#sasuhinamonth

According to her suitemates, one of the Witches disguised themselves as her, searching the room for the ring. During their search for her, they were led by a suspicious person that Ino was sure was magically disguised to the restaurant Hinata had gone to. When they found the ‘restaurant’, the Fae were told either to give the ring or they’d kill Hinata. Sakura had already seen the damage they’d done during the fight and couldn’t risk it. so now an unknown Witch had one of the most powerful artifacts in the whole Magic Dimension. It had been Hinata’s whole reason for her trip to Domino, her mother’s story and the desire to know more about the relic of the supposed royal family. It choose who it wanted, much like its creator The Great Dragon had chosen the Fairy it bonded to. Her father was furious, sticking guards on her until the Ring was recovered. He hadn’t exactly listened to her when she tried telling him where she thought it was but it was always like that. He never quite thought she was the right fit for the Ring, but he couldn’t force her to give it to her sister, his preferred Fairy to rule their dimension. Sakura had suggested they could just go to Cloud Tower and get it back, but she didn’t trust that entering the school without Headmaster Orochimaru’s permission would end well. They already knew their school could seal their magic for greatly breaking rules and Hinata did not need her father getting madder at her.

The constant hovering whenever she was outside school was suffocating though. While the Ring’s absences had allowed her to learn how to use her magic without the extra boost, she did so knowing anytime she wasn’t in class, she was being questioned by the guards for possible clues to who had taken the Ring. She knew Neji had gotten in trouble since it had been his name on the note that made Hinata leave. The longer this went on, the more guilt she was carrying and the worst her anxiety seemed to grow. She needed her Ring back so this could all end.

“I’m going in here.” she called to her guards, darting into the first storefront she spotted, knowing they wouldn’t follow her in, since Downtown Magix had some of the best anti-magic spells in the stores. Nothing more than simple spells was able to work once you walked past the door.

The art store she walked into was quiet, with only the sound of low music and the low sound of paper flipping. Any customers were focused on looking for their own supplies, comparing them or stacking them up in small towers. Hinata wasn’t an artist, not past learning how to do flower arranging from Ino, but she enjoyed walking through museums and seeing the pieces people spent ages working on. she walked through the aisles of bins drawings, all packaged in plastic, stopping at one and flicking through.

“I’m picking up an order?” a very familiar voice had spoken above the music. A voice that had spent at least 20 minutes sweetly flirting with her at the welcome dance at Alfea almost 3 weeks ago.

Sasuke was standing at the checkout desk, looking around as the sales associate disappeared into the back. His eyes widen when he spotted her. She stood still, unsure if he’d ignore her or come over on his own when he received his order. She watched him slip a worn book from his jacket into the bag he got as he walked over.

“Hyuuga.”

Feeling the slightest bit like teasing, she tilted her head. “Aw, you won’t call me Hinata? Not after all what you were saying at the dance?”

She giggled at the sight of Sasuke looking surprised and his ears glowing red. She did let out a yelp as he flicked her on the forehead.

“Ow!” she cried, rubbing her forehead.

“Get over it. I can’t believe I listened to Naruto when he said you were quiet.”

She expected her heart to lurch as the sound that Naruto had spoken about her, but she got nothing. That felt surprising but she didn’t take much time to overthink it.

“You draw?” she asked.

Sasuke leaned over her and flicked through the pictures she’d been looking through and pulled one out. it was a pencil sketch of a castle, not one she recognised. The circular design and 4 towers framing the one tall spire reminded her of older castles. Sasuke’s signature was in the corner.

“This is amazing. Where is this?”

Sasuke was focused on the picture on the small canvas she held. He looked like he was lost in thought. “I had a dream about it.”

Hinata looked up at him, watching him shake his head, wondering if there was more to the drawing than just a dream.

“What about you? I noticed the guards outside. What’s going on?”

Hinata fidgeted with the canvas, not wanting to be reminded why she was being followed around. “I got kidnapped about a week ago. A group of Witches took my Ring.”

“Ring?”

“The Ring of Solera. It helps boost my power and I can use it to cast spells and use it to move through different dimensions. It’s one of the most powerful artifacts in the Magic Dimension and it’s gone. My father isn’t happy and until we get it back, I have a leash in the form of guards.”

