Chapter 2: Sisterly Bonding over Chocolate Chip Cookies and Hot Cocoa
A/N: Not much changes on this chapter. I like it just the way it was written. Hinata and Hanabi share thoughts over chocolate chip cookies and hot cocoa. I made Hinata's age younger compared to the previous story. And I lessened the age gap between Hinata and Hanabi. I'm not too sure what Hanabi's favorite food is so I just settled for chocolate chip cookies. And by the way, I would really like to say thank you to those who reviewed the first chapter: Darth-Taisha and HyuugaHinaSan
xoxo
Hinata was contemplating what she and her friends had talked about in the café earlier. And from the bottom of her heart, she was truly thankful for having friends like them.
"Thank you, guys. So much." She whispered to herself, her eyes glazing with unshed tears. She blinked back her tears upon reaching a traffic light—red: Stop. She took the time to check her phone again in case she had unread messages especially from her sister. True enough, there was one message from Hanabi telling her that she's going to be late. She decided that she's going to have to do some things to kill time at least until Hanabi arrives. The light turned green just as she was thinking of a possible way to pass time. She continued driving, passing by a bookstore.
"That's it! Maybe I could buy books about dating and stuff to help me." Hinata smiled and excitedly swerved her car towards the direction of the bookstore. She was all smiles when she left the bookstore—carrying a bundle of self-help, relationship and dating books with her. The cashier looked at her weirdly.
Snow was steadily falling. Her breathing comes out in puffs. She considered reading the books over hot cocoa topped with marshmallows and chocolate chip cookies—or better yet, cinnamon rolls. She giggled at her own childish antiques, hugging the books closer to her chest in an attempt to keep herself warm as she reaches for her car.
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Hanabi, an 18-year old intern at the Hyuga Corporation, was tired—scratch that—she was downright exhausted. Her eyes had dark circles around them, her body feels fatigued yet she still had a lot of paper works to do and her superiors aren't making that any easier.
"Do this. Do that!" Hanabi mimicked her stupid, botox-injected superior while typing furiously on her laptop.
"I miss my bed, my pillows, my blanket and my Peachy." She said to herself, looking through the skyline with her thoughts drifting towards her bedroom. Peachy is Hanabi's 10-year old teddy bear, a present from her now-deceased mother during her eighth birthday. She hasn't been able to sleep on her bed during the past few weeks due to the massive paper works she had to finish.
"I want to go home. I want to see Hinata and Peachy." She repeated as though it was a mantra, then pounding her head on her desk.
An employee in the company and good friend of Hanabi, Moegi, 20 years old, looked at her from across the room with concern clearly written on her face upon hearing Hanabi's mantra.
"Hanabi? Are you okay?" Moegi inquired, getting up to check on her friend. Hanabi's head immediately shot up, clearly embarrassed. She smiled, albeit a weak one.
"Sorry, Moegi. I'm just tired, I guess. And I miss my bed, my pillows, my blanket and my Peachy." Hanabi whined while Moegi laughed as she took in Hanabi's appearance: some hair falling off of her usually tidy bun, pen tucked behind her right ear, a coffee stain on the collar of her white dress shirt, ink stains on her finger tips and her usual white, pupil-less eyes were blood shot. Her brows creased into a frown.
"Sweetie. Come on. You've done enough. Let's get a cup of tea. It'll help you calm your nerves. Besides, you look like you really need rest." Moegi persuaded while helping her up. Hanabi couldn't argue with that so she simply nodded. She turned off her laptop, stood up and took her purse. Using Hanabi's car, they drove and headed down to the nearest café to get some food and tea and to break-free from the loads of paper work that they were assigned to do.
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Upon settling down with their orders, they started chatting about nothing in particular. Hanabi looked nervous about something. Moegi noticed.
"I'm really nervous, Moegi. I mean, I have to meet up with the Sabaku's tomorrow! They own a great deal of companies that could even rival the Hyuga Corporation—" Hanabi said in a panicked manner.
