He didn't like the silence. Nor the feeling that the house's only resident was him. He wasn't fond of the darkness that hit him when he arrived home. But the thing he absolutely hated was the quiet sobs that came from outside. She never talked about her sister's sudden departure. A few words left her mouth in the days passed, the bare minimum that needed to not become mute. Her eyes were always red, smaller than usual as the skin had swollen from the cry. Whenever he was home, she was in that bench on the back garden she created on her own. He didn't know if it was a move as to not disturb him or she just wanted to be alone. He didn't ask about her sister, she said her business urged her to return. He neither asked about the sad state she was in, she said she was down because the girl left. The bare minimum to stop any probing.
His father was upset with the sudden exit. It was uncalled for, not to inform them. They came and gone as they pleased, like they owned the grounds, as if they owned them. After his complete opinion of the clan he chose to align with, he said something that made Sasuke almost laugh. He told, as his eyes was on nowhere in particular, that he was glad they got the other one. He didn't like the brat that was meant to be the leader, but part of him was rested that she was it. She was rude and spoiled, he said. A person that doesn't count its words. Sasuke just nodded in agreement and kept his amusement for himself. He knew his father never liked Hinata. It was the nicest thing he ever said that included her.
He no longer shared the view for his wife, but he agreed on the evaluation of her sister.
Hanabi Hyuga. A woman that if anyone looked from afar would seem completely different than she was. Her posture correct, her head high, a person that knew her value. Yet she was simply misguided. She spoke for herself more highly than she should. Maybe she spent her life on praises that she came to believe. She tried constantly to open a conversation with him and she failed. Everytime his wife left her to do anything, the woman tried. She spoke of his clan, everything she had learnt from her books and stories, she spoke of him, of the reputation that followed him before he got married, as the most handsome man in the world. An exaggeration to compliment him. Yet she never asked about Hinata. That, he didn't appreciate. Because the woman that had decided to share her life with him, constantly talked about her sister.
The other thing that he found odd, infuriating even, was the belittling of Hinata's fighting skills. He knew that she was the victor of their fight and he also knew that neither of them could say it. But the way she spoke of it, made Sasuke ask himself if she really remembered that the only reason for her position, for not be the one next to him on that chair on the dinner table, was the love the blue haired woman had for her. He understood the necessity of her behaviour, yet he was sure in his gut that his wife would never act this way. She hated the formalities, and the presentation of one's self that was false.
Sasuke was glad when they left. The house found its previous peace, along with him. He was tense for the little time the Hyugas spent there. He became more quiet than usual, observing the slightest details that would explain the unerving feeling that had grew inside him. Something that was more than the intrusion to his house and the annoyance he felt on foreign people's presence.
But his inner calm was disturbed by her cries. He could no longer share the relief he felt when they departured. Her sadness made him confused. He didn't know what to do, or how to help her. And he didn't know if she wanted him to. So he let her be.
A week passed and she didn't seem any better. He opened the front door and darkness hit him as usual. It reminded him of the days before she came, before the house became alive. He took a bath and changed. He walked to the kitchen, opened a drawer and closed it again. A meaningless move, product of his uneasyness. He thought if she had eaten anything. She should have. She liked to eat. Always talked about the importance of meals for a healthy body. She wasn't starving herself, she wouldn't, would she. He could not say. He was gone all week and noone was here to watch over her. He standed in front of the window and looked outside. Endless fields and a light from a house afar. His breath heard in the quietness of the night, along with the constant noise she was making. He exited the kitchen first and then the house all together. He didn't know if she heard his steps on the stony path but as he turned, she was wiping her eyes. She casted a shadow of a smile that made his frown bigger. He observed her, silent for the moment.
"Is there anything you need Sasuke-kun?" She was barely heard. The lack of words and the state she was in made her feel foreign, a voice he wouldn't recognise if he didn't see the person that spoke.
"This has to stop." He spoke with strictness.
Her head fell, her hair wild and free covered her face.
"I upset you. I'm sorry." She spoke with whispers again.
"Yes. So end it. Now."
"I understand. I will be more discreet from now on." Her fingers were tangled together. Her thumps touched each other, separated for only a moment before they collided again.
