Apologies for my late updates on fics, hope you guys will like this one!
[p/s: and apologies to Diablo's Heir, sorry I didn't let you proof read it before uploading x(]
I am addicted to this song "Kimi Ni Todoke" [and the anime too] by May's, it's such a beautiful song.
please enjoy! [sorry if it's too cheesy xP, and a warning, Sasuke's a bit OOC, but not by too much, I think OwO"]
"Mission complete." An anbu said under his mask. The night was dark. Only the owls called the night and the others still in slumber. A lifeless body laid in the middle of the deep forest, blood stained the earth into a deeper khaki color. His arm was still bleeding from the cut his enemy gave him.
"Job well done, we should get going, the others are on their way back." another anbu appeared before the one standing beside the dead corpse. He nodded and went back together. At this time of the night, most people were expected to be asleep, but today was excptional. Today Konoha's Leaf festival.
So today's the festival.
Then something caught one of the anbu's attention. It was a girl in a plain lavender gray yukata, no floral patterns at all. Usually, the girl who wore the brightest color would catch others attention, but the anbu was drawn to the other girl.
"Look at that! Isn't it adorable!" the girls were laughing and chatting away. The anbu paid too much attention to her, he misplaced his foot on a weak tree branch and fell.
Shit!
His reaction was fast enough for him to catch onto another branch, but the pain from his cut caused him to slip again. The fall hurt like hell, not only did the branches stung his wound, he was covered with scratches and Sakura petals.
"A-Are you alright?" a shadow clouded over him with a pair of glowing white eyes stared back. They were big, and filled with innocence. She wasn't the prettiest girl, but she had a special charisma that he couldn't take his eyes off her.
Shit, my mask- He quickly touched his face, and felt the left part of the mask was broken. It had only revealed his left eye.
"I'm fine." he replied.
"Y-You're hurt." she knelt down beside him. Between her obi, she pulled out a handkerchief.
"Please stay still." She gently plucked and blew the dirt away from the wound, then wrapped the handkerchief around the cut. She finished it off by tying the knot. The anbu couldn't help but laughed to himself lightly.
"W-what's s-so funny?" she asked.
"You don't know if I might be an enemy, and yet you still help me." she looked at him slightly surprised.
"I-I didn't think of it..."
"And you're the first person I know that wouldn't tie the knot on my wound." he smiled behind his mask.
"I-I'm sorry, I-I thought it would hurt if you have something pressed against it..." the girl withdrew her fingers back from his arm.
"Hinata! Where are you?" another girl's voice called out.
"I-I'm sorry, I-I have to go now Anbu-san, Please take care!" Hinata called out in a whisper and quickly ran back to her friends.
Hinata...
The next morning, the sun finally rose. The kiosks from the festival was already packed away and the citizens of Konoha returned to their peaceful lives once again.
"*yawn*"
"Oi, Sasuke! you look tired...what did you do last night?" Naruto caught up with the tired Uchiha. Sasuke was stretching his arms around, his whole body ached with tiredness, the least he needed was for Naruto to be there giving him a headache.
"None of your business." he coldly replied.
"Teme...you don't have to be so cold towards me. After all, I, Uzumaki Naruto, brought you back from Orochimaru!" Naruto sounded proud when he said that out loud and gave a friendly, yet forceful punch on Sasuke's arm. The pain was overwhelming, he swore he felt the wound reopened again, but showed no sign on his face.
Why you son of a-!...You didn't bring me back duff, it was my mission...
Sasuke was ordered to become the youngest spy of Konoha, being the only Uchiha survivor left in Konoha; apart form Itachi, he was given one of the most dangerous job. To spy against Orochimaru and act as a traitor to Konoha. No one was to know of this mission, not even Naruto and the council. Tsunade had to keep it a secret from everyone else and went along acting oblivious about Sasuke's betrayal.
"Morning!" Sakura appeared out of no where and joined them casually.
"Good morning, Sakura-chan~!" Naruto almost sang the words out like a canary.
"Sasuke-kun, good morning." Sakura immediately turned her attention to him, but as expected of Sasuke, he pretended as if none of them exist.
