Once upon a time, there was a princess who was to be queen.
Only days before she was to meet the Sun Prince, the Sun King abruptly succumbed to a heart attack. Understandably, their meeting was postponed. The Sun Kingdom was devastated and spent weeks in mourning. In the same, short period of time, the Sun Prince was hurriedly crowned the new king of his kingdom in a solemn ceremony.
The mysterious circumstances of the old Sun King's death planted the first seeds of suspicion between the kingdoms. The Sun council wondered if the Moon Kingdom wanted a stronger hold on power, for now the princess was betrothed to the Sun King and she wasn't even the Crown Princess nor the heir of the Hyuuga. The Moon council came to wonder if the Sun Kingdom wished to terminate such a contract because they wished to form alliances with another kingdom. Pointed words became pointed fingers, prodding at tension that became so volatile that the new Sun King was forced to travel to the Moon Kingdom despite the ripples of distress in his own land.
Despite the distrust brewing them, the Moon Kingdom could never be considered impolite. A ball was held in honor of the new Sun King. For the first time in years, the princess was presented with pride, for she was the single, tenuous connection between the kingdoms. She was the new symbol of hope - a broken bird that had risen from the ashes like a lovely phoenix. But the question echoed in all their minds: how long would she stay aloft before the wind broke her wings?
"Keep your head up so they won't know," the new Sun King advised coolly as they danced together. The princess blushed. For all her progress, the pressure of all their eyes on her bowed her neck, bending her back into the spineless thing from before. "Even if you don't believe it, pretend."
He spoke brusquely, but the princess recognized the kindness in his eyes. He was an ally, and she let herself be supported by his strength.
"You've already improved," the new Sun King told her at the end of the dance. And the princess smiled radiantly, for she recognized that his praise did not come easily.
Even after the ball, the princess continued to improve. She still spoke softly, kindly, politely...but now soldiers listened, for her words were never wasted. She was becoming a wise leader, who commanded respect with a soft hand and powerful results. Along with the king, many watched her in admiration and wonder, daring to dream of a new golden era under the reign of a kind and wise queen. Many even suggested that the princess be renamed the crown princess.
But others watched her with jealousy carefully tucked behind a mien of smiles. The kingdom recognized her growing influence, and coupled with her status as the future queen of the Sun Kingdom, the princess had become a threat. Something had to be done about her.
And so, the princess was named commander of the patrol squad of the most dangerous area of the desert border.
Prey for the Hunted
By Airyo
Chapter 13
Sasuke stared down at Hinata's unconscious form. He couldn't see her injuries, freshly healed as they are, but Sakura had listed them to him in excruciating detail. Incision on the neck, strange puncture wound on right shoulder, multiple lacerations along her side, several more gashes on the right ankle,a deep knife wound on left forearm - occurred after what appeared to be a wild creature had bitten her - and on top of all that, a severe case of hypothermia and chakra exhaustion.
What the hell happened to her?
Something inside Sasuke writhed uncomfortably. How close had she been to death? That kind of responsibility was unbearable. Others had risked their lives countless times for him but Hinata was different. She wasn't a teammate or a subordinate who was acting out of duty and can be submitted to duty. Instead, less tangible threads connected them and Sasuke didn't know what to think of it. While he didn't follow such silly concepts as life debts, it didn't change the fact that she was getting hurt because of him. The pattern was disturbing. She'd get involved in some fight because of him, get hurt enough to lose consciousness. Then he gets the dubious honor of waiting for her to wake up.
That bothered Sasuke more than he'd ever admit. Even by the weak light seeping through the curtains, an ugly bruise discolored one side of her face like another mask. The darkness of the bruise and her hair twisting around her pillow only made her seem smaller by the stark contrast. She looked like a discarded doll in crumpled wrapping.
She had no right to look so fragile. This was the hunter, the fugitive, the survivor who bore all her hurts with a quiet fortitude of a veteran ninja. This was the girl who'd managed to fight him to a draw (that was most certainly not a loss). She was anything but a wilting princess who waited for her prince to save her. That was one of the things that Sasuke liked about Hinata. She could stand with poise beside him, rather than leaning on his arm like a simpering decoration.
Sakura had pulled a few strings and gotten her a private room. That was enough to send the others to rest, but the prince found it hard to leave. Here was the evidence that she was real, that she'd survived. He tried to tell himself that her continued existence was a trophy for his successful manipulation of Danzo, but Sasuke could be a little more lenient with himself when he was alone with no witnesses.
He'd hardly given any further thought to the council nor the Hokage after he'd braved telling Sakura. Something more than duty and triumph tethered him here.
As if reawakened by the direction of his thoughts, the swelling around his eye throbbed. Sakura had taken the news of her "secret project" surprisingly well, since she'd healed everything except the damage to his face. Sasuke gently probed his eye with a wince. It had swollen shut hours ago and only seemed to get worse. Good. It will serve as a reminder to the medic to heal the damn thing.
The light fluttering of Hinata's eyelids snapped Sasuke out of his musings. She was waking up.
"You're in the infirmary," he said, before she became fully cognizant and did something stupid out of residual panic. A slight frown of confusion creased her brow as she slowly opened her eyes. "It's...me," he added, at a loss on anything else to say.
"Sasuke?" she whispered. Hinata gingerly sat up, her enormous moon eyes still locked on his face. One hand slowly reached for his arm and squeezed, testing his solidity. "You're real." She looked up at him in disbelieving wonder and relief. "Thank kami."
Sasuke resisted the urge to fidget. He'd only ever had a brief glimpse of her eyes and the soft color of them caught him off guard. Perhaps all the adrenaline made him overly sensitive. Sasuke recalled that Sakura had given her some pain medications, which would explain the slightly dazed look in Hinata's eyes. But she shouldn't be looking so...pretty...in an white, baggy hospital tunic that only emphasized the mottled blues on her face.
The prince shook his head - the stress and fatigue of the past day must be really addling his ability to think.
"The council has agreed to cancel your imprisonment." Sasuke swallowed the implicit 'for now'.
"How?" Hinata rubbed at her face in an attempt to wake up, wincing when her fingers bumped the bruise.
"I convinced them." Pride surged in his chest again, and he couldn't help but smirk. However, his statement only seemed to upset her. Hinata peered up at him with worry. Even though she was cautious not to say anything, he knew what she was thinking.
"How could you of all people convince the council to spare a Hyuuga? What did you do?"
Sasuke's first instinct was to berate her for her doubt. While he wasn't a very good diplomat, that wasn't reflective of his character and abilities as well. But as he opened his mouth, he was distracted by the genuine concern in her impossibly large eyes that were framed by lashes drawn with an artist's precision. The memory of soft lips pressing against his made Sasuke pause.
