Wanna know what I don't like about playing the koto? It's the sitting position…I have to keep that stupid position (which is the correct way of seiza) as I play the damn instrument. Even though I'm getting the hang of this thirteen-stringed instrument, Himawari keeps having to correct me on my sitting position. Hinata is already used to sitting in the correct way of seiza, as that is a requirement of sorts when it comes to being a Hyuuga. And, unlike me, Hinata doesn't have to worry about playing an instrument that is on the floor, as she has to hold her samisen…the lucky girl.

By the way, did I ever mention that Himawari has been making me wear a kimono whenever I come over for koto lessons? I believe I haven't…because that is definitely a thing. Like, just a few days ago, she told me to wear my kimono the next time I came over, that time being today. If I thought sitting seiza-style was difficult enough as before, then I sure as hell was proven wrong because seiza is much more difficult while wearing a kimono. This is what happens when you're born in the Akimichi clan. For the most part, we're pretty casual in comparison to the Aburame clan, the Uchiha clan, and the Hyuuga clan. We can be quite formal when we want to be (especially to those who deserve respect), but not as often. And because of that, I am not used to being completely formal and knowing stuff like this, which is something I am probably going to learn in a kunoichi class.

Hinata, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. As I have mentioned before, she is a Hyuuga, by far the most formal of the Four Noble Clans, with the Uchiha coming in second, as they are a tad bit more lax in comparison to the Hyuuga. The Aburame are quite formal in terms of communication and mannerisms, but their appearance, in regards to clothing, is what separates them from being as formal as the Uchiha and Hyuuga. I can only assume the reason for the Akimichi clan's informality is to establish a sense of intimacy.

…I think this might be the actual reason Himawari is having me wear my kimono. She is trying to get me used to being formal. I'd appreciate it, if I wasn't learning how to do it as I play this effing koto. Seiza is pretty simple…seiza is somewhat difficult while playing the koto, but still manageable…seiza is fucking difficult while wearing a kimono and playing the koto—I have no idea how I am going to get used to this, dammit!

"It just takes some time getting used to, Chōko-chan," Himawari tried to reassure me. "The more often you do it, the easier it is to adjust."

"Hmm…" It's honestly difficult to stay mad around this woman, because Himawari is a gem. I do get what Himawari is trying to say, but at the same time, Himawari is implying that I need to practice playing the koto more often in my kimono. I don't know how to feel about this…

At least I'm not alone in this, as Hinata is currently getting her cute on with her kimono. I really love the lilac-colored obi and floral pattern she has on her mostly white kimono…

Stop getting distracted, Chōko!

"Okay, Chōko-chan, Hinata-chan…you can take a break!" Himawari told us about half an hour into the practice session. "I'll have Neji-kun bring you two some tea, so relax. Now if you'll excuse, I'll be going."

Himawari stood up and then left the room promptly. Once I was sure she was out of earshot, I let out a loud sigh and slumped onto the tatami floor. I do not care how informal I am coming off as, especially since I am a lady (damn you, gendered etiquette!). I am exhausted and Himawari said Hinata and I could relax…and dammit, I am relaxing!

"A-Are you okay, Chōko-chan?" Hinata asked me as she set her samisen on the floor.

I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling as I adjusted my glasses. "Never better, Hinata…please don't tell your mother I'm doing this."

"I-I won't…" Hinata giggled. "I never told you, b-but you look nice."

I turned my head to the side to look at Hinata. "Yeah, back at you…I'm really loving your kimono."

"Th-Thank you…" Hinata blushed. "U-Um…I like your kimono, too."

I blinked and looked at my kimono. It was mostly cream in color with a vibrant green obi. It was a rather nice-looking kimono, and the ribbon Naruto had given me matched the color of my obi, but I still preferred Hinata's kimono. It's just so pretty…okay, that's enough of that!

I sat up and stretched my arms. "Ugh, I'm tired…is my hair okay?"

Mama had tied up my braid into a bun. I do not want it to come undone, because then Himawari will ask why it had happened and considering my current position of informality…yeah.

"Your h-hair is fine," Hinata replied. "Y-You should probably sit right."

I made a face. "Bluh…fine."

Might as well, in case Himawari decides to pay a surprise visit…I'll do that right after I finish stretching my legs. Seriously, stretching feels good after sitting down for so long…

"Heehee, you're like a c-cat…" Hinata covered her mouth behind her hands as she giggled.

