You know it… I don't own NARUTO!
Warning! Too much of a trash-talk, skip if you want. Nonsense POV. Nonsense Author's Note enclosed in a parenthesis '(blah-blah…)' in the story. OOCness to Sasuke, quite also to Hinata so, GoMeNAsaI MiNNa-sAMa!
Chapter V – Last Means
It seems they were unwelcome because of the cold air lingering inside the sinister cave coming from either the darker recesses of the place or to the wide-mouthed entrance, stating this wasn't a nice dwelling. Either way, the temperature here was no different from the outside. The only thing that drove him to make his debut for stay was that rain had unexpectedly fallen down again, complicating their condition.
The fall wasn't really that bad, unlike what he expected to cause him some major cracks. He had earned some few bruises and scratches, a visible cut on the left knee and a broken elbow which by now he was working his chakra not that he was a medic or something, simply applying what little fact he knew about aiding himself. Hinata was still unconscious due to exhaustion or might also loss of blood because as he averted his eyes to the lying body few feet from him, serious wounds were noticeable, crimson paint staining her cloth. He had aided her, doing whatever he can to stop the blood from losing out. He had applied the basic of bandaging ignoring the issue of opposite genders.
Consciousness would be the next thing to occur because the rain was falling enormously producing thousands of irritancy sounds of plummeting droplets. And it was no sooner when he heard an intricate moan suggesting pain and when he looked around to check for his patient, the Hyuga was already shifting on her stone bed pulling on her blood-stained jacket that served as her blanket as Sasuke had wore it off her, laying it atop her.
The discomfort from displacement struck her as white orbs tinged in purple cast open in the darkened surrounding before after some time her sight focused for the awareness that she was on a cave and that she wasn't alone. Hinata pressed her hands on the ground and carefully, tried to sit up which she managed to do for an elongated time. She stared on the wall of the cave, where Sasuke was leaning, one knee bent up while an elbow was resting above it and the other leg curved inward on the ground. He was looking at her way and by the way the huge blue shirt was tainted with red, it seems he had relieved her wounds.
Slowly, she made a low bow of gratitude "Arigato,"
"It's not necessary" Sasuke replied, looking away. Wasn't this the time he was waiting? The effort had finally bloomed. Again, he squinted on his side and watched her.
Her dark indigo hair was messed up and blood had blotted a portion of her silken cheek. The shirt was meshed, tattered on one sleeve and her dark Capri pants were discolored with mud on the ends attained when they fell on the cliff. She pulled her shirt up halfway to reveal a well-bandaged abdomen. Unexpectedly, her eyes rolled to meet his observing eyes and she gave out a small smile.
"What's with that?" He asked, nagged by the action but still his usual cold demeanor was there to hide it.
"My sister taught me to show my gratitude always. Y-You don't want words so I smiled instead" The shyness surfaced once again as she stammered on the last sentence. Sasuke looked away thinking the logic there had suited Hinata pretty well.
Eerie silence complemented the ambience. For a moment, his thoughts were on his comrades under the rain. Knowing Naruto, it would be of no wonder if he was searching for the two of them and he thought maybe his too much stubbornness was one of those things Hinata liked. Saddening, he knew he was stubborn but in a far more different way.
"S-Sasuke?" He turned around to see a familiar scene. Hinata playing with her fingers, a tinge on her face "C-Can I ask you some-thing?"
Curiosity rapidly enwrapped him. It was so odd Hinata was starting the conversation and he found himself giving a quick affirmative.
"How do you find Sakura-san?"
It taken him by surprise and unexpectedly, the question brought him to laugh "Annoying"
Hinata gawked. Sakura-san is annoying? Does that put Naruto wants some big hindrances on his life? Weird, she thought but there was no reason for the Uchiha to lie.
"How'd you find me?" The query came flat, out of nowhere, spitted out like it was as natural as breathing. It had stunned him to hear the question came running out from his lips and he knew Hinata was surprised too because her eyes had said so.
