Sunrise
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With gloves on, Hinata studied the tapestry depicting a young man with blond hair and blue eyes standing in the center, reaching out to something, no doubt to Kyuubi. Part of her didn't want to think that they might've lost Menma to something tonight, as he had once described having a dream in which he ceases to exist.
Her eyes were vacant as she replayed the events that had unfolded, recalling the way Nenma's shadow passed through like a fog, covering nearly the entire village in a dark miasma. Although he had been screaming out of pain, they had been the only ones to hear him.
"Hey, would it be strange if I question our reality?" Hinata mumbled as she felt lost. "Is it fair to question it?" She asked again after thinking of the large amount of chakra that got released into the world without any villagers noticing. "We both can't be hallucinating the same things at the same time, right?" Hinata asked through a strained smile while sitting at the edge of the bed, next to Nenma, who was fast asleep.
"If this were an illusion, I would've broken us out of it by now." Sasuke said with certainty as he leaned against the wall, though in the back of his head, he knew one of his cousins had such a formidable power.
"That's right…your Sussano would have protected you from anything. So then that means, all of this is real, and this is somehow the way of the world, our reality. We were lucky Nenma's shadow wasn't tangible, or this village would've been destroyed."
Sasuke seethe out. Hinata was right in expressing skepticism about their reality. This was all beginning to feel like a bad dream.
"Hinata, put it down for a minute,"
She did so, resting it on the nightstand. Sasuke snatched it off the surface and tore a rip in space, walking through until he came across a desolate landscape. The only sound was the wind whistling through the empty streets, along with the movement of overgrown foliage that bound most buildings that were in ruins. The hazy gray sky made it clear that this world had been through a great upheaval before its demise.
He drew a knife, throwing the tapestry in the air before pinning the fabric in place. It stayed stuck, against a rock, as he unleashed all kinds of techniques that would've obliterated any living thing. Like a resilient entity, the tapestry remained intact. He clicked his tongue. He had never claimed to be the strongest person alive, but it got him curious to know if his big brother could do some damage to it or tear it apart. If anyone could find a way to destroy it, it would likely be him.
Sasuke turned around after retrieving the fabric moving like a flag in the middle of the desolate place. He walked back, passing in between dimensions, just to get back. He hadn't been gone for long, but Hinata had already fallen asleep by then. He walked up to her, his eyes trailing to her arms as she had fallen asleep holding Nenma's hand.
"Liar," He said to her sleeping form. Since the very beginning of this journey, she had kept insisting that her cousin was the only person that mattered.
He made his way towards his belongings and stored the artifact. Then quickly unfastened his Kimono, his fingers working diligently as he changed out of the robes, and into his Anbu uniform. He sealed all his belongings for light travel, and tossed his traveling bag over one shoulder.
Nenma would probably understand why he had to go back home as soon as possible. But Hinata might feel betrayed that he had run off with the tapestry. Sasuke thought to leave a short note behind, giving direct orders for Nenma to rest up, and for them both to meet him back in the leaf village when Nenma is ready to travel.
He brought his mask up and looked their way once more, only this time she spoke up as she lifted her head from her arms, her hair slipping and falling back to her side.
"Slandering someone while they're asleep, Lord Hokage, what exactly did I lie about?"
His Anbu tattoo was more visible when he crossed his arm.
"An interesting thought crossed my mind. I didn't think I had said it out loud. Don't tell me you actually awake this whole time?" Sasuke asked and didn't dare presume anything when her cheeks turned red.
"Oi," They both turned their attention to Nenma. He had moved, drawing one arm over his eyes, mumbling complaints of the room being too bright. "Can anyone please turn the fucking lights off?"
Hinata pointed innocently.
"Look Nenma, Lord Sasuke looks like he is planning to leave us behind."
His blue eyes flew wide open, and Sasuke knew Nenma could never be convinced to stay behind and rest.
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Hinata took a step back, surveying her surroundings to make sure nothing was missed after she was done packing. After confirming every equipment and Shinobi tools were accounted for, she stopped by the tavern and dropped the keys into the owner's hand, politely thanking the owner for the hospitality. Hinata joined Nenma by the entryway, greeting him in silence. He had reverted to a stranger. But that was usually how it goes with Nenma. She could never tell what he might do next. Still, these tactics didn't shy her away from asking as he walked ahead, breaking an unspoken silence which he had set.
