Once upon a time, there was a princess who couldn't give up.
Tradition dictated that the future leaders of the Moon Kingdom prove themselves as shinobi, and no less was expected of the crown princess. But after the events that led to the Amaterasu War, the princess was no longer able to use chakra effectively.
"What use is she if she can't use the Byakugan?" asked the council. The king could only shake his head, because he didn't know. Nonetheless, he vetoed the decision to place the Caged-Bird seal upon the princess and sent her to the Academy. The council only reluctantly allowed it because she was the future wife of the valued Sun prince.
The princess studied hard, and she excelled as a student. She graduated from the Academy with top scores. But her older cousin was already garnering attention for his mastery of Jyuuken and her little sister's chakra reserves already exceeded hers. In the eyes of the council, this reflected their respective worth. Only on the king's insistence was the princess placed on a genin team at all.
The princess grew to love her team, and embraced them as her second family. Her genin team was her haven from the crushing pressures of the royal family for they accepted her abilities and never pushed her to be what she couldn't be. It didn't escape the princess's notice that her genin team was constructed for reconnaissance and would never be placed on the front lines. But she was happy, for it meant her team would be safe. She would not endanger them with her low chakra reserves.
"Depend on us," the Inuzuka boy told her with a wild grin.
"Because we'll cover each other's weaknesses," the Aburame boy clarified with a nod.
"And become a strong team together," her teacher concluded with a warm smile.
And so, the princess slowly began to gain confidence in herself.
Prey for the Hunted
By Airyo
Chapter 8
The mess hall was aptly named. It was a mess of shinobi and soldiers and servants, all gathered in one enormous room. The Sun castle's inner gears were dismantled for maintenance tonight, so they can be ready for another day's work tomorrow.
Hinata followed Sasuke along the maze of tables and benches. Several of the soldiers nodded politely as Sasuke walked by and he returned with a slight tilt of his chin. The prince weaved his way to a table in the back of the hall. It was already occupied by an older shinobi who sat with one foot up on the bench and arm propped up on the bent knee. He wore a jounin vest. Clamped on his nose was a garish orange book that Hinata recognized to be of a rather risque genre.
"Kakashi," Sasuke said by way of greeting. The other jounin lowered his book. Not that it did much good, as there was a mask and tilted forehead protector obscuring his face. The strange point, however, was that what Hinata could see of his face appeared too young for the shock of silver hair. It was the Copycat Kakashi - he was famous in the Moon Kingdom.
"Yo." Kakashi greeted them with a crease of his eye. Hinata's vision split, layering a forgotten memory of a ghostly smile and blurry gray hair with this man's face. She blinked, and it was gone, as elusive as fog on a windy day. What was that?
"-pretty little bodyguard like her, Sasuke?" Hinata forced her focus back on Kakashi. While her outfit indicated her status, her face was mostly covered. He tilted his head innocently, as if he hadn't said something incredibly strange.
"You can't even see most of her face," the prince countered flatly. He sounded slightly bitter. Kakashi scratched his cheek in mock consternation.
"Aah? I guess she gives off the aura of prettiness then." He flicked open his book like a lady would flick open her fan in front of her face when embarrassed. Except instead of blushing demurely and apologizing, Kakashi then proceeded to ignore them entirely as he lost himself in his porn. This seemed to be normal behavior, as Sasuke didn't react and slid into the bench across from Kakashi. Hinata sat down on the same side as the silver-haired man, but at the corner where she was as far as possible from both men.
A pretty brunette in a neat apron approached their table.
"Good evening, Prince Sasuke, Lord Hatake, and...erm..."
"Kin," Hinata finished for her softly.
"Ah...and Kin. My name is Ayame, and I'll be serving you today. Our options today are the beef bone stew set or the chicken teriyaki set. Which would you like?"
"The beef stew set for me," Sasuke answered. "For her too," he added before Hinata could say anything. She wondered why he was ordering for her. "The stew's better for healing." The tilt of his mouth told her not to push for further explanation. Hinata preferred white meat, but the thought behind his declaration was well enough. Ayame nodded and turned to the third member of their party.
"And Lord Hatake...?" Kakashi giggled. His book shifted slightly to the left. The brunette blushed and then looked at Sasuke pleadingly. The prince huffed and began to translate.
"He says he wants the chicken." Kakashi turned a page. "Doesn't want anything to drink." The book bobbed. "For desert he - I am not saying that in public!" Sasuke crossed his arms and leaned back. "We're done here," he declared. Ayame smiled and left to retrieve their food.
Hinata stared.
"The language of the fans?" she murmured in befuddlement. She recognized the gestures, though Kakashi's "accent" was a little hard to follow since he had replaced a fan with an Icha Icha book. But sign language with a lady's fan was an obscure art. Hinata herself had only bothered to learn it because the Hyuuga were such traditionalists. The watered down residues of modern fan dances were only used for broad meanings. To think that a lord who clearly spent more time mired in a physical swamp rather than a political one would take the time to modify a lost language to avoid putting down his porn was...telling of the man's character.
"You know it?" Sasuke looked at her with a frown. Hinata wasn't sure how to answer. It made more sense for her to know it than for two grown male shinobi. Yet the two of them were looking at her like she was the one who was suspicious for recognizing the language. Kakashi had lowered his book slightly, hooded eye sharp as he watched her.
