#midnightwhims

“Whims,” you ask, “where do you get your inspiration? What’s your muse?”

I think other people’s thought vibrations find the same frequency as my brain.

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There had to be something wrong with him.

“Sasuke, this is a friend of mine,” Sakura said.

Definitely. Positively.

“She’s going to be staying with us for a while.”

For fuck’s sake, he had to be some kind of pervert.

“And fun for us, she’s four months pregnant!”

“Sakura…” the other woman said, turning red in the face.

Sasuke stared as the two women laughed and talked.

He and Sakura had been living together for the past few months ever since Naruto moved out. He didn’t hate living alone with Sakura since he knew her habits and such well enough by now, but they both agreed that the lack of Naruto’s presence was something close to unbearable.

After months of searching for a new roommate and neither really agreeing on who the other approved of, Sasuke finally gave up and said the very next person Sakura found (who he hadn’t already said no to) would do.

And here she was, the dark-haired, white eyed, four months pregnant woman who was standing in his living room. It was the middle of summer, so Sasuke didn’t find her outfit uncalled for; she was wearing knee-length shorts, a short sleeved shirt, sandals, and her hair was braided to one side, so there was really nothing obscene. Still, the moment he saw her, his emotions and his groin did such an uncharacteristic lurch that he tried to justify that something about her was intentionally meant to attract sinful attention.

Maybe it was her shorts, which on further inspection was actually dark grey yoga pants. Or maybe it was her shirt, which was actually a bit sheer no matter how dark the blue was. Surely it had nothing to do with the bump of her stomach-

“I’m Hinata.”

Sasuke snapped to the present and looked at the small, pale hand extended to him. He looked at its owner for a split second before taking her hand and shaking it.

“Sasuke,” he said, and he wondered if his voice had always been so low.

“Nice to meet you, Sasuke.”

“Listen,” Sakura said, “stay here while I go talk to the landlord. Our air conditioning isn’t working yet like I promised.”

“It’s okay, “ Hinata said despite the light layer of sweat on her face. “I can go buy some ice.”

“No!” Sakura led her to the sofa and sat Hinata down. “You’re with us now, so you don’t have to do things by yourself anymore. Ask us for anything.” She turned to Sasuke. “Please be agreeable if she needs anything. I’ll be right back.”

And with that, Sakura left.

Sasuke stood silently for a moment before looking at the woman on his sofa. She was leaned back with her eyes closed, face flushed, and fanned herself lightly. His body lurched, and the next thing he knew, he was pouring a glass of juice with a bag of ice already in his hand. This mortified him, but he found himself at the woman’s side despite himself.

“Here,” he said, and he wondered if his voice had actually cracked at the end.

Hinata opened her eyes tiredly. “Oh. Thank you.” She took the cup and bag of ice.

Sasuke watched as she drank readily from her cup then placed the bag of ice on her forehead. She groaned appreciatively, and Sasuke’s body lurched again, causing him to sit down immediately. Much to his horror, he had sat on the same sofa as her.

She looked at him curiously.

“So,” Sasuke said, “pregnant.”

She smiled humorously. “Yes, pregnant. Unfortunately so.”

“Unfortunately?”

Hinata shrugged. “I’m far from home and had no intentions of being with the man who got me pregnant.” She sighed dramatically. “Very unfortunate.”

Sasuke almost disagreed, but quickly caught himself and instead said, “So things are done with him?”

“I hope so.” She smiled woefully and changed the subject. “But enough about that. What’s going on with you? How old are you? How long have you known Sakura?”

For the next thirty minutes, Sasuke and Hinata talked. He was surprised by how easy she was to talk to and how willing he was to actually talk. The only problem he had was every time he found something about himself yearning for Hinata in some way, his eyes would slip to her stomach, and he was reminded that she was a pregnant woman. He couldn’t deny that for some odd and stupefying reason he wanted Hinata in some way, but it was wrong whether or not he was getting a crush or was craving something physical.

It was depraved. Had to be.

“I’m back!” Sakura came in, red from the heat. “The landlord said he should have things fixed by the end of the day. Funny how his tune changed once I reminded him our new roommate was pregnant.” She winked at Hinata. “So! How is everything?”

“Good,” Hinata said. “Sasuke has been very welcoming.”

“That’s great.” But Sakura looked at Sasuke in wonder all the same. “Well, I only came back to tell you I’m going to go get some ice.”

“I’ll do it,” Sasuke said, and he didn’t wait for either of them to say anything.

He was out of the apartment complex when he fully succumbed to his beating heart and his persistent groin.

Hinata was…sexy.

But she was pregnant.

She was easy to talk to.

But she was pregnant.

He’s never been drawn to someone so shamelessly.

But she was PREGNANT.

