So like yeah... I had all this in my head, and as I'm waiting till the last possible minute to take my finals... I typed it up. This pretty much completes Hidden in Plain Sight. Whee. I will however keep updating Revealing Moments, because you know, I'm not that cruel to leave you with such bare bones... It will of course, have to wait till AFTER finals. That is a reminder to both you and me. If you wanna whine about it, go ahead. I probably won't listen, because I'm a mean person by nature, and final exams make me cranky. As I've been planning the ending for a while now, unanswered and unasked questions should be answered now. I say unasked questions because I did have a few things I thought people would ask about, but no one did. Either because I was too subtle, or because I'm the only one who thinks up weird questions about stories, which annoys my English professor, no matter how much she tries to hide it. Anyway... HAPPY WINTER FOLKS (because I'm non denominational like that).
by the way... Standard disclaimers apply.
Tsunade woke up to her office door slamming. "Shizune?" She blinked blearily, trying to surreptitiously hide the empty bottles on the floor near her feet. "Oh… you're back."
The two ninja stood before her, they had both changed a little. But it was noticeable.
"Welcome back. You two should have a number of stories for me. You had better have been taking good notes."
Hinata handed her journal to the Hokage. She skimmed through it as she spoke.
"The Raikage sent his compliments to the village that trained the nin who defeated Hoshigake Kisame. He said he was sad to have missed what must have been an impressive fight. To kill someone like him during combat."
Sasuke was silent. It had felt… different to kill in cold blood. But it needed to be done. Just as killing in a fight needed to be done. Killing Kisame while he was unconscious wasn't the same as killing an enemy with a kunai while he was trying to drown you. Hinata didn't know he had killed Kisame like that. She didn't know that something inside of him realized, that remembered… the last time he'd killed, or tried to kill after he had already defeated his opponent, when they were weak and helpless and unable to do anything but accept their death. The last time he had done that had been the first Chuunin exam. The last time he had done that, his body was being consumed by Orochimaru's taint. It had taken Sakura to pull him out of it. This time… it had taken a glance at Hinata's prone form that sent him into that killing rage, but a memory of her smile and her principles and the weakness he felt in himself, that had decided he could not take life so wantonly. Hinata had wondered why he'd been so quiet the rest of the day, but had put it down as seeing his brother again. The next time he'd seen his brother though… he hadn't killed him. He'd done much worse.
"What did you do to your brother?"
Tsunade had asked him a question. Hinata gently touched his shoulder. He shook himself out of his thoughts and asked Tsunade to repeat it. He also took Hinata's hand off his shoulder and let it go with a slight brush of his fingers. Tsunade's eyes narrowed at the exchange. He hadn't shaken it off, like she expected. Of course, she hadn't expected Hinata to have been so willing to touch him. Something was up.
"I said, Sasuke, what happened with Uchiha Itachi?"
"Last I knew, he was alive."
Tsunade gave him a look. "Alive? So I don't suppose you happen to know why Cloud nin found him bound and blinded, with chakra burns all over his body?"
"What do you think?"
Hinata stared at a spot on the wall behind the Hokage. She was a healer, and yet the one she loved had been able to do such things to his brother, he was… he was Uchiha Sasuke. And she loved him because he was Uchiha Sasuke… but sometimes, she was too used to his heat to remember what that heat was capable of.
"Hokage-sama. May I make a request?"
"Yes Uchiha?"
"Can you ask that he not be executed?"
Sasuke and Hinata were back. Ino and Ten Ten immediately demanded and a sleepover party in Ten Ten's apartment. When they found out that she, Hyuuga Hinata, was in love with him, the Uchiha Sasuke; they freaked out. After finally calming them down with much assertion that she would not join his fan club or stalk him or anything, they asked the paramount question: Did she know his feelings for her? She self-consciously laughed and nodded. Hinata immediately dove under the covers, pressing pillows to her ears as both girls … laughed, happily, excitedly, but at a reasonable volume. Hinata peeked out and was attacked with hugs and congratulations. They were happy for her, of course they were, and of course they'd keep it quiet until Sasuke himself acknowledged it. They promised, just as Hinata imagined, to protect her from angry fangirls when Sasuke wasn't around. Hinata nodded, weakly, smiling, resigning herself to no sleep that night. She was so glad her friends were happy for her. It would be nice to have their support no matter what Konoha or her family threw at her.
The Rookie Nine and Team Gai had decided to get together for a little celebration. Neji joining ANBU; Shikamaru finally getting around to asking Ino if she'd marry him; Shino completing forty missions as a jounin (not his idea); and of course Sasuke and Hinata's return from a successful mission. It was of course also for those who wished to see each other again, to check up on life. The jounin and their missions; Chuunin at the Academy: Ino following Iruka's footsteps, Lee as a specialist in taijutsu; and of course the medic nin, Sakura and Hinata.
Sasuke was leaning against a platform, Neji, Ten Ten, Hinata and Naruto completing the loose circle. Naruto had just tried to start a conversation.
"So… Hinata-chan, you're looking well…"
"Thank you, Naruto-kun. I…"
"Isn't the flower of love beautiful!" Rock Lee had arrived, picking Hinata up and spinning her around.
"Lee, put my cousin down."
"Lee! Stop being such an idiot!"
"Oi, idiot, let go of my girlfriend." And there was silence. Until…
"Oh Uchiha-san, that's wonderful! The springtime of youth has finally…"
"One inch closer and I'll knock you into the next month."
