The Third Date
"The rules of fair play don't apply when you're romancing a girl. Just be prepared to get your ass kicked when shit falls apart. All you really need to learn is how to duck—and how to do it fast."
Jiraiya, Icha Icha Tactics, Chapter Two
For some reason, Naruto found himself seeking different sources to help him woo Hinata. He knew he was out of practice with relationships, and even though talking with his friends was probably the better option, he did something that tested his intelligence. He knew it was a bad idea to consult the books his godfather had written, but searched through them he did.
Maybe because this whole thing with Hinata started at his godfather's place. Or maybe because he just wanted reassurance that what he was about to do was okay—and he knew that his friends would probably dissuade him from going ahead with this plan.
Which was why a few days later, Naruto found himself alone, sweating under the spotlights and subtly fanning himself. He shifted uncomfortably on the stiff couch and tried to keep his smile in place. It was really difficult because he was so hot under the lights of the studio.
His host, a well-known personality in the news industry, was laughing at his joke, brown eyes twinkling as she sat opposite him on her sofa.
Hers looked plush, soft, and cushiony, while his couch was making his butt hurt. He shifted to a more comfortable position but found none.
Obviously, her guests were meant to be uncomfortable when she grilled them during her interviews.
"Okay, Hokage-sama," she was saying. "I guess you're right. There will be more time later to discuss the policies that recently just got passed. I completely believe that Shikamaru would kill you if you discussed it in excruciating detail on TV."
"Yup!"
The older woman then moved on to the next topic she really wanted to cover. "So then the question everyone in Konoha wants to know is who your date for the upcoming Rinnegan Gala will be. Would you like to enlighten us or is that information a state secret?"
He took a deep breath. It was now or never.
"Actually, I have a woman in mind."
The tv host's eyes flashed with excitement. She leaned further. "Oh, how wonderful!"
He raised his hands in the air as if to calm her down. "But I haven't asked her yet."
She frowned in surprise. "Really?!"
"Nope. I haven't even talked to her about going to the gala with me yet."
She smiled. "But I hope she's watching this so whoever this mystery woman is will have a hint, at least!"
He laughed. "That's why I need your help. I hope she'll say yes."
She gave an even bigger laugh. "Once you ask her, I doubt she'll say no now since you've called her out so publicly."
"That was the plan," he murmured. He turned his head, found, then flashed a smile directly into the camera.
His host was enjoying herself and even became a conspirator in this game he was playing. "Hokage-sama, are you guilting her into becoming your date?!"
He laughed again. "You could say that."
Her look was eager as she asked, "Are you allowed to tell us her name?"
Hinata Hyuuga.
It was her name.
It was his voice.
But it was coming from the television speakers…?
Hinata's heart started pounding, unable to believe it. Hoping she was just hearing things, she continued this conversation with her student who had paused on her way out of the classroom to chat with her.
Hinata didn't want to look, didn't want to check.
They were all in the lobby of her school, at the reception area where everyone could gather and chat while waiting for their lesson. The television was always kept on for those students who arrived early for class and had time to spare.
"Sorry?" the host was asking on television.
"Hinata. Of the Hyuugas," came Naruto's smooth voice, all sweet and engaging.
Her student suddenly broke off in the middle of the conversation to look at the television in surprise. Then she glanced at Hinata again, her eyes wide open, her eyebrows all the way up to her hairline.
Hinata stiffened but she kept her back resolutely turned away from the screen because she suddenly felt faint.
No.
There was no way.
Naruto said he was working today.
"You might have heard of her?" his voice came again, addressing the host.
That sounded exactly like him, though, and it seemed like Naruto was talking about something important, like he'd mentioned a big announcement.
That somehow involved her.
But it just couldn't be! She shook her head slowly, denial thrumming through her even as the conversation on television continued.
Naruto wouldn't be that bold! He was supposed to be working today, doing Hokage stuff that affected the village, not talking to a talk show host on one of the most—if not the most popular—shows on daytime TV.
"Yes, the woman I'm taking to the Rinnegan Gala is Hinata Hyuuga."
Shit.
There was no mistaking it.
The shocked silence among her students was hard to deny. She was still turned away from everyone in the lobby but she could feel all of them staring at her back so she wiped suddenly clammy hands on her work pants.
