one_long_mission

She tilted her head as he took her hand and slid carefully off the bed, finding the floor first with one foot, then the other. Though she stood up straight and beside him, there was no escaping the fact that she could not see...

But she trusted Sasuke not to lead her astray, in spite of her vulnerability. She lightly squeezed his hand and fell in beside him, face straight ahead so her ear was closer to him instead of facing him. "I could say the same about you, Sasuke."

When had she switched to only using his first name? She couldn't quite recall.

He couldn't recall when either, but he knew it was sometimes within the temple business perhaps, or at the very least when she shouted his name as the antlion emerged.

"...hm. Touché." he had to admit her point.
And so he walked slowly to his home, sending a clone to get some groceries. There seemed to be a permanent smell of incense within the place. "Do you want to eat anything? Or you'd rather sit outside for now?"

"I am not hungry," she admitted, following him, though she had to bite back a sneeze at the smell of incense. It was difficult to enter a new place like this and not be able to actually see where she was. She had, of course, memorized their path from the doctor's so she had an idea where they were within the village.

"Though I should eat something to attempt to regain my energy. You should as well. Is the village making preparations?"

"I'll make some rice balls. Simple and filling." he led her to sit at the low table while he took care of the food. "I think they're trying to gather and count their available defense and offense. They've made it clear even if i insisted that I'd be a last resort if they needed more fighters." of course he was still running on that food pill from their encounter. He was not certain how much longer his body could hold for certain without starting to demand sleep. This was a downside of those awakening pills.

"You strained yourself too much." She gratefully took a seat, still facing straight ahead so one ear at least was more in line to hear him. "Though in fairness, those who live in glass houses should not throw stones."

"I will fight for this village until my last breath. This is a fact many people seem to ignore." he snorted, starting up the rice. "...but our role in this battle may already be done, as much as I'd like to have another part." he knew he wasn't the only shinobi worth his salt that could defend the village.

"Indeed." It stung her pride to think that after all their efforts, she would be close enough to hear the battle, and yet not be able to render any assistance. She wasn't foolish enough to think that a shinobi who relied on her eyesight as her best skill would be anything but a hindrance on the battlefield.

A pause then as she listened to the sound of his preparing a meal. "...Why did you offer to take me here, Sasuke?"

"I only needed to see your expression and think two seconds. No doubt losing that eyesight fora few days'd make you a pitiful loser in the eyes of some." that might sting but it was the truth. Some would think so. "I'm not that trusting of any of that family... and just to be sure -someone- is helping you out, I offered."

She stiffened at the idea that she was that easy to read, tilting her head to listen more carefully to the intonation of his voice.

"You would do right not to trust the Hyuuga," she confirmed, fingers of both hands digging into her pants leg over her thigh. "I am their extra. The one who was forced upon them." There was no masking the bitterness, but she just took a breath, shook her head, and forced herself to dismiss it.

"They will speak amongst themselves if they know I am here."

"If they know." of course, he could hide nothing from their eyes, but... "If they underestimate the Uchiha, they'll get burned." his voice was full of disgust. The Hyuuga and Uchiha never were friends.
...before these two, that is. "Let them speak among themselves, as long as I don't hear their slandering." he owed her a life debt, after all.

"I see." She nodded once and exhaled, lapsing into silence. Now more than ever, she wished she could see his face. Her specialty was reading expressions and body language to tie into the voice and other mannerisms, not to do without her sight.

"In that case, we shall see what develops."

As the rice cooked, he headed over, taking care to make noise at every step until he sat and placed a glass of water against her fingertips. "...if you're thirsty.."

The door opened, and as more noises occurred he revealed he had sent a clone shop for various things since he was not about to leave her side.

"Ah..." She nodded her thanks and lifted the glass to her lips, smelling to find that it was water before taking a sip.

The water reminded her that it had been three, perhaps four days since she had bathed. Swallowing hard, she reflexively stared elsewhere and asked, "May I use your shower...? I do not mind rewearing my clothing."

That promptly reminded Sasuke he was in a similar situation, perhaps even more unfavorable since he also ran a full day with her on his back. Not that shinobi were not used to bear the smell of sweat, they would rather not if they did not have to.

