27

"The dress was a good choice," Sasuke said when Hinata slipped into his sleek black car. Her face, already red from all the running away she was doing, got all the more redder. She felt his eyes on her, taking every inch from the top of her head to her heel-enclosed feet.

"I guess y-you were right," she replied, looking forward not back, but not at the Uchiha either. Her ears were buzzing with energy. She had just run away from a dinner. Her dinner. Her dinner that was hosted by her father and fiance's parents! Was she losing her mind?

Sasuke took a moment to look at her, taking in her flyaway hairs, wide-eyes, and frantic hand movements. They were knotting and unknotting themselves in a fit in her lap. Sasuke, amazed at his movements before he even realized what he was doing, took her hands apart and briefly held one in his own. Three seconds. Long enough for the red in Hinata's cheeks to dim to a pink.

When he let go, Hinata slowly returned her hand to her lap, but she didn't knot them together again.

"What happened, Hyuga?" He asked, but his face said who do I have to kill? He, himself, was surprised by the veracity behind his tone.

His brows were crashing heavily over his eyes, his eyes the color of asphalt, his lips downturned, his hands: one on the steering wheel, one resting on the back of her seat––all sent a thrill through her that she wanted to ignore.

"N-nothing," she muttered. Lying. She was still thinking about how Naruto sat across the table from her with not an ounce of remorse. He didn't respect her. And soon, everyone would know that she was engaged to a boy who did not respect her.

"You're lying," Sasuke said. He took his car out of park and began to drive away from the restaurant. He didn't look back either, and he didn't take his hand from the back of her seat. "And I don't like liars."

"Hm," Hinata said in a way that made Sasuke's lips curl up. She sounded unconcerned about the statement. "Well y-you can't expect to get answers from me a-all the time, Sasuke." Then, unexpectedly, she smiled, "I don't know you like that."

"Okay, well answer me this," Sasuke said, impressed by her non-answer. He was reminded that she was a Hyuga, afterall, and privacy was a cornerstone of their praxis."Where should we go?"

Hinata leaned back against the leather seat, closed her eyes, and said "anywhere."

-:-

The silence after Hyuga Hinata left the dinner table was palpable. Hiashi and Minato looked uncomfortable, his mother had no reaction, and Hanabi looked incredibly agitated with the events that had just unfolded.

Naruto himself was not expecting that reaction. Sure, he knew that Hinata was still probably pissed at him, but he also knew that she's had a crush on him for years. If anything, he figured that the announcement would make her feel better about everything. He figured that perhaps they would pretend to date and hopefully...hopefully become friends again. That's what quality time was all about, no?

The five of them sat for a while in silence. Hanabi sent frequent looks over her shoulder in the direction of the bathroom, but she didn't get up. Naruto couldn't tell if it was out of fear of her father or respect for her sister's request for privacy. When Hiashi told her to quit fidgeting with her napkin and she rolled her eyes at him, Naruto realized that it was the latter. He also realized that he didn't know very much about his new family at all.

"I think," Kushina said, calmly waving down a waiter with one hand, and gently stroking her pregnant belly with the other, "She might have left the building."

"Hinata wouldn't do that," Naruto said––maybe too forcefully and too quickly––because everyone turned to look at him. It was possibly the most he's said all dinner, but he hadn't been keeping track. "I mean...it seems unlike her."

Hanabi, who apparently, without her sister present, had no further inhibitions said, "And what exactly do you know about my sister? It's not like you've ever tried to get to know her you fuck––"

"That's enough Hanabi," Hiashi sighed through his nose, looking utterly tired of the situation. "Go look for Hinata. The Uzumaki's and I can wrap up dinner without your mouth. I'll have the driver meet you outside."

Hanabi huffed and stood abruptly from the table. Having been dismissed, she sauntered a few paces away, made a face, and flipped Naruto off while their parents weren't looking. So much for having a loving and accepting sister-in-law. Not that Naruto needed any more siblings.

