Rain Drops
Part Two
Wonder
disclaimer: I do not own naruto or anything associated with it.
"I think it's garbage." He said it almost aggressively, like he was looking for a fight. Four months ago Hinata would have cringed and said "Whatever you say!" and hid behind her book.
But that was four months ago.
"No." she said it firmly, without the stutter. "No. It's not."
Sasuke scoffed, throwing the book at her over the table. "It is. It's self centered and forced. He was begging for pity. It's disgusting."
Hinata looked down at the painting in the middle of the table, tracing the waves of the ocean, and the tiny, white man at the centre, holding on to something, a rock perhaps, or the hull of a boat for dear life.
"He was scared... he was drowning...in his sorrow." she cocked her head at it. "This particular artist committed suicide a few months after this painting, you know."
Sasuke stopped himself from scoffing, his eyes watching her and not looking at the painting that made her so still.
"Well. At least he doesn't feel like he's drowning anymore, ne?"
Hinata's eyes snapped to his face, and stayed there. She had entered as he soon figured out, a place where nothing phased her and all the conversations they could have were not embarrassing, so long as they were honest.
"You think he is better because he is dead?"
"I think he's not feeling like... this... or whatever."
"You'd choose that road?"
Sasuke breathed in, and realized abruptly and a little late that he was getting genuinely frustrated. Usually he teased this being out, because it was interesting to see how she felt about these things that she cared about so much.
But they were going to be at a disagreement. He could feel it like he could feel thunder rolling in or a fight with Naruto brewing in his fists.
"I would, if it came to it."
"If what came to it."
"If I was drowning, although I doubt I would."
"You doubt you'd feel like you were drowning, ever. You doubt you would feel like that?" Her finger pressed down on the picture firmly, her eyes daring.
Sasuke's scoff was involuntary. "I have been through that. Yet here I am."
To his surprise instead of snapping back Hinata's head cocked to the right, her eyes softening and her mouth pouting for a moment as she pursed her lips over the words that followed.
"...do you still feel this way?"
A flush appeared so instantly on his face he sat up, away from her in the study nook of the library. In one fluid movement he stood, grabbing his bag.
"Iie. I'm not talking about this. You're not my therapist, Hyuuga." Her last name rolled off his tongue like an insult and Hinata flinched. He had not called her Hyuuga in months, it was always Hinata, sometimes Hinata-chan. Once it had been Hina-chan.
"S-s-sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun wait!"
Abandoning her bag and jacket she ran after him, ignoring the dark look she got from the librarian as she passed the desk.
Sasuke stormed through, glaring at anyone who met his gaze, flinging the door open with enough force that it nearly knocked into her.
"Sasuke!" Finally in the hall she reached for his arm and the force with which he spun made her jump back, hands up in a show of peace.
"I'm not your patient, do you understand? I'm not going to lay on a couch and tell you my "sorrows" while you watch the clock to make sure our session doesn't go over the allotted time."
"Sasuke!" Hinata gasped, watching as the agitated young man threw his bag on the floor, stepping into her personal space suddenly, face inches from her own. "You can't fix me, okay? I'm not fixable."
Wide eyed she gasped, her hand twitching for a moment, wanting it seemed to her, to touch his face.
"I... didn't think you needed... fixing..."
Startled by the lack of anger in her response Sasuke stepped back, breathing hard, blinking at her like she had suddenly broken out in a different language.
"I'm... we're... we're friends right?" she cocked her head, feeling tears welling up in her eyes. Don't you dare cry right now Hinata Hyuuga. Don't you dare.
Smiling to hide the tears welling there she shook her head. "I asked because... you're my friend... it's my job... to ask."
Trembling Sasuke turned, picking up his bag with shaky, unsure hands.
"I have to go."
"H-hai... okay."
He strode away without looking at her, stopping at the door. "G...gomen, Hina-chan."
Behind him Hinata smiled, this time unable to keep some tears from slipping down her cheeks, thank goodness he wasn't looking.
"D-don't worry, Sasuke-kun. Don't worry."
"I don't want to go." He muttered, throwing the shuriken with unusual force into the training stump at the target practice field on the school grounds.
Hinata, who trusted his abilities completely was sitting cross legged on the stump above the marker. She huffed her cheeks out slightly and sighed.
"Don't make me go alone...o-o-onegai, Sasuke-kun."
"The dobe is going to be there. I'm not going."
"N-n-naruto-kun is not a d-d-dobe." She frowned. Many of his flaws had melted away over the course of the year, his gruff replies, his wicked glare, his lazy uncaring attitude. But this thing, with the dobe just wouldn't let up.
"Whatever."
"O-o-onegai, Sasuke."
No kun, san, sama- nothing. Just Sasuke. Something about when she used his name like that always made him give in. Feeling the frustration and the desire to please fight inside his chest for a moment he sighed.
"Damnit." he grumbled, flinging the kunai at the target.
Hinata looked down at the center where all his knives were fighting for space grinning, knowing she had won.
"I'm not changing, just so you know." He grumbled. Hinata blinked, jumping down from the post, hands fidgeting in front of her. "Do most people?"
"It's a party... they do that kind of thing. Dress up, cologne. Whatever." he shrugged his shoulders indifferently as he pulled the kunai from the stump.
Hinata looked down at herself, wincing. "I... I may need to change then."
"Don't."
"But I'm dirty..."
"Hina."
"Sasu."
"Don't call me that." he muttered, flustered all of a sudden. His stomach dropped into his toes and he shivered. Hinata laughed. "I h-h-have to. Your reaction is so f-f-fun."
"Fine, fine, go get changed then. I'll meet you there."
"Hai!"
And off she went, practically skipping with joy. That's how one wrangled an Uchiha into going to a party.
It had been a horrible mistake. A horrible horrible mistake.
Hinata sat on the barstool in Sasuke's kitchen under the one dim light that he had bothered to turn on as they stumbled into his house.
