Chapter Three, Serendipity,
Her heart, caged like a bird in her chest, thrummed with a strange sort of feeling as the palace came into view. The desert sky, a canvas of darkened colours stretched over their heads, gloriously brilliant in the dipping sun.
Hinata's eyes, two perfect moons, watched the Anbu captain stop to converse with the Suna guards who flanked the ornate wooden door. His gloved hands reached upwards to remove his porcelain mask. Muted red glowing eyes met the gazes of the guards who grunted and stepped aside, granting his Anbu team admission.
The two kunoichi trailed behind their male counter parts. Ino's long fingers peeled back her own mask, exposing a dangerous grin.
"Shouldn't you take off your mask too?" Ino asked, leaning over to whisper into the shell of Hinata's ear. Her bony elbow jutted forward, nudging Hinata's waist suggestively.
Hinata shook her head, the words trapped in her throat as the Kazekage stepped forward. His crimson hair was a little longer than before, but his eyes were still the same perfect shade of green. Shikamaru skirted around the uninterested Uchiha and bowed in greeting. A dissipated smile blossomed across his rugged features, though it was not directed at the Kazekage, but at the spiky haired women looming beside the puppeteer.
"Or are you hoping Gaara won't notice it's you?" The Yamanaka's plump lips allured. Her eyes were wicked and playful, reveling in the Hyuuga's discomfort until her attention reverted to Shikamaru. A marauding scowl pinched her cheeks and mouth. "I hate Suna," Ino seethed as Temari placed a kiss on Shikamaru's cheek - in a manner Hinata had witnessed countless times. "I don't know how you ever lived here."
The silvery moonlight caught the shiny surface of the blade as it whirled through the air. A gloved hand snapped forward and closed around the kunai.
He caught it. Of course he did.
Hinata heard her teammates stifle back an outraged gasp. Even the two other Anbu operatives who flanked him, looked on in shock. However the Hyuuga's attention remained on the Anbu captain standing several feet in front of her. The breeze tugged at his white cloak and the ends of his inky black hair.
He held her blade in his hands for another moment, before he pocketed it. Though his face was hidden behind a porcelain mask, Hinata knew an unfriendly smirk was unfurling along his lips. He appeared to be amused. No one else was, though. Including Hinata.
"Hinata?" Kiba choked.
"The Hokage," the Anbu captain started. His voice was smooth and velveteen. He appeared unaffected by the hostility of the Hyuuga. "Decided it more prudent for the Anbu to take control of this mission. You can return home. Your presence is no longer needed."
"Yes, that's fine. We understand. Thank you for notifying us-" Shino began, raising his hands in surrender.
"It's a B ranked mission." Hinata interposed. "Why would the Hokage waste three Anbu operatives on a B ranked mission?"
"Further information has been learned about the target. Changing this mission's rank." The captain allured. Though the location was public and there were several additional ninjas present, the exchange between the captain and Hinata felt oddly personal. Everyone else shifted awkwardly, as though they were beholding a private scene they shouldn't be privy to.
Hinata's lips floundered helplessly. She wanted to continue to argue. Perhaps even refer to him by his name. Expose him. She knew exactly what the Uchiha was doing. He had told her last week he didn't want her going on anymore missions. But he had also promised not to meddle with her life. Yet here he was, intercepting her pathetic B ranked mission with his entourage of new Anbu recruits.
Overhead, murky grey clouds swirled, obscuring the crescent moon from view. It was almost dawn. A chilled wind weaved through the street and carried fallen blooms and wispy leaves. A single, dusky pink petal entangled itself within the indigo tresses of the irascible Hyuuga.
Hinata's lips pursed in strained annoyance, but as her delicate fingers reached to free her hair of the nuisance petal she felt a warm hand close over her wrist. Another hand gripped her waist lightly, holding her in place. She hadn't even seen him move.
Feeling the familiar warmth of the figure behind her, a small gasp escaped her parted lips. Hinata made no attempt to detach herself from their gentle but secure hold. Astral eyes widened as a single gloved hand plucked the petal from her hair with a degree of care that did not conform with baneful reputation of the Anbu captain.
