Want 14

He was hungry…

He could feel the angry growling of his stomach, but didn’t bother to move. He’d been ignoring his needs for a while now, and only got up to drink something and relieve himself. Lethargy had taken over his system like a domineering lover, and it was not ready to give him up just yet. Believe it or not, he could move. Hinata had vastly underestimated him. To think that she could hold him down for even a day was foolish. He was a genius, and he knew what he was doing. Despite the fact that he had easily regained control over his body, it had taken him some time to figure out how exactly to channel his chakra to neutralize Hinata’s own.

That sneaky little bitch! Sasuke cursed half-heartedly. He had already gotten over her betrayal a few days ago, but that didn’t mean that he was absolutely fine with it! He had saved her ass over and over again, he had made sure she hadn’t been poisoned, experimented on, killed, tortured, or raped. And she gets up and leaves as soon as she found that he was a danger to her position in Konoha?! His head throbbed…or was that his heart? He was delusional now. The lack of food was getting to him. He can’t think straight.

She had left him. How dare she leave him? That ungrateful little wench is just asking to be killed. For the first time since she had left, he felt a spike of emotion. Raising a clenched fist to his stony face, he smirked. When she comes back—and he knows she will return, that cunning woman would definitely come back after she knows she’s safe—he’ll have to punish her. How he looked forward to it. He can’t think straight, and what was worse. That voice.

Don’t punish mother, brother. Sasuke grit his teeth in irritation. That damned voice was back. “Shut up.” He hissed lowly, clenching his jaw tightly and tensing, just waiting for the wave of nausea that was bound to come. “Shut up! I’ll kill her. I’ll kill Itachi. And I will kill you.”

Mommy loves us. That voice. So naïve, so innocent, so kind and giving. How he hated that voice. Why wasn’t it afraid of him? “SHUT UP!” Sasuke screamed, sitting up suddenly, arms outstretched, as if ready to lunge at someone. Immediately he regretted his actions as a wave of nausea nearly knocked him over. “Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” Sasuke moaned.

It had been a few hours when he felt the slightest inkling of her chakra signature. Immediately, the voice lulled. With growing distaste, Sasuke realized that the voice had pinned Hinata as their mother. Sasuke rolled his eyes in distaste. It was steadily making a dogged pace towards him. Purposefully lowering his chakra and ignoring the voice, he feigned sleep, turning his head slightly towards the door to watch her enter.

---

Slowly, Hinata turned the latch and stepped into the dimly lit fort. Immediately, she searched for a familiar Sasuke-shaped figure in the darkness. With a sigh of relief, she found Sasuke on his back, sleeping restfully. Closing the door behind her, she quickly made her way to his bedside. He was okay. Oh thank goodness he was okay! Lowering her dark head towards his, she whispered, “I know you’re awake.”

He continued to ignore her.

“I’m…I’m sorry that I had to restrain you.” Hinata waited tensely for any kind of reaction from him. He obviously wasn’t asleep, since he had stiffened underneath her touch, and was listening to her intently. When he did nothing to contribute to their conversation, Hinata continued. “I had to return to Konoha to make sure it was safe for me.”

“For you.” Hinata hadn’t expected him to respond so quickly. She had expected to get the cold shoulder from the man when she arrived, and was prepared to tough it out for her stay. She wasn’t prepared for his heartbreaking look of betrayal.

“If they suspect me,” Hinata continued on, “They’ll definitely try to track me and find out why I’ve been away so long.” Sasuke didn’t look so convinced. “It’s safer for the both of us.” Hinata stressed.

“Shut up.” Sasuke said. He said it quietly, but it was clearly heard. Hinata felt a shower of ice trail down her spine. He had never used that tone of voice with her, no matter how frustrated he had been with her. Maybe she had overstepped her bounds.

“I’m sorry, Sasuke.” Hinata dared to utter one last time before leaving his bedside and moving off to another corner of the fort to rest. Perhaps he’ll be in a better mood tomorrow, Hinata thought bleakly.

---

“Mother.” Hinata groaned groggily, and snuggled deeper into the thin blankets. “Mother!” She was shaken roughly, a large hand and then another wrapped around her, pulling her around to face him. “Mother.”

“S-Sasuke?” Hinata whispered hoarsely. “W-what is it?”

He was on top of her, his head nestled on her chest, his arms wrapped around her. “Mommy. I’m so scared. Where did you go?”

“What are you talking about, Sasuke?” Hinata whispered. “What are you trying to p-pull here? This i-isn’t funny.” Hinata inhaled sharply as Sasuke’s hold on her tightened.

“Please don’t leave me again. That bad man kept on telling me to shut up. He’s angry that you left us. He says he’ll hurt you.” Sasuke whimpered quietly. Nervously, Hinata put a shaking hand onto Sasuke’s shoulders, and patted him softly. Her mother had always stroked her back when she was trying to calm her down when she was little. Maybe, if she gets Sasuke to calm down enough, she’ll get some answers. “I love you, mom.”

Hinata paused. Sasuke looked up at her anxiously. He thinks I’m his mother?! Hinata coughed, “I love you too, Sasuke.” Smiling contentedly, Sasuke stretched out, and Hinata knew he was intent on sleeping with her tonight. Hinata didn’t make a sound of protest. Sasuke was clearly unstable. It was better to let him have his way for now. Sighing deeply, Hinata edged over to the farthest corner of the pallet, trying hard to make some room for the larger man to fit. Hinata sniffed distastefully, Sasuke needed a bath, and soon too.

