She hadn't seen him in three weeks. It was as if he had disappeared off the face of the earth. He was just…gone. She didn't know if he moved on, if he was lost, or even if he was avoiding her. The last option made her heart clench. She had caused him pain like no other. She could still his screams that were full of agony and anguish.
In those three weeks of his absence she did homework on her ghostly friend. She learned that
Ordinary humans don't see, hear or even notice ghosts unless the person is meant to see the supernatural being.
No one is able to touch a ghost but the ghost is able to touch you.
Ghosts are only left behind when they aren't able to move on. They feel an attachment to the world as if they have unfinished business.
She hadn't looked up any more information about Sasuke because she hasn't seen him. She didn't want to be searching about someone's life, if she didn't have permission to. For all she knew, Sasuke might have only wanted to know the cause of his death and moved on. But, no she couldn't just think this way alone. Someone who seemed to be in so much agony couldn't have moved on to the other world, could they?
She was snapped out her thoughts when the bells rang, signaling that someone had entered the store. She moved from her seat and went to greet the customer.
"Hello sir! Welcome to Paradise Café," Hinata said protocol with a smile on her face as she bowed before the man.
"Woah Hinata, you even have to bow to me?" the male's gruff voice questioned. She looked up and was greeted by the brown haired male smirking at her.
"Of course I do, you count as a customer Kiba," Hinata answered and received a chuckle in return.
"Whatever, you busy after work?" he asked bluntly and stuffed his hands into his pockets.
"Yeah, sorry you came all this way for nothing. Maybe we can rain check hanging out," she suggested. Honestly speaking she didn't have anything planned, but she planned to take that time to search for her missing ghost. The brunette frowned a bit but then shrugged.
"Alright sure, I'll call you later," Kiba told her as he exited the café with a raised hand. Hinata waved goodbye to him and suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see Sakura standing there with a frown.
"Are you working overtime for Naruto again? I told that moron I'd kill him if he asked you for a dumb reason," Sakura muttered and her eyes turned into slits as she thought of the blonde's demise. Hinata smiled and shook her head slowly.
"It seems I unknowingly started working over my time," Hinata corrected and saw Sakura's face fall.
"Too bad, I was really looking forward to beating Naruto," the female announced and disappointment graced her delicate features. Hinata smiled at the girl's antics and excused herself to head for the small locker room. She put on her coat and headed into the manager's office. When she entered she saw Kakashi leaning back in his chair with a book covering his face.
"S-Sir?" her soft calling caused him to wave his arms around and quickly remove the book from his face.
"Ah, yes, Hinata what is it?" Kakashi asked with a scratchy voice and rubbed his covered jaw.
"Um, I'll be heading out now," Hinata announced to him and he nodded—allowing her to leave without further objections.
She said goodbye to the staff and exited the building. When she looked at the sky she noticed that it seemed as if it was about to rain. She didn't have an umbrella and so she decided that she would take her infamous shortcut home which was a long alley between two eerie looking houses. She only used it when she needed to get home quickly.
She walked fast without seeming suspicious. She was taught that showing fear on your face would only allow anyone else to use it against you. Now, the neighborhood was for the most part very friendly and safe. However, even so, there were still a few bad apples that lived in the area. She suddenly felt the air grow cold and tense. Her steps quickened but she gripped the pepper spray that was embedded in her pocket.
The atmosphere turned cold and she suddenly felt a hand grip her shoulder. Hinata whipped out the pepper spray and pressed the button as she turned around. The spray went straight through the male's face.
"I assume that would've hurt my eyes if I was human," Sasuke said with a monotone voice. Hinata stopped her actions and her eyes widened as she took in the sight of the male. The spray almost dropped from her hand as they trembled.
"S-Sasuke-san?" she whispered uneasily into the air. He blinked at the response he got and then nodded.
"Were you expecting someone else?" Sasuke asked with a smirk gracing his features. Hinata's face flushed and she gave a big frown.
"Where in the world have you been?" Hinata asked angrily and placed her hands on her hips.
"I don't know, I have no memories remember," Sasuke said with a light glare and poked his head for emphasis. The girl patted her cheeks to calm her blush down and then made eye contact with him.
"What have you done for the past three weeks?" she restated her question. Sasuke's teasing face suddenly turned dark as he looked at the ground. The clouds clapped in anger and thunder struck but no rain had fallen yet. Hinata gasped at the sudden change in weather and unconsciously tried to grab his hand. When she felt nothing she turned to look behind her where Sasuke no longer stood.
"C'mon, we're heading to your house," Sasuke announced from in front of her as he walked forward. Hinata jogged to catch up to him and silently prayed that it would only start to rain when she'd arrive home.
He walked at a normal pace but when he looked behind him, he noticed that Hinata seemed to be jogging to keep up with his pace. Her face flushed and her breathing coming out in wheezy pants. Sasuke sighed in annoyance and slowed down his walking so that she could catch her breath. A brilliant plan popped to his mind. When she pissed him off, he'd walk extra fast just so that she'd have to run to keep up with him. A smirk arose on his face as he thought of her torture.
Hinata looked at his creepy smirk from the corner of her eye. She thought that he was acting weird but how could she know? She only knew the man for one day—maybe even less than that. The female slightly shook her head and then looked forward. She didn't want to get too attached to the male. Soon enough when he figured out what he needed, he'd leave and she'd just be stuck with his memory.
Hinata was suddenly reminded of Neji once again. Her attachment to him left her feeling empty when he was suddenly gone. As if he had never existed in the first place. As if he was just a figment of her imagination. Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when she realized that they had made it to her home. Sasuke stared at her for a moment before walking through the door. Hinata suddenly wished she had the same kind of power.
