Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Author's Note: Okay to my two big things are first I am so sorry this update took so long. I hit a serious case of writer's block and had to finish papers for school. The second thing is that this story has hit the 200 review mark! You guys are amazing for reviewing! Even taking the time to say you have liked the story means a lot to me. On that note I want to thank everyone that I didn't get a reply out to for their review. Also because we have hit the 200 review mark there is going to be a sneak peak for the next chapter at the end of this one. Also one other note is that this story looks best in 3/4 view. Granted it has taken me nine chapters to tell you all that but I just realized you could change the view! Now on with the story!
Chapter Nine- The Game
"Hanabi are you ready," Hinata called quietly through the closed door.
"You can come in," Hanabi called from the other side of the door.
Hinata reached up to the handle and pushed the door to her sister's room open. Hanabi was standing over by her vanity mirror, leaning over the surface and carefully applying eyeliner to her eyes.
"We are going to be late," Hinata commented as she watched her sister draw the dark liner around her eyes, making the paleness of her eyes pop even further.
"I'm not done making myself cute yet," Hanabi whined as she pulled the pencil away from her eye and glanced over at Hinata. "Just another minute," she added with a mock pout of her lips.
Hinata shook her head slightly but wandered over and sat down on her sister's bed, watching as she added a few final touches of makeup including a swipe of mascara and a clear coat of lip gloss. Like herself her sister had naturally pale skin, flawless and enviable. The real difference was that Hinata's features were softer than her sister's, her eyes slightly more of a lavender hue.
Hinata studied her sister briefly noting her appearance from behind the strands of hair that fell in front of her face. Hanabi was tall and slender and the clothes she wore only seemed to further emphasize that. She wore a pair of designer blue jeans that hugged her long legs and were tucked into her boots. She wore a black sweater that hugged her slender upper body, a lacy white tank top peeking out from underneath the sweater for a layered look. Her hair was straightened to perfection, not a single flyaway.
She caught sight of her own reflection and did her best not to immediately look away. As usual her face was obscured by thick strands of hair that has escaped the sloppy bun she had tied her hair back into. She wore a pair of jeans that were probably a size or two too large for her and a Kohona High hooded sweatshirt that was large enough to fit Hanabi into as well. On her feet she wore comfortable, yet slightly ragged sneakers, and behind the wall of hair there was no makeup on her face. She looked plain, another face to fade away into the crowd while Hanabi looked like she would stand out.
Hinata looked away from the mirror then and glanced out the open window. It was Friday night and the first game of the football season. The weather was cool but not yet cold and the sky was clear. It was a good night for the first game of the season. She was excited to see Naruto play, she always was. Yet another part of her was also excited to see Sasuke play as well. She'd become surprisingly comfortable with the stoic Uchiha.
"Okay," Hanabi said setting down the eyeliner and turning to face Hinata. She put a perfectly manicured hand on her hip and tapped her foot against the floor. "Weren't you just the one who just said we were going to be late?"
"Oh sorry," Hinata said looking away from the window and standing back up.
"Why are you apologizing," Hanabi asked with a laugh. "It's not my lifelong crush we are going to watch."
Hinata's eyes widened slightly and she felt the heat rush to her face. Hanabi covered her mouth with her hand and giggled softly into it.
"I… he… it's… I don't…"
"Breathe Hinata it's not like I haven't known about this for like the last ten years," Hanabi pointed out.
Hinata caught her lower lip between her teeth to cut off her stammering and nodded her head. Hanabi was right. She had know about it for nearly that long. In fact nearly everyone knew about it except Naruto himself. Shikamaru called him dense and Hinata supposed she had to agree with him. After all she wasn't very good at hiding that she liked him. It was a small miracle, in her mind at least, that he hadn't found out yet.
"You're right. Let's go," Hinata said after another moment before moving towards the door. The two headed down the steps and to the front door when their father called out from the office.
"Where are you two going?"
"The library. Hinata has an English report and I have to do one for French class," Hanabi called back before Hinata could answer.
"Hm. Fine I am sure Hinata could use your help on her report."
Hinata winced at the verbal jab that her father delivered without even trying. Her chin fell and her gaze dropped to her shoes. She felt Hanabi lay a hand on her shoulder and forced herself to look up and give her sister a wobbly smile.
