Once the fuzzy black-and-white static cleared from her vision, Hinata became aware of several bad things.

First, she couldn't see well. She blinked rapidly to sharpen the image in front of her, but could only make out a blurry figure across from her.

Second, her ears were ringing. It gave her a headache. She felt like she was underwater, only hearing a faraway buzzing noise.

Third, there was blood crawling down her cheek.

At first, she thought it was coming from the throbbing bump on the back of her head, but she felt a sharp stinging at her temple when she twitched her face. The edge of the shovel must have clipped her temple.

The last and most concerning was that her hands and feet were tied. Whatever the binding was, it felt like tight plastic around her wrists and ankles. Zip ties, most likely.

The rough tree bark dug its grooves into her back where she was leaning against.

"Morning, princess," Nozomu's voice sounded clearer now.

He looked down at her and grinned. He held his hand in front of her face.

"How many fingers am I holding up?"

She blinked. "Um, three?"

The boy smirked. "Good. I hit you hard enough then,"

Squinting, she realized he was holding up one finger. Her stomach churned at his cruel expression. Under Sasuke's protection, he hadn't seemed like much of a threat. The Suna boy seemed so much smaller and weaker then, when Hinata had Sasuke's protection. Now she felt a chill shoot down her spine at their power imbalance.

One of them was armed and vengeful. The other was a sitting duck, bound and possibly concussed.

Radio static crackled in his pocket. Nozomu answered with an irritated, "What?"

Hinata's mind drifted into a dull haze. What would Ino do in this situation? She would have busted out of her ties by now, either physically or by smooth-talking. Sasuke? She couldn't see him ending up in such a vulnerable situation to begin with, but she was sure he would use his fists and his wits.

Problem was - Hinata wasn't a smooth-talker or a fighter.

"Look alive, Hyuuga," Nozomu chucked her chin. "I asked you what we should do first. An interrogation? More time with my shovel?"

On a squeamish note, she could see the brownish red of her blood drying on its sharp edge. She wanted to gag. Instead, she took in a steadying breath. Hinata tilted her head down, her eyes hard. She had seen firsthand from her father and Neji how intimidating Hyuuga faces could be. She had the same face. She could do it.

"Is it wise to make an enemy out of Uchiha Sasuke's girlfriend?" Her voice was firm, her tone icy. Hinata was channeling as much Neji, Hiashi, and Sasuke as she could.

Something changed in his face. A slow, eerie smile curled his lip. "Again with the bluffs? Especially when he's already left the country,"

"He didn't go," She was bluffing, yet somehow she felt like she wasn't wrong.

The conviction in her tone put a knit in Nozomu's brow. He recovered his composure with a lazy grin. "Whether or not Uchiha Sasuke is here or not, you're at my mercy. Besides, all of your buddies are out of commission too,"

He gained power from her distress. "Bowlcut was the easiest. We told him we were lost. What a dumbass,"

She gritted her teeth.

"Creepy dude put up a fight, but it didn't take long to overpower him. After that, dog boy ran with his tail between his legs," He swung the shovel. "We boobytrapped the forest, so I doubt he got too far,"

Hinata pulled in a steadying breath. Her fury burned in the pit of her stomach, growing with each word. Rage and indignation at what they'd done to her friends. Her eyes blazed. "And you picked the day Naruto-kun and Sasuke-san were away,"

"Bingo," He nudged her knee with the steel end. "All that's left is you,"

"Shikamaru-kun-"

"Are you really that confident that he could go up against all of us?" Nozomu scoffed. "Even Uzumaki or Uchiha would have trouble,"

He stopped playing with the shovel and stared directly at her. "But y' know, I didn't bring you here to explain our villainous plan. I need information. I need to know," His eyes were intense, his voice low. "How did Uchiha escape Orochimaru?"

She took a moment to collect her thoughts before speaking. "What will you give me for that information?"

His mouth thinned. "What I won't give you is another beating,"

She sighed quietly. "I apologize. I don't mean to be unsympathetic towards your sister's situation," She softened her gaze and tried for a gentle smile. "I have a sister myself and I know I would be devastated in your position,"

"Then tell me!" He shook her by the shoulders, jarring her aching head. "If you know what it's like, tell me how to help her!"

