Disclaimer:I do not own Naruto or any of its respective characters. This fanfiction is for entertainment purposes only. (Mostly my amusement.) However, if I DID own Naruto, it would be called "Neji and Hinata: Byakugan Babies Galore!" That has a nice ring to it...
Author's Note:Here is Chapter Fourteen. This was by far, the most heart-wrenching chapter I have ever written. I was almost in tears by the end of it, and I am not usually so impacted emotionally by my own writing. I hope you find a bit of humor in here, as well. I didn't want it to be too sad. And a small warning. Don't freak out over the KakashixHinata moments in here. In the end, Hinata will be with Neji. This is just another obstacle for them to overcome. I can't make it too easy, now can I? So, thanks everyone, and as always, I appreciate your reviews.
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Possession - Chapter Fourteen
The door to Tsunade's office creaked open, slowly. Shizune poked her head inside, scanning for any sign of the Hokage. She spied Tsunade slouched low in her chair, head down on the desk. The Godaime's arms were laying flat on either side of her disheveled pig-tails.
Shizune crept inside.
The Godaime's assistant snuck closer to the desk. She did not really want to interrupt her mentor's much needed rest, but...
"Tsunade-sama," Shizune spoke softly. She received a mere grunt in reply. "Please wake up, Tsunade-sama. This is urgent," she tried again.
Tsunade raised her head reluctantly. "What is it, Shizune? Can't a young woman get her beauty sleep?" Shizune decided to ignore the easy poke at her mentor's actual age, opting instead to inform the woman of the business for which she had come.
"Tsunade-sama, I have the results of those tests you ordered performed on the sample from Hyuuga Hinata." The Godaime sat up, and their eyes met. "As you are acting as the Hyuuga's primary physician, you should know what I've found."
Tsunade wiped the drool from her lips. "We already know who her attacker was, so what else is there?"
Shizune handed her the clipboard. "See for yourself, ma'am."
The Godaime Hokage read over the words scribbled in sloppy medical jargon, brown eyes widening, as a deep scowl etched its way onto her delicate features. She set the clipboard down onto the desktop, then laced her fingers together.
"If I had known about this, I never would have sent her in alone," she said. "Damn! We can't risk it!" Her palm slammed onto the desk.
"What do you want to do, Tsunade-sama?"
"We cannot allow anything to happen to Hyuuga Hinata." Tsunade stood, pushing herself back from the desk. She frowned. "How many ANBU can we spare to send to the Hyuuga compound?"
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Hyuuga Tomomori stumbled down the secluded path in the Hyuuga garden. The hole in his wrist throbbed painfully, but thankfully he'd managed to halt the bleeding. The wound in his abdomen was another story. He'd bandaged it, but would need to see a medic-ninja, as soon as possible. He could still bleed to death if he weren't careful.
He grimaced. His right arm was still weak, but usable now, and with it he pushed the many grasping branches away as he hurried to escape the two shinobi tracking him.
Curse his luck. Curse that little whore, and curse that blasted one-eyed Sharingan ninja! What was Hatake Kakashi doing in the compound, anyway? He was one of Tsunade's pets, and should have been on the front lines! He sneered. Not that it mattered. The Cloud had managed to screw everything up even with the advantage of a missing Copy-Ninja, not to mention the element of surprise!
Tomomori looked back. They were still following him. He'd left a blatant trail, because there was no time left for stealth. He simply had to get there, and it mattered not how many saw or followed him. The ones waiting were the Raikage's own ANBU. Anyone caught trailing him was going to die. He grinned through the pain in his wrist, turning his head forward again. Serves those two Main House whelps right. He hopped over a fallen limb. The old hag had promised that none of the Main House would turn against the council. She was wrong. No one could have predicted that Hinata would command such loyalty.
There were a great many mistakes and miscalculations made in this operation. He and his brother had a lot of thinking to do. With any luck, the Raikage would accept the appeasement gift and allow them to stay. He would still get what he wanted, even if it wasn't Hinata. Hanabi was a better specimen anyway.
Speaking of which, the little brat should be in the hands of the Cloud by now, along with his brother and the old woman. He forced his way through a thick bush. Yes, they would survive this. And when they were safe in the Land of Lightning, that Main House bitch of a crone would finally get a taste of life on the bottom. He smiled. She wouldn't be so smug then, when the Cloud specialists plucked the Byakugan right out of her wrinkled face.
Tomomori stumbled over an exposed tree root. He turned back, listening for the ever approaching shinobi. They were close. He sped up, weaving through the trees with all the strength he could muster, teeth bared to the chill wind. Dreams of torturing the hag would have to wait. He still needed to escape.
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The Main House crone limped over the hill, nearly falling over in a frail heap. Ahead, she could see the next tree line, and within it, the Cloud shinobi. She released her faltering Byakugan. She was tired and would not be able to go on much farther. As much as she hated playing that card, she hoped they would take pity on an old woman.
The hag slid down the slick grass, crawling to her feet at the bottom. She continued forward, watching for movement in the foliage. There was none, so she called out to the ninja she knew were lurking nearby.
"Shinobi of the Cloud!" She screeched. "I am an elder of the Hyuuga! I have come at the behest of Hyuuga Tomoyuki and Hyuuga Tomomori!" Still, there was no answer. Her eyes narrowed. "I was told that I would be welcomed as an ally!"
