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7

He's right. Sleeping together really stops the nightmares. Hinata thought as she stared up at Sasuke's face.

They had slept together for a few days and the nightmare had stopped to occur. Her pale eyes were staring at his face, silently admiring his straight nose, soft cheek, and finally, chiseled lips. She suddenly had an urge to raise her hand and touch them with the tips of her fingers, but she resisted it. She was too shy to do that, and besides, her arms had already nested between their bodies. One of his arms wrapped securely around her waist, making any movements were impossible. The only thing she could do right now was admiring him with her eyes. Without the ever-present indifferent look on his face, he looked relaxed, and dare she say… at peace.

She was too busy to admire Naruto from afar that she never paid much attention to him. But being with him this close, she finally understood why girls went crazy about him. Though she wasn't the kind of girl who only cared about look, she appreciated it and she knew an attractive man when she saw one. Maybe this was the only good thing about this whole situation, that the man she had to kiss for 4 months was a very handsome one. Sasuke had once said that she would be over the ninth cloud if it was Naruto whom she had to kiss, but it actually would be a disaster because she couldn't imagine kissing him without passing out. And he would want Sakura instead of me. She thought and found it strange that she wasn't unhappy with that fact at all. In fact, she hadn't thought about Naruto for a while.

She lowered her pale eyes from his face to his chest, suddenly felt shy. No one was here to see her staring at him, but her shy nature couldn't let her stare at him for too long. Besides, he had the tendency of snapping his eyes open at any time and she couldn't afford him assume that she was ogling at him. Well, she was, but he didn't need to know.

Her pale eyes followed the steady rise and fall motion of his chest. She had touched it a few times when they kissed and even groped it once. She wondered if it's normal to touch him while kissing, or it's just one of the effects the potion had on her through him and she would feel nothing at the kisses once Sasuke was cured.

Did people touch each other when they kissed? No one had ever told her about it, and if someone did, she would be too embarrassed to listen. Sasuke didn't comment about it, but she guessed it's only because he's too indulgent in the kisses to care. These feelings were so confusing and she just wished Ino was here so she could ask the girl.

Her trail of thought was broken as she heard some rustle. Activating her Byakugan, she could see a group of 20 men was moving toward them, likely to be Sasuke's enemies again. They didn't look too dangerous or powerful, nothing that Sasuke or she can't handle, but she doubted he would let her fight them. Since the beginning of their travel, she hadn't had to lift a finger. He didn't let her. He was too strong and the enemies they had encountered were so weak that he had them laying on the ground and groaning in pain just in a matter of minutes. At least he didn't kill them. And if he did, she would have to interfere.

She opened her mouth, about to wake him up, but almost squeaked loudly as her pale eyes met his dark ones. Since when had he been awake? Did he know she had been ogling him like a fangirl?

"Let them come to us." He said.

She was relieved. He didn't know.

"You were staring at me like a fangirl."

Or maybe he did.

"I-I…" She started blushing madly. "I-I… just... I'm s-sorry. I don't know why I was doing that."

"Hn." He shrugged lightly, not bothered to comment.

As some moments passed in silence, she decided to say something that's had been in her mind for a while. "Sasuke…" She began, and as he gave her his attention, she continued hesitantly. "Do you think this…" She referred to the way their bodies pressing closely against each other, one of his arm wrapped tightly around her waist, and her head rested comfortably on his other arm. "…all of this is just an effect of the potion."

"Do you want it to be?" He asked.

"I d-don't know." She whispered. "What about you? Do you want it to be?"

"Whether I want it to be or not, it may be the potion that's talking, not me."

"Y-You're right."

Everything that had ever happened between them might not be their own doings but the potion's. He knew the potion had an effect on his chakra system that made him had to kiss her to stay alive, what he didn't know was if it could change his behavior. He wasn't blind to the fact that it seemed he couldn't control his behavior around her. She made him do what he didn't think he could ever do. He was getting soft.

He frowned, thinking hard. What troubled him the most was the fact that he knew he should want all of these to be effects of the potion, but he didn't because it would mean that once Orochimaru fixed him, the nightmares would come back with vengeance and even sleeping with her couldn't stop them. He also liked the feeling of relaxing and calm her lavender scent brought to him, not that he would ever admit it to her or anyone. And there was something else, something he couldn't put a finger on because he had never experienced anything like that before. It confused him and he hated confusion.

