- Pluck -
Part I
Chapter 13: Suigetsu
"There's nothing here, Sasuke."
"Look again."
"We've looked at this pile seven times, already. I'm telling you, we've got nothing!"
The last string of patience and self-control he had snapped at that moment, and when Sasuke turned to Karin, he was well aware of the lightning dancing against his skin. "Then look harder."
She blinked rapidly, aghast. He heard the sheer frustration echoing in the air and pulled back, assessed himself, and took a moment to cool down. Getting angry wouldn't help anyone. He had to figure this out. Another mind-controller could still be on the loose, and every second he wasted getting agitated was a second not figuring out this damn mystery. He shook his head and forced his shoulders to relax from their stiff posture, and he turned back to Karin, intending to say something, but -
"I knew it. You're aware of it, too."
She beat him to it, eyes narrowing, expression troubled. She dropped the pile of records to rub her hands together.
"I've been thinking about it, about what happened to Suigetsu in the hall," she said. "What was the point? What could the mind-controller possibly gain from making him do those things for such a short time, then just willingly let him free? All it did was make us aware of their existence. Why would they want that?"
Sasuke immediately understood what she meant. "You think he faked it."
"He knows how my magic works," she told him. "He knew I wouldn't feel the pull of the mind-controller's magic if I touched him, so he stopped it before I could."
Sasuke turned fully away from the records and considered everything, even the things he would unwillingly admit he's pushed to the back of his head, if only to give his partner the benefit of the doubt. A stupid thing to do in his line of work, he knew, but something he did, nonetheless. Karin was right, and he had been suspicious of it, as well. He never outwardly accused Ino of anything, and waited for the right opportunity to try to clear her of suspicion. When they had all first come to the manor with the Moon Witch, that's when his slacking in his job started, and when Sasuke had found Hinata without him at the garden, she had been with Ino. When he had found her alone in the hallway, she was outside of the sitting room, where Ino was.
He was trying to get her alone with Ino.
Because . . .
Because Ino could not only control emotions, but memories, as well.
And that's when Sasuke realized it.
They were trying to wash Hinata's memory.
His wings sprung from his back, and he yanked open the door from the office they had burrowed for evidence. "Go to the Guard," he barked. "Tell them Suigetsu's the double-agent."
With that, Sasuke dashed through the air, down hallways and around corners. When he got to the room holding Ino, he saw the soldier guarding the door was passed out on the floor. The room was empty. She was gone. They were gone.
Fuck!
Electricity snapped and crackled around him as he twisted around, planning to make a few rounds around the manor to search for her, but -
"Sasuke, there's a problem."
Naruto.
He froze. Probably not out of fear, but his heart definitely stopped, as well. The Sun King was quickly walking to him, hood down, revealing his concerned frown and stormy eyes. In the crook of his right arm was a torn cloak.
Hinata's . . . cloak.
"There's something wrong with Hinata," he said, tone pitched with worry. "Just a bit ago - minutes ago - ten minutes ago, maybe - I dunno, something happened. She started freaking out. It happened all of the sudden - she was fine, then she wasn't! I tried to help her, but she was . . . I dunno, I think she was angry at me. She was saying all of this stuff that didn't make sense, and when Suigetsu took her, he told me -"
"Suigetsu took her?" He hadn't meant for that question to come off so loud and demanding, but it did.
Naruto stopped for a moment, blinking. "Yeah. Is that a problem?" His gaze slid past him, to the empty interrogation room and the unconscious guard. "Sasuke . . . what happened?"
He grimaced. "I need to find Ino."
"Is it Hinata?" Naruto continued, catching his shoulder, keeping him from leaving. "Did something happen to her? Is she okay?" Sasuke could only stare for a moment, unsure what to say. That only got Naruto more worried, and his face turned red. "Sasuke, tell me!"
"It's Suigetsu," he said. "He's the one after her. He took her."
And that red instantly turned into a pale white as Naruto stilled. "Suigetsu," he whispered. "You mean . . . it's been her bodyguard this whole time? The guy we trusted the most with her?"
He couldn't say anything. He, himself, was still processing it. Some parts of him were still convinced he was wrong, and there was an explanation for everything. But he knew the truth. It was obvious.
Obvious, and yet it had been right there in front of him for so long.
"Sasuke!"
Karin's scream came from the entrance way. Both he and Naruto rushed over and found her there, holding Ino down.
"I got her," she said, breathless. "I got her."
Naruto looked around. "What about Suigetsu and Hinata? Where are they?"
Karin flinched and looked at Sasuke.
"I . . . I'm sorry," she said.
And for the first time in a while, a wild, powerful light overpowered the agitated lightning in the air, and Sasuke didn't try to fight it as it engulfed the air in fiery rage.
She could breathe underwater -
"She really doesn't remember anything, huh?"
- And the shark man was circling her.
Was that normal?
Maybe not. Maybe it was normal. But she couldn't remember what was normal anymore. There were gills on her neck, and when her tongue brushed along the backs of her sharp teeth, she supposed, for her at least, that breathing underwater was normal. And it was dark on the ocean floor. When she looked up, she couldn't see any light at all. But it didn't really matter. She could still see well enough. That must have been normal, too.
The sway of the ocean brought hair into her face, and when she pulled it away, her eyes met the gaze of the shark man. He didn't look away. It was a bit scary. He stared a lot. Ever since she woke up, she's felt his heavy gaze on her. Sometimes, in the midst of her circling, she would feel his gaze on the bend of his back, and her gut would twist as she shivered and curled into herself.
"I mean, it's obvious. She's not really reacting to shit."
The shark man floated in front of her and paused, teeth gleaming in the murky water. Her fingers fell from her lap to curl in the sand as his eyes stayed on her for a while, then, finally, he turned to the other one - Suigetsu. She knew Suigetsu. Not personally. When she tried to think back, nothing would come to mind; all she knew was his name and that, somehow, she knew him.
"Looks like Ino finally managed to completely wash her mind this time."
She didn't know an Ino - or maybe she did, but just couldn't remember. But she didn't stay on that for too long. Her attention was focused mostly on Suigetsu. There was a pull to him, somehow. Probably because he was all she knew, all she recognized, all she remembered. He might as well have been the only thing in the universes. And when she watched him, he didn't watch back. His dark gaze was stuck to the sandy ground, and he was quiet and still.
Was that also normal?
And there was something strange about him. For a while, she couldn't put her finger on it.
"It's almost time."
But then she watched his neck muscles flex, and she realized she couldn't see his gills. They had to be there. He was breathing fine underwater. But there was something strange and dark covering them, and she hadn't a clue what it could possibly be. Her knuckles ached, but she didn't move.
For some reason, she was scared to - like her instincts were telling her to be as unnoticeable as possible. Maybe it was because of the shark man. He scared her. He also had the dark things under his eyes, but unlike Suigetsu, that only made him more sinister looking. It was weird. All he did was talk and swim circles and stare. Why was she so scared?
Both the shark man and Suigetsu looked up at the dark waters. There was nothing up there of particular interest, but they still looked. The shark man was grinning still, but Suigetsu kept his blank expression.
"I'll go up there," the shark man said, dropping a hand on Suigetsu's shoulder. "You just watch her - make sure she's not pretending and escapes when we aren't looking."
Pretending?
Why would she be pretending? There was nothing to pretend about.
What's happening here?
