Day 1- The Beginning of Us, a naruto fanfic

He had done it. He knew that Itachi's corpse was slowly withering away next to him, but that's all he saw before his own eyelids shut down. He couldn't say he was happy. But he wasn't sad either. If this was the end, then so be it. Let it be the end of the Uchiha Clan. He had avenged his Clan, his parents… and yet… he hadn't done anything for himself.

He had avenged the Uchiha in him. But he was Sasuke. His name was Sasuke. Tsk, why did he stress over that?

Because your name is Sasuke, right?

Hn. He was going to die here, anyway. This was the end. And he was okay with it. At least he was far away from Hinata. He knew… Sasuke knew that if Hinata had any chance of reaching him she could abandon all else just for him. That was who she was. That was what he knew her for…

That was what he loved her for.

And he was happy that he, at least, wasn't going to get in her way anymore and worry her endlessly.

Hinata… And to think he was going to die, knowing that his name was worth something outside of being an Uchiha.

~ 9 years ago

Sasuke fiddled with a pebble in his hand. He was sitting at his usual spot by the river stream in Konoha.

"Uchiha Sasuke. Got nothing but his clan's name going for him"

"The lone survivor of the Uchiha Clan."

"An Uchiha, huh? Tsk, he's probably full of it."

"Uchiha… Sasuke?"

"Uchiha Sasuke?! He's so cute! Everyone knows who Sasuke is, he's an Uchiha, afterall!"

"Uchiha"

He was nothing but a name to them. A name that wasn't even his. A name that didn't speak for who Sasuke really was. A name that- Sasuke vehemently shook his head. He was a proud member of the Uchiha Clan. Being a part of the Uchiha Clan was one of the highest honors any shinobi could ask for. And he was one. The Uchiha's were revered as being one of the most powerful Clans. Their Kekkai Genkei, Clan secrets, clan techniques were all highly sought after by enemies. He was going to restore the pride of the Uchiha Clan, and remind everyone that the Uchihas continue to be a fearful force to be reckoned with!

*Quak, quak, quak*

Sasuke launched the pebble into the river stream, scaring the ducks away. Tsk, there shouldn't be any ducks in this snowy weather. He sat down, knees against his chest.

Sasuke! I'm going to defeat you, dattebayo!

"Sasuke-kun! Erm… I… You know, I… I lo-"

"Sasuke-kun, well done. I expected nothing less from a member of the Uchiha Clan"

He was nothing but his Clan's representation for them. His name, his being, his existence was nothing if it weren't for his Clan's name. If it weren't Uchiha, it was (Uchiha) Sasuke. Never Sasuke.

"You're nothing but a Hyuuga snob!"

Huh? Sasuke turned his head in the direction of the voice. Out of curiosity, he followed the cries of a girl in the name direction.

"Look at those eyes! They are so creepy!" One said.

Sasuke was hiding behind a tree. He peeped his head and spotted 3 boys surrounding a girl on the floor. As he squeezed his eyes to get a better look of her another one spoke.

"I know, right?! Who do the Hyuugas think they are? Parading Konoha as this prestigious clan when they look like this?!"

"T-That's not- Ah!" A palm flew across her cheek.

"Shut up! You are no better than the Uchiha Clan."

….

"Yeah, good riddance to that Clan. They were nothing but a bunch of snobs!"

"Yeah, your clan should be next."

"N-Next?"

The boy closed in on her. Hinata crawled away until she came to a stop thanks to the third boy.

The boy in front of her threw a malicious grin her way. "To be massacred!"

Ha ha ha!

"H-How could you say such-" - "Haaa?! Didn't I tell you to shut up!-"

BANG..

BAM.

BASH!

BANG!

She heard the blows. She heard the fists connect. But she felt nothing. All she felt was an overwhelming presence standing before her. When she opened her eyelids, the first thing she saw was a fan. A fan was all she got to see before the figure poofed in thin air.

"Was that?..." Hinata looked to both of her sides, but nothing. She stood. Looking behind her, and then in front.

He wasn't there. She wanted to thank him. Had it not been for him, she would have been… again. Although premature, she raised her finger to her face.

Byakugan!

Hinata couldn't explain this desire to thank him. He had just saved her and she was indebted to him. They would find all types of ways to isolate her and- found him!

She ran, ran, and ran some more. The closer she got, the more desperate she became. She had heard from her mother about the Uchiha massacre. Though she never spoke to Sasuke, she never saw him hanging with anyone. He left as quickly as he came. He kept to himself during classes, lunch, break, activities - everything. No one, even his pursuers, knew anything about him. All they knew about him was that he was an Uchiha. All the things they said about him were nothing but a false image that his clan pushed to the public. His intelligence, his skills, his demeanour. None of what they said described the boy underneath the 'Uchiha' label.

