oOo

Day 6 Prompt: Firgun (Hebrew)

"The genuine, unselfish delight or pride in someone else's accomplishment."

"I suppose you'll need some help down," Sasuke said gruffly.

Somehow, Hinata managed to wrestle her smile into one that felt much more polite. She let go of his hand. Her own cheeks felt a little hot.

"Yes, please."

They repeated the routine from before, only with Hinata's eyes open. He gently deposited her upright, letting her good leg down first. Once stably planted with that one and her crutch was in place, he finished putting her on the ground.

He stepped back and sighed. "I can't let you go into the full sun. I did my best but within minutes, my efforts will be undone."

She nodded seriously. "Give me a moment."

Feeling a little awkward, she hissed out a strange susurrus of a sound. Holding out her hand, only a minute later, a large stag beetle landed on her palm. It rapidly opened and shut its wings, letting out the same noise.

"Hello." She smiled as it wiggled out its own greeting. "I need Shino please. No emergency. Oh! And sunglasses too. Thank you."

The metallic beetle made one more circle on Hinata's fingers before flying away.

She looked up to see a look of pure disgust on Sasuke's face. When he caught her staring, his expression contorted into feigned polite disinterest.

Hinata chuckled. She shook her head and started picking her away through the undergrowth towards the pathway. It did not look too far, but she had to take it slow.

"Hey!" he exclaimed. "Where are you going?"

"To meet Shino," she said over her shoulder. "I'll stay in the shade, I promise."

He scuffed his feet a bit but caught up with her. They walked together for a few minutes, as he watched her carefully, even offering a hand over the biggest tree roots.

She did not realize how far she made it into the forest before collapsing. The distance would impress her but now she understood why her leg hurt so badly before.

Oops.

By the time they made it to the trail, her stomach rumbled in protest and her sweaty hair stuck to the back of her neck.

Sasuke swiftly placed himself between the trail and her, crossing his arms. She realized she stood in the bright light. Shuffling back into the shade, she whispered an apology.

With a soft noise announcing their arrival, Shino and Neji landed before Sasuke.

Shino nodded at Sasuke before addressing Hinata. "He followed me," he tilted his head towards Neji. "Why? He was suspicious for no reason."

Neji crossed his arms and looked down his nose at the group. "I know what that beetle means."

He did not say more, but Hinata recognized that look on his face. He would be having words with her when they returned home.

Her shoulders rose towards her ears, and she cringed.

Shino circled around Sasuke and handed her the round sunglasses. "Is it your…" he trailed off, aware of Sasuke's close attention on them.

She nodded and put on the glasses. Immediately, she frowned. "I can barely see," she complained.

"You'll get-"

"-used to them." Sasuke and Shino spoke at the same time.

They inspected each other warily for a few moments.

Sasuke recovered first. "If you're okay, I'll be going."

"Okay," Hinata nodded. "I'll let Iruka-sensei know to be expecting you."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted before Body Flickering away.

Hinata's friend and cousin focused on her with uncomfortable intensity. She nervously adjusted her new accessories.

"What happened?" Shino asked.

Neji's eyes narrowed even further, seconding the question.

"I'm hungry," she announced. "I can tell you over lunch, Shino-kun."

In a move borne of years of familiarity, Shino took her free hand and helped guide her onto the gravel. She twined their fingers together and he adjusted his gait to match hers and make their walk easier.

"I'll pay for lunch," Shino announced. "Your cousin can come too, but I will not pay for him. Why? Because I did not invite him."

Hinata shot a grin towards Neji. "I'll pay for him."

Neji let out a long-suffering sigh and dropped his arms. With a burst of speed, he maneuvered in front, leading them towards a trailhead.

"I will pay for all of us," he said, striding forward with determination. "But I get to pick where we go."

Hinata and Shino grinned at each other. They raised their intertwined hands and shook them in a quiet celebration. Neji was a picky eater, and he only picked the best, most expensive restaurants. When Neji stopped to see what was taking them so long, they adopted their most innocent demeanors and obediently followed.

Kiba would be so jealous.

oOo

The water swirling around in the steel sink started off red, slipped into pink, and finally turned clear. Sasuke mechanically grabbed each instrument, sprayed it with an enzyme solution, then took a toothbrush to it to scrape the excess organic material off. That done, he set the timer and stared blindly at the tray.

He could do this in his sleep, which boded ill. It gave him too much time to think. Not about the surgery, because the patient would recover quickly.

The door to the operating room opened, and the Hyuga surgeon stepped out. He stood next to the biohazard trash can while carefully peeling off his bloody disposable scrubs.

"Good job today," the surgeon nodded at Sasuke.

Sasuke inclined his own head. "Thanks, sir."

The Hyuga came over and turned off the alarm as soon as it rang. Sasuke murmured his thanks and transferred the instruments to the portable autoclave. The surgeon picked up the egg timer and set it for ten minutes.

"This will be my last surgery for a while," the Hyuga said offhandedly. "It was an honor working with you."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Going on a mission?"

The surgeon smirked, his equivalent of a laugh. "Something like that. But I'll be in the village. In the meantime, I've recommended to Tsunade to start training you specifically in surgery. You're one of my best attendants. And your Sharingan would be as invaluable as my Byakugan."

Sasuke's eyes widened.

The surgeon clapped a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Think about it, Uchiha. Bye for now."

He walked out of the room, raising his hand in a wave. Sasuke stared unblinkingly at the vacated space, shocked.

Of course, Sasuke attended many surgeries in his life. But it took med-nin years to qualify for training. How could the Hyuga think Sasuke was ready?

Also, why was the Hyuga leaving? It reminded Sasuke of the one thing he was trying his best not to think about.

Hinata's mystery.

Goddammit.

Sasuke looked at the clock on the wall. After this finished, he needed to run an errand.

oOo

Coming up: Hinata thinks about pecans, but mostly about her mother.

***Next chapter update will be August 8, 2022 (in North American time)