Kiss Me, Kiss Me Chapter 4: Cold Kiss, a naruto fanfic

Chapter Four - Kiss Me, Kiss Me

Cold Kiss

Hi! I'm back, and no, I didn't win the bet - again! That's the second time, and the reason was because I was singing aimlessly "Neji, Neji, Neji, Neji" without even realizing it! It's really sad... and I'm not betting that I can go a whole twenty-hours without saying/typing/or writing his name! It's just too hard. For me, anyway XD

- From before -

Neither do I have a direction in life...

There's a thick layer of white, fluffy snow on the abandoned training ground.

Without thinking, I tear off my hat and scarf, stagger a few steps in the blanket of snow, and look up into the gray sky. I drop to my knees and cry.

January 8, Year of the Koi Pond

I hurriedly eat breakfast, giving Hanabi a swift smile and a hasty "Bye!" before running out the door. Snow is falling thick outside, and I'm brutally aware of the nonexistent prints in the snow where I'd streamed through a few days prior.

Now? I honestly can't remember what had happened...all the memories twist into one hazy swirling circle. I know I'm in the middle, somehow, and I'm lost. I used to think I had a grip on life, a destiny that was explicit and clear, but fate has proved me wrong. Sasuke's explosion made me think of a twisting, turning path. It's too fast for me, yet...I'm determined not to think about it.

Determined, but I didn't have to do.

Three days ago...

(January 5...)

I start trekking through the cumbersome pile of snow on my front yard. Ever since the snow fell yesterday, my heart felt heavy. A soft, whispering leaf rests on my hair, and I'm suddenly aware of the turn in wind, the presence.

I twist around awkwardly, both mittened hands on a shovel, the pompom on my hat nearly falling off.

The first things I see are the dark, hypnotic eyes. They could make me lose my memory if I stare hard enough, I imagine. Sasuke turns his head slightly, acknowledging I'm here. A few months ago I'd be satisfied, but he'd been so angry before, it seems like a miracle he'd even want to see me.

Swiftly he turns his head the other direction again and walks on firmly, perhaps faster than he had previously, a bit more rushed. He'd be more hurried to get away from me...but not before I see the indecision in his eyes.

Mixed with pity.

Fury rises in my chest, it roars with unerring speed and whooshes past my ears. I can't think, can't hear, can't... All I see is a sea of red and that figure in the distance. When did he become so tall? I wonder, and then grab that dark figure.

I feel the soft fabric of his coat, and then -

There is no time for choices. Ninjas have no time for split second decisions. In a flash he has used one deft hand to twist my arm down - I let out a surprised cry but his other hand pushes roughly over my mouth, warm yet freezing at the same instance.

I would have thought he'd be astonished to do this, but his face doesn't betray anything. He lets me go, and I stagger back, feeling, if possible, more wounded than ever.

"Don't come near me, Hinata." He drags out the last syllable before narrowing his eyes angrily. "I don't want to hear it!"

Somehow I still want to feel his hand; there is a connection, a small but yes...

"You're just like the other girls," mutters the dark-eyed youth disgustedly. Pain flickers, and then fades. "I shouldn't have thought you were any different!" A quick breeze flutters bye, he's gone, and my pompom has fallen off.

Kuso!

January 8, Year of the Koi Pond

- 6:24 in the afternoon -

"Hinata!" yells Naruto over the roar of the crowd. "You're needed on a mission!"

Mission? I haven't been in one for a long time...

He takes my hand before I can take another step. "Hurry up," he chastens.

We reach the Hokage; she has one hand on a pile of papers, the other on a cup that I highly suspect is not tea. She drops the cup lightly and stands up, a smile boldly on her face. Naruto jumps up with unhidden excitement.

"Am I going, Granny?" he yells with enthusiasm. "I'm going, please say I'm going! I - "

The door opens and Naruto crashes into it. When he gets up there is a huge red mark on his face.

"Ah!" says Tsunade. "You've arrived."

Time stands still. It's warm, but I feel ice-cold. No...!

"Hinata Hyuuga and Sasuke Uchiha! You two are on a C-ranked mission to buy much-needed supplies of..."

I don't hear her as she buzzes on. All I know is that those subterranean black eyes are staring into mine as if they can see through me, hear my thoughts. My breath is taken away.

