Chapter 10 - In the Event of a Busy School Day

"O-Oh, and then there was that time when Hanabi fought a boy in her class for flipping her skirt," Hinata giggled. "She framed a picture of herself stomping his face into the ground. Th-Then when Neji-nii found out, he threatened all the boys in her class,"

Sasuke squinted an eye. "Your sister," He paused. "I admire her,"

She laughed at the memory. He watched her eyes glitter when she smiled, white irises reflecting light, full pink lips curled up, rosy cheeks lifting to soften the corners of her eyes.

He averted his gaze with a cough.

At her inquisitive look, he said quickly, "My throat,"

"Oh," She nodded. Though she wasn't sure if that explained his red ears.

Hinata gently shifted her position on the couch to put her empty teacup on the table.

Peace. She eyed the wooden block, then looked at Sasuke. His eyes were hooded, drooping at the ends.

It was pretty peaceful once the boys were asleep/knocked out and when Sasuke behaved. He was almost docile now, holding his tea cup to his chest and reclining on the other end. The comfortable silence was starting to make her eyelids feel heavy.

"Another one," he said, voice low. "Tell me another story,"

Hinata blinked her drowsiness away. "U-Um, okay," She twisted her skirt hem. "There was the time when we were little and Hanabi didn't want to go to a dinner with a visiting clan. So,"

She blushed. "S-So she streaked naked and screamed that she'd escaped from the Hyuuga's basement...and Neji-nii and I were her accomplices,"

He laughed quietly and then grinned. "You and Neji streaked too?"

"N-No! We distracted the guards so she could escape," Hinata cleared her throat. "Neji-nii was the one who came up with the idea. He was a mischievous kid but then he was forced to grow up,"

There was that stormy expression on his face again and the same suffocating, somber atmosphere. It happened every time she mentioned Neji-nii. Her eyes ran over the wooden block again and this time she almost choked at how slow she was. Of course, her childhood memories with Neji-nii were probably reminding him of his own big brother.

"I-I-I'm sorry! I-I didn't realize I was-" She wildly waved her hands in her flustering.

"You were what?" He pulled a blanket up to his neck. "I was the one who asked you to talk about your family,"

"W-Well, yes, b-but I should have thought about your feelings," she said, wringing her hands.

Sasuke rolled his shoulders and yawned. "I'm going to sleep,"

"On the couch? Sh-Shouldn't you sleep in your bed? You need to rest properly,"

"Stop fussing,"

"F-Fine. Get more sick. S-See if I care,"

"Oh, you're so convincing. I see you reaching for another blanket,"

"Th-This is for me!"

He watched as she settled on the other end and draped the blanket over herself, overlapping it with his blanket.

"G-Good night,"

All she got in response was soft breathing. Huffing, she pulled the blanket all the way up to her face. She regretted it when the scent of his fabric softener hit. She poked her head out with a gasp.

A single dark eye looked at her across the couch. "Are you jerking off in there?"

"W-Wha – no!"

He shifted his legs and bumped into hers. He glared. "If you're going to fap, do it quietly,"

"I-I'm not," she insisted.

Would her face ever return to its normal color? She tried to bring her legs up to her chest, but found them entangled with his legs. "Um, can you move your leg please?"

"Move yours, you octopus,"

"O-Ow!" She gave him a hurt look. "You kicked me,"

"Two points for me,"

"Why are you keeping score?"

There was rustling from below, then a loud voice said, "Will you two shut the hell up? Play footsie and spank your monkey elsewhere! Some people are trying to sleep!"

"W-W-We weren't-!"

Naruto grumbled some more before snoring again.

Hinata sighed. His legs surrounded hers, with one foot sneaking under her thigh.

"H-Hey! Watch it!"

Snore.

"Tha-That was clearly a fake snore! Remove your foot!"

Snooore.

"I-I need an adult. I need an adult!"

"I am an adult," he mumbled sleepily and wiggled his toes. "Warm, squishy..."

She sat up. "M-My thighs are not squishy," She pushed his cold foot off of her thigh. "I-If they are, it's because you still haven't found my bike,"

The only answer she got was some grunting and a toe poking her hip.

Hinata doffed the blanket, smoothing her school uniform as she stood.

He gave her a once-over and said, "You're sleeping in a skirt?"

