Hello.


"The following statement is false:

The previous statement is true."


Hinata had been awake by the time her name was heard from the other side of her bedroom's door. Immediately recognizing the voice, she rushed out of bed to greet her sister.

"Welcome back!" Hanabi smashed into her older sibling, wrapping her arms around her.

"I-I didn't know you missed me this much…" Hinata struggled to respond in the tight embrace.

"Are you serious? The manor has been dead these last few weeks without you."

The older sibling couldn't help but scoff at the obvious exaggeration. "What of father? And Ko is always around…"

"You know I love father. Our training sessions together have been the only thing keeping me sane. And you're right about Ko, of course. But they are old men getting older. Who is a girl supposed to talk the nights away with?" Hanabi narrowed her eyes and continued in a sly tone. "Who is a girl supposed to gossip with?"

Admittedly, Hinata had never been one to enjoy the act of gossiping, but she would, almost without exception, indulge her sister, if only to spend more time with her.

"Speaking of gossip…" Hanabi made her way further into Hinata's room and threw herself on the bed, bringing her feet under her as she got upright. "You know that father never tells me the details of your missions when you are away. Well…this time he let something slip during one of our training sessions. He said that you were accompanied on your mission by none other than Uchiha Sasuke."

"How very unlike him to let slip such a detail. Are you sure you haven't been eavesdropping on his conversations with the Hokage when he visits the compound?"

Hanabi immediately brought both her hands to her chest and displayed what Hinata recognized as her best impression of innocence. "That you would think such a thing of me, your own dear sister… Need I remind you that I am Hanabi Hyuga, heiress of the honorable Hyuga clan. I would never…" By the time she had finished knitting together her case, however, Hanabi's grin stretched from ear to ear.

Hinata laughed at the dishonest pea for credence. She was glad that a person such as her sister would eventually become head of the clan. Their father had changed several of the old and strict family customs, but there were still many more such relics in the traditions of the clan. Hinata trusted that if the Hyuga elders and her own training had not broken Hanabi's spirit by this age, it wouldn't happen going forward either. The thought brought her a measure of peace.

"If I promise to not ask details about the mission itself, will you at least tell me what's he like?"

"He is…" Hinata took a moment to think. "…human."

Hanabi cocked an eyebrow at the vague description.

"He is serious and quiet and… keeps to himself most of the time. But despite what people make him out to be, he is not unpleasant to be around."

"Is he strong?"

"Uhm…" Coming from anybody else this would have been a silly question to ask, but Hanabi had not been on the front lines that day when Naruto and Sasuke stood against Madara and Obito. All she had were rumors, especially since the man himself was seldom seen in the village since the war ended. "Yes. Very strong."

"Is he stronger than father?" The younger sister puffed up her chest, clearly proud of her heritage.

The duel against Sasuke flashed again in Hinata's mind – how he evaded every one of her attacks for hours, only to end it in the span of a single breath when she asked him to take her seriously. A shiver traveled from the base of her neck all the way down her spine at the memory. "I think he might be the strongest."

"Well, he sounds a lot like Neji." Hanabi stroked her chin, lost in thought.

"Neji…" The wound left behind by his passing was still sore, and she could not envision a future in which that would change.

"Please don't be upset with me, but I have not visited his grave during the time you were away. Due to the Daimyo's extended visit, father and I were often given the task of escorting him throughout Konoha."

"We can go together, if you wish."

[…]

Sasuke stared Kakashi down with disbelief clearly visible on his face.

"Really? There are no more missions that you can give me…"

"None worthy of your caliber, at least. Unless of course, you don't mind going back to the old days when you and Naruto rescued cats for old ladies."

"Interesting. With the world on the brink of a new war, Konoha has nothing of importance that needs my attention…"

"Isn't that strange? My job as a Hokage keeps getting easier and easier." Kakashi smiled sheepishly at his former pupil.

"In that case, I'm certain you won't mind if I follow up on some of my old leads related to the straining relations between the Land of Stone and the Land of Lightning." Sasuke did not wait for an answer. Instead, he made an about face and started walking towards the door.

"Actually, now that you bring it up, I would prefer if you stayed within the limits of the village. Given Eito Fuku's plan, we have no idea how things will proceed from this point on. It would be best if you were within reach, just in case you are needed."

"That's enough, Kakashi. You know that I can instantly travel back if I am needed." His former mentor had been present several times when Sasuke made use of his Rinnegan's ability to tear open rifts in space. Despite the enormous chakra drain, this ability had proven beyond a doubt that in a time of crisis, Sasuke could be where he was most needed at a moment's notice. "What is this really about?"

