They Hold the World
Chapter 31: Intertwined
Hinata & Sasuke
A/N: Sorry for the pause in updates. Because this is the last chapter, I wanted to publish it on this date for obvious reasons.
A bit of a warning before we commence. This story has been changed to Rated M due to sexual themes showing up in this chapter. I had dabbled around with the idea for a while, but kept it Rated T until I was sure I knew what I did and did not want to include. Aware that some readers will not be interested in reading those sorts of scenes, I will place an in-chapter warning so that you may skip it if you want to continue reading.
Thank you all so much for reading. It has been a treat to see you all popping in.
July came with many things, the most obvious being the heat. Horrible heat, sweltering and dry, that Hinata simply could not stand - to the point that when she went out on her balcony to get a better hearing of Ino over the phone (the AC inside was so loud that she could barely hear her friend), she was sweating within the minute.
"I don't know how I'm going to make it at the beach house," she pondered, wiping the back of her neck and pulling her hand to her face to see her fingers glistening. "I might melt away."
"Oh, Hinata, stop with that!" Ino said on the other end, tongue clicking. "A little heat isn't really going to stop you from coming, is it?"
A little? Well, that was a bit of an understatement, but either way Hinata found herself shaking her head. Nothing was making her miss one of the last summers she and her friends would have before everyone started leaving for college. Ino and Kiba had purposefully asked their families to schedule their week at their neighboring beach houses to overlap, thus allowing their friends to join them and stay at the corresponding houses. Hinata had been there plenty of times, but never with everyone, and the excitement of it all was getting to her.
"No, it won't."
"Good. Anyway, you and Tenten are going to pick up Naruto and I at his place, and then we're on the road. Did you pack your swimsuit?"
Hinata turned and eyed her suitcase, which lay open on her bag with some clothes stuffed neatly inside. She went over her checklist, and said, "Yes, Ino. And sunscreen."
"Good, good! We don't want our easily-burned Hinata to be a red crisp at the end of this."
Hinata smiled and glanced over at Kiba's house. Through his glass doors, she could see him running around his room, throwing around clothes and going back and forth between his room and his bathroom. At one point, Akumaru got a hold of one of his sleeveless jackets, and Kiba had to play tug-of-war with him for a minute. Laughing, Hinata leaned over the railing, and sighed, "I'm excited."
Ino giggled. "So am I. I'm glad it's tomorrow, or I wouldn't be able to stand it!"
Tomorrow?
Hinata's eyes widened. It's tomorrow?
She knew that, in a way - it was tucked all the way in the back of her head. But with all the packing and ruckus, she was so distracted that she hadn't even realized that they were leaving tomorrow. Which meant -
Gasping, she pushed off the railing and went to her room. "I'll call you later, Ino."
She went to her desk and looked at the calendar that was thumb-tacked in the wall over it. Her red, sharpie marks that crossed out the days had stopped around the fifteenth, around the time she had stopped paying attention to the days. Her eyes trailed to the 19th, which was circled multiple times to remind her of the day she left for the beach houses. Then, her gaze made its way to the 18th - today - which was also circled, tho not as enthusiastically.
Because . . . the 18th was when Shikamaru was leaving for Germany.
Oh my God.
Tapping at her phone, Hinata ran out of her room, skipped down the staircase, and rushed to slip on her flip-flops. As she pushed the door open and stumbled outside, she clicked Shikamaru's number and pulled the speakers to her ear. Come on, she begged silently, leaving her property and running down the sidewalk. Please pick up!
He didn't, and Hinata put away her phone and ran to the other side of the large neighborhood. The sun was beating down on her face and bare arms, and she could practically feel her skin turning red, but she didn't let it stop her. Not until she reached the house on the other side did she stop and breathe - but only for a moment, for when she saw the empty driveway next to the For Sale sign in the yard, the air in her lungs was shoved out again, leaving her breathless and woozy.
No. She clutched her chest and sunk into the shade of a tree on the other side of the road. No - there's no way I missed him! How could I have . . .
"Hinata?" Her head snapped back. Behind her was a little park with iron fencing that she used to go to all the time when she was little. It was where she had first met Shikamaru, and where she had learned to play chess. Since the start of high school, she did not often step into that park unless she was crossing it to get to Shikamaru's house. But . . . there, sitting at one of the tables at the front, was exactly who she was looking for. He had narrow, concerned eyes as she sloped over to him and collapsed on the chair across from him, panting. "You didn't run here, did you?" She gave a guilty smile, and his eyes turned into slits. "What the hell? In this heat?"
She waved her hands in a manner to show she was fine, though he obviously did not believe it. Finally getting her breath back, she focused on the table, or rather the game of chess on it. Her eyes then found the multiple suitcases at his side, and she blushed and turned to him. "Can I . . . play?"
He sighed, but no complaints left his screwed mouth as he rearranged the board and started a new game. They weren't even four rounds in when he took her queen. She flinched at his accusing frown.
"That's not like you."
"I'm . . ." she drifted off for a second, "tired."
"Uh-huh." He glared over her shoulder, then turned to her again. "I don't understand why you have it in your head that you can't talk about Sasuke to me."
Huh? Her heart jumped into her throat as she swayed. How does he -
"It's obvious," he muttered, moving his knight. "Plus, you're always thinking about him."
Her mouth went dry with weak protests. She wasn't always thinking about him. She thought about other things, too - like, well, the heat, and her other friends, and . . . her family . . . and . . .
"Well, I hope she does." She nearly jumped out of her seat as Sasuke's voice slithered over her shoulder. Her head snapped back to see him looming over her, a bit of a tilt to his eyes as he stared Shikamaru down. Why is he here? "I'm her boyfriend."
"Yeah," Shikamaru said, voice low, "I know." His sharp eyes trailed the board, and he sat back, hummed, and then regarded Sasuke again. "Play for her, won't you? She's too busy with other things to focus on the game."
Her face turned red, and not because of the sun. "I'm sorry -"
"Fine."
Blinking, she shot Sasuke a look, who returned her gesture with a blank stare that told her only that he was dead serious about this. Hesitantly, she got up and let him sit in the chair, where he crossed his arms and examined the game. Shikamaur leaned to the side, chin perched in his palm, as a smirk grew on his lips upon the stuck look in Sasuke's eyes.
"Maybe this was a bad idea," he mused coyly. "I did, after all, just ask the guy who doesn't know what mistletoe is to play -"
"Stop bringing that up." Sasuke's glare was a sharp thing, but it didn't even dent Shikamaru's sly expression. "If I win, you will stop with bringing it up."
A challenge, and despite his laidback attitude on most things, Shikamaru loved a challenge. He straightened his back and huffed. "Hell, if you win, I'll willingly call you the smarter one."
