The Denial Twist

x.x.x

p0g0stick

Summary: Now her lips were beginning to quiver, and he realized he had been 'ogling' her. His right hand shot to his eyes, as he felt his cheeks start to redden. Didn't anyone ever tell you, Sasuke? Denial is only the first stage! SasuHina.

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WARNING: This is rated M for a reason, mostly because of the VERY strong use of language and possible…er…situations? You have been warned.

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The beginning is a bit slow, but give it time. (:

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Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. What DO I own? A cellphone. That's it. And it cost me too much.

x.x.x

PART ONE

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"A lot of people get confused and they bruise
Real easy when it comes to love,
They start putting on their shoes and walking out
And singing, 'Boy, I think I had enough'"

-The Denial Twist, The White Stripes

XXX

This party was boring.

Boring, boring, boring.

Not only was it really shitty, but there was nothing to do. Everybody was completely wasted (excluding him, of course. Alcohol brought him no pleasure), and even that should have proven interesting and at times, quite humorous.

But it didn't.

In fact, Sasuke Uchiha would rather carve out his eyeballs with the corkscrew they had used to open the bottles of that cheap wine Inuzuka had smuggled in. There was also a bottle opener used to pop open the bottles of beer (Samuel Adams, perhaps? Oh well. Not like it mattered) that some smartass had been able to get in.

Either would do. Both of them were equally painful. The corkscrew or the bottle opener, it was like choosing between chocolate or vanilla ice-cream.

He could sneak back inside through the throng of people and snatch the items from the table where the idiots had left them.

Sasuke knew they were there, because before he came out onto the deck, he saw everyone grab a bottle and pop it open, then shift over towards the living room.

The pain of the corkscrew (or the bottle opener, whichever he chose in the end), would most likely distract him away from the tortured pain of having to sit here with no way home.

Sure, he could drive. He was now officially a fuckin' high school graduate at the age of 18, but he didn't have a car. He had money, this was true. He had all the necessities many vied for with meager salaries, such as a cell phone, a working laptop, so on and so forth. He could have bought a car, but with college a mere few months away, what was the use?

So now, back to the situation at hand…

He was stranded, left alone on an island in a sea of cheap alcohol bought with an even cheaper, faker ID. The least they could have done was stolen shit from a liquor cabinet. He was sure there was a fully stocked one somewhere inside this house.

It was ritzy enough to have something decent in it.

Actually, whose house was this?

He couldn't even remember. Hah! How hilarious! He was stranded at a place he didn't even know. Hell, if he did have a car, he wouldn't know where to go.

Oh, this was so rich! He could almost howl with laughter at the situation he had found himself in.

Then, he realized, that not only was he lost, but he was alone. He couldn't even hear the voices of his classmates.

His CLASSMATES! Now that was something to laugh about. They weren't his classmates any more, at least not until they have their prom tomorrow night (which he wasn't going to, that was for sure). They could all kiss his ass now, he was finally leaving this dirty, nobody town. He was going to go to college, just like his brother. However, there was a difference between him and this so-called 'brother'. He was going to make something out of this college experience. He wasn't going to knock-up chicks or get caught on DUI. He wasn't going to get stoned in parking lots of nobody-fast food places at 2 am. His brother was always his father's favorite, but if his father had only seen what had become of this so-called 'prodigy'…

Oh, what did it matter?

The man was dead. He couldn't judge anyone anymore.

Really, Sasuke didn't give two shits if he was successful in life…

Well, as long as he was more successful than his bastard brother.

Now that he thought about it, maybe it would have been easier if he had dropped out when that idea had first arisen.

It was during sophomore year, and he had a steady income of cash flow coming thanks to his parent's death. Sure, he had to share it with his elder brother, but it was still cash. And he had endless amounts of it. And, sure, it seemed almost selfish and callous to be saying that he was happy his parents had died (he wouldn't admit to it now, but when he was alone—which he always was—at night, he'd miss his own mother so much that it hurt), but they were the reason for the wonderful fortune he possessed.

And, he'll assure you, the amount of cash he bestowed was endless.

Endless.

