A Perfect Circle

chapter three; greeting the moon

Sasuke's appearances by the river didn't keep Hinata away.

She had considered it, because the spot had been compromised, but oddly enough, she didn't mind that Sasuke knew her secret. Afterall, she knew his, too.

After that, she expected the Uchiha, anticipated him, even, but by the second week, Hinata concluded that he had moved on. The spot in the forest she loved so much was hers again, although the Uchiha's plague continued; she was reminded of him every time she entered that clearing.

Hinata was laying in the grass, staring up at the clouds passing overhead. She shut her eyes for a moment, her mind drifting from haunting memories of the war to a better place. She imagined her muse, her inspiration, who at times, embodied her reason for living. Naruto was the human receptacle of hope. He exemplified virtue and had always spoke with promise of a brighter future. Naruto was no liar; their present world was peaceful, with little conflict in the Leaf village other than the chaotic romantic lives of its civilians. Hinata liked to imagine herself in a happier place than where she was.

She often scolded herself for feeling depressed. She had to remind herself that she was one of the lucky ones; she had a place in the village, she had grown strong and healthy and foremost, she had survived the war. Not everyone was around to say the same thing. Regardless of these notions, the girl couldn't stop the sinking feeling in her chest when she was reminded of the lack of Naruto's presence in her life.

During the past two weeks, Hinata had hardly a moment to speak with him. Kakashi had sent him on a mission with Sakura and Shikamaru, one which Hinata felt left out from. In such an era of peace, there weren't many missions around for Jonin. Hinata often found herself in the Hyuga estate garden, tending to the flowers or reading books. When her spirits were low, she would take refuge by the peaceful stream and allow herself time to daydream.

She pictured herself beside Naruto, as something more to him than just a friend, but as someone of true importance. She knew that Naruto cared for her, but wasn't convinced it was any more so than his other friends; because she was just that. She was his friend. To her, he was so much more than that.

Hinata's eyes fluttered open, squinting as a cloud breezed past the sun, momentarily blinding her. With a sigh, she pulled herself up and sat cross-legged. She picked a weed from the grass and began pulling it apart when a voice caused her to jolt.

"Hey," he said, and the girl's head darted to the side. With his hands in the pockets of his ratty blue pants, Sasuke calmly walked towards her, his brooding gaze intent on hers.

"Sasuke-san." Hinata exhaled. "You startled me." As the man grew closer, Hinata's eyebrows knotted, taking in his rugged appearance. "Y-You're hurt!" she exclaimed, pointing at the blood soaking through the sleeve of his shirt.

"So I am..." he mused, lifting up his sleeve with nonchalance. Blood soaked through the bandage he had wrapped on himself. He tore it off and tossed it to the side, observing the wound carefully. "I thought I'd stopped the bleeding."

Hinata watched as Sasuke sat a safe distance away from her. She looked at him with concern, which he averted. He expected a brigade of troublesome questions, but Hinata remained silent until he had made himself comfortable on the grass. The man stiffened as he felt cold, yet delicate hands touch his arm. Blue chakra emitted from her small hands as she began to heal his wound without his permission.

"I can take care of myself," he sneered, pulling away from her. She glowered at him and continued her job.

"I'm a trained medic," she said, smiling oddly as she tended to him. "Besides, it's nice to have someone care for you every once in a while."

If Sasuke could blush, he may have considered it. Instead, he smugly turned his head away, allowing her to continue.

"There," she chimed. "Good as new."

Sasuke touched the smooth spot on his arm, now completely free of the imperfection. "Thanks," he grumbled.

Hinata sat comfortably beside him and brought her knees to her chest. "Are you going to tell me what happened?" she inquired with little prospect.

"No," he stated. The Hyuga girl nodded and left it at that, causing Sasuke to unearth some troublesome questions of his own. He squared his shoulders and cleared his throat. "Let's just say, I was in a place I shouldn't have been."

Hinata stared at him for a moment. He was always so cryptic and enigmatic and she wondered if it was because he wanted her to be curious about him. She had to admit, it was working, but Hinata was not invasive, so she let it go. They both had queries for the other, but neither of them were feeling particularly presumptuous so they merely sat in silence.

After the short reticence, Sasuke found a question he had no problem asking. "What is Naruto doing?"

Hinata tilted her head curiously. "Hm?"

"What is he doing... I mean, what's going on with him?"

