What Happens Next?
Author's Note: Thanks for all of the reviews. To address one reviewer's comment, last chapter had elements that were similar to another mission on a different Sasuke x Hinata story of mine. I viewed them as different enough to stand on their own. The other one was a Chinese Zodiac Party and they got an eyeful of other couples right away, this one is more "normal-ish." Anyway, this mission is only intended to be a 1-3 chapter bridge to get them past their denial. ^^. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 13
Hinata moans into the kiss and runs her fingers through his surprisingly soft hair. She had always expected the spiky mane to be harsher. Sasuke it seemed might not be much of a talker, but he was very skilled at using his mouth in other ways.
Sasuke shivers. There was something incredibly erotic about having her underneath him in this way. She was so soft and warm and at the moment seemed willing to allow him to explore to his heart's content.
"We should probably come up with a signal." He murmurs after breaking the kiss.
At first, Hinata didn't really comprehend what he was saying. He was too close to her. The feeling of body heat, his scent, and ruby red eyes were almost hypnotic. Finally, his words registered.
"A signal?" She asks in confusion.
"Yeah. If I go to far, you should be able to let me know in public, without blowing our cover. I don't want to make you uncomfortable while we are alone or out there." He elaborates.
"Oh right. I'll blink three times in a row, really fast." She says.
She had been really comfortable actually. If Hinata had been a bolder person, she would have told him that. But the bluenette didn't want him to think she was wanton. She lacked Ino's daringness.
"Three blinks, got it." He says and goes back to kissing her, this time on the neck.
Hinata lets out soft sighs of pleasure and continues playing with his dark locks. That felt very nice. The Hyuga Heiress arches into him and almost giggles. If Neji saw them like this or any member of her Clan, they would be outraged.
They weren't here though. Besides, it was for the sake of a mission. There was no rule that said she couldn't enjoy herself while on a mission. It was just a little kissing and necking. So far it was still innocent.
"So kissing seems to be alright against the lips and neck. What about other places?" He asks and his eyes dance with mischief.
"Other places? Like where?" She asks.
"Nevermind. Shouldn't have asked. I'm not Shisui. That was wrong of me to ask. Forget it." He says quickly and decides to run his fingers through her long dark blue curtain of hair.
He'd always been fascinated by her hair really. It looked like a waterfall. It felt like pure silk between his fingers. Maybe this was why his father was so fond of his mother's hair?
He tries to refocus his thoughts. If she was innocent enough that she had to ask, "What other places," he knew that was a no. Sasuke wasn't going to corrupt her. Still he was amazed that someone as innocent as Hinata was a ninja in the first place. One would think such topics would come up on a mission or at least in passing, but it seemed they had not.
"Sasuke, what do you mean? What does Shisui have to do with any of this?" Hinata presses.
"I am not telling you this time. I don't want you to faint again." He informs her.
Hinata blinks. He didn't want her to faint again? She blushes. The bluenette wasn't sure exactly what he meant now, but she knew it was something that would probably be considered scandalous by her very proper family.
"Alright. I'll take your word for it, for now." She says.
"Smart kitten." He says and smiles, kissing her forehead.
It was probably best the mood had shifted from erotic to amusing. Sasuke didn't exactly trust himself now that he knew what her kiss tasted like. Things between their Clans were still too unsettled. Seducing the Clan Head's daughter, probably wouldn't help matters.
"You are laughing at me." She mumbles in a tone somewhere between embarrassed and angry.
"Never, my love. You're just so cute. Can't it." He says without even thinking about it.
Damn it. He'd called her my love. Kitten he could probably get away with. But THAT expression was well known in the Uchiha Clan. He wondered if it was as symbolic in the Hyuga Clan. He hoped that it wasn't or else he was in big trouble for that slip.
"My lo-ve?!" Hinata asks with wide eyes.
Shit. Alright that was definitely one thing their Clans had in common, judging by her expression. He had to think fast. Sasuke couldn't lie his way out of this one.
"Trying out different endearments?" He offers.
"Oh. Okay." Hinata says and the shocked look slowly fades.
She bought that. Thank goodness. He didn't know what he would have done, if she hadn't.
"Come on. I doubt we are going to find the criminal in our room." He says and offers her his hand.
Meanwhile Orochimaru smirks. He knew that the Nine Tails was out on a mission and so was Sasuke. True, there were still formidable ninjas inside that village. But he likened it to a pack of wolves hunting.
They didn't need to take out the entire herd. They just needed to grab a few easier targets. The young, the old, or the sick would do. It wouldn't matter what their physical condition was, as long as they were capable of manifesting the Sharing an (or Byakugan).
