Pluck Chapter 12 - I Remember, a naruto fanfic

- Pluck -

Part I

Chapter 12: I Remember

A/N: I'm sorry for the long wait. Midterms have been drilling me into the ground, but with them finally over, I had enough time to write and (finally) update this story. Sorry to anyone who thought I had abandoned this story. Please rest assured that I'm not the kind to leave things unfinished; I'm completing this story, no matter how long it takes me, and that's a promise! And I'm in love with writing it, that I doubt I'd ever want to leave it.

One more thing: next update, at the end of the chapter, I plan on responding to everyone's lovely comments and reviews. So if you have a comment or question you wish for me to answer, feel free to say it, and I'll be happy to oblige! Thanks, all!

Sasuke Uchiha didn't feel any different than how he usually felt.

. . .

Okay. That was a lie.

But that didn't matter, and he wasn't going to think about it for too long. Just a passing thought early that morning - that was all he allowed himself to think about it. A simple, curious wonder; that's it. And then it was back to normal. It had to be - because his brother was pretty good at seeing through him, and when he had woken up to see Sasuke off for work, there was a subtle squint to his eye that could only be classified as brotherly amusement, and Sasuke had to leave their home quickly before he could ask him any questions.

Nosy as always.

And he wasn't the only one.

"There you are. I was just about to go to the cafeteria and grab some coffee - but then I remembered you were coming and decided to do some organizing instead."

Karin liked to think she could read him like a book - and he was sure, in some situations, she could. She used to be a therapist; she had her ways. And that was why Sasuke felt particularly on guard, fixating on his expression and what he was revealing as he blankly watched her sort through one of her drawers of files on the left shelf of her wall. A bit of hair thrown in her face, Karin brushed back a few strands before turning to him. She smiled, as she normally did, and he hoped that meant she hadn't caught on to anything.

Not that I'm hiding anything.

"I'm assuming this is about the Moon -"

"Witch. Yes, it -" Biting his tongue, he frowned at the words that rushed past his lips before his mind could catch up to them. Slow down, Sasuke. "Rather, it's about the case she's working on."

Karin's gaze stayed on his face, and he fought with the itch to look away. The hell is with this flustered shit? He wasn't hiding anything. Nothing happened. Nothing was going to happen. This was just a mission, and he was doing his job. This was him being paranoid, and that wasn't going to help anyone. So, with a flex of his jaw, he looked Karin in the eye, mercilessly, until she flushed and bowed her gaze.

There. Normal.

"Right. Sakura." Rounding her desk, she sat in her chair. "How is she?"

"Fine," he bit out. His irritated tone seemed to surprise her, and she sat back with a tilt to her head. "The Moon Witch discovered that she's being controlled, and we have reasons to believe that has something to do with her illness. I'm opening up another investigation, but I need you for the interrogations."

Karin nodded, already reaching over to her schedule to check if she'll have to cancel anything. He appreciated her work ethic. Even a day with Suigetsu could dampen Sasuke's faith in people doing their job and doing it well. Itachi liked to call him a perfectionist. Sasuke figured he was just doing his work.

"Have any leads?" she asked, adjusting her specks, which were sliding down her nose due to the incline of her head.

"Not one," he said, crossing his arms, pondering. "We'll have to start in the manor, but there are mind controllers that have a larger range than the ones I've already interrogated, so we can't cross out any suspects outside of Forest 3, or even the Earth Realms." As he spoke, Karin already stood and went to the shelf that had records on any previous criminals from the Forest districts. Her serious frown turned dour upon the rather large stack of papers she pulled from between two folders, Mind Controllers written in bold letters on the front. "I'll change my tactics, focus more on their relationship with Sakura rather than their powers and schedule. How long are you free?"

Red eyes glowed over her shoulder, and her glossy lips turned in a smirk. "Today? Or this month?" Karin waved the stack before throwing them on her desk. "There's more of them than I thought." Pinching the bridge of her nose, other hand tapping along her desk, she seemed to think for a moment, then glanced at him over the frames of her specks. "And there's also the matter of helping Sakura. Hinata is not a licensed therapist. She'll need assistance, especially if Sakura's mind is being controlled. Shall I call for Kabuto to -"

"Not necessary." He wasn't willing to take the risk of having someone he didn't completely trust with her, Suigetsu present or not. Not that Sasuke had any proof of Kabuto being the double agent; but, well, he's proved multiple times since Tsuande's leaving and him becoming the Head Therapist that he wasn't above such notions. "If you have free time . . ."

Karin sighed and fell back in her seat. "Fine," she mused, a strange smile coming to her despite the tired lines already forming between her brows, "but only because you asked. All I can say is that you'll owe me after this."

Nodding, knowing well he did, Sasuke walked up to the desk and took the stack of records he'll be looking over for the next few hours. Tedious, mundane work, but nothing he was unused to. His thumb skimmed the edges of the papers as he thought on something that had been nipping at the back of his mind since yesterday. "About Suigetsu . . . ."

Karin was sitting straight before he could properly get the sentence out. "What this time?"

Nothing damning. Nothing that could warrant him getting kicked off the mission. Therefore, nothing important enough to mention, and Sasuke shook his head and made his way to the door. "Be at the manor no later than noon. We have a lot of work to do."

Karin sighed, but no protests escaped her.

...

"This is an odd sight."

It hadn't been fifteen minutes since he'd come to the bar, and Kakashi was already bugging him. Not that Sasuke expected anything else from him - but he had hoped, maybe, he'd get a glance at the rather large stack on the table and realize his presence and remarks weren't needed. But then again, Kakashi was never the sort to make keen observations on little things - or maybe he was, but he just didn't care. Either way, Sasuke had to consciously keep the scowl from his lips as he raised his gaze from page six out of eighty to give the man a displeased look.

"I can't imagine what you mean," he said, the corners of the papers crinkling under the slight, irritated curl of his fingers, "nor do I care."

Kakashi's eyes sparkled in that familiar way. Were he anyone else, Sasuke would have taken that twinkle of amusement as a sign of mockery and would have acted in whatever way appropriate - which, in most cases, would be flashing his scabbard and reminding the bastard to not mess with him. But Kakashi, in one way or another, was a bit like Itachi, and Sasuke felt those violent instincts of his cool and disappear.

"I don't see you willingly here often," Kakashi noted, resting his forearms on the chair opposite of Sasuke. "Especially not without -" His gaze flickered around the room, saw no one close enough to overhead, then leaned in with a rather satisfied smirk, "Hinata."

"I wouldn't call being forced to bodyguard her willing, either." Sasuke knew what Kakashi was trying to do, and he wasn't about to give him an inch. Sighing, putting enough pressure behind it to give it an air of finality, he turned back to his readings. "Is that it? I'm busy."

Kakashi laughed. "Aren't you always?" The chair he leaned on creaked as he lifted one of his arms to rub at the back of his neck. "Actually, I'm here partly for Tsunade. She's been asking about her recently - ever since Naruto got more actively involved, she hasn't been around as much. She wanted me to ask you how she's holding up."

"Ask Suigetsu," he said without a nanosecond of hesitation. "He's her bodyguard."

"I don't see Suigetsu here at present."

For the love of the fucking Gods -

Dropping his papers, Sasuke jerked back against his seat and huffed. "Kakashi -"

"I saw you with her last night." There wasn't too much to the tone - nor should there be. He was just stating a fact. Nothing serious or damning, just a simple truth. But Sasuke felt the tips of his fingers turn icy, and he couldn't begin to understand why. "You took her to Ocean 11. She looked upset." Kakashi's head tilted to the side, but his eyes were narrow and serious. "Did Sakura say something? Is this about Naru -"

"No." A simple answer, but it came out with such poison and frustration, even Sasuke was put off by it. Kakashi blinked, and Sasuke took a deep breath before continuing. "It's confidential, but nothing happened. The Moon Witch is fine. You can put Tsunade at ease with that, can't you?"

