{Translation notes}*Giri-no-ani : Brother-in-law
Sasuke lets out a deep grunt as he flips over onto his stomach. His face lay on its side against his soft pillow with his arm underneath it. Feeling sluggish, he allows his other arm to dangle lifelessly off the bed. He slowly opens his eyes, his vision still in a haze of sleep. His mind was awake whereas his body was not. He felt heavy, slightly sore and too hot. Reluctantly he flips back onto his back and kicks the blanket halfway off him only covering him from his hips down. His upper body exposed he cools down immediately. He looks at the other side of the bed; Hinata's side of the bed. Realizing that he's alone he gathers his strength and raises himself. Resting against the headboard he tousles his disheveled hair. What time is it? He thinks to himself as he looks at the curtain clad window. Getting out of bed and making his way to the en suite bathroom he hears the voices of two people coming from down the corridor; one voice Hinata's and the other the voice of his sister-in-law, Hanabi.
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"Haruka."
"No." Hinata says while cooling down rice for onigiri.
While sitting on the counter Hanabi suggests another name. "Ami."
"Mmm…No" Hinata says again while placing a pickled plum inside her onigiri.
"Yuki!" Hanabi exclaims before placing a spoonful of tuna filling into her mouth.
"Hanabi! Get me another spoon for that, and why are you only suggesting girl names?" Hinata says placing a complete onigiri on a tray.
Hanabi playfully jumps off the counter and takes a new spoon out of drawer and places it in the bowl of tuna filling. "Well of course it's going to be a girl."
Moistening her hands in a bowl of seasoned water Hinata looks at Hanabi. "What makes you think that?"
"I have a strong feeling about this! Trust me; it's going to be a girl!" Jumping back up onto the counter Hanabi pumps her legs excitedly.
"I suppose." Hinata sighs and continues to shape the rice in her hand.
"Does giri-no-ani always sleep in this late?" Hanabi said grumpily, as she hadn't seen her dashing in law all afternoon.
"No, he's usually the first up actually." Hinata says with a proud smile.
Hanabi gives her elder sister an annoyed stare. "You are way too into him. Sometimes I still can't believe he married you. I mean he's Uchiha Sasuke! Who knew he would fall for someone so…sappy." Hinata ignores her young sister's words and smiles it off.
"Hmmm…OH! Mayu! Mayu is cute! Uchiha Mayu!" Hanabi exclaims excitedly. "So what about it?!"
"I'll keep that in mind." Hinata says kindly.
"Eh~ you always say that." Hanabi scoffs. "Whatever, I'm just trying to help ya know."
"If you really want to help, start helping me with this." Hinata pushes the large bowl of rice towards Hanabi.
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Dressed comfortably in a loose shirt and sweat pants, Sasuke makes his way out of the corridor nodding politely at the maid. "Good afternoon Sasuke-dono." The maid says whilst taking off her shoes at the front entrance with large bags in each of her hands.
"I'll take that off your hands." Sasuke walks over to the maid and extends his hands forward, gesturing her to hand him the bags of groceries. The maid shyly complies and hands it to him. "Then I'll be in the back courtyard if you need me." She says with grace before taking her leave. Sasuke looks through the bags as his swift big steps take him to the kitchen.
"AH!" An excited Hanabi drops the onigiri in her hand onto the table; she rushes to greet her brother-in –law at the kitchen's entrance.
"Good afternoon." She says with a tilt of her head. Her long dark hair was tied loosely and laid over one of her shoulders.
Sasuke acknowledges her and glides past while replying back with a rather plain. "Afternoon." Hinata turns her head to look and greets him gently with a smile. Her long hair was pinned up, exposing the pearly skin of her neck; she donned a floral apron and her bangs were slightly a mess. She continued to shape the rice in her hands as Sasuke walked over with the bags. Placing them on the counter he began to unpack, and put the groceries away. With a pout Hanabi makes her way back to her place beside her sister; bitterly reshaping the onigiri she had dropped.
