SS025

With Ino's and Sakura's houses being even more out of the way than before, Seikun was gradually developing the habit of waking up a few minutes earlier than he had in the past. When he emerged from his room and made his way to the bathroom, however, he quickly discovered that he wasn't the first to wake as Hinata was inside, staring at herself in the mirror while fixing her hair.

Noticing Seikun's arrival, Hinata turned her head, her expression going from a slightly weary look to a vibrant smile as she said, "Good morning, Seikun. Are you preparing to head to Ino's and Sakura's?"

Recovering from his initial stupor, Seikun nodded and confirmed, "That's right." Then, making his way over to one of the three sinks lining the left side of the bathroom, he began washing his face and preparing to brush and floss his teeth.

With Seikun choosing the sink furthest from her, Hinata's smile lost a bit of its vibrancy as she asked, "Does my being here trouble you, Seikun...?"

Finishing washing his face first, Seikun turned to meet Hinata's gaze, his eyes briefly sizing her up as he responded, "I consider you a good friend, Hinata. I would never turn you away or complain of feeling troubled. But we both know that Sakura and Ino, in particular, aren't going to be happy once they learn you're staying here..."

Turning away from Seikun and staring down at the sink, Hinata affirmed, "I know...but, even though I know...I would like to continue staying here for a little while longer. I know it's selfish, and I'm not expecting anything to come of it...but being able to see and interact with you like this makes me happy...even if it also makes me feel guilty..."

As he had gotten used to Hinata's openness over the past few months, Seikun wasn't too surprised by her words. They were like battering rams against his mental and emotional defenses, but as he had cultivated his poker face tirelessly over the past year, he managed to appear and sound calm as he replied, "With your sister staying here, you have every right to come and go as you please...but when your and Ino's friendship invariably comes to a head, I won't be able to mediate the situation. I'll be too busy trying to mediate my own..."

"I understand..." muttered Hinata, looking sad but resolute. She knew she was in the wrong, but that didn't change her decision. Seikun had become one of the most important fixtures in her life. She cherished her friendship with Ino and Sakura and wanted to continue growing alongside them. But with Ino increasingly going out of her way to prevent her from so much as speaking with Seikun...Hinata felt like it had always been a matter of time before their friendship crumbled apart, even if she sincerely desired Ino's and Sakura's happiness...

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Waiting until they had completed their morning routine and preparing to return to Sakura's house for breakfast, Seikun passed around his water bottle, waiting for his two girlfriends to wet their throats before revealing the situation with Hinata and Hanabi.

"Please tell me you're joking..." responded Ino, her expression going from stupefaction to a deep-set frown as she added, "Because, if you're not, I might lose it on both you and Hinata..."

"Please, don't..." sighed Seikun, adopting a conflicted expression as he lowered his gaze and reiterated, "She won't be staying more than a few weeks. Just long enough-"

"Seikun!" shouted Ino, her expression and tone tinged by a rising fury as she screamed, "Hinata isn't your girlfriend! We are! I was barely okay with you going to her house to help with her training! But now you're letting her live with you!? Just what the heck were you thinking!?"

Closing his eyes, Seikun responded, "I will talk when you're willing to do the same..."

Feeling something snap in her mind, Ino reared back and slammed her right fist into the left side of Seikun's face before she realized what she was doing.

"Ino...!" shouted Sakura, her eyes widening to their limits as she saw her best friend send their boyfriend corkscrewing through the air, the result of Seikun offering no resistance while Ino put her full weight and higher than Genin level strength behind her punch.

Realizing what she had done, Ino's eyes also became round, a profound sense of panic washing over her as she rushed to Seikun's side, helping him to a seated position as she hurriedly excused, "I'm so sorry, Seikun. I have no idea what came over me..."

"It's fine..." responded Seikun, but the taste of blood in his mouth and the pain in his left cheek suggested otherwise. He understood Ino's fury and felt she had every right to be angry with him, but relationships that turned to violence, no matter how unintentional, were far from healthy.

Kneeling on the opposite side of Seikun, Sakura, sporting a concerned look and holding his hand, asked, "Are you okay? I think your teeth are bleeding..."

As she had also noticed that Seikun's teeth were stained red, tears began swelling in Ino's eyes as her guilt compounded. Seikun also avoided looking directly at her, so the panic she was experiencing compelled her to squeeze his hand and say, "Look, Seikun...just forget what I said earlier. I don't care if Hinata and Hanabi stay with you for a few weeks or even a few months. I trust you not to do anything..."

'It was way too soon for us to start dating...' thought Seikun, lowering his gaze rather than responding to Ino's words. He wanted to say something to assure her, but as he imagined how the next three years might play out, he found himself at a loss, unable to speak.

