A/N: July 2020. Again, I've merged what used to be Chapter 7: Enticing with Chapter 8: Fear similar to what I did to CH 5-6. Now you have 4 edited chapters in 2 long ones :0
.
XXXX
Chapter 6:
Fear
.
"I don't wanna sleep
I don't wanna dream
'Cause my dreams don't comfort me
The way you make me feel."
-Comatose by Skillet
.
.
.
XXXX
.
November
His fingers slowly reached to untie his animal mask, allowing it to fall carelessly on his side of the bed, eyes wide and unblinking as he gazed at the ruined porcelain being in his arms.
The rough pads of his digits came in contact with the sticky beads of scarlet liquid and he followed their wet ruby course southwards to the blistering hot flesh of her collarbone, right where the hemline of the pale hospital gown began and gave way to her well-endowed chest, washed with the amounts of sweat and blood she had discharged not long ago.
Red, Sasuke thought numbly.
Red everywhere.
Blood splattered on his gray armor, dark and bright simultaneously and so very warm, on the once-crisp bed, on her thin clothes, slowly traveling its way down the creamy skin of her profile like torturous tears, coiling with the sweat of terror and palpable exhaustion.
The Hyuuga had never looked so morbidly alien, not even in that hideout in Water Country, and he allowed his ash-black orbs roam, drinking her imagine with equal amounts of fascination and pressing horror.
The different shades of blue in her long strands glinted with intensity as the overhead fluorescent light in the ceiling cast its brightness upon her figure.
Her eye-bandages were soaked with the blood running down her forehead and his hand carefully reached out to unwrap them. He did so with care, unhurried, as if in the back of his mind his subconscious was eager yet cautious with discovery, wanting to see if later on (when she awoke once again) she would open her eyes and show him what laid concealed behind the strips of cloth.
Sasuke knew about the surgery she'd undergone, but the Hyuuga had never taken the white slips off, not even when the Yamanaka came to help her for baths. Sasuke was uncertain on what exactly the medics had done, but he wanted to find out and that odd necessity—the one that nudged and encouraged him in uncovering the unknown—would have bothered him had he been thinking straight. But he wasn't.
Common sense had long since deserted him.
The coppery smell of blood was overpowering, intoxicating in the worst contorted way imaginable. The deadly perfume of damnation that once resided inside the Hyuuga's veins now marred her skin, painting it a rich crimson and it was distracting. It made him feel sick and dazed and enticed—
Entice...?
What enticed him, exactly?
Hyuuga Hinata was undeniably bewitching in the most unexpected of manners and it stunned him seeing her like this. His earlier hostility had all but vanished, replaced with a frightening compulsion to observe, possess, and protect.
Why?
What made him want to break her at a moment's notice only to want to shield her the next? Was this paradoxical urge the reason he kept returning to his post? He acknowledged duty had nothing to do with his resolution, not anymore.
Her presence brought a light he had no right to be in, a light that wished to redeem him of countless and unforgivable sins only for him to back away and hate it and shun it and despise it. Like a moth to a flame, he was unable to stay away despite being aware of the possibility of getting burned.
It was a frightening thing, not being able to control what lay deep in the origin of his thoughts, so he twisted them until they held nothing but indistinguishable meanings. He denied that he wanted her to be her, the girl that spoke to him calmly even when he held a blade against her jugular, not this rag doll whose strings were knotted in indiscernible directions.
He wanted the porcelain-covered doll with large, welcoming eyes, eyes that radiated life and innocence so pure he wished to crush it and put it back together and destroy it again and watch it bloom time and time again. He wanted red-apple tinted cheeks burning with sheepishness, not the sunken ill-ish pale cheekbones lacking color, glued to tiny bones that looked so damn breakable.
And her sad state wasn't his doing. It wasn't Sasuke who had caused all of this...instead, it was an unknown character looking for unsatiable revenge that promised to fulfill a greed of black power with mocking threats.
This fact didn't sit well with the Uchiha. No one else was allowed to have her, not in this manner, not in any form.
Her pain was his to have, her grief was his to face.
Sasuke took a shaky breath, a poor attempt to bring order to the pandemonium inside. His opinions and ideas battled each other in a war he couldn't seem to tame or even win and it was shoving him to the border of insanity yet again.
She always had that effect, and he hated it. Hated his lack of power, hated the indecisiveness, hated her because she was the only reachable person responsible for most of the chaos in his mind and she didn't even know it.
Uchiha Sasuke lived in a gray world. There was no place for him in the patch of majestic sun, no place for him to fit in and be content in.
He didn't deserve such things. Therefore, he couldn't be the one to cross to her side.
The last round of gauze made him hesitate, but only for a moment. His hands continued their work with more tenderness he thought he possessed and with a slight tremor he chose to disregard. As carefully as one might inspect an ancient but brittle treasure, his fingers pushed the Hyuuga's wet bangs away from her face, the branded words of abhorrence so visible Sasuke ground his teeth in fury.
The last slip fell and he traced the still-healing skin under her right eye, feeling what had been hidden before.
Long lashes, dark and thick, framed her eyelids, fanning against her cheeks. Her eyebrows were arched, indigo-colored, and thinned to a perfect point of elegance.
Yes. He would never be able to cross to her side of the world, yet, by the way things were going, he had little doubt that if either of them had to take a step in any direction, that the one doing so would be Hyuuga Hinata.
The Despair and Silence that he'd known for so long were now were hot on her heels, giving way to a merry chase. And soon—very soon—their hunt would end and they would catch her.
XXX
.
Tsunade's strides were piercing as she hurried through the almost desolated hospital halls, Sakura, a few steps behind, almost running in her haste to keep up with her teacher.
The blonde's teeth were grounded together tight enough that they almost shattered to pieces, her eyes flashing with anger, fists barely containing the outrageous chakra she wanted to release.
She was furious. No, not furious. The word was a tad bit too gentle; she was livid.
This situation was getting out of hand and she couldn't do anything about it. She was the damn Hokage, she had planned the security system along with Nara Shikamaru and others, and yet, she couldn't believe all her efforts had been useless. All of them. The ANBU had found the seals and traps untouched, the sensors in IT had felt nothing but a slight disruption of foreign energy in Hinata's room, and that was that.
The enemy had left no trace of himself, of entering, of leaving, not a single clue behind.
The clever, lucky, sick bastard, she seethed.
"How much do you know, Sakura?" she asked her student in an attempt to stabilize her boiling emotions by concentrating on something else. "What did you see."
