3
xxxxx
He missed her already.
Well, it wasn't really her that he missed, so much as her outstanding, amazing, out-of-this-world cooking. Cooking that could only be described as 'Mother's Best'; Hyuuga Hinata had an amazing talent that no one else came even close to being able to duplicate. After the first few days he hadn't even had the heart to snap at her for every little thing she did, and he had tried. Well, besides that, it was really difficult to snap at someone who really didn't do anything to piss you off.
As suspected, the Hyuuga had pretty much stayed out of his way unless it was to clean or to cook for him. He had been sure that she had kept a sharp eye on him using her Byakugan but he had rarely actually saw her. He had ended up spending his time training until he was too exhausted, would bathe, eat, sleep, and go back outside to train. Wash, rinse, repeat.
She had not eaten with him and he had not asked her to, something he regretted now as he was supposed to be slowly opening up to the others and she would have been a good start. On top of that, that grim and upset attitude she had held at the hospital disappeared. Whenever they had seen each other she had always flashed him a small smile in greeting before attending to her duties, most of the time that had been cooking. He hadn't said anything or greeted her in return but after she left, he realized how spoiled he had been.
The next few months went by with various people, mostly Hyuuga main house, coming through. They treated him as a 'branch' member of their house hold, doing little more than watching over him. They did not cook, did not clean, simply observed. All of them had limited his training routine, which had royally pissed him off. The ones that would cook for him – the females – were horrible, horrible in comparison to their heiress; obviously not used to cooking but wanting to impress the 'cute bad boy'.
He had been so disgusted with their awful cuisine and their obvious fan girling that he hadn't even tried to get close to them as he had initially planned. Some of them had been close to his age, either younger or in their twenties. The males had remained stoic and aloof, the females had been all too eager to talk to him until he had wanted to snarl at them. It had been bad enough dealing with Karin's incessant, mindless chatter and she had been a horrible cook as well.
Ino was no better; she was just as horrible of a cook and was one of those people who talked simply to fill the silence. She had followed him everywhere, made sure she watched him train, which he had found slightly disturbing, and tried…to act like a housewife.
Apparently, she had it in her head that now that Sakura had decided to be with Naruto that she was now fully in the running. She also seemed to think that no one was going to beat her when it came to raw sex appeal and desirability, figuring it was only a matter of time before she would 'snag herself an Uchiha'. It was frustrating for him, even though he knew he should use this to his advantage he found himself growing more and more distant from Ino, more annoyed.
It got to the point where he just flat out ignored her and made it very clear through tone and action that he held no desire to even attempt to pursue anything close to a normal conversation between them. Like Naruto, this did not deter her. Then again, years hadn't deterred her, he doubted his cold and aloofness would do any better, she was used to that. It was only after she left that he had scolded himself for not trying harder and decided he would do so next time, if there was one.
Naruto did come to visit as promised and little happened. The Hokage would try to get 'buddy buddy' with him, offer sparring, something Sasuke wanted but refused because it would make Naruto happy, or just idly chatting about the old days. Any attempts on Sasuke's part to be snide, rude, or downright act like a bastard were pretty much ignored. Naruto never stayed long, either for a few minutes or a few hours, and he always left with promises that they'd all hang out one day like before. Neither male were stupid, that was impossible.
What Naruto wanted was for Sasuke to want to try and carve out a new life with them; even he understood things could not go back to the way they were. At first, Sasuke would snap something rude to the Hokage. After a few months, he allowed Naruto to see him brooding silently after he would say the words, as if thinking. He was implementing his plan in small ways, cutting down on the insults or forcing himself to look thoughtful, almost wistful, as Naruto recounted the 'good ol' days'. Although annoying, Sasuke was pleased with the way Naruto bought it, becoming more enthusiastic with every bone the Uchiha tossed.
