An Unexpected Blossoming

RTNverse Menma/Hinata + Sasuke

After the failed group date to get Sasuke and Sakura together, Hinata is enraged at the new nuisance of Sasuke's attention upon herself. But what she had thought to have been a complete disaster made light to a certain someone's true feelings. [T for cursing, like a lot of cursing]

A/N: Got inspired by Road to Charasuke and RTN.

The personalities of the characters will be a mix of their characters in each of the RTN worlds as in the movie and the anime. If it seems OOC then just think of it as an AU. Nothing is set as stone so some things may seem a bit off. I try my best with these things but it's hard to grasp every little detail.

In case anyone was wondering...I'm still alive; just didn't have the heart to continue writing in this fandom after some of the comments I read...found out there are some not nice people in this world and I started writing the Naruhina fic but...yeah...I'll post this and whatever else comes to mind but I will most likely not read the comments...for like a long time...I don't know...so if you're waiting for a reply you might have to wait a while if not forever...sorry.

Might not be able to write again if I start reading negative things again...but thank you to everyone who leaves all the nice comments and favs and follows. I'll get my motivation from alerts and stay away from the words.

I write because it's something I want to see and I share this in hopes that someone else wants to read this kind of story so please, enjoy. If not ummm...please don't read?

UPDATE 11/8/20: I edited this chapter while writing the second, and for those that can't access the new chapter because of problems on FFN you can read the new chapter on the app for this site or you can try to find my cross post on A03.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Hinata was not happy.

F***ing Sasuke and his idiocy...No. They were all stupid...she was surrounded by idiots.

Betrayed by one of her closest friends, Hinata was stuck in a very f***ed up situation.

It all started on that stupid group date to set up Sakura with Sasuke. The main goal of it all was to get rid of Sakura as her rival for Menma's love, and if everyone had just done what they were supposed to do, it would have happened.

She knew she was selfish and manipulative, but it was a win-win opportunity. With the discovery that her rival had feelings for Sasuke, Hinata was only helping a friend get the man she wanted. At the time it didn't matter that the change in Sakura was very sudden. She'd just witnessed Menma and Sakura hanging out in the middle of the night, so she'd been pretty on edge about getting rid of the pink-haired girl.

The group date had been going quite well with Sasuke going full-on player mode and Sakura focusing on only him. It was a bit weird considering she knew Sakura liked Menma not even a day ago, but Hinata wasn't going to complain. She didn't know what the f*** happened in the time span of a day, but she was more than willing to accept this new reality.

There were a few suspicious distractions along the way, but Sasuke's underhand use of his Sharingan got rid of the distractions and even brought them closer to their goal.

That was until Hinata suddenly blacked out.

She didn't know how much time had passed, but when she came to, the heiress found herself outside with the ladies-man; who instead of confessing to Sakura like they'd agreed upon, was confessing to Hinata.

After punching the daylight out of said Uchiha, it didn't take long to figure out that Ino had used her jutsu to momentarily control Hinata's body.

A part of her was happy her quiet friend was taking control of a situation, but a bigger part of her just felt betrayed. Did Ino really have to listen to her advice about being more assertive while her best friend's love life was at stake?!

Not only could she not bring herself to talk to Ino and her team, Sakura had suddenly gone back to her old Menma-loving, Sasuke-hating self; and with the annoying new interest Sasuke had for Hinata, it was even more difficult to approach her one true love. The only plus side was that Menma was also back to his quiet, collected persona.

It's not like Hinata didn't explain what happened at the restaurant to Sasuke. And of course being herself, she didn't forget to emphasize that the Uchiha was an idiot amongst other things, but unlike the reply she'd pictured, he simply said, "Okay." It wasn't the response she had hoped for, but it was good enough for Hinata, so she left it at that.

The following day Hinata approached Menma with more ease, and of course Sasuke happened to be there, but he didn't matter anymore...or so she thought.

"Menma! Are you free today?"

"Well hello to you too Koneko-chan~." The fact that Hinata chose to completely ignore Sasuke didn't seem to bother him. If anything he seemed to brighten up at her sudden presence.

Hinata on the other hand immediately scowled at his overly cheerful greeting. It was that stupid a** nickname again. "...I'm not one of your girls, so you'd better cut it out with that sh**, or I'll have to kill you."

Hinata's threat did nothing to diminish the coy smile upon Sasuke's face. "No need to be jealous, my love. I only have eyes for you."

