Why Her?
Author's Note: Some of my regular readers have been asking for a new Sasuke x Hinata story, so here it is. I hope you all enjoy it. All reviews are greatly appreciated.
Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no profit off of any of my stories.
Chapter Notation: Aoda is Sasuke's snake summon. Hatchling is just what Aoda calls any children in my stories. I do not believe he ever calls them that in the show or magna. Aoda may or may not be IC, as I haven't actually seen him talk in the show yet. I'm going off wiki's personality description.
Chapter One
"Really, Kakashi? You are assigning me a babysitter?" Sasuke says and raises an eyebrow.
"Now, now Sasuke…I wouldn't call her a babysitter. More like a companion that will make sure you stay out of trouble and is there mostly to pacify the Council. They are still worried that your change of heart might not be sincere, despite Naruto and I vouching for you." The Silver haired Hokage says.
"Wait…HER? Did you say her?" The last Uchiha demands to know?
Surely, Kakashi couldn't be that stupid. He wasn't going to have a woman live with him? That would start all sorts of rumors. What if she was demented and tried to rape him in his sleep or something? There were a lot of women who would love to have his child to trap him into marriage, blackmail him, or even sell the kid on the black market. It was a real possibility!
"Yes, her. It was the process of elimination, really. Most of our ninjas, even the ANBUS are too scared to go near you. So that meant that the pool of candidates was already thin to start with. Those that were left generally had a reason to hold a grudge against you. I don't need you to get into a fight with someone who deliberately is setting out to provoke you. That would just cause a headache and unnecessary paperwork. So I needed a neutral party. Someone who is very patient and also strong enough to handle you if you do try to do something stupid." He says.
"You wanted someone who wasn't scared of me, doesn't have a grudge against me, is patient, and strong enough to stop me if I try something? Sorry, Kakashi only one woman fits that criteria. Unfortunately for you, my mother is dead." He says.
"Oh there is another one. Hinata." Kakashi says.
"Hinata?" Sasuke asks.
"Yes." Kakashi confirms.
"Why her? I barely know her. Besides, she's the heir to the Hyuga Clan. You really think that Hiashi is going to let his unmarried daughter live with a former criminal ninja?" He asks sarcastically.
"Hiashi has already been informed. He says he approves on the condition that she is allowed to use any means necessary to restrain you should that become unavoidable. That is including and not limiting to blocking the chakra flow to your…lower half of your body." Kakashi warns him.
"You think Hinata would do THAT?" Sasuke asks and blinks, that was a horrifying possibility.
He shakes his head. He was being ridiculous. Sasuke barely knew her. But what little he knew of Hinata Hyuga told him that it was highly unlikely she'd ever be THAT vicious. That was even worse than a kick below the belt. That was like sending an elephant to stampede on you below the belt.
"If necessary. Do not mistake her kindness for weakness." The Hokage warns him.
"Well at least I know she won't try to rape me in my sleep." Sasuke offers.
"SASUKE! Honestly, where do you get these crazy ideas from?" Kakashi demands to know.
"I traveled with a woman who tried to steal my toothbrush. I'm not being paranoid." Sasuke counters.
"She wanted to steal your toothbrush?" He asks.
"Yeah." Sasuke says.
"What for? I mean what was she going to do with it?" He questions.
"I don't know. I don't want to know. I'm just saying that I can deal with Hinata." Sasuke states.
"Good. Because I already had her start packing and she should be arriving in your district, oh about now." Kakashi says cheerfully.
"YOU WHAT?!" Sasuke says and races towards the Uchiha District.
Meanwhile, Hinata enters the Uchiha District, dragging her large suitcase behind her. She shivers. It was so large and empty. The bluenette wondered if even ghosts were wary to come here because of what happened.
"It must have been beautiful once." She muttered, looking around, and soon found Sasuke's house.
