This chapter took longer than expected, but it's done on time. Yesss. By the way, if you have any ideas on what you'd like to see, it doesn't hurt to throw it out into your review. You just never know what might fit in :) Enjoy. I'm gonna go take a nap... zzzzzz
edit: my grammar is 100% but if it bothers ya that much then you don't have to read it :) sorry.
It had been at least four hours since Hinata watched the Fifth Hokage and Sakura enter the surgical room at the Konoha Hospital. She never left her chair outside the doors. Her eyes never once left the red light above the doors that shined IN-PROGRESS. Her stomach was like a stormy ocean constantly being tossed and turned with such violence she thought she'd get sick any moment.
Hinata wasn't alone outside in the waiting room. There were several other people who shared the same look of worry on their faces and the same eerie silence. On occasion there would be a scream down the hall which would create even more anxiety in the room but otherwise it was just the silence and the wait that weighed on their minds. Hyuuga Hiashi paced back and forth, going from one side of the room to the next, and then sitting down, then back to his feet.
It was strange to see her Father not keep his composure. There was only a few times where she had witnessed such vulnerability in normally a strong human being. She recalled when Hanabi had gotten very ill as a baby and they weren't sure if she would awake from her fever. The other time was when Neji had returned from a mission to bring back Uchiha Sasuke from his endeavors. It struck a nerve in her heart to know that she had never seen him like that with her.
Hanabi sat next to her husband a few feet away. Both were quiet, sullen, and simply waiting for the news. Her sister had grown into quite the young woman, just barely a woman to begin with. She had married young as it came with the territory of becoming the leader of the clan. There was little said between anyone for at least an hour. When Tsunade had found Hinata in the library, they weren't the first to arrive at the hospital. Flashbacks of blood and shrieks flooded her mind and her eyes closed shut before tears could fall down her cheeks. The only thing that she could focus on was how calm and collected Neji's expression was as he was put onto a stretcher; even with such a serious matter he was still strong.
The other people in the waiting room were Guy-sensei, Lee and Tenten. Every so often, Tenten would come up to Hinata's side and offer her a cup of water. It was a sweet gesture but Hinata wasn't sure if she could stomach it. She refused to look at Guy-sensei. His entire chest was caked with dried blood from carrying Neji back from a mission gone wrong…terribly wrong.
The sound of Tenten's frantic voice replayed in her mind during those few hours. Someone attacked us…! Hinata's eyes slowly opened as a sense of terror washed over her body. He tried to steal Neji's eyes…to take his Byakugan! It took a lot to create silence between Lee and Guy, but they hadn't said a word since their arrival. Guy's voice had been quiet when they had arrived, but she overheard the conversation with Tsunade that this mysterious attack had happened just to the west, about a half day from the border.
No one knew who the attacker was, but it wasn't uncommon for thieves to be on the lookout for specific Kekkei Genkai. Of course there was the infamous attack many years ago in an attempt to abduct Hinata as a small child which led to the demise of Neji's father. There were still a lot of questions that she had. Neji was an elite ninja, passing an opportunity as an ANBU to stay with the Hyuuga clan. Not only that, but Team Guy was one of the top requested groups to be sent on missions because of their quickness, efficiency and success rate. How did one person defeat them all? Was this person just a normal bandit looking for an easy way to become strong or was this something more malicious?
The light above the door finally clicked off and the door opened which caused a sense of panic throughout the waiting room. Tsunade's face was always very hard to read; there was a reason she was generally a good gambler because her poker face could fool anyone. Sakura, on the other hand, was easier so Hinata relied on that as they had both emerged from the operating room. However it was Hiashi who had approached them both before she had a chance to look.
"Tsunade-sama… Neji is he…?"
"The operation was a success, however…" Her voice trailed off and Hinata felt her stomach threatening to vomit. Hiashi stared hard at the Fifth Hokage, his expression firm. Hinata had stood up as well as everyone who seemed to crowd around the two med-ninja's. Tsunade heaved a sigh and her gaze hovered over at Sakura who only looked away.
