Hi! The last chap was short so I 'm going to make it up to you by writing a long chapter... :)
By the way…there was one review that was something about editing the story if I really wanted to improve myself or something…so here is my answer: believe it or not, I would love to edit my work…but I have a life. I am a student so I am busy because it's the first semester of my third year engineering course… I always try my best to update because I have a lot of awesome readers who are very patient and understanding. Please try to understand. (To be honest, I did not expect to continue with the story this long…but I did because of encouraging reviews)
Shucks guys…. The reviews that I received are all awesome… It made me smile the whole day! Not to mention the suggestions and grammar lessons from some of the reviewers are very, very, helpful
Whew! This is a long chapter!
Disclaimer: you know the drill...
Chapter Thirteen: Lightning and Lavenders (Final part)
Sasuke removed his hand from her mouth when he was sure that she won't say anything that could alert any medic nin outside. He watched as the heiress froze on her bed, trying hard to understand what was happening. She looked different from the last time he saw her, her hair was braided into a thick plate down to the middle of her back, which was new for her. He also noted that she was not messy anymore; she was clean though there are bruises that were visible in her arms and legs.
He raised an eyebrow. Speaking of legs, he can actually see her slender limbs from the loose green garment she was wearing. The thin material draped nicely on her body, enhancing the curves that were usually hidden behind a vest or a loose purple jacket.
Was he the first to see those hidden curves? He wondered.
"Don't even think of calling out a warning." He growled, a bit irritated because she was fidgeting. Hinata opened her mouth as if she was about to say something, then closed it again, as if she changed her mind.
"Sasuke?" Her voice was low. "Or is this some kind of trick?"
The Uchiha looked at her incredulously, quite surprised from the words that came out of her mouth, her lips was formed into a thin line and her head tilted defiantly. "I am not allowed to have visitors...and Sasuke-kun won't waste his time with me...he also has watchers to follow him around Konoha."
"Hm."
A pair of strong hands took both of hers and raised them up. At first, she tried to pull them back; a little worried because of her temporary blindness. She was about to protest but stopped when she felt that her hands has touched something warm.
Warm…and soft…and…
She cannot help but gasped when she realized that her hands were on his face, placed on both side of his cheeks.
"Surely you can recognize someone by the use of touch." She heard him say, allowing her to roam her hands on his strong facial features.
Oh, he was Uchiha Sasuke, alright.
He let her hands go and at the same time, her jaw dropped as she tried to wrap her mind around the fact that the Uchiha was inside her room. Did he use the window to come inside? Tricked the guards with an illusion with his sharingan?
"What do you want Sasuke-kun?...and your watcher?" Hinata asked, a bit dazed. She uncurled herself from her old position and straightened up, silently waiting for anything to happen...Anything at all. She knew that this was a very rare encounter…little proud and mighty Sasuke visiting her, a kunoichi who has been confined because of her pitiful state.
Her hands slowly touched the bandage that covers her eyes, feeling the soft clothe with her fingers.
Sasuke Uchiha smirked. He looked at the Hyuuga princess and cannot help himself but sigh. Hell, He doesn't even understand the reason why he sneaked inside her room in the first place, which he reminded himself, was not easy. He has to use the window, avoiding medic nins and roaming Anbus…not to mention some of the Hyuuga guards that were outside. He also has to trick Naruto not to follow him when he said that he was going to the training grounds to stretch his muscles a bit, the blonde has been visiting him almost every day since he was out from the hospital.
Why the hell was was he here anyway?
Hinata waited for an answer, but a few minutes passed and she heard nothing. The room became silent and for a moment, the Hyuuga thought that she was imagining things...or if Sasuke was really here, he left as fast as he has came.
Feeling a little left out, she resigned in her darkness and slowly sank again on the mattress, burying her face on a pillow for the second time. Oh how she wished Shino was here, even if the Aburame doesn't talk much, his presence alone would make her feel better…or Neji, her Nii-san always encourages her and he was one of those people that she really wanted to see…and Kiba-kun…his loudness would be a wonderful light for her right now.
"What are you doing?"
Hinata yelped and jolted into a sitting position. The sudden movement brought pain to her head and she cannot help but hiss, hands clutching at her aching ribs to ease the pain. Her head jerked into the direction were the voice came.
It came from the end of the bed.
"Sasu-"
"Don't say my name out loud." His voice was low but clear.
Silently reminding herself that her senses were not yet back to that of a qualified Anbu, Hinata faced her unexpected visitor blindly. She guessed that he was sitting on the opposite side of the bed because she felt the sheets move.
