Well, that was fun! Good ol' angst is the way I roll...for better or for worse.

I'm serious, this chapter is pretty much 98% angst. You've been warned.

Author Recommendation: Okay guys, I have a friend on who's pretty much in love with Naruto, and she just posted a Naruto/True Blood crossover. If you havent seen True Blood (I highly encourage you to if you havent, its soooooo good!) then nevermind, but if you HAVE...

The story's really, REALLY good so far! It's set five years after the Fourth Shinobi War, and Sakura, Naruto and Kakashi are on a A-ranked mission when a strange cult somehow sends them to the lovely town of Bon Temps. It's so freakin GOOD! If you guys wanna give it a read, you wont be dissapointed!

It's called Taunted by the Shadows, and it's by my adorable friend (we go to school together) CaptivateYou!

Okay, so check out my friend's story if you're interested, and I hope you guys like next chapter of Sasuke: Beginning of the End!

Oh, and please review!

=D

Chapter 14

I took off after her, not even considering for a moment that I was leaving behind the man she had been trying to kill. That wasn't important. I had been so long without her that I felt as if my fingers were slowly burning, and there was nothing I could do to extinguish the flame held under them. I wanted to touch her, I wanted to hear her voice, I wanted her to see me.

But as I ran, my mind reluctantly recalled the ignorant stare on her face, the frightened scream that was expelled as she began to run as fast as she could. Her body was cloaked in a garb of black, and my mind immediately rebelled against the color on her. It made her look dangerous, dark…out of my reach.

No, not this time. I had spent so much time searching for her...I refused to lose her now.

And so I poured on the speed, my eyes searching for her in the trees. Her chakra left traces on the trees, and so I followed the trail along the upper canopy, my senses relishing in the familiar twinge of Hikari's chakra against mine.

Ah, it had been nearly a month since I had thought or said her name. It felt so right in my mind, and the thought of holding her once more made my feet pound even quicker against the tree branches. I knew that this kind of emotion was unstable, and that it made me look like a pathetic excuse for a shinobi. I knew that. I was well aware, and part of the beauty of it was that I didn't care in the slightest. Hikari was mine, and I was completely and wholly hers.

My mind was drunk with the thought of her, and her smiling face flashed before my eyes like bright sparks of fire, and my mind adoringly chanted her name – almost like a mantra:

Hikari, Hikari, Hikari, Hikari…

I could sense her presence nearby, but before I could drop down to the lower branches, a voice called out to me, and I recognized it to be the voice of Suigetsu. My skin chilled at the sound, and I stopped suddenly, waiting for the water-nin to show himself.

"It's not her, you know," Suigetsu said quietly, stepping from behind a tree, Hikari limp and shivering in his arms. My hands tightened into fists, and the Chidori was crackling in my fingers before I could stop to think. The muscles in my jaw strained as my teeth ground together, and something dark and furious rumbled throughout my body.

"Let her go," I murmured, surprised at how calm my voice was. Suigetsu shook his head, his arms tightening around her. His purple eyes were not malicious, instead pleading. I only had eyes for Hikari, and took a step forward, daring Suigetsu to challenge me.

"Sasuke, you don't get it. This," he nodded to the girl in his arms, to my Hikari. "isn't Hikari. Madara used some sort of seal on her mind; she's not Hikari anymore. I saw her…I've seen her kill children, Sasuke. I've seen her kill a man without blinking. Trust me, if Hikari was in there, she wouldn't stand for this," Suigetsu breathed, his eyes wary as he glanced around to make sure they weren't being watched.

I scanned– my Chidori had resulted in my eyes bleeding to their Sharingan state – the area, and found that there was no one besides Suigetsu and myself. Suigetsu would have no reason to lie…

My heart clenched at those words, and I stared at the girl in the water-nin's arms. Killed…children? No, Hikari wasn't that kind of shinobi, she wouldn't…she couldn't. She knew her own limitations of justice, she wouldn't even think to lift a finger at the innocent…I knew that much.

