star vessel

From a jealous boyfriend to missions together, honeymoon, overprotective husband, nightmares and reveries. Everything from the moon and back.
Chronological One-Shots / Canon-Compliant / Post-War / After The Last
(Can be an extension read for secret lovers)

Disclaimer: Characters and several scenarios in this work belong to Masashi Kishimoto et al.

entry ten

prompt

Konoha might be at peace but it doesn't mean that their relationship can't experience a little bit of turbulence.

/thoughts/

an idea or opinion occurring suddenly in the mind

"Are you still Naruto-senpai's girlfriend?" A girl with her group of friends asked Hinata.

The moment she entered the gates of Konoha she was welcomed by them. She knew that these girls were stalking her for a while now, but they seemed harmless, so she let them be, but she's having a very uneasy feeling about everything right now.

"Y-Yes, I am. Why?" She asked. Although she's wishing Sakura-chan and Ino-chan were with her, she knew she must face these girls alone. After all, she's a wartime kunoichi and have already faced grimmer obstacles than her fiancé's fangirls.

"How come? I thought it was the pink-haired one whom he's been crushing on this whole time?" The other one spoke, and they all agreed.

Hinata closed her eyes to calm herself. She shouldn't be carried away by all this.

Naruto stretched his arms and yawned so loudly. Who knows being a hokage meant paperworks, right? Yuck.

"Shikamaru…I finished this stuff already. Can I go now please?"

His raven-haired friend knew that Hinata was about to be back from her mission. He didn't even bat an eye on the stack of papers. "Whatever, just go."

The blonde cheered and hurriedly went out of the office while saying goodbye to everyone. He hadn't seen Hinata for like, a day! Can you imagine it… a day! He must see her now. He had a lot to tell her!

Approaching the gates, however, he saw Hinata being cornered by some of the girls who used to follow him. He saw discomfort in her stance and he immediately walked towards the scene.

"That's true, but what's between me and Naruto-kun right now are much more important. I'm sure you'll understand what it means one day. I'm sorry, but I think I have to-"

"Hinata!" Naruto went by her side and the girls screamed. He might be dense sometimes, but Sakura-chan had discussed with him about this already. Now, he's certain of what to do.

He just ignored the girls and proceeded on welcoming Hinata back to the village.

"I miss you, a lot!" He hugged her tight in front of them and Hinata embraced him back.

"Me too, Naruto-kun…" She hid her face in his chest and muttered, "We're in front of them…"

"I know!" He whispered happily and giggled.

Naruto held her hand and walked her away from the crowd announcing, "We have a date! I'm sorry."

The girls whined from behind them, which made Naruto and Hinata giggle.

It's such a relief that they could finally enjoy the day with just the two of them. Still, Naruto was worrying how long will those girls bother Hinata. He hadn't heard what they said, but he's sure that it bothered her somehow. The only thing he could do was reassure her and make her happy.

He brought her to her favorite stationery shop. She told him that this was where she bought the materials for the red scarf she knitted him. They were browsing through the different yarns and beads and some other sewing items too.

"Oh, Hinata! This color looks…" Naruto looked around to see that a stranger stopped Hinata for a conversation. It looked like they knew each other by the way they talked. He foolishly hid behind a shelf eavesdrop into their conversation."

"I never thought that you'll be as beautiful as ever." The dumbass stranger said, and Naruto immediately came out from his hiding.

"Oh…thank you. Actually, I'm with, Naruto-kun." Hinata was surprised to find him already beside her with an arm around her shoulder.

"That's right!" Naruto laughed, but it wasn't the happy kind of laugh. "I'm the boyfriend." He reached his hand out to the guy.

The two shared an awkward handshake and the stranger already said goodbye.

There was tension and Naruto wouldn't deny it. This made him quiet for the duration of their date, until they stopped by at the park.

"Is everything alright with you, Naruto-kun?" Hinata finally asked.

Naruto chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Nah, I'm okay!"

He wasn't and Hinata knew.

They remained silent for a while as if they're both trying to collect their thoughts.

Naruto knew that he couldn't be petty. He knew he couldn't just be upset at Hinata just because he's jealous. It's his problem. He's the one at fault, so making her feel bad was something so unsettling for him. In addition, he's sure as hell that those girls earlier said something rude to Hinata already.

