Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.
Special Thanks: goes out to rao hyuga 18, Shahar Mystral, farahb, xXYour DoomXx, Kibachow, DieHardNaruFan, britata348, Starcakes, Guest, and ariannaisgone for all your wonderful reviews! Also thanks to everyone who's added this (and me!) to your favorites and follows lists - you all blow me away!
Author's Note: I'm very pleased to announce this story is now complete on my harddrive. All the chapters are currently with my beta, and she's only two away from the ending. So I'll be able to keep up a steady update schedule until the end of the story! There's some really exciting stuff in store, so I'd better be quiet before I throw out too many spoilers. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!
*~Chapter III~*
~Presence~
A muttered, half-incoherent oath was the only warning of Sasuke's return to consciousness Hinata got before he jolted up so fast they nearly collided heads.
Sasuke hissed another curse, his strong pale hands lifting to cradle his head. "That hurt," he said plainly.
Hinata bit back the uncharactaristic urge to snap, Well, what did you expect, doing something stupid like that? Instead, she scooted a little further away from Sasuke, just in case he decided to take a swipe at her. "You hit your head on the table," she said softly. "You have a fairly large bump on the back of your head, but I don't think you're concussed." That had been Hinata's first thought, after her initial knee-jerk reaction of wondering if her patient had just killed himself on her watch. After making sure he still breathed, and that he hadn't broken any bones (or worse, his neck!) in his hard tumble, she'd checked his head. Other than the goose egg, she couldn't find anything else wrong with him.
Except, of course, for the sour expression on his face and his equally foul mood. "I've had concussions before," he growled, "I know what they feel like. This isn't one."
Hadn't she just said he didn't have one? Perhaps the bang on the head had a negative impact on his hearing. Clearing her throat, Hinata continued in an even tone, "My only other concern is that you might have undone the effects of the therapy session earlier. Fortunately, since we've only had the one, there wasn't that much to undo, and I don't think you hit hard enough to do any more damage."
"It's not like I did it deliberately, Hyuuga," Sasuke snapped. At last lowering his hands, he turned his head in her direction and growled, "I never asked for a babysitter. I can take care of myself."
Hinata sighed quietly. "I know you didn't do it deliberately," she said patiently. "And I'm not here to babysit you." Rising, she started slowly across the room as she called over her shoulder, "But if you really don't want me here, I can pack up and go home right now." The Hyuuga heiress stopped when she reached the hall, holding her breath. Lady Tsunade would kill her if she just left, but she would do Sasuke absolutely no good if he refused to cooperate with her.
The hard line of Sasuke's jaw tightened further, and she saw the battle raging inside himself play across his face. At last he turned his head away from where he assumed her to be and half-growled, "You can stay. Just don't smother me."
Feeling the pent-up tension between her shoulder blades ease, Hinata smiled and made her way back across the main room. "If you need me for anything, I'll be in the kitchen putting away the groceries." Gathering up the bags she'd dropped when she came into the flat and saw Sasuke falling, she carried them to the kitchen and deposited them on the counter.
As she unpacked the bags, Hinata listened for movements in the next room. For a while she heard nothing; then a quiet grunt and Sasuke's bare feet slapping the floor. A few moments later, the door to his room clacked shut.
Whew. Hinata let out her breath as she tucked a new package of tea leaves into the cabinet next to the stove. Even though Sasuke had (grudgingly) allowed her to stay, she knew the battle was far from over. He wanted to keep up his conditioning, not let any of his skills as a ninja slip away during his recovery. Hinata could understand that, truly. But still, the sight of him falling, the sound of his head striking the table, lingered forcefully in the forefront of her mind.
What good would her healing do if he undid it after each time - or, heaven forbid, he hurt himself further?
Firmly closing the refrigerator door on the armful of vegetables she'd just deposited inside, Hinata shook her head as she reached into yet another bag. "One step at a time, Hinata," she murmured to herself. "Just take this thing one step at a time - or else you'll drive yourself crazy."
She hesitated, then smiled wryly and added, "If he doesn't do it for you first."
"Stupid!" Sasuke muttered scathingly under his breath. Bracing his back against the wall next to his door, he slid down into a seated position, propped his elbows against his knees, and then rested his throbbing head in his hands.
He'd been so caught up in his kata he forgot to keep track of his position in the room. It was a stupid, rookie mistake, far beneath him. And for Hinata to witness his weakness...!
