Just...fml. Seriously, I could give you excuses for why this update took so long, but I'm sure you don't care. So thanks for forgiving me in advance, and here's the next chapter, lol.

Wink:)

Chapter Five: He Answers Her Question

"…Hinata… Hinata…"

Hinata can hear her name, though it is a faint echo. She is surrounded by mist, pale and opaque; she feels like she is on the shrouded face of the moon. She walks through the diffuse light, blindly searching. She's sure her mother is here, somewhere, calling for her. Hinata smiles. She's waited such a long time to see her.

It's so freeing to be out of her body, Hinata thinks. In life, her body was never her own, but here, her spirit is free and light.

A shadow blocks the light. Hinata turns towards it with a wide smile.

"Okaasan?" she whispers, tears trailing down her face. The figure does not move. All Hinata can see clearly are a pair of dark, smoky eyes.

Wake up, Hinata.

"I don't want to wake up," Hinata replies into the darkness, her voice reverberating. "I like it here."

Hinata? Please? Wake up.

"Okaasan?" Hinata calls again. The mists shift, and the dark eyes come closer, glaring at her, peering into her soul. She shivers. "Okaasan…?" Hinata whispers, suddenly afraid.

The dark eyes snap wide open, whirling with red light. Hinata's breath hitches in her throat. The eyes burn like twin suns, crimson and cadmium, dyeing the once white world with rutilant light.

WAKE UP!

Hinata sits up with a gasp, her eyes wide open, her heart pounding. Sasuke hovers over her, his fist clenching a hypodermic needle. Dimly, Hinata realizes that the needle protrudes from her arm. Hinata glances from the needle to Sasuke. His eyes are swirling with the red Sharingan, casting crimson light over his pale face.

"Sasuke…?" Hinata whispers. The irony of the situation isn't lost on her: not long ago, it was she who had jabbed a needle into his veins to incapacitate him.

Sasuke exhales sharply. He yanks the needle out of her arm, then shoves a cloth bundle at her. She takes it in her trembling fingers. It is her packet of antidotes.

"You saved my l-life," Hinata breathes, staring down at her hands.

"That makes us even," Sasuke snaps. He holds out his hand to her, and she takes it, slowly. He hauls her to her feet, making the room lurch. Hinata makes a pained, wheezing sound, then looks around her. Kabuto is lying on the floor, his eyes rolled back in his head.

"Is he…?" Hinata asks, her question half-formed.

"Dead? No," Sasuke mutters. "That would be too good for the bastard. Come on," he says, turning to Hinata, his eyes still blood-red with the Sharingan, "how do we get out of here?"

Hinata takes a deep, shuddering breath, and activates her doujutsu. She looks at Sasuke's meridians with concern—he is dangerously low on chakra. For that matter, so is she. But there is no choice, Hinata thinks, forcing her blurry vision to focus. She sees Karin's body right where she left her in the tunnels—her dimly pulsing chakra shows Hinata the way back to the surface.

Hinata deactivates her jutsu in an effort to conserve her chakra and nods. "This way, Sasuke-danna."

Sasuke's mouth turns down when she says the honorific danna, but he doesn't comment as he follows her out of the laboratory and into the dark tunnels.

"You should deactivate your doujutsu," she whispers. "You're low on chakra."

"I'm fine," he retorts. "If we're ambushed, I'll need my Sharingan activated."

"Um…" Hinata's cheeks flush, and she falls into silence. She traces the tunnel walls with her hand to keep her bearings and weaves slowly upward, back the way she came.

"Sasuke-danna…?" Hinata ventures into the thick silence.

"What?" Sasuke snaps.

"I… I'm s-sorry."

"Tch. Don't be. You did what you had to do."

"B-but I—"

"We have more important things to worry about," he interjects. "Concentrate on getting us out of here."

"A-ah. O-okay."

Hinata stills her whirling thoughts and focuses on finding the right path. Still, the weight of Sasuke's eyes on her back makes her skin prickle and her palms sweat. There are so many questions she wants to ask him, but she does not. She does not even know where to begin.

They come to a juncture, and Hinata is forced to use her Byakugan again. Though her vision burns and her body shudders with the effort, she finds Karin in the tunnels above and moves towards her, like a ship steering towards a lighthouse.

When they finally reach Karin, Hinata sinks to her knees next to her unconscious oneesan, panting heavily.

"I'm going on," Sasuke mutters. "I'm needed out there."

"Wait." Hinata grabs his sleeve. "Karin can help us."

"Why would she?" Sasuke growls, impatient. "She's loyal to Orochimaru—"

"Watch," Hinata interrupts. She takes Karin's arm and rolls up the sleeve. Even in the dim light, Hinata can see the scars that mar her pale skin, teeth marks where Orochimaru and others have bitten. Hinata feels queasy, but she forces herself to take a deep breath and to focus on the matter at hand.

We all take what we can get, and we survive, day by day, by any means we can. Hinata hears Karin's voice in her head, like the echo of a bell. Without hesitating any further, Hinata bites.

