Chapter 17

Once the last person had left the vicinity and we heard the door close at the end of the hall, Madara addressed me coldly, "What did I say would happen if you let anyone find out about us?" The way he said it made it sound like something it definitely wasn't.

Masumi wasn't around when we all reemerged from our training rooms, so just us two were in the large open area. He'd backed me against the wall but thankfully didn't touch me.

I shook my head in denial, "I didn't tell anyone anything."

There was a sharp sting across my face when he slapped me. My head turned to the side with the force he'd put into it, and I reached up to cup my cheek with a shaky hand.

"Then why would Naruto Uzumaki suspect you fear blindfolds?"

I tried to reason with him, "I don't know how he found out about that; I-I swear! I've been trying as hard as I can to keep things to myself."

His hand reared up as though he was about to hit me again, and I squeezed my eyes shut, "P-Please! It's impossible to hide everything when he's literally reading my mind; you must know that!"

The second hit didn't come, and I peeked to see him glaring down at me with a frown, "How much does he know?"

I explained he'd only seen glimpses of him and Masumi but didn't know how they were connected to me. He brought his hand up to his chin in thought as I tried to hide my cowardice, "Perhaps I should speak with him one-on-one."

My fear temporarily dissipated as I panicked, "No, don't!"

His eyes widened as he looked at me. "Be careful how you speak to me, Hinata. You know how short my patience can be."

My hands curled into fists at my sides. This man thoroughly enjoyed flaunting his power over me. Even if it's true that I couldn't do anything, I desperately pleaded with him, "I… I'll do whatever you want, but please don't hurt him. He hasn't done anything wrong!"

The professor looked taken aback by my words, "You like him, don't you?"

My face warmed, but I shook my head, "I don't want to see a good person get hurt because of me, so please-"

"You sound just like your mother."

My mouth clamped shut as tears welled up in my eyes. Every time Madara talked about her, it hurt more. His hand rose to gently cup my red cheek, pushing mine out of the way, "That's something she'd say; I'm sure of it."

My face heated further, but only because it took all my effort to not cringe away from his touch. Unlike the last time he'd gotten this close, if I offended him right now, he might take his anger out on another target, like Naruto. So, to protect the person I'd already hurt, I made myself bear with it.

"D-Do you know if Masumi's baby is my dad's or yours yet?" I made an attempt to change the subject from my dead mother. He didn't have the right to tarnish her name like he had been.

The gentle hand against my face swiftly grasped my jaw, and he leaned in so close that our noses nearly touched. My breath got caught in my throat.

"It's mine, just like you."

Tears spilled down my cheeks as I trembled. Madara is maniacal. He may be incredibly intelligent, but something was imbalanced within him. No sane person would do the things he's done.

"I-I'm not-"

"You're mine until I decide otherwise."

As though nothing had happened, he dismissed me after letting go of my face, "I suggest you have a talk with your partner, so I don't have to."

My limbs felt wobbly as I slipped past him and turned into the hall so I could leave. I nearly screamed in shock when I saw Naruto, Sakura, Ino, and Tenten kneeling against the wall, but I swiftly bit down on the surprised sound so I could act naturally and not give them away. My brow furrowed, and I followed them out of the training area.

Once the door closed behind us, I tried to rush off to hide in the bathroom stall like I'd grown used to, but Ino grabbed my wrist tightly, "Do you wanna explain what the hell just happened?"

I turned my head away to try and hide the fact that I was crying and tugged against her hold, "Let go."

To my surprise, she did, but she then shoved me with two hands against my shoulders. I lost my balance and fell to my bottom. My eyes locked onto Ino's angry ones, and I looked behind her to see Naruto and Sakura holding each of her arms back so she couldn't touch me again. Other people began popping up in the doorway of the bunks because they heard what sounded like fighting.

"I thought we were friends, Hinata!"

My attention was pulled back to the blond. I slowly rose back to my feet while wiping my eyes, but it was useless because my tears weren't showing signs of stopping.

The door to the M.A.T. area opened as Madara came through, and we all jumped to act normally. I used the opportunity to flee to the bathroom since I knew they wouldn't do anything with him present. He didn't speak to anyone, and I heard the door close at the top of the stairs close as I pulled my knees up to my chest.

