Once upon a time, there was a princess who murdered her father.
With the loss of the alliance with the Sun Kingdom, and therefore her betrothal to the Sun King, the princess lost her leverage. In the eyes of the elders, she was all weight and no pull. Useless.
And useless things should be discarded.
The princess knew this herself, so she went to see the Moon King. She found him in the private royal gardens the late Moon Queen had cherished.
"Father, for the better of the kingdom, I think you should move me to the Branch family," she said. He seemed pained and annoyed by her request, but the princess knew she needed to do this. She'd created too much trouble. "My presence brings the kingdom and the Hyuuga -"
The princess never got the chance to reveal her true thoughts to her father.
A flash tag filled the garden with light. The princess and king staggered, their sensitive eyes blinded. The princess's lack of reliance on her Byakugan was the only reason she heard the hiss of the blade behind her. She managed to turn and deflect the blade with the small tanto she carried with her. Spots filled her vision, and she couldn't tell between the moving bodies who was who. There were too many of them, blurs of black and red and movement. She could hear strains of her father's voice, but it was lost in the cacophony.
And she had to strike, to fight for her life. She dodged the blows, knocking away weapons that left bruises on her arms. The princess felt an opening, and dug her blade deep into soft, vulnerable flesh. A grunt of pain, and then warm blood gushed over her hands.
Then strangely, the attackers seemed to disappear into thin air.
When the princess's eyesight came back, she was alone, kneeling before the still figure of the king. Her tanto was embedded in his chest. She stared at her hands, more crimson than white. Her fingers began to shake uncontrollably.
Before the blood on the princess's hands could even cool, guards had filled the garden. Rough hands dragged her to the dungeons. She let them manhandle her, still unable to accept that her father was gone.
For far too long, the princess had nothing but grief and guilt to keep her company in the consuming darkness of the dungeons. She couldn't see the red staining her hands, but it burned her like poison. Even the squeaks of the rats seemed to accuse her. She hardly knew the difference between day and night anymore, and more so, the difference between reason and insanity. She could only think of how she deserved to disappear, how she deserved punishment.
The princess was almost ecstatic when someone on the elder council came to condemn her. A strange man with an x-shaped scar on his chin followed the councilman. Clearly, cruelly, they explained the damage the king's death wrought on the people. Such a powerful man as the Moon King should not have been felled by an ambush. Her presence had been the weakening factor.
"You have a choice, Princess," the councilman said. "Take the blame and keep the Hyuuga strong, or let the kingdom crumble in your name."
And so, the princess chose disgrace for the sake of peace.
Prey for the Hunted
By Airyo
Chapter 18
"Enter."
Hinata obeyed. Itachi's room was set up just like all the other rooms of the inn, yet it was as if she was intruding into a secret place. The king was looking out the window, with his back to her. He hadn't even found the time to remove his elaborate traveling cloak, and it made his figure seem even more intimidating. Itachi should have looked out of place against the rustic feel of his surroundings, but Hinata only got the sense that this was yet another domain that belonged to him.
Itachi didn't turn around until Hinata had reached the middle of the room. The flickering lamps cast long shadows on his features, and Hinata wasn't certain if it was just the lighting or the king really was that exhausted.
"Your highness?" she prompted.
"Itachi," he corrected absently. "I am tired of silly courtesies."
Itachi's uncharacteristic acknowledgement of their birthrights confused Hinata. "I don't understand," she finally said. "What would warrant you to travel so far in the middle of the night?"
The king lifted an eyebrow.
"You," he replied shortly. He didn't clarify. Instead, he leaned back against the windowsill and studied her carefully. "I wonder if you recall the day our betrothal was nullified."
"I do."
He made a neutral noise. "And what did I tell you?"
"'Prayer is no use if you do not act'," she quoted. He smiled slightly.
"Good memory. But what about before that?"
Hinata gave him a searching look, trying to discern what the king was trying to lead her to. He firmly held back any explanations or hints.
"You wished for peace," she replied. "That we may be the catalysts of our era."
"Indeed." Itachi nodded as he pushed away from the window and approached her. He stopped less than an arm span away from her. "I am curious to know your thoughts on that."
Hinata took a bewildered step back from him. She'd grown familiar with the distant straightforwardness of the king. This new atmosphere of bait and tease was unsettling. She gathered that he wanted her to find the hidden meaning, but what was it?
"I...I..." She shook her head. "I don't know what you mean by that."
She couldn't tell if he was disappointed or pleased or even apathetic to her failure at perception.
"The Moon Kingdom has threatened war. They know that you are alive and allied with us." Hinata's eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't expected them to act so quickly. What tipped them off? Itachi answered the silent question with an inclination of his head. "Yes, I too suspect that someone may have given them guidance. However, that is not a topic of discussion between us. While most of our contracts are long null, harboring a fugitive would never be overlooked. Especially when said fugitive was blamed for the death of a king and used clan secrets to turn on her family. In many ways, the act is just as much an intention for war as attempting to murder one of their royal family."
It shook Hinata to hear her misdeeds spoken so bluntly. She could have justified to herself that she hadn't taken a life despite the setup for conflict, that she was trying to save a loved one, and a thousand other things. But her victories could never erase the simple fact that she had acted aggressively towards her own clan members, her own family.
Hinata really had turned into a traitor.
They turned on you first.
