Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine.

Last Time

Sasuke frowned, clearly not wanting to talk in front of an audience. "I've decided to train you from now on." He capitulated.
…
She looked at him and smiled, feeling a bit giddy to be actually thanking him at last. "Thank you, Sasuke. Thank you for e-everything."
…
Had he waited for her to thank him all this time?
Or was it she that has waited for confirmation that he remembered something important to her?
Her heart-ached all the same, perhaps for something she couldn't ever have, as she stared at his retreating back.

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Pathways
Chapter 13
Of Smut and Distractions

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Sasuke was done with practice, finally. It wasn't overly difficult; he had barely broken a sweat, but…

He had been a tad distracted during practice. Okay, scratch that, he was distracted, not only during practice, but almost every time.

Every time something would remind him of Hinata.

It had started after that kiss they shared in his bedroom. Sasuke didn't really know what the big deal was; it wasn't the first time he'd kissed her…

Granted he was a quite out of it and didn't know what he was doing when he kissed her the first time. But a kiss was still a kiss. It doesn't matter if he only remembered bits and pieces of it.

Yeah. Right. Sasuke inwardly cringed.

It was a horrible first kiss, he admitted to himself. But at least it wasn't as horrible as the kiss he'd rather sooner forget than remember, the one that happened while he was still at the academy.

Now the kiss they'd recently shared… It was…

Distracting. That's what it was. And so Sasuke had done his best to put it to the back of his mind. He figured that if he pretended that nothing of the sort happened, then he could go back to the way he had been before.

Focused and definitely not distracted.

But the softness of her lips, and her unique scent, was forever imprinted on his mind. He would look at her, and the sensations that came over while he held her in his arms, would once again crash into him, wreaking havoc in his mind and body. He sounded like a sap, even to his own mind.

And she was always there. It wasn't hard to avoid her at HQ, but it was really difficult to do so in their tiny apartment. Everything about her distracts him; her eyes, her porcelain skin—that he remembered to be as smooth as silk—even her hair and lips. Especially her lips.

Every time she would nibble or chew on them in uncertainty, Sasuke would feel himself come undone. He wanted to be the one to bite them for her.

Sasuke had never felt like this before. Urgh! More to the point, he had never felt like a pervert before. Did this make him similar to the heroes in the smutty books Kakashi always read in public?

Did this mean he was…a lech?

Sasuke shook his head and concentrated on navigating the stalls being built for the festival, on his way home. And she had thanked him. It was the final nail in his proverbial coffin. The moment she had smiled that wobbly smile he was getting (really) fond of, he literally heard the sound of the nail hitting home.

This has got to stop.

He had made up his mind to train her because he wanted her to be able to defend herself when they go their separate ways. Sasuke had one last thing to do here in Kumo after which they would have to leave for the borders. And then, after that, he'd follow any leads on Itachi. Without Hinata.

It was high time she returned to Konoha. Sasuke lost all interest in attaining her Byakugan. He didn't need it when he had the more powerful Sharingan at his disposal. Screw the Blood Synthesis, it wasn't doing anything but cause him to lose sleep. He would defeat Itachi with what resources he had at his disposal.

With her out of the way, he would once again be able to focus on mission. It was the point of all this fiasco in the first place.

Speaking of fiascos…

He stared in disgust at the sticky mess on his hair and clothes. Damn goof offs. Thanks to their antics, he was covered in paint. They better pray that it washes off easy.

"Tadaima." He muttered to the air around him as soon as he opened the creaky door to their apartment. It didn't seem like Hinata was back yet so he felt more at ease. Not that he didn't always feel at ease. Just, yeah…

Stripping of his ruined top on the way to the bathroom, his hand was already reaching for the knob when it opened.

Revealing a very (wet) shocked Hinata on the other side, wearing a only a (skimpy and wet) towel, that (barely) reached her thighs.

They both stood there, waiting for each other's reactions. Sasuke found it awfully hard to keep his eyes above her neck, and he probably let them stray a couple times. This was really, really bad for his sanity.

Steam from her bath wafted out and clung to Sasuke's bare torso and he could bet his katana that that was steam he was seeing coming out of her ears. Already not the most articulate of individuals—a succinct "yes" or "no" usually did the trick—Sasuke couldn't find words to break the (extreme) awkwardness of the situation.

