Sasuke does some gardening.

Chapter 59:Fill my lungs with sweetness (can I be close to you?)

Cocking his head to the side, Sasuke stared unblinkingly at Hinata for a full minute.

Fortunately Kiyoko's ominous demand for Hinata's presence had turned out to be rather innocuous and hadn't eaten up much of their morning. Easily fulfilling her request, Sasuke and Hinata had then parted ways temporarily before meeting up again as discussed.

Though when Sasuke had asked for Hinata's help, he hadn't pictured this.

Dressed in a long-sleeved dove-gray shirt and a pair of baggy beige overalls that, despite being clean, had stubborn stains over the knees, Hinata adjusted her floppy sunhat self-consciously.

"Cute," he muttered. It was a word that often came to mind in Hinata's presence, but never one Sasuke had voiced before. Despite everything it felt a little embarrassing to say, but Hinata's reaction was worth it.

She flushed to her roots. "Y-You can't say things like that, Sasuke-kun!"

"Why not?" He asked, ducking down to catch her gaze under the brim of her ridiculous hat. "I think I might say things like that more often. Better get used to it."

He had the right to now, after all.

The sight of Hinata struggling to come up with a response had Sasuke's lips curling into a smirk. Deciding to show her some mercy, he said, "We should get started."

The plot of land Sasuke led them to was in a central location, ideal for what he had in mind. "What do you think?"

Hinata surveyed the area with serious eyes. "It's a good size. We can prepare all of it, but I would suggest starting to cultivate in a small area and then expanding. We'll need to section off pieces to keep things neat and add some fencing to keep animals out."

Sasuke took in her assessment appreciatively. "Where do we begin?"

Hinata turned to him and smiled. "With gloves."

After unsealing a number of gardening tools from a scroll tucked into her overalls, the two of them began their work. It took a good hour to finish weeding the garden and by the end of it Sasuke was sweating. He leaned back on his haunches and swiped at his forehead with the back of his arm. His hair felt hot from the sun beating down on him.

"You should get a hat too," Hinata suggested mildly as she sorted through her tools.

"Hell no."

Hinata made a disapproving noise that turned into a hum of accomplishment as she plucked up what looked like a large fork. "We'll need to till the soil, then we can start planting. I have fertilizer, but I didn't want to get seeds without talking to you first. What would you like to plant?"

"Tomatoes," Sasuke said easily. He leaned over to watch as Hinata worked the tool through the soil. She moved confidently, focused yet relaxed.

"I thought so." There was a hint of laughter in Hinata's voice. "Potatoes would be good too. And maybe daikon and komatsuna?"

"No herbs?" Sasuke asked, thinking of Hinata's own garden at the Hyuuga compound.

"Maybe later. Hearty and versatile vegetables would be most useful to feed everyone," Hinata said. Then, not looking away from her task, Hinata asked, "What else did you have in mind? Other than the community garden?"

Sasuke turned towards the main street of the Uchiha district, lined with abandoned buildings that used to be shops and houses. Though unkept, their foundations were still strong. Some scrubbing and a fresh coat of paint would do wonders. "Fixing up the houses. To rent or as free housing. There would need to be some kind of system, but I'm not sure about the details," he admitted, eyebrows furrowing. The idea had been forming in the back of his mind for some time now, but somewhere along the journey to Fujiwara's trial the need to turn it into a reality had ignited.

"The obaa-sans at the community center might be able to help," Hinata suggested. "They know how to organize charitable programs. And Hokage-sama and Naruto-kun could advise on things like applying for public funding or tax exemptions."

As Sasuke pondered the credulity of Kakashi or Naruto talking about taxes, almost as if reading his mind, Hinata corrected herself. "Um. Maybe Shikamaru-kun would be better for that…"

Sasuke grimaced, but nodded concedingly.

"And Ino-san has been talking about wanting to set up some kind of rehabilitation and reintegration program at the hospital for a while. But for something like that, being outside of the hospital setting might put people more at ease. If you provided space for that here, it might be able to be sustained by the hospital funds…"

As Hinata continued to speak, Sasuke listened intently, admiring not only her ideas but the display of how her mind worked. This was years of heiress training on display. Hinata wore it well. His gaze drifted from her bright eyes to her midnight blue hair. It was pulled into a messy braid, perhaps done by a child's clumsy fingers. From there his mismatched eyes trailed upwards and lingered.

