Goodbye, Sadness – Chapter Three
Throughout the western forest in Konoha, mirthful giggles resounded with soft footfalls on freshly-fallen snow. Dressed in a soft blue overcoat and bright yellow boots, a child with bright white eyes peered around the fat trunk of a dead tree, seeking its shelter from the hail of snowballs flying at her.
"Ah, no fair, Itachi-nii!" She complained in the middle of her laughter, narrowly missing a snowball to the face. "You're cheating! You're not supposed to use your powers!"
Uchiha Fugaku's firstborn, prodigy of the Uchiha clan, crouched beside a stack of recently-formed snowballs. A rare smile graced his handsome face, incited by the little girl's perceptiveness and laughter. How this girl was able to bring him joy in the short time they spent together was mysterious, in spite of her current circumstances. Very recently did the Hyuuga girl's mother pass away. A few weeks ago, he had found her crying in the forest. The sight of her small form balled up with her arms around her legs and chin on her knees tugged at his heart strings, spurring him to make his presence known and take pity on the girl.
In the midst of his reminiscing, a ball of snow traveled rapidly in his direction from behind. He detected the offending projectile and swiftly dodged it, catching sight of another child. This one was familiar and shared many similar features to him. "You almost got me, Sasuke."
Uchiha Sasuke had a very prominent scowl on his face, with his cheeks puffed, lips curled, and brow furrowed. "You said you'd play with me, Nii-san! You promised! Why are you playing with some other kid?!"
Itachi gave his little brother an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Sasuke. Hinata found me while I was training." He expressed, rubbing the back of his head guiltily. He had promised Sasuke he'd play with him after academy training ended that day.
"You're playing with a girl?!" Sasuke shouted incredulously, his eyes looking daggers at the tree where his brother's new playmate was hiding.
Shyly, the little girl mentioned stepped out from her shelter and stood next to Itachi, her cheeks slightly red and eyes downcast."I-I'm sorry."
"Come here, Sasuke." Itachi made a hand gesture to beckon his little brother over.
Dragging his feet, Sasuke did just as his brother asked, with both arms crossed and the jealous scowl still gracing his youthful features. His disposition earned him a soft poke on the forehead. Overreacting, the younger Uchiha covered the spot on his forehead where Itachi's fingers had marked with his hand, huffing at his nii-san.
"Sasuke, this is Hinata. You two should make friends!"
"N-nice to meet you!" Hinata blurted, bowing slightly at Itachi's behest to befriend Sasuke. At this point, her face was as red as a tomato. Itachi couldn't have realized how trying this was for someone as shy as she was.
Sasuke crossed his arms and glowered at Hinata in silence. He still couldn't accept the fact his older brother would rather play with this girl than him, the coolest kid in his class. "You look like a boy." He said spontaneously, with an intent to hurt her feelings. Almost as instantly as the words left his mouth, he regretted it.
"Sasuke!" Itachi admonished, "Apologize now!"
The girl's wide eyes began to shine and small beads of tears began to form in her thick lashes as she closed her eyes. Small whimpers escaped her quivering lips as she crouched and dropped her face in her hands.
Sasuke, too, began to cry – sensing disloyalty from his brother. "I hate you!" He spat at the girl before fleeing in the direction of the Uchiha district.
Itachi sighed. Comforting the child had been of little difficulty for her five-year-old mind was easily diverted. He climbed a nearby tree and picked the finest looking ume flower. He held one between his thumb and forefinger, "Here." He knelt in front of Hinata and offered the weeping child the blossom, its pink and vibrant petals had quickly halted her flow of tears. "Do you know what this flower means?" He asked, looking into glistening white eyes.
She cupped the small flower in her equally small hands while her sobs quieted to hiccups, "N-no..." After staring at the flower in her open hands, she looked directly in his eyes and whispered, "What does it mean?"
"Elegance and devotion."
In the shroud of darkness, Taka's members took shelter among trees. Several days had come and gone since Uchiha Sasuke fulfilled his avenger's mission. The dense forests surrounding Konoha blanketed the band of missing nin. Among them was the low-spirited Hyuuga heiress with her countenance so devoid of emotion, she could be mistaken for a corpse. Even her inner state mirrored the same desolation.
Taka's only female member stood over her, casting commiserative glances at the dark-haired girl every once in a while. Multiple attempts to converse with the Hyuuga were unsuccessful. Karin's endeavors to make light conversation or offer sustenance were answered with perpetual silence. Aware of the girl's piteous circumstances, Karin sensed a disturbance about her that she has yet to disclose to Sasuke. Inside her, there's a faint chakra... it's distinct from hers. There's no way... could it really be his? Karin understood what Uchiha Itachi was capable of, and it terrified her to imagine herself in the Hyuuga's shoes. It was cruel of Sasuke to keep the girl hostage. This is out of my hands.
"Karin," Taka's leader called. "I need you to be on lookout. Let me know if you sense anyone from the village come close."
"Hai," Karin nodded and disappeared from the small clearing.