"I can lift the genjutsu," I said, for what else could it be that was ailing Hikari? "Give her to me."

Suigetsu shook his head once more. I put a hand on my sword, my patience wearing even thinner in the face of such open defiance. I was so close…if I just took ten steps…I could be touching Hikari. I could be touching her arm and feeling the warmth that she exuded. I would take off the head and mouth covering that she wore, and feel the soft line of her jaw, the thickness of her hair. The desire to move was so strong that I almost did it. My shoulders were stiff with the effort of keeping them from visibly shaking, and my eyes were so completely focused on Hikari that it was surprising that anything else reached my senses.

I had seen many addicts in Sound, and finally, after all this time, I understood how they felt when unable to have their alcohol. Before Hikari, I had never had anything I needed so subtly that I didn't notice how important it was until it was gone. I had taken Hikari's presence for granted, even after all those times that she had almost been taken away from me.

When she was taken, and the days turned into weeks…it was then that I experienced true pain. No physical wound could, and ever would, compare. This desire, this desprate need, was overwhelming my judgement, and I prepared to leap at Suigetsu, to snatch her from his arms and hug her so tightly that it constricted my own breathing.

Suigetsu's words stopped me from acting impulsively. "You don't get it. It wasn't a genjutsu. It was a physical seal, one I've never seen before. He named her Aiko, and she's been serving him faithfully ever since." The name immediately put a sick weight in my stomach. I hated the name, but even more, I hated the man who had given it to her. "I've tried getting her to remember, but…nothing works. I'm sorry; I can't let you take Hikari. Madara still has a hold over her, and if she goes missing, he'll be able to control her. She'll do nothing but try to get back to him. I'm not willing to risk her life like that."

I shook my head. "There must be a way–"

Suigetsu glared. "Well that's not good enough!" he snarled, and I blinked, surprised at Suigetsu's vehemence. My mind was pulsing with need, and I was barely able to remain as calm as I was being at that moment. Hikari was so close, so close, and yet I was unable to touch her.

The water-nin breathed deeply before continuing. "You're not the only one who cares about her, Sasuke. And you're not stupid enough to assume that if she walks into the Kage Summit right now, they'll welcome her with open arms. There's a war coming, Sasuke. The Kage aren't going to be very welcoming of supposed spies, even if that suspicious Hokage said it. Rumors are like that; all they need is a single suggestion, and then the seed is firmly planted."

"No–"

But Suigetsu was already gone, having preformed a teleportation jutsu.

Looking back on the moment, I can't say for certain what went through my mind. My brain simply went blank, and my conscious, logical thought just slipped into the abyss that was my ever-present instability. I wished I could free myself of this all-consuming desire to be with Hikari, but wishing only did so much. The damage was done, and no matter how many times I tried to reason with myself, the conclusion was always the same.

I loved her.

My ears caught the loud tapping of Danzō's feet against the trees, speeding toward what I assumed was the direction of Konoha.

I felt the mindless, numbing rage building up – it had been so long since this level of anger had filled me so completely. I was angry at myself, for letting Suigetsu go unscathed, for being so weak as to lose Hikari in the first place, for placing a small bit of trust in Suigetsu's words…for letting her go.

And then my mind was blissfully removed from the equation.

"I don't think so," was the last coherent whisper, and then I was running, everything fading into the background as I sped toward my prey.

Hinata bit her lip, staring up at the dreary gray sky that was currently crying small sprinkles of snow. She knew that Bou's anger with her wasn't nearly close to being worn out, and so she welcomed the chance to have some time to herself. It had been nearly half an hour since Madara's proclamation, and everyone – the four remaining Kage, Bou, Kakashi; the leaders of each sect of shinobi – was sitting in an undamaged part of the building, trying to discuss their next move. Hinata wished that Naruto was able to be excluded from the discussion as well, but as a Jinnchuriki, his presence was vital. The Hyuuga was so grateful that the Kage had decided not to arrest any of the missing Konoha shinobi, and she assumed that Kakashi was currently explaining their reasons and the corruption of Danzō's rule as Hokage.

