[closed; Sept 2/3/4]

[not_thedragon]

Who: Sasuke and the Hyuugas (not in fact a terrible band), also Kakashi
When: Sept 2, 3, and 4
Where: Various places in Konoha
What: There's a good chance that the reason Sasuke hasn't much questioned his own clan is because his bff's clan is so much more messed up.

[Top threads in post. :B]

Comments

[not_thedragon]

Sasuke quirked a wry smile up at Kakashi once he'd cleared the first half of the sandwich, grateful for the sentiment as much as the privacy. Kakashi was a sometimes-sensei, true, but he'd also been the first to help Sasuke channel his second nature and shape it, well before Tsunade had deemed his chakra control fine enough to show him any of her methods for using Raiton.

The offer still surprised him a little, his hand pausing in the middle of reaching for the rest of the sandwich (it wasn't as bad as he'd thought, the richness of the honey and bread surprisingly filling without agitating his unhappy stomach). He picked up the half after a moment, glancing down this time: support was an interesting way to put it.

Uchiha were clan; they were all the support he ever should have needed. And his sensei and Kage was blood kin. He shouldn't have felt anything besides supported.

Still, the words dragged out of him slowly: "I'm grateful. There are just ..." His mouth twisted a little. "There are just some disappointments I'd rather not spread through my relatives."

[scarecrowboy]

Kakashi smiled, his mask and sloped hitai-ate doing an excellent job of disguising the almost pained expression on his face. The Uchiha were a.. difficult clan, to put it lightly, and though Kakashi's experience with them started and ended with Obito and his connections, Kakashi understood enough about them to understand exactly what Sasuke meant.

Kakashi didn't have a clan to disappoint, he had no family to depend on him - all he had were these bonds he'd forged for himself, and Sasuke was one of them however pseudo-professional their relationship seemed on the exterior.

"I understand," he nodded, not patronising or pitying in the slightest. "Then should you need me, find me, and I assure you not a word will make it back to them."

[not_thedragon]

It wasn't a response Sasuke would have accepted from many people, the calm I understand: but there had always been something about Kakashi that inspired confidence. Inexplicable, given how many people were technically closer, but then that might have been it -- the distance, and maybe something about the fact that behind the slouch and the embarrassing reading material, Sasuke had always found Kakashi's fighting style refreshingly honest.

A lot could be read in a blow thrown or feinted. Sasuke bit into the remainder of the sandwich, taking the time to chew and formulate a response that wasn't awkward. It was probably a lost cause, and what came out was a little drier than he'd intended:

"I'll know whom to count on the next time I embarrass them, then," he said -- though this time, at least, he'd managed to avoid most of his relatives before he'd run into Kakashi.

[scarecrowboy]

Kakashi couldn't help the small chuckle the reverberated in his chest at that. It was endearing that even when it came down to those that depended on them, he and Sasuke had very similar approaches to how they managed themselves around their loved ones. He was sure that, as Sasuke's current mode of support, he should have reassured the young man that he should have corrected him with a firm and comforting "..If you embarrass them, not when..." but as Kakashi himself was prone to assuming the next call of disappointment was right around the corner.. he felt he didn't really have the right.

He finished with a rather affectionate look to accompany his words, his arms folded against his chest as he regarded the other.

"I'll try not to let any of my bad habits rub off on you, in that case."

[not_thedragon]

The rest of the sandwich went as quickly as the first half had, actual hunger startling him with an unpleasant pulse for attention nearly as soon as Sasuke had swallowed the last bite. Apparently his body had noticed his skipping Mikoto's usual breakfast, and the introduction of food had only reminded it. He tried not to eye Kakashi's kitchen with any further greed, which was more than could be said for the goshawk still perched on his shoulder.

Kakashi's words helped to distract from his cabinets, Sasuke meeting the look with a raised eyebrow and something closer to genuine amusement in place around his mouth -- he folded his own arms to match the man's stance, leaning back against the counter.

"Don't worry about it. Between all of my teachers, I'll be lucky if I'm not just a collection of bad habits eventually."

[scarecrowboy]

"Ah, that's right. You do have a rather unfortunate arsenal, don't you.." Less a question and more a comment, one he knew he'd be able to get away with around Sasuke, at the very least. Bullying Obito, however lightly, never really gained the reaction he'd intended around Sasuke's other cohorts, and putting any negativity on Tsunade's name in public didn't bear thinking about... In fact it kind of set him on edge that he'd said as much as he had, so he made a quick bid to rectify it. "Hopefully by that point you'll have picked up enough of our good habits to weigh them out."

There, that should do it. Kakashi eyed the plate, then looked back to Sasuke and his feathered companion.

