There are hints/evidence of kidnapping, sexual assault/abuse, profanity, and things that may be a trigger for some people.

And we shall mark this date: 06/09/14

You have been warned!

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It was a situation Konoha had never faced before.

For the villagers, it was alarming that their ninjas—their protectors—were calling on them for help.

For the ninjas, it left them feeling pathetic, weak, and exposed.

They had searched.

They used the best of the best.

But it had all been futile.

There were no signs. There were no traces. There were no remains, and it was just not possible they had found nothing.

The entire village gathered below the Hokage's tower, looking up at the group standing on the balcony. Naruto and his group were placed at the far left; the Hyuuga prodigy and his team were dead center; the Shika-Ino-Cho gang were far right; and an incomplete Team 8 stood gravely next to Team Gai.

They were truly a pathetic bunch—all grief stricken and humiliated—but the village sympathized greatly. It was not so much for their cause, but because who it all centered around.

"Citizens of Konoha," Neji's voice bellowed, deep and hypnotic, "as you all know, the Hyuuga heiress, Hyuuga Hinata, went missing three months ago. She was last seen leaving the Hyuuga compound around four in the morning on May seventeenth, and, as of now, we have not been able to track her location. We do not know where she is, where she has been, or where she will be."

Kiba clenched his fists, his face scrunching in a ferocious scowl. The bugs inside Shino's body went into an uproar, not sure how to handle the emotions surging from their master. The remaining ninja kept their composure.

The village was watching, after all.

"But we do have hope that she will be found," Neji continued, his calm, authoritative disposition never wavering. "Even for a shinobi, it is impossible to disappear without being seen by at least one person. Someone had to have seen something different the days leading up to and following her disappearance, and we, the shinobi who have sworn to protect you, are asking for your help. If you know anything—think you saw anything—please contact us."

The villagers murmured amongst themselves. This entire situation made them uneasy, and they would have much preferred if they were not involved. What did the ninjas expect them to do? Even if any one of them knew something, what protection would they have against someone who was able to conceal a member of Konoha's finest?

"And..."

All faces, villagers and shinobi alike, looked at Neji. This wasn't part of the prepared speech.

"If...I can speak out of my role as a shinobi, I request to speak as a family member who has lost someone dear."

His fellow ninja felt their resolve about to break.

"Konoha is not the only one who has lost a valued member of its community. The Hyuuga house has not lost another political head to run them. I... I have..." Neji swallowed hard, shaking his head. "I have lost my cousin. From the day we were children, I have always looked down on Hinata; I always thought she was weak and needed to be protected. Even as we grew and became close, I always saw her as a fragile and condemned to be shielded from the world. It is because of this that I blame myself for her disappearance. If I had acknowledged her abilities—if I had treated her like the strong woman she was—if I had just... If I... She wouldn't have..."

"I've been assigned a solo mission!"

Neji closed his eyes, hot tears rapidly welling. Tenten and Lee were immediately set in action, leading the male away.

The entirety of Konoha looked amongst each other. Murmuring began again; the shinobi were left speechless.

"Please," Shino said, all eyes shooting to him. "Help us find her."

"Why are we acting like someone took her?!" Kiba exploded, pacing around the Hokage's office. "The hell are we even considering that for?!"

Everyone else sat down, faced away from the emotional male. They didn't like the situation any better than he did, but they found it hard to be as skeptical.

"Kiba," Tsunade said, "there is no other way to look at it. Evidence shows-"

"Screw the evidence!" he spat, glaring at her. "There is no way Hinata would let herself be gone this long if someone took her! We just haven't looked hard enough! We need to look-!"

"And how do you suggest we do that?" Shino questioned, staring at the floor. "Your clan's nose can't smell her; my clan's insects can't detect her; her own clan can't see her. How are we supposed to change tactics if we've already used everything we have?"

"So, what?" Kiba stormed over to him, yanking Shino out of his chair so fast it fell over.