"I...learned it from a very long time ago," she finally said. "Over a decade ago." Which put her lessons in a time range when the Sun and Moon Kingdoms were still friendly. Kakashi seemed to come to the same conclusion, because he crinkled his eye genially and then returned to his book.
"I don't remember how I learned it," Sasuke added shortly. Hinata can't really say anything, since any assurance of his masculinity from her would only sound mocking, and remained silent. Ayame returned with their food, along with the rest of Team 7 and Ino in tow.
"You didn't have to leave us there like that, bastard!" Naruto grumbled as he plopped into the space next to Sasuke. Ino easily fluttered to the other side. "It's near impossible to find anyone in this room - we were lucky we found Ayame." Said brunette flashed him a small smile as she set down the trays she had. There was brief pause in their conversation as she took the others' orders.
"My Prince, how could you abandon me like that?" Ino protested when the waitress left. She traced a little pattern on Sasuke's arm before he firmly pushed her arm away.
"Hi, Lord Hatake," said Sakura quietly as she sat between Hinata and Kakashi. His book bobbed in greeting. The medic just lifted a pink eyebrow and then turned to Sasuke, who was still fending off Ino's advances. "By the way, before I forget again, King Itachi also wanted us to remind you of the Royal Hunt in a few days."
"I always go to that," Sasuke said. "It's easier to avoid certain annoyances when everyone is riding their own horse." He glared meaningfully at the blond noblewoman and she just smiled winningly at him.
"But you haven't ridden in months," Naruto added with a mocking grin. "Your brother probably doesn't want you to embarrass the Sun Kingdom with what you call riding. Are you sure you even remember which end of the horse faces forward?"
"Says the idiot who can't even ride without getting bitten in the -"
"Never. Happened. You. Bastard!" Hinata watched the escalating fight with a sense of bewilderment. Had she missed something?
"I know!" Ino piped up and clapped her hands together in delight. "Let's go riding tomorrow! I know my skills are getting rather unpracticed." Sakura and Naruto agreed easily, while Sasuke reluctantly nodded after a moment of consideration. Their attention turned to Kakashi when the older shinobi closed his book with a snap. Hinata vaguely wondered when he'd managed to find the chance to inhale his food over the course of only a few minutes. She'd never noticed any movement.
"Aah..." They leaned in to listen to what he had to say. He abruptly disappeared in a swirl of leaves. Team 7 sat back with identical looks of unamusement.
"How rude," sniffed Ino. "He got leaves on me."
Hinata just her shook head. Sun Kingdom ninjas were so strange.
That night, Sasuke was already in bed when the servant announced Kakashi. Before Sasuke could give his permission, the silver-haired jounin strolled in as if it was his own bedroom.
"Kakashi, I'm in bed." Sasuke gestured to his state of repose as he sat back up. The other man crinkled his eye in a little smile.
"Yo. I'm just worried for my cute little student." The Uchiha shivered.
"Disgusting. What do you want?" Sasuke blinked at the feel of a silencing jutsu washing over them. "What's wrong?" Kakashi looked at him, his aura of laziness suddenly sharp with the feel of feigned nonchalance.
"Who is Kin?"
"So you noticed?"
"A girl who knows of the nuances of the fan language, hides her eyes, and has the facial structure of a foreigner? That's rather noticeable."
"To you maybe. Itachi knows, but he's forbidden me to investigate further." Sasuke may have been slightly bitter.
"Forbidden?" Kakashi tilted his head, and his cloud of hair shifted slightly. "Why would he do that? Who is she?"
"I can tell you theories." Sasuke extricated himself out of his covers to sit on top of them. "I think she's No-Name Hinata, the ex-Moon Princess." Kakashi's eye widened.
"I thought she was dead?"
"She was revived from the grave," Sasuke answered in a deadpan voice. Kakashi pretended to laugh and then glared slightly.
"Your humor astounds me. But why is she here?" Sasuke shook his head and pulled on his boots. He began to pace.
"Even if I knew, I can't tell you. But there's too much I don't know and no one will tell me." Kakashi studied him for a moment.
"You know, if you don't fight your brother so hard, you'd have a much easier time. The nails that stick out ask to be hammered down."
"Everyone tells me what to do. Stop fighting so hard. Stop having such high standards. Stop being so demanding. Stop this. Don't do that. You can't do this with that!" Sasuke spoke with a low, controlled voice, but the sneer on his lips conveyed his underlying resentment all too well. It was a constant simmering dissatisfaction that threatened to boil over any moment. Kakashi just shrugged.
"Well, some things are just anatomically impossible, even for the best of us. You should take my advice when I tell you that you can't do something with something." It took Sasuke a few seconds to piece together what his mentor was talking about.
"Dis-gus-ting per-vert," he growled. The older jounin just gave him an innocent crease of his eye.
"Just saying." Then the frivolous air around his teacher evaporated, and even the ends of his haphazard gray hair seemed to sharpen. "But you should heed my advice on blending in. The king actually likes you, but there are certain factions on the council who really...are not fond of you, to put it lightly."
"It's not me they hate. It's my title." Kakashi made a noncommittal gesture that showed he clearly disagreed though he wasn't going to argue such an old issue. Sasuke sighed. "Fine, I admit my personality may irritate them, but that is because I refuse to bow down to those old birds."
