Two words: car accident.
But I have an extra long chappie for you here to make up for it! Enjoy, and kudos to anybody who can spot the four intentional themes of this story. Thank you for everyone's patience!
(I fixed a syntax problem where Kiba and Yoko were insulting each other. I didn't use proper grammar, so certain programs on the site erased the whole line.)
"Pull yourself together, dobe." Sasuke hauled Naruto to his feet, tossing a tie in his direction. Naruto turned the fabric over. His face was suddenly distressed. "Problems?" Naruto's expression twisted. "You forgot how to tie it, didn't you," Sasuke said flatly.
"No! I-but-can't-…it's pink."
"Girls like pink, dobe. Nut up and shut up. Let's go."
"It's time already?" Naruto looked around for a clock, tightening his tie. He glanced at the tie one last time. "Why are we wearing pink?"
"Ino's dress code," Shikamaru groused. "Boys wear pink ties, girls wear something green." His brow contracted. "And I wear this." He flicked the edge of his lapel, rolling his eyes. "So troublesome." Naruto had to suppress a snort of amusement. Shikamaru was wearing a traditional black kimono, and he didn't look too enthused about it.
"How did she convince you to wear that?"
"She hits hard." Naruto chocked back another chuckle at Shikamaru's expense. Sasuke flicked his arm.
"Come on." Grabbing his jacket, Naruto followed him through the house and out the back. "What's with you today?"
"Huh?" Sasuke glared, coming to a stop to face Naruto, who blinked blankly.
"You haven't acted so infantile in years." Instead of a half-baked comeback, Naruto suddenly became quiet and serious. His eyes wandered off to the side without actually looking at anything. "What happened?"
"Work," Naruto grunted.
"Bullshit, Naruto," Sasuke said icily. "No one talks to the Emperor like that, not even you, unless something has you out of your head."
Naruto finally met his eye. "There's a lot more to this job than I originally thought."
"That's it? Too much work for you?" Sasuke's voice was incredulous.
"No." A dark note crept into Naruto's words. "Sasuke, you wouldn't believe the secrets this village has, the skeletons in our closets." Naruto's jaw clenched. "A lot of things I wish I didn't know." His voice dropped. "I don't know how Kakashi sleeps at night."
Sasuke regarded him quietly for a moment, before giving him a light tap on his arm. "Let's get you to the wedding. A few drinks down and you'll be fine."
"You sure? I thought we wouldn't want to be late because of Sakura's mighty punch." Naruto cracked a smile.
"That too." Sasuke held out his fist. Naruto grinned, and tapped back.
The rest of the walk to the forest was dead quiet, allowing Naruto to really absorb the time out of the office. The orange and red leaves of the trees rustled in the cold breeze. The air was crisp and fresh, smelling slightly of wood smoke. Bright rays from the autumn sun filtered through the trees. Fallen leaves crunched beneath his feet. Naruto willed himself to think of nothing else but the beautiful fall day.
Soon enough, they were at the sakura grove. Though long past the season for blossoms, they were still pretty and elegant, covered in pale gold leaves. People were milling around, talking and sorting out their seats. Sakura, in a pink and green kimono, stood on the tips of her toes and motioned for them to come over.
"You look good." Sakura straightened his tie with a smile. "Where's Hinata?"
"I don't know." Naruto craned his neck to see over the crowd. "I haven't seen her all week."
"Awkward," Sasuke muttered.
Sakura shushed him. "She's been really busy at the hospital. Something about a patient." Naruto swallowed hard, praying that nobody saw how shifty he was. Sakura frowned absently. "I'm not used to her being this secretive. Speaking of which," she looked back up to prod Naruto's nose. "We need to get practicing again. I've been so busy with this wedding that I haven't had time to nag you." Naruto sighed, a sweat drop appearing on his forehead.
Sasuke's eyes locked on something behind Naruto. "Hot damn."
Sakura turned to the side to inspect the something too. "Good God."
"What?" Naruto peered around, and he saw it. His knees turned to jelly, his breath caught, his heart skipped a beat.
Hinata.
