Thanks for those who gave me awesome reviews for chapter nine
(Please excuse the errors…I am too lazy to edit my works.)
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto…
Chapter Ten: The Trap that Changes Everything
Hyuuga Hinata removed the slippery hand that holds her by the arm and looked at the vulgar man whose smirk and devious smile sent shivers down her spine. "Enough of your games, Sasuke-kun."
She tried her best not to sound anything but calm and in control, this Uchiha is like a little devil that feeds on fears and awkwardness, she won't give him that.
Good Lord. All she wanted to do was to check on him.
"Your face…" Sasuke's fingers traced the reddish cheek of the obviously flustered Anbu. He never knew that teasing a Hyuuga could be this fun…and exciting. "An Anbu that has never seen a naked man before?"
The Hyuuga flinched when she felt his fingers touched her burning cheek. Instinctively, she took a few steps back and raised her hands as if to ward him off. Sasuke only raised his eyebrows at her and crossed his arms. "Your too innocent for an Anbu Hyuuga…I don't know what Kakashi is thinking when he assigned you to that group."
"I am not innocent." Hinata cannot stop herself from saying. Sasuke's words hurt and slapped her like a hundred kunais. A few flashbacks of her father calling her weak and useless came flowing back to her mind like it all happened a few seconds ago. "I am an Anbu because I worked hard and that made the Hokage recognized my skill Uchiha-san." She intended to call him with a different honorific to emphasize the point that she was offended by what he said.
"Really?" Sasuke was amused that he was seeing Hinata in a different way, her eyes where spitting fires at him and her jaws clenched. So this is how she reacts when she's pissed…intriguing.
"Really." She looked at him with fierce determination and hurt in her face. If she cannot bring herself to stare at his eyes a few moments ago, she certainly has the guts to do now. "I f I am not a capable Anbu…I could have never knocked you unconscious…" Her voice started to have that taunting tone into it.
The Uchiha chuckled low, almost like a growl. He knew that he was just getting back at her for reasons that he himself acknowledged as childish and immature, but things just got a little more interesting…
"You are, princess…you are."
"I'm not."
"Then prove it." Without warning, he grabbed her by the waist and pulled the shocked Hyuuga to him, somewhere in his mind, he was calculating if she was going to try blocking his chakra pathways again, though he knew the action would be futile. Uchiha Sasuke never loses a second time.
Hinata almost squeaked when she found herself staring at Sasuke's bare chest. Small droplets of water began to drop from his hair to her face as she struggled to get loose from his hold. "Sasuke!"
"Innocent eh?" She heard him say.
"Sasuke-kun!"
Sasuke chuckled again, this time a little louder. "Now you are calling me Sasuke-kun…"
Hinata could feel her face burning, especially when she can feel the vibrations from his chest and neck area when he chuckled. She wanted to punch him, or claw at his face for the way he treated her with this kind of attitude. She never thought that he could be so…
She doesn't even know the word to describe him at the moment.
A finger lifted her chin and she came looking at the most unwanted face she wanted to see at the moment, not to mention that it was just a few inches away from hers.
"Hinata…" his usual arrogant tone was suddenly replaced with something that she has never heard before. She knew deep inside that he was messing with her again, he have done it plenty of times already and she was sure that this one is no exemption. This guy is a womanizer and he did not even know it.
How a simple argument resulted into this, she has no idea.
"Sasuke-kun…personal boundaries." She reminded him, pushing him away from her. If she has a hard time breathing earlier, she literally doesn't breathe now. Her body is so tense and stiff, it actually refused to follow what she was thinking.
"Innocent." He whispered in her ear.
He will never stop this stupid game if I don't concede." The heiress thought, still wriggling to get herself free from his…embrace?
Sasuke knew that he may be stepping out of line, or he may be putting his life on the line. That Hyuuga Neji would skin him literally if he found out about his little venture with his little cousin. Oh, and let us not forget the Aburame… Sasuke could now imagine how poisonous or creepy bugs would visit him at night.