He's leaving himself open like that, showing his weakness. Go in like a vulture. It concerned her how much that thought sounded like something Sasuke would say. She did not need to be hearing voices in her head.

"Please stop shaking me," She was starting to feel nauseous. "Put the shovel away,"

He did as she asked.

Her tone was coaxing, as if she were speaking to a churlish child. "Sasuke-san didn't clear all the details with me, but I do know that he had help from the inside and the outside,"

The boy's eyes widened. "Orochimaru has traitors in his midst?"

She nodded. "I believe they helped him out. He also had help from Naruto-kun and the rest of the gang,"

"Who are they? What are their names?"

"I would like if you would untie my wrists, at least. I can't undo the ties on my ankles with my hands anyway,"

Nozomu looked sheepish. "Sorry. I don't know how to undo them either. I wasn't planning on letting anyone go,"

She bit her cheek to stop a frown. "You don't have a knife?"

He frowned back. "Uchiha broke it in our fight last night,"

"Then would you tell me why you are attacking us?"

The boy seemed quite taken by the coquettish tone of her voice and her gentle eyes. Hinata was thoroughly unimpressed by the pink in his cheeks as he stared at her.

"Oh," He shook his head. "That's confidential,"

For once, she struggled to keep her temper in check. She had hardly gotten any new information out of him, nor free movement. Information brokering was harder than it looked. At the very least, she was safe from another encounter with that shovel.

"I have a low rank, so I don't know much about the operation,"

"I see," Hinata closed her eyes in thought.

A twig snapped nearby. Both of their heads snapped to the source.

Nozomu leapt at the newcomer.

"Let go of me! I need an adult! I NEED AN ADULT!"

The sounds of struggling and screaming broke the silence. Hinata felt her heart in her throat. All pretenses of composure shattered when she recognized the small figure fighting fiercely.

"Hanabi!"

"Sis!" Hanabi managed to wriggle out of Nozomu's grip and ran to her side. She gasped at the sight of Hinata's head. "You're hurt!"

Nozomu looked worse for wear. Hinata was quite proud to see the marks on his face. His face darkened at the sight of them.

"Is it in your fucking DNA to piss me off or something?"

"Yes!" Hanabi snarled.

She yanked at Hinata's ties, but the Suna goon quickly pulled the younger Hyuuga away.

Hanabi screamed and kicked as he slammed her to the ground with her hands forced behind her back. She grunted at the painful impact.

Hanabi bared her teeth at her and growled, her chin lifted off the ground. "How dare you hurt my sister! I'll kick your ass, you weenie!"

"Hanabi, no," Hinata couldn't keep the strained desperation out of her voice. "Run!"

"I hate it when you act like the selfless heroine," Hanabi's squirming yielded one freed hand. "I won't leave you,"

"Listen to me-"

The girl struck his jaw with an open palm.

"You little bitch!"

"Dung beetle!"

Before he could react, she reached into her pocket and smashed a ball of shit and dung beetle into Nozomu's face. It was amongst her findings during her beetle hunt.

Rhinoceros beetle it was not, but the mighty dung beetle still had its uses.

He leapt off of her with a disgusted screech.

"Get help, please Hanabi!"

The younger girl looked conflicted, her face tense. "But-"

"Go!"

Even she knew it would the more practical choice. Still, it pained her to leave her sister to the mercy of the Suna gang.

With a resolved set to her brows, she clutched Hinata's cellphone in her hand, having pickpocketed it from Nozomu. "Wait for me, sis."

Nozomu screamed into his walkie-talkie. "Don't let that Hyuuga runt out of here alive!"

He whipped his head back to Hinata. "I'll be back."

Then he ran off in her sister's direction.

Now was her chance. Hinata looked around for something, anything to make her escape. The sky darkened as her desperate search bore no fruit.

She felt something crawling on her skin. She looked down and saw a small round bug unlike any she'd seen before. It was bright yellow and its movements were also strange. It was moving in a pattern, like it was tracing something on her knee.

