- Pluck -
Part II
Chapter 27: Magic
Companion song: Main Theme of Houseki No Kuni
She didn't regret it.
Really, the kindest thing she could have done for him was sooth his soul, if even just a bit. It was something she read in her books, but something she knew way before that. Even with the vast majority of her memories erased, she knew the basics of human decency. The power of the words "I hear you" and "I see you" could bring a man back to life.
As it was the right thing to do. Letting Sasuke know she understood his message (loudly and clearly) was the right thing to do. Voicing her willingness to have a more thorough discussion on the topic at hand once in the comfort of her office was the right thing to do.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Hinata did not regret it.
"Shouldn't I -"
"No. Stay here."
But . . . maybe, she should have just kept to herself.
...
Sasuke would not let her leave their cave of a room.
The second day of celebration was already stirring about, from what she could hear. A grand feast was being prepared for breakfast, and instead of her being out there, helping around and making sure Shino was staying on the good side of the Inuzuka, she was in here.
Really, she was so close. A swipe of her wrist, and she could touch the edge of the cave's mouth. The fire that lit the massive, main area of the Inuzuka hideout lit up the toe of her boots. She ought to just leave. She really ought to.
"Are you really in such a rush to leave, Moon Witch?"
But she knew the second she tried, Sasuke would stop her. So her eyes stayed on the rock floor, distracting herself with the shadows that passed by every so often. She could hear the swipe and shuffle of cloth as he dressed himself - hopefully in his normal, dark wares that didn't make him look like someone just out of Moon 2. Not to say he would be any less handsome, but that sharp, dapper Sasuke that introduced himself to the Inuzuka yesterday was a dangerous fellow. And, really, Hinata would have been tempted to take a glance at whatever it was he was pulling on; but that, too, was entirely too dangerous.
All that could be said is that when she heard the familiar fwah of his cloak landing on his shoulders, her heart sighed in relief. The exhale buzzed in her throat, as well, but she didn't dare to let him hear such a noise.
"They're waiting on us," was her delayed reply. She was never blessed with a quick tongue like Sasuke so often displayed, but even for her, the pause between his question and her answer was far too long.
If Sasuke hadn't been so keenly aware of her spiking nerves, he definitely was now.
His hum was accompanied by the subtle sound of his cloak being buttoned and clasped securely to him. Hinata knew that cloak well - and she was a tad embarrassed to admit that it was because, back when she was without all memory with only that cloak on her shoulders, she'd play with those buttons far too often.
Sasuke's touched these buttons, she'd think. What's on my shoulders used to be on his own.
Really. She sounded as if she had never been in love before.
But Hinata knew that cloak well, embarrassing or not.
It wasn't completely buttoned up. Two of them were loose.
"They can wait," he said. She heard him approach her, footsteps too light on such unbalanced terrain. What was he doing? "What do you think?"
Hoping it was safe to look, Hinata gave him a quick once-over. He looked tidy. His skin was clean from any dust or grime the cave produced, and while his hair didn't look as stiff and perfect as it had for the war at the gazebo, it was still brushed out of his face with purpose. His clothes showed no obvious folds, and she was silently thankful they were his normal sort. But when her eyes graced the fabric of his black cloak, she found she had been right; the upper two buttons were loose, and as if they were stickers, her fingers ached to grab at them.
"You look fine."
Fine could never describe Sasuke accurately, no matter what state he was in. But fine was all she could offer.
And, for whatever reason, that seemed to amuse him greatly. The corners of his eyes crinkled with jest, and his brows lifted with a grace that Hinata could hardly fathom. Perhaps she had been around the rowdy, destructive Inuzuka far too long. Perhaps even a touch of gracefulness was enough to steal her breath now.
"I was asking about Hana," Sasuke mused. She could hear the grin fluttering in his words. "But thank you, nonetheless."
Her heart beat into her vocal cords. Hinata tried to swallow it down as she turned back to the exit. "You're asking me about Hana?"
"Well, I'm sure you'd be the best to ask. You have more experience in this sort of thing."
Now they were stuck on a conversation that required total privacy. She couldn't leave even if she wanted to.
"Experience in what?"
What a stupid question to ask. Again, Hinata wanted to kick herself in the side for just saying what was on her tongue without a moment of thought. She knew the moment Sasuke slid between her and the cave's mouth, putting himself right in the middle of her field of view.
His arms folded together, cloak draped like a cape around him, and he inclined his head to the side. "Being swept off your feet."
Oh, she could just melt! "Sasuk -"
"By me, of course."
Every word imaginable that she could say seeped into her skin. She felt full and hot and tightly stuck in place. Was the cave getting smaller? No, of course not. Sasuke just knew how to make her feel trapped, to make anyone feel trapped.
But this was the sort of trapped where . . . she didn't want to escape.
He waited for a moment, and when the silence continued, he settled back against the wall and asked, "What do you think?"
...
That was the problem. She wasn't thinking.
She just wanted to go out there. She wanted to be distracted by the Inuzuka. Not because she felt in danger. Not because she was so uncomfortable she could keel over. But because if Sasuke kept this up, she'd -
She'd - do something!
Her gills flexed as a pink flush climbed up her neck. Hinata swallowed again, and said, barely, "Aren't you . . . the expert with things like this?"
He didn't even wait a split second. "I can't see what you see."
"I don't see much with Hana. I don't know if she even likes you."
"And that's what we're trying to get at." Sasuke removed himself from the wall and circled around her. She tried to follow him with her head, but she could only turn so much before he disappeared behind her. His footsteps paused, and she yelped when a pressure lightly pressed into the back of her hood. "What shall I do, Moon Witch? Shall I follow her like a dog? Perhaps she's attracted to what she's been surrounded by her entire life."
The light from the mouth of the cave was fading. Where was it going? Was it night already? She wouldn't be surprised. It felt like she had been there with Sasuke for years.
"Or perhaps I should shower her with gifts." She remembered how warm she felt when he had given her his cloak last night. It was like it was part of him. It was like it was him draped over her shoulder, hugging her back. It was that same cloak that brushed her left shoulder as he continued to circle her. "Would she like me to be mean with her? Would she like me to glare at her and ignore her?"
Another touch came to her hood, and then it was off. Her eyes could look up at him without a shield of fabric or hair.
"Or maybe I should do what I'm doing now," he hummed, pulling her hood to her shoulders with care. The warmth of his hands sunk into her exposed gills. "Maybe I should trap her alone with me. Do you think she'll understand how much I want her to myself? No Inuzuka. No Guard. Just her."
At that, her heart hummed with joy, and Hinata smiled. "Sasuke." She stood on the toes of her boots to smell his breath. "Are you still drunk? Are you about to steal me and fly me through the air again?"
His eyes reminded her of the coal found in Moon. They were black and looked sturdy, but if you held them in your hand and squeezed, they puffed into black powder.
