A/N: Fher here delivering SasuHina goodies after the...rather disappointing ending of Naruto. Starcakes helped me settle some ideas for this chapter so shout out to you, beautiful being!
7.7.20: Yay! Fixed some stuffed, removed some, added others. Phew!
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Chapter 14:
Changes
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"Can you hear the silence?
Can you see the dark?
Can you fix the broken?
Can you feel my heart?"
-Can You Feel My Heart by Bring Me the Horizon
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XXXX
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December
Maybe it was the way he smelled, of crushed winter mint and lightning, or the way his warmth seemed to seep into every pore of her being, invading her pleasantly without complaint. Maybe it was the way his surprisingly soft lips moved against hers with a sense of desperation as if he couldn't get enough of her essence, as if she was the elixir he needed to survive. Maybe it was the way his hands – large, capable, and powerful – supported her weight as her muscles melted under his succulent touch.
In the end, whatever aspect of the intimate gesture that made her senses reel was possibly all of the above.
It was passionate, the manner in which his lips moved with a craving sensibility that possessed the ability to sweetly bruise. Yet, he was ever so contradictory gentle.
He held her as close as he humanly could, his grip tight enough for her body to be in secluded proximity to his, but never so overbearingly so that it harmed her. His breath became her own, and hers – now shared between their lungs–, his.
The way he kissed her so completely and without hesitation made her feel as if everything had changed and she'd committed sacrilege by falling farther than she'd ever done before.
But she didn't mind. Not about committing possible irreverences, not about accompanying the fallen.
If this was falling, then she never wanted to stop descending.
In another world, perhaps they wouldn't have made much sense; she was Hyuuga Hinata, and he, Uchiha Sasuke, two individuals from extremely remote poles that had unexpectedly shifted out of place.
She, an ex-heiress to the mighty Hyuuga, he, the only person left of the Uchiha.
She, bearing the name of the light, he, lord of the surname of darkness.
This –what they were doing, what they were demonstrating with each delicate gasp, every deep growl, and murmurs of incomprehensible sounds that were a mere imitation of complete words– was unfathomable.
Something like 'them' wasn't feasible in the realms of reality.
Sasuke and Hinata could not be, could not possibly last. Not together. Not like this, forced under complicated circumstances in which taking a wrong step carried a heavy risk with a lunatic after her head.
He'd never be accepted by her family, friends, and mentor, possibly not even by the logical and judgmental world.
Science, after all, stated that two opposite poles could not touch and thus could certainly never encounter.
This, them...was truly unimaginable.
Hinata easily found that she didn't have the energy to care.
Something like his kisses, so immensely sinful and infinite, was simply too precious and tasted of the flavor of right; someone so withered and cold had never radiated this much warmth. Someone this harsh and hard had never felt so undeniably soft.
No scent had ever smelled of such a rich perfume of delicacy and strength and want, need, and sentiment.
Something that made her feel so weak had never made her feel so empowered.
He was life inserting itself through her veins, offering her a place in the darkness where she could shine, giving her a world she could see, guiding her so she could know, presenting her with the sole chance to simply exist.
She wondered when he'd entered her heart and inhabited it this much without her grasping on to the strands of clues he'd left for her to catch.
The possibility of them ever being involved in such an affectionate act as kissing hadn't crossed her mind, not exactly. His strange comfort at her hospital bedside had always been more than enough, more than she could have ever hoped for. All those instances had become treasures and secrets that belonged to her. Just her.
But now...little by little, he'd silently made his way into the beating organ she'd placed inside a secure cage away from people like Naruto, people that possessed the potential to hurt her.
Yes. That cage, the one she'd promised not to open for anyone but her future husband who was to be elected by political marriage, not by choice.
She knew that putting her heart away behind lock, key, and hard-metal chain would help avoid conflict with her clan duties in the future. She'd accepted it because she had nothing to lose. The only thing that had kept her away from such an action before had been her love for Naruto. But, she had forced that love away, leaving behind only the devotion friends looked at each other with.
It was the right choice.
It was selfish to try and make him love her.
Naruto...he was not for her. At the time of that realization, she had a more pressing issue to deal with than her shattered heart; there was a clan to soon be led by her hand, and she couldn't afford to be troubled when her clansmen looked at her for guidance.
So she tried to move on and eventually succeeded, with her love for her precious people helping her scale to the heights of the unthinkable. It had taken a soul-clenching pain and even more painful resilience, but she had surpassed herself, to the point at which she'd be proud of whom she had become.
It had then been logical to think that feelings of yearning for someone would stay away from her for a long time to come.
How naive of her to believe so. How stupidly naive.
Things never did go her way, and now there was him.
There was Sasuke, the lone Uchiha whose character she had truly seen when blind.
Before her capture, she'd treated him like any of her people. Kindness ran through her person, and kindness was given to everyone who wasn't an enemy. Thus, not even the unofficial title of traitor could keep her from treating him in a similar fashion.
Sasuke was rumored to be a demon tainted with a black soul, a lover of the night, a secret agent of darkness, and everything that was unholy.
Sasuke was a selfish man who could stand by without reacting when death knocked on his door.
Sasuke was a monster to fear and avoid, unhonorable, lacking morality and virtues.
