Day 30: Sharing a secret

Hinata didn't get a chance to hear Sasuke actually say the words.

Naruto climbed Sakura's balcony, just as he said he would, and although she didn't hear what he said, standing all the way down with Sasuke by her side, the big smile he got on his face as he jumped down told them everything had turned out great. And even if that hadn't been enough clue, the skip in his step as well as his whistling would have been enough to convince them.

As well as his bragging, of course.

"So this is what being an adult feels like? Man, this is sweet! Thanks for convincing me to do this Sasuke, even though I never had any doubts Sakura would accept my confession!"

"Whatever you say" Sasuke rolled his eyes, walking by his side, hands in his pockets. Hinata was a little behind them, watching them with a mix of excitement for Naruto as well as frustration. But now wasn't the right time to demand a confession of her own from the dark-haired boy, not when Naruto was still around.

If Sasuke was going to confess to liking her, she wanted it to be only for her.

"Thanks to you as well Hinata! Like, I'm really happy you were here for me!"

The girl smiled, matching the grin of the blond boy who was looking at her over his shoulder, hands clasped behind his head in a relaxed stance. "It was my pleasure, Naruto-kun."

"I think it's time to take you back home" Sasuke said, eyes up front in a pose she knew all too well, the same one he always adopted when he wanted to avoid a subject while pretending he couldn't be bothered.

Hinata narrowed her eyes.

"I can find the way on my own" she started sweetly, stopping in the middle of the path. Naruto and Sasuke stopped as well, turning to look at her with raised eyebrows. "We're in Konoha, there's no danger for me if I go home alone."

"I guess that's right, but is that ok by you? We did pick you up rather suddenly and it's in our way, so it wouldn't be a problem…" Naruto started, but Hinata shook her head.

"As I said, please don't think about it. I'm sure the two of you have things you want to talk about on your own" she inclined her head, catching just a second before her bangs covered her eyes Sasuke's bewildered expression. "Now then, I wish you both a good night. Congratulations again, Naruto-kun."

"Thanks Hinata!"

"Hinata, we can…" Sasuke said, but she was already turning around, taking a different path home.

Sasuke could dodge the subject if he wanted to, but she wasn't going to play at his game of avoidance anymore. He would tell her, directly, what she wanted to hear, and he would do it when they were alone, something she would ensure would happen soon.

Tomorrow, actually. Luckily, she knew where he liked to train, early in the mornings.

Sasuke thought about it, long and hard.

In all honesty, he understood why Hinata was sort of angry with him last night. Even though she looked shy and insecure on the outside, she was actually one of the most stubborn people he had ever met, and that was saying something considering his whole family as well as his friendship with Naruto. She wanted him to admit he liked her, which was something he should have done already that day in the warehouse, and he wasn't truly against it, but then, what did she expect him to do? To tell her while Naruto was in Sakura's balcony, within hearing distance, or when they were all walking back home?

Maybe he could've done it if they left Naruto first, but that wasn't going to happen. Just as he had expected of him, the idiot had retained him for three more hours to talk and talk and talk about his confession and how nice it was that Sakura had accepted him and they were now dating and how he always knew, deep down, that she wanted him. As if he had not been present for the whole stupid show.

Regardless, Sasuke knew Hinata rather well by now, and so, he wasn't surprised when he found her on the training ground he frequented the next morning, throwing shuriken at a target with faulty accuracy.

He clicked his tongue in disgust.

"Don't bend your elbow so much, and keep your feet farther apart!" he bellowed out the instructions, walking faster to where she was. Hinata turned to look at him with surprise, only to gasp the moment he grabbed her arm and forcefully put it in the right position. "Now push your feet apart, they're too close and that will damage your balance. Here, point with your elbow, and don't forget to keep it at a ninety-degree angle."

He stepped back, beckoning her with his hand to throw the shuriken with her changed position. Hinata didn't move for a second, simply narrowing her eyes at him in what could have been called defiance had she been anyone else, but then, she seemed to give up, looking again at the target with a sigh.

She threw the shuriken, which landed in the middle of the target. Hinata gasped at this.

"H-How…?"

Sasuke smirked, hands going to the pockets of his shorts. "Told ya."

"Still, I would appreciate you being gentler next time you want to help me with something" Hinata quickly let go of her surprise, looking at him again with eyes still narrowed. "I don't like being manhandled like that."

"Ah, sure, sorry" he winced, remembering he had been a little too rough with her. "There's just something that deeply bothers me whenever I see a person doing all they can not to land a shuriken correctly."

Hinata's response was a harrumph of indignation that made him smile.

After that, they stood there, simply watching each other without uttering a word. Sasuke was sure she was waiting for him to talk first, but he wasn't sure what she wanted him to say, other than the obvious. Maybe she wanted him to just tell her without preamble or flourish? He would've thought girls wanted more fanfare, but if that was alright by Hinata, then he had no problem.

