I know there are many flaws in my logic in this chapter, but I'll have to adjust those later... -glares at mound of homework on desk- waaay too busy right now > >
and um. Sry about the confusing timeline but this chapter is set back to a little while after Shino and Hinata were kidnapped. Please review! (Criticsm please...I want to make sure I dont miss out any mistakes when I edit this chapter)
In the early hours of the morning Shino and Hinata lay in the half - darkness of the cramped room that had been their prison for the past month.
"...Hinata."
"Shino-kun?" she raised her head tiredly to look up at him.
"You can't let the Feng-huan take control of you." Shino's voice was pained, cracked. "If it does-"
"Don't worry, Shino-kun. I'll be alright."
But she could tell he wasn't convinced. Hinata dragged herself towards the boy.
Shino reached out to stroke her cheek gently, mutely.
"It's been a month already. " I-I –" she broke off, feeling herself break a little. "I can hold on."
"Hinata-"
"You should rest, Shino-kun." Her breath hitched slightly and she was painfully aware of how frightened she sounded.
Be brave now, Hinata.
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"She nearly died. Again. You should have been more careful." A man's voice. Keito.
"She's too stubborn! A month and I still can't seal the Feng-huan into her-"
Hinata opened her eyes. A shallow breath, and she gagged on the heavy copper smell of blood in the air. Her chest was burning and she shuddered as she remembered the agonizing pain she had experienced in the morning.
The medic-nin had been careless with her. She had closed up her wound again (Hinata wondered that her chest hadn't yet split open from all the times it had been ripped apart and mended back together) but left the raw edges bloody, torn, a dark wet gash that curved between her breasts and ended beneath her ribs.
"She's awake." Keito muttered. "We should try to seal it in again before she recovers."
Hinata flinched. She knew what was about to happen but could do nothing as she was dragged once more to an upright position. A hand on the rags she wore jerked her face up to meet the man's leer.
"Good afternoon, my pretty. Ready for another go?" Keiho smirked.
Hinata bit her lip to keep from whimpering and forced herself to stare back expressionlessly at the man. Keiho frowned slightly. He dragged Hinata to the inscribed circle on the stone floors, dumping her unceremoniously in the very center. He turned, beckoning to the brown haired medic-nin. "Yumiko."
She watched as Yumiko loomed over her, face drawn and pale in fatigue. Yumiko placed her hands in the sealing jutsu, pale scroll clipped between her palms.
Hinata fisted her hands on the ground.
One more time won't kill me, Shino-kun.
And then the enormous Feng-huan burst into life above her from the scroll in all its gold and scarlet fury, shrieking and flapping its gigantic, fiery wings before diving down onto her, black talons outstretched.
Hinata prepared her mind to block the attack.
Keep mind closed must keep mind closed keep closedclosedclosedclosedclosed -
The phoenix plunged down into her chest.
Hinata arched off the ground, screaming.
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Shino watched as the phoenix consumed Hinata in its flames. For a moment it seemed ethereal, opacent red and black and gold streaks drowning the small girl as it sank halfway into her body –
Hinata. HINATA -
- she turned onto her front, body bucking and then suddenly Hinata –
- suddenly Hinata was a scarlet angel as fiery-feathered wings appeared to spread wide from her back as the phoenix fought to merge into her body, and all Shino could see was the tiny girl, curled in agony with the burning, great wings that beat the blood tinged air -
Shino tugged at his chains, knowing it was useless, and aching inside, knowing he could not help her –
mind closed keepmind closedclosedclosedCLOSEDShino-kunhelpmepainithurtsclosedCLOSED
Hinata could feel the spirit of the Feng-Huan tearing at the outer edges of her mind, trying to rip its way in –
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Hinata whimpered as she was flung down on the ground. Her newly healed wound was still raw and the pain was unbearable.
"W-Who are y-you? W-why are you doing this?" she was sobbing, unable to control her fears for herself, for Shino.
The man whom she would later know as Keito smiled calmly down at her. "Hush, my pretty. You have been chosen for a great destiny. We will make you strong. Would you like that?" he kneeled down next to her and Hinata shrank back. "Would you like to be strong?"