"What do you say we go for some Ichiraku ramen? Sasuke, your treat!" Naruto swung his arm around Sasuke's neck and pulled him down in an uncomfortable position, which annoyed Sasuke even more.
"What kind of idiot-" Sasuke shot him a glare.
"Oh! It's Kiba, Oi!" Naruto ignored Sasuke and ran towards Kurenai's team.
"Che, it's you again, Naruto." Kiba was the first to speak out, who also seemed to be ignored Sasuke.
"Hey! What's that suppose to mean?" Naruto grumbled.
"G-Good morning, N-Naruto-kun, Sakura-chan." the soft voice from Hinata made Sasuke's senses tingled.
"Oh! Good morning Hinata!" Naruto greeted her back.
Sasuke could see the way Hinata looks at Naruto with her blushing face, some how he wished she was blushing for him instead. Then Hinata saw Sasuke.
"G-Good morning, Uchiha-san." Uchiha-san was all he got. He was glad she didn't call him 'Sasuke-kun' like the other girls though.
"Aaa." Sasuke looked away.
"Oi, Sasuke! Let's eat ramen together!" Naruto pulled his arm.
"Pass." Sasuke pulled away and simply walked away.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura tried to grab a hold of his hand quickly.
"Hm? What's this." Kiba picked up something from the floor.
"It's Sasuke's. Why is he carrying such a girly thing?-" Naruto suggested.
"I'll return it to him." Sakura immediately volunteered,
"But Sakura-chan!" Naruto kept on nagging, unable for Sakura to escape.
"I-I'll go..." Hinata took the handkerchief off Sakura without her noticing; because she was too busy pushing Naruto away.
"EH? where did it go? Naruto you idiot!" Sakura went frantic and continued to abuse Naruto.
Hinata finally caught up to Sasuke, who was talking his time walking around.
"U-Uchiha-san!" her voice was too timid Sasuke couldn't hear her.
"U-Uchiha-san-kyaa!" her last squeal was loud enough to be heard, Sasuke turned around and saw her on the floor.
"What are you doing?" he raised an eyebrow at her.
"Y-you dropped something." Hinata reached out to him. It was a handkerchief, the blood stain was still son it.
"Thanks." Sasuke quickly took it away.
"Um, U-Uchiha-san, w-why don't you join u-us for ramen?" Hinata politely offered again.
"Again, I decline...I prefer to spend less time with a bunch of idiots like them."
"I-Is that so..." Hinata bit her lips, she doesn't like people talking talking negative about Naruto and her team-mates, but with a personality like her's, she wouldn't be brave enough to speak out. A sudden loud grumble came from Hinata's stomach. She suddenly realized it was from her and hid herself like a tortise.
"Heh, do you're hungry..." not before long, another noise was heard, louder than before and it came from Sasuke.
"U-Uchiha-san..." Hinata looked up at innocently at his humiliated face.
"Maybe ramen isn't such a bad idea." admittedly defeated, Sasuke returned to the others with the company of Hinata.
It had been a few years since Naruto 'brought' Sasuke back from the hands of Orochimaru, but the villagers still see him as a dangerous traitor. Even as time past, majority had accepted his change through sympathy, but there are still a lot of people who refused to accept him. Tsunade was reasonable enough to let him wonder off with supervision of some anbu near by, just in case. A spy can never be trusted.
"You can't catch me!-umph!" a child ran straight into Sasuke, he was just about up to Sasuke's stomach's. As the child look up, his face looked terrified as if he was about to wet his own pants.
"Are you o-"
"Gyaaa! run! it's the 'Onisuke'[onisuke="demon"+ "helper", aka demon+sasuke's name]" the kids quickly ran for their lives.
Onisuke...!
"U-Uchiha-san?" a voice spoke to him. As Sasuke turned around, he saw the timid Hinata stood there.
"What is it?" Sasuke asked.
"U-um, T-Tsunade-sama wants to see you." Hinata avoided eye contact with him when she spoke.
"...look at me in the eye when you talk to me."
"I-I rather not." Hinata was clearly embarrassed.
"Is that so." Hinata could hear footsteps faded away, when she looked up, he was already gone. Sasuke was once again alone, heading towards the Hokage's building.
"You call?" Sasuke entered the door after a knock.
