They Hold the World

Chapter 22: Stars

Sasuke

Uchihas were all about dignity.

But Sasuke didn't know such a word existed at the moment.

How could he when . . . stars were all he saw. Blinking, floating lights surrounding him, bringing a soft glow to the dark hallway where he and Hinata sat, legs crossed and faces inches away from one another as they gathered their breaths. Distant noise could be heard, but he paid no heed. He'd much rather lean his head on her shoulder and listen to her racing pulse, knowing well he's the sole reason for it's quick speed. Leaning into her warmth with stars circling them, he would soon forget about the snow outside and simply bask in the simplicities of life.

A thing Uchihas did not do, much; but at that moment, he was no Uchiha.

And then - a knock.

Wait . . . multiple. Strong and purposeful, four knocks came to the front door. Sasuke pulled away as he and Hinata glanced at it, wondering who could possibly be over at this time of night. They sat and waited, and when nothing came, Sasuke shook his head. "Ignore it, Hinata."

She was halfway through agreeing when her phone buzzed and lit up. It sat on the floor next to her left knee, giving them both a clear view of the text that was just sent to her.

I know you're in there, Hinata. Let me in. -Neji

She gasped and shot to her feet and ran over to the front door. Sasuke was barely on his feet when cold air blasted into the hallway, and he glared to the side as he listened to Neji Hyuuga stepping into the entrance way.

"Sneaking out on New Year's," he said, voice cool and flat. He articulated his words in such a way that every syllable had a sort of force behind it, the kind that didn't bother Sasuke Uchiha, but would surely bring a bit of shame to Hinata Hyuuga. "Even with that hermit's influence, I never thought you'd sink so low."

Frosty air brushed against the back of his neck, but that wasn't why Sasuke was shaking. "Close the door, Hinata," he hissed, "so I can nail this guy."

A scoff, followed by, "Keep it open, Hinata. We're leaving as soon as you get your coat and shoes on."

"I-I'm s-sorry, Neji." The door clicked, and Sasuke's head snapped their way. Hinata was next to her cousin, head bowed as she leaned over to grab her boots. "I d-didn't want it t-to get cold inside."

Sasuke began to walk over, but not in time to stop Neji from reaching over and pulling Hinata up to get a good look at her face. His eyes widened, and it wasn't hard to guess why. Her lips. They were red and a bit puffy from all their . . . bonding, earlier; and when those sharp, white eyes snapped to Sasuke, he couldn't help but feel very satisfied with himself.

"What the hell did you do to her!?"

Sasuke shoved his hands in his pockets and traced his eyes along the ceiling. "I'm her boyfriend - you tell me."

Neji leaned down to Hinata's eye-level, whose mouth was gaping open, struggling to get the words off of her tongue. "It's not your fault, Hinata," he whispered, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Whatever reason he had to hit you, it wasn't -"

"Hit her!?" Now that hurt his pride. What about him made people think he was going around hitting his girlfriend? His temper, his history, his name? Wasn't it obvious that he'd never lay a hand on Hinata if she didn't want him to? So the audacity of this jackass accusing him of - of - hurting Hinata was more than just irritating. "I made out with her, you fucking moron!" It was infuriating.

Hinata gasped and backed away as Neji's head shot up.

"S-Sas -"

"WHAT!?" The Hyuuga's face was turning red as his stormy eyes glared at both of them. "You sick, twisted - Hinata, how the hell did you think this was appropriate!?" Upon hearing the ruckus coming from the front of his house, Naruto walked in, and there must have been something about him that ticked Neji off, for his face turned even more red as he pinned his cousin down. "What, and you gave that dumbass some action, too!?"

"N-No!" Hinata yelped. "N-Neji, how could you -"

"Staying over at a house with two teenage boys, late at night, without telling anyone but your little sister - who, by the way, nearly went to the damn grave with what you told her - is just - just -"

"Oh. I was wondering who was making all that noise."

Everyone's heads snapped back to see Ino casually walk into the room. She had one of Naruto's orange jackets draped over her shoulders, and her blue eyes seemed even more prominent and eye-catching as she passed between Hinata and Neji to grab her shoes. Neji stared at her, awestruck, as if looking at a ghost.

