A Sasuke-centric chapter this time

Chapter 62:Do you feel home from all directions?

"Ugh. This is so boring, Sasuke-san," Hanabi complained, paintbrush in hand and a bucket by her feet.

"You're getting paid for it aren't you?" Sasuke muttered, doing an about face to avoid the snarky genin.

"Friends! I am in need of assistance!"

"I've got it, Lee! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." Suddenly there were five Narutos running around.

"Coming through!"

Sasuke narrowly avoided getting hit in the head by a plank of wood as Kiba walked by. He gritted his teeth and resisted cursing the other boy out.

The Uchiha district had been bustling all morning since Kiba and Shino had shown up with Naruto, Lee, Neji, Chouji and Sai in tow. Coincidentally Kakashi had also seen fit to send a gaggle of genin to fulfil Sasuke's mission request at the same time. Altogether the ruckus they were making was giving Sasuke a headache which only worsened the discomfort Sasuke was already feeling at the sight of so many people in his clan dwelling.

Sasuke pushed the useless feeling down. He needed the help to make the district livable again. And as the ultimate purpose of making it livable was to have people living in it, Sasuke would need to get used to this eventually.

It was what he wanted. It was. But that didn't make it easier. He hadn't anticipated how it would affect him to see people other than himself and Hinata walking on these grounds.

Retreating a little ways away from the activity, Sasuke rubbed at his temple with his one hand, imagining it was a smaller set of fingers.

If he closed his eyes he could almost smell the peppermint.

"Yo. Are you good?"

Eyes flying open, a defensive frown settled on Sasuke's face, but it faltered in the face of Kiba's genuine expression. Then a nose prodded into his side followed by a bark.

"Akamaru says you smell like anxiety. And Hinata."

"Don't smell my feelings." The words came out less angry than Sasuke had intended because Akamaru was still lightly pressing into his side, looking up at him with big eyes.

"You can pet him if you'd like. It'll help."

Akamaru yipped as if in agreement.

Hesitantly Sasuke reached out, placing his hand on Akamaru's head. Akamaru unreservedly leaned into the touch, startling Sasuke a bit.

Cats were usually particular about letting a human pet them. It appeared dogs weren't as finicky.

"Hang out here for a bit. Just breathe and focus on Akamaru," Kiba offered.

It grated on Sasuke's nerves to be handled like a child, but for whatever reason he couldn't muster up the energy to snap at the other shinobi so he ended up merely grunting.

Kiba ran off to join the others, shouting out commands Sasuke couldn't hear, too busy grudgingly doing as he had been told. Breathing and focusing on Akamaru.

"I suppose you've had practice soothing someone's anxiety," Sasuke said lowly as he continued to run his hand over Akamaru's fur. It was rough — meant to protect from the elements — but clean and well cared for.

Akamaru yipped again.

That knowledge more than anything appeased Sasuke. He imagined the blushing, stuttering girl he'd known in the academy holding a smaller Akamaru against her jackrabbit heart and the dog doing everything it could to alleviate her ever present anxiety.

Then as if he'd summoned her, he felt the gentle aura of her chakra signature.

"Hinata!"

"Nee-sama!"

"Hinata's here!"

"Oh! What's that? Is it for us?"

"That smells so good!"

But when Sasuke looked up, the girl he saw wasn't the anxious twelve-year-old of his memories. That girl wouldn't have been able to handle the number of eyes currently directed at her.

But eighteen-year-old Hinata only smiled. "Ah, since everyone's been working so hard, I thought I would make lunch." In her arms she held a large basket, the source of the delicious smell circulating around the district.

As soon as the words left her lips, she was surrounded by a group of ravenous ninja. Sasuke's hand twitched in Akamaru's fur and the dog gave a low whine as if he too wanted to run over to Hinata. Sasuke scratched between Akamaru's ears, waiting as patiently as he could while Hinata handed out bento boxes. She chatted a little longer with Hanabi and Neji, but even they eventually left to sit down and eat leaving her with only Kiba. The Inuzuka said something in her ear before turning in Sasuke's direction.

"Akamaru, c'mon! Lunch time!" he called, waving two bento boxes in the air.

Pushing his big head into Sasuke's side as a farewell, Akamaru took off with an excited bark. But Sasuke wasn't left alone for long.

"Sasuke-kun." Hinata's voice was soft enough that it would have been lost in the noise — even louder than before now that everyone was on break — had she not been standing so close. "Will you have lunch with me?"

