m a k i n g m e r r y
for artemis of the golden distaff
"S-Sasuke-s-san," Hinata squeaked.
A mixture of varying emotions, sensations and thoughts swamped her entire being. For not only had she tripped, but now thanks to her clumsiness, she was in a position she never thought she would be in — ample breasts squished against a distinctly masculine chest, her abdomen snugly pressed to Sasuke's own, with twines of ribbon tangled around her legs. Heat enclosed Hinata in its dizzying embrace, her pulse raged, and her skin flushed. She knew for a fact she was blushing, possibly even harder than before when Sasuke first laid eyes on her.
The fog that numbed her senses made her feel unsteady on her feet; so unsteady, that if it were not for the large, warm hand that rose up to rest at the small of Hinata's back, her knees would have surely buckled.
Dazedly, she realized his hold on her was surprisingly firm yet gentle. Deeming it safer to fix her gaze on the material of his sweatshirt, even though she had yet to adjust to the total darkness, she spoke in fragments. "I'm sorry . . . I-I'm so clumsy . . . "
The pounding in her ribs and temples actually sped up, becoming a throb as Sasuke lowered his lips to brush against the shell of her ear. Hinata could not help but shiver at the foreign sensation, as it sent the multitude of butterflies in her stomach into a mad frenzy. It was a feeling she was well accustomed to, just not in the presence of Sasuke.
"Shh," he murmured quietly. "They might hear you."
Understanding dawned immediately. When the full implications of their predication crashed upon her, Hinata nodded vigorously, biting her lip. Talking meant being overheard, which meant being discovered, which meant being found as they were . . . Just the very thought horrified her! Breathing in deeply so as to calm herself, she could not help but inhale Sasuke's simple and clean scent — soap and weirdly enough the faintest trace of tomatoes.
It was a surprisingly nice combination she decided, calming, in fact. The realization made her cheeks flame even more so.
For Sasuke's part, he thought Hinata smelled of fresh laundry, not a hint of any flowery perfume, and mint. Refreshing, he mused. Strands of loose indigo-blue hair brushed against his face, his hand that was on her back. He could tell she was flustered but trying desperately to remain calm, taking in slow, shaky breaths, causing her chest to heave and subsequently rub even more against his. Sasuke wondered if she even noticed the way his own heart was pounding, but thought probably not because she was too preoccupied with her own.
Nonetheless, they both remained like that, silent as cacophony broke out in the next room.
…
…
"Where the hell is Hinata?" Yamanaka Ino screeched shrilly. She wasn't captain of the cheerleading squad for nothing — her lungs had enough force to deafen an elephant. Comically widened sky blue eyes zoomed around the room frantically, hoping that perhaps her petite friend would pop out of a hiding spot, but she had no such fortune.
Shino simply frowned. "Not present, apparently."
Ino spun around and thrust an accusing finger into Shino's broad chest. She was surprised to feel that despite how bulky his jacket was, he was all lean and hard muscled steel, but she quickly squashed that shallow part of her brain down in favor of sending him a heated glare. "This is all your fault!"
Shino quirked an eyebrow at her. "Is that so," he stated neutrally more than asked. The undercurrent of amusement that laced his softly ushered reply served to do nothing more than incite Ino's wrath.
"Yeah, it is so!" The blonde repeatedly poked him in the chest after enunciating each word, and yet he still sustained an impassive facade. He was not impacted by her angry tirade whatsoever; though it was hard to tell with those dark glasses he wore over his expressionless face. His boundless reserve was infuriating! "If it weren't for you interrogating me," Ino seethed. "None of this would have happened! And now . . . now I have no idea where Hinata is!" She humphed.
Shino didn't visibly react to her maligning words. He just continued to look at her through his ever-present impenetrable glasses. "Are you finished?"
When Ino groaned in defeat, shoulders slumping, he took that as a positive.
He was a logical, reasonable person. However, Shino was no expert when it came to girls by any stretch of the imagination. He especially was not well enough equipped to deal with the likes of an overly emotional and temperamental Ino, who shifted between moods at an alarming pace, much to Shino's disquiet. One moment she was beaming from ear to ear, friendlier than he had ever seen her before, and the next she was violently poking him in the chest, yelling at him about things beyond his control.
