Once upon a time, there was a princess who returned home.
Unbeknownst to the princess, two men in dark cloaks decorated with red clouds were waiting for her departure. Mere hours after she had bid farewell to her squad and the warm-hearted villagers, the two mercenaries descended upon them. All the villages in the area, along with her loyal cavalry, were slaughtered. Nothing was left of them. It was whispered that for weeks afterwards, the rain was tainted with blood.
The princess didn't receive news of the massacre until she arrived at the gates of the Moon Palace. The king's brother was waiting for her, and rather than letting her enter through the front gates, he ushered her through the side door under the cover of dusk. It was then that he informed her of the bandit attack that wiped away the people of her territory.
The princess didn't say anything and calmly looked up at her uncle with dead eyes that were pale and cold.
"They're going to condemn me for this, aren't they?" she asked distantly.
"A commander isn't supposed to leave her post," he agreed quietly. "Your father and I will try to defuse the situation, but your standing with the council was never good to begin with."
The princess nodded and let the king's brother help sneak her to a guest room. With consideration to the recent events, the less visible she was, the better.
Only after the door closed behind him did she collapse onto her bed and allow herself to mourn for her friends. It was a bitter cocktail of grief and self-incrimination. Hyuuga weren't supposed to love their subjects. Love was what muddied the purity of duty, and letting herself succumb to emotion was what made her weak. Because she'd let herself be swayed by uncertainty, she'd abandoned her duties as commander, ultimately failing the people who'd trusted her to lead them.
The princess was well aware that the Sun Kingdom team she'd spared had something to do with such a conveniently timed massacre. Perhaps, there were darker schemes at work.
It became clear at the Hyuuga council meeting some weeks later, when she was called for the issuing of her punishment. The son of the late Hokage had been murdered on her watch. He was the head of one of the strongest supporting clans of the Uchiha, the Sarutobi, as well as a retired Guardian. The Sun Kingdom council will not let such an infraction rest.
Though the princess herself knew that her presence wouldn't have made a difference if there were so many bandits that even a retired Guardian was overwhelmed, there were no witnesses left to say otherwise. Secretly, she hoped that the blond Sun girl would not step up, because while tensions would be temporarily relieved, there were still the simmering suspicions that would not evaporate: the old Sun King's mysterious death, the unrest along the border, and now a Sarutobi on Moon Kingdom territory without prior notice.
Telling the truth would only engender further questions within the Moon council on why the princess would spare such blatant trespassers. Implicitly, what she should have done was eliminate any evidence of such intruders. Any other action other than a perfect lack of witnesses would lead to equally distasteful consequences.
The best way to diffuse the situation was to let herself take the blame. It was easier for her kingdom, for her clan, and for her father.
And so, the princess's reputation was sullied and she became known in the kingdom as a coward who shirked her duties.
Prey for the Hunted
By Airyo
Chapter 16
It took an eternity for the door to Itachi's office to open. Sasuke was the first to his feet.
Hinata exited, looking like she'd seen a ghost. Slowly, she shut the door behind her and leaned against it for support.
"What's happening?" Naruto demanded. She looked at them with wide eyes that didn't even seem to see them. She blinked several times before she seemed to register their presence.
"What are they going to do?" added Sakura.
"They're forming a team to rescue Lady Ino," she said quietly. "You're all wanted inside." She gestured behind her.
"You're on the team, aren't you?" Sasuke asked bluntly. She didn't need to affirm anything. It was clear to him from the way she stood. He jerked his head, signifying Naruto and Sakura to follow him. The prince used Hinata's shoulders to turn her back and around. A meaningful look at the Guardians had them reopening the door for them. He guided her back into Itachi's office.
"Itachi, Team 7 is taking this rescue mission," he declared. "If you're going into the desert area, we already have more experience than most teams." Itachi narrowed his eyes.
"What makes you think that's where you would be going?"
"Hyuuga Kin's most notable expertise is in the desert borders, given her past as a bounty hunter there," Sasuke said promptly. Also, Sakura was nowhere finished patching the enormous holes in Hinata's coils, and the Byakugan would not be a reliable weapon.
"You are correct," the king agreed with a nod. "However, it is precisely why I will not be sending Team 7. Lady Yamanaka Ino was captured because of her new status as your fiance. Their target is you, Sasuke, and I will not allow you to walk into a trap."
"So they expect me to go." Itachi nodded, though his eyes were narrowed in suspicion at Sasuke's sly tone. "Therefore, the wisest choice would be to let them think they got their way. The key is to make them think I'm not where I really am. We've managed it perfectly before."
Lord Yamanaka was nodding in agreement. As one of the greatest political powerhouses of the Sun Kingdom nobility, his opinion carried a great amount of weight.
Sasuke had an idea.
"It is my duty, as Ino's fiance," he said, looking directly at Lord Yamanaka with all the sincerity he could muster. "Let me redeem my dignity by leading this mission. I was unable to protect her, and that is a shame that I can't bear if I am forced to inaction." He knew Itachi was glaring at him, but it was Ino's father that had the influence in this room. Lord Yamanaka stared at him approvingly, but not yet in full support. Sasuke paused, then he bowed, lower than ever required. "Please. I will insure that your daughter returns safely."
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the blond nobleman turn towards Itachi. Behind the curtain of his bangs, Sasuke smirked. His older brother couldn't oppose now. It would look horrendously callous of the king if he refused to let an honorable request like that play out.
"Very well," Itachi said tightly after a long silence. "Gather everyone in a meeting room. Ten minutes. Sasuke, you will stay."
Everyone could feel the tension in the king's voice, and was all too happy to escape the room. Hinata shot Sasuke a worried look, which only helped solidify Sasuke's determination. He wouldn't be taking so many risks if he weren't so sure of his success.
Lord Yamanaka paused in front of Sasuke on his way to the door and gave him a contemplative look.
"Don't think I'm so disillusioned as to think you hold great love for my daughter, your highness," he said quietly. Then the lord smiled. "But a dutiful man exceeds a loving one in our world. The Yamanaka will owe you a great debt." Then he clapped Sasuke on the back in a friendly gesture and followed the rest of the group out.
"Tell me," Itachi said as soon as the door closed behind Lord Yamanaka. "Why are you going to such lengths?"
"Because I will not marry Yamanaka Ino," Sasuke replied bluntly. "The Yamanaka will owe me if I complete this. The relationship between Uchiha and Yamanaka will be secure without the need for a marriage contract."
"You are oversimplifying the situation."
"Then tell me what the situation is," Sasuke hissed. "You never let me see the full picture, so why should I be wary of something I don't even know? And it isn't a philosophical question of 'beware of the unknown' or drivel like that."
Itachi studied him for a long moment. Sasuke stared back with a defiant expression.
"You have become overly reckless recently, foolish little brother," the king finally said quietly. If the cold mask from before was unsettling, the almost pained expression on his face was even more disquieting for Sasuke. "I wonder if telling you will be of any use when you are so stubbornly set on your way."
"Try me," the prince challenged pridefully.
Another long pause.
"Perhaps you should be more aware of the situation..." Itachi mused to himself. He looked at Sasuke. "I'm sure you were curious why Mother has been giving me letters."
"Maybe." The prince shrugged, but it was hard to keep the glint in his eye at the prospect of some proper answers. The king seemed amused at his badly concealed eagerness.
"As the queen dowager of the Sun Kingdom, Mother has some more power than most. And she has a good excuse to be rifling through the old Uchiha-related records. Past memories and such."
"What is she researching for you?" Sasuke asked. Itachi nodded.
"You may have noticed a pattern in the type of people slowly disappearing over the years since I've taken the throne. One such example was the recent team you sent to investigate the rising sand bandit attacks."
"Uchiha...only Sharingan users are disappearing." Sasuke had noticed, though he hadn't thought it was a big enough matter for such secrecy.
"Exactly," Itachi confirmed grimly. "It's not enough of a solid connection for me to do anything but monitor it carefully, but the clues are there. Lady Ino's kidnapping may be an elaborate trap simply to secure your Sharingan."
The new layers Itachi revealed to him only added more questions, like who and why in regards to the interest in the Uchiha bloodline. However, after Itachi's strange behavior after the announcement of his betrothal, Sasuke was wary of the king's further actions. He'd taken Itachi for granted as a father/brother figure, but now he wasn't so certain of where they stood. He couldn't so blindly follow Itachi's every word.
"Then it simply means they can't get my Sharingan," Sasuke declared. "I'm not going to sit in my room twiddling my thumbs like an idiot. They - whoever they are - expect me to do two things: rush in or refuse to go. I will do neither. Instead, as I've said before, I merely have to insure that I am not where they expect me to be."
"And as I've mentioned before, things are not that simple."