"Whatever you say, my cute little student."
"Is there a reason why you're still here?"
"So rude, I'm wounded by your disregard for you loving teacher." Somehow, Kakashi managed to make his hair droop forlornly. Sasuke gave him a flat look. "Here I am, about to go on a mission for you, and I don't even get a goodbye kiss." The prince didn't even deign to respond to his joke.
"What mission?" Kakashi lifted a hand, as if he just remembered, and pulled out a scroll out of his belt pouch. Sasuke didn't buy the act and glared at him for taking so long to get to the point. He unrolled the message and scanned it quickly. Shikamaru finally got approval and was sending a full jounin team out to investigate the attacks. Kakashi was leading the team, and there were even several other Sharingan users in the mix. Itachi worked fast. The prince smirked. That was the first decent news he'd heard all day.
The next morning was perfect for riding. The sky was a clean slate of blue, mimicked by the blank canvas of light snow. The air was breathless, waiting for movement.
The group met at the stables after breakfast, as the day was beginning to thaw. Inside, the stables were warm with the sweet scent of hay and gentle whickers of drowsy horses. The stable boy was still sleeping on a cot in the corner. Sasuke nudged him with his foot.
"Wake up, Konohamaru." The lanky teenager jerked awake with a snort. He sat up, rubbing bleary eyes with a grimy fist.
"Prince Sasuke, why the hell did you wake me up so damn early?"
"To have a tea party," Sasuke said blandly. "Help saddle the horses." Konohamaru made a rude gesture but leaped to his feet. Then he saw Naruto and a boyish grin lit his face. One tooth was chipped, adding to an image of a precocious child.
"Boss! It's been forever since you stopped by! You haven't abandoned me, have ya?" The blond laughed and grabbed Konohamaru in an embrace that was one part hug and two parts headlock.
"Hell no, Konohamaru. As if you'd let me. You'd just follow me around with your stupid rock boxes."
"That was like ten years ago! Are you going senile already?" Sasuke rolled his eyes as the two started roughhousing like boys half their age. He walked further into the stables. Konohamaru managed to escape Naruto's hold, and stumbled back, knocking into Ino. She let him fall into the ground.
"Careful, little boy," she said fondly. "These silk robes are worth more than your life." Konohamaru flipped to his feet with the grace a mere stable boy shouldn't have and pulled down his lower eyelid at the noblewoman mockingly.
"Lady Ino, you're going on the hunt tomorrow? You know they're hunting boar, right? Are you the quarry?" Naruto laughed raucously at the bad pun on her name. Ino's eye twitched even as she looked over Konohamaru's thin form.
"That joke got old before you were even born, brat. And have you forgotten to eat again?" A shutter suddenly closed over the teenager's expressive face.
"Stop worrying about me, Lady Yamanaka," he said shortly. "I know you're just doing that because of your own guilty conscience. Stop that." A dark emotion flickered across Ino's eyes before she blinked and smiled with too many teeth.
"Little boy, you need to eat if you're going to even hope of being taller than my elbow," she said. "It's aesthetically unpleasing if the stable boy turns out to be a little troll. You'll traumatize the horses." The shutters opened again, as if Ino had pulled a string.
"I'm not a little troll. I'm still growing!"
"Could have fooled me. How far the Sarutobi have fallen..."
Sakura gave Hinata a pleading look as she pulled her and Naruto away from the bickering pair.
"There's some history between their families," she whispered with a wince. "Please don't mind them." Hinata gave them a quick glance before she let the medic lead her further into the stables. It didn't look like bad blood. It looked like an older sister trying to fuss over her little brother, except the boy was too proud to admit his hurt.
"Sarutobi, Sarutobi," she muttered to herself. The name was too familiar to dismiss, but Hinata couldn't think of any families in the Sun Kingdom that was associated with horses in particular. It was yet another mystery she would need to tuck away on her growing list.
Sasuke was standing in front of the stall of a black stallion when she and Sakura caught up. The label on the side told Hinata the horse's name was "Storm", a name she agreed with since his coat shone blue from certain angles, like a lightning storm. Sharp intelligence in the horse's eyes made him appear almost demonic. Though the way he was eyeing Sasuke's fingers didn't help.
"This is Storm, my steed," the prince introduced. He pointed to the stallion, and then smoothly moved his hand back. Storm's teeth clacked together around the empty space where Sasuke's fingers had been moments before. "He's...opinionated."
"For some reason, Storm only likes Sasuke. Naruto tried to ride him, and lost a good chunk of his ass in the process," Sakura explained with a snicker. "Most awkward healing session ever."
"That never happened!" protested Naruto. He clapped his hands protectively over his rear and glared accusingly at Storm. Hinata frowned, trying to picture how a horse could even reach that place of his rider in the first place.
"How..."
"It's possible," Sasuke said with a smirk. "Storm can get rather creative." The stallion's ears perked at the praising tone and he looked oddly smug for a horse. Hinata giggled at his antics and approached the stall. She extended a hand for the horse to sniff. Sasuke tensed.
"Don't! He..." Storm bumped his nose against Hinata's palm gently. "...bites..." The three ninja were speechless as Hinata stroked the side of Storm's muzzle with a small smile.
"You're lovely," she whispered to the horse. He snorted, as if to say "obviously," and nudged her insistently for more petting.