Sobs shook my diaphragm, and I did my best to muffle the sound with my hands, but they had to know. Things were quiet outside for a long time before I ultimately heard a soft knock on the stall door.

"Hinata, are you okay?" It was Sakura.

I squeezed my eyes shut, thick tears rolling down my cheeks, "Leave me alone." My voice cracked.

I heard a click, and my eyes shot open in shock as the door creaked open. She broke in! Luckily, Sakura was alone and stepped in before closing the door behind her. I cringed away from her when she turned to face me again. Things were quiet momentarily as she tried to figure out what to say.

When she finally spoke, her voice was soft, "I won't ask you to tell me everything, okay? But I think I deserve to ask at least one question."

I buried my face into the arms crossed over my knees, not daring to look up, but waited for her to continue.

"Did they force you to be a part of this?"

My heartbeat quickened as I panicked. On one hand, if I answer honestly and Madara finds out, I probably wouldn't be the only one punished. On the other, Sakura was right. She deserves the truth. Slowly, I pulled back to look up and meet her eye. She was leaning her back against the door with a conflicted expression. I tried to make myself respond, but as we stared at one another, I couldn't choose to put her in danger.

My chin quivered as I opened my mouth to lie once more, but she cut me off, "I knew it."

I was so stunned that I didn't fight her as she tugged my legs down and knelt before me, holding my shaking hands in her own, "Whatever your reasons are, I know you're a good person."

My chest tightened guiltily, and I tried to pull away, but her grip was too firm.

"You stood up for me when Karin-" Sakura paused, her voice wavering slightly with emotion, but she swallowed before continuing, "You got hurt for my sake, and I can't tell you what that means to me. I don't care if you don't consider us friends; I'll be there when you're ready."

Sakura released her hold on me, rose to her feet, and left me alone in my stall again.

Kabuto came and forced me to come out for dinner, threatening to bust the door down if I didn't obey. The room became silent as I sat down with puffy eyes glued to my plate. By now, I was sure everyone knew what the four had overheard, so it was only a matter of time before Madara found out and came to get me. My death certificate had surely been signed.

The Program's dietician refused to leave until I started eating, so I did so with shaking hands. Once he went to check on others, I glanced up at the others sitting at the table. Ino glared shamelessly at me, not flinching when we met eyes.

Guilt tightened my chest again, and I looked back down in shame. Her anger was warranted, so I couldn't blame her for being upset. I could only imagine how bad things sounded from where she'd been eavesdropping. She must be so confused and hurt, but I also struggled to comprehend that she cared enough to be affected by it. Girls like Ino and Sakura make friends so easily, I didn't think they'd care about someone like me all that much, but apparently, I'd been wrong.

The rest of the evening was incredibly tense. Kabuto went back upstairs after dinner, and I retreated back into the bathroom. Tenten tried to stop me when I passed her, but I ignored her with my head low.

For hours, I sat atop the closed toilet lid, holding my body together with my legs to my chest. A few people tried to talk to me through the door, but I ignored them. By the time it was lights out, my muscles hurt from sitting in the same position for so long, and my face felt stiff from the dried tears that'd finally stopped running down it.

It gradually got quieter and quieter until it was clear at least most of the other participants had gone to sleep. You'd think since everyone's young, many people would stay up later than we're supposed to, but the intense training really wore us all out.

I, too, started to fall in and out of consciousness. It may have been a few minutes or even a few hours, but I eventually woke back up, only to nearly jump out of my skin when I saw Naruto sitting with his back against the side of the stall. I hadn't even heard him break in.

He wasn't facing me, but I could see he was asleep because his head had fallen slightly to the side, and his jaw was slack. His arms were crossed at his chest, and his legs were crossed. I would've been amused at the sight if I wasn't feeling so terrible. However, I felt even more guilty that he would undoubtedly be as sore as me in the morning from sleeping like that.

As if my thought had been aloud, he stirred, reaching up to massage the back of his neck with one hand and rub his eyes with the other as he yawned. He glanced at me with his open eye and froze mid-yawn before dropping his hands and closing his mouth. My chest tightened, and I wanted to look away but couldn't do it.

