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kiljoius · 1 year

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Happiness, Her Whole World

Pairing: Sasuke Uchiha/Hinata Hyūga

Summary: He was her whole world, at one time. Now her brother is dead. And she wants him gone.

Or: Hinata and Sasuke had always been together as members of sister clans. When he returns, she's unsure of how to handle it.

Word Count: 22.5k

Rating: Teen

This ended up being way too goddamn long, but I’ve never been the type to follow the “kill your darlings” advice. It’s bullshit and I will kiss each and everyone of my darlings because I MADE THEM. Happy New Year.

AO3 | FFN

“Ah, seems as though your daughter is getting on well with my boy, 'ey, Hiashi?”

“She gets on well with anyone,” Hiashi responded without looking up, “she has her mother’s open demeanor.”

“Mmm.” Fugaku stood back.

“Hinata—” Sasuke grabbed her shoulder, shaking it slightly. “Want to see the new fountain my mom got?”

“Yes!” Hinata responded brightly, immediately standing to meet him.

She followed him dutifully, as she normally did. Often, it was Sasuke leading her around to whatever piqued his interest at the time. Not many people paid attention to Sasuke, but Hinata did. She was eager to see whatever it was he wanted to show her, teach her, or lead her to. Life outside of the compound was fraught with worry, but in the Uchiha district, it was a place of comfort. Both children were oblivious to the tension between the clans, simply grateful to be around one another.

It was a time Sasuke didn’t feel like he needed to impress anyone, his father, brother, cousins, or otherwise. When Hinata was here, he was her world, and he reveled in that, took as much from her as she would give, downright happy someone really thought he was worth listening to. He could show her the simplest of scrolls and she’d be impressed. He could lead her to the tiniest of ponds that he liked to skip rocks at, and she’d happily join him. He could talk her ear off about his efforts to perfect the fireball jutsu, and she’d listen carefully. He didn’t know it at the time, but it was something he’d treasure for some time.

It was a time Hinata didn’t feel like she had to be polite and closed off, that cold Hyūga demeanor demanding to shine through. When she was with Sasuke, she could relax, let him take the lead, let him be her world. She could be shown the simplest of scrolls by him and she’d be thoroughly amazed at his understanding of them. She’d let him lead her to the tiniest of ponds to skip rocks and it was a joy to participate in she’d never known. She could listen to him speak on his progress with his family’s fireball jutsu and never be bored, in fact enthusiastic to hear him. She didn’t know it at the time, but it was something she’d treasure forever.

“Oh, your little girl is the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen.” Mikoto approached behind, sighing softly. “I had hoped for a girl, myself.”

“Hm,” Fugaku hummed, choosing not to fully acknowledge the comment.

“And how is your eldest, then?” Hiashi asked, locking eyes with Mikoto. “I’ve heard grand things.”

Hinata stopped next to Sasuke, admiring the large sculpture, a large dolphin with water shooting from its mouth, down a cascading set of rocks.

“It’s so pretty,” Hinata whispered, leaning in closer. “It sounds…like music.”

“Music?” Sasuke questioned, leaning in as well. “It’s just water dropping.”

Hinata giggled softly, and Sasuke turned to look at her. “Anything can be music…my mother once said.”

“Anything?” Sasuke asked, raising his eyebrows. She nodded. He brought a finger up to tap his chin, then whirled around. She looked on curiously as he bolted off, and as always, was compelled to follow him.

“Sasuke!” Hinata called in her soft voice, one that was barely above a whisper, but one that he could always hear. “Where are you going? We shouldn’t go too—”

“Here!” Sasuke skidded to a halt, and she clashed into him. He laughed as she tumbled to the ground, and crouched down to grab her hands, hoisting her up. She huffed slightly, turning pink in the cheeks, and he pushed her hair out of her face for her. “Clutz.”

“Oh—” She turned away. “That’s mean.”

“Can’t be if it’s true,” he continued, tugging at her sleeve. “C’mon, look!”

She finally looked his way as he grabbed a large stick from the ground and began banging it against a large, traditional gong in the midst of a beautiful garden. She gasped, trying to grab the stick back. “Sasuke! I don’t think—”

“You said—” He punctuated with a hard smack against the instrument. “—anything can be music!”

“Th-That’s true—” She snatched the stick from his hand. “But some things should be treated with care!”

“Hinataaaaa—” he whined as he tried to take it back, “don’t be dumb about it!”

“Sasuke!” she snapped, pulling it behind her back. “I don’t want Mr. Fugaku to be upset with you!”

To this, Sasuke stopped, glaring towards her. He folded him arms and huffed, pouty. Hinata smiled, slowly bringing the stick to her front.

“Anything can be music, Sasuke. Even—” She stopped, stepping towards a patch of bamboo growing in the corner. “Plants.” She gently tapped the bamboo with the stick and he rolled his eyes.

“Why even care if my dad gets mad at me?” he questioned, grabbing the stick out of her hands. “He’ll be mad no matter what. He always is.”

She paused, looking up at him with those big, mooning eyes. He shrunk away from them, dropping the stick to the ground. “I care about you.”

“Why?” he sighed, looking away. “I can handle my dad.”

“Okay…” Hinata twisted her lips, looking away now, too. “But…it makes me sad.”

Sasuke snapped his eyes up, eyebrows furrowing. “Why?”

“When you’re hurt.”

“Hurt?”

“The…the bruises.”

Sasuke instinctively raised his hand to his chest, covering a bruise there that wasn’t visible. “It’s not like you don’t have them, too!”

Hinata took in a shaky breath, further shrinking in on herself. “Yes…that is true…”

“So?!” Sasuke snapped, defensively. “You’re fine! And I’m fine!”

Hinata swallowed, turning her body away now as she brought the back of her hand up to her eye. “Yes, you’re right, Sasuke.”

“What—” Sasuke stepped forward, guilt weighing him down now as he recognized her look of defeat, one he saw all too often when she was in the Hyūga compound. “You’re crying?!”

“N—no-, I’m not—” she gasped out, beginning to walk away.

“Hey!” he called, grabbing her shoulder. When he forced her to turn around, his demeanor instantly softened to nothing. His eyes blew wide at her red eyes and his stomach felt…twisted, in a horrid way. She covered her face.

“Don’t look at me, Sasuke.” Her voice was wet with sobs and he was torn on whether to feel angry with her for crying so easily, or sad for her, because it was so easy for her to begin crying.

He chose the latter, today. “Hinata.” he forced himself forward, grabbing her hands from her face to force them down. “You don’t cry here.”

“Wh-what?”

“You don’t cry at the Uchiha’s.”

“O…Oh…”

“You’re happy here,” he forced out, grabbing her hands tightly, “you’re happy here with us. With me and my brother. Okay? Just…I’m…” Sasuke grunted, averting his eyes. “I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry. Just—just be happy, okay?”

Hinata lifted her eyes, meeting his and tugged her hands away to wipe at her tears. She nodded resolutely. “Yes. Yes, I’m happy here.”

Sasuke’s heart lifted, feeling that little weight swept away. “Yeah…yeah! I’m happy, too, okay? We’re happy!”

Hinata smiled, despite her red eyes, and nodded again. “Yes! We’re happy!”

Sasuke sucked in a deep breath, raising his hands above his head. “We’re happy!”

Hinata laughed now, and he couldn’t help but return his own laugh. She raised her hands, too. “We’re happy!”

In unison, they grabbed each other’s hands and yelled.

“WE’RE HAPPY!”

A year later, and it was Sasuke’s first day back at the Academy, surprising everyone. The elders were insistent that he take at least a month off, if not more, or possibly drop out entirely. But Sasuke wouldn’t have it, he demanded to return within a few days. He came back an entirely new person, no hint of happiness on his features whatsoever. He was stoic, cold, and silent. The entire day, Iruka did his best to check in on him, but was met with indifference from the newly orphaned boy. Everyone stared at him, whispered to each other, all of them lacked tact. Except one.

The heiress quietly ate her lunch in solitude on a bench near some training dummies. Her eyebrow perked when Sasuke wandered over, shuriken in hand. Without sparing her a glance, he immediately got to work training. Hinata gulped her food down, glancing at her bento briefly before looking back up at Sasuke. He was quick with his throws, relentless. She tilted her head, wondering if he had eaten his lunch already.

She also wondered how he could return so quickly. Of course, she knew what happened, everyone did. The thought brought her both immense grief for Sasuke and his family, as well as terrified her. If it could happen to a clan as strong as the Uchiha, the only other dōjutsu-weilding clan of the village, what stopped it from happening to her own clan? She cried when she found out. She could only imagine her family struck down by her hand, Hanabi orphaned and alone. The idea was so impossible, but felt so close to reality with the tragedy.

Yet here he was, merely a week after the massacre, isolated and training.

They had been friends before now. She wasn’t sure what to make of him now, but before this, they seemed to be friends. And Itachi had been like a brother to her. Her stomach twisted as she thought of him.

When he threw his last shuriken with a grunt, he immediately went to the dummy to retrieve the rest. She sighed inwardly, deciding to be bold.

“H-have you eaten, Sasuke?”

She was met with silence. She figured.

“If you’re hungry, y-you can have some of mine.”

He didn’t even afford her a look as he got back into position, squinting as he aimed.

“I-I’m finished, so…”

“No.” Hinata gasped at his response. He still didn’t look at her, but he did respond. It was the first sign of his voice she had heard since before the massacre. With that, he began launching his shuriken and Hinata’s gaze fell down to her bento. She twisted her lips contemplatively. Eventually, she gently closed the bento and set it next to her on the bench, raising to her feet. She looked one last time at Sasuke before taking off back to the entrance of the Academy.

“I’m not a cat.”

Hinata whirled around from the entrance of the Hyūga compound to see Sasuke standing in the distance, her bento in hand.

“Sasuke?” Kō tilted his head at the boy, then turned his attention to Hinata who’s cheeks were turning rosy as he walked to her.

“I-I didn’t mean to-“

“Mind your business, Hyūga.” Sasuke shoved the bento in her hands, causing Kō to gasp.

“Well-that’s hardly any way to speak to the heiress!” Kō called after Sasuke, who had turned without another word to make towards the Uchiha district. Hinata stared down at the bento now, eyebrows furrowing. She carefully peeled open the lid to see what she left him untouched. “Lady Hinata?”

“N-nothing.” Hinata shook her head, turning back to the entrance. “Let’s continue.”

Sasuke shoved his hands in his pockets as he rounded the corner of the Hyūga complex.

Who did she think she was? Trying to take pity on him? Like a wounded animal? Sure, he didn’t really know his way around cooking, but he had a giant ration of rice and he could make that. It’s all he needed. He didn’t need her sympathy.

He forcefully shoved the front door to his apartment open, the creaking filling the silence of the home. He glanced around, eyes landing on the bag of rice. He frowned before going into the kitchen.

I don’t need anyone’s help.

The routine persisted for months, turned to years. She hadn’t attempted to offer food to him again in all that time. They both remained distant, together. Both isolated from the rest of their peers, quietly joining each other for lunch every day for almost four years now. He never spared her much more than a glance, sometimes a grunt of acknowledgement. Hinata noticed that Sasuke never ate. They almost walked alongside each other on their way to the training dummies. He occasionally offered her a glare of disapproval, but she wasn’t deterred. It was her spot first, after all.

Today, while throwing shuriken, Sasuke gripped the last one in his hand. Hinata looked up when she heard a small thud, the last shuriken slipping from his fingers and hitting the ground. Then she looked on with horror as Sasuke fell, too. She leapt to her feet, spilling her bento in the process, and knelt over his unconscious form.

“Sasuke? Sasuke!” She gently grasped his shoulder and shook, placing her other hand over his forehead. He wasn’t warm. Then she heard his stomach growl.

He’s not eating.

She looked behind her with a frown at her spilled bento, but saw her water bottle was still closed. She snatched it and swiftly unscrewed the cap, pouring a small amount in the palm of her hand. She carefully dipped her fingers in the little pool and rubbed them against his forehead and cheeks in an attempt at waking him up. Eventually, he did stir, and halfway opened one eye to see her.

“What the hell are you doing?” he grumbled, then sucked in a deep breath.

“Y-you passed out…” she whispered, pulling her hands away from him but still remaining kneeled next to his side. He managed to open both eyes to roll them.

“You didn’t call anyone?” he spoke sarcastically.

“I didn’t think you’d like a big scene…” she said, quietly. He drew his eyebrows together at her statement, a somewhat confused look on his face. She continued, “Sasuke, you haven’t been eating…I think you passed out from hunger…”

“I’m fine,” he snapped, pulling himself up onto his elbows. “I’m not some little plaything for you to worry about, got it? Leave me alone.”

Hinata frowned but nodded, rising to her feet. She turned wordlessly, picking up the contents of her bento and making way for the entrance of the Academy.

Sasuke eyed Hinata suspiciously as she walked ahead of him. She had two bentos in her hands. He rolled his eyes as she approached the bench, choosing to ignore the detail as he set up to train. She carefully placed one bento on the bench, then took off without a word. He forced himself not to look at her the entire time she was there, but he had her in his peripheral. He knew exactly what she was doing.

He wanted to turn around and yell at her to come back. Yell at her to come get her disgusting food and leave him alone. Yell at her to stop coming to this spot. But he didn’t. He simply continued training, glancing at the bento several times. He heaved a deep sigh as his last shuriken left his fingers, square in the forehead of the dummy. Hesitantly, he looked over his shoulder to ensure no one was there. Then he looked back at the bento and relented to his growling stomach.

If she wanted to go through the trouble of bringing extra food, he figured he might as well eat it. He didn’t have to thank her, he wouldn’t thank her. As he opened the lid to the bento, a wonderful scent hit his nose. He frowned at how good it smelled, inspecting the contents. Tamagoyaki, fried shrimp, an apple, and like a bow on top, a whole sliced tomato, salted. His mouth watered at the sight, and he didn’t hold back before he dug in.

