AN: I am deeply sorry for not updating, but I got cut off from the internet. Fun thing is, just to write this I made my way into an internet cafe. But this probably doesn´t interest you very much, so on to more important matters.
This chapter isn´t an important chapter, it´s more of an character-development, and less important for the story line. However I felt the need to get a closer look on the important characters and their relationships, before the main story kicks in, which will be in the next chapter.
But for now, I hope you enjoy this chapter AND I hope that I will be back online very soon, so that you don´t have to wait this long again. But don´t get your hopes up too high, I can´t make promises.
Nothing left to say, but enjoy this chapter and till next time dear readers.
Disclaimer: I own neither Naruto, nor Kingdom Hearts and nothing else I might use in this story. There is no profit, no benefits and nothing even remotely similar earned by this fic. I only do it for fun and to enjoy any form of criticism I might get.
(Hokage mansion, early evening)
*Roxas' POV*
"I will leave you two lovebirds alone now, see you." Here he goes again.
"Naruto, how often do I have to tell you this is no date?! This is a team meeting, to discuss the test we will be given tomorrow." By now I clearly felt the heat coming from my cheeks and if I had to guess, my blush was probably rivaling Hanabi´s right now. Hanabi, who sat next to me on the couch, coincidently, just nodded along with my explanation.
Naruto meanwhile was laughing his ass off after his little comment, after a minute or so he had finally composed himself enough to speak again. "Suuuuurrreeee, you know that you both look hilarious right now? Oh and if this is a team meeting than where is Shikamaru, you know your other team member?"
Once again he began to laugh and seeing that Hanabi tried to hide in her bulky jacket, it probably came down to me to answer, again. "How should I know where this lazy ass is?! I told him to meet us here, not my fault that he is too lazy to actually show up." I really had the urge to growl at the moment and it only got stronger when Naruto just continued to laugh.
This urge only intensified when Hanabi suddenly decided to tease me as well. "Oh come on Roxi, just admit that you wanted to be alone with me." From what Naruto and Hanabi told me afterwards I had invented a new shade of red in exactly this moment.
Okay I can admit I might have been a bit flustered and yeah maybe I had stuttered a bit, but it wasn´t that bad. "Wh- wh- what, I mean no, ah yes, ah whatever …" Naruto was now lying on the ground from all the laughing and Hanabi´s sweet giggles accompanied his laughter. Wait, 'sweet'? Ah whatever, out of frustration I looked around the room to find some sort of this distraction. That´s when my eyes landed on a clock, which hang on the opposite wall, grinning evilly and with only one thought ('Payback') in mind I spoke up. "Haha, rarely laughed so much. Sadly through Hinata can´t laugh with us, because she is waiting at home for a certain blonde to pick her up. Now that I think about it, Hiashi-sama probably won´t be happy that said blonde is late. Ah well, not my problem, right dear brother?"
You could practically see the gears in Naruto´s head turning and after five seconds his face showed pure fear, and I have to admit I never saw him run this fast ever before. Before I could even blink he had left through the window with a shout of "Crap! See you tomorrow." and was running over the roofs. Maybe I should have mentioned that he has still half an hour left … Nah. Grinning I turned over to Hanabi who was still sitting next to me and now was laughing quite loudly. Time for part two of my revenge. Once I was sure she was completely distracted, I positioned myself and started tickling her sides mercilessly.
While I later admitted that I might have gone a bit far, I never regretted it. I tickled her for a full ten minutes. She squirmed and actually begged for me to stop, but I did no such thing. Only when she squirmed so much that she fell of the couch and landed on the ground with a soft 'thud' I stopped.
I looked down at her with a bit of surprise, because the way she looked right now, damn … Her cheeks were slightly pink, her mouth still half-open from all the laughing and her eyes half closed from the dazed state she was in. I decided that she deserved a little rest and picked her up bridle style and laid her back onto the couch. This however did go nearly unnoticed, since she was still rather dazed. Deciding to do something productive for a change, I let her lie there and made my way to the next room, the kitchen, to prepare something to eat for us.
While I wasn´t a master chief, I still knew one or two tricks and all the time Naruto and I had spent with the Sarutobi family had greatly helped with that. Since we could walk properly we had decided to help in the household as much as we could. Naruto always helped with cleaning and the gardens, while I helped with, or later on prepared by myself, every meal we spent together, which was mostly breakfast and dinner. Thus I had picked up some skills from Kira (AN: Since I didn´t found a name I gave Konohamaru´s mother one) and nowadays whenever she was on a business trip with her husband, who was a merchant, I took care of the kitchen. When I walked into the kitchen my stomach loudly reminded me that I hadn´t eaten all that much today and thus I decided something warm was needed to calm my rummaging stomach.
