Chapter Twenty-Six
All hell broke loose in the VIP lounge as Lord Fourth gave the go order to the entry teams. Hinata chucked her drink, clearly laced with Fatal Lust, in the face of the nearest Venom Scorpion. Next to her on the couch, Temari sense Shikamaru shifting, preparing his Shadow possession justsu. "What is the meaning of this?!" Venom demanded as Hinata smashed the martini glass in the face of the bodyguard nearest her.
Temari locked eyes with Venom, hoping the woman would burst into flames. With great satisfaction, Temari reached for the KIB badge that had been poking her in the thigh all night. "On behalf of my organization, I'd like to say…" she unhooked the badge from her garter and flashed it, "… you're under arrest, ASSHOLES!"
Several of the bodyguards drew weapons only to be stopped in place by shadowy tendrils shooting outwards from Shikamaru. Through the lounge's insulated walls, Temari heard the muffled sound of explosions and screaming as the entry teams began rounding up the foot soldiers of the Venom Scorpions. "So, it seems you have me over a barrel," Venom remained deadpan and calm as she spoke.
Sweat beaded down Temari's back. Something is wrong, I'd be shitting my pants if I were in her position. "Tell your bodyguards to drop their weapons," Temari replied coldly, "or we can't guarantee their survival."
Venom's lips twisted into an evil smirk. "Little girl, you have yet to learn about loss…" Venom glared as her eyes focused like the edge of a katana blade and the blood vessels around them began protruding. Holy shit! A Byakugan user! "… and you've not learned why it is unwise to corner a venomous snake!" Venom sprung from the couch and kicked the coffee table between them at Temari and Shikamaru.
As they both rolled to avoid the flying piece of furniture, Shikamaru's concentration on his shadowy tendrils broke long enough that the bodyguards got their weapons out. Almost a dozen of them, heavily armed, and three of us, all unarmed. I guess it's time to see how good our taijutsu training is!
Over her shoulder, Temari watched Hinata pierce the chakra point of the man closest to her, causing the man to crumble like a sandcastle. Two more bodyguards sprang forth to tangle with Hinata. As Temari rolled to her feet, Scorpion came at her. His severe face cracked in unadulterated rage as he took his first swing. As Temari dodged, she noted the cracking features of his face were prosthetic makeup concealing prominent blood vessels around the hulking man's eyes. Great, another, Byakugan user! The man's hands glowed from focusing chakra into gentle fist strikes. If any one of them connected, she'd be out on her ass.
Temari again roll back and to the left as the man's deadly hands narrowly missed blocking the chakra point in the center of her chest. As she got to her feet, Temari scrambled in her purse for the closest thing she had to a weapon – pulling out an ornate hand fan.
Scorpion brandished a kunai now. "Little girl, didn't your mommy teach you not to bring toys to a knife fight?" The man's arrogance was dripping from his disgusting grin.
Temari whipped the fan open, "Come get some, you ugly son of a bitch!" The comment irked the man to the point where he charged recklessly. Temari spun on her toes and pirouetted out of the path of danger as Scorpion lunged with his blade. As he swung past, Temari shot her leg out between his legs, tripping him. "Have a nice fall, asshole!" The man faceplanted into the floor with an audible THUMP!
From the corner of her view, Hinata was now tangling with Venom, both ladies engaging in a duel of gentle fist strikes, and Shikamaru was fighting off four of the bodyguards. While he was making skillful use of his shadow possession technique to alternate opponents attacking other opponents, even he had his limits. Before Temari could jump in to help, Scorpion again got to his feet, eyes now pale purple – the fall having dislodged his contacts. "We ain't done yet, bitch!" Blood stream down from the man's nose, staining his lips and chin crimson.
Temari smirked, winding up with her fan. It's on, Billy-badass! Scorpion again charged headlong toward her. Temari jerked the small hand fan across her forward arc, sending a mini-version of her wind-scythe attack careening into the man's eyes. "AHHHHH!" the man howled as hands instinctively sprung upwards to protect his assaulted eyes.
She saw the opening presented and took it – ramming a forward kick into the man's balls. Scorpion let out a wet moan as he doubled over forward. Temari hooked with her left hand first, grinding knuckles into the man's right jaw, and she drove a heel-hand strike into the man's nose, crushing it. As the man recoiled, Temari spun one more time in a reverse roundhouse kick that caught the man in his left cheek, snapping Scorpion's head back and to the side. This time, he didn't get back up.
