Chapter 22: A Pulsing Heart
"I feel like a part of my soul has loved you since the beginning of everything.
Maybe we're from the same star."
― Emery Allen
Hinata
It's dark when she awakens, a flurry of voices above her coming and going from both branch and main clan members.
"Quickly, get Lady Hinata some water! I need more ice and salve to keep her cool!" A woman orders.
"It's been over a day now, what was Master Hiashi thinking?!" Another voice hisses.
"What if Lady Tsunade finds out about this? Our village is already at a high risk for attack!" A man asks aloud.
"Calm yourself Hiroto! Master Hiashi did what he felt best for Lady Hinata!" Ko urges.
"Is her in this state truly what's best for her?!" Hirika argues back.
"-It's all because of that outsider Hizono, or whatever his name is. Fleeing like a coward to the Land of Silence's Curtain Village after seeing his lust for power to get back into the clan failed! He put those poisonous thoughts in Master Hiashi's head and now this has happened!" Hiroto continues.
"Has her fever finally broken? She was shivering as if she was soaked when Master Hiashi carried her back in from the garden!" Hirika asks.
Father? The garden?
She opens her mouth to speak only to feel it's dry as sandpaper, sour taste of vomit and spit on her tongue. Her head throbs, pops ringing in her ears like fireworks trying to dredge up memories that refuse to come back.
A wave of quiet fills the room abruptly, attendants falling to a hush seeing her awake.
Hinata winces, new footsteps approaching from the side. Her bedside lamp light flickers on bathing the coming figure in a milky orange-yellow light.
"Father?" She croaks out.
A hand pats at her arms, cold fingertips brushing along her cheeks and her stomach pools with dread hearing familiar worry in his voice.
"It's okay Hinata; I'm here. I'll keep you safe; I promise. Give her another injection of anesthetic, she needs to get more rest." Hiashi orders.
Memories begin to float up, murky recollections of a scroll, a flash of white...
'My thread, something happened to it.' Hinata tries to think back.
Her eyes drift to her fingers then, widen slightly seeing her thread that was once a vibrant red is now black as night; limply hanging down reminding her of death.
Locked.
Chains weave across every layer of her torn and mashed up thread. Hinata tries to look for the rest of her thread only to see nothing but a series of continuing locks that fade into darkness.
Her thread is sealed.
"Now, Hirika! Hinata's clearly in pain!" Hiashi commands a bit louder, patience wearing thin as the attendants finally shuffle into action.
Hinata tries to reach for his hand, pushes to gather her voice.
"Father, please! Wait, I-"
A warmth runs straight into her veins before she can finish, vision blurring once again.
Sleep pulls her back into the dark, Hiashi's voice fading telling her to rest a bit longer. Her dreams replay what she last recalls, the heat of Naruto's goodbye kiss, returning back to the compound, meeting Father in the garden, that scroll that blinded her...
Sunlight rouses her maybe hours or days later, Hanabi roughly shaking at her shoulders.
"Come on Big Sis! Fight the sleep; I know you can! I don't have much time before Father comes back!" She urges.
Hinata sits up with her help, rubs away grit from her eyes.
"Hanabi? What...How long have I been out?" She murmurs.
Hanabi holds up two fingers, frown marring her lips.
"Two days now, might've been longer with the way Father kept making you drift off every time you started stirring."
Neji stands on her opposite side, arms crossed in dismay. "I'm afraid we don't have much time to truly explain things, though I'm sure you can guess that Uncle has taken drastic actions in regards to your red thread."
Hinata's gaze falls to her thread, at least to the remnants of it that are still visible to her.
"It's...It's truly sealed?" She whispers.
Hanabi nods. "When Father returned from meeting with Madam Fifth and the other clan leaders and jonin, I overheard him say to the Elders the best course of action to keep you out of harm's way would be to ensure you can't get close to Naruto any longer. I don't believe he's told anyone of this outside the clan."
Hinata sighs, recalls the Winter of her 13th birthday when she'd lied about having a red thread match in the first place. Maybe she should've gone farther with the lie, gone to a Heartbreaker Woman for advice on how to hide her thread to have prevented this situation from happening.
'No, Father would've found out eventually.' She knows.
Secrets never stay secret for long in this compound.