"Seikun...please say something..." Ino sobbed, her face scrunching and tears beginning to flow freely from her eyes. Sakura also started to tear up, so even though he wasn't sure what to say, Seikun forced himself to smile, squeezing the duo's hands as he assured, "I'm fine, so please don't cry. I was just a little taken aback, that's all. I mean, that was one hell of a punch, Ino..."

"Really...?" asked Ino, quickly recovering, wiping away the tears from her eyes, and sniffling as she added, "Don't scare me like that, you jerk..." in a half-sobbing, half-laughing tone. She was almost certain that Seikun was about to break up with her, so even though she still felt like sobbing, she did her best to regain her composure and act like nothing happened.

Unfortunately for Ino, her forced recovery only cemented the notion in Seikun's mind that it was too soon for them to be dating. He felt like he would be doing her more harm than good by pretending she hadn't just slugged him hard enough to give him a minor concussion, so after a few seconds of deliberation, he lowered his gaze and said, "But this incident had made it clearer than ever that we shouldn't be concerning ourselves with things like love and romance at our age..."

Realizing where things were headed, both Ino and Sakura began to tear up, the formerly weakly muttering, "Seikun, please...no..." while the latter released his hand, brought her hands up to her eyes, and started bawling like the child she was. Their hurt caused tears to form in Seikun's eyes as well, but as he believed it was the best thing for all of them, he remained firm in his resolve, stating, "I...I think we should break up..." before closing his eyes and clenching his teeth hard enough to intensify their bleeding...

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tok tok tok

"Seikun? Is it okay if I come in...?" called out Hinata, waiting for several seconds before poking her head into his room. She had already confirmed his condition with her Byakugan, but when she saw him lying atop his bed with his arms and legs splayed, staring blankly at the ceiling, her concern compounded as she asked, "Will you not be attending the Academy today as well...?"

"I'm not feeling well..." responded Seikun, his voice a lazy monotone and his head utterly devoid of thoughts. The guilt he felt over breaking Ino's and Sakura's hearts was unlike anything he had ever experienced, so for six straight days, all he had done was exist. Had Hinata not brought food directly to his room, most of which went untouched, he might have fallen seriously ill.

Though she hated seeing Seikun in his current condition, Hinata spoke no further as she carried his breakfast to the nightstand beside his bed. She was relieved to notice he had taken at least a few bites of his dinner, but since his appetite was nearly as...healthy as hers, she was concerned that he was losing a lot of weight.

"Hanabi is worried about you..." muttered Hinata, half-turning her head to stare at Seikun out of the corner of her eye as she added, "A lot of people are..."

"I know..." responded Seikun, raising his right arm to cover his eyes with his forearm. Hinata's words only served to increase his guilt, and since he wasn't used to being idle, a wave of frustration threatened to overwhelm him as thoughts of what he could or should be doing surged forward from the suppressed recesses of his mind.

"Just take your time..." muttered Hinata, feeling she had made things worse but choosing to remain positive as she turned to leave, adding, "When you're ready, everyone will be waiting to welcome you back..."

'Damnit...' thought Seikun, his throat tight and a sour feeling building in his nose. He hated being a burden and causing others to worry, but since he didn't know how to face Ino and Sakura after what he had forced them to endure, he couldn't bring himself to return to the Academy, irrespective of the fact there were only two days remaining of their first year...

"Big brother...?" called out Hanabi, her voice faint and full of concern as she poked her head into Seikun's room a few minutes after Hinata left for the Academy. She was told not to disturb him, and that he would be okay, but as she could peer into his room using her Byakugan, she knew he was anything but.

Sniffing and wiping away the remnants of tears that had gathered at the corners of his closed eyes, Seikun responded, "I'm okay, Hanabi...I'm just a little tired..."

Though she understood Seikun's words were a gentle way of telling her she should leave, Hanabi disregarded them and approached the side of the bed he was lying on. Then, without saying anything, she climbed on the bed and curled up in a fetal position with her back to his ribs.

"Hanabi..." muttered Seikun, his tone soft and stern but having no effect as Hanabi promptly responded, "I'm not leaving until big brother does..." in a defiant utterance.

"..."

'Am I really so pathetic that I need a five-year-old to console me?' Seikun asked himself, opening his slightly swollen eyes and staring at his ceiling. He knew nothing was accomplished by him holing himself up in his room, but if he returned to the Academy and acted like nothing was wrong, what kind of message would that send to Ino and Sakura? He might have kept up his defenses, but after more than ten months of spending nearly every day with them, he had come to care about them deeply. He didn't want to hurt them even more than he already had...

"Big brother..." muttered Hanabi, freeing Seikun from his rapidly spiraling thoughts.

"What's wrong...?" asked Seikun.

"It's cold..." responded Hanabi, her voice quivering slightly and her body shaking as Seikun was lying on top rather than beneath his blankets. The cold made it easier to turn his brain off, but since he could feel Hanabi's trembling increasing in intensity, he eventually closed his eyes, exhaled a tired sigh, and said, "Let's take a bath..."

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