"Um, how are you feeling? Is it really safe for you to travel tonight?
He let out a dark chuckle.
"Don't you want to see Neji again?" Nenma asked, without slowing their pace or turning around.
Sasuke gave a side glance over his shoulder, as he had been leading, walking a few steps ahead.
"Of course I do! But Nenma…what was that back there? That light. You looked different. You seemed different."
Being straight to the point wasn't normally his thing. However, this time, he didn't dance around the subject. He slowed down his pace and turned.
"Someone had taken hold over my chakra, body, and soul. That fucking thing, whatever it was, was pretty damn sure it was entitled to jump into my life and try to take over it."
"Do you think we'll ever find out what happened back there?" Sasuke asked.
Nenma glanced down at his fist, as he was getting used to piloting his own body. The only thing that hadn't returned was his ability to fly.
"I really don't know. I'm hoping so. It's the only reason I'm returning home. I have to find out what my father knows."
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The rest of the trip went by in silence, each lost in their own stream of thoughts. They walked until the sun began to rise, and the landscape was bathed in a golden light.
They stopped to rest and have their lunch while sitting on a rock. Internally, they thanked her for her foresight, for having thought to pre-pack lunch from leftovers from the tavern. They looked at the sunrise, while filled with a sense of dread, as they ate in silence. But that dread was somewhat alleviated when a common threat approached as a group of bandits surrounded their campsite.
Hinata placed her bento to the side and raised her white hood over her head, hiding her active Byakugan.
Sasuke thought to use this as an opportunity to see how much his old teammate has truly recovered. He nodded in Nenma's way.
"Hinata, from what you can tell, are there any bounty on them?" Sasuke asked as Nenma got up and stretched.
"No. We're good," Hinata replied as she leaped onto a tree.
As Sasuke waited around, he noticed the way Hinata eyed the ground, and she voiced what they both had been thinking, her finger pointing underneath the ground. Nenma could feel his abilities returning while in the middle of the adrenaline rush. He slowly levitated while grinning widely, as the sun continued to rise over his dark hair.
That's right, he's right here. He won't be going anywhere. Likewise, he won't let himself disappear. He threw his head back and laughed when dozens of Shinobis flew out of the ground at once.
Nenma clasped his hand, the shadows he released ended dozens of threats before the Bandits had the chance to get ready to start.
During the aftermath, Sasuke wiped a few splatters of blood off of his mask with the back of his hand. It had splattered everywhere, staining parts of the grass, trees, and rocks. Hinata shielded herself from the sight, but the smell of the metallic scent lingered in the air.
Hinata avoided looking at the scene, and collected her bag, leaving her lunch behind
Sasuke hadn't blamed them for underestimating a man who walked around as if he was allergic to wearing armor. He swapped his mask for another clean one and turned towards Nenma.
"Those fools had dug their own grave."
"Nenma, if you're going to show off, at least give me a lift," Hinata said while raising her hands in the air, waiting to be lifted, since he remained floating above.
She let out a sound of surprise when Nenma scooped her by her waist, but she quickly adopted when she was up in the sky, spreading out her arms as she pretended to soar when it was Nenma doing most of the work. He kept her stable by holding each side of her waist. She made wind and airplane noises for sound effects which she knew would annoy him. He dropped her on top of a flower bed when the annoying sounds she was making wouldn't stop.
"Would the two of you stop fooling around already?!" Sasuke called out behind him. But when he turned, he saw Nenma had fallen off the sky, along with her, as she had used her gentle fist to disable him, preventing him from flying. The two fell flat. Their descent broke a few stems of a field full of red spider lilies.
Sasuke sighed as he approached them.
The ominous killing intent was aimed specifically at Nenma to let him know he was being blamed for causing a delay on their trip.
He jerked his chin, motioning towards the sky. "We could've made it past the mountains by now but it seems we have to find shelter."
Hinata finally noticed the pending deluge that was closing in. She lifted herself from the ground and folded her hand in front of her. Nenma cut her off when he sensed that she was about to apologize.