Sasuke looked out the window to where the guards stood at attention, drawing looks from those passing. “They couldn’t ask your cousin?”

Hinata shook her head. “I got a note from what I thought was Neji asking me to dinner, so my father doesn’t want him ‘messing up’ again. If I’m not in class, I’m being questioned over and over again. Leaving campus gives me a break but then I’m stuck with them following me.”

Sasuke looked from the guards to her. “Want a break?”

“How?” Hinata asked, feeling confused.

“Well considering a second-year group managed to safely get you to school after you were attacked by a troll, I think they can give a bit of leniency. Wait here.” he said, disappearing out the door.

Hinata watched him leave, unsure if he’d actually convince the guards her father had for her. It felt like they were always stricter with her compared to Hanabi. She took another look at the sketch Sasuke had drawn and headed to the checkout counter. “Excuse me? Can I get this one?”

By the time Hinata had the bag in hand, missing her Ring even more since she couldn’t place items into a pocket space, Sasuke poked his head in and gestured to follow him. the head of her guards approached her when she stepped outside and bowed his head.

“Princess, we’re allowing you to travel with Specialist Umino until you’re ready to return to Alfea.”

The urge to stare at Sasuke in stunned surprise was high, but she controlled her expression. “I’ll call you when I’m ready, Kō.”

Waiting until the guards had disappeared down the street, she stared up as Sasuke, who looked smug. “How?”

“Helps that I’m personally trained by head of Konoha’s guards. They respect Kakashi at least. Come on, I’ll get you something to drink. I even promise I won’t drop a potion in it.”

Hinata groaned, feeling her own face start to flush. “I had nothing to do with that.” She defended, following Sasuke down the streets of Magix.

“Relax. I wasn’t joking when I said I can tell you don’t have a crush on me. Naruto however, that’s a bit more obvious.” He looked at her and frowned. “Breath, he doesn’t know.”

“Don’t scare me like that!” she said, hitting his arm.

He let out a scoff. “I’m too busy trying to figure out if you’re well. That dope? Really?”

“Can we please talk about something else?” she begged, not in the mood to overheat in her nerves of talking about Naruto. But, other than feeling embarrassed, the normal feelings she had when thinking about Naruto weren’t there.

“Ok. Your Ring. Do you think you know who took it? you said it was Witches.”

Thinking about waking up in that dark room to seeing the four, or was it five, people standing over her, made her shudder. “Witches have a dark feel to them, thanks to the way their magic falls. These guys, their feeling was oppressive. But…” she trailed off, feeling for the protective feeling Cloud Tower gave to all its students. For Sasuke, it was softer, his protection from Red Fountain covering him more plus something else. Something that was warm.

“But what?”

“You know how Cloud Tower puts this protection spell on its students? Headmaster Orochimaru, I think, casts it?”

“The school actually. It feeds off our magic and has a mind of its own. It’s more alive than the other two schools. What about it?” Sasuke asked.

Hinata continued explaining. “If you focus enough, you can feel it on students. You have it, but Red Fountains’ own is stronger obviously. I know it sounds crazy, but I swore I felt it on those Witches.”

Sasuke stopped, looking down at her. “You think it was Cloud Tower students?”

“It’s crazy right?”

Sasuke bit his lip, looking away for a moment before looking back at her. “I had stay on campus for a week after the dance so the school could get used to my magic. I wasn’t going to be a short time guest, so Orochimaru said it was best to stick around and let it get used to my magic, especially it doesn’t really fit Witch magic. I felt something. I thought it was just my magic getting used to the feeling of Cloud Tower, but it felt something was pulling at its magic.”

Hinata stared at Sasuke, digesting what he admitted. “Does the Headmaster know?”

Sasuke shook his head. “I’m a duel entry student; I didn’t think he’d believe me.”

She stepped in front of him. “Do you think if I go to him, I can get him to at least consider a student might have actually taken it?”

“Can you find it, like through your magic?” Hinata nodded. Sasuke gave his own nod. “I could ask. if two different students say something, he might take it seriously. You need to be able to prove it though, your Ring being at the school.”

There was a possibility that whoever kidnapped her never even took the Ring back to the school, but the Ring’s power was so potent, even if they touched it, it was possible she could figure out who had taken it.

“I can try.”

