And it's another one shot, why I can't seem to write my essays I don't know but one shots and chapters for stories are just crowding my head. It doesn't help that I keep hearing songs that make me think of NaruHina (the current one is sitting down here by Lene Marlin).
This is linked to my last oneshot destructive gossip but it's not another chapter more a sequel, it just follows the couple soon after that story. Sakura does not get punched, sorry to all those that wanted it!
For those who didn't read the last one… just read it'll take two minutes!
I do not own Naruto
He was late again, he had been sent away on a mission and was due to come home yesterday. It didn't bother her as much as it had done a month ago, a month ago she would have wondered if he was with Sakura but now she laughed at herself for having been so stupid. Naruto was the most loyal man she had ever known and the idea of him cheating on her was ridiculous. He had been overly zealous about his parenting duties as well, she had awoken one morning to discover that he had disposed of several foods and drinks that he deemed unhealthy according to Dr so-and-so in his new book. Poor Naruto had looked so downcast when Ino had laughed at him for it that Hinata had instantly backed him up, he never like to be laughed at and she didn't like people laughing at him either even if it wasn't malicious in any way.
Laughing at her own odd quirk she lay on the bed rolled onto her side and settled into her pillow laying one hand protectively over her stomach. It was still light out but she had been so tired these days that she might as well get some sleep. Her eyes slid closed shutting out the dim light that came through her curtains.
The thud that awoke her from her dozing was followed by a muttered 'damn' and other muffled sounds that usually accompanied her husband as he tried to keep quiet. It was dark now, no more light shone through the curtains and she assumed from the quiet around the house that it was actually quite late. Smiling she closed her eyes and continued breathing peacefully letting him think he hadn't disturbed her, it was vaguely amusing that a man who could creep into buildings to retrieve data or even assassinate someone could be so clumsy moving around his own house. The door to their bedroom opened and she heard Naruto creep in, he tiptoed to her side of the bed and looked down at her breathing a sigh of relief thinking that he hadn't woken her.
Stupid bloody hallway table, why did they even have it there? He always tripped over it when he was coming in in the dark, Cursing silently Naruto tried to be as quiet as possible as he moved into his house, Hinata would be asleep by now, he really hoped her hadn't woken her…
Smiling as he looked down at his wife sleeping peacefully Naruto leaned down to drop the gentlest of kisses on her forehead. As stealthily as possible so as not to wake her, Naruto slipped into the bathroom and climbing in the shower started to wash away the dirt, grime and blood from his last mission. Sometimes Naruto was very pleased that Hinata had had to give up being a ninja, her working at the academy meant he rarely worried about her unless it seemed like something was going to happen in the village.
He was worrying about her more since he had learnt of her pregnancy but he had been reassured by both Tsunade and Ino that Hinata was doing fine.
Naruto grinned. He was going to be a dad!
Every time that thought crossed his mind a huge grin would cross his face and the urge to jump up and punch the air would be repressed with great difficulty. He had never felt so proud in his life, this was one thing he was sure he wouldn't screw up. He had purchased three large books about pregnancy and the early life of a baby. He had never known there were so many things to worry about during the pregnancy but there was loads. He'd gone around throwing out all the instant foods and caffeine based beverages the other day. That day Ino and Kiba had visited and he'd had to admit why there was no coffee in the house, they had laughed at him saying that Hinata could have some of those things but Hinata though had backed him up saying that she'd forget and have coffee every morning if it was still in the cupboard. He had felt like gloating over that but instead he had just offered his friends some of the smootihes he and Hinata were drinking regularly. They were recommended by one of his books, it was a good way of having fruit and it actually seemed tasty.
Stepping out of the shower Naruto dried himself off quickly before climbing into a pair of pyjama trousers and then his luxuriously warm bed. Moving close to his wife he placed one arm over her placing one of his hands over her hand as it rested over her rounded stomach.
"I love you" he whispered before slowly drifting off to sleep.
Hinata had never felt so happy as she did right now, she lay contemplating her happiness when she felt the arm around her waist tighten and she felt herself being carefully pulled closer, Naruto's hand remained resting on hers whist the other slid up under the pillow to rest under her head. She turned her head briefly thinking him awake but his eyes were closed and he appeared to be in deep sleep, slowly their bodies seemed to meld together as his chest pressed against her back and their his legs slowly moved to rest behind hers. Hinata smiled as she felt his breath against her neck… even in sleep he seemed protective of her. She had never felt so happy as she did right now!
--
Walking around the supermarket with her sister Hinata hummed happily, life was good, she and Naruto were getting along just fine, her father had apparently been understanding of her pregnancy (a big deal in her eyes) and Hanabi was looking forward to being an auntie. Hanabi took a look down their list to see what else they needed.