Sakura, on the other hand, never showed. When he had asked Naruto about it he ended up learning that Sakura had withdrawn herself from the mission to deal with Sasuke. It had originally been a volunteer mission for those who would learn the seals and she had been number one on the list. Upon further probing he learned that Sakura had officially done it under the claim that her feelings could 'compromise the mission'. In reality, as far as Naruto was concerned, she was running away.
After their initial 'talk' Sakura had become somewhat depressed and in a small state of shock. Naruto believed it was a mixture of the fact that Sakura did indeed love Naruto and had been on the fence about it for some time, the shock of realizing what Naruto's true intentions had been and the fact that she hadn't acted the way he had expected her to. She couldn't blame Naruto for thinking she would had healed Sasuke first, even if the fact that he had felt that way hurt her feelings now. The fact that she loved Naruto made the guilt that he would think that way about her heavier.
At least, that's what Naruto thought. It was a fair assumption and Sasuke realized that the idiot wasn't so dumb anymore for such a sharp observation. He did assure Sasuke that their relationship was fine, however, stating that after the initial beating – to which Naruto sent him a glare and Sasuke pointedly ignored – they had talked it out a bit and had settled the issue. Naruto told him that Sakura would just need time to sort out all of her feelings.
"S'hard to just move on from someone you loved all your life y'know?" he had said, Sasuke's response being a shrug. He didn't know. He had never been in love and didn't want to be. If love turned one into someone like Naruto or Sakura he wanted nothing to do with it. Pining after someone even though it was obvious they didn't want you- it was disgusting.
In another six months the reports done on him would be evaluated and they would determine whether or not the constant watch was necessary. They had not told him what would happen after the next year, they probably didn't even know themselves. He couldn't say he enjoyed this setup; it was almost as bad as the hospital. The only thing that kept him from dying of boredom was training, but even then the darker thoughts of his situation would creep up and hit him hard.
In reality, he really didn't hold a goal or a real purpose. During the darker hours, he realized just how fruitless trying to escape would be, leaving him with the question of 'What do I do now?' and no forthcoming answer. He merely existed, going day to day in an endless routine, lost in his thoughts. He had to force himself out of those darker feelings, knowing that giving in would eventually lead to insanity. Escape had to be his goal; he had to move forward in some sort of fashion, even if pointless. The alternative, staying and trying to carve out a future here, was unacceptable. 'One step at a time,' he would tell himself over and over.
By the time the Hyuuga heir returned for her week, winter was already upon them; in fact it was getting close to the new year. The outside of his 'house' had been decorated with all sorts of lights and festive greenery. The younger females had banded together and had gotten him some sort of tree which now rested in the back corner of his living room, cutely decorated with a shuriken at the top for the head piece. He had never been much of a holiday person and so pointedly ignored it, going about as if everything were normal. It had snowed and stuck a few days ago, brightening the area with its soft, pale glow. Sasuke still trained, however, much to his prior caretaker's dismay. By the time the Hyuuga arrived he had just dressed and dried his hair from a bath and the other Hyuuga female was in the living room, chatting with the heir.
This time Hinata was wearing her jacket and pants, a soft smile on her face as she listened to the other woman complain.
"..And he won't even bundle up! Please Hinata-sama, don't let him go another week training out there in the cold like this."
Crossing his arms, he leaned against the wall in the hallway, watching the exchange. Hinata's arms rose in a sort of pacifying gesture and she laughed nervously. Sasuke's dark gaze went to the bags sitting down on either side of her, boasting food. Gods bless her, she had brought real food. He had never come to appreciate real food until now, where the simple things in life were starting to mean more and more the less and less meaning was involved in his life.
"Harumi-san," she began "I'll do my best but Uchiha-san is…"
The older girl grasped Hinata's hands, startling her. Harumi's face held a sharp blush on her pale skin – were all Hyuuga pale? – and she bit her lip. "Please, Hinata-sama. Sasuke-kun is my…"
That was enough. He stepped forward, arms still crossed over his chest, eyes narrowed. "It's you again," he remarked to his new babysitter and without another word he bent down and grabbed one of the large brown bags full of food. She protested lightly and even reached out to him before jerking her hand back as if stunned by her own forwardness. He would have grabbed the other bag as well but that would have required him to move around or reach around Hinata and he didn't want to do that with the other female around.
