Chapter Six

xxxxx

Over the next month, Sasuke and Hinata fell into a routine. Even though it was still cold it seemed the snow was going to stop falling for the rest of the season, which Sasuke appreciated greatly when training with Lee. Hinata would clean and he would come in to find the house smelling like homemade cooking and said edible lunch waiting for him once he finished his shower. He would sit in his room and brood or read until the smells of dinner emerged. Sometimes when he came out Hinata was still cooking. Sometimes she was gone. Regardless, her presence seemed to linger until 'his' house felt more like hers.

Hinata also trained, except she did so at night. He didn't notice it at first because he hadn't really cared or tried to pay attention to her, thinking that she simply went to bed a while after dinner. It wasn't until he kept being awakened by the sound of sliding doors between the hours of ten and midnight that he realized that she was actually doing something.

Sasuke only briefly confirmed his suspicions by sneaking a peak and then left it alone. Sometimes she would come in after an hour or so, sometimes three to four. Either way he was a little surprised about how she could still manage to get up only a few hours later to make breakfast before quietly slipping away to leave him in peace. She never even had bags under her eyes.

Sometimes Sasuke liked the quiet. Sometimes, when he felt too cooped up in such a small space, he wished – actually wished – that they would talk. He didn't care what, he just hated sitting alone and while reading helped, it didn't feel like enough. Unfortunately, ever since that night when he had asked her that question about Naruto she had avoided trying to talk to him again like that. Not that he had tried to initiate anything either, even after he had gotten over his initial disgust with her selflessness.

Despite everything, her presence in the house was obviously there and in very small ways it helped with his bouts of cabin fever. Sometimes the scents of flowers, which clearly came from her room, would float about the house. At times when he simply lay on his futon dealing with his 'confinement' he would close his eyes and the familiar smells began to remind him of home. Of his mother. Of his family.

Then he'd remember where he was and why his family wasn't there anymore and he'd become angry. He'd break routine and go train extra, having to let out his pent up frustration, needed to or else someone would get hurt. Even reading at times like that didn't help and the last thing he needed to do was hurt his 'caretaker' and end up destroying all of his plans. Probably for good.

It only took her twice of making his favorite meals after those days that he realized she was trying to comfort him in her own little way. A part of him thought it was disgusting how overly kind and forgiving she was. The part of him that was growing more and more claustrophobic from never really leaving the house craved the small amounts of attention she was giving him.

He would have moments where he'd want to get up and force her to sit down and have a conversation or simply keep him company. The moment he did he would slam down hard on himself, reminding himself over and over again that she was the enemy and that he was here against his will. A prisoner. She would come to him or not at all.

She's your jailer… he'd repeat to himself.

He never did go to her. If they saw each other they would take a quick glance and go about their business. Hinata would give him a shy smile, sometimes he'd grunt out 'Hyuuga' in return or just say nothing. She didn't seem to mind it.

Why was she doing all of this? The first time they met she had said, without hesitation, that she'd kill him if he went after Naruto again. The girl was in love with that idiot, although the feelings were obviously not mutual. This wasn't supposed to be a 'happy fun time adventure' for her so why the hell was she always smiling? Why did she treat him like an equal instead of being angry and looking down on him like most of the people here? He wasn't kind to her, he didn't spout colorful bullshit like Lee. She didn't giggle or look relaxed around him like she would with others. Why was she here?

"You seemed…to want me here…"

It was a laughable statement. Sasuke didn't know what he wanted anymore. He wasn't going to crack after seven months of – basically – confinement, but he was sure that he was starting to…change. He was growing dependent on her presence because she was the only thing there, something real and tangible, not a fake life or personality from a book.

Lee only stayed as long as the training session lasted, so he was not a constant, not something to hold onto. His mind would start drifting to the conversations they had had in the past, hoping it would ease his ever churning mind. It did not. Basically, he was craving interaction, any interaction, positive or negative.

Which, of course, put him in a foul mood. He didn't like that he was acting this way and he knew that deep down he was shifting and moving around mentally because he really didn't have a hold on what he should do with his life. Escape and then what? What was there left for him? There really was nothing and the Hyuuga's presence – one that he could tolerate – helped soothe that ache, if only a small bit.

