Authors's Note: This is my first real Sasuke x Hinata story. I feel sort of--I don't know, fortunate to have this idea slap me in the shower. Thank you, showers, for making me slip and fall after spilling conditioner all over the place and lose my footing. Anyway, uh--this is my first SasukexHinata (besides "Betrayal", which was sort of clashed pairings filled) and will consist of five pre-planned parts, so no plot ideas, okay? I've already got it done.
Warnings: This is a LONG ASS story, each chapter having roughly over 10,000 words. There is OOCness, but that's because love makes people act funny. Next chapter should be uploaded next Sunday. Enjoy.
Life's Twisted Roads
by Mint Pizza Queen
Today, Hinata decided as she adjusted her jacket, would be the day. Today, she would finally muster up the courage and ask Naruto out.
She had practiced loads of times in front of her mirror, and today, she was finally ready to pop the question to Naruto.
She let out a haggard sigh and stared at herself in the mirror. Making a determined face, she nodded and made her way out.
-x-x-x-
Finding Naruto was the easy part. Asking Naruto would be the hard part.
She hovered outside the Ichiraku Ramen and watched as he talked excitedly with the man and daughter inside. They were nodding and smiling, the daughter clapping her hands at one point while bouncing in place with a large grin on her face.
Naruto's smile was contagious, and Hinata found herself smiling beside herself.
Finally, she made her way inside and the owner greeted her. "Oh! Hello, Hinata! Pleasant day, is it not?"
"Hello, Hinata!" The girl waved, smiling brightly.
Hinata waved back and smiled. "H-hello! It is very nice out."
"Hey, Hinata!" Naruto grabbed her hand and dragged her towards the counter, plopping her on the stool. "I've got awesome news!" His eyes were wide with excitement, and he was acting overly excited. His arms were flailing with every word.
"Naruto, I-I--" She started, but was cut off with Sakura entered the shop.
"Naruto where--oh hi, Hinata." She smiled at her. "I haven't seen you in a while."
Hinata flushed and lowered her gaze, but perked up with Naruto bounced up from his seat. "Sakura! Hey, hey! Hinata hasn't heard the news yet!"
"Oh?"
Hinata stared as Naruto threw his arm around the pink haired girl and grinned brightly while she flushed nervously. "Sakura accepted my date invitation! Isn't that great?!"
The world suddenly shifted off its axis. Everything around her froze and her heart stopped cold.
'N-N-Naruto...and Sakura?'
'No!'
'I was to late.'
'Naruto...'
"Hinata?" Sakura questioned but the girl forced on a smile, bowing her head.
"C-congrat-tulations, N-Naruto and S-Sakura. I-I'm very happy f-for you." She could feel her hands shaking, but she would not cry. She would not cry.
Rising from the stool just as the daughter started her own congratulations, Hinata rushed out of the restaurant in a flurry of heartache and oncoming tears.
-x-x-x-
She shouldn't have expected so much. She knew that in the end, she would never get him. He was that one person that you could talk to, but when you wanted something more, he was just too far out of reach.
She twirled the shuriken on the tip of her finger and threw it hastily--landing beside the target and embedding itself into the tree.
Naruto was that guy. He was there for everyone, but when it involved romance, he was the last person you could talk to about it. Unless you were Sakura. Unfortunately, she wasn't. She was Hinata, the shy girl, the 'weirdo'.
She grabbed two shuriken and launched them with separate hands. They spun in the air with a curve, colliding with each other and knocking them apart to land in the grass--yards from the target.
Sakura should've known. She knew that Hinata liked Naruto. It was like a game to her. If she couldn't have what she wanted, no one else could. Wasn't she after Sasuke? Why go after Naruto now?
Hinata activated her Byakugan and began practicing chakra moves with one of the training posts. One hit, two hit, three hit--throat, the abdomen, the forearm--
She was playing with him. She was toying with him. Leading him on, making him all happy only to drop him off a cliff in the end. She didn't love Naruto, not like Hinata did.
Did she?
She formed a fist, pushed as much chakra into her hand as possible, and punched the post--watching as it shattered and sent splinters in every direction.
--the heart.
She shielded her face with her free hand, peeking beneath the cloth of her jacket as the blue glow around her hand dissipated.
With a shuddering intake of air, she dropped to her knees and stared at the ground. Maybe it was better this way. Naruto loved Sakura, not her. It would be better like this, if and only if Sakura truly loved Naruto.
Tears started forming, but didn't try to hide them or wipe them away. Let them fall; nobody was around.
"You can't be tired from only a couple throws and a few punches."
Hinata's eyes flew open and she jumped to her feet, Byakugan still activated. She held a defense pose and made to glare fiercely at the person disturbing her.
When she saw who it was, she nearly fainted. 'Sasuke??'
He raised a brow at her with an air of indifference.
She was about to say something when she realized her face was wet. The tears from earlier--hastily, she wiped them away with a sleeve of her shirt.
"I-it's not--"
"I don't care."
She flinched at his harshness. Was this what Naruto and Sakura faced everyday? No wonder Sakura went to Naruto. She would too.
Sasuke was now glaring at her. "What's your deal?"
"Huh?"
"Are you pouting?"
She flinched again. "I--"
"You still angry about Naruto and Sakura?" He was smirking.
She felt herself clench her fists and her face felt hot. She wanted to run, but her feet felt like they were glued to the ground. Why couldn't Kiba and Shino be here? Why did they leave for that mission?
"Ah, I see." His smirk shrunk a little and he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "My apologies."
'Wha--'
"I was trying to see if I could get a rise out of you. I saw you training alone, and wanted to see if you would be like Nar--" He stopped himself. "Never mind. Why are you training alone? Where's your team?"
Hinata was scared. She was flustered. Her feet--they--they could move again. She could run!
Hastily, she spun and fled into the forest, leaving Sasuke behind with a confused expression. "Hey, I--wait a minute!" He called out, voice shrinking, but she didn't stop.
She didn't want to talk to him.
She didn't want to see him.
She wanted to be alone.
She ran until she got into another clearing, smaller than the other one, and paused under a tree to catch her breathe. She needed time to think. She needed to be by herself to sort through what had taken place. She couldn't do that with Sasuke around, pestering her with questions.
Speaking of Sasuke, why was he speaking so much? Why was he talking to her anyway?
