Forced Paths

First step

It was still dark when she opened her eyes. The windows had been shut, but no ray of sunlight was trying to evade inside. She looked at her side, Sasuke was awake too, unaware of her gaze. He was staring at the ceiling, his hand rested on his forehead. He probably needed a moment before he got up. A calm instant before the storm. She drifted her body to the side, the move made him turn.
He didn't speak, just stared.
"Were you able to rest?" She asked.
"Barely." He answered. "I am not that insensitive."
"Are you scared?" She said then and he turned his gaze elsewhere.
"Fear is a powerful tool, you know." She added and lifted her body.
"For the one that inflicted it." He told her.
"I disagree." She said lightly and this time he frowned.
"As usual." He said.
"Am I that difficult?" She asked him.
"Only to me, I believe. We are fundamentally different."
"Are we really?" She said and he turned around.
His look told her that she proved his point.
"It's not always bad." He said. "It holds a certain appeal at times, I suppose."
He passed his palm through his hair, that were always untamed.
"Elaborate." He spoke and pulled his body up too.
She titled her head. She had forgotten what was that she wanted to say.
He looked at her with question written in his eyes.
"About the fear and the power that it holds." The question moved in his voice.
"Oh, yes." She said and moved her head as to wake.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
"Yes." She took a breath. "You see, fear comes hand in hand with despair, and despair is dangerous. You take decisions otherwise forbidden or out of reach. That is what I think."
"Like when you married me." He stated.
"Like that, yes." She whispered. "You could have been awful. I was lucky." She looked at him. "I was lucky." She said and laughed.
"Is this an insult?" He asked.
"I haven't been lucky before." She stared at him. "I only realised it, just now."
"Let's hope you didn't spend your luck in that." He said and got up.
"It would have worth it." She smiled, to give him strength for what to come.
He didn't.

_____

Itachi was waiting for them at the table. As it seems, none of them could sleep.
She prepared tea and half of what could be a breakfast with whatever food hadn't been spoiled in the days of their absence.
They barely ate.
Sasuke got up, his mug was still steaming.
"I am going." He said and looked at none.
"Tie yourself up and hide all these." He said, pointing at the evidence of breakfast.
"I will be back shortly." His voice was steady, but she could point the veins on his neck.
She was up on her feet, but he left before she could say anything.
She stared at the door for a while.
"Hinata-san." Itachi's voice brought her back. "We should prepare."
She gathered their cups, hiding the evidence of what could have been a routine beginning to a normal morning.
She brought the rope, feeling shame with every turn, even more with Itachi's sad smile.
"It's necessary." He said as if he sensed her uneasyness.
"I haven't seen my father for...how many years has it been?"
"It must be difficult." She said. She could relate to the feeling.
"I can't say I am eager." He admitted. "I had never any respect for him."
Was it the privilege of the elder children to view their parents for what they were. Was it their burden.
"Sasuke on the other hand..." He looked up for a moment. "I wonder if he would tell her." He said and she didn't know which one of the two he meant.
"Your mother?" Hinata asked.
"Yes." He said more sternly. "I was hoping that at least she would protect Sasuke, he is her favourite." He turned his gaze at Hinata. "But as it seems, I had false hopes."
"I think...She is sad." She said lower.
"And?" He prompted her.
"And your clan doesn't give much space to a woman to really challenge a decision." She knew what he meant. She almost sided with him, she had told Sasuke before that staying still in the face of injustice doesn't make one less guilty. Yet, she couldn't hate the woman. Not really.
"I have a friend that grew up in the same clan, that is also a woman and would never back down." He said.
"Izumi is different." Hinata said in a breath.
He smiled.
"At least...Sasuke is starting to think on his own." He sighed.
"What is the worst that could happen?" She asked. "What do you think?"
He stared at her. He weighed, she realised, if he should tell her or not. When he answered he was looking at the door.
"The clan is only in a high position, because of their physical strength. My father is not a rational man. He let his emotions drive him. Sasuke shares that trait. But the emotions that drive each are different. Fugaku Uchiha feels superiority, anger, cruelty at times." He stopped. He had yet to answer. "The worst thing that could happen is for him to try to kill us on the spot. And if he does, I will stop him."