Despite numerous attempts to get through to her, she remained in her mute stupor. An uncomfortable silence followed Karin's departure, leaving the young Uchiha with his ruminations and the inanimate girl, while Suigetsu and Jugo slept.
You couldn't see through Itachi at all. You couldn't see through his illusion. Sasuke cast his eyes on the dark horizon, recalling Tobi's divulgence of his brother's design. That incomparable love, entrusting the Uchiha name to you- -
He was pulled from his reverie by a sudden dull thud. A brief survey showed Hinata laying on her side. She was faintly breathing. Alarm beckoned him into action and he found himself kneeling in beside her, gathering her in his arms as he stimulated her to wake, "Oi, Hyuuga!" Urgently he shook her, and still, she remained unconscious. Sasuke's voice carried and stirred Taka's members out of their sleep. Before long, Suigetsu and Jugo stood behind him, each observing their leader as he tried to revive the Hyuuga, but to little avail.
"That won't help, Sasuke." The water adept interjected. "You know she's been starving herself for a while."
"We can force-feed her," The taller man with fiery hair proposed. "I have some food and water in my pack." Jugo moved to retrieve the mentioned items. When he returned, he handed a flask of water to the Uchiha.
"Somehow I don't think she'll be very receptive of that," Suigetsu remarked frankly.
Holding the unconscious girl upright, Sasuke pressed the mouth of the flask to her cracked lips and tilted the flask until she came to. Dark lashes fluttered open, revealing dismayed white eyes. Almost instantly, the Hyuuga struck the flask away from her lips, knocking it to the ground. The clay flask shattered and its contents were rendered wasted.
"Told ya," Suigetsu scoffed, eyeing the Uchiha carefully as he anticipated a volatile reaction. This girl's so dead.
Jugo tensed, also observing his leader, taken aback at the uncharacteristically attentive and patient behavior his leader was exhibiting.
But there was no hostility on the Uchiha's part. He continued to support her weak body in one arm while the other slowly returned to his side. "Leave us," He commanded, voice bereft of emotion. Once Sasuke was certain Suigetsu and Jugo had removed themselves out of earshot, he fixed obsidian eyes onto her ashen face. "Look at me," he demanded grimly.
She didn't oblige him, her pale eyes downcast. He watched the change in her expression as she pressed her parched lips together, her slender brows furrowing. He knew she was deliberately disobeying.
"I don't know, and I don't care to know, my brother's intentions when he took you against your will," He began, continuing to watch her countenance, "But I won't be made guilty for his actions. You will not die while you're in my charge. I'm returning you to your clan."
His declaration elicited a sudden tearful response from her. "...you don't know who I am," She uttered softly, "I'd sooner die than return to my clan. I-I ...can't go back." The Hyuuga strained to stand, leaning against the tree nearby to keep herself upright. He, too, rose but remained riveted to the spot, watching her as she began her slow strides away from the village. In her state, he didn't entertain the possibility of her getting very far.
"I've risked a lot to get you home," Sasuke called after her, simultaneously stupefied and irked at the girl's stubbornness. There was no doubt she, too, understood the possibility of his capture by bringing her this close to the village walls. Why should he have to take it upon himself to ensure her safety? Itachi's dead. This... is pointless. Yet, here he was, finding himself concerned for the stupid girl.
Silently, she shambled onward, gait growing more and more unsteady as she gained distance.
"Sasuke-kun!" A breathless Karin sprinted towards him, urgency etched on her features, eyes wide and hair askew. "We need to leave now. The village is sending out patrols."
This was the perfect opportunity. Sasuke returned his gaze to Hinata, who'd stopped in her tracks and faced him now. Her cheeks were wet with tears, and she took a shaky breath.
"Please- please don't leave me like this," She pleaded desperately. "I'll only dishonor my family if I'm returned to my clan. Please don't let them find me."
Karin frowned and approached the Hyuuga girl. She clasped her shoulders and gazed empathetically into her tear-filled eyes. "Your life is not over. You need to be strong, okay?"
Despite her kind gesture, the Uchiha's comrade had no inkling of her hopelessness. She was oblivious to her standing in her clan. And this girl couldn't possibly know the despair and shame after being violated. Hinata only feigned a weak smile through her lament, her true intention much darker in nature. In a swift motion, she snatched the kunai on the redhead's waist. There was no hesitation or fear when she plunged the keen edge into her abdomen.
Karin gasped as the bloody scene unfolded before her. They had underestimated this Hyuuga, even Sasuke.
He was quick to save her from hitting the ground. "What the fuck were you thinking?!" He snarled at Karin, and maintained the same expression when facing the self-destructive girl.
"I-I can't have this child," Hinata breathed, not resisting as he took her hands and pinned them away from the injury on her abdomen. The last she witnessed before falling into darkness were Uchiha Sasuke's widening eyes.
A/N: Guys, I can't thank you enough for the reviews/faves/follows. Some of you are perceptive in how this might turn out. :) My lips are sealed, though. I appreciate your feedback/encouragement always. Thank you for reading and/or reviewing! Stay tuned!