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Chapter 17
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Hakuba
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The car sped swiftly along the roads and avenues. I remained seated in silence, trying to ignore the speed meter was pointing to 140 kph most of the time. He just stared ahead of the road and didn't glance at me even once. He took over the passing cars steadily.
It was when we were already passing by the mountainside when I spoke.
"You wanted me out of the academy, didn't you?" I said composedly, looking out the window. "Why did you ask Tsunade-sama to give me a scholarship program?"
A few seconds went by.
"Aren't you supposed to be going back to your little hometown and continue living your pathetic life there away from the org?" he said in that swaggering approach of his, only staring up ahead. The white jacket he was wearing was a good contrast against his jet black hair. "And you just can't help showing up your thick, innocent face up my gates."
I tried to remain my cool, not letting myself get effected too much like the last time.
"Why do you think I showed up?" I said impassively. "We both know you and your family have enough power and influences to hinder in different affairs of this country. I'm guessing a little errand among the other colleges and universities here doesn't even break a sweat to you. I came to talk to you and to put some little input in your airy head."
I clenched my fist tightly as I tried to hide my anger. I'd come to understand he was the reason behind the denials I received from the other schools. I was being aware of how things really worked for him. He was a young man with a prominent background. I bet he had approached the school heads and struck a deal to keep me away from their precious schools. It was a selfish act.
I could see the corners of his mouth twisting in a small grin. He knew what I meant.
"You know, people are all pieces in a game. They heed to those who have power and money. If they want to keep their status, they follow the gamer." he stated. "Our family provides funding to those schools. Getting them to agree on something is a piece of candy. They wouldn't want you, anyway. You're a nobody."
I glowered at him. "If I'm a nobody, then you didn't have to waste your effort and strike a deal with them in the first place. What are you scared of losing?"
He simply shifted the gear and accelerated the speed of the vehicle. A minute went by before he spoke again.
"You wanted to prove yourself worthy to the org, yet you seemed to have eaten back your silly words." he said, still watching the road and ignoring my question. "Now, where's all that 'I won't quit' bullshit?"
I smiled in a twisted manner humorlessly. "Perhaps I came to the conclusion that maybe you were right after all."
"I know I'm right." He spoke. "But I like to be proven wrong a lot better."
"You're a selfish bastard. You wanted me out of the academy since the first time we've met, and now that I'm planning to leave, you've pulled out this devious, egotistic skit with the other schools to keep me off." I said angrily through clenched teeth. My frustration was building up again. "Why would it matter to you if I leave that school? Is that your way of showing your liking to someone? Oh, it's a very flattering act."
His face turned unsmiling. "Go and do whatever you like." He ordered stubbornly. "Go back to your stupid place and go back to what you've been doing before you've met the org. Go and live your boring life. And one day, you'll feel like you've let the time passed by and you've accomplished nothing. Years from now, you'll think about what you were meant to do. What you were born for. You might have accomplished something in another career, but one day, you'll feel that hole. That hole that means something had gone and you could never get it back. You'll realize that it's too late. And you'll wonder about it for the rest of your life."
I watched him as he spoke these words. That boyish face now bears no amusement in them. "You'll be one of those people who always think the what ifs." He murmured.
He spoke what was at the back of my mind. They were my doubts. I didn't know this guy knew about these things, considering he had everything a human could ever want for. What did he know about feeling empty and looking for significance in life?
I was tired of arguing, and only muttered after a while. "You're right."
"You're such a dumbass." He hissed.
"Even so, whatever happens to me would be my problem… and not yours." I said it in a deadpan voice, looking away.
He just held that expressionless face as we drove by. The sceneries and town houses passed us. It was refreshing to see the countryside at that point. It was amazing how we could go from hot to cold and vice versa in an instant.
I turned back to him. "You didn't answer my question. Why did you ask the school head to offer me a scholarship program?" I asked again for the third time that day. My voice was firm.
He was good at talking around things, avoiding straight answers. I saw his fist tightened on the wheel where his right hand was holding. His left hand remained on the gear.
"Because. Obviously. I've decided I won't give you up to Sasori." He spoke in a hard, snobbish tone.
I unexpectedly heard my heart pound in my chest.
Of course… I would have that option to transfer to Ame Institute if I would choose to. But I didn't consider it that much. I had this feeling that I would end up in the same state as I was in Konoha Academy.
"He's not for you. He'll never be." He said coldly. He turned his head and gave me that piercing look he always had for me. That look where I could see his emotions clashing against one another. His well defined brows carved perfectly over his enthralling dark gray eyes. "You belong only to me, got that?"
"You and your possessive words." I chuckled without pleasantry. "I belong to no one. Not you nor Sasori, or anyone."
"I hold your heart. I can feel it."
Deep in my feelings, I knew it was the truth. But I didn't want him to know. His ego was too big.
"You torture me in school, yet you sit here with me and say such things. You belong in a perfect world where you can do just about everything. You're rich, skilled and prominent. The world is all for your taking." I said. "I am a girl from the province. I live my life simply and quietly. I don't have the right skills and I can barely pass in school. Do you honestly think—"
"What the hell does that have to do with anything?"
"You're an Uchiha." I said, pinching my forehead in frustration. "And you have this ego as high as Mount Fuji."
"It's only a fucking surname."
I looked out of the window again and sighed out. "On second thought, you're right, once again. Last names make no difference. You're actually just a regular human being. People are just easily fooled. They create this foolish illusion for famous people as if they're gods. But in truth, we're just really all the same."
He grumbled. "That's what losers say."
We couldn't even agree on one thing. We go from one side to the other. It was like an automatic reaction.
