Chapter 8:
Cause and Effect
XxXxXx
Hinata desperately wanted to close the door on the boy and forget he appeared on her doorstep. Instead, her face heated and reddened as much as it possibly could. She would swear her fingers were beginning to feel numb.
She stared at her friend and teammate, blinking dumbly. "Ano..." She tried to say hello as casually as he did. "Aa... Er..."
"Sorry to barge by, but I was just in the neighborhood," he trailed off, talking about how he'd gone to see Sakura and was told she needed some company for the night, or perhaps the rest of her life.
Her eyes widened. Slowly, her mind took a couple steps back. Sakura was trying to set her up with someone. The sort of someone who was her teammate. She blinked twice and reached to touch the door handle. "Sakura-chan told you to come by?"
The boy nodded. Hi hand moved rom the back of his head to his cheek, gently scratching he red fang there. "Well, yeah. That, and Neji walked by me, muttering something about you not dating? I think that was it. I dunno." He grinned wolfishly at her. "Can I come in?"
He was bold, very bold.
She looked over her shoulder into her sitting room. "Aa... I'm sorry, Kiba-kun. I was going to bed soon."
He grinned, and she knew he was going to try again. The look on his face said all she needed to know. He didn't care about discretion. He was interested in something else. "Mind if I join you?"
He was too bold. She shook her head and fit her fist around the handle. "I'm very sorry, Kiba-kun, but I'm going to have to decline." She slowly pushed the door. A nervous smile finally appeared on her face. "Ano, good night."
He pouted and raised his hand in a little wave. "Night, Hina-chan. If you ever need a good friend, don't hesitate to call on me."
She watched his expression morph into a grin and slammed the door shut. That was... embarrassing, to say the least. He could have been a touch gentler about what he wanted, a little more discrete, but she knew Kiba and the other Inuzukas. They were not discrete. They said what they wanted. They were told no on occasion. It was nothing new.
She sighed and looked through the peephole. He was still standing there, thinking aloud. Unfortunately, she watched him plot another question to pop. More fortunately, she saw Sasuke walking up the street.
Her face flushed, remembering the words Ino had spoken. She dashed to the kitchen, looking over the food she'd cooked. The color in her face deepened and spread across her nose and to her ears. She made enough food for a single person. She didn't usually need to cook for more. The former Hyuuga heiress wasn't expecting company during her meal, but she also hadn't expected her teammate to ask her to dance the sideways tango.
She bit her lip. Maybe he would be going to Sakura's. But why would he do that, when he had been flirting with her mere hours before?
She walked to the window, peeking through the curtain. Kiba was walking down the stairs, shoulders slouched, and Sasuke was no longer on the street. She blinked a few times, drawing her brows together. Shortly, Kiba was out of sight, walking in the direction of Sakura's home. She sighed to herself, relief flooding her senses. She turned and walked toward the kitchen, only to turn toward the door at the sound of knocking on her door.
She moved to the entryway, and opened the door. Already, she thought she knew who to expect.
"Hello again," she murmured softly. This time, it wasn't Kiba. She smiled softly. "Uchiha-san, come in."
He stepped inside as she held the door, shrugging out of his borrowed jacket. Hinata could tell by the bright splash of orange it wasn't his. "Kiba was here earlier," he noted aloud, hanging the coat alongside hers.
"Yes..."
"What did he want?" he asked, sounding a bit like Neji, protective.
She closed the door and lowered her head, trying to hide her blushing face to no avail. "It was nothing."
He raised an eyebrow and strode to the kitchen, their safe place. "Alright." He breathed deep of the smell of freshly cooked food and looked over her spread. "You were going to eat."
"Yes." She followed after him and opened a drawer. She held out a pair of chopsticks to him. "Would you share with me?"
"You only made enough for one."
"You're avoiding the question," she spoke softly, but the sentiment was bold.
He smiled at the Hyuuga girl. His fingers ghosted over hers as he took the utensils from her hand. "Alright."
