Hinata almost had a heart attack when she walked into her apartment and found Neji sitting on the counter, running a knife between his fingers in a delicate dance. He didn't stop the movement when he saw her, just lifted his eyebrows in muted displeasure.
"You need to work on your reflexes," he said, stiffly. "This could've gone through your chest."
Hinata thought her reflexes were just fine, considering what she had been through just an hour ago. Besides––she would've ducked in time if Neji had actually thrown it; she had been more startled by the lack of privacy when she needed it the most, not at her cousin holding a knife.
"Hello, Prodigy," she said tiredly as she let her bag down onto the suede couch––she dreamed of laying on it, naked, and letting the air conditioning waft over her body as a pot of tea bubbled on the stove. Maybe she'd even watch a Drama like she would do in her studio apartment, dreaming of another life for herself.
But alas, she still had homework to do; a report due at the end of the week on Urameshi v. Kuwabara, a court case about binding contracts, and anyhow it was a wonder that B6 hadn't just hired someone to do her homework in the first place; though, she was becoming quite good at it on her own which benefited her work in the office, but not so much on her actual assignment. Not to mention that her boss would be calling her later, and she had a lot of rescheduling to do and make-up work because of lost time at the office. Sasuke and Naruto had a big court appearance in a couple of weeks and the paralegal was dragging his feet on the evidence document, so she would need to get in contact with him as soon as possible and–––
She was losing sight of what was real life and what wasn't. She let all of this run through her head as Neji watched her.
"You seem busy," Neji said, looking around the apartment which was mostly clean except for the dining room table that was covered in law packets, her school laptop, and various agendas and calendars she used for different things. "And yet, B6 dossiers haven't even been updated since you've gotten here."
Ah, he was here to reprimand. He stopped with the knife and reached into his pocket and fished out the keys to her new civilian car.
I should check it for tracking technology, Hinata thought, and it was a strange thought to think, in this context. What did she have to be worried about? What did it matter if she were tracked by B6?
"Very busy," Hinata said, gesturing to the table as if Neji hadn't already seen it. Her leg throbbed, but Neji didn't bother asking about the bloodied bandage. "I w-was actually planning on updating it tonight. There's been lots of new developments––Uchiha Itachi is having a baby, and there's some guy after Sasuke, saying that the Uchihas were responsible for Karin's death. There was a shooting today, and I defended S-Sasuke, so I think he m-might finally start to trust me and––"
Neji looked bored. "That's it? It's been almost four weeks."
"It––it, um, it takes time, Neji," Hinata said. She was exhausted and nervous from the day. She thought about how she pushed Sasuke to the ground, and how for a second her ear hit his chest, and she could hear his heartbeat fluttering from the movement. How he smelled like sandalwood and something else––something sharp. How when he pulled her up, he let her go first through the restaurant. No one had ever protected her like that, not even Kiba. "I really think I'm making a breakthrough after tonight."
"Well, it needs to happen soon," Neji said. He jumped off the counter and went to stand beside Hinata at her couch, watching as she undid the gauze Sasuke had so diligently placed only a handful of minutes before. "Preferably before the election. The Hokage is starting to get worried; Itachi's popularity is increasing steadily. Not to mention the Military Police––it's all a mess."
Hinata's eyes widened. "But––but the election is only two months away––"
"I've completed missions like this in two weeks," Neji said sharply, eyes flat. "What's your issue?"
Hinata bit her lip so hard she tasted blood. That was insulting if not completely false! It took time to inspire dissent within an organization, and Hinata hadn't gotten any closer to the Military Police than she had been to Sasuke Uchiha's front door. She needed to speak up for herself.
"I am d-doing my best to build trust. The Uchihas are naturally guarded individuals. If it takes longer than the election, all won't be lost. If…if he wins, then there will be at least a m-month between then and the inauguration. Itachi will have no power and I should be in their good-graces by then. I will work on the inside to destabilize the Military Police."
Neji snorted, as if he didn't believe that would happen. "Do you think he will win?"
Hinata was silent; she didn't know. However, if she was a normal citizen, she could see herself voting for him based on his charm and social policies alone. Despite their massive wealth, the Uchiha had made himself a man of the people.
"Well?" Neji pressed. "You've seen him work a room by now, I imagine."
"S-something like that," Hinata said, thinking of the rally. "I think he has the potential."