But if there was one thing Shino understood about the blonde, it was that she valued her friends greatly. Ino was fiercely loyal, and the source of her anger was not truly him, but what she perceived to be her own failure. Although her plan to aid Hinata admittedly wasn't the most clever or well-thought out, Shino did not object to it. In the end it came down to Hinata herself, and as shy and soft-spoken as she was, he knew that no one could truly persuade the girl to do something against her will. Even though things had not fallen into place as originally planned, he understood that Hinata would also not hold Ino accountable.
Neither did he, he realized with a start.
Awkwardly, Shino attempted to comfort her, "Hinata will be fine. She cannot be too far, especially in her . . . condition. It would be wise if we searched for her quickly, though."
Ino blinked, but slowly nodded. "Yeah . . ." She looked up at the taller teen through her downcast lashes. She had just gone off on him, hell, even blamed him for the situation, and yet here he was trying to reassure her. Why did he have to be so, so damn courteous? It made her anger deflate like a popped balloon. A guilty shade of rose prickled her cheeks as she cast her gaze to the side. "That sounds like a good idea."
She then worked on straightening her posture, and added more sunnily, "So! What's the plan?"
Shino paused, and his lips subtly curved upward into what could be described as a ghost of a smile. Then again, she was probably imagining it; it was hard to tell with that high collar of his. "We start looking. Hinata can't have gone far."
…
…
There was the sound of scuffling, retreating footsteps, and then silence reined once again.
"I think they're gone," Sasuke said.
"A-Ano . . ." It was barely discernible, but he heard her breathy voice in the near, tight space. "Thank you for helping me," she said, her words slightly muffled against his chest.
He acknowledged Hinata's words with a mere grunt. "Hn."
Sasuke knew he was above ordinary people — it was an indisputable fact of life. Ordinarily he would find it much, much easier to not be swayed by the wiles of a good looking girl. He had plenty of experience with deflecting fangirls as it was. But this wasn't just any obstinate fangirl, this was Hinata; Hinata, the same sweet, mild-tempered girl who he had crushed on since elementary school; Hinata, the shy, quiet girl who always kept to herself, and had only ever had eyes for Naruto; Hinata, the same modest, innocent girl who typically concealed her frame from head to toe — currently pressed flush against him, dressed in nothing more than a scanty red and white lacy Santa outfit.
Before retreating into the closest, Sasuke had gotten more than what could be qualified as a good eyeful.
Just recalling what he had seen . . . Internally, Sasuke fought down a massive nosebleed. Of course, he knew what breasts felt like. He felt them once, twice, thrice, hell maybe even more than that, all by accident. Being long-time friends with a touchy-feely Sakura made that possible, but those instances were different.
Sakura was Sakura. While she was far from unattractive, he had never been able to see her as anything but Sakura, whereas Hinata was a whole different story.
And Hinata had a much fuller figure, so to speak.
In truth, he had always suspected it, but it was not until she popped out of that box that his suspicions were confirmed right before Sasuke's eyes. He had stared at those milky-white, smooth-looking legs, and her décolletage. Obsidian irises admired the way the form-fitting outfit clung to her every curve as if it was a lifeline, highlighting every single one of them.
Licking his lips, he subconsciously relived the previous scene in his head. All he could think was: wow.
Hinata had curves.
Sasuke felt those same soft curves now. The feeling was heavenly . . . He felt a nosebleed coming on again, realizing where his thoughts were heading. If he continued down that road things would not end well. Sasuke would probably earn himself a well-deserved slap, while also increasing his already existing discomfort; not to mention he'd lose any shred of trust Hinata had in him. It would be nothing but disgraceful on his part. He was not a lecher, damn it. "We should get out of here," Sasuke suddenly stated, his voice coming out more scratchy and rough than he intended.
"W-We?" Hinata responded. She sounded confused. Bashfully, she disagreed, "I mean I'm grateful, don't get me wrong, b-but I-I don't think —"
"Do you want everyone to see you like this?" he demanded. When she meekly shook her head in negative, he knew it was settled then. "Good. I'll drive you home. My car's not parked too far from here."
