Chapter Five

Babysitting

Hanabi – 13
Konohamaru – 14


It had been nearly a year since that day in the Hokage's office, where 12 genin stood, ready to be given their results on whether they'd become chuunin or not. Hanabi remembered how deafening the silence was, despite all of the bodies in the room, even Eiji was able to keep quiet. She also remembered keeping her head down and feeling those doughy, blue eyes boring a hole into her. Since her match with Konohamaru, she had been avoiding him, the weight of her guilt too heavy to face him. When she caught a glimpse of his bandaged body, limbs in casts and slings, it only pushed her further away.

She had one reprieve from guilt: when Konohamaru was told he had passed. And so did Jun. Despite their losses, Kakashi explained that they more than demonstrated their ability to hold their own in battle.

A few months went by, and Hanabi had been diligently avoiding Konohamaru. Missions with her team and missions as a Hyūga representative occupied her time. Now that they were all chuunin, they were, naturally, taking on longer and harder missions. Her father had resisted some of the longer missions, but Hanabi was becoming more defiant as she grew older, and finding that with the tiniest push back, she was able to wiggle out a win more often.

While out on their training grounds one day, Hanabi and Eiji sparring, Konohamaru and Udon approached from a distance. Eiji had paused their sparring to point them out, and Hanabi couldn't help but observe. She really hadn't seen him much since their match, much less spoken to him. She had gasped in surprise when a cloud of smoke surrounded Konohamaru and suddenly…a tall, slender…naked?! A naked lady was next to Udon! The only sense of decency was a cluster of fog around the intimate areas.

"What the hell?" Eiji had said what was on Hanabi's mind as Udon turned his back to the nude woman, shielding his eyes. Then, just as suddenly, another cloud of smoke appeared and Konohamaru reappeared, seemingly collapsing to the ground with laughter. Hanabi's stomach dropped when she saw Eiji begin stomping towards the pair, shouting obscenities at Konohamaru. Weakly, Konohamaru began defending himself, waving his hands frantically back and forth, and Hanabi saw Eiji point right in her direction, and suddenly she wanted to disappear.

She could have sworn she had heard something to the effect of 'that's not something I wanted Hanabi to see' but she couldn't make it quite out and didn't have the wits about her to read his lips. All she could think about was the fact she didn't want to be here, she didn't want Konohamaru to see her, and she certainly didn't want to see whatever that was, ever again. With that, she had leapt away, choosing to cut her training session with Eiji short to avoid the embarrassment.

A few more months went by much the same. Missions with teams, missions with Hyūga, avoiding Konohamaru. She supposed perhaps she was thankful she had seen that weird transformation jutsu, it gave her another excuse to avoid him. Her sister later explained it was the 'Sexy Transformation Jutsu.' The words felt wrong from her sister's lips, it had made her burst into laughter. But she wasn't surprised to learn it was a jutsu he had learned from none other than Naruto Uzumaki himself and could briefly recall her cousin complaining about it a time in the past.

Her birthday came and went quietly. For the first time in her life, she was allowed to invite exactly two people (and a pup) outside of the clan for dinner at the compound, which was the first time Eiji and Jun met her father. Surprisingly, it went far better than she had expected. Eiji busied herself with conversation with Hinata, reveling in the stories (both good and bad) about her older cousin. Jun was, perhaps unsurprisingly, a good conversationalist that was able to hold his own with her father.

Afterwards, her father blew her away with a few simple words.

"I enjoy your team. Perhaps they should visit more often."

Finally, she felt like she was getting somewhere.

Then it all came crashing down when she was kidnapped. When she thought back on it, it felt like a fever dream—not really real. She had not been taken to the moon, she had not had her eyes plucked from her sockets, she had not been in a coma, begging her sister to save her, subconciously. She had not been a part of some crazy scheme to destroy her world. The event shook her to her core and truly cemented how dangerous life could be. It only made her resolve to become stronger iron tight, so she would never suffer that sort of fate ever again.

Her father had different ideas, though; it seemed to strike a chord in him. Suddenly, she was being denied request after request to leave the compound of her own volition. For two months, she had been taken off the roster for missions, leaving Eiji and Jun having to periodically seek out a third member for their missions. Occasionally, she saw Tora come to the compound, attempting to speak with her father, but she was always denied. Twice, Eiji had managed to hop onto her balcony to check on her, giving Hanabi the opportunity to rant about the injustice of it all, but the guards caught on, and a guard was posted at her balcony from then on.

She was being punished for something she hadn't even had a hand in. Something she couldn't control. Hinata often tried to comfort her, assuring her that father was only doing this out of an abundance of concern. That it was his way of showing love. But Hanabi only felt lonely. The past three years, despite the hardships of the war and losing loved ones, were still her happiest. Where she actually felt like a normal person.

As Hanabi sat in one of the courtyards within the compound, she traced patterns into the dirt next to her feet. The only time she could freely move about was within the compound when they weren't training. She spent most of her waking hour's training because there was little else to do. Her sister, one of the few people she felt she could be herself around, had been gone more often, now that she was dating the Hero of the Leaf. So, when she spotted her walking towards the gates of the compound, Hanabi immediately shot to her feet and bolted after her.

"Hey! Elder sister!" she called, causing Hinata to turn with a head tilt. "Where are you…going?" She selfishly hoped it wasn't to go see Naruto.

"Oh." Hinata smiled down at her. "I'm babysitting Mirai for Kurenai today. Why do you ask?"

Hanabi bit her lips together before asking, "can I come with?"

"You want to babysit?" Hinata's voice was light with amusement. Hanabi shrugged. "I don't see why not. Let me go check with father."

Hanabi clasped her hands together excitedly. She knew father had a harder time telling her older sister no on these things since she had proven herself during the war. It would be especially harder to say no if she would be with her the entire time. Did she really want to babysit? Not particularly, but it meant getting out of the compound, and that was more than enough motivation for her. She watched as her sister disappeared into the study, and after a few short moments, she reemerged with a smile on her face, giving Hanabi hope.

"Let's go." Hinata held out her arm for Hanabi, and she eagerly hooked her arm through, practically skipping towards the gates. Hinata giggled as she looked behind her, causing Hanabi to glance as well, and her beaming smile dropped to a frown at the sight of none other than Tadashi. Tadashi looked straight forward, expressionless and Hanabi simply sighed. It was still better than a no.

Once they arrived at Kurenai's unit, she happily greeted Hanabi, expressing her delight to see her in high spirits, then bid them thanks before taking off. Tadashi stationed himself just outside of the front door while Hinata made herself comfortable.

"How often do you babysit?" Hanabi asked, mindlessly wandering through the living room as she took in the décor. It was so much different than what the Hyūga compound units looked like. It was warm, with shades of yellow and orange—light brown wooden furniture and a black couch adorning the middle. Decorative chimes hung from several corners of the room that made a light tinkling noise when the front door opened and closed. Tasteful dishware locked behind a glass cabinet, what looked to be a fancy sake set like what she had seen in the Hokage's office when Tsunade still occupied it. Expensive bottles at the very top, which again, whether it was appropriate or not for her to know, Hanabi noted were some of Tsunade's favorites as well.

"Oh, just from time to time. Shikamaru and I tend to switch off," Hinata mused as she began prepping tea in the kitchen. Hanabi finally glanced down to find a little jet-black haired toddler giggling happily in the middle of a mat, turning pages of a thick board book. Hanabi kneeled next to the girl and gave a little wave.

"Hi Mirai."

"Ah! Hiii~" The little girl's voice was cuter than she could have imagined, so squeaky and innocent.

