Hello readers! Boy did this week go by quickly, it seems like I just updated HtV. Anyway, let's get on with it. I'm not sick right now-thank goodness- so I hope that transfers to the chapter.

Excuse any errors and R&R!!!


Chapter 16: Envy and Jealousy

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"Please just tell me what I said to cause that much trouble," Hinata pleaded.

Hinata held out a towel to Sasuke. Lee and Shikamaru sported just a few scratches- not from Suigetsu, but from trying to hold back Karin without harming her.

"Let's just drop it, Hinata," Sasuke said. "Suigetsu apologized after I explained that you didn't really know what you were saying, ok?"

He really didn't want to tell her that she'd accused him of having no balls. Her timing couldn't have been worse. Sasuke had been in the middle of explaining to Suigetsu that most of his other guides had abandoned the area because of superstition if rogue ninja and other wild animals had not gotten them.

Hinata's question had come in as an unwelcomed punch to what he was saying when he asked if Suigetsu had lost his nerve. He took what Hinata had asked as asking if he didn't have any balls when all she had wanted to know was if they sold eggs.

"I know it was my fault, Sasuke," said Hinata. "I would just like to know what asking him if he had eggs had to do with him reacting the way he did."

"Hinata," said Sasuke, almost pleadingly. "Just drop it."

"If you don't tell me I'll ask someone else," she said stubbornly, and turned to Naruto.

The blond's eyebrows lifted and he looked at Sasuke. Lee and Shikamaru continued to look away. They had explained everything to Naruto- well Lee had since Shikamaru was too lazy to do it- and for once Naruto was keeping his good humor to himself.

"Did Sasuke get you your eggs, Hinata-chan?" asked Naruto, trying not to grin. At least he had kept it to himself for a little while.

Sasuke glared up at him, using all his will power not to get up and tackle his best friend to the floor.

"Hai," Hinata answered, frowning down at Sasuke. "I got them." She gave him a very cute pout and he couldn't help but smile. "I'm going to make breakfast."

Hinata spun on her heels and sighed as she left them and Sasuke's smile turned sour as he looked up at Naruto from where he was sitting.

She had her eggs alright, along with a ton of hot peppers. He hoped Naruto would have smoke steaming from his ears when she was through. For himself, he intended to stick to the bread if there was any.

Naruto's grin was annoying. "So you managed to get Suigetsu to guide us?"

"Hai," Sasuke said, as he watched Hinata work at a distance. Lee had decided to follow her and help out by setting up a small campfire. He was explaining to her how to cook over the open fire with the frying pan she had insisted on bringing.

She didn't even seem to realize that Sasuke was watching her. He couldn't get enough of her. He couldn't seem to keep his mind even on his work.

"How did you manage that?" asked Naruto, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Thank Hinata's money," said Sasuke. "I guess it's true that everyone has their price."

"Sure they do," Naruto agreed. "Including you," he added with a deliberate nod.

Sasuke's gaze flicked up to meet Naruto's. His brows collided. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Naruto shook his head. "You figure it out, Sasuke. She's paying you to deliver her to Kiba, isn't she? And you're doing it. Why? Because she paid you?"

"Iie, I could care less about the money," said Sasuke. "I'm doing it because it's what she wants, dobe," Sasuke said, adding the little usual insult.

"Hai?" asked Naruto. "And how do you know what she wants, teme?" the blond continued, putting his own insult as well. Have you asked her lately?"

Sasuke didn't answer. When a woman couldn't leave without dragging a picture of her fiancé around with her, it didn't take a lot of sense to know that she probably really missed the mutt.

Her mood, until the egg incident, was highly better since getting off the ship. It was obvious to Sasuke that she couldn't wait to see Kiba and it irked him. In fact, who was he kidding? It hurt like hell.

Hadn't what happened between them meant anything to her? How could she sit there humming so cheerfully over that damned frying pan?

Sure, she had paid him- and very well- to do a job, and it was nearly done. Then he could go back to his business and work more comfortably when she was gone.

So why was he feeling as though he'd lost his best friend- and it would hurt to lose Naruto. Why did he suddenly feel like handing everything over to Kiba and just throwing up his hands to go home?

