The hotel door slammed harshly and Hinata was the only one of the group that didn't jump. She knew exactly whom it was and exactly why she would react that way. It seemed like everywhere Hinata went drama followed her, as well as stupid men to spout it. She looked up at Sasuke, who seemed not to care, and shook her head with disapproval. How could one person be so cold and inconsiderate? It wasn't like Karin's feelings were a secret or anything. If he wasn't fully aware of the situation then something had to be wrong with him.
"You need to talk to her.." Hinata spoke quietly with her head down. She wanted to say so much more, but she decided the less words the better. It was all she could do to keep from ripping his head off.
"Tch. I've got nothing for her. She'll be back later."
What a complete dick, and Sakura actually loved this guy?! Hinata felt physically sick to her stomach. "You owe her that much, at least."
"I don't owe her anything. It's not my fault she's completely nuts. I didn't give her any reason to think I'm the slightest bit romantically interested in her. How am I at fault? Tch."
"That may be so, but she has feelings and you hurt them with that tasteless joke."
"Joke? What joke?"
"Oh, whatever. Go ahead, act like you're better than everyone else. Pretend all you want, but you're not." He turned his back to her and walked toward his open bedroom door and stopped. "I don't see how anyone could fall in love with you. You're attitude is nasty and you keep everyone at arms length. I don't care if you are the last Uchiha, that doesn't make you any better than anyone in this room or Karin. She's a human and she has feelings and she deserves to be treated like a human at the very least." The anger was evident in her voice. Memories of her old self flooded her conscious and helped to put fuel behind her words. Deep down she empathized with Karin, as she was once completely crazy over one guy who didn't seem to even notice her very existence as well.
Sasuke peered at her over his shoulder, "So, we aren't going to wrestle it out?" Just when she thought he was going to respond with something insightful to his vainglorious attitude, he caused her to blow her top completely and storm out of the hotel slamming the door behind her. The nerve of that prick.
Suigetsu whistled as Sasuke closed the bedroom door behind him. He looked at Jugo and nodded, "Whoa, talk about that Uchiha charm. Real lady killer, am I right?" He wiggled his brows suggestively and Jugo took a step back, taken aback to say the very least. "Tch.. what is wrong with you? So weird.." He mumbled and walked to the kitchen.
Hinata found Karin sitting next to a random shrine outside of town. She was playing with a kunai and grumbling. "There you are.." Hinata stated calmly, "I've been looking for you."
"Oh yeah? What for?
"Wanted to check on you and see if you were okay after that stupid prank Sasuke pulled.."
"I don't think he was pranking.."
"God I hope you're wrong..." Hinata cleared her throat, "Anyway, I would turn something down like that anyway.."
"Wha..? Are you crazy?"
"I don't think so..am I? Is it crazy to not want to marry a guy with a nasty attitude like Sasuke..?" Karin cracked a smile and shook her head, "He's a great leader and protector."
"That may be so, but that's not everything in a marriage. I have to be in-"
"Yeah I know, you have to be in love with the guy." Karin jokingly mocked her. Hinata laughed, "Well what about you? What would you marry a man for?" Karin scratched her chin and thought for a moment, "Well.." She thought a little longer before answering. "Well it would have to be one heck of a guy for me to put up with him."
"Okay," Hinata nodded, "describe him to me."
"He would be... strong, kind of brave but not stupid brave, and funny with an odd way of humor because I wouldn't want him to be like anyone else. He would have to be a loud mouth to match me or I would overwhelm him 90% of the time, and he would logically be stubborn and hard to explain things to.." Hinata continued to listen as she described her version of the perfect man. "He would probably be a smart aleck who would always have to have the last word.. " The more Karin rambled the more clearly was the picture she painted for Hinata, and it wan't a picture of Sasuke..
"You think..all of that sounds like Sasuke?" Karin bit her lip gently and shook her head, "No, not in the slightest bit. Sasuke hardly ever speaks, he's secretive, sometimes rude, and insensitive. He's strong but ..too strong sometimes, and as much as I hate to say it... he's the stupid kind of brave." Hinata sat next to her and nodded. "I was infatuated with a boy who had no idea I even existed for most of my life. I think maybe that's why we connect so well."