Neji doesn't seem to like that answer, but Hinata has nothing left to offer except honesty. She lets the air sit between them for a few long moments, before turning to her cousin. "C-can you tell me, how's Hanabi? And Kiba? And the r-rest of B6?"
There was a strange part of her that didn't miss B6 very much at all––but she still thought about her sister and friend daily; wondered if they were being safe, if they were eating well, if they had watched anything funny in their freetime. Although Hanabi preferred to ignore her and pretend Hinata didn't exist, Hinata still loved her deeply.
"Fine," Neji replied curtly, disinterested. "Hanabi is fulfilling her duties as is expected of her, and your dog lives to yap another day. Any more useless questions?"
Hinata looked around the apartment in despair, wanting him to leave more than she wanted to rest her tired body down. She needed a shower and some pain medication, and had a laundry-list of appointments for the rest of the week to upkeep her appearance for the piranhas. For the first time in her life, she turned to her cousin impatiently, and said, "Is there anything else you require of me at this time?"
If Neji was offended by the newfound steadiness of her voice, he did not react. He merely inclined his head, exposing his neck––he wasn't afraid of her and never would be. "Yes, actually," Neji said. "With the Uchiha. Have you tried seduction?"
-:-
"You're okay!"
A rush of frail warmth hit his torso, and Sasuke opened his arms to his mother who squeezed him tighter than he thought she had the ability to. When she stepped back, she looked stronger than she had in days with sharp zeal behind her eyes. Her hair even looked glossier.
"I'm okay," Sasuke confirmed, taking her hand as he walked down the engawa. "You know you don't have to worry about me, Mother."
"Of course I do," she frowned. "You're my youngest child, and you didn't even call me to tell me what happened! I had to find out from poor Shisui who was dispatching officers to the scene. Before I know it, I'm turning on channel five news to see you ducking into a restaurant like a…like a victim of war!"
Obito chuckled behind them. He was trailing Sasuke as if waiting to see if Sasuke was going to try to run away. Sasuke wasn't 16 anymore––he'd grown out of such things. He had a sense of duty now, for God's sake.
"War might be coming," Obito said, following them into the kitchen. Sasuke tossed him an aggravated look––this was the last thing his mother needed to hear.
Mikoto ignored them both. She busied herself with the rice cooker, and began sorting food into different bowls, which she then handed off to servants who waited at the doorway. To Sasuke, she handed him a stack of bowls and silverware. To Obito, a steaming ceramic bowl of rice.
"Did you cook all of this yourself?" Sasuke questioned disapprovingly. He tried to look Mikoto in the eye, but she ignored him once more, flicking her hair over her shoulder as she took out a pitcher of juice.
"Did you give the bracelet to Sakura-chan?" She changed the subject with no tact, and no shame, either. Obito stood leaning against the counter, amused by this game between mother and son.
Sasuke grunted. No, he hadn't.
"I've been busy," he said.
"Ah," Mikoto said, a smile in her voice. She is definitely feeling better, Sasuke thought. "Well, worry about yourself, then."
"There's nothing to worry about," Sasuke said. She was always trying to poke holes in their engagement, always making comments that had double meanings. "I'm just busy."
"Of course, of course," Mikoto said. "I can understand that, my son, believe me. Why, she's been calling me all afternoon. Please call her back and let her know that you're okay?"
His phone felt like a 100-pound weight in his pocket. He had turned it off hours ago. "She will have to wait until after this meeting."
"Ah," Mikoto said, and said nothing else.
-:-
Ino pulled a cherry from her mouth by its stem, and it made a small pop! sound as she left a trail of saliva. She held it up as if it was a trophy, then, she put it back into her mouth and bit into it.
Hinata just stared. "I–I'm not doing that."
"Hey, you asked me about seduction and I'm telling you," Ino said, smiling a little as she chewed. The two women were sitting on the fluffy cream rug in Hinata's living room, eating conspicuous bowls of ice cream. Hinata had just finished relaying the entire day to the blonde––the meeting, the shooting, and Neji Hyuga––as well as Neji's comment on seduction. Unfortunately, Hinata had taken it to heart.
Despite all this, when she finished explaining Ino merely shook her head and said, "you don't need a lesson, you need to fucking decompress." Fifteen minutes later, she'd procured a bottle of wine and two pints of icecream from the nearby convenience store.