It had been a while since he had real food, or any protein. He shamelessly devoured the entire box, feeling fuller than he had in a while, it almost hurt. He had gotten so used to such little portions, he may have overdone it. But for now, he didn’t care. The food was immaculate, and suddenly he was feeling envious of Hinata’s comfortable life with the Hyūga. If only he had house servants to make him amazing food like this, every day.

But he had nothing, and no one. He shook himself from those jealous thoughts. He wanted to be alone.

At dismissal, Sasuke made his way towards Hinata as she exited. Wordlessly, he began walking next to her, holding the bento out in front of her without making eye contact. He heard her little gasp as she took the bento from his hands and almost felt her smile burn into him.

“It’s light! Y-you must have eaten!” she chirped and he turned his face away from hers. “I hope it was acceptable. I’m still learning not to overcook the tamagoyaki…”

He stopped in his tracks, eyes fixed ahead as he processed her words. She had made all that? She stopped as well, tilting her head up at him questioningly.

“Oh…I-I apologize…it wasn’t good…”

“No,” Sasuke snapped, finally giving her the courtesy of looking down at her. “You made it? Don’t you have chefs?”

“W-well yes…” She bowed, averting her eyes to the ground. “But I enjoy cooking…so I make my own lunches. I-it’s the only time I am allowed to cook…”

“Silly girl.” Animosity coated his words, taking her by surprise. “Royalty, spoiled, pampered, trying to seem humble by doing servant duties.”

“Wh-what?! N-No!”

“Whatever, Lady Hyūga,” he muttered sarcastically, pushing past her without another word.

She had a family! She had servants! She had everything she could ever want and she lowers herself to the task of cooking for herself? What did she think she was playing at? Did she think it would impress him if it was her who made it? How selfish, so incredibly selfish. Her presence was just a cruel reminder that he was now alone in this world, and he loathed her for it.

Damn her.

Hinata ceased bringing food to Sasuke, and even stopped going to the training dummies to eat. She spent the next couple of weeks searching for an equally secluded spot, hoping to avoid her cousin at all costs. She had come this far, and he was due to graduate soon, so she only had to hold out a bit longer. The training dummies were originally a good place because people didn’t often train during lunch time, and she could be alone for the most part. She didn’t necessarily enjoy being alone, but it was better than feeling the judgmental stare of others.

She wasn’t naïve. She saw the way people looked at her, whispered about her, snickered at her as she stumbled over her feet and stuttered out answers to Iruka’s questions. Called her stuck up while simultaneously calling her a shame to her clan. Somehow, she was both pompous and arrogant, while also being dishonorable and pathetic. It was useless to try to argue these points with people, her voice could barely get past a whisper on good days.

Her first moment of joy in weeks had been when Sasuke handed her the emptied bento. She was genuinely pleased she could help him to a meal, and that he had eaten all of it. Then, he proved himself to be like all the others. Viewing her as a conceited princess.

She knew he must still be grieving, even if it seemed like much time has passed, so she tried not to take it personally. He was always kind to her in the past, before the massacre. Their clans were close for many reasons, the biggest of which tethered to the motto ‘keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.’ Regardless, as children, there were many events where they would be the only kids besides Neji and Hanabi. They were usually drawn to each other, or told to keep each other company while the adults talked.

How could she expect him to be the same person after seeing his entire family and clan slaughtered? By one’s own brother, no less.

No, she chose not to be pushy. He deserved his space, so she gave up her spot to let him have his privacy. He didn’t get much of it in class, with all of his fan girls.

Today, she peered into a little secluded spot near the training dummies, covered in bushes. This would do. She could still hear Sasuke’s shuriken sinking into the dummies near her, but he probably didn’t know she was there, and she was keeping out of his space, anyway. She sighed in relief as she set her bento in the grass, carefully peeling it open, only to be disturbed a moment later.

“Lady Hinata.” A cold voice called over the bushes, and her heart clenched as she rose to meet eyes like hers.

“Oh, elder brother…” she exhaled, looking away.

He sighed, looking down on her with empty eyes. “Up. Let’s see if you managed to improve since our last spar.”

“Oh, no…” Hinata held up her hands defensively, shaking her head. “I-I was just about to eat-“

“Up,” he commanded her and she bit her lip, swallowing hard as she got to her feet. She didn’t notice the sound of Sasuke’s shuriken hitting wood ceasing.

Reluctantly, she stepped in front of Neji and dropped her stance, assuming position with her byakugan activated. Immediately, he swept her leg, but she managed to dodge it, becoming somewhat familiar with his routine. Sweep the leg, hit the shoulder with the opposite hand, hit the chest with the other hand, sweep, and so on.

After a few moments, as always, he had bested her with an unexpected hit to the stomach after a barrage of attacks. She coughed shallowly as she fell to her knees, clutching her stomach. Her head hung as he pulled himself upright, deactivating his byakugan. “Pitiful…” Hinata felt tears welling up in her ducts, so she curtained her face with her hair as best as she could. He scoffed, turning from her. “Such a waste. A wasted heiress,” he continued, folding his arms. When she let a sniffle escape, he turned back around, looking furious. “Crying? Haven’t you cried enough? For what? Being so weak?” She pulled her chin to her chest, refusing to look at him. “Quit now, Hinata.”

“Hey.” They both shot up to see Sasuke’s black eyes staring back at them. “Sparring at lunch?”

Neji pressed his lips together, glancing from Hinata’s broken form to Sasuke’s domineering presence. He shook his head, turning around as he spat, “mind yourself, Uchiha.” With that, he left the secluded area and Hinata let out a deep sigh of relief, letting the tears stream down her cheeks. She re-positioned to sit on her bottom and brought her knees to her chest, burying her face in them to avoid Sasuke’s gaze.

How humiliating…Sasuke saw all of it, I’m sure…

Sasuke stared down at the young heiress and felt something strange in his heart. He had seen the tail end of the little match, having heard Neji’s voice from his position. Curiosity got the better of him and he peered over the bushes just in time to see her be brutally beat down. He watched carefully. Her moves weren’t bad, just slow, and she had a hard time countering. She blocked and dodged fairly well, but let herself be tired out by his relentless blows. Then he hit her right in the gut, far harder than a friendly sparring match would go.

Then he listened as he spat hateful words at her and he felt deeply confused. Neji was her family. She called him brother. How could he speak like that to her? She was an heiress. Now he felt angry. These people had family to love and cherish, and they throw it away like it’s garbage. He finally had enough when Neji began telling her to quit, and finally made his presence known.

As Neji responded curtly and walked away, Sasuke’s eyes landed on Hinata. Bruises were already forming around her ankles and her lip looked slightly red with blood. Then she curled into a ball and he saw her form begin to shake, no doubt with sobs. He felt…almost sad, for her. Which he hated. He hated that he, who had his entire family slaughtered, was being made to take pity on another who had her whole family.

But what was the point of family if they detest you?

He frowned, debating whether to do anything to comfort the girl, this girl who he had once spent so much time with. His stomach felt tight as he thought of the little girl he had once considered a friend. The little girl who enthusiastically weaved him a flower crown he begrudgingly wore. The little girl who comforted him after his father hit him over something petty. The only other person of his age he felt he had some sort of connection with outside of his clan. He should comfort her.

He couldn’t. He sighed as he also exited the secluded area, heading back to the academy entrance.

In class, as the other children joked and chittered, Sasuke couldn’t stop looking down at Hinata. She sat just in front of him, shoulders slumped, breathing seeming heavy.

He wondered if it had always been this way. At all of the inter-clan events he had been to, he had never seen anyone treat her the way Neji did. Perhaps it was because now she was in the academy? Or perhaps he just kept it well hidden. He remembered the playful bright girl that would ask him to help her pick flowers from the Hyūga garden and make crowns out of them, and now below him sat a broken girl, completely silent and looking dead inside. It was somewhat tragic, if he was honest.

That might’ve been funny coming from him of all people, if he had any sense of humor left.

When the academic day ended, Sasuke trailed Hinata a bit too closely out the door, causing her to look behind her shoulder at him. He let his eyes rest on her features, soft and stained with dry tears. He scrunched his nose at it. Neji may have had a point about her being weak…but even for him, it seemed cruel. She quickly turned her head back to face in front of her to avoid his gaze. But he didn’t let up.

What am I thinking?

Sasuke casually sped up his pace until he was next to her, then matched her speed. She didn’t look up at him, instead keeping her eyes facing the ground. He didn’t say anything, simply walked with her. He set his eyes ahead and they trekked together in silence. Her home was on the way. Once they reached Hyūga territory, he glanced at her. She stopped and looked up at him, forcing him to stop as well.

“Uhm…” she whispered, seeming unsure. He swallowed before giving her a short nod and turning on his heel to continue his walk. He felt her eyes on his back.

Hinata stared down at her two bento boxes, just about completed. She packed tomagoyaki, onigiri, salted plums, and a salted, sliced tomato, recalling that Sasuke always asked for tomato from his mother. She tucked a napkin in each, and on top, a mini cinnamon roll. She sucked in a sharp breath as she shakily pulled the lids on each of them, wondering if she was making a mistake. She stacked them and carefully slid them into her pack, then pulled it on and headed out without a word. No one to say goodbye to her, no one to wish her a good day. Just a nod from a guard at the entrance as she began her trek to the academy.

Perhaps she had misread the situation yesterday. Surely she had to be mistaking Sasuke’s cavalier nature for kindness. She couldn’t help but wonder what compelled him to end her suffering by chiming in with Neji. She also wondered why he walked with her home. She knew it was on the way to his apartment, but his legs were longer, he was quicker, there was no reason for him to match her steps. Unless he wanted to. So did he?

She sighed as she twiddled her fingers together, glancing side to side. She gulped as she sensed eyes on her from behind, and slowly turned her head to see the onlooker. Sasuke. He was staring directly at her, and she quickly pulled her head forward. He had the tendency to bore holes into her, for whatever reason. Then, within moments, he was next to her again, like yesterday. There must have been intent in his actions. She wondered if he was playing with her.

They quietly entered the academy together, greeted by a room buzzing with laughter and shouting. He was immediately flocked by a group of girls and she parted ways from him, taking her seat near the front. Her heart felt unusually heavy today, probably with worry in how Sasuke might react to her continued offering. As the clock struck 8, Iruka entered the room and began hushing the rowdy pre-teens. She did her best to focus.

Sasuke watched Hinata climb out of her seat at lunch dismissal, and wondered where she would go today.

He walked her to school today. He didn’t know why, but when he saw her in his line of sight, he was compelled to join her. Perhaps her silent presence was the type of companionship he was craving. The girls around him never shut up, seeming to forget what kind of person he was. He cultivated a personality of intimidation and isolation on purpose with the hope he could train to be the best he could be and seek his vengeance. Their fawning over him crippled that appearance.

Or perhaps…he was nostalgic.

He had gotten used to having her around, so when she didn’t eat at the training dummies a few weeks ago after he told her not to, he was flustered by a feeling of emptiness. Her presence on the bench, quietly eating and perhaps stealing glances at him, was comforting. It was a routine, it was a constant, and he could rely on it. Even if they never spoke, he felt at peace. Something he hadn’t realized until she wasn’t there. So he walked with her. And now, he hesitantly followed her out the door outside. He felt an odd sense of calm when she headed to the training dummies once more.

If she could sense his presence, she wasn’t letting him know by looking at him. But somehow, he was sure she knew he was there. She sat down on the bench and looked up at him, and for the first time in a long time, offered him a smile. He eyed the two bentos in her hand and almost let a smirk slip. She set it down next to her and bowed her head before focusing her attention on her own lunch. He let out a small “hmph” before pulling out his shuriken and getting to work.

He didn’t tell her to leave. He didn’t yell at her. He didn’t even look upset when she sat down. A smile even ghosted his lips. So she took it as a sign, and presented the bento next to her, knowing he knew what that meant. She wasn’t offended when he ignored it and went to training. Perhaps he needed her to leave to enjoy it.

She was genuinely concerned about his living situation. She had heard that he along with Naruto were provided rations free of charge, but she had to imagine how difficult it was for a 7-year-old to learn to cook on their own, and with the way Sasuke pushed people away, she assumed he had no one to teach him or cook for him. She hoped he would accept her offering.

So when he went through a few rounds of throwing shuriken and she was halfway through her food, she was pleasantly surprised to find him approaching her. He eyed the bento suspiciously, but eventually took a seat next to her, closer than she was expecting, and grasped the bento. He let out a puff of air in amusement as he opened the lid, and she felt happiness tug at her heartstrings when she saw a smile.

They ate in silence, Sasuke finishing his off in just a few bites while she still had half of hers left. He must like it. She peered up at him as he scraped the edges with the chopsticks, grabbing up every last crumb. She looked down at her own bento and tilted her head, then slowly lifted it towards him. He looked down at it in surprise, finding the tomato only half eaten, and he couldn’t seem to resist. Quickly, he took it and began wolfing it down as well. She giggled quietly, causing him to freeze.

“What’s funny?” he snapped, his first words since yesterday. She shook her head.

“I’m just happy,” she said, quietly. He cocked his head with a raised eyebrow before rolling his eyes and continuing. Once it was empty, he set it down next to the other and leaned back, pulling a hand behind his head and the other resting on his stomach.

“Your tomagoyaki has improved,” he spoke shortly, not affording her a glance. She gasped quietly at the confession of approval. The nicest thing he’s said to her in years.

“O-oh-thank you, Sasuke.” She bowed her head and he finally let a full smirk slip.

“You’re so proper.” He tsked, still not looking at her. Her eyes went wide. “Bowing, apologizing, sniveling. We’ve known each other since we were babies. Probably why people think you’re stuck up.”

