Mayu slowly lowered her head, shutting her eyes. From his position down the hall, Sasuke frowned watching his brother release the girl. She remained standing even as Itachi lowered his arms to his sides. "What did he do to her…?" Sasuke thought. No longer captive, Mayu should have made a move to get away. Hell, knowing her, she would attempt an attack before retreating. However, she remained still. Impassive. It was so unlike her. "Was she caught in his genjutsu like that other woman?" He glanced at the unconscious woman in a blue dress. Jiraiya had set her up against the wall. Would he have to do the same to Mayu? So what? It did not matter. Nothing would stop him from reaching his brother. Sasuke clenched his fist, already thinking of ways to bypass this obstacle.

"What did you to her?" Naruto asked. The question was ignored.

Itachi merely stepped away from Mayu. Sasuke furrowed his brow. "Let her go," he ordered. "I'm not going to let any distractions stop me from killing you! Using this cheap trick—you really have become a coward!"

"Foolish little brother," Itachi said, apathetic to the taunt. "I told you that I am not interested in you at the moment. I will not waste my time playing with you." Sasuke grit his teeth, annoyed. "Instead, play with her."

"I'm not playing games!" Sasuke retorted. Itachi remained quiet, unmoved by the snarl. Mayu opened her eyes then. Her blue Hyuga eyes seemed paler than normal. Sasuke focused on her, watching as she slipped a hand into her weapon's pouch. She pulled two kunai from the pouch, one for each hand. She did this all without speaking—without any type of readable emotion on her face.

"Itachi-san, are you sure this girl can handle him?" Kisame asked. "I mean, your brother is an Uchiha like yourself." Itachi did not say a word in response to his ally. "Hm… I suppose I can watch for myself."

"Mayu... I'll only say this once... move and stay out of this," Sasuke said. "You will only get hurt." She did not respond to the threat. Without warning, she ran at him. "Then that's how it will be," he muttered as Mayu got closer. When close enough, he knocked her into the wall. Mayu, surprisingly did not yell out on impact even though the wind had been knocked out of her. "This is for the best..." Sasuke whispered as Mayu slid down to the floor, seemingly unconscious. Her head slumped forward.

"What? I'm disappointed you chose wrong, Itachi-san," Kisame muttered.

"Mayu!" Naruto yelled. "SASUKE! You didn't have to do that!"

"Shut up, Naruto!" Sasuke said, and then turned his attention back to Itachi. The oldest of the Uchihas only stared at his younger brother. "Now, that there's no distraction, I'll-" A mild rustling interrupted. He flinched, and then slowly turned again. Head still bowed, Mayu stood up, using the wall as support against her back. She lifted her head, eyes looking directly at him. "Wh-What…?" His attack should have knocked her out. At the very least, the impact with the wall should have snapped her out of the genjutsu. According to what Kakashi had told them about genjutsu. However, it seemed that Mayu was still caught given the lack of emotion on her face.

"M-Mayu…! Snap outta it! That's Sasuke!" Naruto called to her. She did not seem to hear him. In fact, she raised her arms, ready to attack at any moment. "Hey!"

"Mayu… Don't make this harder than it needs to be," Sasuke said. "You're not-" He suddenly sucked in a sharp breath. The girl had moved, a mere twitch of her fingers, but she had launched a kunai from her palm. Sasuke felt the blade slice through his cheek. The thud of it imbedding into the wall behind him sounded loud in his ear. Then he felt his blood slide down his cheek. "So… fast..." he noted in thought. He had barely managed to dodge it. He had barely caught the motion with his naked eyes. "Is this because of the genjutsu…?" Sasuke glanced at his brother. His face hardened into a glare. Well, if knocking her out did not work, he would take out the one causing the illusion.

Ignoring Mayu for now, he swiftly dashed towards Itachi. The older Uchiha did not even blink at Sasuke's approach. Then, Mayu appeared directly in front of Itachi. Sasuke's lips parted, surprised by her speed. The girl narrowed her eyes, sharply raising her leg. She spun once, giving a roundhouse kick to his face. Sasuke soared backwards all the way down the hall. Only coming to a stop when his back crashed into the wall.