The medic-ninja almost jumped at the ire in her teacher's voice. "I-I know...about Hina—"
Tsunade cut her off before Sakura could complete the Hyuuga's name; who knew who could be listening and leaking Hinata's whereabouts was the last thing she wanted. Oh wait, it didn't matter much anyway since the person the Hyuuga and herself wanted to keep away had already made his way right under their noses.
"It was a restricted part of the hospital, Sakura. Shizune told everyone except a few medics to stay away. You weren't one of them."
Sakura bowed her head, biting her lip as she watched the white marble floors moving fast below her feet. "I know. I was close by and heard Sasuke-kun's name and then I heard him shouting," she explained and sighed. "He's been acting very strange these past few weeks. I only wanted to see what was wrong. He said he had a mission but when I heard his voice, I just couldn't ignore it."
Tsunade glanced at her apprentice from the corner of her eye. "If it were up to me, I would have let you know about Hinata, along with the rest of her friends and sensei," she said. "But the situation is very critical, Sakura. Keep this to yourself and don't tell anyone about it, not even Naruto."
"Hai, Tsunade-shisho. It won't happen again," she assured and Tsunade left it that, not because she didn't have a retort on the tip of her tongue, but because they had reached Hinata's door.
Two ANBU stationed on either side of the door gave her a curt nod of acknowledgment, one she responded by grunting incoherently.
"Raven," she began as she turned the knob only to halt at the scene in front of her.
Uchiha Sasuke, chest drenched in dark blood, held an unconscious Hyuuga Hinata in his arms, his mask removed and tossed carelessly on the bed he sat at.
The Hyuuga girl was wrapped in the hospital's sheets, splashed and dripping wet with her life substance, her long, dark blue hair pushed back by one of the Uchiha's hand, revealing her bright red forehead glistering with more thick crimson.
If she hadn't known better, Tsunade would have instantly concluded that the Uchiha had finally snapped and killed the woman he was told to protect.
"Oh, Hinata," Sakura gasped, covering her mouth with a hand in shock. She'd been so focused on Sasuke when she poked her head into the room to even glance much at the poor Hyuuga. But now...
"What's the situation?" Tsunade asked, coming out of her stupor.
The Uchiha's eyes settled on Sakura for a swift second and then on the busty Hokage, a dark brow lifted.
Tsunade got his message crystal clear.
"Sakura, would you get me Aburame Mitsuki and Yamanaka Ino," she requested but everyone present knew that the medic didn't have a choice.
Sakura looked sharply at her mentor in surprise and her green eyes widened.
Ino?
And then a realization hit her.
Ino's visit to Kuranai-sensei to console her and tell her Hinata was going to be fine; Ino reassuring Kiba and Shino the day the pink-haired kunoichi had argued with the Inuzuka; Ino lost in thought, her expression sorrowful; Ino reading in the library books about helping with depression and victims of kidnapping.
Of course.
It all made sense now.
The blonde Yamanaka had known all this time and...
She didn't tell me. She hadn't told anyone.
"Yes, Tsunade-shisho," Sakura answered obediently nonetheless and directed a last, longing look at the male ANBU and his charge before hesitantly walking out of the room.
"Snake," Tsunade barked before the door closed completely behind her student. Another ANBU appeared in the threshold, his steel-toed boot keeping the entrance ajar.
"Hokage-sama."
"Bring me Hyuuga Hiashi and Nikaro Kusushi; he must be in the north wing of the hospital right about now; I need him," she ordered quickly as she began to take the note of Hinata's state, her brows furrowed in a frown of concentration as she inspected her body, still in the Uchiha's hold.
The Snake masked ANBU disappeared in a cloud of smoke with a subtle, "Hai, Hokage-sama," that the Senju barely heard; she was just too absorbed in her work to really care.
Reopening of internal bleeding, arrhythmic heartbeat, bradypnea, almost no chakra reserves...
She scowled at the last observation and surprisingly, of the diverse and serious things she could think about, she settled for the least important of them all:
Hiashi's going to have my head.
Damn, she cursed. This wasn't going to be pretty.
She looked at the Uchiha and was met with a glare.
Huh. Typical.
"Well, are you going to report or not?"
XXX
.
Soon after a tense but detailed report, Tsunade had taken her out of his sight and away.
She was out of his arms and in the emergency room.
Sasuke looked down at his fingers, his back pressed against the Intensive Care Unit wall —where just a few meters away he could hear the Hokage's firm and loud instructions as a set of medics hurried along— and he found them foreign.
They were tainted with her blood. They had held her body. They had traced her skin.
They had touched her endless warmth.
And to his surprise, they wanted to hold her again, be one with her flesh, take her in and explore hidden places. They demanded more and he couldn't give that.
It was absurd!
His own hands were betraying him.
Touch or human contact had never been something he relented to. Those things were for the weak-minded and dependent.
He was neither.
To now want to remain in permanent physical contact baffled him. It was a new discovery, a discovery he had looked for as he exposed the Hyuuga from her bandages but had never really thought deeply about. This wasn't the outcome he had expected.
His milky pale fingers hued with cherry red curled into fists and he crossed his arms over his chest, finally looking up.
Chocolate brown eyes found his still-activated Sharingan and he scowled, his expression concealed behind the Raven mask, which Tsunade had hurled at him none too gently the minute he handed the doll over. He was sure his arm was already sporting a bruise, although he was mildly surprised the ceramic piece had remained undamaged.
The woman mimicked his posture, eyeing the Uchiha with barely contained amusement.
He'd been so out of it he hadn't noticed her arrival.
Snap out of it, Uchiha.
Her light blond hair was pulled up in two buns, a single golden-colored chopstick the only accessory keeping them from falling apart. Her heavy black trenchcoat reached her shins, the ends old and frayed.
Sensing his gaze, her wine-colored lips lifted into a sly smile. "Something the matter, Shinobi-kun?" she asked sweetly. "You seem thoughtful."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. He didn't respond.
Her voice was annoyingly familiar, yet he failed to place her.
She raised an eyebrow at his silence. "Cat got your tongue?"
Irritating, was the one-word evaluation he gave her.
Again, he didn't reply.
The woman sighed morosely. "You're no fun. One might have assumed you'd remember the captain in charge of your cell. Guess I was wrong."
And then her voice finally clicked.
The ANBU Captain in his last mission.
Sasuke's lips twitched into a snarl of contempt.
"You're fast to forgot," she continued, fearless at chancing her life by annoying the dark-haired ANBU.
Knowing that she wouldn't stop until he gave her what she wanted and not feeling up to listen to her nonsense, Sasuke sighed indubitably. "Iie, Captain."
Her smile could have lit the entire hospital if not for the situation. "Glad to see you again, Shinobi-kun."
