Disclaimer:
Naruto is not under my possession. If it were, I would be the
voice-actor for Kiba and Sasuke and Hinata would already be married
with lots and lots of cute babies.
Author's Note: Ah man
there was such good feedback! Thank you to all of you who read and
liked my story! It makes me feel super awesome! Hopefully, my
horrible chaptered writing skills didn't mess chapter 2 up (Yes, I
decided to make it multi-chaptered). Enjoy!
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Something
Unexpected
Surely enough, the streets were indeed filled with a good number of depressed ninja roaming aimlessly around the town drenched in all of their alcoholic despair. Luckily enough for the sober teens, the moonlight illuminated the town so strongly it became quite a challenge not to start a fight with the vexing shinobi hollering perverted comments about Hinata every corner they turned.
Their speed was gradual, not too fast as to attract unwanted hasty attention yet not too slow as to assume they were wandering through the streets lost and confused. Sasuke kept his hands tucked snugly inside his khaki shorts all throughout the walk, ignoring every one of Hinata's futile attempts at starting a conversation. In truth, she was strictly mumbling random fragments and words as a way to relax from her nervous condition.
The oddity of their situation inevitably kept the shy Hyuga girl at bay from instigating anything too severely unorthodox between them, but there was still a spark of curiosity within her that hungered for more from her mysterious night-time companion. Exactly what she wanted from him was still quite vague to her and on that note very bizarre as well. Never had she recalled such a tremendous interest in anyone she's acquainted herself with, other than Naruto of course, as she was with Sasuke Uchiha.
"Sasuke…" She finally managed to vocalize in a barely audible whisper. The two ninja-in-training were still several districts away from the luxurious estate known as the Hyuuga manor, so stopping here for a chat was clearly peculiar to Sasuke.
"What do you want now?" His response was brisk and snappy, a trait of his that Hinata has quickly grown accustomed to in such a short amount of time. Closing her eyes in hopes of gathering her unruly thoughts and formulating stable sentences, Hinata took a full minute before she answered his question.
"I-I was just won-wondering if I did an-anything to upset you." The innocence in her voice could fool the most cold-hearted people, and oddly enough it fooled him as well, despite his knowledge of exactly how mature she could be. Sasuke never fully understood why Hinata allowed herself to be pushed over and diminished by the people around her when in fact her potential power was stronger than any of the kunoichi in her league.
It was intriguing how this girl evoked such varying emotions from him in the little time he's spoken to her without any intention in doing so either. Her actions, as clumsy and unorchestrated as they appeared to be, were inconsequential to her scheme of things, yet they affected the morals and belief systems of everyone she meets, tearing the very fabrics of what he assessed his own life to be.
"No, it's not your fault." His eyes refused to look at Hinata in fear of losing himself in her spellbinding features again. She was nothing more than a pale shadow of her elders who hid vulnerably in the corner with fear, and that's all he's ever regarded her as until tonight. But tonight, Hinata caste her own shadow, however faded and dim it was; or maybe she already did have a shadow all along. Maybe no one just ever took the time to look for it.
"Oh, well that's goo-good to know." Hinata's voice had diminished from the faintest of whispers to nothing at all. Although a hint of satisfaction tinted whatever words he could make out from Hinata, Sasuke could still sense a feeling of fear linger over her and for some uncanny reason he felt responsible for striking this fright into her.
"We should start moving again. We can't stay idle for too long." Shifting around, Sasuke began to silently stroll once more, leaving a semi-content Hinata to directly follow suit. Resting both of his hands behind his head as they walked, Hinata secretly blushed as the young man escorting her home started to grow calmer in her presence, noticing that he would carry out the same mannerism whenever he was in the company of Sakura or Naruto.
"I," she started again, "I couldn't help but no-notice that you came to the pier to relax, jus-just like I do…" She spoke to him as they continued to walk, motioning for them to converse while on the move. What was with this girl tonight? As far as Sasuke was aware of, Hinata would usually wait for the opposite person to initiate the conversation, not the other way around. And from the looks of things the night only started to unravel stranger and stranger incidents.
"And your point is…" Sasuke bluntly responded. He wasn't much for small talk, especially when the topic gravitated or in any way revolved around him. Eyeing her suspiciously from the corner of his vision, another unexpected surge of emotion assaulted Sasuke after catching yet another glimpse of her reflective, clear eyes. What the hell was happening to him?
"Well, I-I figured that maybe you liked being a-along like I do in a nice place…" The girl was starting to mumble the further into the conversation they went.
"It doesn't really matter if the place is 'nice' or not. I just like being alone and it just so happened I wasn't tonight…" A hint of aggravation immediately rubbed off on Hinata. Sensing his anger grow every time she spoke, Hinata simply ended the conversation with a hushed apology. This is exactly why she didn't enjoy talking to people…
"So what exactly are you getting at?" Determined to figure out what Hinata was trying to imply, Sasuke's own inner curiosity pressed on Hinata.
