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Blooming Moon
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Hinata is at her window as soon she wakes up, pushing aside her purple curtains. She unlatches her window and opens it. The blithe morning breeze tumbles in, swirling through the room. Hinata's handmade windchimes — shards of colored glass strung together with old string — dangle from the ceiling and clink together, playing out gentle and pleasant tinkles. Her moon-colored eyes gaze upwards at the layer of thick, grey clouds that loom overhead in the sky.
It is not raining now, but she does not want to take her chances. This time, Hinata possesses the foresight to be better prepared in case of blustery weather — not leaving the house until she has an umbrella at her disposal.
However, she isn't at all prepared for HurricaneTenTen.
"So, how'd yesterday go?" TenTen asks without any preamble, and Hinata feels a sudden surge of dread swell within her. "Come on, spill the beans already!"
The girl visibly flinches while bowing her head, long, deep blue hair hiding her face. "I-I don't know what you mean."
Her response is immediate. "Don't play dumb with me," TenTen says straight forwardly, not bothering to beat around the bush.
At the sound of her best friend's voice, Hinata snaps her head upwards, her hair flying around her delicate face and shoulder, and looks up to TenTen, her pale eyes teary and pleading. TenTen snorts, "Your teary eyed act will not work on me, missy."
Hinata changes tactics.
"Nor your puppy dog eyes! Honestly, what do you take me for?"
"Sorry . . ." Hinata mumbles timidly, staring down at her lap in defeat. All morning, she has just been so preoccupied with worrying about the weather and panicking over whether or not she will be partnered up with Sasuke, TenTen's promise to grill her later slipped from her mind. "He didn't make it," she murmurs out at last.
"Oh, Hinata . . . " TenTen reaches over to pat her shoulder, her eyes troubled underneath furrowed brows. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Hinata shakes her head vigorously again, and although it looks like TenTen wants to push her for more information, she relents. "Okay. But you know if you ever want to talk to me about anything, and I mean anything, you can, right?" When the indigo-haired girl nods, silent still, light opal gaze downcast, TenTen grins. "Good! I'll hold you to it."
Eager for a change of topic, Hinata recalls the text sent earlier that morning to her phone. "Um, wasn't there something else you wanted to talk about?"
"Hm? Oh yeah!" Hinata's head snaps up, and her vision swerves to TenTen just in time to see her friend is leaning in closer towards her, before whispering in a conspiratorial tone, "Fresh and extra juicy too."
While it is true TenTen likes to gather her hair into convenient, boyish buns, and possesses an athletic physique courtesy of running track and playing sports — make no mistake, TenTen Cho is not above idle gossip, or gushing about cute boys. She is far from the stereotypical, one-dimensional tomboy, though secretly Hinata wishes differently at times when she herself is being interrogated. At least she has agreed to drop the subject from before, so she does not have to embarrass herself trying to explain what she knows would have inevitably come up.
Despite herself, she is also intrigued.
As if on cue, TenTen giggles, a good natured smile growing on her face as she remarks, "Have you heard about the new guy? Everybody's talking about him. Well, mainly all the girls. His name is Sasuke Uchiha."
"Eh?" Hinata looks at her best friend with suddenly rounded eyes and pink cheeks, and TenTen wastes no time launching into a lengthy first-hand account about how she overhead Sakura and Ino talking in the bathroom.
Both girls were standing in front of the mirror, re-applying Revlon and Maybelline, gem-colors, gem-stones like magical talismans to already pouty lips and perfectly curled eye-lashes. The amount of tubes and cosmetics containers TenTen claimed she saw them dig out of their too-large bags was awe-inspiring. At the same time, the pair was chattering and twittering about the dark and mysterious heartthrob who had succeeded in capturing the entire school's attention.
Apparently, he moved to Leaf recently with his mother because she found a job in the nearby elementary school as a kindergarten teacher. He is a total genius, evident by the ridiculous amount of AP and Honors classes he is enrolled in. Not only that but he is also outrageously good looking, with messy black hair that slants across his forehead and serious, dark eyes framed by far more lashes than any boy should have. At least, according to a huffy Ino. They both waxed poetic and endlessly praised him:
"He's the most beautiful boy I've ever seen — "
"You're so lucky you're a brainiac, forehead! I know if he was in my class — "
"You'd what? Like he'd go for you, Ino-Pig!"
