Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
It seemed like such a nice day to sit about and do nothing. Hinata and her team had been allowed a break from training, and as it seemed like such a nice day she decided to sit outside in the courtyard with some of her favourite mint tea. She let herself relax and absorb the calmness of her surroundings; the fresh, cooling breeze, the sweet sounds of birdsong and the scent of flowers drifting from the garden. For the first time in a while, she felt content and completely at ease in the world.
Not before long, she heard light footsteps coming up behind her.
"Hey Sis," said Hanabi, taking a seat next to Hinata. "What'cha doing?" Hinata smiled. "Nothing really. Why aren't you in school, Hanabi?"
"Oh, we got the day off today. All the teachers were needed for something. Hokage's orders," the young girl replied. "Can I have some?" she asked, motioning towards the tea. Hinata nodded and poured her a cup.
They sat together like that for a few moments, before Hanabi piped up again. "Hey, is that Neji over there?" Hinata nodded again. She had been watching him train whilst enjoying her tea, feeling glad that she didn't have to join him.
"But why's he training? There isn't anyone making him!" Hinata nudged her. "You'll never be able to discipline yourself as a ninja if you think like that, Hanabi." She paused. "And besides, you should know Neji's always trying to improve himself," she added, smiling at her sister.
Hanabi nudged her back. "I bet I know him better than you do, sis."
"Oh really?" she questioned, raising her eyebrows. "You bet!" Hanabi answered, a smug smirk spread across her tiny face. "I know who he likes." Hinata looked unconvinced. "Who then?"
Hanabi checked around her, to make sure nobody was listening in, especially Neji. Hinata did the same. She leaned in to whisper to Hinata:
"I heard it's Tenten."
"Not true," Hinata replied immediately. "Naruto asked him about it, and he told Naruto to stop being so ridiculous. Plus, Sakura and Ino asked Tenten about it, and she said they're just friends." Hanabi looked surprised.
"But they're always hanging about together!" Hinata shrugged.
"They're on the same team, that's why." She turned her attention to Neji's direction once more. Hanabi did the same. Another few moments passed by peacefully.
"Hinata," Hanabi said, breaking the silence. "Who do you suppose he likes?"
Hinata looked thoughtful. "I'm not sure. He treats all the girls the same."
"Like how? How does he treat them?"
"Well. . . it's hard to say. He. . . doesn't really talk to any of them that much or even notice them," she said with a thoughtful look on her face. "He's a bit cold with them."
"I'm glad he doesn't treat us like that."
Hinata smiled. "So am I. I guess he behaves a little differently around us."
The two girls sat, quietly sipping their tea, absorbing this last statement and continuing watching Neji. He was practicing the Hyuuga clan's own secret jutsus.
"Why does he behave differently around us?" Hanabi asked. Hinata had to think about that one. She didn't want to say to Hanabi that it was probably because he had to be nice to them, on account of their belonging to the main family. Though Hanabi most likely already knew this.
"I guess he just prefers us to the other girls," she replied carefully. "We're always nice to him anyway." Hanabi seemed satisfied with this answer. "Yes, I suppose you're right. We are always nice to him. Remember when we baked him that cake for his birthday?" Hinata remembered very well. "We had to bake two because we forgot to add the flour the first time," she sighed, remembering the mess they had made afterwards. The other members of the family had not been pleased, and the girls had been scolded for it. Hanabi giggled.
"He seemed to like it a lot. I thought it was a bit of a shame 'cos no one else bothered much about getting him anything." Hinata silently agreed. Although he had not said much about it, she thought she had seen a flicker of appreciation in his usually emotionless eyes when they had proudly handed him the birthday cake they had baked for him.
They continued gazing at Neji. He had been training for a while now, although his graceful moves hardly betrayed it.
"Is there anyone you like, Hinata?" enquired Hanabi, tearing her eyes away from the older Hyuuga genius to look at her sister.
"Not really," answered Hinata untruthfully, keeping her eyes fixed on Neji. Hanabi smirked to herself.
"So you got tired of Naruto, huh?" "Mmmm," said her sister, nodding, until she realised. "Hey, how did you know-?" Hanabi couldn't contain her laughter at her sister's bewildered face. "Oh come on, sis! Everyone knew about it." Hinata looked mortified.
"E-Everyone??"
"Well, everyone except for Naruto," her younger sister replied. "He's such a dobe. . ." However, Hinata wasn't really listening to her. "Did. . . did Neji know?" she half whispered.
"Yes!" Hanabi half whispered back. "He was the one who told me, duh." When Hinata looked surprised at this piece of information, Hanabi just shrugged. "We just got to talking about you, and he asked me if I knew anything had happened between you and Naruto yet."
"I hope you were saying nice things," replied Hinata, raising an eyebrow at her sister, before taking a small sip from her teacup. "I wonder why Neji wanted to know? I haven't really thought about Naruto in a while. . ."
Hanabi shrugged again. "Maybe he was trying to find out if you were single."
"W-What?!" stuttered Hinata. "Why do you think that?"
"Probably trying to pair you up with one of his lonely friends," Hanabi decided. She brought her hand up to her mouth to try to stifle some giggles. ". . . I bet it was for Lee."
