Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Song of the Mist ❯ The Cave ( Chapter 5 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Hinata's face was grim as yet another drop of water blotted on her scrangled head of hair. How long had she been in there? Time wasn't very relevant since her kidnapping, but now she was completely oblivious about the long hours she had spent in captivity there. So many things roamed throughout her mind before now, but her mind went almost completely blank now. All hopes of being rescued were now quickly drifting away from her heart, leaving her in the disparity of the room's darkness. She never knew just how well she had it in life before. Even with a clan who didn't put much faith into her as a shinobi, she prospered amongst them with a content heart. Never before did she fell so lonely in her life as she did in those hours. She even would have preferred having one of the Akatsuki keep watch on her than to leave her like this. She doubted that anyone was around, for it everything seemed dead around her. The silence of the room made the sound of her heart beat louder than any foot step, or movement of any kind that might have came near to her ears. Not until the girl heard a voice, did she stir from her position.

“What a poor thing, I almost pity the girl.” A voice said as Hinata's ears opened to the sound of foot steps from the other side of the door. “That room has no lights, am I right, un?” Hinata then leaned back against the wall a bit more and she glanced down at the disrupted light that came into the room from under the bolted door. Where these more Akatsuki members? Would they come into the room? So many questions ran threw her mind as her heart began to race at a fast speed. Perhaps they would take her to another place, and she would have to travel with yet another one of these criminals that she held no match against.

“I heard that's the one Kisame took a fancy to! She is, isn't she Sempai?” Another voice announced. A loud sigh was then released from the other whose footsteps told that he was heading away from the door.

“That shark head, take a fancy to anyone?” The first man replied with a scoff as he stopped in his steps. “Seriously, could they possibly partner me with someone who is any dumber?” Hinata thought vigorously as she twiddled her thumbs together like she always did when she was nervous. The two men continued on with their conversation that soon raised to and fro the first man's voice many times threw it. One of the Akatsuki suggested they give her something to eat. Then, the other argued that the other members would there after throw the responsibility of feeding her on them, and went on to say that it was Kisame's responsibility to feed her. They argued on about what they should do, until someone else shouted from a ways off.

“I guess they've been told to do something; it sounds like they're leaving in another direction then the one I heard the leading one go in before.”Hinata thought as she sank to the ground once again. A few moments later, she heard something being removed from the door that crept slowly open a second later. Hinata then saw that the same women from before, was standing before her. In her right hand was a torch and in the other was a bowl of food. The girl suddenly found that her hands were trembling out of the lack of energy she longed to regain.

“Eat it,” the women demanded after shoving the bowl into the girl's hands. As Hinata's eyes were trying to adjust to the light Konan had brought and quickly stolen from the room, she dropped her gaze to the food.

For a moment, she wondered why the woman hadn't given her the torch, but it vanished when she placed a ball of sticky rice into her dry mouth. She then quickly picked up the fresh cooked fish, hoping to get some sort of hydration from its moist meat to get the rice residue that choked her to go down. Her expression of delight then dropped into grief as she realized that she wouldn't be able to eat the rest of the food, not without water. The thought then occurred to her. Would the bathroom behind the shelf have running water? Surely the woman wouldn't suggest her to use it if they'd have to clean up after her.

Hinata then stood to her feet and felt her way over to the other side of the room. The girl then peered where the slightest bit of light shown through which revealed the barely visible bathroom door. Seeing the light, Hinata began to work away at the shelves blocking her way. As she was doing her work, she had to wonder whey they put a light in the bathroom, and not in the potential storage room? With all the might left in her, she pushed the heavy wooden shelf just enough to let her into the back room. She soon found that the light did not come from a torch in the bathroom. In fact, when she walked inside, she found that the light had been coming from a room on the other side of the wall there. She could see clearly now that there was a large crack in the wall that gave her enough room to gaze down upon anyone and anything in that room.

