( Unlikely )

[Genkai]

"No, my mom did." She replied after he had asked if she had made the meal. She reached over and took some from his, not sure which she liked better. They were both enjoyable so for now, she wouldn't make herself pick between one if she didn't have to and by the sound of it, she didn't. So they were both fairly content to share lunches. As the two ate, Shikamaru finally added his own two cents as to why they might be pushed together. They were smart but it was the only similarity she could pick up on. What Shikamaru had mentioned had some validity but it still didn't seem a big enough deal to warrant them a pair for the project. No matter the reason, they were stuck together and had to make the best of it. "I guess it doesn't matter now anyway." Sakura just said and reached over for one of the bottles of water that had been packed with the food and opened it. She took a drink and looked back down at Shikamaru who was still lounging around. She took another drink and closed the bottle tightly and grabbed a small slice of green apple and bit half of it while Shikamaru went on to discuss the other two teams that seemed the only ones of interest: Ino and Naruto, and Sasuke and Hinata. Before she could eat the other half of said fruit, she looked to Shikamaru, thrown off from the compliment he tossed her.

Sakura hoped she wasn't blushing as he just continued to talk about the others in their class. Shikamaru ended his thoughts by mentioning how forgettable Hinata was. It was true, Hinata was a total wallflower. Sasuke was bound to get fed up with such a nobody. Sakura knew she was worrying for nothing, that it could be worse. That Ino could be with Sasuke, but she wasn't so Sakura tried to push Sasuke out of her mind for now. It wouldn't do her much good to dwell and fantasize about him anyway. When Shikamaru heard her question, she was startled by his sudden outburst and offered her bottle of water to him but he seemed alright after calming himself down. Part of her was curious to see if he liked anyone but to her dismay, he brought up Naruto. Sakura knew he liked her and while she had told him to leave her alone, he wouldn't. He was really weird. Still, she didn't feel right talking to Shikamaru about matters of the heart since it didn't interest him so she just went back to snacking as there was nothing else to be said. In the back of her mind, she kept thinking about the work they had to do for their assignment. Shikamaru had said that Sasuke and Hinata had likely already completed it which worried her. They had a lot to do, in her perfectionist mind at least. She didn't want to seem too impatient or she was sure she'd get another lazy lecture from Shikamaru so she did her best to let all the stress roll off her back and fall into the wind around them.

As she moved to grab something to eat, her hand brushed Shikamaru's and her mind went back to his sort-of-compliment. "O-oh! Thanks." She watched him move back down and she just took a small piece of sushi and ate it quickly. Part of her wondered if they would just lounge around all day or if he would ever be up for working on their transformation. It was tricky but they were both close to getting it spot on. Before she could offer up a suggestion since they were both full of good food, he mentioned letting her boss him around, pretty much for an hour. Sakura looked up at the sky and moved back on the ground, copying Shikamaru. "Gee thanks." She grumbled, not thinking that an hour was much time but she considered it was more than Shikamaru probably wanted to give, so she didn't want to complain too much. He was trying to meet her halfway so she would try to give him the same courtesy. "Well actually I'm not really sure what we could do." She said and laughed awkwardly. Now given the chance to get some work done, Sakura felt a bit foolish in admitting her lack of direction but knew Shikamaru would either groan or secretly applaud her as it meant less work for him to do presently. So of course she would think of something soon enough that wasn't so boring for him. "I mean we could just try transforming into one another again but I don't think it would help us at the moment."

