Author's Note: I still do not own Naruto. So here is chapter nine finally. I am sorry it took so long to get out. I had some things going on that I won't go into detail about but they left me in no good mood for wiriting, especially when this chapter is revolving around a date. This is the longest chapter so far (I figured I'd make it up to you all). I am not sure how good it is since I am not all that great at writing this sort of stuff. You will just have to see for yourselves. There is also a lot of talking to get in more character bonding. Oh one more important note is that as you will notice in this chapter I wrote part of it surrounding Sasuke rather than Hinata. The story still has Hinata as the main but in the upcoming chapters there are going to be a lot of things happening and in order for you all to get them I will have to give you the point of view of other characters. Plus in this chapter I figured it would be nice to give you all a bit of an idea on what Sasuke's feeling. Anyway once again sorry for the wait and hope you enjoy!
Hinata was quietly pacing the room of her floor. She was a mess at the moment, her palms sweaty and her cheeks flushed a light pink. She was a nervous wreck and there was no sign of relief in sight. In fact the whole reason she was this nervous was because she was supposed to meet Sasuke for their date in twenty minutes over at Shikamaru's house. It wasn't like she could have him pick her up at home like any normal teenage girl would have their date pick them up yet. Then again this wasn't exactly a normal date. First off her date didn't even know who she really was. Secondly, she had also been blackmailed into this date so to speak. Okay so she had to admit it wasn't blackmail but she couldn't have crushed Naruto by saying no and ruining his chances at a date with Sakura. Plus at this point she had to prove to him that she did not still like him. Tuesday certainly had been a bit awkward between them. At least he was finally starting to realize that her crush on him had long since gone away.
The only thing at the moment that was keeping her from diving under her covers and staying there was the picture of Naruto's face in her mind when she had told him that she would go on the date. He had been so excited he had nearly started crying on her. No way she could back out now and let him down. Plus it wasn't exactly that she didn't want to go out with Sasuke, it was simply that she felt nervous enough to get sick. Thankfully she hadn't eaten her dinner or else she actually might have. She had simply picked at her dinner and made an excuse about having eaten a big lunch so she wasn't hungry. She had stuck around downstairs long enough to clean up the dishes from dinner and wipe down the kitchen counters. She had then excused herself up to her room to finish her homework and go to sleep.
This was going to be her first time sneaking out of the house on a school night and while the prospect did worry her, she was also looking forward to it slightly. She was taking another bold step. It wasn't like she would get caught. She might as well be invisible to her father and Neji so it was unlikely they would notice she was gone. Of course in the back of her mind she knew there was a chance but it was a risk she was more than ready to take. After all how many times had she taken it before? It was her only chance to get away from it all.
She paced some more, and wrung her hands together before coming to a stop in front of her mirror. She paused there for a moment, and stared back at a set of startlingly violet eyes and a black mask. She felt a bit foolish wearing the mask, but him seeing her face wasn't a chance she could take. Part of her wondered if he would see who she really was if she were to remove the mask. Another part of her knew how secretly crushed she would be if he didn't. It was a lose-lose situation for her and so she was going with the lesser of two evil so to speak. Critically she observed the rest of her outfit which had taken her forever to choose. She had never been on a date before and she wasn't exactly sure what to wear on one. In the end she had decided on a pair of snug fitting light colored jeans and a form fitting black long sleeved shirt. The sleeves of the shirt flared out slight at the wrists and ended after covering some of the back of her hands. The shirt was a low cut v-neck which punged to a point where it showed the violet colored tank top she wore underneath it. The splash of color, she had determined, really brought out her eyes, or should she say the contacts she wore in them. Her dark hair was down and she had straightened it, her bangs falling over her left eye even though she had tucked them back behind her ear. She had done her make-up as well; eyeliner, eyeshadow, mascara, lip gloss. It wasn't anything over the top but it did add to her overall look.
Walking over to her dresser she picked up her cell phone and some money and slid it into her pocket. Another glance at her clock, which now read 8:45, and she sighed out loud. There was no time like the present. Slipping her feet into a pair of black Vans, she walked over to her window and opened it. The cool night air hit her face and calmed her slightly. She glanced up at the cloudless sky and took a deep breath of fresh air. She coudl do this. All she had to do was be herself minus the name. She would be just fine. She only half-believed herself but it was a start. As if she were about to face a firing squad rather than a single guy wanting to take her on a date, she carefully climbed out her window, down the tree and headed off for Shikamaru's house.
