Mask
The war had come and passed, and Hinata finds herself questioning what's right, wrong, or selfish. What is one to choose when it seemed all they fought for was this man who ought to be dead? Oneshot.
With water drizzling off roofs on a cold autumn night, it was one of those chance meetings Hinata thought she'd never cross. It wasn't all blinding lights close to midnight, it wasn't breath taking, and it certainly wasn't earth shattering. It was downright confusing (and almost frightening) for Hinata after finishing her mission.
It had been a few years since the war. The world, for what shinobi's would call it, was at peace. There was still death, isolation and unspeakable powers, but it wasn't at each and every turn. So Hinata thought she was seeing a ghost, one who should be very, very dead.
Tapered light caught his distinct hair like an eluded beacon as he sat at a table in the corner. She didn't know why her left foot dragged her to him, or why her right foot followed. All she knew was the closer she got his musky scent wavered around almost lazily and pooled into her pores.
"If you're here to flirt, leave."
"I'm not, Uchiha-san."
His eyes flicked to her, then back to something on the other side of the room which she couldn't distinguish.
Perhaps she was exaggerating things. There never was a body found, nor did anyone really say they killed Sasuke Uchiha. One could hope though.
She was a meek girl sitting in front of him. A familiar one. Dark hair, white eyes. Skittish. A Hyuga. One from his generation. That's why when her quivering lips finally parted, it was highly disconcerting what escaped.
"You're a traitor—"
"Like him you believe?" He snarled, and his chest continued to rumble as he continued in the whisper-like quality. "Like my brother? The one who saved your village from self destruction? Or like the has-been council?"
The shadows twisted his smirk further and the small amount of remorse Hinata started feeling disappeared. She tried to think clearly about what he wasn't saying and not let his challenge set in. Two negatives did not make a positive. The war was a slaughter for him to be happy over killing them.
All that had to be done was to feed the monster. So Hinata took steadying breaths. "Konoha is at peace now."
His face stayed blank and she thought she may have said the wrong thing again.
"That wasn't my intention."
"Still, thank you."
His eyes glinted. "For purifying your sordid earth with death?"
No. "Yes, for eliminating Danzo and the other men behind him."
He cocked his head slightly, saying, "It wasn't completely finished."
Hinata's lungs froze as he flicked a kunai onto the table and twirled it. Light was dashing off it and landed in her eyes every time the blade tilted a certain angle.
He leaned into the table as the word annihilation caressed his lips. She refused her body from moving no matter how much her brain was yelling, screaming at her to run.
He stole her air with every breath, and every exhale warmly caressed her features. She imagined to onlookers this seemed like an intimate moment between lovers. It was a shame there were so many dark layers.
Suffocation creeped into her lungs the closer he got. Adrenaline started overriding Hinata's weary bones as the basic flight or fight warning continued. Cold fingers gathered on her jawline and trailed to the base of her neck.
"Naruto—" and Sakura "—wants you home. You said you wanted to become Hokage and change the village?"
Sasuke calmly moved away at Hinata's words but she could still see something jarred within him. Rubbing his forefinger and thumb together, she saw a red glistening. Touching where he did, she lifted her hand away to inspect it. Blood. Not very much but enough to know that she was healing slower than anticipated.
Looking back up, Hinata was surprised that Sasuke was watching her. Pressing her lips together nervously, she slowly wiped away the residue onto her pants, desperately trying to look like she wasn't reaching for her weapon pouch or ANBU mask. Her reserves were still too low.
"It was a mission," he said. It was eerie how emotionless he spoke. Hinata's lips tightened, trying to keep up with what he was saying.
"He wanted me to live there in peace. To live happily. Itachi was the fool," he continued and his eyes seeped crimson.
It took Hinata a moment to realise that he wasn't looking at her anymore, that something on the other side of the room caught his attention again. She went to activate her bloodline before he stopped her.
"Don't."
"But—"
"Shut up Hyuga."
So she followed the orders diligently, just like how she was brought up.
Then, one moment he was there, and the next he was gone. She went against what he said and searched.
