Title: Polaris
Summary: [SasuHina] Out of a billion stars in the night sky, all he needed was one. oneshot
Rating: T (or PG-13) Why not call it PG-13? Ask fanfiction.
Genre: Romance/Drama
Pairings: SasuHina ultimately
AN: As promised, here's your little prelude into my other fic: If. I will most likely leave this as a oneshot. Unless...some miracle strikes me :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. How sad.
Polaris
He whose face gives no light, shall never become a star.
~William Blake
"What do you want?" The Sharingan-user's baritone voice rang through the hideout.
"We've got company," a deeper voice replied, swinging the door open.
The youngest Uchiha watched as the man gripped the arm of a blue-haired woman, throwing her into the room as if she was a doll, unresponsive to his brutal force. Sasuke raised an eyebrow as he pulled himself up from a sleeping position on the mattress and examined the pathetic woman.
"I got us a medic," the masked older man remarked. "She could be of some use to those souvenirs Danzo left you."
Sasuke glared at the masked man, remembering his last encounter with the ambitious Konoha leader. Sure, the Uchiha had destroyed the last of the powerful leader, but it still didn't guarantee him little damage. It was the toughest milestone he had encountered yet. Not even S-ranked criminals could match the keenness of nine Sharingans combined. His hand slid past his bandaged chest muscles, still aching from the mediocre medications Madara had obtained. In fact, it seemed to have exacerbated his "souvenirs" or whatever Danzo had called them.
"Hn." He replied in indifference. He doubted any medic was able to cure his injuries, they were probably already beyond repair.
"If necessary," the masked man nodded at the kunoichi. "Do what you need for her to behave." Before the shut the door behind him, he smirked to his last statement. You can kill her if you have to.
Thump! And with that he was left alone with the blue-haired woman still lying on the ground after Madara had very "politely" shoved her in.
The next few moments were passed in silence as the enervated girl struggled to pull herself from the icy surface of the floor. Indeed, if she were to lie there for another hour, she would have frozen solid to the floor. Madara must have taken her at least 10 feet underground into this hideout lit only by dim candles and torches. She wondered how long she would have to endure before finally getting to see light.
Now that she was walking gingerly towards him, he could make out more of her dimly-lit face. Her eyes were piercingly white, characteristic of the Hyuga clan with several dark circles around them, suggesting several nights of little or no rest. Her long-sleeved jacket was torn at the shoulders, likely a kunai cut, and her capri pants were stained with fresh blood.
"Ano…" Her voice was characteristically soft. "Sasuke-kun, may I look at your wounds?"
Despite her pitiful condition, the Uchiha returned her question with a glare. He didn't need anyone, especially some woman to tend to his wounds. If anything, it would only be a nuisance to his wellbeing. It was only natural that any girl who gazed at his handsome, but stubborn face, be enamored with everything his body and face said about him.
When he didn't respond, she opened her medicine kit and began analyzing his wounds. Despite his bitterness, he didn't protest when the girl passed her fingers down his arm muscles. He was surprised at how warm the tips of her fingers were in contrast to that of his.
Surprisingly, it had felt almost therapeutic over his sore, aching muscles. More than any medicine would have done for him.
He closed his eyes, drinking in her warmth while she worked diligently. Yes, perhaps he was being selfish. But then again, who was she to him? A worthless being that couldn't defend herself in the war. He answered in sheer arrogance. No, it was her luck she was still alive and was of some use to him.
"Ah, Sasuke-kun," she began slowly. "You have five areas of chakra exhaustion and muscle deterioration here." She mentioned casually as if to herself since it was unlikely that the perfectly-carved sculpture in front of her was going to reply.
His pale, indifferent complexion was what she had expected.
"Then do what you have to do." He ordered in a baritone voice.
"H-hai."
Seeing the girl frantically unwrap his chest bandages, he relaxed and smirked. Was it fear he sensed in her? Or was it surprise? Oh well, he thought. Better be feared than loved.