He punched open the audio button and some heavy metal music blared inside the vehicle. He didn't mind tuning it down. He let it played all the way until we came to the next town towards Hakuba.
We didn't talk for several minutes. It was only when I realized that he was playing a classical music of Bach when I uttered again. His choice of music genre was very much like his split personality.
"What happened to your last task about the Tornado Corp, anyway?" I asked, remembering. I was curious if they were able to accomplish it as smoothly as he was bragging before I stormed out of the room the last time.
"It was already done before you slept and drooled that night." he plainly stated.
I sensed a bit of hesitation in his voice and looked at him. He didn't want to get in the details. "And that's it?"
"Yeah." He said. "If you were thinking that we were lonely of your absence, better guess again, nerd."
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He drove smoothly and fast that I fell asleep during the short travel. I was only awaken when I suddenly couldn't breathe because he was pinching my nose too hard and tightly. I smacked his hand away and rubbed my harassed nasal.
"Can't believe you actually fell asleep while with me." He spoke irritably as he got off his seat and walked to the back of the SUV to get his travel bag.
I looked out and hopped off the car. We were at the foot of the mountains and the car was parked in front of a small inn made of furnished wood and stones. The signage on the post beside the entry way read 'Hakuba Alpine Inn'. Tall, snow-covered trees stood along the roads and around the lodge, but the magnificent view of the Hakuba mountains were visible on the horizons. There was a number of mini hotels and cafes there. There were also tourists and locals roaming and walking around the area.
Sasuke locked the car and grabbed my hand as he headed for the entrance door. A young man wearing a thick yukata greeted us at the entry way.
"Good afternoon, Sasuke-san." He said in a warm smile, bowing as we walked in.
Sasuke bowed back and walked straight to the reception area with his other hand not letting go of my cold one.
There was a fireplace in the lobby and some sofas and tables. There were also several white paper lanterns hanging against the wooden wall. There were a couple of guests lounging there, some were having coffee and reading newspapers.
"Your room is set, Sasuke-san." The lady receptionist in a striped kimono said to him with a smile when we came. "It's the room you've always preferred. Harima will take your bags there." There was a spark in her smile as she stared at him.
"I can take care of it from here." Sasuke said. He didn't even say thanks.
"Do you own this place?" I asked, looking around the simple yet beautiful interiors as we climbed the wooden stairs to the fourth floor. No elevators here.
Sasuke held his right arm over his shoulder to hold the bag that was dangling against his back. He seemed to know the place well and no one even escorted us to the room. He just walked his way to the place and I just followed suit.
"No." he said. I could only see the back of his head when he spoke as we walked along the corridors. "The fact that we don't own it is what's actually interesting."
We arrived in front of a door at the far corner of the floor and Sasuke inserted a key to the doorknob and pushed it open.
"There's more freedom and you can live normally that way." He muttered, throwing his bag at the corner.
The room was the minimalist type. There was one queen-sized bed with dark gray sheets situated beside the window that showed the majestic view of the mountains. A long black sofa rested against the wall opposite the foot of the bed. There was a small bedside table and a few tiny white and gray paper lanterns along the walls. A small fridge also stood at the corner and a wooden cabinet beside it.
"I have my own room, right?" I asked, seeing there was one bed there.
He chuckled. "Yeah, here with me."
"I said MY OWN, not yours and mine."
"What's mine is yours."
He was intentionally making no sense.
"Nevermind." I grunted. At least there was a long sofa.
Sasuke took out his mobile phone and started to dial a number. He talked to someone over it as I stared out the view from the window. The valleys and mountains were covered in white. There was a cable car on one side of the mountain and I could see the smoke coming out of the miniature shops and inns there. They were filled with tourists at this time of the year. The gigantic christmas tree was visible beside one of the shops there.
I didn't expect I would be standing at this spot on this day. And with that cocky, attractive teammate of mine, too.
Sasuke appeared beside me and nudged my arm with the mobile phone he was holding out.
"Your mom." He said, moving away to the bathroom after I took it.
"Hello?" I spoke over the phone. I had no idea he knew the phone number of our house.
"Oh, Sakura-sweetie!" My mom's familiar agitated voice sounded from the other line. "Why didn't you tell me you were going to Hakuba with that handsome classmate of yours? Why, I would've baked you something nice for your trip. Tell me, are you going steady with him? Oh, he is such a knock out! And how thoughtful of him for personally calling and asking permission from me!"
Thoughtful. Hah.
I stared sneeringly at the view before me. She reminded me a lot of Ino.
God, he's only even managed to asked permission when I am already HERE. Permissions were supposed to be asked before that.
"Mom, this was unexpected, really. And we're not going steady or anything." I said in an unexcited voice. I looked around to see if Sasuke was there listening. He was still in the bathroom. "Will you and Dad be fine there alone for a while? I'll be back there soon, alright?"
"Don't you worry about us, dear! Go on and enjoy your little trip. It's school break, anyway. Do your best in winning his heart, okay?" she said merrily. "But just be sure to be here on Christmas Eve. You can't be there the entire holidays."
"Of course, I'll be there. I'm not planning to stay here long, Mom."
"Oh, shush and go and have some fun! I'd like to see more of that brooding lad."
"It's not like that at all."
"Anyway, I'll be off to the mall in a while. Just be sure not to get sick, okay? I'll see you soon! Kiss kiss bye bye!"
"You, too. Take care, Mum."
I hung up the phone and just looked at it wordlessly for a minute, sitting at the foot of the bed.
"We can go steady if you want to." Sasuke's mellow voice snapped me out of my reverie.