"Ok so orange juice and couscous are last" she announced "I'll go get the juice, meet you at the registers" she ran off making Hinata smile as she went in search of couscous, Hanabi was a little like Naruto these days. They were both excited at the prospect of the new baby and at the same time neither of them wanted to leave her to do anything by herself. Apparently even the shopping was too stressful for a pregnant woman to do alone.
Hinata was just reaching up for the item she required when she heard the voices, in the opposite row of the shop there were three women discussing something unnecessarily loudly
"Of course you know what it is don't you? He had to stick around for the baby."
"Still he and Sakura might never have intended for him to leave Hinata"
"Oh come on, like Sakura would have been happy to just be a bit on the side"
"Perhaps he intended to stay with Hinata only until he was Hokage, being married to the onetime heiress would have helped him there even if she can't officially be a ninja anymore"
"And then dump her when he got to the top?"
"Have either of you considered that maybe he does love Hinata and Sakura was just a fling?"
"It's possible."
Taking the bag she wanted off the shelf Hinata turned and began to walk to where she was supposed to meet her sister. She was shaking, she could feel it and she was so upset with herself. She had known the gossipers were still out there, had it been so naïve to hope that they would let it all drop?
"Hinata!" her sister waved at her from where was queuing up and slowly Hinata walked to join her "You ok?" Hanabi asked the minute Hinata was by her side
"Fine" Hinata muttered "just tired."
"Are you sure nothings wrong?" Hanabi asked as she and Hinata walked towards the doorway
"I'm sure" Hinata lied continuing to walk towards the door focussing solely on keeping her hands form trembling and making sure that no tears would fall. It was then that she saw her, Sakura stood at the doorway of the store. She was going to have to walk past her, she the pregnant and dumpy looking was going to have to walk by the beautiful and stunning Sakura in front of everyone.
Now Hanabi wasn't the most sensitive person in the world but she knew when her sister was upset. Leaning her head forward she allowed her hair to cover her face and activated her Byakugan. To the left there was a man studying the dog food, behind her were three people watching Hinata and whispering, by the registers there were two people being served by the cashier who had just served them and by the door Sakura stood talking to a woman with black hair.
Beside her Hinata was shaking, not obviously but she could see it with her bloodline limit, the way Hinata was making sure that her feelings were hidden the way she was slowly moving evening out her breath. Hinata probably couldn't tell but it was putting undue stress upon the baby.
As they left Hanabi took note of the strained way Hinata greeted Sakura, again it wasn't obvious to the rest of the world but the flow of Hinata's chakra was obviously laboured.
Deactivating her bloodline limit Hanabi looked up to smile at the pink haired girl, seriously pink? What the hell was with that colour?
"Hello Hanabi" Sakura greeted the younger girl in a patronising tone.
"Sakura" Hanabi smiled happily deciding to give Sakura the benefit of the doubt as a friend of her sisters "You've heard Hinata's news right?"
"About the pregnancy?" Sakura asked smiling lightly
"Yes, aren't you psyched?"
"Yes. psyched" Sakura responded with a slight smile "Congratulations Hinata"
"Thank you" Hinata bowed politely as Sakura walked inside the store.
"What the hell is her problem?" Hanabi asked angrily as Sakura walked away
"Sh Hanabi" Hinata smiled easily making Hanabi unsure for a moment if she had imagined the stress from before "lets get home and start cooking, Naruto only got home last night and I didn't get to see him for long this morning."
"So no early morning se…?"
"Hanabi" Hinata cuffed her sister round the head blushing hotly.
"Wow, married, pregnant and you still blush when someone mentions sex!"
"Stop it Hanabi!" Hinata hissed as they walked past an old friend of their fathers, she would never be comfortable with this kind of conversation but out in the street where the whole world could hear them made it even worse.
--
Hanabi was concerned she wasn't sure what had troubled her sister earlier but it was on her mind. She had spent the entire afternoon with her sister and brother in law and everything seemed fine. Naruto was childish as ever but incredibly caring and careful with Hinata, Hinata was calm as ever enjoying being with people she loved and smiling non-stop. It was odd for Hanabi to spend time her sister and brother in law together, when Naruto was around the two of them interacted in a way Hanabi had never seen amongst the Hyuga. They would send each other loving glances, every touch seemed to matter, every smile, everything. Smiling to herself Hanabi continued along the road, she was just passing a BBQ restaurant when she heard it
"So Naruto and Sakura must have just called it off."
Hanabi froze listening to the voices.
"According to a friend of mine at the hospital Sakura's definitely not taking it well but I'd say Hinata hasn't got a clue, I saw them meeting outside the shop and Hinata just seemed fine."
"I know, the poor girl has no idea what happened between the two of them"
"Well she no longer has those all seeing eyes."
Naruto and Sakura? Hanabi felt like laughing… she knew this wasn't true.
"I've heard that Sakura expects Naruto to leave Hinata when the baby is born, they just don't want to cause her stress during the pregnancy."
