He Knows He's Missing Out
Disclaimer: I own nothing, besides the plot, if you can call it that.
AN: Sorry for not updating in a while. I had to finish up my old stories and then school started. I'm only allowed on the computer to type on Friday nights and the weekends, so I'm setting up an updating schedule. It'll be posted on my profile soon as soon as I get a chance. Well, here's the chapter.
Naruto stuck his head out of the door, looking for Hinata and Sasuke. 'Where are they? Sasuke said they'd follow us!' "Ow! What was that for?" Naruto asked, rubbing his arm where Sakura had elbowed him.
"Keiji, dear, you're the one who has our reservation slip, remember?" Sakura smiled, fake and bright, at the hotel receptionist. To the woman, she said, "Men, can't do anything right."
Naruto threw off his backpack and started searching. As the minutes passed, Sakura's smile became smaller. After five minutes, she turned around and started helping him. As she dug around his bag, she berated him underneath her breath.
"Why can't you take care of one thing? It's one slip of paper!"
"You looking for this?"
Sakura and Naruto jumped and saw Sasuke standing in the doorway, holding a piece of paper in his hand. Hinata followed in his shadow cautiously, pale eyes fixed on the ground. Sasuke walked to the receptionists' desk and handed it to her. She appeared completely dazed by Sasuke and just stared at him.
Naruto and Sakura couldn't hear what the receptionist then said, but saw Sasuke's body become rigid. He shook his jerkily and said something that they didn't catch. Hinata's face turned bright pink. The receptionist angrily got their keys and shoved them at Sasuke, glaring at Hinata. Sasuke placed a hand on Hinata's shoulder and steered her down the hall. Sakura and Naruto scrambled to their feet and followed them.
Sasuke stopped outside of a door and tossed a pair of keys over his shoulder, which Naruto caught clumsily. As Sasuke placed the key into the lock, he said, "You're right next door. Come here once you've put your stuff down."
Naruto and Sakura glanced at each other. He seemed tenser than he was normally. Sakura shrugged and took the key from Naruto.
-
Sasuke placed his hand on her shoulder again and steered her into the room. His grip was tight, knuckles white. He lead her to a chair, which she sat on immediately. Sasuke released her, finally, tossing his backpack onto the bed. He went immediately to the window and glared outside. As Hinata placed her backpack down, she looked around the room.
It was a Western style room, bright and cheerful in a light blue. There was only a queen-sized bed, two chairs, and a low table in the room. There were two other doors, on the wall opposite the bed. Hinata's Byakugan revealed that one was a closet and the other was a bathroom. Both were uninhabited. Her pale eyes flickered back to Sasuke as her Byakugan deactivated. She had heard what that receptionist had asked him…..
—Flashback—
"You doing anything tonight, handsome? Because I know someplace you and I can go," she said seductively, smiling with lust in her eyes. "I've give you the best night of your life. Better than anything she could give you." She jerked her head at Hinata, who blushed.
Hinata knew it was true. She was about as sexy as a snail. That's what she tried to achieve, at least. The receptionist looked like one of those 'common' woman that men seemed to take pleasure in. She was slightly surprised when she felt Sasuke stiffen besides her.
Sasuke shook his head angrily. "I would never waste my time with someone as common as you. The only one I've ever been with and will ever be with is Hikari. Love's something you can't ever understand. Or replace."
—End Flashback—
There was pounding on the door. Sasuke made no movement that he heard it, so Hinata got up and opened the door. Naruto and Sakura stood there, looking expectant. Hinata moved aside, allowing them to enter the room. Naruto immediately ran up to Sasuke.
"Sasuke-teme!" Naruto cried. "I've got some—"
"Shut up. Hikari, close the door," Sasuke ordered, his eyes blazing as he turned to glare at Naruto. "Remember my name, Keiji."
"But, teme!" Naruto protested.
"Yuji's r-right," Hinata said quietly, sitting in one of the chairs. Sakura sat down in the other one. "You never know who m-might b-be listening, Keiji."
"Guess you're right, Hina-Hikari," Naruto sighed, correcting himself as he flopped onto the sky blue carpet.
"So, what's the plan?" Sakura asked, her expression demure.
"Two of the scrolls we can easily buy from a bookstore," Sasuke answered. "One is in a temple. The final one is in a feudal lord's possession."
"D-Do we need the actual s-scroll, or j-just the information?" Hinata asked.
"We don't need the actual scroll for the one in the temple, but the feudal lord's we need," Sakura answered.
"I can copy the temple one," Sasuke said.
"That just leaves the feudal lord's….." Sakura said, a finger on her chin as she thought.
"Let's go get it now!" Naruto cried.
"No, dobe. That'll be the last one we get, understand? We'll work on getting the others first."
A brief glaring match ensued between Naruto and Sasuke. Sasuke, of course, won. The boys had made some silent bet apparently and the glaring contest was the decider.
