No one wants to claim that Naruto storyline, but everyone wants that Naruto money.
Based on Lila-me's beautiful drawing named "Welcome Back." You can see the picture here: www. deviantart com / lila-me/art/ Welcome-Back-477820070 (no spaces). I have permission to make this a sort of sequel and I have been wanting to do so for a long time.
Given to Szajnie on Tumblr for the Sasuhina Secret Santa 2018.
oOo
Hinata did not intend to adopt anyone, much less Uchiha Sasuke. After the War, after Sasuke resuscitated Neji, Hinata had easily slipped him into the slot in her heart where she kept her teammates, Kurenai, and Mirai.
She did not realize this, however, until she was perusing the armory surplus store with Tenten. Tenten was by the register, leaning on the glass display counter and chatting with the owner about business practices.
Wandering the aisles, Hinata mentally reviewed her list of items requested by various family members. She double checked the sale paper in her hands before grabbing something to put in the metal basket hanging from an arm. Everything was already there. Extra kunai for Neji, a thigh holster for Shino, soldier pills for Kiba, and other odds and ends for her cousins. Right now, Hinata faced a waist high bin filled with sale priced reinforced bandages. Hinata and Hanabi always bought as many as possible when they were on sale, seeing as they went through them like crazy and this brand was normally extremely expensive.
She picked up the normal number of packages, and then paused. It occurred to her almost naturally to include Sasuke in the list of people to buy things for. Almost. The oddness of it was a hiccup in her brain. Here one moment, then gone the next. Sasuke obviously used bandages on his arm and for training. She grabbed a couple more for him without a second thought and did not think about it until a day later.
Walking down a dirt road while shopping for groceries, she spotted him. He was heading down the street towards her.
"Oh!" Hinata murmured to herself. Then, louder: "Sasuke-san!"
His brow furrowed, and he slowed. Hinata sped up and cut him off. He was forced to a stop. She dug in a canvas tote bag past tomatoes, apples, and her wallet until she found what she was looking for.
"These are for you," she stated and held out the bandages out to him.
Sasuke stared like she was speaking a different language.
"Hinata-sama," Kou, her shopping companion today, caught up with her. "Tanaka-san says they can make the delivery tomorrow-" he put a light hand on her elbow and led her away to the correct storefront.
She did not look back, but if she had, she would have seen Sasuke carefully run the bandages over and over in his hands. Confusion visible in the slight twists of his lips and in the creases in the corner of his eyes.
oOo
Two weeks later, flanked by Neji and Hanabi, Hinata spotted Sasuke once again. It appeared as if he had barely finished morning training. Jugo was with Sasuke as they melted from the shadowed woods onto the pathway. Hinata's group would intersect with them soon.
The two male nin were covered in dirt, plant stems smeared bright green on their dark clothing, and spots of blood. Not exactly clean, they would still be accepted into any dining establishment. The restaurateurs in Konoha were far too used to serving tired and dirty shinobi. Hazards of a nin village.
Her mind was already made up before she made a conscious decision. She was passing by the pair anyway. She paused in front of Sasuke and Jugo. Neji and Hanabi continued until they realized Hinata was not with them.
"Good afternoon," Hinata greeted. "We," she gestured to her family members, "are on our way to grab something to eat. Would you like to join us?"
Even with half of his face covered with hair, Sasuke's impressive eyebrow gymnastics were visible. Neji drew even with them and he sent an inquiring glance in Hinata's direction. But Neji was a professional at reading Hinata and he calmly accepted her decision.
"We would appreciate your company." He agreed.
Hanabi peered around Hinata in obvious curiosity. Out of all the Hyuga, Hanabi had to be the most expressive.
Now Sasuke peered through a narrowed eye as if all the Hyuga were from a different planet. Seeing that her invitation was probably not going to be accepted, Hinata tried a different tactic.
She focused her attention on Jugo, who leaned over Sasuke's shoulder with the same brand of curiosity as Hanabi's. "I haven't had a chance to meet Jugo-san properly, but Ino says you are very interested in herbs, especially for their healing properties. I would love to discuss this with you if you are available."
Hopefulness sparked to life in Jugo's face and he laid a hand on Sasuke's upper back. Sasuke turned to look and sighed after seeing Jugo's expression.
"Fine."
oOo
Brunch ended up being mostly quiet but Hinata did not mind. She conversed with Jugo about the soil in Konoha and what kind of natural fertilizer worked best. Hanabi talked about her training to anyone who would listen. Neji placidly sipped his tea and Sasuke frowned down at his plate.
Finally, Sasuke placed some money on the table and stood. Jugo jumped and rose to his feet as well.
