"Yo, Kiba!" Naruto waved at the dog-lover cheerfully as he made his way to the stable where the latter often hangs out.
Inuzuka Kiba looked at the blond boy distrustingly, but decided not to make a comment anymore. He continued to feed Akamaru quietly.
"Er…did I miss something?" Naruto frowned. "Do you have a sore throat or something, that's why you can't make any remarks or anything?"
"Hinata's not here yet," said the cynophile at last. "And it's unlike of her to be out at this time of the night."
"Oh…that." The blond boy sat down by the hay—his favorite place in the stable—and propped his arms at the back of his head to serve as a pillow. "She went with Lady Sakura to the Mist Kingdom."
"She did?" Now Kiba looked a little relieved, but only a little. "I hope she gets home already. She shouldn't be out traveling for so long, even if she's with the Lady Haruno."
"What do you mean?" The orange-clad boy looked at the male curiously, forgetting to mention what Hinata requested of the two of them just this afternoon.
But the dog boy's mouth already clamped shut. It was the end of the conversation.
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Chapter Twelve
This chapter is dedicated to mariel4000 because her reviews say that my fic makes her happy (okaaaay, speechlessly happy with all the Yays she writes!), and that is my number one goal in writing this AU and updating it in a semi-everyday mode despite the other ongoing fics I have. A close second goal is to make you guys fall in love. [nods] I certainly hope that I'm making progress with Goal Number Two.
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Hinata's hands found their way to her heart as she looked at her lap quietly. No…not now, please…
"Hinata?" Sakura looked at her concernedly. "Is something wrong?"
"N-Nothing, Lady Sakura. I-It's just too cold, I-I guess." She forced a smile on her face. "As soon as we reach the palace, I will be alright."
"Yes, it must be the chill," said the court lady sympathetically. "Don't worry, Hinata. In a matter of minutes, we will be crossing the boundary of Mist and Leaf. We'll soon be in the palace."
"H-Hai." She looked back at her lap, trying to ignore the cold sweat her body was breaking out once more.
A weakling for a successor of Byakugan?
I only have one daughter, and that is Hyuuga Hanabi!
Life is survival. To survive you must be strong. To be strong you must not be weak.
Her heart tightened, and it was all she could do not to gasp audibly in pain.
"Hinata?" Now Sakura looked really worried as she shook her maid gently, "Hinata, what's happening to you? Hinata?!"
The maid wasn't able to reply anymore because the carriage suddenly halted, nearly throwing both of them to the floor. Sakura angrily knocked on the wood separating them from the driver. "Hey, watch where you are going!"
When he didn't reply, she opened the door and marched towards the horses. "Hey—" She froze. The driver was lying on the horse, bathing in his own pool of blood.
"Lady Sakura, go back into the carriage!" yelled the Hidden Leaf ninjas that surrounded the convoy. "It's an ambush!"
Her heart stopped beating.
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"The Mist had acted even before we even got to start our own plans." The spy said quietly, his trained eyes knowing exactly where the other soul lingered in this almost impossible darkness of the cave.
"The Hyuuga princess?" asked the man in a raspy voice.
"I sent the gardener after her."
"And my beloved Uchiha boy?"
"He is in the castle. I have heard that he is organizing a party to check on the Lady Haruno."
"I crave for his spirit." The man licked his lips excitedly. "With the power of the Byakugan and his own strength…his beautiful strength…"
"When will you put your leash on him?" asked the spy, leaning against the wall.
"He is not like his brother. He will come to me. All I should do is bid my time." Delicious cackle filled the eerie obscurity of the cavern. "I have waited so long, Hidden Leaf. So very long…but victory should be sweeter this way."
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Sakura hurried back into the coach, frightened as she heard the sound of shuriken and ninja summons reverberating in the forest. She could hear cries of agony and pain, some familiar to her ears as those of the soldiers who greeted her everyday in the palace hallways.
She placed her trembling hands on her ears, wishing the sounds would go away.
They're all dying…they're all dying to protect me!
She screamed when she saw blood spill on the clear window of the coach.
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"Shit!!!" Sasuke dropped the wine glass he was holding, making Kakashi look his way.
"You need to relax, Sasuke," said the Starlet. "You're going to give the laundrywoman a nightmare with the stain you gave in your carpet."
"Silence!" he yelled. He was tensed; it had been an hour past the schedule that Sakura promised to keep. He was starting to get really worried now.
"The search party left half an hour ago," said the white-haired male soothingly.