Satisfied her target was neutralized, Temari rushed to assist Shikamaru, who had just taken a hit below his right eye.
As places to fight went, a restroom was one of the worst places Naruto could think of for a fight as he ducked Sasuke's first swing. The room contained huge mirrors, breakable porcelain sinks and toilet fixtures, and plenty of metal objects that served as obstacles and potential weapons. As Sasuke reversed into a roundhouse kick, Naruto scrambled forward, catching Sasuke's leg, and knocking him off balance. As Sasuke fell, Naruto landed atop him in a wrestling tussle.
"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted as he tried pinning his friend on the tile floor.
"Don't ever speak my name again, ASSHOLE!" Sasuke death-rolled like a crocodile, throwing Naruto off and into the metal support for a toilet stall. The cold metal stung like a baseball bat as the support whacked Naruto between the shoulder blades. Going to be sore in the morning! Sasuke came at him again, eyes glowing red and black tendrils of a cursed seal pockmarking his normally pallid skin inky black throughout. Sasuke came down with an axe kick that would have crushed Naruto's skull like a melon had he not scurried clear – tile shattering on the floor.
The force of the impact caused Sasuke to pause, Naruto rolled to his knees, and he drove his left elbow into the side of Sasuke's left knee. Sasuke in turned dropped to both knees, clutching his injured left knee. Naruto got up and again moved to pin him, but Sasuke unexpectedly pushed off the weak leg, tackling Naruto around the waist. It was a clumsy attack, but it didn't matter – Sasuke rammed him into the hand dryer on the wall.
"AHH!" Naruto yelped as the metal crumbled and dug into his back. Bruises were already forming, and his back muscles were trying to fuse his spine to prevent further injury. Sasuke threw his remaining weight into wrenching Naruto sideways, his head bashing into the plastic paper towel dispenser on the wall.
Stars exploded in Naruto's head as he impacted, hearing the snap of plastic breaking and feeling a sharp edge cutting into the skin near his right eyebrow and temple. The tickling sensation of blood tracing down the side of his face alerted Naruto to how lethal this could get. "You always were a pussy when taking a hit!" Sasuke roared as he straightened up to ram Naruto into the towel dispenser again. Knowing Sasuke could predict an attack, Naruto repeated a good old strategy from the past – he let his knees give out. Not being an attack, Sharringan couldn't predict such a maneuver. Devoid of anything to slow himself with, Sasuke rammed face-first into the towel dispenser.
His opponent momentarily staggered, Naruto sprung up with a side-kick to Sasuke's solar plexus. Sasuke stumbled backwards several steps, giving Naruto a chance to finally get back to his feet. By now, both of them had torn various bits of their black outfits. Sasuke's eyes were still a hellish red as he charged forward again. History repeats because no one was listening the first time! Naruto pivoted out of the left hook's flight path and grappled Sasuke. Sasuke screamed as his left hand sailed past Naruto and into the glass of the bathroom mirror. "FUUUUUCCCKKKK!" he howled as the sound of at least one bone breaking joined the sound of glass crumbling into a bloody spiderweb pattern.
As Sasuke withdrew his damaged left hand, the rest of the mirror crumbled, coating the floor near the sink in shards of glass big and small. "And you couldn't hit water if you fell out of a boat," Naruto taunted as he used the opportunity to knee Sasuke in the solar plexus and throw him down and through one of the porcelain sinks, which also shattered over the floor as Sasuke fell.
Naruto moved to subdue Sasuke fully when he caught the slightest movement of Sasuke's right hand. Naruto juked backwards in time to have Sasuke carve a superficial slit up Naruto's cheek with a sharp piece of porcelain. I'd kill to have gentle fist right now! Due to the confined nature of their environment, the use of most chakra release techniques would be hazardous to both parties – that was without considering the countless people inside the nightclub nearby. Sasuke slashed wildly with the jagged piece of porcelain; Naruto caught Sasuke's arm on one thrust and came down on Sasuke's forearm with a hammer-fist blow.
"GAAAAAHHH!" Sasuke again howled as Naruto felt the sickly sensation of his opponent's right radius cracking in his forearm. Sasuke dropped the shard of porcelain as he stumbled back, clutching a now broken forearm to his chest. Naruto body-checked into Sasuke, sending him through the wall of the nearest restroom stall.
