Fighting For A Future

Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto

: Tea Time at 4 o'clock :

Right now, Sasuke Uchiha was a dangerous person to meddle with. His black obsidian eyes were filled with hatred and it practically emanated from his whole body, repelling anyone around him. When a small child visiting with her mother burst into tears upon seeing him, Sasuke sighed and ran a tense hand through his dark hair. This wouldn't do. He had always been the emotional one between the two brothers.

It was why Sasuke had never won an argument. He'd never been rational enough to counteract any of Itachi's smoothly spoken justifications.

Just mentioning the name was enough for his eyes to snap open in rage. There would be no justification this time. Itachi has transgressed all rules when he touched Hinata.

This time, Sasuke would win.

He knew that Itachi was still lurking around the university, but he really didn't care if he wasn't. Either way, that man was not going to escape from his clutches. Occasionally, he stopped for directions, which were usually given without any hesitation upon them seeing his murderous intent. It was clearly directed toward the man Sasuke described, but feeling it was enough to cringe.

"Augh," Sasuke rubbed his forehead. He had meant to make a quick stop by Hinata's dorm, kiss or take a nap or even both. But he had to run into his stupid older brother. Now his earlier sleep deprivation was catching up on him. Some part of him still wished he was in Argentina, but he knew it was better to resolve this problem sooner, not later.

As he walked, he noticed a tall, dark haired figure not far in front of him. Sasuke's blood boiled just thinking about how Itachi had whispered in Hinata's soft ear. He knew how loose his brother was with women. They were just creatures to satisfy his temporary lusts – that was all. He was not about to let Hinata become another toy.

Only God knew how many mistresses and affairs Itachi would have if Sasuke allowed the arranged marriage to go through. But he had tried to seduce Hinata.

It was downright unforgivable.

He caught up with the slowing figure and rudely jerked him aside. Black eyes met black. Itachi smiled, knowing that they were now the same height. But to Sasuke, Itachi still seemed to tower over him. However, he didn't let any of that show as he glared at his older brother.

"You better have an explanation prepared, Itachi."

"Tch," his brother smiled arrogantly in a way that made Sasuke want to punch him, gladly. "Fool. You know nothing. You're still the simpering little kid who used to follow me around, calling me 'aniki', 'aniki'"

Sasuke exhaled, it would do him no good to punch Itachi in the face. But it would feel damn good. He curled his fingers into his palm, not noticing if his short nails bit into his skin.

"Why did you do that to Hinata?" He said through gritted teeth.

"She is my fiancé last time I checked, foolish little brother," Itachi replied. "You know I would never force a kiss upon a woman who wasn't willing."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. That much was true; but there had never been any woman who could resist Itachi's charms. He felt his heart sink as he realized that maybe Hinata wasn't even resistant.

Itachi smiled at the sudden loss of fighting spirit within Sasuke. So easily derailed, how pathetic.

"You seem to have no faith in this woman you claim to love," Itachi stated calmly. To Sasuke, it was like driving a stake into his heart. Talk about adding salt to his wounds. "If it continues on like this, it's better if I just take her now."

"No!" Sasuke growled, but he felt burdened by the heavy truth. He felt the sharp pain of his nails drawing blood as he curled his hands into a tight fist. "That's not true."

"That," Itachi said, "is something you must decide for yourself. Maybe you do not know her as well as you think, foolish little brother."

"Che. Whatever gave you that idea?" Sasuke glared at him. Blood trickled down his wounded palm. "As if you would know her better."

"While I do not," Itachi continued nonchalantly, as if he were discussing the weather. "I do know that a man has to take responsibility, not act like a mouse, waiting for his woman to take charge."

"I am not a mouse!" That was it, thought Sasuke, I am totally going to punch this bastard into the next life.

"Then stop hiding behind her," his black eyes seemed to be stern for a moment, then flickered back to their previously blasé state. "Well, I have an appointment with an important customer soon. It was pleasant talking to you, little brother."

