So, I think someone told me to update soon? Hm... I try, I try. But check this out. It's, like...five in the morning. I ate a burger five hours ago (I made it mehself), and now I can't sleep. Check this out more. I haven't really been eating these last few weeks because I just don't have an appetite, but I woke up this morning (yesterday morning?) with hunger pains, so I was like, "Wow. I still don't feel hungry, but maybe I should eat." So, it took me until midnight to force myself to eat, and now I can't sleep. What the heck? Food has robbed me of my pride and joy!
Gentle Fist, Jyuuken, same.
Enjoy!
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"That's enough for today, Sasuke." Itachi stared at his younger brother, who panted silently on the forest floor; he was crouched but looked like he would much rather collapse.
"Don't go easy on me," the younger Uchiha demanded, his voice raspy and wheezy.
"We could continue, but I don't think you'd like it if I killed you," Itachi reasoned.
Sasuke looked up, glaring weakly at him. Itachi found it to be a tad adorable. He didn't know why Sasuke wanted to train just one hour after they had eaten breakfast, but it was now four hours later, and he thought he may have had a reason why.
"Are you that bored without her?" Itachi asked.
"What are you talking about?"
"Hinata comes back tonight, so you don't have to act like she's gone forever."
Sasuke looked at him a moment longer, before turning his gaze away and sprawling on his back, breathing deeply. Itachi walked over to him and sat down; his brother had indeed outdone himself during this session. Not only was he generous with the fire jutsus, but his taijutsu was pushed to the limit as well.
"How long will you be staying?" Sasuke asked.
"I'll be leaving for a mission tomorrow morning," the eldest replied. "I should be back in time for the movie."
"Movie?" Sasuke looked up at him. "The heck are you talking about?"
"That movie Hinata wanted to see."
"Oh." He looked up at the sky, exhaling. "I didn't know you two were going."
"You're going, too, Sasuke."
"Oh."
The two settled into quietness, and it was then that Itachi realized he and Sasuke didn't talk much anymore. Their bonding seemed to be found in silence, but Itachi wondered if he didn't like bonding this way. This was partly why he felt like he didn't know why Sasuke was closed off from the world, but, then again, he also didn't know what to say and rather enjoyed a noiseless moment from time to time. He loved his siblings, but as soon as Hinata returned, there wouldn't be that many quiet times.
Not like it was completely bad.
"Itachi."
The eldest looked down at his brother. Sasuke's bangs were covering his eyes. Something was bothering him. "Yes?"
"You... You're always gone."
Itachi nodded. "On missions, yes."
"Yeah..."
Silence fell again for another moment.
"You... You should rest more," Sasuke said.
"I rest between missions."
Sasuke said nothing, but Itachi glanced down at him after another moment and saw that his face was changing color.
Itachi fought back a smile. "Stop doing that."
A growl was his brother's response.
"That's new," he mused. "What am I missing?"
"Come home," Sasuke said, teeth clenched.
That was a surprise. He didn't know what to make of this sudden demand – of the sudden plea – and Sasuke's red face only added to...the guilt Itachi felt. Last year, he missed both his siblings' birthdays by a day, but he was so sure it hadn't bothered them. Maybe that wasn't what was bothering Sasuke at this moment, but it had to be part of it.
When Itachi didn't answer, Sasuke looked up, only to be greeted by two fingers making contact with his forehead.
"Forgive me, Sasuke." Itachi smiled faintly. "I'll remember that next time."
"HYA!"
Hinata's palm collided with Neji's chest, a healthy dose of chakra being sent throughout his body, sending the young man skidding away from her.
"That's not how you execute that move," he grunted when he stopped.
"Yeah, yeah." Hinata crouched into her fighting stance, Byakugan glaring. "Jyuuken or whatever. I don't see the point in yelling our attacks."
Neji crouched as well. "That is how things are done."
"Well, I don't agree." She smirked. "Maybe if you can manage to beat me this time, I'll say whatever you want me to."
"And wear whatever I want you to."
Her gaze sharpened. "I won't let you take fashion from me, nii-san."
"You'll wear all the baggy clothes I can find."
The two launched into a frenzy of attacks, hitting vital points harder than they should have, but not nearly as dangerous as it could have been. Neji sent a Jyuuken blow to her abdomen causing her to stagger back by a fraction, before she twirled on her foot and rammed a kick into his side. Neji didn't allow himself to feel the impact. He grabbed her foot, jerking her backwards, and slammed his palm down on her back.