"Did you have a good sleep?" Hinata says sweetly as Sasuke takes an onigiri off the tray.
With onigiri in hand he responds with a nod before taking a bite. Hanabi rolls her eyes at the couple's seemingly boring interaction as she washes her hands. "Hinata, I have to get going now!"
"Why so suddenly?" Hinata looked back at her.
Wiping her hands dry on a cloth Hanabi turns and says. "There's a demonstration today at the academy, I have to attend. Actually, I'm a bit late." Before rushing out of the kitchen Hanabi lightly brushes her hand against Sasuke's arm. "It was good seeing you giri-no-ani." She says cutely with a whip of her hair before leaving.
Sasuke stands there in astonishment at her outright flirtatiousness.
"She really does like you, you know." Hinata says with a giggle while placing the dirty dishes in the sink. Finishing off his onigiri Sasuke takes hold of Hinata from behind. Her hands covered in soap suds as she washes dishes she tilts her head back, resting it on his chest. "After I'm done here I'm going to go out for a bit."
Sasuke releases his embrace and relaxes his back against the counter beside her. "Where to?" He raises an eyebrow curiously.
"I'm going to meet with Temari and Ino today at the flower shop. They sent me a message earlier today." She says all the while scrubbing the dishes diligently. Pausing for a moment she looks up at him. "Are you feeling well? It seems like you had a pretty rough night yesterday." With a worrisome voice she continues, "I can always reschedule, I should've talked to you first." Her eyebrows furrow sadly. Placing the rinsed dishes onto the rack she wipes her hands dry on the kitchen cloth hanging from the front pocket of her apron.
"I'm fine." Sasuke cracks a forced smile at her as she takes off her apron. If I stay home 'I'll probably just go back to sleep anyway.' Sasuke rolls his stiff shoulders while Hinata's back is turned. He didn't want to worry her; it was his choice to drink so much the night before.
"Are you sure?" Hinata turns around after hanging up the apron. "Yes." Sasuke reassured her again with an awkward smile. "Hmm…" Hinata quietly hums in suspicion as she reaches for a bento box up in the cupboard. I'm not sure I like the look of his smile, he's probably hung over…but then again; he might not like me babying him.
"I'll walk you there." Sasuke offers while closing the cupboard above Hinata as she disassembles the three layered bento box.
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Stepping out of the compound with bento in hand Hinata walked along side Sasuke. The day was bright with little clouds in the sky. The wind was cool and would heavily gust every now and then. Luckily she had her sweater on, the one she felt like she hadn't worn in forever. The one Sasuke had made for her with the Uchiha emblem embroidered onto it. Every so often she'd sneak a look at her husband. With the wind in her hair it hid her gaze. It reminded her of when they met at Ichiraku ramen; the first time they had actually been so close and alone together. She remembered how he looked that night, sitting quietly eating a bowl of ramen. How she swore he caught her staring at him through her hair then; the embarrassing thought made her blush.
"You're staring." He says calmly while looking ahead. His words snap her out of her memories and she quickly shifts her gaze forward in surprise. Biting her bottom lip she sighs internally. "Right…" She says under her breath. Sasuke lets out an amused "hmph" and they continue down a small alley.
"How long will you be?"
Hinata pauses and thinks quietly to herself before answering him, "Hmm…I'm not sure."
"I see. I'll drop by later; if you're still there we'll go home together." Sasuke and Hinata enter the main street of the village.
"Ah! Hinata!" Temari calls out from a distance. Hinata perks up and sees Temari making her way through a small crowd on the street; she also had a bento in her hand. To Sasuke's surprise Hinata's steps quicken and they soon meet with Temari.
"Hey." Temari greets Sasuke with her cool masculine tone.
"Hey." Sasuke responds with his equally cool tough tone. Hinata giggles at their way of greeting each other.
"I can take her from here." Temari says with a smile.
