(A/N: I hope you like the chapter. Please no flames, I'm not a marshmallow. XD Anywayz…I don't own Naruto because if I did, Hinata would be much more powerful and it would not be called Naruto because Hinata would be the star, and I'd be rich!...On with the story…)
Chapter 2: The Snakes' Life.
After several long moments within walls of the overgrown Uchiha District, the two remaining ninja in the party came to the building that Sasuke had once called home. Entering, he immediately walked through the entryway, where a set of stairs led to the second story, and a doorframe without a door led to a hallway. He took the route to the hall, not even glancing at the two doors on the left as he went straight to the first of the two doors on the right. He opened it, stepping into what was once the family room.
Carefully, he placed his larger weapons on the coffee table in the center of the room, knowing that he would be required to remove them anyway, and preferring to do so without her feeling the necessity to give an order.
He was incredibly surprised by the lack of dust, but did not allow the surprise to show on his face or through his actions.
Shortly after stripping himself of his weapons, the youngest Uchiha shifted his weight to move back outside. He stopped when his ANBU guard moved to stand directly in front of him. She was a mere arm length away from him, yet she seemed untouchable, like an immovable boulder. "I'm going to look around the village," Sasuke stated, hating that he had to account his intentions to the woman for every motion he made.
It was as though he was a prisoner in his own home. Which I am, he unwillingly admitted to himself.
"Iie, you are not. Tomorrow, if Hokage-sama grants that you may stay, you will be allowed to wander. Should he deny it, you will leave without further delay." Her straightforward reminder of his lack of freedom drew a not-so-pleased scowl from her charge.
"Hn."
They heard the whoosh of the front door opening, though the door itself made no noise. "Snake-senpai, I've returned," Sasuke heard the apprentice state without a single hesitation.
"Welcome back, Snake-chan," his ANBU guard responded, immediately returning to her non-confrontational apathy, backing down from her emotionless argument with the avenger. "Do you bring word from Hokage-sama?"
"Iie, nothing new. He merely said that I had done well, and to tell you not to be too harsh on him," the younger Snake relayed, glancing at Sasuke as she finished.
The elder woman nodded, then spoke. "You may return home. I will stay to guard him tonight."
He intensely watched her dark cerulean hair bob as the apprentice answered, "Hai," and bowed. "Farewell, Snake-senpai, Uchiha," she said with a clan's practiced tone, before she left the room and they heard the door shut behind her once more.
His breath suddenly left him as he found himself on the ground. He hadn't felt her move, but the killing intent was palpable, despite the fact that there had been none mere seconds before. "Do not even think of touching her, or attempting to leave my sight until you are given permission to do so, or kicked out of the village permanently," Snake spoke, and for the first time, Sasuke heard the wintery chill of her frozen fury within her voice. "And should you be forbidden from staying, I will personally murder you if I ever see you near her again."
He met her eyes defiantly for a moment, wanting to tell her that he would like to see her try, but he saw through her posture that she was dead serious. He wondered, not for the first time, about her capabilities and identity. How could she feel so confident that she would kill him before he killed her, especially knowing who he was and under whom he'd trained? He frowned, but allowed her to think that she had won. "I hope you know what you're doing by making that promise," he intoned, pulling himself gracefully to his feet.
She nodded gravely. "I do." She met his glare with one of her own, and allowed the silence to reign.
The two powerful ninja could have been rivals for the quietest people on the earth. It came as no surprise to either of them that there was no further conversation until later that night, when it came to deciding where the both of them would sleep.
"Take whatever room you want, as long as it's not mine," he said, feeling generous as he walked up the stairs and opened the door to the room he had occupied before he had defected. He stood in the doorway, waiting, as Snake followed, stopping directly in front of him.
"I will be sleeping on the floor of your room so as to be sure that you do not try to escape." He opened his mouth, intending to outright deny her entrance to his room. Then, thinking of the possible implications on his position in the village of disallowing her, thought better of starting an argument. "I will be there whether you like it or not, and whether I like it or not. It's part of my mission." Snake managed to sound both firm and slightly embarrassed without any emotional inflection.
Sasuke scowled but did not continue to search for protests. He was about to wave her into the room when he realized he had to change. Instead, he entered first and tried to shut the door with a bang.