"It's over, Sasuke!" Naruto shouted to his now grounded opponent.
"I'll make you pay!" Sasuke stared with his eyes now reverting to obsidian.
"Pay for what?" Naruto asked, face twisting in confusion but not taking eyes from Sasuke
"For killing my clan, for killing her!" he shouted.
The door exploded inward. Naruto briefly turned to see Dad, Itachi, and Izumi burst through. "Naruto!" Dad shouted.
The sound of breaking glass was followed by Itachi shouting "LITTLE BROTHER!" When Naruto turned back, he saw Sasuke was gone and the bathroom window missing from its frame. GODDAMMIT! Naruto vaulted up and over the broken window, but when he landed in alleyway, there was no sign of Sasuke. "SASUKE!" he shouted with everything he had. Dad and the others landed seconds later. "Itachi, you and Izumi check that side, we'll take this side!" Dad grabbed Naruto by the arm and ran one way while the couple ran the other. The alleyway spilled out into a busy street in the red-light district. Scanning the crowd frantically, Naruto searched for the correct outfit or body build. Failing at that, he searched for anyone with even the remotest appearance of having just run any distance. SHIT! "I don't see him, Dad!"
"Are you okay, son?" Dad asked with deep concern in his blue eyes.
"Yeah," Naruto sighed, pain hitting him finally. He had a vertical gash on his right cheek just in front of the ear as well as a pretty nasty cut to the right of his right eyebrow. The sticky mixture of blood, sweat, and whatever else was on the bathroom floor soaked him and his outfit.
"Naruto!" Sakura ran up from across the street. "You're hurt!" She began reaching for her med kit.
"It's not as bad as it looks," he lied, feeling sore all over and now tasting the salty-coppery mix of blood in his mouth as the adrenaline rush wore off.
"No sign of him, Lord Fourth!" Itachi ran up with Izumi.
"Naruto," Sakura stared coldly with her emerald eyes, "he is alive?"
"Yes," he nodded, head beginning to pound.
"Oh god," she began to cry as stared at Naruto.
"Sakura, it wasn't all him; that cursed seal from the Chunin Exams was activated somehow," Naruto tried to calm his friend, "Trust me, he didn't know everything he was doing!"
"How can you be sure!" she sobbed.
"Sakura, I think he thinks I killed you," Naruto cut her off.
"What?" The whole group asked in unison.
"He told me I'd pay for killing his clan and for killing her," Naruto explained. Turning to Sakura he asked, "I am assuming there is no one else we know of?"
Sakura stood wide-eyed. "None that I know of…"
"Itachi," Dad spoke up, "get in there with Izumi and mop up, and I'll be in after getting him checked out."
"Itachi!" Naruto gasped, "Hinata!"
"Relax," Ino spoke through the mental link, "She's fine, they're all fine!"
Not completely believing Ino, Naruto reached out with his chakra he shared with Hinata. She was a swirling mess of confusion, elation, satisfaction, and uncertainty. However, he could tell she was uninjured, at least compared to himself. Satisfied Hinata was okay, Naruto exhaled, feeling his knees give out. Thankfully, Sakura caught him from faceplanting in the ground.
Hinata would have rather had Naruto stay for this fight, but she couldn't always wait on him to arrive to get her out of trouble. Lord Fourth had given the go order after she and Temari confirmed their drinks were laced with Fatal Lust. Hinata threw her drink in the nearest opponent's face and Temari flashed her badge. Shikamaru' momentarily had most of the room paralyzed until Venom and Scorpion shocked everyone to reveal they were both Byakugan users.
As Hinata took down the next bodyguard, her mind ran the gauntlet of trying to remember any member of her clan that had died or disappeared in any recent memory. All of the elders under grandfather, grandfather, Uncle Hizashi, think!
Venom closed with her, chakra pulsing to her hands and she readied gentle fist strikes. "I should have expected a Hyūga, and I thought you looked familiar!"
"There's no way out, Venom," Hinata stared her down.
"At this point, I'll take killing you! Lady Hyūga!" Hinata dodged a strike meant for the chakra point where the chest and neck met. I'll be damned, she knows me! Hinata flipped backwards beyond Venom's reach as she swung around with a roundhouse kick.
As Hinata landed, curiosity got the best of her, "I don't believe I caught the pleasure of your real name, Venom!" she taunted, hoping she'd slip up in the heat of the moment.
