- Pluck -
Part I
Chapter 11: Folly in Peonies
"Here. Drink this."
A mug of steaming tea was sat in front of Hinata, who just barely lifted her head from its wedged position between her crossed arms to watch the grey ribbons of steam dance before her. It was such a light dance - completely different from how she felt. A delicate smell wafted through her senses, and haggardly, like an old woman, she pulled the mug across the table's surface and brought it to her lips. Suigetsu, sat on the tall stool next to her, smiled as he watched her sip at it.
"Good, right?" He gestured to the side, where Ino settled herself on the opposite chair of him to drink her own mug of tea. "She always knows how to make the best, er, cinnamon tea -"
"Chamomile," Ino corrected with a sigh. After another sip, she glanced at Hinata, and gave a gentle smile. "We grow our own in the gardens. I'm sure you saw them on your way here. Let it settle for a while. Chamomile tea does good in relieving stress."
Which is exactly what she needed, and after drinking the whole mug's worth of tea, Hinata settled her forehead back upon the lengths of her forearms and closed her eyes, hoping the building pressure behind her eyes would ebb away soon. She was used to small headaches. Looking at stickers nonstop often did that to her. But it would be silly to blame all of this sudden wave of stress on stickers alone.
The door to the small breakroom opened, and air washed in and sent her stomach curling. She bit her lips together and peered over her arm, not pleased in the slightest to find Sasuke Uchiha joining them. The heavy stare of his flickered on her bent body as he made his way to the teapot. Ino stood momentarily to bring him a mug from one of the cupboards, then she sat back down and watched them all with curious silence. Sasuke poured his drink, stood, warmed his hands along the glass, then finally turned to Hinata completely.
He stared, and she stared back. For a while, at least. Then her head throbbed at the sight of his stickered face, and she sighed into the crook of her elbow.
"What's wrong with her?"
She heard a shift and footsteps come her way, but everything stopped when Suigetsu clicked his tongue.
"You." There was a click, then the sound of tea pouring, then a small tap to her shoulders. Hinata looked up and found he had given her half of his own tea, and she. "Or, well, only a third of it, I guess." Snickering, Suigetsu downed the rest of the tea in his mug before slamming it down. "We Guards just love to make her job harder, eh, Sasuke?"
...
Hinata knew the importance of honesty, of being transparent with someone. Especially in her line of work was such a notion crucial; on both parts. Her clients had to be honest with her, to be open with their thoughts and feelings, and to not hide any important details from her. In return, she had to be honest with them, to tell them what she sees in them and what she's gathered about them, no matter the outcome.
Honesty was important.
"I'm glad you've come back. I was thinking about it last night - if this helps me at all, I want to tell Naruto to start planning for the wedding. I'm getting tired of waiting."
Sakura, who she's heard had spent years in the same line of work, was well aware of this fact. And yet, still, she ignored it. Threw it in the wind. Hoped that if she avoided it, somehow, it would become obsolete.
Standing from the armchair that was opposite of the sofa Sakura sat upon, Hinata looked down at what she was working on. She was sewing something, connecting a white, lacy fabric to a headband decorated with embroidered flowers. Upon her inquisitive eye, Sakura paused and held it up to her.
"My veil," she said, gleaming, though her covered half of the face made any chipperness in her expression seem dull and cloudy. "I figured I should start working on it now - just in case."
It was beautiful, just like Sakura. But her shaky fingers would surely cause a mess, and even Ino, who was braiding her blossoming hair, looked concerned. "My lady, I wish you'd let me fasten the rest of it. I don't want you to be injured -"
"Oh, like a little needle will do me much harm." Sakura chortled and waved her hand, a silver needle, which was stuck between her left thumb and index, gleaming in the sunlight. "I told you - I might not even be able to walk down the aisle when the wedding comes around. At least let me have this much."
Ino frowned and looked at Hinata, eyes narrow and begging.
Hinata, slowly, gently, bent down and caught Sakura's hands in her own. They shook terribly, and were cold. "Lady Sakura," she said, softly, trying not to scare her. She's learned that situations like this required patience and understanding, or she might get her client too nervous to speak. "I'd like it if you'd stop for a moment and talk to me about -"
"Oh!" Standing suddenly, unfinished veil falling onto the sofa's plush cushion, Sakura slipped from Hinata's grip and wobbled to the piano in the corner. Ino rushed to her side, catching an arm when she seemed to slip on her own hair, but Sakura only smiled and assured her she was fine before sitting on the piano's bench. "Moon, let me show you what I've been working on. Last night - I'll tell you, I was absolutely struck with inspiration. I had this melody in my head - a nice tune - and I had to get it down before I forgot it. I figured it could be played at the wedding. Not by me, of course; so I'll have to teach someone to play it for me."
Her fingers worked on the ivory keys. The song wavered with Sakura's growing anxiety. She was trying to run away. She had been a therapist before; she knew exactly what Hinata was doing, or was trying to do.
And the sad sight of it all made Hinata's chest clench.
"Lady Sakura, I -"
"Can you play at all, Moon?" The music stopped, suddenly, turning to her. That smile was no more, now a stressed, tight twist to her lips. "I'd love to have you play at our wedding - and I know Naruto won't mind. He seems very fond of you, so I'm sure -"
"Lady Sakura."Leaning over, Hinata pushed down the fallboard of the piano, hiding away the keys from Sakura's anxious fingers. Distractions out of the way, with nowhere to run, she sat, stiffly, and stared at Hinata. "Please, stop this. I already know you're -"
"No, I'm not!" Sakura screamed, hands over her ears. "I'm not in love with Sasuke! I'm over him! You can't tell me otherwise."
Next to her, Ino flinched. Dropping the hair she had in a half-braid, she stepped back to give her lady some room. Hinata sat on the bench and lowered her head to meet Sakura's eye. "Lying isn't helping anyone."
Her green eye smoldered, and she sneered, "I'm not lying. I'm in love with Naruto. I love Naruto."
And, maybe, that was true.
But Hinata was well aware that wasn't the whole truth.
"But you also love Sasuke."
"No, I -" Sakura snapped her hands away from her ears, heading turning this way and that, trying to find something, anything, that wasn't Hinata. "I-I don't . . . . There's no way I'm still . . . ."
"I can see that you are." It was beyond the obvious stickers that reminded Hinata so much of Sasuke's own, stickered face. It was that look in her eye when she had seen him. Hinata's seen that look before - from someone. She couldn't put a name to it, but she just knew. "Lady Sakura, I'm trying to help you. We both know you have to be more honest with me in order for that to happen."
The air was sizzling, boiling; dancing, almost, like the steam from the tea. Slowly, Sakura's shoulders hell, and the tension in her face slipped away as a few tears washed down her face, falling off her chin and onto her curling fists. She breathed deeply, then turned to Hinata, eyes bowed in resignation.
"I-I'm sorry," she whispered. "You're probably right. I'm probably still in love with Sasuke." Light flashed across her face as she met Hinata's gaze. "But - I promise - if I wasn't in love with Naruto - not this much - I wouldn't have agreed to marry him. I do love him. I love him a lot. I love him so much. It's just . . . ."
