The penultimate instalment of the Happy Holiday Series! It's Sasuke's turn for a birthday fic.
Disclaimer: I own nothing
TW: The first scene is kind of gory. If that is upsetting to you, I would recommend skipping it.
It Has To Get Worse Before It Gets Better - Part 1/2
Sitting at Ichiraku Ramen with Naruto chatting idly as they waited on their food, Sasuke turned when he caught sight of a person in his periphery.
"Here you go!" Chouji announced cheerfully, setting two plates down in front of them.
Sasuke frowned down at his plate. It was not the miso he had ordered and was, instead, a pile of uncooked fish. "I didn't order this," he said even as Naruto tucked into his own. "And – wait a minute. Chouji, what are you doing here? You don't work here."
When Sasuke looked back up it was Asuma standing in front of him, not Chouji. "Asuma-sensei?" he asked, confused.
"Hey, Uchiha-kun! Just wanted to let you know that you've been doing great in Geography class lately! Keep up the good work! And remember, even if I'm not your advisor, you can always come to me if you need help," Asuma said with a grin. He pulled out a cigarette and a lighter from his pocket and slipped the thin white stick into his mouth.
"Uh, thanks Asuma-sensei, but what are you –?"
Asuma flicked open his lighter and reached up to light his cigarette. Eyes caught on the flame, Sasuke shot to his feet.
"Wait! Don't!" Sasuke yelled, arms outstretched with the intention to knock the lighter out of Asuma's hand, but it was too late. The ramen shop exploded in a burst of bright light and ear-shattering sound. When Sasuke's vision cleared he noticed that Naruto was missing, as was most of the shop. Remarkably, though, the table in front of Sasuke was still completely intact.
And sitting on that table was the plate full of fish with Asuma's bloody, decapitated head balanced on top. One of the fishes blinked its round, beady little eye.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Sasuke flinched, falling backwards.
"Sasuke," Asuma moaned, eyes rolling.
Sasuke shut his eyes against the grotesque sight.
"SASUKE!"
Sasuke nearly fell out of his bed. "Fuck!" he hissed, sheets clenched tightly in his hands.
"Sasuke-kun?" A smaller hand settled atop his own until his grip loosened and some colour bled back into his white knuckles. "Are you alright?"
Blinking the sleep out of his eyes, Sasuke looked up to see Hinata sitting on his bed beside him.
"Sasuke-kun?" she repeated.
Shaking his head, Sasuke turned his hand beneath hers so that they were touching palm to palm. "I'm fine," he said, "Just a bad dream."
Hinata's brow creased with worry. "What was it a-about? I-If you don't mind me asking."
He squeezed her hand. "Asuma-sensei."
Lips thinning to a flat line, Hinata met his eyes sympathetically. "I have them too," she confessed quietly.
Sasuke wasn't surprised. Though none of the students at Konoha Academy were as close to Asuma as Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji had been, Asuma had been one of those really great teachers who were open and willing to lend an ear to all students. His death had affected each and every one of them.
They sat for a moment in silence, hands joined. Then Sasuke looked up at her, eyebrows raised. "Hey, what are you doing in my room anyway? Am I still dreaming?"
Hinata smiled. "Was that a p-pick up line?" she teased.
Sasuke felt a grin tug at his lips.
Tucking a lock of hair behind her ears, Hinata beamed at him. "Um, well, Itachi-san said that we should leave soon, so I volunteered to wake you up."
Staring blankly at her, Sasuke felt as if there was a question mark floating clearly above his head.
Eyes widening with understanding, Hinata shook her head, making her hair slip back over her ear. "Did you forget?" she asked, disbelief evident in her voice. "It's your birthday!" She paused, leaning forward to gaze into his eyes. Her ability to meet his eyes so confidently made Sasuke smile as much as her obvious excitement did. "So, um, happy birthday!"
"I can't believe I forgot," Sasuke muttered, reaching up to brush Hinata's hair behind her ear again. "Wait, did you say Itachi? He's still here? What time is it? Shouldn't he be at work?"
Hinata blinked, taken aback at the barrage of questions. "Um, yes, yes, six o'clock, and, uh, I should let h-him tell you himself." She stood up then. "So g-get ready quickly, okay?"
And then she was gone, disappearing out of his bedroom door.
Reluctantly leaving the warmth of his bed, it occurred to Sasuke that he wasn't wearing a shirt.
'Then Hinata must have seen…'
Sasuke blushed lightly. 'Jeez, it should be the other way around.'
Sasuke used his en-suite bathroom to brush his teeth and shower quickly before throwing on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. He grabbed the sports bag he had packed the night before and ran down to the kitchen, dropping it at the foot of the table.
"What's all this?" he asked, taking in the sight of Itachi at the stove flipping an omelet as Hinata set the table.
Itachi turned to look at him, one hand still gripping the pan while the other held a spatula. He was wearing an apron that read 'Genius In And Out Of The Kitchen'. "It's a birthday breakfast, of course," Itachi said, as if it were obvious. He slid the omelet onto a plate and came over to the kitchen table, setting the plate down at Sasuke's usual spot. Pulling off the apron, he hung it on a hook and turned the stove off as Hinata placed a jug of orange juice and a bowl of fruit down. The two then sat down and turned to look at him expectantly until he did so as well.
Seated at his kitchen table with what looked, and smelled, to be a tomato and cheese omelet in front of him, as well as a bowl full of sliced pineapple and kiwis and a large plate full of bacon and sausages, Sasuke was hit with a feeling of nostalgia. The table was set with all of his favourite breakfast foods, as it always had been for both his and Itachi's birthdays when they had been growing up. 'Birthday breakfasts' had been a tradition invented by their mother.
Sasuke hadn't had a 'birthday breakfast' since his parents' death.
Swallowing back a swell of emotion, Sasuke blinked stubbornly and picked up his fork and knife. "Thanks for the food," he said quietly, eyes trained on his omelet.
A hand settled in his hair, ruffling the damp locks. "Happy birthday, otouto," Itachi said with a tiny smile that transformed his face from austere to gentle. Hinata smiled at him from her seat and Sasuke noticed that she had carefully pulled another chair from the dining room rather than take either of the seats that had belonged to his mother and father respectively.
Sasuke nodded once and immediately began to dig into his omelet, lest he do something embarrassing.
Halfway through his omelet Sasuke finally had his emotions controlled enough to look up again. "Aniki, should you be heading to work soon?" he asked, careful to keep any disappointment out of his tone. He reached over and piled some bacon and sausages onto his plate. Reaching for the orange juice, he filled his glass and topped off Itachi's and Hinata's, accepting their thanks with a small nod.
"Actually, no. I didn't tell you earlier because I wanted it to be a surprise, but I talked to my boss and was able to switch shifts with a coworker two days ago. That means I am free to celebrate with you this weekend."
Sasuke felt ready to burst with joy. "That's great," he said mildly.
"Indeed," said Itachi, tonelessly as ever.
Glancing over at Hinata, Sasuke wondered if she thought the stilted emotion of their conversation was odd. He found that she was chewing slowly on a piece of pineapple, unperturbed.