He was gazing at me as he stepped out of the bathroom and took off his jacket, revealing a midnight blue shirt under. He placed the jacket on the armchair, all the while looking at me and waiting for my reaction. His toned physique could easily be outlined under his cotton shirt.
"I'll pass." I said.
He smirked as he turned to his travel bag on the floor and took out some clothes. "I'll go snow boarding and you're coming with me. I've already had some clothes for you to be delivered here from the hotel service, but if you want, you can use mine for now if you want to change." He glanced back to me for a second, then turned back to close the bag. "I don't mind you wearing them."
His tranquil personality was back yet again. The thought of his smell on my body for the whole day was… tempting. But…
"S'okay. I'll wait for the clothes here." I spoke.
"Still shy?" He turned to the closet and pulled out an iced-blue snowboard. I felt my cheeks burning despite the cold air. I tried to ignore it.
I bet he liked reserving and leaving his items there all throughout his next visit. The rich and spoiled kid that he was.
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He drifted fast down the mountains on his snowboard with the other snowboarders. He wore a black ski goggles and was enjoying himself as he turned to avoid the lumps of rocks and pine trees.
I stood beside the coffee shop a block away, holding a thick paper cup of hot coffee to prevent myself from chattering in the cold weather. I didn't even know how to ski. He insisted on teaching me but I refused. I was never an athlete and it would take me days to learn a sport properly. I didn't want to end up having another row with him. I watched uninterestedly at the group of young girls at the other side of the shop, all clumped together and peering at Sasuke anxiously. They were whispering animatedly like his fan girls in the school.
I sipped quietly in annoyance. I felt like his caretaker.
The place was packed with people that day. Some were in families and some were couples.
I heard another fuss and hubbub coming far behind me. I turned around and found some of the visitors halting and pointing and staring at someone from the small crowd which was coming up the mountain, nearing to the cluster of shops where I was.
A lady with long, flaming red hair wearing a white fur coat was in the middle of the crowd. She appeared to be the center of attention: The people around her were keeping up with her movements as she sauntered up to the shops. She had a pretty face and looked familiar to me. Her head was held up high.
Two news reporters were on both sides with one cameraman, keeping up with her. There were two bodyguards and one petite girl trotting behind her. I could hear what they were saying from where I stood.
"Is this your first time to visit here, Karin-sama?" one of them asked, holding a voice recorder before her.
"How long will you be staying here? Are you with someone?"
Yes, I remembered her. She was a singer and a movie actress. I'd seen her on television and advertisements. She went by a single screen name: Karin.
She looked prettier in person. Some of the guests spotted her and watched as she stopped in front of a diner next to the shop I was standing by. One boy teenager even called her name.
"No, I'm not with anyone. I'm just here to enjoy the scenery and the place. This is my first time to visit Hakuba." She stopped near the entry door of a diner, turning around and meeting her golden brown eyes to the crowd. She spoke and stood straight with confidence. "Our shooting for My Fair Lady had ended last week, and it's about time I take a break from my tight schedule."
"I heard it's been a rough year for you and Jugo. Is this your way of cooling off?" one reporter asked.
Her beautiful face became unexpressive in front of the camera. "This doesn't concern him."
"What's your status with him?"
"I don't want to talk about this right now." She spoke firmly as she placed her mitten-covered hand against the door of the diner. "I have plenty more things to take care of while I'm here. So if you will excuse me, ladies and gentlemen. Good afternoon."
She gave one bow and disappeared through the door. Her petite assistant followed suit and her two bodyguards stood on the doorway, blocking it from the group. The crew outside tried to peer through the windows for a minute, before walking away and finally leaving.
"What've you been up to?"
I turned around as Sasuke came to my side, his snowboard tucked under his left arm. His ski goggles was pulled on top of his head, making his hair unruly. There were some snow flakes on his hair and shoulders.
"Nothing much."
"Don't you get bored standing here all day." he grumbled. He took the coffee cup I was holding with his gloved hand and took sips from it.
"I can get you one if you want some, you know." I muttered.
He handed it back to me. "Nah. Just need a bit of warming up."
He put his arm around the small of my back, then, and drew close to me. I could feel the warm contact. "You look… dull. Want to go somewhere else?"
He was acting like I was some sort of his possession again.
I took his arm away. "I came here unexpectedly so I wasn't able to do a bit of a background research about the activities they have, if you've forgotten. You can't just kidnap people because you want to, you know."
He chuckled and pointed somewhere at a house along the lower portion of the mountains. "That's Grovehill Onsen. They have one of the nicest hot springs in the place. You'll like it there."
Hot springs. They did sound comforting to my ear. They were better than snow skiing.
"That sounds relaxing." I agreed and peeked at his carefree face. "But it's not for couples, right?"
"You want somewhere for couples, then?" he said without timidity.
"I mean we can go there if it's not for couples."
He took my hand and started walking down the hill. "As if it matters, anyway."
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For once, I felt at ease. I couldn't feel the pressure of my responsibilities as someone who was trying to be a rogue student. I couldn't feel the strain of the city here. No mentors. No demi-humans.
I was starting to be contented of being dragged here with that airhead. I felt like I was in another place. Another country.
I stood in the girls' locker room, wrapped only with a white towel. My hair was pulled back with another cloth around my head. There was a sauna area just up ahead and the steam could be felt from the locker room. The cubicle was warm and there were smudges of fog on the mirrors inside.
I walked along the corridor to the hot spring. Grovehill Onsen was a small and private spa and what I liked the most about it was that it wasn't filled with people that day. There were only two girls resting in the hot spring when I entered the area. It was located at the back of the house. I stepped down from the tatami floor and carefully dipped my feet and legs in the heated water, feeling the smooth, warm rocks under my feet. Steam was everywhere.
