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Day 3 Prompt: Depaysement (French)

"Intense homesickness; the sense of not belonging."

For the next few days, Sasuke kept an eye out for a certain Hyuga. He did not know if she intentionally evaded him or if they actually never ran into each other before. How could that be? Konoha was not that large of a village.

On the fourth day, he got lucky. He spotted her sitting on a bench near the Academy. Her crutches leaned upright in the empty space next to her, keeping anyone from joining.

Sasuke never cared about social conventions, which suited him fine.

He grabbed the crutches and held them as he sat next to Hinata. She wore a large sunhat, and she pushed the brim upright as she greeted him quietly.

"Hello, Uchiha-san."

"Hyuga," Sasuke nodded.

He wanted to accuse her of avoiding him but bit his tongue. They were not close. He could not remember the last time they truly interacted before the ambush.

Inspecting her shaded eyes closely, he wondered what he would see if he had a Byakugan. Maybe he would have his answer already.

She gave a soft laugh and let the brim flop back down. "Did you need something?"

Dammit. Now that he found her, he suddenly could not get ahold of his questions. They all slipped from his brain.

He gritted his teeth and turned his attention to the crutches.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

She hummed and shifted a bit. "Fine. In a week or so, I'll be able to go to one crutch. Hopefully, I continue to heal quickly so I can get back to training."

"Hn… And your eyes?"

Letting out a soft huff of a laugh, she gently pulled her crutches from his hands. He did not want to give them to her. If she left him again without giving him answers, he would be very cross.

"My eyes are fine, Uchiha-san."

She kept her injured leg straight and hovering off the ground as she used the crutches to support her standing up. Sasuke could not remember seeing anyone execute that maneuver so gracefully before. She shifted so her armpits rested on the plastic arm pads. Her nose twisted in discomfort.

Cute.

"I can get you underarm cushions," Sasuke said. He gestured to his own underarms. "It'll keep them from rubbing."

She wore a sundress with long sleeves, and Sasuke bet his paycheck her skin rubbed red and raw underneath.

Shock lanced through her face for a moment. Sasuke resisted the urge to scowl. Why did she seem so surprised?

"You don't have to do that, Uchiha-san."

He sat back and crossed his arms. "Fine, then. Suffer." The words came out petulant and whiny.

This time she did not suppress her laugh. She covered her mouth with a hand, but her mirth shone through her eyes. A corner of Sasuke's lips quirked upwards.

"I've never met a med-nin quite like you before."

Strangely, a sense of pride suffused through him. He straightened.

She continued. "Your bedside manner is atrocious."

Scoffing, he collapsed into the back of the bench. She leaned forward to get a better view of his face. He turned from her, feeling petty.

Her voice was soft, but her next words cut like a sharp kunai. "Is your bedside manner the way it is because you're good at what you do? Or is it bravado to cover up any shortcomings?"

He could not help his tiny gasp of outrage. Quickly coming to his feet, he stared down at her in indignation.

"Excuse me?" he demanded. "I'm trying to help you, and this is how you treat me?"

His anger did not bother her. She gazed up at him, craning her head back far enough so her hat did not obscure her vision. A breeze rustled by, lifting the edges of her long, unbound hair. Her gaze bore into his.

It made him feel like an ant underneath a magnifying glass. Suddenly, he wanted to leave. She did not want him around. It made him feel unsettled, like his world tilted a little sideways without his permission. Almost like he did not belong here. With her.

She leaned back and settled more firmly on her crutches. "Would you refuse to help me now that I offended you?"

Now he felt even more like a science experiment. The tips of his ears once again burned. "Are you trying to insult me to get me to leave you alone?"

"I wasn't trying very hard." She shrugged one shoulder. "And I know you're one of the best medical personnel in the village. Second only to Tsunade-sama."

The words did not hold empty flattery. She said them simply, like they were facts of life. It soothed his ruffled feathers. His shoulders relaxed.

Before he could order his thoughts, Hinata leaned to the side to see behind him.

"I'm sorry, Uchiha-san, but my appointment is here."

Appointment? He heard the sound of footfalls against gravel. He turned to see Iruka walk up to the two of them.

"Oh, hello, Sasuke-kun," his former teacher greeted. "I haven't seen you in a while."

Sasuke inclined his head.

Iruka turned to Hinata. "And Hinata-chan. I'm so sorry for being late."

She shook her head. "I'm early." She addressed Sasuke. "Thank you for asking about my health, Uchiha-san. You care about the people in the village, and I am grateful for it. Have a good day."

After that, she swept away, joining Iruka as they walked the path leading onto Academy grounds. They did not walk fast in deference to Hinata. It allowed Sasuke to hear the start of their conversation.

"I have all the lesson plans prepared," he said. "But I did want to ask you about a couple of your clan members. I think one of them was about to graduate, yes?"

Their voices faded. Sasuke's brows furrowed. Why were they talking about lesson plans? Was Hinata about to become a teacher?

He stood there for a second, then huffed and headed back towards home.

oOo

Coming up: Sakura reveals important information about Sasuke's personality.