A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed! And Hinata6, I miss talking to you, too!
I've become an enormous fan of Bleach as of late. Anyone else? I love the pairing of Momo and Toshiro. (In fact, Hisao in this chapter is what I imagine a Naruto-drawing of Hisagi Shuhei would look like. Cuter, boyish.)
"STARS AND BOULEVARDS"
A SasuHina story
FRIGHTYMARE
Disclaimer: Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto
Song Inspirations: Jar of Hearts – Christina Perri
Haunted – Taylor Swift
Stars and Boulevards - Augustana
. . . . .
Help
Hinata rushed across the room to where Sasuke was crouched on the window ledge. "U-U-Uchiha-san!" she said, as loudly as she could muster.
He heard her, for his shoulder twitched visibly, but he only craned his neck down further, causing a bolt of fear to leap up her throat. Was he really going to …?
"Uchiha-san!" Again, her cry fell to seemingly deaf ears.
Sasuke never moved from his position for what seemed like ages. He merely crouched on the sill, with Hinata frozen barely three feet away from the wall. She stared at him with frantic white eyes.
"S-Sasuke?"
At the mention of his name, he glanced back over his shoulder, tilting his chin upwards in arrogant acknowledgement. Astonished that she'd managed to convey a reaction, Hinata paused in her words.
"W-What are you doing, Uchi – S-Sasuke?"
"Mental math."
"E-Eh?"
"Mental math," Sasuke repeated dully. "I'm determining the exact distance to the ground using estimated trigonometry."
Hinata couldn't resist a confused smile. "Could you please do it inside the window?" she suggested softly. "You r-really had me scared…"
Sasuke shrugged a single shoulder. "No. I'm considering the jump."
The panic returned to Hinata's eyes. "Please don't! W-Why are you – why would you even-?"
"Well," Sasuke deadpanned, completely cutting her off mid-sentence, "I was thinking about what we discussed that first day."
"That – that first … day?" Hinata struggled to recall. Sooner and more explosively sudden than she would have liked, the recollection of their first – and only – conversation returned to her, and she stiffened. "S-Sasuke-san, I never – I never meant for you to – to feel like you had to … have to …"
She found that she could hardly even form coherent words. At a loss for what to say, she merely spread her arms wide in a meekly exasperated gesture.
One ebony eyebrow flew up in silent question.
"-had to kill yourself!" Hinata blurted out finally, feeling her shoulders tremble as they lifted with every breath she took. "I mean, it's perfectly under-"
"Kill myself?" Sasuke repeated. The other eyebrow followed the first one up, seemingly mocking her.
"W-W-Well, w-wasn't that what you – you were – you're going to – wanted to do?" Hinata spluttered, completely taken aback by his cold answer. "You – the window – down – you –"
"Is sitting on the windowsill a crime now?" Sasuke said tonelessly. He leapt, graceful as an aristocratic cat, off of the ledge and immediately buckled under the weight on his feet.
Hinata bit back a gasp and hurried to push her forearm against his back in support. He gave an involuntary grunt as she dug her elbow purposefully into his back, hoping to keep him upright at the very least.
Glancing down, she noticed that the straight leg he was leaning upon was shaking.
Hinata swallowed her inhibitions and wrapped her whole arm around his back. She heaved with all of her might in an attempt to lift some of the weight from his legs. He wasn't helping much – in fact, he felt as though he were purposefully shifting all of his weight down, as though he simply wanted to drop dead.
He stared at her from the corner of his eye – something she didn't notice until she glanced up angrily at him.
"What – are – you – doing?" she hissed through her teeth, which were ground together so tightly she was sure they would compress each other into shattered pieces in no time.
"Just let go," said Sasuke.
Hinata felt like cringing from his frosty voice, but her energy was momentarily directed at supporting him.
"Just let go of me," Sasuke said again.
And again she refused.
Hinata sighed in frustration and weariness as she jerked her shoulders with what seemed to be the last of her physical energy, and Sasuke's form straightened in the slightest. Pleased with this smallest of successes, Hinata took a deep breath and prepared to harness her reserve energy for another try.
"Hinata."
Her arm faltered. "You-!"