He settled for a small, weak sneer instead. "There were certain conditions set in place," he admitted, "but ultimately, the situation is now in our favor." His poor attempt to skate the subject didn't work. Hinata frowned, looking even more upset.
"I also grew up in court," she said softly but firmly. "Please don't try such ambiguous wording with me. What are these conditions?" Sasuke considered staying silent, but she just kept looking at him with a half-worried, half-defiant expression that looked odd with the guarded tension in her shoulders. Her fists were clenched in her blankets, as if preparing for something horrible.
"What exactly did you agree to let them do to me?"
Somehow, her doubt of his intentions pissed Sasuke off more than her doubt of his abilities. Whatever difference that was.
"They're going to do nothing to you," he snapped. Hinata jumped at the abrupt loudness of his voice, but Sasuke ignored her, stood up, and began to pace. "You of all people should have nothing to fear now! I made sure that you are a key part of this plan and those council bastards are too eager to see me step down as crown prince to bother with you." Sasuke wasn't sure if he was yelling or comforting or bragging.
"Step down?" Hinata's eyes widened. "Stop, Sasuke, please stop. It's not my life that I fear for." She reached out and caught his sleeve. "It's the other consequences." The forlorn note in her voice made him halt mid-step.
"Hn," he grunted. Hinata released him and averted her gaze.
"Your and everyone who's helped me thus far...I can't bear the thought of more blood on my hands." She was looking back into another time, a look of sorrow on her face. Sasuke guiltily remembered that two of her genin teammates had died because of her.
"You won't," he huffed. "In case you haven't noticed, your little pity party isn't a party of one. My life is already riding on this. Sakura's and Naruto's too. Yamanaka's probably involved some way too, the nosy girl." Sasuke had meant to tell her that she wasn't alone, but somehow, the words came out considerably meaner than intended. Not that Sasuke cared. It was just his damnable conscience since she was still bedridden.
Hinata blinked and looked back at him with a steely edge to her smile. Her eyes were calm, like a mirror struck by light. It should have been beautiful, but only seemed so cold and flat.
"You're right. I'm being selfish when so many people are depending on me. So these conditions...what do we need to do?"
Sasuke felt discomfited. Somehow, her regard for him felt like it had shifted backwards, back to when he was nothing more than another obstacle. Another pebble in the river.
He shook himself of that notion. Maybe it was just paranoia. Why would she disregard him when he'd helped save her life?
Sasuke sat down and began to explain their situation to her.
Her first sensation shouldn't be warmth.
But it was relief and joy and bliss that filled her chest when she realized he wasn't a hallucination. She wasn't wasting away in the dungeons, but was safe, with Sasuke leaning over her. He had a black eye, so he couldn't have been solely of her imagination. It was as if seeing him made her cold-ravaged body remember what was life, what was living. Her lungs remembered breathing. Her heart remembered beating.
As if her thoughts were on a leash, everything pulled back to that single point: midnight, where dawn and night collided. Her lips remembered his.
The princess was woken with a kiss, and hadn't even realized it until now.
She'd thought that it meant nothing. Hinata was okay with that. One-sided affection was quiet and safe. It was a tiny candle flame meant to be hidden away and used to warm her hands when the world was gray and cold. But when she learned the extent of what Sasuke was risking for her, Hinata realized that it wasn't the case.
One tiny flame was also the beginning of a terrible fire storm.
Sasuke was the type of person who felt too much. It was apparent to her with every heated word he spat in her direction. He was scolding her because he cared. If her feelings were the candle, his laid the tinder around it. The slightest spark will burn everything to ashes. If they were to continue where their hearts were beginning to lead them...Hinata had given up idealistic fantasies years ago, but here she was tempted to dream of another possibility.
No.
It was too dangerous. They were hurtling towards something beyond friendship into something far more damning. Princess Hyuuga Hinata was already dead, and all that was left was herself. No-Name Hinata was a poison without an antidote, and never meant for the crown prince of the Sun Kingdom to take. If there was any sort of a relationship, everything she'd sacrificed for peace would be in vain. One war was already one too many.
As soon as she'd done her part in Sasuke's wager, it was time for her to disappear. Until then, Hinata had to snuff this flame. She had to step back and push him away from her, before her heart became tethered.
So Hinata told herself that it was purely gratitude for a savior. That was all she could allow herself.
It was another few days before Sakura declared Hinata fit to leave her bed. While the medic had healed the majority of her injuries before she even returned to consciousness, Hinata had to recover from hypothermia and chakra exhaustion on her own.
While Hinata was resting, the others were already mired in research. Only Sakura visited daily to check on her progress. On the rare occasion that Sasuke did stop by, Hinata pretended to be asleep. Fortunately, he would only stay for a few minutes each time, because someone would inevitably come to him for help.
But Hinata also felt the pressure of the time. If she wanted to leave, she felt duty-bound to help them find a treatment for Kakashi first. She owed them that much. The only way to achieve that was to meet with the group. She braced herself, because the next few weeks will be hard without the excuse of exhaustion to avoid Sasuke. They will be meeting nearly everyday. At least the rest of the group will be present as a buffer.
"You're damn lucky I got to you so soon, Kin," Sakura told Hinata as the medic looked her over one last time. Green chakra swirled around her elbow, tracing around the star-shaped scar. That was all Hinata had to show of her brush with death. "Otherwise, you'd been left with only one good arm. Not much good for Jyuuken in that case." Sakura moved to check up on her chakra levels.
"Thank you for saving my arm," Hinata simply said. She neglected to mention that she would have been incapable of the style regardless. While the rest of Team 7 were finally caught up on her Hyuuga origins, Hinata didn't want to bring up an old, bitter topic.
"No problem!" Sakura grinned. "I live to..." The medic trailed off with a frown as she redirected her hands over Hinata's navel. Sakura hummed in confusion. "Your chakra levels should be much higher." Before Hinata could think of a reason to push her away, the medic's chakra fully invaded her coils. The ex-princess froze at the feel of the foreign medical chakra inside her. Sakura had only done shallow scans of her chakra system before today, and Hinata had grown complacent. She knew that Sakura could be trusted, but that didn't mean it was a free pass to screaming her secret to the world. And it was hardly the best way to break the news to her.
"Sakura, I'm fine...could you please stop? I'm not comfortable with you doing that."
The medic withdrew with a distracted look on her face. After a moment, she bit her lip and forced a smile on her face. "Sorry, Kin. Anyways, you're good to go." The medic stood up and reordered her charts briskly. "I'll go track down Naruto and we'll meet you at Lord Hatake's room, G42, just down the hall. This is entire wing is for politically sensitive patients, so no one will bother you for walking around without a disguise."
