Hinata awoke before the sun could even rise, she did her morning routine and made her way to the kitchen. She made herself a cup of tea and sat on the corridors, facing her mother's garden. The scenery was lightweight just as her mother's touch. The heiress felt peace in the moment but after finishing her tea, she came back to her room to change her clothes. She was now in her usual clothes, not her mission outfit. A gray long-sleeved shirt topped with a pink shirt and a pair of black pants. She put her maroon sandals and murmured a low, "Itte kimasu."
The Hyuga was a quiet clan, they have observed silence that even a librarian will get jealous of. Grunts and hard steps from the training grounds are the only sounds that can defy the silence.
Today, she will be volunteering in an orphanage where the children of deceased shinobi were kept. She felt sorry for these children but she believes that one day, they will become more than just an "orphan". Hinata knew that she needed to help, if a certain dropout can achieve his dreams, then these children are no less.
The heiress stopped in front of an old house that was quite huge, she let herself in. She was greeted by an old lady called "Ayako-obaasan", and her daughter named "Yuna".
The three of them went right into the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Hinata took a knife and cut the mushrooms, tofu, and spring onions while Yuna scrambled the eggs. Ayako-obaasan took care of the traditional miso soup and put the chopped ingredients in the pot then Hinata washed the rice and placed the pot on the stove.
"Hinata-chan, please wake up the children." Yuna spoke while stirring the eggs, "We'll take care of everything."
"Hai." Hinata walked up to the stairs and opened a door where the older children are sound asleep. Smiling, she shook them one by one as gently as she could. Now all of them were awake except for one boy who had red hair, he was the mischievous one but stayed quiet whenever Hinata was there. The kids were chuckling and giggling, saying stuff like, "Oh he's in for a surprise."
"Rinsho-kun, please wake up," The Hyuga poke his cheeks and smiled to herself, because the boy had his mouth open and his nose was scrunching, "Ayako-obaasan will be upset."
To no avail, a girl just as the same age as him went on the other side of the bed and screamed, "Oi baka! Wake up before Hinata-chan gets upset!"
BINGO!
His face lit up in horror and stopped when he realizes that the Byakugan-user was in front of him. Then a shockingly high-pitch screech came out of him. Hinata held her ears and she thought, Is he scared of me?
When he stopped, he fainted. Reminds her of someone she used to be.
"He's out cold, but please help Yuna-chan with the plates." The bluenette told the rest of the kids and they followed her orders, "Wake up the others too, without screaming this time!"
Rinsho was still unconscious and the young woman knew what to do in times like these. She went outside of the room, making her way to the bathroom, she held out her handkerchief to the running faucet and squished out the excess water. She came back to the room where the boy laid, placing the cloth on his forehead, she waited for a full seven minutes before he woke up.
"Are you feeling okay now?" Her sweet voice echoed through his ears and made him not able to move.
"H-hai," Rinsho stuttered, not making eye contact. "Why haven't you left me?"
"It's not nice to leave a friend behind," The bluenette reached out her arms, "Ikimasu. You must be hungry, I've already dealt with that."
The boy took her arms then let go when they made their way down where the dining hall is located. "You fainted?"
"Hai, Rinsho-kun. I always faint whenever I see my crush or when I was scared," The boy sweated like crazy and his heartbeat was pumping like no tomorrow. "Are you afraid of me?"
"N-No! You're not scary! You're really nice-" The boy was cut off by the chant of the other orphans.
"Itadakimasu!" The pair separated, when the boy sat with his roommates. Breakfast was done yet the heiress had to leave early.
Hinata strode through the busy streets of Konoha when a group of hyperactive girls ran past her with squeals and giggles. Curiosity got the best of our beloved heiress, as she followed the crowd. The blond and black-haired duo were spotted near the gates of Konoha, she knew who it was.
"Sasuke-kun, you came back!"
"Naruto-senpai! How brave of you to bring back Sasuke-kun!"
"Please accept these gifts!"
"The both of them hanging out makes them 10x hotter! KYAH!"
Regretting her choices, she walked away from the scene, causing her to ran into her sister, Hanabi Hyuga and her friend, Konohamaru Sarutobi. "Ohayou, onee-sama!"
"Ohayou, Hanabi, Konohamaru." The older Hyuga greeted, "Where are you heading?"