So he resorted to the most prized word in his repertoire. "Hn…?" That came out sounding more uncertain than he intended. Should he, like, apologize? He frowned. She frowned. They stared at each other some more. Her flush started, from below (way below) the hemline of the towel covering her (ample) bust, past her collarbone (cleavage) and neck, to the apples of her cheeks. Interesting, he observed. Then.

Slam!

The door almost clipped him on the nose. Sasuke jerked back, a little surprised (and a bit intimidated, although he wasn't really sure, cause, really? Him, get intimidated? Pfft!) that she had the guts to slam the door on his face. The hell? It wasn't like he was the one who opened the door (though he was about too).

He scratched at his itchy scalp. Tch, girls. If they didn't want to be seen wearing a (little, tiny) towel, they should change before coming out of the bath. Still…

Sasuke looked sullenly at the door, guilt—what he could feel of it anyway—was niggling at his conscience. He sighed and bumped his forehead on the door, leaving streaks of paint on it.

"Hinata," he said, only loud enough that he was sure she could hear it from the other side of the wood, "gomen."

She didn't reply, not that he was expecting her too.

It was with an itchy scalp and congealed paint on his hair that found Sasuke lying on his futon, waiting for his turn on the bathroom. He was staring moodily up the ceiling when Hinata knocked on his door. "S-sasuke? You can use the b-bath now."

He got up and opened the door, feeling a sense of déjà vu from the way they were again facing and staring at each other—only now they had proper clothes on. He waited for her to step aside so he could get to his bath but she didn't budge. "What?" he said, irritated.

"A-ano…" she began, looking mightily uncomfortable with him glaring down at her. He was a bit spiteful, he had to admit. "I wanted to uh…apologize. F-for closing the d-door on you earlier."

He waited for her darting eyes to look up at him. When he finally had her undivided attention.

Slam!

He slammed the door on her face. Now, that was petty. But it was his revenge and now Sasuke felt a bit better about the world.

Waiting only for a few seconds, he opened the door again. She was still standing there, wearing a stupid (cute) frown on her face. He smirked. "You're forgiven. Now, please move."

She blinked stupidly (cutely) and shuffled to the side. Sasuke couldn't help the swagger in his step as he went to the bathroom. It was the most satisfying seven steps he ever took in his life.

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A boy with blonde hair was sitting alone on a swing. All around, there were children laughing and playing with each other.

Sasuke watched the sad boy from behind a tree. He wanted to go and sit on the other swing and speak with the blonde but he felt so shy.

Did he even know that Sasuke existed?

The scene slowly faded and the tree trunk Sasuke was hiding behind transformed into a training log. He was hitting it with his palms, each strike more painful than the last.

He'd stop and look despairingly at his weak hands, hands that were so weak they bled easily and hurt badly.

Why was he so weak?

His vision began to blur, with tears or fatigue, he didn't know, but the ground was coming up fast, and the sky tilted with it.

The thud echoed around Sasuke's ears as he jerked awake.

The night was silent but the echoes of his dream reverberated around his head until the sun peaked over the horizon.

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The kunai stopped inches from her neck.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Hinata. They had been sparring for only a few minutes. It wasn't long enough for her to tire. But there it was. Her breathing was shallow and her face looked worn out. Could it possibly be because of the dark circles under her eyes?

The same dark circles were under his too, he was sure.

"Didn't sleep well?" He asked her.

"I had a nightmare." She panted and took her own kunai out to deflect the one pointed at her. It flew out of his grasp and embedded on the ground several feet away.

His expression might have given away his curiosity for she continued without being prompted. "I kept dreaming I was drowning. I-I'd wake up, but as soon as I fall asleep, the d-dream would continue."

"Hn." Sasuke launched himself at her, drawing his katana out. She dodge-rolled out of the way, and jumped away from him.

It seemed like they both didn't get enough sleep because of their dreams.

If his dreams were anything to go by, he was pretty sure why she dreamt of drowning. And Sasuke didn't want to delude himself into thinking that it was not Hinata's memories that kept him awake all night.

Because really, who in their right mind would have so many memories of the dobe?

Sasuke thought of calling their training to a halt but her slipping into another Jyuuken stance changed his mind. It was clear that she's not up to par today. And she had been improving, make no mistake about it. Regardless, if she thinks she could handle things, then he'd humor her. He hefted his katana, slipped it back on its scabbard, and settled into his own fighting stance.