He was depending on her and it made him weak, but right now, all he felt was at peace. Maybe what he should do for now was just stop thinking and enjoy whatever peace he got when he can because after 4 months, whether this was an effect of the potion or not, everything would stop. He would continue to roam the earth and she would return to Konoha, probably never see each other again.

Sasuke tightened his hold around her as she tried to wiggle out. "What?" He asked.

"They're coming." She said softly.

Right, he almost forgot about those men. They're pretty close right now. He had intended on staying like this for a few more minutes, but it seemed they're moving at a faster pace than he had anticipated. Pulling his arm away from her, he slowly sat up and stretched his arms up and she thought he looked just like a lazy cat.

"Oh, sorry for interrupting your lovely moment."

She was startled by a gruff voice said and quickly sat up, cheeks flushing brightly. The last time she checked, they were not supposed to be here already. Now they saw her lying on the ground next to Sasuke and him sitting beside her, stretching after a good night's sleep, she couldn't help but blush at what that might imply. And he did call it "a lovely moment."

"It will be quick," Sasuke said and slowly got up, his sword in his hand. "Stay back."

"Don't k-kill them."

He didn't respond, only approached them at a sluggish pace. When you were too strong, fighting with those who were much weaker than you might be very boring. From what she knew, only Naruto could challenge him in a fight.

After roughly 15 minutes, all the 20 men had sprawled on the ground, most of them had passed out, but no one died. Sasuke stood among them and snorted. Those men were too foolish to think that they stood a chance against him. No one can, even Naruto. The fight at the Valley was a draw. But his chakra was a little low now and he would have to kiss her soon. As he was about to return to her, he noticed she had already come stand next to him.

"There are only 19 of them here. Where is the last one?" She wondered.

It happened too fast. Blood spattered on her face and jacket and her pale eyes widened. His sword sliced through the man's chest right behind her. His mouth gapped as blood dripped down from his chin. As he drew his sword out, more blood gushed out and spattered on her. He got some blood too, but most of it landed on her.

She was frozen. She couldn't move. Her brain couldn't process anything for a moment and only when the man fell down the ground with a thud that her gaze turned to him, still in her shock and horror. His eyes were vivid red, his lips set in a thin line and blood smeared his pale cheek. His expression was calm as if he didn't just kill a person. She had thought he wasn't the monster people portrayed him to be, but just looking at him right now and she couldn't stop the tremble raking over her body.

"Y-You killed him." She whispered.

"I just saved your life." He nonchalantly said.

"But you don't have to kill him."

"He tried to kill you."

"I can't remember how many times people have tried to kill me. That's part of being a ninja. But you…" She paused a little to take a breath as it's hard to speak with a lump in your throat. "You don't have to kill him. I know you don't because you're too strong that you do not need to kill him to stop him from killing me."

"You're being ungrateful."

"You don't have to kill him, you just chose to."

"And I would have killed him again if I had a second chance."

"Y-You…"

"Listen," He sheathed his sword, grabbing her elbow to stop her from running away. "You're here to keep me alive. And if anyone dares to touch you, I will kill them. I don't care if I have to, I'll just kill them."

"If you can't stop yourself from killing, let me handle them. I'm a kunoichi and I can fight them. You just stay back and watch and only interfere when needed."

"No. Your only job is to kiss me and that's it."

"I don't need to get your permission."

"You mean you will protect them from me?" He scoffed.

"Only when you try to kill them."

"You're too kind to be a ninja."

She flinched. She had heard it so many times before. You're too kind to be a ninja. Being a ninja did not suit you. She had heard it all, but hearing it from him, who she had started to consider as a friend, really hurt.

She clenched her fists tightly. Her shoulders were trembling violently, but not in shock or terror, but in anger. He knew nothing about her. Who he was to judge her? Kindness wasn't a weakness and it had taken her years to realize and embrace that.

Hinata pursed her lips and lowered her head, her indigo hair veiling her face from his view. Her pale eyes were met with the bloody corpse of the man, his face contorted in pain and terror. No, this was not a man. This was just a boy, maybe some years younger than he. He didn't deserve to die.

