A.N
All right so this thing... wants to take off at a sprint and i'm like "Whoa there!" as I slam it to the ground with my boot at it's neck. I can't do another monster fic despite this one wanting that. So. I am going to try to keep this to a nice round TEN chapters. Perhaps, an epi. And that's it.
Let's see if I can manage such a thing, shall we? I'm notoriously great at rambling so.
Also, if you can, listen to the music that I use to write these pieces. Especially when I'm writing a scene with them playing. This particular one is awesome in cello and violin but you can also find it for violin and viola on youtube and that one is equally astounding- more so I might even venture.
Passacaglia Halvorsen, for violin and viola or for violin and cello
Much Love,
Inky
"Are those contacts?" Ino was leaning forward so much Hinata started to pull back, and then thought better of it. What if it looked rude? Forcing herself to stay with her elbows on the lunch table she blinked rapidly at Ino and tried not to let herself tremble as the blonde studied her shifting gaze intently.
It was odd having someone look at her eyes like that, without looking at her so much as the parts that made her up.
"Ino, don't be a turd." Sakura grunted and put a finger on the blonde's forehead to push her back to her side of the table. "You're right in her face!"
Being Hinata was difficult sometimes. Flustered by Ino's breath on her face and then Sakura's jump to her defense she floundered trying to decide whether to placate Sakura's mama bear response or thank her.
"Ah! It's.. I'm okay- they're not contacts." Hinata raised her hands, smiling painfully at the two girls as they shot looks of comfortable dislike at each other before turning back to her. "You don't look like the colored contact type." Sakura admitted, popping a chip into her mouth as she studied her. Ino sighed. "Wow. Being born with eyes like yours must be intense. Do you get a lot of people asking about them?"
Hinata shifted in her chair, rearranging her packed lunch in front of her again as the others chewed on their cafeteria bought fries and burgers.
"No... I... well yes, sometimes. I can look a little funny I suppose."
"You get that all the time too, no?" Sakura turned to her left where Sasuke was studiously ignoring everyone. His nose was in a book as wide as the cafeteria trays and thick as a dictionary. From her seat on Sakura's other side Hinata could see diagrams of what looked like an esophagus on the page.
"Hm?" He didn't look up and Sakura, letting out a sigh of irritation grabbed his chin as though it was a thing she did all the time and turned him up to the light so that his dark eyes blinked at her with some ferocity. It was hard to see what she was trying to point out when the irritation was so evident on his face, but she continued as though he weren't a thing with teeth in her hand and looked over at Hinata.
"The Uchiha family is all dark eyed like this one. Can't even tell sometimes if he has an iris. But they're actually blue, can you believe it?"
"Sakura." Sasuke snapped, ripping his chin from her hand with distaste. "What the hell?"
Hinata blinked at him, catching for a moment the light from the window to their right in his gaze. The flicker of blue was sharp and fast, like a shooting star, one second there and then gone. A smile appeared on her face, despite herself. "They're very pretty." she murmured and Sakura grinned at her, "Right? Your eyes are just another thing though." She nodded, taking another bite of her food and then looking past her. "Oh, there's Naruto!"
The way the name came out of her mouth made Hinata's tummy tumble around and biting the inside of her cheek she turned around to look at the grin flashing from across the cafeteria. With a handful of paper in his hand he waved and wove through the crowd, backpack slung on one shoulder like an accessory purposefully placed to highlight the broadness of his strong shoulders.
Hinata studied him, feeling her tummy getting more knotted as he approached and instinctively scooted on the bench to make room for him.
"Hey!" He grinned, tossing the papers down beside her lunch as he settled. "I am starving."
"Why weren't you here for lunch earlier?" Hinata had been going to ask but Sakura's cheerful voice made her swallow her words, and looking down at the table she rolled her apple around with pale fingers instead.
Sitting between the two of them felt strange, like being between two happy puppies wanting to nip each other.
"I got a call at the office right as class let out." Naruto looked confusedly at Sasuke then, tossing the papers he had set down at the table towards him. "Yo, take a look at those, will you? I got them from the Music Room. It's the pieces that your brother was wondering if we would play for that fundraiser thing."
