Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
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Chapter 9
Mitsu
"Izumo, Kotetsu. Send the former Guardians to their assigned scrolls and have them guard them for tonight." He gave them the list he made for the task. His two assistants bowed as they dismissed themselves.
Hiruzen leaned on his chair and faced the morning view. He brought his pipe to his mouth and sucked the smoke in. What are your motives, Orochimaru?
They found out that he was sent to eliminate and extract the chakra from the Yin Guardian who also bore the Yang crystal.
Targeting the Guardians directly, he is serious this time.
"This is a troubled situation."
The young girl found herself battling with her inner thoughts on whether to take this short cut or not. She hated dark alley's, she heard rumors of it being the residence of her bullies. She clutched onto her kimono, trying to subdue the unsteady heartbeats.
Kurai-kun, protect me.
...
The current leader of the Hyuga clan found it utterly weird not to have his daughter back, still. She wanted to have a little walk by herself without any guards as a sign of maturity, so he allowed it. But she had to get home to do her homework and get ready for school tomorrow. A loud gasp erupted from the door as he heard it open.
"Hinata-sama! What are those wounds?!"
He sighed, he laid his cup of coffee down and checked on how severe the wounds may be this time.
Hinata heard the heavy footsteps and saw a large figure come from the living room, the look of consternation filled his entire face.
From the half-ripped kimono, to the bruises that had taken the color of blue and black from her feet and to her upper chest, and face. The beautiful face of her mother had been completely covered with dried blood.
That gave the little girl a little hope that he maybe did care for her as much as Hanabi. Even her younger sister heard the concerns coming from the maids.
Looking at the eyes of determination from the stairs gave her the feeling of disappointment and it evolved into a state of hopelessness as Hanabi was quick to turn around. She swallowed the heavy lump in her throat and silently sniffed her tears back in. She knew she wasn't done yet. She turned her attention to her father, and bowed.
"Don't worry, F-Father. I-I d-defend-ed m-m-myself f-from-m the b-bullies th-his time." His face returned to the stone-cold one she had always known.
"Oh, really?" He said, crossing his arms in front of him. She faked the proud nod, she was at the edge of breaking down in tears inside. But at least she would be allowed to return to her room and rest.
"Then show me."
"Huh?..."
"Hiashi-sama, you can't be serious about this. She can barely stand! " Nana cried, having her hands between Hinata, as her legs were acting wobbly.
"I'm always serious."
Kurai-kun... save me...
...
"Is this how you defended yourself?!" It was obvious how badly in a state she was left in as she couldn't dodge a single blow from her father, he was precise with them though. He made sure not to hit too hard which would result in an immediate black out, but still not too soft.
Please, someone help me...!
Hinata was pushed back for the third time, and as she looked up to face her challenger a ray of light blinded the young heiress, she felt the veins inside of her tighten and a strong hold in her eye pupils. The only thing she heard after the unexpected brightness was her name called out numerous times.
Among the voices crying her name, she heard another voice. A voice that was distinctive. It was familiar, and it called for her too. It was far away from the others to hear but she heard it clearly.
Kurai-kun... please... come back!
"KURAI-KU~UUN!"
Pop.
Pop.
Pop.
Pop.
"Ara, Sasuke-kun. What brings you here so late?" Sasuke wasted no time and placed the extractions gem on his desk. It sure wasn't Hiruzen's day, first Orochimaru and now this.
"Wh-Where did you find this crystal from?" He took the gem and examined the amount of chakra captured inside of it. There was too much for it to be from a regular shinobi. "Don't tell me, is this your chakra?"
Sasuke shook his head. "I just want to know how I undo it and return the chakra back to its rightful owner." Hiruzen had always been there for Sasuke when he felt a sense of pointlessness. And he hadn't failed him once, and hopefully not now.
Hiruzen knew Sasuke very well. And for him to come this far for help meant that whomever the chakra belonged to Sasuke must really care for the person.
"I know you know who all the Guardians are. The person who's chakra is captured inside of the crystal is... of important use to me." Guess he had a sense of why the Hyuga would go so far just to get what she wanted. "What happens if I break it?"
Hiruzen eyes widen from the thought of it. "If you break it, the chakra would run loose and there would be a high chance of it killing you," the memories of the incident that happened to Naruto swam through his mind, "there is this seal that can return all of the chakra back to its' user. But it's a seal only extractors know of-"
"Damn it."
"Demo ne, I'm not called the God of Shinobi for nothing. I'll need the crystal from the-"
Poof
"Yare yare."
Sasuke ran up the stairs with a half smile plastered on his face. He twisted the door handle, grabbed Hinata's crystal and found himself on the roofs again. He decided to check up on Hinata, just to make sure that what he was doing now wasn't going to waste.
The Uchiha could find no words for the red liquid continually sipping from the petite figure and onto the floor, as she was carried by several nurses to the emergency room. He was lucky to stop a medic on her way with a board pressed against her chest.
