AnimeCrasherz: Whoa, chapter 10 already. 2 digits... AAAND...
I'M BACK TO WHERE I WAS LAST SUMMER!
MY! HIGH FIVE! …you know you wanna high five me, even if you're not as excited.
Can't believe it took a YEAR.
I tried to make this one longer and put more time where Sasuke and Hinata are at least in the same general vicinity.
Chapter 10, Storm
I yanked my arm out of his grasp, clenched my arm into a fist and punched that sorry bastard. He grabbed his stomach, gasping for air.
"You… you pervert… wh-what were you th-thinking?"
Naruto continued to hold his stomach, doubled over, staring at the ground in shock. He had expected anything but this.
"It's over, Naruto! You couldn't have both me and Sakura before, and you can't have me now. You ended it yourself. Any regrets you have are not my problem!" I hissed through gritted teeth. My lips burned.
I stormed back to the camp, wiping my eyes and keeping my head down, so that nobody could see my face. As I walked past Sasuke I mumbled an inaudible "goodnight".
Pretending to be asleep, I lay in my sleeping bag with my back to everyone. It's really over... we're probably not even going to be friends anymore... That sick feeling in the pit of my stomach weighed me down with an inexplicable nostalgia. I thought about the things that Naruto told me… Who was Naruto to say such things to me, as if he knew the true meaning of the words he said so freely?
Do I really know what love means? Or what it means to me?
For me, love has always been when you want someone to be happy and safe. You want to be happy with them, see them smile and laugh. You might even want to be sad with them; share their pains and problems.
And you'd want them to love you back, too.
Do I have anyone special like that?
It felt like I used to, but it felt like the number of people that I feel like that towards are dwindling away, slipping right through my fingers and turning into just a nostalgic memory.
Then again, it's true what they say; love is eternal while it lasts.
Would I be able to look back at this night in ten years, maybe even five or less, and say that it was a stupid problem, something that didn't kill me and only made me stronger? It seemed impossible to me that this would hurt as much as it did now when I became older, that I would even remember the details at all.
But right now that was all I could think about, it haunted my nightmares and dreams and most of all, my waking mind.
Needless to say, the entire mission ended in shameful silence. Except for Sasuke. He was still like, WTF?
When I got home, I didn't come home to a welcome back committee, or even a "Hinata."
I came home to a funeral - my father's.
I sighed inwardly. A breakup, a mission, a wedding… and now a funeral, all in the span of about two weeks.
After hearing the news, I was speaking to some of the stressed servants. Suddenly remembering my dream, I asked them, "Sumimasen… b-but, how exactly… did he die?"
"His heart stopped."
I stood petrified, unable to move. Even my tearducts seemed frozen.
This funeral, it was way too remniscient of my dream. All of the major details were there: the lilies, the voice, the violins… only this time, it's my father in the coffin.
Pinching myself, I just wanted to make sure this wasn't a dream again. I looked over at a random Hyuuga, and he looked back down at me with some unreadable emotion.
At least they could see me, unlike in my dream.
As the singing lady's song ended, we were allowed to come up to the coffin and leave a flower, then see the body and maybe even touch it, grab its hand…
Last thing I want to do right now...
Standing in that long line of identical, white-eyed Hyuuga was unnerving to say the least. I didn't know where to look. I hated the awkward moments, waiting to be standing in front of my father's dead body, cold and motionless. They say dead bodies look sleeping and peaceful, but to me, I am only afraid that their eyes will shoot open widely and their dilated pupils will lock onto my eyes, piercing. I have to look away whenever I am near a dead body. I felt bad because he was my own father, but my dreams… they were way too real when I had them, and now it was like they were coming true in some sick, twisted way.
Inevitably, my turn came. I lingered back for a moment, but decided I would have to do it sometime. Tenderly, I set down the flower among the others near his photograph. In his picture, he wasn't smiling. Just like almost any other day in his life, even when he was dead…
Shaking my head to clear it of such horrid thoughts, I walked over a little bit to see the open half of the coffin, where the top half of his body was left exposed. My eyes wandered over his pale figure.
I looked at his hand reluctantly, remembering the ice-cold sickly feeling.
Since when do you feel things in a dream, anyway? I told myself, to gather up the courage to lift my arm and bring it to his hand…
…and feel the ice exactly as it had been in my dream.