The mention of the fundraiser drew both Sasuke and Sakura's attention in a way that had Hinata shrinking an inch further into the bench, a little closer to Naruto for protection.
"Uh oh." Sakura breathed.
"Itachi called you at the office?" Sasuke's voice sounded deadly quiet where Hinata had anticipated a shout and that was almost worse.
"Yeah." Naruto was looking puzzled at him. "Why didn't you just tell me about the fundraiser? I really don't mind. Any chance to play is good."
"I'm going." Sasuke began, slamming his book closed without answering. The rudeness of the action made Hinata blush despite it not having anything to do with her.
Naruto was looking at him like he had grown a second head. "I am thoroughly confused. What is your problem?"
"No... no, it's not you..." Sakura began, hand reaching out almost to touch him across Hinata's chest. Startled the Hyuuga leaned back sharply.
"I never said I would play at the fundraiser. He's being a dick." Sasuke supplied as he shoved his massive text into the backpack sitting on the lunch bench space he had been occupying.
"Sasuke." Sakura's voice sounded strained. "Come on..."
"It's fine, whatever." Naruto shrugged mildly, looking uninterested. "I was going to ask you to look at this thing with me but if you're not going to be playing then maybe I'll do it with Hina-chan."
The focus suddenly shifted to Hinata who's eyes widened as she stared at her apple, face coloring rapidly as she felt everyone's stare turn to her.
"What?" Sasuke's tone sounded disbelieving. "What are the pieces? If It's Itachi picking them she won't be able to handle them. He knows what I can do."
"You're such a jackass." Naruto commented briefly almost affectionately, pushing the papers further along the table towards him. "Hinata can handle it if you're not interested."
Jaw tight Sasuke picked up a handful of the scores, flipping through them with a frown. "Beethoven Sonata in A major?" He shook his head. "She can't do that in violin, it's meant to be a cello piece."
Hinata's back suddenly stiffened and Naruto let his gaze drift from Sasuke's to hers slowly, a sly smile detailing his face in a way that Hinata completely missed but Sakura did not.
"...I...disagree." Hinata's voice was feather soft and her eyes remained fixed on the table, hair blocking her face as she spoke.
Ino and Sakura looked at each other in surprise, blinking rapidly.
"It was written for a cellist." Sasuke stated, softly but firmly, tossing the music back on the table like that decided the argument.
"But..." Hinata's voice made him stop and Naruto's grin only grew wider as he leaned his chin on his hand, watching the exchange with open smug interest, unaware that Sakura's green eyes were fixed on him in a sort of astounded surprise.
"... it is not sacred... to the cello." Hinata's chin lifted a little, and although her eyes only trained on him for a second she breathed in softly. "If you do not wish to play at the fundraiser, I would be more than willing to attempt a different arrangement of the piece."
Sasuke's dark eyes stared at her tense uncomfortable little shoulders for two heart beats before he tightened his jaw again, zipping up his back pack with an air of finality. "I never said I wouldn't play. If we're all three going to be playing you may as well tell Itachi that the piece is out anyway." He nodded at the score. "He seems happy to communicate with you directly, idiot."
Wincing at that Hinata turned away.
"No worries at all, bastard. I'll tell your big bro." Naruto waved as Sasuke sauntered off like a dark storm cloud.
"Wow, Hinata." Ino commented, licking her yogurt off her spoon in a way that was still entirely too sensual for something as innocent as food. "You really love your art, eh?"
"What?" Her little voice sounded smaller than usual and Naruto's arm suddenly slung over her shoulder, giving her a friendly side hug that shot fire to her cheeks.
"I knew you'd give him heck when he started saying stupid things, Hinata." Naruto smirked and to everyone's surprise planted a kiss on her dark hair before standing up. "I have got to get some food before I die though. Lunch is almost over." And before noticing the dangerous red tinge to Hinata's cheeks he was gone, leaving Sakura and Hinata sitting side by side awkwardly and Ino smiling in a forced painful way at them both.