"There's nothing else to wear," she said. "Um, where is the toilet?"

"Down the hall," he said, rolling to his side to face her.

As she started down the hall, she heard him sigh.

"Wait. You can use one of my shirts if you want,"

At her surprised expression, he covered his eyes with his hand and said, "Don't misunderstand. It's not like I want you to wear my stuff or anything,"

"O...kay. Th-Thank you,"

"Whatever,"

How tsundere. His ears were red again. It was kind of cute – wait, wait, wait, don't go there Hinata! Um, think of the Hyuuga elders playing beach volleyball in bathing suits. Gross.

She shook her head as if to physically clear both unpleasant thoughts.

"I guess if he doesn't mind, then I'll help myself," she said cheerfully. It was quite uncomfortable sleeping in uniform.

She pulled a black t-shirt out of his closet and froze. It had the same scent that the blanket had.

"There's no way I can sleep like this," she groaned. She looked at it balefully and without thinking, held it to her nose.

"It's not a bad smell but..." Hinata bit her lip in exasperation when her face grew hot again.

She surveyed the room as she went to close the door. She knew of several people who would gut her like a fish and hang her by her entrails if they ever found out she was in Uchiha Sasuke's room, changing her clothes in Uchiha Sasuke's room, and to put the cherry on top of the murder sundae, wearing Uchiha Sasuke's clothes.

"Hm?" Hinata spotted something under his bed.

She didn't mean to be nosy but the opportunity for blackmail material was there. She bent down to inspect it.

"Under a teenage boy's bed, there should be porn,"

She reached under his bed.

The blood drained from her face when her fingers ran over something scaly.

Hiss.

"O-O-On second thought, m-m-maybe I shouldn't be snooping around someone's room! Haha! I-I was just leaving!" She scrambled onto her feet and found herself bowing ninety degrees. "G-G-Goodnight!"

When she returned to the living room with her blouse and blazer folded in her arms, it seemed like the boys were all asleep. She crept onto her end of the couch, once again mindful and annoyed by his sprawled legs.

She didn't think much of it when she draped most of her blanket over him to keep the stubborn boy warm. Said stubborn boy wasn't as asleep as he seemed.

lllll

Hinata woke up to the feeling of something cold in her lap. She squinted blearily down at a pair of feet, cold and white as a dead person's, tangled in her skirt.

She screamed.

Sasuke jerked awake at the eardrum-shattering scream.

Hinata was sitting up, rubbing her eyes and glaring. "Y-You,"

He pushed his bed hair out of his face. His voice was gravelly with sleep. "Why the hell are you screaming this early in the morning?"

She checked the time and let out another scream, the likes of which could shred the fabric of space and time. "It's not early at all! I-I'm going to be late!"

He watched, one-third still asleep, one-third amused, and one-third annoyed at the panicking Hyuuga getting stuck trying to change out of his shirt. He slyly hid her blouse under a cushion and sat back to enjoy the show.

"Where is my blouse? My blazer? Ah! Naruto-kun, don't put that in your pants! What about breakfast? It's the most important meal of the day – I-I can't skip it," Hinata spun around, finger-combing her long dark hair, white eyes wide in distress. "Have you seen my blouse?"

Sasuke stretched his arms and yawned. "Just tuck my shirt into your skirt. No one will notice,"

"Th-They will definitely notice!"

He stood up. "Not my problem,"

"W-Where are you going?"

"Need to take a piss," He scratched his stomach as he went. "I'll drive you,"

Hinata unhappily did as he said and tucked the oversized black shirt into her skirt and put her blazer on top. She rushed to the kitchen to wash her face. By the time Sasuke returned, he was dressed with a car key and a bucket in tow.

"Wake up," he muttered and promptly dumped water on the sleeping boys.

Hinata stepped into her shoes. "Godspeed, Uchiha-san. Please hurry!"

"Don't call me that."

Five minutes later

Four soaking wet boys were sitting the backseat.

"Ya couldn't wake us up like a normal person," Naruto groused, an exploring hand in his pants.

"We're going to WcDonalds for breakfast," said Sasuke, as pacifying as Buddha.

Blue eyes grew round and watery. "You're my best friend,"

"I know,"

He slammed his foot on the gas.

