#n shinos going up against stitches :(((

[honeysunisle]

ok i finally decided to check how my villagers are doing in the popularity poll n only lucky n shino remain </3

[oneyanderegirl]

Your Voice Lingered in These Empty Halls

Genre: One-shot, Angst, Hurt/Comfort Rating: T Sasuhina Month 2020 Theme: Day 2 (Your Voice Lingered in These Empty Halls) 

A/N: Got behind because of work, but here it is! This turned out longer than I thought. Some warnings: mentions of death. 

@sasuhinamonth (in case this does’t show up in the tags)

Hinata woke up in sweat. 

The white blanket that was supposed to cover her had fallen out of the bed and onto the wooden floors. Her bedsheets had been drenched with sweat as well, clinging to her skin. Her hair was a mess. Her dark strands were all over the place making her look like a corpse that had just come to life again. She turned to look at the clock sitting on the nightstand next to her bed.  

3:07 am. 

She groaned in annoyance. 

Hinata knew she would not be able to sleep again for a while, so she decided to leave her bed. She quietly let her legs dangle on the edge before taking a gentle step onto the ground. A sharp chill from the floor stabbed her feet. 

She shivered at its cold touch.  

Still feeling groggy from having been woken up, Hinata sat there for a while looking around the room out of boredom. The room itself was simple. Four white walls with one window that had been covered with white curtains; one small tray table that sat to the right of her bed, which had a cup of water on it; one nightstand that sat to the left with a small lamp and clock on top; lastly, in the corner of the room were three brown chairs. There was also a white privacy curtain that was easily accessible that was found near the nightstand. It was plain to say the least. However, the room held the odor of antiseptics and rubbing alcohol, overpowering whatever fragrance was used in an attempt to mask the smell. Though she had become used to the smell, it still occasionally made her feel dizzy and uncomfortable. 

Hinata really hated hospitals. 

Every once and awhile, she would also examine her own arms and legs, noting all the scars and cuts that had marred itself onto her pale skin. Some were old while some were new, although she couldn’t really tell the difference. There were so many that she had lost count. It was to be expected though; it was just a part of being a shinobi. How many years had it been since she had started training to become one? From the time she was born, it was all she could remember. There was not a day that went by where she wasn’t training. 

Yet now, she wasn’t sure if she could even return to her duties.  

Hinata examined her arms and legs once more before resting both of her hands over her heart. She let out a soft sigh as she felt the stitches on her chest. She could feel the rough material that was used to close the open wound that had exposed her heart. 

They told her it happened during a mission. 

She had been fighting a group of enemies that had ambushed her and her teammates. It was supposed to be a rescue mission, but it turned out to be a trap targeting them. One of them had poisoned her with some sort of cursed jutsu right into her heart. She was on the brink of death by the time the medics had arrived. It was a miracle that she had survived. Unfortunately, they had only barely managed to save her body. She had ended up unconscious for a long time before she had finally woken up less than a week ago.

Hinata could feel the light shine on her eyes as she slowly opened them. She could instantly sense the presence of three bodies nearby. As she woke up, she could see it was her teammates, Kiba and Shino, as well as Ino. When they noticed her movement, the girl threw herself onto Hinata and hugged her very tightly. She noticed that her friend’s pale blonde hair had grown even longer than she had last remembered. Kiba and Shino had also changed as well. Kiba’s brown hair had become more wild while he himself had become more bulky in size. Shino’s dark hair had grown as well, although it was held back by a dark green bandana. Overwhelming her with their cries of joy and relief that she had finally woken up, Hinata could only sit there in confusion. However, they were soon shooed away by the presence of Tsunade, the current Hokage. -----

“ Hinata, I understand you must be feeling a bit overwhelmed with everything right now.. I know this is difficult to take in, but you’ll have everything explained to you as we move forward. Your memory is going to be hazy for a while,” The woman explained.

Hinata stared at her in disbelief. Had she really been asleep for eight months? What did she mean that she was attacked? Did the war not end less than a week ago? She didn’t understand. The current Hokage was Kakashi? The silver hair man that used to be the teacher and leader of team seven? Tsunade was no longer the Hokage but rather the head of the hospital?  

Not only that, but it was Sasuke Uchiha who had saved her?

The last of his clan. The only man with black hair and black eyes that reminded her of obsidian and the midnight sky. The only man with an attitude that felt colder than the chills of winter, and the only one with enough power to match Naruto, the blonde boy who she had a crush on since childhood.

Wasn’t he supposed to have left Konoha already? Why was he still here? What about Neji? She could feel the pain of his death like it was yesterday. She was still in mourning for him. She was supposed to help prepare for his funeral.

