Team Harmony

P6: Target Practice

By the time morning came and Mitsuki knocked on her door, Hinata had barely fallen asleep. She hadn't slept more than a few minutes the entire night; it was going to be a long day. She hoped she could maybe take a nap during lunch and breaks between classes.

Mitsuki helped her wash up, dress, and take off her gauze in favor of the sunglasses. She could see more light than before and was happy that her sight was to return by tomorrow. Her heart clenched when she remembered-though she desperately tried not to-that her lost sight was the reason couldn't see her mother for the last time.

Hinata missed her mom dearly. She thought about her often, even though part of her wished to just forget as the pain was too great.

Neji greeted her at her front door. "Good morning, Hinata-sama. Are you ready?"

Hinata smiled at him. "Good morning," she replied. She said goodbye to Mitsuki and left the compound doors with Neji. Once they were shut she gave him another smile and requested that he wait here a moment with her.

"Hinata-sama, why are we waiting here?" Neji asked her at the five-minute mark.

"We are... waiting for Sasuke. He wanted to walk with us," she replied.

"Sasuke Uchiha? I didn't know you two were friends."

"Y-yes. He came to see me often at the hospital and brought my schoolwork to me. His older brother...is my fiancé."

"That's right. My father informed me of your betrothal to the oldest Uchiha. Have you met him yet?"

Hinata nodded. "Yes, he is very kind to me. He'll make a wonderful friend." Hinata tilted her head. "Sasuke is almost here." Another moment passed and Sasuke was rushing around the corner with his school bag.

"Hey! Sorry, I'm late. My mom made me eat all of my breakfast," he sighed. He looked at Neji warily and Hinata took that moment of silence to introduce the two currently staring at one another.

"Good morning. Neji-san, this is Sasuke Uchiha. Sasuke, this is my cousin Neji Hyuuga," she said. "I hope you can both become friends as well, even though Neji is a year above us."

The two sized each other up for a moment before bowing quickly to one another. It was quite apparent that they didn't like each other, but was willing to be civil for Hinata's sake.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Uchiha-san. Hinata-sama's schooling is very important so please try not to be late again," Neji said politely.

Sasuke just barely held back an eye twitch. "The pleasure is mine, Hyuuga-san. Hinata and I are at the top of our class, so you needn't worry about such things. She is very smart," he replied. Neji smiled tightly at him and Sasuke lifted one side of his mouth in a small smirk.

"Let's...Let's get going to class now," Hinata said, feeling the tension between the two. She wasn't sure why they seemed to not like one another; she'd hoped they would be friends as well. She knew she just needed to give it some time.

They spent the walk in a tense silence and Hinata wished she was anywhere but here. She was exhausted from the lack of sleep, excited to be learning from Iruka-sensei again, and also sad to have to deal with people again. Most of her classmates were loud and hardly talked to her, but she was excited because Sasuke had promised to introduce her to some of his friends. She was hoping they wouldn't find her creepy as the others did. Hopefully, with her eyes covered, it won't be a problem for now.

"We are nearly there, Hinata-sama," Neji announced.

Hinata nodded. "Yes. Only thirty more steps to go," she said.