Title: A New Beginning -- The start of something more
Author: Fatcat648
Rating: G ( K )
Challenge: A New Beginning
Pairing: NejiHina
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Hot cocoa can warm the heart in more ways than one…
New years are always a problem to start with a different and better beginning. Sometimes people get lost or struggle to find who they are, what they're searching for, or just maybe to realize what's been waiting in front of them the whole time. It takes quite a push to get people to change. And change can always result in something new. The start of something more will always be the new beginning someone is looking for.
Hinata struggled with a tired sigh, attempting to remove her fuzzy mittens while maintaining a hold on her hot cocoa. The train swayed as it traveled up its path on the tracks. Fresh snow softly drifted against the fast-moving scenery, creating a peaceful and homely picture that the Hyuuga completely ignored.
Her mittens were really annoying.
A small frown marred her face as she looked around to find a seat. The only empty one sat next to a frosty and stoic Hyuuga Neji, which laid Hinata's next dilemma this snowy afternoon.
She nervously looked around the train hoping that maybe her pale eyes had perhaps missed a spot. When nothing short of a miracle appeared Hinata bit her lips hard and cautiously approached her cousin. His apathetic eyes, so similar in that moonshine hue, shot out at her presence freezing her actions.
Hinata only squeaked, like a deer caught.
He bowed a curt nod in her direction before asking, "Hinata-sama, is there something you need?"
Here eyes strayed to the empty seat as she felt her hot cocoa slowly loose its soothing warmth.
"M-m-may I si-sit he-here, Ne-Neji-niisan?"
He arched an elegant brow at her question, but nodded nevertheless and scooted a bit to make room for her and her scarves.
Hinata released an easy sigh at his compliance and gently plopped down into the seat, rearranging her skirt carefully before dropping her purse. She cradled her cup in her lap as she finally pulled off the mittens with her teethe. Happily she flexed her freed fingers and picked up her cup with a soft smile.
Her lips pursed to take that much desired sip when suddenly the train's doors opened and passengers filed in hurriedly, accidentally bumping into her hands and spilling her hot cocoa.
On Neji.
A stunned silence filled the space between the couple and when realization struck Hinata, she bolted straight up in a bow to stutter a, "G-Gomen!"
From the safety of her bangs, Hinata wilted as the seething Neji slowly removed her empty cup and stared in disdain at the blotch of cocoa dripping from his chocolate hair onto his white jacket. The Styrofoam cup was instantly crushed in Neji's shaking grip.
Hinata closed her eyes tight at the action, praying her punishment wouldn't be too bad. She stood in her bowed position waiting for retribution when the tense atmosphere evaporated with a tired sigh from her soaked cousin.
She didn't dare peek out of her hair yet, still waiting for his usual harsh words. She must have been thinking too hard since Neji's exhausted words for her to stand straight did not change her bow.
Finally the Hyuuga male shot his hand out to bring her chin up and face him. Her eyes widened and a blush immediately exploded onto her pale face.
"Hinata-sama, you need not bow to me. I know it was an… accident on your part."
Hinata's blush only intensified at his calm words, feeling the puff of air his lips spoke brush against her heating cheeks. "I-I-I still h-hope y-you fo-forgive m-me!"
He gave her an aggravated sigh and Hinata hastily added, "I wouldn't want Neji-niisan to hate me!"
Now Neji, surprised by her words, loosened his hold on her chin allowing Hinata to take a step back to breathe. Her fingers nervously teetered around themselves as she attempted to continue.
"E-ever since Ne-Neji-niisan came t-to live w-with me, h-he ha-hasn't been very h-happy. And I-I worry. I kn-know Otou-san as-asked you to watch ov-over me, and I'm gr-grateful. But Ne-Neji-niisan doesn't seem ha-happy with me. G-gomen, Neji-niisan."
Neji frowned at her confession, ready to rebuke her accusations when it finally dawned on him.
Hinata was worried about his happiness.
For the past several weeks since he had moved into her cramp apartment, Neji had been nothing but a grouch. His studies were getting difficult and the cold weather hadn't helped with his mood at all. The holidays had passed him by without him even noticing and his winter break had been spoiled by clingy friends and meddlesome family members.
Basically Neji had acted very much like a PMSing girl – not a pleasant image at all.
With a resigned expression on his face, he gestured for Hinata to sit back down which she did with great reluctance.
