How's everyone doing? I hope you're safe and healthy and feeling better than me. I've been spiraling down the path of dejected authors this week, but this is what I get for writing whatever I come up with after like two minutes without planning. I'm definitely going to rewrite this whenever I feel up to it. But don't worry, I'll keep updating this till they graduate from the academy, I'm sure that crappy writing is better than nothing at this point.

I'll appreciate any review that comes my way:)

At ten, Hinata had made many disturbing discoveries. The worst of them (and the most recent) was the fact that she suspected herself to have a crush. It was pathetic. The second worst discovery was the frightening correlation between her dreams and reality.

It wasn't something that she noticed immediately. Hinata had been vaguely aware of the similarities of her dreams and actual experiences, but she never gave it a second thought. Her dreams consisted of mundane things, like spilled ice-cream or simple birthday gifts. It wasn't the sort of thing that Hinata would categorize as a prediction or anything of importance, but the accuracy never failed to chill her.

Tsubaki dismissed this as nonsense, so Hinata did her best to do the same. Her mother was never wrong, after all.

"By the way, how is your progress, Chibi?"

"Um- well, I still can't activate both bloodlines at once," cue a frown on Tsubaki's face, "but-but I promise I'll work harder!"

The matriarch shook her head. "Don't bow so low, I might mistake you for a Branch Cadet one of these days."

"I'm sorry," the heiress dropped her gaze to the floor. "I'll work on that."

"Good," she nodded her approval. "Why don't you grab your coat?"

"Alright. Should I get Hanabi-chan too?"

"Hm, no. she's too busy with training," the matriarch wrinkled her nose. "I swear that girl is obsessed with improving every damn kata she learns."

Hinata shrugged as she walked off, "whatever suits her, I guess."

"Yes…" Tsubaki frowned to herself. Her second daughter was a true Hyuuga through and through, it was like seeing a mini-Hiashi except she was considerably cuter than the man during his (nonexistent) childhood.

As soon as they reached the Uchiha Matriarch's house, Tsubaki sent her daughter to pay with her cousins and pulled Mikoto to the side with a grim expression.

"I love you, but I'm not about to hear any bad news without alcohol in my system," Mikoto grumbled as she pulled out two cups. "Sake?"

After pausing for a moment, Tsubaki shrugged to herself. To hell with being respectable, "why not."

oOo

"And then Mizuki-sensei made us do more laps after I tried to help Naruto-kun!" Hinata complained as she munched on her cinnamon roll.

"Regardless of your intentions, it's considered cheating if you help him in the middle of an exam, Hinata," Itachi facepalmed.

"What's wrong with helping him," she blushed, staring down at her tea. "The Hokage is covering his tuition, so- so I think I should help him succeed…"

"Yes, but Mizuki does have a point, I notice that your stamina is going down these days," Itachi accused. Not that he was wrong, but it still hurt a Hyuuga's pride. Especially coming from someone as accomplished as him.

"Doesn't mean I have to like it," Hinata muttered without meeting Itachi's gaze. "Besides, I won't need it much because once I reach chūnin, I'll become an instructor at the Academy until my father decides that he's too old to deal with the council's rubbish."

"You wish to become a chunin instructor?"

"The council says I shouldn't go above chunin…" she paused to watch Sasuke and Naruto engage in some sort of silly competition in the yard. Her mother would probably kill her if she ever did anything remotely similar. "And I think I'd like to teach one day."

"I see," he smiled, "but remember that you have a place in the MP if that doesn't work out."

"Thanks," Hinata coughed out as she stifled a fit of giggles after the blond tripped Sasuke as they went around arguing about something that was probably stupid.

The heir gave her a strange look as she dodged his eyes once more. "Say, Hinata?"

"Y- yes?"

"What are you doing?" Itachi leaned forward and pinched her cheeks. "You're supposed to look at the person talking to you."

"I'mvuryshorry (I'm very sorry)!"

"Then look at me."

Hinata could already feel her face overheat as she raised her eyes as slowly as humanly possible. "I shaid I'm shorry (I said I'm sorry)!"

"Are you sick?"

"Um," Hinata blinked, "no?"

"It's alright," Itachi patted her head. "They must be working you to exhaustion during training, right?"

Hinata felt faint with a face so close. "Sure…"

"Hina-"

Moments later, her agemates stumbled back to the porch claiming simultaneously, "I won!"

Itachi sighed anticipating a headache; those two never seemed to give poor Hinata a break. Both heirs knew exactly what was coming.

"Shut up, Dobe, I was first!"

"You guys saw me come first, right?"

The heiress tilted her head with a surprised frown (but it did not have the intended effect due to her blush). "It was a tie."

"You okay, Hinata?"

"Yeah, it's just, um- I'm a bit tired."

"Tell Nii-san if you're sick, okay?"

Hinata nodded, still appalled with her own behavior as Naruto pestered the heir for a name.

He echoed his youngest cousin with hidden dread. Itachi was proud to say that he adored his little brother and enjoyed the company of his blond friend, but unruly children were simply not his strong point. How Hinata managed to be friends with both boys without blowing a fuse was a mystery to him.

"Hmph, since I clearly won, I get to give the news," Sasuke declared as he took a seat between Hinata and his brother.

Naruto scowled. "I wanted to say it!"

"Both of you can say what you want, just take turns," the heir ran a hand through his hair.

"Okay, so your mom said we're going to be on the same team when we graduate!" the blond announced with a grin.

"Aunt said maybe," the younger Uchiha hissed. "And that's because there's always a team with the best girl and boy plus the dead last, which is you."

Hinata gave a small laugh as her heart started returning to its normal pace. "I don't think Naruto-kun will be dead last after I'm done with him."

"Wait, you actually want to make me study in the weekend?"

"Today is a lovely day," she said with a deceitfully pleasant expression.

The jinchūriki froze. Somehow he just knew he was in danger. "Sensei?"

Hinata smiled. "Start running, Uzumaki."

Gulping, he bowed at the small girl. "Yes, Hinata-sensei," and then screamed faster than the Yondaime Hokage on soldier pills.

"Uh, Hinata?"

"You too, Sasuke."

"What- why?"

She shrugged and sipped her tea. "I promised Aunt Mikoto that I'd do this if you two fought again."

"Nii-san?"

"It is not wise to go against Hinata or our mother," Itachi shrugged.

Once Sasuke was out of earshot Hinata smiled guiltily. "I know what you're thinking."

"What am I thinking?"

"I'm a hypocrite that hates cardio but makes her friends do it."

"You underestimate me," he smirked. "I'm thinking that your ploy to make them bond over their hate for your training was quite clever."

Cue the blush.

oOo

"What a crappy situation."

"Tell me about it," Tsubaki groaned. "I've gone over so many old ass scrolls that I'm sure I'm fluent in ancient Uchiha dialect at this point."

"I thought you ditched our grandmother when she tried to teach us that?"

She smiled wryly. "I did."

"Want me to help you look over those scrolls?"

"Hm, yeah sounds great."

Mikoto patted her back sympathetically. "How did you figure all this out?"

"At first I thought Chibi was messing with me but," she took a sip of sake, "I read her journal."

"You let her have a diary?"

"Of course not, it's just a dream log. Chibi hates it when she enjoys a dream and forgets it the next day."

"This is fucked up," Mikoto sighed. "I'll ask Fugaku to let us see our archives."

"Thanks… silly little sister. "

"I'm a grown woman, Tsubaki!"