A/N: Well, here's the next chapter!
Special thanks goes out to pink hell, xBitterSweetDreamsx, and Dreaming101 for their spirit lifting reviews! :D
Also, much gratitude is directed towards i . don'tMISS, xBitterSweetDreamsx, FruitySmell, Claudia Kira Archer, life419, and TheGirlInTheBackground for adding this story to their favorites/alerts list! You all = day made :)
Best Buds
*-Hinata Hyuga-*
Hinata Hyuga was the most domestic shinobi in the entire village of Konoha. Growing up as the Hyuga Heiress, domestication was literally shoved down her throat until it was permanently etched into her cerebrum. From an early age, she was taught how to be the perfect noble lady. Day after day, she learned how to walk, how to talk, and how to act like a proper noble. Hinata was forced to study the domestic arts, which was more torturous than getting stabbed repeatedly in the eye by a senbon laced with poison.
Her family made sure she never forgot her place. It was like their little revenge on the poor girl. Half of them hated her because she was from the main branch, Neji included. The other half hated her because she was weak. It was a lose-lose situation. Hinata was like a flower blooming out of concrete, her family being the cold and harsh concrete. It was a life full of solitude. But she tried her best to reach out to her fellow clansmen, to her cousin the most. His face was always devoid of emotion. His posture was condescending and guarded. He didn't talk to her unless it was absolutely necessary. And even then, he would usually spout a few words about fate.
The only way to get him to really talk was to inquire about his team, specifically his sparring partner. When in a good mood, he would tell her about the auburn beauty. Surprisingly, the topic of the Weapons Mistress surpassed the topic of fate.
Hinata was supposed to be irritated and malevolent towards the girl for acquiring her nii-san's attention, but she found that no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't dislike the older girl. Not when Tenten had to deal with an arrogant, insufferable ice-cube for eight hours straight on a daily basis. Hinata loved her Neji-nii-san dearly, but still, she could only handle him for an hour a day, at most. Truly, Tenten was a saint. A deadly saint skilled with weapons.
The first time Hinata conversed with Tenten, she almost decapitated the older girl with a frying pan.
It was some years ago when that incident happened. Neji-nii-san had been training since before the sun even dared to rise and had not come home for dinner. Hinata, being the kind and considerate cousin she was, decided to make him dinner. She didn't want him to come home exhausted, only to have to cook his own supper, or worse, having to slumber without eating.
Channeling her inner rebel, she stayed up past her bedtime and prepared for him a delicious meal. The meal itself was simple. It was just some stir fry, but it was the thought that counted. Surely, it would suffice. Patiently, she waited for her cousin's late return.
He came home no more than half an hour later. Ornamenting his lean frame were various cuts and bruises. His clothes were caked in mud and his hair was disheveled to the point of looking like cotton candy. This was, no doubt, caused by Tenten.
Placing a warm, placating smile on her porcelain face, she was about to greet her cousin, when he rudely interrupted her.
"Hinata-sama, what are you doing up this late?" He bowed while scowling darkly at her, almost as if he was criminalizing her for a treasonous act.
"G-good evening, Neji-nii-san. You did not come home for dinner earlier and I just wanted to make sure you had something to eat." Her voice was barely louder than a whisper. She never met his calculating eyes. "I made you some stir fry. I hope it is to your liking."
"Thank you for your concern, but it was unneeded. I am not hungry and I wish to rest. Goodnight, Hinata-sama." With that being said, he bowed and walked briskly away from her. Disappointment clawed brutally at her chest. She thought for a second he would be grateful towards her. What a fool she was. Neji Hyuga was never grateful. Treading softly to the kitchen, she gloomily began to pack away the food. If nii-san won't eat it, maybe Naruto-kun will. He loved food, didn't he?
She carefully deposited the toasty stir fry into a plastic container, trying not to spill. Setting it gingerly inside the fridge, she closed it with an easeful thud.
Quickly cleaning up and washing the dishes, Hinata began to hum a delightful tune to herself. Minutes passed and Hinata was lost in her world, a world where no one was resentful to anyone. She unconsciously clutched the cleaned pan closer to her chest.
"Hey Hinata! Do you still have some stir fry left over?" A voice from nowhere spoke, startling the timid girl.
"Ahhhhhhh!" The heiress hollered and pendulated the pan in every direction like a madman on steroids. She would've hit Tenten square in the face had the older girl not ducked in time.
