Day 2

Home is Where You Are

A gaggle of girls surrounds Uchiha Sasuke, watching the way his arm stretches as he throws kunai after kunai, hitting every mark on the posts with ease. They flutter their hands around their pink faces, taken at how strong and capable a shinobi he's becoming, fancying themselves with the line of his jaw and the determined narrow of his eye. Haruno Sakura is standing, arms crossed, next to her sensei. Her face is nothing but pride, for she knows that out of all the drooling girls in the swarm, she's the only one who is actually Sasuke's teammate. They can look and swoon all they want! She gets to stay and talk with him every day.

From what Hinata understands, the majority of Konoha is completely taken with Sasuke. His good looks and tragic backstory bring eyes to his every step, and Hinata cannot remember a day where Sasuke's spent a day alone without having the need to hide.

Or rather . . . .

Alone in the physical sense, at least.

But there is something she cannot understand very well, despite many years of pondering.

The infamous Uzumaki Naruto is every bit as handsome as Sasuke is (perhaps even more, if Hinata dares to be bold), and he's lived his whole life alone, without parents. If good looks and a sad past is all that is needed to get the whole village talking and following you, then why is Uchiha Sasuke the one with the hoard of girls watching his every move while Naruto is to the side, unnoticed, hitting the bullseye every so often?

The first time he did, he had shouted in joy. His head spun to the side, calling for Sakura and Kakashi, but his yells were overpowered by the oohs and aahs of the crowd.

When he got bullseye the second time, he snickered, mouth open to call Sasuke a bastard and to rub it in his face that he's no longer the only one to hit the target perfectly. Upon seeing that no one's attention is turned his way, however, he grumbles and turns away to gather all his kunai.

Hinata's not there for the third time, but she's able to gather her courage and sneak over by the time he's hit his fourth bullseye. She has the mind to congratulate him, but there's been a recent trend of him being freaked out by her sudden appearances, so she takes care in making her steps loud and noticeable as she approaches.

She's not ready for those wide, brilliant eyes to turn on her. The heat of a blush spreads across her face before she can stop it, and a shake is already making its way to her fingers. Still, Hinata holds her ground and focuses on the kunai he recently embedded into the aiming log.

"Th-That's impressive, N-Naruto," she mumbles, nearly biting her tongue upon his name.

He rubs the underside of his nose. "Right? I could do this in my sleep!" He throws another one, which just barely scrapes the side of the log, and Naruto laughs as he rubs at the back of his neck, embarrassed. "The wind messes me up sometimes, though."

Her fingers curl together. "That's o-okay. Y-Y-You, um, can only get better from here."

He pauses in the middle of pulling his kunai out of the log. His stare is sort of mystified. A lot of the younger kids who are unused to the Hyuuga give her the same look upon sighting her eyes for the first time. Usually, she would feel alien when such a gaze is directed her way; but Naruto is different. He's always so different and unique, so Hinata can't help but shine under his attention.

"Right," he says, then grins. "Thanks, Hinata. You really lifted my mood!"

Her heart is a hummingbird, zipping around her ribcage. Somehow, Naruto's words touch her more than any word of praise or acknowledgment her clan could give her.

He steps back into position, aims, stares off at something beyond her, then lowers his arm. "I never see you flocking him," he notes. She doesn't have to look to know who he's talking about. "How come?"

How do I word this? Her blush dips down her neck, and her fingers tap together.

"U-Um." Her attention slowly lifts to Sasuke, who is away from the crowd, pulling his own kunai out of the aiming log. "Sasuke is surely impressive, but — u-um — s-so are you, N-Naruto."

"Ne." His voice sounds entirely too close. When she turns, he's right next to her, and it takes every ounce of control in Hinata's body to not leap into the air. "Some would say I'm more impressive, don'tcha think, Hinata?"

He snickers and curls his arms around his front, like he's expecting a Sakura-like punch from her.

Rather, Hinata stares at the pink flush on the backs of her hands. "Yes," she whispers. "I-I think so."

Naruto gapes, and she's startled by his own touch of pink coloring the tops of his cheeks. Knees wobbling, he takes a half-step back before dropping to the ground. The noise is enough to turn the crowd of girls' attention toward them. Kakashi pulls his nose from his book, slipping it into his pocket before coming over to investigate. Sakura trails after him, half-concerned and half-annoyed.

"Naruto," she sighs, pinning her gaze down on him, "don't tell me you tripped on thin air."

Kakashi hums. "Did you say something to him, Hinata?" His voice is so knowing and obvious that she has to look away for her own sake, and that's when —

That's when she sees Sasuke.