The argumentative voice in the back of her mind was beginning to sound a lot like Sasuke. Hinata shook her head of her thoughts. Now was not the time.
"So is there no way to stop this war?" she asked. Hinata already knew where he was leading to. She already knew the answer to the problem Itachi laid before her. She needed to go. But she still had to ask.
Itachi looked at her.
"I have several options. But all those are ultimately determined by what choice you make," he said as he passed her a scroll. She stole one last curious glance at him before she opened it. The solemn eyes of her portrait stared back at her out of a 'Wanted' poster. Except there was no bounty, only an updated description of her. A stark, red "S" was stamped at the top right corner.
The lack of bounty meant the highest priority. It was an order meant for not only hunter-nin, but all the soldiers of the kingdom. If issued, she would be marked an S-class criminal, to be actively hunted down for immediate extermination by all ninja and samurai alike. After public beheading, this was the next surest death sentence.
"I don't understand," she said faintly. She looked at him pleadingly, hoping it was only a scare tactic, another manipulative act and not the final drop of the axe itself.
"You do," he assured her calmly. "But you are afraid to believe in the accuracy of your conclusion."
"It's not fear," she said quietly. "I...I just..."
"Just cannot believe that I would be so cruel, so callous?"
"O-of course not!" Even as she said it, Hinata inwardly winced. She had disagreed too quickly to be truthful.
The corner of the king's mouth quirked slightly, and he looked eerily like Sasuke. "You were always a terrible liar. You need not pretend. I admit that I have an ulterior motive."
Ulterior motives implied a darker purpose. What could be darker than handing her a death sentence?
"And what purpose is that?" What was a fate worse than even death?
He extended his hand to her.
"Hinata. Become my wife."
She stared at him, searching for some sign of an illusion. But it was only him and her and this room that suddenly seemed too small for the both of them.
Itachi's expression was open, and for the first time, he was letting her see what he thought of her. Hinata's whole being trembled. Her epiphany occurred far too late, and hurt all the more for its delay.
All these years, she'd never dared to interpret his parting words as more than empty courtesies. He must have suspected the darker events planned for her and had offered her refuge in the only way he could with so many witnesses. She'd ignored all the nuances of Itachi's words. Hinata may as well have slapped him in the face. No wonder he had seemed so cold and angry when she first reappeared before him.
And it was a wonder that he still wanted her. One of the strongest men in the kingdom - no, likely the world - had chosen her, of all people. The power she held in her hands burned now that she was cognizant of it.
With what Itachi relayed to her, staying with Sasuke would surely bring the plague of war and death. To the rest of the world, a spoiled, inexperienced crown prince only five years younger than the king was redundant. Hinata would be a burden on her friends, on Itachi, and on Sasuke. On herself. No matter how they might say differently.
But Itachi would and could move entire kingdoms for her. Even the king's enemies could not deny his influence. A relationship between them would mean the world would kneel before them. Instead of war, the Moon Kingdom would surely be scrambling to take advantage of her, to squeeze every last bit of usage out of her for chance to conquer this kingdom. She could stay and bask in the wonderful warmth of the Sun Kingdom. She would be saved.
This was the difference between a king and a prince.
She would know peace by his side. She could love him, this man who'd quietly waited for her for so long.
Hinata took Itachi's hand.
Sasuke paced back and forth in Hinata's room. His warring worries were jumbled in his head, leaving him restless and angry. They were taking too long. Despite his complete trust in Itachi's ability to keep her safe, Sasuke couldn't shake the weight of something foreboding hanging over him. Countless scenarios filled his mind, until the prince wanted to scream in an attempt to disperse them like scavenging birds.
He felt Hinata's chakra and was across the room in three strides. He yanked open the door. Hinata jumped in shock, her hand hovering where the doorknob had been.
"What'd Itachi want?" he demanded. He studied her carefully, searching for any signs of distress. There was no redness nor wetness to her eyes, no flush to her cheeks, and no trembling of the hands. Good. Hinata did not appear hurt nor distressed, and only seemed to appear mildly confused.
Hinata gave a little shake of her head. "He just wanted to clarify my position in the recent events." She looked at him with those lovely moon eyes and smiled as she reached up to stroke his cheek. "But everything will be okay. I think it's not as bad as we thought." There was an off quality to her tone that made Sasuke suspicious.
"What do you mean by that?" he asked with narrowed eyes. Hinata just giggled slightly, eyes bright and shining.
"Don't be suspicious of a good thing, Sasuke," she scolded. "Itachi's making it okay."
Hinata was a terrible liar. He'd know if she wasn't being truthful. The prince looked deep into her eyes and the strange knot in his stomach unraveled. Things were going to be okay. For once, it seemed like things were finally happening the way the prince wanted to. Sasuke couldn't help the smile that pulled at his lips.
"So the Mooners did buy your act?"
She just smiled, radiantly and beautifully. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him sweetly.
"Everything is okay. We can finally be together."
If the prince had any doubts about her intentions, those thoughts faded to white when she laid fluttery kisses along his jawline. Her fingers tickled the fine hairs at the nape of his neck, and that tiny gesture ignited a desire greater than Sasuke had ever known.
He pulled her to him and she leaned into him, willing and lovely and all his.
Only his.
It was too easy to lose himself in Hinata.
