The two had become a tangle of limbs, kissing, touching, and whispering soft promises. They pulled off each other's clothing, his shirt, her pants, then there was more kissing, giggling, fondling…and then a pause.
"Why isn't it…working?" said Hinata.
So maybe he was a little drunk himself.
Sasuke pulled away, sitting on the bed beside her, and feeling, for the first time, mortified.
"Sasu?" she sat up as well, drunk, disheveled, and beautiful.
"I can't…" he trailed off.
Hinata blinked, and for a moment, both blankly stared at his lap.
"I'm leaving."
"Sasuke-"
The door slammed shut behind him.
Sometimes they forgot they were teenagers, still learning about each other, themselves, and…their bodies.
Sasuke went back to Naruto's hotel room, stepping over the blonde, who was lying face-down on the floor. He climbed into the small bed there, and reclined, staring at the ceiling. The room gently spun around him. That night, Sasuke didn't get any sleep at all.
Instead, he mused about what had happened with Hinata…wondered if it wasn't just the drink that was at fault for his inability to…function. Or was there something more. Guilt?
He had been amazed by how forward Hinata had been in her inebriation. Her guard had been lowered in lieu of playfulness and sexuality. It was as though a few drinks had erased all her insecurities, leaving behind someone who was mischievous, and willing, and who just…wasn't her.
Beyond the contact, the heat, and their ragged breathing, he had stared down at her, watching as she smiled and waited.
She moved when he moved, and reacted to his every touch. When he kissed her, she kissed back, and when he asked her what she was feeling, she twisted her fingers through his hair as told him there was no way she could ever put it in words.
But Hinata had been his puppet. Because when he paused to gaze down into her eyes, she watched him, wondering what he was going to do next.
Sasuke shifted his gaze to the window as the first beams of daylight began to permeate the room. His eyes then moved to Naruto, just as he arose, as though with the sun. The two gave each other cagey looks, before Naruto covered his mouth and ran into the bathroom.
Hinata awoke to the sounds of birds chirping outside her window. She shielded her eyes with her arm. Where was all the light coming from? And why was her head pounding?
She pulled the comforter over her head before opening her eyes, after which she realized it was neither her comforter nor her bed. Her breath caught in her throat as images of the previous night flashed through her mind.
The bar, the drinks, the hotel, Sasuke carrying her to the room – dropping her onto the mattress–
Hinata sat bolt upright, frantically ripping off the sheets. Seeing that she was just in her bra and panties, she drew up her knees and held her head, struggling to remember what had transpired after they got to the room.
She remembered the touching, the kissing, them pulling off each other's clothes. She remembered them pausing, and then….
Sasuke hadn't been able to maintain his erection. He had gotten upset, and left.
Hinata reddened, not knowing whether to be relieved, embarrassed, offended, or infuriated. "T-teme…" she growled, dropping back to the bed and stuffing her face in a pillow.
Awkwardness awaited the group by departure time.
All three wore ill looks. Hinata was donning a pair of shades Shino had given her, and Sasuke's eyes were red-rimmed. Being doujutsu users apparently afforded them terrible hangovers.
Like the others, Naruto had shadows under his eyes. One side of his face was covered in rug-burn, and the other, rather green-looking. He gave his teammates a shaky smile, before giving up on pleasantries, and running off to hurl.
When the group left (some minutes later, when Naruto returned), Sasuke and Hinata did not meet eyes once. The squad returned to the dirt road to the Wind Country, and the walk was extraordinarily silent, but not one of them found the will to break it.
That afternoon, Hinata snuck a glance at Sasuke. She saw hints of frustration infecting his apathy.
Though she hated him at that moment – wanted to jyuuken him right in the stomach – she could barely challenge the irrational loyalty that remained. The fact that she loved him. I don't want to lose you again.
But Sasuke had tried to take advantage of her. Maybe it wasn't a healthy relationship after all.
The three set up camp in the forest that night, confident that they would reach their destination some time the next morning. When their tent was risen, and fire extinguished, one by one, the Konoha shinobi dropped themselves to their mats.
Oddly enough, no one was sleeping.
After some hours spent tossing and turning, Naruto opened his eyes to notice he was alone in the tent. He sat up, yawning, and wondered where Sasuke and Hinata had gone. For a fleeting moment, he wondered if they had gotten back together, but then dismissed the concept. Sasuke was too much of an asshat. Hinata was too insecure. There was no way they could have made up.
His curiosity urging him up (that, and his need to relieve himself), Naruto crawled out of the tent and wandered about the woods for a while, the light of the moon his only guide. He tiredly called out the names of his comrades, his half-lidded eyes drooping and drooping. Occasionally, he would trip over a rock or walk into a tree, until what had to be at least an hour had passed, and Naruto grew tired of the abuse (though self-inflicted it was). Relinquishing his search, he threw himself onto the ground, recumbent and carcass-looking. Mumbling indecipherably to himself, he began to drift off.
"Block!" Sasuke snapped.
Ear twitching in recognition, Naruto opened his eyes. He climbed up to all fours and crawled in the direction Sasuke's remark had come from. As he moved, he listened to the new sounds, grunts and gasps. His ears brought him to a small clearing.
