My Angel
Important Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. In this chapter, we explore more of Sasuke's "new" personality and Hinata's hobby. WARNING the beginning of this chapter will throw a comic curveball at you. Don't worry, Sasuke means Aoda and not THAT snake, lol. I hope you all enjoy it.
Viewer's Choice: Introducing a few OC Hyuga's here. Let me know if you want any of them to have bigger parts or are just happy to have them as "extras."
Rio: An OC snake summon character I have made for Sasuke. He does have cameos in other stories. He's a garden snake. He is not a cannon character, like Aoda is.
Chapter Four
"Is it true you have a giant snake?" One of the Hyuga children asks Sasuke, not realizing that his older sister had been referring to a different kind of snake.
"Yeah. You want to see?" Sasuke asks Raiko.
Raiko's sister, Kikyo, sputters. Oh God, he couldn't be serious! Sasuke wasn't actually going to do THAT, was he? She didn't realize that the Uchiha meant a real snake, yet.
The 15 year old Hyuga woman had just been having some fun with her fellow clanswomen, when she snuck a peek. Raiko had asked her what she saw. So she had answered honestly. A really big snake. But not in the way her brother thought.
"Sure! I love snakes! They are my favorite animal. Mother won't let me have one though. She's scared of them." The lavender eyed boy replies excitedly.
"Alright." Sasuke says as he prepares to do a Summoning and blinks when Kikyo rushes towards him.
"NO! DON'T!" She cries out.
"Aoda is perfectly safe. He follows my every command. He is a loyal Summon. I know that snakes have something of a bad reputation, but Raiko will be fine." Sasuke assures the panicking teenage girl.
"Aoda?" She asks and suddenly realizes to her mortification, that Sasuke had been talking about an actual snake and NOT his manhood.
"Yes, he's my largest summon." Sasuke says with a nod.
"Oh um okay then." The Hyuga girl replies lamely.
"There's really no reason to be afraid of him. I have a Contract with Aoda. He won't hurt anyone here, without my order." Sasuke says and summons the massive serpent who was as tall as a two story building.
"Big snake!" Raiko cries out in delight and stares in awe at Aoda, who appeared to be posing for the child.
Sasuke chuckles. Aoda loved kids. It was odd. He didn't remember people he'd met. But his memories of his summons were perfectly intact.
"Can I pet him?" He asks hopefully and Sasuke nods.
Raiko pets the snake's side. This was so cool! He wondered how Sasuke could summon snakes like that.
"Come on Kikyo, it's okay. Aoda's friendly. Be cool. Stop being such a scaredy cat." He taunts her and Kikyo rubs the back of her head sheepishly, before gingerly stroking the snake's scales.
"You seem to like children. Though a little warning before unleashing a snake that size on the grounds and terrifying most of my clan, would be appreciated next time." Hiashi says as he walks over to Sasuke offering a small smile.
"Of course. Why wouldn't I? They are the lifeblood of any Clan." Sasuke says and freezes as he is hit with a flashback.
Sasuke was only four. Though he might be a child, even he knew when something was up. For some reason, lots of people were smiling and touching his aunt's belly. He didn't get it.
"Father?" He asked.
"What is it, Sasuke?" Fugaku looked down at his youngest son who had somehow snuck up behind him and was now hiding behind his left leg.
"Why is everyone touching Aunt Kora's stomach so much?" The young boy asked in confusion.
"She is pregnant, Sasuke. Everyone is happy for her and for what it means for our Clan." Fugaku answered.
"What's pregnant and what does it mean for our Clan?" His younger self asked.
"Pregnant is what you call it when a woman is expecting a baby. The baby is not ready to come out yet and is still growing inside her. It means our Clan is growing and strong. Children are the lifeblood of any Clan, Sasuke. Never forget that." Fugaku said and patted his son's head.
"Lifeblood of the Clan?" Sasuke repeated curiously.
"Yes, a Clan that fails to have children, will eventually die out. Every child causes our Clan's future to burn a little brighter." He informed him.