Slowly, she made out the characters for "Shino". Hinata's eyes widened. Of course! This was Shino's bug. He'd boasted about them before for being pedigree bred insects. He must have planted one on her for "safety" reasons.

She let it move onto her finger and then she placed it on the zip ties around her ankles. Maybe it had some acid or something that could burn through plastic. It was worth a shot. If it worked, she would rather have freedom in her feet than her hands. She needed her mobility back.

The bug was biting the plastic. It was chewing it. Figures Shino's bugs could break through plastic. However, this would take time - time in which Nozomu could return.

"Alright, Banana Milk," she said to the bug. "Let's go,"

Hinata wiggled herself and threw herself forward, trying to get on her knees. She landed on her knees and knuckles. Digging her nails into the tree, she pulled herself up to a wobbly stand. She shuffled forward on her feet and promptly fell.

"Maybe it would be better to crawl," she mused, though her bare knees protested movement against the twigs and rocks on the forest ground.

She made sure Banana Milk was still attached to her ankle before moving.

Hinata ducked into the bushes. She curled into herself to appear as small and hidden as possible. The bush and branches scratched her face as she made her way. It was understandably difficult traveling through the forest with her hands and feet bound.

More importantly, she hoped Hanabi had made it out. She trusted Hanabi's speed and wit, but she worried about interference from Suna gang members. It didn't bear repeating that they didn't fight fair. Hinata head throbbed as a reminder.

A wet drop splashed on her head. Gray storm clouds filled the sky. Hinata let out a quiet sigh. As if the threat of gang violence wasn't enough, now she had to worry about catching a cold. Her dress was for frolicking in the sun, not showers of rain and blood.

"Hey,"

Hinata startled at the sound of a feminine voice. She peered through the bushes and saw a girl come into view. She was talking to three boys, who bowed and nodded their heads.

"Anego, all of the Rookies have been secured. Over," The girl said into a walkie-talkie.

Boss Lady? Was she referring to Temari?

It crackled a response, "Good work. We have secured the base. Over,"

"Chief," The boy who spoke wrung his hands. "One of the grunts informed us that the Hyuuga girl escaped,"

Hinata stiffened.

The girl arched her brow. "And?"

"Shouldn't we secure her?"

"It doesn't matter. She doesn't pose a threat,"

Hinata's pride stung at that.

The girl tossed her hair over her shoulder. "However, if you do come across her, take her hostage,"

"Roger,"

Hinata swallowed, her mouth dry.

"I am regrouping Anego. You three are in charge of wrapping things

up here,"

"Yes ma'am!"

With that, the girl took off. Hinata would have sighed in relief if the situation had

allowed it.

The three boys split up, one of them heading down the path Hinata had come from. She held her breath as he passed, her body completely still. She waited two minutes after they had left to make sure they were really gone.

Crawling on the forest ground was about as pleasurable an experience as expected. Hinata's hands and knees were scraped raw after a few minutes. She felt light-headed as the cut on her temple didn't clot. Blood streamed freely down her face.

The rain grew heavier, falling in fat drops, weighing down her clothes and her hair. She had to keep moving. Black dotted her vision. Nausea and acid rose from her gut to her throat. Move. Her bound hands slipped against the wet ground, the dirt liquefying into mud.

Her face slammed into the earth. She stayed down. Her breath was coming in short, shaking gasps. She felt like she was going to vomit. She was scared, cold, her clothes were wet, her mouth was full of mud, and she was suffering from blood loss.

"This s-sucks," she sniffled.

She shook herself out of her pity party. She took a deep breath to focus.

First, she had to make sure Hanabi got out safely. Second, she needed to help Lee, Kiba, and Shino. Her objectives were clear, but going about them was the tricky part. With so many enemies surrounding her, she was at a clear disadvantage.

However, the one advantage she did have was that she knew the lay of the land better; this was home territory. She was on familiar ground.

Looking around, she tried to pinpoint her location. This path in the forest was the only one dotted with small blue nemophilias. She used the flowers and types of trees as landmarks to navigate the forest.