Neji pushes a tray towards her, plates and bowls filled with miso soup, fruit, tamagoyaki, grilled salmon, and natto.
"You should eat something, it will at least help take some of your stomachache and headache away."
Hinata readily agrees, breaking open the chopsticks. Hanabi takes to clearing away leftover towels and ointments from her bedside, brushing out tangles in her hair.
"Where did Father go anyways?" She asks between bites of egg and fruit.
Hanabi huffs. "There's apparently another meeting Lady Tsunade is holding in regards to creating a team that will infiltrate Ame to hopefully get to this Pain/Nagato guy before he gets to us. Sounds stupid; it's a suicide mission when we already know he's like stronger than all the best jonin we have with all those bodies he uses!"
"Hanabi! We have plenty of strong jonin that can take him on! There's Kakashi-sensei, the ANBU, even Gai-sensei is more than capable of facing him!" Neji counters.
"Gai-sensei? Isn't that the same man always yelling about doing 'youthful exercises and yoga'? The man who gives you second-hand embarrassment when he cries and hugs Lee every morning when they complete 100 laps around the Hokage monument?" Hanabi questions skeptically with a snort.
"Err, well yes! But he's actually a powerful shinobi despite how he looks and behaves."
"Ugh, does Father even realize what he's done?! What are Lady Tsunade and the others going to do to him when they find out Hinata's thread is sealed? It's going to affect Naruto's emotional state too if it hasn't already!" Hanabi complains.
Hinata ignores their bickering, gaze taking to outside. The sky is now a clear blue, clouds in the distant tinted a violet-gray. Slowly her stare turns to the garden where the marigolds and tulips start to unfurl to the coming sun, a contrast to the disarray of the darkened grass where she and Father had been sitting days ago...
'Naruto. Did he feel the effects of my thread being sealed? I hope this doesn't affect his training or how he'll handle the Nine Tails chakra.' She frowns. Maybe being so far away in Mount Myōboku the toads have created a barrier of some kind that prevents him from feeling it, though that's just a possibility.
The thread being sealed involved fūinjutsu she's sure, there has to be a way to break it.
And she won't let anyone stop her from finding an answer to this.
'I have to try.'
She pushes back her blankets regaining Neji and Hanabi's attention, moving for the bathroom. She cleans up herself and switches into her shinobi gear, paying no mind to their stares.
Hanabi beams proudly. "Going to give Father a piece of your mind?"
Hinata shakes her head. "I need to think. I'm going to take a walk. Alone."
Hanabi bounds over to her for a hug, pushes a crumpled up note into her hands out of view of the coming morning attendants.
"Go meet with her if you can; today at those old training grounds." She whispers urgently.
It doesn't surprise her Father is returning back to the manor as she heads for the gates, pearl eyes harden for a flicker of a moment before relaxing.
"Ah, you're up." He smiles.
Hinata merely nods, swallows down the ire threatening to spill out of her at his casualness knowing what he's done to her. "I'm going for a walk in town and to visit with my teammates."
The night guards shift uncomfortably at her statement, peering between Father and daughter nervously if they should impede her path.
Hinata arches a brow at their actions.
"I'm allowed to go outside the compound, aren't I?" She asks flatly.
Hiashi ignores her tone, she'll be mad for days, maybe weeks before she'll eventually understand why he did this, accept that he was preventing her from being hurt. This Pain/Nagato fellow may and well truly attack the village no matter how many efforts they make to prevent it.
"Of course, you're not a prisoner Hinata. I'll see you this afternoon or evening." He regards, squeezing her shoulder affectionately as she passes him.
'She's safe now that her thread is sealed, there's nothing I need to worry about.' Hiashi muses, watching her go.
Hinata calms her breathing as she gets farther and farther away, unwinds her balled fists from her pockets. Her footsteps take her back to Naruto's apartment, relieved that at least touching his belongings isn't sending jolts of pain through her.
Her fingers brush at an old photo of them from the Rinne Festival a few years ago, Naruto's bashful excitement to head to the photo booth, arm loosely wrapped around her to get in view of the camera's lens.
