A/N: Surprise! Happy holidays to everyone! As my gift, here's chapter 14!
Hmmm. Nope! Still don't own Naruto.
Chapter XIV: Cherry, Mint, Green Tea, and Cinnamon
Sakura's shift at the hospital had been surprisingly uneventful. Tsunade was preoccupied with Hokage business, and Shizune relayed the message that she wouldn't be able to train with her that day. It was disheartening, but Sakura understood. She was just gathering her things when she ran into Haku, who was also finishing up for the day.
"How'd your shift go, Haku?" She asked, slinging her bag over her shoulder.
Haku gathered his own effects into his rucksack. "It was alright. There were a couple of prospective academy students that needed checkups, so I helped with those. A few workers came in with fatigue, but I guess that's to be expected with the ongoing construction. Are you heading straight home?"
"I was going to train with Lady Tsunade, but Shizune said she's busy. Plus, Ino doesn't get done until later. Her dad is really showing her the ropes over at T&I." An idea popped into her head. "Hey, are you doing anything?"
Haku hummed as the two medics started making their way out. "Nothing in particular, why?"
"You wanna go train?"
The coal-haired medic pondered the question as they stepped into the open air. "Sure, what do you want to work on?"
A smile spread across Sakura's face. "I'll tell you when we get there. Meet me at Training Ground 7 in an hour. See you!" With that, she rushed home to get ready.
By the time Haku arrived at the training ground, Sakura was already doing stretches to limber up. They had both changed into their ninja gear, and Sakura noted how similar Haku's looked to what he wore when they first met.
She flashed him a smile. "Thanks for coming."
"It's no problem. I'm glad to help," he replied, returning the smile. "So, what did you want to work on?" He asked, beginning his own stretches.
Sakura rolled her shoulders. "Well, you know how we worked on Makyō Hyōshō?"
"Of course. You improved quite a bit after we drilled it."
"Well, I was thinking; what if we made it collaborative somehow?"
Haku paused mid-lunge, straightening himself. "Collaborative? How, exactly?"
Sakura clapped her hands together. "More mirrors, and both of us in the dome."
Haku's brow furrowed as he brought a hand to his chin, thinking over her proposal. Makyō Hyōshō was already a powerful jutsu on its own, but he wondered what the benefits of adding a second person with more mirrors would be. There would need to be precise coordination, to be certain. Especially given the risk of colliding with one-another during transitions from one mirror to the next.
However, being able to double the number of possible strikes was the key benefit that including another person would add. In the past, he was limited to senbon and ice needles. If he could work up Sakura's speed, she might be able to land chakra-enhanced punches to stagger the target even further. He trusted Sakura and her abilities, so he figured it would be worth a shot.
Haku turned his attention back to the pink-haired kunoichi, who had an expectant look on her face. "You know, that's not a bad idea. Let's see if we can't do something to make it collaborative."
Sakura couldn't help but squeak. "Great! Let's get started!"
The two medics sat on the ground across from each other, groaning as they nursed various bruises on their shoulders, arms, and legs; as well as the bumps forming on their heads. They had tried and failed multiple times to work collaboratively on Makyō Hyōshō, resulting in collisions galore. It was lucky that there were no senbon thrown yet, lest one of them end up as a pin cushion.
"Well that…happened," Haku said lamely, healing one of the larger bruises on his arm.
Sakura let herself fall onto her back, reaching for the sky. "I thought it would work better than…whatever that was." She sat up, an apologetic look on her face. "I'm so sorry I ran into you so many times. I thought I was quicker than that."
Haku shook his head. "It's less a speed thing and more a coordination thing. We're so used to doing the jutsu by ourselves that adding a second person in threw us off." He finished healing the worst of his bruises, wincing slightly as he forced his body to heal more rapidly.
"Well, how can we fix it? I want to refine it to where we'll be able to use it at some point," Sakura said, pulling her knees to her chest.
Haku sat cross-legged, planting an elbow on his knee and resting his chin in his palm. He hummed, drumming his fingers against his top lip. He sat up, shrugging and letting his hands rest on his knees. "You know, I think the problem was we were trying to both jump mirrors at the same time."
Sakura tilted her head, her bubblegum pink locks following suit. She considered his theory for a moment before nodding slowly. "You know, that makes sense. I think we have to time it. One person can't go until the other does."
"That sounds solid," Haku agreed, rising to his feet. "Here's what I think: I lead it off, then you move and strike. That way it's an alternation between light, disorienting strikes and heavy hitters. Do you think you could land chakra-enhanced punches at that speed?"
The kunoichi followed suit and stood up, shrugging. "I don't see why not. What should we use as target practice?"
Haku answered by creating a water clone.
Sakura nodded before slapping a hand over her fist. "Alright. Let's do this. Ready?"
Haku gave a firm nod.
The two ice users placed themselves equidistant from their target before molding chakra. The temperature of the air surrounding them dropped to freezing as they brought their hands up into the unique hand seal.
"Hijutsu: Makyō Hyōshō," they said in unison.
Not a second later, a dome made of floating sheets of ice materialized around the water clone. Haku and Sakura each stepped into a sheet of ice, causing their image to appear on each sheet, like mirrors.
"Remember: move after me," Haku instructed. Sakura gave a small nod.
Haku sent a senbon flying towards the water clone. An instant later, Sakura flew from her mirror to the one across from it, delivering a right hook to the clone along the way. Haku followed up with another senbon. Sakura moved to a new mirror, landing another blow. The cycle repeated over and over at blinding speed until the clone melted into a puddle from the damage it received.
The two ice users stepped out of the mirrors, each breathing deeply to steady their racing hearts. The ice mirrors melted, becoming a large puddle. They carefully sat down, feeling the exhaustion that came with successfully performing the jutsu.
"I'd call that a success," Haku panted.
Sakura wiped the sweat from her brow. "I think so, too," she called back before heaving a sigh. "Jeez, was it always this tiring for you?"
Haku hummed as he took a drink from his water bottle. "It used to be slightly more tiring when I was younger. Training and building up my chakra reserves made it easier."
Sakura did the same, the cool water bringing sweet relief to her dry mouth. "That makes sense. Was my speed better that time?"
"Yes. Though, it was still slower than senbon needles. But I suppose that's to be expected, since punches are naturally slower, especially with that much power behind them."
Sakura's brow furrowed as she cast a glare at him. "You're not saying what I think you're saying, are you?" Surely, Haku couldn't be trying to say that her strength was monstrous, as Naruto had done more times than she cared for.
Haku raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Not at all! Just that punches are naturally slower, since you're moving more of your arm as opposed to when you throw a senbon."
The pink-haired kunoichi's irritation was sated by her friend's explanation, which made him inwardly sigh in relief. He'd never been on the receiving end of Sakura's temper, but he'd heard stories from Naruto, which was enough to keep him on his toes. Haku stood up, stretching his arms.
"Normally I'd say we should spar, but I feel spent after that last jutsu," he said as he gathered up his senbon.
Sakura hummed in agreement. "Yeah, I guess we should call it a day? I should probably go talk to Lady Tsunade about some stuff, too."
"Alright then. Well, good work today, Sakura. See you tomorrow," Haku said, smiling warmly.
Sakura returned the smile and headed off to the Hokage tower. "See you Haku!"
Sasuke sipped on his green tea, a plate of skipjack onigiri sitting in front of him. The Jasmine Dragon was quiet at this hour, since most people went to other restaurants for early dinner. His training session with Yūgao was especially intense, and his arms were sore enough to vouch for that. He would have helped Naruto with his lightning Rasengan, but the blond noticed he was especially worn out, and reassured Sasuke that he'd be alright. Sasuke was secretly glad Naruto didn't need his help today.
The tea was relaxing, the onigiri delicious, and the atmosphere was picturesque. Hiro took pride in his lotus flowers and the simple beauty they had. He claimed that they added just the right touch of class to the quaint tea shop.
