It was a Friday, five in the morning and everyone's still sound asleep. Today had seemed like a day-off for everyone, but the raven-haired male couldn't sit still.
He came across Sai, Ino, Kiba, and Tamaki last night as they were on what seemed to be a double date. Stuff like this didn't usually bother the male since he had been so used to the sight and it really was nothing new. Lately all his friends could mention to him was how he was still alone, and everyone seemed to be in a blissful relationship.
Deep down he scolded himself to no end for overthinking. He was telling himself that this stuff has been no big deal for such a long time, why be bothered now?
He had a lot of reasons to be upset, but knowing the Uchiha boy, he would deny himself of the littlest things possible because of the discomfort that came along. He often preferred to keep his cool.
But it was true, everyone around him seemed to be so happy to have a person to love and a person to love them back. He has 4 years until he's finally 30, and his subconscious was pushing him. It'd be embarassing to be all alone then, he thought to himself.
But what did he have? Women that didn't interest him.
The Uchiha simply didn't feel like it'd be that easy still. He was even unsure if he truly knew how to love someone. What if he found the ideal one, but due to his lack of experience, lose the woman? He couldn't possibly deal with the pain and embarassment from that.
He longed for someone who would be like his mother, the perfect woman.
Someone who would be as gentle as her. Someone who would have the same, warm embrace. The same breathtaking smile. The same long, luscious and fragrant hair. Someone who could cook as well or even better than her. Someone who was as gorgeous as her. Someone who was simply so perfect, just like her.
He knew how much his father had loved his mother, and he wished that he could experience the same with someone. He hated the fact that the women who were interested in him only do for his physical appearance.
Not that he can blame anyone for it, since everyone knows the male has a tendency of being cold-hearted and such. He wanted someone who would be interested in him like Sakura was, someone who would care deeply for him.
He had kindly rejected Sakura awhile back because he simply didn't feel for her that way. He realized his feelings for her, but were more of a best friend to a sister kind of bond. He also knew about his best friend's strong feelings for the pink-haired kunoichi, and he knew better than to meddle despite knowing how Naruto would have probably accepted it.
"So much for a stupid Friday morning.."
He hated the fact that every day was boring, even missions didn't interest him as much as they did before. Here it was, a gorgeous morning and he was starting the day off by staring mindlessly into a lake.
What was he waiting for? He couldn't possibly just mope around forever, can he? This wasn't going to do him any good or help him in his situation.
For the second time in his life, he yearned for love.
-----
It was a quiet morning at the Hyūga household, Neji and Hanabi were training and the former heiress watched them with her infamous soft smile.
"Onīsan, should I go prepare the tea now?" she stood up and kept a safe distance from the two, while making sure that she was audible.
Neji glanced at her from the corner of his eye and nodded with a smile as he instructed Hanabi to take a break. Things have been a lot different after the Fourth Shinobi World War, the Leaf Village is as prosperous as ever and everyone was thankful.
The Hyūga male has been married for about 3 months now, an arranged marriage with a fellow Hyūga, knowing how the family traditions follow. He thought to himself, hoping that Hinata and Hanabi wouldn't have to go through the same thing, despite the fact that Hinata had lost her longtime first love, Naruto Uzumaki.
He was deeply saddened when they first heard, he cursed himself when he watched and listened to his dear cousin sob in his arms, and it felt like it lasted forever.
The renowned branch family Hyūga genius held a slight grudge against the blonde-haired boy for awhile, because the whole incident truly broke his heart when he saw how much it affected Hinata.
But long since the event, Hinata seemed to be back to her old self, she was happy again. The same sunshine that he witnessed all his life that he vowed to protect.
Eventually she would find someone who would treasure her, more than he does, and more than anybody can, knowing how much she deserves it. Someone she can truly risk her life for and love patiently.
Hinata returned shortly after, setting down the tea and some cake she had prepared for the two who were surely exhausted from the rigorous training. Her voice broke his train of thought and he invited the younger Hyūga to come eat what her older sister has prepared.
They all loved spending the day like this, but recently Neji just couldn't seem to get it out of his mind. His tongue itched to speak to her and ask her about what's been bugging him. He knows that he can't rush her, and not that he would want to either way, but the sight of her everyday has pushed him this far and he thought that he should just go for it.
"Hinata-sama, can I speak to you over there for a bit? I have something I want to discuss."
Hinata nodded and followed Neji quietly as her eyes glistened with curiosity. "What did you want to talk about, nīsan?"
Neji prompted her to sit on the wooden floor as he cleared his throat. "Hinata-sama, I was just curious, if you currently have someone you admire?"
He was a little afraid as he spoke, careful not to say anything wrong that could possibly upset her.
Hinata's cheeks slightly reddened at the unusual question, wondering if her cousin had possibly noticed her looking at somebody while she was deep in thought and misunderstood. "Well, n-not now, why do you ask?"
Hinata fiddled with the sleeves of her jacket as she grew shy again, afraid to meet Neji's eyes for some reason. But what reason? She was unsure of.
Neji casually rubbed the back of his neck, a little suspicious of her behavior since dropping the question. Her shy behavior that she has hidden away for months has suddenly surfaced again and it heavily suggested that there was someone that came to her mind.
"Are you sure, milady? You're suddenly flustered and it seems someone came to mind." He gave a slight chuckle, prepared to tease her if his suspicions are correct.
On the other hand, Hinata's cheeks flamed as she pouted at her cousin, considering that if he continues, he'd be making fun of her for no reason. "I-i'm sure there is nobody.."