"Aaa. It's been awhile since you had a 'normal' mission...today's your lucky day." Tsunade was facing the window when she was talking to Sasuke, she then threw a file on the table, which labeled as B class mission.
"Your team has been selected, they should be here any minute now...where's Hyuuga?" Tsunade asked.
"What about Hyuuga?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow curiously, but before Tsunade could answer, the door burst opened.
"Oi! Old granny, I'm here!" it was Naruto, following behind was Hinata, curling herself together like a squirrel.
"U-Um, N-Naruto-kun, Y-you shouldn't barge in like that. I-I'm sorry, Tsunade-sama." she quickly apologize.
"Oh? You're here too?" Naruto saw Sasuke facing his back to him.
"Ahem!...well, since you're all here...It's not A or S class mission., just a simple job. All you guys have to do is escort a person from Konoha to Kiri. You may leave now." and the three of them left the room with the scroll.
"I wonder why Sakura-chan is not involved with this mission." Naruto raised his arms up and tucked it behind his head.
"S-Sakura-chan told me she's b-busy with her preparation for her upcoming exam." Hinata spoke in a quiet voice.
"Where is this person we're suppose to escort anyway?" Naruto completely ignored her, but it was more like he didn't hear what she said. Sasuke shot a glare at Naruto who was acting to oblivious towards Hinata, but Naruto did pay any attention that either.
Is this guy an idiot?
"Yo, I'm here for the mission." Naruto gave his signature grin to the receptionist who's in charge of the missions.
"Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Hinata and..." she looked up at Sasuke with a suspicious eye.
"That's the man." she pointed to a person, walking towards them. He looked like an ordinary old man, wearing scruffy clothing and a hat with heavy luggage on his back.
"Ohhh! Tazuna!" Naruto was the first to leap and greet the old man.
"Oh! Naruto! It's been a while!" the two gave each other a friendly pat on the back.
"Oi! Sasuke! Come over and say hi!" Naruto waved towards them. Hinata was standing next to Sasuke at that time, she was pulling her sleeves and looking down at her feet. She was invisible in Naruto's eyes. Sasuke noticed how she was feeling uneasy, he couldn't help himself but tugged her sleeves. Hinata looked up in surprise.
"You don't need to feel left out. Trust me, it's not worth it." he gave her sleeve a friendly pull to instruct Hinata to follow him, and she did.
"Isn't that Sasuke, you've grown so much..oh? Who's this? Where's Sakura?" Tazuna saw Hinata shying behind Sasuke.
"I-It's nice to meet you, I-I'm Hyuuga Hinata. I-I'm replacing Sakura-chan f-for the time being." Hinata blushed slightly.
"Nice to meet you, jyou-chan [little missy?]."Tazuna smiled back.
"Let's go!" the team exited the office and headed towards the gate.
It took them less time than expected to reach Kiri. Tazuna offered them to stay over the night, Inari was glad to see him, and both of them slept together in the same room. Sasuke was in the room where he stayed in a few years ago, and Hinata was in the room with Inari's mother. No matter how hard Sasuke tried to shut his eyes, he just couldn't. So quietly, he snicked out to the garden. There, he saw Hinata gazing up the sky. It was surprisingly very clear, all the stars were boldly shining down at them.
"Can't sleep?" Hinata was startled for a second and turned around.
"U-Uchiha-san." Sasuke invited himself and joined her.
"It's a clear night. It's usually cloudy and foggy here...from what I can remember." Sasuke stared up, gazing upon the stars.
"U-Uchiha-san...w-why are you still up?" Hinata asked.
"Like you, I couldn't sleep." he let out a sigh. None of them spoke a word for a while, only the cried from crickets could be heard.
"It's about Naruto that's troubling you isn't it?" Sasuke finally spoke.
"N-No, N-Not at all." Hinata waved in denial.
"It's not at all."
"You can't lie to me. I can see through them with my Sharingan." Sasuke did a quick activation of it.
"Y-You can?" Sasuke looked at her frightened expression and he laughed.
"W-what's so f-funny?" Hinata blushed in deep red.
"I was joking."
"-!" Hinata was lost in words, she didn't know what to say, especially to Sasuke.