The brother locked eyes for a moment, both battling for dominance. For once, Sasuke refused to give in even when he could feel Itachi's chakra crackling in the air. It was like physical pressure on his skin.
"You have no set reason why I can't. Your word is not enough," the younger said calmly. "I will go."
He turned his back to Itachi and let himself out before the king could dismiss him. The door closed behind him with a resounding click, like the sound of a dungeon gate shutting with finality.
Everything was different this time. He wasn't sure if it was good or bad, only that it was new and scary.
It was the first time Sasuke truly defied Itachi.
For all his temper tantrums and shows of independence, those were the actions of a child seeking approval. After all, there was a large difference between a child who threatened to leave home and a child who actually did. Sasuke had always been the former, secure in the sanctuary Itachi had provided for him. He had wanted the king to see his abilities, and treat him as a worthy equal. When people said his name, he'd wanted it to be "Sasuke, Itachi's brother" instead of "Sasuke, Itachi's brother".
There was a fine line between "relative" and "comparison", but that line was strong and Sasuke had always been tangled in it.
Not today. Itachi's opinion had little to do with Sasuke's motivations this time. Instead, at the forefront of his mind was Hinata. He couldn't rely on someone else if he wanted her by his side. There were too many things that could be better, and everyone else only wanted to maintain a status quo.
Sasuke rejected such a notion. He refused to settle for merely what was tolerable. A mediocre life was tolerable. A lack of any great accomplishments was tolerable. Living in his brother's shadow was tolerable.
However, none of that was desirable. Sasuke realized that with his situation newly solidified in words, the unease that lingered in the back of his mind had quieted. Simplicity was best. He'd established his goals. All that was left was to make them reality.
Satisfied with his new goals, Sasuke continued to the meeting room. Shikamaru was waiting for him outside the door.
"You heard already?" Sasuke asked. The other jounin lifted his eyebrows.
"I work in Intelligence," he said simply.
"Clever," Sasuke quipped. The Nara shrugged and slid to his feet in a languid motion.
"Chouji's still recovering. Looks like it's just me," he said nonchalantly. Sasuke was aware of the disastrous mission that killed Asuma. Whenever a mission involved confronting the Akatsuki mercenary group, Shikamaru tried to worm his way on that team. He had even more reason to be here, since Ino had been his genin teammate.
"For what I plan to do, I need an additional person," he said offhandedly. They shared a look, and Shikamaru nodded slightly.
"Thanks."
Sasuke twitched a shoulder in a half-shrug of acceptance. "Just don't drag down my mission."
Shikamaru chuckled almost darkly. "I could say the same thing to you, your highness."
Hinata was worried.
Sasuke revealed during the meeting that there was a large possibility the whole thing was a setup to target him, the prince. It made sense to Hinata, given the unsettling string of coincidences: the mission in Sado, the bandit attacks and rise of the Sand Demon, Storm's death, and now the kidnapping of his betrothed.
Yet despite her and his teammates' protests, Sasuke insisted on personally stepping into the trap. Even with the inherent danger, Team 7 still had the most experience in the area. The Sun Kingdom border was so underpopulated for good reason. The harsh environment was not a place where many people could thrive.
Sasuke's plan was a good one, even with the risks. In true ninja style, the key element was deception. Rather than happily obeying the ransom letter's demands, he would make his own decisions. There will be two teams of three, a decoy and a reconnaissance. Sakura, Naruto, and Sai would masquerade as the original Team 7, and physically make the journey out to the border. This would take at least a week's time, which allowed them to arrive right on schedule for the given ransom date. This lull also offered the perfect cover for the reconnaissance team, consisting of Sasuke, Hinata, and Shikamaru.
With some coaching from Hinata, they will be able to integrate themselves into the area and develop a strategy to rescue Ino. Given the scope of the requirements, one week was nearly impossible. Reconnaissance rested on the discernment of patterns. During her time as a bounty hunter, Hinata often spent weeks tracking one target, carefully learning that person's habits and abilities before she would make her move. One week to find the Akatsuki's weaknesses was insane.
She had a feeling that ridiculous tactics were what made Team 7 so effective, given the powerhouse composition of its members. With high risks came high returns, so tentatively, all Hinata can do is support them.
"Sudden newcomers are very suspicious - that was how I was able to figure out Team 7's presence when they first came to Sado," she explained to the group. Sakura nodded.
"I was wondering what tipped you off. I thought Naruto blew his cover."
"Oy! Why always me?"
"Psychologically speaking, you are loud to compensate for your small dick," was Sai's helpful explanation.
Before Naruto could reach over the meeting table and choke him, Sakura clapped a hand over the blond's face and pushed him firmly back into his chair. He struggled but quieted after a particularly mean look from the medic. The Guardian just smiled.
The only reason Hinata hadn't protested Sai's presence yet was because he was in the other group. She was hesitant to make such a mess of things again by poking her nose where it didn't belong. Itachi knew what he was doing in letting Sasuke lead such a dangerous mission, right?
"So what are we supposed to do to make ourselves less suspicious?" Shikamaru asked. He looked like he was developing a headache.
"We need to create a disturbance," Hinata concluded. Everyone looked at her curiously. "Sneaking in is not an option."
"Isn't that the point of infiltration?" Shikamaru asked. She shook her head slightly, hoping she was right.
"Since we have so little time, we need go the opposite way of thinking. People disregard two kinds of people: the bystander and the braggart. While staying out of the way is more effective long-term, we don't have that kind of time."
"So we need to be so obnoxious that folks would just shake their heads and move on. Makes sense," Sasuke said. He was looking at her in a way that made her stomach curl in an oddly pleasant way. Hinata averted her gaze, fighting the urge blush.
"Yes," she agreed quickly. "But we can't be so annoying that would warrant all the locals attacking us."
"Soooo...be loud but not loud...at the same time?" Naruto summarized. He also appeared to be developing a headache, though for obviously different reasons. Hinata had to giggle at his expression.
"Kind of," she agreed. "It sounds confusing when you put it that way, but really, we just need to distract them."
"Hiding underneath the underneath!" Naruto declared triumphantly. Hinata smiled slightly at him.
"Exactly."
"Dead-last, stop trying to appear smart," Sasuke sneered. "You're just quoting Kakashi." Naruto pulled down his eyelid and stuck out his tongue.
"Bastard, you're just jealous because I can actually speak to Kin like a normal person. Bastard and Kinny sitting in a tree, K-I-S-hreuk!"
Sasuke deftly evaded Sakura's best efforts to keep them apart and landed a hard kick to his teammate's gut. Hinata hadn't thought her face could get any more red, and the Kyuubi vessel proved her wrong. She decided that Uzumaki Naruto had a very unique talent for saying the absolute worst thing possible at any given time. It had to be a calculated and highly effective strategy if he was willing to risk such dangerous training in the form of an enraged Uchiha Sasuke.
Shikamaru ignored the commotion. He calmly picked up the map of the border area when Naruto was thrown onto the table. The table collapsed. Sakura cursed, screeching death threats at her wayward teammates.
"That's another thing for Cat to fix!" she yelled.
The lazy jounin turned to Hinata with an irritated expression as he folded the map.
"You have an idea in mind?" he prompted, raising his voice slightly to be heard over the din. Hinata just inwardly shook her head. Normalcy was a relative term, after all.
"I do. It's hard to explain right now," she said vaguely, wary of Sai's questionable presence. "But I think it'll work. I know that area rather well."
Shikamaru gave her a sideways glance. He understood her hesitance. "We will entrust that part of the mission to you then."
Sasuke sat back down in his chair. He crossed his arms and spoke as if the past few minutes hadn't occurred.
"As long as it doesn't require three months of undercover in the desert like last time, I'm fine with anything," the prince added. In the background, Sakura just looked resigned as she healed Naruto. The blond shakily raised a hand to presumably make a rude gesture, but the medic slapped his arm down before it could get any worse.
"This whole thing won't work if you're dead," she hissed.
A key part of this entire plan rested on Naruto's toad summons, after all. By foot or horse, even if they didn't pause for rest, would take too long. Instead, Naruto would transport them near Sado. They decided to leave at dawn, with only the Kyuubi vessel present to send them on their way. Sasuke had advised them of the journey, so the members of the rec team all wore simple, disposable outfits while carrying their actual equipment in waterproof bags. They watched as Naruto summoned Gamatatsu, a cheerful orange toad that seemed disturbingly happy to eat three people. With a smile, the summon opened his great maw and gestured for them to hop in.
"Have a nice trip," Naruto cackled. That did nothing to help Hinata's nerves.