Sasuke it seemed hadn't bothered to maintain all the other houses. She couldn't blame him. He'd only been a boy of seven when it happened and he was the only one living there anyway. So why go through all the time, effort, and expense to maintain buildings that weren't being used? Sasuke's house was the only one that was clean and one that nature hadn't tried to reclaim with weeds and small wildlife. (She was sure she saw a fox slinking around somewhere.)
"Hinata!" She hears someone call out and turns around, it was Sasuke.
Sasuke runs over to her. He tilts his head to the side. He hadn't really since her since the Chunin Exams. Even then, she was barely a footnote. She'd just been a cute, though awkwardly shy girl.
Well the awkward stage was apparently a thing of the past. Her hair was longer now, cascading down her back in deep blue silky strands. Hinata's trademark Hyuga eyes were a dreamlike combination of silver and lavender and he saw no judgment in them. Surprise that he'd showed up out of nowhere maybe, but no judgment. Most looked at him with awe, scorn, or terror these days.
"Morning, Sasuke." She says politely.
"Morning." He replies and well he was a man, his eyes drifted lower.
Her outfit was different. She'd lost the bulky beige jacket. Now she wore a long sleeved shirt white gray or white sleeves and the rest of it was lavender. It seemed she was wearing a fishnet shirt or bra underneath it. Her pants were dark blue and she wore her headband more like a necklace than anything else.
Sasuke was suddenly grateful that her fashion choices had changed. While still conservative, he was able to enjoy the full effect of her now very much womanly figure. (Had it always been like that but covered up by that damn jacket?)
"You don't seem surprised to see me. Lord Hokage must have told you that I was going to be staying with you for awhile." She says with a shy smile.
Her stutter was gone. Maybe she only stuttered around Naruto. Maybe she'd outgrown it. Her smile was so innocent and warm, that he found himself wanting to return it.
He squashes down that impulse. There was no reason to be rude to her. But there was also no reason to look weak either.
"He did. I was surprised to learn that you are my babysitter." He says.
"Oh no! I'm not babysitting you. I'm just here to help you get used to being back in the village and mostly because the Council…" She trails off.
"You are too kind to say it. I'll do it for you. The Council views me as the second coming of Madara. They fully expect me to snap. But they don't want to go up against Kakashi and Naruto to have me executed. That and while this village might fear me, they also know that if it wasn't for Naruto AND me, we'd Madara would have won the war." He states bluntly.
"I won't lie. That's true." She admits unflinchingly.
"I appreciate the honesty. Here, let me get that." He says referring to her suitcase.
"Oh you don't have to. It's not that heavy, it has wheels on it." She says with a smile.
"I want to." He says and takes it, walking alongside Hinata. (She seemed to have decided if Sasuke wanted to make a "friendly gesture," she should probably encourage him.)
"It must get lonely here…all by yourself." She murmurs.
"Sometimes. Mostly, I enjoy the quiet." He says and opens the door for her.
"Oh. You must have felt out of place on Team Seven. Naruto and Sakura are very…social." She says.
"You mean they are loudmouths who never shut up." He clarifies.
"Sasuke, that wasn't very nice." She mildly chastises him.
"I never claimed to be nice. It's the truth." He says and shuts the door behind her.
"They really care about you. You know that." The bluenette insists.
"Naruto does. He just can't understand that I'm fundamentally different than him. As for Sakura, if it doesn't relate to a mission, I'd rather not talk about her." The last Uchiha says.
"Alright. How are you fundamentally different though?" She asks curiously.
"That's it." Sasuke says and pushes her against the wall, drawing a startled gasp from the Hyuga Heiress.
"Sasuke?" She asks uncertainly.
"If it was anyone else, I'd think that you were trying to gather intelligence. That you were planning on reporting my answers to the Hokage or perhaps to the psych ward. But you're you. So I'm going on the assumption that you are just trying to be friendly. Stop asking so many questions, that you don't want the answer to." He says, with less bite than he intended.
