Fourth chapter: Feel My Blade
Neji sighed. They had been traveling through the forest for a few hours now. They weren't proceeding very quickly so that they wouldn't waste too much chakra. Now he took care that Hinata could keep up with the pace and looked over his shoulder once in a while to see her still jumping behind him.
Hinata was getting thirsty and hungry because they had forgotten their food yesterday when Sakura had showed up. Hinata still carried the plants she had dug up though. She was planning to make some ointments and other medicines when they'd hold a pause.
They didn't talk much, only muttered something once in a while. Both Hinata and Neji had many things to think about, most of all about Sakura and her sudden disappearing. They had been seriously surprised when they had found Sakura's message.
A small river below them caught Neji's eyes. He raised his hand gesturing Hinata to stop. "We can keep a pause here if you want, Hinata-sama." Actually, he'd like a short break himself; after all he had had only two or three hours of sleep last night.
"I'd like that very much, brother Neji." She wasn't very exhausted but she wanted to pause.
They jumped off of the tree branch where they had been standing and landed softly on the ground. Hinata walked beside the stream and splashed the cool water on her face. It made her feel refreshed and more spirited. Neji came to stand next to her and he too washed his face. They filled their water flacons, drank a little and sat down, leaning against a tree.
"Whew." Hinata's shoulder brushed gently against Neji's. She thought she could make the medicines during the pause and removed the fabric she had packed them in. Good, they've dried. Now it'll be easier to make the ointments.
Neji cast a glance at her work -when had she learned how to make medicines? Déjà vu. I've thought about this before. He might as well ask her. "When did you learn how to make medicines, Hinata-sama?"
Hinata's cheeks grew a shade of pink and she turned to face him. "Umm, this has jus been a hobby of mine for a rather long time. When I was still with Shino-kun and Kiba-kun I could help them with my medicines, especially Kiba-kun.", Hinata said shyly. "I'm not so good at it but I like working with plants so it's fun."
"Oh." Neji fell into deep thought.
Hinata returned to her work. She crushed the dry herbs and separated them into detached little pouches. She always carried a few extra pouches with her in case something would happen. She added a little water in two pouches containing purplish flowers and green leaves.
When Hinata was done she rested her back against the tree. She felt Neji's eyes on her and tried to keep from blushing. Hinata didn't know why she still blushed every time Neji talked to her or looked at her. She just felt like she'd like to run away when he addressed her. Hinata felt her stomach burning -was it hunger or something else? It was kind of funny feeling, like there was some strange hot liquid inside her.
Neji had been watching when Hinata had made the ointments but now he turned his eyes away. Maybe he should get them something to eat since Hinata had used all the herbs to make those medicines. Neji stood up silently and looked down at Hinata. She raised her face to meet his eyes and was captured by those emotionless eyes once again.
Ice cold eyes were softened by the mirroring of the gentler white eyes.
"I'm going to get us something to eat, Hinata-sama", Neji said, never letting go of her eyes. Hinata just stared at him weakly, unable to form any intelligent thoughts. She finally broke her eyes away and nodded staring at the ground. Her shoulders shuddered a little.
Neji smirked. What a coward. But he couldn't help feeling a little twinge in his stomach when he saw her looking at the ground, helpless and nervous. It was actually ironic that the one who was assigned to be Hinata's guardian was the person she was afraid of.
Neji walked away planning to catch a rabbit or something they could eat. Maybe rabbit wasn't very suited for them but what else could he do. Hinata was the one of them who knew plants and herbs and he couldn't let her make their food every time. Of course, he had some knowledge in plants but he was nowhere near as good as Hinata.
Hinata, in time, was recovering from the mental shock Neji had given her. Why did he do it? It was like he tried to eat her alive! Hinata's heart thumped twice as rapidly as usual and for a moment it was all she could hear. Then her pulse slowed down and she took a deep breath and let it out slowly, relaxing.
Hinata had time to examine her surroundings. The stream was on her right side and the tree she was leaning against just beside it. The ground she was sitting on was covered in soft green grass. There weren't any flowers or other plants on it, just bare grass. The trees were huge and evergreen. It was a peaceful forest but Hinata noticed that she couldn't hear the birds' singing anymore. She had seen small animals like foxes and squirrels on their way but no birds.