"We'll be training for the upcoming chuunin exams, Hinata-san." The boy scratched his head and her sister was surprised that he could be oh-so-polite.
"Hai, Hinata-san, we'll be training." Hanabi repeated, mocking Konohamaru. She pulled the boy away from the conversation and waved to her sister. "Ja ne!"
It seems like everyone's busy, I should just pick up flowers from the Yamanaka store and head home.
The Hyuga searched for the store and went inside, hoping to see Ino yet left disappointed when a teenager popped up. She walked out with newspaper filled with daisies and peonies.
How predictable.
Flowers, really?
Uchiha Sasuke was baffled that a woman would still buy flowers. He thought those were just a hobby of old ladies. No, he wasn't stalking the Hyuga, he came across her when Naruto left him because Kakashi called for him.
Yes, he was bored and this village can't offer him anything remotely interesting. Well, since this little bird wanted to play. A game, he'll make sure she'd never want to play again.
"Katon." He whispered, embers falling on the newspaper the bluenette held. Releasing a hand seal, the embers became flames, causing the flowers to burn.
"Kyah!" The meek woman shouted, dropping the small bouquet. The flames were getting bigger by the second and she didn't want to cause any damage to the buildings around her. She infused her chakra in her hands, "Hakke Kusho!"
Her palms released a strong vacuum-like air on the ground and the fire died out shortly. Confused, because it was not hot, in all honesty, autumn is just right around the corner.
The avenger hid his chakra excellently when the Hyuga activated her kekkei genkai. Disappointed, she just continued walking like nothing happened.
What the hell.
She faced a scene of danger yet she'll just walk away? She wouldn't investigate? That blew off Sasuke's interest because the kunoichi was an idiot.
He jumped off a roof and roam around the streets. Konoha has changed a lot but it had the welcoming aura in it. He visited the restored Uchiha compound, it wasn't as accurate as before, but it still had the essence of the clan. Dark and collected. A step he was about to do, yet he was interrupted by an old woman.
"Young man, are you an Uchiha?"
"Hn." The avenger looked at her, waiting for any additional response before he entering the gates.
"The whole village was trashed by a god-like man, nothing was saved. I would want to ask for your forgiveness for not saving your clan's belongings," The young man nodded while the woman continued. "Your friend has saved the village countless times, he saved us from Pain. Rumor has it that a goddess helped and pushed him to defeat Pain."
An idiot can tell that the Jinchuuriki was the one she was talking about.
"Please do accept these steamed buns, it's not much but it's a gift for saving us from the horrors of the war." The old lady held out a basket and Sasuke took them, because what bad can an act of kindness lead to. She turned away and went inside a large house that were filled with kids.
The Sharingan user entered his once home, leaving his sandals behind. Everything was designed as the old one yet it was furnished with new furniture. Placing the basket on the table, he walked through the corridors. Memories, good and bad rushed into his mind, overwhelming him. He went back to the dining hall and picked a bun from the basket. He took a bite, savoring the flavor of the meat inside.
Sasuke was foreign with kindness. It was close to weakness, and the Uchiha were not weak. In all honesty, the old woman was the first stranger who thanked him for contributing to the war coming to an end. All the credits were pointed to Naruto, not that Sasuke cared, but he was also there.
After eating four more, he went to his old room and a bed instead of a futon was there, laying down his body and eventually falling asleep.
Hinata searched through her cabinet and found old clothes that were still in good condition, putting inside of a box, Hanabi also put her old clothes and toys because she insisted she was a young woman at the age of 13, yet she refused to put a teddy bear that she had even before she was born. There was also another box filled with bathroom essentials she bought after the flower incident. Konohamaru was outside of the compound with his share of old goods.
The Hyuga sisters had three boxes, each for one of them to bring. The trio made their way to the orphanage. Hinata spoke up, "Gomen, Konohamaru-kun for taking up much of your time. The two of you should be resting, the chuunin exams are near."
"Nah, it's okay, Hinata-san. I would want someone to help me if I was in their place too." Konohamaru's statement made the older Hyuga smile.
"True that, Kon." The female prodigy added, "It's no big deal! We'll ace the exams for sure, even if our eyes are closed."
"Hanabi, you have the Byakugan." The boy interjected.