And it’s not like they could be anything more than friends for now because anything more was…

His mind drifted, thinking thoughts he definitely should not be thinking about a pregnant woman he just met. Still, she pulled off the pregnant look quite well, and maybe he could ask her to show him what happened the night that got her that way.

That would be interesting.

That was tempting.

That was-

“Kinky,” Sasuke muttered, fantasizing so hard he almost walked off the curb.

Dear, anon… Something like this is to your liking, I hope.

Indeed, I hope.

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Itachi knew his brother well.

At eighteen, Sasuke had yet to grow out of the habit of disliking everyone he met upon first meeting them. Most people either gave up on trying to be on good terms with Sasuke or were persistent enough to where Sasuke could tolerate them.

But…Sasuke disliked Hinata, and she was neither someone who cared to get into Sasuke’s good graces nor did she hide her contempt for his attitude towards her.

Neji was just as perplexed when it came to Hinata.

At seventeen, Hinata had no true enemies despite the superficial ones acquired by being a Leaf shinobi. It took him a while to realize that her indifference towards Sasuke was actually genuine coldness towards him.

Neji wouldn’t have cared, but even he had to admit that out of all the enemies she could have had, Sasuke Uchiha was not a wise choice. He honestly had no clue what could have happened between the two to make them dislike each other so strongly.

So, from one brother figure to the next, Itachi and Neji decided to settle the issue once and for all.

“What is this?”

Sasuke stood at Itachi’s side at the entrance of the Training Grounds. On the other side, he could see Neji and Hinata situated under a tree. The two had been talking, but once Hinata heard Sasuke’s voice, she turned towards the Uchihas, wide eyed then stone faced.

“Hear us out,” Itachi said as he urged Sasuke towards the Hyuugas.

“What is this?” Sasuke demanded again, glaring hard at the Hyuugas.

Or perhaps the one deeming the trees more worthy of her glare than the youngest Uchiha.

When the two pairs were face to face, Neji and Itachi wondered if they were making the right choice. The tension between Sasuke and Hinata was so thick, it was amazing either of them still remained where they were instead of storming off or attacking each other.

Neji cleared his throat. “Hinata, it has come to my attention that you are not particularly fond of Sasuke.”

Hinata looked at Neji slowly, her stone expression unchanging.

“And, Sasuke,” Itachi said, “for whatever reason, Hinata seems to irritate you more than most.”

Sasuke glared at him, fists clenched at his sides.

“With that being said,” Itachi went on, “Neji and I have concluded that whatever unresolved issues you both have should be settled. We think a spar is in order.”

Sasuke stared at Itachi for a long minute. “What?”

“You two should spar,” Itachi said.

“We’ll supervise,” Neji said. “We think both of you are past the point to talk through whatever animosity it is that has both of you so cold towards each other.”

“And you’ve never actually sparred with each other without interference,” Itachi said. “We promise to not intervene unless it becomes life-threatening.”

Hinata and Sasuke didn’t say anything. They stared at their respective family member for a thick moment before turning their stern stares on one another.

“Fine,” Hinata said, pulling out a hair tie and tying her hair back.

Sasuke waited a moment before pulling out a headband to hold his bangs back.

After Hinata threw her jacket to the side, she and Sasuke walked to the center of the field in silence. Neji and Itachi watched from underneath the tree with the sickening feeling that they had both made a mistake.

And then Hinata and Sasuke clashed before either Itachi or Neji knew what was happening. Chakra sprayed and metal collided, each attack strong enough to be felt on the edge of the field. In a blur, Sasuke and Hinata were savagely engaged in hand-to-hand combat, making both Itachi and Neji cringe when an attack landed successfully.

“Maybe we should stop them,” Neji said.

Sasuke’s foot narrowly missed shattering Hinata’s hip.

“It’s not life-threatening,” Itachi said.

Hinata sent a forceful jab of chakra intended for Sasuke’s shoulder cratering into a tree on the opposite side of the field.

The two kept this up for another minute before Hinata unexpectedly turned heel and ran into the thicket of trees. Sasuke hesitated a second before giving chase, catching up with her quickly. They disappeared into the trees, but soon after, destructive crashes and ground-shaking booms filled the air.

Neji and Itachi stared in stunned horror as the sounds continued.

Then the sounds stopped.

Neji and Itachi shared a worried glance before darting across the field. Before they entered the trees, Hinata screamed, sending the two into a new wave of speed and worry. They followed the mess of splintered tree trunks and torn bushes until they could hear the two up ahead.

“I’m tired of this,” Sasuke panted hoarsely. ‘I’m tired of you.”

“I can’t take this,” Hinata whispered miserably.

Neji and Itachi finally got Sasuke and Hinata in their sights but stopped abruptly feet away from them.

