It was that time of the year again. The end of the year.
Academy was almost over. The Rinne festival was approaching. And, of course, her birthday was coming soon as well.
In the end, Sasuke never told her why he went to her house that October day. She tried to ask, but he was so on the defensive, she became scared he would just close himself off and never let her in again, and so, in the end, she let it pass.
She was still curious though, especially because of his reaction to anything that had to do with Naruto. Although, maybe she could justify it in the fact Naruto's presence in general seemed to bother him. Despite Iruka's constant warnings, the whiskered boy still went out of his way to challenge Sasuke at every turn, with the other boy annoyed at best and confrontative and violent at worst as a response.
However, the part of her that was afraid of him putting distance between them always won, and so, with time, she eventually forgot about it. No sense in insisting on something he didn't want to share.
"Nee-sama, look!" Hanabi pulled on her arm, that chilly December afternoon. When Hinata turned to her and gave her attention with a soft smile, the little girl made a hand sign, before saying; "Byakugan!"
Hinata's eyes widened, seeing the veins around Hanabi's eyes growing as her doujutsu activated. Her little sister grinned happily, before deactivating it and putting her hands on her hips, waiting for her praise, that didn't take long to arrive.
"That's amazing, Hanabi-chan! When did you manage to activate your Byakugan?"
"Yesterday. Father and I've been practicing, and I finally managed to do it during yesterday's training!" she fisted her hands, bringing them close to her chest in her excitement. "I'm still four, nee-sama! I managed to get my Byakugan at the same age as Neji-nii!"
"That you did" Hinata patted her on the head, smiling. "I'm proud of you, Hanabi-chan."
She really was. While everyone always praised Hanabi for being a quick learner and a natural when it came to the shinobi arts, she knew better than anyone else how hard her little sister actually worked. And this was something that she had wanted to do for a long time, so, managing to complete her goal of activating her Byakugan at the same age as Neji, Hinata couldn't be happier for Hanabi.
How did her father react? The question came unbidden to her mind. Hiashi was also proud of Hanabi's development, she knew as much, but she never really saw his outward reactions, as she never really participated in her little sister's training. He was probably elated, the same way he had been when she first activated her Byakugan. Hinata could still remember that day, the pride in her father's eyes that she had not seen again since.
"Do you want me to cook you something special to celebrate?" she asked Hanabi, wanting to drive unhappy thoughts away. Just because her father didn't look at her with pride anymore, it didn't mean he wasn't, or that he didn't love her. It was the small details that counted, especially for someone as introverted as him.
A bit like with Sasuke.
Hanabi jumped, nodding over and over, excited at the prospect. "I want tamagoyaki! Nee-sama's tamagoyaki's the best in the whole world!"
Hinata nodded, and, grabbing her hand, the two walked together to the kitchen.
The next day, in class, Hinata told Sakura what happened, because she was too happy for Hanabi to keep the information to herself. Although her friend didn't understand completely, she still smiled when she explained how important this was for a member of the Hyuuga clan, especially for one of the daughters of the clan head.
"Your sister sounds like someone very talented" she complimented, resting her cheeks on her propped hands. "Is four a normal age to activate your Byakugan?"
"I heard that members of the clan usually activate it at eight or nine years old…" she said, trying to remember what Ko had told her once. Chakra, as well as mental training was necessary for someone to activate their doujutsu, but a natural aptitude for it was essential as well. Not all Hyuuga could activate it, even with the proper preparation. Of course, being the children of the clan head, both she and Hanabi were put under more pressure than any other children in order to activate it. It was only expected of them, after all.
Hinata sometimes wondered what would have happened if she didn't have the aptitude for the Byakugan, her pessimist side making an appearance when she was feeling low. But she always dismissed those thoughts, because, in the end, she did have it, and she could use the Byakugan without problems.
She was getting better at not putting herself down so much.
"Then that's even more amazing!" Sakura exclaimed, clapping her hands. "When your sister comes to the academy, she's going to have a lot of fans!"
Hinata squirmed, glancing away. Sakura noticed. "What is it?"
"It's… it's not yet sure if Hanabi-chan will attend the academy…" she said after a few seconds of hesitation.