...to her, as she observed a vein pop on his temple at something Naruto had cheekily said during those calm days of late sparring, Sasuke was just human.
How she had captured him better without sight was an ironic mystery.
He soon had become one of the most common images in her thoughts before her mind forgot how to picture him, haunting her when awake, accompanying her like a constant memory when asleep.
How had he done it?
How had he gotten past the defenses she had placed around herself for her own good? How had he torn her cage adorned with metal spikes and jaded wire chain apart until nothing but open ruins remained?
How?
She didn't know.
Everything she'd held dear, every goal and every achievement, had been ripped away by an enemy that had done with her as he'd wanted.
Torn, broken, cursed, and scarred, rejected from her title, seemingly forsaken by a cruel world, and yet he, Sasuke, was here with her in the pit of all those disgraces.
He'd stayed.
She was unable to understand why. She couldn't conjure his motives clearly. What could possibly motivate him to stay there, by her side? Was it his duty as an ANBU?
No...
It couldn't be, because there was no existing protocol that spoke of helping her in the way he had, of pushing her to the limits of fear and terror so she could find herself in a world of towering glaciers in the insides of her mind, where masses of thunderstorms formed, coiled, and rolled upon her with cool rain.
It was a beautiful world, accompanied by a pandemonium of emotions that ruled without obstruction.
They had been created by her, but found with his aid.
What she had felt when in and out of consciousness those long nights in her first hospital room was him. The thread of electricity that had pulled her from the depths of comatose was him.
How hadn't she been aware of it until now?
Her hold on the nape of his neck suddenly increased in pressure, pulling him as closer until it became borderline uncomfortable.
He was precious, she decided. Too precious to let go.
How had this happened?
She wasn't certain but it was useless to think about it and seek an answer.
It was pointless when her senses ran to unmeasurable speeds and her blood rushed to her head in high quantities, the buzzing of ecstatic and consuming fire pleasant on her skin.
Sasuke didn't oppose when her fingers interwove into his hair, nor when she (without meaning to) pulled a little harder than intended, forcing a muffled moan from the back of his throat.
Had it been up to him, he'd have chosen not to move and continue with what they were doing.
Unfortunately, all good things came to an end. Yamato was waiting for them outside and they had to return to ANBU Hqs.
The guy would eventually get suspicious and come after him, and that was definitely something Sasuke didn't want.
His lips were already bruised, swollen by his own force, hers in a mirrored state. He slowed down, his lungs raging for air after the rest of him deemed her more vital than the gaseous element.
Finally, the kisses came to an end, leaving an Uchiha and a Hyuuga panting in their wake.
His face lingered on the dip of her throat as both of them tried to placate their respiration.
Hinata idly wondered if he could hear her heart pounding with reckless abandon through her flesh. It was beating so boisterously it was mortifying.
What she didn't know was that, yes, he could feel it pulsing through the artery running up the length of her neck. Listening to it put him under a comforting sense of peace. A peace that couldn't last today; they had to go. Time was essential.
Without warning, Sasuke took advantage of the position of his arms and raised her to her feet as he stood in a smooth movement.
Hinata's recuperating breath hitched. Her muscles resembled gelatin and—
"Wa-Wait—"
The beginning of a protest started to form, but Sasuke didn't give her the chance to formulate it. He simply seized the dark blanket neatly folded on the bed and quickly tossed it over her head.
Hinata's inquiries were swallowed when the large piece of fabric engulfed her.
"It's cold outside," was his response to her unvoiced question. "Bundle up."
Behind the bandages that hid her blindness, Hinata blinked. "Is...Is it time, now? To...To leave?"
She blamed her unsteady speech on her light-headiness. If this was what it felt like to be intoxicated, then she wasn't sure whether she'd ever want to touch a drop of liquor. Although alcohol wasn't the only method to reach a state of drunkenness; Sasuke had proved that tonight without meaning to.
"Yes," he admitted, tucking a rebellious tuft of hair behind her ear, his touch long-lasting. "Tsunade's assistant debriefed you, correct?"
She tried to nod, but attempting to do so made her sway. Too soon, she thought, cheeks ablaze. Her brain still needed oxygen and the dizziness of their previous activities was persistent, refusing to settle.
Before she had the opportunity to right herself, two strong arms scooped her up in a swift arch. Center of gravity lurching once again, she grabbed on to the closest thing she could reach, fingers catching onto the thick material of his cloak.
Sasuke hefted her up once to adjust, distributing her weight more evenly. "Got you."
God, she didn't dare breathe.
"Hinata?"
"Y-Yes?" she struggled to stammer.
The arm supporting her back lowered to wrap around her waist firmly. If humans could spontaneously set themselves on fire, she had no doubt that she'd be a bonfire. "Hold on to my shoulders."
"Ano, I can walk," Hinata said faintly, her face powdered apple red, her obscured gaze hesitant to even turn his way.
"If we want to reach headquarters on time, this is the fastest way," Sasuke informed her, dark eyes glittering in amusement. "We were...preoccupied...a minute ago and now we're running late."
Had she been younger, this would have been the perfect moment to pass out. As it were, she was no longer that twelve-year-old girl that lost it when her crush got too close.