"Nice guy." She mumbled ineffectually, ignoring Sakura's disappointed droop of her shoulders and Hinata's thunderstruck expression in turn.
"You should have told me about it." Sasuke's tone left very little room for anything other than contrition but Itachi wasn't the eldest Uchiha for nothing and so while his younger brother cooked he smiled at his back, sipping at some tea calmly.
"I would have if you would stop long enough to discuss it with me."
"I would have discussed it."
"Right." The amount of disbelief in the word made Sasuke look over his shoulders, eyes fixed on his brother with growing irritation that was already near boiling point.
"Itachi."
Sitting at the bar stool on the other side of the island, closer to the living than the ensuing argument Sakura kept her head purposefully lowered over her homework, wondering if she should point out that the onions Sasuke had been sauteing on the stove were looking more crispy than sweated.
"I just wanted to make contact with this guy, you never mention him and if he's playing at the fundraiser for our parents-"
The key word had been spoken, and Sakura's eyes widened as she looked at the eldest Uchiha, surprise so clearly marked on her features that he cut himself off and clenched his jaw, staring at his tea cup as Sasuke slowly turned to look at him. With fake relaxation jarring his limbs he leaned against the counter where he was busy chopping mushrooms for their dinner, arms crossing in front of him like a shield.
"I just wanted to make sure he was reliable." Itachi continued as though there weren't an awkward painful silence lingering in the air, broken only by the sizzle of charcoaling onions on the stove.
"I know he's reliable." Sasuke's voice was thin and to the point. Cold enough to make Sakura wince and look back down at her homework with fake interest.
"Well." Itachi replied simply, glancing sideways at a speck of a crumb on the table before flicking it with his fingers off the smooth surface. "Good. Next time we can talk about it, and I won't call him at the school."
"We're a trio now." Sasuke added with some dislike that made Sakura wince at her algebra.
"Trio? Whose the third?" Itachi's face fixed on Sasuke's with surprise and the younger brother looked back intently before turning around and stirring the onions in time to save their deliciousness from the burning hell of the pan. "Some girl."
"Some girl?" Itachi's eyes flickered to Sakura who was looking at Sasuke with a puzzled frown.
"Yeah... Hinata Hyuuga." Sakura began, taking Sasuke's stiff shoulders as cue that she needed to intervene before he bit off his elder brother's head. "She... is a violinist. Although Sasuke, I don't think she was eager to join in on the thing, just... was willing to for Naruto's sake if you didn't want to."
"From what I understand this Naruto can keep up with you." Itachi added, assessing the information that Sakura had just stated. "Would a third person just hold you guys back?"
A sound escaped Sasuke that was hard to decipher although the idea of crushing a small animal at the same time in his hand would suit the expression well. "I don't know. If she's not going to play then she needs to bloody well say it. She had no trouble getting her underwear in a knot at lunch today so she shouldn't have any issue saying if she does or doesn't want to participate-" He stopped, the rant having taken all the air out of his lungs in a hurry. Sakura looked over at Itachi who was likewise staring at Sasuke with raised brows.
"So...we're not a fan of the Hyuuga girl."
"I need you to finish this." Sasuke stated suddenly to no one and everyone at the same time, turning around and heading up the stairs two at a time. Before Sakura or Itachi could come up with something to say they heard his bedroom door slam.
"What the..." Sakura began, sliding off the stool and heading towards the stove where the poor onions were still hoping for some saving grace.
"Mm." Itachi agreed, eyes still focused on the staircase where his brother disappeared. "Want help?" He added, turning to her amid the abandoned mess in the kitchen. Grabbing her pink apron from the rack by the fridge Sakura shook her head. "No way. We already tolerate your cooking twice a week, I can handle an extra half day, thank you."
"Ouch." Itachi grinned, although his head was really thinking about his little brother alone in his room listening to the echo of his slamming door.
"Hey."