"Kiba!" Sakura gasped.

"You just gonna give up on her?" Kiba challenged, staring his teammate in the eye. "For all we know, she could be hurt and waiting for our help, and you wanna stop just 'cause your fucking bugs aren't able to help you?"

"Do not question my loyalties," Shino threatened. "I am rational enough to know what we are doing won't help us save her."

"And I'm sane enough to keep trying! If you all think someone took her, then why are we just sitting here?! Who knows what could be happening to her while we just wait!"

"Calm down." Neji placed his hand on Kiba's wrist. "We will waste even more time blaming each other for our own short comings."

Kiba snorted, roughly releasing his teammate and went back to pacing around the room. Neji and Shino sat back down, waiting for the Hokage to take control of the situation again.

"We have to face facts," Tsunade began, hands folded in front of her face. "Hinata is not capable of covering her tracks in such a precise and intricate way. There would at least be a hint of her chakra if she was able to get half as far." She paused, scanning the faces in front of her. "This was done by another shinobi. As of now, any village is up for questioning, so we must tread very lightly. If she was targeted for her Byakugan, the Cloud Village is a main suspect."

"Are you planning on deploying us to the various villages?" Shikamaru asked, reclined in his chair. "If we suppose their Kages have nothing to do with her disappearance, it'd be pretty bold of us to demand infiltration all because of a hunch."

"That is why I said we must tread very lightly. The fragility of this situation is not only high for the sake of alliances but Hinata as well."

"What makes you so sure she's even alive?"

All eyes shot to Sasuke.

"It's been three months," he said plainly. "The only reason she'd be taken would be for her eyes. There'd be no reason to keep her breathing for this long."

"SHUT UP!" Kiba roared.

Naruto jumped out of his chair, restraining the rabid Inuzuka.

"DON'T SPOUT YOUR BULLSHIT JUST BECAUSE YOU NEVER GAVE A DAMN ABOUT HER!"

"Kiba, calm down!" Naruto begged, struggling with the brunette. "He's only trying to be logical!"

"Don't give me that!" He pulled away from the blond, huffing. "What about you, huh? She asked you to go on that mission with her."

Naruto flinched, frowning.

"But you turned her down," Kiba growled. "You've always turned her down. And for what? Because you can't hop off Sasuke's dick long enough to concern yourself with her? Because that non-existent fucking with Sakura has you too distracted? Don't try to act so concerned now that you're part of the reason why she's gone."

Sasuke scoffed. "With you as a teammate, who wouldn't want to get kidnapped?"

Kiba was about to explode again, but Shino stood.

"Let's go," he said, gesturing to his teammate. "We won't progress like this."

Kiba shook, wanting nothing more than to let out all his emotions on someone, but he backed down, following Shino.

"Hokage-sama," Shino turned to her. "Forgive us, but this setting is not ideal. We will be back for your orders some other time."

Tsunade nodded, more drained than she would let on.

The two began to exit, but Kiba paused, shooting one last look into the room.

"Let's get one thing straight," he said, voice even but fierce. "If we're gonna blame shinobi now, then not even any of you are off limits. If I find out that one of you knows where she is..." He looked over all the faces, lingering on one. "You guys."

Team 10 looked at him.

"With that analytical genius on your side, you can bet you're at the top of the list." His eyes shifted. "And you."

Team Gai looked up, faces ranging from shocked to downright insulted.

"You two seem to follow him around like pawns." He was referring to Lee and Tenten. "If anyone knew how to hide a Hyuuga, it'd be him." His eyes squinted, shifting again.

Team 7.

"And you all just disgust me." He was about to turn, but hesitated, looking back. "What happened to your neck, Uchiha?"

Sasuke didn't spare him a glance. "Ask Sakura."

The pink-haired kunoichi blushed deeply, looking away.

Kiba stared in disbelief. How were they able to...? And with Hinata missing!