"I will never go back on my word….but if you c-could just let go…I admit that you are stronger than me by a large gap, Sasuke-kun…but…I do not like it if someone calls me weak." A small, resigned voice said that brought another one of those signature smiles of his. He never thought an heiress of a mighty clan would actually admit to such, Hyuuga Neji would tear his hair out if he was here.
It was degrading for an heiress…especially a Hyuuga. He guessed that she was just really uncomfortable.
He smirked and let her leave the confinement of his arms. "Admitting it already?"
The only answer that Uchiha Sasuke received was the sound of the door, slamming shut. "Hm."
-o-o-o-
Gaara's observant eyes did not miss the look of pure perplexity from the Hyuuga's face as she slammed the door shut. He was just passing by and was checking on the other emissaries when he saw her, her face radiating heat.
Did Hinata just came out of that annoying Uchiha's room?
"Hyuuga-san." He tipped his head and stopped in front of her. In response, her eyes widened and she bowed her respects.
"Kazekage…" Hinata muttered, her eyes darting from the door to Gaara's face. "I…I just checked on Sasuke-kun… we already have the peace scroll so…I think we would be leaving on tomorrow or on the next day."
"So soon?"
"I think the Hokage would be worried if we stayed here too long, especially when the scroll is in our possession." Hinata explained, eyeing the Kazekage with a friendly gaze. Even though Gaara is renowned for his coldness, he has treated her with respect and as an ally.
"I understand."
"Kazekage-"
The sound of a creaking door stopped their conversation. Hinata was about to asked Gaara to give her permission to leave, for her to return to her room and rest, unfortunately, Sasuke's door creaked open and the vulgar creature's head popped out and looked at them with his obsidian eyes.
Gaara did not miss the look of horror from Hinata's face. His lips almost twitched with amusement at the display of such awkwardness in front of him. If Temari was here, it would have messed with her head to mush.
"Uchiha." Gaara eyed the wet head that stared at him like he was his next meal.
Sasuke took a few steps out, exposing his whole body. Gaara's black lidded eyes turned into slits when he saw that the Uchiha's only body covering was a towel. It's was only a matter of seconds though, for he has replaced it with a cool and unreadable expression.
Hinata saw that the Kazekage gave her a glance after scanning Sasuke's outfit. If not for the tiniest thread of self control, she would have fainted right there and then. What would the Kazekage think of her?
Sasuke smirked. He ignored the Kazekage and his eyes looked at Hinata. "We haven't finished yet. Why did you leave?"
"Eh?" For a moment, Hinata thought that her world just stopped. What would happen if she used her control over the cursed mark right there? She knew that she would never go back on her word… but thinking about it just feels so good.
"Because…" Hinata said with false calmness, she knew that Sasuke was not messing with her now…he was messing with Gaara. She could feel the male ego radiating from both of the deadly Shinobis. "You haven't changed yet…Did I not suggest that you put on some clothes first and we can discuss things later? I really did not mean to intrude."
The heiress felt a little triumphant because of the way she have explained everything in those simple sentences. Now the Kazekage would not think of her like a wanton woman. She may be an Anbu but her dignity is important to her.
"All settled then." Gaara's expressionless face has an undeniable aura of smugness attached to it. Hinata was sure that Sasuke felt it too, the Uchiha looked at the heiress like he was going to use his sharingan on her any second. "Hyuuga-san…I'll walk you to your room."
"Hai…"
"It's a cold night, Uchiha…I suggest you put some clothes on." Gaara said, leading Hinata to the sandy corridor. He gave Sasuke one last look before turning his back to him.
"Cold night it is…" Sasuke snorted as he closed the door.
-o-o-o-
After the incident, Sasuke has been more cold and distant with Hinata. The mutual connection that she has slowly established with him a few days ago started to crumble to pieces. The next morning, he did not even bother to talk to her in whole sentences, and the event from last night still made her blush like she has eaten something really…really hot.
