Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Author's Notes: And so the writer's block is conquered! Thanks for all the encouragment and understanding from everyone. I really appreciate it! Now please enjoy this chapter. The next one should be quite a bit longer, but I wanted to post something in celebration of actually being able to post!
oOo
Hinata ripped open a packet of Twinkies and handed one to Tenten. The woman accepted it with a smile and a nod, chomping down on half of it with abandon. They were in Kansas, travelling through the Flint Hills, which they both agreed had to be the most boring land ever created. The scenery consisted of grassy hills, barely touched by the green of new spring, a few gullies and ditches, and cows. That was the extent of the attraction, and while it had been picturesque and serene for the first hour, the monotony was beginning to make them bounce in their seats.
"So we've played every car game known to man," Tenten said. "A few that shouldn't be played in the car, have worn out our iPods, and the radio stations suck. I guess now's the time to talk."
"Finally!" Hinata gasped. "Why are you helping me? Where are we going? Why is there a bazooka under the seat?"
"I'm sorry, but all questions must be submitted in writing."
"Come on, Willy Wonka! Talk!"
"I'm surprised you got the reference."
"That's a movie where you're either a part of the cult or a wannabe."
Tenten grinned, a dimple in her right cheek. "I totally agree. And the bazooka is for self-defense."
At least one answer. That's a start, Hinata thought, relaxing a little in her chair. They had been on the road for two and a half days now, and Tenten had been completely reticent when asked any direct question. Even indirect questions were met with superior silence, and a roll of eyes.
"Okay," Hinata said. "And our destination?"
"I've heard France is lovely this time of year," Tenten sing-songed.
"France?" Hinata demanded. "France?"
"Where there is French dressing and French toast and French bread, yeah."
Hinata sagged in her seat, staring out the windshield. She was silent for several moments, trying to wrap her mind around the concept of not only leaving her friends, family, city, and home behind, but also her country.
"France sucks this time of year," Hinata said finally. "It's cold."
"I like the cold. We'll get coats."
"And my other question?"
"Mmm," Tenten grunted, chewing on her lip. "I don't want to tell you. I get… crusty and unhappy when I tell that story. Let's just say I've been in your situation before, except worse, and I found my way out. I don't want that to happen to you. It shouldn't happen to you."
"Okay," Hinata said. "That's fine. Thanks for telling me."
Tenten laughed suddenly. "That's it? That's all the questions you've managed to come up with in two days?"
"You've kept me distracted!"
"True," Tenten mused. "I am a genius like that. Come on now, let's get to know each other a bit better. Twenty questions! And if we weren't driving, there would be shots involved."
Hinata was very glad they were driving.
"What's your family like?" Tenten asked, and laughed again at Hinata's face. "That bad?"
"Extensive," Hinata corrected gently. "And expensive. My sister and cousin are the only ones I really like. My father and I had a falling out a few months back."
"Over what? If I can ask."
"No, it's fine. He just didn't appreciate my new-found independence."
"Ah. I know the type."
"Could I…" Hinata trailed off hopefully, swallowing hard when Tenten raised an eyebrow. "Could I call my si—"
"No."
"But—!"
"No," Tenten snapped, cutting her off. "You have no idea how dangerous it is, how quickly they will get you, if you call someone. Or even if you receive a call."
"I can't receive a call!" Hinata snapped. "You threw my phone out the window!"
"Best thing for it."
"You are incredibly high-handed."
"And proud of it."
Hinata made an angry noise and glared out the window at the unchanging landscape. The rude little brat!
Tenten sighed, turned on the radio and was silent for many hours after.
oOo
"You're wondering. What is a place like me doing in a girl like this?" Evelyn said, swaying drunkenly on to Rick's shoulder.
"Yeah, something like that."
Sakura threw her empty popcorn bowl at the screen, half-screaming in frustration. Usually The Mummy provided her catharsis as she laughed at the ridiculous plot and even worse graphics while also dissecting the laughable construction of a "human body". Really, the mummy guy moved without muscles? Puh-lease.
But tonight not even Brendan Fraser's eyes were providing any sort of help with the situation. Two hours ago a policeman had knocked on her door to question her about Hinata's disappearance.
Up until two hours ago, Sakura hadn't known Hinata was gone.
She had paused her movie and answered the door to a young, mustachioed man with a serious expression. He had spent the next hour and an half trying to talk Sakura out of hysterics and charging off right then to find out where Hinata had gone.
The only positive side was that she was relatively sure she was off the suspect list.