Despite Sakura's assurance, Hinata still changed into the bodyguard outfit Ino had dropped off earlier, including the mask. The medic's odd reaction to her chakra coils was worrying, as it could be a fatal clue for those who knew the right pieces of information. She really should be more careful.
The infirmary wing hallway was clean and bright, with a cozy ambiance that softened the sharp smell of antiseptic. Having spent the majority of her childhood in a colder, more sterile environment, Hinata appreciated the small homey touches in the decoration such as a soft color palette and generous lighting. She never thought there would be a day she could almost feel at ease in a hopsital wing.
Kakashi's room was right by the entrance of the hall. Hinata assumed she should just knock and enter. But as she was about to, she heard familiar voices arguing around the corner of the entrance.
"...leave me be, Lord Nara. Don't make me ask twice," Ino was saying. Hinata recognized her voice, but had never heard the cheerfully shallow noblewoman speak so coldly.
"Troublesome woman, that is my father," Shikamaru snarled back, his drawl pulled tight with anger. "All I want is a simple explanation. One we deserve. Ever since -"
"Even if you are genius, you wouldn't understand," Ino interrupted. Her tone could liquefy stone. "Not everything can be in neat little categories. Troublesome or not troublesome."
"Try me." There was a sharp silence, then the sounds of Ino turning on her heel and walking towards Kakashi's room.
"No. Good day, Lord Nara."
Hinata quickly dashed a few steps back down the hall, pivoting in time to appear as if she was just approaching Kakashi's door when Ino stepped into the wing. The other girl's mouth was pinched in repressed emotion. Her blue eyes drilled forward in anger but she didn't seem to notice Hinata. Shikamaru followed her.
"Wait, Ino, you -"
"Lady Yamanaka," she corrected harshly. They both stumbled to an awkward stop when they finally caught sight of Hinata. Ino recovered first, rushing forward to grab a hold of Hinata's elbow with a too-big smile. "Kin! I must be so late for the meeting if you're coming to get me."
Shikamaru realized his defeat with the presence of a third party and bowed stiffly to them. "Lady Yamanaka, Kin. A good day to you ladies." He said Ino's preferred title as if he were chewing on glass. Then he turned and left.
Ino heaved a great sigh as she flicked her curtain of gold hair over her shoulder. "The life of a beautiful woman is always fraught with peril," she said airily. "It is such a burden to be this lovely." Hinata didn't believe her feigned flippancy for a second. Somehow, she doubted it was just a lover's spat. There was real pain and betrayal in both their eyes.
While she empathized with Ino, it wasn't any of her business to pry. So Hinata only smiled and knocked at Kakashi's door. It immediately opened to reveal Sasuke's frowning face, with one eye still framed by a fading bruise.
"What took you so long?" he demanded as he stepped back to let them enter. It was a large room with a single bed pushed to the corner. Kakashi was reclining in said bed, awake, with his nose buried into the pages of his favorite reading material. His left leg was elevated in an enormous splint and sling. But other than the broken leg, there seemed to be no other signs of injury. Despite the dire prognosis Hinata had been told, Sasuke's mentor looked surprisingly okay as he giggled over something he read.
"I'm sorry. It took me a while to walk here," Hinata offered politely in an effort to cover for Ino. The prince scanned her quickly, but still carefully enough to take everything in obvious detail, and grunted in grudging acceptance of her apology. He returned to his seat by the window.
"You're useless if you're not healed," Sasuke said brusquely as he returned to his seat by the window. "Sakura actually checked you over?"
"Yes, she did," Hinata answered tersely, fighting a small smile. If she guessed correctly, he was worried that she wasn't finished healing. It was kind of sweet.
Hinata ruthlessly quashed her line of thought and picked a chair near Kakashi's bed. Ino uncharacteristically ignored Sasuke, seemingly lost in thought as she followed Hinata to the seat next to her. Just as she was about to sit down, Naruto and Sakura burst into the room.
"Kin! You're alive!" The blond ninja bounced in with a wide grin and headed straight for Hinata. He gathered her in a big bear hug, lifting her off the ground and spinning around.
"N-Naruto!" gasped Hinata with a blush. She was unaccustomed to such proximity. "You saw me yesterday!" Naruto laughed as he gently set her down.
"But you were half asleep. Now Sakura says that you're fully recovered!" His childlike enthusiasm was catching and Hinata let herself giggle a little.
"Thank you for your concern," Hinata said politely.
"Good morning to you to too, Dead-last," Sasuke said acerbically. "When you ladies are finished with your reunion," - Naruto stuck out his tongue at him here - "we can get to the matter of the day."
"Whatever, Bastard. Some of us actually have enough humanity to be concerned with our comrades," Naruto sniffed as he sat at the foot of the Copy-nin's bed. "Right, Kakashi?"
Kakashi waved his book slightly in greeting, but made no further acknowledgement of their presence. Sakura stomped over and snatched the book out of his hands. The silver-haired jounin gave her a hurt look as he tried to reach for his beloved book. However, with his leg restrained, he was limited to the reach of an arm's span.
"Lord Hatake, this is not the time to be reading porn!" she growled as she deftly stepped out of the Copy Nin's range.
"But I'm a poor, crippled old man who has lost his life's purpose," Kakashi whined with a puppy-dog expression. It might have worked better if most of his face wasn't covered. "Where is your heart, Sakura? Can you spare no love for your beloved, dedicated teacher?" To top off the ice cream sundae of absurdity, the silver-haired jounin clasped his hands under his chin and wriggled imploringly.
"G-gross," muttered Naruto. He looked vaguely green. "It's like the bad beginning right out of those Icha Icha books of his."
"It's actually from Icha Icha Tactics, when Murasaki has to comfort her teacher be-" Hinata clapped her hands over her mouth. The room stilled. Even Ino, who'd been distracted and unresponsive until then, slowly turned to stare at her.
"You read Icha Icha?" Kakashi said admiringly. Hinata shook her head vigorously.
"N-no! Of course not!" she protested as a blush crept over her face. "I just...I just overhear a lot of ...um...strange things back in Sado..." The matching look of disbelief on all their faces was rather eerie. "Shouldn't we be discussing how to heal Lord Hatake?"
"He looks plenty revived due to the discovery of a fellow pervert," Sakura muttered under her breath. Hinata flamed red even as she gasped in affront. It was hard to tell if the heat on her face was pleasure or humiliation. It was a good sign that Sakura was teasing her like a friend, but that didn't change how incredibly embarrassing it was when Ino and Naruto were tittering in the background like a pair of mockingbirds. Even Sasuke had a badly suppressed smirk on his face. Worst of all, Kakashi's eyes were glittering in a fangirlish way that made Hinata entertain the simultaneous urge to hurl and hide.