He was opening his mouth to do just that when she finally spoke.

"Let's spar" she surprised him, as he was sure she wasn't that fond of doing so in the first place. At least, she hadn't liked it that much the few times they had done it at the beginning of their relationship, all those months ago…

…to think so much time had already passed. Wasn't after one of those that they had their first k-?

"Fine" he said abruptly, discarding the memory before it could redden his face, giving him away. Thinking back on it, what had he been thinking, suddenly grabbing her and…?

No, no, he wasn't going to think about it. If Hinata wanted to spar, then he was more than happy to oblige.

Getting into position, Hinata was the first to move. Although it hadn't been that long since their last spar, Sasuke could swear she was faster and more precise than she had been before. There was no hesitation in her movements, just a tranquil determination, her eyes narrowing on him, searching for openings.

It was a different experience to spar with a Hyuuga. They were known as some of the best taijutsu users in the world, thanks to the nature of their dojutsu, and it showed. It was exciting, and exactly what he had been looking for before, even if the rhythm was a little grueling, making him sweat in an effort to keep up.

Eventually though, he found her dragging behind, as tired as he was. She became slower, and when the moment came for her to strike her palm against his shoulder, Sasuke was able to dodge it, grabbing her hand and pulling her under him, her stomach on the ground and his knees on either side of her back, pining her there.

The sound of their panting could be heard, harsh against their ears. Sasuke broke it by asking; "is there a reason you wanted to spar in the first place?"

Hinata wiggled a little. Sasuke noticed he was still on top of her, so he immediately stood up, reaching out with his hand to help her up. She dusted herself off, a frown on her face as she stared at the ground.

"There wasn't a specific reason… I guess I just wanted to make things a little more comfortable for you, since you wouldn't speak at all…"

So she took his silence as reticence. Sasuke felt a little bad about it.

Gesturing with his head, he invited Hinata to go sit under the shade of a tree with him. She followed him silently, and once they were comfortable, he turned to her, ready to rip the band-aid off.

"I like you."

The moment he said it, he felt a warm current running through his whole body. His face felt tingly, and so did his ears, and he knew without having to look in a mirror he must be the color of a ripe tomato. For all he liked to pretend to prefer directness, there was still a part of him that recoiled at having to do or say certain things. And confessing to a girl seemed to be exactly one of them.

Hinata's response was simply looking at him, her mouth falling open. A rosy shade appeared on her countenance as well, different to the way she usually blushed in how much softer it was, and how much more it fit her. He waited, not wanting to say anything else now that he had finally confessed what she wanted to hear, just waiting for her reaction.

It came after what felt like too long. "I… I didn't expect you to say it so easily…!"

"What? Even I can say how I feel, can't I?" he said, offended and defensive for no reason at all. Hinata shook her head.

"I mean… of course you can, but…"

"But?" he dared her, clenching his fists.

Hinata sighed. "You like me then? It's official?" she changed the subject, watching as Sasuke was just getting more and more incensed, probably to cover up the embarrassment he felt at what he had said. Regardless, and even though he had told her what she wanted to hear, Hinata couldn't help but feel a little… well, disappointed wasn't the word, but she had, apparently, waited for a little more than just him saying he liked her so casually.

Sasuke gritted his teeth, feeling prickly all over because it seemed as if Hinata wanted to hear more. But what did she want him to say? He took in a deep breath, and then released it, along with an affirmation. "I already said I do, didn't I? I… I like you" repeating it made him blush all over again.

"Why do you like me?"

And then she had to ask that.

"Geez, why do you…?"

"I told you why I liked you! I think I deserve, at the very least, the same courtesy, don't I?" she interrupted before he could complain. Sasuke closed his mouth, irritated although he didn't know if it was with her or himself. After all, she was right, and he didn't know why he kept on trying to be so difficult about it.

So, instead, he closed his eyes, thinking about everything that had happened between them, and sought the correct words to define what he felt.

"I… well, it started because you see me… or at least that was the original reason" he opened his eyes but didn't look at her. He couldn't. "I accepted your letter exactly because… well, I told you back then, no? That I felt seen… as if someone finally understood me instead of simply seeing what they wanted in me."

He stopped, waiting, but Hinata didn't say anything, and when he looked at her from the corner of his eyes, she was watching him intently, as if she was hoping for more. Hoping for him to continue.

Sasuke almost groaned aloud.

"As it turned out, everything you wrote on that letter wasn't even meant for me, but that was the beginning of everything… it was the beginning of me looking at you and seeing you and… and I liked what I saw, ok?" he shook his head, as if that would dispel the embarrassment of baring his heart so completely. "Honestly, I never paid that much attention to you, but when I did… I noticed we had a lot of things in common. Both of us come from strict clans, we are both held to impossible standards by our fathers, bearing their disappointment while under the shadow of a more talented sibling… and we both did everything we could to move past that, to get better every day. Except you have it worse than me because you're actually the heiress. Your strength and determination, as well as your kindness despite everything… I guess I couldn't help but admire you as well."