I stopped stretching and looked seriously at Hinata. When she noticed I was staring, she stopped giggling and started stuttering… Then I said, "Nya~!" and Hinata suddenly lost it. Who knew that all it took was a simple meow to get Hinata laughing so hard…ahaha, she's so cute.

Hinata has come a long way in the past three months since she befriended me and became part of a large circle of friends. She's become a bit more confident in herself and her little stutter was starting to diminish. It was still there, but, compared to how she had been previously, there was a noticeable improvement. However, whenever Hinata was nervous or scared, her stutter tended to return with a vengeance. For the most part, Hinata has been doing well…and I couldn't be any happier.

"Wh-What's going on?" Oh hey, Neji, when did you get here and—oh crap, Hinata's still laughing! "Hinata-sama!"

"N-Neji-nii-sama?!" Hinata immediately stopped laughing, her face now a brilliant shade of red as she stared at Neji, who was currently standing in the doorway, holding a tray of tea in his hands.

…

Oh right, Himawari said she was going to have Neji bring Hinata and I some tea…well, oops! I should have remembered that before making Hinata laugh, now Neji is giving Hinata the look that implies that an heiress like her shouldn't being doing such and such, because he's a jealous stick in the mud who holds disdain to anyone within the Main House. I know the situation and crap, but that still doesn't excuse Neji's treatment toward Hinata…and he wonders why Hinata has taken to messing with him as of lately.

Hinata was stuttering rather horribly. "Aaaah, N-N-Neji-nii-sama…h-have y-you greeted Ch-Chōko-chan yet?"

Looks like Hinata's using me as means of diverting Neji's gaze off of her. Welp, might as well help her out. "Hello, Neji-san!"

Neji has grown used to my presence within the last three months. That still doesn't mean he hasn't stopped being wary of me. He knows I'm capable of being spontaneous, so he always has his guard up around me. Sadly, that never seems to work whenever I omit the honorific in his name. It's almost as if he can't get over the fact that someone is saying his name without an honorific. I mean, shouldn't he be used to that due to the Academy? Not a lot of children are as polite as Hinata.

Then again, I do consider myself a special case because only I have been capable of flustering Neji, something that Hinata finds completely amusing. That may or may not be the reason Hinata has slowly started to grow comfortable with her cousin's presence. Not to say that Neji isn't still capable of making Hinata feel nervous, it's just that Hinata now has ways to cope through means of messing with her cousin. I find it hilarious.

Anyways, I was expecting to hear a strained greeting from Neji. Instead, all I got was a pair of white eyes that just stared at me. Neji's expression was completely blank and he said absolutely nothing. A minute passed and I looked at Hinata, who seemed just as confused as I was.

I think we broke Neji… "Oi, Neji! Look, I'm purposely omitting the –san—dammit, Neji, say something before I break the door!"

"Ch-Chōko-chan!" Hinata exclaimed.

"Okay, maybe breaking the door is a bit too drastic…" I mean, the last thing I need was a reason to talk with Hiashi, who will be wondering why his door was broken. I'm honestly surprised I haven't broken a door at the Hyuuga compound. I've already broken four doors at the Uchiha compound, which isn't really helping me with my goal to avoid being the next Potato Girl. "Hey, hey…Neji, did we break you? Hey!"

Bluh, it's really awkward omitting the honorific from Neji's name purposely…maybe that's why Neji isn't reacting. Well, might as well take the tray off his hands. I'm rather thirsty and cold tea is horrible.

…

It took me a few seconds to get off the floor and walk over to Neji (stupid kimono, restricting my movement!). I looked at him for a moment and waved my hand in front of his face. No reaction…yeah, he was really out of it… "I'll take that!"

I proceeded to take the tray of tea from Neji's hands. After making sure I wasn't going to drop the tray that I was now holding, I looked at Neji and decided to tell him something that had been on my mind recently. It's been bugging me and I'd rather say it now then blurt it out later.

"You're tall." There, I said it…I finally fucking said it. It took me this long to tell Neji something he probably knows and I didn't think it was possible for anyone to blush that hard.

"K-Kimono!" was the first word that came out of Neji's mouth.

I blinked a few times and looked at myself. "Yeah, I'm wearing a kimono. Thank you for telling me something I already know—oh, right, this is probably the first time you've seen me in a kimono, huh?

It must be a real shocker to see the girl who wears the same clothes as her twin brother, wear a kimono and look so formal. And yes, Chōji and I wear the same clothes…well, my clothes are of a smaller size than his are, but they're the same nonetheless. If it wasn't for the differences in our build, hair length, and the fact that I wear glasses, Chōji and I would look completely identical.

