Hinata
Neji was ignoring her.
She tested this on two occasions which confirmed this theory. It was wrong of her to scold him in front of everyone last time. He had then avoided her in the night. It was further wrong of her to expect him to be the same, especially after what had happened afterwards. But he had no way of knowing that.
The second time, she had been waiting for him outside her house, so they could walk to the Academy together and he had told her to go on ahead as he might be late. Determined, she told him she'd wait while he got his task done. When he joined her after a while, she took his hand and he accepted, but still had not uttered a word. It pained her that her own frustration was creating a distance between them, but she expected him to understand. She did not know how to broach the subject, so she did what she had been doing lately; give another sarcastic remark to get his attention.
"Sakura-chan has been seeing more of you than me lately," she said and he winced, his shoulders even hunching slightly. "I was waiting for you last night."
"I…" he tried to say, not looking at her. He had not wanted to come to her as her father had kept him busy in clan matters, and she could've joined him but she had opted to stay out, which had in turn made him think she was still mad at him. Hinata and Iruka-sensei had both scolded him for acting immaturely. He thought she wasn't done with him.
"I already apologised," he replied to her softly. "I don't know what else it is that you want from me."
Hinata sighed. She wanted to say so much, but she was afraid of coming out as loose. So she only gripped his hand tighter, trying to tell him that she wanted him. He had always been good at reading her mind, then why wasn't he understanding now?
She was already feeling so guilty for coming to Sasuke. Not only did she feel she had cheated on Neji, but he was also the reason she had been short with him previously because he had felt the need to defend her 'honor' or basically just have petty revenge. She decided to completely ignore Sasuke and give him the silent treatment if it gave Neji peace, and perhaps he won't get into more trouble for her sake.
"Good morning, Neji sensei," a kunoichi called breathlessly, blushing as she bowed.
"Good morning," Neji nodded back, and the girl squealed as she ran back to her group, almost fainting.
The nerve of the girl, she didn't even care that she stood right there. Hinata intertwined her fingers in his a bit tightly, marking her territory, and he turned to her and smiled. His expression clearly indicated that he was only thinking about the girl walking beside him.
Perhaps he was understanding her after all.
Neji
As they rounded the corner to the Academy, they saw Sasuke and Naruto come walking from the other direction. Hinata followed the pair till they made their way inside, and Neji followed Hinata's gaze.
He mistook her for still having feelings for Naruto. To top it off, he saw Sasuke turn and wink at her, and he didn't know if Hinata had noticed. He didn't even care that he was right there. He had let the idea go after Hinata and Iruka-sensei had scolded him, but no matter now, he was following through of his plan on teaching that git a lesson, even if not directly. That'll teach him some respect.
He passed by Sakura on his way to the staff room - dodging the swarm of kunoichis who had stood waiting for him like always calling for his attention - and her energy felt weirdly off to him. Her chakra was all over the place.
Hinata's remarks about him spending more time with Sakura than her lingered in his head but he pushed it aside. He will take care of her reservations later.
"Sakura-chan, your blood pressure appears high," he said.
She looked at him exasperatedly. "You think?"
He curled his lip. "I understand your plight, but you shouldn't let it affect your health. Your circulatory and chakra system both appear at odds with each other. Are you not preserving or storing your chakra anymore or is it just leaking with your anxiety?" He pointed at the diamond mark on her forehead.
She scoffed. "Nothing of that sort. It's just something else. But for your sake I'll get an accurate reading later just to have you silenced."
"Come sit with me and Hinata later," he invited. Sakura looked surprised, a smile slowly forming on her lips as she thought about it.
When Neji met Rock Lee and Tenten later, he requested something from them. They both smiled devilishly. Lee gave a thumbs-up and Tenten said, "Consider it done."
Sakura
Kiba was ignoring her.
She tested this on two occasions which confirmed this theory. At her break, she sat with Neji and Hinata. Hinata had raised an eyebrow, but then Neji started talking, explaining something about how they all needed to clear their reservations. Basically, Sakura caught the whiff that he was trying to distill the tension between her and Hinata, which suited her fine.
"I missed you," Sakura said and Hinata smiled warmly. She looked at Neji and back at her.