Frantically she had ripped apart his fridge, looking for anything even remotely frozen to put on his eye, and on his fists.
Thankfully there was plentiful ice, and after wrapping it in a tea towel she climbed onto the stool beside him, pressing the cool pack against his face, wincing for him as he grimaced.
"Aw, fuck." He grumbled.
"W-w-why did you have to do that? I mean, seriously?" rarely did she sound incredulous, but if ever there was a moment where that was necessary this was it.
The party had been going fine, albeit a little uncomfortable. Everyone was dressed so differently. The girls she knew from class were in their best, sparkly jewelry and bright lipstick, their bodies moving to the rhythm of the music blasting from the speakers that Shikamaru had put all over the house.
It was chaos, so many bodies packed into one place made it insufferably hot. Liquids were being consumed in high volumes from plastic cups passed around and abandoned when empty all over the place. Sasuke stood near the back, watching everything and nothing, surprising those who made eye contact.
"Is that Sasuke Uchiha?" He saw them ask each other.
Naruto had been equally surprised but mostly just glad. "About time you tried to be less of a hermit you weirdo. Come on, dance with me and some of my friends."
Sasuke scoffed, shaking his head. "No thanks, I'm fine here."
Naruto shrugged, glancing over at the dance floor where Sakura and Ino and several other girls of their class were bouncing. "Well, the view isn't bad either! Enjoy!"
Disgusted Sasuke shook his head, turning away to glare at the wall. His head was already starting to pound and he hadn't even drank anything yet.
Finally to his immense relief he felt a tug on his shirt and turned to find Hinata looking around in complete awe.
"This is frightening!" she yelled over the sound of the music.
Thank God, can we go now please. Sasuke nodded, and then stopped.
She wasn't wearing her regular clothes, she was in jeans unlike the rest of the girls who were in some sort of paint in the shape of a dress. But the pants were flattering and the top she had on was white and flowing, cut to hang from her body feather light and from her collar bone. Her hair was down, brushed into a silky smooth waterfall of ink.
He realized he was staring when he noticed her earnings glittering among the darkness of her hair.
"Oh- t-these...were my moms." Hinata murmured more quietly, leaning into him so she wouldn't have to yell in the boombox they had walked into.
He could smell her soap and shampoo, and before he knew what he was doing had placed his hand on the small of her back.
"Can we go?" It pained him to ask but he couldn't even hear her here, and with her eyes glittering like the diamonds in her ears he couldn't stand not being able to ask why she looked so filled with starlight.
Hinata studied his face, pondering for a moment but before she could answer Kiba's shocked face appeared between them.
"Hinata?"
The girl jumped, bumping her hip against Sasuke's in her surprise, feeling sandwiched between the two tall trunks of the boys.
"Ah! K-Kiba-kun, h-h-h-hi!"
"Hey, I wasn't sure you would come! I told Sakura you would! She didn't believe me!" his shoulder moved slightly and suddenly Sasuke was more behind him than beside him, the triangle of their bodies moving to exclude him. A growl rose in Uchiha's throat.
"O-oh!" Hinata smiled shyly. "Ah, well...I-I w-w-was going actually..." she began her eyes flickering to Sasuke quickly.
Kiba glanced back at him. "Oh you brought him? How did you manage that, he never comes. Come on, do you wanna dance?"
"A-a-ano!" Hinata began, feeling her hand suddenly grasped by Kiba's firm grip turning towards the dance floor.
It happened so fast she couldn't be sure who started it, but she had a very very good idea.
Kiba hit the floor hard, almost dragging her with him except that Sasuke had a grip on her arm and straightened her out before she fell, pulling her behind him slightly, ready for the impact of Kiba throwing himself helter skelter into his gut.
The two boys crashed, breaking a table in the hall behind them. Hinata gasped, pressing herself to the wall to avoid a potentially fatal blow as their fists flew.
"Sasuke! Sasuke stop!"
The party suddenly exploded, people trying to tear them apart and the sound of the music and screaming was causing so much chaos it was hard to say which way was up, but in the fray Hinata grabbed a hold of Sasuke's waist pulling with all her might, using a doorway to drag him backwards.
It seemed to be working, to her utter shock and she realized that Naruto had jumped in to help, pinning the jittery form of the Uchiha to one of the hall walls while Shikamaru and Shino dragged Kiba's shouting form away to the kitchen.
"Damnit, teme! It's the first time you're here and you're already breaking crap!" Naruto grunted, letting go of Sasuke before he started hitting him. "Calm the fuck down."
Sasuke's breath was ragged. It had not been a good fight. He had shoved the guy from behind for crying out loud. If he had been in Kiba's shoes he probably would have reacted the same way... but he also wouldn't have been such a jerk in the first place, talking about him like he wasn't there.
Hinata's hands were suddenly on his wrist, looking at the painful red knuckles of his right hand. "Oh, God... I can't imagine how Kiba's face looks." she whispered.
Something about her comment made him laugh, in the strange stupidly loud room he let out a dark chuckle, shaking his head at her. Hinata stared back. The most he had ever showed her before had been a wide sparkling smirk. Never a full on laugh.
"What the fuck has he been drinking." Naruto shook his head, looking at Hinata questioningly. "What'd you give him?"
"N-n-nothing, N-naruto-kun, I swear!" Hinata gasped, turning a bright angry red. Her face and the way her eyes lingered on Naruto's sobered him up plenty fast.
Abruptly he turned, heading back down the hall towards the door.
"S-s-sasuke-matte!"
"Iie, you should stay."
"D-d-demo!"
"Stay!" Sasuke snapped suddenly, turning around with a glare. Hinata jumped, feeling the hair on the back of her neck bristle on end. But she wasn't scared, she frowned, opening her mouth to retort but finding herself interrupted suddenly by Naruto's hand shoving Sasuke back roughly.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Naruto grunted.
Hinata's eyes widened. "No! No, Naruto-kun! It's fine!"