He chuckled as the body, that she assumed was from the bar, crumpled to the ground. She watched as he crouched and examined, not minding that his hands were being lathered in the persons essence; something so foreboding slithered up Hinata's spine, causing goosebumps as it sat there to decay.
"You should keep this in mind, Hyuga, nobody takes anything from me."
He was injured, she saw as he continued rummaging. It would be a perfect opportunity to knock him out and bring him back to Konoha. He caught her wrist with his bad arm and she flinched at the strength.
"I, I'm going to ease the pain."
Hinata didn't know if her own tongue was lying; without her mask on she lost direction.
Sasuke frowned, keeping his back to her in acceptance, pocketing the scroll he found.
"I should take you back to Konoha," she murmured, and Sasuke tensed as her fingers moved closer to his spine.
Sasuke emitted charka to test her resources, grinning spitefully. "You're weak."
He felt a rather hurtful pulse of charka and grunted in amusement.
"Not taking shit as much I take it."
There was such a pause that Sasuke didn't expect a response.
"Be quite."
He spun around and pinned her to a tree. "No one tells me what to do," He seethed.
He felt her ragged breathing under his hand, and he moved a finger to feel her pulse.
"Erratic," he said with a sharp smile.
Fractionally easing his hand from her neck, he saw a slim, long scar under her eye. Taking in her features as a whole, it tarnished her complexion.
"What happened?" He asked, tracing it with filthy hands.
Lowering her lids, her lashes partially covered it. "My eyes... They tried stealing them."
Sasuke disliked the bluntness of her words and moved away completely.
"Now, can I finish?"
He looked at her strangely and allowed her to fix him.
The moon was getting higher. Hinata didn't know what she was still doing here with this person, especially since she has something of his. She was playing with the devil.
Maybe she was giving him a false sense of security.
Or perhaps... she was tricking herself.
"Naruto deserves to be Hokage."
After this last phrase, she could see why she stayed. He was interesting. She could see he was humbled in an odd way. It was nice. Human. It gave him complexity.
Instead of Sakura, she could picture him with a small, true smile in a future never written; where they sat in quiet company, drinking tea together as the world passed by. She didn't quite know why she imagined this; perhaps it was a part of his personality that sat in such a way with hers.
How disconcerting, Hinata believed. He was Sakura's dream.
"So did you ever confess to the moron?"
That left a sour taste in her mouth. His timing was just too coincidental.
"Yes."
The brittle shuffle of leaves held the quietness between them.
"And he still proposed to Sakura."
Bile rose up Hinata's throat. There was something wrong with humanity when a girl so harsh and mean to the person you loved got them in end, and it was made worse when you are staring at the person the girl always wanted – a person you had unrealistic daydreams about not moments before. Life wasn't fair.
She smiled sweetly before putting on her porcelain cover; even if she didn't try bringing him back home, at least she did one thing right, the scroll he took looked valuable – she just hoped not as valuable as her life. Perhaps in a different universe where the evils of this world never lurked, they could have been friends, maybe even lovers. A place where Sasuke wouldn't be too far gone.
Unbalanced.
Corrupted.
He grabbed her wrist, and she thought she had been caught. "Aren't you going to capture me?"
She blinked and saw his lopsided smirk.
"No," she said, tasting the irony.
He let go of her and a few teeth peeked through his lips.
"Goodbye Uchiha-san."
She faded into the shadows, and still felt his dark, dark eyes trail after her.
Because
you can't
turn
an insane person
sane.
Naruto could keep believing Uchiha Sasuke died.
In every other sense, he did.
End.
..
.
For now?
AN: This was more of a plot? What plot? Something I've been messing with for a while. I didn't really (sadly) hit the nail on the head of what I intended, but the idea is there, so I may come back to this at a later date... (It's probably really bad actually, so I'll deff come back to it, lol.)
Also, it was something for me to do to try to get back into the writing (and that main purpose has been slightly achieved!). So I'll hopefully see you again soon on one of my old fics! :)