"I've always wanted to stand out in front of Naruto-kun. He made me try my best. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here right now." she looked down at the grass, frozen under her feet.
"I'm always invisible to him, and I'm never brave enough to talk to him..." Sasuke stared at her face for a moment. He could see Hinata getting teary, and was holding them back.
"What's so bad being invisible?" Sasuke leaned back a little, with his hands supporting his body weight. Hinata looked at him with his hair brushed back.
"No matter how hard we tried, they will never notice us." Sasuke remembered the times when he was little, his father never look at him the way he looks at Itachi, no matter how hard Sasuke tried.
"But that doesn't mean it's completely a bad thing. Just because you're invisible to one person, doesn't mean you are to others." Hinata felt a warm feeling in her heart when Sasuke said that. It was a different feeling to the ones she have for Naruto.
"Are you alright? Your face is really red." Hinata quickly looked away.
"I-It's nothing...y-yours is too! U-Uchiha-san." indeed Sasuke too was blushing.
"I-I'm not!Anyways, we should probably go to sleep now. We have a long journey back tomorrow." Sasuke got off his spot and headed back into the house.
"U-Uchiha-san."
"Hn?"
"Thank you." Hinata didn't stutter and smiled. Sasuke's blush grew deeper.
"ya, what ever..."
After a few months from the mission, Sasuke realized he would unconsciously follow Hinata. He won't deny the fact that he had some interest in her, but he didn't know that he would be so into her to the point of acting like an stalker.
"G-Good morning, Uchiha-san." Hinata greeted him with a bright smile.
"Aaa...morning." Sasuke avoided eye contact with her and looked aside.
"I-Is something wrong? Uchiha-san?" Hinata tilted her head like an innocent child.
"N-nothing. By the way." Sasuke reached into his pocket and pulled out something.
"This is for you." a necklace hung under Sasuke's grip. It was a simple necklace with a star pendant.
"F-for me?"
"With this, you will no longer invisible to anyone's eye. If you don't feel invisible anymore, it means you'll have courage." Hinata looked down at it. Even though the pendant wasn't anything special with diamond and crystals, but it definitely gave off it's own shine.
"Thank you, Uchiha-san." she immediately puts it around her neck.
"You're welcome." Sasuke once again blushed and looked away.
"Oi! Hinata!" Kiba called from afar.
"Ah, I better get going now, I'll see you then, Uchiha-san." she waved farewell to him before catching up with her team mates. Sasuke waved back lovestruck. People walked past him looking at him with funny, all Sasuke did was stood there with a half waved hand.
Shit! I did something stupid again!
He squat down, scratched his hair like there was some tick dancing around his head, but clearly he was embarrassed.
Okay, this is the day!
Hinata gathered up all of her courage and took in a deep breath.
"N-Naruto-kun!" she called him loud and clear.
"Hn? Ah, Hinata-chan, what's up?" Naruto grinned back.
"U-Um, I-I was wondering..."
"If you don't feel invisible anymore, it means you'll have courage"
She held on tightly onto her pendant.
"Hmm? What is it?"
"W-Would you l-like to go out for some r-ramen with me?" she held her breath in, waiting for the worst to come.
"Great timing! I'm starving now, let's go!" Hinata stopped breathing, she knew she wasn't breathing, her head begun to spin from the lack of oxygen, everything was too good to be true to her.
"Hinata! Look out!" Naruto screamed. The enemy was heading towards Hinata, who was facing her other opponent. Before she could quickly react, there was a huge flash. Naruto was severely injured from the last mission. Hinata and Sasuke were waiting outside Naruto's room, waiting for Tsunade. Hinata looked as if she lost her soul. She sat there like a bisque doll, so lifeless. Sasuke sat next to her, covered in bandages and with a broken arm. Tsunade finally came out.
"Tsunade-sama!"
"He's fine now. You can visit him tomorrow morning when he's in a more stable condition." Tsunade looked tired with dark circles under her eyes. Who could blame her?
"T-thank you." Hinata bowed respectfully.
"Uchiha, you should get some rest too." Tsunade said and walked off.
"...Hyuuga..." Hinata quickly wiped her tears away, the unpleasant feel of the sleeve made her eyes red and bruise.
