The Most Beautiful Bitter Fruit

chapter fourteen; fire and lightning, water and wind

"Two raven haired ninja were spotted breaching the gates earlier today; one male, one female, both with dark black eyes." The voice over the speaker emanated.

"Shit." Sasuke and Hinata said simultaneously.

"They are currently hiding somewhere in the village. These individuals may pose a threat to the safety and security of our village. A reward will be presented to whoever captures them."

"Fuck." They said again.

"The hunt begins now."

The alarm stopped, and a wave of rioting screams from down below were heard. Hinata and Sasuke stood frozen for a moment, before the panic began.

"I don't know how the hell they noticed us." Sasuke said, for the first time, with panic in his voice. "I trapped that man at the gate in my genjutsu; there's no way he could remember."

"W-Whatever, let's just grab what we can and get the hell out of this crazy village." Hinata scattered around the room grabbing all the random papers and things that she could find. "What are we going to do? We can't just walk to the hotel... Every person in this village is looking for us."

"I know that, stupid." Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest. "Okay, I have a plan." He went to the balcony with the Hyuga following. "Get on my back."

"W-What?"

"Get on my back."

"W-Why?"

"Don't make me repeat it again, just do it!"

Reluctantly, the girl climbed on the Uchiha's back, and held on tight as he soared off through the air. Sasuke jumped from building to building, aimlessly searching for the hotel. They saw how the people below were running ramped, even questioning and attacking each other. They reminded Hinata of a bunch of enraged ants. Finally, Sasuke found the hotel and swooped on the balcony.

"I'm sure many people just noticed us jumping through the buildings so hurry up and get your shit." He ordered, flinging his bag over his shoulder. Hinata frantically zipped up her backpack and did the same.

"T-This is crazy. H-How are we going to get out?"

"I'm going to have to get us over that gate." There was a knock on the door, and they both froze. "There's no time to think, let's go." Sasuke let Hinata climb on his back yet again.

"Y-You know, it's not really necessary for you to carry me..." She muttered.

"It is. You won't be able to reach the same heights I can." And with that, Sasuke dove into the sky. As much as Hinata hated to admit it, he was right. Sasuke was like an untamed hawk without wings. She felt like she was going to fall right off of him due to his tremendous velocity. Naruto always did talk about how he was jealous of how fast Sasuke was on his feet; she assumed that this was him at his full speed. Within moments, the gate was in plain sight. Sasuke perched at the top of a building and let her down.

"Now, the annoying part." He said, looking down to see the faces of people looking up at them, pointing their fingers.

"Well, we've evidently been spotted..." Hinata muttered, turning to the man. "N-Now what?"

"I don't know. Any bright ideas, genius?"

The girl scoffed. "No." Jeez, I know this is a stressful situation but does he have to be so rude?

"Didn't think so. We're going to have to just tackle this head on."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean let's just go for it. Those common folk will have a hell of a time capturing us, with me here, anyway."

Hinata gulped. "Let's do this."

The two made it to the gate, but it was so tall, and there were no buildings near it, so there was literally no way to the top without wings. Sasuke and Hinata were forced to land on the ground right before the gate, finding themselves face to face with dozens of rattled people.

"You know, it's times like this that I really miss having that curse mark." Sasuke mused.

"Don't kill anyone." Hinata whispered harshly as they backed up against the wall.

"To hell with that." He spat, activating his Sharingan.

"Sasuke, don't kill anyone." She repeated sternly. The Uchiha scoffed at her in response.

"Fine, have it your way."

A few people charged at them, and Hinata was quick on her toes to react. The girl spun like a top, creating a vortex around herself that sent all the people tumbling backwards. Sasuke stood stationary nearby, impressed at her quick reaction time.

As if directly from the clouds, a man dropped out of the sky. He was wearing a Rain flak jacket and a headband. "Who are you people?" He questioned, receiving nothing but a grimace from both the Uchiha and the Hyuga.

"Call your people off before they start to die." Sasuke warned, flashing his brilliant orbs.

The man began to laugh. "You really think you're so tough, do you?"

"Don't test it."

"Let us go now, please!" Hinata interrupted. "I don't want to hurt any of your people. We are just passing through your village, we mean no harm."

"Two shady ninja breach my village, come in here without permission, then try to escape? Sounds awfully suspicious, if you ask me." The townsfolk behind him shouted in agreement. The man took a few steps closer to the two. "And did you think I wouldn't notice those eyes?" A sly smirk crossed his face. "I know who you are."

Sasuke's red irises flickered. "Is that so?"

"Sasuke-san," Hinata nudged him with her elbow. "just use your genjutsu like before, get them all to leave us alone."

"Tch. Do you really think I can use it on so many people at once?"

"W-Well, I dunno."

"Just stand there and don't talk, I'll do what I can."

"Give up yet?" The Rain shinobi spoke again. "We're taking you to cells, whether you like it or not." Sasuke grinned maliciously as he met the eyes of his pursuer. The man's expression melted into a blank stare.

"Open the gates." Sasuke demanded.

"Okay." The man said simply.

"What!?" The crowd exclaimed, outraged.

