Inbred

I've been gone for so long, MMORPGs are very addicting. I'm playing 2 right now and am having trouble juggling them until a third one reaches Open Beta. Anywho. First of all I want to apologize to the person betaing this fic. I really want to have this finished by Christmas, I have my reasons and I doubt I will but even if I finish in January then that would be a win for me so I'm going to try to get off my lazy ass and speed write the rest of this fic (while avoiding as many typos as possible). I've started the first chapter of another fic, I don't really need a beta for it but if you want to beta that instead let me know. I won't go back to it until I finish this one though. Sorry.

To stalkerocandies: Don't worry, Sasuke doesn't intend to let Neji fall into his uncle's hands now that he knows what Hiashi has planned. He just doesn't want to tell Neji his uncle's trying to kill him so he doesn't go all emo so he's trying to be discreet about it. Neji gets so emotional sometimes XD Must be the estrogen :x But stick around, I'm sure you'll like how this develops. You also said you like Itachi / Neji but as enemy slash, funny but I've been thinking about that pairing too. There's a story called 'A Distant Cry' by Yersi Fanel. It's mainly Sasuke/Neji but does have Itachi/Neji later on. Lots of yummy Neji angst.

To my regulars: Yersi, Tyra and you all know who you are ;), thanks for being so patient with me.

Chapter 57
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Sasuke awoke amidst a haven of warm bodies surrounding him where each person offered a benign safety to the one they lay closest to. Sasuke sheltered Neji by cradling her head against his chest and wrapping his other arm protectively around her shoulders while she held fast to him and relied faithfully on him by intertwining her legs with his. Naruto offered blind loyalty and encouragement as he lay right beside his friend and was Hinata’s pillar of strength as he supported her atop his broad chest where she clung dependently to his shirt.

He couldn’t think of anywhere else he’d rather be than right here and right now and he basked in it for just a few more minutes before carefully breaking the intangible link between them and climbing off the bed. Heavy feet dragged a lethargic body into the nearest bathroom and a ghastly face scowled back at its reflection in the mirror.

Sasuke turned on the tap and cupped his hands beneath the cold, running water and splashed it against his face to jolt himself awake. He tested the back of his throat by pressing his tongue against the roof of his mouth and shuddered at the nasty after-taste from his regurgitations yesterday. It was still going to be a while before Sasuke could look at another Happy Meal or a big, yellow ‘M’ for that matter but at least he could do something about the nasty flavour, floating around inside his mouth and he grabbed his toothbrush and set about vigorously scrubbing the tastebuds off his tongue.

Long, delicate hands slipped around his midriff, causing him to shiver and he looked into the mirror to see a very sleepy Neji standing behind him. “Morning,” was his guttural greeting after emptying his mouth of the foamy residue.

She only nodded, still too tired to open her mouth yet and Sasuke wondered why she didn’t remain in bed if she wasn’t fully awake yet. He supposed she must have become lonely without him and as hard as he tried no to disturb her she still felt as if something was missing. Neji’s fingers crept beneath his shirt and the muscles in his abdomen rippled when their skin made contact and they immediately searched out his navel to draw lazy circles around it. Sasuke chuckled to himself and allowed his nymphomaniacal girlfriend to molest him while he poured a generous amount of mouthwash into a cup and reared back his head to gargle with it but he soon choked on the minty liquid when her hands traveled higher and pinched hard on both of his nipples.

He truly believed that either Naruto or Neji was going to be the death of him and he spat into the sink so he could cough freely. Sasuke sniffled and he rubbed his nostrils with the back of his hand to soothe the effervescent bubbles that burned inside his nasal cavity while he tried to yank relentless fingers away from his chest. “Che,” he tsked in exasperation when he was then forced to use both hands. Sometimes he forgot that, despite her present appearance, Neji possessed the strength of a man, and as much as he hated being rough with her at times, he knew she liked it.

After forcing her into submission by twisting her arms around her body like a straight-jacket, he shoved her toothbrush into her hand to keep them occupied and give them something to do but, being the hypocrite that he was, he positioned himself behind her and pressed his groin against her ass, pinning her into the counter. Neji smiled as she cleaned her teeth and wiggled her hips while humming a favourite song. She got her desired effect when she felt the hard bulge prod against her soft flesh from between layers of thick cloth but before she had the chance to rinse and turn around to pounce on her mate, Sasuke had already predicted her intentions and fled the bathroom.