"Neji speaks highly of you," she replied, and Sakura didn't know if she was being sarcastic or just polite. "I'm glad he was there to keep you company while I kept Kiba-kun's. He has been very lonely."
Sakura's guilt increased, but she smiled weakly. "I'll be glad to clear the air," she confessed, and she felt light.
But when Kiba came and saw her, he turned around and sat with Tenten and Lee instead. Tenten had clearly told her that she and Lee liked to be alone the last time when she had attempted to spend time with them. But apparently she had no problem hanging with Kiba. In face, she greeted him quite pleasently. Hinata looked at her sympathetically and diverted the topic.
Then later, she was walking a few students behind him before their combat-training taijutsu class when he must've seen her coming and hurried ahead to join Hinata. She had blinked in surprise and actually had to stop for a few seconds to register what had happened. Now, he hadn't looked her way once. Lee, their instructor, another tokubetsu Jōnin by the way, had called Sasuke up for a demonstration.
Currently, he was having his ass handed to him and the students ooh'd and aah'd as Sasuke struggled to get attuned to the maneuver Lee was teaching them, but getting pummelled in response each time.
"Not this way, Sasuke-kun," Lee instructed. "And don't cheat with your Sharingan to try and anticipate my next move. Then the enemy can swoop in with an undercut, like this." And Lee proceeded to show like how. There were some laughs as he fell back. His face turned red, and she laughed then.
Sasuke was too used to being better than everyone else. She saw Kiba laugh and Hinata giggle as he said something to her. She turned to Ino, who was elbowing Naruto and teasing him.
"Sasuke's trying to be on his best behaviour," Naruto said haughtily. "Or else he could easily thwart Lee in a real battle. You know that."
"But why are you getting so affected?" Ino laughed. "Is it because you think Sasuke's better than you, and him getting pounded means you definitely can't pound him?"
Naruto puffed his face and arms. "Oh, I can so pound him. I can pound him to the moon. Just ask him."
Sakura looked at Naruto getting offended, curious. Sasuke and Naruto have always been the best of friends, albeit unwittingly and maybe even reluctantly might accept it someday publicly. But she wondered if there was some secret she hadn't been privy too. Granted, Team 7 wasn't the same as before, and the boys didn't have an inkling of an idea what she had gone through, but she had always been involved in their matters.
Perhaps she was getting too worked up in her own inner turmoil. Naruto was her best friend and Sasuke had just ruined everything between them. But since she definitely didn't feel the same way anymore despite the hurt he had caused her, she should try and get past the hostility he had created in her heart. If she got the time to get out of her own issues. She still held a grudge against him.
"Hey, Naruto," Sakura asked him. "What's been going on with you lately?"
He looked at her, smiling brightly. Before he could respond, Lee called attention to everyone and resumed the class, sending Sasuke back to his seat and Sakura turned inadvertently away.
Perhaps not today.
Hinata
Hinata found it curious that the former Team 3 had altogether decided to dish on Sasuke, like they had a common agenda. He was also in a really foul mood, as it was only because of Naruto that he was restraining from unleashing his wrath. At least, that's what he was heard saying as he defended himself.
Tenten had waited for everyone to gather on their summonings class outside the Academy in the training field. Then, she proceeded to lecture about the shuriken shadow clone jutsu.
"Originally created by our Third Hokage, the Uchiha clan went forth to enhance it with the use of their sharingan. Many people today wrongly associate it with that clan, as Itachi Uchiha was a proficient user of the technique, and it was one of his most well known weapons techinique."
She looked at Sasuke, and he glared back at her. She tilted her head to look at Naruto standing beside him.
"Our Hokage, however, used it more proficiently than any Uchiha. And today, I guess I can safely say the best user of the technique is none other than Naruto Uzumaki," she stated.
The class burst into applause and Naruto blushed, scratching the back of his head and grinning. Sasuke, however, raised his voice, and Hinata held her breath.
"None can best Uchihas in it, even without our Sharingan," he flared.
A wicked smile started to grow on Tenten's face.
"Care for a demonstration?" she requested.
"Gladly," Sasuke angrily drifted towards the front, showcasing his teleportation once more.
Tenten and Sasuke stood facing off each other in front of the targets. Hinata heard Naruto groan loudly.