"They're everywhere..." whispered Naruto in horror. "That Pervy Sage has spread it like a disease."
"Enough," Sasuke finally said. "We don't have boundless time to spend laughing about." Hinata nearly hugged him in gratitude, until she caught the glint of amusement in his eyes. She sighed and resigned herself to their mirth. Fortunately, everyone quickly sobered up when the prince shifted so he faced them, signaling the official start of the their meeting.
"You've all been given a general synopsis, but I'll reiterate since certain idiots tend to forget important details." Sasuke lifted an eyebrow at Naruto and the blonde gave him the middle finger. Sakura kicked Naruto in the leg, effectively cutting the confrontation short. During her moment of distraction, Kakashi managed to snag his book. Sakura threw her hands up in the air in defeat. Sasuke just rolled his eyes and continued.
"The fact that Kin is a Hyuuga should be secret. Unfortunately, she was accidentally revealed at the Winter Ball last week. In exchange for her life, I made a wager with the royal council. Kakashi has a severe injury that the medics have declared unfixable. He can't ever put too much pressure on that leg of his. If there is no progress in his condition, I forfeit my place as crown prince." He didn't need to say that Hinata would likely forfeit her life in that case. "We've all been working hard on research these past few days." He nodded for Sakura to take over the explanation.
"The main problem is that Kakashi's leg is healing in a big mess, and it's going to impede upon any sort of healing I can do. I can't see what exactly is going on, but I can feel how everything is with medical chakra." Sakura turned to Hinata. "This is where you come in. Surprisingly, Sasuke managed to stumble on something that is close to correct. Kin's Byakugan will give us an advantage."
"Not that I'm unwilling," Hinata said softly, "but previous collaborations have been attempted before...relations fractured between Sun and Moon. And those were with Byakugan users far more skilled than I."
"I'm aware of that - went over all the old journals and notes they made. But my chakra is especially well-suited and I have a few ideas I want to try." Sakura pulled a thick scroll out of her pocket and brandished it like a sword. "My weapon of choice, right here."
"Wait," Ino said. "Why not just have Kin do the healing? Medical chakra is possible for anyone with enough determination to gain chakra control, even if her reserves are low."
"Low chakra reserves isn't the problem, even if it would be a major hindrance either way," Hinata corrected with a wistful smile. "Hyuuga are bred to deal damage with our chakra, which is why Jyuuken is so devastating despite very little outward injury. Jyuuken closes your tenketsu, which places your chakra channel in an abnormal state that the body naturally tries to fix. To prevent that, the intrinsic property of our chakra must inhibit healing. Yes, medical chakra is different, but all Hyuuga healers have been people whose chakra wasn't as toxic."
Everyone was listening intently. Naruto and Sasuke had stopped fighting, both now seated at the window. Ino and Sakura had taken chairs near the foot of Kakashi's bed. Even the older jounin had abandoned any pretense of reading and was regarding her with one, sharp eye. Hinata looked down at her fingers, wondering how they would look if they weren't so callused from all her weapons handling. Even though her explanation was an old one, it was still uncomfortable to remember each time.
"So it's not because you don't have enough chakra. It's that you don't have the right type of chakra," Naruto reiterated. His expression was one of open curiosity and no judgement, which made it a little easier for her to nod in agreement.
"Makes sense," Sakura said as she jotted notes in her scroll. She was in full medic- mode, practically crackling with excited energy over the discussion. "Prospective medics are tested for their chakra type, as it does have an impact whether you have a "blunt" element or a "sharp" element. Blunt elements like earth or wind are more suited for medical chakra than hard elements like fire or lighting. I'm earth, which helps a lot when I try to do any major healings and is also why my attacks are more about blunt force. It's not that I can't use precision, but the properties of my chakra are more suited for such techniques. Sasuke's is fire/lightning, which is why there are not many Uchiha healers despite the advantage of their Sharingan. He's more likely to fry the patient than heal anything. Actually, Naruto here would have made an amazing healer with all that wind-type chakra if he didn't suck at chakra control."
"Hey!" Naruto yelped. But before he could protest further, Ino abruptly stood up. Her face was ashen.
"I need to go. Meeting. Apologies." The noblewoman spoke woodenly as she hurried for the exit. The door slammed behind her, leaving a room so silent they could hear the dust settle to the ground.
"What's with her?" Naruto wondered. Hinata bit her lip, and then revealed the fight she'd accidentally interrupted between Ino and Shikamaru. The medic hissed sympathetically.
"Let Ino-pig be. She needs the time alone." Sakura's expression made it clear that she would say no more on the subject. "Back to the subject at hand," she continued briskly. "Kin, what is your chakra type?"
Whatever was bothering Ino...it was kinder to pretend that her privacy was still intact. Hinata followed Sakura's example and replied with a thoughtful look. "I was tested once...I think water."
"Interesting," the medic murmured as she scribbled a few more notes in her scroll. "Water is more of a gray area, since it can integrate into the other elements. Water softens fire, while lightning sharpens water...that sort of thing. Do you know your secondary element?" Hinata shook her head.
"My chakra capacity was never too good, so my training did not focus on that."
"Hm. We'll need to get you tested later, but the old notes say that Hyuuga are generally water/wind types. Some call it an "ice" type due to the unusual "sharpness" of that combination - probably more unsuited for healing than even the Uchiha." Sakura rolled up her notes with a sigh. "Given our situation, our best bet is some sort of chakra transfusion so Kin can maintain her Byakugan for longer periods of time. But it's much harder than something like a blood transfusion. Chakra affinities have to align and there's extensive seal work to bypass the body's natural overflow mechanism."
Hinata had heard of such a technique, but it required an enormous amount of control and preparation. Sakura caught her expression and smiled.
"There are seals to manipulate the chakra so it's suited for your coils. I'll be there to supervise the entire time, so I think it can work. But there's a lot of prep to be done. Naruto, please pull all the relevant literature on chakra affiliations." She pulled out a piece of paper and began writing down several titles. "These are the only names I can think off immediately. It shouldn't take you long with your clones. Sasuke, you have the highest clearance of any of us. See if you can pull any reports on cases similar to ours." The prince gave her a strange look and Sakura rolled her eyes. "Learn to use your damn face in a while - the clerks there are all lonely spinsters who'd turn heaven and earth for a glance from you. Flirt and you'll have the job done in an hour."
A mental image of a suave Sasuke, complete with a red rose in his mouth, leaning over a dusty counter to seduce a besotted old maid. It was too much. Hinata covered her mouth, trying not to laugh. It was kind of rude to make fun of the person who'd helped her so much. Kakashi, who'd remained quietly immersed in his porn up until now, apparently had no such qualms and chuckled openly.
