Chapter 22: The Hyuugas

If Naruto had been crazy before, love made him even more ridiculous. He was often found at the gates of Konoha waiting for Hinata to show up, tearing his hair out and pacing, muttering to himself if she was even a minute late from the arrival time she'd told him. It gave Kotetsu and Izumo hours of entertainment.

"It's 3:05, Naruto! She's five minutes late!" And the two of them cackled when he glared at them.

Naruto claimed her, using everything in his arsenal to mark Hinata unequivocally as his woman, making Kurama growl at the abuse of his Kyuubi power. He'd shamelessly cloak her in his Nine-tails chakra to warn others to stay away from her. He would inject enough menace to let other men know not to approach her, especially when they were together.

It usually worked, until Naruto stopped for a while when he thought every male got the message. A few weeks later, though, people forgot and sometimes somebody new to Konoha would approach this pretty woman who had the crazy boyfriend. Then Naruto would start walking around in his full beast mode again, following Hinata as she ran errands around Konoha.

"Naruto! Stop it! This is a bit much," she said with a frown.

"No, it's not. Don't mind me. Just keep doing what you're doing. I'm not here."

And yet, he was hard to miss when he glowed like the sun.

He'd never noticed it before they were a couple, but he was now seeing that a lot of men were often flicking their gaze to her purple top, or her exposed arms and legs whenever she wore her mission gear. It was driving him insane, until he'd developed the habit of taking off his jacket and wrapping it around her.

"Naruto! It's broiling today!" she said laughingly, but she'd kept it on anyway.

He'd driven the Hyuugas crazy by prowling in front of the gates of their compound. He knew, of course, that she was away from the village, but he somehow felt a little bit better to be close to her home, where he can still feel a part of her presence.

"She's not here, Naruto," Hiashi said one day when he couldn't stand seeing Naruto dig a path in the ground with his constant pacing by the entrance. "She's on a mission, but come in for some tea. You can wait for her inside."

Though he was touched by the gesture, Naruto preferred to be outside. He was still extremely nervous around her father, still unsure how to behave around such a dignified presence who wasn't a friend, and so he refused. Hiashi went inside, after pausing to look into his face.

His younger daughter stayed at the gates, though.

"She's not here, Naruto-niisama," Hanabi told him, her voice a fair imitation of her father's cool tone. Despite the chill in her voice, he felt a spurt of happiness at her calling him older brother.

Suddenly, her eyes lit with laughter. "But she'll be back tonight. Why don't you join us for dinner then? Before that, come inside. You should have tea with us."

And because she had asked so sweetly, he had joined them, only to find out what Hanabi had in mind when she'd offered her invitation. She'd plied him with some delicious green tea and the delicate cakes that the Hyuugas often served with it. When he was full and sated, she'd abruptly grabbed his arm and shoved him out into a wide courtyard.

He suddenly found himself standing directly a few feet away from her as they bowed to each other then formed the hand seal for shinobi battle.

Next thing Naruto knew, she was flying at him, her byakugan activated, hands up and aiming for his chakra points. Her eyes were blazing as she tried her damndest to maim him.

He'd been forced to draw out his beast mode, making sure not to hurt her, as she continued her relentless attacks.

"Is that all you got?" she taunted after he'd blocked one of her blows. "I want to see that rasengan!"

She'd planned on using him as a sparring partner, shamelessly using his rasengan to train for her match against Konohamaru.

He could only laugh and appreciate Hanabi for what she was: a shinobi driven to succeed, but who'd loved her older sister enough to unexpectedly invite her boyfriend to dinner. She was trying to let him inside, into the family they had.

So Naruto did the only thing he could, he fought her, not letting up and not patronizing her skills as a warrior. She met his rasengan and his attacks as best as she could. Though her skills were formidable, her movements still had the childish kinks that would be eventually ironed out by more hours of training. But she was good.