There was a crunch to her left and she jumped, staring into the area with her eyes. She looked for chakra signs. Her senses were heightened, her pulse was quickening,--somebody was there.
Something fell out of the tree above her and pinned her to the ground.
She let out a squeak and closed her eyes before she realized she was trapped beneath a person. She was about to blow him off with a chakra strengthen punch but a voice stopped her.
"It's me again."
She opened her eyes and saw Sasuke staring back at her.
"Sasu--"
"Why did you run?"
She flushed. "I--"
"No lies."
She clamped her mouth shut at that, forcing Sasuke to let out an exasperated snort.
"Fine. You don't have to tell me." He pushed himself off her and she watched as he brushed off his shorts. Apparent as a last thought, he held out a hand to her that she stared at in surprise.
He snorted again. "It's a hand. It won't bite, I promise."
She held back the smile and took it, hesitantly, and allowed him to pull her up.
"See? Not so bad, now was it? Now, would you care to tell me what that was about back there?"
"It--it's nothing."
He rolled his eyes. "Fine." He spun on his heel and made to leave. "See yah."
"Wait!"
What was she DOING?! Why did she do that?!
Her eyes widened in horror as he turned and looked at her questioningly. She gulped. "I-I--I mean..." Hinata, stop it! "My t-team--well, Sh-Shino and Kiba, they are--are on a mission."
He raised a brow. "Why didn't you go?"
"I-I was in the h-hospital at the t-time. They d-didn't want to g-go without me, b-but I-I told them t-to go anyway."
"So you train alone?"
"I was until N-Naruto offered to with me. He had been training w-with me until t-two days ago." She fidgeted, dragging her sandal in the dirt shyly. 'That was lame. That was really lame, Hinata. Why must you stutter so much?'
"When he asked Sakura out and she accepted." Sasuke voiced out and Hinata felt like her heart was being squeezed again. Did he have to state the obvious?!
"Y-yes."
"Hn. I see." He nodded, then stood still as if in thought. His eyes had closed, posture stiff, yet composed.
"All right, I'll see you. You can find your way out, right?"
She jumped. "Uh, yeah. I-I come here o-often and train."
"Ah, bye." With that, he was gone in a flurry of leaves.
She stared at the spot where he had stood like it had been a dream, and it had never really took place.
The fact that he left behind a kunai stuck in a tree with a note attached to it declared that yes, this meeting really took place, and don't you forget it.
She took the items and left.
-x-x-x-
'Meet me at the store on the corner by Ichiraku at 7.
Don't be late.
Don't bring friends.
Be sure to have your weapons.
Sasuke
P.S.
Bring an appetite.'
-x-x-x-
Hinata stared incredulously at the note as she waited outside the store at five minutes to seven. She had gone home after their meeting to read the note, only to cry out in surprise at the contents. Neji had rushed in at her cries, only to receive flustered excuses as he was shoved out forcefully and had a face full of door to meet him when he turned to speak with Lady Hinata.
She left her house early to avoid dinner with the family, excusing herself to an emergency team meeting (minus the team) and rushed to the village to get there before Sasuke.
Upon arrival, the store was closed (having locked up at six since the owner's son was having a birthday party) and Sasuke was nowhere in sight.
Maybe she had read it wrong. Maybe he had already come by and left in exasperation. Maybe he had changed his mind. Maybe he had--
"Maybe he was on his way and maybe you shouldn't worry so much."
She jumped at his entrance and he stared at her with hands stuffed in his pockets in his typical 'Uchiha pose'. He raised a brow when she mumbled something about 'I'm not crazy, really.' and 'I was speaking out loud? How many people heard?'
"It doesn't matter. Come." He spun around and headed to Ichiraku Ramen, Hinata quickly following him on his heels.
Upon entering, she wished she hadn't been in that much of a rush to get inside.
Naruto and Sakura were sitting together enjoying a meal on their 'date'. Hinata stiffly walked to a stool as far away from them as possible, but was dragged over by Sasuke, who had grabbed her wrist and yanked her close.
"Hey! Look! It's Sasuke and Hinata! Hi!" Sakura waved and Naruto beamed.
"You two on a date also?"
"No," Sasuke smoothly replied and sat down, waving for the owner to approach. "Grabbing something quick to eat before we head out to train."
Hinata's eyes bugged out of her head at this and nearly fainted. 'T-train? With Sasuke?'
Naruto and Sakura seemed equally surprised at this. Sakura gave her full attention to Hinata while Naruto blinked over his bowl of ramen. "Is that true Hinata?"
The poor girl tried to come up with something, anything. "I-I--"
"She asked me if I could help her." Sasuke slurped up a noodle quietly, and without making a mess.
Naruto blinked. "But wasn't I your training partner?"
Hinata wanted to somehow regain control of the situation. 'Yes, Naruto! You're my training partner! Not Sasuke! Never Sasuke! I love you! Why is this happening?!'
"It's fine, Naruto. It'll give you more time to be with Sakura." Sasuke didn't look up and Hinata crumbled in her spot.
'It's all for Naruto and Sakura...'
Defeated, she sighed and slowly ate her meal.
-x-x-x-
"I did it for you."
Hinata blinked slowly at Sasuke's words and made a confused face. "What?"
"I did that for you." Sasuke repeated slower this time, pointed emphasizing each syllable. "I figured that it would be harder for you working with him after what has taken place."
"How--"
"Earlier. When I was trying to make you mad." He shrugged.
Hinata felt used. 'Is he toying with me? Why is he doing this? Shouldn't he be training with his sensei or something? Why me?'
Sasuke reached into his pouch and produced a scroll. "All right, I figure we could start with something simple, like--"
"Why?"
"Why what?"
She finally mustered the courage to look him square in the eye. When she did, he was looking right at her. "Why are you doing this?"
He shrugged. "Why not?"
"Y-you don't do things unless you have a m-motive. That's what N-Naruto told me. If it helps you, y-you do it. How will this help you?"
"It's training."
"With me!" She cried out, startling him. "I'm not s-strong like you! I'm weak! You should train with Neji, or Lee! Train with Naruto! Not me, I'm not--"
Good enough.
Strong enough.
Brave enough.
"Stop it." He growled and stuffed the scroll back into his pouch. "I don't want to hear it."