His mother was groaning about back pain and the baby, while Hiashi and Minato were having a staring contest, trying to figure out who would leave first. Neither of them looked particularly upset with Hanabi's outburst, which annoyed Naruto to no end. Was he without defense here?

Still, he indeed felt terrible. Hinata wouldn't even look at him the whole dinner. She kept her eyes on the food, or on Hanabi, or her phone she was trying to hide under the table. She had muttered barely a sentence out loud. The whole time he was trying to make eye contact, to tell her that he was sorry. To beg for her forgiveness. He had a whole laundry-list of promises he meant to make to her. He would send her good morning texts. He would bring her flowers at school. He would...try to figure out how to make it look like they were in love, until they actually could be.

But could they be? His phone vibrated in his pocket and he forgot whatever it was he was going to say outloud to appease the adults in the room. It was Ayame, and she had just scored a bag of molly. She attached a scantily clad photo of her wearing nothing but one of his dress-shirts he'd left behind. His finger hovered over the "delete" button.

"––it doesn't matter," Kushina was saying in response to something that Naruto had not heard. "Don't worry about it Hiashi-san, there is nothing to forgive. I'm sure Hinata is dealing with the news in her own way. So much has happened."

His mother, a force of empathy for anyone who was not him. At least, that's how he's felt recently.

"Kushina is right," Minato said. He signed off on the bill. As the father of the son in this situation, he felt this was his position. Paying debts. Paying for a daughter. "She needs time to process. Just make sure she's ready to make a public appearance soon."

"Right," Hiashi sighed as he rose from the table. His stately Hyuga figure left a shadow across Naruto's form. "Governer's Ball is next Friday. Naruto," Hiashi looked down on him, his ghostly eyes seeming to pierce right his blue ones. "Be ready, be on your best behavior, and be good to my child."

On second thought...Ayame's molly seemed like a really, really good idea tonight.

"Yes sir," Naruto said as he pressed send.

-:-

The cops left right before Neji saw it fit to exit the bathroom. He was frowning when he came to the counter and saw Anko holding his drink at arms length, whining. "I added milk to your coffee. That's a cappuccino, right?"

"You know what a fucking cappuccino is," Tenten grumbled, taking the drink from her hands and passing it to Neji so he wouldn't have to touch her. Neji was secretly grateful. "And this location is no good. Those guys were pigs."

Neji tossed her a surprised glance and Tenten shrugged. "Guy tied his shoe and I saw the gun on his ankle. I'm assuming they're familiar with you?"

Tenten was a bit too perceptive for comfort. Neji nodded and tossed his coffee drink in the trash where it belonged. "Yeah," he said lowly. "They've questioned me before about being in places they think I don't belong."

"Your wealth is a hazard," Tenten sneared.

"No, little sister," Anko said, jumping up on the counter and into a sitting position. She crossed her legs and smiled, "his wealth is an asset. Why are you acting like this?"

Tenten scoffed and didn't dignify Anko with a response. Neji watched the exchange with muted interest. Estranged half-sisters, now working together because of him. "Anyway, we shouldn't meet here if they're on to us or Neji."

"It's temporary," Anko said. "Until we find a new place for you guys. Plus, it might be good for you two to do a bit of embellishing if the cops are hot on you Hyuga, baby. I would be." Anko looked him up and down, laughing when she saw the set of his jaw. She reached down, touched his hand, and brought it to Tenten's. "You should just say that you're into fucking trailer trash, I'm sure they'll get the picture."

Before Neji could blink or even move, Tenten was snatching her wrist back and slamming the palm of her hand into Anko's chest, sending her flying back over the counter. The long-john donuts went flying as Anko recovered. Once she had dusted off her fake uniform, she immediately sprang towards Tenten. She grabbed the collar of Tenten's shirt and slammed her against the back windows so hard the glass shook.

As she was winding her arm back to deliver a blow, Neji grabbed her fist in his own, moving Anko slightly to the right and slamming her front against the windows next to Tenten. He wound her arms around her back and held them there.

"What the fuck," Tenten gasped. She was blinking like she had just woken up from a dream, the rage leaving her systems like a sobering. She was breathing fast.

