In which there is a date...

Chapter 7: Bottling sun in an hourglass

Hinata used her chopsticks to pick at the okonomiyaki in front of her. Her mind was still replaying the images conjured up by Sasuke's words.

Two pairs of stern fathers and kind mothers sharing food and drink surrounded by other important clan members. An excitable young Sasuke exploring the gardens, a considerate Itachi balancing entertaining his little brother and impressing his sister clan.

Sasuke had also been able to offer up small recollections of Hinata's family, told through his perspective. Hinata being doted over by both matriarchs, her mother happy to cradle her daughter in her arms. Rare occasions when Hinata would leave her mother's embrace to admire the flowers, sitting beside a tranquil Itachi and a tired-out Sasuke.

Little anecdotes that breathed life into half-remembered fragments she'd buried in her mind after her mother's death.

They'd met nearly every day to train and then have tea together and each time Sasuke would share a new story with her.

It was fascinating to listen to Sasuke speak, especially as she began to recall the scenes as well. Hinata wondered if the details Sasuke chose to focus on, the things that he paid attention to, presented any insight into the inner workings of his mind.

He couldn't recount most of the food or desserts served, but described the taste of the tea. Stories with Itachi called for more words than those without. Sasuke recalled the exact number of fish in the Hyuuga koi pond, all the colours of Hinata's varied kimonos and every excruciating minute of stillness required when posing for the annual photograph. He lingered on the kind smile of his mother and the prideful stance of his father.

"Oi, Hinata-chan! Your food's getting cold while you daydream about Naruto," Kiba teased.

Hinata jumped, stabbing her chopsticks straight through the savory pancake.

"Ah, sorry Kiba-kun, Shino-kun!" Hinata said. "What were you saying about your academy lecture?"

The rest of the dinner passed pleasantly. Hinata concentrated on her friends and her food, discussing Shino's continued plans to guest lecture at the academy, Kiba's training with the young ninken and the mission Hinata had picked up earlier that day. An hour later Hinata was paying for their meal, smiling at Shino in thanks when he held the noren open for her.

"I would offer to walk you home, Hinata-chan, but it appears that won't be necessary," Shino said, nodding goodbye to both of them and leaving.

"Sheesh, Shino can be so abrupt sometimes," Kiba said.

Hinata started to respond, but found herself nearly knocked over. Strong arms pulled her in and she relaxed. "Naruto-kun!"

"Naruto, welcome back. I'll leave you guys to it," Kiba said with an easy grin, sauntering off.

"See ya, Kiba!" Naruto called, voice loud beside Hinata's ear.

Shuffling around to face him, Hinata beamed. "Welcome home," she greeted.

Naruto released her from his grip, hands going up to squeeze her shoulders instead. "I'm back."

"Have you eaten? I can make you something if you'd like?"

"I stopped by at Ichiraku's earlier with Konohamaru," Naruto said. He maneuvered her under his arm and began to lead them down the street. The sun had set some time ago and the streetlights lit their way. "But I'd like it if you came back with me."

"Of course!"

Naruto began to tell her about his mission. Hinata listened contentedly, soaking in his bright presence after a week without him. This continued all the way to Naruto's apartment up until they were crawling under the covers of his bed.

Naruto wasted no time in hugging her close. "I missed you, Hinata-chan," he crooned.

Hinata blushed. "I missed you too."

As Naruto's breathing started to even out, Hinata gathered up her courage. "Naruto-kun," she said, speaking more into his chest than anything.

Naruto grunted, half asleep.

"Um…I have a mission the day after tomorrow and…I was hoping that maybe we could have dinner before I leave? Just the two of us?"

Naruto brushed a sleepy kiss against her temple. "Sure thing, Hinata-chan."

Hinata smiled, snuggling further into Naruto's chest.

Hinata slept in the next day, waking up to an empty apartment. After locking up, she went home to freshen up. Hinata then spent the morning training with Kiba and Shino and had tea with Kurenai in the afternoon.

Bidding goodbye to her former teacher, Hinata hurried back home. She showered and dressed up, picking out a navy blue pleated skirt that ended above the knee, knitted stockings and a light blue patterned blouse. She applied some makeup a little clumsily, erring on the light side for fear of overdoing it with her inexperienced hands.

