Hi everyone!
My only warning is that English isn't my first language so I'm sure there are some mistakes in this story. Please bear with me. If you notice any mistake, you can tell me in the comment section or PM me. I promise I won't get discouraged.
Disclaimer: I own nothing
There were many strange things in the world, one of them was Sasuke standing in front of the doors of the room 127. His hands were holding a bag of cinnamon rolls and some others fruit. At the moment, he should have trained, slept or eaten… or do whatever he wanted, but absolutely not standing here. And the only person who could make him change his plans was Naruto.
Naruto had an unexpected mission in the Mist and he had asked him to bring some cinnamon rolls and fruits to the patient in room 127. His mission would last for a few months. Sasuke had refused, but Naruto being Naruto, he wouldn't give up easily. He had annoying Sasuke for hours just for a 'yes' from him. Sasuke thought he had nothing to do anyway and moreover… he just wanted Naruto to leave him alone. And the only way to make Naruto shut up was to agree to help him.
Naruto also insisted that he should stay with the patient for a while because all patient would rather a company than to be alone. But he didn't care. He would just stop by giving her/him the bag of cinnamon rolls and then leave immediately.
So, now, here he was, in front of room 127.
Sasuke didn't knock but just walked in. He could tell that the patient was a little startled because she had squeaked softly as he walked in. He said nothing, only put the bag on the table. He turned around meeting the bandaged eyes were staring at him intently. He wondered if she could see him.
"Na-Naruto-kun…" She asked softly.
He remembered Naruto had told him that he had promised to the patient he would visit her but he couldn't because of the unexpected mission, so the result was him asking Sasuke visit her. Probably she still didn't know that Naruto couldn't come and he wasn't Naruto.
He looked at the small board on the wall behind her. Hyuuga Hinata.
"I brought cinnamon rolls and fruits." He said.
"T-Thank you, Naruto-kun…"
The patient still thought he was Naruto. He wondered if his voice was like Naruto's that much?
"I'm not…" He was about to explain but stopped as the girl tilted her head towards him slightly trying to hear what he was saying. That's when he remembered something. Naruto said she was injured during a mission. Her injuries affected her eyes and ears. Right now, she was blind completely and could only hear faintly. But she could feel his chakra, right? Or even her chakra sense was affected too? Her injuries weren't too serious, but they would take her some time to recover completely. So that's the reason she still thought he was Naruto.
The girl was still tilting her head towards him waiting for him to continue his saying. He saw her small hands were clenching the blanket on her lap tightly. She was breathing faster and her cheeks were blushing. She was flushing. But he could tell she was happy. He saw the way her lips turned upwards to a small smile and the way her face brightened when he talked to her. His dark eyes scanned the room. It's not hard for him to notice the room had been cleaned spotlessly to welcome Naruto, though he didn't know how considering she was blind. This girl had a crush on Naruto. If she knew the truth that he wasn't Naruto, he was sure she would be very disappointed. It was like dump a bucket of cold water on her.
He wasn't a nice person, but he saw no reason to hurt her, not when she wasn't his fangirl. Besides, Naruto surely would annoy him forever if he knew he made her sad though it's not his fault. So, he decided he would be a good person this time. But that didn't mean he would pretend to be Naruto mimicking his stupid antics just to make her believe he was Naruto. He didn't say he was Naruto, but he didn't deny either.
He didn't plan to stay here for long anyway.
It's very great of him. He was about to say he had to go, but the girl suddenly said before he could. "Do… do you want some ramen?" She tried to sound excited although the nervousness in her voice had crushed that excitement.
"I'm not hungry." Sasuke paused for a while thinking Naruto would never say he wasn't hungry, or at least hungry for ramen. "I just… ate at Ichiraku in the morning."
"S-So do you want to drink something? I have some orange juice." She said and pointed towards the glass of orange juice on the table. Despite being blind, she still could point exactly at it showing that she had prepared everything fully for him… for Naruto. He guessed she had some nurses to help her.
"No." He replied bluntly.
A look of sadness fell on her face although she was trying her best to act normally. She said nothing, her face turned down. She wanted to impress Naruto, but it seemed she failed… again.