Chakra runs through her like a wild electric current. The trickling wound on her back seals shut, and her chakra levels are replenished, like a dam flooding a once-dry river bed. Hinata opens her jaw with a cry, releasing Karin's arm.

Karin sputters awake. "Misaki? Sasuke...? Sasuke-kun! Misaki, what the hell is Sasuke doing here?" Karin growls, yanking Hinata's arm. "And why are you biting me? And what—"

Hinata places a hand over Karin's mouth. "Sorry, oneesan. I was injured."

Karin slaps Hinata's hand aside. "That's not important—what is Sasuke—"

"Escaping, obviously," Sasuke snaps. "Give me your arm."

"But—"

"Karin. Please. I need chakra," Sasuke grounds out between partially clenched teeth.

Karin looks between Hinata and Sasuke with narrowed eyes. "Fine," she finally huffs, throwing out her arm to Sasuke. "It's not like it's the first time."

"Thank you. Karin."

"I'm just glad…I'm just glad that you're all right, Sasuke-kun," Karin whispers, looking away. Sasuke bites her arm, and Karin moans lowly. Hinata stares at them in the darkness, her face pinched, her mouth puckered as if she's just eaten something sour. Karin has never revealed to Hinata her whole history with Sasuke. All Hinata knows is that Karin has spent ample time with Sasuke on undercover missions. This not-knowing makes her insides churn, though Hinata tells herself she doesn't know why she should feel this way.

Karin slumps against the wall of the tunnel, breathing heavily. "Go," she rasps. "I don't want to be seen helping you."

"Oneesan…" Hinata mumbles.

"You think I'm helping you just to be nice?" Karin growls. Her eyes have a hard glint to them. "If Konoha wins this war, Sasuke-kun, remember everything I've done for you. Now go!" Karin cries, her red eyes flashing. Hinata meets Karin's gaze, sees the sadness underlying the anger. Karin loves him, Hinata thinks, feeling cold all over.

Hinata bites her lip and turns away from Karin to scuttle after Sasuke, up through the last stretch of tunnel and into the gray, dusty light of the blown-out shop above.

"Where's Orochimaru?" Sasuke asks, growling low in his throat. Hinata gulps, then activates her doujutsu. The barrier in the center square is down—this means that either the Fourth Hokage has defeated Orochimaru, or… Not wanting to think of the alternative, Hinata quickly scans the battlefield.

It's hard to zero in on a particular chakra signature. Everything is a jumble of jutsu, of flying weapons, shifting earth, and explosives. Gritting her teeth, Hinata squints into the melee, hoping that she won't find Orochimaru at all. Her heart sinks when she finally does find him, and she exhales sharply.

"He's by the base of the Hokage tower, fighting Naruto-kun," Hinata says grimly.

Sasuke gnashes his teeth. "That idiot," he mutters under his breath. Then to Hinata: "You stay here. I'm going after them."

Hinata turns toward him with wide eyes. "I'm going with you."

"You've done enough," Sasuke retorts. She can tell from his tone that this is not a compliment. "Stay here, out of harm's way."

Hinata shakes her head. "I'll be useful, Sasuke-danna."

"Don't call me that," Sasuke snarls. "I'm not going to waste my time arguing with you. Come with me or not—I don't care." With that, he leaps out onto the street and hurtles towards the Hokage's tower.

Hinata stands still for a moment, chilled. Then she balls her hands into fists and runs after him, her eyes bulging with chakra.

She will make this up to Sasuke. She will.

The streets are slick and slippery. At first Hinata thinks the earth is wet with water, and almost runs head-first into a wall when she realizes it is not. It is fresh blood. She gives a pained cry as her feet slip in the gore. Just as she steadies herself, there is an explosion to her right, and the building she stands next to catches on fire. She barely has time to duck as it collapses all around her, great clouds of plaster and dust mushrooming all around her.

She pries herself free of the wreckage, coughing and wheezing, bowed forward on her knees. The air smells like burnt hair and flesh, overlaid with the acrid stench of burning plastic. When she catches her breath, she sprints forward, though her lungs ache. She skirts the open areas and hugs the buildings, hoping that the dark night will hide her flitting form as she runs towards the Hokage's tower.

When she finally gets there, she is panting and doubled over from exertion. She hides herself behind a corner and focuses her Byakugan on the scene in front of her, then holds a hand up to her mouth in horror.

Orochimaru stands on the head of a giant snake. His head is thrown back, and he is laughing.

"Ku, ku, ku, Naruto-kun. I know you're eager to die, but I can't send you to your father just yet—I have orders to take you alive."

Terrified, Hinata watches as Naruto rises from the ground on shaking feet. "You killed my father," he seethes, his once blue eyes sparking with red fire.

"Back down, Naruto," comes Sasuke's commanding voice. He appears out of nowhere, standing between Naruto and Orochimaru, bathed in blue light. In his hand, he holds a crackling ball of lightning. "You're injured. Let me handle this."

