Chapter 2, finally.
This might be a lil angsty guys, seeing as I'm upset and irritated about something. Heh. SO. It might sound a lil weird, cuz emotion does affect my writing quite a bit, just let me know.
Read. Review.
-inky
Morning came around earlier, spring was in full swing and the birds woke with the bright glitter of the dawn. Sasuke made a point never to close his curtain so that he could wake with the dawn as well, no matter the time of year, but this time it was struggle to get back up.
Falling asleep had been a serious struggle the night before, tossing and turning over and over without a clue as to what was keeping him awake, just thoughts running through his mind at a speed he couldn't bother to keep up with.
Though, in the morning as he lay staring at the ceiling and it's brightness as the sun rose he came to the realization that most of them had been about his brother and his new less threatening worry…
Hinata.
Grumbling about lack of sleep he sat up, rotating his shoulders slowly, not feeling at all like going anywhere, let alone to meet Sakura and Naruto at the gate, but he needed their information to let Neji Tenten and Kiba leave on their mission.
Quietly he went through the motions of washing his face in cold water, and getting dressed, all the while listening to the silence of the house.
Finally realizing that what was missing was Hinata's usually cheerful humming he stepped out into the hall and froze, staring at the wide open door of her room. The blinds were pulled shut so that no sun was pouring in and he could see nothing inside as a result, but he could hear her harsh breathing…
Slowly he stepped into the darkness, blinking silently as he listened.
Her words were mumbled and in no particular order, but they were clear enough for him to understand…
"…I'm scared…they left… they left….and I couldn't…they said they wouldn't leave…"
He bit his lip standing and moving towards the door to leave, the hair rising at the nape of his neck.
But her next words stopped him, the whisper thin sob making him draw in a sharp breath.
"…I left Sasuke behind…"
The dream began like the old dream, the same running, the same panic of being chased, of having to leave someone behind, of knowing that the others, her friends left… The same listening to the dull pain filled scream.
But this time, this time it was different because she could see faces, all the faces. Ino, Sakura, Neji, Tenten, Kiba and Shino, running, leaving her in the grips of someone with burning red eyes.
And then Sasuke, telling her to run, shoving her away.
She had left… she had left him behind. And it was making her sick. Crawling away, the blood running down her side, leaving a trail of her life liquid on the woodland floor.
She could hardly think, the pain was drilling up her side, like a wolf gnawing at her, tearing her mind to shreds. Sobbing and unable to comprehend the enormity of what was happening she stopped, her hands shaking, she was holding something in them, something important…
It was small, but it was important… so important… and it was Sasuke's.
"I left you behind…"
She had to go back… she had to go back, or she would die. Sobbing from the pain and the adrenaline that was pumping forcefully through her veins she shoved herself to her feet.
She had to go back, because even if she lived…it would be like leaving something vital of hers behind.
"Hinata!"
Gasping Hinata shoved herself up, disoriented and confused. "No, don't!" The words were out, but she didn't know who she was shouting them at, hands tried to grip her wrists, but she fought it, sobbing all the while. It was the first time she had sobbed out loud, the panic making her struggle.
Suddenly she was being dragged into someone's arms and held there, tightly but not harshly.
"Breathe! You'll pass out otherwise! Calm down."
She recognized that voice.
I left you behind…
Relieve like no other flooded through her whole body, the tension dissipating, melting away, the ice within her bones leaving her to curl up in his lap, crying into his shoulder.
"G-gomen….g-gomen nosai.." she whimpered, her arms were tightly wound around his neck, so tightly that he could feel every shiver that wracked her body against him. The panic was like a smell, covering her in it's scent.
He didn't even know what she was apologizing for, but he didn't ask, because he didn't care, at least not at that moment.
It seemed like hours, but it must have only been around fifteen minutes…her breathing finally slowed down to a reasonable pace and she lay still, only a few shivers once in a while came through her body to tell the tell tale story of how she had cried.
"…are you all right?" he was the one to break the silence again, it felt so strange, being the one to speak. She would always defeat him when it came to this, when it came to being the most wounded.
He felt her nod, but she wasn't pulling away, not that he minded… there was something comforting about holding her. This way he would know if the panic would come back.
The realization fluttered through his mind but he paid it no heed. That realization was simply that he didn't feel like letting her go… that consequences of such an emotion were too much to deal with at a moment such as the one he was in. So he let it pass, tucking it away to be examined later.
"G-gomen nosai." She said it again, whimpering despite herself.
He didn't ask what, just looked down at her hands resting across his chest. "It's all right."
"No…" she contradicted softly, surprising him with a will even in her state. "No, it's not."