"Don't you know your Aunt Yui!" the woman hissed. "I was the one who was supposed to marry your father before he fell under the spell of that hussy of a midwife!" Venom again kicked and charged forward with hand strikes as Hinata blocked frantically.
"And let me guess," Hinata heaved between breaths as she moved to disengage, "Scorpion," she stared at the young man, "is the illegitimate child you had by Danzo Shimura!" Hinata recalled the story father had confessed shortly after Hinata became clan leader. He and Jiraiya had blackmailed grandfather and Danzo into voting in favor of a peace treaty that helped officially end the Third Shinobi War after they'd discovered the affair and illegitimate child Yui was having. "What the hell happened to you! You were still under the clan's protection!"
"Protection!" Venom scoffed, as she swiped at Hinata, "Maybe your father and grandfather didn't throw me out on their own, but they did nothing to protect me from the judgmental eyes of the other clan members or the shame heaped on me by my father!" Venom kicked again, "I promised one day I'd get my revenge on the clan who turned me out and the village Danzo loved so much!"
Hinata blocked, realizing her life was tied to Venom's. Had father married her, she'd be the wife of the clan leader. Guilt slowed her momentarily. "Don't fall for that shit, Hinata," Kyuubi spoke encouragement, "She knew exactly what she was getting herself into, and she could have made any number of decisions you made in that toxic setting. She chose to become a criminal rather than claw her way out! You were a prisoner of your own clan and you chose to make it better!"
Hinata regained her speed in time to block an incoming strike that would have paralyzed her heart and lungs. THANKS, KURAMA! He was right; by all accounts Venom had taken part of a conspiracy to force Dad to marry her years ago and paid the price when she got caught. Everybody plays the fool. The real difference is what you make of that situation.
Hinata began returning strikes, piercing a chakra point in Venom's right hand. Everyone had always speculated Yui had run away with her baby and been taken by traffickers; instead, she'd become one. She'd destroyed thousands of lives in the name of petty revenge. "You're slow," Hinata struck a chakra point in the woman's thigh, causing the leg to give out suddenly. Hinata danced and twirled about, timing her strike just right. Venom fell to her one good knee, and Hinata pierced the chakra point at the base of the skull. The target spasmed momentarily, then went limp as a ragdoll. For Hinata, it was a moment of triumph she'd spent almost two years praying for. Now that it was here and gone, she felt nothing. Her body was aching, and her mind was exhausted by all the long nights, all the misery, and the countless lives destroyed along the way.
"Hinata, are you all right?" Temari asked, putting a hand on her arm. During the fight, she'd lost all sense of what else was happening. Hinata surveyed the room. Scorpion and Tarantula were out cold on the floor, and the room was littered with broken bits of furniture and subdued bodyguards writhing from injuries. As adrenaline slowly drained off, worry filled in the vacuum. NARUTO! Hinata activated her Byakugan and searched furiously for her beloved among the throngs of legitimate clubgoers, Venom Scorpions, and law enforcement to no avail. Desperation overcame her and she reached out through her linked chakra with him.
There she found him outside: tired, battered, and heart swirling with dissatisfaction. Hinata pushed her Byakugan outward, looking for Sasuke and not finding him. Poor Naruto. Sasuke had been hostile by the look of the significant wounds Sakura was working on. Sasuke worked hard as anyone on this operation; he should be here with us to see its completion.
The sound of someone kicking the door to the lounge startled the three of them. Hinata reached for her badge from its hiding spot. As the door gave way a group of military police spilled into the room. "KIB agents! We're undercover!"
Fugaku Uchiha entered behind his troops. "Did we get 'em?"
"All of them, the motherload," Shikamaru nodded.
"Excellent, then you and your team can head out; we'll clean up in here."
"Lord Fugaku," Hinata spoke up, unsure if she was or wasn't breaching protocol.
"Yes?"
"Venom and Scorpion are really Yui and Dan Hyūga," she explained. "Handle them with care; they are exceptionally dangerous."
"Hinata, Temari, Shikamaru, can you hear me?" Ino asked via the mental link.
"Loud and clear," Temari answered for them.
"Boss man says report to KIB headquarters for debriefing at once; I'll see you all there."
With the statement, Hinata knew Operation: Red Bloom was over. Two years of hard work and investigation had ended in arrests and hooking the big fish and many smaller ones. The main trafficker of Fatal Lust was soon to face interrogation and imprisonment. Despite the triumph, there was only emptiness. Too many had already died along the way. Too many people had been taken as slaves never to be seen again. Too many people like Aiko Sasaki and Asuma Sarutobi had been lost as collateral damage.