---

Sasuke woke up to the twittering of birds and a ray of sunshine. Which was odd, Sasuke thought idly, his pallet was in the darkest corner of the room. What happened? Disoriented, Sasuke sat up. He was relieved when the wave of nausea that usually greeted him every morning didn’t come. The voice was gone too.

This meant that Hinata was back.

Although he should be angry, livid, furious—he wasn’t. As a matter of fact, he was relieved. Hinata was calming. Already, he felt his frustrations being whisked away by just knowing she’s in the vicinity. Looking around warily, trying to locate where the woman was, he realized that he was in her bed. Sasuke didn’t even want to try and remember what had happened to previous night. He had called her mother. So that means, she knows, Sasuke thought darkly. No doubt, she’ll have questions, but would be too polite to ask.

“Good morning, Sasuke.” Hinata greeted the sulking man carefully. Sasuke merely looked at her. Hinata, accustomed to his dispositions, gave him no mind. She walked slowly to him, making sure to keep eye contact. She didn’t know what to expect from him and doubted that even he knew what was wrong with him. She knelt near him, placing one hand on his knee. He tensed at the contact, but did nothing, watching her warily. “We need to talk.”

He looked away, “I have nothing to say to you.”

Hinata grimaced. So Sasuke really was going to play it hard. “You don’t understand, Sasuke.”

“I understand perfectly well, Hinata.” Sasuke ground out. “As soon as I am healed, I will leave. You don’t have to worry about your precious village being in danger or committing treason.”

“I don’t care.” Hinata lied.

“You’ve learned to lie extremely well while you’re with me.” Sasuke commented, changing the topic. “I don’t know whether to be irritated or proud of you.” He got up, brushing past Hinata coolly.

“Don’t ignore me, Sasuke!” Hinata huffed, standing up as well. “I want an answer, now. Why did you call me mother? What happened to you? Sasuke!”

“I’m going to the river.” Sasuke said, slamming the door firmly on his way out.

---

He returned hours later.

Hinata was stretching in the corner of the fort and looked up anxiously when the door slammed open. By the look on his face, he was still angry about the conversation she had tried to have with him that morning. She gulped anxiously, but didn’t try to broach the topic again. He didn’t acknowledge her presence as he sat down sullenly a ways off from her, and meditated. They didn’t talk unless absolutely necessary, and when they did, they never dared to talk about Sasuke’s condition or Hinata’s loyalty to Konoha.

They didn’t speak to one another for the next two days.

One morning, while lounging in bed together, Sasuke spoke, “I fought Itachi and he did this to me.”

Just like that, the dam of pent up frustrations and thoughts spilled out. “I’m not going to betray you. I’m going to help you. I’m Konoha’s kunoichi, but you’re my friend. I owe you more than I’ll ever be able to repay in a lifetime, Sasuke.” Hinata burst out. She didn’t need to look up to see that Sasuke was amused by her. “But no matter how much I want to stay here…I will have to return to Konoha eventually.”

Sasuke exhaled slowly, “I know.” How he loathed the idea. It seemed like if Hinata was away for long periods of time, that damned voice returns to plague him.

“I’ve spent three days with you already, I’ll need to go.” Hinata continued. It was now or never anyways. She might as well tell him now then wait until later, when it will be much harder to broach the subject. “I’ll be back soon.” Hinata promised.

“I understand.” Sasuke said calmly. “This is why I’m telling this to you now.”

“Telling me what?”

“I’m going to go find Itachi.”

“WHAT?!” Hinata screeched all semblances of calm and relief gone. She leapt up and loomed over the prone Sasuke. “Do you want to die?” She demanded heatedly.

Sasuke frowned. “I’m going to kill him this time.”

“And what if he kills you?” Hinata whispered. The thought of losing Sasuke, her friend and “partner”, brought a pang of panic in her chest.

“I’m not a weakling.” Sasuke snapped. “I will kill him.”

“Can’t you wait just a little longer?” Hinata pleaded desperately. “You’re still resting—”

“I can wait for years, Hinata.” Sasuke snarled. Why didn’t she understand him? He needed to kill Itachi. He was his past, a mistake, and he needed to rectify it. “But I can’t move on in life if I don’t kill him.”

“Fine!” Hinata snapped, throwing her hands up in defeat. “But what about later?” She demanded. “What will you do after you have killed him? You no longer have a goal in mind, do you? You have no affiliation, and no place to go. You have no means to make a living! What then, Sasuke?”

“I’ll find a woman, restore my clan, and live as best I can or until the hunters come and kill me.” The confidence in his voice killed her.

“It’s too soon.” Hinata protested weakly. Sasuke shrugged. “Don’t go yet.”

“If I live, I’ll come back here, alright?” He said gruffly, averting his eyes from her.

“Good luck.” Hinata said, too mulish to tell him she’ll miss him.

“Thank you.”

---

Hinata left silently at dawn. Sasuke left the next day. Neither of them believed that they’ll ever see one another again.

DLAMiss: I know, I know. It took me long enough! Bad! Bad! But here you go folks.