"Hikari and I are going to look for the temple scroll and the two other ones. You and Kame are going to be doing the sight-seeing here," Sasuke said, pushing his bangs out of his face.
Naruto crossed his arms across his chest, sulking. Sakura half-smiled and shrugged. "We'll figure out what's going on around here, where the feudal lord lives. That type of stuff."
"Be sure to make it look like you're a couple, not a teammates," Sasuke said, his expression bland. "Hikari, you probably should get some rest."
Naruto followed Sakura out of the room. He paused in the doorway, looking back at Hinata. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, playing with the edges of her shortened hair. Kami, she looked different without her long hair. Sasuke had gone back to the window, but he turned to glance at Hinata. Her pearly eyes were downcast, but Naruto had a feeling that she knew that Sasuke was looking at her.
Naruto turned away and looked at his feet. His hands involuntarily clenched into fists. You haven't won yet, Sasuke-teme. I will get Hinata back. I will.
-
"Hikari, I'll get the scroll here," Sasuke jerked a thumb over his shoulder at a small shop with several scrolls and books on display. "You can head back to the hotel. It's two blocks down."
Hinata nodded and turned down the street. As Sasuke watched her fade into the darkened street, goose bumps rose on his arms. Something wasn't right. With some resignation, he walked into the store, moving faster than he meant to.
Hinata wrapped her arms around her small frame as she hurried down the street. The light rain had been falling all day, but chill winds were blowing now. Recollections flashed through her mind as she tried not to slip on the wet pavement.
They had gone to the temple earlier that morning. The priestess was a cheerful old woman who had taken a liking to Hinata and had allowed them to copy it without the necessity of Sasuke's sharingan. She had even given them pens and paper!
They had then gone to town, hitting all the bookstores they saw. One scroll they found easily, but the other had eluded them. After much wandering around and getting lost, Sasuke had consented to ask for help. A teenage girl had been more than happy to help Sasuke, while glaring at Hinata.
Suddenly, someone grabbed her arm and pulled her into an alley. Orange-yellow light from the streetlamp illuminated very little. All Hinata could see was five full grown men surrounding her. One of them was pressing her very hard against a wall.
"L-Let me go!" Hinata cried, pearly eyes wide.
The men laughed. One said, slurring his words, "'E just wanna have some fun. 'E won't hurt you."
So, they were drunk. The situation was getting worse by the second. Hinata struggled against his grip harder, causing them all to laugh again. One of them men said, "Come on, let's get the party started!"
Just as one of the men ripped down the front of her shirt, a cool voice ordered, "Release her."
"Who're you?" asked one of the men.
"Your worst nightmare," the cool voice replied and punched the man in the front in the gut.
In less than five minutes, he had all the men on the ground, unconscious. Finally, Hinata's savior approached her. Once he was about two feet away, she saw that it was…..
"S-Sasuke!" Hinata cried. Before she was exactly aware, she had dropped into the muddy pavement, her arms wrapped around her body as she started crying. Salty tears mixing with crystalline rain drops.
Sasuke couldn't restrain the thought that ran through his head: she looks so broken and pure. Completely unsure of himself, but trying to seem sure, he rubbed her shoulders, muttering, "It's all over now. Everything's fine."
Once her tears had slowed down, she looked up into onyx eyes. So impenetrable and dark. And….tortured? For the briefest of moments, Hinata had insight into the 'real' Sasuke. A blink of his eyes and it was gone. Sasuke stood up abruptly and held out a hand. Hinata took it, one hand still holding her shirt together. He took one look at her ripped shirt and took his jacket off. Wordlessly, he placed it around her shoulders.
Carefully, he placed an arm around her shoulders, holding her closer than he meant to. They made their way back to the hotel in utter and complete silence. For once, Hinata was not blushing at such close contact with a male.
Naruto was sitting in a darkened corner of the hall, waiting for Sasuke and Hinata to return. Sakura was in their room, reading some huge tome about the Rain Country's history or something like that. Naruto did not appreciate having random spouts of information spoken to him.
Naruto had not enjoyed one minute of his day with Sakura. She had dragged him on the tourist thing and had refused to talk to him about what had happened under that sakura tree of so long ago.
Naruto sat up straighter. He could hear footsteps. Slowly, two figures appeared. A man, holding a young woman around the shoulders, very close together. They were covered in water and mud. Slowly, Naruto realized who they were.
He leaned back into the shadows, hoping against hope that Sasuke or Hinata had not seen him. Apparently they hadn't and walked directly into their room. What's going on between them? Why does Hina-chan look so stunned? Why did Sasuke-teme look…caring? Sasuke can't win this!
Naruto stood up forcefully and walked into his room, slamming the door. All that was left in the hall were puddles of rain water. And tears.
AN: Shorter chapter, I know. I want to write more, but my mom's kicking me off. I'll try to update soon, but no promises. Hope you liked the chapter. I'm liking this story so far. Anyways, review if so inclined! Sorry if I seem rushed, I'm a little stressed.