He didn't bother to argue, but listened instead until her breathing slowed and sure enough her body relaxed into his and he heard her heart slow to a steady rhythm of sleep.
Breathing in softly with relief he put her back in bed slowly, horribly aware of the heat of her body leaving his side and the drumbeat that was her heart fading with the distance as he stood up.
Swallowing a knot of something he didn't understand he stared down at her, completely passed out.
Whatever she had dreamed of… it had haunted her well into the realm of reality. He would have to talk to Tsunade about it. His dreams were often strong enough to hold him in such a manner, but he didn't know what Hinata could be dreaming of that would claim her calm so well.
Frustrated and worried that perhaps she was going through something he wasn't aware of he walked away, closing the door to her room behind him before starting to get ready to leave.
Sakura and Naruto were probably waiting for him at the entrance of the village with the other team.
Not that he cared… he had other more important things to think about.
"Bloody hell!" Naruto shouted, "What the heck was so important that you had to keep us all waiting for an hour, huh?" he cried, watching as Sasuke walked up to them calmly, hands deep in his pockets looking for all the world without a care.
"None of your business, dobe." He replied glancing around to see Neji, Tenten and Kiba standing around impatiently with their traveling packs and Sakura sitting by the gates, looking tired.
"No seriously, Sasuke." Naruto retorted a bit quieter so the others couldn't hear. "What kept you so long? Sakura might pass out any minute now, and we need to send out the others to the Rain as soon as possible." He looked seriously at the other captain, the expression was so foreign on Naruto's face that Sasuke stared at him, puzzled.
"What have you found?"
"There were four sightings of Akatsuki there, short ones, but they are there, and might I add, that's closer to our village than we need them… mainly with the exams coming up pretty quick." His eyes flickered over to Sakura who had her head in her hands.
"We had to fight our way back from the sand. It was some sort of assassination attempt, a lame one, but one none the less. I think they might want us to think there's more than one organization trying to get into the village during the examination."
"That's useless." Sasuke muttered out loud. The only thing the village held that would be of any interest to anyone were two of the three important shinobi in the Fire Country. Himself, and Naruto.
And the only people who would be interested in that would be Akatsuki.
"That's what I figured." Naruto nodded. "Sakura took a pretty harsh beating though… I need to get her to the hospital."
"You should have done that first then." Sasuke retorted thinly. Had it been Hinata he would have left even if Naruto hadn't showed up to meet them at the gate…
Naruto looked at him darkly for a moment, sizing up the expression on his face. "She's not dying, she's hurt, it's different."
"The hell." Sasuke snapped. "She's a vice-captain. Get her to the hospital now."
"Where's Hinata?" Naruto replied suddenly, eyeing behind Sasuke with sharp blue eyes. It wasn't often Sasuke saw Naruto this way, as a capable shinobi. It was a frame of mind he only fell into when he knew things were suddenly serious.
So he hadn't counted on having to explain to anyone why Hinata wasn't with him…
"She's at home." He replied, turning to walk away. Naruto took his arm suddenly, pulling him back.
"Is she okay?' he frowned, watching Sasuke's eyes flicker to the left suddenly as he nodded. "She's fine."
"You're lying."
"Let go of me, dobe." Sasuke replied calmly, onyx eyes meeting ice blue without any difficulty.
Naruto complied, pressing his lips into a thin line. "She had better be okay."
Sasuke bristled irritably turning to look at him fully. "What does it matter to you? These past few months you've been very interested in her affairs, Naruto."
The kyuubi vessel flinched. When Sasuke used his name it was worse than being insulted. Things were serious now.
"She's my friend, I care about her-"
"More than Sakura?"
Silence came between them then as they glared at one another, the tension weighing heavily on their shoulders.
"That's not what I meant.." Naruto began again, lying for what felt like the fifth billionth time.
Something always held him back from saying the truth, something about the way Sasuke looked at him dangerously, daring him to say it…
It didn't occur to him to ask why Sasuke cared so much.
"Good." The avenger muttered, turning around to head over to Neji's team. "Get Sakura to the hospital."
"I know that." Naruto spat, heading over to pick up Sakura.
The others eyed their captains nervously, except for Neji who was only amused by the two and their irritated antics in front of half their squad.
"Did Naruto mention anything concerning their mission?" he enquired as soon as he was in ear shot.
Tenten nodded. "Akatsuki all over the Rain and an assassination attempt on their way back."
"That's what you will probably have to face, but keep it mind this is a recon operation I don't need any of you getting killed." He muttered, feeling the sleepless night acutely in his limbs. Moving felt like a horrible task all on it's own.
