A/N: Yeah so, you want to know where I've been, right? I'm not telling~ Lolz Just kidding guys, college has been pretty rough on me, but my first year is done and over with! I have some time on my hands for now, so I'll revisit my uncompleted stories once again and update when I can.
Summary: A part of Mint Pizza Queen's 1000 Theme Challenge. If you've killed as many people as him you'd have some issues too.
Disclaimer: Oh the hills of money I would frolic in *sigh*
Stained Red
By: kitsunekitsunebi
Chapter 2: Bloody Silence
After the previous week's fiasco, Sasuke seemed to get increasingly better. He was less destructive for starters. He had stopped putting up a fight when asked to take his medication when requested of him. No longer was he paranoid when it came to Hinata and her healing hands. There was one thing that was bothering her though: Sasuke would not speak.
Yes, yes Sasuke had never been a talkative person even before he ran off in search for power with Orochimaru years before but, this silence was deafening. It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
The steady beeping of the heart monitor that ordinarily gave poor Hinata peace of mind was now driving her insane.
The tick-tock of the little round clock overhead was beginning to give her an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach as she waited for Sasuke to say something, anything.
Hinata moved around the room, checking medication, moving equipment, and tidying up the other bed if only to keep her mind occupied.
"Why?" Hinata nearly jumped out of his skin when the young man spoke. He had been watching her intently for some time now and it was only adding to her nervousness. The sudden break in silence was loud, shattering her concentration, and startling her into dropping the supplies she had been organizing. Hinata mentally sighed as her heart skipped a beat and she turned to face the young man in the hospital bed.
"Why, what?" she asked giving him her undivided attention. He hadn't spoken since the incident last week and she wanted to hear everything he had to say.
"Why are you still here?" he asked, his tone not nearly as cold as the question. She expected the question to be malicious, uninviting; not calm and collected. He actually sounded genuinely curious as to why she had showed up to work again.
Hinata almost smiled when she searched his still healing face. Though he had asked his question in a less than friendly manner, his expression was not mocking.
His eyes could not lie to her, she could see everything.
What he really wanted to ask was why she did what she did the week before.
"Because, Sasuke, you are more than just another patient I'm assigned to care for; you're my friend." He looked at her like she had grown a second head for a moment, but then sighed, slipping back into silence as he stare out the window.
His face was blank, but Hinata could see that this dark-haired was suffering. Just as Hinata began to open her mouth to speak, a knock sounded at the door. Sasuke did not bother to turn and face the visitor as Hinata went to release the many seals that had been placed on the all exits.
Hinata didn't understand why the guards felt the need to place seals; it's not as if it would have stopped the Uchiha.
If Sasuke had wanted to leave, he would have been gone in the blink of an eye.
"Oh so I see that you have finally become manageable, Uchiha." Tsunade said, making her way across the short distance from the door to his beside. Sasuke turned to stare her in the eyes. The look he gave her was so hurt she wondered if she was talking to the same man who had aided in the demolition of the village, who was the secret weapon of the opposition in the last Great Ninja War.
Clearing her throat, the busty blonde spoke again and this time looking at Hinata.
"Now that we have determined that he is physically healthy besides his newly acquired injury, we will need to begin the rehabilitation process."
There was a pause as Hinata and Tsunade looked to Sasuke who had once again resigned himself to staring intently out the window.
"We will begin tomorrow morning with something simple. I will bring in Ibiki and Anko to analyze his mental state before we start the exercise."
"But, Tsunade, I don't think . . ."
"It's now or never Hinata."
"Don't talk about me like I'm not here!" shouted Sasuke from his spot on the bed. His once pale face was now red with anger as he glared intently at the two, his eyes glowing red for just a moment with the Sharingan.
"I will speak to whom I want." He said looking at Tsunade. He then turned to Hinata.
"And you, do not underestimate me." Both Hinata and Tsunade exchanged a look as the color quickly drained from Sasuke's face and he began to curl in on his self and rock back and forth. He began to claw at his ears, causing a thin line of blood to trickle down the side of his face.
"I . . . do not wish to Ibiki or Anko . . . they bring back memories." He said, his voice barely a whisper. Hinata placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, causing him to flinch and look up at her. She did not, however, remove her hand.
"I think Tsunade and I can figure something out. Who would you like to speak to, Sasuke?" There was another pause as he mulled over the names of the people he had once been friends with. He mumbled a reply into his knees.
"What was that?" Another pause.
"I will speak to anyone if . . . you are there with me."
A/N: How's that for a second chapter? Sasuke is quite the character, huh?