Sasuke frowned. He was making her sad. It seemed not denying he was Naruto wasn't enough, she wanted more. But he couldn't do more. He would never mimic Naruto's stupid antics.
"So… so do you need anything?" She said again not giving up yet.
"No." He knew Naruto would never say that, but he had said it already and there was no way to take it back.
This time the girl deeply despaired. She gave a sigh and looked down at her hands in her lap. They were clenching to each other so tightly that her knuckles turned white. He could see how hard she tried to make Naruto notice her.
"I…" She started. "I want to rest. You can go now."
Sasuke rolled his eyes. Now she was telling him to go away?
This girl had self-respect. She could feel his not so friendly attitude so despite how much she wanted him to stay, she would never force him. This was the first time there was someone treat him like that. She cared about his feelings more than her own.
Fine. He didn't like staying here either…
Before the doors were closing, he heard she muttered. "Goodbye, Naruto-kun!"
She still thought he was Naruto.
He wondered since when there was someone that loved Naruto that much.
XXXXXXX
He didn't see her again. He guessed everything was fine.
He was at the hospital to check up some injuries. As he passed the yard in the hospital, he saw Hinata was walking. He didn't care, but there was something very strange in her posture. Because she was blind, she had to use a white cane. But it seemed a white cane wasn't enough, she almost fell a few times. But he deemed she couldn't fall that easily. She was a kunoichi, a Hyuga. But that thought was immediately pushed away as the girl squeak and fell her face down. The white cane fell out of her hands and rolled on the ground.
The girl rubbed her pale hands together and tried to retrieve her white cane. Her hands tried to search everywhere they could but it's all futile. She was more embarrassed, her face blushed furiously.
He gave a sigh. This girl was very clumsy without her eyes. He picked up the white cane and walked to her. Finally, he stood before her and she went frozen. "N-Naruto-kun…" She whispered. Her face blushed furiously and she could even smell smoke coming from her ears. Naruto surely would think she was so clumsy and weird. He gave a sigh, again. God, why was she so obsessed with that stupid blonde boy?
"Your cane." He said and gave her the white cane.
"T-Thank you, Naruto-kun…" She muttered.
"Why are you here?"
"I'm just walking around."
"Alone? Where is your nurse?"
"She's just gone inside to get some water for me."
"You should have sit still somewhere, not walking around like this. Don't you see that you're blind?"
"B-But Naruto-kun…"
"You might injure yourself…"
"Sorry." She muttered.
"There is a bench over there." Noticing her bewildered expression, he continued. "Follow me." He grasped her wrist dragging her to the bench. The walk only lasted for 5 minutes but he could tell she was extremely happy. Her cheeks a shade of pink and a soft smile gracing her lips as she walked behind him.
He frowned. Because he, no, Naruto was holding her wrist?
After settling on the bench, her smile was even brighter. He thought his 'mission' was over now, but as he was about to leave, she said. "Thank you, Naruto-kun."
"Hn."
"Can you stay a little longer? Just a little."
So she wanted him to leave her alone last time he visited her and this time she wanted him to stay?
It seemed she knew what he was thinking so she explained. "I want to apologize about… your previous visit. I shouldn't have told you to go away."
I'm the one who should say sorry.
"You're not comfortable that day so…" She stopped, didn't how to say it. "But I'm sure you have your reasons. I really shouldn't have said that to you. I'm sorry."
"How do you know?" He asked. He was very curious to know why she trusted Naruto so much.
"Because Naruto-kun is always kind to me."
XXXXXXX
Because Naruto-kun is always kind to me.
Her words plagued him for the rest of his day.
He isn't kind as you think he is. He thought inwardly. Or at least he isn't kind to you as he is to Sakura.
A few days later, he saw her sitting on the bench. She had been sitting there for several days in a row. He was curious about why her sitting there every day. As he asked a nurse, she replied. "Hinata is waiting for somebody."
"Who?"
"I don't know. She doesn't let me know."
"Since when?"
"Last Thursday."
It's the day that he met her here. Probably she was waiting for Naruto. She was so stupid. That time he (or Naruto as she thought) was just passing by which meant there was no evidence that he would go there again. But she was still waiting blindly.
