Hi friends! Sorry for the long wait for an update, my goodness, life has been insane. After house hunting for a year and a half, we are finally moving to a rental that will be okay for me (I have special housing needs because of my health; it can make things tricky!). I've been running around, trying to get my work done while doing a ridiculous amount of packing and cleaning and all that stressful stuff that goes with moving.
And today...I totally got sick. Which is great news for you, because I can actually relax, be in my PJ's all day, and update my fic:) My beta, Uchiha.s, was nice enough to edit this for me though she was very busy, so special thanks to her!
In other news, after a looooong string of rejections, I just got a short piece of creative writing accepted for publication! It will be my first published piece in print, and it is to a literary magazine that is pretty hard to get into, so I'm pretty happy about that. If you would like the link, feel free to PM me or let me know in your review:)
Well, enough about me! Thanks so much for your patience, and I hope you enjoy this next chapter! Thanks so much for all your kind reviews, and I will do my best to update when I can:)
Chapter Four: Because I Wanted To
But beauty is found in the love of impermanent things, and is precious because it is fleeting. If she dies, maybe she can bring some worth—some beauty—to her life. That's freedom, Hinata thinks, or close enough to it that's she's willing to sacrifice her life for it.
"It h-h-hurts to p-p-pee," she stammers, blushing bright red. She stares down at the floor by Kabuto's feet.
"A urinary tract infection? Well, that's not uncommon," Kabuto says, not bothering to look up from Guren's desk. "I can give you herbs to cure that."
"Umm…it really b-b-burns," Hinata adds. "A-also…"
"Spit it out," Guren growls as she shoots her a scathing look. "In case you haven't noticed, we're preparing for war."
"I have a y-y-yellow d-d-discharge," Hinata manages despite her heavy stutter. "It really i-i-itches." Though she is lying, she doesn't have to feign her embarrassment.
Guren and Kabuto share a look.
"It could be gonorrhea," Kabuto says, turning to stare intently at Hinata. Hinata wishes the ground would swallow her whole. "Orochimaru-sama will be displeased if one of his favorite pets has a sexually transmitted disease." Kabuto taps his lip, then reaches out and touches Hinata's forehead. "She feels warm. It could be a fever."
"It's probably just from her blush," Guren grumbles.
"Guren," Kabuto replies silkily, "this could be serious."
"Just give her an antibiotic and be done with it," Guren snaps. "We don't have time for this."
Kabuto shakes his head. "It would be better to test first. You have to use the right antibiotic, or the infection will worsen. I'd do the testing myself, but I don't specialize in gynecological disorders. We should send her to the hospital."
"Are you kidding me?" Guren sputters. "At a time like this?"
"If Misaki has gonorrhea," Kabuto explains in that smooth, smug voice, "then so will Orochimaru's new host body." Hinata suppresses a shiver at that. She doesn't know what is worse: having Kabuto and Guren talk over her head like she is nothing more than a dog, or hearing Sasuke referred to as a host body.
Guren spears Hinata with a glare, as if this is somehow all her fault. "If that's the case," Guren replies at last, rising from her desk, "I'll take her to the hospital myself. You'll manage without me?" Her tone implies that she doubts it.
"I'll be just fine, Guren-san," Kabuto says, a sycophantic smile curving his lips. "You are dismissed."
"Dismissed? This is my office, jackass," she growls, grabbing Hinata's arm and dragging her out of the room. "Kami, I hate that man," Guren mutters, clenching her teeth. Then she turns to Hinata, and stares at her for a long, silent minute. Hinata's knees tremble and her hands shake as she stares at Guren's zori.
"Your makeup is smudged," Guren says at last. "Fix it, and then we'll go. Hurry."
Hinata scrambles up to her room and regards her reflection in the mirror, realizing that her powder has run, forming rivulets and blotchy pools on her face. She hadn't realized she had been sweating so profusely. Reapplying her makeup until her face is the perfect mask once more, she wishes she was an ANBU or Root member, if only to have a porcelain mask. It would save her so much time, and it would be so much more substantial than powder and paint. She raises a hand to her face, feeling for the first time how flimsy her mask is. She wonders how much she can really hide behind it.
When Guren hollers up at her from the foot of the stairs, Hinata is torn out of her thoughts and hurries to meet her okasaan. Guren hits Hinata's shoulder with the metal handle of her fan.
"A geisha never scurries like a mouse! Don't you dare disgrace me like that in public," Guren snaps, holding her nose high in the air.
