After showering, I gingerly walked to my bedroom. My eyes started to water as I looked around at my belongings. It'd been less than a month since I've been in here, but it felt like so much longer. Nothing had been moved so it looked exactly how I left it.

The lump in my throat was so hard to swallow. My fingers danced lightly over the edge of my desk as I passed it to sit on the edge of my bed.

The mattress was so plush and comfortable compared to what I've grown used to downstairs. Madara informed me that he'd be waking me early in the morning, just a couple hours from now, so I could prepare myself for Hanabi. I was eager to rest as much as possible because that interaction will most likely exhaust me thoroughly.

Sleep took me over the moment my head hit the pillow. I'd forgotten what it's like to rest without having to worry if someone would attack me while my guard's down.

The blissful experience was over before I knew it and I was awoken by Dr. Uchiha roughly shaking my shoulder. I cringed when I saw his face, expecting the worst, but he simply took a step back and waited in silence for me to rise. He had bags under his dark eyes and I was happy that he, too, was suffering even if it was only a little.

My skin burned under his watchful gaze as I grabbed some clothes from my closet and headed to the bathroom to dress. To my horror, he followed me there. With my face actively paling, I glanced up at him with unease, "What are you doing? I need to get dressed."

He crossed his arms and leaned his back against the closed bathroom door with a tired frown, "You're not leaving my sight today. Go on."

My mouth opened slightly as I tried to argue, but a stern look from him changed my mind. My face burnt as I turned my back and changed clothes, careful to show the least amount of my bare skin to him as possible. Humiliated tears welled up in my eyes as I tossed my pajamas in the clothes basket and tried to ignore his staring reflection in the mirror.

My face was pale and sickly looking, likely from not seeing the sun for weeks, so I had to apply makeup to my skin to mask it.

The other participants would likely be waking up now and realizing I was gone. Would Masumi be taking over M.A.T. since Madara will be with me for most of the day?

By the time I was ready, I almost looked like my old self, but I could see a difference in my demeanor. Madara and Masumi noticed it, too, because they both threatened me to get it together as I stiffly sat at the dining table. My step-mother prepared breakfast while her boyfriend sipped some coffee and read the newspaper as he sat across from me.

I was given a mug of coffee, too, but couldn't bring myself to drink it. My fingers trembled against my lap as I glanced at the staircase once again, waiting for my sister to come down. The sun had already risen at this point.

"Stop shaking for Christ's sake, you'll give us away!" Masumi hissed at me from near the stove.

Normally I'd shoot a retort at her rude words, but Madara's eyes were burning into my very soul so I simply stared down into my coffee as I tried to stop my fidgeting.

"Hinata?"

We all looked up to see Hanabi dashing from the staircase into the kitchen. I rose from my seat just in time for her to wrap her arms around my waist. Tears rose in my eyes and I took a shaky breath to keep them from falling. She was crying into my shirt so she didn't notice my struggle.

If I'd disappeared while Dad was alive, I don't think she'd have reacted like this, but after grieving his loss together we'd become closer like we'd been when we were younger. Madara's eyes narrowed at me and I swallowed nervously, looking down to meet Hanabi's teary eyes when she finally pulled back.

"Where have you been? Why haven't you called? I was worried!"

I temporarily forgot about the past month and wondered where my bratty little sister had gone. Even if she missed me, it wasn't like her to say things like that. I fought the urge to regard the adults in the room with an accusatory look, knowing I'd be punished for doing so. Did something happen while I was away?

"Hinata?"

My attention was pulled back to the present and I shook my head when I realized I hadn't responded, putting on as normal a face as possible for my sister. "I've been at school, Hanabi. I'm sorry! My phone broke shortly after leaving and I haven't had the chance to get a new one."

That was a lie. Masumi had taken my cell phone and stomped it onto the ground the morning The Program started, before the other applicants arrived. I could tell she didn't believe me, but thankfully didn't push me on it.

"You could've at least said goodbye to me, y'know," she pulled away from me to sit next to Madara, an unhappy frown on her mouth.

