~Chapter 21~

Swimming

When the two arrived in class, Sasuke couldn't help stealing glances at Kinata. She was quick to respond to most of the answers and only faltered when she was sure knowing too much would seem strange to Iruka-sensei. She had explained earlier on their walk to the Academy that a lot of their book work was what she'd learned at her first two foster homes. He'd been silently impressed in class after realizing just how much she had been taught without a legitimate class system.

Sasuke stared down to his left at her paper. On the parchment, Kinata had already written out two paragraphs over fourteen different scenarios that were drawn out on the blackboard behind Iruka-sensei. He hadn't even begun to explain each drawing and had barely finished telling them what he needed as an answer. Kinata had already guessed what he wanted and seemed done by the time their sensei turned his back to them, starting to point out the first situation.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her answer until he noticed her looking at him in annoyance. He gave a nod to her work, raising his eyebrows. He didn't want her angry, but the boy couldn't wrap his head around how quick she could catch on at times. Kinata's irritated expression let up, and she sheepishly shrugged, turning her attention towards the board.

Iruka-sensei finished his detailed lecture for the project and the challenge behind it. For each of the obstacles, the students had to decide the beneficiary factor and the common attack sequence that would set the victory in motion. Kinata was done before anyone in class began.

Once she'd heard him reviewing combat moves and the outcome from the sequential effects, the assignment had been pretty obvious to her. She just wasn't sure however if he'd ask for the winner's ultimate abilities to success or the loser's mistake in the lapse of sequences. She tried her hardest to ignore Sasuke. He knew about her book smarts but she'd had a lot of help growing up with personal tutoring…in a way. She wasn't any better than her peers, she was just more prepared. The boy to her right kept observing her intensely, seemingly amazed at her paperwork. It left her unnerved.

He began to write on the sheet once their teacher had finished and had asked the class to start. She set her head in her upright arm position, overlooking the Uchiha boy's work, returning the awkward atmosphere he had just done to her. After five minutes he tensed. One more minute passed and he let out a quiet but clearly aggravated sigh. Two minutes later and he brought his glaring eyes up to Kinata's persistent gaze.

"Can I help you?" He growled, barely audible. She smirked.

"Just returning the favor." Sasuke gave her a questioning look.

"What?" He hissed.

"Earlier. Seriously, you were staring non-stop at my paper. It's annoying when you do that. Now you see what I'm talking about." He went to snap something back when he paused, glaring down at his paper.

"Whatever." He coldly replied. Kinata eased up, hoping that meant he could take the hint.

His answer had been short and summarized poorly. He was based more on the analytical sense of geometric moves and the calculations behind it rather than the general aspect of the tactical moves. In those eight minutes Kinata had only been able to glance at his work but she was starting to form the idea of how different they were, at least as far as jutsu was concerned. She frowned.

He has flaws, and so do I. We also have our strengths…it's interesting to finally start to see them...I feel like I'm getting to know not only who he is…but what I'm all about too.

She wanted to feel happy about those two facts, but it scared her more than anything.

When they left the Academy, Kinata had decided on going for a swim, surprising Sasuke. They were taking the long path to Sasuke's house, which curved around a long pond. It was well kept and too tempting not to swim in it on such a perfect day. Or at least that's what Kinata whined to Sasuke.

"Come on! It's really hot." She ignored his narrowed eyes. Although not many took the path they were on, as it encircled the back of the abandoned Uchiha property, Sasuke didn't feel like having his fellow shinobi (or students), especially the obsessive girls, finding him half naked in a pond. But Kinata was nearing the pond before he could stop her.

"We're not in proper clothes for swimming." He argued, his voice level. She glanced over her shoulder, smirking and then shrugging. She grabbed the sides of her shirt to pull it off. Sasuke was too swift however, grasping her wrists before she could pull the item passed her bra line.

"Kinata." He tried to keep the desperation from his voice.

Was she really about to undress in front of me? His hands unexpectedly shook, making him frown. She had her back and ass pushed against his front side, so when she squirmed to look around to face him, he let out a soft moan.

Kinata tensed. The sound that had come from his throat made her nerves spark. His hands held her tightly in place, now around her own hands, but still grasping the cloth, just above her belly button. His tone when he had said her name had been low and masculine, and for their age, it shocked Kinata that he could sound like that.