Out of nowhere, Sasuke produced one of his famed roses, but unlike the other times, this rose was white. "To compliment your beautiful eyes."

He held it out to Hinata, and a moment of silence passed between the three.

Hinata stretched her arm past Sasuke's hand to grab at his collar. "We need to talk."

Without waiting for an answer Hinata dragged him away. Menma watched the two walk off with an unreadable expression. Those two seem to be hanging out a lot these days...

"I thought we had a f***ing understanding."

"We did."

"I don't like you."

"I know."

"I like Menma."

"I know."

He was clearly saying the answer she wanted to hear, but his teasing voice and smirk said otherwise. It was starting to really piss her off. "That wasn't me."

"I know."

"Well for a f***ing know-it-all you certainly don't seem to be acting like you understand!"

"...I thought about what you said and it got me thinking. I've seen Ino act shy around me, I've seen Sakura act shy around me...basically I've seen lot's of girls..."

"I don't care about your f***ing track record."

"And you shouldn't." Sasuke took a pause to reassemble his thoughts. "When I saw you getting shy around me, I felt something for the first time. My hearts never beat so fast before, and it's because of you."

"How many times do I have to say it wasn't me, before you get it through that thick head of yours?!"

Hinata's outburst only seemed to make his smirk widen. "It wasn't...but on other hand, it was."

"What?" A look of confusion dawned her face.

"I want to see it again. I want to see you get embarrassed because of me, Ko-ne-ko-chan~" With his sudden revelation, Sasuke lifted his hand to Hinata's face, but she easily slapped it away.

"...Ha! This is just ridiculous. You think I'll get shy around you?"

"I'm confident in my abilities."

It became obvious that words would not get through to lover-boy. Hinata started to stretch her arms in preparation for a beat down. "I tried to be nice but some people just have to get some sense beat into them."

"Mah mah~ Koneko-chan, no need for violence."

"I said not to call me that..." Practically grinding down her teeth, Hinata's chakra was pouring out of her in waves. If it wasn't for the interruption, the last Uchiha of Konoha would have gone to an early grave.

"Hinata."

"Menma?!" The sudden appearance of Hinata's true love interest was enough to make all the killing intent dissipate within a second.

"The Hokage's looking for you."

Giving a nod of affirmation to Menma and one last death-glare to Sasuke, Hinata disappeared from sight.

"..."

"..."

Sasuke's smiling face had dropped the instant Hinata was gone. "You heard everything." It wasn't a question; it was a statement.

"Hn."

"Well, that's my state as of now. Do you care?"

"...Do as you like." Menma simply turned to go back to the space he had been occupying.

Even as his best friend, Sasuke wasn't sure if he really didn't care, or if he was just that confident Hinata wouldn't be shaken. Only time would tell.

After destroying a few structures and giving Sasuke a few face-lifts, she'd been reprimanded by the Hokage and Shizune to reel in the anger or else she would be put under house-arrest and suspended from missions. Unwilling to give up her missions, Hinata had decided to ignore Sasuke the best she could, thinking...hoping this was just a phase. He'd see how hopeless his attempts were, get some sense back and go back to his old ways.

Two weeks had gone by, and Hinata was losing it. It didn't help that he hadn't gotten better, if anything Sasuke was out to show how serious he was. She was starting to empathize with her pink-haired rival, and that was just wrong.

She'd never appreciated the past when he didn't show much interest in her besides appropriate mannerisms to a friend's friend. It had annoyed her a little seeing as to how she was not a target for his flirting when every other girl out there was, but she just summed it up to him being intimidated by her. She knew what she looked like, and she knew people would stare. Hinata embraced her beauty and she didn't hide it, but she also made it known that she had no interest beyond Menma. There had been a few brave souls who approached her with much gusto, but she'd quickly blown out their flames. Sasuke had been an audience to a few of those moments, and she'd seen the flicker of fear pass by.

Now...now it was as if no amount of threats or hits would be enough to get off his radar, and Hinata was really missing the old days.

Seeing as to how things didn't look like they were gonna change anytime soon, Hinata decided to change her mindset.

If you can't avoid it, enjoy it.

Menma didn't get surprised that often. He was quick to discern what kind of person was before him and what kind of situation was taking place. It was his intelligence that brought him so far as a shinobi and even led him to successfully mastering the power of the Kyuubi.

The change in his best friend's character was without a doubt, a surprise. It was not only something he had never considered, but the gradual change continued to break away from what he determined would happen.

