Note: Here is chapter 11! I'm so thrilled for all the reviews I've gotten so far, it's amazing! However, please NO FLAMES! If you don't like this story, that's fine but then do yourself and me a favor and don't read it! The SasuHina pairing is clearly listed in the story's description so if you don't like that pairing than you shouldn't have read this story. And I sincerely apologize but I have NO intentions of "killing myself" simply because you dislike this story; thank you for the suggestion though! I have to say, I laughed so hard, I cried! Once again, do yourself a favor in the future and just move on. As for the rest of you, loving all the reviews and requests!
Kanayla-Loved your review and as you requested, I would love to continue this story even after Sasuke and Hinata are married and have children, I think it could be really fun to see what happens!
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Chapter 11-You Are Loved
It was a good mile hike down the wooded path but neither one seemed to mind; Hinata was enjoying the quiet calm of the Uchiha's company and Sasuke simply relished the feeling of her small hand wrapped in his, noting how perfectly it seemed to fit within his grasp as if her hand was made for his.
"It's just a little further. Are you warm enough, Hyuuga?" He glanced behind him, catching the puff of warm breath that escaped the woman's lips like a misty vapor floating into the chilly morning air.
"I'm perfectly fine, Sasuke-san; this kimono is one of my winter ones and with your cloak, it is plenty warm enough."
He glanced back at her again, enjoying the way her lips curved into a simple smile of contentment as she spoke.
The aforementioned kimono definitely appeared to be more than adequate; he could tell the dark purple material was thick and heavy and even the yellow obi sash tied around her waist, looked hefty enough; if anything, she was sweating under all those layers of fabric but he figured sweating was far more favorable than shivering.
"It suits you." He commented at length, catching the light crimson rising to her cheeks as she looked up at him questioningly.
He shook his head, a light smirk touching his lips as he faced forward again.
She was so painfully shy and naïve. "The kimono, it suits you. You should wear them more often."
This brought one of the most timid yet happy expressions to the young woman's face and the man considered himself the victor when a furious dusting of red tinged her pale cheeks once more, making them glow with a pretty shade.
The foliage along the path broke and opened up to a secluded clearing that held a small stream whose banks were lined with a few late-blooming Sakura trees.
The sight was paradise perfection to the young Hyuuga heiress and her eyes alighted with an almost child-like joy. "This is—so beautiful!" She breathed, stepping up to Sasuke's side and simply drinking in the sight.
"This. This was one of my mother's most favorite places." He spoke solemnly.
The woman at his side was stunned at this revelation and her eyes snapped to his face. "S-Sasuke-san…"
Sensing her hesitancy, he simply shook his head, meeting her eyes for the first time since they began their walk. "It's fine, Hyuuga; I wouldn't have brought you here if I wasn't alright with it."
Blushing again, Hinata was once again rendered speechless at this man's uncharacteristic kindness.
"I'm honored."
When she met his eyes, the deep look of sincerity reflected there struck him to the core and for the first time in years, Sasuke Uchiha's face broke out into a genuine full on smile.
Opalescent orbs widened in shock—he was smiling. Not smirking or the half-hearted grin she'd seen him sport so many times before, but an actual smile that lit up his usually stoic features and reached all the way to his eyes making them sparkle.
She was breathless from the sight and she couldn't deny the furious skipping beat of her heart when he smiled wider and tugged on her hand.
"Com'on Hyuuga, you're staring's embarrassing." His voice had a flatness to it but she could detect the smile still evident as she allowed herself to be lead into the clearing towards the stream.
They'd chosen a relatively level spot near the bank and settled down for their meal. While Hinata laid out the utensils and food, Sasuke took the opportunity to refill his canteen.
She couldn't help but let her eyes wander to her dark-eyed companion as he crouched at the stream's edge with canteen in hand.
His broad back, lined with corded muscles, called her name and she found she couldn't tear her eyes away from the appealing sight of him.
Sensing her eyes on him, the raven-haired man smirked and purposely slowed his movements so as to give her a slightly longer period of time to ogle him.
Replacing the canteen's lid, he slowly stood to his feet, rolled his shoulders a few times and cracked his neck.
Black eyes connected with white and he smirked rakishly. "Like what you're seeing, Princess?" He teased.
Red flooded her cheeks and the heiress gave an embarrassed squeak before hiding her face behind the curtain of her ebony tresses.
