Broken Passions

Upload Date: 09/26/2022

Obligatory statement that these characters are not and will not be mine.

Also yes, the title of this chapter is a direct reference to FMAB's episode title of the same name (another favorite anime of mine 😊)

Chapter 3 – Struggle of Fools

In the darkness of the evening a young man with Hyuuga eyes was tossed into the ocean by pirates who had believed him to be dead.

Quite unbeknownst to them he had been healed just mere moments prior by a medical ninja. This woman had barely replenished his chakra to the point that he was able to use his Byakugan once more. He was able to see the pirates toss all of his comrades overboard and then he saw their escape into the night until they were no longer visible, even to his splendid eyes.

Hoheto Hyuuga was able to recover the wounded bodies of his comrades, all alive by some incredible miracle, but one was still missing.

Leaving the bodies of his comrades aboard broken pieces of wood, he swam once more towards the still burning ship, and frantically looked around in the darkness until he was able to find his missing relative.

Dragging the unconscious body of Neji Hyuuga over his back, Hoheto struggled with the waves as they moved incessantly restless against him.

It was all he could do, perform a couple of hand signs, before a small bird landed on his hand before flying off with a thin piece of the Hyuuga crest tied to his leg.

Then, and only then, did Hoheto Hyuuga succumb to his exhaustion as he collapsed on top of the thin wooden frame as the ocean lulled him into a violent slumber.

Hinata was utterly terrified, and trying her best not to show it, but the unfamiliar environment and her sheltered upbringing was certainly showing.

As soon as she and Sakura had been placed on the pirate ship, the fellow crew members had whistled and yelled obscenities at both of them, before the captain had forcibly told them to shut up. That small gesture had done nothing for her comfort and the men were still looking at them with vile expressions as they leered at them both.

Sakura on the other hand did not show any expression at all as they were led past half-naked men with poor hygiene and fouler mouths. She rubbed against Hinata in a show of comfort as the trembling Hyuuga heiress struggled to contain her frightened expression as they were led down a hallway further into the ship.

Of course, this must be very difficult for Hinata, Sakura thought anxiously. It would be tough to escape however, if Hinata didn't learn to control that fear things would be even more difficult for them, Sakura reasoned to herself as they were shoved into a dark room, the rough rope burning deep into her skin as she winced in pain for the first time since being captured.

The man slammed the door shut and they both heard the key turn effectively trapping them both in the darkness.

But at least they were alone now and they both took full advantage of that to collapse to the floor, embracing each other as best they could, despite the rope binding their hands behind their backs, as tears streamed from their faces.

"N-Neji…my family!" Hinata sobbed as she buried her face in Sakura's neck, seeking the only comfort that she had left in this dreary place.

Sakura's tears were quieter as she tried her best to soothe Hinata in the only way she knew how. "Neji's strong and so are the rest of your family members. Someone made it out Hinata. I'm sure of that."

Hinata looked up into Sakura's shimmering eyes. "How can you be so sure? You saw them bloodied and weak like I did. Not one of them could have survived the ocean-"

"Their mistake was not killing them outright," Sakura interrupted, her tears drying on her pale face. "Given the chance to survive the human body is capable of incredible things."

Hinata bit her lip as more tears streamed down her face. "I can only hope you're right Sakura."

"You need to have faith, Hinata. Otherwise…" Sakura trailed off as her body began to quiver slightly. "Otherwise, our spirits will die even if our bodies remain."

The notion of having to be strong was completely unnerving and it absolutely terrified the Hyuuga heir. There was never the pressure to be strong after childhood. The statement that she was weak had become fact and no expectations of grandeur were ever made for her.

"Our lives are not safe in the hands of these men, even if we are ransomed?" she questioned, her voice quivering.

"Not at all. These men's words mean nothing."

"I would rather die than be defiled and sold by these men."

"I agree." Sakura confirmed, her voice slightly stronger. "Which is why we must come up with a plan."

"To escape you mean?"

"Not exactly that." Sakura murmured, pressing her chin down on the top of Hinata's head. "We must assume someone may notice us if we cause enough commotion. That'll be our goal and hope that is enough to either make another ship investigate or claim justice for ourselves."

It didn't quite make sense to Hinata, but Sakura's determination was seeping into her and she felt comforted by her presence despite the haunting words.

Their purpose would not be to escape, but to cause a problem for these men.

If in life they could not bring them to justice perhaps in death they would cause enough problems for them to regret ever bringing them on board.

The fog was slowly lifting from the morning sky and Kiri ninja were doing their rounds in the village when a small bird came chirping loudly into their airspace directly towards their eastern command port.