She heard the faint babble of the stream, but it sounded a bit away. The stream was a short walk away from the entrance. A soft snap brought her attention down to her ankles. She would have squealed in relief if she could to see Banana Milk breaking through her binds. The little yellow bug wiggled once before Hinata brought it to her wrists. It quickly went to work freeing her hands.

Now that she had her feet back, she had a chance.

Hinata slipped past the bushes and trees, careful to soften her movements and freeze when she heard something. Being quiet. At least that was one thing she could do.

She headed towards the stream, which she used as a landmark to determine how close she was to the entrance.

Just a little more -

A swish of brown fabric stopped her. Hinata pressed against the broad trunk of a tree and held her breath. She caught a shock of scarlet through the green and brown.

Their movement was silent. The figure suddenly stopped right in front of her tree. She thought she could feel eyes burning into it, as if seeing right through to her. Hinata bit her lip, clamping her mouth shut. After a moment, they walked away.

Hinata waited long after they left, just in case. Once she felt it was safe, she

peered around the trunk. Something was in its cavity. She carefully took the indigo plant in her bound hands. She swallowed, her throat dry.

She was at the stream when she heard footsteps. She ducked out of sight with her pulse in her ears.

"Where could he have gone?" An angry voice asked.

Hinata's ears pricked. That voice was familiar.

"I was with him, but he just ran off all of a sudden,"

White eyes widened at the newcomers.

Temari was standing with her hands on her hips. She growled, shielding her eyes from the rain. "So much damn water in this place. Did you say something to him?"

Kankuro frowned. "I didn't say nothin'," He scratched his cheek. "The last thing I said was that the Hyuuga chick was in here. Some idiot let her escape,"

Temari sighed. "Whatever. It doesn't matter now," She smirked. "The operation was a success. The base is ours,"

This was the second time she was hearing about the base. Surely, it couldn't be their base, could it?

"Heh, good job, sis,"

"Thank you. Now, find Gaara and let's go."

Hinata was about to breathe again when Temari stopped. "Station some grunts by the entrance," A wicked grin flashed across her face. "To greet the Hyuuga, if she makes it out by some chance."

Hinata bit the inside of her cheek. She was so sick of people underestimating her!

Even if she did have a snowball's chance in hell, a little faith would be nice!

The bigger problem now was that her exit was blocked. The next way out was an easy thirty-minute walk past where she came from. There were already Suna goons making their way to her spot. At least the rain had lightened up.

Several pairs of feet shuffled dangerously close by. From what she caught from the corner of her eye, there were six goons. Three of them looked particularly dangerous; a boy wearing a fur-lined parka and bandages over his entire face, save for one eye; a girl with sharp eyes and black hair that swept past her knee; and a boy with spiky black hair and a wolfish grin.

"Team Dosu has secured the frontline. Over," The girl said into her walkie-talkie.

The spiky-haired boy picked his ear in annoyance. "Damn, this humidity is fucking up my hair. Why do we have to do this grunt work?"

The girl scoffed. "Shut up. Your hair is already fucked up,"

The bandaged boy said, "Would you rather disobey Orochimaru-sama's orders?"

The other boy gulped and shook his head.

Orochimaru? Her stomach dropped. He was involved in this mess?

The other three grunts stood stationed across the entrance. Hinata watched the rain come to a full stop. The water in the stream stilled.

The girl's voice sounded closer. She bent down and scooped the stream water in her palms. "Konoha is so...wet,"

Hinata bit her lip. She was so close. Too close.

"Show yourself,"

Hinata froze.

The spiky-haired boy moved closer. "Oi, what's up?"

"I see a reflection in the water,"

Her heart thundered. Her body stiffened as she heard them approaching. The rain must have made it harder to spot her, rippling the water and obscuring vision.

Her mind flickered between fight or flight mode, but her body stayed frozen.

Six pairs of boots filled her vision. The girl thrusted a metal pipe in front of Hinata. "Well, shit. Looks like the Hyuuga did make it,"

The spiky-haired boy squatted down to grab her face. She tried not to wince at his rough handling as he turned her face. He nodded. "The Uchiha's got good taste,"

"Zaku," The bandaged boy reprimanded. The boy named Zaku grumbled and stood back up.