Amid all this hate-love babble, she sustained an indifferent facial expression as she went about her business, briefly flashing a sociable grin at the two girls whenever they made eye contact. The entire time, she was eager to get out of the bathroom and see if this Sasuke was as hot as everyone alleged he was.
"He even has a fanclub already!" Leaning against a locker next to Hinata's, TenTen wears a revolted facial expression. "How is that even possible?" she asks her, wrinkling her nose.
Given what she witnessed yesterday after class, Hinata is not surprised. She does not express this sentiment however, instead fiddling with her lock, an enigmatic smile curling her mouth upwards. She pulls open the metal door, revealing an impeccably neat and tidy locker filled with books, writing utensils, and a few personal pictures; pulling out the necessary books for the day, Hinata gently inquires, "This coming from you?"
It takes a second, but then TenTen exclaims in retort to her teasing, "Hey! I may be boy crazy, but I am not a freaky stalker. I have some self-respect, you know."
Flicking her gaze in her friend's direction, whatever Hinata is about to say fades away to wisps of nothingness on her lips. Her breath is seized, her eyes wide and almost filling her face. For at the very far end of the hallway, Hinata thinks, no, she knows it is him — Sasuke is walking straight toward them, with more than a few girls from their grade stopping to literally stare, foaming at the mouth.
TenTen does not seem to notice, continuing to heatedly rant, "You'd never catch me dead joining any stupid club dedicated to snooping and worshiping a guy like he is some kind of god. I don't care how hot or how popular he is, it's just embarrassing! How any girl can do that is beyond me."
Exhaling, slowly, trying to quell the ever-present panic, Hinata tries to maintain an unruffled facade or at least a semblance of one. In a feeble attempt to diffuse her unease, she plasters on a smile, albeit weakly. Nodding to imply that she is listening, she tries to keep her attention fixed on TenTen, when in reality she is absorbed in the vain effort of trying to calm down the rapid beating of her heart, which is going haywire.
"There is a difference between crushing on someone and being obsessed with them. Fanclubs just encourage that kind of creepy behavior!"
Sasuke is less than five feet away from her, his penetrating eyes unswervingly looking at her.
"Don't you agree, Hinata?"
A chorus of little sighs from freshman walking by, and out of the corner of one eye Hinata sees Sasuke still walking down the hall, and she watches him disappear into the crowd of people heading to class. She gulps, then, suddenly recalling that unless his schedule has changed, they share the same first period. The only comforting thought Hinata can come up with is that they sit at opposite sides of the classroom. But then she thinks about English at the end of the day, and naturally, it is all she can think about.
"Hinata?"
Taken aback by the sound of her name, Hinata jerks, and notices TenTen is staring at her weirdly.
"What are you looking at?"
"Nothing!" Hinata chirps and she keeps smiling, tense, until TenTen shrugs disinterestedly, then stating that they should leave before the bell rings.
…
…
It is not unheard of for students to switch classes within the first week of school, so when Mr. Hatake announces there will be another student joining them today from the front of the art room, Hinata does not even look up. She is too intently focused on her sketch laid out before her, slim fingers wrapped around a piece of charcoal. Hinata barely registers Mr. Hatake's following words, "Go on, find a seat, and get to work making something."
Oh, if only she did. Then she would know what is coming. After all, Hinata is the only student sitting by herself at a rounded table with available seats; therefore, it is only logical that the student seeking a place to sit down will come her way. She also would have noticed the foreboding way Kakashi sensei is grinning gleefully behind an upraised orange-colored book, eyes twinkling with barely contained glee as he watches the scene unfold before him. If she could read minds, his thoughts would mortify her. She is cute, hopelessly shy, but cute. I'm doing the poor girl a favor at this point . . .
"OI!"
Hinata feels like she has been hit by a thunderbolt, it jolts her, sending her heartbeat suddenly racing at an insane pace that floods her ears in a rush. T-that voice . . . ! She would know that distinct voice anywhere. Whirling around clumsily in her seat, her long flowing hair sweeps around her shoulders. She stutters, loudly, "N-Naruto-kun!"
Uzumaki Naruto grins, ear-to-ear, and Hinata cannot control the little unsteady lurch her heart gives as at the sight of her crush. Realizing how her exclamation of his name must have sounded, her face grows redder, and she claps her hands over her mouth. He laughs at that, the sound buoyant and golden. "Mind if I sit with you?" the blond-haired teen asks, gesturing at one of the empty seats at her table.