Hinata couldn't take it anymore. "Why are you d-doing all this? F-First you make me m-mad on purpose, th-then chase me, p-pin me down, a-apologize, t-take me out to dinner, l-lie to N-Naruto, and--"
"I didn't lie."
She exploded. "Yes you did! I never asked you to train me! I wanted to keep training with Naruto!"
He stared at her as she breathed in and out heavily. Finally, he held up a hand with boredom. "All right, fine. Let's put it this way. If you really want to keep training with Naruto, meet up with him in your usual spot. If you want to train with me, meet me by the lake. Be there at two."
She stared at him as he turned and left, hand poised up in goodbye.
As soon as the fan disappeared into the darkness, the only word that was on her mind whispered from her lips ever so silently.
"Why..."
-x-x-x-
The night was not kind for her. Her bed, despite how comfortable and welcoming, was not her friend. She tossed and turned, trying to find that position that was comfortable. She was tired, and yet she was unable to drift into that peaceful slumber.
So many things had gone wrong for her. Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke.
It all started with her team leaving. With no one to train with, she sought help from Naruto, who accepted whole-heartedly. From there, her bonds with him grew, as well as her expectations. Just when she thought she could finally admit to him her love that had developed for so long, she gets a slap from reality when Naruto breaks the news that he's already taken.
With Sakura.
She rubbed her face with a hand in frustration. Why, why, WHY?
Then from there, Sasuke butted in out of nowhere, acting weird, questioning her, following, and being just plain--un-Sasuke-like.
First of all, he never, ever, ever acknowledged her. Not that there was a problem with that. She didn't really acknowledge him. While every girl was after him in school, she was seeking out that one that nobody noticed.
Things somehow got twisted between then and now.
That somehow remained a mystery. She really wanted to know what it was that changed Sakura's mind, what made that girl finally accept the invitation, and why Sasuke was acting--sociable towards her.
Furthermore...
How did he know her name?!
She sat up abruptly and lifted the pillow to her face as she let out a silent scream.
-x-x-x-
The day was not kind. She slept in (seemingly Hanabi was up to her tricks again and had gone in her room, turning off the alarm while doing whatever sneaky little sisters do), missed the council meeting (her father was forgiving since Neji stepped in claiming she had spent almost the entire night training), and missed both breakfast and lunch.
It was already quarter to two, and she had to decide who she wanted to train with.
Naruto?
Or Sasuke?
It shouldn't have been a hard choice. It shouldn't. Or at least, it wouldn't have if things had gone right for once in her life.
She could flip a coin. Naruto on heads, Sasuke on tails. Better yet, heads Naruto wins, tails Sasuke loses.
No, that was completely unfair.
Then again, so was Sasuke pulling her into this mess.
"You seem confused."
The pale-eyed girl looked up and saw Tenten smiling at her. "Hello."
The weapons master raised a hand. "Can I help?"
Hinata just about had it with all the 'help' she's been getting lately. "With--"
"If you're confused, maybe I can help you make up your mind. Is it the weather? Don't worry, it's supposed to be sunny like this for the next two days. Supposed to rain the day after though. Calling for some thunderstorms." The girl put on a thoughtful expression, finger pressed against her lips and Hinata blinked.
"N-no, it's not the weather, it's--" She frowned. "I-I have these two friends. Both w-want to train with me, y-yet I can only t-train with one. I want to t-train with friend A, yet friend A--friend A makes me sad whenever I see t-them. Friend B t-tried to help with that, but I don't really want t-to train with them because t-they didn't ask me. I have to d-decide on w-who I want to t-train with. The friend w-who makes me sad, or t-the friend who t-tried to help without me w-wanting it."
Tenten made a face and stuck out her tongue. "Geeze, now I know why you looked confused. I'd be confused if I had two friends name A and B."
The girls giggled and then Tenten got serious. "Well, how does friend A make you sad?"
Hinata twiddled her fingers. "It's kind of embarrassing--"
"If it's about Naruto, then--" Hinata deflated and Tenten quickly covered her mouth. "It was Naruto? Oh I'm so sorry, Hinata! Um--uh, well, what about friend B? What's the deal with friend B? Is it Sakura?"
"No, it's..." She didn't want to say it. Not at all. "Don't tell anyone, but it's Sasuke. He-he told Naruto that he and I a-are training together. I don't want to t-train with Sasuke, yet I don't want to t-train with Naruto, and--" She threw her hands down and clenched her eyes shut. "I don't know!"
"Well, okay, put it this way. How would you rather train? Would you rather train with someone you're comfortable with, or would you rather train with someone you feel awkward around?"
Hinata looked up with a flustered face. "T-they both make me f-feel awkward."
"Oh. Well then, how about would you rather train with someone who knows your style, knows how you feel, and knows what you're comfortable with or would you rather train with someone who doesn't know you in general?"
Hinata blinked. "Well--"
Tenten smiled. "I'm afraid the only help I'll be is with making suggestions. Pick the one who makes you feel better, the one who you are comfortable with, and the one who knows you for who you are. Good luck with that, Hinata! If you need anything, you know where I am."
Hinata nodded and waved as the weapons master dashed to the roofs and headed out.
She sighed, and stared at the sky as a bird flew across the never-ending blue.
She clenched her fists and nodded to herself.
Her choice was made.
She knew who she was going to train with.
-x-x-x-
She found him already training.
He was kicking his legs up in graceful swoops, forcing his body into the air as he pushed himself off the ground and did somersaults. His body twisted with such agility, it was so fluid-like. She watched in awe as he land, swinging out his leg and brought himself up on the front ball of his bare feet and did a cartwheel with merely his finger tips.
Just as he landed on his feet again, he flipped back and brought himself into a ball only to uncurl and land on his feet once more, hands thrown up above his head.
His eyes opened and he smirked. "I knew you'd come."
Hinata flushed and made her way to the dock's edge and watched as Sasuke walked gracefully across the water, then jumped up onto the dock beside her.
He pulled his sandals back onto his feet. "So, I figured we could--"
"No." He brought himself up to full height and stared at her with his mouth open in protest, but she held up a hand. If Neji was brave enough to face her father to protect, if Tenten was kind enough to offer her help, if Sakura was loving enough to say yes to Naruto, she could say no to Sasuke.
"No?" He gritted his teeth. "Then what are you--"
"I want an explanation before we start." 'Good job, Hinata! Hold in that stutter! Force it down! You can do it!'