Sasuke was temporarily sidetracked from trying to make her release her hold on him. "What is it?"
"You … remember my name," Hinata said, shocked.
"I don't forget names."
"But you – you called me by - s-sorry. Just give me a second," muttered Hinata lamely, averting her eyes shyly.
He followed the movements as she whispered a mute mantra to herself, stacking up the motivation inside of her so that she could drag him to his bed.
Before she could, he tried again, "Let go of me … Hinata."
"Stop that," she snapped quietly, shifting her footing so that they had moved half-a-pivot towards the bed.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "LET GO OF ME, HYUUGA."
Hinata made an angry sound, crawling out from under him. "FINE!" she shouted, as loudly as she could. She placed her hands on her hips as she turned to face him, wishing she didn't feel so satisfied at seeing his figure crumple helplessly to the floor.
"-the hell?" Sasuke muttered, propping himself up on his arms and glaring at her.
Hinata took a step back, boldly meeting his fierce gaze. "What?" she hissed.
"What was that for?"
"YOU SAID TO LET GO," Hinata shouted shrilly, subconsciously forming her hands into fists. "What was that for?"
"I don't need your help," Sasuke scowled. "Just go and play with your little girlfriends or something. I can handle myself."
"Don't underestimate me," Hinata said, narrowing her eyes.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow and scoffed. "I'm not underestimating you. But if this was me on you, I think we both know who'd win."
Hinata smiled disbelievingly and let out a cynical breath. "Hah." She kicked his foot with a light tap of her own. His face contorted into a wince of excruciating pain. "I think we do," Hinata said, turning on her heel and stalking out of the room.
He'd figure it out soon enough. He did need her help.
. . . . .
Hinata took her time as she stepped down to the hospital cafeteria. She took her apron from the hook on the wall and donned it. The old lady working on shift – Hinata recognized her as the cooking-nin who had once worked at the Hokage's tower – gave her a friendly wave before returning her attention to a customer.
Hinata crossed to the counter opposite the elderly lady and began to slice bread. Several of the visitors had already begun to flow steadily into the area. Glancing up at the elderly lady in confusion, Hinata realized something she had forgotten.
Today, the Hokage would be visiting the hospital. Tsunade rarely visited, so when she did, they made sure that only the most critical of patients would receive her exceptional cures. And now, in the midst of the war, almost every single patient was a critical patient. Otherwise, they would either still be on the battlefield or six feet under and roasting in hell.
So when Tsunade was 'working her magic', all visitors were required to leave the room – preferably the whole ward. Most of them liked to dawdle around the cafeteria.
Hinata forced a smile on her face as she was confronted by a customer.
"Egg salad sandwich, please." The boy had a cute face with untidy black hair. He looked to be about her age, and with a hungry grin on his face, Hinata was reminded somewhat of a combination of Naruto and Sasuke.
"Egg salad, coming right up," Hinata said brightly, her smile widening unconsciously. It was no longer an effort – it was almost involuntary.
As she tossed the sandwich together, she began to list off many more reasons to be happy. Naruto hadn't been admitted as of yet, which meant he was uninjured, or his wounds were light enough to be cured by medics on the battlefield; Tenten, Neji, Kiba and Shino hadn't been admitted yet either, and she had more time than she could ever have hoped for, volunteering at the hospital.
Never had she dreamed she wouldn't be bustling about from patient to patient: instead, it was just going back and forth between Sasuke and the cafeteria and several times Ino, who had Hinata running errands from time to time.
Hinata's smile was growing wider and wider without her knowing, but the boy surely noticed.
"What's that smile for?" he grinned.
She snapped her head up, to see that his arms were folded across his shirt. He had his head slightly turned away and was staring intently at her from his peripheral vision. Blushing, she quickly pulled her smile into a frown and shook her head nervously.
"N-Nothing, sorry, mister." She bit her lip, hesitating as she reached for the mayonnaise. "Uh, would you like m-mayonnaise or ranch?"
"Either or?" the boy inquired.
"No … but what else would you have on an egg salad sandwich?"
He chuckled. "Mustard."
She made a face, but complied with his wishes. What a choice of condiments, she thought.
