Chapter 11- Nowadays

So then learn to conquer your fear. This is the only art we have to master nowadays: to look at things without fear, and to fearlessly do right.

–Friedrich Durrenmatt

Sasuke's POV

I felt restless to see Hinata.

It aggravated me to no end that I always kept thinking about her. Whenever I ate my meals, I couldn't help remembering the home-made food she liked to cook, which I loved to eat. Or when I tried to sleep, her image continued to plague my mind and it wouldn't leave, causing me to lose more sleep than normal. And without someone to pawn on video games, I experienced a lonely existence.

Well, I knew for sure the thoughts would cease once I met up with her again.

Hastily approaching her front door, I hadn't even reached the porch steps before something collided into me, throwing me off balance. My back met an unpleasant impact with the cold, solid cement and I found it a miracle my head didn't split open.

"Sasuke? A-are you okay?" In a daze, I felt Hinata's gentle hands touch my head, searching for the bump I possibly received prior to her assault. She nervously began to ramble out senseless apologies. "I-I'm sorry. Truly s-sorry! You got h-hurt and... I-I-I didn't mean to, I– I d-don't know w-what I was thinking!"

Her unmistakable skinny arms embraced me tightly, as if she didn't want to let go of me for the world. I grunted in slight pain. The first thing she had to do after two days of no communication between us was to tackle me? Great. And I thought I had it bad.

"Hinata." Like I expected, she immediately stopped the moment I said her name. To placate her uneasiness as well as mine, I pecked her lips and wrapped my arm around her waist. I chuckled from the familiar amusing blush adorning her face. "I missed you, too."

Pulling her down so her head laid on my chest, I protectively held her against me. A little too tightly for comfort, but Hinata wasn't complaining. Two days without her warmth, her laughter, her smiles, her annoyingly cute and clumsy antics... without her presence sleeping beside me...

When had I become so addicted to it?

We relaxed like this, leisurely resting on the ground while I stroked her hair, positioning my chin atop her head. I could feel the absent-minded smile on her face as she lightly clasped the fabric of my shirt. Sighing inwardly, I wasn't anywhere near the mood to release her anytime soon.

"Sasuke..."

"...yeah?" She shook her head.

"It's nothing. I just... wanted to say your name."

"Hn." With my gaze fixated on the sky, I could let my mind wander, to enjoy the puffy white clouds roaming along the sky slowly...

"Sasuke, we need to go to school." At the moment, I didn't really care. Hinata giggled as if realizing something. "You arrived early on purpose."

"So?" There's no denying the smirk tugging at my lips. "Few more minutes..."

Funny. We ended up being forty-five minutes late anyway.

Hinata's POV

Throughout most of the day, people kept staring at me. Some doing so secretly and others... not so secretly.

All in all, their eyes veiled the stereotypical thoughts of me that stormed within their minds. Regardless of the disturbing looks, I walked alongside Sasuke with dignified courage as we made our way to his locker.

The condition of my locker was in a poor state since the unknown culprit(s) completely and without mercy trashed it. At least nothing inside was valuable. I could replace them no problem. I didn't have to worry though, Sasuke told me. He said he was willing to share his locker with me since he claimed he doesn't use it often.

Excluding my new locker arrangements and the population of the school making me feel like a side-show freak, everything had been coming along smoothly. Though I found the sudden atmosphere oddly peaceful compared to the bleak aftermath I had in mind, the current absence of an important individual clicked in my head.

"Where's Sakura?" Sasuke glanced at me briefly before he made quick work of opening his locker.

"I heard she was suspended." Flinging it ajar, Sasuke reached in to snatch a couple of textbooks required for next class. "We won't be seeing her for a couple of weeks."

My eyebrows lifted in surprise. I thought the heinous acts she committed against me would be cruel enough for her to get expelled. Not all my hopes can be answered, I guessed.

A familiar textbook being shoved in my arms snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked up at Sasuke who slammed his locker shut only to lean on it coolly. Comparing the impassive Sasuke to the outlandish one during spring vacation, I could hardly believe they were the same person.