To be massacred!

[...] good riddance to that Clan.

They were nothing but a bunch of snobs!

As if she wanted to shut her ears out, Hinata's eyelids dropped. Such cruelty. And to think Sasuke heard that. A part of her couldn't help but blame herself for this. She… she wanted to apologise. She wanted to thank him and apologise. She- "Sasuke-ku-!"

*Thumb*

Despite the throbbing pain in her knee, and the cold snow singing her face with cold, she scrambled to push herself up. In the moment she raised her head, she saw obsidian eyes staring into hers - there was nothing. "E-Erm… I'm-"

"Go away."

She blinked. "Eh?"

"If you thought I saved you, then think again. Now, go away." He turned his heel and took a step forward.

"W-Wait. I wanted to-"

In an abrasive, yet throbbing tone, he yelled. "Go home!"

"S-Sasuke-kun-"

"I said!" Sasuke said. With the twist of a heel, the spin of a body and… rain. Sasuke screamed.

"Leave!"

It had started to rain. Despite his insistence on her leaving. Despite the aggressiveness, sternness and furiness behind his tone. Despite the frown on his face. Despite every single body part that said otherwise, his eyes did not lie. His eyes were wavering, shaking, and defeated.

Hinata stood.

Clank

"But," she raised her hand and slid her finger from his chin up to his eyes, "you are crying."

In a jittery tone, Sasuke uttered a silent 'huh?'

Hinata wiped another tear from his cheek, and then another one. She didn't stop until the tears were no more and his face dried with the remnant teardrops. A tiny whimper escaped her petite lips, and before she knew it, her cheeks felt the imminent streams of water flow down.

"I'm sorry." She whispered in a low cry. Her fingers were still rubbing his cheeks clean of nothing.

That had been the beginning.

~ 6 years ago

At a faraway grassfield, lay an upset Sasuke. Yet another fight with Naruto. Yet another headache from his fangirls.. Yet another day has passed and he wasn't one step closer to the power thanks to his useless sensei, Iruka. There was no one Sasuke could rely on. No one that wouldn't run him off with their… way of being! No one. Not even - No, especially that girl.

She would always sit a row behind him, stand close to him during lineups, and volunteer to be his sparring partner when the fangirls weren't looking. And when she wasn't chosen, she had that look of concern. Why she would go through all this trouble is beyond him.

Since that winter day, she wouldn't leave him alone. No matter how many times he had told her to leave, she would just stand there with that look. A look that he couldn't read no matter how hard he tried. He knew she was always somewhere lurking, and he couldn't understand why. He never did anything for her. Nothing!

Who is this 'she'? Sasuke didn't know himself. He never bothered remembering her name. Why would he want to remember her name, anyway? She's a nobody. She's nothing to him. She's a Hyuuga- Hinata -. She's weak. She cries too much. She's, she's, she's-!

"Oi, Hinata! Why are you standing over there?"

"E-Eh?"

~ Moments later

An exacerbated sigh escaped Sasuke's lips as he felt every nerve in his body relax-

"Sasuke-kun, well done. I expected nothing less from a member of the Uchiha Clan"

Or not.

"Hinata," he started.

"What does my name mean to you?" Hinata finished.

Sasuke threw a sharp look her way.

A tiny smile arose on Hinata's face. "You always ask this question when you are upset, Sasuke-kun."

One thing he couldn't stand about Hinata was the simple fact that she knew him well. A little too well. He was angry, or so he thought he was. Actually, he couldn't be angry. He had never gotten angry at her. He couldn't get angry at her. No matter how much he tried. She was no different from the fangirls with all the stalking, so why would he open his doors to her? Why was she the only person he could- he didn't want to finish that sentence.

"Hmph! That wasn't what I was going to ask."

Hinata giggled, bringing her knees to her chest. She closed her eyes, lamenting on the day he saved her from the bullies. Ever since then Hinata has tried to find a way to owe him the favour. But she didn't know how to… is what she kept telling herself for years. She knew how to owe him back. She could buy him a month's worth of tomatoes. She could cook him all his favorite treats. She could do so much for him, but what she wanted to do- what she wanted to be for him- was a person he could shoulder his burden on.

Why? Her shoulders shrugged. She didn't- her eyes fell on Sasuke whose eyes were closed. Her heart skipped a beat, and she felt her cheeks heating up.