Closing his eyes Sasuke stared into the darkness of his locker, willing himself to have imagined the blonde's voice coming at him from right. Upon opening his dark gaze however there he was, all sparkling glory of cerulean gaze and sunshine locks, leaning against the locker next to his own.
"Ugh." Sasuke replied, always the friendly host.
"Listen." Naruto began, and Sasuke instinctively had the urge to cover his ears. "I'm sorry about how things went down yesterday at the cafeteria. Sakura kind of tried to explain a little bit about the fundraiser."
This made Sasuke pause, and turn to look at him fully, a frown clearly marked on his pale face with obvious aggressive dislike. "She what?"
"She just mentioned it was a fundraiser for your parents memorial fund." Naruto shook his head at his hostile mask. "Chill, she didn't tell me anything else. Just that. I may not have as many brain cells as you do but I can tell it's not easy to talk about them being gone." He fixed him with his blue eyes, unshakable in his understanding and the conviction he was right. "I would know."
Sasuke stared remembering the reason for his transfer to their school, the frown slowly dissolving to be replaced with a thin line across his mouth. "Whatever." He mustered, slamming the door to his locker with force.
Wincing at the noise Naruto watched him haul his bag onto his shoulder. "Are you still coming to practice tonight?"
"...maybe."
Naruto shook his head at him. "That's a yes from you. I'm figuring you out." He smirked, and his hand shot out to give him a light shove. Surprised Sasuke blinked at him some more, puzzlement flashing over his face for a second before he grumbled. "Don't touch me."
"You keep that attitude up and I'm going to pick you up and carry you to class." the blonde grinned wolfishly. Sasuke's face couldn't have contorted into a more disgusted and incredulous expression. "I'd kill you."
"Oh, and here I thought you two were maybe getting along." Sakura's voice chimed from behind them. The boys glanced over their shoulders in the growing swarm of bodies flowing through the hall to where the pink haired girl flashed them a grin.
"Nope." Naruto announced happily.
"Can't." Sasuke growled.
"Yikes." Sakura shoved herself between them. "If I bring snacks to practice will it increase the chances of you guys not pummeling each other?"
"Unlikely." Sasuke articulated succinctly, while Naruto eyed him a smirk ever playing on his face. "I don't know, but let's try it out. For science."
"For science." Sakura laughed. "Fine. I'll bring sandwiches. I don't think you guys will be done in time for us to get working on math early enough for dinner, so unless you want to starve until tomorrow..." She shrugged at Naruto who put a hand to his stomach anticipating the agony. "No, no, no... please, sandwiches."
"While we're studying though, do you want to hang out?" Sakura asked Sasuke suddenly, making him look up. Until that point their practice sessions ended with him hauling ass back home to get something to eat and get his work done for the next day. He had figured that Sakura's intention with Naruto was likely going to pan out better without her weird almost brother hanging around. Blinking at her curiously he slowly frowned. "...why?"
"You could run through some of the new pieces with Hinata a few times." Naruto suddenly put in, looking like it was the best idea in the world as he hopped two steps that Sasuke decidedly sauntered. "She was saying she could come but wasn't sure she would, if you're able to-"
"No." Sasuke was shaking his head already despite Sakura's emerald green eyes shining with pleading. "No, I have studying to do, midterm report cards are coming out soon and-" He paused watching Sakura's mouth forming silent words he could barely make out to mean "Please." and something else he was pretty sure was a threat of bodily harm. Suddenly he realized, she didn't want to be alone with Naruto and Hinata for a whole afternoon.
Grumbling he fixed his eyes ahead to the end of the hall where their class door sat open, a welcome reprieve to the insanity of his supposed friends.
"The amount of stick in the mud impressions you do has got to be exhausting." Naruto commented lightly as they walked into their class room. "I mean seriously, you should take a break."
With a glower Sasuke moved to the back, as far from them as he could, realizing only too late as the words were coming out of his mouth that the only other person sitting back there was buried in a book of concerto pieces by Chopin.
"I would rather not deal with that violinist." The last word was said with something akin to disgust and he almost choked when beside him the Chopin book lowered and pale gray eyes that were too distinctive to be contacts blinked at him.