Sasuke strained not to smile. She looked really cute in that stupid hat.

Sometime during his musings, Hinata had fallen silent again, fully concentrated on gardening. When he called her name, she acknowledged it without looking up.

"Hinata," he said again. This time he reached out, hand wrapping around Hinata's wrist, halting her work.

"Sasu—"

His name tasted sweet on her lips.

Pulling back, Sasuke took in her pink cheeks and bewildered expression smugly.

"Wha—"

As it turned out, her lips tasted sweet no matter what they were saying.

Sasuke didn't pull back for a long time. When he did, there was dirt in his hair from Hinata's gloved hands.

Running her forefinger down the packages hanging on display, Hinata stopped when she saw the one she was looking for. Plucking it off the hook, she held the package of tomato seeds up to Sasuke, receiving a nod in return. Content, she added it to the basket he had insisted on holding.

After cleaning up, Hinata and Sasuke had headed to the market with the intention of buying seeds for the new garden as well as groceries for dinner.

As they left the gardening store with their newly purchased seeds, Hinata found herself surreptitiously glancing at Sasuke out of the corner of her eyes. Sasuke was so bold when it came to physical touch and Hinata couldn't help but wonder if she was lagging behind.

But it wasn't that easy.

Handholding would inconvenience Sasuke. He only had the one and was currently using it to examine potatoes for discolouration. Looping their arms together required a lot more bodily contact, perhaps too much for such a public setting? Besides, Sasuke's left shoulder was occupied with the bag from the gardening store as well as a half-full grocery basket.

Surely there was some simple way she could convey their new relationship? Something that would clearly cross the line between friends and something more?

Or was Hinata overthinking things as usual?

"Ow." Though it didn't hurt, Hinata's hand flew to her forehead. She blinked up at Sasuke, whose back she had bumped into.

He quirked a brow and Hinata abruptly realized that she hadn't once wandered off, distracted by produce not actually needed for their meal. Instead she'd followed Sasuke dutifully and, judging by the contents of the basket he was holding, they had finished grocery shopping in record time.

"Um…"

"Hinata-san! Sasuke-san!"

Simultaneously, Hinata and Sasuke whipped their heads around to see an energetic Lee approaching them.

"Lee-san, hi," Hinata greeted.

"How lovely to see you two! Also partaking in the necessary nourishment to strengthen your bodies!" Lee crowed. He was carrying a basket overflowing with green. "I'd be happy to share Gai-sensei's green smoothie recipe! I swear by it! Even one sip will fill you with the burning energy of youth!"

"Um…that's very kind of you, Lee-san, but we were planning to make nikujaga tonight," Hinata said carefully, eyeing the bizarre variety of vegetables in Lee's basket.

Lee paused, eyes darting between Hinata and Sasuke. "The two of you…are dining together?" he asked.

Hinata glanced at Sasuke, catching his eyes and seeing them soften. She felt a pleased flush warm her cheeks. To Lee, she said, "We are."

Lee's big, black eyes grew bigger still, positively sparkling under the shop lights. "Hinata-san, Sasuke-san, your blooming friendship is the epitome of youth! Oh to have a companion to break bread with!" He started to tear up at this point. "When romance falters, it is our friends that keep us strong!" He threw up his arms, a few vegetables toppling out of his basket. "You have inspired me to share my green smoothies with Neji and Tenten! I must go right away!"

A little bemused, but fond of Lee's typical dramatics, Hinata simply smiled as the boy raced off. She could only hope he remembered to pay the clerk. Turning to Sasuke, expecting to share a look of amusement, Hinata was surprised to find him staring after Lee with a frown.

"Sasuke-kun?"

At the call of his name, Sasuke flattened his lips into a neutral expression. "Let's go," he said, making a beeline for the clerk.

Watching him walk away, Hinata considered the straight line of his spine, imagined pressing her palm against it, sliding her arms around his waist to hold herself close to him, resting her cheek just beside his shoulder blade and feeling his heartbeat against her skin. She started to move forward but stopped when her foot bumped into something.