I almost threw up at that precise moment.
Being a ninja, I had to get used to seeing blood. Seeing wounds, casualties, getting wounded… I had to get used to it.
But this body was perfectly unscathed and I almost couldn't stand the disgust.
Feeling like I couldn't even breathe, I gratefully stepped down and across the funeral grounds, past many Hyuugas and out in to an open field where I could be alone. At least they'd think I ran out on an attack of grief, not repulsion.
Hidden within the tall grass and flowers I waited out the rest of the funeral there, questioning the dreams, and my father's death, and what exactly I did wrong to make my life go so bad so quickly.
Of all people, Sasuke noted the difference the next day when I sat down at the bar and ordered the usual virgin non-alcoholic drink.
We hadn't spoken since the mission, and I knew somewhere deep inside he wanted to know what was going on.
"Ano, Sa…Sasuke-kun?" I looked up at him.
"Hn?" he replied with his favorite conversational phrase.
"About the mission…"
He laughed just the tiniest bit, out of amusement. (The little "Hmph" thing he does… you've all heard it.) A ghost of a smile showed faintly on his face. "I have to admit." He turned to me, "That was pretty funny."
I only gave him a confused look.
"Seeing you and Sakura argue like that… and then that idiot get yelled at." Of course Sasuke would think that would be funny. Ass. I was almost tricked into thinking he'd laugh out loud then.
There was a mutual silence, during which I finished my drink. Loudly, a thunderclap boomed above my head. Making me trip on my chair and almost stumble to the ground, I squealed a little.
Sasuke turned his head towards the ominous clouds overhead. "Looks like it's definitely going to rain soon. We should be heading home." He got up as well, and we began walking side by side. No need for words.
The wind whipped my hair around, and when I looked up at Sasuke I could barely see his eyes behind those long bangs of his, only when they were blown aside by the howling wind.
"Hey," his nosed turned up in the air, and he stopped in his tracks. "Did you see that?"
"See what?" I asked, trying not to let the fear leak through my voice.
"The lights in the city windows. Did they falter or was is my imagination?" He stopped walking, and I stopped a few steps ahead of him, turning back.
It was then that I heard a popping noise and we were submerged in black when all the lights of the city died.
Sasuke cursed under his breath. Fumbling through his pockets, he finally produced a little flashlight. (Can we say strong little flashlights are something practical to carry around? Yes?) "Here." He said, handing it to me. "To get home faster we'd have to take a shortcut that passes by my house first, so you can borrow that to get you home."
"Thank you." I said meekly, shining the flashlight around everywhere in front of me. It shone over the eyes of some stray cats, and their orbs glowed emerald bright as if they were lights themselves.
Enjoying myself, I shone the flashlight in the eyes of the strays around. The cats' eyes were bright green and yellow, and the dog's eyes were orange and dark, blood-red.
"Keep that flashlight steady, will you?"
I accidentally shone the flashlight into two black eyes that belonged to the amused Sasuke, watching me play with the flashlight like a child.
KRAKABOOM!
A huge thunderclap boomed so loud it seemed like the sky hung three feet above our heads, a blanket of ash. Steadying myself and looking up, I felt a little annoying sting in my eye. A raindrop? Rubbing it, I felt wet drops of water fall on my exposed hands, and some on my face. I put my hands out to catch some of the little droplets, and it started falling down in torrents.
"Come on!" Sasuke shouted, beginning to run and jump through the streets, leading me forward. I followed him as best I could, using my good eyesight to see through the blackness and buckets of rainwater.
He slowed down, and before I knew it we were on his porch. We were soaked and dripping all over the wooden floorboards of the porch wrapping around his house. I took off my sopping wet sweater, where my shirt under was relatively damp.
"Wait here." Sasuke said as he walked inside.
I stood there impatiently. It was a very late time to be out, in a storm no less! But, who would worry about me? I didn't even have a father to get angry at me anymore.
I walked over to the edge of the porch, my feet making squelching noises as I took each step. Plopping down on the dry wood, I removed my sandals and drained them of the water that they had absorbed.
"Here." I heard a voice behind me. Sasuke stood holding a blanket and a mug. I thanked him from the blanket and took a sip of the drink-tea. It was warm, just what I needed.