"Actually father I need Hinata's help," Hanabi retorted in a tone that sounded so similar to his own. The only difference was this time the voice was being used in her defense.
"Don't wait up," Hanabi added as she grabbed Hinata's hand and drug her out the front door.
Once outside Hanabi released Hinata's hand and turned around to glare at the house. Scuffing a foot against the front deck she muttered "bastard" and then turned around to face her sister.
"Hanabi," Hinata said her tone mildly scolding.
"Well he is one. He treats you horribly and for no reason. You just let him do it too!"
"Well things are hard for him," Hinata said quietly as she began to poke her fingers together in an old nervous habit. "He is busy with work and ever since mom…"
"Stop making excuses for him," Hanabi said giving her the chance to end her sentence without saying the words. "Everyone knows it's not right."
Hinata sighed, recognizing the losing argument. Without another word passed between themselves the two headed for Hanabi's car. Climbing into the passenger seat Hinata was pulling on her seatbelt when she heard Hanabi start giggling beside her.
"What," Hinata asked eyeing her sister strangely.
"It's just that… I mean really the library on Friday night. I don't even think it stays open this late," Hanabi said bursting into another round of laughter.
The laughter was contagious and soon both girls were laughing as they pulled out of the driveway.
"Come on so which one is he," Hanabi said as she leaned over and whispered the question into Hinata's ear. "All this time and you still haven't told me."
Hinata shook her head in stubborn determination. Hanabi might know about her long standing crush on Naruto but unlike the rest of her friends Hanabi had no idea who Naruto was.
"If you don't tell me I am going to have to ask some random person," Hanabi threatened.
Hinata looked over at her only to realize that her sister was dead serious. Hinata's head feel forward in defeat and with a sigh she muttered Naruto's number, which was 7, to Hanabi. Looking up at her sister she immediately wished she hadn't she watched in horror as Hanabi stood up from the bleachers they were sitting on, right by the home bench of course.
"Go number seven," she yelled in a voice that would have been impressive if it wasn't so mortifying. Hinata was pretty sure that at that moment just about every head turned to look at Hanabi, who of course, was sitting right next to her.
"Go number seven!"
The shout was loud, incredibly so. Actually it was the kind of shout he expected from the blonde he was talking to or the blonde on the track currently waving pompoms and kicking her legs into the air. This time though the shout had come from someone different. Naruto heard it too and both of them turned around to see the source of the shout.
The thing of it was that once he turned his attention in the direction on the shout, he forgot all figuring out who it was. Instead his onyx gaze landed on the particularly red face of Hinata. She was seated on the bleachers behind the team, hunched slightly in a defensive posture as if the crowd was some sort of threat to her. She was wearing a Kohona sweatshirt that was again far too big from her and of course her hair was falling in front of her face like some sort of shield. He supposed it did look like the crowd might swallow her up. She had always looked small to him but sitting there surrounded by all those people she looked like a flower amongst trees. It was as if he looked away she might fade away into the sea of people and never seen again.
It frustrated him. She was so small and insignificant in the big picture and yet here he was staring at her like he was spellbound. It made no sense. There was nothing about her that stood out and yet suddenly he was always able to pick her out of a crowd. He was the one noticing the unnoticeable. The thought made him cringe, stupid Kakashi and that stupid English assignment.
"Dude," Naruto said smacking him in the helmet, causing Sasuke to shake his head slightly and finally turn away from Hinata.
"Have you even been listening to me," Naruto asked. Sasuke's lack of a reply was the only answer Naruto needed.
"I said that girl is pretty cute."
"What girl," Sasuke asked.
"The one who was yelling," Naruto said in a slightly louder voice just to get his point across. He motioned his hand back towards the bleachers and Sasuke caught sight of a slender dark-haired girl who was taking her seat again, a seat that happened to be right next to Hinata. He looked away quickly before he found himself staring again.
"Hey what's got you all distracted," Naruto teased, picking up on his tension.
"You," Sasuke answered coolly. "It's game time and checking out the crowd. You're supposed to be a team leader."
"What the," Naruto started. "I am a team leader. I'm perfectly focused! Come on team lets get lined up!"
Sasuke watched Naruto walk away yelling and shook his head in slight amusement. It was almost painfully easy to distract the dobe with something else. Sparing one last glace over his shoulder and at a particular individual in the bleachers he turned back to the team and jogged to catch up with Naruto.
