Contradictory Flavours

[AU] Pressured by his job and family, Sasuke heeds Naruto's urgings to go out and relax. He finds more than a good meal at the sushi restaurant recommended to him.

At the fore of the business world was a name that stood above all others. The Uchiha had investments in fields all over and spearheaded their own highly successful hotel and department store chains. Their name bore connotations of wealth and prestige, bringing respectful nods of the head from outsiders and a fierce pride from those within. Their symbol of a red and white fan was emblazoned on countless products and in countless locales, a distinctive crest representing a distinguished family.

The Uchiha name was currently all over the headlines, however, for all the wrong reasons. Tension was running high at the announcement of Fugaku Uchiha's wishes to step down from his position at the head of the company, making way, instead, for his two sons, both with promising ability – in the plural. With captions in all major periodicals declaring the contention between the two siblings striving for the position of next head of the Uchiha, the media was having a very exciting time indeed.

The heirs in question were not. While always reminded of their position and standing as Uchiha, Itachi and Sasuke were as close as brothers could be, in such circumstances. They knew for themselves that the so-called enmity rising between them was nothing more than an ultimatum – their father had several more years to his career yet, but was certainly not satisfied with the enthusiasm to their jobs on the part of his sons.

Itachi had expressed a desire to leave the company more than once – yet it would hardly reflect properly on the Uchiha name to have the most gifted heir the company had ever seen turn out to be the black sheep that no one would forget. Perhaps if Itachi weren't so great then Sasuke could be more easily pushed forward as the heir; he had no qualms about it one way or the other. Yet the publicity afforded to the genius Itachi who graduated from university aged thirteen far overshadowed that of the second son, who was merely talented at best.

Sasuke wished that someone would just make a decision, no matter what it may be. He had enough to worry about without adding another issue to his growing list. He hadn't realised just how highly-strung he was, however, until even a friend noticed it.

Sasuke always worked late. It was simply a fact of life and he bore with it. As he often did after work, he headed to the local ramen stand. Not that he ate the stuff, but he could always find a listening ear behind the counter – or more often a talking mouth willing to wash away the worries of the day with its incessant babbling.

In high school, Sasuke had been a cold and untouchable student to his peers, partly for his name and partly for his personality. One student, however, was so disregarding of personal barriers that he'd managed to get through to him, of all people. Sasuke supposed that throughout his school life, Naruto Uzumaki had been something like his best friend.

That was, until he dropped out of school to become a ramen chef. Sasuke couldn't say that he was certain of all the particulars but Naruto looked happy enough and his business was certainly booming. The once ratty stand he'd set up with money scrounged from numerous part-time jobs had flourished into a restaurant always full of smiling customers.

That day, Sasuke arrived and slid wearily into a seat at the front bench, waving a greeting to the man behind the counter. After a parting smile at a leaving customer, Naruto jumped over with a grin.

'Hey, how've you been doing?'

Sasuke sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. 'Things are just going as always. Get me a drink, would you?'

'Sure thing, but man, have you looked at yourself lately? Sheesh, you could really do with a good night's sleep! I know that you're some big hotshot company heir but still—'

Naruto was cut off by Sasuke's sharp glare. 'I know what I'm doing. Thanks for worrying, but I just want to sit, have a drink,' here he grimaced, 'before going back to work tomorrow.'

Naruto shook his head. 'This is way not healthy. Come to think of it, my ramen probably isn't the best thing for you right now either.'

'I don't even eat your noodles, idiot,' Sasuke deadpanned.

'Same difference,' Naruto said dismissively. He put a fist under his chin in a show of ruminating on his thoughts before pounding it down on the counter with a bright look on his face. 'I've got it! Hey, you like sushi, right?'

Sasuke shrugged uncertainly. Where was Naruto going with this? 'Yeah, sure, it's alright.'

'I have a really great friend who owns this sushi place. It's pretty classy and all, so even you wouldn't turn your nose up at it, I bet. They had family problems kind of like yours, too. You should go take a look.'

Sasuke sighed. Naruto had obviously been poking into matters not his own – again. Not that it was too difficult, with the Uchiha name popping up all over in the news recently. 'Family problems like mine – are you serious? Nobody has family problems like mine.'