KRAKABOOM!
Another loud thunderclap. As I jumped a little, the tea sloshed around in the cup and I huddled in the little blanket Sasuke gave me. "Sasuke?"
"Hn?"
"I should be getting home now…" I started to get up, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me down.
"Not in this rain, you shouldn't." he said sternly, but I knew he meant well. "Do you want pneumonia?"
"B-But-" he glared daggers. "…Uh, I mean no." I sipped the tea once more, trying to calm myself down. "When the rain stops then."
So we sat there, on the porch, looking up at the rain. It dripped off the roof of the porch and formed little puddles and rivers in the mud at my feet. I imagined little civilizations washed away by miniature floods.
How long would it rain like this? Downpours usually didn't last long, but only time would tell.
Sensing Sasuke's emotions proved to be a not-so easy task, but we sat on the porch in silence. Two people, two lonely souls who knew what it was like to have almost nobody. To have the most important people taken away… (They have nobody… but EACHOTHER! HAHAHAH! But they don't know that… so don't tell them...)
Sitting on the edge of the porch with my feet dangling over the edge and my toes in the mud, I propped my elbows on my knees and rested my head in my hands. My eyelids began to get droopy, but I knew falling asleep was one of the worst things I could do.
But I hadn't slept enough in say… two weeks…
"So," Sasuke began, "You haven't said much. What's going on lately? And pull your feet out of the rain, idiot."
Quickly, I tucked my legs under me, and I knew what he meant. What he was asking about.
"Listen, Sasuke, about the argument on the mission," I took a deep breath, "It's a long story."
He looked up at the rain, still pounding the ground furiously.
"I have time."
"Well… I'm sure you've heard about me and Naruto going out before." I wasn't exactly sure how to go on. How do you tell someone these things? "And a-A-ACHOO!" My sneeze was loud, and caused me to lean forward and plop back down onto my backside, hair hanging in front of my face, hands wet with spit.
"Uh… bless you."
"Thanks." I continued sheepishly, wiping my hands on my thighs. "Anways... well, we were going out until… until…" I drew a long shaky breath, determined to keep composed. I would not cry in front of people. "Until Sakura came along. I guess, it looked like Naruto wasn't ready to give his whole heart to me… or maybe he wasn't ready to keep it from Sakura…
"When I found out about them, I didn't say anything about it to anyone…and I guess they didn't either. They were... ashamed..." I couldn't go on anymore. I felt if I said one more word, I would shatter something inside of me and start crying again. My lip trembled a little bit, but I jut out my jaw and hid my face in my hands.
Sasuke was silent, drinking his tea and looking at me strangely.
"And now, now that my father is dead and Naruto is nothing to me, I feel alone. So alone…" I finished, wanting to curl up in the blanket and let the rain wash me away with the tiny little civilizations, to somewhere where the sun shone and birds flew through the rainless blue sky, a place where life and love wasn't so complicated.
Sasuke sighed. He's probably never had to console anyone before. I doubt he knows how… but once again his presence alone lightened my mood. I hoped he would stay near if no one else would. I didn't depend on it, and I would have never known it if none of this happened, but Sasuke could be an… okay bastard? Good way to put it, I think.
My eyelids began to droop again. I yawned, and took a drink of the tea that made me warm inside despite the cold outside.
Sasuke began to speak, but I couldn't hear him. I didn't try. Whenever I closed my eyes it was bliss… I tried to open them… but it was much easier… to ignore the little voice in my head to wake up… really easy to… to just…
"You will be banished from the Hyuuga clan."
"Wh-what?"
The Council of Elders loomed over me, their huge white-robed bodies casting shadows over my meek little form.
"You will no longer be a Hyuuga. Seeing as you are unfit to be heiress and continue to bring shame to the Main House, we have decided to ban you from both the Main and Branch House. In your place will be Hanabi, the new Head of the Hyuuga Can."
Hanabi's eyes were white, but emptier than the Elder's. Roughly, she gripped my shoulders and I felt her filthy nails through my dirty sweater, pull me up, up, up...
I sat up, breathing heavily.
Another dream…
This one was short, and I thanked the Gods with all by being that at least it wasn't as long and scary as the other ones.
I looked around. It was still dark, the power still out.