When he first heard what had happened at the group date he'd laughed with his friends while Sasuke had a brooding look upon his face. Not all women fell to Sasuke's charms so it was amusing to hear about his failures, but for some reason his friend looked especially miffed that day. What he would have paid more attention to before, he chose to ignore that day. Maybe it was because he had inadvertently beat his friend/rival in a battle he hadn't even fought. A battle he didn't have to fight in...until now.

Truthfully it was nothing new for Sasuke to pursue another girl. It was an everyday thing. So natural that if it didn't happen, even strangers would be able to tell there was something wrong with the Uchiha.

What surprised him was the fact that his new target was Hinata.

Sasuke's past indifference to Hinata had piqued an interest in Menma, but that interest had quickly waned since it did not affect him. He'd seen hundreds of different girls by Sasuke's side, and his friends' flirtatious actions towards any girl in his vicinity was unending, but for some reason Hinata was not one of them. Sasuke's fruitless, but continuous pursuit of Sakura crossed off the reason of constant rejection, and anyone, even Menma, could see that Hinata was a beautiful, well endowed kunoichi. His quick conclusion that time was that her fiery personality was what put Sasuke off.

He didn't quite know what to make of his friend now.

After his encounter with his supposed counterpart Naruto, his foggy memory was cleared up by his parents and the Hokage. He'd suspected maybe the distortions of an alternate reality had messed with his friend's mind, but seeing as to how everyone else was the same and the altered direction of interest was very minute in comparison to what Menma had gone through, it was very unlikely. It was frustrating to say the least.

Menma didn't want to admit it, but not knowing the cause was not what got to him the most.

In the beginning he had been dubious. The events of the group date seemed to have ignited a flame within Sasuke. He should have been thankful that his friend's flirting kept Hinata away, but to his own surprise he had been irked. It wasn't the first time Sasuke had pursued a girl who had shown interest in Menma, and it was a welcome attempt since he didn't much care for such matters. Most would change lanes, but there were a few persistent girls, such as Sakura, who wouldn't give in. It was actually quite amusing to watch on the sidelines as he had to see it every time his team got together. A cycle of Sakura giving way too much attention to him, Sasuke breaking that up with his own flirting, and ending with a fist to the Uchiha's face. He would be rooting for Sasuke to succeed, but in this case, even the thought of his friend's victory didn't sit right with Menma.

Unintentionally hearing his friend's conversation with Hinata confirmed Menma suspicions of Sasuke's feelings on that fateful day. Unfortunately, it also brought on more questions he didn't have answers to. It didn't concern him too much at that time. Sasuke's escapades of love were common, and Hinata was very, very stubborn. He couldn't explain it to himself, but Menma had had this strong belief that Hinata would never look to another man.

As the days went by, Menma was the first to know how serious Sasuke was about Hinata. It was different. Somehow the way he regarded Hinata was on another level versus to what he'd seen his friend do with other women. To any other bystander, even the shinobi of Konoha 12, Sasuke was the same flirt as before.

With that discovery, it was very difficult for him to deny his own feelings about said situation and hide how much it bothered him. He was angry at himself for getting angry, and his faltering composure was frustrating. He hadn't voiced his concerns to Sasuke, but the minute change in his expression when the three happened to be together didn't get past the eyes of the Sharingan-user.

"She's quite adorable when she gets flustered. Don't you think so, Menma?" Hinata had just left their company in irritation because of a certain someone. The offhand comment of that certain someone made Menma turn his attention away from Hinata to his friend.

"You're serious about her." Sometimes just outright stating the facts and making conversation was the best way to go.

"Yup." The smirk didn't fall but an earnest look shone in Sasuke's eyes.

"You never showed interest before."

"I was always interested. I mean come on, look at her. As a person who fully appreciates all women, Hinata's SS-Tier. Personality and all." Sasuke's eyes never turned to look at Menma, but he could see the shine in them. A moment of silence hung in the air. The unasked question of 'why' motioned Sasuke to finally look Menma in the eye. "I didn't make a move on her, because I suspected you were interested in her. And I'm starting to think I was right."

"?!" A look of surprise dawned upon Menma. He'd just recently discovered his own feelings but to think that he'd been showing such signs unknown to even himself. Especially himself.

Sasuke caught the shadow of darkness upon Menma's face. "There's really no need to be worried. I'm the only one who's noticed."

"..." The comment did little to put off his darkening mood.