And thus, the game started once more.
To the side, Hinata watched the pieces move and disappear one after another. It was a quick game at first, but once it began to near its end, it slowed as Sasuke took his time to calculate his moves. Shikamaru leaned back in his chair, picking his nails, not hiding his boredom as well as he did when she was playing. Clearly, he was trying to get on Sasuke's nerves, and based off of the deep furrow in Sasuke's brows, it was working. She glanced over her boyfriend's shoulder, saw that if he moved his pope, he could save himself, and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Sasuke -"
"No helping, Hinata." Shikamaru grinned. "Let the big boy figure it out himself."
Sasuke rolled his eyes and moved his knight. Wrong move.
Shikamaru smirked and moved his queen. "Check."
Sasuke frowned, but before he could say anything, a cab rolled up to Shikamaru's house. "That's my ride," he said, standing from the table and grabbing all his luggage. Hinata helped roll it all to the car, where the driver packed it all in the back. She watched his luggage disappear in the yellow cab, one after another, and felt her heart break with every one. Shikamaru gave her a sideways glance as she began to tear up. "Oi. I thought we promised you wouldn't do that today."
She nodded and put a hand to her mouth to keep her cries muffled and quiet. Her eyes squeezed shut as arms wrapped around her, and she hugged him back, understanding well that this may be one of the last hugs she'll ever give him . . . ever.
"I'll visit."
"I know," she whispered into his shirt.
"And, you know, I'll still have my phone."
She backed away and nodded, a single tear escaping her. "Call me when you can."
He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her face before turning to Sasuke, who stood to the side, keeping to himself with keen, watchful eyes. "Pity we didn't get to finish the game." His eyes flashed something curious as he rolled a shoulder and yawned, which brought a smile to Hinata despite the sadness in her heart. Ever the lazy one, that Shikamaru. But then he paused his rolling and squared his shoulders before saying, a bit hushly, "It would have taken a turn, I'm sure, since you're so smart." Sasuke frowned, the total opposite of what Hinata expected from him once those words left Shikamaru. "More than me . . . I guess."
Two, sharp pairs of eyes landed on the unfinished game. "You were winning," Sasuke said.
And Shikamaru, with a bit of an awkward twist to his smile, looked at her. "Yeah, but you still won."
She hugged him again, which he held for a bit longer than usual, and when he pulled away, his head was bowed as he nodded to Sasuke before getting into the cab. As the car pulled away from the car, she felt her shoulder, which he had pressed his face against, and upon feeling the wet spot on her short sleeve, could not help the distraught trembles that racked through her entire system as she cried and waved the car off. She felt Sasuke move closer and hold her hand, which had miraculously grown cold in the sweltering heat.
"Come on, Hinata," he whispered, tugging her hand towards the direction of her house. She wiped her eyes with her free arm, hiccuped, and followed his lead. "You have to get ready for tomorrow."
She nodded and forced her head forward - for if she took even a peek backwards, she'd fall into another fit of sobs. Squeezing his warm hand, she asked, "Why did you come here?" Surely, not to see Shikamaru off.
He kept his gaze level with the sidewalk, but it wavered here and there. Which meant he was hesitating, which meant he was embarrassed, which meant -
"Well . . ." The first word came, dripping past his lips like honey. She watched it go down his jaw and gather at his chin before running down its course down his red neck. Red, because, well . . . "In case you needed . . ." Those words came a bit faster, bubbling through his pursed mouth. ". . . comfort."
A squeeze to her hand as emphasis. Hinata rubbed her thumb along the pale hills of his knuckles and moved a little closer to him, so that their arms nearly touched. "Thank you," she said, watching their feet move together. "You helped."
When Sasuke got home, he immediately went towards the ruckus in the room, where his mother and brother were bent over the island, prattling. Mikoto was waving a pill bottle in the air, which Shisui grabbed at but missed terribly on multiple occurrences.
"Mom -"
"Don't 'Mom' me," she said, dark eyes squinting. "Twenty-eight, Shisui. Twenty-eight and I still have to remind you to take your medicine!"
"I'm still getting used to it," he said, rubbing the back of his head, white eyes dancing to the side. "I went all my life not taking them, so it's hard to -"
"Again with the excuses."
"They're not excuses. I'm just explaining." His eyes found Sasuke, and he smiled, face lighting up. "Are you done packing yet?"
Sasuke shook his head and walked up to the other side of the island. "Almost."
"Here." Their mother placed a glass full of water on the island, followed by the pill bottle. She gave her eldest son a stern look. "When I come back, you've better drank it all."
"Yes ma'am." A simple response, but the second she walked out of the room, Shisui's shoulders fell, and he sighed. "She's treating me like a child."
"That's because you let her." Sasuke watched as Shisui screwed off the cap of the bottle with stiff fingers, poured out two pills, and swallowed them along with half the water of the glass in one gulp. He placed the cup down, popped his elbow, and turned to him. "Do you have physical therapy tomorrow?"
Shisui nodded. "Yeah, in the morning. Why?"
"Then I might not see you for a week."
A fake, horrified look came to his features. "You're leaving me with Mom?" Sasuke snorted and began out the kitchen, but not before hearing his brother call to him over his shoulder. "Good luck and have fun!"
Good luck? He made his way up the stairs, pondering. Good luck with what?
The summer outing did not just happen in July.
There was a reason - a rather striking one, at that.
Because July 23rd was Sasuke's eighteenth birthday, and Hinata Hyuuga wanted it to be the exact opposite of how her eighteenth went. But, as she sat in the back of Tenten's car, she began to realize with the amount of people present at the party and the kind of people they were, she doubted things would go down smoothly. Not to say her friends were bad people. Quite the opposite, really. It's just . . . they had their quirks, and Sasuke had his, and sometimes those things bashed. It just happened.
And Hinata . . . didn't want that to happen.
"Oh, Hinata, please." Her head snapped out of its foggy wonderland to find brown eyes staring at her from the rearview. "I know that look and I'll tell you something right now - if you show even a smidge to it in front of Ino, on this trip, she's going to flip. Flip, Hinata! So whatever it is, forget it now, or we'll never hear the last of it!"
Her words rang with absolute truth, and Hinata wouldn't have doubted her for a second. But it was hard. So hard. She must have been born a worrier, for despite all that she has gotten over in the past year - her stutter, her severe anxiety, her hesitation around certain people - her tendency to worry never ceased to show its nasty head into her thoughts.
Realizing her hands were collecting sweat, she wiped them on her jeans and nodded. "I'm sorry," she said, looking out the window towards the East, where, somewhere out there, miles away, sat two beach houses where something either amazing or devastating would occur. "I just . . . I'm worried it won't go well."
