TWIST OF FATE
Disclaimer: Characters belong to Kishimoto, inspiration from Judith McNaught.
AN – Thank you very much for the wonderful reviews, the faves, and constructive criticisms. I will try my best to keep this story as riveting as possible! Special thanks to inconstant heart for the reminder – hehe, I have to admit that tense consistency has always been a problem. :P I'm now working on it; hopefully I'll commit less on this chapter.
This chapter is dedicated to my reviewers, to the peeps who added this story to their faves and story alerts and all SasuHina fans. Hehe enjoy!
Anyway, without further ado, here goes the second chapter!
Ah yeah, the conversation inside /// is a flashback.
Chapter 2: The waiting game.
It didn't help that a chambermaid who'd come to tell her for the second time that a "gentleman" was waiting for her in the lobby – a gentleman she naturally assumed to be Naruto Uzumaki.
"T-tell him to w-wait. Tell him I died. No, tell him we're unwell! She shoved the door closed, shot the bolt, engaged the latch before pressing her back to the panel and slowly sliding down to her feet.
Her long indigo hair splashed all over her face, not bothering to tuck it back behind her ears. "This is a nightmare." She closed her eyes, repeating the sentence as if it was a mantra. "When I wake up in the morning, it will all be over."
Hinata shook her head so vigorously that it almost set the ribbon she used to tie her long indigo hair to slide off.
It's not a dream..
As she stared blindly outside the window, Hinata wished very passionately that she was back in Kumo, sitting across her younger sister in the tiny little two-room apartment they shared, enjoying a nice cup of tepid jasmine tea, and looking forward to an entire lifetime of tepid jasmine tea and tedium.
No time for wishful thinking..
With trembling hands, she began scrolling the long list of numbers stored in her cell phone. She could've just tried the speed dial feature of the blasted device she's slowly developing an aversion to, but all sense of rationality seems to have escaped her head when Sakura took off while she was sleeping.
She lifted her thumb from scrolling when she reached Sakura's number. With a silent prayer, she pressed the 'call' button.
The subscriber cannot be reached.
Blast it.
Hinata, refusing to give up, tried again.
The subscriber cannot be reached.
And again.
The subscriber cannot be reached.
Konoha Park Oriental Hotel is famed for its palatial grounds, well-tended gardens that are said to be comparable to that of Japan's Imperial palace and the distinctive pinnacle tower - its sloping edge of spires artistically accented with intricate patterns of leaves and flowers.
The symbolic leaf which serves as Konoha's icon, carved from a polished malachite gemstone, is about to be hauled up towards the pitched roof of the tower. Apparently, the huge iconic leaf is set to be installed to decoratively emphasize the apex of the famous edifice.
Konoha Park Oriental, according to Jiraiya, is the hotel where she is billeted.
As if on cue, a flashback occurred in Sasuke's mind as he stepped inside the threshold of the extravagant hotel frequented only by the rich and influential, to meet Haruno Sakura.
To Sasuke's dismay, a fresh wave of guilt washed over him, but he nodded, and his voice became brisk and purposeful. "What's her name and when is she scheduled to arrive?"
Jiraiya shot him a questioning look as his hands rummage through the pockets of his coat. His system needs its daily dose of nicotine fix. A disappointed grunt followed when he failed to find any, realizing that he must've forgotten to bring an extra pack in his haste to reach Naruto in time.
"Why'd you ask?" Jiraiya replied, slightly suspicious of his intentions.
Sasuke raised an elegant hand to his eyes, a move to shield his tired eyes from the damn-too-bright hospital fluorescent lights. And besides, he didn't have any decent sleep for the past 24 hours – the gravity of the situation, a guilty conscience which he thought he didn't have, his problem with Karin, oh what he would give to surrender his weary self to the comforts of his own bed and the rejuvenating promises of deep sleep.
The older man purposely cleared his throat to catch Sasuke's attention – who looked as though he was drowning in his own pool of thoughts.
"Why?"
"I want to meet her." He said simply, his body moving to recline on the soft couch just across Naruto's bed.
