I awoke to a force gently shaking my body. When I finally came to my senses, I realized that it was Sasuke. With groggy eyes, I looked up at him questioningly.
"Get up," he said.
"What time is it?" I asked.
"Four in the morning. We need to leave now if we want to reach the top by sunset," he said.
I did not argue. Instead I sat up in the bed with the poncho still wrapped around me. Sasuke then kneeled in front of me, offering his back to me again. Still uncomfortable with the idea of riding on his back, I swallowed any emotion hindering me from taking his offer.
I firmly placed my hands on each of his shoulders and then wrapped my legs around his body as he stood up. Once again, he placed his right hand on my bare thigh to keep me from slipping off his back, causing me to suppress any noise that would draw attention to my discomfort.
"Are you ready?" he asked me.
I merely nodded my head in response since I had already buried my face in Sasuke's neck.
Despite my efforts to seek solace in the warmth of Sasuke's neck, it was not enough to prepare me for the bitter cold air that seized us when he opened the front door. It had stopped snowing, but the frigid air did not let up. The cold attacked me and I subconsciously held tighter onto Sasuke in hopes to receive more warmth from him. Unfortunately pressing myself closer to his body did not help me as much as I wished. The freezing wind challenged us relentlessly, testing our will to persevere. I had difficulty fighting against the cold, and I wondered how Sasuke could take this weather with such ease, especially since I was wearing his only piece of clothing for warmth.
On our journey to the mountain, we did not speak much, not that we could really say much since the weather prevented us from doing much of anything other than move forward.
A gust of freezing wind brushed against my leg and I tensed.
Sasuke glanced back at me asking "Are you alright?"
I nodded my head. "Yes. I am just cold."
"I am too," he said, "but we can make it to the mountain top without casualty."
"Are you sure about that?" As I asked that, I felt myself on the verge of shivering.
"Yeah, we can make it. Just hang in there."
I frowned as uncertainty filled me. It has only been about an hour since we left the cottage and I am already beginning to shiver. Not only that, my toes and fingertips are burning from being exposed to the bitter wind. Soon, numbness will set in. After that, frostbite.
"We won't make it today, Sasuke," I said. "You are used to this weather and you are dressed appropriately. I, however, am not suited for this."
"If you keep talking like that, then you won't make it up the mountain by tonight," he said. "Try to keep a positive attitude."
"I will need more than a positive attitude."
I was unsure, but I was almost certain that I heard him scoff. To that, I rolled my eyes.
I attempted to do what Sasuke suggested. At first, it seemed to work, however, after a few hours had passed by, and the sun began to rise, all of the "positivity" that I collected had faded as reality had set in. My body had begun to take a turn for the worse.
My body tensed up completely and the only movement I could make without feeling as though one of my limbs were going to snap off was involuntary shivering and chattering teeth. Every square inch on my body hurt as if someone was sticking me with needles, but I also felt numb at the same time. As we began to ascend the mountain's path, I felt myself becoming tired and weak, causing me to loosen my tight grip on Sasuke.
When Sasuke felt me loosen my hold on him, he asked "Are you doing alright?"
We had not spoken to one another in a couple of hours so when I opened my mouth to answer, I found it rather difficult, especially since I had trouble breathing. Nevertheless, I managed to tell him "No."
Sasuke easily detected the trouble I was experiencing to speak, and after glancing back at me, he immediately decided to take a brief respite.
He said "If I remember correctly, there's an aperture on the mountain not too far from here. Can you hang on until we get there?"
"Y-Yes, I can make it."
"Good," he said. "Whatever you do, Hinata, do not fall asleep and do not let go of me. Understand?"
What he asked of me was easy to understand, yet I had an issue comprehending and I soon found myself staring off into space. As soon as he realized that I was not going to respond, he snapped me out of it by asking me again.
"Understand?" he repeated as he shook me a bit.
"Y-Yes, Sasuke. I will not fall asleep and I will not let go," I said.
His lips tightened. "You better not. As I mentioned yesterday, I can't perform medical ninjutsu."
I offered a small smile in response.
