Disclaimer:
I do not own Naruto. Naruto is by Masashi Kishimoto.
~0~0~0~
The Awakening
The dusk had darkened to evening when he got back to his hotel room. He was restricted to no weaponry despite the presence of at least a hundred armed guards in at least a mile-wide circle around the area. He's present as a guest this time, not a shinobi escort. Not that his former status of being an international criminal would help him qualify as a guard. It was easier to survey the area as an unsuspecting guest than as a guard anyway.
It was saying something of their security that they were unafraid of throwing a grand ball in the mansion, the supposedly smack center of their activities, with their guests sure to bring with them a group of personal guards. It would be beyond easy to slip a spy shinobi or two among those numbers without attracting suspicion. He liked their guts. It made him want to smack them good. Damn real good.
He slipped into the shower with those thoughts. The manicured lawn outside was deceiving, and so were the magnanimous fountains in the sides of the grand alley entrance with its life-size cherub statues. But it's the gazebos and sheltered nooks hidden by arching century-old oak trees and flowering shrubs that stood as the true attraction. The air of secrecy lured people. Particularly lovers. Secret lovers. Inviting all sorts of noble houses, influential and rich families was the way of the group to amass information, of blackmail potential, on the young masters of powerful families all over the lands. They played their cards well. But all these were simply the tip of the iceberg of their crimes. They are more notorious on their dealings with drugs and prostitution, targeting and dealing with young kids of powerful families. He wasn't one with a huge moral compass and he had no particular moral imperative to stop the activities. But the way he saw things set up was a challenge. He had been right on the mark when he said he'd find the mission good. He'd bring this whole business down. That would be good.
"Who'd think the lighted lanterns that twinkle from behind the broad oak leaves have cameras in them?" he thought as he opened the shower and let the first streaks of the warm water hit his face. Still, how could all those idiot guards miss it? He didn't need his sharingan to find their cameras or note the land mines and traps to protect them. What happened to the caliber of guards these years? His hair stuck on his face as the water soaked him. He reached for the in-house shampoo and smelled the faint floral perfume in it. Briefly, he wondered if there was any drug in it. Years of strolling around in Orochimaru's lair had honed his senses for detecting the faintest smell of poison, aphrodisiacs, etc. All sorts of drugs basically. He wafted the shampoo again. Negative. He snorted at that. It was logical to leave that alone. It was too accessible, too exposed. If they wanted that effect, it would be more effective to treat the water system with drugs. He took his own shampoo and poured a generous amount on his palm and applied it to his hair. He had their water system worked out five hours upon his arrival. It was misleading how they arranged the dummy connection of the hotel and the mansion to the town's water system. That's why it took him five hours to figure it out. The main controls were in the mansion and the town's water system was not supplying the hotel or the mansion. The connection tubes were solid cylindrical blocks not tubes. Clever.
He took his time in the shower, straining his ears for sounds other than the sound of water. Soundproof and fireproof walls. He chuckled as he turned off the shower and reached for his towel. The ball will begin at 8pm, starting with dinner. He still has one hour to get ready and get to the place.
~0~0~0~
He only needed to watch. He had sent a team formally for the mission. He just didn't know he had to wear this stupid suit to be able to watch. Maybe he knew but he didn't know it would feel very constricting. He adjusted his tie again. Perhaps this was why most shinobi preferred to spy grand balls as escort guards, hiding behind the shadows.
The place was filled with females in fancy dresses and males in crisp tuxedos, uniformed servers, and several escort guards and in-house guards. It was almost a headache to look at them. He opted to position himself in a corner where the entire place was open for observation but well away from the mass of people. It took him several minutes to compose himself. Crowds exasperate him. The chattering was subdued but everywhere. There was a constant buzz in the place and he felt tired of it too easily. Why was he sent to this mission instead of the people-loving, idiotic, hyperactive blond? He made a small sigh as another pair of ladies passed by him, both smiling as sweetly as they thought they could. Sasuke fought the urge to glare at them. He briefly thought if it was indeed wrong that the group in question pimped ladies taken from their parties when those very ladies were selling themselves sans the drugs. To be objective, there were pretty ladies present. Pretty by the normal standards, he could hear himself add. Most were nicely dressed, though he could easily point several ones whose dresses were way more handsome than they are. There were few that would merit to be looked at for several seconds. But none was attractive enough to be worth of a second look at all. At least, none that he saw yet.
