Swoon
» (o4: the belated apology)

"You're leaving on a mission?" Sasuke asked, shocked at the thought of actually being left alone. Privacy had become a foreign concept ever since his recent return to the village.

Naruto merely nodded in affirmative as he used wooden chopsticks to bring clamped noodles to his lips before chewing enthusiastically. His sky blue eyes practically rolled back in his head. Sasuke didn't really understand how the blond could enjoy ramen that much, regardless if it was his favorite flavor or not, but that was Naruto for you. He watched with thinly veiled disgust as Naruto proceeded to wolf down the entire bowl, before smacking his lips loudly in satisfaction and slumping back in his chair. He waited for further light to be shed on the subject, raising an onyx eyebrow beseechingly, but didn't receive any. Figures, he thought morosely. Instead, the tard gestured at his own mostly untouched lunch, and questioned, "Are you going to eat that?"

Sasuke snorted with derision. Unsurprisingly, his desire to eat had all but evaporated. He had not been particularly starving before anyway. "I think I'll pass."

Seated at Naruto's right, Sakura frowned softly at him from across the table. "It's not good to skip meals, Sasuke-kun. You should try to eat it even if you're not hungry." She took a big bite from her own steaming bowl of noodles. An encouraging smile graced her lips. Her jade eyes were iridescent with cheer. She continued, "See? It's tasty!"

She had good intentions, but her attempts to mother him were more annoying than anything else. Sasuke eyed his own greasy portion of pork-flavored ramen noodles distastefully, before pushing the bowl towards Naruto. "Here," he muttered flatly, "You eat it."

The blond instantly perked up, reaching out to grab the offered dish up swiftly before Sakura could intervene. He promptly took in a long, appreciative whiff of the totally unappetizing aroma, to Sasuke's repulsion. A blinding smile spread across his whiskered features like the sun. He was so damn easy to please.

"Thanks!" Naruto bellowed gratefully, not wasting anytime and chowing down.

Despite the bright, pink-haired girl sitting next to him telling him to slow down and chew, the food's not going to run away for kami's sake, Naruto kept consuming one chopstickful after another. Sasuke observed the way they sat so unknowingly close together, their bodies at ease with the near physical proximity. To the quiet and dark Uchiha, it was obvious there was something lingering in the air between them, like dimly crackling electricity, whether the two knew it or not. He smirked, knowing if he made such a comment Sakura would not like it one bit, though her face would more than likely betray her by turning a ruddy shade of red.

Sasuke wasn't blind to the fact that Sakura thought she still held romantic feelings for him. Sooner or later though, she would see what was right in front of her. Weirdly enough, he thought they actually went well together.

"Ow!" Naruto cried childishly, breaking Sasuke out of his line of thoughts. "I rit my trongue! I rit my trongue!" He cursed and clutched at his mouth, big baby blue hues watering over with tears of pain.

"That's what happens when you're gobbling down your ramen like that!" Sakura shrieked, grabbing what was left of the noodles and holding it out of the blond's reach. "No more for you! You don't need to eat it anyway!"

Naruto stuck out his tongue, Sakura gave him a mouthful of her clenched fist, and Sasuke rolled his eyes. Another day as the third wheel. His remnants of annoyance swiftly scattered to the wind like cherry blossoms at the realization that soon he would be able to do as he pleased, and move about the village without a constant escort breathing down his neck. That was one thing to look forward to, at least. In fact, it was the first good thing Sasuke could honestly look forward to in a long time.

It got boring fairly quickly, and a little lonely, if Sasuke was honest with himself.

At first, he had been relieved. It had been refreshing, being able to go about as he desired without his persistent babysitters tailing him everywhere he went. Eventually the novelty wore off and in its place boredom settled in, as well as annoyance. All of the paranoid staring from villagers who didn't trust him to the longing glances from hormonal teenage girls who viewed the Uchiha as "the forbidden bishie" finally took its toll on Sasuke. With his reed-woven basket slung over his right arm and his usual stoic disposition, he quickly purchased all of his freshly ripened tomatoes and left the store promptly, regarding anyone who dared to look his way with a threatening glare.