"I-I was caught," Hinata said. She lifted her bound wrists for them to see.

The bandaged boy narrowed his eye. "Is that so? Temari asked us to guard the frontline only a few minutes ago,"

She nodded. "Yes, I saw her pass. The one who caught me...told me to keep quiet. He was planning to-" Her eyebrows dipped in distress. Her lip quivered and her eyes lowered. Distressed and flustered faces were almost automatic to her.

The girl crossed her arms and snarled. "I get it. Some piece of shit was planning to rape her,"

"Kin," The bandaged boy said to the girl. "Report to Temari,"

"Roger."

Zaku kicked a rock with a peevish expression. "Aw, c'mon, Dosu. Can't we do something to her? Interrogation? Torture? This is so boring!"

The bandaged boy Dosu's eyebrow twitched. "Our only orders were to assist the Suna in securing the Rookies. This girl is not an official member,"

"Unofficial member, more like. She's still involved," Hinata didn't like the predatory look on Zaku's face. "Like we can break her arms, right? Get some info offa her?"

Dosu paused, looking at Hinata's anxious expression. "If you would like to deal with Uchiha Sasuke after breaking her arms, then proceed,"

"Tch. You don't think I could take him?"

"Remember last time?"

Zaku glared at her, as if it was her fault. "Whatever. He got lucky, that's all,"

Dosu raised his one visible brow. "If lucky is snapping both of your arms,"

Hinata weighed her options; she doubted she could outrun Orochimaru's grunts. And she had been so close to escaping.

"Temari wants us to bring her in," Kin said. "Get up,"

Hinata made a show of struggling to get up. The more they underestimated her, the lower their guard would be. Dosu pulled her up by the elbow and nudged her forward.

Her heart sank the further they moved away, deeper into the forest. She had hoped that they would let her stay by the entrance and once their guard was low, she could run for it. Maybe they would see how pathetic she was and leave her alone.

They went down the bellflower path. They were Hinata's favorite because they were purple. She shook her head. She didn't have time for idle thoughts! She needed a plan. The bellflower path led deeper in the forest, but there was nothing that could help her.

"Keep it moving," Kin hit the back of her legs with the steel pipe. Not enough to hurt, just enough to keep her on her toes.

Hinata heard the sound of water again. The waterfall. She had many memories here. Memories of her sobs being drowned out by the rush of water, memories of training with Neji, memories of sitting in a swirl of golden fireflies.

On the other side of the waterfall was a restricted area. A reservoir. She wondered if the Suna had ventured into the restricted area. Then she wondered if she could swim across. She wiggled her wrists slightly. Banana Milk was almost done.

Biting her lip, she devised a plan. A stupid one, but a plan nonetheless.

One, wait for Banana Milk to break the zip tie.

Two, jump into the water and swim to the other side.

Three, run for it.

Definitely stupid. Definitely more proactive than being kept hostage by a gang.

The moment she heard the snap of the zip tie, she booked it.

lllll

For once, Kiba hoped the bastard wasn't gone.

With the last legs of his battery, he managed a group text about the situation. At the moment, Akamaru was close to tearing a hole through the net. It was made of unusually strong string, which he recognized as the puppet dude's doing. Freak.

"Ow!" Kiba yelped at their shaky landing. Akamaru whimpered in agreement. He gave the dog an affectionate ear scratch. "Thanks, man. You saved our asses,"

Akamaru yipped in agreement.

"Anyway, I hope Hinata hauled ass. Suna plays dirty," Case in point - booby traps. "Think you can find Shino?"

Kiba prepared himself for the worst possible scenario. Shino had been cornered at the edge of the ravine to buy Kiba time to flee. He sighed. He hated big heroic sacrifices because it made him feel like a cowardly piece of shit. Shino always kept his cool and never hesitated in bad situations.

Kiba, on the other hand, totally squandered his chance and got himself stuck in a damn tree, with his dog being the only helpful one in the situation. His own fangs couldn't compare to an actual canine's.