“O-oh,” she exhaled, darting her eyes into her lap.

Now, he chuckled. “Imagine if I called you Lady Hinata.”

She looked up thoughtfully. “I suppose that might seem strange…from you.”

“From me.” Another chuckle. “Relax a little.” She was quiet at these words. He raised his eyebrows then finally looked down at her, she was still. “What?”

“I don’t mean to offend, Sasuke, but it is difficult for me to relax around you.”

He frowned, but he couldn’t deny it. “Maybe that’s a good thing.”

“Hm,” she hummed, looking up to meet his eyes. Unsure of how to respond, she attempted to change the subject. She glanced at the bentos and frowned when she saw the cinnamon rolls remained. “You didn’t like the cinnamon rolls?”

“Don’t like sweets. Take them.” She blinked at the words.

How can someone not like sweets?

Sasuke watched her reluctantly take a cinnamon roll and pop it in her mouth. He couldn’t help but watch her movements, eyes resting on her lips as she chewed. When her eyes rose to meet his, he shook the thoughts from his brain and turned away with a huff. He wondered about her. He wondered why she was like this. Why was she so quiet yet so insistent? She didn’t chase him like the other girls, yet she seemed to always be around. He wondered why she seemed to care so much about his well-being.

Sure, they’d been friends. But that was fake, he figured. Clans making nice, sandwiching their children together. None of that was real.

If forced to admit it, he would. She was different, and there was a reason. She was a Hyūga. Sister clan to his. High expectations, ruthless training, no room for weakness. His clan was gone, now, but hers remained. She remained in whatever state she’d been in as long as he’d known her. Going so long in that environment was bound to break her down. Even back then, he knew she wasn’t as strong as her clan wanted her to be. She’d never been anything except soft. His younger self liked that, because it was so different from himself, something he took enjoyment in. Now he wondered if the loss of his clan had affected her, too.

The bell rang and he shot to his feet without looking at her. He began strolling away as she packed up the bentos, leaving her behind momentarily. He willed his legs to slow so she could catch up with him, matching her stride. Then, in a flash, her knuckles brushed against his and he hissed, reeling his hand back. She gasped and looked up at him with wide eyes. “Oh-I’m so sorry, Sasuke!”

“Hmph,” he grumbled, pulling his arms into a fold. The touched spot tingled. It had been a while since he had gentle contact with another person. It was all fighting and sparring.

Hmm. Sparring.

They finished the day at the academy as usual, and he managed to continue by her side to her home. He debated in his head.

She could use my help. We could call it an exchange for the food. She keeps making me delicious food, I make her a better fighter. That makes sense. It’s just fair. Plus, I could use some practice against a byakugan user if that other Hyūga is going to be a problem in the future.

“Meet me at the training grounds an hour before class tomorrow,” he ordered as they approached the entrance to the compound. She looked up at him in surprise and he couldn’t suppress a smirk. “See you then, Hyūga.”

“Wha-?” He was already gone by the time she could utter out any sort of response.

Sparring before class had become a routine. Every day, Hinata rose an hour earlier to meet Sasuke at the training grounds, and they wordlessly sparred for about 30 to 45 minutes. After, when they walked to the Academy, he would give her detailed feedback. Surprisingly, it was never all negative. He managed to tell her positive things interspersed with the criticism.

They still sat together at lunch, Sasuke training for a while before sitting to eat the lunch prepared for him by her. He always had something to say about that, as well, criticism or praise. They still walked home together. And Hinata noticed Neji had stopped seeking her out as often. In the past, there were days that Neji joined her on her walk to or from the Academy, and it was never pleasant. Either the silence was thick with tension, or he was insulting her, or he was demanding they spar when they got home. Since Sasuke had been with her during those hours before and after Academy, she had been seeing none of him.

This sort of thing both saddened and relieved her. Relief for obvious reasons. Sad as she mourned the loss of her once best friend, her brother. But she had new (old) company. He tended to be a silent companion, so she was in return. When they spoke, it was either about training or food. Neither knew much about the other, anymore. They never reminisced about their days as children, running around the Hyūga compound or roaming the Uchiha district. Not about Sasuke’s mother doting on Hinata or Hinata’s father insistence on the two training together.

Not about Itachi, and how he would often need to corral the two for dinner. Always gentle, always patient. Thinking of him panged at her heart, she could only wonder what it did to Sasuke.

Together, they passed the genin exams. Today, they would find out their team assignments.

As Hinata guzzled water after finishing up sparring with Sasuke, Sasuke posed a very personal question that caught her off guard. “Are you nervous?”

She paused to think. “About the team assignments? A little…” He nodded without sharing his own thoughts. “Are you…?”

“As long as I don’t get a fan girl or that Uzumaki, I’ll be fine,” he mumbled, pulling his pack over his shoulder. She raised her eyebrows.

“N-Naruto?” she spoke softly, following after him.

“Yes, he’s an idiot. He’s loud and obnoxious and has absolutely no skills as a shinobi. He’s a disgrace.” His words were heated and she cringed away from him with a frown. He shot her a look at her visible discomfort. “What? You disagree?”

“Well, yes, a bit…” She nodded. “He’s loud and perhaps a bit obnoxious, b-but he’s not an idiot and he d-does have skills…I would be happy to be on his team…”

“What?” His eyes lowered, looking at her disapprovingly. “No. You should be on my team. Maybe with the Aburame, that’s about all I can tolerate.”

“I-I should?” She was taken aback by this revelation he spoke so casually. He paid her no mind.

“Regardless, we get who we get.” He shrugged as they neared the Academy. She looked up at him, somewhat wishing he would expand on that previous thought, but nodded none the less. They both entered silently, once again ending up in an all too loud room, buzzing with excitement and anticipation.

Painstaking minutes ticked by until Iruka emerged with a list. Finally, he began reading aloud the team assignments.

“Squad seven: Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno-“ Hinata glanced up at Naruto’s eager cheering “-and Sasuke Uchiha.” Similar cheering came from Sakura. Sasuke looked absolutely livid and she frowned. She was both somewhat relieved to not be on a team with Sasuke, but disappointed she wouldn’t be with Naruto. Perhaps if she had taken Sakura’s place, she could have helped them get along. But she was glad she didn’t end up on their team, she could see herself slowing them down.

“Next, squad eight: Hinata Hyūga.”

“Yes, sir,” Hinata whispered, glancing around the room.

“Kiba Inuzuka.” She glanced to her right to catch the fangy smile and snicker the boy and his dog gave. “And Shino Aburame.”

Hinata let out a sigh of relief. It wasn’t too bad, she supposed. While she didn’t get what she wanted by being on Naruto’s team, Kiba and Shino were both fairly nice to her until this point. She could see herself being comfortable with them. Team ten was announced straight after, and she watched on as Naruto bickered with Sasuke, Sasuke’s signature aloof attitude coming through as he told Naruto not to get in his way.

She sighed and wondered how they would get on as a team. She recalled Sasuke specifically mentioning he didn’t want to be with Naruto or a fan girl, and that was exactly what he got. The irony.

After a lecture on how to act as a team and what would be expected of the newly minted genin, class was dismissed for lunch and all shuffled out, Sasuke attempting to stay close to Hinata. Just as they got outside, Sasuke was pushed aside by the rambunctious dog user who quickly got comfortable with an arm around Hinata’s shoulders, causing a gasp from her.

“Hey there teammate! Where’s that Shino? We should have lunch together!”

“O-oh-“ Hinata managed to stutter out, looking behind her. Sasuke lowered his eyes at her and took off without a word, leaving no emotion to be read from his face. She frowned. “A-alright.”

“Yo, Aburame!” Kiba steered her away from Sasuke’s path, oblivious.

Hinata continuing showing up at the training ground every morning and attempted to bring him lunch over the course of the next week with no luck. He avoided her path to and from the training grounds. She wasn’t sure how to feel.

The next week is when she finally gave up. Kiba had started walking her to and from the training grounds to meet with Kurenai, as the Inuzuka compound was just down the street. She only ever saw Sasuke during sporadic moments when their teams would cross, otherwise, he was a ghost. She felt hurt, but understood he would need to bond with his own team just as she was with hers. Perhaps after a few weeks, they might rejoin each other once in a while.

But they did not. The most she saw of him in that year was when she awoke to find him in her hospital room, sitting next to her after her take down by Neji in the exams. But as soon as he realized she was awake, he disappeared once more. She wondered if he truly cared enough to check on her.

Then he ran away, and she found herself in the precarious position of wishing her teammate, Kiba, good luck in finding him. She half wished she could join the recovery mission, but understood she would probably just end up holding them back.

After several months of watching Naruto suffer with his many failed attempts at finding Sasuke, Hinata was sitting in the Aburame household with Kiba and Akamaru. Shino lectured them about some of his clan history, an assignment from Kurenai for the team to learn more about one another. While Kiba was nearly falling asleep, Hinata sat and listened attentively. Then an idea sparked when Shino started describing the Bikochu. When she proposed the idea, both boys agreed enthusiastically. They had been itching for a bigger mission anyway.

When it was approved and Naruto was placed on their team, Hinata felt like she was really doing something big. She spent the entire mission proving herself to her team and Naruto and reveled in the praise they offered her. Then Naruto screwed up the mission, and it was probably the first time in her life she had felt irritated with the boy. She had done all of this for him.

Oh well. They went on.

The day Naruto left to train with Jiraiya for an undisclosed amount of time, Kiba and Shino comforted her as she cried pathetically. She knew it was silly to be so upset. She was happy for him. They would continue their work here, surveilling for the smallest hints of Sasuke.

She wanted Sasuke back for Naruto. But she also wanted Sasuke back for her peace of mind.

When Naruto got back, she had fainted. He had grown so tall. His hair was clipped a little shorter, but his eyes were still that beautiful, bright blue that threatened to swallow her whole. When she couldn’t join him on a mission to find Sasuke, she was truly regretful. She only held out a small semblance of hope when she and the rest of the Konoha 11 were recruited to track Itachi. She could finally be of some use. Admittedly, the idea of coming face to face with Itachi terrified her. For many reasons. She only regretted that they could not find Sasuke in time. She heard later that Sasuke had an earth crushing battle with Itachi, and he came out as the victor.

So Itachi was dead. Slain by his brother. Her heart hurt. It burned and contorted. She thought of Hanabi and Neji. Now Sasuke was truly the last Uchiha. How much hurt he was going through right now, she wondered. How terrible it must be to look down at your once beloved older brother, your hero, your inspiration, your light. Only to snuff it out with the draw of a blade.

Sasuke was a living, breathing tragedy.

After the battle with Pein and her recovery, she met with her fellow shinobi.

It’s finally come to this.

“We have to kill him.”

Kill Sasuke.

Her childhood friend. It was so very painful to think of him dying by one of their hands. But she understood the need to eliminate him now, better than Naruto or Sakura could. Sasuke's teammates loved him unconditionally. Perhaps she would have understood them better if it had been Kiba, or Shino. But after everything that had happened, she knew they couldn’t allow him to continue his path of destruction. For some reason, after successfully completing his vengeance on Itachi, he turned his anger towards Konoha. They had a duty to protect their village and their people. And now, Sasuke was the threat that must be neutralized.

Neji…

The worst day of her life, and Sasuke appeared as if nothing changed. As if he had been fighting alongside them the entire time. As if he wasn’t responsible for his death. As if he was the hero.

No.

Now he was back.

And she wanted him gone.

Sasuke had become accustomed to watching the graveyard. He didn’t have much else to do, so he sat in the tallest tree and watched as people came to mourn. Kurenai bouncing a baby on her knee as she spoke to Asuma’s grave. Tsunade bringing flowers to lay on several graves, the last of which was always Jiraiya’s. Shikamaru and Ino came to pay respects to their fathers. Tenten and Lee often came together to visit Neji’s grave. And of course, the Hyūga. They never came as a group, the sisters didn’t even come together. He always caught them separately. But none of them came as often as Hinata did.

She diligently polished his headstone once a week, and brought flowers more often than that. It was usually sunflowers, perhaps because they were in season. Perhaps a nod to her namesake. Whatever it was, she was timely. Every Sunday at 9 am, she brought a cloth and polish. Every Tuesday and Thursday at 10 am, she brought flowers. She only missed the appointments she set for herself when she had a mission.

Sasuke found himself ensuring he was there at those times without fail. He admired the grown Hyūga. Seeing her brought back simpler memories. Before his clan was wiped out, she was his first genuine friend. Then after his clan was wiped out, she continued to be a genuine friend. He wondered at times if things would have been different if he had teamed with her, like he originally told her should happen. The memory brought him mild amusement. She had grown so much, truly a young woman worthy of being called the heiress, even if she no longer was. He watched her fight, and felt a silly sense of pride in her.

But seeing her, day after day, mourn Neji, brought an unfamiliar feeling in his heart. Sympathy? Pity? Remorse? He wasn’t sure. He just knew he didn’t like it. But he also knew, he deserved it. That’s why he kept coming back. And that’s why, when one night as he stood over Itachi’s grave in the Uchiha district and felt her chakra pulse behind him, he felt like he was going crazy. She couldn’t be there…?

“Oh.” Her soft voice called, and he froze. It was her. When her footsteps retreated, he felt compelled.

“Hyūga,” he whispered, and her footsteps ceased. “What is your business here?”

“None,” she replied, simply. Finally, he turned. All he saw was her backside, head hung, and hands balled into fists. “Excuse me.”

He did. He couldn’t bring himself to try to call her back once more. Whatever it was, he would be left wondering.

Hinata breathed a shallow breath as she managed to get out of earshot.

She knew it would happen at some point. Try as she might to ensure she would always miss him on his way out when she would come, it was bound to happen that he would catch her. She didn’t think he deserved to know she would regularly come to say a prayer at Itachi’s grave.