With confidence she didn't feel, she circled her arms around his shoulders, lacing her fingers at the back of his neck. "Is this...okay?"
"Perfect."
She felt the load of his stare and wished, not for the first time, to bear witness to his expression.
Her mouth tingled wildly with fresh emotions, her hands vibrating with nervousness and euphoria. This was something she'd never encountered and it was difficult to know what to say or do without blundering over her own tongue.
"Don't let go."
Her heart skipped a beat and blood rushed to her ears, causing the spinning her head was doing to double in force. "I-, mhm."
"Does it bother you?" he asked as he exited the room, TonTon the pig watching them go as it finally accumulated enough bravery to poke its head from under the bed.
She pondered before replying, vaguely remembering what they were talking about, but denied when comprehension sank.
"No," she said honestly. "I don't mind." Him carrying when she wasn't bleeding or hurting wasn't an issue.
"But you're not at ease, either," he stated bluntly, descending the stairs at his desired pace.
Yamato wasn't going to be happy with him for taking so long, nor the Aburame.
Heh.
Hinata stifled the urge to pulverize the tips of her fingers against each other. "It's just that no one... has ever done this before. At least not when I'm conscious," she admitted sheepishly. "So, I'm not exactly, um, familiar with the...gesture."
Sasuke's lower features twitched into a slight smirk. Being the first to have her in his arms like this was an agreeable concept.
Already, he'd devoured and explored the plump lips of her mouth and claimed her for him in his own way, delighting and relishing the flavor of the innocence that insisted on staying upon her warm tongue.
Without a doubt, her hands had never touched another man the way she had touched him, nor her lips kissed as they had kissed him.
He knew questions regarding his actions were occupying his doll's mind, and he would answer them...but not with words. He didn't think he was that type of person.
He'd show her and then let her be the judge of his own desires and intentions. Soon.
He lifted the edge of the blanket that fell upon a side of her face and stalled on the corridor leading to the front door.
Sasuke inclined his head and said, "It'd be a good idea for you to get used to it, then."
Hinata suppressed a jolt. "I'm sorry?"
"You'll be finding yourself in this position often from now on. I would advise you to get comfortable." And with that, he deposited a short kiss on the corner of her still-crimson mouth, eliciting a blend of a squeak and a gasp.
His smirk expanded into a boyish grin as he adjusted his mask.
Silly Hyuuga.
XXX
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Naruto was anxious as an inexperienced Genin running through the Forest of Death.
This apprehension of his...wasn't normal. He couldn't recall an occasion in which his hands secretly trembled and sweated and his heart galloped so hard inside his ribs he feared its force would break them. He could have sworn it was trying to tear from his chest and escape.
He swallowed thickly, mouth dry.
He would see Hinata again, tonight. He would finally see her, his friend, again. After all this time, they'd finally be reunited.
It was a strange feeling, the one this notion brought him. The last time he'd laid his blue gaze on her, she had waved good-bye at the village gates, wishing him health and luck on his journey to Iwa, Sasuke nowhere to be seen.
The Uchiha hadn't shown up to even bid him a meager 'see you later'.
The bastard.
Even Shino had been present, accompanying Hinata and Kiba as Team 8 joked with the blond Uzumaki. He could still remember how Kiba had punched him on the arm for being wanted by Stone to visit. He'd claimed to be bored to tears in Konoha.
"Nothing new to see here," he had said.
Shino had stood by in his own silent but reassuring way, Hinata bent down to Akamaru's level as she scratched his muzzle and he panted, content with the attention the Hyuuga was giving him, wagging his tail from side to side in a rhythmical pattern to demonstrate just how excited he was.
Team 8 was such a pacific bunch. Kiba was loud, often competing with him in that department. Shino, forever resentful but reassuring. Hinata, gentle and soft, always keeping calm.
Team 8 was so different from team 7, he'd thought as Kiba draped his arm confidently over Hinata's tiny shoulders and Shino walked to her side, leaving her in the middle as she continued to spoil the gigantic white dog, whose face should have by all physical means split in two.
His grin had been so large.
It had made Naruto smile, the way they treated one another, like siblings.
Then Hinata had looked up at him with those lavender cream eyes and returned the gesture with one of her own and all he could do was stare like a fool.
Kiba's smirk had resembled that of a sly wolf's as he mocked in wonderment, "What, I thought you were leaving," kicking him out of his inward musings.
With a start, he belatedly realized that his escorts from Stone and his own from Konoha (Lee and Sai) were waiting for him to depart expectantly.
With a blush that covered his whiskered cheeks along with an embarrassed laugh, he'd said good-bye to them and the integrands of Team 10 that had come to see him off. He'd forgotten they were there for a moment.
He had simply wanted to turn away from them to hide his shame. He'd been staring like a dumbass, for Konoha's sake!
Had he known that Team 8 wouldn't be seen for months after that early morning day, he would have lingered.
In the short time he was gone, the Jinchuuriki had never expected chaos to occur. How had a month of absence given birth to all of this mess?
Although he'd seen and spoken with Shino and Kiba and was informed on what had transpired, a putrid fear seemed to linger. He was afraid of what he'd encounter when Hinata walked through the door.
Hinata...was different.
