Last Time:
"I already got what I wanted," Naruto answered which left the entire room confused. He laughed at their reactions and let Kurama down off his back. "Are you all just going to stand there and stare at me or are we going to party?"
The entirety of the room looked at one another before wearing their own grins and cheering. At that moment, the music began and Kakashi cut the first slice. He handed it to Naruto before stepping away and allowing everyone else to swarm and start cutting and handing back slices in an organized fashion. Naruto managed to get out of the way before he was caught in the swarm and took a seat on the steps beside Minato.
Naruto held out the extra fork he snagged from the table before it was too late and watched Minato take it and smile. Both he and Naruto took a bite of the cake at the same time and wore the same expression on their face.
"Congratulations," Minato said as he picked away another piece from Naruto's slice of cake.
Naruto flinched and looked at Minato. He saw the same Minato smiled at him and he immediately turned as red as Kushina's hair. "H-H-How did you know?"
"It's a secret," Minato answered.
Opposites Attract: Chapter 2 – "Our Not-So-Little Secret"
She let out a heavy sigh as she stood there in the middle of the ice. Her hair was tied up into a messy bun and sweat was on her forehead despite the temperature of the room. She inhaled deeply one more time before closing her eyes and exhaling for five counts. When she heard the gentle piano stream out of the speakers, she began to skate.
Just outside the rink, her mother stood there watching. Beside her sat a camera on a tri-pod to record the practice. The music that filled the room was light and heart-warming, music that would make anyone have hope in something. As she watched, she could see the way her daughter seemed to glow. Her smile was bright and her eyes held enjoyment as she continued. She giggled at the thought of why her daughter was glowing and as the performance ended and the music stopped, she clapped, then stopped the recording.
"I think that might have been your best run of it yet, Hinata," her mother praised as Hinata made her way to the edge of the rink and pick up her towel that was draped over the side. She giggled again as she held up Hinata's water bottle.
"Mother?" Hinata looked at her. "What is it?"
"I remember when I was young and in love," her mother said with a sigh as Hinata blushed. "I remember thinking that your father was the most handsome man I'd ever laid eyes on when I was your age. And I still do to this day but he's just a grumpy old fart nowadays."
"Mother," Hinata stepped out of the rink and took a seat on the bench. She drank from her water bottle as her mother took a seat beside her and continued to stare at her. Hinata looked away, her cheeks becoming pinker the longer her mother stared at her.
"I wonder who is the boy to make my daughter's heart flutter?" her mother questioned as she tapped her chin playfully. "It can't possibly be Toneri, he's much too pale and makes you just as uncomfortable as he makes me. Could it be Sasuke-chan? Ah, it can't be, I hear he has a girlfriend who attends Konoha High School and the two of you are like brother and sister. Wait! I know who it is! It's Neji isn't it?"
Hinata spit out some water and coughed. As her mother pat her back, Hinata looked at her. "Mother! I'm not five anymore!"
Her mother giggled. "You were so cute back then. You used to follow Neji around everywhere and you would always tell your father and I that you wanted to marry Neji. But I guess you grew out of it a very long time ago. The boy you like now is Naruto."
Hinata turned completely red.
"Don't worry, your father doesn't know and he won't know so long as you're careful," her mother advised. "Thankfully your father is so absolved in his work that he doesn't notice that you go on your runs to meet with Naruto."
"How did you find out?" Hinata asked.
"You had left a letter Naruto had written you on your bed," she answered. "I had come in to bring you your laundry but I guess your father had called you to his office. I guess you didn't have time to hide it but luckily it was me who found it and not Natsu-chan or Kou-kun. Be more careful, okay?"
Hinata nodded. She was realized her mother only knew about the one letter and not the three years' worth of letters in the back of her closet. It was no secret to the rest of the Hyuuga Clan that Hinata was forbidden from speaking with Naruto.
Four years ago, Naruto was a student at Konoha City Academy on a Legacy Scholarship because of his family's history with the school. And even though Naruto was two years ahead of Hinata, the two of them still hung out because Hinata and Naruto's best friend – Uchiha Sasuke – competed together in the duet circuits using a violin and piano combination. It wasn't until Naruto's final year of middle school when Hinata's father – Hyuuga Hiashi – forbid Hinata from hanging out with Naruto. The reason being was that Naruto got into a fight with several of his classmates and ended up breaking the arm of one boy, breaking the ankle of another, and injuring the rest. He was kicked out of Konoha City Academy as a result of the conflict.
