CHP14

Scowling heavily, Sasuke sat outside with Neji as he grilled some well-prepared meat for his cousin. He refused to even acknowledge the two girls from earlier, refused to recall their petty squealing and screeching loud voices. He'd not uttered one word to either of them at all, it didn't matter to them though, damn fangirls. He knew that if he would glance at the pool, he'd see them there staring at him. Good thing he had his shinobi sense.

He heard the patio door open and looked up to see Hinata coming out with a tray of vegetables. She handed it to Neji, thanked him, and went back inside. That's more like it, a quiet girl who doesn't fawn all over him. It was rather difficult to enjoy the nice day had been turning out to be. The lawn was a dark shake of green and obviously freshly mowed from the subtle lingering smell. Shuddering at the sudden sounds of splashes, he continued to avoid the rather enticing pool area, it was getting damn hot out.

Tenten was with the other girls and Hanabi down by hounds (fangirls), catching some of the suns rays. Though, she was now calling out to Neji and him to come join them.

Great.

Now he needed to figure out a way to get out of this. Looking back at the patio door, he wondered if could sneak off to his assigned room without notice. Hinata though, once again came out the pristine and shiny patio door and handed them both an icy water bottle.

She was really motherly. He wasn't used to someone being so nice. It was weird to have someone thinking of him, just small things that include him. He wondered what her angle was, because in his life, if someone was nice to you…they wanted something in return. Oh yeah, maybe this is about the toilet he said he'd look at for her. Hmm…he could go do that now, and get away from the gaze of those annoying females.

Going inside, he saw Hinata was still in the kitchen, prepping some smoothies, he assumed that was for the girls by the pool. She was the perfect hostess, it had only been one day in her home, and that much was quite obvious. How could she stand being around these people? She seemed to be a rather shy and quiet person, so…

"Why?" he was startled to realize he'd spoken the question.

The girl looked at him with slight confusion, "It must be hot outside, I just thought it would help keep them cool."

"Right. I'll be upstairs."

"Okay Sasuke, I'll let you know when lunch is ready."

He nodded and headed upstairs. Every interaction with her was weird. First she'd be shy and nervous, then she'd be friendly and naïve. It was like she didn't know how to react to certain situations. She really would be a horrible kunoichi, either that, or she'd confuse the hell out of her enemy then make her strike. It would probably be effective. Shaking his head he headed to her bedroom after seeing that the door was open.

--

"I think I accidentally invited them last night," Tenten admitted with a blush.

"Accidentally?" Hinata groaned. She wouldn't normally mind the extra people, but she didn't have enough food, that and she had no idea they were even coming!

"Um…at least it's only an extra six people…" she tried cheering.

"Why?" she asked.

"Oh, they're on the same squad as Neji and Sasuke. You remember right? Kiba, Shino, and Lee are on the same team as Neji. Naruto, Shikamaru, and Chouji are with Uchiha."

"I remember, but…I guess I'll have to order pizza or something."

"Are you kidding me? There's plenty of food here! He's not even finished with the shish-ka-bobs yet!"

"Alright, will you ask Hanabi to come help me with setting the plates out?"

"I can help you…"

"You need to go put that ring on," she whispered conspiratorially.

"Later," she whispered back with a promising wink.

Neji came in with the tray of ka-bobs and asked if there was anything else. Shaking her head no, she let Tenten help her with the plates they got out earlier, then peeked out to the pool area as her friends and the newcomers were nicely getting along. No big surprise there, it was only natural for Ino and Sakura to get on nicely with shinobi. Tenten left to let everyone know that the food was ready, as Hinata went upstairs to inform Sasuke.

His door was open, bed made, and absolutely nothing out of place. She appreciated him keeping the room clean for her own sake. The bathroom door was open as well, she blushed, and considered herself lucky he wasn't in there. Her door was open, she always left it open, but there was a light coming from inside. Curious, she poked her head in, and saw the light was on in her bathroom. Odd. Walking in to turn it off, she was shocked to see Sasuke crouched, kunai in hand, attacking her toilet.

He glanced up to see Hinata's wide lilac eyes looking back at him. He grunted and stood up to face her.

"Told you I'd look at it. It was just the chain in the tank, it came loose. Easy fix."

She nodded, "S-sorry, I'm clue-clueless about that kind of stuff."

She sounded out of breath to him, as his brow creased, "I was just tightening up the handle, it was also loose."

"Thank you."

He nodded.

They stood there, staring at each other. She completely looked him over, noticing he was very comfortable with the weapon in his hand. Looking back up again to his face, her features softened, "Really, thank you for repairing it for me. I'm glad it was something easy for you."

"It's not a big thing," he shrugged, not used to praise such as this.

"Well, lunch is ready if you're hungry. Oh…and…" she sighed, "we have more guests, actually they're members of yours and Neji's team."

He groaned loudly, as his shoulder's sagged just the smallest bit, "The idiot?"

"…" she was pretty sure he meant his blonde-haired teammate, but didn't want to confirm and call him an idiot also. He seemed nice enough to her.

"What are they doing here?" he asked, annoyance clear in his expression.

"Ten invited them last night, a-accidentally."

"Accidentally?" he asked with a raised brow.

She let a small giggle escape, then covered her hand with her mouth, "I said the same thing when she told me."