"I'm Hanabi." Hanabi held out her hand, which Mirai looked at inquisitively. The girl grabbed at it with both of her hands and stared before shoving it into her forehead forcefully. Hanabi quickly retracted her hand with a frown, wiping it on her robe. "Uh, never mind."

Hinata giggled from the kitchen, watching the interaction. "She's just barely turned two, Hanabi. She doesn't exactly have social know how."

"I know that!" Hanabi snapped as she got back up, leaving the girl to continue her 'reading'. She made her way near the kitchen and sat at the dining table. Soon, Hinata joined her, sliding a teacup in front of her. Hanabi eagerly eyed the canister of sugar in the middle of the table before grabbing it, immediately dumping as much as she could in the cup before Hinata could snatch it back. "Aww, come on elder sister! Let me live a little!"

Live a little.

"I think that was enough," Hinata chided, setting the sugar canister next to her.

"Pfft." Hanabi blew a strand of hair from her face, sinking back into her chair. She tapped her fingers on the tabletop as she sipped her tea, darting her eyes around before sitting back up. "Hey! Why don't we take her on a walk or something? Around the village?"

"Hanabi…" Hinata sighed, looking down into her mug, and Hanabi already knew she was being denied, causing her to slump back again. "Just give it a little more time. Father won't keep you cooped up forever. He's just…still on edge…"

"I'm a chūnin!" Hanabi exclaimed, causing Hinata to cringe away.

"I know that." Hinata linked her fingers together. "And that's why I'm sure father will come around soon." Hanabi mumbled something incoherently under her breath and Hinata shook her head. "I don't think you understand the guilt father is carrying over the incident." Hanabi shot her a look. "He feels like it was his fault."

"How could it be?" Hanabi asked disbelievingly. "That psycho was coming either way. It was my fault I wasn't prepared! I'll never let something like that happen again, not to me, or—or to you, or anyone I care about!"

"Hmm," Hinata hummed, tracing the rim of her cup with a finger. "Perhaps after today, father might reconsider."

"You think so?" Hanabi asked quizzically, but hopefully.

"Maybe." Hanabi nodded, drumming her fingers together in her lap. Hinata looked over Hanabi at Mirai with a smile. "What are you building, Mirai?"

"Hoog tor," she said happily, as if what she had said was clear as day, continuing to stack varying sizes of blocks on top of one another.

"What?" Hanabi frowned, glancing behind her then back to Hinata.

"Hokage tower." Hinata giggled and Hanabi nodded as if she understood, but really didn't.

Hanabi had seen babies around the Hyūga compound of course, but rarely interacted with them. She didn't really see the point, they couldn't spar, they couldn't talk, they couldn't do anything for themselves. They were just sort of there, babbling and crying for one reason or another.

"You were a cute little baby, too." Hinata sighed, resting her chin on her palm. She looked up as if daydreaming and Hanabi grimaced. "But you cried quite a bit. The maids could never figure out what was wrong. The only thing that could calm you sometimes was being held—you were practically attached to whoever would indulge you." Hanabi scrunched up her nose, turning away. "If you were put down, you'd start crying right away. Natsu liked to say you were a needy little girl."

"Okay, I get it." Hanabi raised her hand in effort to stop her embarrassing comments. Hinata simply smiled, sipping her tea.

Hanabi nearly flew out of her seat at the sight of an animal-masked person appearing suddenly in the window behind Hinata. Hinata immediately shot to her feet, activating her byakugan. "What is it—oh." Hinata relaxed her eyes as she faced the Anbu gesturing for her to open the window.

"Do they have to do it like that?" Hanabi grumbled with a frown, relaxing her eyes as well.

Hinata unlatched the window and raised it. The Anbu whispered something to her that Hanabi couldn't hear and didn't feel it appropriate to activate her byakugan to try to read their lips. After a moment, Hinata turned back towards Hanabi and she could hear her quietly say, "I'm babysitting…can it wait?"

"I can babysit!" Hanabi immediately perked up, realizing Hinata was being called off somewhere and decided this was her opportunity to prove her ability to be on her own. Hinata looked at her with weary eyes and Hanabi nodded fervently. "I can! Until you or someone else gets back! I have Tadashi outside if anything goes wrong, which it won't! Please, elder sister?"

"Hmmm…" Hinata contemplated, bouncing her eyes from Hanabi to Mirai and back. Finally, she nodded, looking towards the Anbu operative. "I'll be there in ten minutes."

"Yes!" Hanabi jumped in the air, pumping her fists excitedly.

"Alright, well—" Hinata sighed, quickly touring Hanabi of the toddler essentials, "—this is where the diapers are, Kurenai pre-prepares her food for her in these containers, this is her favorite blanket in case she gets fussy…I suppose that's all for now…you do know how to change a diaper, don't you Hanabi?"

"I can figure it out!" Hanabi said, confidently, although on the inside she doubted herself just a tad.

Hinata nodded. "Don't hesitate to ask Tadashi for help." And with that, Hinata exited.

And hell broke loose.

As the door shut, Hanabi heard the crashing of little wooden blocks behind her. She turned to see the 'Hokage tower' Mirai had constructed had crumbled around her, and the little girl looked shocked. Hanabi giggled and walked up to the girl, crouching down to become eye level. "Oh no, did it fall?"

The little girl looked up at her with wide, glassy eyes and Hanabi's stomach dropped at the big, fat tears welling up at the bottom of them. Before she could act, the girl was absolutely screaming as she cried, kicking her little legs on the floor and spitting out her pacifier. Hanabi's mouth fell open at the blatant act of…absurdity. Quickly, she scanned her brain for possible courses of action.

Fix the problem?

She started stacking the blocks again, trying to reconstruct the girls original building. "Here, here, we can fix it!" She gasped when the little girl screamed a resounding "NO!" and smacked the blocks back down, then resumed her fit. Hanabi gave a deep frown, squinting her eyes at the girl as she felt a silly sense of animosity towards her for the action. She was just trying to help! Quickly, she reviewed more actions.

Comfort?

"Hug?" Hanabi opened her arms, scooting towards the girl. Mirai immediately began trying to scoot away, then fell backwards in the tiniest fall she had ever seen, which only fueled her tantrum. Hanabi gave a panicked glance towards the front door of the home, hoping Tadashi wouldn't be triggered into checking in on them and trying to summon her sister back. She thought of what her sister said about being held, and quickly crawled over and whisked the girl into her arms, bouncing her. She almost felt defeated when it didn't quell her sobs.

Food? Water? Milk? Entertainment?!

She tried several things she knew about babies and toddlers. She first tried to feed her something from the containers. When she coughed up the food and screamed louder, she tried something to drink, only to have it spit back at her, likely staining her robe. She tried turning on the television, she tried peak a boo, she tried changing her shirt, pulling her favorite blanket over her—everything she could think of until she was met with harsh reality that she may need to change her diaper. And so she embarked on what could be one of the hardest missions of her life.

But she found that the girl hadn't soiled herself at all. She was completely dry, which brought Hanabi both relief and dread. Dread because she was still relentlessly crying. She paced back and forth around the little living room with the girl over her shoulder, bouncing, shushing, even singing for crying out loud, and nothing, nothing could seem to placate her.

Leave it to a toddler to defeat Hanabi Hyūga.

"Hanabi?"

Looking through the window next to the front door was Konohamaru, big blue eyes shining in front of the glass, hand cupping his forehead to get a better look inside. Hanabi's nostrils flared with annoyance—this, this was not what she needed right now, to see him for the first time in—she didn't even know how long. Now of all times?!