"The hell it's fine, you're the only person I see here who gives a damn and he's yelling at you like you're some sort of dog."
Hinata flinched. "T-t-that's not-"
Sasuke shoved Naruto back sharply. "What did you just say? She wanted to come, she should stay, I'm not treating her like anything-"
"You're a dick you know that?" the blonde didn't back off, pushing back into Sasuke's space without fear. "She's not like the others, you can't just treat her like your disposable fan club garbage, that's not fair."
Hinata buried her face in her hands. "H-he doesn't!"
"You're one to talk, treating her like she's some random thing to protect when you feel like it- have you ever even looked at her closely, Dobe?"
Naruto scoffed. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Sasuke no!" Hinata shouted, face starting to spark fire.
"You should look at her when she's trying to talk to you, really look at her, tell me if you notice anything you have been missing. For years, you big idiot-'
Naruto punched him then, hard and Sasuke let it happen. It was fast, and he probably would have clipped him in the jaw or something if he had been trying to get out of the way but honestly he was just so tired. The knock to the head sent him flying to the wall behind him and in the space Hinata jumped, hands up against Naruto, face white as paper.
"No! No stop it!"
Naruto started, glancing back at Sasuke for a second as he slowly dragged himself to his feet. "Get out of the way, Hinata-chan."
Finally fed up Hinata shoved him, it hardly moved him at all but the push and contact made him stop, watching her eyes fill with tears. "Screw you! I said stop! I said no!"
Blushing because she was blubbering in front of everyone she turned, grabbing Sasuke's arm in death grip. "Come on."
"You're seriously leaving with him?" Naruto shouted as they opened the door to leave, people were watching and she was sure they were doing more than whispering to each other but with the music still playing there was no way she was gonna know what they said and she thanked her lucky stars for that.
"Who the hell else am I going to leave with, dobe?" Hinata whispered to herself with clenched teeth. Sasuke's eyes widened, looking at her in surprise as they walked out the door into the quiet where he could hear her muttered breath clearly.
"Oh, s-s-stop that." she continued at the look he gave her. "Please let's just get you home."
And now, there they were, sitting in the kitchen, icing the two nasty sore bits of Sasuke Uchiha.
"S-stupid. There's no other word. It was s-s-s-stupid." She continued under her breath, leaning over him a bit to get a look at his cheek and eye turning a series of green, yellows and purples.
He started suddenly, reaching out to touch her ear and making her freeze. The contact was so different from anything they had ever exchanged. Usually, it was a pat on the back, a book being slapped on their arm, the brush of their jackets as they squeezed through the door together.
Sasuke's eyes flickered to Hinata's surprised gaze and back to her ear where his fingers, warm and gently rubbed her earlobe.
"Your...earrings." he whispered, feeling suddenly hoarse. "One is missing."
Hinata reached up abruptly to touch her own ear and felt her hand tangled among his fingers, freezing again. Her small hand in his she was surprised to feel a lack of blush rising to her cheeks. No one held her hand. No one had ever tried, she had thought it would make her melt to putty on the spot but it didn't, it made her hand feel like it was on fire, sure... but not quite like she had envisioned.
She had seen it in her mind as concrete, as a defineable feeling, one you could articulate and talk through, but it was abstract, it moved in odd shapes and sizes, different colors. It had been Naruto in her mind.
This had not been an option.
Abruptly, realizing what was happening her cheeks began to grow warm, her gaze changing from confused, to startled and finally, panicked.
"I... I should go! It's late! M-m-my father will be so angry i-i-if I'm..."
"Don't lie Hinata." Sasuke murmured, looking down at the counter top, shaking his head slowly. "It really doesn't work for you."
Hinata stopped at the door, her hand on the handle, knuckles white.
"Lying is for heartless people." she murmured, remembering, studying the ground.
Sasuke blinked, looking up in time to see her step out of the house, closing the door quietly behind her.
You can't be here... you can't be here right now, go home.
Hinata paced, in front of his house, back and forth like a caged beast in a circus show.
No no no no. She had to go home, she had to go home.
In front of her the apartment lights were off, and the road was empty. Had she not been a shinobi she might have been a little scared in the darkness of the street, but she couldn't be afraid of that right now she was more terrified by the fact that she was standing there, in front of his house, hyperventilating, and had been doing so for several hours.
"I can'.t I can't. I can't. I can't."
But there she was, still standing there, feeling sick.
It was well past midnight. The time to return home and NOT get in trouble was gone, it had fled with the rise of the moon and now she was either going to get chewed out without accomplishing anything for it or chewed out with some answers.
Taking a deep to the belly breath she straightened her hair one more time, and then walked rapidly up to the door of the apartment building and stepped inside.
The motion detector light turned on in the lobby and as she blinked in the sudden brightness as she glanced at her watch.
Oh God, it was two in the morning... could she really do this? Oh God...
Her hand shook above the buzzer button with his name.
Come on, Hinata. Come on.
Before she could chicken out, she pressed it, hearing the loud bell like scream of alarm and wincing, regretting her decision right away.
I could run, I could take off he would never know I was-
"What the hell?" Naruto's voice echoed from the intercom. "What the actual hell?"
"A-a-ano!" Hinata gasped, burying her face in her hands. This had been the worst of idea in the long sad history of worst ideas, clearly. "Gomen! I -i-I"
"Hinata-chan?" Naruto sounded completely confused and groggy. "What the hell is everything okay?"
Hinata breathed out rapidly. "H-h-hai, I just... I just..."
"Hold on, hold on, I'll buzz you in." Naruto interuptted. Hinata listened to the buzz with a wince but started up the stairs slowly, one step at a time, like marching to her death.
Oh my god, what was I thinking? What am I going to say when I get up there? I mean honestly what can I possibly make up now?
On the second floor Naruto stood at the end of the hall. He was in a pair of sweats, and nothing else. Hinata stopped a few doors before his doorway, feeling more and more like walking into that apartment just could not happen. Blushing furiously she looked down at her hands.