Anyway, he wasn't here to watch the guests, much more to care about ladies. He rolled his eyes at the thought. He had lost his interest on romance when his brother murdered their whole clan and sent his life towards the darker alleyway. His mind had been since filled with quest for power, revenge and only later, hunt for the truth. He had been unable to return to the typical shinobi life since then. He may be doing a mission today but he was no longer anybody's shinobi. While his service was to the village his brother had died for, no one knew it except himself, the two other members of Division Zero and the head of the secret squad, the Hokage, who also formed the group. His interest for the opposite sex was yet to be rekindled. Years spent around women who threw themselves at him did nothing to help renew that.
He made a mental note of the size of the room, the number of visible doorways and the position of windows. The gilded ceiling was colored cream, the color flowing with the faint gold paint of the paneled walls. The window frames popped out with the dark wood paneling. The draperies were white with slight glittering gold accents. With the moon shining full outside, it rendered the tall windows with a dreamy look. He has to respect their taste for the exquisite. There was a huge chandelier hanging in the middle of the ballroom, of bronze and gold mix. It was a fine-looking piece, a masterful art. It diverted the attention to the center. Sasuke chuckled briefly at the thought before letting his eyes run around the ceiling. It was an artwork in itself. He couldn't find anything inappropriate or shady. He kept his eyes on the ceiling for several more seconds before looking around again.
Then he saw her, sitting by one of the tall windows, silhouetted by the moonlit white draperies hanging there. Her hair was let down, quite simply, not curled or twisted to some elaborate twist, with a just jeweled pin on the side. Apparently, he thought, not even a mission could make a Hyuuga do something on his/her hair. It was nice to look at, her hair. Whenever it caught the gleam of the moonlight through the window, its deep midnight blue color glimmered. It was the one single time he ever paid attention to hair color. Her's was a pleasant sort. Not loud, not dull, uncommon but subdued. It was fascinating to watch whenever the light played tricks on her hair. There were two men, guards, on her either sides. Identical men. The other one in the team must be lurking behind the shadows. A clever guise. Unless one of her escort guards starts to bark.
"So it was Team 8, huh." He thought as he watched them move. One of Konoha's best tracking teams. He was already setting to pick up on people to track. He considered the information for a moment before the sound of music started to fill the hall. It was a soft, dreamy melody. The uniformed servers started to make another round, bringing in wine and champagne this time. The dancing commenced. Watching people pair up and move around in the erratic order called dance dizzied him. He took a moment to get a glass of wine from one of the passing server. A tall man with a sea-green hair greased to fall into place came to her. She stood up with a small, almost shy smile. He took a moment to look at them before opting to look around again and identify the visitors from the 'residents' of the mansion. By the time he had figured out that the lady in the purple dress flirting with three men was not a guest, the second song ended.
"So there are female members in the organization." he thought with a careful sip of his wine. Either that worked for the drug-end of the business or they also make a victim of young male nobles in prostitution. Not a far-off possibility. He has information of the growing network on male prostitution. That side of the game may even be more lucrative than the traditional one. There was also a slightly older woman who had been watching the younger males a little more carefully to be regarded as curiosity.
He saw her go back to her teammates, or rather escort guards. She did not take her seat this time instead she took the offered glass of wine from one of the servers. She was a little taller than he remembered. The thought made him smirk. Who knew a kunoichi could wear high heels, dance around and still stand as delicately as she does?