Sasuke had told him she had a darkness in her, that she wasn't the same girl he'd left behind. Naruto wouldn't have believed it for a second if not for the sensation of her chakra, cold and hurt and immensely corrupted. He still didn't want to admit that what he'd felt was her. Hinata was light and the color white and bright indigo blue.
He shivered, his skin recoiling at the memory of something thick and inhuman crawling into his senses.
Just...what had Hinata gone through for her chakra core to be in such condition? He hissed a vile curse under his breath. If only he'd been here to stop it all...
"Naruto."
It was Shikamaru.
A tanned hand offered him a cloak, painted black as the night, and patiently waited for the blond to take it.
"Thanks," Naruto murmured without much of an expression, settling the abundant material on his lap.
Shikamaru sighed, cocked his head to the side, and pressed his lips in a thin line, eyeing Naruto with a stern gaze. "Stop beating yourself up, Naruto." Might as well get this over with, troublesome as it was.
The blond didn't answer. He didn't have to ask what the Nara was referring to and for that, Shikamaru was grateful. Saved him the bother of bringing the whole thing up.
Shikamaru blew his breath. "Look," he said finally, fighting the urge to play with the pointy tip of his ponytail. "What happened wasn't your fault. Stop acting all depressed and get it together."
No answer. Then, quietly, "I should have protected her."
The brunet gave in to his urge and scratched the back of his head. He'd heard those exact same words from different sets of mouths in the last months, and it was starting to exasperate him.
Tsk.
"Neji, Kiba, Shino, TenTen, Lee, and Kurenai. They said the same thing," he commented, lazy eyes hardening. "Ino even raged about it until she got tired of crying outside the hospital when she found out. They couldn't do anything either, as much as they wished otherwise. Shino and Kiba were with her at the time but almost died in the attack. It took a while for them to wake up, and that itself spoke of the strength of our enemy. By the time they opened their eyes and were starting to move, Hinata was back. Hokage-sama did what she could and made it possible for Hinata to return. What's done is done, and putting yourself in this position won't help her get better."
Naruto knew he was right, but that didn't mean that he had to like it.
"I'm not telling you this to make you think I don't care about Hinata, or to make you think that you shouldn't worry about her. Everyone fretted for her sake and even now, most don't even know she was rescued already. The ones who do are putting their heads in the game, in this mission, to make sure we can take Hinata to a safe place in which to stay. If you want to protect her, then do it. Don't try to change the past. What's done is done," he repeated for emphasis. "Now move forward and keep your mind cool if you don't want anyone to get hurt. Otherwise, you may as well be a burden for this mission."
Silence.
"Tch," he grunted as he pocketed his hands. "You know this better than anybody else, so I shouldn't even be saying it. I'm not good with words, but–"
"Thanks, Shikamaru," Naruto interrupted him and flashed him a small smile, and this time gratitude was detected by the Nara genius.
His shoulders, which had held strain to them, eased up. He shook his head. "Just don't do or say anything stupid. Try to be a little sensitive when Hinata and Sasuke arrive. She's..." He paused. "Hinata has been through a lot. Remember that."
Naruto's grim expression returned instantly, but he nodded earnestly. "Yeah."
"Ah, so you decided to show up, after all, eh, Hiashi-dono? And here I thought you wouldn't."
Mitsuki's voice made both men turn to look, surprised at the mention of Hinata's father.
Sure enough, Hyuuga Hiashi stood in front of Mitsuki, who had rolled her sleeves and was securing poisoned senbons to a launcher device in her forearm.
"Do not pretend to insult me, Aburame," was the smooth reply. "This concerns my daughter and I will be here to see her off," Hiashi proclaimed, his pale eyes giving no emotion of warmth to the blonde in front of him.
Mitsuki's smile could only spread. She'd wager anything that she hit a nerve there somewhere.
"Is that so, hmm?" she hummed in mock thoughtfulness. "If that's the case, then maybe you should accompany us, make sure that your daughter is in good hands and everything."
Hiashi's gaze was coated with iciness. "My duties as head don't allow me to leave the clan for missions, but, " he hesitated and continued reluctantly, "I know...I know Hinata is in good hands. You will not allow harm to come to her." Whether that was a statement or an order was hard to say, in both the Uzumaki and Nara's perspective.
All playfulness left Mitsuki's face. Her lips lost their usual cocky smile as she adjusted her long sleeves, concealing her weapon.
"Good to know I'm trustworthy enough for you, could have fooled me there for a second. But don't fret, Hyuuga, for you're right." She regarded him stoically with a touch of indifference. "Your daughter's in good hands and capable shinobi will be at her side, ready for anything if the occasion so much as arises. She'll be safe with me, with us," she motioned to Shikamaru and Naruto, who had decided to stay in the sidelines of the conversation. "Hinata-chan will be safe."
Hiashi nodded after a moment of absolute consideration. "Understood."
Mitsuki echoed the gesture in return and chose to change the subject. "Speaking of seeing to Hinata-chan's safety...we'll reach the place you spoke of in three days, am I right?" she said so low neither Naruto nor Shikamaru managed to grasp the concept of her words.