There was about three minutes left in the third quarter. The score was 38-3. It had been painfully obvious from even the beginning of the game that the other team didn't stand a chance. Kohona was pretty much the team to beat this year and the other team simply wasn't up to par. The other team's players were beginning to get frustrated too.
From the sideline Iruka called the wide receiver reverse. It made sense. He probably wanted to get the play in during a game when they had room for error. After all Naruto had yet to grasp the play so far in practice. Sasuke went in motion and the ball was snapped. Moving behind Naruto, the blonde turned and pitched the ball perfectly. Again that amazing ability to not screw up during a game kicked in.
Sasuke caught the football and turned on the speed. He was one of the faster players on the field and he had no problem getting around the corner before he hit the sideline. On the outside, he ran down the field catching a flash of color slightly in front of him, moving towards the sidelines. He realized it was the other team's free safety. For a brief moment he considered moving off the sideline and getting around the guy. There wasn't any doubt in his mind that he couldn't. He had been burning the guy all day long and he knew he was skilled enough to get around him. He supposed the thought could have been considered cocky but he figured he was just well aware of how skilled he was.
In the end he decided to step out of bounds. The game was already well out of hand and while he was competitive in the fact that he didn't want to lose, he wasn't overly concerned with crushing the other team. A win was a win in his mind. He ran a few more yards and stepped out of bounds right in front of the home bench. A second later he felt a bone jarring impact as the free safety collided with him.
He hit the bench where some of his teammates were sitting and flipped over it. He reached out for the ground and came down hard. He landed on his stomach, his helmet digging up a clump of grass. In the background he heard the referee blowing hard on his whistle no doubt flags littering the ground from the late hit.
His first instinct was to jump to his feet and get in the other guys face but that was replaced by the realization that his body wasn't going to cooperate. An acute pain shot up his wrist and his legs throbbed from where he had slammed into the bench before flipping over it. He rolled over onto his back and with his hands that didn't hurt reached up and yanked the grass out of his helmet.
A second later and he was practically surrounded by people, Iruka and the school's physical trainer Shizune among the crowd. From his spot on the ground he could hear Naruto yelling at the opposing team's player and could mentally picture the blonde being held back by Shino and Kiba so he didn't rip the other guy's head off. A quarterback was supposed to be the one the rest of the team protected but with Naruto, if someone messed with one of his teammates than he was right up in their face giving them hell. Just then Naruto was looming over him, having pushed his way through the crowd of their other teammates.
"Are you alright," Naruto yelled down at him. Seriously did the idiot have to be so loud?
"I'm fine," Sasuke muttered, using his good arm to push himself into sitting position.
"You shouldn't move around so much until we check you out. Did you hit your head at all," Shizune asked.
"No," Sasuke said coolly. "I'm fine." He stubbornly pushed himself to his feet but winced a bit as he straightened. Shizune and Naruto both gave him a knowing look and he resisted the urge to glare at the both of them. He hated being fawned over.
"My wrist," he said after a moment.
"Alright Sasuke go with Shizune and get your wrist looked at. I'd rather have you healthy for the rest of the season than keep you in this game," Iruka said. "Naruto get your team back on the field!"
Naruto grinned and slapped Sasuke on the back, causing the latter to wince. His whole body felt sore at the moment. Shooting his blonde friend a glare he turned away from the game, not paying much attention as he followed Shizune back towards the locker room. Walking away he decided it was a good thing he never got the name from the free safety or else that guy would be in for hell later.
Hinata gasped in her seat as the play unfolded in front of her. The sound of one player crashing into another followed by the site of a Kohona player she was becoming quite familiar with flip over the bench and land hard had the noise escape from her lips. For a moment Sasuke didn't appear to be moving and that actually frightened her a bit, but he rolled over after a short delay.
"Ouch," Hanabi commented from beside her, no longer cheering at the top of her lungs as most of the crowd had fallen silent out of respect for the injured player.
"I hope he's alright," Hinata said in a voice quiet enough that not even Hanabi heard her. Her eyes remained on the crowd that had formed around Sasuke searching for anymore signs of movement. After a minute the crowd dissipated revealing Sasuke on his feet. A small smile crept onto her face, pleased to see that he was up and okay. However the smile faded as she watched him walk towards the locker room with the school's personal trainer. Again she found herself hoping he would be alright.
