Sasuke and Sakura finally talk

Chapter 36: Pick apart the pieces of your heart

Hinata listened attentively as Sasuke walked her through the hand signs for the Katon no Jutsu. After meditating at the dojo, they had relocated their training back to the Uchiha docks, not wanting to risk Togou's ire if they set anything on fire. The icy layer atop the Naka no Kawa had fully recovered from their spar two weeks ago.

Hinata had only just managed to spark a small flame on her second attempt the other day that was quickly snuffed out by a cold draft, but Sasuke had deemed that sufficient to move onto a jutsu.

"Don't start the transformation too far down or you'll burn your throat. Coating the inside of your mouth with a layer of untransformed chakra will protect it," Sasuke instructed. His demeanor always changed a bit when he was in 'teaching mode', as Hinata thought of it. He was good at it.

Hinata nodded to convey her understanding. Sasuke took a step back, but kept his gaze on her. Hinata's skin prickled from the attention. Taking a deep breath, she focused. At this point, she was able to comfortably use about half of her new chakra. A significant improvement. Subconsciously, she glanced at the boy beside her. Without Sasuke, Hinata didn't know how long this would have taken her.

"Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu."

The size of the fireball she produced surprised even Hinata. She didn't know many elemental jutsu. It wasn't the way of the Hyuuga. Even when she'd grown independent enough to develop her own opinion, Team Eight hadn't focused much on that type of ninjutsu under Kurenai's tutelage. Upon asking, her sensei had been able to teach her suiton transformation based on her own chakra nature.

Hinata had taken to suiton transformation surprisingly well. In comparison, katon felt instinctive.

Exhilarated by the powerful flames she had created, Hinata continued to expel air, lacing it with chakra as it travelled up her throat and kneading it in the cavern of her mouth where she felt the heat of it changing form over her tongue. She kept pushing and pushing until her lungs protested.

All of a sudden it felt like too much. Too much air, too much chakra, too much heat. The orange-red flames blended into indigo. The pressure in Hinata's empty lungs started to hurt and her breathing thinned out, fireball dissipating in the cold air.

Sasuke raised his brows, impressed. "You have a talent for chakra transformation. Might be related to your chakra control. Good job." He turned to her, the beginnings of a smirk curling his lips only to drop into a frown. He crossed the small amount of space between them easily, stepping right up to her and taking hold of her chin.

With his thumb pressing into the plush skin of her bottom lip, Hinata wasn't sure if her mouth opened in surprise or in response to Sasuke's firm pull. Bug-eyed, Hinata stared at Sasuke in shock. The Uchiha paid her no mind, his mismatched gaze trained on the inside of her mouth.

"You burnt yourself," Sasuke observed. His thumb swept across her lip once before he traced his hand down to her neck.

A trail of heat followed Sasuke's touch, nearly indistinguishable from the burning inside Hinata's throat except for the lack of pain.

Hinata couldn't help the squeak she released. It stung her singed skin, but Sasuke was the one who reacted like he had been burned. He immediately let go of her, feet sliding uncoordinatedly in the snow as he stepped back. Hinata only caught a glimpse of his wide eyes before he averted his face. Instead, she was met with the sight of his bright pink ear as he ran his hand through his hair.

Swallowing loudly, Hinata winced at the feeling, eyes squeezing shut. When she opened them, Sasuke was facing her again, calm and unaffected. But when Hinata's eyes darted to his ears, she could see they were still tinged pink.

Hinata didn't have time to ponder it.

Sasuke spoke with urgency. "We're going to the hospital." His rinnegan began to glow and Hinata made a sound of protest.

"Sasuke-kun, there's no need —" Every word brought with it fresh pain. Nothing Hinata couldn't handle as a ninja, but certainly a sensation she hadn't experienced before. Not even gulping down bowl after bowl of boiling hot ramen for an eating contest could compare.

The frown Sasuke wore was heavy with worry. "Don't," he ordered.

When they stepped into the hospital hallway directly from the Uchiha docks, all eyes were on them. It was a little embarrassing and Hinata kept her eyes on her feet, nudging closer to Sasuke. Back when Sasuke had demanded she get her ankle looked at, he'd at least let her make her own way to the hospital.