Over the blasting AC, she heard Tenten snort. "What? The party?" They pulled into Naruto's neighborhood. "Seriously, Hinata, just don't think about it until it happens. It's not like anything bad could happen, right?"
Right . . .
They pulled in front of Naruto's house, where three people stood around a pile of luggage. Two of them, of course, were expected: Naruto and Ino. But the other figure was someone Hinata hadn't expected to see at all that summer.
Sakura.
Their light conversation stopped as Tenten parked in front of them. As Naruto and Ino moved their luggage to the trunk, Hinata got out to move to the front seat, knowing Ino would want to sit in the back with Naruto. As she got out, she met Sakura's eyes, which were hesitant and springy as they flashed her way. "Hey, Hinata," she said, smiling - it wasn't so much strained, but it had an awkward twinge to it, which made them both feel a bit uncomfortable. "I heard the weather will be nice - Ino's really glad that there won't be any rain while she's out there with everyone."
Hinata nodded and grabbed the handle of the door, but didn't make a dash inside. With therapy, Sakura had slowly fallen back to her regular self; and though there were wounds between them that would take time to heal, Hinata was kind enough to let her . . . try to make up for all she had done. As did Ino and Naruto, though Tenten was still reluctant with the whole situation.
The car jittered as Naruto slammed the trunk shut. That was Hinata's cue, and she returned Sakura's smile with equal gracelessness. "Have a good summer, Sakura," she said, opening her door and climbing into shotgun.
"You too," Sakura whispered, pulling her car keys out of her purse. "Um, and have fun."
The genuine kindness in her tone was refreshing, and Hinata shot her a soft, relaxed smile before closing the door and riding off.
"Pedal to the metal, Tenten!" Ino said the second she got her seat buckle on. "That knucklehead Kiba probably already left! I want to beat him to the cabins."
Tenten, in turn, rolled her eyes and cranked up the rocking song before racing the car off down the neighborhood street.
...
Kiba had, indeed, left first, but with Tenten's illegal speeding, she had caught up to him relatively quickly. Two of the three hour drive was them racing and passing one another, going back and forth between leading and following, but by the time they got to the beach, Kiba had taken the lead and beaten them by thirty seconds.
"You bastard!"
Which Ino was not happy with.
Kiba laughed as he hung out of his red Jeep while the rest of the guys slumped out, popping their knees and sluggishly pulling their luggage out of the back. "Pay up, Ino," he called as she marched over, huffing the entire time.
Hinata, in the meantime, opened her door and stared out at the world that she has seen tens of times, yet still was so startled by it every time she came by. It was a beautiful, private beach that was blocked off by a line of forest on the northern end. The beach stretched for a good half a mile, with Kiba's house on the grassy, western end while Ino's was situated next to the sand on the eastern end. In between the two were stone paths the lead to a cook-out area and a small cabin where beach supplies and games were kept. The sound and smell of the ocean was so fresh and crisp, something never experienced in the dry lands of her town, and Hinata smiled at the gleaming water and white waves that crashed along the golden shore.
"You look happy." Shade covered her swinging legs, and Hinata looked up to find an umbrella held over her head. Sasuke's eyes stayed on the sky, cloudless and a royal blue. "Weird," he muttered, "with how you are with the heat, I thought you'd hate the beach."
She blushed a bit. "It's not that bad."
He finally looked her way, a brow arched. "You look like you're about to melt."
And . . . she felt it, too, though she wasn't about to admit that aloud.
Jumping out of the car, she stayed under the shade of the umbrella and whispered a shy "Thank you."
And in turn, Sasuke smirked and said, "Well, at least I can do this job."
...
The day was spent unpacking and getting the place situated, and by the time the girls had finished, it was past sunset and they were exhausted enough to stay home, but still giddy and wishing to do something before going to bed. Hinata sat herself on her bed, which was the bottom bunk while Ino had on the top. Tenten, being the older one, got the bed on the opposite side, next to the window which overlooked the beach, which she and Ino were peeking out of to get some sort of idea of what the boys were doing in their cabin.
"Oh my gawd," Ino gasped, nose nearly pressed against the door, "what the hell is Naruto doing?"
Apparently, it wasn't good.
Interest piqued, Hinata nearly crawled over to get a look herself, but eventually told herself to stay put to keep from spying. I wouldn't like it, she thought, wrapping her legs in the white sheets of her bed, and nor would Sasuke.
Tenten burst out laughing as she sat on her bed, hand covering her eyes. "Leave it to Naruto to go swimming at night in the ocean." Wait. He was what? "I swear, if I go to breakfast tomorrow and he's complaining about a crab or somethin' getting his toe, I'm going to lose it."
Ino joined her in a giggling fit as she threw the curtains over the window and collapsed next to Tenten. "Well, at least he wasn't skinny dipping," she pointed out. "Now that would have been a sight."
Tenten rolled her eyes and tapped Ino's leg with her foot, a not-so-subtle message for the blonde to go to her own bed. "Sure, like you'll see anything you haven't already seen."
Turning a bit pink in the cheeks, Ino pointed her nose to the ceiling as she marched her way to the bunk bed. "I don't appreciate what you're insinuating." Right hand grasping the ladder, Ino's blue eyes flickered towards Hinata, searching for something that Hinata wasn't quite sure of. "Besides, Hinata's here. She doesn't need to hear -"
"Oh, puh-lease." Tenten stretched her legs before falling on her stomach and rolling over to face them. "You're treating her like she's twelve. Hinata can take a little girl talk. Can't you, Hinata?"
Girl talk? She wasn't sure if this conversation they were diving into was considered simple "girl talk".
The bed above her creaked, followed by a huff. "Fine, Tenten," Ino said. "If you're so desperate, then I'll bite." She bent over the side, long, blonde hair falling like a waterfall over the bed as a long arm stretched down to grab the purple nailpolish that she had left on the side table. "How about we start about how good Neji is in bed, hmm?"
"WHAT!?" Tenten stared at Hinata, who stared back, both pale and wide-eyed. "Ino, dude, not in front of -"
"You're treating her like she's twelve, Tenten."
"She's his cousin!"
Face having a permanent flush, Hinata pushed her face into her pillow, and mumbled, awkwardly, "I don't want to hear anything about Neji."
Above, Ino snickered. "Fine, fine - then I'll go first - oh, shit. Hinata, can you hand me a paper towel?" Hinata got off the bed and made her way to the kitchen, where a roll of paper towels hung over the sink. As she tore a piece off, she heard Ino continue from the bedroom. "We've done it, like, ten times, I think. Sex, I mean."