"And here's your kunai, Hinata." His smooth, dark and sanguine voice lilted into her ear. His fingers traced down her collar bone, leaving a fiery trail in their wake, before he dropped the blade into the pocket of her pants. Hinata's breath hitched as she swore his fingers ghosted across her abdomen for the briefest moment before he disappeared.
She blinked, using her hand to soothe her drumming heart. Her eyes, two pools of liquid ivory, stared off into the inky darkness, ignoring her team-mates.
Kiba's eyes were wide and confused as he gaped at her. However Shino's face remained impassive, though he hadn't exhaled in four minutes.
Hinata wasn't terribly sure she was doing the right thing when she arrived at Haruno's Sakura's office that evening.
Logically it made perfect sense: Haruno was regarded as the best medic nin of her generation; she was a rather understanding and compassionate kunoichi; she was head of the hospital and she was Sasuke's team-mate… Hinata paused, her teeth sank into her bottom lip. She wasn't sure whether the latter was an advantage or an impediment.
The medic nin's green eyes sliced into Hinata. The Hyuuga was all wobbly knees and restless eyes that darted around the room in a maddening pace. Sakura's cheek twitched, a single dimple protruding as she considered the Anbu operative. The two were acquaintances, purely because they had been in the same class when they were younger and, thus, knew the same people. They didn't interact outside of missions or organized nights out. Which was why Sakura looked so confused. She wasn't exactly sure how Hinata even managed to gain access to her private office, never mind why.
"Sakura," Hinata managed. She tried to smile. She did try.
Haruno watched a feeble smile blossom across Hinata's lips before it withered prematurely, like a silly flower blooming too early in spring "Go on," Sakura suggested. Though a small part of her secretly wished the Hyuuga wouldn't proceed.
"I'm pregnant."
Hinata looked guilty, and it trebled the medic nin's confusion. In the assortment of frenzied emotions that colored Hinata's eyes, Sakura caught a dash of pride and happiness in the white pools of the expectant mother.
Sakura's face suddenly felt very hot and she was glad she was sitting down.
The blush staining Hinata's cheeks deepened as she pressed her pointer fingers together. Sakura simply gaped at her, unable to formulate a sentence. While Sakura had suspicions something was up with the heiress; it was a completely different thing: speculating and knowing. Sakura was shocked, yes, but not surprised.
"Sit on the table and let me see," was all she said.
The Hyuuga paused, weighing her options, before she hopped up on the table. Hinata's fingers, shaky and jittery fumbled at her zipper and she allowed the oversized jacket to slide off her shoulders. Goosebumps erupted across the newly exposed skin and she stifled back a shiver.
The air felt heavy and dry. Hinata found it hard to breathe. The medic nin placed her hand softly yet firmly on Hinata's stomach. It was mostly flat, but there was the barest hint of a bump. Sakura allowed her chakra to filter into the Hyuuga.
There. A tiny, teeming and irrefutably beautiful chakra flickered within Hinata. It was small but constant. The baby carried one of the most remarkable chakra signatures Sakura had ever encountered; fiery and dangerous. Brewing with endless possibilities.
Hinata activated her bloodline limit and she, too, watched the unborn baby with amazement.
The medic checked both Hinata and the baby's vitals, and searched for any irregularities or causes for concern. The baby was fine, thriving even. Draining on the entirety of Hinata's chakra and energy to help it grow and advance. Sakura frowned, it appeared Hinata was a little anemic. The unborn child had nearly exhausted all of Hinata's resources.
Hinata shifted, adjusting to the warm feeling of healing chakra invade and flush surge through her system. "Sakura, the father is-"
Sakura scoffed and stood up. "I know who the father is, Hinata. Even if I didn't have my suspicions beforehand there's no denying how much of Sasuke's chakra the baby has inherited."
The eclipsing light of the early morning, allowed him to fully comprehend how dark the mission had been.
Sunrise seemed to arrive late that day. Endless unexpected encounters with different groups of rogue shinobi underneath the harrowing, moonless night sky made the glowing faintly sun a welcomed sight to his weary tenebrous eyes. The shallow sunlight warmed his cool skin as he pushed forward.
