Chapter 29

The four of us traveled for two days in search of Otogakure since Karin was only able to provide a vague description of its location, stopping only when needed. Hinata and Sasuke took turns driving because Naruto and I never had the chance to learn.

In the late afternoon of the second day of traveling, we called it quits in an incredibly small village hidden so deeply behind the trees that we almost didn't notice it.

There was only one hotel, which tripled as a bar and hot spring, in the entire village and every single one of the nervous citizens we encountered quickly admitted to not often having visitors. The entire hotel only had two rooms, so Hinata and I opted to share one, which left the boys having to share the other. Naruto and Hinata have never slept in the same bed and the Hyuga girl admitted to me in private that she was still much too nervous, so we were left with no choice.

Once we were settled in and had eaten dinner, Hinata and I decided to visit the hot spring. We were the only women in the entire spring, so I felt much more comfortable dropping my towel and slipping into the steaming water, letting out a sigh as the heat helped relax the muscles that were tense from being in a vehicle the past few days.

I glanced over to see Hinata nervously trying to convince herself to get in. I put a hand over my eyes, "I won't look."

"Thank you."

Ino and I used to share a bath all the time, so I'm incredibly used to bathing with another, but Hinata's family is wealthy enough to afford separate baths and expensive utilities so it's likely this was the first time the heiress was experiencing something like this.

I heard her slip under the water and waited a few more moments before peeking through my fingers to make sure it was alright to relax. She was safely underwater, face bright red as she kept her arms crossed in front of her.

I let out a relieved sigh as I sank as low as possible in the hot water, "It's been so long since I've been in a spring."

My companion still seemed uncomfortable so I tried to distract her, "I don't know much about your sister, Hinata. What's she like?" My eyes slid closed easily as I tried to keep my thoughts from straying to my own sister or even my missing mother.

"Hanabi is five years younger than me. She is...much more outgoing than me."

I opened my mouth to respond, only for both of us to jump slightly at a loud outburst from the other side of the stone wall that separated the men's side of the spring from the women's.

It was obviously Naruto's voice bellowing above the sound of the running water, "What the fuck is that!"

We could hear Sasuke's deeper voice respond with something in an annoyed tone, but couldn't make out the words before Naruto's panicked voice came again, "That's not normal, man! You should see a doctor!"

My face heated into a bright red blush as I realized what the blonde must be freaking out about. I glanced over to see Hinata looking at me and the moment she understood what I was blushing about, her face matched mine in hue. The two quieted down to the point where we couldn't make out their words after that, leaving us to enjoy one another's company once more.

"W-What's it like?"

My eyes crept open and I glanced at the Hyuga girl with a curious expression, "What's what like?"

She sank lower in the water and averted her pearly gaze with a still-reddening face, "Sex. W-What's it like? Is it painful?" Her voice was so soft that for a moment I thought I'd misheard her, but the bashful look on her face confirmed her inquiry.

My face heated in response, but I also felt a bit happy.

All my life, I've never had a female friend other than my sister and I've definitely never been someone that others come to for advice. Having someone as elegant and beautiful as Hinata come to me with questions made me so proud that I could cry.

Instead, I lowered my voice to match hers in volume and did my best to answer honestly, "At first it was, but it gets better."

Her jaw seemed to clench and unclench and I got the sense that she wasn't satisfied with my answer so I anxiously added on, "Sasuke and I have only done it once," the girl glanced at me with shocked eyes, "but I don't think I'll ever experience something so wonderful for the first time again."

I met her shy gaze with as reassuring a look as possible, "Are you thinking about it? With Naruto?"

She squeezed her eyes shut and covered her face with her hands, "H-He's only ever kissed me once and it was so quick t-that I couldn't react, but…"

A small smile tugged at my lips. It was like looking in the mirror and seeing myself when I was trying to convince myself that I didn't like Sasuke, albeit with less resistance.

"Trust me, I know him well enough. Make it clear that you're interested and he'll stop tiptoeing around you."

She peeked between her fingers with a furrowed brow, "H-How do I do that?"

I shrugged, "If you want to kiss him, then kiss him. You don't have to wait for him to make a move."

Her hands slowly dropped back into the water, but she still couldn't meet my eye, "Kiss him first?"

I nodded, surprising myself by the sudden tears welling up in my eyes and the emotion rising in my chest, "Sometimes I wonder where we'd be right now if I hadn't tried to subdue my feelings for Sasuke and had simply…kissed him when I wanted to kiss him."

