"Byakugan!"
Bright blue chakra glowed from his fingers as he used his juuken to knead the mixture of rice flour and hot water into malleable dough. Neji silently patted himself on the back for being ingenious enough to think of such an effortless way to mix dough efficiently. Unfortunately, by the time he felt that the ingredients were sufficiently mixed, the lump resting at the bottom of the bowl was rock- hard. He had, apparently, applied too much chakra. Scowling at the non-cooperative dough, he almost did not notice Hinata's appearance in the Hyuuga large kitchen.
"N-Neji nii-san? W-What are you doing in here?" Hinata was confused; Neji had never shown a slightest concern over the mysteries of culinary, and yet here he was, clothes lightly dusted with flour and glaring at a bowl filled with a lumpy white substance in disgust.
"Hinata- sama." Neji nodded his head respectfully at her before setting down the bowl in his hand. His tone held a slight hint of impatience. Hinata bit back a smile.
"A-are you trying to cook something, Neji nii-san?"
"Hn." Came a disgruntled reply. Neji had already begun weighing more flour out from the sack, his careful nature ensuring that it was not an ounce overweight. Hinata approached him slightly cautiously (a disgruntled Neji tended to mean the appearance of his famed juuken). Spying the Hyuuga clan's recipe scroll lying on the counter, she took a peek at what he was attempting to prepare. Ah, goma dango. It must be for her if Neji nii- san is even bothering to make it himself. Hinata, even more amused now, glanced over at her cousin, who was now frowning as he activated his Byakugan once again, fingers poised in his signature Hakke Rokujūyon Shō stance. Hinata's hand flew to her mouth. She had not thought that his juuken would appear to-to make dough!
"No! Neji nii- san! O-One does not use ninja skills to cook!" Hinata was horrified at the mere idea, and she now knew how that lumpy substance had come about. This second attempt would surely end up like the first if he continued using their clan's jyuuken! Hinata hurriedly took the bowl and moved out of the range of his divination (A little difficult, but then again, the Hyuuga kitchen was large). "Cooking is not just about the final food produced, but the method and heart placed into the process." She admonished him lightly, cheeks flushing a little as she did so. "H-here, let me show you." Setting the bowl of flour and hot water down, she pushed up her sleeves and gently started to mix the white powder with the liquid with her hands. "The softness of the dough depends on how long and how hard you mix it; the harder you mix it, the tougher the resulting dough. You have to use your own hands to determine the texture. Using the juuken would result in too much force used, causing the final dough to be inedible." By this time, dough had started forming as Hinata continued to knead. "To make goma dango, the dough must be soft and sticky, yet firm enough to roll into balls. See, this is how it should be like." She pinched a little dough out and handed it to Neji, who took it with a dubious look on his face. "Here, you can try it yourself. I'll help you weigh out the flour again."
Sighing almost imperceptibly, Neji rolled up his own sleeves and immersed his hands into the bowl of flour and water, feeling the warmth of the liquid as his strong fingers started slowly but surely to knead. Glancing at the recipe scroll, where it described the appropriate texture of the dough, Neji continued pressing and kneading until he began to feel the dough begin to yield but with some tensile resistance, indicating that it was ready. Neji smirked slightly. This was easy. Setting the bowl aside, he rested his attention on the scroll once again, brows furrowed slightly as he inventoried the remaining ingredients required to make the goma paste. Nodding in satisfaction that he had the ingredients at hand, Neji started to weigh out the appropriate amounts of sesame paste and sugar, being careful to add slightly less sugar, remembering how she did not like saccharine things. Mixing the paste and sugar together in another bowl, Neji started to add water in steps, mixing it in and testing the consistency of the paste before adding more as needed.
Hinata observed at her serious cousin as he concentrated on adding just the right amount of water and noting down the amounts added on a piece of scroll. Neji nii- san had really come a long way since the fateful chuunin examinations. She saw how his lips lifted in a soft smile as he recalled something, and she would bet that he was thinking of her. Seeing that he was ready with the goma paste, she started to place the plate of dough, which she had shaped into balls and skewered them in threes using bamboo sticks, into the wooden steamer. "Ten minutes should be enough to cook them, Neji nii- san." She smiled at him, glad that she had managed to help.
Neji's usually piercing gaze softened slightly as his cousin spoke. "Hinata sama, thank you for your help. I should be able to handle the rest of the steps. You could leave if you have other things to tend to." He smiled back at her quietly. Hinata nodded at his words, and bid her farewell, preparing to go out for a ramen dinner with Naruto at Ichiraku's. Neji turned his attention back to the steamer after Hinata left. At exactly ten minutes later, he removed the steaming sticks of dough and let them cool before applying the sesame paste over them. Gently removing the goma dango from the plate, he placed five of them into a lacquered wooden bento box, decorated with delicate pictures of birds in flight. After cleaning up the dishes and putting away the ingredients, Neji changed into a fresh set of clothing before setting off, bento box in hand.
"Goma dango! My favourite! Thank you Neji! Mhmm, they look delicious! Did you make them yourself?" Looking at the lively girl chatting excitedly beside him as they sat on a wooden bench near her apartment, Neji's heart warmed, and he smirked softly.
"I made them with the help of Hinata sama. She, uh, stopped me from massacring the dough with my juuken."
"Oh no, you did not! Neji Hyuuga, ninja skills should not be used for cooking!" Tenten's reprimand, echoing Hinata's, was spoilt by her giggles as she imagined the poor dough being plummeted by his taijutsu.
"Hn. Eat the dango before it gets too cold." Neji's cheeks were a little pink as she laughed a while more at his expense before choosing a stick out from the bento.
"Here, we can share." Tenten beamed up at him, a stick of goma dango offered to him. Neji's hand was about to pass it over when she brought the stick to his mouth instead, and he took a bite without thinking. Both shinobi were now blushing slightly, the dango stick hovering between the two of them. Chewing carefully before swallowing, he took the stick from her hands and fed her the next one without saying a word. The two of them finished the goma dango together, savouring the sentiment behind each handmade ball of dough.