When Hinata came to she wasn't surprised to be looking up at hospital walls. She was a little relieved because she honestly thought she'd wake up burning next to her beloved leader Danzo.
In all actuality she felt like she deserved it.
299. She never lost count. 299 successful missions. Some assassination and some solely reconnaissance. She grew such satisfaction at being his main lead for spy and assassination missions. How she felt pride that someone was training her to do more than C and D ranked missions. She felt taken seriously under Danzo. She felt like she was useful. She didn't think she ever felt that with the life she had four years ago.
Aww yes, her past life. The Hyuga's.
She was more than likely going to be sealed now. All she put herself through to avoid it was for NOTHING. If anything she ruined her reputation even more. Now she was Hinata the weak minded Hyuga. The one that was manipulated into doing unethical missions by Danzo, someone who was now viewed as unethical and vile as Orochimaru.
She was working under someone as messed up as OROCHIMARU. Her ninja career was done.
The thing that made it so messed up for Hinata compared to someone like Sai was she wasn't born into this lifestyle. She chose this lifestyle. She excelled in it and she wanted to KEEP it. Yes deep down she felt an emptiness. She didn't want to give up what she worked hard for, why should she?
What was she supposed to do now?
Go back to be a Hyuga? Be sealed and just live a life in solitude and shame? Go back to basic missions that were almost an insult to her now talent.
This is why she thought she deserved nothing but the worse. She was selfish now. Now all she could think about was 'what about me'.
Was that really true? Was she selfish?
She did go out of her way to save the Uchiha. Granted she was the one that put him in a situation that would have gotten him killed. The will to not kill him was greater. Hinata didn't think about herself then. She could only think of her bright blonde-haired special person. How he would never forgive her. What Naruto wanted.
Then her mind would flutter back to the innocent, pure look on Sasuke's face when he was close to dying. He wasn't evil. A person in their last moments of living shows their true colors, and Uchiha Sasuke wasn't a bad man. He was a lost soul like her.
It was a little humorous if she really thought about it. Hinata had spent so long trailing after the young Uchiha. Learning everything about him. His favorite food, his favorite nap spot, what time he slept the best because his nightmares happened less at those times.
The words he said when he felt it was just him alone. The names he called when he wanted affection because in the end even Uchiha Sasuke couldn't ignore urges.
Hinata learned that he wasn't a cold-blooded killer that he tried to push out. He was more so an intense introvert. She could relate to that.
She spent all this time understanding this arrogant man so she could kill him. She fixated on killing him and in the end, she did the opposite. She killed Lord Danzo. She killed a man that took her under her wing. Did she have no loyalty anymore?
It was like half her brain was purposely ignoring the fact that Danzo was in fact going to betray and kill her. That he was a horrible, horrible human being that did unethical things left and right. This was Hinata's problem. She saw too much of the good in others and not enough in herself.
"You're going to fry your brain if you think any harder Hyuga. Be careful, I'm sure you don't have many brain cells left."
Hinata's eyes slowly drifted from the ceiling to see that she was sharing a hospital room with the Uchiha avenger. This wasrich.
She was not surprised in the least to see him restrained to the bed, she supposed he was arrested. The look he gave her showed that if he wasn't chained to the hospital bed and if his chakra wasn't restrained, he'd do more than just say mean things to her.
His onyx eyes had a hollow look to them. Sasuke was beyond pissed and the urge to let out his frustrations was something he wouldn't hide. He didn't exactly know what he wanted to do to the female in front of him. Half of him wanted to take his sword and carve horrible, evil words on her body, the other half just wanted to touch her.
Why did he want to touch her in such an intimate manner? She almost killed him…again. She killed one of his teammates, technically he wasn't any better in that field when it comes to being merciful but still.
It was the fact that this dark haired, probably spoiled Hyuga heir, toyed with him. Like he was nothing to her, nothing to anyone. Yet, she delivered the finishing blow to Danzo. She stopped him from making an explosion that probably would have killed them.
She looked at him openly. She was vulnerable with tears cascading down her face and he had never seen her look that way. She was really beautiful and even he couldn't deny the fact.
All of this was scratching at Sasuke's head from the moment he saw her pass out from a panic attack. Naruto looked as if HE was going to have a panic attack himself when he saw the girl pass out. The first thing Naruto did was slide his hands under her clothing to check for any injuries that were hidden under her clothing.
It was interesting to Sasuke because he didn't think Naruto cared for her. Last time they were all in the same area the Hyuga girl and Naruto looked as if they hated one another. Shit, the way she spoke to him made it believable.
