WARNING: there will be angst, as well mention of child abuse in the chapter.
Regular dialogue will be in "" and dialogue between characters in the flashbacks will be "" in italic. Other than that naruto is not mine and enjoy.
Chapter 29
Hinata scrunched her eyelids, waiting. She tried to focus on a single memory to start, knowing that the second she was emerged in the emotions, things will take their course naturally and Sasuke will find the thread that'll lead him to the others.
She remembered last time they did this. She had relived the memories through her own eyes. But the emotions were duller, less sharp, the hurt less painful. Like she was there but wasn't. Like it was all a hazy dream. It was only when she woke up the next day that her mind caught up to the fact that she already lived through all that. The emotions had hit her at full force then.
This however feels different. She was more present.
Her ears could pick on sounds around her. Laughter? The aroma of freshly baked bread tickled her nose and she could definitely feel the warmth of the hand still on her cheek.
Lavender tinted eyes blinked open and she was faced with Sasuke looking down on her. Before she could inquire about any of it, she was startled by the happy shrieks of children that run right past them. Her eyes followed as they ran down the streets avoiding the baker that raised a piece of bread; a promise of retribution for the baked goods they knocked off a costumer's hands. And it was only as said spoiled bread bounced over a wall when the old man threw it, that she noticed the freshly painted red and white fan.
"Where are we?" Hinata stepped away to take a look around.
They were standing in the middle of a road. Small unfamiliar shops lined the lively streets. A convenient store stood next to the bakery she just spotted where two old women were chatting. The same group of children were being scolded by a dark-haired man near a vegetable stand. Right across, stood a weapon shop with multiple kunais and shuriken on display. Looking in she could see two shinobis (judging by the way they moved) talking with the girl at the counter who seemed flustered by their attention. Hinata's eyes zeroed in on their uniform with the trademark symbol of an organization since long disbanded: the fan inside the dark blue shuriken of the Uchiha police force.
"The Uchiha District." Sasuke took a step back as well, his hands deep in his pockets.
"But I've never been here before." She looked at him in confusion. How could she remember a place she's never visited?
"I'm not in your mind Hinata." He looked around as well "You're in mine."
Her eyes widened. She was under the impression they'll be taking a stroll through her memories not the other way around. He must've read the question on her face.
"You said that you trust me." Obsidian eyes studied her "You trust me with your weaknesses. It is only fair that I trust you with mine."
"S-Sasuke." Hinata took a sharp intake of breath "You don't have to."
This man, this unmoving mountain of pride and strength, this impenetrable fortress, was offering to lay his soul bare for her.
Sasuke Uchiha was an enigma to all, some might say cold, distant. Those who found themselves on the receiving end of his sharp remarks and barbed answers consider themselves lucky because they were important enough to warrant a response. They managed to be his friend (even if he denied it fervently).
She was even more so. Because not only did she get to be on the receiving end of his sometimes annoying amused smirk, but she got to see the way his eyes danced with humor when he was teasing her. She got to watch his lips quirking into a small content smile when he tasted her food. She got the privilege of hearing his surprised laughter when she said something he hadn't been expecting (usually something rude). She felt humbled at the trust he put in her. But this. This was something else entirely.
"No, I don't have to." His lips quirked a bit "But I am anyway."
She stood there, mouth parted reeling from the notion.
"Come." He laced his fingers in hers, pulling her inside the district "There are some people I'd like you to meet."
They walked down the street further into the heart of the district. Hinata watched in awe. It was like a small village itself: Shops, houses, a small school. The Uchiha district was self-sufficient and brimming with life. One could live their entire life here without the need of venturing to Konoha's street. Maybe it was something born out of necessity. They were in a way isolated from the rest of the village. And people! So many people, members of the Uchiha clan with their fair skin and dark eyes.
Hinata glanced at the man holding her hand and felt an ache in her chest.
He lost it all.
All that remained of the Uchiha legacy was a few wrecked buildings and him: the last Uchiha.
And me.
He had said it before, hasn't he?
"You are part of the Uchiha."
And she knew he hadn't been trying to fill a void. Many had fought for a place in his life and they only ever scrapped at the surface. Yet here she was, the only other person who wore his clan's emblem because he allowed her to. No not allow her, he draped her in it constantly; An apprenticeship, a ninja attire, his brother's hair tie, a yukata, his arm on the small of her back.
She was something as important to him as his clan and that fact only just hit her now, when she was walking through the very essence that was Uchiha Sasuke.
Hinata felt her throat closing up, overwhelmed by the rise of emotions she couldn't identify. Thankfully her thoughts were halted by a small happy shout.
"I'm home!" The sound of small feet running on the pavement captured her attention. The Hyuuga watched a seven-year-old boy barrel past them. Sasuke has stopped walking all together as he watched the boy reach for the front door and twisting the handle.
The Hyuuga looked back at her companion waiting for his directive.
"This was my parent's house." His eyes never leaving the traditional Japanese building.
It wasn't as grand as the Hyuuga compound which was essentially one big maze of traditional sliding doors. It was more modest than what she expected the head of the clan to live in but it still had those undertones of silent wealth and prestige. She could see it in the rich hardwood floors on which they stepped, the bamboo branches hand painted on the paper of the sliding doors that led to the garden. The rumpled cashmere blanked on the couch and the still steaming porcelain tea cup with half eaten mochi on the coffee table, along with the small disregarded shoes at the entrance gave it a more welcoming feel.
Unperfect. Warm. A home.
"Nii-san!" The dark-haired boy which Hinata realized was none other than Sasuke himself ran toward the open shoji doors "You're here!"
"Welcome back. Ototo." The sound of the voice answering sent a jolt through the Uchiha standing next to her.
"Is that…?" Lavender tinted eyes watched the flash of pain in his eyes.
"My brother." His voice came out soft but it caried the weight of all the regret, the longing, the hurt that he kept locked away.
Itachi Uchiha.
He was taller than your regular fourteen-year-old with a lithe frame and a handsome face that promised he'll turn into a heartbreaker soon. He shared a few features with Sasuke; same slop of the nose over same full lips, but the shape of their eyes was a bit different as well as the two crease lines that ran across his cheeks. His skin was also tanner than Sasuke's. His hair dark but devoid of the bluish raven hues in his younger brother's locks. It was longer, tied back into a low ponytail by a familiar red hair tie.