'Right. I forgot. Though she doesn't resemble them too much in terms of her personality, Hinata is a Hyuuga. She must be completely used to the whole restrained emotions thing.'
"Does that mean you'll be driving us?" Sasuke asked after finishing off a piece of bacon. He picked up his glass and drained it. "Then Sakura doesn't have to bother picking us up. I should probably text her…"
"It's already t-taken care of," Hinata piped up. "Itachi-san contacted me online and we arranged things t-together."
Sasuke felt a rush of gratitude fill him. "Thanks," he told her, voice heavy with meaning.
Sasuke hadn't been planning on doing anything for his birthday, but Naruto had talked him into it saying that they needed to focus on happy things in light of recent events. Since Sasuke's birthday had conveniently landed on a Friday, they had planned on using the Uchiha cottage for a weekend mini-vacation.
Of course, considering the bombing in Senju Park, the idea had been a bit of a hard sell. A cloud of fear seemed to hang over their town and, presumably, their entire country. They hadn't seen such acts of terrorism since the Fourth President's assassination. But life had to go on – people couldn't stop their entire lives to hide out indoors – and slowly tensions had eased. After a month and a half without any other incident, the parents had come around. It helped that Sasuke's group of friends was made up of generally responsible people and all the parents knew each other. Plus the Uchiha cottage was pretty isolated and far from big, public places that would most likely be targets – as Senju Park on the Land of Fire's National Day had been.
Prior to the bombing, Konoha had been a very safe town with almost no crime.
In the end, the whole thing had almost been called off because Itachi hadn't liked the idea of a bunch of teens going off on their own to the middle of nowhere. And considering Itachi was the one with the keys to the cottage, it was important to get his approval – never mind that Sasuke wouldn't be eager to disobey him so blatantly even if he didn't have the keys. Itachi had finished up whatever summer course he had been doing at Akatsuki U. by the end of June and had come back to Konoha to stay with Sasuke in the Uchiha mansion. Though he was often busy with work, Itachi had been overprotective in light of the bombings and had been keeping a close eye on Sasuke when he could. The whole issue came from the fact that though he was very much invited, Itachi was busy with work and was unwilling to let the party happen without his supervision. Through a lot of wheedling and cajoling Itachi had finally relented, though he hadn't seemed too happy about it.
Once they had the okay, it was really thanks to Hinata's excellent organization through a lot of online messaging that everything had been perfectly arranged so that everyone had a ride, knew exactly where they were going, had everyone's numbers programmed into their phones as well as a detailed map printed out, and had pre-set meet up points along the road.
It was at this point that Naruto had been expressly forbidden to go by Tsunade. Considering that he had played a big part in convincing Itachi, it was rather ironic.
Sasuke had been ready to call the whole thing off, but the blond had insisted that Sasuke have a blast and take a ton of pictures so that Naruto could feel like he'd been there.
"We should depart soon," Itachi said, setting his cutlery down.
"It's only seven o'clock!" Sasuke said, with a glance at the oven clock to be sure. "Everybody else isn't planning on leaving until nine!"
"You forget, foolish little brother, that nobody has used that cottage in almost nine years. It will need to be cleaned thoroughly before I allow it to be seen by guests."
Sasuke grimaced, thinking of nine years' worth of dust. "Are you really going to make me clean on my birthday?" He absolutely didn't whine.
Itachi looked at him a touch indulgently. "Welcome to adulthood."
"Um, if we have to leave soon, let m-me clear the dishes," Hinata said, standing up.
"Oh no, Hinata-san. Do not trouble yourself. I will do them," Itachi said, also standing.
Hinata bit her lip. "B-But you were so k-kind to invite me to breakfast and you d-didn't let me help you c-cook at all, it's the least I could do."
"You are always welcome here, Hinata-san. However, it would be discourteous of me to expect a guest to do chores."
Sasuke sat back in his chair and watched in amusement as Itachi and Hinata bounced niceties back and forth, trying to out-polite each other. He was glad that they seemed to have taken a liking to each other, though it really wasn't a surprise. They were both incredibly likeable people. In fact, Sasuke didn't know anybody that disliked either of them.
'Well, except for people that are jealous of Itachi's genius. And the fangirls hate Hinata, so jealousy again. In any case, it's good to see them getting along, my brother and my…'
Sasuke's eyes widened as he realized that he didn't know what to call Hinata. The first time they had gotten together Sasuke had confessed and Hinata had accepted and agreed to try out a relationship with him. 'This time around we both admitted our feelings and then we kissed, but immediately after that the bombs went off and we never labeled what we are to each other. I'd honestly forgotten about it until now.' He looked at Hinata, who appeared flustered by her 'argument' with Itachi. 'But it was definitely implied that we're dating now…right?'
Heaving a sigh, Sasuke stood up. "Let's just all do the dishes together. It'll be faster that way."
Itachi and Hinata looked at him as if the idea had never occurred to them.
"That would be efficient," Itachi said as Hinata nodded in agreement.
With Itachi washing, Hinata drying and Sasuke putting the dishes back into their respective cupboards the cleanup went quickly. It was a very domestic scene and Sasuke realized that despite the horrific nightmare, ever since he'd woken up he had spent every hour of his birthday so far feeling incredibly happy.
'That's…that's actually pretty odd for me. But I like it, feeling happy all the time. It's kind of great. I don't want to jinx it, but I think…this could be my best birthday yet.'
And that was saying a lot. Of course his last few birthdays were hardly competition considering he and Itachi had been estranged and he'd barely tolerated Naruto and Sakura's friendship, but back when his parents were alive his birthdays had always been great.
"Okay, this is the l-last one," Hinata said as she handed him sparkling clean glass. Sasuke nodded and tucked it into a high cupboard.
Ducking down, Sasuke grabbed his sports bag and looked back at Itachi and Hinata. "I'm ready to go. What about you two? Where are your things?"
Itachi and Hinata shared a glance.
"Itachi-san let me keep m-my bag in the car when I g-got here," she said.
"Why don't you go start the car?" Itachi asked in a way that made it sound less like a request and more like an order. He tossed a set of car keys at Sasuke.
Quirking a brow at his brother, Sasuke shrugged. 'It's not like it would be a hardship, but Itachi usually never lets me anywhere near the driver's seat of his car.' "Whatever," he said, shouldering his bag and stepping out the front door.
The moment his foot hit the paved driveway, Sasuke froze. "No way," he breathed. He was vaguely aware of Hinata and Itachi following behind him, but he couldn't seem to move his eyes because parked in his driveway was a slick, black car of the Susanoo make that was definitely not Itachi's own black Amaterasu.
Eyes still locked onto the car, Sasuke said, "Seriously aniki, if this is another joke I will never forgive you."
"No joke. I promised you, didn't I, that once you turned seventeen you would be allowed to have a car? Here it is, as promised."
Sasuke wasted no time in dumping his bag on the ground and sliding into the driver's seat, hands gripping the steering wheel with reverence.