It is a simple question that requires nothing more than a simple answer, yet Hinata does not want to say something that is foolish. Correction, she chides herself, something else that is foolish. She has embarrassed herself enough as it is. Hinata's cheeks burning a bright, rosy color, she finally she settles on a jerky nod, trying to hide her flushed face from his view.
She can practically hear the foxy smile in his voice. "Great! Thanks a lot!" Pulling out a chair, he sits down cheerfully. "Hey, uh, are you okay? Your face is turning pretty red . . . do you want to visit the nurse?"
Hinata's cheeks heat up even more. "N-no, I'm f-fine!" she hastily reassures Naruto. She internally gasps as he leans closer towards her from across the table, narrowing blue orbs in intense concentration. Downright terrified and feeling utterly defenseless, all the girl can do is freeze up.
"I don't know. I'm not a doctor or anything, but you look like you may have a fever. What did you say your name was again?"
"I-I didn't," she whispered. It sort of hurts, when he asks her that, but it cannot be helped. She has such difficulty interacting with Naruto, so every exchange she happens to have with him is branded into her mind. Still, three years of being in the same high school, sharing now three classes together, and he still cannot even recall her name. "It's H-Hinata."
"Ah! Mine's Naruto, though you already knew that!" he adds with a flirtatious wink, and it is too much, too much for her violently thumping heart to take — thus, the inconceivable happens.
Hinata passes out, cold, the last thing she sees being a multitude of flashing stars as oblivion closes in around her.
Her body hits the floor as if in slow motion, followed by a loud commotion as panic and confusion buzzes amongst her peers. Naruto, wide-eyed, merely gapes with a slackened jaw before being firmly instructed by Mr. Hatake to pick up Hinata and carry her to the nurse's office.
"Sure thing!" Naruto says. In truth, he would have anyway. He may not have really known the girl, but the fact she passed out on the spot after he winked at her . . . weirdly enough, he feels responsible. He picks her up, easily, and salutes the teacher before walking off.
On his way to the nurse's office, Naruto is intersected in the hallway by a student who is just coming out of the male restroom. The teenaged boy seems vaguely familiar now, the more that he glares at him. He has jagged black hair and impossibly pale, light skin. The most striking of his physical appearance are his completely black eyes, bottomless and churning like the ocean. Upon spotting him with the lax, unconscious girl hanging limply in his arms like a living china doll, the youth takes a menacing step towards him, those creepy black eyes narrowing into slits.
"What happened to her? Why are you carrying Hinata like that?"
"Uh . . ." Naruto feels intensely uncomfortable. He shifts the unconscious Hinata to rest more naturally in the crook of his elbow. Just who is this guy? Her overprotective boyfriend or something? "She fainted during class. I was just taking her to the nurse. But I think they moved it, because I can't find it . . ."
"You're lost?" the raven-haired teen retorts unbelievingly. "You're rude, and you're crass, but I didn't think you were stupid, too." Before Naruto can open his mouth to spew a few choice expletives in denial, not to mention ask what the hell crass means — he does not have crabs, thank you very much — he manages to reach his hands underneath her body, before smoothly lifting her up against him. The guy even has the nerve to smirk as he steps back and cradles Hinata closer against his chest like he just won. Won what? he asks himself. That's it. He has to be her boyfriend.
"What the hell, jerk!" And that is when it hits Naruto — and it hits him mighty hard, like a train wreck. He knew the creepy-eyed dude was familiar! "Wait, I know you! You're that guy from yesterday that flipped me off at the traffic light!"
The creepy guy merely rolls his eyes before spinning around on his heel, and walking down the hallway.
"Hey, where are you going?"
"What's it look like, dobe? I'm taking her to the nurse's office."
That ladies and gentlemen, is how Hinata ends up in the nurse's office. Lying prone on a hospital bed, the starched blankets pulled up to her chest, the confused girl slowly comes to. She has no idea that minutes prior to her total blackout, the very boy she is afraid of encountering again one on one is the same person who brought her here. All she knows is that she fainted in front of Naruto-kun, her crush since forever, and that causes her to groan and bury her face mournfully in her hands.
At lunch, a glum Hinata relates to the best of her ability what has happened. TenTen has to swallow down as much chocolate milk as she can before she spits it out amidst exaggerated chortles, her eyes watering from her hysteria.
"TenTen!" she whimpers plaintively, scrunching her face childishly at her best friend.