Ino refilled her glass, watching Hinata's cheeks pinken at the attention, and perhaps also, the alcohol. She tried not to think too hard about what she was doing––their developing friendship, her conversation with Shikamaru––and tried to be present in the laughter that was being exchanged between the two women. Their connection wasn't natural, but it didn't have to feel that way all the time.
Besides, Ino was beginning to find the Hyuga endearing. She was forthright, though occasionally nervous. She had great reflexes and listened well. She was gentle, but firm when needed. And she was kind––an entirely unique trait to someone of her positionality.
"They don't teach you this stuff in spy school?" Ino questioned.
"N-not me," Hinata said, bringing the glass to her mouth. The wine was just as pink as her face. "Others? Yes, I think. My father d-din't want me involved," Hinata looked away at the rug before changing the subject. "Want dinner?"
She scrambled up and grabbed a black credit card off the table. Ino snatched it as she walked past, eyes widening at the name on it: Uchiha, Uzumaki & Associates.
"Did you steal this?"
Hinata laughed as she settled back onto the rug. "No, of course not. Uchiha-san gave it to me. He basically ordered me to use it for dinner after everything that happened today. S-something tells me he'll be checking the statement to make sure I do."
"Huh," Ino said, perplexed. She turned the card in her hands. "Okay, well, let me show you how you should give it back to him."
She felt Hinata's eyes on her as she unbuttoned the first couple of buttons of her blouse, exposing her cleavage. Then, Ino strutted to the dining room table, clearing a small section of Hinata's various notebooks and calendars away. She pointed at the empty seat and turned to her new friend, "go over there and pretend to be Sasuke."
Hinata blinked before scrambling up and doing as she was told. Once she was sitting, Ino continued her advance, taking the card and sliding it across the table, her breasts swinging subtly as she leaned her body forward until she was inches away from Hinata's trembling mouth. "Thank you so much for the meal, Uchiha-san. I hope you continue to treat me so well."
Hinata's lip quivered and Ino feared she had scared the poor woman until a high-pitched giggle worked its way past her lips. Surprised, Hinata planted both her hands over her mouth, but she wasn't able to stop her laughter.
Ino leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest, thoroughly embarrassed, but she couldn't stop herself from laughing a bit too until both women were clutching their sides, banging their hands against the table.
"I swear I'm better at this in the heat of the moment," Ino cried, holding her sides as she laughed. "You have to give me another chance."
Hinata snorted, still smiling as she stood from the table, "Sure, sure y-you can try again," she snickered. Ino didn't know the woman had so much capacity for humor. "But let's order food first, I'm starving."
Ino watched her pick up the phone to look at different restaurants nearby, but it vibrated in her hand as soon as she unlocked it like magic. She turned red when she saw the contact, and held up a finger to Ino––one second––as she disappeared into her bedroom.
"Good evening, Uchiha-san," Ino heard her say. Ino pressed her lips together to stop her smile.
Interesting.
-:-
Sasuke and Obito helped Mikoto lay out a spread of food onto one of the meeting tables in the Boroughs. She'd done quite a bit of cooking, it seemed, over the past few hours. There were bowls upon bowls of white rice, miso, kiritanpo, takoyaki, plates of vegetables, and braised pork. Sasuke's stomach ached as he looked at the spread, but he knew that the meal was mostly prepared because of Killer B., who would be arriving with his father shortly.
While Mikoto busied herself making sure the room was perfect, Sasuke stepped onto the south-facing engawa to have a much needed moment of solitude. He stared at the line of trees as he fished out a cigarette. His body had begun to ache from the day; he remembered how hard the Hyuga woman had pushed it into the cement stairs. He didn't even know she had such strength!
There seemed to be a lot he didn't know about her; he thought about the cathedral and how her eyes had darkened with memory, about her fear as they stood on the steps of the restaurant. She had insane instincts, pushing him at the last second, her body a warm salvation as bullets raced above their heads. She had quite literally saved his life, and she had demanded nothing of him afterwards.
Sighing, Sasuke turned his phone back on. He scrolled past the numerous calls from Sakura as he navigated to his contacts app and brought his phone to his ear.
She answered immediately, her soft voice just barely pricking his ear drum. "Good evening, Uchiha-san. Do you need anything, sir?"