Sasuke didn't even turn as Itachi had left. His shoulders were slumped as he contemplated Itachi's words. They didn't make sense; the conversation had totally turned on him. That wasn't the way it was supposed to go. Sasuke was supposed to exact revenge; instead, Itachi had struck an even harder blow, sending him sprawling.

He sighed and rubbed his forehead. The clock tower chimed 4 o'clock. Tea time. Listlessly, he walked toward a café, contemplating what his brother had just said. Instead of hostility, it had sounded like Itachi was providing him with advice.

"Hey! Sasuke!" He slowly turned his head toward the familiar, high-pitched voice. It was Sakura Haruno. "Sit down, sit down." She gestured to a chair next to her. There was a pot of coffee on the table and two cups, as if she were expecting a visitor. Sasuke approached her apprehensively; they hadn't seen each other for a few months. While he knew that the pink-haired woman was no longer infatuated with him, he was still a bit nervous.

"How have you been!" She inquired in a cheerful voice. "I mean, we haven't seen each other for such a long time. I almost forgot how hard it was talking with you, it's like talking to a brick wall."

"Che," he grunted, not finding the point in her incessant chattering.

"Anyway, how are things going with Hinata? You guys are still together right?" Her eyes were worried when he didn't reply after a moment. "Right?" her voice was softer now, as if she was trying to tread softly on a sensitive topic.

"We're," Sasuke tried to find the right words. "Fine. Yeah, we're doing fine, nothing to worry about. Nope." At least that's what it should be like.

The pink-haired woman eyed him, taking in the frustrated look and weary eyes. He was obviously lying to her, but there was no way to force him to say anything he didn't want to. That was Hinata's prerogative. Besides, did she mention that Sasuke happened to be a freaking brick wall when it came to talking?

"Here," Sakura took the coffee pot and poured some into Sasuke's cup. She had been waiting for Naruto, but it Sasuke looked as if he needed it more. "Drink some while it's hot."

"It's too sweet."

"I know," she sighed. Why had she ever liked this man to begin with? Taking her own cup, she poured more cream in and stirred. Sasuke had never been one for sweet things. He always took his coffee black. "It wasn't for you anyway. I was waiting for Naruto."

"Oh." He seemed mildly surprised and greatly relieved. Putting down the still-full cup, he said, "Then I should probably get going."

"No, no," she waved dismissively. "Just stay. Naruto's late anyway. You look like you need someone to talk to."

His eyes narrowed, but he followed her directions and almost slumped into the chair. The world felt like it was crashing down all around him. I just want a rest! He thought, is that really too much to ask for?

"So," she paused to take a sip. "How are you and Hinata doing?"

"We doing fine," he replied automatically.

"No, you are not doing fine."

Her imperious tone surprised him. Staring at her impassively, he chuckled dryly. "You don't know that."

"Well, I may not know the specifics, but I think I would know when something is horribly wrong."

"Nothing's wrong," he muttered, "Everything is fine."

"Liar," she continued, carefully avoiding his gaze. "If everything was fine, you wouldn't be outside, wandering around, going nowhere. You would probably be cuddled up with Hinata or something like that."

"Che."

He's so damn stubborn, her eyebrows furrowed. But I have to know what's wrong. This is so annoying."Goddamn it, Uchiha. You will tell me everything right now, or else I will go to Hinata's dorm right now and get the damn truth out of her."

"You wouldn't dare." But her look told her that she would, and happily. Finally, he sighed and ran a rigid hand through his black hair. "There have been some…problems," he admitted. "But we can deal with it."

"Sure doesn't look like it." Sakura muttered. "You didn't get her pregnant did you?"

"What the hell?" Seeing how he didn't even flinch at her question, she took this as an affirmative 'no'.

"It's just that, well," Sasuke sighed. "It's a long story."

"And I have," Sakura checked her watch, "thirty minutes. Condense it."