He seemed familiar to her for some odd reason, even though she knew she's never met him.
"You don't have a mission today, do you?" The admiration she could see shining in the little boy's obsidian eyes made her smile. "We can train together!"
"Tell me how your day at the academy went first." The older Uchiha smiled down at him.
She hid her giggle behind her hand when she watched a small Sasuke regale his brother with tales of his adventures coupled with dramatic hand gestures and endearing face expression.
"You're cute."
"Did you just call me cute?" Sasuke's eyebrow twitched in annoyance and she giggled even more.
"You are." Hinata smiled "Look at those adorable huge eyes."
"I am not cute." He huffed and she felt her smile stretching.
"Look! you even still have the same pout." She pointed at the sticked out lower lip of the seven-year-old who was glaring at something Itachi said. "It makes me want to pinch your cheeks."
"Is that so?" She gasped when he pulled her abruptly by the hand he was still holding. His other hand squeezed her cheeks together while tilting her head up. His eyes gleamed when he leaned down to speak his next words in a low tone "If you only knew the things I want to do to you, when you're the one pouting prettily."
Her cheeks flamed when his lips hovered over hers and his smirk widened.
"Sasuke Uchiha!" The reprimanding tone startled them, making them jump apart. "Where are your manners!"
The Uchiha next to her froze in a way only a son would under his mother's disapproving glare when she caught him red handed. Because the woman frowning in their general direction could only be Sasuke's mother. His ears reddened in embarrassment and Hinata would have found it hilarious how younger Sasuke's ears did the same, if she wasn't startled by the woman's piercing gaze as well. It was like she was looking right at them.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to throw your shoes at the entrance like that?" The woman sighed.
"Sorry Okaa-san." Younger Sasuke mumbled heading toward the entrance to pick them back up. Hinata heard the sharp intake of breath near her when the Uchiha Matriarch smiled, her hand ruffling the hair of the boy walking past her.
She was beautiful.
"You look a lot like her." Hinata whispered as she admired the gentle aura surrounding her.
"I miss her." The Hyuuga hesitantly reached for his hand and squeezed it again. A silent reminder that she was here.
"Itachi." The woman's voice was soft when she addressed her eldest son "Your father wants to talk to you."
"We have said all that needs to be said." The change was instantaneous. He schooled his expression into an unfeeling mask but she could see the chilling calculation in his dark eyes. The indifference in his voice felt like an ice-cold finger running down Hinata's spine. This was the Itachi Uchiha that exterminated his entire clan. He was a mere memory and yet she felt rattled in a way she's never been before.
"Will you be joining us to our meeting with the Hyuuga clan?" Her lavender eyes widened at the mention of her surname. "It is important that we forge an alliance with them and your presence will help."
"I've never been involved in clan affairs even though I should have been by now." Sasuke's voice grabbed her attention. "I thought my father didn't even care to educate his spare. He never paid much attention to me, he had the perfect first born after all."
She could hear the bitterness at the mention of his father but also the longing. It was a bit hard to imagine someone like Sasuke being overlooked, he was brilliant. But she knew all about being in your sibling's shadow. She knew how much that stung but that didn't change the hunger for a parent's love.
"You're better than me at this." It always startled her when he said such things "What do you think they were talking about?"
"My guess is... they needed support for after the coup d'état." The Hyuuga heiress spoke softly "A last minute bid to avoid a civil war. With my clan's support the rest might fall in line as well."
"Do you think they would have done it?" He asked.
"We pledged ourselves to Konoha." Her eyebrows scrunched "My father will take it as dishonorable to break the oath but some elders will see it as self-preservation and an opportunity to climb on top. It's hard to tell."
"I don't see how my presence will make a difference." They both turned back to the conversation when Itachi answered.
"The Hyuuga clan head remembers what you did last time we were there and although he didn't show it, he did appreciate it." Hinata watched the way the Uchiha Matriarch spoke of her clan's affairs. It seemed that the Uchiha clan had different views of leadership. Not to say that hers didn't view women as worthy to lead, after all their future leader was bound to be a woman but the leadership has always been a one person's job. The Uchiha clan viewed it as a partnership: A patriarch and a matriarch leading together. Plus, no pesky elders as far as she knows. "Your father thinks it was a good strategic move to gain a favor."
"I didn't do it to gain a favor." Itachi answered stiffly "I did it because it was what I would want someone to do for Sasuke if he found himself in the same position."
"There are still missing pieces." Sasuke interjected. "I had this memory buried; I've only recently uncovered it."
"You did it because you are a good and kind child." Mikoto's eyes softened "I am proud of my boy for that."
Both watched as Itachi's fingers twitched uneasily. Hinata felt her heart aching for the eldest Uchiha as well. He had found himself stuck between his duty to the village and his family. The family he obviously loved judging by the flash of regret in his eyes when he looked at his mother. A reaction he masked quickly. Whatever he was going to say next was interrupted by little Sasuke's arrival again.
"Nii-san let's go train now!" He bounced happily to him.
Hinata watched as his expression soften a fraction. She was surprised when the eldest Uchiha poked his brother's forehead making him stumble back, something Sasuke sometimes did to her as well. A sign of affection she realized.
"Sorry Sasuke. Maybe next time."
"You always say that." The boy pouted adorably his hand covering his forehead.
"I have to meet Shisui." He turned his back walking away and she could see the way little Sasuke was going to chase after him if his mother's gentle voice didn't interrupt.
"Sasuke-chan! Come sit with your mother, I have an important mission to give you."
Hinata smiled at the way he straightened, his interest peeked at the prospect of a 'ninja mission'. The Sasuke near her dragged her to sit on the engawa next to the two figures.
"We're going to be visiting another clan in a week and your father has told me to give you this super important mission." She whispered as if she was telling him a secret and younger Sasuke's mouth parted in awe.
"Father said he needed my help?" His chest puffed up in pride and Hinata couldn't help smiling.
"He didn't." Her Sasuke's lips quirked up. "But my mother always wanted to bridge that gap between us."
"The Hyuuga clan head has a child your age." The Hyuuga heiress blinked. She was talking about her. "I want you to keep her company while the grownups talk."
