Sorry for the long update. First, my grandmom wanted to teach me how to cook. Unfortunately, it seems that hot oil hates me as much as I hate it and so it ATTACKED me. My poor fingers got burnt and I playing basketball with a burnt hand did nothing to help (our House team came 1st!). Secondly, I was a bit busy with my other project, Meant As a Joke (also SasuHina). Please check it out.
Chapter 4: Bonding (Part I)
Sasuke was falling and tumbling through darkness. Freefalling, without any beginning or end. He tried to move his hand, but it was unresponsive.
Oh, he idly observed, my limbs are chained to something. To what, I don't know because to know, I'd have to crane my neck and my neck won't move. But then, if I am chained and falling, the thing I am chained to must be falling with me.
He was babbling uselessly, and he knew it.
A screen crackled to life over his eyes and a distant memory started playing itself. It was black and white, with a lot of grains. The sound was unnecessarily loud and drilled into his ears.
A tiny, six year old boy hurries through a garden, pulling the hand of a very frail looking girl with him.
'Hurry up, Hina-chan. It'll fly away/'
'What will? Tell me, Sasu-kun.'
'You'll see.'
The children slow down. The boy puts a finger to his lips and creeps up to a tree. He motions the girl to follow.
'There.' He whispers and points towards a chrysalis on the bark of a tree. There is a tiny tear in it and something dark is forcing its way out. The two children watch, captivated, as a large butterfly slowly struggles its way out of the cocoon. It stands still for sometime and flutters its wings, as if it does not believe its newfound freedom. Finally it takes off.
'Pretty!' the girl cries, and the children chase after it through the garden, laughing.
The girl is determined to catch it, but they lose it. Tears well up in her pupil-less eyes as her 5 year old brain cannot cope up with the loss. She sits down and starts crying.
'Nee- san says that only weakling cry. You are a weakling then.' The boy says.
The girl only wails louder and the boy is flustered. What was he supposed to do now? His nee-san was always right, but apparently his friend didn't think so.
Don't cry.' He says gently. 'If you do, the butterflies will never return.'
The girl sniffles and looks up. 'Really?' She asks, rubbing her eyes.
'I am sure of it.' He is sure because that is the only logic his mind can provide. He delves into his pockets, produces a handkerchief and offers it to the girl. The Uchiha symbol is embroidered on it.
Sasuke landed heavily on something, sending ripples throughout it.
Where am I? This is all so familiar.
The chains binding him had somehow disappeared. He stood up and took note of his surroundings. Everything was black except for a mysterious mist that seemed to drift somewhere far off- there was no distinction between land and sky.
Speaking of land…Sasuke wasn't even sure that he was standing on normal land. There were ripples where the soles of his feet made contact with the matrix, the edges of the ripples being rings of red.
He didn't know where he was, but he knew what would be coming next.
This was…
The thing he dreaded the most…
The thing he regretted the most…
His only weakness…
His only nightmare…
Suddenly, Itachi's smiling face appeared in front of him.
You must live, little brother.
Sasuke gave a snarl and slashed through Itachi. The apparition disappeared.
Sasuke-chan. Don't end up like us.
If you are truly my son, then live.
'Kaa-san? Tou-san?' The words sounded awkward and rusty coming out of his mouth. He whipped around to see his parents. They looked just as he remembered them- his smiling beautiful mother and frowning but proud father. The distant mist solidified and more people stepped out.
The old lady from the store down the street. Her husband. His parents' friends. His neighbours and their newborn child.
All of them were saying the same thing. Urging him to live on, to carry on the Uchiha bloodline. Oh, it was irony, it really was. When he was alive they haunted him. Now they wouldn't even let him die in peace.
The murmuring ghosts formed a ring around him. His mother and Itachi stepped out, a gentle smile gracing their lips. They tried to touch his face but he shivered and backed away, stumbling in the process.
Please…
The others took a step forward, tightening the ring. They outstretched their arms, as if they wanted to touch, to feel the last remaining member of their clan. All of a sudden they stopped and parted to make way for somebody with bright yellow hair and cerulean eyes, who walked in through the clearing. The newcomer held out his hand.