The Uchiha haven't forgiven her for taking off last night.
Well, why would not she? He gave her enough reason to.
She did not even know that he plans on going back to Konoha that very day. She just saw him packing his gear and told her gruffly, "You wanna come? Pack your bags."
She hurried to pack for a few provisions that Temari and Kankuro have kindly provided when she informed them that they are going back to Konoha. Kankuro openly expressed that he was disappointed that they…or mostly she, won't be able to stay longer, while Temari just smiled and told her to send her regards to Shikamaru and Naruto.
The Kazekage however, did not show any expression about the matter. Like Temari, he sends his regards for Naruto, lady Tsunade, and Kakashi-sensei. Gaara has been really nice to her in his own silent way. Hinata never expected to find a friend in the Kazekage's presence. Or at least, that was what she feels. The one thing that surprised her, was when the Kazekage gave her a jar filled with fine golden sand. The jar alone is a priceless gift, the delicate designs that were hand painted and carved was stunning.
The once Jinchuriki told her that it was a gift from him to her, to be a reminder that she would always be welcome in the village hidden in the sand.
That morning, she also said her goodbyes to the emissaries who are still there, who in return, invited her to visit their respective villages if she has the time to spare. She politely accepted the offer, though she explained that her work as an Anbu took almost all of her time.
By midday, the two Konohans have already put a long distance from Suna and between them. The sandy dessert floor that they trodden hours ago was now replaced with the green forest floor. Like before, Sasuke never stopped for a minute to rest. Every time she was left behind, he would just slow his pace for her to catch up.
"Ow." She yelped, swatting instinctively at the back of her neck. Maybe a small insect have bitten her?
"Hyuuga." Sasuke suddenly stopped in front of her. Good thing she has good reflexes, she was able to avoid bumping into his back with a simple pivot. "Check the perimeter with your Byakugan."
Hinata frowned at Sasuke's sudden alertness. His head tilted ever so slightly as if he was listening for something. She activated her Byakugan and the veins from around her temple popped, she scanned the area and shrugged. "What do you want me to see, Sasuke-kun?"
"Anything suspicious."
"Nothing…"
"Hm." He started his pace again, his dark hair flows with the wind. Hinata followed obediently, worry starting to eat at her nerves. Why did Sasuke asked if there was anything suspicious? Did the young Uchiha felt that something was wrong? Hinata admitted that she did not feel anything wrong at all, and she herself was not bad in detecting danger. She was actually quite sensitive in this kind of things.
A few hours passed and nothing unusual happened, much to the Hyuuga's relief. She has been tensed and extra alert all the way when Sasuke started to act stiff. Maybe he was just overreacting?
Or maybe I am the one who is overreacting. The Anbu thought as she tucked stray hair that whipped her face in an irritating manner. Without stopping, she grabbed a handful of her tresses and clumsily tied it in a messy bun. When her face was free of hair, she looked into the sky and bit her lip.
It was getting dark and if her calculations were correct, they are not going to reach town until tomorrow morning.
A few minutes later, both stopped when they reached a small clearing. The space is not too crowded with shrubs and plants, the dead leaves and twigs that littered the area are not comfortable enough to serve as a mattress, but they would have to do. Silently, both of them started to clear the place a little so they would have a somewhat clean ground to sit down to.
Activating her Byakugan, the heiress scanned the area and frowned. Without any warning, she gasped and touched her forehead.
A sudden head pain attacked her like a needle on skin. At first, all she felt was shock at the sensation of throbbing pain. A second wave of head pain and she can't stop her legs from buckling.
Strong arms held her steady before she could hit the ground face first. She clung to them as her body shook with the slow pain that was beginning to creep ever so slowly to her eyes. She gasped again and unconsciously buried her face into Sasuke's chest.