"Y-yes, okaasan," Hinata stammers, not daring to touch her smarting shoulder. Guren opens the front door with a grunt, and Hinata is blinded by the bright sunlight outside. She stands, stunned like a startled animal, until Guren takes her by the elbow and hauls her outside.
Hinata does her best to sway like a graceful willow as she walks next to Guren. She hopes that no one notices how loudly her heart is beating, or her wide, fearful eyes. If Guren finds out that Hinata is lying to her…
"Don't look so nervous," Guren snaps. And then, in an undertone: "Our people have altered the jonin registry. Officially, he's on an under cover mission. No one even suspects you. Not yet at least."
Hinata gulps. Guren is talking about Sasuke—that's why she thinks Hinata is so anxious. "Th-thank you, okaasan," Hinata says, feigning relief. She forces herself to take deep breaths, and tries to still the wild beating of her heart.
They walk in silence after that. Hinata focuses on her breath to still her thoughts, and is so intent on this that she almost jumps out of her skin when Guren speaks again.
"You know," Guren says, her usual gruff tone falling away, "I had a son, once."
Hinata turns her head slightly and catches Guren's eye. "You d-did?" she squeaks.
"Mmm. Well, he wasn't really mine—he was my charge from Orochimaru…" Guren's eyes cloud over, and she looks away. Then the expression fades, and Guren's face resumes its usual sternness. Her eyes are cold again. "That was a long time ago."
"What happened to him?" Hinata murmurs, watching Guren's expression closely.
"He died," Guren replies without inflection, turning away from her. But Hinata doesn't miss how Guren's hand flutters up to touch the crystals dangling from her hair pin, the one with a red camille inside.
"Why…why are you telling me this?"
"I'm your okaasan," Guren says, her voice smooth and expressionless. "I really do care about my charges. I just wanted you to know that."
They walk another city block in silence. Hinata mulls over Guren's words, rolls them around in her head, examines them from every angle like a child with a shiny coin. At last, as they reach the hospital doors, Hinata offers Guren a soft smile.
"Thank you, okaasan," she says, placing her hand over Guren's.
Guren brushes her off and tsks at her and for once, her acrimony is endearing. "Come on. Let's get you fixed so we can go home," she mutters.
Inside, the waxy floors of the hospital glow from the glaring lights. It smells like disinfectant, and illness. But Hinata hardly takes note of these things. Her eyes are busy scanning the halls for Ino.
Kami, Hinata prays, please. Let Ino be here. She has no other plan—if Ino isn't here…
Hinata shakes her head. She can't think like that. Not now.
Hinata is broken out of her anxious thoughts as Shizune greets them in the waiting room. "Do you have an appointment?" she asks, turning to Hinata.
"We don't need one," Guren answers for her. "We're on Orochimaru-sama's official business. We need an OBGYN. Now."
Shizune's smile fades. "I understand ma'am, but you really need an appointment—"
"I'm sorry," Guren retorts, "I don't think you heard me. I said we need an appointment. Now."
Shizune places her hands on her hips and is about to serve an angry reply when a pink-haired medic places a calming hand on her arm.
"Orochimaru-sama's official business?" Sakura calls, her voice bright. "We certainly owe him—he really helped us solve that last bout of pneumonia that came through the village. That man's a genius when it comes to medicine," she says, a dreamy look in her eyes.
This is the first time Hinata's ever seen Sasuke's teammate up close. Orochimaru's words echo in her head: If you resist me, I'll give orders specifically to kill. Sakura will die, and it will be your fault. Hinata shivers at the memory, her mouth going dry. Sakura's adoration of Orochimaru is ironic, Hinata thinks; ironic, and misplaced.
"Eh, Sakura-chan, don't look so star-struck," Shizune mutters, as if echoing Hinata's thoughts. "Tsunade-sama is twice the genius he is."
"Can we get a doctor already?" Guren shouts. "I'm a busy woman."
"I'll take her," Sakura says, still beaming. "It would be my pleasure to do Orochimaru-sama a favor."
"Ah—er…um…" Hinata begins, tongue-tied. There is only one doctor that she wants to see, and it is not Sakura. She takes a deep breath. "I d-don't mean to be r-rude, but… Is Ino-san available for an a-appointment? She's a f-friend of mine…"
Guren looks at her sharply. "Just take Sakura," she orders. "I haven't got all day!"
