Day 15: Love letters

Hinata finally managed to get Sasuke alone after what felt like an eternity.

Itachi and Mikoto were a little too… enthusiastic, to say the least, about her presence, continuing their back and forth while Sasuke ate breakfast and did his very best to ignore them. She also tried to ignore them, at least at the beginning, but being that she was a guest at their home it would have been dreadfully rude if she kept that up, and so she had engaged them although being careful not to step on another landmine as she had before.

If anything, what Mikoto said just reinforced her resolution to speak to Sasuke. That one of the first things he did at the very start of their relationship was occupy himself with learning about one of her hobbies…

Hinata wasn't sure what she would do once she got her answers though. She had already decided to give this relationship a real chance, as she waited for Sasuke to get tired of her, but… what if he didn't get tired of her? What if…?

She closed her eyes and covered her warm cheeks with her hands. They were only twelve! Well, she was still eleven, technically, so why was she thinking about…?

"Itachi's angry with me."

"Eh?" she blinked, turning towards Sasuke, who was walking ahead of her, hands in his pockets and head hanging low as he sulked. By this point, they were already outside the Uchiha district, at the boy's insistence rather than hers. He wanted to be as far away from his family as he could, he had said.

Hearing her surprised tone, Sasuke raised his head and rolled his eyes, staring away from her as he did so. Even after all this time, he still refused to look at her.

"He had to report back to the Hokage about some mission he got last month, now that new information had been leaked, but instead decided to drag you to our home and join in with mom as she…" he sighed, not finishing his sentence. Hinata glanced away, starting to play with her fingers as she remembered, once more, how… mischievously they had acted all the time she had been there.

"Why is he angry with you?"

"Nothing that's my fault" he snorted, taking out a hand from his pocket and raising it to muss his hair in what appeared to be a casual gesture, but that was likely just a nervous tic. "Anyway, because he's angry, he used this opportunity to try and get back at me, knowing I couldn't say anything as long as mom was there…"

He closed his eyes and sighed, pulling his hand away and hiding it once more in his pocket. Hinata thought over his explanation, finding it bewildering to say the least. She couldn't imagine herself doing the same to Hanabi, even if there were times her precious little sister did things that annoyed her.

"You didn't help at all though. Why did you come looking for me? If there was something you wanted to say to me you could have waited until later in the day, when I was training or something" he said, finally looking at her with narrowed eyes. Hinata couldn't do more than gulp in nervousness. "Even though you were the one that told me we have to keep our relationship a secret from your family… do you really believe no one will say they saw you today at my district?"

"I… I'll think of an excuse" she said rapidly, blushing as Sasuke pointed out what she herself had already thought of; about how stupid she was to come to the Uchiha district when she didn't want her father finding out she was dating Sasuke. "As to why I came… there was something I wanted to ask you… and I guess I didn't want to wait until…" until my courage disappeared was what she thought, but didn't say.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow when she didn't continue, but since she looked as if she wasn't going to say anything else, he sighed, taking out his hands from his pockets and crossing his arms. "So? What was it that you wanted to ask me?"

"N-Not here!" Hinata glanced around the street, that although empty, still wasn't the place where to ask her questions. "Can't we… like, go somewhere a little more private…?" she asked unsurely.

The boy looked at her impatiently, but finally relented with a nod and turned around to keep walking; somewhere Hinata wasn't really sure of. She followed him, wringing her hands as she fought for her courage not to leave her. She had already decided to pursue the subject no matter what, and now that she was so close, it wouldn't do for her to get cold feet.

And so, when they finally reached one of the training grounds and Sasuke sat down under a tree, patting the place next to him to indicate she should sit with him, Hinata took a deep breath, and decided to be direct.

"What is the real reason you accepted my confession?"

"Huh?" he frowned, tilting his head with a confused expression. "What's gotten into you now?"

Hinata shook her head. "I'm being serious Sasuke! Last time, when I asked you if you were… if you were in l-love with…" she couldn't help the stutter or the small pause between her words as she said it out loud. Just like last time, Sasuke appeared as if he had received an enormous shock. Bristling like a cat, he was opening his mouth to counter her, much as he had done before, but Hinata was determined. "Don't interrupt me! And I'm not trying to say that you are… you know, but still, with what your mother said, and that time you k-kissed me, and then everything else…!"

"What everything else?" he groaned, letting his head fall forward as he covered his face with his hands. Not out of embarrassment, but rather exasperation. "I don't know what you're trying to get to, Hinata. Do you still think I'm in love with you or something as ridiculous?"

Although it wasn't the first time he had said something like that, Hinata couldn't help but feel slightly hurt at his words. "As I said, it's not necessary, but… but you have to admit that…"

She had become unsure, all of a sudden.

"It just doesn't make sense that you're doing all this… because you want to do things correctly…" she whispered in the end, glancing down and clenching the material of her pants with force.

"You're the one that confessed to me" he countered, with the very same thing he said that time, long ago.

It was frustrating.

Why couldn't Sasuke just be honest with her?

In reality, Hinata already suspected it. She wanted to deny it, most of all because she thought it too self-centered and egocentric of her, but what other explanation could there be? Even Ino and Sakura were in agreement. Sasuke… Sasuke liked her.

He liked her.