"Hinata."
"Sasuke…?" She tried to lower her voice. That short agonizing moments of realizing that she was alone earlier made the heiress admit to herself that she needed someone's company so badly. It's weird but…she doesn't want to be left alone yet.
"Did you remember anything the night you when you went berserk?" He asked.
"No…thought there are flashbacks sometimes…but not all of it." Hinata admitted, trying to think if she actually remembered anything. Yes, she actually remembered hitting someone's head with her own…and when she tried to run away from the zetsus….other than that, just a blurry mess. "But Ino-chan told me you're the one who calmed me down…Arigatou."
"Hm." So she doesn't remember…
Sasuke leaned on the bed post, his right hand resting on the knee that he pulled on top of the bed. His eyes staring at the window, letting the scent of lavenders engulf his senses. It made his mind calm…relieving him from the memory of nasty nightmares and heartaches even just for a short time.
His head turned to his left when shaky fingers tugged on the sleeve of his blue shirt.
"Sasuke-kun…"
"What?"
"T-the scroll…what happened to it?"
"Kakashi has it. It's safe."
Hinata sighed. "Good thing we did not lost it. The mission would have been for nothing."
The Uchiha snorted. How could this girl have the blood of the proud and powerful Hyuuga? Sure she was talented and skilled, a thing that could make the Hyuuga clan proud but… She was always thinking the sake of the others before her…always being so polite and nice…always being so pure.
As far as he knew…that was not something that could be seen on any Hyuuga. Be on the higher ruling branch or not.
"Why are you here?" She asked him again, her hands still clutching the fabric of his sleeve. He noticed that she has crawled to sit near him…too near for her comfort in fact…if she could only see. He remembered her muttering some nonsense about personal boundaries during their stay at Sunakagure. "How did you get away from your watcher?"
"No more watchers for me…Kakashi ordered it days ago. Why do you have to ask?" He glowered at the blind Hyuuga. He doesn't know why he did it, but he just glowered at her unseeing eyes anyway.
"Why are you here, Sasuke-kun?"
"Shut it…will you Hinata?"
"I…I mean…you-"
"Do you want me to leave or not?" He asked her rather gruffly.
Hinata was taken aback by the Uchiha's words. His grand declaration of leaving sent her heart into a racing contest. "No…I don't want you to leave…yet." She answered, a little embarrassed that she was actually saying these words to Sasuke.
"Then just shut your mouth and I won't leave…yet."
Hinata's lips formed into a straight line. Having one person to stay with her, even just for a few minutes is more preferable than actually having no one.
"I…am shutting right up." A tiny voice came from the Hyuuga.
"Good choice."
-o-o-o-
The sounds of insects filled the night, joining the rhythm of the gentle raindrops that falls on the roof of the huge ancestral mansion. On the porch of the said estate, Uzumaki Naruto stood, his bright orange coat a contrast from the enveloping darkness of the night.
A shadowy figure passed by him in a blur, leaping inside the house.
"Out in a rainy evening walk Sasuke?" The Uzumaki asked, crossing his arms and facing the shadow that stopped abruptly when he spoke.
"Why are you here, Naruto?" Sasuke answered his best friend's question with a question.
The young Uzumaki followed him inside the mansion. He leaned on the side of the sliding door and turned on the light switch which was just above his head. He eyed the Uchiha and the water droplets that fell on the floor. "No one has seen you on any training grounds today…and I thought you said we are going to get some ramen for lunch."
"You came here just to remind me about ramen?"
"Well…you went missing for the whole day, baka. You are very good in hiding your chakra signature."
"I went training somewhere." Sasuke answered the whiskered blonde with a shrug. He turned his back on him and walked to the kitchen, taking his wet shirt off in the process and tossed it into a laundry basket. The Uchiha then stretched his arms, his well toned body glistening with rain water. "Maybe some other time Naruto…It left my mind during…training."
The blonde followed him to the kitchen and rummage inside his cupboards. When he found something edible that he like, he returned to the living room and sat on a couch. "Everyone is on the edge with Hinata's confinement. You should have seen Kiba…he's going nuts."
To Naruto's surprise, Sasuke sat on the other couch which was located in front of him. The Uchiha leaned his head back on the soft material, closing his eyes as if he was resting. He did not expect Sasuke to listen about his little ramble about the Hyuuga issue. He actually thought that the raven haired Uchiha would leave him alone or tells him to go back to his own place like he usually does.