"Her?!" Hinata out right laughed at the horror on his face. She laughed even more at the pink hue that graced the older Uchiha's cheeks "But she's a girl! And girls are terrible."
The indignation on the boy's face had her giggling again.
"She's a sweet little girl." Mikoto giggled as well before her voice took a sad tinge "And she's having a hard time and in need of a friend right now."
His mother's somber voice had the little boy frowning.
"What happened?" His small voice whispered.
"You see, her mother just died." Hinata's breath hitched "Wouldn't you be sad as well if you never got to see your Okaa-san again?"
"I guess so." A conflicted look appeared on his face "Okay, I-I'll be her friend."
The Uchiha woman smiled softly, her arms enveloped her son her cheek pressing against his and Hinata felt a pang at the look of longing that overtake the older Uchiha's face.
"That's my sweet little boy."
"Moooom! I'm not a little boy!" His chubby cheeks tinged pink in embarrassment "But if she tries to hug me, I'm pushing her in the mud."
Hinata giggled at that.
"I guess you were always popular with the girls even back then."
"Girls were annoying at that age." Sasuke scoffed "Can't say there's an improvement now."
"Sasuke!" Mikoto scolded her son and the eldest one was startled as well as if he was the one being scolded again "Did you forget all I thought you about how to treat girls?"
"But they're always trying to hug me and saying how cute I am." Little Sasuke groaned and Hinata smiled. He really was cute. "I don't like girls."
"There will come a time when you'll change your mind." Mikoto smiled knowingly "I guess I'll have to teach you again."
"Okaa-san!" The boy groaned again "I want to train with Itachi Nii-san not learn about stupid girls again."
"Your father and brother will teach you how to fight." The Uchiha woman caressed her son's cheek "But I my darling boy, will teach you how to win the heart of the prettiest girl in the village."
Hinata smiled when little Sasuke expressed his opinion about the absurdity of such statement. There was no one prettier than his Okaa-san he said.
"Come, you can help me in the garden." Mikoto held his small hand "The flowers will be in bloom soon."
She kept on watching the sweet moment between mother and son as they walked away, until Sasuke's voice reached her.
"You and I never got our playdate." His dark eyes locked with hers and pain flared in her chest at the way the light went out from them "A week later Itachi killed everyone, except me."
Before she could say anything, she was startled by the way the scenery changed. If it wasn't for Sasuke's hand reaching for hers, she would've panicked at the way everything dissipated like ink in water. Colors floated around them and shapes reformed until they were sitting on the very same egawa except it was night time and it was quiet.
Dead quiet.
"I won't show you the massacre." Sasuke looked straight ahead "I don't want you to have nightmares too."
"Y-you were there?" Her voice sounded small, afraid to break the eary silence.
"No." His mouth went to a straight rigid line "But he made sure I witnessed it all in a Genjutsu."
Hinata's breath hitched. His brother made him watch as he killed everyone, as he cut down his own parents. How was he still here? Still strong? Something like that would've broken her. Before she could contemplate what to say next there was a sound of the door opening.
"I'm home." A small voice said. No one answered.
The Hyuuga stood and walked to the entrance to see a small Sasuke disregarding his shoes. Her heart broke at the sight of him. There was no light in his eyes, the little boy she met a few minutes ago was gone. Replaced by a whisp of a ghost with empty eyes.
"This was a week after the massacre." Sasuke walked to stand beside her "I've just been released from the hospital a few days ago."
Lavender tinted eyes tracked the movement of the child walking a few paces than stopping abruptly as if he could sense them there. He whirled around, his gaze fixed on his disregarded sandals, before walking back to pick them up and set them neatly.
There was no mother to remind him to put them in their place anymore. He had to start remembering himself.
Both young adults watched silently when the boy ventured to the kitchen. He picked up the necessary ingredients to cook before heading to the too high stove. He dragged a chair to it and stood on top to start making eggs and boiling the rice.
"It's all I knew to make back then." Onyx eyes tracked his younger self washing fresh tomatoes and setting them on the table.
"Itadakimasu."
Hinata felt her throat closing up at the way the boy waited for a beat as if waiting for someone to answer but there was no one. He was all alone.
The harrowing silence stretched even with the sound of water running as seven-year-old Sasuke washed the dishes then filled a bucket. The Hyuuga watched as he dragged it, water slushing around toward a room at the end of the hall. She took notice of the way the Uchiha next to her swallowed as he followed his younger self.
What she saw next shattered her completely.
Little Sasuke was on his hands and knees scrubbing the blood-stained floorboards. The wood had absorbed it so it would be impossible to get out, but he still scrubbed vigorously. He scrubbed and scrubbed until his small hands became raw. He didn't stop until his own blood started to drip as well.
"I guess I should be grateful they at least thought to remove the corpses before I came back." Sasuke's voice was devoid of emotion "Although maybe the only reason they did so was for Danzo to get his hand on the Sharingan."
Hinata felt bile rising in her throat. It wasn't enough to kill them all but they also defiled their corpses.
"H-how long did you stay in here?" Her eyes watched as the boy went to clean the paper doors next.
"A month."
"A month?!" That had her turn to him with a horrified expression "They left you here alone for an entire month!?"
"I guess that was the time it took to finalize the decisions about what to do with the last Uchiha spawn and who takes custody of my assets." He shrugged nonchalantly "I wasn't exactly high on the council or the third Hokage's list of priorities."
"They left you here to fend for yourself." Rage burned hot in her veins. They left a traumatized child living isolated in the place where his parents were murdered. She didn't need to ask if someone bothered to check on him.
The sound of shuffling brought her back to the memory at hand. Little Sasuke left his parent's room and headed towards his own.
She noticed it immediately.
The futon that traditionally was in the middle of the room was pushed up against the wall. The dark-haired boy pressed his back to the wall (so no one could sneak up on him), a corner that allowed him good vantage view of both the closed window and door. He clutched the kunai in his too small hands and stared unblinking towards the window. His hands trembled with a mixture of fear that his brother would come back to finish him off and exhaustion. He sat there awake until the sun rose again.
It was only as Sasuke's hand wiped her face gently that she realized she was crying.