Breathtakingly beautiful - his face, even if he is glaring into my soul -

"Since it's six thirty, you two must start immediately. This mission will take only one day, to the small village of Arahn. Hurry up."

The silence is so freaking loud - "GRANNY!" shrieks Naruto wildly. "Why can't I go?! I thought I was going! I thought that you were nicer than this! And I think that cup of sake is affecting your ju- "

"Shut up, Naruto!" says Tsunade loudly, a blush now highlighting her cheeks. She looks at me for some reason, as if for consent. I nod automatically - how can I go on a mission with Sasuke alone?

She grouches, "Fine. Naruto U-zu-ma-ki..." Dragging out the syllables reluctantly, she takes a sip of the "tea." "Now get out of my face! Hurry up."

We get out.

As usual, the Dark and Mysterious One doesn't talk, but leaves Naruto to yell around instructions. Not a very good idea, if you ask me. But no.

"Naruto," I try to say over the shout of "Believe it! I'm gonna be the hero - "

"Naruto!" I scream, fed up. It's obvious he's still very immature, though fifteen. "I don't see why we can't just go?!"

He blinks. "That's a good idea, Hinata..." By this time Sasuke has already given up, a disgusted expression on his usually impassive face, and has rushed off alone. Ignoring me. Leaving me behind. I can't ignore the waves of hurt. Again, Sasuke? Why? What's wrong with you? You're always so distant.

And what's with your whole strong and silent type? I can't believe this!

Naruto and I coast off, Sasuke far into the horizon where the sun is already hiding under the canopies. And why am I stuck with them?

We fly in silence, our footsteps sounding every now and then.

"Sorry you had to be paired with me," mutters Naruto, averting eye contact. "I'm usually pretty...obnoxious. I'm sorry I had to fight my way into the mission." Before I can cut in to forgive him - for what though? - he continues, "That's why no one really likes me..."

If I thought the silence had been awkward, I'd heard nothing then. "That's not true!" I blurt out. "I like you. You're friendly. Lots of people like you."

"Tsunade doesn't," he points out, but the smile is back. He's cheery again - it really doesn't take much for him to be pleased, but that's a good thing, I suppose.

Another silence.

"What do you think of Sasuke?" I wonder aloud, and then blush waiting his response. Why had I said it?! He's always on my mind...annoying. And now he's plaguing my train of thought, and speech, too.

Naruto thinks for a second. "He's secluded," he murmurs, glancing at me as if I knew what he meant. "He's always alone. It's like he won't let anyone in."

My eyes widen. That was it - exactly what I had been trying to fit together. Another look into Naruto's blue eyes; he's really not that spacey, I muse. Maybe he just acts tough? Either way...he's really a good person inside.

That's what matters...

"What about you, Hinata?"

"Huh?"

"What do you think of him?"

"I don't know," I answer, not completely honest. Oh, that maybe I like him and that - Shut up, brain, shut up!

It's amazing, though...

A few months ago I didn't even know these people! To think that... I must have been an idiot then.

Naruto...

Kiba...

Ino...

Sakura...

Neji...Hanabi -

Kiba... I miss you.

"...and then Kakashi said, 'A black cat crossed my path.' He's such a weirdo, don't you think?"

"Y-yea," I force myself to transport my mind back to the present. I shoot him an absent smile. "Yea..."

We reach Arahn in three more hours of a combination of silence and awkward talking. I wish I could loosen up, but I don't know, I'm wound up too tightly to even grin, even smile. Sometimes I wonder how I can be such good friends with Ino, when she's always so bold.

And Kiba...he smiles at even the smallest things...warmhearted Kiba...

Before long we spot Sasuke, his shirt mixed with the color of dusk in the sky. "You're slow." Naruto scowls and enters a rampage while Sasuke looks on, annoyed. I notice he doesn't look at me, but pointedly in the opposite direction.

My teeth clench furiously. "So, Mr. Perfect. You bought the equipment? Kunais? Good for you!" I shoot at him. His mouth twitches. Slowly he turns around. "You know, being so conceited and perfect at the same time while we lumber along after you? In your shadow? I don't think so." I disregard his look and instead stomp off.