"O-Oh..." She blushed, distraught that she didn't have an adequate response. "Well... He has been spending a lot of time with Kakashi-sama... And Sakura-chan too, I suppose. He just returned from a mission with her and Shikamaru-san."

"I guess that hasn't changed," Sasuke grunted, crossing his arms. "And Kakashi? As Hokage?"

"He is a very good Hokage." She smiled. "Why not go visit them? We could go right now."

"You'd be seen with me?"

"Well... Sure. Why wouldn't I?"

"Hn," he nearly laughed. "Forget it. I don't want to go, anyway."

"Then why are you here?" she inquired, more so wanting to ask why he was speaking to her and not another, but couldn't be so blunt.

Sasuke shifted his weight. "I was on my way to the village when I saw you crying," he explained. "It resurfaced unwelcome memories, so I decided against it."

"I'm... Sorry." Hinata repositioned her legs uncomfortably, unprepared for such an honest answer.

"Don't be. I should be thanking you." His words ground against the bitterness in his voice. Judging by the way he glowered, Hinata felt that Sasuke was now thinking of the girl who always cried over him. The girl who loved him day in and day out, much similar to the way Hinata herself felt about Naruto. She had previously thought that Sasuke didn't care about the way he had made Sakura feel, but the look on his face suggested otherwise. Perhaps, he did, somewhere inside him, feel remorseful that he couldn't return her feelings. In that moment, Hinata saw a new light shine upon the callous Uchiha; he was more human than she knew.

He was also obscure, but she had already made that judgement.

"Are you hungry?" she queried, breaking their silence. Hinata didn't allow him to answer before she dug into her bag and handed him a box. This time, he accepted it without any objection. He opened it, revealing salmon sushi.

"You say you don't always have food on you," Sasuke said, eating a piece. "yet every time I've seen you, you give me food."

"I like to cook."

"I have no qualms with that," he said, to which the girl grinned. She took it as Sasuke's way of complimenting her in, possibly, the only way he knew.

"Well, I should get going." Hinata said, shifting to stand.

"Wait." He grabbed her wrist. She instinctively pulled away at the foreign touch. "Stay for a bit longer."

Hinata's expression twisted in confusion, but she settled back nonetheless.

"It's my birthday today," he said, and her head snapped to him.

"I didn't know... Happy birthday."

"Hn."

Hinata studied his profile. He stared at the water, his usual scorn looking somewhat more somber.

"Why are you really here, Sasuke-san?" she asked delicately, as if she were nervous to pull the wrong trigger. He didn't blame her for that.

"I don't know," he responded, furrowing his eyebrows.

She fell quiet. Hinata hardly knew Sasuke, but in a weird way, if only for a fleeting moment, she understood him; she empathized with him. It was his birthday, and he was alone, even if it was by his own choice. Perhaps, she didn't understand anything about Sasuke at all.

After about ten minutes, Sasuke looked to her. "You probably have places to be. Don't feel obligated to stay."

When they locked eyes, he noted her sorrowful, distant gaze feel an iota closer to him. She stood up and to his shock, hugged his shoulders from behind. Immediately, his muscles turned to concrete. It was a light hug; she didn't hold him tightly, affectionately or for more than a few seconds. The hug was not loving or tender, more so, it made him feel pitied, but nevertheless, it was a hug. It was a simple gesture, one of kindness and compassion from one human to another, something that people did every day, yet was so foreign to him.

"Happy birthday, Sasuke-kun." Hinata spoke softly, before releasing him and disappearing into the forest. Sasuke remained frozen, utterly stuck in time before he relaxed his shoulders and nearly choked on a breath.

Another week passed, and the Uchiha had disappeared again. Hinata was somewhat thankful for that; she was embarrassed of the actions. She didn't have any right to him, to reach out to him, to offer him comfort or pity or whatever it was she was trying to do. She imagined he was offended, and she didn't blame him. Afterall, they were hardly acquaintances, let alone on the level where casual hugging was appropriate.

Hinata had scrutinized the moment a million times in her head, and couldn't determine where she had found the guts to hug Sasuke. Either way, she prayed he didn't think anything of it, and she was all right with the idea of not seeing him for a while.

Hinata tried to keep her focus away from her embarrassment as she started at her reflection in the mirror and adjusted her yukata. It was long and silk, with a pink and black floral pattern painting it. Hinata hadn't worn a kimono is a long time and it felt foreign to feel the expensive silk caress her skin.