"Stop using your Byakugan." He hissed as he waited for her to stay still. "Stop using it..damnit."
Sasuke knew that something was wrong the moment her pale face contorted in pain and shock. He saw her knees shook and without thinking much, reached for her just in time before the heiress could hit the ground.
"Th-that's th-the problem…" He heard the heiress speak between breathes. "I can't use my B-Byakugan."
"Can you see me?" He asked. His body becoming tensed as his eyes darted from every corner of the clearing. Something is not right here.
"Yes." Hinata replied, still squinting because of the pain.
Sasuke touched Hinata's temple to check her eyes when his nose wrinkled as a faint smell of chemical tickled his senses. He sniffed again and one of his hands, the one that doesn't hold the shaking Hyuuga, moved to hold the tip of his sword that was attached on his back.
Earlier, he has the feeling of being watched and followed. The only thing that confused him was the absence of chakra signature. He convinced himself earlier that he was just being paranoid. Hinata haven't seen anything weird with her Byakugan, what could go wrong?
He knew that well trained ninjas can keep their chakra signature from strangers when they want to, but no one can escape the all seeing eye of the Hyuuga's dojutso. Sure, they have a small blind spot at the back of their necks, but a person should have to be very close to a Hyuuga's neck to avoid being seen.
Unless Hinata's Byakugan have been intentionally disabled. Sasuke thought grimly. He sniffed again, this time tracing where the unfamiliar scent of chemical is from. He moved Hinata so that he could see her neck, he was sure the scent came there the strongest.
A small dart, almost unnoticeable because of its size, have stabbed itself on the Hyuuga's skin. Without saying anything, he pulled it out, causing Hinata to yelp. She started to squirm so he has to silence her with a soft pat of his fingers to her lips.
"Something is about to go wrong." His voice was low. "You have been drugged."
Hinata's eyes widened. Drugged? When? A sudden pain shook her body again and all she can do was trust the strong arms that held her. It feels like her eyes were being torn out from their sockets, she has to bit her lip to hard enough to draw blood, just to stop herself from crying out loud.
A familiar, sharp whistling sound in the air was heard and the young Uchiha leaped from the clearing to the safety of a tree branch, the blue haired Anbu still on his arms. On the spot where the Konohans have been seconds ago, was now replaced with six glistening kunais that were lodged firmly on the soft ground.
The young Uchiha hissed. He looked at the trembling Hyuuga that still clutched at his shirt while shaking. The darkness was just starting, but it was still enough for a shinobi to see clearly. She's drugged…she can't fight.
Cursing at himself for not realizing that someone is after them, he leaped to another branch just as another set of sharp kunais whipped passed their ears. Unsheathing his sword, he adjusted his hold on Hinata and activated his sharingan.
If he so chose, he would have used Susanoo to scare the hell out of whoever dared to ambushed them, the killing aura and appearance of the sharingan deity could make anyone tremble with fear. However, his gaze fell on the blue haired Anbu, it would also be a danger for her if he used it with her so near.
"G-gomenasai…I'm useless right now, Sasuke-kun." He heard her whimper as she closed her eyes shut. The pain must be overwhelming enough for her to hold at his clothing that turns her knuckles white.
"Just stay still." He leaped again, this time; he deflected a few kunais with his sword. The sound of metal against metal was so clear and sharp, it made the Hyuuga winced. "I can take care of these idiots in a minute."
Hinata's breathing was turning into ragged gasps. She tried to open her eyes and when she did, she saw masked men emerged from under the bushes and thick shrubs. Even in her painful state, she manages to do a headcount.
More or less ten masked men, all armed with weapons.
Sasuke smirked. What could obviously trigger these clowns to ambush them? They obviously did not know that he is an Uchiha. The Sasuke Uchiha.
Half of the masked men threw sharp kunais, shurikens, and other throwable weapons at them, while the other half started to circle the area. One of them has the mistake of attacking headfirst with a deadly sword, a second later, he found himself engulf in black flames.
