Chapter 6

"No way."

It was Friday afternoon, Hinata and Sasuke were sitting in the car while Hinata's driver was taking them home.

"Please, Sasuke-kun," she begged him. "You promised you would come with me."

"Yes, but I don't recall saying anything about me persuading your father to let you go."

Hinata had gained all her courage the day before and had asked her father to let her go to Naruto's birthday party on Saturday. He had said no without even thinking about it, for two reasons: firstly, because of the murders. Secondly, it was the first time he had ever heard about this Naruto.

"But you're the only one who could convince him. Also, this is the first house party I have ever been invited to. If I don't go everybody will think I'm antisocial or something," Hinata pouted.

"You didn't care about these things before," Sasuke snorted.

"But now I do," Hinata looked at Sasuke, trying her best to show her puppy eyes.

"So, Uchiha-san, are you coming to the Hyuuga residence, or should I drop you off at the Uchiha manor?" Hidan, Hinata's driver inquired politely as they arrived at a crossroad where they had to take a left turn if they wanted to get to the Uchiha manor.

"Fine," he grunted. "I will go to talk to Hiashi."

"You are the best!" Hinata cheered.

After they arrived at the Hyuuga residence, Sasuke almost immediately set out to search for Hiashi. He found him quite easily and asked him if they could talk. They disappeared in Hiashi's office, and Hinata sat down on the couch in the living room, waiting anxiously for the outcome. She was certain Sasuke could convince her father if he really wanted to, but she wasn't sure about his determination.

She fidgeted with her fingers while thinking about all the possible scenarios that could potentially happen at the party. Also, she had already bought a beautiful lavender dress and she would be extremely sorry if she couldn't show it to Naruto.

"Is he asking for your hand in marriage or what?" Hanabi giggled while she was laying on the floor of the living room, playing with some shooting game on her PS5.

"Shut up," Hinata moaned. "Please," she added so she wouldn't sound too rude.

"Always so polite," Hanabi laughed at her sister but kept focusing on her game.

Hinata instantly jumped to her feet when she noticed Sasuke exiting her father's office and closing the door behind himself. She put her hands together as if she was praying and stood there like a statue, nervously waiting for the answer. Sasuke walked up to her and Hinata looked eagerly into his eyes.

"We're fine," he said with a small smile and poked her forehead with two fingers. Hinata hissed faintly to show him his poke hurt a bit and put her hand to the spot to emphasize it even more, but smiled back at him gratefully at the same time.

"Congratulations!" Hanabi chirped. Sasuke looked at her, puzzled. "You know, for your engagement," she chuckled.

"What is she talking about?" Sasuke squinted his eyes at Hanabi.

"Nothing, nothing," Hinata sweatdropped and waved with her hands in front of her body awkwardly. "So, I can go, right?"

"Yes. I'm going to pick you up at 9 and I will also take you home whenever it's finished. And you must stick with me."

"Understood. Thank you," Hinata hugged him tightly. "See you tomorrow then?"

"Yeah," Sasuke nodded.

Hinata went to find Hidan and asked him to take Sasuke home. She waved him goodbye and ran upstairs to her room. She jumped in her bed and screamed excitedly into her pillow. She was overjoyed. She hoped she could talk to Naruto at the party.

At first, it was rather awkward seeing Naruto in school after their weird last meeting, but things slowly settled between them. By the end of the week, Hinata almost even forgot how odd Naruto had been behaving last Saturday.

During this week they talked more than they usually did. Sasuke still didn't let her eat lunch with their usual group, but he didn't say anything when Hinata talked to Naruto between classes. She could always feel Sasuke's eyes on her, but at least he didn't force her to ignore Naruto.

She also got more confident around the blond boy. The more she talked to him the less she stuttered. She was happy, she felt like their friendship got stronger. She still sometimes pondered his reaction upon seeing her blood that day, but she was content with her theory about it only being some childhood trauma. She didn't want to ask him directly about it though, mainly because she felt it was too personal, but also because she didn't want to bring up the topic again.

She felt in her bones that this party would be unforgettable.

-x-x-x-x-

FYI: My parents leave around 8 so you can come after that whenever you want. You can come earlier too of course but then you'd have to chit-chat with them haha. I've bought everything, so you don't have to bring anything if you don't want to. You also don't have to bring any birthday presents, but I won't turn you down if you bring something anyway haha. There's no dress code or anything like that, you can wear whatever you want. Can't wait to party with y'all!

Hinata checked the information Naruto had sent in the group chat one last time. He added everyone whom he had invited to his party. Hinata scrolled through the list of invitees too again. She was surprised to see how many people from their school had been invited.

