x-x-x-x-x-x

Sasuke's Impressions: A Silent Promise

x-x-x-x-x-x

The rain thudded rapidly, falling in pace to a crackling rhythm. Droplets ricocheted off the pavement and bounced back like rubber balls before pooling into muddy puddles. Water soaked his poncho and matted his hair to his head. But he hardly cared. He inhaled the thick, humid scent of an impending thunderstorm through his nose.

The tables had turned since their academy days, he thought absently.

Several meters in front of him, fan girls flocked an uneasy Naruto with their umbrellas, urgently fighting each other for him to pick theirs.

"T-Thanks for all the offers but I really don't need any of them! I'm um, almost home."

"Kya! Naruto-kun please let us walk you home!"

While it was...new for dead last to not be considered dead last by the village anymore, Sasuke found he didn't mind this part of their role reversal. At all.

He felt a presence nearing him, a chakra pattern that belonged to neither Sakura nor Kakashi, and instinctively tensed. His muscles flexed imperceptibly, but relaxed once she spoke.

"Naruto-kun sure has gotten popular, hasn't he Sasuke-kun?"

He inclined his head towards her. She was familiar...perhaps from the academy? He couldn't put a name to the face. To be fair, he never paid anyone much attention even back then. But he did remember that the unmistakable white eyes belonged to the Hyūga clan, one that rivaled even his own.

He nodded, not too keen on socializing.

"Welcome back to Konoha, Sasuke-kun. When did you return?"

"A few days ago," he answered.

She hummed in response, catching on to his taciturn preferences.

After a stretch of silence, she held out the handle to a dark purple umbrella. "Here Sasuke-kun, please take this umbrella."

Shaking his head, he pointed towards his idiot of a best friend. "Why don't you go offer it to him," he stated plainly.

Her eyes followed his direction, lips forming a strained smile. "Naruto-kun appears…busy. He doesn't need me anymore."

It dawned on him that he did recognize her. She had unwittingly distracted Naruto during the infinite tsukuyomi attack. "No. You must be someone important to him," he voiced his realization out loud.

She jerked slightly, startled by his words. "Ah...I don't know about that. I think Naruto-kun is just a really kind person."

"Anyways, I'm almost at the Hyūga compound, so," she offered the umbrella to him again, the rain pelted both of them while the umbrella shielded the ground. Sasuke reluctantly accepted it.

"Are you afraid to fight them for his attention?" Sasuke asked in spite of himself. He didn't know why he expressed interest.

She shifted her weight, but returned his blank stare. "I wouldn't say I'm afraid. More like, unsure if I'd be interrupting."

Sasuke said nothing.

With a polite bow of her head, the girl excused herself and alone, walked in the rain.

x-x-x-x-x-x

He plopped onto the grass, still damp from yesterday's storm. His shoes were caked in mud, blades of grass sticking to the soles, and he grimaced as he noticed the mud invading the skin between his toes. Sakura practiced chakra control a little ways away, and beside him, Naruto rambled on about something or another. Perhaps it was because the blond knew that, despite Sasuke's aloof and disinterested stare, he was always listening.

No clouds littered the sky, allowing the jarringly azure color to be at its boldest. The sun radiated at full brightness. It occurred to him that he hadn't thought of the weather, as simply weather−and not a factor to keep in mind for his battle plan− since his fleeting, naive childhood. A memory sparked in his mind.

"The Hyūga girl, what's her name?" He asked casually, effectively cutting off Naruto's story.

Naruto blinked. "You mean Hinata?"

"Who?"

"Hinata Hyūga," Naruto repeated. "Long hair, white eyes, cute−erm, I mean like, small."

"Oh, so it is her." Sasuke leaned his head back against the tree's wide trunk.

Naruto's brow furrowed. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Nothing really." He shrugged off-handedly.

"No, tell me!" Naruto urged, assaulting Sasuke's personal space bubble with his curious face.

"Move you idiot." He roughly shoved whiskers out of his immediate view. "Ugh fine. I met her yesterday, she gave me her umbrella."

"Oh." Naruto's expression softened. "That's like her to be so nice."

"Too nice," Sasuke muttered.

"Huh what was that?"

Sasuke sighed, the dobe hung onto every word that had to do with her. "I didn't remember exactly who she was yesterday, but now I remember that her name does jog a memory."

When it appeared that Naruto was waiting patiently for elaboration, Sasuke groaned. "A long time ago, a very long time ago, some of the clansmen were discussing a fallout in the Hyūga clan. The proper successor, Hinata, was too weak and subsequently an embarrassment to the clan. She was kicked out and replaced by her younger sister of five years," Sasuke stated flatly, but his dark opinions crept in. "Pathetic, actually. To be beaten by someone who was supposed to be an amateur," he continued.