"You'll have a cousin to play with soon. Won't that be fun?" Mikoto asked her Sasuke, smiling as she walked over to him and pulled Sasuke into her loving arms.
"Yay! Maybe my cousin will have more time to play with me than Itachi does. He's so busy lately." Sasuke said with a frown.
"Sasuke? Sasuke! SASUKE!" Hiashi calls out when he noticed that the younger man had frozen still and appeared to be in some sort of trance.
That snaps Sasuke out of it. He looks around in confusion. To Hiashi it looked as though the dark haired man wasn't entirely sure where he was.
"Are you alright?" He asks in concern.
"I think so. Sorry, I must have spaced there for a moment. I don't think I've quite recovered from my travels. I probably just need more sleep." Sasuke says and Hiashi nods.
"Would you like to be escorted back to your guestroom? Just as a precaution of course? It would be most unfortunate if you collapsed on your way there." The Hyuga Patriarch points out.
"Yeah. Maybe an escort would be a good idea. I am sorry. I didn't mean to alarm you or your family. Raiko, if you want to see Aoda again, just let me know. We'll find someplace more private where you can play with him." Sasuke offers him a reassuring smile and Raiko nods happily.
"Toshi, would you please escort Sasuke back to his room?" Hiashi asks and the other Hyuga walks over.
"Of course, Lord Hiashi." He states and walks off with Sasuke.
Toshi was probably around twenty or so, Sasuke thought. He had long silky brown hair that reached to his shoulders and the trademark lavender eyes of the Hyuga Clan. He wore a simple green kimono with a black sash tying it together and had an lean, muscular build.
"I do hope that you aren't getting any ideas about Lady Hinata." He says as they walk alongside each other.
Immediately, Sasuke's defenses rear up. Instinct told him that Toshi was trying to pick a fight or at least was going to be a dick. Sasuke's instincts proved to be accurate.
"What do you mean?" Sasuke asks and raises an eyebrow as if daring the other man to elaborate.
"She is very friendly and kind. Perhaps too kind. People tend to take advantage of her. I saw how she sat on your lap and how your eyes follow her. You want her and she's too innocent to realize in what way. It's likely she actually believes you want to be friends." He scoffs.
Sasuke felt himself grow irritated. What right did this man have to speak to him like this? And how dare he assume that Hinata was some sort of lamb that needed protection from the big bad wolf.
"She is very kind. You are right. Perhaps she's too kind. You see, she's the type of person that might let your behavior slide. What gives you the right to make decisions for her? I doubt you actually bothered to ask her how she felt about me before pulling this pathetic display." Sasuke demands in irritation.
"Pathetic display?! I am protecting My Lady from you. I don't believe you lost your memories. I have no idea how you tricked the Lady Hokage and Ibiki, but you have always been as slippery as an eel. I think you are faking it. This is all an elaborate plot to get accepted back into the village. You are planning to increase your power by seducing our Lady and merging the Clans. Once you marry her, I'm sure your memories will just happen to come back." Toshi states.
Sasuke blinks. Well it seemed the Branch Member fancied him quite the evil mastermind. He wasn't sure whether he should be flattered the other man thought he was that clever or pissed off on principle. How dare imply that he wanted to trick Hinata into marriage?!
SMACK. Sasuke's fist goes flying into Toshi's face. He punches him so hard, the other man gets slammed into the wall. Sasuke's Sharingan activated. Toshi thought he was looking in to the eyes of an actual demon at that moment.
"I'm going to let that go because I know you are trying to protect Hinata, in your own stupid way. But I am not faking my condition and nor am I plotting to take over the Leaf by merging the Uchiha and the Hyuga Clans." He snarls at him.
"But you do not deny the seduction part." Toshi somehow finds the courage to say and glares at Sasuke accusingly.
"Why should I? She's beautiful, she's kind, and she's strong. She's a Jonin. So I know she's a highly skilled ninja. Why wouldn't I want her? What man wouldn't want someone who possesses all of those qualities?" Sasuke asks.
"Don't you even think about touching our Lady! You are a demon. You aren't fit to be in the Leaf Village, let alone to sully our Clan's bloodline with your evil! You are nothing but a traitor!" He roars at him.