Rolling his eyes at the childish behaviour, Itachi put Sasuke's bag into the trunk where his own and Hinata's already were packed away before offering Hinata the navigator seat.
"O-Oh, no. That's alright, Itachi-san. After all, y-you're the one who knows the way to the c-cottage better than any of u-us. It would be easier t-to give directions from the f-front seat," Hinata said. She took the backseat while Itachi sat beside Sasuke.
"Now, please put your seatbelts on. And be sure to drive carefully Sasuke, or I will be taking over."
"Aniki, I'm pretty sure we're going the wrong way," Sasuke said for what felt like the tenth time in the past five minutes.
Itachi didn't deign to answer, but Sasuke got the distinct impression that he was thinking something like 'I'm Itachi Uchiha, I don't do wrong.' Or maybe not. Itachi's mind probably didn't work like Sasuke's. Or anybody else's.
"Turn into the driveway here."
"…This is definitely Naruto's house. I mean, we don't hang out here a lot because I refused to set foot in there after that time I was trying to grab a fork and instead found a dildo in the cutlery drawer, but I still recognize the place." Immediately after saying this, Sasuke checked the rearview mirror to find that Hinata's face was a dark shade of red.
Itachi twitched in his seat, but refrained from saying anything. That didn't mean he wasn't plotting though.
"Ah, aniki, please don't call CPS on him or anything. I mean, Naruto turned out alright…for the most part."
"Would Itachi-san really do that?" Hinata asked, eyes darting from Sasuke to Itachi.
Meeting her eyes through the mirror, Sasuke tried to convey 'he totally would' with his face alone.
Sighing, Itachi admitted, "At sixteen years old, I am uncertain that it would actually accomplish anything."
"So, is anyone going to tell me why we're here? Are we just going to sit here in Naruto's driveway or…?"
Hinata frowned, pulling out her phone. "I called him three times this m-morning to make sure he woke up on t-time," she murmured to herself.
Suddenly the front door of Naruto's house opened and out stepped Jiraiya in a silk robe, dragging a half-asleep Naruto behind him. "I think I have something for you," he drawled, stuffing Naruto unceremoniously into the back seat.
"O-Oh," Hinata gasped as the blond fell into her lap.
"Hina-chan?" Naruto mumbled sleepily.
"Good m-morning, Naruto-kun," Hinata returned as she helped him sit up and buckle himself in. "O-Oh! What is th-that?" she asked with a grimace when she pulled her hand back to find it slightly wet with a watery, white substance.
"He fell asleep in his cereal," Jiraiya explained, shutting the back door and almost clipping Naruto's limp arm. "Should I put his bag in the trunk?"
"If you would be so kind," Itachi said, voice stiffly polite.
"Jeez kid, you sound a bit wound up." Jiraiya deposited Naruto's bag in the trunk and winked at Itachi. "You should come out some night with me and Tsunade-chan. You're, what, twenty-two by now? We'll show you a good time. Tsunade-chan gets a bit handsy when she's sloshed, but feel free to direct her towards me then. I mean, if she's gonna grope someone, it might as well be me."
Itachi stared out at the road. "I'm twenty-three. Thank you for the invitation, Jiraiya-san, but I doubt that I would have time for something like that."
Jiraiya laughed easily. "I get it. All work and no play makes Uchiha-kun the best of his field."
Sasuke perked up a bit at this. "And that field would be…?" he prompted.
Glancing at him in surprise, Jiraiya looked past him to Itachi once more.
"None of your business, otouto," Itachi said with an air of finality. "We shall take our leave now. Good bye, Jiraiya-san."
"Good bye Jiraiya-san," Hinata echoed from the back seat as Sasuke pulled out of the driveway.
They drove in a companionable silence for about twenty minutes before Naruto finally started showing signs of life.
"Whoa, am I still sleeping? Cuz this car isn't something I've seen outside of my dreams!"
"Oh, you're awake then, dobe? Here I thought that we would have some peace on our drive…"
Naruto didn't seem to hear this. "Shit man! This car is gorgeous! She's a Susanoo, right? And she's all yours?"
Sasuke couldn't hide his proud smile when he nodded.
"Shiiiit," Naruto said again, drawing the curse out until it was nearly unrecognizable.
Itachi was unamused. "Language, Naruto-san."
Falling back dramatically, hand against his heart, Naruto groaned. "Itachi-kun! Still so formal? We're practically brother-in-laws."
Itachi's eyebrows tilted ever so slightly while Sasuke just barely refrained from slamming his head into the steering wheel.
"Um, N-Naruto-kun, for you and I-Itachi-san to be brother-in-laws, that w-would mean that you and Sasuke-kun would have to be m-married," Hinata said with a giggle.
Naruto balked. "Whoops! Totally not what I meant! I just meant me an' Sasuke are practically brothers, so that makes me an' Itachi kinda brothers too. I'm not tryna steal your man or anything, Hina-chan!"
Hinata smiled. "O-of course not," she said agreeably.
"Not that there would be any competition," Sasuke said.
"You're breaking my heart here, man. You an' Itachi both being so cold. I definitely see the family resemblance!"
Sasuke rolled his eyes and made a right turn at Itachi's request. "I thought Tsunade-sama said that you couldn't come," Sasuke pointed out, recalling his surprise at being directed to Naruto's house. "What changed?"
Naruto shrugged. "Hell if I know! I was begging her to let me come for weeks, but she wouldn't budge! And then suddenly two days ago she just turned up and said I could go before I could even ask! I don't know what changed her mind, but I'm not gonna look a horse in the eye."
Hinata shot Naruto a puzzled look out of the corner of her eyes.
"Anyway, this is my first road trip and I'm so excited! I came totally prepared," Naruto announced, digging into the pocket of his orange jacket. He pulled out his I-pod and presented it proudly. "Ta da! I made a rockin' playlist for the three hour drive. It's four hours long, just in case we want to skip a song or two, or if we get held up or lost and end up taking longer."
Itachi looked at Naruto with a withering glare. "As I will be navigating, the chance of getting lost is less than 0.1 percent," he said. Nevertheless, he took the offered I-pod and plugged it into the car. "If I am to hazard a guess, the desired playlist is of the name 'Naruto's Rockin', Knock Your Mismatched Socks Off First Ever Roadtrip, Awesomesauce Playlist, Dragons, Roar', yes?" Itachi's voice didn't waver at all as he read the title as if it were the Presidential Address.
"That's the one," Naruto said with a serious nod.
Hinata stifled a giggle.
Sasuke stopped Itachi's hand before his brother could hit play. "Wait, are you really okay with this?"
Itachi stared back placidly.
Sasuke looked to Hinata for support through the mirror, but she only shrugged somewhat apologetically.
"Well, I'm not! There's no way I'm listening to three plus hours of Naruto-approved music."
"Hey! I worked hard on that!"
"Doesn't mean it'll be good –"
"W-Why don't we each get ten v-vetoes!" Hinata interrupted, raising her voice to be heard over their brewing argument. "So we can each skip up t-to ten songs, if we r-really don't like them." At Naruto's betrayed look, she hurried to add, "Though I-I'm sure that they'll all be g-great choices!"