It took me a while to remove the towel off my body. I was never comfortable being naked with other people and I made sure my whole body was submersed in the water before I placed it onto the dry surface an arm's reach away. The two girls didn't seem to mind and they were too busy blubbering about something to one another.
My eyes drifted to the tall and wide wall made out of bamboo at the back of the hot spring. Half of it was submerged in water, and the other half was high enough to keep peeping toms away. It was the wall that divided the spring between the girls' and the boys' sections.
I could not hear any noise from the other side, only the jabbering of the two ladies with me in the women's area. They were resting at the middle of the spring and I sat at the far corner, just casually leaning my head back against a big, polished rock. I closed my eyes for a few seconds, letting my mind feel the tranquility.
It had been quite a long time since I had felt this peace.
My last Mortis Org assignment felt like it was a year ago. My arms felt like they'd never been in a fight just the other week. They felt calm and rested. I didn't want to think about what will happen tomorrow or the future.
I breathed serenely for a few minutes and looked back at the bamboo wall. I wondered what Sasuke might be doing at the other side. Was he also sitting there quietly with all his naked glory? I tried hard not to think about his flawless upper body which I'd seen before. He teased me earlier at the corridor about getting a private bathroom there, but we went in our separate lockers in the end. I knew he wasn't being serious and just liked to fool around at times. He was probably unaware that he and Naruto had that similarities, and he usually didn't show that side of him to other people.
Even so… it was hard not to fall for him. I thought about this silently to myself.
I didn't know how long I could keep this up. How long I could keep up with my studies, with him, with my family…
I heard a splash a couple of meters away, getting me back to pay attention to my surroundings. The two girls there had turned muted and I shifted my neck to look.
The movie celebrity was there. Karin. And she was bare from head to foot. She didn't mind removing her towel in front of our eyes and wordlessly getting in the tepid water. She moved the same as when she had clothes on. She left her towel on the floor and didn't meet our eyes when she sat on the rocks. She even let her long red hair fall down her shoulders and get soaked in the water.
It wasn't hard to see that she had a lot of physical features that a girl would be envious of. She was way closer to me now than the first time I saw her down the shops with the small mob. Her eyes were closed as she leaned against the rocks. She looked exhausted and unlively this time.
I could see her clear and fair skin. Her body was curvy and unblemished. She looked like a model even from first glance. The two other girls with us fell silent and were soon talking in a hushed voice and kept watching her with meddlesome eyes.
It was the first time I shared a spring with someone famous. I wondered if she came here all by herself or had some of her assistants waiting for her just outside. She did not seem to care about who were there. She just lied there, not covering anything. She looked perfect to even be conscious of any part of her body, anyway.
She looked weary and didn't even open her eyes when I got off the water several minutes later. I was getting hungry and thirsty now with all the steam lurking around the area.
I walked back to the locker and dried myself up. Perhaps Sasuke was still enjoying himself in the men's section. He needed it, anyway. His schedule was even more complicated than mine. I didn't mind leaving him there for a while and go sight seeing around the house for the rest of the afternoon.
I was putting my shirt on when I suddenly heard a woman's scream.
"HELP!"
"Someone help! She's unconscious!"
It was coming from the spring of the girl's area.
Several thuds and footsteps soon followed hurriedly. I busily put on my shirt and pants before leaving the locker room. I was still barefoot as I jogged back to the hot spring. My hair was left all messy and tangled. I yanked the sliding door to the side and stepped out of the locker area.
I ran fast to the spring area and found Sasuke with the three girls. Sasuke was already wearing a plain white shirt and his black snowboarding pants as he bent over Karin, who was lying unconscious on the tatami floor next to the hot spring. A towel was put on top of her body, covering the sensitive parts. She was all wet from head to foot. Sasuke's hair was still dripping wet and he was barefooted. The ends of his pants were also wet, suggesting he just got in and out of the water.
The two girls who were with me in the spring earlier stood around them, peering at the actress. They were both wearing bathrobes now and were snooping at them. Their hands pressed against their lips watchfully.
One of the Grovehill Onsen staff arrived just a second before I entered in.
"What happened?" he asked, kneeling down and checking Karin concernedly.
"She just passed out in the spring!" One of the girls spoke. "We didn't know what happened to her. She just sank in the water and wasn't moving."
"He helped us get her out." The other pointed to Sasuke.
"She's not breathing." Sasuke spoke as he drew his ear above her nostrils and mouth. He saw me and looked at me with uptight eyes. "Where've you been?"
"I'll call an ambulance!" the staff yelled, leaving away to the next room.
I took a folded bathrobe from the side, where a pile of them rested for use. "Help me put this around her." I told the girls.
"Do you think she's dead? She's not breathing!" the other girl squeaked.
Sasuke drew his ear again toward Karin's nostrils. He, then, pressed his finger between her nose, slightly parted her lips and bent his head down, touching his lips against hers.
Somehow, for a second, things felt like they'd gone slow. I felt that pang of uneasiness. I didn't expect it at all. I knew he was doing it to revive her, but the scene struck me. I'd never seen him pressed his lips against another woman's before.
I tightened my hold against the towel as I dumbly stood there and watched her chest rose and fell. He drew another breath of air into her mouth, and this time her long-eyelashed, brown eyes unfolded open. They slowly grew large as she saw his face against her, bent down, his lips pressed against hers. Sasuke didn't notice she was already conscious at first, and quickly pulled his head back after he felt her breath against his cheek.
