Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto! I do not get any profit from this fiction. I only write for fun and to improve my creativity.

Chapter Fourteen:

When you meet him,

You will realize

That sometimes

They make people

Who have tornadoes

Instead of souls.

Nikita Gill

…

"What did you do to her!?" Hanabi inquired, unable to control her anger.

"She left on her own accord." Hiashi stared at his daughter sternly. His voice never betraying him.

"You're lying..."

Hanabi knew she was crossing the line this time, for she was not supposed, nor allowed, to speak so disrespectfully to her father, much less the leader of her clan. However, the young heiress couldn't bring herself to care. Her sister had left the clan and village on her own accord? That seemed ridiculous! Something had happened that prompted Hinata to make such a radical decision.

"Where is she?" Hanabi asked again, this time much calmer.

"We do not know."

"I don't understand, Otō-san." She looked at him skeptically. "Hinata would have never done that, unless she had a reason."

"Then you don't know her well enough." He said looking at her for a reaction. As if daring his daughter to argue him. When she didn't say anything, he continued talking. "It wouldn't be the first time she does it, Hanabi."

What!? Surely her father was saying this to confuse her.

"Do you really think Hinata would have failed a D-ranked mission, Hanabi?" The patriarch continued. "Think about it."

Wide pale grey eyes looked back at the man before her in utter disbelief, as realization downed on her. Suddenly, it all made sense. Her sister was never attacked in her mission. Hinata had escaped the village, and in her attempt for freedom, she had been found by the Uchiha. Yes, now it made sense why she looked so... defeated. Hinata had been forced to return to Konoha against her will. But why would her sister leave the village?

Suddenly, Hanabi understood why.

"It was my fault."

Her father didn't say anything, and that was enough of a confirmation for Hanabi.

"She left because of me..." She said barely inaudible. "Are you searching for her?" She asked weakly.

"Yes"

Hanabi knew what would happen to her sister if she was found. The elders wouldn't forgive her betrayal and she would be branded with the seal… Just like Neji. No she wouldn't allow it, she wouldn't...

The seal! They sealed her!

"No…" She looked at her father horrified. "Did you…"

"No." Hiashi said quickly. "She was not sealed."

"Did the elders decide not to seal her?" She asked hopeful.

"No." Hiashi answered. "She escaped before we could seal her."

Her father only looked at her, and refrained from saying anything else. Hiashi could say and pretend whatever he wanted, but Hanabi knew him well. Deep down, her father was relieved Hinata had escaped her fate. She knew. One only had to look at his peaceful expression and the almost unnoticeable glint in his eyes to know exactly how he felt.

Now she wondered, how had Hinata done it? No doubt, the elders had made sure she was guarded 24/7, which meant she had come with a plan. Perhaps someone helped her?

"How did she do it?" Hanabi asked unable to hide her curiosity.

The look on her father's face shocked her. Was that a smirk? It sure looked like it.

"Members of Konoha council, it is an honor to be right before you." The old man said bowing deeply.

"Likewise" The council man said. "How may we help you?"

The old man looked at the two individuals before him. He knew what he and his companion came to ask for, but they had to approach the matter cautiously. They were not only going against the wishes of the Hokage himself, but their clan's leader as well.

"We came here, before you, to request your assistance on a very important matter."

"I see." The council woman said. "Where is Hiashi-sama? Isn't he supposed to be present too?"

Now, this is where they had to be careful. It was important not to give them the wrong idea. By no means were they trying to rebel against their clan leader.

"He couldn't come with us." Said the old man.

"Why not?"

"Utatane-sama" The old man addressed the council woman carefully. "Our dear Hinata has disappeared from the village again, and Hiashi-sama is devastated. It is our duty, as elders of the Hyūga clan, to take charge when our leader is unable to."

"What is it that you request?" The council man next to Utatane asked.

"That's precisely why we came to you." The elder said. "We request the help of the village to search for Hinata."

"Why are you requesting this of us, Hyūga Elders?" The old man next to Utatane asked. "This is a matter to discuss with the Hokage."

"Believe us, Mikotado-sama, we wouldn't be here if it wasn't necessary." The elder said apologetically. "However, we are here because Hokage-sama has denied us the help."

They had been running for 5 or 6 hours now, he wasn't sure, and the Hyūga was becoming tired rapidly.