"Sa…sasuke?" She blurted, barely holding onto her confidence. Why was he so worried about her swimming? And more importantly, why was he holding on to her, so close?

"I'm going swimming. Turn around if you're so against it." She'd somehow regained her senses when his grip had let up a little and he had begun to step back.

She refused to look back to see his face and instead took off her shirt, shorts, and sandals. She left her bra and panties on of course, her mind justifying that they were just as covering as a typical bathing suit. Then, she dove in, laughing all the while at her skill with water moves.

Sasuke felt mortified, not because of her actions, but because of how he had reacted.

What he had done, how he had sounded…it only made his stomach clench horribly.

He wanted to leave but he couldn't help glancing over to see Kinata one last time before heading home. As he did, he was mesmerized, caught by the sight of Kinata's slight nudity.

She was beautiful.

He blinked, hiding pitifully the creeping blush. He couldn't turn away from the brunette, just as she went to dive a canon into the water again. She came up, gurgling water, spitting it out childishly, and then erupting into musical laughter at her ridiculous antics.

Why is her image…her being…why is she so damn attractive? Fuck, I don't get it.

He still barely knew her. It was stupid. Fucking stupid.

Sasuke was suddenly splashed.

He tensed, staring down at his dark wet shirt. He took a deep breath and then looked up at a deviously smirking Kinata. She gave a short wave.

"Whoops." She mockingly yelled. He glared, but then he gave her a scary smirk.

Uh, what's he up to? Kinata actually felt goose bumps at seeing his abruptly scheming face.

He tossed his bag to the side, swiftly withdrawing his shirt.

"Fine. I declare we have a swimming match." His voice was hard and challenging.

Kinata was holding herself up from the water with only her hands as she eyed the raven-haired boy before her. She made it clear that she was boldly taking in his torso, arms, and stomach. His muscles were defined incredibly for his age. Kinata noted that he'd be a worthy opponent in a contest of swimming. He definitely had the upper body strength for it. But she'd had practiced swimming on many occasions as a child; a few of those times had been with her old sensei advising her from the shoreline.

"You're on." She shouted back, swimming until she could pull herself up from the side to join Sasuke at the edge. He pulled his pants off to reveal black boxers. She instinctively looked away, not quite brave enough to check him out further.

"So to the other side and back?" Sasuke heard her ask for clarification. He was watching her every move. Her eyes were set and determined. He grinned a little bit to her but she didn't notice. She was now in the zone.

"Yeah. Pretty much. So if you win, what do you want?" She finally turned around to see him. Her eyes squinted in thought.

"I want to learn a special technique from you. I don't care what jutsu." She gave a self-assuring nod to herself, hiding her grin at his raised eyebrow. He hadn't expected that kind of answer. His stomach clenched (twice today!) at having to personally train her on one jutsu.

"So what about you? What do you want, Sasuke?" His mind went blank for a split second. He wasn't sure now what exactly he wanted.

"Sing to me. Every night, before I sleep. His tone was smooth and he held onto his cool composure by crossing his arms in a cocky manner while tilting his head to the left.

Kinata stared hard at him, and then shrugged.

"That's something you could've just asked of me though…dork." She muttered the last word as she turned back to the water. She had the faint image of a smirk, waiting for him to say the words for take off. Sasuke on the other hand stood stunned and annoyed. He frowned.

Really? She would have done that, if I had just…asked? He glared to the water before them.

Could he change his answer then?

"Alright, ready?" Her voice sounded pushy, clearly impatient with the Uchiha's silence.

Sasuke kept calm, though inside he was blazing. His plan was to get her away from Naruto but then her answer had caught him off guard. Kinata obviously indicated automatically to giving Sasuke more of a chance with her by training with him personally. So he had went to say that she'd have to cook for him for the rest of the week, until his eyes had directed down to her lips.

The memory of them sitting high up, overlooking the sunset passed the countless trees, on the side of his secret hideout, had slipped through his mind. He remembered her singing, with passionate tones, of a song that had meant to be sacred to her because of her family, her original home. She had shared something so intimate with him that night, and he had felt, in a corny way, connected.