"Shut your mouth, old woman!" An unfamiliar female voice answered shrilly from the tree line. The Cloud kunoichi fell gracefully from her high perch, face concealed behind a mask of porcelain, shaped into the hooked beak of a vulture. Her feathery, purple hair cascaded down her back, whipping around in the breeze as she approached the Hyuuga elder.
"Who are you?" The hag demanded. She didn't like the look of this woman, and never did appreciate the anonymity of the ANBU. Yet, here she was, at the mercy of this foreign assassin, as well as the others still hiding in the shadows.
"That depends," the kunoichi answered. "Do you have what we want?"
The hag scowled. This woman was going to be a problem.
"Just what is it that you've been promised?" The elder inquired, suspiciously.
"I see you are Main House," the kunoichi ignored her question. She swept a single finger across the brow of her mask. "No cursed seal." The hag had to keep her hand from touching her own forehead, as she felt the woman's masked eyes burning into the wrinkled flesh. "You will do," she said, and the Hyuuga elder could clearly hear the smirk playing in her raspy voice.
Her lips pursed together. She did not like this at all.
"Where are the others?" The Cloud kunoichi asked. "The twins, and the girl we were promised?"
Presently, the elder felt a pang of fear, and the uncontrollable urge to deceive this woman.
The unbreakable Hyuuga facade fell into place. "I have not seen them since we split in the garden." The corners of her eyes twitched slightly, as she took in all the implications of the kunoichi's body language. "The young one should be along shortly," she said, giving her a morsel of information.
"Then, we wait," the kunoichi answered, slinking back into the trees. "I suggest you come along, old woman. Unless you want to be seen."
The elder watched the vulture woman disappear into the shadows. She wanted to run back up the hill, but managed to keep her feet planted, with only a slight shiver coursing through her body. She would never be able escape, but couldn't help feeling like escape would be a better option than staying here. She turned her back to the deadly assassins, looking out over the hill. Indeed, she would much rather be seen, than be caught dead in the dark with them.
She wondered. What was taking Hanabi-sama so long? She and Tomoyuki should have arrived by now. She took a few steps toward the hill, stopping only after a handful of shuriken landed at her feet. She heard a warning rustle from the trees behind her, and knew that she would not be allowed to leave. Her spine stiffened. That did not mean that she couldn't find out what was happening on the other side of the hill.
Her Byakugan flared, and she focused on the two human heat signatures she could see through the mound of earth. They were easy to distinguish. Hanabi was slim and small, while her fellow elder was tall and robust. They seemed to be conversing, from the way they stood, facing one another.
The elder squinted her eyes, narrowing her line of focus, as Hanabi approached Tomoyuki. The man stepped backward, then paused as the young girl pulled something out of her pouch. The hag could tell that he was shaking. She frowned. He'd been shaking since they'd caught up to him and his brother in the dojo. He was a mess then, but now? He looked as though he were truly about to shatter.
She watched Hanabi brush a thin lock of hair out of her eyes, before bringing the object– no, a kunai– to her front! Tomoyuki backed away further, while Hanabi crouched down, poised to strike. The Branch elder turned and ran, and Hanabi was upon him in an instant.
The hag released her Byakugan.
Hanabi-sama. She had deceived them all.
The old woman wrapped her frail arms around herself, contemplating her fate, and recent events. She'd brought this on herself– all of it. And now, there was no way out. She looked around into the silent darkness, the wind whipping around her. Finally, her sunken, white eyes settled on the half-disc of the waning moon. She was lucky, she supposed. Hanabi could easily have killed them both. Instead, she let her get away. The hag glanced over toward the trees. Or perhaps, she simply allowed her to walk into an even more sinister trap.
She smiled, eyes returning to the hill. She couldn't blame the brat, really. Truth and lies were a game, and she'd finally learned the rules.
"Old woman," called the voice of the vulture woman. The elder did not turn or acknowledge the Cloud kunoichi. "I can feel your chakra," the woman rasped. "What do you see?"
The crone elder reactivated her Byakugan, watching as Hanabi gouged out the eyes of the corpse beneath her. "I see nothing," she lied. "Nothing at all." She allowed a slight smirk to grace her drooping features. Truth and lies were a game– and she wasn't done playing yet.
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Hyuuga Hinata held fast to the jounin vest of Hatake Kakashi, as he dashed across the slippery rooftops of the Hyuuga compound. Due to her blood loss, the chill in the air was getting to her, and she pressed her cheek into the crook of his throat, soaking in his heat, and his intoxicating, masculine scent.
"Mmmm," she snuggled closer, feeling his arms tighten around her. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this safe, but, she did recall that every encounter she'd ever had with the Copy-Ninja resulted in this same, or a very similar feeling.
The jounin stared down at her, and their eyes met, passing something hot and electric between them. Hinata blushed, and Kakashi smiled through his mask.
"Hinata-chan," he said, returning his gaze to the next rooftop as he leapt over the gap. "I'm going to ask you a few questions, and I expect honest answers."
The Hyuuga Leader bit her lip, but nodded in acknowledgment. What could he possibly want to know?
"Do you remember the day we met?"