"Ah, um, Uchiha-san," he heard Hyuuga chime "I could have done that…"
"Onigiri." he cut in, walking towards the kitchen with his burden. "And I want shrimp. Preferably tempura style."
Harumi and Hinata spoke for a few more seconds in hushed tones before the older Hyuuga did a proper turnover and left, going 'Don't forget!' and whispered something else he didn't catch before she hurried off into the cold. He was putting groceries away when he heard the soft pad of Hinata's feet near him. The crinkle of the other bag settled as she placed it on the counter.
"Uchiha-san-"
"Sasuke," he corrected. He had already begun his slow manipulation with Naruto and this girl, who was in love with the Hokage. She held obvious compassion and kindness, which would help his case even more if he played nice with her. It helped that he actually could tolerate her presence and wasn't actually a burden or an annoyance.
"S-Sasuke-san," she corrected herself. Standing straight, he regarded the small girl, raising an eyebrow at her. He watched as her face actually crinkled in slight disgust "Do…you really want shrimp?" she sounded slightly horrified at the idea.
Sasuke was a little speechless at first. Her tone had been so severe he had thought she was going to say something earth shattering for a moment, only to realize that she seemed to simply have a dislike for shrimp. He almost laughed.
"Yes," he forced his tone and face to remain neutral "What's wrong with shrimp?"
"Nothing, I guess," she ducked her head then, continuing to fill the kitchen with appropriate food stuffs. He stepped back and out of the way, content with watching her for now. She did a good job of ignoring his stare with only a hint of flush on her cheeks at the scrutiny. There was a smooth grace to her movements he didn't remember from the past; sure and steady, not jerky and hesitant.
Growing her hair out had been good for her, the short style had made her look tomboyish, this style made her look undeniably feminine. She hadn't grown much, he was taller than her by a few inches, but she looked very much like a woman in body, even if her face still held that slight childish roundness to it. He briefly wondered how deceptive that delicate frame really was.
The brief thought became more focused as he considered the prospects. He wouldn't be able to spar Neji, who he had heard was now a jounin, Hinata would be a close if not approximate match. Of course he would be at a handicap without the Sharingan but he was pretty sure he could handle this little wisp of a girl. She couldn't have grown far enough to be any real challenge to him, surely.
The thought of having someone to spar with was enticing, especially against a Hyuuga. There were the others, obviously, but he got the impression that Neji or Hinata would be the better challenge. Besides that, the other Hyuuga didn't really want him training, not really, so getting them to spar with him would be difficult. He refused to spar with Naruto. He wanted to save that moment as a turning point, hoping that Naruto would see it as Sasuke finally opening up. He couldn't spoil it by doing it too soon, others would become suspicious and that would influence Naruto when Sasuke wasn't around, which was basically all the time. Nothing wrong with sparring with the Hyuuga was there?
"Eat dinner with me tonight," he offered, unable to help the small twitch at the corners of his mouth when she spun to face him. Those pearl-like eyes widened to saucers, her pale face flushed with heat and her mouth dropped slightly in surprise. Her actions were so amusing at times; it was so easy to get a reaction out of her concerning the most simple of things.
"I promise I won't try to kill you," he said with a hint of amusement in his voice "I'm just getting bored of sitting by myself. Six months of being alone but not alone can drive anyone to want some company. You're also the only female that won't try to convince me that I should be their dessert."
To his slight annoyance, he found himself liking the sound of her laughter. It wasn't shrill or faked; it was soft and gentle, just like the rest of her. He shoved the annoyance aside, that wouldn't help him get what he wanted.
