The walls echoed Sasuke's transgression, further exacerbating his humiliation and compunction as he surged through the halls with a demoralized Hinata in tow. Every fiber of his body screaming for him to divulge to her his true motive for all this. Meanwhile, Hinata followed suit, trying to regain any ounce of hope in escape as she tried to focus on her surroundings. Having been thwarted so easily by Sasuke left her feeling like escape was an impossibility. Soon, the pair arrived at their destination, neither of them saying a word to each other the entire way. Sasuke opened the door and released her inside. Finally, he spoke.

"I have no intention on doing anything further with you." Hinata remained quiet as she covered herself with her arms, not ready to believe his motives. Sasuke sighed deeply, ready to absolve himself of this awkward situation. "Look. What I did back there was to convince Orochimaru that I- that I desired you so that he'd give you to me..."

The whole situation was mortifying. If it has been any other woman, he would not have intervened, but knowing it was her compelled him to activate his repressed savior complex. Hinata had yet to ease up, so he continued, willing away the tinge of a faint blush that threatened his stoic composure. "I'll try to get you back to Konoha, but in the meantime you are safe with me."

Hinata eyed Sasuke with mistrust as he wandered into an adjacent room, shutting the door behind him. As soon as he left, Hinata began glancing around her new environment: a sitting area. This place looked more lived in, with enough details to illustrated the character of its resident: Sasuke. The walls lacked any adornments aside from the recently shut doors, but against one of the walls stood a credenza with booked stacked on top in a messy manner. Towards the center of the room was a low wooden table surrounded by seating cushions, creating a space ideal for relaxation and contemplation.

A few minutes had passed, and Sasuke still hadn't returned; thoughts of escape resurfaced. She slowly made her way to the main door. Hand on the handle, hesitation took hold of her. She had no idea on how to exit this lair despite her limited knowledge of the halls she was pulled through. Truth is: the chances of making it out on this attempt were slim. She then recalled what Sasuke said: I'll try to get you back to Konoha... you are safe with me. Since she's been here, everyone had violated her in one way or another, so it was proving difficult to believe he was sincere. And yet, why would he bother explaining himself to her, offering her refuge and the possibility of freedom?

Suddenly, her vision started blurring as she staggered toward the wall for balance. The emptiness of her stomach made itself known; she had not eaten since she's been here. As if he had heard her, Sasuke reappeared heading toward her direction, only to ignore her and walk back out into the hallway, leaving her alone. Hinata let herself slide to the floor and sobbed. No sooner than he had left, Sasuke returned. Hinata looked up to see Sasuke standing before her holding out a bowl of rice and some meats with a glass of water. Wiping her tears, she took hold of the items, a small smile of gratitude revealed itself. "T-Thank you..."

"Hn..." As abruptly as he appeared, he retreated to the other room. As she ate, Hinata began to warm up to Sasuke's words. As minimal as this gesture was, it was the kindest act anyone in this place had given her. A fleeting sense of serenity embraced her, a cherished moment amidst the ongoing torture.

No sooner after she finished, a knock sounded at the door, freezing her in place like a deer caught in headlights. All former serenity transformed into anxiety. The knock soon turned to pounding, prompting Sasuke to tend to his uninvited guest.

"Sasuke-kun, I hope I'm not interrupting anything." She could hear the sinister grin as Orochimaru spoke.

"What do you want?" Sasuke did not try to hide the annoyance in his voice.

"My, someone's in a mood. Perhaps I did stop by at the wrong time. Nevertheless, I only came by to kindly inform you that I do have ways to tell if you're being honest with me." Sasuke's silence prompted him to continue. "If you fail to consummate your relationship with Lady Hinata, as you so robbed me from, then I will simply have to do it for you and reclaim her. I will be having Kabuto perform a sort of internal examination in three days time, but I'm sure you won't have anything to worry about, eh, Sasuke-kun."

"That seems to be a massive invasion of my privacy. I am not okay with that."

"Whether you are okay with or not, it will be done. Oh, and don't stay up too late, my boy, for tomorrow I have new skills to train you on. That is all." And just like, Orochimaru left, leaving the two young adults to consider what had just been said.

Whether he was embarrassed or not, not a trace could be seen on the Uchiha's composed face. His default face refused to reveal to the world the sensitive nature that is his concealed emotion and vulnerability. All these years, he'd succeeded in eliminating the need to feel such things thus it proved easy to conceal. But this situation posed the potential to fracture his mask, to challenge to his resolve, to threaten his defined goal.

Sasuke settled into a seating cushion, resting his head on his clasped hands, elbows on the table, his gaze fixed on the wall ahead, though Hinata remained in his peripheral vision. Every avenging fiber of his body burned for him to call out for Orochimaru so he can rid him of this situation once and for all. His mind, that once was fully consumed with thoughts of obtaining immense power and lusted for revenge, now deviated to the mortifying scenario of him bedding her. He had never been intimate with a woman before, and he highly doubt that Hinata would allow him to defile her further. This was becoming too much of a distraction for him. As guilty as he'd feel, his training outweighed anything-

"Sasuke..." Sasuke looked up, noticing a blushing Hinata standing in front of him, eyes firmly set on him. "Please..." She whispered, shutting her eyes tight, unable to find the words.

