Hinata opened her eyes. A thin line of sunshine began to spill out the jagged dark blue horizon.
Edvard Grieg's Morning Mood on the piano echoed from a distance inside her head.
"Hina-chan, I love this piece." His fingers moved better across the piano keys. Even though they started together and was taught by the same piano teacher, he had moved up two levels ahead of her in Piano Adventures. "It really sounds like morning. I could picture Hina-chan's face shining brightly in the sky and it makes me really happy."
The Sasuke Uchiha in first grade was the most well-mannered boy who said the sweetest things. They were the best of friends. He'd visit her house once in a while to play dolls; she'd be Barbie, master of the gameplay, and Sasuke was always Kelly, the baby sister subject to makeovers. She'd come over at the Uchiha mansion for an entirely different, precocious reason, though, his mother's chocolate chip cookies and strawberry shortcakes added to it.
Her head hurt. Why was she recalling things from the past? She smacked her cheeks and rolled to her side. Sasuke Uchiha slept peacefully on the futon beside her. No wonder she was irritated so early in the morning.
The one who gets away, gets paralyzed.
Dragging his body to the futon last night had been purely exasperating. Were it not for his trolley bag and falling backwards, he would've fallen down the stairs and died.
Wondering what time it was, she grabbed her phone overhead.
Low batt.
She clicked her tongue. How could she be so careless?
Rubbing her temples as she plugged the charger into the socket near the unwanted boarder, she thought about the mount of problems ahead of them. His sleeping face somehow reminded her of his childhood. His jaws were more defined, but the way his brows relaxed made him look just as defenseless as before. There's no way he'll get used to the pace her life was going at. With Sasuke Uchiha's weight to pull around, things will only get harder.
Moreover, now that they're inseparable, can he be trusted with everything she's been trying to protect? The answer came as a zapping headache. But she has to start cooking breakfast.
Just as she left her phone blinking, her eyes widened at recall, the headache gone.
No sooner did a fast search on Sasuke Uchiha's firm-sided backpack confirmed a pack of cigarettes—which she hurled in the trash can at the kitchen—his binder, wallet, pen case, and then nothing else.
She was sure it wasn't in his trolley since watched him pack. Taking chances on his trousers, she whisked away the faded floral blanket which Hanabi had put over him, and searched his front pockets. None.
Back pockets?
She chewed her lip. Who cares about the groper police? As long as she doesn't create any more trouble for Doctor Hiruzen. She reached behind...
Grope, grope.
So much for touching an insufferable guy's butt. Good thing he's still as dead as a rock.
Spotting a black strap around his neck, she tugged at it and a rectangular object ran under his chest. She couldn't pull it out his hoodie's neck completely, so she flipped open his hoodie's belly, and unbuckled the neck pouch revealing the devil's weapon.
Of course, she knew his password. She had been itching to get her hands on his phone so covert operations had been underway. His gallery had only one blasphemous photo contained.
Long press… Del—
The phone vanished from her clutches.
"Looting a dead man's treasure?" Sasuke Uchiha with the bed head smirked, holding up his phone. "I don't think so."
Burning anger rushed over Hinata. She fisted his thick hair but he twisted out her grip and pushed her hard. Getting up on her elbows, Hinata did her version of a leg ride around his waist aped from wrestling videos to stop him from slipping away, and jumped over his back to bang his head down.
"Flock Hyuuga!" he managed to croak, "You flocker, flucking, flock! You're seriously killing me right now!" Just as she got the phone after bending his fingers a great deal, he toppled her to the ground.
"Ah!" Her head hit the floor, same spot as the bruise from falling yesterday, and the pain was indescribable.
"Give up! You said it didn't matter anymore!" Sasuke Uchiha gritted his teeth, a certain madness festering his eyes.
He tried to wrench the phone away, pulling her hands apart, and she could only stretch her arms up, pinned down beneath him, tears forming in her eyes.
Oh the pain, the pain, the pain...
"W-what are you doing right now?!" Sasuke Uchiha breathed heavily. "Why are you m-moaning like that?!"