She was talking to Kiba and Yoko, the Sand siblings right behind. The first thing he noticed was her hair. It was loosely pulled up, with escaping strands framing her face. What looked like a cascade of silver leaves was pinned in the back. She wore a true green dress, slinky and satin glowing. The tiny sleeves and empire waist bodice were gathered, in contrast to the skirt, which seemed to hug every curve without being revealing. Silver ribbons on her waist tied in a bow in the front, their long tails fluttering with every movement. A heavy silk wrap draped over her arms to protect her bare skin from the cold. Simple silver jewelry glittered from her wrists, neck and ears. She even had silver paint lining her eyes to contrast the dark green shadow on her lids. Breathtaking.
Naruto couldn't take his eyes off of her. His heart seemed to somersault in his chest. Every time he saw her, it was like he fell in love all over again.
Wait, WHAT? ! Naruto recoiled, back pedaling his thoughts to review them. But when he looked at Hinata again, he came to the exact same conclusion he had before.
Love.
He loved her.
O*O*O*O*O*
Hinata stood, clapping her hands as hard as she could for the new couple as they kissed. Her smile was so wide, she feared her face might break, not that she would mind very much.
"I said kiss the bride, not swallow her face." The party laughed as the officiant, Kakashi, chastised the couple teasingly. Shikamaru was actually smiling when they pulled away. He had gone white as a sheet when the ceremony started, but now he had color. They looked so happy. The two jogged back down the aisle, waving.
"Come on, guys," Hinata addressed her group, gathering up her wrap. "Reception."
"Oooooh, I can't wait!" Yoko rubbed her hands together excitedly. "Ino is a party animal; this is going to be a rockin' shindig!"
"Hells yeah!" Yoko high-fived Kiba and Kankuro. Hinata giggled, leading the way to a huge pavilion. They milled about, searching for their table.
"Here's ours!" Kiba slammed his hand on the table, making the silverware jump. "We're all together!"
"No, we're not," Gaara stated, eyes wandering around the place settings. "What about Hinata?"
Hinata looked around. "I'll find it. I'll see you guys later."
"Fuck that," Temari retorted. "There's room for six here. Move your ass." She used her foot to shove Kanduro in his chair over, snatching a place setting and a chair from the neighboring table.
"Temari-senpai, That's someone else's-"
"Who cares." Temari patted the seat. "Come sit with us, darling." Hinata blushed with embarrassment for Temari's actions, but her bred and born politeness compelled her to take the proffered seat. "Marvelous." Hinata smoothed her dress self-consciously, still not quite comfortable with the break in etiquette. To distract herself, she picked up the menu to scan the courses.
She jumped when a sudden wave of applause announced the new couple's entrance. It took her a minute to recover enough to get on her feet and join in the joyful cheering.
Ino and Shikamaru had changed out of their traditional garb in favor of a western style. Shikamaru wore a button-up and slacks, while Ino wore a short white dress. Someone put a love song on, and they began to dance. Hinata held her hands to her chest, entranced by the bliss that was filling the room. She looked at the faces of her tablemates, and was pleasantly surprised to see Gaara smiling softly. He caught her eye, and smiled a little wider.
The first chorus ended, signaling the party that they could join. Naturally, Sakura and Sasuke were the first out on the floor, followed by the parents. Hinata turned.
"Gaara-sama, would you like to dance?" He blinked, seeming quite surprised at the offer. After a thoughtful pause, he nodded, offering his hand. She took it like a lady, following him obediently to the dance floor. As they got into position, they left a respectful amount of space between them.
Gaara was no slouch; he had been trained. His steps were perfectly in time, his lead was firm without being forceful, and he never had to look down. Both of them could do it in their sleep.
"Hinata," he whispered, barely moving his lips. If he wasn't so close, she would have missed it entirely. She looked up sharply to meet Gaara's eye, which had lost any hint of a smile. "Later, I must speak with you."
Hinata frowned, confused. "About what?" she breathed back. He gave a tiny shake of his head.
"We can't talk about it here. After the reception, meet me at the Uchiha mansion." The song ended. He stepped back and kissed her hand politely. "Thank you."
Hinata stood in shock for a few moments. There was an unpleasant sensation curling deep in her abdomen. It could have been that Gaara was always deadly serious like that, but something in the back of her mind was screaming ominously.