"When I said godspeed," Hinata squeaked, clutching to her seatbelt for dear life. "This isn't – ah! - what I meant – watch that turn!"

They finally stopped at a red light. Hinata caught her breath, the boys slept through it, and Sasuke fixed his hair in the rearview mirror. He pointed to the glove box.

"There's hairspray in there,"

She popped it open and found an industrial-sized can of hairspray.

The light had changed. "Shit," he said under his breath.

Back to maniacal driving.

"This piece here," he said, pointing to his hair while driving with one hand. "Spray it for me,"

"This one?"

"Yeah," He looked in the mirror again.

SCREECH.

"Please keep your eyes on the road!"

He scrunched his face in the mirror. "How are my eyebrows? Look at the arch,"

"It's fin – AH! Y-You're going to hit that old woman!"

"She'll dodge,"

Thump.

"Can I borrow your lip balm?"

"D-Don't change the subject! Y-You definitely ran her over! HIT AND RUN!"

"I'm gonna order ten Happy Meals for breakfast," Naruto chirped. "And 20 boxes of 20-piece chicken WcNuggets,"

"Then I will order 50 boxes of 20-piece chicken WcNuggets!"

"Do you two have to make everything into a competition?" Kiba griped immediately after waking.

"You – You're all ignoring this?"

Sasuke frowned. "Hinata, this brand of lip balm tests on animals. You should be more considerate of the lives of living things,"

"I-I can't believe you just said that with a straight face,"

They pulled up to the drive-thru.

"Whoever that is in front of us is taking forever," Kiba whined. "I'm gonna throw my shoe through their window if they don't haul ass,"

"There are firearms in the trunk," Shino supplied helpfully.

"N-NO! No shooting!"

"100 boxes of 20-piece chicken WcNuggets, please!"

"With sweet and sour sauce only," Naruto added.

Hinata picked at her apple pie, still in awe at the amount of food the boys were putting away. She would gladly sell her soul for faster metabolism.

"Hey, Hinata-chan," Kiba said around a mouthful of burger. "What happened to your shirt?"

"Uh, w-what about it?" she said, playing dumb.

"It has the Uchiha symbol on the collar," Shino observed.

"I-It does? W-What a coincidence,"

Kiba gaped. "Did you guys fu-"

Hinata crammed a handful of fries into his mouth. "Y-Y-You should eat them before they get soggy, Kiba-kun,"

"Here," Sasuke handed back her lip balm and pursed his lips.

"Y-You used it? What about animal testing?"

"What about it," he said, completely disinterested.

She stared at the lip balm in horror. Another thing to add to the list of things that would get her disemboweled if anyone found out. I-Indirect kiss? I'm never going to use this again. I should just commit seppuku and get it over with.

"Pass me a nugget," Sasuke demanded.

"You're driving though,"

He opened his mouth.

"Y-Y-You want me to feed you?"

Seppuku, seppuku, seppuku.

At the expectant quirk of his brow, she carefully held the nugget to his mouth.

He chewed thoughtfully. "You didn't dip it in sauce,"

"B-But you never said you wanted sauce,"

"Ketchup,"

"There's only sweet and sour,"

"Ketchup,"

"I just said there isn't any!"

She grabbed some wet wipes from her bag and passed them around. "Naruto-kun, don't put your hands in your pants while you eat,"

Sasuke side-eyed her. "You're fussing again,"

"Hm?" she said, leaning towards him to wipe a smudge of oil from his cheek.

He cleared his throat. "Nothing,"

Hinata nodded, distracted by putting some lipstick on. Finally, they arrived to her school.

"Have a good day at school, sister!" Lee beamed and waved as Hinata stepped out of the car. "Be careful!"

"Thank you, Lee-kun. I-I'll be going then," She waved shyly back. "Thank you for the ride and for breakfast,"

"Call us if you need someone to walk home with!" Naruto called.

"I will. Goodbye!"

"See ya!"

Sasuke nodded to her. She bobbed her head back, a small smile on her face.

lllll

"You're comin' with me, kid!"

"I-Ino-chan, w-what are you-"

"Arms up,"

"I-I need an adult!"

Hinata backed away from her friend, red in the face and panting. "W-Why are you trying to strip me?"

Ino put her hands on her hips. "Do you really need to ask? You wore that to school,"

She pinched the Uchiha clan symbol, bunching the fabric of the black t-shirt.

