Reborn as Sakura and Hinata: Lost in the Wind

Ben and Jerry

"Okay, so how many colors are you going to make it?" Hinata asked, tilting her head up to look at me from where she was laying on the couch.

I looked down at her with a quirked brow, "It's just gonna be the metal colors."

Her eyebrows went up in surprise, "Really? You are making something that doesn't look like the worst monstrosities of DeviantArt Sonic OCs?"

"Jeez!" I huffed, "But no, I do like the aesthetic of bare metal too, y'know!"

"It is a good one." she hummed, returning her eyes to her book. We were silent for a moment until she smirked, "You wanna be like Winry-"

"I wanna be like Winry!" I admitted, groaning dramatically and throwing my head against the back of the couch, "She's so cool!"

"Yeah." Hina grinned, resting her book on her chest before reaching out for my notebook, "Lemme see."

I handed the notebook to her, and she held it over her face with an analytical glare, "It looks like a pretty good schematic. You used the anatomy book."

"I did." I sighed, "I know; I actually used science for once."

"I'm not teasing you, dude, it's a good thing that you're taking this seriously." Hina replied genuinely, passing the notebook back to me.

"Do you think you might be able to help me make the whole nerve thing work?" I asked, scanning over my plans again.

"Definitely." she affirmed, "And I'm guessing you'll want me to help with the installation?"

"You make it sound like you're replacing a microwave." I scoffed.

"We're replacing your leg, Sakura." she deadpanned.

I pouted, "Of course I'd want your help with that."

"Now you want my help." she muttered under her breath.

"What?" I blinked down at her.

She said nothing and moved her book to cover her eyes. I rolled my eyes, placing a finger against the top of her book and pushing it out of the way to reveal Hina's unamused glare.

"What's going on?" I prompted.

"Oh, nothing, it's just that I'm not only specialized in medicine." she shrugged dismissively, "I do major in a specific branch of science."

"Oh my god," I gawked, "You're jealous of me and Kiba!"

"Yes!" she sat up angrily, "All I've wanted for years is to be back home and be with the people I care about, and you've basically replaced my role in all of their lives! And they've seemed to do the same."

I frowned, wishing that she wasn't facing away from me so I could read her expression, "Hina, nobody's replaced anybody; I would be dating Kiba and not Shino if that was the case. Sure, we've all had to make new friends, but that's part of filling the void you've left as well as just growing as people."

She finally turned to sit properly on the couch, and I could see that mask of ambivalence that was hard for even me to read. Her eyes grew sad, giving me at least a clue to what she was feeling, "It's just... I had such strong bonds with so many of them before I left, and now it feels like I'm starting from square one again, except this time I don't know what to do." She pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them, "It makes sense to me, and that's what makes it so hard to accept. I deserve this; this is how it should be. You built those relationships on your own when I tore them down."