It Was Always You
Chapter three ; Melancholic
Hinata awoke the next morning with a splitting headache. Slowly easing herself upwards, she held her head in her hands and wanted nothing more than to block off her own chakra points to knock herself out. No more drinking starting from today she told herself, peeling the covers off of her body.
It had been a while since she drank with the girls so a hangover was to be expected, but she didn't remember them being quite this awful. She sat at the edge of her bed waiting for the sensory overload to end. The sound of Konoha residents preparing for this evening's festivities felt like a hammer to the skull, and she could do nothing to block out the sunlight filtering through the curtains of her bedroom window.
Reaching for a glass of water at her bedside table, Hinata was met with a momento that proved last night was not a fever dream. The empty bottle of green tea beside her clock taunted her and she inwardly groaned, stuffing her face into her pillow. Her migraine worsened from the action, and from the realisation that she really had seen and spoken to Uchiha Sasuke last night. The memory was slightly hazy, but it was definitely there, and it was difficult to ignore.
Why did it have to be her? Out of the entire population of the leaf village. Of all of the evenings he could've chosen to come back. If only she had gone straight home after making sure Sakura was safe, then maybe he and her friend would be together by now and Naruto wouldn't worry over his best friend so much. The possibilities made Hinata's head spin.
I asked him to meet me again. Regret washed over her body as she collapsed back into bed. She laid there for a few minutes more, the temptation to fall asleep once again growing until she forced herself up to start the day.
Despite the throbbing of her skull and the sickly feeling that lingered in her stomach and throat, nothing compared to the ache she felt on the inside. It was a familiar pain that punctured through her heart day in, day out.
After bathing and changing, Hinata gathered her things and left the house in a hurry.
The sight of Konoha's cemetery was something Hinata could never get used to. There was a designated section for the shinobi who had lost their lives in the war, and if it weren't for the bodies that laid peacefully underground, the scene before Naruto and Hinata could almost be considered beautiful. There were many flowers, and the early morning sun rays twinkled, reflecting off of glass vases, forehead protectors, and the dew that rested on the grass. It was so quiet that Hinata thought she might hear her own heart shatter. For just as she could never get used to being beside Naruto, visiting the grave in front of her never got any easier also.
Hinata had consumed more alcohol than what she was used to last night because she had wanted a distraction from today's arrival, a moment to forget that it had already been a year since then. She crouched down and touched the stone, though in direct view of the sun it remained cold, and a tear fell from her tired eyes.
October 10th was both a special day and a sad one. It was the day peace was graced upon the ninja world. The day the Fourth Shinobi World War ended. The day Uzumaki Naruto was born.
And it was the day Hyuuga Neji had passed away.
Naruto was unable to find words to say to the girl that had now quietly sobbed into her hands. There were many others like the both of them here, each mourning in their own ways. For them, there were some days where there were no tears at all, but Naruto had expected that this day would be especially hard for them both. He crouched beside her and placed a hand on Neji's grave also, reminding himself that he could only celebrate another year in his life today because the man that now laid beneath their feet had sacrificed his own.
Lifting her head, Hinata stared at the hand which the world owed so much to. The hand that held hers so tightly a year ago. She slowly reached out, wanting to feel warm and safe just like she did back then. But she held back, the tears spilling out of her eyes like ink.
Naruto's gaze was distant, his usual bright blue eyes were now partially hidden behind half-closed lids, tears pooling at the corners. This sight was one Hinata got to know over time as the both of them frequented Neji's grave together. If Naruto's smile had healing properties that made Hinata melt every time he threw one in her direction, his sadness struck her within her bones, leaving her cold and helpless.
"H-He wouldn't have wanted us to be like this you know," Hinata quietly spoke up, wanting to offer him comfort as she ran her sleeve over her eyes. "I can almost hear him telling us off for not celebrating your birthday and the end of the war."
The scent of incense wafted in the air as a small, gentle smile tugged at the corners of Naruto's lips. After a moment's pause he flashed his full, signature grin in her direction, and Hinata thought she might cry once again.
