CHAPTER TWO
10 years ago —
Every morning felt like a press conference. Hinata would enter into a classroom with girls grouping together, each to their own similarities, to talk about someone they were obviously fangirl-ing over. There were many guys in her year who Hinata thought attractive and it made sense these girls felt some type of way. Especially a certain guy called Uchiha Sasuke. Not that it bothered her… it's just that she didn't think the same about him as the others did, which made mingling harder for the teenage Hyūga.
Winter came early and Hinata had chosen her favorite olive-green sweater her sister got her the year before. Despite having dark hair, green looked surprisingly well with her lavender eyes. She liked it and most of all, she felt comfortable in it. The sweater complimented her uniform well, too. She looked like she would be able to enjoy school for once.
Although the school was tough, Hinata was a diligent girl. Konoha High only accepts the best students in the country. She did her best in school and as a result, her grades were the best out of all. Except for one boy; Sasuke. She wasn't a competitive person, but it would be great to beat the Uchiha for once. Since Sasuke was known for being emotionless, Hinata wondered if she could squeeze out an expression after beating him in academics. Besides, if she could score better, her father would be proud of her. She decided that that particular school day was the start of her studying journey. Midterms were approaching in two weeks' time and Hinata couldn't wait to visit the library after school.
After she dropped her backpack next to her seat, the girl would almost dive into the comfort of her chair. She was tired. She needed to rest her head on her arms as she looked out the window. The sky was blue as the air turned crisp; Hinata had always loved winter. Something about the season provided comfort to the always hectic life as the next heir of the Hyūga family. All her father would talk about was how she had to live abroad one day to forgo the family business. She didn't want it, of course. Yet, she wasn't in the business of choosing either. Life was hard as a Hyūga female. Just as she thought she could close her eyes for a little bit before class started, a certain someone called out to her.
"Hey."
Hinata lifted her head from her desk to look for the one speaking to her. It was none other than the famous Uchiha whom everyone adored. Somehow, the girls became quiet and Hinata knew they were watching them interact.
"Hey." She said softly; her voice quite tired.
The guy didn't show any expression, as predicted. But he was handsome. In fact, Hinata never got to really look at him. He had such dark hair and dark eyes. Eyes that seemed to hold too many stories one would be curious to listen to. Of course, Hinata might be a little star-struck. He was everybody's crush and he probably had many secret admirers. Yeah. Maybe that was it.
"Literature class is coming up and we're going to have a group project," Sasuke said.
Hinata nodded, not sure where he was headed while having a hunch. She was aware of the month's assignment. Maybe he wanted to partner with her, but that might just be her own feelings. She was star-struck, right?
"You're a quiet person, exactly the person I need. You're gonna partner with me."
Oh, so it wasn't just a feeling. And Sasuke said it as a command, not a request. But Hinata didn't mind it. She needed a partner too and she was okay to work with the dude. Sasuke took the seat right next to her immediately after their short conversation. It was her trademark to choose a seat at the far end of the classroom. She liked the fact that nobody would study the back of her head, or would talk about her loud enough for her to hear and quiet enough to get away from trouble. It was too nerve-wracking for the Hyūga when one was expected to achieve heights as tall as mount Everest, just because of her family's name. It wasn't like she was popular. It was just…
"O-Okay." She responded to Sasuke a little later. As the teacher walked in when the clock was exactly at 8:00 AM, Hinata reached for the novel they were assigned to read. For the month, they had to read 1984 by George Orwell. She liked the book and was curious to know what Sasuke thought about it. She wanted to glance at the guy but was too shy and too afraid he'd catch her gaze. So she decided, with all wisdom a 16-year-old could have, to not look at him no matter what. Unless he wanted to talk to her again.
A good 30 minutes were spent by the teacher explaining the book. He was Hinata's favorite; Hatake Kakashi. The man was known to be drawn to books. She once heard he successfully read 100 books in a year. That was too impressive! Lately, it looked like he was addicted to a novel he never wanted to share. She heard rumors circling around about the book, her classmates were convinced it was erotica. But if Kakashi-sensei could be that addicted, maybe the plot was too good.