A long sweet note floated in the room as the violinists started to play again. Another man, one Sasuke had already identified as one of the guests, came to ask her the dance. Hinata could easily be one of the underdressed ladies in the hall. Her dress had no frills, no intricate embroideries, no embellishments. She wore no flamboyant jewelries. Yet she was, as easily, one of the ladies most attended to. Plain logic applied, it's simple. Hinata needed no extraordinary dress or glittering stones to catch attention. Not when she's looking like that. In the next couple of dances, Sasuke was sure she will attract the attention of the 'residents'. He leaned back on the wall behind him again, glass of wine in hand, and watched.
The material of her dress glittered with the lights like red diamonds as she moved in the dance floor. He remembered her - the shy little girl who cowered at the sight of anyone, the girl who was almost killed by her cousin in the chuunin exam match, the one who stalked Naruto. He must have missed a lot when he left Konoha. He never thought that same girl would dare wear a dress as bold as the color of blood, a long high neck ball gown that bared most of her back. The dark shade of the dress made her pale ivory skin glow. It suited her. Unexpectedly. Her naked back should be scandalous. The dress dipped low. But it didn't. Hinata was a sophisticated woman, her movements always refined and graceful. Her aristocratic upbringing boded well with her guise tonight. He had to admit she has an effortless elegance in her. Her guards may rouse attention but even to trained eyes, she's obviously a true lady of noble descent. The aristocracy in her is not a disguise. He made a slow sip in his wine. Maybe he wasn't picking up people to track yet. Maybe there was another reason why he sent Team 8 for the mission. She is, after all, Hyuuga Hinata, born and bred heir to the Hyuuga clan.
At the end of the sixth dance, he was aware he was being watched. He wasn't surprised when the lady in purple approached him by the next song. Too many ladies had been looking at him to be missed by the 'residents'. He almost sighed.
"I haven't seen you dance." she started as she approached him. She had a smoky brown eyes and a charming smile.
But wasn't interesting enough for him. He made a small tired smile and made a gesture to look around.
The lady giggled. "Picky aren't you?"
Sasuke took another sip of his wine. He has no intention of dancing whatsoever. Not because he cannot but because he wanted to avoid further attention. He was here to watch. Only watch unless a better prospect for information gathering presents itself.
"Sweet songs aren't your type?"
He took a moment to think about that before he nodded. The woman was not going to leave - he figured it out by her second question. He finished his glass of wine before deciding to play her game. "I'd like to move a little more than simply sway around." He said, as he gave his empty glass to one of the passing server. "I haven't seen you dance either."
"Oh I'm a bad dancer." she said, "Though if you'd ask me to, I wouldn't say no."
He resisted the urge to glare at her, and to sigh. Women.
She chuckled at his lack of response and took a glass of wine from a server. "How do I entice you to dance?"
"Die." Was what he was thinking for an answer but caught himself. His face remained impassive as he too took a glass of wine. His resolve to keep talking to her to swindle information was wearing thin. He'd accomplish more by watching than by talking to anyone, as the latter may result to him wanting to physically hurt the other person instead.
"I haven't seen you in any of our parties before."
So, he was right. She wasn't a visitor. She was one of the people who threw the party.
"I've received invitation a couple of times but it sounded dull." He may be poor in communication but he was good at something else. He caught the slight flicker in the woman's eyes at his comment. He took a sip on his wine.
"By the looks of you, any party will seem uneventful. Particularly if you're going to stay in a corner. Looks like that should not be kept in the dark." She winked at him.
Sasuke resisted the urge to glare at her, again.
After several more failed attempts to get Sasuke talk in a couple of sentences, the woman gave a small wave and left. She dissolved in the crowd easily. By the next song, he spotted her again talking to one of the older men in attendance. He noted the face of the man. He was the tall man with a sea-green hair who had asked Hinata to dance before. He noticed him eyeing Hinata a few more times after that.
The next song pieces were a little more energetic as the guests became increasingly drunk. A few more songs and he saw the man with sea-green hair lead one of the guests away to the small doorway in the left side of the hall. He emerged again after a song, without the lady.
It clicked to Sasuke.
Hinata had caught their eye and so had he. It was the perfect opportunity. He was suppose to simply watch but it wouldn't hurt to try a step further. The next piece sounded like a waltz.