She had choose to meet him at Shikamaru's because she wasn't about to tell him where she lived and since he had already been there once to drop her off. It made sense to have him meet her there this time. Besides it was only a block and a half away. It wasn't that far of a walk if she cut through a few back yards which was exactly what she did.
The cool breeze stirred her hair as she walked, causing it dance around her face. She brought up a slender hand and brushed a few strands back behind her ear as she carefully climbed over a fence, careful not to snag her shirt on the way over. She also made sure to avoid any censor lights since she didn't want to draw attention to herself. It was dark out by now but there were still plenty of people awake inside their homes.
She made it to Shikamaru's house a few minutes before nine. She made her way to the front of the house and took a seat on one of the front steps. She heard the door behind her open and Shikamaru peered down at her from just inside the doorway. She smiled and gave a little wave which caused him to shake his head. He stepped outside and closed the door behind him.
"Troublesome," he muttered as he sat down beside her. Hinata punched him lightly on the shoulder and then began to nervously play with a strand of her hair. "Nervous much," he asked with a sideways grin. She frowned and looked over at him.
"How is it that you are able to read me like a book. Am I that obvious," Hinata said with a sigh.
"No you're not that obvious though in this case you playing with your hair is. I'm your friend. It's my job to read you like a book," he said as he yawned and stretched his arms out over his head.
"Well you do a good job," she said giving him a quick hug before turning her gaze to the street where Sasuke's car had rolled to a stop in front of Shikamaru's house. "Looks like my date's here," she said her stomach once again full of butterflies at the prospect of just getting into the car with him. Part of her had hoped that maybe he wouldn't show but at the same time she realized that part was small compared to the part that would have been disappointed and a bit hurt.
"Hey Hinata. Wake me up when you get home so I know you got back alright," Shikamaru said as she turned to go. Hinata stopped and turned back at him, a smile on her delicate features.
"Is someone going to worry about me," she teased. "You almost sound like a father."
"Well someone's got to look out for you," he grumbled with a dismissive wave. "Even if it is troublesome," he added before heading back inside his house and leaving Hinata to face her date with Sasuke Uchiha on her own. She took several deep breathes as she headed for the car. She told herself over and over again that she could do this and then she climbed into the car.
"I should have known," Sasuke said as she climbed into the car. The sound of is voice, smooth and deep, had every muscle in her body humming with life, tense and ready to react at the slightest thing. It was the way she got when she was in a race and here he was giving her that feeling with his voice alone. She was jumpier than she imagined and she cursed herself for it. She was supposed to be calm and collected, certainly not jumpy like the little schoolgirl she was.
"Should have known what," she heard herself saying though it took her a moment to register the fact that she had actually spoken.
"I should have known you'd bring your shield along," he said bringing a hand up and lightly touching his index finger to the corner of her mask. Hinata had to fight to keep from blushing like a total idiot and was glad that it was dark outside and in the car. Otherwise he would have been sure to see the color rise in her cheeks.
"I wasn't about to face you without it," she said slowly feeling her nerves recede slightly. She was slowly managing to get a hold of herself, which she was glad for. She wouldn't have been able to stand it if she was this jumpy the rest of the evening. Sasuke chuckled and put the car into drive.
"And here I was thinking I might actually get to see your face," he said with a smirk.
"And here I was thinking you weren't that stupid," she shot back. He shrugged his shoulders.
"Well it seems we were both wrong then," he said with a smirk. She smiled as she thought back to when they had met at the race and he had took a shot at her height and her one at his looks. It seemed like forever ago. Had it only been last weekend? Of course they had known each other longer than that but they had never talked. Nevertheless she was feeling a bit foolish for liking him so much already. She knew she was setting herself up for a fall but there was another part of her longing to take a chance on this and it seemed that it was that part that was slowly winning. She was slowly starting to go by feeling rather than thinking. She was taking another big step. One she hadn't taken before and while she was terrified of the consequences she was already caught up on what may come out of it.