He grit his teeth, storming out the room after shooting a string of profanities their way. Shino followed without a word.

That Night

Lee sat on a rooftop, staring down at the village as the night's breeze consumed him. His spirits had been steadily draining no matter how hard he tried to keep his liveliness.

He never noticed just how crucial one single person was until someone was taken away.

When Sasuke disappeared all those years ago, Lee took the change in dynamics as the reasonable response to a threat being placed on the village and a valued ninja. People were tense. There were certain things that should and shouldn't have been said to not cause some bout of depression or guilt. Looking back on it, he now understood Sasuke's presence played a vital role in the flow of their lives.

This was especially true when Naruto went to train for those three years. People were bored. He was the spice in life that kept people on their toes, and he had a habit of making everyone want more even if they swore otherwise. The rambunctious atmosphere was greatly missed because the usual chaos was drastically cut; it was almost a sigh of relief when Konohamaru seemed to pick up the slack. Yes, Naruto's presence was undeniably significant, but things were...different now.

With Hinata...people were shocked—shocked with all the emotions they felt. He could see it every day. There would be some new emotion everyone discovered about themselves as it related to the sweet, quiet girl. There was a longing for her presence even if she hadn't said a word. There was a need for her awkward habits no one realized they enjoyed. There was a deep yearning for her to just...be there.

There was no hope she would return.

There would be no one to take her place.

It was difficult to be around each other and know they were incomplete. There was a nagging annoyance because, somehow, he could feel her—so close—just slightly out of reach—but he couldn't touch her.

Nobody could touch her, but she was so close.

Lee looked to his hands, frowning painfully. She was here, but she wasn't. She was in plain sight, but they couldn't see her. She was right there, and it bothered everyone because, just maybe, they should have paid the slightest bit more attention. There was one aspect of all this that could solve everything, but it was because of that tiniest bit of attention they didn't mind to spare that kept them running around and around.

Tenten sat nose deep in her bathtub, her hair spilling around her, thinking. Analyzing. Wondering.

She didn't want to believe it.

What Kiba said was starting to get to her, but she didn't even want to believe it.

The Hyuugas were the ones hiding Hinata?

That was impossible.

Neji couldn't fake emotions the way he's been doing, but their eyes could see through everything. There was not a ninja capable enough who could blind the Hyuugas, so were they lying? Had they been looking at her this whole time?

It was absurd.

Like Tsunade said, other villages could be involved...but Hinata wasn't weak. No way would she get kidnapped by a stranger. She had to be lured... It had to be someone she knew... Someone she trusted...

And she trusted Neji more and more ever since they were thirteen...

Tenten shook her head fiercely, tears springing to her eyes. Even if the Hyuugas were involved, there was no way Neji was. Neji wouldn't do this. Maybe Hinata was in hiding for some unknown reason, but, until they found anything, Tenten would continue help in any way possible. Neji needed them.

"You two seem to follow him around like pawns."

Tenten sighed, her reflective mood returning.

Kiba didn't understand that his dedication to Hinata was the same as her dedication to Neji.

Neji was in his room, lying on his bed with his eyes closed.

He shouldn't have let her go.

In hindsight, it was so stupid for him to have let her go. Ninja or not, no one should be out by him or herself so early in the morning, but he convinced himself that he couldn't keep hovering over her.

She was independent.

She was trained.

But she was Hinata.

She was too sheltered growing up, so her rate of growth was stunted as it related to her independence—he knew that.

But he let her go.

All because he wanted to please her thrill for adventure, he was consumed with this never-ending worry while she was...gone. But what he will never understand is why she left at four in the morning. Her mission wasn't scheduled for several hours later, so why had she gone? Where did she plan to go? Who could have stopped her? Why did she...?

Neji opened his eyes, hearing a slight thumping sound; he had been hearing it for a while, and it was only now that it was starting to register with him.

He sat motionless for a moment, listening.