"I will lead you there. If you want, it may be a bit roomy but I have some bathrobes you can borrow."

"That... would be appreciated, thank you." She took another long drink from the provided glass before standing, hating that she had to wait for him to take her hand and lead her there. "I promise not to take very long."

He sent his clone get the garment and leave it in the bathroom before sending it away, wincing lightly as he did so. He led her as close to the shower as he could, guiding her to the knobs and walking her towards were everything was so she could make notes as needed. "I'll be nearby. Don't hesitate if you need anything. I... promise I won't look." she would have to leave the door unlocked after all. "I've set the water to a medium temperature. You can change it if you need."

"Ah..." She couldn't hide the way she flushed at that, stiffening further. Curious that she would trust him not to lead her to harm, but the idea that he might see her nude was something that flustered her far more than perhaps it should have.

"Thank you," she murmured finally, pausing near the door. "Though I believe I can find my way back to the kitchen unaided, if you wish to return to what you were doing..."

He noticed the flush and cocked his head, blinking. Somehow, he did not seem to have thought of this same eventuality.

"All right. I'll just be over there still in hearing range. The food will most likely be done by then too."
And so, he closed the door and headed back, leaving her to her own devices as per her wish. He knew she could manage, although he did wish to extend help from politeness.

"Thank you." She could feel her damn cheeks burning and took a breath, trying to calm it. Ridiculous.

She was quick as promised, removing the bandages before entering the shower, though she did keep her eyes closed. It wouldn't do anyone any good if she strained them unnecessarily while they were still recovering, after all. She was quick, as promised, staying in only long enough to rinse off the grime and sweat, shampoo her hair and make sure that she was at least somewhat presentable.

After wringing her hair out, she retied the bandages and slipped into the bathrobe, tying it as tightly as she though she could. No matter how much she adjusted it, however, the folds wouldn't completely stay shut over her chest, leaving much of the skin above her breasts exposed.

Thus when she reentered the kitchen, she was holding it shut with one hand, using her other to guide her along the walls. "Sasuke? I am finished."

Strange, how attractive his shampoo's scent was on her. He had never even noticed.
What the hell were these thoughts?

"I'm finished here too. These are pretty plain, but if you like I can fill them with something next time." he let his voice guide her, seated at the table although he still watched her progress. "I prepared you a room too." in fact he only had one room, but he figured he could use the couch a few days.

She used the sound of his voice as a guide, one hand outstretched to ensure she wouldn't walk into anything. She hated this too, the smaller steps she had to take to ensure she wouldn't walk into anything before her fingers brushed it. It took a few moments, but she was eventually able to find her way to her seat before, fingers trailing along the table before finding the rice balls.

She paused at the mention of the room though, swallowing hard before taking a bite and forcing herself to chew. "About that... I had... a thought, if I may."

"Yes?" he was open to suggestions, although he could not see much of anything wrong with his first idea. "What might that be?" he inquired, biting into his own riceball.

He could guide her everywhere, but he knew as much as she disliked guiding herself, it was possibly better than relying on someone else.

She inhaled to gather herself before stating bluntly, "Your nightmares. Perhaps... if you were not to sleep alone, they would not be so severe. You seemed to sleep better when you were beside me, correct?"

Her cheeks were a deep red that might rival a tomato, and she only huffed, trying to ignore her own embarrassment at the improper suggestion. If it worked, that was all that was important. She was already doing something her family wouldn't approve of simply by being here, what was one more thing?

His blush rivaled hers. As much as he loved tomatoes, he certainly imitated one well. "M-my.... ah.." he could not disapprove that this may work, because, really, he had never tried.

Seeing how they had woken the last few mornings too, maybe this... was just as well? "If... you don't mind."

She might not have been able to see his face, she could discern much from the tone of his voice. That at least made it somewhat more bearable, and in spite of her flush, she tried to keep her own voice as collected as she could.

"Good. It may be beneficial."

She left out the part where unless they reached some kind of arrangement, this would only be a stopgap measure, not something permanent. If it even worked...

And then her flush deepened again as she permitted herself to think how nice it had felt beside him in the morning.

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