"I'm afraid that he has lost much, if not all, of his ability to use the Byakugan in his right eye as well as some of his sight." Her voice didn't falter, as tragedy to ninja happened often. Hinata brought her hands up to her mouth and a soft sob escaped. Hiashi was silent. Tsunade crossed her arms and she closed her eyes.
"Whoever attacked Neji severed many of the muscles and nerves in his eye socket. They were careful not to damage the eye itself, but the chakra flow in it has been severely damaged. We were able to re-attach and heal everything as best as we could." She said.
"There is still a chance that he could regain the ability to use his Byakugan in his eye, but… it's a very slim chance." Sakura offered as some sort of comfort but no one seemed to look at it that way. Hiashi's gaze lowered to the ground before he shut his eyes. The guilt from the death of Neji's father and now this were weighing heavily on his shoulders. After a few moments of silence, he finally spoke.
"Can I see him?"
"He is asleep right now and will be in a medically induced coma for the next twelve hours to rest his body. The nerves and muscles in his eye are incredibly sensitive at this stage so it is very important that he is not conscious." Tsunade said with a frown. "You may see him, but he will not be awake until tomorrow evening."
Hinata felt tears pushing their way down her cheeks in a steady stream. If there was anything that Neji loved it was being a ninja and a good ninja at that. She had idolized her own jutsus, stances and quick movements from her cousin even though there was tension between them growing up. She recalled many silent training sessions usually ending in triumph for Neji and disappointment for her. In his own way, he had helped to shape and mold her into the ninja she was today. Now he would certainly be out of the field for months and with only half of his Byakugan.
Hiashi walked past Tsunade and pushed open the heavy doors into Neji's room with his daughters following behind. The beeps of the machines, the bandages around his head and stoic expression of her cousin as he lay there caused another sob to escape from Hinata's lips. Hiashi walked to the side of his bed and took Neji's limp hand in his own and then brought it to his chest. Hanabi stood next to her father and was succeeding on not crying. Hinata could tell she was trying to be very strong and as the new leader of the Hyuuga it was important not to let emotions get in the way of logical thinking.
Maybe that was why Hinata wasn't the heir; her emotions often got in the way. Neither her father nor her sister was crying and here she was fighting back violent sobs. Hinata was starting to see things that she had never seen before… like how different she was compared to her entire clan. She always knew that there wasn't much in common, but she was finally seeing it for what it was.
Hinata slowly willed her feet forward to walk onto the other side of Neji's bed. Her fingers trailed on his blankets until they met with his bandaged hand and she was able to suppress another soft sob. It was a life-awakening experience to see that someone even as strong as Neji had been attacked and basically defeated. The thought of knowing that evil still existed in the lands terrified her. Neji always protected her, even throughout the years of his hatred towards her. Hinata knew now that she didn't need protection… she needed to be stronger. Maybe Sasuke and everyone around her was right after all… maybe she was just too weak.
Sasuke's half-lidded eyes watched the digital time on his clock lazily and he rolled over onto his back. His gaze settled on the light fixture above his bed while his mind continued to race. It had been a sleepless night. Needless to say it was the scrolls he had uncovered in the Konoha Library the previous day which revealed information he wasn't sure how to process.
There was more than one scroll highlighting the ongoing feud between the Hyuuga's and the Uchiha's. It was a silent battle that began more than twenty years ago when a Hyuuga ninja betrayed his comrades, which included an Uchiha. Of course the leader of the Uchiha clan wanted answers, but the Hyuuga's decided to deal with the matter internally and swept it under the rug from the rest of the village. Ever since then there was a bitter taste between the two clans and the Hokage made several attempts to keep their sparks at bay.
Sasuke closed his eyes after a sigh escaped his lips and he wasn't sure if he was outraged to know that his clan, which immediately involved his father, was planning murder. The murder wasn't just to the leader of the Hyuuga clan, but also to the heir… his daughter Hinata. Had it of been anything else, Sasuke would have felt proud and smug, but this was different. A feeling inside told him that it didn't feel right. Taking a life that was stained with sin was one thing, taking a life that was innocent was another.
