I Hinata

"What have you prepared for us, today?"

"Is that your only reason for coming to see your sister?" Neji made himself comfortable in the chair facing the TV, where normally the boss of the house (Kurama) would sit.

"I missed you, Hina." He sighed sleepily and I smiled fondly because I had missed him too. It had been two weeks now since we had seen each other, only talked on the phone, and for Neji and I it was always a long period. Even though, most of the time he was teasing me, and I was picking on him, we can't deny that together we made a great pair of clowns.

Is it because we are twins? Maybe. They always say that twins can read each other's thoughts and even if it's not always the case for us, we understand each other with a simple look.

Growing up, Neji and I were always glued to each other. My mother used to tell us that even though during the day we were always bickering, at night one would always sneak into the other's bed, and she would find us in each other's arms the next morning. And as soon as one of us woke up, the fights started again, calling the one who changed bed a crybaby.

Neji was my protector while I admired him and wanted to be like him, but I would never have admitted that to him. Although our parents tried to separate us so that we could each develop our own personalities, they couldn't do anything about the bond we had.

They made sure we wouldn't attend the same classes, and so we must deal alone. For Neji, it was simpler as he was a natural leader who was outspoken and didn't hesitate to speak out his thoughts. His way of talking to others let him gain two valuable friendships which till this day still remained. Tenten and Lee were always by his side since that day.

A little jealous of him, I was left with no choice but to make new friends, too. I was always the shy one when I wasn't surrounded by my family, but Kiba and Shino had welcomed me with open arms and since first grade, almost 20 years ago, I had two more brothers who took over Neji's role when he wasn't around. Just a nicer version of him.

"Is everything alright? When is Sakura coming back from her vacation?" Again, he sighed and wanting to give him his time to answer, as I knew there was a small, complicated phase in their best friend's relationship, I prepared some tea to talk about it quietly later. He was going to talk about it in due time, I was sure about that.

"It's complicated. We're not sure how to handle these new feelings." I observed how he massaged his temples and how his face became more and more tense.

"New feelings..." I mumbled loud enough for him to hear me anyway.

"What?" Neji turned to me, his eyebrows furrowed, as if he didn't know what I was implying.

"Don't act shocked, Neji. Stop trying to pretend you don't know what I'm talking about." I sneered and again, he sighed dramatically and once the water was boiling, I returned to the living room with the two hot mugs, setting one in front of my brother, never forgetting to put sugar in his.

"I just wish she'd come back from her vacation, and we'd forget about this whole situation so we could go back to the good old days when everything was still normal. That's all I'm asking for." I blew on my tea and thought about exactly what I was going to say.

It was one thing to tease him and make fun of him, but I knew it was a subject that weighed heavily on him. He and Sakura were at an impasse where there were not many options.

How to deal with it, if after more than 8 years of friendship, long buried and unknown feelings suddenly awake? From the two of them.

"Maybe it was a good thing on her part to leave for a while. She's giving you both a chance to think about it and try to get to know these new emotions you have for each other..."

"Stop it, Hina. I feel like I'm talking to a psychologist, or rather a marriage counselor." A laugh escaped him, and I smiled happily, knowing that I was able to cheer him up just a little.

Neji always had problems expressing his feelings and behind his ego, which was sometimes overinflated, he had trouble admitting things to himself. His pride and his image of a cold man were always an obstacle, in my opinion, in his love relationships, which had already scared off more than one woman.

"There's more I could tell you, but I don't know if you really want to hear it." He rolled his eyes but indicated with a wave of his hand for me to proceed.

"That you expect her to come back and act like nothing happened just proves that you're still not ready to deal with all of this. You're hiding behind your appearance of a business executive who isn't allowed to show his feelings, but you don't even see how much you've hurt Sakura by doing this."

"What do you think I'm doing here? I'm talking about my feelings here, right?" He snapped back angrily, and I knew at that moment that I had struck a nerve in him.

"What you're doing is sitting here on my couch on a Wednesday night and trying to make me believe that you don't want anything more than friendship with your best friend, who must have suffered a lot, seeing you leave as soon as it got serious. Grow up, Neji! You're not 18 anymore!"

I didn't like it when he spoke harshly to me when I was only trying to be helpful. Unfortunately, a simple discussion could go far between the two of us.

"She's the one who left, as far as I know. While I am here without her, she is enjoying herself in the Seychelles. I didn't run away for once because I wanted to make it right, fuck." His eyes challenged mine, but I wasn't going to back down. Seeing Sakura in that state was horrible and even though he was my brother, I, who suffered so much because of a man who wasn't sure of his feelings, wasn't going to let him think that he had behaved like a proper man.