"Strange", Hinata muttered out loud. "What could make them escape this part of the forest?" She sat on the ground wondering the mystery for quite a while, listening to the flowing of the river. It soothed her mind and body and she forgot every dark thought swirling in her mind.
Hinata closed her eyes and leaned more comfortably against the tree trunk. She crossed her legs and set her arms on the ground relaxed. Suddenly an image flashed in front of her closed eyelids. It was a spiral, circling endlessly around her, coming closer and closer.
"Hinata-sama!" Neji called her. Hinata snapped out of her dream and stared at Neji. Her eyes were wide and she was breathing rapidly. "Did you fall asleep?"
"I- I think so." Hinata tried to recall her dream. There had been a spiral but nothing else. What did it mean?
"You should be on your guard, Hinata-sama. You can never know where the enemies will appear", Neji told her. Why was she so frightened? Had he scared her? It was probably just a dream. "Did you have a nightmare?"
"I don't know." Hinata shivered a little. "There was a- a spiral circling around me and it came closer and closer and then you woke me up", she continued and looked around her in confusion. "Did I talk something in my sleep?"
"No, your body shook but that's all." Actually, there had been more to it. Hinata's lips had moved as if she was talking but he hadn't figured out what it was. He decided to drop the whole subject.
Only now Hinata noticed that Neji had caught them a rabbit to eat. Rather brutal. Hinata wrinkled her nose a little, but smiled at the same time. We'll become wild animals before we reach the Lightning Country. "How are we going to cook that?" She pointed at the rabbit. It wasn't probably the wisest thing to do to put on a fire but they weren't going to eat it raw, were they?
"I don't think we should light a fire because it'd be as good as to invite all the spies in this forest to eat with us, so maybe we should eat it raw." Neji's answer awoke Hinata's fears. She gulped and muttered something unintelligible. Well, if Neji could eat it raw, then she could. Hinata took a look at the rabbit, it looked very dead and stiff, poor rabbit. Hinata almost pitied it but that was nature's way.
"That was merely a joke." It was amusing how easily she believed everything he told her.
Hinata's eyes darted at him, full of disbelief. "Are you mocking me?" She tried to stay cool and collected. The atmosphere between them was getting strangely comfortable, there was no tension or stress.
"Not quite, Hinata-sama. I just said a joke, that's all." Neji attempted to hide a small smile creeping up his lips. Hinata's disbelieving expression made it all the more difficult to prevent it and finally he let a hint of smile raise the corner of his mouth. Hinata's eyes widened even more at this and she too felt like smiling. Her eyes filled with warmth and she looked at Neji's eyes without blushing or feeling fear.
The moment stayed in their memories long after they left the river and their resting place, a place they never returned to when they were alive.
"Then, how will we cook the rabbit?"
The light moment was gone and the cold mask returned to Neji's face. "I could infuse it with my chakra and make it edible that way or we could put on a fire and pray that nobody sees it." Hinata nodded and pondered the two options.
Neji wouldn't squander much chakra by cooking the rabbit but if somebody saw their fire they would really have to waste their chakra in either running away from the attackers or fighting them.
"Alright." A thoughtful pause. "Do you want to help?"
"If- If I can be of any use I'd be glad to", Hinata said softly. She didn't want Neji to look down at her and she wanted to do everything to prove that she had changed after he had beat her in the Chuunin exams many years ago -even cook a rabbit if it helped.
"Alright", Neji repeated. "Take the rabbit's paws in your hands and let out a little of your chakra. It doesn't need much to be edible." Hinata did as she was told and placed her hands in the soft paws of the dead rabbit. Hinata was startled to notice that Neji had gotten behind her and placed his hands over hers, his body pressed lightly against her back.
Hinata turned to look at Neji and at the sudden movement her cheek brushed against his lips. She blushed deep scarlet and stammered, "Wh- What are you doing, Brother Neji?"
Neji just looked at her annoyed. "It has to be done like this, or haven't you ever cooked anything with chakra before?" Obviously she hadn't. "The chakra has to be channeled into the rabbit through one or two holes, no more. So we have to keep our hands in the same places. Do you understand? When I let my chakra out, you gather it and send it to the rabbit."
