Last Time:
"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.
Opposites Attract: Chapter 3 – "Trial and Error! Our First Official Date as Boyfriend and Girlfriend!" (Part 1)
The Brewery was known for its rustic appearance and calming aesthetic and thus became a popular study spot for students. However, with students of The City of Konoha being on vacation for another two days because of the recent Kurama Festival, the number of customers were low.
In the back corner of the café, Naruto and Hinata sat across from one another at one of the smaller tables. They sat away from the windows and the main entrance to avoid being seen by one of Hinata's relatives that wasn't beneath running to Hiashi. Neither of them said anything, an air of awkwardness hovering between them.
"It's still kind of hard to believe dattebayo," Naruto spoke up, his verbal tick coming out which led to his cheeks turning pink and Hinata smiling. "These last three years we've been sending letters back and forth to each other through Sasuke and now we're here, together. And not just together as in the same room but actually together."
Hinata nodded as she fidgeted with her fingers. "When you gave me that letter the night before, I had a feeling it was for something like that. After all, you could barely get through a sentence without stuttering and you left so quickly too that I didn't get the chance to give you your birthday card then."
"Ah, you were going to give it to me that night?" Naruto ask and saw Hinata nod. He clapped his hands together and bowed his head towards her. "I'm sorry Hinata. I shouldn't have run off like that but I was so embarrassed that I could only think about getting away before I did something so stupid that you wouldn't be able to look at me the same dattebayo."
Hinata giggled before reaching across the table and holding his hands. She gave him a sweet smile as he looked up at her which caused him to blush more. "It's okay. I understand. Don't worry about it, okay?"
Naruto nodded before looking at their hands. He noticed how Hinata didn't immediately pull away so he took the opportunity to hold her hands properly. He laced his fingers with hers as he had done when they walked together and enjoyed the softness and warmth of her hands. Hinata smiled as well.
"I hate to interrupt but I don't have anywhere to put your tea and coffee if you don't move your hands," their waitress said, neither one of them noticing her approach. She giggled as both Naruto and Hinata quickly withdrew from one another and avoided eye contact with her as she placed down his coffee and her tea before putting down the cinnamon roll they agreed to share. "Enjoy."
"Thank you," they both quickly said in unison before the waitress giggled and walked away again.
Quietly, Naruto added plenty of cream and sugar to his coffee while Hinata added honey to her tea. They stirred their drinks, the clink of their spoons tapping against their cups mimicking one another and filling the silence between them. And together, they each took a sip of their drinks.
"We're both really bad at this," Hinata acknowledged with an innocent smile.
Naruto chuckled and nodded in agreement. "You're right."
After that, the air of awkwardness disappeared. They both talked like they had a million times before. Hinata talked about the preparations she was going through for her next figure skating competition in November on top of preparing for the Daimyo Celebration at the end of December between Christmas and New Year's Eve. Naruto – as always – promised to attend both performances and hoped he wouldn't have to wear a disguise again.
Hinata laughed at the memory of Naruto having to dye his hair black and wear contacts along with getting Sakura to cover his whisker birthmarks with foundation. "I think Father actually liked 'Menma' so you may have to bring him around again."
Naruto rolled his eyes as Hinata continued to laugh. "Menma" was the name Sasuke made up on the spot when the two of them went to congratulate Hinata on her performance. Thankfully, Sasuke also managed to come up with a backstory of "Menma" being his cousin who lived in Suna City with an aunt, thus the reason he wasn't pale like the rest of them. Hiashi bought it. Hiyori – Hinata's mother – knew better.
"Do you know how long it took for me to find the right color dye to make my hair blonde again?" Naruto questioned. "My hair ended up being platinum blonde like Ino's at one point. Sakura-chan refused to dye it again so when I did it by myself, it turned out pink. Okaa-chan and Otou-san kept stealing the extra boxes of dye I bought just so they could see my hair be pink."
"I remember," Hinata said as she pulled out her phone and went to her gallery. She typed in a passcode to get to the locked albums and show Naruto a picture of himself with pink hair. "Sasuke snuck a picture for me."
"Ah!" Naruto tried to take the phone but Hinata dropped her phone back into her purse. "Hinata, please delete the picture."
"I like it," Hinata said with a smile and the only thing Naruto could do was sit back down. She giggled and watched as the waitress approached with their receipt.
Naruto sighed as he picked up the receipt and checked the price before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his wallet. He watched as Hinata finished the last of her tea and chuckled at the look of disappointment on her face. "Come on, we'll order you a tea to go."
"Are you sure? I don't mind paying for it?" Hinata said as she grabbed her purse and stood up with him.
Naruto waved his hand. "Absolutely not. I'll cover it," Naruto said as he helped Hinata put her jacket back on.
After Naruto paid and Hinata got her tea, the two of them walked outside and began to walk towards the Center Hub. As they walked, Hinata listened to Naruto complain about how badly Hiashi grilled her about having run off after her performance. Naruto apologized for his part in getting Hinata in trouble but she shook her head before linking her arm with Naruto's.