At her feet, a nigauri rolled sadly across the floor.

Tucking her hair behind her ear, Hinata bent down to pick up the vegetables Lee had carelessly abandoned. By the time she caught up to Sasuke, he was waiting on the street having already paid. They walked back to his place, Sasuke's one hand holding their purchases and Hinata's two hands fiddling with her sleeves.

Each lost in their own thoughts, the silence between them was not as comfortable as it usually was.

Placing the last of the dishes to dry on the rack, Hinata patted her hands against the towel hanging on the oven and then rolled down her sleeves. Moving to join Sasuke in the living room, her slippered feet faltered when she caught sight of him on the couch, an open book splayed across his lap.

Despite their size difference, Sasuke always took the armchair, leaving Hinata free reign over the larger couch. This change in routine was no accident. Hinata tilted her head to the side.

She'd always thought of Sasuke as a person who valued his personal space. At the same time, he'd never had any trouble broaching hers with a confidence crossing well into brazenness.

But underneath that confidence, Sasuke too had things that embarrassed him, things he was insecure about.

"I know how you feel about him. I've known that since the beginning."

She remembered standing in the Hokage Tower with Sasuke, Sakura and Shikamaru just a few days ago, the desire to reach out to Sasuke warring with the belief that she had no claim on him.

Had Sasuke been feeling that too?

And…did he think he was alone in that feeling?

She remembered earlier this morning, Sasuke's eyes on her, his lips against hers.

"I think I might say things like that more often. Better get used to it."

He was good at that. Making her feel wanted, reassured of his feelings.

So good, in fact, that Hinata realized she had never once doubted him since he'd told her how he felt.

All the self-deprecation, berating herself for violating the sanctity of their friendship, the doubt and anxiety, it had all melted away like nothing.

Did she do that for him? It hadn't crossed her mind until just yesterday, in the middle of the forest under the moonlight when Sasuke had blurted out those words, that she might not.

But she wanted to. She wanted to reassure him of her feelings, to make sure he didn't doubt them.

First stopping by her bag to pull out the anatomy book her grandfather had recommended, Hinata curved around the couch to settle down on the seat next to Sasuke. Even with the few centimeters separating their bodies, Hinata could feel Sasuke go on alert though his mismatched eyes stayed glued to the book of Konoha laws he was reading.

Maintaining an air of nonchalance, Hinata allowed herself to naturally lean into Sasuke's side. Ignoring the stiffness of Sasuke's arm, Hinata opened her book and began diligently studying from where she'd left off. After a minute or so Sasuke seemed to overcome his surprise. Slowly, he adjusted so that Hinata's head nestled perfectly against his shoulder. Inhaling the scent of his detergent, Hinata hummed contently.

"I'm going to post a mission request tomorrow," Sasuke said, "For help restoring the houses in the Uchiha district." There was an implicit invitation in his voice.

Hinata turned her head a little, reluctant to move but wanting to see Sasuke's face. "You don't need to hire genin for that. Our friends would be happy to help."

Sasuke made a face. "I'm contributing to the local economy," he said, making Hinata giggle. "I could do that too," he allowed, "Take advantage of the free labour and terrorize some genin. It'll be faster. And we'll need at least one house ready as soon as possible."

A small smile broke out on Hinata's face and she pressed it into Sasuke's shoulder like a poorly kept secret. "I was planning on dropping by the Nara's tomorrow to pick up the fruit from Yoshino-san. I'll probably spend the rest of the day baking."

Sasuke made a sound of acknowledgement. Hinata thought she heard a hint of disappointment in it.

Sasuke, who trusted so few people and had so little faith in the world, was trusting Hinata with his heart.

She wanted Sasuke to know his heart was safe with her. The way she knew hers was safe with him.

"Maybe…" she started, leaning further into him, "Once I'm done, you could help me drop them off to everyone?"

Sasuke's fingers ran across the edge of the page he'd yet to finish reading since Hinata entered the living room. "…okay."

Rising up on her knees, Hinata murmured a soft "thank you" against Sasuke's jaw before settling back down. They both returned to their reading, Hinata now sitting more in Sasuke's lap than on the couch. Nothing more needed to be said.