"Go ask Sakura. She's one of the few people to see the Hyuuga." Sasuke said, eyes still closed.
"Sakura told me it was some clan issue…but Hinata-chan's fine…Ino and Sakura-chan assured us earlier. They could see Hina when she recovers fully." Naruto stuffed his mouth with food and chew thoughtfully. "Say Sasuke…I planning on sneaking into her room tomorrow."
The young Uchiha opened his eyes and for a moment, the obsidian orbs turned into slits, though Naruto was too busy digging in his food to notice. "What?"
"Hinata-chan must be lonely being alone…I wanted to see her condition personally. Sakura-chan won't tell me anything…even Kakashi-sensei and Tsunade-baachan won't say anything about it. Heh, I bet Neji wanted to sneak in too…but he is bound by the clan's rule." Naruto grinned and he gave the person in front of him very confident thumbs up. "But I am not."
"Sakura would break your bones Naruto."
"She won't know." The nine tailed fox vessel brushed the crumbs off his orange jacket, grimacing at the thought of his girlfriend beating the hell out of him. "But I have to see Hina's condition with my own eyes."
Flashbacks of a young blushing Hinata while stalking a very oblivious Naruto came back to Sasuke's mind. Those gentle smiles and longing looks that she always gives his way, those lifesaving moments that the Hyuuga princess has done during the war with Naruto…
And lastly…
The night when he, Sasuke Uchiha has kissed the Hyuuga princess.
"Then I will be the one to break your bones."
"Heh?" Naruto looked at his best friend, confused and surprised at the same time. Has he heard him right? "What?"
"Don't go meddling into mighty clan's affairs, Naruto." Sasuke wanted him to knock the idea of sneaking into Hinata's hospital room off. He knew he was acting like a brat with no plans of sharing his candy…but he doesn't care. It's his candy nonetheless…
My…my what? Sasuke caught himself but it was too late. He cannot go back on the words that came out of his mouth.
"Oh, Come on Sasuke!" The Uzumaki raised his hands up in exasperation. "Why now? You usually don't care anyway." He crossed his arms, lips puckered in annoyance. "When I am Hokage, I will give those Hyuuga elders a piece of my mind."
"Just don't do it Naruto."
"Hmp…"
"You're still going to do it." Sasuke eyed the blonde. He knew Naruto would never give up once he has set his mind into it. Hell, no one even expected it that this dumb ass would be able to bring him back…after years and years of his rebellious and revenge-driven actions.
"You and Sakura-chan can break my bones anytime you like." Naruto said with firm resolve. "But I won't stop until I can see Hinata…She saved me many times…not just my life, but my sanity…It's the least I could do for her."
-o-o-o-
In Sunakagure…
Temari burst into her brother's office, her brows furrowed in a worried state.
Gaara looked up from the pile of paper works which he buried his face into. The sudden entrance of his sister without knocking or being summoned was unusual for the sand princess. Temari may be rough in her actions sometimes but she was a very respectful kunoichi. She would not just barge in if there was not something that bothers her.
"We just came back from the trade you assigned me yesterday." The fan lady started, planting her fist into the Kazekage's desk to get his full attention. "We passed the northern woods outside Suna's borders…The forest that-"
"Leads to a nearby town…" Gaara said, remembering the little town which they always pass when visiting Konoha. He rested his chin on both of his hands and looked at his worried sister calmly.
"And we found this…" She tossed the forehead protector that has the mark of the leaf village engraved on the center metal. It clattered on his desk and rested on top of his paperworks.
"We saw that on a place that was ruined by an explosion. We found a few bodies there too… But no Konohans…" Temari was worried. "The peace treaty could be at risk here. What if the Hokage thought we did something to the emissaries that he sent? I bet he knows that you are not really on good terms with the Uchiha…"
"Naruto would know that I would never do such a thing. The Hokage too…" Gaara answered calmly.
Temari nodded, she knew that her brother was right, but her mind was still worried about the Konohans…Hinata mostly. She was her friend…a comrade at arms and to be honest, she really liked the girl.
Gaara took the forehead protector into his hand, inspecting it with his heavily lidded eyes. He has no doubt that the blue haired Anbu owned this one. He did not see the Uchiha wearing any, besides, the faint smell of lavenders is unmistakable.
"There were no signs that they were dead." Temari said. "But we can never be sure if the peace scroll reached the leaf…or if the two of them were wounded…We knew that the Uchiha can handle things bigger than a little ambush but…"
"But what?" Gaara's calm demeanor did not falter, though his eyes were starting to turn themselves into thin lines.
