Title. Odette
Disclaimer. Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. If I owned them I wouldn't have to slog this hard at a desk job for money. ;w;
(cover image credits to warrior of ruin on deviantart)
Summary. A story of love and courtship set in the medieval times. She fell for him at first sight, which amused him to no end, and her reactions when he courted her was far more entertaining still. SasuHina. M rating for future sexual content.
A.N. Firstly, a little note which I forgot to include last chapter – I named the Kingdom they resided in Yuugure as that is Japanese for Twilight/Evening, which I found fitting given their light skin and dark hair. That's why I also mentioned that the citizens of Yuugure characteristically have light skin and dark hair ^^ Not sure if that interested anyone haha but I'm a sucker for small little tidbits like that so I decided to make it known.
Secondly, I'm truly sorry that it took so long for this new chapter to be up. 2013 had been a horrendous year for me. Things finally started looking up at the end of the year, and I'm thankfully in a frame of mind light enough to come back to writing. I won't bore you with the details here, but I spoke more about it on my profile if anyone cares to read. I'm feeling better now than i have for the past 2 years, and i'm excited to keep going forward, with life and with my fics :)
"Nobody tells you the meaning of the sparkle in her eyes, the warmth of her hand."
- Anonymous
Patterns – 9 years old
Hinata fidgeted as she sat on the couch by the window, absently poking her fingers together as she looked out the glass at the path that led up to their castle. She was eagerly anticipating the arrival of their guests, a blush creeping onto her face when the visage of said visitors swam into her mind.
Over the years, they'd developed a pattern. Every spring and summer, the Uchihas would visit Byakugan Castle for a couple of weeks at a time, and every autumn and winter, the Hyuugas would visit them at Sharingan Castle.
Spending the many weeks together, Hinata's infatuation with the smirking, coal eyed boy had bloomed into a full blown crush. His looks mesmerized her - the fiery edge in his eyes before they trooped off on another adventure, the intelligent glint they took on when hatching another devious plan. The expressionless mask he wore sometimes, especially in the presence of adults when they discussed business, listening keenly but never betraying a trace on his face. The frown and scowl he had whenever he was denied of something, or when Itachi would treat him like a little kid, or even when she fell behind during their traversing in the woods and fields, and he had to stop and wait for her to catch up.
However, the one that made her heart flutter the most, was the deep blazing look his oynx eyes took on when he caught her staring at him. He never looked away or broke the stare, holding her gaze steadily, unwaveringly. She was always the one who would blush furiously and avert her eyes, fidgeting in embarrassment. That look in his eyes was always knowing and meaningful, and yet the meaning in them was always a mystery to Hinata. He never spoke of what he thought of her, nor she of him; but her affections for the boy was painfully obvious to all. He however, always confused her with his feelings. He was kind to her, gentle and protective, yet whenever she reacted he would smirk or laugh, and Hinata couldn't tell whether he was laughing with her, or at her.
The faint sound of horse drawn carriages over the cobblestone path pulled Hinata from her thoughts, and she excitedly turned her attention back to the window. Pressing her palms up against the glass, her little breaths formed small foggy circles as she watched the grand entourage travel up the winding walkway. As they neared the castle, Hinata raced to the main hall, skidding to a stop then ducking shyly behind her parents as they glided into the wide foyer to greet their guests. The large wooden doors were pushed open as a steward announced the arrival of the Uchihas, and Hinata peeked out from behind her mother's skirts. Dressed in a velvet tunic and loose pants tucked into leather boots, the object of her affections strode into the hall, his face schooled and expressionless. Swiveling his head from side to side as he walked, a frown creased his eyebrows as if he were looking for something – or someone – and couldn't find what he was looking for. Just then, his eyes landed on a pair of pale lavender eyes and a head of dark violet hair peering out from behind Lady Hyuuga, and his scowl smoothed into a smirk.
Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Sasuke walked briskly down the hall, away from the large drawing room from which he'd just requested to be dismissed from. Leaving the adults and his older brother behind to chatter, he felt the presence of another trailing after him, and a corner of his mouth quirked up of its own accord. He was aware of the petite girl's fondness for him, had been since the first time he met her blushing self at that ball all those years ago. He didn't mind the feelings she held for him - in fact, he quite liked it. He enjoyed teasing her and watching her reactions, pushing to see how much darker he could make her blush, how much more nervous he could cause her to be. The amount of stammering and embarrassed fidgeting of fingers amused him to no end.