There's no reason for me to feel guilty because it wasn't my fault I couldn't tell her goodbye, but I still did. My hands started to tremble again as I re-took my seat, so I clenched them into tight fists beneath the table, "I know. I'm sorry."

She accepted a bowl of oatmeal and a glass of juice from her mother, who then served the rest of us breakfast before joining us at the table. "Well, how long are you staying? Do you wanna go shopping for a new phone today?"

I felt Madara's eyes harden on me without even having to look, knowing he expected me to shoot her request down. "I-I can't, Hanabi. I have to leave in a bit to get back for evening classes."

My little sister looked like she was about to throw one of her bratty tantrums, but I interrupted her, desperate to avoid making either of the adults in the room angry, "I just missed you so much that I had to cancel my morning classes so I could visit."

Luckily, it worked and she started wiping at the tears in her eyes once more, "I guess I understand. It just sucks, that's all."

I nodded with a sad smile, forcing myself to take at least a few bites of the food before me so it'd appear as though nothing was wrong. The rest of the meal went by with relative ease and soon we were resting in the family room, all four of us. The television was on and was playing the news channel softly so as not to override any conversations we might have.

The attractive lady news anchor started speaking about how the new diving technology has led to multiple discoveries of new species. She gestured to the greenscreen behind her as it started playing a video that appeared to have been recorded by one of the divers. It was incredibly dark, but you could see very faint lights twinkling in the far distance. She continued on, talking about how we haven't managed to identify what they were, but scientists are continuing their research.

I glanced over at Madara, who was completely invested. This fed right into his belief that alien-esk organisms reside in the oceans as well as away from Earth. A month ago when he'd told me his theory, I thought he was insane, but if the video on the screen was real, maybe it held some merit.

"Can I get the address to your dorm? I want to mail you letters!"

I was torn away from the oceanic video by Hanabi's sudden request. I spat out quickly, trying not to panic, "S-Sure! You can get it from your mother. I gave it to her when I arrived."

We spent a bit more time together in the family room before it was time for me to pretend to leave. Hanabi hugged me just as tightly as she had when she'd first come downstairs as I stood near the front door. Madara was next to us, acting like he was going to give me a lift to the bus stop in town.

Tears rose in my eyes that I didn't manage to hide before my sister noticed them, "Don't cry, Hinata! I'll visit you on campus soon, okay?"

It's true what they say about distance making the heart fonder.

I nodded while wiping at my eyes, giving her a final wave before stepping outside with Madara. My eyes burned in reaction to the natural lighting, even though it was a cloudy day. When they adjusted, I noticed a construction crew working to repair the damaged section of the large stone gate that'd been blown apart.

Just in case Hanabi was watching, we climbed into his car and pulled out of the driveway as if nothing was wrong. After a few moments, the man broke his character, "You're a terrible actress."

I glared down at the trembling hands in my lap, tears flowing freely down my face. I did it. I successfully lied to my sister so this monster can keep his awful plans in motion.

A sob wracked my chest and I angled my body away from him to cover my mouth. It was silent for a few moments before he'd had enough, "Stop that."

As hard as I tried, I couldn't reel my emotions in and soon he pulled over to the side of the empty road to put the car in park. I frantically wiped my eyes, but it was all in vain because he was already annoyed. Madara pulled my wrists down with one hand and held my jaw firmly with his other, making me look him in the eye.

Dark eyes bore into mine as though he didn't see me as a human being, making me want to shrink away from his touch but couldn't because of his tight hold.

"I said stop."

He stared at me as I forced myself to calm down. After sitting there in silence for a moment, he released his hold on my wrists and lifted his hand to my face. I winced, expecting him to hit me, but he didn't. To my disbelief, he gently wiped the remaining tears from my face before letting go of me completely.

Sometimes he acts ruthless and then other times he acts compassionate. It was so hard to tell what he was thinking and it made me more afraid of him. He leaned over to grab something from the back. I remained trembling in the passenger seat, eyes wide.

When he came to sit normally once more, he tossed a blindfold onto my lap. I looked down at the black cloth with confused eyes before glancing at him. His eyes were still in a glare as he refocused on the road and started driving once more, "Put it on."