Sasuke didn't react to the nickname. It was that or being called the dreaded 'Sasuke-kun'. However, it did bother him that she was taking liberties she had no right to use just because they had served in a mission together.
"Though the circumstances are far from ideal," she added and glanced at the surgery room. "No wonder I've seen so little of you. You've been guarding her, haven't you?"
"...You shouldn't be here," he stated emotionless, disregarding her question. As far as he was concerned, the Captain had no business here, and seeing her without her mask didn't mean she could just come striding in nonchalantly.
"At the contrary, Shinobi-kun; I was summoned, you see."
She seemed to pick up Sasuke's skepticism because she unfolded her arms and chuckled sheepishly.
"Oh! Where are my manners." She stretched her arm. "Name's Aburame Mitsuki and I already know who you are."
Sasuke merely stared ahead, ignoring the hand waiting to be corresponded.
She scoffed, murmuring about rude brats under her breath as Sasuke pretended she didn't exist.
Aburame Mitsuki. What a stupid kunoichi. Didn't she know revealing her identity was dangerous? She was either recklessly brainless or confident in her strength.
Whatever. He didn't need to deal with this woman.
"Tsunade's busy," he muttered.
Mitsuki shot him a vicious grin. "Why, I hadn't noticed." The sarcasm wasn't taken well by the Uchiha.
The conversation was cut short as a disheveled Yamanaka Ino ran past them, her white uniform disheveled, her usually tied hair down to her hips as she barged into the room Tsunade had entered not long ago. In her haste, she didn't notice the Uchiha and Aburame watching her fly by.
"Inoichi's flower, eh?" he heard the Aburame comment but didn't pay her any heed.
His eyes had settled on the oncoming figure of his teammate walking towards him, her pink brows knitted in a frown.
"Can I...," she began and cleared her throat. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
Sasuke resisted a sigh and nodded once, curtly. He had an idea of what she wanted and to deny her would mean he would get bugged later. Sasuke liked his privacy and to be left alone, thank you very much.
She directed him away and when they were far enough to avoid being heard, she spoke. "This is, um, the mission you were talking about, isn't it?"
Sasuke knew this wasn't going to be an enjoyable chit-chat. "What do you really want, Sakura?"
She looked down at her shoes. "I know this is...a very delicate matter but — "
"Spit it out," Sasuke sighed this time. He was tired and his shift was only half-way through.
She took in a breath and released it slowly, her fingers interwoven with the red ribbon of her Konoha protector. "Is Hinata's situation that bad?"
"...What is to you?" he answered with another question.
Sakura bit her lower lip and looked up at him, her tall frame almost coming on par with his, making it easy to face him squarely. "What are you protecting her from, Sasuke-kun?"
He didn't bother in warning her not to call him that, he was on duty after all, but he guessed it didn't matter. He never did try to hide his identity behind the mask, to begin with anyway.
"Isn't...Isn't the person that took her away dead already? If she's here—"
"That's none of your business."
Sakura's jaw clenched. "She's my friend. I—"
"She's not your concern," he replied easily enough, his voice cool and collected. "There's nothing someone like you could have done for her."
The Haruno's stance wavered at the intense aura surrounding the object of her affections and she repeated, a bit more faintly, "T-That's not true, I could have helped her. If someone had told me she was here, I would've protected her!"
"Protect?" His eyes narrowed deliberately. "A squad of ANBU guards couldn't do it, and you think you're better than all of them?"
Green eyes widened at the unfeeling response. So sardonic, so cold, so detached, so...Sasuke.
She opened her mouth to continue but sadly for her, she had reached him just when his patience was the thinnest.
"This is my mission, Sakura, not yours and it's classified. Whatever else you wish to know, talk to your Hokage. No outsiders should be in this part of the hospital, so I suggest you go back to your work-post. If anyone from the Hyuuga clan shows up and finds you here, not even your shisho will be able to keep you from their anger," he murmured before giving her his back and heading for the exit.
He could keep watch from outside in the meanwhile and wait for his replacement. With two exasperating females present, the shadows of the night looked more than promising. Even the chill of the on-coming winter felt inviting.
He tossed a discrete last look at the emergency room's double doors before disappearing, leaving a very entertained Aburame (who had heard every single word) and a conflicted Haruno behind.
XXX
.
Neji went rigid, the firm muscles of his shoulders stiffening beneath his silk nightshirt.
There was something wrong. He could feel it.
He sat in the middle of his room, his usual low ponytail undone. The metal protector and gauze were missing from their respective place on his forehead, revealing the toxic-green Cursed Caged-Bird Seal of the Hyuuga's Cadet Branch.
His lids opened slowly, and his eyes focused as he came out of his meditation, a custom he learned to appreciate when he was a child and slumber ran away from him.
A palm lifted to his chest slowly and he frowned at his heart's rapid tempo.
What is this...?
A set of footsteps, so light no one would have heard them, echoed silently down the hall and he paused, glancing curiously at the direction of the very slight sound.
His instinct was to dismiss it; a guard making his rounds was the norm, but Neji was nothing if not cautious. With his dear cousin taken away from him, he wasn't about to let any suspicious activity go unchecked.
His Byakugan activated and he focused enough chakra to expand his vision without being too noticeable. What he saw made him blink in surprise before his delicate dark eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
The figure of one Hyuuga Hanabi hid behind a wall, apparently eavesdropping on her father and an ANBU outside the house.
ANBU? At this hour? What could possibly be so important as to —?
His heart froze and in a swift movement he was gone, the curtains hanging over his window unable to settle back to their original position before he was halfway across the compound, one simple but very important name in mind.
Hinata-sama.
XXX
.
Hanabi, youngest daughter to Hiashi, sister to Hinata, and cousin to Neji, was perhaps the most advanced Chunin in Konoha, and she knew that well.
Unlike her sister, she was born with talent and skill, and her body, although on the thin side, was nothing close to Hinata's, whose own physique -was considered as frail and as breakable as glass. Training, however, had changed that and given her elder sister the permanent title of heiress to one of the noblest clans in Konohagakure and the entire Fire Country.
A title and position Hanabi had once desired and fought for mercilessly.
The brown-haired sibling had smirked in bittersweet glee the day her Father and the entire Hyuuga bowed down to her nee-sama, to the failure, to the shame, to the unfit firstborn of the Main House. She would be lying if she said she didn't mind one bit, the job and responsibility — as well as the honor and glory she had craved once upon a time — now fell on her sister's shoulders.
Hanabi was free.
The fear of being branded had lived on her mind from a very young age, but that fear no longer existed. Not since the day she found different scrolls with the design of the Cursed Seal and its theoretic counterseal in her sister's rooms. Although still experimental, the counterseal was progress. It was hope.
