Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me
Chapter 10
Hinata Hyuga was excited. More excited in fact that he thought he had ever seen her be. Sasuke leaned back on his chair, his arms crossed over his chest while looking at the girl with great interest. Most women would go crazy over clothes and hairpins and generally all those girly stuff that made them feel like goddesses on earth. Or that was just how the poor Uchiha pictured women in his mind. And yet here she was, Hinata Hyuga, getting a rosy tint of excitement and contentment all over her face at the sight of a plate filled with fresh out of the oven cinnamon rolls.
He didn't know what was so interesting about her at that moment. He had eaten out with both Naruto and Sakura before, yet that woman sitting in front of him made it look like something extraordinary. No matter her excitement though, the Hyuga princess was careful with her every move. He knew that she was not doing it on purpose, using such elaborate manners while eating her food, yet the influence of the Hyugas must have been great considering her upbringing.
He watched her closely, from the careful movements of her fingertips and the small smile on her lips to the innocent almost childish excitement that her eyes didn't seem to let go of. A picture suddenly passed his mind, a memory he didn't even remember he actually had, of a small four-year-old girl hiding behind the silk kimono of her smiling mother. She was a sweet woman, her mother. Hikari Hyuga always seemed to have a nice word for every one that passed her way. When his mother was still alive he remembered spending quite some time with the Hyuga matriarch once in a while, despite their clans' rivalry. Yet Hikari didn't seem to belong among the cold-hearted Hyugas as his mother had once said.
He looked at Hinata some more, realizing that he was mistaken before. That girl was nothing like the Hyugas. From her blue hair that reached beyond her waist to her large innocent yet willful eyes, the woman before him was an almost spitting image of her mother.
Hinata's eyes met his, a questioning expression crossing her face.
"You look just like your mother", he said with a straight face, once more too straight forward for her liking. He hadn't even thought of what was coming out of his mouth when he said that, yet he didn't try to take it back. He watched as her questioning face softened while her eyes seemed to freeze. This was most probably the last thing she had ever expected to hear from the Uchiha.
Hinata didn't know how to respond to that. She had no idea that Sasuke even remembered her mother. They had met too long ago, at a time that now seemed to be just a part of a children's book. She had almost erased all those memories by now. It wasn't like she didn't want to remember her mother, but growing up the way she did, she felt like remembering all those moments of happiness would only throw her into a deeper sadness.
"Never mind", he said, taking in the suddenly melancholic expression on Hinata's face. For some reason, it bothered him greatly, or to be more precise, it bothered him that he had caused that expression to destroy her previous childish enthusiasm. He didn't know why though. He never really cared about what the others felt, or how his words or actions affected those around him.
"No", Hinata rushed to say. "It's just that, I didn't expect for you to remember her".
"Hn", he just said.
"And".
His eyes fell on her once more.
"It had been long since the last time I thought of her", Hinata truthfully said.
Sasuke just shifted his gaze to the cinnamon rolls that were still on her plate.
"Eat", he simply said, trying to leave behind the ghosts of their past.
Hinata looked at her plate with a small smile once more, silently thanking him for changing the subject.
"Won't you eat something too though?", she asked. "It's been days since you've had a proper meal". And indeed it had. It had been almost five days since they left the cave in the Land of Rain and passed the southern borders to the Land of Earth. They had traveled day and night, taking the route that extended next to the largest river in the Land of Earth and managing to arrive at the village of Miru before dawn that same morning.
"Maybe later", he said as the young woman before him ate some more. He was lying though as at the moment he just didn't seem to have the proper appetite to eat anything. All those years living on his own outside the village, the Uchiha had taught his body to withstand without much food or water for days on end. He was sure that Hinata had undergone some similar training before taking the ANBU examinations more than one year ago. After seeing that mask at Kakashi' s office, all it took was the alcohol contest his friend had dragged him into, for Naruto to start blurting everything out. The woman had gone under some pretty gruesome training before Kakashi could officially offer her a place among his elite shinobi and he was sure surviving under tough circumstances was a part of that training. The Hyuga princess, no matter how pampered she seemed in the eyes of anyone else in the village, had proved to be almost as tough as him, considering anything that had to do with the life of a shinobi. She had never whined, never expressed her feelings of hunger or exhaustion, never demanded to rest or be given food. No, Hinata Hyuga had done none of that. And being the person she was, she never understood why the first thing Sasuke did once they reached the village of Miru, was to take them for some food when in the end he had no intention of eating anyway. She never understood that this was his weird way of silently saying thank you, for saving him back in the cave. Hell, the Uchiha couldn't even understand it himself. He never really cared about saying or expressing his gratitude to anyone, not even Naruto. Yet, seeing her excitement over something so small as a plate of cinnamon rolls, made him feel strange. Strange because he had never really seen someone react like this to something he had done.