"Yeah, what the fuck?" Neji yelled, staring at her. Their eyes met as he held her sister against the window, his breath halted at the back of his throat. Quickly, he looked over her to make sure she was okay before even stopping to think about what that gesture meant. Her hair had come out of her buns, and her shirt was ripped, but otherwise, Tenten looked fine.

"Yeah." A third voice said, coming from the back of the store. The staff room. "What. the. fuck."

Three heads turned and a gun cocked. Fuck.

-:-

Sasuke kept joints rolled with navy and gold papers in his glove compartment––the most opulent joints Hinata had ever seen. She stared at them when he offered them to her, and hesitated to light one for a full three minutes before Sasuke made an annoying tch sound with his tongue and teeth.

"Are you going to just stare at it?"

Hinata lit it and ignored him. Her silence felt invigorating. She wasn't used to not having to respond, wasn't used to not having to fear the response.

"W-where are we going?" She asked instead, turning to look at him. His profile was a sharp picture of ease, backlit by the passing city lights. He was reclined in his seat despite the fact that he was driving fast, dipping between cars and changing lanes quickly. In less than 15 minutes, Hinata felt like they were outside of city limits.

"You scared?" Sasuke turned his head to look at her and Hinata felt a shiver go up her spine.

"I-I...I don't think so," she said. She blew smoke into the car and tried not to cough. Sasuke must've noticed though, because when he looked away, his lips quirked up.

"Very convincing Hyuga. Drink some water and trust me," Sasuke held her gaze until she felt her cheeks get hot. She looked away. "You couldn't think of a place so I did the work for you."

Hinata passed him the joint and retrieved a water bottle from the cup holder. As she chugged it, she felt her phone vibrate from inside her pocket.

Five missed calls from Hanabi.

Three text messages from Hanabi.

Two text messages from Naruto.

One missed call from Father.

She could't pretend like the missed call from her father didn't send fear running down from the crown of her head to the bottom of her feet. She was still adjusting to being back––she and her father had barely had more than a three-sentence conversation since she'd been back from rehab. And now he was calling her?! She might as well start making her deathbed.

But really, what else was she supposed to do? She just watched her life be thrown away. Sealed away. Bought by a family who wanted her father's allegiance. And sure, she liked the Uzumaki's enough, but at the end of the day, Naruto's parents were forcing him too. This engagement wasn't about them as individuals, it was about the bigger picture.

Money.

Naruto was a whole other thing. Another battle that she didn't want to think about. Not when Uchiha Sasuke was passing her his opulent joints, not when he was sneaking looks at her, one hand on the steering wheel, one hand on the back of her seat. Not when every breath she took with him in the car felt shared and secret and sacred.

She had never wanted to reach out and touch another person so badly. Instead, though, she opened Naruto's two messages:

Hey Hinata, I'm sorry tonight was so weird. Can we talk about everything soon? Just us.

and

I'm sooo sorry about everything. I never wanted it to be like this, I swear. Please, Hinata, we've got to make this work.

Hinata shut her phone, her stomach twisting inside of her. If they're to be married...she'll have to give him a chance, right?

"Enough of this," Sasuke deadpanned, taking her phone from her hands. He slid it into his pocket in a fluid motion. "We're here."

They had driven up a mountain, and pulled up to a peak. Sasuke's car slid up beside another car––the only one on the peak. It was a black corvette that had its lights on, the music up, and the doors open. In front of the lights were two dancing girls, singing loudly to some pop song. Between them was a paper bag full of different kinds of wine.

To the right, the ocean. To their left, the grandest city view Hinata had ever seen.

Hinata practically leaped from the car, but before she did, she turned to Sasuke with a smile. The brightest one of the day––the week even! Her heart was pounding in her chest with excitement and surprise.

She boldly gripped his chin, and placed a kiss on his cheek that he pretended to not be phased by. "Thank you, Sasuke."