Sasuke gave himself a minute to breathe her in, the scent of lavender and chamomile. He nodded.

Taking his hand in hers, Hinata intertwined their fingers before using the hold to tug Sasuke along.

Cocking his head to the side, Sasuke shot Hinata a questioning look. She simply smiled in response.

Sasuke let Hinata guide them out onto the Uchiha docks. The noise from the district grew quieter with every step they took. Sasuke exhaled.

Coming to a stop, Hinata let go of Sasuke's hand. She set the basket down and lowered herself onto the wooden boards of the dock. When large lavender eyes looked up at him beseechingly, Sasuke followed suit.

"Kiba said something," Sasuke guessed. His earlier annoyance at the Inuzuka came back, this time with no Akamaru to mitigate it.

"It was a little overwhelming there for me too," Hinata said. She dug into the basket and pulled out a bento. She held it out. "And it's nice when it's just the two of us," she added.

And just like that Sasuke found it difficult to hold onto any negative emotions. He took the bento and waited to open it until Hinata had pulled out her own from the basket.

When he opened the lid, Sasuke blinked. The food looked as delicious as it had smelled, but there was one thing…

Did the onigiri have a suspicious resemblance to himself?

Sasuke's eyes darted back and forth between the onigiri and Hinata's expectant face.

There was something repelling about seeing himself in onigiri form. It was too cute. Yet…

Sasuke looked at Hinata's hands. He was intimately familiar with their softness. He imagined those soft hands painstakingly going through the trouble of not only making enough food to feed everyone helping rebuild the Uchiha district, but of specially personalizing Sasuke's bento.

He felt heat crawling up his neck and up to his ears. It really was too cute.

Shaking his head, Sasuke picked up the chopsticks in his one hand.

"Itadakimasu."

They ate peacefully, the sound of the Naka no Kawa in the background. The throbbing in Sasuke's temples eased. The tangy taste of tomato burst across his tongue as he savagely bit through his onigiri self. "It's good," he made sure to tell her.

Gaze trained on her own bento, Hinata smiled.

"Your sister's kind of a brat," Sasuke mentioned, nibbling on a potato croquette.

Wrinkling her nose, Hinata said, "Though her mission outside of the village was uneventful, she really enjoyed it. Going back to D-rank missions has been disappointing." She took a polite-sized bite out of her onigiri, sadly not Hinata-shaped. After chewing and swallowing she said, "It looked like you made a lot of progress already."

"…we did." Although Sasuke had mapped out the plans himself, he'd felt expendable once they'd gotten started. Doubly so when he'd needed to hide away to calm down. It was clear everyone else there had more experience than him, likely a consequence of all the rebuilding Konoha had needed after the war. Rebuilding that Sasuke hadn't been present for.

He felt Hinata's eyes on him and wondered what she saw. He didn't try to control his expression around her. Had never been very good at it if he were honest.

Hadn't wanted to be, if he were very honest.

Meeting her eyes with his own mismatched pair, the emotion Sasuke found in Hinata's lavender depths wasn't the scrutiny he was often met with. Too many people tried to decipher his thoughts, to use that knowledge to make him malleable, to manipulate him.

Not Hinata. Hinata asked for nothing. Expected less.

Hinata saw him. For no other reason than that she believed everyone deserved to be seen.

Sasuke didn't want to be seen. Didn't want people to see the mess he was inside. The darkness, the unworthiness.

But with Hinata…he wanted to be seen by her.

As she finished another bite, Hinata looked out at the river. "I remember the first time we came here…" She had a faraway look in her eyes.

Sasuke paused, chopsticks a few centimeters from his mouth. "The day you tried to ditch me," he deadpanned. He popped the cherry tomato into his mouth.

Hinata's head whirled around. "That's not —!" She stopped, a pout forming on her lips when she was met with Sasuke's unbothered chewing.

Charmed, Sasuke finished eating and decided to humour her. "I remember you looking like a drowned kitten that day." Hinata's lips parted in shock and Sasuke smirked. "It was cute." Just as quickly her lips shut, pink dusting her cheeks.

"…You did a lot for me that day," Hinata said after she'd gathered herself. "You reassured me. You lent me warm clothes. You gave me tea and daifuku."

"I also told you that when you pointed out things like that it made it seem like your expectations of me were low."

Hinata hummed in thought. "Maybe they were." She blinked, quickly correcting herself, "Not of you! But in general."