Going through a variety of ingredients I rather quickly decided on what to make, after all it was my first self-made recipe and one of my best dishes. But it took rather long to make … One look out of the kitchen solved this problem however. Hanabi had dozed off and thus I would have more than enough time for what I had planned. Whistling I walked back into the kitchen, got a large pot and a pan on the stove and started it with a bit fire chakra. Yup, that would be great.
I wonder through how Naruto is doing?
*Naruto´s POV*
Grumbling under my breath while I was escorted to Hiashi-sama´s study, I cursed my brother. I had raced at top speed to the Hyuga compound, I even pushed past my normal limits, just to reach it in time. Only to find out I still had nearly half an hour left. Now I was led by a branch member to Hiashi-sama´s study to wait for Hinata to get ready. Damn it, just what I needed.
"Here you are Uzumaki-sama, you may enter." The Hyuga gave a mock bow and it didn´t take a genius to find out he despised of me. The way he had said my name made that pretty clear. I gave him a half nod in return, all the way making sure to keep my eyes on him, and then slowly entered the study through the paper door.
Bowing while standing in the entrance I decided to give my greeting. "Good evening Hiashi-sama. It is good to see you on such a nice evening, I hope you are well."
Hiashi sat behind his desk, which (much like the Hokage´s desk) always seemed to be filled with all sorts of papers. "Oh, good evening Naruto, yes I´m doing rather well and I was greatly pleased to hear that my daughters passed the Academy Exam at the top of the class for girls and made the second and fourth place in the complete ranking. While it may have surprised me a bit to hear that you made the second place for the boys and the fourth in the complete ranking, I also have to say that I would have accepted nothing less from a possible suitor for one of my daughters. I assume that you are here to take Hinata out?"
I admit I maybe would have turned red at the suitor comment, but I knew in front of this man I could not allow myself such a slip, so I got my raging emotions under control and answered in the most polite way I could. "That is true, but there is another reason. My brother sends his greetings and asked me to ask for a meeting with you, he also mentioned that it would be good to hold it at the Hokage estates. Privacy matters as far as I know."
"Hm, young Roxas, he sure is an interesting boy I hear. From my information he barely managed to pass the Exam and on the other hand he nearly single-handedly defeated a Chunin. Care to explicate?"
"Hiashi-sama, a man of your knowledge and standing surely knows that looks can be deceiving. After all we are in a Ninja village and deception is a Ninja´s greatest tool. My brother merely held up appearances and at the same time managed to deceive most people and keep his stronger techniques hidden. From what he explained to me, he didn´t even show his skills in Fuinjutsu in the Exam, yet he managed to defeat Mizuki-teme with Fuinjutsu alone. I think this will suffice to answer your question."
"Indeed it does and it explains many things. Naruto, I must say I´m impressed. You obviously worked hard to achieve your standing in this year´s graduating class and you also worked on your manners greatly. So for this once I will allow Hinata to stay over at the Hokage mansion … that is if she wishes to do so. However, I just want to remind you of our … 'talk', when you first came to me. I would not tolerate any 'inappropriate' behavior from either of you. And no matter what happens, I would make you responsible. Clear?!"
One day this man would be my early death, I was going from jumping out of joy to sweating bullets in a matter of seconds here. Forcing myself to calm down and effectively slowing my heartbeat to a more normal level, I finally thought I was ready to handle Hiashi again. I bowed low, till my nose nearly touched the ground and straightening myself I spoke in the most respectful voice I could. "I deeply appreciate your generous offer Hiashi-sama and don´t worry, we both know the meaning of boundaries and have no intention to cross them." Thankful that this was out-of-the-way I took a deep breath to collect myself again. And suddenly a thought came to me, if I hadn´t been in such a stuck up company right now I would have called myself a genius. "I just had an idea Hiashi-sama. And while it may not be my place to ask, I will do it nevertheless. I just thought of a way for you to 'enforce' the mentioned boundaries and at the same time make some people very happy. I want to ask you, if maybe Hanabi-chan could sleep over as well."