She felt his hands cup her face and raised it. The blood on her face smeared his fingers and he frowned hard. He wanted to wipe that dirty blood of her pale cheeks and take that blood-drenched jacket off her. That's man blood was tainting her and it was irritating him to no end. But first, he had to kiss her. She wouldn't have that furious look on her face when he kissed her senseless.

He leaned toward her, intending to capture her lips with his but was only met with her cheek as she turned her head to the side to avoid him. "What?" He asked, voice laced with annoyance.

"Do not kiss me." She almost yelled at him. She pushed him away and was a little surprised that he didn't try to hold her back. He always got to kiss her whenever he wanted and her trying to push him away had never worked before. She got over that little surprise quite quickly though and stormed out. She didn't want to kiss him, at least not when she was drenched in blood and so mad at him.

Her lash out taken him back a little and it took him a few seconds before he let out a sigh and shoved his hand into his dark hair in annoyance. He quickly followed her, but carefully not to let her notice, it would only make her angrier at him. And to think that he had thought she was the gentlest girl in the world… God, girls are so frustrating.

Hinata found a lake nearby. She quickly took off her jacket and threw it on the ground. Kneeling over the bank, she splashed water all over her face, washing away every trace of blood. She breathed heavy, her pale eyes stung a bit from the water. She pulled her knees to her chest and rested her head on it. Her face was clean off any blood, the blood on her jacket didn't soak to her mesh shirt, but she could still feel its presence all over her body and smell it metallic scent lingering around.

She was a kunoichi and she had killed before, but only when really needed and even then she couldn't do it without feeling something tug at her conscience. That boy didn't deserve to die and he had died right before her eyes and she could do nothing to stop it.

What Sasuke told her about her kindness hurt. She didn't need him to tell her she wasn't cut out to be a ninja. She already knew it because she had been told that so many times before, and despite that, it still hurt. Maybe she had expected too much from him.

"Miss, are you okay?" A timid voice asked and when she looked up, she was met with vivid blue eyes. She was speechless for a moment. Those eyes looked just like Naruto's that she almost thought he had found her.

"I…I…" She began, but no words came out of her mouth. Not only that his eyes looked just like Naruto's, but he also had the same blond hair as he did. The only difference was the absence of the 6 whiskers on his cheeks and he looked young, maybe one or two years younger than her.

"What happened?" He continued to ask, referring to the bloody jacket on the ground.

"I-I…I encountered a group of bandits." She lied.

"Are you okay?" He repeated his first question and walked to her with just a few strides of his long leg. He might be younger than her, but he was a head taller than her. Now with him closer to her, she noticed one more difference between him and Naruto. Unlike Naruto who was very energetic and exuberant, this boy seemed quiet and a little shy. "Are you hurt?"

She was too caught up in his vivid blue eyes that his question fell on her deaf ears. He really looks like Naruto-kun.

"Miss, do you hear me?" He asked again, this time louder and her face went red immediately. God, first Sasuke and now this boy? She really was becoming a fangirl, and she didn't even know who this boy was.

"S-Sorry, I just… You really look like one of my friends."

"Oh, what is his name?"

"Uzumaki Naruto." But it's not her who answered him. Startled, she turned and her mood which was just brightened a little by this boy turned sour immediately when she was met with a pair of red eyes. What was he activated his Sharingan for? This boy had no chakra, he was just a civilian. And he had that ugly grimace on his face as if she had done something very wrong like betray him or something.

"Who are you?" Sasuke asked as he walked toward them, his hand went to grab her wrist to pull her stand next to him.

"I'm Takao," He replied and one of his hands rose to scratch the back of his head in awkwardness. He looked even more like Naruto when he did that.

"And?" Sasuke promoted, seemed unsatisfied with his answer.

"I was collecting some herbs and flowers in the forest when I met your g-girlfriend." He said, referring to the basket in his hand.

"He is not my boyfriend." She denied immediately, which earned a deep frown from the man beside her. The boy did not notice it, but she had been trying to shake his hand off her wrist but it's all futile as his grip on her only got stronger.

