It's me again, what can I say I'm a binge writer. Please don't ask how much homework I have left.
I own nothing. Including Naruto
Chapter 9:
Hinata awoke with a start.
Pulling herself up the first thing she noticed as the odd taste of skin in her mouth. The second was that her muscles hurt, a lot. The third was that she felt light. She didn't remember much of her conversation with Neji, but for the first time in five years she felt free.
"Where am I?" she asked more to herself than anyone else.
"We are back at the inn," a deep voice replied, and she looked toward it's direction to see Sasuke.
"Sasuke, I, we-were-" she quieted herself as she realized they weren't in danger anymore.
"You're fine now Hyuga, you left me to do all the work but what's new," he said in his low tone. He handed her a couple of pain pills and she took them gratefully.
"How long have I been out?" she asked. She reached for the cup of water on the nightstand and put the pills in her mouth.
"3 weeks," Sasuke muttered.
Hinata spit her water out.
"Three weeks, Kami Sasuke our mission," she exclaimed.
"I notified Kakashi," he stated before she could work herself into further panic.
Hinata let out a deep sigh and laid back on the bed. Her body ached all over, but the pain was starting to subside with the pain reliever she took. It could have been a lot worse. It had been...she remembered faint voices.
"Sasuke what happened?"
Hinata looked at him. She wasn't sure what she looked like at the moment, but it must have been hard to look at because Sasuke seemed to be having trouble.
She reached for the small bedside mirror on the table and looked at her reflection.
She honestly expected worse. Her skin was paler than usual which was something she didn't think was possible. However, she noticed that covering the expanse of her body were long scars. She didn't notice them at first as they were faint and white and blended into her skin. But the were there, catching the light.
Sasuke studied her closely as she looked in the mirror. She imagined he was waiting for her to have some sort of meltdown. In actuality she was relieved. She was alive, and though she had been happy to talk to her Neji-nii, she was even happier to be back with her grumpy teammate who had most likely saved her life. The man whom Neji had pointed out she may have feelings for. After the conversation she had with her cousin, she was ready to explore the possibility.
She just didn't know if Sasuke was.
"You're not ugly if that's what your thinking Hyuga, you just look like the rest of us shinobi now." His voice was stern and held something Hinata had never heard in it.
"I was never planning to join Anko's seduction unit anyway," she breathed. Putting the mirror back on the nightstand. "I only checked because you were looking at me like a burn victim."
Things were tense. Why, she didn't know. Did he have some way of knowing that she had realized her feelings for him.
Sasuke didn't say anything, just kept giving her that look. Hinata was really starting to get pissed off. Was he doubting her abilities now? She had failed one time. Against an opponent that could use wood style and absorb the chakra of others. She deserved some credit.
She had held her own. Even if it had meant almost dying, she had been able to distract the enemy long enough for Sasuke to overdose him on chakra. She clenched her fist.
"Sasuke I-"
"Hyuga, I think you should go back to the leaf," Sasuke murmured. His posture was strait and his tall slender frame, clad only in black, held his seriousness. It seemed as though all the layers that Hinata had clawed her way through with him were healing themselves together. "You're not ready for something like this. If you go back and tell Kakashi the seriousness of the situation then he will have no choice to send Naruto if he wants his precious leaf to be standing when he wakes up tomorrow."
There was not an ounce of feeling in his voice. For a second Hinata thought that after the display of anger he had shown before she blacked out, and the things that he had shared with her, that maybe he at least cared about her a little.
However, as she looked into his cold gaze, she realized she was wrong. As she stared into his mixed match eyes that held nothing for her, she came to the realization that maybe she had made it up. Hinata fought the tears. Even though she was in the dream world, she had cried too much as it was. Besides, showing weakness in the face of an enemy was something that she was trained not to do.
"Unlike you Uchiha," she spoke. Her words came out in a flat tone, one that she had not heard come out of her mouth. "I don't abandon my village, or my friends when they need me. I'm sorry that I'm not Naruto, but I'm finishing this mission with or without you." She was positively seething, "You know the ANBU code, a shinobi can never abandon their mission until it's complete. You would have me go through that humiliation?"
She turned her back to him and got out of the bed. Her body rejected the notion, but her will was stronger. She was still in her base shinobi attire. She looked to see her kunai belt on the side table as well as her tattered arm bands. Forgoing the bands, she slid her utility belt around her waist and fastened it into place.