It was almost as if it was something he would have done... his former 'teacher', Orochimaru. Sasuke never understood Orochimaru's ways of taking people and using them for his own greater good. Sasuke only stayed long enough to get to the strength level he wanted to be at and then was gone. Whatever had happened between Orochimaru and Kabuto was their own problem and he didn't care about it.
With some effort, Sasuke sat up in his bed and decided he had lay there long enough. The sun was starting to spill into his windows and a good training session would get his mind off of it. He had gotten used to waking up in his 'home' now. For several years, Sasuke would open his eyes in a different place every day, but the warmth of his bed and comfort of his pillow was something he had truly missed.
Sasuke had even gotten used to walking the streets of Konoha as well. The return of the Uchiha was old news throughout the village, so not as many people stared at him anymore. People had realized that he wasn't the monster that stories made him become, but when one hangs around Orochimaru the label is bound to stick. The smells in the market place were enticing as vendors were just getting things ready and it was quiet much to his liking.
"Sasuke-kun!" That voice that he despised pierced through the air and caused his normal stoic expression to turn into disappointment. Of course Sasuke ignored the calling and continued on his way until he heard footsteps catch up to him. Sakura fell into synch with his steps and smiled. Sasuke didn't even look her way.
"Ahh, Sasuke-kun! I haven't seen you much since you had gotten back." She said as a smile spread across her lips. Sasuke crossed his arms but he continued on his way. "Naruto told me you guys had talked!"
Silence was the only thing that the Uchiha was offering her. He wasn't in the mood for small talk. Although something popped into his head as he thought back to Sakura's closeness with Tsunade. His frown deepened.
"The Hokage is keeping me busy." Sasuke said eventually, although his tone indicated to proceed with caution. Sakura was happy enough with any response and she slipped a few locks of pink hair behind her ear.
"Yes… she isn't one to idle. In fact, the hospital has been busy as of late. There are so many missions nowadays and injuries." Her voice trailed off. "I was hoping that the healing classes at the Academy would have paid off."
Another frown formed on Sasuke's lips at the mention of missions. Everyone was out doing something with their lives and here he was stuck inside a basement all day, rotting away his days. Although it was temporary, it was beginning to take a toll on his patience.
"Say, I heard you're with Hinata. Did you hear about Neji?" Sakura interrupted his thoughts and he shrugged.
"Does it matter?" Sasuke asked dully. Sakura bit her lower lip and glanced down at her feet.
"Well, yeah I suppose. Someone is after the Byakugan." She said. Sasuke stopped walking and looked over at her. This took him by surprise. The Byakugan was a powerful Kekkei Genkai but what would any normal ninja need it for? Sasuke recalled seeing the books that Hinata was carrying out yesterday pertaining to the Hyuuga anatomy. So that's what happened. He hadn't given it much thought ever since he came across the classified scrolls.
Sasuke had heard of people being after the Byakugan and even the Sharingan. The only real 'steal' he knew of was his former sensei Kakashi, which was more of a gift than a steal. He crossed his arms and stared at Sakura.
"I take it they weren't successful." He said. Sakura nodded sullenly. Sasuke recalled seeing Neji around the Academy, but not as much until the Chuunin exams those many years ago. He would admit that Neji was a strong ninja but things like this happened all the time so he didn't see what the fuss was about.
"His eye has been severely damaged, however. It's unlikely he'll ever use the Byakugan in that eye. But you never know… we've been proven wrong before." She smiled at him. Her smile indicated that she had other reasons of coming to chat with him and he had nothing left to say to her. Sasuke turned to continue walking but she reached out to grab his arm.
"Sasuke-kun…" Her voice was soft and he could tell where this conversation was going. He immediately snatched his arm away from her.
"I'm busy." He said sternly and she stared at him with that sad look he had grown accustomed to seeing in his youth. Nothing seemed to have changed around here except that Naruto might finally understand what 'leave me alone' means. Her gaze avoided his and she turned away. For some reason this sudden sadness in the girl didn't bother him as it had with Hinata. It was one of those unexplainable things that Sasuke refused to think about as he left Sakura standing on the edge of the market district.