Sasuke gave a grudging nod.
"I guess that would be fair," Naruto admitted.
"Wise counsel, Hinata-san," Itachi said.
Hinata beamed at the compliment.
"OI, BASTARD! YOU HAD BETTER NOT BE HITTING SHUFFLE! I WORKED HARD ON PUTTING THE SONGS INTO THE PERFECT ORDER!"
Three hours later saw the group driving up a long gravel driveway to a gorgeous, three-storey wooden building. Though it was well-kept, the cottage's age was evident through the structure and aesthetics.
"Jeez, I can't believe that in the end, Hina-chan was the one who used up all her vetoes within the first half-hour," Naruto grumbled as he exited the car, lips pursed in a wounded pout.
Hinata slipped out after him. "I-I'm sorry, N-Naruto-kun! I just…I really h-hate EDM."
Sasuke and Itachi also got out of the car to stand beside the other two.
"I don't know why you would pick so much dance music when we were stuck in a car the entire time," Sasuke said, defending Hinata.
Naruto stretched out his body noisily. "If you think you can't dance while sitting down, then you're just not using your imagination!"
"Come, children, it would be best not to dally. We have much to prepare before your friends arrive," Itachi said, taking all four bags easily and walking up to the grand entrance.
"Jeez, at some point a place stops being a 'cottage' and becomes more of a 'vacation home' or 'lake house'," Naruto said, voice filled with awe as he dogged Itachi eagerly.
"Ne, S-Sasuke-kun," Hinata said, as they followed at a more sedate pace, "Thank you for vetoing the EDM songs a-after I ran out…"
Slipping his hand into hers, Sasuke linked their fingers. "It's fine. I got to learn a new thing about you."
Hinata laughed quietly. "So d-did I. I didn't know that y-you liked country music so much, S-Sasuke-kun. Your c-cowboy costume on H-Halloween makes m-more sense now…"
"Naruto forced me into that!" Sasuke insisted.
Hinata simply hummed, tugging him into the cottage-lake-house-vacation-home.
They found Itachi and Naruto up one flight of stairs, standing on the car-sized landing that split into two more flights of stairs which led to the second floor: beside each of these was yet another flight of stairs that led to the third floor. When they climbed up to meet them, Sasuke and Hinata saw that Itachi and Naruto were examining a large tapestry hung up on the wall.
"The writing is so small!" Naruto marveled.
"Though there are only six generations, the number of Uchiha clansmen was so vast that such small lettering was necessary to fit everyone in. Of course, it was also done with the assumption that many more would follow," Itachi explained. "It is believed that the Uchiha origins span much further back than that, but Madara Uchiha, son of Tajima Uchiha, is the man credited with establishing us as an organized clan, rather than just a large family. According to legend, however, the Uchiha really began as descendants of Indra, son of the Sage of the Six Paths."
Naruto touched the tapestry with surprisingly gentle fingers. "I remember Tsunade-o-baa-chan told me that her family was also supposed to be descended from the Sage of Six Paths. So is that just total BS?"
Itachi shook his head. "Indra's younger brother Asura was, indeed, thought to be the first of the Senju clan."
Naruto turned to grin at Sasuke over his shoulder. "Hear that? I guess that means we're vaguely related through my mom's side. We really are like brothers!"
"It'd be more like five-hundredth cousins, seventy-six times removed. And that's only if any of that is true," Sasuke returned.
Hinata tilted her head to the side, studying the tapestry with wonderment in her lavender eyes. "Madara Uchiha? I r-remember that name from our history c-classes. He founded Fire Country, or the Land of Fire, together with H-Hashirama Senju, right? Even though Senju-sama became the f-first President by himself."
A wan smile crossed Itachi's face. "Although the second President and brother of Hashirama-sama, Tomirama Senju, gifted the Konoha Military Police to the Uchiha as acknowledgement and thanks for our part in the founding of Konoha and the Land of Fire, it is said that Madara never got over it."
Turning to face Itachi, Hinata frowned. "I c-can't find his name on the tapestry…it should be in the second line, under Tajima Uchiha, but there's a burn mark instead."
Sasuke spoke up then. "Father used to make us learn the clan history. It was a while ago, but if I'm remembering correctly, Madara was stricken from the clan."
"Why?" Naruto asked, blue eyes wide with interest.
"His bitterness clouded his mind," Itachi said gravely. "Now, that's enough history for today. There are ten bedrooms in total, four on the second floor and six on the third. I will be taking the master bedroom on the second floor. As for the rest, you shall divide them amongst yourselves appropriately, but at least eight people will be required to share." He looked at them sternly. "I do not care who shares with whom, but there will be absolutely no fornicating this weekend. Ensure that your friends are aware of this."
Naruto grimaced. "That's a really weird way to say sex." At Itachi's unamused look he straightened up and saluted. "Gotcha! Definitely no funny business will be goin' down while expert cock-blocker Naruto's on the job!"
"You should put that on your resume. Expert cock-blocker," Sasuke said, snorting. "I'd prefer to take the room that Itachi and I used to share, but it has two single beds which would be more convenient for the people who have to share – although…" He trailed off, eyeing Hinata speculatively.
Hinata blinked and then proceeded to blush bright pink. "A-Ah, nii-san w-wouldn't be h-happy about that. Neither w-would K-Kiba-kun or Shino-kun…"
"Awesome! Getting up at too-early o'clock was totally worth it if it means we get to have our own rooms cuz we pick first!" Naruto cheered. "Sasuke! Itachi! You gotta show us where the best rooms are!"
Sasuke started up the stairs, pulling Hinata along by their joined hands. "Well, when we'd come here with our cousins, the second floor was used by the parents while the third was where the kids slept. That means all four rooms on the second floor have either queen or king sized beds. And, including mine and Itachi's old room, of the six on the third floor, four of them have two single beds. The other two have doubles."
"I call one of the second floor ones then! I'ma test them all out and figure out which one has the softest bed!" Naruto declared as he and Itachi followed behind.
Sasuke glanced back at Itachi. "I'll take the room across the master bedroom."
"I think that I-I'll take one of the rooms with two b-beds. I d-don't mind sharing. Actually, I think it would be more f-fun that way, like how I i-imagine camp would be," Hinata decided.
"You've never been to camp, Hina-chan?!" Naruto said, sounding amazed.
Hinata shook her head. "As a child, d-during the summers I would attend etiquette l-lessons with my grandmother, clan history lessons w-with my grandfather and martial arts lessons with my f-father. This was n-nonnegotiable."
"I assume you were trained in the traditional Hyuuga style, Hinata-san?" Itachi asked. At Hinata's nod, he looked intrigued. "We should spar, should we find the time this weekend. I too am trained in several types of martial arts."
Hinata smiled. "That w-would be fun. Although I-I'm certain that y-you would find Neji-nii-san a better partner."
"Do not underestimate yourself, Hinata-san. I believe that you are more talented that you think," Itachi said before disappearing into the first door that they reached. Sasuke opened the door across from it and put his bag down inside.