He stood up, without a single warning to the heiress. They were at the village of Miru for a reason and he was only losing time sitting around like that.
"Are we leaving?", she said as the Uchiha left a few coins on the wooden table. She stood up as well only for his words to stop her.
"I am", he said in all his serious self once more. "I have to meet someone. I'll meet you in two hours by the Sakura tree at the village's central square. Don't make me wait for you".
And with that he threw his hood over his head and exited the shop, leaving her behind.
He walked through the low lit corridor of the Tea House with a woman dressed in a kimono heavier than her leading the way. Similarly dressed girls with elaborate updos, were walking up and down the corridor all the while stealing flirtatious glances at him and giggling behind their raised hands. Sasuke just looked ahead though, paying them no mind.
"Satomi-sama will be here shortly", the young woman said as she pushed the shoji doors open for the Uchiha to enter. He walked slowly inside, taking a seat on a large red velvet pillow on the floor. "Is there anything I could offer you while you wait, Uchiha-san?", the woman said with a blush, yet the Uchiha only dismissed her with a single gesture of his hand.
The Uchiha sat there silently with his hands resting atop his knees. He didn't need to look around as he already knew the surroundings of this room almost by heart. In the Land of Earth, tea houses were not places women could enter so to enjoy a cup of tea with friends. Instead, it was a gathering place for men, who wanted to drink till passing out all the while enjoying the company of beautiful women dressed in painted silk fabrics. He had visited this place a lot of times in the past, but not for that kind of service.
The shoji doors opened, signaling the entrance of the woman he had come looking for. A beautiful woman around the age of thirty-nine, walked slowly around him, her silk kimono rustling on the wooden floor with each of her steps. She gracefully took her seat on two embroidered pillows in front of him with a smile already gracing her red painted lips.
"Uchiha Sasuke", the woman said, greeting him. "It's been a long time now, hasn't it? My girls haven't seen you around this place for more than a year".
"I guess Kakashi kept in touch with you though", Sasuke simply said and the woman smiled.
"Ah Kakashi", she exclaimed with almost dreamy eyes. "Your Hokage has indeed asked for my help numerous times these past months, despite not sending you in person. I suppose you're here for the 5th Tsuchikage".
"No", he said as he watched the woman send a mysterious look his way. "Not exactly. I'm here for business of my own. Kakashi shall not know. I suppose I can trust you. Saving your Tea House from the daimyo's men the other time is a thing to be rewarded for now, isn't it?"
Satomi offered him a mischievous smile.
"I suppose it is", she said, straightening the long sleeves of her luxurious kimono. "Yet I wonder what is that business of yours really. My girls told me you haven't come alone. They've seen a woman in town. Quite the beauty, from what they said".
"That's none of your business".
"Of course it's not", she said. "But considering what you've come to ask me, I think our conversation will go more smoothly with a cup of ginger tea now, won't it?"
As if on cue the shoji doors opened once more, and the girl from before slowly walked in with a tray in her hands. She carefully bent down, laying the tray on the small coffee table between them before serving them some tea. Satomi dismissed her soon after and once she took a sip from her porcelain cup she smiled at the stern look of the Uchiha once more.
"So, how can I help you this time, Sasuke?", she said, not using any kind of honorifics. Sasuke had never used them with her or with any other person he met. Fake courtesies were not something the Uchiha cared about. And the mature woman seemed to appreciate that. He was honest that young man, unlike most of those men that entered her tea house every day.
"There is a person I need to know about. A woman that has been causing me too much trouble lately", Sasuke said, immediately cutting to the point of their discussion. "She is a Hyuga probably living somewhere around here, in the Land of Earth".