They attacked each other with renewed ferocity. She was a lot stronger on her attacks than when they first started their sparring sessions. It was a little hard to admit but Sasuke was starting to exert efforts on not to get hit with a chakra laden hand. His first encounter with her Gentle fist technique (she had landed a lucky one on him) was too troublesome to even repeat.

A particularly vicious strike from her made Sasuke grunt and she looked up at him, startled. And that was when he saw it.

It was so very brief, but he saw it.

The Sharingan on her own eyes.

Was it even possible that the Blood Synthesis was starting to work? He couldn't imagine how he even saw it since she was wearing black contact lenses. Could his mind be playing tricks on him?

Sasuke pulled away. "We stop here." He said, halting their training. The Hyuuga nodded. Sasuke watched her catch her breath and move to sit.

Maybe the synthesis was starting to work. And Sasuke didn't want that. What's the point anyway? It was meant for Orochimaru to use so he designed it in a way that wouldn't require Sasuke at all.

And he'd be damned if he let that snake take control of his body. More to the point, the Blood Synthesis working meant that their lives are even more connected now. If Hinata somehow managed to let herself die, then that'd mean that he'd die too.

She had to become stronger to avoid this.

He approached her. Her eyes were huge on her face as she looked up at him, the very picture of naivety. Sasuke scoffed in disgust. This naiveté of hers would eventually get her killed. Would get them both killed.

She had improved, but it was still not enough. A little improvement meant nothing to the likes of Orochimaru or Itachi.

"Your attacks have improved but still weak." He told her. "If you want to survive a battle against Orochimaru or Kabuto, train. More."

"I…" she said, "I know. I want to become stronger." She stood up and looked him in the eyes. "I want to protect my precious people."

Protect? He remembered the first time he actually noticed she existed. It was on the day he kidnapped her. She was together with a bunch of academy brats and she had fought her damndest to 'protect' them too. Of course, that attempt failed spectacularly well.

Who was she to want to protect? She could barely defend herself and she wanted to protect others? Maybe stupidity really was catching…

She pursed her lips at his disbelieving look and said more forcefully (as forceful as a mousy girl like her could get anyway) "I will train more. And then I will become stronger." Her hands fisted at her sides, he saw. "I-I never get back on m-my words. That is my ninja way!"

She had said this with such conviction that Sasuke almost believed her. Here was a weak person saying that she wanted to be strong for the weak. And he, Sasuke, was someone strong. He wanted to be stronger.

It was his goal to be the strongest.

He wanted this, so that he could crush Itachi, his brother—the only family he had left—someone who used to be precious to him.

This truth, something he had known all along but refused to acknowledge, left a bitter taste in his mouth. It had always been a hard pill to swallow. And here was Hinata, standing in front of him, looking at him as if she could hear his thoughts.

Looking at him in sympathy. Sympathy he absolutely has no use for.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke." She said.

Which was the last straw. "You have no right…" he muttered through clenched teeth.

He wanted to rail at her, scream at her. Blame her even, for all the hurt. Heck, he would blame anyone at this point. But who was he kidding? The very last person who should apologize for his clan's misfortune was her.

The very last person who deserved his ire was her.

The fight quickly left him, before it even had the chance to build. He found himself frowning at her in displeasure. "Shut up." He told her tersely. "You apologize too much."

"B-but I just want to-"

"I said-!" he forcibly cut himself off. He ran his hand through his dark hair and sighed. There was a resigned tone in his voice when he continued, "I'm going out for awhile."

"O-okay…" he heard her say. There could be more to it, but Sasuke didn't stick around to find out.

He wasn't one to drown his sorrows in alcohol. But maybe it was time to get a new pastime.

It was either that or start investing in smutty books.

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To be continued.

Author's Notes:

Yeah, so this chapter's done. I'm not really sure I liked how this went, writing this chapter was like pulling teeth, hence the shortness. It was the part I really wished I wouldn't have to write but needed to write anyway. Haaahhh… The plot needed it, so.

Anyway, thanks to those who reviewed!

show. me. the. stars, xxtsubasaofhopexx, l'Ollonais Sephiria Chronos, BleachedBlueCat21, FallenRaindrops, ByakuganHyuuga360, ppeach2, MeltYouWithOneKiss, LM3795, dumdeedum, flooding-rivers, Hana-01, Reading-girl23, kiya, and Aquacharm

Your comments really fired up my motivation to continue this story! As promised, I posted this chapter 2 weeks after the last one. I'll have another chapter ready for you next next Sunday.

Okay, please review! It gives me more inspiration :)