"What...the..." Sasuke leaned over Hinata to peer at his ride, only to jump back when Storm struck like a viper. Naruto and Sakura burst out into belly laughs.
"Looks like you've been dumped, bastard!" The prince glared at Hinata as if it were her fault.
"Animals have always liked me," Hinata offered. That seemed to appease Sasuke until Storm decided to snuff at Hinata's hair like an affectionate dog.
"That's another one you've somehow roped under your spell," he accused. He grabbed the saddle and tack hanging on the opposite wall and marched over to face Storm.
"You're my steed," he told the horse. He unlatched the stall door to saddle up, but Storm neighed in protest and danced out of his reach. The stallion minced his way behind Hinata and snorted regally. "I'm not going to argue with a damn pony," Sasuke snapped. "Get. Here. Now. Before I have you turned into a gelding." Storm gave Hinata a woeful look unfitting for such a large stallion and slowly clopped his way towards his master. Sasuke tossed the saddle over Storm's back and bent down to buckle it in place. Halfway through, the prince stood up and gave his ride a challenging look. "Really? Holding your breath is the oldest trick in the book."
"May I ride him instead? Please?" Hinata asked with a hopeful smile. "I'm getting quite fond of Storm." His body language practically screamed an immediate "no" but for some reason, Sasuke sulkily dropped the reins into her awaiting hands.
"You're welcome," he said.
"Thank you," she said.
Sakura and Naruto wisely said nothing at all.
When Ino and Konohamaru joined them again, Hinata already had Storm saddled and reined. To the boy's credit, he only gave her a brief stare of shock before quickly leading out several more horses for the others. Sasuke ended up with a gray stallion named Rain.
They decided to stay in the main field, where the snow wasn't too deep. Five abandoned targets sat on the edge, and the competitive personalities of the group quickly spurred the agreement of an archery contest. The hastily compiled rules were simple: each person would ride parallel to the targets and shoot five arrows. Whoever got the most number of bulls-eyes was the winner. Naruto eagerly grabbed four sets of bows and arrows from the stable shed.
Hinata received her bow and quiver of arrows from him with a small smile. She could only vaguely recall the last time she'd used one. Archery was useful, but only when she had access to arrows. Those were hard to come by in the desert and too easily lost in the sand, so Hinata had been forced to abandon her bow early on.
She plucked at the cord already pulling the bow into a sweeping arch, listening to the twang as it vibrated. Normally, bows were not strung until needed to maintain the power of the cords, but this was more than passable for a mere contest. Hinata tied the quiver to the saddle and clicked her tongue, coaxing Storm into a canter. They made a few easy laps around the others, who were still readying their bows. He was well-trained, and responded easily to her guidance with her knees. Tired of waiting, Hinata rode past the targets, and shot five in quick succession. Three hit the targets, barely, while two flew off into the forest beyond them. She winced as she rode to retrieve the three. Her accuracy had significantly diminished.
"Rusty?" Sasuke was ready, and flexed his bow in preparation.
"I haven't shot one in years," Hinata admitted.
"Then that wasn't bad at all."
Sasuke kicked Rain into a full gallop, and shot off five arrows with practiced motions. Five distant snaps reverberated in the clearing, as if neatly applauding the perfect line of bulls-eyes. Sasuke retrieved his arrows and returned to the group with a smirk.
"Not bad at all," he reiterated. Hinata resisted the urge to roll her eyes, even though no one would see it. No wonder he was so magnanimous with his praise earlier.
Naruto cantered by the targets, fumbling the shots with unpracticed fingers. Somehow, he still landed three bulls-eyes and only loses one arrow in the forest. Ino followed Naruto's performance with far smoother motions - four only slightly off-center and a fifth on the edge. Sakura does marginally better. In the end, Sasuke still won this round while Hinata did the worst. It grated slightly at her pride, and she easily agreed to a second round.
This time, Hinata closed her mind to the outside world as Storm galloped across the field, locking away all sensations until there was only the target, the wind, and the pulse of her heart matching her horse's hooves. Hinata drew her first arrow and pulled back the cord, eye following the line of the arrow. The wind stung her eyes and the strain of her muscles was uncomfortable, but she held her body still as they approached the first target. Hinata released.
Perfect bulls-eye.
Like migrating geese falling into line on the updraft of the first, she drew three more near-perfect shots. The last one would determine her standing in this contest. Hinata narrowed her focus, and readied her last arrow. Her fingers tense in anticipation until the perfect moment.
It flew wildly into the sky.
Storm had suddenly reared up on his hind legs and then took off into a gallop into the forest behind the targets. Hinata jerked the reins, but he ignored her and crashed straight into the bramble and deep snow drifts.
"Stop! Stop! Storm, what is the matter?" Hinata leaned forward, both to avoid the whipping branches above and to look at Storm. His eyes, originally dark and intelligent, were glazed.
"Storm!" She dug her heels more insistently into his belly, but the stallion did not seem to register anything. He didn't even try to duck under the branches and the drops of blood gleamed red against the black of his ears. Something was horribly, horribly wrong. Hinata began to jump off of his back to pull Storm to a stop, only to realize that she couldn't get off the saddle.
Something was forcibly keeping her there.
"Byakugan," she hissed. Chakra was pulling at her thighs and calves, so subtle that she never noticed earlier. A sticking jutsu. She couldn't lift herself more than an inch off the saddle. Even her boots were immobile in the stirrups.