She smelled like jasmine, spring rain, and lavender. It was a soothing combination. One that ensnared his senses. One that for some reason, made him less…aggressive than he should have been.
"I just think if we are going live together we should get to know each other and be friends." She says.
"How does someone like you even exist in this world?" Sasuke asks and seems genuinely confounded.
"What do you mean?" HInata asks, equally confused.
"So damn innocent and pure. It's like you are a child in an adult's body." He clarified.
"I don't appreciate the implication that I'm naïve or stupid!" She states with conviction.
"I wasn't calling you naïve. I'd never call you stupid. I saw your test scores as the Academy. Your physical scores were…average. Though I think that was mostly because you lacked confidence. Your academic test scores were exceptional. You aren't stupid. You just…Forget it. I didn't intend to insult you. That's all I mean." Sasuke says.
"I just what?" She asks.
"I said forget it. You can take any room you like other than mine, my parents', or Itachi's." He tells her.
"How will I know which rooms belonged to them?" She inquires.
"I'll show you." He says and takes her hand, leading her upstairs.
Hinata blinks. She didn't know what she was expecting when Sasuke touched her. Probably because she never expected that to actually happen. But this was…different.
His hand was so much bigger than hers. It was warm though. Maybe she should have expected that, he was from a fire clan. It was rough from exposure to countless Chidoris and other techniques, but it felt…good against hers in a way that caught her off guard. By Sasuke standards, this was probably gentle.
"First door on the right belonged to my parents. The one in the middle of the left, was Itachi's. Mine is the one across from his." Sasuke explains.
"Oh alright. Thank you." She says.
"You aren't afraid of snakes, are you?" Sasuke asks.
"No. Why?" The bluenette questions him.
"I have a Snake Contract. Aoda's size can be…intimidating, especially to someone afraid of snakes." He offers.
"Oh. Well no. I'm not afraid of them." She says.
"Good. He's harmless outside the battlefield. You'd think he was more a golden retriever than anything." Sasuke continues.
Hinata wasn't sure that a golden retriever could be compared to a snake that was the size of a two or three story building. She had heard the stories about Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura's summons during the war. But she wasn't going to argue. She merely nods.
"You don't believe me." Sasuke doesn't ask, he states this as a matter of fact.
"It's not that." She starts.
"I've done a lot of horrible things, Hinata. I try not to make lying one of them. Come with me." He says leading her outside the house.
Sasuke bites his thumb and summons Aoda. It was…one thing to know that a snake that size existed, it was another to see it appear only a few feet away. Aoda was truly massive.
"Master Sasuke!" He greets formerly and bows his head.
"Aoda, this is Hinata. She is going to be staying with me. I want you to inform the other snakes that she is NOT to be harmed. She is my…guest." He finishes.
"Hello, Lady Hinata." Aoda says and Hinata thought he was giving her a smile. (Well as much as a snake could smile.)
"Hello, it's nice to meet you." Hinata says and returns the bow.
"I'm glad you decided to take a mate. I can see why you chose her. She is very friendly and beautiful…for a human. Plus I am aware that many human males would find her large bosom appealing. All the better to nurse the hatchlings with." He says.
There was a loud THUD. Sasuke blinks and looks. Yeah, Hinata had fainted. Damnit!
"Aoda!" Sasuke says accusingly.
"I'm sorry, Master Sasuke. I didn't realize she was so shy about her body." He murmurs guiltily.
"She is not my mate and just try not to talk about her breasts, no matter how…appealing they are." He says and scoops Hinata up into his arms, checking her pulse.
"So you ARE trying to get her to be your mate!" Aoda says cheerfully.
"…No, Aoda. I'm not." Sasuke says.
"You brought her into your territory." He argues.
"Yes, I did. But not for THAT." The last Uchiha says, twitching.
"And you admitted that you find her breasts appealing." He continues.
"Aoda! Will you just stop with the whole mate and hatchling thing? You are making her uncomfortable!" Sasuke hisses.
