Chapter 13
Hinata hung her head, tears flowing from glossy eyes. Hidan's were barely visible, hidden behind weary slits. The shirt she had pressed on his hard chest was drenched and now provided little aid. He was sure to die if nothing was done. Whilst maintaining pressure, she scanned the room for something, anything that could help this dire situation.
Her gaze fell on her bosses corpse when an idea finally arose from her chaotic brain. "I've got to make this quick." She thought stroking Hidan's head then swiftly proceeded to get up, "just hang on a bit longer." The girl dashed to the body and frantically patted his mangled form and rummaged through every pocket. "come on!" She huffed. A little jingle made her face light up.
Without hesitation, she grabbed the clump of metal, ran to Hidan and attempted to pick him up. "Get up! We need to leave. NOW!" She slung his limp arm around her shoulder and with much strain proceeded to half drag/ assist him out of the store. His weak stumbling was hardly enough to keep them going but it was enough to get them to the parking lot. With her other hand she pressed a button on the keys making a small Mini flash its lights and sing, "ca-click!"
With even more struggle, she shoved the man into the passenger seat. His limp form kept slipping from her grasp and refused to be still. She attempted to put a seat belt on him but that proved to be impossible, so she too got in the car, inserted the key and stated the engine. The tiny vehicle sped off leaving skid marks as it entered the chaos of the freeway. They proceeded to swerve past the millions of cars at double the speed limit. As she passed, an array of angry passengers cursed and slammed their horns.
The madness soon attracted the attention of a dozen flashing lights. Unfortunately not the kind Hinata was hoping for. The sirens drowned out the angry cried and were soon close on her tail. As much as she wanted to, the girl couldn't just pull over. Hidan desperately needed help. She was too far gone to stop now. Not only had Hinata stolen a car but she's resisted arrest and doesn't even have a drivers license. There just wasn't time to pull over and explain.
Ten minutes of this madness continued, even more police vehicles joined the chase. "Pull over! If you continue to resist we will open fire." Commanded a distorted voice from the convoy. "What?!" She thought. A shoot out would not go well. Not only would there be a chance of Hidan getting hurt but Hinata too. And if she were shot, then there was every possibility of the car crashing killing them both.
Thankfully the hospital was just at the next turn. A sharp "tink!" Cascaded from the boot of the Mini. They're firing! They're actually firing!
Another three bullets pierced the car's metal shield, one hit a rear tire, swirling her to the side of the road and almost crashing. Almost. She had just about regained control of the dented wreck. The car bobbed slowly along the huge parking lot and finally puffed its last breath. They were quickly surrounded by almost twenty police cars. Hinata swung the door open and fell to the concrete floor. She weakly clambered on all fours and shuffled around the car but was quickly stopped by a harsh, "Stop right there! Do you want to be shot?!" "I... Need to help him. Please just l-let me-" she was kicked back to the floor and held down with a thick boot. "No~ Hidan!"
The officers exchanged confused glances when one pointed out the corpse like body in the passenger seat. He'd slipped from the chair and was hardly viable unless you got close to the car itself. The door was opened and his pulse was checked. "He's alive!" The officer yelled. "We'll what are you waiting for? This is a hospital get some help already." The chief commanded while remaining pressure on Hinata's head. "Yes sir!" Several men also followed across the colossal car park into the even bigger fortress of a building.
"You've got a lot of explaining missy." The chief gave her a little nudge when she didn't respond, "Are you even listening?" "Sir I think she's unconscious!" He removed his foot and noticed the girl had several cuts on her worn face, "hmm... Better make that two stretchers then."
White. That was all Hinata could see when she had opened her eyes. Although she knew they were open, everything was too blurry to even distinguish outlines . She could feel soothing soft surrounding and supporting her, it was both warm and comfortable. But there was also some other sensation. Ah pain, she knew that one. She could feel the scratches and cuts all over her body. Her joints also ached but it wasn't as bad as before. There was also some weird sensation like she wasn't quite there. A murmur of some female voice idly passed by, "she's burning up... I'll increase her morphine dosage hang on doctor... Yes siiiiirrrrrr~" the harsh light faded back into black.
She was somewhere else now, alone. Hinata could see a younger version of herself curled up in a ball floating through some kind of space. Colourful shapes passed and morphed into memories just visible for a second then was replaced by another. They were so fast and constant while she remained there barely rotating through the void. After a full rotation, the younger Hinata's desolate eyes lock with her older self. Hinata then started to hover closer to the little girl until she becomes her. By the time this happens she realises her tiny hand is outstretched and touches the picture of the moon shining on her old house. As her hand passes through, the picture ripples into motion and she fully emerges through.