"Ow," Hinata grunted, pulling herself off the ground and forcing herself to stand. "That would have really hurt..." she twisted her torso, popping her back, "if you hit anything like Itachi." Hinata brought her hands together and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
Neji stayed perfectly still, scanning the area around him. Quickly, he turned, and blocked the kick that would have made contact with his back and rapidly jabbed away at her tenketsu points. He took hold of her abused leg and threw her into the air.
Hinata's hands rapidly formed signs.
Neji cursed under his breath.
Hinata threw her head back and lurched forward, releasing a giant ball of flame. Neji leapt out of the way, landing a good distance from the new, burning crater. Noticing that his sleeve had caught fire, he removed his article of clothing and flung it to the side.
"My, oh, my."
Neji stiffened as Hinata's legs closed around his waist, her hands roaming his bare torso, her face sliding to the side of his.
"Is this body all for me, nii-san?"
"It's not yours yet," he smiled uneasily.
"Right," Hinata pouted. She threw herself backwards, her legs around Neji tightening, and sent her cousin flying across the courtyard. "I can't seem to play nice with things that aren't mine."
Neji slid to a stop, his back scrapping against the ground. "You should focus on the moves uncle has taught you," he huffed as he stood, flexing his back muscles.
Hinata shrugged, dismissing him. "What's it matter if I can win?"
"Form, Hinata," a deep voice answered.
The two looked over into the house to find their uncle stepping into the courtyard. He glanced at the steaming crater then at Neji's battered appearance. He then looked at Hinata, who looked more winded than damaged.
"Neji," he said in his nephew's direction, "could it be that you are going easy on Hinata?"
Hinata frowned, crossing her arms. "Or could it be that I'm actually getting stronger than Neji, uncle?"
Hiashi was amused by that comment, but the only way to ensure that Hinata kept training was to never let her win. "Perhaps," the man shrugged. "Please, continue." He looked at Neji. "And demonstrate true Hyuuga enthusiasm."
"Yes, uncle," they responded, facing each other. They walked so they were a few feet apart and assumed their fighting positions. Silence thickened as they stared at each other, Byakugans never wavering.
"Uncle's watching," Neji muttered tauntingly.
Hinata glared. "It makes your defeat all the more satisfying."
Hiashi watched as the two launched into a mass of whirling limbs and flaring chakra. Hinata held her ground for the most part, but Neji landed a hit on her shoulder, throwing her off balance. She couldn't recover in time, giving Neji ample opportunity.
"Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms!"
Hiashi sighed to himself. His daughter had put up a good fight, but this was the end.
Two palms.
Four palms.
Eight palms.
Sixtee-
"Eight Trigrams: Palm Rotation!"
Hinata spun, her chakra forming a barrier around her. Neji was caught in the vortex of chakra before being projected backwards. As Neji climbed to his feet, Hinata stopped her spinning – her breathing haphazard – and focused her tired eyes on her advancing cousin. She jumped into her fighting stance, her balance wavering a few times.
"E...Eight Trigrams: Air Palm!" She jammed her arm forward, a burst of chakra shooting forth.
"Eight Trigrams: Air Palm!" Neji countered. His attack overpowered hers, sending the girl hurdling into the air. Hiashi and Neji watched her ascend into sky. Neji sighed, a bit tired, and closed his eyes. Hiashi saw movement from his daughter.
"It is not over," the man warned.
Kunai shot at Neji, clear string encircling around him and binding his arms. His eyes shot up to see two giant shuriken shooting in his direction. They landed on either side of him, confusing the male, but he looked up to find that the shuriken had string tied around them as well and the opposite ends were tied around Hinata's waist – the object of whom used the momentum of the weapons to come hurdling at her cousin. Neji's eyes widened as Hinata drew her arm back.
Hiashi made a sound of approval.
Neji cursed again.
"Jyuuken!" Hinata's palm crashed into Neji's chest, knocking them both over.
Neji struggled for air, the wind completely knocked out of him. Hinata smiled wearily, trembling due to pushing herself to her limit.
"If... If I had the chakra," she huffed, "I could have killed you."
Neji merely stared as she climbed off of him and walked over to their uncle. She stood in front of the man, expectant. He stared back down at her, arms crossed.
Hinata blinked, self-conscious. "W-well?"
"That was...impressive."
She gasped, her cheeks tinting and eyes watering.
Hiashi smiled. "Very well done, Hinata"
She latched onto him, hugging him tightly, and cried tears of happiness, not like she understood why she had gotten so happy. Hiashi hugged her back. This made him a little...heartbroken that she had truly meant what she said about wanting to impress him. He was always impressed with her. She may be rough around the edges, her fighting techniques may lack grace, and her behavior screamed for reform, but she was one of the best kunoichi he has ever seen. She had displayed that she could take down Neji, and he had heard she could last a good while against Itachi, so she made it hard to not be impressed.