"Can you do something?" He asked. "You are her nurse. You can't let her outside for a long time like that. It's not good for her health."
"I have tried to convince her but…" The nurse looked at Hinata. "That person is very important to her."
XXXXXXX
It was raining.
Sasuke looked at the window. The weather had been damp recently.
He wanted to sleep but found himself couldn't because the pitter-patter sounds the rain was making were so annoying. He felt like they were drilling to his ears. Feeling frustrated, he got up intending to find something to eat when he remembered something.
Hinata was waiting for him.
She usually was waiting for him at this time. No, waiting for Naruto. What if she caught a cold?
The nurse would take care of her. They would never let her stand in the rain. But… what if they couldn't convince her to give up on waiting for him? She had been waiting for days, a rain couldn't stop her. No, Hinata was more stubborn than that. He shrugged. It's not his business. She did it willingly. She was so stupid that she waited for someone would never come. But somehow there was an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach that he couldn't ignore.
Sighing, he left his house stepping in the rain with an umbrella.
Just as he thought, Hinata was waiting for him. The only thing she had to cover herself right now was a small umbrella. This girl wasn't only stupid but lovesick as hell.
He walked to her. She startled turning to him. A bright smile gracing her lips. "Naruto-kun?"
"What are you doing here?"
"I-I… just… standing here."
"Don't lie to me. You think I'm gonna believe that stupid lie?"
"I-I…"
"Go inside." He said and grasp her hand dragging her inside. She stumbled behind him. Before she could go any farther than two steps, she started to feel dizzy, a result of standing in the rain for hours. But he caught her before she could fell. The umbrella in her hand fell to the ground and his tilt to one side making both of them drenched. She couldn't walk anymore.
Throwing the umbrella to the ground, he scooped her into his arms and quickly ran inside. She was so surprised that she let out a squeak before staying still in his arms. Her face buried in his chest so close that she could hear his steady beating heart.
He pushed the doors open and put her in her bed. The only lucky thing was that both of them weren't too drenched, but it's enough for him to notice one thing. This girl was… pretty.
Her wet indigo hair stuck to her face. Her pink cheeks blushed brightly and her plump lips quiver slightly. And her body was perfect. The water made her clothes stick to her skin accentuating her curves. He couldn't understand why someone skinny like her could have that big… bosoms.
Well, he wasn't a pervert, but he was a guy and it's just his nature.
His dark moved to her face. Her face was just wet a little because she had her face on his chest. Her bandage was wet too. He wondered what her eyes would look like. And suddenly… he wanted to look at her eyes.
Unconsciously, his hands moved behind her head to remove the bandage. She frozen immediately and then quickly turned her head trying to avoid his hands. Realizing what himself was about to, he took his hands back and inwardly cursed himself. He almost made a serious mistake.
Swallowing hard, he tried to ease the tense atmosphere around them. "Don't you need to change your bandage?"
"It's f-fine." She stuttered, her face even redder.
"I don't understand why you stand there."
She said nothing for a while, seemingly thinking. "Because there is a chance…" She finally said with a sigh.
"Chance? What chance?"
"I hardly see Naruto-kun these days. If there is a chance, despite the smallest one, I'll take it."
"Just that?" He didn't think that's the only reason.
"I-I'm lonely." She muttered. "There are very few people visiting me… You probably think because I'm Hyuga heiress I must have a lot of people visiting me, right?" She smiled sadly. "But eye injury was an unacceptable thing in my clan, so…"
"What about your teammates?"
"Kiba-kun and Shino-kun are having a mission in the Sand, though they promise they'll visit as soon as they return." Her face brightened slightly as she talked about her t teammates.
He said nothing. He didn't know what to say. Comfort her? No, he couldn't comfort anyone. He just pitied her.
"But I'm glad... that you come."
"You're really stupid."
"But I got to see you."
"Is it worth?"
The girl didn't smile anymore. Her browns frowned slightly and her small hand intertwined together. "It's worth. Because Naruto-kun is always kind to me."
The room fell in silence. The only sound was the pitter-patter sound outside.
Sasuke wondered what Naruto had done for her?