"Just think of the results you're working for," the older jounin said with an eye-smile. "Only a few minutes of you using your body can save you hours of work."
"If you offer to let them grope you once, they'll probably even bring you tea to drink while they find all the case studies!" Naruto added. Now Imaginary-Sasuke pouting his lips and waving his butt for the line of old maids to slap. Hinata couldn't keep the squeak of laughter from slipping past her fingers.
Sasuke just shot her a resigned look.
"You are all jerks," he said with sneer. Sasuke didn't bother bidding them farewell and exited. The rest of Team 7 exchanged surprised looks when the door shut behind the prince. Naruto was the first to regain his composure and turned to Hinata with a determined look on his face.
"You're not going anywhere, Lady Kin," he said with slight awe. "Stay right there! I'll be back before you know it. Believe it!" Then the blond dashed after Sasuke with Sakura's list in hand. Hinata was so confused.
"He means he's going to work as hard as he can to get the relevant scrolls so you won't have to leave," Sakura translated. "Naruto gets incomprehensible sometimes if he's excited. Normally if we tease Sasuke, he reacts like an angry pufferfish. But with your presence, he's actually starting to remember his manners."
It sounded too much like Sakura thought that Hinata had some sort of secret key to taming Sasuke. Even his teammates were beginning notice the bond between them. Hinata needed to make doubly sure to kill the budding relationship between her and the prince.
"I'm sure it's not that bad," Hinata demurred. The medic shrugged, unconvinced.
"Whatever you say, Kin. But anyways, I need to speak with you in private." Kakashi gestured something with his book. Sakura gave him a flat look. "No, I'm not asking you to leave the room even though your leg is broken. Have some sense, Lord Hatake." The Copy-nin just giggled in reply, clearly already lost again in his book. Shaking her head in fond exasperation, Sakura lead Hinata outside and guided her into the empty room next door.
"What did you need to talk to me about?" Hinata kept her composure even though she could feel anxiety thrumming in her stomach. She had a feeling it was about the abnormality of her chakra earlier. Sakura wasn't the worst person to know, but it was still sensitive information.
Sakura sat down on the empty bed. She patted the spot next to her invitingly. Hinata joined her, though she couldn't bring herself to sit as close as expected. "My teacher was Lady Tsunade herself, in case you didn't know. She's away right now, because she can't stand being here in the Sun Kingdom. I only traveled with her as her student for a few years, but you could say I learned everything that makes me such a good medic from her." The pink-haired girl smiled wistfully. "I really miss her."
"I've heard great things about Lady Senju Tsunade," Hinata agreed cautiously. She knew the medic was leading somewhere with this, but was curious for new information on the woman who'd saved her life. She could remember very little through her feverish haze except for a safe, warm presence. "Perhaps the strongest kunoichi in the world." Sakura made a gesture of disagreement.
"It's not her physical strength that makes her good. She once told me the best healers are the ones that can love their patients. Corny as that is, it's that emotional investment that determines whether we can beat the odds. Whether we're willing to wager everything for that chance." Sakura spoke with the pride of someone who adhered to such a principle.
"That...must be difficult," Hinata said sincerely. She had the capacity for compassion (often too much of it), but she doubted she could open her heart so fearlessly for the step beyond that as the kunoichi next to her. That took a new level of courage and strength. "You must have lost a few patients before."
Sakura nodded. "Of course. I still mourn them, even if I know that there wasn't anything else I could have done for them. And it's still hard. The day that it stops being so difficult is the day I should retire as a medic." Hinata looked at the other girl. What Sakura said seemed idealistic, but the Machiavellian part of Hinata rejected such a flimsy reason.
"Why? In theory, it sounds lovely, but couldn't you save so many more people?"
Sakura looked at her in surprise and then suddenly gave Hinata a tight hug. "You know you're the first person to actually ask me that?" the medic asked as she released her. "Everyone else has just agreed dumbly or dismissed me as a whimsical, naive little girl." Hinata shook her head at that last description. Sakura was young, but her jade eyes had already seen horrors worth a lifetime. Hinata recognized it because she'd seen that same look in the mirror day after day.
"Let me clarify," Sakura continued. "The day that I lose my respect for humanity would be the day that I start down a slippery slope towards being a sociopath. I've got a scientist's curiosity. It drives me forward and I can solve the puzzles that will help my patients. But what happens when I take it too far? When my morals no longer hold me to what is right?"
Hinata shuddered. Everyone was limited by the universal equalizer of mortality. Even the elite needed sleep and food and water. When someone like Sakura, who held the secrets to help erase that limit, was no longer encumbered by the implicit laws of common decency...Hinata could easily imagine the consequences.
"That's very unsettling. Are you speaking of someone in particular?" Sakura shrugged.
"You've heard of Orochimaru and his spy Kabuto right? Orochimaru was exiled for experimenting on human subjects in horrific ways. Kabuto was discovered some years back here in this very infirmary. I never knew Orochimaru personally, but I've met Kabuto." A dark look narrowed Sakura's eyes, making her look terrifying. "He gave me the creeps."
"They're still out there, right?" Hinata could remember seeing Orochimaru's name in the bingo book, though she hadn't heard of Kabuto.
"Unfortunately." Then Sakura huffed and gave Hinata a mildly accusing look. "I know what you're doing, distracting me like that. The main point is, my teacher never forgets her failures. Thinks about them too much, in fact, and drinks like a fish because of it." Despite the fondness in her tone, the medic's words brought to mind a sad picture of Sakura tending to the Legendary Sannin slumped over another empty bottle. Hinata had always remembered Tsunade as an invincible presence, and the contrasting image just seemed wrong.
"She talks about a certain little princess a lot though." Sakura emphasized 'princess' as she gave her a meaningful look. Hinata perused the other girl warily but Sakura gave her a reassuring smile. "Her chakra coils were pretty much liquefied by some sort of chakra suppressant. Lady Tsunade didn't actually expect her to survive."
"She sounds like a fighter," Hinata commented neutrally. They were both well aware that Sakura had already figured out Hinata's royal background. The medic rolled her eyes but smiled good-naturedly. Something inside Hinata relaxed and she returned the smile.
"She said that she'd never seen a little girl fight that hard to live, it was kind of an eye-opener for her."
"Eye-opener?" Hinata prompted. A sad expression crossed Sakura's face.
"Lady Tsunade left the Sun Kingdom after that - she refused to be a part of anything that destroyed so many innocent lives. We're a very militaristic kingdom, after all, so the fighting never quite ends." She leaned forward with a pleading look as she put a hand on Hinata's shoulder. "You should understand. She'd only recently began to recover from the shock of losing her lover when King Fugaku ordered her to cross what used to be the Sky Kingdom. She saw all the horrors of war within the span of a few days. Almost didn't make it to the Moon Kingdom because of it."