Hinata can feel the heat rising in her cheeks. "Um…" She has to move fast. Hinata grabs Shizune's arm and pulls her close enough to whisper in her ear. "I h-have an STD," she says, hoping that no one overhears her. "From S-sakura-san's t-teammate."
Hinata pulls away quickly, her cheeks burning.
"Oh," Shizune says. "Ooooh my… Er, Sakura, in interest of patient confidentiality, why don't you let Ino handle this one?"
"But—"
"I'd do it myself, but I have a meeting with Tsunade-sama in five minutes. Just—get Ino. Okay?"
Sakura looks like she is going to protest, but finally, her shoulders slump. "Fine. Why don't you come with me, miss," Sakura says, giving Hinata a cross look. "Ino will be with you shortly." Hinata tries not to look too relieved.
"I'll come with her," Guren says, still eyeing Hinata warily.
"That's against procedures, ma'am," Shizune interjects. "You can stay in the waiting room, like the rest of our clients." She gives Guren a look that clearly says that she has caused enough trouble.
"Tch. Fine," Guren mutters, turning away with a sweep of her green kimono. "Just remember, do a good job—you're handling Orochimaru-sama's prized property."
As Guren retreats, Sakura glares at her back with disgust.
"She's r-right, you know," Hinata says, looking down at her hands. If it were Karin standing here instead of Hinata, she might gloat at being called Orochimaru's prized property. But Hinata's not gloating, nor is she fishing for pity. She is merely stating the truth.
"No she's not," Sakura replies. "You're not anyone's property. Geez, what's up with that lady?"
Hinata looks up at Sakura with a mix of incredulity and confusion. Could it be that Sakura really has no idea? Hinata's vision blurs for a moment, thinking about how it might have all been different if she had become a ninja instead of a geisha. She and Sakura might have been colleagues—friends, even. Then Hinata shakes her head, because she is here now, and she is what she is.
Hinata meets Sakura's expectant gaze. "Please speak about my okaasan with respect," is all Hinata says, her tone giving nothing away.
Sakura spares her an inquisitive glance before gesturing to Hinata to accompany her down the long corridor.
"You look familiar," Sakura says into the awkward silence, her eyes narrowed in thought. Her hand hovers above a doorknob, but she does not turn it. "What's your name?"
"Misaki."
"Surname?"
"I d-don't have one."
Sakura stares at her. "But your eyes—aren't you a Hyuga—"
"N-no. Can I sit down, p-please?" Hinata says, her voice a high-pitched whine.
Sakura's smile doesn't reach her eyes as she mumbles an apology and shows Hinata into the room. "Ino will be here in a minute," Sakura calls with forced cheerfulness. "Please change into a paper gown."
The door clicks closed. Hinata stares down at the floor, tenting her fingers together. Waiting. The problem with being alone is that she has time to think, and her thoughts race like hungry sea birds along the coast hunting for fish.
What is Hinata hoping to accomplish? She opens her hands and stares into her palms, as if the answer is in the empty air she holds. When she had been a child, her only wish had been to please her father: to be strong, just like him. After, when she had entered into Orochimaru's okiya, her one and only goal had been to become free.
Now, her past falls away from her like an old skin. She balls her hands into fists. All these smiling people—Sakura, with her tight-lipped smile, Naruto, with his blinding grin; even the children in the city square laughing and playing tag. Everyone is laughing and smiling except for the geisha, whose smiles never reach their veiled eyes.
Hinata closes her eyes and sees Sasuke, manacled to the wall, his face contorted. His body becoming a home for Orochimaru. Where will Sasuke's spirit go when Orochimaru takes over? Will it fly like a bird, following the setting sun? Or will it hover between this life and the next, trapped in dark caverns under the streets of Konoha?
This tenuous peace, this false peace, is made with blood—her blood, the blood of the geisha, the blood of masked ninja. Blood as red as her lips, as red as Karin's hair; as red as Sasuke's whirling eyes.
Hinata holds a hand to her forehead. Inside of her skull is a message, like a scroll in a bottle, sent out to sea by some shipwrecked sailor. She remembers Sasuke's whispered words, his breath on her neck, his fingers on the small of her back. Her heart swells with sorrow. If she is capable of love, she thinks that she may love Sasuke; and if she is not, then maybe she would have loved him in another lifetime, another story.
She will help Sasuke because she wants to. It is a gift. She will carry out his wish, not because he's asked her to, but because she wants to; because it brings her peace. Even if she doesn't manage to save him from death, at least his death will have had some meaning.
