Sasuke sat in the driver's seat, parked, as he stared off towards the garage's blank wall. The car's warmth enveloped him and he let out a relieved sigh, it was a cold morning for early spring. He was supposed to already be making way towards Hinata's family home — because she didn't live alone, which was absurd. She was like, what, eighteen? A solid guess, since he knew next to nothing about the woman. Currently, he remained in his apartment's garage trying to sway off his mother's concerns.
"Yes, Mom, I'll be fine. I'll drive safely." Mikoto did this frequently, regardless of how short or long the trip was. Though he appreciated her concern, it became overwhelming at times. He was an adult, not a child who threw a fit over the word 'no'.
"Good. Your father and I hope you have a happy trip," His fingers drummed on the black steering wheel as he silently scoffed in exasperation at the comment. That would be expected from his mother, but Fugaku? He had long since given up on anything his father could offer him.
"...Sure. Anything else? I'm running late as it is." He wondered if Hinata would be waiting outside in the chilly wind. Though he couldn't figure out what exactly was intriguing about her, her personality was somewhere to start. Based on their interactions—few, but interactions nonetheless—he assumed she would be the type to do something like that—to wait in the freezing cold.
Still, it's not like it was any of his business anyway, he didn't care. Not really.
The line went quiet, and Sasuke thought of hanging up then. It was past eight in the morning, past his timed schedule, and past the schedule he had been given by Hiashi to get to Tokyo. A plane would've been more ideal , but Sasuke had no intention of negotiating with the elder. He kind of rubbed him the wrong way. It didn't help that he'd have to get to Tokyo first to reach Kyoto—it would be a long trip.
"Sorry about that," Mikoto's voice rang through the line once again, "I'll let you be on your way now, and make sure to be nice to Hinata. She seems like a sweet girl, but rather shy." The last comment caught Sasuke off guard; he never intended to be rude—much less to her. Hinata looked like she'd get emotional quickly. Sasuke was not equipped in the slightest to handle any type of breakdowns. He'd actually have no idea on what to do. Much less with a woman.
"Bye, mom." He hung up the line after she said her goodbyes and set his phone to direct him to the Hyuga house. He was about fifteen minutes late, but better late than ever. It wasn't his fault anyway. Surely the Hyuga princess wouldn't live up to his assumptions and wait outside.
Surely.
Sasuke pulled into the Hyuga driveway no less than ten minutes later, which in his opinion was as quick as possible. The gravel crunched under the tires as he found a spot to park. He wasn't sure how to handle this whole ordeal.
Let's just get this over with," the car's power came to a halt, and Sasuke promptly got out of the car.
He noticed the house's exterior—it was traditional, much like normal Japanese houses—just with undoubtedly expensive materials. There were many plants, varying with assorted colors such as pink, red, and white. He likely parked around their garden. If it wasn't evident yet, it became exceptionally clear when his gaze landed on a huge silk lilac tree. It stood in the middle of the courtyard, likely above 6 inches, and while not in full bloom yet, he reckoned the sight would be phenomenal once full spring came around.
He wouldn't mind catching a picture. Not that it'd be possible, but the fleeting thought came nevertheless.
Starting his path to the porch, he took note of Hinata's absence. Okay, he really was expecting her to be there with a coat and a scarf. His lips curled into a small smile; perhaps he had misjudged her after all. He went up the steps of the porch, looking at the tall wooden door with engraved markings in it—they looked like engraved flowers. The main thing he noticed by coming to this home was that they seriously loved plants. He doubted the elder man had a say in the designs, perhaps Hinata or her late mother.
The mat under his feet was white, and like everything else, had some sort of plant design. Before he could ring the doorbell, the door suddenly swung open. He blinked, taken aback by the sudden movement.
"Ah, good morning, Uchiha-San." Her voice was soft and kind, and she stared up at him politely. She wore a simple lilac cardigan with a white top underneath and light wash jeans. Her long indigo hair was tied back in a bun, adorned with white flowers. Were they from the garden?
"..Good morning." He cleared his throat, acknowledging how flustered her expression had gotten while he stared at her. They both stood silently, and Sasuke averted his gaze from her own. She looked down, then, a small smile still formed on her lips. He didn't know what to make of her smile, but it surprisingly filled him with unsettling warmth.
"Please, come in." Hinata stepped aside, signaling for him to enter. Sasuke did as told and nodded as a 'thank you'. While he took his outside shoes off, he noticed there were only two shoes at the entryway—excluding his own. One of the pair seemed to be of a man's, rightfully so, since he doubted Hinata wore a size eight in men's running shoes.