"What you did, Neji, and listen to me carefully, because I think you've forgotten some things, is that you left as soon as you finished your business with her. With her, your best friend! You had sex with her, and then you just left, letting her think that it was all her fault! Do you realize?"

"We were both drunk. It was a mistake. Whose side are you on exactly, Hinata?" He hissed and raised from his seat as I did the same and now, we were face to face, both of us not ready to give up. His glare didn't intimidate me as mine didn't have any effect on him. In a family where everyone had that menacing look, which was enough to shut anyone up, few things seemed scary.

"That's not an excuse. And I'm on no one's side, Neji! I'm just trying to make you understand that you didn't react perfectly either." He sat back down abruptly and threw his arms in the air.

"I fucking know that, Hinata. Thanks for nothing." He stared at the ground, his head down and his arms on his knees. Maybe I went too far, but Sakura was like a big sister to me. Always giving good advice and always there when she was needed. She was as much a part of the family as Kiba and Shino. I didn't want to lose her either. After all I've been through, Neji should know how angry I was about men who acted like this.

Silence settled in and we were both tired of the violent altercation. Seeing him so sad, I got up and sat down in front of him, putting my head on his lap. At first still hesitant, he finally put his hand on my head as it was the most he could show as a sign of affection.

"I'm sorry, Neji. I didn't mean to go that far."

"No, I'm sorry. You only spoke facts. I'm just an idiot." I nodded and he slapped me on the back of my head.

"Ehhh, I didn't deserve that one, dumbass!" I pinched his calf, in turn.

"Ouch, you bitch! Yes, you did deserve it. You were supposed to contradict me and say I'm not an idiot."

"But you are. I can't help it." He laughed and I couldn't help but join him in his laughing.

"Are you spending this Saturday at the parents' house?"

"No." I sighed dreamily. That reminded me of Naruto and how he kissed me not even three hours ago.

"No? But Mom promised me she'd have the cook make me the broccoli soup I like so much."

"One more reason not to come. Besides you, no one likes it." Could I tell him that I was going to this festival with Naruto? Without telling him who Naruto was, of course. He was going to ask me questions anyway, so I might as well tell him the truth.

"It's not true. Hanabi likes it, too."

"Hanabi only likes it because you are her idol, and she loves everything you like. I'm sure she stuffs herself with chocolate afterwards to forget that nasty taste."

"Why don't you come?" He took his hand off my head so I could face him, but I couldn't look him in the eyes. He would immediately see that there was more to it than I was telling him.

"Uh, do you remember the festival in Nice where you and I went already, and you got intoxicated?"

"Ah, yes. Bad memories…" He cringed at the thought of it. "Are you going?" Again, I nodded, hoping he wouldn't ask more questions.

"With whom?" Obviously, he couldn't be satisfied with my answer.

"A friend."

"A friend? Do I know him or her?" I knew exactly what his face looked like without needing to see it.

"No. I'm hungry. Shall we order something?" I faced him and he nodded, but I knew he wasn't letting go of the subject just like that. For now, he understood that I didn't want to talk about it anymore, but he'll come around. I'm sure of it.

"You call!"

"Oh, but no! I already called last time!"

"Bad luck."

Both of us had a phobia of the phone and could be happy to have our own secretaries.

"Let's start by knowing what to order." Neji intervened.

I've been craving ramen for a while now. Is it because it's Naruto's favorite dish? No, not really. But there must be a connection. But who doesn't like ramen?

"How about ramen?"

"Oh no. I had some not long ago. Pizzas or burgers, I suggest." I huffed, disappointed by its lack of originality. It wasn't like we ate this a lot.

"Pizza, then." I sighed dramatically and pouted like a little kid with my head on my hands.

"Drama queen. You got it from Dad." In turn, I rolled my eyes.

He ordered for both of us while I chose the movie we were going to watch tonight. We loved to watch horror movies or murder documentaries as well, even though Neji would stick to me afterwards like the big wimp that he is.

"'Don't fuck with Cats', how about that?"

"I've heard of it before, yes." While the pizza was on its way, Neji had decided to take a shower, as he was going to sleep in the guest bedroom.

This gave me time to tidy up the kitchen and think about Naruto who had not left my thoughts since that afternoon. I was far from being in love with him. For that, I needed much more. I loved the fact that with me he couldn't hide his emotions. He was indifferent to everyone but when it came to me, he could change his personality in seconds.

I didn't even know that a person like me could cause that in a person like Naruto.

What does he see in me? I don't have anything exceptional except my looks as I has a special eye color and a rather pretty face, without being presumptuous, but otherwise I find my personality flat.