"Come on, a little rain won't drown you," He said as he flipped Sasuke from the ground, and Hinata saw an opportunity to follow Nenma's cue.
"Lord Sasuke, if that happens, lucky for you, I know a little mouth-to-mouth," She gave a muted smile, the comment drawing focus to her lips and suddenly Sasuke couldn't look away, unable to pursue a spoken game of Shoji. The color of his ears were a stark contrast against his white Anbu mask. As he internally awknowledged that he was being flirted with, Sasuke wasn't sure what to make of it.
"Oi, cut it out,"
"Ow," She flinched, not anticipating Nenma would scold her behavior with a light smack over her head. Hinata snickered softly, her giggle brief but cute nevertheless, as it rang into Sasuke's ear, but never ringing out, looping in his mind for the rest of the day.
"Let's not waste any more time and delegate. Hinata, you're in charge of looking for shelter," Sasuke said after he recovered, as there was no reason for all of them to be working on the same task.
"You can leave the hunting to me." Nenma said while patting his chest.
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With ease, Hinata found a cave to shelter them from the rain that was threatening to fall. Once inside, Sasuke quickly put resources together and went about building a fire. He stopped poking at the logs to set up the traveling kitchen as Hinata watched. Once their campsite was decently lit up, Hinata left his side and set out to explore, as she had seen chakra shaped like aquatic creatures.
When left alone, Sasuke took off his mask and frowned. He was not happy with the situation at all. In his mind, this delay could possibly be impacting the lives of the people he swore to protect back home. But if he has to think about it, that cursed tapestry was to blame.
"Lord Sasuke!" Hinata's voice echoed back to him. "Come look at this!"
He got up from their makeshift camp, lighting his path with a single blue flame, which revealed interesting details on the walls. There, inside the cave, were small living organisms that glowed like stars as they attached themselves to the cave walls like some kind of lantern fly. He kept the flame up, following the path until he found her by a clear pool of water, fed by a small stream.
He dipped his hand inside the cool and refreshing water and smiled her way. The sound of the stream was already very calming. The light from the flame illuminated the walls and made the cave feel cozy.
"Isn't it pretty?"
"Ah." He agreed that it was a good find as it was a great place to relax and escape the heat of the day. "I'll build another campfire by the water," Sasuke offered.
She nodded and sent him a smile. "Thank you,"
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By the time Nenma concluded his hunt, it had started to rain. He found Sasuke and Hinata waiting for him, huddled by the fire. They paused their conversation and looked up. Nenma had brought back some berries and nuts, and caught a couple of rabbits.
"I see that hunting went well," Hinata said.
"You can always count on me when it comes to these things!" He said as he handed everything over to Sasuke.
They sat around the fire as Sasuke masterfully skinned and cleaned the rabbits, then skewered it on a stick, moving it over to the already prepared setup, and roasted it over the fire.
"Where's the booze?" Sasuke asked, while he manually rotated the meat to cook it evenly. "I saw you bagging a few bottles before we left."
"Hahah I didn't think you saw that,"
It had been sealed inside one of his old scrolls. When he took it out, Sasuke immediately recognized it as the same one from their Anbu days.
Nenma poured everyone a shot, cups meeting in cheers, before he leaned back into the rock.
The smell of the cooking meat made Hinata's stomach growl even as she snacked on berries and nuts. She couldn't wait to eat and then swim.
"Hinata, have you learned any interesting songs along your journey?"
"We're on a mission, not a camping trip. Playing instruments and singing at a time like this-"
"Meh," Nenma complained as he took another sip.
Once the rabbit was cooked, Sasuke instructed everyone to grab a skewer. As they sat around the fire and talked, the rain fell harshly outside.
"Thank you for the meal," The group said in unison before digging in. Through the rich flavors, she understood why he assigned himself to chef duties. She had not thought to pack spices before.
Hold on,
That's right,
This journey is ending soon,
She lowered the skewer and found herself speaking her thoughts.
"Once we return home, I wonder how long it'll take until we hit the roads again," Hinata glanced up as she spoke. The cave glowed a hue of blue as artificial stars flew about the wall.