"Maybe if we got to know each other, the physical details will come more naturally." She continued her train of thought. Of course, she knew it sounded troublesome to him but Sakura could see the usefulness of it for a few minutes of discussion and maybe trying the transformation jutsu once more. Grabbing her water bottle, Sakura rested it on her stomach, the red shining through the clear plastic. Sakura bit her lower lip and decided she would start them off. "So you're an only child...?" She asked him. "I guess that's why you hang out with Choji so much, because you don't have any siblings?" Sakura asked him, hoping the first topic wasn't considered touchy for him. "I'm an only child too, my parents say I often asked for a baby sister when I was younger but...as you can see, I'm more than enough for them." Sakura smiled. As she did before, one of her hands moved from her stomach to pick at the grass a little. "I guess before Sasuke came into the picture, I hung out with Ino because I wanted a sister, someone to help look after me and she did." She trailed off, trying not to think about the past which seemed so long ago. She closed her eyes and put her hands back on top of her abdomen. If this was her time, she didn't want to waste it by thinking about her old friendship with Ino Yamanaka so she quickly tried to come up with another, more useful topic for conversation. "Maybe I should start wearing my hair like you." She smirked a little. She knew her long hair was going to get in the way but it was so pretty, too pretty to cut. "You think I could pull it off?" Sakura joked a little and sat up, pulling her hair up into a high messy ponytail, mimicking Shikamaru's.

This playful side of her was pretty rare to see, it was likely making an appearance because she was trying to keep her guard done for a good purpose.

- - -

Sasuke didn't feel bad at all. Why should he? He was being honest with her, honesty was all some people had to their name. He told Hinata she had potential, that she hadn't reached as far as she could go and yet she still whimpered, still treated every remark which wasn't shallow empty praise, like it was a slap across the face. He was getting rather weary that every time he tried to show her something, to tell her his thoughts on her power and what it could be, that she just clammed up and reverted back to an invisible object in the room with no purpose. Hinata lacked a backbone, lacked confidence and if she could ever find it within herself to accept her current abilities with the future in mind, there wasn't anything she couldn't do. Yet Sasuke wasn't going to treat her with kid gloves and be patient with her. That wasn't part of the assignment. He was doing what he could to correct her where she needed it but he didn't think he could do a full emotional makeover on a girl who was too wrapped up in her crazy mind. He told her several times by now, what she needed to do to better herself. In his mind, there wasn't all that much he could do otherwise. Hopefully she would understand that and stop looking to him for approval she didn't need, as in his mind, he gave it, as well as pointers as to how to get to the next step which she seemed to uneasy to take.

When Hinata finally commented about his own comment, as well as the food, he noticed something was up. A pattern had seemed to develop and it was one Sasuke had to make Hinata try and break. If it was hindering her to talk, let alone eat, it was a serious problem. And yet he had no idea what he had done wrong, why she was never able to receive any kind of advice as so far she took everything so poorly. Was he really supposed to endure her for another few days? Something had to be done. Setting his utensils down, as she panicked at the mention of Naruto, he smiled a little. He wasn't about to pretend he wasn't annoyed by her shyness, why should he be careful when the real would would probably have an intent to harm or insult you. Sasuke wasn't trying to be harsh to her, he was trying to give her a realistic response where he shouldn't even have to comment about whatever she could or couldn't do at the moment with her Byakugan. Thankfully before he could try to even tackle her personality it seemed she was making somewhat of an effort to make idle conversation over their meal, like he was. He was impressed with that. He looked to her, studied her face and concentrated on the topic: Teams. He shrugged a little as her face continue to linger, still a red tint present. "I know you watch him a lot in class, but you sit in the back so you're unnoticed. If you want Naruto to take an interest in you like you have in him, you need to sit by him. Maybe let him copy your notes or something." Of course it was the end of the year, his advice was probably useless at the moment.