Anyway, he had the right mind to drop out and just live at home by himself. He'd like that. A lot.

Just reading books, or sorting through his thoughts.

The mere idea was so pleasant.

Then, once the word got 'round that Sasuke Uchiha was going to become a High-School dropout, every kid and their dog (well, it seemed that way…) was persuading Sasuke to stay in, that it wasn't worth it.

Really, he just ignored it all. It was a load of bull.

Then, when that goddamned Naruto Uzumaki, bless his little dobe brain, actually confronted Sasuke with the possibility of him using up all the money and lacking any when he was older simply terrified the then-16-year-old.

It was possibly the smartest thing that idiot had said all the years Sasuke had known him.

But now, the silence was beginning to actually worry him.

Hah! No!

He didn't worry.

But now, he couldn't help wondering…

Where the hell was every one?

He was outside on the verandah, and had kept to himself most of the party. The door was even closed, preventing anyone who wasn't sober enough to open it to come talk to him, prattling on about how they were going to score tonight (this was the option left for the males) or how much they were in love with him (this actually could go both ways, considering Sasuke had many…er…admirers.)

It was only when the lights went off that he found himself in complete and utter darkness, a starless, cloudless sky with the sliver of a crescent moon.

What the hell? He abruptly jumped up from his chair, and felt his knee smack the table that his arm had once been resting on.

FUCK!

Rubbing his knee with care, he began blindly hobbling towards the verandahs doors.

Lucky enough for him, there was still an iridescent glow from within the doors, which meant once he got in he could check…

Wait!

He had a watch!

With a light!

Yes!

He used his right had to pull back his left sleeve of the black suit jacket he was wearing (he was ONLY wearing it because of Graduation. He never liked to dress up too much) and froze over when he realized he had decided not to put on a watch tonight.

Damn him for not wearing one!

Damn him!

Sighing, he reached out to the handles (which were well illuminated by the light inside), and tugged on them.

They were locked.

Damnit all.

Did he bring his cell phone?

He couldn't remember. Stuffing his hands into both pockets of his suit-pants, he pulled out a wad of cash and a stick of gum.

Now he began digging in the pockets of the jacket and only brought out a packet of tissues (they were in case he got bored to tears from the graduation ceremony. Haha, see, he could have a sense of humor!).

There was only one thing he could do…

"OPEN UP, GOD DAMNIT!" Sasuke began yelling, rattling the handles and causing a few birds to scatter from trees that were outside surrounding the verandah.

He stopped, trying to listen to see if there were any sounds from inside.

But his words fell on deaf ears.

I hope they don't have a security system…then I'd be screwed.

Right now, Sasuke just wanted to escape.

The verandah was up on the second floor, and he wasn't going to risk jumping, no sir. Slowly, he walked over to the edge, taking care to make sure he wouldn't fall off.

Or hurt himself again.

There was a window beside the verandah, and not only was warm light spilling from inside, it was slightly ajar.

Success!

Now, just to get to the window…

He was pretty tall; he could stretch and make a jump for it…

…right?

Right!

He stood shakily on the rimmed edge of the balcony, hoping that his shoes wouldn't scuff it.

Reach…that's it…reach…

His fingertips brushed against the window sill.

Argh!

He leaned, reached, stood on the tips of his toes (shoes) and…

Ugh!

Jump…right, he has to jump and hope that his hand doesn't slip when it makes contact with the sill.

God, he must have really been out of it to come up with such a stupid idea…

Did he have any alcohol to drink?

He didn't think he had…

Well, here goes nothing.

He jumped, and for a second he thought gravity was going to win and send him hurtling towards the ground. But then, as his hand graciously gripped the sill, he found himself suspended in the air, his fingers beginning to ache.

And they were slipping.

Why hadn't he thought this through enough? How was he going to push himself up now?

Sure, he had upper body strength, but let's face it…he was lean and not all that bulky, and right now quite weak. Sure, he had sinewy, strong muscles, but right now he possessed no energy whatsoever.

Plus, if he could pull himself up, he'd have to open the window up more.