A hope that said Hanabi was safe. Safe from the curse that befell the members of her clan. There was nothing to be wary of. Everything was going to be fine, she had realized because her sister would make sure of it.
How naïve of her
Nothing was fine.
She should have known. She was sharp-minded; nothing escaped her.
But it had.
Hanabi hadn't noticed the addition of new wrinkles on her Father's face. Old age, she had thought with mirth and dismissed it as unimportant. That is, until her sister disappeared. Kidnapped, she discovered one afternoon.
It was that final occurrence that snapped her out of her own world.
Several of her cousins had disappeared as well. Why weren't they back yet? They weren't in on missions. They had just...vanished.
So she had blamed herself for being distracted, for not being observant, for her intolerable ignorance.
She had always carried herself with pride and dignity because of her intellect, but that had crumbled.
And the worst part was that when she saw her sister unconscious on that hospital bed...she had only felt relief at being spared from the same fate.
She had been happy for her own safety, thankful that she hadn't felt torture and that her eyes hadn't been extracted from their sockets.
Horror.
That's what Hanabi felt when she realized the nature of her thoughts.
She had wanted to apologize to her nee-sama, then. But Hinata couldn't hear her pleas.
So Hanabi cried. She cried in anger at her selfish relief, cried because she was a horrible sister. What kind of person, especially a relative, found relief in someone else's pain?!
She was sick, she had to be!
And although Hinata was blind...Hanabi couldn't stand to be seen through plastic eyes.
That, however, had to come to an end. When the midnight message was delivered by an ANBU (uttered in a murmur that made her grit her teeth in concentration to hear), she didn't wait for long and bolted.
She had to go to her onee-sama.
She had to be there for her and help her with burdens no one was allowed to carry.
I'm coming...nee-sama! This time, I won't let anybody hurt you.
Too bad her promise was one she didn't have the ability to keep.
XXX
.
It had been too much, Tsunade thought as she rubbed her tired face with her palms. The day had just been too much.
Two hours had passed since she had put Hinata in a new room, this one on the restricted level underneath the hospital. She had no option but to at least try and keep her out of harm's way by secluding her. Though she couldn't help but feel that a simple alcove with protective seals and ANBU guards would eventually fail.
She had to come up with a better plan, what with what she found out in Hinata's brain scan...
Her honey-colored gaze fell on the people in her hospital office. Hyuuga Hiashi stood before her, impassive, and Aburame Mitsuki sat on one of the chairs by the wall, playing — seemingly unconsciously— with a small but deadly blade.
"We were lucky Shizune kept Hinata's blood type at hand," she began, answering to the unvoiced inquiry in Hiashi 's mind. "Her internal bleeding will clot nicely. The lack of blood is not an immediate problem." Albeit exhausted, she didn't miss the relief on his stoic face.
"But," she added, "the words carved in her...are a different matter. They will heal, with time, but whether I'll be able to get rid of the scars...That's something I can't guarantee just yet." She observed Hinata's father somberly.
"You're the best medic in the shinobi world, Hokage-sama." His voice, when he finally spoke after a moment's pause, was disconcertingly calm. "Surely something can be done."
Tsunade's blond eyebrows dipped into a scowl. "I wish that was the only problem," she growled, handing him the folder with Hinata's brain scans. "This wound isn't only external; it's a seal that goes deep into the brain, which makes me think that it was deliberately placed there before Hinata was brought back. No one actually transpassed our gates this time. What we saw today might have been a simple activation, an awakening of something that was already there."
Hiashi took them, his eyes quickly inspecting them. Tsunade waited patiently for him to finish.
"It's an odd seal," he finally stated and Tsunade closed her eyes in acknowledgment. "A cursed type, by the results."
"A seal that I can't remove right now; we need a key and that takes time."
A muscle jumped by his mouth, the lines in the middle of his brows more present than ever. "You're knowledgeable in seals, aren't you?" He prayed she was.
Tsunade shook her head. "Truth to be told, Jiraiya was the best among the Sannin. If I'm correct — and I believe I am — in your clan your Elders know of sealing. They'll be able to contribute to our cause."
"That's correct but..." His lips turned down in a frown. "This seal, it's not something I've encountered before. I doubt the Elders can help."
Tsunade wasn't surprised. "I haven't seen anything like it, either," she confessed softly, her hands intertwined and her elbows resting lazily on her desk.
Her eyes wandered around, taking in the washed walls of her second office.
High shelves went as far as the ceiling, all of them fully stacked with old volumes that were even older than her and Hiashi's age combined. She made a mental note to check the Forbidden Library at the Hokage Tower and look into the Fuinjutsu section.
The Hyuuga clan head continued, "If it was implanted ahead of time, as you say, then...what was the cause of activation? In often cases, it requires close proximity."
"As I've said, my sensor ninja found nothing but a disturbance of energy in Hinata's room or in the neighboring areas. I'm afraid that can only mean the seal can work at long ranges," she said thoughtfully, a hint of apology in her words.
Hiashi fought down another sigh and focused on something else, or rather, the someone else that had until this point yet to comment. "Why is she here."
Tsunade raised a brow. "You know why."
"She brought my daughter back; that doesn't explain to me why she's here at this hour or what her purpose is," he retorted.
The hand playing with the knife came to a stop. Tsunade pretended she didn't catch a flash of killer intent coming from the back of the room.
Honestly. Did she really have to deal with those two? They didn't get along very well, fine, but they were professionals and she expected them to behave like adults, not like petulant children. "Mitsuki," she called.
The kunoichi nodded her head, her annoyance replaced with a sweetness that made Hiashi's eye twitch. "Tsunade-sama."
"Explain to Hyuuga here what we know so far," she requested.
With another subdued nod, Mitsuki stood and walked forward. "Yes, my lady."
Hiashi observed her with no emotion. "Speak."
The Aburame's eyes narrowed in furious indignation, "Look here, you-"
"Mitsuki," the older blonde warned.
"Very well," she said reluctantly, her demeanor resigned. "Hyuuga-san," she started, her usually friendly gaze icy. "Your so-called enemy isn't what you consider normal. This, you must've understood already. He isn't like us and his kind seem to date far back. By all accounts, he probably shouldn't even exist."
"...What are you saying?" Hiashi asked slowly, hard eyes squinting. He set the brain scans on Tsunade's desk, giving Mitsuki his undivided attention.
The Aburame locked gazes and didn't look the least intimidated by a set of glaring orbs. "In the beginning, I had my doubts, but the attack on Team 8 was too precise to be a coincidence. And, as you probably know, the life of a shinobi has no place for coincidences. It wasn't until I saw you girl's newest markings that my suspicions were proved right, despite going against a certain logic."
