Patience Patient

The walk to the group meeting had been enjoyable. Kiba enthusiastically asked Hinata about herself, and in return talking about himself and Shino, as the other was relatively silent. Tenten occasionally joined in, relating with the other about college and some high school memories. All three were apparently old friends. Hinata laughed often over the recounts of their tales of adventure, mistake, and mischief.

She blinked owlishly as they entered through the polished glass doors of a brightly lit ramen bar, bells announcing their entrance, loud and busy with chatter and gossip. Kiba led the way to the end of the bar, where a large group of people were sitting together, a couple of spots saved between them and the wall. "Hey! Look who we found!" he called, motioning to the two girls in front of Shino.

"Good to see you guys!" a loud blond yelled, waving from his position in the center. A pink haired girl, who hit him, reprimanded him for being too loud inside. Next to her was a blond, who was busy talking to a man with a spiky ponytail and a chubby one with two clumps of hair sticking out of his hat. One dressed in green was shouting over these people to the pink haired girl, the subject being something along the lines of 'his undying love'. A man with dark face paint came next, and then a girl, whose hairstyle consisted of four blond bunches of hair sticking out from her head. "Who's the girl?" he asked, bluntly curious.

"Naruto! You're such a rude jerk!" the girl beside him snapped, whapping him again. "Couldn't you be more polite?!"

"But Sakura-chan, I-!"

Tenten laughed a little at the group's antics, interrupting Naruto's excuse. "You guys, this is Hinata. Hinata, that's Naruto, Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, Lee, Kankuro, and Temari." A chorus of greetings were issued, most cheerful, and some accompanied by smiles. She grinned, sitting next to Temari. Hinata followed, and then came Kiba and Shino.

Tenten traded a small joke with Temari, laughing and swinging on the stool (the tops swiveled slightly). She frowned a moment later. "Where are Neji, Sasuke, and Gaara?"

"Gaara's here already, just making a call," the other girl responded, a languid expression on her face.

"Sasuke refused to come. But your boyfriend might come later, Tenten," Ino piped in. The expression on Tenten's face changed, becoming an ever more cheerful grin.

Hinata listened to the conversation, fascinated. They accepted her relatively well for a stranger. She found out that they had gone through all of high school with each other, except for Temari and Kankuro, who were siblings, as well as a 'Gaara'. They were all only a year apart in grade and most were in the same year.

I didn't know Sasuke is a friend to them… And what's strange is that… some of their names seem familiar… Hinata frowned a little in hard thought. Maybe I've just heard of them in passing…

"Gaara! What took you so long?! Did you fall in or something?" Naruto yelled at an approaching man.

He glanced down at the grinning blonde. "I was making a call," he said, tone flat, albeit annoyed at the joke. He sat down in the empty spot next to Naruto, calmly returning the kind glances the others gave him with his own vacant stare, and they returned to their conversations.

He had bright red hair, a showy crimson. His eyes were rimmed with a thick line of black, its look similar to that of kohl or some other eye-lining beauty product. His irises were light, on the contrary, a shade of blue, green, and tints of grey mixed together. His hair covered only part of a red tattoo, which she couldn't make out at the moment from her angle. He was pale, so pale; that was why all his unique features stood out, making him a noticeably attractive guy.

Hinata blushed a little, just managing to restrain it before others saw, however. She distracted herself by immersing herself in another conversation with Kiba and Shino; they were very nice and best friends with each other, and she couldn't help feeling a tad jealous.

She discovered that Shino was a scientist, and he traveled far researching the development of insects, collecting them as well; he had a particular interest in Kikai bugs (an old legend stating that they fed off humans' energy) and thought that they were one of the most highly developed bugs.

Kiba was a mix of a dog breeder and some kind of vet- she was a little confused about his explanation. He traveled with Shino a lot, always taking Akamaru with him, picking up different species of dogs, releasing some into the wild. He didn't really have a defined profession, but just did what he wanted most of the times, and mooching off Shino a lot.

Her phone started to ring, interrupting the conversation. Embarrassed, she scoured her bag for the device, mumbling soft apologies all the while. She snatched it up, and slid out of the seat, rushing out of the ramen bar, for better reception and for traditional phone-in-restaurant etiquette, mostly centered on the privacy of her family's business. She made it out to the doorway, finally opening the cell on the last ring.

"Moshi-moshi?"

"Hinata-sama."

She was glad that it was her closest cousin, not her father, or her sister, or any other of the members of the Branch part of the family fun Hyuuga Company. He was the only one she was comfortable around. "Neji-Nii?"

"Where are you? I called Hatake-san's office, but he said that you had gone out for you lunch break."

She could feel the concern in his voice. "I'm fine. I went out to a nearby ramen bar with Tenten and her friends. Hatake-san let us."

"Tenten?"

"Ah, yes. Is something wrong?"

