I'm so nervous to continue the story at this point! I hope I can meet up to everyone's expectations! I want to make everyone happy, but I'm just so nervous now!
Just a little note. I know that there's lots of drama and angst, but I'd like you to keep in mind that i don't just write mad romance. There needs to be a story to make it as realistic as possible, and if you're looking for pure romance, I would like to advise that you read another fanfic. There are plenty out there with what you might be searching for. ^^
Thank you for forcing yourselves to read this far!
Also, if the sentence begins with bold text, it's a timeskip thing, rather than using a horizontal line, I went all 'book style' and used bold text instead. Is it disturbing?
Disclaimer: I don't even know why I need to do this. Do i even need to? Well, just to be on the safe side, I don't own anything except for the sentence structures. I don't own the songs mentioned, nor do i - Even though i'd really like to - own the mansion.
Chapter Twelve – Now, I've got you.
Day eleven.
Three days left in Naruto's runaway paradise. After their romantic confession, Hinata was convinced that they would grow even closer, but it was the exact opposite. Naruto refused to sleep in the same bed as her, and when she'd asked why, he told her – with his back turned – that it would be too much for him. She didn't really know how she was meant to interpret his few words, but naturally had said nothing in response. They spoke, of course. And they laughed, of course. But something was different.
"Why are you only having bacon this morning?" Naruto asked Hinata dryly, staring down at her plate with a frown slashed across his tired face.
"I'm not very hungry…" She murmured.
"Well, at least you're not eating something healthy." He smiled. Girls who were constantly on diets were his least favorites. Just as he said that, Julie poured all the salad off her plate and collected bacon and Nutella instead. Fortunately, he didn't seem to notice.
That was one of the nice things he had started doing since the confession – watch her. His eyes never left her, no matter how far apart they were. If they were in the same room, she could rest assured that he was keeping an eye on her. Ever since the incident with Menma, Naruto had been extra clear with his gestures around Hinata to make sure that all boys would understand that she belonged to him, and him only. He was not into sharing.
"But honestly, Hinata, I'm worried about your strange diets. You need to consume more." He lectured her as he placed an omelet on his off-white porcelain plate. "Where is the music?"
"I'll turn it on!" Julie ran over to the ipod dock and connected her device to it. The song started, and Naruto immediately cringed in disgusting.
"What song is this?" She asked, knowing that his attention had been averted to the song.
"Toxic by Britney Spears. I don't fancy her music." He raised his voice for Julie to hear. "Isn't it a bit too early for this kind of music?" In return, Julie grinned and changed song. Before it could start, she was already on her way back to the buffet, proud of her choice.
"Oh~-" In a second, Naruto had strode up to the dock and ripped Julie's iPod out without hesitation. His hands shook as he pulled out his own and connected it.
'Was that Justin Bieber?' Hinata thought to herself as she watched Julie slam her face into the table out of humiliation. She was trying so hard to make Naruto like her, but everything she did only made him distance himself more.
Suddenly, a calm, mellifluous sound reverberated across the room. Naruto's music had begun, and he sighed in relief, knowing that there would be no more of Julie's terrible tastes. Hinata cast him a quizzical look as he approached her and sat down in his seat with a relaxed smile spread across his face.
"And this song?" She asked, curiously.
"Magic by Coldplay." Hinata knew nothing of English music, but it was nice to not have to think about what they were saying for once. His smile was contagious.
"There aren't many people left." He breathed. Hinata looked around and nodded in realization.
"Because the biggest party is over…" She glanced over in Julie's direction.
'So why is she still there?' The song came to an end, and just then, Minato entered the room. He walked briskly up to Naruto and placed a hand on his shoulder, to which is son shuddered in response.
"May I borrow Naruto for a little while, Hinata-chan?" His heart-warming smile was what made her nod. She looked at Naruto, who glared back at her with a dark, resenting expression. She should've said no.
When they left, she found herself alone at a table with people she didn't know. Of course, there was always Julie, but she would need to be damn-near suicidal in order to dare to speak with her at the breakfast table. The song playing now was called Idioteque, and Hinata only knew that because the iPod screen displayed it.