Silence met those sharp words that cut through the cold waters like daggers. The shark man floated before them for a moment, grin dropping into a simmering simper, and then he kicked off and swam up - to the surface, probably. Surely, there was one. All oceans had one.
Right?
"Are you pretending?"
When she looked down, she met those dark eyes. They didn't glitter like the shark man's teeth. Somehow, that made her feel better.
Her fingers left the sand to once again land on her lap. With the other one gone, she felt brave enough to talk again, like her instincts had quieted for that reason alone. "Pretending what?" she asked, voice coming out soft and quiet, barely able to make it through the saltwater. "I don't understand."
His lips pinched together, and he looked away. Again.
It made her feel cold when he did that. Cold, and alone.
"What happened to me?" She scooted a bit to him; slowly, as if not to scare him. "Why can't I remember anything?" He didn't say anything, and the silence allowed her to think back to the shark man's earlier words. "Who's Ino? Did they . . . do this to me?"
Nothing. Not a word, a nod.
Her gaze fell onto his neck. Were those things hurting him? Was that why he wasn't talking to her?
Or was it something else?
"Suigetsu . . . ."
And then, suddenly -
Movement. Noise. Life.
His mouth opened, and a sort of strangled, watery choke left him. Suigetsu's eyes were wide, and his face was pale. Bubbled rushed past his lips, floating up to the surface, almost chasing after the shark man. His hands grabbed at his neck. His body began to trash and shake.
Wh -
She pushed off the sand and swam to him.
"What's wrong?" she yelped, trying to grab him to stop him from moving. "Suigetsu, what is it? What's happening!?"
But only bubbles and gags followed her terrified questions. Finally, her hand caught his shoulder and forced him to face her, giving her a good look at the piles of dark things covering his entire neck. Now she understood. They were covering his gills. He couldn't breathe with them. He was drowning.
Adrenaline slammed into her body. Her fingers shook as she latched onto his neck and tried to yank them off; but they were stuck. Their hold was too tight. They weren't coming off. He was drowning, and they weren't coming off. One of his hands clasped over his mouth as his chest pumped, lungs begging for oxygen. She took his other arm and pulled it over her shoulders, then shot up to the surface that hopefully existed.
It was dark. He was heavy. She was heavy. It wasn't getting lighter. They could have been miles underwater for all she knew. She was too slow. They weren't going to make it in time. He was going to drown, and she would be alone. Nothing. There would be nothing in that blank world she now knew. It was only him - only Suigetsu - and he was dying -
"Bite his gills!" her instincts screamed.
And without thought or reluctance or fear or hesitation, she did just that.
...
It was . . . weird.
The sensation of her teeth sinking into skin, that is.
It was soft, but also hard. Her senses were overwhelmed with him - his smell, his taste - not the taste of blood, weirdly enough. There was no blood. But she tasted salt and something else, something beyond her imagination.
His skin was cold and rough, but his gills were warm, and when her teeth tore through the piles of dark things, the skin stretched and the gills expanded. The black things fell off and floated around her head, and she pulled away and spat some of them out of her mouth before moving to his other gills.
And when she was done, his hand fell from his mouth, and he breathed.
And hacked, and coughed, and croaked - but mostly breathed, and she felt like she could sink from the sheer relief she felt.
"A-Are you okay?"
His chest rose and fell as color returned to his face. She pulled away completely and floated back to give him room. It took him a while to do anything but process. His eyes flickered and swam. A faded ribbon of red swirled around his bottom lip, and she supposed he must have bitten it somewhere in the middle of the havoc. Then - suddenly - his hands snapped to his gills, as if just realizing what she had done, and the first thing he managed to sputter -
"Why did you save me!?"
Was . . . not exactly what she was expecting.
The roar boomed through the ocean's depths. A few fish in the distance dashed away, into the inky shadows of the water. Her right hand flew to her heart, which raced with leftover adrenaline and bewilderment.
"Wh-Why?" she repeated, tone pitched. "Why wouldn't I? There's no reason for me to not have -"
"Yes," he snapped, glaring, "there is. If you remembered anything at all, you would have let me die and escaped - you should have done that!"
Escape . . .
It was like what the shark man said before about pretending. There was no reason for her to pretend, and there was no reason for her to escape - especially not from him. Why would she? He was the only thing she remembered. Everything else was gone. She couldn't even remember her own -
"I . . . I would have?" she asked. A glob of something got stuck in her throat. Maybe she hadn't gotten all of those dark things out of her mouth. "I would have let you die?"
She didn't like the thought of that. And it scared her, in a way, to think she was this cruel person who would willingly let people drown. Was that really her? Was those parts of her still in her, somewhere? If she started remembering, would she be that person again? She didn't want that. Not at all. She'd rather have no memories than become such a horrible person.
Suigetsu's gaze trailed her face for a moment, then narrowed and darkened. Those purples were nearly squelched out with black overtones, and her heart lurched. "No," he eventually whispered, "I guess not."
Then something happened. Something real. Something natural.
He grinned, teeth shining. Not a sinister grin like what the shark man had; this one was different. Lighter. Normal.
And when he gave a laugh (weak, but a laugh, nonetheless) and messed his hand into her bangs -
"But that doesn't mean you shouldn't have, Hi-na-ta."
That felt normal, too.
...
"My name is Hinata?"
They had returned to the ocean's floor within the next few moments, and as he trailed the empty area, she grasped onto the little information she had gathered since waking up.
Suigetsu sat on the sand before her. A bit too far away, if she was being honest. It seemed, despite her quite literally saving her life, he was still making the effort to keep some distance between them. She couldn't possibly understand why, but she knew this was probably one of those things to keep to herself.
His lips twisted into something between a smirk and a thin purse. Strained, obviously, but still holding some ounce of amusement. One of his knees was arched, and his elbow was propped on it so that he could perch his chin on his open palm. "Yeah," he mused, gaze trailing the floor, flickering her way every now and then, "it is."
Hinata smiled, glad that he was at least still talking to her.
"I like it," she said. "It's pretty."
He tilted his face a bit so that his mouth pressed against his hand. "I guess."
"How long have we known each other?"
"Not long," he said.
She waited for a moment, then continued. "Are we friends?"
"That's a tricky question."
But . . . it really wasn't. Again, she waited; and again, he didn't continue.
"Who is . . . the other one?" she asked, peeking upwards. "The shark man."
Suigetsu couldn't hide his snicker that time. "Kisame," he said.
That name didn't seem familiar at all. Either she's never met him before, or she just couldn't remember him like she could remember Suigetsu. Sadly, both were equally plausible, and Hinata frowned. "He's . . . intimidating."
"Yeah," Suigetsu said, lifting his chin back into its normal position on the heel of his palm. Hinata noticed that he wasn't smiling, and that amused twinge to his tone was gone. "Be careful with him."
She latched onto the information and tucked it into the beginnings of her new corner of memories. "Okay."
Suigetsu shifted, shoulders rolling, then locked eyes with her. "Same with me," he said. "Be careful with me."
That bit of information she left to waft in the water, imaginary fingers ready to pluck them into her mind at any given moment. Hinata rubbed her hands together, a bit uncomfortable with the sudden shift of tone.
"You think I should be?" she asked.
"Not think. I know."
She bit her lips together and settled into herself.
She knew what he was implying. A picture of her situation was beginning to paint itself before her from the little information she's gathered. This had something to do with him. Her memory loss, her being at the bottom of the ocean; it all probably had to do with him.