Hiashi frowned, detesting the vagueness of her speech.
Mitsuki must have realized this, for she cut to the chase. "Hyuuga-san...how much do you know of your clan's history with Kirigakure?"
Of all the things he expected from her, this one caught him completely off guard. "I'm afraid I don't follow—"
"Kirigakure," cut Mitsuki, "and the Hyuuga were once involved. Were you aware of this?"
Hiashi had to ponder for a second. "In passing, when I was young," he admitted quietly. "Several of our main branch brethren were hunted for our Byakugan by Mist ninja in the 3rd Shinobi War. Aside from that, not much comes to mind, I'm afraid."
"You clan keeps detailed records in every generation, don't they?" Tsunade added.
"Yes, of course."
"I suggest you take a look at those records again, Hyuuga-san, perhaps from eighty years ago or so—"
A knock on the door interrupted the conversation.
The three people in the room went still.
"Tsunade-sama? It's me, Ino. Do you have a minute?" came the Yamanaka's muffled voice.
Tsunade's eyes darted to the Aburame. "I trust I know this information already?"
"Hai," was the response.
"Well, then. It's late —early," she corrected herself, "—and I'm needed somewhere else. Use my office as you will, just don't touch anything."
Ino was about to knock again when the door opened. Tsunade stepped out, closing it behind her. "What is it?"
"A request, Hokage-sama," she bowed hastily and Tsunade lifted a brow.
"Request?"
The young medic nodded. "Mhm. I want to stay in the hospital as often as possible until Hinata is more stable."
Tsunade wasn't following. "She's stable."
"Mentally," Ino injected.
Now she understood. It was so glaringly obvious she wanted to smack herself. "Ah. And what, exactly, do you propose, Ino?" She leaned her shoulder on the wall and crossed her feet at the ankles.
"No disrespect, Tsunade-sama, but you've placed her in an environment that will not bond well with her psyche."
"Continue."
"Being alone with no visitors, and in that room, it won't work."
Tsunade watched her intently for a moment. "Security measures don't allow me to accept visitors for her, you know that."
But Ino was not to be deterred. "I know, and that's why I want to stay with her, twenty-four-seven. She needs someone close, and her sister never once visited until today. Hinata," her voice shifted from anger to sorrow in an instant, "she needs support, Hokage-sama. Please," she bowed again, her arms at her sides. "I beg for your permission to supply that."
The Hokage rubbed her temples, her eyes closing. She sighed tiredly. "I'll see what I can do," she finally relented. "But, as you know, being close to her can endanger you."
Ino's lips tightened as she held back a smile. "Thank you for worrying, sensei," she whispered before turning around. "But we're shinobi. Danger comes with the job."
"Oh, and Ino?" Tsunade called out.
The blonde stopped. "Yes, Hokage-sama?"
"Finish your shift and go home; you look exhausted. Hinata won't awake for a while."
XXX
.
Long fingers with grown, yellow nails tapped impatiently on the wooden, dull surface of a work table.
Glowing green eyes narrowed in frustration at the little doll sitting casually in a little chair that fit its size, a circle of strange characters surrounding her.
Long indigo hair flowed down the doll's back like a cascade of the night sky, gleaming in the scarce amount of light coming from an old, weathered lamp in the musty chamber. Scarlet lips were painted in a smile that adorned the white, sculpted face of clay. A button nose that fitted perfectly on the small, heart-shaped face of the toy was raised proudly as the empty eye-sockets remained shut, morbidly mirroring her living counterpart.
A sigh echoed in the room.
"It's time to wake up, Byakugan Hime. You've been asleep for far too long this evening."
A pause.
Then a laugh pierced the air and didn't cease until the owner of it was finally left breathless, although a smile that didn't reach the eyes stretched along a recently rejuvenated tan face. "Oh, I'm sorry. For a moment, I forgot that lately, you've ceased to sleep. You must be exhausted, hmm? But it's time to play again, and as you probably know by now, I don't like being kept waiting."
Meanwhile, the little doll, in its shiny, silver kimono smiled on ahead, unaware of the person's intentions, unaffected and sitting there prettily, representing the Hyuuga princess that was currently tucked in somewhere in her village with guards surrounding her.
Ha! The simple thought sent the unnamed individual in fits of uncontainable laughter.
Fools!
Her family actually thought they could keep her safe.
Safe. Haha, such a meaningless word to fit the situation!
Their efforts were hopeless.
There was nothing secure surrounding the princess, no place for her to hide.
Yes, how naive they were for thinking that they could protect her and keep her out of reach.
What arrogant beings shinobi were, always killing, always destroying...especially those Hyuuga with their blood limit and hands that could stop a beating heart.
Pale pink lips lifted in a snarl of hatred.
"They will all die, and if my dear little Aska doesn't return soon, he'll die too, so don't feel too bad, Hyuuga-hime," the person cooed. "Dear Aska has it worse than you do, in certain ways. Oh, I know; I'll make you another dress while we wait for him. Yes, and you'll like it, I can assure you that."
A quite content puff of air was released.
"I think I'll choose lavender...No, blue. Perhaps indigo like your hair...? Ah, I have a better idea."
With new inspiration aroused, the sewing needle was picked up from its discarded place.
"Oh! This will be fun, don't you think? You'll thank me one day, but."
A pregnant pause.
A sigh, yet again, this one filled with disappointment.
"I want everything set up perfectly for when you fall...That'll take time." A frown marred smooth features only to brighten up a second later. "It cannot matter, now, can it?" A smile. "Maybe I'll allow you more time for those silly hopes I've heard you like to build...Just think about it," the figure added, grabbing the petite toy, brushing the dark, almost purplish strands away from her shoulders. "The higher your hopes and dreams go...the more interesting it'll be for them to fall. Honestly, you should be thankful I let you walk away alive at all. If I hadn't, your death would've been very pitiful, indeed."
The figurine of the Hyuuga said nothing in response.
"Instead, I'll prepare an interesting setting," the monster in human form kept on, now more calmly stating the oncoming plans. "Beautiful even...After all, my ideas are nothing short of perfection, and having the Hyuuga heiress as the main guest calls for the very best. It will be a time of immense happiness and I will rejoice. It will be time for retribution..."
A bigger smile almost split a face.
"And," bright eyes blinked, "it'll be time for you to finally die."
XXX
.
Hinata woke up with a muffled scream.
A pair of lungs begged for a much-needed supply of air, her sharp gasp indistinguishable under the shrill beeps of her monitors. For an agonizing moment, she wondered where she was, what had happened, and if there was anyone else with her.