Sasuke turns to face Hinata, "I'll be around, I'll come by later." Hinata smiles cheerfully "Okay." Temari and Hinata watch as Sasuke takes his leave deeper into the busy street.
Temari scoffs playfully and links her arm with Hinata. "You two really are opposites."
"They say opposites attract." Hinata says leaning into Temari's shoulder. She missed Temari; unknowingly they had become closer than she ever thought they would. She realized it was nice to have friend who was also married.
Temari lets out a chuckle. "I wonder who the baby will take after." Hinata giggles and the two walk further down the street finally making it to the flower shops front entrance. With a closed sign hanging from the window the two girls knocked on the door.
"Just a minute!" Ino's voice calls out from inside. "Ow!" Along with a painful cry from Ino, the sound of things falling over are heard from outside. Out of breath Ino opens the door, slightly bent over and grasping the side of her right hip. "Hi~" She says with restraint.
"You okay?" Temari says as she observes Ino constantly rubbing her thigh.
"Yeah yeah I'm fine…Just knocked over a few small displays."
Hinata opens holds the door open and Temari enters first.
"Should I lock it?" Hinata asks while she fiddles with the door.
"No." Ino sits down at the table and takes in a hissing breath. Ah, that hurt. "Ten ten should be coming soon so just leave it unlocked for now."
"Ah, Ten ten is coming." Hinata says with a perky voice as she makes her way over to the table with her bento.
"Yeah, she finished her mission early so she's finally got some time to relax." Ino gets up and makes her way to the staircase. "I'll be right back!" She rushes up the stairs as if not in pain.
"So what's in the bento?" Temari asks Hinata as she unwraps her very own three layered bento.
"Ah, this?" Hinata takes a seat and unties the knot of the cloth that's wrapped around her bento. "Just some onigiri."
"Really? That must've been hard to make." Temari says in awe. Humbly nodding her head no, Hinata opens her bento and presents the onigiri on the table.
Temari opens her bento and presents small little cream filled cakes. Hinata's eyes brighten as their placed in front of her. "Did you make these?!" Hinata says with high pitched admiration.
Slouching, Temari looks at her cakes. "Yeah, I did. For some reason I can bake but when it comes to actual nutritious food I have a hard time."
"You have to teach me!" Hinata's eyes widen as she plea silently with Temari. Letting out a feminine giggle Temari agrees. "Of course, only if you teach me how to make onigiri."
"Okay~" Ino makes her way down the stairs with a tray. "Drinks anyone?" She says cheerfully as she walks over carefully. "Of course they're non-alcoholic." She tips her head to the side and smiles mischievously at Hinata. "Oh, you two brought so much." She places the tray on the table and serves the drinks and hands out small plates and forks. "So Hinata, I'm thinking about holding the baby shower for when you're about seven months." Ino grabs her glass and takes a sip.
"Oh, yeah. Sure; that sounds great." Hinata scoots closer to the table.
"Really? You don't sound too excited?" Temari helps herself to an onigiri.
"Ah~ no I didn't mean it like that. I am excited. I'm just not so good at planning things." Hinata nervously taps the side of her glass.
"Hmmm…So…"Ino sets down her glass and faces Temari. "Are you two planning to have kids anytime soon?"
"Ackk…kehh…" A grain of rice zooms out of Temari's mouth. Swallowing hard she hits her chest and reaches for her glass; taking a well needed gulp of Ino's fruity concoction. Her face turns red with embarrassment.
"You're going red!" Ino says in a high pitch squeal. Hinata laughs; she has never seen Temari so caught off guard before.
Clearing her throat Temari forcefully tries to keep a straight face. "N…*cough* No, we have no plans as of yet." Getting back her composure she continues. "When it happens it'll happen." She nods reassuringly to herself. "What about you Hinata, did you two plan this pregnancy?"
Hinata stops mid chuckle. "Uh…ah no, it just…happened."