"Nothing." His tone was different, with a slight tone of amusement. "Do you have the day off after your lunch?"

"Uh… yes, Hatake-san is very kind; he has a gradual plan to get me used to the psychiatric ward. Though Tenten is expected back at the office."

"Then I'll pick you up, since I'm free today."

"Wait, do you need the name of-"

"No." Neji hung up, leaving her more than a little surprised. She stared at the phone in her hand. How would he know where she was? She frowned to herself, knowing that her cousin was usually not this rash or unheeding. He must have a reason.

"I told you already. I refuse to sign the deal." Hinata jumped a little, surprised to hear Gaara's voice behind her. She heard the low static hum of a response from the person on the other end. She wondered whether to walk past him, making it obvious that she could hear, or to awkwardly stay. She settled with pretending to send a text message, remaining in her place.

"Baki, your incompetence is intolerable. I'll talk to my father later." She could sense that frown in his voice, accompanying the aggressive snarls of his words. "The current Kage has gone senile. I'm the one replacing him, and you will listen to what I say." She heard the phone being closed with a light tap. She didn't look up, still turned away and hoping that he'd not notice her. When she didn't hear anything, she closed her cell as well, looking up. Only to see a silent Gaara glaring at her.

"Keep quiet," he growled.

"A-ah, sorry-"

He had left already, leaving her feel colder than she actually was, even though she didn't have her warm coat on to guard against the biting wind near the entrance. She waited several moments before entering the café again.

"Hinata!" Tenten smiled as Shino and Kiba slid out of their seats again so that she could enter. "What took you so long? I got you a bowl of small ramen; I didn't think you'd be like Naruto and inhale five, while still asking for more."

"Thank you." She broke the chopsticks apart, mumbling the appropriate pre-meal saying before slowly starting to eat. She nearly burned her tongue on the broth at the first bite, and waited a little, blowing on it like most of the others. Naruto, however, ate one bowl in the process of her taking ten bites and slurps; she was awed and disgusted at the achievement at the same time.

A jangle of the bells, and Tenten looked up again, her hopeful expression growing happy. "Neji! You're here!"

"Only for a little, I'm here to pick up my cousin." The white-eyed prodigy nodded, acknowledging the group all at once as they smiled, greeting him amiably enough.

Hinata choked slightly besides the secretary, barely managing to swallow the scalding noodles, continuing to cough for a little. The surprise of Neji's arrival and the majority of stares were rather overwhelming. Kiba patted her on the back as she tried to still her coughs, handing her a glass of water, which she accepted. "I-I'm ready." She pushed her bowl away, fishing a couple of bills out to pay for her share of the ramen. "Th-Thank you very much, everyone, for letting me dine with you."

She received a reply of cheerful "no problem!" and grins. She smiled, slipping on her coat and grabbing her bag, exiting the ramen bar, Neji following. But she thought she saw him touch Tenten's shoulder briefly as he passed by. She also heard the after talk; some (Naruto, Sakura, Chouji, Ino, and Kiba mainly) were surprised that the two of them were related; she found this strange because most would distinguish the Hyuuga via their exclusive white eyes.

"H-How did you manage to find me, Neji-nii?" Hinata got in the front passenger seat of Neji's grey-blue Sudan, putting her bag in the backseat and buckling her seatbelt.

"I was invited to that group outing. And I've gone to that ramen bar before… Naruto is obsessed with Ichiraku's." Neji smirked getting in the driver's seat and starting the engine. He pulled away, heading for the apartment he and Hinata shared.

"You know them?"

"Some of us were together in high school; all of us were together by sophomore year of college." He smiled ever so slightly. "We're old friends." He stopped at the intersection, glancing at his cousin, a bit of sadness tingeing his visage. "You would have gone to the same high school and college as us, Hinata-sama… except Hiashi chose to send you away to study."

"Ah… that's too bad then." She fiddled with one of the buttons of her coat absentmindedly. "Uh, Neji-nii, did Uchiha Sasuke go to the same high school as well?"

His lips tightened, but he didn't state his obvious question of "why do you ask?" sparing his cousin. "Sasuke stayed in our high school as a freshman and sophomore; he disappeared in his junior year, and finally showed up in our college during his sophomore year. He's more silent now, and twice as vicious when provoked." The car moved forward at the green light; Neji's eyes darted to the road. "Hinata… stay away from him. He's dangerous."

"He'll be my patient Neji. The least I can do is be there and be patient with him."

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Another semi-filler, though the first day if finally done. The more serious office stuff will start next update. Sorry about the lack of updates, I was busy, and I was slacking. Hopefully, I'll get another update before my break ends. It's past three when I'm writing, I'm tired. Out.

EDIT: look here. So far, 45 hits, one review. This irks me very much. If I was polite and in a good mood, I would say "reviews are appreciated". But it's not just that. It's "reviews are appreciated and demanded or I'll dump the whole updating idea".