Hinata sat next to him on the bed, hypnotized by the rise and fall of Sasuke's bare chest in the slow pattern of slumber. The moonlight surrounded her bed, cloaking them like a protective shield. This place was their oasis away from the harsh sunlight of reality. Even asleep, her prince had a faint, disapproving frown on his face. Her heart hurt with how much she could love such a tiny detail about him. Her eyes traced his features, memorizing the face of her lover.
Yes. Lover.
Hinata blushed and hugged herself, suddenly uncomfortably aware of her nakedness under the covers. She certainly wasn't a princess anymore, in every sense of the word. Princesses were supposed to be chaste maidens before they married princes and became queens. Until tonight, she realized that a small part of her still considered herself a princess of the Moon Kingdom, someone who should remain virginal simply for the sake of a contract, a body whose conditions are solely dictated by the gains of others. Slowly, unconsciously, Sasuke had helped her cast away any lingering ties she had with her past over the past few months.
Her revelation left her giddy with a rush of freedom. She didn't need to live up to being a princess. She only needed to live up to being Hinata. That was enough if she had Sasuke by her side.
She leaned over, letting her hair curtain their faces from the world, and pressed a soft, affectionate kiss on his brow. Then she did the same with his eyes, his temples, his nose, his chin, and then finally, his lips. She rested her forehead to his.
A sob escaped her.
Hinata took Itachi's hand. Gently, but firmly, she pushed his hand away.
"I can't," she said, silently pleading for the king to understand. "I can't do that to you." It would solve almost everything. She could stay in the Sun Kingdom. She could be with her new friends. She would never have to worry about running for her life. Itachi would make it possible, because he was the genius king. But she would be with a man she didn't love.
And Hinata wasn't sure if she could stay at his side when Sasuke would also be there.
Tears filled her eyes, but she couldn't let them fall. That would be too much of an indignity for the king.
"I see," he said neutrally. There was no indication on his thoughts. He had closed everything from her yet again. That brief moment when he'd extended his hand towards her was all Itachi would allow her.
The king pivoted and faced the window. The moonlight was pale and thin, almost washed out completely from the dancing flames in the fireplace. It was like fire and water - the sun and the moon - were battling on the floorboards of this tiny, ordinary room.
"Ita-" Hinata cut herself off, sensing that addressing the king by his first name would only pile on the insults she'd dealt him. "Your highness?" Itachi sighed and turned back around. He looked resigned.
"Thank you for making my choice, Hinata. If that is your answer, I assume you've made your choice as well."
It hurt all the more because, ultimately, it had been her choice between two impossible paths.
She'd lied to Sasuke. Hinata was a terrible liar, but for her prince's sake, she could. She had to if she was to save him from the disastrous path he would choose. Hinata knew that her dear, spoiled, stubborn prince would try to follow her.
Tears fell on Sasuke's face, beading like jewels on his skin. Then everything blurred out from the tears burning her eyes. Hinata let herself weep openly, with little hiccups that shook her entire body.
Sasuke wouldn't be woken by her anyways. She could say her goodbyes in peace.
Hinata walked back towards her room in a daze. Her limbs felt like they were injected with lead, the only things keeping her reeling mind from floating into nothingness.
"Hinata."
"Lady Ino," she said absently as she walked past the blond noblewoman. It was her bad timing that would have her passing Ino's door just as the Yamanaka decided to wake, but she couldn't muster up the energy to be polite.
"Wait."
Hinata ignored her. She couldn't look at Ino right now. Not when she resented everything that the noblewoman stood for. It wasn't due to petty things like their fight or anything. Hinata still cared for the flighty blond, but she couldn't ignore the vast contrast of their positions. Ino was the betrothed of Sasuke, the girl whose marriage to the Uchiha prince will be celebrated throughout the kingdom. Hinata was the traitor, the enemy, the girl whose connection with the same prince will be damned by everyone.
"You're leaving, aren't you?" The blunt inquiry shook Hinata out of her thoughts and she finally let Ino have her attention. The blond looked uncomfortable and worried. She played with the pale fabric of her nightgown. "I saw Itachi and his Guardians from my window."
"Then you probably can guess what happened," Hinata said with a bitter twist of her mouth. She let their conversation fade to nothingness. Hinata studied the floor and gathered every ounce of restraint in her. She looked up at Ino. "Could you help me? Could you distract Sasuke? He'll meet you in your room."
Ino stared at her. "You're not going to even say goodbye?"
"It'll be easier this way," Hinata said mercilessly. She couldn't let herself succumb to the hurt, because then there will be no way to stop it. She'll cry when she was far, far away from here.
"I can't let you do that. Wait here." Ino darted back into her room. She returned before Hinata could regain her senses and leave. The noblewoman pressed a small velvet drawstring bag into her hands.
"From my days as a kunoichi," Ino confessed as Hinata pulled a locket from the pouch. "...my leader gave that to me. Stupid man melted down his old tobacco tin as a joke... " The ex-princess stared at her and Ino shook herself out of her reminisce. "Inside are two compartments - one with a salve and one with pills. You take the pill and put the salve on your lips. The more you put on your lips, the faster he'll go to sleep. Once he's asleep, he won't wake for at least a day."
"Are you...?" Hinata trailed off. Ino sniffed. Neither of them commented on how the gesture sounded more like she was about to cry than a gesture of disdain.