Terrified to find out why it was necessary, I did as ordered so he wouldn't lay his hands on me again.

The drive was long and silent. By the time the car came to a stop, I was so disoriented that I couldn't even tell if we were still in Konoha. The Uchiha professor opened my door and pulled me out so he could guide me ahead of him with his hands on my shoulders.

There was no controlling my body as it shook fearfully. My skin felt freezing cold beneath his touch and I fought every instinct in my body that said to get away. The ground beneath my shoes went from pavement for a few minutes, then to what felt like maybe natural ground like in a forest for multiple minutes.

I kept stumbling and each time I did, Madara's grip on my shoulders would tighten. Finally, we came to a stop and one of his hands left my shoulder. I heard some beeping, like he was typing onto a pin pad or something and then we were moving again, this time on a flat surface. The air was cool and thin, so I could tell we were indoors somewhere. Goosebumps prickled up on my skin.

After another few minutes of walking blindly, he guided me to sit down. Then, the blindfold was removed.

I blinked as my eyes adjusted to the new lighting before looking around. He'd brought us to some kind of optometrist's office, at least that's what it looked like. I was in a padded chair and a contraption that looked similar to the ones doctors use when they test your eyesight was hovering nearby, hanging from a metal arm connected to the ceiling.

Before I could say anything, Madara leaned forward slightly so I'd be forced to look him in the eye. I sat back in my seat as far from him as possible. "You look so much like your mother."

That's right. He'd said he went to high school with her and even attended my parents' wedding. Her funeral was so long ago that I couldn't recall if I'd seen him there or not.

"I loved Yua."

My eyes widened in confusion. What is he talking about right now? One of his hands reached up to cup my cheek softly and I cringed. Such a bad feeling runs through me when his skin comes into contact with mine, it makes me want to throw up.

"I remember the day she died like it was yesterday."

I opened my mouth to question him, but an angry look appeared on his face and it scared me into closing it once more. "Did you know you have another sibling?"

I was shocked, to say the least, and tried to comprehend his words as he started telling me a story about how he and my mom got drunk at a party when they were sixteen and hooked up. According to his belief, it led to her getting pregnant and she hid it from everyone, even him. She apparently did her junior year of high school from home under the guise of having an incredibly contagious illness so no one would try to visit and then returned to school for her senior year as though nothing had happened. My mother let her illegitimate child to be raised by my grandparents, telling everyone that he was adopted.

Madara told me the night of her death, my father found out about Yua's secret child and they got into a huge fight. My mother was so terrified that Hiashi would hurt her, he said, that she fled to visit him, where she finally came clean about everything.

"I was distraught, as you can imagine. It was hard enough watching the woman I love marry another man, but for her to come to me years later and tell me that we have a child…a son…"

His expression morphed from angry to sad to enraged once more, his dark eyes locking back into a glare as he took a step back so he could look down at me, "I couldn't forgive her for what she'd done."

My chin quivered as I started to piece together what he was trying to say, "You…you didn't…"

His lips turned up into a sneer, "I didn't kill her directly, no, but I imagine her fear was the reason she crashed."

Tears welled up in my eyes as they hardened into a disbelieving glare, "W-What did you do?"

A look of remorse claimed his features, surprising me, "I lost my temper."

The door to the room we were in suddenly opened and a dark haired man with heavy scarring across half his face entered. "So I suggest you do as I say so you don't meet the same fate."

The new arrival had strange eyes. One was a light purple with strange lines and lacked sclera, the white part of the eye. The other was a strange black and red. He appeared to be in his mid to late twenties, so older than me but younger than Madara. What surprised me the most was that he, too, seemed to be fearful of the professor in the room.

"This is Obito, my nephew. I've had him working with Dr. Orochimaru the past year. He's here to perform an inspection of sorts on you."

I glanced between the two men nervously as he continued with a threat, "I suggest you behave."

The younger man approached me with an apologetic look on his face. My body tensed up the closer he got and I naturally squeezed my eyes shut when he adjusted the mechanism hanging from the ceiling closer to my face.

