liz

They had been separated from the others.

Kiba, Rock Lee, Tenten and Neji were at the other side of the mountain pass. The ninjas they were pursuing had detached part of the rocky wall and closed the way before vanishing. Sasuke had clearly been their target, but Hinata had pushed both of them forward while Neji made a rotation and protected the others, pulling them back.

They had decided to regroup on the other side.

Neji and the rest of them would rush back to take the longer path around the mountain while Sasuke and Hinata would cross the pass during the night, when they would be less visible.

They waited for darkness in a small cave, sharpening kunai and studying the map to predict possible ambush points.

The ninjas they were chasing at the border with the Land of Snow were looking to take over the Uchiha identity. The Hokage had tasked their team to bring them down and drag them to Konoha.

The enemy group had occupied some of the clan's bases at the outskirts of the land of Fire and started to use the Fan crest as their sigil.

In less than twenty years Sasuke's clan power and might had been forgotten. No one would have tried to provoke them before. How dared they try to steal his name, his clan's history and riches, when he was alive and breathing?

He was angry. Seething.

"I have an advantage toward the earth release users with my lighting chakra." Sasuke grunted.

Hinata just nodded, understanding that he was not in the mood for chit chatting or discussions.

....

When they walked into the ambush, near the end of the pass, Sasuke was ready. But he had miscalculated.

They had made him rash.

Hinata had not only saved his life earlier that day.

He realised in that moment he had been acting like a lone avenger instead of the teammate he needed to be. That morning, he could have avoided the rocks easily enough by activating the Sharingan, but would had he managed to keep the others out of harm? He wasn't so sure.

Earlier, in the cave, she hadn't scolded him nor attempted to calm his rage and deep down he had really appreciated that.

He couldn't believe he had being played by his own emotion like a genin.

And now again, he had attacked without checking the nature of the trap. His lightening strike had phased through the enemy clones and rushed to Hinata's location.

Who cared about the Uchiha fortune and the Fan Crest if he didn't have a family to share them with. She had be alive, to be with him and rebuild a home.

Hinata's face was hard and determined. She didn't even try to dodge but steadly planted her feet on the ground and extended her fingertips toward the incoming lighting. For a second she seemed to absorb the chakra, but with a half rotation she redirected the lighting towards the real enemy position.

The only two ninja who had escaped the attack run in the direction of the main road, where they would be soon intercepted by their teammates. No need to pursue them.

He approched Hinata with big steps on the uneven rocky terrain. There were little white flowers that looked like stars everywhere between the stones.

"What was that?"

"I am a lighting release user too, in case you had forgotten."

She looked at him with the blank Hyuga stare.

Oh, she was angry after all.

"You should have gotten out of the way."

"I was in total control of the situation."

Unlike someone else, her hard gaze seem to say.

"That was one of the most stupid or one of the most daring things I ever seen."

Hinata's cheeks reddened and she let a small pleased smile appear on her face.

He couldn't resist anymore. He closed the distance between them, his hands in her hair and her cheek, and kissed her, right there on the mountain, snowflakes flying around them in the windy night. She was taken by surprise but did not faint and did not back away.

"Sorry." He said after breaking the kiss.

She just blinked speachless and he precised:  "About my awful teamwork today, not about what I just did."

She was very red, but nodded slowly.

"Yeah, b-because it was really terrible."

Something must have shown on his face because she added: "I mean your teamwork, not the...rest."