Lesson Three: he has no idea how to (really) talk to girls.
Everyone grows up. Kiba cuts his hair, and girls start giving him appreciative glances. Shikamaru learns to be less lazy, or at least more focused. Neji mellows. Naruto gets his mom angry much less often. Ino learns to use her beauty like a whip. And Sasuke…
Sasuke gets…stupid. Stupidly handsome. But mostly stupid.
Hinata completely understands the feeling of wanting a father's affection – a single passing glance, one nod of acknowledgment. Her father has gotten better over the years, thanks to her mother's constant prodding and her own growth as a ninja. It seems Fugaku has not. So Hinata supposes it's some sort of defense mechanism for Sasuke to give up trying to impress him.
She just wishes he didn't have to act like…this instead.
"It's as beautiful as you are, sweetheart…"
The girl twitters vapidly, cradling the rose in her hands. "Oh, you're just saying that."
"Would I lie to you?" Sasuke purrs, and Hinata tries not to laugh at how ridiculous it looks. For the first time in years, one of the Uchiha is finally warming up to his fangirls, and it just makes no sense.
He treats the boys the same. Infuriates Naruto with a single snappy phrase, disdains to fight Lee one on one, gives them all the usual smug looks. But suddenly girls are a new area of conquest. Sakura gets that kiss she always wanted before realizing everyone else has, too. That kind of puts a damper on her enthusiasm.
Hinata avoids him for as long as she can, regretting the loss of a good training partner but much more comfortable with the ideal of a past Sasuke that didn't act like a complete tool. Besides, she's not entirely sure how she would react if he ever propositioned her.
She finds out too soon. It is unfortunate the Byakugan has a blind spot.
"Hinata," and the Hyuuga girl's shoulders tense. She should give him a chance, though. Sometime in the past two, three years they became friends, sort of.
So she turns, and gives him a wavering smile. "Good morning, Sasuke."
"Good morning indeed," he breathes, dark eyes surveying her figure, and all the hope Hinata had vanishes into thin air. A complete tool he is.
That doesn't stop her from blushing to her toes, because it seems since she last saw him Sasuke has mastered the art of the disarming smile. On his nobly attractive face, it's unfair. The ANBU Interrogation Force should consider hiring him.
"Did you need something?" she blurts. His gaze is really making her uncomfortable.
"No, princess, but I wanted to give you something." He's moving forward, till her back is against the wall of the store and his arm rests next to her head. "You're…the prettiest girl in our year, after all."
He fed that line to Ino, too. Hinata remembers overhearing it the other day. That fact clicks in her mind, helps remind her that this is all sorts of wrong as he moves his face so close to hers she can see his individual eyelashes. She ducks under his arm so quickly even Sasuke is surprised, and high-tails it out of there, careening past Kurenai, who wonders when Hinata got so fast and why her face is so red.
Hiashi refuses to let her defect to another village, so Hinata resigns herself to eventually having to see Sasuke again. This happens sooner than she would like. She forgot that he used to walk her home sometimes after training. He's got her route down to an exact science.
"Ahem."
Hinata pretends she didn't hear that and tugs on her forehead protector, quickening her pace.
"You're blushing," he says pointedly. "I know you saw me."
It is a bit much for the ever polite Hyuuga heiress to be ignoring him. She stops, a little ashamed, and focuses somewhere on his neck. He's wearing a necklace with a tiny Uchiha fan as its pendant. Kind of cute.
"S-sorry…I was distracted."
Sasuke rolls his eyes. The gesture is demeaning and, by Hinata's logic, a good sign – maybe he's still got a little bit of his prickly self under that stupid playboy façade of his. "What's your problem?" he says bluntly.
"Problem?" Hinata repeats, fighting the urge to panic. She hates conflict.
"You know what I mean," he hisses, jaw tense. "I've never been…rejected before."
He sounds like a pouty two-year-old. Hinata supposes that when he's run out of smooth lines, he really has no idea how to talk to a girl nicely.
"I just…" She has plenty she wants to say to him, but no way of saying it. Being tongue-tied has never been so aggravating.
His eyes snap, and he draws himself up stiffly. "Tch. Don't make bento boxes for me anymore."
Petty. "Child," she mutters before she can stop herself.
He looks almost as shocked as she does, before moving closer – this time without perverse intentions. "What did you say to me?"
"Stop overcompensating! You're not your brother!" Hinata bursts out. And then she runs away again.
…In the end, she does know him best. Being a flirt is a lame way to differentiate himself from Itachi.
After that Sasuke eases back into his normal, less promiscuous self (much to the collective disappointment of the rest of the female gender), and accepts Hinata's extra-large bento boxes over the next few weeks, even though he probably should be the one apologizing.
I mean, because, this is basically Road to Ninja universe anyway, right?
The next chapter is longer, I promise.