She gave chase and caught him just before he could seek refuge within his bedroom then grabbed him by his shoulders and slammed his back hard against the wall. Neji held him captive by lifting his arms high above his head and cuffing his wrists in one hand and stepping between his thighs, forcing his legs apart so she could fondle his crotch with the other. “Don’t I get my morning kiss?” she purred and looked up at him with a devious glint in her eyes.

“Is that what this is all about?” her lover grinned but his face contorted with pain and he hissed through his teeth when she tugged, none too gently, on his testicles.

“Kiss me,” was her whispered order and Sasuke swore before dipping his head to plant a quick, familiar peck on the tip of her nose.

“You call that a kiss?” she pouted disdainfully.

“Well, you weren’t specific,” he argued, trying to be difficult.

“Kiss me properly.”

“Define properly.”

Neji’s face fell flat and Sasuke snickered at the irritation there but he was punished for his lack of co-operation with another sharp tug and when he opened his mouth to let out a loud curse, Neji jumped on the opportunity and clamped her lips over his. Her raven-haired lover growled and glanced Heavenward before giving into her demand and tilting his head to one side so she could have better access to his mouth. She ravaged his moist cavern with an aggressive tongue, pushing his out of the way whenever he tried to slide his into her mouth and stretching hers as deeply as she could until it hurt from the strain.

Sasuke tried to move his arms so he could wrap them around her waist but she shoved them back into the wall and gave his wrists a warning squeeze.

So, she wanted to be the dominant one, Sasuke smirked to himself as she busied herself with unbuckling his belt and vigorously tugging at his fly. He let her do as she wished and even spread his legs a little wider once she’d freed the zipper and his hips bucked in reflex when her warm hand came into contact with his twitching cock. She teased it with long, slow strokes through the comfortable cotton of his boxer briefs and whenever her hand stopped just beneath the base of its swollen head, she would give it a firm squeeze to force precum to the surface and consequently make the damp stain in the material larger.

He writhed desperately, thrusting his hips forward to encourage her to move faster and generate more friction but Neji left him starved for the attention he craved and when Sasuke whimpered the sound became lost in Neji’s mouth even though she tasted his need.

“Do you want me, baby?” she asked, her soft breath caressing his chin and neck and a strangled sound that could have been interpreted as a ‘Yes’ broke free of his throat and he dipped his head and tried to reclaim her tantalizing mouth. Before he could feel those plump, lips against his own, Neji’s head snapped around when she heard a tiny squeak and Sasuke almost slumped to the floor in a puddle of warm mush when the older woman released him and stepped away.

Naruto peeked around the corner to find out what had caused Hinata’s face to redden so significantly and when he saw his friend, leaning against the wall with a large bump in his underwear, peeking through his open fly and Neji standing on the opposite side of the hallway, looking very much like the child who got caught with her hand in the cookie jar, he made a loud, exasperated noise.

“Jeez, can’t you two exercise a little restraint?” he groused and looked between the awkward, humiliated face of the Hyuuga and the breathless and libidinous one of the Uchiha. “You guys are always at it. Next time they publish a Karma Sutra book they should just base it on you two.”

He was quite the comedian, Sasuke believed, and he would have laughed too if he wasn’t in so much pain. His nether regions were on fire and it was damned near difficult to impossible to pull his fly over his raging hard-on and he didn’t dare touch it in fear of losing his self-control and jacking off in front of everyone.

Naruto alerted Hinata when Sasuke was decent. He still had the bulge protruding from between his legs though and the only thing he could do was wait it out.

“Good morning, Sasuke-kun. Good morning, nii-chan,” she greeted with her eyes glued to the floor and her red face towards the ground.

“Good morning,” they muttered in unison, still slightly embarrassed at having been caught.

“What’s for breakfast?” Naruto yawned loudly and stretched his arms high above his head. His finicky attention span had already shifted to something else.

Neji was surprised that he was ready to eat again after all that junk he’d shoveled into his stomach yesterday and had expected it was enough to sustain his body for at least another few hours, but the loud growl that accompanied his loud-mouthed yawn proved that theory wrong.

“Man, I’m hungry,” the blonde teenager whined and he brought his arms down to wrap them around his mid-section.

“Hn, you’re always hungry, Naruto,” Sasuke scoffed humorously. “Just like Neji’s always-,” and, suddenly remembering that Hinata was present he broke off what he was just about to say, plus, the daggers that her older cousin were glaring at him warned him he should keep his trap shut.

