Crescendo
Post-Credit Scene
...
"She's a very nice girl."
When Sasuke told himself he would meet up with Itachi once again, he didn't think anything strange would occur if Hinata tagged along. His brother, in fact, was determined to meet her, so Sasuke more or less felt obligated to bring her with him that weekend. They met at a park a few blocks down the road from his father's house, a place they were never allowed to visit, and upon sighting him sitting on one of the swings, Sasuke was a bit surprised at how well Itachi looked.
Not to say he expected his older brother to be half-dead, roaming the streets like a zombie; rather, he had been worried Itachi's whole person, whole being, whole spirit and flame, would have been swallowed by their parents. But he was three inches taller, his hair was long and needed a trim, and he still had that patient smile when he looked down upon his little, baby brother.
...
He had said Hinata was a very nice girl. Sasuke could not completely describe how just a simple statement filled him with so much pride. They had walked the streets, they had dined, they had sat in a corner of town to catch up and quietly check in on one another. Every so often, Sasuke would take her hand; every so often, Hinata would give him That Look; every so often, Itachi would notice, and he would have that quizzical look that only concerned, older brothers got. Concerned not because he thought Hinata was a bad match, but concerned because that last time he had been with Sasuke, he was an angry teenager who dealt with the world the same way their angry, violent father would. He was not used to seeing him hold a woman's hand so gently. He was not used to that soft, clear voice that did not dip with frustration or panic.
Sasuke hoped he understood.
When he saw how Hinata held him, touched him, spoke to him, loved him, he hoped Itachi understood that he would no longer act like their father's son.
...
"You've surprised me, Sasuke."
"I cannot believe you had so little faith in me, Itachi."
They leaned against the outside wall of a convenience store, waiting for Hinata to return with a bag of snacks that they planned to eat on the bank of the nearby creek. The sun was close to setting. The evening was humid and thick, but the two Uchiha brothers stuck close to one another and whispered solely for the other to hear.
"Faith wasn't the issue," Itachi told him. "It was whether or not you'd ever be given the chance away from Father, and if that chance was long enough to stick some common sense into your stubborn head."
Sasuke scoffed in an attempt to hide his smirk. "Naruto is more stubborn than me."
"Yes." Itachi turned and looked into one of the windows of the store. "And she's a very nice girl."
...
After they ate by the creek, Hinata collected everyone's trash and moved to scout out a nearby bin to throw it in. Sasuke was in the middle of pushing himself off the grass to follow her, but Itachi captured his shoulder, gave him a look, and accompanied her instead.
Sasuke knew what was happening.
And he was a little worried.
Itachi tended to say the most embarrassing things at the worst of times.
...
And his dread doubled in weight when he saw them returning no more than five minutes later. There was a look of . . . of some sort of sickness. An extreme paleness in the face that could only be caused by the most severe cases of surprise and shock.
The only trick was — it wasn't Hinata who had that face.
It was Itachi.
And his brother, upon locking eyes with him, grabbed his shoulder and pulled him further along the bank, chin bent and voice low and coarse.
"Sasuke, break up with her."
...
He was thrown back into the past before he could find enough balance in his legs. Suddenly, he was in his shared dorm; his heart was all crazy and weird, his face was hot and weird, his nerves were spiked and weird, and he was angry. He had slammed himself into his bed, he had glared at Naruto, and he had snapped, "Dump her."
Now, Sasuke could understand exactly what Naruto felt at that moment.
And like Naruto, he couldn't hold back his laughter as he tried and messily explained that — no, Hinata was not cheating on him — and — yes, telling people she just met 'I love you' was just her thing.
...
"You almost gave Itachi a heart attack."
It was late evening, now, and they were just getting back to campus after having seen Itachi off at the bus stop. The air was still hot and humid, but that did not stop Sasuke from holding her hand.
"I wonder if it's an Uchiha thing," Hinata mused, then sent him a knowing smile. "He had the exact same look you had when I first told you."
"I'm more inclined to think that you just need to get better at reading the room."
End