While approaching the training grounds, Sasuke couldn't help but think back to what had happened with Neji. There was just something uneasy about the whole situation as if he should be worried. In retrospect, Uchiha Sasuke had nothing to worry about. He was capable of taking care of himself and he would if he had to for the rest of his life. But the situation seemed…fishy. The person who attacked Neji had to of known what they were doing in order to take an eye. They had to know where to cut, the precise veins and flow of chakra as well as making sure not to damage it.
It wasn't really that he was worried about himself, but more or less, worried about Hinata in a weird sort of way. He couldn't explain it to himself. She was just too innocent and, in his eyes, too weak to fend for herself. Sasuke was of course forgetting that she was ranked higher than him but that was neither here nor there.
The sounds of footsteps and metal clinking had him stop at the entrance of the training grounds. Someone had arrived before him which was slightly annoying. His eyes narrowed gently at who his eyes landed upon and suddenly he felt his stomach churn in response. Hyuuga. It was the first time he had ever seen her train before and it was somewhat strange to him. The way that she moved was fluid and almost dance-like which he frowned at; ninja weren't supposed to be majestic or something of beauty. Not to mention, his eyes couldn't stop staring at the way her figure looked as on occasion her sweater would rise up to show some ivory skin.
Something else about her caught him by surprise about her techniques. He knew the basics of the Hyuuga stances, jutsus and Byakugan but it was interesting to see it firsthand. Her delicate hands were lit up with chakra but they were in the shapes of lions as she practiced. Suddenly she jumped up with a fist full of shuriken and as they flew towards their target, Sasuke noticed that even the shuriken were engulfed in not just chakra, but the shape of the lion as well. It was something he had never seen before.
One last observation was the expression on her face. It was look of someone who had been defeated and was trying to pick up the pieces to put them back into place. He figured the fate of Neji had somewhat on an impact on her. If Sasuke was anyone else, he'd sympathize with her but he didn't. She still had her Byakugan so the logic of being sad for someone else's faults didn't process in his brain.
Deciding he had done enough loitering, Sasuke took a few kunai from his pouch and figured he might interrupt her training session as she had done so to him. With speed and precision, Sasuke disappeared from the entrance and he was there to deflect her last lion-infused shuriken. It caught Hinata off guard, but she wasted little time jumping backwards. Sasuke stood tall as he stared at her and she kept her stance just in case.
She had no idea what Sasuke's intentions were or how long he had been watching her. Hinata fought to catch her breath and she waited for him to speak, but he just stood there. After a few moments, Sasuke bent done to pick up the shuriken he had deflected. It slipped down his pointer finger and then it twirled in a circle.
Hinata's eyes watched it wildly as something blinked in her mind. A memory of a much younger Sasuke attempting to spin a shuriken was rustled up; his hands were much smaller and incapable of spinning it. His eyes had a shimmer to them… a small light that seemed to calm her nerves. Dark and dull eyes replaced the glistening ones from her memory and she didn't have much time to reflect. Sasuke handed her the shuriken he had been twirling.
"Do that again." His voice was lacking emotion but there was some curiosity sparking behind those words. Hinata hesitated before relaxing her body and then taking it in her hand. His dark eyes remained focused on her hands as they lit up with the feline shaped chakra. With the shuriken in one hand, she ran forward and jumped up in the air as it released. It spun towards the target with the lion shaped chakra surrounding it before it sliced through the target and into the tree bark behind it.
Sasuke watched it and was silent. Impressive. She was stronger than she looked and Tsunade was right—her chakra control was spot on. Hinata was able to manipulate the ninja tool and max out its true potential with chakra surging through it. Of course Sasuke was also basing his surprise of Hinata's strength by what he had seen in the Academy which wasn't anywhere near what it was now.
Hinata wasn't sure what he wanted or why he cared about her technique. Her views of Sasuke were constantly being changed. Some days he was patient with her and other days it was like walking on eggshells with him. She reached up to wipe a bead of sweat that travelling down her forehead and then brushed off her shirt.
"Have you ever used a full size shuriken?" His question surprised her and she looked over her shoulder at him.