Hinata gave herself a final glance in the mirror and headed for the compound gates with an excited skip in her step. She was almost there when she heard her name being called.

"Hinata-sama."

Hinata froze in her tracks. She gulped, running her fingers down the pleats of her skirt. Pasting on a thin smile, Hinata turned.

Three of the most esteemed members of the Hyuuga council stood before her. Hyuuga Hayate, Hyuuga Shigeru and Hyuuga Wataru.

A benign smile crossed Hayate's ancient, wrinkled face. "My, don't you look lovely, Hinata-sama. It's no wonder the village hero is so taken with you."

They were kind words on the surface, but Hinata knew them to be a reminder. She had begun attending council meetings at her father's behest, providing updates on the Hyuuga compound reconstruction. Though she sat silently by her father's side for the most part, she knew even her silent presence was unwelcome.

By bringing up Naruto, Hayate was reminding her that her attendance was temporary. That they were counting down the days until she left.

After all, she could be the clan head or the Hokage's wife, but not both. And they had always made their preference clear.

Hinata's strongest memory of the Hyuuga council was from the age of five. Sitting seiza in front of the council members' judgmental eyes while her tutors went down a line, describing her progress. The last to go was her father, dictating her lack of physical prowess in cold, clinical terms. The final evaluation being that she was found wanting, not worth any further effort and so to be foisted upon the academy teachers.

Hinata felt it again, the unvoiced disapproval from the three men. So she thought of her plans, of the blond shinobi waiting for her, and turned her feeble smile into something more real. She refused to let them ruin her day. Straightening her spine and tilting her chin up, Hinata said, "That's very kind of you to say, Hayate-san. It's not very often that kunoichi get the opportunity to trade in our gear for casual clothes. Of course, so much has changed since the war."

"You are correct, Hinata-sama. Much has changed. Still, we must hold onto our roots."

With a stiff nod, the three men continued on their way. Hinata stood watching and it was only once they were out of sight that she let herself relax. Playing with the pleats of her skirt once more, Hinata forcefully pushed the encounter out of her mind.

Stopping by the market, Hinata bought fresh groceries and took them to Naruto's apartment. The blond ninja wasn't home so Hinata let herself in.

Naruto had given Hinata a spare key after her third or fourth time staying over, left on the kitchen table with a note explaining he'd had to leave early and telling her to keep it.

Hinata got to work. Putting on an apron and pinning back her bangs, she chopped and grated and sautéed. Shortly, the aromatic scent of curry filed Naruto's small apartment. She prepared some spinach ohitashi, eggplant dengaku and hiyayakko, storing the latter in the fridge to keep it cool. For dessert she made zenzai, appropriate for the cool weather and a personal favourite of hers.

It took a few hours and by the time she finished the setting sun told her it was early evening. After cleaning the kitchen and plating the food, Hinata wiped the sweat from her forehead and took off her apron.

She tidied herself in the bathroom and then nervously fluttered around the kitchen making sure the table was perfectly set. Finally, she forced herself to sit down and clasped her hands together on her lap.

Then she waited.

Sasuke eyed the meager contents of his fridge with tired eyes. A presence by his window had him closing the refrigerator door.

"Hey, Brat Number Three," Pakkun said in his gravelly voice.

Sasuke turned an unamused face to the ninken. "What?"

"Kakashi needs you at Shushu-ya," the little pug said.

Sasuke seriously considered ignoring the Hokage, but he wouldn't put it past Kakashi to assign him terrible missions to get back at him.

"Alright."

Opening a portal in the busy streets was a non-starter. Sasuke shunshined across the rooftops of Konoha, his preferred method of travel for its efficiency and conspicuousness. He'd spent most of the day training by himself, practicing one-handed summoning, but he still had plenty of chakra to spare.

It was a short trip to Shushu-ya and the moment he opened the door, Sasuke wanted to turn back around and leave.

The Godaime's loud cackling rang through his ears, the empty bottles of sake shaking around her from the force of her palm hitting the tabletop. Shizune was passed out beside her, a little pig held between her arms. The current Rokudaime was seated across from Tsunade, cup of sake in hand and his protégé was slumped beside him, alcohol dripping down his chin as he spluttered a laugh into his own cup.

Before he made up his mind on escaping, Kakashi caught sight of him.

