Title: Strangers Aren't So Strange
Author: The Silent Smurf
Rating: K+
Summary: Hinata is jogging one morning and enters a café where she meets a certain stranger. --SasuHina--
"-insert words here-" Someone talking
"-insert words here-" Direct thoughts
"-insert words here-" Emphasis
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The early morning air was cool against her sweating face. She had been jogging steadily for over half an hour. The air was helpful for sorting thoughts. And Hinata really needed help with her thoughts. She had taken up jogging for a few days now. The streets were deserted this time of morning except for a random car every now and then. She wore a dark oversized T-shirt along with red knee-length jogging shorts. Her head was covered with a black cap drawn over a messy bun. Her breath was being released in short exhales. She slowed down in front of a small café. A bell above the door shook to indicate her arrival. The place was cozy enough, with soft chairs, loveseats and few tables. Surprisingly, there were a few people inside. Hinata quickly deduced that they were either insomniacs, they were coming from a night of love-making, they were on an early job or they were out jogging like her. There was a couple to her left; they seemed to have been lost to the world as they were staring into each others eyes lovingly between kisses. She quickly turned away from the sappy scene and looked at the other inhabitants. There was a policeman in uniform sitting comfortably in one of the chairs sipping what looked liked black coffee. There was a bar further back to the right, which seemingly curved around to the opposite wall. There was a man slumped on one on the stools. His back was facing her. From what she could see he had wide shoulders and an evenly muscled body. He had stylish black spiky hair and he donned a plain leather jacket and blue jeans. She walked to the bar and sat on the stool two away from his. The only show that he had seen her was a slight turn of his head as she plopped down on the stool.
She sat for a minute to control her still heavy breathing from her run and removed her cap. Small wisps of dark hair were cutely matted to her forehead. She gestured over to the bartender. He hastily walked over. He was slim and had a mane of slicked-back dark orange hair. He had multiple piercings on his ears, a single one in his nose and one above his left eyebrow. He was fairly good-looking in her opinion, though he wasn't her type.
"What can I get you?" He asked in a monotone.
"Coffee. No cream. No sugar." She answered absently.
He gave a curt nod and disappeared behind a door. The café was settled into a comfortable silence, broken only by the random giggles coming from the gushy couple in the loveseat. Hinata slumped in her stool and massaged her temples, feeling a headache coming on.
"Headache?" The stranger beside her suddenly asked.
She jumped at the sound of his voice and turned to see him smirking at her. She was at first taken aback by the surreal handsomeness of his face. His skin was a healthy pale. He had pitch black eyes along with a slightly pointed nose and a sensuously curved mouth that looked as if it had been made for kissing. Her eyes traveled back up and locked with his. She looked away, embarrassed at being caught staring. Her embarrassment only seemed to make him smirk wider.
"Um, yea." She answered him and offered a smile. "I'm Hinata."
"Hn." He grunted.
She rolled her eyes at the incomprehensible sound. It was quite obvious to her now he was one of those men who were too vain to actually give a proper answer. They would either grunt or give monosyllabic answers. They were quite irritating.
She reached back and slid her cell phone out of the back pocket of her shorts. She checked for any messages or calls that she could have missed while jogging. There was a call from Kiba and two messages from her very recent ex-boyfriend. She deleted the messages without sparing them a glance and made a note to call Kiba later.
At that moment, the bartender came out carrying a mug of dark coffee and placed it before her.
"Thanks" She said and gleefully sipped her daily dose of coffee.
She felt the strange sensation of being watched and turned in her seat and was quite shocked to see the handsome stranger's eyes gazing intensely at her face. She blushed cutely and ducked her head. She quickly regained her composure and coolly arched an eyebrow at him.
"What is it?" She asked him.
"I just realized," he shrugged, "…you are pretty cute" he said casually, his eyes still intently boring into hers.
Her composure jumped out the window as her entire body seemed to glow a soft red.
"Oh-um. T-thanks." She managed to stutter out.
An easy smirk settled on his lips before he turned back to his coffee and gulped some of it down. Hinata struggled to get her breathing under control. It wasn't the first time she had been complimented. She felt as if her skin had caught on fire, all because some stranger had called her pretty. Ordinarily she would have shot back insults at any strange man who dared compliment her or her body. So why hadn't she said anything to the man beside her?
