It's All About the Timing
Neji Hyuuga is the only man who truly knows the complexities of Hinata. To others, she is simply their friend: kind and helpful and always trying her best. She is the girl who would turn red within nanoseconds during their academy days, the same girl who would quietly and sheepishly hand ointment out to those who needed it. She was selfless. She was genuine.
"I think I'm in a bit of a mess, Cousin."
She is also a fool. Neji would say that, at least, and Hinata really would have to agree with him.
To Neji, she is a fool, and she is also a woman who will work herself to the point of collapse, a woman who will work tirelessly on pointless things, and when they ultimately end up a complete failure, she will be left with the broken pieces, defeated and exhausted.
She wonders if Neji thinks this new predicament of hers will end in failure.
"Your eyes may be able to see everything," he may say, "but that does not mean you can be everywhere in a single moment."
It's true. Konoha is mighty, and so is the curse. She will not be able to help everyone — that is a goal far too impossible to reach.
But Hinata will try, and she will work herself to the bone — because she is a fool.
"I've managed to help Naruto and Ino a few times." She pulls out her rag from her bucket, twists it to the side to let some of the water fall to the grass, and then leans forward to wash Neji's stone face. She is careful to clean the indents of his name and the numbers that paint the tragically small years of his living life. "They seem to be getting along fine — well, of course, that has nothing to do with me, but I'm glad I can at least help them have some privacy. You wouldn't believe how nosy some of Konoha can be."
Oh, she can just imagine the look her cousin would give her. "Trust me, Hinata. I believe it."
She laughs. "I'm not doing it to get in their business. It's everyone else." She has to turn her body slightly to wash the sides. "Kiba, sometimes. Sakura wanted to ask Ino about what flowers to put in the front of the clinic — I had to help her with that one. She didn't want anything too flashy, but still eye-catching. It took a while. Ah, and Choji almost interrupted them, too. That was when Naruto was trying to hold her hand. He's . . . kind of slow, I think, when it comes to romance. Not that it's his fault or anything, and I think Ino finds it cute."
Hinata smiles at the image of those two together. She thinks about the future, about how Naruto will be the Hokage one day, and Ino will be there, right at his side. She'd be perfect for the role. She's a shining icon of power and finesse.
"And then —" Her eyes steel back into focus, "there's Mr. Uchiha." Momentarily, her small circles along Neji's back stop, and water begins to roll down and collect along the ground. "Now he's a different story."
"Isn't he always," she thinks Neji would sigh.
"He's a bit stubborn. It takes a lot of effort to stop him from doing anything." Her face heats up when she remembers what he had confessed a few days ago. "Ah — but he has good reason, too. He had to tell Naruto that Karin's pregnant, but I stopped him. I threw kunai at him in the street."
"Ah." A voice from behind makes her fingers twist into her rag, spilling more water onto the ground. "So that's what that story's about."
She finds Shino Aburame just a few steps behind her.
"Good morning," she greets, smiling, dunking her rag back in her bucket. "I wasn't expecting to see you here today."
"I was looking for you," he says. "Why? Because it's Thursday."
Hinata gasps. Today, she was supposed to go out and get tea with Shino. It was the only time in the week that they pushed to the side for the sole purpose of being with each other, to catch up, to relax, if even for an hour.
"I'm so sorry! It slipped my mind. I can —"
"Relax." He places a hand on her shoulder, keeping her from standing. "Finish up with Neji. We can go once you're done."
Her smile is grateful and a little embarrassed, and she returns to washing her cousin's back, making sure to get every centimeter of it. Shino stays behind her, standing and watching, no part of him brimming with impatience. He just breathes in the cold air and listens to the rustling branches of trees.
"I think he'd be proud," he says.
"Hm?"
"What you're doing. It's your way of keeping Konoha going, and I think he'd be proud."
Her heart flutters, and she laughs to hide the sting in her eyes. "I think he'd just call me nosy."
Shino hums. "Maybe."
"But . . . thank you, Shino."
"I'm just telling you what I think."