"I-I'm so sorry, Naruto-kun... I just... I haven't been able to sleep and I... I needed-"
Naruto peered sleepily at her, leaning one shoulder on the door frame. Blue eyes puzzled he cocked his head. "Hinata. It's two in the morning... is something the matter?"
"Yes."
He blinked, and Hinata took one unsteady step closer, trying really hard to not be aware of his bare chest or his cute ruffled expression.
"Sasuke...Sasuke said some... things... at the party..."
The blonde started. "OH. Oh that..." to her surprise upon peeking she could see a pink tinge covering his cheeks and her eyes widened. No...
"I just... I didn't want to just leave it... at that...and I couldn't... I couldn't sleep and I..."
"Do... do you want to come in Hinata?" Naruto pushed the door open behind him.
Her whole body tingling Hinata looked up at him finally, trying to keep her eyes on his face. Her clothes were ruffled, she looked tired, she was sure. Her hair was tangled from running her hands through it nervously for several hours and now he was there, bare from the hips up and looking gently but also pointedly at her. Her stomach did an awful painful flip.
"Iie... I really... I really can't."
Naruto bit his lip, searching her face intently. She had moved a tiny bit closer and it felt less like they were having a conversation across an endless chasm and more like she was there to actually talk to him. But she stayed, he noted well out of his reach.
"You don't have to worry about what Sasuke said." He finally put out there gently, trying to make eye contact with again. "I'm sure he was just..."
"I have liked you for a very long time." Hinata blurt and Naruto stopped, suddenly very aware of the fact he was shirtless, and that she was there in the middle of the night.
Her heart was hammeing so hard in her chest that she thought he could most likely hear it. Certainly he could see the flashes of blood coursing through her face.
"Oh... oh, Hinata... wait..."Naruto began, reaching up to rub the back of his head.
"No- no... I'm not here to...I did, like you, for a long time..." Hinata started at his awkward tone, moving forward rapidly. "D-d-demo...demo I've always been pretty sure that ...that you and Sakura-chan..."
"Yes." Naruto nodded slowly, and then, added more quickly. "Hinata, you're a beautiful girl... and you're so sweet, don't get me wrong at all... I just... uh... Sakura and I..."
"No, I know..." Hinata waved her hands in front of her face, feeling so incredibly uncomfortable. "I think I just... I think I just needed to hear you say...that..."
"Naruto?" A girl's voice from behind him called suddenly and Hinata's eyes widened, her eyes flashing to the blonde's in surprise.
Naruto paused, looking back and forth between the girl at his door and the girl who was coming out of his bedroom towards the entryway.
"I need to go!" Hinata gasped, turning right around on her heel and heading down the hall at a fast enough walk that her hair moved behind her like a cloak.
"One sec, Sakura." Naruto called, closing the door to his apartment and jogging quickly down the hall after Hinata.
"Hold on, Hinata, hold on." He gasped, catching up to her rapidly and turning her around.
"Listen... I... I am an idiot and maybe... maybe if I had noticed, if I had been paying more attention maybe..." he stopped, his eyes searching her blushing face. "Please don't be sad... You're my friend, I never would have wanted to hurt you. I promise."
Hinata started, turning to look at him in surprise, realizing all of a sudden.
"A...ano... I'm actually... I think I'm okay."
He blinked, his hands on her shoulders squeezing as he smiled. "Oh good."
"Naruto?" Sakura's voice called from down the hall, and as the door opened her pink head peeked at them from around the frame. "OH! Hinata-chan... ah... hi..." she began awkwardly and then promptly hid back inside.
Hinata smirked, and for a moment Naruto thought he saw Sasuke on her face. "You should probably go." she commented.
"Oh yeah." he nodded with a laugh, and abruptly hugged her tight. "See you later, Hina-chan."
Hinata blinked, having never had him call her that before.
"I heard the teme calling you that once and I was like, well fuck if he gets to why don't I, ya know?" Naruto laughed over his shoulder, giving her a quick wave.
"See you at school on monday."
Hinata waved back and when he was inside started walking slowly back down the hall, pressing her fingers together thoughtfully.
In the silence she studied the feeling in her chest, it wasn't the heartbreak she would have expected. She always assumed that there would have been a crack in her entire reality if she witnessed what she had just seen. She figured, the tears would have been overwhelming, the air wouldn't have been enough to fill her lungs, but as she walked back down the stairs she paused at a landing, in the dim light of the stairway lantern.
She felt...weightless, like a feather. None of the heavy painful drag of sadness on her limbs.
Back on the dark street she sighed, and after a moment allowed herself a funny little twirl in the dark before starting the calm cool walk back home.
Suddenly remembering that Neji-nii was probably going to bite her head off she blanched and took off running down the street.
He woke up with the worst headache he had had in a very long time and had a suspicion that it was due to a concussion because, as far as he could remember he had not had any liquor at all the night before.
But then, if he had a concussion, likely he wouldn't remember the drinking anyway so who knew?
"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." he gasped, burying his very sore and swollen face under his pillow. The concussion had not been able to wipe the moment in the darkness of his kitchen when Hinata's eyes had filled with shock and panic at his touch on her ear, and how she had scrambled off the stool and out the door in a hurry.
What had he even said? Had he called her a liar?
"Aw... fuuuuuck."
The light from outside was trying and failing to get into his room. Little fingers of it had crawled in at the corners of his curtains and around the highest point in his ceiling. It was past early morning which is when he usually got up, and he just didn't give at all. Burying himself more deeply into his bed he closed his eyes and winced, trying to keep the most agonizing moment of the night from replaying over and over in his mind.
No, no, no, no. What an idiot.
A small hardly audible knock on the door made him freeze.
What the.
Knock, knock, knock.
It was the politest knock he had ever heard, he even wondered briefly if maybe it was just the sound of someone knocking next door, but after a second of listening and thinking the person had gone away he heard.
"S...sasuke-kun?"