Somehow, her heart dropped and soared at the same time. It made her dizzy, and she fumbled a bit when returning to the room. Upon giving Ino the paper towel, blue eyes scanned her probably beet red face and twinkled with amusement. "Damn, Hinata," she mused, waving a hand to dry her nails. "I'll stop if you're that uncomfortable with it."
"N-No, um -" She gulped, a bit embarrassed that her stutter was coming back at such a weird time. She returned to her bed and folded her legs to her chest, chewing on her lip. "It's . . . okay."
Tenten stared at her from across the room. "Oh my God. Hinata, have you . . . ?"
She didn't have to finish that sentence; Hinata was already shaking her head.
"No!"
"No, you dolt!" Ino said. "She's, like, curious." She bent her head over again to flash Hinata an assuring smile. "It's okay to be curious, Hinata. Really. It's just, like, a part a life - so you don't have to be embarrassed or anything."
And she must have misunderstood because . . . Hinata wasn't feeling any of that, really. Sure, she was a bit off guard by the sudden turn of conversation, but it wasn't really embarrassment or curiosity that got her red and feeling like her heart my burst.
Actually, it was something completely different.
Dread . . . and a bit of anger.
Because . . . she knew it was horrible to think it, but she couldn't believe Ino and Naruto had gotten so far when . . . when she and Sasuke had been dating longer and hadn't gotten much past the kissing base. Maybe she was naive in observing signs that pointed towards something of the sort, but she'd never really found Sasuke in any sort of state that would suggest he wanted to . . . do anything of the sort. He was just Sasuke, the Uchiha; but he was also Sasuke, the teenage boy, and she was his girlfriend. If he didn't think about it, then . . . then . . .
Then maybe she was doing something wrong.
That's it, she thought, frowning to herself, focus slinking away from the conversation as she began to look at herself - really look - and notice all the stuff about her that she hadn't noticed prior to Sasuke. The plainness of her eyes, the fat of her thighs, the lankiness of her toes. She was a pretty girl, but that was the extent of it; not gorgeous or beautiful or elegant. And maybe Sasuke liked dating pretty girls, but when it came to sex, well . . .
Stop it. Her hands fisted into the sheets as she mentally kicked herself. You know that's not it, so stop trying to convince yourself otherwise.
She fell to her side and pulled the covers to her chin, batting the thoughts away.
But . . . then why hasn't he tried something?
And, obviously, failing.
Because she had gotten over many things over the past year, but two things always stuck to her like glue: constant worry, and shitty self-confidence.
...
She hadn't expected the dream last night.
And by that, she didn't mean she had not expected a sexual dream because, honestly, with how last night went, even Hinata wasn't that naive. But she had thought that if she were to ever dream one, it would have been more . . . well, basic. Like something she'd read or see on TV. He'd her pinned on the bed or against the wall, nipping her neck as his hands trailed her stomach. Something like that.
But her dream - it was nothing like that.
Instead, she had him pinned down, kissing his shoulder as her hands ran up his thigh, and her eyes were dark as she watched his face closely and smiled as he shuddered and closed his eyes in awe.
When she woke up, her feet were tangled in the sheets and she was panting. Tenten glanced at her with a toothbrush hanging from her mouth. "You okay, Hinata?"
Her mouth was dry and her body was hot, so she nodded, and said, with a bit of a lag in her tone, "Just . . . a weird dream."
Despite what Ino and Tenten must have thought, Hinata . . . knew about sex.
Don't tell a soul - especially if that soul happened to be Neji Hyuuga - but she knew what it was and what came of it quite well. Between the talk from her father that she had struggled through in eighth grade, sneaky whispers between freshmen Sakura and Ino, online searched, and just what she generally saw on Netflix, it was hard to not know about sex.
So, that morning, when she and everyone else sat out by the grill and ate breakfast, she wanted nothing more but to walk over to Sasuke's side and sit on his lap . . . well . . . and was extremely startled by her train of thought. Not because she was confused - not because she thought 'What are these feelings I feel' like the naive tween she used to be - but because based off of the look Sasuke was not-so-subtly giving her, as well, he seemed to be in the same thinking process.
Sasuke knew about sex. Not because he was a guy - thought, well, he was - and therefore only thought about sex - though, sometimes, he did - but because he just did.
He just . . . kept to himself like he did with most things.
But unlike those most things, he totally, absolutely, under no circumstances ever shared it with Hinata. Because - come on - she was Hinata, and sure she could kick shoulders and ride motorcycles down steep hills, but that was that and this was this, and Hinata just didn't scream this.
So you can imagine his surprise when, come breakfast, he saw her with that face - THAT face - the red kind with her teeth nibbling at her bottom lip and her gaze heavy and dark.
And because Sasuke knew about sex, it was the second thing that came to his mind upon that look coming to her face.
And . . . he wasn't willing to admit what #1 was.
"You're squinting."
Indeed, she was. "It's so bright outside."
Later that day, everyone had decided to hit the nearby town and shop for a few things before they returned to the beach to go swimming. As Ino dragged Naruto and Kiba with her in her search to a volleyball net, Tenten and Lee had gone to the marketplace for the cook-out that night. Thus leaving Sasuke and Hinata, hot, squinting, and a bit confused; because honestly, Hinata had thought maybe something would have come out of what transpired between them that morning. A few words or, perhaps, a sign.
But nothing came. She had lingered and he had left about as swiftly as he came - and that, well, didn't help much with the bundle of worry winding up in her chest.
Shuddering, Hinata bowed her head and tried to push the thoughts out of her head, instead focusing on following Sasuke's back through the crowd. When they had moved to the side to get into some shade, she blinked her eyes, saw him turn her way, and shyly drifted off. The store next to them was selling hats, and Hinata was not about to let the opportunity go to waste. She entered with Sasuke now hot on her heels.
"Maybe . . . this will help with the brightness," she said, holding up a tan floppy hat with a blue ribbon tied around it. Sasuke gave the thing a weird look as she held it up to him.
"Maybe," he said, "but that thing is twice your size."
Twice my . . .
Stop it, Hinata!
As if it burned her, she quickly dropped the hat back on the counter and zoomed off to where the . . . smaller hats were.
...
The second everyone had gotten back to the beach houses, they had changed, lathered themselves with sunscreen, and started their day on the beach. Naruto and Kiba beelined for the water while Ino and Lee set up the net. Hinata helped Tenten unpack the hot dogs and burgers they would be grilling for lunch before setting her towel underneath a beach umbrella with a book in hand. With the shade of the umbrella helped with the shield of the bill of her pink cap, the sun only lit up the pages, and she smiled and flipped through them with ease.