“Hello, Lady Hinata!” A kind voice called out and she mustered a smile their way as she made her way through the village. A few more voices greeted her as well until she reached a door adorning the Sarutobi clan symbol. Taking in a deep breath, she gave a soft knock.

“Hold it!” A gruff voice called out and she let a little smile slip. The door came swinging open to reveal the tired face of Shikamaru, a baby slung over his shoulder and an apron on. He looked completely ridiculous. She admired him. “Hinata.”

“Hello, Shikamaru.” She bowed, and he raised his arm, beckoning her in. “Is Kurenai-sensei out?”

“Yeah, clan stuff with Konohamaru. Come on in.”

“Uhm-I don’t think…”

“Too good for me?” Shikamaru smirked and a blush overtook her cheekbones. She shook her head and gave in, stepping inside. “Tea?”

“I’m alright.” She shook her head. “Will Kurenai-sensei be back soon?”

“No clue.” Shikamaru shrugged as Hinata held her arms open for Mirai. “Ah, sweet, would you take her for a minute? Haven’t had a stoge in hours.”

“Yes, of course.” Hinata nodded, looking down at the tired baby. “She looks like she needs a nap, anyway.”

“If you could do that, it’d be great. I’m terrible at getting her to sleep. Troublesome,” he grumbled as he exited the front of the house, the faint click of his lighter in the background. She turned her attention back to the baby and smiled fondly. She had never been a very fussy baby, usually full of life. Shikamaru had probably tired her out on purpose with his shadow jutsu. She loved to chase around his little shadow puppets like a cat to a light. Quietly, she rocked the baby as she made way into her room. A few short minutes and her eyes were fluttering closed, and she could safely set the baby in her crib.

She took a moment to watch her. So peaceful. Unaffected by the war, so far. She knew the poor thing would have some hard truths to learn later, especially about her father and clan, but for now, she was a perfectly content being. Hinata found herself jealous, in a silly way. Some days, she wished she could go back to being a tiny girl, led around by a doting mother and energetic brother. The entire clan indulging her in everything she could possibly want. Her uncle, her father. Simple times.

Her trance was broken by Shikamaru’s noisy entrance. She whipped around when Mirai stirred and hurriedly exited the baby’s room, pulling the door shut behind her gently while shushing him. He looked up and cringed, nodding, mouthing ‘sorry’.

They settled in at the table, Shikamaru taking controlled sips of coffee as he eyed her. She wouldn’t look at him, twiddling her thumbs and smoothing her pants out. He sighed. “What’s on your mind, Hinata?”

“Mm, nothing.” She was a bad liar. He rolled his eyes.

“You came to talk to Kurenai, I assume. I’m here, I’m a pretty good listener.” He shrugged, setting his coffee down. She sighed as well now.

“It’s silly.” She pursed her lips and picked at the edge of one of her nails. “Just burdened with memories.”

“Aren’t we all.” Shikamaru sighed sadly, staring at his coffee. She nodded in agreement. “Neji?”

“Kind of…I went to pray at Itachi’s grave…and Sasuke was there…” He perked an eyebrow.

“It is his property…”

“I know that.” Hinata frowned, finally looking up at him. “I told you, it’s silly.”

“What’s your deal with him?” he inquired, tilting his head. She shrugged and he lowered his eyes. “It’s affecting you for some reason. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out you two were close.” She raised her eyebrows at him, surprised he could work that out so quickly. “Your clans. Both high standing, you probably encountered each other often as children.” He was the smartest of their generation, after all. “Now you’re feeling conflicted about his return. You blame him for what happened to Neji. And you can’t stand to see him.”

She remained silent, eyes growing as she stared at her fingernails. His knack for reading others like they were on full display was eerie. He nodded in understanding.

“I’m not a huge fan of the guy, either, Hinata. But it’s a little unfair to blame Neji’s sacrifice on him.” Her eyes widened further at the way he phrased it. “All that junk with Madara and the Ten Tails, all that was gonna happen with or without him. At least in the end, he was on our side, when it really mattered. I don’t blame him for Asuma’s death or my dad’s. Didn’t Neji always talk about destiny?”

Destiny.

“Yeah. I dunno if all that’s what you wanted to hear, but take of it what you will.” She was somewhat blown away by the way he so effortlessly worked out the situation with the tiniest bit of information. She wondered if it was what she needed to hear. He continued, looking up at the ceiling as if in thought. “We’re all in the process of healing. You need to heal, too. And maybe part of that is forgiving Sasuke. I have.”

Sasuke impatiently checked his watch. 9:03 am. She was never late, never. Had she been sent out on a last-minute mission? That would be the only explanation. He tapped his foot as his eyes followed Konohamaru out after visiting the Third and Asuma’s graves. He gave it five more minutes before he let out an aggravated sigh.

Why was he upset? There was no obligation for her to come. Especially not to him. But he hadn’t seen her since he caught her at the Uchiha district, and he thought perhaps, he would conjure the motivation to confront her today. But no appearance was made, and he begrudgingly hopped down into the graveyard. Reluctantly, he bent down and pulled his sleeve over his hand and brushed the accumulated dirt from the top of the headstone. Carefully, he wiped until the headstone was looking more acceptable and his sleeve was brown from cleaning. Then, he jerked up, sharingan activating and spinning. Her chakra.

“Uchiha.”

It took everything he had not to whip around at her voice. Calmly, he turned to see her at the entrance of the cemetery, a rag and polish in hand.

“You’re late.”

“What?” she gasped, stepping backwards. He offered a small smirk without realizing it. She shook her head. “What are you doing?”

“Just saw it got a little dusty.” He shrugged, stepping to the side. She shot him a glare and pushed forward, kneeling in front of the grave.

“Do not pretend you care, Sasuke,” she mumbled, bitterly. He raised his eyebrows down at her, watching as she began her routine.

“That’s harsh, don’t you think?” he asked, sharply. She did not look at him and he frowned, feeling fidgety now. “A little thanks would be nice.”

“I will never thank you.” She stopped her work to look at him, her normally pale eyes turning dark towards him. He almost felt small under her gaze. “Please go.”

“As you wish, Lady Hyūga,” he shot back, choosing to leave her to it. She obviously did not want to talk and he had angered her somehow. She turned back to the headstone without another word and he tapped his foot, feeling stuck in place. He watched as she resumed her normal routine, then bounced his eyes from the stone to her and back. He swallowed thickly before muttering, “I’m-“

“Do NOT.” She raised to her feet instantaneously, as if she was going to attack him. She stomped right up to him until her nose was level with his chin. He looked down at her with wide eyes, willing himself not to step back from her. Her fists trembled and he felt her burn a hole into him. Those eyes.

“Don’t…what?” he asked quietly, furrowing his eyebrows down at her.

“Do not apologize when you do not mean it,” she said, darkly. His chest suddenly felt constricted. “I cannot stand you, Sasuke Uchiha. You left us—you left me, and my brother is dead because of a war you helped instigate. Your pity is the last thing in the world I want.”

Oh.

She didn’t have to say anything more before he quickly opened a portal to his apartment, sealing it behind him swiftly. He fell backwards into the nearest chair and held his fingertips to his temple. He couldn’t believe how harsh her words were, or how much they affected him. He’d been chewed out hundreds of times by hundreds of people, all furious with him for what he’d done. But none of them had hit him like Hinata’s scolding, all except maybe Naruto. And here he was, feeling lost at her stabbing words.

Why care? There’s no point. She hates you now. Let it go.

Hinata let a deep breath release, one she hadn’t realized she’d been holding in the entirety of Sasuke’s visit.

Who did he think he was?

She dropped to her knees in front of the stone and let her hands fall into her lap, staring blankly ahead.

Lost was the best way she could describe her feelings. Shikamaru’s words resonated with her, but she couldn’t imagine how she could possibly forgive Sasuke. Especially when he seemed so cocky, so indifferent. It wasn’t fair that he could just return to the village with a slap on the wrist and expect everyone to act like nothing happened. Like he deserved to be there, deserved to command the attention of others. Deserved to command her attention, like when they were young.

Late? What did he mean by late?

Had he been watching her?

She had set a routine for herself, and indeed, she was later than normal today. But that was absolutely none of his business, and the fact that he was keeping tabs on her bothered her. How gross—despicable—to step over the line in that way!

Her eyes darted across the graveyard, up and down. Now she was looking for him. Was he watching her right now? How could she ever feel comfortable coming back now, knowing he was likely watching her from gods know where?

He couldn’t be happy with a pardon, he had to take, take, take.

Now he had taken her semblance of privacy, of peace. This was a sacred place, for people to pay respects to their loved ones, talk to them, meditate, remember, without fear of others judgement. Without worry. He took that from her and it infuriated her. The nerve.

She couldn’t avoid him now. She had to confront him.

“S’on your mind, Hina?”

Hinata was jolted from her thoughts by Kiba, mouthful of food, eyeing her suspiciously. She shook her head quickly, looking down at her plate to continue her meal. Shino tilted his head at the pair for a moment before resuming eating as well. Kiba raised an eyebrow, but shrugged off the feeling that something might be wrong and guzzled down some water.

“Missions’ve been slow as hell,” Kiba grumbled as he stabbed a piece of pork on his plate. Shino nodded in agreement.

“It’s kind of nice, I think,” Hinata huffed, staring at her food.

Kiba scoffed. “Yeah, if you like to be bored, I guess.”

“We spent years having no time to be bored,” Shino interjected and Hinata looked up to nod.

“Exactly. Kiba, you should look for some hobbies to occupy your time.” Hinata offered with a small smile. Kiba cinched his eyebrows at the thought. “I like to garden and press flowers. Shino busies himself studying his insects.”

“I also enjoy movies…” Shino murmured, though neither caught it.

“There’s more to life than training and missions.” Hinata tilted her head thoughtfully. Kiba shook his head.

“Eh. Not for me, I guess.” Kiba shrugged, scraping his plate for the last bits of rice. “Come to think of it, I don’t know if I do anything besides eat, sleep, and train.”

“You like to lay in the sun,” Hinata responded quickly. He cocked his head, looking up thoughtfully.

“Hardly a hobby.”

“One might think so.” Hinata’s lips tugged into a smile as she reached into her satchel to pull out some money for their meal. “I’ll pay. Let’s say we four find a nice spot to relax? It’s a beautiful day. What’s that you’ve said before, Kiba? Face the sun because it’s there for us?”

“Huh.” Kiba snorted, pushing his plate away as Akamaru yipped in approval and Shino nodded. “Yeah, alright.”

From the pillar of the front gates, Sasuke sat perched on top like a bird, watching citizens and shinobi flow freely in and out of the entrance. He had to admit to some amount of envy. This was as far as he could go, tethered to the damn village via chakra controlled by Kakashi. If he left, everyone would be on top of him within a second. He could leave, if he wanted to. He was powerful enough, even with one arm and a chakra barrier, to take them out and go where he pleased. But that type of behavior was in the past now.

Naruto promised him he would be able to journey again, soon. Months had gone by, and every day, Naruto reassured him. Whether he believed him or not was a different story, but he chose to let it be. For now. Still, being captive in the village allowed him to become painfully acquainted with it once more. He knew the layout like the back of his hand, and the schedules of various people.

Once every two months, Shikamaru would take off for the sand for “diplomatic relations” but undoubtedly also for the purpose of visiting that sister of the Kazekage. Choji seemed to have a similar schedule to go to lightning country. Tenten and Lee would meet at the gates once a week to take off for sparring in the forest. Kiba and Akamaru took off multiple times a week to stroll through the well-worn paths of the land.

The day to day was also fairly mechanical. 10 am, every morning, Ino dutifully opened the Yamanaka flower shop with her mother, except on Sundays. Ayame and Teuchi (whose names he really only knew from the many visits Naruto forced) began setting up Ichiraku’s at 11 am and were open by 12 pm every single day, lest the Hero of the Leaf drop by. Naruto made fairly sporadic rounds every day, but he always made sure to bug Sasuke and Sakura once a day before shadowing Kakashi for the day. Kakashi tended to hide in a bookstore for a few hours at a time midday, where seemingly no one knew he was, but Sasuke did.

Sasuke saw everyone and everything. The amount he was learning was starting to bug him, truth be told. He never imagined he would know the village so intimately. It was irritating.

As he watched on, the familiar voice of Kiba caught his ear, and he craned his neck to see. He frowned when he saw Hinata and Shino surrounding him, Akamaru trotting in front. His loud voice reminded him of Naruto. He wondered what they were up to, possibly to set out on a mission? No, they were dressed casually. He strained his ear and could barely make out Hinata’s tiny voice. Something tugged at his brain, memories of how he had memorized her voice and its softness. He had become a master at being able to hear her in those times.

He raised his eyebrow when she stopped and turned her head, eyes locking with his. Her eyebrows lowered at him, lips pressed into a grim line, and he felt himself shudder slightly. Was she constantly sensing for his chakra signature?

“Hey, what’s up?” Kiba flipped around to look at Hinata, then followed her eyes to where she was looking, but Sasuke had already quietly vanished.

“Hinata?” Shino added just before Hinata turned back to her teammates. The serious look on her face made Kiba cringe slightly.

“What’s up, huh?” Kiba looked down at her with concern, but she once again shook her head, like she did earlier. He rolled his eyes. “You don’t have to keep secrets from us, Hinata, y’know?”

“I’m not.” Hinata shook her head once again, leading the three in their walk once more, absentmindedly resting her fingertips on Akamaru’s head.

Was he following her? This was the most she had seen of Sasuke since that fateful battle. He tended to keep to the shadows, so why was she seeing him everywhere now? Of course, she had intruded on his space that time when she visited Itachi’s grave. But she didn’t exactly see the harm in whispering a little prayer for his older brother every once in a while. Because he was buried with the Uchiha, no one ever came to his grave to visit.