"Well you see, I don't have that many photos around my house, y'know? And I always told myself I would take a picture with my red thread when I finally met her, y'know to prove to everyone I have one! I mean, we don't have to, it might be dumb or-"
"No! I mean, Yes, I want a photo with you! We can keep the best one out of the series!" Hinata answers quickly.
Her face had been so red afterwards, giddy from the rounds of carnival games, sticky tart candy on her lips, and just being with him. Naruto had questioned if she ate something that made her sick and she laughed and said no, she was just happy.
She sets the picture back down, grabs an old T-shirt of Naruto's out of his closet for where she plans to go later.
Naruto is many things. He's rude to practically all their superiors, so very stubborn when things don't go his way, silly when he's actually feeling sad, and when it comes to her: Possessive.
His fingers had tangled into her hair that night they first made love, growled in her ears that she was his.
And she wouldn't have it any other way.
"Sealing my thread doesn't stop me from loving Naruto Father, I'm going to show you that soon enough." She mutters, studying her reflection before planning out the rest of today.
Naruto
"You're losing concentration again." Fukasaku remarks, slapping his back.
Toad features dissipate, Naruto yelping.
"Sorry, Sorry! I've just been feeling off since we got here for some reason y'know." He sighs.
"Was it my grasshopper stew from last night?! Or maybe the steamed dragonflies with worms I made for breakfast this morning? I knew I should've boiled them for a bit longer." Shima frets to which Naruto quickly shakes his head.
But now his stomach hurts at the knowing she'll make them another strange concoction (at least for him) for lunch and dinner.
His fingers tingle before another ache zips across them, like someone has bent his fingers back too far.
'Hinata, should I go check on her?'
He's only just barely left a few days ago though, Hinata would call him a worrywart to leave his training this fast.
It's hard to keep ignoring the panic creeping up his back however when every time since this morning he tries to look at his thread he sees...black.
'Why? I can't even see it all stretched out like it used to be!'
Something had to have happened with Hinata. Though unlike past times when they were separately training, he isn't feeling any particular sharp twinges of pain. Still, he'd be more at ease if he could go check on her then come right back.
She could probably at least explain why their red thread suddenly turned this odd, sickly black color, that this niggling ache in his chest is nothing to be freaking out about.
"Foolish boy, have you not realized what's happened? Your red thread has discarded you!" Kurama voice rumbles through his mindscape.
Naruto scoffs, wonders why he's talking to him now when he's typically sleeping.
"No she hasn't. Maybe she's sick?" He questions aloud.
Kurama's laugh turns biting; cold.
"You'll see soon enough that you're truly alone in this world and then you'll finally release me from this prison."
Naruto tunes him out, forces himself to concentrate back on gathering nature energy.
He's close to finally mastering this.
"That's right Naruto, block out everything else. Breathe in and out gathering energy from the surrounding forests and flora surrounding us." Fukasaku instructs.
Shima nods proudly. He's getting things down faster than little Jiraiya did.
'I hope he gets it fully down before Pain strikes again.' Fukasaku muses.
A sense of foreboding nags at him, gazing towards storm clouds in the east.
Sasuke & Itachi
'Fighting is pointless now.'
Sasuke's head lulls back against the boulder, Itachi observing him with a smile.
The surrounding air is still heavily coated with the scent of ash and fire, rain calming to a quiet downpour.
So this is how their battle ends Sasuke somberly notes, an anticlimactic murmuring of parting words in the midst of a now desolated forest. It's nothing like the extravagant or zealous dreams he imagined of plunging a sword into Itachi's heart or burning him down to the bone.
"If...If there's anything else you want to ask me about, you can. I'll listen." Itachi mutters softly.
Sasuke blinks, there's hundreds of questions tumbling around in his mind, straightening his posture despite the pain that surges down his arms and legs from the effort.
These are his last words for him he realizes making all the knots in his chest reemerge with that knowing.
"Why? Tell me again why you had to say all those horrible things to me the night of the massacre?" He asks first.
Itachi's smile dips for a moment. "I wanted you to hate me, to harbor such anger and need for revenge against me for what I did to the clan so that you would get stronger, could face any lingering enemies the clan had for our eyes. You always felt like second best in Father's eyes, I suppose I maybe hoped those feelings would end once you killed me for my actions."
Sasuke draws out a slow breath, tries to search for another question.
'Information. I need to know what I'm getting into next.' He decides.
