25

Only Hanabi greeted her at the entrance to the Hyuga Estate when Hinata pulled up in Sakura's black Corvette. In the driveway, Sakura gave her a disparaging smile and squeezed her hand, saying that she would drive away with Hinata still in the car, if that's what she wanted.

But reality was at her fingertips, a few steps away, really, and Hinata missed her sister. Besides, she couldn't hide away at Sakura's forever. She couldn't pretend she didn't miss her own things either; her easels that sat in her bedroom's sunroom, the piles of books besides her bed, the photos of happier times that rested atop her fireplace, all of which brought her joy and warmth she hadn't been able to access during her stay at her friend's.

"Thank you f-for everything, Sakura," she whispered, giving the girl a hug before she took a deep breath––an ujjayi breath she had learned to do from all the yoga she and Sakura did together––and stepped out of the car.

And she went right into Hanabi's arms, who's face, though Hyuga in that she rarely displayed her emotions, had shown with a relief so severe that Hinata pressed her sister's face into her collarbone and ran her fingers through her long locks of brown hair.

They entered their home together and Hanabi told Hinata of all the things she had missed––which wasn't much. The normal things that socialites and businessmen did around here, grueling dinners and socials, galas and fundraisers, talk and talk and talk and pictures and pictures and money and jewelry and ritz. Although Sakura was in a similar social-standing, without Tsunade around to make her attend such events, she could pretty much do whatever without worry. Shizune pointed out the important ones, and Sakura chose what to do from there.

Hinata wished she had her life.

"Are you ready for your dinner?" Hanabi asked as Hinata stood at the bottom of one of their spiral staircases. She stared at the marble at her feet.

"Not really," Hinata muttered.

"I heard there's going to be some big announcement," Hanabi prodded. She was uncomfortable. She wasn't used to this strange, detached version of her sister that had stepped into their home after being gone for so long. But their father was the one who had sent her away, without first asking what the problem was.

The house felt too big and too cold. Hinata began to walk up to her room, thinking about what she would wear. "There always is."

-:-

Shikamaru woke to his phone buzzing, and he ignored it. That was usual for him. Unusual: he rolled over and wrapped his arm around the torso of a girl, and the girl moved closer.

Breathing in the scent of her skin, he tried to remember the night before they'd landed in his bedroom together. Alcohol and molly. Pink lights. Public parks, and some sort of frolicking. Cigarettes by the river that cut through Union Park. Sunrise peaking between buildings. Pink sky. A cheap diner with fantastic grilled cheese. Sex that make him see stars, and then round two: fireworks.

Her shoulders were dotted with freckles, he had never noticed them before. He drew lines connecting them with his fingertips, imagining them constellations for him to get lost in. He began to name them, whispering the names in her ear: Cygnus, Delphinus, Auriga, Centaurus

"No," Ino said groggily as he traced what he had called Auriga with the soft of his finger. "Auriga is on my lower back, left side."

He followed the path from her right shoulder to the left side of her back with his hands. As he turned her, he noticed more stars all in patterns along her body. "You're right," he said, his eyes drifting over the pentagonal shape her freckles made. "I'm guessing some other boy has told you this before."

Ino snorted under him, still bleary and dazed from a night of partying. "Who said it was a boy?"

"Oh really?" Shikamaru whispered, as he bent to kiss the small of her back. She shivered minutely at the touch. "And might you and this person still be in contact?"

Ino laughed and turned to swat him away. She raised her eyebrows as he settled back into place beside her, "Why?" She asked. "Want me to invite her over next time?"

Shikamaru looked like he was about to say "Could you?" when someone began knocking on his bedroom door. He groaned.

"Hana-san, again?" Ino whispered, a mischievous smile flashing across her face as she remembered the Nara boy's maid.

"I asked her to stop bothering me in the mornings," the heir grumbled as he clumsily climbed out of his bed, not realizing it was deep into the afternoon already. He pulled on a pair of shorts and nothing else and took a few painful steps towards his bedroom door. He was oddly sore.

"Good morning, Hana," he said drearily as he opened the door. He rubbed his eyes as light from the hallway spilled into his room. "Troublesome," he muttered as Hana's figure became taller and not quite Hana-like at all. When he had finally finished rubbing the sleep and residual drug-dust out from the corners of his eyes, his expression, briefly, turned to horror.

It was his father. Fuck.

-:-

Sasuke considered his words as he dropped flecks of food into the fish tanks that were housed in the front of UG2. The gallery had not opened yet, and his mother didn't know that he was there. There were things to be done.