"That's the joke, baka."
Old lady Ayako opened the gates and a dozen children greeted them with all smiles and grins. Observing the boxes, Yuna-chan exclaimed. "Oh Hinata-chan, you're far too kind!"
"HINATA-CHAN!" They cheered with such glee.
"Everyone, this is Hanabi-chan, my sister." The bluenette introduced and everyone faced her. "And Konohamaru-kun, her boyfriend."
Both pre-teens' jaw dropped, and blushed furiously, with Hanabi declining while stuttering.
"N-no! I mean- ano. It's n-not that. Onee-sama!" Hanabi was so embarassed that she hid behind Hinata.
"Oh, that sounded different, he is her boy friend!" The older Hyuga had a cheeky grin directed to both of the pre-teens.
"Can I be Hanabi-chan's boyfriend, then?"
"Konohamaru-kun is so kawaii, ne?"
"Settle down! Hinata-chan has something for everyone." Yuna explained and the kids lined up, accepting what the pretty lady has to offer. Both genin did not make any contact with each other during the distribution and Hinata couldn't do anything but blame herself for the sudden awkwardness.
The two Hyuga helped with dinner while Konohamaru told the kids a story about how cool Naruto is. Hanabi held her head down while chopping the vegetables.
"Gomen, Hanabi. I did not realize what I said." The older Hyuga explained.
"Daijobu, onee-sama. I was immature for reacting like that." Hinata shook her head and held her hand.
"It's okay to be immature, you'll grow up eventually. Make the most out of your younger years!"
"Nee, you sound like an old man." The both of them laughed, Hinata wishing she spent more of her teenage years bonding with her younger sister instead of dwelling alone.
"Everything's ready. Get the young man to prepare the plates." Ayako-obaasan ordered Hanabi, which she followed without hesitation. Everyone sat on a table with the delicacies served. After offering a short prayer, everyone cheered.
"Itadakimasu!"
The trio went outside and said their farewell, when Rinsho ran after them, holding a huge bento.
"Hinata-chan! A-ano, Yuna-chan wanted you to have this." The older Hyuga stopped and knelt in front of the young boy, kissing him on the cheek.
"Arigatou, Rinsho-kun." She smiled when the eight-year-old held his cheeks and grinned. The trio continued to walk while the two genins argued on something Hinata wasn't sure of.
Sasuke awoke in darkness when he realized he was still in the compound. He got up, putting back his cloak and his sandals, he walked outside and met with a blue-haired maiden.
"Oh, Uchiha-san, I wasn't expecting you here." The Hyuga smiled.
"This is the Uchiha Compound." Her face broke and the two genins behind her were forcing themselves not to laugh. The woman signaled them to go ahead without her, which they followed.
"Oh. N-No one has lived there for years and Naruto-kun mentioned that you'll be staying with him," She looked down as if the ground was the most interesting thing she has ever seen. "G-gomen, I must've misheard him."
The black-haired man could care less. He started walking away from her which startled Hinata. He was two meters away from her before she ran after him, he stopped when she held out her hands.
"Uchiha-san, take this. With Naruto-kun around, I guessed he'd only make you eat ramen." The heiress joked with a genuine grin. The man took the bento out of her hands. "Ja ne!"
She ran after the genins with the both of them laughing at her. She laughed at herself too.
The Uchiha jumped off from roof to roof until arriving in Naruto's apartment, which smelled like ramen and cologne. She was right, ever since coming here, my stomach has been filled with noodles.
He opened the bento, revealing Yakitori with rice and a side of grilled tomatoes.
Maybe the Hyuga wasn't half bad at all.
He wouldn't say that out loud though, and she was still an idiot.
a/n
two updates in one day! wow uh yeah. please comment! i think i'll make this a 10-chapter fic, im not sure, i don't really have a plan for this and i'll probably just stick with one-shots after finishing, i don't really know. who do you think the old woman could be? hehehe plot twist (not really!).
I know, "why would the oh-so-cool Sasuke-kun lit the bouquets on fire? Doesn't he have anything better to do?", the answer to that is, no he doesn't, he's still new in Konoha, i doubt the people there would accept him right away, he was bored. I mean, he can't kill anyone without getting into trouble. might as well, take it out on someone who kicked you on the first day back in konoha, am i right?
thank you!