Downfall

BIRTHDAY

Sasuke's apartment was located in the Uchiha compound, webbed with cobs and dust. The gardens were frosted with brown, twisted and shrivelled, untouched for years. The pavements were overgrown with weeds, windows fogged over and stains crawling up the sides of the walls from decay.

It was barren, obvious that it had been an estate long forgotten by the village and neglected by civil services. All seemed devoid of life, save for the one small unit. Hinata could see the light on from the street and turne    d her head slightly to stare at the back of Sasuke's head. Did he really live in such a big, empty place like this?

"Is this your home, Sasuke-san?" asked the Hyuga as they began to climb some stairs. Sasuke briefly glanced at her from over his shoulder and gave a stiff nod.

He pressed his lips into a hard line and then pushed his front door open. Hinata was frozen at the threshold even after he had completely walked in and, at one point, disappeared around the corner. He frowned at her.

"Well?" he demanded. "Are you coming in or what?"

She jumped slightly at his forcefulness and then hesitantly entered his home. It was warmer than she thought it would be but the walls were plain and white and it was not even a little bit homey. In fact, it looked like no one even lived here and if it weren't for the few dishes atop his counter, she would've thought it to be completely abandoned.

Sasuke scowled at her expression and crossed his arms, "Scared?"

"H-huh?" Hinata said in confusion.

"Never been in the Uchiha compound before?"

She gave him a puzzled look, not entirely sure at what he was getting at.

"Afraid of ghosts?"

Yes, Sasuke had heard the nasty rumours that had spread about his clan and where they once resided. Nobody came here anymore. Only he did. Because the mourning, vengeful and eternally pained spirits of the eradicated and near-extinct clan haunted the streets, and if you strained your ears hard enough you could hear them hissing Uchiha Itachi's name in horror.

Hinata clicked finally and she got an odd grimace on her face that certainly looked odd when she wore it. "Sasuke-san, you shouldn't leave your door unlocked!" she snapped quickly, wanting to remove all misunderstandings as fast as possible. "You are the sole survivor, what if someone wants to kill you?"

The Uchiha was taken-aback as Hinata stepped forward and forward and forward, firmness on her face, but his expression remained never changing.

"Then I'll kill them first," he simply replied and turned on his foot.

He headed for the kitchen and rummaged through some things before finding what he was looking for. Hinata entered further into his apartment, marvelling at its blandness. His bed was located around the corner next to a desk that faced the window.

His bedsheets were dark blue and neatly made with clothes folded tidily atop it. On his desk, there was a lamp, notepad and a small jar of utensils. From out of his window, she could see her own home but only just.

"Here," Sasuke said, suddenly behind her.

She spun around to face him and her eyes widened at what he held out to her.

"My bento?" she asked in shock, receiving it carefully. She turned it around and round in her hands but there was not a single crack visible anymore.

He really had fixed it, like he said he would.

"Don't act so surprised," he grunted. "I said I'd fix it."

It took Hinata a few moments to process what he had done for her and when it all sank in, she pressed a hand to her mouth to hide her giggle. "Oh, Sasuke-san," she said, "Thank you very much! You are so kind to me."