"Wow… so the girl does have power," Kisame said.

Sasuke barely heard the comment. His ears were ringing as though his brain rattled inside his skull. He panted heavily, pressing his knuckles against the floor. Not good. He was beginning to become dizzy. "Why'd it have to be her…? Why in front of Itachi?" he thought. Wincing, the younger Uchiha slowly pushed himself to stand. "I can't hold back anymore." He lifted his hand, gingerly rubbing his cheek. Quickly, his tongue checked for anything broken inside his mouth. Fortunately, nothing was broken. Yet. If this fight went on any longer… "I have to do it," Sasuke convinced himself. "I have to send her to Hinata… or send her from here… permanently." Despite not wanting that, he would do it. Nothing and no one would stop him from killing Uchiha Itachi.

The young shinobi rose from the floor, using the wall to push himself into a standing position. No more defense. He had to attack now. Steeling himself, Sasuke ran towards Mayu. She rushed towards him as well. The two met half-way. Centering himself, Sasuke unleash a barrage of punches. He winced every time he managed to graze her. His wrist was beginning to burn with the exertion, but he kept at it. Mayu deftly and smoothly dodged his strikes. His knuckles were deflected or blocked efficiently. He could not even push her back with his attack. Gritting his teeth, feigned a straight punch. Mayu eased in to redirect. However, her deflection was for naught. Sasuke moved around her. He brought his hand up, aiming for the back of the girl's head whilst she was preoccupied.

His rear attack hit nothing. Mayu lurched forward, arms moving as though to brace herself from a fall. However, her left leg shot up, catching Sasuke's jaw. She then twirled her right foot and gave him a right hook. Pained and disoriented—she had struck him between his eyes—Sasuke stumbled backwards. The only reason he did not fall was because Mayu grabbed his shoulder with her left hand. Her fingers curled painfully. Sasuke held back the groan as he stared into her impassive eyes. Face mere centimeters apart, Mayu stared back. She was in such proximity that he could feel her breath on his face. Sasuke swallowed hard, wondering why this moment seemed to last longer than necessary. However, it eventually ended. Quite painfully. She rammed her forehead against Sasuke's face. Blood spurted from his nostrils.

The vicious headbutt stunned him for a moment. Sasuke grimaced, feeling his eyes water. Damn it. At this rate… The young Uchiha quickly shoved Mayu away. She lost her balance a bit, but she quickly corrected her stance before she shifted to the right. Relying on his instincts now, Sasuke moved his right arm to deflect her oncoming punch. However, the girl swiveled on her foot, smoothly gliding behind him. Her arm wrapped around his neck and she yanked him backwards. Unconsciously, he reached up to grab the arm. He winced, working through the pain that shot through his hand. With a grunt, he bent forward, throwing Mayu over his shoulder. She slammed hard against the floor in front of him. Sasuke followed through with a straight punch downward. However, Mayu caught his fist, fingers curling tightly around his clenched hand.

No matter how hard he struggled, he could not remove his hand from hers. Mayu shifted her eyes to their joined hands, appearing unperturbed by the struggle. Then her eyes narrowed. Abruptly, she lifted her legs. With his hand bound, Sasuke could not stop the attack from below. The soles of her shoes smashed against his chest. Launched in the air, his back hit the ceiling. Upon his descent, Mayu spun on her back. Once close enough, she jerked her body sideways, leg catching his side. Sasuke slammed against the wall because of it.

Through clenched teeth, Sasuke panted heavily. Slowly, he pushed himself to his knees. His eyes settled on Mayu, who had returned to a standing position opposite of him. She did not look the least bit ruffled. "Mayu…!" he shouted, rushing at her again. She deflected his fist, moving closer. Nearly all his senses felt the pain of her striking his gut with the blunt end of the kunai. Sasuke hunched over, gagging. He then collapsed on the floor. Mayu kicked him hard, and his body collided with the wall, leaving a dent behind. The crack in his ears seemingly echoed.

"Mayu, stop!" Naruto shouted, alarm in his voice. "You're going to kill him!" Still not listening, the girl lowered herself. Her fingers curled around Sasuke's collar. She picked him up, holding him against the wall. "What's going on…? Why is she...?"