The final score had been 52-6. It hadn't been much of a game but Hinata was glad she had went. She always enjoyed going to games despite the fact that she was just another face amongst the mass of students. Standing up from her bleacher seat she nudged Hanabi in the direction of the steps. The two shuffled down the steps with the rest of the students, Hinata doing her best not to get run down. She really did hate being short sometimes. Pushing past a couple that was more interested in one another than moving she found herself staring at a Kohona jersey.
"Hey Hinata!"
She was pretty sure her heart skipped a beat at the sound of his voice. Instantly her face heated up, staining her cheeks with a blush. She could barely bring herself to look up, and as she lifted her chin, her heart started racing. Her pale lavender eyes came to rest on the face of the school's golden boy. His beautiful blue eyes and disarray of blonde hair was enough to make her want to melt into the ground.
"N…Naruto," she stammered, surprised he was even talking to her. A small movement behind her gave her one brief moment of rational thought that she often seemed to lack around him. "Th…this is m…my sister H…Hanabi."
"Nice to meet you Hanabi," Naruto said with a brilliant smile.
"It's nice to meet you too," Hanabi replied with a sly smile to which Naruto of course was oblivious to.
"Did you guys enjoy the game? We creamed them!"
All Hinata could do was nod stupidly, leaving Hanabi to answer Naruto with completely formed sentences that didn't involve stuttering. A minute later though and one of Naruto's teammates was yelling for him. Naruto said goodbye before yelling back at his teammate and disappearing into the crowd. Hinata was finally able to breathe easier and when Hanabi touched her shoulder, the rest of her senses came back, and she moved forward once again.
Hinata was sitting at the table eating her lunch when Hanabi padded into the kitchen still wearing her pajamas. Setting down her sandwich on the plate in front of her Hinata waved at her younger sister. Hanabi made a face before yanking open the refrigerator door and burying her face inside of it. Hinata smiled at her younger sister and was reaching for her glass of water when her phone buzzed in her pocket. Digging her hand into the pocket of her loose jeans, she pulled out her cell phone. She froze when she glanced at the front display on her phone.
Sasuke.
She was pretty sure she wouldn't get used to seeing his name come up on her phone any time soon. She knew it was probably about meeting at the library in an hour or so to work on their paper, but it didn't lessen the shock of seeing his name on her phone.
Flipping her phone open, she opened up the text message and read it over. She paused when she reached the end of text message and proceeded to read it over again. She closed her phone and then stared down at her sandwich. He wanted to work on the paper at his apartment. She swallowed a nervous lump in her throat, no longer hungry for her food. It was bad enough working on the project with Sasuke at the library. At least other people were there with them. At his apartment though… It would just be the two of them, and Sasuke still intimidated her.
Unable to form a legitimate reason why that would be a problem she opened her phone back up and brought up a blank message and sent him back that she would be over soon. Closing the phone she shoved the other half of her sandwich across the table to Hanabi, who was now sitting there with a glass of milk, texting away on her phone.
"Thanks," Hanabi said as she glanced up from her phone.
"You're welcome," Hinata said before walking out of the kitchen before heading up to her room. She needed to get herself ready for this.
She wasn't sure how long she had been standing outside the door staring at it, but it had been longer than five minutes. At least one woman had walked by and looked at her like she was crazy. At least no one had said anything to her yet. Taking what had to be her hundredth deep breath, she raised her hand to ring the doorbell. She froze and found herself closing her eyes as she pushed the button.
Standing there with her backpack she felt the urge to flee and had to force herself to stand in place. She took another deep breath and told herself that she could do this. They were just going to work on their paper. It wasn't going to be any different than it usually was. She was simply making a big deal out of nothing.
The door in front of her swung open and instantly she felt her face heat up. Sasuke was standing there in a pair of shorts and a black beater. Now while she had always preferred blonde hair and blue eyes to dark features of Sasuke there was no way she could not notice all the flawless, pale skin that stretched taunt over muscle. He was simply standing there looking like some sort of Adonis with an almost amused expression on his face. In a way she was thankful for his injury, because the moment she caught sight of the brace on his wrist, she was able to get past the sight standing in front of her.
"Are you alright," she asked quietly, her lavender gaze moving from his wrist to his face to study the reaction to her question.
"Hn. It's just a sprain," he answered before stepping aside to let her in.