"No." He said with a voice that made her turn. Her eyes were sparkly again. "I want you to stop not to hide."
She just nodded like a child and the tears that she was holding fell on her cheeks. She quickly turned to conceal her face.
Sasuke moved towards her. He towered the woman that sat on the bench before he bent his knees to see her face. Her gaze on her hands rested on her lap, an expression of shame and sadness painted her features. His hand moved, his finger brushed her tears.
"You are not stopping." He said and a new wave reached both their skins. He had left his palm resting on the side of her face as if he knew that more tears would emerge that he needed to wipe.
"I hate it when you cry."
She nodded again and he wasn't sure if she was there, hearing him or she was trapped inside the thought of her brain, her head moving only in a reflex in the sound of his voice.
"So please stop." Only then she raised her gaze. He understood why. He spoke in a manner, he himself didn't recognise. A foreigner stole his voice and yet it seemed to come from deep inside him.
She looked straight at him. The purple of her eyes more distinct than usual. No move was made, except the thumb on her cheek until the tears slowed down and eventually stopped, leaving only his skin brushing over hers.
A while passed before he was sure her eyes were dry.
"Good." He said and retreated his hand. His body straighten only to fell again on the bench beside her. His head moved backwards, his gaze on the starfull sky.
"Thank you." She spoke after a while.
"Hn." A small noice to aknowledge her words.
A cricket heard and as a response another.
"You are sad because she left. Is that the only reason?" His hands crossed on his stomach as he kept staring to the dark blue.
It took her some moments to respond.
"I feel like I abandoned her." She answered.
"You did what you thought was right. For her."
"I know." She sighed. "But was it right? Maybe she would be better if she was here with you."
He pressed his hands more.
"I believed I was protecting her." She continued. "But she didn't need protection after all, not from you."
"You could not have known that." He spoke in a steady voice that didn't match his insides.
"But I chose to bent on my father's will. I did exactly what he wanted me to do. And now she is there all alone." Slowly she was finding her voice again. "I don't know what to do." She admitted.
"Show her that you care. That is you after all."
Her lips raised in a bitter expression.
"That is all I can do, right?"
"Yes. Sometimes that's enough."
"Do you really believe that?" She asked more eagerly as if his confirmation would calm her.
"I do."
She smiled for the first time with her eyes fixed on the sky.
He kept staring at her before he followed what she was seeing.
"If you could, would you changed it? If you knew everything that you know now. Would you stay there and let her marry me instead?"
A pointless question. He was never a person that worked with ifs. He hated wasting words on things that had happened in a certain way and nothing could change it. And yet he waited for her answer.
"Yes." She said quicker than he wanted. "I would not prefer it, but I would do it."
He let a breath escape from his lungs with a nervousness that he didn't know he had.
"Or better, I would take her with me." She continued.
"So I would have two wifes." He joked. Her answer pleased him more than it used. Maybe because the scenario of the little brat living to his house made him irritated.
"My house hasn't have many rooms. One should share the bed with me." He picked on her as they turned to look at each other.
Her hand slapped lightly on his arm.
"Stop it." She said as she laughed. "I reconsider my idea."
"I didn't say it had to be you." He continued. He liked the sound of her laugh after so long.
"That is worse." She answered with a frown despite the fact she wasn't upset.
"Why? Would you prefer it if it was you?"
Her cheeks painted red.
"No. But you are talking about my little sister."
"I would wait for her to get older." He smirked and a second poke on his arm came.
She turned her head in the direction of the fields. Her frown dispersed when she giggled.
"Thank you Sasuke." She said when she stopped. "I really am grateful."
They spoke of nothing more, yet they stayed watching the shine of the moon on the land.
He thought how she changed from serious grown up to a child, and then again on a endless loop. How truthful her voice sounded on her words of gratitude. She deserved his help. She had rightfully earned it.
His mind drifted to the night before her sister's departure. He left the house after the suffocating atmosphere that dominated the whole dinner. He had to escape for a while. To vanish the words of his failure against the Hyuga prodigy. His father's eyes met his for a moment and he almost read the disappointment. He had to erase it. He could not wait for the day they would leave. But then it would not change the fact they mocked him in front of his parents, nor the failure he was. Itachi would have charmed the girl and made the man bit his tongue. He could not do it.
