AN: Bear with me since this one's a slow burn. It's supposed to be mysterious ;)

Enjoy!

000

The ceiling was white.

He had never been in this room before, he thought. He wondered if this was a dream, then felt a sting behind his eyes. Soreness in his lower back. The restriction of a bandage along his upper torso, with another at his neck.

"You must have b-blacked out again." A voice. Soft, female. "But—but Father fixed it."

He turned his head. She was his own age. Hyuga. Long bluish hair. Jacket in pale neutrals. A name sprang up, the onset delayed.

"Hinata?" he rasped. "How long have I been out?"

"...A few days," she whispered. She was looking intently at the floor.

Even sideways, she was clearly part of the main house. No seal, no forehead bandaging. Blank stare. Unreadably melancholic. Like all of them.

"This was a r-really bad one, so Father tried to fix it. I think it worked. Um. How...how are you?"

He tried to remember what he was doing before the blackout. A flash of a blade, the sky. Naruto and Sakura's concerned faces. Training? Probably. It didn't matter now. The images slipped away as quickly as he had been able to conjure them.

"Where am I?" He cleared his throat and hoped his rising panic was well hidden. "I've never been here before."

A flash of alarm, but it was hidden quickly. "Um. This is your room. Are you sure...?"

He gave the room a proper once-over. Bed in the middle. A plush chair, which Hinata was sitting on. Next to the chair, an end table. On the other side an open closet and set of dresser drawers. A mirror and comb on top of the drawers. The floor was pale wood.

He could see a rack of blue and black shirts in the closet, glimpses of the Uchiha crest. Those were his shirts alright, but something still felt strange. He wondered if he would be dizzy when he got up.

"I don't know," he finally said, sitting up. "I'm thirsty."

"You—you must have hit your head really hard, then." She stood. "I'm going to get Father. S-stay put, okay?"

He swung his legs around and tried to stand. There was the dizziness. He shuffled over to the chair and collapsed into it.

Hinata reentered, with another Hyuga man behind her that was presumably her father. He was...tall, dressed in traditional robes. Imposing. Unreadable in a more intense way, if one could call such a blankness intense.

"How do you feel, Sasuke?" he asked, tone clipped.

"Um. Kind of weird, I guess? My head hurts."

"That's understandable. You took quite a fall this time." He made a grunting noise. "You were out for a few days. Concussion. What do you remember?"

"Naruto and Sakura. A sword. The sky?" Sasuke sighed. "I can't think of anything else. Sorry."

"I see." His expression warmed. "Often, after head trauma, the events before and a little after get foggy. That's normal."

"Oh..." He slouched in the chair, relaxing. "Okay."

Hinata covered her mouth with her fingertips. She made a small noise, but didn't say anything.

"Your confusion should subside soon, Sasuke. Within a day or two at most." He stroked his chin once, decisively. "Come to supper. If you're still feeling confused, Hinata can help you."

Before he left, he handed her a small drawstring bag. "This should ease the dizziness,"he said. She placed it on the end table.

Hinata waited until his footsteps faded before she opened her mouth. "Did—did that help? D-do you need help up?"

She was blushing.

"I...think so. I'll be fine in a bit." He tilted his head. "Why was I out for so long?"

"Oh! W-well...it was partly your concussion...but—but to fix the blackouts, um, we had to get help. From the Yamanaka clan." She was staring at her feet, wringing her hands. "S-so there was also...um, the recovery. I guess."

He was quiet for a bit, digesting. The pieces of the puzzle began to fall in place. Yes. He glanced down at his clothes. T-shirt, cotton sleep pants. "Could you, um. Wait for me to change?"

"Of course!"

The door slid shut behind her, but she did not leave.

He took stock of himself in the mirror. Pale. Trembling. He barely recognized the look in his eyes. The fear and confusion. A rub of the eyes later, he switched into an Uchiha shirt from the closet and dark pants.

He poked his head out of the room. "Okay, ready."

