Sasuke woke up with sun streaming through the windows. His body was somewhat sore, but he felt lighter––waking up, for the first time in weeks, without thinking about whatever thing he needed to get done next.
He slipped from bed without so much as glancing at Sakura. He remembered, as he pulled a shirt over his chest, that she had been half-awake when he had entered his room––whatever time that was, last night. She'd been wearing a red lingerie set but had fallen asleep waiting for him with a Netflix show on.
Sasuke blew out the candles carelessly as he went first towards the bathroom, immediately stepping into the shower. Predictably, Sakura roused herself enough to meet him there, standing with her arms crossed.
"Why'd you come in so late?"
"I was making calls to the office. The time difference, remember?"
"Oh," Sakura said, sounding a bit embarrassed. "Well, I was waiting for you."
"I'm tired," Sasuke said, washing his body. The steam rose immediately; he liked his water scalding hot. He thought, in flashes, of Hinata and the sounds she'd made. A thrill went through his navel with the memory––still so fresh and present. His mouth between her shoulder and neck. Her hair, tickling his skin. He groaned to put an end to the thoughts, but that only reminded him more.
When they'd gone up the stairs after cleaning everything up, Sasuke grabbed her before she unlocked the door. He kissed her fully on the mouth, their heads nestled together as they teetered on the steps. Her palms held his torso for stability. His fingers held her face, feeling the hardened edge of her jaw as she deepened the kiss easily, opening her mouth. Yes. Open, open, open.
And then they were upstairs, unlocking the door, and darting away from each other like a pair of thieves in the night.
Now Sasuke dipped out of bed without bothering to wake Sakura. He stepped out onto their small porch with a rolled cigarette in his mouth and sighed as he sat in one of the wicker chairs. He really needed to think this through if he was going to do this. He'd had affairs before––who hadn't? But this one felt different. Before, there was no feeling between them besides lust, but now, with Hinata––it felt different.
He had to be careful. He liked and appreciated Hinata as a worker, and was worried that he was ruining something that was good for the both of them. But he couldn't help how drawn to her he felt, how easy their conversations were, and how natural the sex had been.
Another part of him delighted in this new situation for a completely selfish reason––he was getting back at Sakura. He was getting to do what he wanted––what he has wanted to do, for a long time now. Besides, it was good for him, for now. From the moment he woke up, he felt excited for the day for the first time in months.
He extinguished the cigarette and began to get dressed, thinking only about what the shape of his day would look like now that he was leaving the house with his assistant. He ignored the texts and emails that had come in around 3am (11am in Konoha), and left his room without so much as giving a parting word.
The villa was quiet as Sasuke made his way to the front. Everyone was still sleeping, though it wasn't too early––8:15am. Sasuke had had barely four hours of sleep, but still he felt energized as he crossed the threshold of the front door and saw Hinata standing next to one of the SUVs, leafing through a travel guide as she leaned against the vehicle.
She looked beautiful. She was dressed casually in jean shorts and a striped long-sleeve, button-up shirt. Her hair was braided back from her face with a red scarf, which delighted Sasuke because it reminded him of her flying down the mountain in Aosta Valley, her braid tickling his face. Her hands were fiddling nervously with the book, but she smiled shyly when she saw him walk down the stairs.
They got into the car quickly and quietly, not saying much of anything other than a soft, "good morning." Hinata fidgeted with her bangs, pressing them into her forehead with her left hand as she gazed into the mirror––ignoring him, and quite pointedly, too.
Sasuke turned on the car and put on his seatbelt. He connected his cellphone to the AUX and began to play music, letting soft sounds drift between them. He sat there, watching Hinata, until she finally flipped the mirror back up and looked down at her fingers.
"Am I making you nervous?"
Surprised, she looked up and blushed, before nodding and looking towards the villa. "A––a little," she admitted. "I've––um––never done anything like this. And we're still in the driveway. And being in the car with you feels so––"
Sasuke, mind full of memory, briefly thought about all of the things the two of them could do in a car. Then, he realized that wasn't what she was talking about, and vanished those thoughts from mind. She was anxious and uncomfortable. He'd have to fix that somehow.
"Let's get out of here," he suggested. "We can get some coffee and then decide what we want to do, afterwards. I told Sakura we had business to do and that I'd be out all day. We have the whole afternoon to ourselves."
