She blinked multiple times as her eyes adjusted to the walls of her bedroom. Hinata breathed in for a moment, relishing in the familiar scent of lavender candles that she had found herself purchasing more after high school. The silence in the room and the hallway was often comforting but she didn't know why she had this sense of unease. Sitting up and brushing her hair back with her fingers, she muttered under her breath and stared at herself in the mirror.
She was in her room, that much was clear. The big windows led to complete darkness, so she figured that it was still night time. When did she fall asleep? She had no recollections of coming home and crashing on her bed — not that she was complaining.
Searching for her phone, she frowned once she realized that she must have left it at Naruto's or Sasuke's place. Shrugging, and mentally making plans to head over to their houses once she's done taking a shower and having breakfast, she approaches her bedroom door. Hinata's hand rested on the doorknob, the usually smooth surface was now covered with an intricate pattern. When did her father change the doorknobs? Twisting it, she found it to be locked.
Hinata was never one to lock her bedroom door at night, but when she reached down for the usual lock, there was none. A keyhole stared back at her, obviously one would need a key to open it. Again, when did her father change the doorknobs?
The handle shook in her hand, making her step back as she clasped her hands in front of her. Perhaps it was Hanabi playing a silly little joke on her.
To her disappointment and horror, the man she had conjured up in her dreams was the one standing on the other side of her door. He stood in the hallway, a smile creeping on his face as he observed the clearly frightened Hyūga woman in front of him.
She thought she was dreaming, that her kidnapping was all a nightmare and she was really at home. But here she was, in a replica of her own room with the culprit of her misery.
"Good morning, Hinata. I see you're finally awake. Did you find your sleep relaxing?" He stepped into the room, clearly understanding that he was not invited but he didn't quite care about that. "Sorry about before, you must understand that there is some urgency in Lord Orochimaru's plans."
"Why me?" She stuttered, backing up into the makeshift dresser. Standing so close to it, she could see that it was just a cheap copy of the one she had at home. "What do you want from me?" She could feel the pain from the forceful admission of unknown substances return. Resting her hand on her neck, her bottom lip quivered.
"That is for you to find out." He came closer to her, covering her hand with his own before his fingers trailed down to her collarbone.
Hinata shivered, her body already feeling violated yet she said nothing to stop him. What if he hurts her again? His fingers lingered near her cleavage, his eyes seemed to undress her before he cupped her cheek.
"You look like a baby deer caught in headlights." He muttered, amusement dancing in his eyes as he held back a laugh. "Your breakfast is ready." Kabuto stepped back and motioned for her to follow him.
"I'm not hungry." She called out, her voice shaking as her feet remained planted there. In all honesty, her stomach was begging for something to eat. It was as if she had nothing in her system left after the pain she went through the night before. Well, she didn't know how long she had passed out for, it felt like a whole night but surely it was longer than that.
"Lord Orochimaru has prepared the most delectable meals, I will not have you disappoint him by dismissing his attempts." He glared at her. "Come."
"No." Hinata tried copying the steel look she's seen Sasuke put on whenever he was displeased with something. Hoping that it would thwart his attempts at getting her to do something she didn't want to, her mask fell for a moment at seeing him laugh.
"You think you can deny me, Hyūga?" His voice dripped with pure venom. At that moment, he really was fit to be Orochimaru's right hand man. "You are the one with no choice here. If it wasn't for Lord Orochimaru's wishes to experiment on your kind, I would have long since killed you and disposed of your body for your family to find."
Her heartbeat pounded in her chest, fear evident in her eyes as she avoided his gaze. She couldn't do what Sasuke could, and she found herself wanting him there to protect her. Biting her lip, she lowered her head and approached him.
Resting his hand on top of her head and patting her cheek, Kabuto smiled widely. "Good girl." He spat, grabbing her by her hand forcefully and leading the way to the dining room.
Hinata wanted to cry as she focused on her feet. The longer she followed him, the more she realized that she truly was screwed. There was no way to escape, the hallways twisted and turned constantly so that it was hard to navigate, and she was scared to face what horrors lay behind the multiple doors they passed.
She wished that she was strong enough to help herself but all she could do was pray and hope that her suffering didn't last long. Someone needs to come save her, or she'll have to take matters into her own hands. She would rather die than to continue being a lab rat for these sick men.
Sasuke stared at his hands as he recounted the horrible dream he had. He had attempted to go back to bed after realizing that it was still dark outside and he wasn't due for work until nine, but sleep never came. So, he got out of bed, made himself a bowl of cereal and sat at his table doing nothing but stare at the swirling bowl of milk. Once his small meal was finished, he had pushed his bowl to the side and focused on the intricate lines on his palms.
Hinata would constantly trace them and compare them to her own, saying that they were the same even if Sasuke couldn't see the similarity at all. He humoured her every time, joking about being destined to be forever rivals in the world of martial arts. She would then get mad as he brought up the countless times that he would defeat her, claiming that they were all ties and he should forget about it.