"She's under Itachi's genjutsu," Jiraiya supplied. He narrowed his eyes, watching the girl deliver another gut punch to her opponent. Blood shot out of Sasuke's mouth. If he had been anyone else, he would have winced. The brutality of it all… Who was this girl…? She appeared like a Hyuga, but her traits. Dark skin and blue eyes… Jiraiya had collected a lot of information over the years, but he knew that the simple description meant something. Along with the fighting style. Did Itachi have information and that had been his reasoning for using genjutsu on her? Jiraiya glanced at the older Uchiha. The man was so passive that judging his thoughts—what he knew—would be impossible.

"Young girls sure are violent nowadays," Kisame remarked, chuckling.

Finally, Mayu allowed Sasuke a semblance of reprieve. He crumbled to the floor, curling in on himself. Pain wracked his entire body. "Damn it…!" he thought, coughing. "What is this? She shouldn't be so…" Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut. Shouldn't be…? That was not right. Of course, she should be. Somehow, he had forgotten. Mayu was strong—someone on his level. But to dominate their fight like this…? It had not been just her merciless strikes. Sasuke, himself, could not defend against her. Maybe apart of him recognized her as a friend, and so could not counter with the full extent of his abilities. A larger part recognized that right now he could not do much of anything. He was exhausted, injured, and without the use of bloodline, of course Mayu could defeat him like this.

After a moment passed, the girl bent her knees, lowering herself to pick him up. Again, she held him up against the nearby wall. Eyes still squeezed shut, Sasuke could feel her ease closer. "Do you understand now?" The first words she spoke since falling under Itachi's genjutsu were soft in comparison to the attack. "Can you see why you would have failed in your vengeance this day?" Her whispered question caused him to flinch. Admittedly, a whimper slipped out. Mortified, Sasuke flushed. With shaky movements, he reached up and wrapped his fingers around Mayu's arm.

"I-I…" To his utter chagrin, he stuttered. Mayu paid no mind to the stutter or increasing grip on her arm. "I'm still… weak."

"No. Not weak. Blind." Sasuke flinched again before opening his eyes. His sight was blurry. "This is a result of your blindness."

"MAYU…!" Naruto shouted. "Put him down! We-We're all friends, right?" Mayu reared back, turning her head towards the blond. Expression still very much lacking, she stared at Naruto. She tilted her head a bit. Eventually, she stepped back, dragging Sasuke along with her. Her other hand reached for his shirt as well. Without much of a warning, she lifted Sasuke above her head. "Hey, wh-what?!" The unasked question was met with the girl hurling the young Uchiha straight at Naruto. He flew pass Kisame and Itachi, unable to attempt any effort of stopping himself. Fortunately, Naruto had enough sense to lift his arms so that he could catch his teammate. "I've got you!" Sasuke collided hard with Naruto. The impact of their bodies caused the blond shinobi to stagger, and then fall.

Naruto yelped but the sound did little to cover the sound of released gas. Three pairs of eyes blinked in confusion. Everyone in the hallway had heard but did not understand just what it had meant. "Do-Don't tell me you just-" Jiraiya began. However, his question was abruptly cut off by the younger Uchiha's shout.

"Did you just fart on me?!"

"Heh… Sorry… It just sorta… slipped."

Itachi blinked.

Kisame snickered.

Mayu howled.

Her boisterous laughter caused all males present to turn her way. The girl clutched her head with one hand and pointed a finger with the other. Eyes and mouth wide, she looked the part of hysterical. Her foot stomped at the floor several times and tears welled in her eyes. "Oh no! Oh no! Oh no!" She clearly ignored everyone's gazes on her. She seemed much more concerned with being able to breathe properly. "I tried! I tried!" Mayu cried out. The tears spilled, seemingly streaming down her face. "B-Bu-But that…?! That's the funniest thing I've seen in a while! My performance is ruined!" The shinobi continued staring, completely thrown.

"Per-Performance…?" Naruto repeated, bemused. Then it clicked. He stood up and comically pointed a finger. "What do you mean performance?! You were acting?!"

"Of course, but I had no idea you would fart, Naruto!" Mayu said. Then she blurted out more laughs. She laughed so hard that she began coughing. "I can't br-breathe!"