Naruto furrowed his eyebrows, seeing as there were only two rooms in this wing. He circled around the stairs into the right wing and popped into one of the rooms.
Sasuke and Hinata shared a glance when loud squeaking poured out of the open door. Itachi reappeared sans bag and shook his head in derision. They watched in varying levels of amusement as Naruto ran across the hallway into the fourth room.
More squeaking.
Naruto ran back into the hallway. He stopped and cradled his chin with one hand. "I might need a second opinion," he said after a moment of silent deliberation. He looked up at them imploringly. "Guys?"
Itachi turned around and starting climbing down the stairs. "Find me once you've finished picking your rooms and we will commence cleaning. I would be very grateful if you could bring down all of the bedding. Don't take too long."
Sasuke rolled his eyes at Naruto's antics before addressing Hinata. "I'll go help Itachi get started, unless you need advice for the whole room selection thing?"
Hinata huffed out a laugh. "I think I can h-handle it," she said.
Sasuke smirked, squeezing her hand once before letting go and chasing down Itachi.
As he left, he heard Naruto plead, "C'mon Hina-chan, just one bounce?"
When he reached Itachi, Sasuke found his brother opening a closet at the end of the hallway, close to the backdoor.
"Help me empty out the contents," Itachi ordered, apparently able to sense Sasuke's presence even with the closet door blocking his vision.
Sasuke did as he was told, finding that the closet was filled with cleaning supplies.
By the time Naruto and Hinata joined them, their hands piled high with bed sheets, Itachi and Sasuke had laid out a mop and bucket, a vacuum cleaner, a duster, several bottles of various cleaning liquids and a couple of dish rags.
"Wonderful," Itachi said, relieving Naruto and Hinata of the sheets. "I will put these in the washing machine. As for the rest of the house, it would be ideal to divide the tasks. Naruto-san will be in charge of mopping the hardwood and tiled floors, which are those on the main floor and all of the bathrooms. Hinata-san shall vacuum the carpeted rooms, which are all of the bedrooms. Sasuke will dust every room and wipe all of the windows. I will be taking care of the kitchen: rinsing all of the dishes and cleaning the fridge. Any questions?"
The three teenagers shook their heads, looking a little overwhelmed.
Itachi smiled thinly. "Alright. Let us begin."
An hour and a half later Naruto collapsed onto the floor of the foyer, with Sasuke and Hinata slumping down on opposite walls.
"I think I've leveled up my cleaning skills like a million times over!" Naruto exclaimed. "Maybe I should start a cleaning service, bring in the big bucks."
"Would you wear one of those French maid costumes?" Sasuke asked.
Naruto groaned, rolling over to face Hinata. "Hina-chan," he whined, "Your boyfriend is thinking dirty thoughts about me!"
Sasuke sat up at the word 'boyfriend', watching Hinata's reaction closely. 'If we're not officially boyfriend and girlfriend, she'll definitely say something, right?'
Unfortunately, Itachi took that moment to join them, putting an end to that conversation. "I'm impressed," he said, in his usual dull tone. Most people would presume he was being sarcastic, but Sasuke knew better. "You finished much more quickly than I imagined you would."
"Yeah, well, we've had some practice, what with cleaning the entire school gym at the start of summer," Naruto said. "Heh, we even finished before you, Genius-san."
Itachi raised an eyebrow. "What's this about cleaning the Konoha Academy's gymnasium? And I finished the kitchen earlier than anticipated, so I decided to sweep the porch, scrub the deck, trim the hedges and prune the garden with my spare time."
Naruto and Hinata stared at him with shock. There wasn't a smudge of dirt or a hair out of place to be seen.
"Wow," Hinata and Naruto breathed out in wonder.
Sasuke smirked. 'As expected of my big brother.'
"I also moved the sheets to the drier and folded them once they were done. I don't believe it would be too much to ask for your friends to do their own beds once they choose rooms," Itachi continued. "In the meantime, we have approximately half an hour before they arrive. I will be going grocery shopping, as I will need to feed thirteen teenagers for a weekend. Feel free to relax for a bit as a reward for your hard work."
Standing up, Hinata smiled shyly at Itachi. "U-Um, actually I-Itachi-san, w-would it be okay if I joined y-you?"
Itachi blinked. "I would appreciate the company, Hinata-san, but do not feel obligated."
"I-I enjoy cooking, so I would like to h-help picking out the g-groceries. Th-That is, if I-Itachi-san would actually l-let me take part in the c-cooking this time," she said hesitantly, just the slightest hint of teasing to her words.
Itachi granted her a smile and Sasuke wondered how much of it was genuine and how much of it was meant to relax Hinata. Either way, he knew the sentiment behind it was kind. That was how Itachi was.
Sasuke started to stand, wanting to go with Hinata, but she met his eyes and then glanced pointedly at Naruto who was still lying spread eagle on the floor. Rolling his eyes, Sasuke nodded nonetheless. 'I got it. The dobe obviously has no intention of moving, so I'll keep him company.'
There was a small settlement some kilometers away, so Itachi and Hinata departed for it with a promise to return within the hour.
Staring at Naruto's prone form, Sasuke sighed. "Do you want to go for a dip in the lake?" he asked.
Naruto moaned lowly. "Just let me lie here, at least for a little while."
Shrugging, Sasuke pulled out his cellphone. He frowned absentmindedly at the lack of signal – the Uchiha cottage was in the middle of a dense forest and there was a two kilometer circle around the house with no signal. This wasn't really a problem since the entire purpose of coming out here was to play outside, but it could be inconvenient. If they got held up, Itachi and Hinata wouldn't be able to let them know, and Sakura and the others couldn't ask for directions.
Sasuke pulled up Candy Crush Saga on his phone. This at least didn't need any kind of signal or internet connection.
As the instantly recognizable music started up, Naruto rolled his head over to look at Sasuke. "Dude, you are so obsessed with that game."
"Shut it."
Not even a second went by before Naruto was speaking up again. "By the way, I just realized that I'd forgotten to say somethin'…"
"What?" Sasuke asked with a weary sigh.
"Happy birthday man!"
"…Thanks."
After what felt like ten minutes, Sasuke was pulled out of his intense concentration on candy by the sound of a car pulling up outside. Blinking, he checked the time. "Narutard," he called, kicking at his best friend's foot. "You've literally been lying in that same position for thirty minutes."
Naruto blinked his bright blue eyes at the underside of the roof. "What if I chose the wrong bed? Maybe the other one was softer…"
Rolling his eyes, Sasuke got up and opened the door, nearly getting a face-full of Sakura's fist.
"Sasuke-kun!" she cried in surprise, pulling her hand back. "Sorry about that…"
"Happy birthday!" Ino and Chouji chimed in cheerily from behind.
"Is that Sakura-chan's angelic voice I hear?" Naruto shouted, bumping into Sasuke as he tried to tackle Sakura into an enthusiastic hug.
"Cool it, Naruto," she said, shoving him away with a hand to his face.
"Can you let us in already?" Ino complained from her position behind Sakura, flanked by Chouji and Shikamaru, with Sai further back. "It's rude to keep us waiting in the doorway, especially when we're holding luggage."