But she did. She understood better than many the sacrifice Itachi made for the village, and for Sasuke. She could never imagine being in his position. She would have probably crumbled at the mere suggestion of slaying her clansmen and leaving Hanabi a young orphan. She could never have the will to carry out such an act as Itachi did. But she understood why he did it. And she thought he deserved more recognition for his plight. So she would visit his grave from time to time. Of course, Sasuke would find her there one day, but she didn’t expect to start encountering him so often afterwards.

Neji’s grave. Now here. What was he up to? Was he angry at her for stepping foot on his property? Did he think she was being disrespectful for showing up at Itachi’s grave? Or was he trying to repay the gesture by going to Neji’s? She had been on high alert for him since that Sunday. She had, indeed, been sensing for the pulse of his chakra, so she would not be caught off guard again. So when she felt it so close, she immediately had to stop and find him. How odd for him to be sitting atop the gates, just staring at them. What was he playing at? She silently agreed to herself to seek him out and put this to rest sooner rather than later.

As Sasuke meditated in front of Itachi’s grave, he was perturbed to sense a pulse of Hinata’s chakra. Now to wait and see if it gets closer.

He hadn’t meant to catch her attention again, not really. He was doing what he often did anyway.

He popped one eye open as her chakra signature became nearer and nearer. She was coming, with purpose. He chose not to move, instead shutting the eye and resuming looking nonchalant. He still didn’t move when the obvious crunch of the earth under her feet drew near, until it stopped in front of him. She didn’t intimidate him.

“Uchiha.” Simply. He continued ignoring her. Gone were the days of the overly polite byakugan princess. “Why have you been following me?”

Sasuke let a snicker slip, but still kept his eyes closed. “It seems you are following me, Hyūga.”

“No,” she responded hastily. He noted the fluster in her voice. “Neji’s grave, then the gates. You’re watching me.”

“Believe what you must,” he muttered, still not sparing her a glance. He almost smirked at her frustrated huff.

“I haven’t been back to his grave since that day.”

He knew. For the past week, he became well aware of the fact she was no longer visiting the man’s grave. He was sure it was because of him, and did feel some amount of frustration. He had tried to be kind and was rewarded with a berating. Since that day, he had time to reflect on her words, and he chose not to feel guilty. He felt some amount of sympathy for her, as he obviously knew what loss like that felt like, but to take on the blame of Neji’s death was something he refused to do.

“I don’t feel like I have privacy, anymore,” she continued, the frustration in her voice growing. “Everywhere I go, I’m looking for you. Making sure you’re not watching me. But everywhere I go, I sense you in some form or another. Everywhere I go, you’re there. It’s like I cannot escape you anymore.”

He finally opened his eyes to meet hers. The grimace on her face did not suit her. “I will apologize only once, and this is it.” Her eyes went wide at his words. “I am sorry I intruded on your time at his grave. I will not continue to do so. But I will not apologize for his death.”

He watched as her face slowly morphed from one of anger to one of grief. Her hands relaxed from balled up fists, and her shoulders slumped. “He was killed right before you got there, Sasuke.”

The lack of anger in her voice surprised him, and he frowned at the way his heart skipped slightly.

Do not pay her any pity.

“I-If you had…gotten there sooner…” Her voice was wet now and he shifted uncomfortably. Why was she telling him this?

“So this is about me not getting there in time?” he whispered, glaring up at her. Quickly, she wiped at her face and shook her head, beginning to make way for the exit.

“Forget it,” she mumbled, and he felt the urge to call her back.

“—wait.”

It froze her in her tracks, though she did not mean for it to. She slowly turned to face his black eyes, having risen to his feet before she could leave.

“Why do you come here?” he asked, quietly. She swallowed, leaving a pause after his question to collect her thoughts.

“I come to pay respects to Itachi,” she whispered, letting the eye contact between them linger before glancing at his head stone. “He…was like a brother to me, as well, Sasuke. I grieve him.”

Sasuke felt something in his stomach he hadn’t felt in quite a while. Something like his insides were unknotting, but his heart rate was quickening. It was making him feel sick. Finally, he turned away from her and concluded their interaction, “I regret Neji’s death. A loss for many.”

With those words, silence filled the space between them for a few moments before he heard Hinata’s quiet footsteps begin and then slowly fade. When he could no longer sense her chakra, he let out a breath he did not know he was holding. He wondered why speaking with her felt impossibly difficult. Perhaps it was because she was not so easily shaken off by his silence. Most people would give up on talking to him after being ignored the first time. But she didn’t, just like when they were kids.

Maybe it was because he felt connected to her more than he did most in the village.

Maybe he mourned their friendship.

Maybe he missed her.

Hinata, Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino strolled through a field of flowers, Kiba attempting to look interested as Hinata identified different flowers and their individual meanings according to lore. Though it didn’t look it, Shino was the one finding it interesting. After their brief conversation about finding hobbies, Hinata and Shino were attempting to connect Kiba with some of their hobbies. Today was Hinata’s turn, the boys joining her to look at flowers and pick a few to press.

If Kiba was honest, he was bored out of his mind. But she looked so happy, he chose not to complain this time. Maybe next time.

“Oh!” Both stopped as her voice raised. “Hibiscus is in bloom!” She beamed up at the two before kneeling down next to a small patch of them. She took a long sniff before beckoning them near. Kiba let out a tired sigh as he obliged, and Shino kneeled in front of her. “These are my favorite flowers,” she explained, carefully running her fingertips over the petals. “Their meaning is ‘gentle’.”

“Gentle, huh?” Kiba snorted, staring at the flower in front of her. “Makes sense for you, I guess. Gentle fist?”

“Oh.” She giggled, glancing at Kiba briefly. “I never thought about it that way…”

“They’re nice.” Shino dug his thumbnail into the stem and plucked it, holding it up. Hinata tilted her head at him. “To press, later.” She nodded with a smile as he tucked it into his breast pocket.

The group carried on shortly after as the sun began to hang lower and lower in the sky. Suddenly, Hinata couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched once again. She focused some chakra and quietly activated her byakugan for a brief moment. She saw nothing except her teammates, and frowned. She must be becoming paranoid.

“Somethin’ wrong?” Kiba chimed in, inhaling deeply next to her. She shook her head quickly and deactivated her dōjutsu. Kiba frowned at her obvious lie. “Yeah, there is, Hina. You’ve been weird for the past few days.” Hinata leaned away from his accusatory tone and glanced Shino’s way, who was giving a short nod of agreement. “What’s going on? We can help.”

“Uhm…” Hinata pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, looking away from Kiba’s questioning gaze. She folded her arms behind her back and let out a small sigh. “I’ve just been a little out of it…”

“No shit.” Kiba rolled his eyes, stepping uncomfortably closer. “Somethin’ with Naruto?”

“No!” Hinata replied immediately, bringing her eyes up to meet his at this. “No, not Naruto.”

“We should just go kick his ass.” Kiba chuckled, shooting Shino a look. “Make him finally wake up.”

“Kiba, no—“ She frowned, darting her eyes between the two as she waved her hands in front of her. “I’m just readjusting to the new normal…” She slumped her shoulders, turning her head away again. “Sometimes I think of Neji…and it just sort of…” She trailed off, eyes falling to the ground. She relaxed finally when she felt herself being enveloped from either side and allowed herself to be held.

“S’alright,” Kiba muttered and she chose to take his word for it.

It’s alright.

When Sasuke went crashing to the ground, Naruto gave him an incredulous look.

“The hell’s going on?” he accused, holding his hand out for his friend. Sasuke ignored the help and got to his feet himself, rolling his eyes. “I can’t usually land a hit on you that fast. Somethin’ on your mind?”

“Being stuck in this damn village…” Sasuke mumbled, turning away from Naruto. Naruto’s shoulders sagged at the statement. Not a day went by when he wasn’t reminded that Sasuke was itching to leave.

“Why’re you in such a hurry to leave the place we almost died to protect, huh?” Naruto asked, sadness behind his words. Sasuke shook his head.

“You see how I’m received here, Naruto.” Sasuke finally looked at him. “I’m hated. We protected this village, and that was all I wanted. I didn’t want to stay.”

“Just…give it some time, will you?” Sasuke heaved an aggravated sigh, turning around once more. “I promise it’s in the works. But for now, just enjoy relaxing, y’know? Sakura’s putting together a get together for all of us, the Konoha 11, 12, 13—ahh whatever it is! Tomorrow night, it’d be good if you came. Let everyone see you’re just a normal guy.”

“Normal—” Sasuke scoffed, beginning to walk away. “Right.”

“Hey!” Naruto called in a deflated tone, but Sasuke chose to ignore it.

A party. The last thing he wanted to go to. That was also part of the reason he didn’t want to stay. If he stayed, it gave the idiot every opportunity to drag him around to whatever event he wanted to. It also gave Sakura endless chances to try to catch him when she wasn’t in the hospital. While he cared for Sakura and wanted to make things right with her, her presence was overbearing, and he found himself itching to get away from her. And then there was the matter of the others…a party meant all of his academy classmates would be there…including…

Yes, a party was the exact last thing he wanted to attend.

Another exasperated sigh left him as Naruto caught up, swinging an arm around his shoulders. “C’mon, let’s go to Ichiraku’s!”

As the two walked through the village, Naruto incessantly rattling off in Sasuke’s ear, his mind was elsewhere.

If you had gotten there sooner…

Damn her.

“Oh-hey!! Hinata!” Sasuke was torn from his thoughts as panic gripped his chest. He shot his eyes up to find the dark haired woman fiddling with an article of clothing outside a stand. Their eyes immediately met and he took a moment before turning away.

“Naruto, how nice to see you.” She had taken her eyes from his as well, choosing to engage with Naruto directly. “Seems you’ve been quite busy with Lord Hokage.”

“Ah, yeah, I guess. Kakashi’s actually gone a lot.” Naruto snorted, dragging Sasuke by the shoulders towards her. “You coming to the party tomorrow?”

“Uhm—indeed.” Hinata bowed shortly, Sasuke finally taking a moment to eye her. Her voice was absent of that stutter she could never seem to control around Naruto when they were younger. She also wasn’t blushing. How strange. “Sakura invited myself and team 8 earlier today. Will…” Her eyes faltered towards Sasuke before returning to Naruto. “…you, and Sasuke be there?”

“You know it!” Naruto beamed, slapping Sasuke on the back with an open palm, causing him to wince away. “Sweet, we’ll see you then. Hey-we were just going to Ichiraku’s, you wanna come?”

“Oh, no.” Hinata shook her hands in front of her face. “I would never imagine imposing. Please, enjoy your meal.” With that, she broke off into a speed walk past them, avoiding Naruto’s grinning yet questioning look.

“Huh, wonder what’s up with her,” Naruto mused briefly before immediately launching into a new topic. “Anyway-so almost every day, Kakashi-sensei disappears for like four hours…”

Sasuke looked over his shoulder to find her figure already gone. He frowned, wondering what she might be thinking. Was she dreading it like he was?

“I never get to go do the cool stuff,” Hanabi huffed on Hinata’s bed as Hinata fretted over her hair. Hinata swung her head around to offer her little sister a sympathetic smile. “Elder sister! Don’t make fun of me!” she grumbled as she crossed her arms in a pout.

“I’m not,” she said, simply, turning back to her reflection.

“Naruto will be there.” Hanabi wiggled her eyebrows at Hinata’s reflection in the mirror, for which Hinata simply chuckled, shaking her head. “What, don’t tell me you don’t like him anymore!”

“Hmm.” Hinata twisted her lips to the side. She truly loathed that she had been so transparent about her affections for the boy, especially since her feelings for him had dissipated greatly since the conclusion of the war. When he never returned her, she was finally able to let go of the fantasy of a future with him. She was actually quite proud of herself in how she was handling it, feeling like she was truly becoming her own person outside of Naruto’s influence. Shaking from her thoughts, she returned her smile to her little sister. “Perhaps you should seek out your classmates and have a little party? I’m sure Kurenai-sensei would be happy to host you if both you and Konohamaru ask.”

“Konohamaru?” Hanabi stuck out her tongue in mock disgust. Hinata giggled, gently nudging her sister off her bed to exit with her. “He’s so annoying, elder sister…that stupid sexy jutsu…”

“He learned that one from Naruto.” Hinata laughed softly as she guided her sister out of the room. “Well, Kiba and Shino are probably waiting for me, so I should go.” Hanabi sighed dramatically, eliciting another laugh from the older sister. “Let me know how the party goes.”

Sasuke watched with irritation as the loud voice of Kiba boomed through the room, calling everyone’s attention to the team that held the one person he wished to avoid. His eyes glanced from Kiba, to Shino, then landed on Hinata. For once, she looked joyful. A smile was on her features, and it brought him a sense of calm, one that he knew would immediately be wrecked when she would notice him. That smile was destined to fall. The call for attention was the perfect opportunity for him to shrink back into the shadows of the house, attempt to hide.

He could leave if he wanted to. Nothing was forcing him to be there, really, except his obligation to Naruto. But Naruto was busy getting fairly wasted, and he knew this would be his opportunity to slip out. But Sakura’s watchful eye would likely trail him. He could already see the events play out: Sakura would complain to Naruto, and in a drunken fit cause a scene for all the behold. No, that certainly wasn’t worth sneaking away. He would just do his best to avoid the Hyūga.

So he kept an eye on her. Watched as she so effortlessly socialized. She truly was a grown woman, one that did not stutter or falter. He had to admit he didn’t think of her much when he was on his journey of vengeance. Sure, when he reminisced on Konoha, he thought of her occasionally. He wondered if she was still there, or if she had succumbed to battle at some point. He remembered her being weak, only beginning to improve when he sparred with her.