Sasuke was enjoying another sip of his tea when he spotted something that nearly made him spit it out: a head of long, dark blue hair belonging to Hinata Hyūga. Small fires broke out on Sasuke's cheeks and ears as his heart skipped a few beats. He nearly keeled over when their eyes met, and she glided towards him. Sasuke fought to stay conscious as she sat down across from him, that kind, warm smile adorning her doll-like face.
Sasuke swallowed hard as he willed his cheeks to calm themselves, though his ears ignored him. He cleared his throat quietly as he fumbled through his words. "G-good evening, Hinata."
"Good evening, Sasuke. How have things been going?" She asked in an almost singsong manner.
"They're good. J-just training a lot, helping Naruto out with stuff."
Her smile faltered slightly at the mention of her crush, her cheeks turning a light pink. "Oh, I see. Um. Is…he doing alright?"
Sasuke set down his teacup, giving a small nod. "He's fine. He's been doing a lot of training recently." He glanced up and met Hinata's lavender eyes. "What about you? How have you been doing?"
Kozu arrived with Hinata's order: green tea and a jumbo cinnamon roll. She thanked him and offered her gratitude before having a sip of tea. "I've been alright. I've also been doing a lot of training. Though, a lot of it has been on my own." She finished on a slightly dejected note before digging into her cinnamon roll.
Sasuke tilted his head slightly. "Neither Neji nor Lord Hiashi have helped you at all?"
Hinata let out a sigh. "No. Neji has been busy, and father…well…h-he's been helping Hanabi more."
The Uchiha frowned before taking a bite of an onigiri. He eyed the large, icing-glazed confection that Hinata ordered. "That's a cinnamon roll?"
She nodded happily. "They're my absolute favorite! Have you ever had them?"
Sasuke hummed as he chewed on another bite of onigiri. "I can't say I have." He didn't want to deflate her enthusiasm with his aversion to sweet things. "I don't usually order dessert here."
"Oh! Would you like to try some of mine? There's plenty to share, so don't worry," she chirped as she tore a small piece off.
Sasuke eyed the morsel, noting that it had a small amount of icing on it. He was never one for sweets, and although he didn't abhor it, cinnamon wasn't his favorite spice. Despite the protests from the voice in the back of his head, he reached and took the piece from Hinata. "Sure. Thanks, Hinata." His own voice sounded far off, and the protests from his inner monologue had turned into a string of shouted curses and insults.
The icing, as expected, was cloyingly sweet; Sasuke fought to keep his expression neutral. However, the cinnamon and sugar that coated the inside of the flaky pastry was surprisingly well-balanced. The cinnamon brought a nice warmth, while the sugar merely brought sweet undertones. The pastry wasn't too dense and served as a tasty vessel for the cinnamon and sugar mixture. He chewed pensively as Hinata watched with her characteristic smile. Sasuke fought to keep his cheeks from turning pink as he caught sight of that smile he adored.
After a moment, he found his voice. "That's…actually pretty good," he conceded. He surprised himself with how much he enjoyed it. 'Huh. That really wasn't too bad. I normally don't like sweets but, that was good. Maybe it's because it wasn't too sweet. That, or I didn't get too much of that icing.' He took a sip of tea, still stuck on the fact that he had eaten something sweet and not gagged. He was brought out of his thoughts by Hinata's giggle, ringing like a small bell.
"Do you not really like sweets?"
Sasuke shook his head meekly. "Not since I was younger. My mom tried giving me sweets, but I would take one bite and leave the rest." He scratched his cheek, a sheepish expression painting his features. "Come to think of it, that was pretty rotten of me."
Her soft giggle rang out once more. "Well, you were still little, so I think it's forgivable."
He shrugged as he took another bite of his onigiri. The sight of Hinata tucking into a cinnamon roll that was almost the size of a small melon was unexpected, to say the least. Sasuke decided to delve a little deeper. For all he knew about her position as a member of the main Hyūga family, he didn't know much about her personality. All he knew was that she was soft-spoken, shy, not very sure of herself, and turned into a puddle whenever Naruto was around. She also tended to fidget with her fingers often.