Having pulled on her shoes, Ino began to shrug on her winter coat while meeting Neji's eye. "You mind giving me a ride? I was planning on leaving with Hinata, anyhow. Since, y'know -" She wrapped an arm around Hinata's shoulder, who looked ready to faint at any time, "we girls have to stick together."

Even from where he stood, Sasuke could see the fire in Neji's eyes die down. But they kept their sharpness as he flung open the door and led the two girls out to the car. The door slammed shut behind them, and Sasuke scowled and uncurled his fists, fingers popping from the tension in his knuckles. "Christ."

Naruto was at his side, rubbing his neck nervously. "Yeah. I really wasn't expecting Neji to stop by." Both of them seemed to feel antsy, so they walked into the living room, and Naruto began to straighten out the pillows on the sofa while Sasuke turned off the TV. "I heard it's supposed to stop around two - the snow, that is. You staying the night, or do you need a ride home?"

Sasuke paused, head drifting back to the hallway, and knew that if he stayed over, he wouldn't be able to stop thinking about it. "I'm going home."

With the living room picked up, they went to the kitchen, where they grabbed cans of soda and leaned over the kitchen counter. So caught up in his own head, Sasuke didn't even realize how unusually spacey Naruto was; not until he cracked open his can, took a sip, and leaned a bit over to Sasuke.

"Y'know a bit ago, when Lee was going on about ringing and all that shit?" Sasuke slowly turned to look at his friend, who had a faraway, sort of fogginess in his eyes as he stared off into nothingness. A bit of pink came to his cheeks as he smiled, and said, "Well, I heard that ringing. A shit ton. And now I can't get it out of my ears."

Sasuke gave an amused scoff as he downed his soda. "I know what you mean."

Because . . . his world hasn't stopped ringing since the day he met Hinata.

...

True to the forecast, it stopped snowing around two in the morning, and Naruto drove Sasuke home. When he got inside his house, a lamp in the living room was one, giving him a good view of his family sitting around it.

Waiting.

For . . . him?

As he shuffled out of his boots, his mother stood and walked up to him.

"Oh, Sasuke." She reached out, paused, and then forced her arms to her side. "I'm glad you're alright. Why didn't you tell anyone where you went? We were so -"

"Mikoto." Fugaku's deep voice cut her off, and her shoulders fell as she zipped her mouth and looked back at her husband. "You're forgetting something important." His dark eyes peered at his son, who seemed to focus solely on pulling off his gloves. "Sasuke, this childish behavior has gone on long enough."

Childish? Sasuke hung his coat and eyed his family. His mother had her hands folded to her chest as she stared at him, soaking him up, somehow. His father was made of stone, and his frown was a bitter, disappointed one. And off to the side was Shisui, staying silent and looming around like a shadow. The sight of them all made his heart pound. Aren't I allowed to be a child every now and then?

"All of this - the sneaking out, the irresponsibility - as an Uchiha, you should know this sort of behavior is way beyond appropriate. Especially for someone your age." Fugaku's eyes found the window. "I'm beginning to think that little girlfriend of yours is the cause of these series of bad ideas and fooleries."

Sasuke sneered. Leave Hinata out of this. He looked to Shisui, who moved back, giving him a clear view of the staircase, and he took the chance and began towards it. He ignored his father's angry shouts. If you think I'm just going to take this, then -

"I can't believe this." But despite his best efforts, Fugaku's voice still got trapped in his head. "You're seventeen and acting like a toddler. Act your age, Sasuke. When he was your age -" And his father did something he did not do often: cut himself off. But it was too late.

Sasuke already knew what he was going to say.

He whirled around and met his father's eye, glaring, no longer backing down.

Because Sasuke would never stop being compared, especially to the dead.

"Go on," he muttered, hand curling around the post of the staircase. "Say it." Fugaku simply stood, and rage filled Sasuke's chest. "Itachi was a prodigy when he was my age. A real genius. He had the best colleges on their knees and a bright future. Never once did he make a mistake or act immaturely or speak out against his adoring parents, right?"

Mikoto brought a hand to her trembling lips. "Sasuke -"

"Well I'm not fucking Itachi!" The walls creaked. The hallways had words of anger, of depression, of irritation echoing through them, bouncing back and forth, never to leave the Uchiha mansion again. Not that Sasuke cared. He was tired of being the other son. "You can pray to God all you fucking want and fall to your fucking knees crying to that damn picture of the one who should have lived, but that won't change shit! I'm not Itachi and I'll never be Itachi! Not until you kill me yourself!"