He still held the back of her shoulders and they stared at each other for a moment. Karin was staring up at him mutedly, her face still all wet, lips parted a bit. Sasuke was looking down, his bangs still dripping with water. The two girls with me went silent as they watched her reaction.
Then Karin started coughing and sitting up. She spat some water out of her mouth as I took hold of the towel and pressed it against her breasts before it spill out to everyone's eyes. She didn't seem to care of whoever saw her naked form. Sasuke drew back and stood up, only watching us.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
She looked from me, to the two girls in the area, and then back to Sasuke. She didn't seem to know what happened.
"I… I'm fine." She spoke, running her hands up on her face. She gave a few more coughs as the Grovehill Onsen staff and three more people hurriedly entered in the hot spring.
"Karin-sama! Are you okay? What happened?" I recognized her as one of her assistants. She pulled a white bathrobe and immediately covered Karin with it. Two other staff helped her stand up on the slippery floor.
"Are you sick? You shouldn't be left here alone! What were you thinking, Karin-san?" One of the staff said worriedly.
"I'm fine. I think I just stayed in the hot water for too long." Karin spoke in a soft, weak voice. She didn't seem to be in herself at all.
They started escorting her out when she stopped and turned back to face us, her staff holding her elbows lightly to support her. She gave a small smile to us, then turned to face Sasuke, who stood at the corner with his arms rested on both his sides calmly. He watched them without a word.
"Thank you." She said gently to him.
He didn't acknowldege it and gave no reply. He just looked at her in that snobbish stare of his, like he didn't want to be disturbed with a stunt such as this at all. The ends of his hair were still damped and they were dripping on the shoulders of his shirt.
She turned back to the door after seeing his expression as the staff followed her suit, leaving us there alone again. She was about to disappear at the the sliding door when she took a glimpse of him again. She was still gazing at him until the door slid shut.
I sighed and placed back the bathrobe I was holding for her on the wooden table near the corner.
"Oh my, you're such a hero." I heard one of the girls there. She was looking at Sasuke with hearty eyes, her hands clasped together on the folds of her robe against her chest. "What's your name?"
Sasuke ignored her and walked over to where I was standing. He drew his arm out and snapped his two fingers on my forehead like a bully. I felt the tiny sting on my forehead and could guess it was reddening in an instant.
"Where've you been?! Thought it was you they were screaming like shit about." he demanded.
"Stop that." I rubbed my forehead. "I was changing in the locker room, idiot. How did you get here so fast, anyway?"
He rolled his eyes. "Like the men's area isn't a room away."
"Well, you seem to be the hero for today."
"Don't call me that. Even if you were here, you couldn't do it, anyway. You're so useless." He snapped.
I just pretended I didn't hear it, knowing he just did something good, anyhow. Sort of.
"Just go and dry yourself up! I'm hungry. Let's go eat somewhere." I said irritably. I could still feel that sting of jealousy. I wanted out of there as soon as possible now. "I bet the lady you just saved will pay for your expenses, Mister Hero."
He scoffed. "Like hell. I told you not to call me that, nerd!" He snapped on my forehead again before disappearing out the door like a ninja and before I could grab a rock to throw at him.
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The news about the famous Karin passing out and getting revived in the hot spring spread out quickly and immediately went viral.
People knew each other in that little town of Hakuba. And once someone knows about something, the neighbor would eventually know about it, too. And not to mention the news involved a celebrity and a prominent bachelor.
Night time had fallen, and I sat alone on the bed of our room in the inn as I watched the news being shown in the flat screen hanging on the wall opposite the bed. My legs rested on the cushion as I held my arms around them, my chin lying on bended knees. I was wearing thick, light blue pajamas that was given to me by one of the inn staff when we got back in the room.
The night was quiet, reminding me of my old home. I could see hundreds of stars glittering through the thick, snowy clouds on the horizon out the wide window.
Sasuke had been out for two hours now after the receptionist called earlier to ask him if he could do a short interview with one of the writers of a local newspaper, who was requesting for him at the lobby. He didn't want to go, actually, and I was the one who insisted he should for his own sake. I was a bit surprised he listened to me. It would be better to have them following him around while he was here, than to have them follow him all the way back in Tokyo. He was a well-known son of the Uchiha clan anyway, and somehow, even if he disliked it, he had to keep the family image stabilized. And by accepting a little interview for a local newspaper, it would shed another positive light to his prime family.
But he'd been gone for almost two hours already. It didn't appear to be a short interview at all. I didn't mind being alone and I found myself watching the news placidly.
The regular nightly news was on in one of the top rated channels. I watched the reporter with a blank face.
"Meanwhile, it is indeed a lucky day for singer and actress Karin today." The short-haired reporter spoke to the camera, who was wearing a dark burgundy suit. The gorgeous face of Karin flashed at the side of the screen in another video clip. "The singer was spotted in one of the tourist hotspots this season, Hakuba, all by herself, basking under the icy weather and enjoying the luxury the place is very much known for."
A video of Karin sauntering up the shops on the hills flashed on the television. It was the scene I saw earlier today when Sasuke went snow boarding. They showed the clip where she spoke to one of the interviewers and the cameraman.
That was how fast the media and the reports were.
"There's been a latest report this afternoon of Karin losing consciousness in a local hot spring. Worried locals rushed to the aid but it seemed like one of the guests had gotten to her first than the others." The television showed the lobby of the Hakuba Alpine Inn. It was dusk and the video showed a shaky shot from outside the lobby, where Sasuke was talking with one of the inn staff. He saw the camera several yards away, which zoomed in on his face and he scowled at it. I saw myself beside him in the TV screen. I took one look at the camera and moved away from the view after noticing it, leaving Sasuke there at the lobby.