"What are you doing peeking, perv?!" Hanabi snapped at the window before throwing the front door open. Konohamaru looked at her with wide eyes.

Oh, right.

He didn't know she had been calling him that in her head since she saw that stupid sexy jutsu. Shaking it off, he chuckled as he looked down at her, and she realized how high up she was having to look to see his face properly. It had been some time since she last saw him…

"I knocked like, three times." He poked his tongue out and folded his arms before resting his gaze on the little girl in her arms. He nodded towards her. "Having a tough time?"

To this, she sighed. She had to admit she was beat. Her shoulders sagged as she nodded, too tired to tell him to leave. "Kind of. I don't know what she wants—I've done everything!"

"The great Lady Hanabi defeated me in the chuunin exams, but can't handle a baby?"

"Jerk!"

Before she knew what she was doing, Konohamaru was groaning as her palm landed against his abdomen, doubling over. "Jeeze! Is that necessary?" A pang of guilt hit her, but she pushed it down.

She rolled her eyes as she spun around on her heel from him, brought back to reality by the girl's continuous crying, remembering she still needed to deal with this little menace.

"I was going to offer to help—" he grunted out as he straightened himself up, rubbing at the aching spot on his stomach as he turned to leave, "—but I see you got it."

"Wait!"

He let out an amused chuckle at her beckoning. He stopped and peered over his shoulder, a playful smile on his lips.

It irritated her, but she needed that offer to stand.

"Yes?"

"Uh—you could. If you want. I don't care."

"If you don't care, then why should I help?"

"Because? She's your cousin?"

"I'm not the one watching her."

"Damnit!" Hanabi breathed out in frustration while Konohamaru turned to face her. His amusement only grew with her exasperation. Knowing she'd never admit the need for help, he ceased his taunting to relieve her, stepping forward to hold out his arms. Hurriedly, she deposited the girl into them, and her mouth went agape when her cries immediately ceased.

"Guess she doesn't like you," he teased, bouncing her gently.

"That—that's bullshit!"

"Look." He spun around to show off Mirai over his shoulder, sound asleep, drool running down the back of his jacket. "She needed a nap."

"A nap?" Hanabi asked, confusion on her face before realization. "Oh, right. Babies needs those."

Konohamaru snorted, "no kidding," before trekking off to the next room to lay the girl to sleep. Hanabi let out a deep sigh of relief as she sat down on the couch, happy for her arms to be relieved of the bundle of cries. He quietly shut the door behind him before joining next to her. "No wonder your sister asked me to check on you." Her lips dropped into a frown.

"She did?" she asked through gritted teeth. He chuckled quietly.

"Mhm, ran into her while she was on her way to the Hokage tower." He was clearly getting great amusement out of her realization her sister did not in fact trust her to take care of the girl alone. With a groan, she fell backwards, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

"Whatever, thank gods she's asleep." She sighed, dropping her hands into her lap.

"Not gonna thank me?" He smirked down at her, twisting his body so it would face her. She rolled her eyes without looking up at him. "Aww, c'mon Hanabi. A little thanks would be nice."

Another exaggerated sigh. "Thanks, I guess."

"Anything you wanna thank me with?"

She shot her eyes up at him as he leaned in slightly closer, that playful grin still on his face. She pressed her palm against his chest. "Back up, perv."

"How about—" He looked up as if contemplative, sliding his hand over hers on his chest. "—I get to give you a kiss?"

"No way!" Hanabi gasped, pressing her palm further against him, though he barely budged. Her hand tingled at the way he encased it. Where was this attitude coming from?

He snickered, "on the forehead?"

"No!"

"Hmmm…the nose?"

"What? No!"

"The ear?"

"Pervert!"

"The lips?"

"Konohamaru!" She sighed with exasperation, shaking her head, but couldn't hide the color gracing her cheeks.

"You're blushing," he conceitedly pointed out, grin ever present.

"'Cause you're an idiot…" she whispered, realizing his hand was now firmly holding hers.

"You didn't say no to the last one," he chided, dipping his head a little closer. And then a little more. And a little more, until she was very familiar with the contours of his face. She found herself frozen momentarily as the warmth of his breath brushed against her nose.

"Konoha-mmph!"

It was quick, and fairly innocent. He pressed his lips against hers before she could finish saying his name, but it lasted for maybe a second. She hadn't stopped him. She wasn't sure she wanted to. When he pulled away, he had that mischievous smirk on his face. She didn't know how she looked to him right now, but knew she must look like a stunned deer. His headband shimmered slightly as the sun began shining directly inside from a nearby window, and she couldn't help but rest her eyes on those big, blue orbs. His lips parted into a toothy grin, and she realized he didn't have that chip in his tooth anymore.

He leaned in slightly again before whispering, "you're welcome."

The trance was broken when his hand pulled from hers, and she shot to her feet.

"Where—where do you—get off!" she sputtered, jabbing a finger into his sternum. He raised his hands defensively, still smirking, still cocky. "You pervert, you jerk, you—"

"You've been avoiding me."

She froze, breath catching in her throat.

"Since the chūnin exams. I've barely seen you, much less spoken to you." Suddenly, his voice sounded uncertain and that mischievous look on his face had fallen into a look of melancholy. Her hand dropped. "You beat me fair and square. But you added insult to injury when you…disappeared."

"Uh…" The grunt left Hanabi dumbly. There was no denying it. She watched as he got back to his feet as well, leering down at her.

"I…we miss you," he said, quietly, eyes lowering as he seemed to be scanning her face. "Why have you been avoiding us?"

"I've been…busy…" Hanabi turned away, folding her arms. She couldn't look him in the eye.

"Every waking hour?"

"Sure."

"Huh." She could hear the hurt in his voice, and it made something inside of her rip, the need to ease the tension creeping up on her.

"Well…I've also kind of been on lock down…since…"

"Right." He sighed. "I heard...I wish…I wish I could have been there. To help you. It was difficult, I couldn't believe I had to sit back and twiddle my thumbs, knowing you were in danger." Suddenly, his voice sounded rushed, as if he was trying to get all his thoughts out at once. "When I found out, I tried to force my way onto that mission. But they wouldn't let me…'cause I'm just some dumb kid, third Hokage's grandson or not…"

"Konohamaru…" she whispered, dipping her eyes to the ground. "You couldn't have done anything…besides, I'm fine now."

"I can see that." His voice lifted. "And you've got kind of an attitude."

"What?!" She turned again to look at him with anger laden eyes, only to find him giving her a gloomy smile, and it gave her pause. "Well, so have you. What's that about wanting thanks or whatever?"

"Heh, I guess I was out of line." He shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry. You just look so cute when you're embarrassed."

"A-ah—" She took a step backward, feeling that burning sensation in her cheeks once again. Damn him! "How—how did you even get passed Tadashi, anyway?"

To this, Konohamaru laughed, glancing towards the doorway before turning back to wink at her and she couldn't miss it. "I think he likes me, honestly."

"Tadashi? Likes you? Fat chance," Hanabi huffed, folding her arms disapprovingly. He gave her a simple shrug, turning away from her as he rubbed his palms together.

"Well, I guess my work here is done."

Wait—no.

"By the way, are you gonna keep calling me a pervert?" he asked over his shoulder, a small grimace on his face, "because you saw me do that jutsu?"

"Hmm," she buzzed, tapping her foot, "I dunno. Depends."

"Hanabi?" He was at the door now, hand on the knob. She hummed at him to continue. "Do you still have it?"

Instinctively, she reached for the kunai attached to her left hip, trailing her fingers over the handle. After a pause, she nodded. "Yeah."

Clearing his throat, he nodded quickly. "Good."