Sasuke made a noise of understanding as he finished the last of his bento. He couldn't say he disagreed with that. He put the empty bento back in the basket.

"You were really thoughtful that day," Hinata continued. "I slowly started to notice that you always had been. You pay attention to small things. But more than that, you act on those things you notice. You go out of your way to take care of me." Her plush lips curved into a beautiful smile, eyes reflecting the afternoon sun. "You…you make me really happy, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke's heart stuttered in his chest. His ears felt hot.

Hinata had finished eating, but still held onto her bento, her fingers tapping against the wooden box. Gently, Sasuke pulled it out of her hands and deposited into the basket. He shifted closer, his clothed knee pressing against her bare one. Sasuke was wearing black lightweight pants and a navy short-sleeved shirt. Hinata was in loose tan shorts and a lilac short-sleeved shirt.

Sasuke wondered if she was cold. The spring weather wasn't that warm.

It wasn't any more skin than she normally showed in her ninja gear and yet her legs looked so much more touchable without the barrier of the fishnet stockings. It was driving Sasuke a little crazy.

Unable to resist, Sasuke put his hand on her knee. His thumb outlined the pointy protrusion of bone encased in velvety skin. He heard Hinata's breath hitch. "I'm not going out of my way," he negated. "You're easy to care for. And I like doing it."

Hinata leaned closer to him, the silky stands of her hair tumbling down her shoulder with the movement. "You notice all of these things about me without me needing to say anything, but…that doesn't mean I shouldn't say them out loud anyway," she whispered.

Tearing his eyes away from where his thumb was stroking against her knee, Sasuke looked at Hinata's face, drinking in her expression. Her eyes were shining with that same overflowing emotion and Sasuke instinctively answered it. "Hinata, I really like you." It felt less like he was saying the words and more like they jumped out, unwilling to stay inside him.

An airy giggle escaped Hinata, sounding exhilarated rather than amused. "Me too. I really like you too, Sasuke-kun."

Wind whistled through the cherry blossom grove, catching petals in its whims and ruffling Sasuke's hair. The breeze was hardly forceful and yet Sasuke's head swiveled with it almost against his will. The movement granted him a full view Senju Park.

It was odd. Months ago Sasuke had been assigned here, replanting trees and reseeding the grass. The park had been completely destroyed, a mere shade of what it had once been. Now it was flourishing, certainly not due to Sasuke's efforts alone. Evidently Yamato had been around to give the plants a boost, they wouldn't have grown so quickly on their own.

It was late in the season for hanami, but the grove was nonetheless filled with families and groups of friends gathered to watch the blossoms. By all means it was a happy sight, but Sasuke's eyes were unfocused, vision doubled.

The new trees were tall and strong with the appearance that they'd been standing there for years. But they weren't the same trees Sasuke remembered.

A monotone voice interrupted Sasuke's thoughts. His vision refocused with a blink.

"Ino says you may join us on our blanket. Your outfits are aesthetically pleasing and will not clash."

Sasuke scanned Sai and then Ino, who was situated on a blanket a few meters behind in the cherry blossom grove they'd agreed to meet at. Then he looked at himself at Hinata. It was meant to be a quick glance, but his eyes caught, lingering over the exposed skin of her arms and legs.

Hinata and Ino's clothes were indeed coordinated. Ino in a matching skirt and top made of purple fabric patterned with white flowers, midriff on display as usual, Hinata in a more modest short-sleeved cream sundress littered with purple flowers.

Sasuke and Sai were simply dressed in all black.

"Um. Thank you, Sai-san. But I thought we would all sit together?" Hinata tilted her head to the side. Her ridiculous sunhat flopped over her eyes and she was forced to adjust it.

His girlfriend looked so cute and they were stuck at a cherry blossom viewing with half the village.

Sasuke let out a long-suffering sigh.

Sai shot him a quizzical look before his attention returned to Hinata. "Ino and I are on a date. Unlike the others, it will still be a date if you join us as you are also a couple. The only other couple here." Perfectly timed, a hiss and a disgruntled bark broke through the air. Sai smiled with emotionless eyes. "The only other couple without animal companions. Animals are not allowed on double dates. Ino is very interested in double dating." Sai paused for a moment, then added, "I have never experienced it, so I am a little curious."