She smoothed a black liner over her eyelid and examined it to ensure her face was symmetrical. It was time for the summer festival, and Hinata had her heart set on spending it with Naruto.

She walked out into the warm summer air. It was evening time, and the sun had just set. The streets of Konoha were lined with orb shaped lanterns and people ran about excitedly dressed in formal wear. It was a tradition that Hinata admired. Festivals in town were always filled with joy, and she thought the people of Konoha looked beautiful and lively in their best kimonos.

She smiled to civilians as she found herself reaching the heart of the village. Out of all the dozens of people standing and walking about, there was one who stood out. He was the only one who wasn't dressed formally; on the contrary, he wore rugged clothing underneath an oversized, torn up poncho. Hinata heard women snickering and gossiping.

Of course, only the infamous last Uchiha could have women fawn over him while dressed in rags. When he spotted Hinata, he nodded at her, as if he had been waiting for her. With a lump in her throat, Hinata walked towards him, ignoring the eyes she felt linger on them as they mechanically stepped towards each other. Once a good distance apart, Hinata bowed to him. She realized that he was an entire head taller than her, and suddenly, she felt puny.

"Sasuke-san," she said cordially, to which he merely nodded and gestured for her to walk beside him. Side by side, the Uchiha and the Hyuga walked quietly as if they were comrades.

"You came for the festival," Hinata commented, breaking their obscure silence. Sasuke put his hands in his pockets and nodded.

"Technically, I came for food."

"I'm afraid I don't have any food for you, this time," she laughed sheepishly, and he smirked.

"I guess I'll have to buy some, then," he concluded, turning into the first restaurant he saw. Hinata quietly followed behind him, hoping that not all eyes would fall on them as as they entered. Her hopes were ignored.

Sasuke ordered and insisted that Hinata get something as well. She couldn't reject him and admit she had been planning on eating with Naruto and the others, so Hinata, being as painfully polite as she was, ordered some food and allowed Sasuke to pay for it.

"You didn't have to buy me anything, Sasuke-san," Hinata affirmed with a childlike pout as her and Sasuke sat across from each other at a table.

He ignored her statement. "I was thinking about what you said to me." He took a bite of his rice ball. He liked the look she got on her face when he had intrigued her; her eyes widened, only slightly, and her eye-contact became more firm. She then reverted to her regular bashful self and blushed, making a point to break gazes.

"What did I say?" she inquired reluctantly. Sasuke thought that the girl often seemed to be stepping on eggshells with her words, and wondered if she were like that around everyone, or if he intimidated her.

After a short stretch of silence, where Sasuke's piercing gaze knitted with Hinata's curious one, he simply shrugged. "Forget it."

Hinata's face fell. "I-I'm sorry?" she gaped, as if her hearing had failed her. The blank look on Sasuke's face didn't answer any questions. Adversely, it made room for more.

"Forget it," he repeated himself. "Forget I said anything."

Once more, Hinata's face transitioned to blue. "B-But... You can't do that."

"Yes I can." He crossed his arms over his chest. "I changed my mind." A cruel smirk tugged at his lips. Hinata wanted to press harder, but her nature was against it. Sasuke was toying with her, and she decided to play along.

"All right then," she spoke nonchalantly and brought her attention to her food. Sasuke watched her eat for a moment.

"What, that's it?" he taunted. "You aren't going to ask again?"

Hinata shook her head. "No, I understand. You changed your mind." He stared at her, somewhat in disbelief, and she tried to hide the smile on her lips. Sasuke wasn't sure, but it seemed like Hinata had just beat him at his own mind game.

"SASUKEHHH!" a booming rattled the street outside, causing everyone in the store, save Sasuke, to jump in their seats.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, and through an agitated sigh, "I was wondering how long it would take for word of my arrival to reach Naruto."

He noticed Hinata's pale cheeks redden, and she picked up the pace of her eating. Once she finished, Sasuke was the first to stand.

"Let's go."

As the two exited the restaurant, Sasuke stopped her by towering over her. "Meet me at the waterfall after the festival, and I'll tell you what I was going to say earlier."

With wide eyes, Hinata nodded, and as if on cue, Naruto's voice bellowed through the streets once more. The exuberant blonde came charging towards the two and seemingly didn't notice Hinata as he ran at Sasuke. He attempted to charge him, but swiftly, Sasuke disappeared and reappeared behind him.

"Idiot," Sasuke scorned, to which Naruto swirled around with an excited grin.