Sasuke wasn't impressed. In fact, he seemed annoyed. "Explanation? What's to explain?"
She spun around and started to walk away. "Good day, Sasuke. It was very nice talking with you."
"HEY, I WASN'T DONE TALKING!" He bellowed, face turning red with either embarrassment at being pushed around so easily by her or with anger. Hinata assumed anger, and felt herself start to lose confidence. "You want an explanation, you'll get one!"
She watched as he fought with himself. "I'm waiting," She pushed.
"I--wanted someone to train with--that wasn't lovesick--or--an ass." He gritted his teeth and looked away.
She stared at him as he refused to look at her. "Lee is not an--ass."
"No, but he's lovesick. You should've seen him when he found out that Sakura wasn't single anymore. He tried to do ten thousand sit-ups in two minutes. Tenten had to knock him out before he killed himself." Sasuke pointed out with a bored look. "With the way he was acting, you would've thought someone took his dog."
"Lee has a dog?"
Sasuke smacked his forehead. "No, I was doing a--never mind."
"Why not train with your sensei, Kakashi?"
"I want to train with someone. Not hear a full review about a smut book." Sasuke narrowed his eyes and Hinata grinned sheepishly.
"Oh. Sorry."
"Besides, you could use a training partner, right?" He lifted up a hand to make it seem like it was an offhand comment. "I need a partner, you need a partner, it fits."
"Conveniently."
He stared at her quizzically as she continued. "I'm sure Tenten would love to train with you. She likes training with Neji, and he's just like you." She jumped. "I mean, it's not like I'm calling you an--ass or anything. It would be a better experience."
His piercing gaze made her squirm. "You don't want to train with me, do you?"
She hesitated before bowing her head. "No." Her voice was soft, and she wasn't sure if he heard her or not.
He had though apparently. "Then why did you come?"
She dragged in a shaky breath. "Because I don't want to see him."
'It hurts. So much. Why? Make it stop, please.'
Sasuke's feet appeared in her view, but she refused to look. He grunted and shifted awkwardly.
"I'm not--one to comfort or anything, but--well, it'll go away. The hurt, I mean. Yeah, it'll squeeze and tear at you for a while, but after a while, you'll either get used to it or forget about it. But you're okay."
She drew her gaze up slowly to see him looking away, a childish pout on his face. It's when it finally hit her.
He was trying to comfort her in that awkward Uchiha Sasuke way.
She slowly brought a smile to her face and brought it to a beam. "T-thank you!"
He shifted, appearing uncomfortable. "Yeah, yeah, can we--you know, train?!" He grounded out, face flushed a slight pink.
She nodded and toed off her sandals as he kicked his own off carelessly into the grass, rushing out onto the water.
-x-x-x-
Training with Sasuke was--different, to say the least.
First of all, it wasn't Naruto. His clothes were darker, his appearance different, and his moves were smoother. He didn't fumble all the time like Naruto, nor did he joke like Naruto. He was silent, stealthy, and graceful. Everything the blond wasn't.
Whenever she made a mistake, he'd point it out. Naruto either didn't notice or didn't say anything. With Sasuke, not only did he point it out, he'd show her how to fix it.
So by the time six o'clock rolled in, she had not only perfected the moves he had been doing earlier, she started creating her own, doing the somersaults while manipulating the water if she felt she was too high or too low. She formed barriers around herself with the water, making it snake around the Uchiha if he got to close with their spars, or even pulled him down so he couldn't move.
Needless to say, when the end of their training ended, she was exhausted and ready to take a shower and grab a bite to eat.
"You hungry?" She looked up just as he shook out the last of the water from his hair. It was another dinner offer. She shook her head.
"Sorry, I have to go home. I missed one night already, I can't do it again."
He looked away. "I see. Same time tomorrow?"
"Uh--sure."
"Meet me in the forest where we talked the first time. Bring water and snacks. We'll have breaks this time."
She nodded, but she knew he didn't see.
His hand was poised up in a wave of goodbye, and the Uchiha fan disappeared as it went down a dirt path towards what he must've called home.
She pulled her shoes on and headed home.
-x-x-x-
"You look exhausted."
Hinata nodded quickly. She wanted out, NOW. "Y-yes."
Neji narrowed his eyes. "Is Naruto too rough with his training?"
"N-No! It's just fine. We tried something new today, t-that's all." She smiled at him, but apparently, he was still doubtful, having failed to give his acceptance of her excuse.
She sighed and went into her room to clean up before she went to dinner.
-x-x-x-
That night, Hinata stumbled into her room, legs aching and arms throbbing. She quietly closed the door behind her and made her way to her bed. Without even blinking an eye, she dropped on top of the blankets, head landing heavily on her pillow.
Within seconds, she had drifted into a pleasant sleep with waterfalls, reflections of the sun, and two faceless figures dancing on water.
-x-x-x-
She went to the forest at noon. She couldn't wait until two this time. Sasuke probably wouldn't be there, but it wouldn't hurt to get started on her own personal training, right?
She headed for a tree and placed her pack down in the shade. The weather was beautiful, just like Tenten had said it would be. She stepped back into the warmth of the sun and stretched. Her body was still angry at her for the strenuous moves from the previous day, but it didn't ache as much as last night.
She started with some simples stretches. It would help her ease the tension in the muscles, and prevent any new pains from popping in during this day's training.
She bent over to touch her toes, holding a count. One--two--three--four--
There was a sudden appearance of a presence behind her and she jumped up with a squeak, spinning around and smacked her fist into the perpetrator's cheek.
Her eyes went wide and her mouth flew open. "S-Sasuke! I thought--you did--I--"
"Just say sorry and I'll let you off." He nursed his bruised cheek and she bowed repeatedly.
"I'm sorry! I'm very sorry! I-I didn't know it was you! I-I thought it was s-someone else! I'm terribly s-sorry!"
She looked up to see him staring at her as if she had grown seven heads in the past two seconds. "You only needed to say 'I'm sorry' once. And stop stuttering."
"Sorry."
"Stop apologizing."
"I'm sorry. I mean--whoops." She flushed and he shook his head.
"Never mind. You're early." He made the offhand comment as he placed his own pack in the shade beside hers.