And for a good twenty minutes, she was in paradise.
But then two voices spoke louder than the words on the pages, and she couldn't concentrate.
"You're playing, aren't you?"
"Of course! There's no way I'd miss playing with my girlfriend."
She peeked over the edge of her book to find Ino and Naruto walking up from the shore. Hinata had to bow the bill of her cap a bit because, really, the sunlight just sparkled off those two. Naruto's hair was wild and glistening with water and Ino's skin was perfect and absolutely glowing. They looked good anywhere together, those two, but especially on the beach.
Reaching her bag that she had left under an umbrella, Ino bent down to dig through it. "Well, if you want a good view," she said, voice sharp in the salty air, not an ounce of caution in her tone despite the people around her, "I suggest you play on the opposite team." She stood with a bottle of sunscreen in her hand and held it out to Naruto. "Help me with my back, will you?"
He gulped and nodded, a bit of red coming to his face as she turned around and lifted up her high ponytail to give him a clear view of her back. Hinata quickly looked away, somehow feeling like she was spying on a delicate moment between the couple. At least, that's what she told herself. And some of it was true.
But the other half of her was so green-eyed that she could barely watch.
How was Ino so . . . confident with herself? She could flirt with Naruto so openly and not even bat an eye. If she did that . . .
If she . . .
Cringing at the failures that would surely come if she ever attempted to pull what Ino just did, she practically shoved her nose between the pages, trying with all her might to get her head out of the thought process.
But she couldn't stop imagining it. What if she had asked Sasuke to do something of that caliber? She'd walk up to him and hold her SPF 30 up to him and ask, "Can you put this on my back, please?" And he'd look at her and laugh because she was wearing a one-piece practically up to her chin and what the fuck was she thinking, wearing that thing!?
Groaning, she closed her book and collapsed her face into her hands.
"What am I doing?"
A scoff overhead. "Reading . . . again." Her head snapped up just in time to see Sasuke sit next to her under the shade. His skin was shining and his hair was dripping. Naruto must have convinced him to take a dip in the ocean. "Seriously, do you always bring a book with you? It's like you're more into that thing than the beach."
And it was a curious sensation to feel her chest tighten at the mere sight of him - not because it didn't happen often - but because this wasn't the usual kind, the tingling kind that left her toes curling. This was the kind that made it hard to breathe. She looked at him and her lungs were blazing within her chest, and somehow, in the nanoseconds of darkness as she blinked, she was transported to her room in the Hyuuga mansion. He was there, skin still shining and hair still dripping, but not from the ocean. And that image alone got her teetering back, putting a distance between them that he automatically frowned at.
"Are you okay?"
She nodded and kept her eyes on the shore. "I'm fine."
The silence stretched cautiously, suspiciously. "Alright."
Her teeth sunk into her bottom lip, nearly drawing blood. What was she doing? She had to get those damn thoughts out of her head before she got him more concerned.
And yet, every time she blinked, she'd be looming over him in the darkness, eyes trailing the beads of water rolling down his neck. Her dream would spark to life at every moment of her wake, leaving her on edge and tired; but more so than that, she was wondering.
Did . . . Sasuke have those kinds of dreams, too?
She glanced over in the corner of her eye, saw his flat expression, and figured that if, by some miracle, he did, it surely wouldn't be about her.
Because he was Sasuke, and she was . . . just Hinata.
...
With the setting sun came ghost stories around the fire as Ino got out marshmallows and graham crackers for s'mores. Hinata sat back on the log to the left as she watched her friends roast their marshmallows, Kiba and Lee leaving theirs in until they were practically charcoal. Chatter passed over the crackle of the fire, Naruto booming as he usually did as Tenten and Ino gossiped and giggled. Some tried to pull her into conversation, and she politely replied to whatever they were discussing, but kept her words short in hopes they'd get the idea and leave her to herself. She was in a constant cycle. To keep her eyes from Sasuke, she'd scroll through her phone, only to be reminded that Shikamaru had yet to tell her anything about the move or Germany, and that got her so anxious that she had to put down the phone and find Sasuke somewhere beyond the flames again. After a few minutes of it all, her head was spinning, and she had to close her eyes to get her thoughts back in line.
Come on, Hinata! she told herself, practically screaming within the confines of her mind. This is vacation. You should be relaxing! And she knew she should. A beautiful view with friends surrounding her, Hinata should be having the time of her life. But she wasn't, and she hated herself for it.
Sighing, her eyes opened and immediately found a dark pair staring back at her. Sasuke rounded the fire and stood over her. "When are you going to tell me what's wrong?" Guilt hitting her hard, she moved over to give him a spot next to her. He stared at the space on the log. "You're not going to move away again, are you?" But before she could deny it, he was sitting and watching her closely. "Talk."
Hands on her bent knees, she backed a bit away from the fire and did just that. "I keep thinking about things," she said softly, wanting to keep this from her friends' ears. No use in getting them worried, too. "Stressful things - things that keep popping up no matter how many times I try to ignore it. Like Shikamaru -" She waved her phone his way, "or your birthday and if it will be any good. I'm thinking about things Ino and Tenten were talking about last night and . . . ideas I've been having and I . . . don't know what to do about them."
He hummed and leaned back, elbows bent behind him. "Well, if it was just that, then you should have talked to me sooner," he said. "Shikamaru's fine, Hinata. Jet lag and unpacking probably has him busy. You'll hear from him eventually. And concerning my birthday, well . . ." His eyes bowed to the side. "If you're here, it can't be that bad."
She gulped something in her throat and looked the opposite way. "Right . . . ."
Sasuke cleared his throat and straightened his shoulders. "What did they say last night?"
Ino and Tenten's words echoed through her mind like a siren, and she shook her head and blushed. "I, um . . ."
As if sensing her reluctance to continue that conversation, Sasuke quickly let up on it. "What about the ideas?" His dark eyes scanned her face. "What corner did you get yourself into this time?"
That was a tricky subject, too, but she knew she'd have to come clean with it eventually. So she decided to start with the easier part - well, both parts were hard to talk about, but at least this one was . . . not as awkward. Taking a deep breath through her nose, Hinata calmed her nerves, and said, weakly, "Am I . . ."
And, immediately, her confidence plummeted. I'm being childish.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Are you?"
But that's fine, she thought, meeting his eye. Just ask.
"Am I . . . beautiful?"
The fire cracked, both in the pit and in his eyes. To the side, Kiba burst out laughing at something Ino said, but she didn't pay it much heed.
With narrow eyes came a scowl, though not an angry one. Sasuke just looked . . . puzzled. "Yes." At her wide-eyed gasp, his scowl tightened. "You shouldn't be surprised by that." He sat back and ran a hand through his now dry hair. "Jesus, Hinata, what have you been telling yourself?"