He was up. He was up and he was scrambling like bat out of hell, grabbing a clean shirt, throwing it over his shoulders and cursing as it scratched his swollen face. Hopping on one foot he stumbled down the hall, struggling to get his pants up over his legs and buttoned, pushing his mess of hair back away from his face before flinging open the front door.
Hinata stared at him, sizing him up.
"What?" He grunted, irritated that heat was rising to the back of his neck.
"Somehow I always thought... you were a morning person." she commented briefly, then reached out, making him jump as she tugged on the tag sticking straight out of his shirt at his side. Her fingers brushed for the briefest of seconds the skin of his hip above his pants and he swallowed, unaware that was such a sensitive spot.
"It's inside out." she laughed.
"Shit."
"Are you going to let me in or what?" she asked, surprising him again as she lifted the basket in her arms up. "I brought...well it was supposed to be lunch, but I think it's likely your breakfast right?"
Without letting him process she moved inside, putting the heavy woven item down on the counter where he had left the pack of ice to melt after angrily heading to bed the night before.
"Good thing I wrapped it in a towel." she mumbled, picking up the soggy mess and heading to the sink with it.
Sasuke stared some more, still standing by the open door in confusion. For a moment he contemplated saying something, about what had happened... or not happened, last night but she was pulling stuff out of the basket and talking and he realized asking him questions.
"Sasuke? Are you okay?"
"Oh... Hai. Yes. I'm fine." he paused. "What was the question?"
"I was wondering if you're allergic to mushrooms." she lifted up a little bowl of tiny pearl sized mushrooms. "I am making a stir fry."
"No..." he shook his head and stopped immidiately, regretting the movement. "Bugger." he winced, touching his face.
"You should have taken some pain killers and kept icing it for a bit." she sighed, walking back around the island to look at his face more closely. Feeling the closeness of her body with extreme awareness Sasuke leaned back, using he wall to brace himself. "I was tired."
"Don't complain, I got to sleep at four in the morning after Neji-nii tore a strip off of me."
"Neji?" Sasuke blinked, trying not to pull away as she touched part of his face that looked like it might be bleeding again. Her fingers came away red and she frowned. "You need a bandage on that, maybe even stitches. We should go to Tsunade-sensei."
"Neji chewed you out? For four hours?"
"No." Hinata laughed, walking back to the kitchen and digging around in his freezer again for more ice. "No, I got home nearly at 2:30 and after getting chewed out by my father for half an hour Neji demanded I tell him where I had been which took about another hour and then four oclock came and unlike some people," she glanced at him over her shoulder. "I was up at a regular time."
"What time is it, actually?" Sasuke muttered, trying to find something to look at other than her. She was... different somehow but he couldn't exactly tell how. The stutter had minimized, for one thing but maybe she just felt more relaxed with him incapacitated by the stupid concusion to his brain.
"Almost one." she answered briefly, walking back towards him with another towel full of ice. "Here." she murmured, pressing it very gently into his face.
Sasuke stared at her, standing he was a head taller, her face hovered near him, and after a second she glanced over at his eyes and back to the bruise, face darkening with a blush briefly.
"So?" she asked brightly, letting him continue to hold the ice. "Are you allergic to mushrooms or not?"
He shook his head, slowly this time. "No."
"Good. I make a pretty mean stirfry but without mushrooms it's toast." she smiled, and walked back to the kitchen.
Finally Sasuke closed the door, still watching her back as she chattered on and started chopping things, waving the knife around to accentuate points.
He listened, or tried to, while also trying to figure out what exactly was happening, although no amount of thinking seemed to be giving him any sort of answer.
"Sasu!"
"Don't!" He called back through the door, taking deep slow breaths to steady himself. Don't call me that, I can't think when you call me that.
"Saaaasu..." Hinata sang.
Damnit.
"Hinata. I swear."
From the other side of the door he could hear her laughter, a sprinkling of wind chime bells in the breeze.
"We're going to be late." she said more seriously and he nodded even though she couldn't see him. "I know. I know."
Throwing his books into his bag and his arms into his jacket he stepped out into the brightness of the snow covered world. Everything glistened and sparkled, and standing at the bottom of his stairs was Hinata with the cutest purple earmuffs on her head, grinning.
Before he could even say good morning a snowball hit him in the face.
Squeaking out half an apology and half a laugh, she ran, or tried to on the slippery snow, arms windmilling to keep her balance. "Don't kill me!"
Sasuke followed after her more slowly and deliberately and therefore more steadily, avoiding the slip and slide of the pavement.
"You didn't even wait until I turned around!" He called, bending down to grab a handful of snow.
"I couldn't hit you if your eyes were on me- I mean come on!" Hinata yelled over her shoulder, finally sliding onto the puffs of white snow that were piled around the frozen sidewalk. Crunching it quickly she started to run.
"You shouldn't pick fights if you can't finish them."
"Oh says you." she grunted, stepping over the snow dunes in a hurry and feeling despite trying her best to run that somehow at his steady walk he was still catching up to her.
Finally he took aim and fired, making an explosion of white explode on her back.
"HEY!"
He scooped up another handful while she scrambled to get the snow out from her hood.
"No, no, no, I surrender!"
"Like that's gonna work." he smirked, chucking another snowball into her stomach.
"HEY! The rules of war demand that when an opponent surrenders you STOP!" she gasped, ducking as another snowball flew over her head.
"Rules were made to be broken."
"You were complaining about me hitting your back! Now rules were made to be- ack!" Hinata gasped as a snowball finally hit her head, dusting her completely in white snow.
Laughing hysterically she sat down and then plopped onto her back in the cushiony frozen water. They had barely made it two houses down from his doorway. They were going to be more than just late.
Sasuke came to stand over her, blocking the sun from her face so she wouldn't have to squint at him.
"Do you surrender?"
"I did like... five minutes ago-not that you cared." she replied primly, moving her limbs to make a snow angel.