“I’ll go make breakfast,” Neji volunteered. She was the better candidate since she was the better chef and Hinata nominated herself to be her kitchen assistant.

Naruto was excited! He’d had Neji’s breakfast before and he knew Hinata made great tea and the combined efforts of both Hyuugas was bound to be an experience his stomach would never soon forget. But he was so impatient, even though he knew perfection couldn’t be rushed, and after Neji had had just about enough of his whining and ‘Are you done yets’, Hinata had to step in and ask him to wait patiently in another room after the older girl threatened to throw a carving knife at his head, and considering her skill with that particular utensil, she probably wasn’t going to miss.

Naruto sulked but he obeyed his girlfriend’s wishes and it really was for the best because if he hadn’t then he would have missed the best meal he’d been blessed to have received in his entire life. After pouring on his gratitude thick on both girls, Neji slyly suggested that if he wanted to show his appreciation then he could wash up the dishes. Sasuke had a good laugh at his friend’s expense but ended up doing the chore with him after Naruto bet he couldn’t wash more items than he could.

“Boys,” Neji sighed with a roll of her eyes as she and her little cousin watched them attempting to push each other out of the way while they hastily scrubbed down plates and rinsed out cups, but they only ended up making an even bigger mess by splashing water everywhere. By the time they packed everything away and mopped the floor, Hinata and Neji had already had their baths and were enthusiastically trying on the various toiletries and accessories Sasuke had purchased yesterday. Spicy, tangy and floral fragrances mingled with each other as they tested expensive perfumes on the pulse points at their necks and wrists. Their excited giggles were heard from outside the bedroom and as much as they tried not to smile too widely, their facial masks had already cracked by their cheeks.

Naruto snickered as he spied at them from behind the sliver in the doorway and beckoned the other boy to come closer and observe. He was a little hesitant. Usually, on television shows, when women were giving themselves the spa treatment, they always looked frightening with their hair up in curlers and some thick, blotchy concoction caked onto their faces, but Sasuke’s curiosity prevented him from preserving his perfect image of Neji so he took a peek and was surprised (and very relieved) to see that they looked nothing like hideous, green-faced aliens straight out of a bad 1950’s B-movie.

The facial mask they wore was a transparent brand that became more elastic than stiff as it hardened and made their faces appear shiny as if they’d rubbed cooking oil onto their skin. Hinata had pulled their hair back into loose buns after she’d added the leave in treatment conditioner and brushed and blow-dried it. Their bodies glowed from the light of the morning sun from the vigorous exfoliation against their skin but Neji disliked the abrasive feel and refused to use the scrub so Hinata had to do it and Neji hated every second of it. She was glad when it was all over and after drying off, Hinata applied body cream and the cool lotion was like a soothing balm upon her slightly irritated flesh.

As much as she complained about the lengthy processes, Neji couldn’t deny that she enjoyed spending these moments with her cousin and if Hinata hadn’t been here then she would have poured everything in the toilet and flushed them into the sewers. This was a morning ritual she could live without, but doing it with Hinata made it more tolerable.

The girl didn’t stop until she was satisfied with what products she used on her nii-chan and, even now, she was removing nail varnish for the fifth time and applying a different colour of a more natural pink. Neji liked all the colours she’d used so far. She was glad that she could use any kind of colour at all and she only wished the girl would just hurry and pick one. Hinata seemed to favor this one since she hadn’t removed it by the time she finished on foot and after painting on the first coat on both hands and feet, she left it to dry before skillfully applying a pale, lilac lacquer on her own nails.

When the girls finally noticed they had an audience, Naruto and Sasuke bade themselves enter and began to inquisitively inspect their goods: sniffing perfumes and marveling at the large selection of polishes, hair and skin products. Sasuke had no idea that pink came in so many shades and Naruto’s sinuses became irritated after sampling, what he thought was spray on deodorant but was actually firm-hold hair spray.

Eventually, their avid curiosity in the female beautification process became curiosity in what they were wearing beneath their fuzzy bath robes and the girls were forced to endure the molestations of their boyfriends in fear of ruining their manicures. For Sasuke, it was the perfect revenge for what Neji did to him earlier that morning.