Hinata and Naruto had managed to stay in contact after the situation but it wasn't until one of Hinata's cousins told Hiashi of Hinata's contact with Naruto. After that, the two of them decided to communicate through writing letters and using Sasuke as the middle man for both as to avoid Hiashi receiving the mail one day and seeing a letter from Naruto.
"I believe you've worked hard enough for the day, don't you agree?" her mother said as she sat on the ground in front of Hinata and began to untie her skates. "There's no need in exhausting yourself before the competition."
"Father would say otherwise," Hinata said and saw her mother smile.
"He just wants you to continue to work hard and achieve even greater heights, that's all," her mother said. "One day he will finally realize that you are indeed a human being and cannot be pushed to do inhuman things. But until that day, we will tell your father what he wants to hear."
Hinata giggled. "Understood."
Downtown Konoha: The Sixteenth Ward – Arcade Lane
To all residents of the City of Konoha – and even to the N.E.E.T and Otaku community everywhere else – the Sixteenth Ward of Konoha was famously known as "The Youth District." It earned its name because of the number of students the seventy city blocks attracted daily. It was a haven for the youth of Konoha because of the number of cafes, lounges, restaurants, shops, and arcades that filled it.
Arcade Lane was home to the twenty arcades. There were the generic arcades that held various games while there were specialist arcades for music rhythm games, fighting, racing, shooting, and even dancing. Every other weekend, the arcades would hold competitions for local professional and competitive players while in the summer, the arcades promoted their tournament and allowed people from all over to participate and aim to win the $50,000 grand prize.
Just outside one of the variety arcades called "This N.E.E.T Collection," Naruto sat outside on the couch and scrolled through his phone. He yawned loudly seeing as he was still exhausted from last night's party and had to get up early this morning to help clean.
"Why're you sitting on the ground, Usuratonkachi?"
Naruto looked up to see his best friend looking down at him. "Teme, you're late."
"I'm not late, you're early," Uchiha Sasuke argued and held out his hand. He pulled Naruto to his feet, Naruto noticing the bag in his hand from a popular shop in the Youth District.
"What were you doing at Heart to Heart?" Naruto questioned. The shop had recently opened and was popular amongst girls. It wasn't hard to spot a bag from that shop either considering that the entire bag was pink with black calligraphy donning the store's name.
"I saw something for Sakura so I went ahead and got it for her," Sasuke answered without missing a beat. He didn't acknowledge the groups of guys that wandered by and whispered about him and he surely didn't acknowledge the cluster of girls who had followed him from the Shopper's Court over to Arcade Lane. "I thought you said she came with you?"
"She did," Naruto answered as he pointed towards the direction of the Center Hub. "We were in the Center Hub when we saw Ino with Chouji and Shikamaru. The two of them went to that new butler café that just opened over on Café Street. I think it was called Milady My Darling. Chouji and Shikamaru went ahead and went over to Rule No. 1 but I told them I was meeting you here at This N.E.E.T Collection."
"Let's go to that café," Sasuke said but more as a demand rather than a recommendation. "I want to go ahead and give this to her so I'm not carrying this around all through Arcade Lane."
"Is that really why you want to give it to her right away?" Naruto questioned and chuckled when Sasuke glared at him. He watched as Sasuke walked ahead and he followed after him. "Don't tell me you're worried about Sakura being in a café full of butlers?"
"Shut up Usuratonkachi," Sasuke said as he smiled at Naruto. "It's the eleventh which means it's not your birthday anymore which means I don't have to be nice to you anymore."
"You're so mean to me," Naruto whined.
Café Street – Milady My Darling
Milady My Darling was the newest addition to Café Street and was already popular amongst the female – and even some male – visitors of The Youth District. Customers enjoyed the fact that all the café's butlers weren't traditional but there were rugged and reserved ones as well. Customers could request what kind of butler they wanted either based on personality or appearance and if they weren't sure, there was a "random" option as well.
As Naruto and Sasuke approached, they saw the line was down the block and around the corner, the inside of the café filled to the brim with customers, all of them wanting to see the roster of butlers that Milady My Darling had to offer.
"Who would've thought that a butler café would be so popular?" Naruto questioned as he and Sasuke walked along the line towards the doors. They were almost to the front when Naruto felt someone tug on the sleeve of his hoodie. He stumbled a bit and looked up to see his cousin. "Karin? What're you doing here?"
"Don't ask stupid questions Naruto," Karin answered before smiling sweetly at Sasuke. "Sasuke-kun, you know, I never got a chance to dance with you last night at the party. I heard that there's supposed to be a bonfire tonight in Center Hub and that there's going to be music, so maybe there you and I could dance together?"
