Kind reminders:
English is not my native language so forgive any spelling/grammar mistakes.
AND
Please don't forget to tell me what you think! Falem comigo!
Neji was walking down the corridors of the Hyuuga castle thinking it was about time for Hanabi to be back and already following him around. Not that he was eagerly waiting for it. He loved some free time by himself and without her loudness for a change.
As he passed by the main kitchen, his ears caught some maids giggling and whispering some fresh gossip: "...and he kissed Hinata-sama!". Some girly gasps followed the statement.
Neji immediately stopped in his tracks. In a split second his mind was racing and then it clicked.
"The stable boy just told me!"
"Oh my! So he is courting her!
"This is so exciting!"
"Isn't it too soon? She just turned eighteen..."
"Maybe it was arranged after he saved her."
"I wonder if..."
The maids kept talking, but Neji was long gone. As soon as he heard about the kiss he went storming out across the castle in search of a very unlucky Sasuke.
He searched in Sasuke's guest room, the dojo, some parlors, the inside garden, but with no success. He was getting pissed by the second.
"Neji-nii-san! I was looking for you! We just got back... from...", Hanabi's voice trailed off.
He didn't bother to even glance at her, he just kept striding with a deadly look. Hanabi gulped. She knew too well to stay away from him at this state. Her news would have to wait until dinner.
* * *
Sasuke was so lost in thought that he literally ended up getting lost in the castle. He had been walking around while looking at the ground without realizing where he was going.
He stopped and sighed, giving up trying to recognize that hallway for the second time. Or was it a different one?
Suddenly, Neji appeared turning around the corner at the end of the corridor with a focused expression. As soon as their eyes met he halted. In a split second he began walking towards Sasuke. His strides getting bigger and more aggressive as he got closer.
"Guess someone stepped in his foot... or he is really unhappy to see me.", Sasuke stood there waiting for his fate with Neji's deathly expression getting more and more evident as he got closer. "Maybe I'm in a restricted area... Ok, that's definitely not it", Sasuke thought quickly raising his hands in defense when Neji was already in his face: "Listen-". He wasn't able to finish it.
Neji grabbed Sasuke by the collar and shoved his back on the wall, staring closely into his eyes. His voice was dangerously low: "Let me break this down instead of your face. I don't care who you are, you will not touch her again. In any way." He smashed Sasuke against the wall once again still holding a tight grip on his collar: "Are we clear?".
Sasuke looked unbothered. He closed his eyes and inhaled as he was going to say something, but Neji started between his teeth: "The only reason I won't kill you right here, right now, is because you saved her, plus Hiashi wouldn't like the trouble. Consider my debt paid. This is your warning.". He let go of Sasuke's kimono abruptly and left fuming.
Well, if Sasuke wasn't already feeling like shit...
* * *
"What's up with the face?", Itachi said as he entered Sasuke's room to see his brother lying on the bed, with both hands under his head and staring at the ceiling as if seeing nothing.
Sasuke's tone was emotionless: "Which face?"
"Your face. It's horrible.", Itachi pushed Sasuke's feet out of the low wooden bed so he could sit on the edge.
Sasuke sighed and lifted up to a sitting position. He knew Itachi would give him some of his "shitty and annoying" pep talk at the smallest sign of "weakness", so he wouldn't budge: "Well, it's the one I got."
"No, little brother." he said, pinching one of Sasuke's cheek: "You look troubled. Talk to me."
Sasuke averted his face in annoyance and pushed Itachi's hand away: "I'm fine, stop it."
"Hn. Then keep being fine without knowing about the last military updates for our new training plan..."
Sasuke rolled his eyes: "Tsc...". Itachi really knew how to get him. He sighed, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees and gave Itachi the side-eye muttering: "I kissed her."
"Hm... And by 'her' you mean... Hinata?", he already knew the answer but the fact caught him off guard so he preferred to check. Sasuke simply nodded.