The older man chuckled. "Which begs another question, why?"
Sasuke, now slowly yielding to the strong pull of unconsciousness, still managed to reply.
"I'm going to do you a favor, old man." He shifted to a more comfortable position before continuing. "She's his girlfriend and I ought to give her an explanation and an apology for what happened. As much as I hate to involve myself further, I believe this is the only way to ease myself of guilt that is plaguing my mind right now."
Jiraiya regarded him with a raised brow, head inclined to a fraction as if contemplating his proposal before rewarding him with a thankful smile.
"You're not as coldhearted and as ruthless as they portray you to be, Uchiha." he laughed.
Sasuke grunted in annoyance. "So I've been told." he drawled sarcastically. "Why don't you just tell me something about the girl and let's get this over and done with it?"
"Tut-tut!" Jiraiya made an annoying dental click before responding. "Aren't we impatient today, hmm?" stroking his cheek, he continued. "Let's see, her name's Haruno Sakura. I believe she's from Kumo and if my memory serves me right, she'll be arriving in Konoha Wednesday noon, next week."
Jiraiya was rewarded for the information with a slight nod of approval accompanied by another rapid fire question. "Anything else? Every detail could be helpful when I deal with her."
The older guy looked taken aback, and then assumed an air that would be best described as perverted. "I would appreciate it if you'd be more specific. Stuff like what? Vital stats? Favorite position? What she wears in bed…?" he wiggled his brows suggestively.
…And earned a sharp glare for his pathetic attempt to jest.
"Take it easy!" He grinned, both hands raised in mock-surrender. "That's all I know. I haven't even seen her, but I recall Naruto telling me that she's a pretty little thing. Comparable to Aphrodite even." He sighed, eyeing the unconscious Naruto with a pensive look. "However, I do hope that Sakura is as enthusiastic as he is with the whole 'arranged marriage' idea."
Sasuke suddenly lost the desire to sleep as he bolted to a sitting position on the couch. "Arranged marriage, you say?"
Great. There's a slim chance that his fiancée is not really romantically inclined towards Naruto, and therefore much easier to subdue.
Nobody, in their sane mind, would make an Uchiha wait.
Sasuke never realized that he too, was susceptible to mercurial changes of mood when the concierge informed him for the second time that Haruno Sakura is indisposed.
He glared at the concierge, who visibly shivered under his intense gaze.
"Listen, I've been waiting here for God knows how long. I refuse to accept any more excuses from that woman and my patience is growing thin. Tell her to come down or else I'll go up there… whether she likes it or not." Sasuke's expression hardened, at the same time his voice became chillingly soft, laced with threats.
The concierge swallowed and nodded. "Certainly, Uchiha-sama."
Sasuke turned from the concierge desk and settled on one of the comfortable velvet couches to endure what he assumed to be another hour's worth of waiting. A scowl marred his fine features as he mentally berated himself for stupidly volunteering to meet Uzumaki's girlfriend when it's clearly established that it was not his obligation, and Jiraiya did not force him to do it in the first place.
Well, her evident reluctance to come down just proves she doesn't want to meet Uzumaki. Sasuke thought, slightly relieved and confident that the girl will not resort to hysterics once he drop the bomb – that Uzumaki is ran over by a car, in a coma, and he is inadvertently responsible for the fact that she doesn't have her fiancé to come and greet her right now.
She was just about to leave the hotel to search around the city when the phone rang. Left with no other choice, Hinata lifted the handset, praying that the caller is not Sakura's father. Relief, although it was short-lived, flooded her face when the urgent voice of the concierge greeted her.
After answering the badgering phone call from the concierge, Hinata heaved a sigh of defeat. Time to concede to the inevitable.
"This guy will be furious once I dropped the bomb." She murmured as she tied her long indigo locks before capping her head with an unflattering hat. "That his fiancée escaped, and I don't have any idea where she is right now, and I am responsible for not keeping a strict eye on my boss. There's nothing to do but go out there and tell him that. And then search."
That is, if I don't land in prison first. She added grimly.
