Caution! Pure grade fluff incoming.


"Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."


It was around noon when Sasuke reached the Hyuga compound. For the past couple of weeks, he would meet Hinata around this hour and visit new destinations, with the occasional meal break. By their third meeting, he had learned a great many details about the village; the kind of knowledge one gathers from actually living in a place. More importantly, every meetup was a chance to learn more about her.

To his surprise, however, when the doors to the main manor opened, it was not Hinata that came forth. Clad in a traditional, long-sleeved robe, covered by a brown haori, the man advanced towards the gates at a steady pace, giving Sasuke ample time to analyze him. The strips of grey hair mingling with his natural dark brown betrayed his age, though nothing else about his demeanor or movement did.

"Sasuke."

"Hiashi."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

If looks had weight, theirs could crush boulders.

"You are here. Again."

"I am… Again."

"What is the nature of your business with my elder daughter?"

"Hinata has agreed to assist me with getting to know the village again."

"It is taking you quite the long time to reacquaint yourself with the village you once called home. How many times has Hinata escorted you throughout Konoha by now?"

"Several..." Sasuke's muscles twitched. The old man was clearly not a fool.

"..."

"…"

"My daughter has grown into a fine young woman. I will not presume to tell her how or with whom she is to spend her time…" Hiashi paused, making sure his words had ample time to sink in. "However, this morning, I have witnessed her sing in the gardens while collecting flowers. That has not happened since the death of her cousin, during the Fourth War."

"I am glad to hear that."

"I know who you are, Uchiha Sasuke. I am aware of your deeds, both good and ill, as well as the extent of your prowess in battle. By some twist of fate, you have entered Hinata's life and that has brought her a measure of happiness. She and her sister are my world, and the future of the Hyuga clan. Knowing this, I want you to understand that if any harm comes to her, I will find a way to make you suffer."

"..." Despite the unsubtle threat, there was no need for bravado on his part; this much Sasuke understood. Not in front of a worried father who's desire to protect Hinata was something he could relate to. "Noted."

"Father…?" Hiashi's eldest appeared from behind the doors, looking more than slightly concerned at the sight in front of her.

"I simply wished to see you off." The old man answered, not moving his gaze away from Sasuke. "Make sure to dress warmly. The weather gets fickle during the evenings, this time of the year."

"Thank you, father. I will keep that in mind." She bowed respectfully as Hiashi passed her on his way back inside.

She swallowed hard, as the door slid back into its place, then turned to Sasuke. "What… was that?"

"A pleasant conversation with your father." Came the reply, accompanied by a smile, in an attempt to make the lie believable.

"I see…" She muttered, still confused at the concept.

"What destination have you chosen for today?"

"Oh, about that… Please don't be upset with me, but…"

[…]

"No."

"They are not so bad, Sasuke."

"Absolutely not."

"With the pleasant meetings we've had, it completely skipped my mind that I promised to take Kurenai's voluntary shift at the orphanage. I gave my word. It is only a few hours…and I did not want to cancel spending time with you." She looked at him with guilty eyes.

"I can wait outside."

"For a few hours?"

Even he had to admit that did not sound appealing, but the alternative seemed the worse of the two options. "Children are not my area of expertise."

"Please?"

Sasuke looked at her, then at the building before them, envisioning the punishment that awaited him inside, then back at her.

"You owe me another diner for this."

"Two." She stated and flashed him a bright smile when she saw his lips curb upwards.

"You drive a hard bargain, Miss Hyuga. Two it is. Now, let's get this over with."

"Erm… Could you please try to frown less often around the children? You might scare them." She rushed to match his determined gait.

"Don't push your luck."

Most of Konoha's buildings had been reconstructed and improved after Pein's devastating attack on the village and the orphanage was no exception. Sadly, due to the war ignited by Madara, the initial plan for it proved insufficient, and in the years following the war's conclusion, it had to be expanded with further room for dormitories, classrooms and recreation halls. Not long after entering the premises, the two were met by a young woman who, in Sasuke's opinion, seemed a few hours short of a good night's rest.