"Hyuga you're hurt," Sasuke pointed out.
She ignored him, the biggest hurt she felt Sasuke had caused himself. Bending to test out her legs, she noted that they were stiff, but she could work with that. Whoever Karin was, she was miracle worker.
"Fine Hyuga, if your going to be stubborn, I have a way of getting us to the Suna faster."
He moved past her as he strides toward the door. She wasn't in the mood to except any help from the dark hard man, she gave him none of her attention. She felt betrayed by the Uchiha, and the Hyuga pride was a fearsome opponent.
If she couldn't get out the door she would escape from the window. She prepared herself to make a run for it.
"Fine Hyuga, have it your way," the Uchiha moved before Hinata could see him. The only thing she saw was a huge puff of smoke. All shinobi carried a powdered form of chloroform that served as handy knock out gas when one was over-whelmed.
Hinata felt herself slip into the darkness. Apparently, the only thing that was more powerful then Hyuga pride, was an Uchiha.
...
Hinata felt as though she were back in her fainting days.
She had woken up once more after passing out and it was getting really old. When she woke up, she felt wind sweeping through her hair. Upon further inspection she deduced that she was flying. She was-
She could feel the bird's feathers in her hands. She looked on either side of her and saw the huge span of something that seemed to be hawk. She was flying on a hawk.
"Good your awake," she heard Sasuke's voice once more. She looked over at him and saw that he was sitting with one knee to his chest looking at the ground below. Hinata followed his gaze an felt her eyeballs pop out of her head.
"That's Suna," she remarked, taking in the sloping desert and dunes from above. She forgot how much she missed it. "How are we here already? How long have I been out?"
"Relax Hyuga, it's only been half a day. This is my other summon Garuda."
"Garuda…" she repeated, running her fingers through the birds feathers once more. As if he could hear her, he squawked loudly.
"Unlike Aoda, Garuda is very…serious."
"Why weren't we using him before?" she asked. She hated that she still felt familiar with him, at least enough to ask him questions about his pets. She reasoned that Garuda and Aoda were mission assets, thus she should know everything about them.
"I don't use Garuda," Sasuke said bluntly, looking fondly at the bird. "We have a contract. He helps me when I really need it, but he has his own family had doesn't like to be taken for granted."
Sasuke explained. Hinata found herself smiling to spite herself. As she had said before, Sasuke always inadvertently let the people he cared about know. In way she envied Garuda who had gained that sort of consideration from the man.
As they flew further Hinata could see the city.
Garuda descended into landing and dropped them gracefully on the sand about a mile from the entrance. The bird was intelligent enough to know that his size would probably cause the village to think they were going to war. After they had touched the ground, Hinata gave Garuda one last rub and a silent thank you before he disappeared back to his world.
Sunagakure was just as she remembered it. It was a vast city with thousands of expertly built sand huts and dunes. It was also still a million degrees and the tolerance she had built up during her stay there seemed to have left the building.
Like every hidden city there were guards stationed at the gate, but before she could even present the Hokage seal she heard her name.
"HINATA!" one of the guards yelled from the top post.
Sasuke raised his eyebrow. "Friend of yours Hyuga?"
"I have a lot of friends here Sasuke," she murmured unflinchingly.
"Hn," was all he said before they approached the gate together.
"Hinata, you're back!" the guard at the front gate exclaimed.
"On orders, Sato," Hinata smiled back. He was a tall man, about 6ft 2 and his weapon of choice was a huge battle ax strapped to his back.
Despite how large he was, his shoulders slumped."But we miss you at the dome."
Hinata chuckled at the sad looking man and patted his head. "I miss you to Sato, next time I promise.'
"For now, I need to see Gaara," Hinata smiled. She didn't know how to feel, but her friend always made it better.
"I think he's the only person that misses you as much as me." Sato grinned and raised his hand to open the gate.
"The dome?" Sasuke asked in a monotone, standing to her right.
Hinata smirked, "First rule about fight club, don't talk about fight club."
Sasuke looked at her like she had three heads. Looking around the city, he turned his nose up in disgust. Hinata's skin prickled at the blatant abhorrence for which he regarded Suna, it was like a second home to her.
"I doubt they have tomatoes here," was all he said.
