Haha! Last chapter!
Hyuuga Hinata was, perhaps less than anyone else, shocked to discover Sasuke had returned to Konoha, Itachi's body over his shoulder. After being questioned, and most likely threatened by Kiba's ANBU squad, it was determined that Sasuke was righting his mistakes. He had brought the body back because they were both, originally, a part of the Konoha family, if only for a short period of their life. At least, that was what Shino said.
But Hinata decided to attend Uchiha Itachi's funeral like the rest of her family, who, being Hyuugas, would honor the misleading and faltered life of one of the only remaining Uchiha.
Naruto had decided to confront Hinata a few months after their chase after the last Uchiha about their relationship. In those months, they had been going steady, making all their friends rejoice with shouts of "FINALLY!" Of course, the couple had decided not to explain just how Naruto was made aware, even though everyone wanted to know. But after those blissful months, Naruto decided he did not want to hurt her in the long run by lying through his teeth. "I'm just… not feeling the same thing you're feeling. I'm sorry."
Hinata had been happy that he had been honest.
Walking underneath the old Uchiha entrance, Hinata could see the guests form near the private cemetery. It wasn't much of a crowd either. She spotted Tsunade and Jiraiya, as well as Naruto. Her family was near the back. She could see Neji near the front. Actually, most of their friends were present. Shikamaru was smoking to the far right of the cemetery. Tenten and Sakura were sitting right in front. Kiba and Shino were both standing off to the side. Rock Lee sat with Neji. Ino and Chouji were both currently on a mission. But the bringer of the body was absent. Perhaps he had decided to wallow in his victory in solitude, instead of attend a funeral he had planned.
Carefully, she inched toward her teammates, hoping to not disturb the moment of silence. She then saw a shortcut through an alleyway, being able to see Akamaru very clearly through the narrow passage. But as she started to go through, a hand seized her mouth in one rapid movement, and a voice said, "Even after it's happened to you twice already, you're still not prepared for it."
Sasuke's fingers were trembling, despite his emotionless façade. His jaw was tight, and she could feel his hold loosen as she slipped from his surprisingly weak grasp. When she saw his face, a hammer seemed to come down on her heart. She had not been on the receiving team at the hospital for him, so it was first time she had seen him in Konoha.
"Uchiha-san…"
His once spiky hair had decided to flatten itself and fall with gravity, making him look somewhat unwell. Dark circles were under his eyes, and a sullen frown seemed to permanently stain his handsome face. He wore the usual funeral attire, though, which meant that he had indeed been planning to attend his brother's funeral.
Not knowing why, she felt like reaching out to him, lightly caressing his face. She imagined, that since he'd returned, he must've been looked down upon as a traitor. His once smooth cheeks seemed so fragile, like if she grazed them to hard he would crumble. 'People have been seeing him like this… How long has he gone without a real conversation, some human contact?'
She touched his face. As she imagined, it was drier than was healthy. It was only her fingertips, but the touch seemed to electrocute him, making him draw back in alarm.
"I-I'm sorry." she stuttered quickly, suddenly very embarrassed about her behavior. He merely stared at her, his sleepless eyes slightly wider than usual. She began to make her way toward the funeral again, but he grasped her hand, preventing her from leaving.
"Why aren't you with that idiot, Naruto?"
She turned to face him, and answered, "We've decided to just friends."
He did not show any signs of hearing her. He seemed to be starring at her face with great intensity. The Hyuuga heiress suddenly felt overwhelming pressure, and felt her face flush.
"T-The funeral is a-almost over, Uchiha-san…"
"You owe me." Anxiety suddenly decided to eat away at her stomach. It was a feeling she had had twice before, both times involving Sasuke saying those words.
"W-What…?"
"You owe me double. Your life was in my hands. Twice."
There was a pause.
"I knew the idiot wouldn't be able to keep a decent girlfriend."
Her face seemed to burn like the sun, from ear to ear. A small smirk was beginning to rebuild itself on the last Uchiha's face.
"Do you like being a bird with broken wings?"
It was an obscenely random question. In her confusion, she had not noticed he had been squeezing her hand so tightly that it was now numb.
"W-What?"
"All you Hyuuga's are caged birds. But you're cage is wide open."
Open? When she thought about it, having an open cage meant to be able to escape the Hyuuga family, the Hyuuga customs, and the Hyuuga traditions.
"How do you…?"
"But apparently, you're wings have been broken."
Broken wings. He was using some very accurate metaphors. She pieced it together carefully, and determined that he was telling her she had a way out of her family, a way to be free, but she could not do it alone.
She searched his face for any clues. He was insanely excellent at hiding his emotions, making it hard for her to determine what else he might be trying to say.
"I have avenged my family by having killed my brother. Now the Uchiha clan will have to rebuild itself."
He turned to face her, and the Hyuuga heiress was startled when he started walking torward her. She backed up a bit, only to bump into the wall. Soon he was so close that his nose was almost touching hers, millimeters away from grazing each other.
"You. Owe. Me." His tone was serious, almost dangerous. His breath was close, a mixture of seaweed and rice.
"Uchiha-san…"
"It's Sasuke-kun to you."
Taken aback, she corrected herself.
"Sasuke-kun," she began, feeling strange calling him that, "the funeral is ending. Weren't you going to attend, just as I was, and everyone is?"
"Would you rather see my brother off than listen to what I'm going to say?"
'Yes.' was the answer she wanted to reply with, but she held her tongue. Biting her lower lip, she glanced away, silently obliging.
"Marry me." She shot her head up in such a hurry that she hit him in the mouth with hers. In shock, she immediately pulled back, her face as bright as a tomato.
"Is that a yes?" he asked with a slight smirk.
"N-N-No! What happened to me being a b-broken bird in an o-open cage?"
He looked her in the eyes, his onyx eyes seeming to penetrating her white ones in a way hers never could do to his, no matter the blood limit. She was so caught up in those eyes, that she did not notice how close he was really standing next to her, nor how his lips and breath were practically mixing with hers.
It was something she had not originally wanted, his kiss. It was warm, yet fierce in a subtle way, and she could not help but enjoy it, if only a little.
"You," he breathed into her mouth, pausing in his actions, "You are the broken bird. I am the one who's going to lift you out of that cage, since you can't do it yourself."
Her eyes closed in realization. By marrying him, she would become an Uchiha, thus leaving the Hyuuga family. She wouldn't be able to leave any other way. He was offering her freedom, something she'd never really had. She felt freedom when gardening, but it was more peace of mind than anything.
It was an anonymous choice. To be taken away from the family who didn't really want her was not a hard decision to make. Hanabi had the motivation, determination, and skills to be a leader or a clan, as did Neji. And she felt that both would make wise decisions.
But…
"I'll owe you again." she concurred aloud, making his smirk falter for a split second.
But then it appeared again, this time strangely devious. He cupped her chin suddenly as she noticed just past her peripheral vision that the funeral had finally ended.
"That's exactly the point."
An impending doom grew in her gut, but she swallowed it down, forcing it out of her system. Was this how Sasuke was before? Or is this a new Sasuke, one free from chains of the past...?
"You will always owe me."
Her sweet freedom.
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