My many thanks goes to the following people for their reviews: Beru Wang, I-Love-Trunks1, muzicaldove (have we talked before?), christinamoondust, littlenewgardner, Amezaiku, km987001, Yuzuki476, Komorebi-chama, coelestis, and Guests 1 & 2.

Chapter title from the song Crystalized by the XX.

Please enjoy.

oOo

Chapter Five: I'll Forgive and Forget

"Hinata!" A lithe, warm body engulfed Hinata from behind in a warm hug.

Hinata wiggled her way out of the embrace to turn and see her sister face to face.

"Hanabi," Hinata greeted.

They folded their arms around each other tightly. Hinata knew the long time apart would be difficult. The absence felt like a gaping hole in her heart.

Hinata pulled back to inspect her sister. Hanabi now stood a couple inches taller, and her face did not hold some of the baby fat of before.

With her palms, Hinata pushed Hanabi's hair back and ran her fingers through the long, dark brown strands.

It felt strange looking up instead of down.

"Hanabi." Hinata cooed. "You're so grown."

The twenty-year-old colored and ducked her head. Hinata gently patted Hanabi's back.

"Did you learn a lot from Asuma?" Hinata asked.

"Uh-huh." Hanabi nodded. "Guarding the Daimyo isn't the most fun job in the world. But Asuma is funny, and a good captain. And I like my team."

Hanabi finally untangled their limbs and stood tall. A frown weighed down her mouth as she reached up and lightly touched Hinata's forehead with a thumb.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be here. I tried to get time off, but I didn't know it was happening until I got your letter."

Hinata reached up and caught her sister's hand. Their fingers intertwined.

"It's okay," Hinata soothed. "I understand."

Hanabi looked around, as if just realizing she stood in one of the Branch houses. Her fingers tightened.

"They couldn't give you your own house?"

Hinata's eyes narrowed, and she sent out her chakra to make sure they were completely alone. She gestured at a nearby door. "I have a room. This is where the unmarried Branch women stay. You know that."

Hanabi's lips pressed together. "They should have-"

"Hanabi." Hinata said in a quiet but sharp voice. "Don't."

Hanabi's shoulders slumped. Hinata tugged her hand and led her sister into the assigned room. She let go and crossed the space to a small vanity where her hairbrush lay.

Hinata held it up in question. Hanabi smiled bashfully and nodded.

They settled onto the futon. Hinata sat behind her sister and carefully began to work the travel knots out of Hanabi's long hair.

Hinata broke the silence. "How long is your break?"

"I asked for a long leave. If nothing happens, I should be here for six months." Her voice held a smile.

Hinata's fingers slipped on the brush, but she caught it immediately. "Oh?"

"Hmm," Hanabi murmured an affirmative. "I'm still going to take missions in the village, but I won't have to go back to the Capitol until then."

This news could not have come at a worse time.

Hinata's mind raced. Her hands stayed steady.

oOo

Naruto fidgeted at his desk, jiggling his leg, and twirled a pen between his fingers. He did not wait very well.

Itachi glanced up from Naruto's report. He set it down on his desk and Hinata despaired. When would she get Itachi to put it in a tray? She even color coded the stack, hoping they would catch his attention. Maybe she should move them to the right-hand side to match his dominant arm.

"Is that all?" Itachi asked, unaware of Hinata's gimlet eye.

Naruto popped upwards, scattering pens everywhere on the floor. "Whoops!" He continued talking while he gathered them and shooed Hinata away. "I don't know how the rice paddies are drying out. Even the farmers are stumped. If I had more time, I'm sure I could figure it out. But we might have to travel outside the village and up the river to check."

Hinata carefully sat back down and intentionally rested her hands on her desk in a certain position. Maneuvering her fingers, she slipped a folder from underneath a stack of miscellaneous files.

Itachi pulled a fresh form out of a desk drawer and started writing. Naruto finished putting his pens away. With the men distracted, Hinata placed the folder towards the top.

Itachi finished his task. "Hinata."

"Yes?"

"I'll send a team of three, including Naruto. I need one chunin and one jonin, please." He said.

Hinata nodded and made a show of rifling through the stack. She stood and accepted the mission briefing from Itachi.

Naruto bounded over. "I can take these to the Records department. Then I can get my team together right away."

Hinata smiled and let him take the papers from her hands. In the Records department they would officially assign the mission ranking, transfer everything to a scroll, and summon the nin required.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun."

He winked at her. "See you, Itachi!"

"Good luck," Itachi said.

Hinata went back to her desk and continued her work.

oOo

The two sisters sat on the floor of the dark, empty kitchen. Their backs rested against the cabinets and their shoulders brushed as they passed a bowl back and forth between them. They used to do this when they were kids. Every warm evening, as often as they could, they snuck into the kitchen in the middle of the night to share snack.

Hinata remembered those nights fondly.

Their indulgence tonight was a little more adult. Hanabi had brought dry sparkling wine from the Capitol, and they poured it over scoops of sorbet. Even on the floor, the night was hot, and the coolness of the ice cream refreshed them.

"Bad news," Hanabi sighed.

"Oh?" Hinata accepted the bowl and took a bite.

"Yeah. I got assigned to a mission."

Hinata jolted in surprise. The wine tickled her throat and caused her to cough. "What? So soon?"

Hanabi took her own bite. "It's okay. I wasn't kidding when I said the Capitol can be boring. A new mission is almost a relief." She nudged her shoulder against Hinata's. "I'm going with Naruto-kun," she sing-songed.

"Oh, that's nice," Hinata said simply.

"Ugh." Hanabi scoffed. "It was funnier teasing you when you were in love with him."

Hinata smiled and could feel her cheeks heat. "I didn't like the teasing."

Hanabi bumbed against her sister again. Once they finished the bottle and carton of sorbet, Hanabi laid on the floor. She covered her face with her hands and groaned.

Hinata settled next to her sister. "What's wrong?"

"You're gonna think I'm stupid." Hanabi mumbled mournfully into her skin.

"Well, I know that's not true."

Hinata felt something in the air change. She turned her head to face her sister.

"I shouldn't have teased you." Hanabi started in a small, mournful voice. "I'm just… I'm really dumb. I… I fell in love with my Captain."

It took a moment for the words to sink in. When they did, Hinata sat up abruptly. The world spun dangerously. Hinata groaned and drew her legs towards her chest. Setting her forehead in the brackets of her knees, she tried to respond.

"With Asuma?" Hinata moaned.

Hanabi's next words burst out of her in a snarl. "Yes. That Asuma. The stupid fucking man who is having his third child with the woman of his stupid fucking dreams and I'm… and I'm…"

Hinata slowly straightened as her sister dissolved into tiny, hiccupping sobs.

"Oh. Oh, no."

She reached over and grabbed Hanabi's wrists. Using her grip to lever the younger woman off the ground, Hinata wrapped strong arms around Hanabi. Hanabi covered her face with her hands once again and sat stiffly in Hinata's embrace.

Unfortunately, Hinata keenly understood what her sister felt. Also unfortunately, Hinata knew she could do nothing more than this. She held her sister close and let her cry it out.

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oOo

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Coming up: Hinata's interactions with her family are a bit different than Itachi's.