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Free Ravens

by Fher34

SasuHina

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Chapter 1: The Beginning

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"She can no longer be a ninja," the voice had informed her father, Hyuuga Hiashi, outside her hospital room three weeks ago.

"Her heart is too weak for the physical endurance life as a ninja requires; if she continues to be a shinobi, she will die."

Death.

A common concept spoken of since her early childhood. Not unusual for a kunoichi and certainly not a recent discovery in the Ninja World. No, death had surfaced since the beginning of time and was to extend into the future. It would never stop and it would never go away.

She had meet death after her encounter with Hyuuga Neji, had been able to almost touch it, taste its bittersweet flavor, and smell its unique aroma after her heart failed her during the fight. It had once been beating strongly inside her chest, but it couldn't stand against dangerous chakra enhanced palms.

That was just the way of humans.

A few hits and her career was over.

It took her long hours of staring at the room's white ceiling to fully understand the meaning of such a statement and when she did...Hyuuga Hinata did not cry.

There was nothing to mourn, nothing to grief for, no reason for her to bow her head in shame as she stood before her Father when she arrived to the Hyuuga mansion after being discharged.

She had fought and given her best. She had gone against a prodigy, received a killer blow, and survived.

She was alive. Not dead.

"I 'll never give up and I never go back on my word!"

Uzumaki Naruto had taught her that everything was possible. The dead-last, the shunned, the weak, had risen over his classmates and passed to the last round of the Exams and achieved strength.

She would too, get stronger, that is, not because the blond occupied a warm place in her heart but because he spoke truth.

He had proven everyone around him wrong.

He wasn't going to be the only one, she had decided as she watched the light of a brand new day enter through a window after she woke up from her four-day coma.

So she prepared herself mentally and built in her resolve, her pale eyes clouded as she stared at her closed bedroom door.

Team 8 and Kurenai-sensei weren't allowed to see her in the neither in the hospital or her home.

"She needs to rest," was the excuse her Father had instructed the guards to give if anyone came asking for her.

And it worked. No one, not even Neji, saw her after the fight. No one dared to go against the Hyuuga, except, perhaps, one Yuhi Kurenai.

Hinata had heard her barging into the compound, demanding to see the Hyuuga head.

She'd never feel so proud of her teacher than in that occasion and blind hope had soon began to fill her.

A part of her broke when not even her mentor was able to come for her. Instead, Hinata listened from her place in the sealed door of her room and watched with the white dojutsus the confrontation between a Yuhi and a Hyuuga.

It ended with Hiashi ordering members of the Branch family to take Kurenai-sensei out and ban her from entering.

That was the last straw for the heiress, so she moved, and planned, and found, and saw, and smiled.

Smiled in irony because though she had yet to receive the Caged Bird Seal (something that had been schedule for next month), she was already making her way out of that curse. Smiled in sadness because she was going to leave behind all of her bonds, break them, and hurt the few people that actually cared for her. Smiled with mute giddiness because she was going to start again, right from scratch, and she would prove everyone in the clan that ever doubted her–her Father, most importantly, –wrong.

So she prepared herself, and waited.

She did not leave her room that fateful day except to sneak into the kitchen for a very important task when one of the servants 'forgot' to lock her door, but she still had everything she needed.

Three of the Hyuuga scrolls were placed in her backpack along with one of her own and other equipment she would need for her quest.

Her quest for power.

She had determination, something that required courage and high amounts of true strength, confidence –something she had never truly known until now –, and that in no occasion was to be underestimated.

She knew this, and it comforted her.

But she also had hate, although not hers. The poisonous resent from her family, so much contempt from the Main House and Hyuuga Neji, she had it all...

"And I will use this hate to my advantage."

Hinata felt her heart lift as soon as the night enveloped and fell over the Village Hidden in the Leaves like a blanket of smoky darkness, depriving it of light.

That night, the moon hid behind an orb of black, signaling the new moon of the month, marking her new beginning.

The beginning of her new life, a start in which shy, useless and weak Hyuuga Hinata, doubtful heiress of the Hyuuga Clan, was to be no more.

This time, she would just be Hinata and not a heiress, not weak, not a disgrace.