But . . . it was hard to grasp such a concept. She wasn't scared of him. He didn't terrify her like Kisame. He was different. And even if he told her to be cautious of him, every molecule of her being was telling her the complete opposite.
"Stick with him," her instincts were telling her. "Surely, if things go downhill, he'll help you."
And Hinata knew that when she had absolutely nothing else to go off of, her instincts were all she could rely on. Thus -
"O . . . kay"
She pulled back and let his warning float in the water, watching it slowly hiss into nothing, reminding her of something she so desperately wished to remember.
...
When Kisame returned with that sharish smirk of his, the normals Hinata had finally understood were sucked out of the air. Suigetsu fell back into a quiet, somber mood that Hinata found completely unnatural on him. He looked better when he was grinning and laughing. It just seemed right. But it was clear that she wasn't the only one Kisame intimidated, so Hinata matched his mood and kept to herself.
"Did she try anything?" Kisame dropped onto the floor, a cloud of ashen sand puffing around his boots. There was a lightness in his tone. He didn't look worried - he was looking at her now, so even if something had happened, she hadn't succeeded.
"So what's the plan?" But Suigetsu didn't bother to answer his question - probably also aware that he didn't care either way.
Hinata wasn't totally sure what he meant with that question. Now that she thought about it, she didn't even know why they were there in the first place. Surely, they wouldn't be staying down there forever, without food or shelter. There had to be somewhere to go - somewhere that they belonged. People out there, maybe . . . .
Did she . . . have a family?
Did they know where she was?
Kisame snickered, gills flexing along the collar of his jacket. The puffs of sand kicked up again as he made his way to her. Every muscle in her body tensed. What should she do? What was he going to do? Suigetsu said to be cautious of him - and every nerve in her body rang with every step he took towards her. Past him, she watched Suigetsu's gaze drill into his back, wide, unblinking eyes never looking away. His shoulders arched, as if to prepare himself to jump into action at any given moment. That didn't calm her one bit, but before she knew it -
"Well, isn't it obvious?"
A hand. Cold and rough and huge. Fingers, without reluctance, dipped under the back of her shirt and trailed up the length of her bare back. She shrieked, hand slapping against her mouth, eyes flying to Suigetsu, asking, begging if this was okay, if this was safe, if she was safe -
"We bring back her wings."
W . . .
Wings?
But she didn't have the time to process that. Kisame's free hand lashed out to the side, saltwater spiraling around his flexing fingertips, twirling and whirling until, suddenly, something began to form. Something small and narrow. Sharp.
A knife.
Hinata's gaze never left Suigetsu's as his concerned, shadowed expression became a lot more palpable and nervous. That alone sent her shaking, and Kisame laughed in her right ear, the hand on her back pressing hard between her shoulder blades. She was forced to look away as she was pushed onto the ocean's floor. Petrified, she went still, everything in her freezing with ice. She wanted to leave, to swim away, to make him stop - but she was too scared of the reaction to do any of that, so she stayed.
Stayed, and fisted her hands into the loose sand, and . . .
And . . . smelled . . . smoke?
What?
"Wait, Kisame."
She heard Suigetsu talking, but when she looked up, it wasn't him hovering over her. It was someone else. A strange boy with glowing eyes and bubbles leaving his lips. He had pretty hair - she knew she wasn't in the correct situation to focus on such matters, but . . .
"Fuck's sake, Suigetsu, I already told you that we -"
"We can't do it here. It has to be on the surface."
But . . . there was something about him. Something Hinata couldn't exactly put a finger on. He looked pretty - almost untouched by the freezing, thrashing waters. Godly, maybe. Or just beyond her in some way.
The pressure on her back that kept her down lifted, but she didn't notice.
"The hell are you spoutin'?"
And there was a shift of purple to the left, but Hinata was too caught up in white.
"Getting wings back isn't easy. She could die down here if we don't do it right."
No. Not white.
"Both of our necks are on the line, here. They want her alive. If we fuck this up, we're both dead - so let's think about this for a second."
Silver.
"The saltwater is only going to give her an infection - and the Guard is probably out lookin' for our asses right now. All I'm sayin' is that it's safer for us to change positions and get to the surface."
Silver - like something. Something important. Something she knew.
There was a gruff snort. "Where, exactly, are you talkin'?"
"Your place in Ocean 4. They'll be looking for her in the deeper waters right now - Ocean 11 and all. We should be fine there for a night."
"That's a far swim. We'll get there by midday."
"Then we'll hide her until nightfall."
Something like -
"M-Moon."
Multiple heads snapped her way as Hinata finally pushed herself off the floor, hoisting herself onto her knees. In the corner of her eye, she saw Kisame grimace, which was quite frankly scarier than his sharkish smirks. But it didn't matter at that moment. The boy looked startled, and he floated a bit away as she managed to get to her feet.
"Aren't you from Moon?" she asked.
He didn't speak, only stared and breathed and wafted. An agitated push came to the water as Kisame crossed his arms. "The hell?" he hissed. "Who the fuck is she talking to?"
Huh?
Wasn't it obvious. She was talking to the Moon Man who somehow managed to breathe underwater despite having no gills on his neck. If anything, it was more strange that he wasn't reacting to this stanger that had just swam up out of the blue. Frowning, bemused, Hinata turned to Suigetsu, looking for any sign of affirmation to tell her she wasn't crazy, but -
Instead, he looked . . . weird.
Sad.
"No one," Suigetsu said, catching her gaze and holding it for a moment. Then, he turned to Kisame, and gave a fake grin. "We should get going."
The Moon Man had followed her to the shore.
Like an animal, he trailed them, keeping just enough distance to not come off as completely threatening, but Hinata was still concerned. Nervous, even. He was quiet and watching, waiting, perhaps for the right moment. To strike? Maybe. She wasn't sure. All she knew was that even when the dark waters slowly became more blue and crystal clear, the moon was still glowing in his gaze.
The swim was long.
Five hours, maybe? That was just a vague guess, as her head was filled with too many other thoughts to focus on counting down the minutes. She was tired. Her stomach rumbled lowly, but she didn't dare mention it. Not when Kisame was around. She had seen what he could do with water - she didn't want to get on his bad side. She didn't even want to be near him, but it was either him or the foreboding Moon Man, so she stuck close and clung to Suigetsu's sleeve.
The floor of the ocean eventually sloped up, and the surface finally came into view. It was . . . bright, to say the least. Hinata wasn't sure if she'd ever been to the surface. The light made her eyes burn, and as she squinted, she supposed she must have spent most of her life at the bottom of the ocean, cloaked in darkness. Above their heads, the surface moved in waves. She could hear the soft washing of the white, foamy water tickling the shore, and her heart matched its tempo.
All she knew was the dark and cold ocean. She was eager to discover something beyond that.
"Bow your head."
But before they could break the surface, they stopped mere inches away. If she wanted to, she could lift her hand and feel the fresh air. Blinking, Hinata dropped her gaze to Suigetsu, who had spoken for the first time since they had left. Past him, over his shoulder, she saw Kisame was wrapping a thick cloth over his forehead, blocking his eyes from view.
She must have had a look that expressed her confusion, for Suigetsu only smirked and placed a hand on the crown of her head to tip it down.
"Use your hair to cover your face," he said, "and don't speak."
That spark of excitement that fluttered in her chest began to seep away, but she did as she was told. She pulled her hair around her face, making it act like a curtain, and then found his sleeve again as he led her onto shore.