"What else do you know about the man who helped you that night? The one you said that goes by Madara Uchiha?"
Itachi nods, expression turning thoughtful. "I must admit, I didn't look too much into detail regarding him. He disappeared after that night of helping me complete the massacre. I knew he wasn't working with Danzo and the Root Foundation and it's only recently that he became a new member to the Akatsuki. His other alias is Tobi, make of that what you will. Madara Uchiha, or at least the real one, should've died years ago considering he was born in the Warring States Era."
Sasuke considers this all, the name means nothing to him and Itachi knows that.
A smirk quirks at his lips once more. "Why don't you ask Sakura?"
Sasuke eyes narrow and Itachi lets out a raspy laugh.
"Why are you bringing up her?" He grits out tightly.
Itachi's grin widens by an inch. "You know why Little Brother. Sakura can help you get information on Tobi that you'll need. It isn't like you can waltz into the Konoha Archives Room or Konoha's Central Library to look for answers after going rogue and becoming a missing-nin."
Sasuke scoffs, he makes the task sound harder than it actually would be.
He can always just associate with the Akatsuki and find out what they know.
"I don't even know why she still wants to be with me. She'll finally tear apart our red thread permanently once she realizes my plans to kill Danzo, to destroy Konoha's most elite shinobi one by one for what they did to you and by extension, our clan." He admits.
Then maybe his own feelings for her will get torn and buried in the process too.
Itachi sighs at his declaration, turning to face him fully.
Slowly, he taps a finger to his forehead, same affectionate gesture from years ago that makes Sasuke stiffen in surprise.
And for a flash of a moment they're back at the Uchiha manor, 5 and 10 respectively about to play a game of tag or target practice.
"Take me to where you train, I need to get better at my fireball jutsu by the time Father gets back from his meeting!" Sasuke demands, stomping after Itachi to the door.
His fingers latch onto his back forcing Itachi to gaze back to him, grinning as Sasuke's serious expression crumples into dismay.
"Next time Little Brother, I must meet with my team now." Itachi tries to explain with a tap to his head.
He pauses when he sees tears gather in Sasuke's jet black eyes, cheeks coloring pink.
"You always say that!" He erupts, smacking a hand over his mouth quickly before Mother comes over to see what's going on.
Itachi chuckles, wipes his brimming tears away. "Alright, tonight then. If you can manage to stay up, meet me at the hollowed out trees in the backwoods to the south."
Sasuke nearly jumps for joy, relishing at the thought of soon being able to match his speed, for Father to commend his skill too.
"Yes, I'll be there!"
Itachi smiles at the memory, feels his vision fading.
"I'm sorry Sasuke, this is the last time. No matter what move or decision you make next in regards to the village, know I will always love you. You can hate me until your dying breath too if you want to; I deserve it. Just know you are loved Sasuke, that there are still people in this world that care for you...
"I don't hate you." Sasuke whispers out.
He watches as Itachi's figure slumps down, breath stilling as his eyes turning glassy.
Gone.
His own body slides down beside him, watching his corpse for what feels like hours as the rain patters over them.
Eventually, when dusk sets in, he finally forces himself to look away.
Sasuke & Sakura
"What do you know about a man named Tobi?"
Sakura looks up from her coffee, smile playing at her lips.
He doesn't care that he's interrupting her game of cards or whatever it is, it's clear Sakura is miles ahead of her opponents in accumulating ryo.
The man to her left glares up at him with a growl at his interruption revealing a row of warped and cracked yellow teeth.
"Beat it, Maika here is about to finally run out of luck this round! I'm not ending this game of blackjack until she loses!"
'Maika' hums her uncertainty at that. "I don't know about that Senzo, I think it's your luck you should be more worried about than mine."
They reveal their hands then, Sakura exhibiting two ace of hearts making Senzo's face instantly drain of color.
His face heats as his friends chuckle beside him, pointing an accusing finger at Sakura.
"Cheater! There's no way-"
Sakura merely holds up her hands, no extra cards hidden on her or within her sleeves proving she isn't using some cheating device or tactic.
The dealer merely shakes his head.
"Let's all take a 10 minute break to cool off." He suggests.
Senzo bursts from the table, gray eyes blazing on her.