She's back at home some time during the night. Almost all lights are out accept from the glow of the full moon. It's so bright that there's no need for a torch. She stumbles down a hallway, the wooden floor echoing her little patters. The girl runs for a minute or so before slowing down upon hearing feint murmurs up ahead. A candle illuminates two silhouettes behind the screen doors. The first voice is deep, "You know this would strengthen the bonds of both our households." After a pause, another voice replies "Yes, but she still has time to grow and lead the clan." She instantly recognises this monotone mumble as her father. " please. You've seen how she does in combat. How can you have a weak leader for such an honourable clan such as the Hyuga?!" "She's just a child!" Hiasashi barks back, "You cannot expect me to make such a harsh commitment such as this." The other man shuffles a it in his seat then continues,"Listen... I know you don't want to hear this but maybe it's time you moved on and have another child-" Hiashi violently slammed his palm to the table but, before he can open his mouth the other man responds,"You can't keep clinging to the past. As head of the clan you simply can't afford to stay like this." The man stands up and approaches the door. He opens it and states, "it's pathetic." Before his rageful eyes stare at the little girl then walks right through her. He disappears into the darkness of the nights, but without the light of the moon. The man evaporates into a smokey substance along with the rest of the surroundings.
Hinata gets up and slowly walks through the darkness. As she progresses her hair grows and so does her height until she resembles the body of her 12 year old self. Another building begins to appear. It's a little school and one by one pupils emerge. When all the trees and birds finish being added to this busy scene everything begins to move. The trees sway in the cool breeze and the kids joyfully rush out of school. After being battered by the crowd of children, Hinata slowly follows suit but at a slower pace. She looks down to the page in her hand and sighs deeply. The girl takes a seat on the concrete stairs and looks up to the now cloud filled sky. She remembered this day well. Hinata had gotten her report and although they were above average, they were no where near as good as her cousin's. Without having to see them she knew they would be outstanding. She knew what was coming, there was no use in running away or hiding the sheet full of disappointment.
As if on cue, a set of heavy, meaningful footsteps come closer to the girl. There was no need to turn around, she knew who it was. The page was swiftly snatched up and examined for a second before being tossed back to her. "Is that all? For someone of the main branch your grades are rather disappointing. Well then again it's nothing new so I can't exactly say I'm surprised." Hinata's eyes fell to the side where a different piece of paper hung in the hands of her cousin. Every subject had an A. No surprise there. Why even bother? Surely it's easier to just let things happen and not give a shit about anything.
So the girl stood up and walked away. Neji's yelling morphed into static. All noise became softer and dulled. Hinata just kept on walking allowing the scenery to fade into black. Like before, she grew and was now her current age. Sakura appeared in the void, at first she was yelling at her although Hinata couldn't even hear her whines, she just passed her. Sakura disappeared and then reappeared, this time holding Sasuke's hand. They both stared at her grinning. The two came closer and just as they kissed, Hinata walked through their evaporating bodies.
The floor began jiggle with very step she took until Hinata began to sink into the blackness. It was fine, really for her whole life all she's wanted to do was have the world swallow her up. As she descended, her hair flowed slowly as if she were under water. An origami fish swam by, for some unknown reason making her want to go back, only a little. Her heart hurt a bit but still she continued to sink. Eventually the colour of the hands in front of her became black, everything was.
Although she couldn't see anything, Hinata knew she had hit the bottom of this void's, I guess you could call sea bed. It was a strangely calming sensation. Thoughts came and went like the smooth current. The sand was soft and comforting. Everything was satisfying and pleasant. Eventually nothing came to mind instead she found it easier to just let go and so she closed her eyes and let the sea take her.
After what seemed like days some unpleasant sensation dragged her from the sanctuary of slumber. Her chest hurt and she felt heavy. The sand was still there but not as free flowing as earlier, it was dry and gritty. She could feel it stuck to her cold damp body. A minute passed before the girl attempting to open her eyes. The light was harsh but eventually became bearable. She saw blue, lots of it with soft white patches. Some warmth heated her stiff body, it came from something big and yellow in the sky. Below this intense blue stood a lighthouse on top of a cliff not too far from where she lay. A soft crunching noise grew louder from behind her. It resembled that of footsteps in snow. They paused for a moment then rushed towards her.
