Hanabi downed another glass of fruit punch, like it was a glass of tequila.
"Wow. Just… wow."
"Yeah, I know. Pretty awesome, huh?" Hanabi smiled weakly, convincing herself that it was probably the right thing to do.
"No. It's pretty frickin' stupid. I mean, did you have to go that far just to prove a dumb point?" Zelda scowled, crossing her arms.
Hanabi stopped to think. "But that's the thing. I'm not doing it for me."
"You're doing it for the satisfaction of knowing you were the whole cause of it. Not cool, Hanabi." She looked offended, her eyes wavering. "And you kept it a secret for kinda long, too."
Hanabi shot her a look. "I was debating if I should ever tell you, Zelda. You can't be pissed just because I didn't let you in it sooner."
"Listen to yourself! I don't care about what this is doing to me, I'm pretty darn worried about you. You're punishing yourself, Hanabi. No one asked you to do this." She was fuming now. "Stop playing the hero to the problem you've caused."
Hanabi's eyes thinned to dangerous slits. "There's no problem."
"There will be, trust me. And when all hell breaks loose, don't say I didn't warn you." Zelda wiped stinging tears that flooded her eyes, her voice low and daring.
They both breathed in slowly and exhaled loudly.
"Why is this upsetting you?" Hanabi's eyes softened.
"I don't know. Just the thought of it going horribly wrong and my best friend will be responsible for it all." Zelda said, dabbing her eyes with her sleeve.
"But I know what I'm doing."
"That's what I'm afraid of. They are two perfectly capable people. You're just a 12-year-old- but unlike me or Taki, you have ambitious dreams."
Hanabi stepped back, desperately holding herself together. "No, they're not! They're both emotionally damaged. They're both hopeless. They can barely keep it together, but they're trying so hard. And all I'm giving them is that extra push. There's. No. Problem."
She turned and went to find her sister, her lips pursed and eyes stinging. Hinata was nowhere to be seen. She barged past people to find her near the main entrance, but still no sight of her. She checked her watch hastily.
1:17
She should still be here. Why would she just leave when there was still plenty of time left? Then it dawned on her. Maybe Sasuke had come after all and took her out like he promised? A wave of relief washed over her, and she turned back just to stop herself in time. Zelda was still there, most likely bawling her eyes out, and she didn't want to go back to her. What she said rang in her ears and ruthlessly tore her apart.
She needed support, not additional torture. Spotting two guys chilling near seated women gave her a sense of refuge. Taki and Konohamaru leaned back with their elbows perched on the side, drinking cola like they were gargling beer.
"Hey guys. Budge up." She put on her best-not fake- smile and sat next to Konohamaru.
"Hey, Hyuuga." Taki spared her a glance, his ginger hair combed to the side with slick jell and a cute dungaree strapped over his shoulders.
"Hi, Hanabi-san." Konohamaru blushed lightly, staring at his drink as if he was flirting with it.
Hanabi leaned back behind him and signalled 'IS HE OKAY?' to an amused Taki who mouthed 'WHAT DO YOU THINK, NERD?'
Unbeknownst to Konohamaru, the teammates snickered and shared a smile. He looked at them both, an innocent shine in his eyes.
"What did I miss?"
"Nothing." They both replied, shaking their heads. He narrowed his eyes but drank his soda nonetheless. Suddenly, Zelda appeared and snatched Taki's wrist, glaring at Hinata as she did so. Taki saw this and looked at their teammate questioningly, in which Hanabi gently shook her head as if to say 'Don't ask'. He got dragged away, like he usually does, and it was just the youngest Hyuuga and her awkward buddie staring into space for a few seconds.
"What was so funny before?" He asked. She shrugged.
"Nothing important. Taki just being an idiot." Hanabi leaned back and closed her eyes, wondering if Zelda was going to tell him. Zelda was closer to him than she was with her.
"Taki's always an idiot. This it was first time I heard you laugh like- an actual girly laugh."
Hanabi blinked, her mouth running at a million miles per hour. "What? Don't bull, I always laugh. My sense of humour is top notch." She hmphed, as if she was upset by him. He laughed and sat on the table next to her, and she could sense his eyes examining her.
"I wonder what it will take for me to get you to laugh?" She scowled, hiding her pinkening cheeks. "By the way-"
"If you tell me I look good it's only cuz my sis forced me to wear this." She announced, letting arms fall numb beside her. He didn't say anything, just played with his fingers. She noticed he could be perfectly normal one minute, then get all nervous like he was going to have a panic attack.