"There were a lot of traps, they are created with such skill and creativity that we have to be very careful. Some of my men almost fell on the traps…and to think that they are well trained sand Shinobi." Temari said.
The Kage stood up from his chair, tossing the papers aside, while Temari looked at her brother expectantly. She knew that he will be making an order. Konoha is very close to the leaf…Gaara would not let anything go in between the two villages. She waited as his eyes lingered on the forehead protector for a moment, then he put it inside his pocket.
"Temari, Look for Kankuro and inform our brother that he will be the one to be in charge of Suna for a few days…we are both going to Konoha." The young Kazekage ordered. "We will start before noon."
"Hai." In a flash, the girl was out of the room, leaving a soft breeze on her wake.
-o-o-o-
Hinata stirred and stretched her arms, yawning a little when she helped herself up. The soft rustling of leaves and the warm air tells her that it was already morning.
She cannot help but smile a little when she remembered her unexpected visitor yesterday. Sasuke stayed with her until evening. She can tell because she was already feeling a little sleepy when he told her that he was going back to his own bed.
The whole time when he was with her, they did not really talk. The Uchiha made it clear that he doesn't want any conversation. It was fine with her…the knowledge of not being alone in her blinded state was enough to make her feel better. Though her mind cannot fathom why he would strain himself in sneaking into her room…but never even wanted to talk.
He just sat on her bed, silent as nothing, except for the occasional scolding when he thought that she was doing something foolish, like when she was trying to stand up and walked to the sink by herself, then stumbling when she hit a table or when she giggled when a medic came and Sasuke has to hid under the bed.
A knock from the outside made the Hyuuga tilt her head and muttered "You can come in."
The door opened and Ino entered, carrying a beautiful jar in her left hand, on the right were freshly picked flowers. She smiled when she saw that Hinata was already up, a small smile on her lips. "Ohayo."
Hinata's ears twitched when she heard the familiar voice. "Ino-chan!"
The young Yamanaka laughed at the Anbu's reaction when she recognized her. She sat beside her friend and took her hand, placing it into the beautiful jar she was holding. "I brought you something…I found this on your pack on your trip back from Suna. No one can visit you yet except medics…so I hope this will make you feel better."
The Hyuuga girl traced the intricate designs with her fingers. When she jiggled it a bit and heard that it was sand, she beamed. "The golden sand from the Kazekage! I thought I lost it or it was destroyed."
"The container is not just beautiful…It's also sturdy." Ino traced the lines too. "But what's inside is more precious. I never thought that sand could be so beautiful."
"It's a gift." Hinata placed the jar beside her. "Arigatou for bringing it here, Ino-chan."
"That's what friends do, neh?" Ino can't stop but grin. She knew that Hinata cannot see her, with her covered eyes and temporarily disabled Byakugan, but the sight of a sane Hinata with her healing wounds and injuries just makes her want to grin ear to ear. "Now…do you want me to help you take a bath first…or breakfast? Your little sister brought some food and gave it to me before I came here. She said she made them herself…with Neji's help."
Hinata's smiling face fell, her face drained of whatever color that's left of them. The image of Hanabi and Neji inside the kitchen together was just too much. She remembered that one time…or was it twice? When Hanabi tried to cook some dumplings and set the whole kitchen on fire…and when Neji tried to boil some water, leaving the place with the same fate her sister did.
Her sister and her beloved Nii-san are very graceful in movement and their skills as ninjas are awesome…but they are just not cut for kitchen work.
"Is the Hyuuga mansion a-alright?" Hinata whispered, her hands clutching at her chest. They did not burn it down…did they?
"Oh…the mansion if fine Hinata." Ino laughed again, now having an idea why the girl was so worried. "If anything burned…It was Neji's hair. Thank goodness it was just a few inches, quite unnoticeable with his hair length, really."
"Wh-what?"
"Yeah…you're sister burned it. You should have seen him cursed…he loves his hair."
For a moment, silence filled the room as the Indigo haired nin let her mind wrapped around the information Ino has shared, then a soft giggle escaped from her lips, Ino followed, filling the room with soft girlish laughter.
A few hours later, Hinata found herself clean and well-feed. Ino has helped her with bathing. She also changed the bandages and tried to fix some injured nerves with her healing chakra. When the blonde Yamanaka left, she already found herself with heavy lids and was drifting in and out of sleep.