As rowdy as he was, Sasuke was very careful not to smudge Neji’s nails as she struggled against him while he tried to pull her into his lap and steal a few kisses. Naruto was not as forward with his girl and was very polite as he begged her to show him just a little peek, but Hinata was too timid to bare her flesh with the Uchiha and her cousin in the room so she sat there, with her red face towards the ground and wrapped her arms tightly around her bosom while Naruto tried to peel her robe off her shoulders.

The only way Neji could fight back was with her words and while her lover found her venomous curses and exaggerated threats humorous at first it was what she promised to do to his manhood while he slept that made his spine stiffen and the fiery inferno that raged in her eyes made him believe that she would actually go through with it.

He knew she wasn’t serious. She needed his cock just as much as he did, but Neji could be very intimidating when she wanted to be and the graphic image of his beloved with that demonic look on her face, straddling his hips with a rubber band and bobby pin, was enough to dampen his libido enough to collect his horrified friend and leave the ladies to do their thing.

After Neji slammed and locked the door behind them, Naruto sighed and slumped his shoulders as he leaned against the door. “Dude…what the hell is wrong with your woman?” he demanded of the boy standing next to him. His dick had been so terrified by what she’d said that it shriveled immediately and snuggled itself as close to Naruto’s body as it could an he didn’t think he could get a hard-on right now if Pamela Anderson hopped by on a pogo-stick wearing nothing but a smile.

Sasuke wasn’t entirely sure either but what he found more disturbing was that that kinky, little fantasy was now starting to turn him on.

“Sasuke?”

He had rubberbands…

“Hello…Sasuke?”

But did he own bobby pins?

“Yo Sasuke!”

“Hn?” he jolted back to attention when Naruto waved a large hand in front of his face. “Oh, sorry.”

“Something wrong?”

“Uhh…no,” he said with a shake of his head. “Just thinking. Listen, let’s go do something instead of standing around here waiting on them,” he suggested before Naruto had the chance to ask him what he was thinking about.

He successfully side-tracked the topic and azure eyes sparkled as he asked, “Sure. What do you want to do?”

Sasuke shrugged. He didn’t trust himself to think of anything non-perverted right now.

“Do you have any games?

“Are games all you ever think about?”

“Hey, it helps pass the time. You know: time flies when you’re having fun,” he quoted.

It was better than doing nothing and the Uchiha led him downstairs towards a cabinet that housed a wide variety of board games. Naruto made a face when the first box he pulled out was a chess box but he said nothing while the Uchiha set up for them to play.

They played a series of very short games and Sasuke finally understood how Shikamaru must have felt whenever they played together. “Che…cocky bastard,” Sasuke muttered to himself with a smile as Nara’s bored expression came to mind.

“What’s that, asshole?” Naruto asked him without looking up from his white pieces.

“I said hurry up and make your move.”

“Alright already, sheesh,” he grumbled and fingered his last, remaining pawn on the board before moving it forward one space. “I haven’t removed my finger yet,” the anxious teen snapped just as Sasuke reached out his hand to make his move. Sasuke shrugged and retracted his arm. Universal rules stated that a player’s turn was not over until they removed their hand from their piece but another rule also warned that once a move was made it could not be reversed and Naruto was only delaying the inevitable. “Oh-kaaay,” he said slowly then released the tiny figurine, but no sooner had he put his hand into his lap than Sasuke shifted his rook two squares to the left and muttered a lethargic ‘Checkmate’.

Naruto blinked and swore loudly as he glanced at the playingfield from many different angles but no matter which way he craned his head, it didn’t change the fact that Sasuke was right and that he had lost…again.

“That’s six to nothing,” the Uchiha said as he set up the board to play again but Naruto raised his hands in defeat and shook his head.

“No thanks. You kicked my ass enough already,” Naruto said and got up to search through the cabinet for another game.

“What…you know you like it,” Sasuke laughed as he neatly packed everything back inside their box.

“Ah, here’s a game more on my intellectual level.”

“What? Snakes and Ladders,” his dark-haired friend joked.

Nartuo faked a laugh. “No. Monopoly, you smart-ass.”

“Ah, the game of economic strategy and buying, selling and trading through real estate. You’re sure you wanna play this game with me?”

“Monopoly isn’t only about that,” Naruto said with a sneer as he brushed the chess box out of the way so he could lay out the Monopoly board. “Luck also plays a major part and where I fail at everything else in life, I make up for in games of chance.”

“So what are you saying? That your dumb luck can beat my business stratagems?”

“I’m just saying that me and Lady Luck go waaay back,” the teen grinned.