"Sasuke-kun!" Kakashi called, waving him over with an exaggerated movement.

Every eye in the place turned to him and Sasuke felt his skin crawl.

Walking over, Sasuke eyed the mess of empty bottles distastefully. "What do you want?" he asked curtly.

"Always so grumpy, Sasuke-kun," Kakashi said, no doubt pouting behind his mask. He tilted his head at Naruto. "This one may be in training to be Hokage, but he can't yet hold his liquor like one. He'll need an escort home."

Sasuke glared. "I'm not his keeper. Why can't you do it?"

"Can't. We have secret kage stuff to discuss," Kakashi said.

Tsunade hiccupped. "Yesh," she slurred, "Top shecret. Kages only."

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched in irritation. "You owe me a really good S-rank for this." He yanked Naruto up by the back of his collar. "C'mon idiot."

Fortunately Naruto's apartment wasn't too far away and so even though it was slow-going, dragging a plastered Naruto, the two teenagers arrived within twenty minutes. Naruto was clearly queasy, but Sasuke felt little pity. He had been merciful enough not to put Naruto through shunshin, though that was more from fear of dealing with vomit.

Sasuke was annoyed enough to be ready to kick Naruto's door down, but, from the light seeping out under the door, the apartment was occupied.

Sasuke shoved Naruto through the door and then came to an abrupt stop, letting his friend fall into a pile on the floor.

"Naruto-kun! Sasuke-san!"

Hinata was quick to rush to Naruto's aid. Meanwhile, Sasuke took stock of the dishes artfully arranged on the kitchen table, looking delicious but long cold.

"Hinata-chan! You'll never guess what! I was leaving early today because…because…something, then Tsunade-obaa-chan showed up! She invited me and Kakashi-sensei for a drink and it was soo fun! She had so many stories from her trip!"

Sasuke turned his attention to Hinata and Naruto. The midnight blue haired kunoichi had one of Naruto's arms slung around her shoulder and was leading him to his bedroom. Sasuke could still hear Naruto's loud voice even as they disappeared further into the apartment.

"So we had a drink and then another and then we ate and drank more and…and…now I'm really sleepy. But I can't sleep! I have something….something to do. Can't remember, but can't sleep."

"It's okay, Naruto-kun, you can sleep."

Hinata returned alone, a despondent look on her face. Her lavender eyes swept across the meal laid out on the table. When she turned to him Sasuke could see her forcing away the disappointment.

"Thank you for bringing him home, Sasuke-san."

Sasuke shrugged. "Guess I should have dragged him out sooner," he said pointedly.

Hinata looked embarrassed. "It's nothing —"

"Doesn't look like nothing."

Hinata squirmed a little. Sasuke wondered if it would be better to leave her alone, but for whatever reason he was reluctant to do so.

"Would you like to take some food home? It doesn't look like it'll be eaten today and it would be a shame for it to go waste." Hinata's gaze was back on the food while Sasuke's own stayed on her.

"You're not going to eat it?"

Hinata pursed her lips and shook her head. "No…I'm not really hungry." As soon as she said it, her stomach growled.

Sasuke watched in amusement as a mortified blush took over her face.

She looked different. More feminine clothing, lips glossy and some kind of makeup on her eyes that made them stand out even more if that was possible. Her eyes looked a little watery around the edges.

He said it without thinking. "Let's get dinner."

Hinata looked up at him, mouth open in surprise.

This time Sasuke was the one averting his eyes. "You're hungry, obviously. And you don't want to eat anything here," he explained, "Besides, I haven't eaten yet either."

Sasuke could practically see Hinata biting back a comment about taking up his time.

She offered him a small smile. "That sounds nice. Let me just put all of this away."

Sasuke scoffed. "You should just leave it here for the idiot to clean up."

"That would be too mean. The food shouldn't spoil."

"Want me to use a Katon no Jutsu?" Sasuke offered with a smirk.

Hinata let out a breathy giggle, dismissing his suggestion with a small shake of her head.

Despite his words, Sasuke helped Hinata pack the food away and waited by the door while she filled a glass of water and brought it to Naruto's bedroom.