Yet at that moment Naruto looked like his word had fallen apart when she passed out. It showed a strong connection between the two, it made Sasuke slightly jealous.
What had he missed? Why didn't he have the connection like that anymore with Naruto? Why didn't he check on the Hyuga girl when he was closest to her at the moment and saw her having a panic attack. He wanted to be the one to hold her. Was he jealous of Naruto or of her? Why was he even green to begin with.
This was all exhausting for Sasuke, and he wanted answers from someone, he wanted to start with sleeping beauty beside him.
"You spent so long telling me your sole mission was to please your lord and savior Danzo, which was to kill me. Yet, you ended up killing him. How did that end up happening?"
Hinata looked at Sasuke for a moment longer before she went back to staring at the white popcorn ceiling. "He was going to kill me."
Sasuke snorted at this as he looked down at the sheets keeping him warm, "People in ROOT don't care about their life or anyone else life. They do what that swine Danzo tells them to do. I see why you don't talk a lot. You're a horrible liar."
Like a switch went off in her head Hinata's head shot in his direction, "Do not say such things about him like that."
Sasuke turned his head towards her and looked at her as if she was insane, "He was a murderer and you followed orders from someone that repeatedly betrayed the leaf village."
Hinata wanted to rebuttal that he betrayed the leaf village and that was why he was chained up, but deep down she was not up for arguments with the Uchiha.
He was not an easy person to talk to like Naruto, Neji or even the older Uchiha. Naruto was similar to Sasuke at being very direct and in your face, but at least Naruto gave her some lee-way when he saw she was burning out.
Sasuke looked as if he wanted an argument. He looked ready to tear her down with his words and dared her to rebuttal to anything he had to say. He continued to look at her with a smoldering dark look. He wanted answers and his patience was GONE.
For a year now, probably even longer than that, this miniature pain in his ass has been following him around and picking his brain. Using him for her own gain. Tricking him by triggering him on matters she knew would get to him.
No. He wasn't giving her any damn passes. She aimed below the belt with him too many times.
This woman has come close to killing him more than he'd like to admit. In those moments when it seemed like she would succeed she saw him at his weakest. Scared.
She saw that at this moment. He was afraid to die because he didn't want to die knowing that he failed his clan, his family. She saw him open. She saw him beg for her to be logical.
He didn't know if he hated her for that.
She saw him like that, but she didn't taunt him. She SAW him. She didn't tell him he was foolish. She didn't chide him, belittle him or even try to change him because she 'knew he was a good person'. She just acknowledged who he was. That was it. That's what he wanted.
Did he want it from her? From Naruto? Was he green or did he just want his cake and to eat it too when it came to Naruto and the Hyuga girl? Was it just his hormones talking when he looked and spoke to her? He believed he was being a lot nicer to her than he would any other person.
Things weren't making sense for him right at the moment, so he wanted clarity. He needed her to open her fucking pretty little mouth and talk. "You don't really care about your life. Not as much as the normal person. Did you do this for Naruto?"
Hinata almost rolled her eyes to the back of her brain. Was he being serious right now? Was he that determined to get some type of answer? She passed out from having a massive anxiety attack back on the bridge. She didn't even know why she did what she did. Which made everything worse for her if she was being honest.
Sasuke rubbed his hair in slight frustration. For him to spend 90% of his time in silence he was sure speaking a lot.
The way Sasuke was talking to Hinata he wanted her to believe he was in control of his emotions. That he was in control of the conversation they were having.
Hinata knew better though. Of course she would, she watched him long enough. Sasuke was just as lost and confused as herself. If anything Sasuke was in a position where he had more to lose considering he was a criminal and traitor. "Please tell me Uchiha. Why I did what I did, because I don't even know why I did what I did."
Sasuke looked at her stunned for a minute. She presented herself soft and yet firm at the same time when she spoke to him. He knew she was more than likely going through it mentally and emotionally and yet she still spoke to him like a lullaby. So this was the real her? This is what it was like being around her outside of the field.
She was this coaxing to be around when she wasn't trying to kill or harm you? A naturally calming aura.
"You did it so Naruto wouldn't hate you. He has this insane fixation on me and killing him would make him hate you." He was calling her out at the moment, he wanted to see what Naruto was to her.
For the first time around him Hinata smiled while she stared at the bland ceiling. "You both have a sickening fixation on one another. I guess that is what happens when two people have feelings for one another and try to hide it. You both end up bursting from keeping it in."
