Here's the first one-shot I promised you! Well, actually, it isn't quite a one-shot because my muse doesn't know when to shut up. It ends on a bit of a cliff-hanger, so I might have to find time to continue it if you are interested in seeing it continued. Let's see...this is a non-massacre AU, so don't expect Sasuke to be all 'must avenge clan' because obviously there is no need for that. n.n Anyway, enjoy this one(or more)-shot!
Italics are flashbacks.
Disclaimer: Don't own, so don't sue.
The mission had begun simply enough. Hyuuga Hinata and Uchiha Sasuke had been summoned to the Hokage's office, where the Third had briefed them on the nature of their mission. It was an escort mission, A-ranked only because, as the two ninja quickly discovered, their employer was paranoid. When Sasuke informed Takahashi that he was going to scout ahead, the man nearly chained the jounin to him. He said that, with her Byakugan, Hinata was the most logical choice for a scout. Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he glared at their employer.
"She's just a chuunin," he stated.
The man looked nearly ready to have a heart attack at the thought of the Uchiha leaving his side, so Hinata shyly interrupted.
"A-ano, Sa-Sasuke. I d-don't mind go-going ahead," she stammered, pushing her pointer fingers together.
The Uchiha stared at her and she blushed, ducking her head so that she did not have to meet those intense onyx eyes. His gaze turned back to their employer and he waved a hand.
"Stay on your guard," he commanded.
"H-hai," she said, turning and quickly vanishing out of sight.
Sasuke stared moodily after her, trying to ignore the man who was practically plastered to his side. His mind turned back to the encounter with his older brother just before he had left his home to meet up with Hinata and Takahashi.
Sasuke pulled his pack onto his back and turned toward the door, stopping when he found Itachi leaning against the frame, arms crossed over his muscular chest. An amused smirk curved his lips as he studied his younger brother.
"A little eager, aren't you?" he asked dryly.
Sasuke frowned, stepping toward the door.
"It's just a mission, aniki. I'm eager to get it over with," he said dismissively.
Itachi moved aside to allow him to pass, the smirk not leaving his handsome features. He allowed Sasuke to move down the hall, pausing just long enough to let his little brother believe he had dropped the topic.
"So then it isn't because you get to spend time with the Hyuuga heiress?" he asked.
The jounin froze, inwardly berating himself for that telling action. He slowly turned to face Itachi, noting the man's smirk now held a triumphant edge.
"Why would I care about the Hyuuga?" he asked carefully.
Itachi pushed off the door frame, sauntering down the hallway toward him. As he passed the slightly shorter man, he said softly, "You think her stutter is cute."
Sasuke gaped at his brother, a light blush covering his pale cheeks. The elder Uchiha gave a low chuckle.
"You talk in your sleep, Sasuke," he admitted.
The blush deepened and Itachi took a moment to revel in his victory before becoming serious.
"Don't allow your feelings for her to endanger the mission, otouto. She's a chuunin. She can handle herself," he warned.
Sasuke controlled his blush and shrugged.
"You should know me better than that, aniki," he said.
Itachi's gaze followed him down the hallway, dark eyes still holding a hint of worry for his younger brother. When most people looked at him, they saw the famous Uchiha prodigy, second to his brother only because he had refused to join ANBU despite several offers from the elite secret forces. He was the genius Hatake Kakashi's student and best friend of Uzumaki Naruto, the great Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. But Itachi, a renowned warrior himself, knew better. When he looked at his younger brother, he saw only a man who was as fallible as any other. He had seen the effect love could have on a person's mental facilities and he didn't want to lose Sasuke through some trivial mistake.
"Be careful, Sasuke," he whispered.
.oOo.oOo.
Hinata moved easily through the forest, leaping from one tree limb to the next. For just a moment, she allowed herself to enjoy the weightless sensation as she hung in the air before landing. She stumbled slightly at the sudden stop, but quickly recovered her balance. She glanced at the forest around her, then made a hand sign.
"Byakugan!" she said.