His rationale agreed with the Starlet, but his instinct…
This was the same instinct that operated when he sensed that something happened to his Father King and Mother Queen. While everyone else were enjoying his ninth birthday, he couldn't be still. His parents were nowhere to be seen. His feet were itching to run and find them.
When he found the chance to slip away from the celebration, he ran all the way to the royal bedroom chambers.
"Father! Mother!" He sighed, relieved when he saw the two lying down together in the bed. "Ah, you couldn't stay up long enough for my party eh?" He crossed towards them and was about to place the blanket that dropped down the floor back on them when he noticed something dripping.
His eyes widened. Blood!
He traced the source of the crimson liquid with his gaze and nearly collapsed when he saw that it was coming from his parents' bodies.
"F-Father?" He tried to gently shove the king, but it only rolled towards him. He stepped back in fear as the body dropped down the floor with a dull thud.
His chest constricted when the moonlight finally revealed the mutilated body of his father. His eyes went to his mother frantically. "Mother!!!" He ran towards his beloved woman, but when he touched her and felt her coldness, he knew he was too late.
"Who…did this…" he whispered, slowly growing numb with fear and disbelief. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be true. His parents were with him this morning, laughing as he narrated to them what Young Lady Haruno Sakura did in the dance floor. His mother's wrinkles stretching into a lovely tender smile. His father's eyes twinkling in pride.
They were both so alive. They couldn't just be dead.
"Mother, wake up…Mother, please…" His chest tightened, but tears couldn't flow from his eyes. He was still wishing with all his might that this was all just a bad dream, a very bad dream.
"They're dead, Sasuke."
He slowly turned around and found himself gazing at the older version of himself, his scarlet eyes glowing in the darkness. There was a frightening emptiness in his eyes, as if he knew what happened and he wasn't even affected.
"You…killed them…" he whispered, and then reached for his pocket knife and shuriken.
"Yes." It was so simple a word, and yet it turned all of himself cold. No regrets, no fear, no emotions. He merely stated a fact.
Even if the man had already left, he was still standing before the open window, allowing the billowing curtains to hit his young face. He barely noticed the people that arrived in his parents' bedroom, shocked to see the bodies of the royal couple strewn on the bloody bed, and the young prince standing by the window as if he lost touch with reality, his trembling small hands stained with blood clutching his shuriken.
What happened to the King, Prince Sasuke?
Who did this?
When?
How?
Why?
He gave no answer. He need not answer. It was written on their faces.
They were pointing at him as the murderer.
He didn't care. It was better this way, than for them to know that he was able to see the real killer face to face and he wasn't able to do anything.
It was only he who should understand the small seed of revenge planted in his heart. No one would understand. No one.
"Sasuke."
He turned to Kakashi, snapping out of his daze. "What is it?" he asked curtly.
"If you are really upset by this, why don't you go after her?" asked the Starlet.
"I'm not upset."
"Denial ain't just a river in Egypt."
"Kakashi, you are starting to get irritating."
The Starlet mascot grinned and changed into a Sasuke clone. He grinned some more, making the prince freak out. So that was how he would look like if he would smile goofily. It was downright grotesque. "I'll miss my body, but this would have to do," said the prince replica.
"I don't remember giving you permission to copy me, Kakashi," he said, forehead creased. "I believe this is called Contempt of the Royal Court, as the monarchy by-laws state clearly."
"That's gratitude for you," sighed the Starlet. "Come on, you want to see if the ambassador made it safely, right? It is the Hidden Leaf Kingdom's honor that is at stake here, remember?"
"Do what you want." Sasuke left the throne room as the clone smilingly sat down the king's throne, doing the Indian seat.
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A knock on the window made both Hinata and Sakura look up. A man with a white mask was tapping his knuckles gently on the carriage window.
"S-Should I…open this, Lady Sakura?" asked the maid, turning to her.
The Haruno cherry blossom paused, and then nodded.
The door opened, and the two were met by the foggy, chilly mist the kingdom was well known for.
"Good evening, Lady Haruno," greeted the man warmly, nodding politely at the maid too.
"You've killed all my men, haven't you?" she asked, masking her growing fear with coolness. If Uchiha Sasuke would meet this kind of situation, she knew that the last thing he would do was to panic.
"Yes, I'm afraid. They didn't cooperate when I asked them to hand you over to us." He turned briefly to the mass of lifeless bodies outside, and then back at them. "I lost most of my men too, but the forest being our second home became an advantage. Your fighters were well-trained, but their unfamiliarity to the battlefield proved to be fatal."