He didn't even think of his former teammates anymore. Who cared? He was stuck here, trapped in a place he hated, so who gave a damn about what they were doing?

Naruto's 'visits' made things worse. He hated, actually hated, the blond idiot and every time he came to visit it took all of Sasuke's self control to not lash out at him. To scream and rip and tear and kill…

The sound of a sliding door and soft feet walking along the tatami drove him out of one of his many mental bouts. There was the sound of clanking in the kitchen and he knew she was out to make lunch. Instead of sitting in silence like he always did, he actually got up and stalked into the kitchen, startling Hinata in the process.

"I want onigiri." Gods, he sounded like a child.

A flush crossed over Hinata's features and she gave him a shaky, but sincere, smile. "O-okay."

Instead of leaving as he was sure Hinata thought he would do, Sasuke remained. He stood at the open entrance of the kitchen, staring. He could only see her back and her arms as she moved them to make his lunch but it was something different. It wasn't his room that he was starting to hate, it wasn't solitude.

The silence had started out uncomfortable until Hinata had relaxed, her shoulders loosening up. After a while she broke the silence with a small tune she began to hum. It sounded…wonderful to him. It was sound, it was something, something. When she started giggling – around him no less - he took that as the opportunity to talk. Or whatever.

"What's so funny?" Thankfully, he sounded unemotional instead of snappish.

Hinata peeked over her shoulder at him and then turned back. "Um. Nothing." When she giggled again, he found himself taking a step closer.

"It doesn't sound like 'nothing'."

"I can't." She giggled again and shook her head, mostly at herself. Now Sasuke was curious. His mind was occupied with something besides his moody thoughts, so he took another few steps forward.

"Can't what?"

"Show you. I, um…it's just silly."

"Now I want to see."

Sasuke ignored her spluttering and protests and closed the distance between them. He could actually feel the fabric of her jacket, he was standing that close. The Uchiha peered over her shoulder even though she gave a soft protest and tried to wave him away.

Silence. Then, "What the hell is that?" He backed away, scowling.

It was a horribly misshapen…rice something… with little beady eyes, seaweed cut and positioned similar to his own hairstyle and there was an angry line where the mouth was supposed to be.

Hinata blushed horribly, looking sheepish. "I-I told you it was silly…this one didn't come out so well so I was just playing around and…this."

"'This' being a horribly shaped rice ball that looks like me?"

Hinata ducked her head and gave him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry…I was just…it was just for fun…"

Sasuke would later admit that what he did next was only because he has been feeling out of sorts. That it was cabin fever. That he was going slightly insane. He walked over, actually brushing against Hinata's back this time – earning him a soft gasp and a hard blush – and snatched the misshapen lump of rice.

"Just finish making lunch," he muttered and walked away, eating the…thing she had just made. At least it tasted better than it looked.

xxxxx

Things actually improved slightly after that. Sasuke didn't do it often, but he would come out while Hinata was cooking or cleaning and either just watch her – which he did sometimes only because he liked to see her squirm – or engage her in light conversation. After a few days she began to also strike up a conversation if he wasn't in the mood to talk.

It wasn't like they were friends or anything; most of the things they talked about were very impersonal and boring to the average person. Would have normally been boring to him if he wasn't stuck in a 'box' as he was starting to call it. It tore down one of the many walls between them and Sasuke found that he was in much better straights now that it wasn't so quiet.

One day someone came for Hinata with a package. He only noticed it was a Hyuuga before Hinata slid the door closed and began to walk towards her room.

"What's that?"

It took a lot not to smirk when she nearly jumped out of her skin. Turning, she gave him a nervous smile "Um, i-it's my kimono…the festival is tomorrow."

He gave her a look that clearly showed he didn't know what she was talking about until he remembered last month when Ino had asked him about it. He had completely forgotten. "When are we going to leave?"

"Um, later on in the afternoon. I promised Ino I would make you guys something to eat together."

The Uchiha rolled his eyes "Why can't she make it? What are you, her personal maid?"