"Hinata-sama, I'm tired and now I'm sticky with the coffee you just spilt on me – "
"It was hot cocoa…" she interrupted glumly. He gritted his teethe to maintain patience and his cool exterior.
"Yes, hot cocoa. Anyways, you've just ruined my white jacket with this cocoa stain."
"I-I-I.. Gomen!"
Neji stared hard at her guilty face and sighed again. He'd seem to be doing that quite a lot lately.
"However, I'll be willing to accept your apology if," he paused to check on her attention, still solely focused on him, and continued, "you in return wash this jacket and buy me a cup of coffee."
"Hot cocoa."
"Yes, hot cocoa. Do you accept, Hinata-sama?" he asked with an attempt at a friendly smile he hoped.
It came out as a grimace but Hinata only smiled brightly in return, glad to have a chance at reconciling things with her cousin. She saw their stop approaching at the corner of her eye, and grabbed Neji's hand to pull him up with her.
"Hai, Neji-niisan."
Neji was currently washing his hair in the bathroom, while Hinata attempted to scrub the dark stain from his white jacket in the wash room. The stubborn stain took almost half an hour for Hinata to finally scrub white and by then the jacket was totally drenched in soapy water.
She quickly went to hang it outside on the clothesline when she realized how much snow had fallen. With an excited gasp, she left the jacket in the wash room and stepped onto the balcony to catch a flake or two. The snow instantly melted at the touch of her palm and she rushed inside to tell Neji, forgetting to knock on the bathroom door.
"Neji-niisan! It's snowing outside! Come look!"
The door swung in silence as Neji stood up, toweling his hair lightly – shirt long gone.
Hinata's blush from the cold intensified and she covered her eyes in vain to block out Neji's image from her mind but found herself peeking at him anyways. She stuttered to say something when she saw him approach her with his hand outstretched.
She closed her eyes in anticipation, not entirely sure what she expected.
When she felt him pull back away, her eyes blinked in confusion to finally compose herself. Neji silently slipped his shirt on which had ironically been hanging behind Hinata.
Her blush turned pink and was still burning strong when Neji spoke.
"Snow, Hinata-sama?"
"Ah y-yes. It's sno-snowing Neji-niisan. I thought y-you would li-like to c-come out wi-with me to see it."
Her eyes sought out the small droplets of water raking down his skin and felt her face heat up even more.
"W-when you're re-ready, I'll b-be outside," and quickly she scurried out of the room, feeling strangely hot and lightheaded.
Neji smirked as he toweled his long hair dry and reached for the blow dryer when his eyes caught the snow out the window. But the girl twirling slowly under the falling flakes caught his breathe and he second glanced at the blow dryer before fingering his wet hair. With a defeated sigh, he placed the blow dryer back in the cabinet and left the bathroom to get dressed.
Within seconds he was standing outside in the snow watching her dance with the snow.
He watched her expression of utter joy and childlike happiness as she twirled and felt a serene atmosphere take over him as he walked up to her. He lightly tapped her shoulder but Hinata was too focused on the snow to notice it and when he tried clearing his throat to garner her attention, she plainly ignored him.
Loosing his thin patience, Neji snatched Hinata's flaying wrist but pulled her too hard. The slick new snow threw the couple off balance, falling deep into the pile of fluffy snow.
Hinata giggled at the fall yet after blowing a few hair strands away from her eyes, she froze at her current position with Neji. Her legs straddled Neji's waist as her hands that held her weight up were brushing against his shoulders.
Neji only stared ahead, frozen at Hinata's proximity. He was half tempted to push her away but pull her in at the same time, confusing his pounding head.
He sighed in relief when he felt her slowly pull herself off him and gripped his hand to pull him up. Dusting the snow off his clothes, he slightly smirked at the tomato blush painted on Hinata's pale face as she avoided his glance.
"G-Gomen N-Neji-niisan."
He nodded and watched as she fidgeted under his stare. A minute passed and neither said anything for quite awhile, still unsure how to act around the other from such an embarrassing moment.
Finally the silence grew to thick for Neji's taste and he softly asked, "Hinata-sama, shall we go for that coffee now?"
"Hot cocoa."
"Yes. Hot cocoa," he corrected with gritted teethe. But his question did the trick, breaking the formidable awkward ice between them as Hinata gave him a bright smile.
She led the way, careful not to brush against him for the jolt of electricity to paralyze her actions. He only nodded in compliance, taking in her every action with absorbing eyes.