The intensity in Sakura's eyes scared Hinata. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Lady Tsunade never quite forgave herself for not finding a complete cure, but she could only force herself to stay until she was sure you would survive. She may not be here, but as her student, I need to do what I can for her." She wasn't asking for some sort of pardon, but simply for understanding. Hinata reached out and squeezed Sakura's hand reassuringly.
"Lady Tsunade saved that 'little girl's' life. That little girl would have nothing but gratitude in her heart," she said with a shy smile. Sakura gave her an unamused look at her refusal to acknowledge her identity and shook her head with small laugh.
"Okay, okay, you win. As long you can accept that, I can feel a little more at ease." Hinata was never one for confrontation, but it wasn't just her safety on the line.
"But how can you feel at ease? Sasuke has a lot at stake." How can I trust you?
Sakura gave her a hard look that reminded Hinata exactly why the medic was worthy to be Tsunade's protege.
"No offense, but you of all people should understand that loyalty for a kingdom is layered," Sakura said bluntly. "My loyalty is to Uchiha Sasuke. Same as Naruto. We are a team. So if Sasuke says you're our ally, I will stand by you." But if he decides you're our enemy, I will kill you myself.
The implicit words sent a small shiver down Hinata's spine. Sakura had nothing against her, but she recognized the danger in harboring the ex-royal of an enemy kingdom. She recognized the danger in Sasuke's obsession with her. Even if meant throwing away her humanity, Sakura would defend her teammates. Hinata realized that she wasn't shivering from fear, but envy. This was what she could have had with her team, if she hadn't fucked everything up.
"Thank you," Hinata said serenely. Envy was a strange emotion to pair with her relief that Sasuke had such loyal teammates. "I will keep that in mind."
It was good to know exactly where she stood with Sakura. As long as she didn't give the medic a reason to be an enemy, Sakura was her unknowing ally in keeping her distance from Sasuke.
"Good," the pink-haired girl shot her a genuine smile, all traces of her former aggression gone. "Let's go get your chakra tested. We have a lot of work to do."
Sasuke managed to reserve a sealing room, so the group reconvened there the next day. At some point, Sakura had convinced her to discard her half-veil for practicality of what they were trying. Sasuke could see exactly where those moon eyes looked. It had started as a vague sense of unease a few days ago, like the beginnings of a sore throat, but now he was sure of it.
Hinata was avoiding him. It was just like before, when he was an insignificant stone before the water's path. He didn't exist in her world.
This was ever since he'd yelled at her even though she'd just woken up from nearly dying. He'd berated her selfishly because of his pride. Sasuke knew he was a jerk, but he hadn't really cared until now.
And what a jerk he was.
Not that he would ever admit it with so many people around. Everyone was there, including Ino. She was back to her cheerful self, though Hinata was still peering at the blond noblewoman with worry. Sasuke inwardly huffed. Whatever little problem the Yamanaka was creating, drama was hardly worth that much of Hinata's attention.
The sealing room itself was especially made for healing jutsu, so many of the common seal sets were already drawn on the smooth gray floor with permanent ink. Hinata sat in the center-most circle, surrounded by everyone else.
"The seals are actually pretty straightforward," Sakura muttered as she flipped through her notes. "Mostly just really damn tedious. We'll need your clones, Naruto, if we want to get done anytime soon."
"I'm a ninja, not an army of slaves," the blond muttered resentfully from the corner of his mouth. He was sitting cross-legged, with one hand propping his chin up on his knee. "And Kakashi isn't even here." Ino took the opportunity to bop him on the head with her fist.
"Stupid! We need to make sure this can actually work before we go through the hassle of setting everything up." Naruto proceeded to pull down his eyelids and stick his pinkies up his nostrils. Ino shrieked about how disgusting he was and how rude it was to make such a face to a lady.
"Dead-last. You're nineteen," Sasuke growled. "Act it." This was embarrassing. Hinata was covering her mouth in a valiant attempt not to laugh at his teammate's peculiar expression. She wasn't supposed to be amused by stupid things like that.
"Sometime this year would be preferred," Sakura gritted out. To make her point, she shoved copies of the seals she wanted drawn into their faces. The dangerous expression in her green eyes quickly convinced everyone to meekly draw their assigned seals. Even with the aid of Naruto's clones, it took a good hour's work to transfer everything down. While Sakura meticulously checked over the results of their labors, they rested at the side.
"Why so many of them?" Naruto mourned. He was laying flat on his back, one arm thrown over his face in despair. "Why me?"
"It'll take even longer if it weren't for you, Naruto," Hinata said kindly from a few feet away. She was leaning against the wall, with Sasuke on her other side. The blond ninja perked up with her praise and grinned.
"Yeah, I'm important," he bragged. She gave him another little smile. A flash of jealousy flared inside Sasuke. She was smiling too easily at everyone else, but when she looked at him, Hinata's expression was always so ambiguously solemn. Yes, he'd been ill-mannered, but Naruto had repeatedly made crass comments that would offend the most easy-going nobles. While he certainly didn't expect ground-kissing gratitude for what he was risking for her, a mildly warmer reception than that blank stare would have been preferable. Sasuke narrowed his eyes in irritation as he watched Naruto joke about with Hinata, but said nothing.
Sakura finally okayed the designs. Hinata returned to her place in the middle.
"The simplest way is a direct transfer. You know about five-point seals, right?" Even though several of them nodded, Sakura continued, caught up in her medic-mode. "The five fingertips actually correlate perfectly with the five main gates of the chakra coils around the navel. Hinata's a water/wind type, so Naruto would be the closest fit. With a few extra seals to moderate the slight difference in chakra, it should work."
Already informed of what was to come, Hinata laid down in the middle of the circle without further prompting. Sasuke stared as she began to undo her obi-belt. Naruto was blushing lightly as he settled himself nearby. She was taking off her clothes.
"What are you doing?" he asked dangerously. Hinata paused, giving him a confused look. But her brief moment of attention quickly turned back to Sakura.
"Transferring chakra?" the medic asked, looking at Sasuke as if he'd hit his head. Everyone was wearing that same confused expression. The prince realized he'd blurted out his disagreement even before he thought about it. For a five-point seal to work, Sakura needed to draw on a few more seals and there needs to be minimal interference. Hinata's multiple layers of clothing would be in the way. So she was taking off her clothes. Willingly.
So Naruto could paw at her bare stomach with his bare hands.
An inexplicable rush of killer intent filled his veins, filling the room with dark energy. Everyone leaned away nervously.
"Sasuke? What's wrong?"