"You seem tired," Hiashi said as he stroked her hair, glancing up into the evening sky. "Do you want to stay the night?"
"I can't," she mumbled in his chest. "Itachi got back today, so I want to spend as much time with him before he leaves again."
"Ah, yes." Hiashi sighed inwardly. "Well, feel free to clean yourself up before you go. Oh, and say hi to Hanabi, too."
"Ah!" Hinata looked up. "I haven't seen her all day! Where is she?"
"She is bedridden for a while. It is nothing serious, I assure you."
"O-okay," Hinata nodded. "I'll see her after I take a shower."
"Well then, I better inform her of your visit." Hiashi released her and turned back inside. "She always likes to look her best in front of you."
Hinata smiled, a bit embarrassed by the news, and turned when she heard Neji clear his throat. "Oh, right," she purred, walking back over to him. "Looks like I get to wear whatever I want."
"Until our next match," he assured. "Now, if you would be so kind as to untie me."
"Untie you?" She knelt next to him. "But you look so alluring this way."
He rolled his eyes. "Yes, of course."
"Hey, Neji," Hinata said as she yanked one of the kunai off the string. "I'm taking a shower after this."
"Yes, I heard." He sat up and stretched out his arms when he was free. His lap was soon occupied, one Hinata Uchiha straddling him and locking her arms behind his neck.
"We could save water if we shower together," she whispered seductively. "Hm? What do you say, nii-san?"
"Out in the open this time?" He reclined on his arms, looking at her disinterestedly. "Can we not go one encounter without you trying to seduce me?"
She pouted. "We went seven years without me seducing you. I'm just making up for lost times."
"How gracious of you," he deadpanned. He pulled himself from under her and got to his feet. Hinata stood as well, following as he walked into the house.
"Geez, Neji," she sighed, exasperated. "You never play with me anymore."
"Your definition of 'play' has also changed over the years."
"You could at least go along with me sometimes."
"Go along? How could I?" He spun around, grabbing Hinata by the collar of her shirt and pulling her close. She inhaled sharply, her body rigid, when she realized how close their lips were. Neji's intense gaze held her surprised one. "You're shaking," he commented. "Could it be that you're all talk, hm, Hinata?"
She reddened, her mouth parting.
"I'll let you do all the playing, dear cousin." He kissed her on the cheek and let her go, pleased that she had calmed down – at least the way he saw it.
"G-Geez." She ran a hand through her hair. "Do you have to be good at everything?"
He shrugged, not really seeing how what he just did was 'good'. "Yes, well, Hanabi is waiting." He paused. "Isn't Sasuke picking you up today?"
She perked up, eyes gleaming. "He is!"
Not many things embarrassed Sasuke.
He didn't know why.
Maybe he accepted humility as something he would face in life, and that somehow made him immune to most things that would embarrass him. Maybe he simply didn't care when life tried to elicit that certain emotion. But, without fail, there was one thing that always seemed to embarrass him.
His family.
If they tried, they could succeed. If they didn't mean to succeed, they did. However, he always felt the most foolish when he did something in front of his family that caused the embarrassment.
Today's example was asking Itachi to come home.
He cursed at the memory, wiping his face.
Just what was he thinking to have the nerve to beg like that – as demanding as a Sasuke plea can go. He wasn't five. He wasn't eight. He knew very well that Itachi had obligations to the village, so he could only be home for as long as missions allowed. His older brother had enough stress going on, so...being selfish wasn't going to lessen it. Not that he cared how much...
Yes he did.
Itachi was important to him – just as important as Hinata but on a different level.
On a normal level.
So, the fact that someone important to him saw a bratty side that he hadn't exposed in years made Sasuke a little more than just embarrassed.
He tried to push it out of his mind for now. He was on his way to pick up Hinata, and the last thing he needed was for his sister to pester him about his odd behavior. He laughed grimly to himself, finding the concept annoyingly humorous. She wasn't any good at guessing his other odd behavior.
The Uchiha was halfway to his cousin's house when he saw Neji and Hinata from the other direction. He grit his teeth at the sight of the brunette. If Sasuke had to be locked in a room with anyone besides his immediate family, it would be Neji, but seeing how that would never need to happen, he would have much rather avoided him, if at all possible.
"Hi!" Hinata sang as they approached.
Sasuke gave a slight wave before pocketing his hands.
When the three closed the distance between each other, Sasuke saw Hinata had changed into her normal clothes. Why she changed every time she went to Neji's house, he didn't know.
"Sasuke," Neji greeted firmly.
"Hyuuga," Sasuke responded.