"I'm a generous noble," she said with shrug. They stared at each other awkwardly for a moment. "You should go," Ino reminded her gently.
Hinata wiped the drugged salve from her lips with the back of her hand, hating the greasy feel of it on her skin. She forced herself to rise from the bed. It felt like her body was moving underwater. Every fiber of her being was fighting her as she pulled on her traveling clothes and packed the rest of her meagre belongings.
She needed to go.
The sky was beginning to lighten, touched by the same shades of pink and purple as the sunset before which she and Sasuke had promised to fight for each other. Too bad neither of them specified it as fighting to be with the other. Hinata was still fighting for his life, but she was taking her battle where she couldn't see him.
Hinata backed away with her palm pressed hard against her mouth, as if it could hold back all the agony inside her. Each step to the door was another pulse of a dying heart, each beat slower and more difficult than the last.
She found herself distracted by the long lines of his hands above the covers. Those hands had held her, protected her, caressed her, and cherished her as if she was the most precious thing to him. He'd traced her scars like beautiful decorations. He'd cupped her face, and kissed her so tenderly, and then linked their fingers, palm to palm...
Hinata smiled tremulously against the hand she pressed to her mouth even as her vision blurred with tears. She'd managed to live a lifetime of moments with Sasuke in the space of a few months, traversing the full range of apathy to love.
Before him, she'd let herself hide away in the colorless world of indifference. It was easier not to care. It was still easier not to care, but like how the prince approached any other obstacle in his life, Sasuke had forced his way into her heart with a sneer that belied the tenderness of his kisses. It was the most bittersweet, most cursed blessing to have met him.
She realized her feet had long stopped moving. She clenched her free hand to her chest, willing her body to obey her. Hinata stood there for several breaths, loving, hurting.
Then she turned and fled, cloak swirling behind her like an anchor pulling her back. Hinata only ran faster. She only had to make it to Itachi's office. Then she will have no more choices, no more options, no more hope.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry...
This was how a heart broke.
This was how she left Sasuke.
The Guardians were expecting her, so when Hinata turned the corner, still running, they opened the door for her without further question. She nodded absently in thanks, a habit of courtesy, and Cat nodded back. Somehow, it made her feel a little less alone.
That feeling quickly changed when she entered and the door closed behind her with a low click. Itachi standing in the middle of the room, staring out the window again as if the scenery was the most captivating in all the world. Maybe he wanted to leave this place as well.
"Your highness," Hinata said stiffly. He looked over his shoulder and scanned her with cold eyes. It wasn't hard to notice her mussed hair and bruised lips.
"A child out of wedlock will hold no leverage except hostility," he said in monotone. Hinata flinched as if he'd struck her. Itachi was susceptible to petty human emotions, just like the rest of them. They both knew it was a low blow, especially given her condition.
"I am incapable of carrying a child - a common side-effect of childhood exposure to chakra suppressants," she reminded him harshly. "While it was hidden from everyone else but me and my father, you were also made well aware of that."
Itachi closed his eyes for a long moment. "My apologies," he admitted. "That was callous of me."
Hinata paused, realizing how ludicrous their conversation was becoming. An insensitive comment was hardly the crux of their problems. She just shook her head, dismissing his apology.
"Make certain you are not in the Sun Kingdom by the next sunrise. The order will be posted in one day. The Guardian Cat will escort you to the border." Hinata nodded numbly, and reached for the door. "Before you leave, I have one more matter."
Then Itachi was standing in front of her before she understood what he'd said. He covered her eyes with one hand; the other hand on the back of her head to keep her still. There was a flare of pain, and before Hinata could utter a cry of panic or shock, he'd withdrawn. Itachi remained expressionless as he returned to his original position. She'd barely even seen him move.
Hinata was afraid to do anything, to find out exactly what he'd done to her. She blinked, testing her chakra pathways with a tendril of energy. Her body felt unchanged. Her eyes were still working.
Finally, she dared to look up at him in a silent question.
"A reactive seal," he answered. "After you walk out this door, you will never be able to meet the eyes of a Sharingan-user without severe repercussions."
"P-pardon?" Hinata felt like she was barely surviving one level of hell, only to realize there was another level after that.
"Should you ever dare to test it, endless fire will be set on you. It applies to any person who has ever activated their Sharingan," the king continued as if she hadn't spoken. "So while you will be able to look into Sai's eyes, for example, you will never be able to meet my foolish little brother's gaze again. Not if you wish to live past your hypothetical reunion."
That was the final gate that slammed shut before her. The choice to leave was hers, but Itachi had bolted the door after her, insuring that she really would never return.
She would never be able to look into Sasuke's eyes and apologize for this.
Hinata grabbed the king's arm with both hands. Itachi let her, angling his head to look at her. She hated him at that moment - hated his monotone, his closed expression, his feigned disinterest, hate the fact that his face could be the last of the Uchiha she could look upon, hated and hated because she couldn't bear the suffering of loving anymore. How could he hide his hurt so easily when she felt like she could shatter?
"Do you remember that wish you owed me for rescuing Lady Ino?" she asked quietly but forcefully. He paused, and then dipped his head once. "Then promise me two things. You owe me at least that much." She had gained the unique courage born in someone so battered by the world that nothing more could touch her. "One: if there is ever, ever a time and place that my presence would not endanger Sasuke, remove this seal."
