Siren's Call
Author's Note: Yeah, sorry about this one being so "late." I am having major writer's block for this one. So this story might be relatively short compared to my other ones, unless inspiration strikes. Opportunity is now finished. White Lace and Love Conquers All are still ongoing, both are Sasuke x Hinata stories for those interested.. If you guys have anything you'd like to see happen in this story, feel free to leave a suggestion in the reviews or in a private message. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. ^^. It's a smidge shorter than I would have liked. But I thought it was a good ending for the chapter.
Chapter Seven
Sasuke blinks when he enters the flower shop. It was so damn colorful. He was far from an expert when it came to flowers, but he guessed they probably had hundreds of different types. It was a little overwhelming really.
He was relieved to see he wasn't the only man who was overwhelmed. There had to be about half a dozen other men, who were wandering around helplessly. Well at least he was in good company, he thought to himself. It soothed his pride a little bit.
"I'll just stick to the classics." He mutters to himself and looks around for the roses.
He blinks. The roses came in the traditional red, white, and yellow. There was also pink, purple, and even orange. Who the Hell bought orange roses? That was just weird.
He snorts. It reminded him of the loser. No mater the color, the roses came in long stem, short stem, singles or in bouquets. He never would have thought shopping for flowers would be so fucking complicated!
"Well let's see." He says to himself as he ponders the many options and there were many.
Sasuke felt much more comfortable shopping for weapons than flowers, he decided. But this was for Hinata. So certain "sacrifices" could be made. Besides, he wouldn't wait to watch the Leaf Village freak out about it. They were so damn predictable. It would be so much fun to mess with them by doing something as simply as buying flowers. Who said blondes had all the fun? Sasuke was having a grand ole time imagining the looks on all their faces. This was going to be priceless.
"Can I help you with anything?" Ino asks, seeing a man by the rose section.
She hadn't seen him come in. But he had to be a ninja judging by those broad shoulders, the Jonin vest, and that sword on his left hip. Men were tended to be a bit lost in flower shops.
"A dozen red, long stemmed roses. No thorns." He tells Ino, without bothering to look back at her.
Sasuke figured that was a safe bet. There was really no mistaking the intentions behind red roses. Long stemmed was supposed to be more romantic. At least that's what he had overheard Karin babble one day. He definitely didn't want Hinata to get pricked by the flowers. So the thorns had to go.
"Oh sure! We remove the thorns from all our flowers by the way." Ino says happily and then she recognizes that voice.
She blinks. Sasuke Uchiha was buying roses! Looks like the Kissing Incident as she had dubbed it, wasn't just the result of him being intoxicated. That or maybe he was getting the roses to apologize for jumping Hinata like that? It was hard to tell.
"Good." Sasuke says, ignoring her shock.
"So who are these for?" She asks good naturedly and honestly she was dying of curiosity.
"That's none of your concern." Sasuke says as he hands her the money, rather proud of himself for his "badass" answer.
"Um right. Well I'm sure she'll enjoy them." ino says with a smile, feeling a little disappointed that he hadn't told her who he was buying them for.
Sasuke nods. He heads off with his purchase in his hands. He was getting a lot of funny looks. The man who had helped to defeat Madara, was walking in the street with FLOWERS. It was a strange and unexpected sight to say the least.
It was both comical and a little scary. Some people were clearly wondering if Sasuke had finally gone insane. This was so out of character for him. Sasuke + flowers = WTF?
"Sometimes it's a little too easy to mess with them. I should feel guilty." Sasuke mutters under his breath.
Meanwhile, Ino takes her lunch break. She goes to eat with Sakura. Wait until the pinkette heard about this!
"I'm telling you, Sasuke walked into the shop! He bought roses, red roses. A dozen of them. Long stemmed." She informs her friend.
"Really? That's…not like him." Sakura says frowning.
She'd known the boy since he was like five. They'd been assigned the same team at twelve. So Sakura figured she knew Sasuke.
Well she knew him as well as anyone did. He was a rather…aloof individual to say the least. Buying flowers was definitely not typical Sasuke behavior.
Sasuke opened up to NO ONE, except Naruto. And even then, their "discussions" usually involved their firsts as much as their words. He was a very difficult person to reach out to successfully.