"And don't hesitate," mentioned Sasuke, before abruptly ducking. "Better."
Sasuke and Hinata were sparring. He could barely see them through the darkness, but they seemed to read each other perfectly.
Hinata was struggling to keep up with Sasuke, twisting and dancing around his attacks. Naruto was impressed that she managed to hold her own.
The Uchiha's dark clothing made him harder to spot. His strikes were sharp, but slightly slow for him; Sasuke was known for his speed. His arms darted in and out of Hinata's range, and occasionally he seemed to leave himself unguarded, just to see what she would do.
Naruto silently found a tree to slump down against, surprised that he hadn't been spotted. They must not have been using their doujutsu. So they're still getting along… Naruto mused, closing his eyes. He bowed his head and finally achieved unconsciousness, dropping to his side a few moments later, where he dreamt sweet dreams about Haruno Sakura. He ironically missed the things that transpired next.
Sasuke had Hinata pinned to a tree by her throat. For a moment, they gave each other searing looks, before Sasuke released her, and withdrew somewhat, looking away.
Hinata re-assumed her fighting stance, but it trembled, and she lowered it. Both were avoiding the issue at hand. "You t-tried to take advantage of me!" she said.
"I was drunk."
She watched him suspiciously. "Well a-at least it didn't work." Hinata winced at her wording.
"It was on and off," said Sasuke shadily, and she became aware that he was talking about his penis.
Hinata felt heat rise to her face. "Y-you can't hold your liquor!" she accused, more to damage him than anything else. She was still furious about the night before.
"You should have helped," Sasuke retorted.
If she hadn't been blushing before, her face was bright red by then. Hinata stumbled back, sputtered, and nearly fell down.
"Let's finish this spar," said Sasuke, ignoring her bafflement. Hinata didn't understand it. She was the one who should have been angry. She narrowly avoided a blow aimed for her head.
"Now dodge," hissed Sasuke, sending a kick Hinata's way. She just managed to comply, bending backwards to avoid it.
She disappeared and rematerialized behind Sasuke, but she was still too preoccupied to be efficient. He caught her attack, and slammed her into a tree, knocking the air out of her lungs.
She didn't like this atmosphere of tension surrounding them. It made her think things would go back to the way they had been when they had broken up. She had thought that training with him would help mend things, but it seemed to be doing the reverse. Why is Sasuke so upset with me? Because he thinks I'm too – submissive?
As Hinata sunk down the tree, Sasuke's stance quickly fell. He knelt down before her and reached out, as though to touch her, but then hesitated, and pulled back. "Tell me what hurts," he said firmly.
This hurts.
"Hinata."
He was so blatantly caring, even if he tried to be discreet about it. She desperately wanted to kiss him, but her body refused to humor this instinct. "A-Are we breaking up again?"
"What?"
"C-can you kiss me?" she entreated, squeezing her eyes closed. Through her mind's eye, she could imagine Sasuke's expression. His eyebrows would have shot up by then, and in a moment he would suggest that they both just went back to sleep.
But only silence followed.
Hinata slowly opened her eyes to see that Sasuke was staring at her, but then he looked away. When that moment turned into minutes, and the air grew so tense Hinata was sure she was going to break down, she whispered a simple, "Sorry," and attempted to climb to her feet.
Sasuke held her down by her shoulders. "Where?"
Where? She reddened.
He was still looking away, his demeanor as impassive as ever. "Where do you want me to kiss you?"
Hinata blushed, but she understood. He wanted to know how far he was allowed to go in their intimacy. "Anywhere above my…" She held her arm across her chest, her blush worsening. She reached out, taking his hand, and entwining their fingers. "I love it when you touch me."
Sasuke finally looked her way.
"So...can you?" she asked meekly.
With his free hand, Sasuke pulled some strands of hair away from her face, and leaned forward. Hinata closed her eyes, just before she felt Sasuke's lips brush against her cheek for a mere instant. Opening them again, she felt her heart sink at realizing the kiss was over. Sasuke didn't even want to touch her anymore. She struggled to restore normalcy. "Where can I kiss you?" She sniffed.
His fingers trailed from her face to her lips. "Anywhere you like, crybaby."
She launched herself at him, and suddenly Sasuke was on the grass, being attacked with kisses. She kissed his lips, his jaw, even his throat, feeling his adam's apple rise then fall, and kissed it some more. Inebriated from the intimacy, Hinata returned to his lips, just as Sasuke leaned up, causing her to sink against his hips. He held her face and kissed her carefully, slowing her down, but only making her heart beat faster. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and they lowered to the grass again, Sasuke putting up little fight as she kissed him to her contentment. He did little to contribute but curve to her whim. They became a small heap on the ground, gently touching and kissing.
When she pulled back, and was straddling him, Hinata observed the slight, amused quirk of Sasuke's lips. Her fingers touched him experimentally, dancing across his lower abdomen, when he suddenly took a sharp breath, his hands instinctively going to her hips.
Hinata wasn't sure if she had done something wrong. "Am I being helpful?" she whispered, embarrassment challenging her euphoria. Her eyes flickered away, but then met his again.
"Extremely," Sasuke responded, and it was only then that she noticed how uncomfortable he looked.