"So where exactly are you taking me," Hinata asked coming out of her thoughts long enough to study their surroundings outside the car window. She knew where they were going but she had no idea where they might be headed. Perhaps he was just planning to drive around. She was curious either way.
"Movies," he answered as he turned left down another road.
"The movie theatre is on the other side of the town," Hinata said turning to look at him.
"I know that. We aren't going there," he said easily. When she opened her mouth to ask more questions he shook his head. "You will see when we get there." Hinata folded her arms over her chest, her lower lips putting out as if she were a little kid who hadn't gotten their way.
Sasuke glanced over at Violet and noted the pout on her flawless features. It made her look younger and cute which wasn't a word he had been associating with her before. Those thoughts came second though to his thoughts about all the ways he would like to sooth that pout off of her lips. And those thoughts are the ones that caught him
off guard. The ones that made him want to call this all off and run away. He didn't run away from much but this undeniable pull he felt towards her was really beginning to worry him. He wouldn't say scared because hell if he'd admit that even to himself but he was definitely worried.
He could honestly say that he had never felt this way about someone before. He wouldn't label it as anything special just yet but it was definitely something different. In the back of his mind, he knew that he shouldn't be doing this. He knew that this was a bad idea from the start. He should have never taken a chance like this. He was risking everything, and he was well aware of that. And not only was he risking everything but he was risking pulling her in with him as well because he knew he was drowning. It was only a matter of time before it all came out and then where would that leave him? No where good that was for sure. He was in over his head and here he was on a date. He was an idiot that was for sure. But he couldn't help himself. There was just something about her and he wanted to find out what it was before it was too late.
He hated living like this. And at the same time he really didn't have a choice. It was too late to go back now and even if he could, he knew that he wouldn't go back. This was after all his chance. It was his chance to what he had wanted to do for all these years now. Maybe then he would be able to feel whole again. Maybe then he would be able to sleep through one night without waking up from a nightmare, maybe then he could take a look at his life and finally believe that everything was going to be okay.
He forced his gaze back to the road, wondering if she had noticed his staring and hoping that she hadn't. Staring wasn't exactly something he would normally do. He let out a relieved breath however when he realized her attention had been on the sight out the window.
"I didn't even know they had a drive-in theatre out here," she said the pout having turned into a full-fledged smile that he decided was darn near perfect.
"You should get out more," he said with a smirk as he pulled in and paid the man at the gate before finding a place to park. He brought the car to a stop and killed the engine. Opening his door, he got out of the car and looked back at Violet. "Come on it's a nice night," he said before closing his door.
Ten minutes later Hinata was sitting with Sasuke on the hood of his car, their backs against the windshield. Between them they had a bucket of popcorn and two sodas. The drive-in played older movies on the weeknights since the younger crowd, for the most part, came on the weekends. Tonight they were playing , a movie that they had both seen and while they were both still watching it they were talking as well.
"Okay lets see. Name something you love, something you hate, and something you use everyday," Hinata said with a grin.
"My car, high school, and a toothbrush," Sasuke said tilting his head to the side to look at her.
"How can you hate high school? It seems like everyone likes you," she blurted out in shock before she realized how much she just gave away with that single statement. She hoped he hadn't picked up on that but of course she hadn't been that fortunate.
"Wait just a minute," he said a smirk growing on his features as he propped himself up on one elbow and turned to look at her. "Just how do you know that everyone likes me?"
"I may have heard it from Naruto and Shikamaru," she lied, hoping that he bought it. Of course he didn't. He just had to make things difficult for her.
"I think you're lying," he said as he reached his hand out. He caught her chin gently before his thumb and forefinger, turning her face so that her gaze met his own. "Whether you like it or not you just told me that you go to my school." He studied her face for a long moment before he finally sighed and dropped his hand, leaving the spot on her chin where his fingers had touched, scalding as if hot water had been splashed on them. "Now if only this wasn't here," he said reaching back up and tapping her mask lightly. "Then I would know who you are."
"You never answered my question," Hinata said cutting into his thoughts and deciding the best thing for her right now was to change the subject. She watched as he frowned and picked up a piece of popcorn. Rather than brining it to his mouth he chucked the piece out and away from him before looking back at her.
"It's easy to hate it," he said with a shrug. "There are a lot of fake people there. Hell, I suppose I am even one of them. Everyone pretends to be something their not or at least it seems that way. No one is themselves." He paused and tossed another piece of popcorn into the night.