This wasn't a strange occurrence as birds frequently came in from other lands during migration season and so the shinobi didn't bother casting a second glance to the anxious animal, instead choosing to ignore it, until it began to chirp even louder and the realization that this was potentially a summoning dawned on them. However, nobody in Kiri specialized or recognized this particular breed of bird and none of them were looking forward to interacting with a potentially dangerous threat from a clear rival country.

A couple of them looked uneasily at each other until the most senior among them stepped forward and the bird tentatively landed on his hand.

"Captain Haku?" a fellow ninja questioned, as the young man looked at the cloth piece tied around the bird's delicate feet.

Haku took a long look at the symbol on the torn cloth. It was barely recognizable, but if memory served correctly, this was the symbol on the clothes worn by the Hyuuga family that had recently departed Kiri.

This would not have been necessary if he had been the one to reach them as was originally planned. This message had been urgent and rushed, neither of which would apply if he was behind this.

A feeling of dread overcame him and he instantly searched for Zabuza.

Their Mizukage would have to be informed about this.

And more importantly, he would also have to be told about this.

He had been writing on his map, circling the area where the Hyuuga ship likely was, when a loud knock had broken his concentration.

"Come in!" he shouted roughly as one crewmember with skin as unusual as his aura walked in.

"A message from my homeland." Was all he said, before handing over a small piece of parchment to his captain.

The captain frowned, clenching his jaw as he read through the note, his hands tightening around the fragile message.

He uttered a curse as he hurled the message into the corner and looked back up as his comrade.

"It seems our ship has gone missing." He spoke lowly, glowering at his crew member.

"That so?" he murmured back, a slow smile spreading over his face. "Wonder who got to them first?"

"More of your people, I suspect."

"Ah, well. You can't expect such a prize to remain untouched for long."

"They can't take my prize. I won't let them get away that easily." He shot back, this time his hands balled into fists, before continuing. "It seems they may have something of yours as well."

The man grinned, showing his shark-like teeth. "I would like that back."

The captain smiled. "Then let's go get our bounty."

The days became a blur to the two women as they were brought in food at odd intervals. It seemed that their captors barely remembered to feed them, instead opting to swipe them of their chakra with that sharp sword at every hour.

The lack of nutrition and the lack of chakra was enough for Hinata to spend her days slumped over, conscious enough for conversation and not much else and though Sakura was slightly more used to having to having irregular meals, she too became weakened as the eternal darkness in their small room enveloped them in a sick embrace.

Despite the harsh treatment however, both women were able to ascertain when it was daytime, due to the louder noises from the crew members and in between hushed conversation and a relatively reckless plan, they devised an idea.

They decided to enact their plan the very next day, in the hour just before their scheduled chakra depletion.

Their golden opportunity came to fruition at almost dusk as Sakura screamed loudly as she painfully struggled against the rope tying her hands behind her back, the material leaving her wrists raw and bleeding.

The guard instantly came inside the room and swore as he saw the pale Hyuuga girl lying on the ground, still as stone.

"You need to let me help her!" Sakura yelled at him, struggling against her bindings.

"What the hell is wrong with her?" the guard demanded, shaking as he gripped Hinata's face in his hands trying to ascertain signs of life.

She was no longer breathing.

"She's been chakra deprived and exhausted for days." Sakura accused, hot tears falling down her face. "You worthless men decided to treat her like shit. How idiotic can you be? Her worthless dead body won't be worth anything to you now!"

The guard grimaced as he felt her wrists for a pulse, but there was none. Immediately he turned ashen and glanced again at the pink-haired woman.

"Please." She begged, slumping her shoulders as tears kept streaming down her face. "Let me try to save her."

There was a brief moment of hesitation as he glanced towards the door. With the loud waves and the pirates still making their usual racket no one else had come to investigate.

"Please!" Sakura stressed, noticing the brief moment of hesitation. "She's already been unconscious for several minutes. Any longer and I won't be able to do anything for her!"

The guard whipped out a kunai and held it at Sakura's throat as he peered down at her. "If you try anything, you won't make it out alive either."

"I know." Sakura whispered.

Very slowly, the guard tore the rope tying Sakura's hands together with his kunai and she took a few seconds to rub her sore wrists.

Sakura placed her hands above Hinata's chest and channeled her medical ninjutsu across her body, slowly sensing her heartbeat begin to beat again. The color returned to her pale cheeks and Hinata slowly twitched her index finger.

As discretely as she could, Sakura snapped the rope that was binding Hinata's hands together.

Not a second later, Hinata pressed her fingers together and shoved them directly into the chest of the guard.