Not seeing any better options, Hinata sighed quietly in an admission of defeat. "Okay . . . "
Sasuke wrapped his free hand around the metal knob of the door to turn it, and was about to warn her when he began to say in a cautionary tone, "Just be — "
In her rush to put at least some distance between them, as soon as the door swung outward, Hinata impulsively moved away from Sasuke. She forgot about the ribbons still tangled around her pale limbs too little too late. Hinata ended up falling face first, and flashing Sasuke her panties on the way down. Mentally, he registered that they matched her ensemble, red and lacy.
Firmly, Sasuke pressed a hand against his nose. " — careful."
Overcome with embarrassment, Hinata quickly sat up, patting down the material of her short, red skirt, while Sasuke easily side-stepped her. When he knelt down in front of her, offering his hand, she took it, keenly avoiding his gaze the entire time.
"I tried to tell you to be careful," he reprimanded her. Hinatae was about to say something, when unexpectedly, Sasuke dropped down from his vantage point until he was kneeling before her; for his credit, he was trying not to look anywhere too inappropriate. He merely looked up, capturing Hinata's stare in his own as his hands gently clasped her legs just above the ankles. They felt just as he'd imagined, he thought idly, soft and silky. Hinata herself looked taken aback, trying to fight down a blush and failing as she stared down with wide, shiny eyes.
"W-What are you doing?" Hinata unsteadily demanded. The pinprick of chagrin that colored her tone made him almost smirk. So meek and sweet Hyuuga Hinata was capable of getting angry. It was cute on her, he thought.
Bluntly, and not without some amusement, Sasuke told her, "Unless these ribbons are untangled, you're not going anywhere. You'll just keep tripping over yourself . . . unless you want a repeat of what happened in the closet."
It took a moment for his words to sink in, distracted as Hinata was by his presence down there, which caused her senses to short-circuit. But she managed to bring her careening senses a bit more under control enough to shake her head, not quite trusting her voice. She did not want a repeat of earlier, thank you very much! It admittedly made sense, but that did not mean it still didn't unsettle the rattled girl. After giving him the go ahead with a compliant "o-okay", Hinata watched as Sasuke began unwinding the ribbons from around her legs, little by little in a leisurely pace, his hands brushing her skin lightly with each pass of red strip from between her legs. When the ribbons trailed freely behind her once more, Sasuke leaned back a little, hands still resting at the back of her thighs for another brief moment.
"There," he murmured quietly, his voice hushed; he rose to his feet after that, and then he was standing directly in front of her, close enough to count each of her eyelashes.
Somehow, Hinata felt the mood of the room change. As close as they were, she felt ensnared, trapped as Sasuke bore his intense stare unwaveringly into hers. Odd feelings tumbled through her, sending the butterflies in her stomach once again aflutter. Her heart quivered madly, confusedly, and she had to swallow a couple of times before she got her voice to work. But then she sealed her lips shut when Sasuke spoke first, the way his voice reverberated making her shudder.
"Hinata," Sasuke murmured her name, simply, and for some reason that her breath suddenly caught in Hinata's throat.
And now, watching him as he watched her, she thought of nothing else but of being here in this room, with him and no one else around. Why she thought of that, she didn't know; but then it was hard to form many coherent thoughts when Sasuke was looming closer towards Hinata and invading her personal space, his eyes dark and smoldering.
Ignoring the widening of her startled eyes, Sasuke grabbed her arm and pulled. She could slap him later. He'd live.
But what happened next was more than a surprise to the both of them.
She did not struggle. When Sasuke leaned over, pressing his mouth against hers, she did not fight him. She actually kissed him back after a few heartbeats, albeit tentatively, softly, almost so much so that he thought he was imagining it. When he realized that he was wrong, he tangled his hands in her indigo hair, savoring its silken texture against his fingers. His opposite arm rounded her petite waist, holding her closer against him.
Sasuke thought if this was a dream, it was a damn good one that he never wanted to wake up from.
…
…
"Temari, you're drunk," Shikamaru muttered lowly.
His tawny-haired girlfriend giggled in response as she shook her head. "No, I'm not, silly!" She erupted into another bout of hysterical giggles after that.
Shikamaru wrinkled his nose at her sugary tone, not used to this side of Temari. Apparently, a drunken Temari was a very giggly and jubilant Temari. Weird,he thought, but then she was drunkenly pushing him against the wall, hands sliding through his spiky locks as she kissed him. Finding it too bothersome to object, he allowed himself to be coaxed into it, responding with his own languid movements. Eventually, Temari pulled back from him, smirking lasciviously, and he sighed knowing that look. She grasped Shikamaru's hand in hers and started tugging him along, beckoning him to follow her lead.
