Desperate Flowers
A batch of scenes for someone looking for a light read that still wants decent quality of content.
Women's voices rang soft, and clear from within the room he stood outside of. "Yes, put it there." "Yeah, that feels good." A moment's pause. "Up a little with that." "If I go any farther up it'll come out Sakura." A sigh of frustration. "Press the clasp down harder Hinata, we only have so many hands here." "Hai, sorry." A little slap sound like a hand hitting clothing. "Don't apologize, it kills the mood." A second slapping sound. "Same with hitting people Ino." The cherry blossom scolded back. "I don't know... This doesn't feel right... M-m-maybe if we bring this part up a little." "But if we do that it won't show off your beasts right." The pig argued back. "I just feel so ex-exposed." Giggles were heard from the other side of the rice paper as the girls continued their work.
Neji leaned his head back against a wood pillar as he watched the three with the Byakugan active. If he didn't have such eyes he'd of sworn they were doing something far less tame then their actual activity. He chuckled lightly to himself as the door at his side opened and Sakura swished past him. Ino was still knelled inside putting the last touch on Hinata's make-up. The white eyed girl looked like she was about to die of nervousness and worry as she let the blond dress her lips with a delicate red.
"I don't know if I can do this..." Hinata confessed as Sakura returned with a couple of bobby pins in her mouth and a purple ribbon in her hand. "Ino you really should of brought this stuff in with you instead of leaving it in the sitting room." The medic scolded around the tiny metal pieces. "Well it's not like I knew this was what she'd asked us here to help do." Yamanaka shot back as she took the bow and moved behind the Hyuuga heir with it. Neji closed his eyes as he stepped from the pillar into the room. He relaxed as he looked down at the blushing Hinata.
She drew her arms up, hands over her chest, making it only a more adorable image that greeted him, and making him swear if she didn't enjoy her date tonight that he was going to beat that Kiba within an inch of his life. The canine user was the one making her go to all this trouble. He wasn't sure if the other man had even been serious when he'd asked the girl out. Neji had been there two days before when it had happened. Her teammate had taken Hinata by such surprise that she'd answered him out of reflex, and now here she sat high strung and embarrassed beyond words or reason.
Neji knew what she looked like before he'd stepped around the corner, but somehow color changes everything when you release the Byakugan. She was stunning. Her hair was in a parted style half gathered and secured behind her head with a flowered clasp and the purple ribbon wrapped around the lower part at the base of her neck to give it a loose ponytail similar to his own. A pin at the spot just above each ear held a tiny fresh lilac blossom carefully nested in her hair. That alone gave her an innocent and tender look, it matched her blushing face and delicate eyes in a very soft way.
This sweetness was offset by what the clan member knew had to have been the other two girl's idea. A silky cross front blouse that was open wide at the top and held in place with a second satin ribbon threaded thru many holes and loops up the front to curve to her form. A thin white shawl helped to comfort her modestly, but it did little to hide her assets. The skirt was long and simple, overlaid with lace, in soft violet with little slashes in the material that when she moved would reveal glimpses of pale flesh only hidden by the sheer upper layer.
A pain he couldn't understand bothered the young man as he made himself smile warmly at his cousin. "He's waiting already Hinata-sama." He chimed at her as gently as he could manage. He watched the girl scramble to her feet with Sakura's hand to guide her, and Ino sat her low heeled purple and pearl shoes in her hands so the girl would have them as she left the room. Neji stared after her as she rushed out to meet her waiting date.
"The shrinking violet's begun to bloom." Ino said as she gathered her scattered things around the room. Sakura giggled at her as she watched past the distracted man for the second time. "I think she did that a while ago, seems she'd ready to start attracting bees to me." The comment made Neji's eyes bug out a bit as the two chattered down the hall. The thoughts that ran thru his mind as he considered letting Hinata's date go unchaperoned rose a protective urge in the jonin as he stormed toward the front room.
He entered the sitting room as Kiba stood there staring at Hinata as if he'd never seen her before. Neji felt a twitch in his cheek as the teen made to take her hand, offering a single spring flower in the other. The budding gift paled before Hinata, as she was in such beautiful attire. Her careful make-up helped hide her surprise as bit as she took the present. Neji relaxed a breath as he saw her sniff the flower, and smile to herself. Kiba took her other hand swepting her toward the door. The Hyuuga male resisted the urge to follow in the heat of their footsteps, waiting just till they were at the gates of the compound before heading into the night after them, at a distance.