"Yes", Hinata muttered, holding her breath. Neji treated her like a child. She still wondered why he had to be behind her but let the subject be. It wasn't uncomfortable like this, not at all. She, in her betraying mind, enjoyed the situation quite a lot. When she realized her thoughts she blushed again and tried to shake it off, only to hit Neji in the chin with the back of her head.
"I- I'm terribly sorry!"
Neji muttered something under his breath but didn't reply. He only nodded towards the rabbit to get her attention to it. "Oh, right. I'm sorry." Again bidding her apologize and turned back to their soon-to-be meal. It felt like her life was nothing but apologizing. Next she'd have to be sorry about being alive.
Hinata concentrated her chakra on her hands and let it flow out slowly. She felt Neji's chakra swirling around her hands, tickling. She gathered it to her palms and sent it to the rabbit. In only a few seconds she could feel the rabbit changing, not cooking but becoming more lithesome. Hinata couldn't find any other word than 'strange' to describe the experience.
"It should be good enough now." Neji took his hands away from hers. He stood up and got next to Hinata who was still kneeling down. They ate their food in silence, leaving some for their long journey.
The meal wasn't one of the best Hinata or Neji had eaten in their lives but as it was proved, anything tasted good in a forest. And they had been without food last night which made it all the more enjoyable. Neji finished his eating and saw that Hinata too had finished. They stood up silently and made their way to one of the huge trees.
Hinata sighed. Neji jumped on the tree branch once again and prepared to leave. Hinata didn't get up yet but remained on the ground, looking at their resting place. She let out another small sigh and jumped to stand next to Neji. She looked at him and saw him looking forward with stern and sharp eyes.
"What do you sense, Brother Neji?"
Neji looked at her and said grimly, "I feel like there's something bad coming towards us. I don't know what it is, but its intentions definitely aren't good." Hinata concentrated and she, too, sensed something ominous in a small distance. The feeling was like the evil was covered in mist and they couldn't see through it.
"Whatever it is, we better get going." Leaving no room for arguments he started running forward. Hinata followed him, thinking about the approaching difficulties they'd have to endure. They had been talking a little that morning and decided that they should first get to the Lightning Country, then seek for the Hidden Cloud Village. This done, they'd find out who had given the orders to abduct Hinata and assassinate him or her. It didn't sound like an easy task to do but they'd never fulfill it if they were afraid of it. They had to become familiar with their enemy -an important advice from their days in the academy.
They ran and ran, seeing only trees and grass, once in a while some small animal walking beneath them. They proceeded quickly and nothing unordinary happened. They muttered something to each other occasionally, like mentioning if they felt any bad omens or weird animals -even animals could be enemies.
They had a short break again but didn't get off the tree. They leaned against the trunk and drank some water. Neji grumbled quietly and looked at his feet. They were sore and tender from all the running and jumping. He hadn't had enough time to recover last night and he cursed his stupidity for that. Now how could they get going?
Hinata became concerned when she saw Neji's feet. She should offer her help even though he would reject it. "Brother Neji?"
He looked at her, annoyed at himself for showing the weak moment to her. "What?"
"I- I could probably help you, if you'd accept it", Hinata said quietly but still sounding determined. Neji gave her his approval for it.
"Do you mean your medicine? I don't think they're enough to heal this." His cold voice couldn't reach her feelings enough to hurt her. She had unknowingly built a wall around herself, like the mask she wore on her face. Don't show emotions and don't get hurt by emotions –a statement that pretty much worked with her.
"We should at least try. It has worked before."
"Alright, let's try", he said impatiently. He doubted the medicine's effectiveness but let it be.
"I have to examine your wounds to use the right medicine, Brother Neji. Could you please remove your shoes?" Neji took off his sandals and grimaced at the pain. His feet were bleeding and sore. How did I become so pampered? Hinata came still a little closer and reached out her hands.
Her fingers touched Neji's foot, cooling the burning pain. The fingers ran over his foot and gently lifted it into her lap. There she examined it, poking and caressing occasionally here and there. Neji looked in amaze how Hinata worked, without a line of worry on her face, gently nursing him to health again.
She pulled out a small pouch containing some strange remedy and spread it on his foot. Neji winced at the sudden touch of the sticky liquid but remained silent. The pain was quickly away as the medicine began to do its work. The cuts and bruises healed instantly, leaving only dry blood behind. His foot felt lighter and he moved his toes a little.