He smirked down at her, then shuffled his feet, "Think I'll just hide in my room."

"And I'll hide in mine," she smiled up at him.

"You can't do that, you're supposed to be the one throwing this thing."

"It was Hanabi and Tenten's idea, I just wanted to make Neji happy."

"That's what Tenten is for."

Another giggle along with a small blush at the innuendo, "…I guess we should get downstairs."

"Are you forcing me to?" Was he teasing her?

Her responding giggle was intriguing, the sound was … "Of course not, I won't say anything if you want to hide in your room."

His eyes narrowed on her, and she took a step back in slight alarm, "Are you calling me a coward?"

"N-n-no no." she shook her head to deny the accusation vehemently.

He smirked, "You're nervous again."

What was she supposed to tell him, that he was scary when he looked at her like that? "I usually am, can't help it."

"Alright, I guess we should head down…"

She nodded and quickly turned around to do just that. However…the strap on her left flip flop snapped and she went crashing for the floor. It was only pure shinobi instinct to catch a comrade before they made contact, or at least that was what he kept repeating to himself in his mind. She blushed at the feeling of being in his arms, he was so strong, and oh so close. She knew her face must be on fire, because his face was right next her own.

"You alright?" he asked in a rough voice.

He couldn't help but notice her breath on his neck, or the softness of her skin. He'd thought her figure to be soft, but he was wrong. She was firm and well toned for being a civilian. Why hadn't he let her go yet? They were just there together in the middle of her bedroom floor, him crouched with his arms wrapped around her neck and waist.

"Yes," her voice was breathy and quiet.

His own breathing deepened, taking in her scent, "Is your foot injured?"

"I-I don't think so," she'd never noticed his cologne before, and wondered what it was.

"Okay."

He should really let go now, she wasn't injured, and there was absolutely no reason for him to continue holding onto her. He told himself that, yet his arms wouldn't move. It was like his brain and body stopped communicating. What was it about this girl, never in his life, had he been more drawn – and aggravated by - than this woman. It was frustrating and irritating. And yet, and yet he wanted to know what it was about her and why now all of a sudden.

Finally, he released her, making sure she could sit up on her own, then stood over her. She slowly stood as well, reeling from the warmth spreading through her. Was Tenten right? Did she really have a crush on him? That's ridiculous though, she'd just met him yesterday! Her heart was beating a mile a minute, and she silently cursed her heart problem. Only her and her mother were known in the Hyuuga family to have HCM, leading to many of her fainting spells. She had to take medication every day for her symptoms, but right now it was like on overload. In fact…

His eyes widened and he panicked as he caught her a second time, though this time she was in a dead faint. He shook her, he'd seen her faint yesterday, but…

Her complexion went from cherry red to an ominous pale within seconds. Checking for fever, he found that she felt cool to the touch. What the hell?

"Hinata…"

He checked her pulse, it was fluttering wildly. It wasn't right, picking her up and carrying her downstairs, he called out to Neji. Neji was still in the kitchen when Sasuke came down, carrying his cousin and a worried look on his face. He figured she'd fainted, but this wasn't a normal fainting spell Hinata usually had, he knew that Sasuke would know the difference with all of their on-field medical training. He was in action immediately, looking to make sure she'd taken her medication. After ensuring that she had, he made Tenten call for paramedics and then discreetly went out to get Sakura and Ino. They were med students, they might know what to do. He feared she would soon go into full cardiac arrest.

Sakura and Ino rushed inside, with Sakura pumping on her chest wall, trying to soothe out the rhythm of her heart. Ino counted her heart beats, and asked for an aspirin to slip into her mouth. Sakura started in full CPR, then looked at Neji for more information. He shrugged and nodded to Sasuke.

"What was she doing before this happened? I'm sure she fainted, right?"

He nodded quickly, "We were in her bedroom when she tripped, I caught her then she fainted."

Sakura blushed, Neji looked confused, and Tenten nodded. "She would, anything makes her faint. Being in a cute guy's arms would definitely push her over the edge."

"What's wrong with her?" Sasuke's voice was thick with concern, did he just kill the girl?

"Surely she has as an AED here, right?" Ino asked Tenten.

"I don't even know what that is, I'll have to ask Hanabi."

"Hurry! We don't have much time, someone called 911?" Sakura asked.

"Tenten did, while I got you." Neji answered, as Tenten started running for the backyard.

A minute passed and Hanabi was racing in from outside, she bypassed everyone, looking pale as a ghost, and went straight for the hall closet. She pulled out the Automated External Defibrillator (AED), tears in her eyes, and handed it to Ino. Sakura ripped open Hinata's shirt exposing the lavender bra, and placed the units on her and cleared everyone. Ino gave her a shock, then they checked her pulse.

Sasuke's own heart was thundering away in his ears. Would she die? Would she be just another person that died around him? He was at a complete loss, and it was all his fault. He thought the fainting was annoying, that it was just a regular thing for her. He was sick to his stomach, as he watched her body be shocked once again. He heard Hanabi crying as Neji and Tenten stood next to her with their arms around her. Tenten was crying too, and Neji looked detached from what was going on. The other guests were now all surrounding them, it was almost too much to deal with. Some party.

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A/N: As always, everyone is so amazing with your support! Please comment and let me know what you think! ~Lady Crack.