"I was gonna say your cheeks match your dress." He said, then he HIMSELF blushed, fidgeting under her heavy gaze. There was no way she was blushing. She wouldn't allow it, even though she could feel blood rushing to her cheeks.
"Camouflage would be cool." Hanabi exhaled, wincing as she suddenly thought about what Zelda said. Stop playing hero to the problem you've caused.
That made her growl on instinct, Konohamaru carefully watching her from a distance. "Uh… you okay? You seem distant."
"Huh? What? Say that again?"
"I said you don't seem in this world right now. Like, you tune out every now and then."
Hanabi looked at him and then found that he was staring at her intensely. She squinted away, feeling her face warm up. Her heart did this weird jittery thing and it seriously freaked her out.
"Ha-na-bi. Wake up."
He was suddenly right in front of her, and when she turned her head the tip of her nose lightly grazed his. She panicked, her eyes blinking but her head refused to move, like she was stuck there, mesmerised by his bright blue eyes. She didn't even know he had blue eyes.
He's gonna kiss me.
He's gonna kiss me?
Uh-oh HE'S GONNA KISS ME!
He moved forward ever so slowly, gently closing his eyes and tilted his head, like a frickin' professional, and she could feel his breath on her lips. Her throat was so dry, she couldn't even swallow the nervous saliva in her mouth. Her lips were so chapped and bruised, because she kept on- and still was biting them. And then when their lips finally met, she was just sitting there with her eyes open.
Close your eyes, you freak! Hanabi mentally screamed.
She felt uncomfortable and inexperienced to say the least. His lips were soft and his jaw was on the edge of defined and his hair was so brown. And how did she know all this? Because her damn eyes were still open.
Concentrate on the kiss…. She felt herself relax into it a little, her eyes closing. Her heart refused to cooperate and she could feel it rattle against her ribcage.
That's it. Now lean in. She did as she told herself and finally found the courage to lean her weight into him, his warm hands finding her cheek.
A sharp *DING* made them fly apart. Konohamaru's cheeks were a brilliant pink, and although she couldn't tell what she looked like, she knew her whole body was burning due to her embarrassing attempt at her first kiss. She felt she needed oxygen.
He snatched his phone from his suit pocket, a shadow falling over his lively face.
"Ugh. I have to go…" He said, slightly deadpanned, and it made her stomach tighten that he was so disappointed. He wanted to carry on. He wanted to kiss her.
There was too much emotion in one day. She wanted her sister. She wanted to tell her everything.
"O-Okay…" She heard herself whisper. An awkward minute passed. He scratched the back of his head, his eyes shyly avoiding hers.
"Uh… that was… kinda unexpected-"
"You're an amazing kisser. Hopefully it will be expected next time." She smiled at him, swinging her legs over and jumping down. He sneered down at her, ruffling his once combed hair.
"Please tell me I look better like this." He smirked under his long spiky hair, some falling over his eyes. Hanabi threw a grin over her shoulder and waved.
"Lose the tie and I'll think about it."
She waited until she was far away from him. She waited until she was outside, on her way home. She waited until she was in an empty park, and screamed.
"Hn."
Sasuke's eyes were glued to the off-yellow paved streets near the Hokage's office. He thought he was supposed to be guiding the tour, but Mr-All-Talk decided to show himself around. Looked like he knew the streets pretty well; he recognised most of the not-so-famous backstreets, greeted his comrades who passed and even conversed with the Ichiraku owner like they were old friends. So much about being new.
"So yeah, I might've been pulling a white lie (I've lived here for two weeks) but I think it's good that I get to know you a little more." Aki said after they'd finished the tour. Sasuke simply grunted in reply. He seriously couldn't be asked anymore and he couldn't be seen with this man. If he'd wanted an annoying blonde rambling on pathetically about being 'friends' he could've just asked Naruto to be his guest.
"Hopefully Sarah and Hinata-chan are getting along too." He commentated, sighing with a content look. "Fancy an Uchiha and a Hyuuga. Tell me how you manage to snag such a beauty."
Sasuke didn't laugh at what he hoped was a joke, but instead looked at the man with an eyebrow raised and a concerned look. "Don't tell me you want to get rid of good ol' Sarah so quickly."
The man took no offense, and laughed with his eyes. "That girl can be a pain but she's the only one I'll ever call mine- only girl worthy of that title maybe. I'm just curious as to how it came to be. You can't be blind to see that the Hyuuga family are basically off-limits."