And Naruto thought he was the luckiest person in the world that Hinata's younger sister liked him. He was quickly learning that you just don't mess with the Hyuugas and their byakugan. He could imagine what it would be like for the person whoever crossed Hanabi. He felt a twinge of pity for poor Konohamaru. Naruto was just going to have to root for both of them during the exams.

Still with her byakugan activated, she suddenly held up an imperious hand, telling him to stop. She was breathing hard, but she straightened up. She deactivated her byakugan. "Our battle ends here," she told him.

Naruto grinned. Damn, she could give Kakashi-sensei a run for his money. She was already used to commanding people.

She looked at his dirty orange sweats and said. "We have a private onsen you can soak in before dinner. We'll have your clothes cleaned as well. That should make you presentable enough for dinner."

Hanabi bowed low. "Thank you for the match." She stepped away and strode into the house.

Koh, one of the attendants and chuunin who'd been watching their sparring, came forward with a friendly smile. "Naruto, do you want to come follow me? It's this way."

Naruto whistled. "Wow, a private onsen."

Koh smiled. "Yes, the view's amazing."

Meanwhile, Hanabi ran to the gates. Her sister had just arrived home. She ran to Hinata with arms outstretched, waiting for her customary hug. She hoped her sister would still be smiling at her with that sweet smile in a few minutes.

Hanabi pulled back and wrinkled her nose. "Ugh, Onee-sama, you smell!"

Hinata chuckled, "I can't help it. We were out at the farms. They just happened to be laying down the fertilizers today."

"Yeah, yeah," Hanabi said, pulling her into the bedroom. "Come on, time for a bath. Dinner will be ready, soon, I think."

They walked to the bathhouse, Hanabi had a towel wrapped around her body and was chattering happily away as Hinata tried to keep pace with the conversation. Her sister seemed unusually chipper today.

A sudden movement and a gasp made her look up and lock gazes with blue eyes. She found herself face to face with Naruto, who was just coming out of the bathhouse with only a short towel wrapped around his hips.

She nearly fainted, but she had the presence of mind to wrap her arms more tightly around the towel wound around her own body.

There was a suspicious giggle coming from Hanabi, who was covering her mouth with her hands, but whose eyes had zeroed in on Naruto's stomach, at the delineated lines of his abdomen, at the area just above the towel. She then swept him with another glance that took in his entire freshly-washed, lean, muscled form and flashed her older sister a wicked smile.

With a dramatic sigh, Hanabi said, "Well, now I get it. This explains everything!"

Then she ran away, leaving the two of them to deal with the mayhem she'd just created. "I'm getting in the water first!" she called out with a laugh.

Hinata squeezed her eyes shut and breathed in deeply. "Oh, god! Hanabi! I will kill her!"

Naruto laughed, causing her to open her eyes. He stood about a foot from her and she could feel the warmth from his heated body, the smell of soap on his freshly-washed skin. He was flushed, whether from the bath or from embarrassment, she didn't know. All she knew was that he didn't have any stitch of clothing underneath that towel.

Her breath came out a whoosh. She felt so hot.

Okay, be normal. Talk. Say something!

She managed to smile at him with apology. "I'm sorry for Hanabi. She's gotten so wild."

He laughed again. "Yeah, but she invited me to dinner tonight. That's why I'm here."

"She never mentioned anything when I saw her at the entrance, but I'm glad you'll be joining us," she said. She still held onto the towel with a death grip.

"I'm looking forward to dinner," he said with a grin. "It will be interesting to spend time with all of you guys."

Hinata managed to smile. "Yeah, but please don't expect too much. We dine simply. Hanabi and I usually take turns with the cooking whenever we can…"

But she broke off, suddenly distracted when her eye caught a droplet of water sliding from his wet hair. She followed its slow path down his chest, his abdomen, and into the towel wrapped around his waist.

She looked up into his eyes and realized he'd just caught her staring at his almost naked body.