Hinata didn't remember beginning to sob, but when she regained her sense of self, she was outside the club, Shikamaru and Temari guiding her out into the cool night air. As she came out into the street, her eyes captured Naruto, also looking like he was on the brink of tears. Without remembering how, she found her way to Naruto and they wrapped each other in a tight embrace.
By the time Itachi was done debriefing everyone, it was approaching midnight. Several hours of filling out paperwork and giving sworn testimony left Hinata with a raging headache and a stomach devoid of anything since breakfast. She and Naruto limped to Ichiraku Ramen, thankfully still open at the late hour.
"Naruto, Hinata?" Teuchi asked, thrown off by the two's unusual appearance – Naruto's red hair, Hianta's purple highlights, and their general choice of costume.
"Yes," Naruto answered, "it's a long story. Can we get two of our usual, each with an extra side of noodles?"
"Coming right up!" the chef-owner retreated to the kitchen.
"So…" Hinata's voice was flat, uncertain.
"So?" Naruto asked.
"This is it?" she said.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, you're going home tonight."
"Don't you mean we?" Naruto stared, perplexed.
"I thought…" she started. After tonight, there was no excuse to return to the apartment. Naruto would be going home to his bed, and she would be going home to hers, "… well, you're going to your parents' place, right?"
"I thought…" he paused, searching for words, "… I thought we could pretend one last night." His voice was uncertain, as if he was expecting her to reject him.
"Naruto… these last few months together…" Hinata tapped her fingers, "… have been wonderful…."
Teuchi interrupted, bringing hot ramen to soothe empty stomachs and tires souls. Hinata and Naruto ate in silence, paid, and stepped out. "So…" Naruto asked as they exited, "… one last night to pretend we're actually married? Before we have to go back to our normal lives?" He held out his hand.
On one hand, she hadn't been home to the compound for more than a day or two for over a month. On the other hand, home was with Naruto and wherever he was – not some building. "Okay," she reached for his hand and took it. The hand was warm and soft, and being held by it made her feel safe as they walked down the deserted streets back to Stony Bridge Apartments.
When they reached apartment 221, it was as they left it earlier. Bits of costume and makeup were spread out in the dining area, the kitchen was a mess of empty take-out containers. "Welcome home," he said as he closed and locked the door behind them. Naruto began unbuttoning his now torn black dress-shirt. While Sakura had largely healed his wounds, there were still some bruises and other marks of battle. Marks of a good man who never gives up! "I think I need to shower," he said, sniffing his sweat-soaked undershirt.
"Go on, I'll take the next one," she said. As Naruto walked away behind the privacy screen, Hinata couldn't explain why her heart was throbbing in her throat. They had been around one another for months like this, and she'd never felt so anxious as she did right now as she listened to the sound of the water running.
Hinata turned away, but she soon was seeing Naruto. My Byakugan is active! She wasn't sure if she'd activated it instinctively or on purpose, but the effect was the same as she saw Naruto's sculpted body masked by nothing but raindrops. Fever erupted throughout Hinata, and her breathing raced to match her thundering heart.
I can't… I can't… Hinata began tugging at the little black dress that had been her outfit for tonight. The feel of the material peeling away coated her in goosebumps. As she released the fishnet stockings she wore, the heat and cold fought for supremacy. I can't resist! She breathed out slowly through her nose, accepting the consequences of the reality.
The hot water of the shower dripping down Naruto soothed aching muscles as he stood still, arm propped against the shower wall. I could stay like this all night! Damn I'm sore! He pushed off the wall and ran his fingers through his hair, getting ready to remove the dye coloring his golden hair red. You could stay here, but it'd be a dick move to use all the hot water before Hinata gets a chance! He reached for the special shampoo that would dissolve the dye, put a dollop in his hand, and he began to lather the shampoo in his hair, trying to get every last bit of the dye coated before he tried rinsing it. Almost always some streaks persisted for several cleanings.
Just as he was about to stick his head under the running water he heard the shower curtain pull aside. WHAT THE! Naruto, startled, turn to see an equally startled, naked, Hinata standing outside the shower. "H-Hinata!" Naruto froze, unable to keep his eyes from admiring every glorious detail, every bit as amazing as the first time he'd seen her without her clothes.
