Bella wasn't sure what she expected to hear after closing Sasuke's door—maybe the sound of him pacing like John sometimes did, or the muted scrape of a chair moving. Instead, she got nothing.
No bed creak, no sigh, and no sound of clothes shifting.
Just silence.
She stayed in the hall a moment longer, telling herself she wasn't listening or that she wasn't creepy, then she gave up and headed to her room.
As she entered, she crawled into the warm bed and got under the blankets. She closed her eyes.
The next time she woke, a light was cutting through the curtains, and the sound of someone moving downstairs broke the stillness.
She pulled on a hoodie and shuffled down, expecting Charlie.
Instead, she found Sasuke in the kitchen, acting as if he was just a human.
He was standing at the counter with a steaming mug in his hand. The coffee maker was on, but judging by the faint steam curling from the open window, he'd been up for a while… or all night.
"You make coffee?" she asked, her voice still rough from sleep.
Sasuke glanced over. "I can."
"That's not an answer to my question."
He set the mug down. "Yes."
Bella raised an eyebrow. "Is that for you or for me?"
"For whoever wakes up first."
She eyed the mug suspiciously, then poured herself some. "I didn't hear you go to bed last night."
"I did."
"Do you sleep?"
"Yes."
"Liar," she said sarcastically, not knowing she was accurate.
Sasuke didn't respond as Charlie came in just then, tugging on his jacket. "Morning, Bells. Sasuke."
"Morning," she said, sipping relaxedly at her coffee.
Sasuke gave a brief nod.
Charlie opened the fridge and grabbed a soda, clearly on his way out the door. "Got a full shift today… you two staying out of trouble?"
"Always," Bella said quickly.
Charlie's eyes narrowed in mock suspicion before he shook his head. "Alright. Don't burn the house down."
Once the door shut behind him, Bella leaned against the counter. "So… what do you do all day if you're not lurking outside the school?"
Sasuke took another sip of coffee. "Watch."
"That's it?"
"For now…"
She set down her mug. "Okay, you've got to give me more than that, because 'watch' sounds like a fancy way of saying you stalk people."
"Look who's talking…" Sasuke said to Bella, hinting that he knew she was listening for any sounds at night she might hear from him. But he continued, "And observation isn't stalking."
"Well…" she smoothly redirected it, "it is if you do it silently and in black hoodies."
His mouth twitched, almost a smirk. "Then yes."
Bella blinked at him, half amused and half unsettled. "You're seriously admitting it?"
"I told you before, I'm not here to make friends."
"Yeah, but… is that your actual goal? Or just an excuse to avoid talking to anyone?"
He met her gaze; his dark black eyes gave away nothing. "If I wanted to avoid people, I wouldn't be here."
That, she couldn't argue with.
Before she could ask more, there was a light knock on the front door.
Sasuke's eyes calmly glanced toward the front door. He set down his mug without a sound and moved to the door with a walk, and Bella followed, curious as a cat as usual.
When he opened it, Alice Cullen was standing there—her beautiful face and charming bright smile aimed at Sasuke, her hair perfectly arranged.
"Good morning," Alice said cheerfully. "I was in the neighborhood."
Bella folded her arms. "You were never in the neighborhood by accident."
Alice tilted her head. "Oh, 'good' observation," she teased, then looked at Sasuke with interest. "You must be Sasuke."
"I am."
She studied him for a moment too long, as if trying to peer through something she couldn't quite see. "Interesting. I can't… hm."
Bella glanced between them. "You can't what?"
Alice smiled at her, but it was faintly distracted. "Never mind. May I come in?"
Bella looked at Sasuke, and Sasuke didn't care. He stepped back without a word, letting her in.
Alice breezed into the kitchen like she owned it, her eyes sweeping over everything before landing back on Sasuke. "You don't like being read, do you?"
"I prefer it."
"That's not the same as liking it."
"No."
Alice tilted her head, studying him. "You're interesting…"
Sasuke said calmly, "So I've been told."
Bella gave her a look. "Is this going to be another one of those 'Alice knows something she won't say out loud' moments?" she said dryly.
Alice's smile widened slightly, but she didn't take her eyes off him. "Most people leave traces of themselves in their choices, and I can see them before they happen, but you…" she paused, "you're not leaving anything."
"Maybe you're looking in the wrong place," Sasuke said, his voice neutral.
She shook her head. "No. It's not that. It's like you're outside the thread entirely."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Outside the what now?"
"Nothing," Alice said lightly, glancing at Bella before her attention drifted back to him. "It's just unusual."
Sasuke didn't respond, and somehow that seemed to satisfy her more than if he'd explained anything.
When they stepped outside and leaving toward the direction of school,Alice stayed close enough to keep studying him but within respectful distance and without making it obvious. She didn't press with more questions about… him, clan, or that Obito which Carlisle was asking her to question about slowly and slowly, as Carlisle wants to meet Obito again…
She doesn't know why Carlisle is so fixated on Obito—is it gratitude? Debt? She doesn't know, but she knows it's not time yet to ask about it from Sasuke.
She could ask John, but she doesn't dare. His aura was totally different than Sasuke's, but it feels restrained from Sasuke's side, and Sasuke looks more approachable from her view.
By the time they reached the parking lot, she stopped. "I'll see you around, Bella," she said, still looking at Sasuke for a beat too long before adding, "and you."
Sasuke gave her a neutral nod.
Alice's gentle smile widened slightly as she turned and left to mind her business.
The rest of the school day passed in the usual speed-mode, and when the final bell rang, Bella found Sasuke in his usual spot by the chain-link fence. Hood up and arms crossed, he looked like he'd been carved there hours ago.
"You didn't wait here all day again, did you?" Bella asked as she walked over.
He looked at her briefly. "No."