Body vibrating, chest feeling like a ticking bomb, Sasuke rushed up the stairs and entered the room, locking his door behind him - not that they'd come after him. He knew how they worked. Wait for him to be gone so they can whisper in the hallways and beg for his death in front of the fireplace.

Breathing hard, unable to catch his breath, he fumbled through the drawers of his desk, looking for one of the candles Hinata had made him. Upon realizing he had used them all, he collapsed to the floor, gripping at his chest, and stared up at the dark ceiling, wishing that he could go back in time and see the stars again.

A bit after six in the morning, and Sasuke needed noise.

His hands itched for the feeling of synthetic drumsticks in his tight grasp as he tore at his drum set, so as the sun began to create a sort of dull grey along the horizon, Sasuke pulled on a sweater and grabbed his keys and slipped out of the house before any other Uchihas would begin to stir. Clicking the button on his key to unlock his car, Sasuke vaguely noticed the lack of Shisui's car in the driveway, but didn't pay it no heed. He jumped in, started the engine, made sure it was blasting heat, and drove down the street. The drive to Naruto's was a foggy one as he still tried to wake up the rest of his body, and when he got to Naruto's street, he realized he hadn't even called his friend to unlock the door for him.

Sighing, Sasuke pulled over a few houses away and grabbed his phone.

His thumb hovered over Naruto's contact when a bright light hit his face, and he looked up. A car was pulling out from Naruto's driveway. Naruto's car.

What the hell? Sasuke squinted his eyes when he caught sight of a silhouette in the passenger's seat. Where's he going this early in the morning?

Naruto drove down the other way, and as he turned, the passenger's window rolled down, revealing . . .

Pink hair.

Sakura . . . ?

...

Ten minutes later and Sasuke was sitting on Naruto's porch, glaring at the red car in the driveway. His hands were numb and goosebumps were covering his arms, but he didn't have the mind nor the control of his body to leave for a warmer place.

Because . . . he was confused.

And disgusted - really disgusted - but mostly confused.

Why . . . would Naruto be with Sakura so early in the morning?

His first thought made his stomach twist painfully. He's cheating on Ino. But it didn't make since because, sure, his friend was an idiot, but he was as loyal as he was dumb, and loyal people don't just cheat.

So it had to be something else.

But if it was, then - then why did it look like he was putting in a lot of effort to make sure Sasuke didn't find out?

Why is he hiding this from me? Sasuke frowned and rubbed his hands together. We're friends, aren't we? And friends don't keep secrets about something like this.

So caught in his thoughts, he didn't hear the door open behind him. But he did see the mug of steaming coffee offered to him. He took it, glad to have something to warm his hands, and stared into the dark liquid. Behind him, Jiraiya sat on the rocking chair, and said, "If you're going to wait out here until he gets back, I suggest putting on something warmer. He usually takes a while with these things."

So it's been happening for a while, and Sasuke was none the wiser.

"What the hell is he doing with Sakura?"

Jiraiya kept quiet for a while, sipping at his own cup of coffee. "Well," he mused after a moment, "helping her, I'd say. That boy has a big heart. Too big, if I'm being honest. So big that he's willing to help the people that have hurt him the most." Sasuke took a fleeting look down the street before turning fully to Jiraiya. "He hasn't told you for a reason. You've always been there to keep him in check, but this - this is something he needs to figure out on his own."

He knew he was trying to make him feel better, but Sasuke couldn't stop the dread bubbling in his stomach. Helping her how? he wondered bitterly, drinking his coffee. If it's bad enough for him to not be able to tell me, then do I really want to know?

Jiraiya stood and opened the door, and Sasuke sighed and entered the house with him. "You can go to the Noise Room if you need to. I'll let you know when Naruto's back."

Sasuke shook his head and took a spot next to the window. Because the thoughts in his head were too loud for any sort of noise to drown out.

...

Time passed.

He didn't know how much, but it did.

And, eventually, Naruto came back. With Sakura by his side.