The Uchiha's breath came out in deep raspy pants. He was fatigued beyond reason and the gnawing burn radiating in his chest insisted that he stop. Too bad he'd have to ignore it a little while longer. His gait was unhurried yet still maintained the natural grace and poise of a hunter nin.
The porcelain mask attached to his face felt tight and irritating on his throbbing cheek. A particularly unlucky missing nin had managed to smash his cheekbone, and he was certain a large poppy bruise dominated much of the left side of his face. Sasuke's retaliation had been merciless.
The walk home from the main gate was the longest that he ever remembered. Perhaps even longer than the first time he entered the village after the war; hands bound behind his back and leaning heavily on Sakura.
Blood trickling from his abdomen hit the dusty ground in even, steady, loud taps. The sound of blood fall, amidst morning birdsong, calmed him as he sauntered forward, nearing the compound. He was thankful it was still so early, the thought of intercepting Sakura or Naruto made him shiver. He was too weak, too tired and irritable to deal with their pestering.
The lone unsteady shinobi vowed to himself to never take out such an inexperienced Anbu unit again. They had been clumsy, incompetent and their fear of the unexpected barrage of enemy attacks had turned them into charges who required protection oppose to comrades to aid him. The thought of Hinata's team facing that particular mission caused his chest to tighten in an unfamiliar way.
With a final defeated sigh, he rounded the last corner and his house came into view. Lifting his head from his heavy feet he took in the familiar view of the sun peeking over the gently curving roof of the Uchiha compound. However there was something strange about the picture. It didn't quite fit in to his usual routine, and Sasuke couldn't decide if he liked it or not. It unnerved him mostly.
Sitting on the first step to his house, was a sleeping Hyuuga Hinata. Her head lolled to the side, leaning heavily against the small wooden railing that ran along the stairs and the porch. Her lips were parted ever so slightly and for some reason Sasuke found it hard to look away from them. He tilted his head sideways, to consider the scene.
Confounded, all he could do was watch her, he was too tired to put up much of a fight against the rational side of his mind. Her hair pooled over her shoulders in a waterfall of indigo tresses. He knew from experience that it was as soft as it looked. The breeze caught the sleeves of her oversized jacket and the ends of her hair, pulling her scent towards him. She smelled of lavender and vanilla. It was almost hypnotic and he quickly forgot that he should be moving somewhere or doing something.
Confusion, and perhaps concern, ebbed within his eyes as they bled crimson. Though his chakra was nearly exhausted, he thought it wise to survey her quickly. Just to make sure nothing had happened to her or…the baby. He swayed unsteadily with the use of kekkei genkai. His consciousness fading like the shadows surrounding Hinata. The sun was almost fully risen now. The streets would be bustling with life and noise soon.
Slowly Sasuke bent to his knees and scooped the slumbering heiress into his arms. Acute pain lanced across his arms and his heartbeat slowed too - occasionally missing a beat as he stumbled forward. Chakra exhaustion threatening to shut down his entire body, he pressed on.
The Hyuuga felt cold against his own frigid body, and she involuntarily clung to him. Her mouth somehow ended up pressed against the exposed skin of his throat.
His eyes, once again endless black, beheld her for a moment. She was docile and rather lovely while asleep. None of her usual guards were up. No perpetually worried expression marring her soft inviting features. However he could see the traces of consciousness touching her face. She twitched and flexed against the constrain of his arms. He knew she would be irritated if she did not wake up in the Hyuuga compound. Furious even. He had pondered the idea of returning her to her own bed. But a small, and indeed troubling part of him wanted her with him. Either way, his feet would take him no further than here. He couldn't turn back and deliver her to her clan, even if he wanted to.
The acute sound of blood hitting the wooden floor echoed throughout the lofty and lonely hallways of the compound. His pace was slow and unhurried, Sasuke worried if he pushed his body any further he would crumple and hit the ground. Hinata felt heavy, yet comforting in his aching arms. He slipped through an open door and welcomed the crepuscular lighting of his bedroom.