"Hmm, this mission might just end where it started. If the completion of the scroll means possible destruction, then I'll have no choice but to cease the quest." His gaze fell to the mask resting on his side.
"No matter what happens, I still plan to go to the Moon Village," Nenma said while chewing.
"Well, that's a given," Sasuke agreed.
Nenma let out a sigh. He felt satisfied. He was tapping out as he couldn't eat another bite.
"If you guys feel icky, I found a stream outside,"
"We found one inside." Sasuke offered.
Nenma's eyes lit up. Is that what that light down the cave was about?
"Yes, it's lit and ready," Hinata said while giggling.
Without much consideration, Nenma began to strip his pants, hopping out of it one leg at a time, until he was in his dark boxers. He grabbed a towel from his bag and sped off, while his voice echoed inside as he yelled her name.
"Hinata!" Nenma called out from a distance as if asking her to join him.
"I'm right behind you, just give me a second!"
It took Sasuke a moment to comprehend the movements happening in front of him as Hinata unclipped her traveling cloak and began slipping off her shoes. She wasn't clumsy like Nenma.
"Sasuke, aren't you going to swim?" Hinata asked him.
"I'll be there soon. I have to properly store the leftovers." He said, trying not to react one bit even as Hinata peeled off her stocking right in front of him. He averted his eyes, occupying himself with the task at hand.
Nenma had run back, grabbing the bottle of sake lying around the camp. He released a sigh, thank fucking god.
"The pond was a pretty good find," Nenma complemented as she faced him, arching her back slightly as she shed off her shirt. Of course that idiot was probably immune to her, Sasuke observed as he stored the food in containers and threw a few ice packs inside the thermal lunch bag.
"Where's your towel?" Nenma asked.
She motioned towards her backpack. There it was again, that giggle, as she watched Nenma rummaging through her belongings to find her a towel as she dragged down her shorts.
Sasuke froze, as he realized all those years before, he had been wrong. Bikinis were not the same thing as lingerie. They were not the same thing at all. He looked away as Nenma blocked his view, throwing a towel around her, pulling her away by the wrist, the look in Nenma's eyes a playful one.
When they were walking down the cave alone, she broke away from his hold, but he didn't stop walking ahead. When they were finally at a distance from Sasuke, he stopped abruptly to face her.
"Hinata, don't you value your life?"
"Of course I do." How else was she going to protect her cousin?
"I've experienced it first hand, Sasuke doesn't play around if he thinks you're a threat to anything that concerns his interest."
"I wasn't trying to do anything like that…"
Nenma's browed furroed. If she wasn't trying to charm him then what was she trying to do? His mind went blank after he made the connection. He narrowed his eyes.
"You can't."
"Why not?"
"Hinata, what I'm about to say is not coming from a place of jealousy, do you understand?"
"What is it? Just tell me."
When Sasuke is not talking about his brother or the village, he's always complaining about his pending responsibility to his clan. Itachi has a girlfriend so they're leaving him alone because, down the line, he'll marry her. But Sasuke, he's next. He has never brought home a girlfriend. His clan might be planning to betroth him.
Hinata touched the towel wrapped around her, and relocated it over her shoulders, exposing her frame.
"I hear what you're saying. But being around him, he makes my nightmares go away."
Nenma sighed, speeding ahead, a onesided race into the pond ahead.
"Nenma stop!"
"You're too slow Hinata!"
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The next morning, for the rest of the trip, they switched between running and walking without stopping to rest because they had spent time doing what Sasuke had considered "goofing around". Thus, they reached the village at sunrise.
Their brain cells responsible for communication had left them, as they waved vaguely at each other, so tired that they could only gesture as they parted. Each went to their respective homes, hoping to lie down with their heads hitting a pillow.
However, Sasuke's first stop was the tower. He walked into his office, his eyes scanning the room. He saw Itachi sitting at the desk, looking up at him. Good. Kyuubi was nowhere around.
"Welcome back little brother," Itachi said. He stood up from the Hokage seat he was filling in walked over to his little brother and put his arms around him and hugged him tightly. "I'm glad you're here to relieve me of this boring, daunting routine." His voice radiated warmth, and Sasuke fought becoming a nine-year-old.
"Nii-san, I have some things to tell you. It's been a long journey."