"Hinata Hyuuga?" the tv host repeated her name, her tone puzzled. Then she must have remembered who she was because she then said, "Oh! That's right! I remember now. She's that ikebana artist, the daughter of Hiashi Hyuuga, one of the most celebrated Japanese gardeners in all of Konoha. Her sister is the up-and-coming niwashi who became very famous for redesigning the Daimyo's private garden."
Unable to deny it anymore, Hinata finally turned her gaze to the television screen—just as the camera panned to the Hokage's face, zooming in on the expression there, on the smile he flashed into the screen that was oozing with so much charm and so much sexy warmth. Whatever they'd done to him, the camera decidedly made him look larger than life, so glamorous and provocative.
"Yes, that is the Hinata Hyuuga I'm talking about," he was saying directly into the camera.
As one, all her students sighed dreamily at the screen then swung their speculative gazes back to her.
It took all Hinata's composure not to freak out.
Because there Naruto was, brazenly, on television, fully revealing to the entire world their relationship.
And Hinata almost lost it when her sister suddenly breezed into the lobby, confirmed everyone's suspicions, and ratted out her secret relationship with the Hokage when Hanabi happily screamed, "Nee-chan! You didn't say you were going to the Rinnegan Gala with the Hokage!"
"I didn't!"
But like Hanabi, everyone was squealing so loudly, they drowned out her objections.
Hinata frowned at all of them. "Shh! Everyone calm down! It's not fully decided yet. I never told him I was going to the gala with him. I might not even go!"
"What?! Why not?"
"You just heard him. We've never even talked about it. This is the first time I've even heard of the event from him."
Everyone started protesting.
This is why I asked him to keep our relationship a secret! she fumed inwardly.
But with all the hopeful, expectant faces looking at her, she had a sinking feeling she was going to get suckered into something she didn't want to do again. Same thing that happened when her cousin Haruhi had roped her into pretending to be a geisha.
Argh!
She was going to have to talk to Naruto later. He'd promised to come by after work.
But he was still speaking to the talk show host.
"That's very exciting, Hokage-sama! I'm glad you have a date, but I'm a little sad that you didn't ask me to be your date," the older woman said with a pout.
Naruto laughed. "Oh, I'm very sure somebody else already beat me to it. A woman like you could never lack for dates!"
She smiled at him. "Hokage-sama! How smooth you are! Actually, you're right. But we're all excited to see you at the Rinnegan Gala with your mystery woman."
He looked straight at the camera again, and Hinata had the feeling he was addressing her. She flushed again as more tittering from her students reached her ears.
"I'm looking forward to it," Naruto said.
"Thank you for gracing us today, Nanadai-me."
Then the camera panned to the TV host, whose eyes first flicked to Naruto's face with a fond gleam. But her smile as she looked into the camera was wide and self-indulgent. She had just scored the biggest scoop of the century.
"So there you have it, folks. Aren't you curious now to see how Hinata Hyuuga will react to this turn of events from our very slick and—dare I say it—smitten Hokage?"
He got to the gates and saw the reporters buzzing in front of her home.
Naruto groaned inwardly then sighed outwardly. He'd known this was going to happen, a risk he'd been willing to take when he'd made the decision without her approval to publicly declare their relationship to all of Konoha.
But he just didn't want Hinata disappearing from his life and he'd resorted to underhanded tactics to try to keep her by his side. He hoped she would forgive him.
First, though, there was some damage control to do.
Hanabi and Hiashi suddenly appeared before the gates and the cameras started snapping, the reporters suddenly started shouting their questions.
"Hiashi Hyuuga!"
"When did this relationship start?"
"Were you guys aware that the two of them were dating?"
"How did the two of them meet?"
"Hanabi, over here! We need more shots of you!"
"What do you think of your sister going out with the Hokage?"
Hanabi ignored the reporters' questions but she found Naruto's eyes through the crowd. There was a smile on her face and the lavender eyes glinting at him were full of approval.
Naruto sensed an ally so he stepped forward and made his presence known to the reporters. Immediately, the cameras started clicking and the flash almost blinded him.
"Look, guys," he said as blinked at them. "You aren't helping my case if you come all the way to her house and scare her away!"