"If it makes you feel better, I didn't know I liked her until that day."

The group date...

"I was really surprised by how much the thought that Hinata had feelings for me affected me. It honestly made me really happy to know she liked me. The moment didn't last long, but I discovered something that day." Reminiscing the events of that day, Sasuke touched the cheek Hinata had hit in rejection.

"...And now my interest doesn't matter."

"Now that I know I like her."

"..."

A silent agreement of understanding was made between the two friends that day.

As long as Hinata didn't change, Menma didn't have to face his new found feelings. Not yet at least. No matter how serious Sasuke was about pursuing her, if she didn't move, it would forever be in vain.

Hinata was quick to set her plan in motion. Idling by and waiting for s*** to happen was not her style.

"I like blond hair and blue eyes."

"What?"

"You heard me. I like blond hair and blue eyes."

Unlike the past where she'd scowl or grab his shirt to throw her fist in his face she simply looked at him with a thoughtful look that day when Sasuke had called her Koneko-chan. Sasuke looked at her expectantly with the new response and her next words caught him off guard. Next to him, Menma smirked at Hinata's remark. It was an obvious challenge and Sasuke wasn't going to disappoint.

"Okay."

Hinata had honestly forgotten all about it until she saw Sasuke the next day. She had been talking to her team about their recent mission when Shino suddenly lost hold of his bug spray and Kiba completely stopped his cat impersonations to drop his jaw at the sight behind her. It was quite...eye-opening.

Standing before her in all his glory was indeed Sasuke, with newly dyed blond hair and blue eyes. She couldn't tell if he really went out of his way to actually dye his hair, but somehow she had a feeling Sasuke had gone beyond using a jutsu to actually dying his hair and wearing contacts.

"Hello Koneko-chan."

"..."

"Falling for me yet?"

She couldn't help but cringe. It honestly didn't look that bad, but Sasuke looked much better with his Uchiha features.

"Eww..."

"That bad? I kinda like it." Sasuke subconsciously grabbed his now blond fringe.

"Ugh no. Go back to your old face. You look ridiculous. Black suits you better."

"Ah! So~~ you like me just the way I am." Sasuke wiggled his eyebrows with his comment and his typical flirty smile widened.

Hinata grabbed his collar and brought his face close. "Don't twist my words to your liking a**hole."

With the silent threat of another beating, Sasuke lifted both hands in defeat. She roughly pushed him back and grabbed her teammates to leave when he stopped her.

"Anything else?"

"What?"

"Anything else you want me to change?"

"..." Sasuke had a playful look on his face, but Hinata could tell he was serious. He seemed determined to take on whatever challenge she threw at him. If that's what he wanted, who was she to deny him. "My man can only look at me."

"Okay."

Hinata had honestly thought he would have at least hesitated to answer, but the answer came out naturally, and as a trained kunoichi it didn't look like he was lying. As a shinobi himself, he could be lying his a**off, but his actions in the next few days would tell all.

If the blond hair and blue eyes from last week weren't enough of a surprise, the new one-woman chasing Sasuke was almost scary. The news of Sasuke's new look spread around the village quickly with it's obvious visual impact, and many either swooned or thought it to simply be a phase. The sudden change in his behavior was what really shocked many, if not all who knew of the womanizer. He had broken off all of his current affairs and no longer flirted with would be prospects. Compared to how he acted with women before, many thought him to be very cold. Sasuke would only let his guard down in front of friends and his flirtatious habits were only displayed before one indigo haired beauty.

He was always popular, but for some reason his new change had apparently made him more desirable than before; not that it mattered any more. Only a few brave fan-girls approached Hinata to stay away from Sasuke, and in response she would push them to further pursue their crush. Unfortunately for her, Sasuke would break that girl's heart without hesitation.

By the end of the week everyone in the village knew of the Uchiha's torch for the Hyuuga heiress and some even went so far as to say the two were dating with the promise of marriage.

Said heiress was currently regretting challenging the Uchiha. Hinata had thought he would slip in some way or at least have a hard time, but he'd quickly adapted to his new persona as if his past had simply been a facade he'd put up. The only positive change was how he stopped with the Koneko-chan to call her Hinata-chan, but hearing her name didn't seem to help at all. If anything his sole attention on her was getting a bit frightening.

Just a bit.

To help her mentally exhausted friend, Ino had invited Hinata to drink tea and eat cinnamon buns at their favorite cafe. The two had quickly made amends after the unfortunate group date, and Ino was honestly sorry her small act had gone this far. It was quite apparent this whole incident was all Hinata could think about these days, and it was hard to watch.