She sighed softly, and picked up a prawn from one of the bowls. She tried to ignore her flip-flopping stomach to no avail. After so long of chasing one person, two had kissed her in a single day. She only cared for one.
He followed suit, eating alongside her in the kitchen. They exchanged small talk, unknowing of what to say or do after an embarrassing afternoon. The dishes were soon empty, washed, and dried. Hinata handed the towel to Sasuke, smiling warmly.
"We make a good team, ne?"
He wiped his hands on the towel before leaning forward to kiss her cheek. "Yeah, we do."
He watched her face change colors, brightening in shades of pink. He brushed the backs of his knuckles over her warm cheek. It earned him a hotter color.
"What's wrong?" he asked, bending to rest his forehead to hers.
She smiled with her eyes closed, placing her hands over his, both of which were cupping her face. She rose on her tiptoes and kissed his lips, wondering if by taste alone he could tell Kiba had kissed her. "Nothing in particular."
Her blush faded as they engaged in another kiss, this one lasting. A few moments of tasting one another's lips and tongue, they broke for air. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her to his chest.
"This is nice," she whispered to no one in particular.
As most of their romantic moments, knuckles rapping on the door broke the quiet. Hinata sighed, thankful whoever on the other side of the door had the decency to knock. She untangled herself from Sasuke's arms, pressing a quick kiss to his lips in a reassuring gesture before walking to the door.
She opened her apartment, not bothering to peer through the peephole. As had happened previously, she was met with a kiss on her mouth, a little harder than the first. She pulled back, stepping away. "Ano... K-Kiba-kun?"
He gave her a toothy grin. This had been an accomplishment for him. Two kisses in a single day. From the look on his face, he was mentally patting himself on the back. "Yes, Hina-chan?"
"I have company." Her voice practically sueaked, but she was quicker to respond this time around.
His grin fell, and his mental picture of holding a plaque and Hinata on his arm vanished. "Oh. Who is it?"
As though on cue, Sasuke stepped away from the kitchen and leaned on the doorway. The fanged Inuzuka looked between the two. Sasuke's lips were swollen. Hinata's lips had been swollen, too. Had he been Naruto, he would have missed the most obvious clue.
"Oh." He didn't have anything more to say. He was baffled by the situation, and his mind had runaway with what wrods he had.
Sasuke raised a brow at the man on Hinata's stoop and looked to the back of the dark-haired woman's head. Something had happened, and he was itching to find out what that was.
"Anything you need?" Sasuke snapped.
"Eh?" He had to think quickly. Hinata would hate him if he said yes and chose to pursue her further. So he did the only sensible thing a boy with a crush on his best friend could do. He lied. "No."
His chin crinkled as he fought a pout. Kiba craved a hug. Fighting his tears, because no jonin would be caught crying like this, he waved and broke into a grin. "See ya," he called, jogging down the steps.
Once again, Hinata and Sasuke were alone.
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"Is there anything I need to know about?"
"No," Hinata said, her voice faraway. Her mind was elsewhere.
"Hn. If you come across anything I should know, like a boyfriend, pregnancy, or a secret double life, tell me."
She frowned. "What?"
His attempt to lighten the mood faltered. He chuckled and sat on the cushions of the couch. "Nothing."
"Okay," she mumbled. She didn't look to the Uchiha as she lay on the couch. Her legs were crossed over an armrest of the couch, her head settling in his lap. She sighed and closed her eyes. Her fingers knit together, resting over her stomach. When she felt his hand rest over her knuckles, a warm smile tugged at her lips.
Their fingers hooked together, and she rolled on her side. Had she opened her eyes, she would have been face-to-face with the coffee table. She was comfortable like this. He was as well, running his free fingers through her silky hair. He spoke softly, possibly telling her of the reason for his being here, possibly telling her how he liked her, but she didn't care. She didn't hear him. With her head in his lap, Hinata fell asleep.
