Lesson Four: he's a mama's boy.
Hiashi is delighted when Hanabi graduates from the Academy at the age of eleven and is promptly placed in the Uchiha's four-man cell, no doubt assuming Itachi will be able to bring out the full potential of his younger daughter. This does not upset Hinata, who has more or less resigned herself to handing over the position of clan head to her sister. Clan politics give her a headache, anyway.
She's more concerned with the fact that Itachi and Hanabi get along like a house on fire. Honestly, they've probably set a few houses on fire in the missions they've been on. Putting the future leaders of two of Konoha's strongest clans was either a brilliant maneuver by the Fifth Hokage or the stupidest move of her career. No in-betweens.
Hinata's own relationship with the other Uchiha is much more low key, and weirdly…comfortable. She is still quiet, but she's certainly not shy. (There is a difference.) He's still eternally grumpy and bossy to a fault, but most of the smart remarks he aims towards her do not have the edge they would have if directed at someone else. She has grown accustomed to his way of saying things, with that understated dry humor other people find hard to appreciate.
Sakura has long since given up trying to understand them, though these days she is more interested in what's under Naruto's orange jumper than figuring out Sasuke's mysterious thought process. So what peace really is, Hinata has come to realize, is sitting around a lot and stewing in teenage hormones. Where's the Fourth Shinobi World War when you need it?
Hinata isn't naïve, though. She is as much a blue-blooded noble heiress to a great clan as she is a ninja who can make a mess of someone's insides with the touch of a finger. There is peace, but it comes at costs that ordinary civilians and ninja will never see. Mother tries to rub the stress from Father's back when she can find the time, but moments like that are far and between while the Hyuuga clan works to make constant business deals and quiet alliances within the village and outside it. Because however highly the Hyuuga may regard themselves - and however much they may disdain non-clan members - Konoha is their village and their home to protect.
She doesn't doubt the Uchiha make the same kind of sacrifices, though it's hard for others to understand how. There's a time when people whisper rumors about discontent, plots stirring in the Konoha Military Police Force. And though all that gossip eventually amounts to nothing and peace continues to reign, it takes its toll on those involved. She can see the tension in Sasuke's shoulders in following days when others don't. Naruto ribs him for looking gloomy and bastard-faced all the time, but that just shows Minato has done a good job shielding his son from the uglier side of Konoha. She puts extra tomatoes in Sasuke's bento boxes to compensate for the idiocy of their mutual friend.
It seems that even Itachi wishes he didn't know so much, despite all his maturity. He doesn't even seem to want to have to lead the Uchiha clan sometimes. At least, that would explain why more than once she has found the Uchiha brothers crouched on the ground with their heads close together, playing jan-ken-pon where the loser has to become clan leader.
Being a jounin is a nice distraction. Hinata toys with the idea of leading her own four-man cell till Sasuke rather meanly points out that she still gets winded from jumping from tree to tree for extended periods of time, so how can she expect to have the energy to deal with three stupid genin, which is really just his childish way of saying he doesn't want her attention to be divided.
It's good that Kiba and Shino naturally aren't jealous people. They have for a long time accepted that she is not one hundred percent the property of team eight. She'll never have that easy companionship that glues team ten together by the hip, even after they are no longer genin, because a certain egotistical Uchiha is so needy. (See lesson two.)
And…the thought of romance crosses Hinata's mind, sometimes. When he walks her home after training, when their hands inadvertently touch. When he helps her gently bind her ankles with bandages, when he lets himself smile at her before remembering he's supposed to be a poker-faced Uchiha. When he scowls after she points out his hair is a mess. When he stretches and she can see sleek muscles flexing underneath the fabric of his shirt.
But imagining kissing Sasuke makes her hyperventilate. More importantly, the possibility that romance might ruin the already serene relationship they have, where they can sit at a booth in Ichiraku in easy silence and exchange portions of their meal with each other without having to ask, is not yet a possibility she would like to risk. There's some voice in her head when she thinks about this that sounds like Ino, telling her that she's being cowardly and lazy and short-sighted. Hinata blithely ignores it.
Besides, it's not like Sasuke shows her any sort of obvious affection, either. Everyone grins suggestively and nudges one another with their elbows at the mention of all the time the Hyuuga and Uchiha spend together, but Hinata knows it's only because he and she have established comfortable routines and rapport over the years and he is too lazy to go through that process with anyone else. Just because she is the only girl he voluntarily hangs out with alone doesn't mean he is automatically enamored with her.
Unfortunately, logic isn't very helpful in the face of bored, teenage ninja eager to latch onto any mildly interesting interaction and blow it entirely out of proportion. Times like these Hinata finds spending time with the Konoha 12 rather tiring.
"Hinata!" Before she can react, a slender, perfumed body has enveloped her in an unnecessarily affectionate hug. Violets. That means Ino.
"Let her breathe, Ino," comes Shikamaru's exasperated voice. "She's not going anywhere."