She crossed her arms behind her back to hide her shaking hands. "But . . . well, it's just . . . um . . ." How do I say this in a way to make him understand? Because Sasuke was a confident, attractive man, and he might not understand how it felt to . . . not be that. "It's just that - you're so gorgeous." His eyes smoldered and steamed like lava as he watched her mouth move like a hawk. "And I'm . . . I'm just . . ."
He caught on to her trailing off and interjected. "Gorgeous people can call other gorgeous people beautiful." He bent his neck a bit to get her full attention. "And don't use that 'I'm just' bullshit. You're always more than just."
...
Everything escaped her: her breath, her alertness, her heart.
Something surged through her veins. Pride. Strong and encouraging enough for her to . . . not pass out right then and there.
So he thought she was pretty - beautiful, even. It made her feel childish for having to ask him, but now that she heard it, she couldn't get it out of her head.
"Then . . ."
Sasuke blinked and tilted his head back a bit. "Then?"
Head bowed, she quickly checked across the fire, saw that no one was paying attention to them, and slowly moved closer to him. Their knees touched as she leaned his way, face as hot as the flames before them. His breathing was steady, but she could hear his heart racing. It was nearly going as fast as hers.
Nearly.
" . . . Do you . . ." Just say it, Hinata! "U-Um, then do you want to . . . have sex with me?"
...
Staring.
He did that a lot, she noticed. Sometimes at her, sometimes at others, and sometimes at the things around him. Those Uchiha eyes explored the world with careful precision, as if searching for something at every moment of every day.
And right now -
"I think I'm going to head back."
He was looking for an escape.
Hinata's jaw hung as she watched him stand without a hint of hesitation and make his way to the boys' cabin. She sat there for a minute, regretting everything, telling herself she should have just kept to herself. She nearly had the mind to go to her cabin and sleep the shame off - but she knew she'd never get a wink of sleep ever in her life again if she didn't talk to him. So, without making much noise, she slid off her log and raced after Sasuke.
He must have been dreaming - or, at least, seriously out of it.
Hinata didn't just ask him that. No way.
She was Hinata, and no matter how comfortable she may be around him, surely she wouldn't just go out and ask him something like that! Thus, this was a dream. A fantasy his subconscious was playing out at the worst possible time. It was best he got to the cabin before anything crazier happened.
"Wait!" But before he could even get to the porch, she called out for him, and he couldn't disobey her even if he wanted to. Lips pursing, he gave a reluctant turn of his head and found her just behind him, panting a little bit - which absolutely did not help with the circumstances. "Are you angry?"
"No." Quite the opposite, actually.
"Then . . ." Her face was red and glowing in the moonlight. He couldn't look away. "Then . . . you . . . don't?"
Huh?
He turned to her fully, brows drawing together. What the hell!?
"Christ, Hinata, of course I do!" Was there something he did that made her think otherwise? She looked so surprised when he said that, and it only got him more frustrated. "Why wouldn't I? You're my girlfriend! The amount of times I've wanted to and haven't is -" He cut himself off there, realizing he was just going to embarrass both of them if he kept on like how he was. He sighed and let the salty air cool his burning face before continuing. "Yes, Hinata, I do. A lot."
And her face was so capturing and wild that he moved to . . . to . . . do something! But before he could even begin to tell his legs to move, she backed away like a cat, shoulders pointing to the sky, and rushed for the cabin, leaving him behind, very confused, very awake, and very . . . screwed.
The next day was hell.
Hot, messy, and uncomfortable.
Long story short: Hinata couldn't look Sasuke in the eye, let alone get within a ten foot radius of him. Her morning was spent avoiding and her afternoon inside and avoiding. With every knock to the front door came a thrill down her back that got her stuck between jumping to open it and jumping under her bed. She was exhausted and tense and had lots on her plate because, well, tomorrow was the 23rd, and that only meant one thing. Sasuke's birthday.
Shit.
...
"Okay, girl, you need to spill." Ino leaned over the counter, watching Hinata chop up tomatoes with weary eyes. "And not blood. I mean - you need to spill what's on your mind before you have a heart attack or cut a finger off or something."
Chewing the inside of her cheek, Hinata focused on her knife until she was done slicing the tomato, and then turned to face her friend. "Um, I'm fine, Ino."
And she snorted and saw through her bullshit almost immediately. "Yeah? Tell that to Sasuke."
"Yes, Hinata, I do. A lot."
Blushing, she ran another tomato under the sink before beginning to slice it, as well. "It's nothing."
"You've been avoiding him all day, Hinata." Ino moved to the bowl where the other sliced tomatoes were stored and began to add cilantro and salt before mashing it with a spoon. "Something happened, and I won't stop bugging you until you tell me."
Pausing, Hinata pondered it. Maybe it was a good thing to talk about it - especially with a girl. And . . . maybe she could figure out how to get her heart to start pumping again. "Um." She finished the last tomato and dumped it into Ino's bowl before throwing the knife into the sink. "Well . . . last night . . . Sasuke and I talked a bit."
Ino nodded vigorously. "Go on."
"I told him . . . something . . ."
"Mhm."
"And he, um, kind of . . . said he, um, wanted to have sex with me."
The mashing stopped as Ino gawked at her. "Did he -" Her voice dropped, cold and serious, "force anything on you?"
Hinata shook her head. "No!" Of course not!
"Then . . . do you not want to?"
"Um, no," she said, blushing, "I do."
A relieved sigh, and Ino smiled. "Then isn't that a good thing?" She hummed to herself and added chopped peppers and lime juice before starting on the tomatoes again. "Hinata, you're one hot piece of woman - I don't know what got you thinkin' he didn't want to, y'know, do the nasty." She winked her way. "But I know that if I were you, I'd be thrilled and totally not here right now."
Thrilled.
Was she? When she thought about it, her heart would start up and thunder in her chest like crazy. Surely she was a little excited about it. But it was also . . . embarrassing.
Wiping her hands on her apron, Hinata frowned to herself, and said, "I don't . . . know what to do about it."
"And that's the thing, Hinata," Ino piped up, finally finished with her work. "You don't have to do anything. Just knowing how he feels is enough for now. Don't force anything and just let whatever comes happen naturally." She tore off a piece of saran wrap and placed it over the bowl before putting it in the fridge. "And when you feel like you're ready - that's when you can worry about it. Not that, well, there's anything to worry about."
Though some was still there, weight was lifted off her chest, allowing her heart to beat normally again. "Okay," she whispered, smiling. "Thank you, Ino."