With that, she jumped out of the car and into Sakura and Ino's arms. They mashed their faces together to sing the chorus of whatever song was playing into the open wide air. In solidarity, Sasuke turned his own lights on, spotlighting the three girls in luxurious bright light as they cried and hugged and danced with one another singing "Nobody, Nobody, Nobody, Nooobody."

Stifling a laugh, he watched Hinata let go. Her long embroidered dress danced against the wind, and her body was backlit by city lights and a glowing, pink moon. The air, despite its movement into fall, felt warm and encompassing. It even tasted sweet with wine and weed. Here, nothing threatened their joy, and Sasuke was grateful for the peace.

He sat on the hood of his car and texted the rest of his friends, because everybody deserves a party at the top of the world, especially when it felt like things were constantly crumbling.

Besides, he was feeling good for some reason.

-:-

A dark haired boy about their age stood behind the counter, pointing a gun at the back of Neji's head. He looked unimpressed––one could even say bored––which made him all the more dangerous.

Tenten and Neji tensed. They made eye contact again, Neji signaling with his eyes to the waistband of his pants. Quickly, Tenten reached into them, pulled out his handgun and pointed it at the boy. The moment was like liquid, so smooth, Neji wondered if she had been trained to do it.

They were next to each other now. Tenten facing the boy, Neji holding down Anko.

Silence stretched. Neji could only hear Tenten breathing, and Tenten his. Then, Anko laughed.

Neji shifted, pressing her harder against the window. She said: "this is such a cute routine! I can't wait to tell Danzo that you two are more competent than he thinks. Sai, stop it, stop it. They're with us."

Sai lowered the gun without a second thought and tucked it away. "They're with us?"

"Mhm." She said, "Hyuga baby let me go. This is just how Tenten and I are. It's sister stuff."

Neji raised an eyebrow and looked at Tenten. Tenten looked like she didn't want to hear it, didn't want to be there at all, but she nodded slowly and he released Anko.

When Anko turned around her nose was bleeding, but she didn't seem to mind. She was already bruising where Tenten had pushed her, and her shirt was mostly unbuttoned at the top. Neji politely looked away, but she didn't bother to fix it.

"Do sisters often behave this way?" the boy called Sai asked. He hadn't moved...and he hadn't really blinked, either.

"Yep," Anko said, joining him behind the counter. "C'mon, Sai. These are Danzo's kids. We've got treats for them, remember?"

"Of course," Said deadpanned. "Follow me."

Tenten and Neji exchanged looks and followed him into the backroom. They were relieved to find it a normal-looking breakroom with regular chairs and regular shit. Sai put his gun on the table casually, then lifted an employee-rights poster off the wall to reveal a miniature safe that had been installed in the wall.

"Small job," Sai continued in a monotone as he unlocked the safe. Inside was a plethora of drugs, of which he took out two sizable bags of coke, one bigger than the other. "Five ounces. Sell by Friday."

"Friday is next week," Tenten deadpanned. She was trying not to look uncomfortable, trying not to rub her neck that she knew was probably bruised from Anko's attack.

"Yes." Sai said, emotionless. "Friday is next week."

"Plenty of time to sell that, don't be a bitch about it," Anko rolled her eyes. "One of the bags is for Hayate Izmodo. He's expecting it at the Governor's ball."

Neji seemed to choke on his spit. Everyone looked at him as he tried to recover, but his face started turning a color Tenten had never seen before. "Hayate Izmodo? Owner of Izmodo Electronics? I can't sell that to him––he knows me!"

"It seems like that would make it easier." Sai said.

Anko laughed and said, "So? A job is a job. If anything, take Tenten as your date to the ball so she can sell it without you. But Danzo made it clear, Izmodo wants it then and there. Nowhere else."

Neji and Tenten looked at each other again as Tenten was fixing her lips to say "No. Fucking. Way."

-:-

Hi friends! Hope you're staying happy and healthy.

Didn't want to get TOO corny but yes Ino, Sakura, and Hinata are singing Nobody by Mitski. Thought it would be fitting based on the nights Ino and Hinata had had.