They left the apartment building and walked in a comfortable silence. The streets were still busy, aglow with the warm lights of open restaurants and bars. Sasuke deftly steered them away from Ichiraku, Shushu-ya and the more popular areas. He led them to a small shabu-shabu restaurant, quickly procuring them a table off to the side.

After watching Hinata try to flag down a server in vain for a minute, Sasuke summoned one with a well-aimed glare. The server hovered nervously between them and Sasuke levelled an expectant look at Hinata.

It took a moment before Hinata's eyes lit up with realization, a pale pink flush settling on her cheekbones. "Oh! Dashi broth please, with a serving of beef and vegetables," she said with a polite smile aimed at the server. "Also some water, please."

"Make it two," Sasuke said shortly.

While the server retreated to the kitchen, Sasuke watched as Hinata looked around the restaurant.

"I've never been here before," she said. "Shabu-shabu tastes best in this kind of weather, I think."

Sasuke hummed noncommittally.

Hinata seemed to glow in the warm lighting, but Sasuke could still see the slight redness at the corners of her eyes.

"I guess Sasuke-san likes this type of food?" Hinata asked.

Sasuke shrugged. "I'm not picky," he replied plainly.

The corners of Hinata's lips drooped, disappointment flitting across her face before she ducked her head.

Sasuke hesitated before elaborating, "I like onigiri."

Lavender eyes peaked up at him from beneath her bangs.

"And tomatoes."

"...Sasuke-san really isn't picky then," Hinata teased shyly.

Sasuke huffed a laugh. "And what about you, Hinata-san?" he asked, stressing the honorific playfully.

"I like zenzai and cinnamon rolls," Hinata said. "And I dislike crab and shrimp," she added with a cute frown.

"So basically you just like desserts."

"Ah, and you don't." Hinata tapped her finger against her bottom lip. "So Sasuke-san is picky about some things after all," she declared.

The server appeared before Sasuke could respond, placing a nabe filled with broth on the tabletop and lighting the built-in stove. He set down utensils, left and returned with a tray of dishes filled with thinly sliced beef, assorted vegetables and dipping sauces that he also set down. Finally he came back with two glasses of water and two bowls of rice before bowing and taking his leave.

Hinata murmured her thanks, taking in the food with pleased eyes.

It didn't take long for the broth to start boiling. Sasuke cooked a slice of well-marbled beef in the broth and then transferred it over to Hinata's plate. Ignoring her stare, he continued to methodically submerge the beef and vegetables one by one in the nabe until they each had a decent pile of food on their plates.

Setting down the communal chopsticks, Sasuke was unsurprised to find Hinata hadn't touched her plate. He gave her a flat look and she seemed flustered for a moment before picking up her own chopsticks to dip a slice of cooked beef into the goma sauce. She then placed it in her mouth, eyes shutting as she chewed.

"It's good!" she exclaimed softly, pearl eyes smiling at him. Sasuke felt the corners of his lips tug in response.

They ate quietly, working their way through the various dishes. Sasuke did most of the cooking, making sure to skim the akutori regularly.

Hinata was thoroughly preoccupied with the food and while she was distracted Sasuke stared freely at each expression that crossed her face.

The contrast in her behaviour captivated Sasuke. The Hyuuga regality bred into her and the humility with which she approached others. The grace of her movements when training compared to her fidgety gestures at any other time. The way she could look at you with a sort of timid determination. She was a quiet and contained person by nature yet somehow broadcasted her feelings so loudly.

She was certainly interesting to be around.

It was fascinating, too, to discern Hinata's mannerisms from childhood in her older self, either heightened or diminished through the passage of time. She no longer poked her fingers together, but would occupy her hands with her sleeves or some other fabric. She still ducked her head to hide behind her bangs but now forced herself to make eye contact more often. She seemed as weighed down by the war as anyone in their class, but she stood straighter and her smiles came easier than when she was twelve.

Being around her felt…easy.

Hinata held no specific expectations of him. She had been wary of him, he could tell, but no more than she was of anyone. Regardless, she'd been nothing but accommodating since he'd shown up that first morning and she'd offered him tea.

It had been their first time speaking in years.

Though for all Hinata knew, it was their first time speaking at all.

It was a bitter thought.

Right at that moment, Hinata looked up at him as if sensing something was amiss. The openness in her gaze was enough to chase the bitterness away.

