Dinners at the Hyuuga household were not anything special. It was just dinner. Most of the time, Hiashi, her father would be absent due to his work at the hospital or in their own clinic. But tonight, he was there. After all, Neji would be leaving for two days. It was just two days, but they were a family so Hinata thought Hiashi should be there.
It was not her doing, of course. Hanabi was the one who called her father's assistant to make him come home for Neji's 'special night' — as the young Hyuuga would call it. And it was because, according to Hanabi, 'Neji-nii would be gone for two days and we need to be complete before he would compete.' Their father couldn't say no to Hanabi, so he was home even on a tight schedule.
And now, they were eating dinner, just the four of them in a large dining table.
Hanabi was talking about how her History classes went in the morning which Neji was countering most of the time in his usual snobby way. Hiashi, however, did his best to listen even if his eyes were on the food in front of him. As for Hinata, she did her job with her nods and silent ways of agreeing about Hanabi's opinions.
"And what of you, Hinata?" called Hiashi out of the blue. The older sister lost track if the conversation with Hanabi was already done, but she did her best not to look surprised despite the fact that she zoned out for quite a little while. "How was your day?"
"I-I think i-it went well," she replied with a small smile before eating. "It's the same as my usual days. . ."
"That is certainly good to hear," her father responded with a small smile — which was not an all a smile. "And won't you be bothered about your cousin's absence for two days?"
"I-it has happened before. . .I mean, Neji-nii, going t-to places and leaving m-me at school, no harm has ever b-been done b-before," Hinata said, her eyes almost wincing because it sounded like a lie. "So. . .I th-think he should be f-fine."
"He?" Hiashi raised a brow. "What about you, then?"
"M-me?"
"Yes, you."
"Forgive me for speaking up," started Neji, nearly catching Hinata off guard. "I have already sorted things out for Hinata. I thought I would tell her after dinner, but since you already brought this up, I would like to say something."
"Spill!" exclaimed Hanabi which made Hinata jump from her seat before quickly saving herself.
"Hanabi, what did I say about shouting?" asked their father. "Go on, Neji."
"One of our teammates is staying by," Neji started, cutting off from his steak before looking back at Hinata. "Though I'm not sure if you remember him."
"I-I know everyone o-on the team," she admitted shyly after Neji paused. Neji's face softened as if he was relieved. So, Hinata asked, "And wh-what of him?"
"The decision is still not final, as I still need to consult with you, however, I am absolutely confident with it," started her cousin. "I asked him to watch over you while I am not around. Rest assured that he will be distancing himself and will be occupied as well so you do not need to engage in any conversations. Bloke already agreed and seemed happy to help."
But there was something with the way Neji said those words that made Hinata frown. She could not sense some lies, but there were rendered truths. This was something crucial with Neji since he was not the type to lie, but there was just something off. Is the boy happy to help or just felt obligated?
"I don't want to be a burden. . ." Hinata admitted with the same frown she wore earlier. "Neji-nii, I would be fine, I swear."
"But he already agreed," said her cousin, not bothering to look at her but at her father. "Uncle, if I won't be there, nor Ko-san, there's no one who would look over Hinata. You know the risk."
"I. . .I can handle it," she said, well at least try to say since no one batted an eye on her except Hanabi who was just listening.
"What if you can't?"
"Maybe I can," said Hinata, now frowning lightly. "I w-walk alone in the halls m-most of the time. I've never been in much trouble."
"We know that." It was her father's turn to speak. "And we understand why you are speaking this way. Yes, we have faith in you. But in times of emergency. . ."
Hinata purposely shut her mind off from listening to what her father will say. It was unusual for her to act this way, yet they were overreacting. And they even pulled another person into their scheme?
"But who is this boy?" asked Hiashi. At this, Hinata looked at Neji and wore a surprised face since the question did not cross her mind at all. "Is he trustworthy enough?"
"His records are clean, aside from the small fight he got in back in his first year," answered Neji with a straight look. "I would repeat: rest assured that he will be behaving well. Again, he is not the kind who would engage in casual conversations. I may not know him too much, but it's mostly true."
Is it Shikamaru-kun? thought Hinata to herself.
"Are you perhaps avoiding bringing up his name?" asked Hiashi, now raising a brow at Neji. Hinata's and Hanabi's breath hitched.
"I have forgotten the first question asked, I apologize for that," said her cousin again, looking apologetic with his eyebrows curved. He cleared his throat and said, "It's Uchiha, uncle. From cousin's year."
Hinata almost choked on the piece of meat in her mouth. Thankfully, she grabbed on the nearest glass of water before anyone noticed. Though she was almost pretty certain Hanabi gave a glimpse but chose not to mind. And sometimes, she was really thankful for Hanabi's unmindful nature when it comes to small things.
"Ah, an Uchiha, a respectable family," muttered her father. "Then it's settled. If it does not burden the young man's schedules, then I would be more than grateful to leave Hinata by his hands."
"W-what?" asked Hinata, now with eyes widened. Both her cousin and her father gave her a confused look while Hanabi raised an eyebrow. To save herself, she just asked, "U-Uchiha-san?"
"Yes," confirmed Neji. "Uchiha Sasuke will be staying by. It turns out that his parents were away when the permission slips were given to us. Uzumaki was the one to apologize for Uchiha and was also the one who had explained why Uchiha couldn't come — though Uchiha already informed us, Uzumaki just continued to explain."
"Wow. That's a lot of words," commented Hanabi with a giggle, earning a glare from Neji which just made the youngest Hyuuga giggle more "So, this Uchiha. . .is he the son of Uchiha Fugaku? I know they study in KA, but I never realized that we have the opportunity to meet closely!"
"Yes, Fugaku, yes," confirmed Hiashi, sipping from his tea. "And lower down your voice, if you please."
"Really?" exclaimed Hanabi, completely ignoring her father's request with her eyes twinkling out of excitement. "Oh! I can't wait to meet him. Is his name Itachi? Hitachi? Or something close?"
Neji looked like he wouldn't say anything because his eyes were focused too much on the food. Even when Hanabi shot him looks as if she were asking for confirmation, their cousin was acting as if he cannot hear anything.
"I d-don't think that's his name," mumbled Hinata, only to save Hanabi from embarrassment with herself. "I think Neji-nii was talking about Uchiha Sasuke."
"Oh," her younger sister whispered. "I don't think I know him."
"You've probably seen him," said Neji after a while. "Uchiha is one of the most recognized in the team."
"Maybe I have," said Hanabi. The younger Hyuuga looked at Hinata and asked, "Do you know him?"
"I do?" The phrase came out more of a question than an answer. Hanabi raised her eyebrows at her sister as if she was surprised. "N-not much. J-just from the interview I n-needed to do last time. I d-doubt he knows me."
"He does," confirmed her cousin with a bland tone. "Surprisingly, he does."
The urge of asking about why Neji said that was bubbling inside Hinata. Although if she would ask, Neji would suspect something. Hinata did not think it would end well if he knew that Uchiha flirted with her on their first meeting, frustrated her in their second, and made her speechless in the most recent one.
Hinata would be lying if she said that she did not find Uchiha Sasuke interesting after the very few moments they had shared together. The first conversation was probably unforgettable, the second moment they had was something she did not want to go back to, and the most recent one was rather weird. All in all, Hinata was still debating whether she liked what was happening or not. Mostly: she didn't.
She was trying to hide it, but it was hard.
Uchiha Sasuke really caught her interest.
Maybe it was the fact that he paid attention to her in their first meeting. Now, now. . .Hinata was never the type to do something for attention. But then, it was one of the first times a guy showed interest in her that actually made her feel something.
"If I ask you out, will you go out with me?"
"If I ask you out, will you go out with me?"
"If I ask you out, will you go out with me?"
Whenever she remembered the question, her heart jumped. Not out of pure joy and not out of melancholy either. It was just. . .new to her.
"Enough of that," said their father before opening up another topic in which Hinata could not find amusing so she just quietly listened while both her cousin and her little sister spoke.
What happened at the dinner was a blur. Hinata could barely remember what they talked about after that. The only thing that stayed in her mind was when they were toasting for Neji, and it was just all odd. Neji and Hanabi kept shooting her looks. While Hanabi's were playful, Neji's were simply asking — not questioning. . .just asking.