Sasuke smirked, watching her moving. The snow contrasting with her hair and matching her eyes. She smiled back at him for a moment, cheeks pink, whether from the cold or something else he wasn't sure.
"I don't want to go to school." she finally whispered.
Sasuke stared, thinking for a moment. He had a perfect attendance record. He had never missed a day not even when he had strep throat the year before, he had sat at the very back with painkillers in his hand and enjoyed the excuse to not talk or be touched by anyone.
"Won't your father..." he began, and she grinned, making him stop talking with the brilliance of her smile.
"You'll skip with me right?"
Sasuke thought, calculating the cost.
"I'll make hot chocolate, and we can watch a movie in your room." she continued, making an image of her, in his bed flash in his mind for a second.
His cheeks felt hot, and for a second she had the same curious question about whether or not it was the cold making him red.
"Okay." he nodded.
"Yay!" She reached a hand up and slowly he pulled her to her feet, always so surprised by how tiny she was.
"See? Sometimes opposing sides can come to an agreement!" she concluded, moving to walk back to his house slowly, holding on to his arm because the ice was threatening to dump her on her butt.
"I don't think anyone can agree that hitting a person on the back is fair game." he retorted thinly.
Hinata laughed, skipping up the stairs to his house and walking in like it was hers. "Ne... all is fair... in love or war."
She paused, glancing back at him for a moment before removing her jacket.
He bit his lip. He had no argument for that one.
She had fallen asleep. In the heat of the bed, with her belly full of hot chocolate, marshmallows and the most amazing mac and cheese he had ever had she had passed out, her cheek pressed into his shoulder, hands relaxed on top of the blanket.
The movie was still playing but he didn't think it would for much longer. It was some old thing he had never heard of before but she said she loved, and even though he had been trying to pay attention instead he had been dimly aware of the fact that she was in his bed. Fully clothed sure, but still in his bed, among his blankets and on his pillows. Now, not just fully awake but fast asleep.
Not that it mattered they had nowhere to be (except school of course) and it was hardly midday. Eyeing her absently he breathed in and shifted himself down further into the blankets. The movement made her shift and quietly she turned onto her side, curling her body around him slightly, one hand resting on his shoulder near her face, her bangs hiding her cheek.
Their friendship had taken a funny turn he didn't really know how to interpret. Before they had been buddies. He didn't carry her books, or walk her from class to class or anything. They moved around each other like matching magnets, similar but always a little bit away from each other.
Lately though, since that party actually, she had become... different.
She had never been, unfriendly but now she was over on the weekends, cooking and watching movies and doing homework.
She would touch his face to examine the slowly fading bruise on his cheek and her hands lingered on him when she needed something to hold on to to put her shoes on, to climb up onto the counter to reach a high shelf, to move him out of the way so she could reach a book he was blocking at the library.
And now this, he stared at her, her breath coming in and out slowly, her pink lips full and shiny. Was she wearing lip gloss? Is that what they called it? Lip gloss?
At least she wasn't stuttering anymore, her sentences sometimes slow to come out when frustrated or embarrassed but most of the time she just laughed, and talked like they had been doing so all along.
Startled he looked up at the TV hearing the sound of the end credits beginning to roll. Beside him Hinata shifted, burying her face further against his shoulder.
"I'm not moving, just so you know." her muffled voice said.
Sasuke started, surprised. "I...I didn't think you were awake."
"I'm n-not."
"...right."
One pale eye emerged from the depths of the blankets and his shirt sleeve to peer at him. "Did you like t-the movie?"
Sasuke tried to think back on what it was about. "Hai." he lied, completely unsure.
Hinata smirked, and buried her face back underneath his arm and blanket. "You shouldn't lie, you know... it doesn't suit you."
"Hn." He muttered carelessly, leaning back against the pillows again.
"L-lying is for heartless people." the muffled words were hardly loud enough to hear but it made him pause, looking down at her in confusion and wonder. But she didn't come back out, and after a few minutes her breaths were slow and even signalling deep sleep.
He thought that there would be no way he could ever sleep now, with her there, and with what she had just said, but somehow in the stillness after a few minutes he felt himself fade and didn't even try to make it stop.
"Naruto-kun said-"
"Ugh, no one cares what that dobe says." Sasuke grumbled, in a particularly foul mood as he looked down at four books open on the table.
Hinata frowned at him a moment, then decided to continue, ignoring his outburst.
"Naruto-kun said that everyone was going to the hills for some sledding tonight. They are having a fire, and roasting marshmallows and I think we should go."
Sasuke glanced up at her for half a second, trying not to look too death inducing. "No."
"Why not?"
"I'm not going, Hinata."
"D-d-demo." she began, flustered.
"You go."
She stopped, taking a deep breath to calm herself. "I will then."
Surprised he looked up, also surprised again by the frown that was clearly marked on her face as she glared back at him. "Fine." he snapped, slamming his book closed.
"Fine." she retorted, crossing her arms over her chest and getting more and more irritated with herself because her eyes were filling with tears and his face was fuzzy now and she couldn't see.
"Good." he added, pulling his notebook close he continued to write.
"Why won't you go?" he had never heard her whine before but he was starting to realize there was a first time for everything.
"Because no, Hinata."
"Demo..."
"Do you remember last time I went to anything hosted with those people?" He finally snapped, and Hinata's eyes didn't stray from his face, not even for a second. "Hai. Of course I do."
He blinked at the intensity of her gaze, surprised to find himself wanting to look away. But he was an Uchiha, he didn't look away. "Then you shouldn't even be asking me to go at all."
Biting her lip Hinata leaned forward slightly, clenching her hands tightly in front of her over top of his books.
"I...I thought it might be different...this time."
"Why?" He grunted, scribbling something down on his notebook. "Nothing has changed."
Hinata stared at him, it was easier when he wasn't looking at her.
"Well... because I thought we would go...together...unlike last time..."
"What does arriving together change?" He shrugged, continuing to transfer notes from one book to his page.