"Hanabi." Moegi, tried to cut her off but remained unheard.
"It's just… you know? I don't even know why I was chosen to be the representative when in fact this meeting—" Hanabi continued.
"Hanabi." Moegi said, a little louder this time. Still, she remained unheard.
"—is the make or break point in settling a deal between these two huge companies! It's just—" Hanabi continued babbling, completely ignoring Moegi's attempt to butt into what she is saying.
"Hanabi!" Moegi exclaimed. Hanabi immediately shut up. She stared at Moegi with her big, white eyes, confused. Embarrassment came next.
"Just relax, okay? You're taking this a little too much." Moegi touched Hanabi's hand in an attempt to calm her down. She sighed.
"Go home. Relax. Rest. Do anything that would calm you for tomorrow. If it helps, ask Hinata for some advice." Moegi suggested.
"I scheduled for us to meet up tonight, you know? It's just that I was caught up with all the paper works that—" Hanabi started telling her.
"Really? Then off you go. You shouldn't keep your sister waiting. I'm sure she's dying to spend sometime with you…since both of you have been busy over the past few months." Moegi persuaded, standing up.
"But what about—?" Hanabi asked.
"You sure have a lot of questions, Hanabi-chan." She laughed then rolled her eyes. Hanabi was about to open her mouth when she was cut off again.
"The office was already locked by Tazuna-san after we left. And what about me? I have scheduled a meeting with Konohamaru tonight so I guess I have to go too." She said, as if reading Hanabi's mind.
"Meeting? Really now?" Hanabi teased while Moegi instantly flushed. She tried to give her a victorious smirk while stifling another yawn.
"Yes, a meeting. And could you even drive? You look like you're about to pass out any minute now." Moegi asked, concern flooding her system again. Hanabi stubbornly nodded.
"Don't worry. Hinata's apartment isn't too far from here, you know. I could make it in time even before I pass out." Hanabi said, reassuring her friend. She stood up and went towards the door. She waited for Muegi to hail a cab before going towards her car while sending a message to her sister about her coming home. Then she drove towards Hinata's apartment.
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Hinata was comfortably huddled on a huge pillow in the corner of her plush sofa, and wrapped in a thick blanket, while reading one of the books she bought from the bookstore earlier, occasionally sipping her hot cocoa with floating marshmallows on top and munching on her cinnamon roll. She released a contented sigh. Her phone beeped. She placed a bookmark on the page that she is reading then closed it to reach over her phone. She read the message and smiled, excitement flooding her.
Ever since she left the Hyuga Manor, she felt freedom. She was able to do the things she wanted to, without unnecessary supervision—like cooking, baking, cleaning, etc. All of those things were always already done for her at home by their helpers. She wanted independence. And she found it—with the help of Neji's convincing prowess—but not after long negotiations with her Father.
"I guess I need to prepare more hot cocoa and marshmallows for Hanabi-chan. And chocolate chip cookies too." Hinata said to herself, getting up and starting the preparations. She put on a frilly pink apron. Just as she was about to get the cookie jar from the shelf, the doorbell rang. She took off her kitchen gloves and fixed her hair just a bit then headed towards the door. She looked through the peephole to see who it was. As expected, it was her sister, Hanabi. She opened the door and welcomed her sister with a hug.
"Hanabi-chan! How have you been? I missed you!" Hinata exclaimed, ecstatic at her sister's arrival. She hugged her tighter.
"Me too, Hina-chan. I feel bad for making you wait." Hanabi replied solemnly, releasing herself from the hug.
"It's okay. It's nothing to worry about. Are you hungry? I have prepared some—Oomf!" Hinata was cut off when Hanabi suddenly hugged her tight. She felt warm liquid on her shoulder. Her sister was crying and it made her wonder why. She didn't stop her from crying, instead she let her. She didn't even say anything. She just patiently waited for her to calm down while rubbing comforting circles on her younger sister's back.
