Hey guys! This is a rewrite. More streamlined in my opinion as compared to the previous one. I haven't had chances to write a lot lately and I do wish from the bottom of my heart I could post everything in one go. Sadly, the succeeding chapters are still in my brain.

Your reviews, even just a word, are always greatly appreciated xD Thanks a lot. (We're not under Naruto's curse so you can be sure I'm not trying to keep you away.)

Hiruzen sank on his huge swivel chair, double chin showing as he flipped over Sasuke's club proposition. "I can see your passion Sasuke boy, but… with this membership, I'm afraid budget allocation doesn't seem justified. No wonder the student council ignored it."

He can't let it end like this. Sasuke stared unflinchingly still at Hiruzen.

Hinata probably thought he had been joking about a two-man video game club, but he wasn't. He was dead serious.

Under the App Development Club or the ADC (a vague online game reference), he and Suigetsu were going to develop cool games, make more than Hinata does in all her part-time jobs combined, and basically just do cool, cool stuff altogether; if the Brooklyn Boys could do it while being in college, they can do the same at an earlier point of their lives.

But that vision was in grave peril.

All because the darned student council were ignoramuses made from the same cookie mold: a snooty bunch of Hinata Hyuuga stereotypes calling video games nonsense, who cringe at the great ambition of future self-made tycoons daring start-up within the gates of Konoha.

And now Hiruzen. Though, Sasuke was betting on Doraemon that the school head was different.

"If it takes five to be authorized," continued Sasuke. "How about we get two fifths? A partially-funded club."

It's not like he and Suigetsu haven't saved up, but they needed all the capital they can get. Call it a man's pride if you will, but Hinata Hyuuga's existence was daring him not to use his mother's money for the venture.

"We'll need the parents' approval. And of the board," said Hiruzen, laying the papers top down.

Balled fists on his thighs, Sasuke decided on his last shot: "Doctor, you said you wanted to provide doors. What about now?"

"I'm not discouraging you, son. You have something more, but I feel you're intentionally limiting yourself," said Hiruzen. "Why not go beyond what you've proposed so far? The Academy has established clubs with historical merits to utilize and hone your abilities."

"What more is there to achieve in a path already paved?" Sasuke pointed out.

"Continuity... Tradition..." Hiruzen went on.

"I think a troublesome nature exists in the younger generation, because we have to push things forward... That for me, is continuity."

Hiruzen smirked. "You never struck me as an optimist."

"Not really," said Sasuke. "I'm merely justifying my rebellious streak."

"Was it also rebellious streak when you owned cheating in favor of your friend? I might change my mind depending on your answer."

Sasuke's eyes went a little wide in shock, but managed to retain impassive. "That was because I did. No exceptions... If you decline my proposition under such grounds, then you've found me unworthy and I'll accept your judgement without reservation."

Hiruzen gave a yielding smile, partly amused. "You're hopelessly blunt and unforgiving towards yourself." He took a breath in as though concluding a particularly long, tiring discussion, and finally said, "All right…"

Mentally, Sasuke shot up a victory fist.

"But we'll do this differently," he said. "The computer club is fused with the investing club, and together, they take on bigger responsibilities, managing part of the school funds in the stock market. I'll have you and Mister Suigetsu Hozuki linked as a subunit so you'll share their budget and equipment."

Sasuke was suddenly disinterested. It carried implications of sharing a room with other people, though, Hiruzen assured him that's not necessarily the case and will push through the matter with the officers of the club. App Development club will then start operations in a few days' time.

"Thank you, Doctor. You are officially my number one hero," Sasuke declared, brisk and business-like as he firmly shook Hiruzen's hand. He was preparing to leave but something tied him to his seat. "… By the way… what's up with Hinata Hyuuga?" His voice turned low. Just outside Hiruzen's office, eight meters away, was the witch herself.

Lately though, Hinata Hyuuga showed signs of aberrant behavior. He did consider it had been her "time of the month", as people would say. Calm and consenting is who she is these days, which felt downgraded, because he sort of missed the witchy version.

"Why are you whispering?" Hiruzen spoke in hushed tones himself. "Are you shy being curious about her?

"I'm not." Sasuke shrugged and reclined on his seat noticing his shoulders had folded stiffly. "Why does she live like that?"

Hiruzen rummaged his drawer and took out a bottle. "Kindly give this to her," he said, and Sasuke grabbed the familiar tonic. "I'm just a family friend trying to look after their kids… Actually—" Hiruzen paused and his face took a sullen hue. "She doesn't like accepting help more than this. She's a stubborn child like that… But I think that's what keeps her going."