"N-Naruto… I thought… you might want help washing the dye out of your hair…" Hinata turned strawberry red, "… oh god! I'm sorry!" she turned to run.
Naruto faced a split-second decision: he could let her run away in embarrassment, or he could try and smooth things over. "Hinata wait!" his soapy, slick hand reached for her wrist. As he caught her, all she'd have to do is pull with some conviction, and she'd slip free.
To his surprise, she did stop, and she turned to face him. Her face and chest were still red, but he was pretty sure he was, too. "It's all right, you just… startled me for a moment," he smiled.
"Would you… like…" she tried connecting words.
"Why don't you join me," he suggested, "we can save water if we clean up together."
"Smooth one, horndog!" Kyuubi taunted.
Shut up you perv!
Hinata's worried mouth closed, lips tightening to a slight, mischievous smile, "O-okay!" She stepped into the tight space and closed the curtain behind her.
While they had showered together before, Naruto's heart was thundering away as she drew closer in. Her fingers began lathering the suds in his hair, slow and shy at first, but she soon became quicker, playful with her scrubbing. You're too damn cute!
At the thought Naruto pulled her, feeling her slick skin rubbing over his as he turned her body under the stream of warm water. His lips found hers, he began to kiss her as his fingers stroked through her hair, rinsing her hair ahead of adding shampoo. "Naruto," she rested her head on his shoulder as he slowly rinsed her hair and back.
"Hinata," he smiled, content with just being here with her like this after the long emotional ups and downs of the night.
"Ready to switch?"
"Uh huh," they danced slowly until he was under the water, her fingers beckoning the red dye to leave his golden hair.
"It's good to see you again," chuckled lightly.
Naruto filled his hand with more of the shampoo and began lathering it through the long, silken strands of Hinata's hair, careful to get every last bit of the purple dye staining her hair coated. Naruto's lips began kissing again, his tongue slipping into her mouth.
Hinata's hands began tracing the contours of his arms, chest, and back as her tongue playfully greeted him. The last several days had left little time for this after their last near miss. Don't push things, let her guide you. Without breaking from one another, they slowly turned again until the water began washing away shampoo and the purple dye from Hinata's luscious black hair.
Her hands migrated off his back, and Naruto smelled her citrus-scented bodywash as she filled the bath puff with it and lathered. Naruto's hand joined hers on the bath puff and they began washing each other, chest to chest. "We are…" she gasped as she broke from him, "… so dirty!"
"Yeah," he whispered with a light chuckle, "I guess we'll need to clean up thoroughly!"
"Very, thoroughly!" she wrapped her left leg around his body, and he washed every inch of her from her butt to her toes before she switched legs. The whole time, her mouth remained stuck to his mouth and her breasts rubbed gently against his chest.
"Heh," he laughed as he kissed her, "I thought bath time was fun as a child!" He scrubbed up her back, caressing tight bands of muscles and stress as he worked.
"Agree," she took the puff and began washing the rest of him as she stood under the water again, "I love you, Naruto!" She pulled him under the water, hands now massaging his body as the soap washed down.
The words drove him over the edge. Naruto's hands found her breasts and his mouth found her neck as he sucked hickeys into her seal-slick skin. As his mouth played, his hands wandered down below her belly until he found her slit. Her already wet folds parted for his exploring fingers, and Naruto found the sensitive contour of her clitoris. "Ahhh…ahhh!" Hinata dug her fingernails into his back as she arched her head back moaning. Nothing gave Naruto greater pleasure than watching, hearing her enthralled in his touch.
"N-Na-Naruto! Stop teasing me!" she commanded breathlessly.
Dammit! He couldn't tell if he was hurting her or not in the mood to play, but he knew it was time to stop. "What's wrong?" he asked, taking his hand away.
Hinata flung him around into the wall of the shower and pile-drove him with a deep, probing kiss. "I said, stop teasing me," she heaved, not stopping the incredibly erotic kiss. "I want you!" she said to his lips in between brief gasps for air.
"What?!" he heard the words, but their meaning remained foreign.
Hinata forcefully shut off the water, by now starting to lose its heat, and ground her body against him, "Naruto… I want you!" she heaved desperately, "I'll be yours, yours alone! Just… PLEASE… STOP… TEASING ME!" Her kiss filled him as her hand grasped him by his erection.
"You mean… you want to do it… for real?!" he asked, brain haywire with the prospect of what she was asking from him.