"No," he said. He left her and pulled back the piece of room separating them from the rest of the cave. Light poured in, enveloping the both of them. Hinata squinted, but Sasuke kept watching her. "There's just no reason for me to be cautious anymore."
...
It was time.
Her exit was there. She could leave.
He would go scout out Hana, and she would be his eyes from the shadows.
But - for just a second longer - she stayed. Stayed there, with him. Just him. She reached and grabbed his hand, so effortlessly larger than hers. Her thumb twisted around and slept against his palm like it were a crib. Her fingers perched on the hills of his knuckles.
The blood beneath his skin rippled with the very lightning that glowed in his eyes. His front was entirely taken by the light of the cave. She could feel the noise pulse against her face.
But no one watched.
No one saw them.
Ten seconds.
Just ten seconds more, and she would be satisfied. The folds of his hand would stray on her hand for another hour, at least, and that would be enough. Like the spirit of his presence in her office. Like the heat of his back on her door. It would stay. It would remind her of him, and she wouldn't feel alone.
Sasuke -
He made sure to never leave her alone.
...
Ten seconds. That's all they needed.
Her fingers slipped from him, and when they joined everyone else outside, they acted their part.
Sasuke was a man with an eye for the Inuzuka woman who hated his guts the most, and Hinata -
She was kind, oblivious Mistletoe who would only take glimpses of him when no one else was looking.
...
Hana Inuzuka was nothing like her brother, who Hinata could read without even having to try. Really, anyone could tell what was on that man's mind. He expressed himself so openly that it would be a skill to not notice how every part of his body bent to the will of his emotions.
Even at the table, Hinata was quite possibly on the brink of being overwhelmed by the sheer - sheer - lassitude rolling off his entire person. He treated the breakfast table so carefully decorated by the Aburame like it was his second bed. His head lay against his plate like it were a pillow, his hair sticking out like a mane. He groaned and yapped if someone so much as leaned too harshly against their chair that a squeak came from the wood. And it would be a lie to say he was the only one at the table in such a state; the majority of the Inuzuka seemed to follow his lead, heads hanging like they weighed a ton, shoulders drooping with exhaustion.
All but Hana, that is. And it was perhaps she had not drunk nearly as much as her clan did, or perhaps it was because she was simply that good at hiding her hangover; the problem was that Hinata could not tell. Her stickers told her nothing. All she knew was that those sharp eyes decorated with red paint, thin and glaring, were not shy to hide their disdain towards certain guests at the table.
Sasuke definitely had a hard goal to reach.
But not anything about his person showed as much. Not even the few, remaining weeds on the edge of his mouth fluttered with any sort of worry. When he took his spot at the table, elbows teetering on the edge so that he could rest his jaw along the naked white of his palm, no longer holding himself to the strict posture he had just the day before, she had glared at him. Hinata could see the vile ink of her weeds poke at the ends of her eyes. That was not a woman bashful at the company of the Thor Warrior. That was a man who would more likely snap his arm in half than be so inclined to take it.
Sasuke, however, only met her gaze with his forever existing indifference.
Ah. So it seemed his first strategy was to meet her head on.
...
It went . . . .
Well.
It had begun with Kiba pulling his head off his plate once the smell of honeyed ham and turkey met his nose. The fog that tinted his eyes with the golden color of ale cleared in that very instant, and he did not bother to wipe his mouth of the drool as meat was presented to the table.
"Not yet," one of the Aburame said. "Wait."
The Inuzuka were clawing at the table, the bellies growling. "Come on," Kiba whined, digging at the back of his ear. "We already agreed to your prissy breakfast table. Let us eat."
"Damn it," the other Inuzuka groaned. "Damn them. I'm starved!"
"Why do we gotta wait?"
"These fucking Aburame."
"Damn it!"
"Wait," Shino hummed behind Hinata's chair. He poured clear and clean water in her glass, then placed the pitcher near her and went to the Inuzuka's glasses with a bottle of red wine. He poured, and no protests came. "There. Go ahead."
And the Inuzuka tore at their food like wolves, ripping the meat into shreds with the elongated canines, as if they haven't eaten in years. Hinata watched, and not a one of them seemed to even care that they were drinking alcohol in the fresh, new morning as they swallowed down their wine in two gulps. The Aburame watched with thin, disgusted frowns, and Shino looked rather pleased and he went around the table to fill the glasses with more wine.
Through the chomping and scarfing and gulping and chewing, Hana looked completely isolated from her kin. She ate slowly and didn't even touch her wine.
"Mistletoe." Dark eyes found hers under the cover of her cloak. Hinata could have sworn she felt something prick her face. "Don't hog the water."
Ah! Her hands jumped from her lap, nearly hitting the side of the table. She went to grab the pitcher, but Sasuke beat her to it, taking the crystal handle and sliding it across the sleek oak.
"I asked Mistletoe," Hana barked.
"I know," was all he said, still inclining his chin against his fingers.
He still didn't falter away from her gaze, and Hana's weeds flexed with irritation. With little regard to the fragility of the precious pitcher, she lifted it with both of her large, dusty hands and poured the water straight in her mouth. She licked it dry. Not a drop remained when she dropped it on the table and wiped her arm against the corner of her mouth.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Hog."
Hana's nostrils flared, but her eyes lifted in satisfaction. "We have a word for someone like you, Thor Warrior." Her claws, painted to match the color of her eyes, clicked against one another as her hands folded before her. There was something so capturing about here - even Hinata couldn't ignore it. There was so much of that wild, Inuzuka spirit in her; but there were also hints of the Hana she met before, at the tea table, poised and purposeful. She was careful. She had the tongue of her kin, but she knew well when to use it. "Tramp."
His face didn't react, but his weeds snapped at the word.
Hana only smiled, then poured her wine into her brother's glass.
...
That . . . could have gone better.
After breakfast, the Inuzuka dragged themselves outside to laze in the sun as some of the Aburame took their instruments by the gazebo to play in the wind and shade. Hinata stayed to stack the dishes and gather the glasses all in one place.
"Here."
Something cold pressed against the side of her neck, and Hinata yelped and nearly dropped one of the plates. A glass full of water kissed the tips of her gills, and when she turned, she witnessed the familiar flutter of Sasuke's dark cape.
"It's mine," he said. "Take it."
Even if she didn't want to, her gills begged for the hydration. Hinata took it with a grateful bow of her head, looked around, then tipped her head to the side and swiped her hair back to pour the water over her neck. A sudden wave of refreshed glee overcame her, and she sighed a light hum.
"Thank you, Sasuke."
He leaned his right leg into one of the chairs. "Did you see anything during breakfast?"
The only thing she saw was Hana's clear disdain towards the both of them, which didn't do the mission any good at all. "Nothing."
An annoyed rattle of his voice slipped through his teeth. "Tramp."
Ah, so he really was irritated at the name.
"So what will you do?" she asked.