Sasuke looked at the Anbu that once knock him unconscious with her gentle fist. She was sitting quietly on the hospital bed, her head resting on a pillow. Her breathing tells him that she was about to sleep. The rebellious visitor smirked. The girl doesn't even know he was here…
Oh yeah…her Byakugan was disabled and her she was not fully recovered yet, so her chakra pathways are still messed up.
Then it caught his eye.
A beautiful jar with the markings and designs that can only be found in the village hidden in the sand. It was beside Hinata and his eyes turned deadly when her arm hand touched the said item, tracing the lines and curves while she was yawning.
Oh yeah…he has an idea where and who that came from.
Without thinking, he reached for the item, crawling on the bed and trying to be quiet. He was not worried for he was confident that she won't know he was there. His movements were as silent as night and with her temporarily disabled ninja senses…the girl was as good as any civilian at the moment.
Hinata was yawning and she remembered that there was a large pillow beside her. Better make herself comfortable than waking up later stiff and sore. Both of her arms reached out and pulled the said pillow, burying her face in it at the same time.
Only it was not a pillow.
Sasuke was about to remove the offensive jar when two slender arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him close. At first, he was unprepared for such action, but when Hinata's face snuggled itself on his chest…
That did it.
Hinata was about to squeak when strong arms enveloped her, pulling her close, muffling the sound she was about to make as she was crushed on someone's chest.
"You made the first move." Sasuke's voice was low. Hinata recognized him instantly.
"Sasu-"
"Don't…no names…someone might hear you."
She tried to wriggle herself free. Now here they are again, he really loves to tease her no matter what, She was sure it was becoming a hobby. In Konoha or in Suna, in her Anbu glory or pitiful state…He can never stop himself to mess with her. He is teasing her…isn't he?
"Let go…"She whispered, her heart beating wildly.
He pulled her closer. "As if you could make me…"
The girl was wriggling feebly; her strength was so much inferior compared to his at the moment. A few minutes passed and she stopped, feeling exhausted. She was breathing heavily and her face was very hot.
"Just stay still." Sasuke said again, never removing his arms around the girl. In his mind, he was berating himself, but the smell of lavenders was just too comforting and she was soft and warm and…dare he say it, cute. He can't leave this comfortable haven yet.
She's the one who pulled me to her. Let her suffer the consequences. The Uchiha thought smugly. As if we did not already kiss.
"Sasu-"She tried again but was cutted off.
"Just shut up."
Hinata was hyperventilating. She can feel the young Uchiha's arms around her possessively and his every breath tickles her neck in an awkward sort of way. The young heiress almost fainted when she felt his face buried on her indigo locks.
"Bu-" She opened her mouth again.
Sasuke sighed. She was sure hardheaded even in her weak state. "Just stay still and let me rest." He said truthfully. If she can feel that he was telling her the truth, he knew that she won't protest. Hinata was nice that way. "My nights are not peaceful…and my days are quite empty. I wanted to rest…so can you stay still….even just for a few minutes Hinata?"
He felt her stiffen at his words, then after a few moments, she let her head rest on his chest and a sign escaped from her lips. No words came out of her mouth after that.
"Good." He murmured, wrapping his arms around her even more possessively. When he first met the heiress, all he felt was anger because she was the one who possess the control over his cursed mark, then her gentle actions and words gained her his respect.
When she saved him from the trap and put his life ahead of her own, that gained his trust.
And her over all Hinata-ness gained her his…dare he say it?
Affection.
A buzzing sound alerted Sasuke's attention. He looked around and saw a small beetle on the windowsill. He can feel chakra on the small insect.
Aburame's bug…Sasuke thought.
The beetle flew inside and landed on Hinata's blue hair, right above Sasuke's nose. With an irritated look, the Uchiha flicked the bug with force and it went out of the window.
With a satisfied snort, he buried his face again on the blue locks. "It's nothing." He murmured when Hinata moved her head a little, he knew that she was going ask him about his sudden movement.
A few kilometers away from the hospital, Shino Aburame's eyes turned into deadly slits behind his dark glasses. He left his guard beetle to see Hinata's safety and alerted him if anything was wrong. So far, the signal his beetle sent was telling him that his teammate was fine and there was nothing to worry about. He really wanted to send a few of his watcher beetles to serve as his eyes but he was respectful enough for Hinata's privacy and to her clan's orders. Just to know that she was alright was fine with him.
But some idiot just tossed his guard beetle outside the window.
-o-o-o-
So here ends the chap! Sasuke-kun is possessively weird.
-oh…and before I forget, THANK YOU for the awesome reviews guys! You know who you are. As I said in the past chap…I read your reviews over and over and over and over and over and over.
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