"Sorry! I need to take a bath!" she said with a sudden squeak. "I'll see you later!"

And she ran as fast as she could, away from his attentive eyes.

Naruto laughed as Hinata disappeared in a blur. This day was getting more surreal than he'd expected. But he felt a tide of happiness flow through him and was flattered by the sudden interest he'd seen in her eyes when she'd run her gaze down his body.

From just beyond a wall, he suddenly heard girlish shrieking and water splashing as Hinata's angry voice called out, "Hanabi, you little brat! You are so dead! Come here so I can strangle you!"

And Hanabi calling out unrepentantly as more splashing echoed throughout, "You need to catch me first, Onee-sama!"

He continued grinning.

But his glimpse of Hinata wrapped only in a towel had fueled another heat within him. He hadn't realized blushes didn't stop at the neck. She had blushed all throughout her body, from her ears down to her toes.

He'd seen the delicate flood of color start at her cheeks and pool right at the valley where her breasts had met, right above the towel she'd wrapped around herself. Right underneath where the towel ended, though, at the top of her thighs, a different shade of pink…

Naruto suddenly cursed at the direction of his thoughts. Hell, he was about to have dinner with her and her father! He shook his head and thought about things that would cool him—cold showers, mission documents from Shikamaru, Sakura's fists aiming for his head, Iruka-sensei's disapproving look, and finally Hiashi Hyuuga's byakugan eyes... that could look through walls and could, at this moment, probably be searching for him.

It worked. He was cold sober in an instant.

"Naruto," Koh suddenly called from behind him. He held his orange trainers in his arms and handed it to him. "Sorry to keep you waiting for your clothes."

"Thanks, Koh! I need to put these on quickly!" he said with relief.

Dinner with the Hyuugas was an interesting affair. The table was spread with the most delicate food he'd ever seen. It was like dining at an expensive restaurant. He gazed at the plates filled with perfectly cut vegetables, braised meat in soy sauce, and steaming white rice. His mouth watered at the sliced sashimi and fish in the middle of the table. He couldn't even count the other side dishes arranged on the table.

This was simple dining?!

Naruto gave Hinata an amused look. She returned it with her puzzled one, but he said nothing as she sat next to him on the tatami floor.

Hiashi ate his food quietly, and spoke to his daughters, asking them about their day. Occasionally, he asked Naruto questions about various missions and life in general. Naruto answered him as best as he could, fighting through his nervousness. But it eventually became easier to talk to Hinata's father as the older man just nodded and spoke to him in a mild voice. He didn't sense any disapproval from Hiashi, which made Naruto feel that he was accepting of their relationship.

Hanabi, meanwhile, pestered him every chance she could about the various ways his rasengan could be applied and changed. She was laser-minded in her focus and he tried to help her come up with a strategy for her chuunin exams. Occasionally, he heard her mumble something about Konohamaru under her breath.

Hinata kept up the conversation and made sure that everyone was talking, all while she continued piling his plate with food, keeping her father's tea re-filled, and keeping Hanabi's elbows off the table.

She was elegant and graceful as she ate and kept the mood at the dinner table light and pleasant.

Naruto enjoyed every single moment of it as he watched Hinata, Hanabi, and her father. There was obvious affection between the sisters and respect for their father. Though it wasn't as obvious as the girls', there was fondness from Hiashi for his two daughters.

So this was what it meant to have dinner with a family, Naruto thought with a stab in his heart. And he felt grateful again to the Hyuugas for opening up their home to him.

When the dinner plates were cleared, Hinata poured all of them some green tea and placed a plate full of fruits and Japanese sweets in the middle of the table. She smiled up at Naruto as she handed him a cup of the hot drink, then she brushed at the crumbs of food that had fallen on his shirt. He squeezed her hand. Across the table, he saw Hanabi suddenly sit up with a gleam in her eyes. She'd seen them touching each other.

Hiashi suddenly cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. Naruto and the Hyuuga sisters looked at him.

