The SEAL'S Kiss
Celestia193's Author's Note: Okay, so since we have something of a running gag concerning Sasuke and Itachi messing with each other's hair, it's time for Itachi to get his revenge! You know, after Sasuke gets 'caught' by the parents.
Silver's Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. Well Hinata gets into a little mischief in this one and she and Sasuke have a playfight, but they make up soon enough. Enjoy ;)
Chapter 21
Opting to not be a speed demon on the way back, Sasuke arrives home at nearly four in the morning, after making sure to stop in at a small place along the highway to get something to eat. Scaling buildings and shooting crime lords in the head was hard work.
Sighing, he walks in through the door, sliding off his pitch black motorcycle helmet, and hanging it back on its rack before walking out of the porch and into the living room, where several pairs of dark eyes were staring at him, the lights on at an ungodly hour.
…Shit.
Sasuke thought that his father had gone home to sleep. And…what was this? A wait up for Sasuke party? "Everyone is awake, did something happen?" Like he didn't already know…
Did something happen? Really!? "Sasuke, you are even crazier than your mother!" Fugaku frowns at his son. "You could have gotten killed!"
Mikoto gives her husband a dirty look for that! What was that supposed to mean?! She wouldn't have gone out on a semi suicidal sniping mission! She was an interrogator, not a combat specialist!
She decides to ignore that in favor of focusing on her son. "What your father, who is going to be sleeping on the couch for a week, means to say is, what on Earth possessed you to go chasing off after Danzo like that?! The local authorities could have handled it!" That's when she notices Madara was snickering and suddenly, Mikoto Uchiha knew EXACTLY what or rather, WHO, had possessed her son to be so reckless. "Madara!"
"I'm sorry. I told the boy that Danzo deserved to be shot in the eye." He smiles at her without even a hint of remorse in his voice. "His aim was slightly off, but he got the job done and well, one less crooked politician in the world won't hurt anyone!" Mikoto suddenly was overwhelmed with the urge to smack the elderly man upside the head, so that's exactly what she did!
Despite the theatrics from his family, Sasuke remains stock still, staring at them with a darkened gaze. "I did what needed to be done." That was all. "I was careful, took a position at a distance, a wasn't seen, and left before anyone had the chance to locate me, let alone identify me. This wasn't my first time organizing a solo op."
Itachi shakes his head and pokes Sasuke's forehead. "Foolish little brother, that was the wrong thing to say." Because suddenly Mikoto was VERY interested in these solo ops. Apparently, not caring for the idea of her 'baby' being in such danger.
Sasuke's eyes narrow at the poke to his forehead. "What did you THINK I was doing in Asia? Mopping the ship's floors?" Yeah right, that was left to the petty officers. "I'm a SEAL with a sniper specialty. My team was there for the covert operations. Did that really not occur to ANY of you?"
"Don't sass me!" Mikoto gives him a dirty look. "You just committed murder! You do not get to be sarcastic!"
"Well, if you'd like to arrest me, then go ahead." It wasn't like he regretted what he'd done. Hinata was safe now. Itachi was safe, his family, Hinata's family, their friends, they were all safe now that Danzo was dead. Madara was right, the man needed a bullet in the brain to stop him. Sasuke had just delivered it.
Oh boy. Fugaku shakes his head. "Sasuke, I'm not going to arrest you." Frankly, he should, but he doubted that there was any evidence left behind, apart from ballistics. "Besides, I believe that Hinata is more than capable of dealing with any disciplinary measures." He tilts his head towards the stairs were the bluenette was all watching them with shock.
Sasuke's insides jump a little, but on the outside, he's the perfect picture of calm. A slightly angry, detached sort of calm, but calm nonetheless. "…I didn't mean for them to wake you, Hinata."
She didn't know how to react. Hinata had once told him that she wouldn't hold Sasuke's job against him. That it was self-defense, but this was different.
Sauske had snuck off without a word and gone off on a mission that could have gotten him killed. "I can't believe you did that!" The Hyuga woman half charges over to him and SMACKS him! "You can't just run off like that on some sort of covert mission and say nothing! I can't believe you left like that! You could have died!"
His cheek stings a little, but Sasuke ignores it. "I was alone, on the roof of a shopping center over half a mile away from the target. The officers all took cover after the shot, and I left. End of story." The only time he could have died was speeding his way there, and he was a better driver than that.
Did he want to be smacked again?! "That is NOT the point!" What was wrong with him?! "Are you going into shock?" Was that why he was acting this way?