"Besides you are wrong. Next to no one likes me. They all just like being associated with me. Somehow the fact that I preferred to be alone, or sit in silence got me labeled as 'cool'. I sure didn't ask for it. I'd rather just be left alone," he admitted, turning his black eyes back to her.
"You would never know," she said resigning herself to the fact that he knew she attended his school, "by the number of people you have around you all the time."
"Jealous," he asked with a smirk.
"Don't push it," she said lightly punching him in the arm. "Curious is more like it. I don't understand how it is that you would rather be left alone than bask in the glow of being one of high school's elite."
"I take it you aren't high on the social ladder of the place, are you," he asked, catching the mocking tone of her voice as she talked about the 'it' crowd of the high school.
"Not exactly. Does that bother you," she asked, wondering if in fact it really would bother him. The proud and independent part of her was insisting it wouldn't make a difference either way. Unfortunately that wasn't the only part of her. The rest longed to hear that it wasn't going to matter, even if he didn't mean it.
"No it doesn't. You're different and I like that. And as for your question, well I never wanted the attention. I'm sure you heard about my parents," he said his voice trailing off slightly.
Hinata nodded, her gaze drifting from the now ending movie to his handsome face. She along with everyone else in town had heard about what had happened to Sasuke's parents. Several years ago they had been murdered in their home. The police never arrested anyone for the crime but rumors swirled around that it had been Sasuke's older brother but there was never any solid evidence, or at least that's what the papers had said. Sasuke's brother had taken off after that and Sasuke had been left on his own since he had no other family to turn to.
"Well after that I withdrew on myself. I didn't want to have anything to do with anyone. Instead I somehow ended up becoming the center of everyone's attention," he said with a frown before he shrugged his shoulders once again. "I guess in a way it sort of forced me out of my self-imposed seclusion so it wasn't all bad. Otherwise I might have missed out on you," he said with another smirk and a wink instantly forcing the somber moment into something much more lighthearted.
"You are absolutely pathetic," Hinata said rolling her violet eyes. "The next thing you're going to ask me is if it hurt when I fell from heaven."
"Well did it," he teased back tossing a piece of popcorn at her.
"You're making an assumption there Uchiha," Hinata said sitting up slightly. Sasuke looked at her curiously, picking up the bucket of popcorn.
"And what might that be," he asked pausing to wait for her answer.
"You're assuming that I'm some sort of angel," she said with a wink and a sultry tone that she had no idea she possessed. Then again she had no idea she possessed the guts to say something like that either but why not live a little. She still had her shield and behind it she was quite close to invincible, or at least she felt close to that.
She was pleased with herself as she slid off the hood of his car leaving the smooth-talking and incredibly good-looking Sasuke speechless for the first time she could ever remember. She smiled to herself as she plucked the popcorn from his hand and grabbed the drinks, carrying them over to the nearest trashcan. She tossed them and headed back, still pleased with herself as she saw Sasuke sitting behind the wheel of the car, the engine idling so that they could get out of there. It was getting late after all.
Sasuke pulled out of their parking spot and headed for the road, his cool and calm demeanor having come back to him by now. He was also smirking and Hinata wondered what in the world was so funny as she watched him grinning from the corner of her eye. The drove in silence for a bit, he was watching the road and she was watching him grin. The silence however was finally shattered when Hinata broke down, her curiosity getting the best of her.
"What in the world are you smiling about," she finally demanded, which in turn only caused him to grin a bit more. She was just about demand he tell her yet again when he finally decided to open up his mouth.
"You like me," he said matter-of-factly. "For all your talk, you really do like me," he said with a bit of a chuckle. A chuckle that did things to her insides that she wasn't sure it should.
"Wh… wait… what," she finally blurted out. She was now next to furious that he had reduced her to that awful stutter of hers that she always used when she wasn't protected by her mask.
Sasuke looked at her for a minute almost as if he had realized everything in that instant and for a moment she couldn't breathe. What if he figured it out, and if he did, what if everything he had said about not caring was a lie? And then better yet, why did she care if it was a lie? But as quickly as it was there, it vanished and it was all she could do not to let out a big breath of air she had been holding.
