She understood him. The drive to succeed, the pain of failure, the ache of a heart shattered by cruelty spoken and acted upon. Over the years, she had begun to care deeply for him, but fear had kept her from expressing that affection. She knew that he had better things to do – bigger things to concern himself with. Matters of the heart were of little consequence to him, after all.
He did not quite understand her. She was strong, he knew, but she kept that strength veiled until the very last minute. She cared for others far more than she cared for herself, but she was still far more driven than others give her credit for. Her timidity was a thick mask most couldn't see through. He wished that she would let that formidable will show itself a little more often. He watched her as the years passed and silently encouraged her with his coldly intense gaze.
The forest floor was dappled with patchwork sunlight. Insects droned within the sultry summer air. Sasuke had been training hard that day; he had to get better. He always had to get better.
For the moment, though, he enjoyed the feel of sweat cooling on his flushed skin – the singing of birds and the whisper of wind rustling its way through the leaves so far above him. The crunch of crisp underbrush under a pair of light feet broke the spell and drew his eyes open.
Before him stood the woman of his thoughts. Arms held tightly at her sides, as if defending against a blow that will never come, cloth bag cluched between a pair of soft, strong hands. Her eyes, such a lovely shade of pale, pale blue met the darkness of his own.
The lovely face bearing the light eyes he found himself entranched with blushed a pretty shade of pink. "Um," Hinata began timidly, "I brought you a little food."
He nodded quietly as she knelt by him. The last Uchiha watched as the maligned noble unpacked the bag she carried – simple care filling each graceful action. Sasuke needed to touch her.
The young woman stilled when his calloused fingers brushed oh so tenderly over her smooth cheek. She drew a soft breath when that hand slid down to her shoulder, then around to her back to pull her close with surprising gentleness.
As the heat of his body warmed hers, even through their clothing – as the softness of her lips met his, promising so much more even with the lightest of pressure – they both realized their mistakes in priority.
The drive to succeed and the urge to care for other were important, but what truly mattered were instants like these. The blending of one's being into the other – the blending of the two into nature. They lost themselves to each other.
They lost their worries to the moment.
Yeeeeeeah, so...romance isn't really my thing. I can write it, and I enjoy reading a well written story, but it's not really my genre of choice.
However, when it smacks me upside the head with a two-by-four, I gotta jot it down.
I'm thinkin' this will actually be a giftfic for fairheartstrife over on DeviantArt. She's a great artist and a great all around person.
Sasuke and Hinata aren't mine, they're Masashi Kishimoto's
And ship wars aren't allowed here. I don't care! Flames will be summarily ignored and deleted.