"So you think. Everyone knows Sasuke's been wanting to revive the Uchiha forever now." Ino picks a small cake out of Temari's bento and places it neatly on her plate. "He was probably methodically planning it out" She laughs.
The Bells above the door ring as Ten ten rushes in with a small box. "Sorry! I'm late!" her hands slap together in a praying gesture at her forehead.
Ino leans back in her seat and looks over at the out of breath kunoichi at her door. "No worries! Hey, lock the door won't ya."
Snapping the lock Ten ten makes her way over to the table and sits in the empty seat where Ino had already set up a drink, plate and fork. "Wow, look at the spread!" Ten ten's eyes glisten at the deliciousness in front of her. "Sorry, I didn't make anything. But I grabbed some of this on the way here." Ten ten opens the small box and reveals the many sesame mochi she had purchased just moments earlier in the market place. The girls coo at the sight of them, they were sesame mochi from the most famous-and expensive-mochi shop in the village.
"So, what we talking about." Ten ten says playfully as she reaches for an onigiri.
"Babies." Ino says picking at the cream on her cake.
"Ah right!" Ten ten turns to Hinata. "Congrats! Neji told me! I'm so excited for you!"
"Thank you." Hinata perks up at Ten ten.
"Temari!" Ten ten turns to the blonde while scooting her chair closer to the table.
"Nope, not yet. Already asked." Ino grins with a fork in her mouth.
"Aw no way! Hurry! With Hinata having a baby I totally got baby fever!" Ten ten whines cutely.
Her hand hovering over the open box of sesame mochi Temari responds wittily. "Then you have a baby. I mean Neji seems like the serious type." Temari laughs. Ten ten pouts and begins to silently munch on her onigiri.
"Mhm! Chestnut!" Hinata exclaims sweetly as she takes a bite of the cake Temari made. "It's delicious!"
"Really?" Temari blushes. "I'm glad you like it!"
"By the way how is Neji, I haven't seen him around for a while." Ino says with her mouth full of cake.
Ten ten sighs and hangs her head sadly. "He's been on so many missions lately. I barely get to see him; when I do see him he just ends up telling me he's going on another mission."
Temari hums in agreement. "I hate it when that happens. At least you live in the more lively part of the village. Try living in the middle of the woods when your man is gone; sometimes for months on end."
"Well, at least you guys still get called out for missions. Lately I've just been working at the flower shop. I miss missions, heck I'd even take on a D rank mission if I could."
Hinata finishes her cake and goes for a second while keenly listening to her girlfriends.
"Sometimes I feel like the men that we're with are the only shinobi in this village. I mean really, do they always have to go on such long missions?" Ten ten swipes the cream off her cake with her fork and plunges it into her mouth.
"Before, I would've never understood this. But now…yeah I'll say it. I miss my husband when he's gone for so long. Especially because I know what it's like on a mission, ya know?" Temari-irritated-chomps on another onigiri. The women all nod in agreement.
Hinata swallows and quietly speaks up. "Sometimes…I mean Sasuke's been on leave for a while now. And sure, I miss him when he's not home…but…sometimes I just… don't know what to do, when he is home. Haven't any of you ever felt that way?" She shyly puts the fork in her mouth.
"Hmm…I see what you mean. It does happen when you're around each other so much." Temari thinks for a moment. "With all honesty though, when Shikamaru does get days off we spend the whole time in bed."
"Temari~" Ten ten's mouth hangs open in surprise at Temari's audacious remark. "I mean, sure…Neji and I do…that…"
"No. No, no, no, no…" Hinata clenches her teeth around the fork in her mouth and moves her hands to her ears.
"Oh come on Hinata." Ino nudges Hinata in the arm playfully.
Ten ten laughs aloud. "As I was saying, yeah we do…that…but we do go out and stuff, like dates and what not."
"Hmm…Maybe it's different when you're married." Ino props her elbow on the table and tilts her head into her hand.