Maybe it was because he hadn't eaten breakfast as usual…
"Right." Tenten nodded, heaving up her pack on her shoulders. "We'll be back before the exams."
"Hn." Sasuke nodded, watching her and Kiba start away. Neji stood facing him as they walked off, waiting for them to be out of earshot before he stated softly. "Where is she?"
"At home." Sasuke replied, feeling suddenly calm in the presence of the annoying Hyuuga.
"What's wrong with her?"
"Nightmare." The word was out before he could catch it, surprising them both. Neji shifted, unsure of how to react to an actual answer to his question. Finally he looked back up at him.
"She gets them… sometimes… It goes away in a few hours."
Sasuke stared at him, shocked that he was being given information, though he was taking it in desperately. So it was normal for her to have nightmares of that kind…?
No, somehow this didn't sound the same.
"This wont." He stated suddenly, turning around. "I'm taking her to Tsunade."
Neji sighed, something like relief mixed with jealousy lingering inside of him. He should be the one with Hinata…caring for her the way his clan had commanded, and yet here was the Uchiha of all people…
"Hai." He called. "Do."
Silently he turned and walked off after his team mates, jogging to catch up, praying that his disowned little cousin would be all right.
"She what?' Tsunade stared at Sasuke in surprise, putting down her teacup which was full of something that they both knew was not tea.
"Is she all right now?"
"I don't know, I left her asleep again."
"Damned." Tsunade hissed, fidgeting with the bracelet around her wrist. "Did she say anything about the dream?"
Sasuke looked at her for a long moment, remembering the bits and pieces of conversation he had heard and the last comment that had made him flinch.
Somehow… he didn't want to be the one to say it again.
"…no."
Tsunade studied him from her desk, her fingers tracing the dark wood of it's surface, smirking slightly at him.
She had not studied the Uchiha for a while, but now that she looked at him in the bright daylight she had to admit there was something different about the boy… she just couldn't put her finger on it.
"How did she wake up?" she asked suddenly, watching him start. Aha… I caught him off guard…
"…I woke her."
"Really. Did you hold her too?" there was a teasing note in her voice that brought back all of Sasuke's reasons not to come, but he bit down on his tongue and looked back at her silently, frowning.
"Not giving anything away, I see." Tsunade laughed, pushing herself to her feet. "All right, then. I suppose I have to go see her, then, don't I?"
Sasuke said nothing, his eyes flickering to what looked like piles of untouched work on her desk and on the floor… and pretty much everywhere else in the office.
"I need a break anyway." Tsunade added dangerously, giving him a look that stated he could say nothing about the undone work, for his own sake.
The Uchiha did not reply to that look, but followed the blonde Hokage out the door silently, unsure of what to think. Tsunade had never set foot in his street let alone his home.
Though she 'had' ordered several guards to escort him and then hold him in house arrest for a year after his return from Orochimaru's grasp.
But… no one wanted to think about that much anymore.
Tsunade wasn't very polite, Sasuke knew this but somehow he hadn't expected her to just barge into his house before he could even reach the door. For an older woman wearing high heels she could move a lot faster than he had anticipated and reached his front door a few minutes before he did.
This was of course partly because he was dreading the situation… He wasn't sure what Hinata would say about him having brought the Hokage of all people to look at her, it was just a dream.
But the memory of her sobs and tears and the way she had clung to him still made his stomach drop with worry and that was a strong enough emotion to push away any guilt he could be feeling.
The other distraction was his utter dislike of the blonde as he came into his house and found her already sipping a glass of water, which he assumed she got from the kitchen while he was gone.
"So where's the sleeping beauty then?" she enquired, giving him another smirk that stated teasing. Sasuke gave her a glare in return. "Upstairs in her room."
"Heh." Tsunade smirked again, turning to the stairs and starting up, still sipping her drink leisurely.
"Is she awake? I wouldn't want to suddenly barge in if she's-oh."
She stopped, looking up the stairs at something. Sasuke leaned against the wall; arms crossed waiting for Hinata's voice to come down the stairs. He was glad she had woken and come to investigate…
No real shinobi would have slept through the entire racket Tsunade was making.
"…T-tsunade-sama…" Hinata began, her voice sounding weak.
The hokage frowned up at the girl. There were dark circles under her eyes and her skin looked a little yellow, though she had changed into training gear and looked as though she was ready to rush out the door.
"Hinata… are all you all right?" Tsunade's voice changed rapidly from teasing superior to mother. "Come here…"
Hinata obeyed without a word, walking down the steps to where Tsunade stood, her eyes lowered to the ground, ashamed that she looked so weak in the presence of her mentor.