"And now, as you sit with your partner, discuss these two questions I've written on the board," Kakashi-sensei said. It was almost like a wake-up call because right after that she realized who her partner was. She turned to look at Sasuke and he was already pulling his chair with him to sit by her desk. Hinata blinked once as if to try to gain consciousness. She never really had Sasuke interact with her this way.
Life as a Hyūga was interesting. Throughout her childhood, her father was always working and he made sure Hinata understood that she was going to take over one day. And whenever she would hang around their garden, she would glance over their fence to see Sasuke with her father too. Their homes had always been beside each other. It wasn't just that, though. Her bedroom's window would face his at quite a distance, yet close enough for them to have a conversation. Not like they ever talked that way, but she did see glimpses of him. And she wondered if he had seen glimpses of her too.
"First question; why is Julia attracted to Winston?" Sasuke read aloud from the whiteboard before turning to look at Hinata as if waiting for her to answer first. Hinata looked at him too. "Um," she uttered, "Julia was a little bit strange. In a chapter, she handed out a note to Winston saying he loves him, and they weren't even friends."
Sasuke nodded. "Do you think she really loves him, then?"
Hinata shook her head. "No. I think she's attracted to Winston's atmosphere of disagreeing with the Party. Since that's what makes her passionate."
There was a hint of a smile coming from the Uchiha, almost as if he was amused by Hinata's answer. "I agree with you. The thrill of it all was exciting for her."
Hinata would smile in return and read the second question aloud, "What does the slogan Ignorance Is Strength mean?" This time, she hoped to hear Sasuke's explanation since he was known to be very intelligent in all of Konoha High.
"My guess is, by perpetuating ignorance, the Party has better control of the past, present, and future. It would be easy to manipulate others when your targets are ignorant." Sasuke let out a little sigh of irritation as he opened a page in his 1984 copy. "And nowadays people very much believe in the slogan Ignorance Is Bliss. I'd argue otherwise. We can't afford to be manipulated."
Hinata gasped. It made Sasuke look at her as if he thought she was going to cry. The girl had her hand covering her mouth indicating that she was in shock. This probably made the Uchiha think she was really about to cry. "What the hell is wrong Hyūga?"
"It's kind of like a prophecy, don't you think?!" Hinata said in excitement, totally ignoring the fact that Sasuke was worried. The Uchiha relaxed a little bit after knowing she was only mind-blown. Sasuke nodded in response to her statement. "Kind of." He would say.
"Oh my gosh, this discussion is so cool." Hinata would say, her heart exploding with excitement but her being still as calm as ever. Definitely a Hyūga trait. And what surprised her was how easy she felt around Sasuke. He didn't seem like he was forcing her to be someone she wasn't. They could have a genuine conversation. Hinata heard so many stories about the guy, but that morning she knew that he proved all of those stories wrong. Well, at least some of them.
Sasuke let out a small laugh, something she has never seen before. "It is. You're smart, Hyūga." For a moment the two were just looking at each other. Hinata knew that it was only several seconds but it felt like a good 5 minutes where she could really see how the guy was very, very, very attractive. However, the looking-at-each-other moment ended when Naruto had his arm around the Uchiha.
"Yo! Recess is coming. Wanna get some instant ramen at the cafeteria?" Said the blonde. The moment Naruto's presence was evident, Hinata felt her cheeks flush a bright red. Her heart felt like it was racing, too. Sasuke noticed the change in Hinata. It somehow was so evident that Hinata noticed Sasuke looking at her.
"Oh, hey Hinata. 'Sup?" The dobe would finally notice her.
Hinata nodded with a smile, still blushing all the way through. "H-Hello, Naruto-kun."