"Is your father home?" The question came out before he could stop it, and he physically cringed at her reaction. Hinata had gone to get him house slippers, and she froze at his question. Before he could dismiss it, she handed him the slippers and waited for him. He didn't have a good relationship with his own father, so that was certainly not the right call. Not that he thought she didn't have a good relationship with her father, but from what he saw at the meeting—it didn't feel like a wrong assumption.
The silence was stifling between the two, and even the crinkle of the fireplace's heat could be heard. She stood beside him, seemingly lost in thought—or trying to find a response to say. Sasuke really wanted to take the question back; the awkwardness of it all was unbearable. She seemed conflicted with his question, if the way her brows furrowed was any indication.
"Sorry, never mind." he tried to stop her from answering seeing how it was an intruding question, but alas, she had already begun.
"He's at work right now," her eyes flickered to the painting above him, "My fiancé is here." She put her hands together nervously as he stood up and looked at her. Hinata looked tense, her earlier relaxed demeanor now stiff with the topic. There was a light twitch in his expression; he seriously shouldn't have asked.
He still found it hard to believe that Hinata was with someone like that. Though, it was unlikely she even had a choice in the matter.
She seemed to notice the shift as she stared, her face losing the earlier glow. He felt…unsure, unsure of why he even had a reaction to her statement. He already knew she had a fiancé—that weird guy from that night, who struck Sasuke as an odd specimen. However, he wanted to know—wanted to ask why she had a bruise that time, why she was so scared of her fiancé, and why the man was so threatening towards her.
It's not my business; he repeated in his mind. It wasn't. She wasn't his business.
But the image of the purpling bruise kept flashing in his mind, and the pit in his stomach began to stir.
This woman was going to drive him insane.
"Right. Are you all done packing?" His tone came out flat. He was more than ready to just go now. She nodded and smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes like it had before. There was an invisible weight between them now. The moment was heavy, filled with unspoken words as his stare looked beyond her. Though uncharacteristic, he felt bad as he watched her earlier spirits fade away.
"Yes, I'll quickly grab my things and meet you here. Please, make yourself comfortable." Hinata's voice broke through the silence. It looked like she was trying hard to remain unphased.
Maybe his mother had been right about worrying.
Hinata directed him to the living room and offered him a seat, finally moving away from the entryway. She fidgeted with her fingers slightly—like she had something to say but opted to let out a small sigh and leave Sasuke to himself.
Once she left, Sasuke sat on the large sofa, finally taking in his surroundings.
The house was warm, and the walls were painted white—simple and clean. There were many portraits, paintings, and decorations. One portrait specifically stood out to him, there was a woman next to Hiashi, and she looked almost exactly like Hinata—who was much younger in the portrait. She had short hair and looked timid, not that much changed aside from her hair. Looking at it, Hinata seemed much happier there. The woman must've been her mother. He had only briefly heard of her passing.
Is that why Hinata's smile seemed forced—like it was an expectation? Is that why she was so closed off, and tried to maintain her composure? Just because it was expected of her? Sasuke could relate to that. Maybe that's what made him feel drawn to her.
He thought back to their earlier interaction, he had felt guilty for turning the conversation into something much more complex—a hard topic for her likely. He wouldn't have answered his own questions, so, why did he impose them on her? It had been unjust, and even now, he was reprimanding himself for that. They had a good start when they exchanged pleasantries, and she was practically shining then.
"Ugh," He put his arm over his eyes, completely annoyed at himself. Seriously, he needed some sort of guidelines to interact with her. Though, he'd never been one to pry…it was just because of her. Her and her weird fiancé who's probably abusive. Which is a serious allegation, but the bruise practically said it to him.
He reached into his jacket for his phone. The time read nine thirty. It was going to take longer than expected to get to Tokyo, let alone Kyoto. The schedule had been altered with everything that happened, but he'd make sure they made it there and took the required pictures. Then be done. Be done with the Hyugas, be done with Hinata, be done with her situation, be done with it all.
Deep inside of him, he wondered whether he actually wanted that. To be done with Hinata. To sever his connection with her completely. Not that they had one; they barely just began interacting with each other, but the thought left him perplexed.
Before Sasuke could continue letting his thoughts wander somewhere he knew they shouldn't go, he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. He watched as Hinata descended from the elegant steps, her hair cascading down her back. She wore a beige jacket over her earlier clothing and held a grey suitcase in her right hand.