Death. What if Hinata dies? If she is found out, she will die. Probably painfully. Slowly. That doesn't stop her or make her shiver, because for the first time in her life, she is choosing to do something. She will deliver the message and do her best to save Sasuke because she chooses to do it; nothing more. If she dies, it is because of her decision. And anyway, she prefers death to serving Orochimaru any longer.
Death, in and of itself, has its own beauty, its own freedom. Life is not permanent, Hinata thinks, and neither is beauty. But beauty is found in the love of impermanent things, and is precious because it is fleeting. She closes her eyes, remembering the cherry blossoms falling at that fateful viewing party, and she smiles. If she dies, maybe she can bring some worth—some beauty—to her life. That's freedom, or close enough to it that's she's willing to sacrifice herself for it.
The door opens with a metal click and Ino steps in, her blonde hair swept up in a high ponytail, her white lab coat fluttering as she closes the door behind her. "Misaki-chan," she says, smiling widely, "it's so good to see you!"
"I missed you on Monday, at the flower shop," is Hinata's subdued reply.
"I've been picking up more shifts at the hospital," Ino explains, sitting across from her. "I think it's my calling."
Hinata smiles, a soft, sad smile. "That's wonderful," she whispers. What a luxury it is to pick your calling, Hinata thinks. She wonders what she would have chosen for herself, if she had been granted the choice. Hinata shakes her head, then balls her hands into fists once more.
She is choosing now.
That has to be worth something.
"So, Misaki-chan, what seems to be the problem?" Ino says, poising her pen above her clip board.
"Ino-san…are there cameras in this room? Microphones?"
Ino blinks. "No, of course not! Why…?"
Hinata takes a deep breath. No hesitation. No regrets. She rises from her chair with slow, aching movements, takes Ino's hands and places them on either side of her head.
"I have a m-message," Hinata says. "Hurry."
"I'm sorry," Ino replies, her brows furrowed in confusion, "I don't—"
"Do it," Hinata says, her hands tightening around Ino's. "Quickly."
Ino is about to protest, but something about the urgency in Hinata's voice makes her pause. "You mean mind jutsu?" Ino whispers. Hinata nods.
Ino flashes the hand-signs, then presses her forehead to Hinata's. The room tilts and Hinata's vision goes black. When her sight clears, Hinata sees Ino floating like a ghost on a black field, like a night without stars. Without thinking, Hinata reaches up, up, up, and takes hold of a floating ball of red light. Somehow, she knows that it is Sasuke's chakra. It's as light as a balloon, and as it pulsates, it reminds her of a phosphorescent jellyfish.
"It's all in here," Hinata whispers, holding out the ball of light in her trembling hands. "It's Sasuke-san's message."
"Sasuke? But—"
"He's being held captive by Orochimaru," Hinata interjects, surprised at how steady and calm her voice is. "By tomorrow, Orochimaru will steal Sasuke-san's body—and he will start a war with it."
Ino inhales sharply. "Misaki—what are you saying?"
And because Hinata has never been good with words, she opens up her mind, and shows Ino everything—seducing Sasuke and stabbing him in the neck; his imprisonment below the okiya; the pile of knives on Guren's desk. She doesn't spare herself. She shows the whole truth, and her own shameful hand in it.
Ino pulls back from Hinata's mind. Hinata blinks blindly into the sudden florescent light, finding herself standing in the hospital once more. She raises her gaze to see Ino, pale and shaking. Hinata puts a hand over hers.
"Act normally," Hinata urges. "Finish the exam. But get to the Hokage as soon as you can. If Konoha attacks Orochimaru first, you might have a chance of winning." She says you instead of we; there is no doubt in her mind that she stands on the wrong side of this war.
Ino blinks up at Hinata, her blue eyes filled with tears. Hinata just smiles, pats her hand, and draws away. "Please help me to untie my obi, Ino-san," she says, feeling strangely calm. Detached. As Ino helps her into her paper robe and proceeds with the exam, Hinata's mind is many miles away.
For the first time in a long time, she feels like she's finally free.
#
"I'm sorry, Guren-san, but it seems like Misaki has contracted venereal disease," Ino says, straight-faced. Hinata is surprised by how well Ino can wear a mask of equanimity. She would have made an excellent geisha, Hinata thinks with a twinge of melancholy. "Please make sure Misaki-chan takes this antibiotic three times a day for the next week, and she should be just fine."