Taking note of her crossed arms and then the extra bag that Chouji was holding, Sauske didn't bother humouring her. Nevertheless, he stepped aside, yanking Naruto back with him, and made way for them.
Sakura walked in, the rest trailing behind her. "Neji-senpai's car is just behind us," Chouji told them, hoisting the two bags he was holding further up his shoulder.
Shikamaru simply nodded minutely at both of them, face ashen and eyes bruised. Sasuke thought back to the nightmare he'd had that morning.
'Considering that he saw Asuma-sensei die with his own two eyes, close enough to be covered with his mentor's blood… Shikamaru's must be ten times worse. That is, if he's sleeping at all.'
"Lucky for you guys, that means you can choose your rooms first. Me, Sasuke an' Itachi already got single rooms on the second floor. Hina-chan chose one of the room's on the third floor with bunk beds, saying she wouldn't mind sharing cuz she's a sweetheart like that. Eight people have to share and since there's fourteen of us, that means there's…one, two, three single rooms left!" Naruto said excitedly.
"I call a single room!" Sakura and Ino shouted simultaneously.
Sai tilted his head to the side with a painfully fake smile. "I would like a single room as well, preferably on the third floor," he said.
Chouji eyed a despondent Shikamaru. "I don't mind sharing," he said casually. "Is that fine with you, Shikamaru?"
Shikamaru shrugged one of his shoulders.
Watching the exchange closely, Sasuke frowned. 'So he's definitely having nightmares. Probably bad ones if Chouji doesn't want him sleeping alone.'
"Hey! Here come the others!" Naruto said, pointing out the open door.
Indeed, Neji's car was pulling to a stop beside Sakura's, the doors opening as Neji, Lee, Tenten, Kiba and Shino poured out.
"Awesome! Let's get this party started!" Naruto yelled, throwing his arms in the air. Sasuke wondered where all this energy was coming from, considering he'd been practically passed out on the floor.
"…Or we could pick rooms, do up our beds and put away our things," Sasuke said.
Naruto slouched. "Ugh. Fine. But then we all need to get our suits on and go swimming!"
Ino grinned wickedly. "Sounds good to me. Race you guys up there, loser gets the worst room!" she shouted loud enough for Neji and the rest to hear before tearing up the stairs.
"Oh no you don't, Ino-pig!" Sakura cried, racing after her. "I'm going to get the best room!"
Sai skipped after them, unconcerned.
"For the people who are sharing, since Hinata took the room with the bed bunks, that leaves two with two twin beds each and one room with a single queen," Sasuke mused.
The new arrivals glanced at each other tersely and then suddenly everyone was running.
"Hah!" Naruto laughed, "All that cleaning was totally worth getting here early so I can just watch everyone go crazy over rooms."
Only Shikamaru, Tenten, Neji and Lee remained, though Lee was practically twitching with his need to join in on a race. It was only Neji's hand on his arm that kept him grounded.
Sasuke grunted. "None of them took the bed sheets…"
Once everyone's rooms had been done up, the group congregated on the dock connected to the house's back porch, all in various swimming attire. Before anyone could dive into the inviting lake, the back door opened and out stepped Itachi and Hinata, arms laden with food.
"H-Hi everyone," Hinata greeted, smiling. Sasuke was quick to free up one of her hands so that she could wave.
"What did you get?" Chouji asked, peeking over Itachi's shoulder as he set his bags down on the patio table. When Itachi didn't look inclined to answer, he turned to Hinata.
"Well," she said, placing a large watermelon down as Sasuke did the same with its twin, "W-We got lots of barbeque stuff for dinner. For lunch, there's watermelon and many different sandwich fillings so we can each make our own. There's a sandwich grill inside too."
Itachi checked his wristwatch. "We shall have lunch in an hour. Until then, I will prepare everything."
"I can help too!" Chouji volunteered, gravitating towards the watermelons.
Ino snorted. "Then Shikamaru and I are going to sit right here and supervise, otherwise you'll eat half of it yourself." She plopped down onto one of the lounge chairs. "I need to work on my tan anyway."
Shikamaru sat down on a neighbouring chair with no argument and pulled out his phone.
"COME FRIENDS! WE SHOULD SEIZE THE MOMENT! BEFORE LUNCH I WILL SWIM TWO HUNDRED LAPS!" Lee announced, fist raised to the sky. He bounded off and swan dived into the lake. Tenten and Neji followed after a shared glance of bemusement.
"C'mon, Akamaru! Let's see who can swim faster!" Kiba said, running off with his dog.
Pulling out a magnifying glass, Shino adjusted his ridiculously large sun hat and disappeared into the greenery. Seeing this, Itachi turned to Sasuke. "I hope your friends know not to wander too far. It would be difficult to find them on such large grounds, especially without any cellphone signal."
"Shino-kun often goes camping in much wilder places. He knows how to be careful," Hinata piped up.
Eyeing her carefully, Itachi nodded once and turned his attention back to the food.
Taking Hinata's hand in his, Sasuke led her over to the long stretch of dock upon which Naruto and Sakura were either discussing something or arguing. It was difficult to tell with those two. They passed Sai, who was dipping his feet into the lake while working on a sketch.
"I h-hope Sai-san will show it to us when he's d-done," Hinata mused. "He's v-very talented."
Sasuke hummed noncommittally as they walked along the dock.
"So the 'wait-half-an-hour' thing isn't true!" Naruto gasped when they were within earshot.
Hinata looked between Naruto and Sakura, tilting her head to the side. "I thought everyone knew that," she said quietly.
Whirling around, Naruto gaped at Hinata before flinching back in an exaggerated move. "Ouch! Hina-chan can be so unexpectedly cruel!"
"N-Naruto-kun!" Hinata cried. "I-I didn't–"
Naruto crossed his arms, pouting. "How mean!"
Sasuke expected Sakura to have joined in by then, but when he slid his gaze over to her he found that she was sitting down on the dock and staring back at the house with a pensive look on her face. Following her gaze, he was met with the sight of Shikamaru still fiddling with his phone.
"Strange," he said. 'Rather than the type of person who is attached to their phone, Shikamaru's the type who takes days to answer texts and almost never picks up phone calls.' Sasuke considered the idea of Shikamaru becoming interested some kind of gaming app, but quickly dismissed it as unlikely. Tilting his head up, he took note of the brilliant blue colour of the sky and the tall piles of puffy white clouds. "Stranger still."
"Hey, there's definitely no way Shikamaru managed to get signal on his phone, right?" Naruto asked.
Startled, Sasuke looked back and met Hinata's thoughtful eyes. Naruto was crouching beside her, blue eyes trained on Shikamaru.
"On the drive over here, whenever I looked in the rearview mirror I would see him texting someone. Ino had mentioned before that he was talking to Temari-san a lot…" Sakura trailed off, biting her bottom lip.
Pulling Sasuke down so that they could both sit on the dock beside Sakura, Hinata furrowed her brow. "Shikamaru-kun had v-visited v-very often when Temari-chan and her brothers were staying at the H-Hyuuga r-residence," she said, "I believe they became quite c-close. After what h-h-happened…it would make sense if he was l-leaning on her for support."
