EDIT 9/16/17: I went through after posting this the first time and changed it a little bit based on some of the feedback. The trouble with short stories is that you aren't going to get absolutely everything that's happened during, before, and after, but I agreed that the development of Hinata's feelings seemed a little out of the blue considering what we knew so I tried to fix that a little bit as well as changing a little of how Sasuke was portrayed. I like this version better, I hope you do, too.
Author's Note: Wow guys some people REALLY hate SasuHina! But the troll started commenting on my stories recently and honestly I'm pretty excited about it. Hi troll! I'm glad you stopped by! No worries, I'll give you plenty more things to comment on! Anyway, I hadn't planned to do anything for today, but I sat down to see if I could come up with a drabble or something and wrote another 2k words. So I hope you guys like it!
Day 2: Stress
Canon verse, post-war (if The Last hadn't happened)
Hinata could feel the electricity in the air before she was even close enough to hear his training. She was sure times like these were part of the reason his district stayed so deserted, but she also knew he preferred fewer visitors, anyway.
She activated her Byakugan for a moment to confirm his location, and she realized he must be especially stressed because that slight flare of chakra was enough for him to flicker next to her and hold his sword to her throat.
The Hyuga was thankful for the amount of control Sasuke held over each movement because any ninja with less control could have accidentally slit her throat.
"Sorry," he grunted, putting his sword in his sheath. He was shirtless and she could see sweat and dirt covering his torso.
"It's my fault for doing it when I knew you were training hard. I felt it when I walked in, but used it on habit."
He nodded curtly and turned towards the house, not bothering to invite her to follow as she knew that was his intention.
"Sorry for interrupting. I don't mind visiting later. Or I could spar with you. You don't have to stop on my account."
He'd made it clear before that she was welcome anytime, but his back was tense and she felt bad about coming at a time when he was clearly upset.
"It's fine. I've been out there a while anyway," he said nonchalantly as if he hadn't essentially leveled a portion of the forested area in the Uchiha district. She'd seen as much with her Byakugan.
They entered the front door and he slid it closed behind them.
"I'm going to go shower real quick. You're welcome to get something from the kitchen while you wait."
He thought it was a little ridiculous that he had to tell her that when she was here so often, but he knew she wouldn't make herself comfortable unless told to do so. Her clan was too old fashioned.
Hinata decided to make a pot of tea and place a sliced tomato and some cheese on a plate for when Sasuke was finished showering. If he'd been out there as long as she thought he had, he'd probably be hungry. She remarked to herself how strange it was that they were starting to have a routine like this one. It's certainly not something she'd ever have imagined, but it had happened so gradually she'd had neither the chance nor desire to stop it.
A few years after the war, Kakashi had announced that Naruto would be the next Hokage. No one doubted his strength, but due to his age the village elders had suggested a training period of two years to help him understand the politics, diplomacy, and bureaucracy that came with the position. He and Kakashi had readily agreed to the arrangement and thus began the Uzumaki's ascent to his lifelong dream.
However, this now put him out of commission for many of the more time intensive missions and while Konoha had many strong ninja, there were few in the world who were on par with Naruto's skill. Therefore they had decided to call Sasuke home to help.
When he had returned, people were still wary of him. It didn't help that he was just as, if not more so, wary of them due to his clan's past in the village. He hardly left his district and socialized with no one outside his old team. One day after reporting on a completed mission, Naruto had pulled Hinata aside and asked if she might try reaching out to him.
"I'm kinda worried about him, ya know?" he said, rubbing the back of his head nervously. There was still some discomfort between the two of them due to his unspoken rejection of her confession. "You don't owe me anything, but you're the only person I can think of who might be able to get through to him. I don't think he could rile up Shikamaru too much, but that guy's so lazy if Sasuke told him to go away he'd just do it and not bother to try again. You're quiet so you won't annoy him, but you're tough."
She was a little nervous. She got quite enough glares and harsh words in her own home. Her father and most of her clan had accepted her, but the elders had grown even crueler to her after Neji's death - blaming her weakness for the death of their prodigy. But she was still in a place where she'd do anything Naruto asked of her and so she'd begun testing the waters, greeting him on the rare occasions she saw him out.
Eventually she began to drop by with food on the pretense she had made extra and Naruto had told her Sasuke didn't cook much. At first she'd just drop it off and be on her way, but after a while he had invited her to come in. Their first real conversation had been stilted and awkward, but cordial enough and he'd invited her back. From there, they'd begun to talk more and more and now there were no more pretenses. She was free to come and go from his district as she pleased. He would tell her when he was returning from a mission and she would let herself into his house to cook him a welcome home meal, knowing his nutrition on the journey back consisted almost entirely of ration bars and soldier pills. He would train with her and help her improve her fighting tactics. He'd also started a small garden next to his house. She helped him grow vegetables and he allowed her to plant some flowers she liked that the Hyugas were too uptight to have in their perfectly planned and manicured gardens.
It was a quiet friendship, but they had become quite close. In the last few months she'd noticed some of the telltale signs of feelings beginning to emerge.
Perhaps it was how he would occasionally eat out with her, despite how uncomfortable he felt in the village proper.
Perhaps it was that he'd started stocking some of the foods she preferred in his kitchen to have on hand in case she dropped by - sweets included.
Perhaps it was because he let her spend as much time in his home as she wanted, knowing her need to get away from the suffocating atmosphere of the Hyuga grounds.
Perhaps it was because after she'd mentioned getting easily cold one day, he'd left a blanket permanently draped on the part of the couch she'd essentially claimed as her own.