"What is it that you want from me?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Her gaze was unwavering at the mask—she knew she would break down if she would notice the bodies.
"We need an important hostage, that's all." The man shrugged. "We need allies to conquer the small, insignificant kingdoms and widen our territory."
Her eyes fell on the seal embossed on her bandanna. "You are connected with the Mist. The invitation was a trap, wasn't it?"
"It took you long enough to understand, Lady Haruno, but better late than never, like they say." He offered his hand. "Maybe we should go now, Lady Haruno. It's still a long trip to the headquarters."
"Are you connected to Lord Zabusa?" she asked, eyeing the hand he was presenting her. "Are you a part of his orchestrated plans?"
"No," he said after a while. "But he is my entirety."
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Naruto suddenly woke up, even though he felt there was no reason to do so. His eyes went to Kiba, who had fallen asleep seated by the stable door as if waiting for Hinata. Akamaru was resting inside his shirt, peacefully asleep too.
Hinata! He suddenly looked around, checking if she was already here. He rushed out of the stable and headed for her room. He didn't bother to knock because the door swung open freely at his first attempt.
No one was in bed. It was still perfectly made up as if it hadn't been slept on at all.
"This is bad," he muttered.
The next thing he knew, he was sprinting out of the castle, determined to reach the Mist territory. "Northeast of the map," he remembered in his mind. Iruka had told him countless times that he needed to memorize the locations of the kingdoms because it would someday prove very handy to him. If he only knew that something in this nature would happen then he should have listened to his sensei more.
At last, he arrived in the gates. He then noticed the gate guard arguing with a hooded boy.
"You can't leave the kingdom without the permission of Anko-sama!" yelled the palace guard.
"I do not need permissions! Open that damn door now!" snapped the boy.
Naruto sauntered towards them. "Yo, Sasuke!"
The two froze.
"Why are you dressed like Little Red Riding Hood?" the boy asked. "Anyway, I'm in a hurry now so—"
The boy took off his hood, irritated. His raven hair freed itself from the shroud. "You know, your stupidity never fails to astound me every time."
"Lord Sasuke!" The palace guard's face paled.
"Look, I don't know why you have to play dress-up, but I'm in a hurry now," said the blond boy. "Bro, open the door."
"I disguised myself to slip out of the castle, naturally," hissed Sasuke. "It's not dress-up!"
"Whatever." Naruto's gaze went to the palace guard. "Bro, open the gates now. I have to check on my friend."
The gate watch looked at the prince uncertainly.
"Do what he says. This is a matter of kingdom emergency," said the prince.
At last, the guard nodded. He pushed open the heavy wooden door, making the two slip into the opening.
"Remember, no one must know that the prince left the throne, do you understand?" asked Sasuke hurriedly to the guard. The latter saluted. It was all that he needed to see. He motioned Naruto to follow him into the Mist territory.
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"Your Highness?" Asuma peeked into the throne room, and then sweatdropped.
The Prince Uchiha Sasuke was seated on the throne in an Indian seat, sipping on a tall glass of grape juice and blissfully reading Come Come Paradise Vol. 8.
The Starlet went back to the hallway, face dark. At that moment, Gai and Kurenai were walking in the hallway. They saw the strange facial expression of their fellow Starlet, and it was enough to stir their curiosity.
"What happened, Asuma?" asked Yuuhi Kurenai somewhat worriedly.
He shook his head and used his thumb to gesture to the throne room. The two blinked, and then looked at each other. Carefully, the two peeked into the throne room.
A second later, the two looked back at Asuma, wearing the exact dark look on their faces.
"Kakashi," the three chorused, groaning.
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Hinata suddenly stepped in front of Sakura, face grim with determination to protect her mistress.
"Ah, the Hyuuga Princess." The man chuckled. "Lord Zabusa will want to meet you too. You will make a nice barter material with the Sound kingdom."
"What are you talking about?" asked Sakura, mystified. Her eyes went to Hinata, who was still standing in front of her, hands poised in Ninjutsu initial hand position.
"If the princess didn't tell you, then it's not my right to tell either." The man brought out three pieces of needles.
"Lady Sakura, run to the boundary of the Mist kingdom. Foot soldiers from Leaf will be there patrolling," she instructed, not taking her eyes off the needles. "It was a contingency plan."
"Hinata—"
"Byakugan!"
The man paused momentarily, and then chuckled. "So you really are the successor of that advanced bloodline. Let's see how well that performs."
"Lady Sakura, do as I say. Please go!" Hinata turned to her beggingly. "Get help, please!"
