He still didn't like this idea very much.
Well, okay, that wasn't entirely true. He'd very much agreed to the idea of having a party to celebrate… well, everything that had happened recently. Technically, this was to celebrate the inauguration (which was tomorrow) of the seventh Hokage, one Uzumaki Naruto, no less. But it was also- and everybody knew it- to celebrate the return of Uchiha Sasuke. Yes, he was technically still a prisoner of Konohagakure, but what mattered was the fact that he was home- finally, finally home- and had every intention of staying. Also, the death of Madara-and Danzo- was certainly cause for celebration.
…but be that as it may… when the hell did "party" become "masquerade ball"?
Sighing gently to himself, he realized he knew the answer to that question: the instant he'd agreed to let Sakura and Ino (and pretty much every kunoichi in the frickin' village) organize the thing. Never a good idea to let (overjoyed, proud of "our little Naruto-kun", mother-henning, and most definitely hormonal) teenage girls (well, and crazy Jounin… but it's pretty much the same thing) plan a party. And it's an even worse idea to not strangle them for somehow letting Gai in on the damn thing.
Grumbling under his breath, he straightened the mask on his face while glancing around, trying to determine if he'd sufficiently escaped the squeeing girls who'd taken it upon themselves to make sure he was never without a dance partner. He'd earlier tried to convince Sakura that, seeing as he was the guest of honor or whatever romantic term they'd come up with for him, he shouldn't wear a mask, so that everyone could recognize him. She'd simply rolled her eyes and told him to make the mask recognizable if that was what he wanted, but he wasn't getting out of wearing it. It was, as he'd just said, technically his party, so he was not to "ruin the mood", as she'd put it. He was now wishing he hadn't followed that particular bit of advice- maybe it was the orange and cyan coloration, or maybe the kitsune-like whiskers, three to each side, but it had made him instantly recognizable and, as such, instantly a target for the fangirls he'd picked up ever since it was confirmed he would be Hokage (read: since he'd instantly become the most eligible bachelor in the entire village, but status at least.)
Leaning up against the tree he'd found, he smiled gently. At least it looked like everyone was having a good time. Sakura and… was that Gaara, of all people?... were dancing off to one side of the dance floor, seemingly lost to the world- it was a slow song- and a girl with long, dark purple hair- Hinata?- and some guy with what looked like the image of a pair of sunglasses on his mask, giving the illusion he was wearing them… Shino, probably… were likewise twirling gently around each other. In fact, it looked like he was about the only one of his friends without a dance partner- even Sasuke (he knew it was him because he'd watched the pale teen make his mask: a simple, concealing black thing with a red rim around the eye slits) had found a partner- Neji, if he wasn't very much mistaken.
Then he realized that one person out of all his friends was missing. A surprise- how on Earth hadn't one of the many available girls fallen for him yet? Then Naruto realized he had yet to see him himself… so maybe he just wasn't recognizing the mask? No, that wasn't it; there was simply a definite lack of Inuzuka at this party. Hmm.
He was so utterly confused by this- Kiba had definitely said he was coming!- that he didn't even notice the presence at his side until the person, their face (and, subsequently, mask) cast into shadow, spoke up.
"Hello there."
He jumped. Turning slowly to face the sudden appearance, he inwardly berated himself for not noticing them immediately- he was a ninja, dammit! More than that, in just a few short days he was going to be the freaking Hokage of Konohagakure! How the hell did he not notice? And then what had been said- or rather, the voice saying it- hit home.
That voice… he thought, surprised. I… I know that voice. But it's… too… too low? Too deep? Too husky? Too… A little voice in the back of his mind decided that this would be a good time to give its two cents.
Too sexy. And too seductive. And much, much too… attractive. This voice should be familiar…
The boy- for the voice was most definitely male, and most definitely young, or rather approximately his age, should he be forced to hazard a guess- chuckled, the sound warm and smooth. He took one step closer, his step even and confident, and with that simple movement his scent washed over Naruto. It was woodsy, warm, and somehow… animalistic…?
With that simple thought, the realization hit him.
But… no. There was just… no way! There was absolutely no way that this... this… well, that this sexy, warm, confident person could be… could be…
"Kiba?" he whispered, his eyes widening, though he knew it wasn't visible behind his kitsune mask.
He chuckled again, sending shivers down Naruto's spine. Stirring the suddenly still, hot air, he gently pressed a finger to his lips (or rather, where his lips would be were he not wearing a mask). "Shh," he murmured in a tone so seductive it should be made illegal. "Maybe, maybe not. What matters now, though, is the fact that there is one very partnerless Hokage standing before me… and after all, a shinobi must do his duty to his village- and village leader- ne? Come on," he added softly, extending a hand invitingly. "For now, I'm just going to introduce myself as your dance partner."
Naruto stared for a moment, his mind blank. Then, slowly, a smile slid onto his face, and he hesitantly gripped the warm hand offered to him. "All right, then," he said, squeezing the hand gently. "I can deal with that… for now."
-x-x-x-x-
Ta-daaa! So I'm sure some of you must be ready to stab me through right now for not updating my other stories, and instead starting something new… and so I must tell you that I am once again suffering from that terrible bane unto the existence of us authors: writer's block. So this time, instead of taking a 'writing vacation', I'll be trying a different strategy: a prompt challenge!
I'll be using the 100 Themes Writing Challenge by darknessversuslight on DeviantArt (if you Google '100 themes writing challenge' it should be at or near the top, that's how I found it), and I'll at least attempt at updating with a drabble everyday in the hope that it will, at the very least, get me back into the writing groove.
Now, about the pairings. Most of these will probably end up being NaruKiba just because that's my current pairing obsession, but there will also most likely end up being some KakaIru and a fair amount of SasuNaru at the very least, and then on top of that potentially some NaruHina or NaruSaku. So I'm just listing it as having Naruto for the 'characters' stat. xD Oh, yeah, and the average rating will be teen but that may go up or (far more likely) down in some drabbles, totally dependent on the prompt and my mood that day. However, be warned (or be very happy), there will be no lemons/smut/whatever you want to call it.
Er, yeah. Please drop me a review, I'd love to know what you though! :3 'Cha!
-Dawnstep