"The Uchihas are exhausted. They'll be fighting at 25% capacity at best. The rest of the village is too busy bickering to be on guard. It's the weakest I've ever seen the Leaf." Kabuto says, returning to Orochimaru with his report.
"And the Nine Tails and Sasuke are gone, you are certain of this?" He asks.
"Positive. Both are out on separate missions." Kabuto replies.
"Good. Strike now. Take as many Uchihas and Hyugas as you can before leaving. This is a tactical strike." Orochimaru says and Kabuto heads off to give the order.
He was mostly worried about Sasuke because other than the elderly members of the Uchiha Clan and the children, he was the least exhausted Clan member. It seemed that he had mostly been assigned to help his Sister-In-Law with her pregnancy.
The Sound Ninjas head off and strike. It was completely chaos. Orochimaru released the snakes again. So the ninjas were distracted as they tried to take out the snakes and prevent buildings from falling down.
"Attacking a tower by the Academy, should draw the Uchihas and Hyugas out. After all, they are the Leaf's shock troops." He mutters.
Sure enough, the alert soon blares across the village. This was a Code Red. Code Red meant get civilians and those who couldn't fit to evacuation points and every able bodied ninja was supposed to get to the battlefield.
"That's the tower by the Academy, they are attacking!" Kenji, Sauske's grandfather, gasps in horror.
"Oh no! We have to hurry." His wife calls out in horror and flits off.
"MOTHER!" Fugaku hisses and darts off after the clearly insane, elderly woman.
Her heart was in the right place and he knew that. But she was too old to be rushing off onto battlefields and stopping falling buildings. She had lost her mind.
Kenji raced off right after them. He was surprisingly fleet of foot for a man of his advanced years. Mikoto closes her eyes and sighs. She wanted to go after them, but she knew that it would be a foolish move strategically.
"Everyone divide up into groups of ten and span out to your assigned locations for Fiery Gates. Those of you who have been assigned to escort evacuation teams move out NOW!" She says.
"We have to help them." Izumi says.
"You're pregnant. You are on the evacuation team and I am not going to debate this!" Itachi informs his wife.
"I'm not leaving you." She protests and Itachi sighs, he kisses his wife, and smiles when she returns it.
He knew that it was a low blow. But he had to do it. It was for her safety and the baby's. Izumi couldn't charge off into battle like this. He places a quick strike to a nerve in the back of her neck that made her fall unconscious.
"Shisui, take her with the evacuation team! Keep my wife safe. I'm needed on the battlefield." Itachi says and his cousin nods, for once being somber as he darted off with Izumi in his arms.
"GET AWAY FROM HER! FIREBALL JUTSU: PHOENIX FLOWER STYLE!" A young Uchiha boy scream at one of the giant serpents that was lunging at Hanabi Hyuga and hurls off a fireball, back at the Academy.
The good news? The fireball had certainly got the snake to turn its focus off Hanabi. The bad news? It was now very angry and coming after the 10 year old boy.
"Kita, Hanabi! Children! Take cover. The village is under attack. Head to the evacuation centers." Iruka orders them.
"But we are ninjas to! We want to help!" Hanabi calls out in outrage.
"You are ninjas in training. You are not equip to deal with the level of a threat! DO AS I SAY!" Iruka yells as he dodges another snake's massive jaws.
Most of the children do as Iruka says. He notes to his horror, about ten decided to be stubborn. Naturally, this included Hanabi and Kita. Damn it! If anything happened to either of those kids, he was a dead man. The Uchiha and Hyuga Clans were extremely protective of their children.
"THAT WASN'T OPTIONAL!" He yells.
"Kids these days, huh? No respect for their elders." Kabuto says.
"You!" Iruka says and charges at the medic, knowing he had to defeat the snakes and now Kabuto if he wanted to protect his class.
"KITA!" Hanabi calls out as she slams him out of the way of the falling tower.
Fortunately, for them by this time Aiya, Kenji, and Fugaku had arrived. Fugaku's eyes narrow. He recognized Kabuto as being one of Orochimaru's lackeys. Those snakes were clearly from the Sannin as well. Where there was one, there would be the other.
"Ah how perfect." Kabuto says as he instructs the snakes to snatch the two Clan children, elderly couple, and Fugaku.
The snakes got more than they bargained for when they challenged the Head of the Uchiha Clan. Unfortunately, for Fugaku, while he was slicing a snake in half with his sword, his parents and the two children were kidnapped by the snakes. The might serpents had slammed their tails into them, knocking them unconscious, and were retreating.