"You're right," he said as he wiped his own tears out of his eyes.
Once the two had composed themselves, Hinata lit a candle and neatly arranged all the flowers that had been placed here before the two of them had even arrived. She paused to gaze at Naruto's hand that had now laid at his side once more, before clasping her own together in silent prayer.
Neji-nii-san, I miss you every day but today seems harder somehow. It's already been a year, some things have changed, some things haven't, but I feel like I will never get used to living in a world without you.
Hanabi has gotten so strong and is preparing for when she eventually takes over as heiress. Your teammates are well, but you probably already know because they were here earlier. Like me, they are always thinking of you too.
Mid-thought, Hinata's eyes fluttered open as she glanced at the blonde beside her. His eyes were shut, and her cheeks reddened.
And Naruto-kun...he's still just as wonderful as the moment I first laid eyes on him.
Before the pair walked to the main cemetery grounds where all of Konoha would gather at midday to pay their respects for the fallen, Hinata took out a wrapped gift from her satchel and handed it to Naruto. The red scarf remained tucked away at the bottom of her bag.
Naruto's eyes lit up. "For me? You shouldn't have, Hinata! Thank you so much, you're the best!" He smiled brightly and pocketed the gift into his jacket pocket.
Shying away from his figure, Hinata tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and cast her eyes towards her sandals. "I-It was nothing…" Be brave, Hinata!
Raising her head to meet his eyes, she hoped her feelings would reach him some day.
"Happy Birthday, Naruto-kun!"
After an afternoon of mourning and paying respects, a massive celebration and festival went underway in the evening. So much was lost, and there were many things still in the process of repair, but an entire year of peace was still something to be joyful and grateful for. The colourful banners woven between each festival stall resembled waves, and the streets were alight with paper lanterns emitting soft hues of orange and gold.
The academy bunch reserved a private room in a popular karaoke bar to celebrate Uzumaki Naruto turning 19. They belted out loud songs, indulged in fried foods, cake, and many, many drinks much to Hinata's chagrin. Her promise to stop drinking was now completely out of the window.
Sitting in a booth in a quieter corner of the room, Hinata stared at the cup of umeshu in her hands. The effects of overdoing it last night lingered and she still felt some pain due to the nature of today, but her gaze settled on Naruto currently performing a duet with Kiba. Their voices boomed into the mic, reverberating so much within the walls that Hinata was certain those outside of the bar could hear them also. Hinata smiled to herself, glad that he was in good spirits despite everything.
The song ended and Naruto passed Tenten the mic as she joined Kiba with a beer in hand. He made his way towards the booth and sat opposite Hinata. She gripped her drink tighter.
"Hinata! Thank you for the present, your salves always seem to heal my wounds extra fast, and I can't believe you got me a whole month's worth of Ichiraku Ramen coupons! You're seriously the best!" He beamed, and she shied away, not having the heart to bring up the fact that his quick healing wasn't due to her salves but the nine-tailed-fox that remained sealed within him.
"N-no problem. Are you enjoying yourself?"
Before he could respond, Sakura and Ino had suddenly returned to the table with more drinks and a platter of bar snacks. Naruto's smile grew when Sakura sat beside him and slid him a cocktail. Hinata sank further into her seat, her hands tightening over her lap.
"For me?" Naruto asked, enthusiastically.
"Yeah, don't get used to it though! It's only because it's your birthday!" She replied.
It was rare for Naruto's smile not to reach his eyes but whenever Sakura was near, there was an added warmness to his expression that Hinata couldn't help but notice over time. Light red dusted his cheeks, his laughter a little louder, the creases on his face a little deeper from smiling so much. Hinata knew that this Naruto was reserved for Sakura only, for the person that he loved. But somewhere deep inside, she wondered if Sakura had seen the side of Naruto that she had whenever they mourned together. If she were allowed one selfish thought just this once, she wished that this side of his was for her own eyes only. If Sakura had his happiness, could she be the one to carry his burdens, to see his vulnerabilities?