And why was the night so black she couldn't see?
Her confusion subsided instantly and everything that had occurred raced back like an overpowering dam breaking, the once-confined liquid rushing forward, the pressure unbearable. Her situation and its meaning was truly unforgiving, wrapping around her chest so tightly she thought she'd suffocate.
Shaking and with nausea so horribly acrid at the back of her throat, she did the best she could to avoid being sick. With a strength she scarcely possessed in her weakened state, she managed to sit up, blindly reaching for something physical to help stabilize her.
Why...had she dared believe that returning to her home village meant safety? It wasn't over; it had never been.
Hinata had known nothing was ever going to be the same, that this was reality, that this fight had yet to conclude...but she didn't expect this.
Her body, her dreams, and her mind.
They didn't belong to her anymore. Someone...something, was in them, giving chase, hunting her.
Her forehead pulsed under her skin, angry and throbbing with pain. She breathed out, attempting to settle down her nerves, but it burned. The damage was scorching, unfocusing her senses, numbing them to everything but affliction.
Spams of hot and cold agony ran through her bones and she bit down more than a few cries, tracing the characters drawn on her skin with wobbly fingers.
Hate to the Hyuugas.
Everything that she was was touched, violated, and now labeled as if she was a mere misbehaving animal being punished. The brand of hate towards her clan was now prominent on her face for everyone to see and behold in dread and caution.
She felt her sanity slipping, her mind finally giving in and becoming nothing but black throes of death. Plain, heavy darkness clouded her judgment and a poisonous agony that made her shiver uncontrollably corrupted her soul.
A new sense of terror invaded her, drowning out all logical thought, all sensitivity, everything, and she couldn't fight it this time. This time, when her mouth opened, she screamed. When her swollen eyelids lifted, she wept.
Weak, tormented, useless, her own mind hissed as Hinata cried, her hands protecting her head like an impenetrable shield, but it failed. It failed, it failed, it failed to protect her. It was instinct, that of trying to shun all that hurt and caused harm, but the pain wasn't only physical. It was mental; it couldn't heal so easily.
And she was all alone.
No one had come, no one had visited her or talked to her, or even to offer silent vigil.
In the cold hospital room, she couldn't help but be overrun by the old insecurity of being unwanted, ugly, and broken.
It was painful.
She needed to get rid of that ache, of that childish fear and impotence. She needed to feel something else. Anything.
She longed for fresh air; she wanted out.
Take me out of here. Let me out of this room! I can't breathe!
Clumsily, she got to her feet, ready to go somewhere (anywhere) and take desperate mouthfuls of oxygen.
Something prevented her from going farther and with a start, she recalled the intravenous needle stuck to her arm, providing her nutrients. The needle was sharp. It was tapped to her skin with tubes. The tubes were inside her.
Bleed.
Blood.
If she felt her blood running...
If she experienced its warmth, she would snap out of the madness dancing in her head. Wouldn't she?
She didn't have to think about the decision for too long.
So she reached to tore the tube from its place, waiting for the sharp, unbearable pain of being under control-
But it never came.
Instead, a strong grip kept her hands immobile.
"What," a voice spoke and the hands around her own tightened, "do you think you're doing?"
XXX
.
Sasuke wasn't in the best of moods, and it showed.
The Hyuuga kin just wouldn't leave, and the Yamanaka wasn't helping.
They surrounded her bed, watching her body lie still, her skin the color of a corpse. Sasuke was used to see her in that state, but the cousin and sister weren't.
Hn, idiots.
Why couldn't they just leave so he could have a peaceful night watch?
A part of him just wanted to physically kick them out.
The doll belonged more to him than them at this point. He had stayed with her the longest during her admittance into the hospital but now those Hyuuga decided to suddenly barge in and annoy him.
Pests.
And, as if the universe was plotting against him, the Hyuuga were now immune to visiting hours.
That only served to darken his mood.
But, after a while, a reward did come his way. After several hours, everyone bid farewell, promising to return soon. At that, Sasuke had to restrain himself from Sharingan-ing everyone into oblivion.
And then, later...she stirred and tossed in her sleep. Nightmares plagued her, that much was obvious, and he observed from afar as she battled her own demons...and eventually lost.
He saw her awaken, saw her sob, heard her scream, and stopped her from doing something she'd regret.
Stupid little doll, he seethed as he pulled her hands away from the IV device inside her arm, furious. She had been healing only to be hurt again, and yet she wished to add more injuries to her person? Just how much did she think her body could take?
"What do you think you're doing?" he hissed, her wrists within his grasp.
Her mouth opened, a gasp escaping, but no words formed.
"Answer me, Hyuuga."
"U-Uchiha-san?" she finally mumbled in surprise.
He almost rolled his eyes.
The 'who else' was implied in his silence.
"Did you think it wise to hurt yourself when you've barely existed the surgery room?" he demanded, an edge of danger right under the surface of his words, barely contained.
She tugged at her hands but he held on as firmly as he could without causing her pain. Regardless, a whimper fled her lips but he remained impassive.
"I hate repeating myself. You better start your response," he threatened. "My patience is waning."
"...I'm sorry."
She spoke so quietly he almost didn't catch that.
"What was that?"
"I'm sorry!"
Every cell in her body screamed her fear and desperation. Sasuke's grip relaxed, his nostrils detecting the petrifying odor of death that hung to her, attaching itself onto her lovely white skin like an unwanted parasite. Something in his chest twitched painfully. Sasuke didn't know what to make of it.
After a moment, he finally let go, his fingers slowly unhooking themselves one by one. He reached out, tentatively, and she didn't pull back, due to shock or dread, he didn't know nor had the decency to care. His index finger ran over the side of her face as if he had the right, for, in his mind, she was his to have.
His.
He felt her sway and he steadied her against the bed frame.
"You should sit down," he advised. "You shouldn't even be up."
The Hyuuga didn't fight him as he perched her at the edge of the mattress. As if his words had clued her muscles into regarding her current condition, she felt them deflate underneath her weight, and with less grace than she wished to demonstrate, she did as he directed.
"...I couldn't breathe," she confessed, the strain in her words evident. "I needed to leave this room, even if just for a moment."
Sasuke sighed, "And you thought ripping your vein out would be the way to do it?"
"I would've done anything if it meant—"
"...If it meant?"
With a dry mouth, she revealed, "If it m-meant stopping the fear."
"You're afraid." A tenuous nod. Sasuke felt her tremble, a whimper caught in her throat at his words.
"Self-inflected pain can only distract you for so long," he told her after a moment. "And even if you escaped this room, where would you have gone?"