"Is there anything else you wanted?" he asked, waving a hand as if to include the bird too. That was probably one of his good habits, he thought absently as he waited for an answer, that he was sometimes - very rarely, in fact, but sometimes - prone to fussing. Typically it was with those he considered a part of his pack, but.. Maybe it would do Sasuke well to pick up that particular habit.

[not_thedragon]

Sasuke huffed out half a laugh, amusement still in place at the corners of his lips; he wouldn't nod, of course, any more than he expected Kakashi to genuinely spend time ragging on his teachers (that was something more Sasuke's right in any case), but the mention of good habits made him grin a little. "I suppose if I master all of your techniques, no one will care if I show up to everything hours late."

Not that he expected anyone to actually be patient enough to wait for him the way he'd waited for any of the people who had taught him in any formal capacity over the years -- he was reasonably certain that the last lesson he'd had that actually started at an appointed time was sometime during his Academy days.

That last question made him straighten away from the counter, however, aware again of how he was imposing on someone else's hospitality with the unfortunate after-effects of his own bad decisions. Hoori ruffled his feathers on his shoulder at the disturbance, settling again with an ill-tempered chirrup.

"No, I've already received more than I'd expected when I left home this morning," he said -- more formally than he'd intended, maybe, but genuine. "I shouldn't take up more of your time now."

[scarecrowboy]

"Well, if you're sure..." Kakashi muttered as though Sasuke's insistence hadn't been exactly what he'd expected to hear from the young Uchiha. Despite being some degree of closed off and incredibly reserved Sasuke was polite to a fault, and Kakashi could both relate and see the faults in being so. It wasn't like Kakashi felt put out spending time with Sasuke after all; listening to his issues, helping him work them out either in quiet conversation or the muck of a training field.. He didn't have many simple relationships, and this happened to be one of the easiest ones - strange not-sensei as he was, he and Sasuke shared a mutual understanding on many subjects.

"I don't need to tell you to keep hydrated as much as you can, I suppose.." Kakashi mused as he too pushed away from the counters, and then paused to give Sasuke a quick once-over glance. "...And, I know it's easy for me to say, but try not to worry too much about the Hyuuga. Neji and Hinata are both strong willed and determined, there's no need to try and carry the weight all by yourself."

[not_thedragon]

Many years of Mikoto's patient training had made it fairly easy to tell when staying any longer would probably stretch the visit too far; Sasuke had never been as astute as Itachi (in anything, he was fully aware), but he wasn't unteachable. And Kakashi was far from the worst of the crotchety older Uchiha they had to visit on their New Year's rounds, especially given the fact that he was providing hangover advice.

"I'll get a water bottle to take everywhere today," Sasuke promised as he headed for the door, something of a smile still lingering around his mouth before it dropped away at the reminder of the Hyuuga situation. "They are, but that clan ..."

He made a face, one that he hoped clearly expressed that clan has problems without needing to get into the details. Not that his own were flawless, but Hyuuga was a can of worms that only got weirder with time.

[scarecrowboy]

"Neji and Hinata belong to that clan," Kakashi said, reflexively putting what he hoped was a comforting hand on Sasuke's shoulder as he moved with him toward the door. "It will be weighing on them heavy enough without seeing it get to you too. The best thing you can do for them is be the support they need - a strong pillar of hope, not a mess of worry.."

Kakashi smiled, his expression turning nostalgic as he thought back to the few times he'd heard the same advice when he took the problems of those close to him onto his own shoulders.

"And try to limit your alcohol intake, hm?" he said, chuckling quietly as he retracted his hand to fold his arms once more. "We're all entitled to our own brands of stress relief, but there are much easier ways of doing it."

[not_thedragon]

That was a point -- even if Neji might have appreciated a drinking partner (or at least he'd certainly been much more willing to slam back shots than Sasuke had expected), neither he nor Hinata needed to be burdened with more stress than they already had. Sasuke straightened under the hand on his shoulder, expression growing more determined with a nod.

"I'll remember that," he said, and then winced at the reminder of the alcohol. "And that. The last thing any of us need is for one clan or another to limit our contact because of bad influence."

More likely the Hyuuga, given what Hiashi already seemed to think about him, for reasons that were still not entirely clear. Sasuke stepped into his shoes and reached up to put a hand on the goshawks' talons, making sure that Hoori knew to make himself small enough to make it through the doorframe without bumping his head.

"Thanks again, Kakashi-san," he said, turning on the threshold with a wry smile. "I'll owe you one, if you ever need a hangover sandwich."

[scarecrowboy]

"I'll know where to go," Kakashi said with a small salute of affirmation. "See you around."

And he shut his door with a small click.

All in all he was pleased with his efforts. Sasuke definitely looked a little brighter - if it was possible to call any expression Sasuke held bright - than when he'd arrived, so for that much he was proud of himself. It was unfortunate that the young Uchiha had been on the receiving end of this Hyuuga fall out, but he had every confidence that everything would work itself out eventually.