"Hah! I can't believe you announced your relationship by making Sasuke drop off homemade pastries with you," Kiba taunted. He followed this up with a quick jab at Hinata's side, which she expertly sidestepped. "Are you guys dating or did you open a bakery together?" This time it was a kick and Akamaru was waiting to trip her up when she dodged.

Coolheaded, Hinata didn't rise to Kiba's mocking. Twisting away, she threw herself into a backflip, simultaneously kicking Kiba in the chest. It was a deceptively light kick, reinforced by chakra. Taken aback by its strength, Kiba flew back and it was only Akamaru's support that kept him on his feet.

They kept at it for a while, Kiba's brawling style clashing with Hinata reliance on speed and flexibility, forcing them both to adapt. They drew it out longer than needed, neither fighting to win so much as to get their blood pumping. Ultimately after stepping on Akamaru's tail, Hinata hesitated enough for Kiba to pin her down.

Akamaru yipped happily, a far cry from the pained whimper he'd let out a second ago. "When are you going to stop falling for that," Kiba translated with a chuckle. He released his grip on Hinata's wrists and yanked her up to her feet.

Hinata shrugged sheepishly, rubbing her wrists. Akamaru nosed into her thigh and she scratched his head, assuring him there were no hard feelings.

"Hina! Have to sorry!" Mirai demanded. She was plopped in Shino's lap, watching the proceedings from under the shade of a nearby tree.

"I'm very sorry, Akamaru-kun," Hinata apologized dutifully.

Akamaru yipped again, tongue lolling out as if he were laughing.

"Aka says okay," Mirai said. She didn't have Kiba nor the rest of Team Eight's ability to understand Akamaru, but that certainly didn't stop her. According to Mirai, Akamaru often asked for extra servings of dessert and for her to be allowed to keep playing longer.

"Mm." Hinata tilted her head towards Akamaru, cupping a hand behind her ear. "I think Akamaru-kun is also sayings its lunchtime," she said.

"Takoyaki!" Mirai cheered, little arms shaking in glee.

Stopping one of her arms from colliding with his face, Shino transferred Mirai to his shoulders where she immediately began playing with the hood of his coat. "Takoyaki," Shino agreed solemnly.

Trailing behind them with Kiba, Hinata took the opportunity to ask. "…was it weird?"

"Huh?" Kiba looked confused for a moment. "Oh! Hinata and Sasuke's delivery service? You know that was just trash talk. Didn't even throw you off for a second though."

"I know, but…" Hinata played with her sleeves.

"Not gonna lie, opening the door to Uchiha Sasuke glowering at me and shoving a box of pastries at me was a little weird," Kiba said, massaging his chest where Hinata had kicked him.

"Sasuke-kun wasn't glowering!"

"Might just be his face," Kiba accepted. When Hinata pouted, he laughed, ruffling her hair until she was ducking away and jogging to catch up with Shino, Mirai and Akamaru. "I was kidding!" he called after. "It was cute! Wholesome even! You're going to singlehandedly rehabilitate Sasuke's image!"

Taking refuge by Shino's side, Hinata slowed her pace and huffed out a breath. It was only then that she noticed a suddenly gloomy energy emanating from her teammate. "Shino-kun?"

"Why was I left out again?" Shino asked. Mirai had yanked his hood further down so his face was even less visible than usual, adding to the morose aura.

Thin brows drawing together, Hinata replied, "You weren't home when we stopped by? We left your box with Shibi-san…"

Shino stopped abruptly. Scooping Mirai off his shoulders and into Hinata's arms, he then proceeded to dig into his pockets. Pulling out his wallet, he said, "I would like to place an order for special delivery."

"Shino-kun! We're not actually opening a bakery!" Hinata cried while Kiba burst into laughter.

"What a shame." Slipping his wallet back into his pocket, Shino began walking again like nothing happened.

Holding a clueless Mirai closer to her chest, Hinata pursed her lips. "Next time I'm not making you any," she told her teammates sulkily before charging off, Mirai in tow.

"Perhaps we went too far," Shino mused. "We may not get baked goods from Hinata for some time."

"Nah. There's no way she'd leave us out like that…right?" Kiba looked at Hinata's retreating figure, then at Shino, then back. With a start, he ran after her. "Wait, Hinata-chan! You didn't actually mean that, did you?"