He missed her voice, that much was clear the longer he sat there. He missed the bantering they often did, the teasing, her laughter and her smile. He missed her. Any sensible person would. He imagined that the days that had passed since they filed the report was bothering Hiashi, Hanabi and Naruto in the same way.
There were no leads after they found the phone and the homeless man, and there were no cameras in Hinata's neighborhood that would have picked up on strange activities. Everything led to a dead end.
It did not help that his dreams were tainted by this eerie feeling that something really was happening to Hinata that no one could quite comprehend. It would start off as a fond memory, hearing her laugh and do foolish things before twisting into this maze of unknown paths where he would follow her around until she completely disappeared.
Sasuke wasn't one to interpret dreams nor did he pay much attention to them, but with how constant his pleasant memories turned into nightmares, he was starting to think that they held some truth. She was scared, that was the reoccurring emotion in his dreams. She was downright terrified and unsure, begging him to stay with her and to find her.
Before he could respond, she would disappear and he would be thrusted back into the real world.
Resting his head against the cool oak wood of the dining table, Sasuke closed his eyes and grumbled about not wanting to go to work. He did not have the energy, nor was he well rested. These days, stress has been eating at him from all corners.
At some point, he had fallen asleep with his head still on the table. Cursing once his alarm rang, he groaned at the stiff feeling in his neck, regretting the unusual place he decided to sleep again. At least it brought about no dreams.
Getting up and discarding the soggy contents remaining in his bowl, he turned on the coffee machine and decided to take a shower while he waited for that.
Sasuke stared at himself in the mirror, the bags underneath his eyes were barely noticeable to those who didn't know him but they looked awful to him. His beard was beginning to grow in yet he couldn't bother with shaving it. Even his hair had grown an inch longer than it was previously. In conclusion, he looked like a mess.
The hot water pelted down on his skin, trying to wake him up fully as he zoned out whilst he washed his skin. What was he supposed to do today? Go to work, stand in front of Hinata's bakery, visit Hiashi to make sure things were alright, see how things were going with the police, and then talk to Naruto.
The blond man had gone off the radar after they filed the police report. He would drop by Hiashi's house occasionally — for a few minutes — before he left again for who knows how long. Today, he knew that he would be at Hiashi's house again.
Sasuke understood that there were personal matters everyone was dealing with, but it had been somewhat of a silent decree to keep each other posted about any and everything. Yet, Naruto barely responded to texts and ignored every single time Sasuke had called him.
Filling his tumbler with hot coffee, Sasuke fixed his suit and grabbed his things to make his way to work. The traffic there was moderate that morning, which he appreciated, and as if everyone knew that he was not in the best of moods, they barely greeted him as he walked to his office.
At this point, everyone must have known that Hinata was missing. They knew how close he was with her, and how much she meant to him even though he never said it, so they let him be. Some offered their support, while others just took on an extra workload so as not to bombard him with even more work.
She appeared in the news during the second week of her disappearance. Her face was plastered on every lamppost and in every convenience store. 'Have you seen Hyūga Hinata?'. Her regular customers were disappointed once they saw the poster on the bakery door, informing them that it was temporarily closed until further notice.
"Sasuke."
The voice of his older brother startled him, making him close the folder he was currently reading. "What do you want?"
"Take the day off."
"You know I can't do that."
"I'm not asking you to, I'm demanding that you take the day off as your boss." Itachi sat down on the couch and crossed his legs. "You look…"
"Are you here to tease me?"
"As much as I like doing that, I can tell that her disappearance is worrying you a lot. Mother is scared and she doesn't want you at work while all of this is going on."
"Tell her I'm okay." He mumbled, scrolling through his emails absentmindedly.
"You know that's not enough to stop her from worrying about you. Go home, Sasuke. Or go visit Hiashi." He left no room for arguments. "If I come back from my meeting and you're still sitting there, I'll tell father about it too."
He groaned, knowing that his father was much worse than his mother when it came to his matters. If Sasuke wasn't at his A game, then he shouldn't be at work — that's what he would say.
"Fine." He turned off his computer and carefully stacked the files he was reading on his desk. Grabbing his satchel, he stood up and pushed in his chair.
Itachi walked by his side as he escorted him to the elevator, making sure that he really did go home or somewhere else. "They'll find her, little brother."
"I know." Sasuke glanced at him, the ding of the elevator announcing its arrival. Stepping inside, he expected his brother to follow him. "Are you not coming?"
"No, my meeting is on this floor today." He smiled.
Sensing the slight twitch in his brother's arm before he brought his hand up, Sasuke let the door close in hopes to avoid the small action that became Itachi's habit. Unfortunately, the oldest Uchiha already knew his younger brother would do such a thing. He pressed the button again, watching the doors open before he tapped Sasuke's forehead.