Hiashi skewered his younger daughter with a look. "Hanabi, what happened at the bathhouse this evening before dinner will never happen again."

"Yes, Father," she answered composedly as she sipped her tea with dignity.

A few beats later, she said, "In the bathhouse, no more. Luckily, the Hyuuga house has twenty-three other rooms."

"Hanabi!" came her older sister's shocked voice as she set her cup down with a loud thump, sending her tea sloshing all over the table.

Naruto discovered that when he was around his girlfriend's father, he could be dignified enough to not spit out hot tea from his mouth. Instead, he let it scald his tongue and burn his throat as he swallowed painfully.

He met Hanabi's eyes across the table. He pressed his lips together to fight his grin and winked at her. Her answering wink went straight to his heart.

Hiashi sighed heavily, wondering whether this imp of a daughter had really sprung from his loins.

Naruto's arms were tight around her as his lips worked languidly on her parted mouth. They were at the entrance to the Hyuuga compound, saying goodbye, but he didn't want to go home yet, back to his lonely apartment when he'd just been in the presence of her and her family. He'd been so happy sharing that dinner with them, spending time with precocious and adorable Hanabi in the afternoon as they both waited for her.

Hinata was leaning against him, sighing against his lips, her breath fanned out and brushed against his cheeks. Her hands were in his hair, gently massaging his scalp.

It was difficult to tear himself away from her embrace, from her warmth. The lush contours of her body fit him perfectly. Naruto felt every curve through his clothes. The image of her wrapped this evening in only a towel was firmly planted in his mind, and he let his imagination guide him. The heady scent of her filled him, made him drunk and unable to think as his hands pressed her body close to his, drifted down her back, then lower to cup her—

"Ahem!" came a voice from behind her. They both broke apart and saw Hinata's scowling grandfather a few feet away.

He shook his cane at them and glared at Naruto. With a steely look at the couple, he said, "Affection has a time and place, but not at our gates, and not to this level."

"Yes, Grandfather," Hinata said with a blush, but she gripped Naruto's hand to prevent him from drawing away. She looked up at him with a smile. "Good-night, Naruto. Thanks for joining us for dinner today."

"Thanks for having me," he said. He glanced at her grandfather. "Good night, sir."

The older man nodded but he didn't move from his place.

Hinata slanted her grandfather a quick, defiant look, then leaned up and kissed Naruto briefly on the lips.

"I love you," she murmured. "I'll see you in a couple of days when you get back from your mission."

He grinned at her with approval. "Yup!"

With a last bow at the two of them, he turned around and headed back to his place.

"Onee-sama, are you mad at me?"

Hinata looked up from the document she'd been poring over and found her sister hiding behind the door to her bedroom. Hanabi had a genuine look of apology on her face.

Hinata laughed and opened her arms.

Hanabi launched herself into her sister's embrace. The two of them fell back against the soft futon mat laying above the tatami in Hinata's room. The futon made a loud whoosh as it sent the document she'd been holding floating up in the air.

"You've been playing tricks on me for years! You know I can never get mad at you, Hanabi," Hinata said as she squeezed her sister tight.

Hanabi sighed. "Yeah, but this time around, I got Naruto-niisama involved, too."

Hinata's laughter was filled with happiness. "Oh, don't worry about that. He thought it was really funny. Hanabi, he thinks you're amazing, you minx."

She ruffled her younger sister's hair. "But having two pranksters in my life makes me so worried now."

Hanabi laughed, then she fell silent.

Hinata continued to hug her sister even though she was tired. She'd missed her sister when she'd been traveling on all her missions these last couple years. Now that she was back home, she didn't want to miss seeing Hanabi grow up, and she was doing that so quickly.

"Onee-sama, are you happy?"

Hinata's heart gave a leap. She pressed a kiss on the top of her sister's head. "I am, Hanabi."

"Good. That's all that matters."