The blonde grinned. "No problem!" Walking back to the counter, she pulled out a pen from one of the drawers and crossed off an item from the list near her right arm. "Okay - salsa's done. What's next?"
...
That night, as Ino and Tenten slept, Hinata was wide awake.
When I'm ready? Those words repeated in her mind, keeping her up and wondering. After a while, she sighed, pulled her phone out, and began to plan.
The first thing he thought when he entered the boys' cabin to find it stocked full with all his favorite foods was that his mother had somehow sneaked in when they were out and cooked a giant, birthday dinner.
The second thing came with the realization that Hinata had been the one who had cooked it all: Holy shit.
...
"Go on, birthday boy!" Naruto screamed at him over the large table that everyone was seated at. "Take the first bite!"
So he did, and it was . . . explosive.
And, sure, he's always like tomato pasta - but Christ was this good!
Everyone cheered and congratulated him on his 18th before digging in themselves. Sasuke had already scarfed down his share before anyone, even Naruto, was close to finishing. Hinata, next to him, cap pulled a bit over her eyes, grabbed the bowl of pasta and gave him another serving; and though she still couldn't quite meet his eye, she was smiling.
"I'm glad you like it," she whispered as she put his serving on his plate.
Oh, it was more than just like.
"How did you know I liked all of this?"
A secret smile came to her eyes before they hid behind her bangs. "Shisui."
And suddenly, Sasuke completely understood the quiet 'Good Luck' from his brother before leaving - because the second he took another bite, he wanted nothing more but to pin Hinata against the wall and show her just how much he liked her cooking.
He was happy - you could see it even from across the room.
And Hinata - she was thrilled. Thrilled, and nervous.
Because it was getting late and the look in his eye was so mesmerizing that she could barely keep up with the time.
As the rest of their friends partied, they were by the wall, watching and grinning as whispering to one another under the wall-bouncing music. Eventually, Sasuke grabbed her head and moved her to the kitchen, where it was quieter. There, his ears were nearly as red as most of the foods he had devoured that night, and he shuffled with his hands in his pockets before finally looking her way.
"Thanks." His voice was a hum of nostalgia that brought goosebumps to her arms. "For everything. For helping me be kinder, for reading to me, for finally reading that damn poem. And with my family . . . and Naruto . . . and the snow - thanks for that, too." He scratched the back of his head and shifted. "For the food, the extra jackets, the roller coaster rides and motorcycle adventures - honestly, Hinata, the world doesn't have enough time to let me thank you for everything, so I guess . . . that . . . all I can say is . . . I'm glad that I got to meet you."
...
And again, she had to ask the question: did hearts just disappear?
Because she was sure hers was just stolen, and never to be returned again.
"Sasuke . . ."
He glared off to the side. "Isn't this the part where you kiss me?"
Kiss . . . him . . .
She looked over her shoulder and found that no one was looking for them. Okay, Hinata, she thought, reaching for Sasuke's hand and leading him out of the kitchen. It's now or never.
They went into the back room, and when she turned to him, she saw Sasuke was giving the place a curious glance before returning to her.
"What if," she said, repeating each word about a hundred times before saying it aloud, "I . . . did something more?"
Something more?
His eyes never left her as she walked further into the room, subtly coaxing him to follow. And he did just that.
Because honestly, with how she was now, he'd do anything she wished.
Oh God, he realized. I've got it bad.
Not that it was much of a surprise.
He's had an inkling for a while now.
When she went to lock the door, she heard that the music wasn't as loud as it had been. Turning to him as he sat down on his bed, feet planted securely on the floor, she whispered, "You'll have to be quiet."
And as he watched her walk over, sway over, waltz over, he knew that being quiet was an impossible thing to promise.
Warning: Sexual Scene
Hinata started with how she usually did with things she had never done before: the basics. And, luckily enough, kissing was one of the most basic things she could do in such a situation. Hovering over him, legs on either side of him to keep herself hoisted just a bit above him, she brushed her lips against his before leaning closer and deepening it. Sasuke had his arms stretched behind him to keep him propped in a sitting position, but he must have found she was not close enough, for one of those hands snaked up her back and got tangled in her pixie cut, causing their lips to mash together.
The feeling of his fingers elated her beyond belief because, for a while, she quietly wondered if he minded her hair. There had been a rumor going around in middle school that Sasuke Uchiha liked long hair, and even now, in high school, girls were growing their hair out for him.
But, well, based on how impossible it seemed for him to leave her hair alone, she figured he didn't mind short cuts, either.
And that was enough to get Hinata opening his mouth and delving her tongue against his.
...
But . . . hair wasn't the only thing he was obsessed with, apparently.
Hinata's eyes widened when he pulled down the loose collar of her blouse and trailed his mouth along the peach scar on her shoulder, kissing and nipping it, sending butterflies into her stomach. "Sasuke," she whispered, running her own fingers through his mane, "what are you doing?"
He looked up for a split second, breathing hard. "Loving you."
And he leaned back in, nipping her some more, before moving down lower.
...
"Hinata."
Breathed in a rough tone, Sasuke was getting impatient, and so was she.
Knees bending so that she was closer to his waist, her hands lightly landed a few inches over his hips. Those dark eyes watched her without blinking or wavering, scorching her skin under his gaze. She looked away and counted her breaths before slipping off of him and saying, "You can't watch."
He frowned. "What?"
Rubbing her naked shoulder, she glanced around the room, trying to find . . . something. When her right foot knocked into the hat that Sasuke had so graciously thrown onto the floor upon their make-out session, an idea popped inside her head, and she crouched over and grabbed it. "Wear this over your eyes."
He didn't look amused. "Hinata."
She met his gaze. "Sasuke." The room was hot, leaving them both sweating and panting. If she let him watch her do anything, she was sure she'd melt away. "P-Please."
And maybe it was her desperate tone or her damn stutter, but any signs of displeasure disappeared from his eyes in an instant, and with the timid tilt of his head, he agreed. She put the hat on him and sunk the bill low enough to where he couldn't see anything. Stomach bubbling, chest tightening, heart thumping in her throat, she stared for a moment, so caught off guard by the fact that this was happening.
Oh dear, she thought, grabbing at her chest, I'm about to do this.
There must have been something about her breathing, for the second she went back to her knelt position above him, he lifted up the hat and looked up at her. "You're crying," he said with a shallow breath.
She hadn't noticed the wetness of her cheeks until he mentioned it. Oh God. Her head snapped back. "I'm sorry." Quickly, she wiped at her face. "I'm . . . nervous."
His eyes flickered to her shoulder. "We can stop."
Huh? "No." Because if they did, she didn't know when she'd get the courage to try again after such a catastrophe. "Let me just . . . d-do this at my pace."
