Chapter 7 - Endeared Home
September brings a shocking warmth to the Hyuuga doorstep, despite the cold of the changing seasons.
Hyuuga Hinata, despite it all — despite the way the elders treat her, the way she will be sent off to the Uchiha, the way the date of her sealed fate is fast approaching — is loving every Hyuuga she sees. She is hugging her sister, spinning in circles until they're both dizzy. She is enjoying the sunshine with Ko, twisting tiny braids into his short hair. She is finding her father through the thin, white, paper doors and jumping on the tips of her toes to kiss the wrinkles off his forehead.
And the Hyuuga are warm, and they are smiling, and they are glad to see Hinata is back to being Hinata; that the strings wrapped around her limbs are falling loose around her.
Neji — well, of course, he's glad.
When he's about to leave the Hyuuga estate to meet with his team for their mission, only for Hinata to stop him at the gate to grab his hand in hers, wishing him a safe mission — of course he's not upset by anything. He welcomes it. He welcomes that familiar Hinata.
But, at the same time, there is a creeping worry that nips at the back of his skull.
His cousin is naturally an affectionate, loving person.
The same cannot be said for Uchiha Sasuke.
And in the past, that was fine. It wasn't an issue. For a while, Hinata had tucked such spells of affection to the side, more concerned with lying to the Hyuuga, with coaxing herself to be brave for whatever future would be decided for her.
She does not worry about such things now. The Hyuuga are not a concern. Naruto is not a concern.
So now comes the possible future of Sasuke coming across this tender, touchy side of Hinata and — frankly — panicking.
It's not a stretch that the man is not skilled in the art of receiving affection. The glaring evidence pointing out this fact is the fact that the man planted his face against a wall for thirty minutes, trying to calm himself down, after a date. A date, mind you, that Neji is sure did not include any sudden make-out sessions or forward displays of flirting from either party. And, sure, Neji was not there during this apparently "overwhelming" date, but he would be foolish to assume either Sasuke or Hinata would commit to either (inappropriate) act after barely coming to terms with the approach of their engagement.
To explain his thought process in an understandable manner: Hinata will kill Sasuke if he's not prepared for this side of her.
And the tricky part? Neji's the one who will have to figure out how to get Sasuke used to affection.
I'm not going to enjoy this, he thinks, dour.
So caught up in his thoughts, he barely recognizes that he's reached the meeting destination and that his two teammates are giving him looks.
"It seems our comrade has eaten something rotten this morning," Lee notes, brows furrowed in thought. "I suggest we cleanse the palette before we head on our mission. I know of a blend that will be most helpful. We just need to find sycamore bark and —"
"Lee," Tenten sighs. "I don't think that's the issue."
Neji wipes any signs of his thoughts off his face. "There is no issue."
Tenten snorts. "Uh-huh."
"Is it still the things surrounding sweet Hinata?" Lee asks. "Has another thing come to break her spirit?"
Neji frowns, not bothering to answer. Tenten pinches Lee's sleeve, motioning that it's time for them to leave. There's a large grin on her face, however, that tells Neji that the topic has not been dropped yet.
"Maybe it's Tamaki," she jokes.
Lee looks disapprovingly at him. "That's a horrible thing to do to Kiba."
"Stop." Neji rubs his hands down his face, head already pulsing. "This is annoying me."
*** Hyuuga Neji - Love Coach ***
He wishes the mission wasn't as short as it was. He wishes it took a week — maybe a month. Maybe that wouldn't be helpful for Sasuke, but it would surely save him some state of mind.
But he's back now. He's home, in Konoha.
He forgets about it — just for a while. But then Hanabi hops to him, brimming with child-like mischief, before he's even out of his mission clothes. She's going on and on about how Sasuke's going to have Hinata over for dinner next week, and Neji is thrown back into the hard, cold depths of reality.
Damn it.
So now he's searching for Shisui, dreading his next few days of teaching Sasuke how to be — well, less of a mess. The cat's not in his usual stack of boxes, nor is he in the alleyway. In fact, Neji finds him prancing around the streets surrounding the Uchiha estate, and Shisui meows and greets him by rubbing his face along his leg.
Neji sighs and kneels next to him. "It is dangerous to be here. What would you have done if that Uchiha accidentally merged with you?"
It's something he's still wondering about. Shisui's chakra is a mystery left at the back of his mind due to more obvious matters needing to be handled (namely this situation between his cousin and the Uchiha). Even so, he's still unsure if allowing Shisui around other ninja will be a good idea; if his chakra attracts other's, after all, what will stop him from merging with someone else.