"Well it's just that you never brought a female here before. I know you want to restore your clan. So I just thought…" He says and lowers his head sadly.
"…Having hatchlings right now would be a bad idea. Most of the village is still incredibly wary of me at best." He offers.
"Oh right! So it's just an issue of timing. I understand, Master Sasuke. It is important to have hatchlings when the time is right. Personally, I believe it is best to try to time the birth for spring. That way it is warm, but not too hot. Food is increasing and they have many months before winter comes to fatten up." He says.
"I'll take that into consideration." Sasuke says dryly.
"Good. The best way to win a female over is to show her what a good hunter you are." He continues.
"I appreciate that you are trying to help, but that isn't how it works for humans. Well at least not anymore. Maybe it was a long time ago or still is in some areas of the world, but not here and now." Sasuke says and shakes his head. (It was really just his luck that he got a Snake Summon who seemed intent on playing Cupid.)
"Oh well then how do human men woo females?" The snake asks.
"We are not having this discussion." Sasuke snaps.
"But your Sharingan activated for her and I know that means you find her desirable." Aoda points out.
Dammit. Had it really? Sasuke looks down in a puddle and notes his eyes were ruby red. Yes, his Sharingan was on.
It wasn't a fact that was well known. The Uchiha Clan had kept it a closely guarded secret for practical and personal reasons. But the Sharingan was triggered by strong feelings. That was usually sadness or rage. But apparently desire could also get the job done.
"She's beautiful. That doesn't mean that I'm planning to have "hatchlings" with her, as you call it." Sasuke growls.
"Well why not? Don't you desire a beautiful mate?" He asks in confusion.
"Yes, of course. But there's more to it than that!" Sasuke says in irritation.
"What more is there?" He asks curiously.
"I told you that we aren't having this discussion. I shall see you later. Go and tell the other snakes what I said." He commands and Aoda disappears.
He sighs and carries Hinata back into the house. He really hoped that she didn't wake up while he was carrying her Bridal Style. That would have been awkward. Quickly, he takes her to one of the spare bedrooms and lays her down gently.
Aoda was right, he mused. She was beautiful. But she was also kind and trusting. Far too trusting. She was so…pure. Hinata was like freshly fallen snow. He was like a volcano, a very active one. Was Kakashi out of his mind? Didn't he see how that was a bad combination?
Hinata was dreaming. She knew that. Yet, somehow she couldn't find the will to wake up.
She was a child again. No more than seven, she was sure. Everyone in the village was whispering. Death had come to the village and a lot of it. An entire family wiped out, just like that. Overnight!
"Father? What happened?" She remembered asking.
"Itachi Uchiha massacred his clan. The only survivor was his younger brother. We should not speak of it further. It is bad luck to speak about the dead who died so violently, before they have had time to accept their fate. They might haunt you, if you do." He had answered her.
"You m-ean Sasuke is all alone? He's in my cl-ass." She stammered.
"Yes, he is. Poor boy. Do not look at him with pity. He is a member of a Noble Clan. Do not dishonor him in such a fashion." Hiashi instructed her.
"S-houldn't we take him in? Isn't he fa-mily?" The young Hinata asked her father.
"Very distant family. The blood ties are so thin, that they mean little too nothing. Besides, where would we put him? Surely, we can not put him in the Main House. He is not even a Hyuga. But he is the son of the Head of family. Putting him in the Branch House would be the ultimate humiliation." He'd told her.
"I guess you're right." She said sadly.
That poor boy. Hinata remembered Sasuke before the massacre. He'd been a happy boy. A boy that idolized his elder brother and played with the other kids. After the massacre, he was never the same. He kept to himself and was so quiet. He rejected anyone's attempts to befriend him. He became cold…unreachable, just like her father.
She wished that she had tried harder that day. Maybe if she had pleaded. He would have stayed that happy child, who loved piggyback rides. Or at least, a part of that child could have survived.