'Hey, you'd be surprised! I'll give you a hint; it's the same "rich family with heir issues" thing going on. Their problem is all sorted out though, not like yours. Maybe you'll learn something.' Naruto gave a small shrug. 'It's just a suggestion, but I bet it'd do you good. Not to mention that place serves the greatest sushi ever! I'll mention that a friend is dropping by so you'd better go, alright?'

Sasuke sighed again. 'Okay, where is this place? You've made me curious. I'll go when I have the time.'

'Heh, I knew you'd see things my way! You'd better not forget to actually go!'

'Yeah, yeah. Just get me my drink already – how long have I been waiting for it? Pretty bad service you've got around here.'

'Hey! Just who was it that took up my time with their dramatic life problems anyway?' Despite the growl, Naruto's tone was playful. 'Okay, here you go!' He slammed a glass down in front of Sasuke, who downed it quickly.

'Thanks.'

'No problem. Just don't forget to visit that place I told you about. Here's the address,' Naruto mentioned as he scrambled around behind the counter for a piece of paper and a pen.

After minutes of fruitless searching, Sasuke rolled his eyes and pulled out a pen of his own, grabbing a napkin to write on. 'Just tell me and I'll copy it down.'

'Right, okay here…'

Despite having promised Naruto that he would eat at the restaurant the blond had recommended, Sasuke did not actually remember the conversation they'd had until, weeks later, he reached for something in his briefcase and a crumpled napkin fell out. Picking it up, prepared to throw it in the trash, he recognised the writing and the memory came back to him. He may as well go that night, then, Sasuke supposed. He knew that if he didn't drop by the place sometime, Naruto would be on his back about it until he acquiesced.

So Sasuke found himself, on one late night, walking through the more upscale streets of town on the search for a strangely elusive sushi restaurant. The place was surprisingly well-hidden, considering how Naruto had waxed poetic about its quality. He'd have thought that such a restaurant would be immediately visible and easy to find, but he'd been puzzling over Naruto's sketchy directions for fifteen minutes and had gotten nowhere.

Eventually, after a good long look at the directions once more and a slow retracing of his steps, Sasuke found himself at the front of a dark, surprisingly unwelcoming door. To be high-class to the point of secrecy, this had to be some restaurant. Upon pushing it open, however, Sasuke found that the space inside was anything but unwelcoming. The interior was extremely traditional, sure, but that was to be expected considering that it was a sushi restaurant. A lone figure stood behind the counter, illuminated by a backlight in the kitchen. There were no other workers around. Sasuke realised belatedly that the store was probably closed.

By that time, however, the figure had looked up. Sasuke could hardly see their face, due to the backlight casting their silhouette in sharp relief and leaving their features indistinct, but he could spot short locks that framed a decidedly round face. With some surprise, he realised that the sushi chef was a woman.

'Good evening,' the figure greeted.

'Ah,' Sasuke began.

'I assume that you're the friend Naruto spoke of,' the voice mentioned softly. 'He mentioned that you might drop by sometime, and to look out for a dark-haired young man in need of a good night's sleep.'

'Doesn't surprise me,' Sasuke grunted. 'Am I here at a bad time?' He was nothing if not blunt.

'It's true that the restaurant is closed, but I can make an exception. Would you like something to eat?' The woman's voice had remained soft. This was likely her natural speaking tone, and sounded far too meek for Sasuke to think its owner worth much of anything.

'Yeah, thanks.' Sasuke paused. 'I'm Sasuke, by the way.' It was hardly appropriate to give his first name only, but if Naruto hadn't said anything about it then he certainly didn't want to clue this stranger in on his identity.

'My name is Hinata Hyuga. I'm a sushi chef.' At Sasuke's stare, she hastily amended, 'I know it's obvious, but sometimes it takes a while for the fact to sink in.'

'You get a lot of complaints, then, about your profession?' Sasuke felt like he was beginning to understand why Naruto had urged him to come here. He could hardly see how he'd benefit, however, from listening to some woman's sob story about rising from the ranks in sushi-making.

'Well, there are hardly a large number of female sushi chefs out there. I've faced some opposition, yes.' Hinata's face was blank, but serene. Sasuke could see, now that he had walked closer, she had rather exotic and delicate features. Perhaps she was a foreigner.

