Disclaimer: I don't own
I'd just like to say thanks to everyone who took the time to review:
Rei-Chan, nanashi, fried ryce, lesha, ElasticBobaTurtle, HinatasBiggestFanBoy, MOMOKO, Dyroness, tone, Random person, ACM a.k.a. Annie May and lun.
I'd write individual thank yous if I had the time right now...but i don't (cries)
-o-Under Surveillance-o-
The chimes tinkered delicately as it announced the entrance of another possible customer. A gust of stale wind blew in from the crack of distance when the door was opened, letting in some fresh air into the dank atmosphere of the antique shop. It ended when a partly gloved hand shut it with such a swift and gentle motion, that the bells almost didn't make a sound.
He breathed in a controlled pattern, flattening his back on the cherry colored wood of the door frame. His eyes were trained on a certain individual who was currently buying fruit from a stand.
Uchiha Sasuke had been up since 7 a.m. for this, and surprisingly, it wasn't for training.
He was tailing his prey.
A slow predatory smirk arose as he relaxed his countenance and strode a little away from the door. It seemed that her 'shopping' was going to take some time so he decided to stay in a corner and observe the shop's wares, shifting his weight from side to side in order to pass time.
But Sasuke got bored looking at random old stuff pretty soon.
He wasn't meaning to eavesdrop; it was just that the discussion two wrinkled old women were having had been particularly loud. He glanced expressionlessly at the window, partly listening.
"You know the Hyuuga girl?...Hinaba was it?" The plump one huddled in an aisle a few meters from him started.
"Oh Hinata, that polite young lady —"
Sasuke turned his head so fast, he almost had whiplash. Almost.
"—you mean the one that fancies the kyuubi boy?"
"Yes, yes…" the crone cackled, as though it were the funniest thing in the world. "Though I can't imagine a shy little thing like her, ever falling for someone as rambunctious as that one…"
Sasuke moved a little closer to their aisle, keeping his apathetic mask on as his mind absorbed the new information.
The Uchiha gave a little snort. He had to agree with the old hag though.
It was hard picturing Hinata fawning over the stupid idiot—
…Wait, WHAT?
Hinata liked the dobe?
-o-O-o-
"………."
The shopkeeper poked the motionless form. "…kid."
"Kid."
"KID."
"'EY KID, YOU BUYIN' ANYTHIN' OR ARE YA JUST GONNA STAND AROUND GAPIN' LIKE A GOLDFISH?"
It took nearly three minutes to break the lad from his stupor, apparently with a slap. And Sasuke wasn't nearly surprised that his jaw had gone slack during that time.
Sasuke glared his notorious ice glare at the shopkeeper as the pinkish skin on his cheek stung.
He wondered dimly if he'd seek revenge in the near future—but he had more pressing matters to attend to as of the moment.
Sasuke's eyes roved over the bobbing heads seen through the clear windowpane and hastily noted that there wasn't a hint of black or midnight blue in the throng.
Damn, lost her again.
The man tapped his foot impatiently. "Well?"
"…Bah." He turned and gone, quick as a flash.
-o-O-o-
"—About that Hyuuga.."
The other elder leaned in to catch all the juicy details.
"I heard she's close to becoming disowned—"
-o-O-o-
Sasuke leapt expertly from tree to tree.
Luckily, he had caught a glimmer of the forehead protector she kept on her neck just before she blended in with the crowd. He hid behind Konoha's abundant greenery, taking in the mosaic liveliness of the scenery and making sure not to lose sight of her again.
It was only some time, before the only people left would be him and her. The gears of his mind turned, a new plan hatching.
-o-O-o-
Hinata couldn't help but feel a little paranoid. She had this feeling of being watched since sunrise. The feeling you get most especially, when someone is glaring hard on your back enough to bore holes through it.
She shivered.
She didn't even need to activate her byakugan to know that she was definitely under close scrutiny.
That was why she had chosen to walk through the busiest and most people infested streets of Konoha.
But now, as the sun was halfway through the horizon, the merchants had already started packing away their goods.
And the crowds were thinning.
By the time she had reached the road to her home, the area was practically deserted. Worse, she could still feel a pair of eyes trained on her back.
Hinata continued striding down the path, noticing nervously that she was the only one around left within the area and several kilometers away. She could almost feel her knees buckling in apprehension.
A bead of sweat trickled down her neck as Hinata's walk ended in a shaky halt. She gripped the sides of her loose jacket, trying to keep the quiver from her voice. "W-who's there?"
-o-O-o-
You could say that the Uchiha was expecting this; after all, she was a jounin now herself. Though he had to admit that he was slightly impressed, he hadn't expected his discovery so soon. But he wasn't about to retreat just then.
Sasuke performed a hand seal with practiced ease and the thick foliage did its job to muffle the popping noise with a rustle.
Fingering both sides of his face for the indention of whiskers, he smirked satisfactorily and decided to end Hinata's suspense.
An orange blur of weight landed deftly on the ground. The Hyuuga tensed, but the ruffled blonde hair and fox-like grin eased her from her defensive stance.
Hinata didn't have time to sigh in relief though, for her features had immediately caught fire. "N-n-naruto-kun!"
"HEY HINATA!" Sasuke gagged mentally, but forced himself to look exceptionally carefree and clueless. "Watcha doing here?"
Hinata looked down and started playing with her fingers. Previous worries forgotten, she flushed with happiness. "Oh, I-I um was just doing some um e-errands f-for my m-m-mother…"
The Uchihafelt a bit disappointed, he noted this with slight confusion,that her blush wasn't figuratively aimed at him. But Sasuke easily shook the weird feeling off and decided to end the small talk, pointless conversation tended to grate on his nerves.
"Anyway, I was thinking of eating down Ichiraku next week,and it is gettingkindalonely by myself..." He paused for dramatic effect.
"So…wanna come?" Sasuke struggled to keep the wide grin on his face and even scratched the back of his neck in mock embarrassment.
He was already confident of her positive response though.
Extremely confident.
-o-O-o-
I've decidedto write this story til the end since I've already started it. And with that said, I'm gunnatry to update once a week. I'm sorry if this chapdidn't live up to your expectations though, and I'm willing to hear some constructive critisism, EVEN FLAMES! But for now...there's a cute little button on the lower left corner, i dunno what it does...but you should try clicking on it. Really. (whistles innocently)