Sasuke looked to the back of the cave, towards the tunnel that led out to where everyone was bathing in the sun. "What I do best, I suppose."
...
And what he did best, according to Sasuke, was -
"GAH! Watch it, Tramp!"
"Oh."
Well, it took Hinata a while to figure it out, exactly. They had gone outside, and Sasuke had almost immediately paced over to Hana. Why? Hadn't they just discussed how his complete and utter focus on her did nothing but piss her off more? But as Hinata joined the Aburame at the gazebo and watched, she nearly gasped in sheer shock when Sasuke, with little hesitation or caution, slammed his foot right into Hana's right ankle.
She howled and snapped her sharp teeth together.
"Fucker!" The Inuzuka pushed herself off the rock she relaxed against and looked ready to tear into him. "I'll kill you for that!"
And Hinata was sure Sasuke would look back with that familiar nonchalance that he would in any other situation. But he didn't. He didn't even look in her general direction. His face turned to the side, and he called for Kiba in the crowd of watching Inuzuka. "You. Dog. I'm quite sure I just now found evidence of your little concoction you've so diligently been hiding from the Guard."
Kiba snapped up, fear flying like a flock of crows through the sky that was captured in his wide eyes. "What -" He stopped himself, nearly choking on his words, then started over in a much calmer voice. "I don't know what you mean. We're not hiding anything."
Hana sneered at her brother, then glared back at Sasuke. "Guard, don't -"
"That's rich," Sasuke muttered Kiba's way. As if the woman next to him was no more than a figment of his imagination. "Then I suppose you won't mind me bringing it to the Guard for closer examination. Just in case."
"What!?"
Now all the other Inuzuka were stirring from their buzz and long slumber in the sun. Hana looked around her, hair flipping this way and that. Hinata could tell even from the distance that she was favoring her left leg.
Her lips moved in a silent curse, and then she grabbed the back of Sasuke's cloak and yanked him back. "Damn it, stop -"
Sasuke lifted a hand to shove her grip away, and it was then he finally looked down at her.
"I'm busy," he said. "Don't bother me."
And before Hana could even think to bark at him, Sasuke went back into the cave, a line of Inuzuka following him in fear he actually had found something. Hinata had to squint through the sunlight to see the fresh weeds growing along the line of Hana's ears.
...
Weeds had a presence of their own accord, like people. They were persuaded by the existence of others, by the ebb and flow of emotions, like the current hitting the side wall of her Ocean home. They were distinctly their own being, however. They had their own way of growing, stretching, sprouting.
Hinata could now distinguish the difference between weeds that came with distraught over love and attraction, and weeds that came with an unsettled thirst for vengeance and violence.
Oh, Gods, what a disturbing difference it was.
...
Some of the Inuzuka women had weeds that Hinata could only describe as icicles.
When Sasuke passed them, spoke to them, lifted his gaze suddenly to look at them, those icicles would form at the peaks of their warm cheeks and drip down, down, down. They melted, those sorts of weeds. They stuck to their skin like sap.
But when Hinata caught sight of the stripe of black stickers wrapping around Hana's ankle, she could only regard it the same way she would regard fire: ferocious, dangerous, and unable to be subdued.
...
"Sasuke Uchiha."
She found him, again, when no one was looking. The flit of his lashes caught her attention, drew her in, even though she tried to stay focused and wary.
"What -"
"What you do best?" Really, to say she had been miffed at the thought that he was so utterly sure he considered himself the best at breaking women's ankles would be an understatement. "Sasuke. Think better of yourself."
He blew out of the side of his hidden mouth. "As I expected, it didn't work."
"You made her absolutely livid!"
"You'd be surprised how often it works."
"When you aimed your katana at me all those months ago, do you think that was when I fell for you?" What was she saying? "Really. I was more so ready to never see your face again." And why wasn't she stopping?
To the side, there was a ruckus of some sort. Neither of them paid it much attention. Sasuke was caught in her words, and she was suddenly feeling the shame burn against the back of her neck. With a drifting lag, he lifted his right arm and slipped her hood from her head once again. Hinata didn't feel so willing for the sudden freeness of her face as she had been earlier that morning, when they were in the security of their private cave. Immediately, she tried to pull it up, but his hand stayed on her shoulder, keeping it pinned down.
"Alright," he said, "then what made you fall for me?"
Her heart dropped. It wasn't a hopeless feeling that filled her soul; really, Hinata didn't know what to call it. All she knew is that she expected him to ask that question. It flooded her mind the second the words left her mouth.
What?
What could she say?
"I . . ."
Her tongue was failing her. She looked up at him, desperate, hoping he wouldn't get angry. She wasn't trying to run. Really, she wasn't. But she didn't know what to say. Her mind was foggy, as if the water from earlier had been tainted with a strong liquor that slowly but surely took over her senses.
Please, Hinata, she begged herself. Please, talk.
Sasuke remained wordless. He didn't pull away from his question, turning away as if he had never asked it, but he didn't push for an answer, either. He just stood. His hand just pressed her hood closer to her neck.
"What you do best isn't hurt people," she eventually said. It wasn't what she wanted to say, but at least it was something. "You make them feel like they're your equal. You make them feel like they can depend on you. That's what you do best."
Sasuke's gaze turned to the side, where a few Inuzuka lounged, but his face remained in her direction. "You want me to be nice to her?"
"Usually, that's how you get people to like you." He wouldn't see it, but she offered him a smile. "Don't you think?"
...
So that's what he did.
He stayed with the Inuzuka crowd, allowing Hana to approach him whenever she wanted to. It didn't take long. She was walking on her left leg fine, thankfully.
When she kicked him, he took it, not saying a word, but not ignoring her, either.
When the other Inuzuka women flocked him, he kept his voice gentle, giving them his attention and focus with great care. His voice always seemed a tad louder whenever Hana was around to make sure she heard him well.
"You really should see where we make the pottery," they'd say.
And he'd reply, "I'd love to."
"We're good. We could teach you a few things," they'd say.
And he'd say, "Please."
And when one of them would fake a fall, he'd catch her like he was oblivious to her efforts to get close to him, to feel those famous hands on her shoulders, to breathe in the smell of his lightning.
"I'm sorry," she'd say, "and thank you."
And he would -
Well, Hinata couldn't see it.
But she knew based off of the dripping weeds on their faces that he was smiling. And what a handsome sight that must be, she was sure. Her memories showed her that Sasuke had the kind of smile that made you feel eight feet tall. Those women towered like trees in their presence. They felt strong and might. They felt heard and acknowledged.
They felt loved.
Hinata knew she wasn't the only one who saw it.
Hana was there, just a few paces behind, watching. Listening.
Wondering.
...
He only approached Hana once in the two hours he's been keeping the act up.
She was bringing the fresh, molded clay to the fire pit in the main cave, setting them in the depths of the flames to harden. Not many of the other Inuzuka aided her. They were too busy wobbling on their feet and licking the necks of their bottles to care.