She turned away and folded her arms in a childish manner, adorable like she always would be and Neji couldn't help but ruffle her hair with a sheepish grin. "Well if you're sure then. You know how observant I am, I have my good old pal Shino and his fellow Kikaichū to get help from whenever I feel like so, don't I?"
This only seemed to infuriate Hinata even more as she reached out, desperately trying to pinch Neji's cheeks as a punishment.
"D-don't ever do that please! I feel uncomfortable s-since the last time that Shino used that method to try to get information out of me. B-but trust me, I don't have anything to hide!" She pleaded as her eyes glistened, on the brink of tears as memories of Shino's merciless behavior came back to her.
Neji smiled and carefully wiped her eyes to rid her of the incoming and unpleasant (to him) tears. He offered her a hand as he promised to drop it and suggested that they come back to Hanabi.
-----
The younger Hyūga was in the same location, the wide space in the household where training is usually held. Her cheeks were rosy pink, like her sister's would, but looked a little dull compared to Hinata's since her older sister had a lighter complexion.
What would be the reason for that? The same mischievous and spitting image of the Seventh Hokage when he was the same age as them; Konohamaru Sarutobi.
Hanabi has long since admired this boy from afar, her admiration for him reminded her of her sister's love for Naruto, but she had hoped that Konohamaru wouldn't be like him and possibly be attracted to someone like Moegi, as Naruto was to Sakura.
His bravery, his foolishness, and the simplest things about him, such as the way he would never give up, became her motivation. She could understand why her sister had loved what would be the older-version of this boy.
She was embarassed that she thought of him, but would easily admit to it whenever she was asked. She may be the younger sister of Hinata Hyūga but she most certainly was different from her aneki.
Her daydream session of Konohamaru was disrupted by Neji and Hinata as they both returned, Neji had a permanent, huge grin on his face, while Hinata seemed to be flustered.
The three gathered by the door as Neji and Hanabi then teamed up to tease Hinata, and the day seemed like it was going to be wonderful as always.
-----
For the past hour, Sasuke has been standing in front of the library, staring at the sign as people walked by. He didn't know what to do, what there is to do and he no longer knew what to think of either.
The day was going slow as he felt like he's patiently waiting for the pleasant void of nothingness to suck him in and take him to a world of peace where he could sleep forever. He was highly irritated, he was an idiot in front of a library. No, he seemed more like a statue.
Shikamaru, Temari and Ino noticed him from afar and decided to try to help him out of his misery.
"Oi, Uchiha. You just gonna stand there like some mofo who forgot how to human? What's up man?"
The pineapple-haired man looked up at the sign that Sasuke was staring at. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, but he questioned himself if the poor man had finally lost it.
"It's such a pain seeing you standing here like you're cemented to the ground. It doesn't seem like you're caught in a Shadow Possession Technique of any sort, what's got you so hung up?" He began again as he got no response.
His dear wife and best friend who were behind him began to worry as well, wondering if they should tag along for awhile to keep Sasuke company. He really did look like he needed it.
All they got from the raven-haired male was a deep sigh and he merely nodded, he understood nothing of what they had just said, he was even unsure if he knew who they were at the moment.
The trio exchanged pained looks before deciding to go for what they had originally thought and just keep him company until he's good to go.
"How've you been Sasuke? Been awhile since I've seen you around." Temari started as she gave a half smile, eyeing the Uchiha. He seemed very different from his usually cool self...
Normally Sasuke would have made witty or rude remarks in response, especially to Shikamaru earlier, but he was still so silent that it sent chills down Ino and Temari's spines.
"Just... eh." He casually shoved his hands in his pockets as he eyed the street, looking for something to occupy himself with. Something he could stare at and get lost in once again.
Shikamaru cursed silently as he felt like snapping his own neck with the troublesome behavior coming especially from the Uchiha, but he decided to be more patient, since today seemed like something genuinely bothered the guy.
The trio chatted quietly to themselves for awhile, discussing none other than Sasuke himself, but he was too busy in his own little world to hear a word they were saying despite everything being clearly audible.
And just then, his cold, dark orbs met a pair of light and unusual ones. Where has he seen those eyes before? It stopped him in his tracks, to his surprise, and the three others who were trailing him.
Inside the bakery just two blocks away was a woman in a nice, simple dress. She gracefully tucked her hair behind her ear as she softly smiled at the people in the store. She picked bread wisely, he felt like he could watch it all unfold forever.
He couldn't take his eyes off of her now, he clenched his fist as this foreign feeling continued to rush to him. Her eyes were beautiful and even he cannot deny that. They held a noticeable tint of Lavender that was surely distinctive and he felt like he can stare into them forever.
Ino, Shikamaru and Temari, completely confused, pushed each other as they tried to figure out what had nailed the Uchiha down into this very spot. His eyes were different, they weren't cold or empty like they usually were. They certainly held affection, and it was a sight worth seeing.
The three trailed his sight and looked at what he was staring at and in no longer than a minute, their eyes were the same as Sasuke's. The beautiful Hyūga girl really was something to witness, they couldn't blame anyone, not even Sasuke for it.
But it surprised them, and right as they realized how he was in a trance, their eyes were back on him. The two women giggled and squealed together as they shook with excitement, and Shikamaru blinked slowly as his eyes widened at the Uchiha, realizing he was staring at Hinata with a look that simply didn't belong to him.
It didn't seem like Sasuke at all. A grin slowly made its way to his face as the Uchiha boy grew flustered.
"Well what do you know... I think he's got the hang of it."