Hinata reminded him of the softness and innocence of childhood, of all things good and pure. Sasuke hadn't appreciated it when he was young and angry at the world. Now, aged eighteen, Sasuke was still young, but felt like he had lived through two lifetimes. He felt drawn in by the same qualities he'd tried to dismiss in pursuit of revenge.

Wandering the world had cooled his anger and lessened some of his guilt, but he'd come away still empty and aimless. Being back in Konoha, revisiting familiar places and going on missions with former classmates felt like putting on a shirt he'd long outgrown.

The only time Sasuke felt truly at peace was when he was training or drinking tea.

He thought about his incomplete mission again.

"Hinata…"

The girl paused, a piece of hakusai held up to her mouth. She blushed and set it back down on her plate. "Yes?"

Sasuke almost couldn't bring himself to say it. It was only Hinata's curious face, devoid of any judgement, that had him finishing his question. "What's your…dream?"

Hinata blinked owlishly. "My dream?"

Sasuke didn't deign to repeat himself.

Hinata squirmed a little, playing with the sleeves of her pale blue blouse. "Well…" she started, a thoughtful look on her face. "I suppose I have a few. As a Hyuuga, I want to change the ways of my clan. As a sister, I want to see Hanabi-chan and Neji-nii-san live fulfilling lives. As a ninja, I want to continue to protect my home. And…" she paused here, a blush filling her cheeks. "As a woman, I would like to have a family with…someone I love." The last confession was a whisper.

Neither of them said anything for a moment. The space between them was filled with the sound of the bubbling of the broth and the distant conversations of the other patrons.

"But, at the core of it, it's all the same dream," Hinata said, looking down at her hands, "I want the people I care about to be happy and safe. And, perhaps selfishly, I would like to be a reason for their happiness and safety."

She was smiling gently, a distant look in her eyes. When she finally looked back at him, Sasuke's breath caught in his throat.

"Sorry, I guess that was more than you needed to hear," she said with a small laugh.

Sasuke wasn't sure what his face was doing but he forced it into a neutral expression. "I asked," he said mildly.

He shifted his focus back on the meal, realizing that it was nearly done and that Hinata had conscientiously left him the last of the meat. He split the remaining food evenly between them and finished off his own half.

"Did you want dessert?" he asked as the server appeared and began to clear away the empty dishes.

Hinata looked tempted, but ultimately shook her head. "I should get back. I have a mission tomorrow."

Sasuke got to his feet and dropped some money on the table. "I'll walk you home," he said decisively, giving Hinata no room to protest.

Hinata glanced between the money and his face a few times before nodding wordlessly.

When they were back on the street, Sasuke began to walk only to notice Hinata wasn't following. He turned to look at her over his shoulder.

"Um." Hinata hesitated, eyes darting in the opposite direction.

Sasuke frowned. "You should leave that idiot to face the consequences of his actions. Besides, don't you have a mission?"

Hinata bit her lip, still hedging for a moment before nodding.

Throughout their walk, Sasuke's eyes kept catching on her figure, looking out for a shiver or a tremble. The edge of winter was already creeping into the evening wind. She must have been cold, but she hid it well. Using his rinnegan he could see her distributing her chakra across her body, likely to keep it warm.

Sasuke nearly laughed. He could imagine any other girl in this situation would have waited for him to offer his cloak or asked for it outright. He'd even been considering it without prompting.

He exercised tact in not commenting, knowing her clothing had been chosen with an entirely different night in mind.

They stopped when they reached the gates to the Hyuuga compound.

"Thank you for walking me home again, Sasuke-san." Hinata bowed.

Sasuke simply nodded. "Your mission, how long is it?" he asked.

Hinata looked surprised but answered unquestioningly. "More than a week, but less than two."

Sasuke's brows furrowed as he looked her up and down. He lingered on her eyes, noticing that any signs of tears had faded. He reached out absentmindedly, the tips of his fingers grazing her bangs. "Don't get hurt."

Hinata blinked up at him with wide eyes and the nodded. "Mm."

Sasuke waited until she disappeared inside the compound before leaving.

Thank you to everyone who takes the time to leave a review!

I'm glad you're all enjoying the pacing! Things between SasuHina will continue to move this way, but in terms of the storyline, we might see it pick up a bit next chapter (✦ ‿ ✦)

MVH