Her hands are starting to go numb from the cold and being soaked in water, so Hinata quickly finishes up, drops the rag in the bucket, and stands. She stretches her legs and her arms before turning to look down at her cousin.
"You're sparkling," she tells him.
Shino waits a moment longer, and when she picks up her bucket and is ready to leave, he asks, "Have you seen Tenten recently?"
Aside from Hinata, Tenten also comes often to talk with Neji and keep him up-to-date with all the happenings surrounding them.
"No," she says. Actually, she hasn't seen Tenten in general for a while. Their schedules haven't coincided for the past few weeks. "I've been meaning to thank her for coming to take care of Neji when I can't." They begin to leave, and Hinata smiles at him. "You, too. Thank you for everything."
"No need."
"It's a bit dismal, I know."
The world kind of goes quiet. The ruckus of the village is distant, and the wind slows, and the branches still. It's a quiet day with slinking clouds and a royal sky. Shino pushes his hands deep into his pockets, making the rest of his coat slip a few inches down his torso. She can see his chin and some of his neck. He looks vulnerable, somehow.
"Recently," he says, and it's the only noise in the world, "I've found it a lot more enjoyable."
Hinata's not sure what he means, exactly; but she's been nosy enough as it is, so she just lets it slide.
...
A few minutes later, she's replaying her earlier conversation with Neji, and she gasps.
"You —" She gulps hard and turns to Shino. "That thing — about Karin — you . . . didn't hear . . . about . . . ."
Shino scratches the side of his nose. Behind the darkness of his shades, his eyes stare at the sky.
"What about Karin?"
They have to stop for a second. Hinata grabs his hand and laughs into his shoulder, and she can't get a hold of herself for a while.
...
The night is a lot more frigid, but still, despite the numbing sensation of it all, some things are still startlingly obvious.
For example: when Hinata comes across Naruto and Ino on her walk home, she notices a few things relatively quickly.
They've just come from a date. Ino's hair is made up, decorated with pins and curled a bit at the ends. Naruto is dressed in something nice and sleek, something he would never wear if it wasn't for something important.
He has also just walked her home. They're in the street right outside her house, just barely lit by the streetlamp.
But the most obvious thing is — well, Ino's lips shine with gloss, and Naruto keeps looking at them, focusing, drawn in — and even Hinata, far away, watching from the roof of one of the nearby homes, can see where this is leading.
This would be their first kiss.
It's a bit embarrassing that she would know that much, so she turns her attention to spying on the surroundings, making sure nothing gets in their way. Naruto, after all, is timid with these things. He needs time, and Ino will give him that time, even if she, herself, is impatient.
The street is relatively vacant, thankfully. No one is wandering around in this sort of weather at this time of night, so they have the privacy they need.
There's only a far-off figure coming their way, and Hinata has to activate her byakugan to see through the dark to identify who it is.
And, of course, she's not surprised.
And nor is he. When he spots Naruto and Ino from the distance, he immediately is searching for her — and when he finds her on the roof, he sighs and jumps up to meet her there.
"It's gotten to the point where I look for you whenever Naruto is nearby," Sasuke mutters. He's wearing his mission uniform, so her eyes are momentarily drawn to the hilt of his sword hanging at his hip. This Sasuke is someone she knows well. This is the Sasuke she would see often, the one she would work with. This is not the Sasuke that knows about her new mission, or had to protect himself from her kunai on Konoha's streets. This Sasuke and that Sasuke are now melting together in her head, and her temples moan at the effort. "Stalker."
"I just happened across them," she whispers. His eyes peer down at the couple, and she panics. "Don't! Give them privacy."
His lips curl, but he looks away. "It's not like I want to watch."
She relaxes slightly. Beneath the roof they stand upon, a family moves to get ready for dinner. They're rowdy inside, and Hinata hopes they do not disturb Ino and Naruto.
"How was your mission?"
His breath is like a snake in the wind. "You're asking me about my mission."