"Hai, sensei," she answered. How could she forget? He had been so kind and gentle, helping her to find niisan's gift. She scowled. Niisan. He wasn't her niisan anymore.
"Do you remember what I bought for you that day?"
"H-Hai..." Just where was he going with this?
"And you remember what you told your Matron, yes? That it was a gift for your niisan?"
Hinata stiffened. She had not expected this line of questioning.
"Answer me, Hinata." Kakashi glanced down at her, and she was drawn into his mismatched gaze.
"Um... Well, I– " He narrowed his eyes, and his Sharingan began to spin. "H-Hai, sensei," she found herself speaking before a thought entered her mind.
"You only have one niisan, am I right?"
"Hai, sensei." Again, the words came without any regard to her will. And they were true, and she hated it. No matter how she tried to deny it, Hyuuga Neji would always be her niisan.
Kakashi's gaze softened, and he released her from his hypnotic spell. "I want an answer to this next question. No evading, and no lies," he informed. Hinata took a deep breath. She could already guess. "What did he do to you with that rope?"
And there it was...
She swallowed. "It– It was innocent, Kakashi-sensei..." She saw him frown through the mask. "Nothing really," she avoided his gaze. "W-We... were just playing..."
"Hinata," Kakashi warned. She cringed, trying to hide her face. "Look at me, Hinata. You have nothing to be ashamed of, but you must tell me the truth."
Her eyes rose to meet his, tentatively. "He..." She pursed her lips shut. How was this going to help anything? It was so long ago, and it really was innocent. However, the stern look on Kakashi's face told her that he was yet unsatisfied– so she continued. "He t-tied me to a chair..."
They came to a halt. The Copy-Ninja's eyes grew wide, and she swore she saw his Sharingan begin to glow. Not good.
"He only tickled me, Kakashi-sensei! I swear! That is all that happened!"
Kakashi glared at her. "He tied you to a chair... and tickled you?"
"Hai!" He had to believe her! It was the truth!
He closed his eyes, raising his face toward the blue moonlight. He hugged her close, and she couldn't help but feel a little confused. Finally, he captured her eyes again.
"It's my fault," he said.
Her brows furrowed. "W-What is, Kakashi-sensei?"
He hesitated, then finally said what she never imagined she'd hear from the silver-haired jounin. "The tape," he admitted. "I gave it to him."
Hinata pushed herself away from his chest, staring up at him, wide-eyed. "What?" She rasped "Is this a joke?" He couldn't possibly mean it. No. Not from him. How? Why? "This isn't very funny, sensei."
"It isn't a joke, Hinata-chan. After you left me at the hardware store, Neji came looking for you," he explained. "I was suspicious, but I didn't think..." He growled. "When he asked for the electrical tape, I let him have it. He said it was for your father." He looked away again. "I'm sorry, little cherry."
The little kunoichi in his arms began to relax, much to his surprise. She placed a hand on his masked face, shifting his gaze back toward her. She gave him a sad smile.
"You are forgiven," she whispered. "Now please, sensei," she grazed her fingertips along his jaw, "try to forgive yourself." She understood how he felt, but the only person responsible for Neji, was Neji. Hinata would not allow her anger toward her cousin to bleed into the relationships she had with others, and certainly not the deep friendship she was only now coming to recognize between herself and Hatake Kakashi.
His eyes followed the movement of her fingers as she drew her hand away. "I can't make any promises," he said. "But I can," he leaned closer, "thank you for your kindness..."
Kakashi's masked lips brushed ever so softly across Hinata's cheek, over her own lips, then finally rested at the corner of her mouth. The Hyuuga blushed so deeply that the jounin chuckled in her ear.
"You're so warm, Hinata-chan," he smirked. "Are you running a fever?"
"I– I– " She swallowed. "Ka-Kakashi..." She was speechless. She couldn't even move. The Copy-Ninja cradled her back against his chest, before taking off toward the gate, once again leaping from rooftop to rooftop.
"I'd better hurry then, and get you to the hospital," he said.
Hinata, for all her intentions, could only blush... and nod.
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Hyuuga Neji stood face to face with his ultimate rival, Uzumaki Naruto. The kyuubi vessel was brimming with infernal, red chakra, and his eyes held a bestial quality that Neji had never seen. This was it. This was the fight he had dreamt of– craved– since his shocking defeat during the Chuunin Exam. He inhaled a long, deep, potent breath, before releasing it, along with the tension coiled inside his distraught muscles. Yes. Now was the time for one of them to die.
Naruto lunged, claws outstretched to pierce the heart of the Hyuuga prodigy. Neji spun on his heel, ducking as Naruto flew over him, his whole body twisting in mid-air. The incensed demon-boy landed yards away, on all fours.
Neji took to his Jyuuken stance, glancing once more toward the corpse at his feet. Hinata. He let her image fill him with sickening fury, savoring the snapping of his mental leash, and the hatred that poured out of him in that instant.
He glowered purposefully at the orange-clad ninja. "Well, what are you waiting for? An invitation?" He smirked.
"I'll wipe that smirk off your face!" Naruto screamed. The Uzumaki came again, running like the nine-tailed fox, before slashing across and being struck on the wrist by one of Neji's Jyuuken palms. He continued to slash, and each time, his arms were pushed aside. He crouched, leaping between Neji's outstretched legs, and landed a devastating kick to the small of the Hyuuga's back.