“Alright then, it’s on,” Sasuke said competitively. They shuffled the game cards, divied up their capital and fought over the horse piece. Sasuke suggested neither of them should use the horse andhe took the car instead while Naruto opted for the dog and put the hat on it. Already it seemed as if fortune was smiling down on the young blonde as his token was already half-way across the board while Sasuke was sent to prison only after his second throw after landing on a Chance square. Naruto was frivolous with his spending, buying up everything he landed on while the Uchiha was a bit more conservative. He’d even divided his funds into two piles: a working pile and a petty-cash pile.

Each continually made fun of the other’s game play but by the time they’d amassed enough money to begin constructing their empires, neither of them owned monopoly on any of the colours and they were both too stubborn to trade their properties with each other.

“HA! You landed on my electric company. Pay me, bitch.”

“You know, if you had the water works you’d get over twice as much,” the other boy suggested as he reluctantly handed over the fine.

“What are you offering this time?” he asked with a roll of his blue eyes.

“Just my water works and two thousand dollars for Boardwalk,” Sasuke shrugged as if it was nothing more than a trifle deal.

“No way, Boardwalk is worth more than that.”

“How can it be worth more than that when you initially pay only four hundred dollars for it?”

“Let me rephrase that. It’s worth more than that to you. If I give you Boardwalk, you’ll have monopoly on those two little blue squares over there, then you’ll be able to build your houses and eventually your hotels and everytime I land on one I’ll owe you shitloads of cash, whereas if I had both utility companies then I’d only get up to a maximum of…” he paused to check his card for reference. “Ten times the amount the opponent threw on the dice. So, if you threw a twelve, then I only get a hundred and twenty bucks.”

“Che, alright fine. I’ll give you water works, Virginia Avenue and enough money for you to build your first hotel.”

“Oh sure, support my ghetto fabulous hotel while you get your million dollar condos in return.”

“Don’t be greedy, Naruto. What are the odds of you landing on Boardwalk or Park Place anyway? With all your luck you’ll probably just skip them anyway.”

“I said I was lucky; not stupid.”

“You’re also very childinsh,” Sasuke muttered in response. “We’re not getting anywhere in this game, will you please just take my offer?”

Naruto gave a heavy sigh and seemed to consider the trade. “I’ll have to think about it for a seco-NO!”

It was Sasuke’s turn to sigh heavily. “Alright then can I at least have Marvin Gardens? What do you want for it?”

“Water works.”

“No. You don’t get water works unless you give me Boardwalk.”

“Then you don’t get Marvin Gardens.”

“And you don’t get water works.”

“And you’ll get Boardwalk over my dead body.”

Sasuke’s eyes drew into thin slits. “That, I can arrange,” and before Naruto even knew what was happening, the Uchiha flew across the board, knocked him flat on his back and began strangling him.

Naruto reached out blindly for the first thing he got his hand on, which just happened to be the game board, and he lifted it in his hands, causing everything to tumble to the ground then started smacking it against the top of the Uchiha’s dark head.

“Uhh…What are you two doing?”

They froze amidst their attempts of snapping Naruto’s neck and giving Sasuke a concussion when they heard Neji’s non-plussed voice from the bottom of the stairs. “Playing Monopoly,” they said in unison.

“Oh okay, because I could have sworn you were trying to kill each other. Thanks for clearing up my misunderstanding. I’ll know not to jump to conclusions next time.”

Hinata giggled at her cousin’s sarcasm but neither Sasuke nor Naruto found it amusing at the moment. They were still enraged with each other, but their anger quickly melted away as the girls came closer. The long wait was definitely worth it as they took in their glossy hair, milky, white skin and subtley painted faces. Neji looked like a high-school tramp and unfortunately there was no getting away from it because of the slutty clothes Sasuke bought for her and as much as she didn’t want to have her cousing endure the same degradation, Neji didn’t want to suffer alone. Besides, it wasn’t like anyone else was going to see them dressed like this.

Neji thought they looked like oriental versions of the Olsen twins in bare-backed halters and jeans. Of course, Hinata’s ensemble was a tad more modest since she had on long-sleeved pants, but Neji didn’t have any that went past mid-thigh so her legs were constanly exposed. Although, she never complained about it.

“Get off,” Naruto sputtered and shoved an awe-struck Sasuke off his stomach so he could gush over Hinata’s risqué appearance. The girl blushed at his compliments and with her shoulders exposed he could clearly see when they turned red as well but he only made it worse when he kept telling her how cute she looked when she blushed.