But upon her fifth trip to the fire, Hana paused upon sighting three extra pots in the fire - ones she had not put there herself.
Hinata watched from the wall she had herself tucked against. Hana stood and stared, then waited. She probably thought it was her brother, or one of the Inuzuka women who weren't so totally tipsy as the majority of her clan. Oh, how the stickers on her ears just danced when she caught sight of Sasuke Uchiha carrying in the pots from one of the back caves.
Hinata had to step closer in order to hear what was said.
"This better not be your pathetic way of apologizing, Tramp."
Sasuke gave her a simple, acknowledging glance before placing the fresh, clay pots in the fire, making sure to not dent them with his fingers. "No. Of course not."
Her nose wrinkled, but her weeds did not bend with any signs of unreserved anger. "I can do this on my own."
"Yes. I know."
If Hinata were in Hana's shoes - if she was approached by this man helping her who was so adamant on not admitting so - well, she would have been softened. Terribly softened. No matter what she thought of him beforehand, just the act of innocent help without being tainted by a thirst for acknowledgment or reward was enough to warm her heart.
But, perhaps, that's because she knew Sasuke. Perhaps that was because that was simply how Sasuke was, how he had always been.
Hana did not know Sasuke. So -
"Now you're covered in clay, Tramp. Gods."
Sasuke looked down at himself. "Ah."
Hana turned on her heels. "We have springs. Go soak your clothes in water."
Hinata leaned in, looking. Her stickers did not drip, but they did not grow, either. Some of them buzzed with the subtle electricity in the air as Sasuke followed her in the back caves to fetch more pots.
...
Another hour passed before she saw him again, without his cloak and dressed in those handsome, dangerous clothes that she hoped she'd not see again - at least, not in the heart of the Inuzuka caves.
As the afternoon heat slowly cooled into evening, the second wave of celebration came with thundering anticipation. Again, the Aburame were quick to entertain, and the Inuzuka were quick to be entertained.
Hinata had only needed a short moment to herself. So much of her energy had been spent worrying about this and that when it came to aiding Shino and Sasuke, by the time she was able to find the furs in that lonesome, dark cave, she didn't think she'd ever be able to open her eyes again.
But she had to.
Just ten short minutes, and she was ready to spy and worry again.
She had nearly reached the party when a hand found her arm and pulled her back, and if she hadn't been aware of the smell of soot and clay, she would have screamed.
"There you are."
Sasuke looked as tired as she felt. Was it so bad that he couldn't hide it, or was he only expressing it so openly because it was her that he was showing it to?
"Is everything alright?" she asked, concerned, eyes already scouring his neck and jaw for any weeds hiding from her sight.
"Actually," he said, "I was going to ask you that."
Oh, right.
Of course.
"Well, she's definitely not nearly as hateful towards you."
He nodded. "I've noticed."
"But to say she's . . . interested . . . would be a stretch."
His sigh was heavy, but short. Hinata wished this mission would just be over with, if only for his sake. And, perhaps, for her sake, as well - just a small bit. But mostly for him. Mostly for Sasuke.
"Then I'll keep on trying."
He said that, but he didn't leave. She waited, but not an inch of him moved.
"Sasuke?"
His eyes lidded. He looked so awfully tired. "Give me a minute."
There was nothing she could offer, Hinata knew. They couldn't trade off. He couldn't just take an hour and come back. Their time was limited.
All she could do was go back to that day in the bar. He was across from her, face entirely covered in stickers, and she had lifted her hands to take some of the strain away.
"May I?"
His face relaxed, and he gave a light laugh. "Go ahead, Moon Witch. Work your magic."
...
It was just his skin she was touching. No weeds to pluck at. Just smooth, pale skin that glowed a dim copper in the light of the fire. When her fingers combed through his hair, it was not to thread out the stickers stuck in the roots at his skull. When her palm leaned into his jaw, it wasn't to remove that terrible weight from his face.
She had none of those excuses this time.
She touched him because she wanted to, because he wanted her to.
The only weeds in her way were the ones still at his mouth, and she wasn't nearly brave enough to venture there.
Not yet.
So she massaged his fingers gently into his temple and smiled at his hum.
She traced her thumb over his eyes and thrummed with joy when he leaned into her.
The Inuzuka were distracted. Hana was not around.
For now, it was just them.
...
"It was in Sand 1," she whispered. When her thumbs left his eyes, he opened them to give her a quizzical look. "It was after you risked your life to save me. You had been asleep for so long, and I was worried. I felt so guilty. How could I have allowed so much stress on you? Even if you put it on yourself, I should have protested more. I should have forced your hand. That's what I thought, at least." Her hands followed the curve of his jaw, then dipped down to his neck. "You looked so different when you slept. Your face was still mostly covered in stickers back then, but it was like - it was as if they didn't matter. I could see them, but I couldn't feel them. It was like they were just my imagination. I wanted you to wake up so desperately, but at the same time, I wanted to enjoy that sight for as long as I could. You without strain, without stress, without worry."
He leaned further into her hold. The music was beginning to fade away.
"You woke up. Do you remember? After all you had gone through, you still insisted you carried me to the others." She laughed, which turned into a smile, which turned into a shake that matched the race of her heart. "I think that's when it started - when I started to fall for you."
Her eyes lifted to him, and now it was out of her own will to remove her hands from him and drop her hood to her shoulders.
"Isn't . . . that strange?"
...
He directed his gaze away from her. When she followed it, a bit frightened that someone had overhead him, she realized he was looking in the direction of the mouth of the cave.
She could smell the trees. She could feel the cold wind.
Sasuke looked out there like he was - like he was ready to just -
Leave.
His hand found hers, which had pulled her hood down.
He wanted to take her with him. She could practically hear his wings pushing against the fabric of his shirt. He'd take her away from there - maybe to the Guard - maybe to The Hall - or, even, he'd plunge the both of them down into the depths of Ocean 11, where no one would ever be able to bother them.
It was on the tip of her tongue - "Go ahead."
Hinata couldn't, but almost, she said -
"This isn't caution," he said, taking her hood between his fingers and lifting it over her eyes. "This is patience, Moon Witch. Remember that."
...
He left.
The last thing she saw was the weeds dripping down his lips.
...
It wasn't supposed to happen.
The crowd somehow pushed her to him.
That's what she told herself, at least.
Sasuke had been near the middle, casually talking to a few Inuzuka while slowly making his way to Hana. Hinata had been near the band. Shino had stopped his playing to take her shoulder in one of his hands and guide her into the mob of dancing Inuzuka - and suddenly - after colors and blurs and sounds far too loud to comprehend - she was with Sasuke.
The world was spinning. Her hand had caught the front of his shirt before she knew it. Did he think her of one of the Inuzuka women faking their spells of sudden clumsiness? Goodness, how embarrassing.