"Hey! Don't talk about her like that," Naruto defended, the shift in his demeanor immediately palpable.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at him and said, "We both know that the ninja world has no coddling. Someone weak like her isn't fit to lead the Hyūga clan. She has no self-confidence and almost as lacking courage."

"She's changed a lot since then!" Naruto growled, fists balled tightly at his sides. "She's strong and brave and protected me with her life!"

"Tch," Sasuke grumbled. "I'd hardly believe it. She didn't even have the confidence to approach you yesterday. How much courage does that take?"

Confusion swamped blue eyes, but before Naruto could argue further, Sakura shoved him brusquely to the side. She stopped to hover over Sasuke, her shadow casting over his stiff form.

Without warning, she punched his cheek with enough force to embed his back into the tree; wood splintered in all directions and tree bark crackled like crumpling paper. Green eyes alight, she placed her fist against her open palm and wiped the blood off her glove.

"What the fuck?" Sasuke seethed, spitting blood onto the grass.

The fury in Sakura's eyes burned like a white-hot knife. "Where do you," her voice dangerously low, "go off spouting bullshit like that. You know nothing about Hinata." She grabbed him by the collar and pulled him forward. "I could write essays and give speeches about how amazing she is− she's a brave kunoichi who's suffered more than you think− but someone like you is so thick-skulled you won't believe anyone until you see it for yourself. I'm not going to force you to change your opinion, but I advise that you keep your mouth shut. I'm gonna tell you straight up," she raised her unoccupied hand and spread her fingers, "the number of people who look at you with not an ounce of disdain or hatred is less than the fingers on my hand. Hinata is one of them."

Sakura dropped him to the ground and he landed with an unceremonious thump. "And I won't hesitate to defend her, or any of my precious friends again. Even to you Sasuke, I won't hold back next time." She dusted her hands on her shorts and walked away, exiting the training grounds.

Sasuke watched her retreating back, trying to process what the hell just happened.

"Take it," Naruto ordered, holding out a rag. "You've got blood on your chin."

Sasuke brought his hand up to graze his chin, noting that warm blood was indeed dribbling from the sides of his mouth. When Sasuke didn't budge an inch, Naruto threw the rag over his head.

Begrudgingly, Sasuke removed the rag from his head and wiped at his mouth. He wrinkled his nose. "This...smells like your armpit sweat." He nearly gagged at the realization that it probably was.

"Deal with it," Naruto said crossly.

Sasuke's frown etched deeper. "What is it."

Naruto didn't answer immediately, surprising the Uchiha that Naruto was taking time to plan coherent sentences.

"You know, you're lucky that Sakura got to you first," he began.

"And why is that?" Sasuke huffed.

"Because you were startin' to make me really angry, and with the way you kept on going I wouldn't have been able to hold back," he snarled.

"Tch."

"But you know what pisses me off even more?"

Sasuke didn't want to know. Although he doubted he had a choice in the matter.

"It's that you don't even feel bad! You can say all this shit without batting an eye!" Naruto exploded hotly.

The dark-haired boy shrugged. "That's because they are my true opinions."

"Well you know what, your true opinions suck! I'm different from Sakura because I will try to change them," he declared, jabbing a thumb to his chest.

"Ugh," he pressed a hand to his forehead, "why do you care so much about this?"

Naruto folded his arms across his stomach. "Isn't it obvious? Because Hinata works hard to be acknowledged and I want her to be rightfully recognized. We both know how the ninja world likes to shun us and make us feel invisible."

Sasuke said nothing, pressing his lips into a thin line.

"You weren't there, but back when I had to face off with Pain, I got my ass handed to me. Seriously, I was pinned on the floor in minutes by these horrible chakra rods. Then Hinata, shy, gentle Hinata came out of nowhere, saying she was going to die protecting me!" He struggled to reign in his anger as memories flashed through his mind. "Can you believe that? Can you imagine how it feels to see someone getting beaten to death for you, because you were too weak to protect them?" His breathing came out heavily, pain hardening his eyes.

Sasuke spoke, selecting his words more carefully this time. "But why? Why would she even attempt to face the Akatsuki leader. You are one hundred fold stronger than she is. If even you cannot defeat the enemy, then she was merely running a suicide mission."

"She knew. It didn't matter to her though, because she was willing to sacrifice her life for me." Naruto stopped, pausing to inhale deeply and exhale lowly. "Do you understand...how much courage it takes to be selfless?"

Several moments elapsed before Sasuke spoke. He didn't want his mind to wander back to things, or more specifically to a person, that he preferred not to think about. "Yes, I do," he finally answered.

More words danced on Naruto's tongue, but Sasuke's patience wore thin. The Uchiha stood up abruptly. "I'm going home," he announced, the texture of tree bark pressed onto the back of his poncho.

Halfway to the exit, Sasuke heard his name being shouted.

"Wait," Naruto called.

Sasuke slowed to a halt.

"Go to Sakura-chan's window and serenade her. Make sure to bring her flowers too."