"Bitch, think you can just cheat me and run off-"
Sasuke steps forward prepared to block him only for Sakura to casually catch his coming punch, twisting his hand back until a sickening crack echoes out.
"Don't touch me. That goes for all of you." Sakura warns, smile hardening to ice.
Senzo lets out a low hiss, Sakura releasing him and he hurriedly stomps away muttering curses under his breath.
'None of them realized Sakura really was cheating.' Sasuke regards.
A small grin rises up, amused to see this crueler side of Sakura that's so far from her real image as a budding, professional doctor.
He knows little to nothing about gambling, but he's sure card counting is looked down upon in this field.
Sakura gazes back to him, gestures with her head to an empty booth in the corner.
"Unlike Lady Tsunade, gambling doesn't give me a rush. Whether you're winning or losing the odds are always in the casino's favor. Anyways, you traveled for 3 days to this dead end bar in this tiny village just to ask me that?" She questions.
Sasuke barely restrains a groan, of course she's enjoying this.
"Should I call you Maika or reveal to everyone here you're actually Sakura Haruno?" He questions.
Sakura shrugs, eyes flickering with darkness at his threat. "I've donned many disguises over these last few months, done and seen many things I never thought I would. If you tell people my real identity, I can just easily deny it with another quick change of appearance."
Admitting that aloud makes her sigh, Sasuke putting aside the urge to ask for the story behind that sigh.
Instead he takes in her now midnight black hair, sea-blue eyes taunting him before she hums and calls over a waitress to get Sasuke a water and some karaage for them to split.
It's the first time in years, since she first saw her red thread form on that rainy spring day of her 13th birthday that he is the one to have tracked her down, Sasuke following her change in positions and disguises between two tiny villages now right near the border of the Land of Fire.
The Grassroots Lounge and Bar is about as seedy as they come, patrons sticking to the shadows under sour airs of tobacco and liquors. The walls are painted various shades of grays and blacks to match the ambience, both shinobi and civilian can mingle here over sketchy business deals or get lost in a haze of drugs and booze to forget their pasts.
Sasuke sighs impatiently and Sakura's smile grows an inch wider.
"Brown hair suits you, guess you're truly taking a page out of my book!" She teases knowing he couldn't come as his usual self without getting more than a few suspicious glances sent his way.
"Are you going to tell me if you know anything about Tobi or just keep critiquing my disguise?" He grunts back.
A bartender passes them, brows furrowing taking in Sasuke's disguise and the deep scowl set upon his lips. It's common for customers to get rowdy once drunk or confront their cheating partners if caught here, especially in cases of red thread matches with wandering eyes and hands.
"This guy bothering ya Maika?" He asks, looking him up and down trying to get a gauge on what he'll do next.
Sakura shakes her head, blue contacts glittering in the shine of the table's overhead lamp.
"Nope! But I'll definitely holler if things get sticky here!" She chirps back.
Their waitress returns with their orders, Sakura digging in while Sasuke simply observes her between sips of water.
Once she's sure they truly have no eavesdroppers nearby them, the smile leaves her face.
"As dead end and quiet as this bar is, it's probably not the best place to talk."
Sasuke pinches the bridge of his nose.
"Fine. There's a inn towards the center of this village we can check into for the night."
Sakura blinks, fights against the coming storm churning at her gut. Still she feels her heart jump, cheeks probably burning a bright red.
Maybe Sasuke isn't as dense as she thought when he realizes what he said and looks embarrassed for a minute, the implication left hanging in the air between them.
Sakura moves to stand after slapping down her ryo for the meal, awkwardly bumping against the edge of the wood table.
"Alright, lead the way." She announces, relieved her voice didn't come out wobbly and dry.
Unlike the Grassroots Bar, The Kasuga-Okura Gardens and Spa is on the richer side of the village, civilians indulging in the finer clothes and foods imported from the larger nations.
All the innuendos and suggestions from the bar follow them into the hotel room, Sakura burying herself into blankets that smell of lilac and rose.
"Itachi. He gave me a crow's feather that I didn't fully understand until his passing; I think it's connected to this Tobi person in someway. It wasn't a feather at all; the substitution jutsu popped to reveal a photo and a message on the back saying to 'check the yearbooks.'" She mentions when her face feels cool enough to face Sasuke properly.