Removing her hands from her ears and taking out the fork in her mouth Hinata quickly responds. "It is different."
"Okay, so different how?" Ten ten leans towards Hinata with a listening ear.
"You're not as reserved." Temari says while reaching for her drink.
"Reserved?" Ino raises an eyebrow.
"Yeah, like in bed." Temari says confidently. "Aren't you like that Hinata?" Temari takes a sip out her glass. The women watch as Hinata's face slowly burns up and takes on her usual red hue. Forcing a small breath out, she nods.
"What?! No way!" Ino says in shock. With a crinkle of her nose Ino teases Hinata. "Oh~ so you're an undercover freak in the sheets huh?!"
Patting Ten ten's shoulder Temari laughs and says, "Trust me you'll both understand when you get married. It's like a switch goes off and your inner freak comes out."
"I already am a freak; I wonder what'll happen when I get married." Ino says with a confident chuckle.
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Making his way out a shop with a bag in his hand Sasuke continues to walk around the village. Aimlessly with no real destination he reaches the area by the large front gates. He nods his head in greeting at Kotetsu and Izumo who are at their usual post, when he notices three shinobi making their way through the gates. As they get closer one of them calls out to him.
"Yo." A monotone voice calls out casually. Shikamaru makes his way closer, his pony tail standing upright as usual; the calm shinobi raises a hand in hello. He says some parting words to the other two shinobi with him and they soon leave, both going their separate ways.
"Still off huh?" Shikamaru stuffs one hand in his pocket and uses the other to scratch the back of his head.
Sasuke turns around and tilts his head, "Unfortunately." Continuing his walk Shikamaru follows him.
"Done so soon?" Sasuke asks nonchalantly.
Shikamaru looks up at the sky. "Well, yeah. Just sending over some documents; you know small stuff. I thought you were gonna try to talk Naruto into letting you go back to work."
"It'd be a waste of breath." Plus, I already tried before…
"Heh, you sure seem fine for someone who drank so much last night."
Sasuke yawns, "I could say the same to you."
Shikamaru lets out a friendly laugh. "So where's Hinata? You left her home alone today?"
"No, she's out right now."
Shikmaru tilts his head to the side. "Ah, that's what Temari was talking about this morning. Hah, I was so tired from last night I kinda zoned out of our conversation then."
"Don't you have to report back to Naruto?" Sasuke says coldly.
"Hm?" Shikamaru looks at Sasuke curiously for a moment. "Nah, I got the other two guys to do it. Where're you headed?"
Sasuke looks at his watch. "Now…To Ino's I guess."
"That's where the girls are right?" Shikamaru hesitates. "It's troublesome, but I guess I'll go with you."
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"I'm glad we could all get together today." Temari says while walking up the stairs with the dirty dishes.
Ino follows her from behind and they both make their way up to the kitchen. "Well, when Chouji told me that the boys went out yesterday; I thought why not? I mean if they were going to meet up why can't we?" The stairs creak as Hinata and Ten ten make their way up the staircase with the empty glasses. The girls set the glasses on the counter by the sink, when a knock comes at the door.
"Oh, can one of you get that?" Ino asks, looking over her shoulder at Hinata and Ten ten.
"I'll go get it." Hinata volunteers and quickly goes down the stairs; her hand slides gently on the railing, guiding her. Looking past a flower display she peers through the window with squinted eyes. She grabs the door handle and unlocks the top latch. With a pull of the door she sees a surprised Sakura standing in front of her.
"Oh." Sakura peeps out in surprise. She looks past the lavender eyed woman and looks back at her again. "Hinata…Is Ino here?"
"Ah, yes. Come in. The girls are all upstairs." Hinata says kindly, while holding the door open for Sakura. The pink haired kunoichi walks in. Locking the door; Hinata follows Sakura up the stairs. Placing her hand on her chest Hinata braces her rapid heartbeat. The last time she had seen Sakura was when she appeared at the Uchiha home to tell Sasuke he had another weeks rest. But even then they didn't speak as Naruto rushed the pink haired kunoichi out the door. Hinata took a silent breath out and straightened out her back. She wondered if Sakura had heard of her pregnancy.