"No." Sasuke frowns at her, not quite sure why she's so worked up. She was safe now, that's all that mattered. "I haven't gone into shock over killing someone in two years." The first few times had stunned him, but he'd largely gotten over it by now. "Why?"
"You seriously don't get it." Was he that desensitized to killing and putting himself in danger that Sasuke didn't understand, truly didn't understand why she was angry with him?
Sasuke sighs, his muscles aching a little from all of the physical exertion. "If you're going to be mad at me for something, let's at least go upstairs." He glares around at his family. "I don't feel like being interrogated." Plus, he was tired and sweaty, and needed to change before getting some sleep. "It's been a long night."
"Fine." She shoves him towards the stairs. "They're likely going to hear all of it anyway." Unbelievable! He honestly didn't understand why she was angry with him for running away to murder someone! That he could have been killed and that he had kept a secret from her!
Sasuke climbs the stairs to the bedrooms, opening the door to his own and stepping inside. He lays his rifle case on the dresser, and goes to the closet for some clothes. "Hinata, what exactly did you expect me to say, anyway?" He strips off his dark jacket and shirt, reaching for some pajamas hanging up. "That I'm sorry for killing the man who, if give the chance, would try to kill you, Neji, Itachi, your sister, your parents, my parents, and a lot of other people AGAIN?"
"I'm not upset that you killed him." That disturbed Hinata to say, but it was the truth. "I'm upset that you snuck out and put yourself in danger without telling me." It was self-defense though. It was more the fact that Sasuke could have died and she wouldn't have been able to do anything about it because he had wanted to go off half-cocked on the advice of his crazy great uncle.
He sighs once more, leaning his forehead against the closet door. "Fine. I won't go double the speed limit again, alright? But apart from that, I really wasn't in any danger. His assassins are all dead, and I took him out from so far away that even if he had a weapon, there's no way he would have been able to see me, let alone shoot me. The police couldn't see me either, and I was listening in on them the entire time. Like every other time, I took the precautions that I needed to, and stayed away from the main conflict, like a sniper is supposed to."
He really wasn't getting this. "And what would you have done, if I had been the one to sneak off to kill him on my own?" She'd have to be blunt with her soldier. "Though of course, I'd take all the necessary precautions just as you did."
Sasuke stills, one hand on the closet door, the other reaching for pajama bottoms. "…You're not trained for that." If it was, it would be a different story. "If you were, and you were planning something like that…I'd have gone with you. But you're not like me, so that makes it different. And I'm the only sniper on the team, so taking someone else would have only made it harder to get in and out without being seen." She wasn't trained to fight, to kill, to put her life in danger on a regular basis.
"You're being deliberately obtuse!" She growls and throws a pillow at him. "It's the principle of the thing!"
He catches the pillow, tossing it back to the bed as he exchanges his dark pants for the lighter pajama bottoms. "What is it that you want me to say, Hinata? That I'm sorry for sneaking out so that you wouldn't try to stop me? For speeding in order to catch up? For killing him without telling you? I'm not. I have people that I want to protect, and you're right up there at the top of that list!"
He turns to face her, eyes blazing with anger, desperation, and a little fear. "Itachi ended up in the hospital, and I didn't want you to be next. So I made the call to go after him, and time was of the essence. I didn't mean for you to be angry or upset with me, but you're SAFE now. We're ALL safe. All I care about is making sure that you're alive…that you're safe." Sasuke drops his gaze to the dark covers of his bed. "That you're happy and have a future."
She sighs and hugs her arms. "You're impossible. You can't even let me angry with you." Her eyes slowly lock on his. "For a genius, you really can be such an impulsive idiot at times." Hinata slowly makes her way over to him and wraps her arms around his neck "Don't you ever scare me like that again."
"I won't." He wraps his arms around her, breathing in her soft lavender and vanilla scent. "Not unless another senator decides that trying to assassinate you is a good idea."
"Good." She rests her head on his shoulders and snuggles into him.
Sasuke sighs with relief. "I'm glad that's over." And glad that his sweetheart had a hard time holding a grudge. "Let's get to bed, I'm really tired."
She nods as she heads towards the bed, beckoning him to join her. "Yes, sleep sounds nice." Hinata would try to chew him out more in the morning, but he would probably find a way out of it.
Smiling, Sasuke lopes over, wrapping an arm around her waist as he slips into the bed, puling her under the covers with him. He kisses her softly, pulling her tightly against him. "I love you, Hinata."
"I love you too." She kisses him. "More than words could ever say and just enough not to strangle you for what you pulled today!"
He chuckles at her indignation. "I'm sure that you'll think of something else to do." Something that didn't actually involve killing him, or trying to anyway. Sasuke doubted she was strong enough to strangle him barehanded.