She could see her friends in the group chat: Sakura, Ino, Kiba, and Sasuke. At first, she thought it would be just the six of them, but it seemed that Naruto had planned for a much bigger party. She saw a few people whom she also knew from school, like Shion, Shino, Shikamaru, Choji, and some random classmates. However, she didn't know most of the invitees. She recognized some of the names from school, but she didn't actually talk to any of them.

She swiped down to read all the names. Sai, Juugo, Hozuki Suigetsu, Uzumaki Karin. 'She must be some relative of his,' she thought. There were more than 50 people on the list. She wondered how big Naruto's house was. Most probably not everyone he had added to the chat would come, but still, even half of these people would need a big space.

She locked her phone and put it in her lavender clutch bag. She was extremely excited, she feared her heart would jump out of her chest. She had never been to a house party before. Also, there would be a lot of people so it was the perfect opportunity to step out of her comfort zone a bit.

"Hinata-sama, Uchiha-san has arrived," she heard the voice of one of their maids from the other side of her closed door.

"Thank you, I will be right there," she answered.

She looked in the mirror in her dressing room one last time. She was wearing her new lavender dress. It was an off-shoulder dress, which ended just above her knee. She also wore black stockings and black high-heeled ankle boots. She completed her outfit with a thin black belt around her waist which highlighted her womanly figure perfectly.

Her hair was put in a high ponytail and the ends of her locks were curled slightly, one of her maids had helped her with it. She also wore some make-up. Nothing crazy, only a thin cat-like eyeliner and a very light pink lipstick. She had also put in small, gold hoop earrings.

'I hope Naruto-kun will like all of this,' she blushed at the thought. She looked so different from her everyday self with the hair and the make-up, but she actually enjoyed being different for once. She smiled at her reflection, then picked up a small gift box from her desk and went downstairs.

Sasuke was standing next to the front door, talking to her father. When he heard her coming down the stairs, he focused his gaze on her. Hinata let out a small chuckle when she saw Sasuke gasp in surprise. It was an unusual sight to see him stunned for sure.

Hinata noted Sasuke was dressed pretty casually. He was wearing black jeans, a simple white t-shirt with an unzipped dark blue jacket over it, and black sneakers. Maybe she overdid a bit with all the little details, but she didn't exactly know how to dress up for a house party.

"You're stunning, Hinata," her father complimented her when she arrived next to them.

"Thank you, Father," Hinata blushed at the praise.

"Enjoy yourselves tonight. And Sasuke," Hiashi turned to the boy. "Please take care of her."

"Of course, Sir," Sasuke nodded.

They said goodbye to Hiashi and walked out to get in Sasuke's car. Hinata searched for the address in the group chat and Sasuke set up the GPS. They were traveling in silence, although Hinata noticed Sasuke often glanced at her from the corner of his eyes.

"You look nice," he finally broke the silence.

"Thank you, you too," Hinata smiled at him gently, but they sat in silence again after the brief conversation. "I hope Naruto-kun will like my gift," she muttered and patted the gift box in her lap.

"I don't understand why you have to keep being friends with him. I already told you, he isn't as nice as he seems," Sasuke sounded annoyed. Hinata preferred not to answer him. "While we're at the party, please don't go anywhere where I can't see you. I promised your father I would take care of you."

"I know, I won't. Thank you for coming with me," she turned to him and put her hand on his arm to show him her gratitude.

"As if I had another choice."

They didn't say anything else during the ride. When they arrived at Naruto's house Sasuke searched for a parking spot on the street. It wasn't hard to find one, the street was almost empty. It looked like only a few guests had arrived by car.

Hinata figured the party had already started as she could hear loud music coming from the direction of the house when she got out of Sasuke's Tesla. Hinata took a deep breath. She was here, at Naruto's party, for real.

They walked to the front door and rang the doorbell. Hinata secretly hoped not everyone Naruto had invited would be coming because there was no way more than 50 people could be comfortable in the house. It was kind of big, but not that big, and she didn't like crowded places.

Sasuke moved his hand to ring the bell again when the door suddenly sprang open.

"Ah, lovebirds! I thought you wouldn't come!" Naruto basically jumped on them, hugging them both at the same time.

Hinata gasped and blushed immediately, but Sasuke pushed Naruto away violently. The blond lost his balance for a moment, but he managed to catch the doorframe, successfully avoiding falling.

"Don't touch me," Sasuke barked at him.