"Thank you for coming!" Ino shouted from the head table. "Can everyone get a drink please!" Hinata shook it off, scuttling back to the table to fetch her recently filled flute. She turned to face the couple, who already had their drinks. Ino grinned, holding up her glass. Hinata squinted. It was filled with…orange juice?
"I'd like to make a toast, but not to us." Ino glanced at Shikamaru, who closed his eyes and sighed. "A toast to the reason for our shotgun wedding-"
"Oh lord," Shikamaru groaned.
"I am officially three months pregnant!" There was about a half seconds worth of dead silence before the pavilion exploded with noise. Ino's mother ran over to hug her daughter, exclaiming with tears in her eyes how happy she was. Her father downed his glass of champagne, along with his wife's, in a couple of quick swallows. In contrast, Shikamaru's mother slapped the back of his head and began to berate him on prior notice. His father merely looked bored, but when Mom ran out of steam and stormed off, he shook Shikamaru's hand and clapped him on the shoulder.
"Now I have to get her a gift for the wedding AND a baby shower," Temari groused without sounding serious. She grinned, a hint of tears in her voice. "That selfish bitch."
Hinata clapped hard, on the edge of crying herself. Her heart swelled with joy as Ino grabbed Shikamaru for a kiss. The way he closed his eyes and pulled her in tight belied the love between them. They may have gotten married because of the baby, but they truly wanted to be together.
Somewhere inside, Hinata was desperately jealous of them. She too wanted to marry the man she loved, be a wife, have children. To fill her life with family and love was her dream. In her mind's eye, she saw herself with her first child, holding the tiny pink baby in a blanket against her chest. She would carefully hand the bundle to its father, who would look adoringly between their child and her. He would tell her he loved her, and give her a kiss, leaning down so she could place a hand on his cheek to feel the whiskers she loved so much….
Wait, WHAT? ! Hinata blinked, face flushing pink. She realized with a shock that whenever she thought of the fantasy, those signature blue eyes were always there. She covered her mouth with her hands. Oh dear! Hinata couldn't believe she had been so blind. She had always just made a blank there in that daydream, but now that she had thought about it, Naruto was her go-to standard for handsome, charming, all the nice qualities in a man. She looked once again at Ino and Shikamaru, and sure enough, a vision hit her.
She was standing hand in hand with him, just like the way Ino and Shikamaru were. His blue eyes shining bright, looking at her with affection. Snow fell in their hair, but they paid no mind. Hinata felt herself say, "Yes," and was mesmerized as Naruto's lips formed, "Absolutely." She vaguely heard a bored voice say "You're now Mr. and Mrs. Naruto Uzumaki. Kiss." With that, Naruto snatched her up, crushing Hinata to his chest as he kissed her. "Hinata…."
"HINATA!"
"AH!" Hinata nearly jumped out of her skin. Yoko shook her head, snorting.
"Damn girl, when you go off in your head, you really get lost." Hinata nodded, willing her poor traumatized heart to slow. "What were you thinking about?" Yoko leaned down to peer accusingly at Hinata. Hinata swallowed.
"Um, ah-"
"Something dirty?" A lecherous grin crawled up her face.
"No! Nothing like that!" Hinata protested vehemently.
Yoko's nostrils twitched as her eyes narrowed. "You don't smell like you're lying…" She waved her hand dismissively. "But I'll have it out of you soon enough."
"Something about dirty thoughts?" Kiba piped up eagerly.
"That was so five seconds ago. Catch up, Rain Man."
Kiba huffed. "Bitch."
Yoko smiled cheekily. "That's my name, don't wear it out."
Kiba began to mutter under his breath, "Bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch…."
Yoko retaliated with, "Fixed, fixed, fixed, fixed, fixed, fixed…."
For their trouble, Temari gave them simultaneous whaps to the backs of their heads. "Ai!"
"Ouch!"
"Shut up." Temari winked at Hinata, who blushed again and looked at the floor.
O*O*O*O*O*
"Over here, Naruto-kun." Sakura bade him to come over and sit. "Ino assigned us to sit here."
"Assigned? She tells us where she wants us to sit?" Naruto shuffled into his chair before picked up the cardstock with his name on it. His eyebrows couldn't decide whether to hang with his hairline or crouch over his eyes.