The world didn't know of what he's been through and yet they still judged him harshly. Blamed him for being hang up on his revenge. Judged him for going to the extremes to avenge his clan. What did they expect, leaving him here with the reminder of everything he lost? Afraid and alone living in the site of his worst nightmare. No wonder he turned to anger, turned it all into a drive to get stronger to kill his brother. Otherwise, he would have died in here. She wondered if a part of him hadn't already.
"I don't like it when you cry." Sasuke's voice snapped her back to reality.
Through her blurred tears she could see that they were on the couch in his apartment again. They were back to the present. Hinata reached for him slowly. She hugged him tightly even though his hands stayed slack at his sides.
"I'm sorry Sasuke." Her voice trembled. "No one should go through that alone."
Sasuke sat there feeling her cool tears dripping on his neck. He could hear the grief in her voice but no pity, just sorrow and a hint of anger for his fate. His arms enveloped her to hug her closer to him. He didn't know how much he needed it until he buried his face in her neck and inhaled that distinct calming sent always clinging to her skin.
"Don't waste your tears on a sinner, sweet Hinata." He felt a knot starting to ease in his chest even for a little fraction. He never talked about any of it. He never thought it would feel like this; a mix of that harrowing emptiness he got accustomed to and relief like a weight has just been lifted off his chest allowing him to breathe a bit easier "I did unforgivable things after that."
"Terrible things have happened to you." Her voice was choked up "And you may have done terrible things, but you are here now. And for that my tears are not wasted." She hugged him harder "If you cannot forgive yourself yet then I…I forgive you."
He felt his lips quirking slightly at that. She selflessly offered him forgiveness without knowing of his sins, of his betrayals, of his old desires to kill all Konoha, her included. It shouldn't have surprised him. She had pleaded for her grandfather's life twice already (Even though he had an inkling what he's done to her was unforgivable as well).
Sasuke's hand went up and down her back looking for a stump of clipped wings, for only an angel of mercy would be this compassionate. How could she be this pure hearted? And yet many didn't see her kindness as a strength. But she was stronger than he'll ever be, because he knew down to the marrow of his bones that she wouldn't have turned to darkness if she was in his place.
He didn't deserve her. But he was a selfish being and he was never letting her go.
"Your compassion is a gift Hinata." He pulled back to wipe the remnant of her silent tears from her face "Carry it with you always."
A small smile graced her lips and Sasuke knew he would lay the world at her feet just to see it again.
"Thank you for trusting me with your past." Hinata's voice was soft as if she was afraid to break that fragile trust.
What a silly notion. Didn't she know she held more than that part of him in the palm of her hands.
Sasuke swallowed hard when he realized he might be in too deep and he had absolutely no intention of trying to get out.
"I'm ready." She startled him out of his epiphany "It's my turn now."
"Do you remember how this works?" She nodded but he explained again anyway "You need to think of a certain memory and let it fill your mind. Try not to resist and let it wander freely."
"O-Okay." Her voice trembled a little in discomfort but she threw her shoulders back ready to face it anyway.
"I'm sorry." He felt compelled to apologize as he doubted the trip down memory lane would be pleasant for either of them "But I have to know to help counter it efficiently."
"It's okay, I understand." Her hand found his to reassure him and he felt like kicking himself. He was supposed to be the one doing the reassuring.
"Once done, your chakra will be depleted and you'll pass out." He squeezed her hand when he allowed for his Dojutsu to activate.
"Sasuke." Her voice came out steady "Promise me something."
"What is it?" He rested his palm on her face. Skin contact was crucial to the technique.
"Promise me you won't do something stupid after you see." He would have laughed at her insult if her statement didn't raise alarms. Because it meant what she'll show him was bound to upset him greatly "Promise you'll stay with me after."
Sasuke's eyes hardened but her pleading eyes made him falter. Silence stretched until he felt his resolve wavering.
"Please Sasuke."
Damn it.
"You have my word." He said through clenched teeth.
"Thank you." Hinata breathed a sigh of relief.
His hand found the back of her neck and she gasped when he pulled her to him. He rested his forehead against hers in a gesture of comfort.
"Ready?"
Hinata took one last breath before nodding.
His Rinnegan glowed and he was in.
Suigetsu Hozuki may not show it but he was proud of his heritage even if his ancestors wouldn't have been proud of his questionable choices. His clan's secret water release technique was coveted for many years. It was what had Orochimaru take an interest in him after all.
It allowed his body to liquify and be able to move through any crack no matter how unpleasantly small it was. It came in handy in many instances like escaping a prison, becoming one with a river and drowning his enemies. And although Suigetsu used it to drown a few shinobis here and there and create a perfect defense against sharp objects. He mainly used it to participate in juvenile antics such as water slapping those who annoyed him and sneaking into the woman's onsen a few times when he was an immoral horny teenager.
Yes, his ancestors wouldn't have been proud. But this was a new low for his talents. Even for him.
Sasuke owed him big time.
He was floating in the sewer amidst the infected and dirty water of Konoha just to get to the gutter that happened to be under his target's feet. He really wished they'd chosen a better place.
Why did all those who were conspiring to do something always meet in sketchy back alleys? You'd think they would've learned by now. No one suspected people taking a stroll in the park on broad day light. If only those two fossils did that then this would've been Jugo's problem. He would've had the intel within two annoyingly cheerful tweets of his hummingbirds.
But nooo, they just had to be cliché about it and meet behind a dive bar in the village's less frequented part.
After he had met that Hyuuga pretty boy who was not that thrilled to meet him (Or being called a pretty boy at that) he had been debriefed about his mission. He was meant to be following Konoha's two elders.
He'll have to admit pretty or not, those Hyuugas really lived up to their reputation. The silver-eyes man had given him the necessary information to be able to move undetected by the shinobis guarding the council. But what really came in handy was the warning he received about the elderly Hyuuga that might make an appearance.
The old man was paranoid activating his Byakugan every five second before he stepped into the alley. But Suigetsu had been another rowdy drunk patron in the bar and after waiting an allotted amount of time, he turned into water and floated in the underground canalization system to get to them. Luckily, he didn't miss much of the conversation.
"You underestimated her." Hamura's voice was aloof but Suigetsu could hear the hidden reprimand in it.
"The plan would have worked if the Kazekage didn't refuse and informed my son." The Hyuuga's elder voice was cold, an indication that he picked up on the elder's reprimand as well.
