Okay, so we said we would update every week, but we didn't, reason being we didn't like the last chapter 8 so we deleted it and rewrote it. So here it is.
"It's different. He's a traitor."
Sasuke turned away, his anger dissipating and his walk sagging a bit.
Why did he bring it up... it... hurts whenever I remember.
Fugaku watched as his son stalked away, trusting him to not call the Hyuugas.
---
Sasuke turned the corner and walked until he ended up in a dark and deserted corridor of the hospital. He pressed his forehead into the plastered wall, wanting to punch it until it or his fist broke. But his common sense prevailed as he realized it wasn't the most appropriate hospital behavior. His common sense also told him he shouldn't hurt that stupid cursed girl just because he was mad either, no matter how much he wanted to do so.
He squeezed his eyes shut, I will make control that curse… or else I will kill her.
---
Ring Ring...
Hinata's hand trembled as she reached out for the phone.
Ring Ring...
She didn't know what to do.
Ring Ring...
She read it again to make sure
Caller ID: Tenten
No, she shouldn't pick up the phone! She had vowed to never speak to Tenten
again!
Ring Ring...
The ring was so persistent, if only Tenten would give up. Maybe Hinata would pretend she wasn't home.
Ring Ring...
Maybe it was important? An emergency?
And... if she stopped talking to Tenten... wouldn't Tenten feel hurt, especially because Hinata was Neji's cousin?
Ring Ring...
Hinata was nearly in tears now... What should she do?
Ring...
"Hello? Hinata? Are you there?"
Hinata held her breath, "I... I have to talk to you about something very... important."
"And so do I." Tenten's voice sounded sober.
Hinata really didn't like the sound of this.
"Did you know that Neji-san," Tenten asked, her voice almost a whisper. "Today, he-he,"
"What did he say, Tenten-san?" Hinata asked, her mind frantically going over the possible things Neji could have told Tenten. Did he tell her about the curse?
"He was weird!" Tenten burst out laughing.
"Huh?" Hinata questioned, confused at Tenten's sudden outburst.
"You should have heard yourself!" Tenten giggled, "You sounded so concerned! What, did you think I was going to say? That he had an incurable disease and was going to die? Seriously though, are you okay?" Tenten's voice grew more serious.
"Ye-yeah," Hinata lied. She had almost collapsed in relief when she realized it was all a joke.
"What did you want to say?"
"U-um, I forgot," Hinata apologized. Her previous determination was all but gone. She could tell Tenten later, right?
"Okay then! I'll call you later then!" Tenten chirped. "Bye!"
Tenten hung up before Hinata could reply. Hinata stood there for a while, staring at the phone and wondering what had just happened. Tenten sounded so happy, but… but wouldn't it be better to break off the friendship sooner rather than later?
---
Temari held the camera up high. "Stand still... I have just one shot at this..."
The blue bird with its proudly puffed up chest, suddenly looked up from it's cleaning habits.
Someone was coming.
And that someone was certainly making enough sound to alert the bird. Temari put her camera down, as the bird flew away, a boy walking up to replace the bird.
"Yo Temari." The boy frowned. "You look upset."
Temari felt anger boiling deep inside her, "That was just my next masterpiece. You scared it away Shikamaru!"
He shrugged, glancing over to where the sun was rising, "I came to watch the clouds."
Temari forgot her anger, peace entering her as she watched the rising sun and inhaled the park's fresh pine scent. "I see..." It was unusual to see two high-ranking executives of two different companies together like this, but Temari had been introduced to Shikamaru through her brother, Gaara, during one of the mass company sponsored parties. Although none of the two would admit it, they pretty much knew the other person's schedule, and this meeting wasn't pure coincidence.
Shikamaru started to walk towards Temari, but tripped over a rock and landed facedown into a pile of mud, still wet from yesterday's brief rain shower.
"Are you okay?" Temari ran over to Shikamaru, trying to help him up. His face was covered with mud and he himself was trying to suppress a grin.
Of course, she realized, he could have avoided that easily- he was just too lazy.
"You baka!" she slapped him playfully, but a smile worked itself onto her face.
The walked down the nature trail together, Shikamaru, who wanted to make up for scaring away her subject, showed her the other plants, flowers, and birds she could photograph.
He reached down to pick up a leaf with two beads of dew. "This one's perfect." He handed it to Temari.
A bit confused, Temari held it up and wondered what was so great about it. "What?"
"Before complete sunrise, if you can find a leaf with two beads of dew, make a wish and shake them off the leaf…"
"A wish?"
"Yes. But not just any wish..."
"Then what?"
"I'm getting there."
"Hurry up and tell me, the sun is coming up!"