"I don't know if it's wise to put Sakura on my team..." He said, not too sure if he wanted anyone on his team. He much preferred his own company over anyone else's. Of course there wasn't a solo option as a Genin so Sasuke would deal with whoever he was put with. "I don't really have an idea, I suppose Shikamaru would be useful, maybe even Kiba." He shrugged a little. He then moved his eyesight back to Hinata. "You'd be pretty useful too." He supposed. The idea of teams wasn't a comforting one, he had more a mental list of who he didn't want to work with, more than he had one of those who would be desirable based on their skills. "Test scores don't mean much in the real world." He said, adding his last comment on the topic. They went back to the topic of his home, which he wasn't proud of in all honesty but he couldn't do much with it. Sasuke went back to eating as Hinata finally seemed to find her appetite. "I guess it's hard to clean but...that becomes a workout in itself." He said, trying to lighten the mood as best he could but like Hinata, his interaction with people was very limited. Probably even more, at least she had people at home waiting for her, he had nothing, no one. Not a soul. Hinata's next comment threw him for quite a loop. Thankfully he kept himself fairly composed as he swallowed his food and looked to her. "You...want to cook for me?" It was quite an odd offer. Not even the annoying girls in his class offered to help him cook or anything, most of them just talked about his hair or his eyes.

Somehow the Hyuga girl still managed to think of something nice, useful to offer without even needed to. It was definitely impressive in his eyes. He sat up a bit more straight and pursed his lips, thinking about it. Though there wasn't much to lose from the idea, he had something to gain of course. But then he would owe her something for her time, her kindness. That was a new idea for him to toss around in his head. "I...well, sure you could...if you want." Sasuke said, not at all sure how to accept such a kind offer. Sasuke looked back down at his plate, it was pretty much empty. The Uchiha was still caught off guard by her offer, it was something so unexpected that he became interested in the girl in front of him. She seemed unlike the ones fluttering around him all the time. She was usually composed, quiet and kind. The others were loud, and well that was it. Sasuke took a drink and relaxed a little, settled with the decision he had made with her. "I would...appreciate that." Sasuke smiled slowly, unsure of how to properly thank someone, it had been so long since he had given someone a sincere emotion. He hoped it was coming off alright. "What can I do for you in return?" He asked her. If she was doing it for him, he could do something nice for her, or try to. "Would what you like, Hinata?" Sasuke asked as gently as possible.

As he waited for her answer, he dished himself some more food and sat back in front of her.

[Blazed]

It was clear to Shikamaru as the two ate their lunches that the pairing of the students really did bother Sakura. Sure it annoyed Shikamaru being paired with a loud, workaholic that also happened to be a woman, but it didn’t affect him the same way it did her. It could have been due to his personality but he just sighed. “Clearly it does matter to you. Speak your mind, you can’t hurt my feelings. Maybe it’ll make you feel better.” He snorted in his smart-ass tone before taking a rice ball and beginning to munch away at it. The two kept on the topic of their class mates and their pairings. Shikamaru took a more analytical way of processing the groups without really noticing he had done so. At times Shikamaru know he was smarter than the rest of the kids his age, well other times he thought it was just common sense that most people just didn’t seem to have- thus putting them under him. Why bother when everyone around you didn’t either? As Sakura held out the water bottle for Shikamaru, he peeked over his shoulder at it for a moment, before brushing his hands together and taking the water bottle. “Thanks.” He said before twisting the cap, the pop followed by the cap coming off, he lifted it up and tipped his head back a bit downing a quarter of the bobble before bring up a hand to wipe along his face.

Twisting the lid back on he placed the water bottle between himself and Sakura like the rest of the food and reached for more. Suddenly he noticed how much the two had eaten already, clearly having both been hungry. He went for the last piece, not really thinking about it just as Sakura did. Shikamaru was able to brush it off as she flopped back down onto the grass, but he couldn’t help but peek out his one eye to see a linger blush on her cheeks. It was odd, but he let his eye close again before he opened both his eyes to look up at the sky. He took in a deep breath, the air feeling him with a joy of just relaxing as he brushed off Sakura’s reaction. Girls were confusing and there was no point in trying to understand them. It would only make more trouble than woman already were.