"Anyway, let's goooooo Sasukeeee. Sakura's gonna be there too and I don't wanna miss my chance." Naruto would say, turning to Sasuke. All of Konoha High knew Naruto had a huge crush on Sakura, but nobody knew how Hinata secretly admired him. It was probably known to Sasuke at that exact moment. Not that he reacted to it, he just seemed conscious about it, and it did seem that he changed. Hinata felt they connected a few minutes ago and after having Naruto around, Sasuke was different.
The school bell rang as a sign of recess. Naruto, being excited as always, went for the door. Hinata gathered her stuff to be put into her backpack, she was also ready to stay in class since she didn't really need to go to the cafeteria. Sasuke, however, after placing his chair back on his desk, walked over to Hinata again.
"Hey. Let's grab something to eat."
"Oh. I thought you were going with," another blush from the Hyūga at the thought of the blonde, "The idiot?" Sasuke interrupted, a little bit annoyed. Yet he did his best concealing it. "He went for the door the minute the school bell rang. Maybe you can accompany me instead."
Hinata didn't mind it, so she nodded as a response and got up to walk with the Uchiha. As they traveled down the hallway, Sasuke stayed quiet. He portrayed a different side of himself Hinata never knew of. It kind of confirmed the other stories she heard from the girls; that he was complicated. Quietly complicated. It should have confused Hinata but since she heard the stories, she wasn't surprised. So she knew she had to remain quiet.
"Men like him appreciate calmness," her mother would say about Hinata's father. Hiashi-sama was an introvert dressed as a businessman, and her mother would always know when to speak or when to be silent. At one point it confused Hinata, she argued that her mother deserves to be able to speak her mind at all times. Her mother did not debate her. However, she showed Hinata how respect goes both ways; if Hiashi gave Hinata's mother room to express herself, then as someone's life partner, her mother would give her husband the same room to express himself. "If you see someone through eyes of love, any kind of love," her mother said, "you would see that we all deserve some space to be ourselves." If being randomly quiet was the Uchiha's natural bend, then Hinata thought he deserved the serenity he so desired.
As they approached the cafeteria, Hinata saw Naruto eating his instant ramen next to Sakura; Konoha High's prettiest girl. Hinata never really interacted with her, nor did she ever have the need to. But she desired it. Haruno Sakura seemed like a very nice person despite having characteristics opposite from Hinata herself. One thing Hinata knew about Sakura was her big crush on Sasuke. She was the popular girl crushing over the popular guy. Naruto also had many girls swooning over him too. It felt like Hinata was entering a world of famous people she didn't belong to. The lavender-eyed girl took a deep breath and decided to act normal as she walked over to the food stall alongside Sasuke.
Hinata heard girls calling out to Sasuke, asking if he wanted to sit with them where Naruto sat, too. He turned to look at them but did not answer as he motioned back to the food stall.
"Hey, just sit with them," Hinata said.
"Hn. I promised the dobe."
Hinata smiled, seeing another side of the Uchiha. A man of his words, it seemed. After she made sure Sasuke got his ramen, Hinata decided she was going to go back to class.
"See you, Sasuke-kun." And with that, she started walking.
Before she was too far, Sasuke reached to grab her wrist. The sudden pull shocked the Hyūga that it made her turn to look at him. And even then, he didn't let go of her wrist. "Hyūga," Sasuke started, "As long as we're partners in class, you're having lunch with me. Starting tomorrow." By then Hinata would have thought he would release his grip around her wrist. But it seemed like he was waiting for her response.
Hinata nodded to show a reaction to his statement. What could happen? They were only partners in English Literature. "O-Okay. Starting tomorrow." She finally said.
With that, Sasuke released his grip, turning to walk over to the crowd of people who adored him. Hinata turned to walk towards class, feeling a little bit confused at the Uchiha's gesture. She had never seen him that possessive, and that was a side of him never told in stories. She didn't know how to handle the truth that happened right in front of her eyes. Oddly enough, Hinata found herself liking it.