As they two of them walked, neither of them noticed the looks they were getting. Though it wasn't public knowledge that Hinata was to stay away from Naruto, it was public knowledge that they were from two very different worlds.
Hyuuga Hinata was the Heiress to the Hyuuga Clan and Heiress to Hyuuga Incorporated. The Hyuuga Clan was known for being one of the more prominent and prestigious clans in the City of Konoha and Fire Country itself. When it came to Hinata's place in the Hyuuga Clan, she was at the forefront since she was born.
Uzumaki Naruto was the Heir to the Whirlwind Yakuza, the son to Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina. Being the son to the infamous Yellow Flash and Red Hot Habanero made Naruto feared as the Orange Fox in what was known as the Shadows of Konoha. He was known for getting into fights and being the cause for a lot of trouble most the time. Though the Whirlwind Yakuza was in the business of providing protecting against smaller gangs, it wasn't uncommon for members of the Whirlwind Yakuza to clash with those smaller gangs from time to time.
"Want to go to Cinema Circle?" Naruto questioned. Cinema Circle was the patch in The Youth District where the movie theater and several video stores and inns were located. The video inns were popular amongst a lot of the students because you had the opportunity to rent whatever movie the inn had available and rent a room as well. There were rooms small enough for two people and big enough for groups of twenty where they could watch the movie they rented and return it afterward. The inns even had room service.
"Are you sure? If we go to the theater then someone from school might see us," Hinata said as she gripped Naruto's arm a little tighter. "There's no telling what Father would do if he found out that Neji-nii-san left me alone with you."
"Don't worry, we can always try one of the inns. One of the lower profile ones is Take Two, isn't it? We can just go there and pick a few movies and rent a room," Naruto recommended. "That way, we can avoid being spotted any more than we have."
Hinata turned red.
"Hinata?" Naruto looked at her. "What is it?"
"N-Nothing," Hinata stuttered. "Let's go."
Cinema Circle: Take Two – Suite 107
"Suite 107," Naruto looked up and saw that the number on the door matched the key in his hand. He unlocked the door and saw it was a standard sized room with a plush couch and large TV. He nodded in approval before looking back at Hinata whose face was still red. "Hinata, are you okay? If you're not feeling well then say so and we can go find Neji."
Hinata shook her head violently before marching into the room and sitting on the far end of the couch. Naruto scratched his cheek in confusion before walking in and closing the door behind him. He placed the key onto the end table beside the door and removing his couch. He draped his jacket against the back of the couch and taking a seat.
"I heard that they had really good pizza here," Naruto said as he picked up the menu from the coffee table in front of them. "I think I heard their nachos were good too but I can't remember if that was this place or Roll Credits next door."
Hinata barely heard a word Naruto said. The only thing she could think about were the things her classmates said they had done in the video inns. The thought of her and Naruto doing those kinds of things just caused a violent pounding in her chest and caused her mind to wander.
"Hinata?" Naruto called her again and saw she was still fidgeting with the edge of her skirt and staring down at the ground. "Hey, Hinata," Naruto called again and put a hand on her shoulder. He jumped when Hinata jumped, the two of them looking at one another with looks of confusion. "Hinata, what's wrong?"
"I'm sorry!" Hinata apologized. "I guess I zoned out and forgot where I was for a second, forgive me."
"You zoned out?" Naruto repeated, a sadden expression coming across his face. "I figured I was bad at this kind of thing but not that bad that you would zone out like that."
Hinata flared up and took a seat next to Naruto. She took his hand and squeezed it gently. "I didn't mean it like that. It's just that…"
Naruto looked at her and saw she was pink now.
"At school," Hinata began, her heart still pounding, "some of my friends talk about coming to the video inns all the time. But they don't actually come here to watch movies but to do other stuff."
"Other stuff?" Naruto repeated and saw Hinata blush some more. After a few seconds, his cheeks turned pink as well. "Oh…I guess I would zone out too. Ah but don't worry! I won't do that sort of thing with you! I mean, I want to but not right now of course!"
Hinata watched as Naruto continued to stumble over his words and make up for this mistake and that. She giggled and Naruto relaxed at the sound of it. He wore a stupid grin on his face when Hinata planted a gentle kiss on his cheek and he continued to wear it when she looked down at the menu.
"Let's get pizza," Hinata recommended as she smiled at Naruto.
Naruto nodded in agreement. After the pizza was ordered and the movie had started, both were still a little anxious but not as much as before. Hinata sat on one end of the couch and Naruto sat on the other out of respect. When there was a knock at the door, Hinata jumped. Naruto didn't acknowledge it since he was sure Hinata was embarrassed enough and received their pizza.
They both sat towards the middle of the couch after the pizza arrived and allowed their legs to touch. They were seemingly more comfortable with the idea of being in a room alone and after a while, Naruto could put his arm around Hinata's shoulder and let Hinata rest her head on his shoulder. It was then during their closeness that Naruto – and even Hinata, began to remember their kiss from the night before.
"Is it okay?" Naruto questioned and saw Hinata look at him.
Hinata looked at him for a moment before nodding her approval.
To Be Continued…