A/N: Enjoy. All disclaimers apply thought -or- 'thought' "spoken" ; try to follow along…..

**Chapter 11: Idle Minds**

The ex-avenger soaked his bloody t-shirt in the gushing stream while the heiress slept propped up on a tree trunk. The small waterfall, a few miles up from their current position, proves to be an excellent source of turbulence for his laundry task. He peered at his sleeping teammate across from him. They took camp a few miles before they reached Yu border. Kakashi left to gather recon on their assigned destination and to buy some time for Hinata to rest and hopefully heal herself before crossing the border. Nothing spells out suspicion like trying to check-in at a hotel with a bruised and battered female accomplice.

Sasuke had random thoughts flowing in and out of his mind. For example, he finds it peculiar that he is spending more and more time with his new 'friend'. He broke his chain of thought to soak his stained t-shirt in the turbulent stream again. His mind re-played the image of a poised, fierce, and 'ready-to-pounce' Hinata over and over again. She reminded him of an injured wild animal who has been hunted down and finally cornered. For that brief moment she wasn't Hinata Hyuuga, or even a Konoha kunoichi, she was just a ninja who was trying to survive… a ninja who was prepared to die in order to defend herself, her name, and dignity. Impressive….he thought….while he mentally hit the play button in his mind:

While Hinata was fighting to stay alive, Kakashi suggested they stopped their travels to take a short break. As they took a break in the shade, Sasuke pondered at the thought of Kakashi being worried for Hinata's safety… that was until he felt a tremor. At first, Sasuke thought he was imaging things…he was perched on a tree branch at that time. He dropped to the forest floor in an attempt to verify his findings. He crouched with one palm place downward in the damp earth...he waited…and waited…..he could hear Kakashi questioning his motives but he tuned him out, he was trying to concentrate.

..

…..

…..**

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the path they just came from…by this time Kakashi was walking up to him with a serious look on his face…Kakashi must of felt it too. By the time the third wave hit, Sasuke was already sprinting through the forest in search of the source behind these tremors with Kakashi in tow. The fourth tremor shook the very tree he landed on causing him to grip the trunk for stability. 'The hell'….he thought. He was positioning himself to jump to the next branch when Kakashi stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. Sasuke looked backed at Kakashi expectantly...

"You feel that…?" Kakashi asked him, eyes stills locked on the path before them.

'Feel what...?' Sasuke thought slightly annoyed.

"What am I suppose to be fee—" Sasuke started but was quickly hushed by the sensation of fleeting chakra.

This fleeting, pulsating chakra was hard to pinpoint, like trying to catch falling leaves on a windy day in Konoha. He answered Kakashi's question with simple "Ah." before resuming his sprint using the fleeting chakra as his guide this time. As he tore through the forest, he had a gnawing feeling in his stomach and a unfamiliar ache in his chest. For some reason he feels as if he is in a race against time. The thought left his eyebrows in a temporary furrowed position. He could pick up Kakashi near-silent footsteps as he closely followed him. Kakashi didn't question Sasuke's rash and hasty antics, which is something Sasuke is truly appreciative of… for if his sensei did…. 'I wouldn't know what to say'…he thought while concentrating on the path in front of him.

His Sharingan unconsciously activated at the sudden flash of light ahead of him….

*********BOOOOOOOOOOOOM***************

The denotation forced him to take cover. He could hear an object shielded by a cloud of smoke and debris crash through the thick forestry leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Although he couldn't get a clear visual on the object, he has a feeling that he already knows what …better yet 'who' the object was. He spotted Kakashi on a branch above him before dropping down on the forest floor. It didn't take him long to find the body that matched the fleeting chakra he's been chasing this whole time. He came upon a coughing…more like hacking… heiress positioned on all fours. His 'friend's' body was battered, bloody, and bruised. As he got closer to her, he was taken back by how much damage she underwent and yet still be attempting to stand. One has to give credit when credit is due, and if he had a hat he would surely tip it to her. He walked briskly towards her…maybe too briskly. Sasuke saw her reach for her kunai when she realized she wasn't alone, but he didn't think twice about it…he was relieved for some odd reason, that ache in his chest was disappearing. He watched as the heiress positioned herself to strike, at this very moment she is truly living up to her Hyuuga name. 'Neji would be proud' he thought. She reared back on her heels in a crouching stance as he got closer to her.

"Hinata..." he said, calling out to her so she would drop her guard as he closed the gap between them.

"Careful now Sasuke..." He could hear his sensei warn him in his usual nonchalant tone, but Sasuke ignores him…he knows she heard him.

..*step*…

….*step*….