Swinging his free hand, he grabbed the left side of the window (it was the type that clasped in the center, and two door-like frames opened width-wise) and opened it more.

Now was for the tricky part.

He was sure he could fit in, but he had to push himself up into it.

The best way to just get through this whole stupid ordeal was to count to three and get it over with.

Hey, maybe if he fell and broke his spine, he'd die and not worry about college, or pleasing his dead father, or being better than his asshole of a brother…

Not like he was one to contemplate suicide…

…much.

His expression turned smug.

HA. Take THAT fate. He could live or die, and both choices pleased him.

Now, count to three.

One…two…THREE!

PUSH!

XXX

Sasuke spilled into a room of white. White walls, white ceiling, and a soft white floor…it actually felt nice, come to think of it. The floor, that is.

Not the white.

The white he could do without.

Also, the light…it was so bright, his eyes had to adjust to it.

Shielding his poor, feeble eyes from the light, he waited until the uneasiness subsided.

He could've sworn that he knocked his head on something as he came tumbling in…

And he was sure someone had heard that.

Forgetting about the light and the searing pain in his head, he stumbled to his feet and checked his surroundings.

There was a bed, covered in white (of course), a white vanity with three mirrors that spat his tousled, pale image back at him (it also had a thick brush on it and a comb, both a matching iridescent pearl color), white dressers with a few small figurines of lambs on them (this made him wince when he approached the dresser to identify them), and a white bedside table with a lamp which emitted the light.

It was like some alien world to him.

Too clean, too beatific.

And he felt as if in this room every single one of his dark flaws was becoming too noticeable. His aching skull, his scuffed shoes, his tousled hair and clothes, it all seemed that all his little imperfections were being taken note of.

Damnit, it pissed him off.

But it didn't matter, in a matter of minutes he'd be out of this place and in a taxi back to his house.

He just had to figure out where he was, exactly, and how to slip by unnoticed.

Obviously he was now on the third floor (uh, how many floors did this house have exactly?!), so he just needed to find the stairs, go down to the first floor and he'd be home free! He remembered where the front door was, right? And if it was as late as it appeared to be, everyone should be asleep and he could sneak through unnoticed.

It was a cinch!

Walking from his position near the dresser with those gag-worthy figurines, he moved towards the door to get out of this room before he collapsed on the floor because of the overwhelming…white.

Sasuke gripped the doors knob carefully and began to twist it.

Then he heard the footsteps, just barely audible behind the door. They were approaching at a quick pace.

Quick, think Sasuke, think!

Under the bed?

No, it was too high up; whoever it was would see him.

Under the Vanity desk?

NO!

Back out the window?

FUCK NO! That wasn't an option!

He began to sweat furiously, and the little hairs on his neck were prickling. This wasn't part of the plan!

What did he do to deserve this?

What, he asked you, what?!

XXX

Hyuuga Hinata wasn't feeling too well.

The party had ended, yes, she was happy about this, but in the pit of her stomach there was this…thing.

It felt like the beginning of a hurricane.

Strong, sickly, but not raging out of control…yet.

That was for later.

So, to tame the storm and clear her thoughts, she decided to take a shower.

Well, in truth it had been Neji's idea. He thought she was stressing too much over the mess that their fellow graduate's had left in their wake.

Hinata disliked parties, well, at least raging and wild ones and she was lucky to have Neji there to usher every one out before it became too horrendous (even if it had been his idea to hold the party at their house in the first place.)

They were both lucky enough that Hinata's father was away on business, and their maid didn't mind cleaning up the rooms where (cough)…things…went down.

Really, Hinata had tried to help, but the maid and Neji both persuaded her that they could easily handle everything (everything being the…ugh…bathrooms—excluding hers, she made sure no one entered her room, her father's room, or her younger sister's—tipped over couches, and a sea of empty bottles and cups).

She truly was exhausted, but that wasn't the reason why she wasn't feeling quite herself.

Not only was she no longer a senior (or in High School, for that matter), she'd have to say goodbye to all of her friends and enter a terrifying new college (which she had been accepted into). Hyuuga Hinata was not good at making friends.

The reason she had companions now was because back in pre-school the teacher had forced them together, and together they made bonds.