The blade of his kunai rests on the pad of his thumb. There is no blood there; it just rests there, and somehow, that seems so grown-up to her. A weapon lies upon his open skin, but he does not fear it. Perhaps that is simply something all ninja become accustomed to in their lives. Perhaps this isn't anything noteworthy to notice.

But with the kunai at his thumb and a flock of girls around him, Uchiha Sasuke looks at her.

Kakashi is helping Naruto up to his feet.

Sakura slams her palm into his back, shouting that he should get a hold of himself already.

Naruto mumbles something like, "I don't know what just happened" and "I guess I blanked out for a second there". She'd like to turn to him and say . . . something. Ask him if he's alright, maybe. See if he's lightheaded and needs something to eat.

Instead, Hinata is watching the fascinating way Sasuke's eyes drift from her to Naruto, then back to her. The kunai slips from his thumb so that he can twirl it idly around his index finger. It's something she sees Kurenai do when she's thinking hard. Most ninja seem to have the need to keep their fingers busy when they are deep in thought, and Hinata wonders if Sasuke does the same thing.

What is he thinking about so deeply that even with the crowd of girls creeping closer and closer to him, whispering and giggling, some reaching out in temptation to touch his shoulder, his hair, his hand — even with everything, that face is perfectly still, and his eyes are perfectly focused, and he's not disturbed by anything outside of his thoughts?

The kunai stops as his fingers grip the handle, and with ease, Sasuke flings it. The thunk of the blade hitting wood turns Hinata's attention to the post Naruto had been using, where she sees Sasuke's kunai stuck next to Naruto's, their blades pressed together like they're from the same slab of metal that made them, their handles knocked together like they're in a crowded street.

Bullseye.

One of the girls' hands can only reach thin air as Sasuke breaks away from his deep thoughts and leaves the crowd to deal with themselves. He taps the back of his hand into Naruto's temple, scoffing.

"Idiot."

"Bastard!" Naruto snaps back, his normal grin returning the moment he's surrounded by his team.

He's glowing, and Hinata, in that moment of time, hopes such a thing never leaves his side.

...

Eventually, everyone leaves.

The crowd filters away once they see Sasuke's not leaving the side of that Naruto, whom they shoot disdainful looks at as they pass by. Sakura suggests lunch, which Naruto agrees to immediately, already on his way to Ichiraku's before anything can be discussed. Green eyes turn to Sasuke, quietly wondering if he'll be joining. Sasuke waves her off, and her smile is tight as she turns and follows Naruto and Kakashi into town.

Hinata busies herself with brushing the grounds. With all the foot traffic today, the training grounds are swollen with hills and dips, so she takes the broom hanging on the back of one of the unused posts and journeys over to where the crowd of girls used to be, sweeping and padding dirt with her foot.

Sasuke stands on the grass outlining the grounds, careful to not get in her way and mess up her work.

He's quiet, and she thinks he'll leave, eventually — but he doesn't. He stays there, and he says nothing until she's about done with her sweeping.

"He's getting better."

His gaze is turned to the post where, just a while ago, two kunai were stuck in bullseye together.

"Yes," she says, "I think so, too."

"For where he's at, he shouldn't be making pointless mistakes. But —" Sasuke stops. It takes him a minute to continue with his sentence, and when he does, he's quieter. "But he's getting better."

Hinata stomps on a hill of dirt, packing it in, leveling it out. "Um. I-I'm sorry, but is there a reason you're saying this?"

She's not a part of his team. She doesn't know what's normal between him and Naruto because she doesn't see it on a daily basis. But even if this — whatever this is — is normal, she's not sure why he's telling her this.

Unless . . . .

Unless it has something to do with her crush.

He knows? Her face is a familiar warm, and she ducks her head away from his gaze. How embarrassing.

Sasuke, perhaps picking up on her change of mood, takes another moment to respond. "No reason."

"Sorry," she whispers. "I wasn't trying to b-be rude."

Work finished, Hinata returns the broom to the back of the post before joining Sasuke in the grass. Her pack rests against the trunk of an oak, and she nearly slips it over her shoulder before recalling that she has two bottles of lemon water inside. Seeing that he's here, she might as well hand it to him now rather than drop it off at his door on her way home.

She pulls both out, resting hers between her knees as she digs for the packet she saved for Sasuke. Even though he told her he wasn't much for sweets, he always accepted the packets and never complained, so she figured it was okay to keep giving them to him. On this packet, she wrote Eat Well. Ever since his brother came to Konoha, she's noticed he doesn't eat much. Of course, she doesn't see what he eats at home, but when they're out at restaurants or Ichiraku's and she just happens to be around, he always leaves without barely touching his food. It makes her worried. She doesn't think words on a sugar packet will help any, but at least it's . . . something.

