A/N: You know it's exam season at my uni when I post a lengthier chapter. I have my first one tomorrow, so wish me luck, haha. :DDD
If you want, check out my new SasuHina story – 'As Long As I'm of Use'. It's written for the SasuHina Discord server challenge 'Arranged Marriage AU' and it takes place in a Mulan-inspired AU. I wrote only a prologue as of now. No worries, updating this story will be my priority. Now enough said, please enjoy!
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Previously: Glossy eyes shone with hope. Hinata finally hummed and looked in the direction of their dorm – just across the intersection. Sakura stood up and outstretched her hand and Hinata took it mindlessly, just as she always did since they were kids. Their hot breaths left white trails behind in the cool early morning air as they walked under the watch of the faint street lamps in silence.
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The digital clock on his nightstand provided him with the time – 2:43 pm, Sunday. The angry neon digits shone brightly in the dim room, tearing him from his drowsy state. Despite sleeping in, Sasuke felt drained. He wanted to just lay in bed for a little longer and space out. But the nasty taste in his mouth and the stale air forced him to get up after just minutes.
No matter how vigorously he brushed his teeth, he couldn't scrub away the taste of a budding hangover from his mouth. He bowed down to spit. Naruto knocked on the door of the shared bathroom. Sasuke unlocked it without a second thought. He cupped his left hand under the faucet. He could see the blonde wiggling his eyebrows in the mirror.
"Ya' just woke up?" Naruto grinned and had no business whatsoever looking so well rested, Sasuke thought, but smirked despite himself, establishing eye contact through the mirror. "Are we hitting the gym or what?"
"Give me 30."
Convenient. A welcome distraction. Just then Kurama came in demanding his attention. Sasuke obliged and squatted to pet it. The orange cat evaded his touch, and pawed the door to his room. The cat then meowed loudly, asking for access to what it must be convinced was another room of its mansion. With Kurama happily sitting on his windowsill, he showered, grabbed a quick breakfast and felt thankful for living with his friend. It was impossible to feel down in Naruto's presence.
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They checked in at the climbing gym before the afternoon peak. Good. A decent amount of people were there, but it could have been worse.
Naruto showed off as usual, using solely his upper body to climb some lower graded routes for warm up. He of course had decided to strip his bright orange T-Shirt in the process.
"Moron."
"Too cool for school, bastard?"
Sasuke didn't allow Naruto to challenge him twice. Half an hour later, they both laid sweaty and pumped on the mattress covering the gym's floor. Naruto was grinning victoriously while Sasuke tried in vain to conceal his sulking face. The blonde stood up, a serious expression on his face, and outstretched his arm to Sasuke. He took it. Blonde eyebrows knit in worry.
"Ya' good?"
"Yeah," he said. For some reason he didn't want to bring up Hinata yet again. He maybe just needed some time to process the new information. That was all. They went back to climbing and worked on their core strength after finishing the session.
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When he arrived home, he found Kurama basking in the last sun rays curled up on the windowsill, as if frozen in time. As soon as the feline sensed his arrival, it perked its pointy ears and sprang down to the floor. Establishing eye contact with Sasuke, the cat started rubbing itself against the mini-fridge. There went his chicken leftovers.
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A good hour had passed since his arrival, but unlike himself, Sasuke found it impossible to focus on work. The burning sensation in his muscles failed to calm his inner turmoil. He had climbed well, but felt no sense of accomplishment. This was very odd. So he resorted to the only thing he could think of – calling Kakashi.
He had never liked to refer to him as a father; not because he didn't feel attached to him, it just felt like what they had was rather a brotherly relationship. For one, it never crossed the grey-haired man's mind to hide his lecture material from Sasuke's eyes, even when he was merely a child. Kakashi had never lectured him about what he was supposed to do, nor did he hold Sasuke on a tight leash. He would merely observe the young boy and let him figure life out on his own accord. The child felt as if he didn't find a loving home at first and resented him; what he ended up noticing, however, was that Kakashi was mysteriously there when he needed him. If his knee bled after his laces tripped him, his injury would be attended to. When he came home sad, dinner would be tomato soup. Slowly, but surely, the trust started to grow between the two and they would confide in each other at times. Both were inept at communication at first, but they made it work.
