Second update for today. The entire time I was listening to Olafur Arnalds. Blame him for the inconsistency ;p School is about to end in a couple of days. Hopefully my uploads will be constant!

Summary: In everyone's eyes, Hinata has remained the same, even after so many years have gone by. She's still the same innocent, gentle, caring young woman. Even when the news of Naruto and Sakura hitting it off, the village felt incredibly sorry for the girl who had been in love for so long. But to Hinata, that was just what she had wanted everyone to see. Deep down, concealed behind her mask, Hinata is a completely different person. And only one person has been able to see behind the lies… and now he's more than determined to reveal the truth.

Pairing: Sasuke and Hinata

Rating: M to be safe

Disclaimer: I do not own anything

With Eyes That See the Bigger Picture

Episode 08

The Sun was bright and annoying to the eyes. Hinata squinted the entire way as the ensemble loaded off the transit bus. Ino and Sakura were chatting idly with Naruto following them behind. Tenten too was preoccupied with Neji to notice anything. Temari was discussing the oncoming weather with Lee and Shikamaru who was trying hard not to seem bored. Choji was examining the brochure with hard intent. The only ones who seemed to tense for anything were Hinata and Sasuke who were walking slowly behind the entire group. Occasionally Sasuke would give forth a yawn as Hinata continued to try to make out the scenery around them.

The greenery was indeed mesmerizing. All around the trees were arching over the dirt pathways that lead to the seaside resort. The bushes seemed to guard any side path from the dirt road for intruders – more or less, it was nearly impossible to see anything through the dense forest. And to add on, it seemed as if no life exited beyond the woods as a single bird or rabbit dare to make sound. It may have looked eerie to some, but Hinata found certain level of comfort in the silence as she continued to tread after the rest.

Solitude, peace, relaxation. The wind played on her cheeks to and fro.

A hand sneaked around Hinata's waist abruptly. She took in a quick, silent gasp before looking down to realize whose hand it was. That one again; the same one that had been oh-so aggressive with her before. She looked back up towards the source who was casually staring at the group ahead.

"Didn't I say that I don't want people to misunderstand?" she hissed under her breath.

A low chuckle erupted from his throat, "Isn't it better that they think that we are a couple rather than fuck buddies?"

Hinata's face turned scarlet to pale blue in one instant. "Shut the hell up-! What sort of rude language are you using-!"

Sasuke turned his head away to his opposite side from Hinata – the sly smile evident. "Looks like I'm not the only one with a 'potty mouth'."

His fingers began to carefully massage the hill of her hip. His favourite spot. Hinata grimaced a bit. She reached towards his hand to brush it off but stopped midway as his own slid back to her butt and continued there. Hinata nearly sprinted forward but managed to catch herself after the first two steps. She turned back slightly to notice the smirk on his face as he tried to cover it by his hand.

Neji seemed to notice that something was off and turned his attention to his cousin and straight towards Sasuke with a glare before back to Tenten. Hinata slowed down a bit for Sasuke to catch up to her pace momentarily.

"If Neji suspects anything, I doubt he's find it in himself to withhold it from the head of the family." Hinata mumbled between her lips, "And trust me, it won't just be trouble for me… you'd be in deep water as well."

Another gust of breeze startled the group. Hinata felt a pattern of breath against her neck. Her entire body cringed before the voice again.

"Promise I won't slip up," his fingers once more wove themselves around her hip, "But I'm always up for a risk."

"I swear," Hinata scowled back, "I swear that one day you will find yourself in a very painful position."

He let out a secret laugh, "Looking forward to it then."

The group came to a halt before the entrance way of the seaside resort. Naruto went on ahead with Sakura to check in as the rest piled by the cliff that overlooked the ocean below. They had arrived much later in the day for their five hour long trip as the sun was already beginning to set. Below Hinata could spot a number of other residents who were still dallying among the waves and resting on the beach. The waters were calm as they lightly hit the bottom rocks and skidded back out. She leaned against the railings cautiously for support, her heart speeding at a dozen beats. Though she would rarely admit it, Hinata was not the type to be fond of high altitudes. Yet she wanted to remain at such a dangerous place just to observe the landscape before her as much as possible. She even thought about reaching out with one of her hands towards the horizon, but could not bring herself to do it. She turned her head slightly to catch sight of the rest, glad to know that she wasn't the only one who was enthralled by the view.

