So pure, so white, the most beautiful creation
Words cannot describe this sensation
Delicacy of this one tiny flake,
Will eventually fall and only break…
-Nina Lin
Satiated, Sasuke exited the small restaurant, pulling back on his hood. It was snowing outside, the ground covered in a thin layer of white. The streets were dead silent except for the faint chatter coming from inside the restaurant. He begins walking, heading toward his apartment few blocks away.
This is probably the longest amount of time he has been in one place for some time. Usually after a week or less, he was already devising his next destination. He never found a place he wanted to stay at. The Rain was too wet and the people too dirty, the Sand was too dry and empty, and the Grass was too cold and full of hooligans.
He didn't mind the traveling, it kept his mind off things. Like Konoha and his past life he abandoned. And Itachi and his deceased clan. And the girl who still hasn't given up chasing after him, trying to prove herself to those Konoha bastards.
He didn't understand her. She should know that he will never willingly return to Konoha by now. Hence, he won't allow her to capture him and try to take him back. No matter what. Not even her stubbornness and diligence will make him go back.
Which reminds him, he haven't seen her or felt her presence all day today. He had no interruptions while he trained nor when he walked to and from his apartment. The girl wasn't simpleminded, she knew he was still in the grass village. So what gives?
"Kaw!"
The wind blew, a howling sound filled the night.
Speaking of Hinata, Sasuke spotted her eagle, flying in the night. He looks around cautiously, awaiting her attack. Was she waiting to attack him at night? He tries to sense her chakra, so he could pinpoint where her attack would come from, but felt nothing. She was doing a good job so far masking her presence.
He glances at the bird, who has begun to circle above his head, fluttering its wide wings and squawking loudly. "Kaw! Kaw!"
Sensing his eyes on him, the bird flies a couple of feet away from him and lands on the ground in front of him. Sasuke could see the bird under the streetlight, its black eyes on him.
Cautiously, Sasuke treads toward the bird, all the while on the lookout for the Hyuuga to pop out from somewhere.
When he drew near, the bird flutters its wings and leaps away. It swoops back down on the ground, another couple feet away. Its black eyes plants on him once again.
Sasuke pauses. Was this bird trying to make him follow him?
He closes the distance between them again, and just like before, the bird moves a couple feet away.
If this was part of Hyuuga's plan, Sasuke was now interested.
Watchfully, he follows the eagle, wondering what awaited him at the end of this game.
Eventually they reached the end of the city, entering the suburb part of the village. Sasuke steps onto the rocky road, following the bird. They pass a couple of farm barns, the distance from the city growing larger. After some time, the bird speeds up. Sasuke tries to keep up, wondering where the hell this bird was leading him to.
The bird suddenly stops mid-air, diving down onto the snow-covered grass beside the road. It lands by a lump on the grass.
Creeping closer, Sasuke curiously investigates the lump. His eyes widen in mixture of shock and panic upon discovering who that lump was.
It was Hyuuga.
She was laid across the frozen grass, her eyes closed. Her lips were blue, skin pale as the snow that surrounded her. Dried tears were smeared across her cheeks, mixed with the blood. The poncho he saw her wear before was in tatters, revealing her stomach that had a visible slash wound. The snow around her was red from her blood, the tips of the grass frozen from the liquid.
Recovering quickly, Sasuke takes off his cloak frantically and wraps it around her. Pulling her up into his arms, he dashes toward the village's hospital.
Hinata-sama. Hinata-sama.
Neji?
Hinata-sama, it's time for you to wake up.
No...I don't want to.
Hinata-sama, your friends are waiting for you.
The darkness was too tempting, warm, and welcoming.
I want to stay with you, Neji.
Your time to stay with me has not arrived yet. Wake up, Hinata-sama. Wake up.
Hinata eyes fly open, gasping. She was greeted by bright light, causing her to flinch. Looking around frantically, she discovers she was in a hospital. One of her arms was attached to an IV, her body covered with clean, white sheets. She sits up, clenching her stomach from the bursting pain.
How did she-
"Oh! So you woke up!" A cheerful voice interrupts her thoughts.
Hinata looks up to see a young nurse walk in, holding a IV bag. She smiles at her kindly and comes around the bed. Changing her IV bag, Hinata asks her, "Where am I? I mean, what happened to me?"
"Your boyfriend brought you to the hospital last night." She explained, giving her warm smile. "You were in grave condition. You had minor frostbite, dehydration, lost a lot of blood, and a critical stomach wound that we had to do surgery on."
Throwing away the old IV bag, she turns around to look at Hinata who is trying to digest the information she just told her.
Hinata could hardly remember last night's events. She remembered fighting off Akihito and his men, and then was outnumbered and hurt. After that, all she could recall was being smothered in darkness.
Exhaling, she speaks, "My boyfriend?" She asks, incredulous. She looks at the nurse, quizzical. Someone saved her?