"Naruto, make love to me!" she whispered to his mouth, "I want you!" Another long, penetrating kiss ensued. Hinata reached out from the shower to grab a towel, and they stumbled out toward the bed together, desperately toweling one another off.
Fire burn throughout Naruto. For all the uncertainty he felt in his first time, he also had been burning for this since she greeted him home his first day back from Mount Myoboku. He'd love Hinata most of his life to date, and now it was time to take things to the next milestone. As he laid her back on the bed, he began kissing from her neck, to her breasts, to her stomach, and back. He reached down with his hand, feeling her folds still soaked. "I'm ready!" she moaned to his touch.
And I'd better get ready! Naruto reached for the box of condoms on the nightstand, extracting one from its packaging, and prepared himself. "If… anything doesn't feel right…"
"It'll be fine, my love," she took his hand. "If it hurts at all, it won't last for long!"
Satisfied, Naruto spread her legs a bit further and pressed, feeling a minor resistance at first. However, the resistance past, and he slid into her body, her insides velvety around his length. "OH GOD!" Naruto squeezed Hinata's hand as the gravity of the moment came over him. I'm… having sex… sex with Hinata… I'M HAVING SEX WITH HINATA! Naruto bit his lower lip, feeling the fulfillment of a late night fantasy becoming reality.
"Why don't you scream it a little louder next time! I don't think we all heard you!" Kyuubi mocked, but Naruto ignored him.
Hinata's legs snaked around him, her own expression hinted at a degree of profound pleasure. Naruto moved back and forth slightly, eliciting a squirm and a moan from his girlfriend. "Oh my god," she whispered breathily, "that feels, AMAZING!" Naruto adjusted his tempo, making careful mental notes as to any type of thrust that seemed to drive Hinata wilder than others.
He squeezed their interlaced hands even tighter, knowing he was close to critical mass. "H-Hinata!" Naruto felt it happening, every bit as intense as her playing with him weeks ago – more, in fact.
"NARUTO!" she screamed, hips bucking, and her channel clamping around him as he, too felt the release.
"AAhhhaaahaaahaaaAAAAHHH!" Naruto moaned as the wave broke, and he was again taken away to a place of infinite pleasure. As the wave receded, cold shivers ran up and down his back. "Hinata… that was…"
"Incredible," she sighed.
Naruto remained in her for a time, but he soon withdrew, slid the condom off, and tossed it in the wastebasket before melting into the bed next to Hinata. "Wow," he sighed, "that was something!"
"Did you like it?" she curled into his side. Her head and breasts resting on this chest.
Naruto giggled, still giddy from the event, "Do you really have to ask?" he traced his hands up and down her spine. Much to his surprise, the excess contact with her was making him hard again as he felt himself pressing against her thigh.
"Naruto?" she asked, looking down at his offending anatomy before looking back up to him in shock, "are you ready to go again, already?!"
"I-I think so!" he said, heart ready to leap out of his chest as he stared at her.
Hinata's shocked expression gradually morphed into excitement as she reached for the box on the end table, "This could be," she tore open a condom and rolled it onto him, "a long night!" she climbed over top of him and gave herself to him again.
Hinata woke to the sun in her face and mild soreness in her core. A quick check of her watch indicated it was just after 1000. She turned away from the sun and buried her face in Naruto's sculpted chest – grateful that their lack of clothing confirmed last night had not been a wild dream. Oh, Hinata, what have you done? She smiled despite the uncertainty where last night had put them. She did love Naruto, and she was glad they'd expressed it fully – multiple times – last night.
However, she thought of the future, and the future that once was. When was our first time in the world Himawari left from? Does this put her and Boruto at risk in the future? She rested her ear to Naruto's chest, listening to the gentle rhythm of his heart, and she let herself relax. A thousand things could change between now and when they started a family, and she had control over few if any of them. Life is not about fretting over what can change; it's about living while you're alive.
Galvanized by the pleasant thought, Hinata extracted herself from Naruto's arms. As much as she could lay here all day, she was restless and needed to move. Hinata got to her feet, feeling strangely secure despite stretching out while nude. You make me safe, boy! Hinata backflipped twice, bringing herself to the dining table. The first order of the morning required her to pick up the locket that Naruto gifted her the last day before he left for Mount Myoboku when they were both thirteen. Rarely did she ever take it off, much as Naruto rarely took of Lord Senju's necklace – last night being one of the exceptions.