"Do you think that you can?"
He turned and looked at her.
"Because he is my father?" He asked just to be sure.
She nodded.
"If that happens he would be my brother's greatest threat and nothing more."
She understood. Labels like father or mother, were only that, labels, a way to address them and nothing more. One should nurture the word with actions for it to earn the right to transform into something else, to mean something. Yet, if she was in his position, she would not believe that she could do it.
They stayed in silence, watching the door, searching for a sound that would warn them of the arrival.
And after a while, they heard it. The key turned slowly, the opening came slower. Perhaps Sasuke was giving them some time to prepare.
She was on her feet when they entered. To not appear casual with the man that was supposed to be their prisoner, to be ready if someone was to attack.
Sasuke entered, but he didn't walk further. On the other hand, his father bypassed him, almost storming inside. She looked at her side, Itachi seemed unfaced. Noone could guess his thoughts, if he felt uneasy, scared.
Her father in law looked at her and then Sasuke.
"Did you leave him with her?" He asked. "What if he had escaped?"
A desperate attempt to not address the issue.
Sasuke was staring at the floor.
"I don't plan to." Itachi's voice filled the room, calm, composed, deadly.
Yet Fugaku Uchiha didn't turn at him.
"You better not say anything about this. Do you understand?" He told her.
"It seems you came alone. Isn't mother coming to greet me?" Itachi asked and then a slap was heard. She took a step to her side, Sasuke moved to.
"I guess not." Itachi said unfaced to the pain on his cheek.
"You have already saddened your mother enough." He yelled. "I told you to disappear. Was I not clear? I told you that if I saw your face again..."
"You would make me dissapear permanently." Itachi responded.
"Do you believe I am a man of empty threats? Did I raise you with that view? Or did you finally understood how disgusting your actions are and came here to face the consequences?"
"Hear him out." Sasuke spoke. The head of the man snapped to his other son's direction.
"What did you say boy?"
"He was coming here anyway. To talk to you." Sasuke lied.
"That's what he told you?" His body turned entirely to face him. "And you believed him?"
They were walking on a thin ice. They weren't planning to expose the existence of the secret alliance, nor the fact that through it they possessed the information that they did.
"You can't trust anyone beside your blood." Fugaku said. "And he isn't your blood. Not anymore. I told you that I have only one son. Did you forget it?"
"He has information beneficial for us." Sasuke answered detached. "I don't trust him. But I acknowledge his intelligence. He was to be the head of our clan for a reason."
He was struggling. It was evident for her to see after the days they had shared together.
Fugaku walked up to him.
"You are to be the head now." He said. "I don't need one that is gullible enough to believe a traitor."
Sasuke's jaw clenched.
"I am a replacement. For him." He said. "I trust your judgement. That he was once, more fitting for the position than me."
"I can disown you on the spot. Don't test me." The man spoke again.
"Or perhaps for once you can use your brain. That would be a pleasant turn of events." Itachi spoke again, receiving his father full attention, his anger. And Hinata thought if that was the reason why he did it. To take whatever blame on him instead of his brother.
He was about to receive another slap, unable to defend himself with the rope that restrict him. Yet Sasuke had moved too, stopping the hand before the contact with the skin.
"What do you think you are doing?" The man yelled. "Do you still think of him as your brother? He left us, he left us to be with men.. To do things uncalled for.." The words came with such discomfort, with disgust. How many times had Sasuke heard them. How many times until he believed them, until he spoke of them too.
"It's irrelevant to what he has to offer." Sasuke answered.
"And what that might be?" He said with mockery. "What lies has he told you?"
"That your ally Hiashi Hyuga is preparing to betray us." Sasuke said almost calmy.
Then his father laughed.
"You are truly naive." Fugaku said. "He is in no position to do that. And even if he tried, I would end him."
He stopped.
"Prepare to find out that my threats aren't empty." He said then, lower, almost whispered.
"As for you.." He told Sasuke. "I gave you one pass and you wasted it. I will think about what should happen after I deal with him."