"Suna is a landlocked, sand locked state," she muttered. "Things like vegetables and fruits are a rarity. There is a very profitable silk and raw minerals trade though."
"Here I thought their number one export was sandcastles," Sasuke muttered under his breath.
"We'll stop and see Gaara, he'll have some appropriate mission gear. The sand and heat aren't too bad when you're wearing the right clothing."
"Gaara, Sabaku no Gaara? The Kazekage?"
"Correct."
"You won't even call Kakashi by his first name, how are you on a first name basis with Sabaku no Gaara?"
"He's my sensei...at least one of them."
"How did you get a kage to train you," Sasuke asked. Hinata didn't know if he was trying to be demeaning.
"I asked," she replied simply.
"Hn," Sasuke retorted. There was a notable tension between them. She didn't know if Sasuke noticed it, or even cared.
Approaching the Kazekage tower she felt a sense of nostalgia.
"Lady Hyuga, we have been expecting you," a tall older man greeted them. He had a shroud that covered half of his face. On the visible half were red clan marks. Hinata grinned at the man, and at a running jump, went to hug him.
"Baki, I missed you," Hinata declared. Baki, a stern man in his 40's, regarded her with his usual indifferent look. However, Hinata could see the corners of his lips turn up slightly and his eyes twitch.
"Still as insistent as ever Lady Hyuga, I will admit that these halls don't have the same feeling without you walking through them." He said, he then looked passed her. His eyes moved over to Sasuke. One indifferent stare met another; it was kind of unnerving.
"This is my mission partner, Uchiha Sasuke," she said breaking the silence.
"I know who he is. The Akatsuki caused a great deal of damage in Suna at one point."
Sasuke didn't bat an eye at Baki's comment. Hinata imagined that he had heard many like it, probably worse, in his lifetime. Hinata however, felt differently. Hinata may be at odds with the Uchiha at the moment, but he was still a member of the leaf, and she wouldn't let anybody just say anything they wanted about her people. At least that was the reason she gave herself.
"Baki, he doesn't need comments like that." Hinata stated. She loved Baki, so she wasn't going to yell at him. Sasuke had done a lot of bad, which he had served his time for, but he had also done a lot of good for the leaf as well. He may not have deserved, or wanted, her love; however, he did deserve respect. "You of all people know what it's like to see someone who was once destructive change into force for good."
Baki regarded her with interest for a second, then looked at the last Uchiha once more.
"That, I do Lady Hyuga," he then turned on his heel and walked into the building, his pace giving the intention to follow.
"That was mighty long winded of you Hyuga, I don't need defending," Sasuke talked quietly as he fell into step with her.
"Uchiha we're partners, even if you don't want to be. So, if people have in issue with you, they have an issue with me."
She wasn't lying, that was the ANBU code. No need to insinuate further to someone who had clearly made their opinionbon the matter known.
"Hn," Sasuke said in thought. He didn't say anything after that, just continued to walk in step with her until they reached the giant door that was the entrance to Hokage office.
Baki stopped at the entry. "He's expecting you, Sato sent word of your arrival. It was really good to see you Lady Hinata, your skill has grown since the last time I saw you. It seems you are not as...angry as you once were."
Hinata thought of her talk with Neji as she smiled at Baki. While she was in the sand, Baki had been like a father to her. She loved Hiashi, and she knew he loved her, but he was not the most patient man. He was also a man bound to many, and in a way, she shared her father with hundreds of her fellow clan members.
Baki had no children. He had practically made Gaara the man he was today, he had also counseled Tamari and Kankuro. Though he was stern, he was full of wisdom, patience, and understanding for lost young souls she and Gaara had once been.
Giving her what passed for a smile on Baki's face, and giving the Uchiha one final nod, he turned on his heel and walked away.
Hinata let out the breath she had been holding and turned to push open the doors.
Gaara sat at his large desk, his papers neatly stacked. He was wearing his traditional sand village garb, and his gourd sat next his desk firmly upright. He still had the same dark circles under his eyes as Hinata remembered and the same shocking red hair.
When he looked up, he still smiled the same uneasy smile that he always did and put his pen down.
"Hinata," he greeted her evenly. "I'm sad to learn that it takes crises in Konoha to get a visit from my future wife."
Cliff hanger, hanging from a cliff. And that's why he's called cliff hanger.
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