After they were split into different teams, however, he pushed her away. To him, there was no point in maintaining any sort of relation with her if he had no obligation to do so. At the time, his one goal was becoming stronger, and if he was going to do that, he had to focus on himself and his training with Kakashi. He had no time for her, and certainly didn’t feel guilty about it. So he figured she probably continued her journey of weakness and likely didn’t amount to much.

But when he saw her on the battlefield after releasing the infinite Tsukuyomi, he was surprised to find a capable kunoichi fending off the last of the white zetsu, and tending to the wounded. Seeing her had brought back a flood of memories, both pleasant and unpleasant. If he was honest with himself, he had mostly forgotten her. But before him was a lengthy-haired, toned, fully developed woman. And it had him wondering what kind of woman she had become.

In this crowd of people, she was a completely different person than he had remembered. No more quiet, polite greetings. No more cringing away when someone approached. No more shying away from conversation. Perhaps her teammates had done her some good, personality-wise. He wondered if they helped her become stronger, too. Something about her spending so much time with that damn Inuzuka bothered him. Maybe it was because he seemed so much like Naruto. Maybe it was because of how touchy he seemed to be with her. Even now, the idiot had his arm around her, as if they were…together?

No, couldn’t be. She would never lower her standards to someone like a dog user.

Right?

His lips down-turned into a visible frown, involuntarily. “What’s eating you, Sasuke?” He let a tired sigh escape at the sound of his teammates voice before shaking his head, responseless. Sakura poked her finger against his chest. “C’mon, lighten up a little! It’s a party. Here-“ She shoved a small ochoko filled with sake into his chest, causing him to instinctively lift to grab it. “-loosen up. Have fun!”

“When has Sasuke ever been one to have fun?” Kiba interjected from a short distance away. Sakura’s distracting nature forced Sasuke to lose track of the team, and to his dismay, Kiba had been guiding them closer and closer. His eyes landed on Hinata, who visibly stiffened. Naruto snorted next to him.

“Righ’?” He was slurring, clearly more intoxicated than was for his own good.

“He just needs a little shove,” Sakura chirped, trying to force his hand holding the ochoko to his lips. Sasuke shook his head, setting it down next to him.

“Stop trying to get me drunk, Sakura,” he said, bitterly, “I’m only here to keep Naruto from having a fit.”

“Aw,” Kiba continued to put himself into the conversation, much to the discomfort of both Sasuke and Hinata.

“Uhm-I’ll fetch us some drinks,” Hinata chimed in, hurriedly excusing herself from the group. Sasuke watched as her teammates nodded at her before turning their attention back to them.

“How’s Akamaru?” Naruto asked casually, allowing Sasuke to quietly back away from the group as the subject of himself was changed. He glanced around the room, no longer able to find Hinata.

Good. It was better this way.

Hinata stood in front of the refreshment table, staring absentmindedly. She was trying to find some reason to be away from her team, but was struggling to find one. She wasn’t particularly close with anyone besides Kiba and Shino, certainly not Choji or Lee, who were occupying themselves with their own teams. She debated trying to join Shikamaru with his team, knowing she could possibly bring up the subject of Mirai. She broke her trance to scan the room and found herself disappointed to see Shikamaru arguing with Ino. Not a great time to try to interject herself.

While she loved her teammates, Kiba’s knack for getting them into situations she didn’t want to be in was irritating, to say the least. For someone with such good senses, her discomfort was never one he seemed to sense in situations like these. Slowly, she poured a few drinks, trying to buy time for Kiba to hopefully redirect his attention somewhere that didn’t have Sasuke. She glanced up to see if they were still conversing, and while they were, she couldn’t seem to see Sasuke. He probably retreated like she did. She breathed a small sigh of relief as she gathered two waters for herself and Shino as well as a beer for Kiba.

Reluctantly, she rejoined her team, offering the drinks. Kiba grinned as he took the beer. “Thanks, Hinata!”

“Hey, Hinata-“ Naruto stumbled towards her, causing her to take a cautious step back. The stench of alcohol wafted into her face, causing her to wince. His words were slurred. “Yeah, about that day. Y’know, that day that you-uh-you got stabbed by Pein-“

“Naruto…” Sakura interrupted with a warning tone as Hinata’s face began to heat up.

“Wha? I’m just tryna-just y’know-like-“ Naruto’s words became jumbled as he scratched the top of his head. Kiba gave him a warning shove to the shoulder.

“Now’s probably not the best time, buddy.” Kiba’s voice wasn’t questioning, but serious. Hinata cleared her throat before things went any farther, causing all to lay eyes on her.

“Uhm—Naruto. Please. Don’t worry about it.” All except Naruto’s mouths went agape. “Perhaps another time we can speak…privately. But for now, know everything is perfectly alright.”

Naruto barked a laugh at this, causing everyone to look at him with worry. He stumbled towards Hinata again before patting her on the head. “You-you’re a good girl, Hinata.”

“Oh for the love of—come on! You’re going home!” Sakura roughly grabbed Naruto’s arm.

“Awww-no Sakura!” Naruto whined as she attempted to drag him. “It just started!”

“And you made the mistake of getting wasted so quickly!” Sakura’s voice could be heard berating him as they disappeared behind the front door. Kiba chuckled as he turned his attention back to his team, catching Hinata’s concerned expression.

“Forget about that idiot.” Kiba offered good-naturedly. Hinata knew he had good intentions, but still felt conflicted by the events that just unfolded. This was why Hinata chose not to partake in alcohol. She glanced to the side just in time to find Sasuke stepping through one of his portals, obviously using the chance to escape the small party. Suddenly, it became even smaller without the famed team 7, but now she felt as though she could finally relax. With that, she offered a smile up at her teammates and nodded.

“What the hell was that?” Sasuke asked Sakura quietly as she shut the door to Naruto’s apartment. She looked up in surprise to find him there, then winced at his brash tone.

“Hell if I know…” Sakura sighed, eyes falling to the ground.

“You do know,” Sasuke said, pointedly. She wrinkled her nose and averted her eyes. “Sakura.”

“Hinata…confessed, I suppose you might say, her love to Naruto when Pein attacked.” Sakura’s shoulder drew back as she lifted to meet Sasuke’s gaze. He lifted his eyebrows expectantly, feeling that awful sense of knotting in his stomach that seemed to only happen when he thought of Hinata. “Then Pein nearly killed her. And then…he really didn’t speak to her after that. But—it was because he was busy, right?” Sakura looked at him as if he had the answer. Sasuke remained quiet. “Anyway…since things have calmed down, it’s kind of been eating at him. He wanted to tell her he didn’t see her that way.”

“Idiot,” Sasuke huffed, averting his eyes now.

“I guess the alcohol brought it out of him. Thankfully he didn’t get far, what a humiliating time to try to do that!”

Sasuke had to agree. Since they were young, he knew of Hinata’s affection for the lovable idiot. He thought it was a waste of time, to pine after someone, especially someone like Naruto. But to hear that she still harbored those feelings for so long…and then to confess them, only to be ignored…it wasn’t something Sasuke found particularly enjoyable to think about. Maybe when he was younger, he would have found some sick amusement of the ordeal. But at this age, after everything, he just felt…pity.

“Anyway…” Sakura sighed, folding her arms. “I should probably get back to the party I’m supposed to be hosting.”

“You should.” Sasuke nodded, turning on his heel before she could respond.

“You’re not going—“ Before she could finish, he was already walking through a new portal.

To both their relief, neither had encountered the other for some weeks. Hinata had finally started relaxing again, and even felt refreshed to return to the Leaf after a particularly long mission. The following day, she had visited both of her teammates living quarters to see if they’d like to join her for a picnic but found them both to be busy.

No matter. She was quite used to alone time, anyway.

Fate had different plans, though, it seemed. Just as she had settled in to begin eating her packed bento, she heard the boisterous voice of Naruto in the distance. If Naruto was near, that probably meant…

She quickly began packing her things in the hope of escaping an encounter, but they approached as quickly as she had heard them, and soon, Naruto zoned in on her. It was sick irony that only now would Naruto openly try to engage with her when her feelings for him had since passed.

“Oi-Hinata!”

“Ah.” Hinata carefully set her things back down before lifting her eyes to meet those of Naruto—and Sasuke. “Hello Naruto…Sasuke.”

“Lunch?” Naruto asked playfully as he fell on his butt next to her, on the blanket. Sasuke leered off to the side, attempting to project indifference. Hinata nodded shortly. “Well, since you’re here, I just—I wanted to say sorry, about the other night.”

“Please, Narut-“

“No, seriously.” Naruto sat up straight, grabbing her by the shoulder. “I ruined the night, and it was the wrong time to address that.”

“And now…is the right time?” Hinata glanced up at Sasuke for a moment before looking back at Naruto. Naruto followed her eyes and then let out a chuckle, shaking his head.

“This bastard doesn’t give a damn about any of that, don’t worry about him.” He moved his hand from her shoulder and pointed at Sasuke, who continued to look in the distance. “Anyway, Hinata, you’re really great, and you deserve someone really great that can treat you amazing.” Hinata felt heat creep over her cheeks at the comment. “You deserve the world, Hinata. I’m an idiot—” She opened her mouth to object, and he waved his hand. “I can’t give it to you. There’s someone out there that’s gonna treat you right, like a princess.” The heat quickly spread to her neck. “Someone other than me.”

“I—I understand, Naruto.” Hinata nodded, unsure of how to respond to that declaration. Naruto nodded back.

“You’re great,” he reassured, reaching to squeeze her forearm, “you’ll find someone just as great.”

She pressed her lips in a line, nodding. She had no clue how to continue, especially with Sasuke’s cool demeanor sneering near them.

“Shit! What time is it?” Naruto asked suddenly, patting his pockets down as if searching for something. “I’m supposed to meet Kakashi at 2!”

“It’s 2:10,” Hinata replied gently, causing him to shoot to his feet.

“Damn! Gotta go!”

And there it was. Suddenly, they found themselves alone together. Again. How was it this was happening so often?

Hinata nervously fidgeted with the bento, deciding the best approach would be to pretend he wasn’t there. Then maybe he would leave. She stole a quick glance towards him as he stared out towards the landscape before beginning her lunch. When she heard his footsteps start to retreat, something forced her to stop him.

“Sasuke.”

Why? Why was she recalling him? What possessed her to do it?

He had been on her mind every day. The weeks had given her plenty of time to reflect on Shikamaru’s words. Maybe he was right. Maybe the only way to heal was to forgive Sasuke. Then, maybe, she could move forward.

Sasuke stopped at her beckoning, involuntarily. He didn’t want to stop, but something forced him to. Her voice…strangely, he had missed it in the weeks they hadn’t seen one another.

Foolish thoughts.

He turned to face her with a questioning brow, glancing down at the bento in her hands. Just seeing it brought a flood of memories. The bentos she would bring him. He found himself wondering if her cooking had improved. It must have.

“Sit.” She waved her hand towards herself without looking at him directly. He paused. “Please.”

Reluctantly, he took a seat on the ground next to her blanket, not coming too close. Why he was indulging her, he wasn’t sure. Something tugged at the back of his mind. Again, he didn’t know what. He watched her with an intent, unbreaking stare, observing every single movement. Every twitch of her lips, straining of her forehead, quickened breathing. What was she up to?

“Here.” She held the bento out for him to take. He could simply stare, feeling immobilized by the gesture. Was she really recreating a moment from their childhood? She pushed it further towards him until it was practically in his lap. “I made three…but Kiba and Shino could not join me.”

Of course.

But curiosity would get the better of him and he let out a small sigh as he grasped the container. “What are you up to, Hyūga?”

“Healing,” she said, simply, still refusing to look at him as she dug through her pack for a second container. He blinked at her comment, wondering what she meant. Why did she have to be vague? Is this how people felt around him?

“Is that right? Healing?” he repeated, slowly taking the lid off the bento. He swallowed as he took in the contents. Two onigiri, carefully wrapped in a delicate lattice pattern, tomagoyaki sprinkled with a mix of herbs and sesame seeds, and sliced, salted tomato. The sight brought him back to his academy days. He looked back up at her.

Did she always pack such considerate lunches for her teammates? The idea almost made him feel bitter. How those two idiot teammates of hers ended up with the most thoughtful kunoichi of their generation, he didn’t know.

In silence, he tasted her cooking for the first time in nearly a decade. And he was right, she had gotten better. The tomato was good, because it was difficult to mess up a sliced tomato. The onigiri was filled with tuna and tasty. The tomagoyaki…

“Your tomagoyaki has improved.”

Déjà vu.

Ten-year-old Hinata would have been elated at the compliment. She would have admired him as he ate, well and truly pleased he was eating her cooking. She would have thanked him profusely and promised to bring him another the next day.

But the comment stirred something different in her.

“Oh?” she asked, innocently, focusing her eyes on her own food. He simply grunted agreement as he continued eating.

Several silent moments passed when he put the lid back on the bento and set it next to him, and she finished in a similar time frame. Then, the hard part. Where to go from here?

She wanted to scold him. She wanted to ask him what he was thinking. She wanted to tell him how much he hurt her, and everyone else. She wanted to guilt the ever-loving heck out of him.

But she knew it was pointless. Most of all, she wanted peace in her mind.

“I forgive you, Sasuke.”

The words hung in the warm summer air, unmovable. Finally, she raised her head to look at him, but found his gaze back out in the distance once more. He was always incredibly difficult to read. It was the first time since he had been back she could get a good, hard look at his face. His features were sharper, his baby fat around his cheeks gone. His eyelids hung low, and his bangs covered a good portion of his face. But she could see it, that flash of purple behind part of his hair. The rinnegan. She had only seen it on her enemies, so the sight of it on him made her shudder slightly.

“Scared of me?” He broke the silence, but still didn’t look at her.

Without moving, she breathed, “of course not.”

“Missed me, then?”

The words caught her off guard.

Missed…him?

The words left his mouth before he could stop them.

What was coming over him? It was completely out of character for his responses to be anything but calculated.