"MOTHER, FATHER, KITA, HANABI!" He calls out and tries to race off after them.
"You should be more worried about yourself. A Clan Head would certainly be quite the prize in my collection. I can only imagine how developed your eyes are." Orochimaru says as he lunges at Fugaku.
Elsewhere in the Leaf, Itachi had made his way to the hospital, along with some other Uchihas. He was relieved to see some Hyugas there. While not naturally allies, they were formidable ninjas and they needed them right now. It looked like the Sound had attacked and instead of going for kills, they were trying to capture people?
"Neji!" He calls out.
The Hyuga man was whirling around creating a protective barrier around himself as he spun around quickly and sent his opponent's flying.
"Itachi! I think they aren't here to take over the village. They are interested in kidnappings. They seem to be targeting our families specifically." Neji says and Itachi hurls a kunai into a throat of a Sound ninja that was trying to grab a Hyuga.
"Neji, there are too many of them!" A Hyuga says.
"Take out as many as you can. We have to weaken their numbers." The other Hyuga replies and Itachi flings out a series of kunais.
His chakra reserves and energy levels, were too low. The Uchiha knew that he would have to rely on "basic" techniques or risk collapsing in battle. Unfortunately, he didn't think his fellow clansmen and clanswomen were in much better shape than he.
The sounds of battle could be heard all throughout the village. Itachi could only hope that Shisui managed to get his wife to safety. If they lived through this, he knew that she just might kill him for knocking her out.
It wasn't his fault though. She was so stubborn. It was the only way to protect her and their child. So he would take his beating, if only they all survived this.
Meanwhile back in Eros, Hinata and Sasuke were oblivious to the attack going on in the Leaf. Sasuke smiles as he walks hand in hand with Hinata to one of the restaurants at the hotel.
"Order, whatever you like." He says as they sit down and his eyes scan the room for anything suspicious.
Unfortunately, that was kinda a given in Eros. Everything looked suspicious to him. Wait was that man wearing a collar and on a leash? Damn, he really was.
Yeah, that counted as suspicious in his book. But it was the wrong kind of suspicious. He sighs and keeps up his scan of the area.
"The shrimp dinner does look good." She offers, trying to keep their cover.
"Yeah, I like shrimp." Sasuke comments.
Kasa blinks. That was a first. A Hyuga and an Uchiha together? They looked like they were on a date. This was a hotel for couples. Hmm well that was certainly worth investigating.
He gets a table close to them and listens into their conversation. So far it was standard. They were deciding what to order. Kasa felt a little disappointed. He had expected something more scandalous.
He sees the Hyuga woman lean closer to her date. She was whispering something into his ear. But he couldn't make out what she had said to the Uchiha.
"We are being watched. I think we found our target." She whispers.
"Let's put on a good show then. Sit in my lap." He tells her.
Hinata nods. She quickly sits in his lap. Sasuke smiles. She really was such a good kitten. He decides to hold her closely, making it look as convincing a possible.
"May I take your orders?" A waitress asks them, a few minutes later.
"Yes, we'll have two shrimp dinners and two glasses of white wine, please." Sasuke says.
Hinata snuggles further into Sasuke's chest. She didn't miss the envious glance the waitress gave her. The bluenette resisted the childish urge to stick out her tongue at her. That would be most unbefitting of a Hyuga. It was still there though.
The waitress nods and heads off. Sasuke smirks and places a few light kisses along Hinata's neck. Since they had an audience, he decided to be bolder than he normally would have. He glides his hands over her clothed breasts.
Hinata buries her face into his neck to hide her blush. She lets out quiet moans. It just felt really good.
This caused a bit of predicament for Sasuke. He couldn't tell if she was blinking three times in this position or not. He lacked the Byakugan's nearly 360 degree field of vision. He decides to keep going. If it bothered her, she'd whisper in his ear or something, he decided.
"That's more befitting of Eros." Kasa mutters.
He was shocked that the shy Hyuga Princess would allow herself to be touched in such a fashion in public. Then again, perhaps she just felt that she was far enough away from the Leaf, that she could safely indulge her lover, without worrying about her reputation amongst her Clan.
"Seems like my kitten enjoys being petted." Sasuke murmurs in a voice just loud enough for Kasa to catch.
Hinata nods. She had never been touched like that before. Sure, she was still dressed. But the feeling of his hands on her breasts was, well it felt really good.
"He's coming over. Mind if I go a bit further?" Sasuke whispers in her ear and Hinata nods shyly, giving him permission.
"I must say, I never would have thought I'd see a day when an Uchiha and a Hyuga were romantically involved. Though I have to admit that the aesthetics are stunning. You do make such a beautiful couple." Kasa muses.
