日向導 - A Hyūga's Guide

Chapter Twelve: Tall Tale

Sasuke laid on the bed with his eyes glued on the wall, he could see nothing but his fingers were pressed against the hard surface as if to ground himself and his thoughts. The words Hinata had uttered earlier still rang through his head, and although she might have said something she thought he wouldn't linger on, he couldn't stop hearing them.

"Arrogance is what got my family killed."

He didn't understand it at first when she said it in her fit of annoyance, and he didn't want to understand it but it bothered him. Her family was alive, she constantly spoke about her sister, her maid, her mother and father yet she said that her family wasn't alive. Were those lies to have him not question her at all? If they are then they were poorly constructed since it did not stop those questions from leaving his mouth.

He got why she would be irritated at his constant prodding and poking about her life. The way he would tear down anything she said or did because he needed a reason to not feel like a burden was clearly getting to her. Hinata was soft spoken, even if her tone lacked warmth or comfort, she never showcased how things affected her.

He did the impossible because he made her lash out and actually scold him. No one has ever scolded him and put him in his place so quickly unless it was his father. Everyone walked on eggshells around him, they let him say what he wanted, do as he pleased just because he was royalty. Yet she had said that he was Uchiha Sasuke to her and not some bastard of a prince.

The usual tone she had when she would swart his attempts before was replaced with so much anger that it had genuinely frightened him. Sasuke was never one to be frightened but her anger was so much like his mother's. Calm, collected, sturn, but filled with such force that it just demanded him to listen to what she had to say. He didn't have a response either.

Sasuke expected her to call him an asshole after that, but she left without complaint when he asked — suggested — that she leave him alone.

So he concluded that Hinata had lied about going to the Palace, having a sister or a family in general, and being a noble daughter to someone who was alive at least. That made sense in his head. As morbid and stupid as it was, that was better than admitting that he was wrong in perceiving her the way he did.

He wouldn't apologize either, not until she apologized for lying to him.

Hours must have passed, and somewhere along he had fallen asleep. Sasuke only awoke when he heard the door slowly open and her feet padding against the floorboards as she said nothing. The clanging of dishes being placed on the table was almost inaudible. He could hear every single breath she took even as she paused for a moment as if she was contemplating whether or not to talk to him.

"Your food is on the table." She didn't bother telling him where everything was. It was obvious that being around him was causing her anger to once again appear.

That didn't mean he would apologize for causing it though. He grunted but didn't move, closing his eyes again in hopes that sleep would once again find him.

"I do not think Naruto will be coming here in the evening if he is accompanying his subordinates in searching for you." Hinata opened the door and lingered at the entrance, glancing back at him, she expected him to show some sort of sign that he heard her.

"I figured."

"You should not dwindle—"

"You can go."

Her lips twitched, an insult wanting so desperately to be set free but she sighed instead. "It's comical, isn't it? You're more angry at me than I am at you, yet your anger is misplaced since there's no reason for you to feel that way."