"Yes," Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Stop calling me sir––I told you that, already. But other than that, no. I'm actually calling to check on you."
"Oh!" Sasuke could practically hear her blushing through the phone. "I'm…I'm doing okay. Having a little wine with a friend. I promised I haven't opened any emails!" She ended the sentence with a small giggle.
Sasuke cocked his head to the side when he heard that. Was she…drunk? "Do you usually open emails at home after work hours?"
"Of course!" Her reply was immediate. "I don't want to miss anything important. Your life is so busy, I don't…don't want to make it more stressful for you."
"Stop doing that," Sasuke said, finding himself bemused and a bit comforted at the same time. What type of heiress was this woman, one who could anticipate his needs so well? "Need I remind you that you're paid hourly?"
"No," she said quietly, her voice far away.
Sasuke frowned. Now he was stressing her out when he had just meant to check in and thank her. The stress of the day was wearing heavily on his shoulders, and it wasn't even over yet. He tapped the end of the cigarette, trying to start over.
"Listen," he said, trying to find the words to express the depths of his gratitude. He still hadn't quite processed the gravity of the situation himself. "How is your leg? Have you ordered dinner yet?"
"It's fine," she replied easily. She seemed unphased by the stress in his voice. Did he always sound so demanding at work? "Thank you for asking, Uchiha-san. And we were just about to order when you called. I––I really appreciate how t-thoughtful you are being, but I'm okay, really."
"So you're not going to quit?" Sasuke said, surprising even himself. He didn't know that this was something he was worried about, let alone that he was going to voice his concern over the phone. But his anxiety made sense, he reasoned: It would be extremely difficult to replace an assistant with her level of skill, intelligence, and diligence, after all.
There was a silence over the phone that lasted several seconds. Finally, Hinata said, "Um…No?"
"I've had assistants quit over less," Sasuke said, attempting to recover the conversation and hiding his sigh of relief. He didn't know what had come over him, but he wanted it gone. "Truthfully, Hinata, I called to thank you. I don't know how you did it, but you saved my life today. For that, I am eternally grateful."
Hinata was silent once more, but Sasuke took this in stride; he continued speaking. "I owe you a great debt. If there is any way I can repay you…please let me know. You have my complete gratitude."
He was speaking openly and honestly with the woman. Over and over again, he felt her body crash into his as gunshots erupted. His heart constricted, thinking about how he had been seconds away from death. He was usually much more aware. Old Sasuke would've never been in that situation, but of course, Old Sasuke would've been armed and likely would've shot back.
Being a changed man didn't seem like it was working out very well. He didn't like it. It had almost gotten him killed.
"Uchiha-san," Hinata breathed through the phone, sounding as if she were about to cry. "I–I appreciate your gratitude, b-but I was only doing what anyone else would. I'm just––I'm just really glad you're alive––that we both are––and are able to have this conversation. B-besides, you were the one who got us out of the restaurant. I should be thanking you and Obito-san!"
Sasuke shook his head, staring into the line of trees as his phone vibrated once again––another text message. "You're being modest. I would've died on those steps if you hadn't been there. So please, accept my gratitude."
"I––" Hinata stumbled over the phone. He heard music go up in the background. "Um…I––"
Someone tapped Sasuke's shoulder, and he turned and saw Shikamaru there, holding a lighter. Sasuke was so deep into the conversation, that he'd forgotten to light his cigarette. He lit it with a nod in his friend's direction. Shikamaru shrugged and gestured to the meeting room. 'We're starting,' he mouthed.
Hinata sighed, and Sasuke could feel the wind of the breath on his ear, like she was standing next to him. He pictured strands of her hair––her bangs––floating against the tuft of breath. "I understand, Uchiha-san, and you're welcome. I'm happy you're here."
Sasuke nodded now that she finally accepted his gratitude. He turned his back on the trees and heard the staunch laughter from the meeting room. Tough cigar smoke wafted into the open air, mixing with the smell of pine trees. Cicadas chirped from their places amongst the bush, and for a second, Sasuke let himself feel the peace that summer offered. So brief, he could feel the pulse of it. So precious and complicated, he could feel the temporality of life.
"Eat well," he said into the phone. He took a few quick drags as he went into the meeting room. There was no more time for reflection––
"I will see you tomorrow."
Only action.