Hiashi was definitely surprised by that request, while he showed no outward signs, the silence and the deep breath he took absolutely confirmed it. I showed no signs either, but internally I was making a victory dance at that. Uzumaki Naruto, the one person who can even surprise the 'all-seeing' Hyuga, believe it.
After some moments to collect himself, Hiashi answered. "Hm, I see where you´re coming from and I presume it would be a good idea. However, for me to send over both my daughters for a sleepover … I hope you realize what a sign of trust this is. I allow it."
"And your trust will not be misplaced Hiashi-sama, believe it. However, could you please inform Hinata of this. She may want to pack some things, since we have our Genin test tomorrow. I will make sure that Hanabi-chan knows about this as well."
"So it is true that you and Hinata are on the same team, as are your brother and Hanabi. In this light a sleepover seems like an even better idea, to give you all time to prepare yourself. I will inform Hinata now. You may wait at the gate. Oh, and realize Naruto that if you, your brother or one of my daughters does something inappropriate, fails the test or something else … unexpected happens, it will be on you. Understand?" I had to take another deep breath to steady my nerves, but other than that I showed no signs of my growing uneasiness. Nonetheless I gave Hiashi an approving nod and thus accepted these terms. "Well then, good night Naruto and take good care of my daughters. I will know if you don´t. Oh and tell your brother that I would like to come over tomorrow at noon, after the test of course."
Giving one last bow to Hiashi, I was then led out of Hiashi´s office and back to the gate. Once there I decided to take the easy way to notify Roxas and Hanabi of this new development. I created a Shadow Clone and send it off to inform those two, while I waited for Hinata.
(An hour later, Hokage mansion)
*Third Person´s POV*
"So, everything settled Hina-chan. Now I´ve definitely worked up an appetite, so want to go out to grab something to eat." Naruto and Hinata came out of a spare bedroom, which was located on the same hallway as Roxas' and Naruto´s own bedrooms. He had placed Hinata´s gear, which she had brought with her for the Genin Test, in there.
Hinata came out after him and answered him while they were walking back to the sitting room. "Well, yeah actually I am quite hungry as well, but this late in the evening I don´t really want to go out there anymore." By now they had arrived back in the sitting room. "Can´t I just borrow your kitchen and make us something?"
"Don´t bother!" Came the shout from the kitchen and seconds later Roxas strolled out of the kitchen whipping his hands. "I had already prepared dinner for Nabi and myself, but it should be enough for the four of us."
Suddenly Naruto´s whole face lit up and a big grin spread across his face. "Oh you have to try Roxas' cooking Hina-chan, it´s one of the best things I have ever eaten. So, what´s for today Rox?"
"Curry with rice and breaded chicken filets." Came the casual reply from Roxas, while he walked back into the kitchen. "Actually it should be ready by now. Naruto swing your ass in here and help me prepare the table. Oh, and Hinata could you please tell Nabi that dinner is ready."
(Half an hour later)
"That … that was one of the best meals I´ve ever had that was very nice of you Roxi." Hanabi was in a state of pure bliss and meant every word she had said. With a talent like that Roxas could probably give the cooks at the Hyuga mansion a run for their money.
"Yep, once again you outclassed yourself there Rox." For Naruto this was more of a common thing, but like always Roxas had mixed up a very nice meal and who was he to deny praise to those who truly earned it.
"It was a very nice meal, thank you very much Roxas-kun. Actually from time to time I try myself at cooking, so could you maybe give me the recipe?" While it was not common for Hyugas to prepare their own meals, due to the large staff of professional cooks they had, Hinata really liked cooking and with a recipe like that …
"Thanks, it was nothing. And it would be no problem Hinata, … if you would finally drop the honorific that is." Roxas was blushing a bit at all this praise, but was also really pleased to know that everyone had liked his cooking.
"But it would be inappropriate …" A stern look from Roxas showed his opinion to Hinata´s statement. Taking a deep sigh Hinata accepted a lost battle. "Fine, then it would seem I can only thank you again Roxas. … Better?"
"Much and don´t worry, I will write the recipe down later ok?" Hinata gave him a nod and satisfied Roxas stood up, collected the dishes and placed them in the sink to clean them later. "While I don´t mind your company at all, I think you and Naruto should head to bed, after all your test starts rather early, right?"
Thinking for a moment Hinata decided on an answer "Normally I would agree, but this is a rare if not unique chance and seeing that it is still rather early I think we can stay up for a bit. You okay with this Naru-kun?"