This seemed to placate Hinata because she nodded, a small smile making her cheeks wide. Sasuke wanted to poke them, to touch her face right there, but instead, he backed out of the driveway and rolled down the windows.
Once they were miles away, Hinata stuck her head out of the car and took the scarf out of her hair. She slid the silk between her fingers before throwing her hand out, letting the scarf bob in the wind. All around them were hills covered in flowers; little dots of color, everywhere. The sky was blue and vast around them as they neared the city of Rome.
"I've never done anything like this," Hinata said, again. But this time, it felt like she was talking about something else as her eyes glittered against the sun. She sat back in her seat, turning to Sasuke with a wide smile. There it was. That smile.
"There's a lot more we can do," Sasuke said, grinning back ruefully, and meaning it.
That was the hardest part of all this. The fact that he meant it.
-:-
They got cappuccinos near the Pantheon, feet finding all the dips in the cobblestone roads. Tourists bobbed around them, so they kept close together, shoulders always touching. Finally the street opened up to show the historic building with all of its gleaming pillars.
"C'mon," Sasuke said, grabbing her hand––which surprised and delighted her, her heart jumping––and she let herself be pulled. He looked down when he felt her surprise. "You want to go in, right?"
"I didn't know we could," she said honestly. She'd be so lost in her own thoughts, she didn't have time to do a comprehensive look through the travel guide she'd purchased at the airport. All she knew of Rome were the things she'd learned in history classes, and the few travel vlogs she'd watched on Youtube. She almost felt embarrassed at her lack of research. She made up for it with her curiosity.
"They have services on the weekend," Sasuke said, pulling her into a long line of bobbing heads. "It was built to be a Roman temple, but later became a Catholic church. I wonder––your mother went to church, right?"
Hinata looked at him in surprise, nodding. He remembered that? Warmth filled her so rapidly that it was almost unwelcome. She looked forward in line, at the security officers checking tourists bags, to distract herself.
"Oh yes," she said. "I––I can't believe you remembered that."
"The pomegranate seeds," Sasuke said. "Of the stained glass. I think about it a lot. Do you think your mother would have liked Rome?"
They were still holding hands. The usual anxiety Hinata had when thinking about her mother was buried by the new feelings taking hold of her belly. They stepped forward in line.
"I think so," Hinata said, picturing her mother and the pomegranates. She and her mother sitting side-by-side in a museum. She and her mother drinking wine at a piazza late at night. Then, she pictured Hanabi, shopping for handbags––fancy Italian leather-–at the market. "My sister would've liked it more though. She'd always loved history."
They moved up in line. Sasuke looked down at her, perplexed. Still holding hands, he asked, "You have a sister?"
Hinata felt her heart drop. She was suddenly covered in cold sweat. She quickly recovered––coughing––severing their hands to cover her mouth. Sasuke casually handed her the water bottle he had in his backpack, but she declined, waving a hand.
"I mean my childhood friend––remember? She was like my sister."
"Oh right," Sasuke nodded, and they stepped forward in line once more. He tucked the water bottle back into his bag, looking unaffected by the change of words. "You said her name was Hanabi?"
Last night. Hinata cursed herself for her free lips. She was giving too much––so much. She didn't know she had so much to give. And giving it so freely. She wanted to panic. She wanted to stop all of this. She wanted to run back into her little brown room.
Instead, she smiled at Sasuke and nodded. She thanked him for remembering. She took his hand back. She felt the butterflies climb up her throat.
This is how she found out that she was in too deep.
-:-
"We'll have to be back soon," Sasuke said, sounding disappointed as they sat at a low table, a candle between them. "But I wanted to make sure we stayed in town in time for apertivo."
It was around 5pm. They were in a small restaurant after darting around the city for hours, from the Pantheon to the Spanish Steps and onward and so forth until Hinata's feet ached and Sasuke asked if she wanted to be carried. Laughing, she said she still had a couple of stops in her. Especially if they included food.
Between them was a bottle of house wine, small bowls of pasta and bread, and candles. Hinata's knees touched Sasuke's under the table as she considered her favorite part of the day.
"The Oculus," Hinata said about the hole––the eye––of the Pantheon that was its only lightsource. When she and Sasuke were inside of the Pantheon's dark cavern, she looked up and saw the blue of the sky, a fingernail moon just in sight. "It was like God was looking down on us."