It explained everything; his blushing, his efforts to make their relationship work, his possessiveness… maybe even the reason he accepted her… confession in the first place, although Hinata couldn't be sure if Sasuke liked her from before or if he grew to as time passed. After all, while she couldn't understand why he would have feelings for her, it would make more sense if he started liking her once they began dating and spending time together, than before when they had almost to no contact with each other.

But Sasuke continued to refuse to admit anything was abnormal with the way he behaved with her, and there was little Hinata could honestly do if even he wasn't aware of his own feelings, as she suspected.

"My confession…" she whispered, letting out a sigh and making Sasuke glance at her with a raised eyebrow. "I was wondering… what would you do if my confession… that is… if it turns out my letter was meant for someone else?"

She played with her fingers, poking her indexes while avoiding looking at Sasuke… but after a few seconds with no answer coming, she couldn't help herself and glanced up.

She found him frowning at her fiercely enough to make her squeak.

"If it was meant for someone else…?" he asked, finally, tone low and almost hissing. Hinata saw him clench his fists, grabbing onto the dry grass and pulling it from the soil.

She backed away, just a little.

"Why would you ask something like that?" he threw the grass from his hands, seemingly realizing what he had been doing, and shook off his hands to get rid of the mud that had stuck to them.

Hinata hummed to make time, holding her hands closer to her chest. "I… it's just something that occurred to me, since you talked about my confession again and all…"

"What a stupid thing to consider" he snorted. He pulled one of his legs to his chest, the other extending in front of him, and rested his chin on his knee. "I don't understand what's up with you and all these questions, really."

"I would like to get an answer, regardless…" she closed her eyes, feeling very tired all of a sudden. She had not achieved what she set to do this morning, and on top of everything that happened at the Uchiha district and how she now had to come up with an excuse in case her father found out… she was very tired.

"Why would…" Sasuke began, but then seemed to get a better look at her, and stopped. He glanced in front of him, thinking about his answer despite believing it to be a useless question, and after a while, he leaned back, allowing his head to rest on the trunk of the tree while wrapping his left arm around his knee. "I guess…" he started.

Hinata looked at him. "Yes…?"

"I guess if the letter was meant for someone else, then… I would kill you and then kill myself."

The answer came, swift, flawless, and unmerciful.

Hinata gaped.

"E-Excuse me? K-Kill…?" she couldn't believe her ears. No, actually, she couldn't understand it at all. Was Sasuke joking? It was a very bad joke if that was the case but…

"You heard me" he nodded, assured in his own answer. He glanced at her. "If the letter was meant for someone else and yet you failed to inform me even after all this time, of course I would have to kill you for leading me on, and then myself because of the shame of being deceived."

He talked without a shred of doubt. It was honestly frightening.

Hinata gulped. "That's… that's a little extreme, don't you think?"

"It's not. It's only logical."

What part of all that was logical?

"But since the letter was meant for me and there was no confusion, there's no point pondering about this" rising his arms above himself in a stretch, Sasuke stood up, walking towards the center of the training field and calling over his shoulder; "let's spar. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Hinata looked at his retreating back, feeling very cold. There wasn't any need for a mirror to understand she had become very pale. And although she still didn't believe him completely when he said he would kill her if he ever discovered the letter was actually meant for Naruto, she was still very…

Well, not afraid, certainly, just… perturbed.

I definitely will never tell him the truth she decided as she stood up and went after him. Sasuke would never find out about who the letter was actually for. Never.

Back home, Sasuke opened one of his drawers and took out a single white envelope.

It wasn't sealed, the contents easily accessible. He grabbed the letter within and read what was written, his eyes stopping specially on the words that had caught his attention all those months ago.

I admire your tenacity and determination and how, even if people whisper behind your back about how you'll never live up to your family's legacy, you don't give up and instead work even harder to prove them wrong.

That was the part that had made Sasuke consider Hinata in the first place. Made her different from all the other girls that constantly confessed to him. He remembered feeling seen, appreciated, in a way he hadn't since he was a small child, receiving his father's praise for the first time in his life as he finally mastered the Katon.

What would you do if my confession… that is… if it turns out my letter was meant for someone else?

Unbidden, Naruto's face came to mind, as well as that day when he caught her staring at him, so long ago when they barely started dating. Quickly he shook his head, dismissing the thought. Even though he had his doubts, the letter, and especially that segment that for some reason he could call to mind so easily, was proof enough that it was meant for him. It wouldn't make sense if it was anyone else. Naruto didn't have a family legacy to live up to. He didn't have people whispering behind his back about how he was only the spare, the second son who couldn't match his older brother no matter how much he tried. If anything, Naruto had it easy, being the beloved son of the Hokage. The prince of the village, so to speak.

What a joke of a prince Sasuke couldn't help but think as he snorted. Whatever reason Hinata asked something like that, it wasn't because of anything special. It was still a weird question, but girls were weird anyway. Thus why he answered the way he did. Obviously he wasn't going to kill her or anything of the sort. Not that he'd ever be in a position to consider it, given how the letter was meant for him and no one else.

…and even if it was for someone else… Sasuke couldn't ever imagine Hinata keeping the secret for so long, or accepting to be his girlfriend if she truly liked someone else and had just made a mistake.

Sasuke, he… trusted Hinata. He trusted that she was sincere, and too kind to ever lead anyone on.

Because that's who Hinata was, and that was the reason he had decided to date her.