Come back to us, Sasuke.
What was that dobe's problem? Why couldn't he just leave him alone? Why was he so…so...emotional? Finally Sasuke could not take it anymore. His mentally imbalanced part could not take it anymore.
Stop it. Stop it. STOP IT!
Sasuke's eyes flew open and he stared blankly ahead in confusion for a few seconds. He was in light and airy room, lying on a bed with a blanket over him. For a few moments he could pretend that he was still a child waking up after a night of bad dreams.
Sasuke sat up slowly and a damp cloth slid down his forehead. His joints were searing. Well, they should, considering all that lethal venom he had been injected with. He should be dead by now.
Dread filled him. He should be dead but he wasn't. He swore.
I can't afford to be at a hospital. The authorities…
His stood up unsteadily and buckled.
Stupid weakling.
He clutched the bed's headrest and stood up. Keeping one hand on the wall for support, he exited the room. Thankfully, he seemed to be in his own house in the Uchiha sector. His thin clothes felt uncomfortable and suffocating and a wave of nausea swept over him. Sasuke stopped and touched his head to the cool cement wall, praying that he wouldn't be sick all over the floor.
Something sour rose up to his mouth.
Ah well. It seems that God won't listen to this wish of mine too.
Not that he really believed in God.
He heard somebody give a little squeak. 'Honestly, Sasuke-san. I leave you alone for a minute and you get up and…' The sentence was left unfinished, making it seem more like a scolding.
The speaker draped Sasuke's arm over her shoulder and helped him to the bed.
Normally, Sasuke would have resisted any sort of help. But, somehow, he trusted her. She smelt nice, like Mikoto Uchiha.
Hinata made him sit on the bed and gave him something to drink. He immediately felt stronger. Something chakra inducing, he supposed.
'Why?' Sasuke asked as soon as the burning sensation in his throat receded.
'Hm?' Hinata asked absently as she put away the glass. Judging by the way she interacted with her surroundings, the way she knew where what was, Sasuke deduced that she'd been coming over frequently.
Hinata sat down at the end of the bed.
'Why are you doing this? Taking care of me?'
Hinata gave a bright smile. 'I'm just repaying back a favour. After all, you saved me, didn't you?'
'Don't lie.' Sasuke spat. 'I don't want any of your shit. What's the real reason? Blackmail?' Although she doesn't look like the type to blackmail.
Hinata's smile faded away and she sighed. 'My point exactly. It's because you speak like this, living a life of solitude and not trusting anybody, that I want to help. You are a human being too, and I believe that everybody deserves a chance to start over. If you must know, all this while I could have simply gone and reported you to the Hokage. Instead, here I am, nursing the one of most wanted men in the country, an S rank criminal, the person who destroyed half my village and caused so much pain to the person I…' To the person I loved. 'Anyway, even I don't know I am doing this. Maybe I did this on a whim, and I think I'll stay.'
Sasuke blinked.
Quoting me, are you? Smart.
He couldn't detect any bad intent coming from her. Plus, he already trusted her long before he was poisoned. There was no reason to stop doing so now. Her soft smile reminded him of somebody and he felt this unnatural desire to protect her. Also, she intrigued him like no other woman had ever done. He shrugged.
'Fine. Whatever you wish. Just don't try anything annoying on me when I'm not looking. That includes attempted molestation of any sort. This has happened before, and trust me, I won't be kind.'
Hinata suppressed a giggle.
And that was the beginning of an old friendship.
Ok. There's going to be a part two of this chapter too, which I'll upload (hopefully) by next Wednesday. Something cute (once again, hopefully) will happen.
Review. Please. It's a humble request. If you don't know what to review, a simply "keep it up, its good" will suffice.
(*sigh* My self respect has taken a major blow after joining )
A sneak preview of the next part-
"His face was flushed, a mark of the slight temperature he had. Suddenly, she realised that he had grown up a lot since they had last played together as children. More mature. More…dare she say it…sexy. Without meaning to, she leaned forward, strands of her indigo hair brushing his face and touched her lips to…"
Well, bye for now. Don't forget to review and check out "Meant As a Joke". Sayonara.
-Andreya Halms-