"Lady Hinata, are you sure you don't need me to come along?" Ko stood with only his head and his shoulders visibly tilted, gripping the side of the open sliding door connecting Hinata's room to the halls as the rest of his body stayed behind it.
He had been nervously envisioning any possible danger that could arise while the little princess was out and about—visiting the heart of the village on her own to study alone for the Chunin exam.
"Ko, thank you. But, I'll be fine." Hinata grabbed a few books and a notebook, along with a pencil, placing each item into her backpack as Ko brooded over her decision to leave without the need for his presence on an occasion like this.
Although Hinata was now a Genin and she was more than capable to be wandering on her own without the need for an escort, Ko had often kept the habit of asking if she needed to be accompanied wherever she ventured.
"I promise to pick something up for you on my way back," she smiled, zipping her bag shut before slipping the straps onto her shoulders. A string of guilt traveled through, thinking about all the times his kindness and overprotective nature had always driven her to feel safe.
"Understood, my lady." Ko unfolded his hands from the side as Hinata made her way outside of her room, sliding her door shut before facing the tall man ahead of her.
"I won't be out for too long." Hinata held her straps tightly, bracing a firm, tiny smile before exchanging goodbyes, making her way down the hall and out into the long porch structured along the Hyuga complex.
As thoughts about the Chunin exams and the non-existing expectations to abide by continue to weigh heavily on her mind, Hinata couldn't help but feel the need to feed that overwhelming unpreparedness with ways to train herself.
Perhaps, the exam wasn't going to be all about showcasing your physical strength and your own natural abilities as a ninja. Conceivably, for a ninja to excel in their own strength and power, it would be necessary to keep their mental and strategic abilities aligned with their own technique.
With her own resources packed inside her bag, Hinata had decided that she could spend the day studying alone elsewhere away from home, away from the weary sounds of her own little sister's vigorous training with some of her father's assistants.
As she walked further down the hall of the wooden porch outside, Hinata came to a stop the moment she found herself standing at the wide open doors of the training room. Her head glanced over at the source of the sound.
She watched briefly, her eyes focused on her sister as she maintained a steady hand, keeping her posture straight before activating her Byakugan at the three men standing their ground in front of her.
A split second later, her eyes followed as her sister deflected their incoming attacks. They would charge at her one after the other, and sometimes altogether. Each time her hands landing with precise hits. Calm and steady, forceful and meaningful.
Hinata's lips lightly curved at the sight—the sight of her younger sister's confidence and determination. Hoping that perhaps this could be reflected in herself—someone who was strong yet composed.
A brief moment of admiration settled before her focus was shifted abruptly to a figure emerging out of the room. Hinata stood, her muscles tensing from the unexpected presence of her cousin, Neiji, walking out. His brows immediately drew together at the sight of her before speaking with a his neutral, yet condescending tone.
"Hn," he smirked as he crossed his arms. "A word of advice, you should drop your ambition to participate in the Chunin exams. It's not meant for people with your skill set."
Hinata froze, attempting her best not to be devoured by his words. Although she appeared timid and frightened in front of him, no matter what anyone could ever say pertaining to her decision to participate in the Chunin exams, she was and had always been set on partaking in the challenge.
"S-sorry," she let it out, keeping her eyes glued to the floor. "But...I've already submitted my application." Hinata curved her palms into a ball before quickly picking her grounded feet and turning her attention away in the direction leading her out of their complex.
Silence followed her and as she finally stepped out of the compound, she could feel the heavy weight lifted off of her—her muscles now relaxed as she followed the path to the heart of the village.
"One cinnamon roll and a small cappuccino. Is there anything else I can get for you, sweetie?" The waitress smiled, gently placing down a small plate of her favorite pastry and a morning cup of espresso. Though she never really preferred the slight bit of its bitter taste, seeing and tasting the foam decorated into a cute little cat helped to undermine the bitterness.
"Thank you, but I think I'll be fine for now," Hinata waved as the waitress nodded her head in understanding before proceeding back inside the shop.
Drinking coffee was only a rare occasion for her and the fact that her father wasn't here to watch nor would he ever seem to care about her own activities, Hinata had grown accustomed to trying out new things and new ways to make herself feel more joy and pleasure even if they were little moments of contentment.
Hinata shifted her focus back to a page in her open book, reading the next set of words and jotting down notes in her notebook. Although, her table was situated outside of the cafe under an umbrella and she could hear the sound of people walking on the busy street next to her, the existence of the noise didn't seem to be a bother whatsoever.
Rather, the vibrating sounds of words and activities surrounding her helped her to relax, to concentrate—a sense of white noise that drifted her into focus.
With every new page and every new passage, Hinata could feel herself gaining a deeper understanding. The book of techniques she had been reading about was similar to one she had read before back at the academy, however, this version contained a copy that advanced each individual technique.