Naruto blinked in confusion and muttered something that sounded like an apology. Hinata sent a disapproving look in Sasuke's direction and turned back to face Naruto. The blond was clearly tipsy. Well, it wasn't too surprising anyway. He was the birthday boy so most probably everybody wanted to drink with him for his sake, Hinata figured.

"This is for you, Naruto-kun. Happy birthday!" Hinata bowed and gave him the gift she had brought for him. Naruto looked surprised as he took the small gift box from her hands.

"Thank you, Hinata-chan! What's this?" he asked and peeked into the box.

"It's a bracelet," Hinata murmured. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her. That was a very expensive bracelet he saw in that box.

"Oh, wow, it's very cool! Thank you, Hinata-chan! I will treasure it forever, ya know!"

Hinata flushed in happiness. She was glad Naruto liked her gift. She had spent almost an hour in the shop before finally choosing a piece of jewelry that would fit his personality.

Hinata let her eyes rest on Naruto for a moment. He was wearing ankle-length orange pants and a black t-shirt with a v-neckline. She could see a necklace she had never seen on him before hanging around his neck. So, he did wear jewelry, she didn't decide on an entirely useless gift after all. Naruto's blond hair was a bit messy and his cheeks had a slight blush, most probably from the alcohol he had drunk.

Hinata glanced at all the shoes next to the door. She didn't count them, but it looked like there were more than 30 pairs there. A lot of people had come then.

"Come in and have fun," Naruto urged them inside and closed the door behind them. "You can find some snacks and a lot of things to drink in the kitchen. If you want some fresh air you can use the back door to go out for a bit. The locked rooms are locked for a reason so don't try to break the door down please," he explained with a grin before he disappeared into the living room area where most guests were.

Hinata took her shoes off and made a few steps toward the living room. She stopped for a moment to check out the family pictures on the wall. She thought Naruto had a nice family. She felt Sasuke stepping next to her before he said, "Let's find the others," and made his way toward the living room. Hinata followed closely behind him.

This part of the house was loaded with people. Hinata could also see the kitchen area from where she was standing. There were empty and half-empty bottles scattered all over the place. Hinata spotted Naruto leaning against the kitchen cupboard with a plastic cup in one hand. He was showing his new bracelet to Shion. Hinata felt an odd tightness in her chest. She didn't know they were friends.

She looked around searching for any other familiar face, and she soon spotted Kiba dancing with a girl she didn't recognize.

"Sasuke-kun, Hinata!" Sakura stepped next to them out of nowhere, holding two plastic cups in her hands. "Here, I brought you some beer."

"Thanks, but I'm driving," Sasuke refused in a cold tone.

Hinata took one of the cups from Sakura's hand and took a small sip. She didn't like beer, but she didn't want to be rude to Sakura.

"I can't see Ino," Hinata looked around again, but still couldn't spot her blond friend.

"She's outside with some guy named Sai," Sakura said as she gulped down the drink she had brought for Sasuke. "Hey, Sasuke-kun, come, dance with me," she took the boy's hand and tried to drag him to the dancefloor. The alcohol gave her a little too much courage.

"I would prefer not to." He pulled his hand away as if he had burnt it. Sakura couldn't hide her disappointment.

"Hinata, is that you? Oh my, you look beautiful." Kiba had left his dancing partner and now was hugging Hinata.

"Th-thanks K-Kiba-kun, b-but I c-can't b-breathe," she moaned.

Kiba quickly released her. He smelled strongly like beer. He took the cup filled with beer out of Hinata's hand and pulled her to the dancefloor. She wanted to tell him she didn't want to dance but they were already in the middle of the small crowd. Kiba was so enthusiastic and she didn't want to sadden him by leaving him alone, so she started moving her body to the rhythm of the music.

She looked for Sasuke with her eyes after dancing through a few songs. He was leaning against a wall and wouldn't take his eyes off Hinata even for a second. Sakura stood next to him with a new cup in her hand. She was trying to talk to him, but he didn't seem to react to anything the pinkette said. It was a sad sight, honestly. Sasuke was really determined not to have any fun tonight.

Hinata saw Ino and the guy Sakura had called Sai making their way toward her and Kiba. Ino briefly hugged Hinata and said an enthusiastic hi, then she started dancing with Sai. It wasn't the same kind of dance Hinata and Kiba did. It was more… intimate. Hinata blushed even from only watching them.

She tried to locate Naruto again, but he had already left the kitchen area. Hinata checked the faces around herself, but he wasn't dancing either. She figured he must be outside. She leaned forward to get closer to Kiba's ear and asked if they could go out for a minute. Kiba's eyes widened in surprise but he nodded and helped Hinata make her way toward the back door.