"Here." She holds out the bottle of lemon water and sugar packet out to him. "Special delivery."

When Sasuke takes it, he twists the lid off immediately, like it's second nature. The lip of the bottle touches his mouth, but he pulls away before he drinks anything.

"Listen," he says, in a very serious voice that makes Hinata's spine straighten. "Don't worry about them from now on. This is the last one."

Her heart cartwheels in a sort of panicked, nervous way. Her first thoughts were that she's been annoying him this whole time and he's finally letting her know — but, well, that can't be true. Sasuke's not afraid to speak his mind. If he hated it, he'd tell her without hesitation. So perhaps it's more so that he no longer wants them. Perhaps he's simply moving on.

This, truthfully, stings.

Hinata will survive and move on, but at the moment, it hurts — even if it's just slightly. She likes doing this for him. That little boy that shoved candied apricots in her hands to make her eat faster is still a fresh and warm memory in her mind, and she wants to stay connected to him, even if it is through gifting lemon water and small, unnecessary notes on sugar packets. If he no longer wants that . . . well, is it okay if she finds another way to stay connected with him, or is this his way of telling her to stay out of his life?

Hinata thinks on this for a while, and her conclusion is murky and confused.

Sasuke is not afraid to state his mind.

If he wanted her to quit with the water, he'd tell her outright.

So if that's not the case . . . then . . . .

Another theory pops in her head, followed by the low voice of her father. She remembers a talk she overheard between him and the council months ago. In shadows, they talked about the possibility of that Uchiha boy going rogue to go after his brother. He's marked by the Cursed Seal, after all. It's only a matter of time before Orochimaru gets his hands on him.

Back then, she hadn't given it much thought.

But now, after all that's happened — and with what he's telling her right now . . . .

"O-Oh." Does she have any right to talk him out of it? Should she beg? Should she even try? What if forcing him to stay isn't the right way to go? Because he's miserable in Konoha. Anyone can see it. She sees it. "Then, um — here. I-If it's the last time, let me —"

Her hand dives into her pack to pull out the markless packet she left for herself. It takes her a while to find her pen, but when she does, she uses her knee as a surface to write on the back of the packet before handing it to him. Sasuke takes it in his free palm, holding it up so that he can read the words through the shade of the oak leaves above.

Suddenly, there's a very un-Sasuke expression on his face that Hinata thinks she has no right to see. Laughing nervously, she cracks open her lemon water and takes a swig. The splash of sour overwhelming her taste buds makes her shrivel up.

"Gah!" leaves her mouth before she can stop herself, and she wipes her tongue on the back of her wrist. "I-I don't know h-how you drink it this way, Sasuke."

He crouches down and places his bottle of lemon water by his foot before locking his arms around his knees. He scoffs like she's Naruto, and when relief fills her body, she thinks — Ah, so this is what Naruto feels like when Sasuke's around.

It's wonderful.

If only . . . .

"Weirdo."

She smiles, and he rests his forehead on his knees. Maybe he's tired, but somehow, Hinata thinks he's hiding something. Her eyes ache with the desire to activate her byakugan, but she holds back, allowing him privacy.

"Come back safely." She says the words she wrote on the very packet he keeps in the tight clutch of his fist, and his head moves like he's nodding.

And for a second, she feels like she's in that crowd of girls.

Her hand is out, tempting to touch that shaking shoulder, that mess of hair — that lonely boy who needs to be reminded every so often that, even after everything that's happened to him, he still has people who care about him. Even if he leaves them, they'll care for him. They'll wait. They'll stray by the Konoha gates and look out to those expanding trees and search for him, wondering, hoping.

...

Hinata is not allowed into her room until late that night. One of the guards had spotted an intruder sneaking into the estate, and she was quickly hustled into a room deep within the compound with her sister and the council. Neji looked like a guard dog, muzzle wrinkled and fangs bared, eyes pulsating with chakra as he searched the area. It took the guards sweeping the estate twice before they allowed her and Hanabi to leave.

Her sister is grouchy and tired. She's spent most of her day training with her father, and she had planned to take a relaxing bath to ease her muscles before collapsing onto her bed and not getting up for the next seven or so hours. With no time for a bath, she just slugs her way to her room, and Hinata walks with her and tucks her in and kisses her chin before going to her own room.

When she's there, she immediately notices two things:

1) Her window, previously shut by the maid earlier that morning, is now cracked open; and

2) A crystal jar sits in the middle of her bed like an egg in a nest, protected by the soft hold of her mattress and blankets.

She doesn't activate her byakugan to check for traps or anything else dangerous because her instincts tell her the jar is completely safe. Her father would probably be disappointed that she hadn't been more cautious, but Hinata doesn't let the thought bother her as her feet tap along the floorboards, bringing her to the side of her bed.