"...I'm sorry," she said again, and it came out wet.
She was going to cry, and the last time she had done that because of him, guilt had engulfed his being.
"Don't," he said, as quietly as he could, not wanting to startle her. "Don't do that. You shouldn't even be awake right now. Go back to sleep." She's just been treated not even a day ago. Seeing how unsteady she'd been on her feet, he couldn't for the life of him figure out how she'd managed to get up in the first place.
"I-I can't. Sleep won't come, " she whispered, her words so low a normal person should have never heard. But Sasuke was close and he was skilled and picked them up regardless.
He sighed again, ruffling her hair with his breath. "But you're exhausted. Your body needs rest; it won't hold on for much longer if you continue to push it."
"Sleep...is not an option. Uchiha-san, can't we just...stay awake? I-I promise I won't bother you."
But he was already shaking his head. "You'll reach your limit. You won't heal like this."
The doll's voice cracked. "B-But I hear him. His voice. He—he's in my d-dreams." She reached out and managed to grasp his hand, her dread intensifying. "He w-won't leave," she panted and the Uchiha's eyes scrutinized her face, his flesh crawling at her morbid confession.
He?
"...Who are you talking about, Hyuuga?" he asked.
She froze, as if realizing for the first time just how much she'd disclosed. But his mind, sharp and nimble, had already come upon the answer.
The 'he' she spoke of could be no other but the sick bastard that'd hurt her so extensively.
His crimson red eyes saw terror morph the exposed features of her face. If her skin had retained any color, Sasuke was certain she'd have lost it all by how stricken she looked now.
Pure fear and helplessness twisted her mouth. Anguish in its most original, simplest, and yet most complex form dressed her from head to toe.
He realized, then, that he had never seen her look like this, haunted and cornered while awake. It was different from his nighty watch, the pain and the agony so palpable he felt his taste buds protest, rejecting the vile flavor. She was terrified, this little doll was afraid, so afraid, in fact, that she was stuttering considerably, her words staggered and filled with panic and foreboding.
He decided he didn't like it.
The Hyuuga was petrified by the person who was currently destroying her mentally. This person was breaking her.
Breaking someone that was his.
Sasuke's frown deepened as his thoughts clicked and his mind turned on gears of vengeance and unforgiving nature.
Slowly, he returned the pressure she exerted on his hand, grounding her as best as he could.
"Who is he?" he repeated, his thumb rubbing soothingly over her clenched knuckles every time he detected a tremor.
"He-" she began. "I-I don't know, I don't know who he is, b-but I know what's he's done and he-"
Tears began to dampen the bandages over her pseudo eyes and the doll let out a soft whimper, like an animal bleeding and hurt. Wounded.
"He w-won't stop, not until he kills me."
Sasuke's breath left him and suddenly, the action of moving became impossible.
"To him, this is nothing but a, a sort of g-game. He will kill me," she echoed, her chest heaving in her need of clean air, as if her lungs refused to inhale the one present, thick and heavy with emotion, tarnished like poison, sour, and deadly. "And then kill e-everyone."
What she wasn't taking into account was the fact that Sasuke didn't care about everyone. He cared about her but not in the true rational sense. No. She was his own personal porcelain doll, and if he had to protect her from an individual who kept to the shadows and attacked when one least expected him to, so be it.
No one —certainly not that bastard— was taking her away from him. He wouldn't allow it, and as childish as it sounded, Sasuke had seen her first.
"I will be here, then," he stated quietly, trying to pacify her (and him), unsure whether or not he was succeeding. "I will watch over you and not leave your bedside. However, you must calm down and rest as much as you can." He'd never offered comfort to anyone and definitely not to a woman. It wasn't in him to perform such acts of kindness, small as they may be.
She shook her head fervently as if to get rid of the mere thought. "No, n-no," her denials broke mid-sentence and in them, Sasuke could hear reason desert her. "He's here, he hides!" she cried in a whisper. "Even when you were here l-last time, he still, he still managed to-!"
Disentangling from her grasp, he forced her head to firmly turn his way, one hand grabbing the nape of her neck and the other resting lightly on her cheek. The red of his eyes had faded, replaced by a dark onyx.
Her breath hitched, the contact surprisingly warm, the gesture gentle.
"No one's here, Hyuuga, and no one will be." Not if he could help it.
"...You don't believe me, do you?" It was said so faintly she might as well not have said it at all, the dismay in the short sentence easily detectable.
Sasuke pursed his lips into a narrow line. Brushing a lock of hair behind her ear, the smell of it reached his nostrils and for a moment, all he could detect was the vanilla and rosemary found in her essence, with a tragic touch of dry copper.
"Should I, then? Should I believe you? If I do, will it make you feel better? Will it make your fear go away?"
Silence.
"I don't know," she finally muttered, suddenly weary, her energy dispersing, abandoning her body. "I...I don't want to believe myself, either."
Her quivering ceased and her respiration returned to a normal rhythm after a few minutes of silence. Her heartbeat eventually settled on a delicate rhythm that fluttered beneath her clothes. The rigidity in his shoulders (something he hadn't recognized was there until now) faded away and he felt his muscles ease along with hers.
Peace.
Even in her state of desperation, she brought him peace. Was that even possible? If it was, it didn't make the smallest of sense and Sasuke feebly debated on seeing this as a negative prospect.
His attempt fell flat and lifeless in his mind, and he didn't force it to stir again. Maybe locking that part of himself —the part that wanted her gone and her stupid, unasked-for gentleness and attention erased— away for a while would be for the best. At least for now. He had other things to worry about.
Dealing with a fool who thought he could mess with something that belonged to an Uchiha without consequences was definitely one.
"This mark on me," she suddenly said, "is but hostility. He hates me and my family, but..." she paused, teeth clenched. "But Uchiha-san, you hate me, as well."
Sasuke didn't deny it, but neither did he give confirmation. He only released his hold on her to look at her properly.
The Hyuuga took in a ragged sip of air. "Why are you here, Uchiha-san?"
"Does my presence bother you that much?" he asked, a hint of sarcasm apparent.
"I didn't say that," she hastily replied. "I only—You—" She hesitated, gathering her words. "You're no bother," she said quietly. But you endlessly confuse me.
It always amazed Sasuke how she switched from the shy, petite Hyuuga to the future Head of the Hyuuga House.
"I'm just surprised that you decided to speak to me. Glad, but surprised. And...and a little confused, too."
He supposed he couldn't hold that against her after everything he'd done and said to her thus far.
However.
"Don't think that by changing the subject you'll be exempted from adhering to your bedtime, Hyuuga. If you relapse, your Hokage will love nothing else than to pin it on me."