"Like hell I will, asshole!" Naruto shouts. He growls, a low, inhuman sound. Red light blossoms from his skin.

"Don't use that," Sasuke orders. "It's what he wants you to do." And without further explanation, Sasuke launches himself forward, a whirl of crackling light. He moves so quickly, even Hinata can't follow him with her Byakugan. Her gaze swivels back to Naruto, who is clutching at his abdomen. Bright red blood seeps onto his clothes.

Without thinking about the danger, Hinata darts forward. To her right, Sasuke and Orochimaru are hidden in a blinding blaze of jutsu. She prays with all her might that Sasuke will be all right, then focuses on Naruto, who is sinking to his knees.

"Misaki?" he calls, his voice hoarse, weak. "You shouldn't be here…"

"Let me see your wound, Naruto-kun," she orders. She takes his free hand, supports him with her shoulder, and drags him to the edge of the battlefield. She lifts up his shirt and winces. "It's poison," she mutters, digging in her packet for the antidote.

"That damn snake bit me," he says. "Misaki-chan…"

Hinata holds the cap to the hypodermic needle in her mouth and administers the antidote into his arm. She hopes that she's picked the right one. What if it doesn't work? What if Naruto dies? Oh Kami, it sounds like Orochimaru has already killed the Hokage—what has she done? If only she had rebelled against Orochimaru sooner...

Naruto leans back against the building, his face ashen. "Misaki-chan, thank you—without your information, Konoha would have been—"

"S-stop," Hinata stammers, tears clouding her eyes. "Just—stop. You need a medic. Where's Sakura?"

"Injured," Naruto replies, his eyes narrowed. "It's like Orochimaru was targeting her. Don't worry," he says with a smile that doesn't reach his eyes, "She's all right. Tsunade's got her." He turns towards the battlefield then, his eyes glinting with a hard red light. "I'm going to kill that snake bastard," he seethes, lurching forward on unsteady feet. Hinata tries to hold onto him—to tell him that he should rest—but he shrugs her off.

"I'm going to protect the village," he calls over his shoulder. "You stay here. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you, Misaki-chan."

"Hinata," she blurts out, holding his gaze. "My name is—Hinata." Her name feels strange and wonderful on her tongue, like a song in a foreign language.

"Right. Stay safe, Hinata-chan." He gives her a wide smile, a thumbs up, then speeds forward into the fray, cloaked in fiery chakra. He's so bright, Hinata has to turn away from him. What is this chakra? It's so angry, so evil, it makes her eyes water. She shakes her head to clear her vision—she has to pay attention. If there is any way she can help, no matter how small… Dashing the tears out of her eyes with the heel of her hand, Hinata focuses her Byakugan once more.

It's hard to see exactly what is going on, even with her ocular jutsu. Through the blurred motion and flying debris, Hinata thinks she sees Orochimaru raising his hands, and two wooden boxes emerge from the soil. She can't see through the boxes, which is strange—are the lids made of lead? She doesn't have time to wonder. The boxes snap open. Out steps the First and Fourth Hokages.

Hinata squints. The Fourth Hokage's chakra is…warped. Dark. And though the First Hokage matches his likeness on the monument, he should be dead. Hinata's heart sinks, and she feels like she is being held underwater, as she remembers that according to Orochimaru, the Fourth Hokage is dead, too.

Orochimaru's cruel laughter rings in the air. Hinata's stomach clenches in fear.

Destroy them, Orochimaru roars.

The two Hokages lurch forward, the First Hokage lunging towards Sasuke, and the Fourth rounding on Naruto. Nothing good can come of this, Hinata thinks; the First Hokage defeated Uchiha Madara, and can certainly win against Sasuke. As for Naruto…

She can hear his faint cries echoing along the battlefield as he parries his father's blows, pleading and whining, asking him to please wake up.

Orochimaru sits cross-legged on the head of his giant snake and laughs, deep and rumbling. He can't wake up, Naruto-kun, he taunts. I own your father, now. Even death cannot claim him from me.

Hinata's vision swims with red. She balls her hands into fists, so overcome with fury, she can barely contain herself. Her curse mark twitches in resonance with her emotions and activates, slowly, like an old wound opening up and leaking blood.

Her face twists into a feral grimace as long fangs protrude from her mouth. Her fingernails lengthen into claws. As she enters the second stage of the curse mark, her skin hardens and is covered with metal scales, but she doesn't stop, she can't stop—maybe if she kills Orochimaru, then his jutsu will stop, oh gods—

The third stage takes over in a rush of vile chakra, running through her networks like black fire, making her eyes bulge with the surge of power. Horns erupt from her head and spikes run down the length of her back. A tail sprouts from the base of her spine, tipped with metal.

It's funny, Hinata thinks, grinning wildly. She's spent so much of her life learning how to be beautiful, artful; perfect. But Orochimaru has also given her the means to be the exact opposite—monstrous. Horrifying. Now, her only wish is to go out in a blazing fire of jutsu and rage—and to take Orochimaru with her.