It's a simple jar. The edges are decorated with diamond-shaped hills, but there is no special design outside of that.

Rather than the jar itself, Hinata is much more intrigued by the contents inside.

A collection of pink sugar packets. At first, they look normal, like the kind she asks Hiruko to buy from the store; but upon further inspection, there's a dash of black that looks abnormal, and Hinata's heart begins to race — because she recognizes that abnormality. In fact, she's probably the one who caused it.

Lifting the lid and carefully resting it on her pillow, Hinata plucks one of the packets from the jar and flips it over in her hand, stunned by the scribblings in a neat, Hyuuga handwriting that read, simply — Eat Well. She scoops out another one: Take Breaks.

One by one, she goes through the collection, reading every small message she once wrote with her own hand.

Train hard.

Try lemon tea.

Please be careful.

The last one she reads is a single name — Sasuke — and the ink is faded and a little smudged, as if held in a child's hand for days — weeks — years. There had to be at least one-hundred packets now sleeping on her bed, sighing happily now that they've finally returned to the one they first belonged to.

Hinata can hardly believe it.

Really, she thought he threw them away.

They were just silly messages. They weren't that important. Not really.

But they're all here. Every single one of them.

Well, almost.

There's one in particular that's missing; one that's still fresh in her mind; one that her hand still feels etched in its fingers — the loops and curves and lines of the letters.

Hinata checks again, but it's not here.

It's gone.

Like Sasuke.

...

For the next eight years, her memory of Sasuke slowly fades. It will never leave. Hinata is a strong believer that when the memory of someone is far gone, so is that person, and she does not want that to happen to him. She'll keep him alive, tucked closely to the memory of her mother and her uncle Hizashi and Asuma and Neji.

War is distracting, and so are people.

For eight years, Hinata understands the pains of heartbreak thrice.

The first comes with Naruto. It is a long, aged pain that stays with her for years. It is something that is expected, but even so, it still hurts beyond what she had prepared for. It is kunai for ribs and shurikens for lungs and senbons sliding through her veins. It makes Konoha seem distant and strange, and when Tsunade offers her a way out of those closing walls, Hinata takes it almost immediately.

Suna is not a place she's visited many times, nor has she ever had the motivation to journey to such a place outside of her missions. When in the isolated office of the Hokage, with only Tsunade and Shizune as the only witnesses to such a confidential offer, Hinata learns that Konoha's ambassador for Suna has fallen miserably ill, and his road to recovery is a long and dangerous trek. While it's true that such occasions are planned for, the next two in line to acquire such a position are currently in prison under suspicions of conspiring against Konoha — and the third is currently pregnant with children.

"While such issues are prone to stay within Konoha walls," Tsunade explains, "because of the close relationship we have with Suna, we asked the Kazekage and his close confidants if they had any suggestions for a temporary ambassador that took on the job while we worked on either finding a new taker or waited for the old ambassador to return in good health."

At this, Shizune pipes by saying, "Really, you must know this is something you're not normally supposed to do. Lord Hokage was awfully drunk when chatting with Lord Kazekage, so it just —"

"Shizune." Tsunade rubs her head, then turns back to Hinata. "When asked, Gaar— ah, the Kazekage and his team offered two suggestions. Rock Lee —"

"Which is out of the question at the moment," Shizune quickly interjects.

"— or you, Hinata."

She's baffled by this news. As stated prior, Hinata's rarely been to Suna and (even more rarely) has met the Kazekage. She can't think of a single reason as to why he or his siblings would ask for her specifically.

"From what I gathered," Tsunade adds, perhaps noting the confused expression on Hinata's face, "it seems it has something to do with Naruto."

The name makes her stomach leap — and not in a good way.

"He speaks highly of you to Lord Kazekage," Shizune agrees.

And Hinata almost doesn't accept the offer — almost. Because anything that reminds her of Naruto at present is messy and painful, and especially with such a high positioning, she cannot be distracted by silly things like heartbreak.

But then she thinks about how far away Suna is and how unexplored it is to her — and then she thinks about the many stories Neji would tell her about his trips and missions to Suna. He always spoke fondly of it, and her heart aches to be near anything he once enjoyed.

So Hinata agrees.

She signs her name in ink and stamps her bloody fingerprint to the corner of the document, agreeing to an oath of loyalty and secrecy to Konoha.

Within the next week, she's on her way to Suna to greet Temari and Kankuro at the tower.

That is where she finds Heartbreak #2.

...

In the final days of Year 8, Hinata returns to Konoha a strange, different woman.