He downed his wine quickly then approached Hinata.
~0~0~0~
Hinata almost squeaked aloud when she realized who the man was.
"What are you doing here?" hissed Kiba as he moved forward, ready to block him from Hinata. The other Kiba snarled.
"I wasn't talking to you." was Sasuke's reply.
Hinata made visible efforts to calm down though she was still staring at Sasuke like he was a ghost. Half of her consciousness was accounting for the fact that he was in the ball and Uchiha Sasuke has no whatsoever reason to be there unless he works for the group or he was sent by someone. Both of the possibilities should have grave complications. Two was all her brain could come up with because the other half of her consciousness was taking in his appearance. No, Hinata was never one of his fangirls but she was brought up with all the finer things in life. And he was a fine man. Instinct told her to look. His bangs still hang before his eyes the way it used to, his face framed by his longer side bangs. But his hair had grown considerably since the war, which was when she last saw him. His hair fell to his shoulder now, tied in a loose hair tie. Uchiha Sasuke no longer looked boyish. He was a handsome man.
"You bastard." Kiba started to bare his fangs at Sasuke.
"Kiba-kun." Her voice had a slight tremble. She was close to having a panic attack and was starting to feel like she's going to faint.
"You're going to blow your cover." Sasuke said in a low whisper. "Keep your eyes open while I help you do your job properly."
Kiba glowered at the former missing nin until he heard a faint humming by his ear. It was a small bug, five times smaller than a common fly. One of Shino's. They were starting to attract attention.
"It's okey Kiba-kun." Hinata made a small gesture to touch his teammate's arm slightly. There were people looking at them now. "I'm going to dance anyway."
Kiba reluctantly stepped back. He may want to fight the Uchiha but they are in the middle of mission. To whomever the bastard Sasuke was working for was beyond him. It irritated him that Hinata will be left in the despicable company of the Uchiha. It irritated him more that they did not notice his presence earlier.
The small bug hid itself in one of the small folds of Hinata's dress as Sasuke led her to the dance floor.
~0~0~0~
Uchiha Sasuke wasn't an idiot. His old teammate was, or is, but he wasn't and isn't. He came prepared. He knew he needed to know how to dance if he is going to present himself as a guest in a dance ball. And when Sasuke does something, he had to be good at it.
The song was half-way through when they made it to the center of the dance floor.
He slipped her hand on his as he raised his own in time for the next beat of the romantic music playing. It made Hinata raise her eyes to his. He kept the eye contact as his other hand came up behind her and pulled her towards him sharply. The smooth skin of her back felt glorious under his palm. Sasuke saw the way she gawked at him at the movement but she moved promptly when he strode for the first step. With their first movements, both looked away simultaneously, inducing a dramatic flair to their movements, quite contrary to virtually half of the people dancing with them.
They were simply one of the dancers until the couple made their first turn. They swept the dancers around them away with the movement. The whirl of Hinata's dress caught the light as she turned swiftly with Sasuke. Once then another and another. Slow then fast. Sasuke kept the turning with the next set of beats and felt that Hinata flowed with his movement with obvious skill. Three more turns, starting out slow then fast before he started to glide them across the dance floor again. They haven't caught each other's eyes since they started but the dancing felt easier as they moved. Soon they were demolishing the entire dance floor as they moved around, sailing across with those long, languid strides and sleek, fluid spins. They officially cleared the floor when Hinata twirled away from Sasuke, both threw their hands to the side in practiced ease. There was no one else in the floor when she spun back to him, turning away again in one smooth pirouette before falling back to his arms.
Kiba was quite taken himself that he didn't realize Shino had come behind him until he spoke.
"I noticed him earlier. Only I wasn't sure."
The present state of Kiba's mind has no capacity to come up with a retort to that.
"Quite the dancers they are, aren't they? I suppose I never thought the Uchiha could dance. And Hinata too, it feels like it's the first time I saw her in the floor tonight."
Kiba finally groaned in reply. He couldn't deny that even if he wanted. "They surprisingly look damn good together."
