Distant Echoes

4 - Hidden

Some gray clouds were moving in the sky that January morning.
Sasuke breathed deeply and walked through the Academy's gate, walking down the long, clean corridor.
The silent noise of his footsteps was out of tune with the cries of children running around to reach their classrooms. The sunlight came through the glass, reverberating on the floor.
Sasuke felt relieved to be able to resume the routine that filled every day.
Colleagues gave him the usual bewildered looks, sometimes someone even tried to talk to him, being punctually ignored.
A few days earlier he had also refused Naruto's invitation regarding the New Year celebrations.
He had no desire to be among people, nor to hear that naive good-natured man who urged him to pay attention to Sakura, he had told her many times that he did not want her, but she kept trying, chasing him and he in response avoided her like an epidemic.
When he finished his lecture, he crossed the threshold of the library and met the figure of Hinata Hyuuga.
She was sitting in front of the desk with a book of legends in her hands judging from that cover.
That day he wore black trousers and an overseas blue shirt. Her hair was untied, she was constantly carrying a lock behind her ears.
As usual, he gave him a faint sign of greeting with his head and she then got up from her desk, taking a seat in front of him.

«Hello», Hinata greeted him with a clear and audible voice, placing his bag on the table where he had packed the books he wanted to consult.
From the night he had let her fall into the void, her voice had changed considerably, because from her small throat, Hinata Hyuuga had now begun to bring out a pleasant tone like a sea breeze, like the rustle of the warm wind on her skin.
«I brought two boxes of rice balls, some fruit juices, we share them?» she asked him as genuine as a child.
He nodded calmly. And she arranged everything on the table, continuing to speak.
He used that new voice with familiarity, as if it had always existed, as if he had never stuttered before pretending to be mute or as if he had created it just for him. And it really had to be, because that's not the way he used to talk years ago.
And in fact, now that he wasn't talking to anyone but him, that theory had to be grounded.
Unaware of her ponderations, Hinata continued to rant about all her thoughts as she read the fairy tale of her book, making considerations about the values that were being transmitted in that story.
Paradoxically then the person with whom he had lost all inhibitor, was the one who could put any woman in awe with a single glance.
All but her, who didn't seem hurt at all by her stoic ways.
Every now and then, however, his character opens in feeling exploited to talk took over and that same afternoon exhausted frowned, moving a lock of dark hair from the eyes and saying:
«Do you think you can keep quiet now?» he asked her in a chilling manner.
Hinata looked away from him and lowered her eyelids, remaining silent.

Sasuke 20 minutes later, looked up from the page of the book, overwhelmed with inner rants in which he condemned his tongue to the thought of having ruined everything, feeling he too was denied the privilege of hearing his voice.
But when he crossed his glass irises, that fear dissolved like a flash of straw the moment she laid her chin on her fist-closed hand and smiled at him.
«Do you want me to tell you something else?» Hinata asked, smiling.
Sasuke immediately allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief.