Branded

Chapter 6

Hinata sat up in her small bed with a groan, her fingers gingerly grazing the pristine white bandages that were securely wrapped around her mid drift. She shook her head as she ran her fingers through her indigo colored strands, lazily tousling them. She was still dressed in her Anbu uniform, causing her to exhale a sigh as she swung her long legs over the edge of her bed, gently pulling her standard boots from her dainty feet. She dropped the leather shoes next to her bed before she pushed herself to stand, putting weight on her feet. She rolled her shoulders in an attempt to loosen the muscles as she pulled her mesh tank top and black tube top over her head. She dropped the bloodied material onto her bedroom floor before she slid her black shorts from her hips, leaving them in the pile as she walked to her dresser.

Pulling one of the drawers open, she grabbed the first thing her fingers touched, a plain black shirt with the Hyuuga emblem on the chest. A small smile curved her lips as she glanced at the cotton fabric, a gift from her older cousin and younger sister. She sighed as she pulled the simple shirt over her head, searching for bottoms. She ignored the fact that she was still sharing her apartment as she slid her pair of black cotton boy cut underwear to her hips. She honestly didn't care about modesty, she wasn't showing anything that hadn't been seen before. She tousled her hair once more as she left her bedroom, quietly making her way towards the kitchen. It was later than she normally woke, yet she felt she deserved the extra hours.

She entered the dark kitchen, her hand blindly seeking the light switch to illuminate the cooking area. Annoyingly bright light filtered through the light bulbs, blinding her as she winced, allowing her eyes time to adjust. She moved mechanically, setting the timer on her coffee pot as she brewed the strong, caffeinated liquid. She leaned the small of her back against the granite counter, arms crossed over her chest as her eyes shut. Memories danced through her mind as the rough skin of her lower back grazed the cold counter top, her body tensing at the memory of how she received her first significant scar.

" That was pitiful, Hinata. You can't expect to become Head of the Clan if your skills remain this level. You're a disgrace, leave," her father's harsh voice filled her ears as she silently left the training room, her shoulder length strands curtaining her face. She would always be a disappointment, would always be weak in her father's eyes. She should have known better than to come, than to cave to her sister's request. Hanabi would always be the prodigy, as would Neji. She was just the clan failure. She ignored her tears as she blindly left the compound, leaving the village to wander the forest to gather her thoughts. Lady Tsunade would say she set herself up for this one, hoping she could actually please her father.

Her sensei was right, of course. Yet Hinata thought she had grown stronger, she certainly felt stronger. She would never have her father's approval.

" Aren't you far from home, Hyuuga?" a voice commented, drawing Hinata out of her thoughts. Vigorously she wiped at her tears, pivoting on the balls of her feet to face the intruder.

" No, I- I'm not," Hinata silently cursed her stutter for returning at the most inopportune moment. Now she would certainly sound weak to this rogue. The woman 'tsked' as she jumped from the tree branch she had been perched on. Her hair was a deep royal purple, her eyes a rose red. A cold smirk graced her lips as she straightened to her full height of five feet eight inches.

" Hugo, I found us a Hyuuga," the woman called, her voice cold. Every muscle in Hinata's body tensed as her pale eyes searched for the woman's companion.

Her eyes widened as the large, burly man entered the clearing, a feral like grin on his lips. Both of them had attacked her, their weapons enforced with chakra. If it hadn't of been for Temari and Shikamaru returning from a joint mission, she was certain they would have killed her and taken her eyes. That was when their odd friendship had started, this unique understanding that know could figure out. Nara Shikamaru was lazy, nothing truly motivated him, yet he would spend hours talking to the indigo haired kunoichi, asking her opinion on certain strategic theories he wished to test. Temari was loud, boisterous, the very opposite of the timid, quiet Hyuuga. Some believe it was the Suna Kunoichi who broke the Hyuuga's shell.

The quiet beeping of the coffeepot's timer awoke Hinata from her memories, something she was grateful for as she turned to reach the cabinet above her, pulling out a coffee mug. Easily she poured the black liquid into the ceramic mug, sipping it gently.

" How can you drink that stuff black?" the lazy drawl that belonged to her roommate questioned. Hinata opened her eyes to glance at the Uchiha. He looked as if he had just rolled out of bed, which wouldn't be far from the truth. His wild onyx strands were a disarray. His stormy grey eyes still held remnants of sleep as he glanced at her. He was shirtless, revealing his scarred torso. She looked away when her eyes fell on the scarred tissue over the left side of his chest, guilty that she couldn't prevent the wound from scarring.

" Ah, Tenten once said that the way you drink coffee is a reflection of yourself, or what you see in someone that you are attracted to. She drinks her coffee the same way as I, however it is a known fact that she is not dark at all. She told me once, her cup of coffee often reminded her of Neji. She liked it dark yet warm, the very same way she saw my cousin," Hinata commented, watching the steam roll from the hot liquid.

" And you?" he questioned, his eyes narrowed in thought as he watched her sip the liquid.

" She said that naturally I wasn't a dark person, however over the years I had changed, more quiet than I once was. Tenten could be an odd prophet, yet her early morning musings are entertaining," Hinata answered simply, a slight shrug of her shoulders to ease the tension.

A knock on the door prevented any further conversation. Hinata pushed away from the counter, slipping past the Uchiha who decided to block the doorway. She moved through the quiet apartment, raising a questioning eyebrow at the dent that graced her walls. She shook her head as she pulled her front door open, smirking at the sight that greeted her. Temari and Shikamaru only grinned, while Sakura and Naruto cleared their throats, looking away from her.

" I wasn't expecting any visitors, please come in," Hinata stepped to the side, opening the door wider as the four shinobi entered her large apartment. Sasuke was leaning against the doorway of the kitchen, coffee mug in hand while his other hand rested in the pocket of his dark grey sweatpants. Sakura blushed lightly at the sight of her childhood crush, looking at her feet. Temari was the first one to speak, easily ignoring the tension.

" Hinata, can I ask you a favor?" the sandy blonde Kunoichi questioned, nervously biting her lip as she met her friend's curious gaze.

" Of course Temari. If it's within my power to help, you know I will," Hinata answered, her head cocked to the side as Shikamaru muttered a 'troublesome' under his breath before he decided to speak for his girlfriend. " Temari and I were wondering if you wanted to be Kenji's God mother. You're the only reasonable choice considering Ino and her don't exactly see eye to eye," Shikamaru spoke, watching the ghost of a smile spread across his Captain's lips.

When he first noticed the timid Hyuuga change, he was shocked. Yet as they grew closer, as he grew to respect her more and more, he realized this change suited her, it was for the better.

" I would be honored," Hinata answered, watching as Naruto and Sakura looked at the three shinobi interacting. Sasuke remained in the doorway of the kitchen, amused by what he saw, however his face remained an impassive mask.

" Great," Temari only grinned, falling onto the small black sofa. Hinata turned her pale lavender gaze to Naruto and Sakura, curious as to why they came by.

" We didn't know you returned from your solo mission. We were just coming by to check on Sasuke," Sakura explained, looking anywhere but at Hinata. Temari snorted, Shikamaru chuckling.

" I take it you never visited Hinata before?" Shikamaru spoke, his voice a lazy drawl.

Hinata watched as both Naruto and Sakura nodded their heads. Temrai merely rolled her eyes before she pushed up from her seat, sauntering through the large apartment as if she lived there. Sasuke mutely watched her enter the kitchen, pulling a ceramic mug from the cabinet and pouring herself a cup of coffee. He noticed the cream and sugar she added, smirking at how accurate Tenten's words truly were.

" Is there another reason you two are here?" Sasuke's voice was a lazy drawl as he sipped his coffee watching as Sakura turned her jade green eyes on her childhood teammate.

" Actually, Naruto and I came by to see if you wanted to grab lunch with us," Sakura answered, her gaze remaining pointedly on Sasuke.

" No," was his firm answer as he entered the kitchen, setting his mug in the sink and washing it.

Temari watched as he grabbed the only other empty mug, obviously belonging to Hinata and washing that one as well. A smirk slid onto her lips as she moved to stand beside her boyfriend, leaning her head on his shoulder.

" I think we should leave, Shika," Temari whispered, her voice only loud enough for him. Her answer was a lazy nod, watching as Temari moved to wash her own mug.

" I'll take it," Sasuke informed her, watching as the former Avenger took the ceramic mug out of his girlfriend's hands and washing it. Shikamaru shook his head, glancing at Hinata who was standing in front of her balcony doors.

" You do know there are a lot of perverts in that building across from your window, don't you Hinata?" Shikamaru called, watching as the Hyuuga girl shrugged her shoulders. He didn't miss how Sasuke's shoulders tensed at the mention of perverts. He smirked, calling his good byes as Temari did the same before leaving the large apartment.