"Thanks." He paid for the sandwich and paused in his steps. Without looking back at her, he said, "I didn't want you to stop smiling, you know. And don't call me mister; I'll bet you we're the same age."
"O-Oh?"
"I'm nineteen."
"I-I'm … nineteen," Hinata said, with a slight sigh of surrender. Hinata wiped her hands on her apron and swept the bread crumbs into the trash can, all the while rolling her eyes.
The boy, although he couldn't see her face, almost seemed to hear her actions. He laughed out loud, startling her. The laugh was louder than even Naruto's laughs, and deeper than even Sasuke's. He laughed, really laughed, as though he were a kid who couldn't control himself in the movie theatre.
But … she liked it that way. It made her feel as light as air, as happy and enthused as she had been when she had still been madly in love with Naruto, as though she were glowing. She wished her laugh was loud, and memorable, and contagious. She wished she had a laugh like his.
But if not, she'd settle for hearing his laugh as much as she could. So, she cracked another smile, which burst into giggles soon after. Even as he walked away from her, he continued to laugh.
The elderly lady at the other counter raised her eyebrows at Hinata, who shook her head and cast her eyes down, hiding the blush that was creeping up her neck.
As the hour dragged by, Hinata's gaze kept on returning to the black-haired boy who sat alone in the cafeteria, taking his time with his egg-salad-and-mustard sandwich. He sat with his legs propped up on another chair, slumped in casual comfort, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows and his hair pushed back off of his forehead.
She couldn't help but wonder who he was. He seemed to be the only one in the entire crowd of visitors who didn't seem to be the least bit worried about whoever he was visiting.
As discreetly as she could, she approached the elderly lady when the customers had stopped hording in.
"Um – obaa-san?"
"Yes, Hinata-chan?" The lady pulled her hairnet off of her head and tossed it into the bin, peeling her gloves off and not seeming to pay Hinata the least of her attention. Hinata glanced at the calendar and realized that they were off their shift.
"O-Oh, um, did you know who –"
"-that boy was, right?" the elderly lady smiled, her eyes twinkling.
"How did you-?"
"We girls have a way of knowing other girls," she winked. "Don't worry darling. I know exactly who he is. That's my grandson."
"W-What!" Hinata said, so surprised she practically tripped over her own feet as she darted to open the door of the storage room for the lady. "Your grandson…"
"Hisao works for the hospital, sweetheart."
"H-Hisao?" Hinata's eyes flickered back to the boy, who was now ruffling hands through his black hair in a futile attempt to tidy it up. "He works here?"
"He's a biomedical engineer. He occasionally spends his time at the hospital, assessing patient situations, researching and analyzing the machinery." Hisao's grandmother spoke with fond pride. "It would be really great if you'd be his friend. There aren't many other people at the hospital who aren't always up and running about, dear. Do me a favour and go talk to him, won't you?"
Hinata looked stricken. She had an inkling of what the lady was trying to do, but that didn't stop her from being taken aback. "Obaa-san!"
Chortling merrily, Hisao's grandmother stroked Hinata's hair distractedly and patted her shoulder. "Keep your tassels on, dearie. I'm only joking. But it would be great." With a final giggle, the old woman shut the storage closet door and shuffled out of the cafeteria. She greeted the woman who had come to take over her shift on the way out.
"Tassels?" Hinata repeated, puzzled. She sighed then, looking over her shoulder one last time. However, Hisao had vanished.
. . . . .
Without any cafeteria duty to attend to, and not wishing to return to see Uchiha Sasuke, Hinata decided to visit Lee. She hadn't seen him since she'd come, and she felt slightly bad about that.
With determination, Hinata surfed through the files and navigated herself to Lee's room. She knocked tentatively before she entered, even though the door was wide open.
Lee sat upright in the bed, his posture perfect and his hands in fists in his lap. His round eyes glared at the wall opposite him, and his head was held high. Hinata couldn't help but feel as though the atmosphere in his room was too stiff and unsettlingly rigid, almost as though he were posing for a military portrait.
"L-Lee-san?"
He glanced at her, almost disinterestedly. "Hinata-san. It's good to see you. Did you come to see me?"
"Yes, I'm a hospital volunteer," Hinata explained. "Is something wrong, Lee-san? You seem … down."