Neji lurched forward, but spun around immediately, connecting the heel of his foot with Naruto's rage contorted face. He spun through the air and landed in a tree.
Seconds ticked by, and Naruto was nowhere to be seen. Neji activated his Byakugan, scanning the area. He spotted his foe crouched in a treetop... then another, and another, and another.
"Clones," Neji sneered. Their chakra was divided evenly, and he had no idea which was the real Naruto. No matter. He drew several kunai, one for each clone, then flung them into the foliage.
He watched the clones leap away, only to smirk when his kunai exploded, scattering senbon in all directions. The Narutos were struck, and a second later, puffed out of existence. Only after the last one was gone, did Neji realize the real Naruto was not one of them.
Four blonde ninja came at him from different directions. Fists, kicks and palms flew in the melee. A puff of smoke. Then another. Two more clones took their places. Neji's head snapped back from the force of a unseen punch, and his rib-cage took a beating. In turn, another sneering blonde was destroyed by a quick succession of blows, and was replaced almost immediately.
As the fray grew more intense with each passing second, Neji tried to analyze the situation. He was outnumbered, he was still suffering from Gai-sensei's beating, and Naruto had more chakra than was humanly possible. Severing his chakra flow would be nearly impossible, as was proven during their last battle.
The demon-brats lunged at him, and Neji began his rotation. "Hakkesho Kaiten!" He shouted. One was knocked away. The other three held fast to his arms and legs as he spun, whirling them around in a blur of orange and sparkling blue chakra.
"Let go!" Neji swiped at the grinning fox-boys. He forced his palm against a nose, and felt the cartilage shatter from the force.
"Argh!" The clone wailed before its disintegration. As the rotation continued, Neji elbowed another in the ear, and it too was destroyed. The last one, the one swinging from his knees, smiled up at him before poofing out on his own.
Neji slowed his rotation, finally stopping. He whipped his head around, searching for Naruto when he heard the familiar hiss of a paper bomb. It was behind him! He twisted his body around to look behind his knees, and there they were; two paper bombs, and no time to escape...
Boom!
The blast shifted the earth and the trees. It sucked the oxygen out of the air, leaving Naruto wheezing as he waited for the debris to stop falling and the dust to clear. In the crater left behind by his deception, Hyuuga Neji lay sprawled in pain, bloodied, with broken legs. The prodigy kept his agony to himself, as he clawed his way toward Hinata's corpse.
"Hi...nata-sama..." His voice was raspy and broken. This was all he had left. He had no energy for anything else.
"Stay away from her!" Naruto wailed. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" He produced four more clones, and ran with them to intercept Neji. "Get ready to die, Neji!" He hissed.
Neji ignored him, looking ahead toward his beloved. He continued to crawl, and his vision blacked out again and again. Then, the distorted image before him warped into something else, giving him pause.
What... was that thing? He grimaced through the burning in his legs, and it changed shape again. He squinted hard, searching for Hinata's familiar form. She was slumped over in a heap of death. Her pale arm... What! Her arm disappeared! Neji closed his eyes, then reopened them. Hinata faded in and out of his vision with each wave of pain that crested through his broken body. This wasn't right...
The first of Naruto's clones reached him, and Neji was kicked into the air. The second clone leapt after him, pummeling him higher still. The third clone came immediately after, and Neji was launched further above the ground. He stared into the darkness of night, and the few twinkling stars that were visible through the moon-illuminated clouds. The only thought that passed through his mind, was whether Hinata-sama were truly alive...
"Say goodbye!" The fourth clone launched him back toward the ground, with a resounding crack against his ribs.
As he plummeted headfirst to the earth, Neji watched what must have been the real Naruto, along with one of his shadow clones, focusing chakra into a palm-sized, swirling blue ball.
A new jutsu. A powerful jutsu. He bared his teeth, angrily. What a fool he'd been. Naruto was going to kill him, over some blasted genjutsu...
"Rasengan!" Naruto shouted, launching himself toward the fallen Hyuuga genius.
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Hyuuga Hinata's blush still had not subsided, though she and Hatake Kakashi had said nothing to one another since their previous exchange. She looked up at him, noticing that he'd finally covered his Sharingan eye, and also saw the small smirk curling his lips through the dark mask.
He was magnificent. She had always thought as much, even as a little girl. On that first day, when she had been utterly lost in the weapons shop, he was there. He helped her, he kept her calm. He said all the right things, and more.
She bit down on her lower lip. Kakashi had always been there for her, hadn't he? Popping up at the most surprising times, giving her advice and making her laugh. Why? Why did he care so much? She looked away again, snuggling closer to him as he tightened his hold around her. What was he trying to do, anyway? Seduce her? After everything that had happened to her? Was he crazy? And why did she find herself welcoming seduction, if in fact that was what was happening?
Hinata shook her head, remembering the brief, ghost of a kiss that Kakashi had planted across her mouth. She felt her body heating up again, and heard the deep rumble in his chest, as he chuckled lightly.
His good eye slid toward her, eyebrow quirked with amusement. "What are you thinking about?" He inquired.
"N-N-Nothing!" She answered too quickly. He smiled.
Kakashi leapt onto another rooftop, halting momentarily. "Hinata-chan," he said. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I just..." He attempted to look into her eyes, but her face was buried in his jounin vest. "Well, I– "
Boom!