"What do you think he thinks about us?" Sasuke lulled the wine around in his glass, tilting his head back. The lowlights of the restaurant made him look dangerous and sleek and everybit the Yakuza boss he was. It would be good of Hinata to remember.
"I––I don't think he thinks much of us," Hinata admitted, leaning down to put her own glass to her lips. The wine was bitter. Nothing like the sweet they'd tasted last night. "I'm not sure he would approve of what we're doing."
"What about you?" His eyes were hard––imploring, deep, kind. Entire rivers of power.
"What about me?" Hinata leaned back. Her thighs were cold. She wished she had dressed up for the restaurant, but Sasuke had barely blinked when he pulled out the plush chair for her and tucked her right in.
"Do you approve of what we're doing?"
"What are we doing?" Hinata wondered, a smile biting her mouth. She laughed as Sasuke's eyebrows shot up. "I thought we were having a simple aperitif, after a day of long business meetings."
"Oh right," Sasuke played along, but he sat forward, grabbing her hand as she went for the bottle of wine, and placed it under his chin. He leaned his face into it, his eyes on her mouth. "Business. So many meetings."
Hinata's breath stalled. Suddenly, she was wet. Her hand, on his face, was warm. Her thumb brushed his lip as if it had a mind of its own.
His hand was on her thigh. The wine was sending little precious tingles up her spine.
"Very boring meetings," Hinata nodded, though by now she knew her face was flushed––red as her glass of wine.
"Extremely. Boring. Meetings," Sasuke's grin was mischievous, but he withdrew his hand and went back to his own glass of wine.
Hinata, feeling like a horse was running races inside of her chest, cut into a piece of ravioli and saw the red filling spill out. Sasuke watched her bring it to her mouth and eat it.
Everything in Rome was so delicious.
-:-
"Impressive," Ino said, peeking over her shoulder to make sure no one was near them as she bent to collect basil from the garden. It was twilight and the sky was a beautiful peach shade as the two women looked beyond the hills, tilting their heads towards the laughter coming from the olive groves, or patios, patches of green shimmering grass. "I didn't think you had it in you."
"Don't forget mint!" Sakura called from the doorway. Hinata's cheeks went red at the sound of her sudden voice, but she calmed immediately when she remembered the private nature of her job. It was unprofessional. "For the drinks!"
This was Itachi, Izumi, and Shisui's last night in Italy. It had been Sakura's idea to collaboratively cook a grand meal for her future in-laws. She was elbow-deep in the kitchen with dough and pasta rollers, the corkboard beside the fridge was covered in different recipes.
Hinata grabbed the mint and placed it into the basket beside the basil. "I––I didn't expect it to happen," Hinata replied lowly, her head close to Ino, their fingers close together, pulling. "It feels…weird. To be. Um. A mistress."
"Own it, girl," Ino said, snickering as she tugged at some tomatoes, her nail accidentally sinking into its soft, juicy belly. "I could tell Sasuke's been into you for weeks, but I didn't want to make you nervous."
Startled, Hinata split a leaf of mint. "Does that mean––C-can other people tell, too?"
"No, babe, I'm trained for this, remember?" Ino smiled to ease Hinata's tension and brushed her hand. "But you don't seem pleased. Why?"
Hinata sighed through her nose, taking care to gently place the mint this time––not breaking it. When Sasuke and her had returned later in the day––them both laughing and bumping shoulders, tipsy, until the front door opened and they sprang apart like opposite magnets––Ino had eyed Hinata and immediately pulled her to the side. She demanded Hinata tell her everything. Hinata, overwhelmed by being caught by someone so soon, cautiously told Ino about the night before.
It was the first time Hinata had thought about the word. Mistress. She was a mistress. She was Uchiha Sasuke's mistress. She was desired, cared for, bubbly with feeling––but she was a mistress. It was a strange position: one of desire-based power, of stealth, of secrets––it should feel normal for her to be in this role, but for some reason it felt…it felt icky.