It was coming from outside.

He pulled himself out of bed and followed the noise. It led him to the courtyard where he found Hanabi seated, repeatedly jamming a kunai into the wood in a meticulous, contemplative manner. She didn't turn to him or halt her actions. Neji joined her, taking a seat himself. He looked at her, stared for a moment, then looked away.

Despite her fierce glaring, tears flowed freely.

"Hanabi," Neji started, conflicted, "we will-"

"You don't understand," she said curtly. "No, I'm sure you do, but you're choosing to ignore it."

"I'm afraid I don't-"

She turned to him sharply, sheathing her kunai in the wood. "Three months, Neji? Three months and no sign of her? You can't honestly believe you all have found nothing."

"Hinata's chakra cannot be traced. Her presence—her very being—it cannot be found."

"But look at what you have found."

Neji tried to understand her meaning, but he couldn't pull anything from it.

"Neji!" Hanabi shrieked, a failed attempt at a yell. "Her lingering presence stopped near the hospital. There were no other signs of anyone else, yet, we can't find her. Her teammates' clans can't even track her—are you telling me this is not a smack in the face to us? Someone who knows us—who knows her team—deliberately made it impossible for us to find her. There is no one outside the village capable of doing that."

"We don't know that."

"Get real, Neji! Whether you like it or not, one of these people—your so called friends—knows where she is, and they're jerking us around like it's a game! One of them looks us right in the face every day and claims to help us when they have no intention of giving her back!"

Neji looked away, shaking his head as if the image alone would go away. "They wouldn't do that to us. There's no reason-"

Hanabi jumped to her feet, the tears falling faster. "We can't trust them. They're the only ones who know us, and we can't trust them. They took her. They have her. They have my sister!"

Hanabi gasped, hands shooting to her mouth. She was suddenly understood of why she was like this—why this bothered her so greatly. Hinata, her sister, the girl who had loved her unconditionally despite everything, was suddenly gone. She never told Hinata she cared. She never told Hinata she was grateful to have her. She rarely told Hinata any loving words; she never realized one day she couldn't.

Until now, Hanabi had never taken Hinata as someone to hold onto—she just expected her to always be there.

Neji watched his younger cousin rush away, gasps and sobs raking through her body. He looked at the kunai lodged into the wood and the plentiful holes surrounding it.

He didn't know what to do.

He wouldn't allow himself to suspect his friends.

He just couldn't.

"If we're going to blame shinobi now, then not even any of you are off limits."

He groaned, doubling over in phantom pain.

It just wasn't possible.

Choji feared the worst.

He sat on the edge of his bed, staring into darkness, his mind blank.

He had no clue why, but he was sure Hinata was dead.

They were all capable of sensing chakra to some degree, but no one could sense hers. He hadn't wanted to believe it the first two months, but it was three months now, and no one could trace her. It had to be obvious by now: Ninjas don't have the liberty to be gone that long; they weren't regular people. They knew how to take out an attacker. They had techniques that made it hard for them to be taken. Unless something happened to a ninja, they wouldn't be gone this long.

Maybe everyone else was in denial...but he was positive she...

He felt his chest tighten, face scrunching. He didn't want to lose anybody, but Hinata, he came to realize, was the worst possible person to lose to a kidnapping and possible murder.

She hadn't hurt anybody. In almost every way possible, Hinata was innocent. For someone like her to just... It wasn't...

Ino sat in between her parents on their living room sofa, huddled underneath a blanket. She stared blankly at the television screen, the same thought rolling around in her mind.

Hinata was better off dead.

If there was any mercy in the world, Hinata would be dead.

She bit her lip, feeling the stinging of tears again. A few weeks back, Ino used her special jutsu on a few villagers she noticed were wary about the ninjas poking around. She didn't know why she did it in secret—maybe she wanted to be the first person to find good news—but she only knew one thing: Hinata was led away by an unknown male.