She poked her food, wondering when Naruto would be back. With time, her mind drifted over to something else: his parents. Why would they so suddenly visit him? Did they realize his accomplishments? Did they want something he had? Kushina had, after all, ransacked his whole apartment. But it begs the question: What do they want from him?
Something wasn't right about the whole situation, but she didn't want to dwell in it. People would begin to question her state of mind if she'd sit still any longer.
'How would I have met Naruto if he wasn't wealthy? Maybe, we'd go to the same school.' She sighed. But his personality would be different, maybe he'd be immature. It was hard to imagine Naruto giggling when the teacher mentioned something that could be misinterpreted. It was even more difficult to imagine what his apartment would look like without anyone to clean it for him. She shook her head, revolted. Ew.
"Thank you." She bowed to one of the waiters before leaving the room, taking her plate with her. She wouldn't allow herself to succumb to the life of luxury. Should she leave the table without her plate at home, she would be in for a real beating.
"So, Hinata." She tensed at the sound of her name. Was someone actually willing to talk to her?
"Y-yes?" She urged.
"Where in Japan do you live?" She visibly relaxed. Something she wouldn't have to think about before answering, finally!
"Tokyo." Hinata smiled sweetly, earning a frown from the Julie.
"Do you do after-school activities?" The middle-aged French woman asked. She nodded.
"I'm also t-the cl-class president."
"What's that?"
"Hmm…" She thought, trying to put her english skills to good use. "My primary duty includes solving the problems any of my classmates might have, and inform the school of ideas that my class may have. I also organize events, activities and meetings for my class." All of the guests seated at the table appeared to be very impressed by her, all except for Julie, who scowled at her.
"I can see why Naruto likes you!"
"You're a perfect fit!" Hinata blushed, and heard his name echo in her head like a mantra.
'Naruto…' And through the ceiling, across a few rooms, he sat with him arms crossed, his lips in a straight line.
"What do you want."
"Naruto, please don't be so curt." Minato poured up a glass of iced water for the two of them before seating himself in front of his son. Chopin's Prelude Number four in E minor danced in the background, causing the atmosphere to somehow tense.
"Your girlfriend is wonderful. I'm proud of you, son." He smiled, the word 'proud' stinging Naruto like salt in a wound, but their eyes stayed on one another. Averting his eyes would mean his father's victory, and he didn't want that.
"Yes, we get along well." He said, frowning. "Just tell me what it is you're after." His father ignored him, his smile turning into a grin from ear to ear.
"Really, I'm so happy you're my son." Naruto smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"Yeah."
"How is school going?" Naruto lit up at his opportunity to impress his father. Despite how his parents had treated him, deep down, he knew that he wanted them to like him.
"Straight A's. I'll be accepted into Tokyo University, Cambridge, Oxford, whatever, if I keep this up. The school activities are also perfect. I'm the best student that the school has ever had." He shrugged, trying to act like it was nothing, when in reality, he'd always wanted to say that.
"Good." Was all Minato said, and Naruto looked at him, somewhat appalled by the lack of care he had. Did his father not care anymore? Was his improvement not good enough?
"Your mother think you're almost ready to take over the business."
'Almost?'
"What if I have other dreams?" Naruto wasn't going to let his excitement get the better of him. He knew how hard his parents had worked to get where they were, and was well aware of how time-consuming the business was.
"Well, it would be a waste." Minato gazed at him, scrutinizing his every movement, trying to figure out if his son was pleased or not. "But we have one condition." He drew his breath audibly, and Minato took a cigar out of his drawer. When he lit it and held it carefully to his mouth, he spoke again.
"You must marry when you're eighteen." Naruto's eyebrows raised, and he pushed himself back in his chair. Marry? At the age of eighteen? What was this, an arranged marriage?
"Give me one good reason." I dare you.
"We must know that you're mature enough." The son took notice of his father's misty red eyes. He had been smoking too much since they last met.
"We expect you to marry Hinata." His words caused a whirlwind of wrath to overcome Naruto, and realization struck him. What he did was unexpected, and Minato's eyebrows raised as his son stood sharply from his seat, slamming his tanned hands down on the wooden desk in anger.
"So that's what this is all about?!" He spat his words out like venom. "You're too lazy to take care of your own job!" Their eyes were still connected, blue against blue. They were similar in appearance, but nothing like each other.