She sipped her coffee again as millions of thoughts raced through her head. She had thought he was one of those insufferable men who felt they were too good to talk but he was quickly proving her wrong with his comments and slightly relaxed presence. She stole a glance at him and quickly looked away as she noticed he was again staring at her.
"What do you do?" He asked again curiously.
"I'm a detective." She replied. She rolled her eyes at the disbelief clearly shown on his face at the mention of her profession. Almost everyone had that reaction. They seemed to think she couldn't handle such a grueling and ruthless profession. If only they knew what she was like when working on a case. "You?"
"I'm a pilot." He answered with a small smirk.
Hinata scrutinized him closely. She wondered if there was a chance that he worked in the same department as Naruto. She had to admit that he didn't look like the type who would even notice Naruto's presence but it was worth a try.
"Really? Would you happen to know someone called Uzumaki Naruto?" She pretended to ask casually.
The man's eyes slightly widened in recognition before his face settled in a grimace.
"Yeah I know him. I've worked with him more than a few times." He answered resentfully. He turned and gave her a slightly suspicious gaze. "Why do you ask?"
"Oh…he's an old friend" She answered nervously. Well, it was partially the truth. He was an old friend whom she had a crush on for as long as she could remember. She had finally worked up the courage to tell him her feelings and he claimed to feel the same about her. They had been going steady for about 5 months, well until recently.
She struggled to keep her anger in check as she thought of her next question.
"And I suppose you know a young woman called Sakura?" She failed to keep the resentment from her voice.
The man's eyebrow elegantly arched as he obviously caught the not-so-underlying hatred in her voice.
"Yes. I know her. She was a childhood friend." He answered.
Hinata felt her anger spike even more. For what, she didn't know. She certainly couldn't have been jealous that the pink-haired nuisance knew the man beside her before she did. After all, he was just a stranger.
Hinata schooled her features and repeated the mantra her cousin had taught her in her head until she was sure she had calmed down. She took a deep breath.
"Do you like her?" She laughed nervously, "I mean she is one very pretty-"
"No" The man beside her cut her off then scowled. "I never liked her. She is as annoying now as she was then." He 'tch'ed and gulped down the rest of his now cold coffee.
Hinata let out an audible sigh of relief but soon realized her mistake. Her cheeks grew red of embarrassment and she quickly turned to make up an excuse, but she was transfixed by the wicked glint in his amused eyes.
The man leaned closer towards her until they were mere inches apart. He tucked a finger under her chin and brought her closer until his breath mingled with hers. Hinata grew light-headed as he teasingly brushed his lips against hers. A wicked smirk settled unto his lips and a mischievous glint could be seen under half-lidded eyes.
"She's not my type" He whispered almost inaudibly against her lips. He released her chin and turned back to his empty mug as though nothing had happened. Her heart was beating million times faster than it should have. Her body was consumed by a pleasant humming and she begged her heart to calm down. Her gaze was attracted to everything in the room but him. The couple in the loveseat had seemingly taken an interest to them and were now smiling suggestively in their direction. She looked away bashfully and quickly looked for somewhere to rest her eyes. Finally she decided to settle her gaze on the marble floor.
She heard him call the bartender over and heard the unmistakable sound of coins being placed on the counter. Her heart sank at the prospect that he was leaving and she probably wouldn't see the enigmatic stranger again.
"Hinata" She heard his now familiar voice calling her name.
"Y-yes" She mentally cursed herself for stuttering for the second time in front of the stranger.
"Would you like to go for a walk with me?" He asked. She was so surprised that she forgot all about her previous embarrassment and stared incredulously at the man before her. She felt her heart pick up again at the thought of walking alone with the charming detective. All thoughts of a certain blonde-haired idiot disappeared as she looked on at his complete opposite.
"I don't even know your name" She laughed and admitted with a sheepish smile.
"Uchiha Sasuke."
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A/N: Whew…done! The idea just…came to me. Also, I wanted Hinata to have a different kind of job. She's always
a) A secretary
b) A writer/artist
c) A bodyguard
d) A model/movie stare
e) A person who does nothing but is inexplicably well known/famous
f) A teenager who works in a convenience store
The waiter was not Pein for anyone who thought it was him. Also, I have only drunk coffee once so forgive me for any wrong information.
Thank you for reading!! Please leave a review. I accept all types of criticisms. Ja ne!!