It was hot. Her gills automatically curled against the beams of light that sent her skin aflame and pink. It was even brighter without the shield of water, and it took Hinata a minute to allow her eyes to fully adjust. When the area settled into view, she saw huts along the shore and a forest of palm trees and, past that, a royal blue sky. Not too many people, from what she could see, were around, but she still kept her face bowed. Suigetsu was on her right, and Kisame had moved to her left. She was completely hidden.
That's what they wanted, right?
But didn't that mean they were trying to hide her from something?
Slowly, in order to keep her hair from brushing away from her face, Hinata peeked over her shoulder. The Moon Man was still there. Prominent and tall, without a bow to his chin or a crane to his neck. He wasn't hiding, and she wondered, fearfully, if they were trying to hide her from him.
...
They had dragged her into a cabin. Small, barely decorated. There was a bed in the far-right corner, which sported only a pillow and a folded, thin blanket. Across from it was a small kitchen set, and in the middle of the room was a low, round table with only one sitting cushion. There was a small window by the front door, which was completely covered into boards and a blue drapery. On the left wall, next to the kitchenette, was a door that probably led to a bathroom, but Hinata hadn't the courage to snoop in someone else's home.
Kisame's home, she recalled, which absolutely sent her back into crashing, freezing waters.
The door slammed behind them, and the walls shook. Kisame yanked the blue drapery back and peeked between the cracks of the boards on the window while Suigetsu led her to the bed to sit her down. "We have eleven hours until sunset," Kisame muttered, pulling away from the window. His heavy boots plodder over to them, and Hinata made sure to keep her eyes down as she fixed her hair out of her face. "We'll be sittin' ducks if we stay here."
Suigetsu leaned back against the kitchen counter, opening the cabinet over his right shoulder. His hand dipped in, then pulled out three packets of jerky. He automatically yanked the plastic wrap off of one and began to tear into it as he threw another to Kisame, who bit into his with the same vigor.
"Then what do you propose?" he asked, smirking, as he pushed the last jerky stick into his back pocket. "I've been comin' up with all the good ideas so far - now it's your turn."
"Watch it." Kisame huffed and paused for a moment, head turning back to the door. "They're lookin' for all of us, but if those bastard Guards spot one of us, that means they'll have her." He chewed on his jerky, then grinned as he wiped his sleeve on his mouth. "So I'm thinkin' we go into hidin' and leave her here until sunset. You should stay nearby - y'know, just in case."
Hinata wasn't opposed to the idea of having a few hours away from Kisame, but she wasn't too keen on the idea of Suigetsu leaving, as well. Being alone . . . without having a clue of what was happening or what they were going to do with her - it wasn't something she wanted.
But before she could send some sort of silent plea, Suigetsu had already agreed.
"Where will you go?"
"Does it matter?" Kisame barked. "Just focus on not getting caught."
He tightened the cloth around his head, then left with a slam to the door. Hinata tried to relax, but she felt so tense and tired. The wind blew against the walls, causing the wood to creak. She rubbed her arms, then looked up to find Suigetsu holding out the third stick of jerky to her.
"I know you prefer sweets," he said, smiling, "but it's the only thing we have."
She took it, thumbs already working on peeling back the plastic wrap. "Thank you," she whispered. The smell hit her first, and her stomach jumped at the strong scent of food. It wasn't difficult to tear off a piece with her sharp teeth, and as she chewed, she savored the taste just rolling through her mouth. "You're really . . . going to leave me here?"
Suigetsu bent down on the floor so that he was on her eye level. "I won't be far," he told her. His voice was even, and she felt her shoulders relax. "Don't worry, I'll make sure no one dangerous comes in and bothers you. Just try to get some sleep in."
The mention of her lack of sleep made was a wave of exhaustion ebb at her mind, and Hinata nodded and finished her snack before laying back and pulling the thin blanket over herself. The material was prickly and made her skin itch, but she was only glad to be able to lay down.
Suigetsu stood, looking down at her. The light creeping in from under the front door caught his amethyst eyes, and for the first time, they sparkled. He looked alive. She didn't want him to leave.
"Did you really do this?" she asked, pulling the blanket to her chin.
The light didn't leave, but his smile turned rigid and the black things on his neck twinged. "Yes. I stole you away."
Stole?
Hinata frowned.
Stole from who? From her family? From her friends? Did she even have anyone like that?
Or was it someone else?
Was it someone bad? Was he saving her?
Or . . .
"Why?" Her fingers gripped the hem of the blanket. That sparkle in his gaze flickered, and her heart jumped. "You . . . said earlier that we weren't friends -"
"I said it was tricky," he corrected, tone a bit light, despite the situation.
"So . . . are we something else?"
His eyes widened, and she knew he understood what she was implying. "No," he said with a shake to his head, "not me. That's not the problem."
Why was he dancing around this? Kisame wasn't around. Surely, he could just tell her straight. But he stepped back, and the light left his eyes as he turned and left, closing the door behind him with a gentleness that made her wonder if he genuinely feared breaking just about anything, or just her.
...
It took her an hour to fall asleep to the howl of the breeze outside.
When she slumbered, it was dark, but not quiet.
"If you remembered anything at all, you would have let me die and escaped -"
Things kept repeating in her head. Voices she knew. Voices of people she knew.
"Be careful with me."
But she never saw anyone. Never saw Suigetsu or his dark, wavering eyes. It was only his voice. It echoed in the darkness of her sleeping mind, dragging her back to reality when all she wanted was to forget it and bask in nothingness, if just for a few minutes.
"Getting wings back isn't easy. She could die down here if we don't do it right."
But the voices wouldn't let her.
"Someone's at the door, Lady Hinata."
Light. Dim, but still there. A blurred umber, then her eyes focused, and she realized she was staring at the ceiling.
"Get up."
And when she looked to the side, she saw the Moon Man standing by the bed, looking down at her.
"This is important."
And when he spoke, he had the same voice as her instincts.
Who is he?
Groggily, she got up, the echoes of the not-so-distant past still caught in her head, bouncing against the walls of her skull. It wasn't so much that her head hurt, but rather it simply felt numb. It was hard to fully understand what was happening. She knew she was in Kisame's cabin. She knew they were waiting for sunset. But what was this talk about someone at the door -
And at that thought, the metal handle clicked as he was pushed down, and the front door croaked open. Hinata shot up, back slamming against the wall. Her hands searched the mattress for anything, but all she had was her clothes and the blanket - nothing else. Nothing to protect herself with. Her head snapped from the door to the Moon Man, who hovered nearby, and narrow to his gaze, but that was all that escaped him. No fear. No concern.
A dark, burly figure stepped in. Hinata instantly noticed the dark mass covering his left eye, hiding it completely from view. He was from Ocean. He had gills, and his right eye was beady and sharp, like Kisame's. That made her tense and look around the place for multiple escape routes in case the man acted anything like him.
Where's Suigetsu? her mind screamed as the man slowly stepped in and made his way to the table. Why isn't he here to stop him?
"You're, um . . . ." But that voice that escaped those thin, blue lips was nothing like Kisame's. It was low and quiet, almost timid. And now that she watched him, he didn't have the confidence or cockiness in his posture, either. His shoulders were arched like a scared animal, and he was bent in a way that made him look smaller than he actually was. His hands rubbed at his pants, and he didn't look up from the floor. Definitely not the attitude of a man about to kill her. "The Moon Witch, right?"
Who?