She reports to the new Hokage, Maito Gai, and hears that Ambassador Ki is in full health and can return to his work within the next few days. Hinata retires her position willingly, but when she leaves the doors of the Hokage Tower and does not feel a blast of heat and sand against her face . . .

It feels wrong.

It feels like a foreign world, and she doesn't know where she is, where she should go.

Kiba and Shino are happy to find she's returned to Konoha for good. They take her out for dinner before she heads home. She thinks they can tell she's not herself. Kiba wants to ask about it, but he's not very good at these sorts of things, so he babbles on about this and that. Shino is a patient man who thinks her first day back home (Home? Is that what Konoha is?) is not the right time to ask questions like "What happened in Suna?" and "Do you really want to be here?". Like Kiba, he avoids the topic, and they distract her with tea and stories of what's been happening in Konoha for the nearly two years she's been gone.

That's when she hears that Uchiha Sasuke has come back.

...

She does want to see him. Sort of. Maybe.

She wants to see the form of a man she has not seen for years, that person she thought would remain only a memory in her mind for the rest of her life. But she doesn't know what will happen if she does.

What will happen?

Will something change? Or will it stay the same? Will she see that man that's come back to Konoha after years of being not there and find sanctuary in him? Will he be familiar — not just because he's that boy from long ago, but because he is also going through the exact same process she is? Will she understand him and feel like she belongs because she's no longer alone in this unfamiliar village?

Or will nothing change?

Will it stay the same, and she'll stay in this confusing state of home and not home, familiar and unfamiliar, belonging and not? And that might be crippling — because she does not want to feel this way. She wants to stand in these streets and breathe in this air and look upon those faces chiseled in mountain stone and think — Yes. This is right. I should be here. She wants Sasuke to make her feel that way because — fucking hell! — he's her last chance! He's the only one who would understand. If he can't help her, then that's her only chance down the drain. She'll have nothing after that.

Nothing.

Hinata's scared.

She wants to see him, but she doesn't. She wants to believe in miracles without facing them, only to realize they aren't real in the first place.

In the dark, damp, Konoha air, Hinata walks to the Hyuuga estate feeling un-Hyuuga and un-Konoha and alien.

She's a mess of nerves, and that's how Sasuke finds her.

...

Clearly, he hadn't been expecting to see her, so she doesn't believe he was actively scouting her out.

They find each other where streets meet. He's heading west, and she's heading north. She can't even take a guess where he might be going so late at night because she doesn't remember what's west of here. Is he going home, perhaps? Is the Uchiha estate west?

For some reason, they both stop when they spot the other.

Hinata thinks they are going through the same thought processes as they assess each other. At first, they are strangers that don't even belong on such streets; then, they look vaguely like someone who would live in Konoha, so they delve deeper. Then, upon sighting those trademark Hyuuga eyes or that spirling red lily called a sharingan, that's when they finally put a name to the face and remember.

"I'm Sasuke."

"Uchiha Sasuke?"

"Yeah. Good."

She hears that childish, almost nasally voice he used to have. A brush of candied apricots dances against her taste buds. It tastes sour, strangely.

"I'm Hinata," she had said, far back then, all those years ago.

And he had replied, "I know." Because he did. And he still does.

He knows who she is.

He remembers.

Slowly, his sharingan cools and deactivates. His other eye is a swirl of purple hidden between strands of dark bangs. She does not remember him with mismatched eyes.

What has happened to you, Sasuke?

She doesn't dare say those words. She doesn't dare just walk away without a word, either, so she says, "You're back."

She does not want to say those words she's been hearing all day — "Welcome back!" — because they make her feel guilty when she ultimately has to reply with "I'm home." She does not want to put Sasuke in that same position in the chance he feels the same way she does.

He doesn't even say anything. He just nods and stays in his spot on the sidewalk, sometimes looking at her, sometimes not.

"Are you on your way home?" She's rambling now. She doesn't want to continue on along this dark street and drown in the loneliness. She wants one more minute of this. "Please get home safely, wherever it is. Um. N-Not to say you're incapable of defending yourself, of course. I just want . . . you to . . . ."

Where is she going with this? Really, she's just making a fool of herself.

But Sasuke doesn't look irritated. Actually, he doesn't look anything.

"Sorry," she says.

"I understand what you meant."

That is not the same voice that rolls around in her memories, but it is definitely a Sasuke voice. It just matches what he is now — a tall, capable, maybe even dangerous man with glowing flowers and swirling purple in his eyes. It's rough, but it's also something else. Not soft. Not exactly quiet. It's like a war veteran who makes bouquets for a living. It's a bodyguard who fosters rabbits. How would one describe something like that?

Either way, it gives Hinata some relief.

He's talking to her. Good. That means he doesn't hate her, right?