Ino suddenly collapsed beside Hinata, slamming her sake bottle onto the table jolting Hinata out of her ungracious thoughts.
"Man, we just drank yesterday and here we go again!" Ino brought her sake glass up to her lips and downed it all in one go. "I feel like all I do is work at the shop and drink the night away."
Hinata smiled at her comment and felt Ino's hand squeeze hers under the table. Hinata's vision began to blur, the warmth from Ino's hand both comforting and leaving her feeling extremely guilty for her previous thoughts. She shouldn't be jealous today, not when everyone in this room had suffered so much, had lost so much.
"That's the result of peace. You should enjoy it for now because who knows when danger will pop up again." A fifth figure joined the table and the four of them greeted Shikamaru who appeared with a glass of whisky in hand. Naruto and Sakura scooted up to give him room to sit, and Hinata once again felt guilty for noticing that their arms were now touching.
The night continued on with cheers, singing, and more often than not, absolutely reckless drinking. Things got particularly crazy at some point when Lee had mistaken Shino's sake for his own non-alcoholic beverage. Eventually Shino and Tenten were able to sedate him in another room, much to the confusion of the rest of the party when upon their return, the duo were seen pocketing weapon scrolls as Shino's bugs crawled back underneath his sleeves.
Though everyone had felt extremely heavy earlier in the day, every shinobi within this room was grateful for another year of life.
Mid-conversation, Naruto had suddenly gone quiet and abruptly fell face first onto the table.
"Naruto! What's gotten into you? Are you okay?" Concerned, Sakura shook his shoulder as Ino began poking at his head, swaying slightly in the process.
"He's drunk!" She exclaimed cheerfully, filling up his glass with some of her own.
Shaking his head, Naruto sighed and reached for the drink. "This is perfect but you know, it would be better if…"
Sakura didn't need him to finish his sentence to understand.
"I know, I miss him too," Sakura said sadly.
Ino clapped her hands together, refusing to let her friends get so sullen. "Hey! Don't bring down the mood! It's your birthday! I know Sasuke-kun is thinking of you today, and he will be back soon! You'll see!"
Shikamaru stared at his blonde haired teammate who was trying so hard to stay positive today. He wondered if the rest of the table knew that she had spent the whole day busy preparing flowers for others that she had barely any time to grieve herself.
"He'll be back!" Ino reassured them once more.
Hinata stayed silent, grasping her glass with guilt, wondering if she should state that in fact, Sasuke was in the village, sort of, last night. He was thinking of them, in particular Sakura, and he could potentially be making his way back because she had asked him to in a panicked, drunken hurry. Hinata had suddenly felt slight resentment towards the enigmatic man as she saw Naruto and Sakura's downtrodden expressions. Surely, it wouldn't be difficult to visit for your own best friend's birthday? Maybe he was on his way? But if he had wanted to celebrate with his friend wouldn't he have been here by now?
Tell them. Hinata thought. Tell them!
But when Hinata recalled that Sasuke had unexpectedly looked somewhat afraid to continue his walk towards the main village streets she bit her lip and remained silent.
"You're right, Sasuke is Sasuke. He's probably doing a lot of good right now and all we can do is wait until the bastard finally remembers we exist. Right, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked the girl beside her who had now begun fiddling with her wine glass in a saddened trance.
"I just hope he's not sick and is eating well...he probably hasn't had food from home in quite some time." Sakura sighed, staring blankly into the dark red mass in her glass.
Ino shushed her friend once more, flipping the hair out of her eyes and sliding two shot glasses towards the pair. "Enough! Sasuke-kun is fine and I know he's thinking of you both right now this very second. Let's celebrate! We've been good for a whole year guys, and it's all thanks to you, Naruto. Now drink up, drink up!" The two reluctantly obliged, raising the glasses to their lips.
"I wonder...what Sasuke-kun's favourite food is?" Hinata had blurted this out so suddenly and instantly regretted it as soon as she registered what had just come out of her mouth. It was too late however, with Naruto and Sakura now choking on their shots in confusion.