She made a determined face. "I came early to do some of my own training. B-but since you're here, we can get started. Oh, t-that is, if you w-wish." She flushed.
He shrugged in response. "Sure." He paused. "And stop stuttering. It's very unbecoming." He stretched his arms out at his sides before allowing them to drop to a relaxed state and rolled his shoulders. "All right, last time we did a little bit of some taijutsu and chakra practice. Let's focus this time on our weapon skills. Because as we both know," he smirked. "We both saw your weapon skills last time."
She flushed and made a scowl. "I-I was upset!" She clamped her mouth shut instantly.
He must've ignored her slip. "Well, you can't be off if you're upset. You still need to focus, no matter the situation." He held up a finger. "As a rule of being a ninja, don't let your emotions get the better of you in a situation. Naruto fails that because he lets his emotions rule him, and I mean that in more ways than one. So, if an enemy taunts you, you have to keep a level head during the fight. We're going to practice that."
She frowned. "How?"
He smirked. "How else? I'm going to piss you off again, and you're going to try to hit the target. You'll get a round to taunt me for each that lands on it."
"B-but what if I don't want to taunt you?"
He made an exasperated face. "Then--do something else! Make a face, throw a pinecone. Talk about ramen or becoming Hokage; that always pisses me off."
She bravely made a face at him by sticking her tongue out at him. She didn't know what surprised her more, the fact she did that, or the fact that Sasuke did it back at her.
-x-x-x-
"Your aim is off still."
"I know."
Thwap.
"It's way off now."
"I know."
"Maybe it's because you're a girl."
She ignored him and tried again.
It landed an inch closer to the target, but it was still hitting the tree.
"Yeah, it's because you're a girl. Girls tend to suck at things like this." Sasuke waved a hand nonchalantly.
Hinata turned with a perturbed expression. "Tenten doesn't suck and she's a girl."
Sasuke instantly went into a silence at her outburst, so she took this to her advantage. She threw another shuriken.
Thwap.
"Close, but no cigar."
"It was close."
"Yeah, but you have to be on it, not beside it."
She rolled her eyes and tried again.
Thud.
"I said ON it, not on the ground!"
She made an exasperated face. She'd show him. She adjusted her posture and aimed with a kunai this time.
"Wow, I didn't know your butt was that big."
Her eyes flew wide and she twirled, waving the weapon in his face. "W-What did you say?!"
He smirked and pointed at her. "Gotcha."
She glared. "I do not care! What did you say?!"
"Hey now, I was only teasing."
"I do not care! What did you s-say?! Were you making fun of me?!"
Sasuke shrunk back and Hinata snorted. Twirling around so she wouldn't stab the Uchiha with her weapon, she threw it harshly at the tree without properly aiming.
Tack.
She blinked and heard Sasuke shift behind her.
"Well, I guess making fun of your ass is the trick, neh?"
-x-x-x-
"It's my turn."
"Oh? How about we do that part tomorrow? You know, it's quite a job pissing off people--"
"Nope. It's only four. It's my turn."
"Wow, uh, Hinata, you're scary when you want something."
Hinata held in the urge to roll her eyes and waved a hand towards the target. "I got the rest onto the target. Judging from how many I scored on the target, I guess I have to taunt you until dinner time."
His eyebrows pinched together. "You seriously want to?"
"Are you afraid?" She smirked. Hanging with Sasuke Uchiha brought out your inner personality, feelings, and boldness, she learned. She had never really felt this brave before, and she--she kind of liked it.
"I thought you didn't want to taunt me."
She waved a hand. "I have other things in mind. It's your turn to go at the board." She ushered him impatiently and he sighed exasperatedly.
"Oh, fine." He stepped up to her spot and readied himself. He drew out a kunai, looked at her, and earned a smile from her. Rolling his eyes, he turned back and held up the weapon.
He drew his arm back and started to bring it forward in a throw.
"You're cute when you pout."
He jerked and threw off his aim entirely, sending the kunai sailing somewhere into the forest. He did a quick spin and stared at her. "What did you say?!"
She smiled. "I'm teasing you!"
"That's TEASING?!"
She frowned. "Yes."
"That's GIRLY!"
"But it got you," she pointed out with another smile.
He glared before drawing another kunai. He steadied himself, drawing his arm back. He threw his hand forward--
"You've got hair that looks like the butt of a chicken."
He stumbled forward and stared at her, only to receive an innocent look from the girl. "What?"
His mouth was moving, but nothing was coming out. Hinata beamed.
"Shall we continue?"
He glared.
-x-x-x-
"So--"
"You made your point, you can drop it now." His tone was laced with annoyance, but she couldn't help but feel just a little giddy at her victory. Out of all the kunai he threw, six, just six landed on the target.
And he claimed to have excellent control of his emotions.
Pah.
"So," Hinata started as they walked through the village. "Where are we going to meet tomorrow?"
He hesitated. "Actually, tomorrow I won't be able to train with you."
She frowned. "Why? Mission."
He shook his head. "Team meeting. Kakashi called for one tomorrow."
"Oh," her spirits were dampened. She was actually starting to look forward to these meetings now. They always brought something new to the table, something interesting--
--something exciting.
"If it is a mission, I'll let you know. But I don't think it should be." Sasuke fidgeted as he stopped outside a café. "So, want to get something quick or do you have to rush home again?"
She watched him for a moment before glancing inside. The place was fairly empty except for one or two customers, and she was sure her father wouldn't care at this point. "I guess I can stay."
He perked up. "Okay, let's go."
-x-x-x-
The inside smelled like freshly made coffee. The warmth filled her senses, and she felt comfortable. Sasuke led her to an empty table off to the side away from the windows. He waited for her to sit first before he allowed himself to sit.
A lady approached and handed them menus, explaining any specials with a smile before she left. Hinata looked over it curiously.
"There are sandwiches on the next page," Sasuke noted and Hinata turned the page to find that there was, indeed, a listing of sandwiches, wraps, and other easy meals.
"Oh, thanks." She blinked behind the page when she heard a mumbled 'no problem' from Sasuke. She looked over the food listings before pointing to one and showed it to him.
"What do you think of that one?"
"That one is pretty good. The bread is toasted, so it's crispy."
"I'll have that with a glass of water." She folded the menu again and waited patiently.
The lady arrived again and Sasuke took over, telling her what they wanted. She left again in a matter of seconds, only to return just as fast with the water.