The brunette merely shakes her head back and forth, a wide smile stretched stupidly across her face. Wiping tears from the corners of her eyes, she gasps out fondly between wheezing breaths, "Only you, Hinata. Only you."
…
…
The dejected girl trudges to the last period of the day, convinced that an undeniable force must be to blame for everything going wrong in her life. Fate or God is being exceptionally cruel; pick your beliefs, either would work. Hinata doubts things cannot possibly get any worse, either way. Not only has she irreparably, horrifically embarrassed herself in front of her entire art class, including the golden-haired, blue-eyed boy she so adores, but now she will more than likely be forced to work alongside the contrastingly dark-haired, even darker-eyed boy who she is convinced hates her guts. There is no chance Ms. Hanae will bend to the wishes of her peers.
Predictably, in spite the majority of the class' trying to convince Ms. Hanae otherwise, she firmly sticks by her decision. "I don't want to hear any more complaints!" she calls out, clapping her hands together. The sound hushes any and all of the students who are grumbling agitatedly underneath their breaths. Satisfied, Ms. Hanae says merrily, "I picked your partners for a specific reason. The purpose behind this assignment is to get to know one another. More than likely, you would have all partnered up with someone you already knew. This way, there's more of a chance everyone will be working with someone they don't know, thus making a new acquaintance . . ."
Ms. Hanae continues to rave about the assignment, and Hinata inhales deeply. Casting Sasuke a sidelong glance, she notes the jaded expression on his face. His dark obscure eyes gravitate towards her, and realizing she has been caught staring she looks down hastily, blushing to the ends of her toes.
Unpredictably, Ms. Hanae calls out, "Sasuke and . . ."
The air of the room grows heated as it fills with feminine anxiety and yearning.
" . . . Karin."
"Ha!" Karin cries out triumphantly, crimson eyes glittering with apparent satisfaction behind gleaming spectacles. At the same time, Sakura scowls, another girl thumps her head against her desk, and various others let out groans of disappointment. The red-haired girl wastes no time in puttering over to where Sasuke is, pulling up a chair beside him whilst batting her lashes coyly.
"Shino and Hinata."
Shino nods at her from across the classroom, and Hinata flashes a warm smile, unable to believe her luck.
Shino Aburame is a highly intelligent individual with a well-known silent demeanor, at the top of their class with extraordinary marks. He is probably the only person who is even quieter than she is, Hinata muses, while always adhering to a courteous code of conduct. His interest in gardening, specifically in insect life, is what throws others off. She has never had a problem with it, and once was even was a member of a gardening club the silent boy was in charge of. His bountiful knowledge of humane insect traps, environmental friendly repellants, and landscaping in general was both informative and helpful. It had been enjoyable, and she would have rejoined, if it had not been one of the clubs to be dissolved in sophomore year.
Hinata is about to rise to her feet, but Shino has already beat her to it, dragging his metal chair to situate it in front of her desk. He sits down smoothly, staring at her for a long moment, before passing her his paper. He explains, "I think it would be more efficient if we were to write down our answers to the questions ourselves. You may go in depth as you so wish. Unless, do you have an objection?"
"No," Hinata replies, her face brightening with a small smile. "I think that sounds like a good idea."
Companionable silence falls between the pair as they get to work. Until, Hinata notices Shino is staring at her again, which in turn makes her fidget nervously underneath his intense scrutiny. Her fingers start to fiddle together as she licks her lips. "Um, is there something wrong, Shino-kun?"
Shino simply regards her for several heartbeats before answering. His expression remains listless, unchanged, and yet the rich timbre of his voice is marked with the faintest hint of curiosity. "Do you know him?"
She scrunches her brow and looks genuinely confused for a moment. "Who?"
"Sasuke, the one who is sitting in the desk exactly three seats to your left. Do you know him?"
Hinata stares at the face of her classmate with wide-eyed trepidation. The light in her snowy eyes dims, and the color in her face pales. "W-Why do you ask?" she queries in a whispery voice, her stomach tying itself up in knots.
"He has looked over here, specifically at you, various times during the duration of this class period. It is not an uncommon occurrence, I have come to notice."
Realizing Sasuke's perusal, a soft blush dusts across her cheeks in response. Sure enough, Shino is right, not that she ever doubted him in the first place. His partner Karin is speaking a mile per minute, while he himself looks detached, like his mind is elsewhere. She watches his distant, piercing black eyes — her pulse jumps when those eyes stare right at her. She looks away quickly, turning to look at Shino, who in turn raises an eyebrow at her.
