Live-In's

By BlackFeatherz29

Chapter 6

... and here I am, a week late and updating at 11 at night, too. What nerve. My life right now really is hectic; it's right before Thanksgiving, and we're just getting submerged with homework. I'm so tired already, typing at this keyboard. I'm watching Gods and Generals right now for an AP US History assignment, and I'm nearly falling asleep because I have to keep rewatching bits so I can write them down because I'm supposed to be writing an outline for it. The only thing that makes me happy is that I got a 98 on the last test.

I know, I know. You readers aren't concerned about my personal life. I shouldn't write about it in here either, but I'm feeling so miserable now. If I had my way, I'd be writing and drawing every available hour of the day. Sigh.

Disclaimer: You know the drill. This plot is my creation, but the characters aren't.


Far from thrilled, Hyuuga Hinata was deadly nervous for her first portfolio piece.

The assignment from Kurenai-sensei: Create a piece that creates a mood and express that mood through the color scheme and technique rather than through expression or props.

It was a difficult first assignment, though Hinata didn't wonder why. Kurenai was a serious teacher and she expected certain things from her students.

However, this came as a complete and total surprise to Naruto, who spent the entire lunchtime ranting on the difficulty of the assignment. Sakura finally got him to stop by threatening to mangle his froggie purse (she was stretching it and grinning sadistically at the same time, so the effect was magnified). Pacified by both getting his froggie purse back in one piece and thinking of painting his beloved Sakura-chan, Naruto coveniently forgot all about Kureni-sensei and began yawning like a well-fed cat.

'And what an adorable cat he would make,' thought Hinata fondly, blushing. A stripe ginger kitty, maybe? Only later when she came back to her apartment did she realize what she would have to do.

Hinata always hated making people sit still for her art. It felt like she was inconveniencing them in some horrible way, and no matter how gracious they were, it always seemed a crime. It now occurred to her that since Sasuke was her model that he was the one that she would have to make sit still.

She nearly collapsed against the wall right then and there. Uchiha Sasuke... she was going to have to make him pose for two hours? Her, this little tiny useless girl make someone with such a perfect Michelangelo-esque build submit to her petty wants? And to think, what was he going to think when that happened?

A small part of it might have been fear; she had a good relationship with Sasuke, but she felt somehow that she wasn't close enough to warrant this. Heck, she wasn't close enough to anyone to make them go through this! The other part was more... well, how could she describe it? Concern for her loved ones? Sasuke wasn't exactly one of the people most precious to her, but it made her heart throb to think that she was to cause pain for something close to her.

To her complete and total mortification, it was him who ended up bringing the topic up first. Right when she got home from class, too.

"Hey. Naruto told me about the new portfolio piece you were supposed to be working on."

Oh, no.

"When the hell were you planning to tell me about this?"

She couldn't back out of it now. Twiddling her thumbs, she attempted to speak without stuttering. So much for that wish. "Um, I was p-planning to bring it up in due time..."

"... when the due date is next Friday? And today is Saturday?"

"The deadline's not that close!" she protested, knowing how futile it all was.

Sasuke sighed, sounding like a teacher dealing with a naughty student. "What in the world am I going to do with you? You wanted me to be your model, and yet you don't even have the nerve to ask me to model for you. How sad is that?"

Hinata sagged miserably in shame. He was dead right. He had just hit the literal bull's eye. How in the world was she going to work with him if she didn't want to ask him to model for her?

"Fortunately, I've brought it up on time." Hinata looked at him, and he gave a smug smile. "How about tonight? I hate being late for anything."

Hinata considered it. There was still six days until the deadline, and that meant plenty of time. However, she was just as free on Wednesday and Thursday nights as she was on Saturdays, so couldn't it wait? It would mean more time to prepare herself...

"I'm not free any time this week except for tomorrow, so I can't do it any other time."

She closed her mouth, swallowing her unasked question. He had a nasty habit of always answering them before she got a chance to ask them. But wait a minute. He was always sleeping when she got home. How could he be busy?

"What, you think that I'm always sleeping?" She blushed at this. "I'll have you know that I'm a busy person, Hyuuga. I don't want you to get involved, but I don't want you to think I'm a lazy bum either."

Before she could get to her room, he stopped her. "Tonight," he said, reinforcing that word with a glare. Hinata gulped and nodded. At least that took the issue out of question; it wasn't her choice now, was it?


The setup was quite simple: In the far side of the studio, not close enough to the wall to throw a really distinct shadow, there was a chair that had been draped with a white sheet. On both sides stood small beside tables that she had taken from both of their bedrooms; one the left one stood three tall candles, and on the other stood a blue lava lamp. Hinata had gotten one from Hanabi on her birthday when she was ten. She hadn't liked it very much at the time, but its bright blue light had become a comforting presence in her room afterwards.