"Oh, sorry…" He apologized. Though he was very curious about their relationship, he didn't dare to ask anything more. That man looked like he would slice his throat if he asked the wrong question, so he decided to steer the topic to a safer one. "I'm from a village nearby. I can lead the way if you wa…"

"No, thanks." Sasuke declined immediately. Actually, he didn't mind going to the village. In fact, the idea of sleeping on a comfortable bed instead of the hard cold ground was very tempting, he just didn't want to go to the village with him. That boy looked too much like Naruto and it's not even what irritated him the most, but how she was gazing at him. Did she also look at Naruto like that back in the village?

"B-But I need to go to the village." She protested.

"Give me a good reason why."

"I-I…" She hesitated, too shy to say it out loud. Mustering all of her courage, she tiptoed to whispered into his ear. "I n-need clothes."

His dark eyes fell on her full breast and how her shirt was stretched to its full limit. He was too irritated by the boy that he didn't notice that she had taken off her jacket and thrown it somewhere on the ground.

He couldn't help but gulp, which he had never done before. He knew they were big because he had had them pressed firmly against him almost every time they kissed, he just never saw them without the thick layer of her jacket. Now he understood why she always wore that baggy and ugly jacket. It's not just a jacket but also a shield and what hid underneath was so… No. He shook his head slightly. What he was thinking? This nonsense needed to stop. Damn Orochimaru and his potion. He swore he would strangle that old man to the death when he was done fixing him.

"Fine." He said and turned to the boy. "Lead the way." He also needed clothes anyway. He couldn't walk around in a blood-stained shirt.

"Follow me." The boy said and she quickly followed him. As Sasuke was the last one to follow, he noticed she had a round butt too.

His hand rose to partly cover the lower part of his face as he felt his face heated. His life was really fucked up.

When they're a few meters away from the gate of the village, Takao abruptly stopped. As her pale's eyes looked at him in question, he only smiled and processed to take off his coat. He threw it around her and fastened the buttons securely. "You can have this."

"T-Thank you." She said, blushing a little.

"You can thank me by telling me your name." He said and offered her his biggest grin. His white teeth showed and his blue eyes narrowed into slits. Even his smile looked like Naruto's.

"O-Oh, right. Sorry. I'm Hinata and he is Sasuke." She introduced.

The boy nodded his head and continued to lead them toward the village.

Sasuke watched their exchange with a grimace on his face. He felt like his Sharingan wanted to activate on its own and he had to take a deep breath to calm down. The only reason he hadn't killed this boy yet was the fact that he didn't have a jacket and didn't want her to enter the village without one on.

The village is small. There were not many people on the streets. After a few minutes of walking, they stopped at a small clothing shop. Fortunately, Hinata managed to find a jacket similar to her old one. Sasuke also found a grey shirt that looked quite good on him. In fact, everything looks good on him. She thought with a little envy. He could wear an ugly garment and still looked good.

After paying for their clothes, they left the shop. Just as Sasuke thought that now the boy could leave them alone, he just had to prove him wrong.

"Are you hungry? I know a really good place to eat."

"Yes, thank you."

"No, thanks."

"Actually, we've already arrived," Takao said with an awkward smile, not oblivious to the tense air around them. He noticed the girl took a deep breath as if trying to calm herself down and turned away from the man. But Sasuke is a different story. He looked like he wanted to murder someone and he was afraid that someone was no one but him.

It was a bakery shop and when she entered the shop, she had to put a hand over her mouth to muffle a gasp. It's beautiful. The shop had every pastry that she could ever think of. Donuts, cheesecakes, macarons, cupcakes, and… "Cinnamon rolls." She almost squealed in delight and ran to the glass case that displayed her favorite treat.

Takao took a cinnamon roll out of the case and handed it to her. "Try it."

She excitedly put in her mouth and almost cried because it's delicious. "It's so good."

"I made it."

"R-Really? So you…"

"I work here as an apprentice. The chef is my mentor."

"This cinnamon roll is so good. It's even better than mine." She gushed.

"I can share my recipe if you want."

"Really?"

"Of course. One tip is that you should use soft, room temperature butter in the dough because soft butter can easily incorporate into the dough."

"Noted that." She nodded her head. "But I notice that my dough takes too long to rise."

"It's because your milk isn't heated enough."

"The frosting…"

"STOP IT." The two startled at the angry voice of the man and turned to him with widened eyes. "You two stop it right now."

"S-Sasuke?" She was taken aback a little by his outburst, though she didn't know what he was angry at. Had she done something wrong?