"Can you visit me tomorrow?" She suddenly asked.
"Yeah…" He didn't blurt out. He meant it. He wanted to see how much she loved that blonde boy.
Naruto – that blonde boy loved ramen more than anything, that stupid boy always pulling some pranks had someone love him so much, while him – the proud cool, good-looking Uchiha only had a bunch of sallow fangirls.
But all his thoughts were pushed away when he saw her happy smile.
XXXXXXX
Sasuke was running to the hospital. His mission lasted longer than he had thought and he didn't want Hinata to wait for him any longer. He wasn't Naruto so he would never be late, despite her thinking him was the blonde boy.
When he opened the doors, he saw her was tieing her eye bandage. It seemed she didn't think he would come so she got a bit startled. Her head turned from the mirror to him. When he got closer, he could see she had some trouble with the bandage. Her small fingers stumbled around the bandage couldn't get it tie. He wondered where her nurse was. "I'll call the nurse." He said.
"N-No, it's fine." She said. "I can do it myself."
"You can't."
"I can. I don't want to bother the nurse. It's her lunch break."
Sasuke gave a sigh. This girl was too kind. She would rather tie the bandage herself with difficulty than to bother the nurse. Or, maybe because he was here she was so nervous that she couldn't tie the bandage herself. Or, it's because of Naruto was here.
"Let me." He said and slowly turned her head to him. The girl blushed furiously but let him nonetheless. She lowered her hands to her lap and they touched his calloused ones. He could feel her skin heated… and it's so soft.
Shaking his head to push those thoughts away, he carefully tied the bandage around her eyes neatly. His hand unconsciously ran through her indigo hair.
He wanted to stroke that soft tress of hers.
She thanked him in a low voice, her face still red.
"I didn't think you would come here so soon." She said. He wanted to say that he would never be late like Naruto, but he refrained it immediately.
"I wouldn't stay long."
"It's fine. I'm glad that you're here." She suddenly tilted her head towards him. "I smell blood. Naruto-kun, are you hurt?"
He looked at himself. It's true that he had blood on his body. "It's not my blood."
Her face relieved immediately. "I have some medicine."
"I'm not hurt."
"You're lying." She retorted. "I'm sure you at least have some small cuts or scratches."
She was right. It's true that he had some cuts and scratches, but he wouldn't admit it. "I'm fine."
She said nothing but got up. Her hands reach towards him. He almost went frozen as her hands cupped his face tenderly. Her small fingers touched his cheeks, his nose, and his forehead. Her delicate browns frowned slightly. She looked like she was thinking hard. "Naruto-kun, your face…"
He brushed her hands away almost immediately. His face turned away from hers. So now she knew? His brain tried to think of some excuses, or even some lies to lie to her longer.
"I knew it." She whispered.
His heart was racing and his chest was tightened painfully. What could he do to her forgive him? Nothing. He could do nothing.
"Hinata, I…"
"You can feel some cuts on your face. You're lying." She accused him.
He gave a sigh of relief. He had thought she touched his face because she suspected him. But she just wanted to see if he's hurt.
"It's fine."
"I have some medicine in the drawn." She said and opened the drawn. Maybe staying here for a long time made her know everything in this room without her sight. He knew she wouldn't stop until he applied some salve to his wounds. He sighed and took the jar of salve from her hands but she stopped him. "Let me. I'm not a medic, but I know how to applied salve to have the most effective result."
"You can't see."
"I know where you're hurt."
He knew it's dangerous. If she touched his face again, she might notice some differences between him and Naruto. But the thought of her soft hands touching his face was so appealing that he ignored it all. As her hand touched the wound on his face, he grimaced slightly because of the pain, but it's quickly replaced by the cool feeling of salve. He knew she's gentle, but the way she applied salve on his face so tenderly was more than what he expected.
Naruto didn't how lucky he was.
But it made Sasuke uncomfortable. He had been so panic at the thought of Hinata knowing he wasn't Naruto.
He didn't want her to know he wasn't Naruto.
XXXXXX
Sasuke visited her more often. It's not Hinata inviting him, he just wanted to meet her. He wanted to see her bright smiles, hear her soft voice call… Naruto. Although it's not his name, he wanted to hear it.
