At long last my computer situation has stabilized. I see no reason why I should not be able to continue providing chapters on a biweekly basis, outside of a major disaster. My apologies for this somewhat lengthy delay. Those who reviewed chapter twelve with questions will have them answered now, at the end of the chapter as usual.
Chapter Thirteen: A Day Off by Any Other Name…
They moved around town quite a bit, went to a lot of places and did a lot of things. None of it really got through to Hinata. The outer shell of her mind prevented her from accidentally wandering into a door and stayed ready for an attack, but the rest of it was decidedly absent. Only Sasuke really noticed, but after one curious glance he did nothing.
Of course, he was the cause of her confusion. Where did she stand in regard to him? Was she even in a position to know? How did anyone ever know anything about this, for that matter? It wasn't really anything like what she had felt for Naruto, but nothing like her best friends, either. If only Shino were here... Shino would know. He could probably make things clearer for her in a sentence or two, then return to being silent.
But no, she had to do this herself. Perhaps it was better this way. If she couldn't know herself, who could? It was during this thought that she realized they hadn't been moving for some time. She knew they were in a park of some sort, but she finally took the time to look at it for something other than tactical purposes.
When she looked, she discovered the park was a beautiful place. It seemed to be fairly small, but a canopy of leaves made it seem as though they were in the middle of the forests back home. The light that reached them was slightly green from reflecting through the leaves. Sasuke first sat down on a park bench and spread his arms out to the either side of him; when Sakura and Ino both tried to slip in front of either arm he retracted them and crossed his arms.
She was sitting on a bench on the opposite side, her back to the other three. They had been speaking for some time, and she actually began to listen to what they were saying. It took her only a moment to realize what they were saying; the exact words were irrelevant: it was the same as always.
Sakura and Ino were being typical again; by this point Hinata was getting terribly tired of it. They were more mature than this, but being around Sasuke seemed to make them temporarily devolve. As usual, both of them were trying to catch his attention but spending more time snapping at each other. Sasuke was staying out of it when he could, and though he said very little, Hinata could sense his annoyance rising.
This always made her so sad. Hopefully the mission would be over soon so that he wouldn't have to deal with them any more. It was depressing to her to see him so annoyed; if only they had other allies, like Shikamaru or Temari, who would make him temporarily happy again. That was all she really wanted, she realized: for him to be happy. If she could make him happy-
Abruptly she jerked her head up, eyes widening. The other three glanced back at her immediately.
"Are you alright?" Sakura finally asked.
"Oh... it's n-nothing."
"Geez, don't do that to us," Ino muttered. Hinata nodded timidly and continued glancing out into the park. That wasn't true; it had been something. She had just realized what she had been thinking. Wanting to make him happy? It reminded her so much of how much she had heard about love. Sure, she wanted her friends to be happy, but the way she had been thinking it...
Leaning back against the cool bench, Hinata sighed heavily. It couldn't be. Was she really just like the other two people on their team? Sasuke had said that she didn't annoy him, that she was his friend. Or was that what they really were? Why couldn't she tell the difference?
At some point they got up, moved elsewhere. Sasuke seemed to be trying to track down some information, but Hinata wasn't exactly sure what it was. It didn't have anything to do with the shinobi, and she couldn't focus in any case. Once, Sakura had to ask her a question three times before she heard it. She was still lost in a murky haze of thought with no end in sight.
"We're wasting our time," Sasuke abruptly growled, stopping in mid-step.
"No, I think we have some people following us," Ino insisted. "Eventually they'll be convinced to attack."
"There are always people following us."
"I think there are more of them," Sakura added. "Most likely they're just waiting for the right time to strike."
"Then let's give them one," Sasuke said. He turned and spoke closer to them in a voice barely above a whisper. "It is about noon. For lunch, we'll all split up. Hopefully they'll try to take us down alone. If you're attacked, make sure the assassin doesn't have a way to kill himself before trying to find the others. We'll meet back here after lunch."
"Right!" Sakura and Ino burst in opposite directions, quickly vanishing down the street. The next moment Sasuke exploded in a puff of smoke and Hinata was alone in the crowded street.
This would be better, at least. She wouldn't get in between Sakura and Ino, and Sasuke would have some time to relax. When he could get some breaks from them he was always in a better mood. Still contemplating this, Hinata found a small restaurant and bought her lunch.
Vaguely the thought occurred to her that she would make a better target in a deserted location. Her body moved to the roof of an out-of-the-way building while her mind wandered aimlessly. She sat down on the side and began eating, without really tasting anything.
There was a slight burst of chakra above her, and something large hurtled down toward the roof. She merely took another sip of her water. Sasuke landed lightly beside her, bringing with him a burst of wind that she ignored.
Without speaking he dropped to the edge of the roof beside her and opened his own meal. They continued to eat, both in silence. At least he wouldn't try to make conversation or make her say anything. It was fine if she just stayed inside herself; he wouldn't intrude upon her thoughts. With most people, the other's presence would have annoyed her, but not with him.
That thought made her sigh again. Things were so confusing. Sasuke was one of the few people that she was honestly comfortable with, one of the few that didn't worry her. Hopefully, he was comfortable with her. He wouldn't have come here if he wasn't, would he?