As Shikamaru allowed Sakura to take the lead for a while, her reaction to his almost order made him laugh. After a moment he let out a sigh. “Sorry.” He said glancing over at her with that usual lazy look on his face. “But your reaction was pretty great. I was expecting something totally different.” He said with a slight shrug of his shoulders before letting his eyes move back to the sky. Only wait followed made Shikamaru raise an eyebrow and look at Sakura again. “The Sakura Haruno doesn’t know what to do?” Then he laughed again. “The world has ended and I’m living within my own mind, like a dream. Then again if this was a dream, Choji would be here.” He said as he finished laughing. However, she came up with an idea quickly, although it wasn’t totally work, it still wasn’t just relaxing watching the world pass him buy. As much as he wanted to groan he was able to hold himself back from doing so. He believe that he knew Sakura pretty well, but the reaction she had given him yesterday didn’t go over well. If he did that in front of the class, sure he would get cool points that he didn’t even want, but he would totally destroy her. Shikamaru was all for Sakura showing that side of him that was mockable, but that was only because he didn’t care.
She began the lead into their ‘getting to know each other’ Shikamaru wasn’t much of a talker about his personal life, he didn’t see the point in it. This time he couldn’t help but sigh softly. Closing his eyes he let the small breeze take him away to that carefree place. It wasn’t Sakura beside him, but Choji just another day out lying about. Only this time he didn’t seem to be munching. This was the only way he’d even remotely open up to her. “Well I’m an only child too, if you met my father, you’d see how much we are alike. I think my mother would become a crazy murder if she had put up with another laid-black lazy personality. Though she has my father whipped, I can’t understand how he can deal with a woman like that. Too troublesome if you ask me.” With that he let his eyes open as he looked up to the sky, his mind wondering back to the time that Shikamaru first became friends with Choji. He stuck up for him and then later ran into him well talking with his father. They were in this very spot now, talking, and Shikamaru being the boy he was, clearly stated they were in his spot. From that day on, the two slowly became the best friends they were today. No one was able to see pass Choji’s differences like his weight as see how true and loyal and kind he was.
“I never wanted a brother.” He said softly as his eyes close again. “Choji and I. . . just clicked. No one can see pass what he appears to be, but best of all, he can put up with this chill relaxing life style. In fact, this is where Choji and I hang out every day.” He finished saying, unknowingly having smiled softly the whole way though. No one could replace Choji, and yet no one would understand how these two can be such great friends. Words aren’t needed, it is the actions alone that show how true they are to each other.
Sakura then explained her story of Ino, something Shikamaru could recall slightly, but really being who he was, couldn’t really remember much about anyone else in the pass. “Don’t take this the wrong way Sakura, but why is it that you and Ino went different ways? If I remember right, you were seemed really close, always together and then. . . boys no longer were germs and you two both happened to fall in love- for only god knows why- Sasuke. Why let something like that, something so petty destroy such a good thing. Woman are troublesome and complicated but stupid for how they can turn on each other in a second. We’re only fourteen, what is the likely hood that a boy you can like now will be that one later on? Why waste time on something so pointless when you’re working so hard to be a ninja?” He rambled on before sitting up and rubbing the back of his neck and mumbling. “Sorry” and looked away.
Lucky for Shikamaru, Sakura was able to lighten the mood shortly after that, pulling her hair up. He glanced over just to be nice, he couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Holding his tummy with one hand he covered his mouth. Once he was able to stop, he smiled at Sakura in his usual lazy way, but with a bit of a spark that only Choji really ever got to see. “I’m either corrupting you, or this is a new way to throw Ino off track and make Sasuke fall madly in love with you.” He said as he reach up and pulled the tie from his hair and held it out as it just about touched his shoulder, the bangs slightly falling in his face. “I’ll even let you use my tie if you give me your ribbon.” He teased as he pointed with his free hand to the red ribbon that Sakura had tied around her head.

~~~

