The Uchiha-Hyuuga's
Chapter Two
-O-
More than a week passed, and Shin was more confident than ever that he had blown his chance with Kaoru. For days he replayed the encounter in his head, combing through the details in order to figure out what he might've said or done wrong. In the end he assumed he probably crossed the line in trying to help her. After all, he and Kaoru weren't that close, and she was probably uncomfortable with him seeing her in such a weak state. He felt like an idiot for not realizing it sooner, and ached to apologize. Unfortunately, he didn't have her number, and he knew if he tried stepping foot on the Hyuuga compound uninvited, he would surely be kicked out before he had a chance to see her. Instead, he tried to find her at the café but was met with disappointment every time he couldn't find her. Her absence only added to his remorse and fear that she may never want to speak to him again.
Which left him where he was now; contrite and scared. Sighing heavily, he set aside a pile of paperwork on his desk and leaned back in his chair, mind too scattered to focus on his work. He grabbed a shuriken from the box next to his desk and aimed for the target hanging on the wall across from him. Trying to clear his mind, he focused on the target and threw the shuriken effortlessly before missing the bullseye. He rolled his eyes, propping his chin up in his hand with another sigh. At least that mistake was less damaging than the one he made with Kaoru.
Perhaps he was exaggerating the situation. He and Kaoru weren't best friends, but they were bound to run into each other again. When they did, he would apologize, and this time he would fulfill his promise to encourage her and let her know just how much he respected and admired her. Given their previous encounter, she deserved that.
A light knock on his door stirred him from his thoughts and he stood, calling out to grant the person to come in before crossing over to the target to remove the shuriken. His back was to the girl whose timid voice said, "Hi."
He whipped around to face her and blinked when he saw Kaoru, holding two cups of coffee in her hands as she stood in the doorway. "Hey," he said.
They both paused, debating on what to say next before Kaoru cleared her throat. "I, um, brought you some coffee," she hesitated. "The barista at the café knew your order."
He smirked, taking the cup from her. "You didn't have to bring me anything," he said.
"Yeah, actually, I did," she sighed. "I'm…I'm sorry for snapping on you. It wasn't nice. You were so helpful and caring, and I was rude. So, I hope you accept my apology," she said guiltily.
He was taken aback. He did not expect this, for Kaoru to be sorry when all this time he believed he was at fault for their last meeting. Slowly, he smiled, "I accepted the coffee, didn't I?" He asked.
She nodded, her own smile growing. "Yeah, you did," she said.
"You really don't have to apologize, you know. I'm the one that crossed the line," he reasoned.
This time she was taken by surprise. "You didn't cross any lines, Shin," she said. "You helped me."
"But you got mad at me."
She sighed, "I got mad at you for a stupid reason, not because you made me uncomfortable or something."
"Really? Are you sure?"
Smiling again, she nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. I got mad…because you called me 'sick,' and I actually really don't like it when people call me sick. But you didn't know that, you couldn't have known that, and I still snapped on you when I shouldn't have. I really am sorry," she explained.
He grinned, relieved. "I'm sorry too, for making you feel vulnerable. It wasn't my intention."
"Hey, no one said anything about vulnerable. Don't flatter yourself, Uchiha," she said with a smirk.
"Okay, whatever you say, Hyuuga," he said, still grinning widely.
She giggled softly and looked around his office. "Were you busy? I just wanted to drop by and apologize, I hope I wasn't interrupting your work," she said.
He shook his head, "No, you weren't interrupting. You're actually saving me from boredom. How about we go for a walk?" He suggested.
"Are you sure? You don't have a bunch of work to do, chief?" She joked at the mention of her nickname for him.
"Nah. Let's get out of here," he said, motioning for the door.
She nodded and allowed him to lead her outside of his office. Her cheeks, however, flushed slightly at the sight of the other police officers in the building, sitting at their own desks, and wiggling their brows or grinning suggestively. Shin, on the other hand, was unfazed as they walked to the front entrance and as a few men in his department began hooting and hollering at them. Sensing how uncomfortable she was getting by the reddening of her cheeks, he quieted the noise with one glare before stepping outside.
"You really seem to have them on a tight leash there, chief," she teased.
"Hey, I'm the boss. I don't have to say anything to shut them up," he smirked before adding "I'm sorry if their catcalling bothered you."
She shrugged, "I'm fine."
"Really?" He asked, motioning to the lingering rosy tinge to her cheeks.
She rolled her eyes, fighting off an amused smile, "It happens."
He chuckled, "Alright."
They walked in a comfortable silence for a couple of minutes before settling on a bench and sipping their coffee for another few. Debating on what to bring up next, Shin leaned back and turned to her.
"What have you been up to this week? Aside from being mad at me?" He asked, grinning.