"Ugh… Fine, fine." Kakashi dropped his hands on his desk with a defeated sigh. "What I really want is for you to take a break. These last four years you've been away from the village more so than any other shinobi, often for months at a time. Konoha has changed and flourished, in no small part due to your efforts. But a shinobi should also know what he is fighting for."

"Are you worried about my loyalty to the village?" Sasuke scoffed at the remark.

Kakashi sighed again. "Why must you twist my words past their intent?" He rose from his chair and approached Sasuke, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I worry that in your pursuit for a better home, you might have forgotten the meaning of home. Shinobi are human as well, Sasuke, deserving of family and kinship. If the world is indeed on the brink of another war, then maybe these moments of peace should not be glanced over. I've fought to protect Konoha all my life, but when things were at their worst, it wasn't the ideal of a village or a nation that kept me going, but the people near and dear to me."

"…"

"All I'm asking is that you take some time to refamiliarize yourself with the village and its people. Slow down a bit… Maybe grow some roots, as the saying goes."

What do you intend to do about your clan's revival?

The words of his friend popped back into his mind. "Did Naruto put you up to this?"

"What?"

"Forget it…"

"I'm serious Sasuke." Kakashi shrugged but insisted nonetheless. "If it makes it easier, then consider my request as your next mission."

[…]

A few minutes before noon, Hinata and Hanabi passed by the Konoha Fourth War monument. The stone inscribed with Neji's name would be a few dozen meters further in. Despite their strong bond, Hanabi always found it hard to breach the topic of the war with her sister. Many had been the nights immediately after the event when she would be woken up in the middle of the night by screams coming from Hinata's room. She would rush to her sister's aid, only to find her in tears on the side of the bed. During those times, she would sleep in Hinata's room more often than she did in her own. Eventually, Hinata would throw herself into her training more and more, and such nights became less common as the years passed, but the feeling of helplessness would always come back when they would visit Neji together.

When they drew close, Hinata spotted the violets already adorning the stone and smiled. She had met Tenten several times during her visits and learned that she had lost in Neji more than just a team mate.

"There…" Hanabi knelt and placed the bouche she held near the others. "I'll have you know that I picked these up personally from the part of the gardens that you liked meditating in."

When she got back up, Hinata held her hands to her chest, her eyes closed in contemplation. What caught Hanabi's attention however, was something past her sister, off in the distance.

"Who's that?"

The question prompted Hinata to open her eyes and turn towards the query of her sister. It only took her a couple of seconds to recognize the figure adorned in the familiar black cloak she had been staring at for the duration of their return trip from the Land of Waves.

"I think that's… Sasuke…"

"Uchiha Sasuke?!" By the time Hinata could reply, Hanabi's Byakugan was already active.

"Hanabi you shouldn't-"

"Why is he staring at an unmarked gravestone? Is that…? His left arm is missing! You never said anything about that."

"Hanabi! That's quite rude." Hinata's tone was firm enough for her sister to pause in her inspection of the man.

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry." Her eyes returned to normal. "He's… not what I expected at all."

"Well-"

"Come on." Hanabi grabbed her older sister by the wrist and started walking. "You need to introduce me."

"I really don't think that's a good idea. He probably wants to be left alone."

"Nonsense! He's a hero of Konoha. Popular people always like to meet a fan. I've seen how Naruto walks around the village greeting everybody."

"It's not the same thing." Hinata arguments fell on deaf ears. "He's not Naru-ugh." Hanabi tugged her again as she increased her pace towards their target.

Sasuke was lost in his own thoughts when he first heard the commotion. At first an unknown woman's voice, but replying back to her was a very familiar one. When he turned to look, he saw the two going up the path to Itachi's isolated stone. His first instinct was to leave – disappear in an instant, as he often did during the four years of covert work for the village, whenever one of his former classmates came close to recognizing him. He didn't though. Not this time. And soon enough he realized that the reason was the same as the previous evening, when he chose to walk with Hinata, rather than speed up to the Hokage's meeting.

Slow down. Enjoy the peace you helped achieve. Grow some roots.

Kakashi's words were still fresh in his mind. The idea vexed him, but… perhaps just this once, he could make an exception.

"Hanabi, lower your voice. He could hear you."

"Look! He saw us. He's coming this way."

"Oh…"

Hinata winced. It was too late to stop her brazen sister now. She would need to bear that steely gaze while explaining why she and her younger sibling had bothered him from his moment of solace.

"Good day, Hinata."

"Uhm…Hello…" In that small moment she felt like her teen self again, constricted by her shyness when it came to interacting with people. Thankfully, Hanabi's impatient elbow nudge brought her back to the present day. "I thought you would have left by now."

