmer than usual.
She tilted her head slightly. "You didn't hear a word I said, did you?"
"I . . ." His stomach sank as he realized he was the only other person in the room. They had all gathered in the Hokage's office to debrief and discuss how they would move forward, but all Naruto truly remembered after entering is . . . sitting down. "Uh . . ." He sighed, his chest sinking. "I'm real sorry about that. I didn't mean to space out."
Tsunade remained silent for a moment. "You're in denial, Naruto."
"I'm not." But he didn't know what she meant.
"Why do you think Hinata ran off?"
"Because . . ."
Hinata left because . . .
"I . . . don't know," he said honestly. "I just . . . think we should be more concerned than we are."
"As concerned as you've portrayed?"
That jabbed at his ego, and he wasn't sure if it was meant to. He's in shock, couldn't she tell? Hinata disappeared, and he hadn't noticed. When he had noticed, the response he got was cold when he had expected concern. Perhaps that had shocked him the most.
"I just don't see it the way you see it," Naruto admitted.
"How do you see it?"
"I don't know." His stomach bubbled. "But . . ." He didn't know how to finish.
Another moment passed before Tsunade spoke, kinder this time. "You're in denial, Naruto." She softened her gaze. "I know you heard about the pictures we found."
Naruto blinked rapidly, but he wasn't aware. "I heard pictures were found. No one really said anything to me about it." And he had to prevent his mind from imagining the worst each and every time. Did people know what being vague does to anxiety? Or how being vague causes anxiety?
Tsunade pulled a file from her drawer and looked through it. Naruto's heart raced. She had them. Of course she had them. The "pictures found in the hideout." That's all he knew of them, but it was enough to make his stomach churn. What kind of pictures could Orochimaru have taken in there? He didn't know if he was prepared. Was she really about to show him now?
She placed three photos in front of him, and he was . . . stumped. Two pictures were of Hinata—one of her sleeping and one of her smiling with villagers—but the last one was a group photo of Sasuke and his family; it was in near perfect condition except for a scratch-line through young Itachi's face. Naruto stared at these images very briefly before looking back at Tsunade. She had also been staring at them and spoke without meeting his gaze.
"These were some of the things we found in the hideout. As you may have heard by now, the hideout was destroyed during our last encounter with Orochimaru, and I am to understand these photos were discovered in the same vicinity of a little over a kilometer." She paused, if only to analyze the photos again. "But that alone isn't the issue. It's about who these may have belonged to."
"They belong to Orochimaru," Naruto said without hesitation. "It's clear he's been stalking her, and he stalked Sasuke, too."
"Yes, that is one possibility." She looked at him hard, her eyes trying to throw him a lifeline. "Do you see any other possibility here? Any other explanation at all?"
Naruto shook his head slightly. "Like what?"
Tsunade pressed her lips in a line, nodding, and collected the photos once again. "Going forward, I can't have you getting tangled up in this. You're too close to the people at hand, and you wouldn't be any good to us when it comes to decision making."
"That's bullshit." It wasn't an outburst. He meant no disrespect. If anything, it was a resignation—an acceptance.
Tsunade couldn't help but feel sympathetic. "Don't be offended, but I sent a message to Gaara early this morning. In the event that . . . all of this gets to be too much for you, I've asked for temporary residency for you in Suna. I'm sure he'll say yes."
"Okay . . . Wow." It's all he could say.
"You don't have to do it. It's just a precaution. Just know that if you do agree to it, you'll have the same liberties as a civilian; that means no missions of any kind. You will, however, stay in the Kazekage Building, where I hear recent renovations allowed for more guest rooms so," she huffed, "ya know. You'll be very well taken care of. If you decide to go," she added.
He laughed, humorless. "Okay." He stood, not mad, not defiant. "Are we done here?"
Tsuande sighed, emotionally exhausted. "Yes."
Naruto turned, hesitated, and turned back. "What's going to happen to Hinata after you find her?"
Tsunade pursed her lips. "We'll certainly have to question her. How we proceed after that depends on where she's been and what she's been doing."
"And . . . What if she found Sasuke?"