Everything about that statement rung with honesty, from the clearness in her tone to the serious twinge to her iris to the straight line of her shoulders. Hinata nodded, believing her. "I'm sure you are," she said. "But . . . it's still not fair to him."
Lips pinched together, Sakura muffled the sob that racked through her entire body. "I know," she said, everything about her looking ready to crumble under the weight of the world she now lived in. "I wish . . . these thoughts of Sasuke would just go away. I want them to stop - but every time I think I've pushed them away, they come back stronger, and I can't -" Her voice broke, and she glared down at her hands. "I'm not strong enough."
Hinata looked closely at her covered half, which was pushed down by the weight of it all. It was heavy. Hinata knew such a heaviness, and she wished, with all her might, to just pluck it away.
But in order to do that, well . . .
"Just be honest." Sakura looked up at her, and she tried to give a genuine smile. "Tell Naruto the truth. I may not know him as well as you do - but I know the kind of person he is. He'll listen, he'll try to work something out; and if he can't, he won't hate you."
A moment passed, then Sakura let out a long, steady breath that made every petal in the room vibrate and wave. "Okay," she said. "Okay."
...
The red light peeking in through the windows made Hinata realize that she had been stuck in those hallways for far too long, and that the stuffy air was doing nothing for her tight chest. Even Suigetsu made it quite known he's was getting bored, with his constant huffing and puffing and all; thus, after a late dinner and another mug of tea leftover by one of the maids, they made their way out to the gardens.
The air was fresher outside, and the cool breeze did wonders to Hinata's skin. She felt her gills relax, and though her head still felt heavy with pressure, she was sure that a nice walk around the gardens would be a great remedy.
However, she only got about twenty steps in before, tragically, her little escape from reality was knocked off its feet. Quite literally, in fact.
"Wait - shit!"
A tall body rammed into her just as she made a turn to the gardens, and she yelled as she fell back. Her hand grabbed at something soft as another, larger, warmer hand grabbed her waist and lunged her forward. Her nose pushed against absolute, pure heat, and that was enough to tell her exactly who this was.
Naruto.
Her hands left his chest instantly, but his stayed on her back as they both struggled to keep on their feet. They tipped, then he pulled them back, and finally, they were securely on the ground, her on the tips of her feet, as she was far too small compared to him, and any smaller, he probably wouldn't have gotten a proper hold on her.
The cool breeze contrasted exceptionally with the heat just rolling off of him, and the tranquil twittering and chirping of birds in the distance were nearly muffled by the roaring in their chests - hers from being so close to him, an engaged man that she had no right to gush over - and his because . . . because . . . well . . . .
A noise. Hinata turned her head to find Suigetsu next to them, smirking. Blushing, she stepped away and put a short distance between Naruto and her, but his hands quickly caught her arms, not so much to keep her near, but more so like he was scared she was falling again. Under his hood, his bright eyes blinked and stared at her, wide and a bit foggy with something.
"N-Naruto -"
"Are you okay?" he asked, quickly. "I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"
Gulping, she shook her head. His hands relaxed, then left her to fall at his side and rub (nervously?) at his cloak. His gaze flew along the walls of the manor, and his mouth twisted with wonder. "Are you comfortable here?" The sudden rush of questions caught her off guard, and she was struggling to find her words. "Should I get you something?"
Suigetsu clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes, but kept to himself, oddly. Hinata gathered her words, placed them particularly on her tongue, let them soak in, then finally, awkwardly, said, "I'm fine, Naruto." She looked back at the manor for a moment, searching for whatever he could have seen that would have put him in such a strange mood. When her gaze fell onto a window that she knew belonged to Sakura's sitting room, her mind put the pieces together. "Ah, but, um, I'm sorry. I haven't been able to help Sakura as much as I've hoped to."
He watched her for a moment, as if expecting her to be lying, for some reason. But then he seemed to fall back into his normal self as he grinned and nodded. "You're fine! No matter what, I appreciate you just coming here."
Surely, she should be used to it by now - his uncontained kindness. But her heart still fluttered, and she still felt shame soar through her system.
"Thank . . . you, Naruto." Her eyes trailed the mass of stickers still on his jaw, untouched and unwavering. Automatically, her fingers popped, but she locked them behind her back. "Are you going to see Lady Sakura?"
His grin fell to a smile. "She's probably asleep by now - I thought I'd just, y'know, stop by and ask everyone how she was faring." His gaze, again, zoned in on her, focusing on something so totally unknown to her. She waited for him to ask - waited for another onslaught of questions about how Sakura was and if she was getting any better. But instead, he only patted her shoulder before moving around her. "Don't stress yourself out too much, Hinata. Have a good evening."
His cape snapped and swung in the air as he left, and when he was gone, the world was a lot quieter.
"Uh oh."
Hinata turned to Suigestu, who scratched at his gills. "Is something the matter?"
He blinked, then grinned, then nodded to the gardens. "Nothing," he said, "it just looks like Ino's having trouble with something."
She followed his gaze to find exactly that - Ino, off between the gardens and the wall of the manor, was bent over and struggling to lift something. But . . .
Well, Hinata was used to lying. Sometimes, she was too naive or caught up in something to notice it, but she's experienced enough lying in her life to really know when someone was so much as hiding a bit of the truth from her. And though it was clear as day that Ino was there and she was in trouble - the notion of Suigestu keeping something tucked under lock and key would simply not leave her mind.
...
"You look stuck."
"I am stuck, Suigetsu. Now are you gonna stand there and be useless, or are you gonna help me?"
As she approached the squabbling duo, Hinata began to wonder if there was anyone in the manor that Suigetsu did not know. She supposed being a Guard was quite a social job, and with such a fabulous land, surely he's been hired at least a handful of times to take watch and make sure petty thieves don't attack the place. But, still, it was quite the sight to see him make small talk and prattle with just about everyone they've come across in Forest 3.
But then again, she supposed that was just Suigetsu being Suigestu.
Finally joining them, Hinata was able to see the problem at hand. There were about fifty large, potted plants that Ino was struggling to carry up the staircase, to the front doors of the manor. Not a wagon was in sight, and she had only managed to get about three to the doors.
Huffing and puffing, Ino swiped her plain, blue dress free of dirt and soil before her hands flew to her high ponytail, fixing it with skilled, quick fingers. "I don't mean to take your time," she said, glancing at her, then at Suigetsu, "but could you help me with these? I hope to get these to the sitting room by morning, before Lady Sakura wakes and continues with her reading." Her head dipped down to one of the pots at her feet. Peonies, Hinata realized as she got a better look at the flowers. It had been a while since she saw peonies that were so richly pink. "They're her favorite, and I hope they will lift her mood."
Suigetsu was already stretching his arms over his head. "No sweat," he said, tone matching his sharp smirk. "I could do this in my sleep."
He had agreed so quickly, and without hesitation, that Hinata didn't have much time to process anything before agreeing, as well. Ino smiled and thanked them, picking up a pot and handing it to Hinata to carry. Suigetsu held two, balancing them on his shoulders, hands gripping the sides to keep them in place. As they made their way up the stairs, Ino settled next to her, head cocked slightly to the side.