She shouldn't be this tired, and yet, Uchiha Sasuke knew he was asking for the impossible. His speed was superior from hers, and though, he had been running faster than he had ran last night when they were looking for shelter, she had been keeping up with him fairly well. However, the last two hours, Hinata started to slow down. They couldn't afford to stop to rest, there was a chance the Hyūgas were looking for her restlessly. Looking back at the woman, he noticed she had stopped a few feet behind him.

"Hyūga" He said stopping.

"Sasuke-san" She panted. "I… need… to… rest…" She announced between gasps and pants.

"We can't rest."

He wasn't trying to be unreasonable, they really couldn't rest. The Hyūgas' vision was exceptional for tracking, so they had to keep a long distance to avoid being seen.

Coming with a solution, Sasuke jumped to where she was, and without any warnings he tried to grab her to carry her on his shoulder; but to his surprise, Hinata pushed his narrowed his eyes.

"Don't" She said looking straight at him, still panting but firmly. "Please, d-don't… I… Just need… a few m-minutes."

"Fine" He said taking a seat across from her. "Fifteen minutes."

"Thank you..."

He would give her that much. That was enough time for her to recover. If the Hyūga needed more time to rest, then he would just grab her and carry her like he had wanted to.

The woman was becoming a nuisance, a problem he didn't need. Why did he agree to take care of her? It was that dobe's fault. That stupid Naruto was the reason he was in this situation with this weak kunoichi.

Yes, it's true that he had planned to help the Hyūga escape from the village, but he had no intentions to protect her or escort her to safety. But Naruto had to ask him to do it for him, and Sasuke couldn't deny his friend this much. The Uzumaki had done so much for him, and the least Sasuke could do to repay all that his friend had done was helping this woman. The Uchiha knew Naruto cared for her. He knew, the guilt was eating at his friend. It was likely that the Uzumaki felt responsible for this woman's fate.

Sasuke watched as she took a gulp of water from her water canteen. The woman was still panting and gasping for air, and he doubted she would be rested enough to continue their journey in fifteen minutes. By the way she was breathing, it would take her at least half an hour before she was fully rested, and they did not have that much time to spare.

Sasuke didn't want to do this, but he didn't have a choice. He only had two options. Stay here for a little longer and risk being caught by the Hyūgas, or offer her his assistance and continue traveling.

"Hyūga" He said after fifteen minutes had passed. "Can we continue?"

"I…" She mumbled. "Ano… I n-need more t-time to rest."

He nodded. "Let me carry you." He said kneeling beside her.

"What?"

"I'll carry you on my back."

She was unable to utter word.

It was the second time he had used this soft tone to speak to the Hyūga. He knew that if he wanted her to cooperate, he would have to try to be gentle, even when it proved difficult for him.

Hyūga Hinata wanted to reject his offer the moment it came out of his mouth, but one look at him and she was rendered mute. He was trying… Really trying to be kind and understanding to her, and Hinata found herself unable to deny his offer.

"I'll put you down when you feel rested." He assured her.

"Thank you, Sasuke-san." She said taking her place on his back.

She wrapped her legs around his waist, and her arms around his neck, allowing her head to rest on his shoulder.

Hinata had wanted to get down the moment her body pressed against his. It's not that she had never been carried in this way before. In more than one occasion, both her teammates and Neji had carried her home on their back after a long mission or an extensive training session. However, this was different. She trusted those men and knew them well. They were her friends and family. Uchiha Sasuke was neither. He was a man, aloof and rude, but nonetheless a man. A complete stranger.

She felt his hand pressing in the back of her thigh and she stiffened. Hinata cursed herself for being so obvious, and only hoped Sasuke hadn't noticed.

After he shifted her weight a little, he proceeded to continue their journey.

She rested on his back while he ran at an ungodly speed. After an hour the Uchiha came to a stop and placed her on the floor as promised. Then, Sasuke began to run at a speed she could follow without exerting herself too much.

Hours later, when the sun had begun to set down, they took a few minutes to rest for the second time that day. They cooked the fishes Sasuke had fished that morning, along with some wild vegetables they had found on their way, and ate in silence.

Hinata couldn't help herself to wonder why was he taking his time to help her. She knew he wasn't the kindest person alive, nor was he comfortable in her company. She only had to observe his body language to know what his mouth wouldn't say. He was always tense and grumpy. It was obvious, he was tired of taking care of her.

"Sasuke-san" She said tentatively. "Why are you helping me?"

He was quiet for a while, and she thought he'd never answer her question. "It's not for you." He said after a long pause, making her look at him expectantly. "I do it for him."