"D-Doesn't she look nice, Neji-nii-sama?" Hinata, what are you up to?

Neji struggled to find his voice at this point. He averted his gaze and, very quietly, said, "Yes…I need to leave."

"B-But don't you want to stay and have tea with us?" Hinata asked innocently.

Neji stiffened. "Hinata-sama…I apologize, but I must decline…"

Neji excused himself and promptly left the room.

…

"Pfft, ahahaha!" Oh my god, his reaction was priceless! "Did you see his face?!"

"I-I can't b-believe I did that!" Hinata laughed.

"You're so evil!" I love it! "Oh man, you need to do that more often!"

…

…

A few minutes have passed and we both eventually calmed down. By now, we were drinking tea…green tea, to be exact. I always did like myself some tea.

"So the summer festival's in a couple of days," I decided to bring up. "Are you excited?"

Hinata blinked and smiled. "Uh-huh…I'm a little worried for N-Naruto-kun, though… What if everyone is m-mean to him?"

"Then I'll break something." Vandalism isn't the way to go, but I have my limits as to how much I'll tolerate seeing my friend being mistreated. "I doubt they'll be mean to him if they see Naruto with us."

"Th-That is true…" Hinata nodded her head. "Heehee, I wonder if he is g-going to win against Sasuke-kun."

"They might end up tying, for all we know." I mean, it's certainly a possibility. "We'll see…"

"Wh-What kind of yukata will you be wearing?" Hinata decided to ask.

I thought about it for a moment. "Hmm…to tell or not to tell…I guess we'll just see on the day of the festival."

"That's f-fine…" A mischievous glint suddenly appeared in Hinata's eyes. "Do you th-think Neji-nii-sama will react the same way as he did today wh-when he sees you in a yukata?"

…

"I guess we'll find out." It's worth a shot.

"I-I'll make sure he sees you, then." Hinata covered her mouth behind her hands as she laughed.

…

…

The day of the summer festival was like any other day, except when Mikoto found out that Naruto didn't have a yukata, you can sure as hell bet that Mikoto took him, Sasuke, and Itachi yukata shopping. I do not envy Naruto. Yukata shopping is complete hell…at least it was for me. I mean, trying on so many yukata until Mama and I found the right one…yukata…yukata everywhere.

It's nothing like clothes shopping, where you can easily put on and take off clothes. Yukata have to be put on the right way, with the obi tied right. This is a process that has to be repeated when trying out yukata…it's just tedious.

Don't even get me started on kimono!

Yukata shopping aside, it was a really good day. When Chōji and I met up with our friends in the evening, they were all wearing yukata. All the boys wore dark-colored yukata, so not much variety from them…except for Shino, who didn't wear a yukata (the poor boy was too shy—how cute!). Meanwhile with Hinata and me, we got some actual color.

Hinata wore a white yukata with a colorful flower pattern and a red obi tied around her waist. I wore a green checkered-pattern yukata with a yellow obi. It was simple, nothing complex for a little kid like me. Of course, for Sasuke and Naruto, they just stared at me. Neji refused to even look in my direction, Shino said nothing, and Shikamaru actually seemed amused.

Naruto suddenly blurted out, "Holy crap, you're a girl!"

"A-Are you serious?" Tell me something I don't know for once!

Naruto sputtered. "I mean, I—I don't know!"

"You never dress like one, that's why!" Sasuke was quick to explain as he pointed his finger at me.

Shikamaru smirked. "They got you there, leader."

"Stop calling me that!" You are the worst friend ever! "And you don't have to be a girl to dress like this!"

Clothes are clothes, dang it!

"She's right, you know," Itachi said as he poked Sasuke in the forehead. "Remember Kōichi, Sasuke."

"But what do they have to do with this?!" Sasuke whined as he rubbed his forehead. "Kōichi just wears whatever they—oh…oh…"

…

…

"W-Well—Chōko never looks like this!" Sasuke gestured at me as if to prove his point.

"Y-Yeah—that's it, dattebayo!" Naruto nodded his head in agreement. "It's just so weird!"

Why are we still on this?!

"Can we please stop talking about this?" It's just a freaking yukata…why can't you guys just be like Neji, who's just averting his gaze and staying quiet? "Please?"

"But you look nice!" Chōji—dammit, you're making me blush.

"Sh-Shut up!" You are the worst brother ever!

"Your face is red," Shino said without any hesitation whatsoever, which only served to make me blush even harder.

"D-Don't look at me!" I covered my face with both of my hands.

I'm gonna die if you guys keep this up!