She gasped a little as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her flush to him. "Take what you want we're leaving."

"B-But I…" She started to protest.

"NOW!"

She was speechless for a moment. She had always thought of him as someone who was very composed and almost nothing could make him lose his cold, but right now, she could tell that he was pissed. She knew a serious hint when she saw one and this one was not only serious but also very oblivious. She should do as he told her to if she didn't want him to murder someone, Takao for specifically.

"Sorry." She turned to the boy with an apologetic smile. "I'd like 8 cinnamon rolls, please."

Takao only nodded his head nervously and handed her a bag with 8 cinnamon rolls as she requested. She noticed his hands trembled a bit when he gave her the bag and couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Sasuke had definitely scared the daylight out of him.

As soon as she got the bag in her hand, Sasuke gave the boy one last glare and dragged her away.

He didn't believe in love at first sight, but hate at first sight was definitely possible and he was experiencing it right now. The moment he saw the boy he knew he would hate him. That boy had seen Hinata without her jacket and he just wanted to active his Sharingan to erase his memory of her… chest forever, or better, just kill him because the death couldn't tell. As if the fact that he looked too much like Naruto wasn't enough, he just had to be a really good baker.

They had just met each other and she acted like she had known him for years. Was it what they called mutual interests? He didn't care. She acted like he didn't exist. She was too busy to gush about her cinnamon rolls that she didn't even spare a glance at him. She had spent most of her life ignored him to pin after Naruto and it had never bothered him before, but it did now.

The door to the room they rented almost fell off its hinges as Sasuke slammed it shut. She gasped as she was thrown on the bed. She was about the get up on her elbows but was met with his face just a few inches from hers. Her breath hitched in her throat as she could see the anger in his red eyes. She felt like a prey facing its predator with no way to escape.

He inched closer to her until their lips almost touched. She thought he was going to kiss her, but he didn't. He only whispered in a husky voice.

"Kiss me."

She felt a shiver running down her spine. She didn't know he had that voice. Her face burst into flame, but she tried to stay calm. "No." She said firmly.

"What?" Her refusal surprised him a bit. She wasn't supposed to be able to refuse him when he used that voice. No women could. But after all, she was not like most women.

"You don't need to kiss me until tomorrow."

"You never refuse me before."

"You killed one person. This is your punishment."

A smirk appeared on his lips as he inched closer to her, their lips touching but not really kissing. "Have you ever been able to stop me when I want to kiss you?"

"Not this time." She put on a winning smile, took a cinnamon roll out from the bag, and put it in her mouth.

"What? Are you eating right now?" He asked in disbelief.

"I'm eating this cinnamon roll so that you can't kiss me." She knew he hated sweets and he wouldn't be able to stand the sweet taste in her mouth. So she had won for the first time… or not?

The winning smile on her face fell as the smirk reappeared on his lips. The girl squeaked in surprise as he dipped his head and started to kiss her neck.

"If your mouth is not available, I'll just kiss your neck." He said between kisses.

"W-wait! S-stop…"

He heard her, he just didn't care. She thought not letting him kiss her lips was a punishment? It's more like a reward right now.

Kissing her neck felt just as good as kissing her lips, though he didn't feel any chakra surge through him. He trails the kiss down her elegant neck, nuzzling with his nose and took in her lavender scent. As his lips felt her pulse, he opened his mouth to take all of that soft skin in and sucked gently. He could hear her gasp, but it might be a pleasant one. He bit her before licking the slightly purpled skin with his tongue. He decided that he liked that mark.

He felt her hands put on his shoulders to try to push him away, futilely though. When he sucked her, her hands would tremble and clutch tightly to his shoulders. When he bit her, one of her hand slid to his nape, slightly touching his hair and he felt himself pur in excitement.

She didn't struggle against him anymore. She clutched to him and blushed madly. Whenever she thought she was going to pass out, he pulled her back with a gentle bite and a playful lick. Her first kiss on the lips was him, and now even her first kiss on the neck was also him? What else of her first that was going to be his? She didn't dare to think of it.

She didn't know what to feel and felt too much at the same time. It's similar to when he kissed her on the lips, but not entirely the same. Because he was so uncaring and indifferent, she had thought that his kiss would be just like that, uncaring and indifferent, but he proved her wrong time and time. When he kissed her, she felt wanted and even beautiful, and it both excited and scared her.