Hinata was going to be known. The real Hinata, the one who was gentle and kind but not afraid of protecting those she held dear. She would become strong, and that power was going to be used for good and it would also define her. She would train and leave her place of birth; some might later think her a coward, but the decision of leaving was perhaps the hardest thing she'd done in her life. The temptation of staying put and accept her destiny taunted her but she grounded her feet and gathered all of her iron-hard resolve.

"You would have make a great leader, Hinata-sama," Ko whispered to her when he appeared at her door at the designed hour and she bowed down on her knees to him in gratitude. Gratitude because it was him who was going to help her plan and suffer because of it and endless thanks because he generously cared.

Ko, instead of being surprised or scandalized by her action, bowed in return and added, "The Cadet Branch is with you and will be when you're ready to come back, Hinata-sama."

And though it was a painful goodbye, Hyuuga Hinata still blushed and smiled.

"I'm sorry for doing this to you, Ko," she apologized but Ko shook his head and laid on the floor in a fatal position.

"Whenever you're ready," was the carefree reply, a tone that failed to befit the situation.

Hinata's eyes brimmed with tears. "I-I didn't want to do this," she whispered wetly before she shut her eyes...and activated the Cursed Seal.

To his credit, Ko did not make a noise, but he trashed on the floor in pain before his body went completely still and his mouth released silent, tortured screams.

It didn't last more than four seconds, but those few seconds dragged like centuries from Hinata's perspective.

Her one-hand seal barely deactivated when she was at his side, inspecting him for any additional damage.

"Ko!" she cried as loud as she dared, placing his head on her lap. "Ko..." She gritted her teeth in agitation. "I'm so sorry. P-please forgive me for asking this of you."

He wanted to assure her he was fine, that there was nothing to be sorry for, that he'd volunteered for this, but the searing pain was excruciating. "Go," he hissed instead.

Hinata placed a quick kiss to his temple and laid his head on the floor. He was right; she had to hurry. She had to center on her goal; otherwise, the agony she'd bestowed upon him would've been for nothing.

With great concentration, the veins around her eyes widened and pulsed with well-controlled chakra, subtle yet enough for her vision to sharpen as her Byakugan awakened and searched for the guards in the compound. She had traced her escape route severall times now, planning with details and a genius strategy that could be called fool-proof, but giving it a last glance couldn't possibly hurt.

Despite the humid and hot season, she wore a black turtleneck with the sleeves reaching a little bit past her elbow, her mesh shirt underneath for good measure, and black three-fourths ninja sweats with new dark shinobi sandals, all of which were concealed under a navy blue coat she had found in her mother's room. A amethyst-colored pendant hung from her neck with a thin, white ribbon. Her Leaf headband laid on atop her pillow with a note right beside it to serve as a departure gift to her sister.

It took her two tries to get herself moving, and when she did, she quickly turned back, taking hold of the letter she had left behind in which she explained her reasons for taking such a drastic decision.

She stared at the closed envelope for a moment before ripping it to shreds, the words she had thought over for the last few days destroyed. Taking a new sheet of paper from her desk, she scribed something, slowly, and was in a sudden movement gone.

When the Hyuuga Main House awoke two days later in confusion and the last meal they consumed was found to be spiked, Hyuuga Hinata was far away, her scent washed away by the crying rain, a phenomenon that had occurred in a dry month, as if lamenting the departing of the child of the sun.

And in a single piece of white, clean paper, the unmistakable scrip of the heiress appeared with a promise that left one Hyuuga Hanabi speechless:

One day, I will come back. One day, I will change the Hyuuga.

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Months later

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He knew he was weak.

His chakra reserves were mostly gone, spent in the battle fought with his ex-teammate in the Valley of the End.

But that battle was long over, and he was nearing Sound. He was close. He had to be.

The rain hadn't stopped. It persisted to fall against him, berating and irritating as it dragged him down with its weight. And the damn thing was working.

It had been a couple of days since he last slept and the Cursed Seal of Heaven had been used and reached its second stage, leaving him almost vulnerable to any attacks. He'd known the opening the second step of the seal was going to be hard, hell, it was supposed to kill him for all he knew. But it hadn't.

The aftereffects, however, were a completely different matter.

Uchiha Sasuke was exhausted.

Each of his limbs ached with coldish fire and he grunted, panting for breath, even if it was like icy needles piercing his parched throat. His trembling hadn't ceased since yesterday and that was beginning to annoy him and slightly worry him as well. He didn't recall ever feeling this tired.

