I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!

A/N: Just trying out something new. I've always wanted to try a semi-dark fic with SasuxHina. This will be a new challenge that I'm eager to try out.

'thoughts'

"dialogue"

The Caged Raven

Chapter 1: Seal

Everything was a bright mass of light. Only three people remained on the battle field struggling to fight for their lives. Hinata was barely hanging on to consciousness, while lying in her own pool of blood, as the mass of light grew bigger with a deafening sound. Then, everything went still. A pink haired woman held the man's right side whereas the blond one held his left. Everyone else in the area were either unconscious or just barely, but no one was spared from wounds and injuries. It was the biggest battle, a battle which would affect the entire shinobi world. It was a battle of destiny.

The raven haired man had a maddening look in his eyes. He was smiling with insanity, despite knowing that he had lost. He was bleeding all over with his body limp with nothing but the support of his two former friends. No, they weren't holding him for support, they were holding him back. It was time they seal this man away from history. Ino who was standing at a distance took the signal and summoned a scroll with numerous seals. This man's soul and body would be forever locked away.

Hinata stared back at the man's red eyes, both from blood and the color of the Sharingan. The look in his eyes was making her sick to the stomach. Sakura's urgent order to everyone fell deaf up on her ears due to the explosion. Everyone else was far enough away or had their eyes shut.

"Don't look into his eyes!"

It was too late for Hinata. She had locked gazes with the red pool of his eyes. Everything seemed to flow in slow motion. The tomoe within his eyes swirled slowly as if it was making some kind of lock combination or a seal. She could see his lips curve sickeningly into a grin before he lashed out in laughter. Others may think that he had finally lost his sanity, but little did they know that it was a laughter of victory. The moment Hinata had locked gazes with the man, the tables had turned unknowingly.

The sound of the beeping monitor jerked her awake. The smell of antiseptics made her head spin, it was then she knew that she was in the hospital. Next to her, she saw Neji all bandaged up sitting on a stool next to her.

"Neji nii-san?"

"Hinata-sama! You're finally awake," he said with relief.

"How long have I been here?" she asked.

Neji had a grim look on his face.

"You were the closest to the explosion so you took the most damage. You were out for almost two months."

"Two months?" she was in disbelief.

"What about everyone else?"

"They were all discharged from the hospital before you did, including me."

"What about Naruto-kun?"

"Naruto's fine. Surprisingly his condition wasn't as bad as we expected it to be, thanks to the Kyuubi. He was just in the hospital for two weeks."

"Oh."

A pregnant silence grew in the room. Clearing his throat Neji decided to offer her water.

"Hinata-sama, please have some water."

He took a bottle from the table next to her bed and handed it to her. She downed the water gratefully.

"What happened to Sasuke-kun?"

"Ino managed to seal him with the scroll provided by Tsunade. But I still think it isn't a good idea to seal him away. He deserves death."

Hinata noticed his clenched fist. She knew how much the entire village hated Sasuke had done. He had nearly succeeded in destroying the entire village. If it weren't for Naruto and the others, Konoha would definitely be wiped off just like what happened with Pein.

"Well, Naruto-kun can't bear to have his best friend die. Besides, we all know that holding Sasuke as prisoner in this village would make other countries even more furious. They're all out for his blood after all the crimes he had committed. Tsunade-sama had decided on the best course of action and that was to seal him away. The seal can't be broken right?"

"No it can't Tsunade-sama said it was impossible to release the seal. The only one who would know how to read the seal to unlock it would be the person being sealed himself. The scroll was designed in such a way that the 'key' has been written inside the seal. But even if Sasuke knew how to release it, he wouldn't be able to release if from the inside. Someone outside would have to do it."

Hinata sighed with relief. This is good, everything would finally return to peace. Naruto wouldn't have to suffer anymore.

"Hinata-sama, I should leave. Visiting time is over."

He gracefully stood from his seat.

"I'll come by again tomorrow with Kiba and Shino. I hope for your speedy recovery."

He gave her a gentle smile before bowing. The soft click of the door welcomed the silence once more with only the sound of the beeping monitor.

All of a sudden, her head began to pound. The pain was immense, making her feel as if she had cracked her head open. She bit back a yelp as the pain increased.

'What's happening?' She thought frantically.

She saw visions of red before slipping away into darkness.

A/N: Yeah, I know this chapter is super short… BUT I promise I'll make it a bit longer in the next chapter. I just needed something to start me off. Please review and tell me what you guys think of the story!