"Keep being curious." Sasuke would have liked to guide Hinata away with a hand on her shoulder, but he only had the one and it was occupied holding a basket filled with food Hinata had made for the occasion. With little other choice, he opted to bodily turn to Hinata, blocking Sai from view. "The rest of them are over there." He cocked his head towards where the Konoha Twelve, sans Ino and Sai, plus Tamaki, were sitting, as if Hinata could possibly have missed them. They were a raucous lot taking up too much space. Sasuke had no idea where they'd managed to find a blanket of that size.

"Um." Hinata's eyes flitted, in vain, to where Sai was still standing like some kind of mannequin behind Sasuke, completely out of sight to her.

"I can hear Akimichi's stomach growling from here," Sasuke said.

"Oh!" Hinata gasped. "The food! Everyone must be waiting for it!" She leaned to the side in an attempt to catch a glimpse of Sai. "Please apologize to Ino-san for us, Sai-san. But do come by and grab some food!"

Sasuke waited for Hinata before following after her. Everyone greeted them excitedly and Hinata pressed into his side briefly as if bracing herself. Setting the basket down, Sasuke was finally free to place his hand on the small of her back. He felt Hinata relax into his touch.

The small moment was interrupted by Chouji. As predicted, he was the first in line to help Hinata unpack the basket and lay the food out.

"You outdid yourself, Hinata-san!"

"Ah, thank you, Chouji-san. Sasuke-kun helped," Hinata demurred.

Chouji guffawed. "Sasuke did?"

Kiba coughed loudly, muttering something that sounded like "Hinata and Sasuke's delivery service".

Cutting a glare across the entire group until they quieted, Sasuke silently waited for Hinata to be done.

What had they expected him to do? Just sit and watch as she cooked up a frenzy in his kitchen?

It was a drawn out process with all the "ooh"ing and "ah"ing at each dish unearthed from the basket, but it was worth it for Hinata's pleased smile. Sasuke naturally fell a little further back, content to watch Hinata in her element.

Distracted by said smile, Sasuke didn't notice the approach of his former teammate until he was addressed.

"Did Ino kick you guys out of her spot too? She told us all to sit at least five meters away so we didn't ruin the romantic mood or hurt her eyes with our outfits," Sakura said. There was a cautious tilt to her smile. Her right hand gripped her left arm nervously. "Which doesn't make sense considering we bought our outfits together," she added, voice taking on a rambling tone. She was clad in red, a one-piece with shorts that held the appearance of a skirt. The pink flowers decorating her clothes resembled the pattern worn by Hinata and Ino.

For a moment Sasuke considered agreeing with her to put her at ease. "No. Unlike you losers, we got an invitation to join."

Sakura's awkward demeanor disappeared as she puffed up with irritation. "Ugh, of course she did! That Ino-pig…"

Sasuke was reminded of their academy days. Sakura's more timid attitude before she'd started getting into regular petty arguments with Ino that later extended to Naruto and some of their more obnoxious classmates.

But then Sakura did something she'd never really done before.

"And you! Who are you calling a loser?" she sniped. "You know she only invited you because of Hinata, right? Outside of your looks, you're a total loser in her books too." The expression on her face was half-serious, half-joking, the kind Sasuke had often seen directed at others but never at himself.

No, Sakura didn't show Sasuke this kind of expression. During their genin days she would be quick to hide it after every outburst at Naruto, a false demure veil falling over her when she presented herself to Sasuke. In her more honest moments there'd be a genuine sweetness reserved for him, frequently followed by a bitter sadness when that sweetness wasn't reciprocated.

But this, this brash, hot-headed behaviour was not something Sakura had every felt comfortable expressing to Sasuke, too preoccupied with impressing him.

Sasuke snorted. "I don't put much stock in Ino's opinions. Look at who she's dating."

Sakura huffed out a laugh that she quickly disguised as a cough. "Ah, Sai's not that bad."

"You'd rather be over there with him and Ino?"

"Definitely not."

Sasuke snorted again at the immediate response. "Where's the idiot?"

Sakura doesn't miss a beat. "Knowing him, stuck at the Hokage Tower."

"I'm surprised you haven't dragged him out," Sasuke remarked. Most of his attention was still focused on Hinata chatting with Chouji, pointing at the dishes they'd prepared, but his eyes slid to the side when Sakura responded, half-serious, half-joking.

"It's tiring always being the voice of reason."

Sasuke's first instinct was to tell Sakura that no one asked her to do that in the first place. But he stopped, gave himself a second, glanced back at Hinata at the exact moment that she looked his way, softened at the bright look in her lavender eyes.

"I know you didn't mean to, but you might have put Sakura-san in the middle."