"Do you think that it'll be too late to go visit the ocean today?" Tenten called out idly.

"I think it would be too dark by the time we descend down the cliff." Lee answered as he daringly leaned closer, "But I think that the resort has an outdoor pool we could occupy later on tonight. The weather is looking clear and the wind should die down."

"Then we should make it a goal today to at least get in the pool tonight!" Temari suddenly cut in, "Let's at least accomplish something on day one."

Tenten and Lee nodded in agreement as the rest pitched in and the conversation left to different heights.

Hinata's hair casually followed the summer breeze. She continued to stare ahead, noticing the different cast hues of the sunset. The railing suddenly jolted a little, sinking her heart in fear. Looking down, she noticed a pair of hands that clutched to the railings right next to hers. His head rested on her shoulder unexpectedly. "Your knees are shaking."

He searched for her neck before gently brushing his lips across the skin. Hinata cringed at the touch. "Stop..." she murmured under her breath, "We're in a public place… near people who know us."

His assault ceased but his head remained at her shoulder. Instead, Sasuke too stared at the sight in front before giving a child-like smile. "You should consider my proposal instead of trying to lurk in the shadows about our relationship."

"Pretending to be a couple is harder than trying to hide the truth." She replied rather coldly, "Stop trying to misguide other people."

Sasuke suddenly brought his arms around her waist and pulled in. His head left her shoulder as he quietly whispered enough for her to hear, "Too late."

"Hey! The reservation is done! Let's go inside." Naruto's voice beamed through her ears rather sharply. It was as if a string was tugged at her heart to sink it lower. Pushing away from Sasuke's embrace, Hinata managed her way with the rest of the group. Turning away, she could not see his frustrated glance.

"Toast time, everyone!" Sakura announced shortly after everyone piled into the open room. The company had checked in and now occupied the lounge that was kept aside for their party. Down the hallway were all of the rooms that they were to soon pile into as well. "In recognition of this successful trip, let's all make a toast for an amazing week to come."

Everyone picked up their soda beverages and clanged the bottles together before taking a sip.

"Also, since I have everyone's room number, how about we take care of that as well while we're all still here?" Naruto chirped in afterwards, "If there are some of you who wanted to pair up beforehand, we arranged that as well."

"I'll call out the groups," Sakura continued in harmony, "There are eleven of us, so one person will have to stay alone in one room. The people who wanted to pair up before hand have the following room numbers. Tenten and Neji will be in room nine, next to them in room ten will be Choji and Lee. Room eleven will be occupied by Shikamaru and Temari. Naruto and I will take room twelve. Ino has volunteered to take a solitary in room thirteen."

She paused and looked at the two remaining.

"You two called in a bit late… so if you guys don't mind, the two of you will be staying in room fourteen."

"Alright, then let's all go unpack." Tenten exclaimed, "Ten o'clock will be the meeting hour at the outdoor pool. Don't be late!"

The rest began to slowly pile forth into the hallway to their respected rooms. Hinata made her way hastily towards the last room before anyone else were able to catch sight of her expression. She was about to close the door behind her when her roommate slid in. "What a turnabout this is." Sasuke sighed heavily.

"I wasn't the one who planned this." Hinata rebutted as she began to set down her clothes on her side of the drawer, "You can ask Ino to switch with her if you want."

A smile crept across. "And miss out on the chance to see what you look like in the mornings?" There was a momentary pause, "Were you embarrassed? Is that why you left?"

The atmosphere took a sudden turn south. Hinata stopped her cleaning and turned to face Sasuke. Her gaze was empty. "I left because I had errands to take care of. My schedule was tight that day."

She returned back to the drawer, putting away the last of her clothes.

"I'm sure you had plans yourself. I didn't intend on keeping you busy that morning."

Without a warning, her left arm was jerked back as she was toppled over on the bed. The figure above remained unmoving as an irritated scowl emerged. Hinata waited a moment before trying to wiggle her way out, without avail. Her own irritation was quickly rising.

"I need to go run an errand. Let go." Get off.

She was responded to with a swift attempt to undo her jacket. In a panic, Hinata tried to brush off his advance. Her heart accelerated to new heights. Her face was flushed. Not here. Not now. Sasuke bent forward to nuzzle at her shoulder again. His hands began to roam her chest harshly, rubbing at the fabric. She could feel his heavy breathing on her skin as it crawled and spread about her neckline. Unconsciously, she leaned forward.