Sakura gasped. "Why not? I thought all children that wanted to become shinobi had to attend…"
"It's not customary for children of the clan head to attend. Usually, the training is reserved to only inside the house, under supervision of the council as well as the leader of the clan… of course, she'll still take the genin test and be placed in a team" she quickly added, laughing awkwardly. "But there's still a long time until then…"
"But… if the children of the clan head don't usually attend the academy…" she trailed off, looking at her meaningfully. Hinata fidgeted, understanding what she meant without need for the other girl to finish her question.
"I'm… an exception…" she whispered, not wanting to go into details.
Sakura tilted her head. "Exception?"
"It happens sometimes" she said, still not looking at her friend. "In fact, my father and uncle attended the academy too, although they started a lot later than usual."
"Mmm" Sakura hummed, leaning back on her chair and crossing her arms. Hinata understood that, as someone not belonging to a clan, sometimes the finer details or intricacies of clan dynamics flew over her head, but she was thankful she was willing to learn. Only this time, she really didn't want to explain the reason behind her father and the council's decision to send her to the academy.
So she changed the subject. "The Rinne festival is the day after tomorrow" she smiled, joining her hands on top of her lap. "And today is the last day of school. Do you… do you want to go to the festival together, Sakura-chan?"
At this, the pink-haired girl's eyes shone. "That's right! The festival!" she sighed happily. "It would be fun… ah, but don't you have to go with the other Hyuuga?" she asked worriedly. Hinata tilted her head in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
"I saw you last year, you know? Along with the rest of your clan. I just assumed it was an activity you did all together" she explained.
Hinata was surprised at this. "You saw me last year?"
Sakura nodded. "I remember I asked my mom, because all of you had… that is, your eyes…" she blushed, clearing her throat. "And she told me you were a very important clan in Konoha. I recognized you too, from the academy. She didn't say anything about a doujutsu though… I only learned about that after we became friends."
"Oh, that's…" she didn't know what to say to that. She hadn't expected Sakura to had taken notice of her before they were in the same class. Then, something about what she said clicked, and, with a bit of trepidation, she looked back at her and asked; "so, if you saw me… does that mean you also saw…?"
Sakura frowned, not understanding, and Hinata wondered if maybe it was better to just let it pass, but something deep down inside her prompted her to know, and so, she asked; "you saw me and Sasuke-kun together?"
She watched the exact moment when the realization hit Sakura as well. The realization that she had allowed herself to be discovered without intending to. Quickly, she glanced away, color forming on her cheeks.
"I…" she started, but was unable to continue. Hinata gulped.
"Sakura-chan… you saw us together… and…"
"I had no idea you were close" she admitted after some painful seconds. "When I saw you sitting alone at the beginning of the year…"
"You… you wanted to become my friend because I was close to Sasuke-kun?" Hinata asked, voice lower and weaker. Sakura bit her lip, still not making eye-contact.
"I don't want to lie to you, Hinata-chan, so… can you not ask that question?"
Hinata simply stared at Sakura, waiting for her to at least look at her, but the other girl didn't, and, as the silence extended between them, she couldn't take it anymore. She quickly gathered her things and stood up. It was the free period between classes, so no one paid special attention to her as she started walking away.
Sakura immediately followed. "Wait! Hinata-chan, what's…?"
"Just… just leave me alone for a moment, ok?" she asked, pulling away from the hand that was reaching for her, not wanting anyone to notice them. Her eyes felt hot. She willed herself not to cry.
Sakura opened her mouth, likely to protest, but then, Hinata turned to her, staring directly into her eyes, and whatever the other girl saw in them, made her stop, much to Hinata's gratefulness.
She found another spot on the other side of the classroom. Despite her best efforts, they still caught the attention of a few classmates, but none of them said anything, as soon after the teacher came back, starting the last lesson of the year.
She did catch a glance from Sasuke, who looked at her, and then at Sakura, with furrowed brows.
She decided to ignore him too.
This was originally going to be two chapters, but they were going to be so damn short, and so I merged them.
For those that wanted to see the follow-up conversation between Sasuke and Hinata, I'm sorry, but with Sasuke's distance and Hinata's fear of confrontation, it wasn't going to happen. Not with such a delicate subject at least. Fear not, the reason Sasuke visited Hinata will be known... eventually.