And with that, the Hyuuga doll was back at the defensive.
"You...can't force me. I won't let you."
"I can, and I will. It was an order, after all," he lied flatly. In reality, he had no such orders, but seeing as she didn't know that and was in need of rest...
"An order?" He was sure that had he been able to see her eyes, they'd be wide open by now. "Whose? Tsunade-sama's?"
Sasuke chose to let her make her own conclusions.
"D-don't force me to return there!"
That piqued his attention. "And where would 'there' be, exactly?"
She paused, and despite his hold, she managed to look away from him.
Sasuke watched her for an instant before speaking, "Is it in your mind that is haunted? Your dreams that are perturbed? Your sanity that is descending into madness?"
With each word, the Hyuuga could not help but little by little, turn his way again.
She nodded once, aghast and enthralled both at once. "Uchiha-san...Uchiha-san knows."
Of course he did. Sasuke considered her through slitted eyes, eyes that would have met no description had anybody seen them.
A caress of rough fingertips left a trail of fire along her jaw and Hinata bit back a startled gasp.
"If it's your mind that is in chaos, then, perhaps I can be of help," he said, the words so enticing, so attractive, and full of hope.
Foolish, impossible...but sorely needed.
Perhaps, one day in the oncoming future, when cold walls of ice closed in on her in the eternal darkness she was doomed to roam, with no visitor but Silence, she would rethink her choice, and blame it on an urging Despair. But that wouldn't happen. At least, not for a while. The words of an offer so tempting and so sweet —so free— were not meant to be ignored. No.
She couldn't do that. Not when her mind was chaos and hurt this much. Not when the world was breaking—ruining— her.
Only one word fell from her lips: "How?"
How had she ended up like this, without sight, vulnerable, and above all else, alone in her own world of obsidian where light was just a far remembrance and a fantasy that had kissed her once upon a time with its brightness and was no more?
Her capturing had happened so fast, the time lost to her as shadows and voices screamed inside her head like tortured banshees screeching endlessly for her spilled blood. Nothing had tasted like reality in the days she was absent from her home village but—may the gods help her—everything had felt real because it had been.
The fear, the screams, the cuts, the broken bones, the voice...
She wished to escape them all. But how? How to run away from her own self? It wasn't possible, unless, of course, her psyche shredded and wilted under a black sun of sorrow.
But Uchiha-san's words...what could he offer?
The option of living with herself like this was the hardest one there was, but it was worth struggling for if it meant no one else would get hurt. She couldn't afford to stay in misery; she had a clan to lead, they needed her...
She couldn't fail them, not again.
She failed, even when she gave it her best, she failed and—
"Hyuuga."
Her thoughts came to a halt and she stiffened.
"Stop overthinking it," he commanded.
"Y-you offer your help...but you hate me."
Sasuke didn't say anything, choosing to push back some of the ink strands that continued falling forward. "Do you trust me?" he asked, the answer necessary for his plan.
Hinata startled. "What?"
But Sasuke knew he didn't need to repeat himself.
The Hyuuga considered his question and wrung her hands; Sasuke didn't miss the action but decided not to intervene. When she didn't respond immediately, he opened his mouth only to hear a soft, "...No."
It was said in such an ashamed way and afraid of causing offense, that Sasuke almost chuckled.
He settled for a slight smirk as he watched her cheek twitch in her attempt to hide a grimace. "Hn. Good."
Her agitation ceased, but her confusion was visible.
This time he couldn't help it; he chuckled. "Don't trust anything—anything—do you hear me, Hyuuga? Trust in someone, and you pay dire consequences. Never adhere to a belief too strongly or you'll be in trouble. That's what I ask of you."
Hinata was utterly bewildered. "I-I don't understand."
"It doesn't matter." Nothing would change if he tried to explain now, anyway.
"Uchiha-san"
"Hush." His hands cupped her face, his thumbs caressing the underside of her delicate jaw. She had a lovely face, he recognized as much.
Hinata inhaled sharply. Uchiha-san was...close. And surprisingly firm and warm.
Sasuke observed her, scrutinizing her reactions, her features, and engraving them in his mind.
"From now on, everything will be a lie based on truth and it will feel real. But. Nothing will be," he continued, softly guiding her to her bed. "You won't understand until you see it."
Hinata tensed and swallowed thickly. "I can't see anymore," she reminded him.
"I know that."
"Then how..."
"I said, hush, didn't I? You want an escape from him...I can give you that, if just for a while."
Her breath caught.
Hinata tried to wrap her head around his words, his tempting but macabre, and slightly disturbing words. She didn't trust him, she had been honest about that. Uchiha Sasuke was unpredictable, and in the time she spent with him, he proved to be a secretive individual, eluding and isolated.
"Why help me?"
Sasuke pressed his fingers lightly on her temples and didn't answer for a long moment. "It's an order, I told you already, didn't I?"
It hurt to frown, but she still did it. "That's just an excuse, Uchiha-san."
Sasuke tsked. She'd caught him. "Does it matter?"
Hinata thought about it, her mouth dry. "Yes."
"Hn. Foolish little Hyuuga," he drawled with wry humor. "Would you believe me, if I told you that not even I know the answer?"
His Sharingan flickered to life, uncalled for, and the black tomoes began to steadily gain speed.
Hinata startled at the slightly activated chakra. "...What are you doing?"
"Hyuuga. Relax," he whispered as her world titled... and disappeared.
XXXX
.
.
.
A/N: Please send all the hate/love/despair/confusion by clicking on the Review button lol.
Thank you: Aymed, Kibachow, guiltymisfit2, Narutoimagine01, Rikudai, stoic-idle, princess p, misha48, MistressSolar, aurora0914, hetalialover4eva, B. Lilac, TAIRA18, Fiona, umnia, Tina, LIZA, Guest, Fenris Jin, 372259, Mikahdo, Guest, sara, SBello, hyuugalove, aurora0914, stoic-idle, geeeorge, josephineeee, Joy32, The Scribe13, aya, miaandB, Guest #1, #2,#3, #4, farahb, Bsc, Lila-me, iivogelchen, queenofthenial, LIZA, TAIRA18, Fiona, Tina, umnia, SabakunoAnjel, Kia-B, Sicaaaaa, Kibachow, Saki-Hime & natalia, who sent me a lovely review in Portuguese, thank you as well :D
-12.22.13 (Ch 7)/1.19.14 (Ch 8)
Oh my gosh, 15-year-old me was insane. Why didn't she write a scene in which Hinata was medically tended to by someone first? *facepalms into oblivion*
Revised 7.22.20