One of the heads turned their way was bright pink.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura said. An automatic smile lit her face before it eased as her voice took on a scolding tone, "Don't barge into the hospital like that. You're distracting the medics." She then caught sight of Hinata and her smile dimmed. "Oh. Hinata. Is something wrong?"

Forgetting the state of her throat, Hinata started to answer, but Sasuke's hand on her shoulder made her stop.

"She burnt her throat from a Katon no Jutsu," Sasuke said simply.

"A Katon —" Sakura cut herself off, eyes stuck on Sasuke's hand on Hinata's shoulder. She blinked rapidly. "I'm sure one of the medics on duty can handle it. I have to go."

With that, Sakura turned on her heel and strode down the hallway. Hinata watched her go and then glanced at Sasuke and saw him doing the same.

"You can go after her," Hinata said, a whispered croak. When Sasuke turned a confused frown on her, she smiled slightly. "I can take care of myself."

"Stop talking. You're making it worse."

They made their way to the reception, but it was unattended. After a few minutes they saw a medic hurrying down the hall and Sasuke flagged her down with a sharp call.

It was Io, her face irritated until she realized who it was. Straightening her uniform, Io pasted on a flirty smile. "Sasuke-san. Can I help you?"

"Hinata needs to see an iryō-nin for burns," Sasuke said.

Io looked mildly disappointed. She went to the reception desk and flipped through a sheaf of paper. "We don't have anyone free right now. Sakura-san might be able to see you…"

Hinata tensed. She felt Sasuke's arm press against hers and she relaxed minutely.

"Not Sakura," Sasuke said shortly.

Io pursed her lips. "Alright, in that case it'll take some time…" She faltered under Sasuke's narrow-eyed gaze. Hinata tried to shoot her an apologetic glance, but Io was too fixated on Sasuke to notice. "You know what? Why don't I see to Hinata-san's injury? Just follow me," Io finished.

Despite being flustered by Sasuke's appearance, Io was able to tend to Hinata's burns fairly quickly. Once done, she attempted, unsuccessfully, to draw Sasuke into a conversation.

Sensing Sasuke's growing irritation, Hinata tried to divert Io's attention. "Is Mayumi-san in today?" she asked.

Io frowned. "No, she called in sick today, so we're understaffed. And Genji-san is out as well. Though if you ask me, it wouldn't be that much help if he was here."

"Oh. Mayumi-san had said Genji-san was reliable…"

"Mayumi-san would say that," Io grumbled, before turning back to Sasuke with a perky smile. "Anyway, Sasuke-san, do you think —"

She was interrupted by a rap on the door and a call of "Io-san! A patient needs you!"

Huffing out a disappointed breath, Io gave Sasuke another syrupy smile and said, "I'll catch you later, Sasuke-san."

Sasuke's absolute lack of reaction had Hinata biting back a giggle. Io left with another huff, not acknowledging Hinata's soft "goodbye".

Seeing Sasuke staring at her with a contemplative look in his eyes, Hinata let him sit in his silence for a moment. Then, she prompted, "Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke's eyes cleared a little. "You're okay?"

"Mm." Hinata nodded. "You're a good teacher." She could only imagine how awed fresh genin would be by him, not unlike how twelve-year-old Hinata had felt towards Kurenai, Asuma and Kakashi.

When she said as much to Sasuke, he scoffed. "My first impression of Kakashi was that he was an idiot. Naruto played a stupid prank on him and he fell for it."

Hinata smiled fondly. "Naruto-kun told me about that. Apparently Sakura-san was the only voice of reason."

Sasuke snorted. "Naruto would remember it that way. I was ignoring him as usual, but if Sakura wanted to stop him she could have. She was always less mature than she presented herself as."

Hinata hummed in acknowledgement, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Sasuke would know best about genin-aged Sakura. Returning to the topic at hand, she said, "But even so, you must have thought your sensei was pretty cool at some point?"

"…He had his moments," Sasuke admitted reluctantly.

They settled into a comfortable silence. Hinata could tell something was on Sasuke's mind and she gave him space to think about it.

The jangling of keys drew Hinata's attention. She looked up to see Sasuke holding out his apartment keys in hand. Her brows drew together as she glanced at him.

"You can go ahead. I need to talk to Sakura."

Carefully taking hold of the keys, Hinata nodded. "I understand…I hope everything goes well."

Sasuke stroked her hair lightly. "I won't be long."