Despite the elevating sense of doom, she braced herself, and followed Shikamaru and Sasuke. Hinata held her breath and let herself fall forward. Wetness engulfed her, and then darkness. Disregarding the faint sense of claustrophobia, it was almost like swimming. For a moment, it wasn't so bad. Then their vessel jerked, and every miniscule part of her body was being squeezed by a vast, unfathomable chakra. That must be what it felt for a human to travel through the spirit realm. Even inside the belly of a summon, that world rejected her presence, pressing in on her with all the awful force of the Moon Kingdom's hatred. Just as Hinata thought her soul would crumble, the pressure eased. There was a nauseating sense of movement and the ground rose up to greet her.
Hinata fell onto the grass with a wet plop, and she laid there for several moments, gasping for breath. In the background, she heard Gamatatsu croak a jaunty farewell before dispelling, but she was far more preoccupied with holding back her breakfast. The dirt ground into her cheek, and the wind cooled the slime on her skin. When it no longer felt like she was about to fall away from the earth and into the sky, Hinata opened her eyes and shakily sat up.
They were in a sparsely forested area that was less than a day's travel from Sado. Any closer, and they ran the risk of being discovered.
Sasuke had already stood and was wiping off his face with the sleeve of his shirt. His normally unruly hair hung in his face, framing the strong bone structure that left court ladies swooning. The thin shirt he wore clung in an unnaturally flattering way to his shoulders and Hinata found her gaze lingering like one of the aforementioned fangirls. He glanced at her, and lifted an eyebrow in a silent question.
"I'm fine," she answered hoarsely, sounding much like a frog herself. Her face felt like it was hot enough to fry eggs. If Sasuke noticed her flush, he was kind enough to ignore it.
"I did warn you," he said. Hinata only nodded, feeling more shy than usual. It was hardly appropriate to be eyeing the crown prince like a piece of meat, especially with another person here. Hinata glanced towards the third member of their party.
Shikamaru remained on his back, looking like he'd just woken up rather unpleasantly. He didn't seem inclined to move anytime soon.
"No wonder newborns are already complaining so loudly," he muttered. Hinata agreed with him on the sentiment. It was not an experience she wanted to ever repeat. The lazy jounin opened his eyes as if the action cost him great mental strength. "I just bathed..." he grumbled as he tried to wipe mucus from his face. It pulled out in a long, viscous strand instead, clinging stubbornly to both forehead and finger. Hinata made a face as she found similar success in ridding herself of the slime.
"Sado's less than a mile from here," she said, mostly to console herself. While she was accustomed to living in rough conditions, even Hinata had a vain side. Currently, that side was hissing and spitting over the indignity of being doused in mucus. She tried not to think of the fact that she was essentially a giant, human loogey.
She and Shikamaru literally looked like something a toad hacked up. How come Sasuke was allowed to look so good?
"I've done this way too many times," Sasuke said with a roll of his eyes at Hinata's expression. "And it comes off." He shielded his eyes against the early morning sun and surveyed the area. "We need to change and get moving. I don't sense anyone now, but there might be patrols."
Fortunately, there were some thickets nearby for adequate coverage while they changed. Hinata had surreptitiously asked Sakura to procure three sets of old Sun soldier uniforms. She still didn't trust Sai, despite what everyone else seemed to think.
Rather than attempt to blend in, they decided the best way to quickly integrate was as rogue soldiers who decided service under the Sun Kingdom no longer suited them. Sado was a bounty hunter hub due to the level of law enforcement, which was none. Any less regulation, and they may as well be pitching a tent in the desert itself. While newcomers were rare, a defector or three would not raise too many eyebrows.
Nonetheless, a few small changes to their physical appearance would still be wise. Since Sasuke adamantly refused to cut his hair, they compromised on a haphazard ponytail, an irreverent rendition of the traditional samurai topknot. The prince appeared a few years younger, though the new hairstyle did nothing to lessen or soften the scowl on his face. Shikamaru just rolled his eyes and undid his hair tie.
It was easy enough to explain away to people that may recognize Sasuke or Shikamaru, as their trademark clan appearances were more elusive. However, given the assumption that the Akatsuki would keep some sort of watch over the nearby towns, the Hyuuga eyes would be like a beacon in the dead of the night.
That was solved with a veil and a feigned prickly personality. The entire desert area was filled with mysterious characters. A vain ex-noblewoman was nothing. If anyone tried to dig deeper, she could easily deflect with a story of stealing gold from the treasury. Greed was a universal language, if not the glue of the tenuous brotherhood out along the border.
Hinata tied a piece of dark gauze over half her face, leaving her long hair hanging loose down her back. It was a subtle sign of arrogance. Loose hair was a hazard in the fighting profession, as it served as an additional handhold for the opponent if not a blindfold for the owner. Only someone incredibly stupid, or incredibly skilled walked around like that. Hinata's vague childhood memories always had included Hyuuga purposely wearing such a style. Back at the Moon Kingdom, it had taken her years to muster up the courage to do the same.
Everything else remained blandly uniform, including their standard weapons: katana, wakizashi, and tanto. There was not a ninja weapon nor naginata in sight. They must play their part perfectly, because who knew where enemy eyes were turned. Even the blacksmith Roshi, one of Hinata's most trusted contacts, couldn't be chanced despite his potential information.
After they'd changed, Sasuke took the bag of their discarded clothes. With a quick flick of his fingers, fire consumed the only evidence that they were here. The three of them stared into the flame, determined faces illuminated with dancing shadows.
"Let's go," Sasuke said as the final ashes were lifted away by the wind. They turned in the direction of Sado.
They walked in the bar wearing arrogance like armor. Everyone in the dark, seedy bar turned to regard them with interest, waiting to see exactly how dangerous the three newcomers were.
Sasuke led the way, flanked by Hinata and Shikamaru. All three wore the expensive, albeit slightly battered, attire of inner Sun Kingdom samurai: supple leather vests and shoulder guards that were already cracking from the heat of the border, gray silken shirts that used to be white before exposure to dusty gales, dark capes that should be white to combat the heat of day, cumbersome boots that made walking across soft sand difficult, and only one water skin each. None of them bore the crest of the Sun Kingdom, however. Under the dirt, it was clear that they were rogue soldiers who already underestimated the trials of the desert.
The thick smoke made Sasuke's eyes water. He'd forgotten the pungent smell of smoke, sweat, and sex until now. He sneered, careful to work in a thread of exhausted annoyance in the line of his shoulders. The point was to give the impression of overconfident weaklings who were stupid enough to show everything they had - abilities and riches. Easy pickings for the regulars here.
Sasuke walked up to the nearest table, and without asking the current occupants, plopped himself into one of the empty seats.
"Bar wench!" he snapped. "Get me something to drink!" His crisp capital accent stood out like lightning against a stormy sky. The prince kicked up his heels and rested them on the table, dangerously close to the beer flask of one of the glowering patrons, an ugly bearded monster of a man. Sasuke met his eyes and curled his lips in disgust before looking away in disinterest.
A busty girl sashayed over and leaned over in front of him, trailing her dirty fingers down his arms. "Hey, handsome," the girl purred. Sasuke forced a lecherous grin on his face.
"Well aren't you a pretty little thing?" he leered. The bar wench giggled and leaned so close she was basically sitting in his lap. Though it was saying very little given the comparison, at least she smelled far better than the rest of the bar.
Inwardly, the prince wondered if something was wrong with him. While he rarely acted on it, there had always been some interest to a relatively pretty girl. Yet his first instinct had been to kick her away like one of the fangirls back at the castle. Her hair wasn't dark and sleek enough, her eyes not pale enough, her nose not straight enough, expression not sweet and shy enough...
Sasuke decided that it wasn't the bar wench's fault for being not good enough. His standards had simply changed.
Despite his distraction, Sasuke remained fully aware of the girl's agile fingers as they drifted to his belt. And the heavy coin purse that hung there. That was part of the plan, and the prince let her snatch it away.
Hinata moved so quickly Sasuke could barely follow her actions. In a blink of an eye, she was next to his chair, slender boot-clad foot hooked behind the bar wench's ankle. The other girl was sent tumbling to the ground with a heavy thud, skirts over shoulders. The ex-princess placed herself firmly between her and Sasuke.
That, however, wasn't part of the plan. What was Hinata doing?
"What the -?"
The bar wench didn't get a chance to finish her screech of indignation. Hinata dropped into a crouch in front of her. For a moment, everything was still except the smooth movement of Hinata's dark hair and her cape flowing down around her. Then the reason to the other girl's sudden silence made itself known - a sharp tanto pressed under her chin. The fine metal of the blade gleamed threateningly in the dim lighting. The huntress remained silent as the other girl started blubbering her apologies.
Sasuke now understood how Hinata could be so effective as a mute bounty hunter. Normal people spoke clearly on why they were holding a blade to a person's jugular, but it was far creepier when the victim was left guessing, even if the reason was quite clear. That small degree of uncertainty caused people to blabber out everything they think may be relevant. And with her eyes covered, it was hard to tell if Hinata was ever looking at the girl, furthering the sense of inferiority. Even though he knew of Hinata's kind nature, it appeared to everyone else that the bar wench was simply an insect to be squashed.
