Someone New | A SasuHina Story (completed)

chapter fifteen | a gift

Hinata didn't get back from Sasuke's until the dead of night. It was late but she still had an odd amount of energy.

She was giddy from today's events, being as she felt something besides turmoil and anguish.

She genuinely had fun with Sasuke. His company was the perfect change of pace for her.

She wanted to stay up and bask in the feeling some more, but she knew she had to meet with Neji in the morning.

Tenten's birthday was coming up and they were going to pick out a present for her.

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At exactly nine, Hinata heard knocking at her front door. Hyuuga's were always taught to be punctual.

Hinata opened the door and stepped aside to let her guest in.

"Good morning, Hinata." Neji said, taking a seat on her couch.

"Good morning Neji. Have you had breakfast yet?" Hinata asked, closing the door and moving to the kitchen.

"I haven't. I had to get up and leave before Tenten noticed. She wakes up to any little sound. I would've woken her up if I wasn't quick." Neji explained, laying down on the sofa.

Hinata placed a plate of food on the coffee table in front of him. It was a huge platter, with a bit of every type of breakfast food.

"I wasn't thinking this morning and I accidentally made too much." She sat a small cup of tea next to the plate. "Please eat up." Hinata smiled. Neji nodded, giving her a meek 'thank you', before digging in to his meal.

Hinata watched him eat for a while. It always pleased her to see people enjoying her cooking. She thought about what she should do with the rest of the food. Maybe she could- but would it be okay if- I mean I don't see why not.

Hinata decided. "I'll be right back Neji." She said, making another plate of food and heading out the door.

Hinata's apartment wasn't too far away from the Uchiha estate. Being as her father wanted to keep her close, Hinata chose a room close to the compound. The Uchiha estate, coincidentally, was right next door to the Hyuuga compound.

She walked there. It only took her about 5 minutes with her applying chakra to her feet.

She made her way to Sasuke's house, passing several empty buildings on the way. When she arrived, she knocked on the door. They were two, gentle knocks. She didn't want to disturb the man in case he was sleeping.

Hinata waited for a moment. She was about to leave the food on the doorstep when the door swung open. Sasuke stood in his doorframe, hair disheveled and shirt no where to be found. He looked a bit groggy, you can tell he'd just woken up.

"What's up, Hyuuga?" He said lowly. His voice had dropped an octave or two, making it even more alluring than normal.

Hinata gulped. She could feel her ears turning red.

Sasuke looked at her intently, making her blush even more. She tried to remember why she had even shown up there. She looked down at the food in her hand and everything suddenly came back to her. She stammered over her words, trying to make as mush sense as possible.

"I..I? Yes I, me- I made too much food. The food- here. Breakfast. Enjoy." Hinata said, shoving the food into Sasuke's chest and bowing slightly. He took the food, grin apparent on his face. She turned to leave.

"Thank you." Sasuke said, a playful tone etched in his voice.

Hinata swiftly exited the Uchiha estate. She replayed what just happened in her mind. 'The food-here' really? She really couldn't come up with a more orthodox way to deliver the meal to him. She must look so stupid, fumbling her speech like that. She took a deep breath and looked at the bright side. Sasuke had taken the food. She was happy about at least that much. Sure she made a fool of herself, but she was a fool who did good deeds.

The positive notion only stuck for a second though. Hinata was thoroughly embarrassed. She wasn't sure she could ever face Sasuke again.

Granted, Hianta had seen Sasuke shirtless before, but under completely different circumstances. When you're sparring, you don't really think about things like appearance. However, with the fog of training lifted, Hinata fully took in the man's figure unintentionally. Everything about morning time Sasuke was dangerous. She came to the conclusion that if she ever showed up again uninvited, she'd make sure it was midday or after.

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Neji was standing outside Hinata's complex when she got back. She had completely forgot about him. She apologized and quickly ran to her floor to get her things.

They started off with looking through clothes. Hinata wanted to get Tenten a new kimono. She browsed through the section, stopping when a certain one caught her eye. It was white, with a bright red dragon stretching from the bottom and snaking around to the chest area. Flames were lined along the long sleeves, making it pop out.

It was just what Hinata was looking for.

She purchased her things and met with Neji, who was leaning against the stores display window.

"Let's go." Hinata urged her cousin. According to him, there was a lot he had to do.

The first thing Neji did was order a cake. He had asked Tenten if she wanted a party this year, to which she replied 'Nah, that's good much work.' It was out of character for her, being as she loved parties, but Neji just shrugged it off. Tenten was always someone who impulsively made decisions.

Hinata said she'd organize something for her and the girls to do that day, so it'd still feel special.

Neji was buying the cake for formalities. 'It's not a birthday without the cake.' That was one of his teams philosophies. He of course, rebuked it when he was younger, but now he's silently come to accept that the cake, does in fact, solidify the celebration.

After the bakers, Neji went to the flower shop. He told Ino he wanted two dozen roses and a bouquet of flowers she thought Tenten would like most. She excitedly wrote down his request, making sure she got every detail.

He told her what to put on the card that came with the flowers and exited the shop.

Hinata waved goodbye to Ino as she hurried to catch up to Neji.

His last stop was the jewelers. He surveyed many pieces, taking his time to examine each one. A good amount of time had passed before he finally decided on a bracelet. It was gorgeous. Hinata knew Tenten would love it. She stepped outside the store, trying to get a head start on Neji. He took an oddly long time to come out for someone who was only making one transaction, but she waited patiently.

Once finished with their rounds, Hinata and Neji parted ways and Hinata went home.