She's never heard that name before.
Easing up a bit, Hinata leaned a little away from the wall, and said, "U-Um. No. I'm . . . Hinata."
His revealed eye widened. "Hinata Hyuuga?"
Was that her last name? It wasn't ringing any bells.
"I . . . I don't know," she confessed weakly.
An airy laugh breezed past his lips. "That's right. He mentioned about your memory loss. Ah, sorry." A pause. His hands fidgeted, and then he took a step closer. "You don't remember me, probably. A month or two ago, you came to Ocean 4 - and when I thought I saw you earlier, I wasn't about to let the opportunity pass."
Her gaze was glued to that dark mass on his face. "Do I know you somehow?"
"Heh, uh, kinda." His right hand gestured to his covered eye. "Obviously, you noticed it. You did this to me." Wait. She put the stickers there? How was that possible? "Not that I didn't deserve it. See - well, me and a few buddies of mine - months ago, when you came with Suigetsu - we had been drinkin' and had gotten ourselves into a mess, and when we saw from Moon show up, we got angry and -"
"I'm not from Moon," Hinata said, and pulled down the collar of her shirt to prove as much. "I'm from Ocean."
His gaze finally met her, and he looked confused. "What? But -" He scratched the back of his skull, then shook his head. "It doesn't matter. All I wanted to say was that I'm sorry for attackin' you. It was shitty, and I know you spared my life on purpose, even when I didn't deserve it."
Hinata blinked and pulled her trembling fingers close to her chest. "You attacked me?" Warning bells were ringing again, and she pushed her back against the wall once more. "You're not going to do it again, are you?"
"What? No!" the man shouted. "That's not why I'm here. Look, I know what's happening - the kind of situation you're in. I just came to apologize and say that I'll help you, that's it."
She didn't know what to believe. If what he had said was true, she shouldn't believe a man who had attacked her in the past - to the point of her having to fight back, which she supposed must have caused the dark things on his face. But he sounded genuine and put a lot of effort in trying to play himself down to not scare her. And when he said he wanted to help her - well, that confused her. Suigetsu had told her he had stolen her away, but that didn't necessarily mean she was in danger.
Or did it?
Was she?
And how would a stranger know something like that?
"Trust him." The Moon Man finally spoke, arms crossed and mouth pursed and serious. He sounded so sure, so confident. Hinata didn't have the will to deny him of that. "He's going to help you. Just wait for the right moment."
And without even trying, her body seemed to instinctively react to his words. She relaxed, and her racing pulse began to calm. "O-Okay," she said to the man."Thank you."
The man shook his head, as if denying her appreciation, before turning to leave. He opened the door, and sunlight spilled into the cabin. Hinata watched him pause for a moment as he looked directly to the door's left. His mouth moved, but she didn't hear what he was saying, and when he finally disappeared from view, Suigetsu stepped inside.
So . . . this whole time . . . .
"Two hours until sunset," he told her, tone firm. It didn't fit him, somehow. Not like the hint of amusement he had earlier. But that only meant something more important than what fit him or not. "Just thought you would want to know."
Hinata was beginning to understand, now. He was telling her something was happening at sunset. Something big. And she wondered if the right moment the Moon Man had mentioned happened to be that something.
...
"Oh, fuck it all!"
A yell, and the door slammed against the wall as it was kicked open. Kisame barrelled in and beelined straight to her, and before Hinata knew it, she was yanked to her feet and shoved out the cabin. Her feet tripped over one another. Her elbows hit the beach hard as she fell forward, and she hissed as sand and stones scraped against her skin. Something hard jabbed into her hip, and like on the ocean floor, Kisame leaned down to keep her from getting up.
But unlike on the ocean floor, when he lifted the back of her blouse, the fabric ripped and shredded into pieces, and she knew instantly that it was beyond being fixed. She kicked and grabbed sand and tried to roll over, but he was too strong, and nothing she did helped. She was stuck. Trapped.
"The hell - Kisame, it's not sunset yet! The hell are you doing!"
Her head snapped up upon Suigetsu's roar. She heard him running over, feet barely hitting the sand, but she didn't see him. All she saw was the sun over the ocean, just barely touching the horizon. The royal blue was beginning to fade into pinks and reds and violets, but sunset hadn't started. Not yet.
It wasn't time.
"You think I'm blind?" Kisame snapped over her. She saw some water lift from the ocean and morph into a thin string of liquid as it reached out towards her - or rather, the man pinning her down. "I know damn well what time it is - I'm just fuckin' tired of sitting around, waiting. It doesn't matter if we start now or in thirty minutes. We're doin' the same thing, either way."
Suigetsu fell on his knees in front of her. She instantly latched her hands onto the stretched fabric of his pants, tugging, letting him know that she didn't want this, that she was scared.
Suiegtsu looked down at her for a split second, then looked around the area. His face was pale, and the light wasn't reaching his eyes. "It's still light," he hissed, "someone could see."
"And by the time they notify the Guards, we'll already be long gone," Kisame said. One of his hands fell on her bare back, between her shoulders. She shivered, and her eyes began to sting. "Unless you want to keep prolonging this with your bullshit."
Suigetsu's mouth opened, then closed. Nothing escaped him. He looked just as stuck as her. She tried to squirm away once again, but more pressure was added, and it was becoming hard to breathe. She didn't have the strength. Her snack from hours earlier barely gave her any energy, and she was still exhausted. There was no escape. She couldn't leave.
A sharp blade of morphed water sunk into her back.
Fire erupted from her body. She screamed in agony as the blade sunk and sunk, then was torn down her back. She could feel blood running down her sounds and pool into the sand. It hurt. It hurt so fucking bad. It hurt so much that she couldn't believe she was still conscious. A dizzy spell made her spin and waver, but she was still awake. She still felt it all.
And when the blade was yanked out, she had hoped it was done. But it wasn't. He did it again. A couple inches away, he plunged it in and ripped it down and sent her wailing and sobbing again. She felt the blade shake against her skin. He was messy that time, so he had to go back and clean up some of his mistakes.
Hinata gasped and gagged. Her hands squeezed the life out of Suigetsu's. She didn't know when she had grabbed them. All she knew was that she had two gaping, bleeding holes in her back, and that she was still awake, still alive, still suffering and wallowing and crying and boiling. It wouldn't stop. It kept going. The pain got worse and worse, hotter and hotter. It didn't ebb like the waves. It didn't give her a hint of mercy. Her vocal cords cracked with her screams, and she dived her face down and bit on sand to try and deal with every single iota in her being weeping for mercy, for a second of peace, for it to all just - just - just -
"Stop!" she howled. "Stop it! It hurts! Stop!"
But Kisame didn't. He just kept digging the blade in over and over and over again.
The hands she clutched shook with her, and she used all the strength she had left to lift her chin and stare into those storming, clashing eyes. "Suigetsu," she croaked, voice barely coming out anymore, "help me. Make him stop."
He stared, then his gaze snapped up. His hands tore away from her snaked down, past her.
"Suigetsu, please!"
His fingers sunk into the pocket of her hands and yanked something out. She couldn't see, but she heard it. A yell. Kisame's yell. Loud and harrowed. The blade was pulled out of her back, and the weight was knocked off of her. She slinked forward, gasping and choking, pulling herself by her arms.
