Chapter Acht
Tears of shades
Lonely Blues
Outcast eyes
That speaks no clues
Truth befall
There is no wait
Time is no friend
It will fade
Coloured moments
Of phantom fears
Shadowed doubts
Of endless walks
Reality streaks
Blood in
Blood out
It's time to go
Fleeting moments in time will create a vortex of chance to review the past.
What is the truth? Who is to say? Of all the voices from the media, is it really right to take things for face value? Who should you trust?
Hinata woke up to the blinding light of cheap fluorescent and damp stale smell of wood. Prying her eyes open, the body soon followed suit in wake. She soon realised aside from what seems to be the inside of a warehouse, that she was held rigidly in a wooden chair with tough ropes securing her from making any movements.
What is going on? She wondered at who would go to the extent of kidnapping her and for what reason? A quick deduction led her to come to two conclusions: One, to cause Konoha Corps shares to drop its value in the market or two, for random.
Still, who is the mastermind behind this?
She checked the surroundings to search for a means out of the place. The place had little furnishings, high windows and two exits. It was going to be tough.
Someone came.
A dark figure came through the doors, followed by two others of similar built. They were men roughly in their thirties, of average medium built and not walking with much confidence. That thought struck her immediately, but it would be a while before she could explore that thought. For now, there were more immediate concerns.
Her heart beat with fear. What were they planning to do with her?
"So you're finally awake."
She looked in the direction of the voice, but the face rung no name in her memory.
"You don't know us, Hinata-sama. There's no need to think so much about it." The first stranger said.
"What do you want?" She said in the calmest tone she could muster. She was grateful that no stutter came out.
They laughed, not pleasantly.
"You can thank your husband for getting you into this." The second one said.
"Why so? What do you have against him?" She queried.
The third one dropped his head for a second before bursting his rage at her.
"Your husband slept with his wife! That no-good bastard of your husband goes round flirting and sleeping around with all the women that catches his eye. He couldn't even leave people's wives alone!"
Hinata felt her facade of strength crumpled before her. Her heavy lids cowered low and the eyes looked to the dusty floor.
Revenge. For what Itachi has done. She conceded quietly.
"So you know. Of course you do. It's in the tabloids all the time. How could you miss it?" The third one continued while the second one shakily lit up a cigarette.
She felt the stab of truth in her chest. It sat heavy and forcefully. It hurt. Tears were collecting in her eyes. Some spilt over the edges spotting the ground, as the taunting continued.
"You know something? You have to be really stupid to have actually agreed to marry Itachi. Ah! What a joke, in the first place, it is a joke to marry a playboy! Surely you didn't think he will change his ways for you! I mean-"
"Enough, Ran." The second one spoke up after putting out the cigarette.
"Baka! Don't tell me you're going to award sympathy to her, Arata? Her husband slept with Hisa! Hisa, your wife of five years that is filing for divorce with you?"
He looked at his friend from his dishevelled fringe of auburn hue before approaching the downcast figure in the chair. He then began to loosen the ropes. Hinata looked up in surprise into his face.
"Gomenasai, Hinata-sama. We'll bring you back. Just please don't pursue the matter-"
"Baka! What are you doing!" Ran exclaimed much to annoyance of the other friend as well.
"We shouldn't do this. Hinata-sama is a victim after all. I'm sure she wouldn't have wanted Itachi to cheat on her either." He said with tired eyes at her. She was shocked. Tears split.
"We can't turn back idiot! We're come too far to turn back! The ransom note has been sent already-"
"Gomenasai, Arata-san….." She said.
Ran slapped her. She continued to look down.
"What are you apologising for? Do you think an apology can erase reality? If an apology can miraculously change the fate of things, do you think we would be here? Huh? Do you think we would gone all the way to formulate the plan to kidnap you and have Itachi deliver the money himself? Huh? If an apology was all that took to fix things, that security guard didn't have to die, woman!"
Her eyes grew wide. The security guard was dead?
No……
"Yes woman, we've already committed a crime. We're too deep to get out of it and you can blame it all on your husband."