Mortified, Hinata waved her hands in front of her face attempting to hide from Ino and Shikamaru's quizzical gazes. "I-I just mean...if it's something that's native to Konoha, it must be sad not eating that for a whole year, no? Food here is nothing like anywhere else…" She trailed off, hoping this was a good enough excuse as she busied herself by downing the rest of her drink. It seemed to have worked, with the rest of the group letting out a simultaneous hum of understanding, save for Shikamaru who continued to stare, feeling like she was hiding something.
Ino nodded her head vigorously in approval. "That's so true. No offence, I love Kazekage-sama and everyone there, but doesn't the food in Suna always somehow feel a little grainy on the tongue? Must be all that sand."
"It isn't so bad once you get used to it," Shikamaru said, sliding into the conversation casually. Ino and Naruto snickered in response.
"Tell Temari I said hi the next time you see her," Sakura smirked.
Shikamaru continued to sip at his drink unfazed. "I don't know what you guys are implying, but Temari and I are just friends." The words rolled off his tongue unconvincingly as he muttered something about the three of them being incredibly troublesome.
Sakura seemed to have recovered from her earlier spell. "Sasuke-kun likes rice balls and tomatoes doesn't he? He used to bring that a lot during the old days." She smiled to herself, and the blonde boy beside her grinned as they both reminisced about Team 7 during their genin days.
Hinata unconsciously took note of this conversation, occasionally chiming into the group's idle chatter as the evening went on.
When Sasuke arrived in Konoha he knew immediately that some sort of festival was well underway in the village. Though faint, he could hear cheers, chants, and the bellowing of traditional wooden drums. He could envision the streets already, yells from street-vendors, the laughter of children chasing one-another with painted masks, and most of all, the strong aroma of street foods permeating the crisp air, sure to make anybody's mouth water. Sasuke didn't want to admit it, but one of the things he missed about Konoha was undoubtedly the food. It just didn't feel the same no matter where he travelled to.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he walked towards the familiar stone bench illuminated by the light of the moon and the occasional fireflies that hovered around. It was Naruto's birthday, and he did feel like he owed his dearest friend an appearance to show that he was still alive and thinking of him. Always.
But as he skirted around the village gates in the early hours of the morning, he found that much like the night before, he couldn't bring himself to enter. It was only until he remembered that a certain Hyuuga Hinata had supposedly something to offer him this evening that he somehow found the courage to make his way back. He attributed this to boredom and curiosity getting the better of him.
However, he didn't trust her completely. The possibility of her dragging Naruto, or even worse, Sakura, along tonight as her surprise wasn't completely out of the picture. He still wasn't ready to face Sakura, and so he devised a plan to mask his presence behind a tree not too far from the bench before their meeting time. If he caught even a glimpse of orange or pink he would be out of there in a flash, noting to never trust the Hyuuga with anything ever again.
If she was even coming in the first place. He didn't rule out that possibility either.
After all, she was drunk at the time, and had no obligation to keep her word to a man like himself.
Staggering out of the bar's doors, Hinata smoothed the creases out of her skirt and supported herself on a nearby street lamp. She felt increasingly disoriented and needed some fresh air, afraid that if she drank any more she wouldn't be able to keep her mouth shut about Uchiha Sasuke's appearance.
Running her hands over her arms Hinata looked up at the night sky, every star so bright and inviting.
And suddenly she felt so small.
What was there to do in this life now that her career as a ninja was basically put on hold until further notice? She didn't want to seem ungrateful, but she felt emptier as the days passed her by. Hanabi was to be heiress in a few years, and she was so proud of her and so happy that she was now on good terms with the clan, even if she felt an occasional sting when she was excluded from certain missions or meetings strictly for her younger sister and father. She developed her own jutsu, but had done nothing with regards to her training since. There was her team who she loved, Kurenai-sensei and Mirai, her friends. Naruto-kun.