He was faced, naturally with three options:
A) be embarrassed, apologize and try to make it into a joke
B) be embarrassed, put up a front of irritation and hide behind a glower
C) be embarrassed, turn the color of a tomato and say nothing hoping that her good nature would oversee this shining moment in his history
Too stunned to think clearly he picked a little bit of each option, settling in his desk with a bright red sheen to his face and a glower and clearly more embarrassed than he had been in his entire time in high school.
Sakura winced at him openly from the front of the class and Naruto shook his head. "You dick." He commented lightly before throwing himself into his chair with distaste.
Out of the corner of his eye he could see the smooth hands of the musician fold her book closed and arrange it neatly on the corner of her desk table. Without a word she pulled out her work book and pencils, eyes staring straight again with a sort of intensity he had not really seen before on that shy nervous face.
Trying to convince himself it would blow over helped get through the boring class, despite hearing little of what their teacher had to say. It wasn't until he was getting up as the bell rang and gathering his things that Hinata's presence suddenly blazed like a lighthouse, pinning him, moth fragile to the edges of his skin in his discomfort.
"I will be at practice after school today." There was nothing different about her tone, nothing to state she was upset or angry or ready to cry, except for the lack of stutter and a decided white knuckled grip on her books as she stared at him, or rather the collar of his shirt.
"I won't." He replied, a little surprised by the brusque sound of his voice coming out of his mouth.
For a moment she considered his answer and he watched as pink rose to her cheeks, the silence dragging along with the sounds of the rest of the class meandering out the door.
From the corner of his eye he could see Sakura and Naruto's shapes lingering by the door, taking their sweet time gathering their stuff.
"Maybe..." she paused, and seemed to have to gather herself between words before she looked up, fixing him with a gray eyed stare that made him surprisingly uneasy. "...maybe you're just scared I may play better than you?"
The logistics of the sentence were aggressive, and had someone like Naruto said it he would have probably punched him, as it was a full on assault on his character and his abilities as a whole. But considering his stupid comment earlier in class, and the soft voice and questioning nature of the statement he decided on just a scoff.
"Hyuuga, you need to take it easy." He grumbled, grabbing his bag.
"Well then?" She cocked her head. "...perhaps... you should come to practice today."
"Fine." He snapped, walking away.
"Fine." Her sighed reply was more irritating than Sakura throwing a book at his head in an argument.
"Great." He added as he passed the pair of wide green and blue eyes by the door. "Bring me a sandwich tonight." He shouted over his shoulder at Sakura as he stormed off.
Sakura nodded although he couldn't see her. "I'll... make sure it has extra tomatoes!"
Naruto turned his attention back to the still form at the back of the class clenching her Chopin book tightly to her chest.
"Well..." he muttered. "...I guess I kind of orchestrated that in some ways."
"You're a reverse match maker?" Sakura laughed and then slammed a hand over her mouth as Hinata began the slow walk towards them.
"Something like that." Naruto whispered into her ear before waving at his friend approaching. Sakura bit her lip and rubbed the heat he had left over against her ear lobe with her fingers.
Steady, Sakura, steady.
Sakura watched as the rain clouds began to gather in the distance and gain traction with the wind above the city, heading towards them with the magnitude of a freight train. She winced. If it began to rain Sasuke would be in a very irritated mood and refuse to go home on foot because getting his cello wet was out of the question.
And a moody Sasuke hardly made for good company, especially while waiting in a dark and largely abandoned school for the rain to stop.
Letting out a deep breath she looked down at the bag of sandwiches in her hands and hoped that the fact she had made him both a BLT and a handful of onigiri would be enough to stave off a full on tantrum by the unstable guy she loved so much.
"Yo!"
Smiling brightly she turned to the right in time to see Naruto running out of the first drizzling of rain coming down to join her at the school entrance. "Hey!" She smiled and lifted the bag in her hand. "I got dinner! You got the music?"
"Sure do." He tapped his chest lightly with a fist and winked. "Always right here."