Even her eyes warmed when she laughed and then quieted to a small giggle and a smile. "Okay, but only if you promise not to train in the cold like you've been," came the counter "Harumi-san is concerned for your health."
Like he gave a damn about Harumi. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes he decided to make things interesting "I don't want to stop training so how about we make a deal?" when she blinked up at him curiously he continued "We spar tomorrow morning. If I win, you let me continue my training and don't tell anyone about it. If you win, I'll stop training for the rest of the winter, but you have to stay until spring and keep me entertained. If I can't train, I have to do something or I'll go crazy just sitting here."
That got an interesting reaction out of her. The Hyuuga didn't splutter or go into a fit but she did look a bit panicked and wary. "Until…spring?" she echoed.
"So you can just ignore me and let me train and you be done with me for the week or-"
"Okay," she cut in "I agree."
Oh, this was perfect. Not only would he be able to test the skills of the Hyuuga, he'd now have the best caretaker until spring. No more annoying males cutting into his training time; no more horrible cooking from the fangirl brigade. His mood was considerably brighter after that and he retired to his room to allow her to cook in privacy.
The morning had found him outside. The snow was starting to melt although it was still cold, which was fine with him. He didn't care about fighting in snow but it was harsh on his eyes with the sun out and shining reflectively. A side effect from overuse of the Sharingan, but a tolerable one for the most part.
He had only waited a total of five minutes, surprising since they had not set an actual hour. Sasuke could only assume she had used the Byakugan to see when he had awakened and gotten ready. Her face was blank as she closed the door to the backyard/training area behind her. Once again she was wearing her trademark jacket and dark pants, her almost-white gaze settling quickly on him. As she slipped on her shoes and joined him he laid out the rules.
"Taijutsu only, we'll make it as fair as possible," he began. His Sharingan was sealed away but not his chakra, if he used ninjutsu he'd crush her. Taijutsu, while it was no longer a heavy specialty of his, was still something he was fairly good at. More than enough to deal with her anyway. "You can use the Byakugan on me and come at me with all you've got. In fact, I insist."
"Um, but if you're only going to use taijutsu…"
Sasuke snorted "Don't worry, it's fair. I really don't think you'd have a chance otherwise. Taijutsu will be fine against you; it's just for fun anyway."
She didn't even look offended, just thoughtful. "Oh, okay," was the simple response. "If you insist…"
Smirking, Sasuke merely went into a defensive stance as a response. Sure, the girl had probably gotten good over the years, but there was no way she'd be able to hold a candle to him and he'd have a few months of peace and slight pampering. On top of that, he would use it to his advantage, let the Hyuuga girl think she was getting somewhere with him, report it to Naruto who would take it as a good sign of improvement. All part of the plan.
Since he had never actually seen the Byakugan before, he watched with interest as she moved into a strange stance. Juuken stance he assumed, as she held her palms out in a strange manner, his eyes widening slightly as what seemed like veins quickly emerged near her temples. Chakra filled, he guessed, the veins stretched from her temple to surround her eyes which, if possible, became even paler. So that was the Byakugan, eh? He had seen some other shinobi with that ability at the Kage gathering briefly but hadn't really been giving it much attention. Now he knew what it was.
Now, while Sasuke had been fairly confident that he could easily take her, he had not been prepared for the speed in which she had launched herself at him. Of course, he was much faster and didn't even need the Sharingan to follow her movements; he had just been slightly taken aback. He dodged easily but paid for his second of hesitation when her fingers lightly brushed past his forearm. The sensation was akin to being stabbed with a very thin but long needle and he jumped back and away from her, his other hand moving to rub at where she had only brushed at. His forearm felt numb and where he couldn't really feel the cold much before he felt it completely now.