Hanabi frowned at the door as he slipped through it and pulled it closed behind him. With a frustrated groan, she fell backwards onto the couch and dragged her hands over her face.

A year of successfully avoiding him, and this is how they reconnect? Over a crying baby, and her trapped, unable to escape his questioning? What horrid luck.

Her eyes shot back up at the front door as it quietly opened, revealing Tadashi entering.

"What?!" she asked a little more sharply than she intended. In a rare act, he gave her a little smile as he walked over to the kitchen and began preparing himself a tea.

"Seemed like you could use company," he said, plainly.

Scrunching her eyebrows together, she turned on the sofa to get on her knees, eyeing him suspiciously. "From you? Why?"

"Keep you from your thoughts."

She scowled at this. "Stop trying to act like you know me, or what I'm thinking about, Tadashi." The words sounded brattier than she realized as they left her lips.

"Alright." He shrugged, bringing his cup over to the dining table to sit. "It's quite warm out there. Thought it would be good to cool down in here."

"Fine," she grumbled, falling back on her behind and crossing her arms aggressively. As silence filled the room, she fidgeted uncomfortably. Finally, she slammed her hands on either side of her and got up, circling the sofa to sit where her tea was at the table, angrily taking a sip of the now tepid beverage. "Why did you let him in?"

"I thought you might like to see him," Tadashi answered innocently. She eyed him.

"Since when do you care about that?"

"I care about you, Lady Hanabi."

She stopped at this, holding the cup to her lips. "What do you mean?"

Tadashi sighed, pushing away his cup. "You might think I'm only here to protect your physical wellbeing, and that may be true. But I care about your emotional wellbeing, too. That boy…is rough around the edges, but he is a good kid." She listened intently as he spoke. "Perhaps it is time your father allows you outside of the compound once more."

"What happened wasn't my fault, Tadashi…" Hanabi whispered, suddenly feeling vulnerable as her eyes dropped.

"I know that. We all do," He replied earnestly. "You're precious to us, Hanabi." She raised her eyebrows at the lack of title. "But I know you're strong. I've seen it. I'm not worried about you."

"Oh." She felt at a loss for words as he spoke the most candidly with her, he ever had before. She had always looked at him as someone like her father: cold, emotionless, unable to understand. But for whatever reason, he was bearing a side of himself she had never seen before. All she could think to say was "thank you."


After some odd hours, Kurenai returned, happy to find Mirai down for a nap, though confused as to where Hinata had gone. Upon explanation, she had apologized to Hanabi for the trouble, but she was adamant that it was no trouble at all (after Konohamaru came to help, of course.) Then Hanabi was escorted back to the compound by Tadashi, who had been fairly quiet for the rest of their time together while Hanabi busied herself cleaning around Kurenai's home. And her day proceeded as normal: spar for a while, dinner, wash up, bed.

While she laid to rest, she couldn't help but consider her sister and Tadashi's words. Would this ridiculous lockdown come to an end at any time soon? She felt like she was losing her mind. She wondered if her father regretted letting her attend the academy, because now that she had a taste of freedom, it was so much more difficult to let it go. When she awoke that morning, after dreaming of her teammates and going to get dango or ramen with them, going on missions, being free, she was adamant.

Immediately, she tore the blankets off of herself and quickly changed into her robes for the day, then marched with intent to her father's study. The guards in front greeted her, but she went right past them and tore the door open to their surprised gasps.

"Father, I demand to—wha-" Hanabi stopped dead in her tracks when the two familiar faces of her teammates turned around to greet her. Eiji stood with her hands in her jacket pockets, toothy grin and all and Yorimaru sitting dutifully next to her, looking quite a bit bigger than when she last saw him. Jun stood to the other side, hands clasped behind his back, flashing yellow eyes behind him at her with a little smile, donning the chuunin flak jacket. And her heart lifted. "What—what are—" Before she finished her sentence, she had already leapt towards them, bringing both arms around their necks to force them into a neck crushing hug.

"Hey!" Eiji yelped, although with playfulness behind her voice as the two wrapped their arms around her.

Hanabi chose to keep the moment going a little longer in case she was still dreaming, until Jun cleared his throat, "uhm, Hanabi…?"

"Oh—yeah!" She finally released them, stepping back to observe them. She nearly frowned when she realized both had shot up a good few centimeters in the two months since she had properly seen them, reminding her she had always been the runt. Shaking her head at the thought, she straightened out. "What's going on?"

"Hanabi." Hiashi's voice commanded their attention, and all three, as well as Yorimaru, stiffened as they turned to face him. "I've decided to allow you to resume training with your team. But I feel I may need to reconsider based on this outburst…"

"No!" Hanabi yelped.

Yelling more won't get you anywhere! Act like a Hyūga!

Hanabi cleared her throat and pulled back her shoulders, willing herself to control her breathing. "I mean—I apologize for…my error. I think resuming my training with my team is a very, very good idea."

"Hmm," Hiashi hummed, eyeing the three. Eiji gave the tiniest snicker at Hanabi's attitude change as she looked at the girl from the corner of her eyes. Hiashi sighed, bringing his thumb and index finger to the bridge of his nose to rub before nodding. "Very well. We'll see how that goes for a few weeks, then I will meet with your sensei."

"Thank you, father." It was almost embarrassing how deep she was bowing.

"Go now." Her father waved them away.

"I…I can leave the compound?" she asked, hesitantly as she straightened back up. As soon as her father nodded his head, Hanabi was out the door with her teammates on her heels, both bidding thanks as they did. Moving in a power-walk, Hanabi rushed to the front gates before staring up at them, feeling tears start to emerge in the corners of her eyes. She flexed her fingers before placing her palms on them, shoving both open at the same time. It took everything she had not to rush out and scream something about freedom in the corniest fashion imaginable.

Instead, she simply stood and took the village in. Yes, she had just been here yesterday, but today was different. Today, she didn't have her sister, she didn't have Tadashi. Today, she was with her teammates, and had no Hyūga supervision. Today, she got to be on her own.

"Hey, don't cry." Jun gentle voice came up from her left. She shook her head, giving him a beaming smile.

"I'm just happy," she said as Eiji looped her arm around her neck.

"We missed you!" Eiji tugged her along. "Let's go!"

"Tora-sensei is waiting for us." Jun joined on her other side, arm wrapping around Hanabi's back and Eiji's neck. Hanabi looked up with happy surprise.

"Yeah, we're going to the little breakfast place near the Nara estates." Eiji pointed ahead.

"But—aren't we supposed to go train?" Hanabi's voice sounded strained, because she desperately wanted to go to breakfast with her team, but also knew she needed to take her father's words seriously or risk losing this little bit of freedom.

Eiji chuckled, shaking her head. "How are we supposed to train on empty stomachs, huh?"

"I…suppose." Hanabi sighed.

"It'll be alright, Tora-sensei knows what she's doing," Jun offered with a smile and Yorimaru, leading them in front, barked in approval.

As they entered the small kissaten, Tora was in the corner with three empty seats around her, flipping through a little book that she promptly set down upon hearing Eiji's voice. Hanabi bit her lips together as she looked at her sensei with joy bubbling up inside of her, pushing back the urge to tackle her in a similar fashion that Eiji might. When Tora did get to her feet and opened her arms with a lazy smile on her face, Hanabi let her instinct take over, bolting forward and launching herself into the older Nara, squeezing tightly.

She chuckled, rubbing between her shoulder blades. "Missed ya, little lamb."

"I missed you, too, sensei," Hanabi whispered against the rough material of her flak jacket.