"It was nice to finally meet you all." Jugo said breathlessly. "Thank you so much," he called over his back as he followed Sasuke out of the restaurant.
Neji set down his cup. Canting his head to the side, he looked at Hinata. "Care to explain?"
Honestly, she did not have an explanation other than: "I think the least we could to for him is be nice to him."
Neji nodded. "Indeed."
Hanabi squirmed a bit in her chair. "I don't think he knows how to be nice back. The whole time, he was just like," she made an exaggerated grumpy face. "We'll just have to teach him!"
And that was how the Hyuga clan adopted Sasuke and his ward, Jugo.
oOo
The next few months were interesting. Hinata found herself unable to actually make any gestures of friendship because the rest of her clan was already monopolizing Sasuke. She would come home from a mission to find him having tea in the parlor with her father and a couple of elders. She would do groceries to find him cornered in the dairy section by a bunch of meddling Hyuga matrons, tugging on his threadbare clothes and shoving fatty foods in his basket. Hinata would rescue him with a smile and a carefully timed distraction and he would disappear. Once, Sasuke's resurrected fan club started catcalling him in the street until Hanabi grabbed his hand and flicked a couple of shuriken to disperse the group as she pulled him away.
Tellingly, their father did not scold Hanabi for doing so.
Hinata tried her best. She slipped him books that she thought he might like. When Jugo came to garden, she would have him pass along tea that would soothe headaches from using dojutsu. She made sure both men took leftovers home whenever they were conned into meals with her family. She kept a close eye on the dates they left for missions and always had salve and high calorie snacks available for when they came back.
Once, after she was finally allowed to make a delivery of said snacks after convincing a cousin it was her turn, Sasuke finally, finally talked to her.
He clutched the wood bento box so hard, she heard it creak in protest. "Why are you being so nice to me?" He gritted out through clenched teeth.
Hinata paused in mid turn. He stood in the doorway, dressed in a sleeveless tunic, revealing his bandaged missing arm in all its glory. She knew if he turned, a fan would be carefully embroidered on the back, skilled work done by a Hyuga seamstress.
"You saved our future Clan Head. My brother. Why?" She responded.
His face smoothed out from anger to slight shock.
She nodded, feeling foolhardy and affectionate. She reached out to lightly run a couple of fingertips from his forearm to his wrist. She did turn then and left. He did not call her back. Once she was outside the compound walls, she pressed her tingling fingertips to the flushed skin at the base of her neck.
oOo
She was lying in her bed, her blackout curtains drawn and bandages to cover her eyes to block any spare ray of light. A headache throbbed with her heartbeat, the pain originating from her forehead and coursing through the rest of her head with every pound.
One second, she was swallowing past a dry throat, and the next, she caught the scent of someone in her room. He smelled like lighting and the cologne Hanabi bought for his birthday. Hinata liked it. Sometimes, after training, he would put it on and the scent mixed in with residual ozone.
She liked that even better.
"Sasuke-san." Hinata choked. A chair had been placed at her bedside for visitors and her right hand twitched, wanting to reach out to him.
"Do you want some water?" He asked in a low voice.
"Mmm," she hummed her agreement, unwilling to speak or move her head.
Even though the cup had a straw, her head tried to pound apart when she lifted it. Sasuke grabbed her wrist so she could hold the cup while he carefully slid his hand to the back of her skull, but she gave up after a few sips, her neck quivering.
He lowered her back down on a pillow and Hinata waited a few seconds for her pain to settle. In the meantime, Sasuke surprised her. He took the glass from her. There was a clink of the cup being set down on a nearby table, shuffling of fabric as he sat. Then warmth enveloped her hand as his calloused fingers and palm aligned with hers.
That affection she had for him swelled in her chest and she was glad her eyes were wrapped so he could not see her grateful tears. She did not know why he affected her so much. Yet, she was honored that her friendship was returned. She gripped his hand tightly and his hold firmed.
"Why are you the first?" He murmured, almost as if he was afraid a loud noise would make her headache worse.
It was symbolic. She was giving up her title as heir to Neji and the first of the Main Branch to get the Caged Bird seal. Soon, every Hyuga would have one. And then, with Naruto's influence and example, they would all be equals. She did not have the energy to explain this. Sasuke was smart. She trusted that he could figure it out. Maybe one day, he would be as skilled as Neji at reading her silences.
A smile bloomed on her face. "Naruto made a promise to Neji. I'll help them both."
"Tch. Naruto."
Hinata playfully squeezed his hand again.
oOo
When Kiba came to visit, Akamaru carefully climbed onto the bed. He snuffled her right hand and sneezed into her face. She giggled and scratched along his body. The giant dog licked her wrist, avoiding what she imagined to be Sasuke's smell. Then he gingerly laid as much of his mass as he could fit on her chest.