"Should we get going?" She offered him her never-ending polite smile, standing just waiting for him to get up. He decided not to say anything and promptly stood up from the comforter. As he neared closer, he didn't miss the subtle flinch.
Did something happen?
He reminded himself again, that it wasn't his business.
She didn't look like she wanted to talk about it, and Sasuke wasn't going to force her to.
They were back at the entryway now, both putting their shoes on. Not a word was said as they left the house or as they walked to his car. Sasuke quickly unlocked the door and reached for Hinata's suitcase. Their hands touched slightly, and she quickly pulled away, as if burned by the touch.
"Thank you, Uchiha-san." she said softly, before opening the passenger door and closing it quietly behind her. Sasuke stood still, his hand lingering on the suitcase as he stared at the closed door, perplexed by Hinata's behavior.
He let out an exasperated sigh. Back to square one.
The car ride dragged out in silence. Sasuke's gaze was fixated on the road ahead, his hands gripping the steering wheel tighter than he should've been. He wasn't nervous—he didn't get nervous—but the air in the car felt too thick, too heavy to even breathe. The longer the silence continued, the more he started losing his sanity.
Neither of them were conversation starters, nor extroverts who wouldn't stop talking—but this, this was too much, even for him. The tension between the two was palpable, and his gaze darted to Hinata for a second.
She sat quietly beside him, with her hands folded in her lap. Her face was unreadable as she stared out the window, completely lost in her own world. The soft hum of the engine resonated in the car, the only sound that was actually being produced. It was occasionally broken by the sound of the wheels turning over the road, and Sasuke wondered if Hinata was as uncomfortable as he was.
His thoughts began to wander back to when they were at her house. Did he mess up that badly? Bad enough to make her flinch when got close to her? Or did something happen when she went upstairs?
Sasuke's fingers turned concerningly red as he grasped the steering wheel inhumanly harder. He didn't care about this. At least, he wasn't supposed to. He had his own things going on and to worry about. Still, he couldn't seem to let his concern over her die out.
"Are you okay?" His words came out unexpectedly, the abruptness of it making Hinata squirm in her seat awkwardly.
Despite that, she still didn't look at him. Surely, the scenery wasn't that interesting.
"I'm fine. Thank you for your concern, Uchiha-San." The reply was robotic, rehearsed almost. Her lips had trembled as she spoke, and he could tell she was the opposite of fine.
Silence fell again.
Sasuke started to lose patience with himself; the thick air in the car had intensified even more than before. He couldn't keep doing this, feeling like he had to care for her, while wanting to not pry and throw her off completely.
He glanced at her again; her gaze was still focused on the outside world. Her expression still remained neutral, but he noticed the way she tensed up when she caught him staring.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Sasuke asked again, the question coming off more pointed this time. He could feel her shrinking away from the topic, but he couldn't help himself. Maybe it was because of how mysterious she was, or because of how undeniably fragile she seemed, and it made him want to be there for her. To protect her emotionally and even physically—even if the thought left him feeling uneasy.
Hinata was barely audible as she answered under her breath. "I'm…fine. Really." She paused. "I'm just not good with small talk. I apologize for making it awkward."
Sasuke blinked at the out-of-place apology. "It's not awkward, I just…" he trailed off, unsure of what to say. What could he say? That he was trying to stop caring about her situation? That he didn't want to involve himself in her clearly complicated situation?
He doubted she could even answer his questions, let alone entertain them. He was pushing when he shouldn't be. He shouldn't care.
Hinata looked at him for the first time ever since their departure, her gaze was softer now. She smiled, and it reached her eyes. It was an effort to ease the tension, to let each other breathe.
Their conversation stopped at that, and it thankfully wasn't the uncomfortable silence they'd been enveloped in for hours already. There was something about her that felt different to Sasuke; he just couldn't put his finger on it. He didn't want to be interested in her, but his curiosity kept increasing with his time spent with her.
He let out a soft sigh, focusing on the road. They finally reached Tokyo after about five to six hours, which were majorly spent in silence. The streets were littered with people, food stands, shops, and all other assortments.
Tokyo was beautiful.
He stopped the car as he parked near a restaurant, he had done research the night before in case they had to make any stops. It was a sushi place with a high rating and reviews. He thought Hinata would like it.
He turned his head to look at her.
"Sushi…do you eat it?"
Hinata looked up, her face lighting up at the mention of Sushi.
"I do," she replied, and a small, genuine smile tugged at the corners of her lips.