"You must've to admit it so readily," she teased as they parted, Hanabi excitedly taking the seat in front of her, Eiji and Jun taking opposing seats.

"So the moon?" Eiji leaned in, earning urgent 'shushes' from the other three.

"I must admit, I am curious as well," Jun whispered, causing Hanabi to look up thoughtfully.

Tora sighed. "You two really aren't supposed to know about that…" she muttered, pulling her book back up in front of her face as she fiddled with her ear, "but I woke up feeling like my ears are a little full of wax today, so I'm having a hard time hearing." The three chūnin looked up, catching her wink before looking back in her book.

Hanabi grinned mischievously as the other two leaned in with interest, and she began her tale.


Stepping foot on the training ground felt so much different than it had before. She almost wanted to kick off her sandals and feel the grass beneath her feet, lay down in it and soak up the sun, because the sun felt different outside of the compound.

"Let's see if you're rusty," Eiji teased, skipping towards the center as the other two passed her.

"Nope!" Hanabi said, confidently, chasing after her.

It felt so good to spar with her teammates, she had missed it so much more than she realized. And while she had continued to train with the Hyūga, they continued to train together, and it showed. Eiji had begun incorporating her fire style into some of her joint attacks with Yorimaru, surprising Hanabi when she saw what appeared to be a giant, flaming drill come crashing towards her and Jun. Jun had discovered his secondary release, which ended up being fire. Another surprise when she charged towards him to attempt to land a blow and a mote of lava appeared around him, causing her to skid to a halt.

After a few decent hours of training, they broke for lunch, and Hanabi realized in her haste, she hadn't packed herself anything. Always generous, Jun offered to share his with her, and they sat in a circle as they ate, chatting happily.

"Huh," Jun randomly blurted out, looking behind him. The others looked at him curiously. "I sense Konohamaru and his team coming."

"Oh?" Hanabi asked, innocently, feeling dread creep over her. Damnit, she wasn't ready to face them yet! Yes, she had just seen Konohamaru yesterday, but they hadn't left on the…happiest of terms. She hadn't seen Moegi and Udon in even longer.

"Probably to train." Eiji shrugged, picking at her bento.

"Should I…" Hanabi started, staring down at the ground as she contemplated, "go see them?"

The two were silent at her questioning, which filled her with worry. Why were they being quiet? What was wrong?

Finally, Jun started, "I'm not sure that's a great idea. With Moegi there." Eiji grumbled something irritably, and Hanabi's eyes widened. Why would Moegi be the problem? Jun sighed as he shook his head, setting the rest of his bento in her lap. "She's been kind of resentful…of you."

"Me?" Hanabi asked, frowning. "Because I've been gone?"

"Because of the match," Eiji interjected abruptly. "I think it's bullshit, but that's why."

"Wha—" Hanabi started, but quickly shut her mouth.

So that's why she hadn't seen Moegi since the exams. Before her lockdown, she had seen Konohamaru and Udon a fair few times, even though she was avoiding Konohamaru, but never Moegi. She hadn't really seen her since that day in the Hokage's office, where she had already been avoiding them anyway. She must not have noticed Moegi doing the same to her. In fact, she could count the number of times she had seen her in passing on one hand.

Moegi was mad at her for nearly killing Konohamaru.

And how could she blame her? Hanabi would probably feel the same way if someone had nearly killed Jun or Eiji, chūnin exams or not.

She knew it was foolish to hope this would pass, like everyone told her it would. Tora tried to comfort her, letting her know everyone knows what they're getting into when they go into the match. Her sister tried to tell her 'at least you didn't close all of his chakra points.' Great bit of comfort that was. His broken body flashed in her mind from time to time, and it was always enough to make her feel like she was going to lose her breakfast.

"Maybe I should leave…" Hanabi whispered, hanging her head.

Eiji groaned, "noooo! We just got you back, don't let them scare you off!"

"You have just as much right to be here as they do, Hanabi," Jun added, offering a smile.

Hanabi gritted her teeth as she heard Konohamaru's loud voice approach his team's training ground, then suddenly stop. Slowly, she lifted her eyes just a bit to get a glimpse of them, finding all three standing still at the entrance of their training ground, looking directly at her. She winced when Moegi quickly turned her back to her, unable to hear what she had muttered under her breath.

"I deserve to be hated," she blurted out, turning her head from the trio.

"Oh gods!" Eiji grunted, falling to her back in a dramatic fashion. "Ignore them! Who cares!"

"They're my friends!" Hanabi snapped angrily. Friends. She softened. "Were my friends…I guess…"

"Oh Hanabi…" Jun sighed, placing a hand over hers. "It'll pass. Everything comes to pass, sometime."

Hanabi rolled those words around in her head. Could almost killing her friend, Moegi's friend, really come to pass? She shot her eyes up when she caught a glance at Moegi walking away from the two boys, both seemingly pleading her to come back. When she disappeared, the two looked deflated, and Konohamaru turned back towards them. Before she could look away, he offered her a weak wave, but she didn't return it.

"I really just…want to go now," Hanabi said softly as she got to her feet, "I'm tired anyway, it's been a while…we can train again sometime this week, right?"

"Uh, right." Jun stood as well while Eiji threw her forearm over her eyes, muttering incoherently under her breath. "You want us to walk you home?"

Hanabi shook her head, tightening her obi around her waist. "I kinda just want to be alone right now."

"I understand." Jun nodded before quickly gathering his arms around her. He whispered gently against the top of her head, "don't beat yourself up too much, okay? It will come to pass."


Since that day, Hanabi hadn't seen Moegi. It hurt, but she tried to move passed it. She was slowly regaining her freedom and she was determined to enjoy it as best as she could, and prove to her father she was ready to get back out there. Three or four times a week, she was allowed to leave to train with her team, and she was finally feeling close to normal. No missions, but she figured her father requested they not be assigned any until he deemed it appropriate. Whenever that would be.

Hanabi trailed behind Jun, Eiji and Yorimaru as she practiced weaving a few water signs, letting gentle streams of water pour from her hands. She was trying to turn the stream into something like a whip or a lasso but was struggling with it. Tora promised she would work on it with her soon, but she was trying to master it herself, so she'd have something to show off. As they got closer to the training grounds, she froze at the sound of Konohamaru's voice once more.

"Uhm—" Hanabi strangled voice was ignored by the other two, who simply grabbed her by either arm and forced her forward. What the hell? Her eyes blew wide when she saw Konohamaru and Udon mimicking the action with Moegi. She struggled against their grips as they became closer, and closer, until they were right in front of each other.

"Talk," Eiji demanded, pushing Hanabi towards Moegi.

"No!" Moegi shoved Konohamaru and Udon away, attempting to turn away. Hanabi watched her, feet planted to the ground and unable to move.

"Yes!" Konohamaru steered her back, to which Moegi folded her arms and looked up and away.

"Moegi, you're mad at Hanabi," Jun started as the four plus Yorimaru moved to cage the two girls in.

"Hanabi, you're ashamed," Udon continued.

"Just kiss and make up!" Eiji demanded, eliciting a nervous chuckle from Konohamaru.

"I—I'm sorry, Moegi," Hanabi finally managed to whisper, head now hanging.

"You're apologizing?" Moegi spat, turning her head to face her. "To me?!"

"Well—uh—" Hanabi glanced around in a panic, wondering why an apology would anger her.

"You haven't even apologized to Konohamaru!" Moegi snapped, and Hanabi could see the fire behind her eyes.

Hanabi swallowed thickly. She hadn't apologized to Konohamaru. Why hadn't she apologized?

It would make it too real.