He'd been brought up to treat noblewomen with the utmost respect (at least physically). Even if Naruto didn't think much more on it, that idiot will definitely have perverted thoughts given his deplorable teacher. (Kakashi didn't count since he didn't actively create such disgusting material.) It was up to Sasuke to protect the morality. But if he voiced such reasoning, they'd accused him of stupid things like having a crush even if he was merely being a gentleman. That. was. all. Sasuke growled.
"Think, Dead-last," he snapped defensively. "You may be a wind type, but what else is in your chakra?"
"Bastard, I'm a pure wind type, unlike you mutt of..." Naruto trailed off as his eyes widened.
"Your furry little friend isn't wind or water type, is it? Additionally," - his Sharingan flashed as he crossed his arms - "we both use a doujutsu. My chakra will be less harmful to the eyes." Sasuke smirked, proud he thought of such compelling reasons.
"You're right. I forgot about how the chakra would affect Kin's eyes. Focused too much on the coils themselves." Sakura muttered to herself as she flipped through her extensive notes again, comparing diagrams and equations. "But the seals for converting fire/lighting chakra into something usable for a water/wind type are really -"
"I'll convert my chakra to lightning-based. Water melds well with lightning, doesn't it?" he said with a shrug as if decomposing chakra wasn't one of the most difficult chakra exercises in existence. Especially so since his chakra type was fire and lightning, elements of pure energy that could dance out of control when the user's willpower wavered even slightly.
Hinata was staring at him. He saw a flicker of awe before she retreated back behind that cold mask of indifference. He smirked. She was still sharply aware of him. Her thoughts were still on him.
"Can you keep it up that long?" Sakura asked. Naruto snickered in the background, with an accompanying 'that's what she said!'. Sasuke huffed indignantly.
"Obviously. I wouldn't suggest it otherwise." Sakura nodded.
"Okay, let's give it a shot."
Sasuke took over Naruto's seat. Hinata lifted her tunic just so her tiny waist was revealed. While Sasuke wasn't inexperienced with women, he had always taken care to fool around only with girls who weren't nobility. Noblewomen were like waiting explosion tags wrapped in pretty ribbons and ruffles. The prince wasn't stupid enough to let himself be caught in such a disastrous trap. Nonetheless, Sasuke found himself politely (not shyly) averting his eyes until Sakura had deftly obscured the pale expanse of Hinata's stomach with black symbols.
"Okay, put you fingers here." Sakura indicated five points around Hinata's navel. Sasuke obeyed. Even though he wasn't channeling any chakra yet, his fingertips tingled as if already charged when he touched her warm skin. He felt the muscles in her stomach tense and his mouth went oddly dry. His pulse was doing strange acrobatics in his veins. Heat was coloring his face. Sasuke forced himself to keep his composure. It had to be the nerves. If he failed now, he wouldn't forgive himself. Not when he'd already declared his competence. Definitely the nerves.
He glanced at her face. Her expression was bored and unaffected. Given her personality, she should be blushing like a schoolgirl, but she was looking up at the ceiling as if her mind was a million miles away. Sasuke scowled, forgetting all his hesitations from before. Her easy smiles for Naruto and Sakura and everyone else but him came to mind. No matter his mistakes, he'd saved her. He practically owned her. But that was how the ungrateful wench wanted to play, was it?
Surreptitiously, he stroked her skin, disguising the movement as a readjustment of his hand position. He felt her squirm in surprise. Her eyes widened, but remained resolutely focused away from him. But light pink now dusted her cheeks. Sasuke inwardly smirked. He'd barely twitched his fingers and she had to double her efforts to ignore him. Feeling temporarily vindicated, Sasuke returned his attention to Sakura.
"Start with just enough chakra for a bushin," she was saying. Carefully, he drew from his chakra and nudged one single strand towards his fingers. Hinata audibly gasped at the first sensation of his chakra, but Sasuke ignored her. It took his full concentration to direct it slowly into her body rather than let the energy diffuse away across her skin like static electricity. To his surprise, there was a strange pulling sensation from her chakra coils once the connection was made.
"Are you already drawing on the chakra?" he asked. Chakra reserves are naturally kept in stasis by the body until used. But it felt like she was already performing some sort of technique that was continually draining her chakra away.
"No." Her clipped tone parried away any further explanation.
"Can you try the Byakugan now?" Sakura asked before Sasuke could interrogate Hinata further on her strange chakra reserves.
"I'll try." Hinata raised one hand, one half of the Tiger seal [1]. "Byakugan." It was a whisper, soft as a summer breeze that belied the coming storm. Chakra veins bulged at her temples, pumping a new mix of chakra into her eyes. The soft color of her irises sharpened, coalescing into pinprick pupils.
Now her chakra was directly pulling his into her system. He wouldn't have been able to concentrate on that much anyways as he stared at her. She looked otherworldly with those unfocused eyes and the writhing seals across her skin, like some sort of beautiful demonic summon for destruction. The princess and the dragon were spelled into a terrifying, unreachable hybrid that held the prince captive.
Then her face crumpled in agony and she let out a cry. Sasuke felt almost relieved when her Byakugan fizzled out of existence, and Hinata was returned to herself.
Then Sakura was slapping his hands away, leaning over Hinata's middle with urgency. Naruto and Ino were crowding in as well. The green of her chakra filled the spaces around them. In his moment of distraction, Sasuke found himself pushed to the outside.
"Shit. Shit. Shit!" Sakura bit out.
"What?" Sasuke demanded. He pushed Naruto and Ino out of the way, trying to see past the medic's hands. His heart was trying to ram itself out of his chest. Sasuke felt ill.
"Kin! Are you okay?" Ino was yelling as Naruto joined in.
Is she okay? Did he do something wrong?
Just as Sasuke was about to physically shake the answers out of someone, Sakura sat with a sigh. Slowly, Hinata sat up, rubbing the area around her stomach gingerly.
She looked perfectly unharmed.
"The seals buckled," Sakura said with a wince. "Any longer and the flow would have given both of you chakra burns."
Chakra burns were nothing more life-threatening than a sunburn.
Unjustified anger at Sakura and Hinata filled him. How dare they make him worry like that over a minor thing. But Hinata was hugging her stomach as she looked away from him. Her averted eyes were restored to their soft, moonlit hues, bright even behind dark lashes. The rage seeped out of him yet again, and he only managed a diluted scowl.
"It was unnecessary for such dramatics," he scolded with only a fraction of the annoyance he felt.
He wondered who he was talking to: Sakura or himself.
Due to the additional strain on her chakra system, Sakura insisted that Hinata stay another night in the hospital wing for observation. With her unstable reserves, there was the possibility of a sudden onset of chakra exhaustion severe enough to actually do some damage. The chance was small, but present.