Not much convincing.
Bella and Sasuke walked back toward her place without talking much. It wasn't an awkward silence—or maybe it was—but more like the kind that built itself.
Halfway home, she asked, "What did Alice mean earlier? All that stuff about you being… different?"
"She can't read me," he said.
"And that's rare?"
"For her. Yes."
She thought about that for a moment. "She didn't look bothered by it—more like… interested."
"That's her problem," he said simply.
When they reached the house, Charlie was already home. The smell of something cooked drifted from the kitchen.
"You're back?" Charlie said, glancing at Sasuke and Bella as they came in. "Did you stick around all day?"
"No."
Charlie didn't look like he believed him, but he didn't push it. "Well, I made enough for two, if you're staying."
Dinner was quiet, and Sasuke gave short, polite answers when Charlie tried to make conversation. Charlie didn't seem to mind, or was rather used to it from a certain someone (John).
Afterward, when Charlie went to watch the game, Bella turned to Sasuke. "You're staying here tonight, right?"
"Yes."
Bella smiled lightly. "That's how it should be."
He shrugged and left to his room where he had been sleeping before and closed the door gently but firmly.
"Wow… I expected conversation," said Bella dryly as she left to sleep too.
The next morning, Sasuke sat at the table on a chair, his fist on his cheek, looking out of the window—boredom. How long does he need to do this, accompanying Bella? Let Madara do it himself… oh… I'm Madara. But I'm a clone… a slave.
Then, out of sudden, a soft knock came at the front door. Bella opened it casually, only to find Alice again standing there—but this time she wasn't alone. Edward and Jasper were with her, both dressed like they were about to go on the cover of an outdoor gear magazine.
"We're going camping," Alice announced like it was the most natural thing in the world, "and you both are coming."
Bella blinked. "Since when do you all camp?"
"Since today," she said, her eyes darting from Bella to Sasuke.
"I'm not going," Sasuke said without looking up.
Alice's smile widened just a little. "You are~"
"Okay, then I'm going," said Bella. She didn't mind as Sasuke, the shadow clone, raised his fist from his face and looked toward Bella.
"Really?"
"Yes," replied Bella smoothly as Edward spoke then, "It'll be quiet, no one else around."
"Except us. Only five of us… I think," Jasper added.
"…Fine," said Sasuke, as he, in fact, could refuse this. His orders from original Madara were clearly only to accompany Bella to school, home, and back—not to follow her every move. But it's better than staying home, especially if they invite him… boredom, of course, plays a role in it too.
As they entered some nearby forest, Alice led the way, her movements confident while Edward chatted with Bella. Jasper helped them with the gear, and Sasuke followed at his usual measured pace, observing everything but giving nothing away.
The clearing they chose was obviously perfect, with smooth, straight earth ringed by trees and soft mossy ground. Alice set to work immediately, gathering wood with casual but precise fingers, while Jasper arranged the tents with practiced efficiency.
As they started the campfire and all of them sat around it, Alice's eyes found Sasuke in the dim light.
"You don't talk much," she said, a playful tilt to her voice.
Sasuke shrugged. "Many say this, and I prefer to listen."
Bella smiled at him. "Maybe this is your chance to open up a little."
He gave her a deadpan look. "What is there to say?"
The fire crackled, and the day darkened slowly into night. Edward handed out a plate of food to Bella sitting beside Alice, and Edward glanced at Sasuke if he wanted some too. After all, if they were correct, he should be human. Sasuke refused with a shake of his head.
"So…" Alice began casually, "you come from somewhere… different."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly, calmly, but he nodded. "Well, you could say that."
Edward leaned forward, always curious about Sasuke and John, but not wanting to admit it in a way.
"Your family or clan—there's a history."
Bella, who was eating, stopped as she listened like a tiger. All of them were curious.
Sasuke's gaze was calm as usual, and he responded with a neutral voice. "My clan has been here for some time," as always getting into the role of acting.
"Longer than the vampires?" Jasper asked, raising an eyebrow.
Sasuke said casually, "No, but enough to lessen the population of vampires by at least 40%, even more."
…
Alice's eyes were calm but hint of fear that disappeared quickly but they were curious nonethless. she said "We don't usually get to meet someone with that kind of legacy."
Jasper yapped, "What do you guys call yourself,Uchiha clan, right?" After he said that word, the area around them became silent, and Sasuke broke it with a simple word.
"Yes. It's not new knowledge."
Alice asked carefully, "The Van Helsings… as some legends call them? Could you tell me about them? About one person… or who are they? I mean, is it some title passed to the next generation of Uchiha heirs or something like that?" She said it in one breath.
Sasuke calmly replied, "You could say that. We didn't choose that title. Vampires gave it to us, and we adapted to it. We took it, and it made them fear us more over time."
"So, what brought you here?" Bella asked bluntly, genuinely curious.
Sasuke glanced at her. "Quiet and peaceful place," he said calmly, but it may not be even half the truth.
Later, as the fire burned low and the forest darkened even more, Bella found herself sitting beside Sasuke again.
"You don't have to be so guarded all the time," she said.
He just responded, "I don't have to, indeed, but I want to, and being guarded keeps you alive."
She nodded. "But maybe here you can let your guard down. Just a little."
Sasuke said dryly, "If it will be just lowered a little, you won't see a difference."
"Oh, come on…" she said with a loud sigh on purpose as she covered her eyes with one hand. "Well… I'm going to sleep, Sasuke. Good night…"
Sasuke just nodded her off as she left to sleep in the tent. But after that, Alice looked at Sasuke and walked toward him.
(sorry guys if it is cringe,its inevitable and i tried to add slowly some romance here or some interaction but not totally romance or confirmed one but i tried it and you are guys free to give me ideas)