Chapter 25: Implications

Hinata woke up at dawn the next morning, leaned over and kissed him shyly on his lips. His eyes were closed, but he sighed against her mouth and pulled her closer to him. She could feel his excitement against her thigh.

"Hinata," he murmured sleepily as his hands started skimming over her body. "You're so lewd... Not at the Ninja Academy!"

Her shocked gasp penetrated through the wet dream he was having, causing Naruto to suddenly open his eyes and meet her horrified and amused face.

"Naruto, just now, what kind of dream were you having?" she asked with a laugh.

"Nothing!" His answering smile was sheepish. "Forget it!"

She laughed again and hugged him. He looked at her. "Are you feeling okay?"

Hinata nodded and looked at his suddenly eager face. "Again?"

He chuckled. His mouth was already moving down her collarbone. "You know it! We need to practice."

Naruto woke up and breathed in her scent a few hours later. The scent of apples and cinnamon filled his lungs. She was still sleeping, her back was to him and his eyes fell on the purple bruise marring the perfection of her skin. The rest of her back wasn't as red as before, but it still looked pink. His heart ached, hating the thought of her being hurt. He skimmed a gentle palm over her back. She took a deep breath but didn't wake.

I love you, he thought, kissing her shoulder. Even more now, as he finally knew what it was like to worship a woman with his body. She'd been so sweet and wonderfully responsive to everything.

He looked out at the window. It was midmorning. He should get up, but today he was off duty. So was Hinata. There was no need to leave the bed. He was content to just sleep next to her. But he should probably take her home. Her family was probably worried.

He felt her waking as she stretched then turned around to smile at him.

"Good morning, Naruto," she said.

"Hinata," he said as he took in her sleepy, tousled face. She looked like a well-loved woman and he smiled with satisfaction. He could get used to waking up like this all the time. He leaned in to kiss her on the mouth, but her stomach gurgled, making both of them laugh.

"Okay, let's have breakfast. I don't think we had dinner yesterday, either," she said. They both got up and Hinata made breakfast from the few ingredients she could find in his kitchen.

They spent the day together, with Hinata resting and Naruto fussing all over her, unable to sit still. He was not only sated but also excited to have her all to himself for such a long time. She'd sent another message to her father reassuring him she was fine. He'd responded by telling her to be home the following day.

They had a late lunch at Ichiraku but a few hours later, Hinata said, "I'm hungry."

He grinned at her. "I've only got instant ramen in the cupboards."

She shook her head as a flush started creeping up her neck. "Not for food."

Her startled squeak echoed through the living room when he suddenly picked her up in his arms and carried her, almost sprinting, to the bedroom.

His mouth wouldn't leave hers but he eventually settled her in the middle of the bed, and Hinata ran her palms over his arms and chest, enjoying the feel of his warm skin. She was already naked, but she took off his shirt, slowly undressing him until he sat only with his boxers. As she did, she bent to kiss him on his shoulders, his chest, but she stopped because she wanted to do more.

Now that they'd crossed the hurdle of breaching their virginity, Hinata was torn with curiosity.

"Naruto," she whispered as she looked into his eyes.

Oh, god, Naruto thought as he saw the intent in her lavender gaze.

Wait, was she…?

He swallowed as he remembered that Hinata liked to explore with her mouth.

He nodded and knew he was in deep trouble when he saw the smile on her face. It was seductive and sultry, and she didn't even know it, which made everything more arousing.

She rose up and pushed him down to the bed. She helped him take off his underwear. Her voice was teasing when she said, "Let me know if there's anything you don't like, okay?"

His exact same words to her last night.

Despite the effort it cost him, he laughed. "Hinata, if it's you, there's nothing that I don't like."

She chuckled softly then bent down to kiss him at the tip, taking her time to explore. Little licks first, then she gradually parted her lips wider to take him into her mouth, which made him almost leap off the bed. Instead, he exhaled the breath he was holding, leaned up on his elbows, and watched her move sensuously up and down the length of him. Her hair fanned around her, tickling his thighs and abdomen. Her hands were gently caressing, learning the shape of him. With each slide of her playful mouth, he felt himself dying from the pleasure of it. He had to remind himself to breathe.

She flicked her tongue and sucked a little too vigorously, and Naruto realized that fighting to not lose control around her was permanent. It was something he was going to have to learn to live with. He flopped back to the bed as his breath came out in desperate gasps. Her mouth was hot, wet, excruciatingly erotic when she scraped him with her tongue. Hinata wasn't stopping. She'd found a rhythm. He didn't want her to stop, but he was desperate for release.