A moment of silence, save from a bit of noise that Sasuke was too distracted to take much notice of. Kakashi had the most perplexed look on his face, which didn't come often to such a simple and composed man. His mouth was twisted into a bemused line, corners dipped a bit, and his brows were furrowed. He removed his weight from the chair and stood back, straight and looming. It was a bit . . . unnerving. Sasuke hasn't seen him act like this in a while. Somehow, it was more aggravating than him being his normal, nosy self, and Sasuke glared at him, silently asking what the hell was up with him.

But Kakashi either didn't notice it or didn't bother to answer, for he stepped back and faced the bar. "Sure," he said, tone a bit off. "I'll leave you to your work, then."

When he was gone and Sasuke finally had enough room and time to stop and take in the rest of the world, he looked down at his forearms, which steamed from the electricity crackling under his skin. Fuckin' Hell, he thought, gritting his teeth as he focused on pulling the buzzing energy back into his core. The papers on the table relaxed as the electricity in the air slowly slipped away, and after a poem of curses that hissed under his breath, he rubbed at his temples and relaxed his shoulders. When will he learn to just leave me alone?

Unconsciously, his gaze peeked past his raised, gloved hand, towards the Ocean Gate at the end of the Hall.

And that passing thought he had promised himself to not waste time on -

I wonder . . . if she's doing alright.

- resurfaced without mercy in his winding, whirling mind, and Sasuke had to fight against the itch to stab himself out of annoyance alone as he yanked the records back and began to read them once again.

...

He was a good twenty-three pages into the stack when another annoyance decided to ruin his moment of concentration.

"Shit, Sasuke. What got you lookin' so pissy this morning?"

And upon hearing Suigetsu's approaching voice, he couldn't help but wish it was Kakashi coming back for another round. At least he had some filter to his antics. Knowing to not give him the satisfaction of a reaction, Sasuke gave him a blank face, save from the frown that tilted upon his lips when he found the lack of someone at his side.

"Where's the Moon Witch?"

"Ehhh? Sleepin', I'm pretty sure." Pushing back one of the chairs with the side of his shoe, Suigetsu plunked himself down and rested his feet atop the table. Sasuke gave him a scowl, but as long as it wasn't messing up his piles of records, he wouldn't comment on it. And Suigetsu seemed aware of this, for his grin stretched. "Don't worry - I left her a note sayin' where I'd be. She'll probably just come here after she wakes up. But seriously, though - what the hell happened last night? I've never seen her sleep in for so long."

Sasuke didn't spare him a glance as he flipped to the next of the stack. "Nothing happened."

"That's not very convincing," Suigetsu cooed.

Unconsciously, an exasperated exhale escaped his lips as he finally met those purple, glittering eyes. "How's the Moon Witch?"

Shit. That was the third time today. What happened to not giving it the time of day?

Thankfully, Suigetsu didn't seem to notice his split second of panic as he, instead, settled his eyes on the Ocean Gate for a moment. Then, with a cross to his arms, he looked back at Sasuke, and said, "Her name's Hinata."

Yes. He knew.

"I wasn't asking for her name. I was asking how she was."

"She hates it when people call her that, you know," Suigetsu said, shoulders rolling nonchalantly. But Sasuke wasn't tricked at all. There was a lowness in his voice that rarely ever came to him. He was more serious about this than he was willing to let on, and Sasuke slowly placed down his papers to give him his attention, if only to figure out where this was coming from. "Moon Witch - kinda sounds like an insult, doesn't it?" Faking a yawn, Suigetsu stretched his arms over his head before crossing them behind his skull. "Not that it's any of my business, but I don't see the point of draggin' this out."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "You're avoiding my question."

"I picked it up from someone I know - an asshole who thinks he'll drown in a fuckin' puddle."

Not even blinking, Sasuke didn't give the jab a second to ponder as he turned back to the records. "I'm not explaining myself again. How is she?"

"Hinata? Fine. Peachy, even. Lonely as hell, though. Y'know, she talks to her cousin when she thinks no one is listening." Wait. "It freaked me the fuck out when I first heard her talking - like, was she seriously talkin' to herself like some freak? But then I realized -"

"How do you know about her cousin?" He didn't recall mentioning her family members to him - it wasn't important to his role as a bodyguard. Did she mention it to him? Sasuke recalled all the times in the past she had talked about her cousin to him - the man he supposedly reminded her of. She seemed rather open with talking about him, but . . .

"Neji?" Suigetsu asked, scratching at his gills. "It's hard not to know about the guy. She talks about him, Naruto talks about him -" Naruto? "And all the time I hear Neji this and Neji that. He must be really important to her, huh?" There was a look of expectancy that flashed across his gaze, but it left as quickly as it came, replaced with his normal, amused simper. "But yeah - like I said, she's lonely. But that's why I'm here, right? Because it ain't like some psycho is gonna come to Ocean 11 to get her."

And he was back to being dismissive and unconcerned. Fantastic.

"The Guard is being cautious," Sasuke reminded him. "Have you found any evidence of the stalker or double-agent?"

"Hell no!" Suigetsu barked. "And I can bet ya my ass that if any 'evidence' does show up, it'll be the body of the drowned asshat." He crossed and uncrossed and crossed his legs again, causing the table to shift and whine. Sasuke decided it would be easier to just hold the entire stack of paper. "Face it, man. You're being paranoid and -" His sudden pause made Sasuke look up to see wide, flickering eyes and the most palpable, gobsmacked expression. ". . . Wait."

He frowned, unsure what could have caused such a reaction. Supposing it was just another gimmick to waste his time, Sasuke rolled his eyes and skimmed another paper. Immediately, he knew based on the range of the user's magic alone that they weren't a suspect, and he dropped the record into a stack for outcasts before going to the other. The moment of quiet made him slowly sink back into focus, and he was beginning to think -

"Holy SHIT! That's why you call her that stupid name!?"

Of course. It was naive thinking to believe Suigetsu would give him more than five minutes of complete and needed silence. Sending him a sharp glare that smoldered with every bit of aggravation he felt since that damn morning, he muttered, "I'm trying to focus here, Suigetsu."

But the Ocean Guard didn't care. Couldn't, probably. He looked so beyond even beginning to care for something that wasn't -

"I can't believe I didn't see it sooner. But now that I think about it, it makes sense. Not being into Sakura anymore - insisting on taking her to Ocean -" Picking his feet off the table, Suigetsu slammed them on the floor and stood, grinning from ear to ear, showing off his sharp and shining teeth. "Shit, Sasuke, you're really that into her that you can't even say her name without buzzing?"

Blinking, Sasuke was barely able to keep up. Weren't they just talking about something completely different? What the hell is he spewing now?

"Oh my Gods . . ." Suigetsu pressed a hand to his mouth, as if to stop his grin from getting any wider. Obviously, it wasn't working. "That's the real reason why you won't go swimmin', isn't it? Because if you did, and she was there, you'd absolutely fry the poor guppy just by looking at her! You're scared you can't hold it back, aren't you?"

That headache was coming back tenfold, and Sasuke shot him a mean scowl. "Suigetsu."

"I bet you're holdin' back right now!" Suigetsu exclaimed with a laugh. "Fuck, Sasuke, are you -"

"You're right."

Those two words shut Suigetsu up pretty quickly, and Sasuke relished in the silence as long as he could, knowing it wouldn't last nearly as long as he wanted it to.

Hand falling to hang at his hip, grin simmering down to a confused smile, Suigetsu gave him a puzzled look. "I . . . I am?"

Nodding, Sasuke settled back in his chair and crossed his arm. "You're right about me holding back, and you should be damn thankful." This time, when his skin crackled with electricity and the air buzzed and hissed, he didn't try to calm down and suck it all back in. Suigetsu knew damn well he was treading on dangerous waters - he just needed a reminder to not push his luck with him. "Go ahead, Suigetsu. Keep talking. Tell me more about these wild ideas of yours, and we'll see how much longer I am willing to hold back."

Gulping, all color from his face draining into an ill, trembling white, Suigetsu snapped his mouth shut. Finally. Sasuke pulled his power back, leaving only a mild wave of static in the air, but didn't lighten his glare on the cocky bastard as he kicked his foot out from under the table and pushed Suigetsu's chair back.