She sprints down the length of the battlefield, her muscular legs zooming so quickly she's sure even Orochimaru can't see her. She skirts the battle between Sasuke and the First Hokage, neatly avoiding bolts of lightning and shafts of wood shooting out of the ground. Her body hums with power, and her eyes are fixed on one target.

She launches herself up the side of the snake and lands a roundhouse kick on Orochimaru's side. She grins widely, as he falls to the ground—

And disappears in a puff of smoke, replaced by a log. There is no time to react, because a rough hand takes her by the throat, squeezes, lifts her up into the air. She twists, struggles to break free, her legs kicking in the air. Then, she goes limp.

"Ku, ku, ku," Orochimaru laughs, his oily breath fanning out across her shoulder. "You can't beat your master at his own game."

Hinata's eyes bulge, this time from strangulation. She tries to retort, but only a strained gurgle comes out.

"You could have had power—power beyond your wildest dreams. Instead you chose to betray me. You'll pay for that, Misaki."

Hinata lashes out at Orochimaru with her tail, to no avail. Gods, but she hates the way Orochimaru talks—like a super villain in a bad action movie. She wants to tell him how pathetic he is, but his grip on her throat tightens, and pain shoots out all across her body. Her curse mark fades; Orochimaru has inhibited it. As her body shrinks, and she becomes human once more, he brings his face close to hers.

"Now die, Misaki," he hisses.

Hinata watches in horror as Orochimaru pulls a sword out from his mouth, the blade dripping with green phlegm. It swings back through the air with a hissing sound and then, it advances on her, aiming for her outstretched neck. Hinata closes her eyes, bitter tears trickling down her face.

She has been useless to the end. Her father was right about her.

Suddenly, something slams into Hinata's body, sending her hurtling through space. For a moment, she seems to hover in the air, suspended like a soap bubble. Then she falls, dropping through the air like a stone, the ground looming closer and closer—

Strong arms catch her, set her shaking body down.

"Don't get in the way," Sasuke growls. "You're no match for him."

Hinata can't reply—she's collapsed on the ground, struggling to breathe. Sasuke spares her an inscrutable look, and then, he is gone.

"You've underestimated me, Orochimaru," Sasuke's voice rings out. "A man who's already dead can't defeat an Uchiha." Hinata strains to see Sasuke, but she is blinded by a flash of blue light. She curls up into a fetal position, wheezing. Stars dance in her vision. The sharp pain in her neck fades to a dull ache.

Hinata struggles to get up on her hands and knees, forces chakra into her eyes. The whole landscape swirls with ash which lodges in her eyes, making it hard to see. She blinks furiously, then focuses her gaze, trying to get her bearings.

Finally, her vision clears, and she sees that Sasuke has hidden her under the ledge of one of the nearby administration buildings. She creeps out from under it, realizing that besides the smoldering first floor, the rest of the building has been blown into bits. She spares a glance behind her at Konoha's skyline: most of its buildings are smashed and jagged. The city looks like a mouth full of broken teeth.

Hinata grimaces and turns to regard the battle. Sasuke is fighting Orochimaru on the back of the giant snake, while the snake twists and arches its neck, trying to bite Sasuke. She can't see Naruto and the Fourth Hokage nearby but, when she sweeps the landscape with her gaze, she can see their jutsu blazing from a far-off field. She sees the silhouette of six red tails striking the air.

Hinata leans on the broken building, gulping air. She should just stay out of the way, she thinks. Sasuke is right. She isn't strong enough. She's an afterthought to this battle. Even as she thinks these things, she creeps nearer to Sasuke and Orochimaru, coming as close as she can to their battle, even though she knows that it is foolish; that Sasuke will chide her.

She can't bear it, these feelings of incompetence, of never being good enough. If she can just do one thing, one brave, foolhardy, heroic act, she can redeem herself. She waits behind the shell of a burnt-out building. Watching. Waiting.

For a moment, Sasuke seems to have the upper hand. He blows out a great plume of fire from his mouth, blinding the giant snake in one eye. The snake gives a great groan, then disappears in a cloud of smoke, while Sasuke and Orochimaru fall through the air. Even while plummeting to the ground, they sill grapple with each other—Sasuke lashes out with lightning, and Orochimaru's arms become a hundred white snakes.

As they hit the ground, Sasuke is lost in a sea of snakes. Hinata stumbles forward, her mouth parted in horror but, a moment later, there is a burst of lightning. The snakes explode in blue light, and Sasuke emerges, as if from an egg, unharmed. Hinata sags in relief, when something catches her eye, something dark and shifting behind Sasuke. Her breath catches in her throat.

Sasuke engages with Orochimaru once more, while the dark thing advances on him. Slowly. Stealthily. Hinata wants to call out, but her throat is still aching, and the words won't get past her lips. She stares at the shadow as it slithers on the ground with the fluidity of a snake. It winds around Sasuke's ankle and pulls him down.

