The Cut That Always Bleeds
Summary: She will always be the cut that always bleeds. He will always let her. Hinata endures, Sasuke knows she doesn't have to. Here's why exes should remain in the past.
Pairing: Naruto x Hinata x Sakura , Eventual Sasuke x Hinata
World: Alternate Universe, Modern Era without special abilities
I own nothing.
A/N: This isn't my favorite chapter (but it is quite fun to write it), it's more like an intro-ish though. But next chapter will be meatier (?) Idk if I'm using the right term, but yeah. More to come for the next chapter, for both Hina & Sasuke and Naru & Sakura! Enjoy!
Four.
.
.
Cloud is beautiful. From the airport to the terminals to the trains, everything in Cloud is clean and organized, Hinata mused.. well... to exception of course of their 'walk left' instead of the usual 'stay in the right' rule that Hinata has known her whole life. It has been four, four too many times in one day, that Hinata stumbled and fell(!) because of this rule, bumping into steel like shoulders of rushing people in the terminal.
But everything - except for the stumbles, stares and cherry red cheeks from embarrassment - is perfect and beautiful here in Cloud.
The University where she will be attending for a month was a five minute walk from Hinata's hotel, she found out after an hour of getting lost. The nearest train station to her hotel is merely a 4 minute brisk walk and the very convenient convenience store (which even sold contact lens solution!) was just an 8 minute slow walk. Ha! Hinata skipped on the way back to her hotel, a sudden burst of independence coursing through her veins. Here, no one knows her. In here, she can be anything and anyone she wants to be and she can give no damn about it because no one will know! As if on cue, Hinata smiled at the thought of her new found freedom.
All of the possibilities laid down in front of her though, she only wanted to be his, she realized. It has only been two days and she was already missing Naruto.
Hinata paused, taking out her phone only to find out messages were sent and seen - but no replies as of yet. Hinata looked ahead the blinking street light...
She'll just have to wait.
Maybe he's busy. Yeah, he's probably busy.
Hinata let out a huff. The rain fell on her shoulders.
.
.
.
.
It was a pretty fast week spent in a foreign land if you'd ask TenTen. A week flew by filled with boring lectures and - - never ending lectures, well that was expected.
It's comical how she even thought she would have time for herself to go around the country only to realize they're bound to listen for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week in the lecture hall.. at least that was the idea why she was here in the first place. But yes, the week went fast - but it wasn't as if she's complaining.
It was nice, to say the least but yeah, it was nice nice. Nice, different? It was nice to go around and shop after class hours in cheap stores selling good quality clothes, it was nice to try new cuisine (they are heavenly!), it was nice albeit cold to get rained on from time to time - it is Cloud Country, after all! Making new friends beats the nice things she could ever have in a foreign land, TenTen thought. But meeting old friends? It was the BEST. Glancing sideways, she gives a toothy grin at the meek girl next to her.
Well, not really meek now. Hinata wiped her happy tears as she looked back at TenTen as if waiting for another wave of jokes and teasing.
"Do you know I had a crush on your cousin when we were in uhm elementary? I even confessed my love for him on graduation day thinking I'd never cross paths with any of you for the rest of my life!" The brunette laughed, making a cringe face at Hinata, "So imagine my surprise to see you here. Here! In the same course. I haven't seen you for I dunno, a decade?! No, more!" Ten Ten stopped to count. "13 years?"
Hinata looked incredulously at the girl, processing a new wave of information. Crush? Neji? Her Neji-nii? Hinata blanched.
"TenTen-chan!.. No. No. No way! You, you really? did that? You.. you confessed to Neji-nii?" Hinata paused, words in between giggles, bending forward, clutching her stomach. Oh Kami! TenTen was sent to kill her!
TenTen joined too, flapping her hand through the air. "It's silly, right?! I know! I actually thought we'd never meet again after graduation! My parents had to move around and we ended up settling at the opposite side of Konoha so I had to change schools," TenTen pushed the arrow up the the elevator
"But who would have thought I'd see you again, right? I thought this exchange program is exclusive to my University. Who would have known, right?"
"H-Hai! It's amazing how small this world is, no?"
TenTen looked at Hinata, genuine smile plastered on both their faces. This. This is nice, TenTen realized. It is so nice to have someone to talk to about childhood and Konoha with - and in a foreign land too! Especially now that somehow a week deep into a month long trip has brought out an unusual feeling of homesickness in the brunette.
While Cloud is nice nice, it has always been human nature to find someone you're familiar with, she realized.
The two entered the elevator in comfortable silence and it wasn't so long a pregnant pause when TenTen looked over her shoulder.."So uhm, say, Hinata-chan.. is Neji still single?"
TenTen has never heard the meek girl beside her laugh so loud in public, she couldn't help but join.
No one knows them here.
.
.