"Well," She looked away, trying to pull out the right word to describe the famous Uchiha survivor. Attractive. Genius. The epitome had jumbled, tangled down on her mind but still after minutes of silence, she didn't know what to say. Finally, it came on her tongue "Talkative"
Sasuke almost loose his pose "T-Talkative?"
Hinata was shocked she almost prayed to faint out. Talkative? Did she really said that "I mean—" She panicked for the reason while blushing unknowingly. True, it was really the word that came accepted on her mind when the Uchiha asked the question "I find myself chatting because you're easy to talk with so I thought… uhm… you're talkative, I mean sociable"
Talkative. Sociable. He didn't even know their difference or the similarity. Anyway, it wasn't bad at all might be more than good news because at least that puts him to be special (even on the last spot) for the Hyuga… and that makes a big chance.
"Soka…" Sasuke uttered looking away, a smile crawling slowly on his lips. Talkative, huh. He repeated in mind. Frankly it was just when she said she had found him easy to chat with that he realized it was indeed odd she hadn't done the much of the blushing and stammering. Funny but true…
…
…
…
Then it struck Sasuke--
"Ei, you don't think… I'm—"
Hinata placed a thumb between her lips in a nervous manner "M-Maybe we c-can be f-friends"
-- like a big boulder descended down at him. Friends as in not L-O-V-E-R-S? He shook the idea away. Jeez, I sounded like I'm a die-hard fan of Hinata… like not an Uchiha… like CRAZY IN LOVE? And he knew if Itachi was on his mind hearing every bit of words he was thinking, the sadistic (but damn sexy) Akatsuki-gangster would have answered "Hell, yeah"
"NO!" Sasuke stood up and for a moment Hinata was terrified, she backed off slightly
"T-That is f-fine with m-me, S-Sasuke-kun" She said astonished that Sasuke didn't want friendship blooming between them.
Come to nerves, Sasuke. He blinked "No, I mean—" Mean what? Sasuke sighed in defeat "Sure"
Hinata smiled "Arigato"
…………………………
The rain was soothing down every minute, the sky starting to calm down, as did his opportunity reclining back to zero. He looked at his companion; Hinata was resting recuperating strength that would be later necessary for their route back to the team… or either the search of the group for the two of them.
He sighed, a manner he wasn't accustomed doing but unhurriedly becoming. He wasn't that dim to be as obvious as Sakura when with him or vice-versa, as frank as Naruto to Sakura. The path was opened yet the bridge was broken. He knew himself it was easy for him to say "Hinata I love you, would you please love me back?" but it wasn't like that Hinata would reply "Sure, why not?" He can't risk rejection from his first love. Be it pride or whatever, he didn't care. The embarrassment didn't count but the time and effort do. If he confessed, the feeling should be mutual. Hinata should love him back. Or else, what's the point in doing so? Nothing. And that is a big shit.
The only means is to use my strength over her weakness. Sasuke gulped then turned red thinking of that statement's double entendre. Of course, not in its literal meaning.
"Teme!"
And of course, not with Naruto in the background…
"Hinata!"
Never with Naruto. Sasuke blinked "Dobe?" He immediately turned outside the cave, a blond spiked-boy running toward the place like a bat just out of hell.
And hell, and there goes away all the means.
"Retrieving the scroll by yourself, that was too cool!" Naruto sniggered as he led the group but still not that far when Hinata needed some urgent support when sudden fatigue occurs. She managed to give a small, tired smile to the blonde "You've done a great job, Hinata!"
"Yup, much greater than fox here" Kiba laughed walking by the side of the Hyuga.
"What did you say, Inu!" Naruto turned around, irate of the sudden attack of words.
"Well, I said you did much of the talk than the search, twerp"
"Oh, and I don't much recall who ran on them first. Wasn't that Uzumaki Naruto?"
"Wasn't that because of Akamaru?"