"If you have nothing better to do, sit your ass down and help me with these."

Instantly, Suigetsu was sat - properly, this time - and already skimming the first half of the stack Sasuke had yet to get through. Unable to keep back the smirk threatening to tug at his lips, he uncrossed his arm, pulled over the second half of the stack, and went back to focusing.

...

"But . . ." Thirty minutes later, Suigetsu dared to speak once again, and Sasuke didn't even bother to give him a glance, "you never denied it."

He's still on that?

"I don't need to."

Because it should be obvious what the answer was. So obvious that Sasuke, himself, didn't even need to ponder it. Just another passing notion that he would be ignoring for the rest of eternity. And by the time he got home to have a late dinner with his brother, it would be so far past his active mind that Itachi wouldn't even see a sliver of doubt on his face - because there was none.

Obviously.

"Oh - Guppy, over here!"

His head snapped up, and he watched Hinata float over, a rather large book pressed against her chest as she kept her face bowed to maintain her privacy. He and Suigetsu stood and met her in the middle. No one was around, so they didn't have to move to a more secluded part of the bar.

"I'm sorry for the wait," she whispered, barely peeking up at them from under the dark blue hood of her cloak. "I can't imagine . . . why I was so tired."

"You're kiddin', right?" Suigetsu chuckled, grin back and carefree. "After the past few days, I'd expect you to sleep for the whole week!" He nudged his right shoulder towards the book in her arm's secure hold. "That's the book that can help Sakura?"

She nodded, then, strangely, looked directly at Sasuke. "I don't know if I'll be of any use," she said, words careful and unsure. He wasn't sure if it were because of how she naturally was, or if, for some reason, she felt like she had to be when discussing such a thing with him. "But, um, with what I've read, I should have a better shot than just going in blind."

He nodded, straightened the stacks of paper in his hands, then handed them to Suigetsu, who yelped and floundered with the large amount of records now in his possession. "I asked Karin to aid you in whatever way possible," he said, holding his hand out. She looked down at it, blinking, then seemed to understand what he was offering and handed him the book, smiling in thanks. Anothing thing he'll have to pass off as something to not dawdle on for too long. "I doubt much trouble will come with your conjoined efforts, and when I find the mind-controller behind all of this, the job will become all the less difficult."

This time, Hinata tilted her head back for him to see most of her face, which was pink and glowing with delight. "Thank you, Sasuke." And out of habit alone, he frowned, and her shoulders cringed. "O-Oh, um - is something the matter?"

"Oh, don't worry about him!" Finally gaining control of the papers, Suigetsu found his moment to speak up. He gave Hinata a reassuring smile, but Sasuke saw his lips twitch with mischief. "He's just -" And when his left hand slammed against the back of Sasuke's shoulder and he looked at him, his gaze was absolutely drowning in mirth, "holding back."

Ah.

So he was feeling brave, again; probably suspecting he wouldn't do anything drastic when in the presence of the Moon Witch.

Dumbass.

But he wasn't totally wrong, Sasuke supposed. For when he took Hinata's hard-covered, heavy book and slammed it into Suigetsu's smug face, he didn't put nearly as much force behind it as he would have if it were just the two of them. Suigetsu cried out, falling back, papers flying everywhere. Hinata yelped, hands flying to her mouth. But Sasuke only simpered as he wedged the book under his arm and announced in his perfect, stone tone that they'd have to leave for Forest 3 soon.

She knew the book like the blade of her dagger.

Chapter 3: Categories of Mind Control

Chapter 5: Introduction to the Controlled Mind

Chapter 11: Side Effects of Mind Control and How Therapy Can Treat Them

There was a particular line in that chapter - line 146: The most prominent type of therapy that works against most controlled minds focuses on a level of honesty and trust between the therapist and patient to help the patient distinguish falsehoods from fact - that rolled along Hinata's tongue as she passed through the table and green forests that led to the manor. The journey was nerve wracking. This wasn't casual plucking in the bar; this wasn't listening to people's problems and giving genuine advice to help ease their minds. This was a real, detrimental situation. Sakura's health and peace of mind was on her hands, and her fingers had never felt so stiff and stark in her life - or what she could remember of it, at least.

To put it simply: if she messed up, a million and one things could go downhill.

"Then don't mess up." Her figment, she's found, tended to state the obvious. Neji always jumped between doing just that and speaking in vague subtleties, but he'd often tell her she would sometimes forget the obvious, so she was thankful to know her subconscious was trying to remind her of reality. He hovered to her right, situated between her and Suigetsu, face entirely blank and calm. Certainly, he did not share the same amount of stress as her. "Those who believe in their abilities tend to have a higher success rate, Lady Hinata."

She tried to smile - if only it were that easy. The walls of the manor began to come into view, and the oncoming wind washed the smell of flowers over her face. That gave her enough peace to relax the stress in her back and shoulders, and she took in a deep breath. Neji watched her for a moment, hair unaffected by the breeze, then faced the manor.

"Chapter 6, line 71."

Without thought, she answered. "To properly ease the patient, the therapist, themself, must be at ease." Aloud.

Three pairs of eyes flickered her way, two dim with confusion, and the other, transparent, shined with amusement. "Eh?" Suigetsu asked. "Come again?"

Flushing, Hinata pressed her hand against her mouth and avoided all of their gazes. "Sorry," she whispered, "I was just remembering something from the book."

"Chapter 1, line 200," Neji piped.

"Never underestimate the importance of a second opinion."

"Holy shit," Suigetsu said, laughing, " did you memorize that entire thing?"

"Wh-What? No, I just -" Stumbling, fumbling with her words, Hinata looked to Neji, who gave her no help as he smirked and floated in front of her. So, instead, she turned to Sasuke, who -

Well, for a moment, she wasn't sure. She had been so caught up in herself and her anxiety that she had nearly forgotten that she could now see both of his eyes. It shouldn't be that much of a change, but it was. Because the right one she was quite familiar with was as it always was, dark and pensive and seeming to notice everything about him. But his left one that she had revealed last night, on Ocean 11's surface, had a subtle glow to it. Bright, with lightning.

And, again, it looked at her, and her words died on her tongue as her face grew hotter.

...

Karin was waiting for them on the staircase leading up to the front door when they arrived. Immediately, Sasuke took the stacks of records from Suigetsu's arm, replaced it with Hinata's book, which earned a frustrated snort from the Ocean Guard, before he met Karin at the top, showing her a few of the papers. While on their journey to the manor, Sasuke and Suigetsu had brought her up to speed on how the next few days would be looking like. In the morning and early afternoon, Karin would be helping her with Sakura while Sasuke was out gathering suspects for his investigation; then, by mid-afternoon, he'll have her help him with interrogating. The idea of having a mind-controller about and possibly using their magic on any number of people in the manor was not a favorable one, and Hinata could only hope they would find them fast.

"I'll be gathering up the ones nearby for today due to the timing," he said to her, swiftly and hushly, as they all entered the manor. His wings had already spread out from his back, and he looked ready to leave at any moment. "When you're aiding the Moon Witch, be sure to update Ino on the secondary interrogations scheduled this evening."

Karin, who was reading over the records of a few of the people he would be bringing in, nodded before handing him the papers. "Call for me, and I'll be ready."

"How moving," Suigetsu muttered.

She shot him a look, but did not say anything, and Sasuke was already flying through the doors. Hinata held her hand out to Suigetsu, who handed her the book, and then they made their way to the sitting room where Sakura currently resided. Flipping through the chapters, Hinata tried to decide where the best place to start; but upon feeling eyes on her, looked up to see Karin look between her and the book.

"We have copies of that book at the Guard," she said, tone edged with curiosity. "How did you get your hands on one?"

Hinata smiled sheepishly. "I cannot recall."

"Right. Sorry." Karin's hand skimmed the pages, and she gave a short nod. "But this will help, and I'm sure Sakura would appreciate a refresher."