It was taken just this night. I went back to the room after he got smothered by some news reporters at the entry when we got back from the hot spring at dusk. I excused myself and left him there.
"Sources say a young tourist rushed in the scene and had performed a quick CPR to the singer before her assistants and the onsen staff came in. Karin had immediately gained consciousness and was soon taken to her hotel room to rest. But what people are now asking is: Is Karin spending the holidays with this mysterious, attractive gentleman?"
A closed up photo of Sasuke in his casual clothes was now flashed on the screen. He was looking sideways and the image merely showed the side of his face. It looked as if he was in some kind of an event and he was surrounded by a few people, unaware that his picture was being taken. I didn't know when or where it was taken. Perhaps early this year.
"HOT101 News have just confirmed that the young bachelor's name is Uchiha Sasuke, a son and heir of the business tycoon, Uchiha Fugaku. He is a student of the exclusive school Konoha Academy and is being well known for being active in the racing and underground music industry. He's also known to be doing services under the Japan government, but no definite info yet as to which sector." The reporter recited. She smiled at the camera, her eyes becoming lines. "So, does this mean actor Jugo is now out in the love field with Karin? And is she spending her holidays with this new mysterious man? No affirmed results yet as to what exactly was the cause of her black out today, but her representatives have re-assured her fans that it won't be long for her to be getting back on track and see her perform another concert in Taiwan by the end of the year. It has been a stressful season for the singer and actress with back-to-back concerts and a movie that has just been finished filming this year. Fans are looking forward to see her in public again anytime soon."
The news was cut off by a shampoo commercial. I sighed and turned my head away from the screen and to the wide window.
Today just felt… pretty odd. I was like in the sidelines, watching everything. It all seemed to happen so fast. It was exactly one unexpected break. No demi-humans today, but popular people instead. The world just seemed to be getting bigger and bigger, especially when I was around that bully.
And yet… I couldn't help but wonder what must be going on in Sasuke's mind at that moment. Was he liking the attention? Did he… like her? Any man who get to be that close to that actress would be considered lucky. She was one of those girls men fantasized about.
Where was he, anyway?
I looked at the clock on the bedside table. It was past 11PM. I didn't usually get uncomfortable being alone, but perhaps this was the beginning of the side effects you would develop when you were spending time with that airhead.
I felt exhausted for the day now. I watched the night sky for a moment as I sat on the bed, tuning the sound of the television out of my mind. Maybe by staring at the stars would make me fall asleep.
Minutes had passed when I heard the click of the door across the small room.
Sasuke stepped in quietly and closed the door with a soft click. He was wearing his white coat and I could tell he just came from outside. His hair and shoulders were damped again from the falling snow flakes.
He settled his room key on the table, pulled off his jacket and tossed it on the long sofa beside it. Our eyes met but we didn't speak. He saw the television which was playing some random commercials. He took the remote from the bed and turned it off.
"So. How's the interview?" I asked casually. My head was turned to him, but the rest of my body was facing the window.
"Lame… and annoying." He spoke. He looked at me, and after seeing I was sitting on the middle of the bed, he settled himself on the black sofa opposite me instead. He rested his head on top of the back pillows, his face looking up at the ceiling. "Looks like private places are getting harder to find nowadays, huh?"
"Where've you been, then?" I asked lightly.
"Escaped. Took a stroll. Just had to get away from them. They won't fucking leave."
"Had a feeling they won't. What did the reporters asked?" I asked curiously.
He ran a hand over his face. "Some stupid, worthless things." He mumbled, still looking up at the ceiling. "Why are people so interested and curious about someone's personal life, anyway? Just because I helped someone out doesn't mean I'm seeing that person. It's so damn annoying."
"Well, you've stumbled upon a popular lady so…" I murmured, turning back to the window.
"I told them I was with you." he said.
I chuckled. "As if they know who you're talking about."
It took him a moment to respond. "I kind of like that about you, you know."
"That they don't know me?"
The corner of his lips just pulled up in a small smirk. I could see the tiredness in his eyes now.
I pretended to be in a joking mood. "So, have you settled a date with her already?"
He didn't smile at all and just looked at me across the room. "Is that your way of coping up with jealousy?"
I tried to conceal the guilty feeling on my face. "Jealous. Hah." I span my head away from him like a snob, making my hair sway around.
I heard him laugh. "Obviously."
"I have no right to be jealous, idiot." I muttered to him. I patted the cushion of the bed. "Anyway, this is my territory for tonight." I pointed to the couch where he was sprawled. "And that is yours."
His glare was back on his face again. "This is my room, nerd."
"And I'm your guest."
"We're both guests."
"Well, you brought me here, so it's your responsibility to make me comfortable. You can't always have your way, Uchiha."
"I can do that, you know." He spoke in plain words. "I can do that if I'd choose to."
He made sure his words were well implanted in my head before he stood up and walked over to the cabinet. He pulled out a thin and sleek black laptop and tucked it under one of his arms. He stopped by the small fridge on his way back to the sofa and pulled out a can of cold beer with his other hand. He sat back on the long sofa, placing the laptop on the other side and flipping it open and turned it on.
"Aren't you going to get some sleep? It's been a long day." I yawned, watching him as he clicked open a software program and lists of labels and numbers popped out one by one all over the page.
"Be crashing soon." He said as he opened the can of beer and stared at the screen, not looking at me in any way. "Go and get some rest." He turned the lamp switch and the light dimmed, only giving enough light for someone to decipher the shapes around them.
I watched him for a minute as I slipped under the thick comforter.
"What's that for?" I asked.