She caught the door before it could meet the latch. "I will turn away, but you will not shut the door in my face." She stepped almost reluctantly into the room, turning her back on him as he changed into his sleeping garments.
"Your house has been kept clean by several of the new gennin teams around here. Hokage-sama has consistently put up the mission to keep your home clean in the hopes that you would someday return. Your being here means more to him than you know," her offered information told Sasuke why there was no dust, but it also brought on the guilt that he had thought might follow his return, despite the fact that he had thought himself past it.
She ghosted to the corner of his room nearest to the window without a hint of hesitation and stood, bending slightly and propping her hand on her katana.
She was aware of the exact moment that he realized that she had no sleeping clothes to change into. "You are not changing." His observation was empty, stated with a blank face.
"Iie," the sylphlike woman replied simply. She took slight pity on the man by allowing the conversation to continue. "There is no need."
"Is that how you're going to sleep?" He did not simply want answers, but explainations that no one had deigned to give him since he'd killed Orochimaru.
"Yes," she said, moving to a sitting position, with legs stretched in front of her and her upper body leaning on the wall. "Always, when on a mission, I sleep so that I may be disturbed at the slightest movement."
No words left the stoic Uchiha's mouth, yet he still relayed his confusion to the ANBU before him.
She leaned her head against the wall, effectively telling him she was ready for the conversation to end without further explanation, and closed her eyes.
"But you surely have a bed at your home in which you could sleep." Sasuke said, passivly wanting to continue the discussion, just to spite her because she wasn't answering his questions.
"I sit like this against the wall of my room on my bed." She clarified without reopening her eyes or lifting his head. "If I'm needed for an urgent mission in the middle of the night, I find that I can wake up more alertly by sitting like this."
Sasuke was about to climb into bed when she continued, something he didn't think the silent nin would do. "It takes days to get used to sleeping like this. I don't recommend you try it, in case the council does not let you stay."
"Hn." Sasuke lay down and closed his eyes, furious that she thought him foolish enough to try to copy her. Soon he was asleep, but his many years of training kept him from a deep, relaxed rest. Snake sat up warily for a short time, but eventually she, too, fell into a light slumber.
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When Sasuke woke the next morning, he stood and stealthily slipped over to the door of his room, thinking his ANBU guard was still asleep. As he reached for the sliding door, she spoke. "Where do you think you're going?"
"Breakfast," He said, hating the fact that he had to answer to her.
"Without waking your guard?" He could almost imagine her voice sounding hurt if she had put some emotion into it.
"You weren't asleep."
"You didn't know that until I spoke. I saw the surprise in your eyes, Uchiha. You should not underestimate my abilities. One of these days, you'd best learn with whom you're dealing."
"Who are you, the head ANBU or something?" He smirked, knowing that he already knew her answer. There was no way someone as like her could be such a high ranking ninja, especially not a woman of her simplicity.
"Hai, I am." Her tone was dead serious as she stood and walked toward him.
"You're kidding?" The smirk slid off his face as he scoffed. The woman had the gall to claim herself as the captain of all the ANBU level ninja. Sasuke couldn't wait to tell the dobe about how reckless his ANBU were becoming.
"Iie, I don't kid. Surely you should have at least observed that much about me, seeing as you trained with Orochimaru. I figured you would read emotions better than I do." That statement would have been mocking if she had put some emotion into her voice, but as usual, there was no inflection. "It will be time to meet Hokage-sama in two hours. You have an hour and a half to eat and prepare for the day. We will not be late."
"I'm going to get breakfast." Sasuke turned his back on the nin and headed down the stairs to the front door. Snake followed.
"You cannot leave here without permission, Uchiha."
"I have nothing to eat here," he spat, furious with her consistencies.
Sasuke simply growled, thinking once more that he'd better not start a fight if he wanted to stay in Konoha. "What do you want me to eat, then?" He almost regretted returning, but he hoped eventually it would be worth all the trouble and humiliation.
"You're going to my home as soon as you've finished getting ready because otherwise, you would be exploring the village. You may not find the locations of anything that may be of service in an invasion until it has been approved that you may stay here."
Sasuke growled again. Snake knew she was making him mad, but didn't care at all. She could take care of herself in a fight and she would certainly report him to the Hokage if he started one. "And where might you live, Snake-sama?" Sasuke said through clenched teeth.
