Disclaimer : I do not own the characters or the story of Naruto.

A/N : Once again, my heartfelt thanks to all the wonderful readers who took the time to leave their reviews. Due to popular demand, here is the first chapter written in Hinata's POV. I hope this satiates all the curiosities. Please read and review if you enjoy. Thanks!

Chapter 5

5 months till she says yes

Hinata woke up with a start, her eyes snapping open as she immediately sat up with a hand on her chest, willing her heart to calm down. Her breath came out of her in quick pants and cold sweat broke out on her forehead underneath her bangs which she swiped at with the back of her other hand. 'It was just a dream..', she told herself repeatedly in her mind. She was safe, she was still alive and had just been asleep. There was nothing to be so afraid of, she should relax. She took in a couple deep shaky inhale, exhaling out of her mouth as she felt the tenseness in her muscles slowly drain away leaving her feeling tired. She would have just gone back to sleep at this point if it were possible for her to close her eyes without seeing the image from her dream flash behind her closed lids.

Why would those eyes haunt her dreams, she had no idea. The intensity in those mismatched set of eyes was heated enough to send a shiver down her spine just imagining them. She was, of course, familiar with those eyes and the person they belonged to, but the relevance of them to her life was negligible at best. There weren't many shinobi alive who wouldn't be intimated by the purple six tomoe Rinnegan eye when confronted by it, she was no exception to it. The sheer power held in that eye was undeniable, yet somehow the other eye, dark and bottomless, managed to scare her more. Like all mortals, the inevitability of death plagued her as well and with the life she led as a kunoichi, she was no stranger to it either. However, it wasn't fear for her mortality, it was something else, something deep within those eyes, as if it was reserved just for her that she was fearful of, as if those eyes wanted to engulf her, to consume her whole, her entire existence depended upon the mercy of those eyes. Then, there was the fact that those were his eyes.

She sighed softly and chalked it up to another one of those things she failed to interpret when it came to the last Uchiha. Ever since he decided to stay in the village a few months ago, these weird incidents had started. He was an enigma, she couldn't hope to ever understand him. The handful of times she had ever been in his presence, she felt the difference in the air, there was something she wasn't aware of, something that was left to hang heavy around him. It all started that time when she had seen him staring at her, seemingly bored, as she sat at a park bench. She had been wallowing in her own misery from another day of silent rejection from the person she loved most. He had simply glared at her for a few seconds, then turned around and left. Since then she hadn't really seen him around much but a couple of months later she could have sworn someone was watching her, she could sense his chakra, if only for a couple of seconds. She had even activated her bloodlimit to check on her surroundings while she was training with her team but never saw anything.

She had not thought much of it at the time but she had been convinced that her mind was playing tricks on her. Specially after that time when he had asked her to check his new replacement arm and she had misheard him asking her to marry him. She felt her cheeks heat up just thinking about it. Why would her ears imagine hearing something like that, coming from him? Moreover, that was Uchiha Sasuke. She knew very little about him but from what bits and pieces she could gauge about him, he was not someone to joke around with people. He did not mince words either, he was prideful and extremely restrained. All of these attributes she understood very well, her whole clan was the embodiment of these qualities, almost requiring all members to force their personalities to fit that mold. Despite that, his intensity and the unknown heaviness in the air around him, she couldn't understand for the life of her.

But she knew that wasn't all there was to him. She had been able to glimpse a softer side of his, however briefly it might have been on display. She had made lunch for them that day, and he had really enjoyed it. He didn't say that directly to her, quite the opposite actually, he had his pride of course, which was understandable. But he didn't refuse the food she had offered him, he had finished the bowl and his quiet appreciation didn't go noticed, warming her heart. So used to rejection, she wouldn't even have been surprised if he had pushed the bowl off the table and never looked at her again. It would have hurt though, like it always did, it always has. Every single time she had been rebuffed for her weaknesses, every single time her compassion was met with cruelty, every time she failed to meet expectations after trying her best, every single time the person she loved dearly refused to acknowledge it, it always hurt her heart.