Snarling to herself, Sakura punched Ino's number into her phone for the thirtieth time that night and, for the thirtieth time that night, was sent to voicemail.
"Hi! This is Ino Yamanaka. I hate messages, so don't leave one after the beep! Thanks!"
"PICK UP YOUR PHONE!" Sakura yelled into the receiver, and threw her phone across the room too.
She stood there, chest heaving, face red, hands clenched into fists and growling for a good minute before her knees finally gave out and she collapsed onto the couch and sobbed.
oOo
Sasuke sat down on his own bed for the first time in a week, allowing his shoulders to relax a little. Naruto was in the next room, already sleeping again—not that Sasuke could understand how Naruto could sleep when his painted-orange walls practically glowed—and allowed the quiet, the dark walls, the Spartan furniture to sooth him.
It had been a very long week.
Leaning back against the pillows, Sasuke pulled out his phone and fiddled with the screen. He had been putting off this last call for a reason—the sheer horror of having to call his brother and ask for help actually made him sick to his stomach. He hadn't been able to eat all of yesterday, and for the few woozy times Naruto had pulled himself out of his snoring match with Tsunade he had commented on Sasuke's sudden Halloween costume of a ghost.
But at least Naruto was waking up and making some semblance of sense now. He would be fine.
He'll be fine, Sasuke reminded himself for the umpteenth time. Sasuke's failure couldn't be overlooked, maybe even couldn't be forgiven, but at least Naruto was alive and the city was safe.
You're doing it again, he thought to himself. Just call him!
Taking a deep breath to still his nerves, Sasuke found the number and pressed call.
It was very nearly physically painful.
The phone rang once, twice, three times, before Itachi picked up. "This is Uchiha."
That was how Sasuke answered the phone, too.
Mental note: Change how I answer my phone immediately.
"Hello?" Itachi asked. "Anko, if this is another prank call I will fire you…"
"No," Sasuke finally managed. There was a lump in his throat—a lump made of shame, failure, and utter humiliation—that he had to work around before he could speak. "No, I'm sorry. This is Uchiha-"
Well that just blew that mental note to Africa.
"—I was just calling to inform you of a situation that may possibly affect you in the near future."
"…Sasuke?" Itachi asked in surprise. "It's not a holiday."
"No, there's a situation," Sasuke muttered, feeling the beginnings of guilt in his stomach again. He didn't only call on holidays. He didn't. It's wasn't like Itachi didn't have a phone too!
"Of course," Itachi said. "I apologize. I wasn't expecting—hn. What's the situation?"
"Naruto died, Kabuto took over, we drove him out of the city just yesterday. But Naruto's found his…" Sasuke wasn't exactly sure what to call Hinata. Lover? Fiancée? Girlfriend? Mate? "…female interest, I suppose. But things didn't go well and we can't find her. I was hoping you could—help."
"Kabuto took over? Are you alright?"
Sasuke blinked stupidly for a moment. What kind of a question was that in this situation? He had been expecting a diatribe on his life maybe, a reminder that Naruto was his responsibility, even a cheerful recitation of his past failures. Concern did not compute. "Of course, I'm fine. That doesn't matter-"
"It matters."
Sasuke was silent, floundering and trying to pinpoint when this conversation had deviated from the topic. The lump in his throat had swelled up as well, and he had to clear it before he could speak.
"Alright. Well, I can send you a photo of the girl if you like and her other personal information. Naruto is moaning about her."
"I'll see what I can do," Itachi assured. "Is there anything else I can help you with, Sasuke? Anything at all?"
"No, no, we have everything under control here. We expect a visit from the Kazekage soon for his sister's funeral, and he is willing to accept temporary guardianship of the area until Naruto is back on his feet. It's really all fine…"
Sasuke shut up, squeezing his jaw closed. He was rambling. He couldn't remember the last time he had rambled like such an idiot.
"Alright. When did the woman disappear?"
"Six days ago."
"...Ah."
"I should have called sooner."
"You were busy, it's understandable."
"Hn."
"And you're doing alright?"
"I'm fine. …How are you?"
"Fine."
"Good."
"Yes."
Silence. Sasuke fiddles with a loose string in his coverlet, making another mental note to get a pair of scissors and take care of it. Loose strings were horribly untidy.
"How would you feel about spending Christmas here?" Itachi asked suddenly. Sasuke was shocked to identify the tone as nervous. Nervous. He didn't think he had ever heard Itachi nervous about something.