He cried out in pain and moved to slash Sakura, but his eyes were already rolling in the back of his head as he collapsed and fell on his back.

Hinata instantly opened her eyes and reached towards Sakura who had grabbed the kunai and shakingly held it pointed at the man until they confirmed that he was no longer conscious.

Wordlessly Hinata gripped Sakura in a tearful embrace as Sakura glanced her over and tilted her chin up. "It worked perfectly, Hinata. I was so scared he wouldn't let me save you."

As a woman trained in the arts of medicine, she was also trained in the art of ending someone's suffering towards the end of their life. Which was exactly what Sakura had done to Hinata upon devising their plan.

It had been difficult since both of their hands were tied behind their backs. Hinata had been forced to lay on her side as Sakura had gently pressed her fingers to Hinata's chest, causing the sudden suspension of her heartbeat to make the dire situation believable.

From there, Sakura would be opposite the guard so Hinata upon waking would know where to strike. The guard was always focused on Sakura, so a surprise attack from the Hyuuga heiress would not be expected.

She had channeled just enough chakra into Hinata to enable use of her gentle fist. And she still had a small amount of chakra left to cause a huge blow to something, now it was only left to decide what she would hit exactly.

Beckoning Hinata to follow her, Sakura peered outside the door into the hallway. The light seeping in was dimmer. Sunset was almost over.

"They have small boats aboard," Sakura voiced, "Let's try our best to get to one. And if we're unable to do that-"

"I kill as many as I can with my Gentle Fist." Hinata finished, her voice steady for once as the resolve of their decision had finally settled in.

"And I will destroy the ship."

Neither said any further words and with a sad resolute smile at one another they walked out from their room.

The light from the brief sunset was disappearing as they walked, Sakura's hands at Hinata's back and Hinata poised to strike. They crept slowly through the corridors, every sound heightened to their senses and every shadow making their skin crawl as they paced forward.

"I see them," Hinata suddenly murmured. "I see the small boats. We're not far, but the pirates are scattered around them. They are located about 10 meters ahead, northbound, above the surface."

There was no hesitation in her words. It was as if they'd regressed into their days as kunoichi. Days that seemed ages away now.

Sakura allowed herself a brief smile, before acknowledging her response. "Let's try our best to make it out."

They continued silently throughout the path until they came to a set of stairs blocked off with a wooden door. Hinata pushed it open and rapidly pulled Sakura up.

No sooner had she pulled Sakura up than a pirate crewmember walked right into them.

"The prisoners escaped!" he managed to let out a loud whistle before Hinata pressed her palm into his chest, silencing him.

The damage was done however, and rapidly they heard footsteps descend upon them and Sakura and Hinata were forced back-to-back as they looked at the hordes of men approaching them.

"Hinata," Sakura spoke, her voice sounding tired for the first time all evening. "Ready for our alternate plan?"

Hinata's heart clenched and she allowed herself to close her eyes for a split second, imagining a peaceful life of what would have been. Momentarily clarity reigned through her spirit and she fought down the taste of bile in her throat as she steadied herself. "Ready whenever you are."

With a loud yell Sakura sprang forward and darted as far away from Hinata as she could. Her fists were glowing with chakra as she launched a hard blow to several pirates at once, launching them straight into the ocean.

Hinata's eyes were strained as the Byakugan wavered slightly in her vision. The lack of chakra throughout the past week was taking a heavy toll on her and her Byakugan was not nearly as steady as it could have been if she had been training with it regularly, but alas, she would have to make do with what she had.

Breathe, she told herself, struggling to calm her nervous heart. She had made her decision to die with honor. She had to stick by it now.

But even in front of enemies who were darting at her quickly she found herself unable to bring herself to strike. They were people in the end, vile and cruel, but fellow humans who had families, perhaps even children…

Someone tried to grab her from behind and she was roughly thrown to the ground and she panicked, instantly pressing her palm to the man's side and he let out a howl of pain as she hit his chakra points internally.

Keep moving, she told herself, as she forced herself to stand and pressed her fingers into another man's outstretched arms. Keep moving.

Hinata landed a strike another man in the chest, this time a bit deeper. He had dropped to the ground instantly and yet she had no time to permit herself a moment to examine the extent of the injury she had inflicted on him. Her eyes were beginning to water.

She'd managed to incapacitate a couple of men, but more were coming and she was getting so tired. The meager chakra she'd received from Sakura was barely enough to keep going.

A loud siren rang across the already loud night and the pirates began to attack more ruthlessly, screaming at each other in such a quick manner that Hinata could no longer understand them.