He would have thought the same, had Kakashi not intervened. "Not yet."

"But soon?"

"I'm… not sure."

"I see…"

"Ahem!" Hanabi's elbow prodded her gently for the second time.

"Oh! This is my younger sister, Hanabi."

Sasuke looked at the girl, then at Hinata, then at the girl again. Much like her sister, Hanabi was pale of skin and soft in features. Her dark brown hair tressed over her back, all the way to her waist, tied mid-length with a red ribbon. Her most distinctive trait, as expected, was her large white eyes, which now seemed busy analyzing Sasuke.

"I was not aware you had a sibling, Hinata."

"Hanabi Hyuga, heiress of the Hyuga clan." Hanabi intervened. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance." She bowed courteously.

Sasuke nodded in acknowledgement but directed his next question towards his original query.

"Was there something in particular that you wanted?"

"My sister wanted to meet you…" She hesitated, but decided to give up the truth.

"I was informed that you accompanied Hinata during her last mission. I wanted to thank you for making sure she returned home safely." It seemed their father's training of Hanabi had extended into the political field as well as the physical. Her sister's convenient excuse left Hinata pleasantly surprised.

"It is my understanding that mission rosters are to be kept private…" While not disputing the reasoning, Sasuke's immediate frown denoted his displeasure with the breach of information the conversation implied.

"The Hyuga are the most influential clan in Konoha, and as I've stated, I am the heiress." She paused to look him in the eyes. "I have my methods."

"Hm. Very well then, Hanabi Hyuga." His lips curbed ever so slightly into a smile at the upstart nature she displayed. Clearly the similarities between the two sisters ended with their appearance.

"Right. I think it is time we were on our way." Seeing the opportunity to withdraw without further tempting his ire, Hinata grabbed her sister by the shoulders and turned her the way they came. "I hope you have a nice day."

"Wait." It sounded like a command more than a request, and both sisters froze mid-step. "Hinata…"

"Y-yes?" She slowly turned to face him, but his scowl was now gone.

"Yesterday you offered to show me certain areas around the village. If you still have free time, I would… accept that offer." The last part sounded forced, as if his own body was refusing to speak the words that meant asking another human being for a favor. He truly had been on his own for too long.

"Of course. In fact, I had no plans for this evening."

Both of them visibly relaxed. Hanabi watched their interaction with ever widening eyes.

"Perhaps you can even show me what good food is like, since you clearly disapproved of my tastes." He teased, recalling their quiet moment in the forest.

Hinata's face lit up with joy at the proposition. "Oh, I know exactly the place where we can start!"

"Where are we to meet, then?"

"You need to pick her up from the Hyuga manor." Hanabi intervened matter-of-factly to both of their surprise.

"Is that necessary?" Sasuke stroked his chin, pensively.

"Not reall-"

"Yes! It is only proper!" She cut in again.

"Alright…" Clearly the younger sibling was a stickler for etiquette, but he saw no harm in agreeing.

"Be there an hour before sundown. She needs time to prepare."

"Pre-pare?" Hinata seemed genuinely confused; a state mirrored by Sasuke as well.

"Yes. It is only proper!" Hanabi tugged her sister forward again. "Come. It is time we returned home." A few steps into their forced march, she turned and shouted at the one they had left behind. "Don't be late, Sasuke!" and without skipping a beat, she ploughed forward with her sister in tow who could only offer a brief wave of her hand as a farewell.

[…]

"I can't believe Uchiha Sasuke asked you out on a date!" Hanabi made sure to only speak up once she made sure they were out of earshot of anybody else.

"What?!"

"We must hurry home and get you ready!"

"Hanabi have you lost your mind? It's not a date!"

"Right, right… not a date." She increased her pace when the Hyuga manor came into view. "He is not unpleasant to be around she said..."

"Hanabi that is enough." Hinata pulled herself free of her sibling's grasp. "You don't understand. I was the one who offered to show him around Konoha. He's been awa- "

"So, you asked him on a date?!"

"No!" Hinata's cheeks turned red.

"Hah! I'm just teasing you… Calm down." Hanabi waited until her sister stopped fidgeting. "But you do like him, right?"

"I… He's…"

"Not unpleasant to be around… Yes, I got it." She sighed as they passed the entrance to the manor. "I saw the way you two looked at each other back there. Somebody else might have missed it but I've got a keen eye for that, you know."

"It's not like that. He just needed somebody to show him different areas of Konoha. Sasuke has been mostly away from the village since the war ended."

"And one of the heroes of Konoha does not have any other friends to show him around?"

"I don't think he is the type to have many friends…"

"Really?" Hanabi eyed her sister with suspicion. "He seemed pretty friendly towards you in particular."