Sasuke's place was incredibly clean. Even cleaner than her own house, which was certainly saying something. It was a modern apartment and she supposed quite stylish. Yet it reminded her of her house. It was cold. There was a chill that didn't come from the temperature. There were no personal touches that she could see. It was like no one lived here though obviously that was not true. There were little things here and there that showed signs of life. There was an ice pack wrapped in a towel sitting on the island counter that separated the kitchen from the rest of the room, a bottle of water and some aspirin sitting beside it.
"Does it hurt," she blurted out as she turned around to face him.
In the process of doing so she bumped straight into him, causing a startled 'eep' to escape her lips as she took a step backwards and furiously fought with the blush that burned at her cheeks. Of course it was a losing battle, and she was all too aware that her face was quite red when she regained her balance and risked looking up at him.
When he had woken up this morning he had been sore, and as a result, he had been in a pretty lousy mood. He had downed some aspirin and relocated to the couch where he had put ice on the noticeable aches. All the while he cursed the idiot on the other team who had tackled him after the play had been dead.
Around lunch time he decided there was no way he was going to drag himself out of this apartment and sit in the library for a couple of hours working on an English paper. So he sent Hinata a text message and told her to come over. Normally he didn't like having company, aside from Naruto because the blonde didn't give him much of a choice, but the idea of having Hinata come by didn't bother him. It was probably because she was one of the few people who he didn't find as annoying as the rest. Sure there were little things that annoyed him but over all she was quiet and easy to be around.
So later on when his doorbell rang, he tossed his ice pack onto the counter and headed to the door. He didn't give much thought to the clothes he had on or anything regarding his appearance for that manner. He simply hauled open the door and watched as the normally pale face of Hinata turned red within a matter of a second. The sight was certainly amusing and he'd be lying if he said that he didn't get any male satisfaction from her reaction. It was strange because normally that sort of thing wasn't something he was concerned with. Yet this time… well he wasn't going to think into it.
He didn't have to either because Hinata asked a question. She also turned around and bumped straight into him. Again he got to watch a blush recolor her face. Surprisingly he wasn't annoyed, at least not as much as he might have been had it been someone else. He simply shook his head slightly and decided to answer her question.
"Not really. It's just sore," he admitted before brushing past her and motioning towards the table. His notes and laptop were already spread out on the table.
"Will… will you be able to play next game," Hinata asked from behind him.
He found himself nodding his head yes even though he wasn't entirely sure he would be. If it was up to him he would play. Shizune and Iruka might make him watch the game from the bench though. The thought annoyed him already. The sprain wasn't that bad. A few days rest and he'd probably he fine.
He watched as Hinata settled into a chair across the table from where he had his things. He took a seat as well, watching as she quietly pulled out her things and opened them up on the table. She looked up at him and caught him watching her. She blushed yet again and he found himself fighting off the urge to smirk. For the time being he decided to blame the aspirin.
A good four hours later and they were still sitting at his table. The only difference was that they had their project nearly done, and there was a half-eaten pizza sitting between them. After some consideration Sasuke had ordered a pizza and they had taken a short break to eat before getting back to the paper.
He wasn't sure when it had happened, or how it had happened for that matter, but sometime after they had left the small village he had found her in, he realized that there was no way he could simply hand her over to his king. It was no longer about immortality. It was about her. He found himself caring about the fact that her life would be over as soon as he passed her on to his king. He found himself unable to condemn her to that fate. How, after each passing day that he had spent learning to know her, could he be expected to?
It left him frustrated with both himself and this girl. Just who was she after all to suddenly make him question his decision and the choices he had made? She made him regret ever having discovered who she was, and yet even that regret was tainted by the fact that he could not imagine having never met her. This whole experience had been like resurfacing after being under water for too long. He found himself questioning everything he was and everything he wanted to become. For some reason seeing the girl who was meant to be unseen had made him see himself as well. He had found that he didn't like the reflection staring back at him. And while he wanted to hate her for shattering the image he had built to get through each day, he couldn't.
So the question became what to do with the girl who had shattered the world he had seen only a week before. There was nothing special about her yet at the same time there was something special to him. He had considered simply moving on without her and yet every morning when he woke he found himself telling her to come along. He wanted her around and he wanted her far away. He no longer knew what he wanted. She had turned everything upside down and she had no idea. For every day she greeted him with a small smile and an honest face that spoke words when she said none.