"Come on, Naruto. I'll find an inn that's not too cheap for Mr. Perfect." I start, enraged, pulling a stuttering Naruto along. Stomp. Stomp. Stomp.

Sli-i-i-p -

The world turns upside-down for a moment before I feel the throbbing after a bad fall. Under my breath I don't mutter the most polite words, and my hands are wet. Sticky. Ugh...they're caked with something, but it's too hard to see in the dim light.

"Ew..." exclaims Naruto, taking my hand in his and crouching down next to my sitting form. "It's...he leans in slightly. Slowly he turns green, and blacks away slowly. "Um...it's not good, Hinata."

Sasuke's still standing up. He sighs, mutters something inaudible and handed over a few white napkins. "Wipe it," he orders to me, and I'm grateful, but take them without a word.

Only when I wipe it away do I realize -

"It's - "

Naruto's laughter envelopes the sky. He doubles over and laughs like there's no tomorrow. "H-hinata!"

I stand up, my cheeks flushed. "What?!"

"Dog cra - "

"I don't care!" I say loudly. Stomp. Stomp. Check - to see if there's any more dog poop. Stomp stomp. "I'm going to check out the inns! I'm getting tired of this!"

"I've already found one," says Sasuke, matching my stride. "It's over there." He points in the opposite direction to a promising, bright house. "You didn't need to get your temper up, okay? Now that was pointless."

I'm suddenly very aware of how I acted. Childish, idiotic. Even compared to a nine year old. There's an empty space where my anger once was to the brim. I sigh and start walking.

- 10:39, Inn of Arahn -

"We're sorry!" apologizes the maid hurriedly. She sputters, "However much money you carry, we only have one room to book!" She's carrying a clipboard with at least fifty names on it. "It'll have to do. I'm sorry."

Sasuke mutters under his breath, both hands full of boxes of kunais. Naruto doesn't say anything, just stares at some spot on the wall with a disgruntled expression. Gone is the picture of luxury, I suppose. Ah, well. I sigh and force myself to look at the harassed maid in the eyes.

Smile, smile!

"That's fine. Thank you."

"Hinata!" shouts Naruto, his tone colored with disbelief. "That sucks! You - " Guess who stayed silent but also gave me a look?... Any idiot should know by now...

- 10:49 -

In case anyone is wondering, yes, the bed is comfortable and huge. Yes, Sasuke has picked a good inn.

Also, in case anyone else is wondering...

I'm sleeping on the floor. No...that's not it; they are too. It's too much to talk over, we're all too exhausted. Sasuke just picks his sleeping bag, kicks the boxes of kunais brutally away into a corner of the small room, and doesn't make another noise. Naruto whines about wanting to take the bed, then looks awkwardly at me.

I take out my right hand, in the shape of a rock. His eyebrows lift, and then he grins. Silently I win two times; scissors and paper. He scowls. Then it turns to disbelief as I take my sleeping bag and stash it in the exact opposite corner where Sasuke slept. I smile at him and roll my eyes. He scowls again.

"If you sleep on the floor," he whispers peevishly, "I will, too!" Naruto throws a few blankets onto his bag and makes a pillow. After a while the silence is broken by the sound of his breathing, deep and calm.

Despite everything, I feel happy.

I feel as if I belong.

January 9, Year of the Koi Pond

- 4:36 in the freaking morning -

"Get up," commands a tart voice, and cold water splashes on my face. My eyes jump open angrily and I shiver, but I don't make a sound. I'm staring up at dark hair, dark eyes, dark smirk. I should have slept earlier yesterday... I reflect, reaching over lazily, not to mention reluctantly.

So much for belonging... Funny how everything is distorted in the morning, when everyone is grumpy.

"ARRRRGH!" shrieks Naruto as he becomes another victim of the cold water. "STOP IT! NO! SA - SAKURA-SAN! I wasn't peek - "

Wow. Someone needs a hot shower.

Later on, after we wash up and manage a few extremely freezing showers, we each take two boxes of the kunais and get ready. The maid comes in and nearly hyperventilates over the mess Naruto has created. "Get out!" she screams, and we're kicked out for the second time in two days.

"AND STAY OUT!"

"..."