Still, Sasuke hesitated. They may have called a truce, but there had been so many years when all they had focused on was murdering the other. Sasuke had lay in this very bed imagining Itachi's gruesome and horrible death at Sasuke's hands. It had made things awkward between them at best.
"I'll see," Sasuke said honestly. "With all the upheaval this year may not be best…"
"Yes. I should have thought of that."
Sasuke scowled and ripped out the string. Itachi sounded ridiculously disappointed. "But… but maybe… you could come here."
"Hn."
"If you want."
"It's a plan."
"Okay."
"I'll speak to you later."
"Okay."
"Goodbye."
"Bye."
Sasuke stared at the phone in his hand for a moment, and then his palm and face met with a smack.
oOo
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!
Sakura's smile grew wider with every time her fist met the door. This was the first time all week she had been able to let out her anger on someone else's property.
"Yes?" Sasuke snapped when he opened the door. "What do you want?"
Disheveled, Sakura decided, eyeing her friend up and down. Sasuke's hair stuck up wildly in the back, and he had dark purple rings under his eyes made darker by his white skin. It looked like he hadn't seen the sun in days. His black suit and tie, usually immaculate in the most untidy of circumstances, were crinkled and looked slept-in. His mouth was tight, narrowed brow making permanent lines in his forehead, and his eyes… his eyes looked not only tired, but defeated.
Yet he still managed to look sexy. Sakura wondered if he had taken classes, and where she could get them.
"Doughnuts," Sakura explained, holding up the paper bag and shaking it under his nose. "Along with fresh tomatoes-" she wriggled a separate bag, "and I even managed to find you some prescription sleep drugs. They're technically for me, but I won't tell if you don't."
Sasuke eyed the bag with the medicine disdainfully. "That's illegal."
"It's like speeding. It happens so often no one but the police care anymore. 'Sides, it's just sleeping pills. It's not hard narcotics, and I'm going to monitor your intake." She shook the bag with the doughnuts again. "Come on, Sauske… Chocolate…"
He sighed, but stepped aside. "I don't like-"
"Dark chocolate," Sakura corrected as she stepped in. "I found a great place that makes doughnuts to order."
Sasuke shook his head in wonder, locking the door behind her. "You realize its three o' clock in the morning?"
"Yup."
"What if I'd been sleeping?"
"You weren't."
She watched as Sasuke decided if it would be worth the effort to argue with her, decide against it, and show her into the kitchen. She set down her load on the table, and then rummaged through her sacks.
"We have to be quiet," Sasuke informed her, starting a pot of coffee. "Naruto isn't feeling well."
"That's too bad," Sakura said, shaking her head. She sucked on a tooth, frowning down at the table and wondering whether or not she should even bring this up. She had come here because she thought Sasuke might know something, but he looked like he was stressed out as it was…
But I need to know!
"Okay," Sakura said, turning around and nearly bumping into Sasuke. His kitchen was tiny at best, and he had moved closer to get to the food. Sakura cursed silently. Disheveled and he still smelled nice. "What happened to Hinata?"
Sasuke sighed, backing away to lean against the counter and frown out the window. It was beginning to rain, a dull pounding echoing on the roof of the house and lit by the light of the kitchen.
"Sasuke, I swear, I need to know. I don't know what's happened to her. A missing person report has been filed and I talked to the police. They said there was a massive disturbance at her house—that the door was kicked down!—and that she just disappeared. Please, Sasuke, please. Tell me."
"I can't tell you much," Sasuke said quietly. "I don't know if she's safe, or if she will ever come back, and I can't tell you why she ran. I don't where she is, but I have people searching for her. I don't…" he trailed off, staring out the window with stoic repose.
But Sakura saw the defeated slump to his shoulders, and wasn't fooled.
"Thank you for telling me," Sakura said. "Thank you for looking for her. I know that if anyone can find her, it's you, because you're willing to do anything for a friend."
He snorted crossly, and went looking for mugs. "What gave you that idea?"
Sakura grinned. "I think it had something to do with starting a cross-country search party for your friend's girl."
"Hn," Sasuke said eloquently.
Sakura laughed and wrapped her arms around him from behind for a hug. His spine went so straight she thought for a second the coffee pot had electrocuted him, but she held on until he relaxed and reluctantly patted her arm. "Even you need hugs, Sasuke. Now eat your doughnut and maybe you can have a vegetable afterward."
For the first time in over a week, Sasuke allowed himself a small smile.
oOo
Author's Notes: Next chapter will include France, Shino, and a very sad funeral.
Please tell me what you thought!