The bar wench's tearful ramblings quieted to soft whimpers. Hinata extended her other hand, palm up. Her body language had shifted into something almost kind. It was a gesture that gave concrete understanding like a gift, and the bar wench was almost overjoyed to relinquish the coin pouch Sasuke had let her filch.
It was a subtle but flawless mindfuck that even Itachi would approve of.
Hinata withdrew her tanto with a flick of her wrist and stood. Seconds later, the bar wench squealed in pain. A thin line of red formed on the surface of her cheek. It was a deliberate warning. A challenge to the others. Hinata turned her back on the girl as she scrambled away. In a show of Sasuke's "incompetence", she dropped the pouch onto the table by Sasuke's elbow. The clink of heavy gold coins filled the room.
Sasuke could feel the greedy gazes focused on him, like wolves eyeing an injured calf. While he hadn't expected Hinata's strange actions, their objective had been accomplished. Everyone knew them to be reckless, arrogant, and most important of all, rich.
"Thank you," he sneered as Hinata returned to her original place. In keeping with his character, Sasuke made sure to inject a hint of resentment. She paused and looked down at him. Her shapely lips curled into a similar expression of distaste. Let them see that these "teammates" hated each other. Let them see the false discordance as a perfect weakness.
"Idiot," Shikamaru muttered. He pulled a chair up near Sasuke and sat with the ginger motion of someone who'd overextended his body. "This place is filled with lowlifes and you still drool over a pretty girl." His voice was pitched perfectly, so while the Nara spoke quietly, everyone heard the implied insult.
Hinata sniffed, declining to sit. "Probably diseased," she diagnosed.
"Shut it," Sasuke growled. "It's my money, so you two will do what I say." There was a distinct sense of exasperation, but the two humored him.
It was more than enough to establish that critical first impression. After renting a room from the greasy looking clerk, they moved upstairs. The chill of morning was already waning. During the full heat of the day, no one will be doing much of anything, but the evening would be the stage of their next act.
Until then, they would have to wait.
Hinata stared towards the horizon in an effort to distract herself.
The sun hadn't touched the distant dunes, so the air was still uncomfortably warm. It was an odd juxtaposition to the tender spring back in Ganpon. Her place by the wide window of their room almost seemed to carry a breeze. It was that brief time when the moon remained a ghostly figure in the sky, a shy maiden lingering for a glimpse of the fiery sun. If she squinted, the ex-princess could almost see the jagged shape of the abandoned Sky castle. But the dry air hurt her eyes, and when she blinked, everything receded back to smudges of color.
She could use her poor excuse of a Byakugan, but over the years, it had become a sort of masochistic habit for Hinata to test the limits of her normal vision. Perhaps she was just a fox after sour grapes, but she'd always appreciated how vivid the view was without an active Byakugan. There was only so much information the brain could receive at a time. With full circle vision, telescoping, chakra sight...etc., the Byakugan evolved to blur out everything but the essentials. The Hyuuga's trademark doujutsu was powerful, but the cost for those coveted abilities was a world that was gray and muted at the edges.
Most Hyuuga never noticed, as their focus was on other things when their Byakugan were active. But like a person who'd lost one of her senses, Hinata was forced to rely on her other more subtle skills in perception. A blind man would develop supernatural senses of smell or hearing. And Hinata developed to be more observant than most. But in the end, a blind man was still blind, still bereft of a key luxury that smell and sound could never hope to recreate, and Hinata was still incapable of a proper Byakugan.
It had almost become a mantra for herself: If only I could use my Byakugan, everything would be better. If I could use my Byakugan, I wouldn't be a disgrace. If I could use my Byakugan, I wouldn't have met Ino and triggered the events that led to her kidnapping. If...
If I could use my Byakugan, I can be with Sasuke...
Hinata was well aware of how ridiculous her logic was, as the Byakugan had nothing to do with the realities of why she couldn't have a relationship with Sasuke. But sometimes, it was comforting to be a little silly.
But that kind of defense mechanism unraveled when Sakura presented the hope of healing. They were in the middle of slowly patching up the leaks in her coils, so slowly, but also surely. The medic was getting better at targeting scar tissue.
Any kind of progress honestly terrified Hinata. She'd spent her entire life believing in the immutability of her handicap. After a while, it was a comfort to have a solid reason and here was the very evidence against it. A magic pill would have been easier than painfully slow change, even if it was for the better.
In the same way, she'd resigned herself to small, lonely days like water stains on canvas, colorless and unremarkable. Yet every new day that she spent with Sasuke added another layer of watercolors, a slow saturation of pigment until the final picture was vastly different from the original. Even as self-aware as she was, Hinata was amazed by the subtle transformation in her. For the first time in years, she found that she looked forward to the future. Sasuke stirred a desire, perhaps even a dream, for something more than a tired fate.
True to his nature, the Uchiha prince had somehow snuck into her heart, and then obstinately decided that he rather liked his new home. Hinata was sure she couldn't have put forth a greater effort to push him away, but it was clear her fondness for him had escalated into a full-scale infatuation.
Though that still wasn't an acceptable reason to be jealous over a brothel wench, of all things.
It was plain stupid. Hinata could feel her cheeks heating every time she even thought about her actions. Her best efforts to distract herself were not successful either, as she always inevitably circled back to what happened back in the tavern.
She covered her face in an effort to block the mental image of that girl wrapped around Sasuke like a vile slug. While Hinata had always wished to execute a perfect Hakke Rokujuuyonshou, it had never been for such a catty purpose. What she ended up doing was no better. While it was true she was playing a certain character, it had been rather excessive.
Sasuke probably saw straight through the fiasco.
"Found you." Hinata turned around from her seat on the window sill. Sasuke was looking down at her, seemingly summoned by her flustered musings. Without asking if he could join, the prince seated himself next to her, crossing his legs so he could rest his elbows on his knees.
"Did you need something?" she asked politely when he remained silent. Sasuke glanced at her, looking rather uncomfortable.
"Not at the moment."
"Um...okay."
They sat in tense silence for several minutes, wanting to touch but seeming all the more distant for that yearning. The memory of the easy camaraderie they'd shared back at the Winter Ball seemed like another lifetime ago. It was the first time they'd been alone together since the experiment with chakra channeling with Sakura. She'd already made her peace with an existence without Sasuke. She'd even said goodbye, though the stubborn jerk just ignored the meaning behind that gesture.
Her fingers hurt. Hinata realized that she was so agitated that she had reverted to an old nervous habit of fiddling with her index fingers.
In a burst of childish petulance, Hinata decided it was his fault for making her act like a crazy lady. This wouldn't have happened if he didn't make such a big deal about evading his betrothal and giving her a foolish sense of hope. It was his fault for being so bullheaded and reckless and tenacious and bold and astute and charismatic and so...so Sasuke.
It was his fault he made her fall in love with him.
Hinata knew she trod on dangerous ground. Thoughts created words that created actions. She needed to get away from him. She turned.
"You should-"
"Do you-"
They spoke at the same time. Both cut off, staring at the other awkwardly. Sasuke recovered first.
"Just one question: Do you want to be with me?" he demanded. Hinata's eyes widened at his straightforwardness. She'd expected at least some sort of lead-in, the prince had gone right for the crux of the matter.
"That's not a question you can ask," she scolded softly. "We can't. You should already know the reas-"
"I didn't ask if you 'could'." Sasuke raised an eyebrow, pinning her attempt at evasion with an unimpressed look. "Do you want to be with me?"
She had so many answers for that question, and they all were lodged in her throat like too many people fighting for passage through a single doorway. Logic and love were the top contenders, but Hinata couldn't possibly tell who was right.
Finally, she simply looked down at her lap.
She wasn't quick enough to miss the flash of hurt on Sasuke's face.
And suddenly, it was clear that logic would lose. It took everything in Hinata not to immediately turn to him and make amends for every hurt she might have caused him. Thoughts were useless when actions already preceded their source.
Hinata clenched her hands. She won't reach for him. She won't taint him.
"That's still not an answer," he muttered.
Hinata wanted to hate him. Why did he torture her like this? She'd pushed him away so many times, yet Sasuke just kept coming back. There were only so many times she could crush her selfish desires with icy logic. Why couldn't he understand that she wasn't as strong as she needed to be when he made it so tempting to give in?
She was beginning to realize just how big of a mistake it was to reveal her possessiveness. Sasuke was already stubborn enough as it was. He didn't need encouragement.
She peered at him through the curtain of her hair. Sasuke was hunched forward slightly, arms crossed as if to protect himself. Even though his expression seemed disinterested, he watched her unwavering eyes and lifted an eyebrow questioningly at her. Hinata realized that the prince was nervous, even scared.