"Calm down, son." Minato's tone made it clear that he was feeling inferior to his own son.
"I'm sick and tired of you pushing me around and controlling my life! I studied my ass off as a child, but you abandoned me for not being good enough – Do you hear?! You left me!" Naruto's hands were shaking, and he grabbed his shocked father by the collar, pulling him to level their faces.
"And now – when I finally get a life of my own, you come back and try to dump your company on me. Do you think money is all I care about?!" Minato could tell that Naruto was seething with rage, and dared not to speak.
"This… This is what you have to say to me… After all these years of not talking?" He grew vulnerable, and his grip loosened a bit. "You're so…" He bit his lip, trying to contain himself, but the words slipped out of his mouth, passed his gritted teeth. "Pathetic."
Just then, he felt something large collide with his cheek, causing him to turn his head to the side a bit. It went to quick, it wasn't until after a second that the pain took over and he flinched.
'Did he just…'
Minato had stood up, his eyes now wide from a mixture of emotions. Mainly disappointment and wrath.
"You just…" Naruto mumbled, not believing what his father had done.
"Just think about it. Oh, and we're going on the yacht today. Minato said, before storming out of the room with his hands balled into hard fists. If not for his self-control, he could've done worse. Much worse.
While he sat, glued to his chair in shock, Hinata was on her way to the room. She still couldn't really find her way around the enormous place they call home, but the maids were luckily quite helpful. If not for them, she would most likely be in the cellar at this point.
He hadn't come back, so she decided to return to her room and change into some better clothes – is what she had told the guests at the table, when she was really just trying to escape from Julie's glare. While she was making friends, she also felt that a few people had grown to hate her, just because she was Naruto's girlfriend. If only they knew what she had been through.
"What?! I can't believe that brat!" She stopped walking and threw herself behind a wall. Someone was talking – yelling, even, and the voice sounded familiar. Slowly, she peeked out from the side and caught sight of Kushina yelling at Minato. She was pissed.
"We're giving him so much money! Who cares about attention!? They will marry!" Her eyes widened. Marry? Surely, they're not speaking of Naruto?
"He resents the idea of it all." Minato seemed annoyed, and had his hands tucked deep in his pockets. He was disappointed, disappointed in his son, Naruto.
"Well, I don't care about what he thinks. I want this workload off my back, and Naruto will take care of it!" Hinata gasped. They were talking about him!
Her sharp inhale of air didn't go unnoticed, and Kushina shot a glance over in Hinata's direction. Fortunately, she had retreated to the wall again. She patted it gently, as if thanking it for existing.
"Hmm…"
'This place… These people… I don't feel safe here!'
He didn't say anything as he entered their room. It wasn't until Hinata heard him throw his shoes into the wall that she turned around and realized that he was there. His teeth were gritted and his eyebrows were furrowed deeply, pushing his eyes nearly shut.
"Hinata." He spoke through gritted teeth. "I'd like to do something, will you let me?" Hinata, confused and a bit scared, forced herself to utter a small "yes" before he wrapped his arms around her. She stifled a gasp and hoped that he couldn't feel her pounding heart. But, then she noticed that his heart was beating much, much faster than hers. Was it because he was frustrated? Shocked? Maybe both?
She let a small smile escape across her lips, and just as she was about to ask if he was better, he suddenly swept her into the TV room, abruptly pushing he up against a wall. He grabbed her face between his hands, forcing her eyes to meet his ardent, determined ones. The second her lips parted for a gasp, he kissed her, violently. Very briefly, their teeth clashed, then his tongue delved into her mouth.
'W-wh-what's going on?! He's kissing me… So… Deeply… I'm scared!' She slammed her eyes shut, grasping the front of his shirt and digging her nails into it. Her whole body was tense, while his was relaxed. Even though something inside was telling her to give in to him, she felt reluctant, and tried to pull away. He wasn't being himself.
'Please… No more…' Her thoughts seemed to reach him, and he broke of the kissin the middle of everything. His blue eyes gaze down at her, luminous with the kind of desire Hinata has yet to understand. But she felt it for as long as the silence stretched, and couldn't bring herself to speak.