Apparently, his girlfriend had other things in mind that involved sneaking off into a backroom for privacy. Shikamaru knew he wouldn't let things go too far in her condition, but what the hell? As long as they did not walk in on some unsuspecting couple exchanging saliva or any other bodily fluids in the darkness, he could not be pained to issue forth an objection to a make-out session.
"Oh damn, looks like it's already occupied," Temari lamented.
It was dim, but unmistakable. Two people previously making out jumped apart, or more specifically, the girl jumped away from the boy, making a soft gasping noise; Shikamaru's eyes narrowed, recognizing the voice of the female. It couldn't be . . . but it was. Upon closer inspection, the girl was easily recognizable as one of his classmates from school, Hyuuga Hinata. Timid and on the quieter side, yet baring a lot more skin than usual, it was definitely her.
Hinata was blushing furiously, lips swollen, looking like she was about to pass out. It would not have surprised him if she did, considering she had done it quite a bit over the passing years. He imagined the wheels in Hinata's head turn as her eyes shifted from him and Temari to the boy standing directly in front of her, before bulging in disturbed understanding. It was then the sound of flesh meeting flesh resounded. Slap! Huh, Shikamaru thought. He didn't think Hinata had it in her to raise a hand to anyone.
The boy, apparently unfazed, only seemed to notice they had an audience. He moved to stand protectively in front of Hinata, shielding her body from his view. When Shikamaru got a good look of his face, and saw who it was giving him the stink eye, he blinked.
Hinata and . . . Sasuke?
Well, that was unexpected. Though weirdly enough their coupling up made sense in a way. Still, despite this interesting and new revelation, the mood was successfully killed, and that bugged Shikamaru to no end.
"How troublesome," he complained, before grabbing the knob of the door and closing it.
…
…
Meanwhile, in another part of the house, specifically in the heart of the party, Sakura sighed.
She had been assigned to wait around until a certain noodle-loving and boisterous blond arrived, but as it turned out, he was very, very tardy. It should not have come as a surprise to her, and yet . . . She folded her arms across her chest with a huff, unable to truly enjoy herself. Sasuke had sulked off into the shadows somewhere, Ino was in charge of guarding the hallway, Hinata was sitting in a box, and Naruto was nowhere to be seen. That left her all alone and pretty much bored out of her skull.
Sakura took a sip of her steaming, hot apple cider, and glanced outside at the frost-kissed window. Snow fluttered like silvery feathers, coating everything it touched with glitter and lace. Truth be told, the pink-haired girl did not care much for the arctic temperature that inevitably accompanied the winter season, but the snow itself was beautiful.
That was when she spotted him.
Sakura's fingers dangerously tightened around her porcelain mug, before she slammed it down onto a nearby coffee table. She ignored the odd looks cast her way as she stomped across the floor towards the front door. Then she was grabbing her knee-length brown coat from the coat rack and slipping on her woolen gloves. The chilly gust of wind and flurry of ice crystals that assaulted her made her body tremble, but she marched on.
White torrent shrouded everything in its freezing grip, painting everything pale and leaching all existing colors away. Footprints gnawed at the now ashen ground, moving away from the four story house with its twinkling decorations and warmth in a hurried pace. Her destination was towards two teenaged boys in the midst of a one-sided shouting match outside in the middle of the street.
Sakura could spot Naruto's blazingly light, golden hair clearly even when she was a good distance away. It seemed as if Naruto had thought jeans and a sweatshirt were enough. That baka! He's going to make himself sick at this rate. Why was it out of her trio of childhood friends she was the only normal, not to mention sane one?
She could hear the shouting all the way from the house, but now that she was getting nearer, she could make out their voices more clearly.
"I just bought this car and now you banged it up!" Kiba spat, his tone brimming with hostility.
"Kiba, calm down!" Typical Naruto, trying to deflect the situation, Sakura thought as she rolled her eyes. She recognized that panicked look; he was glancing around wearily, likely looking for an escape route to retreat from Kiba's wrath. When he spotted the cream-white dog barking inside of Kiba's car, he said, "You're scaring Akamaru!"