"I'm sorry for making you work on your time off," she said. Hinata smiled and shook her head, not feeling bothered at all. It was nice to be distracted, even if just for a short while. "Did you come to see the gardens."
"Yes." Hinata glanced at the sky, where the sunset's colors were painted along the horizon. A few twinkling stars peeked through the clouds as the highway point of the sky turned a rich blue. "I wanted to see the moonflowers in bloom, if possible."
Ino nodded. "They are beautiful - I simply love how the moonlight makes their petals glow." Reaching the door, they all placed their pots to the side, out of the entrance's way, before going back down to get more. "They're new to the garden. Lady Sakura got them only a few months ago. Someone from Moon - ah, um, I couldn't tell you who - but he sent them as a getting well soon gift. She's made sure they are taken well care of, and I hope you'll see her efforts tonight."
Ino drifted off for a moment as she bent down to pick up more pots for everyone. Again, when they were on their way up the staircase, she spoke. "I apologize for My Lady's behavior." Her smile was small and sad, and she did not meet Hinata's eye as she turned to look at her. "She is not a cruel lady, I swear. Just . . . conflicted, and sick."
Hinata could understand what she meant. From her talk with Sakura before, it was quite clear she felt guilty, and that guilt was so heavy and foreboding that it was enough to make her absolutely sick. Tomorrow, she planned on helping Sakura deal with these thoughts of Sasuke more, and to help her decide which was more important to her: her marriage with Naruto, or this strange obsession she has with the Uchiha. It was a difficult task, and even with her aid, she could not force Sakura to make a decision. It was up to her, and Hinata hoped Ino's words were true - that she was a good person who would make the right decisions.
"Whatever you say, Ino." Suigetsu had already made it to the top, grinning down upon them. "All I know is that my little Guppy sure has a lot of shit on her plate - and half of it ain't even hers." His twinkling, purple eyes, which looked more magenta in the red sunlight, hovered over their shoulders, then looked across the area surrounding them. His lips twitched, and he scratched at his neck. "I gotta take a leak. Watch her for me, Ino. I'll be right back."
Ino blinked, and Hinata quickly placed her pot down, hoping to catch him before he left - but he was already gone, and she frowned. You're not supposed to leave my side, she thought, turning to Ino, who looked as concerned as she felt. Slowly, they went back to the garden to get more pots. It was quieter when he was gone. Ino didn't seem willing to talk; or maybe, she felt a little uncomfortable in being with her without Suigetsu around. Hinata couldn't totally blame her, but she knew Suigetsu must have trusted Ino, or else he wouldn't have left her there alone, and simply continued with carrying the pots back.
"Moon."
But Ino, potless, hovering by the peonies, did not move. Her eyes trailed the gardens, then fell on her.
"Would you like to -"
"Making the guest do the work, huh?" Black swooped in between them, taking the pot from Hinata's arms and two more from her feet. She gasped and stepped back as Sasuke settled next to her, adjusting the flowers in his hold, uncovered eye staring at Ino with a shine of something within. "You are many things, Ino, but I've never taken you as the lazy type."
For a moment, all Ino did was gape. She looked totally thrown off - a response Sasuke Uchiha seemed to get from many people. Perhaps that was more of the magic he had over others, and Hinata couldn't help but smile. Then, with a blink and pinched lips, Ino put her hands on her hips and huffed.
"I see nothing wrong with askin' for help - a thing you need to do more of."
Sasuke didn't bother to react. "I suppose you're right. I suppose I should go about and ask people more often for help with my -" His gaze drifted down to what he held in his hands, brow raising quizzically, "potted plants."
Ino, this time, gave a rather unladylike snort that did not match at all her passive politeness just a few moments ago. Hinata doubted she'd ever hear such a noise come from the maid when in the presence of the Lady of the house. "You know what I mean," Ino said, picking up another of her pots. Hinata scrambled to do the same, as Sasuke had just stolen one of hers. "And since you're here, I'll take it that you're offering your gracious help, then."
"Do I have a choice?"
And the same oddity that occurred with Suigetsu came, again, with Sasuke. They turned, and they began their journey up the staircase, and he didn't pipe a word or give an inkling of a hint that he had any protests - any real protests, as Hinata knew his words from before were just for the sake of getting the last word in. When had these Guards become so considerate, so charitable?
What are they trying to gain from this?
Hinata had a suspicion with Suigetsu, but Sasuke?
Well, it was made clear who he was pursuing.
"My Lady was in a grand mood for most of the day," Ino mused, eyeing Sasuke, eyelashes batting with wonder. "I cannot seem to understand why."
His brow furrowed a tad, but that was all that escaped him. "I hear engaged women tend to be chipper," he droned, reaching the top before them, already setting the pots down. Hinata followed quickly behind, but before she could bend over to safely put hers down, he reached out, grabbed it, and sat it down for her. "I only greeted her, Ino. Don't put this on me."
Ino hummed, but said nothing. Hinata walked with him to the garden.
"Is that really all?"
He gave her a sideways glance. "Did you expect anything else, Moon Witch?"
"No," she whispered, more to herself, if just to convince her of it. But she reminded herself to be genuine and open, so when she turned back to him, she made sure to put some force behind her tone. "But perhaps Lady Sakura did."
He didn't give off that he was overly pensive of her statement. All he did was reach down and carry three more pots, and for a moment, Hinata worried he had somehow not heard her.
But then he clicked his tongue. "Tch." And he peered off at nothing in particular. "I'll talk to her."
So he caught on to what she meant - but she wasn't totally sure if them talking was such a good idea. Suigetsu said he's in love with her, too. She bit her lips together and fumbled with the pot in her arms. Is he going to try to steal her away from Naruto?
"The hell? You're still here, Sasuke?"
Suigetsu came barreling down the staircase as they brought up the last round of the pots. The sunset had faded, and his eyes were back to that normal, mischievous purple that reflected the night's eerie glow.
"I'm here for a reason," Sasuke said, a bit of a sneer to his tone. "And it wasn't to do your job. Where were you?"
"Takin' a leak - avoidin' doing all the work."
"I knew it!" Ino yelped, hands clapping together. "Lazy bastard."
As they bantered, there was a shimmer in the corner of her eye. Placing down her last pot, Hinata strolled down the stairs for perhaps the thirtieth time that day and rounded into the gardens. There was a soft, dim glow upon the plants, and somehow, all the flowers seemed to be sleeping - all except one, specific kind. The moonflowers were fully bloomed, their silver petals absolutely sparkling, as if they were made of the moon, itself. Wave after wave of nostalgia hit Hinata, and it felt like a million memories were playing in her head, only she was too distracted and surprised to see any of them. But she felt them all. She felt the warm hand of her mother that guided her to the Hyuuga gardens. She felt the tickle of her sister's laugh along her ear as she flew over the flowers. She felt Neji next to her, staring with her, and her father on her other side, a strange, kind expression on his face that she desperately wished to remember.