"I bet Sakura will come back with a vengeance. If anything, she's definitely persistent. So I doubt Mizuki's corporal punishment did any good." Sasuke smirked and I returned it with a small smile of my own, appreciating his effort in cheering me up.

Then, he lightly tapped my head with his book, and I blinked from the petty blow. "Passing period is gonna end in a couple of minutes. Let's hurry."

Hugging the textbook close to my chest, I nodded and quickly matched my steps to his wide strides in order to reach the classroom on time.

Sakura's POV

I couldn't believe it had been weeks since I last walked in this school. Damn that Hyuuga for getting me caught, damn her friendship with Sasuke, and damn everything that had to do with her existence.

I didn't like how the students I recognized as some of my victims leisured about freely, obviously gleeful of my absence of tyranny. They had another thing coming if those buffoons thought all was going well...

Need to meet up with my girlfriends soon so we could fall back into our old routine.

Pacing hastily down this corridor in deep thought, I skidded in my tracks the moment I laid eyes upon the love of my life since days...

Sasuke leaned on the wall coolly, his skinny arms folded across his chest, his youthful face lowered slightly and his sharply acute eyes currently closed... making the beauty he was snoozing in the seemingly relaxed posture.

A blush gushed into my cheeks once again. I could possibly never get over his calm perfection. There was nobody like him in this entire planet.

The trance, which had completely subjected me in pure bliss, was harshly broken. Now the magnificent picture that was Sasuke Uchiha himself underwent a drastic mess. Hinata Hyuuga, a dirty blotch tainting his image, appeared before him, awakening him from his temporary statuesque form.

"I'm done." Shyly smiling, she curled her fingers in her indigo locks, pushing it behind her ear so it wouldn't shadow her cutely round face.

To my utter horror, I watched as he returned her gesture with a secret smile, removing his back from the wall and taking his place beside her, touching her shoulder affectionately. And seriously, I almost went brain dead.

"Took you long enough." He stuffed his fists into his pockets, his eyes dancing with mirth as they walked away together, eventually vanishing from my sight.

He never gave me a look like that, and I've known him far longer than she had from the very first moment she talked to him.

My hands clenched tightly. I nearly shook from fury, but quickly calmed down due to logic that I couldn't win this way. Fighting her head on wouldn't work. Instead of breaking their irrevocably strong bond, Hinata's end of their relationship was an easier target.

Destroy her weak character and their friendship would falter. Give it time and Sasuke would soon give up because of her hopeless state.

The question: Which method could work where pain had a reasonable excuse?

"Alright, kiddos!" Gym instructor Anko Mitarashi yelled, "You know the rules of the game. Whoever gets hit by the ball before it bounces once on the ground is out! And if you catch a thrown ball before it lands on the floor can also get the person who threw it out of the game!" She explained thoroughly to the two opposing teams and they each nodded in understanding.

Perfect.

There was a joint game for all three classes of this period to divide into two teams. This gym activity had numerous excuses to hurt your enemy classmates without accusation. It's predictable for the Hyuuga loser to end up on Sasuke's team. However, with my two girls at my side, I was positive the three of us combined could take her down.

The moment Ms. Anko raised her arm to signal the start of the game, the spontaneous and athletic students dashed forward to snatch the balls lying at the middle of the ground.

The offensive players had very good aim and in no time people were getting pinned down brutally left and right, yet a handful of kids were holding out on their own pretty well. I did my best to dodge the gym balls sailing across the air while I took out a few players myself.

Sports must be Sasuke's forte for the balls he threw pivoted like torpedoes, colliding into the unfortunate targets. He almost never missed and was nimble on his feet, incessantly ducking all the balls thrown in his direction.

Hinata, however, was definitely not a thrower nor an athlete. She couldn't even throw a ball as far as three feet, pathetically. Although she possessed a meek exterior, that didn't handicap her from practically evading all our throws.

Damn. I thought she would be slow and clumsy, but she proved to be a very pesky and speedy adversary. When she jumped aside to dodge another throw from us, Hinata quickly lost her footing and tripped over her own two feet.

Tayuya stole the opportune moment by throwing one straight for her. Hyuuga's eyes widened in panic. I reveled the scared look on her pale face.