In the minds of three people, at two different times in the morning, two figures were seen. One suspiciously looked like Hinata, who waited by the hospital for a few minutes, when an unknown male approached her. They walked away together, and nothing more was seen, but Ino was sure that man took Hinata.

That man was holding her captive.

That man must be doing...awful things to her.

Her throat tightened. Every time she wanted to tell someone what she knew, her throat tightened.

Shikamaru knew he had the answer, but what was stopping him?

Fear?

Because he knew the person behind this was close? Because all it would take for him to figure out who did this was to go over the facts one more time?

Yes, he supposed, it was fear that prevented him. He didn't want to suspect anybody he knew, but he owed his full loyalty to her—a fellow ninja.

He opened the files one last time.

Shino sat in his room, in the center of the bed, and stared at the beetle crawling in front of him. What once aided him in battle and kept him company in life now filled him with dread and a tinge of hatred. His insects were an extension of him—they were supposed to provide comfort when no one or nothing else could. Now, they only taunted him—the constant buzzing a reminder of their inadequacies.

This, he knew, was only his denial talking. It was not his bugs that were the problem. He was not the problem, but he was also not the solution.

He put his hand down, letting the rare Bikōchū Beetle crawl on it.

"Even with this...we cannot find you." Shino grimaced, crushing the insect in his palm. "Where are you?" he hissed. "Where-"

"-ARE YOU?!"

Akamaru whimpered, watching from the edge of the field as Kiba repeatedly punched the wooden post.

"You'll be fine?! You can handle yourself?! Then why are you gone?!" His fists splintered the post, a chunk of it falling off. His anger rose, and he began to rip piece after ragged piece of the wood apart. "You're weak, Hinata! I fucking knew you were! I always knew you were!"

"Kiba!"

"I hate you!"

"Th-that's not funny, Kiba!"

"I hate you!"

"Kiba."

Kiba yelled, falling to his knees. He yelled until his throat went raw—until his body ached—until her face went away. He found himself crying, his bloodied fingers clenched into painful fists. The physical pain wasn't enough to make the emotional one stop.

He needed it to stop.

"You said never, Hinata... You said..." He sobbed, hunching over as his fist pounded out the worst of the pain. "Where are you?! WHERE ARE YOU, HINATA!"

Kiba felt nudging from his side. His head shot up, but he only found Akamaru standing there, ears and tail drooped.

"Akamaru..." Kiba pulled himself to his knees. "It's... It's going to be okay."

Akamaru whined, gently rubbing his nose against Kiba's injured hands.

"I'm... I'm okay." He closed his eyes before the fresh tears could spill over. "I'm okay."

He declined going on a mission with her only because that particular mission didn't interest him. He didn't do it because he didn't want to be alone with her. He wasn't uncomfortable about her crush on him. He wasn't even hoping to spend time with anyone else while she was gone.

He just...didn't want to go.

There was nothing malicious or cowardly behind his decision...but was he wrong? Should he have gone anyway? Would that have stopped her from leaving her house when she did? Would that have changed anything?

There was no way to know, but the possibilities swirled around Naruto's mind.

Was it his fault?

Could he have changed anything?

He groaned, running his hands through his hair. "You're supposed to be the hero..."

Ten thirty every night, go to bed.

Seven every morning, wake up.

Ten thirty every night, go to bed.

Seven every morning, wake up.

Sakura sat in bed, tucked under her covers, and stared at the wall. Her eyes were wide and blank, her mind completely void. She waited, the seconds ticking by.

When the clock struck ten thirty, her mind shut down, eyes closing.

She was asleep before her head could hit the pillow.

Sasuke walked down the street with a plastic bag in hand. He wondered...what made the people in this village care so much about those they claimed as their own. Maybe he was the one with the skewed way of thinking, but they fought almost too hard to retrieve anyone from the village. When he left, he honestly didn't expect them to come after him as extensively as they did.