Sasuke felt a chill run up his spine and he knew his silence to her words just further justified her accusation. Sasuke wasn't stupid. Far from it and no one would ever fix out their mouth and call him stupid. He knew he had a connection with Naruto.
In the beginning when he was a teenager he didn't know what drove this strong connection. He felt as if it was their competitiveness between one another. Then maybe it was the strong brotherly bond between one another. He understood Naruto and accepted him and in the end that's what he knew Naruto wanted.
If he was being honest with himself he wasn't really an amazing friend for Naruto. He could list off people that were probably way better at being a close best friend for the idiot. So as he got older and was away from the village it made Sasuke wonder. What was Naruto to him?
It wasn't friendship, brotherly, or even comrade type of love. It morphed to be very different.
It turned to something where he viewed Naruto as a light for him. That he felt like he kind of needed Naruto, or at least he needed to know Naruto was okay and thriving. He felt adrenaline every time he saw Naruto. That he felt with Naruto around, there was no judgement on him. No pressure to be this person that he wasn't. He felt relaxed around Naruto. Sasuke felt warmth, comfort and he felt needy around Naruto.
Sasuke realized he was down bad, and it was for the fucking dobe.
It was so fucking confusing though because he was finding out other than Naruto, this…PEST, this pain to everything about him was…okay to be around. He couldn't stand to look at her sometimes because he thought she had no morals or ethics, but if he was being honest he could get use to her more than many other females he had come across.
Mainly because she treated him like a person. Naruto and her both treated him like a regular person that annoyed them from time to time and that was the type of normalcy Sasuke needed.
"Why did you do it if it meant Naruto had a chance of having me back?"
"Why are the two of you talking about me without me being here!"
Both dark-haired quiet beauties stared at the intrusion to their confusing conversation. Naruto stood at their hospital doorway with a bouquet of lilies in his hands and that big grin he usually wore. Hinata looked at Naruto for a moment before turning her attention back to the ceiling.
Naruto in turn frowned at this. He walked over to her and placed the bouquet at her bedside nightstand. He then leaned over and softly cupped her cheeks, so she faced him. While her head was turned her eyes remained off his.
"Hinata. Don't be like this." Naruto whispered this to Hinata. Hoping his calm voice would bring her out of it.
Sasuke arched a brow when he saw the display in front of him from the two. There was a small, miniature hint of green within him that he didn't think he would ever feel if it didn't relate to ninja skills. While he felt this way, there was still a bigger emotion in him that wanted to see what was going to happen and if the Hyuga would stop looking so depressingly pitiful.
Sasuke watched as Naruto said her name again, this time in a more authoritative, darker tone. Sasuke arched a brow at this. That was new. That peaked his interest.
Sasuke was surprised to see this caused the Hyuga to finally make eye contact with Naruto. She gave him a slight smile at his relentlessness and that was when he saw Naruto bend down and kiss her on the lips.
What. The. Fuck.
What the hell did he miss? When did this become a thing?
Naruto let Hinata lean back on her pillow before sitting up and grinning at her. "That's better. I hate when you get like that ya know. Now teme!"
Sasuke remained quiet as he watched everything go on. That was not really what he was expecting from Naruto when seeing him for the first time in a controlled environment. "Hey, I don't want to beat around the bush. For the most part I heard a good portion of what you two were talking about. So I know that you know Sasuke."
Naruto had matured a lot more then he remembered.
Sasuke made eye contact with Naruto and gave a silent sigh to himself, "Yeah I know, but you'd be an idiot to not only pursue me dobe, but to pursue her as well. Both of us have tarnished reputations. Me more than her. To top it off, since you have this vapid idea of being Hokage, I have never in history heard of a serious political point being bi-sexual. I have seen them with multiple wives, but not with a man thrown into the mix."
Naruto gave him a weird look, like he was acting weird or something. Sasuke frowned at this, "What?"
That familiar foxy grin appeared on Naruto's face and Sasuke would be lying if he said he didn't miss it. "I mean if that's your only rebuttal then I'm shocked. I thought you'd be more in denial about having feelings for another guy, but you're pretty much telling me you have similar feelings for me as I do for you. You're just…hesitant. Fair enough by the way to be hesitant. Another interesting thing is you didn't voice any anger or grief to the idea of a polyamorous…umm relationship thing."
Naruto finished the last part pretty lame simply because he was trying to find the right word for what they were doing. The word was pretty big.
