As Hinata cleaned her house, she completely forgot about the stranger that was currently hiding himself in her guest room. He was hard to approach and he refused to talk too much, but Hinata didn't mind. It wasn't until the bedroom door opened again did she realize that she wasn't exactly alone in her home.
Sasuke's quiet footsteps almost went undetected as he walked back into the living room with his coat in his arms. He nearly startled the poor woman as he peeked into the kitchen where she sat drinking some tea.
"If you're ready to go..." His voice trailed off, not knowing how to proceed with his question.
"Ah, one moment!" Hinata placed her mug down and washed her hands, immediately going to her room to put on some long pants and a thick sweater.
As they were standing in the foyer, Hinata putting on her jacket and scarf, she took notice of his thin clothing.
"Are you okay like that? I have some pants you can wear and a bigger jacket." She offered.
Sasuke shook his head, "no, I'm alright, thanks."
"I see." She nodded.
The cold and icy wind greeted them as soon as the door was opened. Taking a step into the thick snow, their shoes sunk lower as they walked from the door to the open street. Sasuke shivered slightly, regretting his denial for help as they walked further. It was getting colder and there was only so much his thin jacket could do.
As his ears turned pink and his face became numb, he was partially grateful when Hinata signalled their arrival at the place she had found him. There was nothing out of the ordinary, except for the piling snow, and there were no clues to help Sasuke learn how he managed to travel across the globe without realizing.
"Can you give me a moment?" He turned to her, "you can head back home. Thanks for helping me." He spoke, his voice shook as the wind blew harder.
Hinata nodded her head, "you're welcome. I hope you find what you're looking for." She offered him a smile and turned back to make the long trek back home in the falling snow.
Sasuke watched her leave and turned back to the empty street. He looked up in the sky and frowned, the usual blue was nothing but grey. The sun was hidden behind thick clouds bursting with even more snow. He didn't know how long he stood there for but his hands were starting to tingle and his pants were getting soaked from the melting snow.
He looked back on the road, expecting to see one thing to indicate that this was all a dream, that the welcoming atmosphere he felt as he sat in a stranger's house was simply his mind playing tricks on him.
Turning back around to the sidewalk, he froze when he realized that he didn't have anywhere to go. He didn't want to bother the woman again but he didn't exactly know his way around nor did he have any money to stay at a motel.
Sasuke grumbled as he looked for their previous footprints in the snow, thanking the heavens that they weren't completely covered yet. He followed them back in the direction he hoped was Hinata's house. It didn't take him long to get there, and as he stood in front of her door again, he contemplated leaving and making his way around alone.
Hinata had changed back into her warm clothes after taking a much needed shower to get rid of the cold feeling that froze her insides. She warmed up her unfinished tea and drank it contently, happy to be away from all the cold and back at home.
Her thoughts went back to the dark haired male that she had left standing in the middle of the street. She frowned, hoping he was okay and that the cold wasn't getting to him much. She took a peek out of the kitchen window, noticing that the snow was still falling but it seemed to be slowing down ever so slightly.
There was a quiet knock on her front door, it would have gone unnoticed if her house wasn't filled with static silence. Yelling out a quick 'coming', she walked to the door and was ready to greet whoever it was until she noticed the familiar mop of black hair and the pale face it framed that seemed to have picked up some colour.
"Sorry to bother you, I just don't have anywhere else to go." He mumbled.
Hinata shushed him and moved out of the way, immediately going to get a towel so he could dry his hair. She came back to see that he long discarded his jacket, his arms crossed as he tried heating himself up.
"I told you I had another jacket." She scolded in a soft voice, she handed him the towel and walked back into her house.
"And I regret that." He grumbled, flopping onto the couch as he dried his hair.
"I'll go find some spare clothes that you can wear, a warm shower would help you." She said, not waiting for his response as she disappeared into her bedroom.
There wasn't much that could possibly fit him but she did have an extra pair of Neji's clothes that he continuously forgot whenever he visited. She placed the clothes inside the bedroom Sasuke would be staying in. She walked back into the room to let him know everything was ready.
"I don't know if they would fit you, they're my cousin's clothes and he's a little taller than you." She tucked her hair behind her ear. "The bathroom is just a little ways down from the bedroom, I'll leave you alone." Hinata smiled.
Sasuke placed the towel over his shoulder and nodded, thanking her silently for her hospitality. He really needed to find a way out of here so he wasn't a bother for too long.
The shower was something he really needed. As the warm water fell against his cold skin, he let out a sigh as his muscles relaxed. He was still tired from the night before, and his eyes still stung from all the crying he did. His heart seemed to have frozen that night, his blood was running cold and he didn't know what to feel anymore.
Sasuke was a little grateful to be away from Sakura for a bit, but he was still worried about how he would get home. Again, he didn't have the necessary documents he would need to travel back to America. He pushed his hair back and frowned, how exactly would he get back home?
Turning off the shower, he stepped out of the steaming bathroom with the towel wrapped tightly around his waist. His hair was still dripping wet as he walked into the bedroom and changed into the clothes Hinata offered him, not complaining in the slightest even though it was a little bit baggy on him.
He met Hinata in the living room watching a show that he did not understand much of, she was scrolling on her phone, as though she was ignoring his presence.
Just like Sakura did.
His fists were clenched, resting on his knees as he stared at the television and tried to take his mind off of the bile that rose in his throat as he heard Hinata laugh to herself.
Hinata's ringtone snapped him out of his daze, she answered right away and left him alone on the couch. Before she disappeared into her bedroom, she handed him the remote and smiled.