The corners of Sakura's lips pulled down in a frown. "It must be hard for him then, since she's back in Wind Country."
Hinata frowned sympathetically, leaning into Sasuke's shoulder. "Yes, but it was i-impossible for them to stay. A b-bomb going off in the same place as the children of the President of Wind Country wasn't something their government could ignore."
Sasuke quirked a brow. "Do you think they were the targets of the bombing then?"
Hinata didn't answer, instead playing with the frayed ends of the jean shorts she was wearing. On the other side of him, Sakura shook her head, short pink strands swaying with the movement.
"I think it's important to take into consideration the time and place. On the birthday of the Land of Fire in the park named after the founding family and first and second presidents…that can't just be a coincidence. These kinds of acts of terror are usually to send a message, so every detail is important," she said.
Kicking her toes idly in the lake water, Hinata pursed her lips. "All of those things k-kind of p-point to a n-n-nationalistic p-point of view. An attack on important residents of W-Wind Country could be an antagonistic message towards them. After all, it's o-only recently that we've been on good terms with them. In our past, Wind Country and Fire Country w-were often on o-opposite sides of wars."
"That's true," Sakura allowed. "But such a large bomb for only three people…and everyone who actually got hurt was from Konoha.
"Political assassinations are usually neater than that," Sasuke said.
Sitting beside Hinata, Naruto broke his prolonged silence to let out a forced chuckle. "Not always."
Hinata blushed fire-engine red and Sakura looked appropriately shamefaced. Sasuke grimaced. 'Wow, that was really fucking insensitive of us.'
It had been a long time, almost seventeen years, since the death of Naruto's parents: the fourth President of Fire Country and the First Lady. Minato Namikaze had died in the blast of a bomb planted in his office at the Hokage Tower. Kushina Uzumaki had died similarly due to a bombing at the President's own house with a baby Naruto just barely surviving. It had been a dark time in Fire Country's history.
"Sorry," Sasuke apologized sincerely, "That was really inconsiderate."
Naruto's smile looked tight and painful. "It's fine. It happened so long ago. It was before I could even form memories."
Blinking wet eyes, Hinata placed her hand over Naruto's own in a silent comfort.
"Even if your memories start to fade, the painful feeling doesn't," Sasuke said, thinking about how he'd lost the majority of his family in those same bombings with only himself, Itachi and their parents surviving. For his parents, especially his father who was head of the Konoha Military Police, to survive such a dangerous period, only to die soon after in a simple car crash was morbidly ironic.
Sitting in a line at the edge of the dock, the four of them shared a somber moment, their thoughts filled with the friends and families they had lost during those bombings all those years ago: the Kyuubi Attacks. They'd all been less than a year old, but the consequences of something like that could stretch out for such a long time. The aunts and uncles and cousins they'd never gotten a chance to properly meet. The friends whose deaths' sowed sadness in their parents' and teachers' eyes.
"Actually," Naruto started, "I heard something when I was hanging around in Tsunade-o-baa-chan's office. Something I obviously wasn't meant to hear. When the bomb squad reassembled the fragments collected from Senju Park, they said it looked exactly like the ones used in the Kyuubi Attacks!"
Sakura gasped loudly and Hinata's eyes widened. Sasuke squeezed the hand linked with Hinata's and she squeezed back.
"When Kakashi-sensei talked about it during our History classes, he said it was called the Kyuubi Attacks because of the Nine-tailed strategy," Sakura recited. "Bombs were planted at the Konoha hospital, our academy, the solar farm, the town center, the train station, the court house and…" she trailed off, eyeing Naruto and Sasuke.
"The Hokage Tower, the President's house and the Konoha Military Police Headquarters," Sasuke finished for her in a clipped and clinical tone, dark eyes trained on Naruto's clenched fists.
"Th-They never caught the c-culprits. W-Whatever group was behind those attacks…nobody ever f-figured it out. They just s-suddenly stopped one day," Hinata recalled from their lessons.
Naruto stared unblinkingly into the depths of the lake. "For that reason, it took a long time for people to believe it was finally over. Everyone lived in a completely paranoid way."
'Yeah, to the point of stupidity. To the point that parents would tell their children to avoid the late President's son because surely he was a target and anyone close to him would get caught in the crossfire.' Sasuke thought with a sneer.
"If it's the same type of bomb, does that mean they're back? To finish what they started all those years ago?" Sakura questioned, voice thin and face pale with fear. "I remember…wasn't Tsunade-sama at the park that day, Naruto-kun?"
Looking up, Naruto shook his head slightly. "Nah, she wasn't there. Jiraiya and her were meeting some college buddies at a bar nearby though. That's why she came so quickly afterwards; they could hear it all the way from that bar," he said.
"B-But Senju Park is a very p-popular place to be on the National day," Hinata pointed out. "Th-They may have expected her to be there."
"I think something like that would be planned out very carefully," Sasuke said decisively. "If Tsunade-sama really was the target, they wouldn't just guess at her location."
Sakura started to speak, undoubtedly to offer her own thoughts, but was interrupted by a loud shout.
"OI! What are you guys doing over there! It's too nice a day to be frowning like that!" Kiba called out from where he was standing in the shallower part of the lake, Akamaru nipping at his heels.
"Yeah! Hinata-chan, come over here! I want to have a race against the boys!" Tenten shouted as Lee waved beside her.
"I believe Hyuugas versus non-Hyuugas would be a better match than males versus females," Neji said as he treaded water beside them.
Lee turned big, pleading eyes on him. "Neji-kun doesn't want to be on my team?"
Neji looked away, a light blush highlighting his cheekbones. "I suppose having two Hyuugas on the same team would be unfair."
Somber mood decidedly broken, Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura and Hinata exchanged cautious glances.
"Maaaan, trying to get into the heads of these psychos is seriously hard work!" Naruto said, running his hands through his short blond hair. "Kiba's right. This is way too heavy for today. I definitely believe that with all of us putting our heads together, we'll figure it out, but at least for this weekend we should enjoy ourselves." He smiled somewhat grimly. "We don't know how long this peace will last. So for Sasuke's birthday weekend, let's all have the best time we can!"
"HINATA-CHAN, YOU MUST HURRY AND JOIN OUR YOUTHFUL RACE!" Lee yelled and Hinata smiled helplessly at them. "W-Will you s-save me a seat at lunch?" she asked Sasuke.
"Naturally," Sasuke answered with a teasing smirk.
Smiling brightly at him, Hinata kissed him briefly on the cheek before standing up. "Don't look," she told them all, before quickly shedding her shorts and top and then jumping off the dock.
Sasuke was unashamedly staring. 'There's not a girl alive that can look as good in a swimsuit as Hinata. And in a one piece at that.'
"Hey! Don't objectify Hinata-chan!" Sakura reached over and smacked both Sasuke and Naruto on the back of their heads.