"Moegi, come on…" Udon mumbled behind her, causing her to snap her head towards him.

"You didn't see it, Udon." She turned to Hanabi's teammates. "None of you did! It's like she didn't care that he was basically dead after the first one hundred hits! She hit him a hundred more times, until he was dust!"

Hanabi's eyes widened at the accusation. Admittedly, because she had the byakugan activated, she really couldn't see the physical damage she was doing to his body…but she knew she had done it.

"I…" Hanabi breathing was shuddered as she tried to take a step back, stopped by Jun and Eiji's bodies.

"Moegi, I'm fine now!" Konohamaru interjected, tilting his head down to look at her with a pleading eye.

"Now," Moegi mumbled, refusing to meet his gaze.

"Just stop this, is it really worth it?" Konohamaru begged, grabbing her elbow to turn her to him. "She's apologized, she clearly feels bad!"

"Does she?" Moegi asked, eyebrows cinching together as she looked up at him.

It hurt to watch them argue over her. She didn't deserve their friendship. She cursed the tears that started burning her eyes, threatening to fall. "I—I'm sorry, Konohamaru—"

"Now she apologizes," Moegi said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"I am!" Hanabi snapped unintentionally, sucking in a deep breath. "I've been sorry since it happened! I can't make excuses…" Her voice threatened to break with a sob. "I didn't mean to, but I did it, and I feel like the worst person on earth." She sighed, turning her head away from Konohamaru's concerned reflection. "And I understand if none of you want to see me again. I wouldn't want to see me, either."

"That's not—" Konohamaru tried to reach out, but Hanabi was already pushing passed Eiji and Jun. "Wait, Hanabi! Damnit!"

Hanabi folded her arms, starting to walk away before she heard Eiji begin yelling. "It's been months, Moegi! Isn't that enough time to get over this?"

"Stay out of it, Eiji! It wasn't your teammate!"

"Hanabi's my teammate!"

Hanabi took a deep breath, stopping to turn back around. "Please, Eiji…"

"No!" Eiji snapped, "this has been eating you alive for a nearly a goddamn year, and it didn't even happen to her!" She turned back to Moegi. "Did you know that? Do you even care? Hanabi's been beating herself up this entire time. You don't know what she's been through!"

Hanabi reached for Eiji's elbow, pleading, "please, Eiji! Can we go, please?"

"Fine," Eiji huffed, glaring at Moegi's back before turning around.

Jun looked at his teammates, then back towards the other three. "Just…consider forgiveness, Moegi. It hurts to hold grudges." With a frustrated sigh, Moegi was walking away now, too. Jun hummed in discontent as he joined Hanabi, Eiji and Yorimaru.

"Screw her!" Eiji huffed once they were out of earshot back at their training ground, Yorimaru snarling next to her. "You don't deserve that crap."

"Eiji," Hanabi said as she pinched the bridge of her nose, "if you saw Konohamaru about to kill me in the arena, how would you feel?"

"Well—" Eiji paused, gritting her teeth as she shifted her eyes unsurely. "I guess I'd be pretty pissed. But if Konohamaru apologized—"

"But I didn't." Hanabi slumped her arms down and hung her head. "I've been avoiding him…because of the shame."

"Maybe you need to speak with Konohamaru one on one," Jun offered sincerely. "Get it all out."

"I know," Hanabi sighed, looking to the side. "You're probably right."

"He usually is," Eiji added, patting Hanabi on the back before the four began stepping away from each other to ready themselves to spar. "Now let's get some of that pent up aggression out!"


She knew she needed to talk to Konohamaru, but how?

His day-to-day activities were a mystery to her. If he wasn't at the training grounds, she really wasn't sure where he was at all. But Jun did know where he lived in the Sarutobi neighborhood, so she supposed she should start there.

When Eiji and Jun picked her up for training, they agreed to take her to his home as a detour beforehand. She shouldn't have been surprised that his home was only a block away from Kurenai's.

But when she stood in front of that large front door ornamenting the Sarutobi clan symbol, having been pushed up the steps of the porch by Eiji, she felt locked into place. Was she really about to knock on Konohamaru's door like a creep? He would probably wonder how she knew where he lived and whether she was being a creepy stalker. Probably shut the door in her face. Probably…

Hanabi gasped when Eiji stabbed the doorbell next to her before she had a chance to go over all the possibilities in her head. She snapped her head around to glare at her teammate, but the chastising was short lived when the door pulled open to reveal a shorter statured woman with long, cascading brown hair and sharp, deep brown eyes that exuded warmth the moment Hanabi's fell on them. And Hanabi froze. Was this…?

"Oh—Hanabi?" She was surprised to find the woman call her name. How did she…?

"Yes?" Hanabi questioned before being gathered into a crushing hug.

"Oh, how nice it is to see you, dear!" The woman's voice was soft and kind, it washed over Hanabi, relaxing her into the hug of this stranger. "I was wondering when Konohamaru would finally bring you by," she said as she released her, grabbing her cheeks to get a better look at her, "you look so much like Hiashi—but with a much kinder face."

"You—you know my father?" she asked, audibly gulping because she was at a loss of how to proceed, this woman's long nails digging slightly into her puffy cheeks.

"Well who doesn't?" the woman teased before releasing her. She quickly pushed her own hair back before gasping. "Where are my manners? You must be so confused." Suddenly, a cheerful laugh left her, and it reminded her of Konohamaru's laugh. "I'm Moriko, Konohamaru's mother."

"Oh." Hanabi had figured this out by now, noting the similarity of their features: the hair color and texture, shape of the eyes, nose and cheekbones, the playful and extroverted nature that sought to put others as ease. Come to think of it, it reminded her of what she remembered of Lord Third… Shaking her head to force her thought process back on track, she bowed deeply to the older woman named Moriko. "Ms. Sarutobi, it's an honor to meet you."

"Oh quit that." The woman pulled Hanabi by the shoulders upright, essentially yanking her into the home. Hanabi had to admit her actions threw her. "I assume you're here to see Konohamaru, then? Let me take you to him."

Everything was happening so fast, Hanabi barely had time to collect her thoughts as the woman's persistent nature pushed her around. Soon, she was being led out to the backyard, finding a clothesline with large sheets hung on it, and a shadowy figure behind one of the sheets. Still with her fingers laced around Hanabi's elbow, Moriko called in a sing-song type of voice, "oh Kono~!"

"Ma, I can't find my scarf…" She heard his voice sounding a little worried from behind that sheet.

"Oh, I washed and dried it yesterday." She giggled, glancing up at Hanabi. "It's in your top drawer already."

"Oh, sweet." His voice picked up as she watched the figure bend over and seemingly pull a damp sheet from a basket. "Thanks mama."

Mama? Oh my…

His figure made way to the open space next to the sheet that had been shielding him, and she watched as he reached up to clip one corner, dressed in a simple white t-shirt and sweatpants. She had never seen him dressed so casually. Why would she, she supposed. Suddenly, she felt like an intrusion. His eyes casted downwards towards his mother, then froze when they spotted Hanabi. With a weak smile, Hanabi tried to wave, but it looked more like she just flopped her hand up and down for a moment.

"You have a visitor." Moriko looked smug as she gestured towards Hanabi.

"I can see that," Konohamaru muttered, staring at Hanabi. "Hey, Hanabi."

"Hi." Was that lame? Hi? Just hi?

"I'll leave you two alone." Moriko patted Hanabi on the shoulder and turned, but added before leaving, "come inside in a bit for tea and cookies."