Her eyes widened and he immediately regretted his words. Damn it, he was really failing in his ability to speak with people properly enough to keep his 'plan' going.

"N-no it's not like that…" Hinata's voice was soft, low.

Sasuke ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "I know." A pause. "Sorry."

Hinata didn't say anything at first, merely stared at him. Then she smiled and her eyes warmed as she shook her head. "It's okay. You're always cramped up here and you don't get to interact with people much. I'd…be a little crabby too."

"Obviously not. You're here with me and you seem fine."

Silence filled the room and Hinata's gaze drifted to the floor. He stood there, feeling like an idiot, wondering how in the hell kept saying and doing everything wrong. Whenever, whatever Sasuke put his mind to he excelled at. The fact that he couldn't even pretend to be nice was grating on him. He didn't like how he wasn't reacting according to plan, how he was screwing up. 'Uchiha' and 'failure' did not belong in the same sentence.

"Sasuke-san?" When his gaze flickered to her she looked away and down, clutching the package in her hands. "I've…I've been meaning to say something to you for a while." He didn't respond so she continued. "That…day. The first day in the hospital. I've gone over it in my head many times and I realized that what I said and did…it was wrong of me. To be honest if it had been me, I don't know what I would have done.

"I can't…I can't even comprehend what you've been through, the pain you felt and do feel now. Wh-what I said about Itachi-san was also wrong of me. E-even though I still don't believe in hurting innocents I just…I wasn't there. It wasn't me…so I had no right to say such things. Even though I was…I was angry still…it wasn't right. I'm so sorry."

When she bowed low he just continued to stare at her. His face was blank, his mind was racing. Oh yes, he remembered that day, but he hadn't expected this. For her to come back and randomly apologize made him feel a little righteous. A small, petty part of him wanted to sneer at her and toss aside her efforts.

"That – don't worry about that," He heard himself say "It's done. I'm not mad about it anymore." The words came out short and clipped, mostly because he quickly found himself irritated at the fact that he had spoken the truth. "Go try on your kimono."

"Oh…right." Turning, she cast a wary look over her shoulder at him. Then she turned back and bowed low again. "I…I really am sorry."

He fought the urge to sigh out loud. "Just go."

Later that afternoon Sasuke received his own package, courtesy of the Hokage. When Hinata had brought him the box he had motioned for her to stay a bit, mostly because he wanted to give her the trash when he was done, and opened it. He lifted the ridiculously loud orange happi coat with white flames and the entire ensemble that went with it. His eyes narrowed at Hinata when she gasped and slapped her hands over her mouth.

"It's not funny. I'm going to kill him. Slowly." He wasn't joking either. What the hell had Naruto been thinking when he sent him this…this thing? Was it some sort of joke? No, Naruto had a horrible taste for fashion so he probably really did think this would 'look awesome' on him.

He glowered darkly at her when her shoulders started to shake, her face red. Her hands were still over her mouth and she was trying to hide her face.

"I'm not wearing this. I'd rather die."

Shaking her head, Hinata walked over to his closet and slid the door open. Since he hadn't many clothes he had yet to even look in there, but hanging up was a very plain dark blue kimono and a dark brown happi coat. There were even shoes.

"Th-they put this in here before you came. Um, just in case," she explained "So you don't have to wear…that if you don't want to."

And you wanted to date that loser. "Good. I'll burn this. Then I'll send him the ashes." Despite his calm tone – and if you ignored the death glares he shot Hinata – he was seriously pissed off. Just looking at the thing made his eyes hurt and the urge to break, or hurt, something increased.

She burst into a fit of giggles at his quite serious statement, which earned her another death glare. "And if you're even thinking of imagining me in this atrocity I'll make sure you live to regret it." She continued to giggle and he ignored it, or rather, he secretly wanted to hear it.

Ever since she had giggled and smiled in front of Lee he had found himself selfishly wanting her to do that around him. It was childish, a possible sign of his growing insanity, and something he would deny under pain of death. In fact, he mostly denied it even to himself, because trying to think too hard on why he wanted something so ridiculous wasn't healthy.

"Sasuke-san, would…would you mind if I take that?"

