- - - - -

Hinata would have screamed; she would have raised her voice as high as she could, if she could but recall the motion and the meaning behind it. Hinata stilled for a moment horrified at the events that occurred. After a moment her throat unclenched and she allowed herself to inhale and exhale.

The pain made her wince, and she stiffly turned her head to cough the blackened remains of ash in her throat roughly into the fabric beneath her head (who's she didn't know, suffice to say that it was there and warm and smelled of funeral pyres and camellia.) The smell brought forth a burst of remembrance, something brief and glowing brightly from behind her eyes, and her arms and throbbing legs tense against her in recalled pain. There are flames; there is fire, and the sensation of being crushed and suffocated crept up her senses.

Hinata quickly blinked open opal eyes, still pallid but watery and hazed instead of clear. There was still the shadow of smoke in them, turning her eyes red. All she saw was dark, an impenetrable veil that kept her surroundings a mystery. For a moment she laid there, and after another tentative look at the darkness she reached out grasped at shadow. She found that she could push against it, and with what hope she had, she moved it to the side until at last she can see the dance of firelight outside. She shuddered for a moment thinking that perhaps she was dead, until the freshness of the air hit her mouth and nose.

She sighed, feeling the wonderful breeze on her face.

"For a little thing, she sure is noisy," says a gruff voice, and Hinata jumped slightly with terror when she realized that it is the harsh voice of someone she had never met before. She is not in a very safe place, Hinata knows, but she figures anything is better than under the smoking wreckage of an explosion.

"For this particular girl, she has been very quiet." Hinata listened intently as that smooth voice poured over her like water, but it was icy and not at all comforting. There was no warmth in the red eyes that gazed at her from across the camp through the hole she had made for herself.

Itachi Uchiha

Hinata hastily dropped the curtain and with difficulty inched to the edge of the tent, putting as much distance between her and him as she could. So many questions ran through her mind. She didn't know why she wasn't dead or who the other man was or where she was.

So many unasked and unanswered questions…incredible.

There was a long silence outside of her self-contained shelter, but Hinata didn't relax or breathe easier. She could feel his stare through the curtain. There was no wicked intent behind them, only a penetrating presence that made her inch away farther. She awkwardly turned away from them, and closed her eyes tightly wondering if her family even cared that she was missing. Hinata felt the face burn with shame at being proven weak and inefficient yet again. As she let her eyes shut again she wondered if she had screamed in her sleep.

- - - - -

The flames were back again, and that horrible gasping noise was back, reverberating from her head to her stomach. The shadow stalked closer to Hinata, and she could see the silhouette of the crimson clouds they favored, dancing in the heated air. The shadow stepped almost silently next to her, stirring up ashes and dust around their feet. Hinata watched as one white arm reached toward her and a cool finger was pressed to her throat, and for a moment Hinata felt overjoyed to know she was feeling and alive.

Even then, Hinata felt her legs throbbing in pain, building the nausea in her stomach to overwhelming levels. She refused to look down at her legs because she didn't need to know what they are made of because she can -see- it, ripped to shreds under splinters and rock.

"Is she alive?" asked a second shadow, now standing closely by the other, a taller one, eyes rounded and slits at the cheeks, a shark by temperament and appearance. Hinata shied away looking at the second one, he looked dangerous and frightening.

"Hm," said the first shadow in a noncommittal tone, nodding at his partner and giving the surrounding buildings a sharp sweeping glance. Hinata shifted when she felt the hand that had been feeling for a pulse pull up and slip over her eyelids, closing them. She drew back as one errant hand rubbed through her hair, moving the ashes out of it and soothing her as a genjutsu invades her conscience and numbs the pain.

- - - - -

Anfang

- - - - -

Sitting straight up, Hinata took a breath, and it sounded so haunted and pained she grimaced. Without any warning glowing red eyes were beside her, holding her firmly around the wrists, and glaring so intently Hinata wanted to curl into a ball and disappear.

The red sharingan eyes did not waver and Hinata felt a calm feeling spread through her. Its hypnotism, like magic, she thought, just like they do in the hospital when someone's critically injured.

"Are you able to hear me?" Itachi said, slowly and smoothly. Hinata almost forgot to respond, she was so intent on the dulcet sound.

"Y-yes" she says in a discordant voice, and she could feel her vocal chords scream at her for ever daring to draw breath. She had screamed them raw and now they feel the need to return the favor.