Most of the press laughed while he kept walking and finally made it to her father's side.
Hiashi nodded at him briefly and then on cue, without the three of them saying anything aloud to each other, together, they faced the crowd of reporters.
"Come on guys, cut me a break! I really need you to lay off Hinata for a couple of days," Naruto said with his most self-deprecating smile.
They laughed.
"But Hokage-sama, you're the one who caused all this! This is your own grave you're digging!"
Naruto snorted. "Yeah, but don't rush to bury me! Help me out here. She doesn't need all this unwanted attention from reporters. You guys can follow me around if you want, but she's off-limits."
"Off-limits?! No way! You brought her into the limelight and now we're curious about her. We just want to know what kind of woman would make the Hokage act this way on national TV."
Hiashi cleared his throat loudly. "The kind of woman who values privacy and peace of mind."
Some of the reporters flushed guiltily.
Hanabi, who was used to attention and knew how to work a crowd, flashed the press a teasing smile. "You know, I never got this much attention when I made my splash. Nobody bothered to knock on the door when the Daimyo himself complimented me on the work I did on his garden!"
"Hanabi! Don't be like that! You know we love you!"
"Okay, I forgive you guys," she said with a charming smile. Then she struck a pose and the cameras started flashing, capturing her still in her work attire looking attractively disheveled.
"As the Hokage said, he's fair game," Hiashi said with a calm expression on his face. "I'd appreciate it if you let Hinata be for a few days, especially before the gala. On the day of the event, I won't get in the way of your jobs to follow her around and make a big deal of her and the dinner."
Half of the reporters grumbled, the other half shrugged.
"What? Am I not enough to keep you guys occupied?!" Naruto asked with a mocking snort. "You don't need to go after her when there's so much to cover with the things I do. Hell, I'll even dress up in a clown suit and juggle some pins in the air."
Again, laughter filled the air.
"Because I'll do it if it means you leave her alone," Naruto said. His tone was airy, but the light in his eyes was fierce and everyone understood how much this meant to him.
"Just a few days," he promised them. There was grumbling, but Naruto sensed them capitulating to his wish.
At least, until she calms down, he thought to himself.
"Hokage-sama! You owe us!"
"Yup! Appreciate it guys!"
Naruto waved to the departing reporters.
But then he started sweating. Phase one was over. Now he had to deal with an angry woman for phase two.
He shook himself to give himself a little boost of encouragement.
Because he might not even attend the Rinnegan gala if she was angry enough to refuse him. He didn't think he'd be able to face everyone if Hinata said no.
They watched as the last reporter rounded the corner and finally left the Hyuugas standing next to the Hokage.
Hanabi smiled at him but said nothing.
Eyes full of sympathy, Hinata's father turned to him, laid an encouraging hand on Naruto's shoulder, squeezed, and said, "Good luck with Hinata. You're a smart Hokage, but damn, son. That was probably the dumbest thing you could've ever done."
Naruto finally let out the groan he'd been holding in.
"Shit."
"Yup," Hanabi said with a laugh.
He knew she was livid. She was fairly vibrating with anger when he walked into her workroom at home.
Hanabi had pointed to the glasshouse and Naruto had glimpsed Hinata inside standing with her back to him, busily snipping the stems of a large monstera leaf.
"Scream as loud as you can and I'll come running to save you," Hanabi murmured jokingly.
He laughed, but he was filled with dread when she left him alone to face the fuming woman inside the glasshouse.
"Hinata," he called out gingerly.
She turned around at his voice. As soon as she saw him, her jaw clenched, her eyes narrowed, but she said nothing. Instead, she picked up a pair of sharp scissors and deliberately, coldly, snipped off a large piece of the plant's stem.
Naruto gulped, imagining what she wanted to do to him—and to which body part.
But now he knew that even though she was a gentle creature at heart, she had a temper when she was pushed over the edge.
For some reason, though, he warmed at the thought because it was one more thing he was discovering about her. Another piece to the puzzle that made Hinata who she was.
Still, though, he knew he was in trouble.
"Hinata, I'm sorry."
She huffed, but her voice quivered with indignation when she said, "You broke your promise."
"I did," he admitted. "But you know what, I'm not really sorry about that part."