Hinata’s eyes went slightly wide as he brought up how he knew she liked Naruto. He noticed that. . . she watch Naruto. No one else had, and she really did mix into the back, she couldn’t help but smile a little as she slowly began to eat her food. Her cheeks stayed a slight glow of pink from the talk about Naruto, but for some reason it lingered a little longer on her cheeks. There was no way that Hinata could create enough courage to be able to talk to Naruto, let alone interact with him. When they were much longer, Hinata had tried a few times and failed each time. She had become used to watching him from the background, secretly cheering him on. Bring her mind back to the topic at hand, as Sasuke spoke, she felt her blush finally disappear only to reappear with that surprised look on her face. He had praised her. . . in a sort of way. She couldn’t help but smile softly as she looked back down at her food before taking another mouth full.

The two turn their conversation towards the house. Hinata was being careful of what she said, after all she didn’t want to upset Sasuke. Having your older brother murder your whole clan. . . everyone but you, would be so hard. She could never understand that pain, being betrayed like that, is something very few people would understand. Hinata would never act as if she understood, she would never be any help in making him feel better because she didn’t understand that pain. No two people experienced the same things and because of that their pains and hardships were different. But her comment or nice action seemed to make Sasuke struggled for words. She couldn’t help but peek up and let out a soft giggle. Something very out of place in Hinata’s life. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t meant to laugh. I. . . just don’t think I’ve ever heard you. . . stumble on your words before. . .” She trail off softly as she looked at her food. It was hard for Hianta to keep contact with people for a long time. Her cheeks that slight pink colour, she had no idea why this was embarrassing, but it was really just something she felt he needed. Hianta was very kind and gentile which is why she was never good enough to be the heir. She was her mother’s daughter and because of that it made her not the best ninja, nor the ideal one.

Peeking up through her black bangs at the boy before her as she swallowed what was left in her mouth she cleared her throat. She quickly looked back down at her plate which was almost empty now as Sasuke looked at his. “I-“ She took a deep breath as if to calm herself. “I don’t mean to butt into your life, but-“ She took another deep breath closing her eyes to keep the words coming. “I really don’t mind, you can pick the day and the meal if you want. I’m more then sure. . my father would encourage the idea.” She said letting her voice become slightly lower at the thought of her father. It was hard not to feel the pain that he had put her through so far. But she shook the thoughts away and looked up at Sasuke, her hands fidgeting together under the table in her lap as she tried her best not to shift around in her seat. “Once you’re on missions, we could even set up a note system for each other encase we have to go away.” She finished with a small smile. By saying you rather than us, meant that she was not totally sure herself that she would be able to be a ninja. In reality the only reason she was one was because of her clan and well her father. She could only wonder if Sasuke or anyone outside her own household knew that she was no longer the heir, or if she had been the heir at all. To Sasuke she could be just a part of the clan but not a part of her . . . branch.

When Sasuke spoke next, it caught her off guard. When she had put the offer up, she never thought of such a thing as getting anything in return. She would never let him know, that it was because she felt. . . he could use some human interaction, even just a little, and even with someone like her. Clearly, she wasn’t after Sasuke to be her boyfriend for Sasuke had picked up on the fact she liked Naruto, and what else could there be for her to want? Waving her hands up in the air in front of her rather franticly, she shook her head. “Oh, no, no, no. I don’t want anything. . . I just. . . thought it would be something nice.” She said as she watch Sasuke for a reaction. She gave that small little smile at him before, refilling her plate, not nearly as much as Sasuke but enough that she would finish her plate and be full.

For a moment it fell quiet again between the two as they slowly picked away at the food. Hinata this time finished her plate before Sasuke and hesitated at speaking before finally being able to push out the words. “Ah, would you like me to pack up the leftovers for you? Since there is some left and. . . we don’t need it at home, I’m sure it’ll be eaten here.” She said softly before noticing Sasuke’s plate was finished. “If you’re done, I’ll start on cleaning up too- b-but only if that is okay. I don’t. . . want to intrude or something.” She trailed off before getting up and starting to clean up the kitchen. As she worked she bite her lower lip before glancing over at Sasuke. “Ah. . . what-what would you like to work on first. . . when we’re done?”