All her life, that's what she knew, what she was used to. Failure, then rejection, and she would have to steel herself, finding determination in herself to overcome that, which she had been able to do for the most part, after years of hard work, years of blood, sweat and tears. Even though it felt good to overcome the challenges life threw at her, this pattern was draining to her soul. There had been very few people who didn't fall into this same pattern after meeting her, one of them being her Sensei. Not even Naruto was in this list, who believed her to be weird for the longest time, not that she could blame him for it. But now, Sasuke was also in that list and it pleased her immensely since it had to be one of the greatest compliments she could have ever received. He wasn't the sort of person who would be inclined to hold back on criticism or would have even been considerate of her feelings, that much she knew.

Her thoughts inevitably turn to the blond as a small smile curved on her lips. He would always be her sun, his warmth and light shining on her, giving her strength and motivating her to become better everyday. She has always admired him as far as she could remember, albeit watching from afar. Most people today were able to see what she could back then, his charisma, his courage, his determination and his selflessness. But that wasn't why she loved him, of course she admired those qualities and respected him for it. She loved him because he deserved to be loved, the sad looking lonely little boy, alone on the swing, with no family or friends, shunned by the whole village. Her heart had ached for him every time he was called evil or a loser, no child deserved that. Yet he had always been the sun, blindingly bright in his cheerfulness and shared his joy with everyone, so unlike her, exactly how she wished she could have been. Yes, his unspoken rejection, time and time again, had hurt and continues to hurt to this day, but she couldn't bring herself to hold even an iota of ill will towards him.

She sighed again, so lost in her happy daydreams, that she noticed the unfamiliar bed she laid on too late. However, once it did register in her mind, she felt her brows draw closer together in a frown of confusion. Fortunately, she didn't feel panic growing in her stomach at that fact, since she knew if she were in any danger, she wouldn't have been asleep till now and waking up unrestricted as if she were back in her own room at the compound. She surveyed her body first, checking herself for any injuries or aches, relieved when she found nothing of the sort. 'Then where am I?', she thought and looked up to start surveying the room she was in.

As she started at one corner of the room, slowly turning her head, eyes moving rapidly from object to object, making sure there wasn't anything to be worried about as well as trying to find something which could give a clue about whose bedroom this might be. There wasn't anything remarkable about the room itself, only a few pieces of furniture around, obviously for their utility and not aesthetics. There wasn't any personal touch to the room yet she could ascertain that it belonged to a shinobi, if the desk littered with jutsu scrolls and weapons were any indication. She couldn't help but appreciate how neat everything in the room was, whoever owned this place either had a streak for orderliness or hardly ever used it.

Suddenly, she gasped out loud, when her eyes fell on the figure sitting on the corner of the room in a relaxed casual posture, watching her silently. She would have almost missed to notice him if she wasn't paying close attention, so still was he, hardly moving at all, not even his breathing shifted his form. She felt her racing heart start to slow down as she immediately recognised the person, taking a deep breath, closing her eyes and letting it out in a sigh. Then came the confusion full force into her mind as she opened her eyes, looking at him for answers. Why was she here? Why is he here? She couldn't figure that out to save her life. For that matter, where is here?

He just stared at her, looking completely uninterested, his face blank of any emotions. After a few moments, when she didn't receive anything from him, she decided to just ask, that seemed to have worked in the past. He was incredibly short with his words and even more guarded with his thoughts, she knew he wouldn't be forthcoming with any information even if she kept looking at him dumbly her entire life. She started out with hesitation, "Sasuke-kun..?", and she saw him lower his hands to his side and stand up from his seat, taking a couple of steps towards the bed. "You are in my bed", he said in a relaxed tone, but the choice to words sounded like full-blown accusation to her.