The rest of the school day went by quite slowly to Hinata. School hours were over at 3 PM, and when the bell rang, Hinata would quickly leave to visit the library. All the while she walked, she found it interesting that Sasuke chose not to talk to her. It wasn't like it bothered her… but he was changing rapidly between 3 different scenarios in a day. Hinata was one who could handle difficult people. She got to the point that people that aren't easy to get along with do not bother her at all. It was just weird for her to suddenly be acquainted with the Uchiha. They've known of each other's existence for so long but would never truly have the effort to be friends.
The school's library was quiet. Hinata chose to sit by the big windows where she could look out to see trees. She took out her books, and a notebook, and began studying. The serenity was needed. Hinata could barely concentrate at home due to her father's expectations. She had lessons at home and they vary. She had to take piano lessons, art, and archery. Mostly she found herself extremely exhausted after a lesson. Another reason for her to stay in the library was the fact that her father wouldn't mind her coming home later than 3 if she would walk home with her cousin, Neji.
At the moment, Neji was head of the student council. He would have meetings after school hours. If Hinata got it right, it seemed like Sasuke was part of the student council as well, along with the popular kids. She heard that a festival was happening after midterms and they were meeting to discuss how they would want students to participate. However, it was 6 PM and Hinata had enough studying as it is. She wanted to walk home alone but knew her father would complain if she did.
The girl let out a sigh. Why should things be so difficult with him? Ever since her mother passed away, her father became too uptight. She understood that Hiashi-sama only wanted to protect her but… it was becoming too much for her to handle.
Maybe, if she would visit Neji in his classroom, he would realize what time it was. And maybe by then, he would want to walk home with her. After packing her stuff again, she walked to the classroom. Halfway there, she saw the Uchiha outside of class, leaning against the wall, holding on to his phone. It looked like he was texting someone. Hinata decided to be friendly so she approached him.
"Sasuke-kun, hi again."
After the guy pressed send, he shoved his phone into his pocket. "Yeah?" He would say as if Hinata needed something from him. But she didn't need anything. She just wanted to greet him. The girl decided to ask a question because she didn't want to bother the Uchiha.
"U-Um, is the student council meeting over? I want to walk home but I have to go with Neji-nii."
"Hn. The meeting's gonna take another hour."
"Oh, I see."
"Do you have to go right now?"
Hinata nodded. "I have lessons in about an hour."
"Okay. Come with me." Sasuke motioned to Hinata to follow him into the classroom. He opened the door, and as it swung silently, everyone in the room fell silent when they saw Hyūga Hinata walking closely behind Uchiha Sasuke. It was a rare sight, and Hinata was not comfortable with the sudden attention she was receiving.
"Uchiha, we're not done yet. Don't go taking your own breaks like you own the council." Neji would say sharply. Hinata could obviously feel the tension between her cousin and the Uchiha. Ignoring Neji's statement, Sasuke said, "Your cousin wants to call it a day. Right, Hinata?"
"Hi, Hinata!" Naruto would wave from his seat as nobody gave the guy any attention. Hinata, blushing, would respond to Naruto, waving back to the dobe. "Hello, Naruto-kun." It seemed that Sasuke's eyes lingered from Naruto to the Hyūga girl, and Hinata saw how Sasuke was intently watching her reactions to Naruto's greeting. With an irritated expression, Sasuke placed a hand against Hinata's back, pushing her forward a little bit.
"Right, Hyūga?" Sasuke emphasized. Hinata was surprised by his gesture and would shift her gaze toward Neji. "Yes, I have a lesson in an hour, Neji-nii. If that's alright with you, can we walk home now?"
"Can't. We're not done." Neji replied shortly. He didn't even look at his cousin. He just went on talking to TenTen, his vice-president, regarding the festival plans. Hinata understood the fact that multitasking for Neji-nii was impossible. When he had so much in his head, he failed to give attention to other important matters. Hinata shrugged, deciding that it was okay to have to face her father's speech once she gets home. Eventually, he would understand her.