She finally met my eyes and a smile tugged at her lips, "He's changed since meeting you, y-you know."

I cocked my head at her in interest and she continued with a reminiscent look across her pale face, "He seems more, I don't know, present now. Like he's awake for the first time in h-his life."

Instead of feeling reassured, which I'm sure was her intention, I felt sorrow for the prince in question.

He's lived over three hundred years and I can tell at least some of them hadn't been without suffering. Even if it's just as of late, he hasn't experienced an outsider's affection that didn't have ulterior motives. The women he'd bedded through the years obviously hadn't cared about him as an individual and undoubtedly tried very little, if at all, to get to know him.

He still flinches when I touch him every now and then as though the concept of intimacy is something he's only recently discovered. Despite this, I can tell he yearns for it.

Almost every morning I wake up to him holding me close in a way that he likely wouldn't if I were awake. My chin quivered and I wiped at a stray tear that rolled down my cheek. A guilty look sometimes comes across his face when I wake up and greet him, like he thinks he's being greedy or selfish to want affection.

My eyes danced over to the wall blocking our view from the men's side of the spring and I imagined him attempting to relax in what's undoubtedly an uncomfortable situation for him.

I want…

My brow furrowed and an ache formed in my chest.

I want to hold him how he holds me, for once, if only to attempt to show him a glimpse of my appreciation. Would he let me? From day one, I've gotten the feeling that he wants to be in control of all situations and him letting someone approach like that seems inconceivable. I'd be distraught if he pushed me away now, after all that's happened.

"A-Are you alright? Did I say something wrong?"

I jolted in shock, raising a hand to my chest, "N-No, I'm sorry! I was just lost in my thoughts."

The girl let the air fall back into a calm quiet and I gave her a grateful grin before looking back at the wall. I know we just spent two days in a vehicle together, but I really want to see him right now.

Once we were finished soaking in the hot water, Hinata and I went back into our room, wrapped in robes while our freshly cleaned clothes dried in the en suite dryer, and were ready for bed. We talked a bit more about our families and swapped a few stories about our childhoods before saying good night and attempting to get some sleep in the unfamiliar room.

I layed there for a while, trying not to toss and turn too much so I wouldn't bother Hinata, who'd never say anything if I was. I was sure she was asleep already, but she still jumped in fear as quickly as I did when the door that separated our room from the boys' busted open and an angry Sasuke threw an equally irate Naruto onto the floor in front of the bed.

Naruto pointed up at the Uchiha, "Hey, Asshole! Don't touch me again or you'll regret it!"

I rose from the bed, annoyed that the two of them have done nothing but argue since we left Konoha, "What the hell is going on now?"

The blonde young man looked up at me with a bright red face, "How do you put up with this prick!"

I let out an exasperated sigh, "Ugh! Why can't you two just get along?"

Sasuke stayed silent, but held a strong glare on the blonde young man as he rose from the spot he'd tossed him down to on the floor.

"I can't sleep in the same room as him! He'll try to kill me!"

Hinata spoke up for the first time as she was still sitting up on the bed, "N-Naruto can sleep here with me if he wants..."

We all looked over at her in surprise. Is she taking my advice from earlier? She had a red face and her peculiar eyes were trained down onto the light blue blanket.

Naruto's face matched hers and his demeanor quickly switched from angry to bashful, "I'm fine with that if you are, Hinata."

I threw my hands up in the air, half too tired to mask my annoyance and half excited to give the couple some alone time, "That's settled then! Let's go." I grabbed Sasuke's hand as I strode past him, pulling him along as we left the room and shut the door behind us.

The Uchiha flopped down onto the bed and I hesitantly looked down at him, remembering Hinata's words earlier.

Having likely grown used to me sleeping against him, Sasuke'd held his arm away from his body so I could climb into bed and cuddle him, but met my eye with a curious expression when I didn't immediately do so. Tears rose in my eyes again as I recalled the look on his face when I'd gently touched his face while he was patching me up after Sai accidentally attacked me.

He sat up with a concerned look and I slowly knelt down onto my knees in front of him, raising hesitant hands to gently caress his face. My chest ached again when his expression became extremely guarded.

"Sakura," he sounded like he was warning me to be careful of my next move.

I acted slowly, not wanting to startle him, and moved up to hug his head against my chest, my fingers wrapping in his soft hair. He seemed stunned and despite being incredibly worried that he didn't like what I was doing, I pressed a slow kiss into his hair.