He wanted to go.

Maybe Hinata wanted to go.

Why was that so hard to accept?

Still...it made him wonder.

"There is no way Hinata would let herself be gone this long if someone took her!"

"...she could be hurt and waiting for our help..."

"This was done by another shinobi."

"DON'T SPOUT YOUR BULLSHIT JUST BECAUSE YOU NEVER GAVE A DAMN ABOUT HER!"

"Hn." Sasuke shook his head.

He walked to the Nakano Shrine. It was still in ruins, and he doubted anyone was in a big hurry to fix it. Then again, maybe that was for the best, because they would eventually call on him to help, and he had no desire to do that much.

With his Sharingan, he opened the secret hide-away and descended down the steps. The Uchiha took it upon himself to make the shrine his personal getaway about six months ago. The first three months were spent modifying the place a bit.

He walked into the spacious room and stopped, looking around. The only things he put in here were a futon and a mini fridge; he didn't spend much of his time here. He walked over to the left most wall, bit his thumb, and pressed his hand against it.

"Open."

The wall groaned and creaked before separating, revealing a pathway. He began to walk down it, darkness surrounding him as the wall closed.

He needed to relax.

Hinata left the Hyuuga compound quickly. Running into Neji had almost exposed everything, but she should have known things would run smoothly.

Neji was a good guy.

When she arrived at the hospital, the man was nowhere to be seen. Hinata panicked, ready to use her Byakugan.

"Miss. Kunoichi?"

She looked ahead to find the slim, dark haired man timidly making his way towards her. She smiled, waving politely. "Are you alright?"

"I am." He nodded nervously and scanned the area once he was in front of her. "I...I don't know if coming to you was a good idea."

"It's okay," Hinata assured. "I want to help."

He smiled weakly, relieved but still wary. "He said...I should meet him outside the gates."

"Okay," she nodded, confident. "Let's go."

"W-wait!" He pulled out a small spray bottle from his pocket. "Please, wear this."

"Um...what is it?"

He smiled sheepishly. "My family specializes in good luck charms. This spray...is supposed to protect us from harm. Uh...you don't mind, do you?"

Though she found it to be a tad childish, she agreed and allowed him to spray them with this so called good luck charm.

"I can't thank you enough," he said, on the verge of tears.

Hinata shook her head. "If someone I know is terrorizing you and your family, it is my duty to help."

o0o0o

"This isn't right," he said, pacing back and forth. "Maybe he knows I called you."

"It'll be alright. I promise." Hinata looked around them. They arrived outside the gates fifteen minutes ago, but no one had shown up yet. Was it possible they had been found out? Maybe this unidentified ninja was waiting close by...

She activated her Byakugan and searched the area. She hesitated, looking at the man in front of her. "Kota," she said cautiously, advancing on him.

He looked up but jolted when he saw her eyes. "Wh-what is it? What's wrong?"

Hinata placed her hand on his forehead, swallowing nervously. "Release."

The man's brown eyes became wide, clearing. He blinked, looking around. "Um..." He looked at Hinata, noticing her hitai-ate. "Am I...in trouble?"

"Do you remember why we're here?"

"Um...? I don't...really remember anything."

Hinata looked around again, urging the man to walk. "We have to get out of here."

"Oh... Okay."

This was a trap. For who, she didn't know, but it definitely wasn't safe here.

She spun around, noticing a figure advancing quickly.

"Get down!" Hinata pushed the man right before she was hit with inhuman force.

o0o0o

Hinata awoke with blurred vision and a pounding head. She tried to blink away the grogginess, but she was aware of other pains. Her mouth was forced open with a cloth forcefully tied around it; her arms were raised above her head and chained in between metal poles. She looked around, pulling against her chains and trying to make sense of things.

"Hinata."

Her head snapped to the side.

"Hi."