He was leaning against the arm rest, sitting sideways as he looked at the numbers and sipped from the can. He continued to scroll down the page and would type a few times with his fingers.
"Stocks." He said. "Revenues of products and services. You wouldn't understand, anyway."
I rolled my eyes.
Sometimes I tend to be too engrossed with his eccentric behaviors that I forget where he came from. There were nights when I pondered on what he might be doing outside the academy and the org. I expected him to be living the high class life, spending his nights painting the town red and getting whatever he wanted. And tonight, I didn't expect to see him sitting at a corner and studying these numbers I didn't even want to begin understanding.
I stared at the side of his smooth face as it was being illuminated by the screen light.
"You have to keep everything at bay, don't you. Juggling school duties and family matters." I said.
"I'm not always on track."
"You want to be like your father and take over the businesses one day?"
"No." he said in the soundless room. "I want to be a Rogue who doesn't abandon his other duties."
"Do you really think you can run the family business and be a full time Rogue?" I asked in a gentle manner.
"Yeah." He said confidently, running a hand through his hair as a habit. "My father thinks otherwise. He supports the government, but he doesn't want both his sons to be working for them. He wants one to take over the biz. I'll prove to him that I can do both."
He reminded me of myself. We had this wavering passion to prove ourselves worth to something.
"You can be brilliant, you know… if you're not being such a hotshot asshole at times." I muttered.
He gave a low snigger and continued to drink from the can. I leaned back against the bed and rested my head on the pillow. I didn't utter again after that and only watched him across the room, eventually feeling the weariness the day had brought. His boyish face was the last thing I saw before my eyelids drooped down and I drifted off to sleep.
For a while, everything was dark and muted.
Some time during the late night, I was awoken for a short moment. Through my blurred vision, I found him still sitting across the room, still studying something from his laptop screen. The lamp was off and the screen was the only light in the cold room. I turned and buried my head under a pillow, drifting back to sleep.
And then there was silence and darkness again. The world felt unmoving…
I saw myself walking alone in a dull, crooked road. It was lightly snowing and it was dusk. I walked, unsure of as to where I was heading to. Then I looked down and found footsteps before me along the snow-coated road. I peered ahead and found someone walking ahead of me. He was wearing a black cap and a thick white jacket. I realized I had stopped walking and was just standing there as the guy moved ahead without me, the distance between us getting longer.
One look at the guy's hair at the back of his head and I already knew who it was. He didn't stop to wait for me and only continued to walk ahead.
I tried calling him. "Sasuke! Where are you going?"
But he didn't turn around nor seem to have heard me. I called his name again.
The street ahead was obscure and foggy, and he continued to move towards it, slowly fading in the shadows. I didn't know why I was afraid. In some way, I intuitively know that he was going the wrong way. That it was unsafe ahead. But he didn't heed my call.
I started to run, trying to pull him back before he disappears in the shadows. I knew he wasn't coming back once he vanish. But he was walking too fast.
He was too fast at everything.
I desperately called his name as loud as I could. I didn't want to lose him. I suddenly realized how much I didn't want to lose him, how much I wanted him to stay and be safe. Why wasn't I cautious about this before? Why did I let him go his way?
I saw the shadows drawing around him, closing in. He was fading away. His back was the last thing I saw before the darkness swallowed him. I was too late… and there was nothing I could do.
"SASUKE!"
My eyes snapped open.
The sudden jolt of consciousness made my heart pound fast for a few seconds.
Gradually, the familiar shape and structure of the unilluminated bedroom came to focus. I realized I was where I last placed myself. I lied sideways on the bed, my head resting on the mattress without a pillow. The pillows were scattered around me and I was holding one against my chest.
I was guessing it was a few hours past midnight, around 2AM perhaps. The moonlight from the window was the only glow in the room. It was giving out a pale, bluish luminosity that reflected against the walls and the bed covers.
I stared at the mesmerizing gleam that penetrated through the gently swaying thin curtains for a while. They reminded me of pleasant, cloudy skies under thousands of stars. I soon realized that the pale glow was falling upon a figure of another person, his silhouette being softly highlighted against the bed.
Sasuke lay across the other side of the bed, near the windows. I could see against the dull illumination that his eyes were closed and he was lying on his chest, back turned over. His face rested sideways and he was facing me. Our faces lie two feet apart. He was wearing the same black shirt he wore before I fell asleep that night. His hand rested on the bed beside him, palm against the sheets.
It was the first time I saw him sleeping. I peered at the long eye lashes of his closed eyes. He looked so much like a child when he was asleep. He looked so young and innocent.
So, he didn't sleep on the sofa after all.
I tried to remember how we got here and how I ended here beside him. I bet a lot of girls from school would want to trade places with me right now. I guessed none of the students would have ever thought we'd be sharing the same stupid room one day.
He was really attractive, especially this close and in this kind of atmosphere. The structures of his face were just perfect. How could a regular woman manage to go back to sleep easily at this state?
My eyes wandered at the curtains for a moment, being fascinated with the cool glow emanating from the windows. I began to think of what I was really doing there. What I wanted to do afterwards. I began to think about where I was going with this.
My eyes drifted back to the figure beside me again for the last time. I froze when I found myself staring at a pair of obsidian pupils. They were looking at me across the bed now.
Sasuke was awake and he was watching my face several inches away from me. The bluish glow from the windows fell over his well carved facial features.
I didn't say a word and lazily blinked at him, gazing back. I didn't realize he was awake. Perhaps he had sensed the small movements I made. I didn't know how long he had been sleeping there.
Either way, he was just lying there, watching me.