"Tsuntsun!" Sasuke exclaimed with a wide smile on his face, while Hinata burst into a fit of laughter. Even Itachi was smiling, that freaking punk!

"You guys are the worst!" I whined as I stomped my foot on the ground. "C'mon, let's just get some takoyaki or something—please?"

…

Shikamaru sighed loudly as he scratched the back of his head. "I think we've bothered our leader enough—let's just drop this troublesome subject."

"I-Indeed…" Neji finally managed to speak, even though he wasn't even part of the conversation.

I was too exasperated at this point to even say anything, but I'm just glad that everyone left me alone after that.

…

Deep down…I really did appreciate the attention, as flustering as it was.

I don't know why, I just do.

…

Fifteen minutes later, I was standing next to Neji and Shino, watching Hinata as she played the goldfish scooping game. Itachi was close by, his gaze focused on Naruto and Sasuke as they tried to outdo each other in the ring toss game. Shikamaru and Chōji were waiting in line to get shaved ice. I already got my takoyaki, so I was feeling good…

"Anything yet?" I decided to ask Hinata.

"No…" Hinata turned to me and held out her completely broken poi for me to look at. "I l-lost…"

This was the fourth time Hinata had tried and she still wasn't able to scoop a goldfish. I frowned as I looked at Hinata, who looked very dejected. I don't like it when my friends are sad…okay, that's it! I managed to stuff a few takoyaki balls into my mouth before shoving the container into Shino's hands. I then walked over to Hinata and, after rolling up my sleeves and swallowing the takoyaki in my mouth, asked the stall keeper for a poi.

Once I got a poi, I took the bowl in Hinata's left hand and started playing the goldfish scooping game. All I had to do was use the poi to scoop a goldfish into the bowl… It sounds easy, right? Wrong! A poi is a paper scooper that can tear easily! The game requires care and speed because of that, so here I am, trying my first attempt!

Aaaand it ripped… "Another!"

I will keep on trying for Hinata!

This is what friendship is truly about!

…

…

After like twelve tries, I came to a sad realization…I fucking suck at this game! But I must persevere! I must be the Lambo! "Another!"

"Move over!" A curt voice said as someone pushed me aside.

"N-Neji?!" Holy shit, you're actually doing something?!

"That's Neji-san!" Neji said firmly before taking the bowl out of my hand and accepting the poi from the stall keeper. "Just stop talking."

Well, someone is a little moody today. Pfft, I doubt he'll get it on the first try and—he totally got it on the first try. Son of a bitch, I wasn't expecting that…

"N-Neji-nii-sama!" Hinata exclaimed.

Neji said nothing as he handed the bowl over to the stall keeper. A few moments later, the stall keeper handed Neji a bag filled with water, the goldfish calmly swimming inside of the bag. The goldfish was white with a little red spot in between its eyes. He picked a nice goldfish for Hinata and—oh my god, he actually did it for Hinata!

Oh my gosh, that's adorable!

"Aww, so you do love your cousin!" I was grinning widely as I gently elbowed Neji in the side. I always knew Neji had a soft spot for Hinata—aww, he's blushing!

Oh gosh, I'm gonna melt from a cuteness overload!

"Here you go, Hinata-sama," Neji said as he handed Hinata the bag. His face reddened even more upon seeing the smile on Hinata's face.

"Th-Thank you, Neji-nii-sama!" Hinata was very happy.

Neji scowled and looked away from Hinata, his face still very much red. "You're welcome…"

"Ah, so Hyuuga-san is also capable of being cute." Aah, Itachi, I see you've noticed Neji's random act of kindness today—and yes, he is very cute!

Neji glared at Itachi, who just looked rather amused. Looks like messing with Neji isn't just a past time that's exclusive to Hinata and me.

"So, Itachi-san, who won the game?" I looked questioningly at the older Uchiha.

Itachi turned his attention away from Neji to look at me. "Ah, neither did…it was a tie."

"I figured." Those two were really heated, so it was only natural to assume they would tie. Course, there was a chance they wouldn't tie…but I felt as if they would.

"What are they doing now?" Shino asked.

Itachi gestured at the stall across from all of us. "Katanuki…I think they've moved up to C-rank carvings."

"Augh, it broke-ttebayo!"

"You suck, dead-last!"

"Stop calling me that, dattebayo!"

Ah, the sound of a healthy rivalry is something I never thought I would be happy to hear. For the most part, Sasuke and Naruto are pretty good friends…but when they go at it, they get rather damn competitive.