"I promise."
"Two: promise me that you'll..." Hinata trailed off. The words congealed in her throat and she couldn't say them. She gritted her teeth and continued, fighting through the almost physical pain of her request. "Make him give up on me. Make him forget about the possibility of being with me. Convince him it was just a silly passing infatuation. Convince him of my death if you have to."
Her final request poured out of her like water held back by a dam for too long. Itachi was shocked into silence.
"I want to be able to see him sometimes, however unlikely that is," she whispered. Tears blurred her eyes again and it was a relief that she could no longer witness the pity on his face. "But we both know he would never accept my departure unless he gave up on me."
The king remained motionless.
"Please, Itachi," she begged in a whisper.
His dark eyes softened and then he closed them in acquiesce.
"I will," he sighed. "Just don't look at me like that, Hinata. I am not a good man, so don't hold me to those standards." Itachi shook her off his arm. "We have both attained what we seek."
It was a dismissal, but Hinata refused to obey. If she let him distort this into another administrative meeting, she really would just be another criminal, another face on a worn poster. "You are not a bad man either." She wasn't sure if she meant it as a consolation or an insult. She couldn't find it in herself to be kind right now. "Goodbye, Itachi." Hinata let herself out the door before he could reply.
Cat was waiting outside. Hinata barely spared him a glance as she walked past him. He let her lead and followed like shadow. The halls of the inn were dim and empty as she walked along them. The floor was quiet beneath her footsteps. She'd played a ghost a few days back, but now she really was becoming one. After she exited the inn, there would be no more sign of her left.
Hinata paused when she stepped outside into the soft dawn light. The air smelled of crisp wetness, and the trees in the courtyard were decorated with dewdrops like crystals. This was the kind of background couples should be confessing before. Nature was mocking her. It was so lovely it hurt all the more.
She pulled her hood up, taking what little solace she can in blocking it out and immediately set a brisk pace. If she can just get to the border, she can sequester herself away back into her old ways, sink in hibernation until a time when both kingdoms had forgotten about her. The Sun and Moon Kingdoms will have their peace. Sasuke will be safe. Ino will be safe, and so will Sakura, Naruto, Shikamaru, Kakashi, Sai, Yamato, and the countless other wonderful people she'd met. Her happiness was a pittance compared to theirs.
But no matter how she justified it to herself, it didn't stop her chest from hurting like a physical wound. People talked about heartbreak like it was a singular occurrence. But her heart was breaking again and again, and each time was an agony even greater. It was another pulse, another heartbeat that gave her life even as it killed her. How many more steps would she have to take before it stopped? Yet when it stopped hurting, could she even be considered alive?
Thankfully, the Guardian tailing her didn't try to force any small talk. They walked in silence with only the crunch of dirt and gravel beneath their feet. The road leading to Sado was a lonely forest path, with little civilization in between. The tall pine trees on either side of her swayed in the wind. A bird trilled a low note and the sound echoed amongst the branches.
She looked up to the sky. It had turned into a perfect blue over the past few hours. The angle of the sun suggested it was already early afternoon and she realized that Sasuke wouldn't wake until tomorrow. He wasn't even aware that she was already miles away from him.
Hinata never thought she could feel so small and alone.
"Ah."
It was the first sound that came out of Cat's mouth since the morning. Hinata turned back towards him.
"Guardian Cat, what is the matter?"
The hissing sound of a sword drawn from its sheath answered her. Cat pointed the weapon at her and attacked.
Hinata leaped away from him, arching her head back to let the sword swipe pass dangerously close over her nose. She heard the soft sing of the blade through the air as it caught her hair and a dark lock of it drifted down to the ground. Before the displaced strands could even touch the ground, Hinata had unsheathed her naginata and parried several strikes from Cat.
She didn't have time to feel the sting of Itachi's betrayal.
The Guardian was gaining ground far too quickly. She couldn't give him the chance to use a jutsu. Hinata spun her naginata, briefly forcing him to focus on the blade of it. He darted to the side, and with a deft jab and twist, ripped the weapon out of her hands. It landed behind her with a distant clatter. Hinata only barely managed to get her katana out in time to block Cat's next strike. A screech of metal pierced the air as their blades clashed. Her arms went numb from the force of the blow.
He was much stronger, and too fast. With a hard push, he sent her tripping back over his foot. Cat disarmed her of her katana with a practiced move. She wasn't even worth the waste of chakra to fight. Fear trickled through the haze of adrenaline. Before Hinata could reach for her tanto, he pinned her to the ground with his knees so her arms were trapped. Desperately, she lunged up and headbutted his chin. He grunted in surprise as white sparks filled her vision. But all she managed to do was knock his mask askew. She watched Cat's mask slide off in slow motion, landing on the ground beside her head.
"Sasuke...?" she breathed.
Then she blinked. Instead of the prince, Sai stared down at her with blank eyes. He raised his katana. Sunlight glinted off the silver blade.
Sharp agony lanced through her shoulder and Hinata couldn't help but cry out. But Sai hadn't struck yet. Both of them stared at the black fire that began to consume her right shoulder.
Endless fire will be set upon you...
Without further thought, Hinata pushed away from him. She hacked away at her hair and cloak, until all the black fire had fallen to the dirt path. Then she turned and fled. Hinata knew she had no chance, but she still forced her shaky chakra into her limbs, pushing herself to a higher speed.