The corner of Tsunade's lip twitched. She glanced at the remaining pictures in her possession. Would Naruto still be in denial if he saw pictures with his own face scratched out. "Let's hope she tells us."
The panic Shino and Shikamaru should have felt hours ago was finally beginning to creep on them now. Shikamaru had used his Shadow Possession to get Neji across the field, but then the connection broken once Neji made it inside the cave. It was a shock for both of them because Neji realized the effects of the field did not extend that far, and Shikmaru did not expect Neji to break free so soon.
But there was no need to worry because Shino had been able to keep contact with the insects on Neji when he entered the cave. They were okay, Shino noted. They were active, so they were okay. This led Shino and Shikamaru to sink into a mutual silence, and torrents of thoughts consumed them both. When Shino realized he no longer felt a connection between his insects, it was already afternoon.
Shikamaru became panicked when he saw Shino stir. Shikamaru himself couldn't help but wonder why no one else did what they were doing. He had been dwelling strongly in the belief that the adults were so panicked themselves that overlooking the simple things might cloud future judgement.
He stood up and went to the edge of the meadow with Shino.
"Neji's out there." Shino pointed to the spot next to him. "Stand here. If you go straight, you should be able to get him."
Within a few minutes, Shikamaru was able to get Neji back over to them. He was guarded, both Shino and Shikamaru noticed.
"What was in there?" Shikamaru asked.
"Another hideout," Neji said. He looked back at the large mass of stone across the meadow. It was so unassuming—so close to home.
"Did you find anything else out?"
"No, nothing of major importance. There are at least five distinct rooms in there, and it appears equipped for a long-term stay. This might explain where the people who attacked my clan ran off to and why we could never track them down."
"So, what do we do now?"
Neji hesitated a moment. "We have to tell Lady Tsunade. It does not benefit the village to have a hideout of Orochimaru's on the outskirts."
"And you're absolutely positive it's Orochimaru's?" Shikamaru asked. "It's not out of the realm of possibility that this could be anyone's hideout."
Neji looked at him, an odd look flashing across his face. "Valid point, but I think it's only the best course of action to think it belongs to Orochimaru. Preparing for a sannin level enemy could only aid us if it turns out the be a lesser threat."
"Yeah." Shikamaru squinted. "You seem like you've got a good idea how you want to proceed." He gestured towards the forest. "Fill us in on the way, yeah?"
Neji hardly hesitated.
Shikamaru wondered if it was cunning on his part or just obvious in the moment that Neji's diction gave away whether or not he was lying.
Shino wondered if Neji was lying about there not being anything else in the cave to report. Shino's insects could detect traces of two very familiar chakra signatures.
In the end, all three had the same thought:
I'm not fucking stupid.
That Evening
Sasuke was sore.
The past few days he had moved and lifted and dragged more than he ever had over the past year. Not only did he have a reason to turn his hut into a proper livable space, he had to keep moving to keep his nerves in check.
Hinata made him nervous. He had absolutely no idea what she was thinking.
Or perhaps he was too afraid to think about it too deeply. Nevertheless, he and Hinata had not had the free time to discuss the severity of their situation. Hinata had spent a day and a half constructing a genjutsu to disguise the hut, and Sasuke decided not to question why she was putting an obscene amount of effort to accomplish the task. She really did not want to be found, and Sasuke was patient to understand why.
As for what Sasuke has been doing these last few days, he tasked himself with finding items that would make the hut more . . . welcoming. A simple Transformation and raiding the dumpsters of local establishments proved fruitful. He did not think of it as dumpster diving (though it was) because the condition some of these items were in could still be new.
The white comforter set was not even stained, but it did having stitching imperfections galore. The five large unscented candles were only halfway burned, and the uneven increments in which they melted were hardly a deal breaker. This trend continued from the silverware to the clothes to basically everything they had now.
And all these things were in separate bags from the actual garbage when he found them.
Whether or not Hinata knew where he got these items was a mystery to him. She never asked and he never told. After she had set up a genjutsu she liked, she disappeared to presumably buy cans to finish the wood of the hut.