His body seemed to unfreeze and he wrapped his arms around my waist with unsure movements before I guided us down against the mattress. Things were silent as we lay there for a few moments and I tried to send all of my positive emotions to the prince with my touch.

His arms tightened around me and he slightly nuzzled his face further into my chest suddenly, surprising me thoroughly for a second before a warm feeling gently filled my chest and made a small smile form on my lips.

He likes it.

In the morning, I woke up to Sasuke gently shaking my shoulder. I looked over at him through tired eyes, "Hmm?"

He sat a small cup of coffee on the bedside table, I'm assuming for me, and turned away toward the en suite, "I found someone who knows how to get to Oto."

I sat up, snatching the styrofoam cup of coffee up so I could take a small sip. He reappeared with my clothes in his hands and tossed them lightly on the edge of the bed before heading out of the room with an unreadable expression.

The memory of what happened last night came to me and I smiled to myself. He hadn't refused my affection and for that I was incredibly relieved. The prince really seemed to enjoy my doting on him. Perhaps I should make it a point to do so more often. Maybe I should try to give him a shoulder massage or something next time.

He seemed a bit off just now when he woke me up, so I wondered if maybe he was unsure how to act after letting down his walls like he had last night. Hopefully, with time, I'll be able to help him get more comfortable relaxing.

I pushed my messy hair out of my face and took another sip of coffee before climbing out of bed and getting dressed.

When I headed down to the lobby, I saw the other three sitting at a small table with a fourth person I didn't recognize. It was a bookish young man that seemed just slightly older than Naruto or I and had large glasses and light hair pulled back into a low ponytail.

He smiled brightly at me as I approached the table, "You must be Sakura! My name is Kabuto."

I cautiously accepted his handshake before taking a seat beside Sasuke, who didn't outwardly acknowledge my arrival but also didn't attempt to avoid me.

Naruto spoke up, seeming to have calmed down quite a bit since last night when he'd argued with Sasuke. Perhaps his night went well. I glanced at Hinata and she kept glancing at him with a bashful expression. A knowing grin threatened to form on my face when she met my gaze and looked like she'd been caught doing something she shouldn't. I don't know what they did last night, but something good happened for sure.

"He's going to ride with us to Oto."

This Kabuto man scratched the back of his head with a meek grin, "Yeah. I'm honestly relieved you guys came along. It's a few miles away yet and I wasn't looking forward to walking in the rain."

As he said it, I finally noticed the steady downpour outside. I glanced over at Sasuke, who had his eyes trained on the polite stranger. Adding a stranger to our traveling party made me uneasy, but surely everything will be alright so long as we're careful.

We headed back out to the Hyuga's large vehicle and were soon back on the thin road to Otogakure, surrounded by dense forest on both sides. Naruto and Kabuto kept chatting casually as Sasuke drove and Hinata and I listened in silence.

"So what's Oto like? I've never even heard of it."

Kabuto gave an uneasy smile from the front and turned halfway in his seat so he could look at Naruto more easily as they spoke, "It's definitely different. It's completely underground and has only existed for about four hundred years."

I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep as I listened.

"Underground?"

"Yes, that's why it's so hard for outsiders to find it without help."

We soon came to a stop, at Kabuto's instruction, in front of a barely-there path in the forest that led to a remarkably giant tree a few hundred yards away from the road. We all climbed out of the vehicle and cautiously followed our new guide as he walked.

I looked around anxiously as the road slowly disappeared from our view the deeper we headed into the woods. Kabuto's words were making a lot of sense. No one would ever recognize this as an entrance to a village without being told about it first.

We soon came to a stop at the base of the tree and I nearly jumped in surprise when my eyes landed on two masked people, one on either side of a tall archway built into the tree that led downwards into a cave of sorts. I hadn't noticed them, or the entranceway, until we were right in front of them.

Sasuke continued to stare at the back of Kabuto's head with a glare. It put my mind at ease to see him being so attentive, if only slightly.

The two guards stood aside for Kabuto to pass and didn't react to the four visitors from Konoha at all. The young man spoke calmly and cheerfully as he led us through tunnel after tunnel in the dimly lit cave under the giant tree.

I thought I heard something moving behind us, but every time I glanced back, there was nothing there. The feeling that someone or something was watching us wouldn't leave.

I nearly tripped over an uproot on the ground and grabbed onto Sasuke's arm out of habit. He paused so I could level myself before continuing forward. I kept my grip on his arm as it helped calm my nerves in unfamiliar territory.