Naruto himself thought about it for a second before he nodded and went to the sitting room. Shortly after he came back with a stack of cards. Seeing them Roxas groaned and placed his head on the table. "Sow how about some rounds of Poker?" Naruto asked grinning.
After some rounds of Poker (all of which were won by Naruto, thanks to his unholy luck) they decided to do something else and do some planning for tomorrow's test. While Naruto and Hinata made a stroll through the vast gardens belonging to the Hokage mansion, Roxas and Hanabi had made themselves comfortable in the sitting room.
*Naruto's POV*
I will admit, as beautiful as the gardens around the Hokage mansion might be, they just don´t hold a candle against the beautiful lady that was currently with me. While Hinata and I strolled through the vast gardens surrounding the mansion, I thought about the last few months. Or precisely the months after the camping trip and Hinata´s and mine … relationship, might be the best word.
We had went on some dates after that fateful day, first as friends, but nowadays I´m starting to wonder. While I greatly enjoyed the time I spend with Hinata, something was different with her around, in comparison to the time I spend with my other friends. Sure I knew the basic concept of boyfriend and girlfriend and I knew that it was different than normal friend. But no one ever explained to me these complex emotions, so I was a bit at loss here.
We were great friends and I´m sure we could make a good couple, well maybe. But there was also the fact that either Hinata or Hanabi would be the heir to the Hyuga clan and Roxas once mentioned that this could cause some problems. Then there was the fact that we now were on the same team, and while I´m really glad to have Hinata on my team, as she is one of the best persons I could think of, there was also the fact that if something happened between us it would affect the whole team.
To say it bluntly all this was quite frustrating, on one hand I wanted to be with Hinata, as friends or else … but on the other hand I wanted, or better I wished for her to be my girlfriend. But there were so many problems with that … and there was the fact of her family and the team … and I don´t even know what she thinks about all this … and … and … And from all this thinking my head starts to hurt. Damn it.
Just when my head started to hurt Hinata bent down to get a closer look at one of the flowers. Ok Naruto, you need to get your act together. Calm down, breathe and stop thinking so hard. What does Rox always say, 'if thinking with your nutshell of a brain gets you nowhere, than you can always rely on your heart, as far as I know mine has never led me wrong'. Ok thinking with my heart … How the hell am I supposed to do this?
Just as I was about to start an internal rant against Roxas and his dumb advises, Hinata stood back up shot me a heart melting smile and took my hand to lead us further down the path and deeper into the gardens.
The moment she smiled at me, I got a very nice and warm feeling in my stomach region. And the moment she took my hand my heart sped up some paces. Well I´m rather slow sometimes, but even I got the hint my heart was sending me. But does Hinata really want to be my girlfriend?
Only one way to find out. I stopped and Hinata turned around with a curious look on her face. Her very beautiful face, if I might add. Here goes nothing. "Ahm, Hi- Hinata, I … I have a question for you. Would you … would you like to be my … my …" I just couldn´t say it. By now Hinata had a strange expression on her face, like a mixture of confusion and hope. And just by this look she gave me a bit more confidence. Oh come on Naruto, you are a god damn Ninja, get your guts together and just ask her. "Hinata would you like to be my girlfriend?"
For some moments there was absolute silence and even the buzzing sounds of the insects inhabiting the gardens had stopped. Hinata´s face seemed to be frozen with an unreadable expression and just by looking at this mask I lost every ounce of confidence I had earlier on. One look at her was enough for me to stumble out an apology and ask her to forget that I had ever said anything.
But before I even managed to get the first word out, Hinata had flung herself at me and was hugging me furiously. I think that means yes.
After we had both composed ourselves a bit, Hinata gave me a real 'yes' and we continued our stroll through the gardens. Neither of us said much, but it was no uncomfortable silence. By the time we reentered the house it was already late in the evening, so we decided to retire for the night. Hinata gave a little kiss on the cheek before she vanished into the guest room she shared with Hanabi. After that I practically skipped to my room and once again slept very peacefully. Yep life was good right now.
*Roxas' POV*
"Well with Shikamaru´s plans, I think we should be able to pass whatever test we get tomorrow. So that wraps this up. Now I-" Hanabi and I were just finishing our talk about tomorrow's test, when Hinata and Naruto reentered the house, effectively interrupting my line of thought.
They seemed somehow off and this assumption was proven when Hanabi called out to them, but they simply ignored her. They only had eyes for each other and if I didn´t know better I would have said they were floating through the room. After they had left the room, Hanabi and I sat silent for some moments, both contemplating what had just happened.