She knew who that him was. Sasuke did not have to say his name for her to know. However, his admission had taken her by surprise. At some point, it had crossed her mind that Naruto was, perhaps, behind the act of kindness of the Uchiha. However, she had never expected him to admit it.

So, this is the power of their friendship? That or guilt.

"I see" Was all she could say.

They wouldn't cross another word for hours.

He knew this would happen. News of Hinata's disappearance were quickly spreading in the village, so he expected them to interfere. However, Hatake Kakashi did not expect them to interfere so soon.

"Council" Kakashi greeted as courteous as possible. "Is there a reason why I was summoned?"

"Hokage-sama, it is good to see you well" Mitokado greeted.

"Likewise."

"We were informed that Lady Hinata had disappeared." Utatane said.

"That's correct" Kakashi confirmed.

"We were also informed you refused to help the Hyūgas search for her. Is this true?"

Kakashi swallowed thickly. Nobody knew about this but the Hyūga patriarch and the elders. This only meant one thing, either Hiashi or the elders had come tell them what had happened at his office. He knew he had to be careful, he didn't want to anger the council any more than he had angered the elders.

"I did, but with good reasons."

"And those are?" This time, it was Mitokado that asked.

"They refused to inform me of the reason of her disappearance."

"Because it is a clan's matter."

"Yes, I know."

He was certain he had lost this battle. By the looks of it, it sounded like the council was already siding with the Hyūga elders. But he was not about to lose this war. He would not yield to the Hyūgas so easily.

"As far as I am concerned" Kakashi continued saying. "The village cannot involve itself in clan matters. Therefore, I believe I do not have to interfere."

The council took a moment to process his words. He waited patiently for them to retort his response, because he knew well they would. This was the council after all, and they cared about power and the influence of the most powerful clans in the village. Especially the Hyūgas, which was the oldest and most prestigious clan to exist in the Hidden Leaf.

"Hokage-sama" Utatane addressed him. "I understand your position, and to a certain extent, I agree with your decision. However…" She paused for a moment. "The Hyūga clan is a very influential and powerful clan. We cannot disrespect them nor do we want to make enemies of them."

"I understand that."

"If you understand it, then perhaps you'll understand that we need you to aid them in their search for the former heiress." Mitokado said dryly.

Kakashi studied them carefully, it was unlikely that they would change their minds, so he had no choice but to agree with their request. After all, it was two against one.

"Very well" Kakashi said "I will help them, but…" He made a small pause. "I will only provide one team to search for Lady Hinata."

After a moment of deliberating among them, they agreed with Kakashi's decision.

"As long as it consists of the best shinobis we have, then do as you please." Mitokado said.

"Of course." Hatake smiled smugly behind his mask. "I will only send the best of Konoha."

It had been a long day, and she hadn't noticed when she had fallen asleep. When they arrived at the cave that provided them shelter for the night, she had decided to sit against the wall to rest her tired back and legs. Hinata only remembered it to be dark and cool and she was so tired she closed her eyes to rest them for a second. That

Hinata woke up a few hours into the night confused and dazed.

She looked around the cave and noticed that she was alone. Hadn't she arrived with the Uchiha? Did he leave her? Perhaps he had left her, and that would be fine by her. However, the least he could have done was to let her know he would no longer accompany her in her journey. Now she'd be worried he had gotten himself captured.

Captured? Impossible.

The thought of Uchiha Sasuke being captured was funny and quite ridiculous. This man had outrun Naruto and the village for years. He had escaped many times, and was impossible to capture. No, Uchiha Sasuke would never be captured.

After contemplating her situation, she decided that the first thing she would do in the morning, was to clean up in the river. Then, she would find something to eat and continue to the next town. The only problem was that she didn't know where she was exactly. The Uchiha didn't leave her a map, so she'd have to do some scouting first thing in the morning. She would think about that later, now she would rest some more before she had to resume her travels.

Making herself comfortable, she lied down on the hard floor, and closed her eyes. Not long after she had relaxed into a dreamless sleep, she felt a hand grasp her shoulder. In a second, Hinata had stood up in a fighting stance with her Byakugan activated.

Staring back at her was no other than Uchiha Sasuke.

"It's your turn to keep watch." He said without giving her a second glance. Clearly unperturbed by her reaction.

"Oh" For a moment it was all she could say "I… I thought you had left."

"I did leave."

"Oh… No, I mean." She paused to collect her thoughts. "I thought you had left me to continue alone."

"You would like that, wouldn't you?" He smirked causing Hinata to blush.