After a few minutes of us trekking through the tunnels, we were finally led through another tall archway into what looked like a haven. The village seemed to be slightly ahead of Konoha technologically, as modern looking lights decorated the entirety of the roof that made it look almost like a starry night sky and the buildings were built of a type of limestone that made them seem more strong and sturdy than those in our hometown.

The civilians we passed as Kabuto led us to one of the village's hotels were dressed similarly to those of Konoha, but didn't go out of their way to speak to us and simply stared with unwavering gazes. I noticed Hinata grab Naruto's hand as she looked visibly uncomfortable with the attention.

Once we finally arrived at the hotel, Kabuto turned to face us with an apologetic look on his face and his hands in front of him in a praying fashion, "I hope you'll forgive me for misleading you, but I'm actually the assistant to our village's leader. It'd be an honor to introduce you to him. He loves welcoming guests in person."

He gestured in my direction, as he'd been filled in on the reason for our trip, "He may be able to refer you to someone who can help you look for your mother, as well."

Some of my unease toward the strange man relented and I gave him a small smile, feeling hopeful that some results may actually come from this trip.

We dropped off our luggage in the hotel rooms before rejoining Kabuto and followed him through the neatly paved pathways of the village until we approached a building that was quadruple the size of the rest. It had a stone wall built around it with two more of those oddly masked guards manning the gate. We followed our guide right past them and, again, they didn't show any signs of acknowledgment.

Once we arrived in a lobby of sorts, Kabuto turned to us with another friendly smile, "Please wait here while I announce your arrival to our leader." He disappeared behind a heavy door, leaving us by ourselves for a moment.

Naruto spoke in a hushed voice, "I'm getting a bad vibe!"

Hinata nodded in agreement, glancing around the big empty room anxiously.

This building appeared to be public, unlike the Uchiha castle in Konoha, so where was everyone? There was even a desk, seemingly for a secretary, but no one was seated at it.

I glanced over at Sasuke, who had his eyes trained on the door Kabuto'd disappeared behind, before putting my hands out in a please-calm-down motion, "Let's just meet the village leader, ask our questions, and get the hell outta here."

I tried to put on a confident and brave face for the two, but honestly I was just as nervous about this place as them. Kabuto seemed nice enough and that eased my anxiety for a while, but as soon as we crossed the threshold into this massive building, all the little hairs on my arms stood up as though my body was warning me to run.

I looked over at Sasuke again and he finally glanced down to meet my gaze. My heart sank as I realized he, too, was questioning whether or not we should vacate the area.

Before anyone could say anything else, Kabuto reappeared and motioned for us, "Thank you for your patience. Please follow me!"

We didn't really have a logical reason to refuse his kindness, so we followed him in silence. After being led down a brightly lit hallway, we entered a science lab of sorts. There was a wooden table with lots of beakers and jars on top of it and a very tall, imposing man with very long and straight black hair running down his back, almost to the floor. We all bowed respectfully as his odd yellow eyes took in our appearances.

Kabuto bowed with us before gesturing to the pale-skinned man, "This is the leader of Otogakure, Orochimaru."

We all stiffened at the sound of the man's name and I noticed Naruto instinctively move ever so slightly in front of Hinata with a dangerous look across his usually carefree face. My grip on Sasuke's arm tightened.

The man spoke suddenly and a chill ran down my spine. His voice reminded me of a snake or eel, slimy and eerie and everything I didn't want to be around. "What a wonderful surprise! We rarely receive guests, especially of such esteem as those from the Uchiha and Hyuga families. I've been looking for an opportunity to reintroduce myself to the royal family of Konoha."

Sasuke replied quickly, not giving anyone else a chance to interrupt, "What do you mean by 'reintroduce'?" His voice was blatantly untrusting.

Orochimaru stepped forward to stand in front of him and the small movement came off as extremely intimidating. Sasuke, however, didn't budge. "I grew up with your father and uncle, young Sasuke. It's been many years since I've been in contact with either. How are they?"

My heart sank to my stomach and my mind started screaming to get Naruto and Hinata the hell out of here before anything else. Orochimaru was undoubtedly telling Sasuke he was a vampire as he would have to be many hundreds of years old to have grown up with Fugaku and Madara. Madara mentioned somewhere around nine hundred, but the exact number's a mystery.

I inched toward Naruto, grabbing onto his sleeve tightly and hoping that he would somehow understand that we were all definitely in danger. Orochimaru's odd yellow eyes danced from Sasuke's glare onto me and I felt my blood run cold.

I think we just walked into a trap.