Hellfire

Part 2

Hinata opened her eyes, and at first everything was blurry. People hovered above her and her ears were ringing. There were voices and beeping and Kami, her chest felt like it was caving in on her lungs.

"Hinata-chan-"

"Hinata-sama has-!"

"Hinata, thank goodness!"

She blinked her eyes and they burned as if they had been stung by a venom. A shaky arm that was riddled with IV drips and needles lifted to her face to brush away stray tears on cheeks. Her vision cleared a moment later and Sakura stood beside her bed in a white doctor's coat, clipboard in her hands.

"Hinata, hey," Sakura said in a gentle tone. "Welcome back. How are you feeling?"

Hinata parted her lips to say something but her mouth felt too dry to form a sentence. She sealed it immediately and tried instead to wiggle her toes as she felt her heart rate start to pick up.

Silence.

And then a sob. Hinata didn't realize - at first - that it came from her.

Sakura's face quickly distorted into one of concern. Her hand darted out to hold the Hyuga's as she consoled her and sent chakra to her palm.

"Hi-Hinata, calm down. Tell me what's wrong. Are you in pain?"

Hinata's chest was heaving before she knew. Her lungs lacked oxygen. Black dotted her sight. She recognized the crushing feeling in her chest. Her heart - much like it had when she was a mere child - was shattering.

"I ca- can't...! I-I...can't br-breathe...!"

The heart monitor erupted erratically as the Hyuga's rib cage began to explode at inhuman speed.

"Hinata, don't!"

She felt like her skin was crawling. She felt dirty. She felt like every bone in her body was breaking thrice over all at once and her entire being was overwhelmed with grief.

"I c-can't-! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!" she wailed incoherently. "I had to, I had to- please understand!"

She threw herself off the hospital bed and ripped the needles from her skin.

Give me what your heart holds dearest.

I want your love and memory of the man you call husband.