But now she was going to be thrust into a scary new world of different, strange faces, new classes and teachers who would probably yell at her to speak up and…

Eep.

She cringed slightly.

Neji wasn't even going to be at the same college with her.

Maybe she should just stop now.

She really could.

Her father had enough money (not like he'd give her any of it, nor would she inherit a lot of it. That all went to her wonderful, athletic, intelligent sister Hanabi), and she could simply open up a small art studio (which was what she really wanted to do).

Hinata sighed in defeat.

Her father was willing to pay for tuition, and this college was well-known for its Visual Arts department.

So why should she complain?

She had the money to get in, they had accepted her…

But it was just so difficult to suck up her fear and speak to people.

After entering the bathroom, Hinata closed the door behind her and locked it. It was strange, she had the whole third floor to herself (well, Hanabi was up there too, but to Hinata's knowledge she was snug in her bed and fast asleep) and she actually quite liked it.

The solitude.

She removed her clothes, which reeked of cigarette smoke and beer (she had Kiba to thank for that, he spilt some of his drink on her while on a drunken rant about how he was happy to be leaving the hell of a school) and stepped into the tub cautiously.

As the water fizzled down out of the nozzle, and the cold water felt so nice on her warm skin.

Usually, her skin was an agreeable cool temperature, but she was tired and sweaty from wearing that heavy gown for two hours (and that cap itched at her sensitive scalp). Even though the air conditioning had been on during the night's festivities, the body heat emitted from every one was overwhelming, and this contributed to her feverish state.

It was too late to bother with washing her hair, so she just rinsed it through with water. Tomorrow it'd be easier to shampoo and condition it. It was probably a bad idea rinsing it now because of how long and thick her hair was, it was going to take forever to dry.

Oh well, it probably smelled bad anyway.

XXX

Stepping out of the shower, Hinata wrapped a towel securely around her and leaned back into the stall, squeezing excess water (which was a lot) out of her hair.

After a small yawn, she unlocked the bathroom door and peered around the corner of the doors entrance. Air, colder than the water she had showered in, was circling and caused a wave of goose bumps to rise on her soft, pale skin.

Her room was to the left of the bathroom, just down a small hallway. It was at the back of the house, and Hinata felt as it was almost…a haven. She was away from all the commotion of the first two floors, and from her sister's and father's rooms.

Emerging from the room, she closed the door behind her and began to walk towards her room, combing her fingers through her endless strands of hair.

Before she went to bed she should brush it and de-tangle it.

XXX

Oh shit!

What to do?

He had no clue.

Right now, he was lost.

FUCK! The handle was turning! Oh god, this wasn't going to be pleasant. How could he explain this?

Well, he'd tell the truth. That's all he had.

Usually Sasuke was a quick thinker, but the drowsy haze he was in prevented him from doing so.

He had prayed that they were going to another room, any other room…where there any other rooms on this floor?

Oh, and let us not forget how he had no clue whose house this was.

What if it was…Ino Yamanaka's house!

Oh dear God…

Sure she was going out with that lazy ass Nara Shikamaru, but he couldn't shake off the horrid images he had from childhood…

And elementary school…

And Junior High…

Well, there was one thing he was certain of.

This wasn't Sakura's room.

And thank God.

Because surely, if this had been her house, all hell would break loose…then again, he didn't give the girl enough credit.

Really, she hadn't thrown herself at him in years.

Maybe it was how much more distant and callous he had become. That used to drive girls wild, and now it sort of creeped them out, (not like he cared, that's all he ever wanted.)

He had also lost a lot of weight; he was a bit…fragile.

This made him involuntarily rub his head where a generous swell was emerging.

AH! CRAP!

The door knob was turning to its full extent now!

Sasuke backed up until his back was against the wall (and the window).

Right now, he swore that time had decided to go a few seconds slower, because as the door opened it felt like an eternity.

This was going to be pretty embarrassing…

Tightening his fists into balls, he felt his finger nails making painful incisions into his palm.

And when he saw what was in the entrance of the door, he almost passed out.