When Hanabi calmed down, Hinata helped her sit and tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. She smiled at her little sister then started pouring hot cocoa on a mug and setting chocolate chips on a platter, then placed it on the kitchen table. She sat across her sister and held her hand. Hanabi kept her head down. She waited for her to open up.
"It's just too much! There are so many things to do—the paper works, the filings… not to mention the meeting tomorrow with the Sabaku's! The pressure is just… it's just… I don't think I could handle it—" Hanabi blabbered.
"Hanabi-chan." Hinata said, then smiled. Hanabi looked up. She almost saw her mother again in the person of her big sister. It wouldn't be too hard since her sister was the splitting image of their late mother.
"I know how you feel, Sweetie. Do you remember what happened to me before?" Hinata asked, thoughtful. Hanabi's mouth broke off into a smile.
"Of course, I do. You cried after just a week of working as an intern in the Uchiha Corporation, right?" Hanabi teased then chuckled. She took one chocolate chip cookie and dipped part of it into the hot cocoa. She placed it between her lips then sucked on the cookie until it turns dry. After which, she chewed on the cookie, awaiting her sister's response. Hinata looked pensive.
"At least you lasted for a good three months before breaking down. Just like you right now, I felt the same way. I cried because I felt like I couldn't handle the pressure. I cried because I felt like I was giving Father a reason to be disappointed in me again. I cried because I felt like I won't be able to live up to Father's expectation." Hinata replied, somewhat feeling somber. Hanabi stopped chuckling then looked away from her sister.
"How does it feel to be called that? You know. What's it like to be called the Hyuga heiress?" Hanabi asked, directing her gaze towards her sister. It was a question she'd wanted to ask her sister for years now. If Hinata was surprised by the question, she was good at hiding it.
"It's like… both a blessing and a curse…at least for me, that is. It's a blessing because people recognize you—they acknowledge your presence. It's a curse because… people's knowledge of you doesn't get past that." Hinata said while trying to grasp for something to say. She then looked at her sister, who just gave her a confused look and so she resumed to explain her answer.
"They just know you as the Hyuga heiress—other than that, they don't know anything more about you. People also expect a lot from you because of the status you uphold. And if you don't meet up to their expectations, they'll beat you down until nothing is left of you and your confidence. You find it hard to make friends because of the constant security given to you. Sometimes, you feel like you miss out on some things…" Hinata trailed, her eyes glazing.
"Did you ever… feel like you missed out on some things?" Hanabi asked, hoping to pry into the workings of her sister's mind.
"I… I don't know… I didn't really want to think about it… it might just make me feel depressed." Hinata finished, looking away from her sister.
"Oh. I don't exactly understand. But, I think you've been doing great as the heiress. You hold up to the title very well—you handle things, be it good or bad, with utmost grace and refinement. Sometimes I wish I could be just like you." Hanabi whispered the last part. Hinata was surprised at her sister's sincere confession. She shook her head.
"And did you notice? Your stuttering lessened quite significantly. Father will be proud. He tried to make you let go of that for so long, remember?" Hanabi forcibly chuckled as she picked up another cookie.
"Hanabi…" Hinata, not for the first time in her life, was speechless.
"So, have you heard of the dinner party that Father is having? He said he plans on having it on December yet he asks that the invites be given two weeks from now. He must be really excited." Hanabi said sarcastically, successfully changing the topic. She then sipped off the remaining hot cocoa in her mug. Hinata's face fell then acted as though nothing happened as she started to gather the mugs to place them in the sink. She turned on the faucet.
"Well, you see…" Hinata started but could not find the words to say.
"Hinata?" Hanabi asked, curious. The mood had become a lot somber compared to the time when they were talking about life being an heiress. Hinata turned off the faucet and dried her hands on the apron she was wearing. She took it off and placed it back to its original location. She walked towards Hanabi and led her towards the living room, settled and right then and there. She told her everything.
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"So, that's what these are for, huh?" Hanabi asked, referring to the self-help books strewn on the table. Hinata blushed, then nodded.
