Chapter One

I awoke with a start but couldn't move my body. My eyes opened wide, and I looked around in a panic. Judging by the nearby machines and the IV in my arm, I was hospitalized.

The memory of what happened came to me, and my entire body jolted when I tried to shoot out of bed, only to wince at the incredible pain that came through my torso. Through winced eyes, I saw that thick straps were holding my body down. My hands were free, but a loud "clunk" cut through the air when I tried to move them, and I felt a tug. I was handcuffed on one hand on top of the restraints.

What exactly did this hospital think I was going to do? Go crazy?

My free hand gingerly moved to lift the thin medical gown I was wearing, and I saw a thin scar running down my stomach between my navel and chest. Judging by its state of healing, I had to have been out for a very long time because there weren't even stitches holding it together.

"I'm your brother!"

Neji's desperate confession replayed in my mind, and tears rose. The heart monitor's beeping sped up at my emotional distress, but I ignored it. So Neji was the son of my mother and Madara. That'd make him around twenty-two or twenty-three, pushing Madara's age restriction limit on The Program applicants.

He had to have applied to meet me because the odds of us randomly meeting in a place like that were slim to none. If that's the case, I couldn't understand why he waited as long as he did to tell me his true identity.

The door to the room opened quickly, and a nurse let out a slight sound of surprise when I met her eye, "You're…You're awake!"

I nodded, "Where am I?"

She shook her head quickly, "I'm not allowed to talk to you," Then she turned and hurried out of the room. A confused expression rose to my face, but I didn't have to wait long before a different person entered, the same nurse following silently behind them with a red face.

"Well, I'll be…You are awake!"

I tore my eyes from the excited nurse and wordlessly greeted the new arrival. It was a tall woman with tan skin, red hair, and dark brown eyes. Her attire told me she was a doctor and not a nurse.

"I'm going to be honest, Dear; I was beginning to worry you were a lost cause."

"Can you tell me what's going on?" I tugged at the cuff on my wrist, "Why am I strapped down like this?"

The woman rested the clipboard in her arms against her hip and stepped forward to adjust a few things on the computer controlling the IV in my arm and heart monitor, "My name's Dr. Uchimaki, but you can call me Tayuya. I prefer a more casual approach with my patients."

She paused as though waiting for me to respond, only to continue when I didn't, "Multiple of your ribs shattered, and your lungs ended up damaged by the pieces. By the time you got here, I didn't think you would make it, but you pulled through. You're a fighter, aren't you?"

My brow furrowed as I tried to forget the awful events that led to my injuries. Hidan likely couldn't care less if he killed me. The way he'd been charging me with that knife so he could deal a finishing blow said it all.

The heart monitor sped up once more, and "Tayuya" made a calming motion with her free hand, "Don't get all worked up, now. You've been in a coma for just under a month, so your body's quite weak."

The beeping only quickened further as my mouth dropped open slightly at her shocking news, "A-A month?"

Her gestures became firmer before she crossed the room to search the cabinets for something, "To answer your other question: your records were recovered from where you were being held. Adding to that the fact that a majority of the others were deemed unfit to reenter society, we decided it best to take some precautions. I truly hope you aren't upset."

My face warmed as she found what she'd been searching for and closed the cabinet. Then she returned to the computer.

"Records…I'm unsure what they might've said, but I don't have a history of violence or mental illness. Is this necessary? Can you take them off?" I was trying incredibly hard not to let my anxiety make me panic. Anyone's likely to react badly if they wake up strapped to a bed and then told they've been in a coma for a month.

"Unfortunately, we need to have a psychiatrist determine what the next step for you will be. In the meantime, I've given you some medication to help you relax. Please, try not to worry much. Even if you've been unconscious, your body needs rest more than anything right now," As she spoke, I realized she'd gently slid a syringe into my IV, and the effects of whatever she'd put in there were quickly taking effect.

"W-Wait, the others…is everyone okay? Where are my friends?" My words were already slurring, but I fought to stay awake as she gave me a slight grin.

"Right now, you only need to worry about yourself, dear. Go ahead and get some rest."

My eyes grew too heavy to keep open, leaving me no choice but to follow her instructions.

My sleep was dreamless, and when I woke, I was no longer in the hospital room from before. Instead, I was in a small white room with only a small bed and bathroom amenities.

The toilet, sink, and shower weren't in a separate room, making me nervous. What made me feel even more panicked was that a straight jacket constricted my arms, and my ankle was cuffed to the metal leg of the bed. Upon closer inspection, I realized the bed was bolted to the floor. This room… looked like a jail cell or something.

Tears rose in my eyes as my breathing picked up. I looked around the room nervously and saw that a small camera was hooked to the corner of the ceiling, facing me. Before my anxiety levels could rise further, the door to the room opened, and a thin woman with pale skin, long black hair, and dark eyes entered carrying a small chair and a large file.

She wordlessly sat the chair down, facing me, and took a seat before offering me a polite smile, "Good morning, Hinata. I'm very pleased to meet you. My name is Kin Tsuchi. You can call me Kin or Dr. Tsuchi, whatever makes you feel more comfortable." Her voice was blunt and professional.