Sasuke easily predicted Tenten's incoming attacks, and he didn't even need to use his dōjutsu. Both of them were so fast, it was hard to even make out the movements of their hands or the weapons they hurled. The targets exploded one after the other, and the class applauded.
"Uchiha, think fast," Tenten said, and hurled a kunai at Sasuke, which multiplied instantly in the blink of an eye. Sasuke dodged them all.
"Now for the real lesson," she said. "The shadow clone of weapons. You can use your summons, Sasuke. Face off with me."
Trying to judge her agenda, he once more easily and effortlessly delivered perfect shuriken shadow clones at her. Tenten deflected it with her weapons, and what Sasuke didn't expect were the same weapons to come hurling at him tenfold. And when they suddenly multiplied even more in a vast cloud, some students, Hinata included, actually uttered loud gasps. Instinctively, he used his Rinnegan to vanish half of them, and dodge the others. From a blindspot, a blunt flail hit him on the back of the head, causing him to fall face first in the mud.
He got up, rubbing the dirt off of his face.
"Are you out of your mind?" he bellowed at her.
Tenten folded her arms. "Any greenhorn chūnin should be able to dodge that attack. The entire point of these lessons is unpredictability. And if you can't fire a rebuttal as loud as you can fire your mouth, there's no sense in trying to show off trying to impress others. Let that be a lesson to you, accepting your shortcomings in certain fields. This is what I'm here for, to teach you all classic uses of weapons and summoning techniques and pass on my knowledge."
The look on Sasuke's face clearly indicated that he was imagining bursting her head with his hand. Hinata found it extremely unsettling, and even the other students didn't dare laugh just yet. The distant sound of the bell distilled the tension.
As the class dispersed, a girl with long peanut-brown hair started walking up to Tenten. Hinata looked over her shoulder, curious, as Kiba turned to look at her impatiently when he found out she hadn't followed.
"Are you planning on always making such extravagant exhibitions? We'll have nothing left to sell," she said jokingly.
Tenten laughed, clapping her hands in glee. "Well, after the war we're in perhaps a dying business anyway, so it's better to use them somewhere. Besides, it's on the Academy's tab."
"Well, I hope the Academies everywhere continue keeping us in business," she continued, hugging her as she finally reached up to her and whispered something in her ear.
"Yes yes, I remember. Oi, Kiba-kun, come here," Tenten called out suddenly. He jumped, and Hinata urged him to go.
Kiba trudged his feet reluctantly as he walked up to the pair, and the peanut-haired girl turned around and observed him and smiled. He stopped, uncertain and confused, slightly slack-jawed.
"Kiba, this is my friend and business partner I was referring to, from the Sky District," Tenten said. "She's moving here in Konoha soon as well."
Tamaki brought out her hand and Kiba took his out from behind him. "Hi, my name is Tamaki," she introduced herself, pulling the left side of her hair behind her ear either subconsciously or flirtatiously.
"You smell like cats," he blurted instead of introducing himself properly. Tenten rolled her eyes but Tamaki actually giggled. "I-uh... Kiba," he mumbled.
"It's very nice to meet you, Kiba-san," she said.
Hinata looked on in awe. This was… quite unexpected. Tamaki was so pretty and Kiba appeared to be curious, even though he had made that weird remark. He hated cats, but he himself was the one who appeared to have a fur-ball stuck in his throat. She turned around to leave, smiling, but her smile left her face when she saw Sakura looking on in disbelief, like her world was shattering. As their eyes met, Sakura smiled and shot a thumbs-up before wheeling away from the vicinity.
Hinata felt like her hurt was her own, despite the fact that her alliance had always been with Kiba and she had been cross with Sakura for hurting him. Just when they had decided to get along again and just when Sakura had agreed to talk with Kiba and clear the air, Kiba was getting tongue-tied for a different girl. And Hinata realised a part of her had hoped that they might get back together.
"Sakura-chan," Hinata called out softly, noticing that her tenketsus were flaring.
This was a first.
Sakura
Her head was hurting a lot, and her blood pressure was indeed high, which was very unusual. She was sitting at the hospital and Ino had taken her blood sample to run some tests for potassium, glucose, cholesterol and sodium levels. She was waiting to have her blood work results before she could leave. Ino had been clinging on to her which at first she thought was in sympathy, but apparently needed to soothe her own anxieties as well.