"Jerk," Naruto teased out "I didn't even remember Akamaru jumping out of your head, now you tell that Chihuahua of yours had ran faster than me"
"When I said Akamaru, I did mean his scenting skill" Kiba said, nerves popping out of his forehead "And for crying out loud, Akamaru is no Chihuahua!"
The lady, who hadn't much done a thing greater than praying for her darling Uchiha to be of good health and brushed her pink flamboyant hair to make it tangle-free in eternity, decided to jump on the scene "Actually, Kiba was right. You've done nothing but the talk, Naruto. And as for your issue Kiba, Akamaru can't track smells on rains" Flipping back her gorgeous hair, Sakura continued "So to put it simply, it was Shino's doing that lead me to my darling Sasuke… and to Hinata, of course"
Thought she'll say it was her great forehead's tracking ability. Kiba narrowed his eyes to the girl mentally praying for a sudden lightning striking her to death. Thank goodness, she hadn't.
After her great speech, which no one really paid much attention except Naruto, the pink-haired girl bounced back to rest on the side of Sasuke, happy that she was once again close to her ever childhood infatuation.
They were already on a village, just outside the forest where the previous fights had occurred. Daylight had just recently gone stretching on the soggy road and Hinata was glad everything was back to normal. And above all, Naruto had acknowledged her doing. That was the extra credit of it.
Heat rose up on her face and she thought of the high sun burning down her skin, but then she reprimanded herself that it couldn't be because morning had just began. The next thing she knew, her sight blurred.
Suddenly, Hinata collapsed.
…………………………
She blinked. She must admit it felt good than the last time she was conscious… and the setting, it was much better. She was lying on a futon and the first thing she saw was the wooden ceiling that was set on a traditional way. Shifting on her side, she saw the white curtain blown up by a moderate wind, a soft chilly air touring around the room.
Two chairs, table, a lamp and another rolled up futon by the wall. It seems she was on an inn but not just an ordinary house rented by meager wanderers because as she looked outside the window, the garden on the backyard was well heeded with a pond on the side and mainly cherry-blossoms filling the ambiance while yellow daffodils complimented the grassy land. She hadn't even remembered crossing this place and if she was to recall things, it was conversing with Sasuke on an eerie cave she remembered staying.
Suddenly, a pain throbbed in her head and involuntarily, Hinata clutched on her hair then after some time it loosened out.
"I think that was the side-effect the lady was telling about" She turned around to see Sakura just closing the door behind her using a foot while holding a tray of food. She handed the dish later after assisting her back on the bed.
"Ano, Sakura…" Hinata nervously asked, "Why are we here?"
The pink-haired girl approached the window and arranged the curtain "You collapsed on the way and since we're all wasted last night, the group decided to have a rest. It was when Shino remembered having a well-off cousin around"
"I see…" To put it simply, it was because of me. Sadness curved on her soft lips.
"Hinata, tell you something" A sadistic smile plastered across the pink-haired girl's face which was twitched on one side and on the very corner of her eyes, a sparkle of malicious intention ignites "Hot spring here don't have a limitation"
"L-Limitation?" Hinata blinked as she drew back oblivious of what she meant.
"Means guys can go bathing with girls" She giggled "Actually, I'm going there" To see my Sasuke-kun's gorgeous bodieee! "And I bet Naruto would be there too"
Hinata blushed. Sakura winked and stood up "So see you there. Ja!" And off she goes out of the room. Left alone, Hinata sighed. Sakura's idea was impossible for her, too far it hadn't even crossed her mind.
She took her posture. Maybe she needed some reward to pamper herself from the last mission's exertion and a little tour around wouldn't hurt. The garden would be a beautiful spot to sooth her body and mind. As she checked for the availability from any stranger of the said place outside the window, she was lucky to see a lone acquaintance.
Uchiha Sasuke.
A/N: Something was bugging me as I wrote the chapter. I think the story is starting to lose its sense because of too much humor. Hope minna-sama would not be angry on it... or maybe minna-sama could also leave some advice. ONEGAI!