"You're back!" he exclaimed, forcing himself to calm down. They approached each other and fist bumped, while Hinata awkwardly stood at the side.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura's voice was heard. She ran up to them and skid on her heel to stop herself from falling right into the Uchiha.

"Hey," he grunted, and Sakura's face flushed. Hinata didn't often see the strong kunoichi falter, but around Sasuke, she never failed to.

"W-What are you doing here?" Sakura stammered.

"He's returning to the village," Naruto informed, confidently crossing his arms over his chest. "Right, teme?"

"No." Sasuke answered. "I'm just stopping by."

"Aww." Naruto pouted naively. Hinata watched the scene unfold; in its own way, it was magical. So many stories surrounded Team Seven, much in the same way tales were told of Tsunade, Jiraiya and Orichimaru. They were like legends, and Hinata knew she had no place in their tale. She didn't take it personally. It was rare to see Sasuke, and she understood their enthusiasm.

As Sasuke was bombarded with questions, Hinata took a moment to look over their dinner together. As weird as it was, Hinata concluded that she liked Sasuke. In his own twisted way, he was kind, and she could tell that he was still getting used to making connections with people. She pondered if he was using her as a tool to help himself learn to reconcile with people again.

Hinata had hoped to catch Naruto's attention that night, but with Sasuke around, she realized that wasn't going to happen, so when Tenten, Lee, Ino and Sai came up to greet them, Hinata felt relieved that she had an out. She went with the four and left team seven to reunite, unaware that Sasuke's eyes were locked on her back as she walked away.

Hinata sat by the river. She had changed from her kimono to something more casual; a baggy pink shirt and a pair of soft black pants. She stared at her reflection and used her sleeve to wipe away the makeup from her eye, indifferent to the mark it left on her garb.

"Why do you always look so depressed?"

This time, Hinata was not alarmed to hear Sasuke's voice. She turned to him and smiled.

"I think that I always create these silly plans in my head, then get discouraged when they don't follow through. Stupid, I know."

"Nothing ever goes exactly as planned. I didn't expect you to actually come."

"I agreed, didn't I?" She grinned, and he sat down beside her, closer than he normally would.

"I was thinking about what you said when you were healing my wound." He stared off. "That it's nice to have someone care for you at times."

Hinata nodded, looking at him expectantly, hoping that he wouldn't mention the hug.

"I wanted to know why."

She tilted her head. "Why?"

"You know what I've done. Why would you want to help me? Furthermore, why would you even be kind to me?"

Hinata was silent for a moment. She pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them. "I don't know, Sasuke-san. I know it might sound silly, but I feel like I know you." A kind, yet forlorn smile touched her lips. "In a weird way, I care for everyone who was in our class. No matter what happens, we'll always share the same memories from our days at the academy. We all experienced the same lectures. We all fought hard in the Chuunin exams, even if not all of us could win... I suppose I feel like despite everything that has happened to us personally since then, you, I, and all the others in our class will always share a specific bond." When Sasuke said nothing, Hinata let out a small laugh. "I guess that really does sound silly."

"Yeah, it does."

Hinata was going to glower at him, but upon seeing his smirk, brushed it off with light laughter. Silence shrouded them yet again, but it wasn't uncomfortable. They listened to the sound of the water and allowed their minds to flow much in the same way.

"T-Thank you, by the way..." Hinata muttered, and Sasuke looked at her curiously. She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and nervously smacked her lips. "For dinner. You didn't have to."

"You know," Sasuke began through a grumble, "you're too nice for your own good."

She looked at him wide-eyed for a moment, before giggling. Sasuke smiled back, noticing how foreign it truly felt, and speculating when he had started smiling again.

Sasuke insisted on walking Hinata back to the village. For the most part, the walk was silent. When it was time to part ways, they faced each other. Hinata was never very good with partings. Most people hugged when they said goodbye, but neither Hinata nor Sasuke thought that appropriate so they extended their arms out and shook hands, conjuring an alien emotion. They weren't sure what it was, but they both felt it, like a surge of electricity had ignited in their chests, and that was it. They went their separate ways, both with their chests feeling only slightly heavier.

A/N: Hey guys, I apologize for taking so long to update this. I think this chapter is pretty mediocre, but hopefully you enjoyed it. I'll try to update a lot sooner.

Thanks for all the reviews, faves and follows on the last chapter! I got more than I expected! :D

If you could please leave a review, that would be fantastic :3