"Hinata. I think you should trust them. I mean, they're your friends, right?" Hanabi said, referring to her sister's feelings about the help given by her friends.
"It's not a matter of whether I trust them or not, Hanabi-chan. I do, really. I'm just not too sure of the plan. As a matter of fact, I don't even know if I could pull this off. Lying isn't always my strongest points, you know. And this is Father that we're talking about! He could see through my lies as easy as 1, 2, 3!" Hinata admitted. Hanabi shook her head.
"I know. You always get caught when you lie which is why you rarely do it. But… Just trust them, okay? I'm sure they'll choose who they think is best for you. And besides, I'm here too… I could try to set you up with some guy friends of mine, if you like. And… maybe you could try to look for guys too." Hanabi advised.
"We'll see. I still have to see how the plan will go… if I don't find anyone…" Hinata mumbled. Hanabi looked at her questioningly.
"Nothing…uhm…you seem tired. You should have a hot shower to relax yourself." Hinata replied, changing the subject.
"You're right. May I?" Hanabi asked for permission to use the bathroom.
"Of course, silly! I placed some extra clothes there too." Hinata smiled.
"Thank you! You're always the best! I'm seriously considering moving in here!" Hanabi smiled, and blew her sister a kiss. Hinata laughed and acted as if she caught the kiss. She threw herself back to the plushy sofa she was in earlier when her phone suddenly beeped. It was a message from Tenten telling her to just leave everything to them, with a smiley face at the end of the message. She smiled, her eyes slowly drifting close. Maybe this wouldn't too bad after all.
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Hanabi just got off the shower, wearing the clothes Hinata lent her, and went straight to the living room only to find her sister cuddled in the plush sofa, sleeping softly, with the book forgotten on the floor. She debated within herself whether she should wake her sister up or not. She decided for the latter. She took the blanket and placed it on her sister, gave her sister a kiss on the forehead and dimmed the lights. She then headed to her room to get some sleep while drying her hair.
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Hinata woke up with a start. She realized that she wasn't in her room. It was 5:15 in the morning. It was a little too early from her usual waking time, which is around 6:30 A.M. Since work doesn't start until 8:00 A.M., she has plenty of time to prepare for their breakfast and get ready for work. She went to the bathroom to freshen herself up before cooking. She went to Hanabi's room to wake her up after cooking and setting up the table.
Hinata knocked. There was no answer. She knocked louder this time. Still, no answer. So she just opened the door and proceeded to wake her sister.
Hanabi was lying, face first on the bed with the sheets crumpled, covering her entire body, with one foot peeking out of the sheet. She looked absolutely adorable.
"Hanabi-chan, wake up." Hinata prodded her sister, pulling the sheets down. Hanabi stirred but remained asleep. She sighed.
"Hanabi-chan… Come on. It's almost 6:30 in the morning." Hinata continued prodding her sister.
"Five more minutes." Hanabi groggily mumbled and attempted to pull the covers over her head. Hinata released another sigh. Then she thought of a plan.
"Hanabi-chan, isn't today your meeting with the Sabaku's?" Hinata reminded her while picking up the strewn pillows on the floor. Hanabi woke up with a jumpstart upon hearing the word "Sabaku's." She wiped off the drool on the corner of her lips, tied her hair in a messy bun then hurriedly went out of the room to proceed to the bathroom then to the kitchen. Hinata was surprised to see her sister act so out of character.
"That was fast." Hinata said, then proceeded to make the bed, smiling.
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When Hinata returned to the kitchen, Hanabi was scanning the entertainment portion of the newspaper, while drinking hot cocoa with marshmallows.
"Good morning, Hina. You gave me quite the wake up call." Hanabi said while munching on the toast. Hinata gave off a chuckle while getting the business portion of the paper.
"I can't believe someone actually reads that! Aside from Father and Neji, that is…" Hanabi exclaimed upon seeing her sister browsing through the business section of the paper. Hinata gave off a smile in response.