Even if knowing about all of this wasn't enough or perhaps even a complete waste of time, Hinata had noticed how much fun she was having—being alone in her own space while learning some new information about herself as a ninja.
She picked up her book, setting it upright on the table. With how wide she kept it open, the book itself was enough to cover her entire face.
As she engrossed herself in the new passage, it didn't come to her attention that a figure had taken the seat right in front of her, his gaze quiet and steady, observing her lack of awareness.
"What are you reading?" Sasuke peered calmly and partially at the back cover of the book in front, before Hinata immediately lifted her head up, instinctively closing the book partway, caught off guard by his sudden appearance.
"S-Sasuke?" Hinata hitched a breath as she looked up to see a familiar face, her fingers tightening around the book before lowering it back down on the table. "I umm...didn't see you there. When did you...get here?" She added with a smile, trying her best to hide the tint of embarrassment attempting to manifest through her cheeks.
"Just now," he replied with a tired voice, keeping his hands inside his pockets, slouching on the wooden chair he sat on as he tried his best to stay awake.
"Oh...I see." Hinata lightly tapped her fingers on the hardcover of the book before closing it, bringing her attention back to the boy sitting right in front of her, his eyes seemingly weary. A momentary silence followed before she uttered words of genuine curiosity. "Um...what brings you here?"
Sasuke sat quietly, keeping his focus on a couple of books and a notebook lying on the wooden table. If he were being honest, he'd much rather prefer to sit without having to say another word, however, if he really desired peace and quiet, his mind and body shouldn't have pressed itself to take the seat right in front of her in the first place.
"Nothing important," he responded, slightly annoyed by the thought of how long he had been waiting for someone else's presence—the presence of his very own sensei. Kakashi had been meeting up with Sasuke as part of a routine check-in.
With his nightmares about his clan and his older brother appearing more and more frequently in his dreams, Kakashi had decided it was best to keep him in check every now and then. To help him figure out ways to cope with this ongoing internal conflict.
Realizing that his sensei wasn't going be showing up anytime soon and with the knowledge of his habit of being late as usual, Sasuke couldn't help but steer his attention at a familiar figure sitting on their own across the street from where he had initially stood. His mind somehow attempted at managing to fight off any signs of drowsiness the moment he grew aware of who had been sitting right across.
"I see..." Hinata smiled, shifting her gaze to the pastry and her morning coffee situated to the side of them. "Um...would you like some?" She offered, slightly hesitant from his gaze the moment they locked eyes again.
Though it looked untouched and the offer was understood as a kind gesture, sweets and coffee were things that had always been on his list of least favorite things, perhaps even closer to his list of hated things.
"Thanks, but I don't particularly like those kinds of things." He stated truthfully.
"Ah...I understand." Hinata nodded lowering her gaze, fidgeting with her fingers while keeping a small smile intact from the awkward wave of rejection passing through her.
Both sat, briefly exchanging the silence around their shared space. With the brightness of the Sun illuminating through the thin material of the umbrella they sat under, Hinata could feel herself growing more and more comfortable—as if this moment was just a small piece that fit into her fragile sense of contentment.
With thoughts of her hesitation the other day resurfacing in his mind, Sasuke instinctively broke the silence, driven by the lingering curiosity related to the paper bombs.
"The other day...you seemed bothered." Sasuke pulled out his hands, crossing his arms as he shifted his gaze to the girl sitting right in front of him. Her eyes marginally widened by his words.
Without having to be more specific, Hinata had already perceived what Sasuke meant to imply. Those paper bombs and the trauma that keeps coming back to torment her emotions whenever she was around one, wasn't a simple topic to discuss with anyone.
No one besides herself was aware of her own bullies—those group of kids that had always followed her, pushed and shoved her around, and have even attempted to cut through her skin, treating it like it was an experiment. Above all, they constantly belittle her and her clan who possessed a Kekkai Genkai.
"Sorry!" Hinata quickly stood. "But I think I should head out. There's something else I have to take care of so...," she trailed off as she picked up her belongings, shoving them inside her backpack.
It was obvious that this topic was something uncomfortable for her to converse about. He could see it all, the way she lightly trembled as she picked up her books and her notebook, her gaze never quite meeting his, and that annoying smile of hers, masking away a buried truth.
Hinata turned one last time, waving a goodbye in his direction before her figure disappeared out of sight.
Sasuke remained glued to his seat, his arms still crossed, processing Hinata's sudden reaction to the curiosity that lingered in his mind. It couldn't be helped when all his thoughts continued to dwell on how to proceed with more advanced training.
Sighing in quiet frustration, Sasuke exhaled his breath and the moment his eyes reopened, his focus immediately trailed a small piece of folded paper falling down from the chair in front of him.