"I won't-"

"Please make love to me!" Hinata blurted out, tears threatened their escape from under her furrowed brows, her small fists gripping the side of her dress for moral support. Before Sasuke could reply, she persisted, her tone growing in intensity. "If you don't, then I'd have to go back to that- to that wretched man, and if I had a choice- well, I would prefer none of this - but if I have a choice... I would prefer it to be you, Sasuke."

"This is more than I am willing to do to help you. I will not put myself in a compromising position. I'm sorry." Those words left a contrite taste in his mouth.

With urgency, Hinata swiftly seated herself before him, her determined porcelain eyes remained wide, intent on persuading him otherwise. "It doesn't have to be a big deal, Sasuke. Many people bed each other with no love in their hearts. It doesn't have to be emotional; it doesn't have to be long. It just needs to be over and done. Please, I'm begging you. I -"

"Stop." The intensity of her pleading had become overwhelming as he reached over her to grab her hand. The mask on his face fracturing as he stared at her with dark sympathetic eyes. "I'll do it."

"Oh... T-Thank you, Sasuke," The meekness and quietness that Sasuke remembered resurfaced in Hinata as she looked away. A smile did not reveal itself. It was a lose lose situation for her, and she simply choose the lesser of two evils. "So... do we... right now?"

"No..." The emotion was now showing itself on his face as he himself turned away to hide his slightly rosy cheeks. "It will be on the last night. It'll give me time to find a way to get us out of this."

Hinata nodded in agreement, the tension on her body relaxing as she was fully prepared get it over with right then and there. Sasuke then stood up, motioning her to follow him to the other room which revealed itself to be a spacious bedroom with a separate smaller room that was the bathroom; the tension slowly creeping up again. "You can have the bed."

"Where will you sleep?" She felt concern upon realizing there was nowhere else to sleep.

"I'll use the pillows in the other room to make a bed on the floor." Sasuke stepped away to do just that, when she reached out to him, stopping him.

"I can sleep on the floor. You've done so much for me already." She looked up to him with commitment behind her words.

"It's okay. Besides, you've been through enough. You deserve some level of comfort."

"But, Sasuke, I can't be comfortable if I am leaving you in discomfort. At least, share the bed with me-" She quickly let go of him and covered her mouth the moment the words slipped, the blush returning to its former place. Stammering, she continued forth, "What I meant to say was- It's just that- We could- We could make a wall down the middle of the bed out of pillows! That way... we both c-can have our own space..."

A smirk made its way to Sasuke's face. Seeing Hinata stutter and fall over her words softly reminded him of his time in Konoha. The carefree days of the past were long gone, but remnants of it remained in the way Hinata stammered as she did all those years ago, although for vastly different reasons. With his body moving in autopilot, he lifted his hand and plopped it gently on her head, ceasing her nervous talk. "Okay, then. We'll split the bed."

"O-okay then! It's settled then." She nervously said as she glanced down at what she was wearing. It was not something she felt comfortable in. "Um... Do you have anything I can wear?"

Though it came out as a mutter, Sasuke understood. He walked over to the dresser opposite the bed and procured a pair of black drawstring pants and a white long-sleeve shirt, a bit oversized but at least the drawstrings could be cinched to keep them up. She quickly scurried into the bathroom, locking the door right after, soon the sound of running water broke the silence in the air.

Once the pillow barrier was established, Sasuke took off his grey sleeveless shirt leaving him in just his black drawstring pants similar to what he gave Hinata. He claimed his side of the bed and separated its blankets, keeping the thin sheet for himself and leaving the the thicker comforter for Hinata since it was warmer and more comforting. The ceiling offered no solution to this predicament, but he sought it's comfort as his mind tried to process a way out of this. As his mind ran through scenarios, the one that would happen if he fails manifested itself: him laying on top of Hinata, her face flushed and turned away from him in shyness, him between her legs...With a final mental note to find Hinata better fitting clothes, he rolled over ready to sleep away the day's events.

Meanwhile, after locking the bathroom door, Hinata stepped in front of the mirror above the sink, staring at herself. Her long, midnight-blue hair flowed freely down her back, glistening in the ambient light. There wasn't a tangle to be found as she ran her hand through it like silk. Her fair skin was flawless, and as her fingertips ran down her arms softly appreciating its delicate smoothness amidst this rugged environment, she paused. Chills ran down her spine. It wasn't long since she laid naked, unable to move, at the mercy of Kabuto's hands as they went all around her body touching her, teasing her, violating her. Feeling unclean, she rushed to shower ready to wash away the day's filth.

After a prolong period of time, Hinata emerged from the bathroom wearing the clothes Sasuke gave her. The shirt slipped off her shoulder a little, while the pants, cinched tight, bunched at her feet. She shuffled to the available side of the bed, peeking down at Sasuke's sleeping form. His black hair was slightly longer than when she last saw him, framing a face that had grown more handsome with the passing years. That same face, once stern and impassive, now appeared serene and peaceful. Seeing Sasuke in this state, strangely, made her feel at ease; if he was comfortable enough to be this vulnerable with her; if he truly meant what he said about getting her out of this, then she should put her faith in him. Without faith, she would have no reason to go on. So as she slipped into her side of the bed, careful not to stir Sasuke from his slumber. She had made her decision: she would entrust him with her complete trust.

...

Author's Note:

Warning; the next chapter will contain lemon (are we still using that term?).

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