Still, his thoughts were elsewhere. In the background, Kiba was showing a large man with a cheek scar where the cameras were, so that they could be compromised, if needed, by Danzo's tech guy. Something about wiring and routing. In the background, someone was drilling a hole into a wall. A secret place for later.

Kiba walked up and handed Sasuke a key, and he put it in his pocket. "You sure your mom won't notice anything different?"

The Uchiha snorted. "No," he said. "She doesn't come here. It's her least favorite gallery." Not that that meant anything to Kiba.

Sasuke remembered the big show his mother had put on for Hinata only a day before. She had not lied when she said UG2 wasn't her favorite. Besides, galleries were a venture of the past now. They were nothing but hobbies to Mikoto, especially when a couple days before she had just signed a huge deal. She was to be Chairwoman and Co-Founded of the brand new Konoha Contemporary Sculptural Museum. Right now, she was halfway across the world interviewing up-and-coming architects for what would be the new building. She liked to hire new talent.

This reminded him of Hinata, too. Not that Hinata had left his thoughts in the past couple of days. It was a different type of thought pattern, this one. Like an incessant pull, or a buzzing in his ear that he could only forget when more pressings things got his attention. He dropped more food into the fishtank and tried to focus on Kiba. "Trust me. These galleries practically run themselves. Plus I'm cool with the curator."

More like the curator was cool with him. She was a flirty college student his mother picked from a collection of rich and edgy art majors. Again, Mikoto loved undiscovered talent. She called it charity.

Didn't apply to Hinata though, Sasuke found himself thinking, then found himself absolutely disgusted by where his thoughts were going. He remembered how her face lit up when Mikoto asked her to intern for her, how her cheeks warmed at the idea. Sasuke felt something strange bubble in his core.

So he did what any cocky teen boy would do, he Facetimed her.

She didn't answer until the fifth ring, looking like she had never used a phone before. Her face was pink when she popped up on the camera, and she looked slightly out of breath, like she'd just been running. "H-hello?"

"Hello Hinata," Sasuke said simply, staring into the camera with a self-satisfied smile. Kiba was yelling in the background, and he ignored it. "Look where I am," he flipped the camera to show her the gallery. All the men were in the basement, moving onto the next phase of unofficial renovations. Lucky that his mother was in Hong Kong or whatever.

Hinata smiled at him through the phone. "W-what are you doing?"

"I'm helping my mother get ready for the opening show next week," he lied easily, and almost felt bad about it. Through Hinata's camera, he watched her walk around a room with giant windows and white walls. Yellow curtains fluttered around her as she moved. "You gonna be there or flake out on us?"

Hinata's face burned red. "W-why would I flake?" She demanded in a way that wasn't much of a demand, more like a mild complaint. "I-I...I'm so excited!"

"Just checking," he said. He wanted to kiss her. Fuck. This was bad for him. "I'm...excited too."

Hinata perked up at that, "You're g-going to be there? I...didn't t-think you cared about that stuff."

"Yeah," the Uchiha said casually. "Mother is out of town, so I told her I'd help. Plus," he smiled at her through the phone, "It'll be your first night. Trust me, you'll be fucking bored after a while and I thought I'd bring the guys and entertain you."

He had never felt so bad for lying before. He could have simply not called her, and let her find him there the night of.

She scoffed. Sasuke watched her enter another room as the light changed. A closet, perhaps. "I-I don't think I could be b-bored. You don't have to b-bring the guys, t-that sounds stressful actually..."

Well, that wasn't up to her, unfortunately. Or him, for that matter. "Don't worry, it'll be fun with all us there," he insisted. "More fun than a hospital waiting room." He winced at the memory. Them all sitting in warm chairs, their heads in their hands.

Hinata winced too. The Uchiha regretted his choice in words, so he tried to change the subject. His mind thought of the curve of her waist, and the way he had felt her curves under the wrap shirt Sakura had dressed her in the night of their date. Outloud, he asked her, "What are you doing right now, Hyuga?"

She went pink on the phone. He could tell she liked the way he used her last name. She flipped the camera around to reveal what was, indeed, a closet. A pretty sizable one, albeit one that looked too orderly to be used regularly. Sasuke was reminded that Hinata had just arrived back home per her father's instruction.

"I'm trying to figure out what to wear to m-my 'welcome home' dinner," Hinata said through the phone. He watched through her screen as she moved to a corner where two dresses had been set out. "W-wanna help me choose?"

