I'm so torn between the two brothers…lol…I might even consider to write two endings for each of them. Itachi needs love…Sasu needs love too…urgh.
To SasuHina fan: Aww…I love you too.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
-o-o-o-
Chapter Thirty Two
(f) "Itachi?" Hinata gasped when the Uchiha materialized in front of her. What was he doing here? As far as she knew, he has his own mission that Pein assigned especially for him a few days ago. Looking at his face, she can tell that something was wrong…
So…wrong.
Itachi's face was grim and his jaw set. She was about to ask him if something was wrong but stopped when she heard a soft rustling sound behind her. Wheeling around, she gasped for the second time upon seeing her Nii-san. Kisame's face matches the grim look of the Uchiha—and it all just added to her confusion.
"Kisame-Niisan?" Hinata was so confused she can't get the right words out of her mouth. "I don't understand…"
"You don't need to." The large shark-like man answered as he grabbed her arm, wheeling her around so that her back was to him while she was facing the Uchiha. Even if it was against his will to handle her so brusquely, he mentally told himself that it was for her own good.
Hinata doesn't belong in their dark world.
"I'm sorry Hina…"
The Hyuga squirmed but her hands were trapped inside Kisame's much larger hand. "Nii-san…what are you doing?" She asked, puzzled and frightened at the same time. She has no idea what the hell was going on and why are they suddenly doing this. Looking at Itachi, she can see that he was impassive—eyes on her like she was not his fellow Akatsuki member. "Itachi…w-what are you…"
"It's for your own good Hinata-chan." Kisame grumbled behind her, one hand pressing a nerve on her neck expertly. Even though she was trying hard to squirm free, the contact was done and it made her knees grew weak. Hinata sagged on the ex-Kiri nin for support and he held her carefully.
As she lost her strength, she looked into the man that she has grown to love as her own brother. "Hinata…we are returning you back to your village." He said, not matching her gaze.
"Wh-what?" She managed to say. "Nii-san…I…I don't understand…"
"You don't belong with us…You have to return to your village."
"Why?" She managed to croak in disbelief as what they were about to do dawned on her. "Nii-san you can't do this! Pein will punish you both if he knew—No! "
This was too sudden…too fast. She can't even wrapped her mind about the idea of going home—in such an unexpected time and way.
Kisame gave her a sad smile. "It's a risk that I'm willing to take for my sister…if it comes to that." Holding her chin up, he forced her eyes to look at the man in front of her— Itachi's sharingan was already activated. Looking at the red, spinning orbs, she can't help but gaze upon him with plea.
"I'm sorry Hinata-chan."
"Itachi…" Hinata shook her head weakly. What would become of him when she's gone? He can't keep on taking all the burden of protecting the village…he can't keep on taking all the blame to himself…he needs her. He needs someone who could help him carry the heavy burden that the village unmercifully thrust into his shoulders.
Itachi can't go on like this forever…Sooner or later, he's going to break.
"No…Itachi…please."
But her pleas were left unheard. As the Uchiha took a step towards her, her eyes were beginning to be field with tears…stinging tears.
"No…Itachi."
"Hina…" Itachi stared into her eyes. "Never try to come back in the midst of Akatsuki…The moment you returned to your real home. Don't try looking back."
"Ita—"
"Sharingan!"
Hinata gasped, suddenly turning limp like a rag doll that has lost most of her stuffing. Slowly, her vision turned black and her head feels weightless. In a small part of her mind, Hinata knew that Itachi has put her inside his dojutsu…
A dojutsu that she won't be able to counter or avoid.
As the darkness starts to crept in—slowly disabling her senses— she felt Kisame's rough arms gave her body a gentle squeeze. "Take care of yourself, little sister. I won't be there to watch over you anymore. The next time we'll meet…we will be standing on the opposite side of the battlefield—so I am hoping that this would be last time that I can lay my eyes on you. " (f)
Hinata blinked when Tsunade snapped her fingers in front of her face. "You're drifting out Hyuga."