"Because we worked together…"

"Or because he likes you too."

Hinata opened her mouth to reply but the words stuck in her throat. After another second's pause, she spoke in a meek tone.

"You really think so?"

"I'm telling you… It's a date." Hanabi winked at her sister.

"What do I do, then?" As a teenage girl she fantasized about this sort of things endlessly, but in the aftermath of the Fourth War, as real life caught up with her and she dedicated herself wholly to her duty as a shinobi, such thoughts were left behind. Now in the light of Hanabi's conclusion she realized that she was woefully unprepared.

"Don't worry. Just leave everything to your little sister."

Members of the branch family as well as house attendants were completely ignored in Hanabi's excited dash to Hinata's room.

"First you will need a change of clothes…"

"What's wrong with my clothes?"

"Absolutely nothing… if you were going on a mission. Alas, this is not the case. Besides, do you want to be wearing your shinobi gear when tall dark and handsome comes properly dressed for an evening out?"

"I guess not…" When her sister eyed her impatiently, Hinata got the hint and turned away in order to start removing her attire. Second thoughts started forming in her mind, however. "You know, this could all be in your head. For all we know he merely wanted company while he familiarizes himself with the village."

"Oh, you think so?" Hanabi feigned a disappointed tone.

"It's more likely than what you are suggesting."

"…because from the way he looked at you…" she slowly crept up behind her older sister "…I'd say he wanted some of these!" Hanabi wrapped her arms around Hinata and cupped her breasts from behind.

"Hanabi!" The reaction was immediate. Hinata brought her arms to her chest and instinctively tried to elbow her mischievous sibling off her, but the later jolted back, laughing.

[…]

Several hours later Hinata stood in the middle of her room, under the scrutinizing eyes of her sister. Her posture was perfect, her shoulders pulled back, hands joined together in front of her. The dark blue kimono her sister had chosen for her fit perfectly, molding her torso in a beautiful way and complementing her already appealing curves. It seemed like a river of silk, flowing in the shape of an hourglass and draping just slightly past her toes. Her hair, now arranged in a traditional fashion, was held in a tight bun by a slim needle of a color that matched the emblazoned flowers on her clothes.

"Yes…" Hanabi nodded to herself with pride. "Sasuke might need his gear after all, in order to fight off the other men you'll be passing by."

The kunoichi's face turned red at the remark. "I think you went a little bit too far. I can hardly breathe properly."

"Nonsense. Comfort does not a beautiful lady make." Hanabi spat out the line the had both heard numerous times growing up from old lady Hisako – one of the elders of the clan whom their father had entrusted to teach his daughters proper etiquette.

"Now all you need is a little bit of red on those cheeks and a lipstick that brings out your… Actually, never mind. Your cheeks are red enough as they are." The younger one teased.

The remark made Hinata feel even more self-conscious. As Hanabi ran the soft brush dipped in red pigment across her lips, she mustered whatever reserves of courage she could find within.

"Done… and not a moment too soon. I do believe it is time. I told him not to be late, but it wouldn't do for you to keep him waiting either.

The path from the manor entrance to the perimeter gates seemed too long for comfort. If any of the elders saw her like this or, heavens forbid, her father… questions would definitely be raised. With the increase in pace, her mind started racing as well, much to her surprise with self-encouraging thoughts. After all, she deserved a pleasant evening out, regardless of how it would develop. By her own admission, Sasuke Uchiha had proven to be pleasant company and more so, had been the one to take initiative. Perhaps her sister was right all along and she had no reason to worry about this whole event. Several of her peers, both from the branch family, as well as her class at the academy had found somebody important to them. Somebody who reciprocated their feelings. Maybe today would be the start of her journey down that path. She smiled to herself.

"Hinata? I almost did not recognize you."

Turning towards the familiar voice she felt her heart drop from her chest all the way to the pit of her stomach. Sasuke was indeed waiting for her, but there were no flowers in his hand, no change in his vestments. In fact, through the parting of the same black cloak he always wore she noticed the hilt of his blade; he had not even left his weapon behind. She swallowed drily and instinctively turned to look where her sister was waiting to see them depart. Hanabi gave her a pair of enthusiastic thumbs up, then bolted back inside before Sasuke could notice her. Gruesome realization set in, and in that moment, if the ground would crack open beneath her feet and swallow her whole, she would have considered it a mercy.

This… was not a date.


Oof.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Next one will be a challenge to write. Neither of these two have particularly good people skills.

Excuse the misspellings and / or mistakes that leaked through. Most of this chapter was written on my phone, on lunch breaks. Need a beta for proof reading.