"Please give my regards to Kurenai, and thank you for offering to attend in her stead, Miss Hinata. I know the children love your company. And… err… You as well, sir. Thank you."

Sasuke seemed completed absorbed analyzing the colorful art on the walls; there were a multitude of animals and inanimate objects given human features, designed to seem friendly and help invoke one's curiosity for learning.

"He's a bit eccentric." Hinata intervened, trying to save face in Sasuke's stead.

"Oh? It's true, I've never seen him around, before." The girl pulled Hinata aside, with a glint in her eyes. "Do you know if he's seeing someone? Be a shame for such a handsome man to go around the village all by himself."

Hinata's cheeks turned red at the question, followed by a hint of jealousy. She felt utterly foolish for it, but it was there, and despite her general honesty, she was tempted to lie. In the end, her nature prevailed and she told the girl the truth.

"He does not have a partne-"

"I am taken." Sasuke appeared behind the two, looming like the specter of death, with a scowl to match. "And I would appreciate if my personal life was kept out of the discussion, Miss Hinata."

The inquisitive girl's head dropped in shame immediately and for the remainder of her escort, she refused to meet his eyes, even for a moment.

"This is the group Kurenai was supposed to help with." The door to a classroom stood before them. Childish noises of various intensity made their way through the thin layer of wood, much to Sasuke's grief.

"Please check with me again when you leave, and thank you again." Though the attendant's words were meant for both, she only ever looked at Hinata, and after a short bow, she even quickened her pace when passing Sasuke.

[…]

"Hinata!" A spry girl, no older than five, bolted to the door when she saw their caretaker, grabbing the kunoichi's leg in a firm embrace. "I told them you'd be the one coming if Kurenai can't make it. I told them!" The young one turned to face the rest of the group with a satisfied smirk. "Who's the stupid one now, Tadashi?"

"I knew it would be her, stupid. I just didn't want to tell you that I knew." The boy piped up, crossing his arms.

"These children seem to know you quite well." Sasuke made his way into the room. "Just how often do you visit them?"

"Well, with Mirai growing up, Kurenai has been needing me to replace her more and more often, lately. Sadly, neither Kiba nor Shino are willing to come in her stead."

"Smart…" He snickered in a low tone.

"By the way, everyone… This is Sasuke Uchiha. He will also attend our meeting, today."

"Uchiha?! Like the hero of Konoha?!" Several of the group rose to their feet in surprise, but contained their desire to get closer when Sasuke gazed in their direction.

"He's not the actual Sasuke Uchiha, idiots." One of them spoke. "He doesn't have time to come visit us."

"Yeah… He's way too busy protecting the village with his brother, Naruto Uzumaki."

"How can they be brothers if they have different names?" The girl hugging Hinata's leg seemed confused.

"None of you know the truth. No wonder everybody treats you like children." There seemed to be a few years of difference between the rest of the group and the boy who just spoke. He rose to his feet and approached his target confidently. "I know the real story of Sasuke Uchiha – not the tall tales they tell to the rest of you, here."

"Well, go on… Tell us, then."

The boy pointed an index finger at Sasuke. "This man can't be Uchiha Sasuke… because Uchiha Sasuke died of his wounds after fighting a demon in a faraway land!"

The more credulous of the bunch gasped, while Hinata did her best to stifle a laugh.

"That is the truth of it, unfortunately." Sasuke intervened in a grim voice. "Also… there were two demons."

As the crowd of children dispersed – or rather, followed Hinata to the pile of toys in the middle of the class – Sasuke found himself a separate chair towards the corner of the room. By his judgement, that is where he would spend the next few hours, hopefully not minded by the carnival happening before him.

"Hey, are you Miss Hinata's boyfriend?"

Sasuke blinked slowly before turning to the boy who'd revealed himself to be Tadashi.

"No."

"Then what are you?"

"Her acquaintance."

"What does… acu-ainten-se mean?"

An involuntary sigh escaped him. "Friend."

"Well, you better not get any ideas with Miss Hinata, Fake Sasuke, because I am going to be the one who marries her. I will become a shinobi when I grow older, and protect her just like she is protecting my friends and the village now."