"It's traditional," Sakura stated complacently, rearranging her place setting so it was perfectly straight.
"Seems weird to me."
Sakura finished messing with the silverware and looked up at Naruto, a dangerous glint in her eye. "This is supposed to be Ino's special day, and I don't want to ruin my new kimono with blood, so I'm going to pretend you aren't behaving like an uncultured ass."
Naruto smiled as pleasantly as he could, secretly thinking, God, uptight much?
Kakashi slid smoothly into his seat. "Hey." His visible eye was smiling.
"There you are, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura smiled somewhat tensely. "That was a very beautiful ceremony. I tried to tell you so earlier, but you disappeared."
"He was only gone for ten- ow!" Naruto glared resentfully at Sasuke, who had given him a sharp kick under the table. Sasuke shook his head, flicking his eyes at a visibly restrained, annoyed Sakura. Naruto folded his lips inward to control the urge to add his ill-timed input.
The curve in Kakashi's eye increased, as if he were smiling wider. "I was saying hi to the dolphins." His former team dropped their heads and sighed in stereo.
"Why do you always have to talk in riddles?" Sakura's palm smacked her forehead. She seemed to think the better of the statement, holding up a finger. "That was rhetorical, Kakashi-sensei."
"I suspected," he said lightly. "Hey, menus!" Naruto lifted his head to lock on the menu just above the plate. He snatched it up, eager for a distraction.
As he scanned the card though, his brow beetled again. "Five courses? Five whole courses? !"
Sasuke clapped sarcastically. "It's a miracle; Naruto knows what a course is. Kakashi, fetch us a plaque and a lamb to sacrifice." Sakura snorted, trying to hide her amusement by giving her husband a light smack on the arm.
"Pffft! That's not funny, Sasuke-kun." Sasuke smiled a little at his wife's barely contained chortles. Naruto allowed himself a tiny pout before continuing.
"It just seems like too much work." Sakura opened her mouth to begin a tangent on the etiquette of special occasions. To her tablemates' relief, a loud roar filled the pavilion as a joyful Ino and Shikamaru took the floor for their first dance. Naruto stood and cheered with the rest of them, remaining on his feet to see the first dance.
Naruto couldn't help but grin. There was so much happy energy in the room; it was infectious. Sasuke offered his hand to Sakura, who glowed as she was led to the floor. Other couples joined in. Naruto was just enjoying the swirling people and the soft lights, when he spotted Hinata dancing with Gaara.
His smile instantly died. She was dancing with another man, another jinchuriki no less! Gaara moved smoothly and surely, as if he had known the dance since birth. Naruto watched Gaara move close to say something breathily in her ear, and his blood began to boil. His knuckles blanched against the fierce spasm of his fist.
Naruto drew a heavy breath in, and resolutely placed himself back in his chair to face away from the dance floor. But what had started as a controlled seat ended more as a dejected flop. His spine refused to support him, so he ended up with his forehead hitting the table with a plonk, arms hanging limply.
"Lovesick, huh?" Naruto brought his head up enough to look directly at the speaker. His neck still didn't have enough inspiration to be useful, so Naruto rested his chin on the table. Kakashi leaned against his fist, looking annoyingly all-knowing.
"No one asked you," Naruto grumbled from the side of his mouth. Kakashi picked up the place card of the only empty seat at the table.
"Wonder where she's sitting?" Kakashi mused.
Naruto knew the answer, but he asked anyway: "Who?"
Kakashi indicated Hinata, flipping the paper over so Naruto could read it. Naruto huffed, sinking deeper into his pit of self-pity. "Ah. Temari's table. Three strong personalities there. They cowed her into it." Naruto's ears twitched. He perked up enough to look straight at his mentor.
"You think?"
Kakashi didn't have a chance to answer. "Thank you for coming!" Ino's piercing shout cut through the music, which was quickly quieted. "Can everyone get a drink, please!" A waiter swooshed by, tipping drinks into glasses. He was even thoughtful enough to fill Sakura's flute with orange juice instead of champagne.