"Great," Guren says, grabbing the medication and hooking Hinata's arm with hers. "Next time," Guren calls to Ino as she and Hinata exit, "don't take so long."
Hinata doesn't dare to look over her shoulder to gauge Ino's reaction. Instead, she focuses on taking short, mincing steps as she follows Guren. At first, she feels peaceful. But as soon as they exit the hospital doors, Hinata's anxiety grows. Maybe the room really was wired. Maybe the Root will come after her. Torture her. Kill her. Or worse.
Her palms sweat. With every step, Hinata expects to be apprehended, punished for insubordination. When they reach the okiya and nothing happens, Hinata has to fight the urge to wilt with relief.
"Are you all right?" Guren asks, locking the door of the okiya behind her.
"F-fine," Hinata mumbles, her hands shaking.
"You don't have to feel ashamed, you know," Guren says, her voice taking on a soothing, motherly tone. "You won't have been the first girl to have contracted this sort of thing. Go to your room and rest," Guren murmurs, pushing the medication into Hinata's hands. "I'll have the servants bring you tea."
"Th-thank you, okaasan," Hinata says, bowing. She makes her way up the stairs slowly, so as not to give any of her emotions away. When she enters her room, she falls down on her bed, suddenly dizzy, and weary. True to her word, Guren sends up a pot of chamomile tea. Hinata raises herself on wooden elbows and forces herself to sip.
It won't be long now, she tells herself. Soon, there will be fighting on every street, on every roof top. The door to the okiya will burst open, and masked ANBU will pour into the house, looking for Orochimaru. Looking for her.
After all, she, too, is a traitor.
Hinata sips her tea, though it does little to soothe her.
#
It is around midnight when Guren storms into the bedroom, her usually perfect hair in disarray. "It's happening!" she hisses. "We're under attack." Then she slams the door behind her, and Hinata, who hadn't been sleeping anyway, sits straight up in bed. She throws off her nightgown, revealing dark, tight-fitting clothes, a weapons pouch on one hip, the packet of antidotes on the other. She leaps down the stairs, meeting Guren at the bottom.
"Come on," Guren orders, grabbing Hinata's hands, "we've got to get to the tunnels."
Hinata doesn't protest, lets Guren lead her to the sliding stone door. After all, the tunnels are Hinata's final destination, too. Their shoes make hollow thudding sounds as they run down, down, down, threading through the tunnels at full speed. It's hard to take deep breaths. The air is stale, smothering, and reeks of mold, but Guren doesn't slow her pace as she pulls Hinata behind her.
The entrance to the training room glows red and gold from torchlight. Inside, hundreds of geisha kneel on tatami mats, their heads bowed, their usual kimonos shed in favor of tight black clothing. Guren kneels next to Karin, whose red eyes glint like faceted stones as she watches Hinata, kneeling in turn.
"They found out, somehow," Karin whispers to Hinata, leaning forward so that she can look into her eyes. She tilts her head and regards Hinata sharply. When Hinata does not reply, Karin clears her throat. "Not that it matters. We'll still crush them."
Hinata nods her head, then settles back on her knees, gazing resolutely at her clasped hands.
"Don't be nervous," Guren whispers, her dark eyes kind. "You'll do fine. Orochimaru will be with you—you won't be in any danger." Hinata almost laughs at the irony in that statement, but she presses her lips into a thin line and simply nods. Guren looks like she is going to say more, but Orochimaru himself strides into the center of the cavern. A hush falls over the room, and all eyes regard their master, dressed in a plain off-white tunic, a purple rope tied around his waist. Hinata stares at him, traces the line of his long face, his amber eyes, and then stifles a relieved sigh.
He does not have the Sharingan.
Sasuke is still alive.
"My friends," Orochimaru says, sibilant and slow, "it seems that Konoha has found out about our little plan. No matter." He chuckles darkly. "We have weapons that they can't even dream of." He gestures broadly then, and Hinata feels twin sharp pains on her upper arms—she knows that feeling. Her chakra restraints have been released.
Hinata looks down at her hands, clasping them tighter to still their trembling. She has delivered Sasuke's message, told Ino everything that had happened to Sasuke—but had she told her about the curse mark? About how Orochimaru has been hiding a small army in plain sight? Hinata tries to think back, but she isn't sure, she's never had a mind link with another person before, oh gods—what if they don't know?
Hinata steadies her breathing and forces herself to pay attention to Orochimaru's orders. The geisha all rise at his command, and Karin grabs Hinata's arm.