"Have you eaten many times here?" Hinata questioned as he took a sip from his glass.
He nodded. "Plenty. I'm not like Naruto. I can't eat ramen all the time."
She forced a smile at him at his words.
'Naruto...'
'I wonder how you are...'
'Is she treating you good?'
"Hey, snap out of it."
She blinked at the fingers in front of her eyes. Sasuke was staring at her with annoyance.
"Just because I said his name doesn't mean you can go instantly depressed on me."
She frowned. "S-sorry." She bit her lip before speaking again. "Thank you for buying me these meals. You don't have to, you know."
He shrugged. "It's fine."
"But wouldn't you rather spend your money differently?" She tilted his head and he shrugged.
"Who would I spend the money on, myself? No, it's fine. I'd rather spend the money on somebody else that matters."
She frowned again. "You do matter. You're very important to the village, and to a lot of people here."
He stared at her wordlessly before closing his eyes and turned his face away. "That's not what I meant exactly--"
"Here you go." The lady smiled and placed the meals in their respective places. "Enjoy. Call me if you need anything."
They sat in awkward silence, staring at their sandwiches before Hinata bravely picked up her food with a smile.
"Well, if I'm going to enjoy a meal, I have to eat it, eh?"
He smirked and followed suit.
-x-x-x-
"Sasuke, I--" Hinata paused as they began to split their ways for home. She tentatively held a hand up as if she wanted to reach for something, but she wasn't quite sure what. "Good night. I hope that we can train again real soon."
He snorted and she watched as he bowed his head with curled lips. "Relax, it's not like any missions my team gets last over two weeks."
She frowned. "I k-know, it's just--" Just what? Even she didn't know.
He raised his head slightly and watched her through his bangs.
She smiled. "I hope that whatever you want comes, and you have a pleasant day tomorrow!" She twirled and briskly walked away.
Despite her quick exit, she felt his eyes on her the entire time.
-x-x-x-
That night, sleep didn't come as fast. She laid in bed for several hours, tossing and turning, thoughts running rampant. It wasn't until two in the morning rolled around did she finally slip into the slumber that she yearned for.
Her dream that night consisted of slender trees, autumn foliage, and two faceless figures running through the forest, hand in hand, laughing.
-x-x-x-
Hinata didn't know where her feet were taking her, but she knew she was crazy for getting up this early.
It was six in the morning, and she was already out of the Hyuuga compound on her way to an unknown destination.
She kept her mind clear, and her feet moving. Wherever they were taking her, she'd let them go.
The path wasn't all that unfamiliar. She recognized it by the fact that Naruto had led her here a couple times in the past, saying it was one of the Team 7 meeting spots. At the time, when they had entered the clearing, Sasuke was practicing a flame jutsu. Naruto claimed he was showing off and dragged her away, yet she kept staring as the fireballs shot out of the Uchiha's mouth and completely engulfed the target, charring it to ashes instantly.
She hoped that Sasuke would show her how he did that jutsu.
"All right team," she froze at the lazy drawl of a male voice. "I call you all here today for--"
"YOU'RE LATE!"
"Mah, mah, there was an injured old lady and I had to help her and--"
"LIAR!"
"Lying is not very good, Kakashi-sensei."
"Tch."
Hinata perked up at the sound and instantly recognized it as Sasuke's. She crept close and masked her chakra, hoping she hadn't been spotted yet.
In the clearing was Team 7, all glaring at their teacher who had a sheepish look on his face.
"Ah, you got me."
"Yeah, okay, sensei. What's the deal?"
"Yeah, what's the deal sensei?!"
Hinata's breath caught in her throat. 'Naruto...'
"I'm leaving for a mission."
"WHA-?!"
"Now, Naruto, leaving your mouth open to the flies is most improper..."
"Where are you going? How long will you be gone? What's the mission? Why just you?!"
"Naruto!" Sakura grabbed the boy in a headlock and pulled him back. "Restrain yourself! Let sensei explain!"
Hinata stared. What did Naruto see in her? She was--violent!
Was he a masochist?
"I can't give you a lot of details, but I'll tell you this much. I'll be gone for a month, and it's a high ranked mission. I'm not the only one going on it, there are others going with me."
"Wah! So cool!"
"Yes, Naruto, sensei is cool. So what do we do in the meantime?"
"Personally train amongst yourselves, or with other teams, and cut back on ramen Naruto, you're getting pudgy."
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"
"Sakura, you're his girlfriend, make him eat his veggies and cut back on the carbs."
"Sensei!" She pulled out a fist and the teacher waved.
"Bye! Don't kill each other while I'm gone!" His visible eye twinkled, and he was gone in a puff of smoke.
Just as soon as he left, Naruto was all over Sakura, begging her not to make him eat his veggies because he wasn't a rabbit, he was a Naruto, and Naruto needed his ramen. She attempted (futilely) to peel him off, but he just clung closer.
Hinata looked away with disgust, but turned back and found herself gasping.
Sasuke was looking right at her.
"I'll be going," she heard him say and he started walking towards her.
She panicked, backing up from her spot, and sprinted through the underbrush.
Let's play a game.
Tag, you're it.
She ran, stumbling a couple times as she looked behind her during the race. She did several twists and turns through the thick trees.
She heard twigs crack behind her and so she did a one-eighty, throwing her arms open as the pursuer tried to catch her.
Sasuke's eyes widened at her sudden move and instantly plowed into her, throwing them both into the ground.
They landed with a grunt and an oomph, and Hinata--
--she started laughing.
Sasuke shot back like she was on fire, scooting into a base of a tree. "Wha-what was that?!"
She smiled. "You're not leaving!"
"No, I'm not."
She knew her smile was growing, and her face was hot. "I'm happy!"
He made a noise and watched her with wary eyes before allowing himself to relax, making his lips to curl. "Tch, you're weird."
She pushed herself to her feet and brushed off the dirt that clung to her. She felt his eyes on her once again and she ignored it. "Shall we train again today?"
He shrugged. "Sure, if you want."
"If I want?"
He tilted his head. "Yeah, if you want. You have a choice. We can train, or we can 'hang'." He made finger quotes as she held out a hand to him. He took it without hesitation and she pulled him up.