Kiba growled, taking two steps closer to Naruto. "He's already scared because you don't know how to park, dumbass! How hard is it just to pull in into a spot that doesn't even need parallel parking? There was plenty of space for you!"
"Can you blame me for getting distracted when there are so many hot girls around?" When Sakura stomped up to Naruto, he turned towards her with an expression of utmost relief on his face, like she was his pink-haired angel descended from the spiritual heavens above. It quickly melted into a huge, face-splitting grin. "Speaking of which — oi, Sakura! Nice weather we're having, am I right?"
Normally, she would have pummeled him for looking at her to save him, let alone for initiating such an awkward situation, but the fire and the intensity she saw raging in Kiba's brown eyes as he continued to glare at Naruto caused all indignant outbursts she may have had to leave her completely. Yes, she was annoyed, yes, she found Naruto to also be a dumbass, but adding to the fire would not help matters any. Sakura forced herself to inhale a calm, fortifying breath, and came to stand between Naruto and Kiba as a mediator of sorts. It was a job she had become well accustomed to over the years, being a friend of both Naruto and Sasuke.
Sakura alternated between shivering and glaring at the two teenaged boys. "You two need to shut up and listen to me. We need to go inside!" she commanded, increasing the volume of her voice over a particularly powerful gust of wind. "You can settle things in there! There's no point standing around yelling at each other like this — you'll only make yourselves sick. Or have you not noticed that it's freezing cold and snowing?"
"The moment we go inside, Naruto is going to run away and hide like the little coward he is," Kiba insisted, his eyes turning into menacing slits. The blond in question shook his head vigorously in response.
"I won't, I promise!"
"Oh, I know you won't," Sakura said sweetly, though her eyes resembled green shards that could have sliced him to the bone. Her gloved hand wasted no time in entwining with Naruto's, her grip nice and firm. Naruto blushed slightly and then winced as she started tugging him along. "Come on," she demanded, "I can't stand to be outside in this weather another second!"
…
…
Ino was standing around in the living room talking to Shino about the merits of deep conditioning when the front door slammed open; cold air swirled inside, nipping at the blonde who unwittingly took a step closer towards Shino. The spectacled teen noticed, but chose to say nothing. Instead, they both watched as a half-frozen Sakura, Naruto, and Kiba walked in. Akamaru seemed to be faring better than his master, for the over-sized dog yipped loudly in excitement and wasted no time in taking off from his side towards the refreshment table. Kiba growled something threateningly at Naruto then ran off to catch him.
Sakura hung back, one hand intertwined with Naruto's in a death grip.
"Naruto only just arrived," Shino indicated simply, a crease appearing between his brows as they dipped downwards. Ino nodded, letting out a heavy sigh as she bemoaned aloud, more to herself than anyone else, "I guess I'll just get this over with then . . ." The blonde gestured for Shino to follow her as she approached the now bickering pair, trying to give herself a pick-me-up as she whipped her lustrous ponytail behind her. She was still fabulous even if she had screwed up, damn it!
Once Sakura spotted Ino, she blinked. "Ino? What's going — "
"Hinata's missing, but it's not my fault!"
Sakura squawked like an angry bird. "WHAT?"
"Well, I was really hungry, so I went to get some cookies, not just any cookies, but Choji's mom's homemade gingersnap cookies! They're really good, you should try some. Anyway, Shino ended up figuring out something was up, and wouldn't leave me alone until I let him in on it; so by the time I came back, the room was a mess. I mean, the box was missing! I was all like, where the hell is Hinata? So we looked everywhere for her, but we couldn't find her. We still don't know where she is!"
Did Ino always ramble so much? I guess I'm not one to talk, Naruto thought as he scratched the back of his head, completely confused by everything the blonde-haired girl was telling Sakura, whose own mouth had dropped. That was when he finally digested what she was saying, and his bright blue eyes widened in horror.
"Hinata-chan is missing?"
"You're an even bigger idiot than I thought!" Sakura snarled, her voice easily drowning out Naruto's. "Seriously, I don't understand how you lost Hinata. She was in a freaking box!" she finished tartly.
"I'm an idiot?" Ino echoed Sakura in disbelief. A vein appeared to throb on her temple as she stepped towards the pink-haired girl. "Who knows! Maybe she couldn't breathe in that damn box because you didn't poke enough air holes in it — "
Sakura burst out between gritted teeth, "You're the one who came up with this whole stupid plan!" She met Ino half way, her fists clenching and unclenching down by her sides.
