Dreamcatcher
By Airyo
A Missing Piece - 4
Hinata fidgeted, carefully keeping her gaze lowered on her place setting. She hadn't had the chance to order anything yet. She couldn't help but feel distinctly betrayed by Teuchi and Ayame's convenient disappearance to the back supply room, leaving the Hyuuga stranded between the feuding teammates who sat on either side of her.
"The pork miso is better, Bastard," Naruto gritted out. "You're just too proud to admit it."
"Dead-last, your taste buds are not refined enough to comprehend that the vegetable miso is clearly better," Sasuke snapped back.
"Vegetables," Naruto sneered with disgust.
"Pork," Sasuke countered, with just as much disdain.
They leaned forward, trying to stare the other down. Hinata squeaked, ducking so she wouldn't be crushed.
"Uh...excuse me, Rokudaime-sama and Uchiha-san...could you please...?" she whispered desperately. They turned stared at her surprise, as if they'd forgotten that she was there at all.
How rude.
"It's Naruto and Bastard," Naruto said abruptly. He shot Sasuke a sour look, which the Uchiha returned with a lifted brow. Several more expressions flitted between them in a silent argument, but Hinata found it worrisome that the two of them ended with eerily matching expressions of determined curiosity.
"So, Hinata-chan, what do you think of our sensei?" Naruto asked abruptly.
"He's not being weird, is he?" Sasuke added. "Aniki's just very focused, so if he's offended you, it's not intentional."
"Um, he's okay. And I don't think he's weird," Hinata said faintly, staring at the two ninja with a growing sense of unease.
"Good, good. What do you mean by 'okay'? As in 'not bad but not good' or as in 'I'm secretly in love with him but am too proper to admit anything and am not unopposed to a further, deeper, more meaningful relationship'?" Naruto pressed. Hinata blinked, fighting the growing blush as she struggled to comprehend the two choices the blonde offered her.
Sasuke answered for her by throwing several soy sauce bottles at Naruto's head. "The idiot means to ask if you have any complaints about Itachi that we could possibly help address for a better experience."
In the meantime, Naruto had managed to save all the condiments, and return them to their rightful places. She didn't miss the glare he gave Sasuke promising later retribution, but they were teammates, as he jumped in without missing a beat. "Yeah, yeah. Team 7 takes pride in customer service. Only a 0.1 percent return rate - cat chasing is not our forte, unfortunately."
What were these two trying to sell?
The sales duo suddenly paled, and Hinata thought she could see sweat beading Naruto's forehead.
"I just remember I have a very important thing that I should be at right now," Sasuke said quickly.
"Me too! Me too!" Naruto muttered.
They disappeared with in a swirl of leaves. Yet again, Hinata felt that sense of indignant betrayal - Naruto was the only one who had managed to order anything - until she turned around and only bright, warm joy filled her senses.
Itachi was back.
AN: The website wasn't being very nice. Hopefully, you guys can see these this time. :)