They both turned their heads toward the explosion reshaping the face of the Hyuuga garden.
"What was that!" Hinata screeched, nearly jumping out of Kakashi's grasp. She gasped. "Hanabi!" She'd been so worried about her little sister. Perhaps she should not have allowed her to go away with those traitors. "Take me there! Hurry, Kakashi-sensei!"
The Copy-Ninja lurched forward to keep her from falling. "Hold still!" He stumbled a bit, before catching his precarious balance on the slippery roof. "I said I'm taking you to the hospital!"
"No!" Hinata pinched his arm, and he grimaced. "Either you take me to whatever is left after that explosion, or," she began to wriggle out of his arms, "I'll go alone." She looked at him with the sternest expression he had ever seen on her rounded face. "You can not stop me. You are on my land, remember?"
They stared at one another, and Hinata's white eyes narrowed. Kakashi sighed.
"Alright," he said. "You just stay close to me." He repositioned her in his arms, then sped off toward the blast zone.
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Shizune, and two of Tsunade's ANBU ran through the gates of the Hyuuga compound. They passed through a small gathering of Hyuuga Clan members, darting around them, leaving them startled and utterly perplexed.
"Excuse us!" Shizune called back to them. "We've no time to waste!"
One of the Hyuuga, a Main House shinobi ran after them, falling in step beside the Hokage's assistant. "We could really use your assistance, Shizune-san." He glanced at the ANBU bringing up the rear. "And the ANBU, as well," he said.
"Sorry," the dark-haired jounin answered. "Our orders are to secure the safety of your Leader and Hyuuga Hinata."
"Well then," the shinobi said. "You'll find them both in the same place." Shizune turned her head to gaze into his eyes. "Because, Hyuuga Hinata is our Leader."
Shizune was momentarily speechless. "You mean– "
"Hai," he cut her off. "Hiashi-sama is no more. By right of succession, Hinata-sama rules this Clan."
Shizune scowled. "Then she's even more of a target than before!" She picked up the pace, and the others followed her lead. "Take us to her!"
The shinobi frowned, deeply. "Well, that's the problem," he said. "No one knows where she is. The Branch leader went to find her after she was spotted near the dojo, but there hasn't been any sign of either of them since."
"Branch leader?" She was surprised. "You haven't had a Branch leader since– "
"Hyuuga Neji is the Branch leader now," he informed, proudly. Then, his brows furrowed, having seen the wide-eyed look Shizune gave him. "What's wrong?" He asked, confused by her reaction. Shizune said nothing. It wasn't her place, after all. "He will make an excellent Branch leader– like his father." He looked ahead again, and Shizune could see the hope in his eyes. "He will be exactly what Hinata-sama needs."
She truly did not want those hopes to be dashed so brutally. "I hope you're right," she finally said. Silence fell over them briefly. "Do you have any idea where she– "
Boom!
All four shinobi immediately shifted toward the direction of the blast.
"Any idea what that was?" Shizune asked the Hyuuga, as they ran toward the cloud of debris.
"No," he answered. "But it is in the direction of the dojo."
Her eyes narrowed. "Right then. Let's go!"
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"Sasuke-kun?" Haruno Sakura slipped beside the brooding Uchiha, on the bench just inside the gates of Konoha. The others had since left them, to attend to their own desires.
"Hn," he acknowledged her. She wanted to hold his hand, but refrained from doing so. She needed to know the truth, and she needed to know now.
"Do you," she began, awkwardly. "Do you... really want to be with me?"
There, she said it. Now, she only had to wait for his positive answer. She waited, but he didn't say anything. Sakura frowned.
"Sasuke-kun, please answer me," she pleaded. Again, only silence greeted her. Now she was getting mad, but she wouldn't let him know that.
She leaned on his shoulder, peering up at his stoic face. He wouldn't look at her, just stared into the night. Maybe she would just have to be forward with him.
Sakura looped her arm in his, sighing quietly. "The reason I ask, is because Ino said something to me... that was told to her by Shikamaru..."
"Since when do you listen to secondhand information?" His voice was smooth and practiced. It sent shivers down her spine.
She lifted her head, looking pointedly at him until he finally turned toward her. "Well," she answered. "Because I trust Ino, and Shikamaru. Now, answer my question, Sasuke."
He glared at her. "Would you still be here if I didn't want you?" He smirked, cupping her face with his calloused hand. "You're so annoying, Sakura."
She shoved him away, before his lips could touch her own. "Do you want to be with me, Sasuke? Do you love me?"
His nose curled up in a scowl. "Sakura," he said her name like a dagger stabbed into her heart, while he grasped her shoulders, pulling her face mere inches from his own. "I want you, and I have you." His onyx gaze drew her in, helplessly. "I gave you a ring, didn't I?"
Sakura pulled away to fiddle with the five carat, princess-cut platinum engagement ring on her left hand. "H-Hai," she blushed.
"Then, shut up," he said, shoving his tongue down her throat.
They remained like this for a long time, then Sakura broke away from him. "S-Sasuke," she panted, as he straddled her. He didn't want to hear this, but it couldn't be helped. They were a team, after all. "Shouldn't we be looking for Naruto?"