******swooooshhhhhh********

He was forced to duck under the head-hunting blade…. 'Okay…maybe she didn't hear me', he thought. Sasuke knocked away his teammate's palms that followed her failed kunai attack. Her balance faltered only for a second, but he used that mere second to entangle his limbs with hers entrapping the rampant kunoichi. He endured her thrashing and clawing at his exposed skin as he held her at bay…

"What's wrong with you woman!" he yelled while giving her body a quick and violent shake.

"…jus—JUST KILL ME ALREADY!" She yelled, clearly agitated.

"The hell…?" Sasuke replied out loud this time.

"Maybe you should try using a calm, reassuring approach instead of yelling…" Kakashi chimmed in from behind Sasuke while turning a page in his 'Icha Icha trash' as he like to call it.

'Whatever' he thought while putting Kakashi advice to use…

"…Ochitsuite, Hinata."

He saw her take a quick intake of breath before opening a bloody eye to peer at him. He could physically see her once tense jaw slack and her muscles relax as she just barely place her weary head on his chest. He didn't know how to react to her sudden display of vulnerability so he did nothing as he released her from his restricting grasp. His next thought was to immediately ask her what happened but he let their leader take control instead.

"…and Kakashi-sensei." She asked straighting her posture.

"…behind me." He replied.

She sighed in front of him, head still lowered….defeated. He would have figured she'd be relieved at most… 'Strange'… he thought.

"Hinata….how are your injuries." Kakashi inquired while shutting his book.

'You can tell my looking at her that she can barely walk not alone stand…what a dumb question' he thought to himself. He listened to Hinata go through her list of injuries. She lifted her head, after finally running out of things to say, to give his sensei a small smile. He noticed that she was careful not to put a lot of weight on her left leg as she awaited Kakashi reply.

"Sasuke…do you mind?" Kakashi spoke from behind him.

"Hn…" he responded while giving Kakashi a nonchalant stare. 'It's the least I can do' he guessed…it's not like she hasn't taken care of him before.

He grabbed Hinata by her wrist and pulled her towards him. The look on her face was priceless. His pull was met with resistance and hesitation. 'A defiant heiress right down to the bitter end' Sasuke thought with an inward smirk.

"Put me do—" Hinata started.

"Shut up and just do it!" Sasuke interrupted using a more demanding tone than he originally intended…..

Sasuke broke from his mental recap when he heard Hinata stir in the background.

"Oh my head..." she said in a whisper.

She opened her blood matted eyes to view her surroundings. Like second nature, she began healing herself. Hinata started with her head, probing her scalp for open gashes before soothing her pulsating headache into a minor discomfort. She heard footsteps approaching her, for a quick second she panicked, until she remembered the events that led up to now. She took the canteen of water from the outstretched hand noticing the kanji scribbled on her teammate's wrist. She wanted to ask what it was for, but she decided against being nosey for the moment.

"Thanks."

He gave her a shoulder shrug as if to say: 'it was nothing'. She returned to tending to her wounds until she realized that he wasn't moving from in front of her.

"Something wrong, Sasuke?" She looked up at him curiously with a glowing hand mending her right eye.

"What happened…?" He asked.

'I got my ass kicked that's what happened' she thought negatively.

"Well let's just say things didn't go as planned" She said using Sasuke's once spoken words against him.

He cocked an eyebrow at her…that was clearly not the answer he was looking for.

"Sorry…just thought I try those words out too." She said with a tiny smile. Who was she kidding, this was Sasuke she was attempting to joke with.

"I was attacked by Cloud ninjas." She said while closing a gash on top of shoulder blade.

"Ahh…that would explain a lot." Sasuke followed the voice up the adjacent tree to see Kakashi sitting on a tree branch. 'When did he return?' Sasuke thought to himself, was he that distracted that he couldn't sense his sensei return?

Hinata explained, in heavy detail, what happened to her beginning with why she wasn't with them when they received their mission briefing.

"I'm aware that she packed supplies for me, but did those supplies include clothing too?" She asked….she really wanted to get out of her form fitting clothes, their great for training purposes and they did aide her in her sprint across Konoha but she believe they've served their purpose thus far.

"No, only medicinal items and ninja tools..." Sasuke replied cooly.

Dang it…she thought sarcastically as she stood slowly to test out her strength and balance. She picked up each leg, stretching them, before walking (with a slight limp) to the stream in front of her. There she stooped to wash her face and exposed skin in the stream. She raked through her hair removing twigs, leaves, clumps of dirt, and moss before washing her face once more. Better than nothing, she thought.

She turned from the body of water to see Kakashi and Sasuke talking amongst themselves. She accidently made eye contact with Sasuke before turning her head. Hinata washed her face once more before standing to make her way towards her new "team". Kakashi turned his attention to her when she joined them.