Perhaps, it was that Hinata's feelings and Dove's feelings, for once, did not align. Dove wanted it to be business-as-usual, but Hinata–––Hinata felt her heart sink every time he touched her, felt the goosebumps rise to her skin when they made eye contact, felt her body mirror his when he moved. It did not help that he mirrored her too, sometimes––eyes darting in the same direction, head tilting to the side, their bodies like echoes as they pretended to talk business as they walked into the kitchen, where Sakura was in the beginnings of explaining her fancy meal to Naruto and Izumi.
"Darling you're back," she had exclaimed. She threw her dishrag down and went to envelope Sasuke into a hug. Sasuke walked past Hinata, not even looking back, and pressed a kiss to her temple.
How he could manage that while Naruto was sitting at the counter, watching them, unnerved Hinata greatly. She could hardly stand there and watch it herself––and it was barely her business. But Sasuke had stated his game plan. Sasuke knew what it was and what it wasn't. Sasuke knew he had a duty to his family.
For some reason, it was difficult for Hinata to accept this. She tore her eyes away, feeling them swim, strangely, with passion. Anger for Sasuke. Surprise that he could so easily fall into a role. Hurt that she could so easily be forgotten. No. This was getting tricky.
There were far too many feelings involved. She was worried.
So, when Ino stuck her head out of the door leading to the patio, gesturing Hinata towards the garden, she didn't cast Sasuke a second look. She rushed past him, feeling his gaze on her––just for a second––felt his hand––for a second––and was out the door.
She was silent for a long time while Ino collected more tomatoes into the palm of her hands. She had a baby blue bandana tied around her head and little wisps of blonde hair were falling out. Her eyes shined prettily against the setting sun when she blinked at Hinata expectantly.
"I guess––I've just never been in this position before," she struggled to explain, avoiding Ino's keen gaze. She was beginning to cherish Ino's friendship, but still––they were both agents, and there were things Hinata needed to keep to herself. What did it mean that her closest confidant still worked for her father?
The thought made Hinata's stomach churn even more, and she suddenly felt ill. Instead, she swallowed down this feeling and took a pragmatic approach. "I just am w-worried about how these dynamics will play out with the Uchihas. Especially when we get back. I'm n-not sure that Sasuke will be open to––"
"That's when you play up your feminine charm," Ino said, letting the tomatoes roll out of her hand and into the basket. "Listen, you haven't seen the way Sasuke looks at you sometimes, but I have. Just let things happen naturally. It's like we're in a story book right now, right?"
Hinata looked around––at the setting sun, the full trees, the grass dancing against the wind––and nodded slowly.
"Exactly," Ino nodded, satisfied, as if she had just solved an ancient riddle that lived inside Hinata. "Just be yourself."
Hinata wasn't sure that was good advice at all, but she didn't have time to think about it because Sakura was sticking her head out the window and asking for the herbs. Together, the two women grabbed the basket and pulled it––heavy with tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, eggplant, swiss chard, and the herbs––up the tiled steps and into the villa.
"Thank you girls," Sakura said sweetly, pink––satisfied now that Sasuke was home and had given her the chocolates he and Hinata had picked up from the open-air market they'd visited before leaving the city. She was wearing a frilly apron and yellow dress that swept across the floor in big swoops. She was really playing up the housewife role. Hinata pictured her in curlers, serving Sasuke dinner after he'd had a long day at the office. Maybe he'd come in later than she'd expected, and the food would get cold. Maybe she'd be upset. Maybe they'd argue about the real reasons Sasuke was late. Maybe the reason would be Hinata.
Hinata shook her head to clear her mind of the daydream––or nightmare––as Ino chatted with Sakura and Izumi about the conventions of pasta rolling. Hinata quietly excused herself to her bedroom to get refreshed for dinner.
On the way into her room, her skin prickled keenly. Someone was watching her. She turned her head––just slightly––throwing her vision, her strong eyes, and saw Sai sitting in the child's bedroom, watching her back.
Hinata, not wanting to appear rude or suspicious, turned to acknowledge him, bowing. "Hello Sai-san," she said, though chills went down her neck. The two hadn't spoken since their first day there, but he was always in the shadows. "Will you be going back with Itachi-san, Izumi-san, and Shisui-san tomorrow morning?"
"No," Sai said plainly, not bothering to exchange pleasantries. "My work here is not yet finished. Is yours?"
Startled by the question, Hinata stuttered. "Uh––um, n-no of course not, Sai-san. The conference is still a few days away."
"Oh right," Sai said, turning his head away to look out the window, disinterested.
