Today was a very special day! Everyone was gathering together at a nearby restaurant to celebrate Naruto's birthday. Since they were all of age, there was even a few bottles of sake lined up on one of the counters. One of them had already been opened as they impatiently awaited for the blonde's arrival. He had no idea what was going on, so it was supposed to be a surprise birthday party. So far he was already twenty minutes late! Where the heck was he? Surely he didn't get lost or distracted on his way over here. It was fairly close to his apartment complex, so it didn't take long to get here. Probably five minutes tops if he ran. Every single table was taken and filled as they all talked amongst themselves.
A much longer table packed with delicious looking food at on the other side of the room. It had homemade ramen, sushi, onigiri, rice balls, dango, miso coup, and much...much more. But the longer it sat out, the more cold it got. Hopefully the star of the party will show up soon, because Choji was about ready to eat his hand at any minute now! His stomach growled loudly as drool began to form at the corner of his mouth. And of course he kept on whining about how hungry he was. Just looking at the food was torture enough for the poor guy. Now he was definitely regretting leaving his bag of chips at home. They were the barbeque kind too, which is his all time favorite!
Kakashi had actually taken some time off from being the Hokage to attend this party. This use to be a student of his, after all. How could he miss such an important event? Even though everyone has gotten older and matured, they were all still the same in a way. Like how he still carried around those novels of his. You'd think a person would eventually grow tired of such a thing, but not him. And knowing the pervert he is...he'll probably never give it up. He enjoys reading those a bit too much, especially for his age. To think he still wasn't in a relationship. He should be a pro at them by now!
Sakura managed to leave the hospital long enough to join in on all of this as well. Actually, she was the one who planned most of this. It wasn't exactly cheap to rent out an entire restaurant for the day. Not to mention it wasn't easy planning all of this, and getting everyone together. Thankfully this worked perfectly around everyone's schedules. Now this doesn't happen very often, since they have not only aged a bit, but were also busier as well. Whether it was going on missions, or going on a date, or simply hanging out with friends or family... It was just a hard thing to accomplish.
At the very corner of the restaurant sat Hinata and her fiancé, Hiroshi. It was a real shame that he had to tag along, which meant now she wouldn't be able to have as much fun. Apparently he didn't trust this guy one bit, after finding out about her feelings towards him. It just didn't feel right leaving those two alone. His fingers tapped impatiently on the table, as he waited for this so called 'party' to start. His lovely wife-to-be just sat there looking all bummed... And it didn't bother him one bit. They weren't going to stay long anyways. He was still irritated that she had to go and buy a gift for the guy. Only he should receive gifts from her!
Truth was... Hinata didn't go out and buy the gift. She actually made it herself! It was an orange scarf that she knitted herself. It took a while to finish, but she managed to finish it on time. Her feelings weren't going to change over night, just because she was engaged now. And if she has to deal with a jealous husband for the rest of her life, then it really will drive her insane! Even when she felt his hand trailing up her thigh underneath the table, she had to scoot further away from him. They were in a public place for crying out loud! Does he have no control whatsoever?
Just then the front door swung open, and everyone quickly shouted: "Surprise!" But as soon as they saw who it really was, they all fell silent and sat back down in their chairs. Not only was it someone other than Naruto himself, but rather...his rival and best friend, Uchiha Sasuke. His cheeks were a little red due to the cold wind hitting against his face, but that didn't seem to bother him as he walked over to sit at a random table. He expected this kind of reaction out of everyone, since he hasn't seen all of these people in two years. Still...he remained as silent as ever.
Attending this party was important to Naruto, and he understood that. Although once this gets started, everyone was going to probably gather around and pester him with a lot of questions... And oh was he bracing himself for that to happen. Last time he was spotted here in Konoha about a month ago, he bumped into someone who he had never talked to before. Even she of all people was all up in his business and being just as nosy as all the others. By now he was pretty much use to it though. His dark gaze wandered about the crowded room as he just sat there, not even bothering to associate himself with anyone.