"Your granddaughter has managed to make ties with the leader of another village." Koharu interjected "She might seek his protection if needed."
The Kiri ninja could hear the unvoiced suggestion of creating a situation to push Hinata to seek said protection. He might not have a detailed understanding of what was going on but he knew he had hit jack pot with this conversation. It had the three main ingredients that Sasuke told him to be on the look out for. Konoha's elders, Hyuuga elder and Hinata being mentioned.
"She doesn't need his protection. She has the last Uchiha wrapped around her finger."
The notion that Sasuke could be under anyone's control was laughable.
But maybe there was some truth to it, as Suigetsu remembered how the Uchiha calmed from a mere brush of her finger and he did have a new cut to commemorate his protectiveness of her.
Sassy might actually be whipped.
He could not wait to see that.
"Hinata has always been one to hide behind others." The Hyuuga's tone was neutral "I had thought she'll wait for the Uchiha to come back, that would've given me time to find a replacement for the Kazekage."
"Why didn't you?" Hamura demanded. "It was the perfect opportunity to push the Uchiha to display his brashness as well as remove her from the board."
"Because for once in her life my granddaughter decided to grow a backbone and challenge me to a duel of Honor."
Damn. Sunshine's got balls.
"You seem almost proud." Koharu remarked. "She has become too bold. She challenged you an elder. She must be dealt with."
"She has presented me with the perfect opportunity to do that." Suigetsu couldn't see the smirk but he was sure it was there. "Once sealed any plans of revolution she might've had will end with her loss of freedom."
"Or death." Hamura continued "Are up to the task of killing your own granddaughter?"
"I have always done what was for the greater good of the clan." Hishia responded voice devoid of any emotion. "Hinata won't be any different from Hizashi. He too had plans of swaying his brother to sympathize with the branch members."
"Yes, but your son was not in a position of power." The old woman pointed out "Hinata Hyuuga is the heiress and she has the love of her people, the Uchiha's support as well as the Hokage's."
"I still think your worry of that child is disproportionate." There was mockery in that statement "Hinata is weak willed. She could never take the pressure of her inheritance, it is why Hanabi was voted better for the position."
"Better safe than sorry." Hamura stated "We might have to intervene."
"Do not forget yourself." For the first time since the beginning of this conversation there was an edge to his voice "This is an internal clan affair and Konoha's council has no right to intervene. I only listened to you out of curtesy and because it serves the Hyuuga council's need."
"And because the Uchiha attacked you." Koharu mocked. She was not happy with his reprimand.
"Marrying Hinata off to forge new political ties has always been the Hyuuga council's plan until the last Uchiha made her his apprentice." Anger colored Hishia's voice "But I will not allow the brat to disrespect me so blatantly. Putting my granddaughter permanently under my thumb will be a good punishment for him."
"She might die." Koharu probed again trying to determine his willingness to go through with it.
"There is no place for weakness in the Hyuuga clan." Suigetsu gaped. That was cold. "It is about time we trimmed the family tree."
"As long as we're on the same page." Konoha's elder seemed satisfied with that statement.
"You seem awfully sure of yourself." The woman remarqued "She's no slouch. The girl won the tournament against all odds."
Really!? That little thing?
Rumors of the champion of the high-level shinobi tournament had reached his ears while he was traveling. It was one of the reasons he wanted to come to Konoha. The Kiri nin wanted to fight this Blue Flame dude. Little did he know he had already met her in Sasuke's kitchen.
He wondered if the Uchiha would let him take her out for a spin on the training ground.
"I do hope to see you at the duel." Hishia dismissed her comment "You'll be my guests of honor. You can watch the look on the Uchiha's face when Hinata breaks."
It was clear that the conversation was over. The whole exchange boggled his mind. All this fuss over that slip of a girl he just met a few hours ago? Just who was Hinata Hyuuga and what did she do to warrant such a fate?
He's only just met her and he could tell she wasn't that hard to like. She was a medic who took her duties seriously, fed him good food and she was pretty cute. So she was good in his books. Plus she had a talent of turning the most volatile shinobi he's ever met into a docile, better tempered man as long as you didn't mess with her.
She was just Sasuke's little ray of sunshine. It was weird to hear her being discussed as if she was this big threat that needed to be eliminated.
Suigetsu was never one for political games and back stabbing (he preferred to solve his problem by stabbing his enemies in the front) but from what he heard and the minimal knowledge he acquired from both pretty boy and Sassy, Konoha's council had to use underhanded methods because Hinata was a high profile.
Except the heiress changed the rules when she challenged the Hyuuga elder to a duel. Maybe she did like stabbing her enemies in the front as well.
Huh. Go figures.
There might be more to Sunshine than meets the eyes.
Either way he had to report this to Sasuke as soon as he was done trailing the two fossils. Suigetsu drifted in the water, following Koharu and Hamura's footsteps. It was going to be a long day.
He was standing to the side of the dojo. The little girl stumbled but stood up again.
Sasuke could feel her determination as if it was his own. The desire to prove herself, to please, the desperate need for approval. He felt it all. Her muscled ached and he felt their soreness. Her lungs constricted and he was breathless as well. Her heart beat faster to accommodate the physical strain and his own synced with hers.
This was the drawback of his technique. He will not only be walking in her memory as an unseen spirit but he will relieve them as if they were his own. This was why the Uchiha decided to show her his memories before he delved into hers, a sort of trade of to the way he was going to invade her privacy in such a personal way. She didn't even hesitate with being vulnerable with him so why should he? If there was anyone he could trust, it was Hinata.
The technique he used to pull Hinata into his mind was different from the one that allowed him to delve into hers. He had used his Sharingan to allow both of them to watch his past as if it were a movie but there was no palpable emotion from the main character of the show: his younger self. This technique using the Rinnegan was different, he had a direct line connecting little Hinata's emotion to his own mind. That was the thread that'll allow him to follow her train of memories.
It didn't affect him the few times he used it on his enemy to extract information. He had no connection to them. Even when he used it on her the first time. He felt a fraction of her pain and it only made him respect her more, be in awe of her grace and strength. What he saw back then drew him to her more. But now he doubted this would be the same, he was already attached.
"I've seen enough." Hiashi's voice stopped Sasuke's thoughts.