"G-gomenasai." She muttered, eyes refocusing again as she laid her eyes on the beautiful busty blonde sitting in front of her. She was summoned by an Anbu a few minutes ago, saying that Tsunade wants to talk to her.
Good. For she too has a lot inside her mind right now and there would be no easing it until she talked to the Kage…the person who knew about Konoha's dark secrets…aside from her.
"Hinata—"
"Lady Tsunade…Itachi doesn't deserve all of this." She never has the guts to cut off the kage before, but right now, she just wanted to get the heavy load off her chest. She felt as if she'll burst out any minute and this was not something that she was expecting upon returning back to her village. She did not expect to feel some sort of heaviness in her chest that threatens to suffocate her any minute.
She's in pain…
Terrible, excruciating pain.
"Hmm." The blonde leaned back on her chair. Right. The girl knew of Itachi's sacrifice. It would be normal for her to be concerned about the rogue Uchiha's position after spending a year with him. "I know…"
"Then why…?"
"It has been like that even before I accepted the position of being the Hokage." Tsunade studied the girl. She was different from the last time she saw her. The gentle eyes were now harder and knowing…the once too-innocent face was now replaced with a grim façade that can only be brought by experience and something…dark. "It is Itachi's choice to be left in the darker side of things for the sake of the village that he wanted to protect."
"And that village, in return…did not do anything about it."
"There are a lot of things you doesn't know yet Hyuga. Itachi may have shared his secret with you…but remember that you are leaving in a Shinobi world. You can't expect to experience fairytale endings and sugar coated memories in this era. No…you won't expect that in a world who trains their children how to use a kunai a few years after they were born." The Hokage said, shaking her head.
Hinata lowered her head; she was starting to feel that heaviness in her chest again.
"So I am asking you to keep this knowledge to yourself Hinata. Don't let Itachi's sacrifice go to nothing. Forgetting about it and living your life again as if nothing happened would be the biggest thing you could do to pay him back. He put his neck on the line and all the years of hard work just so you can return to the village unscathed."
"Lady Tsunade…" Hinata murmured. "I don't think forgetting would be paying him back…for what he has done."
Seeing the heiress so torn, Tsunade's sharp eyes softened. "Hinata…There are things in this world that are beyond our power to change…so it is better if we can accept that."
When the blue haired Hyuga left the office, the blonde kage can't help but shook her head again and took a heavy gulp of sake from a secret bottle hiding under her desk. Well, that's…unexpected. She was actually expecting Hinata to be smiling wide and screaming with joy that's she's back in the midst of her friends and family again…
Instead, she was so fragmented with her feelings that Tsunade can't help but be worried for her.
"That's unanticipated." She murmured, getting another mouthful of bittersweet sake. "It seems like our Hyuga left her heart back in the Akatsuki's lair."
-o-o-o-
Kisame eyed the Uchiha as he entered the entrance of the cave hideout without a word. They separated from the rest of the group again after being ordered for another mission from Pein. It seems like the Akatsuki leader was a little disappointed about the Hyuga's disappearance—commanding Tobi to try and locate her.
Fortunately, Konoha was in high security alert after the Hyuga's return—making the leaf village a very hard place to sneak into. In normal days, this information would have pissed Kisame to the core, but right now, he was relieved that Hinata was out of reach from any of them.
"Itachi…" Kisame grumbled as he leaned on the stone wall. "Where have you been?"
"Nowhere."
"Bullshit."
Itachi seated himself on the cold stone floor, his cloak rustling as he too, leaned his back on the stone wall in a relax manner just like his partner. It has been a hard week for him—well, for both of them. They have to clear things up in order to make their story about Hinata's retrieval believable. Pein was not some kind of idiot… It would take more than a simple lie to make the leader and the rest believe…
"Hey…" The shark-man grumbled again. "Do you miss…her?"
"Hn."
'What kind of answer is that?"
"You're loud Kisame."
"I miss her…" Kisame chuckled. "Never in my life did I ever expect that I'm going to be attached to a girl…enough to risk my neck for her safety. Damn…something's wrong with me."