Down was an understatement. He was absolutely miserable. Lee groaned and buried his head in his hands, somehow still managing to keep his back firmly straight. "You know everything, though, don't you, Hinata-san? You're friends with Tenten-chan and Neji-kun's cousin."
"Lee …" Hinata murmured, taking the seat reserved for visitors. "Lee, don't beat yourself up over it. You'll find someone someday."
"But I don't want anyone else. I have loved Tenten-chan since we were in the spring-"
"-time of your youth, I know," Hinata said, struggling to keep the tiredness out of her voice. "Tenten-chan is too headstrong for her own good," Hinata said apologetically. "And nii-san is impossible. Don't waste your time on them, Lee-san."
Hinata had never had to resort to pointing out the flaws of her friends and family to reassure someone, but she knew that when someone as enthusiastic and optimistic as Rock Lee was in depression, he would need much more than average-degree comfort. He needed all the help he could get, at this phase.
"Really," Hinata urged honestly. "Please, Lee-san. You shouldn't have gotten so drunk."
"I was sad," Lee said simply, dropping his hands lamely into his lap again and craning his neck to turn away from her. "Why does this always happen to me?"
"Well … well, Lee-san …" Hinata said carefully, "it's because you're the only one who lets it happen to you."
She flinched at the way it came out.
"What?" he snapped, somewhat baffled.
"I-I mean, well … Tenten-chan is the only girl in your team … she's always been in the middle, and she's always had the focal attention without much effort, because she was the only girl … and because she was good …"
Hinata felt something sting her heart. She had been the only girl as well … but she had not been very good as a ninja. To be honest, out of herself and Sakura and Ino and Tenten, Tenten was the only one in her genin team who had been closest to equal standards with her teammates. Even against Choji, Ino didn't compare, and definitely not to Shikamaru.
Sakura, paired with the famed Kyuubi vessel and the last of the Uchiha, didn't stand a chance.
Hinata had received average-level shinobi and had still managed to fall behind as the worst.
"So Tenten-chan has always been doing her own thing … she never felt the need to have rivals. And Neji-nii-san … he has always been so concerned with his own life at home, his own goals and p-problems – with the c-clan – so he has never paid much attention to what Tenten does with him …"
"What are – you saying?" Lee choked.
"I – I just meant to say … um, well, Lee-san, you're the only one who really gets impacted by this drama. You should just shut it out; it will work itself out. Don't … don't sweat it too much."
"Thank you, Hinata-san, but I don't think you are one to explain matters of the heart to someone."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Hinata demanded, immediately on the defensive.
"I mean, look at you and Naruto. You have shut it out all your life. It never worked itself out, did it, when you didn't 'sweat it too much'? Who are you to tell me what works and what doesn't?"
Hinata felt completely broken. He had a large point. She opened her mouth, closed it again, and clenched her hands into fists at her sides. Her lips parted again, refusing to let him win the argument, but she never got her chance to speak.
The door was roughly knocked out of the way of a trolley, which preceded a familiar face with black hair and a friendly face.
"H-Hisao-kun!" Hinata exclaimed without thinking.
He didn't seem surprised that she knew his name. Instead, he winked at her and grinned at Lee. "Who's this?"
"My cousin's teammate, Rock Lee. Hisao, Lee. Lee, Hisao." Hinata's eyes never left Hisao as he rolled up his sleeves and crouched down at the ground beside Lee's bed.
"Great, great. You've been using this for three days, am I right?" He indicated the machine at Lee's bedside.
Lee nodded, somewhat surprised.
"Cool, cool." Hisao distractedly tapped a fist on the machine. "It's been fine, has it?"
"It makes loud noises at night," Lee said simply. "If you could just –"
"Not a problem," Hisao assured him immediately. "I'm on it. And oh, I had a proposal for you." He turned to face Hinata.
"Y-Yes?"
"I was wondering if you could lend me your room. I need to store some of my research equipment in an empty room, and there's none because of the war patients … but you're a volunteer, aren't you? You're stay-"
"It's completely fine," Hinata assured him with a kind smile.