"Didn't you have plans with Shikamaru?" she asked.
Ino tensed, a frown forming on her pretty face. "Actually, no. The ambassador of Suna is here, and Shikamaru as always is circling around her which apparently he says is his duty. I happen to know through the magic of sight that she has a crush on him, but that thick head of his refuses and gaslights me that I'm thinking too much."
Sakura looked at her in sympathy now. "Well, Temari has many admirers herself. Why would she want to date someone in Konoha? Long-distance is horrible."
Ino shrugged. "Beats me. But if that cow thinks that she can lay a hand on my man, she has another thing coming."
Sakura sighed. "One thing I've learned is that a man's heart is wavering. If your leash is too loose and he isn't loyal, he'll waste no time running off and sniffing under another skirt and there's nothing you can do about it."
She thought about the way Kiba had looked at the girl Tenten had insensitively introduced him in front of her. What hurt her was that aside from the look of surprise, he had looked at her the same way. He had moved on apparently, and she didn't blame him.
Ino came back, closing the door behind her slowly. Her eyebrows had all but disappeared up her hair as she looked at her.
"Sakura, please don't be mad," she started and she had her shields up instantly. "Your tests didn't feel right based on your history, so I ran a beta-hCG as well, just in case."
Sakura almost rolled her eyes, but then saw that Ino's expression hadn't changed and she didn't need to speak further. A cold hand gripped her throat, rendering her almost incapable of speech.
"That's not possible," she all but whispered. She rummaged in her bag and took out a small pouch half-filled with small white pills. "I always have these on me even though I hadn't needed them because I haven't had sex in... oh God," she covered her face in her hands.
Ino took the bag from her and turned it around, inspecting the bottom closely. She slapped her head.
"Sakura, these are melatonin," she groaned. "You've been having melatonin instead of your contraceptives."
They looked on at each other in horror as the reality of the situation slowly sank in.
Naruto
He had him wrapped in his arms, the sheets warm and comfortable as they slept on the same bed. No matter how many times Sasuke tried to deny, he somehow kept finding an excuse to come back to him. Right now, as he slept with his good arm over him lost away in the land of dreams, Naruto knew he was not dealing with his horrors. It had been hard for him, but he had admitted that being with him subsided his stress. He was breathing peacefully, a small smile on his lips as he continued sleeping well since he had been here.
There was a knock at the door and he jumped up in surprise. Who could it be at this hour?
He tied his sheet around his waist as he grudgingly got up from bed. People had got to start coming to his place at a better time. Just a few hours before, Shikamaru had paid him a visit and had doubled back in shock seeing Sasuke casually walk by in just his boxers behind him. If Naruto didn't know any better, he knew Ino would be finding about them soon enough.
It had been a good run, he thought. Apparently Shikamaru had visited him because he had gotten free earlier than he had expected (Temari had gotten an urgent matter to deal with) and wanted to kill some time with him as Ino had blown him off.
Sasuke always said it was imperative that he should project the perfect image of a family guy if he wants to be Hokage, and Sasuke himself wanted to build a family, so they could never be together. But Naruto was and had always been hopelessly in love with him. Sasuke had stopped indulging when he felt that his feelings were getting involved as he didn't want to lose a friend, but the connection between them drew him towards him every time and Naruto had a hard time drawing a fine line between his love and friendship.
There was another knock by the time he reached the door and he opened it to find a fiery red-haired girl with similarly coloured eyes and narrow glasses staring back at him.
Boldly, she looked over his shoulder to find Sasuke half-risen from the bed, head resting on his arm as his own sheet almost kept traveling away from his pelvis.
"That Shikamaru guy said I could find you here," Karin said, inviting herself in. Naruto looked baffled and Sasuke smirked as she threw her bag aside and took off her top.
"Room for one more?" she inquired, climbing right beside him on the bed as Naruto shut the door behind him. "Why should you get all the fun?" she said coyly, beckoning Naruto with her finger seductively to join them as Sasuke chortled.
"You can have Sasuke while he has me," she contemplated further as Sasuke didn't disagree. He grabbed the back of her head and smacked her lips in his in a steamy kiss.
If it wasn't Karin's words, it was the sudden turn of events which left Naruto very shocked, but strangely excited, his heartbeat escalating.
This was a first.