Hinata got a sudden urge to tickle his foot but left it alone. She didn't want to annoy him anymore. Then she took his other foot into her lap repeated the operation. When he was healed Hinata got up to move on a different tree branch to let him be alone. Not that it made a gap enough for loneliness between them. They were bound to each other too tightly.
A quiet "Don't go away" halted her. He looked away from her so Hinata couldn't read his expression.
What a strange moment. Hinata froze completely at the words she had never thought she'd hear from anybody, at least from the man who was supposed to hate her! Her eyes widened slightly as she turned to look at Neji. "What?" It wasn't a question asked because she hadn't heard him. They both knew it. Hinata thought of herself as an annoyance.
Neji was silent for a while. "If I said I wanted you to stay, I probably meant it. So don't think of yourself as a nuisance." He still looked away from her and didn't show his face. Hinata felt a slight smile creep up the corner of of ofher lips as she sat down, next to him.
Hinata let out a sigh and leaned against Neji's shoulder and the tree trunk. Neji relaxed beside her and rested his head to the trunk. The moment was comfortable, with all the worries and stress put behind.
A few long minutes passed by. Neji felt Hinata's shoulder brushing his and leaned against it. Hinata let out a soft breath but didn't move away. Instead, she slowly turned her head to see him. Neji's eyes were closed and he looked peaceful, as if sleeping. Hinata inhaled lightly and held the breath inside. She slowly leaned her head on his shoulder and let the breath through her almost closed lips.
Neji opened his eyes when Hinata laid her head on his shoulder. He raised an eyebrow at this and smiled amusedly. The rare smile made his face gentler and friendlier. It brightened his eyes, leaving only the deepest depths dark and unmoved. That part of him was never touched by any emotion, it remained cold and hard even in the happiest times.
Neji saw Hinata's hand resting next to her thigh. He moved his own hand above hers and placed it gently over it. Neji's hand was scarred and calloused from the numerous fights and missions over the years, but in contrast, Hinata's hand was smooth and delicate. In her mind it showed the vast difference between them. Neji always had something important to fight for when she had nothing. The long, slender fingers entwined with hers. He held her hand tightly, curling it into a loose fist.
Then he felt Hinata tremble beside him and looked at her. Her eyes were tightly shut and she clutched his fingers hard. A line of pain crossed her smooth features. Turning to her wholly, he put his other hand on her shoulder and encircled her into a clumsy hug.
Hinata's eyes widened rapidly but then she forced herself to relax and leaned against him. She didn't know what was wrong with her but suddenly she felt like crying. She tried to fight the tears back and squeezed her eyes shut and the pain in her chest burst and she swallowed hard.
Neji didn't notice any of this, just Hinata shivering under his touch. Did he make her feel difficult? He looked down seeing her resting her forehead against his shoulder. Her arm came loosely around his waist and the other was still clutching Neji's hand.
The feeling of extreme safety came over Hinata and she sighed. Oh, how she wished she could always be like that, not caring about the Lightning Country or any other things besides Neji and her-- Where did that come from? She was suddenly afraid of herself and her feelings. What was the emotion swirling in her heart?
Neji saw a lone bird flying over them, freely, to the cerulean sky. Free bird, but lonely. Was that the cost of freedom? To be alone? He shook his head to get those thought away from his head. Now he didn't want to think about anything else besides Hinata and him-- What was that thought? Completely unlike him to think like that of anyone.
They both sighed once more. The moment was passing away and they knew they had to get going. Hinata raised her head to face Neji. Their eyes locked but they didn't say anything. Hinata lifted her hand to his forehead and removed his forehead protector. There was a bandage under it covering the curse seal. Her fingers trailed over his brow and she lifted her face and brought her lips on his forehead. She kissed the seal lightly and then stood up.
It was Neji's turn to be shocked. Why had she done that? Thinking that, he stood up and looked down at Hinata. "We should be going. We've already wasted enough time already."
"The time didn't go to waste, Brother Neji."
Neji remained silent, choosing to let go of the subject.
They started jumping again, in the endless forest. Where ever they looked they saw only trees. The mystery of the birds' disappearance still bothered Hinata but if Neji didn't worry then she wouldn't worry. The evening was settling over them, the light vanishing slowly.