"Okay. Sorry to have bothered you, Neji-nii. I'll go now." Hinata turned to leave the room. The whole room resumed their meeting like nothing happened, even Naruto. Meanwhile, Sasuke had been watching their interaction and decided to grab her wrist, again. At this point, Hinata wasn't even caught by surprise. If Sasuke could grab her wrist before, he could grab it again. Still, the girl turned to look at the guy, trying to make sense of his actions. But the Uchiha wasn't looking at her, and it seemed like nobody else in the room knew he was holding her wrist.
"I'm walking her home." He said to Neji, who was reading a report. The Hyūga boy didn't even bother to look at Sasuke. So Sasuke tried again. "Neji. I'm walking your cousin home."
Neji finally decided to look at the Uchiha. He never liked Sasuke and vice versa. They were both smart, both great at what they do, and it seemed like Hinata wouldn't be able to beat Sasuke in academics because that meant she had to beat her cousin too. That evening, she gave up on achieving higher in academics to beat the two.
"Fine. If anything happens to her, I swear Uchiha, you're—" Neji's sentence was cut off by Sasuke as he turned around to leave the classroom, Hinata's wrist still in his grip. Consequently, Hinata found herself pulled into the Uchiha's pace, and Sasuke said, "Dead? Sure. See ya."
Hinata looked back at Neji to see if he noticed Sasuke's grip, but once she got her gaze on her cousin, she saw how Neji was back in the business at the school festival meeting. Hinata decided that it was okay to have Sasuke pull her around like that since Neji was too oblivious to cause a scene.
The sun was beginning to set and the school hallways received an orange light. It took Sasuke quite some time to release Hinata from his grip. When he did, her wrist felt shallow. She would rub it with her fingers. "Sasuke-kun?"
"Hm?"
"Why do you like to hold my wrist?"
"You're too slow."
Hinata got confused. She tried to think of the times when Sasuke noticed herself around Naruto because those were always moments when he would touch her. Hinata was lost in thought as they stopped by their classroom for Sasuke to grab his bag. What an interesting guy, she thought. And was she really slow?
Once Sasuke walked out of the classroom, Hinata said, "I'm not slow."
That stopped Sasuke from walking down the hallway. "What?"
"I'm not slow." She repeated.
"You are around Naruto."
This made Hinata blush. "Y-Yeah, but that's different!"
"Is it?" Sasuke said, turning to walk towards the stairs. Hinata would follow the guy, cheeks flushed. It was embarrassing to know that the Uchiha noticed. She had kept it a secret but this guy had to be too observant to know. It was annoying. The two finally approached the stairs that would lead towards the main lobby of the school. Hinata stopped at the top of the staircase as Sasuke walked down. He noticed Hinata wasn't following him any longer and he decided to turn to look at the Hyūga.
"What the heck is wrong with you?" Sasuke asked.
"You're annoying." She said, her face still flustered.
"I'm annoying? I only speak facts."
"Yeah, but you don't have to shove it in my face like that."
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Let's go already."
In an attempt to try to swallow her pride, Hinata decided to walk down the stairs. What was the point of arguing with an Uchiha? He always wins. At least that's what she's heard. Unbeknownst to her, there was a piece of napkin right on the area she decided to step on. Naturally, the girl slipped. With a short yelp, the Uchiha's reflexes were faster than lightning and were just in time to catch the Hyūga. If she were to be alone, she wouldn't have been hurt. It wouldn't lead to serious casualties. Hinata thought that maybe Sasuke was just being chivalrous. All men are like that.
What she did not come to realize sooner was how the Uchiha leaned against the wall, holding her close to him. She did not realize that her chest was pressed close to his, and she didn't even know how to perceive the situation when she felt the Uchiha's leg resting in between her slim ones. She could feel her crotch pressed onto his thigh and this sent her heart to a marathon. The next thing she knew, her face flustered a darker red.