These flowers were a part of her home.
"I'm glad you like them," Ino said, settling next to her. "We've made sure to love them as much as we could."
Suigetsu hovered over her shoulder, whistling in awe. Even Sasuke seemed amazed by the flowers as his pale hand reached out and gently brushed the petals.
For a while, they all simply basked in the glow, Hinata trying to situate her emotions as her senses were overwhelmed with familiarity. But a pressure to the back of her shoulders pulled her back into reality, and when she blinked, she watched Suigetsu lean over her and pluck one of the flowers. Ino hissed, but he ignored it as he sat on the balls of his heels and twirled it in front of her face.
"It's pretty," he said, grinning.
"And it will be dead by morning," Ino said with a sigh, taking it from him and moving past him to grab Hinata's cheek, "so let's make the most out of it while we can."
"Actually, moonflowers last for a week after being picked." She flinched when Ino's fingers dipped under her hood and pushed it back slightly, but she only moved it enough so that she could tuck the flower in her hair. Relaxing, Hinata smiled as Ino situated some of her hair so that the flower would stay in place. "And if you put it back in moon soil, it will stay alive forever."
"A tough weed, huh?" Suigetsu smirked. "Just like my Guppy." She flushed, and he laughed and settled back on his heels. "You look good, but it's kinda weird. It really matches your eyes."
His gaze flickered over her shoulder, and he snickered; but by the time she looked back, all she saw was Sasuke's sprouting wings as he turned to leave.
The next morning, Hinata nearly considered wearing the flower out when she went to go talk with Sakura, but there were multiple reasons why such an idea would stir trouble. She'd only gather more attention, and, somehow, it felt wrong to do such a thing in front of the Lady of the house. Like she was trying to pretend she was something she wasn't - which was a silly thought, she knew, but still enough to make her pull it out of her hair and place it on her night table before leaving.
Suigetsu followed her halfway there, but upon walking past the kitchen, smelled the breakfast they were cooking and told her to go on without him. "I'll be just down the hall," he had told her, already pushing open the door to the giant kitchen inside, "and it's not like Sakura or Ino will do anything to you."
His mood swings floored her, but she decided to keep to herself momentarily and focus on the task at hand. I'll have to ask him about it later.
As she passed the entrance to make her way to the sitting room, she glanced out the windows to see if Ino had been able to bring all the peonies to the room. Glee filled her when she saw that the pots were not there; hopefully, Sakura would be more willing to share when she was surrounded by the flowers.
"- understand, please!"
But those cheerful thoughts sunk into her stomach upon the shrill yell that passed through every wall in the manor like a ghost. Gasping, Hinata rushed down the hallway and opened the door to the sitting room, expecting to see Sakura or Ino in trouble, but instead -
"I still love you, Sasuke."
She saw beautiful cherry blossoms dance along with the racing heartbeats in the room, and in the middle, perfectly, stood Sakura and Sasuke. She was still the same, and he was as he always was, but together, they looked different. Her darker, and him lighter. Pinker.
"I won't tell you what to do - you need to decide." And maybe it was Hinata hearing things, but his voice seemed softer, too. "But you can't keep dragging Naruto on like this. Break the engagement off, or don't. I don't care."
Half of Sakura's face fell with heavy grief. "Sasuke -"
"I don't love you, Sakura. This has nothing to do with me."
Wait.
Hinata's heart jumped to her throat.
Is he lying?
She couldn't tell, and she wasn't keen on the idea of eavesdropping anymore.
But as she began to pull away from the doorway, Sakura leaned forward, neck craned back, and kissed Sasuke. And when he didn't pull away -
A tsunami overtook her; a hurricane of emotions spun through her head; a tornado roared in her ears. Lava and smoke poured out of every pore in her body as she slammed the door shut and took a few steps away, trying to situate everything, to understand everything, to calm down everything -
"Moon Witch."
But when Sasuke stepped into the same, narrow hallway as her, looking so much like himself - too much like himself - as if not a single, damn thing has ever happened in his fucking life -
"What . . . are you doing?"
Hinata couldn't find the will to care anymore. Her everything was tired of being suppressed and tucked away for later use. She was human, not a puppet. And just because her eyes saw others worries and anxieties and annoyances did not mean she didn't have her own.
And, of course, Sasuke only closed the door behind him and watched her. Passively. Calmly.
Why is he doing this?
"What are you possibly gaining from this?" she asked, hands clenching to the front of her cloak. "She's engaged, Sasuke."
"I know."
Of course he knew. Everyone knew! "Then why did you kiss her?"
His revealed eye turned into a thin slit - finally, he was reacting. "She tried to kiss me."
Again, she knew. She knew so well. Why was he making it a point to dodge every one of her questions?
"You didn't pull away. Why - why didn't you pull away?" She looked at the door where Sakura hid. "And she's getting married. Why did she kiss you? What are both of you thinking?" Every nerve in her body was on fire. She felt so tense. Had she ever felt like this before? Surely, at one point - but she couldn't remember. Not that it really mattered. Sasuke was now. "And you're lying isn't helping anyone, either."
His gaze flickered over her face, lit with realization. Instantly, his arms crossed and his shoulders straightened upon her accusation. "I never lied to Sakura," he all but grounded out. It was almost like some of her growing irritation was passing onto him, pulling him into her fiery universe.
And it only turned hotter when he thought he could get away with that. She was naive at times, sure; but not stupid.
"You said you don't love her, but I know you do -"
"No." And were he anyone else, he would have tried to break free of that world of lava and fire. But because he was Sasuke, and because he was like no one else she's ever met - yet like so many, at the same time - he only stepped further inside. Towering over her, lightning biting at her nose, he bent down to her level, and said, "I'm not."
The hair on the back of her neck stood, and she blinked rapidly at the sheer honesty in his firm, boiling tone. Her hot world suddenly turned frigid as ice encased her back, and she shivered and bowed under his gaze, and he stepped away.
"Not . . . anymore," he added, eventually, but Hinata barely heard it.
He's not?
"But . . . . Y-You aren't?" Another wave of confusion and question spilled into her head, and she rubbed at her temples. "But Suigetsu said -"
"He told you that?"
His tone was dipped in surprise, and Hinata slowly nodded. "He . . . told me that when he found out about Naruto and Sakura's engagement, you also knew, and you were upset because you loved her - and, er, you still are."
And she, herself, had been nearly convinced. It seemed right, somehow. Not right like morally correct, but more so just . . . expected. Because Sakura was beautiful, and any man would fall for her, surely. And when he had been talking to her, his voice had been lighter, softer -
It still was. Like he was still stuck in that room, talking to Sakura.
But . . . Hinata wasn't Sakura. Not at all.
She nearly saw the steam rolling off his body, as if his skin was coursing with electricity. She could have sworn she heard him mutter under his breath - "What the hell?" - as he turned to leave.
"Y-You didn't answer my question."
But . . . she wasn't finished yet.
He stopped, shoulders sagging with exhaustion. "Moon Witch." And he sounded exactly how she felt. Tired. Annoyed. Impatient.