Both sisters cracked up, their laughter reverberating round the quiet courtyard. At the other end, Neji glanced up to see what his cousins were finding so hilarious.
After a few moments of laughter, the girls quietened down again. Hinata brought her teacup's rim back to her smiling lips. "Somehow I doubt that he would be trying to match me with someone." She took another gulp from the hot drink. "So, Hanabi, is there anyone you like?" Hanabi snorted.
"There's nobody worth liking," she retorted, folding her arms grumpily. "All the boys at school are so stupid and immature, and they tease me. They're nothing like Neji." Her eyes widened briefly when she realised her mistake. "Not that I like him, or anything," she added hastily.
She noticed Hinata looking at her, a half-smile on her face and a knowing look in her eyes, as if she knew something that Hanabi didn't and was finding it amusing. Hanabi just carried on drinking her mint tea, defiantly refusing to meet her elder sister's gaze. It was the same kind of look that Hinata and Neji used often with her.
"So what would a boy have to be like in order for you to like them?" Hinata queried. "What qualities should they have?"
Hanabi had to give it a lot of thought before answering. "Well. . . he wouldn't tease me. He would have to respect me, and give me lots of compliments."
"Of course. What else?"
"He wouldn't be immature. . . I guess that means he'd have to be older than me."
"Uh-huh, uh-huh. And?"
"He'd have to be tall and totally gorgeous as well, so I can show him off to all my friends."
Hinata giggled. "What? It's an important quality!" the younger sister said, defending herself.
"There are better ones I could think of," Hinata replied, grinning. "What about kindness? Or is that not so important to you?"
Hanabi pondered. "Well yeah, I suppose. He'd have to be nice to me, of course, or I'd dump him. He wouldn't have to be nice to everyone else though. I don't like it when guys are too nice."
"And would he be clever too?"
"Ooooh definitely, I- hey, what's so funny?" For Hinata was giggling again. "N-No, it's nothing. . . so just clever guys? He wouldn't have to be a-a genius as well?"
"Huh?" Hanabi looked confused, not quite getting the joke. Then she realised why her sister was laughing. "I-I don't mean. . . " She looked rather embarrassed. "So, um, what kind of boy would you like?" she said quickly. Hinata calmed down a little. She hadn't meant to embarrass her sister.
"Well. . .," she answered, a dreamy look on her face. "He would have to be confident. Really confident, somebody who could take care of themselves."
"He would have to be able to take care of me too, and protect me from any danger," Hinata said. "Not that I really need protecting now," she added quickly as an afterthought.
"Oh. . ." breathed Hanabi. "He would have to be quite strong then, wouldn't he?" she said carefully. "If he was gonna become your protector."
Hinata blushed, but still kept smiling. "Yes, I suppose he would be, wouldn't he." Hanabi returned her smile.
"He would have to be a pretty awesome fighter to protect you from enemy ninja."
"Mhmm."
"You might even say he would have to be almost . . . unbeatable."
Hinata didn't even say anything, she merely smiled.
"Huh," Hanabi said, pondering again. "So uh, how many time is it that Neji's been beaten?" she questioned in a mock-serious tone.
"Hmm," Hinata replied, also trying her best to look serious, and failing miserably. "Well, once to Naruto. . . and. . . huh. Just once, I guess."
"Huh," Hanabi mimicked. The two girls turned their attention back to Neji, both tilting their heads to the side simultaneously. He appeared to be finishing his training, and was cooling down.
"He is very strong, isn't he," Hanabi whispered. "Stronger than both of us." She watched his arms as he picked up the kunai that was scattered around. 'I bet he'd be strong enough to pick me or Hinata up and carry us around.'
"Probably both of us put together," her sister replied. She was watching his face, his clear eyes that looked deep in thought. 'He always looks like that,' she mused dreamily. 'I wonder what he thinks about. . . or who he thinks about.'
"I wonder who he does like," Hanabi said quietly.
"Well remember, he treats us differently from all the other girls," Hinata answered, grinning. Hanabi gasped.
"That's it! He likes both of us Sis, I'm sure of it," Hanabi said happily, matching her sister's grin uncannily.
"Hmm. . . I suppose we'll just have to share him then."
They both erupted into giggles again, and would have continued like that for a while longer had Hinata not noticed Neji walking across the courtyard towards them at that very moment. She quickly nudged her sister, who gave a little squeal when she saw him and tried to keep silent, though neither of them could hardly keep quiet.
When he reached them he nodded to them in greeting. "Hinata-sama, Hanabi-sama."
"Good morning, Neji-kun."
Both girls glanced at each other, and erupted into giggles once more. Neji just stared at them with a confused look on his face.
"What's so funny?" he asked, looking between his younger cousins. At last Hinata managed to calm herself down.
"Ah, i-it's nothing nii-san, w-we were just laughing at, uh, one of Hanabi's jokes," she managed to stutter out, smiling sweetly at Neji, despite blushing furiously. He didn't quite believe that. Hanabi, however, nodded in agreement, not daring herself to look him in the eye lest she start giggling again. Neji wondered why they were behaving so strangely.
"I see. Well, I shall see you later." With that, he nodded again and walked swiftly past them, still confused and a little paranoid. The two sisters smiled at each other again, and turned round to watch their cousin's retreating back disappear into the house.