So he had blurted out his answer while having still remained composed.

Sasuke, for a moment, was proud of himself.

But right after, her response had only surprised and flustered the Uchiha.

It was why Kinata was still standing next to him, lingering by the edge for the match to begin, as he stared emotionless into the waters. He would never be able to predict the girl beside him. He didn't know how to take this information

"GO!" She yelled after she saw him just dazing off into the deep blue liquid. She was eager to win. He jumped in place, giving her a head start. He immediately took off after her, swearing before taking a deep breath and a huge leap.

Kinata was quick but he had more muscle, pushing himself through the water with ease. He caught up to her, just as they reached the other side. She gave him a teasing smile as they both kicked off the edge to reach the finish line. Sasuke decided to make the swim more exciting. He dove to his right, in the line of Kinata's pathway.

She gasped, knocked back and gurgling some water as she did. Kinata glared at the back of the boy in front of her. She closed her eyes, concentrating the flow of her chakra to her feet, increasing her energy and thus the rate of speed with her kicking. She easily slipped to the far left of him, hitting his left hip in the process. Sasuke turned his head, shocked to see her so close and now inches in front of him. She grinned, diving smoothly backwards to Sasuke to push him back. He smirked, allowing Kinata to do that so that he could grab her arm to pull her towards him, albeit away from the finish line.

Kinata's eyes widened as the lasting boost of energy in her legs pushed her into Sasuke's neck roughly, only encouraged more so by his sudden pulling her into him, ramming the rest of her body into his. She let out a tiny squeal, defying her usually composed (and not girly) being. He let out a low grunt from the impact. After a second of regaining his stance, Sasuke was swimming vertical beside her, clutching her shoulders so that she too could regain her balance in the water. She was glaring at him.

"That wasn't fair!" She pouted, knowing she'd look like a complete fool, especially after seeing Sasuke holding back from smirking.

"Tch. You should've thought of that before bumping my side." Kinata sighed, trying to hide her blush. He had a point.

"Yeah, well, you hit me first and ruined the race." She threw back at him. If he hadn't stopped their momentum then they'd still be swimming. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"It was clear I was going to win." She stared at his defiant onyx eyes, mouth agape.

"What? As if! I was steadily passing you at the end." She wanted to explain why when she saw Sasuke's eyes glance slightly down only for them to widen. He quickly turned his head to the side, a dark hue barely beginning to surface upon his cheeks.

"What?" She questioned, trying to hold back her irritation.

"You're…the bra…it's not…I mean, you're topless." He spit out the last bit, completely uncomfortable about telling Kinata this embarrassing fact.

She was speechless, looking down to find her chest in plain sight, just now noticing the water splashing against her skin that should NOT be exposed. She gasped in horror, instantly covering herself. She felt herself having slight trouble keeping up from the water's surface from being one-handed.

Sasuke grabbed her right arm, searching for her top while being careful to stay clear of Kinata's presence. His serious face was officially planted on and Kinata was grateful for it. He wasn't like most boys in situations like these. He at least knew how to act mature and not cause further pain to her ego.

But for the Uchiha boy, it was all too tempting to look. It was in his best interest if he went to ignoring her absolutely, otherwise he'd end up gawking at her like he had almost done.

He grew frustrated as he couldn't see her bra, frowning while Kinata went on a quiet rant.

"How the hell did I lose my top?" She mumbled, more to herself than to him.

Was it when I had cast the boost in my speed? Or was it when Sasuke had pulled me into him so suddenly? Kinata sighed, thankful for the extra support of his arm. She couldn't spot her top at only, only making the situation worse. It was a piece of cloth and it should have floated to the surface by now.

Unless it's caught on some weeds below…Kinata thought, depressed by the idea.

Sasuke, after nearly five minutes of searching, suggested that they go back to land. She silently agreed, swimming awkwardly with her left hand, while her other covered her breasts. Sasuke was having a hard time too, trying to keep a good distance while he held her right shoulder to have to swim with his only right arm. It was ridiculous. They were like two crippled idiots. A quarter of the way to the edge he stopped, causing her to do so as well.