"If he is bothering you . . ." His voice trails off, and the meaning is not at all lost on Hinata.
She looks at him in a snap. "N-no!" she stammers out, her hands flailing frantically like windmills. She furiously shakes her head, sending waves of midnight colored hair flying about. "Thank you but that won't be necessary, Shino-kun."
Shino nods slowly. "I admit I am curious as to why he has been staring at you as much as he has, but unless he does something inappropriate I will not get involved." Having stated that, Shino resumes writing, and all the flustered girl can do is stare at him, contemplating her options.
Twenty minutes later, the bell rings.
…
…
"Stupid, stupid, stupid!"
Hinata's fingers quickly spins her combination before flinging open the metal door in front of her. Pulling out her Spanish textbook, she shuts it with a clamorous bang. The girl then takes off down the hallway, each heaving breath bringing her closer to her destination; when she reaches the front doors, she shoves them open and searches around frantically for her bus. There! There it is!
There it is, just pulling out of the school bus loop.
Upon seeing the bus drive away, Hinata lets her head droop downwards with a crestfallen sigh. Of course she has to forget her text book, run back to her locker to get it, only to miss her bus ride home, today of all days. The world is surely conspiring against her. To top it all off, she can feel raindrops starting to fall.
Is it stupid she wants to cry? Her lips tremble, and she can feel the salty liquid brimming in her eyes, but she refuses to let them fall. "A true Hyuuga does not wear their hearts on their sleeve," she recalls her father behesting; they are silent, graceful, and strong. Honor and pride are to be upheld at all times. So she bottles her clandestine emotions up, stoppering them into a glass bottle. It does not come easy to Hinata, but then again not many things do.
The familiar rhythm of her phone starts reverberating, and Hinata reaches down inside her bag to check her latest text message.
To: Hinata
From: TenTen
:( srry i couldn't make the bus wait any longer.
She smiles at that, not wasting any time and texting an optimistic response.
To: TenTen
From: Hinata
don't worry about it, it's my own fault.
thanks for trying tho. i appreciate it. :)
Opening her umbrella, Hinata does the only thing she can do. She starts walking slowly out into the rain.
It's not so bad. The rain isn't harsh and unforgiving like yesterday, hissing as it fills the streets. Around her, droplets of silver are glistening on the grass, and dazzling on the leaves of the trees. Hinata falls into a state of tranquil lull as she listens to the soft pitter patter of the weather against the the top of her umbrella. It's calming, and she almost immediately feels her muscles relax as the negative energy drains from her core. She closes her eyes and breathes deeply, inhaling the distinctly sweet and refreshing fragrance permeating the air.
When she opens her eyes again, she smiles softly.
Her smile is short lived when suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she makes out the familiar sight of a shiny, black car.
Hinata pales. Sure, the day has sucked so far, but she didn't expect this. She did not expect to innocently be walking along underneath the protection of her umbrella, only to have him drive by her yet again. Trying her hardest to ignore the vehicle's presence, Hinata not-so-subtly speed-walks. But the car only accelerates, effortlessly keeping pace with her. Her eyes remain riveted straight ahead as she stubbornly puts one step in front of the other.
As soon as the door is shoved open, unable to feign ignorance anymore, she stops and turns towards the car — well, specifically into it and at the driver staring at her expectantly. She nervously fiddles with her bag. Then with the zipper on her hoodie. Then her hair. She looks to her left, then to her right, wondering if somehow she can make an escape and disappear from view, but of course there is nowhere to run. When she gains the nerve to finally refocus her attention on Sasuke, he is quirking a slender brow at her in what looks like mild amusement. A smirk tugs at the corner of his lips, and she blushes. She cannot believe that he is actually smirking at her!
"Got somewhere else to be?" he prods dryly, eyeing her.
Hinata bites her lip. "No . . ."
"Then get in the car, Hinata."
Her heart goes thump, thump, thump and her stomach clenches. These reactions he induces by calling her by her first name catches Hinata off guard. Why is he speaking so familiarly with her in the first place? A million and one questions thrum to life in her mind, colorful strings attaching and detaching, but one thought triumphs over them all: nothing will be answered unless she gets into Sasuke's car. So she weighs her options before making a decision.
She nods, sending him an awkward smile, before getting in the car in silence. As she settles in the seat next to Sasuke, Hinata clasps her hands in front of her, eyelashes lowering demurely.