It's not a question. It's a statement to make her understand what she's doing. But she knows what she's doing. If they're close enough where she can come into his home and sew up his shirt, then they ought to be close enough to where she can ask him simple conversation starters.
"I'm trying to distract myself." The havoc below gets louder. She can hear a woman yapping. "I don't want to watch, either."
"Then leave." She gives him a look, and the corner of Sasuke's mouth lifts. "You put yourself in this situation. Don't look to me for help."
He sounds like her father, and Hinata has the mind to tell him so, but the noise turns into audible words.
"Fine!" a woman screams from below. "If you don't want the damn soup, then I'll throw it out!"
Hinata follows the sound of footsteps and the crash of shutters against a wall, and she acts before she thinks. She leaps down onto the small ledge below just as the woman thrusts her metal pot into the winter night, sending the steaming soup flying. Hinata's front is completely drenched, and she has to bite her tongue to keep from shrieking as her exposed skin burns from the heat. The woman looks just as shocked, halfway to apologizing. Her family is by the table, mouths open. One of her boys begins to laugh.
Hinata puts a finger to her lips, then helps the woman close her window. When she turns to make sure Ino and Naruto weren't disturbed or splashed by any of the soup, she finds that they're too caught up in one another to care at all about the rest of the world. Naruto has his neck bent, and Ino takes his hands and puts them on her hips.
"I thought we weren't supposed to watch." Sasuke jumps down next to her. "You —"
He stops himself, which is uncommon for someone like him. She turns away from the couple just as Sasuke grabs one of her sleeves, and they both find that her hand is bright and red with a burn.
"Damn it." It's barely a whisper, but Hinata hears it.
He yanks her sleeve again, this time to get her walking, and Hinata complies.
She follows him, and they leave Ino and Naruto in privacy.
...
He takes her to a store, buys burn jelly, and then applies it to her hands in the alleyway.
"Your little game has gone too far," he drones.
"It's not a game, Mr. Uchiha," she reminds him.
"They would have had other chances. It's not your business what they do and when they do it." He tugs down the front of her sweater to put the jelly on her neck. "You're reckless."
His frustration stings as much as the burns do, but Hinata doesn't care. All that she can think about, really, is Asuma. She thinks about his interrupted proposal all those years ago, how he had just grinned and shrugged it off, thinking there would be other opportunities.
And then he was killed.
And she thinks about how, in five minutes, Konoha could be attacked. Nothing but fire and ruins. Naruto and Ino would be separated — and something might happen to them.
Sasuke brings out a roll of bandages from the pouch at his side. She spreads out her fingers for him, and he wraps her hands quickly and carefully. He wraps them like a ninja should — because time is important, and they never know when they'll run out of it.
So, of all things, Sasuke should understand.
"They're ninja," she whispers. "They might not have a next time."
Sasuke does not pause in his wrapping, but his brows furrow. She's sure he understands.
"Is that the only reason?"
When he finishes, he returns the roll to his pouch. Hinata wobbles slightly. Those words are heavy. She's not sure what to think about them.
"Ehh."
But, for a while, she doesn't have to. Naruto is at the mouth of the alleyway, peeking in. He is all shine and ecstasy. His eyes sparkle like the galaxies above, and even if she and Sasuke hadn't been there, hadn't seen, it would still be so obvious to them.
"Sorry," Naruto murmurs, "am I interrupting something?"
It's the way his tone pitches that tells Hinata that he's suggesting more than just interrupting a conversation. Sasuke must hear it, too, for his eyes sharpen with annoyance.
"Fuck off."
"I heard what happened a few days ago." Naruto catches Hinata's eyes and grins. "People've been saying you had this prick pinned down in the streets — making out, of all things!"
It feels like her burns have stretched out to cover her entire body. "I —"
"I was surprised, at first," Naruto hums. "You're so quiet and — I dunno — private. 'In the middle of the street?' I thought. 'No way, not Hinata! Maybe that Sasuke bastard, but not Hinata'!"