He trailed his kiss to her collarbone, biting and sucking lightly before going lower and lower… Not now. He forced himself back to her neck, kissing her neck some more before starting to kiss her jaw.

Her hands moved on its own. One of them rose to tangle into his dark hair, feeling his soft strands. She didn't know boy hair could be that smooth, but after all, she didn't know much about him. He always surprised her one way for another.

A shiver ran down her spine as she felt he moved his lips near her ear. His warm breath tickled her and he whispered it that husky voice again. "I suggest you go rinse your mouth immediately."

"U-Um…" She tried to say. "You have to let me go first."

He pulled away from her, taking a full look at her neck and couldn't help but be proud of his work. Red spots scattered her porcelain skin and one or two bite marks were starting to show. He thought they looked good on her and when they faded, he would like to make them again.

The girl frantically sat up and used the hands to tentatively touch her neck. He could see her face went even redder and she quickly arranged her long hair around her neck to fully covered it. Sasuke wanted to pull her hair away to reveal those marks. He was proud of them after all. She could put her hair into a ponytail or a bun anyway. And that's exactly what he would do.

Hinata let out a little squeak and he suddenly took full hold of her hair, but then he was at lost for what to do. He didn't know how to do a ponytail or a bun so that he just sat there and hold her hair like an idiot. Finally, after a few seconds, he let out a sigh and only gathered her hair over one shoulder. That would do for now.

She was speechless and her face almost burst into flame. He wanted those marks to be shown!

"I don't know what's so good about these."

"Eh?" She asked, not really got what he was talking about.

"Cinnamon rolls." He elaborated.

"O-Oh… They're d-delicious."

"No, they are too sweets."

"My mother used to make them when I was young."

"Your mother?"

"She loved baking and cinnamon rolls were her favorite." She said and took one cinnamon roll out from the bag. She looked at the treat in her hand fondly. "These are good, but mother's were perfect."

"And I thought you're crazy about that boy's baking skills." He snorted.

"His cinnamon rolls lack something that only mother's had."

"Love."

She nodded her head in agreement. He was right. Her mother's love was what had made her cinnamon rolls so special.

Hinata's love for sweets wasn't the main reason why she loved baking. Her mother used to teach her how to bake and it connected her to her mother. Whenever she baked, she felt as if her mother had never gone, she was still here, in the kitchen, wearing her white apron and fingers coated in flour. She baked in memory of her mother.

His mother also put love in her origini. She also loved baking and Itachi used to say that her dango was perfect. Although he hated sweet, his mother's dango would be an exception.

He suddenly realized that she looked like his mother. They both had long hair, a round face, soft voice, and a gentle smile. They both moved with grace as expected from a lady of a royal clan. And they both calmed him in his sleep, chasing the nightmares away.

"I know you hate sweet, but..." She said, raising the cinnamon rolls toward him with a soft smile. "You should try once at least."

He looked at cinnamon rolls, contemplating for a moment. He would try it, but not directly.

He curled his fingers around her chin, tilting her head and captured her lips in a soft kiss. He could tell that she was taken aback but then relaxed after a few moments. He gently licked her lips, tasting the sweet flavors of the cinnamon rolls with his tongue. Sliding his tongue in her mouth, he found hers and lightly teased it with his. He gently bit on her bottom lip, earning a soft moan from her and it encouraged him. His hand tangled in her indigo hair, adjusting her head so that he could fully kiss her. He made sure not an inch of her lips was left without his kiss.

She let out a soft sigh as he finished the kiss with a lick. She watched as he pulled away from her, face blushing brightly. When she suggested him to try cinnamon rolls, this was not what she meant.

"I still don't like cinnamon rolls, but it's not as bad as I thought it was."

"I... I..." She began, but no word came out as all she could do was blushing madly.

"Guess you don't have to go rinse your mouth anymore." He shrugged casually as if he hadn't just tasted his first cinnamon roll from her mouth.

She grabbed the bag of cinnamon rolls on the bed and started eating. She didn't need to rinse her mouth, but she definitely needed to calm herself down by eating all 7 cinnamon rolls left.

Sasuke only gave her a smudge smirk.

She definitely was someone he would like to tease every day.