She felt her eyes widen in disbelief as her hand on her chest clutched tightly at her jacket. What?! She was in his room?! In his BED?! How did that happen? When did that happen? As all of these questions started bombarding in her thoughts, she tried to scramble through her memories for answers. The last thing she remembered was when she was at the training grounds with him. He had gotten wounded by a kunai so she had bandaged his hand with her handkerchief since she didn't have any other first aid supplies with her at the time. She turned her widened eyes down to look at his injured hand only to find it still bandaged in her handkerchief, which had now turned red with blood. The bleeding seemed to have stopped so not much time could have passed since then. She tried her best to recall anything that happened afterwards and to her dismay, all she could find were the image of those eyes. His eyes.

Hinata felt cold dread spreading from her core to her extremities as she wondered what in the world was wrong with her. Was she going insane? The last memory she could recall was of him, her dreams were of him, when she woke up she was with him and she was in his bed! How did she even get here? Did she have a blackout? Sleep walking? What possible plausible explanation could there be for this, for being so caught up in him all of a sudden. All the other strange interactions she has had with him were still tolerable, but this? Caught in his room, sleeping in his bed without a care in the world? This is just way too much. Most importantly, why him? She was a nobody to him and, as far as she was aware of, he never meant anything special to her.

She gasped loudly once again, trying to hide it with the fingers of her other hand held to her mouth, as a particularly terrifying thought occurred to her. She kept her eyes glued to his trying to gauge his thoughts on this predicament but all she saw was some unknown potent emotion swilling deep in his eyes while his face remained smooth like a statue, very much unlike her own. Maybe she was… 'No, that can't be!', she hurriedly rejected that thought, trying to convince herself. But what other explanation was there? What other reason could there be for all that was happening? After the back and forth tussle of the conflict in her mind, as she lowered her eyes to her lap, she woefully accepted that it had to be true. She had developed some sort of fixation with the guy standing in front of her.

Well, it had happened before, with Naruto, she would follow him around, trying to find out as much as she could about him. She never had the courage to actually go up to him to talk, way too shy, she contended herself with watching from afar. She would also pass out and find herself waking up in strange places but she had always been with her friends or family. She had willed herself to stop the stalking though, she was past that stage of life. Or at least, that's what she had thought. Even then, she had never found herself in someone else's room, she didn't think she was even capable of doing something like breaching their private space like this. 'But I don't love him!', she argued with herself which was true. She didn't hold any romantic feelings for Sasuke at all. Then why would she suddenly develop such a fascination for him? Was this what it felt like to lose one's grasp of their sanity?

She peaked up at him through her bangs once again to see if he looked angry with her. He had to be mad at her right? She was in his private space, in his bed no less and she had no reason to be there at all. Would he believe her if she said she didn't remember? Probably not, he would be suspicious of her, he would demand she give him a reason and she would have to openly admit all this to him. She felt her heart starting to pick up speed once again, as panic seeped into her veins, making her anxious and fidgety. She nervously tugged at her jacket which was still clutched in her hand, trying to think of some way to get out of this mess.

When she saw his eyes harden and a small frown appear in between his brows, she knew she was done for. She had never been on the receiving end of his wrath, it had to be something gloriously terrifying and she didn't want to find out just how much. As he started to speak up once again, "I..", she quickly blurted out, "Sasuke-kun!", in an uncharacteristically loud and shrill voice in her panic. Swallowing her nerves down in a gulp, she finished that thought, "I.. I can e-explain", ending with a slight stutter. She saw him freeze, truly resembling a statue, and then quirk up one brow at her, looking at her with curious eyes. "Explain" he said in his usual monotonous voice and she felt her heart drop to her stomach.