"I'll consult your mother to determine a suitable punishment." She promises him, knowing that would strike terror into even the bravest of SEALs' hearts.
Sasuke's eyes shoot open in horror. He was so fucked…
Well, the danger had passed, his little brother had done something foolish, and now, Itachi had a promise to keep. And not just any promise, but one that would require the help of a certain Hyuga Princess. After all, she was upset with his brother, the whole house had heard it, and now was the perfect time to strike, as Sasuke would likely be out until at least noon after his latest escapade.
Hinata, on the other hand, was something of an early riser, so it didn't surprise him to find her downstairs in the kitchen, making herself some breakfast at eight in the morning. She was probably making some for Sasuke as well, for whenever he woke up.
So, he creeps up on Hinata, smiling slyly as he puts the first step of his plan into motion. "Good morning, Hinata."
"Good morning, Itachi." She smiles at him. "I'm sure that Neji will be down shortly." After all, he was smiling like he was plotting something. Which usually meant something political and therefore, he'd seek out his lover's assistance.
"Perhaps, but it is you that I was hoping to see this morning." Itachi chuckles at the thought of getting Neji to help him with his plan. "I presume that my foolish little brother will be asleep for the next four or five hours?"
She rolls her eyes at that. "Yes, as you know, he had a long night." Of sneaking off to assassinate Danzo without telling her! Hmpf!
"Yes. And I thought that we might take advantage of his foolish behavior to teach him a lesson or two." And Itachi knew just what would piss Sasuke off.
"I hope you aren't planning on shaving him bald while he sleeps or something." She shakes her head.
Itachi smirks at the accusation. "No, that would cause enough noise to wake him. And he's far too used to the style for it to bother him much." Besides, he wouldn't have to. "I simply think that perhaps we should give him a temporarily permanent reminder that him doing such foolish things displeases you, and embarrass him with it for the next month or so."
She tilts her head at that in confusion. "Alright. What are you planning to do though?" And why did he need her help to do it?
"Well, four hands are better than two, and I think that a gentle touch might be best in this case." He smirks as he holds up bleach, and three tubes of hair dye, in orange, pink, and the same lavender as Hinata's eyes. "It will both annoy him, and remind him of the people who care about him, and DON'T want to see him do something foolish enough to get himself hurt."
"You want to dye his hair?" She giggles at that thought. "Are you serious?" Sasuke might have dated someone with pink hair once, but Hinata doubted her sexy SEAL really wanted copy Sakura's hair style.
"I find that it's a very effective way of getting a message across. And he'll only have to live with it for between one and three months. That should be long enough for the message to sink in." Itachi could see it already. "And I thought that we might do his bangs in the color of your eyes, just to drive the point home."
"Well the idea is rather tempting." He had been far too casual last night for her liking. "Alright. I'm in."
Itachi's smirk widens. "Excellent. And just think of it this way, you won't have to worry about him running off on you for a few months. He'll be far too embarrassed to even go outside."
This plan was growing only more tempting by the minute. "Good. That should teach him a lesson." One that he wouldn't forget. "How can I help?"
"Follow my lead, and we should be done in just over an hour." Oh…this was going to be so much fun, if rather smelly. But Itachi's revenge would be oh so sweet.
Step one, complete. And despite a couple of close calls with the bleaching that nearly woke Sasuke up, Itachi was satisfied with the bright blond of Sasuke's hair. It would take the color perfectly, unlike his previously raven black strands. Putting it in had been easy, scrubbing it out without waking Sasuke had been hard, even with his brother exhausted enough to be dead to the world a while longer. But Itachi appreciated the gentle touch with which Hinata handled her part.
Step two, the fun part. He pulls on a fresh pair of plastic gloves and passes the bottle of lavender dye to Hinata, whispering quietly. "This is for his fringe and bangs. I can handle applying the pink, and then the orange." The parts near Sasuke's face would require the more delicate touches.
Well she'd never really dyed someone's hair before, but Hinata was willing to try. "Alright. I'll see what I can do." After all, it would all grow out eventually anyway. What was really the worst that could happen? And Sasuke did deserve it, after what he did!
Luckily for them, Sasuke had a bit of a habit of sleeping on his stomach when he was in bed alone, leaving his hair fairly accessible. Itachi squeezes some pink dye into his gloved hands, rubbing it around with his fingers. "Remember, just like with the bleach, remember to gently massage it all the way to the roots. And divide the front from the pack, that way the colors don't mix." And once again, he demonstrates the technique, applying the pink cream to the bottom of Sasuke's flattened hair, and slowly working his way up.