He got over his initial shock quickly, moving defensively as Hinata charged at him again. Dodging her blows was difficult and tricky the closer she was to him; he was faster but she didn't exactly have to touch him for her chakra to have an effect on his. She could project it, he learned, and as long as her fingers or palm was close enough to almost brush by she could shove her chakra into his points, effectively cutting off chakra flow to an extremity. He also quickly learned that he had obviously not trained in taijutsu enough over the years, for they were almost an even match. With him not using ninjutsu and her using her full out abilities against him, he was having more of a difficult time than expected.
Her intelligence was also nothing to be fooled around with. Because she realized she wasn't as fast as he was, she compensated by feinting and pretending to allow him to gain the upper hand before striking. When that stopped working she switched tactics, becoming more aggressive and unpredictable with her movements. Her strikes were always precise and she wasted little moves, coming at him with almost full strength in an attempt to finish the 'game' quickly. More than likely she wasn't good with prolonged battles or she was taking it seriously enough to understand that if he did get serious she'd be horribly outmatched.
The entire situation had him heavily intrigued. He'd seen Sakura fight and the two females were almost completely different when it came to taijutsu. They both had outstanding chakra control, they simply used it differently. Hinata was a little slower than Sakura and definitely had none of her strength, but she didn't need strength, she just needed to get in close enough to incapacitate you. He was sure that Sakura was the better fighter, but Hinata's taijutsu was more solid in form and fluidity. He couldn't help it, with his entire left arm now completely out of commission and his breathing actually a bit labored; his respect for the Hyuuga grew a little bit. Curiosity won over him and he wanted to see how much of this style he could incorporate into his own and improve on, despite her bloodline limit…
And was rewarded with intense, agonizing pain. Using the Sharingan was second nature to him when fighting an opponent, he had learned so much from observing people this way, had been able to improve on his own skills. As he had been spending the past six months training alone he hadn't really thought to use the Sharingan and had all but forgotten about the damn curse seal on his forehead. He cried out in pain, his hands delving into his hair, gripping painfully. The outside world became a distant existence over the sensation of thousands of burning needles jabbing into every part of his brain, stabbing, searing, unbearable pain.
"-suke-san!"
The Uchiha recognized the girl's voice but only faintly. When she called out his name again it was a bit louder and he found himself becoming quickly aware of things around him. He could feel the cold, could feel a gentle pressure near his temples, felt a cold wetness on his knees and shins. Vision returned to him, his dark gaze shifting to his right. Hinata was kneeling beside him, her hands resting lightly on his temples, a soft green glow coming from her hands. He could feel the healing waves of her chakra moving through his mind, soothing where there had been burning pain. His hands dropped to his sides lifelessly and he found himself lightly shaking. Breathing ragged, his gaze met hers. There was nothing but concern and understanding there.
"Neji-niisan…" she began as a way of explaining "He um, sometimes members of the family would…" his eyes narrowed as she turned her gaze down, guilt and pain flashing in those unique eyes of hers.
She didn't have to explain. He knew the history of the Hyuuga, he knew people tended to abuse their powers. Obviously, she was used to dealing with helping her cousin from wayward main house members and was now using those skills for him.
Instead of feeling grateful, impotence, frustration, and anger consumed him. He had become complacent, almost allowed himself to forget for just a second that he was a prisoner here. The desire to form ties dissolved with his frustration at his situation and he slapped her hands away, snarling a 'Don't touch me!' at her. He got up to his feet too quickly and staggered. When she tried to help him he physically pushed her away. It wasn't even her he was angry with, it was all inward. Yes, it was good to have plans, great to have a goal, but that cursed seal was a horrible reminder of his situation and the futility of his efforts. Hatred for the people who had done this to him burned hot and tight in his chest with every painful throb of his head. If the Hyuuga followed him he didn't know, didn't bother to look.
"Forget the damn bet," he did finally say as he slid the door open to the house "You won, I won't do any more training until spring." Using the walls as support, which only further pissed him off, he stumbled his way into his room and slid the door shut forcefully behind him.