"I'm sorry Hinata-chan..."

"You've apologized a million times already." Hinata simply waved off her friend's apology. Knowing Ino, she knew it was sincere, but it really wasn't necessary.

"But..."

"This is all that prick's fault." What Hinata needed wasn't an apology. She needed a certain Sharingan-user to stop chasing her. If he wasn't going to put a stop to it himself, all that was left was for him to disappear.

Unbeknownst to herself, a murderous aura overtook Hinata's form in that moment, and Ino tried to somehow calm her friend down. "But umm..isn't it great that Sasuke-kun is taking this seriously. He must really like you."

"What?" Ino's interjection stopped Hinata's train of thought.

"I mean the reason I didn't want Sasuke-kun to get together with Sakura-chan was because he's a player. You remember all those girls we passed by. They were all so heartbroken."

It was true. Sasuke was also the infamous heart-breaker of Konoha. She herself had scoffed at the stupid girls who were attracted to that piece of work, only to run away crying one day. If anything she had once been thankful he'd taken the straying eyes of other women off of Menma towards himself. Hinata had believed he'd never change. It was that belief that led her to tell him to cut off his playboy act.

"Maybe you should seriously consider giving Sasuke-kun a chance."

It took Hinata a second to understand what Ino was saying, and for a moment she imagined how it would play out. Shocked by her own musings, Hinata caught herself before it got too far. Not just seconds before she was imagining murdering the Uchiha, and here she was imagining...WHAT THE F*** AM I DOING!

To salvage herself, Hinata's guilty conscience turned to another direction. "...Are you trying to put a wedge between me and Menma?"

"What?! No..!"

"I let the last incident go over since I didn't blame you...but now that I think about...is this what you were aiming for all along!?" The more she considered it, the more it started to make sense in her rattled brain. Hinata slammed her hand down on the table before her. Her eyes relayed the thoughts of betrayal that were clouding her judgment, but Ino could also see her best friend tearing up.

"Hinata! No! Absolutely not! I'm just...I'm worried about you..." Ino herself looked like she would start crying soon. "I worry about you. Menma-kun doesn't acknowledge you and still you try every day. It hurts me to see how unaffected you try to act...but I see how much you're hurting. I only want the best for you."

"…" If there was one thing this whole incident taught her, it was the fact that what Sasuke was doing was the same damn thing she had been doing to Menma. Thinking that Menma was probably feeling the same thing she felt every time Sasuke approached her...the building irritation and frustration...She had yet to come to terms with that realization, and in the back of her mind a small part of her was seriously considering stopping. No. This was different. Her feelings were real. Hinata loved Menma. If Menma just saw how much she loved him, then he would...he would...

"If Sasuke-kun really is the real deal, then maybe...maybe it wouldn't be so bad to give him a chance."

"...Thanks, but no thanks. Menma is my first and last choice." With that statement Hinata quickly left the cafe.

"Hinata!" Abruptly standing up to try and stop Hinata, Ino failed to grab her friend and could only call out after her retreating form.

Ino collapsed in her seat and looked at the table before her. Hinata's tea and cinnamon bun were left uneaten. She had called her friend out to relax and enjoy some time together, but she had messed it up again. As she reached out to pack and deliver what they had ordered, Ino couldn't help but observe that the table Hinata had hit was perfectly intact with all the utensils and food in their original setting.

"Hmm...she's learning to control herself..."

"Me..Menma-kun!" Ino was shocked by the sudden appearance of the main person in question.

"I'll take this to her." Menma completely ignored Ino's questioning and scared expression to grab Hinata's tea and snack. Before Ino could word out an apology, Menma had exited the cafe as well.

Menma had never thought to start a relationship with anyone beyond friendship. It was troublesome and an eyesore. He'd seen enough with his parents and Sasuke's dalliances on a daily basis. To imagine himself in such a state...it made him cringe.

If possible he would have liked to take things at a slower pace, but seeing as to how his friend, now rival, was really going all out, he too would have to step in. If he wasn't worried before, his suspicions had been confirmed today. It was only a millisecond, but he saw a moment of uncertainty pass by on Hinata's face when questioned by Ino. It was quite unnerving to see even from afar, but who could he blame but himself.

