Opal and Onyx
chapter one; the girl behind the bar
A ding at the door raised Sasuke's head from his task of wiping down the bar. The grungy establishment, though something he had grown to love, did constantly smell of piss and rot, so naturally, when he saw a pretty young woman enter, he was surprised. She brought a cold air in from behind her and couldn't have been more than nineteen years old. She wore lilac and a denim jacket that she hugged to herself as she approached the bar. The hungry eyes of customers stared her down, like a fresh piece of steak, and Sasuke silently hoped to himself that he wouldn't have to be fighting off any aggressive old men that peaceful night.
The bar wasn't crowded. There were a few old regulars and some rough looking young guys who Sasuke knew were trouble. The girl was alone. "H-Hello," she stammered. "A beer, please."
He eyed her down for a moment as he cleaned out a mug with a rag. "I'll need to see I.D," he told her, and she rummaged through her tiny leather handbag. His first notice was the designer brand; either a knock off, or foolishly expensive, but he was betting on the latter based on the rest of her attire. He took the card from her. Hinata Hyuga, nearly twenty years old. He nodded at her.
"Coming right up," he said. "Anything specific?"
"Whatever's good," she mumbled, refusing to make eye contact. As he got a better look at her, he saw that her cheeks were red, seemingly stained with tears. Black make-up was smudged under her light irises, and she had long, dark hair, clashing against her pale complexion. He paid no further mind to her appearance as he filled the mug and put it down in front of her. Small hands gripped it and she took a tiny sip. She brought her attention to the television, where a random sports game was playing. It was a Monday night, and Sasuke had definitely not seen anything like her in his part of town for a long while. He thought little of it as left her alone and tended to some dishes. When the girl finished her drink, she waved to him for another.
"Rough night?" he inquired, handing her the refilled up.
"Y-Yeah," she stuttered, hiding her eyes with her angular bangs. She looked pathetic, he thought, like a kicked puppy.
"A breakup," he said. It was not a question, but she nodded anyway. "A rich girl like you," he continued nonchalantly, "isn't common to see in a place like this."
Her eyes flickered, meeting his for the first time, where opal clashed with onyx.
"Well, I wanted to avoid familiar faces," she responded meekly.
"Sure," he grunted, turning his attention back to the dishes behind him. The girl was none of his concern. She would finish her drink, maybe another, then disappear, and once she was out of his bar, she was on her own. When she ordered another, he could see that she beginning to sway. Regardless, he served her. Nineteen year olds could make their own decisions. He was only recently twenty, himself.
Hinata was half way through her third drink when she had company.
Two tall, husky men in their late twenties approached her from the pool table. Sasuke had his back turned, idly checking his phone, when he heard their voices.
"Hey, pretty," one man said. "What brings you here?"
"N-Nothing." Her voice shook. Sasuke turned around.
"Why don't you come hang with us?" the other man queried, drunkenly slinging his arm around Hinata's shoulder. She jolted, and when she attempted to shove the man off her, he insisted on staying put.
"Aww, come on," he teased. "Just let me buy ya a drink, eh?"
"No, thank you," she affirmed cordially, pushing him off her.
"She's playing hard to get!" the other man bellowed, until Sasuke slammed his hand on the bar, startling all three of them.
"She said no," Sasuke stated. "Now fuck off, or get out."
The men glowered at him violently, but the bartender's brooding orbs were drilling holes in their heads. They shrugged and took off.
"T-Thank you," Hinata bowed at him, and he merely turned his back.
"You shouldn't be here by yourself." He looked over his shoulder at her. "It's not safe. Go home."
"I'd like to stay," she cheeped, deepening his scowl. After being harassed by those two guys, he imagined a shy girl like her would already be ten miles down the road.
"Can't force you out if you're a paying customer," he brushed it off. Hinata watched the sports game as Sasuke continued his duties, serving a few customers here and there, but mainly standing around trying to keep his hands busy. Monday nights were generally slow and uneventful, so it went on as expected, with the inconsistency of one anomaly.
When Hinata continued to order drinks, Sasuke questioned it, but complied. Who she was, and why she was drinking, were none of his concern. The fact that she was a young girl and she was pretty were the only things that differentiated her from the stream of lonely old men he dealt with on a regular basis.
Finally, Hinata informed him that she was ready to pay. He wasn't shocked to see her pull a shiny credit card from her wallet. She stumbled as she stood up and reached over the counter to accept the machine.
Sasuke released a sigh of exasperation. "How are you getting home?"
"Walking," she uttered, as though it were none of his business. It really wasn't, he supposed, but he scowled anyway.
"No you aren't," he stated. The girl's eyes landed on him, more sternly than before, a look he didn't think she was capable of giving.
"I am," she asserted, and he shook his head.
"Are you naive?" he inquired, provoking her grimace. Once again, the man scanned her appearance. She wore expensive jewellery and shiny (presumably diamond) earrings. She didn't fit. He was wearing a simple t-shirt and his only accessories were the tattoos on his arms. "I'm calling you a cab," he told her once the transaction was complete. She had tipped him twenty dollars. When he looked up, the girl was gone, and so were the men playing pool.
