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Day 5 Prompt: Duyen (Vietnamese)

"A predestined affinity that binds two people in the future."

A few days later, Hinata sat just off the path while leaning on a tree. She liked this tree. It provided a lot of shade. Sturdy. Probably big.

She could not pry her eyelids apart to check.

An intense migraine thrummed through her skull in time with her heartbeat. Every time she opened her eyes, the light felt like shards of glass digging into them.

Not the most pleasant of situations.

The spot where she deposited her body seemed to be the most private place she could access in the shortest amount of time. Apparently not, as she could hear the rustling of leaves as someone jumped through the trees overhead. Hinata toyed with the idea of trying her Byakugan to see who it was, but immediately discarded the idea.

The Byakugan was to blame for this in the first place.

The person paused, probably catching sight of her. They hopped to the ground and quietly paced to stop in front of her feet.

Hinata thought their chakra signature felt somewhat familiar. Her suspicions were confirmed when a low voice silkily cut through the air.

"I don't suppose you're just napping?" Sasuke asked quietly.

Her eyes shot open in surprise. She snapped them shut a second later and a groan slipped out. The hand not cradling her crutch slapped over her face and pressed hard.

"Ah," Sasuke sighed. "May I help you?"

"You don't have to," Hinata whimpered.

He scoffed. Clothing rustled and then Hinata could smell his cologne.

"May I touch you? I'm gonna take you up the tree. Give you some privacy."

Hinata could not manage to raise her voice above a whisper. "Yes, please."

He pulled the crutch away from her and then arranged it so she could clutch the tool to her chest.

"Hold onto this."

An arm slipped behind her back, and the other under her knees. Without a sound, he lifted her up in the air. She tensed, clutching the crutch.

"Lean into me," he instructed sternly but quietly. "Don't need you getting a concussion."

She pressed into his warmth and giggled. Tucking her head between his collarbone and his neck, she tried not to freak out. Casual touch felt fine when Kiba or Shino were involved. She knew next to nothing about Sasuke.

His hands stayed steady. With a tiny huff of breath, he vaulted them up into the canopy. Settling her down carefully on a massive branch, he guided her with hands on her shoulders to lean back.

"Here," he said. "I'm gonna put the crutch right next to you, alright? There's room."

He placed her hand on top of it, so she knew where it was.

"Thank you."

"Hn…" He paused. "May I heal you? I won't pry, I promise. I'll just help the pain."

It took her everything not to whimper. "Yes, please."

Soothing chakra diffused into her skin. Almost immediately, the pain slid away. She sighed in relief.

"I'm assuming it was light sensitivity?" he asked.

She hummed an affirmative. "Mmm-hmm."

"What were you doing before this?"

"I was walking on the trail nearby. It's part of my homework from physical therapy."

"Again, I'm not prying. But with how inflamed your pathways are, the bright sun probably aggravated your eyes. You'll need to start wearing sunglasses when you go out."

Hinata pulled a face. It did not jostle Sasuke. Instead, he let out a low rumble of a laugh. She would not have heard it if he was not so close.

The Hyuga had a complicated relationship with sunglasses. They only really wore them on missions, and it felt like she was trying to hide something every time she did.

"They have to be dark," he continued. "Like your teammate's. The Aburame."

She thought about it. He might have a spare pair she could borrow.

"I'm almost done," he said.

"I already feel so much better. Thank you."

"It's whatever." The warmth dissipated and she could feel him moving back. "Try opening your eyes now. Slowly."

Hinata did as he instructed. She found him closer than she thought. He inspected her intensely.

She took a while to do the same to him. The light that filtered through the leaves illuminated one of his eyes, making the dark pupil glow. Until now, she never noticed how impossibly attractive his features were.

Of course, when she still attended the Academy, not a day went by without anyone gushing over the Uchiha men. People like Ino and Sakura preferred to giggle over Itachi and Shisui who were so mature and older. They largely ignored Sasuke in favor of his relatives.

Hinata, well, the less said about her crush on Naruto, the better. It seemed like a shame that she never paid much attention to Sasuke, either. Maybe the sight of him now would not be so arresting.

Adding onto his physical appeal, this man helped her out of the goodness of his heart. He did not have to stop. She remembered Sakura's words from a few days before. Uchiha Sasuke did his best to hide, but his soul held immense kindness.

A pretty face, a kind heart, confidence, and extremely competent at what he did.

Hinata's heart fluttered, and she could not even blame herself for it. If she developed a crush, it would be completely understandable.

He smelt good. And his hands were warm.

How could she stop herself?

His eyes narrowed, his long lashes framing them prettily. "Why are you staring at me?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "I'm thinking."

"Think out loud, then."

"I'm trying to think of ways to thank you."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and scoffed. He looked away from her, gazing into the depths of the forest. "I told you, it's nothing."

His eyes really were his best feature. Her gaze slipped down to his lips. Well, maybe not.

"You didn't have to. But you did. And I appreciate that. I also appreciate that you didn't pry."

His attention returned to her. He looked annoyed, which Hinata regretted.

"I know you can't tell me," Sasuke said solemnly. "Or that you don't want to. But my patients are my first priority. They come before my personal biases, the clan, even the village. I want you to understand that."

"I think I do."

She shifted in place, adjusting her leg. Sitting still for so long made it sore and achy.

He caught the pain in her expression. "Want me to help your leg?"

She shook her head. "You don't have to."

He reached out, hand hovering over the limb in question. "Do you want me to?"

"If you want," she deflected.

His jaw firmed in exasperation. "Do you have opinions of your own?" he snapped.

Despite herself, she giggled. His hand jerked in surprise.

"Of course, I do, Uchiha-san. I would love for you to help me. But I've already inconvenienced you enough, and you'd be too nice to tell me no."

Green chakra engulfed his hand and he pressed it into her shin. "I'm not nice," he said mulishly.

She could not suppress her grin. "You're very nice."

His mouth opened to protest but she cut him off.

"You're very nice even though I've already insulted you and evaded you. I would love to trust you and tell you why my Byakugan pathways are inflamed."

He sat up straighter.

"But I can't."

His shoulders fell and he snatched back his hand. She caught the sleeve of his jonin uniform jacket before he could stand.

"I cannot tell you. The elders already told me not to let you know. But if you were to find out…" Hinata grinned impishly. "Well then, I'd have to explain."

His eyes widened in realization. "You can't tell me? Why?"

She held out her hands in a helpless gesture. "It's part of the mystery."

"You're making fun of me." He hissed.

The mirth faded from her face. "I'm really not."

Lightning quick, she grabbed his hand before he could stand. She cradled his fingers gently. He could break out of her hold at any time. She met and held his gaze.

Her voice fell to a soft and earnest whisper. "I believe you. I believe in you. And if I am lucky enough that you want to help me, I would appreciate it. Very. Much."

To her utter delight, her words caused him to blush so brightly she could see the color even in the dim light. He cleared his throat and looked away, revealing his pinked ears.

Cute!

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Coming up: Other Hyuga start doing their best to confound Sasuke.