Not mine, probably never will be... and all of fandom sighs in relief. Oh the havoc that would be wreaked... ahem... yesh anyway. Have at it, teensy bit shorter than the rest, you'll survive I know you will. In great amounts of pain and suffering sure, but you'll live.

Hokay, let me just point out that if you think I'm a consistant updater... I have a bridge to sell you. It's in good condition, going very cheap. I write when the mood strikes me, and because I've been on Thanksgiving Break, the mood struck kind of often. Not so anymore. Don't expect too much from the college student... especially not with Finals week looming up ahead.

Thanks to all for reviews, so glad some people think I'm not wasting my time. Procrastinating totally, but not wasting time... really. Luvkiss!

Hidden in Plain Sight

Hinata's record journal was practically blank, she dated every day, but there wasn't anything to write under the headings, so she left them. Today though, she'd probably write as much as she could about the ninja's condition. He guessed, correctly, that she would not note that it had taken them days to find a willing subject. The Raikage had had to pull several strings to convince the ninja that the Konoha medic was only going to examine him. Sasuke had seen a hint of something in the eyes of several ninja passing the two Konoha shinobi. It didn't faze him, but it was probably why Hinata was so on edge. She'd confided to him that she was almost glad they had found a victim, because it meant she had a purpose here.

"Byakugan!" The Raikage watched interestedly as Hinata activated her blood limit. She examined at the ninja on the bed, he was unconscious. As she looked the audience; Raikage, other medic, and Sasuke, they faded away; the only thing that existed was the ninja in front of her. There was supposed something odd about his tenketsu, if the victims were unable to mold chakra properly. They were all still there but… several were different. The chakra flow lessened closer to those tenkutsu, till finally it stopped, isolating each of the affected points. She released a small amount of healing chakra from her fingertips and gently touched the pulsing tenketsu. She shrieked and pulled away as fast as she could. It tried to… eat the chakra… it…

A hand on her shoulder forced her out of her frantic thoughts. She looked up, eyes white and wide, into Sasuke's darkly concerned ones. She took calming breaths and tried to regulate her heart before attempting to explain. "The tenketsu… some of them have been reversed… instead of releasing chakra into the body… they're sucking up chakra… he loses chakra when his body tries to create more, so it's stopped creating chakra from those points, meaning he has about a quarter less chakra availible to him. I could see his body has forced the chakra to avoid those points, so it's flowing differently from before as well, and his body doesn't know how to mold it in its new pattern. I… I can't do anything… Those tenketsu would eat any chakra forced directly into them. I could feel… it was pulsing like it held so much chakra that it could explode from the build up. If it did, it would be like my Juuken, a huge burst of chakra at a vital point, only it would be much deadlier. I can't do anything… I…" She was getting caught up in that mantra of helplessness.

"No Hinata-hime, you've been a great help." The Raikage tried to comfort her. "None of our medic could have seen what you have. Your blood limit is amazing." She looked away from the Raikage, as if embarrassed, but as she was looking toward the floor at Sasuke's feet, he could see something else. A flash of uncertainty, of fear. "You are an excellent medic I can tell. Konohagakure should be proud to have you. I wonder…" Kaemon trailed off, looking thoughtful. "Stay a while, I will contact the Hokage, and ask her if she has any way to help you."

Hinata nodded and left. Sasuke cast an unreadable look at the Raikage before following suit.

Your blood limit is amazing… blood limit… That's what it all boils down to doesn't it. I have the Byakugan, and that is what separates me from those who become excellent through their own work. I… I'm glad I'm a Hyuuga… I… A touch she recognized on her shoulder. "Sasuke-san! I'm sorry for running away but I just couldn't have stayed…"

"Spar with me."

"What, but you… it's not a spar if I won't use my techniques to fight."

"Then fight with me like I'm your enemy. Fight with like I'm that shadow in your eyes. Fight and try to win." His voice was even, cool, emotionless. He held out his hand. He was trying to help her, wasn't he. Trying in his own way to show her that he acknowledged her. She looked up at him with those eyes of hers. The hand in his was small, white, delicate. When he pulled her up, it was as she were the perfect counter balance to him, ending neatly on her feet, perfectly stable. "Would you fight me like I were the shadow in your eyes, Uchiha Sasuke? Would you fight like you intended to kill?"