Hiashi narrowed his eyes at the implication hinted. "Aa," he acknowledged in a similar manner. "Three days. Just three days, Aburame. Whatever you do..." he swallowed his pride, a difficult task, and bowed his head for his next unexpected request, "whatever you do, keep my heir safe."
Chocolate brown eyes blew wide in an act of genuine surprise. She had never imagined he'd do something like that.
This...she hadn't foreseen.
"Hmph," she snorted softly, recovered after the impression wore off. She placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze that—if Hiashi's murderous frown was any indication— wasn't appreciated one bit. "Of course we will. Besides, I have several cards up my sleeve...I can assure you, that getting to Hinata-chan won't be easy."
The wink he received made him wonder, but he chose to say nothing.
As if reading his thoughts, Mitsuki made a zip-like motion across her lips, admitting her reluctance at sharing her secrets.
Hiashi's glower of displeasure showed in the way his lips were pulled downwards by invisible strings. "I am her father, Aburame. It would be wise not to hide anything from me."
Mitsuki lolled her head. "You aren't gonna let this one go, are you?" she inquired rhetorically. She exhaled. "Ah, well, I had it coming. I shouldn't have opened my mouth."
Hiashi pierced her with his inactivated Byakugan, waiting.
The female ANBU Captain sobered, and said quietly, "Tsunade-sama and I found a way to weaken Hinata's cursed seal." She pursed her wine-colored lips. "For a period of time, anyway."
Her words shouldn't have held that much power, that much heaviness, but they did.
Hiashi's chest tightened painfully in his innards, and his eyes —always guarded against frail emotions— shone with a light that spoke of hope.
"How?" he managed to say.
Mitsuki leaned closer. "When your daughter comes...you will see. Tsunade-sama had someone work on a sealing technique. It might have secondary effects, such as making her feel faint or pass out completely, so I guess telling you beforehand isn't such a bad idea. When she arrives, I won't waste time, do you understand?"
Hiashi didn't like it, but he accentuated slowly, knuckles white.
"It's settled, then. The technique will take a good amount of her chakra, not the caster's, due to her being the carrier of the seal, but she'll have to bear it. That's where you come in. You need to catch her if she falls."
"I see," Hiashi drawled slowly.
The Aburame Matriarch grimaced in discontentment at his tone. "I don't like it either, but it has to be done. The suppressor– "
"Suppressor?" Lord Hyuuga interrupted.
Not offended or annoyed at being cut off, Mitsuki continued. "Yes, a suppressor, naturally. It's not a counterseal or anything that permanent. I'm not a Fuinjutsu master and our time was pretty limited. I don't have experience with crafting counter-seals, though I do know a thing or two about sealing. Your daughter's curse seal, however, is unusual and rather difficult, we've been over this. It won't be easy to take it away from her."
Inwardly deflating, Hiashi said no more.
She added, "The shinobi who came up with what we'll be using today has sealed other things before, among them human bodies, but, well, they weren't exactly alive when he did that, and he and Yamato-taichou customized the technique as best as they could."
That...hardly convinced him about the whole affair.
Smiling suddenly at something she captured behind him, Mitsuki announced, "She's here."
This made everyone present glance at the corridor from which Yamato emerged, giving way to Sasuke...and a human-sized bulk in the latter's arms.
Her face was turned away from them, and her body was wrapped in a blanket, but no one could miss the long braid of indigo hair sneaking out of the covering flung over her figure.
The room caught its breath and held it.
Hinata.
XXX
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It gave her a sense of deja vu, flying on Sasuke's summoning hawk with him by her side.
And just like two weeks ago, the cool breeze once again took hold of her face, whispering against her skin and howling in the distance. It stubbornly played with the tips of her bangs and eager on declaring war against the blanket Sasuke had rolled her in, seeking to penetrate the fabric and cut deep into her tissue with its coldness.
But Hinata was uninterested in the wind's tricks or its insistent claim for attention. Something she'd been meaning to ask was at the forefront of her thoughts.
It was a childish matter, even ridiculous, but she couldn't squish the urge brimming, overflowing with curiosity.
After considering it for a long moment, she spoke.
"Uchiha-kun."
Sasuke glanced down at her, the vibrations of his chest as he grumbled a "Hmm?" tickling her pressed cheek. Unlike two weeks ago, this time she faced his front, his hold on her steadfast.
She nearly giggled at the strange tickling feeling, her skin sensitive to the sensations around her.
Instead, she burrowed her face closer, causing Sasuke to tense at the rather bold contact.
Hinata went still, unsure of how to proceed.
Was she overstepping a boundary? She flushed with cumbersome chagrin. How exactly was she supposed to behave in front of the man she'd kissed long and hard not even fifteen minutes ago?
As traditional as the Hyuuga were, no family lesson had prepared her for concerns of this nature.
Before she had the chance to back away and figure it out, the dark-haired Uchiha relaxed.
"What is it?" he pressed, though not unkindly.
Hinata sighed silently in relief. She'd probably just startled him.
"Can you tell me...what the moon looks like tonight?"
Sasuke hadn't been sure what to expect, but it was everything but something this peculiar. He really should've known better.
Arching a brow, he looked at the hovering narrow eyelid of silvery light high above.
"...It's a crescent moon."