The room was dark, expansive and sparely decorated. An impossibly large bed dressed in dark hues stood in the center of the room. Hesitant, Sasuke laid the sleeping heiress down on the bed. Caving into exhaustion, he rolled onto his back beside her. Though the pair were close, they did not touch. His eyes fluttered shut and a sigh of relief emitted from his blood stained lips.
The euphoric weightlessness feeling and warmth that had, just prior, enveloped and encompassed the Hyuuga vanished abruptly. Leaving a chill of absence creep along her entire figure in the form of a small but strong tremor. Hinata could feel her unconsciousness peel away and the first traces of lamentable wakefulness assaulted her keen senses. She had been having such lovely dreams.
She was cold, she realized blearily. No, she was freezing. Chilled to her bone marrow. She felt as though someone had poured ice water into her veins.
Cracking a regretful eye open she peered at the ceiling as she attempted to gather her bearings. She didn't remember getting home, and her body ached as though she had fallen asleep on the ground, or something equally as hard and uncomfortable. However now, she winced, she appeared to be in a room. An impossibly dark and impossibly sumptuous room. She appeared to be lying on a bed, far larger and softer than her own.
She froze. Her entire body going rigid. Unfriendly bouts of realization simmered through her thoughts as she tilted her head sideways to observe the figure laying just inches from her. So close, their warm breath ghosted across her cheeks.
"Relax," his voice would have sounded irritated if it didn't sound so papery and weak. "You've been here before." He reminded her.
Hinata was thankful his eyes were still closed and he wore a mask so that he could not see the lustrous shade of red she turned. "I shouldn't be here," she whispered back. Not exactly sure if she was telling him or herself.
"It's a little late for that," he muttered.
Hinata sprang upright, clutching her hand to heart she surveyed the scene. She was still fully clothed and he…she paused, her eyes widening. Sasuke was wounded.
She moved quickly then, her kekkei genkai activated she scanned him. His chakra levels dilapidated, a fractured cheekbone, a long laceration running the length of his forearm and a gaping wound on his abdomen that was bleeding badly. Dark, thick liquid rolled down his sides and pooled onto the bed. Hinata stifled back a gasp.
"Y-you need a medic," she whispered thickly. She was finding it hard to swallow. In fact she was finding it hard to breathe or think. She had never seen him this way before: exhausted and wounded, and it terrified her.
She leaned over him, prying the bloodstained mask from his face. He was thankful, it made it easier to breathe somewhat. A wheezy cough rattled from bruised chest to his blood coated lips. "Sasuke?" Hinata pressed, her quivering hands touched his chilled shoulders. "Can I take you to the hospital?"
"No,"
"Can I get Sakura?"
"No."
She trembled, a cold wash of worry drowned her features. He cracked a single eye open to regard her. Her face looked pained and sad at his truculent response. He hated being the one to make her feel like that. She got up then, making no other attempt to converse with him.
Blearily, Sasuke thought she had left. He couldn't decide whether it pleased him or not. He enjoyed the quietude that settled after she left. But there was a gnawing sense of abandonment that swelled deep within his tightened chest. He ignored his confusing emotions, opting to focus on the more favorable agony taking hold of his body. His eyelids; heavy and overbearing closed as his system began to shut down.
Nothing made sense then. There was only pain. Excruciating pain, radiating from his abdomen and it was eating away at his very soul.
Absently he became aware that someone was touching him. His body tensed underneath their touch, but their ministrations did not cease. He felt someone pry his white amour plate from his torso and they allowed it to fall to floor with a thud. It hurt his ears, he winced, but they showed no concern or hesitation.
He heard further noises, though they sounded distant and distorted. As though he was submerged underwater. The steady drum of a hummingbird heartbeat, the decisive tear of his shirt being ripped and a small sniffling – perhaps crying, he wasn't sure.
He felt tiny flutters of ice-cold fingers flutter across the hard planes of his abdomen. She wrapped a starch bandage several times around his stomach to stop the incessant bleeding. It felt itchy against his skin, but he couldn't find his lips to complain.