They reached the door within three minutes, and Karin fixed her specks and undid the half-ponytail her hair had been messily pulled into. Then, she turned to Hinata, looked her over, and asked if she was willing to take off the hood.

"I-I can't," she said. "They can't know who I am."

Karin hummed, a hand to her chin, before moving to open up the front of Hinata's cloak, revealing her heavy, dull, waterproof clothes underneath. "You need to look as open as possible," she told her, pushing some of the dark blue cloth over her shoulders so that it fell behind, moreso like a cape than a cloak. "Image is important. If you look closed off, she'll be less willing to open to you." After fixing her appearance enough to her satisfaction, Karin then turned her gaze onto Suigetsu. "You too, Fish Boy."

"The hell?" He backed away from her reaching hand, frowning. "Why me? I ain't the one tryin' to help her."

"But you'll be in the room, and if you look like you're about to chop someone's head off, she'll be more scared than open." Karin sighed and grabbed the collar of his Guard's vest before he could escape her again. "Just do me this one favor and go with it, Suigetsu."

He snorted and rolled his eyes, but made no further protests. When they were all done, Karin knocked on the door, perfected a smile, and walked inside.

"Sakura Haruno - now when in all of the universes will I ever get to start calling you Sakura Uzumaki?"

...

Karin was really good.

Hinata should have expected as much, but still . . . it was fascinating to observe. The second she had walked inside, Sakura had opened up like a book, eye glittering as half of her face glowed with absolute trust. She supposed it was half because Karin and Sakura seemed to have a history together, but Hinata did not doubt Karin's past as a therapist did some magic, as well.

For the first five minutes, they chatted idly, like friends. Karin told stories of Sasuke and Juugo and Suigetsu, gossiped about topics passing along the halls of the Guard, and even spoke about their grand Head, Orochimaru. In turn, Sakura showed off her nearly-finished vail and mused about her illness and her thoughts on the wedding. It was so natural. Nothing seemed tense or hidden in a curtain of half-truths. Even Ino, who was working on gathering all of Sakura's blossoming hair into a braid, seemed shocked by how suddenly Sakura's behavior changed, especially after last night's fiasco.

After a laugh and a sip of her tea, Sakura shook her head, placed her teacup on the table by the sofa, and looked at Karin with a gentle smile. "Come now - I know exactly what you're doing, so you might as well get to the meat of it."

Hinata, who hovered, awkwardly, by Karin, felt her heart crash against her ribs. But the redhead only chuckled as she joined Sakura on the sofa, hands folded in her lap. "Never the one to beat around the bush," she mused with a smirk. "Glad to see that hasn't changed."

"I know it's been nearly a year, but I'm still a very good therapist."

"That, you are." Karin gestured Hinata over, and she stepped closer and handed her the book. "Thankfully, I have good news and better news to share with you today."

Sakura relaxed her back against the sofa's cushion, eyes squinting with some exhaustion. "Let me guess - I'm not sick, and it's all been in my head."

"Close." Karin flipped to the middle of the book and ran her finger down a paragraph, searching for something. "The good news is that you've been under mind-control this whole time, and these thoughts that you've been trying to fight are not your own. Moon figured that out last night and was quick to find a solution to her problem." Sakura's shoulders fell, and already, a few of the stickers on her face began to loosen. "And the better news is that you just so happen to have the best two people to help you out with such a problem."

Best two people?

Suigetsu, against the nearby wall, must have seen her confused expression, for he pushed off of it to meet her at her side. "She can stop magic, y'know." Hinata blinked up at him, and he smirked. "It's actually crazy to see. Just one touch, and whatever spell or ability stops instantly. Exhausts the shit outta her, but hey; desperate times call for desperate measures."

"And I suppose I'm desperate," Sakura said with a sad smile. Her gaze fell to her hands, curled and white, then to the book in Karin's hands. There was a familiar glow in her gaze, and Hinata supposed, like Karin, she recognized it. "Can you handle it, Karin? I've seen how it affects you."

Waving a hand, as if to bat away any doubts or concerns, Karin only smirked with absolute determination. "Come on, Sakura. Do you think me as some weak hag?" Her crimson gaze fell on Hinata, who straightened her shoulders. "And I won't even be doing half the work. Moon, here, has a very unique ability that will be detrimental to helping you break free from this mind-control. From what I understand, she sees the problem, and if given the chance to, she can pull them away. It will be easier when I'm blocking off any of the magic's path, but we both know I can't do that forever, and she'll be the one you have to talk with while I get my energy back. Be honest and open with her - tell her exactly what you're feeling and thinking, no matter how cruel or vulgar or embarrassing it is. She'll talk you through it. If you let her, she'll be able to remove the problems."

Suigetsu shifted next to her, and Hinata struggled with balancing the severe amount of pressure suddenly put on her. But Karin didn't look concerned, and when Sakura met her eye, she smiled, and nodded.

"I trust you."

Her heart fluttered, and Karin popped her fingers.

"Then let's begin."

...

Hours passed.

Four, to be exact.

It was exhausting and stressful on both parties. Karin really pushed herself to the limit. Whenever she grabbed Sakura's arm, her body shook terribly, and she could only keep her hold for about twenty seconds before she let go, out of energy, barely conscious. Suigetsu had to sit nearby and catch her whenever she fell back, and it took her a good ten minutes to gain her strength back and go at it again.

Hinata had no time to relax. It was constant concentration. When Karin was blocking off the magic's path, it was a bit easier to pluck some of the stickers off. But usually, she didn't have that luxury, and whenever the path between the mystery mind-controller and Sakura restructured itself, the force behind it was hard, and no matter how hard Sakura tried to resist it, it's hold on her weakened mind was too strong. She'd scream or lash out or try to fight against Hinata's efforts. It took total patience and determination to reach her and talk to her, to remind her that she was trying to help her and that whatever she's thinking or feeling is not real. Sometimes, she'd pluck stickers and they would instantly grow back; other times, it took a good thirty minutes just to clear up a small section.

But when five hours passed and Karin was called on by Sasuke, a good half of the stickers were gone, and Hinata was exhausted, but proud.

"You should take a break," Suigetsu said, placing a hand on her shoulder, which drooped with fatigue. "We can try in a few hours - or even wait for tomorrow, when Karin's free again."

It was tempting, his offer, but when Hinata's gaze fell on Sakura, who was still fighting, still trying, she knew she couldn't leave her behind.

"Come on, Sakura," she said, taking both of her hands. She had managed to clear up the weeds around her eye, and like Sasuke, it was refreshing to be able to see both of them. "I'm right here with you. Just a little more, alright?"

Sakura nodded, a bit of the weeds fluttering on her cheek, and after a breath, Hinata dived back in.

Eight mind-controllers.

That's how many they got through.

They still had eleven more to go through today, not to mention the sixty-four others that Sasuke hadn't even gathered yet. Five of them, he was sure had nothing to do with Sakura's mind-controller; the other three, he had mild suspicions, but nothing concrete enough to keep them in custody. But none of them struck him. He'd been interrogating for years. He knew when he got his guy.

None of them were it.

And as the eighth suspect left the interrogation room, Sasuke leaned back in his chair and rubbed his face, irritated beyond belief. Karin, in the chair directly to his left, didn't look any better. When she had shown up three hours ago, there were dark bags under her bloodshot eyes, and she looked half-alive. Sakura must have exhausted her, and he had hoped to speed things up so he could send her home for her much needed shut-eye. But these sorts of things couldn't be rushed or done half-heartedly, and he knew that well.

A pain shot through his temple, and he gritted his teeth before pulling up the next suspect's record.

"Wait."

Karin leaned forward and placed a hand on the paper before he could call out the name of the next person the outside guard needed to bring in. She leaned against the table as if it was the only thing keeping her upright, eyes narrow and blinking, brows pursed with fatigue.

"What?" he asked.

"Just give me a second." Her tone was shivering, and he pulled away from the stack and adhered to her wishes. Thankful smile spreading against her lips, she pulled off her glasses and rested her forehead against the table's surface. "I'm okay. I just need to get my concentration back."