Neji held back from saying anything. He didn't know why Sasuke never liked him. He was willing to play the role of family because the false relations were of good breeding, but Sasuke was incredibly difficult for no reason. Neji's attitude towards Sasuke was simply a response to Sasuke's attitude towards him, but he wasn't opposed to being on good terms with the Uchiha...if he would give him the fucking chance.
"Well then," Neji nodded to his cousins before turning, "I'll be on my way."
"Visit some time!" Hinata said before he could get too far.
"Or not," Sasuke muttered under his breath.
She turned to him, frowning. "I wish you'd stop doing that."
"A lot of good wishing's ever done."
Hinata was about to retort, but revelation flashed across her face, and she shoved her brother forcefully. Sasuke only faltered back a step, but his glare promised he wanted to do a lot more.
"Don't even give me that!" Hinata yelled just loud enough to make a point. "What was that back at the diner?"
"What? Me leaving?"
"You leaving and then excluding me like that. You and Itachi!"
"What excluding you? You're the one that promised to eat with them, not me."
"Yeah, but..." She paused, seeing his point. "Yeah, Sasuke, I get that, but... I prefer to be around you guys, okay?"
"Is that supposed to mean something?" he asked, irritated. "Because if you're getting offended for being left at something you put together, then I don't want to hear it."
"I just wanted...to eat with Itachi, too."
"If you came with us then everyone would have tagged along. You're the social one – I'm not. Itachi's not."
She frowned deeper, saddened. Sasuke stared back at her, not really affected. When he didn't feel like something was his fault – and this time it really wasn't – he couldn't comfort her just so she'd feel better. Everyone else could, but not him.
He turned and started walking home. Hinata, he could hear, followed.
Five minutes later, the walk was still silent. Hinata had spent the time thinking. Sasuke had spent the time calculating how long the walk would feel so long as there was this tension between them.
"Sasuke," Hinata croaked, her voice small.
"What?"
"Can you stop for a minute?"
"I want to get home."
"Please?"
"I don't feel like dealing with you."
"Sasuke-!" her voice cracked, a sob shaking her body.
Sasuke bit his lip, shaking his head, and stopped. He looked up, exhaling. "What?"
"I didn't mean to upset you, okay?" she said through tears. "You know how I am. I...I-I do things on impulse a-and drag you along with me, but I'm not trying to hurt you."
He glared at the sky. "Who said I was hurt?"
"You did!" she accused. "The way you act and the things you do! You know I'd pick you over anyone else! You and Itachi!"
"So then pick me, Hinata." He turned to her, glaring. "I don't know when you got it in your head that spending every waking moment with everyone else was my thing, but it's not, and you know it's not."
"I'm sorry, okay?!"
"Just stop-!" Sasuke stopped himself, bringing his hands together in front of him, and breathed evenly. "The family," he said calmly, deliberately. "All I need is the family. You, mom, dad, and Itachi, alright? Everyone else..." he paused, finding his words. "Everyone else I have to take in small doses. I can't...change that all at once."
Hinata stared at him, trying not to break down.
Sasuke waited again, his toxic gaze taking her in.
They fight all the time – sometimes it gets emotional. He wasn't sure if he unknowingly made these moments happen because he had times where he did want to yell at her and make her cry because...that was the only way his pent up emotions could lessen. He also wasn't sure if it was fair on her part, but he couldn't always care about her feelings when he had to ignore his own on a daily basis.
"Okay," Hinata said softly, looking at the ground. "I understand..."
Sasuke licked his bottom lip, sighing again. "Come here." Hinata walked over; Sasuke embraced her. "I'm sorry, too," he muttered.
Hinata sniffed, squeezing onto him. "N...Nii-chan..." She cried again, burying her face in his chest.
Sasuke pulled Hinata off to the side, into a thicket of trees. He didn't like their parents (or anybody) seeing them together if she was crying because of the questions that followed.
They sat down, out of sight, and Hinata cried until she calmed down. By that time, it was starting to get dark, Hinata's head was resting on Sasuke's shoulder, and he was so sure that she had been asleep for the past fifteen minutes.
"Sasuke," Hinata said, "why are we still here?"
"I thought you were asleep."
"Oh." She sat up, rubbing her puffy eyes. "Is Itachi home?"
"Maybe," he shrugged. "Last I saw, he had to meet Shisui for something."
"Oh." She fell silent, lying her head back on him, trying to formulate her thoughts. "Hey... Do you think it's weird...that I don't look like you?"
"Like me? A little. Everyone else? Not really."
"Whenever you or Itachi were mean to me, I thought it was because of how I looked." She sighed. "I still think that sometimes."