The sand siblings and even Killer Bee were here too! So it was sort of strange at first for Shikamaru to be sitting at their table, especially since they were teasing the shit out of him. Well...it was mainly Kankuro who was doing it, since his sister and a Konoha-nin have basically hooked up and became a couple as of recently. At first he didn't approve of it, since they both lived so far away, but...he could just see how much they liked each other... And it wouldn't be fair to try and keep them separated. Gaara hasn't expressed his feelings or opinion on the matter, but it was obvious that he approved of it. As long as everyone was happy, then that's what truly mattered...right?
"Why don't you ever paint a portrait of me?" Ino asked, as her lips slowly formed into a pout. Her boyfriend made one for this knucklehead's birthday, as it sat all wrapped up on the table with all the other gifts. Suppose she needs to pose in something sexy though. Well she definitely had some...revealing lingerie, that's for sure. But she wouldn't want him to show anyone else of her sitting there with barely anything on, practically naked in a way. But for his eyes only, she would do it in a heartbeat. Her long, blonde hair pooled on the chair behind her, as she now wore it down for the most part. However, it did get in the way a lot.
The door opened yet again, as the right person walked on in. He was confused as to why he had to come here, and so early at that. Yeah he kind of forgot about his own birthday. But just as Naruto took a good look at everyone, they all began shouting surprise at him. His bright blue eyes widened in shock at first. They were all here...for him?! A huge, goofy grin appeared on his face then, as he rubbed the back of his head. Never has he seen such a huge party being thrown for him of all people. Last year he was actually on a mission during this day, which is probably why they didn't do this for him then. Everyone really was busy all the time doing their own thing.
As soon as he saw his best friend though, Naruto went right over to him and slapped a hand against his back. "Even you made it, huh?" He asked. And whoa, his hair has gotten even longer since the last time they have seen each other, whereas his own was much shorter. This way he didn't look like a clone of his father, had he actually grown it out as well. He was his own person!
The Uchiha just looked at him and nodded. "I had nothing else going on today..." He said. In all honesty, he hated parties with a passion. But for this idiot right here, he would suffer a couple of hours of it just to make him happy.
Naruto stuff his hands into the pockets of his jacket and looked around some more. "Neh, did you get me a gift too?" He asked.
Sasuke scoffed, smirking a little. "Hn. Keep dreaming..." Actually he did get him something. All he needs to do, is read the tags before ripping apart at the wrapping paper.
This made him pout though, as he took him a bit too seriously. "Aww! You're so mean to me, you bastard..." He mumbled. Well at least he came all this way to celebrate his birthday, so he couldn't be too greedy when it came to him.
"..." Hinata slowly stood up from her seat and walked over to him, holding her gift out as a light blush dusted her pale cheeks. "H-happy birthday, Naruto-kun..." It was obvious by now that he didn't hold any feelings for her. That he only viewed her as a close friend and nothing more... That was okay though. As long as they remained being friends, then that was good enough for her.
"Even Hinata got me something?" The blonde smiled, taking it in his hands and immediately unwrapping it. And as he pulled the bright orange scarf out, he wrapped it around his neck. It was pretty warm and soft. "This is so cool. Thanks a bunch!"
"Y-you're welcome..." She said, shyly looking away from him now. If only she could hold a conversation with him! This was so pathetic of her. And here she thought things had changed between them. Looks like it wasn't by much then.
"..." Sasuke however, had been staring at the timid Hyuga this entire time. Does she seriously still love someone who will never feel the same way towards her? How sad... She's getting married anyways, so she will soon lose interest in him. And speaking of that, he saw another Hyuga just sitting there, watching the two. Was that her fiancé? He looked rather...upset. This would be the perfect opportunity to fuck with him. H ewas bored anyways, so why not?
He stood up and grabbed a strand of the soft, violet-colored hair, and let it slip between his fingers. "Did you make him that scarf?" He asked, those dark eyes just staring deeply into much lighter ones.