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You sure know how to kill the mood," he said
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Uzumaki Naruto's face scrunched up, painfully. His eyes began to water, and his lips quivered violently. The Rasengan in his hand began to twist wildly, as he lost control during the loud, obnoxious, unwelcome sneeze.
"Aaachooo!" The chakra of the Rasengan exploded prematurely in his hand. Hyuuga Neji's limp body collided with his own, and they fell back to the soggy earth. Naruto sprang to his feet, as Neji clung to him, growling viciously.
"You idiot!" The prodigy screamed. He let go, and they both fell away, Neji landing on his face, while Naruto tripped over something very thin, taut and low to the ground.
"What the– " The fox-boy, tangled in wire, nearly landed on Hinata's bloody corpse. He twisted his body to avoid her, but could not avoid the senbon flying toward him.
Neji used what strength he had to launch himself at the corpse. He wasn't sure it was real, but if it was, he wouldn't let her body be damaged any further.
"Hinata-sama!" He landed above the body, just as the needles sank into his and Naruto's flesh. The blonde was right beside him, and they were both absolutely covered in needles.
"Aaaahhh!" The pain was intense, as the many senbon worked their way into their bodies. Both boys fell away from the corpse, grasping at the needles, trying to pull them out. Then, they looked at Hinata– or, what should have been Hinata.
"I knew it," Neji whispered.
"Whoa!" Naruto tried to stand. He fell back to his knees. "What did you do to Hinata-chan?!" He shouted.
"Idiot!" Neji retorted. "It was genjutsu!" He sat up, hovering above the limp roll of white cloth. They fell for it. He fell for it; stupid fucking genjutsu... He glared at Naruto. The blonde gave him a sheepish grin, while scratching at the back of his neck.
"Hey, don't look at me," Naruto said. "I didn't cast the genjutsu."
"Yes," Neji agreed. "A technique like that actually requires a brain."
Naruto raised his fist. "Shut up, Hyuuga! You're not off the hook yet!" He drew his arm back, preparing the blow that Neji had no hope of countering. "Even if she isn't dead, you still hurt Hinata-chan!"
Neji shut his eyes, bracing for the blow. He deserved it. He deserved to die...
"Naruto!" The voice was familiar, yet strained and weary. It held a softness that could not be mimicked, and an edge that could not be denied.
Hinata...
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Hinata looked down at the devastated stretch of garden, glowering at her cousin. Naruto crouched beside him, preparing to strike. They had obviously caused all this destruction, and as much as her mind told her that Neji deserved whatever he got, she couldn't stop her voice from carrying Naruto's name down from the rooftop.
"Naruto!" She shouted. Kakashi stiffened, having noticed his student, and her niisan below. She placed a hand his firm biceps. "Put me down, Kakashi-sensei," she instructed.
He did as she bid him, and she landed softly on her toes, before leaping to the ground below. Both combatants stopped immediately, watching her approach. She kept her gaze neutral, looking neither in the eye. The senbon was still embedded within them both, but they ignored the vicious sting, just stared the kunoichi as she glided forward.
Naruto scooted away from Neji when he finally felt Hinata's eyes land on him. "Hinata-chan," he greeted, kneeling.
"Naruto-kun," she whispered. "Are you injured?"
"Awww, it's nothing," he answered, finally resuming his senbon extraction.
Neji's eyes widened, then he fell to the ground, prostrating himself as one in his position should– as only he could with two broken legs. "Hinata-sama," he pressed his face into the dirt. He never imagined himself groveling in this way to anyone, but this was his fate, and his life was in her hands. "There are no words to express the depth of my regret." He suppressed the sob that threatened to break from his throat. "I deserve not your forgiveness, but please," he felt his body quake with guilt. "Please allow me serve you as your Branch leader," he finished, hastily.
He remain thus, breathing in the dirt, but received no answer from his Lady. He dared to raise his head, and found that she had passed him, sparing neither word nor glance.
"Hinata-sama?" He wrenched, craning his neck to see over his shoulder. She was kneeling over Naruto, assisting in the removal of his needles. She didn't look at him. She didn't speak. Nothing. His heart ached. Why?
"Naruto-kun, why did you come here?" Her voice was so soft and soothing. It was good to see her foxy friend, but the sight of him– she frowned– the sight of both of them, covered in senbon needles was horrific, even after all that she had seen tonight. She yanked three more needles out of Naruto's arm, scowling. She wouldn't let Neji see how much his ill state effected her. He could sweat a little.
When the extraction was complete, Naruto took her hands with his own. "Kiba and Shino told us what happened," he looked serious, and concerned. Then, he tilted his head to indicate that he was refering to Neji. "He did something to you," he growled. "I don't know what, but I know I whooped his ass!" He said, a little louder than she cared to hear. The last thing she needed was a renewal of their brawl.
"Quiet, Naruto-kun," she scolded. It is over now, and we all have much to discuss."
Neji inched his battered body around to face the two. Why? Why wouldn't she at least acknowledge his presence?
He prostrated again in his attempt for recognition. "Hinata-sama, your humble servant kneels before you in shame. Please, tell this undeserving wretch what he needs to do to regain his honor and your trust." Again, he waited. Again, there was no response.
He slowly raised his face to see her back still turned to him, as she helped Naruto to his feet. Was this his cursed fate? To be dismissed utterly by the woman for whom he lived? This was a fate far worse than death.