She didn't know what to make of the knight who had found her. There were moments when he seemed to enjoy her company and then times that he looked at her as if she were no better than the dirt they walked on. Given the penetrating gaze that the knight possessed it was unnerving to stand there as his sole focus, especially when it was so full of disdain. Yet despite this his actions had been unfailingly courteous to her thus far. His actions had never meant her any harm. Of course she supposed the fact that he was simply leading her to her death contradicted that previous thought. But aside from his final intention everything else he had done had been kind.
She found herself drawn to him in a strange way. She supposed it was because after all this time he had been the one to finally see her. She couldn't help but want to be around him, to be noticed, to know that when he looked at her, he actually saw her. It made her feel alive for the first time in years, and it was a feeling she would cling to with her dying breath. She could leave this place happily because for the time being she was one again a part of it. She could cherish this time and carry it with her. Whether or not the knight knew it, he had given her something to hold on to, something to embrace, something to make her unafraid of what lie ahead.
So when she saw her knight, and she was unaware of when she had started referring to him as hers because in truth he was anything but, she went to him as she always did. They had come to an understanding that she would not run away when he left her. She could give him that in exchange for the feeling of life that he gave her. This time she found it strange for when she approached him he seemed not to notice her. It was as if his mind was miles away. She felt timid, unsure if she was interrupting him, but she spoke his name anyway.
He turned and looked at her and that vacant look from before was gone. It was replaced by something else, something more sinister. It sent shivers up her spine. He told her to come with him and as always she listened. She followed him unquestioningly because he saw her and it was the least she could do.
He couldn't find her and a rising panic was beginning to build up in his chest. He never panicked, and yet this time there was something nagging at him, something telling him to hurry. So hurry he did. He wasn't sure where he was hurrying to but he knew he had to find her. Something was wrong. He moved quickly in one direction. He wasn't sure why but it was as if he was being drawn that way, away from the village and out into the woods. He paused a brief moment and watched a snake sliver across the carpet of grass at his feet. His blood ran cold. He began to run now, further into the woods, his hand on the hilt of his sword.
"Um… Sasuke?"
He glanced up from what he had been writing and noticed Hinata was looking at some of his notes that he had given her in order to keep their stories in line.
"Hn?" It really was a versatile word serving as a question and response. It could be a negative or affirmative or even undetermined. Really it gave him a way to reply without ever really saying anything. It was something he could appreciate.
"It's just… well… I… I noticed that this evil warlock… well… the way you described him…"
"Spit it out already," he ordered after listening to her stammering long enough.
"He's a lot like Mr. Orochimaru," she blurted out.
Sasuke frowned and glanced down at his notes. He read over what he jotted down and after going over it in his mind he decided that she was right. He hadn't noticed that before though.
"I guess you're right," he admitted.
"I think he's creepy too," she whispered from across the table.
He said nothing in response, but he found that when he looked back down at his paper, a smirk had found its way across his features.
She wasn't sure when she realized that the man she was following was not her knight. He looked like her night but there was something different. Yet by the time it had come clear to her it was far too late for her to save herself. She turned to flee but an ice cold hand on her wrist stilled her. The grip was like a vice, squeezing around her painfully and twisting her arm awkwardly. She bit back a cry and instead turned to face the man that the grip belonged to. No longer did she see the vision of her knight, instead it had been replaced by a ghostly white face. The man had long, dark hair that fell in front of his face. His eyes were yellow and his pupils slated like some sort of reptile. His face was gaunt, his skin stretched tight across it. He licked his lips and again she tried to flee only to have her wrist twisted further.
"You have something I want. Give me my immortality."
She wasn't sure what she had thought her death would be like, but she could not have ever imagined the feeling of her life being drained from her. Like a dam giving way, the energy within her began to flood out. Her eyes glazed over and her legs gave out from under her. She crumpled to the ground, her body lacking the strength to move. She shuddered from the sudden feeling of cold that seemed to swallow her up. She was dying, something she had been preparing herself for this past week. Yet there was something missing, something she had been expecting. She didn't have her knight with her.