"What's your price?" Naruto asked him seriously, and walked away.

Sasuke turned to glare at Naruto as he went and questioned how much his life would be worth if he couldn't wake up and face the day; if he had to sleep at night wondering about what could have been.

Hinata continued to hum and sing, talking to several of the other ANBU as they set up camp. Suigetsu was coming soon and the energy was high. The others seemed to share Hinata's enthusiasm and were all in a good mood except Sasuke.

What price was he willing to pay for his pride? He thought about it for an instant, and wondered…

…had anyone bothered to pay for the eggs?

He didn't think so, but hell, Hinata's bribe money would more than make up for it and everyone was bound to pay for it later. He kept his mouth shut anyway, determined to allow Hinata a chance at her moment of glory. It meant a lot to her, and it meant a lot to him to see her actually succeed.

But he wasn't going to eat her food.

From this point on, it was every man for himself as far as Sasuke was concerned.

It was no use. She was a disaster as a cook.

Hinata didn't want to pout, but couldn't help it. It wasn't easy to cook nearly sixty eggs in a single frying pan over an open fire. She took such care with the first few, but it hadn't mattered. In the end, they had all turned out scrambled. Either way, they were too hot to eat.

She nibbled at her bread as she stared at her plate. The only thing that kept her from running away in utter humiliation and hide in the woods was the simple fact that it would be the easy way out.

To leave her food now, and leave everyone else to bravely eat theirs was too cruel. On the other hand, if she left, they might bury the food in the sand and cover it up, rather than sit there trying to hold stoic expressions while they struggled to eat.

Hinata felt sorry for them. They had been hungry and had been looking forward to a hearty meal to begin their mission.

"This… is very good," Lee offered, as fat tears ran down his cheeks. His eyes glistened with as much sincerity as he could muster, considering that his mouth was probably on fire even though he did seem to like spicy food. He struggled to swallow as Hinata watched.

Hinata lifted up her chopsticks and guiltily stabbed at a blackened crumble of egg… or was it peppers? Maybe it was ham. She couldn't really tell.

She swallowed and lifted the chopsticks unsteadily to her mouth, saying a silent prayer that it wasn't the pepper. Her water was almost gone and so was everyone else's.

Desperation was kicking in and Hinata could see them greedily eyeing each other's canteens, their expressions covetous. Hinata would have given them hers if she didn't need it and knew she would probably die if she ended up with a mouth full of peppers and no water to cool the burn.

Meanwhile, she was sure Sasuke was feasting on some exotic food that Karin made. That woman had arrived with her brother and another man and the four of them were seated separately from the rest, discussing something important it seemed.

Jealously surged forth and Hinata could not help but notice how Karin was, with her vivid, red hair and beautiful face. She wanted to draw her and capture that spirit she could feel, even as Kiba's letter came to mind. He was right though, the women here were beautiful.

Hinata's cheeks flamed. Was Sasuke in love with Karin? She was surely pretty enough and Hinata doubted she could compete. Her own hair was a dull color in comparison and her skin was too pale, and her eyes… she had to say that she like her eyes and thought they were her best feature. At least they were different and Kiba had liked them as well.

But Karin was everything anyone would want in a lovely woman with her wild hair and bronzed skin with her long legs that were barely hidden by the shorts she wore with those very high boots.

Hinata sighed. It no longer bothered her in the least that Kiba was so in love with the women here.

But Sasuke…

Her eyes could not help but follow him wherever he went, whatever he did. She found herself even trying to hear what they were saying and felt guilty for it. But as silly as it sounded, she wanted to go over there and sit right in his lap. And she should too… except that she did not have the right to.

She was not that bold either as Karin probably was. She could not just go and interrupt their conversation and seat herself so rudely in his lap. So instead, Hinata sat there pouting, trying to eat her food, as she argued in her head if Karin would burn her food- absolutely not.

Naruto sat down next to her, looking in Sasuke's direction. "Don't worry about it," he said. "It wasn't so bad."

Which it was he talking about? Her envy of Karin or her burnt breakfast? Hinata shrugged, a gesture that felt foreign on her shoulders.

Naruto grinned. "It really wasn't, I swear." She looked at him hopefully. "Just a little hot, but… tasty."