"Two houses down from the last house of the complex. That's why you were allowed to stay here."
"I'm prepared now; let's go." He said, nearly shoving Snake out of the way as he headed toward the main hall and the door. He walked outside into the streets. They passed several houses before leaving the complex, but Sasuke forgot to count the number and nearly overshot her home.
"I believe you would like to turn left if you want breakfast." She spoke as he nearly walked past a path leading to a house just off the road, her voice the only sign that she had followed him.
"Hn." Sasuke turned left and walked down the pathway leading off the road. He looked at her house. Outside it was nothing special. It was a normal house: grey painted wood, no decorations at all outside, not even any flowers. Snake walked up to the door, put the key in the lock, and slid it open for Sasuke.
"Sit in the den and I will go find something for you to eat." Sasuke grudgingly did as he was told and entered the room where she directed him. He looked around.
The inside was nothing special, either. There were very few personal touches, the walls were colored a plain off-white, and the furniture a deep black. There was only one couch, a small table, a lamp, some shelves full of books, and a single picture. The picture was the only thing that proved that the house belonged to a specific person.
It was a picture of a girl with long, midnight coloured hair and kind, white eyes. He picked it up to study it more closely. Sasuke felt as though he had seen the girl somewhere before.
He almost dropped it when Snake walked back into the room. "Who is this?" He asked her. Despite his dislike of the woman and conversation, he was curious.
She glanced at the picture, then swiped it out of his hands and laid it picture side down on the shelves. "That is none of your business." Curiosity killed the cat…
"Is it you?"
"Iie. If you must know, that's Hyuuga Hinata." …But satisfaction brought it back.
"How did you know her?"
"She was a friend." Snake hissed. He had finally managed to cause her to put some emotion in her voice: anger.
"'Was'? What happened to her?" After all, Sasuke reasoned, she was part of the rookie nine.
"She disappeared on a solo mission searching for the Akatsuki. Her body was never recovered."
"Oh. She was that weakling heiress; why was she sent on a mission to look for the Akatsuki?"
"All heirs must complete an S-ranked mission before they may accept the title of Clan leader. It is the way her clan works. Even you should know that."
"How do you know so much about her situation?" His incredulous tone gave away what his facial expression did not: he thought she was lying.
"I was her confident."
"So why are you telling me this?"
"She is dead."
"You said that already. Is that why Snake-chan was so sad? She said the Hyuuga was her mother. Do you know who her father was?"
"Iie."
"What did you bring for me to eat?" He asked after a few minutes of complete silence, feeling awkward.
"Nothing yet. I came in here to ask you what you wanted to eat."
"Oh. It doesn't matter."
Snake nodded and walked back into the kitchen. Sasuke turned back to the picture and picked it up to study it further.
Several minutes after Snake left the room, her apprentice was walking down the hall, having just woken up from a restful sleep. She was on her way to the kitchen for breakfast when she sensed an unfamiliar presence in the den.
She didn't recognize it at first, but soon realized that it was the Uchiha's. Swiftly and silently, she slipped into the den to see him holding the picture of her mother with a thoughtful look on his face.
Her eyes narrowed as she approached him. Carefully, quietly, she drew a kunai and pressed it to his neck before he could react to the shik sound of the metal being drawn. "What do you think you're doing here?" She demanded of him. She gained no reaction other than a slight narrowing of his eyes to her question. "I won't repeat myself, Uchiha. Answer my question or I'll be sure to tell Snake-senpai that you are untrustworthy and have you banished permanently from the village."
"I came here to get breakfast with her, dobe. How can I be disobeying my orders?" Sasuke retorted, forcing the words through gritted teeth before he smirked.
"This is the house we share. If you're here with Snake-senpai, then where is she?"
"The kitchen."
There was a tense silence for a moment before Snake walked into the room. She smiled, though she knew neither of them could see it. "Very good, Snake-chan. Let the Uchiha go, now." She ordered softly, her voice holding only a slight bit of the pride she felt for the young apprentice.
"Hai, Snake-senpai." The blue haired girl said as she dropped the kunai from Sasuke's neck and appeared at the woman's side. She glanced back at the man as his mouth moved to form words.
"You two live together." It wasn't a question.
"Hai." Snake answered anyway. "Steamed rice, miso soup, and natto for breakfast, Uchiha." Upon giving him this statement, she turned and walked into the kitchen once more.