Her eyes widened and her eyebrows rose up. She was about to say something, but he interrupted her.
"I'm only sorry that I made you angry, but I am not sorry for going on TV."
She took a deep breath. He could see she was trying really hard to rein in her temper. Then she looked at him again, anger making her eyes burn fiercely but Hinata froze, clamped her mouth shut, unable to say anything.
He didn't blame her one bit, but he was unrepentant. What's done was done. There was no going back, but he would try to make it up to her when she was calm enough to understand why he did what he did.
"Naruto," she said after taking another deep breath. "Why? Why would you go and do something like that?!"
He took a step toward her and her eyes glared at him warningly as she picked up the scissors again and started snipping mindlessly at the poor plant she still held in her hand.
He stopped when he was close enough to her but still away from the reach of her scissors. She stared at him coolly while she waited for his explanation, which made him rake his hands through his hair nervously.
"Look, Hinata. There's a part of me that when I'm with you, I just ...I don't know! I just want to stake my claim on you. I just want to show everyone that you're mine and this was the only thing I could think of."
She dropped her scissors, jerking in surprise at his words. She blinked at him and Naruto sensed that this was something she wasn't expecting to hear, which puzzled him and caused him to explain further how he felt.
"I know it's antiquated and embarrassing, but I don't know what it is! Every time we're together, I can't think properly, and I'm just reduced to being a caveman and a barbarian," he said, shrugging his shoulders uncomfortably.
Then he looked at her and held his hands out helplessly. "Look, it's been a while since I've been in a relationship, and I was always honest about that part with you. Maybe I'm just rusty."
"That's not a good enough excuse to disregard what you did today, though."
He smiled at her and decided to lay everything out. "Hinata, maybe I'm just tired of being alone. I like being with you so much that the thought of somebody else stealing you away from me fills me with dread. So when I went on TV, I just thought that would stop everyone from even approaching you so I don't have to worry about you disappearing from my life."
She sighed with frustration. "Where are all these men that you think are hounding me, Naruto?! You act like I have so many admirers, but at this point, you're the only one I'm with."
At her words, his heart filled with relief, then, joy. But her eyes were still flashing fire, which made him wary of celebrating so openly. "Hinata! I just want to make it clear to everyone that you belong with me."
"Naruto!" she said. "What are you so worried about?! There are no other guys!"
"You say that, but you don't see what I see. You're beau—"
"No!" she cried out, holding up a hand and shaking her head in denial. "Don't flatter me! I don't want to hear it! I am still angry. You disregarded my feelings in this very important matter, went ahead and acted without consulting me!"
"I know and I'm really sorry about that part," he said again. "You can go ahead, slap my face, tell me to go to hell because I really acted like an ass."
She picked up the scissors she'd dropped and banged them on the table. She folded her arms and glared at him. "Naruto. Don't tempt me, because I want to do it so badly, I am barely holding on."
He took a step closer and nodded contritely. "And if you really don't want to go with me to the gala, I'll understand. You can say no."
But Naruto really hoped not. He was insincere about that part. Because he knew that the only way he would enjoy going to that event was if she was by his side.
"Argh!" she yelled. This time, she added an angry little stomp of the foot that had him smiling slightly.
Hinata saw his smile and picked up the scissors again, making him take a hasty step back. She hacked at the last remaining bits of the plant, making Naruto wince at the abuse she was inflicting on that poor, innocent victim.
"Naruto! I can't say no now that you've forced my hand! And that's one more reason why I am so angry at you. You didn't even tell me anything about the gala, then you just declared so publicly that I'm your date! I just hate feeling like I don't have a choice in anything!"
His amusement died at that last bit. "Hinata, I really am sorry. I don't want to force you, and if you really don't want to go with me, you don't have to."
She stopped and looked at him, when she finally heard the sincerity of his apology in his tone.
"Please don't do it again, Naruto. I just want to know first before you decide on things? Especially if it's going to affect the both of us," she finally said. Her voice was soft when she slowly added, "I just don't want you to be that kind of guy."
He flinched, finally understanding.
Ah.
Which meant her nameless ex-boyfriend was that kind of guy.