But what else?
A particularly ear-piercing chant from a street vendor opposite jolted her out of her thoughts. Her eyes caught his bright neon-coloured sign which read:
End of war discount! Get 3 for the price of 2!
Hinata walked over to the stall and after paying, made her way towards the village outskirts, wondering if anyone would even realise that she had gone.
Hinata surveyed the area with a white plastic bag in hand. Being amongst her friends had felt so comforting and joyful as opposed to the state she was in this morning, but as the lights dimmed and the crowds quietened, Hinata was plunged into darker thoughts as she swayed slightly across the cobble-stoned path. She could no longer feel the festival atmosphere, nor smell the scent of fried foods and alcohol fumes. She was instead met with an empty bench in front of her. Sasuke was nowhere to be seen.
Still, Hinata took her chances and sat down, wrapping her arms around her. She wasn't scared but after spending the entire day with people, the sudden silence felt a little lonely.
Hinata's gaze traversed upwards to the moon above her, now wondering if Sasuke would show up and asking herself why she was here in the first place. If he didn't visit for his own best friend's birthday, what made her think that he would even bother to show up for her of all people. In fact, things would be better if he didn't turn up. She could forget that last night ever happened.
After 20 minutes of waiting, she concluded that Sasuke was a no-show. Hinata grabbed the white bag beside her, feeling oddly humiliated for being stood up, even though she knew he had no obligation to her. To someone he was barely acquainted with.
Regardless, Hinata impulsively activated her byakugan for good measure, with little-to-no expectation.
He was there. Right behind her amongst a group of trees. His position just about missed her byakugan's blind spot by a hair.
How long has he been waiting there? Hinata asked herself, slightly offended. If he was that averse to meeting with her, why did he even come here in the first place? She too had regretted her last words to him last night, but she reminded herself that she was doing it for Naruto and Sakura's sake. She had panicked so much in that moment, thinking of a way, any way to have him return a second time, and now he was here hiding like a coward.
This was Uchiha Sasuke?
At least she had the decency to show up.
Angry and intoxicated, Hinata inhaled and deactivated her byakugan.
"Aa," she whined out loud, aware that she should have probably stopped there but the words came out faster than her mind could register. "I didn't realise Sasuke-kun was the type to keep somebody waiting!"
He had appeared in front of her in an instant. Startled, Hinata gasped and flung her hands over her mouth. She was in shock over his agility, but also appalled at how much she found herself judging him. She apologised to him in her head as she looked away, pouting slightly.
Sasuke stared at her for a few moments, confused and without words. "I…" he began, and then turned away from her as she looked up to meet his gaze. "I forgot you had eyes at the back of your head."
Ignoring his assessment of her kekkei-genkai, Hinata uncharacteristically patted the empty space beside her with almost too much enthusiasm, gesturing for him to sit down. He remained unmoving and she sighed, now regretting calling out to him.
"You're drunk again," he said, the scent of sake once again hitting his nose.
Hinata cleared her throat, desperate to escape from his dark eyes but pushing onwards for her friends. "I-It's been a year since the war and Konoha is having a big party...Naruto-kun was disappointed that you didn't come to see him on his birthday, you know."
The air was awkward. Curiosity and boredom were not good enough reasons for Sasuke to subject himself to a second night alone with the girl in front of him.
However, she was right. He should have made more of an effort to see his teammates, but she didn't have the full story. Barely anyone alive on this earth did.
Sitting as far away from her as possible, Sasuke stuffed his hand into his trouser pockets. A cold breeze rustled the leaves and branches of the trees behind them, mocking the silence between the two. It was so thick that the two of them could no longer catch the distant sounds of Konoha's civilians.
"So," they both spoke at the same time. Hinata shook her head, embarrassed, and set her eyes on an ant making its way up the side of the stone bench.
Sasuke found he started speaking without having anything to say and so remained silent, puzzling Hinata.
"S-So...Sasuke-kun, what brings you here?" she said. Her fingers poking at one another senselessly at her lap.