"I will fight however I need to; you will fight like your life depended on it, because somewhere in your mind, there is a battle you never finished that you need to. Now spar with me Hyuuga Hinata."

"Byakugan!"

"Sharingan. Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!"

She leapt away. "Shugohakke Rokujoyon Sho!" Sasuke watched as she pirouetted creating her defense. Even if he used shuriken with the fire balls, they wouldn't get past. She was amazingly graceful as she spun. Except that she was getting closer. She was dancing closer to him to attack him whilst behind that defensive technique. He cursed; he rather thought he detected a small smile when she heard it. He leapt into the trees. She wouldn't be able to use that technique on a branch. She leapt after him. Her Byakugan found him leaping down from a tree into a clearing. He probably wasn't going to let her use the Shugohakke Rokujoyon Sho. She'd have to resort to Juuken. However…

As she entered in the clearing, she was met by several shuriken, too close and too late for her defense to block. She flipped over them, landing, to be greeted by Sasuke getting ready to use one of his fire release techniques.

"Hakke Rokujoyon Sho!" She managed to finish sixteen before he blocked her wrists again. He threw her, she flipped into the air.

"Shishi Rendan!" He jumped, arcing closer to her, kicking her unfolding body into a tree. As she was in the middle of landing, the damage wasn't bad, but by the time she'd regained her breath the kunai was at her throat. "You cheated, princess."

She panted a little more before answering the unspoken question. "I told you… healer's weakness."

"You used chakra to create heat instead of disabling chakra. Did you get the targets?"

She looked at him, a tinge of scorn in her gaze. "Yes Sasuke-san. If I hadn't used heat, you'd still have been able to use that combo, so you'd still have won."

"But I wouldn't have been able to use higher level techniques, meaning if I were your enemy, I'd cause less damage before retreating. You can fight well enough. Enough to protect yourself. Shall we go back and see what Godaime has sentenced us to?" Sasuke didn't particularly want to leave Cloud yet. They had yet to run into any hint of his brother. It was possible that his purpose in Cloud was completely unrelated to Hinata's purpose in Cloud. But it was also possible that following on thread would lead to the end of the other. There was that chance... He acknowledged it, his Hokage, notorious gambler that she was acknowledged it as well. He sincerely hoped that this time, she wasn't wrong.

"Your Hokage has given in to my request." Kaemon solemnly intoned, before breaking into a cheerful grin. "Hinata-hime you really are an excellent medic, and Tsunade-sama as kindly agreed to let you stay here for three months, to help our exceedingly understaffed hospital. Not just the sealed nin, but the rest too. We'll pay you, and you can keep the apartment you're in. Unless you want to move?" At the shrug and head shaking, the Raikage continued.

"So it's agreed, you two will stay on, Hinata-hime can work in the hospital during the day; and help research after hours. Uchiha-san… well you can train with the available nin. Keep them on their toes. Alright, well you know how to get to the hospital and the training grounds, so you're all set. I'll probably not see you very often, so good luck, ne?"

They fell into a kind of routine. Hinata would wake up early, make breakfast and lunch for Sasuke, and then go to the hospital and help the doctors. Sasuke would eat breakfast, take the lunch and go to the training grounds and spar. At the end of the day, he would come back, to Hinata sitting at a desk, reading and taking notes. He'd collapse onto the sofa; she'd put aside her books and tend to him. Medicinal creams, bandages, massages and dinner. After serving him she'd go back to her books. He'd stare at her for ten minutes. When she finally gave in, she'd sit on the couch and eat with him. He'd read for a bit, before going to bed. She always went to bed after him. After two weeks, it felt like they had never done anything else. Both felt like any other schedule was a life time ago. Neither could think of what exactly they'd done without the other. They became friends, not always through words, but through companionable silence as well.