It's no doubt that both her cousin and her little sister are a bit curious as to why she was spacing out.
And no, it was not like she wanted to be noticed. It was because she just could not think properly because of the Uchiha. He was still as confusing as ever.
A few hours after their dinner, Hinata was by her room, reading her textbooks ahead. She was too focused until she heard a knock on her door.
"Come in, Neji-nii," she spoke.
"How did you know it was me?" asked Neji once he opened the door and revealed himself. He stood by the door, his back against the wall and his arms crossed.
"It's way past H-Hanabi's bedtime," Hinata replied with her lips thinning. "Though she's still probably awake."
"Probably," mumbled her cousin. "I did hear her phone when I passed by her door. She left it open."
"You may take a seat."
"Thanks."
There was a pregnant pause which caused Hinata's heart to race. She should not be nervous around her cousin, right? But why was she nervous? Was it because she was afraid Neji would speak about Uchiha?
"About Uchiha. . ." spoke Neji as if on cue with her mind.
And for the first time in a while, Hinata groaned softly. This made Neji's eyes widen, and actually made her eyes widen more. They shot each other some surprised looks.
"That's the first time I ever heard you grunt in a while," said her cousin, settling his face into his normal look. "What was that all about?"
"I-" she started but ended up biting her lip. Hinata averted her eyes from her cousin before saying, "I d-don't know e-either."
Frustration is not something Hinata could easily shake away. Indeed, from time to time she would fight her demons and get on with it, but frustrations are her weakness. Uchiha Sasuke crossing her mind was already bothersome enough, but talking about him with her cousin — who was hot-headed — was something Hinata found borderline aggravating.
"I am not sure if I should ask you this, Hinata." The beginning of the sentence was already anxiety inducing, and when he spoke her name, it almost sent her over the edge. "But does Uchiha make you uncomfortable?"
When the silence engulfed, Hinata found herself just looking at her cousin. How could she answer that when Uchiha Sasuke was the reason she was uncomfortable but at the same time, she was actually missing him?
Admitting that to herself was a surprising thing.
"He doesn't," she replied after gaining a small bit of confidence that caused her to speak straight.
"Then why do you act fidgety when he's brought up?"
"I d-don't."
The older boy in front of her did not question more, but Hinata could feel that Neji already had suspicions. And if she was being honest: Hinata was not jittery or so. Maybe she had her mind settled with the thought that Uchiha had no effect on her — or at least that was what she wanted to show her cousin.
"Then would you mind showing me your schedule?" he asked, cocking his brow. Hinata reached for the piece of paper in one of her folders and gave it to Neji which he just captured with his phone. "Now that I've got your schedule, I'm going out now."
"Sure," she replied. Before Neji completely shut the door off, she said, "Goodnight, Neji-nii."
"Goodnight."
And the whole night, Hinata wondered about what would happen tomorrow with the Uchiha. After all, Uchiha Sasuke did a lot of weird schemes in their first meeting — which is not bad or inappropriate. But then, after that, he no longer did anything that made her feel foreign.
If there was anything that Uchiha Sasuke did after their first meeting that she hated, it was the fact that he did not show her the same interest he did the first time around.
Then again, maybe it's just her.
She did not hate him for that. It was a different kind of hanging by a thread, but she did not hate him for it. It could be her fault that she thought he was giving her some motives when in reality, it was just normal for Uchiha Sasuke to flirt with girls.
Was it, though?
The cheerleading captain, Yamanaka Ino was someone who kept pining after the same Uchiha who got her all caught up. Ino was beautiful, so why did Sasuke keep ignoring her? The same goes for the basketball team's medic, Haruno Sakura.
And maybe. . .just maybe. . .Hinata thought. . .that Sasuke did the same thing to them. Maybe that was what Sasuke did. He showed some interests and motives, and after that, he left them hanging.
Just like what he did to her.
Thankfully though, Hinata only had a small fondness on the Uchiha — mainly because of the small attention he gave her that silent Saturday night — so she was still far from falling head over heels over him.
When her eyes landed on the clock, Hinata was surprised to see that it's already 2am.