"There's this po-pond my father introduced me to not too far from my home. If you'd like, I-I could show you…" Her proposal was surprisingly aggressive, least to say insistent. Perhaps the moon had something to do with the radical change of her personality. Whatever it was, the offer was now his to take, and Hinata made it point clear that she was comfortable with whatever decision he chose to make. "If you want to see it, we ha-have to turn this corner…"
It was obvious that Hinata wasn't insinuating any romance between them, lest there would be more blushing and fiercer stuttering. Her intentions were pure and untainted with any romantic agenda he's been used to experiencing after several outings with Sakura, and to his surprise, he found refuge in this unattached attitude Hinata was giving him. Allowing his curiosity to embellish on this opportunity, Sasuke was left nodding to her directions, giving Hinata free reign as the guide to their new journey.
"Wait, Hinata, don't you need to go home?" The worry plastered on his face earned him an appreciative smile and an extremely crimson blush from the quiet girl. Who knew that Sasuke could actually be concerned about someone other than himself? Overtime, after assessing his character and persona, Hinata quickly picked up on the pace that the dark haired boy was egotistic and uncaring, but to have this type of reaction for her in a swirl of less than an hour was an accomplishment all on its own.
"I-I still have two hours before it hits 3." A twist at the end of her statement made this an even daring proposition, revealing a side to Hinata that was evidently left in the dark from others; a fair trade with Sasuke's unexpected concern. Even she was astonished at how differently she said the mischievous response. This edge to her voice startled Sasuke for a moment, completely taken off guard at her authoritative behavior.
Maybe it really was the moon that was changing their personalities, bending them to their furthest extremes to the point of disbelief. Either way, the two rookies were quickly drawing in closer and closer together, disclosing flaws, secrets, and untamed emotions to each other through accidental or even intentional means.
Everything felt so strange and unusual to both of them, yet an unspoken bond between the two urged the other not to break whatever this was they shared. They were discovering parts of themselves they never knew existed, and the two became reliant on the other to unveil more and more secrets about each other.
"Lead the way then…" Turning another corner, the two followed a series of turns on a number of random streets and corners until they hit a residency district Sasuke didn't even know was in their town. This area obviously housed the rich and supreme, as each house prided itself with a large lawn lush with a mixture of diverse flowers and ornaments.
"Over here Sasuke…" Tapping the Uchiha boy's shoulder lightly, it seemed she needed to break him out of his admiration. Gesturing that his attention was hers again with a flick of his hand, Hinata desperately suppressed a giggle at Sasuke's apparent opinion of the beautiful chain of houses also known as her neighborhood.
Unbeknownst even to her, Hinata was rapidly growing fond of the mysterious boy, an interest so overwhelming that it could mistakenly have been thought of as infatuation rather than friendship. But, to her knowledge in any case, a desire to be his friend was merely what this was. She found a connection with him that could be established with nobody else, and for the very first time in her life, Hinata finally found someone she could relate to.
Following her petite figure, Sasuke soon recognized that they were roaming off into a private property that was untouched by civilization and left with its forest-like features. A blue aura emitting from the moon's light reflected off most of the greenery, adding a tint of blue to every leaf, plant, and flower in the sub-forest, thus creating a light cerulean color scheme that engulfed everything in Sasuke's line of vision. It felt as if he were in one of those Fantasy RPG games he's seen Naruto play once or twice on the new PS3.
Trailing down the graveled pathway for several moments of silence, Sasuke's eyes traveled further down the course and before long found the most dazzling sight he's ever laid his brooding eyes on. Slowly pacing their way out of the trail, the two finally entered the space Hinata's been speaking highly of.
Before the Uchiha rested a pond serenely mystical in nature, emanating the strongest indigo reflection of the moon's light off of its clear and pristine waters. A sapphire aura quite similar to a fading mist visibly hung over the pond, discharging warm sensations all throughout its vicinity. To add to its beauty, the cherry blossoms surrounding the pond became the finishing touches, producing such a dynamic contrast of earth and water that a universal bliss was ultimately attained. This haven was perfect in all definitions of the word.
"I could sense that you were ju-just as troubled as I was. I really don't know you at all, bu-but I figured that you'd appreciate this place. Not ma-many people know of it, so if you ever need to be alone, you can always come here… I guess. That's what I do; I know how it can feel sometimes…"
"Thank you Hinata. This is… beautiful." His reply was quiet and soft, but most notably grateful.
"You're welcome Sasuke. It's the most I can do for you after agreeing to bring me home…" A soft voice welcomed in exchange.
"Hn, speaking of which we should probably get you home now."
Glancing up at the full moon they seemed to have shared their lives under, Hinata quietly ambled beside her newfound friend. "Yes, I suppose that would be nice."
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Ending Note: Okay, the ending sucked but I really did try my hardest! Well, tell me how I did please! I'd really like to know how you guys thought about my new chapter. Did I overdo it? Was it rushed? Were they too out of character? Regardless, thank you to everyone who read and enjoyed my story! I'm glad you guys liked it! Until next chapter!