"A-ano… Sasuke-san, it's not t-that I…"

"Stop pretending, Hyūga." He said dryly. "You're a terrible liar."

She blushed, but didn't refute him. What sense would it make? After all, it was true. She would much rather continue her journey alone, without the confusing Uchiha barking orders and making her feel uncomfortable and weak.

Without another word, the Uchiha lie down on the cold floor and closed his eyes, most likely to rest for the night. She took this as her cue to place herself at the entrance of the cave and keep on the lookout for possible Leaf shinobis or any other threats.

It was late into the night when she began to doze off. She was exhausted from the day before, so it was only normal that she had trouble staying awake. She was fighting with sleep when she heard it the first time. A guttural sound coming from somewhere close.

Taking the Hyūga fighting stance once more, she took a kunai from her pouch, and activated her byakugan to search her surroundings. Whatever it was, she would kill it before it harmed them. She thought about waking up the Uchiha, but she decided against it. She was a kunoichi for Gods sake! She could do this! It wouldn't be the first time she was attacked by a wild beast.

However, this time it was different. Now she was practically alone, without her friends or Akamaru to back her up. Oh how she missed them!

She heard the sound a second time, this time closer, but she couldn't find the culprit with her eyes. There was no one in the surrounding area, which meant…

She gasped.

No! Didn't he say this cave was empty?

She cursed herself for being so reckless and believing the Uchiha without double checking if the cave was empty for herself. Slowly, she turned around looking for the possible wild animal lurking in the dark. However, when she turned around with her byakugan, she found nothing. The cave was, indeed, empty. Then she heard it again. The same sound but stronger and louder. Realization downed on her. The one responsible for it lie there, only a few feet from her.

Curious eyes looked at the man lying on the ground. His breathing was raged, and he was sweating and turning as if he was in pain. Then she noticed it, the moist around his eyes, leaving a trial on his cheeks. Uchiha Sasuke was crying? It appeared so.

She knew what was happening. Oh she knew well. She suffered from it too. The fearsome and ruthless Uchiha was being victim of his sins through memories... he was victim of nightmares.

Should I wake him up?

She really wanted to wake him up and liberate him from his dream, but her body wouldn't move. How would he react if she woke him up? Would he hurt her in his confusion? She knew she should turn around and not stare at him, but she couldn't bring her body to respond to that command either. She had never seen the Uchiha so... vulnerable? He looked almost… human. Not that seeing him suffering brought her joy, no not at all. However, she couldn't help thinking that he looked like a normal person, with feelings and emotions. It was enticing…

She stared at him some more...

And then… The charm was broken and mismatched eyes stared back at Byakugan eyes. She gasped.

Hinata waited for him to say something… anything… but only silence met her. Hinata then realized he was still breathing hard, a reaction to his nightmare no doubt. She noticed how he cupped his face with his hand, and only after composing himself and taking a deep breath, did he address her.

"Not a word about what you saw, Hyūga." He said menacing.

"Not a word…" She whispered meekly.

"Go to sleep."

Without a second glance, she obeyed him, if only to avoid those piercing eyes full of rage.

Author's Note: So first things first, I was supposed to update last week, but your girl here got sick right after she got home from her vacation. Long story short, I ended up in the ER with a respiratory virus. It took me a whole week to get better, and as you can imagine, I didn't feel like writing during that week lol. But I'm doing good now, so no worries. I'll be updating regularly again.

Important: Did I get the names of the members of Konoha council right? Let me know, please! I'm still a little unsure about them.

On another note, Oh My God you guys! I've finally reached 102 followers on this story and 110 comments! Thank you all so much for your wonderful support! Your reviews give me life!

Answer Reviews:

Muchiedi: Thank you darling! I had a great time, even though I got sick right after I got back home lol. Oh well, such is life!

DAngel7: Ah you're so incredible! Thank you so much! I hope I continue to deliver a good Sasuke for you all.

Koen D: This comment right here made my whole week! Thank you so very much. I know not everybody is going to like how I write her, so knowing you like it and that you think I'm doing a good job with her character, makes me really happy. As for Hiashi… Yay! I wanted to bring something new for his character. I don't think he is so terrible, at least I know he changed during and after the war, so I want to bring that out a little bit without making him too ooc. So I'm glad you like what I've done so far.

To everyone else: Thank you so very much for all your lovely comments! They mean a lot to me and they are what keep me writing and delivering the best to you all. You're my inspiration! I hope to hear from you and what you think about the newest development.

See you next week!