But he still stayed, and she still pressed on.
"Why didn't you pull away? Why did you kiss her? If you do not love her, then -"
There was a crack of something (lightning? Bones?) as he met her eye once again. Everything was presented to her crystal clear just then - she'd never seen him so open and willing to her, and were it any other situation, she would have been thrilled. But that obsidian eye was dark with utter frustration, and his revealed cheek was flushed with pulsing anger. The stickers on his face shifted and bristled, and Hinata realized that his impatience with this whole situation outweighed her significantly.
"I do not recall," he begun, speaking with a slow, fierce tongue that articulated every syllable with sharp, poisonous accuracy, "giving you permission to mess around in my life." The back of his cloak fluttered, and Hinata wondered if he was holding back his wings from snapping out. "Leave it alone, Moon Witch. It's not your business."
And it was a surprise to her more than anyone else that she didn't bow her head and walk away that instant. His words hung the air, then circled her throat, trying to choke the words from her. But the words that repeated in her head, over and over again, were that of her own figement.
"Whatever happens, don't back down. Keep your chin up. Look them in the eye. Show them you won't be fooled by them."
Thus, she followed the order without falter.
Standing her ground, fingers twisted into the fabric of her cloak, she looked Sasuke in the eye, and said, calmly but firmly, "I'm here specifically on the Sun King's request to help Sakura. It's my duty to figure things out and help her find solutions to her problems. This is my business."
His eyes probably matched the scowl on his hidden lips. "You -"
"And one of those problems is kissing an engaged woman, Sasuke."
That second, thunder practically roared through the manor. Hinata watched the stickers on his face stretch out, covering his cheek and forehead and brow. All that remained was his right eye, flashing and glaring, and her stomach twisted.
"I never -"
And just as soon as it started, the storm ended. Sasuke's entire body relaxed, and the static in the air disappeared completely. That openness that had been so apparent in him was closed off as he fell back into that familiar, guarded pose she's seen him in a hundred times. It was like . . . he had given up. On what, she wasn't totally sure. On me? All she knew was that she felt as if he deemed her unworthy of his energy and time, and that stung.
". . . I'm not a good guy. And were it Naruto, would you have acted any differently?"
But more so did those words that sounded as if they had come straight from the mouth of her disappointed father.
Does he actually think . . . I would stoop that low?
". . . Yes."
He did not turn away, did not look away. She got his full attention - only, she didn't really want it in the first place. Not really. Not when she felt like she could explode at any moment because of all the anger and hurt and frustration and confusion and bitterness she felt in just that moment alone.
"Yes," she bit out, staring at her feet, if only to keep him from seeing her watering eyes. "I'm not selfish. I have self-control. He's my friend and I want him to be happy." Her knuckles were white as bone, and her fingers were shaking. And if she were Sasuke, surely an enormous thunderstorm would take over the entire manor. "It doesn't matter how I feel about him. I know my time and place."
Hot tears poured down her hot face, and she didn't feel the need to hide them anymore as she stared at him through the mess of her bangs.
"Do you, Sasuke?"
After that, he was supposed to leave. He always left. Sometimes, she felt like she saw more of his back than his face. And then, if they ever saw each other again, he would think of her question and she would think of how oddly betrayed she felt, and they'd stay on opposite sides of the room and talk to completely different people and not even glance at one another again - him out of disgust, probably, and her out of fear. Fear that if she looked at him, she'd be pulled in by that horribly stickered face, and she'd go all the way back to square one.
But . . . that didn't happen.
Instead, he came closer to her, letting her hide her face in his shadow. "I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry." He nudged his left shoulder, shifting his cloak in her direction. She got the idea and took it to dry her eyes, surprised by the softness in the fabric. For some reason, she always expected his to be rougher than Naruto's. "I won't get in your way." After she wiped her face clean, he gave her room to breath and watched her from across the hallway. "What will you do now?"
Finally feeling her heart calm, though her nerves were still a bit on end, Hinata turned to the sitting room. "Talk . . . to Sakura, I suppose." Timidly, she met his gaze, still not fully understanding what had just happened. "And you, Sasuke? What will you do?"
And he must have heard the challenge in her tone, but not an ounce of fear came to him as he answered, smoothly, "Talk to Naruto, I suppose."
He found the pig halfway out of the kitchen, gnawing on a plump chicken leg, a bit of grease smeared along his chin. He laughed at something, told the chefs he'd be back to "steal more food", and upon closing the door and finding him waiting in the hallway, hushed. Good. He was already aware of the kind of shit he was in.
"Now let me explain myself before you go bitin' my head off, Sasuke." Ripping a bit of the brown skin off, Suigetsu chewed at his strange choice of breakfast without much eagerness. Not exactly the tempo Sasuke expected from someone who was supposedly desperate to clarify themselves - but then again, Suigetsu just loved to waste his time. Bastard. "I know you're thinkin' I went and abandoned Guppy again - and hell, you might even be thinkin' you'll have to use that lovely katana of yours to slice some sense into me again. Well, you'll be glad to know I have absolutely no qualms with the idea, and I'd in fact encourage you to remind my poor, Ocean brain a thing or two about -"
"So I'm in love with Sakura."
Swallowing hard on a half-chewed piece of chicken, Suigetsu hacked and choked, gills flaring with irritation as he pounded a fist into his chest. Sasuke watched with mild irritation, unsure himself if the guy was actually choking or just playing for more time. But after a while and a long, winded wheeze, Suigetsu finally looked at him.
"So you heard."
"The Moon Witch had the most baffled look on her face when I had to explain it to her that I'm not, in fact, in love with Sakura." He tapped at the scabbard of his katana, and when Suigetsu glanced down at his twitching hand, he went pale. "Now she'll have to deal with the terms that her trusted bodyguard just lied to her - I wonder how willing she will be to believe you now." Ignoring the itch to run his hands through his hair in total and complete frustration, Sasuke settled on just glaring holes into Suigetsu's skull. "What the hell were you thinking?"
Sharp teeth gleamed in the lantern light. "You're . . . not? I was so sure -"
"Save me the bullshit. I've already dealt with enough today." Sasuke eyed both ways of the hallway, grabbed Suigetsu's arm, and yanked him into a nearby room. "And in the same breath, also explain to me how you were aware of Naruto and Sakura's engagement. From my understanding, they made it clear that very few people were to know about it."
Frowning, Suigetsu crossed his arms and kept to himself. An occurrence that Sasuke rarely got to relish in, but due to the circumstances, the quiet only annoyed him more. Then, with a stressed grin, he said, "Karin can't keep her mouth shut, you know. The amount of things she's told me about you alone is uncountable."
Karin again. Of course.
"Tch." He knew he'd have to give her another talk on her gossiping mouth, which she'd probably forget within the next week, but he tucked that reminder in the back of his head for later use. Right now, he had to remind Suigetsu of a few, key details. "Listen closely, as I won't repeat myself ever again. This is our job. Unless I'm jeopardizing the mission, I do not matter, and nor do you. I don't care what you have to do, or what you want to do - if the Moon Witch isn't there with you, you don't do it. If it's not helping her, you don't say it. If it's not about her, you don't think it -"
"Oh, right," Suigetsu mused with a smirk. "But am I the only one who is thinking about her?"