The blonde girl does as he says, and Hinata gasps for breath. Chouji gives her a sympathetic look and offers her a chip.
"Can't I show affection to my close friends, Shikamaru?" Ino's pout has sent lesser men scrambling to appease her. Sadly, Nara Shikamaru is not one of them.
"I would hardly call suffocating someone to death 'affection,' Yamanaka."
Chouji coughs as his two oldest friends begin to bicker and smiles at Hinata. "Your yukata looks great, Hinata."
"Thank you. You all look so nice today, too." Honestly, Hinata wants to grin giddily at how cute they are. All three of them are wearing yukata of varying shades of purple. Whether they intended to match or not, the end result is adorable.
"Jeez, pig, don't you ever shut up?"
Sakura comes strolling up, closely followed by Naruto. The medic's yukata is ivory-colored, scattered with cherry blossoms (of course), while Naruto looks a bit easier on the eyes than usual in pure black.
Ino stops remonstrating Shikamaru to turn and glare at her pink-haired friend. "Please, forehead, I'm trying to teach Shikamaru a valuable life lesson here."
"Save me," says the genius, looking beleaguered.
"Hey, Hinata!" Naruto chirps, and Hinata fights the urge to jump. He's so loud. "Aren't you missing someone?"
Sakura's green eyes light up, and she loses interest in teasing Ino in favor of tormenting Hinata instead. "That's right, where's Sasuke? This morning he told us he was coming to the festival, but he didn't show up at our meeting place so we figured he was with you."
Hinata sighs. "Why would you assume that?" she asks uselessly, already knowing what the answer will be. Shit-eating grins instantly materialize on the faces of Ino and Sakura.
"Because, Hinata," trills the Yamanaka, "you and Sasuke are so close."
"It's cute, really," Sakura says with a contented sigh as Chouji, Shikamaru, and Naruto begin to inch away from the three girls, fully intending to abandon Hinata to the wolves. "He walks you home and everything, doesn't he? I can't think of any circumstance where Sasuke would walk me home."
Maybe if you were gagged, Hinata thinks, before realizing how mean a thought that is. Sasuke is rubbing off on her.
"You should go fetch him," Ino says thoughtfully. When Hinata frowns, she adds, "Oh, come on. If we went, he would just drop-kick us off his property. Besides, I really want to go get some takoyaki."
"I hear the Uchiha Senbei shop made some special crackers for the festival," Sakura tells her excitedly.
"Ooh!" Ino offers Sakura her arm and the two female ninja link elbows. "I bet they're really tasty. Let's go get some. Well, see you soon, Hinata!"
They all but skip off, and Hinata can only sigh heavily and start making her way off the festival grounds. The one thing Sakura and Ino love more than antagonizing each other is making other people suffer. Anyone who thinks the power in Konoha lies in the men is sorely mistaken.
She isn't surprised to find her sister sitting at a picnic table with a cross look on her face, watching her teacher dig into a bowl of udon. Hanabi would never miss a chance to see some fireworks. "Hi, Hinata," she grumbles, even though her older sister approached her from behind.
Hinata smiles, and reaches down to brush her hair out of her eyes, much to Hanabi's irritation. "Are you sure you're not going to get cold later, Hana? I can go fetch your wrap from home if you want."
Hanabi yowls in frustration and fumbles her sister's hands away. "Noooo, leave me alone! I'm fine, don't baby me."
Itachi's mouth twitches in amusement as he spoons up some broth. "Sorry she's so touchy today, Hinata. She lost a spar to me, so she had to buy me dinner."
No wonder her sister was trying to extort Neji out of some money earlier that day. "Thank you, Itachi. For putting up with her."
"Hey!" says Hanabi indignantly. "I resent that wording. Besides, he's the one scamming me! Do you have any idea how many meals I owe him at this point?!"
Itachi's dark eyes crinkle, and he reaches over to poke a finger to his student's pale forehead. "Forgive me, Hanabi. But a promise is a promise."
Hanabi looks ready to protest further, but Itachi sticks some pork in her mouth before turning to Hinata. "Are you leaving so early? I thought I saw your friends heading in the other direction."
"Well, actually…" Hinata taps her closed fan absently on her other hand. "Sasuke's teammates want me to find him. Did you…see him at home before you left?"
Hanabi mumbles something around the pork about boyfriends and out of control hormones and kids these days. Hinata hands her a napkin while Itachi tilts his head.
"I think he was still in his room when I left, actually…"
"I see…thank you, Itachi." Hinata gives them both a smile before hurrying on her way.
Hanabi finally swallows the meat, and gives her teacher a moody look. "It's not fair, you know. Your brother hogs all her attention."
Itachi shrugs, clacking his chopsticks together. "If it means he'll leave me alone, then…"
"Aha!" Hanabi points triumphantly. "I knew you weren't perfect! I knew it!"
He can't help grinning. The appearance of a friend helps him avoid replying to the accusation from his irreverent genin. "Hey, Shisui! Over here."