And if Sasuke were to merge with Shisui, then —
Well. He doesn't have to explain why that would pose an issue.
Shisui's tail just swipes back and forth, blue eyes staring up at him, and Neji lets that pull take him in.
...
He has a week to get Sasuke semi-used to affection.
And so, for the next week, Neji does everything in his power to be as caring and loving and affectionate as possible.
To say his pride is damaged would be an understatement, but Neji can swallow it down when it's required for him to do so.
When Sasuke offers him chicken that afternoon, rather than running over to gobble it up, Neji makes sure to rub his body along Sasuke's knee as a show of thanks. Sasuke, of course, seems a little surprised. Neji hasn't exactly been a touchy cat (ignoring that night when Hinata had come to invite Sasuke on a date), so he supposes such a reaction makes sense.
And through the rest of the day, he follows him, always at his side — sometimes almost tripping him, which Neji takes mild pleasure in doing. That's what you get for making me do this, he thinks.
The following day, after Sasuke works most of the morning away at fixing up buildings and hauling rubble and trash out of the estate, he takes a moment to lie in the sun, the roof over the engawa shading his face. Neji, seeing the right opportunity, jumps onto Sasuke's body and makes himself a spot to loaf, tail curled in, legs folded beneath him.
Again, Sasuke's surprised; and (again) Neji's pride is knocked a few notches down.
In fact, Neji is almost crushed when Sasuke almost rolls over.
"Shisui," he breathes, "what is with you?"
But Neji is determined. He gets back on, gets comfortable, and (even though it's embarrassing to admit) he is lulled by the comfortable lift and fall of Sasuke's chest as he slowly relaxes, though unused to Neji's presence on top of him.
It is also important to get Sasuke used to others being in his home, so whenever he's given the chance, Neji will rush inside. He'll sniff around, rubbing his body on this and that, pawing that tatami mat beneath him. Whenever Sasuke tries to sit, he'll curl onto his lap, purring. Sometimes, he'll try to knock a book or scroll out of his hand. After all, if they have children (something Neji never wants to think too much about), he'll have to get used to things being knocked over and messed with.
A few days into everything, Sasuke shows signs of getting used to him. He scratches his chin and pets him. He does not jump when Neji comes to lay on him. He's getting used to his meows and chirps and purrs.
By Day 7, Sasuke has gotten to the point of lifting Neji onto his shoulder and letting him stay there as they walk around the estate, overlooking things. Neji's job, of course, is to watch out for mice or moles as Sasuke takes note of bigger things, such as foundation cracks and mold. They're making sure things are ready for Hinata. Of course, she's seen the estate before; but Sasuke's determined to make things as nice as possible, and Neji understands.
"This is going to be a mess," Sasuke murmurs as he steps back onto the engawa, making his way to the main building where he homes himself. "We shouldn't expect good things tonight."
His negativity sends an arrow of irritation in Neji's stomach, so he lightly bites one of Sasuke's ears, who swats at him playfully.
"Alright, alright!" Sasuke snorts. "Maybe it will work out. Maybe."
The sun is close to reaching the horizon. Neji hops down from Sasuke's shoulder when he opens the door. They both enter, examining the room, the kitchen in the back, ready to be used. Hinata will be here soon, and Sasuke promised dinner.
"If you really are a gift from Mother, then you won't want to see this." Sasuke runs his hand down Neji's back, then stands straight, changes into a shirt not covered in cat fur, and starts washing his hands. "Cooking is not my forte."
Neji watches, horrified, as Sasuke brings out a steak knife to begin mincing onion.
Hopeless, he thinks.
Maybe next time, he'll figure out a way to give him cooking lessons as a cat.
...
When Hinata comes, they greet her on the engawa. She's not over dressed, but Neji can tell she put thought into how she arranged her hair. It was a low ponytail decorated with braids, and her bangs were swept to the side just slightly. She's put in a bit of effort, and he turns to Sasuke, wondering if he sees it, if he understands.
If he does, he does not show it.
"Good evening, Sasuke," she says. Then, she looks down at him and smiles. "Hello, Shisui."
Sasuke says nothing back, and they linger on the engawa.
Neji swipes his paw at Sasuke's leg. Invite her in, idiot.
"I have medicine," Sasuke says. "For your allergies."
Hinata's eyes shine in the dim light coming from inside. "Thank you, but I've already taken some before coming here."