No matter. He could still turn this into what would seem like a calculated move. He took in a deep breath before flicking his eyes towards her, her face down looking at into her lap. She didn’t respond.

“It would make sense if you did…you were always a fool.”

The quiet gasp that left her lips forced a smirk out of him.

“Rude as always,” she finally managed to respond, and it forced a chuckle out of him. Calling him out, something she’d never dare to do before. But it was a welcome change, he thought. And for the first time, their eyes met. He took the opportunity to examine hers. That milky, lavender standard of the Hyūga clan. He took her features in further; pale, smooth skin, just a hint of red on her cheekbones; thin, pink lips, parted for air; little, pointed nose.

Wait, what was he doing?

“Of course…I missed you, Sasuke.”

The confession threw him off guard now. He shot his eyes back up to meet hers, furrowing and lowering his eyebrows. Her expression was soft and genuine and it made his head feel clouded, a feeling he loathed. What was she trying to do?

“I missed you after we were assigned our teams…” she continued, hesitantly breaking eye contact to look back down at her food container. The statement stirred something in him, and he looked away as well.

He remembered the day. He remembered feeling a silly sense of betrayal. It was the one of many moments to come that would drive him to leave the village.

“I missed you after you deserted the village.”

He gritted his teeth.

“I missed you after I found out…Itachi…”

Each comment drove him further. To what? He didn’t know. And then he noted the warmth of her arm against his, causing him to look at her again, now only able to see the top of her head as she sat so close to him, they were touching. Instinctively, he flinched away from her, but when she didn’t falter, he relaxed, slightly.

“I hated you. And I missed you.”

The words wrapped around his heart like a rope.

They slipped out before she knew what she was saying. All she knew was that with every comment, her heart felt lighter and lighter. The knots in her stomach loosened more and more. Gradually, she had scooted closer to him until they were right next to each other, and it brought her an odd sense of calm to feel him close to her. Like when they were kids, seeking comfort in one another during inter-clan events. It made her feel safe, for the first time in a while. Like a kid again. She wondered how he felt, despite his tense position.

Then he spoke.

Simply—

“Sorry.”

The modest statement sent her heart into a beating frenzy. Sasuke didn’t apologize. Never.

His arm, in what felt like an unsure move, wrapped around her shoulders and she allowed her head to rest against the crook of his neck.

It had been so long.

She repeated those words. Because she needed to.

For her.

And for him.

“I forgive you.”

…

“Thank you.”

For fifteen minutes they sat in silence, both lost deep in thought, but still sitting linked together. Then, Sasuke moved away from her and wordlessly got to his feet. She didn’t bother to look up at him, knowing he was leaving, and he did. He didn’t portal away this time, though, instead choosing to use the walk home as a way to clear his head.

Hinata.

How did she always manage to have this effect on him?

No one could tap into his psyche quite like she could. Her empathy was all encompassing, even now. After everything that had happened, she was still there. For him. That bento represented so much more than he realized. It represented a part of his childhood that he clung to after the slaughter of his clan. The only bit of normalcy to his life thereafter. To relive that moment made him feel young again. Innocent again.

So why? Why did she continue to go out of her way for him? To bring him that sense of normalcy?

He deserved nothing. Less than nothing. She deserved to punch him, kick him, seal all of his chakra points as he knew she could from a young age. He deserved to feel guilt and misery. She deserved to take vengeance on him.

He did not deserve forgiveness.

And yet, he craved it from her. Her forgiveness was not something he realized he needed so much until she had said it out loud, and sent electricity through his body, as if he had been struck by his own Chidori.

She forgave him.

When Sasuke arrived in his apartment, he proceeded to immediately take a cold shower.

She decided that she had in fact missed him. And she decided, she did forgive him. Shikamaru was right, as always.

As Hinata walked back to the Hyūga compound, she felt a lightness in her step she hadn’t felt since before the war. It reminded her of how she felt when she would walk home with Sasuke after he had finally begun indulging her company again. Accepted.

She couldn’t describe what it was exactly that drew her to Sasuke. She had to reason it was their past. Their time as little children, running around each other’s clan homes, sitting for dinner with one another, making up new games and throwing wooden shuriken and kunai at the other. He was one of the few people in the village that could understand her, understand the pressures she faced to be the best. He had, after all, been her world, at one time. Not in the same way he had been Sakura and Ino’s world. In a way that just made her feel safe. Safe from the outer world.

Always trying to live up to some standard set by a group of old, tradition-laden shinobi. Never being good enough, but always trying. She recalled with fondness one day in the Academy, prior to the Uchiha massacre, she was crying off to the side of the schoolyard as she attempted to re-bandage a fresh wound from her training session the day prior with her father. Back then, a sweet, dough-eyed boy had taken her into his arms and gently took over the task, soothing her with soft words of comfort. What they were, she couldn’t remember now. She just remembered feeling so deeply grateful to have someone who understood, and did not think her weak.

And that boy, who had told her to be happy. Told her she could be happy, as long as she was with him.

We’re happy.

And suddenly, an alarmingly loud voice in her head.

Not just one voice, but two. Hers and Sasuke’s. Yelling it—screaming it to the stars—for each other.

For their comfort. Whether it actually could be or not. It didn’t matter, because—

They were happy. No matter what, they could be.

They could be happy, as long as they had each other.

Perhaps having him back wasn’t such a bad thing.

Perhaps it would be a good thing.

Perhaps this is where redemption starts.

Perhaps with one who had been there from the start.

Perhaps her forgiveness was enough, for now.

Hinata, now feeling comfortable once more, fell back into her schedule of visiting Neji’s grave. Every few days, dutifully. And she added Itachi’s grave to her schedule now, as well.

Today, as she stepped through the gates of the graveyard, she was met with a head of black hair in front of her brother’s grave. A head of black hair she was beginning to recognize on sight.

“I was just going.”

Hinata followed his figure as he climbed to his feet, turning towards her as she stood with a bottle of polish and a rag, ready for her routine. He couldn’t seem to look at her as he tried to walk past her, but she managed to force herself to clear her throat with intention.

“Stay, won’t you?”

Her words seemed to freeze him. She clenched the items in her hands harder as she waited his response. The fact he stopped was clear indication, to her at least, that he was listening. That he actually cared about what came out of her mouth. And that was enough. Finally, he peered over his shoulder at her to gauge her. She looked at him expectantly, unwilling to back down.

“If…you don’t mind. I wanted to visit big brother Itachi’s grave after this.”

The title seemed to strike something in him, as he flinched just so. But she had been calling him that since they were children. Neji had been her brother, and Itachi had as well. He had been sweet to her, took care of her when they were children. She had stopped thinking of him in such a way when the massacre happened. Then…when the truth was revealed, she went back to thinking of him as her older brother. Because he always had been. He had protected her, cared for her. And now, she couldn’t think of him as anything less than a brother. Sasuke seemed to take note.

“Oh?” he questioned, quietly. He hadn’t heard someone else call him brother since… “Alright.”

Quietly, he kneeled back down in front of the grave and watched as she diligently polished the stone. She had a rhythm she never seemed to break, starting from the top left, down right.

“I always leave his name for last,” she whispered as she carefully pulled the rag across the engraved name. Neji Hyūga. He raised his eyebrows at the remark, but did not respond. Placing the rag and polish down, she settled into a lotus position and closed her eyes.

He watched with interest, a different angle than he had seen before of her work.

Elegant was the only way he could put it. She just seemed elegant in all of her movements.

He remembered her as a clutz. Tripping over herself if she felt like she was in someone’s way. Stuttering over every single word, no matter who she was talking to. Fainting at the smallest sign of affection from the idiot. She was nothing short of a mess.

She didn’t stop surprising him. When she finished her quiet prayer, he watched as she lifted to her feet and turned to him. He eyed her offering hand and couldn’t will himself not to take it. Normally, he’d scoff at the gesture, look away, mutter an insult, pull himself up. But this time, he took her hand. Because he wanted to know what it felt like.

For whatever reason, he expected it to feel soft and smooth. But he was greeted with just the opposite. Bony and calloused. He couldn’t help but glance at it. Stubby fingernails, cuts and bruises, part of it bandaged. It wasn’t very elegant at all, especially not for someone so…honored. But very normal for…a shinobi. No shinobi had pretty hands. Even her.

He found himself admiring her hand for a moment too long when he realized she was tugging it away. He cleared his throat as he dropped her hand and began walking away with the expectation she follow. As they approached the gates of the graveyard, he realized he didn’t want to risk running into Naruto walking through the village. He also didn’t care to invite questioning stares from the village people. So he drew open a portal, and stepped through it, eyes looking at her expectantly. He couldn’t stop a smirk at her worried gaze, instead choosing to grasp her wrist and tug her in against her will. But her will wasn’t so strong right now, and she stepped in easily. They found themselves at the Uchiha district, a short distance from Itachi’s lone grave.

Seemed he had taken her up on her offer to visit his brothers grave. She was never sure with Sasuke, whether he would rudely reject her, or silently accept her. But here they were, stepping through a portal of his making.

The sensation of being in one place and instantly be transported over a kilometer away was…shocking, to say the least. She needed a moment to adjust to her surroundings as she glanced up at the sun above them, finding it in its exact position as it was before they entered the portal.

How strange.

Some might find it frightening.

She wasn’t sure if she did.

Wordlessly, she joined his side as they took a few short steps to the grave. This time, she kneeled in front of the grave, setting her supplies next to her before looking up at him. He didn’t seem to want to sit.

“Would it be okay if I polished his headstone?”

To this, he was silent for a moment. She wondered if it offended him.

“Don’t bother.”

She frowned, but nodded regardless, knowing it was wholly out of her place to push such a subject. She returned her attention to the headstone.

He watched with his hand resting against his opposing hip, interested to see how her interactions with his brother’s grave would differ from her own brothers. She was silent, but her head was bowed, eyes shut.

No prayer for his brother, he supposed.

A few silent moments, and she raised her head. He hadn’t taken his eyes off of her.

“I remember…”

Reminiscing?

“One of your clansmen, just a small boy, grazed my arm with a wooden shuriken.”

He listened silently, attempting to recall the moment.

“Your family was hosting a pre-Rinne Festival celebration. It was an accident, I knew, but I cried. Because I always cried.”

Indeed.

“Itachi appeared in front of me, I had no idea he was even there. He swooped me up with the softest embrace I had ever felt and took me to the kitchen to tend to me.”

Hmm.

“I felt better the moment he took me. I begged him not to be angry with the boy. He told me he wasn’t. He told me I had a good heart.”

Sounds like Itachi.

“Later, while the boy was receiving reprimand, I couldn’t muster the courage to intervene…to try to help him. But…but Itachi did.”

Ah, yes. I do remember this.

“I miss him.”

“So do I.”

His mouth felt dry. Why did he return the sentiment to her? He was punished with her shocked eyes raising to meet his. How had she rendered him unable to breathe? Some sort of genjutsu?

In what felt like a second, she had stood up and quickly wrapped her arms around his middle. He almost stumbled. Almost.

She wondered if he even realized how transparent he was at that moment. The moment he uttered those words, she looked up to find his face contorted with something dangerously close to grief. Forehead creased, eyes low, lips taut in a frown. The urge to embrace him compelled her, much like she assumed it compelled Itachi. To care for others.

As if he might disappear again, she locked her arms around him by grabbing her left wrist with her right hand, pulling him closer. The fact that he tensed under her grip didn’t bother her. She rested her head against his chest and held on. Like her life depended on it.

Sasuke wasn’t normally one to express emotions, even before the massacre. To have him baring his soul in the simplest way possible…it struck her somewhere deep. The desire to help him, to help her childhood friend, was overbearing. She needed him to know.

Despite herself, she still cared for him. A great deal, she was realizing.

He didn’t move for several minutes. Then, she felt his shoulders pull back slightly, and she thought he might be moving to push her off. Instead, she found herself being pulled in tighter, his lone arm resting around her shoulders. She shivered when she felt his chin rest on the top of her head.

“Hinata.”

Oh, her name from his lips. How it felt so…foreign, now.

She wondered what Itachi might think if he was looking down on them right now. She hummed quietly into the fabric of his shirt.

“Will you keep coming back?”

“Yes.” Her response was instant.

She was sure.

The tightness that seemed ever present in his chest calmed as she reassured him she would continue to come back. Reluctantly, he released her and took a short step backwards.

Sasuke was never one for…tact.

But she didn’t seem to mind. Instead, she instantly let him go and stepped back as well. He was almost surprised to find a small smile on her lips.

“I should go,” she whispered, clasping her hands behind her back as she peered up at him. He almost wished he could avoid her eyes, but chose to meet them, in spite of himself. “I have a mission early in the morning tomorrow, I should pack…”

“You’ll be gone?” He cursed himself for the question. Why would he ask?

“About a week.” She nodded, stepping back once again. “Goodbye, Sasuke.”

He nodded silently as she turned around, and he watched her figure disappear.

What was this feeling in his gut? It both bothered and excited him.

…

Excited him?

Suddenly, the idea of her coming back didn’t bring him dread.

The idea of her being gone did.

As Hinata searched an abandoned hideout with her teammates in different rooms, her mind was elsewhere.

It felt good to get the weight of her resentment of Sasuke off her chest. It felt even better to feel like she was forming a connection with him again. It made her nostalgic for their time as kids, and it was a welcome nostalgia. The fact he had been so raw with her at Itachi’s grave made her feel like she could share some of herself as well. The forced realization that he wasn’t truly—truly responsible for Neji’s death didn’t hurt as much as she thought it would.

After his death, she found it difficult to express her sadness. Shino wasn’t the best at comfort, but he was a good ear to her. Kiba’s comfort was overbearing sometimes, his go to was always a crushing hug and offer to spar. Her father didn’t like to speak of Neji. Hanabi was the closest to real comfort as she had the closest relationship to Neji aside from herself, but she was a busy bee lately with her chūnin exams coming up and diplomatic assignments.