"What the hell?" He whipped around, his poncho flapping behind him. "Why would I do something as ridiculous as that?"

"Because you want her to forgive you, don't you?" He said frankly; stating it as simply as if he said rain was wet.

"That doesn't mean the request is any less ridiculous." Sasuke fought the urge to roll his eyes.

Naruto shrugged one shoulder. "Beats me. But that's what she told me she wanted herself."

"Utterly absurd−Wait..." Suspicion crossed his features. "Why don't you go do this yourself instead of telling me? From what I remember you hold strong feelings for her."

"Oh, you mean those days."

Not many things interested, much less surprised, Sasuke Uchiha. To say the least, Naruto took him aback with his casual handling of the subject.

"I've kinda figured it's like this." He put his hand in front of him and made a revolving motion, like screwing in a light bulb. "My crush on Sakura-chan was like... a light bulb. It was bright for a while, but then grew weaker, and eventually started to flicker. To be honest, I'm not sure if it's completely dead yet...but even so, I don't think I want to turn it back on."

He clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "On the other hand, Sakura-chan's love for you is like a fire. You know: warm. A hearth to call home. You might not like this but I think she's tried to put it out. Many times, actually. Doesn't help when you stomp all over it too. But she somehow manages to find reasons to throw more wood in and keep it burning. One day though, she'll get so fed up that she'll keep it dead after you extinguished it...again."

Sasuke regarded his best friend with a look so guarded it belied the veiled emotions in his eyes. Sighing for the umpteenth time that day, Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're...so annoying. That was awful. Don't ever write poetry. Or anything, for that matter," he said, though without genuine malice.

"Hey! Is that Sasuke-speak for 'you-got-through-my-thick-stubborn-skull.'"

"Dobe," was all he offered. "How do you even know if she still holds feelings for me? You saw it yourself, she had no trouble almost knocking my teeth out."

Naruto smirked, a haughty, grating smirk. "Well now you know what's she like when someone talks smack about you."

x-x-x-x-x-x

"This is your window."

"Sasuke...kun?!" She sat up, ramrod straight, and stared incredulously out her window. "Y-Yes...that is my window."

"I don't know what flowers you like. And cherry blossoms aren't blooming at this time of year."

"Sasuke-kun what are−"

"But I passed these when I was returning to the village." He presented her a neatly tied bundle of flowers: each one had five snow-white petals and a yellow center. "I don't know what they're called, but they reminded me of you. So I went back to that spot and picked them."

"O-Oh thank you," she stuttered. He saw her cheeks turn pink as she hastily tried to brush her hair down. It occurred to him that appearing at seven in the morning might not have been the most considerate decision.

"Why are you−"

"I can't sing. I mean, I don't sing," he cut off again. He knew it was rude and might have only enraged her again, but he really didn't want this to become a conversation.

"Sing? What are you..." Her eyes widened, followed by her jaw plunging open. "By any chance, did Naruto tell you to do this?"

He grunted, making plans to kick a certain Uzumaki's ass into next week.

Her laugh interrupted his plotting, and he would have felt more embarrassed if it wasn't for the fact that her smile was a hell lot more preferable than her fist.

"Maybe," he conceded.

Her giggles slowed in intensity, and he figured he had to dive in.

"I'm...sorry for what I said. For saying rude things about someone precious to both you and Naruto."

Sakura stopped laughing, and he momentarily, very slightly, panicked. What could he have said wrong? "Sasuke-kun...I appreciate that, I really do."

She shyly took his hand into hers. The warmth enveloped his cold fingers. "But I want you to understand that it isn't me or Naruto that you have to apologize to. It's Hinata."

"I didn't say anything to her. She doesn't know," he protested.

"I know, I'm talking about in here." Sakura placed her other hand over her heart. "You already made judgments on her based on her past and what you've heard. I'm asking you to look at her objectively. Not at the past that followed her but as the person she is now. She'd do the same for you, I'm sure of it."

He didn't say anything, and it didn't look like Sakura expected him to answer anyways. He looked into her eyes− green and shining and imploring−and he knew he couldn't say no. Even if he didn't voice his promise, Sakura knew it too. Sasuke wondered when this Hyūga girl had become such an integral part of his teammates.

.

.

.

"Does...does that mean I don't have to sing?"

x-x-x-x-x-x

x-x-x-x-x-x

Author's Note: Hope everyone had a great Valentine's day yesterday. :) Thank you again for the great reviews! This was one of my favorite chapters to write, I never imagined I'd like Sasuke's voice so much.

I'm quite a busy person, my major is very demanding, so it may be slow...But I have this idea toying in my head of creating another project: a NaruHina AU series. (Ex. College AU, Zombie AU, Disney AU, maybe take some popular requests). It'd be a more fluffy taste compared to this slow-burning love fic. Would anyone be interested in reading a fic like so? And of course, I'm not going to forget about this one and plan to finish it!