I sat up and swung my legs to the floor. I was sitting on a couch, a soft one at that…
My heart started hammering when I realized that this couch was not in my house.
Thoughts still slightly muddled from sleep, I looked around and tried to figure out where I was. Neon green digital numbers shone on a clock.
1:30.
A.M.
I couldn't help but scream.
A shout; Sasuke had been asleep, sitting on the floor leaning against the couch!
"Sasuke!" I crawled across the couch to him. "I-I'm sorry about waking you up!"
"That's okay…" he rubbed his knee. He had bumped it on the coffee table when I woke him. Apparently he had tried to stand up in the dark.
"Sasuke-kun, wh… why was I asleep on your couch?" my voice cracked in worry.
"Well… you fell asleep. On my porch."
"Th-that still doesn't explain why I'm on your couch! Why didn't you wake me up? At least when the rain stopped?"
It was silent throughout Konoha. No more downpour.
"The rain only stopped a little while ago…" he glanced at the clock. "Scratch that… two hours."
"Sasuke!"
"Well… I didn't…" if it wasn't so dark, I could've seen him turn JUST A LITTLE red. (another sign of the apocalypse.) "I tried to wake you up on the porch… but it was like you were passed out or something. So I decided to carry you inside and wait until the rain stopped to wake you up."
"The rain stopped two hours ago, you said yourself."
"I couldn't wake you up…" She was sleeping like a rock. And besides… who has the heart to wake up poor, sleeping Hinata, anyway?
(Mental image of Sasuke standing over Hinata while she sleeps on his couch, deciding whether to wake her up, or not wake her up…
Mental image of Hinata, waking up right then, looking up at Sasuke standing over her… breathing…)
"Well…" I slouched on the couch. "I'm dead now anyways. Anything I do from this point on is null and void because when I get back home; I'm in for it."
"Sorry…" Sasuke said.
"Th-that's okay…" I didn't want to make it look like it was his fault. It was really mostly mine.
sound of pin dropping
"I should be getting back now." I said. "Where's my sweater?"
"You're going to walk through muddy streets in dead darkness at 1:30 in the morning? Must I remind you the power hasn't turned back on, and your sweater might as well be a block of ice."
"Ooh…" I flopped down onto the couch. "I-I guess not…"
more pins
"You were sleeping like a rock." If it wasn't so dark, I could've seen the smile on his face.
"G-gomen! I haven't been sleeping well lately."
"Hn."
pins dancing
"I-I should be getting to sleep now, then. S-so I can w-wake up early…"
"Ok." Sasuke said.
He didn't move.
"A-ano… Sasuke-"
"You know," he said, as he stood up. "About what you said earlier, about being alone… there's always someone there. Even if you don't see them."
And if it wasn't so dark in the room, he could see that I smiled brighter than I had in a very long time.
I jumped swiftly across the rooftops of Konoha village.
The clouds were now a very light morning gray, drained of rain, and the sun was peeking through holes in the clouds. Rays of sunlight escaped and shone down on the village, making the wet streets and rooftops glimmer and look almost like a scene from a painting.
Things were finally beginning to calm down in my life.
…only the tiniest bit, though.
When I reached the Hyuuga compound, I hopped down lightly in front of the door. As I opened it, I saw that nobody was around.
I searched the compound, until I heard the sounds of voices. Following them, I found a room where all of the Council of Elders was gathered, along with Hanabi. They looked very angry.
"Ah, Hinata. Please sit." Hanabi gestured to an empty place.
"Uh… hai." I sat nervously, confused and a little scared. "Hanabi-chan, what's going on?"
She looked at me, and there was a sad, sorry look in her white orbs.
"It's Hanabi-sama to you now."
AnimeCrasherz: Just in case you forgot, "sama" is like lord. So that would mean Hinata's dad left the position of heiress to SOMEBODY in his will...
This whole story was originally a drawing idea I had about a girl in her sleeping bag in the forest, looking up at the rain and the lightning and her friend telling her to shut up and sleep (scene from chapter 1, remember?). It wasn't even Naruto characters! It was Final Fantasy. Somehow that turned into an entire story of Naruto cheating on Hinata, Sakura being a bitch, Sasuke being… Sasuke, Hinata's father being sick… and this story was born.
Was it good, bad? Please Review! I feed off of the love and the hate. It's inspiration for the next chapter