Closing his eyes, Itachi let the darkness engulf him as his partner continued to grumble about things he found annoying. Kisame's loud mouth might attract unwanted guests—but he was smart enough not to reprimand him. It would only trigger more noise. "Come on…you miss her right?" He heard Kisame asked again.
"Shut up."
Yeah, he missed her…but he won't say it out loud.
(f) Kisame carefully placed the unconscious Hyuga on the ground. "What now?"
Kneeling beside the girl, the Uchiha studied her now relaxed face. Her eyes were still wet with tears and they continued to drop on her cheek, making wet trails down to the side of her neck. "We bring her to a place where the Konohan unit would surely find her."
"The Kumo falls…where the said book of forbidded jutus lies…"
A few hours later, In the safe cover of the trees and a good distance away from the said healing waters of Kumogakure, Itachi watched in silence as the Hyuga was being carried away like a precious cargo…
By his one and only brother. (f)
-o-o-o-
Hinata closed the only window of her old room. The wind was cold and she was not really in the best condition right now. After a year, her room still looks exactly the same. Her clothes were still organized in a neat stack inside her cabinet—exactly the way she has left them. Every furniture, every piece of ornament—was on its same place. She heard a Hyuga helper said that her father has been keeping her room that way—demanding that the place be cleaned once a week.
Talking about her father, Hyuga Hiashi surprised her big time when they met again after she recovered from Itachi's dojutsu. The clan head was teary eyed when he gave her a 'welcome back' hug. It was new…but she was grateful that her father was showing his concern for her return…like everybody else around her.
Well, except for Hanabi…who continued to avoid her like she was some kind of ill gotten disease. She was confused about her sister's cool attitude towards her but can't really bring herself to confront the younger Hyuga—now the future clan head and her replacement. She guessed that she was not prepared for another problem yet…since she was still in the middle of a big one.
With a sigh, Hinata closed her eyes, trying to give her mind a break.
Her return to the village created such a large ruckus to the point that she can't even go to the training field without being stared and pointed upon by curious people—locals and Shinobi alike. Hinata knew that she can't blame them. She has made it back from the Akatsuki's territory alive…not to mention that she managed to join the organization that should only be consisted of deadly…missing S-class nins. No one has ever done that before.
Some even say that she was a living hero…
If they only knew who the real hero is…and not all Akatsuki are …evil. Hinata thought grimly just as she heard a soft tapping sound just outside the closed window.
Tap….tap…tap…
With a curious look on her face, she slowly pushed the said window open again, wondering if it was a bird. Hinata knew that it would be easier to use her kekkei genkai and find out—but since she was inside the Hyuga compound, it was forbidden to use her Byakugan. Somehow, she was wishing that the bird—if it was a bird—be a crow. Hinata knew it was a weird notion but…she's still hoping…
A few seconds later…she Hinata found out that it was not a bird.
"Hina…"
"S-Sasuke-kun?" Hinata recognized the cool voice of the Anbu that was crouching in front of her. His one hand was holding the window sill for weight support while the other was resting above his knee in a carefree way. Without waiting for invitation, he leaped from the window and landed inside her room with the same gracefulness she has seen Itachi possess.
Wondering why he can enter the compound unnoticed, Hinata took a step back. "S-Sasuke-kun…Did the lady Tsunade wants to talk to me again?" She asked, guessing his reason. "I can g—"
Hinata's words were cut short when the Anbu pulled her to him and she suddenly found her face pressed on the gray vest—right where his chest should be. Blinking in surprise, she can feel his strong arms tightened around her and she can't help but be frozen on the spot.
"Hinata…"
"S-Sasu…"
-o-o-o-
Here ends the chapter… please, please review…It would be a great help because I wanted to know what you think…it would also help me determine what scenes I'm going to write for the next chap.
I'm so excited for this story to end…so that I can start a new one! (The next pair depends on the poll so please vote! It's on my profile.)
Hugs and kisses
-crazygurl12