Uzumaki Hinata tried to close the door as quietly as she could, to avoid disturbing the sleeping child inside, but the looming shadow that suddenly appeared menancingly behind made that a touch difficult.
"Sasuke-san!" When her gentle fist was a centimeter away from his plexus, Hinata realized just who she was about to punch. Hastily, she pulled her blow, and he just stepped away to avoid any impact.
"Uzumaki-san," He nodded in acknowledgement, then tilted his head towards the front door, "Did Sakura move without telling me?"
Ara, he's gotten more polite these days. Hinata stifled her smile, "No, this is still your apartment. Shino-kun called me because Sarada-chan was running a high fever. She's alright, just needs some peace and quiet so she can rest," She addedwhen she noticed that Sasuke was about to charge in.
"Ah. Aburame?" Sasuke restrained himself, but Hinata could tell he was trying to see through the walls.
"Yes, he's Sarada-chan's homeroom teacher. He knew Sakura-chan and Naruto-kun are tied up in an important conference all day. Sakura-chan gave me one of her slugs, so Sarada's not alone. Don't worry," She said, knowing full well that he'd worry anyways.
That made Sasuke settle back, though Hinata could see some rare agitation on his face. "I can't stay long," He muttered, so low that she almost missed it.
"Sarada-chan will be disappointed. Chouji and his daughter will stop by later with food, and Katsuya-sama's subordinate will stay with her until Sakura can come back. She'll be fine," she gave him an encouraging smile, "You should go in and see her while she's asleep."
Sasuke still hesitated, hand on the doorknob. Guessing what made him stop, Hinata said, "Just keep an eye on her, make sure she has water and doesn't get dehydrated. You don't need to wash her or anything to cool her down, the fever is a natural part of healing. Go on." She nudged the door back open for him.
Sasuke eyed her suspiciously, "I could be some well-concealed enemy spy. You're just letting me near a defenseless child."
That made Hinata's smile widen, even as the veins around her eyes bulged and her Byakugan activated, "If you were, you would have never made it this deep into the village. Besides, why do you think I came to pick her up?"
Sasuke opened his mouth, then closed it before he said anything. Instead, he just said, "Thank you for watching over her."
"That's what a village is for," Hinata smiled before she waved and left Sasuke behind, staring at his own front door.
Sarada woke up later that day, groggy and disoriented, but feeling much better than she had in class. Looking around, while she found nine glasses of water lined up on her bedside table, she didn't see her mother's familiar as she expected to.
She remembered Hinata-obaasan coming to pick her up despite her protests, being put to bed like she was still a child, and a warm hand soothing her forehead as she slept fitfully. Hinata-obaasan must have stayed longer than usual. I wasn't that sick, was I?
While Sarada pondered the problem, she failed to notice a hawk perched on a nearby tree, watching her window with single minded intensity. Only when Sakura's pink head passed under his branch on her way home did the hawk finally turn its head, give Sarada's window one more longing look, and take off.