"Nice swing. Great power. But if you really wanted to hit me, you should've swung faster." Tenten spoke as she crouched on the granite countertop. Hinata stopped swinging at the sound of the soothing and seemingly harmless voice.
"T-Tenten-san? I-is that you?" She stared judgmentally at the notorious teammate of her cousin.
"No, it's Santa Claus. Of course it's me, noob." Hinata stifled a chuckled behind her hand. Tenten let a voluminous smile rest across her face. "You know, you're the first Hyuga that I've heard laugh. I commend you on your unpompousness." She plopped herself down on the counter and leaned against the cupboards lazily, letting her legs dangle.
"T-thank you, Tenten-san. U-um, about the stir fry, i-it's in a plastic container, in the fridge." Hinata pointed shyly towards the rectangular appliance. "N-not to sound r-rude or anything, T-tenten-san, b-but what are you doing h-here this late?" The short-haired girl grilled.
"Well, my house doesn't have any food since I forgot to go grocery shopping last week. And all the shops are closed at this time of night. So, I came here to bother Neji for some food since it was his fault I didn't get to eat. He told me you made some stir fry and so here I am! Ta da!" To prove her point, her stomach growled indecently loud.
"A-alright." They Hyuga opened a well furnished drawer and pulled out a pair of ornate chopsticks and handed it over to the brunette.
"Thank you!" Tenten hurdled off the counter and scurried rapidly to the fridge. Ripping the door off its hinges, she seized the container. "Whoops." She said, referring to the now useless door. "I'll fix it later, I promise." Then, she dug in. "Wow! This is really good, Hinata! It's only like the best thing that I have ever eaten in my entire life!" Hinata blushed at the comment and looked with disbelief at the girl stuffing her face discourteously.
"Thank you for the compliment, Tenten-san. U-um, do you always eat like that?" Hinata asked demurely, scooting as far away from the food crazed girl as she could.
"Not all the time. But I'm really hungry. I missed breakfast, lunch, AND dinner! Neji is such an asshole. Pardon my French." Tenten started chewing angrily at the mention of the intolerable Hyuga Prodigy.
"Y-yeah. He kind of is. I s-stayed up to make him food and he didn't even bother to eat it." Hinata fumed bashfully, which Tenten found amusing.
"What a bastard!" Tenten exclaimed loudly. "Sorry." She added in promptly when she saw Hinata wince. "This is really scrumptious. Hey Hinata! Do you think that sometime you could teach me how to cook? Tenten looked at the heiress hopefully.
"I'd love to teach you, T-tenten-san." Hinata smiled kindly at the Weapons Mistress.
"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" She surged off the counter and earnestly encompassed the tinier girl in a bone-crushing, Team Gai hug.
"You're w-welcome." Hinata patted her back affectionately. Tenten finally let go after a minute while beaming brilliantly like the sun. "Would it be acceptable if I came over every Saturday? I could teach you then." Tenten placed a finger on her chin thoughtfully.
"Oooh, I can't. Saturdays are shogi days. I can't miss that. Sorry." The ochre-haired one stuck out an award winning pout.
"Hmm, how about Sundays?" Hinata suggested advantageously.
"That's perfect, Hina-chan! Wait, can I call you Hina-chan?" She queried brazenly.
"Only if I can call you Ten-nee-san." Hinata smiled innocently as Tenten blushed.
"Sure." The girl with chocolate eyes conceded.
They talked throughout the night about nothing and everything, ranging from battle tactics to Neji's hair conditioner. If any Hyuga happened to pass by the kitchen the next morning, they would find two girls sprawled out unsophisticatedly on the hardwood floor, a melted vanilla ice cream tub with two protruding spoons between them, and the refrigerator denuded of its door.
When Tenten entered her life, Hinata was bound to lose her domestication.
*..*..*..*..*..*
Hinata buoyantly made her way to Tenten's apartment, bearing a grocery bag filled with random ingredients. Today was Sunday, her favorite day in the entire week, hands down.
Greeting fellow villagers and shinobi alike on her journey, she impetuously tried to reach Tenten's humble abode. She shouldn't keep Ten-nee-san waiting. The older girl severely lacked patience whenever she spent her Saturdays at the Nara Compound. Her intelligence was always compromised there.
Reaching the apartment door, Hinata rapped her knuckles on the door three times in succession.
"Come in! The door's open!" The voice was slightly muffled by the thickness of the door. Twisting the knob and entering cautiously, Hinata scanned the apartment and approved the cleanliness of the place. Usually, the entire flat would be cramped with scrolls, weapons, and other various oddities. Ten-nee-san must've not had a mission the previous week.