Sasuke had Hinata pinned to the ground, holding her hands firmly above her head. He was in between Hinata’s legs, but it appeared as though Hinata was keeping him there, whether or not it was to keep him from coming closer or getting farther away was unclear. The bruises and torn clothing could easily be explained away by the sparring, but every so often Sasuke’s hips would press into Hinata, causing her back to arch, causing an unintelligible groan.

“I can’t take it.” Hinata freed one of her hands and tugged at the top of Sasuke’s pants. “I can’t wait.”

Sasuke leaned his head back, taking a deep breath, shuddering. “Fuck it.”

Itachi snatched Neji away before they could see any more. The two walked back in silence, ignoring any sounds they heard, and didn’t stop walking until they were out of the Training Grounds all together and back on the main road. They stood in a stupor, their minds unfortunately working very well, and tried to beat down and sort through all the events that led up to this point.

In mutual agreement and silence, they located a bench and sat down. Itachi was the first to speak.

“How long have they-”

“I have no idea,” Neji said mechanically.

“I didn’t even know-”

“Me either.”

“I thought-”

“Me, too.”

Another long silence.

“At least they don’t hate each other,” Itachi said resignedly.

I can only write when things are outta place.

And, oh man...

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“Why does everyone think we’re together?”

Sasuke sat at his kitchen counter and drank leisurely from his cup. After a moment of staring out the window above the sink, he turned his eyes to his open door with the frazzled woman in it.

Her hair looked fluffier than usual, as if she hadn’t brushed it yet. There was no excessive color to her face, but her eyes looked stern and worn. She was also breathing heavier than usual, but Sasuke assumed she was being dramatic. She had those tendencies, after all.

“Sasuke,” Hinata said as she closed the door deliberately, “why do people think we’re together?”

Sasuke set his cup of tea down and rested his head on his hand. “Better question: Why don’t you?”

“BECAUSE WE’RE--” Hinata sighed heavily and pressed her back against the door. “What have you been telling people?”

“I haven’t been.”

The best way to get an answer is to go to the source.

Don’t be afraid to ask.

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Sasuke sat on the roof of his apartment complex. He twirled a shuriken around one finger, closely watching the motion. He had changed his clothes to go training or maybe to walk around the village looking busy, but he lost the desire to go farther than his home. He also lost the desire to stay inside his home.

His thoughts were closing in on him.

Being outside was no better, but every now and then his senses would register the fresh air or the movement of daily life, and it would ease his mind back to reality.

Not that his thoughts were any less of a reality.

I only have 43 posts, including this one.

And it’s so cliche.

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How would Sasuke confess to the girl who likes his best friend?

He wouldn’t.

He would wait until the emotions were out of her system. He would refuse to be seen as nothing more than “his best friend,” and he wouldn’t be able to support either of them once his own feelings were known. There was the chance that said girl would reciprocate his feelings, but Sasuke wouldn’t want to deal with the doubt-

She’s using me.

She just wants to be close to him.

She never wanted me in the first place.

I’ve noticed you guys like the stuff where Sasuke is embarrassed or trying to impress Hinata or is emotionally hurting over her.

This is not one of those.

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Suigestu and Jugo were at a loss.

Sasuke had left his village again. He got approval from his village under the guise of collecting information on the most notorious people connected to the ninja world. This was not all a farce because their former leader was indeed doing what he said, but the real reason he left was because his girlfriend broke up with him. She was the heiress of some renowned clan or something outrageous like that, and both thought it was a bit fitting that Sasuke couldn’t leave any part of his life to normality.

Sasuke couldn’t just date someone ordinary.

And for the most part, Sasuke’s emotions over the break-up were well hidden around his lesser known team, but they now realized a large part of that was due to Karin being around. Apparently he would not show his supposed weakness around the only female in their group, but Karin had stayed behind in small country they passed through to help an alarming amount of sick children with mysterious illnesses.

Now Sasuke was an irritable, moping cloud of resentment.

Kiba and Shino were worried.

Hinata had broken up with Sasuke over a month ago, and she had been doing fine ever since. They could never understand why she chose a guy like Sasuke if she wanted to go through a bad boy phase, and it was even more difficult to understand why Sasuke even went along with it in the first place. So when Hinata said it was over, Kiba and Shino were not surprised. They hated to say they were relieved.

Hinata didn’t need someone so out of the norm.

But the team had ventured to a small village on the outskirts of Kirigakure, and they were staying in a secluded inn for the time being.

And so was Sasuke and his companions.

The groups were located on two different sides of the inn, but it became apparent that Sasuke and his group were not going to leave any time soon. It was most likely intentional. It had to be intentional because the groups ran into each other more than what could be passed off as a coincidence.

And on their fourth day there, Hinata went missing.

Sort of.