"Look, just get on my back. It'll be faster." She raised a cautious eyebrow at that.

"My breasts would be up against your back." Always straight to the point. Sasuke droned in his head. He glared at her.

"Yeah. I know. I don't care. I just want to get to the shore. We've spent enough time our here as it is. We're lucky no one's come walking by." Kinata rolled her eyes.

"Okay. Fine, just…try not to enjoy it too much." She decided on teasing him in the end, since she had to deal with the situation no matter what. At least he would have to suffer the embarrassment with her. She swam to his back and he was glad, for at that point she had caused him to blush again, truly due to the reality of his sexual fantasy he'd had several nights ago. When her small, soft chest pressed against him, he went hard. He grit his teeth as her face curled seductively into his neck.

"Thanks, for trying to help." She murmured. He nodded, unable to speak. He began swimming. She helped by synchronizing her kicks with his. They made it to land in no time.

He quickly stepped away from her, facing his back to her.

"I'll grab you shirt." He roughly said. And my pants…he thought dryly.

"Kay." She chirped, covering herself well enough. She mused at his smooth movements, his muscles rippling at his actions. He tossed her clothes with expertise in her direction with his back still to her. She smiled, pulling her shirt over her head, thankful to be covered again.

Sasuke refused to look at her the rest of their walk back to home. She kept quiet, not sure what to say after such a self-conscious moment. She couldn't believe he'd felt her breasts against him – even if it was just his back!

Sasuke was relieved when they walked inside his house. She breathed a sigh of relief too.

"So, well, I guess I should probably change." She tried to nonchalantly say but gave up, heading to the stairs. Sasuke watched her retreat to her room. He'd guessed anyway that she'd do that. He could easily tell how embarrassed she'd been, even for how well she had tried to pull it off. They had both kept their cool for the most part throughout the situation. Now that he was alone, he walked to the outside patio, reminiscing over what had just happened.

He was so obviously attracted to her physically. That was extremely dangerous…and risky.

Again, Sasuke reflected his feelings for her as of late. They'd only increased, despite how adamant he'd been deciding on keeping his distance with her.

"Such a failure…" He muttered, frustrated and pissed at himself. He could only imagine Itachi's ridiculed laughter and scornful eyes if he were to ever hear of his emotions towards Kinata. He could just hear his older brother's despicable words.

"Such a fool…such a weakling…" He tightly closed his eyes, holding on to the side of his balcony, remembering just that night…a night he would rather have blocked out of his memories.

"…if you wish to kill me one day in hate and revenge, surviving in such an unsightly manner as this, then by all means, flee…cling to your wretched life…" His breathing was coming in erratically now.

He couldn't think clearly anymore. Kinata had awakened so much inside of him that he had believed was long gone, all because of Itachi's doing. Yet when he put himself back in that moment, facing the wretch that hypocritically had called him out, he felt pain. Raw pain.

He couldn't be with Kinata, not if he wanted eyes that could take on his brother.

Maybe she could help him get to that point, but playing further with his emotions wouldn't be wise. He would never have the strength to challenge the man who'd slaughtered everyone who had once mattered to the last Uchiha survivor.

"I have to regain control." He muttered darkly to himself, staring hard at the wooden ground beneath him. He shook his head at the faded outline of Kinata's body, her smile, her hair blowing in the breeze away but as if against his will, the picture became more vivid.

The image wouldn't go away.

He growled, leaning on the balcony with his back now to the woods.

Her honesty and willpower gave him motivation. It was partly why he'd begun to recognize the different appeals he had for her. Emotionally, she exceeded him, and that irked his every nerve.

If that were the case though, he could learn something from her, especially when he would have to confront Itachi and kill him.

Sasuke sighed.

So he liked Kinata more than a classmate…possibly even more than that.

He raked a hand through his hair, growling again to himself.

How the hell did I get myself involved in all of this?

A few hours passed of the two disregarding each other completely.

They both went to bed without saying goodnight, Kinata having finished her training in the upstairs room and Sasuke focused on organizing his stock rooms.

Sasuke wanted to say something but he figured she should be the one to see him first, if only for the sake of humility.

Besides, his mind was clouded with contradicting thoughts, and Kinata was the center cause for all it.