His fingertips itched to continue his research online. It didn't seem like a healthy thing to do. He had homework to complete. Sasuke dialled Kakashi's number from memory. He never saved contacts in his phone – he had this habit of simply learning the important numbers by heart and categorised the other ones as irrelevant anyhow; as a rule of thumb he never called – anyone.
"Yo."
A long silence ensued. Kakashi sighed and repeated himself.
"Yo. Sasuke?"
A sigh from Sasuke. Sometimes he felt like he was talking to an older version of himself. They were both dry, direct people who didn't chatter unnecessarily. "I… I met someone at a party yesterday and–"
Kakashi's chuckle interrupted him. Another sigh from Sasuke and he started rubbing his face with his right hand. "She came over."
"Isn't it too early for pregnancy tests?" Kakashi teased, making a show of counting on his fingers. Of course, Sasuke couldn't see that, but he knew Kakashi well enough to figure the elder man was entertained. But the elder man's ears were sharp despite his mirth. He knew it must have been serious. Sasuke hadn't called for the first few months away at all.
"Look, I… " Sasuke stopped to contemplate how much he should share. Kurama perked its ears as if to listen in.
"Sasuke, I know what happens when a man brings a woman home."
"Yes, but we didn't exactly–"
"That happens sometimes too. People change their minds."
Sasuke breathed out in relief. "It wasn't that… She started crying when we were about to start."
"And you…?"
"I stopped immediately."
"Good," Kakashi replied in a calm tone. There was silence on the other end. Kakashi resigned to patiently wait. There would be more.
"At first I supposed she went through a nasty break-up recently, anyhow, besides the point."
"Trauma?"
"Didn't know that yet. I went to shower for a good twenty minutes, to give her time. I honestly supposed she'd be gone by the time I would be back." Sasuke clicked his tongue, being reminded of the image he had seen. He could recall her frame sitting on his bed, so he turned around sharply to glance out the window. Kurama eyed him strangely.
"When I came back, she was exactly how I left her. I figured some real shit must have happened." Kakashi let out a low whistle. "I really hope I wasn't a jerk – I don't remember exactly how I reacted. I made us tea and asked if she wanted to talk about it. She told me she was raped by a friend. Turns out she and Naruto are real close and the guy must be someone I know."
Kakashi cursed under his breath.
"I assume you asked Naruto about it, no?"
"I let him share some info on her, but I didn't."
"Let me guess – it has been preoccupying you." Silence on the other end. "You've been looking into it, right?"
Kakashi had read him like an open book. Sasuke grunted. "I know where they all hang out, what reasons they might have, I listed all of that. What now?"
As Sasuke looked through his window, he now realised it was dark outside. Kurama hissed at him like a feral cat. Sasuke opened the door to his room to allow its exit.
"What would you do if you knew who it was?"
"I don't know."
"Then why look for him?"
"I don't know what else to do."
"Stop poking around. What if it was Naruto?"
"First – I won't think about that. Some people you just trust. You and I both know that." Sasuke laughed dryly. "Second of all – I think she has a crush on the idiot. Actually, I know this as a matter of fact. Apparently she's been infatuated with him for years."
"Okay – just bear in mind it's one of them and be prepared for any turn of events."
"I likely regularly hang out with him."
"Looks like that." Sasuke didn't answer, so Kakashi went on. This was the part where he was supposed to give a good piece of advice, right? "Put yourself first, whatever that means for you. Just – you cannot go on to question your friends with that damn notebook of yours. Look, if it preoccupies you that much, befriend her."
"I'll think about it. Thanks."
"Call me anytime. I mean it."
Sasuke breathed out in relief. They hung up without saying goodbye.
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As Monday came, Sasuke attended his classes. But he wasn't quite paying attention. He was questioning Kakashi's advice. Wouldn't he seem to be a creep if he went looking for her? The one night stand rules were clear in this regard – it was a no go. But they hadn't slept together after all. But what if she regretted telling him? She for sure now knew he must be hanging out with him, whoever he was, after seeing Naruto was his roommate. What if she regretted confessing to him? She probably did.
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His feet led him there after classes. He didn't know why. His eyes read "Moon's Café". Yeah, he was going to go in and see this Toneri guy for himself. Why not? He was the only one whom he didn't get to know through Naruto, save for Neji. It would be so easy if it were him. This would mean he wouldn't be casually hanging out with a rapist, everyone can stay friends and Hinata and that roommate of hers will rejoin the group seeing Toneri was gone. Everyone would be happy, right?