Now they were sitting on the bench outside her room. The winds brushed her hair to his face making the lavender scent on it fill his nostrils. It lingered in his nostrils and wouldn't go away, or it's him who lingered it. Her hand intertwined together, her head tilted to him slight listening to him talk about his schedule next week, which days he could come, which days he couldn't.
Nothing could be hidden forever. He was sure someday she would know he wasn't Naruto. When that day came, what would he do? Apologize? Apologies, even one hundred ones would never enough, especially when he realized how important Naruto was to her. Now she thought she had a chance with Naruto and Naruto was giving her a chance. Sasuke was giving her a hope, and someday it's him crushing that hope. He knew she would be despaired, would be disappointed, would hate him… But now, he didn't care. Now, all he cared was her listening to him, being with him, waiting for him every day.
He said nothing as she leaned her head on his shoulder. She was sleeping.
XXXXXXX
Sasuke went to the hospital to get some medicine and he would visit Hinata after that. While waiting for the doctor write down his prescription, he looked around the room. His dark eyes stopped at a clipboard hanging on the wall. It's about Hinata's health. How long could he lie to her? One week? One month? Or… none? His dark eyes widened and he almost gasped.
If this clipboard was correct…
Noticing his surprised face, the doctor asked. "You don't know?"
"Explain?" He said.
"Hinata's eyes and ears have recovered for a while. She hasn't discharged from the hospital yet because some other injuries need to be checked more."
The doctor could hear him grind his teeth together and he couldn't help but shudder. This is Uchiha Sasuke after all. He could tell he just made him angry, but he really didn't know how. He just told him the truth.
Sasuke got up immediately. The prescription was forgotten as he left the room and slammed the doors close.
He quickly went to room 127.
He saw her sitting on her bed. She looked surprised to see him here.
"Naruto-kun, why are you here? You said you wouldn't come until afternoon."
Sasuke didn't answer her. Ground his teeth together, he walked to her bed and grasped her wrist roughly. He didn't give her time to protest but immediately unwrapped the bandage around her eyes. The white bandage fell to the ground revealing her pale eyes bore into his dark ones. His hand took her chin and tilt upwards. His face was only a few inches from hers. "This game is over, Hinata."
Her eyes widened and a shiver ran down her spine.
Now he understood. There was no way Hinata loved Naruto that much but couldn't notice the differences in the behaviors between him and Naruto. When he had seen her tie the bandage, there was a mirror before her. No blind people use a mirror.
"Since when?" He asked. "Since when did you know I'm not Naruto?"
"U-U-Uchiha-san…" She stuttered.
"I asked since when?" He repeated.
She was so scared that she couldn't look at his eyes. "S-Since… you carried me… when it's rain."
So she's known for a long time.
"But you must understand." She tried to say. "I really thought you're Naruto-kun in the beginning, although your behaviors were different from his. But, the most different thing is… Naruto never cares for me as much as you do."
"Anything else?"
"When you carried me in the rain, I could feel…lighting. It's true that my injuries affected my chakra sense ability, but it's not too serious that I couldn't feel anything. It's when I'm sure you're not Naruto-kun, but I don't know who you're. I asked the nurse and she said it's you visiting me, not Naruto-kun, but…"
"And you think you can use me to replace your Naruto-kun?"
"No. I never think about replacing him, because no one can…" She muttered. "No one can replace him."
"Liar." He almost yelled at her.
She scrambled back in fear, but still tried to explain. "You have to listen to me. When I knew the truth, I was sad, even hopeless, but when you visit me more, my feelings have changed. You're not Naruto-kun, but it doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is… you've come, you take care of me, you're with me, not Naruto-kun…" Now he could see tears in her pale eyes.
"I pretend I don't know because if you know I know, you won't visit me anymore. I want you to continue to visit me. I call you Naruto-kun, but I never think you as Naruto-kun. You can't replace Naruto-kun and Naruto –kun can't replace you. In my heart, you're always Uchiha Sasuke.
Sasuke shivered slightly. He wanted to hear her call his name, but not like this, not in this situation.