And despite being the type who hated his time being wasted, Sasuke only nodded. "How did it go with Sakura."

She gave a snort. "I can't be sure myself. Really, Hinata's the only one who can know the answer to that question." She lifted her head after a minute and perched her chin onto her palm, scowling. "It was so strong, Sasuke. Whoever the bastard is - they know exactly what they're doing. I could barely block it off."

Blinking, Sasuke turned back to the papers and began to flip through them. "Usually a shorter range means their magic is stronger."

"True, but shouldn't be looking at a larger range?" she asked, eyeing him as he flipped and reread. "It was happening right at that instant, Sasuke. I felt the force, the resistance. If it's someone with a shorter range - well, they'd have to be -"

She stopped, and when she met his eye, they both understood the situation exactly.

"Ino Yamanaka." So stupid. He flipped to the back, where her record was situated. I can't believe I didn't realize it for this long.

Karin looked at it, then pulled away, shifting in her chair. "It can't be."

"Her range is 50 feet."

"We've known her for years!" Karin piped. "She's been friends with Sakura since they were infants, Sasuke. I've heard how she works here, as a maid - diligently, perfectly, without hesitation. She's always been at Sakura's side. Why - Why would she do this to her?"

And that was his problem with the whole ordeal, as well. Sure, he knew her well. It was hard to with how much he was around Sakura for the past five years. And though he was unwilling to admit it out loud, he knew he had subconsciously checked her off his list of suspects simply because he had thought he knew her well enough. But what really struck him odd was her reasons behind such an act. Karin was right. Sakura and Ino were close friends. It didn't make sense.

"I suppose we're about to find out."

But Sasuke has learned, time and time again, that life wasn't always fair and completely comprehensible, and with frown, he called on the guard to bring him Ino Yamanaka.

...

Something brushed against the knuckles of his left hand.

"Let me hold it," Karin said as they waited for Ino to be brought in.

Sasuke, clearly not in the mood, frowned down at her. "Karin -"

"You owe me," she reminded him, and were it any other situation, he was sure she would be absolutely pleased with himself. A moment of reluctance, then he succumbed to her order and grasped her hand, her fingers wrapping around his. "Don't let go. If she tries to pull anything, I need to be touching you."

He knew. "I won't." And her grip tightened.

...

She entered with a smile, probably figuring she didn't have a worry in the universes. He could see it so obviously on her face. She wasn't too worried. Her eyes hovered a bit on Karin as she sat down, but that was all that escaped her. If he had to guess, she probably figured this was going to go about as well as the last interrogation.

"We know it's you."

But Karin, angry and tired and confused, wouldn't let her think that for a second longer. Her tone was hard and sharp, slicing through the air, thick with tension. Ino's bright eyes blinked rapidly, and her smile fell as all color drained from her face.

"I don't . . . understand."

"It'll be a lot easier if you'd just confess," Sasuke said, pinning her down with his gaze, not lifting it for even a moment. She slouched back slightly, intimidated, and he grimaced. "We know you're controlling Sakura. You've been at her side since the beginning. You showed me your schedule. I know for a fact you haven't left the manor for a moment."

"And being her personal maid is a real plus," Karin muttered.

Frowning, Ino wildly shook her hair. "It's not me. I can't even -"

"Ability to control, change, and manipulate others emotions." It was seared in his mind, that red flag that had been staring him in the face since the beginning. "Sounds pretty similar to what's happening to Sakura right now."

Slamming her hand on the table, Ino stood, hair flying. A desperate act to redeem herself. Sad, really. "I would never hurt Sakura or manipulate her into doing anything," she all but hissed, eyes smoldering. "Surely, you know that. I have no reason to - there has to be - you have to believe me."

Sasuke settled back, disgusted by the woman before him. He barely recognized her. Karin, however, leaned forward, maintaining eye contact without waver. "And we would," she said, slowly, almost sadly, "if you hadn't made it so painfully obvious in the sitting room."

Ino's face fell, and she glared at the table between them, eyes darkening.

"It's not me," she whispered. "It's not."

Karin's grip on his hand tightened considerably, shaking and flexing buzzing. His attention snapped to her, to her sneer and frustrated, concentrated expression. Her free hand gripped the side of the table, keeping her upright. Understanding exactly what was happening, he faced Ino, stood, and glared.

"You're using your magic to try and convince us." Ino wouldn't look up from the table, but her shoulders began to shake. "Have you already forgotten it won't affect us when Karin's here?"

A shaky, watery gasp, and Ino fell onto her seat, tears streaming down her face. "I had to," she sobbed, curling into herself. "I'm so sorry, but I had to."

Sasuke would have pressed further, but he was overwhelmingly pissed, and Karin needed to get out of that room. He led her to the door, slamming it hard behind them, and told the guard to not let anyone enter or even open that door. Finally out of range, Karin collapsed to the ground, gasping, trembling. Her hand slipped out of his and fell to her side as she struggled to stay conscious.

"Fuck - the hell's wrong with her?"

Barrelling down the hallway, towards them, was Suigetsu. He was on his knees within seconds, watching her with concerned, narrow eyes.

"What the hell are you doing out here?" Sasuke barked, again, not seeing Hinata anywhere.

"Getting her water," Suigetsu snapped back with equal poison. "She's still working on Sakura, and she asked me to run and get her some. Don't fuckin' forget she's got gills, Sasuke. Now what the hell's wrong with Karin?"

Groaning, said woman rubbed at her temples with whatever strength she had left. "What do you think, asshat? Ino was trying to use her magic on Sasuke."

At that, all anger slipped from his face. "Ino?"

"She's the one mind-controlling Sakura," Sasuke told him, nodding his head in the direction of the room she was held in. "We just got her to confess."

"Confess? What - but -" Suigetsu frowned to himself. "There's no way."

"We'll have to continue it later," Karin said, trying, and failing to sit upright. Suigetsu moved to help her, but Sasuke was the one who grabbed her shoulders and pressed her back against the wall. "I just need an hour to rest. After that, we can figure what to do with her."

"I'll take you to one of the rooms," Suigetsu offered, already standing.

"No, you won't." Crouching down, Sasuke lifted Karin up and made sure they didn't leave behind any of the records. He turned to Suigetsu, who frowned at him, and said, "Go back to the Moon Witch - tell her we found out it was Ino, and make sure she gets to her room safely."

Suigetsu opened his mouth, as if to protest, but with a smokey gaze, eventually nodded and turned on his heels.

Hinata Hyuuga was tired.

And understatement, she knew, but the only thing she could come up with.

After Karin had left, she continued to work hard with Sakura. Strangely enough, the last hour of their session was a lot easier that any other hour, and Hinata was glad to see that with the dwindling down stickers, Sakura was having less trouble gaining control of her own mind. When Hinata finished, there was still a small cluster of weeds on Sakura's brow and forehead; no matter what she tried, they simply would not loosen, but she was sure that with time they, too, would fall.

But right now, all that mattered was that she got to her room and took a nice, long nap.

"Guppy."

She had just stepped into the hallway when she saw Suigetsu approach, glass of water in hand. She smiled and thanked him as she took the drink from him and gulped it down, enjoying its coolness wash down her throat. They turned and made their way to the other side of the manor, where her room waited for her.

The journey was quiet. When she would take peeks over at him, she saw him struggling to hide a rather glum look in his eye. When they finally reached her room and succumbed to the privacy of it, she turned to him, and asked, "Is everything alright?"

He blinked at her for a moment, then smiled. "Of course. Why wouldn't it be?"

His tone wasn't convincing at all. Hinata sat down on bed and worked on pulling her boots off, eyes never leaving his face as she asked, "Is it Ino?"

His gaze turned wide. "H-Huh?"

Bingo.

She smiled, placed her boots a bit away from her bed, and lied down against the plush comforter. "I don't mean to be rude," she said, peeking at him from the corner of his eye, "but I have to ask. Ino . . . . Do you like her?"

His dark, purple gaze fell on her. "Like her?" he repeated slowly.