"I'm guessing you like sweets?" Sasuke cringed at how obvious his question was.
"Sweets are one of my favorite things." She took a sip of tea.
Sasuke hummed. "What sort of sweets do you like?"
"Well, all kinds, really; dango, mochi, sweet red bean soup. Cinnamon rolls and sweet bean jam are two of my favorites, though."
"That why you come here?"
"Well, yes and no. When I had the dango the first time we came here, I thought it was delicious. I usually get cinnamon rolls from the bakery, but when I saw they had some here, I just had to try them. I asked Mr. Hiro who makes them, and apparently Asuka is the one who makes the cinnamon rolls." She gestured to the onigiri in Sasuke's hand. "Kozu makes the onigiri."
Sasuke hummed as he chewed, eyeing the savory parcel in his hand. "You come here often, then?"
Hinata shrunk slightly, her porcelain cheeks dusted with light pink. "I…well, the tea is good. The food is delicious, and it's relaxing."
He simply nodded, satisfied with her answer. The two continued to eat quietly, both trying to find something to talk about. Hinata's silence and fidgeting made it clear that she didn't want to be rude and ask him something too personal, or ask too many questions about Naruto. Sasuke fought his nerves while also trying to come up with a conversation topic that wouldn't lead to a dead end.
Sasuke took another sip of tea before he found his voice again. "Do you really do most of your training by yourself?"
Hinata stiffened slightly before giving a meek nod, her voice quiet. "Neji is usually busy now that he's a jōnin; he never says what he's up to, though. I used to train with him a lot. Father would watch us when we did, but…now…"
Sasuke let out a sigh, setting his teacup down gently. "I know how you feel."
Hinata snapped her lavender gaze to the Uchiha. "Y-you do?"
He nodded. "When I was younger, my dad used to train my brother tirelessly. He trained me some, but never really to the same extent he did with my brother. I would ask my brother to train me, and he used to promise that he would. But every time I asked him, he just used to tell me he would train me another time." He took a deep breath, a far-off look in his eyes. Hinata stared at him as he continued. "I wound up doing a lot of my training by myself. Naruto and I only recently started sparring more intensely together, what with our training trips and such." He shook his head, snapping himself out of his reminiscing.
Hinata spoke quietly. "I had no idea you trained so much by yourself. I always thought you and Naruto trained together even before all of this happened." Her voice dropped to just above a whisper. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, Sasuke."
He huffed good-naturedly. "Don't be. It made me stronger and brought me and Naruto closer." Sasuke's onyx eyes were full of resolution as he met Hinata's lavender ones. "You're strong. I still remember the fight you put up during the Chūnin Exams. Hell, I even heard about how you took on Pain." Hinata stiffened at the mention of her most recent endeavor. "And even if you train by yourself, you're not alone. You have your team and your friends."
Hinata's eyes widened, a light pink blush adorning her cheeks. In that moment, Hinata swore Sasuke sounded just like Naruto. But something about how his circumstances were similar to hers struck a chord within the Hyūga princess. He, too, was from a prominent clan, and had been overlooked in favor of an older sibling. She'd heard that Itachi was a prodigy, same as Neji. She could tell that Sasuke counted her among his friends, despite the fact they didn't talk much.
"Th-thank you, S-Sasuke," she stammered.
Sasuke realized what he said, and once again fought to keep his cheeks from turning tomato red. "Y-you're welcome, Hinata."
Hinata regained her composure and set her teacup on her now cleaned plate. "I should probably get going. Father is expecting me home soon. Thank you for talking with me, Sasuke." She finished with that sickeningly sweet smile of hers.
Sasuke returned her smile with one of his own. "Yeah, of course. It was nice catching up with you."
With that, they bade each other goodnight and returned to their respective abodes. Sasuke had found a new appreciation for cinnamon rolls.
Sasuke returned to the apartment to find Naruto inhaling a cup of instant ramen. The blond turned, noodles hanging from his mouth, and offered a muffled greeting. Sasuke grimaced at the all too familiar sight.