"Come on," she orders, pulling Hinata to the front of the room. Hinata gulps. They are standing right next to Orochimaru.
"My favorite pets," Orochimaru says, laying a hand on Hinata and Karin's heads. "It won't be long now. We wait for the signal," he bellows to the whole room.
When the ground above their heads shudders, as if from a great impact, and the ceiling seems to groan, Orochimaru smiles. "Suna is attacking. Go!" he roars. The women leap away, in squads of four, out of the door and down the myriad tunnels. Orochimaru himself is running, and Karin is pulling Hinata after him. She stumbles forward in the thick darkness, struggling to breathe.
She activates her Byakugan and tries to do a sweep of the tunnels, but she can't locate Sasuke—she is running too fast to focus, and the tunnels are swarming with people. It's not just geisha running to take their places. There are ninja loyal to Orochimaru, and creatures laying in wait in the tunnels. Things. Hinata shivers.
They break through to the surface all in a rush, and Hinata finds herself in an abandoned storefront. She takes deep, gulping breaths of air, then sweeps her gaze from side to side. They are in the center square. Where yesterday there were laughing children playing tag, today a group of Suna soldiers clash with Konoha nin. Dead bodies are already piling up; blood pools in the dusty street.
"Find the Hokage," Orochimaru whispers.
"Yes, Orochimaru-sama," Karin calls, closing her eyes. Her brow furrows, then a smile dawns across her face. "There—at two o'clock, only one hundred meters away."
"Misaki," Orochimaru purrs, "what do you see?"
Left without any choice, Hinata focuses her Byakugan. "The Hokage is f-fighting a group of five ninja—they're all wearing the purple rope," she says.
"The sealing team. Very good. Very, very good. You two stay here—when I'm done with Minato, I'll come for you. Stay safe," he says, gazing at Karin and licking his lips. "I'll need your delicious chakra after the battle."
"Yes, Orochimaru-sama," both Hinata and Karin chime at once. Orochimaru opens the boarded-up door, flashes a serpentine smile, and exits. Hinata watches him with enhanced vision as he sprints through the battlefield, not stopping until his long sword clashes with Minato's. Suddenly, a barrier springs up, baring both the Hokage and Orochimaru from Hinata's sight.
"The Hokage won't be able to teleport out of that barrier," Karin confides. "He'll be toast."
"O-oh." Hinata thinks about that. Toast. She imagines Minato's face—not the one glaring down from the Hokage's monument, but his real, human face. She shouldn't feel bad for the man, she tells herself. He's the one who finalized her bill of sale, who embedded chakra restraints on her arms. Nevertheless, her heart sinks at the thought.
Her Byakugan still active, Hinata gazes around her at the battlefield. It's chaos. Suna and Kohona forces clash over the face of the entire city, while Orochimaru's ninja lay in wait, killing from the shadows with hidden knives and forbidden jutsu. She looks out towards the Uchiha district and frowns. The whole area is on fire. Hinata turns off her Byakugan with a sigh.
"Where is the Root?" Hinata asks. "I don't see them anywhere."
Karin shrugs. "Hell if I know. They should be fighting with us…"
Hinata sits on top of an old crate and tents her fingers together. This is hell, Hinata thinks. Not just the war, but the waiting, while all around her, the sounds of death ring out: the clang of metal on metal, muffled cries, rumbling explosions. She regards the boarded-up store window, its ledge covered in dust. In the corner is the biggest spider web she's has ever seen, and at its center is a spider the size of her fist. It stares at her with gleaming, compound eyes. Hinata looks away quickly.
Just then, the entire window—boards and all—come crashing down. Hinata leaps to her feet, her Byakugan active, kunai clutched in each hand. Something heavy lands with a sickening thud on the dusty store floor.
It is a body. Hinata peers closer, sees that it has a Konoha headband. Its chakra pathways are no longer active.
It, Hinata thinks. When did a human body become an it? Hinata stares at the body in wonderment, her enhanced eyes taking in the grimace on the face, the blood oozing out of a fatal chest wound.
"We should get back to the tunnel," Karin hisses, grabbing Hinata's hands. She looks like she is about to say more, but she cannot—there is an explosion, and they are thrown back by the force of it. What is left of the window shatters. The ceiling falls. Hinata's back hits the far wall with a smack, and she falls to the floor, covering her head with her hands. When the debris clears, Hinata coughs, forcing herself up on her hands and knees. Beside her, Karin moans.