The small girl bowed to her tutor and a small click of a tongue could be heard.
"It's time." The Hyuuga elder's voice grated on his nerves "I will be taking over Hinata's training."
Hinata turned to look at them with a curious look on her doll like features and Sasuke couldn't hold back a smile. She was an adorable child.
"I can start her training." Hiashi argued.
"You have other duties. You have to start Hanabi's training as well." The older man said "And your mind wouldn't be in it with your wife's deteriorating condition."
That was when Sasuke noticed the tightness around the clan head's eyes, the grim set of his mouth. The Uchiha felt a flash of worry and sadness coming from the little girl at the mention of her mother. As far as he knew the Hyuuga matriarch died three years after her second daughter's birth.
"Alright." The Hyuuga clan head addressed his daughter next "You will start training with your grandfather as of tomorrow. Do not disappoint me Hinata."
"Y-yes f-father." Her childish voice was soft as she bowed to both her elders in respect "I will do my b-best."
"Lesson number one." The elder spoke "You do not bow to those with a lower station."
Dark eyebrows rose. So, this was the type of elitest bullshit the Hyuuga clan engaged in. The tutor against whom she spared was a branch member and she was an heiress. Apparently being her teacher shouldn't warrant respect.
"B-but s-shouldn't I b-be respectful and kind to all my elders?" Little Hinata's confused response wasn't supposed to sound like a challenge but he could tell the old Hyuuga took it as such.
"Kindness is a weakness." She flinched at the cold tone "You are a shinobi and shinobis are not kind."
"You may go Hinata." Hiashi interrupted whatever was going to happen next.
"H-hai." Sasuke watched as she bowed and headed towards the door. He lingered a moment longer to hear the following reprimand.
"You coddle her too much." The elder said. "You let her spend too much time with her mother. It's making her soft."
"Her mother is dying." The Uchiha didn't think he'd ever see Hiashi standing up for his daughter "She will spend as much time with her as she needs."
Sasuke turned to follow the little girl through the maze that was the Hyuuga compound until she reached a sliding door. He could feel Hinata's childish excitement, it bubbled in his chest.
"Okaa-san."
"Hello, little love." The Uchiha watched the frail woman sitting on the bed smiling softly. Hinata was a carbon copy of her, her hair was a bit darker almost dark night to Hinata's midnight blue but they shared the same features. "How did training go?"
"It went well." Hinata smiled "I'm to start training with grandfather tomorrow."
"That means you improved so much to be trained by the former clan head" The Hyuuga matriarch patted her head "I am so proud of you. Strong just like your father."
"I want to be strong like father." The blue haired girl had a conflicted look on her face "But I want to be kind like mother too."
"I'm glad to hear that little love." A cough racked through her and he watched as Hinata stepped closer but her mother waved her off "Why do you look so unsure?"
"Grandfather said that kindness is a weakness." The little girl whispered, shame coloring her voice.
"I want to tell you a secret" The woman reached for her daughter pulling her on the bed with her "A great secret that'll get you through all the trials life can offer." Sasuke was struck by the way her eyes fleeted over Hinata's features trying to memorize them. She was saying goodbye. "You must always remember this. Have courage and be kind. It will be your greatest strength."
Hinata beamed at her mother's reassurance.
"I promise Okaa-san. I will be strong like father and have courage and be kind like mother." Sasuke chuckled when he realized Hinata had been following her nindo of not going back on her word since this early age. She grew up keeping her promise despite everything.
"Will you be able to come to Hanabi-chan's birthday celebration?" She asked hopefully.
"I'm sorry Hinata. I can't make any promises." The Uchiha observed the paleness of her complexion, the sadness in her eyes. She was really on her death bed "Will you…take care of her for me if I can't make it?"
"Okay." Hinata didn't seem to grasp what her mother was asking of her. Another promise he knew she'll also keep.
Sasuke was pulled out of his thoughts when the Hyuuga heiress said her goodbyes and went to the door. She stopped a hair away from reaching the sliding door's handle.
"Okaa-san?" Sasuke was hit by a wave of anxiety and sadness "What does deteriorating mean?"
"It means something becoming worse or not getting better." The woman looked at her in confusion "Why do you ask?"
"No reason." He was now assaulted by the deep sorrow as little Hinata finally understood that her mother's health was only going to get worse "Feel better soon."
He wondered if it was harder to know you were going to lose a loved one or if losing them unexpectedly left you emptier.
Sasuke watched as his surroundings changed and he felt himself being sucked into a new memory. He was back in a dojo, watching Hinata spare against her usual tutor under her grandfather's stern gaze. The gap in strength was clear and the man was not holding back. It didn't take long for the small girl to find herself thrown away harshly.
"Get up." The elder's voice was cold.
"I-I can't." The Uchiha knew it wasn't just the fatigue keeping her down, he could feel his own ankle throbbing. It didn't bother him much but guessed it was excruciating to the six-year old.
"You are a Hyuuga." The girl winced from both her injury and her grandfather's tone "And you shall be strong."
He turned around to leave but not before he spoke to the branch member standing near the door.
"Do not take her to see a healer, she shall suffer the consequences of her weakness."
"Yes Hishia-sama."
The second the elder left the room the other man rushed to the fallen girl.
"My Lady."
"I'm f-fine Ko-san." She grimaced not being able to put her weight on her injured foot.
He helped her up and Sasuke felt a bit of relief that at least someone cared for her.
"Y-You'll get in trouble."
Always thinking of others.
"My orders are to not take you to a healer." The Hyuuga whispered "But he said nothing about me showing you how to take care of your injuries yourself."
Colors floated around the Uchiha before he could hear Hinata's thanks, leaving room to a dark hallway where she was walking silently, trying to be stealthy. The most adorable little ninja in the making. She slipped through a cracked door and he followed.
"Hanabi-chan." Her whisper woke the smaller girl who scowled at her immediately.
"Go away." Little Hyuuga puffed out her cheeks like an angry chipmunk and her sister giggled. He chuckled as well at the little firecracker. "You missed my birthday celebration."
"I'm sorry, I was training." She mumbled apologetically "Look I brought chocolate cake. Your favorite."
"Did you get me a gift?" Hanabi pretended she wasn't interested but they could both see through it.
"Of course." That had the younger Hyuuga jump of her bed in excitement.