Restraining herself from a full on swoon she sighed, grinning. "Okay, well let's go find the grumpy pants that is Sasuke, shall we?"
"Oh he's here already?"
"He didn't leave." Sakura nodded down the hall towards the auditorium where they were headed. "I just ran home and got some food together. Do you think we should wait for Hinata-?"
"I don't think she left either." Naruto admitted, looking around at the empty school and the hall lights mostly turned out already. "I was going to walk her home but she said she was just going to finish up her homework before practice."
Without saying anything to each other they started to walk a little faster towards the auditorium expecting to hear Sasuke's irritated voice coming through the doors as they flung it open.
The light of the stage was on the piano, sitting empty and closed with a cello leaning against it's side like a lazy teenager.
Standing by the stage with his books spread wide across the floor and pencil up Sasuke stood, half lit in the dim light finishing homework. Without looking up he tapped on the stage with his pencil.
"I'm starving." was his hello, and Sakura rolled her eyes. "Good thing I feed you regularly then." She grumbled, walking over and dumping her bag of food on top of his books. "BLT."
"Hn." He grunted, rummaging around inside. Just as Naruto was going to ask about Hinata the door opened and her face peered in from outside, hair a semi wet mess on her head and wide eyes framed in a pale face.
"Hina!" Naruto called, sitting up and waving a little. "Did you get caught in the rain?"
"...ah... a little." She wandered froward, her violin case in front of her like some sort of shield.
Sakura felt the tension snap around Sasuke, a tangible thing that buzzed with energy and she eyed him warily.
"We should just get this over with." He commented before taking anything out of the bag in front of him, handing it over to Sakura without looking and pulling himself up onto the stage. "So you can go home when you realize we're going to be playing pieces too difficult for you."
In his head that had sounded nicer somehow, like he didn't want to waste her time. With his back to the three he winced a little, and Naruto let out a scoff. "Sasuke, I mean seriously. Could you be a bigger ass, please?"
"Sasuke." Sakura's voice chided softly.
To his surprise the only sound Hinata made was the slow steady steps up to the stage and the thunk of her violin case on the piano bench. Hands trembling a little she undid the locks and then did something that seemed to change the scenario in a way he couldn't quite put his finger on.
With deliberate careful movement she removed her sweater, leaving her pale arms free in her blue knee high dress, and dragging her waist long black hair in her hands she pulled it into a very high ponytail with a snap of her hair elastic before picking up the violin. As she walked away the delicate bones of her elbows and shoulders moved with the familiar weight of the instrument in her grip.
Pale gray eyes turned to him, and the set of her jaw had him suddenly reconsidering a lot of his more current comments.
"Solo or duet?" Her voice didn't shake, her steps were even across the stage to the center where the light shone and he stared, trying his hardest to comprehend what made her hair shine and what made her eyes pierce.
Below on the ground Naruto let out a soft little sound that was a laugh and an intake of breath of sheer admiration. "You're gonna get your ass kicked now." He muttered. Sakura blinked at this new girl, emerging from Hinata's body like a monster or a butterfly from a cocoon. She wasn't sure which one it was yet.
"Duet." Sasuke managed, pulling his cello from it's case carefully, watching out of the corner of his eye as the violin in her hand seemed to become an extension of her limb. If he could control the tempo and show her she couldn't keep up then maybe he could escape with some shred of his dignity.
As soon as he was sitting she tucked the wood beneath her chin, pale gaze steady on his, her stance calm and collected. "Passacaglia for Violin and Cello?"
For a second he just stared at her, eyes frozen. "What did you just say?"
"A duet. Passacaglia, for violin and cello?" Then her gray eyes narrowed. "Halvorsen. Or can you not keep up with that?"
Naruto was laughing out right now, and Sakura looked back and forth between the Hyuuga and the blonde beside her. "What is that? What is she saying, it sounds foreign."
"It's..." Naruto began and then glanced at her, realizing she was not getting the sheer hilariousness of the situation. "It's... how do I even put it?"