Sakura and Sasuke zipped in. "Here we go," Sakura said under her breath. Naruto almost asked, but then he saw Ino's glass, filled halfway with orange juice.
No way.
Ino grinned, fingers playing around the stem of her flute. "I'd like to make a toast, but not to us." Ignoring the titters of the crowd, Ino glanced at her new husband, who made a resigned sigh. "A toast to the reason for our shotgun wedding-"
Shikamaru slapped his forehead, muttering, "Oh lord."
"I am officially three months pregnant!" It seemed the whole room took a breath, before breaking out with cheers. Naruto's mouth dropped. Sakura was laughing and crying at the same time. Even Sasuke was smiling, giving his wife a tight, one-armed hug. The parents of the happy couple had some varied reactions to the news, but the majority of the crowd was congratulating the announcement of a baby.
Naruto wasn't sure what to feel. Of course, the baby seemed to be good news, but at the same time, there was some negativity that was inexplicably attached to it.
With a pang of hurt, Naruto realized that he was jealous, and not just of the parents. Everyone around him seemed to be pairing off, beginning families. And here he was, with only two dates and a failure under his belt. But it wasn't just that; it was watching these children be born and grow under the wing of their loving parents. Naruto's chest tightened as he remembered that he knew nothing of his own parents, save for a single scrap of a burned birth certificate to indicate where he had come from. He didn't even know their names.
Naruto quickly swallowed the champagne, hoping to clear the lump in his throat, or at least, numb it out. It didn't work. He grit his teeth, turning away from the joyful mob.
He had unwittingly faced Kakashi once again. Somehow, Kakashi had drunk his champagne around his mask, and gotten another drink. He pushed it silently over to Naruto, who grabbed it and downed it fast.
When he resurfaced, Naruto looked at the glass and said, "I'm going to need about five more of these."
Kakashi shook his head. "No, you're not." Naruto stared at him for a minute before pivoting on his heel to get a refill. But he had to pass Kakashi to get to the bar, and as Naruto moved to slide past his mentor, Kakashi's hand shot up to press firmly against Naruto's chest. Naruto became still. "I know what you are thinking, Naruto." Naruto's lip twitched almost imperceptibly. "Believe me when I say crawling inside a bottle will only make it worse."
"And you would know?"
Kakashi nodded. "I would know." Naruto's fingers seemed to convulse around the glass. "It gets pretty lonely in there. Hard to see what really matters through all that glass."
All of a sudden, Naruto felt the urge to face the crowd once more. He whipped around, and what did he first see but Hinata. The way she covered her mouth delicately as she laughed, the light playing off the silver accents on her body, her lavender eyes sparkling with life. "What makes you so sure?"
"I'm always sure." Naruto looked back at his sensei, but he had disappeared.
"Fucking Kakashi," he muttered.
"I heard that!" A crop of silver hair spoke from across the room.
Naruto held up the empty glass. What Kakashi said like he was some sort of guru might have been complete bullshit, but he had gotten through to Naruto. It was a very tempting reflex after all he had been through, to drink himself into a stupor until he couldn't tell what he was truly feeling. But Kakashi had reminded him that the way to not feel isolated and alone was to surround yourself with friends and loved ones.
He blinked, and saw that dinner was about to be served. Smiling, Naruto gave the glass to a waiter, and beckoned his tablemates to join him.
O*O*O*O*O*
Naruto wished later that he wasn't so distracted during dinner. He was sure it was delicious, but he spent most of the time, uncharacteristically, thinking. Sakura slapped his hand over the soup; something about dipping the spoon in the wrong way. Some steak thing was the main course, but if there was something special about it, it was forgotten. Salad; though it was bitter, and Naruto barely touched it. There was also a platter which was meant to be shared between the whole table. It was piled high with some delicious fruit and some stinky cheese. Naruto couldn't fathom why anyone would want to eat cheese that smelled like week old sweaty socks, though he was careful to keep that comment to himself. He did, however, distinctly remember the triple chocolate cheesecake. Even though he was stuffed, Naruto practically inhaled the plate.
Sakura rolled her eyes. "Why they had chocolate cheesecake for their wedding cake, I will never know."
"Because we're not old and boring yet, like you, billboard brow." Ino trotted over from the head table to prod Sakura's still prominent forehead.