"A crescent," she repeated, mostly to herself. "Waning, or waxing?"
Sasuke thought about it for a split of a second. He wasn't an individual that kept track of moon phases and it became necessary to rack his brain for an answer. "Waning."
Hinata nodded thoughtfully.
Sasuke planned on leaving it at that. It was no business of his why she wished to know that piece of odd information. Yet, he ended voicing a, "Why?"
She didn't need him to repeat himself, even though the wind took his word captive and carried it away, lost in a sea of air. "On clear nights, I like to look at the moon," simply and honestly, she confessed. "Or used to, really," she amended with palpable resignation.
Sasuke swallowed and it tasted bitter.
I'm sorry, he wanted to say but knew his words would change nothing. Her sight wouldn't return on an apology alone. Her scars wouldn't vanish just because he asked Fate to do so. She wouldn't wake from this nightmare even if he willed it so.
"There is a place, here in Konoha, beyond the training grounds in a high hill. Anybody can go there and forget that the world exists. If people could stay there forever, I'm certain they would. Not many know of the location, however, and the ones that do keep it to themselves. It may be a selfish thing to do," she mused softly, "but I can't blame them. When you go at night it gets even better, and you can see all of the seasonal constellations up in the sky. And the moon," she said with more excitement. "The moon seems so close, especially in summers and winters when it's full. If you are lucky and the day falls on the perigee, you could pluck it from the very heavens if you tried—"
Catching herself, she paused but bravely pushed to the end.
"It's a place I cherished and it brings good memories. Seeing a moon like that, it's not a sight anyone can ever forget." Her face, which had begun glowing with a new light, flicked off as fast as it had lit up. "Could you imagine, Uchiha-kun," she ventured quietly, "if one night, you looked up at the stars and were able to capture the moon in your hands?"
Observing her as she was, nestled to his chest, soft, warm, but blossoming with pulsing distress, Sasuke discovered...that he could, because he had just done so tonight.
He'd already held her in his arms, hands cupping her face and tilting her mouth to his with urgency.
He glanced away from his own personal moon and up at the waning celestial wink once more, his onyx stare meditative.
"Maybe I'll show it to you," he finally intoned, "one day, inside your own mind." He tapped his forefinger on her temple with soft precision.
Hinata perked at this, and her head lifted in his direction. "Can Uchiha-kun do that?" she asked softly, her hand touching the spot he'd tapped idly.
Sasuke's mouth twitched. "Maybe," he shrugged. "It's just a theory...but we'll manage somehow, don't you think?" At this point, he'd hang the whole cosmos before her mind's eye if she asked him to.
Hinata weighted his words with great care.
If the theory turned out to be false...did she dare hope?
"Yes." She did. Believing in the impossible was better than believing in nothing.
Hoping to win against the greatest of odds was something she had learned to do over the years and those hopes had worked out in the end, although not always in the way she anticipated.
"Then it's a plan."
Her almost undetectable smile was her only reply to his assertion.
No words were needed to tell him that she believed him, and no words were needed to make her believe.
Somehow, trust had established its roots deep into her being, and wouldn't let her go.
She rested back on his chest, the rhythm of his heart strong and comforting in her ears.
XXX
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Hinata.
She was here.
Finally, she was here.
Naruto couldn't do anything but stare numbly as Sasuke, his best friend, set Hinata on her feet the way a person treated a glass figurine: delicately.
Seeing her was like diving in the water.
The slow-motion scene playing before him was...somewhat detained.
With the world moving at a sluggish pace, Naruto noticed.
He noted from what Hinata was wearing, to how Hiashi walked towards her, his steps full of purpose as his daughter appeared in their midst.
But Naruto's eyes disregarded the Hyuuga clan head.
He was observing something else with surprise and suspicion.
The way the Uchiha kept a firm hold on her shoulders disturbed him and the way she grabbed his sleeve for some sort of support made the pit in his stomach fill with jagged rocks.
He'd known the Uchiha had looked after her for a while, but Hinata had interacted with Naruto for years and she'd never leaned on him the way she did on Sasuke.
It was...unnatural.
His eyes saw more than his mind could process, unable to catch up.
Shikamaru yanked on his arm, stopping him before he could take mindlessly step forward.
"H-huh?" he questioned dumbly, snapped out of his strange daze.
"I told you to be discreet when Hinata got here. Let her father go first. You can talk to her later. Trust me."
And so Naruto trusted, but not without feeling like he was out of place and didn't belong in the picture.
He just...didn't fit in this scenario of Hiashi hugging his daughter and combing her bangs away from her face, murmuring something his ears couldn't catch, of Sasuke staying by her side inflexible like a statue, of the barely-known Aburame woman crossing her arms over her chest, pleased with how things were rolling.
The blond Jinchuuriki had never felt this left out in years, and it made him uncomfortable.
All of that was thrown out of the window when the woman, the female ANBU, began to form swift sets of hand-seals with her sight set on an unsuspecting Hinata. All of her hand signs were so unbelievably fast that Naruto's cry of "Hey!" wasn't fast enough to warn the rest.
By the time his shout echoed in the vast, dark room, the female ANBU had placed an open-palm strike against Hinata's midsection, causing her to gasp sharply and doubled over, her muscles unresponsive as her legs folded underneath her.