"How long have you been here?" she asks. It's a little silly. They're in the middle of a street, at night, and she wants to catch up with him. But she doesn't know when another opportunity will come up, so she takes this chance while she has it.

"A month," he says, then falls quiet, shifting. "You didn't know?"

"I just got back from —" Suna will not form on her tongue, so she finishes with, "a mission. A long one."

"Mn."

Her fingers curl in that old habit she thought she got rid of long ago.

"I shouldn't bother you," she murmurs. "Sorry. Um, please have a good night."

She walks down her street, then stops, surprised that he's walking with her.

"Hand," he says.

Confused, she looks at her own, then offers one to him. He turns it so that her palm is facing up, then drops something into it. When she looks, she can hardly believe what she sees.

A pink sugar packet; and on it, written in a twelve-year-old's handwriting: Come back safely.

"I'm home," he says, and then he leaves.

She walks the rest of the way home with that packet clutched in her fist, the paper sticking to the sweat of her palm. Hanabi is there to greet her when she comes to the gate of the Hyuuga estate. She hugs her and laughs, wiping her tears, teasing her about always being the emotional one out of the two of them. Hinata just nods. She tries to forget the image of that boy in the training grounds, head resting against his knees to hide his face, the very same packet trapped in his grip like it's all he has left.

"Come back safely. I'll be waiting."

Of all the things to say — Uchiha Sasuke says something that makes Hinata's untouched heart flutter.

How embarrassing!

And — And where in the world did that come from? All she had done was give him a bottle of lemon water; nothing but an inside joke from years ago. There's no way a drink caused such a stir within Sasuke to make him announce to the world that he'll actively be waiting for her safe return — HER! — Hyuuga Hinata!

So . . . why did he say such a thing?

Ah, stop thinking about it, she tells herself, because every time she does, a traitorous blush erupts on her face, which of course earns her suspicious looks from her teammates. She can't help it! No one has . . . ever said anything like that to her before. Of course she would be affected.

"What was that all about?" Kiba asks before the gates of Konoha can even be out of their line of sight. He was trying to be patient — she'll give him that. But all attempts at ignoring the elephant named Sasuke in the room are soiled when his question busts out from between his lips. Shino gives him a look, which Kiba matches. "What!? You can't seriously tell me we're just gonna let that one slide!"

Hinata feels the need to busy herself with something. She reaches into her pack to pull out her bottle of lemon water, but upon her fingers touching the slick, cool plastic, Sasuke's image flashes through her mind again, and she feels warm and parched, but with no will to drink the only thing she brought with her.

"Are you seeing him?" Kiba asks.

"N-No!"

"Don't be ridiculous," Shino mutters. "They hardly talk to each other."

"Then it's a secret relationship — I dunno! How would you describe what just went down?"

Shino says nothing, allowing Hinata to get a word in. "I don't know. I really don't."

Kiba snorts while Akamaru stands on his hind legs, attempting to grab a branch haphazardly hanging from a tree. "Maybe he's out of it — or drunk!"

"It's not even noon," Shino notes.

"Maybe he's turned into the village drunkard." When Akamaru manages to tear the branch out of the tree, he drops it to Kiba's feet, tail wagging ferociously. Kiba lifts the branch and throws it with all his might down the path, grinning as the dog bolts after it. "I heard he's been forced to work only D-Rank. I'd get myself drunk all day, too, if that's all I get to work for nine months."

Hinata's not sure. He didn't seem very drunk when she talked to him earlier.

Only D-Rank. Pity fills her lungs, which she'll be sure to keep to herself. If there's one thing she knows about Sasuke, it's that he hates pity. Lord Hokage must be working him into the ground.

She tries to stop her line of thinking there. They're on their way to the Land of Tea to protect a group of protestors going against the recent trend of deforestation around their village. Now is not the time to think about Sasuke.

...

But he comes back up thirty minutes later, thanks to Kiba.

"Maybe he wants to fight you." Kiba slams his fist into his open palm, acting as if he's cracked the code to something big. "Yeah! Maybe he wants to prove he's good enough for higher-ranked missions and made a deal with Gai! If he can beat Hinata in a duel, then he'll be granted higher missions. It makes perfect sense."

Hinata tries to reimagine the scene that played out just a while ago, only with a lot more tumbleweeds rolling around and a strange, whistling music playing in the distance.

"Fight me?" Hinata squeaks.

"That's right!" Kiba says.

Shino flings an arm in the air, waving off that foggy image of Sasuke in cowboy boots and a ten-gallon hat from her and Kiba's minds. "You've gotten pretty imaginative, Kiba. Maybe you'll turn out to be the village's reclusive writer."

Kiba's pride dies on his face, and Hinata doesn't have the heart to tell him that, really, Sasuke would pick someone else to fight if it were for the sake of his honor.