"T-Tsunade-sama's right. Y-you should get some rest, Uchiha-san."She tried to force a smile on her face, but her lips whimpered too much she couldn't.
"It wasn't your fault." Sasuke pulled her into a comforting embrace.
"It wasn't your fault." he whispered once again to Hinata's ear.
"I-It was my fault...if I had paid m-more attention to my surroundings, N-Naruto-kun wouldn't be...-" she didn't break down and cried, but just speaking with a shaky voice.
"No one's blaming you...It's okay to cry." Sasuke's words seemed reached into her heard and pulled out the pebble supporting the wall. She felt her wall that she tried to hard to maintain crumbled down and scattered, into pieces of fragile glass. Her eyes overflowed with tears, all just flowed down uncontrollably. Hinata pulled onto Sasuke's shirt, holding him closer for her to cry.
I'll always be here for you...
For the whole time Naruto was hospitalized, Hinata was the one constantly looking after him, with the help of Sasuke as well. Sakura would often visit Naruto as well, but not as often as Hinata. And gradually, Hinata started to opened up to both Naruto and Sasuke.
"Ah, U-Uchiha-san." Hinata was on her way home from some grocery shopping.
"W-What a co-incident." Hinata said in a cheerful voice.
"Aaa..." Sasuke sounded annoyed.
"How is he?" Sasuke asked, pretended as if he was being casual and unconcern about Naruto.
"N-Naruto-kun is doing fine, he recovered really fast."
"Is that so..." the conversation went cold.
"I-I'll be making dinner for N-Naruto-kun, w-would you like to join us?" she asked.
"sure." Sasuke walked next to her and took the groceries from her hand.
"um-"
"I'll carry it." and so, Sasuke walked away, with Hinata following close by.
"T-thank you very much, Uchiha-san."
"..."
"Isn't that Hinata-chan?" up ahead was Sakura and Ino, they seemed to be carrying s bouquet of flower in their arm.
"G-Good evening, Sakura-chan, Ino-chan."
"Good evening, Hinata-chan. Eh? Why is Sasuke-kun here too?" it was obvious Sakura was eying on Sasuke since she saw them.
"Nothing." Sasuke answered with a sigh.
"Is that so...hey, Sasuke-kun, would you like to have dinner with me?" Sakura made her first move. Sasuke felt uncomfortable with Sakura's face so full of hope and annoyance. Hinata gave a light tug on Sasuke's shirt and whispered.
"I-If you're busy, maybe another time then." she smiled.
"I-it's been nice seeing you two again, I-i should get going now." Hinata excused herself from the others.
"No, I'm busy now." Sasuke followed her along. Hinata looked back at him with a 'what-are-you-doing' face.
"Didn't you say if I'm busy, I should go another time?" he snickered and ran off. Hinata felt a light burn on her cheeks.
"U-Uchiha-san! W-wait up!" Hinata followed him. Before she realized where they were heading, she soon noticed they weren't returning to her compound, but ended up under a huge sakura tree. The whole place was quite mysterious itself, such a huge tree grew in the middle of the town like nothing else matters. The petals seemed to be glowing under the dawn sky.
"U-Uchiha-san, w-why are you here?" Sasuke stopped his pace when he reached under the tree.
"Hinata." he called her name for the first time.
"y-yes?" Hinata felt nervous when Sasuke called her name. It had more impact then when Naruto called her name.
"I like you."
"eh?" the words hit Hinata like bricks, she didn't know how to react under such circumstances.
"It's okay if my love is not returned, I don't care if I get hurt, I want you to know...I'll always be here for you." Sasuke spoke with all his heart.
"I'll let you confess to Naruto. I won't force you if you choose Naruto. But remember this, I will always be here for you. I'll wait here, everyday, at this time... for your answer." a soft breeze blew past them, the petals of cherry blossoms rained over their shadows...
"Oh, Hinata, you came. Sorry to have you coming in such hour." Naruto chuckled under the bandages over his face like a mummy. Hinata had returned home and made dinner for Naruto, as for Sasuke, she doesn't know what he did next.
"It's the least I can do, Naruto-kun." Hinata returned from her home with a basket full of food. It's time that Naruto starts eating healthy.