XxXxXx
Her eyes opened. Usually, she awoke with a yawn, but this was not the case this morning. She sat up a little, confused by her surroundings. She didn't remember going to her bedroom in the night.
She didn't feel the least bit tired, nor did she feel like she'd slept. It was as though she'd closed her eyes and opened them only a moment later. Suspicious didn't quite cover what she felt.
Something was wrong with her bedroom. It was sterile. The colors were dull. It wasn't right.
She remembered a few things on the day before. Sasuke baked with her assistance. Naruto, Ino, and Neji had come over. Neji was angry with Sasuke. Ino 'fixed' the problem. Neji hugging her, Ino liking Neji's baking... There were a few other blurry memories in there, too. The last was Kiba kissing her twice.
Throwing her feet over the side of her bed, she hopped to her feet. She didn't bother looking for her slippers. Somehow, she knew they wouldn't be there anyway.
As she grabbed a sweater, she remembered something else. The thought made her stomach feel heavy and her eyes prick with tears. Sasuke didn't wake her to say good-bye. Tears built at the corners of her eyes.
In a flurry of confusion and drawing of conclusions, she blinked tears from her eyes and ran to the kitchen. She didn't see the doorway to the kitchen at first. She had to double back. The layout of her apartment felt different.
Once in the kitchen, she expected to find a stack of cut fudge and a plate of cookies from her and Sasuke's baking. Instead, she found a handwritten note.
Tears slid down her cheeks as she thought he must think of her as just like Sakura. Her hand shook when she picked up the sheet of paper. She held it to her chest, taking the moment to gather her courage.
'This is stupid,' she thought. 'Sasuke likes me. The way he kissed me... It was... It was like he didn't want to stop kissing me.'
She tried to smile through the tears, and finally, lowered her chin to look over the careful note. She read it over once, not quite understanding. She read it again, dipping herself into the words and forcing them to make sense. She read it twice more, trying to make them say what she wanted them to say. That he loved her. That he wanted to be there, but Hokage-sama had other business for him to attend.
Tears streamed down her cheeks. She blinked her vision clear, but tears welled in her eyes the moment she tried to look at the note again. She could barely make out the words, 'I'm with Sakura now'. She read that line again and again.
She sniffled. She was being stupid. She wasn't crying over a boy. She tore the paper in two and dropped both piece to the floor. She turned away from the note and leaned over the counter.
This couldn't be happening.
Once she calmed her overactive imagination, she faced the torn page. The halves seemed to be laughing at her. They snickered and told her she wasn't worth it.
She surveyed her kitchen. This was where everything happened. She knelt low, picking up the papers. She took them to the sitting room and sat on the couch, leaning forward only to set both halves of the note on the coffee table. They fit together like a puzzle.
She stared at the words. It didn't make sense. Nothing made sense. She fell into the couch cushions and stared at the ceiling. Her brows furrowed as it began to make snide remarks about her and Uchiha Sasuke. Using every bit of her common sense, she forced her eyes closed.
XxXxXx
As soon as she closed her eyes, she broke into a yawn and jolted upright. She smelled smoke.
She threw off the blanket from the back of her couch and ran toward the kitchen. It was exactly where she'd left it, just behind her sitting room without a wall to separate them. She saw the pile of cookies, the cut tray of fudge, and one angry Uchiha.
She released a sigh and set a hand to her aching forehead. "Uchiha-san," she breathed.
She walked around the island in her kitchen and stood beside him at the sink. He was rinsing ashes from a pot.
"What were you burning in my kitchen?" she teased.
He looked to Hinata, frown still heavy on his features. "Breakfast," he grunted, grabbing a sponge and wiping out the remains of whatever he attempted to make.
"I thought I'd taught you better." Hinata shook her head. It was only a gentle chide as she followed him from the sink to the stove. Once the pot was on the stove top once more, he spun around and lifted her with both hands on her waist. She squeaked softly, hands clasping over her chest. When he set her down, she sat on the counter top.