He felt the same fingers trail a series of butterfly touches up and down the length of his arm. They disappeared for a moment, and he was thankful. Their coolness burned his skin and as he slipped in and out of consciousness.
She dabbed some sort of ointment on his minor wounds. It seemed to sting him, Hinata noted, as he flinched underneath her touch. She ignored it, moving on to sending small jolts of chakra into his blocked passageways. It would aid with healing.
With a spare strip of fabric from his ripped shirt she started to clean some of the blood from his arms, his abdomen, his chest, his throat, his lips... She paused there, gripping the bloodied cloth, she looked at him. Really looked at him, in a way she hadn't in such a long time. Taking in the angular curvature of his nose, how his thick sooty lashes casted a crescent moon shadow along his bruised but aristocratic cheekbones, how decisive his eyebrows were, how his bottom lip was fuller than his top. What a nice shade of muted crimson they were, she mused. Perhaps she had been staring a little too long or that a single strand of her hair fell forward and brushed across his broken cheek but he stirred beneath her.
Reflectively his hand snapped up and ensnared around her wrist.
His inky eye lashes flickered, but did not open. For that she was thankful, she wasn't what her expression looked like.
She thought he was going to reprimand her, ask her to leave or insult her. All were likely outcomes. But he remained quiet for a long moment, listening to her thrumming heartbeat speed up and eventually lull to a calm pace.
"You're freezing," he noted.
"You could have died,"
He snorted at that. "Could have," he agreed. His voice was quiet and soft and so different from the guarded and uninterested tone he usually employed. A small shiver quivered through her body, and this time it was not from the cold. "But didn't."
Her delicate fingers flexed in his grip. She was still holding the bloodied cloth. The whole room stank of blood, the astringent scent made his noise scrunch. He felt her shift her weight and the mattress dipped with her movement, jostling him slightly. His cheek hurt.
Hinata watched the look of pain lance across his face. "Your cheek is quite badly broken. It will need a medic."
"I know," he wheezed flatly, dropping her hand.
She waited there, in the darkness of his strange room. She'd been here before, of course. But under starkly different circumstances. Sasuke had never been so motionless. She never had this much clothes on. And they certainly had never conversed this much. Sasuke struggled to verbally convey emotion and Hinata had never been good with talking, so they always opted to converse with each other through physical actions and ministrations.
Nothing was known of their clandestine meetings. They were both private people who seemed to disappear from parties and missions at the same time. But no one read into it. Simple coincidence. Just like how they always seemed to coincidentally end up sharing rooms – sharing beds – on their away missions together. And while she spent more time in his company than any other man, she was never foolish enough to ask about something as frivolous as feelings or emotions to him. And, in a strange way, disregarding her own attachment to him had been working out perfectly fine. Until now.
Things were different, Hinata realized. He had never let down his guard this much to her before. He never allowed her to see him wounded. He would always wave her off or simply avoid her on missions when he was injured. He didn't like displaying weakness to anyone, and now it appeared Hinata was the exception. She wasn't sure how she felt about that just yet.
She eyed him, his lips were tinged blue from the frigid air and his blood loss. She reached for one of the silk blankets laying at the foot of the bed and placed it on top of him carefully. For some reason the thought of him cold on top of being so wounded didn't sit with her. In fact, it made her stomach churn.
She hovered over him, giving him one last quick scan with her kekkei genkai. His chakra levels were rejuvenating and his wounds had already begun to heal. His natural healing abilities were second only to Naruto's. Though his cheek would still need to be tended to by a medic nin. Probably Sakura, and that kunoichi would have no trouble restoring it to its perfect state. Hinata frowned, she wished she could help more.
"Do you need me to do anything else?" Perhaps he wanted a drink or food.
"No,"
She bit her lip, unable to look at him for her next question. "Do you want me to stay?"
"Yes."
Hinata, he realized - this morning in particular - was a rather pretty picture in pretty surroundings. The kunoichi in question, leaned against the doorway of his kitchen sipping on tea and admiring the intricate flower arrangements of his garden. The sun was beginning to set, and the sky was a fiery blaze of vivid colors that stained her hair red in the warm, unearthly light.
