That day, she couldn't find Sasuke.

With summer vacation in full, Hinata found herself with a lot more free time than she would've expected. Between training and studying, and considering how close she was to finishing the academy, she would've thought her schedule would be fuller. Instead, she had enough time to relax, and read, and take care of the garden.

And think.

She hadn't seen Sasuke in a while, and when she went to look for him, worried, she couldn't find him. His birthday was approaching, and she wanted to ask him what he would like as a present, even though he would definitely tell her he didn't need anything and not to bother.

He wasn't in his home, and he also wasn't on the training grounds. Without the academy to rely on, Hinata didn't have a lot of options if she wanted to see him than to seek him out, and he was probing rather elusive that day, much to her worry.

Maybe she should calm down. Just because he didn't appear, it didn't mean something bad was happening to him. She should know better than anyone how he appreciated his solitude from time to time, but it was also because she knew him that she couldn't help but worry. If he was feeling down and depressed, she wanted to be there for him.

Stop that. Sasuke-kun will find you if he needs you. You're his friend, not his mom.

Hinata really should put herself together. Sasuke wasn't so fragile that being away on his own would break him. He knew he could count on her if he needed her.

With those thoughts, she returned to her house, already planning out gifts to give him for his upcoming birthday. He always seemed partial to food, so maybe she could cook something other than onigiri this time around.

"Nee-sama, wait!"

She was distracted from her mission by the voice of her little sister. She turned to look, finding the small five-year-old running towards her, cheeks flushed, eyes glittering, training clothes and hair in a bit of a disarray and sweat shining on her forehead.

"What is it, Hanabi-chan?" Hinata asked once the girl stopped in front of her. She seemed winded, but that was just expected given she looked as if she had come directly from training.

Did she train with father? When was the last time I trained with him?

"Nothing! But it's been so long since we played together! I just finished training, do you want to play?" Hanabi interrupted Hinata's thoughts. The older girl hummed, her mind wandering towards her previous thoughts about Sasuke's gift.

There were still a few days left until then, and it had been a while since she played with Hanabi. She nodded with a smile. "Of course. What do you want to play?"

"Tag!"

Hinata followed Hanabi outside. She would look for Sasuke again tomorrow, and ask him what type of food he would like for his birthday.