The veins around her lavender eyes bulged and she scanned the area before her. There were no enemies, only animals. She turned back to see behind her. The only humans moving about were Takahashi and Uchiha Sasuke. With a sigh, Hinata let her bloodline limit fade away. Despite the fact that she was a chuunin, the use of the Byakugan tired her very quickly. She lifted a small hand to her chest, laying it over her heart. It had never quite recovered from Neji's blow during the chuunin exams, a fact she kept hidden from everyone. If she exerted herself too much or grew too worried over something, the organ ached and, if she pushed further, she even began to cough blood. Only Haruno Sakura knew this, for she trusted the medic to keep her secret. Sakura had tried several times to convince Hinata to quit being a ninja, but each time the gentle heiress refused. It was her goal to make her clan proud of her and they would never understand if she gave up her training because of an injury that had happened eight years ago. It was hard enough to face her father's condemning gaze now as she reported back to him how useless she had been on her mission. Hinata lifted her head, straightening her shoulders in an attempt to appear more confident.
"N-not this t-time. I'll ma-make Otousan p-proud o-of me," she said, the pathetically fractured words not giving her much hope.
She turned her head as Sasuke and Takahashi caught up with her, trying vainly to withhold a blush. She hoped neither of the men had heard her words, especially the Uchiha prodigy. With his Sharingan, genjutsu and ninjutsu techniques came easily to him. He mastered taijutsu as though he had done it his entire life. Hinata didn't think he'd had to work for something in his entire life. He could never understand how hard she struggled to be someone of whom her clan could be proud, how humiliating it had been the day her little sister Hanabi became a jounin. Hinata hung her head so that her long hair hid her face, leaping down to join the two males.
"Well?" Sasuke asked.
"Th-there's no one but u-us," she whispered.
He nodded and the trio continued on their way. Hinata assumed from Sasuke's silence that he had not heard what she had said. However, because she would not lift her head to look at the Uchiha prodigy, she never noticed the frequent glances he sent her way.
.oOo.oOo.
Later in the day, Sasuke again sent Hinata ahead of them to scout. Just as before, there was no one visible but her two companions. She deactivated her bloodline limit and turned to head back to the group, when her danger sense suddenly flared. She only had time to gasp before someone grabbed her by the throat and slammed her against the trunk of a tree. The woman winced in pain and spat out blood. Her attacker cursed and released her, stepping back as she dropped to the ground. Hinata bent over, pressing a hand to her heart as she coughed up more blood. By the time she had her breathing back under control, she was surrounded by five pairs of feet. Slowly, she lifted lavender eyes to the Stone nin who stood around her.
One, the one who had first attacked her judging by the blood staining his sleeve, growled, "So this is one of the famous Hyuuga? I don't see anything special in her skills. Couldn't even tell we were here. Let's kill her now."
"Shiro, that is no way to speak of a lady," another man said, gently pulling Hinata to her feet.
She leaned back against the tree trunk, quietly drawing chakra to her fingers in preparation for an attack. Her heart was already aching, but she could not give up. She was so intent on forming a plan that she did not notice the leer the second nin had directed toward her.
"I can think of much better uses for her than death. Though we'll have to deal with her comrade first," he said.
Hinata took a quick breath and lunged toward the speaker, who was obviously the leader of the group. A pillar of stone suddenly rose from the ground, closing around the wrist of the hand she was bringing forward in a blow. Another chunk of stone shot out from the pillar, hitting her in the stomach. With a cry of pain, she flew backwards and hit a tree hard enough to crack the wood. She fell to the ground, shuddering as the coughs again overtook her. At last she lay limp on grass that was spattered with her blood, listening as the footsteps of one man approached her. He rolled her onto her back with one foot, obviously not afraid that she would try to attack him again. He lowered his body so that his legs straddled her torso and leaned forward, placing his hands on the ground just above Hinata's shoulders to support his weight.
"Keep pushing me, girl, and I'll deal with you before I move on to your companion," he said.
Hinata just laid there, eyes closed and breathing ragged. One hand twitched as she tried to make her body attack him, but she was too exhausted. The Stone nin lifted a hand to brush her hair away from her face.
.oOo.oOo.
Sasuke glanced aside at Takahashi, onyx eyes narrowed. Hinata was taking far too long in her scouting mission. If nothing else, they should have caught up to her by now. But the jounin did not see or hear anything. He froze, on full alert. He didn't hear anything, not even the regular forest sounds. Something was wrong.
Sasuke turned to Takahashi.
"I am going to check on Hinata. Don't move from this spot," he said, tone leaving no room for argument.