It was sometime in the evening, and Sasuke had just woken up. He didn't care to check the time. It didn't matter currently. He moved forward, until he was standing beside her. Though he appreciated the beauty of the sunset, his eyes remained on Hinata. The sight of Hinata standing on his porch was not an image he was privy to every day, unlike the sunset.
"I went to Sakura yesterday," Hinata said. Her grip on the cup tightened, and Sasuke stared at the strange action, pondering what it meant - as though it mattered in the grand scheme of things. "She banned me from missions," her laugh was not friendly, "I'm sure you're happy to hear."
"Not happy," he corrected. "But pleased."
He didn't revel in the Hyuuga's entrapment to the village. He knew she would grow bored and listless being unable to help or aid Konoha. But he wouldn't allow her do something reckless and endanger the baby. His baby. Their baby. It was such a strange concept, even the Uchiha genius found it hard to grasp.
The conversation lapsed into a quietness only filled by the breeze filtering through the trees and the distinct sound of city life in the distance. Sasuke opted to lean against one of the ornate pillars. He trained his eyes forward to the clouds as he recalled last night. He'd found the Hyuuga asleep on his doorstep and she had tended to his wounds with a degree of courtesy and care he was not familiar with. It made him uncomfortable. His jaw flexed as he struggled to figure out whether he liked it or not. Again, of course, he came up with no resolute answers. The Hyuuga presented him with congeries of unfathomable questions with no answers.
"Why were you asleep on my doorstep?"
Hinata fixed her gaze to the contents of her mug. She hoped the burnt orange glow of the sun hid her traitorous blush. She opened her mouth, but hesitated, she didn't want him to be irritated with her. Sasuke was a solitary person, he didn't like people forcing their presence upon him. He sought out company. Company never sought out him.
"I'd just come from the hospital and I wanted to talk to you. But you weren't home so I decided to sit and wait. I must have just fallen asleep." Her teeth sank into her bottom lip. "I don't really remember," she muttered.
"You could have just let yourself in," he pointed out. She could detect traces of irritation in his voice. It was the same disapproving tone he took with her on missions when she did something reckless or got injured.
She made a face at the absurdity of suggestion. "N-no, that would have been a little intrusive and rude."
"I think it's a little late for such formalities, Hinata." The Uchiha pointed out matter-of-factly.
Reflectively, their opposing eyes flickered down to her abdomen. Her body tensed beneath the scrutiny of Sasuke, in a way it often did. His opinion of her, both physically and mentally always seemed to matter more to her than it should. Wide white eyes peeked upwards to meet his gaze. He did not look away; his endless orbs catching her and locking her in place. Even though they were standing several feet apart, Hinata felt suffocated by their proximity. She felt as though if his hands reached forward they would not only brush against her skin but her very soul.
It was that look. The look he reserved exclusively for enemies just before he ended them, and Hinata, just before he kissed her. Dark, sinful and lascivious. He took in her expression: a palatable doe caught in headlights. Her plump parted lips caught his attention and held it.
The lips in question floundered helplessly. An abrupt need to sever the tension between them consumed her thoughts. The haunting silence and those dusky eyes were not helping her restrain or composure. "I-I should probably leave."
Sasuke blinked, relinquishing his hold on her. She exhaled for the first time in two minutes. If he noticed he never said.
He was a practical and forward person. He did not like teetering around a subject. "We'll need to plan a strategy." Sasuke considered as he returned his gaze to the open vast sky. "Do some reconnaissance and figure out some things. So we're prepared when the time arrives."
"We're having a baby, Sasuke, not going on an S ranked mission."
Sasuke didn't look convinced. Or perhaps he just didn't see the difference.
Their eyes seemed drawn to another once more. But it was purely innocent this time, veiled by curiosity and tinged by caution. Sasuke broke their gaze first, and Hinata followed suit, content to watch the lazy puffy clouds crawl across the resplendent sky in union. The pair had a lot to figure out. They also had a daunting deadline. Only eight more months.
She left after a while, returning to her clan's side of the city. Sasuke watched her go wordlessly. Her absence left the compound feeling emptier than usual.