She couldn't pinpoint how exactly it had happened, but there was no denying the feelings were there.
Her skin would tingle when their hands touched. Her breath would become shaky when he had her pinned in a spar. Her stomach would flutter when he'd tell her to be safe on her mission.
It was a problem.
But she didn't intend to ruin their friendship by confessing to a guy who had women falling at his feet. So instead she continued to be his friend.
Sasuke came down the stairs in a shirt and sweatpants, hair still damp from the shower. She had the tea poured and the food sitting on the coffee table in front of the couch where she sat waiting. Her cheeks flushed just slightly when he gave her a small nod of thanks for the consideration.
They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, him eating the snack she prepared and her sipping her tea.
"How was your mission," he asked. She hummed and set her cup down, thinking.
"Nothing too interesting," she responded. "A few thieves tried to ambush me at one point, but they weren't even shinobi."
He nodded and picked up his own cup, taking a drink of the liquid and setting it back down.
"I wasn't here when you returned. How was your mission?"
She'd left while Sasuke was on a trip to Kumo acting as bodyguard to Kakashi and Naruto. Sakura and Sai had gone, as well, and although Hinata knew he was a little excited about going on a mission with his old team, she couldn't help but wonder if Sakura had finally begun to wear him down. Kumo was supposed to be a beautiful place and a lot of honeymoons took place there now that relations between the nations were more open and peaceful. She bit her tongue to keep herself from thinking too hard about it.
Sasuke's face darkened and her brows knitted together in worry. "Did something happen?"
"The asshole Raikage tried to throw me out of the village."
"What?!" she gasped. The Raikage was admittedly not a fan of Sasuke's due to his attempted kidnapping of Killer Bee, but he had agreed with the other Kages to pardon him after his help in the war. She didn't think he'd cause an international incident at this point by trying to ban one of the Hokage's bodyguards, but apparently she'd underestimated his dislike.
"He almost succeeded. He brought up the time I attacked the Kage summit and said he couldn't be sure I wasn't just using the mission as a cover to do the same for this one."
Hinata pursed her lips and looked at him to continue.
"Kakashi called me into the office today to tell me I couldn't accompany them to the next Kage meetings because he didn't want to cause an incident again."
"Oh," she said quietly, eyes widening slightly. She knew the Raikage's actions were frustrating, but Sasuke didn't care too much about his opinion. Kakashi, however, had always stuck up for Sasuke. He didn't say it out loud, but she knew he valued his old sensei's opinion and companionship. She new he must feel betrayed.
"Can you believe that? He's pandering to that ancient asshole. I can't change my past so what does he want from me? Is helping save the world not enough? I sure as hell am not going to grovel for his forgiveness."
He almost never spoke this much. His outburst was raw and passionate and she could feel the frustration rolling off of him.
Well now she knew why he'd gone on a training rampage.
"I'm sorry, Sasuke," Hinata said quietly, putting her hand on top of his as a sign of consolation. She knew how hard he had worked to redeem himself. He more than anyone knew all of the wrong he had done and although he didn't talk about it much, she knew how much it hurt him when people only saw the person he was and not the man he had become.
He surprised her by turning his hand over and grasping hers tightly. She sucked in a breath and sat in shocked silence, staring at their joined hands. Sasuke had never done something like this before.
"I know I'll never be worthy, but if shit like this keeps happening I won't ever get a chance," he said. Her shocked silence turned to one of confusion.
"I'm not good enough. I've done some terrible things. But I've tried to redeem myself. I've tried to become a better person. I don't want anyone to hold my past against you."
Her heart was beating frantically, but she tried to mentally talk herself into the idea that she was reading too much into things. He couldn't be saying what it sounded like he was saying.
"Sasuke, why would they do that?" she whispered, afraid of his response. She didn't even know what she wanted it to be, but she almost couldn't bear to hear it.
He looked at her then, dark eyes locking her in place and although he didn't say anything, the emotions in his gaze took her breath away. He cared for her. He cared for her.
Sasuke sighed and ran a hand through disheveled hair.
"I'm not perfect, Hinata. I've done terrible things and even though I've tried to make it right, people are still going to hate me. And I know you loved the Dobe forever, but I love you. And to hell with what anyone else thinks of me because if you tell me you'll give me a chance then I'll be the best I can be for you."
Her face felt like it was on fire and she cursed her tendency to blush because Uchiha Sasuke had just confessed to her and instead of looking any semblance of attractive she was pretty sure her face was the color of a cooked lobster. She gaped for a moment, unsure of what to say.
"Sasuke, you - you - "
He smirked. "I'll take the blush as a good sign."
He leaned over then, pulling her towards him with their still entwined hands and kissed her. His lips were soft, but the kiss was fierce and passionate - just like him. She kissed back eagerly, her other hand finding its way to his shirt and her fingers twisting the fabric. When they separated she stared at him, eyes wide and rosy lips parted in wonder. And then her eyes rolled back in her head and had to catch her before she fell off the couch.
Sasuke pulled her into his lap, picking up his cup and taking another sip of the now lukewarm tea. He'd wait for her to wake up so he could get a verbal confirmation, though her reaction to the kiss all but assured him the answer would be positive. They could work on the fainting later.
To you folks who hate SasuHina, commenting that you don't like them together won't make the story go away, but feel free to scroll past it. If you read it even though it states that it's a pairing you hate, I really can't help you. To those of you who do like the pairing and those who requested that I do more stories with them specifically, let me know how I'm doing! If you like it, I'll try to keep it coming!