Sasuke falls to the ground with a thud, and Orochimaru laughs, a cruel, biting sound. Orochimaru's arms become snakes again, and they lash out at Sasuke, gnashing their terrible fangs. Sasuke manages to fend most of them off, except for one, which bites him on the ankle.

Even from far away, Hinata gauges which poison Orochimaru has used to infect Sasuke, and finds the antidote in her pouch. She grips the needle in a clammy palm, then crawls forward on her hands and knees, hoping that the low layer of smoke and ash will keep her obscured from view.

Sasuke struggles to get up. But he cannot.

Don't worry, Sasuke-kuuun, Orochimaru practically purrs, staring down at Sasuke's fallen form with a hungry look. He licks his lips. I won't hurt you. Your body is too perfect of a specimen. I want it.

Why? Sasuke shouts, grimacing with pain. His skin is taking on a sickly pallor again, and his eyes are starting to twitch. Why attack Konoha?

Hinata creeps closer. It is less smoky towards the center of the battlefield, and there is little cover, besides the dark night itself. She scurries behind chunks of concrete and other pieces of wreckage, picking out her path as best she can.

Why attack Konoha? Ku, ku, ku! I thought that was obvious, Orochimaru answers with a sneer, twirling his katana in an outstretched hand. With a sinking feeling, Hinata realizes that Orochimaru is waiting for the poison to take effect—waiting to collect his prize.

Hinata trembles with rage. No more. Orochimaru isn't going to own any more people—he isn't going to control Sasuke again. She won't allow it. She won't! She hauls herself forward on her belly, crawling on the ground like a snake, and finds the last piece of cover between herself and Sasuke, about twenty feet away from the battle. She focuses her Byakugan, enhances her arm with chakra. Then she throws the needle with precision before slinking back into the wreckage once more.

Sasuke's eyes widen in shock as the needle hits his neck. The force of the throw makes the plunger slam down. The antidote takes effect quickly—Sasuke is on his feet and slicing at Orochimaru with his katana, scoring a hit on Orochimaru's shoulder. Orochimaru howls, but Sasuke doesn't stop—he is a whirl of motion, his sword arcing with lightning, striking Orochimaru again and again.

Orochimaru leaps back, regaining his composure, then flings himself at Sasuke again. This time, Hinata can tell that Orochimaru is enraged. He isn't holding back. Orochimaru bellows out a promise, his voice hysterical and shrill:

I've had enough of you! If I can't have you, then I'll kill you—I'll kill you! I'll kill you all!

Orochimaru beats Sasuke back, his arms becoming hundreds of writhing snakes once more. No longer bothering to preserve Sasuke's body, Orochimaru smacks Sasuke in the head with a resounding crack, slams his snakes into Sasuke's arms and legs until Sasuke crumples to the ground. Orochimaru flashes a triumphant smile, lifts his katana high in the air.

No.

Hinata speeds forward, her curse mark activating of its own accord. She doesn't have much chakra left; she can feel the curse mark overwhelming her, draining her life-force. Eating her alive. She doesn't care. She flings herself in front of Sasuke, arms outstretched. A human shield.

Though her skin is coated in thick scales, Orochimaru's blade is enhanced with chakra, and it slices through her with a sickening hiss.

"Infuriating to the end!" Orochimaru screams, bringing his katana down on her once more. Hinata, still stumbling from the impact of his first blow, draws out a kunai and tries to block the incoming sword. But Orochimaru is too strong, bears down on her with all his weight. His sword slices through her shoulder.

Dimly, she can hear Sasuke calling her name, Hinata! Hinata! But she pays him no mind. She will protect him for as long as she has strength in her body.

Orochimaru pulls back his sword with a growl before the blade darts forward again, this time the point aiming straight for her heart.

Goodbye, Sasuke-danna, she thinks sadly. I could have loved you. Disarmed, and without any other means to defend herself, Hinata spreads her arms wide, welcoming the blade.

There is a flash of brilliant crimson chakra. Hinata is borne up in strong arms.

"Hinata!" Naruto shouts. She blinks down at the world below her, now swarming with Konoha ANBU. Then she looks up into Naruto's burning eyes and smiles, weakly, before her vision goes dark.

She's glad she could protect Sasuke-danna until help came. Now, she can die in peace, finally free. She lets go of everything, feels the black chakra from her curse mark overwhelming her. Consuming her.

Hinata smiles softly and loses consciousness.

#

She finds herself in a dark landscape. There are no trees, no buildings; only the flat, dark earth and a black sky overhead, without any stars or moon. She stumbles forward through the inky darkness, feeling like the ground is lurching beneath her.

"Hello?" she calls. "Is anyone there?" No answer. She can hear the ocean roaring in the distance, the sound of static white noise, but she can't see it. She activates the chakra in her eyes. Still nothing. It is the same darkness, eyes opened or closed. She stops moving, afraid she might fall, or stumble into an object. So she stands there, still as a statue, for what seems like hours.