"We're going on the yacht. Bring a bikini." He mumbled before stepping back and leaving the room in a hurry. It looked like he was trying to contain himself from saying, or doing something.
Hinata's face was flushed. She didn't know how to react. It was only four days ago since she had her first mutual love kiss with him, and that was almost enough to make her faint! Now, her first French kiss – with Naruto! There would be lots of 'firsts' with him, she was sure. Never before had she known what it was like, but now she finally understood what Sakura and Ino were talking about. She would – for the first time – be able to join them in their boy talk – if she dared.
She was no expert, but Hinata knew that no man should be able to kiss that well the first time. She felt like a complete idiot for not doing anything but leave her mouth open as he did all the work. His tongue… It had massaged against hers in such a stimulating manner, she was introduced to something new – and she hated to admit it, but it was wonderful. Feeling the taste of Naruto in her mouth was absolutely delicious.
But something wasn't right.
'Why did he kiss me like that?' And then the thought of it being related to his parents passed through her mind, and she quickly tried to shrug it off. Surely, their situation couldn't be that bad.
The boat nearly levitated on above the surface of the water. She stared. Stared. And stared.
How could people be this rich!?
"It's 88,50 meters long, has a total of six decks, a 7.5 meter swimming pool, a helipad, twelve bedrooms, a lounge, 3D cinema, a gym, and gives a top speed of 20 knots. She's powered by twin 3,600kW MTU 20V 4000M73L engines and – " Minato continued to speak with the pride spilling out of his voice as Naruto grabbed Hinata's hand and began getting on.
"He's so annoying…" He muttered under his breath, but Hinata heard.
"This yacht… It's not normal, is it?" Was the only thing she could utter while staring in awe at all the things around her. Naruto smiled and shook his head. "No, it's not normal. My dad loves boats. He invested thirty billion yen in this thing. Took him a while." This thing. Hinata realized that he wasn't too fond of it. She dropped her jaw. This boy was out of her world.
"T-thirty…B-bi-billion!?" Her voice was louder than she wanted it to be.
Then, he grinned and changed the topic.
"But, I must say, it's gonna be fun seeing Hinata in a bikini today!"
"A-ah…" She flushed in embarrassment. How was she meant to answer that?
"Let's go to our room." He emphasized the 'our' when a male crew member stepped on the boat and walked passed them.
They passed through several rooms and one floor before reaching their room, which was lit up in a dim way. They were only going to stay one night, but everything had been so well-prepared, she thought for a moment that it would be longer.
"I can't believe this…" She mumbled. It was too much for her.
The speakers on the boat played "Fly me to the moon" by Frank Sinatra. It felt like they were back in the 1950's, but the boat's sheer existence reminded her that they weren't.
"Well, let's get changed!" Naruto was excited. He threw his t-shirt off, already ready to go. His bathing shorts suited him perfectly, being orange with some exotic blue flower print on the bottom right leg. They hung down hips like… She couldn't describe it, but the feeling in her stomach told her it was attractive.
"O-okay…" She awkwardly turned her back to him and began lifting her dress, knowing well that he was watching her.
"Hurry up!" He moaned, and it was thanks to his innocence that she could so naturally expose her bare skin to him. Her bikini was, unfortunately not as simple as she wanted it to be. Even after being influenced to not wear her one-piece, the maids had continued telling her to wear an even more intricate one. They kept telling her that intricate details would be the best, so she finally gave in to them, and now she was sporting a multi-colored – mainly red bikini with crazy, abstract shapes in grey and blue – both dark and bright. The enormous red flower in her hair was a perfect way of topping it all off.
He gaped at her.
"You… You look stunning!" She blushed, and gave in to the urge to cover herself with her towel. He didn't seem to mind too much, though. In fact, he seemed a bit relieved that she did it. It helped him stop staring.
"Th-thank you…" She whispered, and he gave her a lazy, sexy smile.
"Shall we depart, m'lady?" He held his hand out to her, and she giggled.
'I was so mad this morning, and yet, I feel like in floating on clouds now. She really has beguiled me.'
As they walked, Naruto began to grow more and more anxious.
"You know…" He started. "I'm sorry about… Before..." He glanced into her eyes, trying to read her mind and see her emotions. "Did it scare you?" Hinata blushed, and shook her head, deciding to be honest.