"Romantically, I mean."

He continued to stare. She had expected some floundering, maybe; any sort of reaction that made her feel like he was finally getting a bit of his own medicine after months of teasing her. But, instead, all she got was a weak, strained laugh as he plopped down on his own bed.

"Man, if only it were that simple."

...

"Did they say how her interrogation went?"

Sasuke and Karin had called for Ino nearing the last half of Hinata's session with Sakura. She didn't feel too worried about it until an hour passed of her not returning, and Hinala, like always, began to worry.

"Hmm?" Suigetsu was settled on his back, one leg hanging off his arched knee, eyes glued to the tall ceiling. "Yeah, they did."

She waited for him to continue, and when he didn't she grew concerned and sat up in her bed. "Is . . . Is she -"

"No." A cold voice. Stark and hard. But when she looked at his face, she saw a bitter smile that didn't match his tone at all. "It's not Ino."

Despite her exhaustion, Hinata couldn't sleep. Her mind was racing, as was her heart, and no matter how she tossed or turned or struggled, she couldn't doze off like she so desperately wanted to. She didn't know how many hours passed - One? Two? Ten? - but after a while of nothing, she sat up once again and rubbed at her face.

"You too, huh?"

Suigetsu was in the exact same pose, never looking away from the ceiling. Blushing, Hinata gave a meek nod, and said, "My head won't stop wandering -"

"About the mind-controller, right?"

"Yes."

He sighed, finally sat up, and rubbed the back of his neck. His eyes traced their bedroom's door, and after a bit of pondering that, again, seemed so unlike him, he popped his elbows over his head, stood, and walked over to nudge her boots closer to her bed.

"Come on," he said, already making his way to the door, "let's go find them and ask."

...

"Oh, good, there they are."

Those were Suigetsu's first words upon sighting Karin and Sasuke down the way, huddled close to a wall with crossed arms and narrow, serious eyes. A nervous bug buzzed in Hinata's gut - surely, that wasn't a good sign for them having any progress on their investigation. But as they approached, Hinata heard Sasuke mention something to Karin about sending a message to the Guard, and her curiosity peaked.

"So what's the plan?" But Suigetsu was the first to speak as they finally met them by the wall. That playful smile of his seemed a bit strained, which Hinata supposed was expected. There was a lot of pressure on all of them right now.

Sasuke's shoulders rose and fell with a deep breath as Karin turned to him. "We're sending her to the Guard to be detained - right now, getting her as far away from the manor is our main priority."

Her?

So they did find who it was. Hinata wasn't sure whether to be relieved or tense; all she knew was that finding the mind-controller checked off one of the many obstacles from their list. That's how she saw it, at least.

So . . . why did everyone else seem so dour?

Karin's stickers were still wild and prominent, not a single one of them loose enough to be plucked, and Sasuke wouldn't relax from that guarded, stiff posture of his. And Suigetsu . . .

"Oh, good."

He looked . . . devastated.

His eyes were flying, dimming and brightening with the flow of his thoughts, and he had given up completely on maintaining his fake grin. Was it because . . . of whoever the mind-controller was?

"No. It's not Ino."

Suigetsu had told her that, and there was no reason for him to lie. But - who else would get such a reaction out of everyone aside from the woman who they seemed to know and trust?

Frowning, Hinata was about to ask just that, when -

A gasp.

Short. Barely audible, but enough to catch her attention. It came from Suigetsu, and when she turned back to him, that shifting, wavering expression of his was completely gone - almost as if it hadn't even been there in the first place. Instead, there was something a lot more . . . raw. Hungry. Desperate. His once sharp, impish eyes had softened and warmed, and the twist of his mouth relaxed into something more kind and - and -

Loving?

And a rather noticeable blush came to his features, but Hinata was more distracted by the weeds stretching more along the sides of his neck, no longer just covering his gills.

"Hinata."

And he said her name in a way that didn't seem possible. Not for him. It sounded strangely familiar, like she's heard it before. During a rainbow sunrise, with the melody of a song breezing through the air, humming along the length of her chest, matching her racing pulse as she waited and waited and waited for -

"I love you."

For . . . those . . . words.

...

"S-Suigetsu -"

Suddenly, a hand brushed against her cheek as he led her face towards his. Startled, she snapped away and backed herself against the wall. His gaze shined with confusion and hurt and he tried to reach for her again -

But a dark hand shot out and grabbed his outstretched wrist, yanking the rest of his body back and slamming him against the wall on the opposite side of the hallway. Suigetsu hissed, teeth bared, as he glared up at Sasuke, who kept him pinned, unable to move.

"You fuckin' bastard!"

Sasuke ignored his exclamation and snapped his head to the side. "Karin."

"I'm on it."

She was already running over, hand stretching out to grab Suigetsu. But before she could reach him, he doubled-over, his free hand gripping at his head as he gasped and hissed. He looked in pain, and Hinata instinctively stepped forward in pain. Sasuke held a hand at her, motioning for her to stop in her tracks, as Karin bent down in front of Suigetsu.

"Fuckin' Hell -" He all but spat, tight gaze barely able to meet Karin's, who grabbed his shoulder. Her hand was shaking, and her knuckles were white.

"Suigetsu - that's you, right?" Her left hand pressed against his neck, and Hinata saw his stickers shiver under her palm. "Your mind was just controlled. Do you understand me?"

"Will you shut the hell up for one second? My head's ringin' like a motherfucker." Suigetsu rubbed at his temple, eyes squeezing shut, probably from all the pressure and pain building up in his skull. But, thankfully, after a few moments of silence, he seemed to relax, and when his hand fell to the ground to reveal his exhausted face, Sasuke saw it was safe enough to release his other wrist. "Dammit. I do not like the feelin' of someone else in my head."

Hinata nearly fell to her knees from the sheer relief of him being back to normal and fine, and Karin, face going red and jaw clenching, slapped his shoulder. "Don't scare me like that!" she yelled, which made him flinch as he rubbed at his abused shoulder. "The damn nerve - I cannot believe - in love? With Hinata? Honestly."

"I wasn't doin' it on purpose, you psycho! Someone was in my head!" Slowly, he pushed himself to his feet, and Karin stood with him, close enough to catch him if his legs decided to suddenly give out on him. When he finally met Hinata's eye, he gave a sheepish, guilty smile that she knew was trying to reassure her that he really was okay. "Sorry, Hinata. That wasn't me. I don't actually - y'know -"

"I know, Suigetsu," she finally managed with a small smile. "I'm just glad it didn't last long."

"Ain't we both - and it's all thanks to Karin." He wrapped an arm around the redhead's shoulders, who seemed too distracted with everything else to not immediately nail him in the chin for pulling such a movie. "You saved me with your awesome, blocking magic - or, wait, maybe it's because you just love me so much." At that, Karin's scowl lightened. That seemed to get her attention, and Suigetsu snickered. "Aww. Karin, I love you, too -"

"Will you stop already?" she snapped, grabbing his arm and removing it from her shoulders, though not with nearly as much vigor as expected. "And I didn't even get to touch you, so I didn't -"

"Wait." Suigetsu's eyes flashed down the hallway, towards the door with the guard in front of it. "What's Ino's range?"

Ino?

Dread fell on Hinata's shoulders.

The mind-controller in custody . . . is Ino?

"Not enough to reach you," Sasuke muttered, voice low and sharp with severity.

Karin's eyes widened. "Don't tell me - it's not her?" Her fingers fumbled with her specks, and she grimaced. "But she tried to use her magic on you - better yet, she confessed."

The cape of Sasuke's cloak flapped as he began down the hallway, strides long and purposeful. "We need to look at the records again," he said to Karin, who rushed after him. "She might have an accomplice." He stopped short of turning the corner to shoot Suigetsu a narrow look. "Don't let her out of your sight."

He nodded, and like that, they were gone.

Hinata, still struggling to keep up with this overload of information, grasped onto the one thing she could understand and turned to Suigetsu. "You said it wasn't Ino."

He looked her in the eye. "It's not."