Still fidgeting with her clothes, she lowered her eyes so she didn't have to look at him while she lied to him, she started speaking while simultaneously trying to think of what excuse to give which would be believable enough. "You see.. um… I.. I wanted to..", she started off with the lie, unable to find anything to offer as a reason, looking all around her field of vision hoping for an idea to strike her, when suddenly her eyes landed on his injured hand once again. She took in a sharp intake of breath as a moment of genius had finally dawned on her and looking up at him once again, she continued hurriedly with her explanation. "I wanted to check on your injury, it could get.. uh.. infected if its not.. properly treated. So.. um.. I.. uh.. decided to come.. here.." She had started off that explanation with full gusto, completely convinced that it would work, however as she kept speaking, she noticed that the skeptical curve of his one brow didn't move an inch, so she felt more and more unsure, her voice losing its vigor as the words came out of her to finally end in a whisper full of uncertainty.

She kept searching his face to find any signs that he was convinced with her lie, but instead all she could see was a crack in his stoic expression as a twitch started at the corner of his lips, tugging at them upwards into a small smirk. He still had one brow raised in question as he asked, "Then why are you in my bed?" She felt a thump in her chest as her heart felt like it had jumped up to her throat. She didn't even consider that part of the issue when she thought of this excuse! What deranged explanation could she give for that little fact? She once again averted her eyes down, feeling a hot flush rise up to her face, playing nervously with her fingers, as she answered in a barely audible whisper, "I.. um.. I was.. tired", that last word coming out of her with great difficulty.

She snapped her eyes back to his face when she heard him give out a short chuckle, her mind refusing to believe her ears or eyes as she saw a small smile curving his lips. What did he find so funny? Was it even possible for him to find anything funny at all? Why wasn't he mad? Her brows furrowed again into a frown as her confusion with his behavior continued to grow. Just as quickly, all signs of amusement vanished from his face and was replaced by the signature blankness he was known for but his eyes smoldered with a peculiar heat. She felt her own eyes widen and lips part as she watched him walk up to the bed swiftly before he unexpectedly hopped onto the bed in front of her, on his hands and knees.

She felt her heart start pacing a fast beat, her breathing coming out of her unevenly, blood rushing to her head making her feel dizzy, as he started to make his way even closer to her, up her lower half. She instinctively leaned down backwards, trying to maintain distance as he got uncomfortably close, yet giving no sign of stopping any time soon. She saw him lower himself on top of her, just as she was back to lying flat on the bed, his face coming up right on top of hers, bracing his arms on either side of her head to keep his weight off of her. She felt extremely intimidated at their proximity, he was way too close for her comfort and the way he was looking at her was making her lightheaded, her breathing ragged.

Her entire frame tensed as she saw him bring his face even closer to her own, nuzzling her cheek lightly, taking in a deep breath and letting it out in a sigh before speaking in a whisper, "You are not very good at lying, are you?" Her entire face burned with embarrassment as she heard those words come from him. So her attempt to lie her way out of this didn't work. But did he have to be so closer to her? There had to be something he wanted from her, he never did anything without a purpose, and before she could ask him, he raised his head above hers to look at her again as a smirk tugged his lips up and asked, "So what is it? Obsessed with me?", in a low deep voice that sent a tremor through her frame.

However, as soon as his words registered in her mind, she felt panic rise up her throat again as she quickly shifted her eyes to the side, her fingers unconsciously fidgeting with the end of his shirt in her nervousness. How could he possibly know what she had been thinking not too long ago? Was he capable of reading her mind? More importantly, what should she do now? Should she admit to it or continue with her excuse? He clearly did not believe her, would it even help to admit about this new found fixation to him? She wasn't sure she could even explain it, how could she when she hardly understood it herself? Feeling extremely uncertain about the whole thing, she started speaking, "Um.. yes.. I..", eyes still averted from his, but then stopped when he cut her off with, "Hn. Good, me too." Hearing that, every last bit of air in her lungs left her in a whoosh as all she could do was gape at him with her mouth falling open.

A/N : Yes, I am aware that some of the readers will be unhappy with how I write Hinata. I apologize but this is my impression of her. Yes, Sasuke did a full 180, crazy.. I just hope the reason was clear enough. Since, I don't wish to give spoilers, some questions will be answered in later chapters. That's all. See you next time!