Sasuke almost rolled his eyes at her question. "You asked me to come, remember?
Suddenly remembering the small white bag that lay between them, Hinata perked up, rummaging through the plastic. Sasuke remained still, watching curiously from the corner of his eyes.
"Here!" She opened the bag to reveal 6 rice balls and a paper bag filled with cherry tomatoes.
Face flushed, Hinata bashfully shrinked away as she caught the slight raise of his eyebrows.
"Thank you for the tea yesterday, and for showing up again even though you kept me waiting first."
Hinata turned her body away instantly, clamping her hands over her mouth once again. Get it together, Hinata! She yelled at herself. Or he'll never come back!
Ignoring her jab at him, Sasuke gazed at the food at his side. If he was at a loss for words before, he was completely stumped now.
"Y-You can eat them now if you want," Hinata stammered, her confidence wavering. Was she finally sobering up?
Sasuke, too prideful to accept, opened his mouth to refuse her food when a loud growl escaped from his stomach, beating him to the punch.
If the air was awkward back then, nothing could save them from the unfathomably uncomfortable aura surrounding them both this very moment.
Breaking the stillness, Hinata nudged the plastic bag towards him.
Not wanting to make a fool of himself further, Sasuke roughly grabbed a rice ball, peeling the plastic packaging off with a single hand. Hinata almost offered to help once she saw the slight furrow in his brow, the rice ball almost slipping off his lap as he awkwardly ripped the wrapping.
He managed to catch it in time and took a bite, savouring the taste as it had been a long while since he had eaten his favourite food. As expected, nothing trumped Konoha's rice balls, he told himself as he chewed slowly.
Hinata stared at the figure beside her and thought it was strange to see Uchiha Sasuke, last standing member of Konoha's strongest clan and one-half of the world's saviours engaging in such a simple act as eating one of his favourite foods.
He paused mid-chew to stare back at her, and she quickly averted her gaze back towards the ant that had now found its way by her sandals.
"Aren't you going to have some?" Sasuke asked, as if it was common practice for the both of them to share food with one another.
Bewildered, Hinata merely nodded, unwrapping one for herself and another two for Sasuke to save him the trouble later.
After a few minutes, Sasuke had eaten 3 and felt sufficiently full. Hinata insisted he take the leftovers with him.
Wait. She was supposed to convince him to stay wasn't she?
Clutching the fabric of her skirt, Hinata attempted to speak assertively. "Sasuke-kun. You know, Naruto-kun and Sakura-san would really appreciate it if you stopped by...even for just a few minutes today. They're at a restaurant currently, we could go and-"
He shot a glare in her direction, and she immediately stopped talking.
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't ask me that again," he said, almost disappointed that she gave up so easily.
She winced under his stare, unsure where her previous tenacity vanished to. "S-Sure."
Don't give up now!
"But!" She began, unable to stop herself now. "It's not that hard to at the very least send a note...!" Looking at him directly in the eyes for the first time, she searched his face for any signs of remorse or understanding. When she found none, she sighed in defeat.
Closing his eyes as if contemplating her words and his next actions, Sasuke straightened and disappeared suddenly. Hinata was caught off-guard as she looked at the empty space beside her sadly. Had she offended him that much that he didn't offer her a goodbye or take the rest of the food she had bought for him?
Just as she was about to take her leave, he appeared so suddenly before her. Hinata squeaked in surprise and fell back onto the bench ungracefully. Sasuke remained as rigid as ever, save for the slight quiver at the corner of his mouth.
He outstretched his hand and revealed a bottle of water. Perplexed, Hinata's gaze travelled slowly from his face to the hand right in front of her. Her lips parted slightly, but she could find no words.
"Don't pass out from dehydration," he said offhandedly, echoing his words from the night before.
Dumbfounded, she nodded and took the bottle of water and drank, unaware of how dry her throat felt until now. The water felt cool on her lips and without thinking, Hinata raised the bottle of water back to him once she was done, offering him some.