"Probably so. Sasuke has told me tons of times that he has no interest in me. He only has me around because my abilities are convenient."
"You're more than just convenient. You're really reliable.. and you're actually somewhat nice, a little crazy, but that's sort of not your fault. Don't be too hard on yourself." Karin smiled and Hinata relaxed a bit. There was a long silence between them before she continued, "You said before, that you could see hope in Sasuke. I wanted to ask you what you meant by that..?" Karin seemed hesitant to answer, as if she had to think of a good answer.
"He's a good leader, granted sometimes he's a dick. Following Sasuke gave me a purpose, whether he realizes it or not he helped us. Us being Jugo, Suigetsu, and myself. I admire how strong headed he is..even after everything that has happened. I mean.. he really is the last Uchiha after he killed his own brother."
"Itachi?" Hinata mumbled as she recalled hearing the news of his passing from Naruto. Naruto seemed even more upset than before, he was afraid Sasuke was too far gone at that point. "Yeah, now we have a new goal though. Hey, you might want in on it too since you came from problems down that way." Karin smiled and turned toward Hinata.
"What's that?"
"Our new goal is to destroy the Leaf, completely." The color drained from Hinata's face as she recalled Sasuke warning her to stay out of his way. Was this why? Was he completely nuts? There was no way Naruto would let that happen..
Their walk back to the hotel was mostly quiet until Karin chimed up once again, "Ya know I've seen the way Jugo has been looking at you. Plus, he talks to you way more than he has Suigetsu and I since we started this group."
"He's a nice guy I guess."
"Dooo you like him ~ ?"
"I mean, I have nothing against him.."
"No..! I mean like him."
"Oh. No."
"Really? Why not?"
Hinata shrugged, "Do you like him?"
"Huh? No way!"
"How about Suigetsu?"
"Pfffft! As if."
They shared a few more moments of conversation before quietly entering the hotel room. All of the lights were out and it was dead silent. "Jeez, what a bunch of old men we're traveling with.." Karin whispered sarcastically and they giggled together before stumbling into the living room.
"It's so freaking dark.." Hinata whispered back to Karin and suddenly the lights were flipped on. Suigetsu and Jugo were seated on the couch, and Sasuke was standing behind it with his arms crossed. All of them were clad in their nightwear.
"Where have you two been?" Suigetsu stood and folded his arm impatiently as he tapped his foot against the hardwood floor. "Do you have any idea what time it is? We were about to go looking for you! Were you trying to worry us sick?"
"No one asked you to sit up and wait, idiot." Karin growled out.
"Well obviously we had to because we all know how incompetent of a shinobi you are, Karin!"
"Why don't you say that to my face, ugly?!"
"Who are you calling ugly, chew toy?!"
"Karin, Suigetsu, that's enough already." Sasuke warned, "You two are annoying me."
"Yeah, what Sasuke said, Karin, stop yelling at me so much!" Sasuke rolled his eyes for what seemed like the longest minute ever recorded, "Suigetsu." The white haired shinobi huffed and crossed his arms. Karin stuck her tongue out at him and turned to Jugo.
"Did you guys really stay up because you were worried?"
"Not..entirely." Jugo mumbled and Suigetsu interrupted once again, "We were promised a wrestling match annnnnd that's what we're gonna get." Hinata shook her head, "No wa-"
"Let me get her dressed for wrestling and we'll meet you back here in fifteen minutes."
"Huh?!" Hinata's cries of protest were muffled by Karin's hand as she shoved her into one of the bedrooms. She closed the door behind them and released Hinata. "Are you crazy?!"
"You can take him! Put him in his place!"
"And if I lose?!"
"Then I demand to be your maid of honor, now lets get you into something stretchy."
"Karin you can't be serious.."
"You already agreed to it. Are you not a woman of your word?"
"I hardly think something like that applies to this situation.."
"It does. You will go out there and you will defend our honor!"
Karin threw a workout bra and some yoga pants at her. "Put those on!" Carefully, Hinata molded herself into the yoga pants while Karin helped her with the forever tangled up workout bra.
"Karin, I don't think this bra was meant for women with boobs..."