"B-But I couldn't find my shirt this morning,"

"That makes it sound worse,"

A pair of girls covered their mouths as they passed the bickering duo in the bathroom, one half of the duo quivering in only her bra and the other half waving a shirt menacingly.

Ino shook her gym shirt in her fist. "Change and then burn that thing,"

"Th-That's so rude! I'm not burning the shirt he lent to me,"

"At least hide the evidence,"

Hinata put his folded shirt into her bag. Once she changed into her gym shirt, Ino's face relaxed a bit.

"So you had a sleep-over,"

"Mm. Uh, w-we didn't do anything inappropriate,"

"Let me guess. Naruto, Kiba, and Lee fought over something stupid and Shino acted like a little creep, right?"

At Hinata's awed expression, Ino laughed. "They haven't changed at all from their Academy days, huh,"

"Anyway, I heard that Cho's recovering quickly,"

"Th-That's good,"

"Tenten's doing better too, but I really hope there aren't anymore attacks," Ino's forehead crumpled as she frowned. "Sakura wanted to ask Temari if she was behind the attacks, but we don't have any evidence to use against her,"

"Y-You're walking home in groups, right?"

"Uh-huh. You're being careful too?"

"Mhm,"

As they walked through the hallway, Hinata could feel eyes on her. She had never been one to enjoy attention, especially the kind that sent hushed whispers and fiery glares her way. She physically withdrew herself, her shoulders hunching to make herself smaller.

Ino was shrewd as ever. "They're probably talking about your ride this morning,"

Hinata blanched. "I-I forgot about that. B-But the windows were tinted,"

"Yeah, but most people know what the Rookie's car looks like. It's hard to miss,"

"I-I'm not really in the mood for lunch now," White eyes darted anxiously around her. "I think I'll go up to the roof,"

"No way," Ino draped an arm around her shoulders. "The really kooky ones are definitely going to target you if you're off alone. Let's get you some anpan before Hanako eats them all."

Even under Ino's wing, for the first time, Hinata didn't feel completely safe.

lllll

"Wait, Hinata-chan,"

Her homeroom teacher was young and cute enough for the girls to hound him after class, flirting, asking if he had a girlfriend, if he owned that crappy mountain bike that moved like a prehistoric animal's skeleton, and if they could ride in the back.

He was sensible, the kind of sensible a man teaching at an all-girls high school needed to be to avoid going to prison. He rebuffed them gently but firmly; Yes, I own that crappy mountain bike, I haven't got a second helmet for you to ride in the back, and I'm training to become a monk.

"Yes?" Hinata had her schoolbag packed and ready to go.

"Do you have a minute? I wanted to discuss some things with you," He pulled a chair and sat down across from her seat. Hinata smiled nervously and tucked her skirt under as she sat.

The afternoon sunlight was deep golden, illuminating floating dust and shooting across the chalkboard.

"I wanted to talk to you about how you're doing so far. Being a high school student comes with a lot of changes and adjustments and everyone deals with that differently,"

She nodded, her nervousness growing. Did everyone get a conference? Or was it because she specifically seemed like a gloomy loner? Or was this her father's intervention?

He affirmed her fears: "I noticed that you don't mingle with your classmates,"

Her feelings must have shown on her face because he gave her an easy, dimpled smile and said,

"It's one of my duties as your homeroom teacher to make sure my students aren't having trouble, especially with getting along with others. You're a quiet girl, a good student, but I'm worried that you might be feeling ostracized,"

"I-I do have friends," she said, voice small, feeling her face heat up and her mouth become dry.

How humiliating. That must be what her classmates saw; a mousy, pathetic loner.

"Ah, Ino-chan, right?" He readjusted his glasses. "Still, it's important to get along with the rest of the class. Social isolation can lead to psychological problems and could affect your growth and your academic performance,"

His smile stayed strong against her stony silence. "Are you in any clubs?"

Uh...I'm in a gang, I think.

He patted a spot of chalk on his knee, muttering, "I'm going to become 75% chalk dust and 25% water by the time I retire," He looked up at her face, eyes gentle. "Your father was concerned about your club activities,"

So that's what this is about.