Takahashi's eyes widened and he gave a quick nod, moving to the side of the path and hiding in some bushes. It wasn't exactly the best hiding spot, but Sasuke did not plan to be gone long. He headed in the direction he had last seen Hinata, stretching out his senses in an attempt to find her chakra signature. When he did locate it, it was far weaker than it should have been. Sasuke ran quickly toward it, not noticing that he was moving further from their employer than he had planned. The first thought in his mind was for Hinata's safety. He suddenly checked his movements, dropping into a hiding place. He moved forward slowly, eyes narrowing at the scene before him. A man was on top of Hinata, leaning over her nearly motionless form. Four other men stood a short distance away, their attention focused on the scene playing out before them. His eyes returned to Hinata, red flickering in their depths.
'Fight,' he thought, 'Why won't you fight him?'
When the man began to lean even closer to Hinata, Sasuke lost control. He moved to his feet, a kunai already flying toward the man. The stone nin turned, blocking the kunai with one of his own. However, Sasuke had accomplished his purpose for the man had moved away from Hinata. He moved into the clearing, eyes gone red with anger. His hands moved in a blur of seals as he took a deep breath.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu," he said, letting loose a huge ball of fire.
The other nin had already begun forming his own seals.
"Ishikabe no jutsu," he said as a wall of stone rose up before him and his teammates to block the fireball.
Barely had the last flames dispersed than Sasuke's chakra-laden fist hit the already stressed rock, shattering it to pieces. His opponent was ready for this and the dark-haired Uchiha barely ducked a volley of stones which would have crushed him. Using his Sharingan, he copied the man's next series of hand signs. Two serpents made of stone rose from the earth, crashing into each other and raining down upon the three ninjas gathered in the clearing. Hinata bit back a cry as one especially sharp piece cut through her jacket and drew blood. She pulled herself to a sitting position, lavender eyes fixing on the form of her teammate just as a large boulder crashed into the very spot where he had been standing.
"Sa-Sasuke!" she cried, struggling to stand.
She stumbled, still weak from the fight earlier, and was caught by someone. Her eyes had closed when she began to fall and she opened them very slowly, meeting the gaze of the Stone nin. Her slender frame stiffened and she tried to pull away from him, but his grip on her arms tightened to a bruising intensity.
"Well now, that wasn't so hard. I expected more from an Uchiha," he said.
Suddenly, his eyes widened and he dropped Hinata as though she burned him. He stepped back, staring wildly around him. The Hyuuga easily recognized the effects of a genjutsu and she relaxed. Her teammate was all right. When she again lifted her head to the Stone nin, Sasuke stood before the man. He made no move to defend himself, obviously unable to even tell that his enemy stood before him. Sasuke impassively drew out a kunai and plunged it into the man's chest. Hinata winced, but kept her gaze on the two. She grew tense as she waited for the lecture that was sure to come from her much more powerful companion. Sasuke turned to face the petite woman, breath coming in quick gasps. He looked furious…with her. Hinata lowered her head, again pushing her pointer fingers together.
"Why didn't you fight back? Who knows what that man might have done to you," he said.
She raised her head quickly, catching his meaning. Lavender eyes widened, then she gave him a tiny smile.
"D-don't be ri-ridicu-culous. N-no ma-man would w-want me i-in th-that wa-way," she said.
If possible, those intense onyx eyes darkened a shade.
"Don't be so sure of that," he said, voice sending chills down her spine.
She looked at him wide-eyed as he came closer.
"Sa-Sasuke, wha-" she began to stammer out.
His gaze dropped to her mouth and Hinata turned deep red. This was insane. The men had knocked her unconscious and she was hallucinating…wasn't she? There was no way Uchiha Sasuke, number two heartthrob in Konoha—second only to Itachi—actually wanted to kiss her. She was just Hyuuga Hinata, the weakest chuunin in their class, the shy outsider who didn't fit in anywhere, the—Her brain officially stopped working as Sasuke lowered his head and firmly kissed her. Hinata's eyes drifted closed and she shyly placed her hands on his shoulders. When his own arms encircled her waist, she melted against his lean form.
A sudden scream caused them to jerk apart, both of their chests rising and falling erratically. Sasuke scowled, while Hinata's eyes widened.
"Takahashi-san," she said.