He frowned, hating the comparison, but her shoulders were still held stiffly. He wanted her so much to relax and to forgive him for being sneaky about the Rinnegan Gala. But at least she said she was going...right?
He stayed quiet for a few more moments, sensing her anger dying, giving her time to get over her frustration at her wishes being ignored. He glanced briefly at the last vestiges of the plant and said a quiet prayer that it took the brunt of her frustration and not him.
When she was finally breathing calmly, he ventured a tentative, "So about the gala? Will you go with me as my date?"
She sighed but she looked him in the eyes and said, "Yes."
Which made him whoop with joy and then stride to her, pick her up so he could finally lean down to kiss her on the lips.
Her arms wrapped around him, hands over his shoulder blades and squeezing gently, making him melt with relief.
Bless her. His Hinata.
She'd forgiven him.
Hinata believed him when he said he was sorry but not sorry.
But she was still angry… right?
Right?
But she was also horny, Hinata thought with frustration, because damn it.
The truth was, him being a caveman and staking his claim on her had unleashed a burst of secret feminine exultation to know that she could somehow reduce him to that state. That he would be jealous of these imaginary-other-men showing an interest in her.
Because the reality and the truth she'd told him was that there were no others, no other man but him.
This gorgeous Hokage who had looked so uncertain and so contrite standing before her and apologizing as if he'd never wanted to wound her—but he was possessive enough to admit that he wanted her all to himself.
And really, it was so unfair, but there was no denying that he was a good-looking man...who was kissing her so thoroughly, she was losing all coherent thought. His lips were opening her up to his tongue, his hands on her jaw now, urging her mouth wider to take him in. And when he was done with that, his hand was at the back of her head, angling her so she could take more. The other hand was at her lower back pressing her closer to his body.
So unfair.
Because he really was such a good kisser.
She remembered again...the night at Jiraiya's apartment, their first time. And then the second night at Naruto's own place, when she'd watch herself take her own pleasure.
Hinata moaned. Partly from desire and partly from frustration because she was still supposed to be angry and she needed to change so they could go out on their third date.
They had to stop so they could go out and have dinner, but Hinata suddenly didn't want to.
Not when he was pressing her closer now to that part of his body that bluntly wanted possession. Not when he was still kissing her so fiercely and so deeply. And not when she was clinging to him for support because her legs could no longer hold her up.
She would rather just stand here and continue kissing him.
But someone cleared their throat.
Loudly.
Hinata and Naruto sprang apart like guilty teenagers.
To face the father who'd been worried enough to check up on the Hokage.
To face Hiashi Hyuuga's dry smile.
And hear her father's gentle admonition to: "Get a room, you two."
For their third date, Naruto and Hinata ended up having dinner with her father and her sister at a sushi restaurant that catered almost exclusively to Hiashi. Because when you're a famous landscape architect and your best friend is a sushi chef who was rich enough not to open his restaurant full time, you could take advantage of the situation.
They all walked to a small, nondescript wooden building with the name Akimichi on it. As Hiashi slid the door open, they were greeted by a stout, auburn-haired man with swirly clan markings on his cheeks. The man's eyes crinkled into a welcoming smile as he called out, "Hiashi!"
Then his eyes took in his friend's companions and he boomed out loud with a laugh.
"Wonderful! And today's my lucky day because my princesses are here, too?"
Hinata only smiled back, because Hanabi, with enthusiasm, was yelling, "Uncle Chousa! King of my heart! We're starving! Some of your amazingly exquisite sushi, please!"
Chousa Akimichi answered with his customary smile for her. "Oh, Hanabi, my love, my angel! You guys have perfect timing. I just got a shipment of some really fresh hamachi this morning."
Hanabi nodded eagerly and strode forward to their usual booth—only to reveal Naruto's presence to the sushi chef.
Chousa bowed low to the Hokage. "You honor me with your presence, Hokage-sama."
Naruto shook his head and brought his hands out to wave the greeting away. "No, no! I'm just glad that Hiashi finally brought me here. Of course, I've heard so much about you from Shikamaru, but I've never been able to get an invite here."
"Oh, Shikamaru's lazy ass can never be bothered to bring anyone over. You know, I've only had Temari over once?!"
Naruto laughed. "Sounds about right."