"U-Um… yes, just once at the Academy." Hinata said thinking back to the awful and embarrassing moment of trying to throw it. It was simply too heavy and awkward for her.
"That technique would be better with the full size." Sasuke said simply before crossing his arms on his chest. Hinata bit her lower lip in thought. It would require a lot of chakra control, build up and precision… something Hinata didn't think she had.
"I don't think I could do it." She said softly. Sasuke shrugged his shoulders.
"That's what training is for." He replied and Hinata looked over at him. "After work tonight, we'll see what you can do."
Hinata blinked at him in disbelief. She opened her mouth to protest but one more surprising thing came from the Uchiha.
"Someone out there is on the hunt for the Byakugan." He said as the wind came in and tossed around his blue hair. Hinata watched him for a moment and she suddenly felt like she couldn't breathe. He knew about Neji. Her eyes looked away and she turned around.
"I know but…" She managed to squeak out. Sasuke walked closer to her and took a shuriken from pack to twirl on his finger once more. He felt the need to sculpt and improve the Hyuuga girl. Maybe he saw the potential or maybe it was guilt knowing that his clan could have killed her if the mission had gone according to plan.
"You aren't the heir anymore. There isn't anyone to protect you anymore." Sasuke said firmly. "You have to get stronger and be more aware."
Hinata looked up at him with such terror in her eyes that it almost caught him off guard. It was as if Sasuke was taking Neji's words right out of his mouth. She thought back to the time Neji had visited her after a mission and she had just finished cleaning up his wounds.
"Hinata-sama… I worry about you." Neji said as he rolled down the sleeves on his robes. Hinata was screwing the lid from the ointment back on when he said that. She looked at him curiously.
"Why?" Her voice was almost a whisper as she was slightly touched that he was at least thinking about her. Ever since Hinata had left, she figured 'out of sight, out of mind'. Of course her cousin was always a man of few words and rarely reached out to her.
"You're on your own. I don't know, I suppose I'm just used to making sure you are safe." Neji said, almost embarrassed. Hinata smiled gently, her cheeks getting rosy. It was rare to hear him say things like that.
"I'll be fine, Neji-niisan." She said and went to stand up. Neji grabbed her wrist and stared at her with a firm and stern look, much like her father. Their lavender eyes met and it was such a contrast; Hinata's were soft and Neji's were sharp.
"You are no longer the heir, Hinata-sama, so I cannot keep you out of harm's way. Please, promise me you will continue to train and grow."
Her eyebrows furrowed upwards. He still thought of her as a child… a weak and helpless little girl. All she could do was nod slowly and look away.
A sense of determination and energy flowed through Hinata's body as if the anger from everyone's criticism was turning to fuel to move forward. Sasuke took the shuriken, whipped around and launched it next to Hinata's. She wasn't sure why he was offering to help her, but Hinata knew that in order to get stronger, she might need some extra guidance. The village was overflowing with mission after mission which meant Kiba and Shino were rarely around to assist with her training.
"Thank you… Sasuke."
Hinata frowned as the warm evening breeze swooped down to glide through her bangs and ruffle her light purple sweater. She was patiently awaiting Uchiha Sasuke to meet her in the training grounds as they had agreed on. For some reason he was interested in helping her with a slightly new technique. His intentions didn't seem greedy, so Hinata had hesitantly accepted.
Their day had been relatively quiet in the Konoha Library. As usual, there was little spoken between the two The silences before used to be uncomfortable and almost eerie, but now they were becoming more of a pleasant thing. Neither cared for small talk and Hinata wondered what they had in common. There wasn't much on the outside, but on the inside she could see the pain and loss of family, the loneliness that comes with pushing others away, and finding ways to numb those feelings.
Now, though, maybe they could find a way to bond through training. Hinata subconsciously thought of their short-lived friendship as small children, but it was clear Sasuke didn't remember—or didn't care. The fact that he was late to their training was almost making her second guess Sasuke's commitment. Hinata waited for a half an hour and the sun was threatening to leave her in the dark. Just as she turned on her heel to head home, Sasuke appeared through the entrance.