She bit her lip and looked down at the Uchiha boy. "Do I need to get some tape?" The words were spoken sharply, but it was just as much a jest as her prod at his ego.
She shook her head and pulled her knees toward her chest. He moved through her kitchen with an air of familiarity. He was still in his clothes from the day prior. They were still a little pale and dusty from their flour fight. She allowed herself a smile at the remembrance. He looked over his shoulder at her, just in time to see her pull her knees higher and dip her chin behind them.
He seemed to glide from one place to another in her kitchen. He was caught in the task at hand. He was making breakfast, as he mentioned when she awoke. This time appeared to be going better.
She rested her chin between her knees and smiled adoringly at his back. When he finally turned to her, he crossed his arms over her bent knees. He stared into her pale eyes. She blushed eagerly, staring into his dark eyes. He blinked slowly, deliberately. He wasn't going to kiss her until she leaned forward.
The pink in her cheeks spread to her ears. She crossed her ankles and lowered her legs. A little shift forward, and she was barely a breath from kissing the Uchiha in her kitchen. Her eyes blinked closed, but she didn't close the distance. She licked her lips and leaned back, using her hands to prop herself up. When her eyes opened once more, she uncrossed her legs and slid from the counter.
Her arms snaked around his waist, and she drew him into a hug. Her awful dream was still at the edge of her mind, aching to laugh and point out how Sasuke was only making fun of her. He was using her so he and Sakura-chan could laugh at her, it chided from the back of her mind. He was waiting for her to pull him down and take him for herself, it whispered.
She felt her face grow hotter. That last bit wasn't the same echoing voice from her dream. It sounded a lot like hers. The soft blush on her cheeks grew redder. She fit her fingers around a few loose wrinkles in his shirt and pulled him down.
She kissed him eagerly, desperately. As quickly as it began, she pulled away, breathless.
"Thank you, Sasuke-kun," she whispered. His name felt nearly as nice on her lips as his kiss. It felt right in her mouth. She smiled as she pulled him in for another kiss.
He barely caught his name. It wasn't formal like 'Uchiha-san'. It sounded wonderful in her breathless voice. He bent to kiss her gently, cupping the back of her neck with one hand and resting his other palm on her hip. He didn't dare move further. He liked kissing her. He liked living with her in his life. He already knew if her cousin discovered they had shared more than a lip-lock, he was done for.
He pulled away, fighting a smirk when she whined softly. "I hate to break it to you. As much as I love this, I'd like to eat. I don't want to die of starvation."
She pouted and pulled away. "Drama queen," she muttered, going to the cupboard to take down a pair of bowls.
He rolled his eyes. Naruto used the same sentiment on him. He used to cross his arms and blubber as though personally affected. Naruto would tell him to calm down and stammer. He would follow this by punching Uzumaki in the face and state not to call him that.
This time, he didn't bother with dramatics. It didn't hurt. It meant she wanted to be tangled in his arms and kissing him instead of sharing a meal.
He picked up the arrangement of plates he'd prepared and took it to the sitting room. He set it on the coffee table while Hinata tossed two pillows on the floor in front of the couch. She smiled as she rounded him and he sat on one of the seats he'd prepared for them.
She returned with two pairs of chopsticks in hand. When she sat beside him, she handed him a pair. She fought her nerves and looked over the spread he'd prepared.
In unison, the two said a quick, 'itadakimasu' and began to eat. Once in a while, their eyes met.
"Thank you for cooking this morning," she said quietly. She felt more shy now that they were sat in her living room, eating a meal first ting in the morning. When they weren't speaking, it was quiet. The silence seemed to poke at the uncertain voice in her head.
"It was nothing, Hinata-san."
She giggled and picked up another piece of grilled salmon she suspected he bought this way. He eyed her carefully.
"What?"
She giggled again and shook her head. "Nothing."
"Seriously."
"I don't think I've ever heard you say my name." She smiled at him, then put another piece of fish in her mouth.