Her habit of twiddling her fingers came back with the nervous flutter in her stomach. She started mumbling and fidgeting, but froze when two hands grabbed her wrists and pulled her hands apart. She looked up at Sasuke, who watched her intently.
"Stop that."
"S-sorry."
"Stop stuttering."
"Sorry."
"Stop apologizing."
She bit her lip as his own curled. "At least you didn't fumble like last time. Now, tell me what you want. Not your fingers, me."
She made eye contact with him and boldly spoke.
"Breakfast." She blushed at her outburst, and sheepishly bowed her head. "Please?"
She could practically feel his smirk deepen.
-x-x-x-
The lady from last night was at the café again and smiled knowingly at them when they entered. They went through the same routine as before, introductions, specials, and 'I'll be back to take your orders'.
Hinata stared at the menu, the words scattered like flies on a sea of white. She couldn't make up her mind. She couldn't focus. She peeked over the menu and saw Sasuke staring intently at the booklet.
"What are you having?" She asked, placing her book down in front of her.
"The special combo. It looks pretty good. I've never actually eaten breakfast here, having always skipped breakfast in the past."
"I'll have the same thing," he looked up at her and she shrugged hesitantly. "I--I want to try it, too."
"You're stuttering."
She was about to say she was sorry but clamped her mouth shut, and the corner of his lip twitched.
"You're getting good."
"I'm learning."
Their conversation trailed off as the waitress approached, taking their orders, and left. Just as she had done last night, she came back quickly with their drinks and left after a small smile was giving and a simple little 'your meals are being cooked as we speak' was left.
Hinata traced her finger along the glass, watching as it left behind a clear trail as the rest remained frosted. "Sasuke, can I ask you something?"
"You just did."
She allowed her head to drift to her shoulder. "Aah..."
He waved his hand to push her. "Go ahead."
"What type of training are we going to do today?" She allowed her eyes to make contact with his and saw a look of concentration between his eyebrows.
"Are you really that intent with your training?"
"I want to be strong enough for when Kiba and Shino arrive back from their mission." She smiled. "I want to make them proud."
He watched her carefully. "Did you train everyday with them?"
She hesitated. "No, we did have days off..."
"Why not take a day off then?"
Something was off. She watched Sasuke as he stared across the room towards the window, thoughts seemingly elsewhere.
"Sasuke? Are you--okay?"
"Hn."
That was the first time he ever brushed her off with a simple hum. She kept her eyes focused on him worriedly, watching for signs, looking for anything, anything.
Maybe it was something she said.
"Did I--say something wrong?" She dared to tread the forbidden waters. Never before had she gone into this area with Sasuke, but if she was going to be with him--
--be with him--
Well, gee if that didn't sound weird coming from her.
If she was going to--be with him--she needed to know how the Uchiha Sasuke mind worked.
"No."
It was simple, it was brisk, and it was to the point.
It was starting to make her uneasy.
She stared at a spot on the table, and remained that way until the food arrived, at which the woman appeared to notice that something was off and left in a hurry.
Their meal was eaten in brisk silence.
-x-x-x-
Sasuke Uchiha was as emotional as a woman who was going through PMS.
Even worse, he was as emotional as a pregnant woman in labor.
One minute, he was calm and sociable. The next, he was ripping at people's hair, gritting his teeth, eyes wild, and just plain animalistic.
He was unpredictable, unfortunately for Hinata, who thought she got some of his quirks down.
She lagged behind him as they left the restaurant. She kept count on how far apart they were.
9 paces behind.
9 yards back.
27 feet behind.
324 inches between us.
She didn't dare get too close, yet didn't dare get too far back. Often at times, she considered leaving him to go home, hoping that she could make a quick enough escape. She turned the idea down after she remembered her past escape attempts, which always ended up with her on the ground, flustered, or near tears.
Thoughts distracting her, she didn't even realize Sasuke had stopped and ran right into his back.
She let out a soft noise and caught herself before she fell. She looked up warily and saw that he was stiff--
--on alert?
"Your father is an asshole."
Her eyes widened. "What?"
He turned to her and she wanted to look away. His eyes were angry and cold. "Your father is an asshole, and it seems he always will be."
She felt herself become bitter. "He is not."
"He is, has, and always will be."
"You never even met him." She snapped, and couldn't figure out for the life of her why she was protecting him. Sasuke was right, but it just seemed--off.
"I have." He narrowed his eyes. "He was a jerk back then too."
The pale-eyed girl didn't know what to say, and so Sasuke continued with his rant.
"He pushes you for so much. He expects so much from you. Why can't he let you be?"
"I'm the heiress for the clan. It's expected that I take so much."
"Before you're even a ninja? Bullshit. You were six when I first met him, and he was already planning your wedding at the time. If you ask me, that's sick."
She clenched her fists and held them at her side. "It's tradition in the Hyuuga clan!"
"Hyuuga's are stupid. They think they are high and mighty. They're going to end up in trouble with people who don't like them that much."
Something squeezed her heart and before she knew it, she was lashing out at him. "You would k-know Sasuke! You c-come f-from a c-clan that p-pissed off a lot of people! Look a-at where it left them! Oh t-that's right, there is n-no Uchiha c-clan anymore! T-they're d-dead!"
She slapped her hands over her mouth as reality came flooding back at her. She didn't mean to say those things; she didn't know what had came over her. It was as if her Hyuuga blood had gone rampant and she couldn't stop herself.
She hesitantly looked up at the silent Uchiha and she went panic-stricken at the sight.
He had a look of that of a child that was just slapped in a face by an angry parent. She wanted to comfort him. She wanted to hold him, say it wasn't true, it was a lie. She wanted to take back those angry words, throw them in the dirt, and stomp on them repeatedly.
She allowed her hand to trail out like a ghost. "S-Sasuke, I-I'm--"
"You're just like the rest of them."
Her eyes widened in horror. "Sasuke..."
He refused to make eye contact with her. "You're just as bad as them."
"Sasuke, I--"
He bowed his head further. "I thought you were better than them."
She couldn't speak, not even when his voice started breaking.
"I thought you were above their standards."
She was breaking again. Her heart felt like it was being torn, just like before--
'Naruto, Sakura...'
'Sasuke, no!'
'I'm sorry!'
'I didn't mean it!'
'It wasn't true!'
She reached out for him and grabbed his sleeve. "Sasuke..."