"Th-this is bad," she murmured to herself, even stuttering because of the fact that she was anxious.
And the boy who was the reason for her lack of sleep would be the same boy who would watch over her tomorrow. Sometimes she just wished her cousin wasn't that protective.
The fact that Uchiha Sasuke never crossed her mind before but came barging in her life was a thunderstrike. And here she thought he did not affect her much.
Hinata rarely said curses, but when she did, she meant it.
"Darn this."
Sasuke would be lying if he said he did not find the conversation with Hyuuga Neji a few moments ago funny. Although he would never really laugh out loud because that would be embarrassing especially for someone like him.
After he had done his refreshments for the night, the Uchiha found himself by his bedroom, looking at the empty ceiling that once had designs of adhesive glow in the dark stickers. His hand was resting on his forehead while the other one was atop his stomach.
He did not know why he was nervous, he just was.
"I'll be watching over you tomorrow," he said to no one in particular. "I don't know if I'm excited or not. I should be."
When their captain asked for a favor, Sasuke found it odd, but understood well why he did that. Yet, the idea just wasn't as appealing as he thought it was when he was talking to Hyuuga Neji now that he was alone.
Maybe it's because of the house?
Sasuke shut his eyes tightly, even finding a hard time to relax. He rubbed his hands in his face, finding it hard to make himself better. The emptiness of his house was no better solution to the void that suddenly attacked him.
He reached for his phone and dialed his blond-of-a-best-friend. After a few rings, the Uzumaki answered.
"Yello!" greeted Naruto from the other side of the line. "I'm taking a shit, who's this?"
"Disgusting stupid son of a — you don't have to say that," muttered Sasuke, now shutting his eyes even tighter that he did before. When he heard his best friend over the line chuckle, Sasuke continued, "Where are you?"
"Uh. . .pooping?"
"No, I meant *where* are you? With the principal or with Jira—"
"Ah! In my apartment, why?"
"Can I stay there for the night?" he asked.
"Yeah sure. You gonna walk your way here?" asked Naruto. He heard a what seems like the bidet and a small amount of noise which seemed like bottles of shampoos and toiletries bumping onto one another before Naruto asked again, "You already ate?"
"Yeah, I ate earlier," he answered with a lie since he did not want to bother the maids into cooking him a meal earlier. "Yeah, I'll probably walk."
"Nice!" complimented the blond. "I'll leave the door unlocked so just barge in."
"Got it."
Bringing his school bag with him and a few necessities, Sasuke did not bother to bid goodbye at any of the maids. He held a frown when one even tried to sweep especially in front of him, but he did not open his mouth to say a remark that would only make them hate him more.
Naruto's apartment was not far from their home, but that was not the reason why he chose to sleep at the blond's room. Uzumaki would understand though, he always did. Even when Naruto didn't, he still tried.
When Sasuke passed by some of the convenient stores, Sasuke bought eight packs of instant ramen. Knowing the blond, he probably would have a lot of stock in his home, but Sasuke did not want to be a bother. Sasuke even got himself a ready-to-cook marinated chicken if ever he gets hungry at the blond's residence, and of course he bought one for Naruto, too.
Upon arriving in his friend's pad, as expected, Sasuke opened the door and dropped himself on the couch.
"Yo!" greeted Naruto who was busy playing something in his phone. He flashed Sasuke a smile before putting his whole attention to his phone. "What's with the long face?"
"I'd like to believe it's my hair that makes my face long," muttered Sasuke before looking at his own phone. He got one missed call from his mother around four minutes before he got to Naruto's apartment.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say," the blond mumbled. "Whatcha wanna do?"
"Sleep."
"Yeah right," said Naruto with a chuckle. "Wanna play with me? Got a new game. They mixed magic with guns. Weird concept, but amazing visuals."
"Not my thing," said Sasuke. "Play all you want."
"Ey what seems to be the problemo?" asked Naruto, raising a brow before looking back at his phone. "Uchiha Sasuke saying no to a new game? Sheesh."
"Just not in the mood," Sasuke muttered, reaching for his bag, and opening it. He started to throw the packs at Naruto. "Here."