"I do," Sasuke muttered with a new sort of interest. He liked the concept of helping her decide what to wear. He liked imagining her in outfits he had chosen. "Are these the options?"

"Mhm," Hinata said. She sounded distracted. In front of her were two dresses, both equally plain in design. One was navy and knee-length with cross-shoulder straps. The other looked a bit longer, champagne colored with short sleeves, and flared at the skirt.

Sasuke shook his head on the phone. "Neither," he said, unable to conjure an image of her in these unflattering pieces. He didn't bother to acknowledge her tiny groan on the other side of the phone, as he could no longer see her face. "What's that one hanging up?"

In the corner, there was a long black and green dress hanging in her closet. He watched her grab it and shake it out, "this?"

"Mhm, let me see," Sasuke demanded.

Hinata took a step back to show him the length of the dress. It was a floor length, black mesh and embroidered green floral print dress with subtle, flowing peplum sleeves that tightened at the wrists. The back was completely open. Sasuke found himself grinning, "that one. Wear that tonight."

He could've predicted her groan as she flipped the camera to her stressed-looking face. "I c-can't wear that, S-Sasuke!"

"Why not?" he challenged her.

"I..I dunno," Hinata muttered. "It's not me."

"Why isn't it?" He thought of her spinning in it, moving like a meadow. Seemed like the perfect fit, to him.

She went quiet for a second, her lips puckered in contemplative thought. "I...I don't know," she said again with a sigh. "It just feels too b-bold."

"You can be bold," Sasuke reminded her.

He felt his heart move in his chest when she looked at him through the camera, and smiled. "I guess...y-you're right, Uchiha."

-:-

It was pretty bad. Pretty fucking bad, Ino thought as Shikamaru sneakily dragged her down a hallway, into the maids staircase, and out of the side door. No, she wasn't quite being abandoned by him but she was being...hidden.

This time, she wasn't sure if she was allowed to blame him for this turn of events. His father appearing at his bedroom door was apparently unheard of, appalling, and allegedly the worst thing to happen, ever.

From his bed, Ino had heard halves of the conversation. Something about the news. Something about his mother being livid. Something about someone named Temari. Something about school. Something, again, about the news. Studies. Cancelled meetings. When Shikamaru returned to the foot of his bed, the circles under his eyes looked darker. He said, "I have to have a conversation with my parents, and you have to leave."

Ino had already been in the process of dressing, after hearing those furious whisperings. She was no idiot. "What happened?" she whispered.

"Later," Shikamaru had hissed in response as he handed her her clutch. She picked up her cell phone from on the floor across the room. He slowly opened his bedroom door, saw that his father was no longer there, and quickly rushed Ino down the hall.

Outside of the mansion, Shikamaru paused for a moment and took out a cigarette. He took a huge drags and barely looked at her. Ino was ready to start trembling, repeating words in her mind that sounded like curses not again, not this again, not again, why why why––

Then Shikamaru kissed her, expelling cigarette smoke between their mouths. His hands around her waist were ringless. He seemed desperate. She peeled him off of her like he was a slug, her confusion evident in her grip on his wrinkled polo shirt that he had thrown on minutes before. "Shikamaru––what's going on?"

He shook himself out of it. Ino watched him make his face nice and blank. "I don't want you to think that I'm...ignoring you again," he said it like he didn't quite believe what he was saying himself. "I have to go in a second. Something happened. You should look at your phone. It's...troublesome, really."

Again, Ino was frustrated. She pulled out her iPhone, "Well? What happened?"

"You'll see," he said. He was grabbing her hands in a desperate type of way. Ino let him touch her, watching his eyes. "Let me have this second."

She let him. She watched him smoke against the side of his home. Behind them stretched a green garden and a pool, all being neatly attended to by workers. Ino was reminded again of how wealthy the Naras were. The help didn't bat an eye as they entered the building, ignoring Shikamaru's chain smoking as if it were a daily occurrence.

"You're scared of your parents," Ino said slowly, as she covered one of his hands with her own.

"Ino," Shikamaru said desperately, as he coughed out smoke. "I'm scared of everything."

-:-

Hinata was finding the dinner to be quite uncomfortable, and it hadn't even started. Her father was on his phone, having said very few words to Hinata besides "welcome home," and "I'm glad to see your math scores have improved," which was as close to a compliment, or an apology, Hinata would ever fucking get. She'd actually been happy to hear it, which showed how pathetic they were as a family unit.

Beside her, Neji shifted uncomfortably and silently. They had scarcely spoken either, and he looked in agony to be there. She should be the one upset with him. Instead, she was creasing her brow at his strange and frantic behavior. He kept fidgeting.