"Yo. Don't talk with your mouth full, either, brainless," he quipped.
Naruto swallowed the noodles. "Sorry, mom. Where were you, anyway?"
"Having some tea," Sasuke replied plainly.
"Don't we have tea here?"
"I went to The Jasmine Dragon."
"Oh, fancy. How was it?"
Sasuke shrugged as he put a kettle of water on to boil and retrieved his own ramen cup. The onigiri were good, but he was still feeling hungry. "It was good. You know Hiro makes a damned good cup of tea." He paused, choosing his next words as he felt his ears heat up. "I ran into Hinata, actually."
Naruto slurped up more noodles before cooing. "Really? How'd it go? Did you pass out?"
Sasuke snorted as the water boiled. "You wish. It actually went okay. We talked about stuff. How her training is going. Ya know, small talk." He brought his ramen cup to the table and sat, offering thanks for the food before digging in. "Oh yeah, she got me to try a cinnamon roll, too," he remarked nonchalantly.
Naruto nearly choked on his noodles and stared at his roommate. "She got you to do what?!"
Sasuke slurped up a mouthful of noodles. "It was pretty good, not gonna lie. The icing was really sweet, but the cinnamon and sugar in the middle? Delicious. The pastry? Also delicious. I had no idea they even served those there."
Naruto stared at his roommate like he had grown a second head. "You? Ate something sweet? And you didn't throw up? Who are you and what have you done with Sasuke?"
"Hey, I tried a bite and I liked it. That so hard to believe?" Sasuke asked, stifling a laugh.
Naruto huffed, pouted, and blew a raspberry. "I guess not. It's just unexpected, y'know? Hinata loves sweets, though. Like, really loves sweets."
"So she said. I'm okay with the cinnamon rolls, just don't expect me to be eating skewers upon skewers of sweet dango like Anko-sensei does."
"I think if you did start doing that, I'd have to snap you out of whatever genjutsu you were under."
Sasuke tapped his chopsticks against his chin. "You know, maybe I should try mochi next."
"You're an ass, ya know that?" Naruto tried to suppress a laugh.
Sasuke simply downed another mouthful of noodles. "Oh yeah, did you make any progress with the lightning Rasengan?"
Naruto shrugged. "Sort of. I tried it out on a couple of trees. I noticed that when it hits, it explodes, and the lightning goes everywhere. Like, it jumps to other trees. There were charred spots where the others got hit."
"That makes sense; lightning tends to arc to other things. Have you thought of what to do with it besides use it like a normal Rasengan?" He asked as he got up to toss his spent foam cup.
"Well, I was thinking I could try and get to a point where I could throw it like the Rasenshuriken. During my fight with Pain I was able to make it bigger. Maybe I could make it explode in mid-air or something?"
Sasuke sat and took a sip of tea. "That's a good idea, actually. It'd probably be easy to learn since you've done something similar in the past. Try it out, see if it works."
Naruto nodded before rising and pushing his chair in. "I think I'm gonna check out the Hiraishin scroll again and hit the hay. Night, Sasuke."
"See you tomorrow, Naruto. Don't fry your brain too much," he sneered good-naturedly, which was answered by Naruto's middle finger. Both chuckled as they retired to their respective rooms.
A/N: Fluff! Fluff is nice, isn't it? Personally, I think the world could use more fluff. I wanted to give Haku and Sakura some love in this chapter. A collaborative jutsu felt like a good way to get them to work together outside of stuff they do as medics at the hospital. Wouldn't ya know it, Sasuke tried a cinnamon roll and liked it.
Jutsu translations:
Hijutsu: Makyō Hyōshō - Hidden/Secret Jutsu: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals or Crystal Ice Mirrors
Hiraishin - Flying Thunder God or Flying Raijin
One more thing! I'm on Tumblr now! Find me on there: karamidori! As always, thank you so much for reading! Chapter 15 is in the works! Happy holidays, everyone!