"Sweet!" exclaimed his friend with a bright smile. The blond showed his screen to Sasuke. In it, VICTORY was written. "And that's how you carry a whole ass team."
His friend set his phone aside and picked up the packs on instant ramen around. The blond wore a bright ecstatic smile — much different with Sasuke's blank face.
"Say you've eaten, no?" asked Naruto.
"Hn," said Sasuke with a small nod.
"Nonsense. You didn't."
The Uchiha fought back the amused smile that started to evade his face. Uzumaki may be an idiot, but he was someone that easily cheered up Sasuke given the right situation.
"I ain't hungry," he admitted. Bringing out the ready-to-cook chicken legs from his bag, he continued. "But I bought us these. For breakfast, tomorrow."
"Oh right, it isn't Saturday," said Naruto with a small huff of amusement. "Got used to seeing you here at a Saturday night. I totally forgot I needed to sleep early for tonight."
"Of course, you did," muttered Sasuke. Naruto disappeared shortly to put the chicken in his small fridge before coming back to the picture with his usual bright smile. "You left early today."
It was Sasuke's way of pointing out that Naruto left him even though he was not supposed to. They walk home together, and it pissed him off whenever Naruto goes home earlier than him.
"You meant at the gym?" asked Naruto, raising a brow. "Ah yeah. I needed to go the library. Turns out I had the penalty for not returning the book I initially borrowed for the art class with Yamato-sensei. When I got back to the gym, you already got off."
"You saw Hyuuga, then?"
"Capt? Yeah," he answered. "Tried to greet him, but he brushed me off."
"The usual," muttered Sasuke with a frown.
"Anyway, is that him calling you right now?" asked Naruto, pointing his finger at the phone that was resting on one of the pillows in his couch. Naruto read the caller's name out loud. "Glaring-bastard."
When the call ended, Sasuke tried his best to not laugh at Naruto's reaction.
Sasuke checked on his phone and found out that he had another missed call from his mother and two missed calls from an unknown number. And then the glaring bastard already called four times.
Not long after the last unanswered call, their captain called again.
Naruto was the one who was holding Sasuke's phone, so he was the first one to see that Neji was calling. As an immediate reaction, the Uzumaki laughed. The blond's laugh was irritating, so Sasuke immediately shushed him before answering the phone.
"I've been calling you for three calls straight," said the Hyuuga. "Where have you been?"
Demanding as always. At least Sasuke was educated enough to not do that. The Uchiha could only roll his eyes.
"None of your business," answered Sasuke.
"Fine," said their captain, obviously glaring at his wall or something like that. If Sasuke wasn't serious, he would have laughed at his imagination. "I got my cousin's schedule. I've sent them to you. I thought you're purposely ignoring my calls, so I asked my Uncle to call you."
Uncle. Probably Hyuuga Hinata's father.
Sasuke smirked.
After feeling a little bit off earlier, he now felt a little bit energized. Sasuke felt much better than he did before, although he did not know why.
"That's all you gotta say?" asked Sasuke, doing his best not to glance at the blond who was still a bit red because of laughing. "No more? Then bye."
"Wait!" exclaimed the captain on the other line. After a small pause, Neji continued in a blank tone, "Watch over her. That's all I am asking of you. Buy her a bottle of water in case she runs out and carry it with you. If she passes out, fan her but give her some space. She carries this salve with her and if she does pass out, apply some on her temples. Ask a girl nearby to put some on her diaphragm area. Bring her to the clinic immediately."
"Pass out?" Sasuke asked, now feeling a little bit worried. "Why?"
"It has been happening more frequent now that the weather is unpredictable," murmured the Hyuuga over the line. "That's all I ask of you. I promise I will be in debt to you."
Without ending the conversation with a proper farewell, Sasuke ended the call and tossed his phone. Drifting his eyes onto where his friend was earlier, the Uzumaki was nowhere to be seen. Sasuke knew that the blond was by the kitchen since he could hear several clanking utensils.
After a while, Naruto came back to the frame with two bowls of instant ramen in hand. He handed the other one to Sasuke.
"How's capt?"
"How would I know?" asked Sasuke, using his chopsticks to mix the unmixed seasonings carefully.