Sasuke felt like it was his time to boast. His favourite time of the day. "I'll take that as a congratulation then, seeing as I'm probably the first to wed a Hyuuga that's not a Hyuuga themselves. But as they say- a powerful clan belongs to a powerful clan."
"And what better clan than the Uchiha. Still doesn't answer my question though." Aki smiled as they walked their way back through the calmer streets where the shops closed for the evening.
"Well, if Hinata wants to tell you then so be it. I'm not exactly a story-teller." He shrugged. He wasn't much of a speaker to begin with.
"Alrighty." He threw an arm over Sasuke's head. "I'm bloody starving! Let's go!"
The sane Uchiha stepped forward before the man could touch him, glaring at him in disgust. Seriously, how on earth did he become a shinobi, let alone an ANBU Black Op. They walked side by side, one daring the other to touch him, one with a friendly smile and laid-back shoulders as they strolled into the first's home.
Sasuke opened the door with the keys, suddenly taken aback by the overpowering smell. Not that it wasn't pleasant, but it sure reeked his house. And he had one individual to blame.
Hinata popped her head through the arched hallway from the kitchen, beaming at her 'husband' and his 'friend' with a welcoming smile. Sarah followed her and placed the oven gloves onto the higher shelf and gently allowed Sasuke through before embracing Aki. They kissed- much to Sasuke's utter disgust- and stood in the foyer with their eyes brimming with happiness. Hinata, who watched with silent amazement -and an obvious pang of jealousy- furrowed her eyebrows and tiptoed back into the kitchen. Sasuke tailed her, dropping the keys onto the counter and closed his eyes. "I want to die."
Hinata rolled her head towards him and stuck her bottom lip out. "Aw. Try some of my food first. Then do whatever you want." She stirred the small pan that bore a delicious looking guacamole, biting her inner cheek- pouting like a troubled child.
Oh, for the love of God, Sasuke groaned loudly, his shoulders dropping and his head rolling back-completely giving up. "Please don't tell me you want what I'm desperately trying not to think of right now."
"Well!" She spluttered, exasperated. "At least let's act like we can stand each other!"
"What the hell do you want me to do? Spin you around and shamelessly slobber all over your damn face?" He susurrated [1]. Hinata blushed 50 shades of tempestuous red, all of her blood gathered at her face. Her lip trembled with lack of words escaping her dry mouth, her gaze slowly shifting from him to the long-forgotten food.
Sasuke himself bit his tongue back, his cheeks pinkening at his mistake.
"O-Obviously n-not… t-that's n-not w-what I'd meant." She stuttered quietly, biting her lip as she mumbled. Aki and Sarah were approaching as their laughs grew louder and Sasuke sighed and pulled Hinata into a hug from behind.
"Thanks for the food, darling." He brushed a kiss on the side of her stiffened face. "It smells amazing. You look exhausted, here, let me take that for you." He spun her around with a firm grasp on her shoulders and leaned her against him as he took the black apron gently over her head, careful not to pull any hairs. Hinata's eyes didn't leave the food, even as she felt him manoeuvre her into the lounge, seating her right next to him on the sofa.
"Thanks, Sasuke." She barely whispered, but she knew he heard her because he leaned down and said "What was that? Oh yeah, right, your welcome."
Sometimes, just sometimes, she thought, he could be a right jerk. But she didn't let that get to him, especially as their guests sat on the other couch quietly yet comfortably. Sarah had her feet tucked in and her arms firmly around Aki's well-boned waist, his arm draped around her slim figure.
Certainly, the teens were sitting up straight with no contact, looking like they were next in line for an execution rather than sitting down with guests on a Friday night. The nurse and the Black Op made a great ideal couple, leaving the heiress feeling uneasy and- yes, a little jealous. No one ever looked at her like that. Sasuke wasn't even trying to pretend. He just downright failed to execute something that he came up with.
She forced herself to look at him and said in a sweet voice "Sasuke-ku- Sasuke, could you please switch on the T.V while I bring some snacks?" He nodded once and swiftly switched it on, glancing between the flat-screen and the lovey couple, seeing which one they'd preferred.