Finished, he held his knees close to his body and buried his face on them, his hair thankfully falling around his ears to cover up any sign of his deep embarrassment. He had never thought he would say all of that one day, hadn't even thought about it too deeply until he had to put it into words, but once it was out, he understood the truth behind the words, a truth he hadn't even seen until he said it.

Sasuke didn't know how long he spent in that position, face hidden from her sight and the world, but it must have been enough, because suddenly he heard Hinata sigh, one of her hands travelling to his hair while her fingers threaded through it.

He immediately straightened, a shiver running down his back at the contact. Hinata laughed.

"You…!" he started, annoyed at her gall.

"I'm not the heiress anymore."

…only to be interrupted by those surprising words.

"Huh?!" the word came out of his mouth, unbidden.

"Before the genin exams, my sister and I were pitted against each other in order to decide who was more worthy of carrying the responsibility of becoming head of the clan" she explained, hugging her own knees as she stared at the ground. The fact she wasn't looking at him made it easier for him to look at her, examining her melancholic profile, as well as her sad smile. He was still embarrassed, but now he was also curious, enough to almost override the other emotion. "I lost the fight, and was stripped of my title as a consequence."

Sasuke blinked, tilting his head as if he couldn't understand.

"You lost… against your sister?"

Hinata nodded.

"You're no longer heiress?"

Another nod.

Sasuke stared at her, the weight of the truth starting to dawn on him. It was another moment before he could ask; "how?"

"What do you mean, how?" Hinata asked with a frown.

"You told me your sister is incredibly talented… but so are you" he explained, leaning closer to her, his previous apprehension forgotten as he sought her eyes. Hinata looked at him, her eyes narrowed in confusion. "I just can't see a way in which you would lose against your sister. I don't believe for a second she's better than you in a fight, not after all I've seen of you. So, I ask again: how?"

Hinata stared at him for another second, opening her mouth to answer him, probably to tell him that her sister was indeed better than her… but then, she closed it, seemed to think better of it, and said; "you're right. I… I let her defeat me, and everybody saw it. The reason I was stripped of my title wasn't because I lost, but because of my indecisiveness. A future clan head ought not to allow such shallow emotions dominate them."

"Why did you let her?" he asked, unable to understand.

Hinata smiled. "Can I tell you a secret?" her voice sounded mysterious, a little far away. Sasuke immediately nodded. "What if I tell you I didn't want to be the heiress? What if I told you I never wanted to be head of the clan? That, while I feel I could one day fulfill that role if I have to, if given the choice, I would rather do something different? To not bear that responsibility? What if I told you I think Hanabi would be a lot better at being heiress, not only because she's seen as stronger by the clan, but because she wants to be?"

It took a moment for Sasuke to process what she said. "You didn't… want to be the heiress?"

She nodded. "It's a role that's been expected of me since the day I was born… and honestly, I always felt it suffocating me, slowly but surely. When the opportunity came, how could I not choose, for once, to be selfish? How could I not choose to follow my own path, in something I could actually be happy with?"

Hinata sighed, pulling down her legs and straightening her back. She let it rest against the trunk of the tree, her head tilting up to soak up the sunlight filtering through the leaves. The day was advancing, and with it, the temperature rose. Not too much, as they were still a little away from summer, but just enough to be felt.

"I'm sure you don't understand, but it was my decision, and although I'm a little sad because of my clan… because of my father's disappointment… I'm still happy. I wouldn't choose anything different, had I the chance to do it again."

Sasuke didn't understand. Not because he wanted to be heir himself, as he thought there was no one that could fulfill that role better than Itachi, but because to him, a position of power was an honor to be upheld above everything else. If one was born into it and raised to lead, why would you want to turn away from it?

At the same time, he didn't begrudge Hinata for it. Just looking at her, he could understand the weight that had been lifted off her shoulders thanks to her decision of leaving everything to her younger sister. He also thought, selfishly, that it brought her closer to him, something that made him happy. And suddenly he wasn't nervous anymore, or embarrassed. He was content, exactly where he was, and with the person he was with.

Considering all that, there was nothing he could say. Nothing except; "I… I don't understand, as you said, but I think the most important thing is doing what you want, so… I'm glad."

Hinata smiled at him. Their hands brushed, as they've been unconsciously getting closer during their conversation, but instead of startling at the contact as they would normally have, they both leaned into it, interlacing their fingers.

The sun was shining down on them, a soft breeze moving their hair.

Hinata squeezed his hand.

"Then, we like each other?"

Sasuke squeezed back.

"We like each other."