He ended up striding to the area where he liked to be the most — at the training grounds he regularly frequented. The triangular shapes of lights and shadows that were all cast from the knobby trees that stretched up above to kiss the sky were a welcome view. Sasuke immediately felt his muscles relax as the negative energy drained from his core. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, listening to the bubbling water of a nearby meandering stream and chirping of birds from above.

Even with no one to spar with, he could at least enjoy the zen of the outdoors. Moments of unmatched tranquility like this were few and far between.

All of a sudden, a light and feathery tone voice punctuated the silence. "Uchiha-san?" He peered in the direction the voice had sounded from and through the blinding sunlight he saw a familiar, lavender-clad female form.

As luck would have it, it was the same girl he had been advised to avoid since the "incident" that had taken place at the beach three weeks ago. Truth be told, he had tried to push it out of his mind, along with the last unnecessary confrontation in the village with her teammates, but with no such luck. Whenever it did pop up in his thoughts, something foreign would scrape against the wall of Sasuke's chest, making him heat up whenever he recalled the brash way he acted towards Hinata. Eventually he acknowledged that those feelings were that of guilt and piping hot shame.

Laying in his bed one night, staring up at the ceiling alone within the darkness of his bedroom, Sasuke realized that he wasn't any better than a bully. Naruto may have been dense and oblivious to Hinata's feelings, but at least he acted decently towards her. He even rose to her defense, though his comment about her being comparable to a mouse had been laughable.

Sasuke on the other hand had been nothing but cruel.

Hinata was fidgeting on the log she was currently sitting on as she religiously avoided his gaze, dark lashes lowered. He noticed she looked even more nervous than usual, but also had an air of quiet determination around her as he approached at a slow, yet deliberate pace. Sasuke raised an eyebrow when he saw that she was gripping something so tightly with her hands that the knuckles were turning marble-white; it was a rectangular pouch, tied with a silky ribbon ornamented with a violet-colored floral design.

So she brought him lunch, he thought bitterly. Sasuke wasn't naïve, nor was he considered a prodigal genius for nothing, not that you needed to be one to grasp understanding of such a tradition. Sasuke recognized what it meant when a girl went out of her way to bring a homemade boxed lunch to a boy. He had received enough of them in his short lifetime — along with disgustingly sugary sweet chocolates and numerous love notes — to know the romantic intent behind such an action. But then he remembered he had done nothing deserving of such affection on her part, and those bitter feelings sparking to life in his chest were extinguished then and there.

"Naruto isn't here," he told her, trying to contain his aggravation. The thought of Hinata spending time to slave over a homemade bento and then give it to Naruto made him feel queasy.

When she did not say anything, Sasuke remarked, "He's on some secret mission with Sakura. I don't even know when they will be back."

He listened as Hinata swallowed and replied softly, "I know." She then lifted her head at last to look up directly at him, her long, thick hair framing her face. Her large, snow-colored eyes glimmered as they met his ink-black ones. "I . . . I was waiting here f-for you."

Sasuke's thoughts run a mile per minute as Hinata visibly hesitated, cheeks reddening, before straightening her posture deliberately. He stared right at her as she shakily reached down to untie the pouch resting on top of her lap. Sasuke's mouth went dry. His heart thudded against his ribcage, so loud he was convinced even the indigo-haired girl could hear it. It felt like he was being teased and tormented at the same time, as he observed her long, slender fingers fumble to loosen the ribbon. A haze of disbelief fogged his brain even while his hooded eyes darkened with anticipation. It couldn't be. Could it?

Before Sasuke knew it, Hinata had taken out the bento box, only to thrust it forward. Her cheeks flushed harder as she avoided his keen gaze. Despite himself, he felt his own normally pale face warming up slightly. He hadn't expected this turn of events at all.

"Please accept it!" she stuttered loudly, her entire body shaking. She bowed her head again, deep, indigo-stained hair tumbling down, lock by lock, to obscure her face from his view. "Please Uchiha-san. I-I know it isn't enough to make up for all the trouble I've caused you b-but . . ."

The former avenger was instantly jolted into reality as he gleaned the true meaning of her actions. It felt like an actual physical blow had been dealt, causing the wind in his lungs to be knocked forcefully out of him. And he remembered — Hinata liked Naruto, had for a long time now, and that wasn't likely changing anytime soon.