Shino chuckled softly behind him.
Sasuke himself was quite surprised. The girl in his arms was graceful, very but effortlessly. It felt like they flowed together without real effort, as if they had danced the dance a million times before. Every movement felt natural, almost like instinct. Every glide of their feet felt like they were dancing on silk. Everything seemed to move with them. The air, the lights, the floor. Everything. He was almost buoyant. It felt so different from when he practiced with Sakura. As a matter of fact, he wouldn't even begin to compare. He swiftly looked at his partner's eyes as he flung her again to the side.
Hinata almost forgot how dancing felt like. The only other person that moved as fluid as the man who held her whirling away from him then snatching her back with easy grace was her nii-san. And yet it felt different. Dancing with Neji was all grace and show. There was something else dancing with Sasuke. She spun back to his arms and they started gliding across the floor together again. He felt solid against her body, unyielding but not intimidating. The warmth of his palm against her own sent butterflies in her stomach. Neji's warmth was comforting, protective. Sasuke was different. He was fire under her skin. Slow burning fire yet so fierce she could feel the heat in her blood.
Kiba and Shino (and Akamaru) stood there transfixed of the only dancers on the floor for a minute more before Kiba snapped out of it rather violently. He threw a quick scanning look at the audience. Most of them had a sort of hypnotized look in their eyes. There was a sense of awe in their faces. He felt a strong sense of sympathy for them. It wasn't the most complicated waltz he saw but it was easily the most graceful one he witnessed. Sasuke and Hinata exuded an air of grand elegance and flair. They are two beautiful people, Kiba admitted begrudgingly. They are a marvel to watch and they are magnificently stunning together.
Surprising, unexpected. There was something that snatched his admiring attention back to the reason he was in this ball in the first place. It was too easy to spot the people that aren't meaning to be in the dance for the dance. The realization snapped him up. They were looking at Hinata and Sasuke definitely not with admiration. Their eyes reflected greed, almost predatory in its intensity.
He remembered Sasuke's words earlier, 'keep your eyes open while I help you do your job properly'. The bastard knew? How? There popped a couple more questions in his head but he wasn't eleven anymore. He pushed them on the back of his head and turned promptly to work.
"Damn right." Shino whispered as he saw Kiba's line of vision. No longer the dancers on the floor. Shino slithered back to the shadows too. He had his bugs on them right away, even smaller ones than what he had sent with Hinata. It would take an Aburame to notice it.
The music was coming to an end. Sasuke and Hinata turned back to each other, holding each other's gazes as their steps slowed down. Then with the final note of the music, Sasuke had his face closer to Hinata's than he planned. He could feel her soft breaths against his face. He found out he was looking at her too intensely. Her pale lavender eyes reflected the look in his eyes. It startled him. He moved away by an inch. She was looking at him. And Sasuke realized that the Hyuuga was beautiful. She is. One of the most beautiful creatures he had set his eyes on. Beautiful enough he could look at her forever. Probably not that long, but she definitely merits a second look, and a third one. She was serenity and grace personified. Too late he managed to figure out that his breath had hitched at his throat.
Hinata was quite taken by the passion that clouded the dark eyes of the Uchiha. She always admired Naruto because his eyes were always burning, always so eager. But the fire in the eyes she's drowning in right now was different. Too different. It wasn't eager. It was a steady deep, deep passion. She did not know any eye could have such fierce, intense flames and not physically flare up. She felt her soul being consumed by the fire in his eyes. Then she became vaguely aware that there was something else happening around her. There were sounds. There were clapping. She looked away from his eyes and the world came back rushing to her.
The entire hall was applauding.
There was a sudden ding of hollowness in Sasuke's ears. It was then that he realized the music had stopped and he was surrounded by applause. He felt Hinata move away from him and led him to face the crowd and bow. He vaguely became aware that they turned three times, to different directions, making courtesy bows.
~0~0~0~
Sasuke had recovered enough to be smug by the time he was walking Hinata back to her seat. But before he could rub it in the dog-nin's face, the tall man with the sea-green hair approached them.