"Then keel over already!" Naruto hotly retorted. "I can't believe you tricked us!"

"I told you before, Naruto," Mayu said, crossing her arms. "The best trickster wins."

"… So… you weren't under this guy's jutsu?"

"Nah!" she answered with a shrug of her shoulders. "Kakashi-sensei taught me about genjutsu and how to get out of one. It was a pretty low-level genjutsu at that."

"Wh-What…?" Jiraiya muttered, apparently in a state of flabbergast. Mayu only grinned widely. "To attack her comrade so viciously… What was the purpose of that?" His dark eyes glanced at the younger Uchiha. Sasuke had a hard time picking himself up. The glare on his face was noticeable. But… he would not die from those injuries. If he had attacked Uchiha Itachi, on the other hand… "Could it be…?"

"Wh-Why the he-hell are yo-you playing around?! Why did you attack me?!" Sasuke managed through clenched teeth. The girl lost her grin. The frost of her eyes sent a chill down his spine. "You-"

"To prove a point!" Mayu shouted, nearly snarling. "And, yes, I was angry, too! You insulted my warrior's pride!" Sasuke reared his head back. "You called me a distraction—something to be discarded! Did you really think I'd let that slide?!" Her lips twitched with barely restrained rage. "We were Team 7! We-We… I thought we were friends! To have you say that to me after all we've been through… Maybe I'm just being childish… I don't know… I don't even care. You deserve every hit I gave you for hurting me that way!"

"M-Mayu…" Sasuke lowered his gaze to the ground, not wanting to see her angry tears. "I…"

"And yeah, I used your weakened state to my advantage, but I had to show that you are not ready to take on Itachi yet!" Mayu continued. "You're not! The way you forged ahead, so unthinking—so unlike you—was an embarrassment! You can't use your bloodline. You're exhausted. You can't even manage hand seals because your wrist is broken. You're not at your best, and you are a fool if you thought you were! To a titan like him, the fight would have been pointless. To him, we're nothing more than brats, not worth the effort or attention." She scoffed with a shake of her head. "But you didn't think about that. You let your anger and hatred get the better of you, ignoring everything else. Not thinking of anything else. You weren't worthy of a fight—only a beatdown. And I delivered."

The younger Uchiha blinked rapidly. His eyes stung, almost painfully. He knew that there was a difference in strength between his brother and himself. He knew, and yet… he had kept going. The rage had taken over and he had become blinded. Just like she had told him. Sasuke released a ragged breath. Why? Why was Mayu being this way? How could she speak so unsympathetically to him?

This was partly his fault. He had caused this change in her by insulting her. He had not meant to. Those words spewed from his mouth almost unknowingly. Sasuke curled his fingers into a fist and squeezed his eyes shut. Mayu's words, though, were purely intentional, meant to cause an impact. Her words, however callous, were true. Right now, he did not have it what it took to face his brother. Not right now. Not as he was. Sasuke bit his lower lip so hard that he bled. Not just body. It was his mind as well. Maybe more so.

"What have I been doing this whole time?" he questioned himself.

Mayu's face softened. She saw the resignation in Sasuke's posture. Admittedly, she had wanted to hurt him—in the same way he had hurt her. However, her words seemed to shake him to his core. His change in demeanor was unexpected. If anything, she believed he would become even angrier than before. Instead, he had crumbled. In his already vulnerable state, he had crumbled. "Sasuke…" Mayu murmured, wisps of guilt slashed at her insides. She took several steps forward before quickening her pace towards the younger Uchiha. However, before she could reach him, the older Uchiha stopped her. His arm had shot out, hand grabbing her shoulder. Tensely, she turned to him. "Can I help you?" she nearly hissed. His eyes narrowed. Cold sweat dripped from her chip, but she did not turn her eyes away.

"It's you," he said.

"Well, look who's a genius?"