"...!" For some reason her heart jumped a little when he did this. Why was it so impossible to tear her gaze away from his? And as she opened her mouth to say something, nothing came out. So she simply nodded her head in response to his question. Why was he so close to her right now? And the way he was touching her hair. It was so...gentle.
Sasuke leaned in to sniff the strand of hair, taking in the floral scent of it. What was that, lilacs? By now their faces were merely inches apart. "What, got nothing to say? You sure talked my ear off the last time we met up..." He could tell the other women were getting jealous of this, but didn't care in the slightest. He wasn't here to please any of them.
His hair had shifted a bit, now revealing his Rinnegan eyeball. The purple color was almost mesmerizing in a way, as she gulped. No wonder he always tries to keep that thing covered. Her mind was still blank as she tried to think of something to say. "..."
"Hn. Don't tell me you've changed your mind, and don't actually want me to come back..." And just like that, his signature smirk was showing. He knew how much of an effect it had on people, especially women. Which is why he felt highly amused as he just watched her face become even redder than before. Oh how entertaining this was. Come to think of it, this was the only one who has never been interested in him. She was different than all the others... And he liked it.
However, this good mood of his was interrupted by his hand being smacked away. His gaze shifted to meet with another pair of Byakugan eyes, which were activated and just glaring right into his own eyes. That's when he decided to show him his own lovely Sharingan. "Is there a problem?" He asked.
The brunette got in front of Hinata, as if shielding her from something, or rather...someone. "Yeah. You're getting too close and personal with my fiancé here..." He grumbled.
"H-Hiroshi please!" She didn't want a fight to break loose between these two. Now that would be pretty bad. The entire restaurant would only get destroyed in the process.
Sasuke's smirk still remained. "What? It's just hair. Don't you find long hair on women to be...attractive?" He said, reaching out to touch the violet locks again. Everyone knew this was something he has always been interested in. It's because his mother's was the most prettiest, and it reached well past her shoulders.
Hiroshi twitched as he didn't waste any time in yanking his hand away again. This guy was messing with him on purpose! "Don't you ever touch her. I forbid her from talking to you! You...you traitor!" He shouted a bit too loudly.
"..." The room fell completely silent as everyone turned to look at them now. Before it was pretty easy to tune them out, but not anymore. This was getting out of hand way too quickly, and it needed to be stopped before it was too late! Which is why Naruto got between the two, chuckling nervously. No need for this party of his to be ruined so soon. And to think, he just got here too! He had heard that she got engaged, and even received an invitation as well. But...he didn't know the story behind it.
"Hey, no fighting okay? Let's just sit back down and relax..." He said, urging a small smile at them. As if he wanted anyone to be kicked out of the restaurant. He then turned his gaze to the Uchiha, and huffed out in frustration. "Could you not play these games during my party? You're upsetting people..." He muttered.
Sasuke scoffed at that one and rolled his eyes. "I'm just having fun..." He stated rather bluntly. No, he didn't see anything wrong with what he was doing. At least not yet that is.
"..." Naruto smacked the palm of his hand against his own forehead, and sighed heavily. Really, must he always be this way? "Well go have fun with someone else. There's a room full of people here, and women just dying to talk to you..."
Well he didn't want to start a conversation with just any one of those annoying fangirls of his. No...this Hyuga intrigued him greatly. "I came back to this hell hole for your party, and yet you're trying to shove me away. Ouch..." He muttered, reaching out to flick the blonde's nose. Not that his feelings were hurt or anything. But it did take a lot for him to actually come here and stay for a while. And since he really didn't have a home in this village, he was currently renting out a room at a nearby inn. It wasn't the best, but oh well. It was better than nothing.
"...Tch. Come on, Hinata! I don't want you associating yourself with him." Hiroshi's voice was sharp, indicating that he wasn't going to tell her a second time. And before he allowed her to even say one word, he was already pulling her back over to their table. No way was he going to have competition for someone who was already promised to him!