"Because you were talking to him? Bastard. You should've asked him how he was. It's basic calling etiquette." The light-haired boy clicked his tongue, irritating Sasuke. "Why's he talking to you anyway?"
"Basic calling etiquette my ass. Is it a part of that made-up thing to tell your friend you're in the washroom as a way of greeting," mumbled Sasuke underneath his breath, even rolling his eyes at his friend. "There's no such thing."
"Yeah, I just made it up but whatever," the Uzumaki commented, chuckling a bit. "So? Why's Captain Neji calling you? Any trouble you've been in lately without me?"
"No."
"Or maybe it's because you won't join the game with Suna, huh?"
"No."
"Oh, I know! You asked him if you could spend the night in their house!"
"What?" asked Sasuke, raising a brow at his friend. "Why the hell would I do that?"
"Then why?" asked Naruto, crossing his arms at him. "I'm just curious, 'ya know? It's not like I'll spread gossip about it tomorrow. Besides, I don't wanna ask Capt about it. Who knows? Maybe I could destroy his game unknowingly. I tend to do that — with you, mostly."
"It's nothing," muttered the Uchiha. "He's asking for a favor, that's it."
"A favor about?"
"His cousin," answered Sasuke, not caring anymore. After all, it's just a favor. "The journalist."
"Hinata-chan?" asked the blond.
Sasuke's ear perched up at that. Yes, they have already met. Hyuuga and Uzumaki met. They already had decent conversations, and even bonded in the journalism club's office. But was that enough to call the Hyuuga that way?
As an answer, Sasuke just nodded.
After that, Sasuke just shook everything off. Never minding the blond most of the time, Sasuke felt frustrated. He did not really know why, but he was certain that it had something to do with the Hyuugas.
Not just Neji, but also Hinata.
"Your day is that bad?" asked Naruto once he was laying comfortably in the Uzumaki's couch with a blanket draping over him.
"What?" he asked.
"I already knew you had a bad day, but I didn't know it would be this bad," Naruto answered with a small shrug.
"What?" Sasuke asked again, now his voice rising.
"You had a bad day, right?" asked Naruto, giving him a small glance before putting his phone in a landscape mode. "Otherwise, you wouldn't come here without an early notice. Is it your parents?"
Thinking about it, Sasuke did not have a bad day. He spent the day with the team. He even caught a glimpse of Hyuuga Hinata walking by the cafeteria shyly since she kept pulling her skirt downwards. It was an adorable sight.
And then he had this conversation with their captain about having to watch over the same Hyuuga he was almost certain he liked. Then he came home.
But why was he feeling shitty? Not only that, but Naruto also noticed this.
"I didn't," he answered truthfully about the part where Naruto asked if he had a bad day. "My day wasn't anything bad."
Sasuke was even excited when he knew about having to watch over the Hyuuga and that actually cheered him up even though he was not feeling any gloom or anything. Then again, why was he feeling frustrated?
"So why are you looking a bit bland?" asked Naruto.
"I've always been bland."
"Nah, I know, but you're kinda pale, 'ya know?" said Naruto, now playing a game in his phone. "Like you're in a foul mood, but much worse since you're not snapping at me or anything."
"I don't snap at you, loser." Sasuke frowned at his friend.
"Yeah, I know, bastard," said his friend, nodding, even. "It's your normal way of living. All jokes aside, you wanna talk about it?"
It was not the first time Naruto asked that question. Whenever he had a fight with his parents, Naruto would ask the question. Most of the time, whenever he was in a shitty mood, the Uzumaki would ask the same question. He would answer rarely. Sasuke never really liked opening up, but sometimes he did — especially if it was Naruto.
Although, most of the time, he would mix some lies or rendered truths to his statements but would still open majority what he's feeling up to Naruto. Today was no different.
"So?" asked Naruto.
"I don't know," muttered Sasuke. "Didn't really feel this way until I got home."
"Maybe it's the environment that affected you," commented the blond. "Your house is too quiet, 'ya know? It's like that sometimes."
Sasuke didn't get what Naruto said, but he was not going to say that. He was never going to admit that. Instead, Sasuke got his phone and started to look at the unread texts he got from several people.