She preoccupied herself with making their plates but she couldn't shake the unsettling sensation of his eyes watching her as he walked back from the stream and sat down at her side.
His nearness made her shiver inwardly but she suppressed the physical urge as she finished and handed him his plate and chopsticks.
His fingers brushed 'accidentally' against hers as he accepted the food, offering her another rare smile in thanks.
He didn't eat right away however, and patiently waited until Hinata had served herself and taken the first bite.
Satisfied, he turned to his own food and plucked up one of the tomato eggrolls, taking a bite.
The perfectly blended flavors assaulted his senses and he nearly moaned in pleasure but settled for a soft hum instead.
"Mmm. Wherever you picked this up from, I need to know so I can give the chef my compliments."
Hinata's hand froze mid-way to her mouth and she blushed hard, averting her eyes to the ground.
"O-oh well a-actually I—I didn't p-pick it up anywhere."
"Eh?"
Biting her lip nervously, she chanced a glance at him, his bewildered stare causing butterflies in her stomach. "W-well I made it actually. I mean I—I made everything."
Several moments of deafening silence passed by until the Uchiha finally managed to swallow, set his plate aside and stared at her. "You cooked this?"
A hesitant nod.
"You mean to tell me that you—they Hyuuga heiress—actually knows how to cook?"
A disgruntled pinch in her brows caught his attention and he was dumbstruck when her eyes pierced defiantly into his. "I've told you before, Sasuke-san; I'm NOT a princess; I may have been raised in a house of privilege but I've been in the kitchen since I was seven—my mother taught me how to cook and clean and I have done so for most of my life, so—"
In the next moment, Hinata's words were cut off by an eruption of laughter and glancing to her companion, she was beyond stunned to find the Uchiha bent over and holding his sides, howling.
She couldn't believe her eyes; Sasuke Uchiha never laughed; laughter was an expression of joy and it was well-known that the Uchiha rarely felt or expressed such emotions.
Yet here he was, his whole body shaking with merriment and appearing to quite enjoy himself.
"Sasuke-s-san?"
More laughter bubbled from his lips as he struggled to sit up straight, supporting his head in his hand.
"You….are….really….incredible!" He said between bouts of laughter, glancing up at her with pure merriment shining in his dark eyes.
Hinata's cheeks reddened. "I-w-what?"
He shook his head, the last remnants of a warm chuckle rumbling in his chest as he finally stood to his feet.
He took a deep breath, his hand slipping from his face to hang loosely at his side as he looked down at her.
"You really are not what I expected at all, Princess. You may be the Hyuuga heiress but you…y-you don't act like it at all. Not even in the slightest." A rare warm smile touched his lips and he noticed how her cheeks flamed and she averted her eyes, attempting to conceal a shy smile of her own.
"W-well I—"She tucked a few indigo locks behind her ear. "I suppose I've always known that…I mean my father certainly doesn't see me as being fit for such a position…"
Sensing her dejection, Sasuke sobered, realizing she had completely misunderstood him. Cupping her chin, he tilted her face upwards and looked straight into her eyes. "Hey. It was a compliment, Princess…me saying that you don't act like the heiress means that you're not spoiled and entitled; you're genuine, down to earth…and you're ridiculously kind. That's what I meant."
His voice was uncommonly soft and gentle as he spoke to her and his dark eyes shown with a kind of warm affection that took her breath away.
What was happening to him?
Hinata blushed furiously when she felt the tips of his fingers lightly caressing her skin but she managed to swallow back her painful shyness and meet his eyes. "Sasuke-san, you—"
"Sasuke. Enough with the formalities, Hyuuga."
Her cheeks flushed a deeper shade of red. "O-oh Hai…alright. Sasuke-kun."
He smirked at the reddening of her cheeks when she said his name; her lips curved into a painfully timid smile.
"We've known each other long enough after all, hm?" His fingers slid along her jawline as he moved to cup her cheek.
He couldn't understand it but something had come over him and the need to touch her had become poignant; he only vaguely contemplated whether or not he was crossing a line but these doubts were dispersed when Hinata made no efforts to pull away from him.
"H-Hai…we have." She responded at length, white meeting black briefly before her shyness overcame her once again and she tore her gaze away.