Silent for a moment, then Sasuke nodded and pulled the hat back over his eyes before he leaned into her scarred shoulder and breathed into her skin. "Take your time," he said. "I won't go anywhere."
She knew that, but it was still nice to hear. Really nice.
She let her hand run along the length of his shoulder blades before she moved it down his chest and abdomen. There, it paused, and she shivered as Sasuke's breaths turned rough and hot.
You can't do this, anxiety whispered, making her knuckles freeze up. You'll mess it up like you always do and ruin everything.
And for a moment, she thought it was right.
But then she realized that it was absolute bullshit, and she was done letting herself getting caught up in that shit. Frowning at the thought, she pushed it to the side and sunk into the warm, refreshing body heat before her. I can do this, she told herself, moving her hand under the waistline of his pants. I can . . . do this.
And thus, she did.
Slowly and carefully.
Holy shit.
"Quiet, Sasuke," she whispered into his ear, running her free hand down the hill of his arched spine.
With his mouth pressed against her shoulder, Hinata could feel his jaw flex.
"I don't," he started, voice vibrating with the rest of him, "give a damn if they hear anything." He pulled back to show off his red face and trembling frown. "Go faster, for the love of -" She slipped off of him and onto the floor, making him gasp. "What are you doing?"
Hinata put her hands on his knees and slowly guided his legs open. Nervousness made her fingers cold, but the thrill of it all matched with womanly pride (because she was getting such a reaction out of the cold, brooding Uchiha that only she could get) made the rest of her boil.
"Going faster."
Sasuke had always heard from his family that Hyuugas were quick-tongued folk.
He hadn't realized how literal they meant until just then, on the night of his 18th birthday.
"You're, um, shaking."
Her voice came out from the dark, buzzing against his brain.
Well, of course he was. How could he not?
"Am I . . . d-doing it right?"
His heart practically fell out of his chest. If her tone hadn't sounded so damn innocent, he would have thought she was teasing him.
"Do . . . all guys shake like this?"
Christ, she was teasing him!
He didn't last much longer than that, and when they were done, he was struggling to keep upright while she wiped her face clean before sheepishly joining him on the bed. His panting was hard and body-shaking, and she pulled him to her, a bit nervous about how hard he was breathing. "A-Are you okay?"
His lidded eyes closed as he leaned into her and kissed her twice on the neck. "Where did you . . . learn that?"
Her eyes widened as she turned away, face practically melting off. "U-U-Um, I, uh . . ." She rubbed at her arms, gaze swimming along the dark room, "studied, I guess."
Scene End
When he woke up the next day, there was a sun in his chest. Jesus, was his first thought, is this how Naruto feels all the time? Not to say that it was a bad feeling. Really, Sasuke had never felt so . . . energetic in his life. He stretched his arms over his head as he sat up, quickly noticing Hinata on the other side of the room, sitting on the floor by the door and crouched over a book.
Of course.
He stood, and the creaking floor got her attention. He nearly laughed at her doe-eyed expression as she was snapped out of her reading. Her face instantly turned red at the sight of him, and she quickly bit her lip and looked away.
"Good morning," she whispered.
He stood next to her and helped her to her feet. "Why are you still in here?"
Hinata cracked open the door, giving him a look into the living room, messy and with the rest of their friends scattered around and sleeping randomly throughout the place.
Ah. That would do it.
...
It was nearly noon when everyone began to drag themselves out of slumber, and were it not the bus ride up to the mountain scheduled in an hour, Sasuke was sure most of them would sleep the day away.
Now in the back of the bus, watching as sandy beaches slowly turned into green pastures, which then turned into forests along a steep slope, everyone was finally waking up and showing some excitement about the trip. But out of them all, Hinata was the most excited - because up at the top of the mountain was snow, and she was stoked to be in a sweater without sweating like a madman.
Sasuke watched with a crinkle in his eye as the girl before him practically bounced in her seat as the bus climbed up the mountain side. "Hinata," he said eventually, making her pause for a moment. "Calm down. It won't be that cold."
But her smile stayed no matter his pessimistic words. "Anything's better than ninety degrees and constant sun."
Really? Because he preferred it over negative degree weather anytime.
...
When they finally reached the top, Sasuke realized he must have jinxed it.
Because it was cold. Freezing cold.
Enough for it to be snowing.
Shit.
Hinata gave him a concerned look as the bus came to a stop. As everyone else stood and grabbed their bags and coats, she asked, "Will you be okay?" He nodded, and a bit of mischief came to her grin as she pulled off her coat and put it on his shoulders. "Then you'll need that," she mused, "or you might freeze."
He scoffed and rolled his eyes. Cheeky thing.
Outside was beautiful and white and exactly what Hinata needed in the middle of summer. Stepping off the bus, her shoes immediately sunk into crunchy snow, and she smiled and marched around in it for a bit before turning and watching Sasuke slowly follow after her. His scowl might as well have had icicles hanging off of it.
"I'm not happy about this."
She giggled and took his gloved hand, watching his face. It was bare, but his breathing was quick for a little while as his eyes snapped along the area. Is he really okay? she wondered, taking a small step back in case he passed out again. But instead of that, he closed his eyes and breathed calmly, so that when his eyes opened once more he was completely fine.
"See?" he said, smirking down at her, "I'll be okay."
Smiling, she led him off to where the others had gone.
...
It seemed she wasn't the only one who was enjoying the snow. Naruto and Ino were in the middle of making a giant snow man as Lee and Kiba started a snowball fight, which Tenten eventually got caught in the middle of. Soon after that, everyone joined the game, which stretched on for most of the day up there. When the trip was coming to an end, some either stayed in the bus while others enjoyed the last few minutes of the cold weather. Hinata was one of those people, and she lingered by the door of the bus, taking in the crisp air and chilly wind before having to go back to the heat.
Sasuke was also out there, enjoying the quiet more than the cold.
The driver called that they had a minute left, and Hinata quietly thanked him before turning to Sasuke to get his attention; all words, however, were caught in her throat upon the look on his face.
One she could only describe as Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost; a look so refreshing and alluring that nothing else could describe it. Sasuke was gleaming, shining like the ice on a frozen lake; his eyes were soft and the color of a winter forest, dark, deep, and lovely. And his smile . . .
She'd never seen that smile on him, before.
And she hoped - no, she knew - it wouldn't be the last one.
...
Thus . . .
#1 came in the summer.
Presented to her in a Frost winterland, #1 was a curved line upon pale lips that somehow made everything brighter.
And Hinata could not wait for #100, #1,000, #1,000,000, and beyond.
Story - End