Watching them get out of the car through the window, Sasuke stood and went to the front door, glaring at it, hands twitching and fingers tapping a beat on the side of his hip, and when he heard their footsteps come closer, he opened the door. On the porch, Naruto was staring at him with eyes as big as dinner plates, and Sakura held a hand to her lips.

"Hey." His eyes never left his best friend. "I was looking for you."

With a strained smile, Naruto turned to Sakura, and said, "Maybe you should just go instead."

...

Door closed, it was just the two of them in the entrance way, shifting and standing awkwardly. Naruto was rubbing his shoulder while Sasuke stared him down. He tried to force the ice out of his lungs, but it was impossible. "So, you're cheating on Ino." And when he spoke, the ice traveled up into his throat, and he could barely breathe.

Naruto gaped. "What? No!"

And Sasuke was not convinced. "Then what?"

"What the hell? Is this some sort of investigation?" Naruto marched past him. "I don't have to tell you anything!"

"Because you can't?" Sasuke followed him, frowning. "Because you don't want me to let them know you're two-timing?"

Naruto whirled around and glared at him. "I can't believe - fine, fine!" He threw his hands in the air. "I'm taking her to therapy. There, happy? There's no - no cheating going on! Just a friend helping a friend. So will you - dammit it - get off of it!?"

Sasuke paused. What? "Therapy?"

Naruto snorted and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, okay? Look, you know her mom - lets her do anything, but when it comes to actual parenting, does apeshit! So, like, she needs someone to make sure she keeps it up, and I'm the only one who knows she needs it, so I figured - y'know, take her 'til she's in the mindset to continue it." His glare returned to him. "Is that a crime?"

No.

But if it was just that, then why . . .

"You . . . didn't tell me."

"Of course I didn't, Sasuke! Do you think I'm that stupid!?" He gestured wildly to him. "You're family's a fucking nightmare - the last thing you need is to worry about Sakura. And - and the last thing I need is for you to go on about things I already know." A shaky, forced sigh escaped Naruto as he moved to sit on one of the stairs. "She's manipulative. She's not your friend. She doesn't deserve you. You don't owe her anything. I already know all of that, but - how can I just stand by and not help her? She needs this, Sasuke. What kind of person would I be to not help her be a better, healthier person?"

Sighing again, Naruto cradled his face in his hands, and Sasuke simply stood, wobbling.

So that was it.

It wasn't that he was hiding something horrible, but rather . . .

He was hiding it because he was Sasuke, and Sasuke was a stubborn ass who let his blind hatred for things get in the way of seeing the bigger picture. It wasn't Naruto's fault at all.

It was his.

Tch.

"Okay." He walked away with what little of his pride he had left. "Thanks for telling me."

Over his shoulder, he heard Naruto ask, "Wait. Why did you come in the first place?"

And he just stuffed his hands in his pockets and said, "I forgot my gloves here last night." Because, well, Naruto had enough on his plate, and Uchihas had dignity.

...

Leaving the house, he frowned at the sight of Sakura waiting for him by her car.

"Sasuke," she called as he walked past her and got in his car. "Listen -"

"No." He started up the engine. "I'm obviously not Naruto, so don't even try."

He got home at the same time as Shisui.

Can this day get any worse? he wondered as he stepped out, finding his cousin was waiting for him at the front of his car. Keeping his gaze bowed, he walked past him, and asked, "Where were you?"

"With your girlfriend."

Right. They walked up to the porch. I guess he's in that sort of mood today.

But Sasuke definitely wasn't, and he just shook his head and decided to ignore Shisui and his antics.

Just as he was about to put his key into the lock, a hand grabbed his shoulder, and he glanced at Shisui.

"I need to remind you of something," he said, pushing his hand away as he pulled out his own key. Sasuke stepped away and frowned. "There's a lot of people around you, Sasuke." The door clicked, and Shisui pulled down the handle. "It's okay to use them every now and then."

Those words rang through the air as the door opened, and when they stepped in, Sasuke got a good look at his parents a few feet away. They were dressed in black and had stern faces. In his mother's arms was a basket full of flowers. The kind Sasuke had only seen twice in his life after the death of Itachi.

Hellebores.

"Sasuke." The door shut behind him as Fugaku stared at him. "We need to talk.

Chapter Twenty-two - End