Hinata felt her hands shaking a moment. "I thought..." she paused. "I thought it might, that's all. Because then, if we came together then...Kiba...or whoever wouldn't...wouldn't um..." she stopped, frowning down at her hands. He had stopped writing and was listening intently, clearly starting to see where she was going.
"You... you mean a date..."he whispered, finally looking back up. Hinata however was going to be dying before she looked up at his face. Her heart was ringing with each beat in her ears and she felt a little dizzy.
"N-no...not.. I mean not like..." she paused. What was she doing?
Sasuke leaned back in his chair, waiting, his eyes studying her intently. "You're going to have to clarify. What the hell are you- what about Naruto?"
Surprised at the turn in the conversation and his tone of voice Hinata frowned up at him, mildly annoyed. "What about him?"
A scoff escaped him, despite his initial attempt at remaining calm. "He comes near you and you burst into flame, but you want to go to this thing like it's a date?"
Hinata felt her nose flare, knowing he was going to overstep and already getting irritated with it. "I don't burst into flame around Naruto- I don't, you just haven't-"
"I don't like Naruto's sloppy seconds."
Hinata stood, packing her bag with shaking fingers.
Sasuke turned back to his book, trying to ignore the ringing in his ears.
"Naruto is my friend." her voice was paper thin and had a different tone that he had ever heard before. This wasn't chiding, and this wasn't embarrassed, or sad. He turned to look at her slowly, trying to keep the impassive annoyed look from melting from his face.
"He's my friend, I'm not his sloppy anything. And you- I thought you were my friend too." her eyes flickered away then for a moment to his lips, and then her mouth opened, and words moved to come out but she shut it abruptly it. Cheeks pink she stormed out, letting the door slam uncharacteristically hard on the way out.
Sasuke watched her disappear through the library windows, feeling a panicky thumping in his chest that he realized was his heart careening around in his rib cage angrily.
No. No way, this wasn't how that conversation was going to go.
Abruptly he stood, leaving his mess on the table and running out, storming really, a thunder cloud of irritation dancing around over his head.
"Hyuuga, you wait!" He shouted down the hall, and Hinata who was walking at an extremely fast angry pace glanced back over her shoulder, getting more and more angry by the minute.
"N-nani? No." after a second she threw over her shoulder, loud enough that it surprised them both. "Screw you."
That one actually made Sasuke pause for a second and then he chased after her again, pushing out of the school into the freezing evening air. In the summer at this time the sun would still be out, but now it was bitterly cold and in her hurry she had not put on her jacket or mittens or anything.
Growling angrily at the weather too he finally came up to walk beside her.
"Stop."
"You can't tell me what to do."
"Stop it Hinata, wait."
"You may be Uchiha and everyone just...bows down and does everything you like but I am Hyuuga- i don't have to- nor want to listen to you." Words were coming out of her without any thought and Sasuke found himself surprised to be smirking as he walked along beside her.
"Good, fine, whatever, just stop." He put a hand on her arm.
"Back off, Uchiha." Her books dropped and all of a sudden her stance shifted to the gentle fist, one hand up, keeping him at arms length. It was too cold and she was embarrassed and hurt and more importantly angry. Her eyes strained for a moment and her Byakugan activated, changing her gaze from gentle and kind to serious.
Sasuke paused for a second, incredulous. "You have got to be kidding me."
"I-I-I said back off."
Slowly and with the same lazy swagger he always carried himself in Sasuke raised his chin, hand dangling at his thigh where his kunai were sheathed. "I'm not going to fight you."
"No? Why's your chakra pumping to your eyes for Sharingan then?"
Surprised he blinked at her, and in two blinks his eyes turned a brilliant glow in the dark red.
In the dimness of the evening he looked like something sinister, the snow looked black in the shadows and where they were the trees blocked the lights of the school behind them.
"This is ridiculous, put your Byakugan away."
"Stop. Ordering. Me. Around." Hinata snapped.
"You're going to hurt yourself."
He shouldn't have said it, he knew he shouldn't have said it but he couldn't help it. She was driving him insane with her making him food, and smiling and asking to go to this stupid thing with him and then turning into a beet red tomato the moment Naruto walked by. No. that wasn't okay. He wasn't okay.
She shot forward a lot faster than he would have expected and to his surprise, her fingers, lithe and pale flickered. His sharingan allowed him to see the kick she threw at his head, and he dodged, surprised again by how close it was to actually hitting him.
Letting out a little huff of air he twisted, moving to pin her arm to her back before she could turn around and actually hurt herself, but to his surprise her other arm had come around and grabbed onto his wrist. With a cry she heaved and threw him over her shoulder, expecting, he realized to slam him down onto the ground, but being who he was, his legs wrapped around her waist and together they hit the ground.
In the scuffle that followed there wasn't much of a contest. He was an Uchiha, he was The Uchiha, and before she knew it she was pinned to the ground, he was straddling her waist and holding both arms on either side of her head, panting a little she noticed, thank God. At least it hadn't been easy.
"Get off me."
"What the fuck is going on with you?" he snapped in reply.
"Get off me!"
"Hinata, you-" he stopped.
Her eyes were filling with tears and despite the snow cold against her back and soaking through her clothes her face was flaming. She was looking away pointedly, chest rising and falling in fast angry bursts.
"What the hell is happening to you? What are you doing? You can't fight me." His hands pressed harder into her wrists and she winced. He leaned in close, breathing in each of her gasps, her eyes widening at the proximity. Her breathing sped up, he could feel her chest rising and falling against him.
"S-s-sasuke-"
He studied her, suddenly feeling like it didn't even matter. Here he was with her pinned under him, her hips wriggled beneath his weight and he shivered.
She felt it, it coursed through him and made her stop, holding her breath as he looked at her.
"You're an idiot..." she whispered, feeling the tears start dropping down the side of her face into the snow. "You're no better than that stupid dobe."
