Due to all the amazing reviews that Miracle has gotten, I've written another SasuHina oneshot. I actually wrote it a few days after getting my first couple of reviews on the other one, but it took a while for it to be edited so that's why it's being published now instead of weeks ago.
But, better late than never yeah?
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. . .but if I did then you all know what would happen ;)
Muscles rippled as he stalked the width of the hallway like a caged tiger. His dark, unkempt hair was mussed further by a pale hand running through it in agitation. A porcelain mask shaped like a cat was clutched in his other hand than hung limply at his side. He snarled at yet another nurse who attempted to approach him and stem the flow of blood leaking from his injured shoulder.
"Uchiha!" dark eyes whipped about and burned into the man who spoke. The other man had equally dark hair but his was long and smooth. Pale eyes held the Uchiha's with a firm command. "Sit." He ordered, not yet moving from his position leaning against the wall.
"I'm not a dog Hyuuga." Uchiha Sasuke said though clenched teeth. He remained standing and grimaced in pain when he moved to cross both arms across his chest. He was trying to look defiant but the pain that flashed though his eyes ruined it.
"Then at least get that looked at." Hyuuga Neji retorted, gesturing to his companion's bleeding shoulder. "She wouldn't want you to bleed to death while waiting for her." At that Sasuke froze, his eyes flickering to the double doors that were shut tightly before him. A ride light glowed above a sign that read "Surgery in Progress".
"Hn." He scowled but allowed a nurse to come forward and heal his wound. He grimaced slightly when the green glow of healing charka began to envelop his shoulder. Neji watched for a moment before turning back to the door of the surgery room.
The light turned off suddenly and Neji pushed himself off the wall, his full attention on the doors. He heard Sasuke step next to him and they both watch as a pink-haired woman walked out. She looked exhausted but she smiled slightly at the two men.
"Sakura, is she – " Neji started only to be cut off by a wave of the pinkette's hand.
"We've managed to heal her as much as we could. Stop the bleeding, heal most of her bones, excreta." Sakura said as she unclipped her hair. "But she's exhausted and her body needs time to rest and recover. She'll probably have to stay in the hospital for two week or so."
"But she's okay right?" Neji asked, his tone formal and controlled but his hands were clenching around the porcelain bird mask tired to his hip, a sign that he was agitated.
"Well, she's in no life-threatening danger if that's what you mean." Sakura yawned and stretched. "She'll be moved to a private room and the Hokage will want to be briefed by you all in the morning. You can probably see her then."
"Thank you Sakura." Neji said, his shoulders relaxing slightly. Sasuke still remained silent by his side.
"No problem." She said and looked each of the men over. "You two don't look like you're hurt too much." Her green eyes didn't miss the way Sasuke's hands clenched and they way Neji stiffened.
"No. We're not." The Hyuuga said almost nonchalantly. "But we are tired. If you'll excuse us." He grabbed Sasuke by the collar and they both disappeared in a flourish of leaves.
Sakura just sighed. "Anbu." She murmured before treading to her office to fill out a late-night report.
"Now's not really the time to be losing control Uchiha." Neji said as the two landed on the roof of the hospital. "You know she wouldn't want that."
"Shut up." Sasuke hissed, his eyes flashing red in the moonlight. "It's her own damn fault for getting hurt. If she hadn't stepped in the way of that attack then –"
"Then you would be dead. We both would probably be." Neji interrupted calmly. It was the truth, one that the Uchiha knew quite clearly. Both males saw the attack too late and neither would be alive had it not been for the quick thinking of their other partner.
Their partner who was now being moved to a private room: Hyuuga Hinata.
Pale eyes opened slowly. A lazily spinning ceiling fan winked down at the dark haired woman. For a moment, a frown of confusion marred her normally pretty features.
"What happened?" she whispered, her voice rough from a lack of use.
"You protected us." Hinata turned her head and met the pale gaze of her cousin. He was sitting in a chair next to her bed with his chin resting on his fist. A tiny smile touch his lips when she sighed in relief.
"You moron." Her gaze flickered towards the wall behind Neji. Sasuke was leaning against the wall, his gaze directed out the window where the dawn lightened the sky. Her cousin sighed and touched her head briefly.
"He's in a mood." He said with a wry smile, "You fix it." He stood up and stretched. "I'll go let the Hokage know you're awake."