Just as she was.
Yet he was still here, facing his fears. He did know the risks. The dark intelligence in his eyes made that clear.
It never was a matter of encouragement. Only courage. He was far braver than Hinata ever dared to be.
"He offered me one wish. Anything in his power to fulfill," she found herself admitting softly. It hinted at everything she wanted to say and none of what she needed to. A part of her mind was screaming all the reasons not to even talk to him, yet Sasuke was looking at her with such renewed determination that Hinata couldn't find the motivation to listen.
"You realize what that means, don't you?" His gaze was piercing, and Hinata suddenly felt distinctly uncomfortable and so, so aware of his body heat brushing her arm. She turned her face away from him again.
"I didn't accept that offer." She could feel his shock and confusion, like pins and needles against her senses.
"Why not?" he demanded. She heard the sneer in his incredulous tone. "Itachi wouldn't have offered if he wasn't prepared to follow through. Why throw away power like that?"
"Because it's not a power I could use." She gathered her nerve and faced him again. When did he get so close? If she leaned towards him ever so slightly, her nose would brush his shoulder. Her voice trailed to a whisper as she looked up at him. "We both know the only thing I would use that wish for. And what happens after I ask Itachi to annul your betrothal? What about Ino?" Her
alienation from the noblewoman, it hurt Hinata to even think of her. Yet Ino's safety was like a constant reminder in the back of her mind, a new layer of guilt to haunt her. Hinata felt dirty for struggling so much with the feelings she shouldn't have. With the Yamanaka's life in danger, it felt like infidelity for so many nuances of the word.
Hinata forced herself to put distance between her and Sasuke. His presence clouded everything, blurring the strict guidelines of conduct she set for herself.
"What about the Yamanaka and Uchiha?" she continued. "There are too many obstacles beyond the one before us." Hinata searched his eyes for an answer they both knew he didn't have, willing him to understand.
Sasuke glared down at her.
"Does everything have to have a perfect answer? What are you, stupid? The betrothal is just that - words on a paper. I've promised nothing to her, so stop hiding behind such a baseless excuse." He was reading her like an open book. She shrank away from his harsh tone, and he stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm. He gave her an almost apologetic look, but continued just as brusquely. "The Yamanaka will owe us after the success of this mission. And Yamanaka can find another Uchiha to marry - even Sai will do for the alliance between our clans and he looks enough like me for that purpose." The prince looked vaguely perturbed, obviously recalling some of Ino's more fanatic acts of fangirlism. "My point is: the royal blood in our veins only gives others the right to demand even more from us. That doesn't give us any less right to refuse. What in life was ever given easily?"
"Some things. For some people," she replied weakly. He'd thought about this carefully, and that's what made this conversation so dangerous. Hinata was aware that he was trying to make a point, but she wasn't ready to hear it. The prince rolled his eyes at her faked naivete.
"And those people are irrelevant," he said dismissively. "I fight for what I want. I want you, so I will fight for you. Are you saying that you can't even do the same for me?"
Heat bloomed in Hinata when he stated his intentions so directly. He might even be blushing, but it was hard to tell against the warm hues of the sky. She offered a tentative smile that he returned with one of his own. Not a smirk, but a smile, lopsided and arrogant as it was. She basked in his warmth, like a flower turning to face the sun. Cold reason was forgotten like the dark before the light.
Hinata found herself shaking her head shyly in reply to his question.
"Then don't act like I'm not worth fighting for," he said quietly, intensely. "That'll just make you a coward." He brushed the hair from her face and bent down so his lips were near her ear. "Armor up, Hinata."
She stilled, and then stared up at him with silvery moon eyes. Did he realize the significance of what he was saying? Her whole life, everyone dismissed her as too weak, too timid, too cowardly. No one believed that she could fight for what was hers, not even herself. And Sasuke was telling her that she was worthy to stand beside him. That he expected her to fight and not simply endure. That she wasn't just a trophy.
Judging by the slight smirk curling his lips, he knew what he dared her to do.
He tilted her face up and leaned in to kiss her. The first rays of the sun were sinking into darkness, cooling the air in a subtle contrast to heat of his fingers under her chin. Sasuke's breath brushed her cheek, a phantom of a caress.
And suddenly she felt faint, almost physically ill with fear that this moment wasn't real. It was too easy. It was too perfect. Something had to be wrong. A genjutsu? A dream? Even if it was okay for just them, what about everyone else? What about the kingdoms? What about their heritage? What about their friends?
"But it's not that simple," Hinata protested desperately, pressing a hand against his chest to push him away. "What if..." Sasuke's eyes narrowed in exasperation.
"For someone who's so quiet, you sure have a hard time shutting up," he growled. Sasuke was so close she felt the vibrations of his words against her lips. "Will you trust me if I tell you that none of that matters when we know what we want? You're making it complicated, so stop."
The challenge in his tone was impossible to ignore, even for someone who was so accustomed to docility. That was what Sasuke did to her. He pushed her, gave her new wings and cast her to the brilliant sky when everyone else tried to break her and pull her down to muddied depths. Forced her to take flight and fight. Made her want to fight, to struggle beyond mere acceptance of a gray, dreary world. Yes, Ino was betrothed to Sasuke. Yes, the Moon and Sun Kingdom hated each other. Too many things needed to be fought, to be conquered, but this strong knight by her side, she could fight for something better. Mere survival paled before the vivid intensity of Uchiha Sasuke.
Somehow, the idea of taking on the world didn't seem so terrifying anymore.
Hinata reached up and pulled his head forward that final inch, closing that final gap between their lips and kissing away his sneer.
"Better?" she asked softly as she pulled away. Her pulse danced an uneven beat in her ears; her blood sang. He felt the same, if the dazed look on his face was any indication, and she had to smile at the effect she had over him. Shy, weak Hinata could make strong, stubborn Sasuke go cross-eyed. Not many could boast of that accomplishment.
The prince blinked and recovered with a smirk.
"Hn," he grunted in amusement, new fire sparking his expression. Then Sasuke angled his mouth over hers again and this time, she was all too happy to accept his kiss.
Logic never had a chance when her heart filled with so much fire.
The warm air of the desert surrounded them, whipping Hinata's long hair around them like a veil that hid them away from the world. It was just them, only them, against the radiance of a sunset that washed out even the moon.
When they returned to the main room of their inn with matching expressions of unrestrained happiness, Shikamaru just rolled his eyes at them.
"Remember what you said about dragging down the mission," he groused. The lazy jounin was slumped over the table in their room with a map of the area spread before him.
Sasuke was in too good of a mood to care about the disrespectful tone Shikamaru addressed him with.
"We're professionals," he said with a smirk.
It was hard to keep a grin from forming on his face, especially with Hinata still in his sight. While he'd reluctantly agreed to Hinata's suggestion that they put their budding relationship on hold until after they'd completed their mission, the promise was still there. They had too much to discuss and too many problems to fix, but every time he thought of the future, the prince found himself unconsciously smiling even wider.
As someone prone to perpetual scowling, his facial muscles protested all the unnatural contortions of joy. Many times, Sasuke had to forcibly turn the corners of his lips down in an exaggerated frown.
"Not my business," Shikamaru concluded with a shrug. "And don't make it my business." He glared at them for a moment, and then pushed the map towards them. "Now can we get back to the mission?"
And that was that. The lazy ninja's apathy for most things was why Sasuke preferred to work with him when missions required Team 7 to break up.
The second phase of their ruse was a little trickier, as it required some technique beyond simply good acting skills. In order to quickly show their harmlessness, they had to convince the locals that they were a one-trick show. The heavy coin purses were a lure. Now that Hinata went and proved herself dangerous, they decided it was better to have Sasuke appear alone to remove any ambiguity of Shikamaru's abilities.
Sasuke waited until dark before setting out, with Hinata and Shikamaru surreptitiously following him. He wandered in the aimless pattern of someone out for a walk, complete with the swagger of a man who thought himself invincible. As per Hinata's information, this time of day was when most people started getting drunk. The more inebriated his "attackers", the better.
Within less than half an hour, Sasuke sensed the presence of four additional people. Without a doubt, Hinata and Shikamaru were already well aware of them. The prince slipped into an alley that smelled of alcohol that had already been in someone's stomach. Moments later, his new shadows filled the way.
"Stop walking close to me, imbeciles," he said with a sneer. "It sullies the air."
That was enough to enrage them.
They charged. Sasuke just smirked, Sharingan already active. He wove a complex genjutsu even as he ducked beneath the first punch. The prince spun low on the ground, taking the time to kick his attacker's feet from underneath him. The man landed on his back with a howl, still fighting an imaginary Sasuke.