Her cousin, protector, mentor, and friend.

The one she had called brother.

The one who had died because of her.

“ It seemed that whatever had poisoned you with the cursed jutsu also made a side effect of memory loss. The most possible situation that we have concluded was that the preparators were most likely trying to erase your memory so that you could be controlled and used as a threat against Konoha, if you didn’t die from the curse first,”

Hinata stared at her own hands. She was still trying to process everything. She could feel the pain in her chest where she had been stabbed. The confusion of everything that she had just learned about overwhelmed her. She could hear her own shallow breathing as she tried to calm herself down.

“ H-how long have I been asleep?” she finally managed to ask.

Tsunade looked at her with a seriousness that Hinata knew was meant to warn her of the bad news.

“ Eight months.”

She had been asleep for eight months.

And within that eight months, the poison had taken away eight years of memory.

Eight years of memory. Hinata was essentially a seventeen year old trapped in a twenty five year old body. She had attempted several times over the past week to regain them with no luck. It frustrated her to no end at how her efforts had been futile. How could she just lose eight years of memory? It was as if she had been set back square one. Every time she tried to recall them, she would go blank as if someone had erased everything and left only an empty canvas in her mind.

Deciding it was time for her to get out of the room, Hinata quietly stepped into the hallway. She looked at the signed plate hanging in the front of her room. It read the numbers seven-zero-nine. The Konoha Hospital was a large one, enough to have seven floors. Her room had been located at the end of the hallway so she decided to take a slow walk to help calm her mind down.

The hallway seemed to stretch endlessly, although she knew it was just because it was still late into the night. There were large windows that allowed for the moon and the stars to shine brightly into the hallway, creating a peaceful scenery. She could hear the rustling of footsteps and chattering amongst the patients and staff coming from the floor below her and the scent of medicine could be inhaled everywhere. Compared to the sixth floor, the seventh floor where she currently resided was empty with an almost eerie silence.

Although Hinata wasn’t surprised.

The seventh floor was where they had treated Sasuke Uchiha after the war had ended. After the man had left Konoha, there were rumors that the spirits of the people he had killed during his rogue years haunted the floor. Many people had refused to stay on the floor and even attempted to run away if they were made to stay. In the end, they decided to make the floor a private space for Sasuke Uchiha to be treated in, if he ever came back. It was also where they kept a lot of emergency supplies since the rumors were enough to dissuade even the criminals that would try to rob them of supplies.

Now she was staying in it.

Although she didn’t mind nor did she believe in the rumors, she questioned why she of all people was allowed to stay here. Then again, she was basing off of what had happened when she was seventeen. Eight years had already passed, things were different now.

She sighed.

Before she knew it, Hinata had found herself in front of a particular room. She looked at the signed plate hanging on top.

Room 700.

The room where Sasuke Uchiha stayed.  

Although eight years had already passed, for Hinata, it was only a few days ago where she had found herself in the very same spot. The pain of her cousin’s death was still very raw to her, but now she found herself feeling a mix of emotions knowing that it was something of the past. She did not feel as painful as when she had first woken up, yet the lingering pain from those memories still kept her up several nights.

Hinata felt her hands grab the doorknob. A small part of her hoped that he would be there. Perhaps this was all just a dream, a nightmare that she would wake up from.

However, when she opened the door, the only greeting she had received was the emptiness of the hospital room.

She felt her body give out as soon as she stepped inside.

Of course he wouldn’t have been there. It had been eight years after all. This wasn’t a dream but rather it was reality. Although they had never spoken much during childhood and after he became rogue, the words he had said to her during his last night here before leaving Konoha again resonated with her. 

Hinata had come on a whim to visit Sasuke.

Perhap it was because he too had lost a brother that she felt like coming here. Everyone else had expressed their condolences and sympathy towards her. Yet all she could feel was mostly pity. None of them seemed to understand the suffering that she was feeling. She wanted to cry and scream at the heartache that she was feeling. Her bitter thoughts still lingered despite the celebrations that the people were already having. Wasn’t it too soon to celebrate? The war had just ended a few days ago, why were people not mourning? Did they not have loved ones that died? Shouldn’t there be a mourning service being prepared? It was unfair. Why was she the only one that seemed to be suffering from the pain of living without a loved one?  

Why was Neji the one who had to die?

She found herself hesitating to knock on his door. She had no reason to come in the first place. She was only driven by a selfish desire to be comforted, something that this man had no reason to be doing. They weren’t friends nor even comrades. They had no past other than the occasional visits between their two clans, although that had long ceased since the Uchiha were wiped out. However, she felt that this was the only place where she could truly mourn without the pitiful eyes from strangers and people she knew staring at her. It wasn’t a rational thought by all means, but Hinata didn’t care at the moment.