"What happened?!" Sasuke was taken aback from his own voice, it didn't sound like his. It sounded unsteady and shaky, something he didn't sound like anymore.
The nurse checked her papers, flipping a page up. She faced him as she was about to tell him, "she most likely suffered a mental breakdown."
"Breakdown?"
"We found traces of tears as we examined her, and the breakdown must have caused the stitches to pop like that, which also caused a tiny damage to her spine from the quick movement plus her already wounded front. Her recovery may really vary, depending on how she heals physically and emotionally."
This was worse than he thought. He knew that nothing could keep the Hyuga compound from finding out. He had heard of the leader, though he couldn't remember his name, he recalled the rumors about him being a harsh father towards his offspring. Hinata didn't need that.
He turned his back to her as he was about to leave until he saw the current leader to the Hyuga clan walking with pride but his face had clearly lost some dignity. Great, right when she was supposed to heal emotionally. He vanished in a flash before they saw him. He knew he wasn't done yet, the sun was yet to set so he hurried back to the Hokage's office.
In a split second, another flash found its way in his office. "That was fast."
"I got the crystal." He portrayed the lavender tear-drop that had almost lost it's brilliance. It was weakening.
Hiruzen made the two crystals stand before each other with a little distance. He performed similar hand seals to the ones Yoroi did, this time finishing it with his index and middle finger against each other, right below of his nose.
Kai!
A thin line from the extractions gem connected itself to Hinata, a wave of chakra streamed through the line. Another chakra wave flowed out and escaped the room through an open window.
A sudden relief filled Sasuke, again he didn't know why he felt this excited for a mere human who used to know him as well as his brother. "Thank you."
"You haven't thanked me, yet. Sasuke, what's upsetting you?"
Sasuke thought that Hiruzen would be the only one not to question his life. But it was still hard not to answer him. "It's nothing."
"Pinky swear?"
Sasuke grunted from his way of speaking, he wasn't 5 anymore. He twitched with his mouth as he whispered his respond, "pinky swear..."
The Sandaime chuckled. "You haven't changed much, have you?"
"Uruse..."
The eyelids that exposed the world to pure eyes were welcomed with a sharp light and eyes similar to hers staring down on her. One of them eyeing her with disgrace and shame.
"Hinata-sama!" Nana's cheerful voice brought a tiny bit of happiness. She looked at her father who elevator-eyed her body, and he wasn't pleased with what he saw. A nurse with her information board stood beside him, waiting for permission to brief them on her current condition.
"How is she?" Even his 'she' didn't sound promising. He couldn't have sounded any less heartless. She felt new tears building up behind her eyes.
"She... had taken severe damages to her ribs. And it seems that she got her chakra extracted, we highly doubt that she'll be able to recover it." As much as she was his blood-related child, she was a disgrace to the clan and she knew it. The only reason for bringing Hanabi with him was so that she could see what wasn't tolerated as a Hyuga, especially not as a future Heiress.
"Don't worry Father, I-I defended m-m-myself f-from the e-enemy."
"Did you win?" Her hands automatically clutched onto the bed sheets, if she could just lie like that then it wouldn't hurt so much...
"I-I think so..." She added a little tee hee, but she knew that he didn't find any of this funny. He was embarrassed more than he was ashamed to have raised such a weakling. She was nothing more but a disgrace.
"I think so?"
"I-I w-was h-h-helped."
"By who?"
"I... I didn't s-s-see the fa-ce..."
Another tiresome sigh escaped him, this time heavier. She looked at her sister, Hanabi, who hadn't said anything since she got here. She had been staring at her, with disgust or sympathy she didn't know but in a way, she was happy to see her here.
"Who brought her here?" The nurse was startled from the unexpected question. Her voice became shaky and stuttering as she tried to find the formal words.
"S-She... Er... This boy with a-a katana, and his hair was a blue raven, just in a lighter shade-"
"Stop," she jumped a little from his harsh interruption, "I asked, who brought her here. Not how the person looked like. What clan was he from?"
The nurse thought back to the clan emblem plastered at the back of his kimono when he turned his back on her and left. "It was a fan..."
"A fan? An Uchiha..."
Hinata's hands automatically clutched onto the bed sheets, she knew this was at the edge of complete embarrassment. There was no way he would ever consider her anything, again.
"O-Oto-sama, c-can I e-explai-?"
"Hinata?"
The sound of his voice wasn't as cold and harsh like before, her heart was pumping from what he may tell her next. "H-Hai, otosama?"
"I wish you the best in recovery." The tiny bit of hope grew wider. H-He's wishing me the best recovery?...
"Feel free to stay over at a friend's place if you wish so, too." Hiashi faced the door. Both Hanabi and Nana were shocked from his sudden change in nature, especially Nana. A smile formed around her from the kindness he showed her for once. A single tear slipped from Hinata's eyelashes. He did care for her!
He turned his jaw over his shoulder. "Just don't bother coming back, no, don't you dare come back after you dishonored the pride of us Hyugas! Hanabi will take off from where you never started."