Sometime after Sasuke had entered his room he realized he must had fallen asleep, for he opened his eyes and found himself lying on his futon. There was a scent in the air that he wasn't familiar with but felt soothing. Something herbal, he determined. His head still pounded painfully but it wasn't as devastating as earlier, where he felt as if even moving would cause his brain to explode. Sitting up, he turned his head and found the source of the strange smell sitting in a small little teapot on a tray. The tray was sitting on the ground within his reach, the little cast iron pot still puttering out steam, indicating that it was still hot. Only one teacup rested there, along with a little piece of paper which he picked up first and read.
Sasuke-san,
This is a tea I usually blend for Neji-niisan and others for things like this. It'll help so please drink it. It's a bit bitter, I'm sorry.
It ended with her name in neat script. His mind was blissfully blank for a moment as he regarded the pot of tea and the cup. Honestly, he didn't want to think about Hinata's kindness and her accepting nature of the situation. Anyone else would have probably suspected that he had tried to do something sneaky; she had regarded the situation as an accident, which had had been. He had slipped up and used the Sharingan and that alone should have sent out alarm bells in her mind, yet here he was, looking at a pot of tea to help his damn headache. She had even apologized for the tea being bitter.
He didn't get this girl at all. She didn't strike him as stupid or naïve but she held a strange kindness towards him despite the fact that he had almost killed the person she loved. Did she not hold a hateful bone in her body? She should really resent and hate him yet she was treating him…
Dismissing the thought before he became angry once again, he poured himself a cup and downed it. Unlike most people, Sasuke didn't mind bitter tasting things and was glad she hadn't tried to sweeten the concoction; he'd always held a dislike for sweets or anything sweetened. There was only enough tea for two and a half cups, which he readily ingested and his headache did gradually lessen to a dull throb that he could finally tolerate.
Now that he was calmer and thinking more rationally, he realized he would have to go and apologize. In his anger and frustration with his situation he had lashed out at her and forgotten his plan; no, had wanted to discard it. He had to remind himself why he was doing this again, why it was important and why, no matter what, he had to eventually get away from this place. If anything, the events that happened today should have made that more clear, not less. Picking up the tray he went through things he could say or do to make up for his near violence earlier and almost exposed himself to someone unseen. He could only blame it on earlier events making him sluggish and unaware as he realized that he and Hinata were not alone.
Once again he found himself paused in the hallway, grateful that he could see out but they couldn't see him from his angle. Hinata was standing at the door with three small colored boxes in her arms, a warm smile on her face as she regarded a tall, brown haired male. Wait, he knew that face, it was that Inuzuka. He was clad in a leather jacket and pants, his hands shoved in his pockets as his animal-like eyes looked down on the fragile-looking Hyuuga with affection. He smiled a fanged smile at Hinata and she giggled, raising a hand to her mouth, giving her that feminine look again.
"Yeah, so Shino went ahead to the meeting," the dog-boy continued "But we wanted to make sure ya got yer presents before we headed out. He'll fill me in before we head out."
There was something unguarded about Hinata that struck Sasuke as something of a strange revelation. He had taken her as being an open if not shy person. Watching her now with Kiba, he realized that Hinata was way more guarded with herself than he had originally believed. Everything about Hinata screamed 'relaxed and content' around this male, from her unabashed laughter and cheerful gaze to her posture.
Even around Naruto, well, especially around Naruto, there wasn't that feeling of comfort. There was, now that he thought about it, a polite but obvious distance she put between herself and others. This simply did not exist when she was around Kiba and he could only assume this applied to her other teammate as well. He found that rather mysterious and intriguing.
His intrigue with her seemed to be increasing at alarming rates, he realized. Apparently being cooped up for six months had made him extremely bored if he felt like this. The Hyuuga's life really shouldn't be that interesting to him.
"It's okay, I understand," Sasuke watched as she clutched the presents tighter to her chest, as if they were the most precious things in the world to her. They probably were. "Please tell Shino-kun and Kurenai-sensei I said thank you."