"Hinata," he groaned. He suddenly wanted to be inside of her.

Naruto clutched at her shoulders then gently, but firmly, cupped his hands around her head to lift her mouth off him. Then he grabbed her and flipped her over unto the bed, leaving her bewildered and looking at him like he was crazy. He spread her, reached between her legs, found her wet and ready.

His relief was only for a moment. He frantically stretched his hand out for the packets on his nightstand, fumbled to put the condom on, gripped her legs tightly, and slipped unerringly into her warmth. Hinata gasped as he started stroking within her, crying out with surprised pleasure.

He heard her gasp his name, felt her tense and clench around him, and knew she'd hit her climax. Naruto gripped her butt, and with one last, desperate push into her, shuddered and spent himself.

Her fingers went to his hair, gently running through the strands. He looked up into her sated face and the smile of satisfaction on her lips.

Oh, no, he thought with mingled resignation and excitement.

"Okay, Hinata," he said when he could finally breathe. "For a first-timer, you're way too good at this. I'm going to need a lot of practice."

Hinata laughed, a pleased expression on her face, and kissed him on the mouth.

Naruto woke up the next morning earlier than he'd wanted to, but he'd felt the other person's consciousness intruding into his. They were going to be here in a few minutes. He glanced down at Hinata sleeping in his arms. He pressed a kiss on her temple, but she remained asleep. He brushed at the hair covering her eyes, then left the bed, feeling loathe to do so, but there was this other important business to take care of.

He quickly got dressed and waited for the other person on the other side of his door to knock.

It came a few seconds later just as he reached the entranceway, a couple quiet taps on his door.

He opened it and said, "Hanabi, come in."

Hanabi stood before him, her face pale. "Is she all right?" she whispered. "I just got back and saw the message from Sakura telling us not to worry, but I just wanted to make sure she's okay because she wasn't home when I got to the house."

"Come in, Hanabi," he said again. Naruto smiled to reassure her. "She's fine. She's just sleeping right now. We can wait for her to wake up."

She looked at his face and nodded. "I'm sorry for barging in on you like this."

He shook his head. "You're not barging in. I was expecting you."

They sat in his tiny apartment, facing each other across his even tinier table.

She sat drinking her tea, glancing about his place, noting the sparseness of everything. He didn't really own any stuff. She frowned at him. "This place is so small."

He laughed. "Sorry, but it's all I can afford. It was meant for just me."

She flushed, embarrassed. "I'm sorry."

He smiled at her. "It's okay."

She took another sip of her tea, then set the cup down. She wrapped both hands around it and started tapping her fingers against the side, eyes intense as she stared at her tea, seeming to be doing an internal battle within her.

After a moment, her expression eased and she finally looked up to meet his gaze. She was doing her best not to cry, the sheen of tears already there, but she was trying to keep it from spilling over by blinking.

"Just treat her right," she said, her voice fierce. "If you don't, I will hurt you. I don't care if you're some great hero or the future Hokage, but if you make her sad, I'll make you pay."

Naruto nodded, hearing the sorrow in her voice more than the threat of her words. She tried to keep her cool, but her lavender eyes were imploring. She sighed deeply, and her voice came out a little broken. "If you can spare her, will you let her come home to visit us once in a while?"

He looked at her and was suddenly reminded of an angry kitten. She was trying her hardest to cling to her pride, but her love for her older sister had won out. Hinata hadn't gone home to the Hyuuga house for a couple of days, and Hanabi was astute enough to understand the implications of that for her own future.

He patted the space next to him. She glared at him, but he waited. After a moment, she went reluctantly to his side. Naruto patted her gently on the head. The tears spilled over at his gesture. She sniffed angrily and swatted at her eyes. He placed an arm around her shoulder and squeezed her lightly.

She only sighed, but the tears kept falling.

He looked at her. She was picking at the sleeves of her kimono now.

"Hanabi, you know she's not the type to abandon her family."

She finally looked at him and whispered, "But she loves you so much!"

She was still resolutely hanging on to her dignity, but Naruto saw in her eyes that she was filled with despair for her herself. There was still also a trace of happiness for her sister. Hanabi was torn, wavering between joy and sadness. She turned her gaze back to her sleeves.

Naruto smiled at her bowed head. "She loves all of us. Hanabi, you of all people know how warm and generous she is. Hinata's got enough room in her heart for the whole world, don't you think?"

The hand on her kimono stilled.