"I have boobs..! Just not as much as you! Who needs them anyway? They get in the way.." Hinata couldn't argue with her there. She couldn't count how many times she had dodged a kunai with every single inch of her body except her boobs. She cringed just thinking about it.
The two stepped into the living room and Suigetsu was seated on the couch looking as excited as ever. "There is no way you're gonna win so you might as well start picking out baby names."
"Do you ever shut up, stinky?" He glared at Karin intensely until Sasuke stepped in front of him, interrupting his direct line of sight. "Are we doing this or what?"
"Unfortunately." Hinata replied as she cleared her throat.
Jugo began to count backward from ten and Hinata immediately started thinking of ways to get him on the ground. There was no way she could get back up if he managed to put her on the floor first. There was too much of a weight difference, if he downed her that would be it.
"9, 8, 7, "
Perhaps she could flip him? Trip him? She was very doubtful anything would work at this point and suddenly she began to remember all the terrifying things that the Uchiha clan were capable of do to their opponents. Things that didn't seem so important to her before were helping to rail her now.
"5, 4, 3"
Now really wasn't the time to panic, yet here she was on the verge of a mental breakdown. She had no idea what to expect or how to counter it. Her last minute strategy was to maintain patients and composure while she waited for an opening to take him to the floor.
"3, 2, 1, and GO!"
They both stared at one another, patiently waiting for the other to make the first move. It seemed like they had acquired the same strategy. "Oh come on!" Suigetsu yelled from the couch and Karin brained him with a closed fist, "Shut up she's concentrating! Get him Hinata!"
Her first mistake was looking away from her opponent, even for just a second. Barely long enough to glance at Karin over on the couch. She felt a gust of wind against her abdomen as Sasuke grabbed her waist with one hand while his other grabbed her calf muscle. Hinata nearly choked on a pocket of air as she gasped. He was really, really fast. She wrapped her loose leg around his neck and grabbed his ears tightly. It took some work, but she managed to free her other leg from his grasp and wrap it around his neck as well. If she could just choke him to the floor..
"Holy crap, she's flexible..!" Suigetsu screeched from the couch. Before she could tighten her legs around his neck, Sasuke managed to weasel an arm around her thigh while pulling on her elbow, effectively flipping her to the floor. She pulled away from him and rolled to the side in a last ditch effort to stay in the match. He grabbed at her ankle and missed so she decided to hand him her other ankle as well as a swift kick to the chest that sent him flying back into the wall. "Oh damn..." Suigetsu gasped and was practically jumping on the couch cushions, "Sasuke, come on man! What even are you doing?!"
Without hesitation he threw himself back at her and grabbed at her feet once more. Hinata instinctively started to kick, landing at least three consecutive blows to his forehead. He nearly flipped backward as she jumped to her feet. "Sasuke, dude, leave her feet alone..!" Suigetsu screamed and Jugo's eyes widened.
"Tch." He rubbed his forehead and it was Hinata's turn to try and throttle him. She descended on him from her standing position and locked her arm around his neck. While in a tight headlock he had no other choice than to push his weight into her and slam her against the closest wall. She lost some of her grip upon impact and that allowed him to slip out and slip a smooth arm bar on her. That was it. She was done.
Hinata kicked and struggled, but the more she moved the more pressure was placed on her arm joints. There was no way out of it. "Teme!"
"I was honestly worried there for a minute, Sasuke. You were having it handed to you repeatedly." Suigetsu added as Jugo called an end to the match.
"Winner is Sasuke."
"Let me up." Hinata groaned. Sasuke, without hesitation, released her and stood. He looked a little winded as he didn't expect her to put up that much of a fight.
"You okay, Hinata?" Jugo asked.
"Just leave me here to die. Someone, please." Hinata covered her eyes with her small forearm.
"Tch. Get up." Sasuke grabbed her arm and yanked her to her feet with great ease. "You lost, take it like a real loser."
"You mean the same way you took my heel to the face?" Suigetsu breathed in through clenched teeth, "Ouch, that was a burn." Sasuke only smirked, satisfied with what he had accomplished and not worried about her petty insults.
Hinata glared at him and attempted to stretch her, now sore, arm. This was all just one big mess for her. She was running away from her old problems and gaining new ones. Maybe she should've just stayed home and married Neji.