Seeing the Moon [EDITED ✔️]

XLVII. Snake in the Garden ✔️

Sakura giggled at the aggravated look on her second best friend's face. "You two argue like an old married couple."

Hinata huffed through her mouth, momentarily blowing the stray hairs in her face up. "He just gets under my skin so much. It's infuriating. I thought I was immune to it by now, but apparently I was wrong."

The two fifteen year olds were sitting on a bench across from the Yamanaka flower shop waiting for Ino to be let off her shift. Hinata had begrudgingly left Tsuki in Masami's care this morning knowing that Inu was upstairs in his room sleeping. Ever since their 'family day' two weeks ago, she'd grown from being moderately comfortable around him to being high alert cautious.

His folded hands twitched as if he stopped himself from touching her. "It's as I told Ino two years ago. I'm looking for a new friend. But, it seems she's been right under my nose this entire time."

The raven haired girl's eyes narrowed into slits. "You must've forgotten our arrangement, Inu. We are mutual partners bound by the birth of our son. I will not entertain any sick fantasy you have of being some psycho sociopathic power couple."

The brunette Yamanaka heir's eyebrows furrowed in perplexity before the expression melted away into amusement. "You think I mean you? Oh sweet and detached Hinata, no no no no no. You have proven useful to me in...other departments." He purred, "My new friend is that borderline ball of spitfire. Hanabi."

"What?" she hissed. "Leave my sister alone. She wants nothing to do with the likes of you."

"On the contrary, Hanabi and I are very good friends. She confides in me about a lot of things, even gone as far as ask for my advice on clan matters."

Hinata blinked and her mind went blank. "You're lying. Hanabi would never..."

"How well do you really know your darling imouto, Hina-Hina? I mean, you've been gone for two years, leaving her to rule the prestigious Hyuuga with an iron fist alone. She has no family. She has no friends. All there is left is me, her supportive niisan. Did you know that she's secretly planning our June wedding? Guess the mutt wasn't her cup of tea either."

"Stop it, shut up," she growled.

Tsuki jumped from the dark tone of his mother's voice and hiccuped. It startled him so much he began to whimper with large tears building in the rim of his eyes.

Inu rolled his eyes. "Look what you did, Godzilla." He swiftly lifted the toddler from the highchair and placed him on his lap. "Hey, buddy, don't cry. Your monster of a mommy didn't mean to scare you." And again, like magic the child heeded his father's words without protest.

Hinata wanted to more deeply question Inu's compulsion over their son but she was too preoccupied with the thought of him whispering dark notions into Hanabi's impressionable mind. She leaned back in her seat and exhaled loudly. "What do you want, Inu? What could a nine year old possibly give you? If all you want to do is ruin her life, then know that I won't blink twice at ripping out your throat with this fork."

"Hinata! No violence around the baby," he feigned horror. "Rest assured, I have no ill will towards your sister. If I'm being honest, I see a bit of myself in Hanabi. She isn't as unstable and homicidal as I was at that age, but the consistent rage is there."

"Rage...what rage?"

Inu glared at her. "You really don't know, do you? Hanabi has hated the Hyuuga ever since they murdered your father. She's effectively channeled that anger into completing her duties for the clan. But, it's still there. And I can help her relieve all that pent up emotion before she goes off the deep end like you did. But unlike your circumstances, she won't have a demon to blame."