"I remember that one time I streamed and Sakura-chan watched." Sasuke didn't like listening to Naruto when it comes to girls, but he still listened since there was nothing else to do. "I got so excited, 'ya know? I was very jumpy again and whatever. When the stream ended, I realized I was alone in this house and got no one to share my excitement with. And the mood just flowed to the drain."
It took Sasuke back to the time when Naruto broke the news about Sakura watching his stream to him. Slowly, he felt sorry for treating Naruto like it was not a big deal. He now understood.
Sasuke then had a deep thought about it. Before he arrived at their home, he was feeling unwell because he thought Naruto left him to come home early but still felt fine because of the news with Hyuuga Hinata. His mood wasn't uplifted when he got home since it was all quiet. Even with the maids rushing around, they never really talked to Sasuke.
The Uzumaki still kept on talking, but Sasuke's mind was too clouded now. He could only hear bits of it, but he lost his care for now.
He still did not know if he was excited for what would happen tomorrow or the next day with the Hyuuga. But then again, Sasuke was thankful that he was not nervous. Maybe he was just low-key anxious that it would not go well.
"Enough of that!" Naruto suddenly said, almost making Sasuke flinch. "How 'bout you?"
"What about me?" asked Sasuke, cocking a brow.
"What do you want me to buy you while I'm in Suna?" asked Naruto. "I overheard Ino-chan asking Choji and Shikamaru to buy her a cactus — or something."
"'That so?" asked Sasuke, raising a brow. "Don't bother. I'll have something for me next time."
"Eh? Okay," murmured Naruto onto the pillow he was holding. "I'll buy something for Sakura-chan. What d'ya think —"
"Dunno about girls, buy her a cactus like what Ina asked," muttered Sasuke.
It was not because he did not like the pink haired medic of theirs, but it was because he was irritated with the way she kept pushing herself onto him. That was why the Uchiha did not want to open any conversations about her. And with Naruto at that, knowing the blond: he would just go on and on about the girl. Though Sasuke did not hate the girl, he just hated it when some people couldn't read the room.
"It's actually Ino, and hey, at least try to remember her name." Naruto pouted. "She likes you. In fact. . .uh. . .they both do but whatever."
And if Sasuke did not like their medic, Ino was no different. Sasuke found the both of them annoying. They fight about simple things especially when the team is practicing by the school gymnasium. Sasuke most definitely hated the fact that no matter where he goes as a player, both of the annoying bright haired girls were there.
An idea crossed his mind.
"On second thought. . ." started Sasuke, facing Naruto. "Buy me a souvenir with Suna's name on it. Anything. Just buy me anything."
"Why? You're going to tell Fugaku-san you went to the games, aren't you?" asked Naruto, smirking. "I'm telling ya. One day, they'll know."
"Their fault then," muttered Sasuke, not entirely agreeing at whatever Naruto was saying. "They're at fault. I've already talked to them about it before they went on their way."
"Now you sound like a child," said the blond in which Sasuke did not even try to counter.
The night went on. With Naruto playing games almost endlessly and Sasuke clicking on random channels on Naruto's television.
At 11 o'clock, Naruto went straight to bed because he still had to travel tomorrow with the team while Sasuke tried to sleep.
It was impossible since he kept trying to push away the thoughts about what would happen tomorrow. He still did not want to think about it. He tried not to imagine anything. After all, it could possibly worsen tomorrow's encounters.
What sucked was that when their team captain asked him for a favor regarding Hinata, he was excited. Not just that, but ecstatic — not an adjective he could easily use to describe what he was feeling. And now. . .Sasuke was nowhere near excited.
If he were being honest, he was actually not looking forward to it.
Sasuke did not know just how long he was staring at the ceiling. It frustrated him up to no end how he could not sleep. It was past 12 when he got over to Naruto's bed to see if the blond was still awake, unfortunately the Uzumaki was sleeping soundly.
"Fuck this," he muttered.
He scanned for his phone and looked at the messages. His phone was on silent mode — like most of the time except when he was not expecting any calls nor messages — so when he looked at the lockscreen, it almost made him smirk at how many unanswered calls there were. Most of them were from his mother.
The texts from the glaring bastard were long, but Sasuke decided to read them all since there were instructions of what he should do tomorrow and the next day.