"Ooh! I love this channel; it's got all the comedy films and series!" He heard Sarah squeal and he paused, resting his back on the chair with one arm perched up to hold his bored face. Hinata was plating up the food, humming quietly to herself with the Uchiha's symbol bold on the front of his cooking apron. Sasuke thought about how maybe things on Thursday might've played out since they were in exactly the same positions. Maybe she would've served him that flavorous galore that she had made (he had tried some of her stir- fry in the morning and possibly had a food-gasm). Maybe they would've got along swimmingly and watched a movie together; Sasuke making all the necessary sarcastic comments, Hinata scolding him playfully. Maybe she could've healed him and been his nurse and ninja on hand, and checked up on him from time to time and-
"Sasuke!" Hinata said, a little annoyed but patient nonetheless. He looked up with a frown, wondering what possibly could she want. She placed the plate of hot steaming fish with a beautifully made guacamole and homemade corn bread on the side. It looked like his waiter had arrived, not his 'wife'. The food was absolutely marvellous- soft, crunchy, smoky- it was all there. He noticed she didn't make herself anything, just a glass of water and an apple in hand. Sarah and Aki sat up and admired the restaurant-quality cuisine before them, digging in immediately.
Hinata stifled a laugh with her hand, pouring apple juice in the cups provided. She would've served wine, but Sasuke was instructed not to have any on his new diet so getting rid of any beverages was Sasuke's resolve. On the flip side, the shy kunoichi didn't drink at all- not that she was meant to and wasn't interested in starting anyway.
"Where's your food?" He asked after slowly consuming the first bite, raising an eyebrow as to why she refused to eat.
"Dieting." She bit quietly into her apple, her mouth barely moving as she chewed. Sasuke followed her nervous gaze across the room to the other two who ate their meal with much compassion and curiosity.
"Dieting? What for?" He scoffed, letting his eyes wonder her beautiful figure and back up to her unamused eyes. "You're hungry. Eat."
Hinata's eyes flickered between his and her jaw twitched with annoyance. "I am eating, darling."
Sasuke put his food down and swallowed what was left in his mouth, downing the juice in one before placing it harshly down onto the table. Sarah flinched, yelping in surprise. Hinata's eyes widened at his behaviour and shrunk back, watching him in abhorrence. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and stood abruptly, walking calmly out of the room.
Hinata smiled apologetically at the surprised guests before exhaling, trailing him just as quickly. "Sasuke." He halted near the entrance of his room, looking back at her.
"What?"
She threw her hands up but reminded herself to breathe, letting her hands fall. "I don't know? What was that all about?"
He leaned his head to see past her head then grabbed her wrist and jerked her in his room. She followed reluctantly, her mind lapsing crazily. "H-hey! W-wait!" Sasuke shut the door and sat the edge his bed, his head nestled in his arms.
"I don't know, something just happened. Head rush or something." He spoke after an agitatingly long time. Hinata's eyes softened.
"What h-happened? Does your head hurt? Is your wound affecting you anyhow?" She spoke gently, her pulse still racing. She was in Uchiha Sasuke's room after all, and her instincts told her to keep her back close to the door. Said man rolled his head back with his hands still on his neck, his lips slightly parting as his eyes opened. Hinata gulped.
"Yeah. Why won't you eat?" He spared her a look.
"I…. I don't like eating in front of people. I-I've never done it before because it discomforts me." She admitted with a giggle. "The first time I did was when we were younger. I-I fainted because it was so nerve-wracking."
This made Sasuke laugh, but he held it in, smiling to himself at her cute stupidity. "I remember that day. The dobe wasn't even around and you still managed to knock yourself unconscious. With that sandwich on your face you looked like a paralysed chipmunk."
They both laughed, Hinata smiling widely from her eyes, her shoulders shaking occasionally from a few giggles. "N-no way. I was hoping you wouldn't say that." She joked, watching his lips curl into a smirk.
"Well, now you know why I hate chipmunks." He gave a convincing look.
She fake-gasped. "Is it because they're too cute?" Hinata couldn't help but blush, leaning forward.
"No, because they're annoying. And they're not shy. And they shamelessly eat in front of people."
She took a minute to examine his face, to see any trace of emotion, any meaning behind his words. He was smiling at the ceiling, his eyes closed but his arms tense, his shoulders hunched. She also looked up at the ceiling, trying to figure out what was so special about it. She noticed he had looked up frequently, whether it was to clear his thoughts or to recollect them, it truly was a mystery to her. But surprisingly, it was calming.
"Come on Sasuke. Your food is getting cold. Not to mention I spent hours making it." She whined teasingly, opening his bedroom door and slipping behind it. He collapsed on the bed after he thought she disappeared when she caught the faintest words echo silently. "She's so God damn-"