"I am so ready for this to be over." Sasuke had only been out of the hospital a day, and just started therapy that morning. He didn't like being idle. He hated being confined. And, most of all, he despised not being able to see anything.
How could he exact the vengeance Itachi so richly deserved if he couldn't even see his brother to do it?
Ignoring the pain in his head, Sasuke vaulted to his feet again. Pushing past the dizziness assailing his equilibrium, he prowled his room, at least reasonably sure he wouldn't trip in its confines. Making his way to the window, he shoved it open and stuck his head out, inhaling the muggy summer air outside. He wanted to be out on the training grounds with Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi, honing his skills, getting ready for the next mission.
Coming yet one step closer to being ready to fight - to defeat - Itachi.
The strong scent of something frying brought Sasuke's head back into his room, and he slammed his window shut. Surely there was something he could do, even if he couldn't see!
"Sasuke?" Hinata's soft voice intruded on his musings, an itch he couldn't scratch, an incipient sneeze he just couldn't head off. Why did she annoy him so? "Sasuke, are you ready to eat dinner?"
Though he wasn't hungry, Sasuke grumbled an affirmative sound just to get rid of her. Maybe if she was stuck in the kitchen, she'd leave him alone.
Yeah, and maybe Naruto would become Hokage tomorrow. Sure, that's going to happen.
As if Sasuke's thoughts had summoned the blond out of thin air, Sasuke heard Naruto's loud voice in his front room, overpowering Hinata's softer murmur. What's he doing here?
"Oi, Sasuke!" The shout accompanied loudly thumping footsteps down the hall, coming ever-closer to the Uchiha's room, his sanctuary. "Hinata said-"
Sasuke slammed his door open with a crash, cutting off Naruto as quickly as possible. "What are you doing here?"
It wasn't hard to picture the sheepish grin on the jinchuuriki's whiskered face as Naruto laughed anxiously. "I came to check on you, of course. You look like something the cat dragged in, but it's bound to get better from here."
Naruto was many things, but subtle had never been - and would never be - one of them. Clenching his fists at his sides, Sasuke battled the urge to lash out at his teammate. He remembered the panic in the baka's voice during those sickening, pain-filled hours while his team rushed him back to the village and medical help right after-
As powerfully as he'd opened the door to his room, Sasuke slammed the door on the thought and its accompanying memories. "Have you been out on any missions lately?" He couldn't seem to help asking. Like picking at a scab, he had to keep probing the wound, making his loneliness and ineffectiveness worse.
"Not yet," Naruto said, voice full of false cheer. "It's only been a couple weeks since - since the last one, you know." The falter in his friend's voice rasped over Sasuke's already worn-thin nerves, and he clenched his teeth. "But Gramma Tsunade said Team Kakashi will be assigned a new mission sometime this week. She's gonna assign someone new to the team, but there's no way he'll ever replace you."
Even though Sasuke had anticipated Team Kakashi's receiving a (temporary) replacement, the fact someone else would be taking his place still socked him in the gut. "Hn," he grunted. Stepping into the hall, he shut the door behind him firmly. "Hinata's cooking. You staying?" He really didn't want Naruto to do so, but with the timid little Hyuuga's impeccable manners, undoubtedly she was already fixing enough food for three. For all he knew, she'd already invited Naruto to stay, just Sasuke's luck.
Naruto sniffed loudly. "Though it smells good, I can't. Kakashi-sensei is taking Sakura and me to dinner at Ichiraku's so we can get acquainted with the new guy."
Sasuke sensed his teammate's steps falter just as they reached the main room, and he stopped alongside him. "What?"
"I wish you could come." Naruto's usually cheerful voice sounded surprisingly pensive. "I'm - I'm sorry, Sasuke."
"Stop it." Sasuke hissed the words through his clenched teeth, hating his circumstances, the world in general, and most of all, Naruto's misplaced apology. "I don't want your sympathy - haven't you realized that by now?" The constant thorn in his side he could never be rid of, Naruto's overblown emotions about everything was the last thing Sasuke felt like dealing with right then.
"It's not sympathy," Naruto said belligerently.
Turning sharply, Sasuke felt a rush of pride when his shoulder impacted Naruto's on the way past him to the kitchen. "Sure it's not. Good luck with the new teammate, Naruto." He stopped just before the door to the kitchenette, his hand pressed against the half-open shouji as he listened to his teammate clomp across the floor, then the door open and shut behind him as he left.