'Look,' Sasuke began, 'I don't exactly know why but Naruto suggested I come here. Either your sushi is really something out of this world, or he thinks you've got something to say to me. Would you happen to know which it is?'

Hinata raised a hand to her face and absently touched a finger to her lips as she thought. 'I suppose it's the history behind this restaurant. I— ah, should I call you by your first name?'

'That's fine,' Sasuke said noncommittally.

'Alright, Sasuke, the most important thing first – what would you like to eat?'

With a start, Sasuke realised that he hadn't, in fact, had anything yet despite having been in the restaurant for a good while now. He wasn't even sitting down! Pulling up a seat at the counter, he sat down in front of Hinata. Now that they were closer, he noticed her eyes to be a startling shade of pale, off-white with no visible pupil, yet she did not appear blind.

'It's a genetic trait in my family,' she mentioned by way of explanation when she noticed his stare. 'The trait is dominant, so most of my family have eyes like this. It doesn't affect vision, but… it marks us, I suppose. We can't escape from being Hyuga.'

'That's hardly a cheerful thought. I'm fine with anything, by the way. Serve me what you want, I can pay.' Sasuke would have misgivings about asking someone to serve him anything on the menu, were it not Naruto's friend. He knew that the blond had a way of getting to people and anyone he knew would never take advantage of others for their money like that.

'Alright. How about I continue speaking as I make your sushi?'

Sasuke gave a vague grunt. He wasn't exactly enthusiastic about hearing someone's life story but he'd listen. He was nothing if not a patient man.

'This restaurant,' Hinata began with a voice whisper-soft, 'has been around for generations of Hyuga. Its location may have moved and its interior been remodelled, but it has forever been the home of our sushi.'

Upon mention of her family name once again, Sasuke felt a sense of familiarity at its sound. Perhaps he had heard of it somewhere before.

'The Hyuga have branched out across the nation, but this restaurant remains their flagship store, the one operated personally by the family head. Once, that was my father.' Hinata paused and rummaged about behind the counter. Sasuke could see her methodically laying out her implements; sharp knives, lacquered plates and various ingredients.

'Ah,' Sasuke made a sound to show he'd been listening.

'The Hyuga are very traditional,' Hinata mentioned abruptly, seemingly going off on a tangent. 'After my mother passed away in childbirth, my father did not remarry. The children he had, however, were only my sister and I. Neither could anyone succeed the family unless they were direct descendants of the main line. I think you might realise the problem here, in that we were both female.'

Sasuke nodded. If he were a woman there would probably be no question as to who would succeed the Uchiha – Itachi would simply be pushed into it for lack of a choice. With his birth, his brother had been given the illusion of hope.

Hinata sliced the fish and shaped the rice with an expert hand. After wiping down the knife gently to remove the oils, she passed him the plate over the counter before beginning again. With interest, Sasuke noted that next was abalone, still moving and fresh. He would hardly pretend to know a lot about sushi but Hinata certainly gave off the image of being well-versed in its creation.

'I've been making sushi ever since I was old enough to hold a knife without cutting myself. It is very difficult to be acknowledged as a master chef and takes many years, ordinarily. For a woman, this is unheard of. My father didn't take this as a sign that we shouldn't continue, however, my sister and me. He trained us as he would a son, despite what others said. Do you know what people think of women who make sushi? A sushi restaurant is a man's world,' Hinata sighed, 'and it takes a lot to change this assumption.'

It made sense, Sasuke thought. He had certainly never associated sushi with women, before now. Suddenly, he wondered, how had Naruto gotten to know this girl? He hardly seemed the type to enter a restaurant like this of his own volition. Sasuke was almost about to ask about this himself when Hinata continued.

'Women's hands are thought to spoil the fish. Many traditionalists are against having women prepare sushi and even more so for a restaurant with a long standing like ours. Before I inherited the store, I was close to giving up. The pressure of those around me was very great and I didn't have much self-confidence. I was scared that not only would my sushi not be good enough, but that I as a person wasn't good enough either.'

By that point, Sasuke had polished off his plate. He licked his lips when he saw that Hinata was slicing tuna – specifically, the delicacy that was the fatty belly portion. 'I suppose that this is where Naruto comes in?'