"Thanks, ma," he called after her before resting his eyes back on Hanabi. He shifted on his feet slightly before realizing he had left a corner of the sheet dangling in his surprise of seeing her. "Oh, hold on." He gathered the sheet and quickly pulled the other corner up, clipping it to the line.

Unsure of what to do, Hanabi said the only thing that came to mind. "Need any help?" At this, he looked up with a little smirk.

"Sure, why not." He shrugged, and she let out a little breath she had been holding in as she stepped forward. Carefully, she began pulling sheets from the basket and hanging them up on the other side. How foreign it was to her. While her sister was always one to help the maids in the compound with daily tasks because she genuinely enjoyed helping, Hanabi wasn't really allowed the same luxury. Perhaps luxury wasn't quite the right word. Wasn't allowed the same freedoms, she supposed.

They were quiet as they hung up sheets, and she didn't really know what to feel. Awkward? Calm? Contemplative? She was in Konohamaru's home, unexpectedly, helping him with chores. How much stranger could this get? It was her fault, she wasn't even sure how to begin.

Once the last sheet was hung up, Konohamaru clapped his hands together and grabbed the basket, jogging to set it down inside before rejoining her. She pretended to be very interested in the patterns on one of the sheets, staring intently at it. His clearing his throat brought her attention back to him, though reluctantly. "Not that I don't appreciate the help with my chores and all, but is there any other reason you stopped by?"

To talk.

To talk.

To talk.

"No." Hanabi shook her head.

Stupid.

"Really?" ge pressed, taking a step closer to her. "Kinda hard to believe."

"I mean…" A sigh left her as she wrung her hands. She looked up at the sign of his hand waving her to him, watching curiously as he led her towards a small brick wall. He took a seat, and she had no choice but to follow suit.

With a little cough into his fist, he started, "I'm—uh—sorry about Moegi."

"Don't." She immediately shook her head. "She has every right. It's me who should be sorry."

"I disagree," he interjected before she could start rambling. She lifted her eyes to meet his, finding them a bit darker today. "You didn't hold back, and neither did I. Like we're supposed to." The corners of her lips downturned, reminding her of Tora's attempt at comforting her. "If I was going to lose, I'm glad it was to you."

She wasn't sure how to respond to that.

"How did…she know I hadn't apologized?" She cringed at the way she was so unsure of her words.

He shrugged. "She asked, and I answered honestly. But I never expected an apology." When she turned away, he leaned to the side to keep her gaze. "Really. I don't need or want one."

"But I am sorry," she whispered, clenching her fists. "I was reckless."

"You sound like me." The tease was unexpected, causing her to shift her eyes back to his. He had a sad little smile on his features. "During that c-rank." Memories of his self-pitying flashed through her mind from that day. Her hand instinctively reached for her hip. "What did you tell me again?" He looked up as if contemplative, and she cringed because she already knew the phrase that was going to leave his lips. He pointed a finger upwards as if having a light-bulb moment, looking back down at her with a wide grin. "Quit feeling sorry for yourself."

"Hmm." The hum came out poutier than she intended as she turned her head from him, folding her arms. His chuckle tickled her ears.

"Moegi will get over it," he assured, leaning a little closer to her. "I'll make sure she does."

"Me disappearing probably didn't help…" she whispered, chewing her bottom lip now.

"Probably not." She couldn't tell if his blunt honesty was refreshing or irritating. "But we're good now, right?"

"We are?" The weakness in her voice was unwelcome. "I mean…well, are we?"

"In my book, yeah." He nodded, dropping his head a bit more to force her to look at him. "As long as I get a rematch someday."

Slowly, she nodded back. "Okay then."

"Awesome." He grinned at her as she raised her head, squaring her shoulders. That twinkle in his eye seemed to return. "C'mon. I know my mom's itching to talk to you. She doesn't normally just have cookies laying around." That's when she realized the sweet smell of baked goods was wafting from the inside of his home.


To say he was caught off guard by her appearance was a bit of an understatement. If not for his mother introducing their guest, he probably would have been dumbfounded into silence. But he managed to recompose himself, that confidence he had spent so many years cultivating coming in handy as he greeted her as if it was the most normal thing in the world. But it wasn't, and his stomach felt full of butterflies seeing her there, next to his mother, in his backyard, suddenly painfully aware of his attire.

To think she was the one who came to made amends. It didn't seem in character for her, but he couldn't complain. He had missed her.

It hurt when he stopped seeing her around. It hurt worse when he caught her eyes in passing and saw her immediately turn tail. It really hurt when Moegi spat those spiteful words at her and that look of 'on the verge of tears' was painfully evident on her face.

Sure, recovery hurt. The raw power of a Hyūga was no joke, and he knew better than to underestimate her ever again. To reduce him to a crumbling mess in the span of one minute, it was pretty scary. But strangely, it made him admire her all the more. Once he regained consciousness, of course. It struck something in him. And it made him work harder, more determined than ever to prove himself. To whom? Maybe her.

But he went over half a year without really seeing her or interacting with her. Then, by chance, he had stumbled on Ebisu and Tora quietly talking outside of the Hokage's office. He had come to demand a b-rank mission but was stopped short when he heard them. He had hidden behind one of the statues in the hallway and listened.

"Why would they take her?"

"She is a Hyūga…the heiress, could be any of a million reasons, I would think."

"Have they sent a team yet?"

"Her sister and a few others."

His heart had sunk at the words. A Hyūga. The heiress. He couldn't contain himself as he stepped aside from the statue and assaulted them with questions. In vain, they tried to placate him, claiming he misheard, but he wouldn't have it. He shoved the doors of the Hokage's office open and stomped up to Kakashi's desk, demanding to know more. He was swiftly plucked by either arm by Ebisu and Tora and carried away.

"Where is Hanabi?! I can help!"

He was deposited on the ground in front of the tower.

"Let me help, please!" He had pleaded, only to have them shake their heads at him, expressing the importance of being quiet about the situation, despite his lack of knowledge. Tora had looked at him with sympathetic eyes, urging him to go home.

The days following were agonizing. Every day, he checked with Ebisu to find out if anything had changed, until one day he was given the good news that she was safe and sound in the compound, recovering.

If he hadn't seen much of her before, the months following paled in comparison. He saw her exactly zero times.

So when her sister flagged him down to ask him to check in on her at Kurenai's, the excitement that bubbled in him was almost too much. He raced to his aunt's home, finding the good old face of Tadashi dutifully guarding the front door. He offered a grin and a wave, explaining that Hinata had asked him to check on her, to which the older man simply offered a nod. Peeking in to see her desperately bouncing Mirai on her hip was somewhat amusing, but just seeing her, safe and healthy was something else for him.

Kissing her.

What was he thinking?

When he left her with a pacified sleeping toddler, he had a million thoughts running through his head. He justified that he was just so excited to see her, knowing she was doing well. But something in the back of his mind nagged at him.

Her lips were soft.

Now she was in his home, meeting his mom.

A lot of kids would probably find his mother embarrassing, but he didn't. When he was younger, he admitted to wanting to distance himself from her overbearing nature. But since his dad passed so many years ago, he grew an appreciation for her affectionate personality. It's probably where he got it from, his warm nature. Apart from his team, she was his best friend. He wasn't ashamed to admit he confided a lot in her, so it came as no surprise that she would instantly begin gushing over Hanabi. He talked her up quite a bit.

"All done?" she asked, innocently as she pulled a tray of cookies from the oven when they entered the kitchen together.

"Fresh-baked cookies, mom?" he teased, walking over to the hot tray to attempt to procure one. She smacked his hand and he recoiled.