The room lit up. "Sis?" Hanabi's red-shot eyes stared at them, horrified.
Trapped in a compromising position, Sasuke Uchiha was a deer caught in headlights seeing Hanabi, and Hinata kicked him on the chest causing him to tumble over.
"You violent… Violent." He groaned.
After pressing delete, Hinata chuck the phone back to him. "Don't cause anymore unnecessary trouble, got it?"
"What's the matter, sis?" asked Hanabi, her thumbs twiddling nervously and guilt crept on Hinata.
"He was playing a bad prank," she mumbled, rubbing the bump on her head partly in shame.
"Bet you didn't know I've got it saved in other places, too," Sasuke Uchiha said, trying to get the last laugh.
"Bet you didn't."
"Oh, you bet it did automatically."
"Bet it didn't." She didn't do child's play. Hinata tugged his arm, but he yanked away. "You're going with me even if you don't want to. I have to prepare. We can't be late."
He yielded for some time, but soon started complaining about the place choking him so Hanabi opened a window.
Sasuke pinched his nose and wildly flapped his hands to pull the windows down. "Stench... Landfill!"
Hanabi looked at him, confused. There wasn't any landfill nearby.
"It's a junkyard," corrected Hinata, hand on her hip.
"Oh, so it's a junkyard!" he declared his ignorance out the window. "Look at that mountain of ugly cars. Doesn't make it any better."
"It's fun once they get started," said Hanabi. "I imagine the cranes like a bunch of old men playing reversi. They seem to be thinking carefully and move their pieces reeaally slow."
Hinata paused washing the rice in the rice cooker pot. Their father loved reversi and spent his rare free time playing with his daughters.
"Hanabi, use the bathroom now," she said, filling the pot with water once again and turning on the stove in calculated movements.
"I'm sorry, sis. I'll get right to it now, immediately." Hanabi gave an impish grin before setting off.
"Hinata Hyuuga is a beast," Sasuke Uchiha continued out the window and his voice echoed. "Someone report for domestic violence!"
With the oil heating on the pan, she shut the window and shoved him into the sink. He was right. She was turning violent. But for some reason she couldn't help it. It's the feeling of having found the perfect punching bag to vent all accumulated frustrations into.
Frustrations? She shook the bad thoughts away. She can't think like that. She mustn't.
"I hate fish," declared Sasuke Uchiha as she took the thawed fish out the plastic cover.
"Then starve." She filled another pot with water and set it on the stove for the miso soup.
"I made a restaurant bankrupt once." He strolled around her kitchen, checking the bottle of condiments for labels and opening whatever he could get his hands on.
"I'm guessing they must've served you something wrong. Like mother like son?"
"No. They left a really long, long strand of hair on my Peking duck. I mean, I could've forgiven them if it was the Peking duck's hair but I had the feeling gnawing at me it was from some manly girl's head and I was like, 'no, is this some sort of kink service, 'coz I don't appreciate it'…"
Without word, Hinata tied her hair with the rubber band around the lid on the glass jar of ginseng tonic given by Doctor Hiruzen's wife which Sasuke had been inspecting. He stopped annoying her afterwards and though he didn't eat fish, he thanked for the food. She silently hoped her daily serving of Sasuke Uchiha stresses end there, when out of nowhere he said, "Let's go in together," as she headed to bath.
Hinata blinked shell-shocked eyes at him. She held her uniform in a hanger on one hand, hid panties in her shorts pocket, and had her bra folded inside the towel.
"It doesn't make sense for me to wait here doing nothing," he added as an afterthought.
"Sis, do hurry. I still need to put on your make up," said Hanabi in the background.
"No, Uchiha. I will not be taken advantage of. Just because we're in this situation doesn't mean I'll sacrifice my dignity."
"Ha." He snorted lamely. "You wish. After everything I've been through, I don't think I'll ever wanna see whatever hideous thing of yours you show pedo Hiruzen."
Slap!
Hinata's hand stung. "I don't care what you say about me, but don't. Ever. Say anything demeaning about Doctor Hiruzen. You have no right."