"I'm in the kitchen, Hina-chan!" Tenten boomed from the adjacent kitchen. Hinata swiftly traveled in pursuance of the voice and noticed her best friend decked out in righteous kitchen gear. Donning a pink apron, in one hand was a whisk and in the other was a silver mixing bowl. Tenten looked like a boss.
"Must I continue to warn you that it is a safety hazard to leave your door unlocked at all times?" Hinata chided the older girl and gave her a disheartened look. "What if someone came in and attacked you?"
"I would dare anyone to barge in and attack me. They know what's in here. They know who I am. So they better have enough sanity to not mess with me." Tenten retorted, raising her whisk menacingly.
"Oh yes. A dangerous chef in a pink apron armed with a whisk. I can see the burglars trembling in fear now." Hinata rolled her eyes at the drama.
"You bet they will." Tenten retaliated acrimoniously.
"So what are you going to make today?" The blue haired girl maneuvered around the kitchen towards the open cookbook. That is, until Tenten stopped her with the whisk.
"Quiver at the power of the whisk! Anyways, it's a surprise!" Hinata wanted to blatantly scoff at the idea.
"Last time you said that, Ten-nee-san, you almost burned down the building." Hinata crossed her arms defiantly, making her look like her cousin.
"It'll be different this time, I promise!" The copper-eyed kunoichi countered charismatically.
"Fine." Hinata sat herself on a barstool by the counter and began to flip through a weapons magazine.
"Aw thanks, Hina-chan!" Tenten briefly threw her arms around a jubilated Hinata and skedaddled back to the stove to start on her surprise.
Tenten poured out the ingredients from the bag. The ones she didn't need, she put in the cabinets. Staring attentively at the remaining ingredients, she nodded her head absentmindedly and proceeded to start cooking.
Every five minutes, Hinata would glance up from the magazine and analyze the state of the kitchen. Once she was assured that the kitchen wouldn't burst into flames, she resumed her pleasant reading.
About two hours later, Tenten finished her surprise. Flour was tossed on her face; sweat was present on her brow. She worked hard. Tenten creeped stealthily up behind Hinata.
"Hey, Hina-chan!" She cupped her hands and bellowed. Hinata was terrorized once again and almost flew out of her seat.
"You have got to stop doing that." She scolded.
"No way. It's too much fun." Tenten grinned wickedly and dodged a well aimed punch from Hinata.
"So what did you make?" The young heiress asked honestly, staring with scrutiny at the creation.
"What does it look like I made?" Tenten challenged, raising her eyebrow and settling her hands on her hips.
"Um, I'd rather not answer that." Hinata twiddled her thumbs nervously, a habit she never quite got rid of.
"It's a pie, baka." Tenten flicked her forehead and gave the sheepish girl a deathly glare.
"It doesn't look like a pie." Hinata diverted her attention away from Tenten and the supposed pie.
"Well, Pie Expert-sama, what does it look like then?" Tenten folded her arms across her chest and leveled her gaze.
"Can I lie?" The byakugan wielder stared at her lap in apprehension.
"No." The elder girl hardened her glare even more, if that was possible.
"It looks like someone shoved a squirrel in a pan and blew it up." Hinata muttered hastily and raised her arms to protect her face.
"Now that you've said that, I can kind of see it." Tenten let her eyes rove over her pastry. "What the heck! I followed all the steps in the cookbook and everything!" She gestured to thick book propped up fancily beside the oven. "Why does this always have to happen to me?" Tenten drooped her head in a self-pitying manner.
Hinata glanced at the "pie" and decided she wasn't going to eat it. Next she looked at Tenten, who was pacing with fury, and wanted to sigh hopelessly. Lastly, she took a gander at the cookbook and slapped her forehead in frustration
"Ten-nee-san?" She wringed her hands in her lap fiercely.
"What?" Tenten yelled out. Hinata jumped back at the belligerence of her voice.
"The cookbook is upside down." She murmured quietly.
"Oh…"
Hinata was the perfect example of domestication. Tenten, on the other hand, was -well, at least she was getting closer and closer every week.
I can just see this happening, can't you? :)
Review!
Thanks :D
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Anyways, check out my Spanish teacher's music video if you wanna have a good laugh and learn some educational stuff!
TRABAJANDO SPANISH MUSIC VIDEO:
www . youtube . com/watch?v=cmoU18q-TUc
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Have a good rest of the day,
-Neji'sGirl185