It was when he looked at her face at a close-up that he realized how familiar those snowy eyes looked. A blue lock of hair that covered a fraction of her face…It suddenly hit him that this girl was from Konoha. Of course, she was neither a close comrade nor acquaintance, but her face had always been hidden somewhere in the corner of his eyes. Whether it was at the Chuunin exams or at Hokage's funeral that seemed like a millennium ago, her face was always there. But what was her name? He couldn't recall.
He found himself gaping at the poor girl a little too intently. She was blushing, but remained focused nonetheless. Another strand of used bandage slid to the floor, while the Uchiha's chest was now fully exposed, free for the world to stare at in awe. Although this would have been for 99.9 percent of the population, Hinata was not.
If she had paid more attention, she would've counted the number of six-packs this man had. But instead the first thing she noticed was…
"Two kunai cuts," she murmured.
He raised an eyebrow while following her hand to his chest muscles, lined with two fresh blade engravings by none other than Danzo.
He winced in discomfort, but said nothing as Hinata began a rapid, but steady chakra-transfer. It wasn't the first time he had these, in fact he had one almost after every second battle. But somehow this one had a miraculous effect on him. He didn't feel numb. In fact, he enjoyed it.
What's wrong with me? He thought furiously.
When he could no longer feel his sore chest, he heard a large thump on his freshly healed skin. His eyes feel on a patch of blue. The Hyuga had literally fainted in exhaustion. It wasn't a surprise judging by the strain of chakra transfer in the first place.
What was he to do with this pathetic woman now?
His Sharingan scanned the room hesitating at the foot of his bed. No. He reminded himself. There was just no way he'd let some stranger sleep in his bed of all places.
His gaze eventually fell upon some neatly folded blankets in one corner of the room.
Careful not to wake the woman in his arms, he lifted her under his staunch, bandaged arms and placed her on top of the blankets.
That should keep her alive for the night. He convinced himself while sprawling himself on his own hard mattress.
The night passed with no problem for the young Kunoiichi, but the Uchiha had become increasingly alert just by watching her sleep. She had mumbled some nonsense about "too much blood", which was of no surprise to the young Uchiha as the casualties from the war were immense. He watched her hug her knees and mention someone's name that almost made Sasuke's heart, or whatever that was left of his heart, stop. He repeated the three syllables in his mind, replaying the image of the blonde-haired, blue-eyed kid he had known as a child. His eyes narrowed dangerously.
Was this who she fancied? He thought bemusedly. Someone most girls would look upon with antipathy and disgust?
He didn't understand, and he couldn't understand how this weird, but strangely beautiful girl would fall for the dobe.
"Why can't you just die Hyuga?" Sasuke cursed under his breath.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
The next few days passed with the same dreadful sluggishness as the days that passed. She came in to check his wounds while he glared. Then she would blush a little more, heal a little faster and collapse on him in weariness. He would, in his own unconcerned way, drop her in the pile of blankets while he watched her sleep like an innocent child.
Little words passed between them, until the day of the first snowfall when blankets were barely enough to shield her from the cold.
It was because of her irritating shuddering at midnight that he decided to pick her up and settle the matter for good. The only other place of course was his bed.
She'd better be thankful in the morning. He thought bitterly. And besides, this is only for one night. How devastating can this be?
So he ventured and he dared to place the reckless woman on one side of the bed, while he slipped in on the other. And that was the last he could remember of the night.
Then in the morning, despite the chill of the night, he had felt oddly snug on his rock-hard mattress. In fact, it was the first time he recalled to have slept so soundly during the entirety of the war was now. He was still in a haze when he felt his pillow move and knew everything had gone horrifically wrong.
What. The. Hell.
Forcing his onyx eyes open, he came face to face with a sleeping Hinata. He tried to recollect his thoughts of the previous night, but found nothing in return. He looked down and discovered a frail hand resting serenely on his bare chest, while his own fingers had somehow made its way down to her spine. Hinata's leg was precariously swung on top of his, with her face snuggled at the base of his collarbone. And this all occurred in the course of one night.