One foe managed to land a hit on the back of her head, making her see stars as her Byakugan finally shut down.

"You, get her below deck! The rest of you with me to fight off the invaders!" one man spoke, drawing his two swords to his side as he darted towards the ship's bow.

Invaders?

Their commotion had worked. There was a ship headed towards them! They would have a chance to escape.

Instantly Hinata screamed, but she knew her words would not be heard and would be in vain.

"Sakura, don't do it!"

A loud crash was heard and instantly water shot up from the middle of the ship and both Hinata and her captor were thrown back, sea water falling on them like rain as they struggled for balance.

Sakura had finally begun to destroy the ship. Now they could only hope to escape in time before they went under.

A kunai had fallen from the man's grasp and was now on the ground in front of them both. The man that had been holding her captive stood up shakily and glanced at Hinata. He reached out to grab the kunai, but Hinata was slightly faster and she pressed the kunai tightly into the man's chest.

His warm blood splashed on her hands and her world went still as she saw his eyes begin to darken.

She jerked her hands away and he struggled with the kunai before he collapsed face forward, burrowing the kunai deeper into his chest.

Another loud whistle rang above the cracking wood and the rush of water and the fire lights of the Kiri rescue ship were near enough that she could see the ninja begin to launch themselves into the pirate ship.

She slowly dragged herself to the railings which were relatively unscathed for now and trembled as she struggled to see through the darkness.

Her relief was immeasurable at seeing men launch ropes into the Kiri pirate ship and the elation at being rescued overwhelmed her to the point that she almost collapsed against the very railing that she had been gripping.

It only took a few more seconds for her to realize that the ship that had come to investigate was not from Kiri. There was no Kiri flag that she could see and the ninja from there wore blue. These men were adorned in black.

The men that launched themselves against the Kiri pirates wore white masks, all with different designs and patterns. Some had wrapped bandannas around their heads and they carried long swords and sharp kunais with them that they used against the Kiri men.

Her heart sank as she realized what was going on. This was no rescue. These men were not from Kiri.

These men were rogues…These men were fellow pirates settling a score.

Hinata screamed as she saw a Kiri pirate gutted in front of her eyes, by a man with a fox mask, the dark black tunic contrasting against the skin of his chest.

She'd never seen a man be killed like that before. Not with that much expertise, not with that much indifference. She had never expected to see that ever.

Without looking she turned back to run away only to collapse upon the Kiri Captain, his eyes wide and mouth twisted in anger as he grabbed her and pulled a kunai so close to her throat that he drew blood.

Hinata could only cry out in pain as he gripped her body with his arm as he pointed his shark-like sword towards the man with the fox mask. "You won't deprive me of my bounty, Fox. She's mine."

The man he called Fox, raised his head and Hinata could see that his eyes were dark red with black slits straight down the middle as he pointed his sword towards her.

He didn't look human. He looked like a wild beast.

"That woman is not meant for you." He spoke, his voice sharp and deep and the dark undertone of it made Hinata shiver in fear.

Faster than she thought possible, the Fox raised his sword and slashed the Kiri captain with one strike, allowing her to pull herself outside of his grasp, inadvertently allowing herself to be slashed with the kunai across her hand as she protected her throat.

More blood fell onto her dirty dress and she struggled to remain standing as the force of the Kiri captain's fall knocking her over.

She cradled her wounded hand against her cut throat as she stared up at the Fox as he took a couple of steps towards her and lifted her up with one hand around her waist.

He grabbed at her wounded hand roughly, causing her to shriek as she began to struggle against him.

"Neither wound looks deep." He surmised, and despite the mask blocking his face she knew that he was smugly smiling, by the way the mask moved and her erratic heartbeat, already in overdrive, was barely keeping her conscious.

"Please just kill me." Hinata croaked, her vision going blurry, "I won't survive long enough for you to ransom me."

His cold red eyes almost burned her with their intensity. "I need you alive."

"I do not want life with you!" Hinata screamed, as she struggled against him, using her nails to dig into the flesh of his fingers as he tightened his grip. She was kicking now and jerking her body away from him.

Beneath the mask his eyes lowered and he frowned. "If you do not want life, then you will be vastly disappointed."

Another explosion went off behind her and it was enough to make her lose her senses and she succumbed to the pain and exhaustion, his arms tightening around her until her world went silent.

Author's Note: And there's chapter 3. Hope you all enjoy it. Thanks so much for the reviews, and messages (as well as the follows/faves). I truly do appreciate all of your thoughts and I'm so excited to loop in the Fox. Our dear Hinata has been through hell, hasn't she?

Chapter 4 updates will be next week. Take care everyone 😊