Without thinking, Hinata hefts Karin up and stumbles back towards the tunnel through thick clouds of dust. Thank Kami, the opening is still there, though it is half obscured by the wreckage. Hinata ducks into the tunnel, dragging Karin after her.
She checks Karin for injury, and is relieved when she finds none except a bruise on Karin's head.
"Mi-sa-ki," Karin mumbles, her eyes fluttering open.
"I'm sorry, oneesan," Hinata whispers, gathering chakra into her palm. She gives Karin one quick strike with the heel of her hand, and Karin's eyes loll back into her head. Hinata gulps, then hauls Karn's limp body deeper into the tunnels, where she isn't likely to be injured by further explosions
Hinata rises on shaky limbs, searching the tunnels with her Byakugan for Sasuke. At first, she doesn't see him, but she forces more chakra into her eyes, desperate with the belief that he is somewhere in the tunnel. There—his chakra is terribly faint, a bare pulsing of light. He is many meters away.
"Be safe, oneesan," Hinata whispers, leaning over Karin's prone form. Then she is gone, running through the tunnels as fast as her aching back permits, down through the dark labyrinth under the city.
#
The underground laboratory is one that Hinata has never been to before. Myriad tanks glow with green bubbling liquid, and jars full of nightmarish limbs and organs line every shelf. Hinata tries her best not to look at them, and instead focuses her tired eyes on finding Sasuke.
He in the back of the room, laid out on a white operating table, his hands and feet bound with restraints. There is spittle on the corner of his mouth, and he is pale under the florescent light, his skin almost translucent. Her heart sinks at the sight, but she forces herself to stride forward. She tries to release the manacles, but she cannot. She cannot find a key hole on them and she curses, then focuses her Byakugan on the metal shackles.
Inside the smooth metal surface there are complicated coils. She can see chakra pulsing like electricity through the cuffs, and she realizes with a start that they are draining Sasuke of his chakra—not enough to hurt him, but just enough to debilitate him. Hinata takes a deep breath and forces chakra into her fingertips. She will have to be precise.
With a strangled cry, Hinata brings down her fingertips like a blade, blazing with blue chakra. There is a loud crack that resounds through the cavern. She has broken the first shackle. Buoyed with her success, she aims for the second restraint, when Sasuke's eyes flutter open.
"…Hinata?" His voice is so faint, Hinata isn't even sure she heard him. His eyes are bloodshot and glazed with a blue film, so that his eyes look almost purple, like a bruise.
"Stay still, Sasuke-danna," she says, getting over her shock. She raises her hand, her eyes bulging in her head. She won't miss her mark. Her hand smashes down on the second shackle, but instead of a satisfying crack, there is a sizzling sound, and a burst of light. Hinata is thrown back, her hand burning.
Hinata grits her teeth and forces herself to stand, ignoring the pain. Limping forward, she focuses her Byakugan and raises her hand once more. Her chakra scorches her injured palm, but she doesn't feel it—every ounce of her concentration is focused on the shackle.
With a cry, she slams her hand down—crack!. The manacle falls away. Both of Sasuke's hands are free now. She studies his chakra network, relieved to see that power is returning to Sasuke's system. She looks up into his eyes, no longer filmed but clear like a black cloudless night.
"I thought you hated me," Sasuke rasps.
Hinata shakes her head. "N-no," she whispers, keeping her face free of expression. She breaks free of his gaze and turns toward the manacles on his feet.
"Why?" comes Sasuke's gravelly voice.
Hinata looks up at him with a start. He coughs, wheezes, then sits up. Hinata winces. The movement looks painful for him.
"Let me break your restraints, Sasuke-danna," Hinata replies, turning away from his gaze once more. But he reaches out a cold hand and cups her cheek, and turns her head to face him.
"Who sent you?"
"No o-one," Hinata says. "I came here m-myself. B-because I w-wanted to." Once the words are out of her mouth, Hinata blushes. They sound stupid to her.
"My message?"
"Sent," Hinata replies softly. "Konoha attacked first." She meets his gaze then without flinching. "It is why you are still alive." Hinata chokes up at that. His hand falls away from her face, and Hinata moves to regard the shackles on his feet. She can feel the weight of Sasuke's stare on her, but she ignores it. The only thing that is important is breaking his manacles.
Her hand strikes the third restraint, and it falls away with another loud crack. Panting with exertion, forehead beaded with sweat, Hinata makes her way to the fourth and final shackle. She squints and raises her aching hand.