"Suigetsu."
His grim tone wiped the smirk right off Suigetsu's face. "Alright, alright. I get it." And his eyes shadowed and narrowed. "I'll go find her now - not that I need to find her. I know she's with Sakura." Tossing the chicken bone into one of the nearby trash bins, Suigetsu pushed down the handle and opened the door, but gave Sasuke a look over his shoulder before leaving. "Nutcase. What's got you in such a good mood?"
Good mood?
He didn't feel good at all, but the door had already slammed shut, and Sasuke frowned at the darkness of the room.
...
Sun was annoying - but mostly Sun 1.
Because the closer you got to the Sun King, the brighter it got, and Sasuke was never too fond of the light. Which was ironic, he knew, since he and Naruto had been friends for about two decades, now.
Let's see if that lasts after today.
Flying through the open halls of the Sun palace, he reached the office within a minute - probably could do it with his eyes closed, he'd been here so many times. But this wasn't about showing off. This was about coming clean . . . kind of. And getting a proper punishment . . . .
Sort of.
And were Suigetsu here (magically, as it would be some miracle for that shrimp to sprout any wings) and seeing the vigor in his flying as he made his way to, perhaps, his doom, he would have called him a masochist. But Sasuke liked to call it a sick sense of justice, and he had to properly wipe the smirk from his face before he entered the office.
"Kinda busy right now, Sasuke." The room was a mess - that, in itself, was no surprise. Naruto wasn't known for being the most organized Sun King in history. Stacks of paper littered his floors and desk. His robes were thrown haphazardly over the back of one of the guest chairs, and Sasuke had to step over spilled ink to meet his flying gaze over the mountains of documents. "I'm sorry, but if it's not important and Hinata's not dead or kidnapped, then -"
"I kissed Sakura." Almost. But he bit his tongue before he could say anymore. This wasn't about almosts or what ifs. And, as stated prior, he's known Naruto for a while now. Those didn't matter to him. Breaking a nose and almost breaking a nose was the same thing to him.
Speaking about breaking noses . . .
That's probably what Naruto was aiming to do when he launched over the piles on his desk, sending papers flying everywhere, to plunge his fist into Sasuke's face. He was too slow, and Sasuke knew it wouldn't take much to dodge something so simple.
Fuck's sake. This isn't about showing off.
"What the hell's wrong with you, bastard!?" Naruto yelled. "Don't you get it? You're too late! She moved on! She's engaged to me."
Moved on. Right. Like you actually believe that.
But again, Sasuke bit his tongue and instead focused on the throbbing . . . everywhere. His nose stung like a motherfucker, and when he fell back, the back of his skull cracked against the light wood floors, and he dreaded the headaches he'll be having for the next four days. But that was all the time he gave it. It already happened. And he knew he deserved it.
"Sasuke, you're already being punished. You don't have to be physically punished, too."
The Moon Witch's voice, without permission, coursed like electricity through every nerve in his body, and he gave a harsh, bitter laugh as he sat up and rubbed the blood running from his nose. Not broken, he knew, but still battered enough.
"I know," he said, which sent Naruto into another, flustered rant.
"Dammit - I know you know - and that's the problem!" He tore his hands through his wild hair, which hissed with pure, blinding light. "I just want things to go back to how it used to be - it's so damn frustrating to watch you two tiptoe around each other. But that doesn't mean you get to make out with her, and that doesn't mean she -" His voice cracked, and his head snapped away. "And Sakura . . . I can't understand anything, anymore. Does she still love me? Is she only with me because of pity?"
A breeze washed in through the open windows and picked up some of the papers, bringing them to Naruto's feet. He looked down at them, then his eyes flared with pure anger as he turned his glare back onto Sasuke.
"Fuckin' Hell - I know that's not true," he said, hand pressed against his forehead, which glistened with sweat. "Stop making me doubt everything. It's not true. It's not true."
Sasuke frowned, growing concerned. "Naruto -"
"Do you regret it?" As soon as those words left Naruto's lips, he immediately laughed and gave a mean grin. "What am I asking? You never -"
"Yes, I do."
Blinking, Naruto looked down at him, surprised. Sasuke crossed his legs and stayed on the floor. "I regret it," he said, "and I wished it never happened." I should have pulled away sooner, or not have seen her at all. Sighing, hr rubbed at the back of his head, and flinched upon his fingers finding a tender spot. "I'm sorry."
Blue eyes squinted in disbelief. Sasuke could understand why. He didn't make it a habit to apologize so often, or so quickly. He took what he deserved, then he left. But, somehow, he felt compelled. Maybe there was something more to it, but he didn't bother to think too hard on it.
The hand on Naruto's forehead slid to the side of his neck, then down to his hip.
"Oh," he muttered, eyes darkening with realization. "Kissing Sakura - was that one of those lies you always do?"
Sasuke didn't answer for a while, instead pushing himself to his feet. And the look in Naruto's eye, swimming with guilt and hurt, told him he had already figured out, but, again, he felt compelled to say, hushly, "Of course not. I'd never lie to His Grace."
"You've had a long day, huh?"
Suigetsu stated the obvious like it was the most cunning thing in the world, and Hinata was glad to see that he was back to normal. He was right, though. The rest of her talks with Sakura had been stressful and resulting in little progress; some of it, she was sure, was on her. She couldn't get it out of her head - Sakura kissing Sasuke, all the while wearing the ring Naruto had given her. She couldn't stop focusing on it, and her distracted mind didn't let her work as hard as she needed to.
But . . . that isn't really my fault, is it?
Because . . . Sakura had kissed Sasuke. After talking so much about how she loved Naruto and just wanted the thoughts of Sasuke to leave, she went and kissed him. It was hypocritical, and Hinata was beginning to wonder if she was just trying to teach a pig how to sing.
"Geez. It was just a simple question." Her right shoulder was knocked playfully, and she looked up to see Suigetsu. "Don't look so stressed. It doesn't look good on you." At that, he blinked, then frowned at himself. "Shit, and here Sasuke told me to stop sayin' things like that."
Ah, so Sasuke had talked to him. She was sure he had something to do with Suigetsu's sudden change - Hinata only hoped it wasn't nearly as violent as last time. "It's fine," she said with a smile as they turned and made their way to the garden. Sunset had just passed, and the moonflowers should be in full bloom. She wanted to see them before she went to bed for the night, and Suigetsu, of course, had no complaints about taking a walk around the manor. "I know what you meant."
They reached the gardens, and just as she thought, the moonflowers were showing off their elegant petals, which stretched, like fingers, towards the moon. There was a shift of fabric to her left, and Suigetsu moved closer and held the picked flower from before to her.
"You left it in your room," he said, taking a glance around the place before moving her hood back to push it in her hair. "Which is such a waste, if you ask me."
Hinata laughed. "Thank you, Suigetsu."