Neji questioned his actions as he followed the two. He knew that Kiba was a good man, all things considered. He just didn't like leaving Hinata alone with anyone lately, particularly of the male persuasion. He shook the thoughts from his head and stopped dead him his tracks. What was he doing? Really, why was he out here? Her own father didn't care what the teen did, why should he? The young jonin watched the couple vanish from his normal vision behind the doors of a restaurant in the simple market area in Konoha.
He stood there watching nothing and everything for a while, in the dark, where it was quiet as he could see the two thru the window of the eatery. Neji saw her smile, and a light blush behind the layer of makeup. The jiggle of her shoulders as she laughed made him smiled to himself. Kiba was making her happy. It was the first time he could recall her being happy out with anyone, she'd always been so focused on Naruto, even when he was away. It felt good somehow to see the girl he'd watched so carefully actually enjoy someone's company.
Neji stood there watching from afar for a few more seconds before sighing to himself and walking away. Returning to the compound he would wait up for her. He trusted what he knew of the othe rman well enough. He figured being here for her when she got home would be as much a fulfillment of his job as her guardian as could be expected. The ninja waited for her there, it was all he could really do. The shrinking violet had finally gotten the push she needed to open up her pedals and let someone see her true beauty, far be it from him to try and keep her from letting someone into her life. Who knew, maybe it would get him a mutt for a new cousin-in-law down the road someday.
MEB
"You have to twist it the other way or it will never stay in place." Ino commanded as she glared up sidelong at her best friend. "I know what I'm doing Ino, now hold still." Sakura pulled lightly at the other woman's hair as she tried her best to make it go where she wanted it to. The unruly mass of blond waves finally came up into the bun she was attempting to create as she used the hair's own length to make it hold shape. A thin band was all it took to finish the look. "You sure about this?" The pink haired woman asked as she lightly tugged at the curly tendrils of hair that had escaped the piling of golden strands she'd woven. "Yes, I look really good with it up like this, and it will keep it out of my way while we're at the festival." The blue eyes teen leaned her head back and smiled at her friend.
"I don't just mean the hair you know." Sakura seriously looked her fellow kounichi over. The teal and tan kimono hugged the woman's body in a flattering way without being obscene, and made her appear more gentle then her usually outfit. Ino rose from her sitting position with the grace of someone who actually enjoyed flowy clothing, and took pleasure in wearing such things. "You do know Sai's history after all. Do you really want to go to a once a year celebration with someone so bland?" Ino shook her head at Sakura's worries for her experience.
"I'm the one that asked him, remember." Waving off the other girl Ino headed for the door and grinned back over her shoulder. "I have to hurry, or he won't get to find out just how dazzling a Cosmos can be when seen under summer fireworks." She headed out the door and down the busy street without another word. Sakura stood there in the Yamanaka flower shop feeling lonely as she thought of where Naruto was right now, and then to Sasuke. She locked up the store and headed home, she wasn't interested in the fireworks anyway.
MEB
Sakura stood before her mirror staring at her reflection as she carefully cut her hair. The steady strokes of her kunai sliced thru her rosy locks the same way that the autumn wind sweep over the streets outside, taking leafs and strands of the last season with it as it made round after round. The soft loose curls rolled down her body to the floor as she ran her fingers thru the wet mass to free anything she'd missed with her other motions. The thin whips of pink almost floated in the air before descending. Drops of water followed them in hot pursuit as then headed for the damp floor. The thick towel she wrapped around her middle as she left the bathroom hugged her in warmth.
She padded barefooted across the light tami mats on her floor as she went to get a warm cup of tea from the kitchen. She'd set it the water to boil before she shower. As the brew passed her lips she smiled to herself. The young medic lightly walked thru the hall of her apartment to her room, and to the end of her bed. Out her window she watched the trees sway in the wind. Their leaves dropped off one at a time, like the extra tips of hair had fallen from her in the other room.
She smiled softly to herself. It wasn't quite the right time for cherry blossoms to litter the ground, yet as she looked over the path she'd walked it seemed she defied that logic. The tiny pink twists of color glinted up at her in the fading light of the evening as she sat her tea down and stretched across the bed. She rolled over and sighed, as she started to drift into a late afternoon nap she wondered if trees ever dreamed.