Sasuke appraised his lover from his awkward position on the floor, looking her up and down, but when his gaze rested on her bare feet he frowned deeply. “Where are your shoes?” he asked her.

“They’re in the cupboard,” she replied as she made her way to the sofa and took a seat.

“They shouldn’t be in the cupboard; they should be on your feet.”

“Well, I can’t wear them all at once, now can I?” Neji chirped in a rather cheeky manner.

Sasuke grinned and pushed himself off the floor. “Don’t get cute with me,” he warned and took her hands in his so he could pull her to her feet.

Neji’s face suddenly became serious as she pleaded with him. “Sasuke, I don’t want to wear shoes in the house. It’s rude.”

He could understand her reluctance. He was asking her to adopt a bad habit, one that went against time-honoured, traditional upbringing and the very backbone of their Japanese culture. Even he had his reservations about making her do it but he was willing to disregard customary values this one time, just so he could see Neji in high-heels.

“I know, but they’re new and haven’t been worn outside yet so it’s fine,” he insisted.

“I don’t know…” Nejis sighed with a disaproving shake of her head but no matter how much she argued against it, Sasuke’s decision was resolute and the persistence in his eyes let her know that he was not going to take ‘No’ for an answer. Even if he had to super glue them to her feet. “Alright, fine,” she conceded and her compliance brought a smile to her lover’s face. She was already violating her uncle’s wishes so what the hell. “But I absolutely refuse to wear them in the washitsu(1).”

“Understandable,” he compromised. It wasn’t like they would ever have reason to use that room in the first place and Hyuuga’s stern demeanour left no room for argument.

She diappeared for a few moments and returned in a pair of four-inch heels with transparent stilettos, taking one step at a time. She was met with unnecessary applause and cheering from Naruto and it only made her tentative about wearing them at all as opposed to proud that she made it safely down the stair way without falling flat on her face. She ingnored him, or at least tried to, but there was no hiding the pink on her cheeks and when Hinata pointed it out Neji turned her back to the group and got down on the floor next to the mess of fake money and plastic buildings.

“Can I play?” she asked in an attempt to divert attention away from her embarrassment.

“I don’t want to play with, Sasuke,” Naruto huffed. “He cheats.”

“Fine! Then Neji, Hinata and I will play without you,” Sasule sneered.

“Umm-” Hinata started, then closed her mouth again after muttering an ‘okay’ and everyone knew what it was she’d originally wanted to say without her even saying it.

She didn’t want to play without Naruto.

“Err, maybe we could play something else,” Neji suggested and started packing away the Monopoly pieces.

“Sure,” Sasuke agreed, since Naruto had ruined the game before it had even started. “I know just the thing.”

“Pictionary!” Naruto exclaimed excitedly when he saw the box in his friend’s hand.

“I love this game,” Neji echoed his enthusiasm.

“Hinata’s on my team,” Naruto declared and staked his claim on her by wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

“Doesn’t Hinata have a say in it? What if she wants to be on Neji’s team?” Sasuke chuckled. He was only joking, it was expected that the girl would have wanted to be with Naruto in the first place but she surprised them all when she decided she wanted to be on Sasuke’s team instead.

Neji stared at his cousin as if he’d never seen her before and Sasuke was so shocked that the box slipped out of his hand and fell to the ground. Naruto wanted to beg her to stay with him, he knew she wouldn’t leave if he asked but he respected her decision and tried not to let his disappointment show as he encouraged her to join the still stunned Uchiha.

“Is…is this alright with you, Sasuke-kun?” she asked him as she picked the now-forgotten game off the floor. She suspected he would have prefferd playing by her cousin’s side, just as she preferred playing by Naruto’s but she wanted to use this as an opportunity to form a closer bond with Uchiaha-sama and working together, in a team, was a great way to do so.

Sasuke snapped himself out of his stupor with a shlight shake of his head before smiling down at the girl and assisted her in sharing out the pencils and pads of paper. “No, it’s fine,” he assured her with a broad smile before taking her hand in his and giving it a brotherly squeeze. “I’m really glad to have you here with me,” he added with a wink and Hinata blushed deeply, knowing fully well that he meant that in more ways than one.

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(1) Washitsu – traditional Japanese-style room with tatami flooring – wikipedia.org