There was noise. Yelling and thudding. She couldn't make any of it out. All she could do was crawl - crawl away. The Moon Man was back, hovering, eyes wide and glassy and scared. He didn't look godly at that moment. He coaxed her to the sea, and she followed, gritting through the pain as she kicked her feet against the sand to lunge herself forward and cover more ground. Her shirt slipped down her shoulder, the front snug against her, while the tattered back fluttered in the wind.
She heard someone run over to her and grab her shoulders. She yelped and flailed, trying to hit whatever she could.
"Hinata!"
But when she looked, it was Suigetsu. His head was bleeding, bits of hair stuck to his forehead. His eyes were wild as he lifted her from the ground, being sure to avoid the wounds on her back. There was a gleam, and when she looked down, she saw he was holding a dagger. A real one. Was that what he had gotten from her pocket? But she hadn't even realized -
"Come on, come on," he hissed, pulling her with him to the water. "We need to go - now!"
Her feet sunk into the cold water as they pushed against the waves to go deeper. More yelling and cursing and noise. When she looked back, she saw Kisame was fighting the man from before, a massive sword made of water swiping this and that. He lunged and sunk it into the man's stomach, but that was all she saw.
They dived into the water.
...
A new, enormous wave of pain slammed into her as the saltwater dived into her open wounds. Everything stung - her back, her eyes, her tongue. She slammed her fists against Suigetsu's chest as he held her closer as shot through the water, going farther and farther away from the surface.
"No!" she cried. "Go back - Suigetsu, it hurts, I can't -"
He didn't listen. He kept swimming, feet kicking against her at times in his panic. At one moment, he pushed her up so that she could sink her teeth into his shoulder while battling with this new wave of pain.
"I'm sorry," he croaked. "I'm so sorry. Just get through it a little longer, then we'll be safe. Please, Hinata. Just a little more."
Her body trembled. Her stomach rolled. Every muscle in her body ached and stung, but she nodded and sunk her teeth deeper into his shoulder.
When they reached the surface, the sky was red, and nothing was in view. Just ocean and dark, roaming clouds and the beginnings of a night sky. No land. No Kisame.
They were alone.
Suigetsu had himself sat so that she could lean against him, back facing the sky. His knees were pressed against her hips to keep her stable in case she suddenly collapsed, and his hands kept her shirt pinned to her shoulders to keep it from slipping. Hinata had her face pressed against his chest, trying to wipe her tears on his shirt as she languished in the cool, fresh air. Her back still stung, though not nearly as much. The small bit of relief kept her barely conscious, and her grip on his back was weak.
"Stay awake," he whispered every now and then. His chin atop her head moved as he seemed to scan the area. "Don't go to sleep, Hinata."
She gave a weak nod. "I won't."
A short, tense moment of silence. The water sang a sort of lullaby that made her eyes heavy, but she tried to keep them open.
Then, Suigetsu cursed under his breath.
"I don't know what to do." His grip on her shoulder tightened, though not painfully. He was trying to be gentle as she still dealt with the pain, she knew. "I don't have anything here to help. The only thing I can wrap around your back is my clothes, and this material will only irritate your wounds more. You could have already gotten an infection, and even if you didn't, who knows how many more times we'll have to swim for our lives."
He didn't have to say it out loud - she knew they were in a tough situation. But he sounded panicked, almost spiralling, and she lifted her face to meet his gaze.
"We need to find someone," she said. "Do you know anyone who can help?"
He frowned, but said nothing.
Over his shoulder, she saw the Moon Man. "Sasuke," he said. "He needs to take you to Sasuke."
"Sasuke?" she asked. "Who's Sasuke?"
Suigetsu's shoulders tensed, and he gave a strained laugh. "Someone who can help, I guess. But if I show my face, he'll kill me on the spot. No hesitation."
Energy waning, Hinata dropped her face back on his shoulder, pressing her forehead against the cool skin. "Why?"
"Well, he's one of the guys I stole you from."
Ah, so she knew Sasuke. Was he her brother? Father, maybe? A friend?
"I don't want you to die," she said, wrapping her arms around him to strengthen her hold on him. "Is there someone else?"
"Anyone else will kill me in a more . . . slow and painful way. Sasuke will at least make it quick." A sigh. "Or . . . maybe not. But I don't have much of a choice. You'll bleed out if we wait around like this."
She peeked down and saw that the water surrounding them was maroon with her blood. Her stomach churned.
Another pause, this one long and thick with tension. Then, eventually, Suigetsu shifted and stood, pulling her up with him. His hands fell to her arms, keeping her steady as he put a small distance between them.
"Fuck it," he said with a grin. A genuine one. The kind that looked perfect on him. "Either I let you die, get tracked down, and die a painful death, or I take you to help and die a painful death. Those are my only choices, and I'm likin' the odds of the latter one." He turned and crouched down, eyes twinkling over his shoulder. "Hop on, Hinata. Time to unsteal you."
Smiling, she climbed onto his back, and when he had a good hold on her, he stood and began their journey along the ocean's shifting, singing surface.
...
It was peaceful. The night sky, the harmonious movement of Suigetsu as he walked, the tranquil sounds of the ocean. It was nice. Really nice.
"Don't fall asleep," Suigetsu told her as she sloped against his back. "Right now, we're going for the option of you not dying, so you gotta stay awake, Hinata."
"Okay," she whispered into the back of his shirt. "Sorry."
"Don't apologize. Just follow what I'm saying."
"I'll try."
Silence, for a second or two.
Then -
"Will it help if I talk?"
She wondered about it for a moment, then answered, "I think so."
He chuckled and adjusted her. "What should I talk about, then?"
She thought about the millions of questions stuck in her head, but one in particular stood out to her.
"Who's Sasuke?"
He laughed again, shoulders shaking with his supposed amusement.
"I guess that's a good start," Suigetsu mused. The wind picked up, she shivered, and he picked up his speed. Her back still hurt, but feeling his voice vibrate in his body was a good distraction, and Hinata smiled and listened. "Sasuke Uchiha is a lot of things: a mean bastard, a shit liar, and a time-obsessed freak. But most of all, he's head-over-heels mad in love with you."
End - Chapter 13
A/N: I will now be responding to everyone's lovely comments. You've all been so sweet, and it thrills me to see recurring names, as well as new people, popping in and telling me what they think. I'm sorry this took so long for me to do - I'm still a bit shy with these sorts of things. But I don't want y'all to feel underappreciated, either!
I'm responding in no particular order. Sorry if I missed anyone.
Koen D: I'm always so thrilled when I see a notification saying you've reviewed. You say your mind and speculate, and that's really helpful for me. I can get an understanding of what I'm doing well and what I need to work on based off of what you're saying, so thank you! And thank you for always coming by and reading! I'm glad you're enjoying the story, and I'm glad you're always excited for updates. You're enthusiasm really helps me out! Whenever I'm lacking inspiration, your comments are some of the ones that usually help my brain chug and spit things out. You're amazing, and I appreciate you so much. Thank you!
Shelikescoffee: Welcome! Thank you for reading. When I first read your comment, I felt both giddy and bad for startling you so much, haha! The last chapter was definitely a bit of a twist, and I hoped this one gave you an idea to what's happening in regards to Suigetsu. Of course, more will be revealed, especially in the next couple chapters - just hold on, I promise we're getting there! I'm so glad you're enjoying the story. I'm absolutely loving writing it!
