The Boy in the Park
Chapter Fifty-Five
"The Hyuga are patrolling Konoha with their Castration Squad," a housewife said fearfully. "Why, my husband is afraid of going to work now!"
"He's a hydraulic, right?"
"Well, yours an electrician."
"That's why he's gone on a long term job in the Land of Waves. Said he'll be back when tensions won't spark so high."
"Said by an electrician, you're either cracking a horrible joke or trying to kill me with your sense of humour."
Shinku passed by the two bickering women in their mid-fifties, and headed towards the fruit section of the supermarket. He turned the shelf corner and then stopped. Wasn't he forgetting the tomato sauce? He spun around and heard a slightly startled gasp.
He raised an eyebrow, looking into a shamefaced Hanabi Hyuga carefully gazing as if to murder it a bottle of mayonnaise.
"Ehi there," he waved a hand as he walked closer. "Shopping?"
"W-Well," Hanabi coughed, concentrating. "I was just passing by, and I had the desire for a small but nutritious meal because I'm clearly trying to keep an eye out on my daily caloric intake."
"Kids these days," he chuckled. "In my times…" he stopped, "Now I'm sounding like an old man. Well, I hope you have a nice snack then," he added before moving to grab a tomato sauce bottle, and putting it in his own basket.
"I will certainly have a nutritious and balanced one, thank you very much sensei," she made a stiff bowing gesture and then resumed looking at the mayonnaise bottle as if she could kill it with a glare.
He went by the fruit section next, hanging near the apples for a while and checking for some firm and crispy ones. His nose twitched for a moment, as he turned his gaze to the side where Hanabi now was fidgeting with a banana.
"You shouldn't hold fruits too strongly," he said then as if to make conversation. "They tend to turn brown where they have been held firmly. You need a more delicate touch."
"Ah," she nervously exclaimed, gripping on the banana so tightly it actually snapped in half, sending the upper half to slam against her face and turning it to mush.
Shinku blinked.
Wasn't that something possible only in porn Doujinshi?
"Gah…it's sticky," Hanabi complained as she tried to wipe away her face with it. Shinku sighed and took out another handkerchief.
"Here you go. I told you to be careful about it."
"Thanks sensei," Hanabi murmured demurred, licking her fingers. "Guess I'll have to pay for it."
"I'll take care of that," he shrugged.
"Ah! No, that won't do sensei!"
"Nonsense," he rolled his eyes. "As a teacher, it is my duty to take responsibility for my students' actions."
Hanabi bit her tongue then. "As a Hyuga, I cannot let such a debt stand to pass, sensei."
"Now, now," Shinku chuckled. "No need to put the Hyuga name on the line here. It's nothing to incur into a debt for." He grabbed a casket of bananas and then whistled as he also placed the half-mushed one together with the rest. "Now for the milk, and then I'm done for the shopping."
"Ah!" Hanabi gasped as she watched her sensei walk away with the sheer skill of someone who can end up a conversation whenever they want. That had to require extensive training!
"Bananas and milk?" Hanabi muttered. "That's my favourite food too," she whispered to herself.
Slowly, her fingers moved together as she fidgeted, a slight blush creeping on her cheeks.
She had to write that down on her diary. Her secret-clearly-not-a-diary diary.
Shinku whistled as he returned home with his groceries in hand. He was actually surprised when he found out there was someone waiting for him outside the door.
He raised an eyebrow.
She looked back at him with a tenuous smile.
"I'm…getting married," she said slowly. "No one else knows, but…with Anko being punished by Ibiki I'd like to have Hinata as my maiden of honour and…"
Shinku sighed. "I'll be there," he acquiesced. "Don't expect me to deliver a speech though."
"Of course not," she replied softly. "Well…"
"Want to come in for some tea?" he hazarded.
"I'd like that."
With those words, Kurenai Yuhi stepped inside the house of her younger brother.
Who said bridges couldn't be rebuilt?
In the Hyuga household, instead, something else was going on.
Dear Diary-Not-A-Diary,
Hinata-oneesama, if you read this with the Byakugan I will personally destroy your Naruko *tm* panties that you keep hidden in your drawers! You've been warned!
Today I discovered that sensei likes bananas and milk, just like me! He also paid for the banana I broke by mistake. He's really kind! You think he'd accept a dowry of a thousand ryos? I should ask father about that. Dowries are serious business after all, but since I'm the second born it shouldn't amount to much.
I gave a quick glance at Hinata-oneesama's planner and tracker of sensei's movements, and have come to the reasonable conclusion that I can follow him most of the day without trouble!
I should probably pack a bento and give it to him as thanks for the banana accident of today.
But I need to prepare it myself, there's no use in buying one or letting the Hyuga branch in the kitchen do it. By the way, they keep on exchanging sake cups with each other, and father has complained the Branch Family is becoming more and more like a Yakuza.
Well then dear diary, I'm off to bed now. Do you think I'll dream about sensei tonight too?
I hope so!
Hiashi Hyuga deactivated his byakugan then, bringing both hands to clasp together in a thoughtful manner as he swung his rotating chair to give the back to the door, which opened silently.
"Neji, my trusted nephew."
"Hai, Hiashi-sama."
The boy had a red piece of cloth strapped to the side of his arm, with a black symbol of a pair of scissors cutting out a long elongated object.
"Bring me 'sensei'."
There was a light meow as mister Fluff jumped down from the nearby drawer and landed on Hiashi's lap.
"It shall be done, Mein Leader!"
"Good," Hiashi cackled evilly as Neji left, clicking his boots together and standing to salute. Hiashi petted the head of mister Fluff, whispering dangerously to himself.
"Soon, mister Sensei, soon…"
"Meow!"
"Of course mister Fluff, here are your kitty-cat snacks."
Shinku heard someone ring the bell at the door, and excused himself from the conversation with his older sister to answer.
He never came back.
Author's notes
*BABUUUMMM* *TSS TSS* You know, thunder and lightning in the sky.
And I couldn't help the Evil-Bond Enemy references.
Long. Live. Fluff.