"What do you mean, Katsu-sensei?" One woman shouted, running to his side. She grabbed him by the shoulders and was shocked at the dead look in his eyes. "W-What is wrong with you?"

"Let them go." Katsu slurred. "Open the gates." They all began to chatter in confusion, unaware of the torment the man was experiencing in his mind. He was trapped in a full blown hallucination, in which all he could see was the Sharingan, and could hear nothing but Sasuke's voice on repeat like a broken record; open the gates. Let them go.

The girl turned to Sasuke with a hateful grimace. "What did you do to him?"

"Open the gates." Katsu demanded, ignoring the girls pleas. Sasuke simply laughed, and smirked evilly as he watched the gates behind them lift.

"Hinata, now's our only chance. Run for it." He whispered in her ear, and that was all she needed to hear; the two Leaf ninja disappeared in front of the village's eyes. Sasuke smirked one last time as he heard all the commotion fade out behind them.

Coming into a clearing in the woods after a good 20 minutes of vigorous running, Hinata and Sasuke finally stopped for a break. Hinata collapsed to the ground, and much to Sasuke's surprise, started laughing.

"What's so funny?" He inquired with a twisted look, sitting down next to her. She rolled into her stomach and faced him with a jubilant smile.

"That was the most excitement I've had in years." She grinned. "My heart is still pounding; that was insane!"

"Hn." Sasuke chuckled a bit too. "That was kinda fun. Haven't been put in a situation comparable to that in years..." He trailed off and laid back, looking up at the trees that hung overhead. "You were good back there, too."

Hinata's head snapped to him. "I-I was?"

"Yeah. You kept calm and didn't make any rash decisions. You... Make for a good ally."

Hinata's face flushed at his words. "U-Um, thanks, Sasuke-san."

"Whatever." He rolled away so she couldn't see his slightly red face. What the hell is this weird feeling in my stomach? He thought.

"And thanks for everything else, too..." She spoke quietly, nervousness lacing her voice.

Sasuke faced her again and grinned at her condition. "Don't mention it."

Hinata smiled at him sweetly, causing him to experience that foreign feeling in his stomach again; he chose to pretend it never happened, and watched as she took out her bag and started to gather the documents that they snatched.

"I'm going to be pissed off if we didn't even find any dirt on those guys." Sasuke said, mirroring her actions. Hinata's eyes narrowed as she read over one sheet.

"I've already found something. Look." She handed the folder to the Uchiha. "It seems to be a full file of information on Aki Daichi... His birthplace, his parents names, his affiliation with the Mist as well as the Rain. There's information on the other men, too."

Sasuke read over the document carefully. "So he was born in Amegakure. I wonder if the Mizukage knows that?"

"Who knows..." Hinata mutttered grimly.

Sasuke started to read one of the documents from his bag. "Well, there's no doubt about it. Amegakure is definitely plotting something strange here." He shuffled into her personal bubble and showed her the paper. "This is an old letter from this Aki guy, stating that he has infiltrated the Mist and has gained intellect on the status of their army, and the Mizukage."

"So I guess that's another reason the Mizukage was so concerned about finding him... She must have told him a lot of dirt about the village."

"Yeah. Read this last line."

"I will return to Amegakure and reconcile with you immediately, so we can initiate phase two... Infiltration of... Konohagakure..." Hinata instinctively gulped. "We should get this information back to Naruto-kun immediately."

For whatever reason, Sasuke laughed. "Don't look so grim. You saw that place, do you really think whatever they're plotting is so dangerous to us?"

"I don't know, but I do know that it isn't smart to underestimate the enemy."

"Good point." Sasuke stood up and offered her a hand. "Well, let's get going then."

"You know, I've been thinking..." Naruto said as him and Sakura grazed the outskirts of town. "Do you think that Sasuke has revealed himself to Hinata? I mean, do you think she'd have noticed or something?"

Sakura's expression twisted in confusion. "I dunno... Where is all this coming from?"

"It's just been on my mind."

"So what if she does find out?"

"Er, I guess it wouldn't really matter... But I feel guilty for telling her that I trust her strength, but then sending Sasuke to stalk her without her knowing... I just don't want to face the look she'll give me if she finds out."

"No offense, but it's kind of stupid for you to have sent him to stalk her to begin with..."

"I know, I know." He sighed. "But she seemed to be losing it after we broke up, with all of those solo missions, plus the drinking. I needed Sasuke to secure that she wasn't endangering herself too much... To help ease my concious, y'know? He was the only person I trusted for the job. I didn't think it through much."

Sakura paused for several moments before answering. She dropped Naruto's hand and turned to face him with a bewildered expression. "Do you still love her?"

"W-Wha?" The blonde's face turned red. "No... We've been through this, Sakura-chan. I'm just concerned for her as a friend."

"Hmph." Sakura rolled her eyes and started walking ahead.

"Why are you mad?" He inquired, catching up to her quickened pace. "I left her for you... But you can't expect me to just completely stop caring about her..."

"I just feel like you think about her too much. And why are you concerned if her and Sasuke affiliate?"