Storm broke through the copse of brambles. The snow wasn't as deep, but up ahead, she could see the sharp edges of rocks protruding ominously from the blanket of white, right before it the slope dropped away. There was a ravine up ahead. But Storm wasn't slowing down at all. She couldn't see any sign of genjutsu cast over him. Whatever was controlling him in this frenzy was on a level beyond her abilities.
Forcing herself to calm down, Hinata quickly assessed her situation, even as the rocks ahead approached. She couldn't stop Storm, but she couldn't just let him carry her to death either. Hinata reached down to unbuckle the saddle, hoping she could slide the saddle off and fall into the thick bank of snow before the sharp drop. Her gloved fingers skittered uselessly against the metal buckle. She ripped off her gloves and tried again. Still no use.
It was jammed. Another jutsu.
Someone really wanted Sasuke dead.
The idea of slitting Storm's throat to stop him occurred to her, but the thought repulsed her. And at this speed, they would only topple into the ravine regardless. She didn't even have the time to curse. Her only chance was to break the jutsu holding her to the saddle.
Hinata teased chakra over her skin, unhooking the chakra binding her to the leather of the saddle. Too slow. She was too slow. Her feet were still bound to the stirrups and they were practically looking down the maw of the ravine.
Hinata bit back a scream as Storm barreled over the edge.
Sasuke couldn't help but be impressed as he watched Hinata ride. The ex-princess' archery skills had been barely passable the first round, but her second showing was beginning to rival his. Two bulls-eyes perfectly executed, and she was now aiming for the third. Her high ponytail sailed behind her in the wind, highlighting the line of her perfect posture. Whoever had trained her was a master. Hinata guided Storm as if they were one creature.
Her third shot was also perfect.
Even with still healing ribs.
Sasuke inwardly cringed. He knew he was pushy and demanding, but torturing Hinata while she was still injured seemed a little too much like outright bullying. And it invalidated her as an opponent. Anything he did to extract revenge was voided since he got absolutely no satisfaction out of kicking someone who was already down. Even if that someone continually mocked him of his inabilities. And stole his favorite stallion.
The fourth was also a bulls-eye.
Sasuke hoped she didn't make the fifth. Petty, yes, but fairness and sportsmanship never had a place in his life. Nobody else played fair, so why should he? Sasuke had his honor, but he wasn't about to allow someone else an undue advantage just for dignity's sake.
Her arrow flew into the sky.
His burst of satisfaction immediately petered out when Storm ran wild into the bramble forest behind the target, despite his rider's obvious protest.
"What the hell?" Naruto exclaimed.
"What's she doing?" Sakura asked. Sasuke glanced at Ino. The noblewoman was just as confused as the rest of them.
"Something's wrong. She's not trying to escape," Ino said. Sasuke wheeled Rain back towards the targets. The bramble forest.
Shit. There were several treacherous ravines hidden by the snow back there.
"I'm going after her, you two find Konohamaru!" Sasuke barked over his shoulder as he kicked Rain into a full gallop. Storm, for all his personality, was the best stallion Sasuke even had ridden. That horse was far too intelligent for his own good, but he would never disobey his rider to crash about in a dangerous forest like a crazed creature. Something was wrong.
Their trail was far too easy to follow, even at a quick canter. Broken twigs glistened with fresh blood. Scraps of clothing and hair littered other branches like bad decorations. The haphazard hoof prints indicated that Storm was going at an unnatural pace. No rider in their right mind would drive their horse to such a speed. Especially not someone like Hinata who clearly cherished horses.
Unsettled, Sasuke sped up. He sincerely hoped he wouldn't find two corpses at the bottom of some cliff. When the prince realized that Storm's prints disappeared over the lip of the chasm, his stomach dropped along with the face of the landscape. He dismounted and slowly approached the edge. He looked down.
There was too much blood.
Hinata lay curled several feet from Storm, her clothes a tattered mess. A red-sheened tanto lay near her hand. Sasuke leaped down to them, thinking nothing of approaching the crime scene. Whomever instigated this mess had lost the element of surprise and would be long gone by now. A quick scan of his surroundings reassured him that his Guardian was still around, likely Crocodile.
Sasuke checked for heartbeats or breathing. His peripheral vision collapsed, closing in on the focal point of their chests. Storm wasn't breathing. He had broken his neck. Sasuke hesitated, then gritted his teeth and gently closed Storm's eyes. His best stallion was gone.
But Hinata was still alive. The steady rise and fall of her upper torso stills an erratic part of him that he didn't even realize was shaking. He knelt by her and scanned her body carefully for injuries. The majority of her trousers were cut away, revealing painful looking chakra burns along the insides of her legs. Her legs were so pale that they seemed to blend into the snow, making the burns stand out all the more angrily. The source of the blood around her was the raw patches on the balls of her feet. It looked like she'd tried to dance on razor blades.
"Summoning no Jutsu." Mozou appeared with a puff of smoke. "Mozou, go to Sakura and tell them to wait in the stables. Tell her to get her med kit." He dispelled the raven before he could protest.