It was impossible, they were just friends… right?
The two woman were discussing something different now quickly changing to the next latest piece of gossip. Finding her feet Hanabi began to walk again. She moved away from the restaurant and on through the village. She didn't even realise where she was going until she heard a voice calling to her.
"Lady Hanabi"
Turning Hanabi found a young man of her own age staring at her, he had dark hair high on his head like Shikimaru often wore it and he was smiling at her in a confused way
She recognised him, he had been at Naruto and Hinata's wedding, it had been small enough so she must know… "Konohamaru?" she guessed correctly. He grinned and walked over to join her.
"Hello Lady Hanabi, you going somewhere particular?"
"Um…" Hanabi looked around and realised that she had been heading into the outer woods of her hometown. "No… I was… thinking"
"Oh… is that a polite way of asking me to mind my own business?"
"No" Hanabi shook her head quickly immediately wishing she was better at communicating with people her own age. Put her in a room full of council members and aged men and she was fine but ask her to hold a conversation with someone like herself and she was screwed! "I didn't mean to be rude"
"I said it was polite… are you alright?"
"Yes… no… I'm…"
"Confused?" Konohamaru offered with a smile
"Yeah" Hanabi accepted the explanation with a relieved smile "Look… you're close with Naruto right?"
"Yeah he's like an older brother!"
"So you'd know if… if he was… if Sakura… if he was"
"Cheating on Hinata?" Konohamaru offered an angry look on his face
"He is?" Hanabi asked completely shocked
"No!" Konohamaru immediately shook his head and raised his hands in a placating gesture "Trust me, he loves Hinata. He had never cheated on her…"
"Then why did…?" Hanabi shook her head confused. "How did you know what I was asking?"
"I've heard the rumours. We all have… and I'm guessing you finally have."
"They're just rumours then?"
"Sort of… Lets talk" Konohamaru sat down on the grass patting a spot next to him, Hanabi followed him down sitting awkwardly next to him. He told her everything as he knew it, he explained about how the rumours had started, how Sakura had been willing to let them spread and how Naruto had become aware of it just before he found out about Hinata's pregnancy "I don't know how he got to hear of it but according to Kiba's cousin he just stormed around to Ino's shop one day to question her about it and then we never heard anymore. Next thing we know he and Hinata are announcing the pregnancy all happy and positive like nothing ever happened… which technically it didn't."
"And so now people assume he's cheated on Hinata but is staying with her because of the baby?"
"Gossip's cruel," Konohamaru shrugged "They seem fine about it though"
"Well she's not, she's fine when she's home with Naruto but when she's having to face the real world it stresses her out and that's not good for the baby."
"There's not much we can do, Sakura's not likely to admit to everyone that she's been lying all this time."
"I don't need her to admit it" Hanabi said an evil smile on her face "Thanks for your help Konohamaru"
"Not at all but if you're planning something I want in"
"What makes you think I'm planning something?" Hanabi asked innocently her face immediately changing from that of a diabolical schemer to one of an innocent bystander.
"That's scary that you can do that so fast" Konohamaru said suspiciously
"Yeah well it's easier to work the council if you play on their perceptions a bit. Alright you can help. I need to think it through carefully, don't want anyone else getting hurt"
"What are thinking Lady Hanabi?"
"Come on I'll explain" Hanabi pushed herself up off the ground as she spoke and then turned offering Konohamaru a hand up "and please drop the Lady, I'm just Hanabi"
--
Sakura was standing in the local chemists when she heard it, in the aisle next to the one she was in someone said her name.
"Yeah but Sakura? I still can't believe it."
"Why not? We all know about her and Naruto, if she's willing to sleep with one married man I'm sure she'll do it with another."
"Yeah but what about that other guy? The Hyuga? He's unattached."
"I know, it's like she's sleeping with every powerful guy she can get"
"What I don't get is why, she's already got Tsunade wrapped around her little finger…"
"Well you never know, she may have got that relationship going through… other means…"
"You mean their relationship may not be completely that of a student and teacher?"
Sakura gasped in complete shock. How had this rumour got out? How could people think that about her? Placing the time she had been shopping for back on the shelf Sakura moved away from the voices and turned to walk out of the store.
--
"So Sakura's moved onto new people."
"Well she and Naruto lasted long enough"
Sitting opposite Ino and Kiba, Naruto and Hinata were obviously feeling embarrassed, despite their presence in the coffee shop the conversation still focussed on them. They weren't sure how could that stuff with Sakura still be floating around but it obviously was. Didn't people have anything better to do than talk about other peoples lives?
Taking a quick sip of his hot chocolate Naruto placed the mug carefully back onto the table he noticed that Ino was struggling not to laugh
"What's so funny?"