Sakura slowly nodded, and then ran off.
The man acted quickly and threw his needles, but the maid quickly stepped to cover the running lady. She was able to catch the two needles, but she saw that she wouldn't be able to catch the third one in time before it hits her mistress.
No time to hesitate! With all her energy, she dashed towards Sakura and used her arm to shield the cherry blossom from the poisoned needle.
The man laughed. "Very brave of you, princess. However, that needle is poisoned, and it is capable of taking your life in a matter of minutes."
"Hinata!" Sakura was about to go to her when Hinata shook her head. "Go, Lady Sakura. I will cover you," she instructed, breathing audibly.
"I can't leave you…" Sakura whispered.
"Lord Sasuke entrusted your safety to us," she said in a subdued voice, as soft as her gray eyes. "This is my responsibility."
The long-haired male took out his needles again.
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Aburame Shino looked at the fallen bodies of the Mist soldiers he killed. He was following the convoy closely when the fog suddenly appeared and an assault against the Hidden Leaf party was launched—an ambush, no doubt.
It was hard to fight semi-blinded by the murkiness of the forest, and by the time he had finished the near-hundred of foot soldiers, the carriage was gone.
He lost sight of Hyuuga Hinata.
Damn! If something happens to her…
…I can never forgive myself!
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Her vision was starting to blur. If there was one thing she was thankful for, Sakura listened to reason and dashed back towards Leaf. One of them must come out of this forest alive to tell the world of the plans of the Mist.
With that achieved, she knew she would die serving a purpose.
And she was happy.
She felt her heart pound painfully in her ribcage. The poison was certainly not helping—what her opponent said was true. It was killing her agonizingly.
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Sakura struggled to remember what she was thought about herbal medicines to cure poison. She had one gaping problem—she didn't know where the venom was derived, and so, she would have a hard time finding the antidote.
Think Sakura! The man said he and his men live in the forest, so the poison should be obtained from things that live nearby.
Poisonous plants? With the heavy fog of the forest, it would be hard for these kinds of herbs to thrive.
She then noticed the pond nearby, where several creatures were leaping in wild abandon.
I know!
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There was no other way but to aim for him using Gentle Fist. She went into her fighting stance, and then attacked.
The man didn't even look surprised. He merely avoided her attacks.
I have to aim for his chakra channels in the arm so his needle attacks would be useless.
"The poison had slowed you down significantly, princess." He took out another needle from his robe and slammed it on her neck. She froze as all the colors of her face died down.
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Sakura finished tying the piece of her torn gown to the bridge between the Leaf and the Mist territory. Clutching her antidote, she headed back to Hinata.
Hang on, Hinata. I'm coming!
Suddenly, a shuriken hit the ground she was about to step on. Her eyes widened. More soldiers? But this time, she was going to fight. She took out the shuriken hidden beneath her petticoats and turned around, ready to fight.
"You keep those things under your skirt?" the shuriken source asked.
Her emerald eyes widened in shock.
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Hinata recovered from the initial shock of the needle, and with the remaining presence of mind within her, she used her jutsu to aim a surprise punch at his right arm.
"Shit." The needle man realized that his chakra channel in the arm was rendered useless. He stepped back as Hinata collapsed on the floor, panting.
The poison, along with her inborn sickness, was throwing her into excruciating torture. Her toes and fingertips were starting to turn numb, and she knew that it would just be a matter of time before the numbness would reach her heart.
Then it would stop beating.
And it would all be over.
Tears were threatening to spill down from her cheeks again, but she valiantly fought them back. A small smile formed in her face. "If I cry, I will make Naruto-kun worry," she told herself. This lent her a small amount of strength, though miniscule, was enough to stop her tears. "Dear Lord, please don't take me yet. Please let me see Naruto-kun…at least for the last time…I want to see the boy…the boy I like the most…"
And then she lost touch with her brain. She collapsed unconsciously, but something caught her before she landed on the grassy ground.
In her fast fading perception, she thought she heard a familiar voice say her name in great panic. She thought she felt something so warm and secure hold her tight. Her eyes flapped open weakly and she saw those beautiful blue eyes. Eyes that had so much character in them. The messed up flaxen hair. The endearing small scratches on both sides of his cheeks.
She smiled slowly. She was going to die in an angel's arms. An angel that looked like Uzumaki Naruto-kun.
And she was glad.
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to be continued
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Gomen for cutting it here, folks. The sky turned dark already, and I'm afraid that a power failure might occur. Again, sowee!!!