"Oi," Sasuke drawls, "You don't hear me talking about your little moment with Ino, so —"
"HUH!?" Naruto looks over his shoulder, as if he's expecting cameras to suddenly appear out of nowhere. "What — what moment, you sick bastard!?"
"Naruto," Hinata tries to explain, "you've got it wrong. I — Mr. Uchiha and I — we never —"
"I've decided to blind myself," Sasuke continues, "so I'll never have to see something like that again."
Naruto starts shaking. From anger or embarrassment, Hinata cannot tell.
Perhaps both.
"Just forget about it! Don't think about it!"
"Naruto," Hinata says. "About that story —"
"Next time, at least take her inside."
"You have the nerve to say that to me?" Naruto yells. "After you and Hinata —"
"That didn't happen," Hinata tries to pipe in.
Sasuke hums. "Well, it did. You did pin me to the street."
"M-Mr. Uchiha!"
"Covered my mouth and everything."
"Oi!" Naruto barks. "Stop embarrassing Hinata!"
...
By the next morning, Hinata is exhausted. Her hands have been in between itching and hurting all night, preventing her from getting any sleep — and, well, there were other reasons why she couldn't so much as close her eyes without bursting into flames, but she'd rather not think about those things anymore.
She's out in the sun, trying to warm up the rest of her rigid body. Ino had spotted her in the middle of the store, saw the situation surrounding her hands, and offered to help with carrying the groceries home. Now what would have been an entire hour out of her day turned into twenty minutes, and when they left the store and made their way to her home, Hinata felt a little refreshed.
But there's something bugging Ino.
Something Hinata already knows about, so when they turn a corner to walk down a relatively quiet street, she says, "Go ahead."
Ino is perfectly balanced with bags in each of her hands. But, for a second, she looks like she could fall. "What?"
"You want to tell me something," Hinata says. "Go ahead."
Ino's lips press together for a second. "It's about Naruto," she eventually says. "We're dating."
Hinata smiles. "I know."
"Huh? Really?"
"A while ago, he asked me for advice about you. I've known since then."
Ino still looks tense. "And . . . you're okay with it?"
"Yes," Hinata laughs. "I know you'll make him happy."
That must have been what she wanted to hear, for Ino's entire body relaxes.
"I'm so glad," she sighs, relief bright on her face. "I was worried — I mean, I know your crush on him left a bit ago — but still, for so long, it was only him for you. It just felt right that I told you first."
She spoke long and without pause about him, about how he treats her well, how he is gentle, but not the kind that makes her feel like she's made of glass. When they're not on dates, he still makes sure to stop by, even if just to pass a few words. Ino makes it all seem like this is a confession, like no one but her and Naruto know — but Hinata knows all of this. She's seen it. And that makes some of the guilt build high into her throat.
"With Sasuke — I was blind," Ino admits. "He was all I saw, so I never considered . . . ." Her fingers adjust, getting a better grip on the bags. Then, she grins down at Hinata. "But you never had that problem, huh? You've always seen Naruto for who he is."
That — somehow — makes her feel uneasy. It makes her feel like those bags full of groceries are wrapped around her neck.
She tries to focus on something else. Her senses turn to the snapping chakra coming their way.
"Yamanaka."
Sasuke meets them in the streets. Hinata can see her home in the distance, above the bare limbs of trees.
Ino huffs, "You've known me since we were kids, Sasuke! Ino's fine by now."
His face doesn't crack at all. "Hokage's asking for you."
She blinks, then scowls. "I liked it better when we had the cute animals that called for us." She looks down at the bags she was carrying, then at Hinata. "Ah. Sorry, what should I —"
Before Hinata can say a word, Sasuke grabs all of the bags with one hand.
"You're wasting time."
Ino looks ready to talk back, but she stops herself. Her eyes flare up, but not with anger. She gives Hinata a smile that reminds her of Naruto — and Hinata is convinced that, by now, everyone in Konoha must have heard that story.
She doesn't even have the time to correct Ino, for she's already gone.
And the moment she leaves earshot, Sasuke turns and begins the way to her home.
"That was a lie," he tells her. "The Hokage's busy sleeping right now."