They found a café with outdoor seating and sat at a table under an umbrella. Even though Hinata was a sun fae, she watched in fascination as Sasuke moved his chair to sit in the sun.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were a sun fae.” She said, watching him tilt his head back to let his face catch the rays.

“My magic just likes things warm.”

Hinata hummed, thinking of her Ring and how her need to be in the sun was stronger when she wore it. It made her wonder how she would have survived going to Domino, since the whole planet was covered in snow and ice. She pulled out the picture Sasuke had drawn, taking it again.

“You bought it?” Sasuke asked, after he looked again when their drinks were dropped off.

“It’s amazing. Castles used to have this look almost 100 years ago? Most phased out as recent as 20 years ago? Those where the last few castles and from dimensions completely far from here. You said you had a dream about it?”

The Specialist nodded. “I’ve always had odd dreams, but this year, they’ve been more frequent. If it’s not flashes of places I don’t recognise, it’s of this voice and a man. He has this mask, dressed in flowing clothes. I swear I recognise him, but I don’t know from where.”

Hinata hummed. “Do you have a picture?”

Sasuke dug in the bag and pulled out the book Hinata had seen him slip in after receiving his order. The sketchbook had been beat up, looking like he’d even taken it with him during training. He flipped to the back half of the book and pushed it towards her. The man on the page had long hair, his features looking similar to Sasuke. The mask around his eyes were like those of a crow’s feathers. Sasuke was right, he did look familiar. She pulled out her phone, taking a picture of the person.

“If you’re having dreams about this person, it’s possible it’s someone trying to reach you. sneaking into dreams is hard to do.”

Sasuke closed the book, nail running over the cover as he stared at it. “He knew my name. Iruka always told me that my name felt like it was being whispered to him, so wherever I came from, I never knew if my name was actually mine. But, the way he said it, that person, it sounded like it was never going to be anything but.”

_____________________

Pale eyes read over the lines in the page. She’d gone looking at the school’s library for the information, only for the whole search system to lose control and the books to be gone the next day. Thankfully, Alfea couldn’t touch her family’s massive library. Kō brought them to her when he arrived for his shift looking after her. It was one of the few days that she wasn’t taken for more questions after class. She’d eaten lunch quickly, wanting time by herself for just a few minutes. If what she was reading was actually true, there was a lot more to Sasuke’s story.

Speaking of, the sound of a Wind Rider echoed through the courtyard. Stopping in front of Hinata, she watched the rider pull their helmet off, Sasuke nodding his head for her to get closer.

“Orochimaru agreed to a meeting. He thinks I’m going to talk to him about what I felt when I spent the week. We need to go now.” He said.

She turned, looking for the familiar sight of her kingdom’s colours and found Kō looking at them. she pushed the book in his chest and quickly threw out, “I’m going to Cloud Tower. Tell Father to come.”

She ignored him calling after her, taking the helmet Sasuke handed her and climbing behind him. the path to Cloud Tower was further than the other two schools, still near the lake and through the forest that surrounded all 3 schools. The towering campus of Cloud Tower finally appeared as the sky darkened and clouds thundered. Shino had told her during the near fight between the Witches and Fae that night, that Cloud Tower made itself look imposing to stop people from attacking. She hadn’t understood what he meant he meant then and even what Sasuke had said about the school feeling alive, but now that she was approaching, it was becoming clear what they meant. This was more than just feeling the cover of magic the school left on its students, she could feel it’s breathing heart throbbing throughout the school. The courtyard wasn’t nearly as big as Alfea’s and it lacked the quad the Fae school was known for. It was probably why school events happened at either Alfea or Red Fountain. The inside however, was massive. It was dark, lit by candles and torches, with the occasional magic made light. They were getting stares from the shadows and Hinata put herself closer to Sasuke.

There may not be any massive issues between the students of Alfea and Cloud Tower anymore, but not all Witches liked Fae.

Sasuke took her hand as they headed for the steps. “Ignore them. Witches are still mostly female so they don’t see guys all that often. They’re some of the worst gossips.”

They had been passing a set of floors when Hinata stopped, tugging at Sasuke’s hand. She stared down the hall, feeling a familiar pulse of magic, one that was almost always on her finger.

“I can feel my Ring.”

“Those are student dorms.” Sasuke pointed out, giving her a look that she knew she probably had to. They’d questioned if the person who kidnapped her was a student, but now it felt possible.