"Hinata?" Sasuke calls out her name, softly at first and then more insistently.
She'd been unconscious for at least ten minutes. Sasuke was far from a doctor, but he was sure she should have woken up by now. How hard had she hit her head?
"I'm sorry." He hears her mumble.
"You're awake." Sasuke says.
"I should have tried harder." She continues.
"Hinata, what are you talking about?" He asks and vaguely wonders if maybe she was just sleeptalking?
"After the massacre, I tried to talk father into letting you move in with us. We were the same age. We were family, even if it was distant. He wouldn't do it though. He didn't know where to put you. He couldn't put you in the Main House because you weren't a Hyuga. But you were from the Head Family in your clan, so you couldn't rightfully be considered a Branch Member either." She murmurs.
"You really tried to get Hiashi to take me in?" Sasuke asks in shock.
"Mhm. I'm sorry. Maybe things would have been different. If I had only been braver." She mumbles.
"Hinata, are you crying?" He asks in disbelief, noticing that her cheeks were glistening.
"Maybe a little. It's all so sad. This all could have been prevented. Even the massacre. Naruto told me what happened." She says.
"The loser talks way too much." Sasuke growls in irritation, though it was clearly directly at Naruto and not her.
"Don't be angry with him." She pleads.
"I'm going to have to sew his lips shut one day. No, Hinata I don't mean literally." Sasuke sighs.
"Oh good." She sounds relieved.
"Besides, I have no idea how to sew." He continues.
"SASUKE!" She yells.
"I'm kidding. I know how to sew." Sasuke says.
"You're…making a joke. I think." She says, as though she wasn't entirely sure.
"I am." He admits.
"That's good. It's nice to see you feel comfortable enough around me to do that." She says.
"I suppose. You hungry? It's the least I can do after what Aoda pulled. I talked to him by the way." Sasuke assures her.
"A little and I hope you weren't too hard on him. He was just trying to be nice." She says.
"He's fine. It took awhile for him to get the message is all. What would you like?" He inquires.
"You can cook?" Hinata questions and sounds genuinely curious.
"Of course I can cook. Why wouldn't I be able to?" He asks and raises an eyebrow.
"I don't know. It just seems so…normal." She says, feeling stupid.
"Everyone's got to eat Hinata. Trust me when I say that anyone dumb enough to eat something they didn't make in the Sound, deserved what they got. So what do you like?" He asks again.
"Cinnamon rolls." She says with a blush.
"A sweet tooth. Should have guessed that. Well I can manage cinnamon rolls. Anything else?" He questions her.
"No, just that's fine. I don't want you to go to too much trouble on my account." She says shyly.
"Hinata, I wouldn't offer if I didn't want to. You really have to stop being so shy. I'll go get started. Make yourself at home. You probably have some unpacking to do." He says, getting up, and stretches.
Hinata couldn't help but look. It was odd. The movement was so…casual. It was something people did everyday. But Sasuke Uchiha made even the mundane seem…exotic somehow.
It was like watching a black panther walk through the forest. Graceful, powerful, silent, and very deadly. Thankfully, he didn't seem to notice her staring or maybe he just didn't care. He heads downstairs and Hinata begins unpacking.
"Hanabi!" She eeps, when she noticed that her nightgowns had all been replaced by decidedly more…racy ones.
She looks at the first one and blushes as red as the crimson red gown itself. It had two small straps to hold it up. There was a low v neckline that was covered in intricate lacy designs and a satin red bow over the valley of where her breasts would be. It was fairly short, coming a few inches above the knees and it had very long slits. This was definitely not something she would have chosen herself.
"Hinata, the rolls are done." Sasuke informs her and raises an eyebrow, when he came back and saw her blushing as red as a tomato.
"Not what I expected. But if you are trying to get Naruto's attention and that doesn't do it, he's gay." Sasuke observes, seeing the nightgown.