That gave the initiative Sasuke needed to pull down her shirt and undo the jeans. He stopped abruptly, overlooking the sight below. By now, Hinata shut her eyes and was having a hard time trying to breathe evenly. Sasuke reached forward and traced her features on the side before pulling away completely. He got up and walked to the window of the room, leaving behind the beguiled one. Hinata peeked slightly at his back.

"What's wrong?" she croaked hoarsely. Her mind had wandered away and was trying to reconcile back. Sasuke remained at the sill, now leaning against it. His forehead pressed to the pane as he closed his eyes to take in the cool surface.

"You're really heartless, you know that puppy?"

Hinata winced at the name softly. She rose to her knees, adjusting her shirt properly along the way. "I'm heartless because I do not want to have sex with you 24-7?"

"Shut up already."

That came as a brutal punch to her. Hinata ceased to move much less look at him. Her body refused to budge, her heart grew cold.

"You leave without replying, you neglect my actions, and you act like you have a stick up your ass. You piss me off to no ends." Sasuke continued his rant in the same hiss as before, "At least be humane."

Hinata's hands were now shaking. "H-humane? You want me to be humane? After you assault me every day with your unpredictable hormonal needs? I'm not someone who enjoys to physically touching as much as you do, apparently. You constantly violate my private walls and leave afterwards without a word. And you expect me to be humane?"

This time, it's not pretend. This time, you're really letting out all of your emotions?

"I-I am a person also! Stop disregarding my personality." She now heaved her words, "How can you expect me to be humane after all that I went through regarding my love life?"

After you found out that your attempts to try to win him over were futile.

"And you just barrage me with your own personal desires, ignoring my own." Tears began to roll. "I try my best everyday to let go of the past and live a normal life. And here you come by and decide to obliterate it all!"

A knock from the other side of the door erupted. Sasuke turned around in response.

"I'm not like you! I'm still trying to recov-!"

In two wide steps Sasuke enclosed the distance and placed himself on top of Hinata, finishing her statement with his own lips.

"Hinata? Are you alright in there?" Sakura's voice echoed behind the door. Hinata's own muffled voice was engulfed by the one before her as she struggled to release herself. More tears ran down her cheeks when she realized that she was not strong enough. "Hinata?"

Sasuke departed fleetingly before pulling her up into his arms forcefully. All of a sudden, Hinata brought her own arms around his neck and pushed in tighter. Her lips found his as she tried to desperately get a response.

"Hinata, I'm coming in."

The door gave a menacing squeal.

It's a lie that you don't want his attention. You want to be taken in by someone else in order to forget the past pain. You want to be loved by someone who is able to see you for who you are. You want to be found out. You want to be exposed for your crimes and then embraced for your real persona. You want to have that type of person more than someone who has labeled you beforehand as 'innocent'.

The door slammed back shut loudly, followed by frantic footsteps.

That is why you challenged him. You wanted to see whether he would be able to see through your actions. You wanted someone to finally be able to realize your intentions and to compliment your true personality. Your heartless, cold, sarcastic, moody, irrational, misanthropic personality. What you weren't expecting at the end of it all was the outcome of your own feelings.

Hinata pushed down his body to the sheet below as she now reined over him. She nearly ripped off the light blue shirt he wore as his chest rose and fell anxiously. Her hips began to move dangerously.

You're dirty.

Her actions came to a sudden halt.

Your personality is disgusting. And your sexual influence over him is repulsive.

Hinata's hands rose to her face shaken. Her voice could only come out in spare spasms.

There is nothing worth to think yourself highly over him.

Her palms hid the tears that were gushing madly. In an almost whisper, Hinata barely managed to squeeze out the words.

"Stop."

Sasuke's eyes widened a little at the statement, trying to control himself. "Wh-what?"

"P-please don't abandon me," a hiccup, "Not now at all times."

You are a horrible person to cling to him.

"I am horrible to cling to you like this… but-! But it's your fault that I-!"

It's nauseating to know how quickly you've managed to forget about your past affection. How easy it is for you to switch preferences when something doesn't work out. And now you dare to blame him for it?

Sasuke held Hinata at her waist gently as he attempted to sit back up.

"I love you."

A long moment of silence followed.

"Love me back."

…comment?