"You've nothing to worry about from me. Hanabi, I wouldn't dream of keeping her away from her family."

She sniffled then finally nodded.

"And, if you guys don't mind, I'd like to join her when she comes to see you. I've only been to the bathhouse. You've yet to show me the other twenty-three rooms of the Hyuuga house, remember?"

"Naruto-niisama!" she said, snorting with surprised laughter and finally looking up into his face, finally abandoning her usual dignity.

"You can't promise me that and not show me, Hanabi," he chided gently.

She laughed, freely this time. "Okay, but you're going to owe me big time! It takes a lot of clever thinking to get around my father, you know."

Naruto chuckled. "On second thought, maybe not!"

"Don't worry, I'll just show you how you can try to disengage when your chakra points get hit. My dad may be old, but he's still got it."

He gasped. "Hanabi, you should tell me anyway! Just in case your sister decides to use her byakugan on me."

Her gaze on him was suddenly haughty. "You know, if Onee-sama decides to use it on you, that means you've done something really dumb."

He pictured sweet, gentle Hinata and laughed. "True! I just hope she'll never have to use it on me."

Hanabi had her usual fierce expression on her face, but her lips were twitching with amusement. She looked more relaxed as she sat next to him. The heaviness in her mind seemed to have lifted.

Naruto gave her another squeeze and she squeezed him back. He felt his heart closing in as he added another person within its circle, making it more complete.

Hinata woke up groggily to laughter—her sister's laughter. Wait, in Naruto's apartment?

"Just you wait until she starts cooking. I hate to admit it, but she's an amazing cook, even better than me!"

Naruto murmured something Hinata couldn't hear, but Hanabi was giggling again.

Hinata's mind was trying to make sense of everything, until she clearly heard her sister's voice saying, "She gets weird sometimes, like she always closes her eyes when she takes a sip of a drink from a bottle."

And she sat up abruptly on the bed, scrambled to put on her clothes, and rushed into the living room before Hanabi could spill any more of her secrets.

"Hanabi!"

Hanabi and Naruto looked at her, both of them smiling. They were sitting across from each other, on the mat. In front of them, on his table, a cup of coffee was within his reach, while Hanabi had a hand around her cup of tea. He'd gone out and bought some breakfast from the nearby bakery.

"Onee-sama! Good morning! You're finally awake," her sister said with a happy expression on her face. Hanabi noted the tumbled look Hinata had and she grinned wider.

Naruto stood up to hug her, then he pulled back and peered into her eyes with a questioning look. Hinata's heart turned over but she smiled at him.

He answered her with his own then pressed a brief kiss on the lips. "Good morning, Hinata. I made coffee. You want some?"

Hanabi watched the exchange with a delighted expression on her face.

Hinata nodded. "Thank you."

He beamed at her then headed towards the kitchen.

She turned to her sister and asked, "Hanabi, what are you doing here? Is everything okay? Did something happen?"

Hanabi sighed. "Onee-sama! I came because of you! I saw the message from Sakura, but I just wanted to make sure you're okay."

"Oh, Hanabi, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you worry." Hinata ran to her sister to give her a hug.

Hanabi squeezed her tight but gave an exasperated laugh. "Onee-sama! Of course we were worried about you, but why are you apologizing to me?"

"That message from Sakura was supposed to reassure everyone that I was safe, that I was with Naruto," she added with a blush.

"Actually, that's what made Father worry, not the part where you were injured," Hanabi said with a cheeky grin.

"Hanabi! He wouldn't say anything!" Hinata said with a squeak then a glare. "That's a lie!"

"It is!" her sister laughed unrepentantly as she casually took a bite of her croissant. "You're right. Father trusted that you were okay. I just came to see for myself that you're fine."

And upon hearing that, Hinata had no choice but to forgive her sister. Instead, she glanced interestedly at the croissant Hanabi was holding.

Hanabi smiled at her then picked one up and handed it to her older sister. Hinata bit into it gratefully. Naruto came back with her coffee and sat next to her on the mat. He kept a hand on her back, stroking up and down, and Hanabi nodded with approval.

"I like that!" she said with a grin. Naruto laughed and winked at her.

And Hinata found herself deeply worried for herself. Somehow, when she'd been asleep, the two of them had formed a bond. She needed to mentally prepare herself for more mischief in her life.

She walked home with Hanabi, who'd brought a change of clothes for her sister, in case she'd needed it.

"Onee-sama, you should move in with Naruto-niisama," Hanabi suddenly said.