"I know. I'm not sure if they are to apologize to Hinata or if they actually got together." The blonde admits.
"Sasuke doesn't really do apologies." Sakura concedes and notes that even the word apologies in the same sentence as Sasuke felt…alien.
"So do you think they are together now or he's going to ask her out?" The blue eyed woman questions.
"I'm not sure. I can't really see Sasuke dating either. It'd be so…unlike him. I always kinda figured if he actually liked someone, he'd just propose. He has a clan to restore. He'd want the children to have his name. So a wedding was kinda mandatory. But everything else, except the actual baby making…I would have thought he'd skip completely. I can't see him being the doting boyfriend who gets someone flowers." She muses.
"Yeah. I can't really see him as being romantic either. I mean I had a lot of fantasies as a little kid. But it's just not how he's wired. At least I didn't think it was. Red roses are very romantic." Ino continues.
"Do you think it would actually work? I mean assuming that she was interested." Sakura inquires.
"I don't know. They do say opposites attract. I don't think it gets much more opposite than Sasuke and Hinata. It'd definitely be a Yin and Yang kinda thing." The other woman responds.
"Yeah." Sakura agrees.
Meanwhile, Hinata heads to the training grounds. She really need to clear her head. Maybe training would help. After all, it seemed to work for other people, so why not her?
Her father knew about her relationship. If you could call it that. He might not approve, but he wasn't forbidding it. She bites her lower lip, what if he confronted Sasuke about it.
"That won't end well." She mumbles.
She could only imagine the two titans glaring at each other. Sasuke cared nothing for titles, as far as she could tell. Hiashi considered one's station to be well everything in life. If Sasuke failed to give him the "proper respect" that was owed to the Clan Head of the Hyugas, it would end in disaster.
"Father is strong, but he's not THAT strong." She says worried for Hiashis' safety.
Sasuke would easily be able to kill Hiashi. She tried to console herself that Sasuke wouldn't do that. He wasn't like that anymore. He was different now. Kinder, gentler. But for some reason, her mind wasn't listening to the Hyuga Heiress.
"You know talking to yourself, isn't a good sign." She hears a masculine voice call out.
Startled, Hinata turns around. She breathes a sigh of relief. It was Kiba. Still he'd probably want to know what was going on. The bluenette was well aware that Kiba was probably less than thrilled with the fact that Sasuke had kissed her, especially considering Sasuke had been drunk at the time.
"Pr-obably not." She agrees.
"So what's bothering you?" He asks and sits on a tree stump, looking at his beautiful teammate expectantly.
"It's a long story. You won't like it." She warns him.
"That's fine. Hinata, we are teammates. That means we stick together through thick and thin. So what's eating you?" The canine lover questions the shy woman.
"It's Sasuke. Well Sasuke and father really." She admits.
"Sasuke and Hiashi, they actually talk? Since when?" Kiba asks suddenly very curious.
"Well they don't usually. But father knows about my relationship with Sasuke. I'm not sure how they will take to each other." She confesses.
"Wait, your RELATIONSHIP? I thought he was just drunk. You two are TOGETHER?" Kiba asks.
"Yes. He was a little tipsy. But we've been…well affectionate when he wasn't under the influence of alcohol. It's real, Kiba." She assures him.
"Hinata, I really don't think you know what you are getting yourself into. He's a cold blooded killer. I don't care that he went on that journey of his. A leopard can't change its spots. You are playing with fire." He warns her.
"Are there anymore metaphors of my impending doom, you would like to get in there?" Hinata asks with a gentle smile.
"Yeah. I'd say we need at least a dozen more to truly cover what a bad idea this is. But I can't think of anymore right now. Hinata, are you sure about this? Really sure?" He beseeches her.
"I'm sure. Sasuke actually notices me. He cares about me. He was willing to die for me on that mission. He came back for me." The bluenette mumbles.
"He saved your life?! When did this happen? How? Wait, he came back for you? What are you talking about? Hinata, you aren't making any sense." Kiba informs her.
Hinata sighs. She proceeds to tell Kiba all about the mission. Well she left out the fact that the princess was a hussy and wanted a threesome. But that wasn't important. She tells him how Sasuke had saved her life and how he'd almost died. But he came back to her. He would have just let himself slid off into the next world, if it wasn't for her voice anchoring him. Hinata out of respect for Saskue's privacy, didn't tell Kiba that the last Uchiha had seen his family in the Netherworld.