He briefly contemplated throwing it at her but quickly realized it would be a bad idea. Instead he closed the box that held the offensive material and thrust it at her.

"Get it out of my sight." He demanded and she quickly took the box and left the room, trying to stifle her giggles the entire time.

xxxxx

Because it was the first of many festivals of the year, it held one of the biggest turnouts. This highly annoyed Sasuke, who disliked crowds, but it also seemed to make Hinata a little wary as well. It made sense; she was a very reclusive person, always trying to keep a polite and respectful distance with everyone. She did not glomp or hug or even try to molest him. Being in a crowd where she could not avoid close contact was probably what had her on edge.

The one thing Sasuke noticed when they first arrived at the meeting place Ino had set for them was that he was being watched. It wasn't the same sort of stares from ANBU, as they hung around his house and watched him often. It wasn't the same as other Konoha shinobi or even wary civilians. This feeling held killing intent and he remembered it from before when Hinata had dragged him over to see Ino over a month ago.

He didn't tell Hinata, not wanting to attract attention to the fact that he knew and also because Hinata could very well already know. He didn't think she was that skilled, but he had underestimated her before and he knew little of how good she actually was with that bloodline limit.

The drums were beating in the background, the soft chirping of wind instruments not far behind. The two of them walked side by side this time, and Sasuke looked down at her briefly. Her kimono was a light blue that was covered in a floral design, her obi was a pale yellow.

Long dark hair was tied up and to the side, held securely by her hairpin. Hinata wore no makeup but she didn't need to. With her pale skin and her natural blush that seemed ever present at times, she was fine as she was. He even allowed himself to admit that he found her rather pretty. The thought was unnerving, but it didn't feel as bad as he thought it would.

It should bother you. It should bother you a lot.

They actually ended up waiting for Ino to show up, standing out of the way of the crowds. It was still light out and Sasuke could only assume that Ino had wanted Hinata to bring a lunch so they could all 'sit and share'. As his eyes scanned the crowd trying to find the source of that ever present sensation of being watched, his hands slipped underneath his sleeves to make sure the two kunai he had stolen from Hinata's personal stash were there and secure. If she had noticed them missing, she hadn't said anything yet and he wasn't going to tell her. They were there for his peace of mind; going out without any sort of weapon was something he just could not do comfortably.

Hinata was actually armed; he could tell when he looked closely enough. Probably only a few kunai, but he was impressed that she actually thought of it. If it had been one of his silly fangirls, they would have been so caught up on their 'date' with him they would have completely forgotten the basics of ninja training and left their weapons behind.

"Hinata-chan! Sasuke-kun!"

Ino latched onto his arm and he resisted the initial urge to push her away in a rather violent manner. Hinata stepped forward, the wrapped lunches in her hands.

"Ino-san, it's good to see you," the Hyuuga greeted before she gave Ino a quizzical look "Um, you never did say where we would find a spot…"

"Don't worry, it's perfect." Ino looked up at him "I'm really glad you came, Sasuke-kun. A part of me thought you'd change your mind."

Sasuke regarded Ino, taking in her painted face, her blond hair pulled up similar to Hinata's, and the light green kimono she wore. If he was honest with himself, Ino didn't actually look half bad, but she didn't seem to have the subtle grace and fluidity that Hinata displayed. The difference being that Ino looked like she was just wearing a kimono, Hinata looked as if she was made for kimonos.

"I said I was coming, so I'm here." Sasuke eventually said. Ino snuggled closer to him and began to lead the way, which actually wasn't too far. The area was just on the outskirts of the festival, a clearing with a few trees nearby and a lake a good distance away.

Hinata laid out a thin blanket for them all to sit on and began to unwrap their meals. Ino was practically trying to do some sort of osmosis thing with him, she was that close. He had never really liked it when girls actually hung onto him and years had not changed that. It took a lot for Sasuke not to say anything or brush the blond off; tolerating her presence and being a 'good boy' tonight would greatly increase both females opinion of him and he needed that.