Hinata laughed in response, startled to hear the words. "It's too soon in our relationship!"

Hanabi snorted and murmured something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like 'already having sex.' Hinata ignored it, but she turned red.

"You should still do it, though," her younger sister said.

Hinata thought about Hanabi's words as they walked home. She wanted to spend every minute of her day with Naruto, but she hated the thought of leaving her younger sister all by herself. She would miss the closeness, the nights when they would talk, the way Hanabi always teased her.

She was torn.

Hanabi suddenly poked her in the side. "Onee-sama! Don't frown so much! You're going to wrinkle your skin. You're going to lose the only asset you have if you ruin your beauty like that."

Hinata playfully smacked her sister on the booty. "Hanabi! Stop it. What was that you were saying?"

"I'm sorry, you're right. You don't have any assets."

Hinata laughed. "One of these days, your smart mouth's going to get you in trouble, and I'm going to be the first one to gleefully rub it in your face."

"Hmph! We'll see about that," Hanabi said, a gleam in her eyes. But she looked at her sister with concern. "What's the problem, really?"

Hinata sighed. "If I move out, you're going to be by yourself."

"Onee-sama!" Hanabi yelled with exasperation. She was truly angry. "Stop being so goddamned selfless and worry about yourself for once! Nobody likes a constant martyr!"

Hinata frowned back at her.

Hanabi continued her diatribe, glaring at her, her hands on her waist. "You're so freaking wishy-washy! Don't you want to move in with him? What happened to your nindo? Aren't you all about not going back on your word? Whether you've realized it or not, you've already committed to Naruto-niisama!"

She gave her older sister a droll look. "What the hell have you guys been doing the last two days? Don't even tell me that's not a big step in your relationship!"

Hinata could only look at her sister in amazement. Hanabi was right. She was being stupid, waffling over a decision that didn't need any reflection. It was already a foregone conclusion. Look how she'd hesitated so much over the decision to have sex with Naruto, had lost them time to deepen their relationship. In the end, the accident at work had taken the choice out of her hands.

Yes, she decided, she wanted to move in with Naruto, to share his days and nights and discover more of the many facets that made him the man that he was. It was going to be her choice.

Hanabi must have seen Hinata's resolve on her face because she sighed and said, "I'm going to be fine, you know. Plus, there's no way I'm going to be alone in a compound that big. The problem is there's just too many of us!"

Hinata chuckled.

Her younger sister continued with a devilish glint in her eyes. "You're so dense sometimes. If I were you, I'd have been with Naruto-niisama sooner, maybe even the day after he had dinner with us. Don't forget, I saw him almost naked, too!"

Hinata's screech of surprise made everyone turn to look at them. She flushed red. "Hanabi! Stop it already! I get it! Alright, I'm moving in with Naruto. Because I want to."

Hanabi smirked. "Good."

"You know, Hanabi, if I move out, I just think you're going to be even wilder and more outrageous. Who's going to keep you in check when I'm not there?"

"In check!" Hanabi scoffed.

Hinata laughed. "Yeah, you're right! I meant who's going to worry about you."

This time Hanabi was serious. "Well, it's the same with me, Onee-sama. I worry about you, too, because I want you to be happy. Besides, I'm not going to suddenly disappear from your life. Don't worry, I'll still pester you."

Hinata suddenly stopped walking. Hanabi looked at her in surprise.

"This is why you're going to be an amazing clan leader, Hanabi. You always worry about everyone's welfare."

Hinata grabbed her sister and gave her a big bear hug and a kiss on top of her head. There was a pang in her heart as she tried to brush at the hair that forever kept falling over Hanabi's eyes. Her younger sister had grown up so damned fast. Even now, she didn't need to lean down so low anymore to do this to her little sister.

"Hanabi, I love you. You're the best sister I can ever have. I hope you never change."

"You're so silly! I'm the only sister you will ever have."

Hanabi returned her sister's hug, fighting her tears, and was proud when she didn't cry. She'd already cried her heart out in front of Naruto-niisama.

She accepted Hinata's hug, knew that at this moment, she was saying good-bye to her childhood. It was time to put away her youth and look forward to the future, just as her older sister was doing.

Her older sister, really the only mother figure she'd ever known in her life, was happy, and that was all that mattered to her. Hinata had found the man of her dreams and was going to build the life that she finally wanted to have. She'd made the choice to give herself to Naruto-niisama and Hanabi was going to support the two of them as much as she could. They both deserved to be so in love with each other.