Then the chef ushered everyone into the tatami room reserved solely for the exclusive use of the Hyuuga family.
While they all waited for Chousa to work his sushi creations, Hiashi drank his green tea in quiet contentment. Part of him was a little bit uncomfortable barging in on his daughter's date, but he felt the privacy in this particular restaurant would offer Hinata the space to calm down. Chousa's place was exclusive and not many people were invited to this restaurant. This was the perfect location to give the couple a break away from the spotlight that they would inevitably face once Konoha understood that their Hokage had been firmly snared by his daughter.
Hiashi watched with approval as Naruto, determined to please not only Hinata, but her family, too, charmed them with his wit and his descriptions of what it was like being Hokage.
"You were so slick on TV today!" Hanabi exclaimed. "I was so happy to hear you'd chosen Nee-chan to be your date. But you've been appearing on TV recently, more so than before, though."
Naruto smiled at her as he sipped his tea. "Yeah, Shikamaru wanted me to do more of these appearances to give the people periodic updates about the peace in Konoha. He felt it would be good to hear directly from me that the village is in good hands. The part of taking Hinata to the Rinnegan Gala was all me, though. Shikamaru's going to give me so much hell for not telling him beforehand."
Hanabi laughed. "Ooooh, I'm so tempted to drop by the Hokage office tomorrow morning to see what the conversation between you two will be like!"
Naruto slinked back into his chair and groaned. "Hanabi, don't remind me! I'm dreading it so much! "
"It's your own damned fault!" Hanabi cheerfully, and unsympathetically, pronounced.
Hiashi nodded in agreement. He was also secretly glad that Naruto had done it.
And Hiashi was happy to see Hinata, despite her earlier ire, looking relaxed sitting next to Naruto, her eyes never leaving his face. The smile on her face was gentle as she listened to the Hokage speak. And Naruto was just as attentive to Hinata whenever she added something to the conversation.
Hiashi suddenly felt a pang of guilt for his role in placing his first-born daughter in that disastrous relationship with her previous boyfriend. She'd never told him the details, but the way Hanabi had raged and had been willing to commit murder on behalf of her sister had convinced Hiashi that Hinata was better off not being with the man.
But for some reason, his heart was calm as he watched Naruto with Hinata. He knew what kind of man Naruto was, knew how passionately he cared about the village and the people living inside it. Hiashi knew the Hokage would be just as passionate about his daughter.
He was hopeful that the two of them would find love with each other. The look in Naruto's eyes was softly adoring every time he would gaze at his daughter. She, meanwhile, unconsciously shifted closer and closer to him as they chatted with each other. She wasn't much of a toucher, but her hands seemed to rest lightly over the Hokage's arms more than usual.
Hiashi smiled.
Maybe this time, Hinata would finally find the happiness she so deserved.
Chousa suddenly appeared bearing four wooden platters, the sushi getas filled with mouth-watering masterpieces that Naruto quickly demolished while the Hyuugas teased him for having such a big appetite.
"I don't know what it is," he said with an apologetic smile as he quickly sniped the maguro off Hinata's plate that she'd set aside for him seeing as they were his favorites. She smiled at her father who winked at her for already knowing that much about Naruto.
Naruto was saying, "But I've always had a quick metabolism and it's always caused me to eat so much. I think my chakra drains all the calories from the food."
Hanabi chuckled quietly as she chewed on her pickled ginger. "Hmm. And all that running around trying to keep Konoha afloat probably helps to keep you fit."
Naruto nodded and added, "Yeah, and all my advisors tell me to stay alert and be always on my toes so I train daily. I'm not going on missions as much as before so I don't see much combat, obviously. Even still, I don't want to become soft and lose all those shinobi skills I've learned throughout my career."
And Hinata blushed because now she found out the answer to why he remained so fit. Recalling their last night together, remembering how that hard body felt all over her made her face flame even more.
No, he was not soft at all.
Hanabi quietly took note of the rosy flush on Hinata's face and shared a look with her father, who nodded at her.
She looked at the Hokage and hoped with all her heart that he wouldn't hurt her older sister.
Because it would be such a shame to hate such a man who was looking at her sister like she was the most essential thing in his life. He vibrated with so much possessive greed and kept looking at Onee-chan as if he wanted to devour her just as he'd done to the sushi.