Letting out his breath, Sasuke pushed through the door, greeted by the familiar smell of ripe tomatoes. He heard the steady clack-clack-clack of a knife blade against the cutting board stop, and then Hinata's voice. "I'm saving these tomatoes for Sasuke, Nar-" She stopped abruptly, her silence as effective as a slap. "Oh, Sasuke."
"Naruto left." Conveniently leaving out the reasons why, Sasuke listened intently to the sounds filling the kitchen in the absence of Hinata's chopping. He was able to make out the sounds of water boiling, a vague sizzle which might have been meat and vegetables in the wok, and a faint crackling he couldn't identify. "Is it almost ready?"
"Hai." Hinata's voice sounded strangely subdued, and she remained silent as the sound of the knife against the cutting board started up again.
Running his hand along the wall, Sasuke felt his way to the sink and flipped on the hot water. As he washed his hands, he listened to the homey sounds filling his kitchen, fighting desperately against the images crowding his head. How many times had he sat at the kitchen table during his childhood, watching his mother rush about the kitchen preparing dinner, her bare feet dancing across the floor, her cheerful humming filling the air?
At first, Sasuke thought the sound was just in his imagination. But as he turned off the water and felt around for the towel, he realized Hinata was humming, a popular folk song he'd heard his mother hum and sing a thousand times. He clenched his teeth against the nostalgia rising into his throat, his slick, wet hands strangling the towel. "Stop that!"
He hadn't realized he'd growled the words aloud until Hinata's humming stopped. "Wh-what?" She sounded confused, frightened.
"That infernal humming." Sasuke scrubbed at his hands with the towel until he thought he'd take some skin off with the water. "Can't you be quiet for five minutes?" All he could see in his mind's eye - the only way he could see at all any more - was his mother's broken, bloody body sprawled on the floor, her dead eyes staring up at the ceiling, devoid of life and love and-
"Ouch!" Something clattered, and he sensed a familiar spike in Hinata's chakra.
"What did you do?" Sasuke slapped the towel down on the counter in frustration. "Did you cut yourself?" Of all the stupid things to do...
"Don't worry, I didn't get any blood on the tomatoes." Hinata's choked voice sounded much closer than Sasuke thought. He felt her arm brush his as she turned on the water at the sink. "It's just a little cut. I won't even need stitches, I don't think."
Guilt stabbed Sasuke's conscience with surprising force. "I didn't mean to scare you," he said gruffly. He wouldn't apologize - after all, it wasn't his fault the little Hyuuga was so jumpy. But he did feel badly about making her jump (or so he assumed) and cut herself.
The water shut off. "You didn't," Hinata said, but the words lacked conviction. He heard the muffled sounds of her drying her hands, and she breezed past him again. The scent of something light and sweet - vaguely citrusy, maybe? or was it flowery? - tickled Sasuke's nose. He headed for the table in an attempt to escape it.
"I'm going to get a bandage. If you want to go ahead and sit down at the table, I'll dish things up when I get back." The kitchen door rattled open, and Hinata's light footsteps pattered away.
Sasuke felt his way over to the table and sank down on his usual cushion. The throbbing in his head had turned into a painful pounding worthy of the drums the monks played during festivals, reminding him of his stupidity of earlier in the day.
Cupping his forehead in the palm of his hand, Sasuke ground his teeth. Maybe I'll wake up in the morning and find out this has all been some terrible dream.
The swish of fabric against fabric and a light footfall alerted Sasuke that Hinata was back from getting her bandaid. His hand clenched into a fist around a handful of his hair, and he bit down on his tongue so hard he tasted blood. She's humming again.
Not even the plate of tomatoes, neatly chopped into bite-sized pieces and arranged for his enjoyment alone, cheered Sasuke.
He wouldn't be happy until he had his Sharingan abilities back and he could finally get rid of his annoying housemate: the sooner the better.
*~To Be Continued~*
Author's Ending Notes:I know things aren't going too well on the SasuHina front right now, but I promise, we'll get there! I can now tell you this story is completely done on my harddrive. The last few are with my beta right now, so I'll be able to keep up my steady updates until I'm finished posting. There's some stuff I'm really looking forward to coming up in future chapters - I'm so excited to be sharing this story with you all! I'm so thankful for you all, for your positive comments and the support you've given me for this story. I was so nervous at first - I almost felt like a new writer again! - but now I feel a lot better. Thanks again, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope to see you again for next week's update!
An Answer:One lovely reviewer asked if Sasuke still has the curse mark from Orochimaru in this AU. The answer is yes, and I can promise it will play very heavily in the story later on. Thanks for the question!