Hinata smiled at the kyuubi vessel, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him. She smiled, but inside she was in turmoil. She cared so much for Naruto, had even believed that she was in love with him. But, Kakashi-sensei... He had kissed her, and she liked it. She bit into her lip again, staring at no particular spot of orange. And what of Neji-niisan? She knew what her feelings toward him were. Unfortunately, they were complicated by his actions. Did he deserve forgiveness? Was he truly repentant? So many questions...
She darted a glance at Naruto's grinning face, before peeking over her shoulder at Kakashi-sen– Her eyes darted around. Where was Kakashi-sensei?
She heard a muffled grunt behind her, and turned to see Kakashi holding Neji by the throat in the crook of his elbow. The silver-haired jounin pressed a kunai to her niisan's throat, as he dangled helplessly above the ground.
"Give me one reason," he whispered in the prodigy's ear. "One reason to let you live." He clasped his elbow, stifling Neji's breath. "Do you have one? Or shall I relieve you of your miserable life, right here?"
Hinata's eyes twitched and widened in shock and fury as the words flew from her mouth before she had a chance to register their meaning. "Hatake-san!" She shouted. "Release him!" She pushed Naruto away, stalking toward the livid Copy-Ninja. "You have no right!" He only stood there, threatening Neji with his incendiary stare. Hinata was not pleased. "I said release him!" She screeched. "He belongs to me! His life is mine! I am the one who shall decide his fate!"
"Hinata-chan," he seethed.
"No! You listen to me! As long as you reside on Hyuuga land, you will follow my orders. If a jounin like yourself cannot handle that, then you are not welcome here." She scrunched her face in irritation, until Kakashi dropped her cousin to the ground. Hinata narrowed her eyes at him, before finally glancing toward Neji's shocked face. "And," she said, still glowering at her cousin. "You will address me as Hyuuga-sama."
She turned her back and walked away, fuming as blood flowed swiftly thorough her veins. She could feel it in every part of her body, and was acutely aware of her wounded thigh and torso, as the liquid warmth returned. She looked down at the tight bandages, and her strength failed. She collapsed, but before she hit the ground, she was in Naruto arms again.
He snickered. "I guess this is our thing, huh?"
Her blush spread quickly, and she was about to knock him senseless, when...
"Hyuuga-sama!"
She closed her eyes, opened them, and finally turned to meet Neji's eyes.
"My Lady," he said, crumpled and broken on the cold ground. "Please, tell me how I may serve you. Anything, please... I need... to have... to see..."
"Silence, Branch House." Hinata eased out of Naruto's grasp, limping toward the Hyuuga prodigy. Their eyes never left one another, and more emotion passed between them than in all their years together. Not all of it was comforting. "I am a busy woman. Do not waste my time with such trivial matters." She leaned over him, inspecting his damaged legs. "If you can not fight the enemy, then you are useless to me. If you wish to do something," her lips curled into a demure smile, then into a cruel one, "then crawl in a hole and rot," she hissed.
She watched hope shatter in his eyes, and did not regret her words. If he had expected instant forgiveness, of the variety that she had supplied over the course of their lifetime, he was in need of rude awakening. She pouted, mockingly, as shining tears formed in his wide, silver eyes. She would enjoy this, every moment of torment she could inflict upon her hapless cousin.
"Many times you told me that I belonged to you," she whispered so that only he could hear. "You were quite wrong, Neji-niisan." She stroked his face with a single finger, ending at his chin and pulling his face up toward her own. "You are mine," she spat, "and I will play with you until there is nothing left." He swallowed, and she fluttered thick, dark eyelashes at him. Cruelty was an art that she now found appealing, and Hyuuga Neji would have to endure her spite, if he ever wanted to be her trusted niisan again.
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"Up ahead!" Shizune shouted. "Do you see anything?"
The Hyuuga shinobi activated his Byakugan, launching his vision far in the distance. "Yes!" He answered. "I see them! They are not far from here. I see Hinata-sama, and Neji-san," he squinted. "And two others."
"Are they in danger?"
"No, they do not appear to be battling. In fact," he narrowed his focus further. "Hinata-sama seems to be attending to Neji-san's wounds."
"Right! Let's hurry!"
The four of them ran in unimaginable speed, streaking through the garden in a distorted blur. Soon, they could all see the four figures ahead of them. Hinata, Neji, Naruto and Kakashi. Shizune smiled brightly, and they came to a halt a few feet away.
"Hinata-chan!" The Hokage's assistant called to the younger kunoichi. She yanked the last senbon out of Neji's back, before turning toward the sound of the jounin's voice.
"Shizune-san," she tried to stand, but her legs faltered, and she was supported by Naruto in an instant. Shizune ran to her immediately.
"Where are you hurt?" She demanded. She eased the girl onto her back, and inspected the bandages wrapped around her lower torso and thigh. "Semi-decent job," she said absently.
"Hn. Thanks," Kakashi huffed. He sauntered over to the ANBU soon after, and they filled him in on the state of the village. Naruto followed him, and he managed to scold his student, as well.