"That's because you want to be a martyr for everything."
"No." She pressed her head down on him. "Because... I don't know. He's more of your twin than I am."
"Uh-huh." He pulled blades of grass out of the ground. "But he's not."
"I know he's not." She sat up, studying him. "Look at us, Sasuke. Dark hair, pale skin... That's it, but even then we're...different. Itachi's more tan than you are, but you could easily be twins...if you grew a bit more," she added with a smile.
"I don't look like him."
"Oh, get over yourself," she laughed, pushing up onto her knees and tracing lines on his face. "If you just had his stress lines and pushed this part of you hair back-"
"Hinata," Sasuke muttered as she messed with his bangs.
"Aw, you look just like him!"
Sasuke watched as Hinata seemed to gradually get lost in her thoughts, her smile fading. "What's wrong now?"
"Nothing." She retracted her hand, sitting back down. "It's just... Sometimes it's weird to look at you."
"What?"
She brought her knees up, putting her head down. "I..." She turned her head towards him. "What's it like to kiss someone?"
Sasuke blinked slowly, caught off guard. "Why are you asking me?"
"Because you kissed Naruto."
He stared at her, not sure if he was going to hit her or not.
She smiled. "Calm down. I don't mean that."
"Then why are you asking?"
"I...heard you did."
Now he blinked rapidly, confused. "With who?"
"I heard Sakura telling Ino last month. You never told me, so I didn't know if-"
"I never told you because I never kissed her."
She looked at him skeptically. "Why would Sakura lie?" she asked, almost challengingly.
"Why would I lie?"
Hinata took another moment to think. She didn't think Sakura would lie because, if she told someone about it, she must have known that information would eventually get back to one of them. But if Sasuke wasn't lying... "I don't know," she muttered. Sakura lying about a kiss? It didn't make sense.
Sasuke scowled at the ground. Sakura lying about a kiss made complete sense – he just didn't think she'd do that at this age. And Hinata heard this a month ago. A month? Secrets were being well-kept these days.
"I wonder," Hinata mumbled.
"About kissing?"
"Yeah," she sighed. "But at the same time, it's a bit...odd...to think about."
"Mm." He wasn't comfortable about the subject. The thought of Hinata kissing someone was...stupid. It was stupid because life was stupid.
"Hey," she said after a few minutes.
"Yeah?"
"Do you want to try it?"
Sasuke looked at her. She was tracing circles in the dirt.
"I heard...people practice...that kinda thing," she said off-handedly.
"Are you asking if I want to kiss you?"
She peeked at him nonchalantly. "I'm asking if you want to practice."
He looked away, pressing his lips together. What was going on?
If...
If they were ever going to do...that, shouldn't it have been when they were still children, and it could have been...innocent? No, that wasn't the issue. Why was she asking him that? There were many guys that wanted to kiss her. There were many guys that liked her that...that weren't him. So why was she asking him? Why was she asking him?!
"Sasuke?"
"I've never done it," he said, still thinking.
"That's why we practice," she mumbled. "It's not so weird if family does it, right?"
"You're talking about a completely different kind of kissing," he muttered. He couldn't think. His heart was pounding, and he could not think.
Kiss Hinata?
Kiss his sister Hinata?
That couldn't possibly be...okay.
Hinata sat up. He looked at her, still thinking. He had to think. But why was he thinking? This wasn't something to think about. The answer was no! They were siblings, so that was the answer from the very start. So...why was he still thinking?
Life was unfair.
Why did it do crap like this to him? Why would it screw him over at birth and then put him in a situation like this? Was he supposed to say no? Any brother would, but was he supposed to say no? Was he expected to?
"Okay," he said.
She blinked, eyebrows rising. "Really?"
"I guess."
Hinata blinked, not knowing whether or not to smile. She's been curious about kissing for a while now, but she couldn't just do it. She didn't know how. She only asked Sasuke because she felt like she could ask him anything, but...maybe this wasn't...
"Okay," she said softly, a bit intimidated. "Um...how do we...?"
"Come here."
She scooted closer so they were shoulder to shoulder. Hinata could tell he was deep in thought. She was getting there, too.
"Um..." She looked away briefly. "So we just...?"
"I think so."
"...Okay."
For a few seconds, they both waited for the other to lean first.
They waited for someone to take the lead.
They waited for the other to give the assurance that this was okay.
And then someone did. Neither was sure who started it, but they were leaning, hearts pounding. They weren't doing anything wrong. Family could kiss... It's not like they were going to...
"Wait."
Their foreheads touched. One pair of eyes closed, conflicted. One pair of eyes blinked, worried.
"I can't."