With Sasuke, it felt okay to show sadness. Show anger. Show vulnerability.

She was actually looking forward to coming back and having peaceful company during her visits to his grave. She wondered if he felt the same.

“Hinata.”

Broken from her thoughts, Shino leered down at her from a few feet away. She shook her head, refocusing her attention on their mission.

“Oi, Sasuke!”

Sasuke inhaled deeply with shut eyes, nostrils flaring at the idiots voice from below. His presence was right next to him within the moment.

“Sakura said she’s been seeing you with Hinata. What are you up to?”

He peeped one eyelid open to observe Naruto. His face was serious for once as he sat perched on the railing of his balcony, knees poking out and hands on his feet. Sasuke sighed, looking away before responding, “none of your business, idiot.”

“You better not be manipulating her, bastard,” Naruto warned with a frown. “She’s really sweet and pretty fragile emotionally. She doesn’t need you hurling insults at her.”

“What?” Sasuke spat, snapping his eyes towards him. “Why would I be doing that?”

“I know you!” Naruto pointed an accusing finger. Sasuke lowered his eyebrows. “You’re not the nicest guy, Sasuke.”

“I’m not manipulating her. I’m…catching up. With her.”

“What?” Now Naruto was the one with a dumbfounded look on his face. “I didn’t think you’d remember her, she was so quiet when we were kids.”

“Idiot,” he sighed, “our clans are…were sibling clans,” he inhaled, pressing his lips together in a line for a moment before continuing, “we were around each other a lot before the academy.”

“Wow, I never would have guessed.” Naruto raised his eyebrows and Sasuke simply rolled his eyes. Of course Naruto of all people would be the least likely to understand politics. And this was going to be their next Hokage? “Well, anyway—I came for a different reason. Kakashi-sensei’s summoning us. Come on.”

Disappointment wasn’t new to Hinata, far from it. She was a disappointment, herself, anyway. It’s what she had heard for a long time.

She was disappointed when she lost to her sister. She was disappointed when Sasuke didn’t eat her bentos. She was disappointed when Naruto seemingly forgot about her confession.

But somehow, this disappointment felt different.

“Apparently the council is allowing Sasuke to go on his journey.”

Hinata paused, staring at a beautiful carnation inside of the Yamanaka’s beautiful flower shop. She brushed the petals with the backs of her fingertips, then closed the hand into a fist.

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, can you believe Kakashi’s letting that jerk leave already?”

Hinata flinched at Ino’s harsh tone. “Weren’t you…” Her voice faded as Ino looked up at her, eyebrow raised. “…you know.”

“In love with him?” Ino asked, scoffing. “That wasn’t love. It was stupid preteen hormones and daydreams. Nothing more, nothing less. No, Sasuke will always be my first crush, but that’s all it was.”

“Oh…” Hinata breathed, rearranging a flower. Ino squinted at her.

“Why, what’s it to you?” Ino stepped towards her, leaning her face in. “Hinata?”

“Oh, I was just…curious, why you’d speak so, uhm…” Hinata sucked in her cheek briefly. “…so brashly of him, I suppose.”

“He deserves it after what he put us through.” Ino rolled her eyes, turning away. “You know just as well as I do.”

Hinata nodded shortly, turning away as well. “I suppose. I wonder where he’ll go.”

“Avenger.” Ino scoffed again. “More like idiot without a clue.”

Sasuke was halfway to the Sound when, without his permission, his body turned right around and began going back the way it came.

It was the only thing he could come up with: that he was possessed. There was no other reason for this. He had no say in the matter.

Maybe obligation to Naruto, that’s it.

Then he found himself in front of Kakashi.

“Promote me.”

Kakashi perked a curious eyebrow, the smile evident under his mask. “Oh, that’s right. You’re still a genin, aren’t you?”

“Yes, so promote me.” His words were short and to the point. Kakashi leaned back, tapped his fingers together as if mulling it over.

“And why should I?”

“I saved the world.”

“You also helped bring about its end.”

“Regardless, I saved it.”

“As did Naruto.”

“Then promote him, too. I don’t care. Promote me to jōnin.”

Now Kakashi was snickering. “Any reason for this sudden desire to promote, then?”

What rank is Hinata? Did she ever pass the chūnin exams?

“It’s unacceptable for me to travel from village to village with the rank of genin.” He pulled his ID out of his breast pocket and slammed it on his desk. He pointed at the part that made it abundantly clear he was a genin. “It’s a disgrace to the me, to the Uchiha, to this village. Your heroes are genin.”

Kakashi’s eyes crinkled, pushing his ID back to him. “How about this. You complete some b-rank and a-rank missions with some other jōnin’s, and I’ll consider it.”

Sasuke scoffed, shaking his head. “No. I need to begin my journey.”

“Sure you do.” Kakashi nodded. “As a jōnin. I’m sure you’ll impress us.”

Sasuke left because the overwhelming need to draw his blade was creeping up on him.

“Hokage’s looking for you, Hinata.”

Hinata looked up from her book outside of a bakery, meeting Tenten’s bright eyes. She closed it and nodded. “Thank you, Tenten.”

She found herself in front of Kakashi, alone, and he offered her a seat. She accepted. “Hinata, you remember Sasuke, don’t you?”

Hinata tilted her head. What an odd question. “Well, of course I do, Lord Hokage.”

Kakashi nodded. “Of course you do. And you must remember that he never formally passed the chūnin exams, yes?”

Hinata tilted her head back up, straightening out. “I don’t tend to think much about Sasuke, Lord Hokage.”

“Well, as it stands, Sasuke is a genin, and seems to think he should be promoted to jōnin.” Hinata smiled. “I’ve decided to have him shadow you, as the higher-ranking shinobi.”

“Oh,” Hinata breathed, fixing her eyes ahead. “I thought he had left.”

“He did. Returned within a few days to make more demands, as he’s so good at.” Kakashi’s tone was light with amusement. “And perhaps he should be promoted. But I’d like to see him making a thoughtful contribution to the village prior. So.” Kakashi reached into his desk to pull out a scroll, pushing it towards her. “I’m having you and Sasuke set out on a delivery mission.”

Hinata leaned forward to pick it up. A mission with Sasuke was the last thing she’d expected to be presented with when she walked in. “Just us, Lord Hokage?”

“And Rock Lee.”

“Ah.”

Hinata drew herself to her feet, tucking the scroll into a satchel on her hip. Kakashi stood as well. “I’m sure he’ll have great success with you training him.”

Hinata smiled once more, nodding. “I’m sure as well.”

Sasuke wasn’t sure he’d ever completed a mission with Hinata before.

He was certain he’d never completed one with Lee. He had been fortunate up to this point.

Really, he wasn’t quite sure what kind of sadistic mind Kakashi harbored to put Hinata in the precarious position of keeping him from murdering the man, flashes of electricity running through his fingers as he ranted on and on about power and motivation.

“I will scout ahead!”

“Thank gods…”

Her giggle was unexpected. He flashed his eyes over her as she looked straight ahead, never paying him a glance. So he looked ahead as well.

“I didn’t realize I was higher-ranked than you, Sasuke.”

His lips pressed into a grim line, blinking at nothing. “Don’t rub it in, Hyūga.”

Another giggle.

When did a giggle stop sounding like something other than nails on a chalkboard to Sasuke?

“At least Lee offered to carry everything.” He looked ahead at the man, carrying several large, heavy packs on his back.

“He didn’t really offer,” Sasuke responded, “he demanded.”

“Oh, yes.” Hinata smiled and he could see it in the corner of his eye. “Perhaps once we return, Lord Hokage will be willing to promote you.”

Sasuke sighed through his nose. “Kakashi’s got a sick mind.” She went silent. “He’ll be having me running errands all over the continent just for fun.”

“Oh, that’s not true, I don’t think.”

“You don’t know that man. He’s darker than you think.”

“Perfect as your sensei, then.”

He stopped, frowning as he looked at her. She still had that modest smile, unwavering gaze forward. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Dark and broody sensei to dark and broody boy.”

Sasuke glared at her. He wasn’t quite sure when she became like this. Had to have been while he was gone. “Never knew you had such a sense of humor.”

“Only sometimes.” Hinata shrugged, clasping her hands behind her back. “For what it’s worth, I’m happy you haven’t left, yet.”

Sasuke felt something tug at his…heart.

“I will admit I was disappointed when Ino told me you had left.” She cast her gaze up to him finally. “You didn’t say goodbye.”

He gritted his teeth as he scanned her eyes. Those eyes. Those…eyes. “Pig should mind her business.”

“Cruel.” Still, she smiled. “She feels the same about you, as it were.”

This made Sasuke raise his eyebrows, wiping his look of indifference off in favor of surprise. “She does?”

“Your…fan club has shrunk.”

Sasuke almost frowned. Almost.

Then, he was foolish. “Looks to me like it’s grown by one.”

A gasp as she finally turned her head up at him, eyebrows furrowing. “Are you implying—”

“That you’ve been following me around, stalking me, sensing my chakra? Yes.”

Her mouth fell open and he smirked. Finally. Then her mouth closed and she smirked back. “Uchiha.”

“Be honest with me,” he pressed, “who’s chakra network is brighter—mine, or the idiots?”

Instantly, “Naruto’s.”

He glared at her and her smirk grew. “Not counting sage mode.”

“Still Naruto’s.”

“Garbage,” he snapped, looking away from her, “complete garbage.”

Upon return, Hinata felt lighter.

So much lighter, in fact, she might drift away.

“Good work you three. I’m happy to see Lee is alive.”

Lee tilted his head curiously but ignored the statement.

“Hinata, return in a few days and I’ll have something new for you two.”

“Excuse me?” Sasuke stepped forward. “Who?”

“You and Hinata, of course.” Kakashi tilted his head, mock questioning on his features. “As a higher-ranking shinobi, a jōnin as you so desperately want to become, she’s perfect to be your mentor.”

Hinata looked at Sasuke and could swear his face was turning a red color, like the tomatoes he so enjoyed.

“Or I could put you with Lee, if you prefer.”

“Ah, yes!” Lee raised a fist. “I would be happy to guide you in the way of the shinobi, Sasuke—”

Hinata grabbed Sasuke’s wrist as it reached for the handle of his blade.

Perhaps she was perfect to be his mentor.

“Spar with me.”

The words sounded so foreign now. It was usually Naruto pestering him to spar with him. He hadn’t commanded Hinata to spar with him in years. Not since before they were placed on different teams.

If this was going to be his mentor (he’d never call her that), he had to know how she was in combat.

Simply seeing wasn’t enough, she had to fight him. Prove herself to him. As if he deserved that.

“An hour before class?”

He paused, shifting his eyes. Her quick wit wasn’t expected. “In the Uchiha district. Come.”

Would he return to being her whole world once more?

Not that he cared.

He didn’t.

He didn’t miss her following him around. He didn’t miss skipping rocks with her. He didn’t miss how she listened to his uninterrupted tirades.

He didn’t miss being her whole world.

But she followed him. Even if he hadn’t expected her to, she followed him through the village until they came to the empty district.

Near the lake, his sharingan spun and her eyes went veiny.

She wasn’t much of a clutz, anymore.

As Hinata lay on the ground, battered and bruised, she started laughing.

Tears pricked the backs of her eyes as she stared up at the sky, its setting sun hung loose.

She laughed, hard. Painfully, until her stomach turned into a mess of stitches.

She thought of her mother. She thought of Neji. She thought of Itachi.

She thought of Sasuke.

But she didn’t have to just think of him. He was right here, right above her, feet planted on either side of her hips, staring down at her like she was crazy.

Perhaps because she was.

“You’re losing your mind,” he whispered, squinting down at her.

It just made her laugh more. When she noticed a drop of blood trailing him from his bottom lip, she howled.

And she pointed at it. He glanced at her hand, then reached up to rub at his mouth with the back of his hand. His eyes grew a centimeter at the red on it.

“You’ve made me bleed, Hyūga.”

More laughter.

“I’m impressed.”

Then the tears started flowing, without having the slightest bit of control over it. They poured out of her, and suddenly, the laughter turned to sobs.

She threw her hands over her face as she turned away, unable to stop. He went dead silent—not that she could tell over her own sobs.

Then he sat on her.

She gasped, peeking through her fingers to find him sitting awkwardly on top of her shins, his glare unrelenting on her. He used his only hand to pull at hers, forcing them down.

“You don’t cry here.”

The sob caught in her throat as she stared at him, wide eyed. She closed her hands into fists as he released them, as if to grab his back. His serious expression softened just so. He pushed the hair from her face for her.

“You don’t cry at the Uchiha’s.” She caught him licking his lips before he breathed, “you’re happy here.”

With effort, she nodded. “You’re right, Sasuke.”

Then his expression turned downright doughy. Even though one was purple, those eyes held that same expression. That same one that comforted her, despite himself. “I’m happy, okay?”

Her lips parted as she sucked in a breath. “We’re happy.”

“We’re happy.”

“We’re…” She lifted herself to her elbows, a watery smile overtaking her face. “…happy.”

She blinked, waiting patiently as he searched her face with those eyes. Then he leaned forward and she nearly gasped as his forehead made contact with hers, gently pressing. Instinctively, she reached out, and his hand met hers.

“I’m happy, Hinata.”

He had been her whole world.

She never did quite figure out how he would encompass her once more.

He wasn’t entirely sure when she became his whole world, too.

But at least there was this.

They were happy.

#sasuhina #sasuke uchiha #uchiha sasuke #hinata hyuga #hyuga hinata #hyuuga hinata #hinata hyuuga #sasuke x hinata #sasuhina fanfic #naruto fanfic #my fic #they're angsty #but they're also soft #and can be sweet #maybe a little cheeky

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