"But they still suspected her - they still took her into custody. Why - why didn't you tell me?"

"Because it's not her." The force behind his voice was as raw as the one that had nearly begged her to not go to Sand 1. The concerned, desperate kind that was so overwhelming, she couldn't begin to understand half of it. The flames of the lanterns danced, and he bowed his head and let her see all of him. "I've read those records, Hinata. No one has the ability to do what's been happening to Sakura, what just happened to me. No one but Ino, who is currently locked up and out of range. She's not doing it. It has to be someone else. Someone they haven't even considered yet."

And maybe that was true. Maybe Ino didn't do this - couldn't have, really.

But -

"Suigetsu," she said, putting as much power and authority in her tone as possible. "Why didn't you tell me?"

That firmness in his face slipped away, and he lost his ability to look her in the eye as his gaze fell to the floor. "You've been stressed enough with Sakura. I didn't want to give you more to worry about."

"I was equally as worried when I thought they hadn't found anyone." She knew he was trying to be considerate, but even this went too far. Taking his chin in her hand, she lifted it to meet his eye. "Suigetsu, I can't trust you if you keep hiding the truth from me like this."

He winced. "I know."

"You have to talk with me, be honest with me."

"I . . . will."

That answer didn't totally satisfy her, but the signs of exhaustion and guilt were obvious in his expression, and she decided to lay off for now and give him room to relax. Sighing, she stepped back and looked around the hallway, making sure they were still alone. "We'll talk about this later," she told him, hands pulling the hood of her cloak closer to her face. "Right now, I need to check on Sakura."

He moved to the side and followed her without a word, and the dread on her shoulders did not lift.

...

When they entered the sitting room, the first thing she saw was light.

N-Naruto?

Squinting through the white sunlight spread throughout the room, she saw him in the middle of the room, close to Sakura, who sat on the sofa with her now finished vail atop her head. They looked so happy and perfect, Hinata considered just leaving and coming back at a different time. But before she could make her silent escape, the light died down -

"Oh, Moon!"

And she was caught.

Pulling on a smile, she walked up to them as Naruto waved her over, Suigetsu staying back and settling by the door. As she wandered closer, she noticed that most of the stickers on Naruto's face had fallen off, leaving everything but his jaw clear to her view. And for not the first and perhaps not the last time in her life, she gawked at the sheer miraculousness in him. Greeting him with a small bow, she stood next to the sofa and looked down at Sakura.

"How are you feeling?" She eyed the few weeds still stuck to her brow and forehead, but was pleased to find that none of the ones she and Karin had managed to get rid of had returned.

Sakura gleamed up at her and grabbed her hand. "So much better," she said with a sigh that made the whole world seem lighter. "I don't feel nearly as heavy or exhausted, the headaches have stopped, and I - I feel like I'm me again."

"You're really a miracle worker," Naruto said with a shining grin. "I don't know how you do it, but still - thank you."

Blushing, Hinata bowed her head and said, "It, um, wasn't just me. Karin helped a lot, as well."

"Then I owe both of you," he said with a nod, then turned to Sakura, placing a warm hand on her shoulder. "I'm so glad."

Sakura let go of her hand to trace it along Naruto's cheek. Hinata watched every single, dark weed fall and fizzle on the ground as that smooth, perfect hand travelled up and cupped Naruto's hidden cheek. She pulled his face closer and seemed to bask in his gradure for a moment, then said, hushly, "Naruto, I want to tell everyone about the wedding."

Hinata couldn't see his eyes under his hood, but based off of the gasp that nearly filled up the entire room, she was sure they were wide. "You . . . . Really?"

His voice was so small. Hinata's chest clenched as Sakura grinned.

"I'm sorry for making you wait for so long." Her other hand took hold of his hood and slowly peeled it back. "I don't deserve you."

And Hinata knew she shouldn't be looking. This was a couple's private moment, and she would do good in looking away and leaving the room altogether. They had a lot to talk about in private, she was sure, and she should give them such.

But . . . she couldn't.

It was impossible.

Because . . . this was the first time she had ever seen Naruto's full face - his messy, short, corn husk hair that just waltzed with light and splendor. His ears, dipped in red, which matched the sheer fondness in his gaze, which was pure and blue and expansive. That was Naruto. That was his face.

She's . . . seen that face before . . . .

Right?

...

He loved Ragenbogen, she knew. It was so, perfectly obvious.

He was the Sun King, after all, and the whole point of Ragenbogen was to celebrate the rising of the sun. And he loved the color of it all and the music and the joy that just burned through the air; it was perfect for him. In some ways, it was him.

But that early morning, when the sun began to rise and the town began to sing in celebration, he wasn't looking at it.

He was looking at her.

"What is it?" she asked, a bit concerned. There was a tension in his face - rare in most circumstances, but especially during Ragenbogen. The dimness in his gaze didn't glow with the brilliance of the sun, and her worry grew as she turned to face him completely. "Is something wrong?"

Perhaps he was upset. Gaara and Temari and Kankuro had all said they would be too busy to join them this morning, and Hinata knew that one of his favorite parts of Ragenbogen was being able to spend it with his friends. It was so important to him, and her entire chest tightened at the idea of him feeling hurt.

"Naruto," she said, gently, taking hold of his cheek, which was warm and flushed, "I'm sure they would have loved to join us. Please don't try to worry about it -"

"Huh? Eh?" He blinked rapidly. "O-Oh. No, it's not -" Gulping, cutting himself short, he took her hand from his cheek and held it between them. She looked down at it, then looked back up at his uneasy smile. "Uh, actually . . . I kinda want to ask you something. Maybe."

"Maybe?" she mused.

"Definitely!" he all but shouted. "I definitely want to ask you something. Just let me, um . . ." Releasing her hand altogether, he rubbed his palms together and scowled at the balcony's floor. The flush on his cheeks reached the back of his neck and the tips of his ears, and a sheepish laugh barely escaped him as his gaze drifted over her face. "I . . . really like you."

Hinata's heart roared as every butterfly in the galaxies seemed to flutter in her stomach. "I . . . know."

"Like, um, a lot. Like really really - and I know there's a word for that, I just can't remember it right now and -"

"Naruto," she laughed, "breathe."

His gaze widened, but he followed her order and sucked in a gallon of air before slowly releasing it in a long exhale. Shoulders relaxed, he looked her in the eye once again, and said, "Do you think . . . it would be okay . . . if you, er, married me?"

And that simply shot her heart all the way to Moon.

"You're . . . proposing," she realized, breathless, most likely due to her sudden lack of heart.

He chuckled and smiled. "Trying," he said, pulling his hand out from one of his pockets and showing her a simple, silver ring. "I'm trying to propose."

She held her hand out, still flabbergasted, and watched him nervously slip it on her left ring finger. Seeing it there, looking so natural, was so awestucking, she couldn't even feel the tears running down her face until Naruto brushed them away with his thumb.

"I hope that's a yes."

Something between a laugh and a sob caught in her throat, she flung her arms around his neck and hugged him close, soaking up every inch of warmth he offered. The sky went bright as the sun shined with Naruto's absolute elation. She couldn't believe it. It almost seemed too good to be true -

"About time!"

Pulling away, they both turned to find Kankuro, Temari, and Gaara by the glass doors. Temari was grinning to her ears as Kankuro laughed behind her.

"We thought you'd never get through it," he said.

Gaara was the first to approach them, robes sweeping with him, face glowing with a kind smile. "Congratulations," he told them, taking Naruto's hand. "I'm happy for the both of you."

"I better be the first one to get the wedding invitation," Temari told Hinata, giggling.

"Wedding," Naruto gasped, then turned to Hinata. "We're going to have a wedding . . . ." His entire face lit up as the realization seemed to hit him for a second time. "We're getting married."

Before she knew it, he had scooped her up, and they were in the rainbow sky, his sunlight wings stretched around them, basking them in a golden glow. His arms around her waist held her close as he hummed Ragenbogen's chorus against her neck.

"I love you," he whispered, then laughed, then shouted for all of Sand to hear. "I love yo! I lo-v e, y...o… uu !..!"

veeEee

You

Y-o-uuuu . !