1999: Hello! Thank you for your lovely comment. I'm glad you're enjoying the story - I enjoy writing it! That's a good question. I pretty much have the entire story planned up into 3-4 sections, all of which signify an important turning point. I'm still dribbing between the ideas of keeping the whole story as one, large fic or splitting them off into different fics based on their section. I'm favoring the first idea currently, but I'll see if anyone in the future fights against that idea. You're so sweet - thank you!
Meer: Wow. Thank you so much! Your comment was so kind, and it totally got me in the writing mood, haha! I'm so glad you're enjoying all the updates and that I could share them with people as amazing and sweet as you. And I loved your questions - thank you for asking them! I'm an avid dreamer/daydreamer. I could be listening to music or driving to school or cooking and suddenly - BAM! A sudden, random story idea pops into my head. And then I get into it so much, I think more and more about it, and suddenly, I've outlined an entire story in my head! I got the basic idea of Pluck (which was merely Hinata having the ability to see and remove "stickers" from people - had nothing to do with magic or memory loss at the time) late at night when I was struggling to sleep and turned on some ASMR. Motivation-wise, music that sets the mood is very helpful. I have a whole playlist for this story, alone, and it's great! Reading also helps: fanfic, non-fanfic, and comments. I love writing a specific genre I dub "simple plot, complex characters" - usually slice-of-life plots with deep and angsty characters who need some comfort in their lives. But I also enjoy fantasy a lot, which is why this story is such a treat for me. I hope you stay safe and healthy, as well!
xXAiKawaiiChanXx: ¡Hola! Gracias por leer este fanfic. Lo siento si mi español es malo. Mi familia también es de México. Mi abuela nació en León (yo creo), pero yo nací en Los Estados Unidos y solo hablaba inglés. Pero me encanta el idioma y la cultura, así que estoy tomando clases para aprender el español y la cultura española. ¿Utilizas un traductor para leer esta historia? ¡Que guay! ¿Hay algún cambio que pueda incluir para que te sea más fácil? Entendí la mayor parte de lo que dijiste, pero también utilicé un traductor. Es difícil, ¿no? Si escribiera un español perfecto, traduciría toda la historia. Pero sé muy poco. Lo siento, jaja. ¡Gracias por leer!
Portside Crowds: Oh my goodness! I'm astounded by your power and self-regulation! Why, I could never achieve something so amazing! Please, I don't mind the wait, and I'll be sure to look for your name in the coming months - if you're still comfortable reviewing, that is. And you read the comments, as well? For some reason, I had it in my head that I was the only one reading them - but it makes a lot more sense, now that I'm thinking about it. Sorry, haha, now I'm just rambling. Good luck on your quest to read all completed SasuHina fics! There are some really amazing ones out there, and I hope you enjoy them. Thank you for always stopping by!
Katarina-Hime: And the queen is here! Sorry! You're just so amazing, and I really, truly look up to you and your writing, so it really does give my heart a run for its money whenever I see you commenting. I hope the world is treating you well. Thank you so much for coming by and reading. It really means a lot to me.
Lucy: Please don't feel bad, you're review was super sweet and amazing, and I super appreciate it! Thank you for reading, and I'm glad you like it so far! I love this fic as much as you, so hearing that you're excited for more and looking forward to updates gives my inspiration a huge jump! A comfort fic? Wow, thank you. I'm glad I could help and entertain, even if for a little bit. Thank you so much!
Ana: Thank you for reading! I remember being so thrilled about your comment on chapter 8, talking about how you enjoyed the Sand Arc. I was a bit worried about it straying a bit from the main plot, but in the end, you and others enjoyed it, so I'm happy with it. And yes, you will be discovering what has happened to Hinata's family in the future. I cannot say for sure how soon that will happen, but it's definitely going to happen! Again, thank you!
Rei: Ah, I'm sorry, haha! I've been told I end off on cliffhangers a lot, and while I sometimes don't see it, I definitely did with the last chapter. But thank you for popping by and reading and commenting! I'm so thrilled you're enjoying the story - makes me want to write more and faster! Thanks for always leaving your thoughts; it's always a treat to read them.
Lavenderxonyx: Yup! It's here! Again, sorry for the long wait - thankfully, school work has been slowing down, so I've been given more time to outline and write. Thank you for reading! Oh, I'm so glad the pacing is fine! I often worry I'm too fast or too slow, so it's relieving to see I'm not messing up too badly, haha. I really appreciate your eagerness and excitement for this story. I am, too! And I can't wait to write more.
LB Cat: Good to see you, as always. It really does put a smile on my face whenever I see your name. I always think, "Oh, it's Cat!" and I get really giddy! I'm glad you are enjoying the story. Thank you for reading, and I hope you stay happy and healthy, as well!
TheNameTakenIsMe: It's so good to see you again! I always remember you because I think your name is so funny and clever, haha! That, and you're always so sweet and leave the kindest comments. I'm SO glad the worldbuilding is okay. I struggle with it, sometimes; so it's good to know you can understand it well. You're right, it is easy to rush things. I have to admit I sometimes do it, so I have to take a break, slow down, and start a scene over. But I like what comes out of it, so I don't really mind. I think the rushing just shows we're really enthusiastic about our stories and sharing them with the world, which is good! But you're right, we also need to take our time and work things out in the story. Thank you, I'm pretty proud of this story, too - it's already a doozy, and I'm not even half-way done! Biggest fan? Wow, that's - oh my gosh, I don't know what to say. Thank you! That's really nice of you to say, and I'll work hard to keep the updates coming!
Mendokuzai21: Always good to see you and hear from you! Whenever I'm reading reviews and come across yours, the first thing I sometimes notice is your icon picture. I don't know why, it always catches my eye! I guess it looks a bit familiar to me, but I can't put my finger on it. Either way, thank you for reading! Always love to hear your thoughts and ideas on the story - it really helps me out with knowing what's working and what is not. Wow, what a sweet question. My dream is to be a publishing author, and I do plan on ONE day getting something published, though I can tell you right now it will be a few years before something like that will happen. But if I get lucky and it does happen, you'll be the first I tell, haha! Ooh! Those are some good authors; I especially like Neil Gaiman, though the movie adaptation of his novel Coraline always scares me.
Skies and Turtles: Okay, firstly: I love your name and I'm so curious where the idea for it came from. It's such a cute name, haha. Secondly, thank you for reading! I am very happy you are enjoying it. It's such a fun experience for me, as well, and it's really amazing to share this journey with everyone. You mentioned in a previous comment that you were curious as to why Hinata had to leave her home. That will definitely be revealed! It might take a while, but I promise that your question will be answered. Oh, and how sweet of you to ask. Yes, everything went fine. I was super busy, but now I'm chilling out and have more time to write and outline. Again, thank you for stopping by!
Bexbluedragon76: You always make me grin from ear-to-ear when I see a notification from you. I am so glad you've come to read and enjoy this story, as well. And your enthusiasm! Wowowow! It always fills me to the brim with inspiration. Thank you for reading and for loving this story as much as I do. You're super sweet, and I am blessed to always hear from you. Seriously!
Violet456: Okay, I have to admit, your last comment really had me cackling. I was like "Yes! That's the reaction I wanted! Haha!". But I still feel bad for breaking you - and for any future breaks, as the crazy, I doubt, will ever be stopping. But I also promise all questions will be answered. I won't leave you in the dark forever, I swear! Thank you for reading and coming by every now and then! And oh my goodness, this is one of your favorite fics? I'm flabbergasted! You're so sweet! Seriously, I can't stop smiling. You're always making my day, and I really appreciate it!