0-0-0
"After I left you, I had appeared in front of a café on Kurama Avenue. I recognized the place immediately. I died on that street," Sasuke said carefully and didn't realize that he was floating in mid air.
Hinata looked down at her bed. It must have been horrible to see the place where your life ended. Then suddenly she looked up at him.
"Kurama Avenue you say?" he nodded. "I work at that café!"
Sasuke gave a blank face to her sudden comment and raised a brow.
"Why does that matter?" he asked as he eyed her.
"Maybe you have something there that you're attached to!" Hinata suggested and Sasuke shrugged.
"I highly doubt it. I was there investigating for three weeks," he informed her and saw her shoulders droop.
Hinata looked at the ceiling and sighed. She was at an obstacle in trying to earn him peace. Hinata frowned and tapped her chin as she thought. Then she thought of what she learned and gasped.
"Touch me Sasuke," Hinata said loudly and her room door was suddenly kicked in. Sasuke seemed completely normal as the intruder huffed and puffed.
"No one is touching anybody in my house!" Hikari screamed at the top of her lungs as she glared at the unknown perpetrator. Her pale violet eyes looked around the room only to see her daughter sitting on her bed alone. Hikari's posture straightened and she smiled at her daughter. The smile spelled something kind and friendly but her eyes screamed bloody murder.
"My wonderful daughter Hinata, what have you been doing?" Hikari asked and took a step toward the female.
"N-Nothing mother, just the usual things," Hinata said and her face paled when the woman took another step forward.
"Why is it I feel like you're lying to me, dear?" Hikari asked her smile grew in size—no longer looking friendly.
"Shame on you Hyuuga, lying to your mother are you?" Sasuke said as he shook his head.
"I-I'm not, I swear," Hinata stuttered to both of them.
"Even going as far as swearing. Wow, do you like to sin?" Sasuke asked and as if Hikari heard him, nodded.
"You know, Sasuke's right, child," Hikari spoke softly. Both Sasuke's and Hinata's eyes widened in surprise as the sentence left her mouth.
"M-Mother, how do k-know Sasuke?" Hinata said with curiosity and shock.
Hikari grinned as she spoke, "I knew his mother. In fact she was my best friend."
Hinata's shock was so great that she bet it could cause an earthquake. Her lilac eyes traveled to Sasuke who seemed to be the most shocked.
"I think we need to speak," Hinata suggested and Hikari nodded. They sat on her bed and Sasuke took a step forward.
"What is your name?" he asked her hesitantly. The clan head mistress smiled softly and looked just below his eyes.
"Hikari Hyuuga. Though I knew your mother doesn't mean that I have all the answers to your questions. For one, that isn't my job child. That responsibility belongs to my daughter," she said carefully and Hinata raised a brow.
"If it's my place to ask, how do you know?" The young Hyuuga asked curiously.
"I can't see the boy. I can obviously hear him but seeing is a different matter. It's as if I'm speaking to air. But you, my child, can both see and hear him. I'll bet she is the first to show signs of this," Hikari asked and received a nod from the male. "Try to remember I can't see you dear."
"Oh, yes ma'am she is," Sasuke said awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head. It felt weird talking to this Hyuuga who seemed so different from her daughter.
"Then I think you should believe in her as your savior. She'll be the one to send you off to the other world. So you'd better not upset her," Hikari explained and nudged her daughter's arm with her elbow. Hinata smiled sheepishly and asked the question on her mind.
"How is it that you know about this so much?"
Hikari grinned and faced Sasuke with knowing. "My mother was a crazy old woman, god bless her soul. But she did things like this for a hobby. She'd help spirits move on to the other side. I guess you and I inherited that gene, sweetheart."
After a moment of silence, Hikari stood from her place and straightened the creases in her skirt. She then stood in front of the door and called Sasuke to stand in front of her. She told Hinata to cover her ears—who did what she was told reluctantly.
"Boy, know your priorities. There is no such thing as destiny or fate," Hikari leaned in close to what she assumed was his ear. "Know that what you want and need are all different. Good luck boy."
With those words said and off her chest, she exited the room and closed the door behind her. They had talked so seriously they hadn't even noticed that it started raining. Hinata looked up at him and smiled sadly.
"I'd like to apologize to you," Hinata said slowly. Sasuke raised a brow and questioned the reason behind her bowed head. "I caused you immense pain and—"
"That wasn't you. I was just experiencing my death all over again. Nothing that called to be your fault," Sasuke interrupted her with a sigh.
Hinata stared at him for a moment before nodding happily. Sasuke scoffed at her sudden joy and floated in the air. He racked his brain to try and see if he remembered or even recognized the name Hikari. Nothing popped up, his mind was completely blank. His jaw tightened and he glanced at the female who seemed to be drifting off to sleep.
"I'll be leaving Hyuuga," he announced and snapped her out of her daze. Hinata blinked and then it registered in her mind what he said.
"Alright, I have the night shift tomorrow. Shall we do research before that?" She asked and received a nod.
"I meant what I said about this place being damned. Seeing the same scenery sickens me," Sasuke insulted. Hinata's eyes flickered to the window and noticed the rain that fell silently.
"I just want to help you out," She whispered to him and felt his eyes burn holes through her head. Though he was staring at her, he said nothing. And soon enough Hinata didn't feel his presence at all. She looked behind her to find that he was gone. A frustrated sigh escaped her lips and she glared at the ceiling. She had a feeling that setting this man free would take almost everything in her power to do.
The end of chapter three! Oh god, it's been almost a month! Sorry, but I was stressed with some things so writing had never occurred to me for a moment. Well here it is! Did you enjoy it? I sure hope so. Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorite and followed the story! I appreciate it greatly. Hopefully after I finish outlining chapter four, it will only be a two week wait. Maybe less if wonder strikes. See you next time~!