All in one instant, Sasuke darted near Hinata and successfully caught Tayuya's powerhouse thrust, automatically getting her out. Then, he smoothly stepped over Hinata's kneeled form and swerved around in momentum to release a ball straight toward Kin. The surprise immobilized her and the strike rapidly reached its victim dead on, forcing her out of the game also.

I stood agape at his flawless performance before recollecting myself that I was still in fact standing amidst an unsafe battle field where rubberballs dominated the air.

I visibly stiffened from Sasuke's threatening glare. Okay, new strategy. Tayuya and Kin were out for the count and Hinata's a hassle all in itself, let alone with Sasuke protecting her. It's clear I needed to get Sasuke out of the game.

As if the Gods proclaimed they were on my side and was blessing me from above, Sasuke left himself open, currently busy with terminating surviving players from an entirely different location.

Carefully aiming my next attack and predicting his next move, I transferred in all my strength to the throw and the ball shot toward him.

In a split second– Hinata suddenly rushed forward, practically throwing herself in front of the attack. The ball struck her squarely in the stomach and she gasped painfully, immediately enclosing her arms over the ball before it could drop and bounce along the ground.

I gaped yet again. Did she just catch the ball and got me out?!

I almost ripped out fistfuls of my extravagantly pink hair from the unbelievable revelation. Sasuke hastily kneeled next to her the moment she stumbled backwards, her face scrunched up from the sore pain encasing her abdomen.

He removed the ball from her clutches and cautiously touched her stomach, asking if she was okay. Hinata smiled faintly in reassurance, nodding weakly. The game paused temporarily as the students switched their gazes between Sasuke and Hinata, and then finally at me.

Even the uncompassionate Ms. Anko glared at me accusingly.

Why was it always my fault Hyuuga got hurt? Couldn't she handle the pain all on her own without any freakin' pampering?

"You receive bruises too frequently, Hinata."

"S-sorry, Ms. Shizune..."

I huffed noisily, impatiently waiting near the front desk for the nurse to finish treating that Hyuuga weakling. If I wasn't due for some punishment, I wouldn't even be wasting my time here in the first place.

Sitting poised on a chair with my legs crossed, I idly studied the metallic green nailpolish embellishing my manicured fingernails until I snuck a peek at the object of my love... who's currently unreachable.

Sasuke leaned his shoulder on the wall opposite of me and completely disregarded my presence. The lack of attention prickled my heart. Adding on to my irritation, his eyes were glued to the door of the patient's room Hyuuga resided at while he calmly waited.

The lack of words existing between Sasuke and I, neither friendly nor hostile, acted as the silence signifying our great distance, preventing me to normally communicate with him just like we used to...

My emerald eyes narrowed and my teeth clenched tightly. When did things change so drastically to the point Hyuuga became part of the picture? The only picture Sasuke ever looked at since years ago, painted dull and melancholic, was now beginning to ink a whole new variation of colors. As if she, the pale-eyed loser who possessed slim amount of redeeming qualities whatsoever, poured the life back into him when nobody else could.

What made her so Goddamn special?

Suddenly, the sound of a door swinging open snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked up. Out came the nurse from the patient's room, her hand clutching the door knob. She sighed, a polite smile gracing her peach-colored cheeks.

I peered through the opening of the door at the Hyuuga sitting upright on the bed, her skinny arm curled gingerly across her injured stomach.

"Tch." That's what she gets for rushing blindly into a game of intense dodge ball.

Sasuke stood erect and slowly approached Shizune. "Can I go see her now?" His usually emotionless voice betrayed a tiny edge of impatience and concern. She nodded and stepped aside, granting him permission to proceed and give Hinata some company. Wasting no time advancing towards the room, Sasuke took a hold of the door and, throwing a warning look over his shoulder at me, firmly closed the door shut.

The nurse shot me a weary look, which I had no interest in returning and she took a seat behind her desk. "You'll have to wait here for the principle before you can be dismissed home." I scoffed. As if I didn't know that.

Too soon, Shizune received a call where she had to excuse herself, leaving me all alone in this funky smelling infirmary with no one else watching over me. What to do, what to do...?