She feels the air becoming cool and moist. When at last dawn pales the sky with gray, she sees that she is ensconced in thick mist. The dim sunlight does nothing to lighten the fog; she still cannot see more than a few inches in front of her nose, Byakugan or no.

That was really stupid, a voice calls, velvety and gruff at the same time. Hinata turns around in a full circle, but can see no one and no thing.

"Hello?" Hinata calls in a small voice. "Who's there?"

What were you trying to pull, anyway? comes the voice again, punctuated with a snarl. Why do all this for me?

"S-sasuke?" Hinata says, straining in vain to see. "Sasuke-danna? Is that you?"

I would have been fine without you. You just got in the way. Now…just look at you. If you don't wake up soon, I'll kill you with my bare hands.

Hinata almost smiles, because the harsh words are spoken in such a grief-stricken voice. She reaches her hands out into the fog but feels nothing.

"You would have d-died without me," Hinata whispers. "I don't regret what I did…Sasuke-danna."

The voice does not speak again. The light in the landscape fades to black, and Hinata is lost in the darkness for a long time. A time when she does not move, and does not think. It's soothing in the darkness; she can't feel all the jumbled emotions that usually torture her. There is no self-doubt here, no shame. She is curiously free.

When dawn comes again, the sky is brighter, and the mists become transparent, like a gauzy curtain. The sun rises in a singular motion to its zenith, and it seems to call to her. She feels her feet peeling of the earth—she is floating, slowly but steadily upwards, towards the light.

Stay with us, Hinata, comes Sasuke's voice, a faint whisper this time. Hinata pauses in her slow passage into the sky and tries to peer through the fog, but she cannot see him.

"Stay with you where?" Hinata asks, confused. She spins around in a circle in midair, but she still can't see anything. Then she looks down. She can see her body laying on the ground, shriveled like a husk, or a shell. It looks very ugly from up here, and dark. It's like an old, tattered dress that no longer fits; Hinata does not want to put it back on. She looks back up towards the misty sun and floats upwards once more.

Damn it, Hinata—you can't leave!

"But I am leaving," Hinata calls. She has no reason to stay. She feels like she's finished something important. It's time to move on. She's finally free, with nothing to tether her.

There is a ripple in the world, as if a stone as been thrown into a pond—the mist shivers, and a dark form appears, its features obscured except for two dark eyes. They're not menacing, but deeply sorrowful. Hinata floats closer to the figure, curious, her white eyes peering into the black ones. She reaches out to touch him. Thin wisps of clouds part, and the figure takes her hand. His grip is gentle but firm. His skin is warm and familiar, but his hold seems to bear her downwards, like a weight.

"Why are you keeping me here?" Hinata whispers, looking longingly at the sun. "I'm supposed to go…"

"No," the voice answers. This time, he sounds surprisingly clear—not like a voice in a dream, but a voice speaking right next to her. "Not yet. I won't let you go."

"Is it really you, Sasuke-danna?" Hinata asks, peering into the cloud enshrouding the figure. She still can't see his face, only his twin black eyes. "Why won't you let me go? You haven't answered my question…" Hinata feels a bit petulant. She starting to feel very heavy now from holding onto the figure's hand, and she wants to be light and free again. She starts prying her fingers out of the figure's grip, one by one.

"No—stop! Please! Please don't die, Hinata. Please stay here, with me…" The voice is so plaintive, it makes Hinata wince. She stops wriggling free of his grip, then brings her face close to his, in an effort to see his obscured face. When she does, his eyes whirl red, like two spinning live coals. She feels herself plummeting down to earth like a shooting star, but this time, she doesn't mind. She knows it is him now. She can hear his voice, murmuring her name over and over again, a song, a mantra. Like a moth drawn towards the moon, she follows the sound of his voice…

Hinata, Hinata, Hinata…

#

She wakes up with a start, the sunlight stinging her sensitive eyes. She moves to wipe the tears away, but the effort sends shooting pains up and down her arm. She moans. Her whole body is on fire. She squeezes her eyes closed, and the hot tears falling down her cheeks make her skin crawl.

"Hinata…?" comes a breathless voice.

She tries to form words, but all that comes out is a strangled, gurgling sound.

"Thank Kami." He squeezes her hand, but it feels like he is crushing her, and she cries out in pain.

There is a rush of noise after that, the scurrying of many feet, the beeping of a machine. It's all too much for Hinata. She fades out of consciousness again, and it is like falling into a dark, peaceful sea.

#

Hinata…Hinata…Hinata…

Hinata hears her name again and her eyes flutter open. This time, the room is blessedly dim, and quiet.

"Hello?" she rasps. She struggles to sit up in bed, but hands hold her shoulders down, gentle but insistent. She blinks up into the darkness, her vision blurred. "Sasuke…?"

"Don't move," he whispers, "you're badly injured."

That makes sense, Hinata thinks; her skin feels hard and hot, like she's been severely burned. But the burning feeling is inside of her too, traveling along all of her meridians, a black, aching feeling. She feels hollow; burnt out.