…

…

Sometime later, we were all in the Hyuuga compound. Hinata had said that we could get a good view of the fireworks display from here, which is honestly a plus. The nine of us (holy shit, that's a lot) seated ourselves on the veranda of the Hyuuga compound. The sky was dark and Naruto seemed rather nervous, if only because we actually snuck him into the compound. Hinata said she would take responsibility if her father caught Naruto. Neji was actually stunned with Hinata's statement, but said nothing about it.

I'm honestly surprised we managed to sneak Naruto into the Hyuuga compound in the first place. Like, holy crap, how did we do it? I may never know…but I can't help but feel as if we've done something amazing.

I mean, today was a pretty amazing day overall. Naruto had a really good time today at the festival. People did start staring at him, but upon seeing whom Naruto was among, that being two Uchiha, two Hyuuga, two Akimichi, an Aburame, and a Nara…they immediately looked away. Aww yeah, connections are definitely awesome.

Neji was surprisingly nice to his cousin for once. And to commemorate his act of kindness was a goldfish that Hinata had named Shiro. Oh man, none of us is going to be forgetting that any time soon, thanks to Shiro.

Neither Sasuke nor Naruto won against each other, as they kept tying. They still had a fun time and were quite satisfied with what they've done. Itachi seemed to have been enjoying his brother's developing rivalry with Naruto.

Shino might have not said much, but I know he had a good time. Shikamaru spent a quarter of the time mentioning my leader status (that I still refuse!) and Chōji just ate a lot…like me. We love to eat. Festival food is good.

At that moment, a firework lit up the night sky, bursting into colorful sparks of light. We all stared at the colorful sparks lighting up the sky. It was a beautiful sight to behold. After a few seconds, another firework shot up and burst into a different color of sparks.

Summer vacation has only just begun, the thought suddenly popped up in my head. There was so much left for us to do before we returned to the Academy. I could only wonder what we going to do until then. Whatever it was, I'm definitely looking forward to it.

I'm ready.

…

…

…

A/N 4-10-16 More editing and holy shit, say hello to a Kōichi making a cameo, even though they haven't even made a physical appearance just yet in Metamorphosis (the other SI OC fic, which is where Kōichi was first mentioned by Obito). Yeah…as a reminder, any characters you see there (with the exception of the SI OC, Shiki), as well as the world building, carries over to this fic and vice versa. That's how these fics are connected.

By the by, I have yet to mention this, but the way Chōko usually has her hair up in a braid, with the ribbon, is a lot like a certain Aerith Gainsborough from Final Fantasy VII…yeah…should have mentioned this like ages ago, but there you have it!

In case anyone was wondering, seiza literally means "proper sitting" and is a term for one of the traditional formal ways of sitting in Japan. It's just a really formal way to sit. Seiza is also the traditional way of sitting while doing other arts such as calligraphy and ikebana. Chōko can sit in seiza…but she has problems doing so while she plays the koto. She has even more problems doing such while wearing a kimono.

And just to clear things up, yes, Chōko wears the same clothes as Chōji. The only differences between them, apart from the fact that Chōko is female and Chōji is male, is the fact that Chōko has a smaller build (result of her fast metabolism), has longer hair (that is in a braid), and wears glasses. Oh, and the ribbon Naruto gave her is green.

Hinata has also started developing a mischievous side to her character, with Neji becoming more expressive. Let's just say, because of Chōko and Hinata, Neji now has trouble controlling his emotions around them. Itachi finds this extremely amusing, much to Neji's annoyance because he already has to put up with two girls who like to mess with him.

Neji has also shown that, despite his treatment of Hinata, he does have a soft spot for her. It's small, but definitely there. Part of the reason that came to be about was because Hinata has started messing with him. The interactions that came from what Hinata has done harbored a bit of a bond.

Then there's Naruto and Sasuke, the two are usually friendly…but when they get competitive, then damn. It's a pretty healthy rivalry there. Sasuke is the way he is because he's still young. He still has his family, but he also has a lot of friends. His relationship with his brother is strong, and because of that, Itachi's been interacting with Sasuke's friends.

It's just something I'd point out, but that's about it. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, because I sure did! Also! The chapter is longer than the other ones I have written! It's a small start, but it's a freaking start! I'm hoping this will continue for future chapters.

I also failed to mention I made it past ten chapters, which is the start of one milestone. The next one is getting this story over twenty chapters. Façade has been, as of yet, the only story I've gotten past twenty chapters and then some! In fact, Façade is one chapter away from hitting fifty…I am happy.

Welp, until next time, everyone! KD out! XD