The silence ended, when I decided to voice the question that probably was on both our minds. "Do you think he finally asked her?"
Hanabi sat still for a moment, before she began to giggle. "He better has. It´s about damn time, they both had danced around each other for some months now." We shared a laugh at that. But then Hanabi grew more somber and asked "Do you think that will change something?"
For some moments I sat there and contemplated every possible answer. At the end I concluded to answer in the most truthful way possible. "I really don´t know what will happen now. While I´m sure that this will change some things, I also have much trust in the plans we have set in motion already. Our best bet would be to go with what we have planned and alter them if necessary. Do you think we have everything in motion?"
Hanabi thought about my answer for another minute or so, before she decided to respond. "Well, I can only say this from the Hyuga site of the story, but from my opinion I think that with the talk we have with dad tomorrow everything should be fine. At least I hope so … And if not, we could always-"
"Don´t! Please don´t remind me of that option. This is a bridge we will have to cross when it comes to it. For now I still have hope in our original plan. You called it a 'spark of hope', right?"
Hanabi let out a sweet little giggle at that comment, but when she answered her voice was void of any emotion and only carried a great deal of conviction. "A spark of hope, indeed and if we are lucky it will become a flame. Puh, from all this planning I will get a headache. Let´s leave this matters for now, okay?"
I gave her a small, but nonetheless heartfelt, smile and nodded once. We both sat back and just enjoyed the silence and each other's company for a while. I don´t know who intoned it, but by the time we decided to head to bed, we were both on one of the couches and snuggled rather comfortably together. When we realized the position we were in, we normally would have been extremely embarrassed, but quite frankly we were simply to sleepy for that. So we just ignored our compromising position, stood up and headed to our respective rooms.
Shortly after I lay in bed and felt sleep claiming me slowly, and my last thoughts came back to the plans Hanabi and I had made. Well the stakes were extremely high and there were many things we would have to give up for the time being, but the winnings would definitely be worth it. I actually came to the same conclusion as Hanabi, this plan was indeed a spark of hope, at least for the Hyuga and the Uzumaki family…
(The next morning, Hokage estate)
*Third Person ´s POV*
The next morning started early in the Hokage estate and by five thirty, all members and guests of the house – at least the Ninja-site. The Hokage, Hiruzen, had already left by five, since his work ALWAYS called for him. Asuma had left to meet up with the other Jonin who would admire a test today and probably prepare the test. Hinata sat on the porch and waited for Naruto to get ready, she was extremely nervous since they were already half an hour late, but still decided to wait for him. She was accompanied by Roxas, who always had been an early-riser and he was currently sharpening one of his swords and going over his inventory while he waited for Hanabi, but at least still had more than enough time left before they had their test. Said girl was currently rolling around on her mattress in the guest room and grumbled about 'too loud and muuuuuuch too early'. The reason for her grumbling was Naruto, who had overslept a bit and was now running through the house and tried to gather his equipment.
Finally, ten minutes later, Naruto emerged from the house. He quickly grabbed Hinata´s hand and together they dashed off, over the roofs of course. Roxas remained and with a shake of his head, that didn´t manage to wipe the grin of his face, continued to sharpen one of his swords.
Just when he had finished preparing this sword, about five minutes later, Hanabi emerged from the house. She stood in the doorway still in her sleepwear, which consisted of shorts and a shirt at least two sizes too big. With a wry grin she asked the remaining blonde "Do you think they will make it?"
Considering the two meanings of his answer, Roxas said "They are going to be fine, don´t you worry. No, how about you grab a shower and meanwhile I can prepare us a small breakfast?"
Hanabi answered with a thankful grin and walked back into the house. Roxas too walked back into the house. Just when he was about to enter the kitchen he heard Hanabi say, from the hallway, "Didn´t Sensei say we shouldn´t eat breakfast?"
"Can´t fight on an empty stomach, now can you? And if you don´t tell him …"
A sweet giggle was his answer and with another shake of his head he moved on into the kitchen.
At half past nine these two young Ninja finally moved out of the house, fully prepared for whatever there may come. Only one thing left to say: Let the test begin!
AN: IMPORTANT!
Sorry guys, but my life is a bit stressful right now and I´m not sure I can handle three major stories right now. So as sad as it is, I will have to put this story on hold.
I will still update from time to time, but for now ...
Well sorry, but I hope you can forgive me.