Well, life had a way of fucking up all of Sasuke's plans and today was no exception, because Hinata and a pink-haired girl –no doubt Sakura– were sitting at a table with Toneri. Hinata was beaming at him, sipping through a straw from an obnoxiously sweet drink. Sasuke's nose scrunched up involuntarily. It couldn't be Toneri then. So why did the other guys then cut him off? What had happened? Sasuke's insides turned. Were his friends protecting the rapist? Naruto had been strange when talking about Hinata after all.
He didn't have the heart to ruin her day by showing himself. Sasuke took a table in the back and ordered a flat white. Throwing glances in her direction every now and then, he was relieved to see her being relaxed again. Her face looked so different when she smiled – he had to wonder if that was the same Hinata he had met at that party. Soon, the girls left the table and Toneri was left alone, staring in the direction they left for a while even after they were gone.
Sasuke stood up to pay his bill. He was so distracted by his own thoughts that he didn't notice Toneri had gone back behind the counter and was now the cashier. What? The son of one of Japan's richest men being a cashier? Now Sasuke was even more shocked. Light blue eyes narrowed in mirth and the white-haired man laughed wholeheartedly.
"I get that every time, you know. Nice to meet you, you must be Uchiha-san, right?" Sasuke's brows shot up in amazement for the second time in under ten seconds. Toneri waved a hand awkwardly. "You are the golden student of the Mathematics faculty, we all know who you are. It's the first time you come here. I never forget the people who come here," the young man continued.
Yes, this guy was socially awkward and very much so. The last statement might sound unnerving to many people and for a good reason.
"Coffee's on me. Mind joining me for a second?"
Sasuke accepted, this was a good opportunity to inquire further. Kakashi could stick his advice up his own ass, he wouldn't blow such an opportunity to snoop around. He was aware that Toneri must have his own agenda. He invited him after all.
"I was surprised to see you and Hinata," Sasuke admitted sincerely. There was no place for bullshitting. "All the tabloids were full for months with news of your cancelled engagement."
Toneri smiled. "Ah, so I see you know her. Even better then." To Sasuke it seemed like the other man was dancing around his question. Just then, Toneri continued. "It's refreshing that people are honest for once and don't try to pry around in a manner they deem discreet and is anything but. But let me ask you something back."
Sasuke's brows furrowed, but he nodded. "You are friends with that orange clown, correct?"
Now Sasuke felt like his own privacy had been breached. How did this guy know? Did he keep tabs on him? How ironic. This guy was not fond of Naruto it seemed.
"Watch your mouth, that's my best friend," Sasuke said with mirth. He didn't exactly disagree, but the jab at Naruto didn't seem to be meant in a friendly manner.
Toneri scrunched his nose in disgust but abandoned the matter. "You see, the matters are quite intertwined – this is why I wanted to talk to you. Our engagement was arranged by our parents. I didn't know Hinata beforehand, but I fell for her over time – unrequited. I know she has loved someone else since childhood and I wouldn't dare force this marriage on her. She's kind, she never told me that, it was just easy to notice," Toneri said in a calm tone. "It's that best friend of yours." He waved his hands again and looked the other way.
"But I haven't seen him around recently," he continued in a serious tone, looking for Sasuke's eyes. Once he had established eye contact for a second, he looked away. "I broke off the engagement for selfish reasons, really. I knew that I had no chance of capturing her heart like that and I couldn't have lived on knowing how my future wife feels for another." Toneri licked his lips. "I was just wondering what had changed in the last half a year. I… I don't want to speak to Naruto myself."
Sasuke gulped. "To be honest, I have just gotten to know Hinata two days ago." He looked away. "I noticed myself that something must have happened. I haven't gotten to the bottom of it. And it's not on me to share what I know."
He tried his best to be honest in return, but didn't know what Toneri would make of it. The white haired man merely smiled. It didn't reach his eyes.
"Not quite the answer I was looking for, but at least I know it wasn't all in my head," he eventually clarified. Sasuke nodded in his direction, thanked him for the drink and left the establishment being more confused than when he had entered.
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To be continued…
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A/N: Thank you to everyone who has shown love to this story so far. Special thanks go out to my beta, Sommernacht.
See you next week!