He ground his teeth and left the room.
He couldn't be here any longer.
XXXXXXX
Hinata was discharged from the hospital one week later.
Sasuke didn't visit her anymore.
Hinata decided she would go to his apartment. She hadn't said sorry yet. She brought some fruits and cinnamon rolls, just like his first visit. After knocking a few times, she waited patiently before his doors. No one opened the doors. She knew he was still mad at her and it seemed the only way for her to meet him was break-in his house.
Thank to her ninja skills she could break the lock easily. She opened the doors and peeked inside. It's dark inside. "Sasuke… kun?" She called him, hesitantly. She didn't even know if she was allowed to call his name.
No one answered. She opened the doors further and stepped in. She put her bag on the wooden table and looked around. Sasuke was nowhere to be seen. As she thought she would never have a chance to meet him again, there was a click sound behind her. She turned around seeing him standing at the threshold of his bedroom. He looked tired. "Sasuke-kun…" She muttered.
"What are you doing here?" He asked. "Naruto isn't here you know."
"N-No. I come to meet you."
"Hn."
"I-I b-brought some cinnamon rolls." She tried to ease the atmosphere around them. As Sasuke said nothing, she sighed. "I want to apologize."
If she wanted to apologize, then should he too? It's not only her but also him playing a role in this play.
He still said nothing, just staring at her intently. He was waiting for her to continue to say.
"I-I know an apology isn't gonna be enough, so I…" She muttered. So what? What would she do for him to forgive her? He didn't forgive easily. His nonchalant face was enough evidence.
"Is it true that… you never think me as Naruto?"
Her pale eyes widened in surprise. And then, she smiled. "Never."
"Can you prove?"
Her delicate browns frowned slightly. She knew this was very important to him, but she really didn't know how to prove to him. Saying wasn't enough, he needed actions.
She didn't know how, but before she could comprehend what herself was doing, she stepped towards him. Her arms wrapped around him gently. This was a dangerous action, but she knew she wouldn't regret it. "You are not Naruto. You are Sasuke." She muttered on his chest.
If he was Sasuke, she would faint before having enough courage to hug him. If he was Naruto, he would hug her before she could. If he was Naruto, she would never dare to hug him…
But he was Sasuke.
Sasuke went frozen. He went from surprised to satisfied. God knows how long he had waited for her to call his name. He wrapped his arms around her wait to pull her closer to him. She blushed furiously but didn't pull away.
"I believe you." He said. As it turns out, it's not very hard to prove to Sasuke something.
"So that means you forgive me?" She asked.
"Hn."
"Thank you, Sasuke-kun." She whispered, a bright smile gracing her lip.
XXXXXXXX
Three months later…
Naruto was on his way back to Konoha. Somehow he sneezed continuity.
"You have a cold?" Shikamaru asked.
"No," Naruto replied. "Probably someone is talking about me."
Meanwhile, in Konoha, there was someone waiting for Naruto with a not very happy face. The girl standing beside him looked happy that she could see Naruto again after his long mission in the Mist.
"You look happy?" Sasuke snorted.
"I am. It's been a long time since the last time I saw him."
He really couldn't stand her call Naruto's name so happily like that.
"Sasuke-kun…" Hinata said. "You're jealous."
"I am not." He denied.
She smiled softly and looked around. When she was sure no one was around, she tiptoed, wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him to a passionate kiss. He couldn't help but smirk. This girl always knew how to make him happy even in the worst situation. In this case, was Naruto return.
"You know I love you, right?" She asked after the kiss.
"You can't blame me, Hinata. How could I not worry when you loved him so much in the past."
"B-But I love you now." She blushed furiously. "A-And I think we should thank him."
"Hn…"
"If Naruto hadn't asked you to visit me…"
He didn't want to hear any more. He already knew what she would say. Actually, he thought she's right. He should thank Naruto, maybe treat him some ramen.
He kissed her again, this time more passionate. Between their kisses, he whispered. "I love you"
She smiled one of her brightest smiles. "I love you too."
Fin.
Thank you for reading. Hope you can leave a review.
I choose the number 127 because it's Hinata's birthday 27 December.