"That was fantastic." He said in greeting. "I would love to impress both of you for showing such a marvelous dance. I couldn't remember seeing such a performance in all of our balls before."
Sasuke understood right away what the man was doing. Wording it as performance was the give-away. He glanced at the man briefly.
"Well," the man continued, smiling his most charming smile that would have dazzled anyone, "perhaps I could invite to for a special tour? Or a glass of our famous wine?" he said, sounding conversational, "No not the one served here in the hall. Though you must admit that is good in itself. We always make sure we have a more impressive set for the more impressive people."
Hinata thought it was a very, very poor speech but recognized the opportunity it presented. She gave Sasuke a glance. The fire she had marveled at earlier was gone. His eyes were still dark but it only reflected the glittery light of the place.
He caught her glance before turning again to the man, "I suppose we wouldn't say no."
Kiba stood stiffly as most escort guards should do. He wouldn't stop Hinata even if he could. He, too, understood the chance they did not know they will have. He eyed the Uchiha who simply quirked a corner of his lips before disappearing with Hinata in one of the doorways, following the lead of the man.
~0~0~0~
"Alessandro," the man started as they settled into a parlor. It was as decorated as the ballroom hall and was just as exquisite. It was dimly lighted and there were oil lamps in a couple of corners. It presented a very cozy atmosphere. There was a large framed mirror facing them. A uniformed server came in with three tall glasses of wines half-filled.
"Niou." Sasuke said introducing the false name he adopted for the mission. "Takeshi Niou." It was a real name. Takeshi was one of Oto's noble clans. Their youngest son, Niou, was four years younger than Sasuke. He knew his profile and the story of the noble clan enough to answer questions in detail if he'd be asked.
"Miyazaki Tsubame." Hinata made a small courtly bow as she introduced her false name. The noble house exists, a relative to the Hyuuga as a matter of fact but based in the Water Country. She knew of them as she knew every other family related to the Hyuuga.
The server handed them their wines. Sasuke held the stem of the glass delicately as he swirled the wine gently. He threw a hard look at Alessandro, who was talking again and already sipping his wine in between sentences. Despite his non-existent moral compass, he was disgusted. He subtly leaned towards Hinata when Alessandro made a motion of looking away. He appeared like he was kissing the Hyuuga's hair. He was faking but the smell of her hair hit him nonetheless. She smelled like lavender fields and summer. It distracted Sasuke for a couple of seconds, "Careful with the wine," he whispered when he was able, "it's drugged."
Hinata felt sick when she understood. The mansion itself was large. There could be as many rooms in the left and right wings as to accommodate a hundred people. They weren't kidnapping their victims. They simply drug them and sell them for the night. The poor kids can be well enough to go back to their lands by the morning. But why would there still be so many people in the ball? Could the drug induce inability to remember what happens after ingestion? The thought was even more revolting that Hinata caught her head with her hand.
Sasuke could see Alessandro was watching them beyond his phony speeches. The Uchiha slid an arm around the Hyuuga, "Hold yourself together."
Hinata took a long sigh and nodded.
"Are you alright Tsubame-dono?"
Alessandro was prompt. Hinata almost laughed. She deduced several things at this point. Alessandro wasn't one of the higher ups of the group. He was very inexperienced and poor in deceit. There's no trace of subtlety in him that she had observed from the other members of the group who cluttered in the ball. He must be too eager to show off to his bosses. That should explain why he approached them so hastily after the dance.
"Just a little tired." she replied with a small reserved smile that wasn't fake.
"Then perhaps you would want to rest for a while," he finished his glass of wine then, "I should leave you two alone."
Sasuke ran scenarios in his head. Alessandro may be leaving them alone but they will be watching them. It was impossible they really would leave them alone. It hit him hard he drew away from Hinata. The bastards. This sea-green haired monster was thinking he and Hinata will be engaging in carnal pleasure. He was giving them freedom because they were going to be filmed. Sasuke was quite angry that his eyes glinted dangerously at the man. But only briefly. He controlled himself soon enough. Alessandro was too slow to catch that. He was out of the room in another breath.