"They're hot. Patience." She winked at him, and he flashed her a grin before taking a seat next to Hanabi at the table. His mother situated herself across from the two and as if on cue, began launching into questioning. He was surprised to find that Hanabi in fact did not know that their parents knew one another. It wasn't much of a stretch that they did, he figured. The Hokage dealt with the Hyūga often enough, it was easy to believe the families would become intermingled to some extent. The first time he brought Hanabi up over dinner, his mother instantly began diving into tales about the Hyūga , including Hiashi. It shed some light on her home life that Hanabi didn't readily share herself.

Still, he enjoyed watching his mother and Hanabi talk. His mother always had a way of making people feel at ease, much like his grandfather. He noted Hanabi's mannerisms slowly morph from those of the cold, polite Hyūga, to something more like the Hanabi he had grown to know. Shoulders relaxed, a smile forming as his mother indulged in stories about himself, eyes high with a genuine smile, sipping her tea periodically. His mother continued to talk as she got up to check on the cookies, poking one gingerly to test the temperature.

He watched as she plucked a few from the tray and walked back to them, her mouth moving a mile a minute. If there was anything else about his mother, it was that she could talk. Just as he opened his mouth to tell her to stop and breathe, she was shoving a cookie in his mouth. He could only chuckle as he bit down, catching the remnants with his hand. He eyed Hanabi as she looked at him and suppressed what seemed to be a little laugh with her hand over her lips.

Seeing her relaxed made him happy. He contemplated whether Hiashi would allow her to come over more often.

"Ma," he interrupted as she tapped her fingers on the table, a rare moment of silence as she attempted to recall a memory she wanted to tell Hanabi. She looked at him with raised eyebrows. "You've been talking nonstop for ten minutes."

"Oh hush!" She swatted at his arm, turning to look at Hanabi. "Do I talk too much, Hanabi?"

"Oh—" Hanabi stiffened, eyes darting from his mother to him. He smirked at her struggle to answer. "No, not at all."

"See?" She grinned that grin that he knew he inherited from her. "Oh, you're such a sweet thing. How Hiashi could produce such gentle daughters is beyond me."

"Gentle?" Konohamaru snickered, rubbing at his abdomen instinctively. "I got a few scars that would beg to differ."

"Gentle fist, I mean." His mother was witty, too, and it drew a surprised laugh from Hanabi, which caused him to laugh as well.

"I—uhm, should be going, actually…" Hanabi's voice sounded reluctant. Maybe she didn't want to leave? "My teammates are waiting for me."

"Of course!" his mother exclaimed, getting up from her seat, "Kono, walk her out."

"Of course," he repeated with a lazy smirk, pushing his tea away as he got up. He watched as his mother embraced her, whispering something in her ear before letting go. Leave it to his mom to create little secrets between herself and his friends. He rolled his eyes as if annoyed, but he didn't really mind. When she let her go, he nodded towards the hallway.

"Good to see you, dear." His mother waved as Hanabi bowed.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Ms. Sarutobi." He nearly snorted, knowing what was coming next.

"Moriko, please! Let an old woman feel less ancient." She waved her away, to which Hanabi nodded, turning towards him. A few steps later and they were at the front door, awkward silence draping over them, him wondering if she'd say anything.

"Your mom is…really nice…" She seemed unsure of her words, making him tilt his head. Then she looked up at him and had the first big, genuine smile he had seen from her in…he didn't know how long. It made his heart flutter and breath catch. "I'll see you later, Kono."

She was sneaky, slipping out before she could see his reaction. If she had stayed, she would have seen not just the blush that immediately invaded his cheeks, but the goofy smile that accompanied it.


"Good news, kiddos. We have a mission, and Hanabi's allowed to participate."

"What?" Hanabi gasped, the other two looking similarly surprised.

"But it's a d-rank."

"What?!" Eiji asked now, incredulously.

"Weeding Ms. Ogawa's garden." Tara eyed the three apprehensively, already guessing Eiji's dramatically angry reaction, but was curious to how Hanabi would react. She was pleased when a smile spread over her face.

"I don't care. I wanna do it!" Hanabi got to her feet, clasping her hands together as she looked up at the Nara hopefully.

"This is stupid," Eiji groaned, burying her head in her arms and knees.

"I like Ms. Ogawa," Jun chimed in with a bright smile.

"Glad to hear most of you are happy." Tora looked down at Yorimaru wagging his tail happily. Ms. Ogawa always had treats for the (not so) little pup in the past. "Whenever you want to get over there, you can. Just get it done before the sun goes down."

"We should go now," Hanabi commanded, already marching forward.

D-rank or not, she didn't care. It was her first mission (if you could call it that) since before the incident, and she was determined to complete it. She would make that garden beautiful as if her life depended on it, because as far as she was concerned, it did depend on it. Something about being assigned such a low-ranking mission made her feel like she was being tested. Her will to keep going, no matter what. Even if it seemed like an insult, like Eiji seemed to feel it was.

Jun quickly got up after her, and Eiji begrudgingly followed shortly. Tora waved at them, calling playfully, "good luck!"

Seeing the old woman was a bit nostalgic, admittedly. It had been over a year since Hanabi had been in the garden, and she could see the genin assigned to keep it up weren't doing a very good job, spotting little weeds growing from torn spots.

You're supposed to dig up the weeds. Fools!

Hanabi shook her head at the shoddy work, pulling the gloves provided on and immediately getting to work, digging her fingers into the soil to get to the roots of the weeds. Funny to think her older sister had prepared her for 'shinobi work' when she helped her in the Hyūga gardens. Back then, she found it incredibly boring, wondering how her sister could enjoy such mundane activities. But right now, she could see the peace it offered.

As she and Jun worked while Eiji fooled around with Yorimaru, they got through about half the garden in an hour. Working with her hands was probably good for the mind, she figured, because all of her worries left her as she went back and forth, pulling weeds, dumping them, fertilizing the flowers, watering dry spots. All that mattered now were these little lifeforms, dependent on those who took care of them to flourish.

Until she felt the presence of another, and Eiji and Yorimaru were suddenly quiet. She froze as her byakugan activated, finding three familiar chakra networks behind her.

"Need help?" A soft, feminine voice asked behind her. Relaxing her eyes, she sucked in a shuddered breath as she looked to her side to find Moegi kneeling next to her.

"It's—we're doing…a d-rank…" Hanabi muttered, feeling flustered by her sudden presence.

"Like I said, need help?" she pressed, and Hanabi got the hint. Her eyes trailed to her ponytails to find those orange-red ribbons tied at the ends and she felt hot tears pricking the back of her eyes.

"I would like that." Finally, she nodded, smiling up at her as she pulled on a pair of gloves as well. Moegi gave her a small smile, a genuine one, before digging into the ground next to her.

"These weeds are no match for me!" Konohamaru declared behind her as he joined Jun on the other side of the garden, bare hands pulling at the weeds.

"Ugh—Konohamaru! You have to dig in and get the root or else it'll grow back!" Moegi groaned, as she looked behind her, rolling her eyes.

"She's right," Udon agreed, kneeling next to Konohamaru and Jun.

"Why do you guys always gang up on me?" Konohamaru snapped with a not entirely serious frown.

"It's pretty easy, really," Eiji teased as she finally got down on her knees next to Moegi to actually do some work.

Taking a moment, Hanabi sat up on her knees and glanced around, watching Konohamaru and Moegi bicker back and forth while Jun and Udon fell into natural conversation, Eiji feeding some of the non-poisonous weeds to Yorimaru. Quickly, she reached up to wipe a tiny tear that managed to escape, hoping no one noticed. But she couldn't deny how full her heart felt in that moment.

Turning back to the soil, she got back to work.