"B-but… You we-we're mad…" His expression darkened, and he shifted his gaze to the ocean. "Yeah, I was."
"Wh-why…?" She asked cautiously.
"Can I tell you later? I want to enjoy this without having to think about it." He said, trying to brighten the mood a bit. When they reached the pool, some people were already there. "Oh, and I sure as hell enjoyed that kiss from before." Hinata panicked and wrapped her hands around his arm, tugging.
"N-Naruto! Y-you can't… s-say that h–here!" He laughed, clearly amused by her reaction.
As they laughed and joked, the yacht started up. All the preparations had been made, and the Uzumaki parents had decided on a trip along the coast.
Naruto strode up to the bar, hand in hand with Hinata.
"One alcohol-free piña colada and one of your choice. Just make it non-alcoholic." He ordered.
"Right away, sir." The bartender began working his magic as Naruto and Hinata seated themselves. After a minute or so, she had let go of the towel and now had it in her lap.
"What are your thoughts on marriage?" He asked, trying to sound indifferent, and succeeded.
"Hmm…" She thought, while watching the Dr. Phil show with French subtitles on the tv in the bar. "I want to get married one day. It means that we'll be able to trust each other completely."
"Not everyone that gets married trusts. Sometimes, it's just for money." She shook her head sadly.
"I can only speak for myself when I say that… I would never marry a man for his money." She seemed dazed, absolutely absorbed into the TV-show. But her words meant a lot to him, more than she could imagine.
"You'll be a great wife." He smiled, only then catching her full attention. She blushed madly.
'I hope so, Naruto-kun.'
Suddenly, a blush spread across his cheeks and he averted his eyes awkwardly, but he glanced back at least ten times before whispering something only she could hear.
"Why are you biting your lip like that? It's really distracting." It was only then that she noticed that she was doing it. "And you look like you're begging for something, too…" She opened her mouth, releasing her teeth from her moistened lip. His eyes blaze with some kind of emotion unknown to Hinata, and he, without warning, leaned forward in the bar chair and kissed her.
As soon as he sat straight again, he burst into laughter. Putting a hand on his stomach, he used the other to support himself from falling off his barstool. Hinata just sat, shocked.
"Your expression – haha!" He continued to laugh, and was smiling even after he'd sobered.
"Bu-but…! Y-you can-can't just…" She trailed off.
"Of course we can kiss! We're together! In fact, we're considered to be shy in a place like France." Time passed, and they eventually ordered ice cream.
"A pistachio ice-cream for me." He looked expectantly at Hinata. "And you? What will you have?" She smiled in return.
"A strawberry ice-cream, please."
'He's making me so bold… I wonder if it's a good thing…'
"So, if you could go anywhere, where would you go?" Naruto leaned against the counter and smiled at her.
"Hmm… Maybe India…" He cocked his head to the side.
"India? I thought it'd be like, Australia or the U.S, but India?" He requested confirmation and Hinata nodded.
"India would be nice…" Her voice was quiet.
"Hey." He said, once again grinning. "Wanna try my ice-cream?"
She clicked across the screen, frantically trying to find the information she was searching for, but failing miserably. Hinata's name wouldn't appear, no matter what she did.
"I could try google translate." She typed Hinata's name and added 'class president', then clicked 'Translate'. After the symbols showed up on the screen and she copied and pasted them into the search bar.
Suddenly, a photo in the images appeared. It was one of Hinata, smiling nervously with a prize of some kind. As soon as she clicked on the URL, the site was redirected to one with the name of "Koyamadai High school".
"It doesn't say 'Private' anywhere…" She whispered.
The browser offered to translate the whole page to French and she accepted it. Suddenly, a tab saying 'scholarship students' appeared, and her eyes widened. She clicked, scrolled down and located the photo. Beneath it was the caption 'scholarship student: Hyuuga Hinata wins 'Best Student' award second year in a row'.
Her lips twisted into a disgustingly knowing smirk.
"Now, I've got you."
Hope you liked it.
I don't really have much to say... Please review!
Next up!
Hinata and Naruto are going home, but first, he must say goodbye to those who live further away. Julie uses this opportunity to tell Naruto's parents the truth.
How will they react?!