She knows she should say something but she is not sure what to say. They leave the school in silence too. Hinata fiddles again with her bag, braving another look in Sasuke's direction. She wishes she could say something, but she can't. It is like she is paralyzed. She cannot think of the right thing to say, and put them into words, but she knows she should say something, anything.
"Uchiha-san?" she entreats him. "Y-you didn't have to pick me up, b-but thank you."
At the red light his hands clench and unclench on the wheel. He is not looking at her when he addresses her, but instead pure black orbs are diving out into the rain. That's okay, she muses. She is too shy to meet his gaze head on anyway. "You really haven't changed at all," he mumbles quietly.
The rich sound of his voice in such a low timbre causes a subtle stirring somewhere in her chest, her heart. She stiffens, her hands tightening on her bag. His elucidation catches her off guard. A lot of things about Sasuke are catching her off guard today. "W-what do you mean?" she whispers self-consciencely.
"Don't take it like that," Sasuke tells Hinata firmly, and this time he does shoot her an exasperated glance. "I know you'll somehow interpret that as an insult, but it's not."
Sasuke's words echo over and over in her head like a sweet fantasia and hope hums to life through her veins. Involuntarily, the color of blossoms rises underneath her cheeks. Hinata is hesitant, intimidated in fact, but with a newfound burst of courage she presses on to confess, "I thought . . . I thought you didn't want to be around m-me."
"Why? Because of yesterday?"
Hinata doesn't restrain herself. Her voice is meek but clear. "Hai."
"No, that's not it. It's just . . . that house. Too many memories." The light in his eyes dims. Sasuke's lips fall into a flat line, and he leaves it at that.
"Oh. I understand . . . "
And she does, she really does. It is somewhat a relief, knowing he doesn't think badly of her. But that relief is dampened by the way the spark in his eyes goes out and narrow, a scowl flitting over his lips as sepia-tinted memories hang over his head like ghosts. Days of warmth in the summer sun as they played hide and seek, sitting underneath the table eating freshly ripened tomatoes from Mikoto's garden, of tentative, shy smiles and laughs and bonding . . . they are dashed and subjected to nonexistance, made only now to resound in her own memories. It is as if it all never happened. It is as if she is sitting next to a stranger. She understands, but it doesn't mean she isn't sad, and even a little bit angry at the situation.
We used to be friends, she recollects, sadly. Hinata swiftly reprimands herself. There is no use thinking like that anymore. It is what it is.
As a result, the conversation dies there, ending on an acerbic note, as it fades into uncomfortable silence.
"Why . . . why were you here?" Hinata enquires after a few moments, in an attempt to break the ice. She is so used to impenetrable silence from her own father, but for some unidentifiable reason she cannot stand it from Sasuke, even now. Her question is not the best topic starter to get a conversation going but thankfully Sasuke takes the bait. His answer, however, dumbfounds her.
"You think I'm stalking you?" Sasuke's retort comes out snappish and annoyed.
"N-No!" she bursts out, realizing her horrible mistake. She is sure he has his reasons, she just doesn't know what they are. Her response comes out in a hurried tangent as she rushes to rectify the false, not to mention, awfully phrased question she asked him. "I didn't mean to imply t-that! I'm sorry. Um, I just . . ."
"Yesterday I stayed after school. Today is my first day at work, so right after I go home and change I'll be heading out again."
A new dose of concern clouds her visage. Her bright eyes widen instantaneously. "I won't make you late, w-will I?"
"No. Now stop worrying so much," he chastises her, obsidian irises on the road. "I could have easily not picked you up. It was my decision to stop. Got it?"
Hinata hesitantly nods.
"Good. So . . . how's your English project going with your partner?" Her eyelashes flutter at that. Sasuke asking her after her English assignment isn't an inquiry she anticipates coming from him. The thought of Sasuke not wanting their conversation to end either, even if she doubts his genuine interest in regards to the topic, makes the tiniest bit of happiness spark within her. "It's going . . . good. Shino-kun is very, um, dependable."
"Dependable?" The teen echoes, a hint of what she swears is akin to amusement lingering underneath his words.
"H-Hai . . ."
"Hn. Only you'd say something like that."
"H-He is!" she says defensively, the real intent of his words flying over her head. "We used to be in a gardening club together, but it was canceled. He made a g-great president." She adds, as an afterthought, "What about um, yours?"
"Karin is annoying," Sasuke relates with a snort. Not missing a heartbeat, he asks her, "By the way . . . are you all right. After what happened earlier?"
