Caged (Sasuke x Hinata's twin)

Part 15

For the next few days, Sasuke and Hikari spent time doing actual exercise, both increasingly excited at the prospect of finally getting to train together again. Hikari could not help but be very curious to see the legendary power that Sasuke had, she heard whispers of it and how he could stand his ground against Naruto who had the Kyuubi's strength to aid him in battle. Upon hearing tales of their sheer strength Hikari struggled to even fathom that the same two boys who would bicker like a cat and dog, could level cities when truly provoked. The only true indicator of this being true is the slight hesitance that Konoha 7 had when approaching Sasuke, then again, it could also be the fact that Sasuke was as approachable as an Uchiha. 

Aside from slowly regaining her strength, Hinata had also been teaching her to cook. Having had no use for that skill as the clan's heiress, Hikari never spent extensive time with the Hyugas that cooked in the compound. She found that this skill would be extremely beneficial as Sasuke only bothered learning to prepare staples such as onigiri and miso soup, all he needed to basically stay alive. Hinata, being the blessing that she is, was more than willing to help and would do her best to show up before every meal and teach her how to make whatever they were going to eat.  Hikari was truly grateful for her twin's willingness to find the time to help her between leading the clan and her shifts at the hospital. Some of their time together was short but luckily, Hikari had always been a fast learner and was able to prepare meals in no time. 

Sasuke had particularly enjoyed her food, Hinata and Naruto would always maintain a look of pure shock at the amount Sasuke would eat, having grown used to barely ever seeing him eating. A large reason for Sasuke's enthusiasm is the fact that Hikari could remember the way his mother prepared his meals, always making sure to add extra tomato into everything being one of them. 

Hikari somehow made a lot of her dishes taste just like his mother's, after Hinata showed her the basics, she could recall the ingredients for some of the meals, and she helped Sasuke's mother prepare, the few times that she was allowed to share a meal with the Uchihas. She cherished the memories of Mikoto so fondly while preparing their meals and even more when she saw the way Sasuke's breath hitched whenever he took the first bite of her food. 

Sasuke particularly liked the necessary admin that came with it.

(flashback)

"Sasuke, we need food," Hikari said as she bent over looking in his fridge. 

"W-What -ahem- what do you mean?" Sasuke tried to answer her without letting on how much her stance was affecting him, but his stutter and the way he had to clear his throat made her straighten and settle her gaze on his bright red face. She quickly caught on why he was behaving that way and smirked at him. 

"I mean, that you do not have adequate ingredients to make a decent meal for us both," she said walking closer to him, 

"I-I do, there is rice in the cupboard," he replied avoiding eye contact and taking a few steps back, she laughed at his out-of-character behaviour, finding a lot of joy in the fact that only she had that kind of power over him. 

"Sasuke, we need to go grocery shopping," she said, smiling up at him. She knew that he had purposefully been making excuses for them to stay either in his apartment alone or booking out entire training grounds,  Sasuke had always been a recluse when he was younger, she had always assumed that he would grow out of it when he was older, but she could clearly see that that was not the case. She took his hand and pulled him to the room so that they could both get ready to leave, 

"We will not be out for too long, I promise." She said...

In the end, Sasuke really enjoyed grocery shopping because he realized that it was another chance to show off Hikari in his mother's clothes with his clan symbol, the fact that finally had a chance to provide something for Hikari, as Hinata had been bringing them food since Hikari returned and lastly because the grocery store was filled with married couples. He could not help but notice how much they blended in with that crowd. That may have been his favourite part of the whole experience. 

Hikari brought so much more than his best friend and partner back to him. She brought back his memories of brighter days as well. In the past, he had grown so bitter about what he had lost that he never allowed himself to think about it. His memories were a painful reminder of everything that had changed, everything that he could never get back, and how alone he truly was. No one had seen the Uchihas inside their compound, their traditions, their laughter, their unity, and their peace. Memories that were doomed to leave this world with him when his time came. That all changed when Hikari fell into his arms and back into his life. She would look back on those very memories with him fondly, ignoring the coup, the same way many overlooked the fact the Uchiha massacre was the demise of not just his clan, and the threat it was to Konoha, but families. She recalled the nurses, the teachers, the shopkeepers, the farmers, and the children who were in his clan. Recalling their names, as if she had seen them the day before. Suddenly his memories did not hurt as much as they did before and instead, he felt a strong sense of nostalgia. Something that made him feel their red strings tighten and further web them together was the fact that she was mourning his clan with him. Something that only he had done. Something that he had always done alone. 

Suddenly he was not alone. 

And if he had anything to do with it, he would never be alone again.