The original had already moved on to the others, dashing in so quickly they could only stare at him in shock as he flashed by. The pattern of his red irises spun, though they thought they saw only normal, black eyes. They blinked. Sasuke leaped high over their heads, landing on the wall and running the rest of the way up to the roof where Hinata and Shikamaru were. With a neat pivot on one hand, he landed in a seated position next to Hinata.
She smiled at him before turning back to the pandemonium below. His victims stumbled about the alley like drunkards fighting the imaginary Sasuke. They were in the full thrall of his genjutsu, and thought they were beating up an uppity Sun soldier with no skills in brawling.
After a few minutes, Sasuke tossed his purse of silvers down into the alleyway. He bent his genjutsu, so one of the idiots below would pick it up. They crowed over their treasure, and happily went on their way to brag, secure in the assumption that the arrogant Sun soldier was beaten into a thorough mess.
Sasuke had to chuckle. It was like herding stuffed animals.
"This isn't the hard part," Hinata warned in a soft voice. He scoffed.
"Obviously. A child could do this."
She smiled hesitantly at his boast. Sasuke knew it wasn't due to his pride, but because she still seemed to believe that she actually owed Ino something. He lifted an eyebrow, unimpressed with her overactive moral compass.
"Even the simplest movements reveal a lot," she added. Even though she didn't say much, he could see the admiration glowing in her lovely moon eyes. Sasuke puffed with pride as he looked away in feigned nonchalance, much more satisfied with this response.
Shikamaru just looked nauseous. Sasuke was in too good of a mood to care.
The next day was the final step. All they needed to do was convince the entire town that the bullies had been successful. It was like navigating an Academy class of school children, only said children were armed with weapons and didn't have parents to govern their actions.
"Please keep still," Hinata scolded. She stood in front of Sasuke while he sat on a chair. He had already wrapped bandages around his arms and head to fake some minor injuries. She was taking over in helping Sasuke paint on a black eye after his own botched attempt. That had been so bad Hinata wondered if he'd done it on purpose.
"I am keeping still," he grumbled, glaring up at her with one eye squeezed shut. Hinata knew that as a fighter with such a prized doujutsu, the Uchiha was leery of anything and anyone near his eyes. It was a mark of how much trust he was placing in her. Whether he was conscious of his actions or not, Sasuke's trust touched her.
A part of her quivered in doubt, wondering if such trust was too fragile to be in her care, but Hinata quashed that tiny, scared little voice. For once in her life, she was determined to meet another's efforts halfway, and do her all beyond reaching out a tentative hand. Sasuke deserved her courage.
"You're pulling away," Hinata countered gently. This time, there was only a split second of hesitation before she cupped his face with her free hand to hold him in place. She could feel the faintest hint of stubble, and resisted the urge to stroke his face. That wasn't professional, she thought with a twinge of guilt. They were still on a mission to save his fiance. "And you're..." His single eye bore into hers, black and heated. The rest of her words dried up, leaving her mind blank.
She had to look away before she became a vegetable.
"And you're squeezing your eye too tightly," she said, her voice more shaky than she would have liked. "I can't paint like that."
"Take your time," was the teasing reply. She could feel the slight vibrations of his voice through his jaw. Hinata glanced back at Sasuke, feeling as if even her peripheral vision directed only towards him.
Once upon a time, the precise beauty of nobility only scared her, because she'd only connected such faces with the cold looks of her relatives. Sasuke still scared her, but it was the fear of something wonderful and too good to be true. It was also a fear she needed to face.
Even though she'd insisted on a hiatus, Hinata found herself leaning down. Sasuke's hands drew her closer... when had he put his hands on her hips? The blood roared past her ears straight to her face. Even though they'd kissed several times, somehow, this felt far more intimate than before. This wobbled far away from any traditional outlines of romantic progression Hinata had ever been exposed to, placing her firmly in the territory of the unknown.
She panicked.
"Cyclops," she blurted as she resisted. Sasuke twitched in frustrated confusion.
"Huh?"
"One eye open t-type of mythical c-creature that you are right now...kinda," Hinata rambled. "Odysseus tricked him by getting him drunk...and almost got away if he hadn't displayed great hubris and -" [1]
"I know the story," he gritted out. For a moment, he looked caught between laughter or anger. Then Sasuke closed both his eyes with a humoring sigh. "Just paint the damn eye already. No need for an entire lecture, Professor."
"Sorry," Hinata muttered. Both of them were well aware that she'd chickened out. She gently began to blot color onto his eyelid. It was much easier now that he wasn't scrunching his eye.
"Hn," he grunted neutrally. She got the sense that he forgave her but expected proper compensation later.
And he still hadn't removed his hands.
The sly jerk was well aware of it too, given the cheeky smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. She was really beginning to suspect the prince had created a reason just to make her paint it for him. Otherwise she wouldn't be touching him so openly. Hinata bit back a shy little smile of her own, even though she felt like her face might spontaneously combust from all the blushing Sasuke caused her to do. She didn't say anything and finished painting his eye without further distractions.
Just as Hinata placed the finishing touches, Shikamaru popped his head in the room. He'd also placed a few fake scuffs and bruises on himself, to give the impression that he and Sasuke had fought. Normal teammates would have fought if one had managed to lose all their funds. While all this could be easily accomplished with genjutsu, they weren't sure who was watching their little show.
Other than an unamused look at Sasuke's hand placement, he gave no further reaction to their positioning.
"Ready?"
"Yeah." Sasuke stood, really appearing as if he'd been caught at the wrong end of Sakura's ire.
Sasuke and company entered the bar looking defeated and tired. Hinata and Shikamaru glared at their leader, channeling the full ire of underlings who'd lost all faith in an incompetent leader. Sasuke carefully sat down in an unoccupied corner booth, favoring the falsely injured body parts. Hinata and Shikamaru joined him reluctantly.
"Bar wench," he called, with far less aplomb than the morning. "Drinks." Sasuke made a show to counting his meager supply of coins. He looked like a beaten dog, sad and pathetic. The prince was also skillful enough to avoid overplaying his wretchedness either.
This was where Sasuke's innate charisma worked to his advantage. The transformation was instantaneous. Satisfied with the newcomer learning his place so quickly, the men ignored him, accepting him as another fixture of the town. The brothel girls swooned over the prospect of reforming the "bad boy" and crowded around him.
"If you're hurting for money," one of the girls purred, "you could try bounty hunting. Pays more than enough for the necessities..." She wasn't referring to food or water for his survival...survival of the species via procreation, perhaps, but Hinata wasn't so keen on that suggestion.
Fortunately, the girls were more eager to be paid than to establish a long-lasting and meaningful relationship with Sasuke. They efficiently directed him to the second room to the back, where all the bounties were posted and collected. That was the ultimate goal of all their exhaustive efforts. While it would seem far more practical to simply pretend to be bounty hunters from another area, it was predictable.
It wasn't expected that Prince Uchiha Sasuke would make a fool of himself and actually let himself be, albeit falsely, kicked around.
With their story set, it was smooth sailing to choose a few targets and be on their way. No one would think anything of a few hunters wandering around the desert area, on the prowl for criminals.
The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the texture of the landscape, providing perfect coverage for the three. The ransom note had listed the same Sky castle that they'd previously been involved with, which could be a terrible coincidence or an unsettling clue. Either way, the area made Hinata nervous, forcing her on high alert.
She insisted that they circle the rendezvous point, so they approached from the opposite direction of Sado. Every little trick she had meant a greater chance of survival. And Hinata had a feeling that they needed it.
The castle itself hadn't changed much, save for additional pile of rubble that used to be the atrium where Team 7 had faced Deidara. For the most part, the architecture remained rounded and low to the ground, mimicking the sand dunes. While obviously manmade up-close, it was nearly impossible to see from afar due to the clever shaping of the building.
That, however, didn't mean there were no heights, as Hinata clearly remembered with a phantom twinge in her ribs. The terrain naturally raised and dipped like waves of a golden sea, and the castle followed that movement seamlessly. It really was a clever piece of architecture that took advantage of all the defenses of the desert.
Sasuke sent out Mozou for scouting, while they waited behind a large boulder.
The ground beneath them roiled. Hinata slapped a hand on the rock, catching her balance with small gasp.
"What was-?"
She didn't have the time to finish. Sasuke's eyes widened, Sharingan flaring, and he pushed both Shikamaru and her out of the way moments before a wave of sand came crashing down on them.
"Sand manipulation? That's not Akatsuki," Sasuke hissed as they landed behind another boulder.
"Doesn't matter," Shikamaru replied.
More sand attacked from the opposite direction. Sasuke flickered through the hand seals then blasted the amorphous mass with a fire jutsu. The heat melted the sand, locking it into a statue of amber glass.
Hinata was already moving, katana out. She slashed at the melded glass and shattered it, sending smaller shards flying around her like glittering snow while larger chunks fell to the ground. She landed back on the ground, shaking the glass out of her long hair.