"Hey."

His voice was low and raspy from sleep, and he continued when it became clear I wouldn't respond. "Wanna give me that talk Madara mentioned?"

I shook my head, eyes sinking to look at his crossed legs on the ground. He sighed, and we sat silently for a few moments before he tried again.

"I shouldn't have put that thing about the blindfold in there. I'm sorry."

Without thinking, I scoffed in disbelief, "You're apologizing to me?" My mouth clamped shut as I realized I'd spoken.

He surprised me by offering a small smile, shaking his head when I gave him a confused look, "It's been weeks since you've given me an honest reaction. I'm relieved."

I wasn't sure how to respond, so I didn't.

He sighed again, "I think I'm starting to piece together some of what's going on with you."

My feet slid off the seat, and I had to lean forward to catch myself from falling forward, "Don't…."

The blood returning to my legs as my feet touched the ground felt terrific. Goosebumps crept onto my skin. It's cold here in the open without a blanket at night.

"Listen, I appreciate that you're trying to protect me; I swear I do, but here's the thing: you never asked what I want."

Naruto's blue eyes were serious as he moved his body around to face me more efficiently, "It's not fair to make a decision for me, especially without explaining."

I opened my mouth to argue, but he cut me off, "I heard everything earlier, so I know I'm already in danger. Tell me the truth, at least. I'm already involved."

He was right, of course. It's my fault his life's at risk, so the least I could do is tell him why, but it was so hard to come clean when his opinion of me would surely change once he knew the truth. My words became choked up in my throat, "I can't."

My face heated instantly when he suddenly grabbed one of my hands and held it between his much larger ones, "Stop trying to do this alone! You're gonna get yourself killed, Hinata, so just stop. Please, tell me something, anything. I don't care as long as it's the truth."

My lips moved before I could bite back my response, "Why do you care?"

His mouth clamped shut as though he was taken aback by my question, but he quickly recovered, "You're my friend, that's why." He met my gaze firmly, but his expression became more empathetic, "Please let me help my friend, Hinata. Don't make me beg."

I felt my resolve slowly melt away, and eventually, I relented. After weeks of stress and secrets, I told him everything. I told him about my father's death, my sister, Masumi, and her pregnancy, the truth behind The Program, and even Madara's story about my mother.

He held my hand firmly in his the whole time, only to let go once I was done with my lengthy explanation. I wanted to cry as I waited for his response, but I had no more tears left to spend pitying myself. Instead, I gritted my teeth as he silently gathered his thoughts. When he finally spoke, I cringed in anticipation of his anger. I know I'd be upset if someone had lied to me like I had to him.

"I'm amazed you've kept it together all this time!" He'd risen to his feet and looked down at me with a guilty expression. My frown widened, and he ran a stressed hand through his hair, "This is a lot; I'm not gonna lie."

I nodded, ready to accept whatever harsh words he wanted to use, but he didn't insult me.

"I'm more upset you didn't trust me than anything else. Well, the prize money would've been nice…." He pulled my hand into his again, pulling me up to my feet. There wasn't a lot of room for us to both be standing in the tiny stall, so we were very close.

"I'm not mad at you, okay? I'm pissed at Madara. This is his fault."

A small squeak of surprise came from the back of my throat when he suddenly pulled me into a tight hug. If you don't count our mental training sessions, this was the closest I'd ever been to any guy in my life. My fingers twitched at my sides, and I fought the urge to hug him back.

His arms tightened around my body, and he spoke sincerely, "You were trying to protect us by being cold like that, right? Don't do that anymore, at least not with me."

My whole body felt hot, and I thought I would faint when he finally pulled away, "I won't tell anyone about all this, but I think you should talk to Ino and Sakura."

My limbs tensed, and I shook my head, "It's bad enough I told you. If Madara found out I told them, too…."

He nodded slowly with a frown, unlatching the stall door with one hand and opening it, "You're right." He let me walk past him, and I approached the sink to wash my face.

"Damn it! This really sucks!"

He waited for me to finish before we headed to the bunks, side-by-side. He whispered as we climbed into our respective beds, "Let's worry about this tomorrow."

I nodded silently, my exhaustion hitting me like a truck. I fell asleep instantly.