Sasuke took the briefest moment to notice that her stutter was gone before he grabbed her hand and pulled her in the direction from which their employer's scream had come.
.oOo.oOo.
As they ran through the forest, Sasuke's mind moved quickly through his options. He felt like an idiot for forgetting about the other four Stone nin. This must have been what his older brother had warned him about before he had left. He glanced aside at Hinata, who was struggling to keep up with the grueling pace he had set. He stopped suddenly, catching her as she stumbled in her attempt to follow suit. She leaned her head against his chest as she gasped for breath, then quickly pulled back. Her face had turned red.
"Go-gom-men," she stammered.
Sasuke pushed away his sudden urge to kiss her again, making himself concentrate on the mission.
"Can you see them?" he asked.
She blinked, activating her bloodline.
""One of them h-has a ku-kunai at Takahashi-san's th-throat. The o-other th-three are hi-hidden in the w-woods," she narrowed her eyes, as though doing so could increase her vision, "No, w-wait. I th-think those a-are de-decoys. They're taking h-him west."
Sasuke absorbed this information, following her gaze as though he too could see across that distance. He looked down at the chuunin.
"I want you to find a safe place here to wait for us. I'll go after Takahashi and meet up with you," he ordered.
"No," the word was out of her mouth before she could stop it, so she met his gaze and pressed on, "Th-this is my m-mission too. I c-can help y-you, Sasuke."
Her lavender eyes were pleading with him to let her prove her skill even as she prepared herself for his rejection. Sasuke hesitated long enough for her to look away and start to stammer out another apology. He lifted a hand and turned her face back toward his own, the gesture effectively silencing her.
"All right, Hinata. Let's move out," he said.
They skirted the decoys at a far enough distance that the lone nin who had stayed behind was not able to detect them. Sasuke kept to his usual swift pace, glancing back often to make sure Hinata was keeping up. She showed no sign of fatigue. Apparently his show of faith in allowing her to come with him had given her a second wind. Either that or she was more stubborn than he would have ever given her credit for.
"Sa-Sasuke, they're j-just ahead," she called softly.
"Do they know we're coming?" he questioned.
Hinata shook her head.
"I think they're t-trusting their co-comrade to k-keep us oc-occupied," she responded.
The Uchiha's eyes narrowed and a small smirk curved his lips.
"Their mistake," he said softly, "Hinata, I will deal with the nin. You rescue Takahashi."
Her expression fell, but she nodded obediently. Satisfied that she would obey him, Sasuke motioned that they should continue forward. The three nin came into sight, the middle one carrying an unconscious Takahashi. The Uchiha shot a glance to his companion and she nodded to show that he was ready. He drew several kunai from his pouch, tying explosion tags to their ends, then motioned to Hinata.
Whatever else could be said of the Hyuuga heiress, she was fast, he reflected. The Stone nin didn't even know what had hit them when she darted between their numbers and lifted Takahashi from the middle nin. He didn't allow them time to realize what had happened. The kunai landed neatly in a circle around the three men, tags igniting upon impact. One man leaped clear of the explosion, while another created a shield of earth around him. The third was not so lucky and even the Uchiha winced slightly at his agonized scream as he was engulfed in flames. Chakra surged to Sasuke's hand and he was on the first nin before his feet even touched the ground. The man's eyes widened and his fingers began to form a seal, but it was too late. The bird-like chirping of Chidori was the last sound he ever heard. The final nin was still hiding within his ball of earth and the Uchiha decided it was past time he join the fun. The crackling of the Chidori grew louder as he directed more chakra into his hand. He cut into the sphere and the sky was instantly filled with dust, momentarily blinding him. A wisp of chakra brushed past his cheek just before the air cleared. He found himself looking into the stunned eyes of the final nin, who had apparently been trying to sneak up on him. The man bent over, blood trickling from his mouth, to reveal Hinata behind him in her Jyuuken stance with one hand extended outward. He collapsed and she slowly straightened, her petite frame trembling as she stared at the body. Sasuke laid a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort.
"He would have killed me," he said softly.
She just nodded, meekly allowing her teammate to turn her toward Takahashi. Their employer had apparently regained consciousness sometime during the fight and was now staring wide-eyed at the bodies. Sasuke's eyes narrowed on the man's pale face. There was no way he was going to…
Takahashi fainted.
.oOo.oOo.