So, feeling dispirited and heavy-hearted, he stumbled through the forest. Akamaru led, freezing when he smelled a patch of turned dirt that had Suna's scent on it. Yup, his own dog, man's best friend, was showing him up in terms of usefulness.

Kiba didn't want to think about Sasuke's reaction if something happened to Hinata.

For someone who hated everything and everyone, he was oddly tolerant of her. Maybe he even liked her. It was pretty shocking to hear about how the Uchiha had acted when he'd found Shino and Hinata together. Kiba wouldn't have believed it if it wasn't Shino who he'd heard it from. Shikamaru had mentioned something about Sasuke's odd behavior this morning. Apparently, he'd been talking her up all morning.

He shook his head as if to clear his thoughts.

Right. His best friend was motivation enough, but on top of that, he needed to make sure Hinata was alright. He'd come to like the strange Hyuuga girl. She reminded him of Shino, except she was much cuter.

Right now, his friends needed him.

lllllll

"Get her!"

She ran on pure adrenaline. Blood rushed in her ears. Footsteps pounded behind her. All she could hear was her thundering pulse. Fingernails scratched her arm as one goon attempted to grab her. She kept running.

Without sparing a look back, Hinata dove into the water. She pumped her muscles and pushed herself through the icy water. A hand grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked. She screamed, blindly lashing out at her pursuer.

Oxygen struggled to reach her brain. The goon was dragging her back, a cold, heavy grip around her neck tightening like a noose.

Neji had taught her one of the earliest fighting lessons in her life; in self-defense, always play dirty. Attack the face, the nose, the eyes, or the throat.

Her hand flew out behind her. She prayed for a hit in the face, but felt nothing. She twisted. The technique to shake off an attacker was complicated by the physics of water.

She tried again. This time, she heard the satisfying sound of her fist hitting flesh. The goon's arms loosened. Now was her chance.

She gasped when she broke the water. The underwater struggle had almost made her black out. She swam to the other side in a feverish hands grabbed desperately for land. She hauled herself up with shaking arms, her feet slipping on the ground as she took off running again.

She slid under the barricade. Her lungs burned at the exertion. There was some splashing in the distance, but no footsteps followed her. Still, she kept moving until she heard nothing.

She panted and wheezed as she settled on a tree branch. She was safely out of a sight due to the dense foliage.

As she caught her breath, her mind caught up with her actions. She could hardly believe she pulled it off. Maybe Ino's running sessions really had improved her stamina. Water had always been Hinata's element.

Still, she was surprised that they hadn't pursued her. It left her with a heavy feeling of dread. Unease coiled in her stomach.

She dragged trembling fingers through her dripping wet hair. Her pretty dress was soaked. She knew she looked as bad as she felt. Her face was streaked with mud and her wrists and ankles were an angry red. Her knees were scratched and dirty. Her attacker left scratches across her arms and her neck.

Hinata hung her head. There was no way she could explain this to her father.

She caught sight of a familiar yellow bug.

"Banana Milk!" she exclaimed. The bug had somehow latched onto her through her turbulent swim. "You made it!"

Banana Milk wiggled a little dance on her palm. She giggled, then sighed in relief.

Shino, Kiba, and Lee still needed her help. The problem now was how to get to them. She sneezed. All this water was making her sick. But now was not the time to worry about her health.

Hinata had more scheming to do if she wanted to get out of this mess.

A/N:

Anego refers to a female boss in a gang/crime organization. They're calling Temari that out of respect (Kagura from Gintama calls Otae this lol).

I'm iffy about this chapter just because I SUCK at writing action and stuff like this so please point out what i can improve on.

im sorry sasuke's not in this one...don't worry...his petty ass will be back in the next one

Special thanks to sahelsteadfast and untamekat for being patient and supportive of this fic ILU muah muah! thank you for the constant encouragement and sweet comments. you da real mvps

(i also post this fic and other lil one-shots on my tumblr. i am golden-gengar ~)

(i may post all my tumblr one-shots in one lil fic thing at some point)

deuces.

Helvetica Ghost