The sensation of being watched was not as intense out in the open, leading Sasuke to believe that whoever it was wanted to strike in a crowd. Easier to get lost that way. The festival would be the perfect place to try and kill him from a distance and Sasuke had no doubt that was this person's intentions. An assassin perhaps? Disgruntled individual out for revenge? Regardless, he'd be ready.

How Ino managed to eat and still keep a good hold on him was something he didn't quite understand as they began to eat their lunches. The Yamanaka did most of the talking while Hinata would chime in every now and then. Sasuke said very little and really wasn't even paying much attention to the conversation.

Neither female seemed to mind his silence and their lunch went quickly by without incident. Ino let Hinata clean up but then insisted that she give her the blanket and the lunches so she could stash them at her store. A bit of mild protesting from Hinata, which was ignored by Ino, and then the Uchiha found himself walking along the decorated streets of Konoha with the two females.

Inwardly, he hated this. He hated these people, he hated this village. Ino continued to prattle on and would sometimes drag him to booths to either grab a snack or play a game. She had managed to drag Hinata into play one or two games, neither of which she won.

"Damnit, these guys cheat anyway. And what's with the rule that you can't use your ninja abilities huh?" Ino protested when Hinata, who had been playing the game where one tried to acquire a fish, had lost all of her five attempts.

The Hyuuga gave Ino a small, slightly nervous, smile. "It's alright Ino-san, the money helps them, that's one of the good things behind the festival."

Ino wouldn't be dissuaded so easily "Yeah, but that doesn't mean they should take advantage of us poor helpless young girls."

Sasuke tried not to snort at her for her comment. Hinata just smiled and continued to follow Ino as she dragged her 'date' along, not wanting to argue. It was times like this that her passive personality tended to irk him. It seemed as if she just let people have their way without even trying to fight it. A good example was their lunch, something that Ino could have easily made herself yet had the, basically, third wheel do it. Hinata not only did it, but she done so with a smile on her face.

He knew what really bothered him about her, it was the fact that she seemed to have an almost perfect personality. When it came to envy, anger, jealousy, selfishness, hatred; it was as if she were immune to having such feelings. People like her didn't, or rather shouldn't, exist and it pissed him off how nothing negative seemed to have any real effect on her.

"Oh wow, look at that." Ino's breathless voice cut into his thoughts "It's so beautiful."

The two girls were in front of a booth that held glass and crystal figurines and jewelry. The 'beautiful' item she was talking about he noticed was a long crystal rose created with striking detail. The actual rose itself was a deep red and two of the leaves were green but the stem itself was left unpainted.

"Ah, I see you've caught an eye for our finest item," the vender, an elderly gentleman, said to Ino. "It's one of a kind; you won't find it many other places as it was handmade. If you play the bottle game at the adjacent booth and win the grand prize you can get a voucher that will make its cost considerably low."

The two booths were playing off of each other? Figures. Both females seemed rather enthralled by the majestic looking rose and Sasuke found himself trying not to roll his eyes. In certain things, all females were hopelessly predictable.

Ino began trying to barter with the vendor but Hinata stepped back and moved to the far end to glance at some of the other items.

He sensed it then. The moment Hinata's attention seemed to be elsewhere that killing intent became stronger, closer. Eyes scanning the crowds and buildings Sasuke couldn't see anything that looked out of place. His hands reached into his sleeves and took hold of the kunai but didn't reveal them just yet. Where was that bastard hiding at?

Suddenly, Hinata emerged right in front of him, her Byakugan activated and kunai at the ready to protect him. It was also the same moment that he knew the assassin was striking.

If you don't do something, she's going to die.

What he ended up doing defied all logic in his mind. One hand grabbed Hinata and pulled her directly against his body, his other arm became the blocking force for the kunai that had been shot with amazing accuracy towards his heart and, because she jumped in front of him, Hinata's forehead. Startled screams erupted and civilians began to disperse.

He ignored all of that. Sasuke, with Hinata still against him, pulled out the kunai from his forearm. The Hyuuga twisted to look at him and gasped when she realized that his black eyes were actually red.

It was unbearable pain, activating the Sharingan, and it was through some miracle that he had been able to withstand it as long as he had.

"Idiot," he muttered at her just as he felt his eyes roll to the back of his head and darkness claim him.