"Bloody hell… it looks like you had chakra sucked right out of you…" the Hokage whispered, mainly to herself as she examined Hinata's face and hands.
Sasuke clenched his jaw, staring at the ground while the examination went on; her words making a headache hit him like a train.
Chakra sucked out of her…? How is that even possible…
"I need you to sit down." Tsunade muttered, dragging the Hyuuga heiress over to the couches in the living room.
Hinata complied without a word, allowing the Hokage to shove her down onto the couch. Frowning worriedly Tsunade sat down beside her, taking her face in her hands to examine the dark circles under her eyes.
"…have you been sleeping properly?" Tsunade muttered, frowning.
Hinata's eyes flickered over to Sasuke sharply then back down at the ground at his worried frown, heat engulfing her face rapidly.
"..ano…"
Tsunade started, misunderstanding the look that crossed between the two youngsters. "Well, well, well…." She began, leaning back, unsure of how to react. "…I…wasn't aware that you two were-"
"Wha-" Hinata began, startled out of her daze.
"We're not!" Sasuke snapped, giving Tsunade a strong enough glare to melt solid metal. The hokage smirked, looking back and forth between the two wide eyed blushing teens.
"Sure." She grunted, taking Hinata's face in her hands again. "I sure hope that's the truth. Or she might be pregnant for all you know, maybe that's what's making her so ill-"
"Tsunade-sama!" Hinata gasped, tearing herself away sharply. "Please…"
"Fine fine." The hokage sighed, rolling her eyes at the Uchiha avenger shaking with contained frustration.
"Tell me about the nightmare." She put in bluntly, turning to look at Hinata again, focusing on her young apprentice fully.
Hinata flinched, looking down at her hands sharply. "…nani? I-it's just a-"
"Don't mess with me, young lady." Tsunade interrupted sharply.
The Hyuuga heiress sighed, rubbing her face tiredly. "Demo… I c-can't."
Sasuke bit his lip sharply, holding back his frustrated snap. He wanted to know what it was, it was killing him not to know.
She had been dreaming about him for crying out loud, for some reason that made his whole body go through a shock of cold and hot.
"Sasuke." Tsunade muttered, turning to look at him, smirking broadly. "Don't you have something to do? You being the unofficial head captain of a whole security squad and all."
The Uchiha flinched mentally, spassing wordlessly at the demented Hokage.
"No." he replied simply, contradictory to what he really wanted to say.
"Heh. That's a surprise." She smiled again. "Get out."
Taking a deep breath to control his temper he turned and left, slamming the door so forcefully behind him that the frame by the hall fell and shattered… again.
Hinata gave a little jump at the noise but didn't look up, staring with worried eyes at her hands.
"H-he is upset."
"He's just curious." Tsunade replied affectionately, patting her on the head. "Now, the dream?"
"…must I?"
"Yes." The blonde sighed. "Yes, you must. Whatever it is, I can tell it wasn't a normal dream, it sucked enough chakra out of you to be something different. I'm not particularly superstitious however if I had to bet I'd say you had some sort of premonition."
Hinata's hands clenched and unclenched. "No…I've had this dream often since I was very young."
"Really." Tsunade paid close attention, suddenly curious herself. "What was it?"
Taking a deep breath Hinata looked away, frustrated. She hated the idea of sharing the inner most thoughts of her consciousness… but Tsunade-sama was her sensei, her superior in everything. If she really wanted to she could just order her to tell her.
Sighing she nodded, forcing herself to start.
"…It always starts with me running away…"
Sasuke stared at the steps of his front door, sitting there silently, watching the leafs of nearby trees dancing across the cobblestones that made up the pathway to the entrance.
He wanted desperately to go inside and listen, but he knew better. Despite his curiosity he sat still, looking like his usual vaguely bored self as he stared at the ground, thinking more of what was going on inside than what was around him.
After a while of pondering what could be happening inside a thought he had ignored until then began to nag at him again, the small thought that he had had in the morning… the one he had tucked away to examine later.
He sighed, running his hand through his hair silently hesitant to examine the emotion that had begun to develop in his mind when he thought about Hinata.
But he wasn't an idiot, he knew affection when he felt it… It was just accepting it that was the problem.
Affection of course was one thing. She was his friend, more or less, though you'd never hear him say it. If he saw anyone hurt her he would probably strangle them on the spot, but then again he would do that for most of the girls he had grown up with. It was just a sort of courtesy he figured his mother would expect of him… as would most of the village population.
But for some reason Hinata was different. It felt different.
He bit his lip and shoved the thought away, staring off into the street and the trees moving to the breeze.