She waited until her cousin was gone before speaking. "Sasuke." She tried to push herself up but her arms shook from the effort.
"Don't you dare move." The Uchiha snapped, finally facing the bed-ridden woman. His face was blank of emotion but nothing got past the Hyuuga eyes. Hinata noticed the way his jaw clenched, the fact there were dark circles under his eyes, and the way his hands still gently cupped hers when he came forward.
"You are a complete idiot. You could even give the dobe a run for his money." He murmured, his thumb stroking her hand. He sighed and leaned down to touch his forehead to hers. "What were you thinking. . ."
"Saving you." Hinata said simply, enjoying the way his breath mingled with hers and how warm his hand was. "Saving Neji. Making sure the mission was successful and so on and so forth."
His lips twitched and a small smirk appeared. "You're still an idiot."
"I know." She breathed, a smile on her lips. She could feel his lips barely brush against her cheek before traveling tortuously slowly towards her lips. He brushed their lips together before moving towards her ear. "Now." He purred, his lips moving against the shell of her ear. "What should we –"
"Hinata!" the couple jumped apart with Sasuke slamming down in the seat previously occupied by Neji and Hinata slamming her head back into the headboard of the bed.
"Hokage-sama." She greeted with a small wince of pain and a bright blush on her cheeks.
"How many times do I have to tell you," the blonde male marched into the room, his blue eyes glinting in delight at how the couple reacted, "it's Naruto. You calling me Hokage-sama out of uniform is just. . .wrong."
Hinata smiled and Sasuke scowled. "What do you want dobe?" he demanded his hand reaching out to grasp Hinata's again.
"Hinata's report." He said, a more serious expression coming over his features. "I already read yours and Neji's. I just need to hear hers and then I'll be leaving you two alone so you can get back to what you were doing before." He smiled brightly when Hinata flushed and glanced away and Sasuke smirked seemingly amused by the idea.
Hinata cleared her throat and turned back to the Hokage, her face schooled into a serious expression befitting an Anbu. "The mission went smoothly and was successful. Iwa didn't even know we were there." She stated in fact and not boasting pride. "We knew that there were bandits on the boarder's of Iwa, but we were in a rush to get out before getting detected. Neji lead with his sights in front, Sasuke was in between looking on either side of use and I was in the rear, making sure our flank was clear.
"They attacked when we just crossed the river out of the country. I should have seen them sooner." She muttered the last part, a frown appearing on her lips. Sasuke reached over and removed her clenched hands from her blanket.
Naruto smiled sympathetically at the female Anbu. Normally when he sent Neji, Sasuke, and Hinata out on a mission, they came back with few injuries and always successful. To have that record marred by her own injury was probably killing the woman.
"You couldn't have known." Naruto said as he patted her foot from under the covers.
"But I still should have been –"
"You're not a mind reader Hinata." The Hokage interrupted with a hand. "Don't beat yourself up over it. Anyways, continue."
Hinata sighed. "I tried to deflect most of the attack, but I reacted too late. I took the brunt of it and Sasuke and Neji finished them off." She rubbed her chest where the majority of the attack struck her. "Everything after that is a bit blurry since I was. . .unconscious for most of the return trip."
"I'm sure Sasuke can fill you in." the blonde said happily in attempt to dispel the look of shame that clouded the woman's features. He walked to the door with a wave. "You guys have the next few weeks off. Try to relax." He called over his shoulder. "Oh! And Hinata, get better soon."
"The dobe is right for once," Sasuke said quietly after Naruto left. His hand held hers tightly. "You shouldn't blame yourself."
Hinata sighed and sent Sasuke a small smile. She squeezed his hand gently. "Okay." She conceded.
"Good." Sasuke smirked. He leaned in closer and brushed his lips sensually over hers. "Where were we before the dobe interrupted."
"Hm." She murmured as she attempted to bring her fragmented mind back together. "I. . .I don't remember. You're very distracting." She breathed a smile on her lips.
"Maybe I can help you remember." He purred before claiming her lips.
Hinata was out of the hospital six days later, though not without warnings from Sakura.
"You're not fully healed yet, so you need to be careful." The medic frowned. "Why don't you stay a little longer, just to make sure you're wounds won't open up again."