...

They're close to reaching their destination, and still, Hinata keeps thinking about him.

Because it's strange.

After years of not seeing him, then months of him being back in Konoha, only for their paths to rarely cross, it makes no sense for Uchiha Sasuke to announce such a thing to her.

What possible reason could there be?

Why would he feel so inclined to wait for her — and even better — to state loudly that he will be waiting for her?

This is not the Uchiha Sasuke she remembers, nor is it the one she's been seeing every so often for the past several months, barely passing a few words to him before they ultimately take different paths.

She cannot guess what this new Sasuke's intentions are.

He's not that boy who tried to hide his emotions from the world (but, really, they were always clear to her).

He's —

"You're thinking about it again." Kiba's elbow playfully jabs her side, grabbing her attention. "I can tell. Your face looks funny."

Cheeks warming up, Hinata tries to wipe that expression away. "I'm just confused."

"It's eatin' at me, too. He's a strange bastard."

"I wish you'd stop bringing it up," Shino sighs. "It's getting on my nerves."

Kiba sticks his tongue out. "You talk like you already know."

The joke falls flat when Shino makes no effort to deny such a claim, and Kiba and Hinata share a flabbergasted look.

"You know?" Kiba barks.

"How do you know?" Hinata asks.

A strange (creepy) smile makes its way to Shino's mouth as he walks on, strides wide and purposeful to make the two behind him pick up the pace to keep up.

"I'm not saying anything," Shino says, turning to Hinata. "You're not in the right mindset to know yet."

What's that supposed to mean?

"But I am!" Kiba yells. "Tell me!"

"You will just tell her anyway. Or ruin everything." Shino thinks for a second. "Or both."

Kiba whines while Hinata quietly wonders to herself. She's not able to think too much on it. Soon, a rumble of shouting and talking picks up in the wind, and they see the far off blob of protestors pushing against village officials and lumber company owners.

With their mission in their sights, they turn all their focus onto the issue at hand.

Thoughts of Uchiha Sasuke are tucked away for later.

...

They return to Konoha the next morning, exhausted.

Kiba is practically being dragged by Akamaru home, and Shino tries to act like he's not on the brink of collapse as he walks with her to the Hokage Tower to report to Shikamaru. When he nearly stumbles on a perfectly flat street, Hinata pushes him in the direction of his home. A small mission like that only requires one of them for the report, so she'll be fine to do it on her own.

Patting his back, she gives him a firm look, and Shino tugs at her bangs before plodding his way to his bed.

With a smile, Hinata returns on her way to the Hokage Tower — absolutely, for no reason at all, activating her byakugan every so often to check the surrounding streets for a certain someone.

If she's being truthful, Hinata had been expecting to see Sasuke the moment she entered through those gates.

He hadn't been there, and she . . . .

Well, she didn't know what she felt.

It was almost disappointment, but not in the normal sense. She wasn't excited to see him. She was curious, and she was nervous, and she was expectant — but she wasn't excited. But it had seemed like a promise, and she didn't think Sasuke was the kind to break promises.

When they came and she didn't see him, she had felt some sort of disappointment. Kind of like a parent, or maybe a friend. If your child or friend broke a promise with ease, you'd be disappointed, too. And that's what Hinata feels — and that's why she's searching for him — because she can't believe Sasuke would announce something like that in such a way, only to go back on his word.

She doesn't find him, of course.

She's in front of Shikamaru's office before she knows it, swallowing that thick feeling down before entering with a normal, Hinata smile —

Which, of course, leaves the moment she sees Uchiha Sasuke in that office with him.

Oh.

There he is.

...

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize I —"

"Stay, Hinata. You're fine."

Shikamaru's words keep her from slipping back into the hallway, pretending that she hadn't a clue that the very man she was searching for happens to be in there. It's strange. Suddenly, when he's right there in front of her, she feels embarrassed. Ashamed, really. Just moments ago, she'd been thinking so negatively about him.

Not allowed the luxury of leaving, Hinata swallows again and comes further into the room. She tries to keep her eyes away from that man to the side without it being obvious. Shikamaru picks up on small things, after all. If he notices she's uncomfortable, what kind of conclusion will he come to?

"Sasuke," Shikamaru says, "you may leave."

Against all odds, Sasuke does not leave. "I'd rather not."

"Oi. Stop being a pain."

"We're in the middle of discussing something."

So she IS disrupting something. Oh dear.

Rubbing a hand down his face, Shikamaru gives Hinata a tired look. "If you don't mind doing the report with an immature audience —"

"Oh! That's fine."