She would turn off the lights to the living room, and her back would be facing the kitchen, where there was still light. There would not be total dark, but there would be enough shadow to capture the mood. Hinata had set up her wooden easel and set a good-sized blank canvas upon it. She was currently squeezing out choice selections of acrylic paint of various colors; they included both warm and dark colors, and plenty of white though it looked like she wasn't going to have to use much of it.

"Are you done yet?" came the slightly annoyed male voice that came from the far bedroom door that spilled light out into the dark hallway.

"Yes!" she exclaimed, feeling terribly jumpy and nervous. She nearly dropped the tin of water that she was currently preparing, and she gave a yelp as some of it sloshed onto her bare legs.

The sound of footsteps and a scoff of "stupid girl" were heard as he came out of his room. "So... what am I supposed to do?"

Hinata, hurriedly wiping the spilt water off the tiled kitchen floor, now tossed the rag aside and turned her full attention to her (her!) model.

Beforehand, she had requested that he treat the whole affair casually. Not the dressing part, but the mood. He had just given her a weird look when she had confessed her fear with making people stand still to him. She felt a little dumb now that she had been subjected to his 'are you stupid?' look, but resolved to rid herself of that unnecessary fear with this upcoming job. She would not pale when she was in her zone... and she wouldn't let her perverted artist side take over either.

Now, she was not so sure, as she beheld the masterpiece he already was. As she had requested, he was to wear a clean white dress shirt, preferably casually buttoned with one or two left open, and black slacks. Nothing fancy.

And yet he now stood here, barefoot, scratching that bird's nest of black hair, he possessed all the elegance of a statue already sculpted. Even his angry face looked beautiful.

"Would you quit staring like my fangirls do?"

Only that made her tear her eyes away from the specimen in front of her, and even as she hurried to her easel, she could not even recognize that she was giving out orders in a way that she would never have done in real life. Such was her apprehension on recording that angelic face before her permanently into the poor canvas's surface.

The artist side had taken over, and she would not let her subject get away from her in any way or form.


Sasuke stared as the girl in front of him feverishly slapped away at her canvas. He raised an eyebrow in silent surprise, then let it down a second later when she told him to stop. Wasn't she currently painting something in the left corner? By gods, how many eyes did she have?

This girl, Hyuuga Hinata, had done a complete 180 on her personality. Only an hour ago, she was still the same bumbling red-faced little fool that she always was, but now she was something completely different.

He never realized this because he was usually so tall that he always looked down at the top of her head, but her eyes were white. Not just gray; they were white. Freaky. Those Hyuugas must really have had a wonky gene in their systems. Even red eyes looked less strange than white ones.

"If you could please hold still, Sasuke-san," came her firm voice, so uncharacteristically so. Sasuke shrugged and cracked a wry grin only to be scolded again.

This scene seemed... familiar. Somehow... it reminded him of his mother.

The daughter of a rich family that did business with the Uchihas, she was the sole female that he was able to be around during his early years of life, and she had forever influenced his preference of companions. Always calm and controlled in whatever she did, Uchiha Mikoto had been good at everything she did. And as brilliant as she was at the tea ceremony and flower arrangement, her skill at motherhood was even greater. She was calm like a gently flowing river, but woe belied whosoever happened to dip beneath her waters.

The males in his family had never learned to control their anger. His father had a tendency to strike his sons if they upset him. He himself liked to take his anger out on the nearest object that was convenient. And Itachi...

No, he would be done away with very soon. His mother's memory was the only thing worth keeping alive.

'And to think, I could see her in this tiny little creature,' he thought almost fondly, looking at Hinata's paint-smudged right hand that moved rapidly from palette to canvas, the scratching sounds from her brush pulsing almost rhythmically.

He could get to like this person who stood behind the easel. If only she could be like this more often.

"No sleeping, please. You're ruining the picture."

Sasuke blinked a few times and nearly saluted before remembering his position. "Yes'm," he muttered, hiding a smile.

'Hyuuga Hinata,' he thought with amusement. 'You have just earned my respect.'


Somehow, I feel like I should have written more. And somehow, the characters are somewhat OOC in this one. Well, so be it. I need to do my homework.

PS: Go to my profile, and please take the time to read my new story, Death Note: Lelouch of the Rebellion. It's a one-shot, so it won't take long to read. Just review, please? I'm tired of waiting for them, and I worked a full five hours on it today.

Hoping that I can update early next week since I'll be on Thanksgiving break...