As she pulled the locket on, Hinata eyed Naruto's black armored jacket – the new one they'd bought earlier this week. A gentle smirk crossed her face, she pulled it off the back of the dining chair, and she pulled it around her. The soft liner was silk smooth and carried Naruto's musky scent as she hugged the loose garment to herself. As she moved, she felt something in the pocket. Curiosity got the best of her, and Hinata reached into the pocket.
Hinata recognized the scroll she extracted as an official Hyūga Clan scroll, but there was also a letter in a well-worn envelope. What is he doing with a scroll from my family? Hinata opened the scroll and read:
Official declaration by order of Lord Hiashi Hyūga,
Let it be known that this scroll serves as my written permission for Naruto of the Uzumaki Clan to marry my daughter Hinata of the Hyūga Clan. As I have blessed this pairing, I hereby grant this couple my blessing to marry before any officiant under any circumstance from this day forward.
Hinata dropped the scroll on the table in mild disbelief. We could go to a shrine or magistrate right now! As exciting as the prospect was, Hinata calmed herself. Deep in her heart, she knew it was too soon, and the time wasn't right – not yet.
As her eyes wandered to the envelope, she recognized the penmanship of Jiraiya-Sensei. Master Jiraiya, if you were only here. She pulled open the letter and scanned:
Dear Naruto and Hinata,
If you are reading this, I am most likely gone. Likely, the mail is very slow, and you won't get this until after I am gone. If by some unbelievable miracle, we're reading this together, I hope we're having a great laugh at how needlessly worried I was.
If not, know that I love you like a real grandson. Tell your father I am proud of him an all he has become. Please, tell Tsunade I love her, and I'll be waiting for her; tell her I'm sorry.
Become strong, keep training, and don't stop believing your dreams will come true. Most importantly Naruto, take care of your woman! Use everything from Make Out Tactics, and save a spot for me when you two tie the knot! Remember everything I taught you both.
Love Always
Jiraiya
9, 31, 8, 106, 7, 207, 15
Tears dripped from Hinata's eyes as she finished reading the letter dated the day Jiraiya died. The old man was hardly perfect, but he had coached her through her dark journey recovering from an injury caused by Hanabi. She would always be grateful to the man. As the morning light passed over the letter, Hinata blinked twice, realizing some of the characters had miniscule pinprick holes through them.
Dear Naruto and Hinata,
If you are reading this, I am most likely gone. Likely, the mail is very slow, and you won't get this until after I am gone. If by some unbelievable miracle, we're reading this together, I hope we're having a great laugh at how needlessly worried I was.
If not, know that I love you like a real grandson. Tell your father I am proud of him an all he has become. Please, tell Tsunade I love her, and I'll be waiting for her; tell her I'm sorry.
Become strong, keep training, and don't stop believing your dreams will come true. Most importantly Naruto, take care of your woman! Use everything from Make Out Tactics, and save a spot for me when you two tie the knot! Remember everything I taught you both.
Love Always
Jiraiya
9, 31, 8, 106, 7, 207, 15
Hinata shivered as she read the hidden message. I-A-M-A-L-I-V-E. She wiped her eyes, trying to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. She looked again, remembering Jiraiya and Itachi had taught her how to hide a message in a letter or newspaper while using an acupuncture or sewing needle to mark individual characters in plain sight. He addressed it to both of us, he mentions Minato and Tsunade in the present tense, and he asks us to save a spot for him at our wedding!
Hinata inspected the postmark, and she had all the confirmation she needed. "NARUTO, WAKE UP!" She ran to his side, shaking him.
"Hinata," Naruto rubbed his eyes, and looked at his watch, "isn't it a bit early?" he smirked as he took in the view of her. You truly are Jiraiya's grandson, perv!
"Naruto! Jiraiya is ALIVE!"
Author's notes: Hello everyone, thank you for reading. If you are ready at the time of publication, Hoppy Easter! For anyone curious as to the events I reference with Yui Hyūga, the situation is better explained in An Irresponsible Thing Called Love, my companion/prequel to the Critical Moments series.
I do have a favor to ask with that in mind. If anyone has read the companion story, I posted a poll on my profile asking for feedback as to where I should end that side project. Please, I always greatly appreciate reader feedback, and this would be a major help in determining the direction of the story.
Once again, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed. Stay healthy, stay safe, wherever you are in the world!
-Adam