Turning to Sakura, Sasuke saw the unsure slump to her shoulders, saw the way she tried to stop herself from leaning too far into his personal space. And he understood that with one word he could ruin her entire day. That was the power he had over her, the power she'd given him.

The power he didn't want.

He hoped one day soon he wouldn't have that power anymore, for both their sakes.

Rather than respond verbally, Sasuke grunted. An ambiguous sound that could pass for agreement or disagreement.

Finally seeing that Hinata had fully emptied out the basket, Sasuke started to step forward, but paused at the heavy feeling of eyes trained on his back. Head tilted to toss a casual glance over his shoulder, Sasuke found Sakura staring back. Hands loose at her sides, her hair almost blended perfectly into the cherry blossoms overhead.

He gave her a parting nod before swiftly turning his attention back forward.

"Hinata-chan, come say hi to Tamaki!"

A second too late, it seemed. Hinata had already been whisked away by her teammates.

Brows twitching, Sasuke made his way over to the foursome — six if you counted Akamaru and Momo — in a few long strides. In the midst of a conversation with Tamaki, Hinata naturally adjusted to accommodate him, body angling towards him as she shot him a quick smile.

Tamaki's reaction was not as subtle, her eyes widening. "Sasuke-kun, it's been a while!" she said with an enthusiastic grin.

Sasuke nodded in acknowledgment to both Tamaki and the cat cradled in her arms as he settled where Hinata had made room for him beside her. "How's neko-baa?" he asked.

Tamaki's grin got a notch brighter. "Same as ever! You should pay her a visit — she'd love that!"

Sasuke made a noncommittally sound.

"Wait, wait! You know Sasuke?! Sasuke knows you?!" Kiba asked, flabbergasted.

"Yeah! When were little he used to come visit my grandmother's shop all the time with his brother," Tamaki explained. It was only after she'd said the words that her expression faltered.

"Oh…"

The atmosphere sunk like a leaden balloon.

"Not just them!" Tamaki corrected herself hurriedly. "I mean, my grandmother has contracts with a lot of ninja, so…" She tightened her grasp on Momo as she trailed off.

While their conversation plunged into a loaded silence, around them excited chattering and lighthearted laughter continued.

Sasuke felt their eyes on him, Tamaki, Kiba, Shino. They were waiting on him to react. The problem was he didn't know how to. As a genin the anger had erupted out of him when nekobaa had brought up the origins of the Nikukyū Taizen. Now, that anger was diminished, but there was nothing to take its place.

A small hand nestled in the crook of Sasuke's elbow, thin fingers cool against his heated skin. Sasuke felt himself relax. Hinata was speaking. Sasuke couldn't hear exactly what she was saying over the buzzing in his ears, but he didn't need to. He concentrated on the sound of her voice and let her lead him away.

When they came to a stop, Hinata cupped his face in her small hands. Her pearlescent eyes peered up at him from under the brim of her floppy hat. Sasuke's eyelids dipped, feeling heavy. His head dipped too, fully relying on Hinata's hold to keep him up.

It shouldn't have caught him so off guard to have Itachi brought up, but he wasn't used to it. His brother, his family, was an off-limits topic around the village. One that people knew better than to broach unless they were trying to provoke him.

But Tamaki's intentions had been innocent. Perhaps that's what had thrown him off.

He opened his mouth to speak and what came out was, "The trees are different."

Hinata said nothing, continuing to gaze up at him with those gentle eyes.

"We came here for hanami around this time of year. But we'd come at night, with paper lanterns. We'd buy the materials from one of the obaa-sans in the neighbourhood and make them together. Then we'd hang them up when we got here. Itachi would help me reach the branches." Sasuke closed his eyes and his perfect recall recreated those memories with precision. "Those trees are gone now."

Everything was gone.

The trees that they would picnic under in the moonlight, removed from the rest of the village who came during the daytime. His father allowing his mother to tease his tension away outside the bounds of the four walls of their home without the scrutiny of outsiders. His brother's black eyes shining with a childish glow from the lanterns' light.

The Uchiha district, their protected home within Konoha. Piece by piece it would be gone too, replaced by newer material as they rebuilt it. New material without any history to it.

Sasuke had already lost everything, so why did it feel like he was still losing more?

Konoha had taken everything from him and yet at the same time it was the only remaining place that held any traces of his past. Now even that was being erased. One day there would truly be nothing left and Sasuke didn't know how he felt about that.

The village didn't deserve that importance, but there was no substitute.