Hinata stepped inside the elevator, contemplating her fate. Her physical and emotional stamina had suffered due to unabated tension and stress, compounded by Sakura's disappearance, and followed by such a fearful mission of meeting Naruto, and inform him that she manage to let Sakura escape.
"Just where are you Sakura?" she smacked her forehead on the cool glass panel of the elevator. A soft 'ding' emanated from somewhere, a sound that signaled Hinata that the elevator already reached the ground floor. Mustering all her strength, she smoothed her cap and exhaled, and stepped out of the elevator to meet Sakura's fiancé and her impending doom.
A mass of pink hair flew from her soft hands, danced gracefully in mid-air and landed in the tumble of waves that softly kissed her toes.
Sighing softly to herself, she contemplated the consequences of her actions, and at the same time trying to ignore the voice that speak volumes of remorse for leaving Hinata (to face the wrath of her father, or her fiancé which she is supposed to meet) alone. She was her assistant, her friend, and a savior all rolled into one. Yet she repaid all her kindness by abandoning her.
But there was no other choice.
Sakura sheathed the scissor which she unrepentantly used to cut her shiny pink tresses. She cannot jeopardize her newly-found freedom by deliberately prancing into any of the hair salons she passed by in the modern streets of Konoha to have her hair cut – her father's hired investigators are frighteningly resourceful when it comes to locating her. Countless of times she tried to run away, only to be found in a couple of hours. Numerous trials and failures piled up and added to her book, till she admitted it was futile that her mind grew tired of plotting.
One last attempt, thought she, when her father decided to send her off to Konoha with her assistant – now's the chance!
With an unwavering resolve to prove to her father that she can live independently, and at the same time, to make him see that setting her up in a stupid tradition of arranged marriage that he so fondly embrace is a big mistake, Sakura left Hinata in their stately Konoha hotel suite to hide in the far-flung shores of Kirigakure.
Her mobile phone, stored somewhere in the deepest recesses of her bag lay forgotten. Sakura decided to switch it on only when she needs to contact Hinata. Undoubtedly, Sakura thought, Hinata is now making a barrage of hurried phone calls to everyone, including her father, to let him know that she's gone.
Or maybe trying to contact me first. She thought guiltily as she stood up and brushed the sands that clung to her skirt, before walking away.
Sorry, no SasuHina interaction yet! This chapter is meant to fill up the gaps in Sasuke's and Jiraiya's conversation, more into Hinata's predicament, and a glimpse of Sakura.
But… because I love you guys, just there's a sneak peek for the next chapter!
CHAPTER 3 SNEAK PEEK (A long sneak peek to showcase SasuHina interaction to make up for the lag in updates! Hehe)
And then she saw a tall, pale man standing outside, looking at something - she knew in an instant that it was HIM. Despite the fact that he was wearing an impeccably tailored suit and his eyes were protected by shades which undoubtedly cost astronomical, there wasn't a gleaming necklace, golden seal or massive rocks in sight, (She pictured Naruto to be showcasing all these things just to impress Sakura, like all her 'devotees' back in Kumo are so fond of doing) everything about him still set him apart and stamped him indelibly as 'privileged'.
She quickened the pace, the soft grass muffling her tentative steps.
So, that's what he's looking at. Hinata thought as her eyes wandered towards the huge gemstone that was crafted into a leaf, currently suspended halfway down the tower and supported by thick rope attached to a pulley. She remembered Sakura admiring it yesterday…
Sakura.
She felt a lump in her throat, but quickly berated herself. This is not a good time to cry.
Hinata was five steps away from the brooding figure when he slowly turned around. She literally shivered under his gaze and considered retreating – what was playing behind those dark glasses, she wasn't sure. But she doesn't need a genius to tell that he was not pleased.
Unruly raven hair framed his face, his bangs falling artlessly on his smooth cheeks. His square jaw was set with a cool purpose, and confidence was emanating from every inch of his broad-shouldered frame, right down to the tips of his shiny leather shoes. He was already frowning when he was watching her approach, and Hinata's fear promptly escalated to panic.