"I'm trying! Okay, you can only make a wish for someone else."
"So I can't make a wish for myself?" she frowned.
"Wishes make people selfish you know." He shrugged.
Well... she closed her eyes... its worth a shot.
She made a wish, and then shook the leaf gently.
Shikamaru watched intensely, trying to figure out what sort of wish she would make.
"Was it about... your brothers?" He tried to guess.
She shook her head. "I don't think you'll guess it right!"
"Then why don't you just tell me?"
"Because wishes are supposed to be kept secret!"
"Women, how troublesome," Shikamaru muttered.
Temari glared, "Want my brother to cut your budget?"
"Alright, Alright!" Shikamaru apologized. Then under his breath, "Sheesh, women."
"HEY!" Temari shouted, "What was that?"
"Nothing, nothing," Shikamaru hastily replied.
"So how are the Hyuugas doing?"
"I don't really know, but I don't think they and the Uchihas have been talking since the accident."
"Mikoto's not going to be happy," Temari muttered.
---
"Careful, mother," Sasuke cautioned as his mother tried to step out of her hospital bed. After only two weeks, where there should have been at least a month, Mikoto was determined to stand up and start walking. She said she wanted to go home within the week. The doctors argued, but Mikoto managed to laugh their worries away.
"It's alright. I'm not that fragile," his mother smiled at him.
"Sasuke's right. You should be more careful." Fugaku stood nearby, his hands free should there be a need to catch and support her. Behind him stood a doctor and a few nurses.
"Don't worry so much, the both of you. I'm fine," Mikoto laughed. As if to prove it, she stood up for a brief moment and walked a few steps before she collapsed on the bed once more, her leg muscles weak from being unused.
"Ma'am, I think that's enough exercise for today," the doctor informed Mikoto. "It's too early for you to be trying to walk. Let's reschedule this for tomorrow."
Mikoto looked like she was about to argue, but then nodded her head in assent. "Alright then." After making sure she was comfortable the doctor and nurses left to treat other patients.
"So then, how's Hinata?" Mikoto asked her son.
"Fine, I guess." Sasuke had avoided Hinata since the accident. Where he couldn't avoid her, like in the classroom, he just pretended she didn't exist. It wasn't that hard, considering she wasn't one of the fan girl types.
"What do you mean? Haven't you talked to her?" Mikoto's forehead ceased into a frown.
Sasuke stood there, uncomfortable under his mother's disappointed gaze, until his father interrupted, saving him from having to come up with some excuse. "He's been busy at school and we've been teaching him how to run the company, so it's no wonder he hasn't had the time."
"I see…" Mikoto nodded. "Make sure to talk to her tomorrow then."
"Of course," Sasuke agreed, feeling guilty for making a small lie. He wouldn't talk to her unless he was forced to. Not after what she did.
---
Tenten softly touched the porcelain piece, her finger tracing the Hyuuga crest. It seemed to gleam whether the hot rays of the sun or the soft glow of the moon touched it, its beauty lay unable to be grasped. Not even she could figure out from what material the strange porcelain piece was made from.
"Tenten-san."
She gasped, immediately dropping the piece into the drawer it came from and pushing it shut. "Neji-san?"
In his firm business suit, he came striding in, his usual confidence wavering.
"What's wrong? Did something happen?" she asked worriedly, pulling out a chair for him.
He didn't give even the slightest look at the chair, "I'm not going to be here long; I just need to discuss something with you."
Not going to be here long... Strangely it saddened her. "Alright... so?" She pushed the chair back.
"After the Mitoko accident, they're not contacting us anymore. I think the Uchihas aren't very happy with the accident, especially since it happened after the..." He coughed, then grudgingly continued, "engagement."
Tenten knit her brows in confusion, "What does the engagement have anything to do with Mitoko's car accident? It was just a car accident..."
Neji paused for a second, his penetrating eyes deep in thought.
"Wasn't it?" Tenten stared at him questioningly, knowing he knew something that she didn't.
"I'm just worried, that's all." He was about to spin around and leave, but Tenten caught his hand quickly. "Worried about what? And you know something, don't you?"
He gave her a silent glare, and then shook his hand free. "I'm worried about Hinata. And there are some family matters that you would never understand anyways. Just make sure you tell the other executives to put off the plans for the Hyuuga-Uchiha merge."
"I could understand if I tried!" She wanted to shout, but she stood as still as stone, his voice ringing in her head... and... was it fear? Sadness? What was it that made her tremble? She could only stand there and watch him leave, part of her mind wandering off...
He's... worried about Hinata... It was all like a puzzle... she just couldn't figure out the whole picture… she couldn't understand... anything anymore.