"Thank you." Sasuke says and slides his hand underneath Hinata's shirt and over her bra.
He wasn't going to let the other man see Hinata clad only in her lingerie. But he wanted to make it convincing. Oh silk. Hmm he had expected lace. Sasuke liked silk though. He wondered what color it was.
"Perhaps you would be interested in, joining me and some of my friends after your meal in the Clone Room. Tell me are you in an open relationship, do you prefer to watch, or be watched?" He asks.
"If anyone else tries to touch her, I will slit their throat. We prefer to watch or be watched during foreplay, but not the actual act itself." He answers and Hinata shivers at the first part.
Sasuke had practically growled out that sentence. It wasn't a threat, it was a promise. Kasa seemed slightly disappointed, yet hopeful at the same time.
"I can understand your reluctance to share, she is certainly a beauty. We'll meet you in the Clone Room after your meal." He states and walks off.
"Be w-atched?" Hinata whispers.
"I had to give the pervert something or he might have retracted the invite." Sasuke explains.
"I guess so." She mumbles.
Sasuke tries to hide his sigh. He knew it was expecting a lot of the shy woman. But it was the easiest way to get their target to let their guard down. God knows feeling Hinata's breasts in his hands, even if they were covered was certainly distracting to him.
"Just remember, blink three times. It'll be alright. I wouldn't do anything you weren't comfortable with. If all goes well, we might be home as early as tomorrow." He tells her.
Meanwhile back in the Sound, Orochimaru smirks. They had managed to capture 18 Uchihas and 7 Hyugas. The Uchihas were an easier target because of how exhausted they had been before the fight even began.
He was pleasantly surprised when they bagged that many Hyugas. Ah excellent. He had a relatively large sample size of Sharingans and Byakugans. Surely, they would make excellent vessels over time and the research he could do on their eyes might very well be the key that unlocked immortality.
"How many ninjas did we lose on the raid?" Orochimaru asks Kabuto.
"Sixty-seven, My Lord." The silver haired medic quickly replies, having already surveyed the damage to their numbers.
"Did we lose anyone important?" The Sannin demands and Kabuto shakes his head.
The snake lover smirks. Excellent. They had gained 25 Uchihas and Hyugas for the reasonable price of 67 underlines. In his mind, that trade ended highly in his favor.
There were really only three categories of people to Orochimaru. Threats, Jewels, and disposable chest pieces. Uchihas and Hyugas were jewels and threats. But right now, he had 25 in his custody. They were now firmly in the jewel category.
"What are your orders?" Kabuto asks.
"Make sure they are all thoroughly restrained and try to identify every one of them. Most of them were probably in the Bingo Book. We may very well find out something useful." He states and the silver haired man wanders off to do as his superior commanded.
Orochimaru smiles. He would have preferred not to have suffered such high causalities, of course. But the price he had paid, had been worth it. Nothing worth having, had ever come easily.
The Sannin was confident that now he would finally be able to do it. He would finally be able to achieve the goal that he had been striving towards for most of his life. The goal of immortality.
"The secret has to lie in their eyes somewhere. Perhaps then I will not require vessels. It would certainly be much easier." He mutters.
He winces. Orochimaru could already feel that this body's time was rapidly drawing to a close. How fortunate for him, that he now had twenty-five excellent potential vessels to choose from.
"Truly, it is an embarrassment of riches." He murmurs to himself in dark approval.
His only regret is he didn't get Fugaku, Itachi, Sasuke, or Hiashi. They would have been ideal. Still one of their Clansmen or Clanswomen would serve his purposes just fine and he might be able to capture one of these more elusive targets later on.
"Adorable." He mutters as he glances into one of the rooms where the Hyugas and Uchihas were being kept captive.
An elderly pair of Uchihas, likely married, were holding onto each other. Well they were doing so as much as their restraints allowed. It almost made Orochimaru feel guilty. Almost, but not quite.
Perhaps equally adorable was a young boy and girl. He could overhear them talking. He chuckles. They were rather spirited little things. Certainly, neither were even Chunin yet. But they thought they could escape.
"Ah the naivety of youth." Orochimaru murmurs to himself.
Did they really think that he would go through all this trouble to capture them, only to allow them to escape? Children could be cute sometimes. He supposed that was the advantage of being under the age of 20, you were still delusional about the world. You still believed in happy endings.
Well perhaps not delusional. He was going to achieve immortality. That would be his happy ending. For them however, there would be no happy ending. They would likely one day become his vessels or test subjects. It was all going according to plan.