"Can you listen for once?" Sasuke's yell echoed through the room. "Or are you planning to sent us all to demise because Itachi likes boys?"
The room froze, it stilled so suddenly that she thought that even if she breathed, it would be a disturbance.
"He is going to betray us. He is betraying us this very moment and we are discussing about something irrelevant." Sasuke dispersed the silence that his previous words caused. "Listen to him and then do whatever you want." He looked at Itachi for one brief moment. "I don't care."
The man was weighing his options. He was too angry to think straight, she observed, too consumed.
"He has already lied to you once." Hinata spoke and three different types of expressions met her stare.
Her father in law looked at her agitated as if the mere sound of her voice could make his ears bleed, Itachi was calm, understanding and Sasuke...Sasuke seemed angry, but he was not. He was scared.
Fugaku turned his body in her direction.
"What kind of lie?" He asked, but she almost heard him saying to shut up. That her presence was not relevant, more it was annoying.
"I was not to marry Sasuke." She said. "I won that fight." Her voice was steady.
He looked at her for a moment.
"So?" He asked as if she was dumb. "That proves my point. He gave us his heir. He shows how much of a simple man he is."
Hinata smiled. A kind of smile that made the expression of the man to deform.
"My father is many things but simple." She said. "He plans many steps ahead. He gave you his heir, but not as a gift to your greatness Uchiha-san. But for me to spy." She concluded with a lie. A half truth if she wanted to be precise.
"I haven't spy." She said as the first step echoed on the wooden floor.
"If it means anything to you." She responded to the silence and his approach.
"Don't touch her." Sasuke said but his father wasn't listening.
Hinata just stood, unfaced in the surface, terrified on the inside.
She wasn't planning to raise her hand, it would have the opposite impact of what she wanted.
He came and stood in front of her.
He was about to aim for her neck, to grab or push her, she wasn't sure, but Sasuke was faster.
"I told you not to touch her."
"Have you lost your mind?" His father hissed. "She just admitted treason. You are worthless." He said.
"I was already aware." Sasuke replied. "Of both the treason and your views."
His father moved away from his hold.
"She told me the first night." He followed her story. The one they had already decided to use if worst came to worst. "That is why, she is not pregnant." He continued. "Because they would hold us if a heir was to come. I have been giving her herds to prevent such occurrence."
A mix of truth and lies. It was always more convincing this way.
The leader of the clan was surspised.
"You ought to tell me. I would have march there."
"And Tsunade would have stopped you, without proof." Itachi spoke.
"I was searching for leads until I found him. And he confirmed what I already knew. The Hyugas are a theat. And they probably don't act alone."
Fugaku took a seat finally.
He looked at Itachi before he commanded.
"Speak." He said and Hinata heard what she already knew. A tale without unnecessary details, stripped of an alliance that he didn't need to know, without the mention of a man that awaited patiently for his beloved to return.
When he stopped talking noone was looking at him.
"He needs to stay in ignorance. He can not know that you know." Itachi said.
"I am not this incompetent boy." He replied.
"No just proudful." Itachi replied.
He got up and looked away from him.
"Nobody will learn about him." He told Sasuke as he pointed his other son. "Hide him here, restraint him, throw him in a closet, I don't care. He stays here until I say otherwise."
"To what end?" Sasuke asked, but the man didn't reply.
"Come to work tomorrow. We have many things to discuss." He said and closed the door behind him.
It felt like a victory to her, a small one and yet.
"It's.." She said. "Are you okay?" She asked her husband. From them three, his toll was the biggest.
"Untie him." It was his only response. "We don't need to pretend anymore."
She proceeded to do what he told her, yet her stare remained in him.
"I will be out." He said and she thought he was leaving. They were back, she realised then, and whenever something happened, he had a habit of leaving. And Hinata knew where he went in those times.
He walked to the kitchen while she was untying the ropes. He heard a glass on the counter.
He came to sight shortly after, a bottle and a glass on his hands.
She parted her lips, but she could not stop him. It would be inhuman of her.
"I will be in the garden." He said and she breathed out the knot in her stomach.
"Sasuke?" Itachi said when her husband was at the door.
He looked back. She realised that he was tired.
"Thank you."