He thought of going to her. His feet walked to the direction of her house for a while. He remembered how light he felt when his wife hugged him the night he spoke of his secret. How without saying a word, she lifted a small burden. He stopped and turned. A meeting with his lover would not help him. Maybe being in the presence of his wife would calm his nerves. He returned to his house, only to find it empty. A panic rose and he exited again to search for her. Had they done something to her? He heard someone's voice from the back garden. He approached but stopped when he heard the girl talking about him. A hunch made him hide behind the wall.
How is he treating you?
He is nice. He is nice to me.
He smiled on her words. He thought about leaving. He had no right to listen to their private words. Then the conversation between the sisters moved and he caught on the intentions of the Hyuga heiress before his wife did.
He heard her struggling. He almost felt the pressure on her chest as her sister, the person for whom she decided to throw her whole life away, was asking her to commit treason. It was an easy decision. A foreign clan against her sister. Yet he felt empty. She knew, more than she should. Like an idiot he was, he told her.
I won't betray the trust that was given to me. She said then, and his heart flattered. The girl didn't know, yet he did. Maybe she thought that his wife was talking about the clan but she wasn't. She was talking about him.
Do you love him? He will leave you.
He wouldn't. He won't.
He looked back at the woman, seating on his side. It was that night, a week ago that he understood clearly what kind of person Hinata was. He had been in thoughts if he should tell her that he knew why she was truly crying, or how much of traitors her clan really was. But she would drown in anxiety about her sister safety even if the girl didn't deserve neither her love nor her loyalty. Their mysterious departure gave him the chance to plant the seed of treason to his father without actually tell him what he knew. It was his gift to Hinata. Or as he liked to address it, a dept dealt.
_____
She was better the days that came. A hint of sadness always remained but she was factional and as far as he could tell she wasn't crying anymore. Yet the gloomy aura that resurfaced from time to time and then hid still annoyed him. He thought of a way to make her forget about her unworthy relatives and the opportunity presented when the small village on the south sent an appreciation gift. It was a prosperous piece of land, close to the ocean. The sea provided them with plenty of food and the weather was always calm, despite the change of seasons. Yet no fighters lived there so his clan provided protection in exchange for goods. His father smirked with the gratitude of the weak and made a comment about how long ago had passed since he had been down there. Propably he would have to visit soon for appearance. He knew he never liked to leave the clan grounds, Itachi was the one that did most of the trips. So Sasuke offered and his father agreed with consealed contempt.
This trip was a duty first and foremost, but it was a chance to bring her along. He thought she would like it.
And as her eyes fell on the sparkling light blue of the sea, he forgot his reasoning. He smiled on her widen eyes and her lips that smiled in wonder. He forgot she was not supposed to be the reason he was there as her mouth left a sound of amaze.
"Have you seen the ocean before?"
He knew the answer before she nodded in denial.
"I will leave two of my men with you." He said and he saw her face fell slightly.
"Are you leaving?"
"I have business to take care. I will find you later."
As he walked further away, he turned one last time and saw her running on the sand. His men awakerdly followed her as she reached the golden ground and bent her knees. She must have touched it as he heard her giggle to his men that didn't know how to behave. She would be fine until he returned.
_____
Even the most detailed painting could not capture the beauty of the sight. She had been sitting for hours on the warm ground, looking as the sunlight reflected on the water. She prompt her guards to sit but the stubborn men refused. She laid her back on the sand and closed her eyes. The calm movement of the water, the light that hugged her and the summer breeze passing through her skin offered a newfound peace. When Sasuke proposed this journey, she initially didn't want to come. It would be a one day trip that didn't required her presence. She wanted to be left behind, spend some time with herself. He explained that it wasn't a suggestion. Now she thought what a pity that would be if she didn't come. It was nice of him to let her accompany him. She had been to too many different places in the short time she was married. A new view of the world. She straighten her body after a while when she was sure that if she stayed down, sleep would come. The men that guarded her had moved a few feet away under the shade of a tree. They already found her weird, she could tell, but if she fell asleep her image would be more bad.