She wasn't one to be angry at tardiness; Kiba often had trouble of keeping track of time, although she was somewhat curious to know what took him so long. Hinata noticed that on his back was a large shuriken that he had spoken of earlier that morning. He also had a backpack that she assumed was full of weapon scrolls. It was easier to 'summon' a weapon than carry one around and she had seen this in action often with Tenten.
Sasuke didn't bother with greetings; instead he stopped in front of her. Hinata noticed there was a slight hue on his cheeks and the sweet smell of sake suddenly filled the area. He got drunk. There was a small storm of rage in her body, but it calmed knowing that at least he had shown up. Sasuke reached onto his back to grab the large shuriken and then he held it out to her. She bit her lip and took it. As expected, it was heavier in her small hands and off the bat she worried about gaining enough momentum to throw it correctly.
"This is the full-size shuriken. I believe that this will enhance your technique to not necessarily make it better, but to broaden it." Sasuke said and she could see that his words were looser and not as stoic as usual. She nodded and let one of the blades rest on the ground.
"Before we add chakra to the mix, let's see how well you can throw it." He said as his gaze hovered over at a large target ahead on a tree. Hinata took a slow and deep breath before picking up the shuriken again. She walked over to stand in front of it and then paused to figure out her aim. Hinata remembered back to the Academy days on the proper way to throw it and attempted to line everything up correctly. Lifting it up, she was all set to throw when she felt a hand grasp her wrist.
"Adjust your stance." Sasuke simply said. "Widen your feet and make sure that when you…" His voice trailed off as he noticed a sharpness develop in her eyes. He was underestimating her again. Sasuke cleared his throat and released her wrist before stepping back. Hinata did take his advice into account, however, and with some effort she was able to step forward for momentum and send the large shuriken hurling towards the target on the tree.
Sasuke watched it spin and slam into the target. It had managed to split the wooden target in half and lodge itself into the bark from the tree. It was indeed impressive; the aim and strength seemed to be in the right place. Hinata certainly seemed proud of herself as a large smile spread across her face. It had been as successful as she'd hoped and the bubbly feeling inside was hard to ignore.
"Good." Sasuke said and they both shared a strange moment. Hinata glanced over at him with flushed cheeks and she brushed her sweater.
"T-Thank you." Sasuke reached into his bag and removed a few objects much to Hinata's surprise. They weren't scrolls but in fact they were four separate blades that he held by the circle handles. He held them up and then separated them so she could see.
"This is the Fuma Shuriken. It's a lot lighter and easier to use. It's easier to carry because the blades can collapse." He said dryly and locked the blades into place to create the shuriken. "Try this one."
This situation seemed familiar, but she couldn't quite remember it. Perhaps he had shown her different ninja weapons at the Academy. Nonetheless, Hinata chewed on her bottom lip and took it from him. It was actually much lighter and easier for her to hold. With the same stance in mind, she took a deep breath to concentrate, and let the shuriken do the rest of the work in the air. It spun around and landed right next to the other shuriken. Sasuke crossed his arms on his chest and without a word he walked over to the tree. She watched him observe the two different blades, most likely seeing which one did the most damage.
The Fuma Shuriken was lighter and traveled farther, but the traditional shuriken had more weight which led to a deeper cut into the tree. Sasuke removed both and returned back to her. With the traditional shuriken, he held it out for her.
"Add in the chakra now." He said as she took it from him. Sasuke walked passed her and the smell of alcohol tickled her nose. Her lips created a thin line and she then closed her eyes to meditate for a few moments. Sasuke's gaze watched her intently, noticing her features harden. Switching from dark pupils to the red Kekkei Genkai, he was able to gauge just how powerful this new technique was as it began to unfold. The large shuriken became engulfed in the light blue energy before molding into the familiar lion he had seen earlier that day. It was more impressive than he originally gave it credit for. Hyuuga's were known to conserve and mold their chakra into lethal weapons without actually using any, so this only doubled it's potency.
Hinata's Byakugan had also been activated as she felt the adrenaline and chakra flowing through her body. It was thrilling and Hinata's feet sudden took off. With speed, she jumped up in the air and sent the chakra engulfed shuriken flying to the target. Sasuke watched it take off from her hand and he squinted to watch it, the lion chakra almost seeming to be stampeding towards the tree.