"How many times have you done this?" She blinks. That was oddly specific she thinks to herself as Hinata copies Itachi's instructions to the letter.
"There may have been some experimentation when I was in high school." After all, what good was being a teenager, if you didn't try things out? Even Itachi had a few years where he was a little more fun. Though it was never to excess or the extreme.
She laughs at that image. "Experimentation, I see." Picturing a red headed Itachi for some reason. She didn't know why.
Sasuke starts to stir a little, so Itachi smirks and holds a finger in front of his lips, before going back to massaging the color into Sasuke's hair, quickly finishing with the pink, before grabbing the orange. "Careful, we don't want him waking for the next half hour or so." After that, well…Itachi didn't care. He carefully removes one glove, reaching into his pocket for pins to get his quickly growing bangs from his eyes, handing two to Hinata for when she finishes with Sasuke's.
"Got it." Her voice barely qualifies as a whisper as she finishes doing his bangs.
A few minutes later, Itachi finishes applying the bright orange to the ends of Sasuke's flattened spikes, pinning them gently in such a way that the colors wouldn't mix together into a gray-brown mess. Now that it was done, all they had to do was wait half an hour, and then remove the dye. He glances at Hinata, smirking as he removes his gloves. "Well done. Sasuke should definitely learn his lesson this time."
She bites back a laugh at the sight. "If that doesn't drive the point home, nothing would." Maybe, she didn't need to consult with Mikoto for a proper punishment, after all. This was far more fun.
About half past noon, Sasuke rolls over in bed, eyes slowly fluttering open as he blinks his way into consciousness. "Hinata…?" No…he was alone. Though something smelled kind of weird. Like Hinata's shampoo. Had she showered? His skin felt kind of wet, his head, and down his neck and shoulders. Had she gotten water on him?
Yawning, he shakes his head and reaches for the clean clothes next to his bed, tossing them on as he drags himself out of the warm confines of the blankets. Food, he hadn't eaten in about nine hours. He needed food.
So, yawning and tugging down the long sleeves of his black shirt, Sasuke ambles down the stairs and into the kitchen and living room. "Morning." It looked like Madara had gone home, likely escorted back by his grandfather. Sakura must have gone out to look after Hanabi, and Naruto was likely already on Emiko duty, but Neji and Sai were both downstairs, along with Hinata, Itachi, and his parents. "Morning."
"Morning, Beautiful." Hinata couldn't help, giggling at the sight of her lover's new hair. "How did you sleep?" Sai and Neji were openly gaping at him, and Itachi was just smirking away.
"Slept well, but the room smelled weird when I woke up." He frowns slightly. "And I felt wet when I woke up, like someone was putting damp cloths on my head." Sasuke yawns again, shaking his head as he reaches for some freshly-cooked lasagna.
Neji stares wide-eyed at the…well, he wasn't sure what to call it, except a piece of art. One that he never expected to see Sasuke sporting. And judging by the expressions on the faces of his lover and his cousin, it was not something that Sasuke had done to himself.
"Really?" Hinata shakes her head, feigning innocence. "How strange."
Sasuke's eyes narrow. Okay…something was up, and he didn't know what. "What's going on?"
Mikoto shakes her head and sighs. Oh boy. "Sasuke, have you looked in a mirror since you woke up?" This wasn't going to be pretty. It looked like Itachi had enlisted Hinata's assistance in his plots of revenge. "It's...such a unique rainbow."
"What she means to say…" Fugaku coughs uncomfortably. "Is that it would seem that your brother and your lover have joined forces to enact your…punishment for last night's events."
Sasuke blinks, before everything clicks into place. "…You didn't…" He glares at Itachi, and to a lesser extent Hinata, as he grabs hold of his bangs, seeing lavender instead of black, and feeling the roughness of hair that had undergone intense bleaching. "Seriously!?" What the hell had they done to his HAIR!?
"I told you that you look beautiful." Hinata laughs softly at him. "That's what you get for sneaking off like that." Hmpf! That should drive the point home!
Groaning, Sasuke puts his head down on the counter, covering his head with his arms. "Damn it, Hinata…" And he imagined that with Itachi involved, it was only going to get worse. "You dyed my hair PURPLE!?" Wait, his mother had said a rainbow, right? "What OTHER colors did you dye it?"
She giggles at his terror. "Oh we selected with quite the wide arrange of colors for you." Hinata shakes her head in amusement. "Variety is the spice of life."
Neji cringes at the sight of the garishly colored hair. "And by variety, she means pink and orange. You…look quite a bit like a sunrise, actually." His eyes fall on his own lover suspiciously. "I presume that I WON'T be subjected to such a sneak attack?"