Hinata frowned deeply when he put his hands onto her shoulders and pushed her down, literally forcing her back in the seat she dreaded so much. This table was so far away from everyone else, that it wasn't even possible to enjoy the party. Why did sh eeven bother coming if this was how it was going to be? If only she could have gone alone. Maybe then this would be a whole lot more exciting for her. Now there was no one else to talk to. Sasuke was right... She really is weak, and pathetic. Someone who has never, not once, said no and put her foot down.
She gazed at the raven then. Why did she have this strong urge to go back and start a conversation with him? So many questions swam in her mind that she wanted to ask him, but held off on doing so, since that would annoy the heck out of him. The way he touched her hair though... Who knew someone like him could be so gentle? This man didn't have a dark heart, in which made him all murderous and evil. It's only because of his tragic, traumatic past that he turned out a bit...messed up in the head.
It's not like Sasuke has always been this way anyways. Everyone remembers the happy part of him, who laughed and smiled a lot. And somewhere deep down inside of that cold, stubborn attitude of his...that side to him still exists. It was just a lot harder to draw it out is all. What did his laughter sound like? What...was his smile even like? Something so small and simple was probably amazing! There was no doubting his good looks. He is definitely a very attractive young man.
Hinata watched as he ran a hand through those dark locks of his, exposing both eyes as his hair was pushed back in the process. Oh what powers and abilities those held. It was isane... "..."
Hiroshi snapped his fingers in front of her face, growing even more irritated at this point. "Maybe it's time for us to go home..." He muttered flatly. His mood had been completely been destroyed, so he didn't even want to stay here anymore.
"B-but the party just started. And Naruto-kun hasn't opened the rest of his gifts yet, or cut into his cake!" No, she didn't want to leave yet, it was too soon! Feeling tears well up in her eyes, she stood up and rushed out of the building as fast as she could. So now she couldn't even have any friends? Did she have to give him all of her free time? He didn't even want her to be a shinobi anymore. Since becoming engaged to Hiroshi, she hasn't gone on a mission. And the last time he caught her sneaking out to train, he got up in her face and started yelling.
Sasuke couldn't stand people like her, who just about let anyone walk over them and control their life. That was not a healthy relationship right there... And that irritated hi. Her fiancé wasn't acting like a man at all, but a jealous coward who didn't want to share his most prized possession. His eyes narrowed when he ran after her, trying to catch up. Right away his stay here in Konoha was...eventful. He did wonder what was going to happen between those two. "..."
Naruto groaned loudly. This party wasn't turning out to be so great. "Lovely! An argument broke loose, and caused people to up and leave. I need a drink..." He said, before going over to pour himself some sake. Yeah, this is definitely something that he needed. He only hoped that everything was alright with the Hyuga. She looked pretty upset running out of here like that. He just wished his best friend had picked on someone else for his strange enjoyment.
"So...can we have cake now?" Choji asked, cutting through the awkward silence. It wasn't a surprise that he would want dessert first, which is why Ino tugged on his ear.
"Must food always be on your mind?" The blonde sighed. Only he would think of something like that in a situation like this. She too, only hoped that Hinata would be alright. She was one of a very few people who could see just how unhappy she really was.
Sasuke could feel all the tension in the air and wanted to leave, already feeling fed up with this party. It's not his fault that she's with such a possessive person. But then again...it's not her fault either. Maybe he did go too far just to get a few kicks. What did she ever do to him? Absolutely nothing. If he feels like it, then maybe he will apologize the next time he sees her. Or maybe, he should just leave first thing in the morning tomorrow. That way he won't fuck up anything else. If only she would stick up for herself... Then he would respect her a lot more. But he didn't exactly acknowledge those he viewed as being 'weak'.
He himself, even till this day, strived to become much stronger than he already was. No shinobi should ever give up so easily, just because her clan says so. And wasn't that also her motto? To never give up, just like Naruto? It was strange how she would up and throw all of that out the window. She would rather marry a creep, then to stand her ground and do what's best for her. If he was so annoyed, then what was this feeling just eating away at him? No, it wasn't possible for him to feel bad over something so ridiculous. But...the longer he sat there thinking about it, the stronger this feeling became. And it was one he knew all too well.
Regret.