...
...
...
"O-Otosama...?"
"Hiashi-sama! You can't be serious! She's your daughter!"
"If she were," he slid the door open and took a step forward, "then she wouldn't be in this state." He continued his steps of disappointment until he heard a shy voice growing higher and more miserable.
"Otosama... Matte... Matte yo... Otosama...!"
"Don't refer me as that again!" He continued his walk down the hall, expecting to hear lighter footsteps too. He got what he asked for as he heard Nana call for the newly acclaimed heiress who caught up with him.
W-What just happened?... W-What was that right there?...
Warm driblets made their way from her round cheeks to her pillow case, they fell like flies and they weren't stopping any time soon. Even from the comfortable tone in Nana's and the nurses's voice pleading her to stop. She felt a speed up of the airflow from her lungs as her eyes were still plastered at the entrance where her father, or rather former father, stood.
"Hinata-sama, everything is gonna be alright. Everything is gonna be alright, please breath."
"I'll call the doctor!" She saw the nurse sprint out of the room. She felt like popping her stitches again, but what for? To distract her tears from the physical pain or to end the life she thought she was creating along the way?
Her vision was starting to fade as this weird dazzled feeling fell over her. It wasn't soon before she heard the footsteps of the doctors and nurses that her vision turned black.
Sasuke felt satisfied with the accomplishment he earned today. Not only was Hinata's chakra on its way back to her, but her crystal had regained its' glow. He gave the extractions crystal to Hiruzen, not caring what he would use it for.
He knew that it was time to go home, but he strangely found himself at the hospital again. He had already been updated on what had happened with the Hyuga so far by her maid, Nana. He knew he couldn't care less of her connections to the other Hyugas but what he found out was a little too much for her.
He turned to face the nurse that was supposed to present her with cinnamon rolls as the first thing when she woke up. "Where are her cinnamon rolls?"
The nurse jumped from the cold stare she received. His voice was harsh yet low. He looked a little cool while he did it, though. "G-Gomenasai! I will bring them right away."
"Ne, Sasuke-san, just to be sure. Were you the one who helped Hinata in that fight?"
"Aa." Sasuke had seen Hinata in a different light after she kept his identity a secret, knowing that the Hyugas would make an even bigger drama out of it. Maybe she wasn't as stuck up as many of the other Hyugas he had met.
"Are you teammates?"
"No."
"A friend?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know? Why not?"
...
...
...
"I don't know."
Nana had her eyes on her master. The teary marks were still visible. She remembered back to the time she was hyperventilating and the doctors came with a dose of anesthesia which he injected in her arm. And even then was she unsteady, she screamed. It was heartbreaking for Nana to be in the room where her master was having her 2nd breakdown of the day.
She looked at Sasuke whom's expression she couldn't quite read. They weren't friends. Hinata didn't speak much about her teammates, the only thing she knew was that they were friendly and kind. But she didn't seem to know beyond that. She was still alone.
Knowing that the Uchihas were goal-oriented, it wouldn't hurt to make friends along the way. Friends that weren't their teammates. Sasuke seemed like the type who couldn't care less of a persons background, as long as they didn't betray him.
"Ne, Sasuk-"
They heard a knock at the door, the sweet scent of cinnamon fluttered through their nostrils. She didn't get a chance to speak as Sasuke ordered her to put it on the desk near Hinata's bedside and leave. She did as she was told and closed the door behind her.
"What were you about to say?"
Nana was astounded by his attitude. It completely contradicted the picture the Hyugas painted him as. His voice was cold yes, but his tone had feelings attached to it.
"I... just wanted to ask if you would do me a favor."
"Depends, what do you want?" Now she really doubted whether he would do it.
Here goes nothing!
"I... I want you to be Hinata's friend..!"
A deep silence fell upon the room. It worried Nana. Did I sound too desperate?
She was hoping that it would take a few seconds for him to think about it as he came across as a person who wouldn't dwell on a question for too long. But the question must have hit a nerve because he wasn't responding, not even a single movement.
Having a Hyuga as friend... No! He didn't even need friends, the only reason why he's still in the village is because he needs power. Enough power to defeat his brother. And after that, he would revive his clan. He didn't have time for all this, if it weren't for the crystals he wouldn't be in this situation.
"I don't think I'm the right one to ask that favor to."
Nana's shoulders fell, she wondered when she ever lifted them. Should she ask her sensei for help?
"But," she looked at him again. Her hopes were still up, and she had a feeling that he wouldn't disappoint them, "she owes me something for saving her. She would've been dead, otherwise."
"What does she owe you?"
This time he smirked, Nana could see why so many girls fought for his attention.
"It's not 'does' it's 'can' owe me."
"Oh."
From the bubbly pale face silently snoring in her sleep "When the time comes," to her gorgeously rounded bust, slim but curvy figure, and slender legs, Sasuke's smirk grew wider.
"She will be my wife."
Thank you for reading ^^