Something warm grabbed her arm and rolled her over. She grunted slightly as the pressure was suddenly pushed from her stomach. "Shh. It's going to be ok." Whispered a deep soothing voice. A pare of pitying eyes examined her worn body. The man felt familiar but none of his features were clear. They were all blurry to her. With much care she was lifted from the rough sand and carried bridal style. As they progressed Hinata slipped in and out of consciousness. She would catch glimpses of her hero: shoulder length white hair, thin lips, kind eyes that would occasionally look and reassure her.
When the girl woke, she was in a white four poster bed. She slowly got up noticing her joints didn't ache like before. The room was circular with the elegant bed in the centre and other white furniture around the pale wall. There was a small wardrobe with silver handles but what really caught her eye was the, also white, dressing table and chair. On it was a fine horse hair brush of which she picked up to use but when she looked in the mirror she found there wa no need. Her dark long hair had been beautifully platted and embodied with daisies. Hinata also found she was wearing a long white flowey dress. Her toes sunk nicely into the light pink carpet.
While looking into the quaint mirror Hinata noticed a strand of hair was flowing. She turned to find the source of this gust and noticed a door to her right. She pushed it further and stepped out onto a balcony that over looked the small island. The ground was far from where she stood. When the girl looked up she found the building continued to grow. The red and white stripes were bright.
She returned her gaze to that of the landscape. The sea was close by but didn't seem as inviting. The waves thrashed against the cliff and the water had turned a lifeless grey. Hinata closed her eyes and let the wind play with her hair. The air was warmer then that of the dark abyss. There was something about this place that eased her worries. Although the wind was slightly bitter it was ok. Better then perfect. It held a sense of reality.
While daydreaming, the girl had failed to notice a presence approaching. Only when a pair of arms wrapped around her waist did she realise. The sudden advancement made her jolt but that was soon discouraged and replaced with comfort. A warm breath found its way onto her neck. Without having to look she knew it was the man from earlier and he was smiling. "What is this place?" She asked.
"I'm not too sure myself. What do you think?" The voice replied. "Well wherever this is, it's beautiful." "Oh yea? And what makes you say that?" "It's away from people. People destroy places like this." "So you don't like people? Even me?" He joked. "Well I guess I can make an acceptation." She grinned. After saying these foreign words it dawn on her what she was doing. Why was she causally talking to this stranger- no. It's like we've met but I can't... Urgh!
"What's up?" The question startled her. Was he some kind of mind reader? "This... isn't right is it? This place, this- who even are you?" She quickly turned to face the man, but he too had his back to her. "Let me see your face." His arm raised as if he was holding his chin. "I don't know... maybe if you'll do something in return I'll let you." Instantly she replied, "Ok." Without much hesitation. For some reason she just had to see him.
"Hmm... Well then, you may see my oh so gorgeous face if... You let me kiss you." That sarcasm, so familiar but why?! The request was odd but she begrudgingly replied with a slight hum. "Ok now close your eyes." She did just that after a second or two of pondering. She could feel her cheeks heat up and the man's presence grew. She squinted her eyes, she could sense his breath.
He placed his lips on her forehead and when he moved, Hinata opened her eyes to see the face of a friend. She smiled as she looked into kind magenta eyes. "Hidan." She whispered. He held her in a warm embrace and in an equally soft tone hushed, "it's time to wake up." He took a step back, and then another still smiling. As his body went past the barrier, Hinata yelled, "stop! You'll-" instead of falling to his sure death, Hidan continued to walk. There was no darkness to consume the island but alternatively a white light swarmed the lighthouse and the rest of its inhabitants. Hidan gave a wave before he too was consumed by it. Eventually the light came for her too, but she was ready and eager to accept its hospitality.
The sound of a heart monitor lulled the girl out of her daze. She was back in the painfully white room. At least she once thought the colour as being so. Now it seemed strangely welcoming and full of hope.
"So... you're finally awake." Hinata slowly tilted her head to the right. It hurt her neck but she had to know if this voice was real. After all, it had been over five years since she last heard it.
Ohhhh man. That one was pretty long and just took forever to write, but I'm happy with it. I'm considering wrapping things up soon. In case you didn't get the last part it was pretty much Hinata hallucinating because of the drugs given in hospital. This was a new kind of thing for me to write so I'm not sure how it's gone. What do you guys think, your feedback is always helpful (plus it really makes my day :3 ).