"I'm fine." Hinata looks up instinctively, offering Sasuke a confused gaze, her eyes flashing pearls. Then her fair-skinned face pinkens. Why is Sasuke asking about earlier, unless he knows . . . ? She swallows thickly before continuing, her softly spoken words hesitant, uncertain; each syllable quakes with a keen sense of horror and foreboding. "W-Why do you ask?"
"Of course Naruto didn't tell you," Sasuke says with an air of exasperation, and Hinata notices he is turning onto her road. He shakes his head.
"Tell me w-what?"
"I ended up taking you to the nurse. I didn't trust Naruto to be able to carry you without dropping you on your head after he said he was lost."
A rush of unadultered disillusion swirls in her head, jumbling her intense cocktail of emotions burning her chest.
"You — " she clears her throat. "You're the one who . . . c-carried me to the n-nurse's office?" She tries to think about what the nurse told her when she woke up. She had said that a very nice boy had carried her there, bridal-style, and even gone back to her classroom to pick up her binder and textbooks. Originally assuming it had been Naruto's doing, she felt horrible for inconveniencing him, though grateful for his valiant efforts. Her heart had even skipped a beat at the thought of the handsome blonde cradling her in his strong, muscular arms — but in all actuality, it had been Sasuke. Sasuke had done all of those things for her, not Naruto. Sasuke had carried her across the school, then gone back inside her classroom only to bring Hinata her belongings. Sasuke had helped her. Sasuke had looked out for her . . .
It is then, she knows. Underneath the impassive façade, the ice-cold beauty, the little boy she remembers, the one who loved tomatoes and hated soap and defended her from bullies, is still there. Hinata stares at him in slight awe. She nibbles her lower lip for a bit before allowing a pleasant smile to envelope her rosy mouth. "T-Thank you. That was very . . . kind of you."
"It's not a big deal," he mutters dismissively. The faintest dusting of sugar pink shadows his face, or that could be a trick of light. She looks at him, and he looks straight ahead, hands tight on the steering wheel. Sasuke stops at the end of her drive way, putting the car in park. The ride home is officially over, yet she can't help but wish it wasn't.
"T-thank you, again, for the ride home, and for e-earlier," the indigo-haired girl adds shyly. "I'll go now. Um . . . Good luck at your first day of w-work. Do your best!"
His lips curve slightly into an enigmatic smile. "Sure."
And when she gathers her belongings, fumbling clumsily with her bag and collapsible umbrella, she crinkles her fingers in a cheerful wave before running towards the safety of her porch. This time, she does watch him go. She never takes her eyes off of him as he pulls out of her driveway, nodding briefly at her in acknowledgement, before taking off through the dwindling rain. The storm is slowly dispersing, giving away to fleecy clouds, and sunbeams are falling through like panes of gold.
Hinata smiles, suddenly feeling so much lighter.
A/N: Woo! Long chapter, huh? Well, I hope it at least makes up for the wait! I hate how I didn't update at my self-appointed quota, but sometimes it can't be helped. Birthdays and holidays tend to eat away at my time, haha. Unfortunately, I think I'll only be able to update once or twice before Christmas time rolls around since I'll be busy with writing up promised requests/giftfics; but I promise I'll do my best! So was this chapter too boring? Too long? Or did you enjoy the tentative beginning of Sasuke and Hinata's friendship, or catch the spark between them? I love writing their interactions, they're just too darn cute. Let me know in a review, please!
Edit: You know, I really love when people don't have the courage to sign in and leave their supposed "critique". I understand, I'm not the best writer, or even a very good one. I primarily write for my own enjoyment. If others like what I come up with, I only consider that a bonus. I understand my "style" isn't everyone's cup of tea, and it's okay. The only thing I take issue with is when: 1. People don't sign in and yet write me lengthy comments trying to help me "better" my writing. I'd be more apt to talk it out and take your words to heart if you made it to where I can contact you, but alas, apparently that is too scary for some. 2. While I am fine with people thinking I write too descriptively, I'm not okay with anyone saying I don't put thought into plot or characterization. That is an insult to me, especially considering this is genuinely the first multi-chaptered story I've mostly planned from beginning to end. Not only that, I actually put effort into writing all of the Naruto characters IC. I want them to retain their manga/anime personalities while being relate-able. Otherwise, what would be the point of writing an AU Naruto fanfiction? There would be none.
E› tifa .