"What are we getting for breakfast?" asks Naruto enthusiastically. I'm still trying to figure out where his eagerness comes from. Sadly it's plagued by the murderous look of Sasuke. The sooner we get out of here the better!

"Okay, okay!"

- 5:01, traveling -

We're traveling, obviously, in silence. It's too early. Even the birds aren't peeping out of their little nests yet.

"I'm hungry!" That's the thirty-second time. Oh yes. I've counted.

Surprisingly it's Sasuke who responds. "Don't look back," he mutters under his breath in a low voice. "There are six ninjas following us." A burst of excitement enters my stride, and I fast-forward.

"It's annoying me..." Naruto whispers, his eyes narrowed. "I want to fight them!" He stops still on the branch of one huge oak tree and waits. I slow down, sighing.

Fighting? I haven't fought seriously since... Well, never. I activate Byakugan instinctively and see them right on the dot. They're wearing purple, blue, and flashy red. Not very hard to miss. And surely, a sight for sore eyes.

Sasuke corners one in an instant and - "Katon Gōkakyū no jutsu!" he yells. Three go down amidst a whirlwind of flames and debris.

"They're not very strong!" exclaims Naruto, pummeling another with a well-aimed punch. Another goes down after a batch of Naruto clones. Ouch. He hits the pavement hard. "It's almost too easy!"

Whoosh. All of a sudden I feel weirded out, psychotic. Why...? Then it hits me. Literally.

A punch that knocks me into a hickory tree and limply onto the ground.

I spit up blood, coughing. A flurry of punches land into my stomach. Bruised and battered, I can't move. Useless. Useless. Left to die! I feel the constant trickle of blood down the side of my mouth, not aware of the kicks. Not aware of the cries that escape my throat.

It can't end like this...

Another fist comes close, slow motion.

A second later, I taste blood. Then my world dissolves in red.

- 7:00 in the morning -

Konoha Hospital, my eyes read, on the white washed walls. A foul smell. A bland taste. I open my eyelids. They weigh a ton.

"Are you okay? Oh no, don't move!" A nurse in white runs in, looking harried. "Don't move!" she repeats nervously. "You're in the Konoha Hospital Ms. Hyuuga. You've lost too much blood to move! Please - "

I ignore her. Sitting up, I feel the slicing pain in my stomach. A wince. I thought it would be gone by now...

"Don't talk" is another order I choose to disregard. "Where...where's Sasuke? And Naruto?" I add.

"They're fine, Ms. Hyuuga." She reaches onto the counter and checks something. "The - Sasuke, was it?" She squints. "He carried you." Aw, is my first thought. Sarcasm, of course. I'm too mortified to think straight.

"What happened?" I sit up another inch, and then slip down three. Kuso! I'm in the hospital...with a cast on!

She casts a disdainful look in my direction. Nope; I'm not one for following orders. "The rogue ninja knocked you out," she replies tartly, examining her clipboard again. "That's basically all."

I sit back, numb. I'm the only one who got knocked out? Even Naruto didn't. He's stronger than me! I realize.

Come on, Hinata. More. More! You've got to train harder.

I look up, suddenly full of determination. A slip of white paper is on my bed stand, swaying softly in the gentle breeze. Curiously I flip it over.

Meet me by the bench near the main gate - S.

That was it.

I drag myself out of the room, scanning for any wayward nurses. Seeing none, I hightail out of there, my leg dragging slowly across the ground. What? I look down, the first time seeing my condition not under blankets.

And I'm freezing; a white tank top, thin black pants, a cast on my right arm. And my leg... I've never felt so helpless before! Curse it all... Reluctantly I continue, the note clutched in my good hand tightly.

I see him before I see the large gray bench. "Hinata..." His voice is like leaves barely brushing the wind. "I'm glad you came," he says quietly, standing up. I walk towards him hazily, unaware of my foot lagging behind me. I'm both relieved and confused as to why he's here... A breeze flows past like a rippling, gentle wave of water. I shiver, my hair swirling around my cold face.

"I'm sorry." His voice drips like ice does in the spring, one effervescent drop of clear water after another. It's serene, true, and speaks no lies. Now if only I could believe him...But why? Why...?

"You weren't exactly apologizing before," I reply coldly, recalling the furious glares from a few days ago. "And I don't know what I did wrong!" I add, hasty. Too hasty. But it doesn't evoke emotion from him. He hasn't changed - hasn't changed at all. Not like me. Not like me...