"Seems fitting a pig would know nothing of culture," Sakura retorted, pushing the tip of Ino's nose up. There was a glaring silence for a few seconds before the two broke out in laughter and hugged. "Congratulations, Ino!"
"Not like you didn't already know," Ino said, shaking her finger. She addressed the table, "This girl figured it out before I did."
"Oh please, it was so obvious." Sakura giggled. "She'd go from crying, to throwing up, to leaping around happily. Repeat until psychotic."
"What about you, chickie?" Ino tsked. "A couple of weeks after Sasuke here came back, she started eating raw tuna with ice cream. Tell me that's not a dead giveaway." Ino wrinkled her nose, tweaking Sasuke's ear teasingly. "What a stud. Shika and me have been at it for almost two years, and it took you two less than a week!" Sasuke allowed himself a smug smirk, while his wife's ears turned red. A new song came on, timed with dimmed lights as the pavilion was closed off to protect the party from the evening chill. Ino squealed, "Oooooh! I love this song! Who put-" She looked up to the DJ booth, where Shikamaru tossed her a wave. She shrieked again. "My man!"
Sasuke stood, holding his hand to the giddy bride. "Shall we?" Ino giggled, seizing the pale hand to haul Sasuke to the dance floor. Soon, they were twirling and twisting so much that Naruto's eyes crossed.
"Can you dance, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura grabbed Kakashi's wrist to gently coax him up.
"Fairly," he said mildly, taking her arm to lead the way. As he passed Naruto, the Hokage whispered, "Man up," before a puff of smoke obscured his figure.
"GOD DAMN YOU, KAKASHI!" Sakura twitched in rage, glaring at a log where Kakashi once stood. "You could have just said no!" Naruto plucked a note attached to the wood and sweat dropped. Sakura read it over his shoulder and turned an amazing color of red.
The note said, "The dolphins, they call to me. P.S. If I had just said no, what fun would that be?"
"I swear to God, I'm going to kill him one of these days." Sakura pounded her fist into the other hand violently.
Man up. Naruto thought back to his sensei's words. Man up. What does that mean? Man up, man up, man up… His gaze wandered around the room blankly, until it landed on Kankuro, who was fumbling his way to asking a pretty kunoichi to dance.
Click.
Man up!
O*O*O*O*O*
"Oh my GOD, Hinata!" Kiba scrubbed his hair irritatedly. "The only time you've danced this whole evening is with Gaara! Do we have to get you drunk again? !" Hinata didn't say anything, or even make eye contact. She kept her hands folded over her chest, and sighed.
"Forget it; she's off in her head again."
"Huh?" Hinata blinked. Kiba face palmed.
"Earth to Hinata!" Yoko cupped her hands around her mouth sarcastically. "There is a large shindig occurring in your vicinity! Do you read? !" Hinata still blinked in a bewildered way.
Yoko had been right: Hinata was indeed traipsing off in dreamland. Since her sudden realization that Naruto was more than a mere infatuation, she had been running in circles inside her mind. Though it was good to know, what was she to do about it? So she had been thinking the same exact circuit for the past hour. Frustrated, she let out a weary sigh.
Instantly and in unison, Temari and Yoko turned in their seats to face Hinata, slamming their hands onto the table to exclaim, "OH MY GOD." Kiba jumped at the loud bang and sunk his fingers into the tablecloth. Gaara blinked slowly, carefully observing his sister's and assistant's aghast faces. Hinata blushed, embarrassed by the sudden influx of attention. She shushed them hurriedly.
Yoko's finger was suddenly between Hinata's eyes. "You're in love!" Hinata flushed fiercely.
"I thought we already knew this?" Gaara prodded. Temari waved her hand around in disagreement.
"No, we knew Hinata had a thing for Naruto; not that she was in love with him!"
"A thing?" Gaara was mystified.
"It means she thought he was cute," Yoko said offhand.