Kaoru played with the hem of her skirt for a minute, debating how to answer. "Well, I don't want to alarm you, but I did have to go to the hospital for a couple days," she paused as his face grew immediately alert with concern, but put her hands up in defense. "It wasn't anything major, and it wasn't your fault. My blood sugar levels were just…erratic, so my parents brought me in just to get it under control. I'm much better now, I promise."
Shin frowned. "Does that happen a lot?" He asked.
She shrugged, "Once in a while. It used to be a lot worse when I was little, but trust me it's a lot better now."
"Still, that must've been rough," he said.
"You get used to it, I guess," she relented, before quickly changing the subject. "You know, you impressed me last time."
He smirked, relaxing as a warmth spread through his chest. A warmth he recognized to only reappear whenever she was around. "Oh yeah?"
"Yeah. Usually if something like that happens out in public, people freak out and don't know what to do. You were calm, and you actually knew what to do," she explained.
"Well, parts of my job just shine through even when I'm off the clock," he smirked. "I'm supposed to stay calm and level headed."
"But how did you actually know how to help me?" She asked, genuinely curious.
"Can you keep a secret?"
"That depends," she teased, but nodded in all seriousness.
"My first few years as a genin were pretty boring. I only had a few missions here and there, and nothing too worthwhile, so I considered changing my field to that of a medic nin. When I told my parents, my mom thought it would be a good idea for me to shadow her around the hospital for a while," he confided. "I picked up a few things before I chose to join the police force instead."
"Wow, I never knew that about you," she said. "I'm actually surprised I never saw you around the hospital."
"I kept a low profile," he admitted with a smile.
"What made you change your mind again? From a medic nin to a police officer?" She asked.
He took a minute to recollect his thoughts, finishing the last of his coffee as Kaoru waited patiently. Staring ahead as he continued to think, he stole a glance in her direction, finding that she was also staring in the direction he was looking. He studied her face carefully, admiring her beauty as the sun shone on her soft skin and the wind fanned her hair gently. Sensing his gaze, she turned to meet it; her brown eyes searching his.
"I guess I want to try and help people before they end up in the hospital. I can't do much for the shinobi who get hurt during their missions, but if I can limit the civilians of this village from being harmed then," he shrugged, "I feel accomplished."
Kaoru watched him, mesmerized behind his reasoning for choosing to join the Military Police Force. While he spoke, she saw a pain hidden in his eyes; a pain that really said he had seen too many lives lost during his time at the hospital. While the streets of Konoha tended to be safe, she knew crime still existed. He probably watched too many people get injured or treated unfairly; he was empathetic to his homeland, he wanted to ensure as much peace as possible. It dawned on her just how passionate a man he was beneath his usually stoic exterior. The Uchiha men were known to have a cool façade, and while Shin was no exception, there was a deeply admirable person beneath it.
"That's…very noble, Shin," she said after a minute. "I think it's great."
He grinned, a boyish charm to his smile. "Can I say something?"
She narrowed her eyes playfully, "That depends. Are you going to cross a line?" She teased.
His smile faltered a little, "I hope not."
She smiled. "You can say whatever you want. I won't snap again."
He hesitated, "I think you're great. You have this condition, and you don't let it bother you. You're not insecure; in fact, you're strong. You've always been strong," he said before adding "I just wanted you to know that."
Kaoru blushed. She heard her parents call her 'strong' countless times, but after hearing someone else say it (after hearing him say it) she couldn't help but feel flattered. Not only flattered, but for a second she swore she felt her heart skip a beat.
Clearing her throat, and settling her nerves, she smirked at him. "Gee, thanks for making me blush, again," she pretended to sound annoyed.
"Hey you started it," he joked.
"Are you capable of blushing?"
"Probably not," he smiled.
She giggled before finishing off her coffee, "Since you have such a great job, you should probably head back."
"Yeah, I guess I should go before someone calls in complaining about a bunch of genin sealing them inside their own house. Someone has to do it," he laughed as he stood, offering his hand to help her up.
She took it, her small hand fitting nicely in his, "There are actual genin going around doing that?" She asked.
"Yup. We have yet to catch them," he sighed, a smirk still on his lips.
"You better get to it then," she laughed.
-O-
Eleven-year-old Suzuki Uchiha grinned widely at the display before her. Her sparkling green eyes widened in glee as she watched her eldest brother wish a brunette goodbye. What delighted her was just who the brunette was: Kaoru Hyuuga. She knew her heart stopped at the sight of them, having just come upon the two a few feet away before recognizing Kaoru and hiding behind a nearby tree to spy on them. She squealed gleefully as Shin passed her and ran up to clasp onto his arm excitedly.
He jumped, cursing under his breath as he recognized her and rolled his eyes. "You scared me."