Laughing at the glare he received, Itachi waved. "I'll see you next week."
"Next week?"
"Don't come back here until then or I'll have the security guards throw you out." He turned to leave, failing to hear his brother's response.
The elevator ride down was completely silent since it was still early; everyone was busy working and running around meeting deadlines. Stepping into the underground parking, Sasuke's steps quickened as he approached his car. Work was over for him and he only had two other places he wanted to be at that moment.
Her bakery wasn't very far, and within minutes he was sitting in the parking spot looking into the bare shop. The lights were off but the sunlight was enough to illuminate the empty display case. No doubt the inside of the shop still smelled of pastries and cakes. He didn't bother to leave his car as he sat there and stared at the small shop.
Sasuke tried ignoring the poster on the glass, her eye-smile with her glasses sitting in her hair as she held up a peace sign. Although the other half of the picture wasn't included, he could see the end of his hair caught in the cropped photo. No one had seen Hinata that happy until now; it was a photo they took when she had opened the bakery. Years of saving up and refusing help from him or her father and she had managed to lease a big enough place for her dream shop.
The loud beeping of a car behind him brought him back to reality. He glared at his rear view mirror but sighed once he realized that he was about to get a ticket since he did not pay for parking.
Sasuke apologized as he received the fine, throwing it on his dashboard as he pulled out of the parking space. He'd pay for it later.
Checking the time on his watch as he sat in traffic, he tapped his steering wheel and blanked out once again. He found himself doing it more often than not, and he couldn't quite stop it. His thoughts would wander back to Hinata, questions flying around his mind before settling on the what ifs.
What if she really was floating around in a test tube?
He pulled up in the driveway of the Hyūga household, seeing two cars he recognized in an instant. Shutting off his car, he opened the door and made his way to the black Dodge Hellcat with orange stripes on the side. Tapping on the window, he saw Naruto blink rapidly before giving him a smile.
Naruto rolled down his window and waved. "Hey, Sasuke, I didn't know you were coming here today. I thought you'd be at work."
"It ended early. What are you doing here?"
"I was just about to leave after talking to Mister Hiashi."
Sasuke motioned for him to step out of the car. "What did you talk about?"
Naruto itched his cheek and avoided his gaze. "I'm not going to be in town anymore."
His eyes narrowed. Originally, he was going to reach out to Hinata's boyfriend to share with him a plan to look for her without the help of the police, but hearing that he was running away instead kind of pissed him off. "You're just going to leave?"
"I would love to stay, I swear, but some things came up that I need to attend to. I hope you can understand."
Sasuke shook his head, "your girlfriend is missing and you're going to leave town instead of looking for her?"
"The police has that—"
"The police aren't doing shit, you know that."
Naruto sighed, "I know. I just…My mom." He frowned, "I love Hinata, I'll always love her and worry about her but my mom, man. My mom is sick and I need to be there."
Sasuke avoided his gaze, the sad look in his eyes made his stomach twist in unease but he couldn't stop his anger. "Why can't you be there for both?"
"My mom is the only one I have left, and she only has me. My father died when I was a kid and she's been raising me alone ever since. She has cancer, Sasuke, and chemotherapy is getting really expensive. I'm taking her out of town because that's what she wants. If things were different, I'd obviously be here for Hinata a lot more. I love her, I love both of them, but you understand, don't you? I can't let my mom die in a hospital alone." He mumbled and reached through the window of his car.
Sasuke didn't know what to say, he couldn't be angry at him any longer after hearing how his voice shook. How can he be angry at a son trying to do everything for his mother?
"Here." Naruto handed him a small card.
Reading it, Sasuke glanced at Naruto. "Do you know this man?"
"He's my godfather. Who knows where he is now but I'm sure he'll help you if you tell him that you're friends with me."
It was the only way he could help after feeling completely useless during the past few days. He had spent a lot of time looking for the business card, and he hesitated in bringing it with him but now would be a perfect time to give it to someone else.
Sasuke nodded. "I'm sorry." He muttered, truly feeling bad for his initial response to hearing Naruto's plans to leave.
"It's okay…I should have said something earlier. That was why I left Hinata there…I feel like it was my fault. If I had dropped her off at home quickly—"
"Your mother needed you."
"Yeah…Yeah, but…"
"It's okay, Naruto. Take care of her."
"Will you find Hinata?"
"I'll try."
"Okay…Okay, I'll get going then. I have some packing to do."
Sasuke didn't say anything as the blond man entered his car once more. They exchanged a glance. "I'll tell you how things go."
"Me too." He nodded and waved goodbye as he reversed out of the driveway.
Sasuke watched as the car got further and further away, the card in his hand feeling heavy. He glanced at the other vehicle in the driveway and could almost hear the anger in the man's voice. Neji was not going to like what he was about to hear.
Ogata Jiraiya
Private Detective
+1 xxx-xxx-xxxx