Hinata was surprised at how nice Sasuke smelled. It wasn't cologne. It was just him. But of course, Hinata took the first second upon realization to step away from the man. With strands of her hair pressing onto her red cheeks, she began to apologize. "I'm so sorry, I didn't watch my step." Sasuke stepped away from the wall. He seemed like he wasn't phased by the rather sexy incident. "It's alright. Can we go before anything else happens?"
Hinata nodded, finally obedient to Sasuke. Since they lived next door to each other, it was actually great to have Sasuke walk with her. Hinata didn't have to feel bad about him accompanying her. But because of their incident, Hinata found it hard to start a conversation. She would try to steal a glance from Sasuke, but she would be afraid if the Uchiha would glance at her too. It was fair to say she was embarrassed. Moreover, it made the situation awkward because they were both silents. How did Sasuke act so casual like none of it ever happened?
"I know you like Naruto." Sasuke said, breaking the silence.
Hinata didn't react to his statement. She figured he definitely knew. Heck, maybe even the whole school knew. "Who do you like, Sasuke-kun?" She would say to respond. Hinata felt that was the best comeback ever. But Sasuke was always the one in control, even in their conversation.
"You, maybe."
The two stopped walking; they both found themselves in front of their clan's compounds. The tension between the two seemed to transport them faster than they expected. Hinata was looking at Sasuke in disbelief. Hinata had always, always been fond of Naruto. She first took a liking to him back in her elementary days. She never had her eyes off of him since. And for the first time ever, Sasuke's statement made her forget Naruto entirely.
"W-What?"
"Relax. I'm not trying to make you my girlfriend."
That didn't help Hinata, at all. "T-Then what are you trying to do? What am I supposed to do with this information?"
"Hyūga. For once, you don't have to fulfill someone else's expectations. Also, I was messing with you. I wouldn't date someone who's in love with someone else." Sasuke said. Hinata felt a huge weight lifted from her shoulders. Her sigh of relief was almost audible when her blushed cheeks were still evident. If there was a phrase to describe Sasuke; he was a man of surprises.
"Your secret is safe with me." Sasuke continued, "Only if you agree to be my group project partner on every subject. Even P.E." Hinata wanted her secret safe more than anything so it wasn't hard for her to agree to his statement or demand. "Okay, deal."
"Good."
Throughout the night, sleep wasn't a friend to Hinata. It wasn't because of Naruto, but it was all Sasuke. He made her shift in her sleep. She tried everything. She tried to meditate, she drank melatonin, she tried to breathe steadily, and nothing worked. Her mind kept bringing her back to the incident by the staircase. For a split second, Hinata enjoyed the pressure her crotch felt on his thigh. The only thing separating her clitoris from feeling the fabric of his pants was her panties. And she wanted to feel more through her feminine parts against his fabric so much, that a tingling sensation went through her libido, something she never experienced before. Furthermore, his scent helped her fall deeper into his trap.
That's what it felt like. She felt like he was trapping her into an endless misery of sexual confusion. When society shamed people about these things, Hinata felt exhilarated in the midst of her bewilderment. It almost felt like she was indebted to the Uchiha for making her feel that way. For once in her life, Hinata knew what she wanted. It seemed so lewd. She would bury her face into her pillow every time she thought of Sasuke that way. The reality she was in presented her with the inability of her mind to forget Sasuke. And it had to happen just because of that one incident.
Was he thinking of her that way too? Was he curious about her lady parts, too? And if Hinata would want to try some things with him, would he want it, too? Was Hinata the only one whose mind was clouded by her own sexual desires? How could one be so turned on by an innocent happening, anyway?
But, she was in love with Naruto-kun. Yes. If any, she would want to experience these things with him instead…
…right?
Hey guys, I appreciate the love. This is my very first Fanfiction EVER and I'm improving as I go. Again, thanks so much for taking the time to read this. I hope you enjoy a lewd Hinata for a change. More to come. ;)