Her fingers dove into the gold dust. A thought came on the surface. A trace of his question the other night, that followed her since. Why would she still prefer to marry him if she was given the choice again. She was satisfied with her life here. Maybe that was why she felt guilty with Hanabi's behaviour. She would not prefer to stay behind. Here, she was herself, more than before. She had traveled, she met friends. And him. He was a part of her content.
In the past week everything seems dark, as the life had lost its meaning but he pulled her back. She didn't know if he understood, if it was his intention to cheer her up but she chose to believe, it was. He brought her along on this trip even if he didn't have to.
Her mind drifted away along with the sun in the sky. When orange filled her sight and she saw the annoyed faces of her guards, she decided it was time to be escorted to the room they were offered. The village was small and the people on the streets were few. Still there were some side glances on the company of three that walked towards their destination.
The room was more of a cabin at the other end of the town. It was close to the ocean, as most of the town, and she was happy that she could still see the water from the window. The men left her at the door and she insisted they should rest too. She was informed they would take turns but she won't be left unprotected. There was no need as she saw it. Sasuke had told her about the circumstances between his clan and the people of this land. No enemies would lurk here. Still they were important and appearances dictated otherwise.
Her clothes and hair were filled with sand and she decided it was time for a bath as she was waiting for Sasuke to return.
She did her best to hurry up before the light left the world and she could only see darkness outside. Still sun had dissapeared, giving its place to the moon when she exited the bathroom. She walked to the big window but the ocean had turned to a pitch black. Her lips formed a pout and she thought how silly she would seem if anyone saw her. When her hair were dry a took a glimpse of the outside the silver planet had reached its peak offering its dim light on the water. It was almost magical. A different beauty than she saw in the daylight. More concealed and secretive, yet stunning. She was still there when he returned. He approached her, maybe to see what had her glued to the big window.
"This place is astonishing." She said with enthusiasm. "Have you been here before?" A dump question, she thought as soon as she spoke.
"We came here often when I was little. So you like it."
"I could stay in the beach all day. They would not like it." She pointed with her eyes on the direction of the door. "Did you come here with your family?" She continued. His eyes were fixed behind the glass.
"With my mother and.. brother mostly. When intel came that there might be an attack on our clan, we fled here to be safe from the fight."
She bit her lips.
"So it's not happy memories."
He turned to look at her.
"My mother did her best to make us forget about the circumstances that led us here. It was...nice."
His eyes stayed on her for some moments. When she didn't say anything more, he walked to the bathroom.
"I'm going to prepare for sleep. We are leaving in the morning."
"Oh, you finished all your work here?" She wished they would stay longer. He gave her a questionable look.
"It took you a while." She continued. "I mean it's already dark and I thought you left some business for tomorrow. Because you said it won't take you this long." She stopped when she understood she didn't make any sense. Yet he answered.
"They insisted for me to stay for lunch. It had been a while since someone from the family came here. They wanted to please me. They even brought some women to perform their traditional dance." He said to explain.
"Oh." She didn't like his explanation. Probably because he could keep her company instead of watching strangers dance.
"I didn't sleep with them." He said seriously.
She felt the heat on her cheeks.
"I have learnt my lesson. I won't disgrace you again to outsiders."
The door closed behind him and Hinata left to wonder why this information made her happy.
She didn't ask for it. All she wanted was to stay one more day, yet as he spoke she forgot it. As he was talking about his day, something else filled her mind. It was probably what he said. If he had spent moments with any of the women, whispers would follow. And she was worried about that.
_____
They laid on the large bed but sleep would not come. She wasn't feeling tension anymore. They had spent many nights side by side and her reserve had gradually faded. She was overwhelmed with joy and sleeping felt like a waste of time. They had only a few hours before they took the road back and a single thought had stuck in her mind. She turned to see that he wasn't sleeping either. She could ask him. There were nothing to lose.
"I was thinking." She began until he turned his gaze. "Could I swim in the ocean?" She said eagerly.
"No. Only peasants do it." He said with a definite tone.