"Ino?" Sakura calls out as she nears the top of the stairs.
Ino crooks her head and turns off the running water. "Sakura?"
"Yeah, where are you?" Sakura stands at the landing and waits for an answer.
Ino turns back on the tap and shouts. "In the kitchen!"
Hinata follows Sakura quietly. Separating from her when they make it to the opening of the kitchen, Hinata makes her way to the living area and joins Temari and Ten ten. Temari and Ten ten chatted amongst themselves as they sat around a coffee table with a plate of snacks in the middle.
"I didn't know Sakura was coming." Ten ten says as she watches Hinata enter the room.
"Ah, yeah." Hinata takes a seat beside Ten ten.
Temari looks up at Hinata with a rice cracker cookie hanging in her mouth. Her eyes scan Hinata as if observing her; she takes a small bite out of her cracker and chews it as her eyes shift in the direction of the kitchen.
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"Who's all here?" Sakura asks quietly as she stands at Ino's side.
"Why are you whispering?" Ino giggles as she rinses the last dish and places it in the drying rack. Sakura remains quiet.
Ino wipes her hands dry on the kitchen cloth hanging from a hook on the wall. "Temari, Hinata, and Ten ten; the usual."
"I see." Sakura turns and leans her back against the counter.
"So, what's up? I thought you were working today." Ino reaches into the cupboard for some tea leaves.
"I was. Since Shizune's in town again my work load has become less. She brought back some medical nin from the sand too; so there's not much I really need to do." Sakura looks down and fiddles with the end seam of her light coat.
"I'm making tea now, did you want to stay?" Ino places a full kettle onto the stove.
"Ah…" Sakura hesitates for a moment, catching Ino's interest.
"What's wrong?" Ino looks at Sakura with worry. Sakura remains quiet again.
"Well, you're staying." Ino pulls out five tea cups out of the cupboard above her. "I already pulled out a cup for you." Ino says adamantly.
"I'm not sure I should." Sakura turns and faces her friend with a gloomy facial expression.
Ino holds up one of the tea cups, "Pulled out a cup for you. You're staying."
Sakura lets out a crack of a smile along with a sigh. "Okay. Here let me help you."
Back in the living room the women continue chatting with each other. "How is it living in such a secluded area?" Ten ten asks Temari from across the coffee table.
"Hmm. It's alright. Sometimes it's even relaxing. Sure it takes a long time to get into the central area of the village, but I've gotten used to it. It's a great training ground as well." Temari says casually as she eyes the bowl of snacks at the center of the table. Temari picks up a small cookie, "It gets lonely in a big house though, even when we're both home."
Playfully Ten ten teases Temari. "It wouldn't be lonely with little Nara's running around." Hinata and Ten ten laugh at Temari as she turns her head and scoffs.
"Tea is ready!" Ino comes in with a tray of steaming tea cups for five, behind her Sakura follows with a tray of her own with cut up fruit and small forks. The two set the table and place their trays aside. Sakura sits beside Temari, her body obviously awkward as she felt she was intruding.
"No work today Sakura?" Ten ten asks, her hand reaching for her tea.
Adjusting herself Sakura answers. "Ah, no. I got off early today." An awkward air fills the room and all is silent; except the ticking clock on the wall.
"Ye~ah. When is Neji getting back Ten?" Temari abruptly asks Ten ten as to not spoil the mood any further.
Tilting her head Ten ten places her index finger on her chin. "Well he's been gone for two days, he should be home tomorrow. It'd be great if her came back early though because don't have another mission for three days."
Hinata props up and faces Temari. "Have you had a lot of missions since you've moved here Temari?"
"That's right. I've been wondering that too." Ino says before blowing her tea.