The girl suddenly found herself slammed against the wall. Naruto shouted her name. However, the pain in her back seemingly muffled the rest of her senses. Her captor shifted closer, fingers squeezing just enough to constrict her airway. It was crushing, but not strangling. Not yet. Panicked, Mayu reached up, uselessly gripping the man's wrist. "It's you," Itachi repeated. She attempted a glare. Her incapacitating fear of the man might become replaced by confusion and irritation, which could lead to him killing her. However, the missing ninja merely closed his eyes. "It would seem, though, you have forgotten me—forgotten about your suffering. Forgotten your hatred. Your mother truly…" he trailed off, apparently not intending to finish his bizarre words. Mayu clenched her teeth. She had no idea what he was going on about. Mother…? "Then… I will remind you." Slowly, his eyes opened. A surge of chakra shot through her, causing her eyes to widen. "Can you escape this level of genjutsu?" His voice echoed in her mind.

Itachi had sent her—falling, falling, falling—to another place, another time. Perhaps even another dimension. The colors of this creepy world were inverted to either black or wide. Color and shades did not exist in this world. Mayu recognized it, of course. Tsukuyomi. One of the strongest genjutsu. The girl swallowed hard and shuddered. In a traditional room, her feet remained rooted to the spot. In front of her, there was a woman and child. Familiarity bred interest, but only by a bit. She was too scared to think right now. She knew the result of this genjutsu. Detrimental to the mind.

"For twenty-four hours, you will relive this moment," Itachi spoke up. Mayu whipped her head around to discover the Akatsuki member right behind her. A truly savage smile on his face caused her to flinch violently. A harsh wind swept through her, chilling her to the bone. "The worst moment of your life begins now."

"Itachi… Why did you kill them?" The hysterical scream caused Mayu to shift her attention back to the woman. However, now Itachi—a younger version of him—stood in front of her. He did not wear the Akatski cloak. His weapon of choice was a katana. He removed the blade from its sheathe, not answering the question. The woman trembled. The little girl—who bore a striking resemblance to Mayu herself, appeared confused by the entire situation. Her eyes darted back and forth between the woman and the younger version of Itachi. "Why did you kill Haruka?!" The scream echoed. It sounded as though she was keeping herself from crying. And failing miserably. "Why-?!"

Without warning, the younger Uchiha moved. Faster than a blink, he stood behind the woman. His weapon suddenly erupted from the woman's chest. "Kaa-san!" For reasons unknown, the cry bubbled up within her and burst from her lips. She had no idea what had caused it. Despite the lack of discernable colors in this world, the woman was not her mother. The little girl was thrown to the floor before she hurriedly scurried backwards into a corner of the room. Tears now streamed down her face, watching the scene play out.

Abruptly, the surroundings changed. Standing adjacent to a man she did not recognize, Mayu wrapped her arms around herself. No wait… She did recognize him. Only faintly. She had seen him before when she had been trapped in another's genjutsu. The man stood opposite of the younger Itachi. They merely stared at one another. Suddenly, Itachi slid his katana across the man's throat. Dismayed, Mayu watched the man fall to the floor. Again, a scream ripped from her mouth. "Otou-san!" She felt tears run down her cheeks and drip to the floor. Her reached up, clutching at her chest. Her heart stuttered and stopped randomly. Witnessing this sudden death felt worse than anything she had seen before.

Again, things changed. All around her, people were dropping to the floor, covered in what she assumed was blood. There were echoing screams. Sickening sounds of a blade slicing through flesh. The cackle of flames. It was hot. Too hot. And yet she shivered as though cold. Why? Why? Why? Mayu didn't understand. She couldn't understand why all this was affecting her to the point of physical pain. Falling to her knees, she tightly shut her eyes. The sounds of the screaming did not fade. Mayu panted hard. Any attempt to compose herself—to breathe properly—had been meant with increased labored breathing. She could not return to a calm state. Even behind closed eyes, the torture replayed on a loop.

She had experienced this mental torture for twenty-four hours.

0-0

Unable to handle Mayu's screaming anymore, Naruto rushed forward. "Knock it off, you bastard!" he shouted, dashing down the hall. Sasuke tensed before breaking into a sprint. This, too, was a bad idea, but he could not allow this to continue. The agonized screaming of his former teammate unnerved him immensely. However, before he could get close enough towards his brother, hallway altered. A thick slimy substance covered the walls, floor, and doors. The sudden shifted stopped both young shinobi in their tracks. The other—Itachi's partner—seemed to be stuck where he stood. That large weapon of his seemed to slowly become food for the floor. Sasuke grimaced, shifting his dark eyes towards Jiraiya.