"I thought I'd find you here," rumbles a velvety voice. Hinata squeaks and spins around. Kabuto stands in the shadows, his glasses glinting, scalpels clutched in both hands. "So. Misaki has turned traitor after all," he says with a chuckle, his smile malicious. He takes a step forward. Hinata's breath hitches in her throat. She tries to back away from him, but only manages to press her back against the metal rack holding Sasuke.
Hinata trembles under Kabuto's glare, and her eyes dilate with fear. Kabuto raises a scalpel high in the air—it crackles with blue chakra.
"Don't just stand there," Sasuke snaps, shaking her roughly by the shoulders. "Fight him!"
"But—"
"Do it, Hinata. Or we're both as good as dead," he growls. "Now!"
Kabuto lunges forward, his blades slicing through the air at her. There's no time to think. Hinata's doujutsu activates as if of its own accord, and she flies forward, fists glowing. She barely manages to counter Kabuto's blades by blocking his arms, then rolls out of the way and springs back up to her feet.
"You can't defeat me," Kabuto murmurs, his mouth twitching upwards in a smirk. "You might as well give up now."
Hinata is taking deep, irregular breaths. From the corner of her eye, she can see Sasuke manipulating what little chakra he has to break his shackle. If she can just buy more time…
"I'll be d-dead, either w-way," Hinata stammers. "If I give up or if I f-fight, the result will be the s-same. I'd rather f-fight."
"All this for a boyfriend," Kabuto mutters. "You were Orochimaru's prized—"
"P-piece of f-furniture," Hinata interrupts. She feels something hot and burning, welling up like lava in the pit of her stomach. For a moment, she can't identify the feeling. It's so foreign to her because she's been denied the ability to feel it for so long. But when her eyes flash red, and her curse mark sizzles on her skin, she recognizes the emotion for what it is:
Rage.
"Excuse me?" Kabuto says with a smirk.
"I was n-nothing more than an o-object to any of you," Hinata mutters. She lets the first stage of her curse mark take over. Talons sprout from her fingertips; fangs descend from her frowning mouth.
"No," Kabuto counters with that self-satisfied smirk, "you were more like a favorite pet. A dog. Or a pot-bellied pig."
Hinata growls, an inhuman, animal sound. She can't help herself—she lunges forward, her teeth bared, her talons outstretched.
But Kabuto isn't stupid. He morphs himself, a slithering mass of snakes. Hinata hacks at them, slices through the air, her eyes seeing through things and under things—she will find a vital organ and she will puncture it—
Hinata gasps as a snake coils around her midsection, squeezing her. Kabuto laughs, a dark, evil sound.
"You can't defeat me, little girl," he says, still in that silken, sibilant voice.
Hinata can't speak, she has no breath, but she thinks to herself: At least I can die trying.
She opens up to the curse mark once more to that familiar, bitter and burning feeling. Her skin becomes leathery, then is covered in a layer of scales as hard as steel. She forces Kabuto off of her, filled with such feelings of hatred and anger that she roars.
"Amazing," Kabuto hisses, his serpentine face smiling, "how something so beautiful can become so ugly."
Goaded, Hinata dives in to strike head first, her jaws parted, her fangs poised to sink into his skin—
She is struck from behind on a vital point and crumples to the ground with a cry. She feels blood trickling down the small of her back and she growls, scampering back from Kabuto to avoid his cruel blades.
"It's a shame you have that branch seal," Kabuto hisses, advancing on her slowly. "I would have enjoyed trying on your Byakugan."
Hinata clenches her teeth and crouches in a defensive position, her whole body trembling. The room is growing dim, and Hinata realizes with certainty that she has been stabbed with poison. There's no time to administer the antidote. Kabuto is looming over her, his snake skin body glinting metallically in the low light.
The chakra fades from her hands, which fall limply at her sides. She sways, stumbles, somehow manages to stand again. Not that it does her any good. Kabuto reels back his ugly head, and Hinata watches, powerless to move, as he strikes.
Hinata closes her eyes, a small smile playing on her lips. This is the death she has chosen for herself.
She can finally be free.
She releases her jutsu and lets herself fall into the great, yawning darkness that presses in all around her. She hears a resounding crack, and sees a flash of light, like lightning streaking the stormy sky. She feels herself lifted up into that bright, beautiful light.
Thanks so much for reading! Please review;)