Hinata muses. "I never thought you were a liar."
"It's because you had a face. I want to get out of this conversation." His voice pitched at that last part, turning airy and something she never thought she'd hear from him. It sounded like he was trying to talk like her. "So I got you out."
He stares at her, and she stares back.
"Huh?"
"I'm waiting for my thank you," he drones.
She laughs. "You're a puzzle, Mr. Uchiha."
"Even I deserve to be thanked every now and then."
"It's not just that." Her hand moves in a circular motion, like she's turning back time. "Before — you heard our conversation. It's like you're everywhere."
Hinata expected one of his typical lines — something like: "You could say the same thing about yourself, Stalker." But he doesn't. He's quiet. If his hand wasn't carrying groceries, he would probably be tugging at his hair right now.
"It's not that deep," he says, eventually.
Now Hinata's curious.
Curious and nosy.
And she's not even trying to hide it anymore.
"Then what is it?" she asks. He might answer, or he might not. But she still wants to ask — because it's true that he's been everywhere recently, running errands for the Hokage. Doing this and that. If there's a reason outside of just coincidence, she wants to know.
"I'm training to be the Hokage's Assistant."
The words rush out of him like a bullet train. They run laps in the air before they land in her ears, steaming.
And Hinata doesn't have to ask anything else.
She knows.
". . . Naruto's been getting closer to becoming Hokage," she mentions.
He glares ahead. "Coincidence."
And her laugh is fast like a train, as well. It wheezes. It chugs on through the cold. "Then we have the same reason." At his questioning look, she motions to her hands. "Your reason for the training and my reason for these burns. They're the same. We want Naruto's future to be the best it can be."
Sasuke doesn't deny anything. She's not sure, anymore, if she expected him to or not.
"I'm not in love with him. Not anymore." Hinata smiles at him. "That's why you thought I jumped in the way, right?"
He shakes his head and snorts. "No," he says, "it was because I was actually starting to worry you were a real stalker."
She gasps, slaps his shoulder, then winces as pain shoots through her fingers.
He kicks the side of her boot playfully, and Hinata finds that he has a really charming smile.
…
"Thank you."
Sasuke places the bags on the step outside of her home, then looks at her.
She continues. "You said even you deserve to be thanked, so thank you."
He pulls at the collar of her jacket, making it cover her neck better. "Feel better, Hyuuga."
She watches him walk to her gate. "You told me to feel better."
It's not a question. It's a statement. A statement to make him realize what he just said.
"You're right."
And he does.
...
"Do you know what's up with Shino?"
She's strolling around the outskirts of the village the next day. Staying at home because of her hands has made her feel cramped up and antsy, so after breakfast, she thought a walk around the farms would help her.
She hadn't expected Kiba to scout her out, but she didn't mind that, either.
Upon his question, she tips her head in thought. "Is something wrong with Shino?"
"No. That's not it." He's rubbing at his nose. The farms tend to make him sneeze a lot. Whatever this is about Shino must be important for him to come here willingly. "Rather, I wonder if you know what's going on with him and Tenten."
Oh, so that's what he's talking about. "They've been taking care of Neji for me," she explains. "With my hands like this, Shino said he and Tenten would help out until I'm healed."
Kiba doesn't look satisfied. "I think it's more than that."
They both stop, and he rubs the length of his neck.
"More?" she asks.
"Well, I guess it ain't anything to worry about. Just never thought — y'know, with how he is, I never expected him to connect with Tenten."
He grins like it's still on his mind, but he doesn't want to make her worry about it, so he just shrugs it off and leaves with an enthusiastic wave. Hinata's head is still lagging a bit. She turns to acknowledge the rush of chakra that hung in one of the trees for a while.
"Another Hokage call?" she asks Sasuke.
"No." He jumps from the tree and meets her on the dusty path. "It was just my turn to be a nosy stalker." He looks around the place. "Good thing nothing was being thrown around this time, or we'd both be injured."
"I'm sorry," she says, "I don't understand."