The Sannin, clearly the user of this jutsu, pressed his palms to the floor. The older man smirked. Sasuke sharply looked back at the enemy. Kisame clearly struggled in attempt to retrieve his weapon. His feet were encased in the slimy substance. Believing the large man to be subdued for now, Sasuke looked further down. Itachi pulled away from Mayu, leaving her body stuck to the wall. Her head slumped. Her expression was blank. Worse than before. Unseeing, Mayu appeared catatonic. This was not an act this time. Itachi had truly trapped her in her own mind. Swallowing, Sasuke lurched forward, intending to reach her.

"Hey, don't you move!" Jiraiya ordered before Sasuke could take a step. Gritting his teeth, the shinobi looked back at the old man. "I summoned the esophagus of a gigantic frog from the Myouboku Mountain's rock inn," Jiraiya explained. Then he looked towards the two enemies. "The both of you are wanted criminals. I'll turn you two into food for this rock frog." Naruto furrowed his brow, giving a worried glance in his former teammate's direction. "Don't worry. This is my jutsu. She will be fine. Those two, on the other hand…"

"Kisame, come." Without a backwards glance, Itachi took off down the hall. Sasuke frowned, watching his brother depart. Most of his being wanted nothing more than to follow. But that was not possible now. The other part of him wanted to get to Mayu. The rapid conflict within himself ended when Itachi raced around the corner. Sasuke let out a ragged breath. He barely heard the taunts from Jiraiya. Seconds later, a loud explosion shook the hallway. The Sannin quickly ran pass both Sasuke and Naruto, obviously intending to go after the pair.

The seconds seemed to pass like hours, stretching with each breath he took. Finally, the fleshy walls around them began to retract. Both Sasuke and Naruto headed towards the wall that trapped Mayu. Raising their arms just in time, they caught the girl before she hit the floor. Quickly, Naruto turned her over and laid her on her back. The walls completely returned to normal, but they could only stare down at the unresponsive girl. On their knees on either side of her, the two clearly had no idea what to do next.

"She's not… I mean, she can't be, right?" Naruto mumbled. "I… I feel like I just got her back…"

"Mayu…" Sasuke called to her. The emptiness of her eyes reminded him of horrible memories. No. It could not be this way. Not again. "Mayu, get up." She, of course, did not move or acknowledge the demand. Unceremoniously, Sasuke slapped her cheek. "Stop pretending!"

"Sasuke…! She's-"

"Acting!" he cut in. "She has to be—biggest trickster wins, right?" The Uchiha lifted his hand to slap her once again. However, before he could bring his palm down, Mayu popped out of existence, much like Naruto's shadow clones. "Wh-What is this…? She's not-"

"What happened? Where'd she go?!" Naruto shouted, looking left and right.

"Hinata…!" Sasuke breathed out.

"What? What about Hinata?!"

0-0

Hyuga Hinata shot up from the grass. Eyes wide, her steady breaths had turned labored and frantic almost as if she couldn't breathe. Her fingers curled around the front of her jacket. Teeth clenched, she stared wide-eyed at the ground. "Hinata?!" Her teammate, Inuzuka Kiba, ran over. "What's wrong with you?" Not answering, the kunoichi reached up with her other hand, grabbing her head. Both her heart and brain pounded against their confides. Her eyes narrowed. It had suddenly felt so painful. She knew the feeling, of course. She felt the uncanny presence of her darker counterpart returning. She had felt it many times. Never like this. Mayu returning to her body had never felt like this before. "Hinata, are you okay?!"

"I-I'm fi-" As not to make her teammates worried, Hinata attempted to assure them that nothing ailed her. Despite the pain. However, before she could finish, her pale eyes rolled. No other warning, she collapsed, falling forward. The frantic voices of her teammates faded until she could hear nothing more. The blinding white light just behind her eyes also faded to black.

"What the hell?!" Kiba yelled. Akamaru yipped in worry as his partner lifted the girl from the ground. They had been in the middle of a break when this suddenly happened. "We've got to get her to the hospital." Behind his sunglasses, Shino's eyes narrowed.