I say yes to everything, I find it difficult to impose myself in a big group. For a single woman of almost 26 years old, nothing sets me apart from the others. I still dream of my prince charming like a 16-year-old girl and my love life is catastrophic. I have nothing more than anyone else. If you asked my friends, they would all say I'm a case.

Growing up, I heard more than once that besides being beautiful, I didn't have much to vent about compared to Neji. My parents were always trying to get that out of my head, but it was a trauma that drove me to want to be better than others in all areas. And maybe only now with my psychology practice, I can proudly say that I finally achieved something in life.

But Neji will always impress more with his position as the leader of ByakuganCosmetics.

So, what did Naruto see in me, besides my looks, that others didn't?

"Are you dreaming again?" Surprised, I turned around to Neji's voice, who was already in his pajamas.

"Sorry."

"Go change your clothes. I'll take care of the rest. You look tired, do you ever sleep?" He looked at me and his serious gaze met mine. For a moment neither of us could look away and through our pupils like a mirror he saw that something must be troubling me.

"I sleep badly, but I sleep." I finally replied. He nodded thoughtfully, while never taking his eyes off me.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." Quickly I snuck past him and the kitchen island and went to change into something more comfortable.

II Naruto

It was now almost midnight and still no call from Hinata. Had she forgotten me? Was she having so much fun with her brother that she didn't even have time to send me a simple message?

I had spent the evening at Chouji's house with the others. We had a good time playing Call of Duty but I couldn't think of anything else but what had happened in Hinata's office.

She should have gone to bed now a long time ago as she must go to work tomorrow. So, either she forgot about me and went to bed without thinking about me, or she's still busy with her brother.

What if she lied to me and eventually, she was seeing Kiba?

God, I must stop worrying. If she kissed me today like that, it meant that I was worth more than just a mistake.

She's going to this festival with me in two days, she told me I was more than just a patient (sort of) and she kissed me like she was in love with me, even though I know there's still a long way to go.

Why couldn't I trust her? Maybe because she rejected me three times in not even a week to finally succumb to me each time.

"Let's smoke a joint?" Shikamaru had already taken out the equipment to roll one, but I was going to refuse. I had made a promise and a promise is a promise, even if I had already broken it. I was going to do my best not to break Hinata's trust even though I only had one desire and that was to drive by her house and visit her to see her and maybe also to see if I could trust her.

"No, I still have to hit the road afterwards." He raised an eyebrow, but finally kept grinding the weed.

"More for us." Sasuke returned with a beer in hand and plopped down next to me on the couch.

"You never minded getting behind the wheel after a little smoke, though." Interjected Sai who was still playing with Chouji.

"Hn. Things have changed." I replied simply, with a smile on my face thinking of her again.

"Things change quickly, then, because I remember the last time was last week at Shikamaru's house." Sasuke had said this without looking at me, staring at the TV screen with a cigarette hanging from his mouth. I could only roll my eyes at his comment.

And even then? What did they care? They could be happy for me that I didn't take such risks anymore.

"Are you going to visit Shion?" Chouji asked, half-focused on the game and a hand in the bag of chips next to him, but I felt he was curious.

"Just give me a break with Shion. If you like her so much Chouji, you can just fuck her. I'm sure she wouldn't say no to the rugby star."

"Don't talk about her like she's a cheap whore, what the fuck?! She loves you, Naruto. Shion is my friend. I'm not interested in someone who already loves someone else. But on the other hand, I don't tolerate you playing with her feelings. She was also your friend at one time. Don't forget who was always by your side." Chouji had stopped playing on the console and was now facing me, threatening me with his glare.

The others looked at us wide-eyed, not sure what to say, either.

"You think you're the big hero, hn? We all know you're just waiting for the moment I reject her so you can finally declare yourself. Mind your own business before you get involved with Shion's and mine. She's an adult, she knew what she was getting into with me."

"You're an asshole, Naruto. You think you're the king of the world because your grandparents are rich and the girls like you, but deep down I'm sure you know what you're doing is wrong. The Naruto I once knew would never have done this to anyone." Then he finally directed his gaze to the TV and took the controller in hand, sighing before he went on playing.

"Shut your mouth, Chouji. Just keep it shut." I hissed and stood up, ready to grab my things but Sasuke tried to stop me taking me by the arm but failing because I wasn't going to stay with them for another second.

"Fuck you, Choji. In fact, fuck you all. I'll always be the spoiled bastard in your eyes anyway. Right?" No one said anything and that was enough for me to slam the door behind me and leave. I heard through the door "Naruto" from Sasuke again and then "Leave him, he needs time" from Shikamaru, then decided to leave before I could do something I would regret sooner or later.