"He wants you to join the kendo team. He told me you have past experience, so it shouldn't be hard to land a spot on the team,"

She wasn't interested. She wasn't good at it. She wasn't good at it because she wasn't interested and she wasn't interested because she wasn't good at it. It made her feel clumsy and dumb. She still sorely remembered the embarrassment she made of herself in her middle school kendo team and her father's cold, harsh training.

Then again, Hinata hadn't been interested in becoming a gang member and she wasn't good at that, but there she was, still doing it.

"I have a boyfriend," she blurted out.

The moment she said it, she clapped her hands over her mouth, eyes wide. What...why the hell had she said that?!

Sensei had a grim expression on his face. "That brings me to the other topic of discussion. There are rumors about you dating a gang leader,"

Time for damage-control. She lowered her chin, making her eyes bigger and rounder.

"I-It's true that I have a boyfriend, but he's not a gang leader. Th-Those are just rumors. But um, i-it's a secret, but I think," blink, blink, flutter, flutter. "I can trust Sensei with it,"

Oh dear, I might be better at being bad than I thought.

He stared at her, opening and closing his mouth, before he laughed in a more relaxed way. A break-through, a triumph, pulling the little turtle out of its shell, unaware that he was hurting it.

"I see. Honestly, Sensei doesn't really care if you kids date – you're young after all. So you've been spending your time dating instead of getting involved in extracurriculars, hm?"

Hinata couldn't look him in the eye. She had lied to a figure of authority. It had worked. She was no longer a pathetic, anti-social, poorly-adjusted teenager, a problem child, but a girl distracted by the blooming cherry blossoms of young love. That was easier to fix, easier for him to deal with.

He rubbed his chin here and flashed her a cheeky grin. "I would suggest you manage your time better. Spring-time love is the kind you'll always remember fondly. Try your best to join a club, if only to keep your old man off your back-"

All she could hear was the sound of her pulse, like a high-pitched hum in her ears.

She wasn't sure if she had done something brilliant or if she had thrown herself off the wooden plank.

The high-pitched buzz in her ears remained even while she waited at the school entrance.

"Neji-nii sure is late today," she said softly.

She was watching some birds fight over a piece of food when a thought jolted her. Of course he was late; he was still on his field trip to Hokkaido!

What did her brain think it was doing lately? A voice that sounded an awful lot like one Uchiha Sasuke's said she was spending too much time around idiots like Naruto and Kiba.

The sun was starting to dip. She hastily opened her contacts list.

Ramen Idiot.

Lazy idiot.

Fat idiot.

Dickhole Idiot.

Shino.

Bushy-brows Idiot.

Kiba the Stud

So Kiba had tampered with her phone.

"Ramen Idiot must be Naruto-kun," she murmured.

"Hiya! I can't answer right now probably because I'm eating, sleeping, or at baseball practice. I'll call you back later though, believe it!"

"Shikamaru and Chouji are at the hospital. I probably shouldn't call them,"

She tapped her lip. Next was Dickhole Idiot. She gnawed the inside of her cheek.

Under him was Shino.

"Hello?"

"Shino-kun? Th-This is Hinata," She twirled her hair nervously.

"Do you need someone to walk home with you?"

"Y-Yes, if you would, please,"

"Where are you?"

"In front of my school,"

"I'll be there,"

"Th-Thanks,"

Click.

She exhaled deeply. At least she wouldn't have to call the Uchiha. She doubted he was free anyway, being in the boys' kendo team.

A breeze brought his scent to her nose. She blushed, horrified at the thought that his scent was conditioning her to blush. She checked her phone again.

"Pfft. D-Dickhole Idiot," She snickered to herself.

"Good afternoon,"

"Sh-Shino-kun! You scared me," She clutched her chest. "That was fast,"

"I didn't want to make you wait," The bespectacled boy pushed up his glasses. "Shall we go?"

Shino was quietly bubbling with excitement over the rhinoceros beetle documentary from yesterday.

"Did you know," he said. "that they are nicknamed 'Hercules beetles' because of their strength? They can lift up to 850 times their weight,"

"Kabutomushi can? That's amazing,"

"Yes. That's why they are often used in beetle fighting, though they are harmless to humans,"

"Kabuto...mushi," she said. "Kabuto. Why does that name sound familiar?"