Hinata's head fell a tad bit. Who was she kidding? How was she any different from the fangirls that pursued his every move. She was no different from them. She would say she was worse than them because of how persistent she was, but… how couldn't she think she was different when he-

"You're blushing again."

- when he is this way! Unlike the others, he would let her stay by his side. Unlike the others, he would let her talk to her and actually listen to what she has to say. She never did anything for him. She has yet to thank him for- wait! She never even thanked him for saving her that day! She-

"But really," Sasuke said, sitting up.

"H-huh?"

This time Sasuke locked his eyes with hers. "What does my name mean to you?"

"Your name… means a lot to me." She smiled. Sasuke was taken aback.

"You saved me. But that's not the only reason. That day… the day you cried." Sasuke winced, tightening his fist. "I just couldn't leave you alone-"

"Why?!" He lashed out. "Everybody is the same, after all! Everybody sees me as nothing more than an Uchiha who needs coddling!" He looked down at Hinata who was getting up herself.

She closed the distance between them in seconds. He watched as she raised her finger to his cheeks, making her way up to his teary eye.

"That's not true." She whispered.

"You are no better than the Uchiha Clan."

She wiped another tear as another fell. "That's not true..!."

"Yeah, good riddance to that Clan."

The words were sharp yet voluptuous. More tears kept falling and vision became blurry. "That's not-!"

"Hinata." She felt a warm hand upon hers. "That's enough."

"B-But. What they said was mean!"

"That's-

"No!" She shook her head. "I… I… I'm so happy I got to meet you in this lifetime!"

…..in this lifetime...

….this lifetime…!

….lifetime!

"Lifetime, huh?..."

~ 3 years ago

The night was particularly quiet. But that figures because Sasuke was about to leave her- Konoha. He was about to leave Konoha.

The note he held in his hand would do the job, he thought. It didn't need more. She would understand. Hinata would-

I'm so happy I got to meet you in this lifetime!

The sleeping princess in front of him was glowing in the moonlight. He knew he owed no one an explanation. He knew that he had to do this. He knew that he couldn't- Sasuke knelt down and took his time to take in every last detail he could. This would be his last time. This would be the last time he would get to be this close to her. He drew her hair strands away from her face. The knuckles that caressed her cheeks as he did so felt warm against them.

Hinata. The only one who seemingly cared about Sasuke as a person. The only person who saw him for who he was. Someone that even he didn't know. This was going to be the last. He gave her small hand with the note a tiny squeeze before standing up.

"Thank you," he said as he turned around, "Hinata."

Sasuke couldn't feel anything around him. Not the concrete his back was leaning against. Not the blood dripping from his forehead, not the pouring raindrops on his skin, nothing. He couldn't hear any of the outside world. That is what he said against the warm source around his chest.

"-uke-kun!"

He wasn't supposed to feel anything with his chakra levels being so low, so why?

"Sas… kun!"

Why was she here?!

"Sasuke-kun! Stay with me!"

Why?! He felt the droplets of rain tip against his eyelashes. That damn Hyuuga! He didn't want to. He didn't care! He didn't want to see that face. He had resigned to a void of eternal darkness as his final moment. So, why? Why did his eyes flutter open to find a concerned Hinata desperately wording his name in tears?

It hurts everywhere.

"Sasuke-kun, stay with me!"

Why ? Why are you crying? Why do you always do this for me? Did she not read the note? Did the note slip away? Why? Why, why, why?!

Her eyes hadn't changed. That same look that she used to give him for years. That look that he couldn't read in all those years. Why, what were those eyes that were tearing huge drops of water telling him?

"Hinata… why?"

"Why?" She repeated with her shoulders trembling. "Because," she locked her eyes with his, "because…" she bit her lower lip. "Because I love you!"

Despite his weakening body, Sasuke felt a heavy pump in his heart.

"Sasuke-kun, you're mean. What was that note? 'Don't come for me'? Why wouldn't I come for you? When you let me into your world, I promised myself that I wouldn't be a burden to you! That I wouldn't make you regret it and yet… you left. I… I…!"

Sasuke pushed through the aching pain in his arm to reach for cheeks. He wiped as many tears as he could in the moment that was filled with Hinata's low whimpers. "That's enough."

"No, it's not- I! I-" Her words were cut short by the sudden push she felt from behind her head, and before she knew it her face was pressed against his chest.

"Thank you."

"Eh?..."

"Thank you."

Hinata felt another set of tears stream down her cheeks. She gently wrapped her arms around Sasuke's back. She began the healing process again. "D-Don't die, Sasuke-kun. Please… don't die."

He stroked her head. "Hinata..."

Hinata raised her head to find- a tear from above dropped to her cheek.

"Thank you."