"Amaterasu." Was the last word the masked man heard before he was totally wrapped with painful black flames that left him wriggling and screaming on the forest floor.
Realizing the danger of the person who wields those bloody red eyes, some of them backed up a bit, though they still continued to throw weapons at the targeted Hyuuga and her partner.
There was one kunai that almost hit Hinata on the head, but Sasuke was fast as he shielded the Hyuuga with his own body. He hissed as he felt the blade of the kunai on his left shoulder. He could have deflected it with his sword, but at that exact moment, he needed it as one of the masked men leaped on him with a deadly weapon of his own.
Sensing fear on those ninja wanabes, Sasuke tightened his grip on the weak heiress and jumped down the branch to land on the soft ground. With the sudden movement, the nine or so masked men found their chance and attacked him. He easily deflected each kunai and shielded himself from stabbing swords.
Three masked men dropped to the ground, lifeless. Their necks ripped by the cold steel of Sasuke's sword.
"Stupid idiots." The Uchiha muttered. They may be crafty in the way they drugged the Byakugan user and not to mention that these people has the stealth to be proud of… Their fighting skills can never surpass a high ranked ninja.
After a few more sharingan techniques, only three of the masked man remained. Feeling no danger anymore, Sasuke let the Heiress leave his arms and dropped her softly on the soft ground as he leaped to give the three the last blow.
They would never see the light of day again.
Even in her painful state, Hinata cannot help herself but to look with concern at Sasuke, he may finished them all off, but a kunoichi can never be so sure. She saw him give the three one last blow and they dropped to the ground like stringed puppets. She can also see blood on the Uchiha's left shoulder, dripping down on his hand.
Hinata never liked the idea of killing even if she has done it many times, but she knew him well enough now to see that there was nothing she could say to make him spare the people who ambushed them. And drugged me.
She tried to steady her shaking self by planting both of her hands to the ground, moving her feet a little, she willed herself to stand up. The pain that racked her body increased by the action, which made her winced and thankfully, did not weakened her knees again.
When her eyes darted back to Sasuke, he was staring at her with those red eyes. "Can the Kazekage protect you like this?" He snorted.
That male ego again. He really would not let it go...will he? The heiress thought. Under normal circumstances, she would just roll her eyes at Sasuke's childlike attitude.
But he just saved her life…
Sasuke sheathed his bloody sword, mentally reminding himself to clean it when they reached town. He took a few steps to the Hyuuga, who obviously is in great pain as she tried her best not to shake, her face glistening with sweat.
She suddenly shouted a warning. "Sasuke don't move!"
It was too late. Hinata saw it too late…
When Sasuke was about to come to her, the wind blew a little stronger than before, making the leaves and plants rustle. It was then that Hinata saw a very thin string that was on his way, stretched so hard that it was impossible to see, if not by chance like she did.
It was a booby trap.
She screamed a warning, but at the same time, she willed herself to move. She can feel the pain of a thousand piercing needles on her head with the sudden effort, but at that moment, she just did not care. Everything moved like it was deprived of the real time pace, like everything was moving in slow motion.
She saw his foot stepped on the trap and she heard the string snapped. In those silent seconds, Hinata prayed that she could reach the Uchiha in time…
When she did, she wrapped her arms around him and covered his body with hers.
It was all followed by an explosion.
-o-o-o-
PLEASE DO NOT BE ANGRY AT ME.
I know some of you guys are waiting for more HInaGaaraSasu moments (you know….those Sasuke jealousy thingy) but please remember that they are on a mission…and they should not dawdle too long if it was very important right?
By the way…please review…I am soo heartbroken when I learned that I got only few reviews for the last chapter….It broke my heart…huhuhu. (REVIEW….REVIEW…REVIEW…REVIEW…heal my heart…)
But for those who did…thank you. You are my inspiration….swear.
Ps. I really tried my best to not to make them OOC…can you tell?