They barely stepped out of the house when Kiba grabbed her by her shoulders and turned her to face him. Hinata could see an odd sparkle in his eyes. She wanted to ask if he felt alright when he suddenly bent forward. Hinata didn't have enough time to react so she just shut her eyes closed and waited for the inevitable kiss. However, it didn't come.

She slowly opened her eyes and saw Sasuke holding Kiba back by his hood, almost strangling the poor boy.

"Excuse me, what are you doing?" he asked Kiba scornfully.

"N-n-no-noth-in-in-g-g." It was hard to understand Kiba as he had almost no air. Sasuke let go of him with a disapproving sigh.

"You're drunk, Kiba, but it's no excuse for forcing yourself on someone."

"S-Sorry. I thought… never mind, I'm sorry, Hinata," he bowed so deep his head almost touched the ground and quickly made his escape.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun. He caught me off guard," Hinata whispered while fidgeting with her fingers. This was embarrassing.

"Why did you come out with him in the first place?" he raised an eyebrow at her.

"I… it was just too hot inside and I wanted to have some fresh air."

Hinata suddenly heard a bumping noise and turned her head to see where it came from. She gasped when she identified the source. It was Naruto, pushing Shion against the wooden fence at the back of the garden. He was kissing her rather passionately.

Hinata felt her heart sank into her stomach. Her mouth dried in an instant and she could feel her lips slightly part against her will. Sasuke traced her gaze to see what she was looking at and grunted in disgust when he recognized the two blonds battling with their tongues.

"Let's go back," Hinata grabbed Sasuke's hand a pulled him inside.

She felt tears forming in her eyes. She knew they were only friends with Naruto, but deep inside she had hoped she could change that tonight. And now, Naruto was kissing another girl instead of her. She quickly wiped her tears away, paying attention not to ruin her make-up, and made her way to the kitchen.

She took a plastic cup in her hand and poured herself the strongest drink she could find and gulped it down in an instant. She was about to fill the cup once more when Sasuke took the bottle out of her hand.

"You're going to get drunk," he said as he passed the bottle to a random guy who was searching for something to drink. "You know it's for the best, he is –"

"I'm not in the mood for that now, Sasuke," she interrupted him rather aggressively. Sasuke leaned against the cupboard and crossed his arms in front of his chest. They were just staring at each other for long minutes.

Hinata felt the mixture of alcohol and the image in her head of Naruto kissing Shion making her sick. She suddenly spun around and went to find the bathroom, but it was occupied. She felt like she would throw up, so she decided to check upstairs if there was another bathroom. She ran up the stairs and quickly found a bathroom door. It was unlocked so she went in.

She locked it from the inside and grabbed the sink to support herself. She stared at her reflection in the mirror. She had tried everything, had made her hair nicely, had put on make-up, but it still wasn't enough for Naruto to notice her. He didn't even seem to particularly like her dress. 'Maybe I should give myself a bloody wound, he would surely notice me then.' She cringed at her own thoughts.

She felt dizzy. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to drown her sadness in alcohol. She let out a painful moan. She wanted to go home.

"Hinata, are you okay in there?" she heard Sasuke's voice from the other side of the door.

Sasuke. The only one who always stood by her side. Always. Even now.

She unlocked the door and let him in. He seemed surprised that Hinata opened the door without any begging but stepped in without saying anything anyway. His heart skipped a beat when he felt Hinata's lips brushing against his. He opened his lips unconsciously and immediately felt Hinata's tongue entering and exploring the inside of his mouth.

His body reacted against his will. He pulled Hinata's petite body closer, hugging her tightly and deepening their kiss. He knew he should stop. It wasn't like he didn't want this. In fact, he had wanted it for such a long time, but not like this. Not with Hinata being drunk.

Sasuke was about to push her away gently when he felt Hinata's small hand finding its way under his t-shirt, exploring his body. He tensed immediately and grabbed her hand to stop her, but it was too late.

"What's this?" Hinata's lavender eyes widened in shock.

Before Sasuke could stop her, she lifted his t-shirt and gasped. Hinata's slightly swollen lips were parted in disbelief as she stared at Sasuke's upper body. It was covered with stab wounds.

"It was you."

Author's Note: Were you surprised?! Guess not, I went a little too heavy on foreshadowing, sorry about that. I'm a little anxious about what you all think about this chapter, but well, I just hope you don't hate me. I promise we're heading toward NaruHina, even if it doesn't look like that right now.