A/N: Had this chapter ready for a while but couldn't upload until today. Enjoy!
Unwind
Cycle III
Sunlight streams in from seemingly everywhere, from the tall stretching windows on the walls and from the arrays of skylights built into the dome. An eclectic mix of leather-bound books and aged scrolls fills bookshelves that reach so high that Hinata feels dizzy when she looks up. The six giant chandeliers – an enormous one in the middle and five slightly smaller ones around it – are unlit but still add to the ambience of grandeur and brilliance.
As they pass row after row of bookshelves, Hinata's eyes grow wider and wider until they are twin disks of pale-eyed wonder. Sasuke tries not to snort at her expression. Mortals' reactions are so ridiculous sometimes.
"And this is only one of the Archives?" she breathes.
"Four others left," says Sasuke drily. "You have a lot to learn."
"I'll only get lost here," Hinata protests. "I'll need at least a week – no, a month, to know the ins and outs of this place."
"Calm down, Hyuuga. I'm only here to teach you the basics," says Sasuke, glancing at his fingernails detachedly. "The Sand siblings will show you the specifics. They're busy on an errand for the next few days though, so you'll have to do some exploring yourself."
Hinata panics a little. "B – but I don't know how everything is organized! What if I mess up the order of things?"
"You won't have to categorize anything just yet." At Hinata's bewildered expression, he adds, "You'll see what I mean as we go along. Hurry up! You mortals are so slow."
Hinata toddles after him like a gosling following its grumpy mother. They climb a staircase that splits in the middle halfway to opposite directions. Sasuke takes the left path.
"Each of the Archives is designed to house certain records," Sasuke explains. "This one holds all the decrees and decisions the gods have ever made. Declarations of war, blessings on favored mortals, and even temple expansion decrees – they're all here."
"That's… incredible."
They reach the top of the stairs near the ceiling where the dome begins. When Hinata looks down, she squeaks. Everything is so high, and there never seem to be railings on any of the stairs. She tries very hard not to wobble.
There's a giant set of crystal doors on the wall in front of them. Sasuke turns the gilded knob and exits on to a precarious looking bridge made of ropes woven from gossamer threads that make intricate patterns along the netted walkway. It's beautiful and airy but also suspiciously thin.
"The bridge connects this Archive to the next," Sasuke says. He lifts an eyebrow when Hinata doesn't follow.
"C – can that hold both of us?" she asks in a high-pitched voice.
"We'll have to see," says Sasuke, smirking. He's enjoying her terror!
Hinata takes a deep breath and steps forward, closing the door behind her and clutching on to the knob for dear life as her feet sink into the plush surface of the bridge. Sasuke is already halfway across and striding forward with brisk confident steps. She gathers her courage and pushes onward, concentrating on the doors of the Second Archive in front of her and not the slightly wobbling bridge below. Her forehead has broken out in a light sweat by the time she's made her way across.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?" he asks half-mockingly.
Hinata wonders if it'd be unwise to kick an immortal being in the shin.
"What's this Archive for?" she asks, trying to change the topic and keep her frustration inside.
According to Sasuke, the Second Archive houses all the records that pertain to the relations between the gods; the Third all the relations between the gods and the mortals; the Fourth all the relations between the gods and their servants; and the Fifth all the philosophical works on the phoenix and the concept of the afterlife.
As they climb higher and higher, Sasuke points out the various features of each Archive and answers her questions thoroughly, and occasionally sarcastically. Every time they have to cross a bridge to the next Archive, Hinata does so in a squabble of a run, though she glares at the immortal ruefully when he laughs.
"You look like a crazy chicken," he says with a blank face but a trace of humor in his voice.
Hinata keeps her mouth pressed in a firm line. She briefly wonders how he knows what chickens look like. Do they eat chickens up here? Are there chicken farms in the afterlife?
She shakes her head. She's getting dizzy from the height. Concentrate.
When they reach the Fifth Archive, Sasuke motions her to the southern curve of the building and points out the window.
Hinata gasps. From here, she can see all the other Archives below.
"They're positioned like the first loop of a spiral," she says softly.
The Second Archive is above, up, and right to the First Archive. The Third is above, up, and left to the Second. The Fourth is above, down, and left to the Third; leaving the Fifth to be above, down, and right to the Fourth, positioned right above the First and Third Archives.
And if she looks straight down, to the space of cloud in the middle of the Archives, of the spiral, there is a strange marking etched in the cloud. She squints. It's strangely familiar. It's a bunch of weird squiggly lines, and it resembles… ancient runes?
Then, her eyes widen in realization. She turns to Sasuke, who has his index finger to his lips and is gazing at her sternly.
Stay silent.
"It seems we've come to the heart of the matter," he says quietly, dangerously, and Hinata takes a few tottering steps back at the strange gleam in his eyes. "My brother seems to think you'd make an excellent helper in the Archives. I'm not sure why he thinks you'd be any valuable addition, but I suspect it's because of your keen eyes."
"I – I—"
"Now that you've seen the Archives, I'll tell you how it works here. Every god or goddess has a small claim on the Archives – these records belong to everyone. Nevertheless, the Naras are the ones who have the most power here. They allow the Uchihas and certain other clans to send assistants here. As of now, you work here, and you represent the Uchiha stake of the Archives. Do you understand? One wrong move and my brother will have to suffer for your mistake."