Rubbing at his head, it occurred to Sasuke that for Sakura to have hit him too, Naruto must also have been staring at Hinata. Growling, he shoved Naruto's side and it quickly devolved into a wrestling match. Suddenly they were hit with a cold splash of water, causing them to spring apart.
"Boys," Sakura sighed, standing between them. "You two make me wish I could constantly carry one of those spray bottles around, the kind you use to train animals." She settled down between them. "I thought you'd left all that fighting behind in middle school where it belonged. Try acting like the high schoolers you are."
"Heh, Sakura-chan, we were just playing around," Naruto assured her.
"I sure as hell wasn't," Sasuke muttered only to have Sakura pinch his side painfully. He turned a deadly glare on her, but she was unimpressed. 'I guess after five years you can build up an immunity to anything.' He scowled darkly, unsure how he should feel about that.
Sakura huffed. "I can't believe you two have been friends for five years and you're still acting like this."
Naruto threw his arm around her, stretching far enough to reach Sasuke's shoulder as well. "Hey now, it's all three of us that have been friends for five years! We should totally celebrate our friendship anniversary, whenever that is. The Golden Trio! The Three Musketeers!" Naruto said cheerfully. "Or I guess it would be four now? Can't leave out Hina-chan since she's our Sasu-chan's better half," he chortled.
"Don't call me that, Narutard," Sasuke grumbled.
Ignoring that, Sakura splashed her feet in the water and said, "There technically was a fourth musketeer: D'Artagnan. As for a friendship anniversary, it sounds like a nice idea, but there's no way I could be able to pinpoint one specific day as the beginning of our friendship. There was that weekend camping trip in the sixth grade when we were all put in a 'survival group' together, but that was by chance and we didn't immediately become friends..."
"Probably a week or two after that, right? Cuz by then we were all eatin' lunch together," Naruto offered.
Clearing his throat brusquely, Sasuke waited until he had their complete attention before saying decisively, "October 28th."
"Huh?"
"That was the day I gave up all hope of escaping and resigned myself to eating lunch with you two loudmouths at least until the end of the year."
"LOUDMOUTHS!" Sakura and Naruto yelled in unison.
"Point proven."
Naruto and Sakura both let out choked sounds, realizing that they could hardly refute the truth of that statement now.
"Whatever, man. If we're loudmouths, then you're the softie who remembers the exact day our friendship started," Naruto countered, causing Sasuke's spine to straighten and a flush to pink his ears.
"Don't make it out to be something it wasn't," Sasuke insisted.
Giggling impishly, Sakura's green eyes glinted with triumph. "No matter how you word it, it doesn't change the fact that you remember the date! I bet you circle it with a red heart every year on your calendar!"
"I don't even use calendars anymore! Itachi ruined them for me!"
"And I bet he made a scrapbook of all our memories together!" Naruto said, overriding Sasuke's protest.
"He hides it in his closet where he has a shrine built to us!" Sakura added.
"Yep! And every day he lights a three candles, one for each of us, and he wishes for many more years of friendship!"
"Of course on that shrine there's also the friendship bracelets he handmade for us, but was too shy to give us!"
"Because under that cold bastard exterior is a totally mushy kid full of feelings!"
Burying his head in his hands, Sasuke groaned. "I never should have given up all those years ago. I regret it immensely."
"Nah, you're not fooling us anymore!" Naruto said cheekily.
"You love us," Sakura teased before collapsing into giggles along with Naruto.
Scowling at his two friends who were lost in their mirth, Sasuke reached out, planted both hands flat on their backs and shoved.
"AAAH!"
Leaning back on his palms, a self-satisfied smirk crossed Sasuke's pale face. Moments later he suddenly felt two sets of wet hands wrap around his ankles. Eyes widening, he barely had enough time to let out a choked yell before he was submerged in the cool lake water. Dragging himself to the surface, Sasuke whipped his sopping wet hair away from his face as his friends' laughter filled his ears.
Opening his eyes carefully, mindful of the droplets clinging to his eyelashes, Sasuke met Hinata's smiling eyes from across the lake, her giggles hidden by her palm. A grin stole its way across his face and he quickly stripped off his shirt, depositing it upon the dock.
"Hey," he said thoughtfully to Naruto and Sakura, catching their attention even as his eyes remained glued to Hinata. "It's not necessary to have a 'define the relationship' talk, right? Especially if you've already been in an exclusive relationship…"
Naruto flicked back his wet hair. "If there's a girl involved, you one hundred percent need to have 'the talk', man. They like words. None of that 'we both know what's going on so there's no need to actually say it' shit."
Sakura huffed. "Idiot," she said, dunking Naruto's head under the water.
Sasuke meanwhile was considering Naruto's opinion. 'Words, huh? Come to think of it, I have had to basically give Hinata two 'heartfelt speeches'…that's kind of embarrassing to think. Note to self: never use the words 'heartfelt speech' again. Not that I regret it or anything. I guess if that's what needs to happen for me to confidently call her my girlfriend then I'll give her all the words she needs.'
Sasuke smirked with resolve, eyes still trained on Hinata who was chatting with Kiba.
Ducking back into the water, he closed the distance to Hinata with strong arms, purposefully brushing against her right shin. As she turned, he slipped around to her left side and wrapped his arms around her, emerging from the water carrying Hinata bridal-style.
"Sasuke!"
He whirled her around as quickly as he could, her shrieks of laughter drawing the amused attention of all their friends.
Suddenly he collapsed them both back into the water. The immediate loss of noise was startling and when he strained his eyes open he saw that Hinata was blinking her eyes open as well, air bubbles streaming out of her mouth due to a surprised exhale. Smirking mischievously at her, he pressed his lips against hers, sharing their breath. When he went to pull away, she drew him back in with her hold on his shoulders. The slide of her tongue against the seam of his lips felt different under water, as it did nothing to make their kiss wetter, but that didn't make it any less alluring. Lips opening up to hers, Sasuke suddenly found his head being playfully shoved away as Hinata darted off.
Letting out a soundless chuckle, Sasuke quickly gave chase. Surging up to steal a mouthful of air, Sasuke used his lean body to cut through the water easily. He was surprised to find, however, that Hinata was able to easily evade him, the water parting for the smooth movements of her limbs as if she commanded it. He was so focused on her that he didn't notice the pair of legs she avoided with a sleek curve of her hips.
'SHIT!'
Sasuke slammed head first into the pair of legs, knocking down a shocked Neji. They both burst to the surface, gasping for air.
"Neji…"
"You're going to pay for this, Uchiha," Neji warned lowly, eyes set in a glare that might have been playful, but also might have been deadly serious.
Sasuke huffed. "Only if you can catch me," he challenged.
To Be Continued Next Chapter
Okay, so this part turned into a MASSIVE piece of work, so I decided to split it into two. The next chapter will be posted right here in the same place around next week. I wasn't really sure where to split it, so I hope that it doesn't seem awkward and that there's enough stuff here to entertain you.
It would be lovely if you would drop me a review and let me know what you think so far. And don't worry, the second part to this is 95% done.
Hope this semester isn't going too badly for you guys like it is for me...
HS
Midnight's Violet Haze