chapter 3

The boy was none other than Sasuke Uchiha. She remembered from what she heard, that he lost his father three years ago in rather mysterious circumstances, just like his mother who had disappeared overnight. The case had caused quite a stir in the region, with the Uchiha being the largest and oldest family in Konoha. Karin'd told her that since then it was his uncle who had his custody as well as that of his brother, Itachi. Without realizing it, she had stopped to observe him.

What really intrigued her was that he didn't seem to be paying attention to the person next to him. It was a woman with straight black hair; she couldn't make out her face which was hidden by the long hair. Without warning, he looked up and met her inquisitive gaze. His deep black eyes bore into hers. Surprised, thoroughly ashamed, she quickly looked away, determined to resume her walking without missing a beat.

"Do you see me?" a cold voice demanded, which made her startle, slide and fall on her ass.

Despite the pain the gravel was giving her, she was going to respond to the spirit that had suddenly appeared, causing her to fall. When she looked up however, no sound came out of her mouth. The woman was so pale, even paler than snow, dark circles were hollowed out under her dull grey eyes, her clothes were in tatters and stained with blood, the destroyed material revealing excruciating-looking wounds. Her gaze was blank, giving her the look of a madwoman. Hinata was paralyzed, feeling unable to move a single muscle. It was then that she felt a hand on her shoulder pulling her out of her trance.

"Hey… Did you hurt yourself?"

She quickly took her gaze away from the nightmarish apparition to meet another one that was just as dark but very much alive -Sasuke's. Still unable to speak, she just stared at him. She realized then that neither had she ever really observed him well, nor had she ever realized how handsome he really was. She completely came to her senses when tingling shot in her palm.

"Are you bleeding?" He asked.

She examined her hand and was finally able to answer him this time.

"It's nothing… just a scratch." She reassured as she showed him her palm.

He helped her up. To her surprise, he waited as she dusted herself off, and then walked with her silently to the cemetery gate.

"Do you often sprawl out for no reason?" He asked her with a smirk.

She looked up, stunned that he was actually speaking to her. His dazzling face was friendly, open, a slight smile on his flawless lips. It wasn't a bright smile where you can see all the teeth. It was a discreet smirk but it reinforced this enigmatic side that stuck to his skin.

Her mind was spinning with confusion.

"Uh… yeah… sometimes, I guess." Hinata breathed deep, preparing to sound less lame "By the way, my name is-"

"Hinata, I know." He cut her off, "we are in the same classroom."

He bit back a laugh. Hinata guessed his badly hidden hilarity had to do with the look she gave him. His face was such a distraction though; she tried not to look at it any more than courtesy absolutely demanded.

Coming face to face with him for the first time ever after more than a year going to their high school, she finally understood why girls usually hyperventilated just talking about him. Even Karin wouldn't shut up when his name was accidently dropped. She wasn't going to follow the cult anytime soon, but she understood a lot better his crazy popularity with girls.

"You definitely look surprised that I know you" He scoffed, gently.

"T -To tell the truth, I'm not what you might call… very popular, so yes, that surprises me." she defended herself.

"It's not because your name isn't hailed at school that I don't know who you are."

She couldn't pinpoint why she wanted to make the conversation last. May be because he was unexpectedly nice and playful; maybe it was because her heart was more than pleasantly reacting to his mere present or maybe it was because the last ghost scared her brain away, but she gave in and her brain thanked her back by sending another harsh wave in her belly.

"And who am I?" she asked, both staggered and amused by the situation.

"A person who often comes to this cemetery." He replied, walking on.

The giddiness flushed out of her system as she stopped walking. Taken aback, she couldn't resist the urge to know what Sasuke knew for sure. On one hand it was her curiosity that drew her, forcing her to catch up with him and on the other, it was the apprehension of what he knew about her, of what he might have been told.

Of all the thing he could've associated with her, it was the cemetery, a place she never came to visit a deceased one like all of its other visitors. Her visits were far in between, and as she searched for a positive story that could've arose from them, she remembered none.

"How do you know that?" she questioned him. She tried with all her might to hide the fear that ripped through her core. She shuddered.

"Let's go grab something warm first" He suggested after a small pause.

Hinata was more than astonished by his proposal. In the logical sense of the things, it should have been her who should pay him one, it was he who helped her earlier and not the other way around.

Being the shy girl that she was, she only found that to answer:

"I don't think that's a good idea... Y-your friends won't... appreciate that."

"Which friends are you talking about?!"

"W-well… Kin-kun…"

"Are you afraid of Kin?" He asked her in an amused tone.

Yes, she was afraid of her; of course, Hinata didn't want to get noticed anymore by the girl than she already was. However, the girl was nowhere to be found, and Sasuke's crooked smile was so inviting, so charming…

"No ..." Hinata gave in "Okay, go for a coffee."

He led her to a hot-drinks vendor on the sidewalk, where he ordered two coffees -with milk for her and strong for him. She wanted to protest when he took out his wallet but his gaze dissuaded her.

Hinata took a sip that made her realize that the rain of the day before had cooled the air. They sat on a bench at a bus stop that faced Konoha's main road.

"So… what is that you seem to know about me?"

He took a sip of his coffee, kept his dark gaze fixed in front of him and then asked:

"Do you care that much?"

"W-well… I … have… an incurable disease -called curiosity!" she couldn't help but joke finally. She didn't want to seem too creepy about it either.

"It's not contagious at least?" He asked, his smirk returning back on his lips.

"I don't know ... I have to find out."

"You're kidding, I hope." He said with fake worry.

For all answer, Hinata drowned her giggles in her coffee. Finding back a little of her seriousness, she returned to the attack with a different approach.

"It's that bad uh?"

"It depends" He grimaced "sometimes you walked aound, others you talked alone"

"Oh no…"

"The best was when you're playing hide and seek with no one else around" He added a layer.

"Oh no…" Hinata moaned, hiding behind her hands. How she wished she'd disappear at that moment.

"You know, I can still see you" Sasuke said; he chuckled a bit when Hinata pulled harder on her hoodie "don't worry though, I do it sometimes"

"L-look like a weirdo in a cemetery?"

"I'd say yes to the 'talking alone' part. The place has a way to drive you bonkers" he whispered.

The sadness etched in his tone made her look up again. Upon seeing his face, something primal, almost raw nearly made her take him into between her arms. She didn't remember ever seeing such sad boy eyes before. When he looked up however, her inner reaction made her mentally drop the word 'boy'.

She quickly adverted her gaze.

"You don't look like a weirdo… you seem to be nice" Sasuke said with a shrug, a ghost of a smile playing at the corners of his lips "and too curious for your own good"

"I can't deny that last one" Hinata said; laughing at the absurdity of the situation. "Th-Thanks for the coffee"

"You're welcome" he said as he aimed and shot his cup at the nearby trashcan.

Hinata couldn't help clapping at his successful shot, neither could she stop her heart from stuttering then double in rhythm when he turned a bit and smirked at her. She watched his back retreating, fighting with every ounce of strength she had the need to follow him. However, she lost the inner battle: something more brutal, less forgiving than butterflies was wreaking havoc inside her belly -it wasn't like her deep breathing was helping much either. 'Wow' she thought, as she walked home.