No… he couldn't think about it.
Two hours later Tsunade appeared outside, closing the door quietly behind her.
Sasuke didn't move or make any sign to state he had heard her but waiting patiently as she stepped down onto the road and turned back to look at him, looking thoughtful.
"She needs a good night's rest, that's all." She muttered, rubbing her neck. "There's nothing obviously wrong with her."
"Hn." He studied her, wondering if the older woman would give any information. His curiosity had been quieted by the waiting and the state of silent absent mindedness he had managed to drive himself into.
But it was there, and probably would drive him crazy all night long if he didn't know 'something'.
Reading quite clearly the hidden expression on the Uchiha's face Tsunade sighed, stepping up to him and crouching down to his level.
"The dream is hers to share. You were in it, I assume you know."
Sasuke looked back at her silently, his hands twined in front of his face, mouth pressed into a thin line of impassiveness.
"It is nothing, for the time being. I require you to pay close attention to your duties as captain of the security team, leave the dreaming to Hinata." She ordered, pushing herself up.
"What have you found out, by the way?"
"Nothing. I sent a team of three out to the Rain where there's a possible lead on Akatsuki." He replied shortly, infuriated with his own curiosity and the reality that he would have to live with it unsatisfied for some time. Somehow he didn't expect Hinata to suddenly share her dreams with him.
"I see… and you have nothing to do but wait for now, ne?' Tsunade sighed, glancing back at him, stopping at the gate of the mansion garden.
Sasuke nodded slightly, only the slightest inclination of his head. "Hai."
"How irksome." She murmured, rubbing her temple irritably. "Please inform me of any news, concerning either the mission or Hinata. All right?"
The avenger nodded again, impatient for her to leave.
"And take care of her." Tsunade added over her shoulder, fixing him with a look of mixed interest and force. Sasuke scoffed, a sound that made her think he knew that already.
Smirking in satisfaction Tsunade finally left, letting the gate slam shut as she exited.
Released finally, Sasuke stood turning around to face the doorway, frowning at it thoughtfully. Whatever state Hinata was in he didn't care…
But somehow he was nervous going inside. Licking his lips he sighed, rotating his shoulders as he took hold of the doorknob, stepping into the lit house to the smell of something already cooking in the kitchen and her steady humming coming from the room.
It was noon… it only made sense.
"S-sasuke-kun?" Her voice called as the door closed behind him. He blinked, surprised that she could hear him so far away, he had made a point to close the door quietly.
"Hn?" he called, walking slowly towards the kitchen and stopping to lean against the frame as was his custom.
She had her back to him, reaching for the salt above the stove on her tiptoes, and apron hanging around her waist looking a little strange on top of her training gear.
"…H-has Ino-chan been around?"
Sasuke flinched, recalling the order she had been given the night before, to report to the training site early in the morning.
"No." he replied, frowning slightly.
"Hn." Hinata replied, sounding much like him as she scooped a bit of salt up between her fingers and dumped it on the contents in the pan.
"P-perhaps I-I should go f-find her w-when this is d-done to apologize…"
"I'll go tell her the situation." Sasuke put in sharply, turning around.
Hinata stared at him a moment, making him stop to look back over his shoulder at her questionably.
"Ano… arigato…Sasuke-kun." She mumbled, coloring rapidly. "G-gomen…Tsunade-sama s-sent you o-out and I-"
"It's fine." He shrugged. "I'll be back in a few minutes."
Hinata nodded, rubbing her arm thoughtfully as he vanished, the butterflies in her stomach doing odd loops.
Something of a smile tickled her lips for a moment as she turned back around, blinking at the stir fry in the pan.
"He had better be taking good care of you, Hinata." Tsunade grumbled, pushing herself to her feet.
Hinata looked at her thoughtfully, pondering the truth behind that comment. She remembered how he had carried her home the first time at the training site, how he had changed her out of her soiled clothing when she had been disowned, how he had been training her respectfully for months and how he had made a point to stay home each night for dinner because she cooked… and last, how he had held her when she had been too disoriented to contain herself that morning.
"…ano… He is…" she blinked back up at Tsunade's surprised expression. "He really is."
Hinata smiled, turning to glance in the fridge thoughtfully.
Maybe there's some tomato I can use for dinner… It is his favorite food…after all…
There is gonna be a SKIP.
Yes, yeah, I know I'm kinda dragging it on and on- but wait my friends, the skip is for the sake of ALL our sanities.
It is at the beginning of the Chuunin examination- that's where the true action starts. Keep in mind this is sometime during juuune.. I think….:D
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-inky