AN: The second of a series of ficlets that I've dedicated for Kitsune, known as kitsune-chan1227 on DA, and as kitsune-chan119 here on fanfiction. She's a darling, and you should check out both her writing and her art!
(oh yeah, I don't own Naruto)
His breath caught in his throat. She was beautiful - not sexy, not cute, but classy and elegant. Not that he'd tell her that of course, at least, not on purpose. She seemed to catch onto his trail of thoughts though, because before she turned to her fellow teammates, she shared a small smile with him, something she'd never done before.
Well, at least to his knowledge.
Sasuke watched her for a few more precious seconds, then turned his back on the trio. They were so damn happy, it was disgusting, but nothing compared to his former teammates. Since he'd returned to Konoha, Naruto and Sakura had been eying him like he would suddenly unleash a fire ball on them. He had to say, at least back in their genin days they'd at least had the decency to leave him be outside of missions. Now they were his official-unofficial guards, and it was tiring, putting up with their exhausting antics. If they weren't fighting with him, they were fighting with each other, and if they weren't fighting at all, they were laughing, their annoying obnoxious laughs that made his ears want to fold up into themselves. He sometimes wondered if they were the real reason he'd gone off the deep end.
He continued on the path to the deserted Uchiha estates. He'd opted to live there again on the grounds that if he misbehaved the whole estate would be sold off, without a penny of it going to him. Much as the memories sometimes haunted him at night, he couldn't imagine his childhood home, of happiness and horror, belonging to anyone but him. He'd payed his debt to Konoha and himself - Itachi was dead, Orochimaru was...well, not quite alive, and, as an added bonus, Akatsuki had been disbanded, partially by Sasuke's hand. So the villagers may sidestep him, and the other ninja look at him with awe he didn't deserve - at least the fangirl legions had gone down, if only slightly, and he was back home.
He thought back to Hinata. He couldn't remember a single time they had actually spoken. He'd seen her, cowering behind her father and getting scolded for it at clan functions with the Hyuuga, but not even once had she come up to him. Itachi, though, that was a different story. The first time he ever heard her talk was when her father had pushed her at his brother, and she'd stumbled out a greeting that Itachi had politely returned. Sasuke had watched, somewhat in awe, just how many times she had managed to stutter out just a few short sentences before Itachi had excused himself and she had run off. It was a long time ago, back before Sasuke's jealous streak, if he remembered it right. Her voice had been soft, unlike the girls in class. That was all.
He shoved his hands into his pockets. Damn her, for making him think about her. Sullenly, he kicked a pebble, watching the stupid little rock bounce off a street lamp and -
- land perfectly into the fist of the girl he had just been thinking about.
Hinata threw the rock aside, watching it arc in the night air. Sasuke watched it too - much safer than watching her, that was for certain. In a twisted way, she reminded him of his mother - long, dark hair, kind eyes, soft spoken, beautiful. It was freaky. At least with Sakura and Ino he had been able to vent his frustrations and his ungodly teenage angst, but it was different with her. She didn't cling; she didn't scream; she didn't do anything really, that bothered him, except not doing anything.
"Good evening Sasuke," she greeted, tilting her head slightly. He realized it was because half of his face was obscured by the darkness and corrected it, immersing himself into the dark. Her head came up again, but otherwise, she was still and poised.
Damn her. "Is there anything that you want, Hyuuga?"
He saw a ripple go down her back, whether from fear or lust or something else, he couldn't tell. She had that whole, Hyuuga-mask-of-emotional-retardation going for her, after all (not that he could say much, having been the angsty twit he had been and still was). It was at odds with the elaborate way she was dressed, the dark navy blue with sparkles that brought attention to her clear eyes. "I thought you'd like to know that Naruto and Sakura are waiting for you by the koi pond in the center of town," she relayed, reaching a hand to swat a stray piece of hair that had come undone from her simple half-bun. The bracelet on her right wrist jingled slightly.
So that was it. "Did those two idiots rope you into fetching me for them?" Sasuke couldn't contain the way his lip curled slightly. But at the very least, she had stopped that damned stuttering.
She shook her head, causing the bracelet to jingle again. "I offered to come find you."
"But why?"