She fishes for it out of her pocket as Sasuke lies down beside her.
"Looks like Kakashi-sensei." He points to the kid on the end and Sakura readily agrees with a nod taking in the silver-white hair and mask.
The other two in the photo they don't recognize, but their sensei looks eerily similar to Naruto.
Her head falls against his shoulder, breath warm in his ear.
"I don't know anything really about this Tobi person, but we can assume he's a former Konoha shinobi and that his real identity would be known by most of jonin sensei, hence he wears a mask. I don't feel he can be trusted though if he helped in the massacre, he has his own goals and could be betray you." Sakura reasons.
Sasuke clicks his tongue.
This whole trip was pointless.
But then Sakura shifts herself onto his chest, green orbs now boring into him with her disguise gone.
"You're enough as you are Sasuke."
Laziness stops him from immediately pushing her off.
"What?"
"When it came to your goals for seeking power, you don't need to compete with Itachi, you don't need to see yourself as weak when you're far from it." She clarifies.
Sasuke's hands come up to her hips, pressure digging turning bruising.
"Are you trying to change my mind on exacting revenge against Konoha? Nobody; not you, Kakashi-sensei or even Naruto will be able to stop me."
Sakura doesn't even wince, matches his scowl with her own.
"Your stubbornness knows no bounds; does it?" She asks coolly.
Fingers come up to brush at his cheeks, thumbs moving in a circular motion that has the tension in his shoulders start to relax some. Sakura bites her lip holding in a snicker, it's probably been years since Sasuke has really let his guard down around anyone.
It takes him a moment to realize she's healing him, pain in his eyes lessening some.
"I don't want you to become blind." Sakura remarks when Sasuke catches her gaze again.
A silence overtakes him, Sakura speaking quietly once more.
"You know, it's alright too if you miss Itachi. Miss what could've been if illness hadn't taken him."
An ache he's refused to pick at festers again like a scab, memory bleeding out into the front of his thoughts once more.
'I'm sorry. This is the last time Sasuke.'
"I don't want to talk or think about him." Sasuke grunts.
Sakura smiles then, gently turns his face so he's forced to keep looking at her. She wipes at whatever tears were building in his eyes and he hates that Itachi still has such an effect on him even after dying.
"Okay, think only of me instead."
He doesn't stop her when her lips descend upon his jaw, slowly working her way up.
Instead his grip on her tightens, switching their positions as their lips properly meet.
It was a bad idea not to have dampened his red thread's effect before coming here, groaning when Sakura's fingers brush for his rope belt.
"You can stop me, if you want to that is." Sakura purrs in his ear the same way she did when they kissed in the woods, Sasuke kissing her hard before she can tease him further. He roughly slides a hand up to her breast, pushing aside her bra until a gasp escapes her lips.
None of this matters, they both know he isn't coming back to Konoha...
And right now he wants to forget, wants to be with Sakura.
A gust of wind startles him awake hours later, whole body too comfortably warm and relaxed.
It's still dark out, but peeks of the coming sunrise light the horizon, bundles of pastel pinks and yellows.
Rain fell sometime in the night he notes, raindrops scattered across the window, scent of dew slipping into the room.
"Planning to leave me without a proper goodbye?" Sakura yawns from his side, made his chest into a pillow.
"You knew from the get go I wasn't staying." He sneers and Sakura nods, not bothering to hide her nude form as she stretches under his watchful gaze.
A frown crosses her face, masking her sadness before it can linger along her features.
Slowly, a smirk rises to her lips instead and he wonders briefly if Sakura was even truly hurt by his words.
"Next time, let's update each other on what we learned of Tobi, of the Akatsuki if you're willing to. Or perhaps next time we meet it will be on the battlefield, both of us on opposing sides with a kunai at each other's neck." She muses.
Sasuke adjusts back on his clothes, refuses to meet her stare this time knowing he may crack again.
"There won't be a next time."
Sakura snorts, hand pressing at his back. A gentle laugh escapes her at them both knowing he still isn't being honest with himself or his feelings.
"So you say."
Hinata
Though Father said she was free to roam the village, a set of daytime guards did start following her shortly after she left the manor.