Snake's apprentice was silent, but a small smile stretched across her face. "She praised me. She never praises me. I must have done well." Her voice was an octave higher than her normal tone because of her pride.
"If Snake-sama lets you live with her, you must be close."
"Iie, not really. I don't really know that much about her. I think of her as a mother, though she is my foster mother, but I don't know whether she thinks of me as her daughter or not."
"Foster mother?"
"Hai. She adopted me when Okaa-sama disappeared. She says I can stay here with her 'til I want to move out. She does lots for me, but I don't know whether or not she thinks of me as family." It was hard to remember that the child standing before him was only twelve. She seemed so mature, but every once and a while, her language reflected her true age.
"She is really strict, though you probably know that. She shows her emotions around me more than around others, so I know her better than everyone else. Well, everyone except Okaa-sama and Naruto-kun.
"When Naruto-kun said I could become an ANBU apprentice, he assigned Snake-senpai to be my shishou. I was excited because she's one of the most powerful ninja in the village. Naruto-kun says she's almost as powerful as him.
"But Snake-senpai trains me really well. Many days she and I go train for hours on end and even though I'm always exhausted afterwards we walk once around the village. On the easier days she shows me a new place or shortcut so that I will be able to traverse the village quicker in case of an emergency. As I said before, she never praises me unless I do something exceptionally well. Are you that tough of an opponent?"
"I trained with Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, for sixteen years.
"Is this really what your mother looked like?" He asked, gesturing over his shoulder to the picture on the shelf as he abruptly changed the subject.
"Hai. That's the last picture she had taken.
"She never told me who my father was. She would only say 'I'll tell you when you're older.' She didn't even tell me when she left, knowing full well that she was more than likely never coming back. I tried to convince her not to go, but she said no matter what, she would go because she had to do it for her clan. Even though they abandoned her, she had to do it for them." The apprentice's lips pressed together until they nearly turned the color of her skin. He could tell she was angry. He listened as she continued.
"Iie. Okaa-sama's name wasn't Hyuuga Hinata when she left to go on that mission. She was just Hinata." The young girl said, the fight falling out of her in a moment's time.
"So the Hyuuga sent her on an S-ranked mission so she could become Clan leader without even accepting her back into the clan?"
"Hai. She had to prove her worth before she could be a Hyuuga again. I don't even know why she wanted to be one in the first place. She had the chance to leave them forever because they abandoned her, but no! She wanted to go on that mission to help them!" Snake's apprentice was shouting, tears running unchecked down her face. At least, from what Sasuke saw, the lower half of her face.
"I have a feeling that something else happened, though. Whenever I ask Snake-sama what really happened to Okaa-sama, her head tilts in a way that I've come to know means she feels guilty, and she says 'She died on the mission, you know that.' It's the same thing with Naruto-kun. I want to know what really happened to Okaa-sama!"
Snake glided quickly into the room with Sasuke's breakfast and laid it gracefully on the table before rushing to be by her charge's side. "Snake-chan, are you alright?" She asked, for once her voice was laced with concern. That was the first time Sasuke had heard any type of strong emotion in it. "What is wrong, Hanii?"
"What did you say, Snake-senpai?"
"I asked what was wrong, Hanii."
The apprenticed Snake ANBU was surprised to say the least, but she still answered. "I know this is going to sound pitiful of an ANBU apprentice, but I miss my Okaa-sama," she said, quietly sniffling, but still allowing the saline liquid to flow unaltered down her face.
"That is not pathetic in any way. You know, when I was seven, my mother died. I was not allowed to cry over her death, though. My family saw it as the worst type of weakness. But I found that crying made me feel better. I used to run away from home for short periods of time to cry. My family never even realized I was gone."
"You cried?" Her apprentice looked awed by the fact that her emotionless foster-mother had cried, even once, in her entire life.
"Of course. Everyone does at some point in time. It's okay to miss your Okaa-sama. I still miss mine and I'm sure Uchiha still misses his." She looked to the man in question during the last part of her sentence, wanting to gauge his reaction.
"Did you ever know your father?" Her pupil asked curiously. Any insight into what made her surrogate mother who she was made it a fascinating subject for the smaller girl.
The woman's voice harshened. "Hai. And I wish I didn't. Though, Uchiha knew both of his parents and his I'm sure he loved them incredibly."