"O-oh," is all she says. She can't quite remember what happened to her. Was she caught in a house fire? If the okiya caught on fire… "Is Karin all right?" Hinata asks urgently, coughing with the effort to speak.

"Calm down," Sasuke orders. "Karin is fine."

"…Guren?"

Even with her blurry vision, she can tell Sasuke is looking away from her. "Let me get the doctor. Don't. Move."

As if she had much choice, Hinata thinks. Feeling weary, Hinata closes her eyes and falls into sleep.

The third time she wakes up, she blinks up into two dark eyes that bore down on her.

"…Sasuke?" Hinata asks. She is pleased to note that her voice no longer rasps like a rusty hinge, but she is perturbed by the way Sasuke is staring at her. Her vision is clearer than before, but objects are still blurred around the edges. It looks like there is a black cloud hovering around Sasuke, and it takes Hinata a minute to realize that it is just his hair, unbound and falling around his shoulders. He's very beautiful, Hinata thinks; like a running watercolor painting.

"What?" Sasuke says, his voice without inflection. He is only a few inches from her face; his breath sighs against her cheek.

"Um… What are you doing?" Hinata asks.

"Making sure you were still breathing," he mutters, pulling away from her.

"O-oh." Hinata's head feels like it is full of cotton. She tries to process what Sasuke's just said as she sits up, slowly, in bed. The sharp, burning pain is gone. Now, her body just feels like a beat-up lump of clay. Every inch of her aches.

"Of course she's still breathing, Sasuke-kun," comes a clipped, female voice. "I told you she was fine."

"She almost died—" Sasuke snarls, but Sakura bursts into the room and interrupts him.

"And now she's fine, thanks to Tsunade-sama." Sakura scowls at her teammate, then turns to Hinata with a saccharine-sweet smile. "How are you feeling?"

"T-terrible." Hinata blinks up at Sakura. "I almost d-died?"

"Don't listen to him," Sakura growls, glaring pointedly at Sasuke. "You're fine. Sasuke would be fine too if he deigned to take a hospital bed—"

"I don't need one," Sasuke snaps back.

Hinata looks between them, then closes her eyes. If she thinks hard enough, she is sure she can remember what happened. She has vague thoughts that there was a fire at the okiya, but that doesn't feel quite right.

"Where is Karin?" Hinata manages, breaking into their argument. "Where is my oneesan?"

Sasuke and Sakura share a look. "Your oneesan will come to visit you as soon as she can," Sakura says, looking down and away from Hinata's inquisitive gaze. "She's…with Orochimaru."

Orochimaru.

Everything comes back to Hinata in a rush. She falls back against the pillows with a moan. Sasuke shouts her name, but she can't hear him over the roar of blood in her ears. Then she shakes her head, focusing on taking deep breaths as reality settles on her again like thick dust.

"What happened?" she whispers, recovering herself and feeling cold all over.

"We should let you rest—" Sakura beings, but Hinata cuts her off.

"No. Tell me what happened. All of it," Hinata demands, meeting Sasuke's eyes. It is silent for a long moment. Then Sasuke clears his throat.

"The Hokage is dead," Sasuke finally replies, his voice lacking any inflection. "Orochimaru escaped Konoha, along with Karin."

"Guren?"

"Dead," Sasuke replies in a hushed voice. And then, in an undertone: "But not before she killed twenty jonin."

Hinata pales at that, but forces herself to remain calm. "Temari?"

"Konoha had incapacitated the Root by the time Suna attacked. Without backup, Suna was easily defeated—but Suna took Temari with them when they retreated."

Hinata sits back up in bed, then leans her forehead into her hands. "…Naruto?"

"He's fine," Sakura chimes with forced cheerfulness.

"Physically," Sasuke adds with a scowl.

"Neji-niisan?"

Sasuke and Sakura share another look. Hinata's stomach coils with anxiety, when at last, Sakura says, "He's fine. He wanted to see you when you woke up. I'll go get him…" Sakura meets Hinata's eyes and smiles weakly, but when Hinata doesn't smile back, Sakura looks down and stays still, shifting her weight from foot to foot. She's hiding something, Hinata thinks.

There are so many questions Hinata wants to ask, but she cannot. It's like her brain is done thinking, and now, will no longer do her bidding. Slowly, and with great effort, Hinata asks: "…What happened to me?"

"It's those damn seals," Sasuke mutters, clutching his neck.

"You overused your power," Sakura says, placing a hand on Sasuke's arm. "But we got it under control. You'll be fine, now, as long as you don't try to activate your curse mark any more."

Hinata trembles, then nods her head. She doesn't see why she would activate it, now that Orochimaru is gone.

Gone.

A cold shiver runs down Hinata's spine at those words. Orochimaru is gone. Now what will become of her? Hinata thinks. She stares down at her hands.

"I'll go get Neji, then," Sakura says nervously. Hinata catches Sakura's narrowed gaze, her pursed lips. Is she jealous? Hinata's eyes cloud in confusion. But then, another thought crosses her mind, and before Sakura can leave, Hinata clears her throat.