Hanabi was the only normal one. She chattered on about school drama, which Hinata was grateful for, and even engaged in, just to fill the silence at the table. The restaurant they chose was decadent, subtle, and only for the best. It was one of their father's favorite private clubs. The waiter brought seven glasses of water. Hinata had not noticed the largeness of the table until then. She pursed her lips.

"Your dress is very appropriate for the evening," her father said. Another compliment. Things were getting especially weird. "Did your stylist pick it?"

"N-no," Hinata said quietly. How she wanted to say Sasuke chose it. How the thought filled her with warm fuzzies. "I did."

Minutes before, Hinata sent Sasuke a photo of her wearing the dress he'd picked. She'd worn her hair up in a braided bun, to accentuate the open back. She wore small gold hoop earrings, and allowed Hanabi to apply red blush and lipstick to her face. She looked like she'd just stepped out of a lookbook campaign. She didn't recognize herself at all.

Sasuke had loved the message. He replied: I told you. I knew it would look good, that'll teach you to second guess me, Hyuga.

Feeling bold, Hinata had simply replied: Smug bastard. She'd felt a sort of thrill after she'd pressed send. Could she even dare to say something like that outloud?

"Hn. Good job," Hiashi said. He went back to his phone, "We'll order when once our guests arrive," he told the waiter who had appeared with bread and appetizers.

Hanabi and Hinata glanced at each other. "Guests?" Hanabi dared to question. Always the curious one, and the one who got away with talk back. It wasn't that Hinata was jealous, just that she wished she had the voracity of her younger sister.

"Speak when spoken to," Hiashi suggested.

Hanabi frowned at him, but said nothing else. It wasn't that she felt reprimanded, just that she knew their father was a Hyuga, and that that was as much of an answer as she was going to get from the businessman.

Neji said nothing this entire exchange. Hinata peaked at him from the corner of her eye. She wanted to talk to him, but he was a closed door, sitting with his back so straight she thought he would snap in half if prodded the right way.

While their father was busy arguing with Hanabi over what type of wine she wouldn't be getting, Hinata poked her twin in the thigh. She looked at him and whispered, "What's w-wrong?"

Neji looked back at her. A thousand emotions flashed across his face, and then nothing. He shook his head in a curt, quick way. "Nothing," he whispered back.

Hinata sat uncomfortably beside him. Hanabi continued to berate their father at the dinner table. She was the favorite, and could get away with it. It was almost endearing, and definitely convenient.

"Did I do something wrong?" Hinata found herself whispering, even though it was Neji that should be begging for forgiveness. Somehow, she felt guilty.

Neji sighed. She thought that he was going to talk to her, to apologize, to tell her that it would be okay. To welcome her home. Instead, he stood up and muttered, "Sorry father. I thought I could wait for the Uzumaki family to arrive for dinner, but it appears they're running late."

Uzumakis? Hinata's eyes went wide. They locked with Hanabi, who seemed just as shocked at her. Hinataa turned her head so fast towards Neji's standing figure, she felt her neck crack in disapproval.

"Indeed," Hiashi agreed. "I wanted the whole family to be here, but since you already know, I supposed it is fine for you to go, networking is more important. Send the Uchihas my wishes."

The Uchihas? Was Neji getting a free pass to go hang out with Sasuke during her Welcome Home dinner? Hinata felt red build onto her cheeks. This was a new feeling. It was fury.

Her phone buzzed. Sasuke. She opened it to reveal a photo of him hanging upside down off of a sofa, a blunt hanging out the side of his mouth: Say that to my face, kid. You busy after dinner?

The message sent a thrill through her. She felt hot and furious and confused. As Neji was gathering his jacket she texted back, You mean you won't be with Neji?

Sasuke replied instantly: Why would I be with Neji?

Hinata locked her phone without responding. She narrowed her eyes at her twin as he bounced out of the restaurant, his hands in his pockets, his eyes downcast. Hinata was suddenly, brazenly furious. Angrier than she has ever felt, and suspicious to a fault. She needed to find out what was going on with him.

She was tired of being lied to. This wasn't as much a "welcome home" dinner as it was a goddamn business meeting. She was making plans in her head for her next course of action, or at least, response to Sasuke, as Uzumaki Naruto walked up to her. And smiled.

AN. Oh yeah. The boys are still dummies, nothing much has changed. Tried to give y'all a little bit of everything in my absence. How'd I do? (Yes, I miss Sakura too)