I could just ditch, and forget about meeting with that blonde broad of a principle. Spending time at the mall - browsing for new popular clothes, buying stylish make-up - I recently discovered from the Cosmopolitan magazine was what I rather be doing.

However...

Coincidently, my eyes glanced at the room. Curiosity clicked in my head.

Cautiously, I strode toward the door, pushing it ever so inconspicuously to peer through the crack.

Upon witnessing this utterly aggravating sight where the two were lovingly embraced in each other's arms forced me to grit my teeth painfully from anger. Hinata sat sideways on his lap, her arms draped over his broad shoulders and neck while she solemnly rested her chin atop his head. Sasuke leaned his face over her chest contently, his right arm wrapped around her waist while the other hand lingered on her thigh.

The imagery of solace, personal solitude...

"...Sasuke?"

"What?"

She shakily breathed in and let the words stutter out from her mouth. "...Sakura, she– there's s-something sad about h-her, isn't there?"

I scowled. What's her business scooping up into mine?

"You noticed?" He looked up at her, mildly surprised.

Hinata nodded slightly. "You knew her b-before high school, right?"

"Yeah. Forgot you were home schooled." Sasuke briefly licked his lips, pondering. The sound of his sigh afterwards indicated he would continue. "Believe it or not, she was different back then. Sakura was... nice, hard to admit."

"Oh?" Hinata sounded curious from the sudden realization she learned. Couldn't blame her for experiencing my harshness over the past year or two to express her surprise. "Then... what happened?" she dared ask.

Sasuke's pitch black eyes, which I constantly lost myself within its profound mysteriousness, were glazed over as if in reminiscence. Memories he never bothered reliving. "Love changes people."

Hinata's face frowned from sympathy, but I could detect the obvious ignorance present in her eyes. Those freaky white eyes of hers didn't have the pain I felt of an unrequited love. "Sometimes for good, and... other times bad."

His hand moved to caress her thigh, and she blushed despite the jeans covering her skin and partially minimizing the physical contact. The nostalgia in his eyes completely vanished to be replaced by the light of mirth.

"Hn..." His hand then slid under her shirt and stroked her tender and pink stomach, earning her to flinch from the extra sensitive tingles erupting unpleasantly along her skin. "You're bruises finally started fading away, and now you get this. How long will this heal?"

From the humor existing in his tone, Hinata smiled small and placed her hand over his that laid over her stomach. "I-I'm not sure."

"Yeah?" Sasuke quirked his eyebrows, smirking playfully. They held each other's gaze, and he took the chance to secure both of his arms around her waist. He pressed his forehead against hers and Hinata coyly peered into his eyes, blushing from the deep depth of them while their breaths normalized to fit the same exact pace. "I'll have to be careful then."

He edged steadily closer, and the moment their noses touched Hinata shied away. She muffled a tiny 'eep' when he lowered her back to the bed. He slightly hovered over her, being careful to avoid pressing weight on her wound. Sasuke stroked the wrists he pinned to the mattress, and inclined his face closer to Hinata's crimson one.

"S-sasuke..." she pleaded half-heartedly. He chuckled quietly, pecking her cheek.

"I know you like it, Hinata." She timidly shook her head.

"I-it's not that..." Sasuke raised his eyebrows before realization dawned on him. He shifted closer until his hand cupped her chin.

"There's nobody here... only you and me..." He whispered, his mouth innocently caressing her own. The emotion of longing evident in his eyes beguiled her to submit, let alone mirrored the look. The dreadful moment they kissed, I harshly jerked away from the intimate scene, my eyes stung bitterly with the tears spilling my cheeks. From the years in middle school I've known him, loved him, and obsessed about him, I was never ever close to his heart.

The feeling of unrequited love worsened when I realized I had gained a new rival and lost to her just as quickly.

(A/N):

There's something I want to clear out. The country this story takes place in right now is generally America. I don't care what state it is, as long as it's one where it has a lot of rainfall. Also be aware that American culture is different from Japan.

The Japanese are rather shy when it comes to affection and intimacy. Well, shyer than America, of course. When I read back into my story, I always get the impression the Naruto characters act strange, but then again the Series did come from Japan. Their American real-life counterparts are rather unique, don't you think?