"Hinata?" Hanabi asked, nervousness lacing her tone. Hinata looked up, casting a questioning look towards her younger sister.
"Have you met the Sabaku's?" Hanabi inquired. Hinata placed the paper on the table, thoughtful.
"Well…I met two of the three children of the former Sabaku Corporation President—Ms. Temari and Mr. Kankuro. And their father's right hand man, Mr. Baki. But I haven't met the former President himself. And the current CEO—I think he's the youngest child—Mr. Gaara." Hinata said.
"Oh. So… how were the siblings and Mr. Baki?" Hanabi probed, a sense of dread threatening to crawl up her spine.
"They are actually nice people, Hanabi-chan. Ms. Temari is really smart but is rather strict. Mr. Kankuro is a funny guy and is quite lenient. Mr. Baki is really intimidating at first but when you get to know him, he's fine…just a tad too serious." Hinata replied, then looked at her sister.
"And there's Sasori-san. He's my senior when I was an intern and he is a cousin of the three siblings. He's a really sweet guy, you know. If he's in the meeting, I'm sure he'll help you feel at ease." Hinata continued.
"Do you like this Sasori guy?" Hanabi asked her sister smugly. Hinata vehemently shook her head, a blush adorning her cheeks. Hanabi laughed. Her sister is so much fun to tease.
"He's just… really nice. He helped me quite a lot back then. And to answer your question, I don't like him that way." Hinata explained then took a sip on her black tea.
"What 'way'?" Hanabi asked, albeit a little to innocently. Hinata shook her head and muttered a 'Nevermind.' She laughed at her older sister's signature blush.
"Hanabi-chan, it's just normal that you feel nervous—it's your first time to do something like this. But don't even think that you're not capable it—don't ever doubt yourself. Besides, the board chose you over your fellow interns and even employees because they know that you can. You're a Hyuga, Hanabi-chan. You don't back down from anything. You can do this. Just have faith in yourself and what you can do—just like the way people place their faith in you." Hinata replied as if reading her mind, with the last part said with utmost seriousness. Hanabi grinned at her.
"For a while there, you sounded like Neji-nii-san." Hanabi laughed. Hinata flushed, then started to fidget.
"I-I d-don't r-really k-know w-what c-came o-over m-me t-to s-say t-that." Hinata said, her stutter on full blast. Hanabi laughed harder, tears forming at the corner of her eyes.
"Well, it kind of worked. I feel a lot better now. Thank you." Hanabi grinned then walked over to her sister to give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"I need to take a shower now. I promise I'll do my best." Hanabi said, disappearing into the bathroom. Hinata smiled then took a sip of her hot cocoa thinking that maybe she should take her own advice too.
After finishing all their respective preparations, they left the apartment and went on to their separate cars to proceed to their destinations.
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When Hinata arrived in her office about 15 minutes earlier than the call time, she was greeted by her secretary, Sasame.
"Good morning, Lady Hinata." Sasame said cheerily while helping Hinata with her coat. Hinata gave her a warm smile.
"Good morning too, Sasame. I told you enough with the formalities, right?" Hinata replied still smiling.
"Sorry, Ma'am. It's hard to stop the habit…" Sasame tried to explain. Hinata shook her head.
"Okay. But please do try. It makes me feel rather old." Hinata joked then smiled. Sesame nodded then remembered something.
"Ms. Hinata, there's someone waiting for you in your office." Sasame said. Hinata looked surprised and at the same time, confused.
"This early? I don't remember setting any meeting, though." Hinata said. Sesame nodded again.
"I know, Ms. Hinata. But he's already there. And he knows that he didn't set any appointment with you." Sasame replied, looking rather apologetic. Hinata nodded then went on to her office.
When she opened the door, she saw the person she was not expecting to see…
"Good morning, Lady Hinata." Neji greeted. He was seated on one of the plush couches scanning the daily paper.
"Neji?!" Hinata exclaimed, shock clearly evident in her voice.
xoxo
In the cookies of life, sisters are the chocolate chips. ~Author Unknown