DAngel7: Ah, I'm so glad you enjoyed chapter 11. It was fun to write, and I felt like lot of key moments happened in that chapter. Felt like the beginning of a turn of events, I suppose. Thank you for reading, as well! I can't wait to write more!
Daisy: Your comments are always lighting up my world, no matter the story. All your speculation and questions will be answered, I promise! I'm realizing this is a bit of a slow-paced story when it comes to revealing key information, and I apologize - I know I'd be so anxious to see what happens next, too, haha! Oh my goodness, you're so sweet. Thank you! I'm having a lot of fun with this story, and I'm proud of myself for getting so far already. I know when I first started fanfic that I wouldn't dream of getting past 100k words, and I'm not even to the half-way point yet! Oh, great question! My step-sister hand a huge bookshelf in her room dedicated to poetry books, mostly Frost and Poe, but some more modern ones, as well. Most of the poems I used in SHtC were ones I read from that shelf, and I sorta just gathered them together and made my own, little anthology. The other ones (like Variation on the Word Sleep by Margeret Atwood - she's amazing and I'd highly recommend you read her works if you like poetry) were one's I've read online and saved in a little folder on my laptop. Sadly, the book Hinata reads is not real. But I would recommend the anthology Poetry of Presence, which is a fabulous collection of poems meant to relax you and put you in a place of peace and mindfulness. If I could, I'd recommend this to Sasuke and Hinata, too, haha.
MaxiCortes: Thank you for reading and reviewing! Your excitement makes me want to write more, so I'll do just that, ahaha!
Rose: You are a dream, Rose! Please don't mind your English - you expressed yourself in a very lovely way, and I wish I had your prowess when I'm talking in a different language! Your speculations thrill me to no end! I love every idea you bring to the table, some of which are pretty on the nail. Seriously, it's like you're seeing into my head sometimes, haha! And oh my goodness, the little scene you wrote about the clipboard clapping and the actors shuffling away - I was grinning like a madman! You're also a great writer! Ah, and I'm glad you enjoy how I write Team Taka. I'll admit I was a bit nervous about writing them since I hadn't done so before this fic, so it's relieving to know I'm doing a good job. They'll definitely be showing up throughout the story. I plan on having Juugo in more in the future, as he is probably my favorite in the team. Thank you for reading and enjoying!
Sqidly: Okay, firstly, I love your name! Secondly, thank you for reading! Chapter 11 was a pretty intense chapter for me to write, so I'm glad you enjoyed it. Hope you're happy and healthy!
Chicken: Thank you for reading! Haha, sorry about the little scare. I don't know why I'm so obsessed with drama in my stories - I just always need to add it in every chapter. One day, maybe I'll write one that's more chill, but that will definitely be a challenge for me. And your question will be answered - in due time. It might take me a while to get there, but it's definitely coming!
Luvhina: Thank you for reading! Trust me, if I could write forever, I would, haha! And I totally got what you meant with your comment on chapter 11. Actually, I'm glad you caught on to it. On my side of things, I think Sasuke started/will start developing feelings for Hinata because she has a few things about her that remind him of Sakura. But, as stated previously, Hinata and Sakura are very different, and Sasuke will/has recognized that and will begin to like her for her. Hinata is very lovable, after all, haha. Oh, I'm so glad you're liking the story. I enjoy writing it!
LyraLyra35: Oh my gosh, I am absolutely gleaming! Thank you for reading and reviewing! I'm glad you loved chapter 8 as much as I did. I knew so much was going to happen in that chapter, so I'm glad it wasn't confusing to people and they got to the end understanding everything pretty well. You're right, that line that Matsuri said to Sasuke will definitely be coming back up in future chapters, and perhaps with not the best timing in the world Cx. You are such a lovely person. Again, thank you!
Gems: Thank you so so much for not only reading, but for reviewing! Please don't feel like you have to apologize for being a silent reader - it doesn't bother me at all. I'm just glad you're enjoying the story so far! Oh gosh, you're so nice! I really do love this story, so I suppose that's why there's so much detail and passion behind it, haha! And I'm so excited to keep this story going and reveal everything I've been storing in my head. Thank you for your sweet words. Hope you're doing well!
Nahina: Thank you for reading! I love your profile pic, by the way. Whenever I see it, I always remember you, and it makes me smile. And you're so sweet - thank you so much for all your kind words! Writing has been a big passion of mine for a while, and it's been so fun to work on my skill and share it with everyone. Now if only I could have that same passion for other needed skills, haha. Hope you're doing well, and thanks again!
Mitarafortunadow: Good to see you again - thank you for reading! Ah, I'm sorry Chapter 9 was a bit heartbreaking. I just can't go without the angst sometimes, haha! I understand what you meant. Hinata is a favorite character of mine, as well, so it's sometimes difficult to write her in tough situations. And I plan on having your speculations answered eventually - I'm not sure how soon I can promise them, but more will definitely be revealed with the whole NaruHina thing. Hope you're doing alright, and thanks again!
La fleur exquise: Thank you for reading and for your kind words! Your excitement is making me excited, and now I wanna write more! I'm so thrilled the mystery is intriguing for you. It can be tricky, you know? I don't want to prolong it forever, because then readers may get bored or frustrated. But then again, I don't want to reveal anything too soon, so I try to just reveal a few things every chapter to keep everyone curious and ready for me. It's fun, actually, and I'm glad you're enjoying it as much as I am!
Dotchi13: Oh my goodness. Thank you so much! I remember reading this comment a while ago and just grinning from ear-to-ear - still am, it makes me so happy! Oh, I am so glad Team Taka is working out well so far. I haven't really tackled them before, so I was nervous I would mess them up. I LOVE writing Suigetsu - he has such a fun personality, aggravating yet charming at the same time. Oh, and thank you for sharing your ideas about Neji. I plan on doing a lot with him in the future, so I hope you'll look forward to that. And thank you for discussing the world building. I'm sort of taking a slow pace with it, revealing key things about the different realms every now and then. Again, in future chapters, along with Hinata, we will be learning a lot more about the universes, so I hope that will help you some Cx. And Gaara will be showing up more, too! Again, thank you for reading. You are too sweet, haha!
Helly: Hello again! Yes, I remember you from THtW and am so tickled to see you again. Thank you for reading and reviewing - and also thank you for telling me about the tags. I totally forgot to add in Sasuke and Hinata, so you were a life saver, ahaha! I know it's a bit late, but I hope your holidays went well, too!
Zsyree: Thank you for reading! I'm so glad you enjoyed the 4th chapter - I loved writing it, especially since it revealed more of Naruto to Hinata and the reader. I think this chapter was a definite shift in the way Sasuke treated her, so I was a bit nervous I would mess up such an important scene - glad I did it some justice! And yes, there's a lot of mystery with this story. Sorry about that, haha! I promise everything will be revealed in due time. Aw, you're so sweet! Thank you, and I hope you're doing well!
HinataOverAnyHoe: I'm sorry you're so busy with school. I can attest to that, as I am currently in the middle of it, too, haha! Thank you for stopping by and reading my stories - I always end up grinning when I see your name pop up. You're so sweet and passionate, and it fills me up and makes me glow! Hope you're doing well, and good luck with school!
Again, thank you all for being on this journey with me. Thank you to all the guests who had commented and read, as well! I'm in love with this story, and I'm very happy to see others are in the same boat as me. Thanks for sticking with me, and I can't wait to write more!
-PianoCoat