He found Sakura in the long-term care wing chatting with Ino. The sight of his two most fervent fangirls almost had Sasuke turning around.

Ino caught sight of him and shot him a winning smile. "Sasuke-kun! I'm seeing you so often these days, it's almost like you have a crush on me."

Sakura whipped around, green eyes sparkling despite the harsh hospital lighting. Then Ino's words seemed to sink in and she elbowed the blonde. "Control your ego, it's almost as big as your nose, pig."

"Still smaller than your forehead!"

Sasuke rubbed his temple. "Sakura. Let's talk."

Ino raised her eyebrows. "You've got my notes, Sakura. I'll be back for my next session with him in two days. Need me to stick around for anything?"

Sakura kept her eyes on Sasuke when she answered Ino. "No, you're good. Thanks, Ino."

"Alright." Ino hip-checked Sakura playfully. "Chin up, forehead." Passing by Sasuke, she made sure to flip the long stands of her hair in his face. "Bye, Sasuke-kun!"

Sakura continued to study Sasuke as the sound of Ino's footsteps slowly faded. The look in her eyes grew dull and she crossed her arms tightly across her chest. "Now you want to talk? After months? Years really. Maybe I don't want to anymore."

Sasuke sighed. "Don't be childish, Sakura."

Sakura let out a bitter laugh. "That's your go-to. Childish Sakura, who doesn't know pain or suffering so her feelings aren't real. Well, you can't use that one anymore, Sasuke. I've lived through you tearing our team apart, through sacrificing a great kunoichi to save the Kazekage from an attack by the Akatsuki, through having the Akatsuki, that you later joined, destroy most of my home. Through watching my comrades get hurt and die." Green eyes welled up with tears. "I've lived through failing over and over again at saving the boy I love."

"I never asked to be saved," Sasuke said tiredly. "And I should have talked to you sooner. But you don't make it easy. You never have."

"How have I made it hard on you? All I've ever done is mold myself into someone that would fit into your life. Smart, pretty, strong, confident."

"Those are your ideas of what you thought I wanted. And you not being yourself is the reason we didn't become friends before I left, the way Naruto and I did."

Rubbing the corner of her right eye with a closed fist, Sakura said, "I've grown up since then, Sasuke-kun. When are you going to let go of the person I was when I was twelve?"

"When are you?" Sasuke retorted.

"Sakura-san has been waiting for a long time. Even if it's not the one she wants…I think she will appreciate receiving an answer."

Sasuke frowned, shaking his head "The truth is, Sakura, I've been telling you how I feel about you for years. You just haven't wanted to listen."

Sakura sniffled. "You thanked me back then. I thought…the timing wasn't right. Once you accomplished the things you set out to do, maybe then…if I only waited…" She trailed off. "And now you're back. And so much has changed. So much except this…"

That night felt so long ago. Leaving the village, knowingly betraying his friends, breaking any ties he had left. Not knowing if he'd ever come back. Sakura's earnest pleas, almost endearing in how self-centered they were. Like a child whose entire world was made up of only what they could feel within themselves, with no concept of the universe outside their narrow point of view.

Sakura had cried then too, like she was now. Holding on desperately to a bond he was trying to sever. Holding on even after he'd twisted it into something terrible.

Now it stretched out between them, ugly and broken, and she was still holding on.

"You can let go, Sakura."

Sakura shut her eyes. A lone tear slipped down her cheek. "Why not me? What's wrong with me?"

"Sakura…"

"You're right, I'm sorry. That's an unfair question," Sakura said, wiping her tears away.

"I'm sorry too," Sasuke offered. "For trying to kill you."

Sakura let out a wet sounding laugh. "That's it, huh?" she said to herself. "Can I ask, why now? After months of avoidance?"

"Why did you come back?"

"So you came back. But did you find a reason to stay?"

Sasuke stayed silent.

Sakura wore an expression of resignation. "Goodbye, Sasuke-kun. And…I'm glad. That you were my first love, even if it was painful." She smiled and it looked like it hurt. Unshed tears made her green eyes glisten in a way that almost looked like happiness, but it was just a trick of the light. "I know my next one will be easier."

I feel like people have been waiting for this for a while and it finally happened! That's one roadblock to SasuHina taken care of.

Thanks as always to everyone who continues to read and support ^^

MVH