[Genkai]

Sakura wasn't sure what she expected when she confessed her lack of an idea when it came to her picking what they would do for the time being. But she figured his laughter was better than another snide remark. But soon enough the teasing followed, something she was used to and she was pretty tempted to just get up and go back home and deal with her part of the project herself. If it weren't for her trying to change, lighten the subject, she probably would have given up making any sort of progress when it came to building a rapport with her partner. Though what he had said in regards to her history with Ino and why it had changed without real consideration gave her much to mull over, it wasn't something she found herself capable of doing at the moment. It seemed her sudden trick of sorts, had gotten Shikamaru to let out another roar of laughter once more. She grinned this time, not taking as much offense to his words. In fact, they made her face turn a little red again, but not out of anger or embarrassment. Sakura's grin showed more teeth as she considered his playful retort about either corrupting her or her finding a new way to win Sasuke over.

"Oh really?" She giggled. Then another surprise came as he handed her his hair tie in exchange for her ribbon. She pulled it out from her hair and handed it to Shikamaru while she took his tie and bent forward to gather her hair up and make it stick up a little better. Once Sakura had tied her hair into a high messy ponytail, resembling Shikamaru's as well as a pineapple, she fell backwards back onto the grass, laying on her back. Sakura had really no clue what had come over her all of a sudden but she still couldn't help but let a few soft chuckles escape her lips. "I don't know if you can pull off a red ribbon but I'd love to see you try." She teased lightly and put her hands behind her head, her fingers playing with her strands of hair. "About me and Ino..." She began to say, considering that she felt somewhat obligated to comment on his observation of girls' relationship. "It wasn't just Sasuke that...that got in the middle of our friendship we just...we just became more competitive with one another. Not just in "love" but in school too." She smirked a little, knowing Ino wasn't close to the top tier of grades as Sakura was. "We just grew apart." She muttered, the cheer fading from her skin as she thought back to her and Ino, playing and talking before everything had changed.

She allowed a few moments to pass before she continued to consider his previously stated words. "I know it's not exactly sensible to make enemies out of friends." She admitted. As for the rest of his comments regarding Sasuke Uchiha, well, she didn't want to get into it or she would likely go back to considering departing. She closed her eyes and instead thought back to what Shikamaru had said in regards to his own relationship with the chubby kid, Choji. Some uneasy part of her couldn't help but feel a little envious of his friendship with someone where both parties were openly accepted, flaws and all. There was once a far off time when she and Ino were the same, helping one another with their issues. Sakura tried to calm Ino's loud mouth while Ino helped Sakura with her appearance. And now they ended up using these known weaknesses against one another. What kind of friendship was that, let alone put it in the content during a mission. Sakura didn't want to think about it so she did her best to change the subject but her lips refused to open as the joy had successfully evaporated from her chest. Now she had to think back to what she had first said on the touchy topic.

"Maybe once school is out...Ino and I can talk." The pressure of academic perfection wasn't an excuse she could hide behind much longer. And perhaps the animosity wouldn't be so thick. Even so, she felt like now the topic could be put aside. Shikamaru may have a point but she didn't think he had enough insight to really rally together an opinion. Now there was more silence and Sakura felt the whole afternoon would continue to be littered with silence or awkwardness. Here she had been hoping for some sort of progress but very little had been made. And she still questioned his drive to get them a good performance for their test. Was there a topic that wouldn't yield some awkwardness between them? School, the opposite sex, their family, their goals, were all things that they couldn't talk about. Much to her disappointment, reading hadn't prepared her for the trails of holding up small conversations. This was the real world and they'd be put into teams which they may enjoy or not. Sakura frowned as she wondered how her and Ino and Sasuke would be as a possible team. That would be a horrible vision to behold so she discarded it and forced herself to sit up, considering what Shikamaru may be thinking.