Sasuke yawed the bottle and observed the moving liquid. "This is her manna source upping her power to behemoth levels. I've seen her chug it like an alcoholic. Hyuuga frequents Coach Orochi's gym nowadays—he's the landlord. He's either Michael Jackson or a Kiss wannabe in the mornings, but at night, he's just plain Sadako. Says 'fifty squats, a hundred push ups!' every time he sees me. I swear he and Hyuuga are in it together, taking turns, subjecting me to daily abuse."

"I see you're having fun at Hina-chan's place."

"You said it. Lately, soon as we arrive home, she goes straight for the dumbbells. Makes me think Hyuuga is going for a WBC kind of vocation when she had been preparing for entrance exams last week…" Sasuke sulked. "That or she's crushing hard on Kabuto, Sadako's son."

"WBC would be good," said Hiruzen, vetting another pile of documents.

"Saw him checking her out the other day. So I did what any other decent man would do and upended him." Hiruzen looked over his spectacles and hummed, nodding his head. Sasuke realized the old man had successfully diverted the conversation. "So, what's up with her really? You know, don't you, Doctor?"

Hiruzen lowered his head, his mouth in a downturn. "Let Hina-chan tell you herself. I don't think she'd be happy to know if I talked to you about it."

"You can't count on that…" said Sasuke, and Hiruzen glanced up a questioning look. "She wants to stay a mystery so I'll mind my own business. I'm not that interested anyway."

Frankly, he didn't like being kept in the dark. True, he doesn't care, but he couldn't shake off the feeling that what happened, had something to do with how she dealt with him recently.

"Know that cool-looking dude with the silver hair and scar in his eye next door?" Sasuke asked one evening as she beat up Orochimaru's dying sandbag. He sat spent on the floor, arms throbbing from Sadako's mandatory push ups. "He smokes every time I see him and I'm getting withdrawals. Literally wanna thank you for every little thing just so I could go to a vending machine and do it."

A list of things made him want her to lose her cool; something about Orochimaru saying she had good form brought his attention to other places: her forehead strained to pleats, her jaws squared and tight as she lands every knuckle, the sides of her face impossibly red, the huge water mark in the shape of her torso on her gray shirt at the back.

"There's one at the train station." She panted, shuffling her feet. No classic eye roll, flared nostrils Hinata Hyuuga reaction. "Just don't show Hanabi," she said.

He was trying to get on her nerves and she… Was she intentionally kind or just winging it? Miss Prefect had ghosted Hinata Hyuuga. And the more he stared at her in disbelief, the sweat lining her face gave her a radiant glow.

His guts shimmied.

What in the world…

It was a mistake. The image of Hinata Hyuuga catching her breath wasn't worthy of contemplation.

Or the fact that watching her put her best foot in was cajoling him to do the same.

Though, it didn't escape him that Hinata might be trying to rid her life of him as they had originally planned, by giving out these boring responses.

"Naruto… Naruto-kun…" Hinata was at it again tapping her chopsticks against a bowl of ramen.

"It's useless," said Sasuke. He shook his tomato juice box. It was already empty.

"This is the last time I'll try. After this, it's truly useless."

"That fairy hibernates to shirk away from responsibilities," he said.

Hinata sighed, probably admitting he was right, and swirled the noodles with chopsticks, slurping it in one go. Her hair covered her face and Sasuke couldn't help brush aside the portion near her mouth.

"Thank you" she said. Sasuke doubted it counted.

"I've never seen anyone enjoy hair toppings on their beef ramen until you." Noodles bounced from her mouth. She ate relentlessly, mouthful after mouthful, chewing non-stop. "You're gonna get fat," he said. She looked up from the bowl with grease shine on her lips.

"I wish that's my greatest problem…"

"Tell me your greatest problem…" he said, eyes unremoved from her lips.

Grease… Grease is disgusting. It wasn't supposed to look good.

"Is it that you're already fat? You're as thin as a desert cow." Sasuke cracked a small smile. "WcBonald's would be sad… About thin cows in the desert. 'Coz burgers…" He stopped. The joke wasn't getting anywhere. Her lips pursed in a thin line, her eyes threatening to spill emotion.

Hinata Hyuuga actually looked sad.

"You shouldn't be with me Sasuke Uchiha," she said. Her hair slipped away from his fingers. She emptied the bowl, wiped her mouth in a lady-like manner, and left.

"Tell me about it," he spoke to the air, following behind at near sixteen meters, his current threshold. Twenty-two if he counted the times she thanked for slicing the vegetables—Himawari comes over to help him help her. But he wouldn't go that far.

Saturday night and Hinata was stirring a savory, sweet-smelling pot of curry, for a two days' worth of meals according to Hanabi. The same question remained unanswered. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to ask the younger Hyuuga.