Random thoughts were running wild in her head.
Itachi. I thought I could be distanced away from your affairs. I was so stupidly wrong. Your mistakes have finally caught up with me tonight. I am a fool to have even thought that I could keep myself emotionally uninvolved.
The men suddenly stopped talking. She looked up.
"Damn it! I hear the sirens! The police are here!' The first one said. "Come on, grab her and get into the car. Quickly!"
Ran grabbed her forcefully and dragged her towards the back exit. Forcing into the car, they sped along. Arata sat beside her in the back while Ran and the other plot a way out of the situation - one that didn't seem the favour the amateur kidnappers.
"Hinata-sama."
She looked at Arata.
"I'm really sorry. I was just so angry at myself that I couldn't think straight." He laughed. "Indeed I, a small time manager in a company lost his cool when my wife filed the divorce. What am I doing kidnapping someone?"
"It's not your fault. Don't reproach yourself anymore."
He shook his head.
"It's a nightmare that I can't get out of…… my marriage is ruined…… somebody died…..and all because-"
"Watch out for that truck!" Ran yelled as the other driver found a truck heading towards their direction. The driver in a bid to avoid did a sharp turn. The turn caused the car to swerve onto the footpaths. The car ran rampage in the narrow strip.
"Nice one, Ryu." Ran said.
Until the lamp post came up on view and screams raged as the car collided into the pole. Glass shattered its forms on the ground alongside the metal body that was bent beyond hope.
Four figures lay motionless in various positions.
Some time later……
Hinata heard someone called her name. She could feel herself being moved along, wheeled to be more precise. There was more fluorescent lighting above her. The formed pathways to a place she didn't know where she was heading to.
"Hinata!"
Her eyes peered opened but the vision was blurry. She saw a vague outline out of a masculine face framed with dark hair.
"Hinata, don't worry! I'll be here. Just hang on!"
The voice sounded concerned, with an edge of panic and anxiety. It sounded familiar. She wanted to ask who was it but was too overwhelmed by the tiredness that took over her, lulling her into a dark restful state.
Hinata woke to a cool air of sterile surroundings. Her body felt stiff and her head throbbed painfully. Painfully, she opened her lids to peer at the bright stream of sunlight that poured from the window. It was afternoon but what day it was, she had no idea. Taking deep breathes, she waited for her eyes to adjust to the bright of day and take in the whiteness of the hospital and the small spray of orchids that stood in a vase on the table next to her. She felt herself smiling a little as she admired the pretty hues of the flowers.
The door slide opened.
For one second, she wondered if……
"Hinata." A tired looking Sasuke greeted her.
If Itachi would bother to come see her…….
She managed a small smile for him.
"You've been asleep for sometime now. 2 days to be exact."
"Ah. What happened to the men that were also in the car?"
"The kidnappers? Why are you so concerned about them?"
"Please tell me, Sasuke-kun." It wasn't a request. He sighed before telling her the story.
"The driver died on impact, while the other two are in intensive care unit. We're arranged with the lawyer to bring the case to court-'
Her heart sank. Arata had thrown himself over her to cushion the impact for her. She felt immensely guilty.
"I wish to drop the charges."
"What? After what they did to you, you want to drop charges?"
She nodded. "Please. They've been punished enough."
He considered her for a while but finally relented seeing that she was being so serious about it.
"Itachi will be arriving from Nagoya today. He should be here any time now."
At that, her face fell. Memories of what exchanged between her and the men replayed in her mind.
Perhaps it's time to reconsider everything again and decide what's best for all of us. She thought quietly as she looked out at the little park that her window overlooked.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the doctor who came in to check on her.
As she buttoned the top after the examination, the doctor spoke.
"Hinata-sama. The injuries you sustained are not serious, so you may be discharged in a few days after we've observed you some more. Meanwhile, do get some rest as the body tends to be weak after a miscarriage-"
"What? What did you say?"
Sasuke went up her side. "Calm down, Hinata-"
Shock coursed through her veins as the doctor repeated his words.
She had a miscarriage.