However, he's frustrated. Because despite keeping everything to himself seemed to be the best option, he's not one to keep his thoughts away. He's always been so transparent. Perhaps, there's a way he could better put how he felt.

"Uh…Hinata?" Naruto called out and she tilted her head sideways as a response. "I have this silly question, please don't take it seriously…It's just…Hmmm…What if there's a girl who really wants to take me away, uh, just like Toneri but it's a girl and it's me and uh...I know it's stupid just forget it!?"

Hinata stared at him her eyes wide from the question, but then she averted her gaze—a sweet yet melancholic smile formed on her face. "If Naruto-kun, wants to go then, I'll let you go."

What? Naruto was surprised. Maybe he should just keep his mouth shut, but… "You-you won't fight for me?"

There was ache in his voice which she quickly picked up on. She rapidly turned to him and tried to explain, "It's not like that. What I meant was…"

Now, he made her feel bad. It was all his fault, he thought. He fake-chuckled and said, "I told you! That's a silly question! Don't worry, Hinata. I get it. I get it -ttebayo."

They fell quiet for a while until he choked up, "Okay, I didn't get it, but that's a bad question after all."

"I mean, if Naruto-kun loves someone else then…I'll set you free." She explained.

"Would you…Would you really believe that I'll love someone else other than you?" He asked and his tone said that he couldn't just believe it. He's hurt.

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata didn't know how to properly word it especially when their love for each other came from the polar sides.

Naruto saw worry in her eyes and knew that they weren't understanding each other at the moment."

"Maybe I'm just so tired from those boring paperworks. You also need to get a rest from your mission -ttebayo!" He smiled at her but there's still a tint of sadness in it. "Hmm...Let's rest for today?"

The walk home was silent. Hinata was always quiet but she knew that there was something unspoken this time. She took a bath after getting home and prepared for bedtime all the while she hadn't heard a word from Naruto-kun.

She laid into her bed, but her stare was unmoving from the dolls she created which she modeled after her and Naruto-kun. She couldn't bring herself to sleep. After all, this was their first misunderstanding as a couple. She wondered if she handled it well—if space was really what they needed or was it better if they should've just talked it out.

She was musing and overthinking about what transpired when she sensed a familiar presence approaching her room. The windows made a sound and she tried to turn her head to meet its direction.

"Naruto-kun?" She whispered—her voice seeming loud due to the silence of her room.

"Shh…Hinata…"

She attempted to face him, but he embraced her and held her firmly in her place.

No words were needed at that moment. Lying there, wrapped in the silence of her dark room, they were welcomed by the reality of their love for each other.

"I'm just so scared that I might…" Naruto said with a voice carrying some hint of ache from the past.

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata shifted and faced him. She cradled his face in between her hands. Her eyes looked at him with pure sincerity and tears triggering to form. "I want you to be happy."

She spent most of her life pining for him from afar, while he suffered for almost letting the love he dreamed of all his life slip from his grasp. All they could do was accept that, although they may love differently, the feelings they have for each other was of the same weight and depth.

Hinata was used to letting him go, but Naruto couldn't afford to lose her anymore.

He cradled her cheek with his hand gently brushing the light blush she had with his thumb. "I'm happy with you."

With that, they pressed their foreheads together. There's just something so sweet yet lonely about their love. It almost felt like they owe every moment of being together to the world. It's like sometime, some other day, in a distant future, the universe might take them away from each other again.

However, they won't miss it for the world.

They'd rather battle through the pain, the loneliness and the uncertainty than live a life not having each other to have, to hold and to love.

Naruto squeezed her tight to him. Right here at this very moment, space and time didn't really matter. A smile appeared on his face when he felt Hinata reciprocate his embrace. Life was good even if it's just for now.

The wind blew quite strongly outside, and it prompted Naruto to snuggle a bit more and Hinata giggled at his cuddliness. However, it also made the vase near Hinata's window to fall outside—its shattering was obviously audible. He forgot to close her window!

"I gotta hurry! I just sneaked in." Naruto half-whispered and immediately stood up planning to escape from her window.