Finishing her meal, Hinata began rolling her cup on its rim on the edge of the building. Silently she watched the water slosh around inside. It was in turmoil, just like she was. What was she thinking? Even if she honestly understood what she was feeling, all she could do was ruin what she had already accomplished. Then she would be just like the other two, and Sasuke would completely close himself off again. How could anything like that happen, anyway? Why-
Sasuke's hand tapped her wrist, stopping her from rolling the cup any further and cutting off her train of thought. Startled, she glanced up at him nervously.
"You have a lot of nervous gestures," he commented. "There isn't anything wrong with them, but they don't really help you. You just become more and more nervous."
"Y-you're right, Sasuke-san." She nodded hastily and set her cup down, determined not to touch it again. This time, she actually kept away from it. Somehow, it was easier after Sasuke had said it. Maybe he could actually help her trust in herself a little bit more.
They finished without incident and returned to the meeting place separately. Sakura and Ino arrived at different times, looking slightly glad and slightly upset. Hinata could guess who they had been trying to find during lunch. In any case, none of them had been attacked, so the day would go on regardless.
Part of her really wanted them to attack now. If she had to fight someone she would perhaps be shaken out of her near-depression. It wouldn't actually solve any of her problems, or resolve her issues, but it would hold them off for a while longer. As long as this day went on, she would just keep wondering about herself. Things would be so much better if the assassins just struck now.
But fate seemed to hate her as much as most people hated her
"So how exactly are you connected to the doctor?" Sasuke asked. He didn't particularly want to talk to the vendor in front of him, but the man had started the conversation. It wasn't as if he had much better to do, anyway; this would at least keep Sakura and Ino from trying to talk to him.
"Nothing official. Matthew-sama has just done quite a few things for me." The man scratched his large belly and jabbed at his stand with a finger. "I'm a carpenter, like you can see. A lot of times you get injured in that job, and he's always there to help patch me up. He's set right bones I thought were gonna be ruined forever. A miracle-worker, I tell ya."
"Miracle worker?" Sasuke raised a questioning eyebrow. "Just for setting bones properly?"
"Naw, that sort of thing you see all the time. Not sure why I'm telling you this, but let me explain. My son's a really little tyke, probably about up to here or so. But he takes after his mom, and he's always running all over the place. One night there was a pretty bad storm, and he managed to get out of the house.
"We looked for him for hours, and eventually found him quite a ways back, trapped under a big tree trunk. He was so cold his skin was almost blue, and whenever we moved he would give a pitiful little cry of pain. The wife could hardly bear it, but I managed to get him to Matthew-sama's place -- he lives at the hospital, ya know."
"And what happened?" This might actually accomplish something after all.
"I stayed awake all night, I just couldn't relax at all, you know? But in the morning, Matthew-sama returned him. Not only was he fine, he was cheerful and bouncing all over the place again. He'd been all warmed up, and even though I thought he'd gotten some broken bones, he didn't have a scratch on him. If that ain't a miracle, I don't know what is."
"Hm." Sasuke's inclination was to narrow his eyes suspiciously, but he repressed the urge and merely nodded in a friendly manner. That sounded to him like a medical jutsu more than anything. He hadn't sensed any chakra around Doctor Matthew, and while it wasn't likely he had missed anything, it was possible he had made a mistake. There wasn't any doubt that Matthew was no shinobi, but that didn't mean he was entirely normal, either.
He thanked the vendor for the story and managed to get away without actually buying any wood. Whenever he'd gotten a chance he'd been trying to get information about Matthew without making it appear that he was actually asking. So far, he had a distinct impression of the man as an honest and kind person, but someone with a bad past. There was definitely more to him than first appeared, but Sasuke decided that it wouldn't affect him or the mission and hence wasn't his concern.
That was an important bit of information, in any case. The day wouldn't be entirely wasted. As Sakura had said, there were people following them, but they seemed very reluctant to actually strike. Perhaps they suspected something. There hadn't even been any subtle assassination attempts. Then again, perhaps one day of relaxing would benefit the team as a whole.
Glancing over his shoulder slightly, Sasuke looked at the rest of the group from the corner of his eye. This would at least shut Ino and Sakura up about getting a day off for a while, and they did seem to be in a much better mood after this. Normally he would have considered this something Hinata didn't like, but she had been unfocused all day. There was definitely something on her mind, but again, it wasn't his concern.
At this point, there wasn't much to do but stick with the plan. Only several more hours...
"Maybe we should split up for dinner," Sakura suggested. "Is anyone else hungry? I sure am."
"That's a good idea," Ino said brightly. "Maybe we should split into twos this time. I could-"
"You could go with Hinata-chan," Sakura cut her off. "I think that's a great idea."
"Or we could do it the other way. Come on, Sasuke-kun, wouldn't you rather have lunch with me than that beast?"
"Ino-chan! Don't bug him like that! You'd never give him time to eat. That's why-"
Their argument didn't really get past that point, though they said a great deal more. Sasuke merely rolled his eyes and let them run out of steam. Hinata remained silent and tapped her fingers against each other. This conversation had penetrated the fog of her thoughts, but not in a good way. Both of them were transparently trying to be alone with Sasuke. That was normal.