"That's intense." Kiba says.
"Very. But now I'm worried about father and Sasuke." She admits.
"You think that Hiashi will be overprotective and Sasuke will…kill him or something?" The other ninja questions.
"Something like that. I don't want to believe it. But it's crossed my mind." She confesses.
"In that case, I'd say you should talk to loverboy before Hiashi does. It sounds like he might actually listen to you. I'm not going to lie, Hinata. I think this is a very bad idea. But you are a grown woman now. You can make your own decisions. But if he hurts you, I will find a way to kill him. Nobody messes with my teammate. I don't care how many freaky bloodline things they got going on. You understand?" He says, giving his little speech.
"I know. Thank you, Kiba. You are a good friend. It's nice to know there are people who care." She replies with a smile and then bounds off to find Sasuke. (Hopefully before Hiashi did.)
Eventually, she finds Sasuke. She blinks when she saw he was carrying flowers. That was weird.
"Sasuke!" She calls out.
"Hinata." He says and walks over to her.
"Do you mind if we go someplace more private? People are staring at us." She mumbles shyly.
"Works for me." He says and leads her back to his district.
"Um it's about my father. I don't think he approves of us, but he's not going to forbid our relationship. I just don't want the two of you to fight." She states hastily.
"I'm glad. Because the only people who can "forbid" our relationship are you and me. I won't fight him. But if he attacks first, I'm going to defend myself." Sasuke warns her.
"I understand. Can you do it in a way that won't hurt him…too badly?" She pleads.
"Yeah, I think I can manage to knock him on his ass without him needing to go to the ICU. I got these for you." Sasuke says and he hands her the flowers.
"Their beautiful." She replies and smiles.
"They suit you then. I have to admit, it was fun seeing the looks on their faces when I was carrying them around the village." He states with a smirk.
"Who knew you had such a mischief loving side?" She questions with a giggle.
"Eh they've had it coming for years. They are always whispering about something. You should have seen them after my clan was killed. Always whispering. I figured I'd give them something to talk about and you do deserve the flowers." He reasons.
"What for?" She asks as she inhales their sweet scent.
"Saving me. Like I said, if it wasn't for you…I probably wouldn't have come back." He answers.
"Oh." Hinata replies and she didn't know what to say to that.
"But I won't try to start anything with your father." He assures her.
"Good." She says and smiles.
"I probably should have asked you about how you felt regarding the rumor mill before pulling a stunt like that. Sorry. I hope it doesn't bother you." He tells her.
"It's okay. People are going to talk anyway." She reassures him.
"Good." He kisses her cheek.
"What's it like living here?" The bluenette suddenly asks.
"What do you mean?" He replies in confusion.
"I mean it's so big and empty. You are all alone. You have the entire district to yourself. Doesn't it bother you? Don't you get lonely?" She inquires.
"Oh. No. It doesn't bother me. I guess I'm too used to it." He answers.
"Are they still here?" She asks nervously.
"They?" He questions and raises an eyebrow, not sure who she was referring to.
"Your family. Their ghosts." She clarifies.
"Don't tell me you actually believe in ghosts." Sasuke scoffs.
"I do. We are able to bring people back from the dead, summon animals the size of two or three story buildings, control the elements, and do all sorts of other things that make no logical sense…so why are ghosts any harder to believe?" She counters.
"…I guess when you put it like that, it doesn't sound outside the realm of possibility. But no. They aren't here. If they are, I've never seen them." He continues.
"Oh well that's good to know. I mean I'm sure they were wonderful people. But I'm…" She trails off.
"Afraid of ghosts?" He finishes.
"A little." She admits.
"Don't worry. I'll protect you from Casper." Sasuke says with a smirk.
"Sasuke!" She huffs.
"I'm only teasing." He says and kisses her forehead.
"I know." She replies.
Sasuke smiles and puts one of the roses in her hair. White probably would have looked better against the blue. But his thoughts were far from pure when it came to Hinata. Red was the better choice in this case.
"Is your family expecting you home, anytime soon? He asks.