Several days later, Sasuke and Hinata were headed back to Konoha. They had completed their mission without running into the lone Stone nin who had survived. Even now, Sasuke had no idea why they had been after Takahashi. The man had been annoying, certainly, but he was not bold enough or strong enough to be a threat to anyone. He gave a mental shrug. They had gotten paid and that was all that really mattered. He gave a side glance toward Hinata, who was unconsciously pushing her fingers together as she walked. Her lavender eyes slid toward his, then jerked back to the ground in font of her as soon as she saw that he was watching her. Her pale face darkened to the color of a ripe tomato. Sasuke sighed. He was quite used to silence, having grown up among a clan of stoic Uchiha, but this was just awkward. He stopped suddenly and reached out, taking Hinata's arm. She allowed him to pull her to a stop, but would not meet his gaze.
"Hinata, about what happened before…" he began.
Her gaze met his and she bit her lip before interrupting, "P-please don't apologize, Sa-Sasuke! I u-under-s-stand i-if it wa-was a mi-mistake…b-but don't rub it i-in. I kn-know you c-could never wa-want m-me."
Sasuke scowled.
"And why is that?" he asked.
Her blush deepened and she looked as though she wanted to melt into the ground.
"I-I'm w-weak. I st-stutter. I'm n-not p-pr-pretty like Sa-Sakura or I-Ino. I'm j-just Hi-Hinata," she whispered, hanging her head.
She stiffened when the jounin stepped close to her, putting one hand on her chin to lift her gaze back to his. One corner of his mouth tipped upwards in a smile.
"Guess what?" he asked quietly.
"Wh-wh-what?" she forced out, trying to look anywhere but his face.
"I didn't fall in love with Ino or Sakura. I fell in love with you, Hinata, stutter and all. You aren't weak. If you were, you would have given up being a ninja a long time ago. You're beautiful and sweet and…I happen to think that your stutter is cute," he declared boldly.
Her face was deep red, but she couldn't hide the slight smile that had come to her lips. She raised her eyes to look at her teammate and her smile widened.
"Y-you're blushing!" she said.
It was his turn to look uncomfortable, but he couldn't deny the light tint of red that had swept across his pale cheeks. He couldn't believe he had just told Hinata all of that. She was teasing him. That was a good sign, right? Or maybe she just wanted to let him down easy. Did she still have that blasted crush on Naruto? Oh, Kami, he didn't know if she did or not! He was contemplating ways to murder his best friend when he felt the soft brush of fingers against his cheek. He flinched and looked down at Hinata to find her smiling shyly at him.
"Th-thank you," she whispered, lifting up on her toes to kiss him.
Sasuke's fears melted away as he returned the gentle kiss, wrapping his arms around Hinata. And his aniki had been worried.
THE END
(A/N: Really, for your sanity, stop here. If you keep reading, don't say I didn't warn you.)
Takahashi entered a dark room, bowing to a figure who was concealed by darkness.
"Well?" a snake-like voice hissed.
Takahashi made a hand sign and his appearance abruptly changed. His short, dark hair changed into a silver ponytail and his brown eyes melted to calculating black. He adjusted the glasses which sat on the bridge of his nose, smiling slightly.
"Uchiha Sasuke would be perfect. He is not quite as powerful as his brother, but he has potential, Orochimaru-sama," he said.
Orochimaru scowled at the memory of the older Uchiha brother who had so rudely rejected his advances, but it changed to a sinister smile as he considered the younger sibling.
"Yesss. Begin to put our plan into action, Kabuto-kun. This container of mine will need to be replaced soon. I cannot wait to test the true abilities of the Sharingan for myself," he said.
Kabuto hesitated, light flashing off the lenses of his glasses as he eyed his master.
"If I may, Orochimaru-sama, what happened to the fifth nin?" he asked.
The torches on the walls flared, revealing a man collapsed in the corner. His terrified eyes caught Kabuto's, but he could make no sound because a giant snake was slowly crushing him. The lights dimmed and Kabuto merely nodded. Such a waste, but the nin was just a pawn. He bowed again and left his master in darkness.
-holds breath- So, what did you guys (and gals) think? I was trying to make it a little more action-oriented, but as I've said, I'm not too good at fight scenes. Please leave a review and let me know if you like it or what you thought could be improved. I LOVE constructive criticism!