"Wait." Sai landed in front of her with a hand out to stop her. She made sure to keep her eyes on his feet as she pivoted smoothly around him. He grabbed at her arm and she twisted away, as agile as a deer.
Hinata made it all of three steps further before she was forced to a halt. Black, sinuous creatures of ink blocked her path. She'd been surrounded by ink tigers and they were all tensed to pounce. Hinata dropped into a ready stance, hand gripping the pole of her naginata hard enough to turn her knuckles white. She could feel her pounding heartbeat against her throat.
"Wait," Sai said from behind her. "Please."
Asking a target to stay was an unusually nice way to assassinate someone. Hinata slowly turned on the balls of her feet, keeping her center of gravity low. She focused her eyes on Sai's boots. The skin on her shoulder was tight and hot, blistered by Itachi's black fire. Bits of her tunic seemed to have melded into the burn. Hinata tried not to think on how this was how Itachi meant for her to die.
"What was that?" he asked. Hinata narrowed her eyes in concentration. She hadn't realized how difficult it was to keep her gaze away from a place. As a Byakugan-user, she'd only been preoccupied with broadening her view, not negating a part of it.
"You aren't supposed to have the Sharingan," she said quietly, mind reeling at the degree of deception the Guardian before her managed.
"I don't."
She almost looked up in disbelief, but quickly remembered herself.
"King Itachi wouldn't botch a seal," Hinata countered. "He placed the reactive seal himself. If I look into the eyes of a Sharingan-user, that black fire-"
"Amaterasu," he corrected. Hinata frowned in confusion. "That's the name of the technique. It was coined long before the war that shares that name." Even Sai had pride in his clan, after all. But his interest in the conversation, however strange and irrelevant to his mission, was to her advantage.
"Yes, Amaterasu," she agreed. As she spoke, she slowly shifted so the water flask at her hip was blocked from Sai's sight. The ragged strips of what remained of her cloak would provide some cover. "If I look into the eyes of someone who had activated his Sharingan, I will be hurt by it." Surreptitiously, Hinata began to untie the strips of leather that secured the flask to her belt. It was nerve wracking and difficult with only one hand.
"That's strange," Sai said. Hinata got the sense that he was cocking his head at an angle like a curious dog, albeit a very dangerous one about to rip her throat out. "Amaterasu should have kept on burning until it reduced everything to ashes. It should have killed you."
"Then the king must have incorporated a warning," she replied. "The first time, I will be able to keep my life." The final tie came loose in her fingers. "I don't think I would be -" She burst into action even before she'd finished speaking. She tossed the water flask high up over the ink-tigers blocking her path as she turned to flee. "- so lucky a second time."
She followed after the projectile, and just as it fell to the perfect height, Hinata sliced it in two with a flick of her naginata. She didn't stop running. Water splashed in all directions, showering her and the ink-creatures she darted past.
The water would only slow them for a moment. That was all she needed.
Hinata leaped over them and hit the ground without breaking her stride. Adrenaline made every sensation sharp. She could feel the hum of the chakra driving them behind her, the singed ends of her hair whipping against her neck, the solid feel of her naginata against her palm like an old comrade, and the phantom heat that still touched her shoulder like a demonic hand.
The slight displacement of air brushing the tight skin of her burn was her only warning.
Hinata reacted instinctively. She leaped and twisted, making her body as small a target as possible. The pungent scent of ink filled her senses. She felt claws drag through the tender skin of her thigh.
It was only a flesh wound. Hinata kept running, tensed and ready for the next attack. To her surprise, Hinata felt Sai's chakra fade behind her. But she didn't dare slow her pace even to look back.
She pushed herself to exhaustion but it seemed she would never reach the end of the forest. If Sai still wanted her life, she could do nothing to keep it from him. Hinata stumbled against a tree and guided herself to the ground. Her shoulder and thigh throbbed in time with her heartbeat like a countdown.
She waited.
But the only sign of life around her was the panting gasps of her breath.
He wasn't following.
Hinata looked down at her thigh. The direction of the scratch incongruous with how the injury had been dealt. It looked like the ink-tiger had pulled back its claws at the last moment.
Sai had let her escape.
The sun fell across Sasuke's eyes. Normally, the prince woke in a rage whenever the sun disturbed his sleep. But it was one of those rare days where he opened his eyes with a smile already on his lips. His body felt wonderfully sore and the Uchiha stretched. Hinata had already woken a while before, given that her side of the bed had gotten cold. Several strands of long hair were strewn across the pillow. Sasuke brushed back the covers. He smirked slightly when he saw the small spot of blood on the sheets. He was her first. He would be her only.
The prince wondered if Itachi was still here. He needed to inform his brother to void the betrothal to that Yamanaka harpy before she started claiming any breach of contract. Now that Hinata can stay, Sasuke wanted nothing to stand between them.
After preparing for the day, he headed downstairs for breakfast and to find Hinata. The rest of Team 7, Shikamaru, and Ino were all seated in the dining area. Their eyes were all bloodshot, likely for the overnighter Shikamaru's little mission required.
"I take it the mission was a success," he said smugly. "Did you bring the head in the bounty?" Only Shikamaru nodded vaguely, but it seemed like it was old news. The prince had expected more excitement given how long the lazy jounin had waited for his revenge, but he couldn't find himself caring. He'll demand the gratitude for his forethought in sending backup for the Nara later. "Where's Hinata?" he asked as he leaned against the counter.
