I'll follow you

Bye bye leaf village

It was a chilly night, but Hiyori didn't feel the cold. She was totally immersed in the moment, the feel of his hand in hers, the slight breeze blowing on her face, the glow of the moon illuminating the path before them, bathing the area in a frosty silver light. It made a good last date.

Sasuke had come to her the other day and confided in her. He was going to leave the village tomorrow and wanted to ask Hiyori if she would walk him to the gate. Hiyori hadn't asked questions- she definitely had them (she knew why, but why now?)- just nodded. That was that.

Well, they were there now, seconds away from departing. Bittersweet echoes of the past flooded through Hiyori's mind, a million tiny bubbles surfacing from the depths of a lake, a photo album rapidly flipping through pages, images flashing briefly before being instantly replaced by another vivid but no less meaningful memory. Hiyori abruptly stopped, a little overwhelmed. Sasuke looked back questioningly, and Hiyori gave him a sad smile, unable to bear the painful anticipation of departure. "Well, I'm not going to stop you. If this is your decision then I will stand by it." She paused, then dropped his hand, turned, and stood there for a second. "Good luck, Sasuke. I wish you the best on your journey."

The first step away was the most painful. It was filled with all the could-have-been's, cultivated regret, the fading impression of his warm hand in her's. She forced herself to walk in time with her aching heart, to remember how he'd changed her life, to cling to the memories. Yet Hiyori held her head high. She was strong, she didn't want her last minutes with him to be spent feeling upset. He had decided to leave, and it was Hiyori's job as a friend to accept that and support him.

Then he grabbed her departing wrist, tethering her to him, and she was caught like a fly in a spiderweb, unable to say goodbye a second time. She turned around with a defeated look on her face to meet his enthralling onyx eyes. "Sasuke-?" She couldn't manage anymore, it pained her too much.

"Hiyori. Come with me. You're useful to me." He was looking at her, eyes like pools of ink, cheeks flushed with the cold air. "Besides... I don't want to lose you."

Hiyori's eyes widened slightly as she thought about what would happen if she left with him. They were beautifully dark fantasies, could-have-been's dissipating into what-if's, a world of opportunity, the entire Earth open in the near future. Then her mind thought of Takashi, and the remorse crashed back down like a heavy curtain, accompanied by the shame she felt by even forgetting about him. "I- I can't, my mom told me to look after Takashi. I..I can't let her down....... he is going to be a genin in a few years but I can't leave him by himself, can I...?"

Sasuke pulls her closer to him, and she inhales his scent, leaning into him and savoring his warmth as he kisses the top of her head. "He's strong, you are his sister after all, he'll be fine."

She sighs contentedly, giving into guilty pleasure. "Yeah... plus I don't want you to do anything stupid when you're gone. I'll go get my stuff." She draws away from him. "I'll be back in ten minutes."

Sasuke looks at Hiyori's fading back in relief. He was too proud to admit it, but he would have gone insane if she wasn't going to be with him while he trained with that snake pedo.

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(Hiyori POV)

I arrive at my house, opening the door slowly so as to not wake Takashi. However, with my heart already racing so fast in excitement, my efforts were to no avail as I accidentally nudged the door a bit too eagerly, causing it to make a loud squeak. I tensed. 'Please don't wake up, please don't wake up!' To my disappointment, I heard footsteps coming towards me. 'Shit shit shit shit... ' I quietly speed walked to my room, hoping he was just going to the bathroom or something.