Exchange programs, apparently, aren't all expenses paid vacation, Kiba found out. Huffing to his side, he listened to the professor as he discussed Cloud's taxing reform laws. Kiba grunted again, albeit silently this time.
Kiba glanced at his seat mate, upper lip lifting in cringe as he watches Sasuke actually take down notes. What an ass.
"We've been here for two weeks and I haven't understood anything yet, duckhair"
Sasuke stopped scribbling, glaring at the brunet, and focusing back on the professor. Professor Desu walked to the middle of the platform, pointing with a laser pen the board reading in high pitched nervous voice the information about the program and his laughable low expectations of a certain volunteer report presentation. It wasn't long until Sasuke heard another "tsk" from the Inuzuka.
Aa.
"You won't learn if you won't listen, let alone.. participate"
"As if. I can't even remember our own Tax La-" Sasuke raises his hand, earning a gentle and expecting nod from the old professor in front of them...
"Professor Desu, my friend Kiba Inuzuka here volunteers for the Tax Reform Law presentation"
"Wha-Hey-No-Sasuk-" Sasuke smirks as claps were heard in the auditorium with an echoing happiness from the nervous Mr. Desu.
"Wonderful, wonderful! For the presentation, you'll be paired up with the Business Majors from the other exchange program. I'll be meeting them after lunch, Mr. Inuzuka if you could please join us."
Kiba slumped, an apple caught in his throat as his knuckles paled visibly. What the hell does he know about Tax.. TAX! Let alone discuss it in a room full of people who actually know tax?! He has actually even forgotten about his own country's taxes! Hell he doesn't even pay his taxes!
"I am hoping for more volunteer-"
"I volunteer my good friend here, Mr. Sasuke Uchiha, Mr. Desu!"
Well shit.
.
.
.
"Man that was such a bullshit" Kiba nudged Sasuke as he took a bite of his spicy curry. "You know I hate tax law"
"Well at least now you will be forced to learn, muttface"
"I am so telling this to Itachi, you duckhair. Pssh. Gosh, I can't imagine working with business majors though, you know. I mean, what do they know about tax?"
Sasuke sighed, sipping on his warm tea. A sudden black blob formed on their peripherals, "Maybe more than you know"
A nerve twitched on Kiba's forehead.
And that was how they met Shino Aburame.
.
.
Desu smiled consciously, his hands extending to the women. "These are my students from the Business Major exchange program, you will be working together for the presentation. This is uh -"
"Tenten" the tall woman in hair buns smiled, extending her strong firm hands to Kiba and Uchiha.
"and uhm, I'm sorry I'm not good with names"
"Hai, it's alright. Desu-sensei. I'm uh. I'm Hinata, Hinata Hyuuga. It's uh, nice to meet you"
White pale hands shook the hairy tanned hand of Kiba later on made a firm grip on the equally pale hands of Sasuke Uchiha.
Dark orbs followed the outline of the small woman before him. Dark purple hair framing her pale face, high cheek bones with sharp natural contours, thin clean brows, soft sophisticated eyes, clear lavender eyes... red plump cheeks, pale pink lips, thin and precise nose...
As if on cue, Hinata's phone rang loudly breaking the awkward silence. She took her hand back from the handshake too quickly - rude - and scrambled to press 'end' the call, her face red with traces of wild embarrassment.
"G-GOMEN!.. Gomen, that was uhm it won't happen again!" She said too quickly earning a soft laughter from Kiba and of course, TenTen.
Sasuke blinks.
Beautiful.
Tenten giggled, putting an arm on Hinata's shoulder pulling her close. "She's cute, isn't she? She's our class doll!"
Sasuke blinks and later on finds himself smiling, mesmerized.
Taxes, Sasuke thinks, couldn't be so bad after all.
A/N: Hi! I just want to let you know that I might be finishing this story by mid-March next year. I would be very busy coming December until mid Feb, so I just want to let you know (just in case you will be following this story) but as much as I have the feelings to continue writing this story, I'll be trying my best to update as soon and as fast as I can!
I just want to say a very special shoutout to Heart Quinn for your insightful reviews and for the guests who reviewed too. You make my heart melt, really! These first four chapters are really more of an introduction and I plan to drop more info as I go along perhaps through conversations of the characters.
I will try my best to update four more chapters before the end of the year and continue when my schedule permits (mid Feb, I think)
As for the guest "Kissmyass" who left a review "Kill yourself, Ashley", I have a few words. First of all, my name is not Ashley. Second, it you're referring to me, as an individual, I'm sorry to disappoint you but I have tried actually 3x too many in this life time and I'm still alive. I might just actually stop trying just to piss you off. Third, if you don't like the story please just leave and go on with your life. Lastly, let us try our hardest not to bully people into hurting/killing themselves, the real world is already so very mean. Don't try spreading negativity in a place where fans choose to unleash their imagination to escape an already cruel world. I hope you are a better person in real life.
All my love! Please leave me some love!