They looked at each other in a way that scared Sasuke. His eyes frantically scanned the room as if he could find Hinata there. He looked back at the others and repeated his question, this time with a hard edge to his voice. "Where is she?"
Ino broke first. She covered her face with her hands, and her shoulders began shaking. Sasuke noticed that she was still in her filmy nightgown. Something traumatic enough had made even the vain Yamanaka forget herself.
Sasuke did not like the sensation of fear.
"Where is Hinata?" he snarled, grabbing the blond noblewoman by the shoulder. He didn't care that he was gripping her hard enough to bruise. "Tell me."
Shikamaru stood and pried Sasuke's hand from Ino's shoulder. "Go see King Itachi," the Nara said sternly. "He's in room A1."
Sasuke considered shaking the answers out of Sakura or Naruto, but the medic put a gentle hand on his arm.
"Go," she said. "We can't say anything." Sasuke's heart thumped like a battering ram against his rib cage, beyond words in rage at how they hadn't bothered to alert him of whatever had happened. None of them would look up. With a snarl, he slapped Sakura's hand away and ran for room A1.
"Itachi," Sasuke barked before his body was even fully inside the room. "Where is Hinata?"
The king was looking out the window, his figure silhouetted by the daylight. He turned.
"You should be more careful of what you yell out. This inn may be set aside for Sun Kingdom business, but there are those that we can't trust."
Sasuke's eyes flashed with irritation. Silly courtesies were inconsequential when the others were acting as if something terrible had happened. He knew his anger was an overreaction, a cover for his uneasiness, but it was the only way he knew how to keep from outright screaming.
"Where is she?" he asked again. "Tell me." Itachi hesitated. Sasuke stared at him anxiously. His brother never hesitated. Itachi was never uncertain.
It was then that the prince knew for certain something was wrong.
"Please," Sasuke added politely, his voice tempered by desperation. "Please tell me. What happened to Hinata?"
Itachi sighed and pushed a scroll across the table towards him. Sasuke snatched it and shook it open. Hinata stared out at him. Wanted. S-class. No bounty.
"What the hell is this?" he snarled. The prince glanced down. The post date was set to tomorrow. "You won't be posting this." He could feel himself shaking as he deliberately ripped the scroll in two and cast the pieces to the ground. "What is really going on?"
"That was posted yesterday," Itachi said carefully. "The completion of the mission has already been confirmed." Sasuke shook his head and pointed at the date. Understanding dawned in the king's dark eyes. "What day do you think it is, foolish little brother? You've slept for a full day since the night I arrived."
It's already been a full day. Other than the rare S-class missing-nin, most never make it past the first 24 hours. She could already be dead.
Sasuke shook his head. The panic seeping into his bones felt like it was happening to someone else. His thoughts seemed to slow like molasses, sickly sweet and overpowering.
The completion of the mission has already been confirmed...
Hinata wasn't dead. Couldn't be. There was something he could use as proof.
That's right! He'd had Mozou place that tracker on her when they'd first met. He'll prove Itachi wrong. Hinata was stronger than a silly, misunderstood order. Sasuke bit his thumb and formed the seal. The raven appeared in a little cloud of smoke.
"Mozou. Find Hinata. Find her now," he demanded. Strangely enough, the raven summon obeyed him. He returned a little later.
"Sorry, kid. I can't sense her at all," he said with a shrug.
"Then you're not searching hard enough," Sasuke snapped. "Try again." Mozou merely nodded, unsettled by the prince's hysteria. Moments later, he returned. The bird shook his head again. "Then fucking try again," Sasuke gritted out.
Mozou wouldn't. Sasuke grabbed the bird, fighting the urge to squeeze threateningly.
"Try again," he demanded, voice shaking. "There's no way she can remove the mark. There's no way. She's not dead! Do it again!" He shook Mozou so hard feathers drifted to the ground. Itachi placed a firm hand on the prince's shoulder.
"Stop, Sasuke. Don't take your grief out on your summon."
The strength seemed to flow away from his body. He let Mozou struggle out of his loose fingers, barely noticing that the raven only gave him a half-hearted peck on the hand for the abuse before dispelling himself.
"I'm not grieving," Sasuke disagreed stubbornly. "She's not dead. I wouldn't grieve for someone who's not dead." Itachi didn't say anything. Sasuke was beginning to find it hard to breath, and his wavered restraint snapped like a thread.
"ANSWER ME!" he roared, as if he could expel the pain from the sound of his voice. He knocked the table aside. "SHE'S NOT DEAD!"
"You are aware how the raven's tracking seal operates. If Mozou can't find her with his mark, then she is."
There it was, in cold blunt words. Sasuke refused to believe it. He had to find sense in this sudden quagmire of chaos.
"Why'd you do it?" he asked, searching for any weakness in this horrific lie Itachi was spinning. "How could you brand her as an S-class criminal?" That was a death warrant from the very beginning. What would one girl with barely functioning chakra do against all the power of the Sun Kingdom? Sasuke believed in Hinata's strength. But her chance was small, too small, like a distant star washed out by sunlight.
"The Moon Kingdom is threatening war, after the mess of things during the rescue of Lady Yamanaka. I had a choice, between her and our kingdom. Which would I choose?"