Sasuke was still missing, but Kakashi assured them all that the Uchiha would return, and also commented on the fact that Hikari might be with him. This resulted in several angry outbursts, and the leaders lost themselves in argument once more. Hinata was beginning to see why the Kage Summit was often such a waste of time; all the Kage were so indisputably different that hoping for peaceful, harmonious discussions was simply ridiculous. Part of her wished that she could know what was going on, but a smaller, more childish side of her was glad to be rid of all the conflict…if only for a little while.

The dark haired girl was currently sitting outside on one of the fallen metal beams, blinking as small flakes settled on her lashes. Her wound was no longer bleeding thanks to Sakura's expert healing, and so she breathed deep without discomfort. No matter how much she wanted to feel guilty for misleading Sakura and the rest of her team…she just couldn't. This was where she belonged, by Naruto's side, not back in Konoha where she would be twiddling her thumbs aimlessly in the background.

No, that wasn't an option any more. Even if Naruto didn't love her back, she refused to let that deter her from caring about his safety. He was her mentor, her teacher, and her most beloved friend. If she were to die, she would die knowing that even in the face of unspeakable danger, she refused to give up.

It was her ninja way, after all.

Suddenly, Hinata's senses prickled as a sudden boom sounded far in the distance. It was faint enough that the Hyuuga was sure that the Kage had no chance of hearing it, and Hinata's eyes closed briefly before activating into her bloodline ability. With focused eyes that missed nothing and absorbed everything, Hinata delved in the direction of the burst of chakra, and her lips parted in a gasp as she saw the blurred shapes of Sasuke Uchiha and Danzō meeting and then parting in a deadly dance. Their chakras were both strong, but Sasuke's was much more vicious, his aura flashing dangerously and without any semblance of control. The place on his shoulder was pulsing with evil chakra, and it was then that Hinata remembered that Sasuke had a curse seal, and that Orochimaru had given it to him.

Hinata stood, torn in between running and telling the others, and going and trying to help Sasuke in what ways she could. She knew that in a fight, both shinobi could and would wipe the floor with her. She wasn't useless, but she didn't have the bloodlust that most shinobi attained in battle, allowing them to fight without restraint.

But then her eyes caught sight of an even large collision of chakra, and she decided the hell with hesitation. Sasuke was losing control, and if he didn't stop he would be tried for murder of a Kage leader. That wouldn't bode well for Naruto's safety, and would put Hikari in even worse opinions with the leaders of the villages. Sasuke wasn't her friend in any sense, not even a close acquaintance. But he was a part of the Rookie Nine, and he was Naruto's best friend. And he cared for Hikari more than anyone else in the world.

Hinata considered Hikari to be one of her closest friends, which was rather confusing to admit, seeing as she had only been in the village for all of three months in all. Hinata didn't know what it was about the girl, but Hinata was drawn in by Hikari's simple and blunt nature. She was happy and open, but there was a side of her that she refused to reveal, and she was so strong and yet impossibly vulnerable when it came to loving others. There was a connection that Hinata felt with Hikari that she had never felt with any of the other kunoichi of the Rookie Nine. The friendship wasn't complicated in any way, it simply was.

The pale-eyed Hyuuga began to run, lightly and quietly through the thickening snow. Her chakra helped to keep her afloat, and she took to the trees once she reached the circling forest that surrounded the compound. Her heart was throbbing anxiously in her chest, and her limbs moved gracefully to propel herself as rapidly as she dared without making too much noise. The sounds of yells and chakra crackling made Hinata's hair stand on end, and she steadied herself on the nearest branch, her pale fingers tightening as she leaned her forehead against the cold bark.

What would she find, if she continued?

But something kept her moving forward, and her hair blew behind her as she moved closer and closer to the fighting pair. The air was filled with chakra and the sharp tang of electricity, and her nose wrinkled slightly at the uncomfortable contrast. There was a deep shuddering pull of energy, and suddenly the ground stopped trembling beneath her, and a deathly silence filled the space surrounding her.