She'd have met unpleasantly with the floor, if not for Hiashi, who took all of her dead weight.
Naruto was already running, Shikamaru right behind him, when he heard her speak.
For the first time in months, he heard her voice, soft, gentle, and so...Hinata.
"W-what's happening?" she gasped, her limbs beginning to convulse, white-blue pathways of chakra flickering on her skin and then disappearing under her clothes.
"It's all right, just let this run its course, daughter. You won't be harmed." At least, that's what Hiashi hoped.
"But my chakra is–" disappearing.
Or maybe dying. She was uncertain, but it hurt. Shizune-san hadn't warned her about this.
"We need to dissipate your chakra signature, Hinata-chan," Mitsuki intervened, kneeling beside her and Hiashi. "I'm sorry, but you must endure. It'll pass in a moment."
Had she possessed the ability or the energy to nod in acknowledgment, Hinata would have done so just to be polite.
But she was unable to; her core was burning and protesting as if her chakra refused to part ways with her body and Hinata couldn't think properly.
"Uchiha-kun?" was her last call before a lightning-fast depletion of chraka wiped her mind of all coherent thought. Exhaustion settled into her bones like lead, heavy and suffocating. An acute thirst parched her tongue and her throat filled with cotton and sand.
"I'm here."
Hinata's coiled muscles loosened at the sound of his baritone voice. It was like curative cream on a wound, and she eased with a feeble sigh.
Sasuke.
"Rest now."
By now Hinata couldn't distinguish between up and down, the words coming as if from very far away.
"You'll be okay."
That was the last thing she overheard before darkness embraced her.
Checking her vital signs, Mitsuki bit her lip in relief. Everything was in order.
Excellent.
She stood, leaving Hinata in her father's care, and faced the other members in the room, Yamato included.
"We don't have all night. The sun will appear in less than ten hours, so let's go!"
XXX
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Meanwhile, in the southern gate of Konoha, six shadows ran to the opposite side of Konoha's main gate, aiming for the mountains at the back of the village.
Taking the led, two wild dogs accompanied their mistress, fast feet gliding through the floor as Inuzuka Hana's sharp eyes and nose looked and smelled through the holes of her mask for the trails her Captain had left specifically for her.
Had Captain not left those particular signs, Hana would've passed them by without a second thought.
They were that subtle.
Just behind her was Sai, his large scroll strapped to his back, giving his identity away to those who knew of him and his inked techniques.
Trailing the ex-Root ninja was Yamanaka Ino, her purple outfit gone and replaced by a pitch-black uniform.
She was no ANBU, and her mask had no design or distinctive shape, but she was managing to catch up with the speed strain placed upon her person as the back-up Team put together by Mitsuki made its exit with Choji by her side.
Team 10 was incomplete for now, but soon, maybe in two days, they would reunite with Shikamaru, whom they knew was with Hinata and Mitsuki herself.
Aside from that, they knew nothing, but that was okay. They didn't need to know anything else.
Their priority was clear; catch up to the main team in the concurred location, protect them and serve as back-up.
Those were her duties.
Don't worry, Hinata, Shikamaru, the blonde thought.
We're on your way. Wait for me. Wait for us.
XXX
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A cry of untamed frustration and the sound of shattering glass woke up the child with the eyes of a cat.
Sleepy green orbs shone in the darkness, confused. They quickly cleared with recognition of the toxic and suffocating atmosphere that was descending over the hut housing him. The sharp crack of old furniture splitting apart as it crashed against the wall only served to petrify him further.
"Where?!" his Mistress demanded furiously, white teeth clenching together until they almost snapped. "Where is she?! Where?!" were the shrill cries for an answer that would never come.
Resting on the humble bed, the boy's little frame shook. He hated it when his Mistress had one of those raging episodes.
They scared him. They scared him a lot.
The one who suffered, in the end, was him.
Always him.
Meanwhile, not too far away from the brittle wall that divided him and his Mistress, heavy and bare footsteps slapped the floor with menace.
Why?! Why was there no response from the seal on the despised Hyuuga successor? There was no tell-tale sign that could indicate her whereabouts, none.
Anger, scathing and overpowering, filled the entire place, contaminating the air with a black rotten aura that suffocated.
Where was she? Where was Hyuuga Hinata, the light of the Byakugan clan, the one with empty eye-sockets?
It had been hours since she was last detected.
Just where was she hiding, how had she disappeared from range so suddenly?
It was impossible. Utterly impossible.
The techniques used over that stupid girl were fool-proof, unbreakable. No one could get rid of them, unless the heiress herself was killed first.
How had she escaped?
Hands, now young with fresh flesh and new bone marrow, ran wild without a destination over a head of platinum blond hair, disheveling the long strands.
Not even the Cursed Seal of Demon Blood on her forehead seemed to work. Every time the tall, willowy figure dressed in a white tunic tried to localize it, the Seal disintegrated like smoke, out of reach.
This...
This changed things.
Teeth gritted together in a sign of intense ire before un-grounding.