Fiery sparks seemed to be emanating in the air between the two girls, and Naruto was eager to escape their line of fire as he tried and failed to escape from Sakura's clutches. A leery emotion flashed in Ino's eyes as she noticed this. She went off the rails, screaming, "We're supposed to be helping Hinata and yet here you are making moves on Naruto!"
"What the hell is that supposed to mean, Pig?"
"It means you're holding Naruto's hand, Forehead! Seriously, do you have no shame? Pfft, and people call me a hussy!" Ino huffed, and two bright, red spots appeared on Sakura's cheeks, matching Naruto's suddenly flushed countenance. The pink-haired girl quickly let go of Naruto's hand as if her own had been burned from the contact. He for one looked both relieved and disappointed at the same time. "That's not, I mean, it wasn't like that!"
Her weak explanation was interrupted due to a sudden, additional presence making itself known.
"You're both idiots," a foreign, masculine voice interjected, and they all turned to face a disgruntled looking Shikamaru. His hands were tucked deeply into the recesses of his pockets, and he looked clearly uncomfortable with all of their attention now so intently focused on him. "What a drag . . ." Sighing, he continued in his grumpy way, "Hinata isn't missing. I just saw her."
Shino during the duration of Sakura and Ino's argument had not moved from his spot. He furrowed his brow. "When and where exactly was this?"
Shikamaru brought a hand up to pinch the bridge of his noise. "Well — "
It was then that all the lights within the room wavered before completely going out, plunging them into pitch-black darkness. The amount of screaming and panicking that erupted within the grand house as a result was earsplitting.
" — the hell is going on — "
"Will someone please turn back on the lights — "
" — beyond troublesome — "
"Akamaru! Come back —"
" — Sakura, I'll save you!"
" — Ah! Fuck, fuck, fuck, we're all going to die!"
"TOUCH ME AGAIN NARUTO AND I WILL KILL YOU!"
…
…
"You didn't have to cut the power," Hinata apprehended Sasuke in that soft voice of hers, but still in a firm, unrelenting tone. She had refused to look at him since what had happened earlier in the room. The rapidly falling snow just beyond the glass was far more fascinating anyway, or at least that is what she tried to so desperately to convince herself.
Sasuke shrugged. "How else would we been able to sneak out undetected?"
Hinata bit her lip, staring down at her lap. She held the bundled up Santa outfit closer against her, grateful to be out of it and in her regular, more importantly modest clothing again. When her pale eyes casually lifted and caught sight of twin pools of deep black watching her reaction, she hastily lowered her gaze again; a shimmer of pink stained her cheeks at his blatant fixation, and the memory of his mouth pressing against hers boldly. It made her lips tingle. "I can't believe you k-kissed me!"
"You kissed back," Sasuke reminded her for what felt like the tenth time that night, and she couldn't help but pout. "You also slapped me."
"Ah, I'm s-sorry!" she stammered breathlessly, blushing anew. Hinata was not sure what she was saying sorry for but nonetheless the apology slipped past her lips. She poked her fingers together in that familiar gesture of hers. "I was just s-shocked, I-I didn't — "
"It's . . . fine," Sasuke muttered quietly, cutting her off. His mouth twitched into a smirk that for whatever reason did evil things to her heartbeat. It was all so strange, so new. Ever since he had kissed her, she could not help but feet tumultuous feelings towards the boy with the soft looking, spiky hair, and the intense stormy eyes. There was a reason he had fangirls fall at his feet, Hinata thought. "To tell you the truth, I was expecting it. It didn't hurt, if that's what you were worried about."
"Well, that's good," Hinata said weakly, forcing a smile onto her face. "But, that still doesn't explain . . . w-why did you? Why did you . . . k-k-kiss me?"
Sasuke thought about it, contemplating his options. What the hell did he have to lose? Hinata more than likely was going to avoid him after all of this was said and done, anyway. She was a kindhearted girl, one of the many reasons he liked her, but even she had to have her limits. Still, something was bothering him. There was no doubt in Sasuke's mind that the idea for this particular outfit was one hundred percent not Hinata's, but the courage to wear it was solely her own. For what purpose did the normally reserved and humble Hyuuga put on such a saucy red and white Santa outfit? He had his suspicions, but he wanted to hear it directly from the source herself. "Only if you tell me why you wore that thing in the first place."
