Possibly AU, this takes place some time after the Chuunin exams and before Sasuke ditches Konoha. I only submitted it early because I wanted to (force) my friend to read it. (I'm talkin 'bout you, Sporky.)
Disclaimer: I'm not Masashi Kishimoto. I'm not even the same Gender or race as him- so, obviously I don't own Naruto.
Withered
Chapter One: Bud
The Yamanaka's family business was always quiet and slow, but it wasn't as if they needed the money. Enough people would venture there every once in a while to keep the place running. From a pink haired girl in the midst of lust or a smiling husband who wished his wife to get well soon, a pallet of different people were brave enough to show their faces there.
Including unexpected arrivals such as a frowning Asuma that surprised even the blond Yamanaka girl. The event made her curious as to what types of flowers Kurenai-sensei liked- and she laughed at the thought that Asuma probably didn't even know.
Ino did, however, become fairly bored in her time there. Tending the shop alone became lonesome, even with the rainbow of flowers crawling at her fingertips. She had been missing missions lately, losing physical form in terms of a Shinobi body, and just plainly growing depressed as every day went by. If she was going to spend her life bored in the shop, then damn it, someone was going to have to suffer with her!
That was when a lightbulb went off inside her head and she realized the only way to make this possible was to hire someone who could be easily pushed into doing something so crazy for someone so demanding.
Plus, it'd be fun. Like having a side-kick; one better than Sakura since this Hyuuga girl had no interest in the boy-toy that was Uchiha Sasuke-kun.
"Uhm, Ino-san.. how do I.."
Hinata had absolutely no idea how she got sucked into this. Maybe it was boredom, maybe it was insecurity, maybe it was how she felt rejected by Naruto-kun and Ino just happened to prance up with a cheery face that day acting as if she needed her. Whatever the case, it was a burden now but one she felt she wouldn't have to bare much longer. Maybe, if she was lucky, she'd be sent off on a mission with Kiba and Shino soon.
"Use the key."
Ino was assisting Hinata, and trying her hardest to teach her the very basics of working the register. Hinata was nervous, though. She'd never had a job before and learning all these new things was confusing.
Hinata sighed and handed the costumer their change with a forced smile. The old man who was purchasing lilys, his frown softened slightly at the way Hinata was so polite. He looked as if he'd just lost something or someone important... Hinata felt immediately saddened by this, but tried her best to push it out of her mind as she watched him hobble out of the shop.
She went back to arranging flowers and trying to remember how to do such a thing. She remembered being taught this in a field trip at the academy but it was all so long ago.
A pink apron with yellow polkadots was tied around her waist, with a double-knotted bow in the back. Probably because she was so incredibly tiny, the string would drag on the floor if Ino hadn't suggested tying in that way.
Her soft hands clasped a purple watering pail and it tipped involuntarily; tiny droplets of water showering roses, daffodils, camellia flowers and other types of flora. Hinata wondered how Ino- or rather, whoever ran this shop was able to obtain so many different plants...
The thought exiting her mind, the Hyuuga girl smiled when sweet smells and soft petals rubbed against her bare arm. They reminded her of how it wasn't all that bad working there. The atmosphere was very pleasant and it helped that the season just happened to be Spring. Buds were sprouting by the millions at this time of year, especially all around the village and now every time Hinata would see or smell a flower, she'd think of the shop.
It was quiet, though. Very quiet. As if Father Time had jammed a rock in between the hands of the universe and not even the silent ticking of the clock could be heard anymore. Ino had just left and didn't say when or if she'd be back, and that made butterflies knock into Hinata's stomach and latch onto her vocal cords whenever she had to speak to a customer. She wasn't exactly educated in botany; not like Ino was.
Hinata sighed and decided it was best just to push through it. If she can survive being beaten to a bloody pulp by her cousin, then she can survive managing the shop for a few hours, right?
She placed the empty pail aloft on a high, wooden shelf, standing to her tip-toes as she did. Her heels found the floor again and she paused to take another glance at the shop before returning to rearranging roses, bravely.