But not before she sanded the entire place inside and out.
All with the help of . . . shadow clones.
It was logical enough and certainly helpful, but . . . she used at least two to set up the gentusu while she herself actually ran errands; five to sand the hut, including herself; four to finish the hut, including herself. Sasuke did not feel inferior that Hinata spent her days cloaking their location and improving the hut they both occupied while he spent his nights . . . scoping out dumpsters.
Truly, it was not that.
It was just . . . odd to see the use of shadow clones so abundantly and so freely once again in his life. The second nature way in which she used the ability was just so . . . Naruto. It was very Naruto. He could not deny the fact that a lot of the Hinata now reminded him of Naruto, and he honestly did not know how to feel about that. Her identity was completely her own, so she did not feel like a copy and paste version of the blond.
And yet . . .
He couldn't stop himself from trying to understand how Naruto could have possibly been involved with Hinata for the past year if she was in a coma. He really didn't want to succumb to envy—and he wasn't there yet. He was just suspicious, and he didn't want to be that either.
There were too many other things he needed to make a priority.
But Hinata wouldn't wake up more like Naruto for no reason. Sasuke had made certain she was not Naruto disguised as her, so . . .
He sighed.
Possibilities.
Possibilities that didn't really matter because she was here now, and it made him far too light-headed to think about it properly.
What did matter was the other thing on Sasuke's mind, and that was the fact that they could not stay at this hut for too much longer. He didn't relay this to Hinata yet because he needed to find a place first.
Well, he needed to decide if they were going to stay in this country or not. Aiya had the motive to turn them in, if she hadn't already. The Hidden Leaf would retrace their steps any day now. If word ever got out that Hinata Hyuuga went missing while looking for Sasuke Uchiha, the two wouldn't be able to travel for months.
And there was the fact that he had heard nothing from Orochimaru . . .
"Sasuke."
The Uchiha inhaled, focusing on his reflection in the mirror. It was foggy, as he had just gotten done bathing a few minutes ago, and he was standing with just a towel wrapped around his waist.
Hinata knocked again. "Sasuke? You've been in there a while. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
There was a pause before the bathroom door opened. There were no lights on beyond the bathroom, and Hinata was in a sheer, pale yellow night gown. It had frills for sleeves and a very deep V-neck cut. Honestly, he thought it looked terrible but it was only mildly redeemed by the fact that she was wearing it. However, the yellow did go well with her skin, which had gained some color with her exposure to the sun these last few days.
"You can't avoid me forever," she said.
He almost wanted to laugh; he didn't know why. He stared at his reflection. "What are you doing here?" He couldn't stop himself from asking. "Why are you here?"
She looked impatient. "What do you want the answer to be? That I'm a spy?"
"I'd believe it."
That stung, and she didn't want to show it. That was one of the few things he's said to her since she's been here, and she was close to breaking. This was not the reunion she saw them having. She had hoped to ease all doubts she had about tracking him down, but she was starting to feel ridiculous for doing so. Did he not want her around? She didn't know how to read him.
"I just wanted to see you again," she said softly, defiantly. "Everything has been . . . hard ever since I woke up. I'm still trying to piece myself together, but . . . I don't have to try so hard when I think of you."
Sasuke held his breath, his stomach bubbling.
"And I'm scared."
Sasuke looked at her, not knowing if he wanted to breathe again. She did look scared. She was pale now, her shoulders locked, eyes helpless.
"Orochimaru . . . scares me. I don't know why he . . ." One hand clutched her lower abdomen.
Sasuke exhaled, his own heart sinking. He didn't want to remember that. His legs began to shake, and he didn't want her here for this. Whatever she wanted from him, he couldn't give her anything like this.
"I don't want him to get you." She stood firm, but there was no hope in her eyes.
And Sasuke broke a little. Whatever he thought her affections were based on, he couldn't believe fear did not occur to him sooner. He couldn't believe he wanted that at one point. Hinata was traumatized by what happened to her, and she was latching on to him.
That's all it was.
That's why she wasn't making any sense.
Because she was broken.
And it was all his fault.