She has her clone go about the rest of her business for the day and luckily none of guards appear to have noticed the switch she made back in the grocery store.
Good, she should be on time for meeting with the Heartbreaker Woman.
"You're not an easy woman to track down." Hinata breathes out as she settles into the grass opposite her. They reside outside the remnants of an old fortress used from prior chunin exams and training activities, walls and metal layered with rust and moss. They're far enough south for the taste of sea salt to sprinkle the air, Hinata straightening her posture as the old woman regards her.
Kiomi huffs, resting her cane beside them. "As it should be missy! I'm a traveler even if I was born in Konoha; I can't even visit with my son and granddaughter without being hassled for my skill. Anyways, it isn't like that cousin and sister of yours were going to take 'no' for an answer after the drastic measures your Father took. I'm sure Lady Tsunade would be none too pleased too know how this is affecting our little jinchuriki weapon."
Hinata bristles at her title for Naruto, biting her tongue knowing that she needs her help.
"Can you take a look at my thread? To see how bad the damage is, if it can even be fixed?" She questions.
Kiomi nods, Hinata stretching out her fingers for her to see.
Her teal eyes seem to glow studying her thread, shaking her head in a way that makes Hinata's chest knot.
"Well, it's some type of fūinjutsu that's for sure; a strong one too. Don't see seals like this one anymore, your thread's completely blackened and locked in chains. I can't imagine what effect it's having on your match." She analyzes.
Hinata nods, it's been on her mind as well if Naruto has been in just as much pain and worried as her.
"I can maybe break some of these locks, repair the tears along the ends, but it won't undo the seal. That requires a fūinjutsu expert in combination with someone of my caliber."
"Does it make a difference with Naruto being my match?" Hinata can't help but ask and Kiomi hums thoughtfully before shrugging.
"Can't say I've ever dealt with a case like yours where the jinchuriki had a real and true red thread match. I imagine when he finds out what your Father did though that he'll be mighty pissed! In fact, he's probably already on edge knowing he can't even see the full extent of his red thread anymore. Your thread isn't completely gone though to be a bit more positive, so anything you both do will still affect each other on some level, especially high emotions like stress or anxiety, so best be careful." She concludes.
Hinata sighs, removes Naruto's old t-shirt from her bag. "Thank you; I really appreciate all your help, even if it's just a little bit. I-I brought one of Naruto's old shirts he used to use for training and sleeping; I guess I thought maybe it could give you an idea of what type of person he is."
She spiraling now, stuttering again making Kiomi's hardened gaze soften a fraction.
"I'll do my best Dearie, just try to grin and bear it."
The first prod robs her of her breath, toes curling until they go numb.
"Really is quite the seal, your Father must truly want your utmost safety." Kiomi grumbles as she moves at a slow pace.
Hinata exhales slowly, trying to keep her hands still for her to proceed with her work.
"Yes, though this isn't the way to do it. I know Father means well, but he has to let me make my own choices." She manages out between winces.
Kiomi chuckles. "I've run into quite a few women like you over the years, trying to elope with their red thread or meeting under the guise of nightfall to steal kisses. All the cliché and romantic stories that could find straight out of those popular 'Konoha Now' love drama shows. You being from of one of Konoha's most prominent clans makes you stick out for better or worse, it'd be a scandal if you were do such a thing like those women did."
Kiomi looks up at her, lavender meeting teal.
"Tell me about him, this red thread of yours."
Hinata reddens, wondering where she should start at.
Kiomi stretches her fingers out; clarifying.
"The beginning Dear. Start from your 13th year to now, to take your mind off me working."
Her mind rewinds back to her 13th birthday, describing to her Naruto's personality then and now, how much he's grown since.
"-And we had this grotto where we would meet sometimes after training. We'd talk about our day and I'd even heal some of his injuries if he was scratched and banged up more than usual." She recalls.
Kiomi smiles, patting her hands.
"Thank you for sharing Dear, you've made an old woman experience the ups and downs of youth again. I've done my best so go ahead and take a look."
Hinata slowly lets her gaze drift to her thread and while it's still the color of midnight, some of the locks have been removed, thin parts of the thread that had been torn or limp reinforced with her intricate stitching and repairing.
'I still can't use it as a guide to find Naruto.'