"See - that's what I was wanting. You don't laugh as much when you're here." He paused and thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers. "Sakura should be asleep by now - let's grab Ino and have her make you more of that chameleon -"
"Chamomile."
"-tea. Maybe that'll help you sleep, and tomorrow, you can -"
Suddenly, a horrible cacophony thundered through the manor. Suigetsu was instantly in front of her, head snapping this way and that, searching for any trouble. A wail followed after, and Hinata recognized it instantly.
Sakura.
"Suigetsu - come with me!"
She grabbed his arm, and they both ran, following the screaming and ruckus. Maids across the manor had the same idea, and Hinata was surprised to find a crowd forming around the sitting room.
But she should be in her room.
Pushing through the crowd, she was able to find one of the sofas through the door frame, looking as if it was thrown. Past it, she saw Sakura's form somewhere inside, but her screams were clear as day.
"I hate them - I hate them! Get them out of my head!"
Shit.
She knew she had to get in there - and fast. But as she pushed through a few more people, she saw Sasuke at the front of the crowd, looking in with a narrow eye. Scared he'd try to go inside, she quickly grabbed his arm, bringing his attention to her.
"Stay here." The firmness of her tone rolled through the tense air, and she looked at both him and Suigetsu. "Do not step a foot inside that room, and get the crowd away."
Suigetsu already nodded and worked on pushing the crowd back, but she felt Sasuke's gaze flutter along her back as she pushed the sofa back and stepped inside.
...
The room was a mess.
But that wasn't what was important.
Skipping over tangles of hair and fallen books, Hinata ran over to Sakura. She saw Ino with her, holding her, letting her scream into her lap. She was crying, blue eyes dull and tired as they stared at the high ceiling. "I'm sorry," she whispered, more black stickers forming under her eyes, "I'm so sorry."
Hinata fell on her knees and grabbed Sakura's arms, forcing her to look at her. Bile filled her throat at the sight of her. There was so much. The weeds had nearly taken over her, and were there any more, Hinata was sure they'd actually tear her in half.
Sakura sneered and tried to shake herself from her grip. "Stop it!" she yelled, hair falling into her face. "I don't want them anymore. Stop it!"
And that's when Hinata realized it.
This wasn't just psychology. This wasn't just stress or stickers or a tough decision.
This was magic that was making her act so wildly, and Hinata quickly changed her tactics.
Grip still firm, she forced Sakura to look at her again, and said, "I'm not a thought. I'm real. I'm the Moon Witch that's going to help you, so you have to listen to me." Sakura stared at her, jaw clenched, uncovered face wet with sweat and tears. "Sasuke doesn't love you."
Her head fell and shook violently, and she sobbed. "No!"
"Listen to me - it's true. He doesn't love you, and he shouldn't have kissed you." Her right hand left Sakura's arm to grab her chin and force her to look up. "Listen. You should not have kissed him. That was wrong. Wrong, Sakura." Pink, manicured nails sunk into Hinata's wrist, trying to pull her back, but was too weak to do anything more but give it a small yank. "You're engaged. You're hurting Naruto. You have to choose - stay with him, or don't. I'm telling you to choose, and I'm not in your head. I'm real."
Slowly, any tension in Sakura's body slipped away, and Hinata wasn't sure if it was because she had given up on fighting back, or because she was too exhausted to try anymore.
But, still, she continued. "Naruto loves you, Sakura. You can't hurt him anymore." Sobbing, Sakura's chin fell slightly. Ino held her closer as she seemed to lose strength in her body. "Sasuke doesn't love you, but Naruto does. He loves you."
Hinata bit her lips together, controlling the waver in her voice, before repeating it over and over again.
"He loves you. Naruto loves you. Naruto loves you."
She said perhaps a hundred times, or maybe a thousand - she lost count. But, eventually, Sakura calmed down, and Ino's gaze, navy and glassy, looked down from the ceiling and watched as her lady fell unconscious in her arms. She gave a broken sob and struggled to her feet, carrying her out of the room and to Sakura's chambers. When Hinata finally came to the hallway, it was empty, save from Suigetsu and Sasuke, who watched her with almost held breaths.
"Her mind is being controlled."
Walking past them, she barely heard them follow after her.
"What?" Suigetsu sounded . . . she didn't know. Her mind was too full to think of anything else. "How do you -"
"Someone's putting thoughts in her head - or - or making her think she's in love with Sasuke." She should have seen it sooner, the signs. Sakura constantly brought up these thoughts she wished she did not have - thoughts that were clearly not her own. No wonder Hinata's efforts seemed to have no effect. She was working under the belief that Sakura was really that conflicted. "I need to get to Ocean 11. I have books there - they can help me figure out what to do next. Maybe I can break whatever magic she's under."
"Hinata." At Suigetsu's tone, she stopped and turned to him. He was frowning and scratching at his gills, looking a bit confused. "You're sure about this? She just seems crazy to me - but if someone's controlling her, as you said, then we'll have to do another investigation of the manor."
Hinata tried to force herself to pause, to consider things, to think rationally. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe Sakura was just crazy. But, somehow, Hinata knew things were off. It seemed so obvious - like this has happened before, only she couldn't remember how or when.
"I -"
"I'll take you."
They both looked at Sasuke, who already had his wings out and ready. Suigetsu gaped, and Hinata blinked.
"You . . . will?"
He nodded and motioned for her to keep walking. "Get your bag, and we'll leave tonight."
Her heart fluttered with adrenaline and . . . something else. Without another word, she rushed to her room, closed the door behind her, and ran to her bag. Neji was already there, smirking, floating next to her as she pulled out a few clothes to make room for her books.
"It's been a while," he mused, "since I've seen you like this, Lady Hinata."
She couldn't remember a single time where she ever felt so . . . rootless, and she wished, for not the first time nor the last, that he was real, if only to tell her when, exactly, she'd ever felt like this before.
"You're taking her?"
Outside the door to Hinata's room, pacing, was Suigetsu. A rather livid one, at that.
"What happened to me not going anywhere without her?"
And of course, he wouldn't just take the order he was given without complaint. Pushed against the wall, Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose, flinching at the pain that zapped through his entire skull, and said, "Stop whining. You can get her in the morning."
"Oh - so you're willin' enough to take her there, but not bring her back." Suigetsu clicked his tongue against the back of his teeth. "Seriously, just let me take her- or you can go get her. Like I said, gills ain't a problem, so I don't get why you're so insistent on not -" He stopped himself, and that dour scowl of his lifted into an impish smirk. "No way. Don't tell me you can't swim."
And now he was trying to get under his skin. Fucking childish.
"Suigetsu," Sasuke said, pushing off the wall and placing a hand on his shoulder, holding him down, keeping him from moving. "Follow your orders."
Huffing, Suigetsu shoved his arm away. "Fine," he said, "but this really should count as you sabotaging the mission."
Sasuke couldn't help the smirk that slid upon his lips as he mused, "Quite the opposite." Through the door, he could hear the Moon Witch scurrying around. It exhausted him by just listening to it, and he knew exactly what she was thinking at that moment. "In fact, I'm saving it."