"Feeling better, Hinata?" Their silver-headed leader asked.

"Yes, much…sorry for the delay." She just felt the need to apologize…who knows how much time has expired because of her.

"How long do we have until we reach Yu border, Kakashi-sensei?" She questioned.

"We have an estimated arrival time of 30 minutes, so I think walking will be sufficient for now." Kakashi replied, before placing his travel kit on his back.

"From Shizune…." Sasuke simply stated, handing her the pre-packaged backpack. He turned to get his on travel kit when she grabbed his wrist. Sasuke whipped around to her with confusion clearly marked on his face until he felt warmth glowing on his arm. Kakashi watched Sasuke facial expression change from confusion to relaxation….odd…this was not the reaction Kakashi expected from his student after someone touches him without permission.

"Sorry for fighting you Uchiha…I was a little beside myself back there." She explained as she erased her scratches and nail marks from his arm, her mind clearly in "medic mode". Hinata outstretched her other hand, expectantly, as he placed his other arm in her awaiting hand. As she healed his arms she listened to Kakashi give her a briefing on their purpose in Yu border. To Kakashi's surprise this interaction between Sasuke and Hinata seem to be normal to them. Hmm…..his mind turned as he multi-tasked between talking and watching the scene before him. Kakashi has always wondered why Sasuke went to Hinata's place opposed to Sakura's apartment since she IS his teammate after all. He's never known Hinata and Sasuke to consider each other as friends...comrades yes…but friends? Not that it's a big deal, he frankly didn't give a damn, but the silver-headed sensei couldn't help but to feel the least bit curious. Sasuke…befriending someone? Kakashi smiled behind his mask as he wrapped up his conversation with a summary…

"To make a long story short, we are to research Yu country customs, village people, and means of protection. Yu country is not a ninja village, meaning that they receive their military protection from other villages. My guess would be the Village Hidden in the Clouds, since it is not far from Yu. I doubt Yu village has any ill-will towards Konoha, but I cannot say the same for Kumo village, especially since you was attacked Hinata. It goes without saying that you need to be careful Hinata. Especially if we run into you're assailants again. Remember, Yu country is known for its tourism so there will be many people there from all over the Great Lands. We just need to concentrate on any direct threat to Konoha… if any. Questions?"

"…..well…just one thought." Hinata spoke up with hesitation. "I wasn't aware that the Hyuuga's bloodline was still a prize for Kumo village, I thought the 3rd handled that situation during his reign."

"The 3rd and the Kage of Kumo village did come up with a pact that is still in effect today, but who knows how relations are now since Hyuuga's rarely come to Cloud village since that incident long ago."Kakashi answered.

"It sounds like we should be investigating Kumo if you ask me." Sasuke stated picking up his gear after receiving Hinata's medical clearance.

"We'll leave that up for the 5th to decide." Kakashi stated agreeing with Sasuke. "Ready, Hinata." Kakashi turned his gaze to the new member of his team.

"Hai!" Hinata said, swinging the backpack unto her back. Kakashi lead the team with Hinata in the middle and Sasuke at the end. Sasuke couldn't help but to notice the slight limp in Hinata step..oh yeah, I forgot about that.He traced his line of sight up the injured leg, past her thighs, and unto other pleasantries. No matter how stotic Sasuke appears to be 'a man is still a man'. He remembered that quote being spoken to him by Kakashi during one of their many "brotherly" chats…if you want to put it like that. He could feel the said man staring at him, he looked up to see a smirking Kakashi peering back at him, Hinata paced forward clueless to the conversation Kakashi and Sasuke is having with their eyes. If Kakashi was in whispering distance Sasuke knows he would be hearing something along the terms of:

….caught cha'….

Whatever….he's thinking too much again; a smirk played on his lips at the thought of being caught "red-handed". To his eyes displeasure he broke away from Hinata's shapely form and kept his eyes ahead of the trail ahead of him, but that doesn't keep his mind from wondering….from pondering….

..

.

.

…...from wanting…

A low chuckle escaped his lips…he really gotta' find another way to spend his past time.

….

…

…..

…. *sigh*…he hates it when his mind wanders.

End of Chapter 11

A/N: Hi! I had no idea how HARD it is to write in a male perspective. This is a personal new feat for me….I decided to go back explain how Sasuke and Kakashi found Hinata when they did, you know to fill some gaps…..there will be more 'connect the dots' in the next chapter. Please, tell me what you think thus far….. ;-)

Honestly, I never thought this would be an on-going story, I really intended on writing one-shots

Ciao,

bleubutterfly