Hinata wheezed, then laughed.
oOo
Tenten and Sakura took Hinata out to Ichiraku Ramen when she was finally healed. Kotetsu and Izumo were sitting on the middle stools, but they kindly moved down so the girls could sit together.
Hinata was halfway into her second bowl, when Sakura, expert in all things Sasuke, finally brought him up.
"I think if you gave gifts to Naruto like you do with Sasuke, Naruto would finally get it." Sakura whispered. She was sitting in the middle and Hinata was by the wall. As much as Hinata appreciated Sakura trying to be stealthy, everyone could hear her. And, well, everyone knew about Hinata's crush on Naruto.
That was why no one in the village was suspicious of Hinata's intentions. Between the whole Hyuga accepting Sasuke, and Hinata's known devotion to Naruto, the rumor mill was sure that Hinata's actions were innocent. Or that she was trying to get to Naruto through his best friend.
At least until Hinata did something without thinking again. She shrugged one shoulder. "I don't know, I haven't really thought about Naruto-kun that much lately."
She froze. The entire restaurant froze. Passers-by froze, picking up on the vibe but not knowing what happened. Hinata snapped her chopsticks in two. Tenten dropped hers in her bowl. Kotetsu choked, Izumo literally slipped off his stool, and a bowl shattered in the kitchen. Sakura's face slowly turned the same color as her shirt.
Then, there was frantic movement. Hinata stuck her hand in her pocket and threw bills at the till without looking at them. Sakura grabbed for her arm but Hinata was already running. She could faintly hear Kotetsu cry: "I thought Iruka was lying!"
oOo
Sasuke found her, later. He casually jumped onto her branch and crouched next to her. She huddled closer to the trunk.
"We're in a tree because…?"
Because I don't think before I act and now I can't stop thinking! Hinata mentally wailed.
She took a steadying breath and smelled the foliage and moss and cologne. He was wearing it. She clenched her fists and determinedly focused on a leaf in front of her. Mapping out its veins of chlorophyll, she tried to calm her heartbeat.
He spoke again. "Honestly, I would have been pissed if you made me like you only for you to ditch me for the dobe."
Hinata jumped and peered at him incredulously. What?
He smirked at her and tugged on the hem of her sweater. Embarrassed beyond belief, she pulled the sleeves over her hands and used them to cover her massive blush.
"Hinata." He prodded. She shook her head. She knew she was being silly. "I kept everything you gave me. Even the books."
She peeked over the tops of her fingers. "Did you like them?"
He shrugged. "Some. The clip you got me to hold the pages in place was helpful."
Hinata smiled and her hands slipped down so she could clutch the hood at her neck. "I'm glad."
He steadily met her gaze and she tried valiantly to hold it, but he was too frank. Finally, he sat down properly and reached over to hook her by her shoulder. She tipped to the side, falling into him. She panicked for a moment, but he was warm, and it was almost second nature to scoot over and settle. Her eyebrows came together as she wondered how close he wanted her. But when she rested her cheek against his chest, he only settled his arm across her shoulders and pulled her close.
"Sorry… I just… I didn't realize how much I um… about my feelings." She admitted in a soft voice. "I have to think about it for a little bit."
He sighed and nuzzled into her hair. She hid a small, pleased smile in his shirt. "We have time, Hinata… Unless your family wants to chaperone our dates. Then we should make out now."
Hinata clutched at him in surprise and caught his wide smirk. "You're going to make me fall off." She warned, laughter following her declaration. "You're going to make me fall off this tree and then will have to catch me."
Staring deep in her eyes, he maneuvered them, so he was clutching both her hands in his one. He leaned so close their noses almost brushed. "I'm not going to catch you. Clumsy."
He used his grip and the remnant of his other arm to unseat her, so she was falling off the tree. She could not help her laughter and above her, he chuckled.
He did catch her with his good arm and had her tucked into his side, but the only way his grip was stable while he hurtled them through the trees was if she wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. Which might have been his evil plan all along.
Her mind was made up.
No matter how their relationship turned out, Uchiha Sasuke was hers. And she was his.
oOo
Title from my song inspiration: Rudeboy by Salt Cathedral. It's cute and I hope this was cute. Happy Holidays! I missed Hanukkah and the solstice, but Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy New Year and any other holidays I may have missed. Let me know if I missed one, I'd love to learn about it.
*EDIT: Lila-me did art specifically for this fic! It's here (no spaces): www. deviantart com / lila-me/art/ Wishing-You-the-Bestest-778240275 (I AM SO STOKED! LOOK AT IT!)