Satomi smiled again. Of course, she knew. Nothing ever slipped from her attention. That was why Kakashi always kept close contact with the Tea houses in the village of Miru. They were a great place to get information from, especially if you had the money to pay for that said information. But Kakashi was a lot different case. Sasuke could never recall Satomi ever asking money from him in exchange for the information she had to offer. Instead, the Uchiha had to offer his shinobi services once or twice, usually providing protection against rich men who thought they could do as they pleased in a place like this.
"Hyuga", she said taking another sip of her tea. "I think I have told you before, how much men like to talk, especially when they are drunk and happy in a woman's arms".
She let her porcelain cup on the coffee table before her once more.
"A few months back, word reached my ears, of a strange woman at the northern borders of the Land of Earth. A woman with strange white pupiless eyes. It was said that she has a lot of men under her command and that the women at the tea houses in the area serve as her spies".
"What is her name?"
"A name?", she said looking at him with fake innocence. "Oh, I know nothing about that. But I know that they call her Raven".
"That's fine enough", Sasuke said as he stood. "Where can I find her?"
"Find her? Well, the man said nothing about that. But I know of someone who might have an idea of where the woman can be found", Satomi stood up with such gracefulness that would make even the greatest Geiko jealous. She walked closer, circling the young Uchiha with flirtatious eyes. "You know Sasuke...", a slender hand suggestively touched his arm. "No man has ever dared to avert his eyes from me...", her hand reached for his face, yet the Uchiha grabbed it before she could. She smiled, but his face remained stoic.
"There's always a first time for everything", he said, throwing her hand away. She laughed.
"Oh so cold...", she said. "I paid my debt to you by telling you about the woman. But for me to tell you of the man who will provide you with more answers, I want something in exchange. And if I can't have your body even for a night, then there's something else you can do for me".
Sasuke just looked impassively at her, waiting for her to continue.
"There's a man that has caused us great trouble. To be precise he wants to shut this place down, saying it is immoral for us to give our services to men of this country", she said with an ironic laugh. "I want you to give him a message. Something that will make him understand that he shall not dare involve in my business again. I'm sure you'll find a way to do that. You always do."
She took a small embroidered handkerchief out of the long wide sleeve of her kimono and gave it to the Uchiha.
Sasuke eyed the item for a moment, before returning his eyes to Satomi.
"His name is Hironaka Daiki", she said. "He is one of the Earth daimyo's advisors".
Hinata walked slowly through the open market of the village, amazed by the amount of people that had filled the streets. It was a sunny and hot day, she noticed, unlike the days in the Land of Rain. With days like that hardly anyone would ever want to stay inside, she thought.
She passed by stalls filled with all kinds of goods, from tasty delicacies to books and fabrics. The stall that caught her eye though was one on her left hand. She could have followed the Uchiha instead of walking around the village, she knew. Yet spying on the former avenger wouldn't prove to be a good or wise idea. For some reason Hinata had felt that Sasuke would tell her everything after he was done. He had started showing her a different side of him lately, one that the Hyuga heiress had never imagined he had.
She approached the stall as the merchants around her kept shouting above their lungs, in an attempt to gain more customers.
Who was Uchiha Sasuke really? That was a question that seemed to pass more and more through her mind lately. The man confused her greatly, yet, not having him walk her by her side now, made her feel weird somehow. Could she have gotten used to the Uchiha's presence, so much even that she found herself to be bothered by his absence? She shook her head, as if trying to shake off those stupid thoughts as well.
Her hands shadowed over the metallic objects on the wooden table.
"What could a sweet young lady like you want something like this for?", the old man behind the stall said. His tone was neither judgmental nor disparaging though. "Oh, please don't take me wrong, young lady", he rushed to excuse himself, suddenly understanding that what he had previously said could have sounded insulting.
"It's just... how can I say it?", the man said with a sweet smile gracing his wrinkled face. "Beautiful women like you... I usually see them standing in front of that stall over there...".
Hinata followed his gaze, to the stall a few meters away. It was a small one, yet a lot of well-dressed women were standing around it, admiring the colorful fabrics and the beautiful hairpins it had to offer. Suddenly she saw three women, dressed in expensive kimonos, staring right at her.
She averted her gaze to the kunais on the old man's stand again.
"Not all women are the same dear sir", she said in a gentle tone as the man happily nodded.