She heard a shout then and realized it had been her name. The voice echoed through her mind and what was left of her spirits soared for a brief moment. Her knight was here. That was what had been missing. She clung to the life that drained from her body, dimly aware that the man who had taken it from her had moved away. She was alone and she didn't want to be, but all would be alright. She would die and someone would know, someone would feel something…
He was too late. He didn't save her. All of the internal struggle he had gone though had been for nothing. The source of his confusion lay unmoving on the ground and from the corner of his eye he saw her killer flee. He caught sight of the snake marking on the bottom of his clock. He recognized the marking. It belonged to a warlock known for his cruel experimentation with spells and potions on other people. He started to go after him, immortal or not he would find a way to kill him.
Hearing his name stopped him. It was a whisper of a voice and briefly he thought that he had imagined it. He froze when he realized where it had come from. Torn between chasing down her killer and going to her, the slight twitch of her hand had him abandon his thoughts of pursuit. He kneeled by her side peering down at her face. Her lavender eyes had grown paler along with her skin. His hand reached out slowly and found her own, the temperature of her skin equivalent to ice.
"Why did you follow him," he demanded, angry with her. This was her fault. She should have never followed him.
"I… thought… it… was… you," she said, her voice lost upon the wind.
"My… knight. I'm not alone," she whispered and then a soft smile crossed her lips.
Even in the face of his anger she simply smiled. She was gone after that, and he was surprised that he knew that so instantly. There was no doubt in his mind that the last of her life had faded away, gone to someone whose life was worth far less than her own. Again he felt bitter. She smiled at him, smiled at her death. She smiled because she hadn't been alone. He stood then, his gaze moving in the direction of the snake leech before falling back to the lifeless form at his feet, a death and a birth. The death of someone that nobody was supposed to notice, and the birth of the person who had, the birth of an avenger.
"He will not enjoy immortality for long."
It was pretty late by the time they finished up but the project was done. Hinata had packed up her things and helped him clean up the pizza they had eaten, despite his instance that he didn't need the help. Someone had called to tell her they were outside, and when she had hung up the phone, she had headed over to the door. She paused at the door however, her backpack slung over her shoulders and looking too large for her, and turned around to faced him, an unsure look on her features. After a moment a nervous smile graced her features, though it was still partially obscured by her hair.
"Have a good night Sasuke," she said quietly.
"I'll see you Monday," he replied after a moment.
She was smiling when the door closed behind her.
A/N: So I am not entirely happy with the way their story came out but it was supposed to include the tragedy and betrayal that Hinata wanted and personally I want to move on with the story. So if it feels rushed those are the reasons. From this point forward there will be more SasuHina moments (I hope!) so the story will start to pick up the pace. The next chapter will also be a fun one in case any of you were saddened by the way this one ended. Again I apologize if this chapter wasn't up to par (even if it was long) I simply need to get past this little bump and back into what I had planned on writing. Thanks for reading and I hope you all enjoyed!
Chapter Ten
"What happened to your face," Naruto exclaimed before bursting out into a fit of laughter. "This is priceless!"
Sasuke frowned at his blonde friend who though, still laughing, had his paintball gun trained on the two of them. What he wouldn't give to shoot Naruto right in that mouth of his. Maybe a mouthful of paint would quiet him down for once in his life. Still if he made any attempt to lift his own paintball gun Naruto was probably going to let him have it.
"Any last words Uchiha," Naruto asked, his voice taking on a dramatic tone that only Naruto was capable of pulling off.
Sasuke was about to execute some sort of roll that would hopefully cause Naruto to miss, he was a lousy shot anyway, when he felt his paint grenade being snatched from his hands. A second later the paint grenade was flying towards Naruto, and before anyone had a chance to react, the grenade nailed him straight in the head. Again paint flew everywhere, though most of it landed on its target.
This time it was Naruto's turn to look shocked as the paint dripped off of his mask. However Sasuke's attention wasn't on him. Instead it was on the girl who had thrown the paint grenade. Hinata, who was blushing underneath her mask, had just hit both himself and Naruto in the head with paint grenades. He wasn't sure if it was dumb luck or if she really had a throwing arm but he supposed it didn't matter. His gaze drifted to his best friend and he took in the sight of Naruto covered in paint. He watched as Naruto, who was only just now getting over the shock, clutch at his face with one of his hands as he staggered forward.
"Curse you Hinata," Naruto cried as he spun around and fell to the ground in a terrible impression of dying.
Sasuke watched his friend give one last dramatic twitch, and then he did something that he hadn't done in quite some time, he started laughing.