Neji sees every secret displeasure play through Sasuke's mind. Maybe he would not understand if he hadn't spend so much time with him over the week, but he knows everything going through the Uchiha's head. The doubt. No one would think Uchiha Sasuke was the kind to doubt, but he did. He doubted silly things, like if his cooking skills will be enough to ruin a night or if letting her inside will change something or not. If it did, would it be a good thing? Would he welcome it, or would he have to deal with it for the rest of their married life?
These are things going through Sasuke's head.
He frowns, and it looks menacing, but Hinata does not shudder and turn away. She waits, and eventually, he steps inside, allowing her to follow him.
"Welcome home," Sasuke says.
Neji does not have to look at her face to know that the words fill her with immeasurable joy. But he does, and it's every bright thing in the world collected into one, human body. It is stardust and sunshine through leaves and soft candlelight and the healthy glow of chakra. And she's looking at Uchiha Sasuke like he's Hyuuga Sasuke, like she could wrap him up and spin him like a sister or kiss him like a father.
She doesn't, but she wants to.
She desperately wants to, and Neji almost wishes he could tell her, Don't worry. We've practiced. He should be ready.
...
"I'm home," she says back.
Sasuke has his face turned away from her, but Neji can see the creeping red on the back of his neck.
...
He gives them some privacy.
Sasuke sets his bowl of chicken outside, and after eating it, Neji sits on the wall and watches them through the window. They eat together, across from one another. They immediately fall into clan mannerisms, keeping their backs straight and their arms at perfect angles as they eat. Hinata seems to enjoy the food, smiling with every bite, and Sasuke's relief is clear, though he tries to hide it behind a stony face.
They talk, but Neji does not try to listen in. He trusts whatever they're talking about is something both are comfortable discussing.
The evening goes on in pleasant leisure.
When they finish, Hinata takes a walk down the engawa, Sasuke acting as her guide. The night is a bright kind, and they stop every now and then, discussing future plans for an empty spot of land, for an empty building off to the side.
When they reach the back wall, Hinata stares up at it, awed.
"It's nearly done," she says.
Sasuke nods. "I plan to finish it tomorrow."
She's quiet for a moment, glancing back at the gate. She thinks carefully, and then she says, "Can we finish it now?"
Sasuke's surprise is quiet and calm, and he agrees and brings out the supplies. They jump to the top of the wall, working on the last, few sections that require rock and mortar. Their hands get stained, and Hinata's hair falls wildly over her shoulders as the wind picks up, but neither of them care.
They finish the wall, sit back, and look down at the estate.
"You'll have to work on the roof next," Hinata muses.
Sasuke hums in agreement, jumping down to the cool grass below. "I was considering —"
He stops.
And Neji knows why. In a way, they both come to the same realization at the same time.
Sasuke is staring up at that wall, once toppled and broken. It's fixed now. His home is not finished, but this — this is the start of it. This is the arms of Konoha holding it, protecting it. It's enclosed. Anyone could sneak in, but now it's fixed, and the wall is tall and powerful, and the estate feels like his.
And there stands Hinata at the top, hands dirty with the efforts put into this wall.
He's staring at her, too. Really, he's staring at her more than he is staring at the wall.
She bends, as if to jump, then stops. She realizes something. She takes that idea, she gathers herself, and she looks down at Sasuke, cloaked in the shadows of his home.
It's clear what she's thinking to Neji. He looks at Sasuke, sees that he understands, as well, and is amazed.
Sasuke holds out his arm, as if to catch her.
Hinata leaps down, lands into him, and gasps when he steadies both of them. Her arms are around him. His hand hovers in the air by her shoulder.
They are in the seclusion of the Uchiha estate, no longer broken or littered with holes for anyone to take advantage of.
They think they're alone, and they feel alone — together.
Her hands lift to press against his neck, and Hinata presses the side of her cheek against his chest. His hand lands on her back, and he stares at the sky beyond the wall. He does not panic, and she does not kill him.
"Sorry," Hinata whispers.
Sasuke closes his eyes. "Are you alright?"
She moves just a bit closer, taking in his warmth, relaxing into him.
"I'm alright," she says.
They seem at peace. Whatever worries that were weighing them down have been lifted as they lean into each other, balancing.
Neji is disgusted.
Be careful, Uchiha. If your hand gets any lower, I'll rip it off.
...
When Sasuke walks her home, Neji does not bother following.
He pulls away from the cat, expands his chakra out from his body, and turns back into Hyuuga Neji: the pale, unbalanced cousin.
He presses his forehead against the floor of the engawa and groans, sick.
"That's the last time I'm watching those two on a date."
Shisui chirps, delighted, and makes himself comfortable on Neji's back.
Chapter 7 - End