Sasuke stood back as Kiba examined the house, rattling off an assessment of its standing as well a list of things to repair and materials he would need.

When he'd approached Kiba for some pointers, he hadn't expected this level enthusiasm. The other shinobi had invited himself over to the Uchiha district which was…irritating, but admittedly more practical.

Sasuke's eyes slid over to Shino who was a silent shadow and his brows twitched.

"I can grab the stuff and come over later. I have some leftovers from my last project at home and I got an in with the hardware store — the guy always gives me good discounts," Kiba said. "And I can round up the guys to help. Lee will be easy and he'll drag Neji along. Chouji'll do it for a free lunch. Probably better off without Shikamaru's lazy ass. "

"I'm going to hire some genin," Sasuke said.

"Do both," Kiba said with a shrug. "The more the merrier and all that."

"It is a good idea. Why? The genin will learn valuable life skills and have a rare opportunity to work alongside their seniors," Shino noted.

Still a little thrown by the encounter, Sasuke nodded haltingly.

As they were leaving, the other shoe dropped.

"Ne, Sasuke," Kiba started in an undertone, "You'll put in a good word to Hinata-chan for us?"

Keeping his face blank, Sasuke replied with a simple, "Ah."

Not put off by his shortness, Kiba patted him roughly on the shoulder. "Thanks, man."

Shino gave him a wordless thumbs up before following Kiba out the gates.

Sasuke shuddered at the cheesy gesture.

Turning down the aisle, Sasuke went straight to the shelf with eggs. With the basket in his right hand, he turned to the side in anticipation, only to be met with the sight of a conspicuous empty space.

"Tch." Sasuke set the basket down at his feet, grabbed the package of eggs and carefully placed them inside it. Picking the basket back up, he backtracked, searching for a head of midnight blue. Upon not finding one, he frowned. Looping around again, he scanned up and down, mismatched eyes finally catching on a figure crouched down in front of a shelf.

Sighing, he walked up beside her. Her long hair fell down her back, only a foot or so away from touching the ground. The temptation to curl the ends around his hand and pull was strong, but Sasuke didn't feel like putting the basket down again. He settled for calling her name. "Hinata."

"Oh! Sasuke-kun!" Lavender eyes looked up at him brightly. "Look! This dashi is from Suna!" Hinata exclaimed, holding up the package. "I've never seen it in this store before."

"Grab one then."

"Ah, but we still have dashi at home," Hinata murmured almost to herself. She took her bottom lip between her teeth as she continued to study the package.

At home.

The basket dropped to the ground with a soft thud.

"Eh?" Hinata blinked in confusion when the dashi was snatched out of her hands and deposited into the basket. Then a light yank at her hair had her letting out a soft "ow".

"Stop wandering off." Basket in hand again, Sasuke walked towards the cash register. He could hear Hinata scurrying after to keep up with his longer strides.

The granddaughter of the shop owner was manning the register today. Sasuke emptied the contents of their basket on the counter before turning bodily to Hinata. "Kiba and Shino came by the Uchiha district today," he told her, ignoring the blatant staring of the clerk and an aborted attempt at small talk.

"Mm?" Hinata looked back at him innocently.

Sasuke held her gaze with slightly narrowed eyes. A minute passed. He gave in. "To help with fixing up the houses."

Hinata smiled and Sasuke thought there was a hint of triumph to the sweet curve of her lips. "That's kind of them."

The clerk was saying something. Without acknowledging her, Sasuke lay down the correct amount of yen on the counter. Grabbing the bagged groceries while Hinata thanked the clerk cheerily, Sasuke waited for Hinata to pass him before following her out of the store.

"My girlfriend's scary," Sasuke noted as they made their way down the street.

Hinata didn't look upset, far from it. She walked a little closer to him, their arms brushing with every step, and sent him a sunny smile, cheeks cutely pink. "They know what they did."

Surprised, Sasuke huffed out a laugh. "Scary."

Unbothered, Hinata hummed, raising her head towards the sky. "It looks like rain."

We've been short on the SasuHina cuteness in the past few chapters, so here's one dedicated (almost) entirely to that.

Thank you to everyone reading and leaving comments I love hearing from you guys

MVH