Hi-

Love.e...

Na-

Y-y-You

Ta.

...

A dagger, like the one in her cloak's pocket, was jammed straight into her skull. It hurt. Everything was on fire. It burned. And the world around her was so twisted and warped, she couldn't tell where she was. It looked like the manor - it smelled like the manor - but when she breathed, there was sand in her lungs, and when she tried to do anything else, a song was pressed against her neck.

"Moon . . . ?"

And what she had just seen - just remembered - was so real. It was real. It must have happened. She had been on that balcony, and so had Naruto, and -

"Moon? Hey, are you okay?"

Naruto.

And that's when Hinata realized she was crying. Sakura and Naruto were watching her with concerned eyes. It hurt. Everything did. Her head, her heart, her neck; it was all throbbing with pain and memory and music and sand -

Did that . . . really happen?

Feeling her knees getting ready to buckle, Hinata quickly dashed for the door. Suigetsu said something, but she couldn't hear it.

Did he . . . really say that?

Something caught her and yanked her back, but she was so scared and confused, she pulled with all her might to get loose of it. The momentum sent her onto her knees, but she couldn't feel the ground.

Did he . . . really feel that?

"Hinata."

Naruto stood over her, exposed face there and hovering, watching her. Seeing him made her head sting, and she looked down as she tried to get back on her feet. She wobbled and wavered, staggered and stumbled, but when she finally got her balance by pushing herself against the wall, she -

Wait.

She saw it.

No . . .

The bottom of her cloak was shredded. It must have gotten caught on something - the door, maybe, or something else - but she had been so panicked that she hadn't even noticed. But it was ruined. Torn up. Completely, irreversibly damaged.

The one thing she had - gone.

"H-Hinata -"

"I-I-I'm so sorry," she sobbed, grabbing the tattered fabric and pulling it close to her chest. "I'm sorry, Naruto. I didn't mean to ruin it. I'm so sorry. It's all my fault."

"L… o,, ve y-y...oUu -"

"What - Hinata, it's fine. It's just a cloak, I have millions of others." That didn't make her feel any better. He didn't understand. This was hers - her cloak. The one he gave to her. The one that was warm and comforting and the only thing she had. Her sobs shook her body, and he tried to help her away from the wall. "Let me help you. Are you hurt? Did -"

"Don't touch me!"

Snapping away from him, nearly falling again -

"HiIin-a...tT-a.!."

She cradled her head against one of her hands as the other ripped the cloak off her shoulders and flung it at him. "Why are you playing with me!?" That pressure that had been building up since she first stepped into that manor was finally released. She couldn't hold it back anymore. She was human, too (right?). "What did I do wrong? Why are you doing this to me - bringing me here, to her? Does it make you happy to see me hold back? Do you like pretending nothing ever happened?"

Naruto, dropping the cloak, looked completely taken aback. "What -"

"You loved me!" she screamed, mind feeling like it was tearing apart. "You said you loved me! Why are you doing this? How can you be so cruel?"

Her throat hurt - she barely even knew what she was saying.

All she knew was that the hallway was small and he was close and he was there, looking at her -

"I . . . never said that, Hinata."

Lying.

"We're getting married!"

He was lying.

"I'll go and see Hiashi right now! Do you think Neji will try to kill me if I try to tell him, too? But if I tell Hanabi, she'll blab it to him, so I have to tell him!"

Why was he lying?

And when had he become -

"And I'll have to tell Sasuke and Sakura -"

Such a cruel man?

"And Kakashi and Granny Tsunade and Toneri -"

"Naruto, get back."

That was Suigetsu, right? An arm fell securely around her shoulders, and she relaxed when she felt the rough coldness of his skin. She blinked and tried to focus on the swaying walls and creaking floor -

The bar. Third stool. Or maybe it was the fourth.

But image after voice after face after sound pummeled into her head, and she couldn't distinguish memory from present, imagination from reality.

No, wait. The fourth belonged to the dark man that sat next to her, drinking his third glass of whiskey.

"What's wrong with her?"

"I think she's remembering something - don't worry, I'll take her to help. Stay with Sakura."

"But -"

"Listen to me, Naruto."

Sasuke Uchiha.

Vaguely, Hinata was aware Suigetsu was dragging her down the hallway. His shoulders were shaking. Was he nervous? Worried?

It was cold. Without the cloak, everything was cold.

"I'm sorry about Naruto."

"Don't be. I'm sorry about Sakura."

"Don't be."

He drank his whiskey, and she drank her wine.

"Sir, you cannot come in here -"

"Fuck off with that shit! Do you see what she looks like? She needs help, and the only person who can help her is inside that room!"

"I was given strict orders to -"

"Oh, piss off!"

There was a noise. A thud. Then, she was dragged some more.

"If it means anything to you, Naruto's a dumbass," Sasuke mused, giving her a sideways glance, before turning back to his drink. "I don't understand what made him change his mind all of the sudden. When you and him were together, you were all he ever talked about."

She tried to smile at him. "I could say the same about Sakura."

He scoffed against the rim of his glass. "She moved on before I knew it. That's my own, damn fault."

"Ino."

Ino?

"Suigetsu, how -"

"Can you do it now?"

Her back was laid against something hard. She stared at the dark ceiling, head throbbing, every memory and image flashing before her eyes like a -

"That's not Naruto."

He crossed his arms, barely listening. "What do you mean?"

"I mean h-he-e-ee-hee's .s…"

hE..s

"Is Sasuke here?"

"He's gone. With Karin."

Two, smooth hands were pressed on both sides of her head. She smelled flowers and sea salt.

He pondered, dark eyes narrow with concentration. Hinata waited with a held breath. She knew she sounded crazy, but all the evidence pointed to it. Even Sasuke couldn't deny that.

Then, after a moment, he sighed and uncrossed his arms.

"It's a stretch," he mused.

"Will the Guard help me?" she asked. He gave her a knowing look, and she blushed and asked, truthfully, "Will you help me?"

"Will it stop you if I don't?" Flashing him a sheepish smile, she shook her head, and he sm-iIi-r

Sm-

.s..m.i…

"Suigetsu, I can't. You know it's dangerous."

"Ino, please." Desperate. He sounded so desperate. Even through the pain, she could hear it. "This is all I'm asking of you. If there's any punishment, I'll take it. Just this one thing."

A pause. The hands around her tensed, then relaxed.

"O . . . Okay."

And then, she was in the Hall. Her wings were gone, and she had nowhere to go. But she knew she was running, knew who she was running from -

"You look lost."

But the man with the amethyst eyes and sharkish grin coaxed her to Ocean 11, and like a fool, she followed.

Like a . . . fool.

Those same eyes were staring down at her as the world got darker. She knew she should be scared, but she just . . . wasn't.

The hands on her head were cool and gentle.

"Don't worry, Guppy. I'll take you back to Ocean, and everything will go back to normal."

And then navy eyes that peered into her mind was the last thing she saw.

"Kisame, she's waking up."

She felt the water, first; its pull and push on her body. It was cold. She was pretty sure that was how water normally was. But she wasn't shivering, strangely.

But after the water was a voice that she knew.

Which was weird.

Because . . .

"Watch her closely. Make sure she doesn't try to get away."

She couldn't really remember anything.

Her eyes blinked open and immediately adjusted to the darkness. There was water everywhere. Her hands skimmed something rough, and when she looked down, she saw sand.

Was she at the bottom of an ocean?

"Hinata."

That voice again. She blinked once more and noticed the two figures before her. One was a man white skin and small, beady eyes who she didn't recognize. He was grinning at her - a mean, arrogant grin that scared her. But the other one -

Wait. That's -

"Aren't you . . . Suigetsu?"

She didn't recognize that voice that left her, but it didn't matter.

Because the man with the amethyst eyes and sharkish grin had the most peculiar reaction to her question.

He smiled, then laughed - all fake. So fake that even she knew it.

"Told you you'd never forget about me."

Chapter 12 - End