"T-That's not fair!" she immediately objected, her voice rising to a higher octave in her hysteria. She looked like she was actually turning into an overactive volcano in her seat. Blushing bright red, she pressed her index fingers together even faster, stewing in silence. But Sasuke only shook his head. "That's what it's going to take to get anything out of me."
"I . . . I . . . " Hinata covered her face with her hands. Then she squeezed her eyes shut, and spoke lightly, "Y-You promise?"
Sasuke snorted, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at her. He hadn't done that since he was a kid. It admittedly was endearing to see the usual mild-tempered and shy Hyuuga get so flustered. "I promise," Sasuke consented.
"All right . . ." Hinata at last stated softly, but Sasuke could detect an edge of finality present that abolished any further protest. She sat up straighter, inhaled sharply through her nose, and started with her explanation, Sasuke hanging on to her every word though trying to come across as indifferent. "Ino came up with this idea . . . after watching an American television show. She said the best gift for the o-one I liked would be . . . myself, in a box. I-I did it for him because . . . because I wanted him to . . . notice me, finally. But now I realize it was a s-stupid idea. I should have k-known better . . ."
Sasuke's face darkened a little. Truth be told, it did hurt, hearing her confirm what he had been suspecting for a bit now, but the small fact that she kissed him back albeit shyly, dulled the pain into a tolerable throb. Why did she kiss him back? Was it possible that she could return his feelings? Perhaps, in that big heart of hers, there was room for him too?
The light had turned red. He stilled when he realized what it was that had really been bothering him all along. He turned, offering her a pointed look that left Hinata squirming in wary confusion and blushed slightly, before refocusing on the road. "You shouldn't feel like you have to do that for any guy. If he doesn't like you as you are, then fuck him."
Hinata flinched at his crass language, or perhaps at what he was actually saying, Sasuke was not completely sure. Nonetheless, she shuddered, but tipped her head slightly in a nod. "I know that now," she murmured in agreement, not stuttering even once.
They were almost to her house. It wasn't a surprise Sasuke knew the way considering they used to go on play dates together all the time as small children. The two of them came from separately influential and prestigious family lines with a lot of power and money underneath their belts. Every now and then, they would be forced together because of their parents; whenever this happened, Hinata tried to be courteous while subtly finding ways to escape Sasuke's presence. In school, their social circles would occasionally cross, but interactions then would also remain clipped and painfully polite. After his apology at the beginning of sixth grade . . . things just became even more stagnant.
So to Hinata, it didn't make sense why now of all nights things had to go wrong and yet Sasuke was the one to be her knight in shining armor. She felt her lips tug upwards into a slight frown, a crease forming between her shapely brows.
Thoughts ran rampant through her head, until Sasuke broke her out of them with the cool, rich timbre of his voice.
"We're here."
She looked up. Their eyes met. Abruptly, her heart lurched. Hinata was dumbfounded as she stared at him. Licking her lips, she whispered, "You never answered my question from e-earlier."
Sasuke followed the movement of her tongue with something akin to longing. Remembering the plush warmth of her lips he had both felt and tasted just earlier made him yearn for more. "Isn't it obvious?" he stated simply. Smoothly, he leaned down to her gawking face, his eyes intense and burning. Sasuke smirked at the hue of rose darkening her normally pale pallor, knowing he was the reason she was blushing now. Her reaction pleased him. "Or should I kiss you again to get my point across?" he questioned, not at all thinking it was a bad idea.
Pearlescent eyes widened with sentience. The girl was stunned. She gaped. "Y-You l-l-like — "
"Hinata-sama!"
Sasuke felt like someone had hit a gong right behind him. In a sense, they had. Hinata stiffened as though she was hit by a thunderbolt. "It's my c-cousin . . . Neiji nii-san," she said softly by way of explanation. Sasuke's head slowly turned, and he donned a deadpan expression in the face of Neji Hyuuga's flaring ice-white eyes.
"I-I got to go," Hinata stammered. "Thank you f-for e-everything." She awarded him with a unsteady yet sincere smile, though she did not raise her gaze to meet his. After bowing her head in a customary gesture signaling gratitude, Hinata opened the door, and hopped out, Neji immediately at her side. He stood close to her, wrapping an around protectively around her slender shoulders. He did not look at Hinata though. Instead, he glared at Sasuke.