His hand slapped hers away and it stung. She pulled back quickly, stepping away from him in shock.
"You're just like the rest of them. I thought you weren't." He finally looked to her and she couldn't help but shrink under his gaze.
'No!'
"I was wrong."
He turned and walked away without another word, leaving her with a heavy heart, and bitter feelings towards herself and her heritage.
-x-x-x-
The day dragged by like the clouds in the sky. She felt so lonely, far lonelier than she had as a child in her pre-ninja years.
She opted to look for him several times at the random training grounds. Each spot she looked in was empty, save for another team that may had been there.
Each time she saw a head of black, her hopes grew brighter. When they turned and it wasn't Sasuke Uchiha, she felt even more depressed and sick than before.
It wasn't until dinner came and went that realized that not only did she lose a valuable training, she just lost a very good friend.
Her dream that night consisted of a single figure trapped in a dull gray room with no doors visible on the inside. On the outside, the other figure loomed in stormy weather, a shaky hand poised above the handle on the only door that led inside.
The figure on the outside clenched their fingers around the knob before they released their grip and walked away, leaving their comrade trapped inside the never-ending bleakness.
The trapped figure remained silent as tears ran down their blurred face.
When morning came, Hinata wasn't surprised by the fact that her face was wet and her pillow smelled of the same salty tears she recognized so well from her childhood.
-x-x-x-
Hinata tried to avoid everyone that day. She refused to go to breakfast, she refused to go to Ichiraku, and when she saw her own teacher, she headed in the opposite direction in hopes of being able to avoid answering any questions.
No such luck with it came to her teacher, who was a master at reading people's expressions and actions.
"Hinata, what's wrong?"
She was pinned and cornered on the bench, twiddling her thumbs again in her nervousness.
His voice echoed in her mind.
'Stop that.'
She pulled her hands apart, the ghosting of his fingers on her wrists a haunting reminder to her.
"N-nothing, r-really."
'Stop stuttering.'
She cleared her throat and repeated herself. "I mean, nothing really."
Kurenai watched her carefully, and Hinata mentally apologized.
'Sorry.'
'Stop apologizing.'
She unconsciously bit her lip and when she realized what she had done, she let out a sob. "I don't know what to do."
"Tell me and maybe I can help." Kurenai moved closer to her and nudged the girl's shoulder gently.
"I made Sasuke angry with me, and--and I don't know what to say that will make him not be mad at me anymore."
Kurenai raised a brow. "Why would you be with Sasuke?"
"I've--I've been training with him. Ever since--ever since Naruto and Sakura got together. He's--he's been trying to make things better, but I just made it worse."
The woman rubbed the back of her head, fingers lacing through thick curls. "Have you tried apologizing?"
"He hates it when I apologize. He's always telling me to stop saying sorry and to stop stuttering. I really am sorry, and I try to catch myself, I really do! I work real hard!"
Hinata couldn't hold it in. She was angry with herself, she was angry at the world. If only Naruto and Sakura hadn't got together. Then she wouldn't have seen Sasuke, then she and Sasuke wouldn't have formed bonds, and then--
She wouldn't have lost her friend.
Kurenai's arms wrapped around her and squeezed her. "That's right, let it all out. Don't bottle it in. It just hurts even more in the end."
"Sensei--" The pale-eyed girl murmured and buried her face in the crook of the teacher's arm. "What do I do?"
"The only thing you can really do if it's this bad, just go see him. You'll work it out in the end, you always do, Hinata."
Hinata wasn't so sure she could pull it off this time.
-x-x-x-
The path to the Uchiha compound was desolate, and needless to say, kind of creepy.
The dirt road was deserted and void of any prints, except for those of wild animals and Sasuke's, and the plants around it took on a life that resembled something haunting from those horror movies Kiba always talked about.
The houses themselves weren't much better beyond the gate, having lacked human life since everybody in the clan died. She made her way through the empty road, looking into each house with an activated Byakugan.
A part of her wished that Sasuke would come out and talk to her, and another part of her hoped to all that was holy that he wasn't here just so she could leave and claimed to have never gone there. Unfortunately, as fate would have it, he would be there.
In a house at the very end of the street was one chakra-filled person, and she knew it was Sasuke. Gulping, she nervously headed towards the house, deactivating her Byakugan.
She climbed up the porch silently and stared at the door, clad with the Uchiha fan symbol on it. The paint was faded and worn, washed away by time and weather.
She ran her finger across the wood, just searching for a lifeline.
'Help me, please.'
She knocked.
"Who is it?"
The voice was laced with irritation, most likely from having someone intrude onto the Uchiha property. She licked her dry lips and forced herself to speak.
"It's me."
The silence was deafening. It was almost as if she hadn't spoken at all. She prayed that maybe he would tell her to go away (she'd go on command), but another part of her hoped that he'd come out and listen (she'd speak).
The door opened and she found herself looking into the black eyes of one Uchiha Sasuke, who was watching her with a blank expression.
She stared and he narrowed his eyes.
"What do you want?"
His words lashed out, but she refused to back down. She swallowed and kept eye contact with him.
"I came to talk to you."
"What if I don't want to talk to you?"
"You don't have to talk. At least--please listen." She reasoned with him.
He continued to stare at her. She waited for it. The verbal taunting, the physical kick off the property, or even a slam of a door in her face.
What she didn't expect was for him to open the door and beckon her inside. She entered at his command, and tensed when he closed the door behind them.
"I'll let you talk all you want, only after if you listen to me first." He walked briskly through the room and started down a hallway. "Follow me, and you'll learn the truth."
She started after him and struggled to match his pace. "The truth?"
He refused to look at her. "Why my clan was killed."
He kept walking even when she stopped and her body went cold.
'The clan--'
'--the truth?'
'What?'
"Hinata, in here." He motioned for her to follow, and she did so quickly to avoid angering him.
He waited for her to arrive at the door, also marked with the Uchiha fan. "The only thing I ask of you is to not touch anything."
She nodded and he opened the door, stepping inside.
It was like time had left it untouched, except for the fact that there were layers of dust on everything, including the bed.
She observed her surroundings before looking back to Sasuke, who had a troubled expression. "What is this?"
He looked her in the eye before he allowed himself to speak. "This is the bedroom of the man who killed the Uchiha clan."
-x-x-x-
To be continued.
-x-x-x-