His distant cousin comes meandering near. "Sup, Itachi. Oh man, is this one of your cute little students? She's so tiny!"
"The only tiny thing around here is your dick!" growls the offended future leader of the Hyuuga. Itachi bursts out laughing at the expression on Shisui's face.
The Uchiha residence is almost as large as the Hyuuga's. The traditional architecture is familiar and comforting, even if everything is in dark colors, not white. Hinata pushes past the gates and knocks on the one of the front doors, opening and closing her fan in an unconscious nervous habit as she waits.
The door eases open after a while, and dark Uchiha eyes stare down at her. "Oh!" the woman finally says in recognition. "You're Sasu's little girlfriend. Come in, come in."
Hinata doesn't bother correcting her. "Sorry for the inconvenience."
Slipping off her sandals and stepping into some slippers, she thanks the woman after she gives her directions to Sasuke's room (looking a bit too gleeful for a Uchiha) and starts down the hallway.
The Hyuuga household is a lot quieter than this. Here, behind the sliding screens, there seems to always be some kind of movement or murmur of conversation. Two Uchihas wearing militia uniform pass by her, chatting animatedly, and give her knowing grins.
Hinata finally reaches Sasuke's door and is relieved to find it ajar. She knocks on the wall next to it and says his name softly.
Sasuke pokes out his bedraggled head, and gives her a funny look. "What are you doing here?"
Hinata is not entirely sure how to explain herself. "Can I come in?" she asks weakly.
Another funny look, but he moves out of the way and allows her to enter. Hinata inches past him and gives his room a cursory glance. It's so clean. Still, there's a distinctly masculine, Sasuke-like scent to the place, and her ears turn pink once it dawns on how inappropriate this situation might seem to others without context.
Hastily, she turns to him so she can explain and they can get out of here. Then she sees that he's in casual clothes, not a yukata, and falters. "W-wait – aren't you going to the festival?"
Sasuke crosses his arms over his chest and makes a show of looking irritated, though Hinata can tell he's just embarrassed. "Not anymore."
The Hyuuga girl wanders over to his window and peers outward curiously. The night sky is still clear of fireworks. Good. "Why not? I thought you were looking forward to trying the new senbei."
"They're my relatives," mutters Sasuke. "I can just ask them for some later."
Hinata turns to stare at him. She says nothing, but the white Hyuuga gaze is enough to make even Sasuke fidget.
"What?!"
"Tell me," Hinata says slowly. "What is this really about?"
Sasuke considers blowing her off, but Hinata looks very fetching in her crimson yukata and it's hard to resist her charm. Not that she knows anything about it. "My mother," he grumbles. "She's sick."
The concern showing on her face manifests too quickly to be fake. "It's not serious, is it? Itachi didn't mention anything…" she murmurs as an afterthought.
Sasuke waves away her worries. "She'll be fine. But – " His face twists in conflict as he ponders whether to be honest, which would be quicker, or not, which would protect his male pride. Hinata peers at him, puzzled.
"She was going to help me dress," he finally says in defeat. "And I hate picking clothes for myself. It never looks as good as it does when she…what, don't look at me like that!"
Hinata hastily hides her face behind her fan to disguise some of her disbelief. "Your mother still picks out your clothes for you? …Seriously?"
Sasuke looks like he might activate the Sharingan at any second now. "You don't understand," he hisses. "She's always busy. These are the only times I…" Then he stops, realizing how personal this all is. At least Hinata is trustworthy enough not to use any of it as blackmail.
In fact, Hinata gets him entirely. Her mother may not be a jounin like Uchiha Mikoto, but still, finding time to talk and catch up with her is nearly impossible. Hinata's own hectic schedule of missions and training coupled with her mother's clan duties make hasty goodnight kisses a luxury.
It is pretty funny to find out that Sasuke is such a mama's boy, though.
"I'll help you pick out something to wear," she says aloud, pressing her lips together to prevent a smile. "I think I have good enough taste."
Sasuke scowls and mutters dire threats but doesn't move to evict her, so she steps over to his closet and sifts through expensive, untouched fabrics. One catches her eye and she draws it off the hangar, looking it over appreciatively.
"This one."
Sasuke takes the dark blue yukata, and this time steers her out. "Wait here," he says with his usual ill grace, and shuts the door in her face.
Hinata flicks her fan open and closed, and giggles when she brings back to mind the utterly mortified look on Sasuke's face after he admitted his reason for staying home.
The sliding door opens abruptly, and her training partner steps out. "Let's go," he sighs.
She looks him over and smiles, pleased with the way he wears the yukata. "Oh? So you approve of my choice?"
Sasuke begins to reply, before giving her a look. "I am not vain," he tells her adamantly, before heading down the hallway without her.
Hinata hurries after him, hiding her laughter behind her fan. She pulls even with him and takes his arm in hers, to his surprise.
"Come on," she tells him. "I don't want to miss the fireworks."
Who doesn't love the boring overused festival trope? At least this chapter was longer. Actual romance (?) next time, promise.