Memories in the Water
Sakura
“His ribs were mended by Shizune. He’s still in the hospital, but he’s in stable condition, so don’t worry,” Shikamaru says.
Sakura wants to snap at him. She’ll decide if she should worry or not. But she doesn’t. Instead, she just gives Shikamaru a half smile.
“Okay. Well, is there any way I could talk to him?” She requests, already knowing the answer.
“No, I’m pretty sure he’s sleeping. And even if he wasn’t, you should stay focused, Sakura,” he lectures.
She rolls her eyes but doesn’t press him for more information on Neji.
Soon, the echo of his voice in her head fades and she knows Shikamaru is gone.
Naruto shakes her shoulder insistently, and Sakura’s eyes roll from the force.
“What is it? What’d he say? What’s happening?” Naruto insists. She rips her arm away and gives him a warning look. He gets the hint and steps back, trying to calm his nerves.
“The other villages want to take action against the moon. But Kakashi and Gaara are convincing them not to.”
“Take action against the moon?” asks Sai as he leans up against an old post of the village they just got done searching.
“Like…blowing it up. Either way, we need to hurry.”
Almost on cue, Hinata and Sasuke touch down and join them on the ruins of an old city. Sakura rushes forward and throws her arms around Hinata.
“What took you guys so long? I thought something had happened!” She exclaims as she rests her cheek against Hinata’s shoulder.
“We saw something from the air and stopped. It was Hanabi’s kunai. Whatever trail we’re on, it’s taking us somewhere.” Hinata gives Sakura’s arm a reassuring squeeze and pulls away from her.
“You actually thought I’d let something happen to her?” Sasuke asks with a frown. He then scoffs and shakes his head, as if Sakura’s worry was too ridiculous to believe.
She narrows her eyes, steps in front of Hinata, and squares off with Sasuke.
“Listen, Uchiha. Nobody is better suited to protect Hinata than you, I get that. But please cut the whole attitude. We all are here because we care. Not just you. So let me worry without being a dick about it.”
Sasuke crosses his arms but doesn’t respond. Sakura takes that as a good sign and turns away from him. She wishes Neji were here to give him sass. The only person that can compete with Sasuke’s attitude is him.
Hinata looks as if she wants to talk, but before she can, the veins crawl across her eyes and she looks around the room.
“There’s something else here…” she says quietly. “Water. Underneath our feet.”
“Sakura? What should we do? Is it worth checking out?” Naruto asks her as he tugs on the bag of her shirt.
Sakura’s still not used to being the team leader. Usually, it’s Neji. or Shikamaru. Or literally anyone else. But Kakashi entrusted her. The Hyuga are depending on her. And she cannot let them down.
“Right now, anything is worth checking out. Let’s go see if we can find some…” she debates on what word to use, “clues or something.”
After dismissing their summons and climbing down to where Hinata instructs them to go, they find a strange cave. They all walk in cautiously. Sakura immediately falls in step with Hinata and grabs her hand tightly within her own. Hinata nudges her shoulder gratefully and they share grim smiles.
They get close to the water and Sai scoops some up into his hand. It falls from his fingers, almost as if it was never wet at all.
“There’s something on the other side,” Hinata informs them as her eyes peer through the water. “But I can’t make out exactly what it is.”
“See you all on the other side!” Naruto exclaims as he cannonballs into the water. The rest of the team follows and they begin to swim. Then, quicker than Sakura would’ve ever guessed, her allies just…stop moving. Soon, Sakura is left alone in the murky water with the responsibility to save everyone dropped onto her shoulders.
Hinata
Hinata sees a source of light in front of her and she pumps her legs faster in order to reach it. But when she breaks through the surface, she falls into a new scene.
She’s back in Konoha at the Hyuga compound. A young version of Sasuke and herself stand in front of her. They both wear their formal attire with the sigil of their clans on their back. Hinata remembers this day. It was a joint meeting of the four noble clans.
Little Hinata grips her father’s robe with one hand as he addresses Lord Uchiha. Their words are blurred in the memory, and instead, she hones in on little Sasuke. He watches little Hinata with crinkled eyes and a smile. Eventually, he sneaks past his father and gives Hinata’s shoulder a tap. Little Hinata’s face grows red and she turns to him in surprise.