Hinata was breathing hard; her eyes wide as she carefully jumped over the canopy of snowy leaves and into a large clearing that had obviously hosted the battle. Tree trunks were overturned, and boulders were strewn around with large gashes in them, as if the wind had decided to carve a gruesome array of marks into the rough surface. Blood was soaking through the snow, so vibrant against the pristine whiteness. The area in the center of the clearing was blasted so it formed a deep depression, and Hinata stared blindly into the crater…her hand going to her mouth in shock.

Sasuke was standing still, his sword hanging loosely by his side. Danzō – Hinata assumed it was the man; all that was left was a few scraps of cloth and a pile of bloody pulp – was strewn before him, but Hinata's attention was not focused on the fact that the former Hokage was dead.

Sasuke's skin was gray and leathery, and two large wings protruded jarringly from his shoulders. His hair was long and shaggy, and his bloody nails were sharp and lethal-looking. There was a strange aura surrounding the Uchiha, like the calm before a storm. Hinata wanted to run away from this terrifying creature, but before she could, Sasuke seemed to sense her presence, and his head turned to face her.

His eyes were a horrible clash of black and red; the iris being the customary crimson of the Sharingan, the area surrounding the iris colored a deep shade of gray, slightly darker than his skin. Fangs brushed against his lower lip as he stared at Hinata with eyes that were so blank that Hinata had no hope of discerning whether he meant to harm her or not.

"Sasuke-san..a-are you…?" Hinata stammered, unable to finish her question of if he was alright, so uneasy with the Uchiha's grim silence. The air blew harshly around them, making a few strands of her long blue-black hair blow into her face, but she did not move to brush them aside. All she focused on was trying to overcome her desperate desire to run and hide from the creature before her.

"Lost her…lost her…" he mumbled, his voice raspy as if he had been screaming for a prolonged period. His knees buckled, and he fell to his knees before her, his head falling forward so that his forehead rested against her stomach.

Hinata felt a strong surge of pity, and moved forward, her voice soft as she struggled to hold back tears. Her hands hesitated, but then they moved forward to carefully place themselves atop Sasuke's dark head. He did not react to the touch of her small hands, and she felt her sadness welling up inside of her heart. She had never seen the Uchiha this broken before, and it tore her apart.

"Oh, S-Sasuke-san. I'm so sorry…"

Hinata had said those words many times throughout her short life. To her father, in hopes of somehow making up for her obvious weakness. To her teammates, for being so slow and fragile in the face of an enemy. To countless others, the specifics long forgotten. They all had the same meaning behind them; Hinata had been apologizing for her own failings, her own misguided weakness.

But never in her life had she said sorry in the way she said it now to Sasuke Uchiha. She wasn't sorry for not getting there sooner, she wasn't sorry that Sasuke had killed Danzō – she had never liked that horrible man, and Konoha was certainly better without him.

No…Hinata was sorry for the unfairness of it all. The unfairness of love, the unfairness of war, the unfairness of being so strong, yet unable to save the thing that mattered most.

Hinata's tears finally escaped her control, and she held Sasuke tighter, her own misfortunes catching up to her and surrounding her consciousness. The lack of response from Naruto regarding her feelings, the impeding sorrow and destruction the war promised to deliver. The lack of power Hinata held over any of these events was so painful…so real. There was no more time to prepare in the false comfort of Konohagakure; the harshness of reality was already greeting them, and it was all Hinata could do not to be swept away by the rushing current.

She continued to sob, whispering incoherent apologies, and her fingers tangled in Sasuke's slowly shortening hair. Through the film of tears, she saw that Sasuke was gradually shifting back into his human form, and a racking shudder ran through her as Sasuke's own sobs filled the air, his arms tightening around her waist as if to anchor himself to something solid.

There was nothing romantic or remotely sexual about the way the two shinobi clung to each other. It was simply two human beings, finally coming to terms with their own helplessness in the face of life's struggles.

It was only the beginning.