He takes a slight step forward; determination. "It's my fault," he amends, averting eye contact. "I shouldn't have treated you like that." His eyes unthinkingly slide over to mine. I hold his gaze, unable to breathe. His voice drops to a whisper. "Secrets..."

I don't know if I walked or ran, but either way I'm only a foot from him, his eyes. "Tell me."

His scar. The mark; the bruise. Destiny. Once again it's niftly covered by his black jacket. I suddenly remember the night at the dance.

"Y-yes," I whisper. "So...what happened to you underwater?"

His eyes are hidden by a thin curtain of hair, but I can see his mouth convulse, something ominous, and he turns and walks away without answering. My head feels like it's in a black hole, swirling. Dizzy.

Beside me, the wall has a clear dent where his fingers had clenched.

This time, jerked roughly back to the present, his eyes once again staring into the depths of my souls, and I speak out, the same as before, yet not the same. My voice is somehow stronger, seeking an answer this time. "What happened underwater? You can tell me."

In his eyes shows self-inflicted pain. His fingers clench a few times. Then his body grows limp, still. "It's Itachi," he says, with a wild look in his eye. "To avenge my clan, I must seek power."

He bares his teeth furiously, and then, as if just realizing I stood there next to him, he forces calmness. My heart twists, bleeds for this pain. "It's not necessary!" I try to convince him, but he shakes his head, hair swaying. "I don't know what you're talking about, but it can't be worth it."

"No..." This time it's completely different, with an edge of menace. "Don't try to stop me!" His eyes narrow; he snarls, "This again! Why should you care so much for other people? That's not worth crap compared to yourself. You shouldn't be so selfless, trying to help others so much!"

I feel his angry breath, see the words forming, hear the cuts he's making in his own soul. I wince.

"That's what I - " He breathes, something like terror forming on his countenance. "That's what I like...about you."

I don't move as he comes closer. I stay as he kisses me. I don't move. I'm frozen...

The day when my father died of a heart attack. Now that's saturnine. Laughable, supposedly. Ice clouds the windows, reminding me of how it killed all the green plants, everything living. But it's beautiful.

His eyes remind me of the spring. The arrival of spring.

I haven't seen his eyes truly laugh yet, but when it does, it will be the most beautiful spring that I've ever seen.

That I'll ever see.

The next day he is gone.

Tomorrow is Christmas! Tomorrow is Christmas!Tomorrow is Christmas! Tomorrow is Christmas!Tomorrow is Christmas! Tomorrow is Christmas!Tomorrow is Christmas! Tomorrow is Christmas!Tomorrow is Christmas! Tomorrow is Christmas!Tomorrow is Christmas! Tomorrow is Christmas!Tomorrow is Christmas! Tomorrow is Christmas!Tomorrow is Christmas! Tomorrow is Christmas!Tomorrow is Christmas! Tomorrow is Christmas!Tomorrow is Christmas! Tomorrow is Christmas!Tomorrow is Christmas! Tomorrow is Christmas!Tomorrow is Christmas! Tomorrow is Christmas!Tomorrow is Christmas! Tomorrow is Christmas!Tomorrow is Christmas! Tomorrow is Christmas!Tomorrow is Christmas! Tomorrow is Christmas!Tomorrow is Christmas! Tomorrow is Christmas!Tomorrow is Christmas! Tomorrow is Christmas!Tomorrow is Christmas! Tomorrow is Christmas!Tomorrow is Christmas! Tomorrow is Christmas!Tomorrow is Christmas! Tomorrow is Christmas!Tomorrow is Christmas! Tomorrow is Christmas!

Merry Christmas!!!!!!

And if you don't celebrate it, Happy Holidays!

Neji: That sounds too bland.

Lumberry: ...Um...Happy Winter?

Neji: Maybe some people don't think it's winter. Maybe...

Lumberry: Oh, shut up.

Next chapter: Sasuke's gone. Hinata copes. Period. If you really want another cookie, review!

XD I really want criticism! I'm dying for someone to either flame or awesomely give me cookies XD

This is the longest chapter I've ever written! About four thousand words!!!!

Lumberry-sama