"Tell me." Hinata's voice was soft, imploring. She took his hand in both of hers and pulled it to her, pressing his palm against her heart. "I'll hold it safely for you. Here."

Sasuke's own heart rattled loudly against his ribcage, a syncopated rhythm so different from Hinata's steady heartbeat. As he stared into her determined eyes, Sasuke knew Hinata would guard any secret he imparted to her with her life, protected in the warmth of her embrace.

There was so much he wanted to tell her, but he couldn't find the words in this moment. For want of words, his head dipped even lower, lips pressed to where her hat covered her forehead. "Thank you."

They stood there quietly for a moment, breathing each other in even as the world continued to spin around them. Finally, Sasuke made himself step back. "Let's join the others." They'd come here for a reason and he didn't want to ruin Hinata's day any more than he already had.

Hinata shook her head. "We don't have to." Before Sasuke could argue, she used her grip on his hand to tug him back around the trees so that the rest of the Konoha Twelve were now within view. "We can enjoy the blossoms from here. Our friends won't mind."

"We don't have a blanket."

Hinata shrugged, folding her legs gracefully to sit directly on the grass.

"Your dress will get stained," Sasuke said, even as he dropped down beside her.

"That's okay," Hinata said with another shrug.

Sasuke eyed her doubtfully and seriously considered sitting her on his lap, but quickly dismissed the idea. Hinata might spontaneously combust. "We don't have food."

"Oh!" Hinata's eyes widened and she started to get up. "Are you hungry? I can go get something —"

Sasuke pulled her back down, not quite on his lap but considerably closer than she'd been sitting before. "I'm fine."

Hinata's lips formed a small moue, but when his hand found her bare knee, she bit her lip and then ducked her head into his chest, almost losing her hat.

From where they were sitting, Sasuke could see the rest of the Konoha Twelve. Sai and Ino were still off on their own, Sai with a pencil and sketchbook and seemingly unbothered though Ino was restricting his movements with her clinging. Shikamaru and Sakura were chatting while Chouji contributed a few nods in between bites of food. To their right, Lee was monologuing and Tenten was at least pretending to listen while Neji sat meditatively with his eyes closed. Tamaki and Shino were conversing peacefully, oblivious to the fact that beside them Akamaru and Momo were facing off with Kiba trying to run interference.

It felt better from a distance than it had in the thick of it.

"They look happy."

Sasuke glanced down and was met with Hinata's sunhat. "We can go down there, if you want to."

Hinata hummed in thought. "Is it okay that I'd rather be here?" she asked unsurely. "I like being with everyone, but sometimes it's…"

"Too much," Sasuke finished for her. Because it made sense.

Back at the academy, when Sasuke scored high or won a spar and his classmates would crowd around him and he'd be irate, the contrary feeling of wanting the attention for his accomplishments but wishing they'd leave him alone afterwards, he would stare across the room and catch Hinata standing on the outskirts.

"Mm. And from here, it's easier to see everyone having fun," Hinata said.

"You're sure?" Sasuke asked, because he had to be certain.

Hinata nodded, keeping her gaze straight ahead. "I'm sure. You're here, so I'm happy."

Squeezing her knee, Sasuke directed his gaze forward as well. There was a new addition beside Sakura and Shikamaru, a head of spiky blond. As if sensing Sasuke's eyes on him, Naruto looked up. A wide grin split his face, an automatic reaction, and he opened his mouth to yell out but Sasuke shot him a forbidding look that had his mouth snapping shut again.

Grin dimming, Naruto's blue eyes flashed to where Hinata was tucked into Sasuke's side and then back to Sasuke.

Expecting to see jealousy, Sasuke was surprised to see that the expression on Naruto's face seemed to be one of concern. Huffing out a breath at his friend's selflessness nature, Sasuke shook his head and watched as Naruto's worried frown slowly faded. The blond continued to study them for a minute with thoughtful eyes.

A sudden strong gust of wind sprinkled cherry blossoms throughout the grove, drawing squeals of delight from the viewers. Distracted, Naruto turned away.

Sighing softly, Sasuke arched his neck, head hitting the trunk of the tree they were sitting under. The blossoming branches filtered the sunlight, transforming it into something less harsh. Not as soft as a lantern's glow, but pleasant in its own right. Eyes slipping shut, Sasuke stroked his thumb against the skin of Hinata's knee to an unknown rhythm, content to tune out the loud sounds around them.

Sasuke's going through some growing pains, but he has Hinata.

MVH