"I-I told you, I don't want to face her-"

Sakura suddenly twirled around and pointed her finger right into his chest, wearing a grimace that he had not seen for some time. "You know, Naruto, as much as you've grown up, you're still awfully naïve sometimes." And with that, the pink haired girl stormed off towards the village.

"Sakura-chan, wait!" He called after her, but was quick to give up as he saw she wasn't returning. With a sigh of defeat, the young Hokage collapsed into the grass and stared up at the sky, his thoughts of Sakura's words still dwindling.

Hinata and Sasuke arrived at the outskirts of the leaf late after dark. The village was dead quiet on nights like this, where there was nothing to be heard but the storm brewing above head. The clouds swirled in vicious bundles of black and gray, with the occasional boom of thunder and a flash of lightening in the distance.

"The storm will be hitting here any moment." Sasuke said, before laughing as Hinata jolted at the unexpected crash of loud thunder.

"Y-Yeah... That was definitely closer than the last one..." The girl trembled at the mere thought.

"What are you so afraid of? You bravely risk your life every day being a ninja, yet a little thunder gives you the chills?" An amused smirk laced his handsome features.

"I've just always been freaked out by them, alright? I never said it was a rational fear."

"True. Well if you want, I can walk you to your apartment."

"Um, sure." Hinata couldn't help but be weirded out at this proposition. Then again, Sasuke Uchiha was always full of surprises, it seemed. In his mind, he wasn't sure why, but he didn't want to be away from her just yet.

For the first time in what felt like forever, Sasuke actually wanted to be near another human being... Now that was weird.

Plus, her adorable fear of storms always brought a grin to his statue-like face.

In the village, Sasuke didn't bother to hide himself. Everyone had their windows closed and locked tight, and it was nearly 3 am so it was doubtful many people were even awake. The two leisurely walked next to each other in silence, which was fine; at that point, they both seemed to have a mutual understanding that silence could be comfortable. Drips of rain started to fall from the sky; Sasuke looked up. Unlike Hinata, he actually enjoyed storms, especially those of high magnitude.

"You know, I actually like the rain." Hinata spoke quietly. Sasuke sent her a confused look, and saw that she was also staring up at the sky. "I just don't like the thunder, or the lightning..."

"I like it all. Then again, lightning is one of my elements."

"Yeah, I knew that. I've seen you use it before..." She laughed awkwardly. "Kinda scared me."

"I'll remember that if I ever need to fight you." He joked.

"Ehhh, I'd rather not."

"What are your elements, anyway?"

"Water and wind, though I don't use them often during battle."

"I have fire and lightning, yet you have water and wind. Those elements clash interestingly... Kind of like you and I do." There was an awkward silence after that, in which Sasuke instantly asked himself why the hell did I just say that? And Hinata thought what is that supposed to mean? He says such weird things sometimes...

Booming thunder pierced their ears, causing Hinata to nearly jump right out of her clothes. The lighting that preceded this was so bright that it hurt both of their eyes. It wasn't long after that the torrential downpour began.

"Shit." Hinata muttered, picking up her pace considerably. At least I'm almost home... The two stopped under the canopy that hungover the front of her apartment building. It seemed as though the rain was doing nothing but getting heavier. "Thank you for walking me home, Sasuke-san." Hinata said, finding it hard to lock eyes with him.

"Don't mention it... You sure you're gunna be alright by yourself?" He inquired, unintentionally saying another awkward thing.

"Y-Yeah... I think I'll make it." Though that is somewhat of a lie... "Well, goodnight then." She turned to go inside, but he stopped her.

"When can I see you next?"

"Um... Soon... I'm sure..." The tension in the air was so high, that Hinata momentarily forgot there was a huge storm happening, until another boom of thunder was heard. "Uh, I really wanna go in now, so goodnight, Sasuke-san." She skittishly disappeared into the building before Sasuke even had the chance to wave.

Inside, Hinata was huddled under her blankets with all her blinds shut, trying to block out the sound of the storm. She thought about how this was the first time she had ever truly had to live through a storm alone. Growing up, there were always people she could count on to keep her company during stormy nights; she had her cousin, Neji, or her little sister, Hanabi. When she moved out of her home, the first place she lived was of course, with Naruto, who knew exactly how to calm her down.

And now, as she sat completely alone in her apartment, cringing at every flicker of lightning and spark of thunder, she started to regret not inviting Sasuke in.

Though she still hardly knew him, she was beginning to view him differently; his once obscure, looming presence now seemed to hold warmth in her memory; she recalled conversing with him, laughing with him, and even enjoying a comfortable silence with him. They had worked together, as if they were truly partners, and achieved something great together; those documents were a great find, and Hinata never would have been able to do it, had the Uchiha not been by her side.

And now, somehow, thinking of him was the only thing distracting her from the storm.

A/N: Hey guys! Thanks as always for the reviews, sorry that it took me a bit of time with this chapter . I'm really trying to make this the best I can, despite the writers block I'm having. I think the "action" bit of this chapter kinda sucks (and is probably rushed) because I'm really not much of an action writer LOL, but I tried, so I hope you guys like it! Drop a review and let me know how you feel about this chapter, your opinions are all very inspiring :')

And as always, constructive criticism is welcomed and encouraged!

Also, happy SasuHina month!