There it was again! That smile. "You are mysterious, Sasuke, but you are by no means unpredictable."
Well..what was that supposed to mean? He shoved his hands into his pockets, contemplating her words. She was right, in a way, he had to grudgingly admit - it was no wonder that the Uchiha traitor was not present at the celebration, especially one as antisocial as him. Like he gave any damn about the founding of Konoha.
Hinata seemed to ignore that, for she took a step forward, the dress she wore catching the light of the street lamp just so, to illuminate her up like an angel - like his mother. He shook his head, looking away. Hinata was many things, but his mother's spirit? Pa-lease. He'd sooner kiss Naruto again than ever admit to having thought it though, so when she took another step towards him, he copied her, finally accepting the light as it bore down on them both.
"Is there something you want?" he growled. "You've never spoken to me before; why now?"
The Hyuuga shrank back a little, her immaculate mask cracking slightly. So she was frightened of him, just like the other villagers. No surprise there. The girl used to like Naruto, of all people, how bright could she be? However, she stayed there, in the pool of light, and lifted her chin. "I'm not afraid of you, despite what you think."
"Hmph. Why should I believe that?"
Hinata's hands curled into fists. "You're too much like Neji to be afraid of anymore."
Sasuke blanched. Him? Like that girly-assed Hyuuga premadonna? His distaste must have shown, because she laughed again, the fists at her side loosening. Her laugh was really girly, he noticed, before attempting to patch his wounded pride.
"I'm nothing like that pansy you call a brother," he asserted.
"If that's what you wish to believe," she said, one brow raising. Obviously, she didn't want a fight, but she wasn't going to back down either, he could tell.
"I don't get you," he said suddenly. "You never spoke to me before today, you compare me to that," his horror was too much for him to find words for the Hyuuga prodigy, "and for what? To laugh at me? To screw with me? I'd like an answer, and I'd like one now!"
"Kiba said you're like a lone wolf; you yearn to be part of a pack, but you segregate yourself, wallowing in your pity and your hate and letting it keep you distant from those you care about." She held the bracelet up, and the pure silver sun radiated a beam to the left of Sasuke. "Kiba gave me this after my fight with Neji; he gave me hope too, hope that the past wouldn't override the present, hope that the darkness wouldn't always override the light. I don't have any pretty trinkets for you, or even money, but I always have an open ear, should you need one."
Sasuke was still. Girls had offered him many things - their bodies, their hearts, and even a listening ear, to hear his troubled thoughts, but none had ever been delivered as poetically or as meaningfully as the one Hinata had. She seemed to think so too, because he could see a faint dash of red around her cheeks and neck. That, he knew, was a sure sign of the girl he had only but scarcely known.
"What makes you think that you can heal my heart?"
Hinata blinked. "I never said I could."
"Then why the offer?"
"No one deserves to be truly alone, even you, Sasuke." Her smile graced her face again. "Besides, Neji could use someone to spar with in the morning, and I'd think he'd enjoy kicking your butt around the arena a few times."
Like hell that would happen! Sasuke reared in a snort, but couldn't contain his patented smirk. "Is that all, Hyuuga? Cause I have a house I need to be at."
"I have a celebration to attend," she returned.
"Good."
"Excellent."
"Fantastic."
"Amazing."
"Then go already, why don't you?" Sasuke had half a mind to simply grab her arm and yank her to the festival, if only to shut her up.
She snapped her fingers, utterly baffling the last Uchiha. "I got it!" She did a little dance in place, before remembering that she was with Sasuke. Having the grace to blush, she uttered, "You remind me of the yin-yang too!"
"And why is that?"
"You covet the dark, but you're neither light, nor dark, not entirely, even despite what you think." Hinata beamed, then without warning, turned on her heel, and started walking away, sun bracelet the only sound that could be heard of her movement.
Sasuke took a few seconds to process what she said.
Then he bolted after her, with a cry of "Hyuuga!"
His next birthday, among the packages wrapped in red and orange (one from Naruto, and one he suspiciously figured to be Kakashi's, hopefully sans porn) he found one wrapped in navy blue with sparkles. Inside, was a simple yin-yang on a cord. He never took it off once it was on, and she never took off her wedding ring either, a beautiful grey stone that flickered in the light and the dark.