My brow furrowed, and I forced myself to take a deep breath in an attempt to retain some iota of my composure, "I-I'm sorry, I'm really scared. What's going on?" Doctors are bound by vows to do what's best for their patients, so I didn't hesitate to speak honestly with the woman.

Kin opened the thick file on her lap and flipped through multiple pages before taking a pen out of her chest pocket and jotting down some notes on the paper, "What you're feeling is completely understandable. Let's get straight to it so I can find the best way to help you, okay?"

I nodded, trying to blink back my tears since my arms were bound, and I won't be able to wipe at them if they fell.

"I'm going to ask you questions; your only job is to answer them honestly. Do you understand?"

I nodded again.

"Wonderful. Let's get started, then. First: Please tell me your name, age, and birthday."

My voice was hoarse, likely from being in a coma for so long, "Hinata Hyuga. Eighteen. December twenty-seventh."

"In your own words, please describe the time you spent in Mr. Madara Uchiha's imprisonment."

I paused, shocked that she really was jumping right into things. My answers will undoubtedly determine whether I'm released from this place, so I must choose my words carefully. Kin's eyes left her paper to look at me, and I realized I hadn't responded. "U-Um, that's a heavy one," I laughed awkwardly, but she didn't react, so I swallowed the lump in my throat and did my best to answer honestly and in a way that hopefully didn't make her think I was insane, "Challenging doesn't sound quite severe enough…maybe strenuous would work better."

"It was both physically and mentally demanding. It was hard to stay positive. It would've been unbearable if I hadn't had any of my friends there with me."

The pen was writing a mile a minute onto the paper in her lap, and she didn't say anything for a long time. I awkwardly spoke again, "About my friends…Do you know if everyone made it out alright? Was I the only one hurt?"

The doctor completely ignored my question, making my eyebrows raise, "At any point during the whole process, did you have thoughts of hurting yourself?"

A horrible feeling sank into my stomach, and I sincerely hoped what I thought was happening was just in my imagination, "N-No, I didn't. I tried to focus on getting out alive, so I could be with my sister."

"I see, and did you ever have the urge to hurt anyone around you?"

"We were forced to fight each other, but I never liked it. I-It was a horrible experience, and I never want to do it again," the feeling in my gut just kept getting more profound, and her lack of acknowledgment wasn't helping.

"Can you please describe some of the quote training techniques you were forced to be a part of?" Dark eyes searched mine expectantly as I struggled to form a response.

There wasn't a way of answering this question that would make me seem like a normally functioning human being. After a moment, I did my best and tried to speak about the less-severe things we'd done.

Dr. Tsuchi's face remained passive as she wrote, and once she was done, she continued, "Last one, and please remember to answer honestly; if Mr. Madara Uchiha was in this room, what would you say to him?"

My face warmed significantly, and I forced my gaze away from hers, "I-I would say…I would tell him that he didn't break me. I'd tell him that I survived despite everything, and I'm going to continue to do so."

The woman wrote into the file some more before closing it, replacing the pen in her pocket, and grabbed her chair as she rose. She turned to leave the room, and I panicked, "Please wait!"

Kin paused to give me another professional smile.

Tears rose in my eyes again as I desperately tried to get even the tiniest bit of information, "Do you know if my sister was found? Her name's Hanabi Hyuga."

The woman turned to face the door again, "I'm not allowed to disclose information pertaining to your family for the time being. I do apologize."

My tears flowed over, "N-No, please! She's in danger!"

The woman wordlessly exited the room without another glance in my direction. My chin quivered. I was officially left to these four white walls and my thoughts. My eyes darted around in search of anything at all that could help me, but there truly was nothing. My chest heaved as a sob tore from it, and soon, I was a puddle of tears.

Hours passed before two nurses arrived to feed me and allow me to use the restroom before I was re-shackled to the bed and the jacket was re-tied around me. The rest of the day passed, and I fell asleep from exhaustion and boredom.

I was woken up next by both Dr. Tsuchi and Dr. Uchimaki. The two women gave me a short greeting before the redheaded doctor aided me in taking a couple of pills, holding a water cup to my lips so I could drink, "This is to help with your anxiety, dear. I'd like you to take two every morning."

I nodded eagerly. I'd agree to almost anything if they let me out of this awful room. She gave me a grateful smile before returning to her peer's side.

Kin then looked down at a clipboard and spoke as though reading directly off a paper atop it, "Today's date is October third. The patient indicated clear signs of deceit upon being asked questions regarding her mental health. The patient also shows clear signs of lingering aggression toward her abuser. As a licensed medical professional, I, Dr. Kin Tsuchi, do not feel the patient is fit to be released into society. I recommend the patient, Hinata Hyuga, become a resident at Otogakure Asylum pending reassessment sixty days from today."

My heart sank in my chest, and my voice was barely a whisper as I stared at the two women with wide eyes, "What?"