It almost put her to blush, but Hanabi wasn't the shy type and she whole-heartedly approved of these two people being so in lust with each other.
She beamed at him when Naruto caught the teasing glint in her eyes, which made him laugh appreciatively to receive her approval.
"Uncle Chousa, dear!" she suddenly called out.
The sushi chef popped his head into the room and sent her a questioning look.
She pointed to Naruto's side of the table. "I think the Hokage needs more food."
Chousa looked at the empty plate in front of Naruto and grinned.
"Yup! Coming right up!"
"I feel really bad that your father footed the bill for dinner tonight, Hinata. It was supposed to be our date," he murmured apologetically against her hair.
She shook her head and continued hugging him. She didn't want to let him go just yet, but they were at the gates to her home and he was about to set off for his own apartment.
"Don't worry about it, Naruto," she said into his chest. "My father was so insistent, I don't think there's anything you could have done. I only feel bad that my family intruded on our date."
"Oh, Hinata, no!" he said as he set her apart so he could look directly into her face. "I was really happy to spend time with them today. Especially since I caused all this problem for you and for your family. You know some of those reporters are going to follow you and your family around, right?"
She nodded. "But it's okay. My father and Hanabi are used to the attention since everybody knows who they are."
He sighed, his eyes suddenly shadowed by sorrow. "It's just you, then. Hinata, I really am sorry. It wasn't my plan to expose you to all this unwanted attention. I regret that I didn't talk to you about the Gala first. It's probably going to cause you lots of headaches because now everyone knows who you are. But at the same time, I'm not sorry that everyone knows I'm dating you."
She frowned at him. "Yes, you should be."
And he winced again, but he smiled with relief when she added, "I'm going to the Gala with you but I just want you to promise me that from now on, you talk to me first before you decide to act impulsively again in this relationship."
"Hinata, I promise you from here on out that I won't do anything you won't like."
"Okay," she said and finally smiled at him the way he liked—the open, luminous smile that bared her beautiful soul.
His heart clenched, but he only leaned down to kiss her, a gentle meeting of their lips. He didn't want to take it any further than that because he would break down again and beg her to come with him back to his apartment.
Still, that didn't mean he couldn't linger on her mouth, and the way she rose up on her toes to prevent him from breaking off the kiss, the way she pressed herself closer to his chest and tightened her hold on his shoulders, made him wish he could stay here and never leave her.
A burst of primal masculine joy slithered throughout his body.
Mine, he thought again.
Everything about her was his.
Her skin, the scent of her hair, the way her eyes closed, and the way her long lashes flitted over her cheeks.
God, she was so innately beautiful, how she remained so humble about her looks he couldn't understand.
But Naruto appreciated how the moonlight gleamed off her face and her eyes when she finally looked at him after he broke off the kiss.
"Hinata," he said. "I want you to come home with me so badly and stay the night, but I'll say good-night here. I know you have to travel to Kumo tomorrow for work, so you probably have a lot of stuff to do before your trip."
She beamed at him and he was rewarded when she rose up to give him an impulsive hug and a joyfully uttered, "Oh, Naruto! Thank you!"
He didn't know why something simple like that made her light up, but he was happy to be the cause of it after a day of causing her so much pain.
She was still beaming at him and he was unprepared when she reached up, suddenly threaded her fingers through his hair and pulled his face down to give him an open-mouthed kiss. Her tongue darted between his lips even as she pressed closer into him, smushing her lips hard against his.
He couldn't help but grip her closer and pick her up by her butt and rubbed her against the part of him that would desperately miss her tonight.
A deep-throated groan burst out of her first, and then she laughed, only to then lean her forehead against his when she finally realized he'd picked her up and her legs were off the ground.
"You know, Naruto, I hate that I have an early day tomorrow, but I think we should stop now."
He sighed. "I just promised you that I'll do everything you ask, so I guess we should."
She hugged him tight again. "But I'll see you next week at the gala?"
He smiled. "Yes, and I'm looking forward to seeing you then."
She gave him another kiss, a quick one, this time. "Goodnight, Naruto," she said softly.
"Goodnight, Hinata. Have a safe journey."