He's trying to intimidate her. His eyes are darker and redder than usual. Hinata bites her lip. It's not going to work.
She forces herself to stop trembling. In a way, it's sort of easy to, considering how similar he looks right now to Neji and Hanabi when they're ready to defend the Hyuugas. The three of them share the same steely look, the same posture - relaxed and loose, but ready to strike any moment. It's... comforting.
"I'll do my best," she promises sincerely.
"Tch. You'll need more than your best," he says, but he seems satisfied, for the moment. "For the next few days, until the Sand siblings return, your task is to get yourself familiar with certain records from all over the Archives. Sakura will give you the list later."
Hinata nods her understanding. She wants to ask about the symbol etched in the center of spiral, but something in her gut tells her that it's not the right time for those kinds of questions yet. From what she knows so far, something's not right, even among the gods. She thinks back to the instance with Neji and the pomegranates.
She blanches. If even the gods are helpless, does her family stand a chance?
Ω
It's not her, the message reads. Hanabi struggles to keep her face composed as she reads. Neji sits cross-legged in front of her, his serene composure the epitome of a boy who has come to terms with the gods and is now at peace. His acting is a bit too good, she thinks enviously.
It's not her. Ino's confirmed it with Sai. It wasn't human hair. It was something synthetic.
Hanabi's blood seems to freeze. She continues reading.
I've thought about it, and there are two possibilities: Either the priests never gave us Hinata's real body or Hinata's body doesn't exist anymore. It'll be extremely difficult to prove the second one, so I'm planning on joining the priesthood to gain access to the chambers the rest of us aren't able to visit. The clan knows of my decision.
She slowly folds the paper and hands it back to Neji.
"An enlightening prayer."
Neji strikes a match and burns the scrap.
"You still look concerned, cousin. Are you sure the meditation was helpful?"
Everyone's leaving me, Hanabi thinks. She shakes her head.
"Mother and Father are still grieving Hinata's death. Will you show them your prayers too?"
The older boy smiles sadly.
"I'm afraid it won't do any good. Mother and Father seem to be losing their faith as of late. They will need more than my prayers."
Hanabi stares at him for a long moment, then sighs.
"If you say so, cousin. I overheard that you will be joining the priesthood soon," Hanabi scratches her nose, "will I be taking over some of your clan duties?"
Neji taps his chin idly.
"Not clan duties, but I would appreciate if you had daily spars with Tenten. She'll need a good partner while I'm gone."
"I see. And anything else?"
"Hm. Every so often, I would like to bring flowers to Hinata's grave. I can't leave the temple during my training though."
"So you need me to bring you some. I can do that. From Ino, right?"
"Of course. Her family's flowers are the best," says Neji, a small smirk crossing his face before disappearing in half a second. "And one more thing: be cautious around the likes of Sai. He's religiously amoral."
"I'll do my best," Hanabi replies, scratching her nose again. Neji hums in assent, tapping his chin.
As she exits the room, she feels a slight tingle down her spine. All the hairs on the back of her neck rise. She's being watched, she realizes. Scrutinized. When she casually looks around, no one is in the hall with her.
Hanabi forces her expression to remain neutral as she crosses the hall to bid her parents good night.
Ω
"Yo, teme."
Sasuke's eye twitches at the voice. When he turns, Naruto is perched on the wide sill of the foyer window of the Uchiha Palace. There's an annoying grin on his face again.
"So I heard the mortals sent another one up here," the blonde continues. "Weren't you supposed to give them a warning or something?"
"Mortals," Sasuke says, pinching the bridge of his nose tiredly, "are idiots."
"Itachi told me that you guys are letting her work the Archives. Are you sure that's the best idea?" When Sasuke continues walking across the foyer, Naruto agilely leaps off the sill and follows him.
"It wasn't my idea," Sasuke says through gritted teeth. "That idiot just decided on his own."
"So who is he? Or she? Is the mortal capable?"
"I don't know," the raven-haired boy says tonelessly. "She starts the job tomorrow."
"A girl!" Naruto's grin grows sly. "Is she cute?"
"I don't know."
"What do you mean, you don't know? It's a yes or no question – don't tell me you're too shy to say anything."
"I'm not being shy. I just don't know."
"Ehhhhh—"
"Dobe, if you're that curious, ask Sakura to introduce you. She should be showing the mortal the way around the palace right now."
When they've exited the foyer and entered the study, they see Itachi hunched over a giant desk with sprawling papers and several empty inkwells. He scribbles furiously. The older boy pauses and looks up when he hears the sound of footsteps, blinks rapidly for a moment, then smiles. There's a blotch of ink on his chin.
"I swear this place was spotless when I left yesterday," Naruto mutters under his breath.
Itachi's smile grows apologetic. "I got started without you two, as you can see." He gestures to the mess around him.
"Means less work for us," Sasuke replies with a shrug, grabbing the nearest pen and seating himself at a clear desk. "How far have you gotten?"
"Far enough to test a few of our suspicions. It's confirmed."
There's a significant, almost crazed gleam in his eyes, and the two younger boys know immediately what the older Uchiha is going to say before he does when he leans in and whispers, "We're being tracked… and they know we know."
chapter three fin