The small, dark, underground room pulsed with a cold that chewed its way into her bones; the only company she had were the clouds of white rapidly fading before her as she panted and the liquid slowly fleeing her. A numb back was pressed against a damp wall, and shaky legs collapsed under the weakened figure. Why do you run, Hinata-kun? The inevitable has seen this and only added your disappearance to its cart on the path to your death. Why fight it? One more night, Hinata-kun, one more night and you must either submit to me or end my pathway. One more night—"Stop!"
Insects fluttered and rodents squeaked in their exodus as the effect of the high-pitched and sudden outburst shattered the icy silence. Shivering she stood. Must keep moving, keep moving, Kiba-kun…Kiba-kun and Shino-kun will keep trying to find me…
Why would they want to find you? They don't care about you. They think you're just a nuisiance. A nusance that needs to be deystroyed. So even if they do find you, it would only be to their advantage that you're alone out here. Dieing from the inside out in a rotting pit you fell in.
You don't hear how stupid you are, do you? …Trying to…trying to make me go off myself. I won't do it. So be quiet please.
Hahaha. Look at that. Brave little Hina-chan sticking up for her stupid, pathetic, selfish self.
A horrible pain wracked her mind. Both physical – a pounding, pulsing, ache, equal to that of running headfirst into a brick wall with a hearty momentum, only to find that you've crashed your brain, unprotected, into the red stone- and a mental – Neji bloody, slashes across his body and swollen bruises ready to burst, hunting and killing Kiba and Shino…and Naruto all the while herself laughing from behind a glass she can't break through. Falling forward she catches herself, hissing at the pain that shot up her dislocated shoulder. Hahahaha.
She sucked in a deep breath and gently put her hand on her arm – and pushed fast. " Haa, haa, mmm, haa." She panted, curling up on her side, "B-Byakugan…" she weakly exerted. Veins buldged, uncooperative eyelids rose to allow their shield-charges sight. Two miles from her, two figures jumped tree-to-tree, their identies known only by familiarity of their chakra signatures. Closer, closer they came. Away, she thought, I must get away. And so she ran.
Endless the tunnels seemed to be - turns and turns and swirls and falls and trips and pits and traps. Hina~chan. The voice sang. Oh Hina~chan. Don't tell me we're lost? We are aren't we? Well best find our way out, Hina-chan. I don't want to stay here forever.
Then get out.
Don't you love me? I love you Hina-chan. A force, squeezing, squeezing, crushing her soul, Hinata thought, for she felt no damage to her physical body aside from those of her adventure. I love you Hina-chan, and so I'll stay. 'Cause you need me. Neji-kun needs me. Neji-kun WANTS me. And as soon as you give up, a cheery note was building up, and as that same boa-consticting hold tightened around her, it slowly released, I can go to him. So hurry up, Hina-chan. Let me take over, and I can love you both.
You can go to him now. Out. I don't love you, I-I don't even KNOW you. Leave me alone and go away.
Oh Hina-chan. You don't want that. If I leave, you'll die here. And you said so yourself, you wouldn't go and off yourself.
Creaking. It would seem that the tunnel she stumbled into was held up by wooden dark…so very dark and hard to see, but those planks sounded awfully tired…
I won't die here, you beast. I'll find my way out. Creak. You'll see. I'll get out of here. And I'll run, and run and run until, Creak. –until no one can find me, until I've run out of land to run on, until-
Oh Hina~chan…I'd be careful if I were you.
Until I'm so far along that I have to walk on water to get to the other side of the world.
Hina-chan I mean it, watch your surround-
Until I'm so far away no one can find me.
Creak, moan, protesting at the slightest movement, groan, creak, SNAP!
Until Hyuuga Hinata-
Hinata!
One beam broke, rotton wood, softened by the moisture in the air and made spungy by the insects, broke away and flew into the air, spraying debris and bugs out into the stale tunnel, and, as if envious and loathe to lose to the rest, another snapped, then another, another, another, another, until all were broke, the soil-ceiling making love to the dirt on the ground and the injured Hyuuga – nowhere to be found.
*
"Shino!"
"Aa."
They ran towards the noise, Kiba slightly holding his wounds, Akamaru pointing his sensitive black nose at the sky and smelling for his friend.
"Kiba…" "What?" "It's going to rain soon…" He said nothing. He'd already figured that out – Akamaru's squeaky bark informed him earlier- but he refused to acknowledge that they might not find her before the late summer waters hit.