The Seal was strong. Whatever it was that the Hyuuga had done wouldn't last; it would hold for the time being, even without assistance or renewal. It was, after all, the most binding seal in the arsenal, and the possibility of a counter seal existing was diminutive at worst, nonexistent at best.
However...risks couldn't well be taken. Not now.
Toxic green eyes narrowed.
Just what were the chances of the Hyuuga creating a seal good enough to weaken Demon Blood?
"Aska," the voice called and beneath a thin blanket, a child froze.
The hesitation didn't last, however. Instead, the child, Aska, rose swiftly at the command. Before his Mistress could call twice, something that could not –should not – be allowed to happen, Aska was before the figure in unstained white, a color that someone so twisted had no right to use.
"Mistress Jivu," he bowed, his knees almost buckling under him as he did.
Jivu, the woman with striking green eyes and hardened features stood tall like a tower, and just as formidable in front of the room, before walking in his direction, her long mane of blond trailing after her, chains of hair whispering against the dry wood as she neared.
"Aska," the blonde murmured fondly. If Aska didn't know better, he would have dared to believe that she cared. Perhaps just a little bit.
But that was a mistake he'd never commit again.
He had learned from past experiences not to trust what his ears heard. That voice, his Mistress's, was so soft, like a feather, airy and succulent, seducing in its own way. Even him, a child, realized the power of her voice. It was a deadly thing and not at all trustworthy.
Many fell in the trap of her voice and ended with their blood drained and vitality stolen, lives ruined if lucky, or slowly tortured and left to die on the side of the swamp if unlucky.
He stayed, unmoved, facing the floor, waiting for instructions. Mistress Jivu never called him without good reason.
Bare, delicate feet came into his vision, glide over the floor without much of a sound. He remained utterly silent. It was never wise to speak out of turn when in her presence.
She was like a haunting ghost, full of a dominating grace that made the ones present come to stop, frozen by the appearance of caramel skin and vivid emerald eyes. Eyes full of contempt, bathed in dark hatred, intensified with a want to hurt.
If not for her gaze, his Mistress would have been the fairest of all women.
A beautiful and deadly mystery that flowed through the world, whom Death had claimed long ago, but was once again containing life. Life, may it be added, that was seized from others through a rarely known but unholy method.
She stopped in front of him, her clothes a whisper as she halted.
"I need you to do something."
The child looked up slowly when he sensed her waiting for a reply.
She knelt to his level, and with a lashing motion, grasped his cheeks in a painful grip to force him to look at her, almost making him lose his entire balance when she pulled at him.
Identical eyes clashed, one young and scared, the other carved from pure, hard marble.
"You will do as I say, no matter the order, won't you, beloved Aska?" she questioned sweetly and paused for good measure. "You wouldn't want to sleep in that place again, would you?"
His eyes widened, and he shook his head emphatically.
Her full red lips lifted into a smile. "Good boy. Follow whatever I say, and you will never have to sleep underground again. Do I make myself clear, Aska?"
And what else could he have answered with other than an obedient:
"Yes, Mistress Jivu."
XXXX
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A/N: Been trying to publish for the last month. School leaves no time to write, so sorry.
So, Jivu. Hinata's kidnapper is a woman, and this is she. Remember blond hair, green eyes & the kid Neji encountered? If you paid attention to previous appearances, Jivu's character was never mentioned to have a gender. I simply described her as a monster, a sort of 'it', never a 'he' or 'she'. Hinata said she heard 'his' voice, but things are never what they seem, or sound like. More explanations will unfold, so stay tuned
I took 15 chapters to add some kind of...intimacy to avoid making the characters ooc, though Sasu's behaving weird and I can't stop it.
In Japan, kisses aren't supposed to be given lightly & neither did I want a kiss w/out intensity. So no, nothing serious happened, now go wash that dirty mind of yours lol. No one kisses for the first time and then, ya know, does THAT. (Edit:or so I thought when I was 16. Now that I'm older, I know better).
I laughed hard about the reviews involving Yamato. Yeah, he was waiting the entire time...just...waiting *owl hoot.
This story was supposed to have only 15 chps & we're kind of beyond that. I'll be focusing on this story more than any other. I want to give it closure so the rest of my projects can be concluded.
Thank you: MsChifSantos, Darth Lelouch, Kibachow, Guest, Tenzin, farahb, Tamani, Yazie567, LuvleeCookieChan, xHinaLovex, OrangeisMe, 21me21, NarutoLove27, Scarlette Winter, FireGladiator, umnia, Sani K. Halleng, Break Blade, tenten143, kawaii0sama25, TIM N'DALLY's GURL, onlyluna, anlmoon, Sahel, BekotaTheMonsterHuntress, Duchess23, Fiona, LIZA, Myreally, aurora0914, TheValkyrieGladiator, Dark Amy-chan, iivolchen, MCD, Black White And Inbetween, Guest, TAIRA18, josephineeee, YukiTenVianey Team, & Death by Me!
I received screams and mental break downs from you all along the way, and I loved it XD Thank you for the wonderful reviews.
1K reviews? Haha, I feel flattered but when I began this I never thought to get pass 300. Now we're almost at 500! :D Hopefully we'll reach 1K. I personally think it's every author's dream...I know it's one of mine. Maybe someday.
-11.6.14
Revised 7.7.20