"Sasuke?" She shifted and put a hand to her head. Her arms were scratched, but other than her feet, there were no other immediately worrying injuries. Sasuke pulled out a roll of gauze as he squatted next to her and began to wrap her feet. Distantly, he was mildly shocked to note that her feet were distinctly average sized, maybe even slightly larger. He'd expected delicate little dancer feet, like kitten paws. With the rest of her so tiny, it would make more sense.
Sasuke shook his head to get rid of such stupid musings and focused on bandaging her wounds. Thankfully, her skin was still warm. There was no immediate danger. This was twice that Hinata had saved his life and only ended up wounded for her troubles. He thought he'd paid her back when he let her escape, but the slightly sick feeling of owing a debt only weighed heavier on his conscience. Hinata sat up and watched him.
"Someone's trying to kill you," she told him. Sasuke glanced at her through his bangs and then returned his gaze back to the bandages.
"I know." He tied a firm knot to finish. She stared at him as he stood and gathered her gloves. He disregarded the unsalvageable remains of her boots.
"You're not even worried?" Sasuke lifted an eyebrow condescendingly. Was he really wrong about her identity? Any proper royal wouldn't be bothered by something as common as the occasional assassination attempt. "Kidnappings yes," she insisted. "But it's not normal for someone to try so hard to kill you. Someone was controlling Storm -" she trailed as she remembered.
"Is he...?" Sasuke shook his head slightly. Hinata bit her lip, and kept going. "And there was a jutsu keeping me in the saddle."
"It's normal for me," he said tersely. He took another moment to gently unbuckle Storm's saddle and toss it up where Rain was waiting. While it was unlikely they'd find anything, evidence was always good to have. "Storm wasn't the first horse I've lost in a situation like this." Sasuke scowled when she actually dared to look at him with pity.
"I'm sorry."
"Stop looking at me like it's sad thing. Means I'm an important person." He slipped an arm under her knees and one around her waist. She stiffened at the sudden contact but didn't protest. Sasuke leaped back out of the ravine. He deposited her on Rain's saddle and then began to tie Storm's old saddle to the back while thinking about how they could arrange themselves for the trip back. The human being in him dictated that he let Hinata ride the horse despite the burns on her legs, since the snow drifts on the way back would be terrible to traverse on foot. Walking on to top of the snow with chakra was near impossible due to the structural nature of it, but he really didn't want to carry the girl while in the saddle either.
To his great surprise, Hinata slipped of the saddle onto bare, bandaged feet and began slogging her way back the way they came. Faint, red splotches dotted the snow like fallen flower petals. That sick feeling was back.
"What are you doing?" Sasuke strode forward and grabbed her arm. Hinata pinched her mouth in a slight frown. Her face was still hidden with that stupid half-veil. His fingers itched to rip off her blindfold, but she had just inadvertently saved his life. He clenched his free hand into a fist instead.
"I can't ride with my chakra burns. And I don't mind the walk." She might have been believable if her lips weren't turning blue.
"Don't mind? You're a terrible liar. And you're bleeding," Sasuke hissed like a wet cat. She must think very little of him if she would try such a poor excuse.
"The snow numbs the pain. That is the best solution in this case for both our comfort." He was so confused by her utter sincerity that he let her pull her arm from his grip. She turned and kept making her way through the knee-deep snow. She wasn't doing this out of spite or hurt dignity or even some misguided form of nobility. Hinata actually thought this was the best course of action. In some twisted Machiavellian way, it was, but then why did he feel so sick as he watched her thin form steadfastly struggle forward?
Sasuke didn't understand why he was so irritated that she was doing what he'd secretly hoped for. Wasn't it for the best, if he could ride solo? She'd simply acted accordingly to his physical cues, by not really reacting to him but only reacting around him.
Sasuke paused. That was why she annoyed him so much, even from the start. Everything he did she simply took into stride with an insulting resignation on her part. As if he was just another tired fact of life. He was just another pebble, and she was the water that encountered him and simply flowed around him. Just another obstacle to be sidestepped.
Any other girl would have pretended not to notice his discomfort or have tried to negotiate something for her advantage. Sasuke was well aware of how forceful he could be at times. He simply held everyone to higher standards, even if most of them couldn't meet them. Most people pushed back, but Hinata just accepted his wishes and simply found another path of lesser resistance.
Frankly, the apathy was pissing him off. It was like she didn't acknowledge his existence as a person. She registered Yamanaka and Sakura, and easily spoke with them. She responded to Naruto, like when she moved to stop him from dirtying the floor.
But not Sasuke.
Sure, she had helped clean the dojo and even sparred with him, but those were still actions formulated for the purpose of evading him as efficiently as possible. Even the incident when she had kicked dirt at him for disrespecting that dead horse had been more for the horse than him. Her only direct reaction was when he accused her of hurting the lives of a kingdom of innocents, when he all but dragged it out of her.
Sasuke jumped into Rain's saddle and cantered up to her. He dipped down and lifted her by her belt, placing her neatly across his lap. She actually squeaked in surprise. Finally, a proper reaction.
"Stop making me look like the bad guy," he said disdainfully. "And Sakura and Yamanaka would kill me if you lost toes." She only nodded. Another non-reaction. It made Sasuke want to shake her, just to see what else she would endure so placidly. But she was already shaking on her own. Her cloak was too tattered to do much and while her arms were covered, everything below mid-thigh was exposed to the bite of the cold.