"I can handle that." Sasuke grumbled, and started when she walked back to her case and pulled out sheet music. "In case you need it."
"I'm fine, I've played it before."
"Oh good." She placed it in front of him on the stand anyway, walked back to her spot and fixed her gaze on his dark one, unshakable.
"Listen." Naruto whispered, and his hand wrapped around Sakura's wrist, his tension palpable even as his grip on her skin made her jump. "Don't even breathe, just listen."
Blinking her green eyes at him rapidly she turned, hearing the first notes shoot out like gunfire on the battle field.
And she had no choice, the breathing would have to wait.
They started together, a sharp intake of breath was all she was allowed and suddenly their cello and their violin was all that was left. A sound so urgent and angry and lovely, like the beauty of a single drop of blood suspended in the air before exploding in gore resonated vibrantly from them. Was it coming from them- or their instruments? It was hard to tell where the vibrations origin happened. Their fingers, like sprinters moved over the strings, their torsos and legs suddenly less valuable compared to the digits that poured over the wood and taut rope that caused the song to escalate. They glared back and forth, the tempo irritated and yet dancing as it smoothed into a companionable debate of emotion.
"...Oh..." Sakura whispered.
There was nothing else to say. In their hands the music was something to be woven, twisted moved and played with, the depth of the sound resonating not just on ear drums but in the chest cavity where their hearts beat, trying to keep up with the tempo and the blood rushing.
Dragging down to a slow meticulous whisper, Hinata shifted, turning to face not the empty audience but Sasuke, taking one, two slow steps until she was standing in front of him, picking up the pace again, her pony tail snapping accenting each of her bow pulls through the air, the sound a sigh, the movements of her body a sharp shout.
"God." Naruto whispered as they armed themselves against each other and pulled through with the crescendo in step, like they had practiced a million times before and this was just the aftermath of a concert, the nostalgic play of two instruments just showing off for the sake of laughter, or an argument.
As the ending neared and their strings darkened with feeling he winced, feeling Hinata's frustration, irritation, and a joy that only ever came when the violin was in her fingers, tucked close enough to kiss beneath her chin. Sasuke, cello moving like the ocean tides below the cresting waves of her violin glared back, his arms possessive over his instrument, his music an affront to her delight, although there was less of his frustration, something else was being dragged out of him, something like a startled restrained gasp.
Sakura watched as his shoulders began to loosen with the last chords until he was half smiling, eyes focused on the floor as his ears drank in the sound of an accompanying player who had the same crescendo in their chest as he.
As the last note rang out, she heard them both suck in a breath loudly, and Hinata's chest rose and fell rapidly in the stillness, her gaze lingering on Sasuke's for a long moment.
He stared back, feeling sweat slide down the side of his face, aware suddenly of the clamminess of his hands where he had hardly noticed them in the last five minutes as the music flowed through his fingers.
Slowly her arm moved, passing the bow to her violin hand, and with her free fingers she reached up, untangling her black hair from the ponytail, setting the dark curtain of silk around her shoulders, her cheeks brightening to a red haze that had not been there a moment before.
"...s-so..." She began, and the hesitation made him start, confusion marring his face for a moment as he tried to accept this Hinata in place of the thing that had sparred so furiously with him a moment before, her bow a blade, her music arrows.
"...am I allowed to play with you guys now?" And the timidity in her tone made Naruto laugh, breaking the stillness.
"Now that you've left the bastard speechless." Naruto replied with a grin as he leaned his elbows on the stage, resting his chin in his hands and gazing up at Hinata dreamily. "Maybe we can have some dinner before we continue practice no?"
A shy smile lingered on her face as her eyes drank in the blonde looking up at her and unaware of each other Sasuke and Sakura both winced, turning away at the same moment, a sigh ringing inside their heads in quiet frustration.
Damn it.
This story is going to focus on the rectangle. I needed to push the SasuHina forward a little. More NaruSaku will be happening as well.
Well, lots of things are going to be happening. *shrug* it's a knot. A love knot.
leave me some love too, ne?
Inky