"Uh Naruto" Kiba pointed at his own nose "You've got some cream…"
"Huh?" Naruto lifted a and to wipe at his nose but that only made Ino laugh more, he quickly turned to face Hinata "Help me" he pleaded.
Laughing Hinata used a serviette to wipe his cheek and then leaning in licked the rest of the cream off the tip of his nose.
"Ew" Ino moaned
"Oh shut up" flushing brightly at her very public display of affection Hinata threw the serviette at her friend, Naruto on the other hand was blushing happily. Conversation turned onto easier subjects as the two couples talked about work and home. Naruto and Hinata had found a house that they were intending to buy, it just needed a little fixing up. They had just managed to convince Kiba to help out with the DIY when the door opened and two familiar figures entered the coffee shop.
"Hanabi!" Hinata turned and waved to her sister a happy smile on her face.
"Konohamaru?" Naruto stared at his good friend who had walked in with the Hyuga heiress
"Hey Naruto!" Konohamaru smiled uncomfortably at his friend trying not to bring attention to the fact that his hand was currently being held by Hanabi.
"Hey…!" Naruto drawled grinning at the young couple, he was about to make a comment when he felt a sharp pain in his side "Ow!"
"Oh is your arm still hurting you honey?" Hinata asked sweetly "You know we all better get you home, see you two later. Hanabi don't forget shopping on Monday" and with that she practically dragged Naruto out of the coffee shop with Kiba and Ino following obediently in her wake.
"Damnit Hinata" Naruto cursed once they were outside "That really hurt!"
"Well I know you, you were going to embarrass them"
"No I wasn't… ok so maybe I was gonna say something about dating Hyuga's… I hadn't really though it all through yet. I was gonna bait for a few minutes first while the joke got worked out."
"Well don't, Hanabi may seem confident but she's never had a boyfriend before. Please don't tease them" she smiled up at her husband the pleading look on her face was irresistible and rolling his eyes Naruto nodded.
"Fine but you gotta make it worth my while" he told her a certain smirk covering her face as she flushed red.
"H-how?" Hinata asked nervously
"Promise me or I'll head back in there now" Naruto started to make a move towards the door but Hinata clung to his sleeve muttering
"Fine! Whatever you want!"
"Whatever I want hey?" Naruto turned to face Kiba and Ino smirking happily "We're going home" he announced before picking Hinata up into his arms in a flourishing gesture and carrying her away. Hinata squealed flushing bright red as her fists pummelled at his chest, he ignored her as he continued to carry her home.
Ino laughed cheerfully as she watched the scene amused at how Naruto and Hinata acted together, it was hard to believe they had been married for over a year now, they were still like a pair of newly weds! Turning she was surprised to see Kiba staring at her with an expression similar to the one Naruto had worn before he carried Hinata off.
"No." Ino told him, immediately his expression was that of a kicked puppy dig "Fine! but I'm walking to our place."
She turned and started to walk back to their home, behind her Kiba grinned immediately running after the blonde with a happy grin on his face.
--
Sakura sat in the coffee shop her head bowed over her book trying to ignore the harsh stares and whispered words that she knew surrounded hers. It was the worst feeling in the world to have. She hated the idea that everyone was sitting there talking and whispering about her.
"Not nice is it?"
Looking up Sakura was surprised to see Hinata's younger sister standing over her with a serious look on her face.
"Hanabi" Sakura smiled lightly "what can I do for you?"
"You can drop dead… but as I don't see you doing that willingly I'll do something even better. You stay away from Hinata and Naruto and there won't be anymore rumours about you and… various others and before you ask, I have a lot of pull with a lot of guys and I have even more dirt on them than they realise actually exists. They'd actually welcome a lie about sleeping with a skank like you compared to what I know."
"You're actually a little bitch aren't you?" Sakura asked an angry frown on her face
"No she's just clever" Konohamaru walked up behind the two of them "Don't call her bitch again"
"Standing up for your little girlfriend, sweet."
"What because we're dating? Such a shame that you've never experienced that yourself." Konohamaru smiled before handing Hanabi the drink he'd got for her "I got these for the road."
"Thank you Konohamaru" Hanabi smiled as she stood to look down at Sakura again "and before you start thinking about revenge just remember who you're dealing with, I'm the Hyuga heiress, and when I'm clan leader I can buy and sell whoever I want and you'll be top of my list. So nice to see you again." Smiling falsely Hanabi turned, Konohamaru took her hand and the two of them walked out together.
Once outside they looked at each other as they walked down the street.
"Now that was a good days work" Konohamaru said decidedly
"Sure was" Hanabi smiled back leaning against him as they walked down the street.
Ok I'm thinking of doing a little prequel to these stories, I do have an idea for it but it all depends on time and inspiration. And I really regret using Konohamaru his name is really tricky!
Please remember I am not a Sakura hater… though she does bug me sometimes!
R&R