"It's okay if you like me," he teased. "A lot of girls do," he said coolly, the smirk still on his features.
"I do not like you," Hinata said folding her arms over her chest and lifting her chin defiantly.
"Yes you do. Just admit it," he said turning to meet her defiant gaze with a stare of his own.
"Not happening. Just watch the road," Hinata said glancing forward at the long empty stretch of road.
"Not until you admit you like me," Sasuke said, not taking his eyes off of her.
"Knock it off. Watch the road," Hinata ordered, her own gaze now more focused on the road that him. One of them had to be paying attention to it after all.
"Say you like me first," he said, his gaze never wavering to look over at road though for good measure he did press down on the gas petal more causing them to accelerate down the straightaway, though it was a straightaway that would be ending soon enough.
"You are going to get us killed," Hinata yelled at him. "Look at the road or hit the brakes," she said as she unconsciously gripping the door so hard that her knuckles began to turn white.
"It's your stubborn pride that it going to get us killed," he said, his voice cool and calm as if he wasn't driving blindly ahead. Hinata glanced back at him for a brief moment and then forward once again at the road. The bend sped towards them. She swallowed a lump in her throat. She met his gaze again though her defiance was clearly wavering. She turned back to the road, the bend was practically on top of them.
"Okay I like you," she practically yelled. Sasuke slammed onto his breaks just in time to get the car around the bend. The smell of burning rubber filled the air as he took to corner and then pulled the car right off the road. The car rolled to a stop and Sasuke took his gaze back off the road and looked at Hinata.
"Told you so," he said with a smirk. Hinata snapped.
"You nearly got us killed," she yelled as she jumped out of the car. "And if you think for one minute that I like you just think about it. I was blackmailed into this date and that little confession right there was a bit forced don't you think. I would like to live to see the end of high school even if I do hate it," she said as she narrowed her eyes and glared at him. By now he had gotten out of the car himself and come around to where she was ranting though it was clear that none of it was getting through to him. He still looked clearly amused with himself.
"This is not funny," she said placing her hands on her hips. "I am going to…" She was cut off as he placed his hand over her mouth. His other hand found her shoulder and pushed her back against the car. She found herself pressed against the cool frame of the car and the warm hard body of Sasuke.
"It's okay that you like me," he said quietly his breath hot against her pale skin. She had the urge to flee but she didn't. She stayed still though, every fiber of her body humming with anticipation. He was so close to her, his face hovering inches from hers as he lowered his hand from her mouth. It was all she could do to keep her knees from buckling. And then that smirk worked its way back onto his face. She had the urge to smack that smirk right off his face.
"I don't li…" She didn't get to finish her sentence. This time it wasn't his hand that silenced her. His mouth came down on hers, lips colliding in what she would swear was some sort of nuclear explosion. His lips seared her own as her eyes closed and she melted. She would have slid straight to the ground if he hadn't had her pressed against his car. Her arms, acting of their own volition came up and wrapped themselves around his neck as his hands found her slender waist and rested there. He nibbled lightly on her lower lip and drew it into his mouth, she whimpered and her fingers found his hair.
He ran his tongue along her lips and asked for entrance and she gaze it to him with a blissful sigh. His tongue touches and teased and hers responded back. He kissed her until she was breathless and all the while she kissed him back. They finally separated, both breathing heavier than before. Hinata opened her eyes though her eyelids
felt as it they were waited down. Her eyes finally fluttered open, meeting his dark gaze straight on and nearly sending a shiver down her spine.
"It's okay that you like me," he repeated once more, his hands still on her waist and hers still wrapped around her neck. He kissed her lips lightly, then trailed them down her jaw line and down the arch of her throat to which she tilted her head back slightly.
"Because I happen to really like you," he said between the kissed he trailed over her skin, leaving each place his lips touched burning as if it had been fire that had touched her there.
"So I may like you," she said a bit breathlessly when he finally stepped away. She stared at him, the cool air taking the place of where his body had been and leaving her wanting to shiver again though this time from the cold. She knew that it was probably for the best that he had stepped away though. Everything seemed to be happening so fast. However, one thing she was sure of when she slid back into the passenger seat, was that she was not about to forget this date or the way his lips felt any time in the near future. She was sure she would be reliving them in her dreams.