"A mirror," is all she says. She holds out her hands. "Please bring me a mirror."

"I don't think—" Sakura begins.

"Let her," Sasuke snaps. Sakura is about to protest, when Sasuke stares her down. She nods.

"I'll be right back," Sakura mumbles, slipping out of the room.

Hinata leans back, sighing against the pillows. Guren is dead, and her two sisters are gone: why doesn't Hinata feel one way or the other about it? She doesn't feel sad, or grief-stricken or…anything. Just…empty. She opens her eyes and stares up at the ceiling. She can see Sasuke from the corner of her vision, a monolithic silhouette, unmoving and silent.

"Why?" Hinata asks in a small voice, overcome by a strange feeling of deja vu.

"Why what?" Sasuke rumbles.

"Why…" She wants to ask why he's brought her back from the other world, but the words seem too strange. So instead, she asks, "Why did you want me to stay here…with you?" She tilts her head to see his reaction, but not a single one of his facial muscles so much as twitches.

"You've been in a coma for two weeks," Sasuke says at last, his voice betraying nothing.

"That doesn't answer my question." Hinata looks into his dark eyes, black as a night without moon or stars, black as the darkness on the other side of the world. She does not look away.

"I've sat here…beside you…for two weeks," he says.

Hinata scrunches up her face, disoriented, not quite sure what Sasuke is trying to say. Before she can question him, the door creaks open. Sakura edges in with that fake smile plastered to her face, followed by Neji.

Hinata gasps when she sees him. Neji's face is bruised and covered in oozing gashes. He leans heavily on a pair of crutches as he swings forward.

"Hinata-sama," he says with a bittersweet smile. A tear trickles down his cheek and lands on his hospital gown.

She smiles a lopsided grin. "I thought otousan forbid you from calling me that," she says, trying to make a joke. But instead of laughing, Neji looks stricken. Silence falls. Hinata's stomach clenches.

Finally, Neji clears his throat. "Let us…be alone…"

"Of course," Sakura gushes, glaring pointedly at Sasuke, who makes no sign of moving.

"I'd like Sasuke-danna to stay," Hinata whispers, staring down at her hands.

Sakura makes a muffled sound, like she is biting off an angry retort. Without a word, she gives Hinata a hand-mirror, face down. Then, she whirls around and closes the door behind her with a thud. Neji shuffles to the other side of Hinata's bed and sits down heavily, piling his crutches against the wall. He meets Hinata's inquisitive gaze.

"I'm glad you are well, Hinata-sama," he says, taking her hand.

Her mouth curves in a soft smile and she gives his hand a squeeze. "I feel about as miserable as you look," she jokes, though her tone holds little mirth. "But I'm alive…"

Hinata flips the mirror over in her free hand. It flashes with light from the window before it focuses on her face. Alive… Peering into the mirror, Hinata sees that her lips are bruised and cracked. Her red-rimmed eyes have purple bags underneath them, and her skin is pale, pockmarked with black. She has no eyebrows, no eyelashes. She's not sure when she lost them.

Frowning, she looks higher and realizes that she no longer has any hair. She brings a trembling hand up to her head. A few stray tufts are still there, like a strange patchwork of black bristles, but other than that, it is all gone. Her memory flashes, and she realizes she must have lost it when pieces of the burning building fell on her—her lacquered hair must have burned quickly, in a flash. She hadn't noticed, at the time.

She flips the mirror over and raises her gaze to Neji, who is watching her without comment.

"Neji-niisan," she says, her voice wavering, "what did you want to t-tell me?"

"Hinata-sama…" He gives her hand another squeeze. "Your father, Hiashi…he's dead."

Hinata blinks. "Oh." She leans back against her pillows, staring down at her lap. She doesn't feel anything, she tells herself. She doesn't feel anything for the man who sold her into slavery—who never praised her. Never loved her.

"…Is Hanabi…?" Hinata rasps, still looking down at the covers.

"She's fine," Neji answers. "She's head of the Hyuga clan, now. She would like to reinstate you, if you…if you wanted."

Hinata is still and silent for what feels like a long time. "I'd l-like to b-be a-alone," she says at last, twisting the bedsheets in her hands.

Neji stumbles away, standing by the door for a moment before closing it behind him. Hinata realizes dimly that Sasuke has not moved from her side. She doesn't mind. She lets the hot tears fall down her cheeks, though she doesn't know who she is crying for. For Konoha? For Guren? For her father?

Her back shudders with sobs. She draws her hands up to her marred face. No, Hinata thinks, as her tears rain down onto her bedsheets. She's not crying for Guren, or for her father. She's weeping for herself.

Sasuke places two steady hands on her back, saying nothing. He doesn't need to, Hinata realizes with a start, hiccuping with sobs; his presence is enough.

He has answered her question.

Seriously, you guys are the best. I can't thank you all individually today because of shitty internet problems, but just know I love and appreciate the heck out of ya. One more chapter left; will update as soon as I can!

Thank you for reading and please, review:)