"I've traveled back and forth between villages for meetings and such but I haven't landed any big mission yet." Temari sighs.
"Oh." Ino's body jolts at the sound of knocking from downstairs and she quickly gets up. "So many guests today." She mumbles making her way down the stairs. I put up the closed sign too… Making it to the door she peers through the glass and sees a familiar spiked pony tail. She sighs internally. 'I just served the tea!' She reluctantly opens the door and sees Sasuke and Shikamaru standing on her welcome mat.
"Hi." She holds the door open and gestures the two to make their way inside. Locking the door behind them she makes her way to the stairs first. She hears Shikamaru's sigh and turns her head to look over her shoulder. "You two can come up you know." She gives out a slight huff and marches upward. The two men follow her as she leads them to the living area.
"Wah~ how sweet!" Ten ten says cutely when she sees the two men walking behind Ino. The women glance in Ino's direction. Surprised, the tea in Temari's throat gets caught and causes her to let out a small snort.
Shikamaru lets out a chuckle. "Yo."
"You're back already?" Temari says wiping the tea off her lip with the back of her hand. Hinata and Sasuke share glances and remain quiet while the other couple talks.
Temari raises an eyebrow. "So what are you doing here? Picking me up?"
"That was the plan." Shikamaru scratches the back of his head and stares off into the corner.
Ino shakes her head. "Really, just when I had served the tea; you're timing is uncanny."
"Then we'll leave." Sasuke says coldly, turning his back. Hinata slumps her shoulders, caught off guard at his sharp words.
"Ah no!" Temari rises slightly from her seat. She sees the heated gaze of her friends staring at her –embarrassed- her eyes divert from theirs.
"Oh, let her go. I'm sure she missed him." Ten ten says with a wave of her hand.
"Then…I too…" Hinata stands up slowly, her hands flattening the creases on her sweater.
"Ah really." Ino lets out a sigh and shuts her eyes. "Just go. We had a good time catching up earlier. You two owe me next time though!" She waves her hand in a shooing fashion.
"Really, you two are so lucky. Aren't they?" Ten ten looks at Sakura.
"Yeah, they are." Sakura responds quietly and takes a glance at Hinata's Uchiha sweater. Ino walks into the kitchen, takes the cleaned bento boxes and hands them back to Temari and Hinata. "Here, don't forget these."
Hinata reaches for hers and shows Ino a gentle smile. "Thank you for washing them Ino."
"Yeah yeah, now go with your husbands." Ino says nodding her head.
Shikmaru watches over Temari as she wraps her bento in her cloth. "You made something?"
She nods her head quietly and finishes the knot. "Don't worry there's more at home."
"Wow, a real wife indeed." Ino nudges playfully at Temari's arm. The girls giggle and watch the couples with much fascination. Sasuke and Hinata are both silent as she wraps up her bento.
"Okay then, see you guys." Temari waves as her and Shikamaru head down the stairs first.
"It was nice seeing you all again." Hinata smiles and gives a slight bow to Sakura and Ten ten at the table; Sasuke takes the lead and heads downstairs before her.
"I'll walk you guys out." Ino follows the couples from behind.
Ten ten sighs and places her elbow on the table; she rests her chin on her hand and sighs again. "It's really interesting seeing how they interact huh?" She stares at the staircase. "Temari and Shikamaru sure are unexpectedly cute." She giggles and leans back. "Hinata and Sasuke are especially interesting; don't you think?" She looks at Sakura with soft eyes and continues to speak in admiration. "They're so silent, but it's like they don't even need to talk to know what each other's thinking." With a squeal she continues. "And their having a kid!" Ten ten shakes her head. "Ahhh! Temari and Hinata are so lucky!" She flails her arms closely to her body in envy. Sakura reaches for her tea and sips it quietly, looking dejected.
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Waving her hand goodbye to Shikamaru and Temari, Hinata walks along side Sasuke down the main street of the village. Quietly the two observe the townspeople and horizon. Turning into an alley Hinata sees Sasuke's hand in front of her as she walks.