Somehow this jarred Hinata from her mortification. Her fist hit the table, not as hard as her tablemates', but harder than anyone had ever seen her do. "No!" Hinata insisted, seemingly oblivious to the shocked stares of her friends. "I was never interested in him just because I found him attractive! It was his spirit that drew me to him. Naruto was never good at school the way the popular boys were, and he made up for it by his optimism and determination. He never thought he was superior to anyone; he would make friends with anyone who would accept him." Hinata's eyes sparkled with passion. "He is all I never had the courage to be, and he makes me feel that I can!"
Jaws dropped around the table. Instead of apologizing for her outburst, Hinata began to feel a fierce pride in her declaration, a fire filling her with boldness. Her spine straightened to come to her full height, unabashed and unafraid.
"Good God, girl," Temari breathed. "That. Was. Epic." Hinata felt her mouth lift in a small smile. It felt so good to be able to say it. She was riding so high, she didn't notice when Yoko's eyes bugged out a little farther, and the dull clack as Gaara suddenly closed his mouth.
A hand appeared before Hinata. The nails were so perfect and the skin so pale, Hinata was expecting Sasuke. Her eyes widened as she recognized the tanned, whisker-marked face. Naruto smiled.
"Dance?" Automatically, her fingers grasped the proffered hand to rise from her chair. Hinata willed herself not to shake with anticipation. Little did she know that Naruto was similarly disciplining himself. As they faced each other, Hinata barely suppressed a gasp when Naruto leaned in to whisper, "I have no clue what I am doing."
The tension of the past week broke as Hinata giggled. "That's okay. I'll lead." Hinata guided his hands to the proper place, taught him the counts, and showed him the steps. Naruto almost stepped on her toes a few times, but she knew how to get out of the way while keeping the count. Her little chuckles at his amateurish mistakes made him laugh, at first self-consciously, then in genuine humor.
"This is impossible!" Naruto chuckled as he stepped back when he should have been going left.
"No, you're doing just fine." She laughed as she dodged to avoid the misstep. "Don't look down."
"Then what am I supposed to look at?" Their eyes connected.
The world went fuzzy and grey as Naruto's form seemed to brighten. Hinata forgot about dancing. Naruto gently brushed a stray lock from her temple behind her ear. The light touch sent a spark over her skin. Slowly, without her awarness, her toes pointed to be closer. Naruto's eyes were half-lidded, lips parted. With deliberate patience, he leaned down. Hinata's pulse roared in her ears. Everything else was drowned out in the anticipation of the moment. She forced herself to take shallow breaths, determined to experience a kiss with Naruto, to take in every last second. Naruto hovered just an inch above her. Then, to both their surprise, Hinata cupped the back of his neck to lift herself into the kiss.
She inhaled sharply, her body trembling with a joy and a passion she had never imagined. It was all Hinata had ever wished for. His lips were warm and soft, fitting hers perfectly. She moved her hands up his neck so she could brush her thumbs over the whisker marks on his cheeks. She felt his arms come up from her waist to cup her back, cradling her against him. As if on instinct, both parted their lips to allow the other to deepen the kiss. Hinata found herself smiling against Naruto's lips as happy bubbles formed in her chest, popping delightfully under her skin. As Hinata pulled him a little closer, Naruto seemed to get the hint. He bent a little further down to reposition his arms, before lifting her completely off the ground.
Hinata grinned, a joyful squeak escaping around their joined lips. She pulled back a little to look at him with hazy eyes. Naruto gazed back at her with the same love-drunk expression.
Presently, they became aware that the pavilion had gone silent. They froze in their intimate embrace, Naruto holding Hinata in the air by the waist, Hinata still cupping his cheeks. The whole room was staring.
Finally, Kiba jumped up on his chair to scream, "HELL YEAH!" With that, the party proceeded to make an epic racket.
"Finally!"
"Player in the house!"
"That was HOT!"
Hinata went red, then pale, as she realized she couldn't breathe with everybody staring at her. Naruto's eyebrows shot up in realization. "Whoa, deep breaths, Hinata." he hurriedly stepped over to the nearest table, placing her directly in a chair. After making sure she wasn't going to keel over out of the seat, he snagged a waiter for some water. "Drink." Naruto carefully put the rim of the glass to her mouth, cupping her hands around it.
Hinata nursed on the water gratefully, holding the glass like a child: with both hands. She watched Naruto sit in another chair facing her, chasing off concerned and/or sniggering people.