Lee froze where he was, in the middle of going to embrace Sasuke; Ten Ten looked at Sasuke admiringly. "Hey, can you teach me how to do that?" Neji's face was buried in his hands, Hinata's face was a light pink, partly from embarrassment, and partly because she was sitting on the ground trying to catch her breath. Naruto was in shock. And then…
"Hey, good going!" Naruto enthusiastically pumped Sasuke's hand.
"You all are really troublesome, you know that?"
More of the Rookie Nine had arrived. Ino was walking between Chouji and Sakura, Shikamaru making his easy way behind them.
"So what's all the noise about?" Sakura asked. Ino shot Ten Ten a look, and Ten Ten nodded slightly. Ino fought to keep her face straight. Hinata, having caught the exchange, tried to sink deeper into the ground. Sasuke pushed himself off, walked around Lee, still frozen in that ridiculous pose, and over to Hinata, offering her a hand. She took it without a thought and stood, dusting herself off, as Sasuke cast a glare at Lee, who had finally straightened himself out. Ino and Ten Ten couldn't hold themselves in any longer. "YOU TWO ARE SO CUTE TOGETHER!"
Shino and Kiba arrived to quite a scene. Neji was massaging his temples, looking like this was way too much of a headache. Chouji and Shikamaru were looking on. Sakura had frozen; Lee was going on about the flower of youth and love. Naruto was proclaiming to everyone that he had seen it coming and that even though his best friend did not deserve a wonderful girl like Hinata who was he to say anything? Ino and Ten Ten were cooing over a blushing Hinata, and a slightly exasperated Sasuke. Shino looked over his glasses at Kiba.
"Dammit!" Kiba handed Shino a small wallet before both joined Akamaru in greeting, congratulating but not licking Hinata.
Sasuke and Hinata grew up and they grew closer. On her twentieth birthday, Hyuuga Hinata formally took over as Head of the Hyuuga House. Kohona's hospital felt her absence, Sasuke felt her distraction. On her twenty first birthday, Hyuuga Hinata stepped down, giving the position to Hyuuga Hanabi, who had never been sealed, per Hinata's request. On her twenty first birthday, Uchiha Sasuke had asked her to marry him. One her twenty first birthday, Hyuuga Hinata finally told Uchiha Sasuke in words, to his face, that she loved him and of course she would marry him.
"Yo. Itachi." The occupant of the cell was not thrilled at the visitation.
"Hatake Kakashi."
"None other. Godaime wanted to send me for this joyous task. Your brother sent you a letter. Seeing as you can't exactly read it, that why I'm here."
Itachi could feel the grin, through the mask, through the blindness.
"Dear Aniki, (how nice of him to finally acknowledge you as that!)
We would have sent you an invitation, but you'd probably decline, you wouldn't be allowed to leave anyway, and you make our friends nervous, so we didn't. (Excellent reasons, every one, aren't you so proud your brother didn't lose his mind or something silly like that after all these years.) Hyuuga Hinata, you do remember her of course, has honored me with her hand in marriage (I hear she damn near fainted when he asked). I'm sure you'll be glad to know that she and I plan to be very happy (and fruitful I don't doubt) and that if you hadn't killed the rest of the clan for some reason as yet unknown to me, I would have asked for your blessings first. As it is, I hope this letter finds you in good health anyway.
Your brother,
Uchiha Sasuke"
Kakashi peered through the bars. Itachi hadn't moved, hadn't spoken.
"Well I'll just be going now. Nice seeing you again." Kakashi's voice lost the innocently cheerful edge. "Sasuke's a good ninja, and I'm glad I was his teacher. How happy are you that he's your younger brother?"
Itachi never moved.
She had finally taken her place, and was living in it quite happily. She was a medic nin of Konoha. She was part of her sister's council. She was woman, and she was wife to Uchiha Sasuke.
"It is a good match."
"Yes otou-san. It is." Hanabi looked at her father. She suppressed a small sigh, but forced herself to continue. "The former Hyuuga heiress and the Uchiha Avenged will…"
"Be happy."
Hanabi looked a little surprised, but smiled anyway. "Yes, otou-san. We will all be happy now."
yay... it's complete... aren't we all so excited. if you think it sucks... that's your own opinion. I write what makes me happy, and take suggestions when they appeal to me. And I like my story, and that's all that really matters. ;3
Anyway, couple more things:
Why this piece was titled "Hidden in Plain Sight"- the way I see it, everyone has a mask they wear all the time, thus they are hidden in plain sight. Sasuke and Hinata don't quite hide all of themselves. Hinata is a naturally kind person, and I think that she believes in hiding only what will hurt others. I think this trait would help her understand Sasuke better, because after the Orochimaru incident, he essentially dropped most of the mask he had. What little he does keep hidden, he hides because he doesn't want to be alone anymore. He tries to hide his weaknesses because he believes that if people knew about it, then all his mask would be stripped from him, and people would finally see a truth that Sasuke thinks is ugly. That's the logic behind giving the two main characters partial masks during the Festival as well.
Why Sasuke doesn't kill Itachi - I was kinda hoping that had been explained in chapter 7. I was fairly sure it had been explained in neon lights. Oh well. Sasuke doesn't kill Itachi because Sasuke hates Itachi with a burning passion and has learned some way or other that death isn't so bad as living in a hell of hopelessness and helplessness. The hell he sends Itachi into. I also made Sasuke twist the knife a teensy bit with that letter. Nothing quite like knowing someone who's caused you pain is happy. Stings like a royal lapdog. Oh yes... feel the burn.
ok... so...
OWARI