Hinata gazed at him. "Really?"

He nodded without hesitation. "Hai."

She eyes her plate. "It is hot," she admitted and glanced at Lee who sat across from her at a distance. "Poor Lee's face looks as red as a cheery."

Naruto chuckled. "Hehe, he likes it like that, believe or not, but Shikamaru backed out after a while."

Hinata lifted her brows at him.

"Alright, I backed out too," said Naruto with another wide grin. "But there are some men out there that like there food so hot that it makes tears well up their eyes and sometimes you would swear you saw smoke coming from their nostrils."

Hinata didn't believe him, but laughed all the same before looking in Sasuke's direction. He was smiling at Karin while holding his plate as though to thank her and the woman beamed at him in return.

Hinata's heart clenched in envy and for an instant, she hoped he would choke on what ever it was he was going to eat.

Karin had brought him chocolate covered spiders.

Sasuke didn't know what to do about it; if he should laugh or cry, be grateful or offended. Suigetsu had brought his along, as well as Jugo, and Sasuke was uncertain whether it was because he wanted to do the best for Hinata's money, or whether it was an added warning to keep his hands of his sister.

In any case, they didn't seem too bothered with Karin's attention. He kept looking at the three of them, trying to figure out if a bowlful of chocolate covered spiders was a normal thing for them now, or whether it was a sick joke.

It didn't appear to be the latter.

They didn't give the spiders a second thought and started on them right away and only Karin waited until he had eaten his own.

Damn… he cringed at the sight of them. He knew it would hurt her feelings if he didn't try one for he knew that they were eaten here in Suna, but he could not bring himself to put them in his mouth. He looked at the rest of the ANBU and saw that they were sputtering at Hinata's food and he longed to be there as well instead of here.

Some of the ANBU had run for water and some had decided to sit it out, making Sasuke marveled at how they would try to not make her upset. She had all of them, including him, under her spell.

He glanced down at his bowl of food and saw a bristly leg poking up from the creamy chocolate covering and nearly puked right there, but he still managed to spare a tiny smile for Karin.

Never again would he insult Hinata's cooking. "Kami, may you strike me down if I even think about it," he prayed silently.

He couldn't stand the sight of what he had to eat and would have thrown the nasty things off to the side if he didn't care about Karin's feelings. He swallowed thickly, trying to talk himself into it. "It's not so bad. Just one…big…crunchy bite and it will be all over."

He could taste the bitter taste of bile rise in his throat.

"You licka them?" Karin asked him in the language of Suna, nodding hopefully.

'Licka them?' Kami. He didn't even know if he could watch someone else lick the things. He knew she meant 'like' but even the thought that she said lick made his stomach churn.

"Yes?" she persisted.

Sasuke prayed that the bowl would burst into flames without his doing as he smiled at her again with a nod and looked over to where Hinata was and saw that Naruto was there with her as well. They were very close and seemingly enjoying their conversation and Sasuke wished he were there too.

What were they talking about anyway? What was Naruto saying to her? Did he like her scent the way he did? It seemed that way as close as the blond was, leaning into her, and Sasuke felt a pang of jealousy.

What wouldn't he give to sit there eating her black eggs and burnt ham?

He stared at her almost wistfully and her laughter made him jump and his belly fluttered- thank goodness for something pleasant. He could almost smell her. That scent that made him want to kiss her and those icy eyes that were still full of warmth that he could look into forever and it would still not be enough.

She stood suddenly, looking saddened and Sasuke's heart twisted. Was she sad because her breakfast had gotten burnt? Had someone said something mean to her about it? Was it Naruto who did it? He'd give him an earful and singe his hair if he did.

She slipped into the woods and he waited a few moments to see if she had just gone for something and would be back. When she didn't, he set down his bowl, muttering an apology to Karin, and went after Hinata.

All done! I liked writing this chapter and I hoped you liked reading it as well. Sorry about the late update by the way, I have no excuse this time and I'm sorry to say that this was the one time I could have gotten this to you on Friday.

If you have not read Hinata the Vamp or Hina hime please do.

Until next update…

Ja ne!

Please review, I love it when you do!