She was frightened by these little, wet, red things. There was a reason they were red, after all. She gulped- red was the color of blood and if you touched them you might bleed. The thorns looked like tiny jagged spikes and before she knew it, her fingers had wandered too far and were met with painful pricks. She let out a quiet, surprised "Ow.." her brows curving at their most sensitive points when she realized there was a tiny drop of blood growing on the cut.
Before she had time to react any further, the bell to the shop chimed loudly and startled her. She wheeled her head in the door's direction, the reflection of a boy with raven hair rippled in her thin, white eyes.
He was frowning.
"Ah.. welcome!" Hinata bowed, a smile sewn into her lips that wouldn't have normally been there, but she found it was much better to smile at customers no matter how grumpy or sad they were.
Sasuke grunted. More of a melancholic 'I-don't-feel-like-talking' fashion than an angry 'whatever-you're-annoying'. His blue, Konoha-style sandals swept over the slightly moist floor and his hands were thrown into the pockets of his shorts faster than you could say "Oiroke no jutsu."
Hinata's fake smile was washed away and her eyes found the floor again. She decided it would be best to leave the boy alone, and was about to go back to tending the roses.
Roses! She remembered her finger. Her eyes were suddenly glued to her palm that had a few very tiny splotches of blood on it. She hadn't realized the wound was that big...
"Hey."
A voice touched her ears and startled her. Her heart thumped in her throat and her eyes met dark, onyx pools that eerily resembled a charcoal mine.
"Oh, s-sorry.. c-can I help you?" She was faced with a menacing sight. The terrifying image of the renowned Uchiha boy who was holding a dark blue carnation as if it were really nothing.
Sasuke held the flower up to her, causing heat to fly up into her cheeks and she wondered if her skin was peeling off at the sudden warmth. Sasuke's expression softened at her, but not because of anything to do with her in general. His face was so sore from frowning he just had to let it go for a second.
"What's that?" He pointed to her palm with the hand that was clasping the flower, as nonchalant as possible. I don't care, I'm just curious.
"H-huh?" Hinata fidgeted and lifted up her palm. Her eyes fixated on it, blinking shakily at the sight of growing, crimson sludge. Why did she keep forgetting about it! "I-I.." gulp "pr-pricked myself."
Sasuke just shrugged it off with a very soft blink and slid a few tarnished coins to the counter.
Fretting fingers were held over her thin apron for a short moment. Hinata winched, and wondered why he'd even be buying a flower. He was that jerk, right? That guy who always snubbed his legions of fangirls off and whined about revenge like an emo crybaby. Why would he be buying a flower? She had to double-take. It was almost like being thrown into an alternate dimension.
Sasuke found the strength to dig up an annoyed expression and tossed it at Hinata. Trembling like willow-tree leaves, the white-eyed girl tried to avoid his frightening, piercing stare. It seemed to bark "Are you gonna do your job or what?"
Ah! I forgot how to o-open the register..! It dawned on her. This was bad. Really, really bad. She panicked- in three seconds she'd probably faint or be struck upside the head for her own stupidity.
She fumbled with a lock on the silvery, boxed object until noticing that the key was missing. Ino-san must've taken it... Her eyes evolved into walnut-sized circles; About five seconds had already flown by and, by some miracle, she was still alive. Her uncomfortably expanded eyes glanced up at Sasuke, him showing no real emotion other than a trace of irritation.
"Ano..." She wrung her hands, staring down at her own feet. "I-I-I.. I'm sorry, I uh.."
"Whatever." Sasuke's lips pursed. He decided that he didn't even want the extra pennies he'd get for dawdling like this. Glancing one last time at the nervous girl, he twisted the stemmed object in his chakra-scared hands. His feet ferried him further away until his hand was grasping the door handle, exiting wordlessly.
Hinata gave a relieved sigh.
o0o
This felt so wrong.
It wasn't right- it was just foreign and so weird.
Soft strands of hair brushed against thin, silken fingers. Fumbling nervously with the full clumps in her hands, Hinata struggled to braid Hanabi's brown locks.