"What were you guys talking about?" She asked, ignoring his statement.
"What?"
"What were you and Kaoru talking about?!" She repeated, nearly jumping for joy and rattling his entire composure.
"Were you spying on us?"
"Answer the question, Shin!" She exclaimed.
"I believe that's none of your business," he said, matter-of-factly.
"Aw, come on, Shin! Tell me!" She begged.
"Why do you want to know so bad?" He asked, annoyed.
"Because! Kaoru is so pretty, and you like her!" She insisted, as if it were obvious.
He paused, "What makes you say that?"
"I'm not blind, Shin. You've been pining for her for years, especially this past week. I wanna know what happened! What did she say? Why did it take her so long to get back to you? Is she okay?" She asked, barraging him with questions.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, silently begging for patience. "I'm never telling you anything ever again."
"Oh whatever, you love talking to me."
"Who said anything about pining for her? And for years? I just talked to her last week," he said.
"Please, Shin. I know you, and you've had a mad crush on Kaoru for years. And you've been walking around everywhere practically pouting since she brushed you off last week," she happily replied. "So tell me everything!"
He sighed, "Su, I have to go back to work. You need to get home and do your homework or something, like a normal eleven-year-old."
She scoffed, "Oh please, we all know I'm anything but normal."
It was true. From a young age, Suzuki had displayed signs of growing intelligence and maturity (in some departments). At just three years old, she had a terrible temper tantrum after Sasuke had refused to allow her to join him on a mission (being his only daughter, the patriarch was wrapped tightly around her little finger, forming a deep bond between them), which led to her activating her Sharingan. Astonished and concerned that she awakened her kekkei genkei as a toddler, Sasuke and Sakura had her evaluated by The Council of Konohagakure. At the time the Elders of the Council were wary of Suzuki's abilities at her age, fearing she may not be able to control her emotions and therefore posing as a hazard to herself and those around her. However, Kakashi and Tsunade were able to reassure them that her Sharingan could and would be controlled.
It was a frustrating time for their parents. They were outraged that the Elder's viewed innocent little Suzuki as a threat, just for awakening her Sharingan. However, she was anything but. After much coaxing and explaining to her in a way her toddler mind could comprehend, they were proud to see that she could keep control of the kekkei genkai. The older she grew, the more she was able to train with her father on mastering it, and the more of an understanding she had of what it was and how it functioned. On top of that, once she was enrolled in the ninja academy she began showing signs of her inherited genius. She continually scored the highest in her class when it came to test-taking as well as her shinobi skills.
There was no doubt Suzuki was a prodigy, leaving her brothers a little envious as they grew up. However, instead of dwelling and competing with his exceptional kid sister, Shin focused on his own skills and career goals. He was content with his choices, and despite his parent's constant reassurance that he and his brothers were just as talented and amazing, he never allowed himself to feel insecure.
"Yeah, yeah, you're a genius. That doesn't mean you know everything," he said.
"Actually it does," she replied.
"Suzuki, I really need to get back to work. Just go home already," he insisted impatiently.
Sighing heavily, she let go of his arm. "Fine, but this conversation isn't over!"
He scoffed, "We'll see about that."
"Oh come on, please?" She begged again, her eyes growing wide and round as she stared at him pleadingly.
Shin bristled. He hated when she used her puppy-dog eyes against him. It was his, and every male in the household's, weakness. It occurred to him long ago just how easily he, his brothers, and his father could be persuaded by the youngest Uchiha girl. Sometimes she used her intelligence for good, and other times she used it for manipulation. And boy, was she good at it.
"Fine," he relented. "We'll talk later, but that doesn't mean you're going to hear what you want to hear."
She giggled before turning and skipping away, "We'll see!" She called out.
Shaking his head, he continued on his way back to the police station as Kaoru continued to invade his thoughts. The minute he saw her, an immense weight was lifted off his shoulders. He was relieved to know she wasn't harboring any grudges against him, and he was also proud of himself for keeping his old promise of encouraging her. However, as soon as the words left his lips, he instantly felt the need to say them again.
'You're great. You're strong,' he told her, and actually made her blush. Despite the warmth on her cheeks and the satisfaction it left in him, he wanted to keep on telling her those same words so she would never forget them.
He sighed as he contemplated his current feelings and his sister's words. 'Maybe you're right, Suzuki,' he thought as he realized that his emotions were beginning to tread on thin ice.
-O-
A/N: Thanks to every review I got on the first chapter (all four of them ^^;) and a special shout out to my new friend/fellow fanfiction writer/SasuSaku shipper DeepPoeticGirl! She has read both this chapter and the last one and helped me polished them for you guys, so a huge thank you is in order! This chapter is dedicated to her!