"She's fine, she just needs to relax for a minute." Naruto frowned as a few people attempted to segue Hinata into talking about the kiss. "What part of 'she needs to relax' aren't you getting?" Naruto and Hinata's gazes suddenly met, and they instantly looked away, blushing; Naruto because he felt guilty that he had made her feel faint, Hinata because she was mortified to have another episode in his presence.
Naruto opened his mouth and took a breath to speak, but turned pink and let the air escape with a wheeze. Hinata was feeling much improved, and his behavior piqued her curiosity. She cleared her throat delicately. Naruto looked at her side-long.
"Um, thank you." Naruto didn't say anything, but he blinked to let her know he heard her. "How did you know about the water?" Naruto's eyes shifted away again as he mumbled indistinctly. Hinata raised her eyebrows, attempting to decipher the babble.
Naruto gave a huff through his lips. "From a movie," he admitted.
Hinata formed a silent "oh" with her mouth. Her fingers drummed the glass for a minute while she formulated her words. She let out a short sigh deciding there was no better way to put it. "What…what were you going…to say?" Hinata had to take breaks in the sentence to allow her tension to relax. She wasn't even sure if the anticipation was good or bad.
The shade of blush on Naruto's face grew deeper, turning a very interesting shade of carmine. He opened and closed his mouth a few times. Covering his eyes, he sputtered for several seconds. Upon quieting, he inhaled deeply and said, "I was going to ask if I was bad at it."
Hinata blinked, before smiling shyly, and turning rosy with pleasure. Naruto peeked out from behind his fingers to gauge her reaction. When he saw her smiling directly at him, it gave him the courage to sit up and come out of hiding.
Hinata pushed the same stray lock that Naruto had behind her ear. "I liked it," she demurred. The same feeling Hinata had when they kissed filled her once again. She squirmed and wriggled as a warmth, all at once familiar and strange, washed over her. As she remembered the kiss, her breath caught. She wanted to know more, but her social anxiety silenced her.
Naruto chuckled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head as his eyes swiveled shiftily. "Well, um, I need some air, you know?" He looked pointedly at her. "Need to be away from people for a bit." Standing, he gave her another significant glace before slipping out between the curtains of the pavilion.
Hinata sat, uncomprehending. A gasp elicited from her as she finally understood. Now came the dilemma: to follow, or not to follow?
O*O*O*O*O*
"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Naruto chastised himself, pounding his own head to hammer in the message. "What were you thinking, kissing her in public like that? ! You really are a d-"
"Naruto-kun." Naruto halted his self-inflicted punishment. Almost no daring to hope he recognized that sweet tone, he turned.
There she was, hunched from the cold, looking at him with pure innocence. Naruto mentally smacked himself for not thinking ahead, rushing over to throw his suit jacket over her shoulders. "Sorry. It's freezing out here." Hinata watched him silently while he fussed with the blazer. The intense fidgeting of the lapels was just to hide the fact that Naruto's plan only went up to his significant glances, and he had not thought of what to say or do next. Hinata's expectant stare was beginning to unnerve him. Despite the cold, his palms became sweaty with nervousness.
"Um…." Naruto scrambled for words. "Sorry about….you know. I got caught up in-" Hinata's finger suddenly landed on his lips.
"Shhh…." she breathed. "Kiss me." Without a moment's hesitation, Naruto obliged.
O*O*O*O*O*
Temari watched Hinata scuttle after Naruto's lead, neither smiling nor frowning. She sighed a little through her nose, picking up her glass for a swig of champagne. "Wonder if she knows."
Gaara shook his head. "Nobody is supposed to know. I only discovered it through my sand." He caressed the top of his gourd, which was sitting on the floor next to him. "Besides, wouldn't she have been distressed if she had been told?"
"Hm," Temari agreed, taking another sip. "Wonder if he knows. After all, that is Konoha's business."
"Doubt it. You'd think he'd be a little more discreet."
"Yeah." The two siblings stared at the curtain Konoha's cutest couple had disappeared behind. "You wouldn't want to get caught making out with the future Empress."
There you have it. The next chapter is halfway written, so I hope to have it out by next week when it gets typed up. Reviews are always appreciated!