At the cabin, there was nothing.

On the bus, it was empty.

Throughout the train ride, he felt nothing.

Sasuke was sure it was gone, that strange feeling in his chest.

Good.

It made him curious, and that was dangerous when it was in regards to humans. He was sure that if it had still been there when he was around Itachi in his pathetic human form, he'd have gone mad and wished for the same thing.

Human feelings, after all, worked best in a human body.

Which … he did not want.

Ever.

He was a superior, powerful being who marveled at the stupidity of humankind – and used it to his advantage, many times in the past. He had a kingdom. He had strength. He did not have to worry about trivial things or let those pesky emotions get in the way. Naruto had always commented how the way humans thought and felt was what made them alive; if that was so, then Sasuke would gladly be dead for the rest of forever.

Because there were absolutely no advantages to being human.

Chapter 21

Correction: Maybe There's A Few Advantages

The leather of his gloves was irritating.

Not uncomfortable. Irritating.

Because humans were creatures of comfort, and everywhere he looked as he and Hinata got off the train and shuffled through the station, there was something happening that was totally revolting. Holding hands, kissing cheeks, patting heads; all with uncovered skin. There was no hesitation. No fear of burning someone. No danger.

How nice.

"Is something wrong?"

Hinata was peeking up at him, only her small suitcase between them as she rolled it at her side. She looked tired. There had been trouble and delay at the train station when they were trying to come back to her small, college town, and instead of arriving early afternoon, they came in the evening when the sky was dark and the stars were out.

A greedy being, Sasuke almost had the mind to state his complaints to her clearly and firmly. "You should get better skin," he wanted to tell her while already coming up with multiple ways to do just that. "It's annoying and gets in my way."

But as stated prior, she was tired, and he shook his head and followed her lead. Smiling, Hinata grasped his gloved hand and continued on her way, completely unaware of his grimace as he glared at their connected hands.

…

It was fucking freezing outside. When he breathed, smoke left his lips.

But Hinata, in her coat and jeans, looked quite comfortable in the chilly autumn weather.

Humans, despite complaining about the temperature so often, were … adaptable to it, he supposed.

Which was a good thing when it came to Hinata. She'll get used to Hell's extremely high temperatures soon enough.

"Are you cold?" she asked him, lagging a bit to be at his immediate side.

"No."

She gave a satisfied smile and stepped an inch closer to him. "You're keeping me warm," she said with a light laugh. "It feels nice."

Sasuke let his pride swell at the notion, knowing well no human could do that for her.

…

When they walked down the street, it was quiet.

Hinata was a quiet human. She relaxed in the silence often and didn't bother to blabber her mouth. But she also enjoyed simple conversation. Even if he never replied, he listened, and he knew she liked it when she could just talk freely to him to get her words out of her head.

That night, she wasn't doing it.

And Sasuke, unlike humans, was an intelligent being.

It was because of Itachi.

She grasped onto things too easily, too quickly – another annoying human trait. She had barely known Itachi for more than a day, and she was devastated when he left. It was puzzling. Why latch onto something you barely know, barely understand?

But … then again, she kind of did that with him, as well; so maybe it wasn't that bad of a trait.

"He'll be fine."

Her eyes stayed on the sidewalk, but Sasuke knew she heard him.

"I-I know," she whispered. "I just miss him."

And like he was greedy, Sasuke was also a jealous creature, and he huffed into the night air, steam leaving his nose. "He's older than this sad Earth you live on. He can take care of himself."

She nodded. "You're right."

He knew he was, but no satisfaction came from her sad agreement.

And he stopped at that because he hadn't a clue what to say; because human emotions were terribly confusing things that only a human could understand.

…

Her apartment came into view, and dread hit him hard.

Though he hadn't a clue what he could possibly dread.

But then he stepped on that rickety porch, and as she twisted her key into the lock, it felt like she had done the same to his stomach.

The beating was back. The aggravating something in his chest returned at full force.

Fuck.

Fucking Hell!

And when he marched into her apartment, he only got six steps in before he fell on his knees, gaping, clutching at his torso. Fuck, it was awful. It was like dread but harder and heavier and so much worse! It felt like something was missing. It felt like he was incomplete. His fingers twisted into the floorboards. His fangs sunk into his tongue.

"S-Sasuke!"

And when he saw her face, he remembered that look she had just moments ago, when she was thinking about Itachi. It reminded him of that – this damn thing stuck in his chest.

With a sneer, he slammed his hand on the floor. "Damn it!"

"What is it?" she asked, worried and scared and shaking.

But he didn't know.

He wasn't human.

He did not know the words to describe this horrible, sinking, god-awful feeling that made his entire body sore and irritated and heavy.

All he could say was, "I miss him, too." And it shocked him as much as it shocked Hinata.

He … did?

But there was no reason to. He was fine. Sasuke could visit him whenever he wanted to. He still remembered everything and acted, mostly, like himself. There was no reason to feel anything about the situation. It was foolish. Unnecessary.

And humans were foolish, unnecessary creatures. Hinata gave a sad smile that he never really understood and pressed her hands on his back, resting her face in his feathers. No skin contact. She was sweating from his heat, but she did not seem to care. And, somehow, she must have known exactly what he was feeling, because that embrace made the cavity in his chest pulse with something warm and light and relieving.

They …

Humans were … amazing creatures.

And, sometimes, Sasuke wanted to be one.

Chapter 21 - End