He backed away from her as she did this. Mortified, Hinata immediately retracted her hand and closed the bottle quickly.
"You're seriously drunk," he said.
"Yeah…" she said embarrassingly.
Hinata kept her head low, afraid that she might do something to offend him further.
"I guess you'll probably be continuing on with your travels now, huh…" she said, feeling unexpectedly bereft.
I've failed them, she thought sadly.
"Will you be here tomorrow?" Sasuke asked, startling the both of them.
She began to fidget in confusion, fingers twiddling around the water bottle which laid at her lap. After a few moments, she nodded her head once in response, forcing herself to look up at him.
Sasuke took the bag that was next to her, locked eyes with hers briefly and then walked away.
Hinata stared at his back until he was no longer in sight.
Hinata held the water bottle close to her chest as she walked through the village's main streets. Festivities continued late into the evening and as she turned a corner, she saw Naruto and Sakura exiting the karaoke bar together. Her breath hitched, feeling guilty that she had suddenly left the party to spend time with the boy the two of them missed with every fibre of their being.
Before she could make a quick exit, the blonde boy noticed her and ran in her direction. Sakura followed suit, the two were flushed and red in the face.
"Hinata! We missed you earlier, where did you go?" Sakura asked.
"I...I needed some fresh air so I took a walk. I'm sorry I left without saying anything."
"Aa that's okay! All of us are heading home now," Naruto paused as he spotted something in the sky. Shikamaru had now joined the group with Ino asleep on his shoulders. He murmured something about her having gone overboard, and Hinata looked at him sympathetically.
"Is that...Sasuke's summon?" Naruto asked as raised his arm. A large, brown hawk perched on it with a note in its mouth.
Sakura immediately grabbed the note with trembling hands, and Sasuke's summon soared back into the night sky.
The others watched expectedly as Sakura unravelled the note. Naruto and Sakura recognised the handwriting instantly.
Happy Birthday, Dobe.
At this Naruto grinned, whilst Sakura remained silent, holding onto the note so tightly her knuckles turned white.
"See I told you he was thinking of you!" Ino slurred.
Shikamaru yelled at her to stand up properly as the two said their goodbyes and made their way to her apartment.
Hinata stared at the blonde and pink figures that were in front of her and wondered how Sasuke could leave them both in the dark for so long.
She quietly excused herself, and quickly shook off her previous thought as she downed the remaining liquid in her water bottle. Uchiha Sasuke was hard to pin down, but maybe he wasn't so bad after all.
He went out of his way to meet her again, bought her a drink, and surprisingly took her advice.
When she arrived home, she placed the empty water bottle beside the green tea at her bedside table and found she slept pleasantly well to the distant sounds of Konoha's people.
A/N: My sincerest apologies for such a late update! I haven't forgotten about this story contrary to my inactivity, but I really hope this was worth the wait. It is a little long since I decided to include Hinata and Sasuke's second meeting in this chapter instead of the next like I had initially intended. Hopefully it wasn't too boring for you all, but I'm so excited for what's to come.
Some things to note: After re-reading some of the manga as a refresher, I noticed I unintentionally made minor deviations from canon. They're mostly inconsequential, but die-hard Naruto fans may possibly notice my errors and therefore I will point out what will change:
Neji didn't in-fact die on October 10th like I thought he did when I first wrote this chapter. The war did end on Naruto's birthday, but he died perhaps a day or two before. For the sake of this story, let's just say his D.O.D is October 10th.
It turns out Naruto turned 17 when the war ended, not 18. Again, nothing too major, but I do want the characters to be a little older so please just pretend that Naruto did in fact turn 18 a year ago, and is now 19 alongside the rest of the Rookie Nine, bar those who have birthdays post October 10. (Hinata is one of them, she's a December baby!)
Hopefully these minor changes aren't too much of a killer. I'd just like to thank all of you lovely readers and reviewers for waiting patiently and taking the time to leave a review. Please let me know your honest thoughts on this chapter and I will try my very best to update regularly from now on.