Supper was quiet and uncomfortable. Sasuke was unsurprised that the food was as pale and blank as the family eating it, though more flavorful. A mix of salt and sour, very traditional, with miso soup so white he thought it was transparent. Herbal tea to drink. Dessert was a single bun with bean paste as filling. Filling. But not to satisfaction.

A girl, around eleven or twelve, stared at him intently. Presumably Hinata's sister? Hinata herself did not seem disturbed by his presence at the table. Their father, however, had eaten a small selection from the entrees available, then left to do "business."

He kept his eyes downcast. He did not feel so welcome at the table, not enough for a polite excuse me. So he left, making as little noise as he could. He tried not to think about the slight frown that played along Hinata's lips.

He found his way back to his room and looked at the clock mounted on the wall behind the bed. Six in the evening. Hyugas sure liked their early meals.

He sat in the chair and stared at the wall. For how long, he wasn't sure. His mind felt like it was full of cobwebs that were impossible to clear, an unending mist. Maybe that was an effect of the Yamanaka technique? He eyed the satchel Hinata's father had handed over.

He held it up to his nose, trying to guess at he contents. Rosemary, or another pungent herb was at the forefront. Cinnamon. Chamomile. Rosehip. There was something dark and smoky under it. He felt a little better with it just wafting around him. Perhaps these herbs would be best served by a milky tea.

There was a knock on the door frame.

"S-Sasuke?" Hinata said, almost at a whisper. "Are you...alright?"

He slid the door open a crack. She was making a great effort to avoid looking at him.

"Yeah," he finally said. "Um...I wanted to make some tea with...this?"

"Oh, the herbs! This way, please."

He thought it was a bit odd that she was blushing as she said this, but did not say so. He watched her hair sway and listened to the sound of her bare feet padding along as he followed her to the kitchen. She palmed the light switch without a backwards glance.

The light felt blinding, and he recoiled. His neck went stiff. "Ow..."

"S-sorry."

"Don't worry about it." He hissed. "I'm fine."

"Um...okay..." She pulled a cup from the rack, a big one with a handle. "Do you prefer loose leaf or strained?"

"Um...strained."

She snatched a metal tea infuser from another part of the pale stone countertop. Suddenly, her hand reached behind her. "The herbs, please." As she prepared the herbs, she added, "Milk or sugar? Or both?"

"Just milk."

"Mhm."

He considered supper again. "Hey...Hinata? Is there a reason your...sister? Was staring like that?"

"Hanabi." Hinata went still. "Like w-what?"

"Like I was...bothering her, I guess? I dunno. Sorry for bringing it up."

She moved again, finally, putting a pot of water on the stove to boil. "Y-you're...it's fine. She's...a kid. Heh."

He watched her for a bit more. She leaned back against the counter, arms crossed. She stared at the teapot, or the element, as if she could will it to heat up faster. There was a noise in the distance. She activated Byakugan for a few seconds, then let the veins recede. She looked like she could fade into the beige and gray decor.

"This place...it doesn't feel like home," he mumbled.

"W-well...it kind of isn't," she said. "You're not a H-Hyuga."

He wanted to say something biting in reply, but she seemed brittle.

"Oh dear...that wasn't helpful..." She flushed again. "I-I meant...y-you weren't born here. F-Father, he...F-Father t-took you in after the Massacre. S-so it's understandable. To not f-feel at home."

"Massacre." The entire Uchiha clan, wiped out in an entire night. Except for him. And he couldn't remember it. Perhaps that was for the better, if the story was to be believed.

"I mean. You were really l-little. F-from what I've been told."

"...Yeah."

"Ah, the water's boiling. This should only take a few moments."

She handed the satchel back alongside the cup of tea.

"Thanks."

"Mhm."

"I'm not really tired yet. Want to do something?" he asked as they walked back.

"Of course. What did you have in mind?"

"I. I dunno." He tried to pop his neck. "Training maybe? A walk?"

"A walk...sounds fine. Want to finish your tea first?"

So he did. He felt refreshed afterward.

They walked the Hyuga grounds until the moon rose.