"No. Why?" She replies.
"You could stay and have dinner with me, if you want." He offers.
"I'd like that." She tells him.
"Good because I would definitely like it." He states.
Meanwhile, Naruto heads back to his office. He blinks when he sees the Council there. They had rather serious expressions on their faces. He didn't know what was going on, but he doubted it was good.
"What is it?" He asks cautiously.
"Sasuke Uchiha has been exhibiting behavior that is…unusual for him. He was seen buying flowers. We do not know for who. But we thought you might know. You are his best friend and former teammate." The head councilmember begins.
"Why do you care if he's buying flowers for someone? Aren't there more important things to worry about?" Naruto replies and rubs the back of his hair sheepishly.
"Because he is no longer a child. He is old enough to sire children of his own. If the Uchiha Clan is revived, it is a situation that should be closely monitored." The council leader replies.
"Well…it's really none of your business. He was accepted back into this village. He's more than made up for the sins of the past. He can do whatever he likes as long as it doesn't endanger the village." Naruto says warningly.
"Lord Hokage, surely you can see how him trying to woo someone could impact the village." Another councilmember speaks up.
"Not really. He deserves to be happy after everything. And somehow, I doubt the guy buying flowers is going to destroy the Leaf. Sheesh. Is that really what you guys are so concerned about?" The Hokage questions.
"Yes, we are concerned about it. You should be as well. You are blinded by friendship." A third states.
"That's it. Get out of my office. I don't want to do something I'll regret and if you keep talking like that, I will." The blonde growls.
"What if he has children? If they take after their father, they could destroy this village. You won't be around forever Lord Hokage. You are the only thing that keeps him from going on a rampage. He knows you will stop him." They all say in unison.
"THAT'S IT! GET OUT RIGHT NOW!" Naruto roars and the council wisely takes their leave.
He couldn't believe this garbage. Sasuke was finally acting normal. He was finally doing what they claimed they wanted and this was their reaction? The bastard had calmed down a lot.
He could tell that Sasuke felt guilty about well everything. He'd done all the missions he was assigned without compliant. Even the stupid cat retrieving missions. What more could they possibly want from him?
"I better warn him. They are probably going to try to do something stupid." He says with a sigh and heads the Uchiha District.
Sasuke meanwhile, was looking around to see what he could find to eat with Hinata. He wanted something quick. But there was no way in Hell he was going to serve something like ramen to her. He wasn't Naruto.
"Anything is fine." She tells him.
"You deserve the best. I guess I could probably warm up these steaks. Do you eat steak?" He asks.
"Yes." She answers.
That's when Naruto came barging in. Sasuke raises an eyebrow like, Yeah? Weird.
Naruto had never come to the District before. He definitely hadn't done it without permission before either. The blonde was just smart enough to know that such a stunt would likely result in Sasuke kicking his ass. (Or at least trying to. It was always a seesaw of a power struggle between the two.)
"Oh hey, bastard. Hinata?" Naruto asks and seems surprised to see Hinata there.
"Hello, Naruto." She greets him with a smile.
"Um right. Well I just got ambushed by the Council. Apparently you committed the sin of buying flowers and that's got them all worried." Naruto informs him.
"Yeah. I did. They were for Hinata. Good. I like scaring the fuck out of them every now and again. It keeps them on their toes. You staying for dinner? We are having steak?" Sasuke adds as an afterthought.
"Oh no thanks. I already had some ramen. But this is serious, bastard." The blonde warns him.
"I'm sure they have been watching me like a hawk since I got back. I don't care. I didn't do anything wrong. They can hardly arrest me for buying some roses." Sasuke replies with a shrug.
"It's more they are worried what will happen if you revive your clan." He says.
"Idiots. They had to know I was going to do it at some point. They've known that since I was seven. Thanks for the warning. But I'm not worried about it." The darker haired man assures him.
"So are you two…like official?" He asks Hinata.
"Yes." She says with a blush.
"Very official." Sasuke agrees.
"Wow. That's great." Naruto says, still trying to process this.
Sasuke nods and continues cooking. Naruto blinks. Oh yeah, this was very weird. Sasuke was cooking. Sasuke was buying flowers. He had just entered the twilight zone.