"You know… I did think it was your scream I heard in the spring." He mumbled out of the blue. His voice sounded low and calm.
I took my time to stare at his fascinating orbs before opening my lips and whispering. "I don't scream like that."
I was not even sure what I looked like at this time. My hair was in a mess and my eyebags were probably humongous.
He bent and slid his arm under his head, resting the side of his head on it sideways. "You regret coming here, don't you?" His voice was tender. I was surprised there was a hint of thoughtfulness there.
"I always regret something with you." I bluffed faintly.
"That's 'coz you're so indecisive. You can't even get your emotions straight."
I smirked sleepily. There was a short pause.
"So. Can't sleep on the sofa, huh?"
"Apparently, I can't seem to sleep here either."
I could see the tiredness in his eyes which he was good at hiding. "Thinking a lot of things?"
He didn't respond, and just regarded the darkness of the room.
"You don't have to keep that tough act all the time, you know…" I spoke in the serene night.
His eyes were fixed blankly at the ceiling for a moment. He ran the tips of his fingers over his forehead and bangs, still facing upward. "One day you'll understand." He said in a very quiet voice which I barely heard.
"Why do you always talk around things? Why can't you be frank about what's in your mind?"
He faced the ceiling for a very long time, unmoving. I would've thought he had fallen asleep if I couldn't see that his eyes were open, looking blankly above us.
Then, his head and eyes turned to me. "You want me to be frank?" he said. His voice sounded whole now. Low but whole.
And there was an intensity in his stare that kept me fixated. He drew his head and chest up the mattress. He moved toward me in soft movements, making the bed shook nimbly. In a brief moment, I found his face hovering above me, his hand brushed the side of my face, drawing out the side of my hair. I was watching him above me, and I eventually found the temptation of touching his skin.
I remembered the dream I had. I remembered the dreaded feeling that I had. The feeling of what it may be like losing him. What if I'd never met him? What if he suddenly disappeared?
His lips found mine and I felt that familiar alluring warmth he gives. His soft lips caressed my own and I could feel his breathing against mine.
There were no words now. And it didn't feel needed.
He settled his other arm against the mattress beside my head as his other fingers stroke my cheeks. There was fire in his kiss. I felt the fire inside him building up. His forehead touched mine as he kissed the corners of my mouth. He slipped his tongue inside as I slid my fingers through the back of his hair, caressing the scalp and the smooth hairs. He breathed in my scent, pressing his body against mine.
His emotions were like the sun engulfing me. It was like getting lost in a sea of flames and I was being consumed in a blaze.
His hands ran through the sides of my body, from under my lifted arms, to the sides of my breasts, down my waist, and pressing my thighs. I could feel his hot touches against my clothing. He drew his face away for a moment and licked my lips, before catching mine again and fondling me. He knew well where to position himself and where I wanted to be touched.
He found the slit opening between the buttons of my blouse and I felt his warm hand as he ran it over my bare stomach, touching it tenderly, encircling his thumb around my navel. He trailed kisses on my jaw and down my throat.
I realized I didn't want to be with anyone at that moment but with him. I realized how valuable he had become in my life, and I was afraid to acknowledge it up until now. A part of me was scared to get hurt. What if I become worse? What if he'd go away? Meet someone else? His world was just so… big.
I gripped a handful of his hair and he groaned. He liked the tiny sting.
"I can do this all night." He whispered in my ear.
I pulled my face away to look at him above me, one of his arms was extended against the mattress beside my head to support himself. I touched my thumb on his cheek and admired his handsome face under the bluish moonlight. Half of his face being lightened, and the other half was kept in the shadows. I tried to memorize his exact look at that moment. I had a feeling I might not be able to see him like this again in the future.
"Your hate for me… is as strong as your wanting for me." He recited it untroubledly as he watched me under him.
"I know you better than you think." I spoke, running my thumb on his cheek. It was a random thought.
He blinked at me placidly. "Is that why you're being hesitant whenever I'm this close?"
"No. I'm afraid I won't be able to keep my life together if I'm caught up with you." I said. I fumbled tenderly the side of his hair. "I think you kinda already know that you're a little bit of a distraction."
"Did you ever think life would be a lot easier if you'd be with me, instead?"
"I doubt it would." I smiled at him.
He moved down on my middle and settled himself on my stomach, his chin resting on my belly as he looked up at me. I tangled my fingers mindlessly on his hair, watching him there for a minute without a word.
"One morning, you'll wake up and realize that every cell in your body is screaming for me." He mumbled and exhaled, burying his face on the blouse over my stomach and putting the weight of his head there.
I stared vacantly at the ceiling and played my fingers through his hair soothingly as the minutes ticked by. He seemed to like the strokes and wordlessly rested there. I watched the back of his chest rise and fall peacefully.
What are we, really…
He fell asleep there and soon enough, I did too.
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He wasn't there when I woke up the following morning. I was hungry when I got up and headed straight to take a shower. Better to be ready before heading down and scavenging for breakfast.
I assumed Sasuke must had gone to the reception or must had gone demi-human hunting early in the morning. That guy didn't seem to sleep much, anyway. He couldn't seem to stay still.
It was nearly nine in the morning when I got off the shower. I used the new folded clothes I found on the sofa. It was a gray sweater and thick pants. I was drying my hair with a towel when I heard the phone against the wall rang.
"Hello?" I spoke over the receiver.
"Good morning, Sakura-san?"
"Yes, this is Haruno Sakura. Who's this?"
"This is Maki from the reception. I have a caller named Sasori-san from the other line who wishes to be connected and transferred to you, would you care to take his call?"
I felt my forehead creased. "Eh, Sasori?"
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