Sasuke flexed his jaws. His eyes cut to her in a cold, intimidating manner. "In case you've forgotten, I've had enough dose of drama last night, Hyuuga. Don't add to it. I'm going in first. Stink all you want."
The door slammed and opened just as quickly. "I don't have towel."
So what if she's a terrible person. She's standing up and that's all that matters. That is all that she has control over.
Soon as the two of them stepped out, though it hadn't been smooth sailing reaching that point, Grandma Shoyo from three doors left was headed downstairs, her limbs shaking with every step of her cranes.
"Why didn't you wait for the volunteer?" Hinata asked. The poor old lady had no family taking care of her and goes to the elder's care center every day. She had to help her down even if it meant getting on the rush hour train.
"The what?" The old woman with a cloud of gray hair suspended over her head, kept looking behind.
"The volunteer, Grandma Shoyo. What's her name again? Hana was it? The one who comes here to get you?"
"I got bored. Is that your boyfriend, Hina-chan?" Grandma Shoyo had a creepy, leering smile on her face. "Why, he's an absolute looker."
"No, he isn't."
"Then why is he following you close? He's even looking at you so amorously."
She risked a glance and Sasuke Uchiha was definitely glaring. There's a huge difference. "That's impossible. He must be looking at you, Grandma Shoyo."
"Oh my. What am I to do, Hina-chan? Oh, I feel hot all over," whispered Grandma Shoyo. "What do I do if he confesses to me right now?"
You're better off not falling for guys like him, Grandma Shoyo. For one, he's a jerk…
Inside the seven o'clock train, Hinata could tell Sasuke underwent the most hellish time of his life. Soon as they were out, he jostled against anyone getting in his way when people were all in a pell-mell, just to take a breather in the landing going downstairs.
She fished her phone out her bag.
8:04
They must run now, fast, or they won't make it for the bus.
"Let's go." She tried to lugged him to the stairs, but he pulled her to him, almost knocking her down towards his chest. Good thing she was fast on her feet to regain balance. "What now?!"
"Shoes," he said. She looked down and he had fancy white sports shoes on. "There's a specialty store nearby."
She sighed irritably. "We don't have time for shoes."
"We need to, Miss Prefect. I can't be an Uchiha and be made to stop on the gates for not following dress code."
Valid point, but she should've known nearby was two taxi rides away and it would take him forever choosing a pair of black leather shoes from selections that all looked the same. And she can't even scold him for good while in their uniforms, bringing shame to the Academy, with the shop keeper attending.
"This feels about perfect," he said, looking at himself in the mirror. He took a card out his wallet and handed it to the lady. "I'll take it."
Looking at her phone, 9:30. Mister Iruka was already halfway done his history lecture. By then, Hinata had long given up and resumed reading her notes from the previous year.
"Let's go," he said.
"I'm unpardonably late."
"At least I'm fashionably late." Sasuke Uchiha blithely shrugged his shoulders.
Ugh. He's insufferable. She noticed his sports shoes under the bench as she stood up. "You're forgetting your shoes. Hey!" He took her notebook and skimmed through, taking a glance at the cover.
"I don't need it anymore," he said. "Why are you studying second year stuff?"
"College exams prep."
"This early?" He dismissed her as though she was the fool and hurled back her notebook like it was trash finding purpose in her arms. The shop owner bade them to come back again and the bustle of the busy city streets blared in her ears going out.
For some reason, she couldn't tear her eyes away from the abandoned sneakers still looking brand new. "I could never say that with any of our belongings. I wish a heavy truck runs over you and squeeze your brains out."
His shadow towered grimly over her, blocking out the mid-day sun.
"Don't worry," he said, his lips curling up. "When that happens, I'll be sure to hold your hand and never let go."
Such a romantic young man. Out of context, Grandma Shoyo would've fallen head over heels with this person had he said those lines to her.
What she'd give to end the curse.
However, there's no way she'd be able to say a heartfelt thanks, Grandma Shoyo.
What to do indeed.