She wasn't used to this at all. Usually Hanabi would crindge at the idea, but this time she practically had to beg Hinata to do it the second her older sister came walking in the door with an odd look on her face. She didn't think that working at a flower shop would be so tiring, but didn't really care enough to ask Hinata about it.
"Hey," The youngest blinked with white eyes. "Let me see."
Hinata was deprived of the ability to speak. A white scrunchy resting between her lips, she couldn't talk without the thing falling out. "Hinata!" Hanabi demanded, shifting in her place against the tatami mats.
The white object fell from Hinata's mouth as soon as it cracked open "Ah..! Hanabi, I can't braid your hair if you keep squirming..."
Hanabi's lips twisted into a morbid grimace. Her shoulders squared, and she tried to relax, but it was nearly impossible. She's never had such a thing done to her hair, and it was exciting.
Blinking as her older sister continued to twist the divided threads of brown, Hanabi's inactive Byakugan traced the ceiling. She bit the tip of her tongue gently, in thought. "I know something you don't know."
Hinata paused. "Eh?"
"But I won't tell you."
Blink.
"Then why did you tell me in the first place?" Nervousness picked at Hinata's gut. She didn't like it when her sister would put her through such anxiety- probably for her own sick amusement.
Hanabi sighed and folded her legs sloppily. She placed two flat palms against her knees and huffed out her chest in a not-so intimidating fashion, making Hinata twitch with curiosity. "Father has something to say to you."
Hinata twisted a puffy white object around the end of Hanabi's braid. "Did I.. um.. do something to upset him?"
Suddenly glowing, the younger sister shot up and twirled around once, admiring the twisty tail trailing behind her. She placed both hands against the back of her head and felt down, the sensation of thick patterns in her hair feeling strange and new. "How do I look?" Her eyes fixated to her sister.
"Hanabi..!"
"Oh, right, sorry." Hanabi placed a hand on her hip, "You're gonna have to find out for yourself."
o0o
Rapidly blinking eyes.
His stern glare and strict breathing was the only thing her human senses could pick up. His Byakugan seemed to study her without permission, not that he needed permission. He could do whatever he wanted to her, say whatever he wanted and she could do nothing about it.
It reminded her of the time when he practically told Kurenai that she was useless.
Her fingers curled near her knees, where she sat against the floor. Biting her bottom lip, her eyes swiveled in every direction that led to a separate path from Hiashi's stare. He was towering over her as always and it was terrifying.
He nearly sighed. Obviously she was assuming that he was extremely angry with her, even if that wasn't the case. Thinking back on it, he knew it couldn't be expected of her to think otherwise. He always treated her like a waste.
His expression grudgingly softened, and he summoned enough strength to not pierce her repetitively with his harsh eyes. "Hinata." He began, strict- though she could sense an odd plea looming in his throat.
"Y-yes?"
"It would be unfortunate for another incident like that to happen again." He stated matter-of-factly, studying her further.
Hinata nodded silently, aware of the 'incident' that he spoke of. The event that nearly took her life- as well as his, if not for Hizashi.
"You're aware of this, I'm sure." Hizashi blinked; Hinata nodded. "That is why I will not allow you to meander defenseless to that shop any longer."
Thunderstruck, the short-haired Genin's eyes popped wide open and she stared dumbfounded at her father's still shoes. "B-bu-.."
"Your cousin, Neji will be given the task of escorting you to and from Yamanaka's shop from now on. Understand?"
Wait, what? His words smacked her upside the head and caused the contents of her mind to rattle against each other. Why was he so concerned about this now? Of course she could handle herself, she didn't die during the Chunnin exams, wasn't that good enough?
"Okay..." Hinata nearly grimaced, a lethal amount of reluctancey poisoning her tongue.
Is "reluctancey" a word? Spellchecker says no.
I'm terrible at Hiashi. I hate serious guys who have good grammar, cause I can never portray them properly. Itachi is difficult like that, too. He uses a lot of clever analogies.
And I hope this doesn't have too many typos or mistakes. I only went over it once before submitting it.