“ If you’re going to come in, then just do it already, it’s already late.”  

Surprised that he had felt her presence, Hinata slowly came into the room. He was wrapped in bandages from head to toe. She noticed a bit of blood that still lingered in some places, but overall he seemed fine. As fine as an injured man could be at least.

“ I never expected you, of all people, would come and visit.” He said.

His words held no malice nor its usual coldness. Rather, it sounded tired and detached from the world. Hinata didn’t know how to respond nor what to say. She had come on a whim after all. She could only sit on the floor and bury herself into her hands and knees. Perhaps she too was tired.

Tired of living that is.

“D-do you think I’m being s-silly right now?” She suddenly asked.

Rather than saying anything, Sasuke stared out the window to look at the moon. It was to be expected though. He didn’t have an idea of what she was even talking about. He must have thought she was crazy at this point.

“ A-ah...Sorry. I know I sound a little strange right now. I apologize for disturbing you. I just had a lot on my mind lately. I’m sure you’ve heard that my...cousin had died.” Hinata tried to explain.

“ I know. I heard.”

This was very irritational of her. To seek comfort from the man that had once sought to destroy her very home was indeed out of character for her. They were at most acquaintances, though more like strangers at this point. They haven’t spoken to each other in years. She had only heard about him through his former teammates. It wasn’t as if he had an obligation to do anything with her. She was a lunatic. A lunatic that was trying to talk with a stranger for some comfort.  

Yet, Hinata felt that out of everyone she knew, it was Sasuke Uchiha who would understand her the most at the moment. The bitterness over other people’s happiness, the regrets of not being able to save one of the most important people she loved, and the guilt of being alive instead of facing death plagued her mind and shook her very soul. She felt that he was the only one who understood those feelings and that was why she had decided to do what she did.

Hinata stared at her own hands as they gripped her pants in frustration and pain. She just couldn’t get over the fact that Neji was dead. He had a future. They were supposed to progress the Hyugas forward. They were supposed to break down traditions and start anew.

They were supposed to change the future together.

“ How do you deal with the pain of losing a loved one?” She quietly asked.

Sasuke kept staring out the window for what felt like an eternity before turning to face her. Although she kept her eyes on her hands, she could feel his aura as she felt his gaze. It made her feel small and insignificant. She wondered if he was angry at her for asking. Afterall, how could the death of one person compare to the death of an entire clan?

“ We move forward. We have to live. We have to strive to protect them. If we can’t protect their physical bodies, then the least we can do is protect their ideals. It doesn’t matter how much you cry or suffer, you have to live anyways. If you don’t, then it just means their deaths were in vain. Don’t waste the life they gave you.”

Hinata looked at Sasuke in surprise. She wasn’t expecting him to say so much to her. But she felt a sense of relief, as if a huge burden had been lifted from her shoulders. They weren’t words of sympathy or pity. There were no apologies nor were there empty condolences within the words he had spoken.

They were words from a person who understood her pain.

For the first time ever since the war ended, Hinata cried.

She cried for Neji. She cried and cried until there were no tears left. When the last of her tears were wiped, Hinata knew it was time for her to go. Her voice felt hoarse from the crying, so she instead opted to bow to Sasuke instead. However, just before she stepped out the door, Hinata heard the Uchiha call out to her.

The moment her pale grey eyes met his dark ones, she felt a sense of mutual understanding between them. An unspoken connection that she had never felt before.

“ You’re not silly for feeling what you feel. Remember that.”

Hinata could only give him a slight smile before leaving.

“ Thank you, Sasuke-kun.” She softly whispered.  

It was already four am. It was time for her to head back to her room. Closing the door behind her, Hinata walked through the hallway once more. The hallway was still empty, yet his words kept echoing in her mind. Although it was a memory from long ago, she recalled it as if it had happened yesterday.

Well in truth, for her, it did just happen a bit ago. She may not have been able to recall the past eight years, but she was glad this memory was still intact. It gave her the reassurance that she desperately needed. And although she was uncertain what the future would hold, his words were enough for now.

We move forward.  

We have to live.

When she finally reached her bed, Hinata collapsed in exhaustion. As sleep finally took her, she recalled Sasuke’s words one last time before finally succumbing to sleep. As his words made its way into her mind, she couldn’t help but feel a new emotion surface its way into her heart. An unfamiliar emotion that she never thought she would feel yet it felt too familiar at the same time.

Yearning.

She was yearning to see Sasuke Uchiha again.