She’d been about to pull him down the hall, towards her Ring, but something latched onto her and yanked her back. When dimension hopping, going through the portal was slightly disorienting when going the first time, seeing colours pass by and feeling yourself moving through something. Hinata got used to using her ring, but being pulled was just like her first time. Sasuke grabbed her, stopping her from falling onto the floor of the headmaster’s office, Orochimaru sitting behind his desk. The headmaster had his arms crossed, thin eyebrow raised as the sight of them.

“Umino, I believe this was supposed to be a meeting between us. Not you using it as an excuse to let a fae snoop. I want an explanation. Now.” He demanded. The large purple snake laying across the back of his chair flashed its fangs at her.

Standing up, pretending the headmaster was a diplomate or envoy from another dimension, Hinata spoke. “the Ring of Soleria was stolen after I was kidnapped. The culprits were Witches and I sensed the protective feeling Cloud Tower leaves on its students. Out of all the schools, Cloud Tower’s is the easiest to find because of how interwoven it is to the person’s own magic. I wouldn’t baselessly accuse your students if I wasn’t sure. I can feel my Ring.”

“Plus, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. When you had me stay on campus for the week, so the school could realise my magic was going to be a student’s and not just a visitor, I felt something. I could feel something pulling at the magic of Cloud Tower. You said that I’d feel the school pull at my own, but something is trying to siphon the magic of the school.” Sasuke continued.

Gold eyes narrowed at them, looking disbelieving before the snake spoke. “They speak the truth. It’s small, but you can feel it. Garaga has been feeling something off.”

Orochimaru looked up at the snake before looking back at them. pushing his chair back, he stood, the snake easily transferring from the chair to around the man’s shoulders. “Let’s see if it’s true then.”

The feeling of being shot back onto the steps wasn’t any better the second time, but at least she was able to grab onto the railing. After reorienting herself, Hinata walked towards the bright feeling of her Ring. It got stronger as she got closer to one particular room and looking at the headmaster, he nodded. She pushed it open and stepped into the middle of the empty room. It was an empty dorm room, unless whoever the owners were didn’t decorate. Putting her hand out, she focused. A loose rock shook from its place in the wall, light growing from behind it before it was knocked out and the Ring of Soleria darted across the room ended back on Hinata’s finger. The blue and orange ring buzzed at being back in her presence.

“May I?” the headmaster asked.

She let him take her hand as he studied the Ring. Putting one hand over it, the Ring glowed purple for a moment before settling.

“It was handled by a student.”

Hinata and Sasuke shared a look, but before either could ask a question, someone rushed in.

“Headmaster! The – oh.” The other person, with glasses and silver hair tied back looked surprised to see Hinata, not so much Sasuke. He was probably a teacher if he knew Sasuke already. “That explains the King of Solera inside your office.”

“I’ll apologise in advance.” Hinata said, as the headmaster sighed and gestured them out the room.

Like she thought, her father tried accusing the school of wanting to attack Soleria and it took all of her diplomatic skill to stop what could have ended up being a battle between Cloud Tower and the royal family of Soleria. The headmaster basically told them to leave and Hinata had a feeling Sasuke would be suffering through his next few classes. They were walking back to Sasuke’s Wind Rider before the Specialist sighed.

“God, your dad is, the fucking worst. and I’ve met royals through the idiot and my dad.”

Hinata wasn’t going to tell him he was wrong. She was ready to go back to school but since she wasn’t going to need guards on her anymore, she didn’t have a reason to rush. She took the book she’d stolen from Kō and flipped to the page she’d been reading.

“Here.” she said, handing it to Sasuke. She watched his eyes widen as the person he’d drawn in his sketch on the pages of the book. “Itachi, one of the Nymphs of Magix. Connected with Lake Roccaluce, not far from Red Fountain. Thing is, while most can find information on the other 8 Nymphs, when I tried looking for Itachi at the Alfea library, it caused the whole search system to crash. Next day, all books about him were gone. This book says,” Hinata flipped to a page with a very familiar castle, “that he was also a Nymph of Domino. Which wasn’t supposed to have people on it.”

“So, why is a Nymph, a high-level Fae, coming to me in a dream? Aren’t these guys all dead?”