Hinata moved in with Naruto a week later, but only after talking with her father, who'd taken the news well. He'd offered no protest, only suggested that she make the decision that would make both her and Naruto happy.

Though she would miss her older sister's constant presence in her life, Hanabi had genuinely been delighted with these developments. Of course, it was only offset by the fact that she'd frequently visited the happy couple at Naruto's apartment, interrupting them whenever she felt like it, and dropping by at the most inopportune moments. Most times she'd caught them when they were obviously in the middle of something and their hastily put on clothes always made her laugh with glee. Hanabi took great delight in pointing out when a shirt was inside-out or misbuttoned.

One day, Hinata went home to visit with her family. Naruto was away for a few days and she'd wanted to spend time with Hanabi. On her way to her younger sister's bedroom, her father had stopped her and asked her to have some tea.

She assented and watched as Hiashi whisked the tea silently. Hinata accepted the tea with a grateful nod and a small smile.

"Are you feeling okay, Father?" she asked.

Hiashi sighed. "To be honest, Hinata, no."

Hinata was instantly concerned. "Is everything all right?"

"With my daughters, yes, they are," he said with a brief smile. "But I'm working up my nerve to ask for your forgiveness."

"Forgiveness!" Hinata said with surprise. She had to set her tea down gently on the tatami mat. "Whatever for?"

"Hinata! What else?" Hiashi said with another sigh. "For my cruelty to you when you were younger! For failing at being a father."

"I never blamed you!" Hinata said with. "Father, it's in the past. You've been very kind to me all these years after you realized your mistake."

Hiashi looked at her, unblinking. "It's easy for you to forgive, but I find it hard to forgive myself for being blind to everything, for putting too much pressure on you and keeping my expectations unrealistic when you were just a child."

Hinata smiled at her father gently, noting the lines on his face. He'd aged so much, she suddenly realized.

She continued, "But you gave me the freedom to grow and be myself after you stopped. And I'll be forever grateful to you for that. Because I wasn't the heir, I found my calling and was able to thrive when I was away from Konoha working the diplomatic missions. I think I would've slowly died if I had stayed only with the clan, only in the village."

Hinata reached for her father's hand and patted it. Hiashi only stared at her as she kept on reassuring him.

"Hanabi is the perfect heir to the Hyuuga; you made the right decision. She thrives and loves being in command. She has the perfect temperament for it while I'm more at ease being in the background."

Hiashi remained silent.

Hinata continued with a gentle smile, "If you've made me the heir, I wouldn't have been as effective. I'd second-guess every decision. And I would only do it because it would be a duty, but I don't think I would've enjoyed it. I think it all worked out in the end."

"That doesn't excuse my poor treatment of you."

"No, it doesn't, but I'm ready to move on. You should, too," she said kindly.

"You're being too easy on me, Hinata."

Hinata brought her tea back to her lips. She took a sip and shook her head at him. She thought of Naruto and a smile filled with love for him settled on her face.

"No, Father. I'm just accepting that there's nothing I can do about the past. It's the present and the future that matters, what we do from here on out. I think you're being too hard on yourself."

"Hinata, somebody has to."

Hinata laughed. "Well, it's not going to be me. I'm happy, and I'd like everyone to be happy, too."

Hiashi shook his head. There was nothing he could say to that.

"Hinata, in any case, I—"

Suddenly, the door to the tea house opened with a loud bang as Hanabi slid it with enough force to almost knock it out of its slot.

"You guys are having matcha without me?!" she yelled. "How dare you?!"

Hinata laughed, noticing that Hanabi was in full-performance mode. "Come in, you brat. You were listening outside weren't you?"

Hanabi gave up on her angry pose and grinned at both of them. "Of course! You know me so well!"

She came in with a swagger and squeezed her older sister. Hanabi then turned to her father and asked, "Father, could you make some for me, please?"

Hiashi shook his head at her with a frown but he picked up another bowl and the whisk.

Hanabi sighed with satisfaction as soon as she finished her first sip. She bowed at her father solemnly then said, "Father, you really need to stop being so melodramatic! Don't worry about anything anymore. She said she's ready to move on, so just accept it. We should be grateful to Naruto-niisama, who's obviously doing her right. Onee-sama's so happy in lust with him right now, she'll forgive everything!"

"Hanabi!" came Hinata's mortified screech.

Author's Notes:

Sisterhood is a beautiful thing, guys.

I'm dedicating this chapter to my sister, who has been my very best friend and has always encouraged me :)

And yes, my headcanon Hanabi is sweet and savage.