He immediately removed the dangling thigh from his legs and tried to unravel himself from this unexpected mess. However, not without the attention of another.
Watching her angelic face yawn, he quickly removed his spine, only to have it trapped in a lock of her navy blue hair. There was a moment's pause before the poor girl noticed what had occurred, and turned slightly scarlet soon after.
No, this couldn't be possible. Before she gasped in exclamation, Sasuke heard a plop, as blanket, pillow and Hinata fell hard on the marble floor.
After a slight pause, Sasuke dared a peek from the bed, attempting to regain his cool in the process.
"S-Sasuke-kun," the girl felt heat rise to her cheeks. "I'm so sorry! I didn't k-know…"
"Hn," he replied. "Forget it."
He turned around to sit at the side of his bed, with one of his legs dangling over the edge.
How could I? Sasuke bit his lips in frustration. Was I high when I put her on my bed? She's a girl. I should've seen this coming.
Still, he couldn't deny that it was one of those rare mornings he'd wake up and feel rested, free from the nag of ambitious dreams and visions of his older brother. Was she the reason? He wondered. Hinata promptly collected her pillow and blanket from the floor in silence. He could tell she was drinking in the same ounce of awkwardness that he was at the moment.
"Thank you though," she bowed her head, refusing to meet his onyx eyes.
Why was she even thanking me? He thought incredulously. You could've just died and got this suffering over with…At least that's what he would've chose if he ended up a slave under Madara's command. But then again, he wouldn't have ended up like her…would he?
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"There!" She exclaimed dramatically. "Not even a scar!" She beamed up at his stubborn face.
"You can go back to being your normal self again, you can even use your chidori if you'd like, you wouldn't feel-" huh? She gasped in mild surprise when a hand locked around her wrist and pulled it toward his chest.
She didn't need a second warning before her face was flushing uncontrollably. She glanced up through her long lashes at the man before him. What was he thinking?
"Do you think I'll ever heal?" He questioned earnestly. "Do you truly think physical pain is what wounds me the most?
She gazed into his eyes with concern. Even though she's stayed with the stoic man for as long as she could remember since Madara had brought her here, she felt like she knew nothing about his past and would never come to know what he'd seen, heard or felt.
Her right hand was still glued to his pulsating chest.
"I'll never be healed," he replied. "Not as long as I remain an avenger."
She wanted to reach out to him, to tell the man before him that this wasn't the end. But her mouth had gone dry trying to search for words. If she wasn't mistaken, the heiress had just seen a tinge of remorse fill the Uchiha's handsome face.
She sighed, reaching out to his free hand.
"Sometimes, the hardest burdens don't have to be carried by one person," she clasped his hands gently in her own. When he didn't protest, she traced her hand carefully around his arms.
"Close your eyes Sasuke-kun," she smiled softly. At first he raised a peculiar eyebrow at her, but with her pleading, he shut his eyelids for her.
Cautiously, the diffident girl leaned closer brushing her lips against his.
"Someone once told me," she whispered so only he could hear. "That a kiss is worth a thousand words."
"Maybe I don't understand you, and I won't understand you. But I don't see an avenger. I see the Sasuke I know."
She held his gaze for a moment before walking toward the exit of the room.
One step…two step….three…
What am I doing? I should be stopping her! She's a prisoner…
Yet all the muscles in the youngest Uchiha's body refused to obey him. Instead, he just sat calmly watching her every move.
She was right. She didn't know a thing about him, but somehow, somehow her words seemed real like the wound she had just healed.
"Sasuke, are you coming?"
A smile, a frown and a smirk seemed deceptively easy. But maybe, just maybe he'd find something else at the end of the tunnel that was free of hate and lies. There was only one way to find out…
"Yes, I am."
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