Hinata and Sasuke stared at Naruto taken back from his detailed, probably rehearsed words. Hinata than looked at Sasuke too also completely thrown off that he wasn't saying Naruto was wrong. He wasn't showing signs of anger or anything.
Sasuke simply sighed and looked at Naruto tired, "I've been through a lot...Naruto. I'm marked a criminal, a traitor, and I'm chained to this damn hospital bed because some emotional bi-polar nut almost ripped my heart out and I somehow found a kink into the emotional trauma she put me through. My brother wasn't some evil piece of shit like I was led to believe for years and I have all these bottled up confused and frustrated emotions. I spent years with a man that wanted nothing but to use me so he could possess my body and in some twisted motion I AGREED and was okay with that. So no, I have no argument for anything Naruto. I know how I feel, and I would be running on fumes to just get into another emotional battle over something as simple as a relationship. Plus…the Hyuga isn't that bad as long as she doesn't touch me."
Naruto gave Sasuke a bland look, "You're so romantic."
"Fuck you."
Sasuke was met with a dirty smirk from Naruto, "Okay teme."
Sasuke didn't say anything but looked off to the side in aggravation and a slight light blush.
"Pushing aside the fact you are indeed a pompous bastard that betrayed his friends and the village for power to kill someone that hated himself. Plus you tried to kill myself and Sakura. Multiple times. I still can't find it in me to hate you like you said so many other people already do. You'd be surprised how many people don't hate you, and it's not because of your looks or last name."
Sasuke still said nothing and refused to make eye contact with the blond. He felt eyes other than Naruto staring at him and he turned to look at the other person present in the room. "What the hell are you looking at Hyuga?"
Hinata blinked at the two boys like an owl, in her mind she wanted to say that they were adorably cute but believe it or not she was still not that bold of a person. "Nothing."
Sasuke frowned at the obvious lie and while he wanted to continue to pressure her about her staring problems he still wanted her to answer his other question. "I still don't understand. You were nothing but loyal to that insect Danzo. Probably the most loyal out of everyone in that twisted organization. Why, better yet how, did you even muster it in you to kill him?"
Hinata sat up from the hospital bed and shifted her feet to the side so her feet were on the floor. She was tired of laying down and even though she was still a little shaken up she felt she had been in bed long enough. She faced Naruto and Sasuke and sported her signature blank facial expression that the two men grew to hate.
"I do not know Uchiha. If it makes you feel better I feel like I've lost a part of me. I don't know if that is from Lord Danzo's years of brainwashing or just because I really did admire him. This…pain that I'm feeling, I'd rather have completed my mission and killed you and my clan a million times over and over than feel the way that I do."
This is the girl Naruto fell in love with? Sasuke scowled at Hinata and looked off to the side. "You and Itachi are the biggest morons I have ever seen in my life. It must be the effects of being born first. You two idiots actually LISTENED to this man."
Hinata sent him a sharp look and went to speak but Sasuke interrupted her, "I don't CARE what my clan had planned in the past. Having them ALL massacred was not the answer. That's not to say faults were not there on both sides, the Uchiha's and the village. I don't CARE that, that piece of shit took you in. Can't you see that he used you? He used my brother and he used you. Now look at the two of you, broken and pathetic. If you want to sit there and pretend that you didn't know the man was evil then be my guest. Sit there and wage war with yourself."
Naruto knew Sasuke had valid points, but he still stood in front of Sasuke and shot him a look that told him to 'watch what he said' when it came to Hinata. Sasuke was blunt. He was harsh and while Naruto himself was an 'in your face' type of person, he was nothing on Sasuke's level of hurtful. Now was not the time for 'tough love'.
Hinata had a look on her face that Naruto was very familiar with. Like she was debating between clawing at the chained Uchiha or walking away. Naruto wouldn't fault her if she decided to go with the first choice. Instead Naruto watched as Hinata just curled into herself and ran her dainty fingers through her hair in frustration.
Hinata could care less what the hell Sasuke was talking about at the moment. The moment Danzo was mentioned and the fact that she knew she killed him she thought about what lies in her future. The fact in her mind she didn't even have a future to think about. It was all over for her.
"I am going to be sealed by the Hyuga clan. I gave up everything for this illusion that I was free. I have no team, no family and no friends because I gave it all up for Lord Danzo. I have nothing left. Just because I didn't kill you on the numerous chances that I had. Just because I'm an IDIOT."
Naruto shot Sasuke an annoyed look but this did nothing from steering Sasuke to feel pity for her, "Shut up Hyuga. You have me and the dobe. That's all you need."