Something was bugging her though. From the moment Sasuke left, she felt as if someone was watching her, yet every time she checked, there was no one in sight.
Suddenly a small hand touched her shoulder, making her turn around.
"A pretty one indeed", the woman with the white painted face and the red lips said, as two other almost identically dressed young ladies stood beside her. They were the ones from before, the three women with the expensive kimonos that were looking intently at her from the stall the old man had shown her.
"Pretty, yes...", one of the other two said, as Hinata just looked at them. She was just too shocked with this whole ordeal to say anything.
"But plain...", the other one finished her sentence, as her hands touched the heiress' dark blue hair. "I can't understand what Uchiha-san likes about you really".
Hinata's eyes grew wide, both for the girl's remark and the Uchiha's name that had just slipped from her lips. Did he know those women?
A larger rough hand found its way around her waist, bringing her out of her trance at once. Her head immediately jerked up, her eyes meeting the ones of the man that was keeping her close to his body.
"Sasuke", she said in disbelief, but his eyes turned to look sternly at the three women standing before him with heavy blushes now painting their faces.
"Don't make me tell Satomi about this", was all he said and the women immediately bowed in embarrassment, all the while apologizing for their behavior, before storming off.
"I thought I told you to wait for me by the Sakura tree", he said in a low voice, making her look at him once more.
"I", she felt speechless somehow, and the way he was holding her didn't seem to help much. He was playing with her she knew. The Uchiha somehow enjoyed seeing her react to all this taunting of his.
She pulled herself away from his touch, only to see him smirk at her.
"I was about to go there just now", she finally said, but he didn't really seem to care anymore.
Sasuke extended his hand, slowly bringing the hood over her head once more. It wasn't a rough or angry motion though. On the contrary, something in his movements even seemed to be gentle.
"I thought I told you to always wear the hood of your cloak when we're in such crowded places", he said, his remark reminding her that Hyuga eyes could be recognized almost anywhere.
Then he looked at her again.
"There's something we need to talk about...".
Kakashi stood at the white corridor of the hospital, all the while trying to bear the smell of sickness that always seemed to make him nauseous. Then he remembered of the man that was standing a few feet away from him, with his bodyguards always following close behind him. And suddenly he realized that Hiashi Hyuga was much more of a problem than that hideous hospital smell.
For the past month the leader of the Hyugas had made the Hokage's life a living hell, and the more days that passed without knowing where Hinata was, the more the Hyugas decided to pay a visit to the Hokage Tower. They had put him in under such strain even, that Kakashi believed that his hair would go grey if they already weren't.
But when the news of Hideoki Hyuga finally waking up from his coma reached his ears, Kakashi suddenly felt like his nightmare could soon be over. If the man remembered who was the one who had abducted Hinata, then their research would prove to be more effective.
The white door of the room before them opened and Tsunade motioned for them to come inside.
"No, not your bodyguards, Hiashi", she said, stopping them, before they could enter. "That man inside is still very frail".
Hiashi just dismissed them with a nod of his head, before finally entering the room after Kakashi.
They both watched as Tsunade walked towards the bed again, helping the man take off his breathing mask. Hideoki coughed once or twice, and Tsunade looked at the two older men sternly, silently reminding them that they could only make a couple of questions. Then the man would have to be left alone to rest.
"Hideoki", Hiashi said, looking at the young Hyuga sternly. "Who took her? Who abducted Hinata?"
"Hiashi!", Kakashi said, quite angry at the way the Hyuga leader demanded answers from a man who had just gotten out of a coma. But the Hyuga didn't seem to pay him any mind.
"Hideoki", Hiashi said again. "Tell me".
Tsunade was about to punch that old Hyuga out of the window, but then the young boy's voice reached their ears.
"H-H-Hiashi-sama", he said weakly. "H-Hinata-sama. S-she was... she w-was kidnapped by U-Uchiha... Uchiha S-Sasuke", he said and Kakashi's eyes grew wide in shock.
Who's back? I'm back! So this was the 10th chapter of this story and Sasuke is going from serious to teasing and from teasing to gentle. That man just can't control his feelings.
Anyway, I just loooooved the comments you've all left me this far and I'm just so so happy that you enjoy this story.
So, any speculations about what could happen next? Or is there anything you would be dying to see soon?
Can't wait to hear from you!
Till next time!