XXX

Hinata's legs felt weak.

Inside her room was a young man.

Wait…

She knew him.

He was in…had been in her senior class.

Sasuke Uchiha!

Yes, she knew him…

She'd seen him at graduation, but not at the house.

What was he doing here?

Why was he in her room?

Her hands began to shake and she began to get a prickling heat down her spine.

Right now she wanted to say something, maybe demand why exactly he was here.

Hinata's mouth opened, but it closed, no sound came out.

"Now, listen, I know this doesn't look right, but—"

"Whu-wha-what…whuh…whah-t…" was all that came flooding out, word vomit, and a jumble of sounds that didn't make any sense.

It made her bite her tongue so hard it almost cut and bled.

Now he was staring at her! His eyes were moving up and down and—EEP!

She hugged the towel tighter to her skin.

A little squeak found its way out of her mouth and she felt her lip quiver.

XXX

He was so dead.

So, so, so, SO dead.

As long as she didn't scream, though, it would all be okay.

Just peachy.

Peachy?

What the hell? Since when did he say—think…oh, it didn't matter!

Now her lip was beginning to shake, and he realized he had been 'ogling' her. His right hand shot to his eyes, as he felt his cheeks start to redden.

She had a really nice rack and—AH! Fuck! No, stop thinking about it!

Sasuke Uchiha wasn't supposed to be checking out girls, he gave up a great deal of his life to stop them looking at him!

First things first, and that was to try and calm her down. He spoke, but all that she uttered was a jumble of whuh's and whatever's that he couldn't comprehend.

"Look, I was at the party, and I went out onto the verandah on the second floor and I sort of lost track of time and then the doors were locked so I came up here because the window was open and I just want to get home!" The waterfall of words spilled out, each as stoic as he could make them (which ultimately failed).

When she didn't give him an answer, he opened up the space between his index and middle finger to peer through at her.

She was shaking like a scared rabbit, and he prayed she didn't faint.

Don't faint, don't scream.

That's all he asked.

"I-I-I…y-you…"

"Just tell me how to get out of here!"

He watched as she moved out of the doorway and pointed down the hallway,

"Stairs to t-th-the rih-right—"

"I can get out from there!"

He ran faster than light down the hallway, to the very bottom on the first floor, and blindly through the dark depths towards the front door.

As he was running, he knew he'd passed people, some of the house staff, he thought, because, hell a house this big needed it.

The front door was lock, so he had to unlock each single bolt before he could escape.

It was all too wrong and all too unimaginable. Has this EVER, EVER happened to ANYONE else?

The answer was NO.

He was obviously cursed.

As he ran through the grand courtyard at the front of the house (Damnit, he hadn't even NOTICED this, where had his mind been all night?) sprinklers came on and drenched him in fertilizer and water. DID FATE EVER CEASE TO ABUSE HIM?!

He had to jump the wall, but at this rate, he couldn't care less. The wall was about his height and completely white (just like every single other thing in this goddamn place) and he easily pushed himself onto it thanks to a running start.

As he landed on the earth, his knees buckled and he fell to the ground.

Wet, lost and a bit cold, he stood on his feet again and began walking in a random direction.

Sooner or later he'd get somewhere, right?

Right?

Yeah.

He needed to stop using that damned word…

Maybe all he needed was to sit down. Yes, he was going to sit, and possibly lie down.

No, definitely lie down.

And as Sasuke Uchiha, the wealthy, attractive, high-school graduate slowly drifted off to sleep, he kept in mind that somewhere in this neighborhood in some house, there was a girl clutching her towel to herself, scared shitless because of him.

And that girl, Hinata Hyuuga, now fainted and lying on her bedroom floor, consciously knew that there was some guy out there who had just almost seen her naked.

High school never ends.

XXX

NEWSFLASH

Erm…well? What didja think? I think I still have a few kinks and grammatical errors to work out with it, but so far I'm pleased with the overall result.
If I'm going to actually continue this story I'd like to see a good response first of all, so please don't be afraid to hit me up with summa those review-y thingies you all LUURRVVEE to give out so much. ;)

Pretty please?

-p0g0