Unforgivable

Chapter 4: Dreams of Prophecy

Sasuke woke up in his bed, covered with sweat and red in the face. He didn't have one of those dreams again, although he wished that he had. No, instead he had a dream about her, or rather, to bluntly put it, a very wet dream. He had never experienced one before, perhaps because he had never paid any attention to the female population of Konoha before. The only one that got closer to him than the rest was Haruno, and she was…well, unappealing. He crawled off his bed and stumbled to the closed window. He pulled the curtain open and pushed the glass open impatiently. A wave of icy air hit his face, it was refreshing, but after a while, he pulled his head back inside.

It just wouldn't dissipate, the memory of her body, all those wonderful sounds that she was making…he banged his head on the wall, trying to chase those images out of his mind. He was Uchiha Sasuke, damn it all! He had a name to protect, as well as a reputation! I'll ask Itachi when it's dawn, he finally decided, although the prospect of going to his brother for help was never even thought of, this was something that he admitted, he had no experience in.

Then he climbed back in his silk-covered bed and promptly threw off the covers. He would have to remember to throw them out before the maid came in; or else he'll have some harsh and embarrassingexplaining to do. I am not in love, he decided. It's just hormones, just freakin' hormones.

Just. Freakin'. Hormones.

Right?

Reddish cliffs and ridges towered high overhead, blocking out the dry, desert sky until only a piece of it was left. The air was heavy and dry, rasping down her throat, and bringing speckles of sand into her eyes. A stream ran nearby, and some desert plants grew on the moist soil around it.

Hinata looked around in wonder, what beauty and majesty these cliffs beheld! That piece of sky, so blue, so precious that it could make even the most famed poet weep in admiration. And the stream, the bottom could be seen so perfectly, each round pebble and sediment buried underneath for ages. A blinding flash came from the water, leaving Hinata's eyes fire-blind.

She stumbled to the river, sitting by the water, wondering what it would feel like against her skin. As she cupped her hands into the flowing water, a silver mirror caught her eyes. As soon as her eyes laid upon it, her hands were edging near it without her knowing.

The next thing she knew, she was holding the most elegant, priceless, beautiful mirror ever made. But when she looked at it, it didn't show her reflection, but a man's. Someone she knew, but so foreign. Chills went down her back.

Suddenly, this place didn't seem safe anymore.

The cliffs only served to trap her in and the sky looked dry and dusty with heat. And the silence. There were no sounds at all; she strained her ears, but still, utter nothingness. She stared at the silver mirror again and yelped. It was chipping and crumpling in her hands! Silver letters started to appear on the surface.

At last, the time has come

For the prophecy of One to be fulfilled

To reverse time and space forever,

Space and time must be created anew…

Now hearken to the first verse

Of the end

'First, she will be devastated,

By one most near to her'

What in the end will happen,

Be it glorious renewal or the gates of Hades

No one will know,

Until the end of the beginning…

Then the mirror crumpled completely, the pieces falling out of her hands and into the stream. When Hinata looked at the stream again, she screamed.

The water was blood red.

Hinata woke up screaming. She looked at her hands quickly, not wanting to see any red shreds sticking to it. Her hands were shaking and covered with cold sweat, but it was just her normal, pale skin. Of course, she thought to herself, it was just a dream, a nightmare, but nevertheless, still just a dream. Hinata had lots of nightmares before; when her mother died in front of her, Hinata never slept for weeks. She always woke up screaming that there were horrible ninja coming after her, threatening to tear her apart just like her mother.

But now Hinata's fear was returning, slowly but surely…

It was another new day, the sun was shining and the birds were chirping sweetly for the beginning of summer. The sky was free of clouds, spare the few wispy ones hanging around the edges of Konoha. A gentle summer breeze drifted lazily throughout the scattered windchimes and open spaces of the prosperous village. Children were playing a humorous game of 'Ninja' and shopkeepers were selling their wares. The marketplace was filled moderately with ninja and commoners alike. The fireworks festival was soon in coming and early birds were already stocking up for the humongous celebration.

This was also the day that a certain Hyuuga Hinata was walking out with a shadow trailing her. She finally convinced her strict father to let her outdoors for a day of shopping. That was her original intention, but as soon as her feet reached beyond the gates; any previous thought of shopping flew out of her head.

The sky was sapphire blue with nary a cloud floating and the air seemed more fresh already. She decided to take a detour to the park; somewhere she hadn't been to for ages.

Swinging softly on the swing, she watched as mothers hefted babies on their hips and fathers threw their children in the air. A soft smile came over her lips when she a saw a little boy pick up a flower and hand it over to a gray-eyed girl.

Somehow, it seemed so…familiar…

A tiny girl walked around the perimeter of the playground, quietly surveying the laughing children and proud parents. She looked around nervously, as if wondering why she was there at all. Her father would be furious if he found out that she sneaked out for the third time in a week.

Silently, she sat down on a short wooden bench, absentmindedly twirling a blade of grass between her small fingers. Suddenly, she felt someone standing right in front of her. Surprised, she looked up in the eyes of a stony seven-year old.

"You're sitting in my seat," he informed her coldly. She blinked rapidly, shocked at his sudden accusation. Just as she got up, he commanded, "You actually listened? Boy, you're wimpy."

"I-I'm..sorry…", the purple-haired girl whimpered. She could almost see his eyes rolling and the inner, silent laugh resounding within his mind. When he turned around and walked away, she sat down again with a sigh. Maybe her father was right to keep her inside all the time, then at least the surroundings were more familiar and she was more comfortable. But enticement of sneaking out was too much for even an obedient girl like her.

A violet flower was suddenly thrust right before her widened eyes. She quickly wiped her tears away and gingerly picked the flower from his outstretched hand.

"A-ano…arigatou…um," she paused, realizing that she didn't know his name.

"Uchiha Sasuke," he offered.

A tiny smile appeared on her lips, "Arigatou... Sasuke."

His serious black eyes didn't even change when a slight blush came over his cheeks. He looked away and kicked at the little pile of dirt by his feet.

"So, why are you out here…", he stared at her for a second, "Hyuuga-san?"

For a moment, she was surprised that he knew her family but then remembered the Hyuugas' distinguishing trait; the pale, pupil-less eyes. Then she replied, "I-I sneaked out…"

"Really?", his round eyes widened in astonishment.

"Yeah—"

"Lady Hinata! Don't you dare sneak out again! Do you know how much trouble you've caused?"

The girl whirled around and found a dark-haired Hyuuga standing behind her. The teenager's eyes were stern and frightened the girl. She started to sob and cry.

"Hey! Don't bully her! She didn't do anything wrong!", the other boy shouted.

"You twit, you're too young to understand anything," putting an arm around the girl's shoulders, "Come one, Lady Hinata. People are staring, we should get going before your father throws a fit."

The caretaker glared at the little Uchiha boy and left in a whirlwind of leaves.

"Hyuuga…" he whispered, staring at the place the girl had just sat, "…Hinata…"

"Are you alright?"

"Wha—", Hinata looked up and chills started to run down her spine when she realized she was staring straight into the eyes of the little Uchiha boy.

Author's Note: I've decided to shorten these chapters since they are probably boring to read when they're so long and more strenous for me to write. Sorry for the super long wait [SO SORRY!!! Plz review!

moonlight haku