Chapter 7
A warm, sunny day. How ironic.
After being missing for 5 years, Hyūga Hinata had been officially presumed dead and her case had been closed in the peak of summer 5 years ago, today. No matter how gloom he felt or how much he fought to hold the tears, there was never rained to complement the angst. Hinata's death anniversary was always a warm, sunny day.
Hyūga Neji was sweating underneath the heavy material of his black suit. He knelt over hot soil and felt the rays reflected at him through the pure white marble of her tombstone, bothering his eyes. But he would not budge.
To his right, several steps back stood his girlfriend, she bowed her head respectfully, but she wasn't mourning. Only he was.
Always the shy child, Hinata hadn't made any meaningful friendships. Her sister had been too young to even remember she wasn't always an only child and her father refused to grieve her death without tangible proof that she was truly gone for good. Denial, Neji calls it.
10 long years have passed, where could she be if not dead? He found it more painful to imagine what other crueler faiths she could have had.
Sold and used? Slaved? Raped? Lost somewhere with no means to come back? Brainwashed into siding with her once captors?
Selfishly, he hopes his beloved cousin is long gone and died in peace.
Oh! how the tables have turned, Sasuke wanted to snicker at the irony of his current position, tied to probably the same chair with what felt like the same rough rope and blinded with the same cloth. When he came to his senses, he used his hearing and smell to assess his surroundings as best he could, concluding by the distinctive scent of herbs and flowers that clung to the botanic worker that was Hinata, that he had not been moved.
Big calloused hands came to grab at his blind fold, removing it without much care, pulling at his hair and pushing his head around. He blinked exactly twice as he adjusted to the light before focusing on an open notebook that was being held in front of him with lines and dots all over the left-hand page. Morse code.
Was she hoping that he could understand it? Because he does, but that's a big assumption to make. Her pretty face was scrunched up in concern and the fingers holding up the note were squeezing it anxiously. So, she does fear I won't be able to read it.
I am Arashi Hime.
I was kidnapped at a very young age and don't remember much from my life as Hyūga Hinata. If you have business with her, I can't help you.
I understand why you lashed out at me and I won't resent you, please just leave us alone, there's nothing we can give you.
"Now it's your turn" the big guy spoke up, giving his shoulder a slight shove. Sasuke let out a sigh and looked down, pondering for only seconds what was his best course of action, what was the best truth to lie ratio he could get away with telling the oblivious pair to his greatest benefit.
His objectives were 2:
Get back to Konoha. Safely.
Uncover who was behind the mission set up.
The first objective required him finding a place to stay for the time being, as he would only fail and possibly die if he attempted to make the long trip before fully recovering.
The second objective may or may not circle all the way back to his heritage and the threat the Uchiha pose against the shinobi organization. If that has anything to do with it, whowever is trying to screw them over now could have been the same organization responsible for Hinata's disappearance. It feels like a far reach as he thinks it, but too much of a coincidence if he scratches it out.
"I am a Konoha shinobi" he begins with the truth "I was taken during a mission and have been comatose since. I am weak and alone in a place I don't belong. I wasn't lying when I asked for your hospitality" he finishes, trying hard against his ego to sound pitiable to the couple.
» It seemed too good to be true, so I became paranoid and attacked you. I'm sorry" he apologizes with practiced sincerity.
"You were going to kill her! An apology isn't enough!" the man groans out angrily.
"I was bluffing" the younger admits, begrudgingly "I know who you are now, I would never hurt you" he speaks directly to her, hoping to reach her heart with a tender gaze that he belatedly remembers she can't see.
"How do you know her?" the big man – Juugo, was it? – continues to speak on her behalf.
"Everyone knows her. The lost first born of Hyūga Hiashi" he lies, omitting his own personal relation to her family.
"And you want us to believe all that?" the giant asked, untrusting.
"Is the truth. I just want a place to recover then I'll go home" he spoke, a perfect 50/50 split between a lie by omission and the bare faced truth. Juugo looked convinced to the expert eyes of the Uchiha, even as he tried to hide it. The shinobi's gaze was forced back to the woman in front of him as she dropped to her knees, startling him. Her traditional yukata rumpled up beneath her, but she was unfazed as she directed white unseen eyes to his face with unnerving accuracy. Her gaze was sad and pleading while she laid her dainty hands on his tight, poking and scratching.
He had missed the first few pokes before recognizing the pattern as more Morse code and began paying attention. Their eye contact was never broken as she silently communicated with him through touch alone. Line, dot, pause, line, pause, line, dot pause… kaette ku-.
Black eyes widened with understanding even before she could finish the message.
Please… take me home with you.