With only a small amount of hesitance, Sasuke pulled the edges of his cloak forward and tried to wrap it around her, so they could share his body heat. However, she was perched uncomfortably on his knees and the horn of the saddle. She seemed reluctant to touch him. With all her crazy history, Sasuke almost forgot that Hinata had been a crown princess. This wasn't some bar wench he could easily manhandle like a toy.
"I'm not going to do anything to you," he said with a flare of annoyance. "If you sit like that, I won't be able to direct the horse. I promise I'm not contagious, if you would deign to touch me." She scooted marginally closer. He wrapped his cloak so it enclosed both of them. Now he could reach around her to grab the reins. Hinata made no protest, but he noticed that her feet were still hanging beyond the hem of his cloak. Was she stupid? Then he remembered that it was more probable that she couldn't feel her extremities anymore. Sasuke contemplated if he'd eaten something bad this morning, because that sick feeling was back, like his stomach and heart were trying to switch places.
With a huff, he gingerly reached over to pluck her legs up by her ankles, one by one, so her heels rested against his thigh. She didn't resist, though the new balance of her curled legs forced her to lean further into his chest. There was a moment of awkward rearrangement of their respective body parts, and Sasuke winced as her head knocked against his collarbone.
"Sorry," she whispered. But Sasuke generously didn't say anything even though his collarbone throbbed and the chill of her body was starting to transfer onto his skin. "Thank you."
"Don't," he gritted out. "I'm only tolerating this for a little while." He snapped the reins and Rain started back towards the target field. They traveled in strained silence, with only the crunch of snow under Rain's hooves and the light clink of the horse's bit prodding the tension. Progress was slow though the deep snow drifts and tangle of menacing brier branches. Her body temperature slowly warmed and it no longer felt like he was hugging an icicle. Normally, Sasuke loathed being touched, but Hinata was an unobtrusive presence. And the feel of her head tucked under his chin was not altogether unpleasant.
"I tried to save Storm." She spoke so quietly he almost didn't hear her.
"I know," he replied tersely. It was a wonder how she even managed to perform as a bounty hunter, given how soft-hearted she was when it came to other creatures. Sasuke could be understandably upset about the loss of Storm, since he'd had him for several years now. But she had only just met the spirited stallion.
The two lapsed back into a cumbersome kind of quiet, caught in a forced embrace by the cold circumstance. While Sasuke found the situation tolerable, it was anything but comfortable. She had stopped shaking, but was still as tense as drawn bow, probably from a combination of pain and embarrassment. He could still feel the chill of her heels seep into his leg and her weapons dug into his stomach.
Sasuke glance down to see her fidgeting. She was pressing her index fingers together so forcefully that the tips had turned white. The prince suddenly had double vision, where he found himself watching a pair of childish hands doing the same action alongside the princess's nervous tic. He shook his head. What the hell was he thinking? Hinata looked up at him curiously.
"What's wrong?"
"If you have nothing better to do with your hands, you can keep the cloak closed," he suggested. Her fingers snapped apart and slowly curled around the edges of his cloak instead. She pulled the material closer and the cold draft around his neck lessened.
Again, their words stalled, like a kite that never could quite make it up into the air despite numerous attempts.
Contrary to popular belief, Hinata was not a crybaby. She didn't cry at the smallest provocation. Even if her empathy got the best of her, she learned at a young age to cry noiselessly so no one would know. Regardless, Hinata didn't waste tears easily. Therefore, it was a measure of just how awkward the ride back was, when Hinata almost cried in relief as she and Sasuke finally rode into the stables.
The others were serious and silent, patiently waiting for Sasuke's orders. A white-faced Konohamaru, however, did not show such restraint and rushed forward before they even had a chance to dismount, tumbling over his feet and words.
"Where is Storm? I didn't see anything. He isn't hurt is he? Do we need to go get him! No one has touched Storm except me and I would have told you so -" Sasuke reached down and squeezed the top of the teen's skull warningly with long fingers.
"Shut. Up." Konohamaru's mouth closed with a click as the prince continued. "It isn't your fault so stop acting like a damn girl. Storm is dead, but Kin survived." The younger boy calmed, but he still looked questioningly at Sasuke. The Uchiha sighed and closed his eyes briefly. "It was a quick, clean death," he said quietly. Before anyone could say anything, Sasuke began barking out commands. "Yamanaka, take this saddle to Itachi. Tell him there was another attempt - he'll know what I mean. Naruto, help me get Kin down. Sakura, your med kit. Konohamaru, do your job."
They obeyed, bursting into a noise of movement to complete their respective tasks. Sasuke undid the clasp of his cloak and eased it around so he could wrap it around Hinata's bare legs. It didn't escape her attention that he was careful to keep her legs covered during the entire process, and she gave him a grateful look. He narrowed his eyes slightly, warning her against taking his actions for granted. She offered an awkward smile in return to show that she understood. He scowled and then transferred her over to Naruto's waiting arms. She winced as the exchange caused her injuries to chafe.
"Sorry. Am I bothering a wound?" the blond asked with an apologetic smile. Hinata shook her head and steadied herself with hesitant fingers on his shoulders. Sasuke dismounted and handed their ride over to Konohamaru, while Naruto carried her over to a blanket the medic had set out over the hay.