"Hinata." Madara spoke my name with a warning tone, making me gingerly allow this Obito man to position it against my face.

The lights clicked off in the room, I'm assuming Madara's doing, and suddenly a bright light shined through the lenses in front of my eyes. I winced, but froze when the man suddenly spoke. His voice was soft and hoarse, like he'd been overusing it, "Please relax."

My hands were gripping the arms of the chair tightly in panic. Tears welled up in my eyes as I felt one of his gently rest on top of mine in what felt like a comforting gesture. What exactly is going on here? Why is his nephew here and why is he acting like this? Where are we even?

I sat as still as possible as my eyes were inspected, the man pulling back every once in a while to write things down on a clipboard nearby. It felt like hours before he finally finished up and the lights were turned back on.

I was exhausted from being so terrified all day long. After moving the eye contraption away and silently leaving the room, Madara stood in front of me so he could retie the blindfold over my eyes. Tears welled up in my eyes once my vision was blocked and he spoke in a gruff voice, "Don't start that again."

He guided me back out to the car and by the time it stopped again and the blindfold was removed, we were at the house and it was pitch black outside. Masumi and Hanabi were undoubtedly in bed as we walked through the house in silence.

He made me change back into The Program's uniform in front of him in the basement by the steel door, which was just as uncomfortable as last time. I hoped he did it because he wanted to be sure I wasn't sneaking anything downstairs and not because he had ulterior motives.

Once I was redressed, I expected him to open the door and send me on my way, but instead he paused. I didn't know if I should look at his face or not, but jumped slightly when he suddenly spoke in a hushed voice, "I really did love your mother."

My face warmed in anger as he stared into my eyes as though trying to convince me he wasn't lying. Everything was so confusing. He loves her, but says he'll never forgive her. He sometimes acts tenderly toward me because I look like her, but also enjoys tormenting me.

I was drawn out of my thoughts when he suddenly lay a hand on my shoulder and leaned in slightly as though he was about to kiss me. My body moved on instinct and I slapped him across the face with my eyes squeezed closed in terror. He responded by doing the exact same thing to me. My eyes stung and I glared up at him as he unlocked the steel door and shoved me through it.

I tried to stop myself from falling down the stairs, but could only curl into a ball so my body wouldn't be seriously hurt. The heavy door slammed as I slid to a stop on the cold linoleum ground at the bottom of the steps. I winced as I struggled to my hands and knees, glaring up at the door as though he could see me through it.

There were sure to be fresh bruises showing proudly about my body in the morning.

"Hinata!"

I felt someone's hand on my shoulder and tensed up in surprise, looking over my shoulder to see Sakura kneeling beside me, multiple others from Group B standing nearby with a variety of expressions. The pink-haired girl just looked concerned as she helped me to my feet. Ino approached with Naruto and Kiba in tow.

"We thought you were dead!"

My lips formed a tight frown as I made eye contact with Naruto. His jaw flexed before he looked away. The look on his face told me he knew it had something to do with the secrets he's gotten small glimpses of and he was tired of covering for me.

"Where were you? What happened?" Ino kept on.

She didn't give me time to respond before narrowing her eyes, "Wait, did you get a haircut?"

Kiba gave me a suspicious look, "Tell us where you've been all day."

Sakura gave him a warning glance, but still turned back to me expectantly. Everyone was staring as they waited for my response.

I shook anxiously. I don't want to lie to them anymore, but if I come clean it's not just my life that'll be in danger. Hanabi won't have anyone else looking out for her. Madara wants me to keep quiet about my relations with him and Masumi, but loses his temper and wakes everyone up so it'll be hard to convince them I'm innocent.

My chin quivered as I steeled my resolve. If I have to ice out every person down here to save my sister and myself, then that's what I'll do. Wordlessly, I pulled my arm away from Sakura's gentle grasp and walked into the bunk room to lay on my bed with my back to the entrance so I wouldn't have to see their eyes following me. There were a few confused whispers before the small crowd eventually broke apart and everyone headed back to their own beds.

Tears welled up in my eyes and I let them fall in silence, trying to keep my sniffling as quiet as possible so no one would notice.