She knew that upper class citizens took baths on their private houses. She had never swim, not even in a lake back home. If anyone saw her exposed, it would be a disgrace. But the water of the sea was for people that didn't have baths on their houses. She knew all that, still she hoped.
"But we are leaving in the morning and I thought that if I go really early..."
"Still someone could see you. My men would see you."
"I will wear my clothes. I want to just feel the water on my feet."
A second passed, then a minute. She accepted that he would never agree. He was raised with the same principles as her and he took them more seriously. She always found it odd how everything that seemed fun and exciting was not meant for them to enjoy. She raised her hand above her head, she should probably sleep.
"The only option is to go now when it's dark." He said unexpectedly.
"Really?" She raised her voice.
"But you have to be quiet." He scolded her and she put her hand in front of her mouth.
"But your men..." She continued.
"There is a back door in this house. For emergencies."
She understood that it was here that they lived when they visited the village.
He guided her through a door behind a shallow shelf. They exited on a small cliff, no path or road was visible. They left the house behind them as he was walking towards the beach a little under them. He seemed to know what he was doing as he helped her descent.
When they reached the ocean, no soul could be seen. The night was quiet with the movement of the water be the only sound.
"When my mother was sleeping, my brother used to take me here to swim." He said in a whisper.
"We pretended we were someone else even if we were alone."
He removed his shoes and she followed his movement. She walked first but stopped. The sea was black and she couldn't see anything. The water seemed unwelcome of her transpassing and she was reluctant to walk any further.
"Are you scared?" He said with a smirk.
She nodded in denial in a poor attempt to hide her emotions.
He took a step ahead and she felt silly about her behaviour. She was the one that proposed it and now she could not do it.
He suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her ahead. She grasped but the she felt it. It was cold and strange. Her feet were lost inside the sand as the water came and went.
She smiled.
"It's odd." She said. "I like it."
When he saw she was no longer frightened he tried to led go. But she put her hand on his and grabbed stronger.
"Don't...I feel safer." She said and he stopped.
They stayed in the shore for a while.
"Do you want to go inside?" He proposed.
"No, no. I can't swim. And it's dark." She said in a panic.
"Don't be a coward, wife. It is unlike you." He seemed amused with her panic and fear.
"Come. I will hold you."
"Our clothes will be wet." She said in a last attempt to reason with him.
"Would you like to take it off?"
His smile was evil. He knew what to say to embarrass her. She removed her hand from his and pushed him, a little too much. He probably didn't expect her movement as he lost his balance and fell to the water.
When he got up again, she could see the drops of water falling down his hair.
"You shouldn't do that." He said with a stern tone.
She panicked again and apologised as he walked towards her. It didn't stopped him from grabbing her. He put his hands around her waste and lifted until her feet didn't reach the ground. He moved into the sea again. He would drown her, she was sure. She looked at the black water and tighten her hold around his neck.
"Take a breath." He said with absolute calm.
"Sasuke no.."
She didn't finish her sentence as the water reached above her head. He dove inside and took her with him. She closed her eyes tightly until she felt the air filling her lungs again.
The water dripping from her face until she tasted the salty flavour.
She looked straight at him.
"Don't let go." She said in a plead.
"I won't." He had a strange expression on his face.
"You scared me." She said as her breath came back to normal.
"I told you. You shouldn't push me." A faint smile passed on his lips. "It isn't so bad now, is it?"
She could not do much. She just clung onto him. As the minutes passed and her panic faded, she felt the coolness of the water and observed as the moon shone above them.
"No, it's nice." She said with a smile. "I'm sorry you have to carry me." He seemed to know how to swim well enough but he couldn't do more than hold her as she was holding him tight in fear of letting go.
A moment passed as he stared at her.
"Do you want to go outside?" She said as she feared that she burdened him.
She felt his grip strengthen.
"No, you are light." He stopped before he added. "Under the water."
She laughed but he didn't. She turned her gaze on the moon to shake away the strange feeling she had when their eyes met.
"Can we stay one more day?" She said in a low voice. When he didn't answer she turned again.
"Can I say no?"
He replied and as his voice reached her ears, she bit her lips without understanding why.