"There this c-cute café d-down the r-road. I get m-my hot cocoa t-there every day," Hinata smiled.
Neji didn't attempt another smile but he felt his eyes crinkle in reply anyways.
They walked on through the snowy streets in a comfortable silence, Hinata catching a snowflake or two while Neji only did the same when he thought no one was looking.
Hinata's smile only grew bigger.
It didn't take long for the two to find the small café nestled deep behind a large outlet mall. Neji examined the pale light brown walls and the little outdoor parlor with little parlor umbrellas caked in snow. However the benches and tables were kept dried, and Hinata immediately decided to enjoy their hot cocoa outside with the snow-dusted view to watch.
Neji quirked a lip in agreement and sat down obediently as Hinata rushed in to order two hot cocoas. He lightly picked up a few flakes of snow from the ground, wondering what had captured Hinata's attention so wholly.
His view was interrupted when a Styrofoam cup was placed in his line of vision, leading up to a sheepishly grinning Hinata.
He nodded in thanks, wrapping his cold ungloved fingers around the hot cocoa. He watched in amusement as Hinata struggled with her mittens once more. She finally placed her hot cocoa on the table and ripped the mittens off with a satisfied sigh as she took her hot cocoa into her hands.
Her lips once more pursed to taste the desired hot cocoa when she noticed the amuse stare Neji was giving her.
"A-aren't you g-going to try it, Neji-niisan?"
He blinked in surprise before looking down at the Styrofoam cup in his hands. He gave her an uncertain look but brought it up to his mouth anyways. She gave him an encouraging smile, much like a mother would a reluctant child, and watched as he took his first gulp of hot cocoa.
There was a brief silence as Hinata waited for Neji's reaction.
She watched as he closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them with a small smile gracing his lips.
A smile Hinata hadn't seen for quite some time.
"It's good."
She smiled at that and nodded, "Hai" as she took her own sip of her hot cocoa.
Her eyes closed in bliss as the caffeine and chocolate flowed deeper in her veins, warming up stiff hands and giving a warm glow to her whole being. When she opened her eyes, she found Neji curiously looking at her once more. She tilted her head in questioning and saw him straighten his position a bit.
"There's something you w-want to ask, Neji-niisan?"
"Yes, there is."
She nodded slowly as he took another swig of the hot cocoa.
"Hinata-sama, why do you like the snow so much?"
Her pale eyes widened in surprise blinking a few times before she laughed quietly.
"Neji-niisan, I love the snow! It's like a new beginning! A time when the world is made from scratch and everything is seen in a different way. Nothing is what we once thought it to be and everything is what we want it to be! Snow is just so beautiful."
She sighed in happiness and gazed out into the scenery before taking another sip of her hot cocoa.
"Hinata-sama…"
Her gaze turned to Neji with a content smile as she gripped her cup for another sip only to realize it was empty. In disbelief she tipped the cup upside down for a single drop but the Styrofoam cup was bone dried. With a pout she leaned back in her chair, staring sulkily at the empty cup.
A burst of laughter snapped her out of her sulk as she stared in surprise as Neji chuckled. It was a deep melodious sound; something that Hinata decided was almost as good as hot cocoa.
What followed the surprised laughter from Neji stunned Hinata's mind as he offered his own hot cocoa to her.
"Please Hinata-sama, I insist. You did after all pay for it and I don't like sweets as much as you do."
"B-b-but Neji-niisan, it's your first cup of hot cocoa!"
He only shook his head and pushed the hot cocoa further across the table.
"Please take it Hinata-sama."
She looked at the cup and back to Neji several times and then dejectedly sighed. Her hand trembled to reach the cup across the table.
However today was not to be Hinata's day. Or Neji's for that matter.
The sleek icy ground caught on her boot and she slipped, spilling the hot cocoa again.
On Neji.
Déjà vu can be ironic that way. And once more a new beginning ensues with more apologies and other warm beverages to be shared besides hot cocoa as both Neji and Hinata had decided two times in one day was quite enough. However the little accident did result in something that neither two will ever mention for Hinata would just faint from the magnitude of her blush while a glaring contest would promptly ensue if there was ever a brave enough soul to ask Neji.
New beginnings can be like that.
And this New Year all began with a little accident involving hot cocoa, a snowy afternoon, and a unintentional brush of the lips.
Otherwise known as a kiss.
Fin.