"Where is it? Show me."
"Here." Hinata pulled a little sun pendant from the pocket of her jacket. It gleamed in the moonlight. "It's a charm for when you get your first kunai in the academy. So you can remember me when you're practicing to be the best Kunoichi in all Konoha."
The Uchiha's lips twitched at the happy flush on the little brat's cheeks when she launched herself at her older sister.
"Can we have cake now?" She snatched the plate from Hinata's hand smiling before she deflated "We don't have matches to light the candle. I can't make a wish."
"Actually…" Hinata spoke softly "Can you keep a secret?"
The girl nodded enthusiastically as her older sister took the cake from her hands again. She scrunched her nose in concentration before blowing. The wick moved under her breath and then suddenly it ignited casting a small light on both heiresses' faces. The look of surprised awe on Hanabi's face matched his.
She had just used elemental chakra and at such an early age too. It was quite a feat for someone who wasn't trained in fire breathing like the children of the Uchiha clan were trained.
She was a wonder.
"Onee-sama is so amazing!" Hanabi clapped in delight and he couldn't agree more. The girl blew on the candle before handing it back to her sister "Do it again."
Hinata giggled and obliged. They kept at it until the door opening abruptly. It was their grandfather.
"What are you doing this late out of bed?" He asked sternly.
"Hinata-Onee-sama was showing me a magic trick with fire." The girl exclaimed innocently.
"Show me." The elder ordered. Hinata obeyed and Sasuke could see the way his face hardened. Dread washed over him, the same emotion that always accompanied her when she had to perform for any grown up.
"Where did you learn that?"
"I-I s-saw a boy at the academy practicing." She answered softly. She too picked up on his displeasure.
"An Uchiha no doubt." He hissed under his breath. Dark eyebrows scrunched, there were plenty of Uchiha children in the academy at the time but Sasuke knew he was the only one that was attempting the fire ball jutsu at their age. He had wanted to impress his father then and it seemed like little Hinata stumbled upon him and decided to pick it up. Funny how life was trying to put them on each other's paths constantly.
"You will never do it again." Both girls shivered at the harshness in his tone "Tomorrow you'll start training with me exclusively, no more tutors"
Shapes reformed and the Uchiha found himself in the dojo again. Hinata was facing her grandfather, he could feel her anxiety as he regarded her with cold calculation.
"Today you will train differently." He started "The source of your weakness is that barbaric chakra you used. The Hyuuga techniques require finesse and smooth chakra flow. A Hyuuga is graceful, calm, cool and collected. Flowing like a river but with strong tides that can drown. Show me your gentle fist stance."
The girl took her position as her grandfather activated his Byakugan. Whatever he saw displeased him greatly.
"Slow your chakra." He barked. "Again."
Hinata thrusted her palm out and chakra left it but judging by the pinched look on the old man's face she didn't succeed. This was proof of what the Uchiha theorized prior to teaching her Fire Jutsu. The Hyuuga techniques weren't suited for her. That didn't necessarily mean failure, she could still do them if they adjusted it a bit to fit her chakra. But the elder was of a different opinion. Why break years of traditions when you can break one individual.
"It's leaving your pathways in bursts." He loomed over her and Sasuke could feel her anxiety increasing. "Slower."
She tried again. As soon as her chakra moved so did the cane the old man was holding, she gasped at the contact and the Uchiha felt his own hand throbbing.
"Again."
She tried. She failed. Again and again and again.
The sound of the bamboo cane making contact with her skin filled the otherwise silent dojo. Even when Sasuke tried to stop it with his translucid form, it went through him and hit her. They kept at it until he couldn't feel his own hands as blood dripped from hers.
"You will train again tomorrow." The Hyuuga turned around "Do not disappoint me Hinata."
The Uchiha watched helplessly as the little girl held her hands to her chest sniffling. His hand reached for hers but shapes reformed and they were transported to a courtyard where flakes of snow fell from the dark sky. Sasuke's eyes widened as he spotted the little girl shivering in nothing but a thin summer yukata while her grandfather was bundled up.
"The cold will cool the chakra and slow your flow." The elder spoke as if he was an all-knowing scholar. "There is no reason for you to fail now."
He didn't know shit. The more a fire user was exposed to cold the faster their chakra moved to help warm their body. A natural response to keep them alive. The Hyuuga's plan had the opposite effect on Hinata. The more she stood in the cold, the more she failed to slow her chakra, the more she was punished. Until the cane broke and along with it two of her fingers.
"Useless." The elder spat. "Bring it."
The Uchiha watched as an apprehensive Ko dragged a wooden tub to the middle. It was filled with ice. Hard white eyes glared at the girl and she scrambled to get in. A hiss escaped his own lips when he felt the freezing substance on his skin. The sound of clattering teeth filled the silence. Then came the pain. He was feeling but a fraction of it and it still made him grit his teeth. He had worst but this was being put on a child. When the first sob ripped out of her blue lips the elder snorted and Sasuke felt rage so strong he knew it could only be his own.
"A heiress does not cry. Control your emotions." The two chipped ice shards on his face were colder than the bath itself "You are an embarrassment to the Hyuuga."
The man turned around walking away, as usual he addressed the branch member.
"Another hour, Ko."
By the time his brain processed the fact that she was left in an ice bath under the snow in the middle of December for a whole hour, he was sucked into another memory.
Another training session.
"You are useless."
More beatings.
"You are a walking symbol of weakness."
More ice baths.
"You are unworthy of your title."
More venomous words.
"What an abomination you are."
The memories were assaulting him too fast and Sasuke's brain could barely keep up. He surmised this was Hinata's psyche trying to protect her by not dwelling on these sessions her grandfather called training. This was not training, this was abuse.
Memory after memory had his head spinning. Sometimes he couldn't see all of it as colors dissolved around him before he could regain his bearings, but he could still feel her pain. Feel her terror. The elder was trying to condition her mind to override her natural body response but with it came the fear of pain she learned to associate with his presence.
Sasuke had seen it in action in her hospital room. She was so terrified.
Where the hell was her father?! He knew Hiashi was busy with his dying wife, his youngest and his clan, but it was no excuse. Maybe he didn't know the extent of it or maybe he thought this was normal. That wouldn't surprise him, he didn't think Hinata herself was aware how wrong this was. This was not a strict upbringing, this was cruelty.