The one time that he had teased her until she had flushed such a dark red and fainted had scared him. At that point he had panicked and ran hysterically into the sitting room, struggling to cradle the unconscious girl in his young, undeveloped arms. The adults had flown into action, calling for servants to bring damp cloths, cool water and smelling salts while they laid her gently on a couch. He had been beside himself with worry, wringing his hands which reminded him of the nervous habits the girl laying before him was prone to, only exacerbating his flustered state. (On hindsight, he was glad that she was unconscious then and did not see him in that embarrassing, worked up state. Itachi had teased and mocked him mercilessly about it for weeks after.) When she blinked awake moments later, he decided that she was like a porcelain doll that, although fun to play with, had to be treated with a certain extent of gentleness and delicacy. She even looked the part, with her light, milky skin, and long dark eyelashes that swept her cheeks as she blinked slowly, revealing pale indigo eyes glazed with sleep. He had graced her with a rare smile then, one of genuine relief that softened his features as he grasped her hand lightly in both of his, causing her to blush lightly and look at their intertwined hands before smiling warmly up at him. Sasuke felt an odd twinge in his chest at the sight of that. He brushed the thought of it off and simply attributed it to guilt at having made her faint, and relief that she had woken.
Now, Sasuke paused in his walking, and turned around. Sure enough, Hinata was walking along behind him, and she jerked when his eyes landed on her as if startled at being caught. 'As if it wasn't obvious enough that she was following me, tch.' Sasuke said nothing, but curled his fingers at her in a come hither motion, and the girl hesitated for a brief moment before approaching. She blushed hotly, looking down, and with a trembling hand reached out to grip his tunic. He turned around, and with her still hanging on, stalked back down the corridor, leaving her stumbling after him, tightening her grip on his tunic so as not to fall.
Sasuke did not stop until he reached his bedroom, where the servants were still bustling about putting away his things for the next few weeks' stay at the Hyuuga's. Hinata looked around hesitantly while Sasuke's eyes snapped around the room, seemingly looking for someone in particular. Finding the person he was looking for, he called to the servant who responded at once, lifting some items warming in a pan above the fire in the fireplace. Sasuke gently deposited Hinata on a chaise lounge before taking the plate of items from the waiting servant and lowering to Hinata's view. Seeing the offered items, Hinata squealed and clapped her hands happily, her cheeks taking on a rosy tint. She lifted eyes that were glowing in happiness to Sasuke's own appraising ones, conveying her thanks and joy in the brilliant smile gracing her face.
Lifting the warm, sticky pastry to her lips, Hinata bit into the cinnamon roll, revelling in the sweet and fragrant taste of sugar and cinnamon gliding over her tongue. Sharingan was famous for their cinnamon rolls, a signature food item exclusive to their city. Hinata absolutely adored them, and ate them as often as she was allowed whenever she visited the Uchihas. Sasuke couldn't help the small smile that ghosted his lips as he watched her eyes slide close in rapture, small appreciative noises sounding as she indulged in her favourite treat. Without much thought, he grabbed Hinata's wrist, pulled the cinnamon roll in her hand towards his mouth and took a bite off where Hinata herself had last bit from. Hinata paused in her eating, blinking at him before nibbling embarrassedly at an opposite corner of her cinnamon roll. The gesture seemed… more intimate to her somehow, even though she knew that it probably meant nothing to Sasuke.
Seeing her reaction though, Sasuke was spurred on to push it further. Spotting a small smear of sugary glaze on her cheek, he reached out and swiped it off with his thumb, casually licking it off his thumb after. He watched amusedly as Hinata's mouth fell open, a light blush dusting her cheeks before she averted her eyes and flusteredly resumed eating her pastry with overly energetic gusto. Sasuke grinned. This was too fun, too easy. He swiped a large dollop of glaze off the plate, and smeared it onto Hinata's nose. She gasped in shock and looked at him in surprise. She watched, frozen in shock as Sasuke swooped down, close, too close.
She felt a wet heat engulf her nose, and stiffened. Her mind raced to try and process what was happening. Sasuke had her nose in his mouth. She could feel him gently sucking the sugary glaze off, and he was so close that she could see each individual eyelash framing his smouldering eyes. He released her nose with small 'pop', wiping it with his sleeve. A fierce blush crept up her neck, and climbed all the up to the roots of her hair. Sasuke smirked at the rapid reddening of her face. The last thing Hinata saw was that smirk slipping into an expression of panic as her eyes rolled back into her head and she fell over in a faint.
It really was when he smirked that Hinata found him the most handsome.
Hoped you guys liked this chapter, and once again, I'm sorry it took so long.
It's a little slow still, but the fluff will start to show up in either the next chapter or the one after, and we'll be having some proper SasuHina in chapter 5 onwards ;)
Please review! :)