“I wonder how long this hole has been here. Did the Akatsuki even notice it?” She thought as she peered down into the large lair. Suddenly, out of the darkness of the room, she saw two Akatsuki members enter the room as they were heading to their destination. One was a blonde haired man, who had a dull look on his face as another who wore an orange mask followed behind him.

“C'mon Sempai, do we really need to go after Uchiha Sasuke? I'm sure Itachi-San will be angry.” He asked in a playful tone. Recognizing the person's voice and the person he was speaking of Hinata's mind was filled with a confused interest of the conversation.

“We're going, Tobi. As I said before, I have business with that Uchiha. He stole me the honor that was rightfully mine! Now it's my turn to return the favor. None of the others opposed this, so we're doing it! Even if they didn't I still would! I'm going with or without you.” The blonde man then continued to walk away as the other stood there confused for a moment before catching up with him. The room was then laid in silence once more. It was then that Hinata remembered what she needed, and turned to the musty old sink. Alas, when she turned the stubborn handle, water jolted out every few seconds. Without any delay, she bent her head over the faucet and tried drinking the water. Coughing, she whipped her mouth with her sleeve as she tried ignoring the terrible taste of the dirty water. Her once quenched mouth became dry again quickly, and when she bent her head to drink more of the liquid, she found that none came.

Leaning her back against the cold tiled wall, she slid down to the floor as she placed her face in her hands. Was there any hope at all for her? Surely they wouldn't kill her after such trouble to get her here. Hinata still didn't even know why she was there in the first place. Besides wanting to trade her for something, she couldn't see what she could be wanted for. For weeks this question stayed like a stain in her mind, and there was nothing to content it with. Coughing once more as the dust started to settle again in the room, she closed her eyes tiredly. Was there no end to this?

~*~

Days had passed since Hinata had finished the meal that was given to her. As her stomach growled loudly at her, she looked dully at the light that barley shunned under her doorway. There had been no noticeable activity going on anywhere that she could tell. The last time she saw something different then the same darkness of that musty room, was when she saw that someone was standing outside of her door. Whoever it was stood there for quite some time, but soon left without saying a single word. As the girl slowly opened and closed her eyes softly, she pricked up to the sound of voices. Hinata then stood to her feet and wobbled over to the crack in the bathroom wall. As she excitedly looked over the room, she saw an Akatsuki member she hadn't seen before talk to the woman and the blonde haired man with the many piercings. As she listened in on them, she became dumbfounded. It seemed as if the two men were talking to the Konochi as if they were one person. As she looked closer at the two of them, she noticed that the orange haired one had the same piercings as the other did. Every second of the conversations she over heard made her more and more confused about the Akatsuki. The question of `who they are' and `what do they want with Naruto” turned into “what are they?” Her attention was soon fully and completely on their conversation as she heard them speak the name of Asuma.

“…After fighting against him, Kakuzu and Hidan never returned. The Nine-tails and the leaf village are getting to strong, Pain.” The woman stated.

“They will be finished off soon enough. I will take the Junchuuriki if need be myself. As our numbers fall, I am still here to carry out the plans Konan.” The orange haired man said. The other man continued the conversation saying, “Their numbers are shrinking as well. Now that Asuma of the twelve shinobi guardsmen is dead, what keeps the others from dying as well?”

The girl then froze as her heartbeat rose. She couldn't bear to listen to one more word of their conversation after hearing what she just heard. Asuma-Sensei dead, could that be possible? Tears then welled up in Hinata's eyes as she mourned for the man her beloved teacher fell in love with and was caring the child of. Just how much had happened when she was away? How many terrible things have happened that she could have, perhaps, stopped? The feeling of being worthless and weak rushed over her body like it did years before. How could this be happening? There she was complaining about people not rescuing her, while someone important to many had died. Worst of it, her disappearance would just cause Kurenai-Sensei even more grieve than she would already have. As she stumbled out of the compressed room, she tried steadying herself on the wall. As her hands shook violently, she fell to her knees as her tears swelled her eyes.

“Why are all these things happening to me?” She whispered under her breathe as she sunk sorrowfully to the floor's surface.