Sasuke looked at Karin and blinked a few times. "Did you say something Karin?"
Naruto snickered and moved his foot out of the way before Karin could stomp on it. He hid behind Sasuke and stuck his tongue out at Karin who glared at him with a jealous rage. He looked back up and down the line and recognized several of his classmates from Konoha High School and former classmates from Konoha City Academy. They all seemed to be whispering to one another and look at him and Sasuke.
"Sasuke-kun?"
Naruto and Sasuke looked towards the outdoor sitting area of Milady My Darling and saw Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino sitting together, coffee in front of them and a desert sampler platter between the two of them.
"There you are," Sasuke approached the railing and handed Sakura the bag from Heart to Heart. "I didn't feel like carrying it until you got done here."
Sakura looked at Sasuke for a moment before opening the bag and looking inside. "You went into Heart to Heart by yourself?"
"Isn't that store pinker than Sakura's hair?" Ino questioned and smiled when Sakura glared at her. "But to think Sasuke went in there by himself, I bet you stuck out like a sore thumb, didn't you Sasuke-kun?"
"Naruto and I are headed to This N.E.E.T Collection so you can find us there if you decide to head over to Arcade Lane," Sasuke informed Sakura before beginning to walk away. "I'll text you if we go somewhere else."
"Ah, Sasuke-kun, wait," Sakura called after him and pouted as Sasuke walked away. "Geez, why are you always running off like that."
Naruto walked alongside Sasuke and chuckled as Sasuke's cheeks turned as pink as Sakura's hair. Before Naruto could say anything, Sasuke punched him in his arm, Naruto feeling the bruise already form beneath his sleeve. "Why are you so mean to me?" Naruto questioned again.
"Shut up," Sasuke answered.
"Sasuke-kun? Naruto-kun?"
Naruto and Sasuke looked to their left and saw Hinata standing with her cousin Hyuuga Neji and his girlfriend Tenten. It was rare to see Hinata in The Youth District seeing as Hiashi kept her on a fairly tight schedule but once in a blue moon she was able to come.
"Hinata, you're free today? That's rare," Sasuke said as they faced her.
Hinata smiled and nodded. "Father said that with all the work I put into getting ready for my performance from yesterday evening that I deserved the afternoon and evening off."
"No Kou today?" Sasuke ask about Hinata's usual bodyguard, caretaker, and attendant.
"I figured Hinata should at least be able to enjoy her day off," Neji commented as he looked at Hinata. He wasn't the biggest fan of Naruto but Neji put Hinata's happiness above anything else. "I managed to convince Hiashi to let Hinata stay until the end of the bonfire too so we'll be here a while."
"Neji-nii-san?" Hinata looked at Neji with a curious expression.
"Ah, that reminds me," Sasuke caught on quickly, "I think I may have left my wallet at Heart to Heart. I'll catch up with you later. See you."
"Sasuke?" Naruto watched as Sasuke made his retreat.
"There's a book I wanted that came out today, hopefully it's not already sold out," Neji said as he looked at Tenten. "Should we go check?"
Tenten smiled and answered, "We should." She linked her arm with Neji's and began to walk away with him. She looked over her shoulder back at the two of them. "Naruto, keep an eye out for Hinata okay?"
"Huh?" Naruto and Hinata said in unison before Neji and Tenten were off and headed towards Shopper's Court. They looked at one another and immediately began to blush at the thought of being left alone for the first time as an official couple.
They stood there awkwardly with one another, the two of them looking everywhere but at one another. Hinata tightened her grip around the strap of her purse as she looked down both directions of the street and then up at the second level out door eating areas of most of the cafes. Naruto tapped the toe of his shoe against the ground with his hands shoved in the pocket of his hoodie.
"Um," the two of them said in unison as they looked at one another. They blushed even more and looked away again, Hinata being a little redder than Naruto.
When they glanced at one another again, Naruto scratched his cheek. "Should we get some coffee?"
Hinata nodded and smiled a little. "Coffee sounds good."
Naruto smiled as well before pointing down the street. "I'm sure The Brewery shouldn't be too crowded with Milady My Darling attracting all the attention. Plus, they have that flower tea blend you like."
"The Brewery it is," Hinata said.
"Great." Naruto grinned at her and held out her hand. "Let's go."
Hinata hesitated for a moment before taking Naruto's hand. They laced their fingers with one another before walking towards The Brewery. She enjoyed the warmth that Naruto's hand provided and how it managed to overpower the coolness of the early October breeze.
To Be Continued…