So worried about how she had gotten there and how they must have looked together, Hinata couldn't pay any heed to anything else. Not until Neji formed before her eyes, arm swiping to the side, directing her gaze to the left.
"Look," he breathed. "Lady Hinata, look."
So she did.
Hana's eyes were sinking into her. Into him. Her and Sasuke. Both of them.
There was something there in the heart of those dark weeds. Hinata couldn't put a name to it, but it coaxed her to take Sasuke's hand.
"Sasuke," she said under her breath, "look at Hana. Look at her like you want to dance with her."
In the corner of her eye, she saw his head turn. She couldn't see the exact expression he made, but whatever it was made Hana's tight gaze suddenly turn loose and startled.
"When I take your hand," she continued, dropping her own gaze a tad, as to not seem too suspicious, "slowly look away. As if it's a chore. Look at me."
Her fingers found his cuff, then dipped into the heat of his hand. When she looked up, he took his time to look back. Her mouth opened, but he already moved on his own. She didn't even have to tell him what to do - he already knew. He inclined himself to her. Like she was all he could see. Like it was just her.
And when Hinata glanced back at Hana -
Bingo.
Weeds sprouted on her crimson cheeks and dripped like sap down her face.
...
"Now I get it."
Indeed, he did, as now he was playing his part perfectly.
At her side, he stayed, showering her with enough attention to show some signs of attention, but he made sure to find Hana across the way every now and then. Sometimes, it was a short glance that he would take a single beat to turn away when she looked back. Sometimes, it was a long, desperate stare that left no room for the imagination.
Sasuke Uchiha played the desperate lover well.
And, somehow, that made Hinata feel guilty.
"She likes the chase." He had dipped his mouth to her ear. His eyes were across the cave, searching, so Hinata understood it was a part of the act. But, still, she couldn't help the flush on the backs of her ears. "She likes to see me desperate."
Hinata smiled, as if he had just said something charming to her.
"It's about power," he continued. "She wants to feel like she won."
Her head was too hazy to really understand what he meant.
"So . . . what should we do?" was her quiet question.
And what just illuminated from his being was a hot sensation of pride, of excitement, of determination.
"We play her game."
Sasuke Uchiha knew how to work his magic.
The only problem was if Hinata could keep up with him.
"Play her game," he had said.
Hinata understood, mostly, what that implied. And that was the tricky part. Because in order to play into Hana's game, as Sasuke had explained, he could not do it alone.
He'd need a partner. A teammate in this puzzle of mind games.
And Hinata did not know what she was more afraid of: that he'd choose one of the countless Inuzuka women surrounding and following him, or her.
It would be best, she tried to tell herself, to not get too stuck into the webs of the clear and constant pull between them. It would be best to keep that inch of distance until the mission was over. They would be back at the Guard, isolated in her small office, and he'd sit at that chair against the wall and listen to her like he always did. Or, well — the impatience in his voice when he told her he'd wait had been quite clear, as well; so maybe he wouldn't just sit and nod along. Maybe he'd lean over her office like he had that one day. Maybe he'd be bold enough to demand an answer from her. Maybe the mere lightning on his breath would coax her to say what she has wanted to say since she had wrapped her arms around him in a dark and lonely cell.
Don't get caught in more mess, she tried to tell herself.
Wait, Hinata.
Focus on the mission, Hinata.
Let him pick one of the other women, Hinata.
But she —
But —
But she didn't want that!
She didn't want him to go around with someone else, looking at them like he'd look at her. Even if it was fake, it hurt to see it. She had felt it when he had been dancing with them. She had felt it when he'd dip an ear to them, when he'd let them catch the front of his cloak, when he'd lightly touch their hand at the tea table.
It was fake, and it was what he had to do, and Hinata knew that. She did. Really, she did.
But — Gods — every time she thought about it, it felt like a knife was sliced down the silvery lines of her scars. She'd gasp and curl her fingers into the rocky floor, and when she'd look for him, beg for him to help her, to stay with her through the pain, to let her hold onto him, if even just for a little bit —
He wasn't there.
Sasuke had a choice.
To play this game, he needed a partner.
"Moon Witch."
And she knew, just by the tone of his voice alone, who he picked.
...
At least he was gentle when he pushed her against the wall of the cave. One of his hands served as a shield between her aching back and the stones poking out. She could hear some of the Inuzuka kiss the backs of their teeth as they passed by, not exactly sounding surprised at the scene before them, but rather just voicing a small amount of irritation.
"Get a room," she could almost hear them say.
But, of course, that would hinder the game.
Hinata could feel Sasuke's nose touch her cheek. His mouth was so frightfully close to hers that she couldn't breathe any of the cave's air. It was only his breath. It got caught in her mouth and filled her lungs with static. She was breathing in his lightning. It made every hair on her body stand.
The hand at her back pushed a tad into her cloak, and the other was on the wall by her head. The rest of his body left no room for imagination. To any glancing Inuzuka, they would not be mistaken to see that, indeed, that notorious Thor Warrior had the Moon Witch so precariously and completely pressed into the wall. His knees touched her thigh. The dark of his cloak tangled with hers.
This was the game.
And Hinata was . . . trying to keep that at the front of her mind.
Because if she didn't, she'd just — she — she'd be so terribly inclined to just lean her head forward. Just a tad. Just a few centimeters. Just enough to feel the smooth texture of his hidden mouth once again, this time not with her hands.
And Sasuke looked —
It was like she was looking in a mirror.
His eyes were slanted with concentration. If she breathed his lightning, he breathed her magic. His eyes would be spelled with her powers, and he'd see the weeds littering her face. Not weeds of hatred, of disgust, of worry — but weeds of unshadowed and overwhelming want. Of thirst for him, for his attention. Of a desire for him to just stop the pretending, to have her pinned against that wall without the disguise of a game, of a mission.
If he saw that, he looked prone to do whatever was in his might to loosen those stickers of hers. His jaw flexed, as if he were opening his mouth just enough to capture that section of lip just over the corner of her mouth. She could practically feel his teeth.
But he didn't move.
The hand behind her was trembling with her back.
"Moon Witch." There was such a terrible strain in those words when he whispered them. She swallowed them up and felt their heat gather in her belly. "It needs to look like I'm kissing you. Bite your lip."
Hinata's throat felt tight. The lightning in her lungs made her feel dizzy.
Her teeth sunk into her bottom lip. She only meant to irritate the skin just enough to get it red and . . . bothered, but she miscalculated the sharpness of her Ocean teeth and accidentally broke the skin.
A line of blood slowly dripped down to her chin.
Oh dear.
What would they think if they saw her with a bloody mouth?
"Gods," the Inuzuka would mutter, "he acts like an animal with her."
But . . . that was the whole point of this, right? To get them to think that?
So . . . maybe a little blood didn't hurt.