Then the ground moved again beneath her very feet, throwing her to the ground. She ducked and rolled into a crouching ready stance. Hinata had but a brief second to take stock of her surroundings.
Sasuke and Shikamaru were distracted by similar surges of sand.
The prince alternated between powerful jutsu of fire and lightning, melting and then fragmenting them. Near him, Shikamaru locked down further masses for Sasuke's elemental techniques. The sun cast long shadows that the Nara used to his advantage, and they almost seemed to hold their own.
But when they were drowning in the medium of their attacker's weapon, it was a futile endeavor. Shikamaru wasn't fast enough in evading the sand around him, and was swept under like a man pulled into an undertow.
Both Hinata and Sasuke rushed for where they'd seen the Nara disappear, but then his head suddenly burst from the smooth surface. He was unconscious, but still restrained.
Instead, their attacker turned his attentions back to Sasuke. The prince was forced to leap back from another current of sand snapping for his feet. Hinata watched in horror as another mass of sand behind him reached for Sasuke when he was still in mid-air.
"Sa-" Hinata cut herself off, sharply aware of enemy ears. One slip of a name could mean ruin.
Then the prince twisted in a feat of inhuman agility, turning around and inhaling deeply. Sasuke breathed out a huge stream of fire, scorching the sand into a gleaming stillness. Then he landed on the rounded top of it and flipped off with an easy movement, already chased by even more sand.
Now that Shikamaru was out of the way, the sand-user didn't bother with him any longer. Hinata was largely ignored, though the rough particles swirled around her feet warningly when she tried to get closer to help. It was clear that whoever their opponent was, he was solely interested in capturing Sasuke.
Taking advantage of their hidden attacker's focus on the prince, Hinata searched for the location of the person controlling the sand. It was all in vain if they couldn't find the original person. It was why Shikamaru went down so quickly. From what she'd witnessed, the Nara's abilities relied on controlling the opponent through his shadows. All he could do was temporarily control the movement of one sand mass. But in the desert, that was like disabling one of Tenten's kunai - there was a nearly endless supply after that.
And for all the power of Sasuke's Sharingan, it was largely useless unless he could make eye contact. Until then, the predictive powers of his eyes and his innate speed were the only things keeping him from suffering a similar fate to Shikamaru.
They had to find the original ninja.
Hinata partially activated her Byakugan, wincing at the slight strain on her chakra, and scanned the area. All she saw was an endless field of amber in every direction, infused with blinding chakra. It was like staring at a bank of snow under direct sunlight, with a thousand glaring blades piercing her eyes. It was impossible to locate without precious, careful time. In this field of sand, scattered like the pieces of a broken hourglass, all they had was everything but time.
"Move, you idiot!"
Hinata turned, eyes widening when she realized that a monolith of sand loomed over her. She tumbled to the side, but the sand only followed, unperturbed by her meager speed. She wasn't fast enough. She didn't have any jutsu to blast back the sand.
Hinata forced her flickering chakra from her eyes and into her limbs, willing them to move more quickly, using every trick she knew about running on the shifting terrain. She dodged one swipe, two swipes, and then she couldn't change directions quickly enough, and the ground sunk out from under her like quicksand, entrapping her foot.
Hinata fell to her knees, and the sand curved around her like the closing jaws of a monster. Sasuke suddenly appeared, pulling her out of the incomplete cage by her waist. She bit back a whimper as her foot was forcefully wrenched from the hardening sand. She'd felt something pop sickeningly.
"Get out of here," he barked. He flickered through another set of seals, blasting an oncoming snake of sand with fire, leaving another glistening statue in his wake. He pushed her away, but her ankle collapsed. Simultaneously, he blasted away another onslaught of sand and pivoted to catch her with the free arm.
His Sharingan was active, but he was looking at her.
Not at the sand behind him.
That moment of distraction was all their attacker needed. A wave of sand smashed down on Sasuke. Even as he went down, Hinata felt him push her away from him so only he was entrapped in a solid dome. There was a breathless moment...then two...three... the sand writhed and bulged, like fabric trying to enclose an angry beast. Then the dome exploded outwards in twisted chunks of half-melted sand, the sound of chirping birds mixing with the sound of smashing glass. Sasuke smashed his way out, hands swirling with fire and lightning, irises spinning a bloody promise. He leaped high over the mangled ruin, evading the flying shards with precise, minimal movements.
But the sand user wasn't finished. A thick vine of sand shot after the escapee and snatched him back by his ankle, slamming him back to the ground with bone-crunching force. Hinata's mouth opened in a silent scream as Sasuke was enfolded in sand, again.
This time, he wasn't fighting his way out.
Hinata shakily inhaled, hot air burned her throat dry. The she was baring her teeth in a desperate challenge, her Byakugan fully activating this time. She could see the thin lines of chakra interlaced through the shape, and in the middle, the already dimming embers of Sasuke's aura. He was already unconscious. She ran forward, ripping her gloves off and channeling energy into her fingers.
She attacked the chakra of Sasuke's prison, her skin breaking against the rough surface. Her blood turned the sand red brown. Hinata didn't even feel the pain, not when she was driven by the small chunks of sand that fell from the structure when she severed chakra line after chakra line. Already, she could feel her reserves trembling from the burden.
Just a little longer, she begged her body. Her hands moved faster.
There!
She could see a part of his armor. A shoulder pad. Hinata slashed at the surrounding sand, galvanized by the thought that Sasuke was suffocating in there.
A gust of wind and sand blasted her back, sending her tumbling head over heels. Hinata rolled to a stop near Shikamaru's still form. Vision spinning, the ex-princess struggled to her feet. She'd already consumed too much chakra. Her muscles were trembling from exhaustion, and her ankle felt too tender to be solid. Her world still tilted dangerously, but she stumbled forward again through force of will.
Before she could reach the dome, its shape changed, revealing Sasuke's unconscious form gripped in what appeared to be enormous claws of sand. A small figure stepped forward from behind. Hinata stared: red hair, feline green eyes lined in black and sunken from lack of sleep, and that enormous gourd.
Their attacker. The sand-user.
"Gaara?" she whispered. He paused, studying her curiously with piercing jade eyes. He flicked a finger, and a whip of sand knocked away her veil. Hinata squinted against the sudden bright light.
"You!" He narrowed his green eyes, masking his shocked expression with hostility. "You don't belong here."
Hinata swallowed hard. Hope and despair warred in her. Whose side was Gaara on? She glanced at Sasuke's figure, cradled in those claws. One wrong move, and he would be crushed.
"I could say the same," she said softly. She turned to Gaara. The swaths of red-brown fabric around his form did little to hide the consequences of a difficult childhood. He hadn't grown much the past few years - still painfully skinny and small. Still wary and defensive, like a feral animal ready to lash out. And hopefully, still the shy, lonely boy she remembered him to be.
"Please...Gaara..." Hinata whispered. "Please release him."
It was the wrong thing to say. The redhead's face twisted. He reached out a hand, and slowly closed it into a fist. Sand engulfed Sasuke again, leaving nothing behind but the foreboding blank wall of sand.
"No!" Hinata rushed for him, only to be captured by another wave of sand. Gaara studied her with a knowing expression as she struggled, reaching out to Sasuke.
"My only objective is to capture the Sun prince and bring him to the camp," he finally said. He turned to leave. "Don't interfere with that, and I will allow you to live."
Before Hinata could say anything else, Gaara disappeared in a swirl of sand, taking Sasuke with him.
Moments later, her bonds crumbled and fell to the ground in a wash of ordinary sediment. Hinata followed, falling to her hands and knees. The gritty texture beneath her palms hurt, pressing like knives into her skin. She realized she was clenching fistfuls of sand so hard her knuckles were white. Her fingertips stung, throbbing in tandem with her erratic pulse.
She didn't know if she shook from gratitude or despair.
[1] Greek myth. Odysseus would have escaped the monster cyclops if he hadn't been so arrogant as to yell out his real name. Hmm...arrogance. Eyes. Cleverness vs. Brawn. Ridiculously long journeys full of trial and fun stuff. I leave you to play with the parallels. :D
AN:
- Thank you to Rhinst for putting up with my craziness and keeping all incoherency in check. And for making sure my writing actually makes sense... Much love!
- Life update: I got a new job! No more cover letters (dances like a maniac). Unfortunately, they gave me such an early start-date that I'm scrambling to get my stuff together. The hardest part is finding a pair of black pumps that doesn't amputate my toes. Of course, I'm still going to make time to write fanfiction. ;P Typing doesn't require toes, after all.
- Poor, poor Shikamaru. Such a third wheel...Half the time, I was basically shoving him out of the page and thinking of how I should get rid of him. Sigh. He'd there for a reason though.