Regardless, Hinata thought Sakura had overreacted. She disliked infirmaries ever since her sickly childhood. The movements of the healers could be Death's footsteps to the ears of a young frightened girl cut off from her parents. The clinking noises of the guards could be a monster sharpening its claws. The moans of the other patients could be the cries of tortured victims. The sterilizers clogged her senses, and left the marked absence of any smell, giving the place emptiness. A deadness to the air. Even in the far cozier Sun infirmary, Hinata could never quite ease the tension in her shoulders.
But one extra night wouldn't hurt her. Hinata disliked the medic's orders because it would only serve to further link Sasuke to her. She saw that horrified look in his eyes, when he thought that something went wrong. He was the type of person who hated owing anyone anything, and she couldn't afford another strike in her favor.
As it stood, Sasuke simply didn't seem to get it. She wasn't playing coy. She wasn't flirting. Yet he was still trying to impress her. Even manipulated it so he could touch her. Hinata wasn't stupid - she recognized why he'd muscled Naruto out of a job. But she couldn't quite truthfully say that she'd shied away in repulsion either. His fingers were charged with electricity against her skin even before he used chakra.
Hinata frowned down at her hands over her covers. Bad Hinata. She needed to make it clear to Sasuke that she was nothing more than a passerby in his life. Simply giving him the cold shoulder was actually having the opposite effect. She needed to take her ruse even further.
A knock interrupted her musings. Hinata looked up to see Sasuke leaning against the door with an unreadable expression on his face. He was wearing his usual jounin uniform with black boots, but had also strapped a weapons belt around his hips. Even with the faint bruises from Sakura and a lack of rest marring his face, Sasuke still looked elegant. The sharp line of his jaw and nose were cut with the precision of a master jeweler, barely softened by the mess of his unruly hair.
"Good evening, your highness," Hinata said politely after a pause. She was already sitting in bed in her nightgown, but still bowed her head and shoulders. He was the prince, after all, and she was nothing more than a peasant. Strict adherence to appropriate manners were her armor.
"Get up. We're getting out of here."
That was the last thing Hinata had expected him to say. She goggled at him for a few seconds.
"Pardon?" she finally asked. "I'm afraid I don't understand, your highness." Sasuke sneered and strode over to her bedside. He loomed over her and Hinata actually had to fight the urge to draw up her covers as a shield.
"Get out of bed, Hinata." Her eyes widened at the use of her real name. He grunted in annoyance. "Hn. Don't worry, there's no one around. I checked." Sasuke lifted an eyebrow questioningly. "It's obvious that you hate this place. Sakura's busy, so you're coming with me."
Had it been anyone else, Hinata would have leaped out of bed. But this was Sasuke. As much as Hinata wanted to, she couldn't go with him.
"I don't mind so much," she said with a false smile she used for politicians. "Sakura did tell me to stay here for another night. You shouldn't trouble yourself so much, your highness." Hinata faked a delicate yawn, keeping her eyes away from his as she feigned disinterest.
"Oh?" Suddenly, he was leaning in too close. So close she could feel his breath brushing her cheek. His black eyes were narrowed in displeasure. "So you are giving orders to 'this highness' now, are you?" The slyness of his tone set off alarm bells in Hinata's head even as she blushed.
"Certainly not, your highness," she said softly. She lowered her head in subservience, simultaneously wishing Sasuke would go away and that he would come even closer. Her pulse was drowning out every other sound except his voice. She was really far too prudish if a simple invasion of her personal space was making her react like this. "I was merely worried your highness would be tired."
"You're a terrible liar, Hinata."
Then he scooped her out of bed, bridal style, and began carrying her out of the room.
"Wha-put me down, Sasuke!" she squeaked. Her arms automatically flailed and clung to his shoulders. She was still in her sleepwear! What was he thinking?
"Denied," he said with slight curl of his upper lip. "And I thought it was 'your highness'? What happened to your pretty manners?"
"Your highness, please, please put me down." He was walking down the hallway, which was fortunately free of other people.
"No." Hinata began to struggle, only to have his arms tighten warningly. "You're being surprisingly unruly for someone so obedient. I do outrank Sakura, you realize." He was looking down at her with a triumphant look in his dark eyes. She could feel the heat from his chest press into her side. "I'm commanding you to cease."
He clearly wasn't going to let her go. Hinata gave in. She was really having a hard time deciding if she admired or hated Sasuke's obstinacy. Thinking, in general, was a bit difficult when he was holding her like this.
As soon as she had resolved to try even harder to push him away, he got this insane notion of rescuing her from the infirmary. Even if so much blood was rushing to her face that she was sure that her cheeks were visibly swelling. Even if she never doubted for a moment she would remain safe with this stupid, stubborn prince.
With all facts considered, she really did have the worst luck.
end of chapter
[1] There's some varying data on the whole activation seal thing, as Neji doesn't even use hand seals. Silly boy. So I'm going with that Hinata had enough chakra control to only need one seal as per the one I think she used in the anime episode where she pwned the bee people. Also, fun fact: Tiger is the seal associated with fire techniques. Hmm.
AN:
-Thanks to my beta, Rhinst!
-Sincerest apologies for the late update. My scenes are magically multiplying themselves (therefore more words for me to type...). Also, in the realm of real life, I am on the job hunt again and so I'm typing more cover letters than fanfiction. D: Boooo. Things might get a little slow, but I'm consistently working on updates. Promise.
- For some reason, I could never quite buy into the "girls must be healers" thing. Which is why I'm exploring the reasoning why Hinata will NEVER be a healer in this story. Also Ino. I can see her being a totally wicked psychiatrist, but a general healer...doesn't make sense with her abilities.
- First, I will establish that Sakura is one of my favorite characters. That being said...I sincerely believe that Sakura is the next Orochimaru/Kabuto if she ever lost her morals. She's not above hurting people. She's obsessive. She's scary-smart. She's meticulous and dedicated. She can play with poisons like nobody's business. Sasuke could be explained as a puzzle to be solved, a code to be cracked. Fortunately for everyone involved, Sakura is too emotionally invested in her friends to go that route...or is she? XD
-Just realized: if Hinata were to admire Lee, she could very well try to imitate his style. Her haircut is somewhat similar. And if she tried to wear that bodysuit...oh dear.
-Carrying on the theme of Hinata's bad luck - sometimes that could work against her in interesting ways. Sasuke needs to move his unromantic ass a little faster - the perfect motivation is Hinata actively trying to push him away. Hehehee.
-Once again, if you're getting impatient about the status of my next update, check my profile. I update my progress pretty much whenever there is any progress. :)
- Finally...review, review, review. Feedback is how I know what's good (so I can add more) and what's bad (so I not add more). Thanks for all your support!