"I don't think that's for you to decide. Maybe I am a traitor. I don't remember. But it's up to her if she wants to be "sullied" or not. Lord Hiashi has been very gracious welcoming me into his home when he didn't have to. That's the only reason you are still breathing. Provoke me again and you won't be." Sasuke says, punching Toshi so hard in the stomach that the other man blacks out from pain.
Sasuke picks up Toshi and carries him into one of the spare guestrooms. He leaves him there on the bed. If anyone walked in on him, it would look like the other man was simply sleeping.
He certainly didn't want to have to explain why he had knocked the other man unconscious. Sasuke knew he was in the right. Toshi had insulted his honor and had to be punished accordingly. But still he was a Hyuga and the Hyuga Clan as a whole had been so kind to him. So he knew it would be wrong to kill a Hyuga for this reason. Still Toshi was testing the limits of his patience.
"Well there's nothing I can do about it now." He mutters and heads to his room, summoning Rio.
Rio was one of his smaller summons. He was a garden snake. That made him good for gathering intelligence. Most people who were afraid of snakes, didn't care what size they were. And the ones who weren't, wouldn't view a garden snake as a threat. He was inconspicuous which was a good quality to have in a Summon sometimes.
"You needed me?" Rio asks.
"Yes, there's a man named Toshi. I believe he wants to pick a fight with me. Follow him closely, if you can." Sasuke instructs him and Rio nods, slithering off.
Sasuke sighs. He couldn't get those images out of his mind. He was certain that had been a younger version of himself. That man had been his father. Were his memories coming back or was it only a fluke?
He decides it didn't matter. It had been a happy memory. Nothing in it seemed suggestive of becoming a traitor, as Toshi called him. Sasuke liked his new life. Why upset it for his old one?
"How did they die?" Sasuke remembers asking Hiashi, after discovering his family was dead.
"Honorably." The Hyuga Patriarch had responded.
The man he saw in that image was dead. If he told anyone that he had had a flashback, he might kill his chances at a new life for an old one that he could never get back. It'd be stupid. Sasuke decided to keep this to himself for now.
A few minutes later, Sasuke hears a knock on his door. It was a soft, gentle knock. It almost sounded like the person was worried about being perceived as a nuisance.
"Come in." Sasuke says and smiles when he sees it was Hinata.
"Are you alright? I heard father say that you went to your room because you were still exhausted from your journey." She asks and walks over to him.
Sasuke smiles once more. She was worried about him. Toshi could go choke on a kunai. His angel clearly didn't care about his past, so why should he?
"I'm fine. Nothing another good night's sleep won't cure." He tells her.
"Oh good. Maybe tomorrow you'd like to join me in the Art Room. Lady Tsunade thinks it'd be good for you to get a hobby." She inquires shyly.
"A hobby?" Sasuke asks in disbelief.
A hobby, seriously? That sounded so tame. He was a ninja, not some Academy student that needed to pass the time. Still, if it would make Hinata happy, he supposed he could spend a few hours in the Art Room.
"Yes, you know…something that you do for fun." The blunette continues.
Hinata tries to hide her rapidly blossoming blush. She couldn't believe that she had just asked Sasuke Uchiha to pick up a hobby. He probably thought that she was stupid. But she remembered Lady Tsunade's letter and knew she had to ask.
Dear Hinata,
Sasuke seems fond of you in this…state. I believe that he could benefit enormously from a hobby. I don't particularly care which he picks up. Just as long as he's kept content and occupied. Perhaps you can suggest the idea to him.
Lady Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage.
"Well I don't see the harm in going to the Art Room with you tomorrow. But after that, I get to choose what we do next." Sasuke says with a smirk.
"Really? Alright, as long as no one gets hurt." She offers him a dazzling smile.
"No one will get hurt." He promises her.
"Good. Good night, Sasuke. Sleep well and I hope you feel better soon." She says.
"Good night, Hinata." Sasuke tells her and watches her leave.