Sasuke, though he did not voice it, was stunned. How could anyone wish they didn't know their father? It was a thought that had never occurred to him, even though he hadn't liked some of the things his father had said and done, he'd never wished he didn't know him.
"My father was uncaring. Abusive. He couldn't care less whether I lived through my first mission as ANBU leader or not. I was abandoned, just like Hinata-chan."
Though he understood her reasoning, he was still unable to imagine wishing he had never known his father.
"You have only half an hour to eat. I suggest you eat now." Snake interrupted his thoughts as she took off the apprentice's mask and wiped the tears from her adopted daughter's face. Sasuke noticed that the apprentice's eyes were a deep crimson color, but she had no pupils.
Snake continued to talk, leading her adoptive daughter to the hall at the foot of the staircase. "It is okay to cry in our house. Try not to do it in public, though, if you can help it. But either way, don't worry about it, okay?" Snake smiled, though no one could see. The apprentice knew her shishou well enough to know her expression by her now-seemingly-hollow voice.
"Hai, Snake-senpai. Arigatou gozaimasu. For comforting me, I mean."
"Of course. From now on, though, try not to share so much information with him. There are many ways traitors can use information that we deem useless against us. Now, put on your mask and you can come with Uchiha and me to see Hokage-sama."
"Yay! It's been so long since I've seen Naruto-kun without being rushed! May I really go with you?" She instantly brightened at the prospect of seeing her real mother's close friend once more, even though she had been properly chastised in the same breath.
"Hai."
"I'll go grab my other mask and meet you at the door. Arigatou gozaimasu!" Snake's apprentice turned and ran up the stairs.
Snake walked back into the den where she saw Sasuke was nearly finished eating. "When you've finished, give me your bowls and I'll put them in the sink so we can be on our way," she said, her voice returning to its normal, emotionless tone.
"Where'd your apprentice go?" He questioned off-handedly as he handed her his dishes.
"She's getting ready to help me escort you to Hokage-sama. She will meet us at the door." Snake placed the empty bowls in the kitchen sink, keeping an eye on Sasuke's chakra signature to make sure he stayed where she left him. She turned and led the Uchiha through the main hall and out the door, where they found the apprenticed Snake ANBU waiting for them.
The three of them walked out into the road and turned toward the Hokage Tower. "I can't believe it's been almost a month since I've talked with Naruto-kun for more than five minutes!" The apprentice exclaimed.
"Remember not to call him that to his face, Snake-chan. I don't know how he feels about that name coming from you."
"Well, I'm her daughter, right? It should be okay." She responded looking into her shishou's mask.
Sasuke looked on with an emotionless expression, confusion hidden in his eyes.
Acurately reading his silence, Snake began an explaination. "Hokage-sama decreed that only Hinata-chan could call him 'Naruto-kun' after he became Hokage."
"Demo, I'm her daughter so it shouldn't matter if I call him that, should it?" Her apprentice broke into Snake's explanation, coming close to begging her permission.
Snake silently shook her head. There was no way she would admit to the child that it was likely that it would be okay with him, but she didn't want to get her apprentice's hopes up in case he did say no. Either way, she was not going to stand in the way of his decision.
"I'm her daughter." The child ANBU apprentice was nearly whining this time as she pleaded with the older woman.
"Then I guess you will have to ask him if it is alright for you, his subordinate, to call the Hokage by his first name, added with the suffix –kun."
"Aa. I will." Her tone was stubborn and no longer held even a hint of a whine. They fell silent as they arrived at the tower. Snake looked at her apprentice, nodded her head, and disappeared.
Sasuke looked to the smaller girl inquisitively.
"She's going to the meeting. She has to report whatever you did last night to Naruto-kun and the Council. Then, together, they will determine whether or not you can stay. We have to wait outside in the hall on the benches."
His silence told her he didn't hear a word, though she knew he would never admit such a thing, and he was confused.
"She said so just now. Right before she left."
"Hn." Sasuke shrugged characteristically and followed the apprentice Snake ANBU up the steps to wait outside the Hokage's office.
(A/N: There's another chapter up! I'll try to update at least once a week. Thank you to all who have read and please, continue to follow. I'll try not to disappoint you! I know people are reading, so leave a review when you're done, onegai?