Sakura had an inkling that he wasn't over thinking things the way she was, that he was probably sleeping or relaxing with an empty mind. She never understood how he could do such a thing. While he had tried to show her how to relax and just take in the world around her, it had been something she had to struggle with. Sakura hated having to struggle when everyone expected the best out of her. It was a tough act to keep up all the time, in hopes she could prove herself worthy to her parents and her peers, who she knew probably didn't really care like she hoped. Should they try transforming into one another and call it a day? Now she worried that she would still be less than perfect. Sakura took a deep breath and closed her eyes, finding nothing else to do except try to calm down the way Shikamaru had instructed. She cleared everything out of her head and listened to the wind and felt the sun. Her heart rate dropped slightly and she kept her hands in the grass on either side of her as she dropped her head slowly, her muscles attempted to break up the tension. "It's not easy for me to be like this." She said quietly to Shikamaru, not caring if he didn't care or was tuning everything out. It was building up and she couldn't keep it all inside anymore. "I have to study and read and practice all night and day and...this image I've created is slowly killing me."

The easiest thing for him to tell her would be to stop trying to be perfect and pleasing everyone but again, he didn't know her. He was an outsider to her issues. "I fear that when I'm in a team finally, I won't be able to handle it. I don't want to let anyone down." She bit her lower lip. "I don't like to fail because I know I have this potential and it's hard to grasp fully and..." She opened her eyes and just stared down at her lap. "I just don't want everything to fall on me at the worst time. I think waaay too much and I hate it." She slowly looked over to where the male was. "I guess I just wish I was more like you. I guess. I mean...you're not as stupid as everyone writes you off to be but you don't try hard and you're happy." She shrugged and slowly got to her feet. "Anyway, I just needed to tell someone that. I know that whatever I can or can't do is up to me..." Sakura smiled sadly and placed a hand to where her hair was, standing up and frayed in a mess. "Thanks." She finally found herself giving him a more sincere smile. "I'm not sure how today will help us in the long run but we'll see, I think we can call it a day though." There was a lot to think about and she knew Shikamaru would rather do anything but work. She began to dust some of the grass off herself as she looked back to Shikamaru. "And I'm sure you'd rather just sleep now anyway..."

- - -

It wasn't his fault he had struggled to understand Hinata's offer. It was a wild one, one he hadn't expected to hear. He wasn't sure if it was so odd to spur a laugh from his guest but it was better than tears. Sasuke just looked at her, not really taking any sort of offense to her outburst of sorts. It was tough to pick his own words carefully when he was dealing with a female, let alone a female with absolutely no self esteem. He would be a terrible person if he didn't try to ease around any sensitive topics for her. And he was trying, trying to not be so blunt as he would be around Naruto or someone else. While he lacked the tact of holding a conversation, his biggest downfall was that he had no idea how to read the girl, Hinata Hyuga. He knew of other clans in the village but he didn't pay much mind to their history but he would perhaps have to look into Hinata's if they were to be an effective team for their class's test. He wasn't sure what to say to her small explanation as to why she laughed so he just gave a quiet nod and looked back down at his own plate in front of him.

Then she continued to carry on about their other conversation about her helping him with dinner once a week. He never let anyone get this close before, it was a tricky situation he saw himself in at the moment. He was at least aware of the power the Hyuga clan had. They were a proud clan but that wouldn't be seen if he just studied Hinata as she was in front of him. But since the girl had mentioned it, he decided that no matter her motive for offering, that he might as well accept it. "Alright. Thank you, Hinata." He said, his lips slipped up in a small smile, a gesture of appreciation with only some hesitation. Then she went ahead and thought about their missions once they graduated. He hadn't thought that far ahead, much to his surprise. And Hinata did, which resulted in another surprise. Sasuke thought about her idea using notes since it was likely that they would be difficult to reach once they were doing personal things with their teams. Sasuke knew they could use his mailbox or something close to it, like a rock or a bush to place notes in or under if they needed to get one another. He considered for a moment, using a place more public so it wouldn't be such a hassle for the girl.