- My favorite scene: painting the black eye. That happened on accident, but became my favorite part. Mainly because I'm a sucker for failed cute scenes. (Check out my oneshot First Impressions for more SasuHina cutefail. :D) Also I've decided that there was too much kissing and not enough emotional connection stuffs. Grr.
- I've had a real hankering for cute Sasuhina moments. I blame all the DA pictures I've been drooling over. Mainly Warrior-of-Ruin. Blame her for the fluff. (If you're a Sasuhina fan who has yet to see Warrior-of-Ruin's art...what are you still doing here? Get yo butt over to DA now!)
- Super belated shout out to July's Winter. I finally mustered up the nerve to google PftH. And OMG, July's Winter has been spreading this fic's praise like a maniac. And little old ungrateful me is all oblivious and shit. T_T. I'm sorry. Thank you. I'm sorry. Thank you...
- Also, if you're sad about the long update spaces and overused cliffhangers...well, unfortunately, I doubt that's going to change much in the future. Sorry. But you can go read Better Off Dead by Wingedmercury in the meantime. She has a super interesting take on the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. And it's Sasuhina done well with a healthy dose of humor! :D
- And now, to celebrate you guys being such amazing readers and per a request from flyingshuriken: another extra! It's more omake-ish, but that's what happens when I watch Naruto OVAs...
- Extra START -
Hinata really admired Lee. Despite everything that seemed to be wrong on paper, she thought he was perfect. He was cheerful and optimistic and always smiling. He even managed to be unerringly polite even in the face of others' disdain. It was the kind of irrepressible spirit Hinata wished she could have.
However, it was easier said than done. Despite her best efforts to think happy thoughts, she inevitably crumbled into the void that should hold her self-esteem. It didn't help that Hinata could never quite bring herself to scream about "YOUTH" and "SPRINGTIME" as enthusiastically as Gai wanted. At least Neji and Tenten were thoughtful enough to refuse participation in order to avoid making her feel even more inferior.
But Hinata was sure that Neji and Tenten wanted to join in such a heartening cheer. She needed to improve herself, so she wouldn't hold them back. She must try harder to follow Gai's suggestions, even if she failed at all of them.
And there was one last thing she could try ...
The next day, Hinata noticed a distinct difference. As she walked down the hall, everyone turned and looked at her with wide eyes, as if they were seeing her for the first time. Especially the Hyuuga elders. Instead of glaring at her sideways, they stared, and then quickly averted their eyes in respect and even a little bit of fear.
Hinata felt like she was on top of the world. She couldn't wait to show Team Gai her new improvement.
She arrived early, so only Gai and Lee were training.
"Princess Hinata, I see that your youth is even more flourishing and lovely today! I admire your dedication!" Gai yelled. Lee jumped forward and grasped her hand, nodding so eagerly his eyebrows seemed to blur together into even thicker blocks.
"Your passion burns with the vigor of a thousand geniuses on fire!" Lee praised. "Let us work hard together to fan the flames of your youth! If we can't run a hundred laps around the Moon Palace, we shall run on our hands through all the halls a thousand more!" He rested a hand on her shoulder in a gesture of camaraderie and Hinata nearly fainted. She was barely able to recompose herself in time to join in on their morning exercises.
They'd already completed ten laps when they saw that Neji had arrived at the training area. Gai boomed his greeting while Lee provided a squeakier rendition of his master's salutations. They ran past while Hinata waved her departure from them. She wanted to show Neji her newly reformed self.
"Neji," Hinata greeted with a smile. She felt like she was on top of the world. Each time someone saw her running with the famous and powerful Maito Gai, they stared at her in shock. This was what it felt like to silence her detractors. It was a truly beautiful feeling.
Her cousin turned and bowed in greeting. He froze mid-bow when he saw her, eyes bulging.
"W-What are you wearing, Princess Hinata?" her cousin sputtered. He looked determined to glare into her face rather than analyze her attire. Was her attempt to gain confidence really such an eyesore? He was also so angry he seemed to be bleeding out of his nose. That could not be good for his blood pressure.
She'd thought she did so well.
"C-Commander Maito gave me a bodysuit..." she whispered. She fidgeted with her index fingers, berating herself for daring to try.
"That doesn't mean you should just wear it!" he snapped. One eye was twitching wildly. Worry snapped Hinata out of her gloom. She'd spent far too much time in the hospital not to recognize the symptoms.
"Neji...you're displaying the s-signs of a stroke. P-please calm down." She turned to call for help, only to be stopped by Neji's jacket in her face. It fell to the ground.
"Neji! Why are y-you doing this?" His actions bordered on rude. She turned back around. He resolutely looked away. Was this change really so unpalatable? It hurt to think that her efforts were so rejected by a family member.
"Princess, I think ...no I insist that you put that jacket on immediately."
"But I'm n-not cold," Hinata protested softly.
"Thank kami for that much," Neji muttered. He sidled closer, still angling his eyes elsewhere, and picked up the fallen jacket. He was walking strangely, too, though his balance seemed as precise as ever. If not a neurologically related problem, then...hemorrhoids? As awkward as it was, constipation was just as troubling a symptom for many other illnesses.
He thrust the article of clothing into her hands. "Please, Princess Hinata. I beg of you to put that on. King Hiashi has entrusted your safety to me...and..."
"My outfit is dangerous?" she finished for him softly with a frown. Concern for Neji's well-being faded into the background. Hinata was quite displeased. She found that she rather liked the reactions she got from people. For once in her life, people weren't looking at her as if she were some joke. For once in her life, the Hyuuga elders seemed quiet and meek before her, rather than glaring right into her eyes. Hinata pulled herself to her full height. She wasn't going to so easily give up this new power. "But Commander Maito said that a bodysuit was especially designed to enhance my physical abilities. There are less loose articles to be used against me and it is very graceful and durable. It enables me to youthfully perform my katas with vigor and passion worthy of such springtime."
Neji looked green, and not in the bodysuit-wearing type of way.
"Princess...can you refrain from speaking like that?" he asked in a frightened whisper. "I...beg of you."
Neji never begged. Hyuuga never begged.
Hinata blinked back tears. Was her attempt really so bad that it requires her admired cousin to forsake his dignity? She looked at Neji with sad, watery eyes.
"But wh-why?" she asked.
"Hey guys, sorry I'm late - had to grab some more bandages for training." Tenten's smile faltered as she took in the strange scene before her.
"You...you...fix this!" Neji gestured jerkily in Hinata's direction. That was another symptom of a possible aneurysm. Then her cousin ran out of the training ground. Was he rushing to the restroom? But that was the opposite of constipation? What kind of illness would have a person displaying both?
Tenten blinked and then looked down at Hinata's chest.
"Damn, no wonder the infirmary was full this early in the day," she said with a low whistle. Then the older girl grinned and clapped Hinata on the shoulder. "Princess, you should stick with your jackets. The castle isn't ready for three people in bodysuits. Too much - " there was a pause, and Tenten looked like she'd swallowed something horrific - " awesome can be bad. For example, water is great for you, but too much of that and you'll drown. Maybe when Gai has decided it's time for him to retire his bodysuit, you can wear one then."
Hinata nodded. That made sense. Neji was stickler for tradition. No wonder he was so upset. And to think she was adding new stress onto his already stressed, ill body..."So I have to earn my bodysuit?"
A strange look passed over the weapons user's face, resembling the sort of seizure Neji had suffered. Hinata was beginning to worry for the team. First Neji, then Tenten. And Lee did seem to be taking on a lot of pressure when he opened his Gates. And what if Commander Gai was yelling because he was losing his hearing?
"You...could put it that way," Tenten agreed in an oddly high voice. "But it takes years, no matter what Gai tells you."
"I understand," Hinata said with quiet determination. "I w-will work hard at getting stronger. One day, I will be worthy of the level of Commander Maito and Lee. Then ...and only then...I'll wear that bodysuit."
Hope renewed, Hinata headed for the training posts to work on her kata. She was going to earn herself a bodysuit, just like Lee.
But first, she was going to request for a full-body examination for Team Gai, especially Neji. The hospital staff liked her, so they would be sure to do a very, very thorough job.
-Extra END -
AN2: Hipster Hinata is a hipster. In canon, she liked Naruto before he was cool. She wouldn't be able to see much of a problem in the "youthful and graceful bodysuit"...(HAHAHAHA...)...yes, I've unleashed the butt jokes. Favorite jutsu is still A Thousand Years of Pain.
And why is she so innocent when we all know exactly how pervy she is...?
1) Limited Byakugan (the jutsu of the pervs, you know it)
2) No Kiba when she hit puberty :(
3) She's a princess with an overprotective Moon King for a daddy...no one's going to tell her anything for fear of their lives.
4) She probably learned it on the border. The brothel girls are very...open...in many senses. ;P
5-100) I just wanted to make fun of poor Neji. XD