Sasuke squinted dubiously at the boy, unsure of what to be more surprised by – his new moniker or the revelation of the boy's plans.

"If you were her boyfriend, I'd need to fight you, of course."

"Of course…"

"Are you two alright?" Hinata joined the conversation after seeing them isolated.

"Yes. We are simply discussing your future marriage to Tadashi over here." Sasuke stated matter-of-factly.

"W-what?"

"Y-you're not supposed to tell anyone!" Panic gripped the boy instantly and he started flaying his hands about. "He's lying!"

When the ruckus brought the attention of the entire group upon them, Tadashi bolted to another side of the room. Nothing but a shrug was the Uchiha's response when Hinata turned to him with a puzzled look.

[…]

A couple of hours later, the 'Hero of Konoha' felt exhausted. He had fought in battles that were less straining than overseeing these children and answering their incessant questions. Hinata on the other hand seemed as serene as when they had arrived, despite being the main target of their attention.

"Will you tell us a story, Sasuke?" The rosy cheeked girl that had greeted Hinata held up a stuffed toy in the shape of an owl while gawking at him.

"No."

"Hinata tells us stories all the time."

"Go and bother her with your requests, then."

"But Yui really wants to hear a story from you." She squeezed the toy tighter in her arms.

"I don't know any stories."

"But you said you travel a lot… so you must have heard a lot of stories."

He couldn't really fault her logic, yet the tales that reached his ears were not fit for such an audience.

"Isn't this a classroom? I thought you were supposed to be learning. Me and Hinata have been here for hours and all you've done is play with that toy.

"Her name is Yui and she really likes stories." The girl held up the stuffed creature for Sasuke to get a better look, before continuing. "This is our recreational room. We come here after we're done with classes, to play and to hear stories."

"…" There seemed to be no easy way out of the request. "Fine. One short story." Despite agreeing, his mind tried and failed to recall any of the tales his mother would recount when he was their age.

"Everyone! Sasuke is going to tell us a story!" The girl screamed at the top of her lungs.

Realizing only too late what he had done, the man cursed his fate under his breath. Less than a minute later, all the children who had been playing with and around Hinata were now gathered in a near perfect semicircle at his feet. Hinata herself sat down amongst them, wide eyed and matching their enthusiasm.

"Alright. Everybody pay attention, because I am not going to repeat myself." With nothing of substance coming to mind in terms of actual children's tales, he drew inspiration from his last mission. "Several weeks ago, two shinobi received a mission to escort a very important person into-"

"Ahem…" Hinata coughed. "Once upon a time…" She whispered.

"Erm. Yes. Once upon a time, two shinobi received a mission to escort a very important person into the lands of-"

"Where is the prince and the princess? All stories have a prince and a princess." The little instigator who managed to bring this whole affair upon him had found a second stuffed animal by this point – a chunky, dirty-brown hedgehog – and was now squeezing the two toys in her arms.

"Fine. Once upon a time, a prince and a princess received a mission to escort a very importa-"

"Do the prince and the princess fall in love?"

Sasuke's left eye twitched repeatedly "… a very important person into the Land of Waves."

"Are they going to kiss by the end?" Another scoundrel interrupted him, making smooching noises and causing the entire group to erupt with laughter.

He understood why Kiba or Shino never agreed to take Kurenai's place…

[…]

"You're good with children."

Sasuke turned to give her a cutting stare.

"I… I mean it."

When he started walking again without a word, she rushed to his side.

"Is this about them calling you Fake Sasuke?"

He halted again. "You owe me dinners for the rest of your life." Came the low grumbled response.

She tried and failed to hold in her laugh, if only to not aggravate his mood.

"I'm guessing you won't be joining me again, if the need arises…"

"The. Rest. Of. Your. Life." He emphasized.


It took me a month to write chapter 13 and about 3 hours to write this one. I was told by somebody who shall not be named (*cough* Lea *cough*) that my brain and my heart must be linked together properly in order to produce fluff so easily. I deny such crude and baseless accusations. This author would like readers to know that he does not have a heart. Thank you.

That being said, fair warning about the next chapter: My favorite game released an update so I will be playing that instead of writing. Chapter 15 will take some time to come out.