"It'd be a bit ironic if the protector of interruptions got interrupted during a confession, so I stayed watch."
Wait.
She must not have heard him right.
"Confession?"
"That's what I said," he drawls.
"Kiba confessing to me?"
"You both looked like a scene from one of Sakura's books." He scowls. "Maybe I really should blind myself if I'm going to keep stumbling upon —"
"Wait!" She waves her hands in the air, laughing. "Wait." He does, looking slightly offended that she's laughing him up, and she has to catch her breath before continuing. "He wasn't confessing. He came to me about Shino. He thinks Shino and Tenten are together."
Sasuke's face changes, though she's not exactly sure what kind of expression this new one is.
"Her . . . and Aburame? "
"Kiba said the same thing." She nods her head in invitation, and they both begin to walk together. "Maybe it's a little odd, but when I think about it, the more it makes sense. No matter what kind of relationship they have, they'll work well together."
"You said the same about Naruto and Yamanaka."
"And I wasn't wrong."
He squints through the bright shine of the sun as they pass the farms and make another turn towards the country, staying away from the business of the village.
"I'll never understand that," he confesses. "Two people who are alike — they're more likely to chew off each other's heads than get along."
And Hinata sort of understands. Kiba and Naruto have lots in common, but they get on each other's nerves constantly. But they're still close friends, and Hinata doubts anything would break that.
"Maybe they talk a lot . . ."
"Maybe?" Sasuke scoffs.
"But I think they thrive with people who can match their level of conversation. They create an atmosphere that the other is naturally comfortable in."
She's thinking about putting herself in Ino's position. Back in the day, when one of her biggest dreams was to be at Naruto's side, she would have melted at the idea. But now she knew why it didn't work. Because she listens. She lets the conversation move her, not the other way around. She couldn't meet Naruto's energy, no matter how hard she tried. It was just how people worked — they were different, and that wasn't bad, but it stayed between them. It took her years to find a way around it, and by then, her crush had long faded away.
"With Shikamaru and Temari," she continues, "they work well because they've both been put in situations where they've had to take enormous amounts of responsibility at a young age. Temari and her brothers — Shikamaru with Kurenai and Mirai. They're responsible and meet each other's maturity, and I think they'll be great parents."
The image of a miniature Shikamaru and Temari fills the air around her, and she laughs.
"As for Shino and Tenten . . . I think they notice the little things, and they appreciate the underappreciated. They'll be able to understand one another, which is something they need. Someone who understands . . . ."
She hears every word she says, then looks at Sasuke, who looks quizzical.
"Sorry," she whispers. "I didn't mean to rant."
His arm lifts, his hand reaches out, and he flicks the side of her nose. She rubs at it immediately with the back of her wrist, and he sighs into the sky.
"Well, if that's true," he muses, "then it looks like you'll have to find yourself another stalker."
...
An enormous amount of glee fills her, brimming, smoking.
He listened.
She doubted it was anything he actually cared about, but he listened, and it makes her feel heard and warm.
She hadn't expected this.
When he came back to Konoha, she never would have expected that years down the line, they would be in this situation: talking together, walking together. Joking and teasing. He's someone she can be playful with — him! Sasuke Uchiha.
She's full of sparks and flowers. She's summer in wintertime.
"You mean like you?"
The sun is blinding and hot.
Through the white light, they see each other, and at the same time, realization fills their eyes.
...
When someone says "You need to find this person" and you reply "you mean like you" — it implies something.
Something that the village has whispered about for a while — about a woman and a man in the streets, so desperately in love that she'll have him pinned in the open and not care about such things like privacy.
That summer is collecting itself along the skin of her face, and in the dull, gray winter, she is colorful.
"Sorry," she says. "I was joking."
They've both stopped walking. There's no one around.
It's just them — for miles.
"You? Joking?" Sasuke asks.
She wishes there was a tree nearby. He'd kick it, and she would be covered in snow again. It won't last for long. It would quickly melt off of her — but for a moment, it would be there, and it would hide her.
". . . Sometimes."