Perhaps, it was time he accepted it, and stopped taking out his jealousy on one of the few tolerable girls in the village.

"Do your teammates know you're here?" Sasuke finally asked, miraculously managing to gather his wits.

Hinata's head shot up with an audible snap. "N-no!" she choked out, her cheeks glowing. "I knew I couldn't or . . . I wanted to be able to come by myself."

" . . . Good." And a few maddening heartbeats later, Sasuke accepted the rectangular-shaped bento. He sat down beside her and she let out a startled squeak, but he ignored it. He took the cover off to take inventory of the contents inside, noting its homemade style.

There were shrimp rolls, and the sweet rice with tiny bits of fish and vegetables was shaped into neat squares. Nothing he saw was in the shape of a heart. Everything was precisely in place, carefully sculpted with great care, and not in any overtly way feminine. This offering was Hinata's attempt at a peace offering; there was no clandestine love amongst the array of reds, greens, and browns of morsels of fish and vegetables, nor behind the fluffy-white rice balls. It didn't look too bad actually, but Sasuke knew that looks could be deceiving.

He reached his hand out automatically. Hinata wasted no time in apologizing breathlessly before handing him a pair of wooden chopsticks. He took a bite out a rice ball, and admittedly was surprised at just how good it tasted.

"You made this?" he asked her, amazement evident in his tone, and she nodded. "You're a good cook," he added without missing a beat, and the corner of his lips quirked up at the way that his compliment made her blush even more.

Hinata really was adorable, he thought. After finishing chewing and swallowing a rice ball, Sasuke noted the fact that Hinata had not brought anything with her to eat for herself. Maybe she had eaten already before coming here? Somehow, he doubted it. His suspicions were confirmed when he bluntly queried her about it.

"I'm not going to just let you sit there and stare at everything while I eat," Sasuke said, and handed her back the pair of chopsticks. Hinata looked like she wanted to protest, but instead she slowly lowered them into the bento to pick up a rice ball, and Sasuke reached down to pick up a shrimp roll.

Together, they ate in silence, enjoying the tuneful song of birds in the trees, the calming rush of the wind against their skin. It was a calming experience, sharing a meal with the Hyuuga heiress. They passed the chopsticks back and forth; Sasuke had to forcefully contain his amusement at the way she almost jumped out of her skin when their fingers accidentally brushed against one another's. The only thing that held it back from being perfect was the acrid taste of guilt that curdled in his throat.

"Hyuuga," he addressed her, and she turned towards him. A light pink dusted the apples of his cheeks against his will. He murmured, "You're not weak."

Red-cheeked, she looked confused for a second, then realization lit her eyes, and she smiled bashfully. He breathed in, slow, the air a sweet relief, the guilt ebbing into a fading wave, until it was just an aching memory. Hinata was watching him, those white eyes sparkling, and the Uchiha knew then and there she really was far stronger than she gave herself credit for.

"Thank you, but I'm not as strong as I'd like to be," she chimed with her airy voice, which made Sasuke gaze at her strangely. There was a certain lightness in her tone of words that made her unique amongst all other girls, but the iron determination present underneath it gave him pause; that and the fact she had managed to get out an entire sentence without stumbling over herself, or stammering even once. There was a minute of silence, and Sasuke could tell Hinata was trying to muster up the courage to say something momentous to him.

Hinata's next words barely reached him. "That's why I wanted to ask if we could train . . . together."


► I'm sorry for keeping everyone waiting so long! I was not exactly sure how to go about writing this particular encounter. I wanted to sort of resolve things between Sasuke and Hinata, at least somewhat. I can't see him apologizing straight up, to be honest, hence his attempt to say sorry without saying sorry. xD Also, the ending probably sucks because it was rushed, and I didn't have the chapter beta'd. Still, I hope it wasn't too awful. Feel free to be honest and let me know what you thought of the whole shebang!

Edit: Grape Vegetable, I wish you'd sign in, or I had a way to contact you. =[ I'd love to talk to you more; I appreciate the fact you are also being honest with what you like and don't like about my fic. But regardless, I am thankful for your comments! Also to anyone else who doesn't sign in — you all are awesome in my book.

E› tifa .