"Can you stand?" he asked her after Alessandro had left.
"They-"
Sasuke shook his head at her and she understood. She realized the implication of it as well and felt like throwing up now. He stood up and paced the room carefully while Hinata willed her nausea down. The stupid girl was too easily affected and slow to collect herself. He was wrong. The gazebos and nooks in the garden in the hotel weren't the source of blackmail materials. He did not bother look around for the cameras. Hinata on the other hand understood why the balls were continually populated. It made her really sick.
They couldn't really do anything, Sasuke realized. The best course of action right now is to gather as much information possible, and if they can, evidences, damning evidences that would pin the group down. But they haven't known any of the big people behind it. It is the most important piece of information they need. The ones in the party are obviously the throwaway ones. He sat back next to Hinata.
He was looking very contemplative that Hinata squealed when Sasuke lunged towards her suddenly and pinned her on the couch with little effort.
"What-!" Hinata blushed crimson, panicking and afraid as Sasuke settled above her.
"Shhh." He reprimanded. His eyes were dark with something again but it was a different kind of fire from what she saw earlier. It didn't calm her at all. "I will cover you. They're thinking we will be making out anyway. Use your byakungan and see if any other place in this mansion is occupied other than the ballroom hall," he spoke in a very low whisper she hardly heard him and she was so close to him too.
"Oh." Hinata's blushed subsided by a notch even if Sasuke's face was only several inches from her's.
Being so close to the Hyuuga made Sasuke feel funny. Her scent filled his senses completely he was having a hard time thinking straight. Well, he conceded to himself, if they are going to act, he might as well have a taste. He'd later remember to watch his alcohol. It makes his judgement looser and poorer.
Sasuke shifted. Hinata was amazed and horrified to find that Sasuke had arranged their bodies in a rather compromising position so swiftly. She wasn't just sitting on the couch. She was lying on it. Her face burned very red. The feel of soft masculine lips on her jaws made her jump slightly.
"Uch- uchiha-san," she whispered fretfully as she gave a good push on Sasuke's torso away from her body, "I don't think-"
"Am I turning you on?" he chuckled against her skin before trailing a kiss on the side of her neck. It was unnecessary, if Sasuke was going to be honest, but she was tempting. He hadn't felt tempted before. Never.
"Of course not!" her voice came out shrill. She was very close to hyperventilating. The crisp, masculine scent of the Uchiha was crowding her senses. She was at lost as to how to react.
Sasuke's kisses traveled up to her face, to the side of her lips. He was so tempted to kiss her fully. Maybe their famous wine wasn't the only thing drugged in this place. Perhaps the air was drugged too.
"U-uchiha-san!"
The use of his real name snapped Sasuke up. She had raised her voice too. Sasuke lifted his lips from her warm skin and whispered, quite annoyed, "Don't you know how to act Hyuuga? Keep your voice down. I'm not going to rape you. Snap out of your illusion." That wasn't exactly a lie. She hasn't driven him mad enough for him to rape her. Even if she was the only one to ever tempt him.
Hinata was blushing so hard Sasuke could feel the heat in her face. "I'm sorry! I'm not – not very comfortable with this – this sort of things."
He settled himself properly above her, his face against her, close enough that they were breathing the same air. His side bangs fell to her face. Suddenly it struck her, even as she realized that Sasuke's eyes has that deep fire in his eyes again, the same fire she saw after the dance. Her hands went to his sides, palming the lithe, firm muscles of his back through his suit in a fake display as he began to litter kisses on her jaws again. She gave a small tug at his hair tie. His hair fell against the sides of his face to her face. It tickled her skin and she was quite surprised to find that the Uchiha's hair was soft to the touch and smooth and smelled sweetly strong and spicy*. She was still blushing fiercely as Sasuke's face remained in front of her but she activated her bloodline limit as planned.
"Byakugan."