Sasuke set free an irritated scoff. Whoever this stubborn girl was, he wasn't having her welfare on his conscious. The only people left in the bar were a few old men, regulars, who he trusted not to break into the cash register. He hopped the counter and ran outside, just in time to find Hinata being ambushed up the road.
"Wait up, darling!" one of the men called out.
"L-Leave me alone," Hinata exclaimed, keeping her eyes glued forward. She picked up her pace, but they jogged after her. One of the men grabbed her by the arm, twirling her small frame into his chest. That was when Sasuke accelerated into a sprint. He crashed into the man who was holding down Hinata, inadvertently sending the girl to the ground with a screech.
"Get off me," the man urged through gritted teeth, pushing Sasuke back.
"Leave her the hell alone," he growled, standing before her. The two men loomed over them.
"Let's just take this pretty boy down," he said.
"I wouldn't do that," Sasuke threatened. Behind him, Hinata stumbled to her feet, using a building behind her for support. The two of them chuckled mockingly, before one of them threw a punch. Sasuke quickly averted it, and Hinata screeched. The other man shoved him, and he retorted with a quick knee to the man's stomach.
Hinata eyes were wide with horror as she watched the scene unravel. Sasuke was agile, avoiding most of their hits, while landing many of his own. He booted one of them in the gut, before he was struck in the face by the other. He faltered to his feet, lunging forward, now utterly seething with rage. The two men were clearly inebriated, as their movements were clumsy, while Sasuke's were quick. After the three of them landed several hits on one another, they finally backed off, panting.
"Let's just get out of here," the one man heaved. "Stupid bitch isn't worth it."
Sasuke wiped blood from his lip. "Find a new bar," he commanded.
"Whatever." Before the men left, one of them took a quick dive at the girl. Sasuke rushed to intervene, but was tackled by the other. The man pushed Hinata and yanked her purse from her grasp. Her small body hurdled into the brick wall. She let out a whimper, and Sasuke shoved the man off him. They chortled, and with that, raced down the street.
Sasuke rushed to Hinata's side and helped her up.
"Are you hurt?" he asked, grabbing her face. He examined it for afflictions, but she swiped him away.
"N-No," she choked. "But my purse..."
"Forget it. Come on." He took her wrist and dragged her back to the bar. "We're closing early," Sasuke announced. The remaining customers groaned.
"It's two hours before last call," a grizzly man complained.
"Get out now. Drinks are free," he brushed them off, leading Hinata to her original bar stool. With no further objection, the men collected their belongings with a few mutters and left the bar. In the mirror behind the plethora of liquor, Sasuke studied his face. His lip was busted, and he could see a black eye beginning to form. In the reflection behind him, Hinata sat with her hands covering her face, sobbing pitifully.
"Let's go," Sasuke said. She did not argue. He locked up the rest of the store and lead her to the exit out back, where they found the parking lot. He took his keys out of his pocket and pressed a button. A small black vehicle lit up. The paint was chipped, and he had been in a fender bender that he'd evidently chosen to neglect repair on.
"Get in," he commanded. He hopped into the drivers seat, and reluctantly, the girl sat beside him. She crinkled her nose at the stench of stale cigarette smoke. Sasuke ignored her and started the car.
"Where do you live?" he asked, pulling away from the bar.
"U-Uptown," she sputtered. "The suburbs. I'll direct you from there."
He let out a sigh. Of course, uptown. Of course, the suburbs. He'd be going a good half an hour out of his way, but at least his conscious would remain unhindered. He considered questioning why she came so far out, but decided against it, noting that finding out more about her may do nothing but bring him more bad luck.
The drive was silent. To direct him, Hinata simply pointed with a frail digit. She had stopped crying, but was trembling the whole way there. It irked him.
As they arrived at her street, Sasuke spoke again. "You're damn lucky I'm not like either of those guys back there, Hinata." She snapped her head at his use of her name. She knew he had seen her I.D, but to hear it come from him just felt awkward. The entire situation was inelegant, but she was far too befuddled to think rationally. She hugged her arms closely to her chest, resisting the urge to cry again. At last, they pulled up to a large, regal looking mansion. It had a massive black gate and the property was secluded with cream coloured walls. Across it's massive front lawn, were a series of sprinkler systems, ticking away in the still autumn night.
Sasuke parked the car out front and looked at her.
"Thank you," she practically whispered, before opening the door and standing up.
"Wait," he said. She poked her head in. "I don't know what you were doing at my bar, but do yourself a favour. Don't come back."
Hinata nodded weakly and shut the door. Sasuke immediately sped off. The screech of his tires echoed through the quiet neighbourhood. He stopped at the end of the street before a turn and lit a cigarette. He waited, watching in his rear view mirror, until he saw she had safely entered the confides of her property.
A/N: I need to stop writing stories because I have so many on the go and agh! Well, this headcanon wasn't leaving me alone, so I'm treating this fic as a sort of side project to my other ones, which are more of a high priority.
That being said, I will be updating this one. Please leave a review and let me know what you think! :D SHOULD I CONTINUE?