Shizune sliced through the bandages with her chakra scalpel, then pressed her warm, glowing hands to Hinata's wounded side. Her chakra started working immediately, and when she finished there, her hand hovered over the girl's belly a bit longer. She searched, growing more anxious with each passing second. There! She felt it! It was still there! Thank the Gods!
She looked at Hinata's face, and saw that she was staring up into the sky. Good. She didn't notice the brief moment of fear, then relief that showed in her expression. Shizune started working on her thigh next, and it was healed in a matter minutes. Then, Hinata turned on her side, pointing toward her lower back. Shizune tended to her there, as well. When it was all over, Hinata stood, stretched and bowed to the older woman.
"Arigatou," Lady Hyuuga said. Then, she gestured to her cousin. "I can not stand his miserable sight any longer. Would you please," flicked a dismissive wrist at the Hyuuga prodigy. "Perhaps then he can be of some use to me."
"Of course," Shizune answered, then set to work on Neji's broken legs. He was already on his back, and as her chakra worked its way into his bone, she glared down at him, annoyed. "Second time tonight, Hyuuga," she said.
"I don't like this any more than you do," he spat back at her. She sent an electric jolt through him, and he sneered, nastily. "Watch it!" He hissed through clenched teeth.
"I'm sorry, Branch leader. Did that hurt?"
"Don't toy with me!" Neji snarled.
"Who's toying?" She shocked him again, and his body went rod-straight. "Be careful, Branch leader. I'm watching you." Shizune continued the healing, and Neji kept his big mouth shut.
"Hinata-sama," the Hyuuga shinobi bowed. She nodded her head in acknowledgment. "My Lady, there is much turmoil in the compound. The remaining elders have barricaded themselves inside the Branch House."
Hinata inhaled a deep breath. "Have they taken hostages?"
The shinobi looked away momentarily, then met her shining eyes again. "No. But there are those who have sided with them. They are the only ones remaining inside the Branch House."
"Then, the solution is simple," Hinata spoke, soft and sure. "All those in collusion with the enemy are the enemy."
"But they– "
"Are traitors," she interjected. "And what do we do with traitors?"
He paused, considering the answer. "We execute them." His answer was firm, and she nodded.
"Now," Lady Hyuuga walked past him. "I have a siege to plan." After a few steps, she stopped. "Shizune-san, I have a request." Everyone's attention was now trained on her. "The ANBU... I need to find my sister. Will you help me?"
One of the ANBU stepped forward, bowing slightly. "We are at your service, Hyuuga-sama. Hokage-sama sent us here to aid you in any capacity that we could."
"That's right, Hinata-chan," Shizune stood, having finished with Neji. The Hyuuga prodigy also took to his feet, stepping far away from the Godaime's assistant.
"Then find her, please!" Hinata pleaded. Her eyes darted around, as she willed her tears away. "She is precious to me." She swallowed the dry lump in her throat. "This Clan needs her."
"Hai, Hyuuga-sama!" Both ANBU answered, then dashed away, into the trees.
She watched them go, shaking with relief. "Thank you..." Hinata whispered. Then, Shizune came behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Is there anything I can do?" The jounin asked.
Hinata faced the kind, yet stern kunoichi. "Yes," she answered, twisting her hands together. "You can perform an autopsy."
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Hyuuga Hanabi trudged through the foliage surrounding the Hyuuga compound. She'd left the old crone on the other side of the hill, after gutting the traitor who's body she was currently dragging through the mud. Damned bastard was heavy, and she heaved with each straining step.
How had it come to this? She was alone, braving her trial by fire. There was no one to tell her what to do, or if what she was doing was right. She was alone– utterly alone. Hanabi tugged at the wire across her shoulder, dragging the corpse by its legs over a gnarled root.
Gods! Why was this happening? She couldn't stop the hot tears, and they poured from her eyes, streaming down uncontrollably. Did she do the right thing? Her knees buckled. Did she? Hanabi slumped to the ground, bringing her hands to her face. She had wiped them, but the warmth of his blood still stung her palms.
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Flashback
He stood before her, a waste of life and everything that came with it– and he had the gall to apologize. That was when she snapped.
"I'm going to slice you open, rip out your intestines, and strangle you to death with them." His face went completely blank, and she could see that he'd stopped breathing. Then a spasm tore through his body, as though instinct were trying to override reality. There was no way he could escape, but he tried anyway.
Hyuuga Tomoyuki ran, but was shoved to the ground barely a second later, a kunai twisting in his back. Hanabi struck him again, and again, and again; mixing his infernal blood with the tears she finally shed for her father.
After he lay still and empty beneath her weight, she rolled him over and gouged out his eyes. "Is that what you wanted, you fucking murderer!? My eyes!?" She twisted the blade in his skull, squirting blood in her face. "Well," her voice broke, and she sobbed quietly. "How's this for irony," she hissed. Then, she ripped his eyeballs out of their sockets, and shoved them into his gaping mouth.
End Flashback
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"Dammit!" She screeched. Hanabi continued to wail, and her sobs drowned out all other sound. She didn't hear the quick footsteps approaching, nor did she see the stricken face of Hyuuga Tomomori when he recognized the disfigured corpse.
"Tomoyuki!" He screamed, terror laced in all four syllables. Hanabi looked into his wild eyes, and saw a future she did not care to greet.
He came at her, and she had no choice but to stand– and fight.
End Chapter Fourteen