Feeling concerned for my health, Sasuke trekked faster up the path, in search for the aperture within the mountain. Now that we were elevated, the wind seemed to become stronger and colder than it was previously, which made it all the more difficult for me to do as Sasuke had asked of me. Breathing now slowed, I felt weaker than I did earlier and I soon grew sleepy.
I had closed my eyes for what seemed like a few seconds and the next thing I knew, I was lying on the ground of what appeared to be a cave. Though, my suspicions of my location being a cave soon proved to be false when until I looked to the left and saw snow falling through the mouth of my location. It was at that moment that I realized that Sasuke must have found the aperture.
It was hard for me to move from where I was lying but I did not need to move to figure out that Sasuke was nowhere to be found. A small part of me worried that he would not come back and that I would end up dying here alone but then I saw that he left his bag full of supplies. Relief and anticipation washed over me as I waited for him to return.
Minutes later, Sasuke entered the aperture with wood and stones wrapped up in cloth. His dark eyes met mine as soon as I was within his view, causing the usual serious expression in his onyx colored orbs to change to something softer. He did not approach me though. Instead, he began to make a fire with the wood and stones he collected.
As he set up the stone and wood to create a fire pit, he asked me "How are you feeling?"
I opened my mouth to answer, soon discovering that it was still troublesome to speak.
Sasuke noticed immediately when I opened my mouth and said "You don't have to speak if it's too much for you. I already know that you must be freezing. When you passed out on my back, I honestly thought you were dead. It's a good thing that you aren't – I don't want the blood of the future Hyuga leader on my hands. Explaining that to Kakashi would be too difficult."
I narrowed my eyes at him.
"First things first," said Sasuke after he completed the fire pit. "The fire will warm you up and then I'll prepare some soup to finish the job. If we're lucky, and you aren't close to the brink of death like I suspect, then we might be able to head towards the Land of Iron just before sunset."
Sasuke lit the fire pit by using ninjutsu just as he had back at the cottage. Upon release of the jutsu, the warmth of the fire expelling from his mouth caressed my shivering body, giving me a short sense of relief from the torture of the cold, but only for a brief moment. Once the fire was lit and the jutsu completed, my body acted as if it had never received an ounce of warmth and I resumed shivering, only this time more violently.
I laid there, curled unto myself, by the fire for an uncertain amount of time after he lit it trying to absorb the heat provided by the small pit. Unfortunately, my body was so cold that I felt little to no difference as I continued to shake uncontrollably.
Though he said nothing, Sasuke observed me from the opposite end of the pit. He seemed to be contemplating something in his head as he watched me suffer in silence.
"W-Why a-are you l-looking at me like t-that?" I managed to ask through chattering teeth.
"Are you in pain?" he asked.
"I j-just feel numb," I said.
"We've been sitting here for about forty minutes and you show no progress. Is the fire helping you recover at all?"
"N-Not v-very much," I said.
He furrowed his eyebrows, turning away as he did so.
Silence lingered between us for several moments, making me believe that that was the end of our conversation, but then Sasuke removed his sword from his back and stood up from where he was sitting. He walked over to me and when he was standing over me, I stared up at him in confusion.
My eyes flickered between him and his sheathed sword. I asked "A-Are you g-going to k-kill me?"
"Killing you doesn't benefit me. In fact, taking your life will only make things more complicated for me," he said.
"T-Then, w-what do you w-want?"
He did not respond. Instead, he placed his sword on the ground beside me. He then walked behind me, taking a seat there against the wall. Still confused, and slightly nervous, I wondered what he was doing when I felt his hand pull me up from the ground. With ease, he pulled me against his body, holding onto me tightly.
Startled by his actions, I asked "W-What a-are you d-doing?"
"What you're experiencing is minor hypothermia. The fire clearly isn't helping so it's best that I use my body heat to warm you up. I don't want to take my chances in your condition getting worse," he said.
"P-Please," I said as I attempted to squirm out of his hold, "I-I am f-fine without the aid of your b-body h-heat. I do not n-need your assistance."
"With your strength gone, you won't be going anywhere unless I allow it," he said. "Just sit still and let me warm you up. I don't enjoy this any more than you do."