Wishful thinking.
Kiomi stands up to stretch, bone popping at the effort.
"Right, now it's still too dangerous for you to get near Naruto. The seal will activate and cause you pain if you do so, don't forget that."
Hinata nods, pays her ryo and extra which Kiomi only takes half off.
"I have no need for so much ryo at my age Dear! Just enough to get groceries and pay the bills." She mentions.
Hinata slowly moves to stand, Kiomi helping keep her straight when the world briefly spins.
"Good luck Dear. I've heard Hiashi is a very stubborn man."
Sakura & Ino
"I think it's been forever since you actually had a real day off Forehead." Ino smirks.
Sakura scoffs, but a smile plays at her lips in agreement.
She takes another sip of her strawberry milkshake, sighing happily as another wave of sweetness hits her tongue.
It's true that it's been weeks since she had a free day, all her waking hours typically spent within the confines of Konoha's hospital attending to the sick and those injured from various missions and assignments.
And even then, sometimes she ended up falling asleep in the doctor's quarters before she could make it back home.
Ino leans forward, smile turning devious.
"Alright so tell me, have the whispers I've been hearing from the some of the nurses true that you've actually gallivanted off to see Sasuke?"
Sakura's grip on her cup faintly tightens, enough to create a ripple of tiny cracks and far too late for Ino not to notice.
'Damn it! Who was it?! Kitomi? Or maybe Akiko? They both were always pressuring me about my Red Thread!'
She'd always been careful though of speaking of her healthcare missions to the smaller villages scattered about the Land of Fire, only provided sparingly short details about the people she met and interacted with. One of them must've jumped to conclusions though from one of her stories and passed along the information to Ino.
"Oh. My. Gosh! It's true?!" Ino cries.
Sakura practically launches herself across the table to shush her, cheeks turning frustratingly hot.
"Ino, keep it down!" Sakura hisses.
Ino clasps her fingers together, scooting closer. "Well, now you know I'm not going to let you just leave without giving me some details."
Sakura huffs, blows bubbles into her milkshake.
Sasuke is what she would call and hot and cold lover, she isn't sure what their move into intimacy beyond kissing meant to him. He could easily say to her the next time they cross paths that his behavior was only a result of wanting answers, that all his touches and bruising kisses were just a means to get her to start talking.
"There's nothing juicy to say Pig! Ugh, Sasuke is a...mixed-bag lover. That's the best way to put it! Anyways, what about you and Sai? How have your dates been?"
Ino rolls her eyes. "It's Sai, what do you think is going on? Sometimes I can't get him to stop people-watching drawing everyday civilians going about their day to just look at me!"
Sakura giggles at her frustration, at least she isn't the only one having love problems. "Just take his art supplies away or dip your whole body in his ink to get his attention."
"Hmm, that's actually not a bad idea!"
A wasp lands on her hand making Ino jolt, calming as Sakura lifts the insect to her ear.
"Ick, still don't know how you're so calm around those little stingers Sakura." Ino squirms.
"What's wrong Kana?" Sakura whispers, ignoring Ino's remark.
Her eyes widen at her soft buzz of communication.
Pain is closing in on the village.
'No, what about the team of shinobi Lady Tsunade sent out to Ame?'
Panic surges up her chest, jumping to her feet knocking at the table making her milkshake topple into a sludge of pinks and whites.
The floor starts to rattle beneath their feet, gazing in alarm to the structures beside them, the fear in the faces of both shinobi and civilians alike looking around in equal confusion and alarm.
Earthquakes start, building tumbling down like dominoes all around them.
"What's happening?!" Ino tries to shout.
Sakura manages to yell out 'Pain is coming!', but she isn't sure Ino hears her.
A second later her ears start ringing, an explosion of dirt and dust blinding her to the world.
-x-
Lol, this update is not an April Fools Day joke! I'm posting early in the morning for me since Dads birthday really is today April Fools Day and I'll be spending the day with him and family! I had quite a shitty week at the clinic, so posting this makes me feel a bit better.
A lot is happening! I know this was a SasuSaku heavy chapter, but Naruto and Hinata will get their moments coming up despite the current state of their red thread as Pain launches his attack!
Let me know your thoughts as always!
Enjoy. Review. Favorite. Follow!