"Thanks. Ittadakimaaassss!" Naruto started swallowing down his food like water, he hardly chew at all.
"This is delicious! Hm? That's a nice necklace you have there, Hinata." Naruto spotted the necklace reflecting.
"O-Oh, t-this?" she looked down at it.
"With this, you are no longer invisible to anyone's eye."
She remembered the words Sasuke told her. Not only that, she started to realize how supportive Sasuke had been to her. Even though he can be rude and insensitive to people , but he was still there when she needed someone.
2 months past since Sasuke confessed to her, she haven't seen him since either. Where ever she goes, she took a look to see if Sasuke was nearby, all the things she does, Sasuke was on her mind. And sometimes, she would visit the place Sasuke said he would wait for her, and he didn't lie. Every night, Hinata would take a peek and found Sasuke waiting there, along. All she could think of now was the face he made when he looked her in the eye.
I-I can't! I only like Naruto-kun! He saved my life! A-and I've always love Naruto-kun...always...
her thoughts slowly fade, she wasn't sure about her feeling anymore.
"Good evening, Naruto-kun." today's the day of Naruto's discharge, he no longer need bandages all over his body.
"Oh! Hinata!" Naruto was full of energy like always.
"I-I made curry today, h-hope you'll like them." she opened the container for Naruto.
"Woaaah! It looks delicious, Ittadakimasssuuu!...! it's really delicious!"
"I-I'm glad." Hinata sat there quietly waiting for Naruto to finish his meal.
"Oh ya, I forgot I ask you about Sasuke, how is he?" Naruto suddenly mentioned.
"e-eh? U-Uchiha-san?"
"Yaaaa, he was the one that saved you and me back then. If it wasn't for him, both of us would be dead by now." Naruto was clearly embarrassed about having to be saved by Sasuke again.
"U-uchiha-san...he..."
"Y-Ya, I didn't make it in time to stop the enemy, Sasuke was the one who took the blow for you, I was just unlucky that I landed on some explosive tags. That bastard...he should have known it could have killed him!" Naruto continued eating.
"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you back then." Naruto scratched his cheeks and was slightly blushing.
"N-Naruto-kun."
"What is it?" Naruto bend down.
"I like you...Nnnn, no, I liked you." Naruto was tensed from the sudden confession, but he let Hinata continue.
"I've always liked you, I-I tried my best to always g-get your attention...I realized back then, I was always invisible to you." Hinata clintched her hands together.
"B-But someone said to me...'What's so bad being invisible?'" She brought up her courage and looked Naruto in the eye.
"h-he said, 'Just because you're invisible to one person, doesn't mean you are to others.' ...N-Naruto-kun." She took a deep breath.
"Thank you so much for everything." Hinata pushed the chair behind him
"Hinata?-" but she had already left.
Sasuke...!
She wanted to see him as soon as possible and ran as quickly as possible, as if she was running out of time. She took a moment to catch a breath from a few steps away.
Sasuke...I want to see you...
In a slow pace, she walked forward. As she expected, Sasuke was standing there. She felt a burst of cool air blown towards her. Sasuke was leaning against the tree trunk, waiting patiently. Hinata remembered, Sasuke was never patient from what Naruto told her.
"Sasuke..." she whispered. And somehow, Sasuke heard her. He turned his attention to Hinata's direction as she made her way to him. The two looked at each other for awhile.
"I confessed to Naruto-kun..." Sasuke didn't budge.
"But all I could think of was you, why do you have to mess up my mind?" she frowned with pearl of tear tilting over her eyes. Sasuke shove his hand into the pocket and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe them away.
"Do you know what this is?" Hinata shook her head. Sasuke smiled but didn't answer. He placed it on her hand. With a closer look, Hinata finally recognized it was hers.
"It's okay if my love is not returned, I don't care if I get hurt, because you'll always be there to heal me." Sasuke placed his forehead with Hinata's. They gazed into each other's eyes under the bright moonlight.
"好きだよ、ヒナタ"[I love you, Hinata]
Yes I know it's cheesy, but I couldn't help it xD
[some of the words Sasuke said were translated from the lyrics of "Kimi ni todoke" by May's.]