Oh shit! Shit! They couldn't be caught this way! They weren't even doing anything!

"Be careful, Naruto-kun." Hinata bade him and he flashed her a reassuring grin.

He peered outside before jumping, unfortunately some of the clansmen were already roaming near her bedroom from the outside of the manor.

She got up to help Naruto and tried to handle the scenario.

"I just forgot to close my window. I'm sorry, Ko-san." She informed him—her former guardian who knew her so well. Somehow, she knew about this too and she knew for sure that Ko might have an inkling for the real reason behind this. His expression said it so.

The man just let out a sigh. "Sure, Hinata-sama. Just please remember to close it next time. By the way, Hiashi-sama might be approaching your room with Hanabi-sama."

"Th-thank-" Before she could even finish her sentence, she and Naruto both heard footsteps approaching her room.

Hinata calmly resigned to their fate as Naruto panicked and hid under her bed. The door to her bedroom opened and, indeed, it was her father.

"Are you okay, Hinata?" He asked.

"Yes, it's just my window is…"

"Hmmm!" Hanabi entered the scene and rolled her eyes. "Seriously, do you think hiding under the bed will get away from our byakugan, Uzumaki Naruto nii-san?"

Hinata turned her reddened face away as Naruto crawled from under her bed and begged for his life. "I'm sorry! So sorry! I promise! I don't have that kind of intention! I just wanted to apologize to Hinata and…I don't mind it if you just kill me now it's all my fault dattebayo!"

Hiashi sighed after hearing the blonde's plea. "Let's talk."

Oh no.

"Otou-" Hinata tried to interject, but her father mildly cut her off.

"I'll take care of this, Hinata. This is for your own good."

"But-"

Naruto got up and and confidently assured her, "Your father's right, Hinata. I gotta face this. I got reckless after all."

Hinata watched as her father took Naruto to a separate room for a private conversation. She stood there nervously with her sister. Who knows? Her father might be against them. This was at odds with the proper Hyuga decorum anyway.

She knew so well that Naruto-kun would fight for her and she would stand by him too, but getting together when someone's against it just felt so wrong. Also, the emotional weight of it…After all they've been through, altercations like this especially from her family...

"What?!" Naruto's loud voice bellowed outside, which made Hinata more nervous.

"Consequences of being mischievous…nee-san has never been this daring." Her little sister teased her in attempts to diffuse her tension, but it was not effective enough.

The shoji doors opened, and the two girls braced themselves for some drama.

"Next month," the Hyuga head advised.

"No problem!" Naruto agreed with so much excitement.

Huh?!

Naruto approached Hinata and held her hands tightly. "I'm super excited -ttebayo!"

"It was an easy conversation, I would say." Her father commented rather satisfied.

The blonde let go of her hand and beamed joyously. "Our wedding is moved next month!"

"What?!" The Hyuga sisters said in surprise with Hanabi clinging to her sister's arm.

"Yes, we have already discussed it, Hinata. Since you're both at the age, where…aherm, it is important to take matters like this into consideration." Hiashi reasoned.

Naruto nodded his head enthusiastically and proudly said, "Right! Plus, I don't like other guys bothering you anymore! Those girls can be extreme at times too. So what do you say?"

Yes, they already had talks regarding their wedding for countless times now. Kakashi-sensei even paid a visit for a proper conversation regarding this matter since Naruto-kun had no parents left. Also, the other clansmen were even more excited for the both of them that she caught some of the ladies picking out her wedding kimono just for fun.

Hinata examined the serious look of her father, the excited sight of her fiance and her sister's confused gaze. "I guess I have to think about it? But we can start with the preparation."

"Yes, we can prepare now! I'll tell Kakashi-sensei tomorrow!" Naruto announced.

"If that's your decision, I'll call in some of our affiliates so you can choose the catering services tomorrow." Her father informed.

Hinata and Hanabi shared a look with each other and both girls sighed. Even if she's still going to think about it, indeed, it looked like the wedding's gonna happen next month.

Hello everyone!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know this ain't a fluffy one, but let's all take a break from all the fluff. I want to clear some air in this chapter and probably add an issue that they'll resolve further into the future.

See you next next week!

xxQuirrrky