"Boys, turn around." Sakura spoke in a harsh tone that brooked no disobedience, and the two males obeyed. The medic flipped back Sasuke's cloak and winced. "Damage isn't bad," the pink-haired girl admitted, "but it must hurt like a bitch."
"What is it?" Naruto asked over his shoulder. He almost turned his head, but caught himself and bounced up and down on his toes instead.
"Chakra burns," Sasuke answered as Sakura placed green-glowing hands to Hinata's burns. Immediately, the constant heat of agony cooled to a more tolerable level, and she relaxed with small sigh. "Don't forget her feet," he added offhandedly. He had his arms crossed, and was leaning against a nearby post. "I'm not carrying her back to the palace." Sakura rolled her eyes with exasperation as she began unwrapping Hinata's feet.
"And here I didn't notice the gigantic bleeding wounds on her feet. Thank you for reminding me." She glanced down. "Did you do this to yourself?" Hinata nodded.
"I couldn't release the sticking jutsu fast enough," she said softly. Sakura hissed in sympathetic sympathy as she removed a small bottle of rubbing alcohol and several gauze pads.
"This is going hurt," she warned as she doused the gauze generously. Hinata bit her lower lip as the medic pressed the pads to her raw wounds. Searing agony gripped her feet, but she didn't utter a sound. However, she did clench the straw around her in a death grip. Then within seconds that dragged like minutes, Sakura applied her healing chakra and the hurt was washed away. The pink-haired girl gave her an approving look as she draped Sasuke's cloak back over Hinata. "I'm impressed. Even certain hardened shinobi I know cry like little children when their wounds get cleaned."
An indignant sort of silence emanated from her teammates' backs and Sakura stuck out her tongue in a conspiring manner. Hinata giggled.
"I suppose I'm tougher than these 'little boys'," she said, feeling secure enough to joke. The medic paused a moment in surprise, and then smiled even wider.
"Even though that's not saying much," Sakura added in feigned sadness.
"Not fair!" Naruto protested. "You can't talk behind our backs! Literally!"
"Are you finished yet?" the Uchiha said in a clipped voice.
"Yes, yes, your highness." Sakura's voice was too sing-song to be serious, and Sasuke turned around to pin both of them with a glare.
The enormity of her situation hit Hinata like a Jyuuken blow to the heart. For the first time, she could say she almost felt safe, that she didn't feel the constant pressure of her paranoia folding in on her. No one was trying to discover her identity, or kill her specifically. Instead, Sakura was treating her wounds while Sasuke and Naruto guarded for them. They were mocking each other in an easy default for a tense situation, and they were including her like she belonged. Regardless of whether Team 7 already knew/guessed who she really was, they were treating her like an ally instead of a hated criminal. Granted, it was probably because she had essentially saved the prince's life, but the warm feeling didn't go away. Tears prickled Hinata's eyes and she blinked in shock. She hadn't realized how much of a toll the past few years of self-imposed isolation had taken on her.
"Sakura, you missed a spot," Sasuke said brusquely. Hinata shook her head, discomfited by how aware of her moods Sasuke was. She needed to keep a better handle on her emotions. She was still a fugitive in hiding.
"I'm fine," she said quietly, making sure to steel her voice. "Could I get a pair of pants and shoes, though?"
Konohamaru had an extra pair of both, and he easily agreed to share. Sasuke then herded them back into the castle and towards Itachi's office. For all of Team 7's levity, an assassination attempt was still no laughing matter.
AN:
****** Much thanks to my beta, Rhinst. You're the best!
- "Kakashi is sexy" was the phrase that was used to introduce me to the Naruto series. Enough said. (Though I wonder what Kakashi actually gestured to Sasuke at the dinner table...hmmmm)
- Apparently sometimes horses hold their breaths so you can't buckle the saddle on tight enough and you slide off. I read this in Tamora Pierce, btw.
-If you haven't noticed, I have no naming sense whatsoever. Sure, it sounds better in Japanese, but that's because I can't get away with calling a capital "capital". But I can with horse names. XP
-If you wonder why Sasuke doesn't just run after Hinata on foot...note the brambles and snowdrifts. 1) he's not an elf 2) there are no trees to do the ninja shimmy on them 3) he's too hot and will melt the snow XD and 4) I wanted SasuHina riding a horse together, dammit.
-Also, have any of you noticed the little hints of fairytales I put in? Hint: I love "The Little Mermaid."
-Hopefully, Sasuke's "epiphany" shed some light on Hinata's character (and his). She's a survivor. Sure, she's unconfrontational almost to a fault, and that makes her seem weak at times, but that's as much as her strength as it is her weakness. She accepts her obstacles and does her best to simply move around them. Yes, she resigns herself too easily at times, but that's what Sasuke is for. Again, character growth, yo.
-And I'll get back to the action...eventually. I just wanted to toss in some SasuHina (it's about time, no?).
-You may notice that I describe Hinata and Itachi as water, while Sasuke is lightning/heat/fire. Interpret how you like, but I'm for the school of 'opposites attract'. Also, note the lightning and water combine to make some truly scary shit. A puddle water with a power line in it is pretty much a death sentence if you touch.
-Thank you thank you thank you my lovely reviewers. You make me swoon and roll all over my keyboard. Kisses and hugs to all of you.
- On that note, keep reviewing! Even a little bit goes a long way. When my motivation lags, I pore through your reviews and I feel rejuvenated!