He leaned forward, grabbing the paper in hand, however, before he could get the chance to open it and check, his attention sprung back to the familiar presence of someone who had been eavesdropping for a while now.
"How long are you going to keep standing there?" Sasuke leaned back in his chair, placing the piece of paper inside his pocket.
"You got me." Kakashi lowered the novel he held in hand before shutting it close. His tone carried a hint of amusement as he stood a few feet away.
"What's up with the tardiness?" Sasuke narrowed his brows, irritated by his mentor's late presence. Though, the frustration wasn't entirely wrapped in that one issue alone.
"Well, I did have some problems to take care of so I do apologize for the tardiness this time around." Kakashi rubbed his shoulders casually before turning around to face the boy sitting on the chair ahead of him. "Better yet, what's going on between you and Lord Hiashi's daughter?" he added with a playful smile.
Sasuke tensed slightly, though he was less bothered by the thought itself. It didn't matter what was going on between them. Quite frankly, if anyone were to ever question their relationship, he himself wouldn't truthfully know how to answer.
"I've been curious about it myself. From the looks of it, it seems you two share a certain bond—but one that I can't quite piece together." Placing his fingers beneath his lips and under his chin as if gesturing to think, Kakashi thought of why someone like Sasuke would ever bother putting in even a slight bit of effort to interact with the little Byakugan princess from Team 8. "Perhaps...a friend?" He murmured.
"That...doesn't matter right now. Let's just get to the point of our meeting." Miffed by the sudden probing questions, Sasuke stood up from his chair, making his way back into the busy street.
Kakashi followed him from behind, still amused by his student's response. Perhaps if Sasuke were in a lighter mood, he could snatch the right answers he sought from his gloomy little rookie.
"Channel your frustrations and anxiety through. Take deep breaths and relax the same way." Kakashi exhaled before opening his eyes again to check on Sasuke's nature.
Kakashi and Sasuke sat face to face, their legs crossed and their arms relaxed in front of them with their fingers curled into a meditative state.
For about a month now, both have been meditating near a river next to a giant rock, channeling their chakras into different areas of emotion—accessing a wave of energy that could help redirect these reoccurring nightmares.
"I see you've been channeling your energy quite less brutally than when we first started. You don't seem to be in a rush to channel through your emotions like you did initially." Kakashi spoke over the light sound of the water streaming across the river.
Sasuke softly dropped out of his meditative state, relaxing his arms and legs as he peered over at the sight of the running water in silence.
Noticing his change of expression, Kakashi followed before uttering words to break the longing silence once again.
"Just a reminder that I'm your teacher. You can always tell me anything that's bothering you and it will always be confidential between you and me." He let out casually.
"What does it mean to be strong?" Sasuke finally spoke after a momentary silence engulfed their surroundings. His brows furrowed as a faint irritation flickered in his gaze. "How can someone look so gentle while carrying all that pain?"
Realizing that he wasn't the only one struggling with his inner turmoil and that someone else he knew had their own battles to fight, he wondered if being strong had its own meaning within each individual and if each individual could ever truly triumph over their struggles.
"Strength isn't just about power or endurance. Sometimes, it's about carrying your own burdens without letting them crush you." Kakashi responded, calmly gazing over at Sasuke who kept his focus locked on the running water.
Letting those words marinate inside his mind, Sasuke slowly shifted his focus back to his own hands before providing a straight answer to Kakahsi's earlier curiosity.
"She and I have been training together. That's all." Sasuke let out almost bluntly.
"So you've been training together. I see." Kakashi hummed thoughtfully with his tone carrying a hint of understanding. As simple as it might sound, and with his knowledge of how feelings tend to develop, he couldn't help but imagine there might be something more to it.
A bond. One that he has seen shared between both Sasuke and Naruto. Perhaps, even this bond he shares with the little princess might be something similar if not, something rather special.
Sasuke walked out of his bathroom, drying his dampened hair with a towel before setting it to dry on the chair next to his desk. As he turned to the side, he could see through his giant apartment window that the night sky had already overtaken the horizon across the village.
He picked up his laundry, carrying it in hand. As he walked across his room and before dropping them inside his basket, his eyes caught a glimpse of a piece of paper slipping out of his pockets and onto his floor.
Picking up the piece of paper, Sasuke dropped his clothes into the basket before proceeding to walk over to his bed. Steady and deliberately, he sat back against his pillow, bringing one arm to rest behind his head while the other held and unfolded the paper until handwritten words were now visible in front of him.
"What To Order: One Cinnamon Roll and One Small Cup of Cat Cappuccino, please."
Reading those words silently, Sasuke couldn't help but let out a faint smirk hinted with amusement. Vaguely puzzled yet somewhat intrigued, he found himself lingering on the thought of how something so trivial could stir his emotions with unexpected warmth.