He really was developing a bit of a fetish, he mused. Who could blame, Sasuke though? The way her hips moved when she walked was utterly hypnotic and the soft curve of her backside looked so inviting. Her legs were long and shapely, though regrettably…always covered up. Oh well, he'd enjoy the view afforded to him.
He settles in for the night. Sasuke soon drifts off to sleep. Soon forgetting all thoughts of Toshi and the flashback. He hadn't been completely lying, he still hadn't fully recovered from his journey.
Meanwhile in the Hokage Tower, Tsunade sighs. She was meeting with the Council. They had demanded an emergency meeting once they found out that Sasuke Uchiha was back. The meeting wasn't going well to put it mildly.
"Lady Tsunade, with all due respect, this is insanity. You have no idea when his memories will return or how he will react when they do. This is just playing with fire." One councilwoman states.
"I am fully aware of that. However, I can not punish him for crimes he does not remember committing. This is our chance to get him to rejoin the Leaf as a productive citizen." She replies.
"There is no denying that he could prove enormously useful, if we could be sure of his…temperament. The fact remains that we can not. This is foolish and courting disaster." A councilman adds.
Tsunade sighs. She really should have drank more sake before agreeing to meet with them. It was difficult to deal with the hard headed, old fools at the best of times. But it was nearly impossible to do so while sober.
"None of you are medics. I am. I know how to treat these cases. You do not. I am the Hokage and I will not have my authority as such disrespected. I value your judgment, but I will not be lectured." She growls at them.
"He has no ties left to this village that are strong. He has nearly killed his own teammates before." The man continues.
"That is precisely why I sent him to the Hyuga Estate. They are his family." Tsunade argues.
"As I said, he has no ties to this village that are STRONG. Those familial ties are so weak, that they are laughable at best." The Councilwoman observes.
"They seem rather strong to me at the moment. He is happy there or have you not noticed that the village is still standing?" Tsunade demands.
"We don't like it, Tsunade. But for now we will respect your decision. If he ends up attacking the Leaf, it will be on your conscience." They state as one and leave.
The next day, Sasuke heads with Hinata to the art room. He blinks. The art room was more like an art apartment. It was massive. He could see that there were many kinds of instruments, some Hyugas were playing them and others were singing. There was every type of artistic material you could imagine spread out on the table. All the way from crayons and pencils to clay. He saw that there were hundreds of paintings, sculptures, pictures, and potter displayed at various locations throughout the room.
"You said Art Room, not Art House." Sasuke says dryly.
"Yes, I know it's big. But that just means that there are lots of things you can try out." She says with a smile.
"Alright. Which is your favorite?" He replies.
"Pottery. I like working with the clay. You just sit by it and let your hands shape it the way you want as the wheel turns the clay." She says and sits in front of it.
"Sounds simple enough." Sasuke states and sits behind Hinata.
She nods and smiles, placing her hands on the clay. Sasuke places his hands on top of hers. He was perfectly content to let her "lead" in this instance. He didn't particularly care about pottery.
Still it was an enjoyable experience. Her scent was lulling him into a contented daze. Lavender and jasmine, he decided. That's what she smelled like.
He liked the feeling of her soft hands underneath his and being able to "embrace" her in this way. The music playing in the background only added to his meditative state. He felt so relaxed.
"So do you like it?" Hinata asks after a few minutes.
"It has its appeal. Very relaxing." He murmurs.
"Good. I'm glad. You deserve to be happy after everything." She mumbles in a rush.
"I don't remember what everything is. But I appreciate you saying that all the same. And I believe it's my turn to choose our next activity." Sasuke says with a smirk.
"Yes. You said no one would get hurt, right?" She asks and Sasuke nods, taking her hand and leading her to the library.
The Hyuga Clan's library was massive. He was pretty sure it was actually bigger than most people's houses. It was easy to get "lost" in here and that is just what he was hoping for.
"You wanted to go to the library?" She asks in surprise.
"Well not exactly. I just thought that the library was a good place because it's quiet and I don't think many people would use their Byakugan's to spy on the library." He answers.