But Hinata was absolutely not expecting Sasuke's head to dip down and for his tongue to find the thin trail of blood on her skin. A gasp vibrated in her throat as she grabbed onto his cloak. Her spine arched and pushed her closer to him. His tongue touched the underside of her lip, and she shuddered.
"Sasuke."
He finished, and he looked at her like he knew every one of the thousands of thoughts rushing around in her skull. His left eye glowed with electricity. The static dancing on his skin snapped with amusement.
He was entirely pleased with himself, and when he turned away, his hand leaving her back, Hinata nearly collapsed onto the ground. Her hands caught the rocks behind her.
The end of his cloak swiped against her leg as he turned. Over his shoulder, she saw Hana staring at them on the other side of the giant cave. Like magic, Sasuke's posture changed. His boots pressed together. His shoulders squared. The electricity stopped.
And it was then Hinata understood why he had chosen her — beyond the main reason that had popped in her head. It became clear when he walked away, leaving her without a shield from Hana's narrow, ferocious glare as weeds collected along the bone of her brows.
There was a desire there, sure. A desire for Sasuke's looks, his charms. But there was also a desire to conquer, to steal, claim him as her own. Not because he was Sasuke Uchiha. Not because he was the Thor Warrior.
But because he was with her — Hinata Hyuuga, the Moon Witch, the one who smelled like mistletoe and had the eyes of the enemy.
…
Kiba Inuzuka was where her feet took her. She couldn't explain why. Her body just carried her that way. All logic was gone from her being. Sasuke had taken it with him.
"Mistletoe - oh." He wobbled like a drunk near the bar. His left elbow steadied him against one of the nearby stools, and he left whatever concoction of drink he had on the bar. But, despite it all, there was a sort of sharpness to his eyes. It took Hinata to understand it. He saw the cut on her lip, still fresh and red. He looked at it, and his ears stretched away from his skull full of fur and hair. "Ah - geez. Shit, Mistletoe. That looks bad."
Her consuming shame faded just enough for her to feel so absolutely grateful for his care. How was it possible she was able to find a friend in the Inuzuka? This infamous gang of Forest 6. Wasn't she supposed to fear him? Really. What was there to fear about him?
"I'm okay."
His right leg lifted so he could dig his heel into the itch gnawing at his left knee. "That's not right." He shook his head, swayed, then groaned at whatever pain that caused him. "He bit you that hard? You're bleeding."
"Kiba," she tried, smiling as obviously as she could. "Kiba -"
"Ahh, I'll kick his ass." He pushed off the stool, got maybe three steps, then looked around as if he forgot where he was. "Where's that damn Guard? Man, I don't care if he's a guest or not. He's been pissin' me off all day. Can't you see it, Mistletoe. He's screwin' with me." Again, his eyes found her lip, and he sighed. "Here. Let me -"
He leaned in. He took her shoulder in his hand to balance himself, and then he got close and licked the cut on her lip.
Hinata yelped, pushing him back, hands covering her mouth.
Kiba stumbled, straightened himself, and rubbed at his eyes. "Healing saliva. Gross, ain't it? Of all the things -" He shook his head, groaned, then gave her the widest look she's ever seen on him. "Ah - wait. Sorry. You didn't know I could do that."
Her mouth was numb, then it was tingling. Maybe it was the magic. Hinata hoped that was the reason.
"You scared me."
"Yeah," he laughed, "my bad. It'll heal soon, though. Don't let him bite you again. That . . . fucker . . . ."
He trudged forward as if he had perfect balance, and now it was Hinata's turn to grab his shoulders and keep him upwards. "Kiba," she said. "It's okay. He didn't bite me."
He tried to blink the fog out of his eyes. "Huh?"
"It was an act. He's trying to get someone jealous. I bit my own lip." She opened her mouth so he could see her sharp teeth. "See? It was an act."
Kiba stared at her like she had two heads. His head turned to the side, and he barked out another laugh. "Gods. Look at that. You some kinda shark or somethin'? Didn't know Moon people . . . had . . . ." His words fell with little effort off his tongue. He blinked, shook his head, and said, "Wait. Get someone jealous? That bastard? Who?"
Hinata smiled and led him to one of the piles of fur about the place. She bent down with him to make sure he got to it without falling. "Should I tell you? It might shock you."
He lay back and sighed, relaxing for a moment. Then her words must have reached him, for her snapped back up, gawking. "Don't tell me. An Inuzuka?"
"It's Hana. He's interested in Hana."
She felt bad for lying - and she felt even worse when he groaned, as if in pain.
"Not her." One of his hands lifted to hold the side of his head. "There's no way in hell I'm lettin' that bastard bite my sister like he bit you."
"He didn't bite me, Kiba. Remember?"
"Hana. Gods. Fuck!"
She lightly pushed him back, making sure his back gently fell into the furs.
"You can't tell her," she said. "She can't know."
Kiba's eyes fell shut in exhaustion, and he gave a weary sigh. "Fine, fine. Only because you're askin' me, Mistletoe." He rubbed the skin between his brows, then sunk further into the furs and fabric that made his place of rest. "My lips are sealed."
...
Of course, Hinata couldn't believe that.
Shino was doing good work in making sure the Inuzuka's lips were anything but.
And that was perfect.
...
The next day signaled the final day of celebration, and the Inuzuka were completely and entirely out of it.
Evidence?
The moment Hinata awoke from her slumber and stepped out into the main area of the cave, instead of the breakfast she was expecting, she was met with -
Well.
What seemed to be this secret, illegal product the Inuzuka seemed so bent on keeping out of the hands of the Guard.
Three, of which, happened to be right there in that very room.
...
They called it PuppyLove.
Shino had taken a short moment to pull her to the side to explain the situation to her. There was a bit of strain in his voice that went beyond the simple problem of foreign syllables on his tongue.
"It powder - with qualities that - ah - what word is?" He paused, frowning, thinking. "Magic, but no. Dreams, but real. Moon Witch understand? It is . . . not good."
And, oh, did she understand.
Drugs.
The Inuzuka were . . . drug dealers.
And this PuppyLove - well, it was unlike any drug she's heard of; which, admittedly, was few to begin with. Rather than using the normal, usual methods of getting someone high, the powder was burned, and smelling the fragrance it produced was what gave people the high.
Ah. So that pit of fire near the front . . . .
And . . . she had been so sure it was entirely for pottery.
How naive she was.
...
It was supposed to make you happy.
Shino had warned her of this quickly, before they were called to join everyone else by the fire.
At first, she didn't understand. A drug that made you happy, that relaxed your mind, that helped you forget about the stresses of life for a while. There were definitely worse things out there. It wasn't that she was excited to be a part of whatever ritual this one, but it didn't sound dangerous, either.