In the twilight they came to a halt. Suddenly they both sensed a chakra, a strong chakra in front of them. There was a figure standing on a tree branch before them. They didn't have time to exchange thoughts with each other before the figure leapt towards them.
They couldn't see the figures face but it was clearly a man, an assassin from the Lightning Country perhaps. He jumped right in front of them and smirked. "Caught you in a bad moment, huh?" he sneered. Neji and Hinata looked at him with disbelief. A rather mocking intruder.
Hinata took the Jyuken fighting stance and at the same moment Neji performed Byakugan. The realization hit him at the moment he set his eyes on the enemy. His chakra was amazing. If normal chakra looked icy blue with Byakugan, his chakra was violet. He had never seen anybody with that kind of chakra before! It was close to the feeling he had had when he was fighting with Naruto. The chakra overwhelmed him and swirled around him suffocating.
The enemy started his attack and he jumped at Hinata. She evaded his kick easily but the enemy was faster and sent fire along a string towards Hinata. Hinata who had avoided the kick and turned her back to the enemy wasn't quick enough to react.
"Hinata!" Neji yelled. "Look out!" But it was too late for Hinata to jump away from the attack. It was Neji's turn to help her. With a god-like speed he jumped at Hinata and threw her out of the way. Hinata flew through the air and landed on a tree branch safely. Neji wasn't as lucky.
He was caught into the fire and string and it bind him to a tree trunk. His back was crushed against the trunk and the breath in his lungs was off. He coughed and blood burst out of his mouth. He had had time to use some chakra to protect himself from the fire but it had still burnt him a little.
The enemy jumped in front of him and made a quick hand seal and started to perform another jutsu. He drew a deep breath but before he had time to unleash it on Neji, Hinata jumped at him, kicking him on the side.
He lost his balance and almost tripped. Recovering from the attack he jumped to another tree branch. Neji had enough time to rip himself away from the string and the trunk. He fell on his knees and coughed up blood. The red liquid dripped down his chin to his chest and onto the branch. Hinata immediately put her hands on his bent back and muttered something.
Her hands and the air near them began to glow bright blue. It was like energy from the air was gathering to her hands. She closed her eyes and gave a hard push with her hands to his back. Neji's eyes widened as he felt his inner organs healing and beginning to work again. Then Hinata took her hands away and stepped back.
The enemy had been watching this with amusement. So this is what she's capable of doing. He had expected to meet a weak girl with no confidence and guards surrounding her. But there was a spirited young woman with only one companion. Her skill at healing was good but there was space to improve.
But, this was no time to be criticizing the enemy. He was sorry for himself that he hadn't noticed her in the first place when she had kicked him. It had taken him away the chance to finish off the other guy who looked dangerously strong. Well, he just had to take care of that.
Neji was now standing, feeling new energy and strength building up inside him. Hinata looked exhausted from what she had done but was still standing. It took a lot of her chakra to heal others' bodies without any medicine but she had trained enough to become rather skilled with it. That way she was able to help other in the times of danger. She didn't have to be physically strong to be of use.
The enemy looked at them even more amused. What was there between those two? An unbreakable bond, he realized, and that they weren't even aware of it. He was beginning to have doubts of his easy victory -those two could almost read each others' thoughts. But he would win, despite whether or not the victory was easily gained.
He leapt at them again, this time using an even more improved fire technique. It used a lot of chakra, but he was special -his chakra had never been used to its limit. The amount of his chakra was so huge he had never found anyone to surpass him. So those little bastards weren't going to win him.
Neji realized the enemy's intentions and grabbed Hinata by the waist and pulled her to stand in front of him. "Quickly! Release as much chakra as you can throughout your body!" he whispered hoarsely into her ear.
"What- Why?" Hinata's head jerked back just as the fiery dragon flew past them, straight to the point where Hinata had been standing just a second ago.
"Trust me. I'll take care of this", Neji said in a low voice. He intended to do the Hakke Shou Kaiten* together with Hinata. He had tested the technique before and it had worked although it had been with a more advanced ninja than Hinata. But he had to try.
"You're within the field of my Hakke." Neji used the exactly same words he had said to Naruto during their fight in the Chuunin exams. Taking the stance he released his chakra to swirl around them like a protective barrier.