"Oooh, you did?", Itachi said chuckling with excitement: "Interesting... So what?"
"So, I didn't know what I was doing!", Sasuke began messing his own hair with the growing exasperation.
"Ah, don't worry about it!", Itachi said while patting Sasuke's back trying to comfort him: "She must be inexperienced as well."
"That's not what I meant! Urgh, forget it!", he abruptly crossed his arms and averted his gaze away from Itachi when he noticed he wasn't joking about thinking that that was the problem.
"What do you mean then?", Itachi was honestly concerned.
It took a while for the answer. Sasuke remained looking at the opposite direction and said slowly: "I don't know why I did it... It was sort of an accident... I...". His voice trailed off. He was really confused with a lot of questions going on his mind. He felt guilty and ashamed ofnhis own actions and didn't know what to do to stop feeling that way.
Itachi blinked and stated what was obvious to him: "You are making no sense whatsoever. You wanted to do it, evidently. Otherwise you just wouldn't have done it."
Ok, that was a start. Sasuke had to give him that. Yes, he did it because he wanted to. Ok, now what?
Itachi continued since Sasuke remained silent: "And did you like it?"
Sasuke tensed and took a moment before answering: "She must think that I... attacked her...", he said slowly, almost afraid of his own words.
Itachi frowned and his expression darkened slightly. Now he didn't like where this was going and started with an accusing tone: "What did you...?", he stopped himself and took a deep breath, looking up and back at Sasuke. He didn't want to expect the worst from his brother so he continued with a calmer, but still serious tone: "Do you mind telling me exactly what have you done?"
Sasuke's face was blank, staring into space but Itachi could only see a scared little boy with sad puppy eyes. His expression softened with the sight.
Sasuke managed to mumble it: "She tripped, we fell and I kissed her."
Itachi waited for any additional remarks from his younger brother that never came, but this was enough for him to relax and understand the situation. "Well, thanks for sparing me no details.", he tried to lighten up the mood with sarcasm but it clearly didn't work. He sighed. "Did she say something?"
"No. But her cousin did."
"I see...", the older Uchiha crossed his arms to think. "Ok, first things first. Talk to her. I'm sure you are making it all worst in your head."
Sasuke was pensive again so Itachi continued: "Then, regardless of what she has to say, you should apologize".
Sasuke looked at him with a confused look: "How do you know if I haven't done it already?"
Itachi shrugged: "Lucky guess.", adding in his mind: "...and you usually get speechless when you get all caught up and worried.".
Seeing that Sasuke's expression got lighter, even though deep in thought, Itachi took the opportunity to encourage him a little more and maybe speed things up: "You should tell Hiashi."
"What?! Tell him what? That I forcefully kissed his daughter?"
"Not that, genius. Tell him you are interested in courting her. Let him know you are serious about it and not just messing around with his innocent daughter."
"But I don't know if I'm serious about it..."
"Ok, now you're just being an idiot.", Itachi stated, earning an eye roll from Sasuke. He chuckled: "Either way, don't stress about it, little brother.". Easier said than done. Sasuke was pensive again
When the younger man didn't reacted at all, he asked while standing up from the bed: "So... Let's have dinner?"
Sasuke shook his head. He wasn't hungry at all. Then he looked up to Itachi: "Aren't you telling me about the new training program?"
Itachi smiled and poked Sasuke's forehead: "Sorry, I'll tell you another time."
Sasuke frowned letting out a low grunt.
Itachi turned to open the door: "See you tomorrow.", he said and left the room leaving behind a Sasuke really deep in thought.
Once the door was closed, he dismissively fell back into bed. Why were those things happening when he was around her? He didn't want to feel this weird... feelings.
Hi everyone! Thanks for reading!
Were you expecting a harsher reaction from Neji? Isn't Itachi the best person ever? How do you think Hinata is feeling about the kiss? Sasuke is pretty miserable, poor baby... Do you feel like any character is a bit ooc?
Please, let me know your thoughts about the story so far! Byee!