“We’re going to be in the same class when we’re older.” Little Sasuke says. Hinata watches herself give him a nervous nod. “Maybe…we’ll be friends!” Hinata’s lip quivers as Itachi Uchiha comes over and picks up his younger brother, returning him to his father’s side. Why did this memory leave her? It’s so pure, so peaceful.
The memory distorts and changes. Suddenly, she’s in the familiar training grounds next to her meadow. Genin Sasuke helps a tired genin Hinata to her feet after being the one to knock her down in a spar. Then, he reaches over and unstraps her weapon's pouch. Genin Hinata watches him again with another wide-eyed look as his nimble fingers quickly dump the weapons out and tuck them back in neatly.
“I know you get nervous, so I rearranged your shuriken and kunai pouch to not prick your fingers when you reach for them. Here.” He says as he hands young Hinata her weapons. Genin Hinata bows gratefully and attaches them back to her thigh. “You’re already strong. You just need to believe in yourself a little more.” Genin Sasuke’s voice sounds bored, but his words are supportive.
“I get my strength from you and N-Naruto-kun,” genin Hinata responds. Sasuke rolls his eyes, but the tiniest flush appears on his cheeks. Hinata watches them interact with her hands clutched against her heart. This memory was one she used to live in during Sasuke’s absence. To see it in front of her so clearly was almost too much.
“Come on. I’ll walk you home.” Sasuke says. The two begin to walk away and Hinata is desperate to follow. Maybe she can convince Sasuke to stay! Maybe she can stop him from leaving! But her feet don’t take her towards the genin. Instead, they lead her to the hospital bed she recovered in after her chunin exam match.
Sasuke sits next to her, his head resting on his hands as he watches her sleep protectively. The sun rises and sets, but still, Sasuke watches. Kakashi and Naruto visit occasionally, but Sasuke barely leaves her side. Even Hinata’s own father remains absent in the changing days. She never knew that he was with her that whole time.
The setting changes again, and she finds herself in a dark and chilly room. This is no longer her own memory.
A teenage Sasuke lays on an uncomfortable-looking bed with his back facing her. She immediately recognizes it as one of Orochimaru’s many hideouts. Hinata can hear him muttering in his sleep and she draws closer. She raises a shaky hand to wake him but suddenly stops at the sound of his voice.
“Hinata,” he whispers. She draws her hand back in shock. Sasuke’s own hand reaches out in his sleep as if he means to grab something. “No!” His voice grows louder and he shoots awake, his Sharingan activated. His eyes land on hers and he opens his mouth in surprise. But before she can reassure him, the vision drips away like fading water and Hinata is left in the dark. That wasn’t her memory, it was Sasuke’s. When he was gone all those years…he dreamed of her? She squeezes her eyes shut and buries her face into her hands. What’s going on?
A new noise fills her ears and she opens her eyes to see the Sasuke she knows now sitting at a desk. He scribbles something onto a paper, sighs, and crumbles it up. He throws it onto a large pile of already destroyed letters. Then, he begins writing again.
Tears begin to leak from Hinata’s eyes and they float around her. All this time, all their letters and memories and she was too clueless to know. Sasuke must love her…right? Her heart beats loudly in her chest and Hinata begins to realize that his feelings for her are reciprocated. She runs her hand across the bead on her wrist with a smile. All this time, the person she was meant to love has been right in front of her.
“Hinata!” A familiar, warm voice calls. Hinata leans into the sound, knowing that wherever it’s coming from may lead to home. Sasuke turns from his desk and immediately morphs into a beautiful Sakura. “Hinata, wake up! It’s a dream!”
Hinata’s eyes snap open to see Sakura over her. She whips her head from side to side to see that everyone else is there as well. Sai and Naruto have their heads close to hers in worry, while Sasuke stands near her feet, eyeing her with a strange look on his face.
“W-what?” She asks weakly as she takes in her team.
“These are genjutsu traps. They send you into a world full of memories which are meant to immobilize you,” Naruto explains. “Good thing Sakura is here. She’s impervious to genjutsu. Even Sasuke fell victim,” he says teasingly.
“I was having a nice dream of my brother,” Sai says as he leans back on his heels.
“Mine was about Ino,” Naruto says moonily. Sakura offers Hinata a hand and helps her stand. Hinata immediately pulls Sakura into a hug, whispering her thanks. Then, without wanting to waste any more time, the team begins to move.