It all happened in a blink. The portal. The Hall. There was distant chatter and the constant holler of magic. Then, she was on the shifting surface of Ocean 11, and Hinata could barely keep her balance. Everything was shaking - the water, the sky, the air, the moon that hung nearby, watching, following, reminding -
"Moon Witch."
But when a gentle hand grabbed her arm, she realized it was she that was shaking, and she couldn't make it stop.
"Breathe," Sasuke told her, wings stretching out to keep the wind from slamming against her. "The air is fresher up here."
She tried. In, then out. Over and over again. Like a song, or something. Her lungs felt better, and her nerves were slowly cooling. The bits of wind that pushed through Sasuke's barrier dried the sweat on the back of her neck, and she appreciated not feeling so hot. And when she finally looked at him, she was startled to find that same openness in his eye, almost exactly similar to the kind he had in the hallway, and that brought back an onslaught of memories that made her cringe.
I can't believe I acted on my irritation like that.
"I'm sorry - this morning, I -"
"So annoying." Those two words drifted from his lips, like the wind, and when they reached the back of her neck, they slid down her spine, like ice. "Don't apologize when you're right. I needed to hear everything you told me."
Her shoulders fell. I'm doing it again, apologizing so quickly. When will you stop that, Hinata?
"You're . . . right," she eventually said, gaze bowing a bit. "I just - I can't seem to get a grip on myself. I've barely helped Sakura, and I just now realized . . . ."
Her words fell from her tongue, and she wasn't sure what else to say. Sasuke was quiet for a minute. Thinking, maybe. So unlike the one she knew before, who would say whatever was on his mind without much pondering. And something about him seemed hesitant, almost. That proud, unapproachable pose of his was nowhere to be seen, and without realization, she found herself pushing back her worries to fall into her helpful mode. Surely, if he was acting like this, something was bothering him.
Her mind went back to the bar, to her corner. And she was about to speak, when -
"She didn't kiss me."
Blinking, Hinata fell wordless again. Sasuke looked down at her, watching every inch of her face.
"I stopped her before she could."
Huh?
He brought it up so suddenly. Was this what was bothering him?
After a passing second to let his words roll in her head, she finally began to understand them, and her head shot up. Wait. "Th-Then . . . why didn't you tell me?" Was he telling the truth? He didn't sound like he was lying. Had she seen it wrong? Her position from the doorway had been awkward, so maybe, what she saw had not actually happened. But even so . . . why was he telling her this now. And when she watched him rub at his face, he saw him flinch when he seemed to touch his nose, and she could easily guess that he hadn't told Naruto the full truth, either.
"People tend to make their judgments no matter what I say," he said. "I'm used to it. It's easier to just let them believe what they want. I don't care." His revealed eye sunk to the dark waters below them. ". . . Usually."
That . . . made sense, she supposed.
"And you weren't far off," he continued. "I almost let her. For a second, I considered it." His right hand twitched, curling and uncurling, but he didn't move an inch from his spot in front of her. "It's so annoying, and I figured that something would click - that the anger would go away. But even thinking about it disgusted me, disappointed me. Even I know . . . when to be selfish."
Hinata remembered her question to him earlier that day. "I know my time and place. Do you, Sasuke?" Was this him finally giving his answer? That, and his sudden, talkative mood was not lost on her in the slightest. The effort he was putting into just sharing this bit of information was clear, and though his delivery was a bit messy, she appreciated it.
I can work with this.
Smiling, blushing slightly, Hinata said, "It's, um, normal to feel conflicted. Human." His eye narrowed slightly, and she gave a sheepish laugh. "But the fact that you stopped yourself is enough. You . . . really aren't selfish, Sasuke."
A bit of bitterness flared in his irises, and he scoffed. "You sound like her, sometimes. She used to talk to me like that without stopping." Her chest throbbed, but she knew Sasuke wasn't trying to offend her, so Hinata only nodded for him to continue. "You said . . . you needed to know as much as possible to help her."
And his efforts were continuing, and if Hinata wasn't so focused and willing, she would have had to take a moment to collect herself from the whiplash Sasuke, alone, was giving her. "Please don't feel the need to force yourself," she said, softly. "I don't mind either way."
He seemed to consider her words for a moment, then began.
"I guess she loved me for years - since we were young. It used to always irritate the hell out of me, but . . . eventually . . . ." His stickers flared, and his wings stiffened, and he quickly left it at that. "But by the time I realized it and I felt that I was good enough for her, she had finally moved on. After ten years of it - I guess it was just expected." Sasuke stopped for a second. The wind seemed to calm down, and he lowered his wings, letting the moonlight shine between them. "I became bitter. I stopped going to the therapy sessions she made me go to. Naruto and Karin . . . tried to help, but I ignored them. I grew angry, and I stayed angry, and were it up to me, I would probably be the same."
A pause. Quiet, besides the humming wind. He finally met her eye again, and she saw that spark of amusement that was becoming more and more normal in his gaze.
"But then a Moon Witch started plucking nonexistent things off my face, and without my consent, I began to change again."
...
Bewildered.
That's the only way she could describe how she felt.
Bewildered, and touched.
His voice . . . was so gentle. His eye, despite it being the only thing on his face she could see, revealed so much to her. He didn't look closed off, didn't try to put a distance between them. Sasuke was open, completely and totally, to her. He looked uncomfortable, but he didn't stop.
Not for a second.
"I guess that's why I'm saying all this shit now," he muttered. "Sakura has always been a hard case, even before all of this." His head cocked a bit to the side, but his gaze stayed on her. "But if you can help me, you can help her."
The wind picked up and pushed the hood down, but she didn't bother to fix it.
"Sasuke." This was so different. He was so different, and were it not for the stickers, she would have been sure this was an imposter. What could have caused such a change? she wondered, chewing a bit on the inside of her cheek. Surely, not just me. "Thank . . . you." Stickers instantly began to wobble and loosen from his skin, and her fingers loosened their grip from the inside of her sleeves. "Can I . . . touch your face?"
And that amused spark smoked and smoldered and he leaned down and gave her complete access to his face. Her hands flew up, one landing on his shoulder, more so to keep her stable than him still, while the other worked on all the places that she had previously cleared. In the corner of her eye, his right hand snaked by her and pulled something from her hair. The moonflower.
And as he held it between them, gaze falling upon it with that sort of subtle wonder he had before, he said, "When we first met, I had told you that not all of Forest had weeds."
The stickers on his brow tumbled under the gentle press of her thumb, and the ones on his left cheek fell without much effort. "I remember."
"I used to not see any in Forest 3, and I had always thought it was because of Sakura." The moonflower twirled between his fingers, sparkling in the moonlight. "Now, I see them everywhere. I was fucking blind."
She had cleared his forehead, and when she saw that more were waiting to be plucked, her heart jumped with excitement. Making sure to avoid his nose, she plucked and plucked, the stickers falling and hissing away one by one.
And when she was done, she realized she had revealed his other eye, which was bright with raw, crackling lightning.
Looking, directly -
"But . . . I don't see any here."
At her.
Chapter 11 - End