"You go. I will inform Kurenai-sensei."

Quickly nodding, Kiba ran with Hinata in his arms. Shino went in the opposite direction. His teammate could not have fainted from exhaustion. Recently, she had always been the last to call for rest. Her stamina and endurance had greatly increased since the end of the chuunin exam. Probably because of her… strange visitor. Regardless, Hinata should not be fainting so easily.

Upon reaching the hospital, Kiba demanded immediate attention. Since it was Hyuga Hinata, the attention was given right away. Nurses took her, whisking her away on a stretcher. The Inuzuka did not know how long he paced in the waiting room—maybe close to an hour—but finally a doctor came out, asking if he was the one to bring her here. "Yes! Is she going to be alright? What happened to her?" Kiba asked.

"We cannot be sure, but it would seem that Hyuga-sama has become unconscious because of genjutsu."

"What?!" Kiba shouted in disbelief. "We were resting from our training, and our training doesn't involve genjutsu when our sensei's not around!"

"Be that as it may, young man, she is unconscious." The doctor calmly repeated himself. "We do not know when or if she'll wake up."

"That's bullshit!"

"She is not the first to come here with these symptoms. Earlier today, another patient was brought in. As soon as we can fix the damage done to him, we will alert you. What I ask of you is to alert her father right now. Good day." Before Kiba could protest and shout, the doctor walked away, leaving him standing there. He bared his teeth at the doctor's retreating back. That was it? That was all he was saying?!

But what could he do? He was a mere a genin. He did not have the authority to demand answers. Kiba narrowed his eyes. Akamaru whimpered on top of his head. "I know, buddy, I know," he muttered, and then turned away. The least he could do was tell Shino and Kurenai about this. Maybe later, they could all barge in and demand to see her.

As he left the hospital, Kiba did not realize they he was being watched. However, once he was out of sight, dark eyes stopped following. Hurriedly, the shinobi scaled the building, looking into each room. Finally, he came to a stop, finding what he had been searching for. Quietly, he opened the window, and then moved inside.

Gulping, Uchiha Sasuke moved over the side of the bed. Hinata's eyes were closed. It appeared she only slept. The shinobi clenched his teeth. "Mayu… You're still there… aren't you?" he asked. Like before, he received no response. Hinata suffered the same result of Itachi's genjutsu. Even she would not be able to tell him if Mayu still resided in her mind. This could have been him. If he continued to fight Itachi, would his brother have done the same thing to him? He wondered what exactly happened in the genjutsu for Mayu to scream like that. "You… You better still be here, idiot. I still owe you for…" Sasuke frowned, realizing that the earlier strikes still tingled. Since he was here, he might as well get checked himself. She had not actually gone all out against him. But she had still been pretty brutal. It had not been only her warrior's pride injured.

Other than that, she could not leave again. Not like this. It was too much like last time. Constantly at the back of his mind, wondering if she had died... No. He did not want to go through with that again. Sasuke was not ready for her to be gone. Hadn't he just thought that about her earlier today? He swallowed hard, remembering the utter relief he had felt when she spit out the water. "Naruto is going to find an expert healer," Sasuke murmured. "She'll come and take care of you and Kakashi. We… We were Team 7, so…" Trailing off, his gaze fell to the floor. "So… come back. You better come back."

Sighing deeply, Sasuke grabbed the unconscious girl's hand. "Idiot," he called her. He did not know why he was doing this. Talking to her like she could hear. Squeezing her hand like this. He had not done something so childish since he had a favorite stuffed animal. "You stupid idiot." He frowned as squeezed her hand harder. Hinata's skin would have bruises much like Sakura's had that one time on the bridge. "If you don't wake up with Hinata, I'm going to kill you…! Don't you dare die because of me." Eventually, Sasuke released his hold on her hand, and then stepped backwards. He glared at the unmoving form. "We… We still haven't fought properly, so… don't disappear from my sight until then."

Don't disappear...

The mantra echoed in his mind as he exited the hospital room.

0-0

Fight scenes are hard. If I can get away with not writing one ever again, I'd super happy. :D