"Why are you worried about being spied on?" The bluenette asks.
"I want to try out a new hobby with you. I liked the pottery, but I have something better in mind." He tells her.
Before Hinata could ask what he had in mind, she got her answer. Sasuke gently brushed his lips against hers in a seductive caress. Her eyes widen when she realizes that Sasuke Uchiha was kissing her or at least asking permission to do so.
"Kissing seems more enjoyable than pottery, don't you think?" He whispers into her ear and looks at her with ruby red eyes.
Hinata shivers from the feeling of his silky voice whispering in her ear and how close he was to her. Sasuke was giving her a chance to protest, she realized. That's why he had only brushed his lips against hers. He was seeking permission.
She bit her lower lip. What should she say? He wasn't himself. Well maybe Sasuke was himself, just the self that he had never been allowed to become. But his eyes, voice, and the feeling of him being so close to her was spellbinding. Surely, one kiss couldn't hurt, could it?
"Yes." She whispers and Sasuke smiles, his lips capturing hers again.
This time it wasn't just a gentle brush. It was a very deliberate and slow seduction. This was nothing like Kiba's sloppy, playful kiss. His lips were warm and rough against hers, but always sensual and coaxing. His kiss tasted like cinnamon, she noted. Hot, but not overpowering.
Soft and sweet. Her lips were so soft against his. They reminded him of rose petals. Her kiss tasted sweet, like honey he decided. Sasuke pushes her back against the book shelf and his tongue begins to explore her mouth thoroughly, causing Hinata to moan.
This was Heaven. He had his angel in his arms and her kiss. The moment was absolutely perfect, which is why he probably should have known it wouldn't last. Hinata breaks away blushing from him and mumbles that someone was coming.
"Damn it." He mutters and leads to another aisle, realizing that they had nearly been "caught."
Why he thought that he didn't really know. There was nothing to wrong about their relationship. Well other than his past. But he didn't remember anything about it, save for that one image of his father.
"Sasuke, maybe this isn't a good idea. You aren't really yourself right now. You might not want to kiss me when you get your memories back." She whispers once she was sure they were "alone."
"Hinata, after that I'm always going to want to kiss you. The past doesn't matter. You are my present and I hope my future." He says and caresses her cheek.
He didn't know why he wanted her as strongly as he did. She was beautiful, kind, strong, and her kisses excited him in a way that he couldn't fully articulate. Still, it did disturb him just a bit how she had suddenly become his anchor in this strange, "new" world. But he wasn't going to question it.
"Not many people have the luxury of starting over with a clean slate." Hiashi's words rang in his head.
He was right. Sasuke had been given an opportunity here that most people would never get. He'd been given a second chance and he was going to make the most of it. Toshi could go to Hell. Sasuke would send him there personally, if tried to keep him and his angel apart again.
Meanwhile, Hiashi blinks. He had gone to the library to pick up a book about memory loss for Tsunade. The Hokage knew that the Hyuga archives were vast and had asked him to see if he could find anything that might be useful to Sasuke's case. Well he had certainly found something useful, it just wasn't the book.
"Sasuke, maybe this isn't a good idea. You aren't really yourself right now. You might not want to kiss me when you get your memories back." He hears Hinata whisper to Sasuke.
"Hinata, after that I'm always going to want to kiss you. The past doesn't matter. You are my present and I hope my future." Came Sasuke's rather smooth reply.
This wasn't what Hiashi had envisioned when he imagined Sasuke growing closer to his Clan. The Hyuga Patriarch frowns as he tries to consider this from every angle. Should he sanction this relationship if it progressed further or put his foot down?
Sasuke was strong, intelligent, and came from a powerful Clan. If he and Hinata did fall in love and one day were to marry and have children, Hiashi was fully aware that his grandchildren would be…exceptional ninjas. On the other hand, he really didn't know if or when Sasuke's memories would come back and how that would effect him. What if they came back and he decided he no longer wanted her? Hinata would be crushed.
"I shall have to speak to Lady Tsunade about this." He mutters to himself, before slipping off to do exactly that.