Hinata said nothing, only glancing down at Shino beside her. He was still bleeding and she feared he would not last for long.
"We will seal a Feng-Huan inside you, my pretty." Keito continued, ignoring her silence. "Feng-Huan. A Phoenix. Pwerful beyond compare. We found her in a weakened state, sealed inside this scroll here." He brought out a pale, rolled up parchment and lightly twirled it between his fingers. "We will transfer the seal into you."
Her eyes widened. "B-but w-why? I am n-not p-powerful, o-or –"
He laid a finger on her lips and she shuddered. "Hush. You are the Hyuuga heiress. Even if your abilities as a kunoichi–" and here his lip curled slightly. "- are nothing to speak of, your bloodline ensures your protection from your own clan."
Keito stood up. "Now imagine...if we sealed the Feng-Huan inside you. And we returned you to Konoha. Of course, we will have placed another seal on you to keep the Feng-huan under control..." Keito's smile widened. "And imagine if...after a few years...we removed the seal, and the Feng-huan is freed..." He looked down at her and she could see the disdain in his eyes. "You, being weak-minded as you are, will have no chance of controlling the beast. Imagine! A full grown Feng-huan let loose from your body into Konoha."
Keito laughed quietly. "Konoha will be razed to the ground. Now do you understand why we chose you? We had considered your cousin Neji at first – his skill and strength might add greatly to the Feng-huan's power – but if I recall correctly...members of the main house are able to kill him at will, no?" He snorted. "He would have been taken down once he displayed any signs of the phoenix breaking free. But you! The quiet, unassuming, disappointing little heiress of the great Hyuuga clan! Who would ever dare to suspect? We'll make sure you return with no memory of what happened to you, of course – Yumiko has a rather useful little jutsu for that – you'll be fussed over, no doubt, they'll ask you questions...we'll have to make up some excuse for your absence...your friends will be glad to have you back – then life will return to normal, until..."
Keito trailed off, turning away slowly as if savouring the thought of Konoha's destruction.
Hinata felt dazed and confused. Why the Hyuuga's? Why not any other main house member?Why her?
- because they thought she was weak. Easy to break, to force into submission.
Hinata felt the tears gather in her eyes.
Konoha would be destroyed because of her. Her.
And then Shino's fingers curled around hers. She started and glanced down at him. He was still lying on the ground, supposedly unconscious.
His fingers tightened around her hand.
Shino-kun...
Hinata returned the gesture. Blinking back her tears, she looked back up at Keito.
She thought of her family, her teammates, her friends.
I...
...I will not let them down.
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I will not let them down.
Hinata jerked her head back, tears streaming down her face as she fought the phoenix away in her mind.
One more time won't kill me, Shino-kun.
One last desperate mentalshove against thestruggling beast and-
- and she had won.
Shino stiffened when the phoenix gave a furious, ear-splitting shriek and flew up and away from Hinata before disappearing once more into the scroll.
Hinata crumpled onto the cold stone floor.
Yumiko hissed in annoyance and strode over to her body.
"You stubborn, foolish girl!" she grabbed Hinata by her hair and pulled her up. "Why do you insist on resisting us?" She kicked her viciously. "Do you want me to hurt the boy? I'll cut him to pieces before you can - "
Hinataheld up her head to face Yumiko though she was half-dead from fatigue and fear. She could not afford to appear weak. "I w-warned you on the very first day. You hurt him and I will k-kill myself. You value me, don't you? You want my body for the Feng-Huan –"
Yumiko was about to kick her again, furious, but Keito put a hand on her shoulders.
"Leave her. We have time. Years, before we'll have to use the Feng-huan with her." He took Hinata's limp body from Yumiko's clutch.
Yumiko scowled. "And if by that time she still resists the sealing procedure?"
Keito smiled widely, baring his teeth as he leaned his face close to Hinata's. "Well then, we can always take her sister. She'll be old enough by then."
Hinata felt her blood run cold.
Not Hanabi. No, please not Hanabi –
Ok, so I know nothing about sealing procedures. But I didnt mean for this to be the same kind of sealing as how the kyubi was sealed into Naruto...this time the Feng-Huan (phoenix in chinese) was already sealed into a scroll. So uh...I guess its different PLEASE REVIEW!