Her body slumped back on the pillows. Her hand instinctively went to her abdomen. How could she have not known that she was pregnant? And she thought it was due to stress that her period was late.
"Hinata, it wasn't your fault."
"How old was it?"
Sasuke face fell. "About Two months."
She nodded as Sasuke waved the doctor and the nurse off.
This nightmare………the security guard, the driver and now, this. How many more lives must be exchanged before it's too late?
Tears fell.
Hinata was surprised. She hadn't realised that there were tears building up in the first place. Immediately following the next drop that fell onto the sheets, a pair of arms drew themselves round her to give her a warm embrace.
"It's all right. It's not your fault." Sasuke said assuring.
Her head still hung low as she shook her head. Almost instantly after that, her arms came up to hug tighter the warmth that she so desperately hasn't felt in a while and buried in the security that Sasuke was offering.
A few days later, Hinata was deemed well enough to be discharged from the hospital. The journey home was spiked with awkward silence between husband, wife and brother-in-law. Hinata had appeared to have taken the news well but still, there was a lingering worry about the emotions that were so well hidden behind that mask.
Itachi returned and had been visiting Hinata who still treated him with politeness. The smiles she had only stood to mask the uncomfortable air between them.
Why are you still smiling? Itachi wondered as the scenery strolled by them outside the window that was beside him. Why aren't you angry? Why are you so smiling for the whole damn world!
He watched as Hinata wore a tired smile as she chatted friendly with his brother as they finally pulled up in the driveway of the Uchiha mansion.
Hinata went in to greet his parents before being chided by Sasuke to head for bed to rest. Itachi slipped away to answer some calls before finally, making his way to the room.
Upon entering, he saw that she was sitting up in bed reading a financial report.
"Get some rest, Hinata. You can catch up slowly."
She looked up from the papers with the reading glasses that were sitting on the edge of her pert nose.
"Ah. I will."
It felt so awkward. With the intention to have a talk with her, Itachi had then walked up to the bed and was about to sit beside her when she suddenly pulled away and tucked herself into bed.
"You're right. I suddenly feel tired. Gomen. I'll going to sleep now."
And she abruptly turned off the light and curled her body close to the edge of the bed. He sighed and moved away. Highly aware of why she was acting the way she was.
Turning off the remaining lights, he then laid in bed as well.
He turned his head to the tightly curled up figure part from him.
In his mind, Sasuke's words reeled by him. It was something that his brother had brought up with him some time ago.
You may not care about what the paparazzi are doing in the media but do remember that Hinata is not like you. You are a cold unfeeling person but she's not. She is affected by countless faces that are appearing on the covers. Now, I don't really care about your business with those girls, you know best on what's going on. My concern is that you do not drag her into a mess that you've created…….
Unfortunately, he never foresaw such consequent.
I did not mean for you to get hurt. Neither did I mean for any harm to come to our child. It was never meant to be this way…..
The next morning had come and while Itachi was in the midst of dreams, a dark haired female figure had slipped out of the house quietly and was now riding up the glass elevators flanked by bodyguards and Ayame. She wore a dark suit and hid her tired eyes behind dark shades. Soon, the door opened and she walked along the white crisp granite floor that led the way down a path of corridors.
Last night, she had little sleep. She had lain next to Itachi pretending to be asleep. Her mind was wrecked with thoughts. Of a debate that churned from the time in the hospital to last night, to which, finally, in the dreary hours of the morning, a decision was made.
They finally reached a rich wooden door, to which Hinata stepped through quietly. The company sign read: Jounin Lawyers, Advocates & Solicitors.
"Ohayo Hinata-sama, Kurenai-sensei will meet you in a very short while. Meanwhile, please follow me to the conference room…….."
Author's note:
Hi everyone,
So sorry for taking so long to get this updated! I'm still taking to prep for the exams so yet, again another update will be a while. This chapter is unbeta-ed so let me if you spot mistakes, all right? Thanks so much to Ryce-chan for helping me so far for this fic! Best of luck! I better head off now. Take care everyone and thanks for all the reviews ! You guys are the best!
Cheers!
Arte