He held her gaze for a moment longer before chuckling. "Thanks." With a nod to both of them, Hisao backed out of the room with his trolley, his footfalls echoing down the corridor as he retreated.
Hinata turned swiftly back to Lee with a happy look on her face, which he mistook for smugness.
"Apologies, Hinata-san," Lee said quickly, raising both hands above his head in defeat. "I suppose I was wrong about you … and love."
Hinata's smile widened and she stood to approach the door. Before she exited, however, she paused in the doorway and said, "Hey, Lee?"
"Yeah?"
"You'll find someone else. People like us … people who've waited their whole lives to fall in love again … I know we'll get it."
. . . . .
Hinata returned to Sasuke's room, turning the knob with a smile on her face. She hadn't quite gotten over the fact that Hisao had spoken to her, even if it was just to request her room space. She didn't mind – she hoped it would mean that he would be dropping in and out from time to time.
The bleak prospect of seeing Sasuke couldn't even dampen her mood as she stepped inside. She saw Sasuke's motionless form leaning against the wall, directly beneath the window, not far away from where they had had their argument.
Her smile faded slightly, but it didn't disappear. If anything, it tightened, firm and somewhat fond.
Oh, how he reminded her of herself. So adamant, so immature and so determined to prove her points. So, so intent on not giving up, because both Sasuke and herself had learned from the best, from the master of 'not giving up' – Uzumaki Naruto.
Her small smile still planted firmly on her tired face, Hinata concentrated her chakra to her arms to reinforce her strength, trying to build on all the happy thoughts she had acquired as of today to help keep her steady and driven.
She managed to worm her arms under his back and legs and although she stumbled and staggered with him in her arms, she managed to practically throw him onto the bed. She wasn't sure if he was completely unconscious from trying to move, or just asleep from weariness.
All she knew was that she was about to collapse from having experienced an unhealthy combination of both for one day. She slid to the ground beside his bed, not bothering to even pull over a chair. Folding her arms atop his sheets, she nestled her head in the cradle between her elbows and forearms so that she faced him.
She barely blinked once, staring at his unawake face, before she plummeted into absolute sleep.
. . . . .
Sasuke felt as though he were crawling his way through the war. He was on the battleground, on his hands and knees. The explosions, the blasts, the screams and the smoky air were all not helping. They were rocking him, from side to side in his army-crawl, and he was moving, staggering, stumbling, and tripping, here and there.
He didn't understand. Why was he so wobbly?
"Naruto!" he shouted, as loudly as he could. "Itachi!"
As he spoke, out of the fog came two figures. Both of the men he'd called had appeared.
"Little brother…" Itachi murmured, poking his forehead with two fingers lightly. His voice was distant and almost … dare he say, affectionate?
Naruto, on the other hand, was screaming and beckoning for Sasuke. "Sasuke! Bastard, we're in the middle of a war! Get yourself together!"
"I'm trying!" Sasuke bellowed back.
"Try harder! Don't you see it? Open your eyes, Sasuke! This is war! Wake the hell up!"
And with that, Sasuke's mind snapped awake. His eyes, however, wouldn't open.
Weird … He lay there silently for a moment, unmoving. Slowly, he attempted to lift a finger. A burst of pain shot up his entire arm, but he bit back a wince and lifted another finger. Eventually, he could lift his whole hand, but not his forearm.
Recollections came rushing back to Sasuke of his injuries. Groaning, he rolled his head to the side and took a deep breath. To his surprise, all that he could smell was the cool scent of cucumber and coconut, a fresh scent of shampoo and faint perfume.
At the tingling sensation that coursed through his nose, Sasuke's eyes shot open. He was met with the sleeping head of Hyuuga Hinata.
Sasuke coughed, but she didn't wake up. She was so fiercely focussed on success, just like himself, just like Naruto. And yet she was nice, and childish and enthusiastically foolish.
How very alike they were. How very different.
. . . . .
A/N: I have a proposition for you. Since I'm busy with a tedious schedule nowadays, I have two options I can present to you.
Option 1 - Update quicker, but with shorter chapters (about the length of this one.)
Option 2 - Update at later, irregular intervals, with longer chapters (about the length of the two previous chapters.)
Drop a review!
:-)