Sasuke's hand slipped from her face and obsidian eyes gazed at their surroundings. "It's been…so long since I've been here. My mother came here mostly with my brother—before I was born—and afterwards, she wasn't able to come as often and only rarely brought me with her."
"What is this place exactly?"
Sasuke settled on the flat rock beside her, arms resting on his knees. "This was the only place that she was allowed to come alone; often times she would wash all of our laundry in that stream there…but most times, she came here as an escape."
"An escape?" She questioned carefully, studying his face as she did so.
Sasuke's eyes darkened then. "My father wasn't always…an easy man to get along with. In fact most times, he was impossible. He was extremely strict with my brother and I…and he almost never expressed emotions around us or my mother. She was as understanding as she could be and most times, she did alright but…every now and then, his coldness got to her too."
Without thinking, Hinata reached over and took his hand in hers; lacing her fingers with his. "I'm so sorry, Sasuke-kun…I never realized how…painful your childhood was. I—I understand how you must have felt."
Surprised by her action, the Uchiha's eyes widened slightly when he looked from their joined hands to her; her eyes held a deep sadness and her bottom lip slightly quivered.
An intense warmth spread through his heart, seeing the depth of her compassion for him and he swallowed hard—this woman was going to be the death of him, he just knew it.
Leaning towards her, he waited until her eyes raised to his, before lightly tapping her forehead with his index and middle finger. "Don't worry yourself, Hinata." He murmured softly. "It's alright. My childhood may not have been easy but…there are still good memories, like with my brother."
She smiled softly. "I—I'm glad for that, Sasuke-kun; your brother must have…meant so much to you."
He nodded, suppressing the painful clenching in his chest as he spoke of his brother. "Itachi was always the one that was there for me; even when my parents were far too busy—he somehow managed to make time."
The briefest of smiles touched the Uchiha's lips before disappearing again. "Even when he was far too preoccupied with his training or missions, he'd always tap me on the forehead and say 'sorry, Sasuke, next time I promise.'"
"It must have been so difficult for him being away from you. And—when he—had to do those terrible things." Hinata mused quietly.
"I can—only imagine what Itachi must have felt. I can never pretend to understand though; I could have never done what he did. He was so much stronger…than I ever was." Obsidian eyes glistened with unshed tears and Sasuke clenched his jaw and turned his face away from Hinata.
A ninja never shows emotion—that's what he'd been taught.
Sensing his anguish, Hinata's moonlit orbs filled with tears and her heart broke for him.
Without a second thought, she rose to her knees and wrapped her arms around his shoulders from behind and rested her cheek atop his raven head.
"Oh Sasuke…the only thing that you need to know is that whatever your brother felt he had to do, he always loved you and he made a vow to himself to protect you no matter what the cost. That, Sasuke, is what matters the most, so whatever you do, just hold onto that, okay?"
A few tears had broken against the Uchiha's will but he ignored them as his hand reached up and clung to Hinata's with a kind of desperation he hadn't felt in so long. "Hinata…your endless compassion astounds me. I just don't understand why you—"
"Because I care about you, Sasuke-kun—I—I've always known that you were a good man. A-and you are. It isn't fair that they all judge you, when they can't p-possibly know what you've b-been through." Her voice broke and Sasuke felt something wet drip on his neck.
She was weeping.
His hand tightened around hers and he was turning in her arms so he could face her.
Tears streamed freely down her face, the sight of it was both too painful and beautiful for him to bear. "Hinata…" He held her face in his hands, wiping away the tears as they fell and longing for her to meet his eyes.
"I-f-forgive me, S-S-Sasuke-kun I-I'm s-sorry I d-don't mean to—"
"Shh…" He pressed a tender kiss to her forehead, eliciting a soft gasp from the young Hyuuga.
Hinata forgot her tears in the instant his lips touched her forehead and she sat in stunned silence.
"S-Sa-suke?"
His black eyes bored intensely into hers for a moment before suddenly snapping up towards the sky.
"A storm is coming. We should get back." He looked down at her and nodded in agreement.
Gathering up the remaining food from their picnic, Sasuke stood to his feet and held out a hand, helping Hinata off the rock. Once she'd tucked the bundle under her arm, she gripped Sasuke's hand, signaling she was ready and the Uchiha lead her back down the long one mile path back to the Uchiha Compound.
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I'm super excited about writing the next chapter but this one was fun too! Hope you guys are still enjoying and please continue to leave your reviews!