After all, if she was to help him, it was only right that he meet her halfway. In the literal sense too. "We could find a place and just agree to put notes there if we'll be busy." He agreed after some consideration. He had noticed she had only mentioned him regarding missions but he had mentioned her has well in his own response, unsure why she may think he would be the only one doing missions in or around Konoha. He assumed that she still didn't believe in herself which was still a definite shame. "We could pick the Academy as a place to put any notes." It seemed the easiest idea since they both knew where it was and if they went there at odd times, it might not seems as suspicious to any outsiders like her family or his fan club. "How about we put a note up in the large tree next to the Academy where the swing is. If we put it up high enough, I'm sure it'll be safe." He suggested to her. Of course if she had an idea of her own, he was up for hearing it of course.

Sasuke was a little caught off guard when she insisted she didn't want anything in return. He didn't want to feel in her debt. While she considered her offer nice, he saw it as a glaring flaw. In the real world, niceness didn't get someone far. When it came down to missions, perhaps saving an ally would be nice but the ally would probably still want to do something in return. It was about equality just like his revenge. Somehow, he would ensure Itachi's death would pay for all of the other blood that had been spilled in their name, Uchiha. Still, he felt a little weird not being able to do something for her. If he were her, he would have asked to learn how to speak up and not care so much about the opinion of others. But he wasn't her and he wasn't about to force an idea upon her after she was being nice to him. Hinata then asked about her cleaning up and packing up leftovers once they were done, another kind offer which he felt unsure of how to deal with. Sasuke could easily take care of himself, he barely could recall his own mother's doting ways. Sasuke looked to the girl and then back at his empty plate and then thought about it. "Sure...thank you." He felt a little defeated if he answered either way.

He knew it wasn't right for such a guest to be helping out this much so he got to his feet, indenting to help her clean up as most of the mess way his own and he didn't want her to do everything for him. He knew better in that regard at least. He helped clear the table and moved into the kitchen and began to help put away the leftovers. "I think we should work on something...to help you." He said, trying to be careful with his words as he looked to her. Even if she said she didn't want anything, he felt rather compelled to try and get Hinata to believe in herself. He saw potential in her and if she was training as hard as she claimed, she saw it too. If there was some sort of progress, it would prove to the purple eyed girl that her efforts would pay off. Sasuke and Hinata finished up and he finished putting away the dry dishes. He turned to Hinata and leaned against the counter. "I know you don't want any payment for helping me but I still want to help you." Sasuke said. "I'm not sure if I can be I think I can try." Hopefully his patience would hold out long enough to make something good happen. Of course he knew if he knew more about her, he would probably be able to help her even more. He considered the idea of having her go home so he could do some research and gather information about her and her clan.

"I think we can just wait till we get back to work." He said, slightly unsure about his own decision. "I mean, maybe tomorrow will be better. I think today is...too good of a day to waste it with training." Sasuke knew his words were very unlike him but he was still thrown for a loop by Hinata's kind gestures that he wasn't sure if his mind would even be able to keep up with his body. That would be dangerous and he wasn't willing to risk hurting himself because his mind was elsewhere. And he also needed to figure out Hinata and how he could help her come out of her fragile shell. "As for what day would be best for me...how does Thursdays sound?" He asked her. "But we can wait until next week since we did just have a meal together." He didn't wish to take advantage of her kindness by any means. He walked them over to the door so she could go home and train some more. "Hold on." He headed off to his own room and came back with a special shuriken which had the Uchiha emblem on each outward point. "I want you have this." He handed it to her. "Only a few were made for my clan but I want you to practice with it. It helped me when my brother was trying to get me to improve my skills." Sasuke said. "Maybe it can give you some extra strength as well." He wasn't too worried about her throwing skills due to her bloodline and their training yesterday but she needed more than physical courage at the moment and it would take time to master.