"Do you know what's happened?" He says in the same tone again, ignoring the grimace on her face. One of his hand strayed to lift and look under the blanket, and Hinata briefly felt cold against her still bleeding legs, the bandages nearly useless. Her pants were utterly tattered, and she couldn't stop the red burn of embarrassment staining her face.

Hinata nodded slowly (how could she not know?) and prepared to say more, but Itachi was gone and left Hinata wrists limp on her sides, cold and a little tingly from the rush of blood. The blanket had been drawn back up over her chest again and the red eyes of the sharingan gazed at her again from across the camp, lulling her to drowsiness. A cold chill ran down her back as she wondered if they will merely let her bleed to death, letting the ground soak her up like bitter rain.

For a moment Hinata didn't really mind the thought because the other alternative was going back home to face all the shame she had undoubtedly caused her clan yet again. That and she couldn't stand the red gaze of Uchiha Itachi a moment longer. A lump formed in her throat and a familiar burning sensation stung her eyes as tears swelled up.

- - - - -

Third time's the charm, Hinata recalled, as she regained consciousness, though this time waking was tinged with pain and nausea, and many white bandages. She noticed that she's not covered in a blanket this time, or close to a fire pit to keep her warm, instead she is laid out on a white sheet with surgical equipment surrounding her, with simple things like rubbing alcohol and compounds that she guesses are supposed to make her feel better.

She hoped that one of them can do that. (Everything else seems to fail.)

Without warning, cool hands are on her face, feeling her slick forehead for fever. They are gentle and soothing and Hinata couldn't recall when someone had ever touched her so kindly.

Pain shot up through her legs and hit her in the chest in a chain reaction and she winced harshly against it as her mind seized away from it. The hand was still on her face, firmly gripping each side of her face, daring her to turn away. But now instead of just the sterile ceiling, she can (but wishes not to) look up into the face of Uchiha Itachi. The sharingan eyes are not on this time, and she knows that this time she will not be made to go to sleep again. The harshness around Itachi's eyes are gone, leaving what Hinata thinks is a beautiful face that is pale and attractive.

"It is unfortunate that you would wake at this time." says Itachi, lips barely moving and voice almost a whisper.

"I-it hurts," Hinata said with shame that always seemed to haunt her throughout her life.

Itachi nods, "It was very foolish of you to have been out so late, especially somewhere so far from home. Your navigational skills are very poor."

"Did you know why you're here?"

"N-no."

"Do you know who I am?"

"Y-yes."

"Well, then why do you think you're here, Hyuuga?"

"I-I don't know."

Itachi sighed, in what must have once been a show of amusement or incredulity, but is now only a skeleton of the feeling. Itachi swiftly moved to gather up more bandages, working with efficient movement, no energy wasted.

"Your legs are burnt and your bones are crushed, and it appears that you're not healing very quickly. We've done the best we can, but until we get to our destination, this is all we can do.

Hinata shifted slightly feeling panic rise in her chest and glanced down at her bleeding legs with a grimace. She resisted the urge to hitch her legs up to her chest.

"I-I don't understand, am I-I going home?"

"No."

"Why--?"

"Complications" Itachi replied simply.

"L-like w-what?," she asked quietly, her voice hushed and more strained than she thought possible, and was like she had not even spoken at all, because Itachi made no indication of having heard her.

Ashamed for a moment she pushed herself until Itachi came back around to her face, his cool hands smoothing over her pale cheeks as though admiring the colorless skin, a mere ghost of a touch. Hinata almost recoiled from the cold touch, not wanting it anymore.

Itachi must have sensed her hesitation, because he quickly pulled his hand back.

"Perhaps you're smarter than you seem," Itachi says softly, putting medical supplies away.

"I-I just want to go home."

Itachi looked her over lazily, and Hinata imagined how she must have looked in the little room, laying down like a corpse that just happened to still be warm, with her face and limbs covered in bruises and cuts, little burns peppering her in what must have once been larger cuts.

"Then you are not smart, but a fool."

Itachi finished up, leaving with a harsh glare, not the placid expression he wore mere seconds ago. Hinata wondered what might have caused this change in the Uchiha. She contemplated his words closely; she had always been 'just there' when she was in the Hyuuga compound. She was the afterthought of the house. No one cared about her anymore. No one really looked at her.

She was the disgrace.

Still she wanted to go home.

- - - - -

Anomalous chapter but I do have my reasons... not that I can tell you what they are yet... Is the suspense killing you? Didn't think so. Well, now that this is done and out of the way, I'm going outside to dance around in the rain, again.

OK you've read the chapter; now just tell me what you think.