Why couldn't his body cooperate for once and obey his commands? The raven-haired Uchiha was barely walking, slowly making his way forward, drenched from head to toe and splattered with mud.

"I ha...I have to get there...I have to," he grunted, though the grinding of his words would have angered him at another time. That is, if he had energy left to spare in getting upset; he didn't, so he continue on his way, his steps faltering but yet covering ground. That was good. Really good.

But not enough.

He didn't know how long he traveled; his mind was too busy keeping his body from falling apart in the merciless rain, making sure his organs continued to work steadily. His vision began to go hazy at the edges and his stomach growled with hunger, protesting for the lack of food. In another occasion he would have scoffed at his own deteriorated state, but not this time. This time he was too drained to even formulate a single thought, much less be pissed about the dilemma he had in his hands.

He could either drop to the muddy ground dead or keep on going and then die.

Neither option fit his plans, so stubbornly, he ignored everything around him, fixing solely on his purpose, and that was his mistake.

Had he looked at his surroundings with care, he would have noticed the tramp he was getting himself into quite literally.

When the explosive tags activated, he didn't have time to evade them all.

The next thing he knew, his seal burned and he gripped the place where his shoulder met with his neck, panting as he tried to get up from his fallen place in the ground where moments ago the force of the explosion had forced him to retreat.

The hissing of another tag getting ready to go off to his right alerted him and Sasuke jumped away, his quivering muscles making him fall yet again, unable to hold his weight up any longer.

Oh, how the mighty Uchiha survivor has fallen, a dark part of his mind cackled with mirth.

Sasuke hadn't betrayed the Village Hidden in the Leaves and beat his best friend just to be blown to pieces in foreign territory, so he moved with all his reminding strength to avoid getting killed.

He landed on all fours, the smoke of the paper bombs dispersing with his motion. Scarlet bright eyes, no longer onyx, scanned the clearing swiftly for an enemy...and found it.

A figure ran toward him fifteen yards away with such an agility through the mud that its feet wouldn't have touch the ground for all he knew.

Sasuke drew a kunai from his back pouch and got into his fighting stance, gritting his teeth to stop the cries of agony that desired to escape him as Orochimaru's mark throbbed.

Instead of attacking, like Sasuke expected the new incomer to do, the figure stopped a few feet away from him in a stance he'd never seen before.

"Who are you and what is your business here?"

Sasuke opened his mouth to tell this individual he wasn't a threat but the Uchiha common sense (aka pride) kicked in and he sneered. "Move out of my way," he ordered with the coldest voice he would muster, flickering black-crimson eyes narrowed dangerously.

The ninja in front of him acted as if he hadn't heard anything, and Sasuke scowled, his survival instinct the only thing maintaining him on his feet.

A glaring contest began, both adversaries matching each other up and looking for openings they could exploit.

Sasuke's enemy wore a white mask with red adornments in the form of splashed blood that went all the way up his nose; his headband for Rain was slashed in the middle and covered one of his eyes, remaining him of Kakashi, but unlike the Copy Ninja, this person's hair was mid-length and blond...Wait, that wasn't right...was that blue-black?

He frowned slightly, his kunai raised as he concentrated in what he was observing. His Sharingan flickered to life once again –he hadn't notice when it had turned otherwise–, and that's when he took note of the genjutsu the male was using...No, not male, it was a girl, a young brunette with a uniquely white, pupiless eye.

Byakugan.

His brain screamed the doujutsu's name and the words came out before he could think them through in breathy surprise, "You're a Hyuuga."

The slight widening of a visible eye was the only acknowledgment he witnessed before he made the first move in an attempt to catch her off-guard.

Their weapons clashes so hard sparks of friction were created, the clang ringing through the rain in the empty clearing.

Reddish black met pale lavender white, so close Sasuke could feel her respiration against his face, before they backed off, pushed by each other's force, though Sasuke noticed to his annoyance that he'd received the worst of the small encounter.

The girl held her twin sais by the black leather handle, the three pointy, deadly tips managing to luster even in the darkening evening.

Her brow furrowed and then she said, slowly, as if testing for something, "Uchiha Sasuke-san."

Sasuke couldn't help but give her a mocking smirk, a gesture preferred over the palpable suspicion that derived from her knowing his identity. "'San'? You're too polite to your enemies, and that'll get you killed one of these days."