-:-
Dinner was pleasant if not overhyped. It didn't have the excited energy of the dinner in Aosta Valley and everyone had dressed down for it, much to Sakura's chagrin. Even Ino wore a simple pair of blue jeans and a blouse, her hair tossed up in a messy bun with a wine glass between her fingers. Hinata felt like she fit in even more like this––wearing green corduroy trousers and a tan turtleneck; the weather had become crisp as a storm rolled through the area, sending big gray clouds of their heads.
The meal was good, tastefully made. Sasuke and Sakura sat next to each other, speaking quietly about something Hinata couldn't hear. Hinata wanted to listen so badly that it startled her. She discouraged herself, sitting back in her chair, and unfolding and refolding her napkin while Ino chatted to her left with Shikamaru.
To her right was Shisui, who ate in that quiet, reserved way he'd been all trip. He was different from how he had interacted with her during the baby shower. She attempted to chat with him, to siphon some information about his new position, but he looked at her without energy and said, "It's not really that interesting."
She knew when to press for more and when to fall back. From the way Shisui knocked back bourbon but kept his lips pressed shut, a frown etching over his tense gaze, Hinata knew she'd be getting nothing more out of him.
So, for the rest of the dinner she playfully smiled and laughed when necessary, trying not to overthink any interaction. She tried not to think about Sasuke kissing her at the restaurant, or tucking stray hairs behind her ear, or rubbing small circles into her thigh. She tried to not think about his laugh–––even as it rumbled quietly across the table in response to something Shikamaru had said. She tried not to think of how he pulled her hand to his face, how her thumb pressed the pad of lips, how she wanted him to take her fingers into her mouth so badly in that moment.
No, instead, she listened to the storytelling and laughter and felt simultaneously a part of something, and simultaneously an outsider. Her stomach itched with the contrast. She felt antsy and antagonized. She kept picturing Sasuke lowering himself, on his knees, her hand through his hair––
"I'll clean up!" Hinata offered, jumping up as everyone began stacking plates. Everyone at the table looked up at her outburst, and she blushed. She tried to make up for her abrupt actions: "It's––it's the least I could do. The meal was s-so delicious, Sakura-san."
"Oh," Sakura blinked, surprised. She had been whispering something to Sasuke and leaned back to look at the mess that had been made on the table. "Thank you, Hinata. I appreciate it––I forgot I let the staff go home early today."
Hinata felt Sasuke's eyes on her as she went around collecting plates. It took her a couple of trips to get everything to the kitchen, but when she finally did, she felt relieved. She ran the water––scalding hot––and filled it with dish soap. She went about scrubbing the fine china as she heard the group laugh and talk loudly as they all relocated to another part of the villa. Perhaps the game room, located next to the gym.
As she plunged her hands into the hot water, she relaxed. She scrubbed slowly, watching the soapsuds slide down the porcelain. At least here, left alone, she could begin to regulate her nervous system and plan her next steps. She needed to be careful. It was clear that Sai didn't trust her, that she was being far too loose with information around Sasuke, and that there was an important event coming up. She needed to have her mind in the right place.
Right now––right now she felt lost.
Hinata diligently washed and dried the dishes until the sink was almost empty. When she was finally swirling a towel around the very last wine glass, she felt a presence come into the kitchen. When she turned her back to the sink, Sasuke was there.
"This was nice of you," he said.
"It's only polite," Hinata replied.
"It's not your job," he said gently. He took the glass and the towel and set them down. His body was suddenly very close.
"Lot's of things aren't," Hinata replied, looking up at him, heart racing. She felt her navel fill with electricity. They didn't touch.
"That's true," Sasuke said, tilting his head as if considering the weight of her words. He reached past her shoulders and grabbed a corkscrew that was sitting on the windowsill above the sink, his sudden warmth making her heart flutter. "You must be very tired from all the work you've been doing today."
"Ex–exhausted."
"There's a bottle of wine downstairs…" Sasuke said, turning away finally, putting distance between their bodies. "I've heard it relieves stress. I'll go get it for you."
"If it's not too much trouble," Hinata began carefully, eyeing his back. "Maybe I can c-come look at the selections with you?"
"I'd love that," Sasuke said.
When they walked into the stairway leading to the cellar, Sasuke locked the door behind them.