"Sakura," Hinata smiled at her friend as she gingerly stood up, "I'm fine. I just want to get home and take a nice long bath." She walked out of the hospital, refusing to be wheeled out like an invalid when she, as she said, "had perfectly good legs".
The day was a beautiful one where sunlight sparkled off of every surface and everything just looked so much lovelier, including Hyuuga Hinata herself. With the subtle sway of her curvy hips and serene smile on her lips, she drew the attention of men without realizing it. They turned and saw the gentle swing of her hair, the beautiful glint in her pale eyes, but most importantly, they noticed the pure and gentle spirit that she was.
"Pardon me Miss." A young man approached the shinobi in civilian slacks and indigo blouse. Even with her Hyuuga eyes, many would not assume such a gentle looking woman to be an elite Anbu. "I, well, I was wondering if –"
"No." A cold commanding voice hissed from behind the civilian man. Hinata's eyes lit up with happiness while the male's face paled further.
An angry Uchiha was a scary Uchiha. And Sasuke was the epitome of pissed. His dark eyes sparkled with a malicious light that sent the man scurrying away in fear. He swung his gaze around the street and both men and women alike hurried on.
Hinata looked up, confusion etched on her soft features. "That's odd," she said, "he ran away before he could finish asking me something. Wonder what he was going to say." She mulled over it for a moment before Sasuke's arm wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her close.
"Nothing good." He murmured into her hair. He secretly smiled when she wrapped her arms around his torso. Briefly he wondered how this woman – this shinobi – could be such a proficient killer and fighter yet be so clueless about her charm on the men.
"Always so negative Sasuke." She smiled brightly and pulled back. In that moment when they stood in the middle of the street, he realized it didn't matter if she knew or not because she knew that he –
"I got out of the hospital early." Her sudden statement had Sasuke frowning.
"Shouldn't you be there longer? You were pretty badly hurt." He answered, his hand tightening around hers.
"I bounce back fast, you know that." Hinata replied slowly, a small frown appearing on her lips, "I thought you'd be happy."
"I am." Sasuke said, though he kept on frowning. He noticed that they were beginning to draw stares from random people as they stood in the street. "Come on. Let's just go home."
Hinata allowed herself to be dragged by the hand after the Uchiha male. But she continued to frown.
"Spill it." Sasuke snapped later that evening. They had just finished a shared dinner in which Hinata spoke little, and though both of them were naturally quiet people, she was practically silent. There were no soft smiles or gentle teasing. She only spoke when he asked her a direct question and answered in simple one word replies and a blank face.
She was never this. . .neutral even when on missions, which only meant one thing to the genius Uchiha: she was mad at him. His suspicions were only confirmed when she barely glanced at him and shrugged in reply to his demand.
"Dammit Hinata, what's wrong?" he growled, running an agitated hand though his messy hair. A genius though he was, Sasuke was never good at trying to understand the minds of women. His other hand clutched the washcloth tightly as his eyes noted the way she paused slightly in washing dishes.
"I can take care of myself." She said quietly, her back still to him.
He blinked. "I know that. If you couldn't you wouldn't be in Anbu, you wouldn't constantly be on missions with me, and we wouldn't currently be living together." He approached her cautiously, slowly even, before leaning on the counter to the right of her and tried to peer though her hair.
"Then why do you insist on treating me like an ignorant rookie?" he watched the way her hands curled around the spatula she was currently washing.
"What are you talking about?" Sasuke eyed the spatula carefully; even a simple cooking utensil could be turned into a deadly weapon in Hinata's very capable hands.
"Today, in the street." She looked up, her eyes no longer neutral and veiled but overflowing with emotions, "You wanted me to go back in the hospital."
"You're mad bout that?" he asked, shocked by how. . .petty it sounded. Hinata, as far as he knew, was not a petty person.
"No. I'm not so petty." she said firmly, as though reading his thoughts, "You do it all the time. Every time I get hurt, every time I come back late, every time I talk to Kiba or Naruto when you're not present, you pounce and suddenly everything is a danger or suspicious." She tossed the spatula back into the sink and wiped her hands on a dish rag.
"I'm a woman, yes, but I'm also a very capable shinobi. I can take care of myself."
Sasuke didn't know what to say. He knew he had. . . protective tendencies (not that he would say so out loud), but he wasn't overly so. Yes, he tended to get worried when she was hurt and anxious when she returned late from a mission and hell, even scared when he saw her with other men. He was man enough to admit to caring about her but that didn't mean he didn't believe in her.