"Never, My Love." Itachi smiles at him. "Doing such a thing to your hair would be the height of blasphemy, but I thought you didn't care about hair." He couldn't resist teasing him. "After all, you kept saying the buzzcut didn't matter."
Neji rolls his eyes. "Because you make even that look handsome. THAT on the other hand…" Neji could see that Sasuke was positively mortified. "Is simply a step too far, even for my tolerance."
He smiles and kisses Neji's cheek. "I shall be sure to keep that in mind and we both know that I looked ghastly." Horrible. He had looked absolutely horrible.
"And now, you most certainly do not." Neji chuckles as he reaches up to toy with the soft raven locks, curving slightly around his lover's face. His voice drops to a whisper as he folds Itachi's arms around him. "How long do you think it will be before he disposes of the colors?" Dyeing over them again was a bad idea, and you couldn't do it again so early anyway.
"I'd say at least a month." Itachi smirks at that thought. "Perhaps three though."
Neji chuckles. "Care to bet on that?" If he had to guess, Itachi was just being hopeful. Then again, maybe he could get some fun out of this.
Itachi considers that and nods. "Sure. What do you have in mind?" If nothing else, pictures would last a lifetime!
Bingo. "If I win…" He leans back to whisper in Itachi's ear. "I bend you over your desk right after the large Senate session in one month."
"You said after?" He wasn't actually crazy enough to indulge in exhibition in the Senate, was he?
"Yes, in your PRIVATE office." Neji did have some limits, after all. "There's every chance that no one will hear us. And anyway, I say that he'll take two to three weeks, and it will be gone once the roots have grown out half an inch."
Itachi smirks at that. "Deal." He couldn't lose, even if he actually lost.
After a disastrous lunch, came many hours of Sasuke sulking in his bedroom. He looked RIDICULOUS! How could Hinata DO something like this to him!? He glares slightly to the side at his smiling girlfriend. "You and Itachi are evil. Like feeding little demons after midnight."
"I'll admit that it was a little evil." She crosses her arms and huffs slightly. "But I'm pretty sure you'll think twice now before going off like that ever again."
"More like I'll think twice about sleeping with my door unlocked." Bad things happened when he didn't lock his bedroom door. Like great-uncles walking in after he'd had sex, or brothers breaking in to dye his hair in a rainbow.
"Sasuke, I'm very disappointed in you." She shakes her head. "I may not be a veteran, but I do know how to get past locked doors."
He buries his face in his pillow, fingers tugging out a few brittle pink strands. "Yes, and so does Itachi." No locked door would stop his brother if he wanted to mess with him. "You're enjoying making me look like a circus clown, aren't you?"
"Maybe a little bit, but it was more about the message than personal enjoyment." She smiles.
"Fine, I get it, just don't pull this shit again. Streaks of lavender, I could tolerate, but the pink and orange are too bright for me." He preferred and looked better in cool colors, and in rich reds. Colors like orange and yellow just…looked terrible on him.
She smiles at him. "I won't do it again as long as you don't give me cause to." Hinata smiles as she kisses him.
"Fine…" He grumbles a little as he kisses back, before pulling another pillow over top of his head. "Now let me hide for a couple weeks."
"Don't feel so bad." Hinata giggles at him. "You're the sexiest clown that I've ever seen."
Sasuke's cheeks burn a vivid, mortified scarlet as he grabs hold of Hinata, rolling her over onto her back. "Honestly, Hinata, you're lucky I love you, otherwise this would mean war."
"I know." She smirks at him. "A fact which I was all too happy to take advantage of."
Oh boy, she was smirking, that was bad. She was picking up way too many habits from him and Itachi. "I see." Fine, then he would play dirty too. "Well, at least you don't have to worry about me jumping you if you sleep over the next couple of weeks." He falls to the side, landing in the mess of blankets. They were nice and warm…and he was starting to get sleepy again.
Was he actually threatening to withhold sex from her? "Are you threatening me?" Because she was pretty sure he was!
"No." He resists the urge to smirk. "I'm saying that looking like a clown…honestly kills my libido." And he wasn't lying. The idea of looking like a clown really didn't do it for him.
"You're definitely threatening me!" She hmpfs. "And yourself, I hope you know."
"If that's the way you want to take it, fine." Still he wraps his arms around her. "Sulking makes me tired." But snuggling was fine.
"You won't last two days." She snuggles against him, the sounds of her angry muttering audible.
"I'll last two whole weeks. You'll see." After all, if he could last six whole months without it, two weeks would be nothing. Nothing at all.