What wasn't normal was that she realized she wanted to as well. Not for their reasons, of course, but she would have preferred to be alone with him. Of course, a lot of that was just wanting to be away from the two of them, but there was another part that didn't want to be alone. Not just with anyone, either, but with him.
That worried her more than any previous thought. How far was she from Ino or Sakura? At least she wasn't actively annoying him at the moment, but wasn't it really only dishonest if she didn't voice what she felt?
When Sakura and Ino finally stopped arguing, Sasuke suggested they return to their house and make their own dinner. They didn't have the breath remaining to argue with the suggestion, so they all returned. It was strange, Hinata realized; she hadn't ever noticed that it was getting dark already. Apparently being farther north changed the patterns of the sun.
Back at the house, they were given the kitchen, a few supplies, and little else. For a moment Hinata was allowed to escape her problems while she made the meal. Cooking wasn't something she particularly enjoyed, but she actually did it well and didn't have to do it with anyone else. For that reason, she sort of liked it.
But then Ino got the idea that she could make something for Sasuke, and of course Sakura was in the kitchen as fast as she could. They let Hinata have her own space, but they were noisy, and she started thinking about them again. One way or another the meal was served to a contemplating Sasuke. He barely looked up, poring over a small scroll in one hand.
This meal took a lot longer, even though Hinata wasn't hungry. She couldn't bring herself to eat much, but tried to at least look like she was eating so the others wouldn't mention it. Slowly she came to a painful realization.
Despite her best efforts to the contrary, she loved Sasuke. Not like they did, really, but she still couldn't deny it. There was really only one difference between them, and that was that she actually respected the fact that he wanted to be alone. They were already friends, and as long as Sasuke thought that was all things would be fine. It wouldn't be a comfortable existence, but it would be more comfortable than the alternative. At least she could make his life easier by just being his friend.
After this mission, of course, they probably wouldn't see each other again for a long time. They weren't really teamed together in any way, and the disparity between their strengths would separate them. That, at least, she could work to change. If she trained hard enough, went back to Neji, asked Naruto for help, perhaps she could rise to the point where she wouldn't slow him down. If she became strong enough, they'd be more likely to be on the same missions. Working against the system wouldn't accomplish anything. Instead of trying to be with him, she could work to be someone he would want to be with.
That was all she could do. It would have to be enough.
Nearly invisible in the shadow of the door, Sasuke continued to glance down at the man sitting at his desk. Matthew had been in the office since he arrived, swiftly and steadily working. From this vantage point, Sasuke couldn't really tell what he was doing, but it seemed to be several letters to patients.
"How long have you been here?" Matthew asked abruptly, not slowing his writing.
"A few minutes."
"Ah. You're pretty stealthy, in that case. So what brings you here again? I can't imagine that it is me, as I'm quite the boring person. Being a doctor in a town like this is a rather dull job."
"So far nothing has happened," Sasuke told him immediately. "I don't think we're going to accomplish anything." His eyes narrowed. "Your plan wasn't difficult to create, and I had considered it before you suggested it. Why did you think it was a particularly good idea?"
"Well, I thought it was worth a shot." Matthew put his hands behind his head and spun in his chair to face Sasuke. "Sorry I wasted your time, then. I trust that you shook any pursuit before coming here?"
"Of course."
"Thanks. I appreciate that."
"Why exactly do you need to be so cautious?" Sasuke asked, raising an eyebrow. "Who is so interested in killing you?"
"To quote myself, 'I don't know.' It isn't a simple-" He paused. "The forces that are following you... have they made any attack attempts today? Are they growing in number? Is this the first time the group has split when you aren't trying to cause an attack?"
"Yes." Immediately Sasuke's eyes narrowed. That was a suspiciously accurate statement. "Why?"
"It is a fairly common tactic to wait until an opponent must be somewhere before striking. It is quite possible that our vague opponents suspected that you were planning something -- leisure is quite out of place for shinobi -- and took a cautious route, merely gathering strength but staying away."
"And you mean they might be attacking now because I'm gone."
Matthew readjusted his glasses in a concise movement. "Exactly."
Until forming responses these questions, I hadn't realized how many of you took the time to review, even if only toleave anencouraging note. Thank you all.
Reactions to Matthew have varied quite a bit. Yes, as one person put it, he is in there for a reason.
Thank you for the encouragement regarding Sakura and Ino, "Random person." I do think my characterization was a flaw in planing, but it is good to know that it is not a complete error. Opinion is a vast and wonderful thing.
Regarding SGL's comment: Unfortunately, yes, this has become somewhat of an alternate universe. That's the danger of writing fanfiction about aseries that is not yet complete. I really wish I would have waited a bit longer to write it so I would have known of Sakura's Tsunade-based fighting style, but it is impossible to change such things now.
The next chapter should be updated on the Monday after next, unless I see a reason to update sooner. It may please some of you to know that the story will be shifting from focusing on characters to advancing the plot as of the next chapter.