The mansion flared up in her black and white vision. There's a mass of people to the left, where the ballroom hall was. And there were others too in other places in the mansion. She shut her eyes hastily when she kept looking. Her blush had mostly gone down but she was almost red again, in anger. When she opened her eyes to the Uchiha, her byakugan deactivated, her face was solemn.
"Don't ask me to describe." she started, her fingers combed through his hair gently. He was fake kissing her neck. "There are people in the rooms above us. There aren't just two people in a room. There aren't just people. And -" her whispers trembled. She was sure she was close to crying.
The air was silent for a long pause of a moment.
The lust in Sasuke's eyes died too. He sighed as he eased off her.
Hinata closed her eyes as Sasuke stood up. If only she could erase the image in her mind.
"Go back there. Find them and leave." Sasuke's voice was still in whispers but his voice was hard now and almost bland in emotion.
Hinata sat up too and arranged her dress properly. Sasuke had leaned against the wall next to the mirror, facing her. She suddenly had the consciousness to ask him why he was here but he was too far from her to communicate whispers. He ran his fingers on his hair as Hinata stood up.
~0~0~0~
Kakashi sat by the chair idly while Sasuke watched him with wary eyes. The Division Zero headquarters was a shack, a rundown hut that looked like it will be torn apart by the next storm. Only it will not. Not by any storm or wind or earthquake. It was built by the present Hokage's old genin team, the second generation Sannin.
"I just asked if you enjoyed the mission." The older man said when the younger one kept looking at him as if plotting his death.
"That's not even a standard question after a mission." He just finished his report on the mission and Kakashi had met with Team 8 earlier this morning too. Apparently, Hinata did not deem it necessary to report what exactly happened in the parlor room. After all, the Hokage only needed the information, not how the information was gathered. Team 8 did report seeing him, and voiced concerns over that. But that would be Kakashi's worry.
"I'm asking as your old teacher." The Hatake decided he could sort the whole report on the mission later.
"That'll work with Naruto."
Kakashi chuckled. "Kiba told me about the dance."
"It's not my fault if your jounin reports those things." Kiba, not Hinata, he noted. His face showed the tinge of emotion the thought induced.
"It was an off-hand comment. Hinata blushed furiously."
Sasuke scoffed. Of course she would. "Did I ask for the details of their report?"
"No." Kakashi made a more formal expression in his masked face. "I asked if you enjoyed the mission. The answer Uchiha, is yes or no."
"No." Sasuke looked back at him without flinching. "You made me wear a stupid suit."
Kakashi found something to smirk about at that.
"What?"
"You didn't complain about the dancing."
Sasuke stood up then and without another word went to the door.
"Should I transfer the follow up mission to Naruto?" Kakashi called out casually.
Sasuke threw him a good glare. He was the one who's going to bring the syndicate down. "If any decent commander does that, do it. Oh. I forgot you aren't decent."
Kakashi leaned back in his chair in reply.
Sasuke threw his hand in a wave and went out of the door.
Kakashi could only chuckle. It is going to be quite fun indeed. The entire thing is a serious business but he probably could hit two birds in one stone. He closed his eyes and tapped a finger in his head. Only he'd be in great danger of breaking the hearts of his two other students in favor of awakening the other.
~0~0~0~
A/N:
*I suppose Hinata is under the assumption that only a Hyuuga is capable of having beautiful hair. Of course Sasuke will never be on par with Neji in terms of hair-sexiness but he has his merits. Yes, I have to put the note. I'm sorry.
My first SasuHina fic! *dances around* Not my first fic but my first for them. It came out rather long but I won't apologize. Fic submission for SasuHina month at dA.
Happy SasuHina Month everyone! *hands out cookies sprinkled with SasuHina love*
Title based from Kate Chopin's The Awakening.
Edit:
This is an oneshot. I also think it is ripe for a next chapter but I'm too busy and overwhelmed (I'm planning to write a new series and I have series I haven't updated since ages) at the moment to think about it.
I also fixed some of the tenses. I was too eager to upload so I could at least tick something off my list. *guilty chuckle*