“Don’t you think she’s been gone too long?” Kiba asked. He sat in a chair next to a small dirty window, and his nails clacked restlessly on the splintered wooden table next to him. He looked expectantly at Shino, who was reclined on one of the beds. “Do you think so?”

“I don’t,” Shino said loud enough for Kiba to hear. The moistened air of the village was getting to him in the worst of ways. “If Sasuke wasn’t here, you wouldn’t be worried.”

“Duh! The guy’s unpredictable!”

“But logical enough.” Shino removed his sunglasses and rubbed his eyelids. “Look for her if you must. She’s fine, though.”

Kiba shot up from his chair. “I will look!” He left the room after telling Akamaru to stay behind.

Kiba was about to storm down the hall when the door across from him opened. The orange-haired guy he knew as Jugo appeared, stopping when he saw Kiba.

“Hello,” Jugo said rather awkwardly.

“You guys changed rooms?” Kiba asked.

“No.” Jugo glanced down the hall. “This is temporary. Sasuke needed…space.”

“For what?” Kiba bristled when a thought occurred to him. “Is Hinata down there?!”

Jugo sighed, stepping out the door and closing it behind him. “He just wanted to talk, and she agreed to it. He wouldn’t do anything to ruin this.”

Kiba turned down the hall. “I’m going to check on her.”

“Wait.” Jugo paused a moment when Kiba turned to face him. Rethinking, he waved him off. “I recommend not startling him to avoid getting hurt.”

Kiba glared at Jugo before marching down to the end of the hall. He grumbled to himself the whole way because apparently he was the only one willing to intervene. Sasuke could be highly unreadable, and Hinata had not been comfortable ever since seeing Sasuke in this village.

Kiba grabbed for the doorknob when he reached it and found it to be unlocked. This inn was not fancy in the slightest, so the doors had to be locked manually. For Sasuke to leave the door unlocked rubbed Kiba the wrong way.

In an odd way.

The ominous bubbling in his gut told him he should walk away, but it was not in fear that he was on the verge of seeing something horrific. But he wouldn’t want to see it.

“Don’t be stupid,” he muttered to himself, pushing the door open carefully. He stood in the doorway, waiting for something odd to jump out at him, but he saw nothing. The curtains to the window were pulled open, but he could not see the entirety of the room unless he walked in.

But he hesitated, the bubbling in his gut boiling.

A few steps in, the bathroom door was on the left. The light was on, the door was closed, and Kiba began to realize why no one got involved, why they didn’t want to.

It was only after he heard a quivering breath, a low grunt, and a slight bang that he closed the room door and walked back to his own room.

Shino looked up, watching an exhausted Kiba sit in the chair near the window and stare out the ceiling. He settled back into the bed. “She’s fine?”

It’s time for a miscellaneous pair, and I’m a little dried up with my crossover crack pair.

And then I remembered I do have...another.

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Nigel Uno was not Kuki Sanban’s boyfriend, but even he had to question that claim sometimes.

At the age of seventeen, the meaning of friendship started to mean a heck of a whole lot more to him than it ever had before. He was the only member in Sector V who had not been decommissioned, and working undercover for the Kids Next Door was a million times better than the trivially mundane lifestyle his friends were living.

High School.

Hormones.

Relationships.

How could anyone be okay with becoming older?

I’m doing school again. That means I get to procrastinate.

Ya’ll are having some kinda month, right?

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His world flashed right before his eyes because of one simple gesture.

“I have a question.”

When Sasuke turned to his girlfriend, he saw her drop to one knee. His eyes widened and time slowed almost to a standstill. He was horrified. He was close to feeling humiliated. Was this really Hinata Hyuuga he was looking at? Was this really the shy, easily discouraged girl he had known for the better part of his life? Was this really the reserved young woman who would get embarrassed if he so much as held her hand in public without warning?

Was Hinata Hyuuga really about to propose to him here and now on a sidewalk full of people?

It couldn’t be possible.

There was no way he was awake right now.

They had only been dating for a year, so how could she possibly think they were ready for marriage? The only degrees they had were from high school, so how could she think they were financially stable enough to get married, let alone not question if their current degrees they were pursuing would be worth anything later on? He was only 23--she 22--so how could she possibly be sure she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him?

Hinata was smarter than this. She thinks everything through before doing it. She . . .

She wasn’t the type to act impulsively like this . . . So she must have thought it out, and her conclusion was . . . She wanted--

“Do you think I should change my major?”

Sasuke blinked. “What?”

Hinata was gathering papers off the ground that had fallen out of the book that slipped from her hands.

“I’ve been thinking maybe I should be a Business major after all.” She stood up. “How come you didn’t . . . Oh. Are you okay? Your face is a little red.”

Sasuke stared at her, his head shaking lightly. “You’re unbelievable.”

Hinata frowned. “What do you mean?”