Itachi may as well be discussing the weather. Rage exploded in Sasuke's chest, white-hot and welcome compared to the bone-deep ache.
"There was another option!" he snarled. "I could have gone with her." He curled his fists, itching to hurt something. Someone.
Itachi looked at him like he was an annoying, petulant child. The coldness of it made Sasuke stop short. "That is not something I can allow you to do. That would only solidify the case that you're a traitor to the Sun Kingdom. Two people are far more easy to track down than one."
"But it should have been my choice," the prince gritted out. "I will never forgive you for it."
"And what would you have done after eloping with her?" Itachi asked brutally. "Live in the deserts like hermits? Drift from city to city in anonymity? Are you not already aware of how Hinata lived before she came here?"
Sasuke glared hatefully at his brother. "Are you? Then that makes you that much more of a monster. You never really gave her a choice. You manipulated her, forced her to do what you want. You never, ever even thought of me or her. We're just a few insignificant pawns in your game. We always were."
Itachi closed his eyes in pain.
"Hate me if you will, Sasuke," he said in a low voice. "But I chose the best course of action based on the circumstances. In the same situation, I would do what I did again. I have to, so I-"
The buzzing in Sasuke's ears made it hard to listen to Itachi's pitiful attempts at justification.
"Have you ever loved someone, you heartless monster?" the prince interrupted with a sneer. He was lashing out, he knew it, but he had to do something to relieve the building pressure inside his chest.
Itachi's eyes flashed red for a moment. The pressure of his chakra filled the room like electricity.
"Speak carefully, foolish little brother," he warned, "because it sounds like you are preaching to me what love is. I find myself wondering if you know it yourself." Sasuke opened his mouth to argue but Itachi continued before the prince could squeeze a word in. "How many times has she nearly died because of your stubbornness? You bring her to possibly the most dangerous place in the world for her. Perhaps you didn't know at the time, but can you really claim to protect her when your forced association was the direct cause?
"It was mutual," Sasuke snapped back. "We are in-"
"I know you, Sasuke," Itachi interrupted brusquely. "You are blinded by your obsessions, to the point that you can even misinterpret the other person's meanings. Can you really claim that you never assumed words that she'd never spoken?"
The prince flinched. Just earlier, he done that very same thing and put words in her mouth that Hinata never outright said. It was impossible. She'd implied that she loved him, only him. What else was there? "I...I did everything I could to keep her safe."
"The best thing you could have done was to leave her be. Your grandiose gestures of love only drew the attention of the wrong people. Danzo, the Akatsuki, the Moon Kingdom and the Hyuuga. Even though they attacked you, who had to step in? And because she had to help rescue you, the Hyuuga are now again aware of her. Sending her away was the best chance she had."
Sasuke tried to muster examples to prove Itachi wrong, but every injury he catalogued only proved his brother right. He tried to capture her, only to drag her into a plot meant to capture him. She rode Storm, and fell into a trap targeting him. He pressured her into attending the Winter Ball with him, only to be discovered by Danzo and thrown into the dungeons. The discovery of her clan only attracted more assassins. His desperate attempts to save her only drew Lord Yamanaka's attention and led to the betrothal with Ino, and subsequently the capture by Akatsuki. And in forcing himself onto the rescue mission, he'd gotten himself captured. Gaara wouldn't have attacked her if she wasn't with him.
And if he hadn't been captured, Hinata wouldn't have had to stand up against her own clansmen. She never said anything.
"So she wouldn't have had to go if she hadn't had to save me." Itachi was silent. It was all the answer Sasuke needed.
It was his fault. Then Itachi's hand had been forced by him, because he never listened. Sasuke may not have held the blade that cut into her, but he was the cause of it.
His fault. And she really wasn't coming back this time. Mozou wouldn't lie. Itachi wouldn't lie. Hinata would have found some way to give him hope if she could. They wouldn't lie to him. They wouldn't.
The old feeling of discomfort prickled his skin like a rash. The memory of Hinata's sweetly smiling face ghosted in front him. He still remembered the taste of her skin, the smell of her hair, the sensation of her fingers in the spaces between his.
Sasuke felt dizzy. His vision blurred and he clutched his head. He could feel his Sharingan struggle to activate in response to his roiling emotions. No matter what, he couldn't let it - the prince could not bear a perfect memory of this moment. It felt like he was in physical pain, like someone had torn out not just his heart but all his internal organs.
He hadn't even had to chance to tell her he loved her. Visions of how she would have died tormented him. He could hear her phantom cries of pain ringing in his ears, haunting him, accusing him. Was the ninja that took her life cruel or merciful? Was it slow or was it quick? Did she think of him?
Was this wish even too selfish for what she's had to suffer through?
Sasuke didn't know anymore. He only knew the grief, the guilt spreading through his veins like poison, setting every part of him to fire and ash.
His senses slowed, sharpened, until he felt like everything was closing in on him. The prince felt claustrophobic within his own body. His legs could no longer support him. Sasuke fell back against the wall and slid to the ground. Wetness trailed down his cheeks as he looked up at Itachi.
The king's complexion turned ashen.
"Mangekyou..." Itachi whispered in horror.
AN:
-Don't kill me. *runs and hides*
-(P.S. many thanks again to my wonderful beta, Rhinst.)