A nervous sensation crept up Hinata's spine but she trusted Neji completely. She closed her eyes and focused her thoughts to her body. She released her chakra, sending it to Neji. Neji gathered it and entwined it with his own. Holding Hinata, he jumped high in the air and began spinning with infernal force.
The enemy's chakra was thrust back at him, crushing him. He flew against a tree trunk blood bursting from his mouth. Hinata's sharp ears caught a snapping sound over the roaring of their chakra. The fiery dragon slashed at them but it had no power in front of Neji's strength.
They stopped spinning and landed back on the tree branch. Neji let go his grasp on Hinata and stepped back. They looked around and saw the enemy who had fallen against a trunk his chin leaning against his chest. His arms and legs were spread lifelessly around him. Blood dripped from his mouth. "He must be dead. We got a straight hit on him, he couldn't survive it."
Hinata caught a glimpse of the enemy's hand -it was curled into a tight fist. "If he was dead, his hand would be relaxed."
Neji looked at the enemy and he too saw the fist. "Should I kill him, Hinata-sama?" he asked waiting for a command. Hinata pondered it for a while and then said: "I don't think you should. He won't be getting up at least in few moments and by that time we'll be farther away."
Even though they had used almost all of their chakra, they should be able to run away from the enemy so that he wouldn't catch them. They turned to the direction where they had been going before the interruption. Suddenly a rustling sound stopped them.
"I don't think so!" the enemy whispered his eyes blazing horribly. When Hinata turned to look at the enemy, she felt a sharp pain in her face. Two kunais had pierced her face, making two wounds run across her eyes diagonally. She was so shocked she didn't realize the pain. Only after a moment it struck her with full force and she screamed, screamed from the top of her lungs. Tears of pain would have rolled down her face if the sources of them were left.
Neji looked at her horrified. He had seen terrible injuries in his life but never had he seen somebody's eyes cut open. Blood was streaming from her eyes, making her face red. Hinata's screams had silenced but her mouth was still open and she had fallen in her knees, her fingers dug on the tree tearing bark off.
Neji saw that the enemy had slumped back against the tree but now there was a wicked grin on his face. This time, Neji threw a kunai at him to make sure that the bastard died. The kunai struck into his throat and with the force from Neji's arm it went straight to the trunk behind the man sealing him to it.
After those seconds he rushed to Hinata. He gripped her shoulder and turned her face to his. Hinata's face was torn and ugly, her skull was almost visible. Neji said nothing as he gripped her shoulders hard to take Hinata's attention away from her eyes.
"I- I can't see" Hinata whispered. Her voice was shocked and filled with pain but she held her head up. "It hurts- It hurts so much." Never in her pampered life had she been in a pain like this. "Help me, Brother Neji. Help me. Help me." Hinata cried without tears, her face twisted from the agony she endured.
Neji couldn't do anything but stare at her. How hadn't she fainted already? It would have been easier for her to lose consciousness but then she could die. He tried to soothe her by just taking an encouraging grip of her shoulders. But Hinata continued to cry for him. She gripped his arms so hard it hurt but Neji didn't take his arms away.
"Help me…"
Despite Neji's efforts to calm her down Hinata was in a hysterical state and no rational thought could enter her mind. The pain was so horrible that it kept her from losing her mind even though she didn't know if she wanted to go insane instead of the torturing she went through. All her energy was concentrated on whispering those pleading words for Neji.
Hinata's voice became stronger with the increasing pain. Neji couldn't get a word that could help her out of his mouth but he had to silence her. She must have alerted every single person in the reach of ten miles to them!
"Help me!"
Hinata's mouth was suddenly closed by Neji's as he crushed his lips against hers to silence her. He couldn't take his hands to her mouth because she had them in her horrifyingly strong grasp. Hinata was so shocked she couldn't do anything.
The metallic taste of blood filled his senses. He shut his eyes but didn't move away, instead, he pushed harder at Hinata. Finally, Hinata let go of his arms and Neji moved away. Then the pain in Hinata's head assaulted her again, twice as bad. She leaned over her knees and vomited strongly. Neji saw the blood from her eyes mixing with the blood from her insides and he began to feel sick.