Sakura and Naruto watched the two before Naruto's stomach decided it was time to eat. " I'll see you two tomorrow than. I'm starving and I hear Ichiraku calling my name," Naruto called, waiting by the door. Sakura's jade colored eyes darted between the Hyuuga and the Uchiha before she exhaled a breath, following after Naruto.

" Yeah, see you guys tomorrow," she muttered, closing the door after her. Hinata glanced over her shoulder, noticing the lone Uchiha was leaning his back against the granite coutner, his storm colored eyes shut.

" So, are you going to tell me why my walls have a rather large dent in it?" she finally questioned, turning her body to face Sasuke. She watched the corner of his lips twitch upward for a brief moment before his features smoothed into an impassive mask once more.

" Maybe you hit and didn't realize," he answered lazily, his eyes shut. However he still heard the muttered curse slip past her petal pink lips.

" Uchiha, I don't demand much. I let you stay in my home willingly. I don't argue with you, I offer you as much room as you need. However I do not appreciate it when you take out your anger on my home. This is one of the very few things that is mine. It isn't much, but please, show me some decency," her temper flared, surprising the Uchiha enough to open his eyes. A smirk slid into place on his lips as he watched the subtle changes she possessed.

" Why exactly is that?" he questioned, taunting her. She looked away from him sharply, her lavender eyes glaring at a corner in her living room.

" Were you to weak for the clan to even bother with?" he knew he was goading her, however he wanted to see the calm Hyuuga lose that sense of calm. He wanted to see her angry.

" Maybe you just sat there while they insulted you. I wouldn't be surprised. You were always a pampered princess," He almost didn't see her hand as it moved to connect with his cheek, almost. He saw her move, knew where she was going to move before she did. His large hand gripped her slender wrist tightly as he easily moved them, pressing her against the wall beside the counter. He caught her other wrist as she moved her hand towards his chest. He pressed her harder against the wall, smirking at the icy glare that she directed at him.

He was honestly impressed that the shy, timid Hyuuga Heiress had grown into this strong, determined kunoichi. She no longer possessed a title, she was no longer a pawn to her clan as they played for political status. He was drawn to her, amazed by how she moved with him. It was a constant push and pull, she danced, he followed. She led his steps and he had no choice but to move where she instructed. His lack of freedom made him want to hate her, to hurt her, yet he couldn't bring himself to do so much. She stood proudly, even though he held her wrists in a grip that could easily break them if he chose, and yet she remained defiant. He slowly moved his head forward, resting his forehead against her shoulder as his warm breath ghosted over her collarbone.

" Why is it, you are the only one, the only shinobi in this god forsaken village that I truly respect? I don't even respect Naruto, and he is for all intents and purposes my equal. Yet here you stand, obviously weaker than me, a pitiful Kunoichi, and you possess all of my respect, make me see you as an equal when no one else can," he only chuckled when he felt her muscles tense, however she wasn't struggling against him, something he truly wasn't expecting.

" I… don't know," she finally whispered, feeling her wrists slip from his grip, only for him to catch her hands, interlacing his fingers with her own. Slowly she watched as he lifted his head, his storm cloud colored eyes level with her one pale lavender gaze. The emotions she saw shocked her, told her more than he ever could. She knew she had time to back away, knew if she truly wanted to she could concentrate enough chakra in her feet to kick him across her apartment. Yet she remained perfectly still as he pressed his lips to her own, moving cautiously as if she might push him away. For some reason she didn't. She relaxed against the wall, allowing her hands to slip out of his. He slowly deepened the kiss, his large hands skimming along her body until they rested on her hips. Her hands tangled into the hairs at the nape of his neck, causing him to smirk. His hands skimmed lower until they grazed the back of her thighs, allowing him to pick her up, helping her jump until she wrapped her legs around his waist.

Finally, after what felt like minutes they pulled away, both breathing deeply as they fought to regain control of their racing hearts.

" What… was… that?" Hinata questioned, pausing to inhale much needed air. Sasuke smirked as he rested his forehead against her own as he thought over his words.

" I'm tired of trying to fight this attraction that I feel for you. I don't care if you do, just be warned, I intend to be extremely persuasive," he informed her, kissing her lips lightly before he untangled her legs from around his waist. Hinata remained silent was she watched him close his eyes , obviously just enjoying holding her.

One thing was certain, the former Avenger evoked some type of emotion from her, a powerful emotion. She just couldn't decide whether that emotion was positive or negative…