Sasuke travels behind everyone else, his eyes trained on Hinata. He did fall victim to the genjutsu. But part of him didn’t mind. Sasuke got to see his brother again as memories of the two at clan meetings resurfaced. He was also shown memories of Hinata that his mind had pushed away during his quest to sever their ties. He always thought that she only cared about Naruto. But his memories reminded him that was untrue. It’s always been untrue.
The team comes to rest on a rocky platform in between sections of the consistent pools. Hinata informs them all that her Byakugan still can’t see a thing.
Sakura warns them all to prepare to fight. She, Sai, and Naruto all dive in without a second thought. But Sasuke hangs back for a moment.
“Hinata,” he says as he steps towards her. The name sounds so beautiful as it rolls off his tongue. He wants to say it again, but she turns to look at him. “I—” Sasuke stops himself. Her usual determined eyes have been clouded with something else. Sadness? She must miss her sister. He needs to focus. “See you on the other side.” And then, he jumps into the water.
Hinata watches him with a sigh and then prepares to follow. She readies her body to jump, but another person calls her name. The voice is hauntingly familiar, and she turns around quickly, sending an Air Palm towards Toneri. He moves aside without looking and smiles. “I said I’d come for you. But it appears you were the one who decided to seek me out. I’m flattered.”
“Where’s my sister?” Hinata snarls.
“She’s safe,” Toneri says as he draws closer.
“Give her back," she demands.
He shrugs and smirks as if she was making a silly suggestion. "I will. But not for free. I propose a trade. Her for you. I want to marry you, Hinata."
She almost lowers her palm in shock. Marry him?! The enemy that stole her sister and attacked her home? The man responsible for the potential destruction of the earth? The one who hurt her dear cousin Neji and threatened the other shinobi of her clan?
Toneri begins to tell of his long history. He explains that he’s a descendant of Hamura, the brother of the Sage of the Six Paths. His clan’s mission was to watch the world of the shinobi from the moon and try to maintain order. But after the recent war, he’s noticed that the world may never truly be at peace. Hinata narrows his eyes as she realizes his true intention. She knew before that he was the one bringing the moon closer to the earth. But if he goes unchallenged, Toneri will kill them all. Her family, her village, her world.
Toneri shows her a vision of her sister and Hinata lets out a small whimper at the sight. She looks so fragile in the large bed she lays in. Her eyes remained unscathed, but Hinata knows it's only a matter of time. If she denies Toneri, he'll take them.
“You’re lying. I want to see my physical sister. Now.”
“If you accept my proposal, I’ll take you to her,” he offers gently. Hinata hesitates. It would be a risk, but it would take her straight to Hanabi. Would she be able to pull off the mission on her own? But Hinata knows she must try. For Hanabi. She can't abandon her sister.
Her answer is obvious, but still, she doesn’t get to answer. Instead, Sasuke reemerges from the water and jumps in front of her, his Sharingan glowing and his Rinnegan exposed.
“Stay away from her,” he warns as he places a hand against her arm protectively.
“You again, huh? The Last Uchiha, returning home to the village that fears him.” Toneri clicks his tongue. “Move.”
Sasuke does move. He rushes towards Toneri with his blade, but the white ninja quickly dodges and retreats. Sasuke pursues him, evaluating his movement with his Sharingan. Hinata grits her teeth and follows, determined to help Sasuke and find her sister. Sasuke charges at him from one side, and Hinata takes the other, aiming her palm for his arm. She’ll take away his ability to use chakra and take him captive. That way, he can lead them to Hanabi. But Toneri moves away from Hinata with a gentle smile. He admires her strength and beauty. And he would not dare strike his Byakugan Princess. Sasuke steps in with his sword, cutting off Toneri’s retreat. The two work as a team to corner him. But when Sasuke goes to slice the enemy with his sword, Toneri crumbles.
“A puppet,” Hinata says.
“Next time I come for you, it’ll be the real me,” the puppet’s voice says. Sasuke slams his sword down into the head of the puppet and turns to Hinata. She’s uninjured and okay. He sighs in relief.
“What did he say to you? What answer?” Sasuke asks with concern. Hinata turns away from him in shame.
“Nothing. It doesn’t matter. Let’s keep moving.” She begins to walk away but stops before diving into the pool. “Thanks for coming back, Sasuke.”
“I always will, Hinata.”