What happened to you and your sis?

He pictured her freckled toothy smile disappearing. On the other hand, a proximate neighbor like Himawari might know something without being as affected. He passed her a note. Her tiny eyes squinted as she read and asked for his pen to write her response.

Hina-chan never talks to me about her family or where they came from. I think a sad story comes with it but she doesn't tell me anything.

-H.

Sasuke had expected as much: Hinata Hyuuga is the real deal of snobbery. Himawari gave a knowing smile and wrote another note.

You actually care a lot for Hina-chan, don't you?

Eyes popping out at the innocent old lady, Sasuke shook his head, whirled it round and round till his neck hurt, and head-banged away the thought. It must never be allowed to proliferate. Himawari and Hanabi doing homework gaped at him. Spontaneously with an air guitar, his fingers played adventurous riffs as a stupid excuse.

"Aoi! Aoi! Ano soraaa!" He sang seriously off-key. Though it stands to reason he gets better with warm up.

"Sasuke, the neighbors are resting," warned Hinata, and shortly went back to cooking, already used to his OOC silly acts, calling him by his given name on top of things.

Sasuke turned queasy at her familiarity. She shouldn't get used to him; he might end up doing the same. By this progression, will he end up looking at her truly in the eye and confessing he was once hurt? That's the path he must never take, no matter how untraveled. He decided it shouldn't matter anymore.

Soon as Hanabi turned back to her book, ignoring him (losing what respect she had left), he wrote:

You're the only one I care about, my first and last love.

Himawari laughed reading his reply, light but strong, her fluffy cheeks turning peach-like beneath the soft wrinkles. Sasuke smiled back. He was truly fond on this grandma. No one laughs in Hinata Hyuuga's house, though, he was used to houses being like that.

Why do you deny it so strongly? I didn't say anything like that. Perhaps you like Hina-chan?

The smile on his face faded.

What does liking someone mean? I'll take your opinion and not as the world says it is.

For me, liking someone is being a fourth grader, locked alone, forgotten in a crammed storage room, for twenty-four hours, without hope of rescue.

I'm never going back.

That would be hell.

-S.

Came Sunday afternoon and Hinata told him to get dressed, specifically in black clothes that covered much of his skin. She donned a huge hoodie jacket and denim pants that made her three sizes bigger to the train station. He wondered what kind of part-time it was this time around.

They changed trains twice. After three hours of travelling, they finally got off at Shiga. Probably just another train ride or bus and he'd reach Shisui, though, his mother wouldn't be happy to know he came to Kyoto.

Hinata went to a convenience store and bought potato chips, a pack of gums, and lollipop. She talked to the Chinese man over the counter with smiles and polite words, it gave Sasuke a weird feeling. Out the store, she took a deep bow a few steps away the door.

"Are you apologizing?" Sasuke said, looking at her remain that way for over a minute. "For buying his merch?"

She straightened up and took a deep breath. "For being a monster."

Sasuke snorted. "Is it snowing somewhere early summer? Are you apologizing to me next?"

She pulled him to a nearby ladies' comfort room and gave him the chips and chewing gums out of her cellophane, slim fingers poking out her sleeve as she peeled the lollipop to put inside her mouth.

"Why are you giving me this?"

She ignored his question, stoically smacking her lips as she sucked the candy. After neatly folding the cellophane, she placed it inside her backpack. She then took out a robber mask and put it on him. Overwhelmed with burning questions, he watched stock-still as she braided her hair, fingers dancing fast till she reached the tip, and tied it tightly with an elastic band.

"Just… enjoy the show," she said, taking out a red-colored mask with a skull pattern in front, and pulling it over her face. She zipped her backpack and slung it easily over her shoulder. "Remember, stay behind me at all times. And don't say a word."

"So I'll look less questionable? Everything about this looked questionable to begin with."

"So they'll not bother with you." Hinata crushed the lollipop with her teeth and threw away the stick. She pulled his mask down, fitting it snuggly on his head, and zipped his coat up his neck. He tried to read her eyes, what she's actually feeling.

"Are we robbing a bank?" he asked.

"Banks are closed."

"You don't have guns in there, do you? We're not robbing convenience stores and unsuspecting immigrants like in Hollywood films…" She started her way out. He caught her wrist, tugging a bit too roughly she flung facing him. "Tell me honestly, Hyuuga. What is happening?"

"Don't call me that!" she said, using a deeper voice that set his dinner travelling back his esophagus. "You stay behind me at all times. And Never. Say. A word. Got it?" Her eyes cut to him sharply, twin pearls turning to fractals of diamonds behind the ugly skull print. "Call me Marvel… Marvel DC."