Shino was silent. Then, "You may have heard his name in passing,"

"I'm sure I've heard his name on the news before,"

"Yes, well," Shino fidgeted with his shades. "he is Orochimaru's right hand,"

Hinata shuddered. "I-I don't want to talk about him," She swept her gaze over the street and brightened. "Oh, let's buy some crepes,"

They sat down on a park bench. "Banana with extra chocolate sauce and whipped cream," she breathed, drooling.

Shino took a delicate bite of his strawberry and cream crepe.

"Hinata-chan, may I ask something?"

"S-Sure,"

He thinned his lips, as if he was approaching a heavy topic. "Why are you still fraternizing with us?"

She stilled, stunned by the sudden shift in topic.

He set the crepe down to his lap. "I see no gain from you being with us. You will most likely get hurt,"

She stared down at her own crepe. Her mouth opened, then closed. "B-Because you all wanted me to. Because this was easier. I just – I just sent in an application," She laughed. "And you guys took me in,"

Shino mulled this over with a soft hum. "I see. We are glad to have you but wouldn't it be better to make friends with your peers?"

It was harder to hear the same thing twice in one day. This wasn't an educator tasked with dealing with a problem child on her father's request. Shino wasn't expressive but his words and his tone were always kind. Somehow, it was worse hearing it from him.

"I am burdensome enough for Ino-chan," Hinata said slowly. "All the girls in my school are incredible. They're all smart and athletic and involved. I-I can't measure up. It's not much of secret that my father bought my place there.

"How could I – I can't," She took a deep, steadying breath. "If anything, I'm just a parasite to her. I just take her attention, her concern, her protection, and her friendship. Ino-chan always looks out for me and I'm always there, taking from her. I-I can't – I won't do that to anyone else,"

"Can you read her mind?"

"No, of course not. But I can assume as much,"

"You're making assumptions about her. You don't truly know how she feels. I can assure you that a friend like her wouldn't think of you as a burden or a parasite,"He passed her a napkin when the whipped cream started to melt onto her hands. "We consider you our friends and we don't think of you that way. Friends support each other. Some friends need it more than others. It can't be a clean 50-50 give-and-take relationship,"

"Yes, but I'm abusing her kindness because of my own weakness at socializing. For Ino-chan, it's like she's bound by duty to me. Like she's stuck with a charity case,"

A sharp glint shone in his shades.

"Hypothetically, if your friend forgot her umbrella on a rainy day, would you lend it her?"

"Y-Yes,"

"And if there was a height difference between you two, would you try to accommodate? Wouldn't you try to hold it so that both of you could stay dry?"

Shino rubbed his chin.

"At first I wasn't sure where I was going with this, but I think I mean to say that the umbrella is a metaphor for support and protection. On sunny days, you can enjoy the weather together. But on rainy days, when your friend needs an umbrella, you're there for her with your umbrella. Does that make her a burden to you?"

"N-No, not at all,"

"Don't feel sorry for yourself. Don't make excuses for yourself. Don't give up before you've tried. I'm sure that if you say that the girls at your school are incredible people, then certainly you can find friends in them. There's nothing wrong with you, Hinata, and Ino doesn't think less of you. She's lending you her umbrella on your rainy days,"

She was quiet. Shino was alarmed when he saw her shoulders shaking.

"I," His face fell when he saw her crying face. "I made you cry. I'm sorry,"

She shook her head. "N-No. Y-You just told me what I should hear,"

"Are you sure? Kiba says I'm not good with talking to people and giving advice, "

"No," She managed to keep the wobble out of her voice. "I was making excuses. I-I thought a group of good-for-nothing boys like you would be e-easy to be friends with. I-I was the who thought less of Ino's friendship. I-I," She scrubbed her wet face. "I reduced her support and kindness to an obligation,"

"Good-for-nothing boys?"

"I-I-I'm s-sorry for thinking of you all that way,"

"I suppose you wouldn't think much of gang members," he mumbled, clearly sulking. He offered another napkin to dry her face with.

"Th-Thank you, Shino-kun," Hinata accepted the napkin with a teary smile. "Y-You put some things into perspective for me. The one who was complicating things for herself was me,"

There was a hint of a smile on his face. "Learning such things about one's self can be valuable for personal growth and life experience,"

"Hinata,"

The pair on the bench looked up. Uchiha Sasuke was standing in front of them, panting and angry.