"I have Netflix so you can find anything you want to watch on there." Her hand covered her phone's speaker so that whoever was on the other end couldn't hear what she said. "There are some snacks in the fridge and if you need anything, don't be afraid to knock."
Sasuke stared at the remote in his hand and back at her, nodded and said a small thanks before she left. He sat alone on the couch and stared at the television, switching the programs mindlessly like he usually did.
Nothing he looked at was easy to understand, albeit because he wasn't fluent in the language as he parents or brother were. Even though he was Japanese-American, he opted to only speak English, which weakened his knowledge in the second language his family spoke.
Sasuke finally settled to watch Netflix, putting on the familiar English shows and movies that aired on cable back in Manhattan. He didn't know how long had passed but he was beginning to get hungry and Hinata was no where to be seen.
'She must have fallen asleep,' he thought as he got up and went into the kitchen in search of something to eat.
He felt like he was intruding, exploring the fridge and home of someone he just knew the name of and who offered him a room because he had no where else to stay. Sasuke grabbed the container of onigiri and tomatoes he found and quickly heated them up. He made himself comfortable at the table and began eating, mentally going over some plans.
He needed to get out of here, but the only way to make that possible is to finally take up his studies again so that he could communicate better. That way, he could leave faster than just using Hinata as a translator and making her go with him everywhere.
After he's gotten a handle on the language, he would find somewhere he could report a missing passport and documents, he was sure they would allow him on an airplane after learning that fact.
Then he'd be back in Manhattan, back at home with...Sasuke frowned. What was he going back to? A cheating girlfriend who inhabited his apartment? When he returns, he'd much prefer to stay at his own place than to crash at Kakashi's or Naruto's even if they said he could.
His old home was out of the question too, there was no way he was going to stay in the haunted building, the last place his parents were found breathing. Sasuke dropped the fork, his hand was shaking uncontrollably as he thought about his parents and brother.
He breathed in deeply and picked up the fork again, quickly pushing a tomato wedge into his mouth to take his mind off of the things he buried deep. Instead, he focused on the first part of his plan. Taking his phone out when he was done — the food containers pushed to the side — he searched for some quick Japanese classes he could do at any time and settled on two websites.
Quickly bookmarking them, he left his phone on the table while he put away his dirty dishes and washed them, not wanting to make any extra work for Hinata.
Speaking of her, she walked into the kitchen, her eyes tired as she opened the fridge to grab her bowl of fruits she had set aside earlier.
"Something on your mind?" She asked, taking out a pair of chopsticks and sitting across the table, she looked at him as he scrolled through his phone.
Sasuke glanced up at her and nodded, "trying to find a way back home."
Hinata frowned, "this must be scary huh? Being in a new country without remembering ever travelling here." She sucked on a pineapple slice before eating it. "I wish I could be of extra help but I—"
"You've already helped enough by letting me stay here for today." He shook his head, "I'm going to look for somewhere else I can stay."
"For today? Oh no, you can stay for as long as you need, or until you get everything you need to go back home." Hinata smiled at him and shook her head, "I really don't mind as long as you don't steal anything." She attempted making a joke.
"...Thanks." Sasuke responded in Japanese, or broken Japanese. He wasn't sure if he said it right or not.
Hinata's eyes seemed to sparkle as she clapped, "woah! Your pronunciation is good, I didn't know you spoke my language?"
"I don't, well, I used to. My family are Japanese immigrants in America, I forgot my teachings though." He shook his head, brushing off her praise since it made him nervous. She seemed genuine with her excitement but a part of him believed that it was an act so he could let his guard down.
"That's okay! I can teach you." She offered, already finished with her bowl of fruits. "If I'm not working, I can help out."
Again, he refused her proposal. "I can do it on my own, I don't need to bother you."
Hinata paused and then nodded, smiling either way. She realized she was caring again, caring too much about what he did and where he went. She already allowed him to stay with her, but now she was offering to teach him. She stood up and excused herself, needing to take a breath of fresh air.
Silently scolding herself as she stood on the snowy porch, she cursed at her caring nature. Deep in thought, she wasn't ready to be held at all. Letting out a scream, she elbowed whoever it was and pushed herself away.
"TenTen!" Hinata rushed towards her and apologized profusely. "I'm so sorry, I didn't hear or see you coming and I panicked." Her eyes watered seeing her friend so hurt.
"It's okay!" TenTen wheezed, shaking her head, "I should have told you I was coming." She stood up straight and took in a deep breath, smiling at Hinata.
"What are you doing here? It's dangerous to be walking around in a blizzard." Hinata looked her over, ignoring as the brunette tried to stop her.
"I missed you! And your cooking, I'm starving." TenTen opened the door to the house and walked in, she took off her shoes and jacket, "so I decided to visit. No snow storm would stop me from seeing my best friend." She hung her jacket and walked into the dining/kitchen area immediately, pausing.
Hinata walked behind her quickly and was about to ask what was wrong until she saw Sasuke with his head down against the table. He seemed to be asleep since he didn't move even with all the noise TenTen was making.
"Who's that?" The older woman whispered, pointing at the body in the chair.
"Ah, his name is Sasuke. I found him last night." Hinata whispered back, pulling TenTen into the living room so they didn't wake Sasuke up.
"But what's he doing here?" TenTen asked, "he couldn't go anywhere else?"
Hinata bit her lip and twiddled with her fingers, her old habit surfacing as she tried to think of a way to explain Sasuke's predicament without alarming TenTen.
"It's a long story."
"Well I got time." She put her hands on her hips as she waited for Hinata to explain.
"Um..."