As if cutting through butter, the shuriken sliced through the tree, the tree behind it, and finally stopping with the help of a large boulder. Hinata let her Byakugan disappear and she looked back to Sasuke with a triumphant smile. Before she could comprehend her feelings of happiness and sudden boost of confidence, Sasuke lunged at her.
It didn't give her time to dodge and she felt strong arms wrap around her body with force. With a shriek, Hinata fell back and everything moved slowly from there on out. Her light eyes locked onto the Sharingan swirling in his eyes and there was fear churning inside her stomach. She couldn't help but block it all out by squeezing her eyelids shut. His arms around her were tight and almost protective and things sped up once they hit the ground.
The two trees the shuriken cut through landed in unison, the first hitting the exact spot where Hinata had been standing. The sound of birds squawking filled the air and then it was quiet. She opened her eyes to leaves and a heavy Uchiha on top of her. Sasuke's Sharingan was gone and he was trying to unpin them both from underneath all the leaves and branches of the tree.
"Sasuke-kun…!" Hinata breathed and he looked down at her. His nose was inches from hers and his arms were still holding her tightly. Hinata couldn't help but feel her insides melt and her cheeks become redder than a tomato.
"What were you thinking?" Sasuke asked almost accusingly, his breath smelling of the sweet sake. He didn't seem to be embarrassed at their current situation, although she couldn't tell if the pink on his cheeks was from the alcohol or not.
"I-I'm sorry… I was…" Hinata attempted to say. "I was just so excited… that I had actually done something right." Sasuke stopped struggling with the branch on them and looked back down at her. The way her bangs sat disheveled on her forehead and how her gaze was focused to the side as if she was hiding tears made his features grow soft. He got the sudden urge to hold her even tighter and protect her…from something—anything.
Sasuke would blame the alcohol on those thoughts and foreign feelings. He would also blame it on the urge to run his finger down the bridge of her nose and trace those full pink lips. He didn't do that, though because he was Uchiha Sasuke. Sasuke always knew that love and companionship was important, but to the correct person. He wasn't that person; Sasuke knew that he was cold, bitter and independent. He avoided love because he knew that his feelings were incapable of it.
However, lust was different and Sasuke could feel hormones beginning to take over his body so he decided he would need to get off of her. Sasuke reached behind him to unsheathe his sword and within seconds the branch was sliced and he was on his feet. Hinata sat up and glumly brushed off her pants.
"Same time tomorrow?" Sasuke asked dryly as he held out his hand to help her up. That smile that she rarely showed him surfaced and her small hand grasped his. His palms were rough, cracked and full of blisters from his constant use of the Chidori, while hers remained soft and smooth. It didn't take much effort to pull up the petite Hyuuga and he watched her bangs even out. He thought about reaching out to brush them, but of course, he didn't. Sasuke looked away sheepishly. Hinata still had that smile.
"Y-Yes." She said softly and rubbed her arm absent-mindedly. Sasuke was already sick of the romantic and somewhat kinky thoughts racing through his mind, so he shrugged his shoulders and turned.
It had been a very long time since he had been with a lady. In fact the thought to even seek out Sakura crossed his mind, but it didn't take long to dismiss it. That would only leave to trouble and her knocking on his door every moment she got the chance.
"Just try not to get yourself killed tomorrow." Sasuke eventually said as he hopped over the fallen tree. Hinata nodded without a word, and she watched him walk away. She no longer felt terrified of the Uchiha; the constant fear of him turning on her had diminished… he didn't want to kill her, or anyone for that matter. Uchiha Sasuke wasn't such a feared monster. At heart, he was just looking for something to hold onto. Her cheeks flushed at the thought of him holding onto her earlier.
Of course it wasn't the first time a boy had been that close to her. Both Shino and Kiba had gotten her out of tight spots during missions before and even Neji had gotten too close for comfort during training. Hinata let go of the breath she had been holding and dismissed nostalgic and strange feelings that seemed to be swirling her entire body.