Offering a smile in hopes to cool Shikamaru's frustration, Hinata continues on with the report, explaining that her team was able to successfully protect the group of protestors. She and Shino were able to act as middle men, discussing decisions that could aid both sides without hindering both the village's economy and the nature surrounding it. Kiba and Akamaru acted well as bodyguards, growling and looming if someone made an attempt to start a fight. By the time they were able to leave, both sides calmed enough to not provoke another fight, with the terms laid out acceptable for all.

Going over the events reminds her of her exhaustion, and Shikamaru skips a few questions to hurry up the process.

"Good." He scribbles something down. "I'll let Lord Hokage know, and your payment will come in the following week."

"Thank you."

"You may leave. Get some rest, Hinata."

Bowing, Hinata turns, only to find Sasuke is already holding the door for her.

"Oh. Thank you."

"Where do you think you're going?" Shikamaru drawls. "Don't we have more to discuss?"

"I'll be walking Hinata home," Sasuke says, like this is something they discussed previously. Like it's something normal that they do on a weekly basis.

It's not, by the way!

Where is this coming from? Once again, Hinata is thrown into a whirlpool of confusion; and (once again) Sasuke seems absolutely pleased to do so.

Shikamaru, tired, rests back in his chair and shuts his eyes. "Fine. Whatever." It seems like he'll leave it there, but then he suddenly throws himself forward in his seat, eyes wide and unblinking, staring straight into Sasuke's soul. With a grin that's more likely to be seen on someone like Kiba, he adds, "Strange. She's only just down the street from here. Is that really necessary?"

Sasuke's shoulders are stiff. He grumbles before giving her a rather sharp look, causing her to practically jog out of the office with him hot on her heels, quickly shutting the door behind him. Shikamaru yells something out she can't distinguish, and Sasuke huffs and shifts and turns his attention onto her once again.

"Lead the way."

Somehow, he sounds threatening, like he'll kill her on the spot if she doesn't start walking that instant.

So she does.

Quite quickly, in fact.

...

"Are you in a rush?"

They get to the street in record time, and Hinata feels like she's jogged one of Lee and Gai's "breezy" treks that loop around Konoha. Lung stinging, she pauses to take a breather, and Sasuke hovers at her side. She's too nervous to look up and see the glare he's probably sinking into her skull.

First, he waits for me. Now he wants to kill me.

Seriously.

Uchiha Sasuke is a chore to understand.

"No," she says, after several deep breaths. "I, um — no. I'm not."

He waits for her to catch her breath, then follows at her side as she (in a more slow manner) turns and makes her way home.

" . . . So." When he starts talking, she stares at him. That's unexpected — Sasuke starting up a conversation. Well, him walking her home is, too — but still. "You had a good mission."

Is this small-talk? "Yes. I'm glad it worked out smoothly."

"You weren't injured," he notes. "Good."

She gives herself a lookover, unsure. "It wasn't exactly a dangerous mission. Do . . . you think I would get injured for such a thing?"

"No," he says, rather quickly. His purple eye turns like it's angry, and she fears she's gotten on his nerves again. "No. I don't think that."

"Oh." Relief, and some pride, is like a warm blanket against her sore joints. "Thank you."

He doesn't say anything to that. He doesn't get the chance to, really; they're already standing in front of her home.

"This is it," Hinata tells him as she walks up the sidewalk, fishing out her keys from her pouch.

He doesn't follow her to her front door. Sasuke stays behind, looking almost blindsighted.

"You . . . really do live close," he says.

Smile awkward but genuine, Hinata unlocks her door and puts one foot inside. "Thank you for, er, walking me home, I suppose. Have a good —"

"Hinata."

That sounds like no monster or traitor out for her blood, nor like an angry man who hates the world.

That sounds —

Well, it sounds like Sasuke. Simply put.

And when she turns, he's still got that blindsighted look, and he's still on that bit of sidewalk that's almost on her property, and he hasn't left. Uchiha Sasuke, for whatever reason, simply does not leave. He didn't leave the office, and he doesn't leave now. And it's so peculiar because this is the same boy who left Konoha all those years ago — so why — what — what has changed to make him stay now?

His chest puffs up a bit, like he's taking in a deep breath, and then he says, "Welcome home."

Why? she wonders.

Why does it sound different?

Why, when he says it, does it sound like this is home?

It melts into what she wanted it to be eight months ago, when she returned to Konoha. It's that miracle that changes things, somehow. It's late, but it's here, and it's coming from his mouth.

"I'm . . . home," she says, and for the first time, she means it.

The sting of tears is unexpected, and she turns and rubs at her face before Sasuke can notice. Trembling just a bit, she rushes into her home, locking the door and checking that it's securely shut before drifting into the entryway, looming.

Home.

Since when has she thought of this place as her home?