"Okay," he took a breath. Obviously he wasn't getting out of this without Sakura playing psychologist on him. "So I asked Hinata to marry me a few weeks ago. She was really stressed about that since she's apparently engaged to Itachi, my older brother." Sakura's eyes widened. "So I had to go on the business trip, and when I come back, I see Itachi standing in front of her dorm room, looking like he was ready to kiss her." His voice trembled with anger as he thought back to that moment. "She was crying, and they seemed really surprised to see me. Then Itachi goes and," he took a deep breath to calm himself. "and he goes and whispers in her ear. Like they had some secret to share; he looked so damn pleased with himself. Hinata wouldn't tell me anything, she only said something about Itachi telling her that I wasn't really in love with her."

"So I went to go find Itachi," he continued. "And he tells me that Hinata probably wanted it, and then spouts some sort of crap, saying that I was a coward and only hid behind Hinata. Damn," Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose again, "it makes me so angry. As if he would know anything. And Hinata too, she doesn't seem to get it. How could she let him shake her so easily!"

There was a moment of silence between them as the wind picked up slightly and a chill went through the air. Winter was fast approaching, already, it was November. Sakura took a deep, shuddering breath.

"I don't blame her, Sasuke." Her eyes were wide, as if trying to make him understand. "You can't imagine what kind of pain and stress she's endured."

"What?" He hissed, "How would you know?"

"I am a woman too," Sakura snapped. "I know that we want a man who will fight for us and be our knight in shining armor. What use is there in falling in love if there's no one to catch us? You've been incredibly selfish, Sasuke. All you care about is how tired you are, and you think that she could just ignore it? She's worried about you, probably so much it's breaking her heart. It's not as if the poor girl doesn't want to marry you. She's probably already tried, but with no one to support her, there's no use."

"She would've told me."

"No." She smiled sadly, "That was her mistake, to be sure, but it was all in goodwill. You already have so much on your shoulders, so Hinata probably thought that she was just being a burden. But don't you see? If you keep letting this go on, you will be exactly what your brother said you were. Hinata needs someone who is willing to fight for her. Stop letting her do all the talking!" She pointed on manicured hand toward the dark-haired man, "You need to man up and take responsibility for this whole mess. Go right back to that dorm room and tell her that she doesn't need to worry anymore. If I see any gray hairs the next time I see you two, they better be yours."

"Tch…" Sasuke stared at the lamppost behind Sakura. As much as he hated it, the woman had a point. He really had been quite selfish for the past few weeks. He'd asked Hinata to marry him without really thinking about the implications. Then he had left Hinata to deal with on her own. In retrospect, he really was a horrible person. At his seemingly unaffected face, Sakura prepared to shake some sense into him when he got up abruptly and left.

"Hey!" She called after him, "So you'll think about it?" When he didn't reply, she sighed. To her surprise, the cup beside her was drained. Muttering to herself, she poured another cup for herself. How did Sasuke and Hinata's problems become her's?

"Hey Sakura!" She perked up at the cheerful voice, following it to a tall blond man with broad shoulders. Naruto. Waving him over, she crossed her legs and smiled. Oh well, she had said all she could. It was up to them to solve their problem.

"Have you been waiting long?" He sat down, eyes shining.

"Nope," she said, "I was just getting started.

Sasuke's walk turned into an impatient jog as he turned to the hallway where Hinata lived. He hoped that she had not woken up yet, so he could reassure her. He reached the door and turned the doorknob, it wasn't locked. Slowly, he opened up the door, half-expecting to find her on the couch. When he saw the living room was empty, he breathed a sigh of relief and walked in, closing the door gently behind him. Unhurriedly, he made his way to her bedroom. The door was open. He stopped outside and looked in carefully.

She wasn't there.

Telling himself not to panic, he walked over to her bathroom, knocking on the door a few times. When there was no reply, he opened the door. There was no one there. Panic rising, he called out her name tentatively. There was no response.

Hinata was gone.

Author's Note: Hee hee hee, cliffhanger! It seems like I'll probably finish the story before the end of the month, with the way I'm updating. Oh well, I'm just making up for the year of not updating. I won't finish the story and wait a few weeks just to rack up reviews, which I am sometimes sorely tempted to do. But please review, it's always an incredible encouragement!

moonhaku