And a needle was jammed into her arm.

o0o0o

She tried to scream. She strained against her chains; she tried to fight with what little chakra she had, but it wouldn't stop.

He wouldn't stop.

"I've got you," he grunted, repeatedly forcing himself into her. "I've finally got you."

Even when it was done—when he left her naked, bruised body in the dark—when the months dragged by—Hinata couldn't forget that pain.

o0o0o

Somewhere in Konoha, there held a cemented room where a dim light had just been turned on.

In the middle of the cemented room, a king sized bed was positioned.

Chained to the bed, in black lingerie and gagged by cloth, was Hinata Hyuuga.

An IV needle was hooked into one of her raised arms as the steady drips brought nutrients to her body.

At some point, she refused to eat.

She looked towards the entrance, dark circles under dead, white eyes. She turned away, becoming unresponsive.

Like clockwork, he was back, looming in the doorway like the monster she knew him to be—like they had warned her he was.

Uchiha Sasuke.

He walked to the bed, tossing a bag down, and took a seat next to her. "You don't want to go back, do you?"

She said nothing. Her eyes were empty, her breathing shallow, and she said nothing.

"You want to stay with me, right?"

Nothing.

"Because I'm the only one who gets you, right?"

Even as Sasuke's hand began to run up her thigh, Hinata said nothing. She stopped fighting. He had drained her chakra long ago—had done horrible things to her in her weakened state—and crying, screaming, resisting wouldn't free her. She couldn't save herself. No one would save her.

So, she waited to die.

"They're giving up on you," Sasuke said, wiping a tear from her eye. "But I'm here for you." He bent down, placing a kiss on her pale stomach.

She didn't flinch.

She didn't cringe.

"Did your jaw stop hurting?" He reached into the bag and pulled out a pint of vanilla ice cream. He frowned at it. "You used to eat this crap when it was hot out."

No response.

He shrugged, setting it aside. He reached a hand out to her, alternating between caressing her face and stroking her hair. "What do you want to do today?"

Silence.

"I thought about giving you a break."

Silence.

He gestured to the television in front of the bed. "We could watch a movie."

Silence.

"Or we could just call it a day."

Hesitation.

"Or," his hand trailed down her breasts, earning a weak recoil, "we don't have to take a break today."

Hinata's stomach convulsed, heaving and gagging violently shaking her body. Sasuke sighed. He stood and walked over to the other side of the bed. He uncuffed her purple hands, removed the cloth from her mouth, and tilted her over the waste basket, holding her hair back, as she began to vomit. Most of it was dry heaves.

"This again?" he muttered.

Hinata began to sob as her emptied stomach continued to force up nothing. "I-I'm sick," she cried, her voice incredibly hoarse and her throat raw. "I...I need to see a doctor. I need to go ho-"

Sasuke yanked her head back, his stare blank though his Sharingan was blaring. "You're fine." His eyes trailed to her stomach; the faint channels of her chakra were blocked near her abdomen. "You're just pregnant again. Sakura will take care of it in the morning."

Hinata's stomach heaved once more, her head painful with all the force.

Sasuke rubbed her back, waiting for this to pass. She was crying again, in pain, but that, too, would pass. Hinata tried to crawl away from him, but her darkened hands couldn't support her weight, so she fell to the bed, huffing.

"Why is she helping you...? Why... Why would..."

Sasuke deactivated his Sharingan, smirking. "I can be very persuasive."

Hinata rolled in an attempt to distance herself, but Sasuke rolled her back, looking down at her. "I'm...I'm very sick... My bo... My body always hurts... I-"

"You're fine."

"I need...to go...h...h..." Hinata went limp, her head lolling to the side.

"Fainted?" Sasuke tapped her cheeks. "Tck." His eyes trailed over her body. He kept her in shape. Despite some yellowing, bruises, and fatigue, he's taken good care of her.

And, at this rate...

He smiled, stripping her of what little clothing she wore. "I'll always take care of you."

End