But then -
"It's exciting, isn't it?" Next to her, Hana sat with her legs stretched out towards the fire. She didn't look nervous. Hinata could understand why the rest of the Inuzuka were fine with their "precious product" being exposed to the Guards in their hideout; they were entirely too drunk to care. But Hana had been avoiding alcohol like it would kill her. Why was she alright with this? "Pure happiness. We don't get it often, do we? That's why we have so many people willing to risk anything to get their hands on it. Happy, without a care in the world. It makes you feel like you can achieve anything. Like you can do anything. No caution. No fear. If someone asked you to jump off a cliff, don't you think you'd do it? Simply because they asked?"
It was when the pink powder was thrown into the flames, the smell of cherry blossoms and sweet apples and roses filling her senses, that Hinata understood Shino's warning.
...
Sasuke looked . . . so very happy.
Wasn't that a joy? He deserved it, didn't he?
Ah. And look at that. So many Inuzuka were around him, clinging to him, hugging him, soaking in his warmth. They wrapped themselves in his cloak and pressed their hands on his stomach. He bowed his head to press his cheek into theirs. They looked so happy to be with them.
She - she ought to go join them.
Wouldn't Sasuke hold her in his arms, if she asked?
"Moon Witch." A hand caught her shoulder. It was Hana. What a lovely smile she had. "I'll take care of him. Leave him to me." Yes. That should be fine. Hana would be perfect to take care of him. Hinata gave a happy sigh as Hana stood, making her way to Sasuke and his crowd. She only got a few steps, then she stopped. Her teeth were very white. How pretty. "And while you're like this, go drown in the springs for me, won't you?"
Stretching her arms over her head, Hinata stood to do just that. It was very easy to remember where the springs were. She remembered the last time she was there. Those girls were talking about how much they liked Sasuke.
How sweet of them. She hoped many more people would start to like him, too.
It didn't take her long.
The air was warm with steam. No one was around. How lovely.
"Hinata."
She didn't have to test the temperature. No matter what, it would feel nice.
"Hinata, no!"
She jumped it. It was so warm. The water made her feet tingle. She had to smoosh her hands into her gills to keep them from helping her breathe. When she blew all the oxygen out of her lungs, bubbles escaped her mouth and danced to the surface. How pretty. Her air was so pretty. She wished she could dance with them. She wished Sasuke was around to dance with them, too. Would he dance with his wings out like last time? That would be nice.
"-ata! Hinata, listen to me!"
Oh.
Her vision was blurry. Her chest tickled and pumped, wanting to dance with the bubbles, too. Wasn't that . . . Neji? Did he come to drown with her, too?
"Hinata!" She could hear his voice so well under the water. How nice. "Breathe! Hinata, breathe, please!"
Her hands left her gills, which quivered and gaped. Air suddenly filled her lungs. They tickled. They tickled so much she laughed. She couldn't stop. She felt so alive.
"N - e - ji!" It was hard to talk. Everything felt so warm. Maybe she was melting.
He was shaking. He tried to grab her, but his hands just went through her.
"Hinata. Please. Go to the surface."
She swam up and took in a gallon of the fresh, damp air. How nice. It was so nice in here.
Kiba was there. "Huh?" He looked down at her, then laughed. "Mistletoe. This is the guys' spring. You're in the wrong one."
She swam to the side and hung onto the rocks where he stood. "You should jump in. It's really nice."
He did without hesitation, causing the water to spray all over her.
"Kiba!"
"What? You're already wet."
They both looked down at her clothes.
"You should get off and let them dry," he said.
Hinata pulled herself out of the spring and twisted the end of her cloak so that water would spill out. She thought about just taking off her clothes and jumping back in, but Neji said it would be best to leave.
"Find Sasuke," he said. "Bring him with you. Get him away from Hana."
Ah. Hana said she'd take care of Sasuke. Maybe Hinata could take care of him, too.
Thankfully, he was easy to find. He was still by the fire that smelled like flowers and fruit. The women were gone. So was Hana. Maybe they were having fun somewhere else.
"Go, Hinata," Neji whispered. "Get him."
So she ran over and grabbed his arm. He looked up, recognized her, and stood and followed her.
"I was looking for you," he said.
That made her heart really happy. "Where should we go, Neji?"
He looked to where the mouth was, saw a crowd of Inuzuka there, and then said, "To your room. Go there."
She went, and Sasuke followed along with her.
"Your cousin is here?"
"He went swimming with me."
"That's why you're all wet."
She smiled down at the trail of water following her. "It was fun."
They reached the back cave where their stuff was stored. Neji told her to take off her cloak. He must have thought it was cold, but she felt fine. It was a bit heavy, though. She felt like she could fly with it off.
"Dry off with the fur," he told her.
Hinata went over to her nest, grabbed a few rags and scraps of fur, and rubbed them down her arms. She took off her boots and dried her legs. She even made sure to get her hair dry. When she was done, she looked around for her cousin, but all she saw was Sasuke.
His eyes were . . . really pretty. They made her feel pretty, too.
"Moon Witch."
She liked his voice. Would he hold her like he held the other women? Hinata opened her arms out to him, and he wrapped his hands behind her, lifted her up, and dropped him onto a nest of furs and rags that smelled entirely like him.
He was vibrating over her. She could hear his lightning in his chest.
"I don't want to wait," he said. "I want to go. I want to go back to the Guard. And want you to talk to me. I want to listen to you."
Right. They had that important talk when they were done.
"Shall we go?" she asked. Her hands ran through his hair. It felt so nice. She could touch it forever. "Should we, Sasuke?"
He looked very tempted, but then he sighed and rested his mouth against her gills. The stickers on his lips tickled.
"We'll go later," he murmured. "Let me stay with you."
Her hands moved down to his back. "Stay."
There was so much lightning. It touched her nose. It touched her eyes. It touched every part of her skin. She felt alive. She felt warm. She felt like she could just explode.
"Sasuke," she sighed into the air. "If I asked, would you -"
Oh.
It sounded like someone else was calling his name.
Was that Hana?
Sasuke laughed against her neck, his stickers trailing up to her jaw, then her ear.
"Go hide."
When he lifted himself off of her, she crawled into a dark dent in the wall, away from sight.
"Moon Witch." He lay back in his nest, staring up at the ceiling. The electricity was disappearing. Her skin stopped vibrating. "Tell me to think Hana is you."
Ah. A game. How fun.
"You think Hana is me."
"Good." Neji appeared next to her again. "Now be still and quiet. Don't let her know you're here."
Hinata pressed her smile into the wall of the cave as the plank door was pushed open, allowing light and flowers and fruit inside.
...
Hana was a very pretty woman. Sasuke looked at her like she was one, too.
"I know what you've been doing, Tramp." She was confident. She sat on his lap and hoisted his jaw up with her hands so he would look at her. "You're trying to get me jealous. You're using that girl you came with, aren't you?"
Hinata wished she could see his smile. It must have been as beautiful as the rest of him.
"She's dead," Hana hummed, tracing her claws along his cheek. "Isn't that funny?"