Neji's posture was stiff and rigid. Wintery, frost-bitten eyes regarded him with thinly veiled skepticism. Sasuke rolled down the window, and waited expectantly for Hinata's overprotective cousin to bite his head off.
"Is there a reason why you brought Hinata-sama home early from the Christmas party? I was under the impression Ino would be driving her home."
Hinata valiantly rose to his defense. "Nii-san, he was doing me a favor — "
Sasuke cut her off. "Like she said, I was doing her a favor," he supplied nonchalantly, "Hinata wasn't feeling . . . quite like herself." The girl in question froze, a look of shocked embarrassment etched among the soft lines of her face. Hinata knew what he was implying, and that made her blush even more. A deep crimson red started to flare on her cheeks, her limbs slightly trembling under the amused gaze of the Uchiha. Silently, she thanked whatever celestial being existed out there for her thoughtfulness to discard of the offending and un-Hinata-like garment.
Neji looked at her in sudden alarm. "You're sick?" He pressed the back of one hand against her flushed skin; concern rolled off of him in waves. "You should go inside and change your clothes. Your father is on a business trip, and he asked me to look after you; I will uphold that promise and take care of you," he vowed. It was obvious that despite the unemotional and cold façade Neji wore for the world to see, he had a soft spot for his younger cousin. Perhaps they had more in common than he thought, Sasuke ruminated.
Hinata shook her head, smiling for Neji's benefit. "I'll be all right, nii-san," she assured him. Sasuke blinked. That was the second time he heard Hinata speak without stuttering even once. Perhaps it was expected given her close relationship with Neji, but that did not deter the green eyed monster that flared. He gave no sign of it though as he reserved a stoic visage when Neji glanced at him.
Hinata fidgeted on her feet, wringing her hands nervously together. "Goodnight, S-Sasuke-san. Thank you again for the r-ride home." Through the wisps of her bangs her light opal eyes peeked out at him momentarily. Maybe, there was hope for them yet.
"Hinata-sama," Neji said sternly, and once he had his younger cousin's full attention he let his eyes point from her to the Hyuuga manor.
She understood immediately and in an instant Hinata made her hasty retreat after raising a small hand in farewell. Mindfully walking past Neji slowly, with a faint sense of awareness, curiosity, and even instinctual concern, she only peeked over her shoulder with those big, pale eyes of hers, interestingly enough, at Sasuke himself.
Neji lingered even after Hinata left. Crossing his arms across his chest, the older teen pinned Sasuke with a silently accusatory glare. If Sasuke felt the weight of that icy glower he gave no outward sign of it. "Let me entertain you for a moment, Sasuke," he began. A chilling look overcame his composed features. "If I did not know any better, I'd say you'd taken a special interest in my cousin. I will tell you now, I do not care who your father is, but any frivolous delusions you're more than likely entertaining about gaining her favor are just that — delusions."
Sasuke got the message clear: Stay away from her. Then, Neji turned on his heel and walked away.
Not even a minute later, Sasuke's phone chimed with a familiar tune. He opened it up to read a new text message. It was from Hinata, and read, "May you please get rid of it? I'm sorry to be a bother, but I'd really appreciate it. . . I don't know how I could possibly repay you but ask for any favor you'd like and I promise to do my best to fulfill it. :)"
"It?" Sasuke muttered, face low and droll.
As things turned out, it was the very outrageous red and white lacelike, sexy Santa dress that had started this problematic state of affairs. Sure enough the offending dress was sitting neatly folded in the passenger seat, where Hinata had more likely discarded of it in order to save herself further humiliation in the form of an overbearing Neji Hyuuga. It was ironic how such a blatantly not-so-innocent dress was sitting so innocently there. Sasuke wondered how Hinata putting it on had lead from the power being shut off to sharing a passionate kiss.
Combined with Hinata's text, this night just kept getting more and more interesting . . . It didn't really take much time for Sasuke to ponder whether Neji's threat was worth heeding or not; a heartbeat later, Sasuke deftly typed in his reply, and clicked send, smirking the entire time.
"Consider it done. In exchange, I think one date would suffice."
…
…
end of part o2.
fin.