Walking to the location he knew to find Hinata, Menma affirmed his attraction to her. As the de facto leader of Konoha 12 his loyalty to his friends was no secret. Anything concerning the group was of great importance to Menma. Knowledge of Hinata's place of comfort would not have alarmed anyone else, but thinking back to it now it was a secret only he knew apart from Hinata. When a fight broke out with Hinata in the mix, he would be the one to seek her out and bring her back. He had easily found her the first time she had run off, and it became a natural role for Menma to take on thereafter.

A routine of sorts was started that day. To take off some of the stress the two shinobi would spar, and Menma enjoyed his spars with Hinata. There were few who could excite him in terms of show of strength. Hinata was among the few, and her love for him most certainly didn't stop her from going all out with him. It was one of the many qualities Menma liked about her. If only she wouldn't be so loud about professing her feelings for him to the point of threatening any other girl who showed such interest. Although these days, Menma was starting to miss that side as well.

Setting the beverage and pastry a few feet away, Menma soon came upon Hinata meditating upon a stump. The clearing was a spacious location perfect for sparring with a large lake close by. It was a spot some miles away from the grounds of Konoha.

Hinata had felt a presence quickly in her state of focus, but thought it to be an impostor at first. The only other person who knew of this spot was Menma, but her argument with Ino wasn't something anyone else of the Konoha 12 knew of, and Ino wouldn't go announcing it to anyone unless Hinata took too long in returning to Konoha. Activating her Byakugan she was surprised by the familiar chakra of Menma. Deactivating her kekkai genkai, Hinata relaxed into her state of meditation to ponder upon how, why Menma was here. Before she could get very far with the train of thought, her peace was disturbed. Menma's attack was easily dodged with a back flip. Standing from her crouched landing, Hinata came face to face with her assailant.

"Let's spar." He wasn't smiling, but Hinata recognized the look of anticipation. Their last spar had been a few days before the group date, and Hinata felt her own body rev with adrenaline for their friendly fight.

3 hours later the two shinobi lay in the grass of the clearing to look upon the clouds above them. A comfortable silence wafted in the air and the first one to break it had been Menma. He'd gotten up from his spot to go into the forest, and Hinata could only look at his retreating back with a forlorn expression. Her smile which had been gracing her face quickly diminished with Menma's withdrawal. She was too tired to move her body, and words had yet to form in her mind.

In the past when Menma had found her and sparred with her, they never really shared a conversation as thoughts of the previous fight with whomever it had been in Konoha 12 seemed to straighten out on it's own after the spar. Menma recognized the thoughtful countenance and kept quiet. But even then, he had always waited for her to catch her breath and get up first, before following her back to where their friends were.

Fortunately, before her thoughts could take her to dark places, Menma had come back to the clearing with a small bag in hand. Immediately Hinata brightened and got up to call out to him. "Menma!"

A small smile adorned Menma's features in response. The light blush from the workout and Menma's presence got shades darker. The Hyuuga heiress had seen Menma's rare smiles before, but for it to be directed solely at her; she had hoped and dreamed of it countless times. Menma in turn, appreciated the blushing look of wonder upon the kunoichi before him. He'd never looked too closely in the past as he knew she would take it the wrong way if he stared too long. Now that he wanted for that message to be relayed, he took his time in observing the long indigo hair framing a small seemingly delicate face. Deep snow white eyes with the hint of unique lavender rings defined by the cosmetics she always put on. He wondered how Hinata would look without the makeup covering her face. Absentmindedly Menma lightly touched her strawberry colored cheeks. "Have you ever considered not painting your face?"

If the touch was not enough to shock her into silence, the following words certainly did. The heiress's mind completely blanked and she could only blink in response. Before she could properly get her motors running again, Menma had taken back his hand to outstretch his other arm with the small bag. "You left this at the cafe."

"Oh! Thank y...!" In recognizing the signature of the cafe on the bag, Hinata remembered the events that led to this moment. "Menma, you..."

"You hesitated." Placing the handle of the bag in Hinata's hand, he closed her still hand to grip it. "Next time, don't hesitate."

Menma made eye contact with Hinata for a few long seconds before leaving to go back to Konoha. Hinata stood upon that same spot unmoving for what seemed to be eternity. His few words, his tone and his eyes all added up to one thing. What she had been brazenly seeking out was right before her, but it was difficult to really believe any of this was real. The small smile and gesture from before were unbelievable, and this in itself started making her question if she was stuck in some genjutsu.

If she was, she most definitely didn't want to wake up.