His demand was difficult to abide by, yet I had no choice but to adhere to it. Like he said, with my strength gone, Sasuke could force me to do anything he wanted, such as hold me captive in his arms or carry me up the mountain. If anyone from my clan were to see me like this, it would bring great shame to my family. No member from the Hyuga clan should witness their leader in such a vulnerable state. If they were to, they would without any doubt question my strength as a leader or see me as unfit to lead.
"Can I ask you why you decided to wear a red kimono to your wedding?" asked Sasuke.
It had been silent for so long between us that the sound of his voice and the vibration I felt on my back from him speaking startled me. In fact, so much time had passed that my teeth stopped chattering.
"Doesn't that color mean you want to kill your fiancé?" he asked.
"That is what the elderly villagers tell us, yes," I said.
"Do you hate this Toneri guy that badly?"
"No, I do not hate him. Despite the color, I will do whatever means necessary to make our betrothal a success, however, if our commitment does not work out, and he attempts to harm me or my clan, then I will have no choice but to end his life," I said. "He is not a kind man, so I can only hope that he will have a change of heart somewhere within our marriage."
"He isn't from the Leaf, so he won't even know what the red kimono means. What's the point of wearing it if he doesn't understand the message?"
"What matters is that I understand. I do not want to lose sight of what is most important to me – the future of my clan."
"I can see why your father is so eager to have you lead the clan. You've changed a lot since I've seen you last," said Sasuke.
"Much has changed in general within the Hidden Leaf Village," I said.
"You've changed, but has your crush on Naruto?"
I felt myself beginning to blush. "M-My c-crush on N-Naruto? T-That… I-I…"
Sasuke smirked in delight as he watched me fluster. "I guess that no matter how strong or independent you've become, some things will not change about you."
My mouth fell into a frown. "While it is true that I still have feelings for Naruto, I need to learn to move on. My feelings for him will not be reciprocated. He loves someone else."
"Naruto loves someone?" asked Sasuke in disbelief. "Who's the poor sap that won his ramen filled heart?"
"Sakura," I said.
Sasuke did not sound the slightest bit surprised at my response. "I guess that if he were to fall in love with someone, it would be Sakura. He's had a crush on her for as long as I can remember. Let me guess; she doesn't notice."
"Whether she noticed or not, she still loves you."
Sasuke exhaled and I could feel his body tense up a little.
"She needs to know how to let go," he said.
"It is not easy, Sasuke. Have you ever been in love?"
"No, and I never intend to be."
Something in his tone told me not to believe him. "You wish to revive your clan, correct? How could you possibly do that if you do not fall in love with another?"
"You don't have to love someone to create life. Since you're arranged to be married, I assumed that you would have learned that by now."
I winced. I nearly forgot that I will be forced to consummate with Lord Toneri some point after the wedding. Doing that, in fact, might be worse than partaking in the ceremony, especially since I am untouched. Thinking about it made me sick to my stomach.
"I-If you can help it, why not make the most out of your life by trying to find happiness with someone else? If you do that, life will be better for you and your child," I said.
"That isn't how I do things," he said.
"That is sad to hear."
Sasuke sucked on his teeth before releasing me. He then stood up, pulled some items out of his bag, and sat in front of the fire with a knife in hand.
He said "You're warm enough to recover without my body heat. I'll make the soup now to finish the job."
I furrowed my eyebrows. "Did I upset you?"
"Whether you upset me or not does not matter. What matters is getting you strong enough to resume the climb up the mountain side. As soon as you finish the soup, we're going to climb up the mountain again, and this time we aren't stopping."
"R-Right…"
It did not take long for the soup to finish. He had only made enough for me and as soon as I ate it, we continued the climb up the mountain just as he said. When we resumed, it was half past noon. On an estimate, reaching the Land of Iron from this point will take somewhere near seven hours, however, Sasuke was determined to get to the top before I set us back again by succumbing to hypothermia again, causing him to trek up the mountain with incredible speed. At this rate, I suspected us get to our destination by seventeen-hundred hours, and the entire way up, I prayed that Lord Toneri was still there.