Neji then remembered something he had been taught many years ago. He moved to put his hands on either side of Hinata's face and murmured something. The bleeding stopped slowly and the pain resided. Her sight couldn't be returned by his skills but he could make her feel easier.
"We have to get you help, Hinata-sama."
Hinata nodded weakly, trying to face Neji. The attack had affected her ears too, because she couldn't hear Neji clearly. "But how- I can't get going like this", Hinata whispered hoarsely. She couldn't see, she couldn't stand and she couldn't hear. How were they supposed to find someone able to help her?
"I'll carry you, so don't worry", Neji said quietly. Not only had he never been in such a state and had no idea where the closest village was, he was almost out of chakra and had to carry on his back someone who couldn't see. Not the luckiest day in his life.
Neji lifted Hinata on his back and noticed how light she was. He couldn't feel her on his back despite her arms that clung to his shoulders. Her chin rested on his shoulder, her cheek pressed against his. The blood on her stained them both in a curtain of scarlet.
Neji ran and ran until he was so exhausted he almost collapsed. "I- I have to stop, Hinata-sama", Neji whispered to her. Hinata nodded and slid off of his back to the ground. The pain in her head had resided and she could stand now. Neji was so tired he couldn't walk properly, he just wobbled around weakly.
Neji stood beside Hinata. "Are you feeling better?" Hinata nodded again and shakily tried to find her way to a tree trunk. She held her arms stretched out and tried to find something solid she could lean against. But, being in the state she was, she tripped on a root that was above the ground.
Neji caught her before she touched the ground. He pulled her to him and held her tightly by arm. "Don't jump off like that." He walked her to sit beside a huge tree and he too sat down. He took his backpack off of his back and pulled out some food for them to eat. He gave the meat to Hinata's hand. "It's food. It's raw but you should eat it."
Hinata was getting tired of being blind and helpless and ate the food without much appetite. She turned her face to where she assumed that Neji's face was. "I want to- to thank you. For what you've done", she mumbled quietly. Neji didn't say anything –at least not so loud that Hinata could hear him.
"I don't know- I don't know what got into me", Hinata continued. Her head spun and she fought not to lose consciousness. The task became difficult and she leaned against the trunk. A sarcastic thought came to her mind -she would have closed her eyes if she still had them. Is this what it was going to be like from now on? Helpless, depending on others all the time, not being able to be alone?
Neji grunted and said nothing. He didn't think they could get her help any time soon so he had to prepare to carry her for a long time. Not that she weighed anything, she was like a feather. He decided not to say anything to Hinata because he had been enough of a softie for one evening.
Now that Neji thought of it, he realized that the moon and the stars had already risen. The pitch-black sky and the stars gave no warmth, only cold, white light. The sky was beautiful, however, and Neji realized that he hoped that Hinata could see it and share it with him.
"We have a hard day tomorrow, Hinata-sama. We should rest now", Neji said quietly breaking the silence between them. Hinata didn't reply and Neji had to check her pulse to make sure that she was still alive. The beat was slow and even but faint. Neji closed his eyes and leaned against Hinata's shoulder. Hinata rested her cheek on top of his head and fell asleep.
Under the frozen stars, they slept.
Hinata heard a faint sound of yelling. She tried to open her eyes but then remembered that she was blind. She tugged at Neji's arm and he woke up. "I heard screaming, Brother Neji." She turned her head from side to side to hear more. There it was again.
Neji heard it too, a sound of shouting. Then he woke up completely to see that they were surrounded by trees, huge trees. And the more frightening thing was that there was a village built on the trees. The most frightening thing, however, was the sight before them.
It looked like the whole village had got out from their houses and gathered around a huge tree. In that tree, there were two people standing on a tree branch. The other one was leaning against a staff and his back was covered in furs.
The other one, a young man, was struggling against ropes that bounded him to a stilt. There were smaller branches scattered around his feet. The man let out another furious yell. "Let go of me, you scumbag!"
Hinata raised her head to the direction of the sound. The voice sounded a little familiar but she couldn't place it. But Neji saw the man and he couldn't believe his eyes. Another old 'friend' had popped out of nowhere to their way.
Right there, struggling, fighting and yelling, was Uzumaki Naruto who was about to be burned alive.
***
*Jyuken – Gentle Fist style
*Hakke Shou Kaiten – Heavenly Spin