All of it was happening in alternation with watching the life slowly begin drained out of the only person that seemed to care for her. And then having to put a smile on her face to play with her little sister who clung to her in place of the mother she couldn't see.
She was breaking in front of his dark eyes and he didn't know how much longer he was going to be able to watch this.
When the elder felt he reached the best level he could, it was back to sparing. Sasuke felt the crippling anxiety and fear rolling off of Hinata as she faced the last person he expected her to fight; her cousin.
He had heard of the strained relationship between them but he didn't expect it to be this way. Neji was ruthless. He was taking out his anger and resentment on her. It was shocking to see the Hyuuga captain who would die for Hinata participating in her humiliation. It went on until she was down, but Neji wasn't stopping. The boy launched himself at her this time with intent to harm and Sasuke moved into his path without thinking, even though this was a memory and he couldn't realistically do anything.
He needn't have. Their grandfather raised his hand and Neji crumbled to the ground.
"Know your place boy." The old Hyuuga was unaffected by the animal like sound that left Neji's throat as he clutched his head and withered on the ground under the effect of the cage bird seal "You do not raise your hand to a member of the main branch nor disrespect them."
The Uchiha felt horror as he watched the seal in action. A mix of his own as well as Hinata's who stood up on shaky legs.
"S-Stop it" She whimpered "P-please stop. You're hurting him!"
But the elder wasn't listening as she continued begging him.
What the hell is wrong with these people?! He couldn't believe such cruelty happening here.
The Uchiha was pulled out of his stupefied state by the small battle cry behind him. Hinata raised her palms, running towards her grandfather to attack him. She didn't stand up for herself but she did for her cousin.
She didn't get very far. The man back-handed her and Sasuke felt his own ear ringing. He had ruptured her eardrum.
"Mercy is for the weak." The coldness in his voice made her flinch but at least Neji stopped screaming "I have had enough of you. If you do not get better, I will be putting a petition for the council to replace you with Hanabi, she had already showed great aptitude for the gentle fist."
Both children were breathing heavily when the elder left the room.
"I do not need your pity." The boy spat and Sasuke felt her hurt. The venom in his voice hurt her more than the slap.
"N-Neji Nii-san…"
"Do not call me that." He hissed at her "I am not your brother."
She curled in into herself even more and the Uchiha's knuckles turned white.
"He is right. You are pathetic." Neji said mockingly "Lady Hyuuga playing hero to her servants."
It was only as the boy left that Hinata allowed tears to fall from her face. Sasuke kneeled beside her wanting to hold her. Her sorrow and fear overed his anger. He wanted to snatch her and take her away from this house of horrors. Before he could test his mad idea shapes reformed again.
The feeling of being pulled into another memory assaulted him but this one was different. He felt it the second his surroundings changed again, a shift in the air. He wasn't all in. It was like a bad signal.
This memory was protected.
It was dark and he couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. He could feel water filling her lungs. And then a sound of a splash and the faint outline of a young face before he was thrown out of her mind.
What the hell was that?
Sasuke gasped as air filled his lungs. He blinked at his surroundings.
One.
Two.
And then every detail in his apartment became sharper as his Sharingan spun widely when his rage ignited like a living, breathing thing. Now that Hinata's emotions washed away he could feel his own sharply and it was overriding every logical thought.
Fuck the duel of honor!
He was going to kill him and he was going to enjoy it.
He was going to beat him to death with his own knuckles and relish every blow. He was going to grind his bones into dust and then light his corpse with his black flames of Amaterasu and keep it burning until he died himself. He'll join him in the lowest pits of hell to offer him an eternity of misery. And it will not be nearly enough.
A portal opened at his command and he could see the entrance to the Hyuuga compound. Sasuke moved to stand but a weight fell on his lap. Hinata was fast asleep. She was so exhausted; she didn't even wake up with the big spike in his chakra.
Damn it!
She already made him promise.
His movements were mechanical when he gathered her and arranged her on his lap. He draped her legs over his and rested her head on his chest, effectively creating a physical barrier between him and the portal. He sat rigidly trying to calm his rage by sinking his breathing to hers.
It wasn't really working.
He remembered how hesitant she was to learn fire Jutsu. He remembered that look of overwhelmed happiness when she held her first flame in her palm, like she couldn't believe it was real. She still had the same look even in the middle of a fight. That surprised delight at it working. Now he knew why. It was because she thought her grandfather had thoroughly beaten it out of her.
Sasuke held her closer, his hand clutching her for dear life as he thought about how much courage it took to try it again after all these years. About how much she trusted him.
He wondered at how scared she was when she was encased into the ice-prison of the mist shinobi she faced in the tournament. How her brain probably reminded her of all those ice baths. And yet she prevailed.
And in spite of all that, she still stood strong in the face of her tormentor. Ready to fight for those who couldn't fight for themselves the same way she stood up her small shaky legs when he attacked Neji. She defended him even though she knew her cousin would rather spit at her than thank her.
All without turning bitter or losing her kindness. They couldn't beat it out of her, nor could they take away her courage to do the right thing.
This fallen angel laying in his lap that flew even without her clipped wings. How could any one think her weak?
The portal closed as his ruby eyes studied her delicate features. It was all he could do to quiet that roar in his ears demanding he go and tear the Hyuuga elder to shreds.
Hinata adjusted herself in his hold, burying her face in his chest as if she could sense his thoughts.
Sasuke couldn't shake the anger so he thought about how a part of her must long for justice at what was done to her, to her cousin and to all those that suffered under her grandfather. He promised not to take that away from her so he was staying put for now.
She was ready to fight again and he had absolute faith she will prevail. He will help her do so.
She is an angel of mercy but he will be the fiery sword of justice in her hand.
AN: Sorry about all the angst but it had to be done. I hope the bit of fluff between mother and son/daughter and siblings made it more bareable.
What do you think Sasuke'll do next? How will he help her face her fears? And why couldn't he access that last memory? All will be answered in the next chapter that will have explosive tempers, wholesome and funny moments and maybe a bit of steamy moments.
Either way stay tuned. Thanks for the reviews, I'll be waiting for more.
-Your angsty writer
Lady Thunder Storm.