She was secretly counting on her own ability to calm and cajole the affronted fiancé into seeing reason, but the man whose dark brows were drawn together in a scowl of grim displeasure looked about as malleable as granite.
Hinata bit her lip to prevent it from trembling. He was probably wondering where the hell his fiancée is, and why me, Hinata Hyuuga, not Sakura Haruno, is standing here before him?
He folded his arms on his chest. And yes, he's clearly annoyed. Hinata mentally added.
Sasuke wasn't annoyed, he was stunned. He'd expected Sakura Haruno to be a giddy, 20 or 21-year old with bouncing curls and rosy cheeks, decked out in lace, ruffles and trendy clothes.
Standing before him, was a composed, pale young woman with high cheekbones and glassy, extraordinarily large, light eyes that were set off gracefully by russet brows and a luminous fringe of long lashes. He couldn't figure out if her hair was black, with a tint of indigo or indigo with a tint of black, as it was pulled back into a bun and concealed by a tattered hat. Instead of ruffles, she was wearing jeans and a sensible, yet unattractive, white button down and his first thought as he held out his hand to shake hers was that Naruto Uzumaki must have been either mad or blind to describe her as "pretty little thing, comparable to Aphrodite even.".
Sasuke can read expressions, and he can read them well. Despite her outward composure, she looked completely tense, frightened, as if she already sensed that something was terribly wrong. And so, Sasuke changed his mind in sugarcoating everything and decided that the best course for both of them is the direct one.
"Haruno-san," he said after quickly introducing himself – he wasn't sure if she caught his name for she was momentarily distracted by that damn leaf that is now swinging dangerously halfway down the tower. They should pull that up now; the thick rope looked flimsy and might not be able to handle the heavy sculpture much longer.
"Uzumaki-san, ano…" Hinata began, keeping her voice as calm as possible even though her insides were clammy.
Uzumaki? Sasuke was peeved, but pushed it away. Now is not the time to get ticked off over something so trivial such as this.
"Haruno-san." His voice was steely, conveying a strong message that she should shut up and listen. "I'm afraid there's been an accident." Guilt tore him as he added tightly, "Naruto Uzumaki got into an accident and is now in a coma."
For a moment, she simply stared at him in shocked incomprehension. "Kami, in a coma? He isn't here? What are you?"
Sasuke's eyes twitched. And I certainly do not appreciate to be called a what.
But then, weighing the gravity of the situation, he decided to push it away again. His gaze went back to observing the affronted fiancée. He had expected her to dissolve into tears at the very least. He had not expected her to withdraw her cold hand from his and say in a dazed voice, "How…sad."
She turned her white eyes on him. "Excuse me, but I will need to find Sakura first. Ano, would it be okay if we talk later? This is urgent." She turned and took several steps away from him, towards the direction of the tower.
Sakura? That's her. Why does she need to find 'herself?' Sasuke fought the urge to laugh at the absurdity of it all. Naruto and Sakura fit perfectly together. (No offense, Naruto and Sakura fans!)
His job is done, and he doesn't have any intention of talking to her later, or whenever. As a last minute decision, he called out to her, just to give the name of the hospital and Naruto's room number.
"Haruno-san-!" he called, but his voice drowned out by an alarmed shout from above the tower, as one of the ropes attached to a winch that supported the leaf sculpture snapped:
"STEP ASIDE! LOOK OUT!"
Sasuke saw the danger and lunged for her, but he wasn't in time. The rest of the ropes plucked itself from the winch, which sent the sculpture to forcefully swing wide, striking her in the back of the head and sending her flying onto the ground on her face. Already shouting to the hotel staff and several workers up the tower who witnessed the scene, gaping in shock, Sasuke crouched down and turn her over in his arms. Freed from the confines of her tattered hat and hair tie, her long indigo hair splayed across her face. Her head fell back limply and blood began to run from the huge lump at the back of her scalp.
THERE! Haha, I hope you guys will forgive me! Gyah.. I basically included most of chapter 3, here. I'm still writing on some parts of it though. But yeah, that's what will happen on their first meeting.