Can't Stop

Soft, small, delicate hands travelled down his naked chest, tracing the faint lines of his muscles. He opened his eyes sluggishly as she giggled, and looked up into her pale, pale eyes. Pale looked at dark. It was a bittersweet, oh so poetic moment...

He felt kisses being dropped on his cheeks, eyes, jaw, neck, collar... and couldn't stop his breathe from hitching in his throat. She giggled again, kissing his bobbing adam's apple, tongue darting out to taste the sweat on his skin.

Fingers fanned over the hem of his sweats, baring millimeters more of his skin for her to touch before she hesitated. She paused, before trailing her hands back up to the beginning of their journey at his shoulder. He wasn't disappointed; he could wait, if impatiently, forever if he needed to. And he would, so long as she was ready when the waiting was done...

And just as he committed himself to wait forever, she kissed him.

It was slow, and sweet, and perfectly perfect. She brushed her lips over every part of his slow smile, then brushed across it again with her tongue... she was better at this than she let on. And he enjoyed it immensely.

He couldn't stop the moan bubbling at his lips, just as he couldn't stop his hands creep up to wrap around his waist...

"... Hinata..."

... and he couldn't stop himself from waking up.

------

Hinata hadn't wanted to go back to her room; the thought of it alone seemed dark, gloomy, and lonely after her dinner... so she had gone to Neji's room, grabbing a spare blanket from his closet before falling asleep on the floor, still dressed in the heavy kimono.

That was why she found it strange to wake up on a bed.

She looked around slowly, finding her cousing sitting at the windowsil. He was slicing an apple into pieces for the both of them to eat; he looked up at her when he felt her gaze. "Dinner not go well..?"

She frowned, trying to bring a coherent through to her sleepy brain. "I... w-want ch-ch-chocolate..."

"Ah," he chuckled. "Not well at all... well, I brought you some of your clothes," he gestured to the foot of the bed, where her training clothes sat in a neat, folded pile. "Get changed and we'll start right away... we'll have a late breakfast after a few hours, okay?"

"O-okay..." she watched him as he stood to leave, before a thought crossed her mind. "N-Neji!" She blushed, but he stopped to wait for her to continue. "I... I n-need h-help..."

"With what, Hinata-sama?"

"I..." she chewed on her lip nervously, not quite knowing how to ask. "M-my cl-clothes... th-they... h-hard to p-p-put on..."

"What..?" he looked confused, and she didn't blame him. Female undergarments are confusing to me, and I'mfemale... "Right... I'll find someone to come and help you, okay?"

She nodded, and he left. With a sigh she pushing the heavy blankets off of her body, and stood up in the small room that Neji had been given; she liked it better than her own room, but time and status kept her from visiting often.

Walking over to the window, she took an apple slice as she looked out on what would turn out to be a beautiful day. I wish Shino were here with me... she sighed, trying to hold onto her sleepy state. It was the only way she could think these thoughts without regret of what her father might think.

Bitting into the apple slice, she started to carefully untie the obi belt around her waist; the knots had tightened in the night, and she hoped the material wouldn't wrinkle. Who am I kidding..? This material is probably heavy enough to fend off a good down pour for a few minutes, wrinkles are the least of my problems...

She was just about to give up when the door clicked opened; glancing over her shoulder, she saw a housekeeper she could not name off of the top of her head. The housekeeper bowed politely to her mistress, before stepping forwards and deftly untying the knots at her back.

"Th-thank you," Hinata muttered once the obi had been removed, then let he housekeeper take away the heavy kimono as well; she heard her gasp.

"They put you in a corsette..?"

Corsette..? She nodded, feeling the housekeeper loosing the strings of the uncomfortable underwear. Is that what this is called..? I wish an untimely death to whomever thought up these dreaded 'corsettes'...

Once the housekeeper was done loosening the strings, she tried to tug off the corsette as well. Would have succeeded too, had Hinata not grasped it tightly to her chest. "Y-you may g-go now..."

"Of course, Hinata-sama," she almost saw her bow before she leaved, and listened for the 'click' of the door. As soon as the door was closed, she let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding, then shed the last of her clothes.

I would rather have had Shino do that... she thought with a blush; but she didn't bother regretting anything.

------

Shino was in the kitchen, his entire head shoved under the running tap in the sink. Cold... cold... cold... he thought to himself, his hands itching to turn to temperture up... but he didn't dare attempt it. Not after that last dream.

That dream had felt too real... and now he had to clean his sheets. Again.

Cold... the water started building up, covering his eyes. His kikaichuu crawled out from under his skin in irritation, seeking warmer places; he let them leave, so long as they didn't stray too far...

They told him someone was coming.

Damn it... he groaned, pulling his head out from the sink and shutting off the water. He shook his head vehemetly, whipping water from his hair and eyes just in time...

"Shino-kun!" he turned around as an eight-year-old bundle of energy catapulted herself into his chest, almost knocking them both over. "Your Fwatha told me to watch ova you!" She said cutely, still mispronoucing her 'r's. Shino chuckled at her, looking into her pale grey eyes.

"He told me you would be checking up on me, Susu-chan," he mussed up her hair, and put her back on her feet. "Is there anything you'd like to do today..?"

"Nuhuh!" She said stubbornly, glaring at him. "I'm looking afta you! I getta ask you what you wanna do today!"

Shino chuckled again. "I'd very much like to train, Susu-chan... would you like to train with me? You can show me how to throw a shruiken..."

"I'll teach you!" she squealed excitedly, some of her kikaichuu breaking away from her control. "Oh! No! Come back!"

She rushed around the kitchen cutely, trying to gather them all up by hand; Shino laughed loudly, catching her around the waist as she ran past him. "No... hold out your hands, okay?" She nodded at him, and held out her hands. "Okay... now, concentraite a little bit of your chakra on your hands, then call them back to you... okay?" She nodded again, doing what he asked; he sensed her irregular chakra flow, and 'helped' her a little by placing one of his hands on one of her tiny wrists.

Slowly, her kikaichuu flew onto her hands - one or two herded along by his own kikai bugs, but it was mostly her - and crawled back under her skin.

"I did it Shino-kun!" she said excitedly, hugging him tightly. "Oh! We've got to go if we ah' going to twain."

"Right," he nodding, pulling himself to his full height. "But don't you think we should get something to eat, first..?"

"Yes! Of cou'se!" She pouted up at him, acting as if it had been her idea all along. "You go get dwessed, lazy-pants, and I'll make bweakfast..."

Shino laughed again, and did as the little girl asked. We've all spoilt her way too much... he grinned to himself, walking back to his room.

He couldn't stop the image of himself, Hinata, and a little girl popping into his mind... would he spoil his own daughter as much as he spoiled Susumu-chan..? Will I ever have a daughter..?

He realized what he was thinking, and shook his head again; a few more drops of water fell away from his hair and skin, settling on the walls and floor around him. Can't think like that... because it'll never happen. And I don't even like Hinata that way! ... do I?