The nurse raises her eyebrows at her reaction but doesn't question it. "Yes. I heard from the other nurses that he gave them a hard time. He was shouting at the doctors to get you in a room and looked at immediately." She sighs dreamily. Hinata just stares at her, wondering who she was talking about. The only one who knew who she was in this grass village was her Hikaru. The only other person who might have helped her was Sasuke.
It can't be...No way, not him. She crossed him from her mind, dismissing that possibility.
"Well, do you need anything I can get you?" The nurse offers. Hinata shakes her head no. "If you do, just press the button beside your bed. It will notify me." She points toward a red button on the side of her bed. "Oh and I'll inform your boyfriend that you woke up." She gives her one last smile before exiting the room.
Hinata smooths her forehead, pushing back her hair. She still felt a bit dizzy and tired. Mostly sore though. She touches her stomach that was bandaged, covering her stab wound. The wound was still tender.
Lost in her thoughts, she thinks about what she was going to do now. The Hokage was probably waiting for her to report on the status on her mission. She still haven't technically made any progression, besides find out about the arson incident going on in the village. She needed to recover as soon as she can, she was wasting time.
A knock on the door disrupts her thoughts. The door opens and her "boyfriend" walks in. Hinata freezes at the sight of her visitor. He shuts the door behind him, meeting her eyes. He was in his black Uchiha shirt, she recalled he used to wear when he was in Konoha. His cloak gone.
Sasuke.
"Uchiha-san?"
Sasuke smirks. "Since when do you call me by that?"
Hinata tries to formulate a reply, but no words come out. Sasuke lets himself in, and sits in the chair beside her bed. She looks at him in confusion.
Ignoring her expression, "You look better." He comments, simply.
"Y-Yes." She finally figures out how to talk again. She gulps, "The nurse told me you found me and brought me here." She looks at him for an explanation, expecting him to deny it. "Thank you?" She adds, hesitantly.
"Don't thank me." Sasuke responds. "Thank your bird. He led me to you."
Hikaru? Why would we he lead Sasuke to her?
"Is Hikaru okay?" Hinata leans toward him, suddenly worried. She had forgotten about her precious pet, her friend. When she past out, she was glad that at least her bird went back home, safe and sound.
Sasuke raises one his eyebrows. Why she was getting so worked up over a delivery bird? She looks at him, waiting for his response. Easing her worries, he reassures her, "He's fine. He led me to you and then flew off somewhere." He shrugs.
She exhales, her eyes closing in relief.
He watches her. The color to her cheeks returned, the blood from last night gone. When he rushed to her to the hospital, he was sure he was too late. She was limp in his arms, her breathing slowing down. There was too much blood soaking his cloak that he wrapped her around with. He didn't know what he was going through his mind last night except that if she died, he was going to kill someone.
And he did almost kill someone. Unsure if he should tell her, he decided to anyway. "Anyway, you don't have to worry about the bastards coming after you again. I took care of them." He assures her, nonchalantly, with a hint of underlying menace.
After leaving her at the hospital, he located them couple of miles away from where he find the Hyuuga. They didn't notice him when he attacked them. He wondered if he shouldn't have left them unconscious outside. Last night was pretty chilly.
Hinata eyes widen at his revelation. He rushes her to the hospital, and now he is telling her he "took care" of her attackers. She could not stop the next word coming out her mouth.
"Why?" She blurts.
Sasuke peers into her eyes, comprehending what she meant by that question. "I don't know." He finally replies, slowly.
And he really didn't. His own actions as of late confused him. He always thought he found her annoying for following him around. Eventually, he started to realize he didn't mind it. Whenever he went somewhere, he knew she was coming with him. She always there, after him.
Changing the subject, Sasuke asks her, "What were you doing there alone at night anyway? You should have known I wasn't there."
"I was helping an old man carry a box of oranges to his house." Hinata explained.
Sasuke looks at her with an "are you serious" look. "You almost died because you were helping an old man carry a box?"
"I was just trying to help." Hinata defends herself. "Some of us like helping and being kind to others." She pouts.
"And look where your act of kindness got you." He replied sarcastically, motioning around the room.
"Not every act of kindness leads to this." Hinata shot back, starting to get frustrated.
Sasuke grins, watching the kitty trying to hold her anger.
"How come you stopped chasing after me anyway?" Sasuke asks, curiously. "I had my first free day in months yesterday."
Hinata was about to reply, when she suddenly felt dizzy, her head spinning. She winces in pain, touching her forehead. "I can't tell-" She tries to finish her sentence. Instead, she nods off, falling to her side. Sasuke swiftly catches her before she falls off the bed. Her head lays against his chest, passed out.
He sighs. What a troublesome girl.
He shifts, sitting on the edge on the bed, the girl in his arms. She whimpers, one of her hands clenching onto his shirt.
What the fuck are you getting yourself into? Sasuke thinks, scolding himself.
Later, the Nurse walks in to check on Hinata. She stops in the doorway when she notices the couple, the girl in the arms of the boy.
She'll come back later. She closes the door, careful not to alert them.