Sasuke and I had a few minor setbacks on our journey up the mountain such as slight fatigue and losing footing from the slippery snow resting on the ground. Regardless of what he faced, Sasuke pressed forward and I could not help but to watch in awe. Everyone who met Naruto and Sasuke would say that they were similar. I tried looking for what they saw, but I never saw it until this moment. Like Naruto, when Sasuke wanted something, he went for it relentlessly. It was incredible to watch.
Hours had passed by and the snowfall grew heavier with each passing moment. This, however, did not stop Sasuke in the slightest. Because of his persistence, we reached the top just before seventeen-hundred hours, leaving me, once again, in awe.
On the flat surface of the mountain, was a small forest of leafless trees that we ventured through before coming across a large stone wall that stretched so far along the land that we could not see where it ended or where it began. I could only guess that beyond this wall rested a village. The issue is, is this the village that Lord Toneri was waiting for me in?
"Where were you and Toneri supposed to get married? Depending on your answer, we found the right village," said Sasuke.
"We were to marry inside of a cathedral," I said.
"We found the right place then. This is the only village in the Land of Iron that has a cathedral," said Sasuke.
"R-Really? Where is the front gate?"
"On the opposite end of this wall. It will take too long to reach the front so we'll have to take a shortcut."
"A shortcut? What do you propose?"
"Hang on tight," he said.
His instructions could not lead to anything good, but I listened with acquiesce by wrapping my arms around his neck and wrapping my legs tighter around his waist. Just as I latched securely onto him, he jumped high into the air, high enough to overlook the village beyond the large wall. I could see all of the buildings from our view and I even spotted the cathedral in the distance. Just as I began to memorize the path from where we were to the cathedral, I felt us falling and I latched tighter onto Sasuke.
When his feet safely landed on the ground, he smirked at me. "I wasn't going to drop you if that's what you were thinking," he said as he tugged at my arms to loosen my hold around his neck.
I loosened my hold on him. "N-No, I was not thinking of that in the slightest."
"Whatever. Let's just go to this cathedral to see if your twisted fiancé is still in the village. If anyone should know, it must be the bishop."
I nodded my head.
It did not take me long to notice that as we walked through the village that the villagers were staring at us. The attention that we were receiving made me uncomfortable but I tried to the best of my ability to ignore it, deeming that their stares were the least of my worries. Though, it was when we reached the busiest part of the village, that I noticed many of the stares the men gave lingered for a bit too long and I felt myself cringe.
Feeling my body stiffen against him, Sasuke said "Make sure your legs are covered by the poncho. This part of the world is riddled with frigid weather so the men here don't have the luxury of seeing bare skin out in the open like this."
I did as he said all the while mumbling "I am not a show girl."
"Show girl or not, a man knows when he sees a nice pair of legs that what rests between them must be a treat, and it fills him with curiosity."
My face started to feel hot at learning that these men might be fantasizing about me.
"Have… Have you ever wondered that about a woman?" I asked.
"Every man has," he shrugged.
His response surprised me. The other boys in the Academy showed great interest in the pleasantries that a girl provides while Sasuke displayed little to no interest. Given that he is a man, and a man has needs, it still never crossed my mind whether Sasuke thought about that sort of thing, and I found myself wondering if he had any ill-willed intentions towards me while he cared for me during my vulnerable state.
As soon as that passed through my mind, I pushed to back of my thoughts. I may not know Sasuke as well as the other kids that we graduated with, but I know that he is not a pig. If he was, Sakura would not have such strong feelings for him. Also, Sasuke has had plenty of opportunities to take advantage of me and has not, proving to me that he is not like the men watching me at this moment. Still, as I thought more about it, another wonder took over me.
I asked Sasuke "Have, um… Have you ever lied down with a woman?"
Whether my sudden question caught Sasuke off guard or not, I would never know; however, he took his time to respond to me by answering carefully. He asked "Don't you think that is a little personal?"
"Y-Yes, I suppose that it is. I apologize if I offended you in any way."
"I don't get offended easily," he said. "We shouldn't share that information with each other – it has nothing to do with our current objective. Learning personal information about one another won't help us in the long run."