"Here." He hangs the small white bag in front of her, and with his other hand he takes the bento from her.
"Oh." Hinata lets out. She hadn't even notice that he had been carrying a small bag with him. With two hands she gently takes it from him.
Looking in to the distance he says coolly, "I thought you'd like them."
Opening the bag, a burst of cinnamon fills her nostrils. She lifts out a small box with a pretty label on it that read 'cinnamon cookies'. From the picture on the box the cookies were flower shaped, just in time for spring. Quietly Hinata thanks him. Placing the box back into the bag she takes hold of the hand he has in his sweater pocket. He entwines their fingers together gently and they continue walking home. Nearing their home a loud bark resonates toward them.
"Akamaru!" Kiba shouts as he chases the large white dog. The large dog dashes its way toward Hinata with his tongue hanging out of his mouth.
"Stop!" Hinata exclaims as she's hit with déjà vu. Akamaru digs his paws into the ground and stops just before Sasuke and Hinata. Finally catching up, an out of breath kiba bends over and places his hands on his knees. "Sorry about that you guys."
"Interesting that you can't keep up with him." Sasuke says in monotone.
Kiba stands up and defends himself. "Only when he sees Hinata can he outrun me." He places his hand on Akamaru's head and looks at him. "What did I say? You have to be more careful around Hinata now, remember?"
The large dog whines and pushes his head against Kiba's hand apologetically.
Hinata leans in and places her hand on the dogs' muzzle. "Sorry Akamaru just for a little longer, okay?" Again he whines.
"Okay Akamaru, you've said hello. Let's get going." Kiba pats the side of Akamaru. "See ya guys!" Kiba says while he and Akamaru run back in the direction they came from. Sasuke raises a hand in a silent goodbye and Hinata waves kindly. "That dog really likes you huh?"
Hinata looks up at Sasuke's profile and smiles at his remark. "He's a good dog."
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Later that night, Sasuke makes his way out of the bathroom. With nothing but his pajama pants on Sasuke walks toward the bed. "What are you reading?"
Hinata quickly places the pamphlet in her hand flat onto the blanket covering her lap. "Oh…this?"
Sasuke places a knee on his side of the bed and crawls under the blanket. He reaches for the pamphlet and takes it from Hinata. He reads silently. 'Intimacy: A guide for the pregnant woman' Cocking an eyebrow he looks at Hinata. Her gaze diverted from his, she looks up at the ceiling with her hands lightly fisted on her lap. She plucks up her courage and quickly swipes the pamphlet from his hands. She unfolds the paper and begins to read again. Interested Sasuke moves closer to her side, hovering beside her as she reads to herself silently.
An interesting thought crosses Sasuke's mind and he teases her. "Comfortable positions, for him and you." He read aloud in a mocking manner. Hinata shuts the pamphlet and looks at him with a strained look on her face that read 'Really?' Giving her a smirk his eyes look back down at the pamphlet and she opens it again.
With a silky voice he reads aloud. "Bringing you to the edge: At the edge of the bed, have him…"
"Sasuke!" Hinata lets out a flustered cry. Sasuke lets out a deep chuckle from within his throat and kisses her on the shoulder. "It's just so interesting." His lips vibrate against her bare skin as he speaks. Pulling away, he shifts downward; lies on his back and places his forearm over his eyes. Turning to his side, he faces Hinata and places one of his hands underneath his pillow. Feeling his heated gaze Hinata looks down at him. Nervously she asks him, "What is it?" He shakes his head gently and closes his eyes. Hinata smiles, closes the pamphlet then places it on her night stand. Before turning around she feels Sasuke's arm around her lap from underneath the blanket. She turns off the lamp and slides her way downward. Her back facing him; his arm hangs lovingly around her waist. He scoots himself closer and breathes in the tantalizingly sweet scent at the crook of her neck.