"I'll read them, but who said I'll be following it all?" asked Sasuke with a grin once his eyes landed on the first sentence of the third message which was 'Keep your distance at 5 feet in diameter'.
He continued to read. Most of them were just about how he should watch over her as she walked on the hallways, or if she skipped meals Neji 'asked' that maybe Sasuke could talk to her or just send him a message to say the least. While his mind was not fully registering it all, at least he had some ideas.
The demanding messages were irritating, but Sasuke knew that it was because the glaring Hyuuga was genuinely concerned for the gorgeous Hyuuga. And if he was a cousin to someone that pretty, he knew he would be as hysterical as the Hyuuga.
Sasuke wondered if Neji is like that with the younger Hyuuga which was Hanabi. That was her name, right? Fireworks.
"Fuck. I'm not watching them both, am I?" asked Sasuke, now alarmed. His eyes scanned the messages, looking for a sign where there were words about the younger Hyuuga. Once he realized there weren't, he closed his eyes and muttered, "Oh, thank whatever deity blessed me."
Once he had finished reading all Hyuuga's reminders, he went straight ahead to Naruto's room. The blond was still sleeping soundly. Sasuke got nothing to do so when his eyes landed on Naruto's traveling bag, he just couldn't help but sigh.
At least he's got something to do for now.
With all the noise coming from him, Naruto was still asleep. The snores the blond made were very disturbing, and sometimes they were louder than they were before. It almost worried Sasuke because he knew what a sleep apnea was, but the blond seemed fine, so he just shrugged it off.
Without noticing it, it was already morning. . .and Sasuke didn't sleep.
He already cooked their breakfast and had already prepped a cup of milk for Naruto while a cup of coffee for him.
"Morning," muttered the blond who just woke up. He scratched his eyes and asked, "Hey mom, what's for breakfast?"
"Shut up, loser," mumbled Sasuke, tossing him a plastic plate. "Help yourself."
"Wow you look awful," commented Naruto once his eyes landed on the Uchiha. "The bags under your eyes are very dark. Oh, and your eyes are re—"
"You don't need to make a commentary on what I look like," he mumbled. "I know I look like shit, so just shut up and eat your breakfast."
"Didn't sleep?"
"Hn," he answered with a slight nod before taking a bite out of his chicken.
"Figures," muttered Naruto. "What the hell happened yesterday?"
"I already told you last night," muttered Sasuke, not feeling anything aside from pure agony from his lack of sleep. "I just couldn't sleep, no go eat your damn breakfast and give me a break."
Naruto ate his food soundly, grunting and letting of noises of satisfaction every once in a while, which only irritated Sasuke. He never said anything against the blond though, the Uchiha was used to it. As he drank his coffee, he had his eyes on the windows — just watching the very familiar scenery, but it was still dark, and it was only the moonlight that gave light.
When his friend finished eating, Sasuke did, too.
"Oh yeah, I'll be packing my things now," said Naruto with a yawn trailing at the end. "I guess I forgot to do it last night."
"I already packed for you, loser," said Sasuke, rolling his eyes.
"You did?"
"I said that, didn't I?" he asked back.
"Thanks!" shouted Naruto, balling his fist in the air. "You really love me!"
"Fuck off."
Both did their morning rituals while Naruto spent most of his time talking. Sasuke was too tired to even pick up most of his words. It was too early for him, but they had to be early for the games — although it was only Naruto who needed to attend, Sasuke would still need to be early.
*Will the glaring bastard bring his cousin early too?* he asked himself, completely wondering. He considered both the possibilities that Hyuuga Hinata would go together with her cousin and that their demanding captain would go without her. And truthfully, Sasuke did not really know the Hyuugas that much to try and guess or anything.
Even when he was in the shower, Sasuke had a hard time thinking of what might happen. For some reasons, he had a small voice inside of him telling him the day would go bad.
Despite having coffee in the morning, Sasuke still felt tired. The caffeine obviously still hadn't sunk in. The blond talked all morning, Sasuke however, barely listened. He would be conserving his energy the whole day. . .and he would have to watch over Hyuuga Hinata.
This would not go well.