"I think we should take a break." Sasuke was shaken out of his thoughts by her quiet statement. His eyes whipped to hers but she refused to meet his gaze.
"No." he said, trying to grasp for more words to explain, but all he could think of was no. No, this wasn't happening. No, she couldn't be leaving him. No, he couldn't let her. No, he knew that she loved him. No, he lo –
"It's not for forever." She said and shifted anxiously from foot to foot. "I just. . .I want to prove to you that I can do things on my own."
"No." he said again. Sasuke's legs were frozen to the ground when all he wanted to do was run after her retreating form. His arms wouldn't move even though he commanded them to grab her and hold her close.
"Please. . .stay." he whispered to an empty room.
Sasuke was a mess.
It took over ten minutes for the man to shake himself out of his shock and finally run after the woman he deeply cared for. Literally. He tore out of the apartment like a bat out of hell, startling their neighbor who had just come home from a walk.
He was out of the building in a flash and hopping from roof to roof and making a beeline for Neji's house. When the Hyuuga clan gave Hinata the ultimatum of becoming clan leader and marry Neji or leave, she decided to leave and give the title of heir to Hanabi. Neji left with her and both bought an apartment together that was within easy walking distance between the Hyuuga mansion (since no one could stop Hanabi from seeing her sister and cousin) and Hokage Tower (since Anbu were expected to react instantly).
But when Neji became involved with Tenten, Hinata moved out and bought a place of her own nearby to give the couple some privacy and it was to that same apartment that Sasuke headed to now.
He was the epitome of a woman's dream when he banged on Neji's door: hot, sweaty, and looking deliciously ruffled. Though the Hyuuga male that answered the door might not have thought so.
"Uchiha." Neji said coolly, his pale eyes taking in the fact that Sasuke was only wearing a thin white shirt and dark cotton sleep pants. He didn't even have shoes on. "Can I help you?"
"Where is she?" Sasuke demanded, a scowl twisting his lips.
"At least you don't waste time." Neji held the door tightly, blocking Sasuke from even seeing into the apartment. "What makes you think she's here? And if she was, that she would want to see you?"
"It's alright Neji." Hinata's soft voice wafted though the door and Sasuke felt himself relax marginally; at least he knew she was safe. Neji frowned but grudgingly opened the door and allowed the Uchiha in.
Sasuke walked into the apartment and paused when he saw her. She was sitting on the couch, a small mug of tea in her delicate hands with Tenten at her side glaring kunai at him. He ignored the brunette and walked forward until he could kneel in front of the female Hyuuga.
"Come back home. . . please." He added, his larger hands engulfing her smaller ones.
She smiled sweetly at him but her eyes shone with a determined light, "I can't. Then I would be proving nothing."
"Yes you would." He insisted, his voice low. He barely noticed that Tenten and Neji had stepped out of the room, probably out of respect for Hinata.
"Oh?" honest confusion was etched onto her brow, "And what would that be?"
"That I can't live without you." He breathed, color dusting his cheeks. "I never doubted your abilities Hinata, I just. . .didn't want you to leave. In any way." He said and fidgeted awkwardly; he was never very good at saying what he felt, but for Hinata he felt like he could at least try. "Because I. . .I. . ."
"I love you." her soft lips brushing against his hushed him. "And I know you feel similar." She pulled back and smiled brightly at him, a soft blush spreading over her cheeks, "And thank you for explaining."
Sasuke smiled, honestly smiled. It was small and only for her, but it was there. And that was enough for her. He reached up and cupped her face before capturing her lips in a slow and gentle kiss.
It would be a few more minutes before they went back home together. A few more hours before they actually slept. A few days more until they went out on a mission again together. A few weeks later until one of them was hurt badly. More months would pass until he could verbally tell her that he loved her. And a year or so more until bells would ring for them and they were joined forever.
But until then, she was happy enough to wait until Fate played itself out.
This story did not turn out the way I wanted. I wanted just pure wonderful fluff but then it started to take a turn towards drama that would make the story stretch out for a few chapters and I didn't want that because I'm not ready to write a drama-filled SasuHina.
I prefer the cute stuff.
But how'd you like it?
Just hit that lovely Review button and let me know what you think.