He laughed and leaned into her. "You're perfect."
Her eyes dipped down to one of his legs. "You almost broke my ankle. Was that also part of your plan?" She smiled. "Should I tell you to break your own?"
Hinata waited. He didn't say anything. He was so captured by her.
"Sasuke." Hana leaned a tad away from him. "Tell me the truth. How do you feel about me?"
His hands relaxed on her hips, and he leaned into her to rest his chin on her shoulder. "I like you," he breathed. "When will you look at me?"
Hana's gasp was so . . . thin. She didn't know how else to describe it.
"It's . . . not a trick? You actually like me?"
"Wasn't it obvious?" the grin was apparent in his voice.
Hinata watched, her smile widening as weeds dripped off of Hana's face, falling and hissing onto the ground. How pretty. She was so pretty.
Slowly, Hana took Sasuke's hand and lifted them from her. She stood and took a few steps towards the door. "It will air out soon," she said. "When everything's back to normal, I'll be here. Man up and come to me directly. Tramp."
...
The moment she left, Sasuke scoffed and coughed between fits of laughter. He reached under his rags and pulled out his other clothes. The ones covered in clay.
Oh.
She thought he had cleaned those.
Was it safe to come out? Was the game over?
He pressed his nose into his clothes. His body shook, and then he coughed and huffed some more.
"Fucking Hell," he hissed. "Gods. How do people stand that smell?"
With a small bit of hesitation, Hinata pulled her face away from the wall. He was looking at her.
"Come here," he said. She did, and he offered the clothes to her. "Here. Take it. The scent of the clay will help you. That's why they hide that shit in pots. It's the damn smell that keeps it hidden."
Hinata wasn't completely sure what he was talking about, but she pressed her nose into the fabric of his cloak and took in the scent of clay. It was so earthy and strong. The clouds in her head began to disappear. She felt heavy. She felt cold. Her chest stung; as did her face.
What?
Her face? What had -
Ah. Wait.
The lightning.
All of her senses felt overloaded and off balanced. Pulling her face away from his cloak, she sneezed and coughed, then rubbed at her face. Sasuke took the clothes from her, but stayed close by, in case she needed them again.
"I'm okay." He didn't say it, but she knew he worried. "I'll be alright."
He pulled the collar of her shirt down just enough to get a proper look of her gills. "She really tried to kill you."
That realization sent something sharp and poisoned into her gut. She almost drowned. If Neji hadn't been there, she would be dead. Her lungs hurt like hell, so she tried to keep her breathing at bay.
"Sasuke," she whispered, "how much longer must we be here?"
It was fine before. The Inuzuka were no threat at all in the state they had been in for the past three days. Kiba had her back. Shino had everything planned out. The only issue was Hana, but Sasuke had been making progress.
But - Hinata almost died.
She didn't want to be here for much longer. If Hana saw she was alive, would she burn the drug again? Would she try to kill her again?
Sasuke left her side to make sure the plank was securely in the mouth of their room, then he returned to her. "Tomorrow," he said. "We leave tomorrow. I'll go to Hana tonight, once this shit is cleared out. I'll get her to tell me about whoever this Moon guy is, and then we'll leave."
Another day.
She could handle that.
She could.
...
They waited hours before they dared to leave.
Their cave was dark and wet. Her cloak lay in a puddle in a corner. She'd have to wait for it to dry before she could go out.
Sasuke stayed close to her as the minutes ticked by.
Every now and then, she could feel his gaze on her, checking her gills, then looking up to examine her face. Was it burned? Had he accidentally burned her with his lightning.
His katana lay at his feet. It buzzed and snapped with his anger, but that was all.
...
It was evening when they left. The Inuzuka acted as if nothing happened. Kiba offered her a smile as they passed by. Shino and the Aburame looked fine, from what Hinata could tell. Nothing in their weeds told her differently.
"She waits." Shino nodded to a tunnel upon their coming to him. "There. Hana waits."
The name alone made Hinata feel perfectly fine with staying where she was. Shino was here. Kiba was here. Even if Sasuke had to go, she would feel safe. But he tugged at her sleeve, motioning for her to go with him, and Hinata knew she couldn't decline.
...
What . . . was he . . . ?
He was running his hands through his hair, combing it this way and that, turning it into a wild mess that would make any Inuzuka proud. It fell into his eyes, sticking out in all kinds of manner.
"Don't worry." He must have interpreted the look she was giving him as fear, for he stopped for a moment to look her way. "You won't go in there. I won't let her near you. I promise."
That gave her soul some ease.
He continued to mess with his hair, then turned to his clothes next. He untucked half of his shirt and unbuttoned his cuffs, allowing a sliver of his arm to reach from his wrist to the edge of his elbow. His shoes stayed polished and clean, but he rubbed his knees into the rock wall, getting them worn and dusty.
Ah.
Now she was seeing it.
As he worked on loosening his white undershirt and ridding himself of his best completely, he gave her an expectant look.
"Well?"
Her face heated up, and she rubbed her fingers together, and said, "You look . . . very handsome, Sasuke. You always do."
A breeze of a laugh touched the backs of his teeth. "I meant if you had any input on how I should approach Hana. But that answer works, too."
Somehow, she felt tricked. "Begin with that, then."
He hummed, light and satisfied.
...
"There's a reason I brought you with me."
"For encouragement, I'd suppose."
His eyes tipped with a smirk. "Not exactly. I know what I need to do. I'll be fine on my own."
Well, she supposed that was true. "What is it, then?"
He pulled his loose collar away from his neck, and said, "Go ahead."
She looked for a while, but no matter how she squinted, she couldn't understand what he was getting at. "I'm sorry?"
"Bite me."
Her throat went dry. "Sasuke."
"You're alive," he said. "I need to catch her off guard."
Her hand found the wall to balance herself. "That's a very good excuse, Sasuke."
"Mmh." He tipped his head down to her level. "When you told me that story of when you fell for me, it made me realize something. You both like to see me vulnerable, don't you?" What? No! That wasn't - that couldn't be it! "What will you have me do, Moon Witch? Shall I beg?"
"N-No thank you."
"When I fell for you," he said, "it was when you first tried to attack me with your little knife. Straight for the neck. Do you remember that?"
That -
He -
There . . . really was no winning with him.
Before her mind could protest, Sasuke leaned in and sunk her teeth into his neck. Not a terrible amount. She didn't want to hurt him - though, well, he did deserve some pain for what he was pulling.
His chest was still. He wasn't breathing. Hinata didn't hear any buzzing or snapping, either. But when she pulled away, his eyes were almost entirely white with harsh electricity.
"That's my girl."
She let go of his shirt and moved away from the door to Hana's cave.
"Sasuke," she called, then smiled, "work your magic."
He pulled the door open, eyes straying on her, promise stuck in the ink of his irises.
Work his magic.
Of course.
That's what he did best, after all.
Chapter 27 - End