"It could potentially bring us closer together," I mentioned.
"And that aids no one. After I drop you off at the cathedral to marry Toneri, I'll be leaving to resume my mission, and you'll be heading back to the Leaf Village with him to lead your family. There is no need for us become closer."
I frowned as disappointment took over. "You are correct. It will only hinder us in the long run."
Once more, silence fell between us and the only sound that could be heard was the mass of people talking. The silence did not last long, and we arrived at the cathedral within minutes.
Far from the bustle of the village, the large cathedral sat upon a hill covered in snow. Prior to arriving at our destination, it had been snowing like mad. Now, only light snow flakes fall here and there, giving the appearance of the building a haunting feel. Whether it truly was the snow adding ambiance to the cathedral or my own anxiousness, I had the urge to run as far away from this place as possible. Furthermore, no one was around other than Sasuke and me.
"It is odd that no one is around. A sacred ground this massive must mean that a large sum of the people residing here must practice the same belief," I said.
"It isn't that odd. It will be dark within the hour, meaning that it will become colder. Even though the villagers are used to this environment, there is still a chance that they could succumb to the harsh weather. Because of that, it is unlikely for worshipers to gather around here at this time. In fact, I'm sure that curfew will be starting soon," said Sasuke.
"Curfew so soon? How cold does it become past nightfall?"
"Somewhere around negative thirty-six degrees Celsius or more."
I gaped.
"Don't worry. We'll be finished here before it gets that low."
With me still on his back, Sasuke opened the large door to the cathedral. No worshippers were inside, however, at the very end of the building, the bishop stood in front of a massive stone statue of the being these people assume to be their God. Growing up in the Leaf Village, no one practices religion, so I am unfamiliar with the entire concept, though I do have respect for those who firmly believe in it, especially since a huge portion of our world does not associate with such practices. It is said by many that religion and believing in Gods is a waste of time and, as ninja, we should be focusing on defending what we can see with our own eyes such as our family, our village, and our Hokage.
When Sasuke closed the door behind us, the sound echoed throughout the empty space, startling the bishop. He turned to face us with a frightened expression, but then when his eyes met us, realizing that we were strangers, he relaxed.
With a welcoming smile, he said "Ah! Visitors from a distant land? That is quite unusual. Have you come to learn about our faith?"
"No," said Sasuke. "We have come here searching for a man named Toneri Otsutsuki. Has he been through here?"
Once the name fell on the bishop's ears, his face turned ghostly pale.
"Clearly, you know him," said Sasuke.
"Are you here to kill me?" asked the bishop.
"Depends. What's your relationship to him?"
"Sasuke!" I scolded. I then said the bishop "No, we are not here to harm you. I am to marry him here, however, I was delayed by a series of unfortunate events. Is he still here in the village?"
He seemed to believe me, but he did not relax. "No. The man left our village about two days ago."
Even though I prepared myself for this outcome, I could not stop worrying as to where he went and what he planned to do when he got there. I did not show up at the time allotted so he might think that I am fleeing or plotting something against him.
"Do you know where he went?" I asked.
"No, he did not say," answered the bishop. "My child, may I ask why are you going to marry such an evil man?"
"That isn't relevant," said Sasuke. "What we need to know is why he decided to stay here until recently. Given how hasty he was to marry you, I wouldn't imagine him staying here in the hopes of you showing up. He had to have been doing something else in the meantime, especially since the bishop is afraid of him."
"Did he threaten your life?" I asked the bishop.
"Not just mine, but others as well."
"Why?" I asked.
"He-" The bishop stopped himself and fear took over. "I-I cannot say. If I do, he will do unspeakable things."
"Just spit it out," said Sasuke. "He's one man. What's the worst that he can do to the capital of the Land of Iron?"
A haunted look glossed over the bishop's face as he stared at us. He said "The damage that he has done in his short stay here is irremediable. That man is born from the pit of Hell itself, and I will not answer anymore questions about that man. If you would like, you can remain here to offer prayer. Just keep in mind that if you do stay, curfew will begin in one hour."
Sasuke and I exchanged glances, the same thought running through our heads. What did Lord Toneri do?