He hadn't really allowed himself to think about how it would feel to kiss her because that wasn't something he was willing to entertain not having. So when his lips did press up against hers and she opened up to him, entering his mouth with her tongue he was shocked. He had always assumed that the shy little Hyuuga would turn crimson at a kiss and run away, but to his mixed disbelief and delight her mouth moved against him with fervor, and his grip suddenly lax on her wrists allowed her to bury her hands in his hair, pulling him closer.
She tasted like nothing he had ever had before, it was both sweet and dark, her smell, a mix of sunshine and soap engulfed him.
What is happening right now... wait.
Stunned he pulled away abruptly, dragging himself off her in a huff, chest rising and falling so fast he could feel the knock of his heart against the wall of his sternum.
"What are you doing?" He whispered, rubbing his face with one hand.
Hinata sat in the snow, also panting. Her clothes looked like they were in a mess, her shirt was hiked up showing her pale belly and yet pulled down so the whiteness of her cleavage rose and fell with each breath she took.
"I-I-I didn't..." she gasped, struggling to her feet and backing away. "You...you..."
You kissed me she wanted to say.
Sasuke took another step back, finally looking at her. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry, I..." What? He was what?
She waited, eyes trained on him, unable to look away. Her gaze flitted to his mouth, and he felt his fingers touch his own lips, as if surprised they were still there.
"You kissed me back."
Color rushed to her face again, her hands went to her hair, dragging through before rubbing her face hard.
"I... I have to go."
"No- stop." He was grabbing her shoulders then, feeling her shrinking into herself. "Hinata- you-you-"
"I what?" she finally sighed, and he felt her shoulders droop in his grip, her head bowed she pressed a hand to her forehead tiredly, fingers shaking.
Sasuke had never been very good at the talking thing. Before losing his nerve he pulled her chin up, and kissed her again, gently this time. She stood still, one hand up to the soft curve of his collar bone as he caressed her mouth, trailing kisses down her face and neck, his breath sending a shiver down her back as it touched the top of her shirt neck and slipped inside, starting a fire.
"Ah..." she gasped, feeling his hands on her stomach, moving up her shirt. It was cold and she was shivering but she wasn't about to mention that when he was busy pulling her into himself, his fingers sliding across the skin of her back.
Any time she had thought about her first kiss she had been sure she would need a minute to think, but the blood was pumping too fast for that.
"Come home with me, please." The first request in their entire conversation was whispered into her ear as he nibbled on her earlobe. Hinata shivered, unsure of what that meant. Everything about her upbringing said that a no was required but with her heart thumping away in a gallop she nodded.
"O...okay."
He probably could have asked her to fly and she would have tried at this point.
Somehow they made it back to his house, which thankfully wasn't far from the school, and also mercifully empty. He had not even bothered to get his things from the library. Hand gripping her's tightly he had half walked half dragged her home, and upon stumbling into the house turned to her.
He had had some words prepared, something about asking what this was and if she was okay or if he needed to back up but upon removing her jacket, in the half dark of the streetlight coming through his window Hinata took a breath, and removed her shirt too.
Air sucked into his lungs in a way that made him wonder if that was what they were meant for. His chest hurt, and as she slowly undid the button on her pants he began to shake.
Her bra was white, and he had expected something delicate and lacey- when his boy mind had allowed himself a moment of weakness imagining her without clothes. But it was filled to the brim with her, and between her breasts there was a tiny dangling purple stone. It glittered as she moved, pulling her pants down inch by careful inch of her thighs to the floor.
"...Jesus... Hinata... wait... you don't have to-"
"I-I-I know." Slowly she raised the curtain of hair off her neck turning around to him. Her underwear matched her bra in it's simplicity and color and he was having a really hard time processing anything else. "Can you take my necklace off please?"
Slowly he stepped up to her, taking slow measured breaths, in an out, his hands felt hot and cold at the same time as he undid the necklace watching over her shoulder as he slid it off and down her chest between her breasts and to her hand.
Moving with the same terrified slowness Hinata turned around, her fingers reaching for the edge of his shirt and pulling up. Carefully she pulled it over his head, letting it drop to the ground beside them.
He studied her every expression, watching as her fingers hesitated for a moment and then carefully begun to undo his belt.
The buckle clattered as it landed on the floor and he stepped out of the pants carefully, feeling her hair caress his arms as she stepped into his personal space.
It felt like electricity in the half an inch between their bodies was flickering to and from them. Biting her lip painfully she whispered. "I-I'm...I've never..." she let out a breath at the feel of his hands on her hips, skin to skin with nothing to buffer the way it made her feel. Goosebumps broke out over her shoulders and slowly he moved his hands up her sides, over the curve of her breasts to her arms, rubbing her shoulders gently.
"It's okay... we... we can stop whenever you..."
"I don't want to stop..." she shook her head and her bangs tickled his face as he pulled her in. Her stomach was smooth and soft against him and the curve of her chest was making it hard for him to get enough air.
"Okay." He nodded, one slow up and down. "Okay..." delicately he pressed his mouth to hers, sliding his hands back down to her hips before picking her up.
Lips locked and with her legs wrapped around his waist he flexed his arms, tightening his grip on her torso he walked into his room, lowering her carefully onto the bed, well aware that she wasn't moving her legs from around him but tightening and pulling in hard.
Her voice let out a sound that he had heard before as he let his mouth wander from her lips to her neck onto her collar bone and down, to the curve of her breasts, and suddenly he knew why her calling him Sasu both terrified and irritated him so much.
It was the sound of his name unfinished, interrupted by wanton moans.
"Sasu...sasu...sasuke...oh..." her lips were pink and soft and delicious and they pouted with every unfinished attempt at his name, struggling to put a label on the burning that had begun in the depths of her body.
He was completely and utterly undone, completely filled with wonder.
ALSO much longer than i anticipated- seesh!
Part Two done. I think I am going to do a much shorter part three just for fun with the next prompt word which is Loveable.
After that we're back to one shots.
Leave me some love, ne?
-Inky