"That's not going to happen." It was said so low he barely caught it, and once he did, he scoffed. Whatever. He didn't have time for this.

"Get out of my way, Hyuuga. I won't say it again," he warned.

"State your business," she repeated, not giving in to his demands, her fingerless-gloved hand glowing with chakra and transmitting it to the sai.

'Who did she think she was?'

"Who are you?" Sasuke asked neutrally, stepping closer.

The girl didn't react, only stared at him with an unblinking eye that was starting to unnerve him.

I have to end this.

Electricity began to form on his right harm, the sting of it ignored as he molded enough chakra to end this for once and for all.

"I warned you, but you didn't listen," he muttered, the cry of his chidori not as strong as he wished it to be.

Sasuke attacked.

Or tried to.

He froze when the piercing of small injections enters his skin, targeting a specific spot on the side of his neck. His knees wobbled and he fell to the ground not for the first time that day, his jutsu dying.

The corner of his eye gave him a peek of senbon sticking out of his body and he winced.

"You're in a very bad shape, Uchiha-san," the unknown Hyuuga stated softly, now crouching in front of him, regarding his weakened figure with something akin to pity in her eye.

It made Sasuke abhor her ever more.

"I don't need your damn observations. Get the hell away from me," he snarled.

"You won't get far," she added, his words un-minded. "If you choose to continue this journey, you will die."

Sasuke watched from his peripheral vision the pulsing veins on her visible cheekbone, radiating chakra, an energy he needed and glowered darkly. "You really...are a Hyuuga, eh?" he wheezed.

"I am," she replied simply, her voice a caress in the wind, her activated Byakugan roaming his body. "Your chakra is depleted. Using it with that technique you just effectuated could have ended you."

He snorted – a faint sound, but a snort nonetheless. "What do you care?"

He tried his muscles, experimenting to find which ones worked and which ones didn't.

He was so weary and sick of walking. Now that he was lying on the squishy ground, he didn't want to get up. If he thought about it, dying of chakra exhaustion was pathetic, and though he really didn't want to support the girl's claims, he had to admit they were true.

Who was she, anyway?

Was she a runaway ninja? She had the Byakugan, a blood limit that belonged to Konoha. If she was an outsider, did that mean that she stole it? What was she covering with that mask and headband anyway?

"I will allow you to move a little," she informed him, her eyes glancing at him with slight...worry?

But, he thought morosely, she said she was a Hyuuga.

What a mystery he'd encountered in the rain.

"I...I thought you would kill me." Although his eyes were dropping and his muscles were refusing to respond, he still found it in him to mock her.

If the girl was offended, she didn't let on. "I do not kill, Uchiha-san," the girl said, her gloved fingers reaching out for the needle in his neck. "But after this, you won't see me again."

The sensation of being able to move, if just a bit, came rushing to him, and he didn't waste time.

So he quickly reached out for her.

The girl, thinking that he was going to punch her, moved her head away in a reflex, but Sasuke wasn't going to fight her again. He was beat, weak in his current state, he couldn't put up much of a fight if he tried; he knew that much.

However, if he wasn't going to see her 'again', at least he wanted to know just what the hell this girl looked like, and if he had the chance, perhaps find her and punish her for her insolence one day in the future.

The top of her mask came down in a swift motion, and he was left to stare at a perplexed Hyuuga Hinata, one of the original Rookie Nine.

The missing and proclaimed dead Hyuuga Hinata.

The Hyuuga recovered almost instantly and her face crumbled in distress, as if something dreadful was about to happen. "You really shouldn't have...done that, Uchiha-san" she whispered faintly before she landed a quick blow to the back of his head.

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In the distance, a figure encased in the shadows of the closest trees at the edge of the clearing watched the scene between the shinobi and kunoichi with unmoved gray eyes, lips pressed in a loose line of expressionless, the bright red clouds against a black coat –the only color in the depressed dullness of the surroundings – a beacon of blood in the darkness. A second later, the person was gone, the space it had occupied now pooling with the never-ending rains of Amegakure.

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A/N: I couldn't help but write this down. I was supposed to finish Nightmares before starting another SasuHina but naaaah. I'll upload that story tomorrow. I actually like where this story will go and I hope you do too. I'm trying a lot of new ideas I've never seen in any other fictions, so do tell me if you find repetitions. And nothing is what it seems, so keep that in mind!

Review please?

-Nov 24, 2013