'Yes,' Hinata said with a small smile. 'At a time when I was struggling to find a place in my family, I met the owner of a ramen stand who tried his best in everything and inspired me to keep going. He had no family, no background, no training in ramen-making – yet the ramen I ate that day was the best I've ever had in my life. It was filled with feeling, and that's what matters. Naruto pushed me to strive for what I wanted and take the Hyuga restaurant for myself.'

Sasuke realised where he had heard the name Hyuga before, all of a sudden. It had been all over the tabloids a while back, the story of one of the oldest and most distinguished names in not just sushi, but nobility, extending centuries back into the past. As he chewed on the tuna set before him, he remembered that their lack of a suitable heir had been well-publicised by the media and finally solved with the radical decision to instate the Hyuga's eldest daughter as the next successor. Needless to say, the papers had taken to this development with the eagerness of a fish to water. The story continued to be reported on when the girl brought the restaurant success, but died down when nothing more of interest happened thereafter.

'I remember. I saw it in the news, before. Your family thing,' Sasuke mentioned.

Hinata chuckled demurely behind a raised hand. 'I'm sure that your family problems are far more significant than mine,' she said as she collected his plates. 'Would you like more?' She said, gesturing toward the dishes.

'I'm fine. I – thank you, for telling me about yourself. I know that I'm a stranger to you, but what you said – it did help, somewhat.' Sasuke hated how he stumbled over his words as they came out of his mouth.

Hinata seemed to hesitate, but continued. 'I don't want to pry,' she murmured, 'but am I correct in assuming that your full name is Sasuke Uchiha?'

'Yes,' Sasuke replied. 'I can't seem to escape it, strange as it may sound.'

There was a pregnant pause in which Hinata stared, stunned, before emitting a small laugh. 'I'm sorry,' she said between giggles, 'I'm not usually like this, especially with people I don't know well – but you hardly seemed the type to joke.'

'I'm not,' Sasuke answered truthfully. 'I don't. You've told me a lot about yourself, though. I feel obliged to be more open.'

'Thank you,' Hinata said with a smile. 'I feel honoured.'

'I'd return the favour and tell you about myself, but it looks like you know about me already. I guess Naruto was trying to say to me that I should look at what I want to do and aim toward that, instead of going along with things. At that rate, nothing would ever happen. Thanks, for giving me a push in the right direction.'

'No, thank you.' Hinata stood, seemingly feeling through thought alone that he was about to leave.

Sasuke was not one for poetic language, but he felt rather like a burden had been lifted from where it had been weighing invisibly upon his shoulders and now freed him to walk with lighter steps. He stood and reached into his pocket for his wallet, then froze.

'I'm very sorry for this,' he began uncomfortably, 'but it looks like I've left some things at the office – including my wallet.'

'I couldn't think to charge a friend,' Hinata said, waving away his apology. 'Oh – do you mind if I call you a friend? Sorry, I sound like a child there!'

'No,' Sasuke said with a blink. 'I'd like that.' He noticed that, now they were both standing, separated by only the space of a counter between them, Hinata was far shorter than himself. With the light illuminating the crown of her head, her face almost glowed. With another blink, the image was gone. Hinata stared questioningly up at his face with wide, white eyes.

'Hey,' Sasuke said without really thinking about it, 'I really didn't mean to leave my things behind. Let me treat you to dinner some time – not as an apology, but to thank you. Please.'

'T-there's n-nothing to thank,' Hinata stuttered. It seemed that the hitch in her voice came out when she was anxious. 'I-it's perfectly okay!' She squeaked.

'No,' Sasuke said, 'I insist.' Watching the small sushi chef squirm was surprisingly entertaining. 'How about next weekend? Are you free?'

'Y-yes,' she breathed. 'Is, um, are you inviting Naruto too?'

'Just us,' Sasuke said, amused. 'I'll pick you up, alright? It's a date.'

AN: Hinata is a selfless, kind type of character. Sasuke isn't. Yet their family backgrounds, murders disregarded, are rather similar. It's interesting to put them in situations together, even if they're alternate universe. I'm not totally satisfied with the ending but it felt awkward if there was no development in character relationships – like I'm trying to tell my plot with the given characters instead of integrating the two, which I certainly don't want to do. I hope you enjoyed this small offering into the fandom.