Kiba chucked at her and lifted a hand to ruffle her hair affectionately "'Course. Kurenai says come visit her when your week is up. The kid's already got her head moving around. So yeah. Happy birthday Hinata."
Surprise and regret filled her pale features "Oh really? I wish I could see her, I'm sure Asuma-sensei would…" they both stiffened at the name Sasuke found only vaguely familiar, looking at each other with some sort of expression he didn't fully understand. Then Kiba did that Naruto-like thing of scratching his head in nervousness.
"Yeah. Well, I know it ain't much of a birthday but try to enjoy what'cha got ok?" the dog-boy ruffled Hinata's hair again and gave her another fanged-toothed smile. "Oh and Uchiha? You can come out now. I can smell ya from here."
Sasuke felt rather stupid walking out with the tray in his hands and was a little grateful when Hinata made a little gasp and closed the distance between them, grabbing the tray with one hand and holding her presents with the other. Kiba scowled at this, Sasuke ignored it.
"They should have left you dead," Kiba snapped at Sasuke, that grin he had flashed at Hinata replaced with obvious disdain as he regarded him.
"Kiba-kun!" Hinata sounded horrified.
Kiba ignored her "Holdin' you here is nothing but a pain in the ass for everyone involved;" he pretended to dig something out of his ear with his pinky "Naruto's an idiot for bringin' you back here."
Sasuke agreed with this assessment, but he wasn't going to let Kiba know that. Raising an arm he leaned against the wall and smirked at the Inuzuka.
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I don't want to be here. Release the seals on me and I'll be on my way."
Kiba's answer was to snort at him and find the conversation over with. He turned to leave but regarded Hinata one last time. "Just…be careful," his gaze shifted back to Sasuke, eyes narrowing. The Uchiha responded by smirking a little wider. "Don't let this bastard get too close to you. He'll probably stab ya the moment your back is turned."
Irritation flickered in Sasuke's eyes and he openly glared at the dog-boy as he left, once again wishing he had Amaterasu at his disposal. He could only hope Kiba would be one of the people to get in his way when he finally escaped from this hole.
Movement had him turning his gaze to Hinata. She still held the presents in her arms, her gaze shifting between looking up at him and looking down at the ground. He could sense that polite distance from her again, so obvious now that he had seen that exchange with her and the idiot dog-lover.
"Sasuke-san, about Kiba-kun…"
"You didn't tell me it was your birthday," he cut her off, not wanting to talk about it.
Confusion crossed her face and her eyes flickered to his face, delicate eyebrows shifting down. "Um, forgive me for being so forward but…would it have mattered?"
No. Maybe. It shouldn't have. "How old are you?"
"Seventeen."
"Hn."
Awkward silence. They stood there, Hinata looking at her feet and clutching the presents as if they were some sort of shield. He could not blame her, he had lashed out at her earlier, the little bit of progress that he had made with her was probably shot. The realization that he only had himself to blame was slightly frustrating. On the other hand, the fact that she had made him the tea and had even made an attempt to apologize for her teammate's behavior showed that it was only a minor setback. He could fix this.
"In any case, don't worry about dinner. I'll make it myself," he waved his hand at her "Go enjoy your presents," he ignored her shocked expression as he began to walk towards the kitchen. He raised an eyebrow at her. "I can cook, you know." a small pause "Do you…want anything?"
"Um," her gaze shifted from him to her presents and back to him. "I-I don't want to inconvenience you…"
She had to be joking. "Look, I'm cooking. I'll make extras. If you want it, it'll be sitting here for you. If not, I'll eat it for tomorrow's lunch." That was really as nice as he was going to be about it.
Understanding flickered in those pale depths of hers and she smiled softly, "Okay," she said and without another word turned and headed for her room. The moment he heard her door slide open and then close he let out a soft sigh and put a frustrated hand through his hair.
He needed to reign in his emotions a little better otherwise this plan was going to fail completely.