And like an angel sent from heaven, I felt my phone vibrate in my back pocket, seeing that Hinata was calling me. A smirk formed on my lips, and I didn't wait a second more to pick up the phone, while going to my car which was parked at the end of the street.

"Naruto..." I heard on the other end of the phone and felt my cheeks growing hot from the way she had said my name. So sweetly. So lovingly.

"Hinata..." I could only say, clearing my throat as she made me lose my voice every time.

"Sorry to call you so late. My brother only went to bed just now." She hadn't forgotten me.

"Can I come over now?" My voice filled with hope, I couldn't help myself.

"Naruto... How to say... It's complicated. Neji is sleeping at home." I remained silent.

"I want to see you too... I really do... Very much, actually." Hinata whispered, so softly that I almost didn't hear her.

"So, let me come over. I just want to see your face, before going to sleep." I knew she was grinning without needing to see her.

"Okay, but don't knock. Text me when you get here. I'll come outside."

She hung up immediately and I got into my car, hurrying not to let Hinata wait.

Twenty-five minutes later, I found myself in front of the gate of her house, waiting for Hinata in my car. She hadn't answered my message, but I could already see her closing her front door quietly so as not to wake up the housekeeper, also named Kurama, and her brother. That dog still creeps me out, by the way.

Seeing her, I got out of my Mercedes and rested against the car with my arms crossed. Hinata ran towards me and jumped on me, almost making me lose my balance, since I was so surprised. She was in her pink pajamas and slippers, her hair tied in a ponytail.

She hugged me tightly and kissed me, and at that moment I said to myself that something had happened because it was the first time that I had seen her like that. But as I didn't want to ruin this moment, I joined her and kissed her with as much passion as she did.

Her cheeks were slightly rosy and warm but the breeze that blew cooled the air.

"Where do you want me to take you, Miss Hinata, at this time of night? In that gorgeous outfit, no less! Are you planning to go to a club dressed like that, miss?" Teasing her was my new passion, being able to make her blush quickly without too much effort and as expected, her cheeks flushed. She punched me on the shoulder, but finally kissed me on the cheek and I put her back on the ground.

"I like these pajamas. They're comfortable." I could only smile at the sight of her pouting and took her by the hand, walking her to her side of the car, not forgetting to open the door like the gentleman I was (not).

Once settled, I looked at her to see where she wanted me to take her. She looked at me too, with her big moon-like eyes, and we got lost in each other's gaze once again. She was so beautiful, even without being conscious of it. She needed absolutely nothing to light up a room.

Noticing that she had distracted me again, I shifted my gaze back to the road, feeling my cheeks grow hot in the process. She giggled softly, then held my hand.

"Surprise me. Take me anywhere you want."

"Is this a date, then?"

"More like a midnight trip."

"Then let's go on an adventure, Miss Hinata." First, I took her to McDonald's because a little ice cream on the way and a little burger never hurt anyone.

Finally, she ordered more than expected. She had gotten a whole menu with dessert. Even though she had already eaten, she said that today was her cheat day where she could eat as much junk food as she wanted.

At the same time, if I ate nothing but vegetables every day, I'd kill for fast food, too.

Then I decided to take her to one of the calanques (rocky creeks) where my friends and I like to dive and jump in the water. There was a beautiful little sandy beach, which nobody knew of.

As I wanted to show her this beautiful and relaxing place, where I used to spend my afternoons, even alone from time to time, to reflect when I had too many things to think about, it was just natural to take her there. This place was my save haven and she was my save haven in form of a human.

I parked at the side of the road, and Hinata didn't wait for me to open the door for her, getting out of the car straight away to admire the beautiful view we had.

The moon lit up her face in awe. As she must be cold with her outfit, I took a jacket from my trunk which was always there just in case and put it around her shoulders.

"It's beautiful, Naruto." she whispered, her eyes filled with stars.

"Hn." With the bag of McDonald's in one hand and the other holding Hinata's, I pulled her with me down to the mini beach.

We had to be very careful as it was not a known cove, and the way down was pretty rocky. More than once, I heard Hinata screaming because she was afraid to break herself something, since she was only wearing those slippers.

Finally, she didn't even want to go down anymore.

"Go ahead, Hinata! You can do it!" I encouraged her from below, already sitting for two minutes on the beach. I couldn't hold back the laughter anymore because it was just hilarious to see her like that.

"I can't, I'm too scared!" She was holding a branch from a tree, clinging to it as if her life depended on it.

"Only a few more meters and you're there!"

"How are we going to get back up? Naruto, it's too dangerous! Again, you're trying to kill me! First the flowers, now this! What's the next step? AHHHHHHH-"

"Wait! I'm coming to get you."

"No! We're going to get robbed of the bag of McDonald's. Stay right where you are, it's more important!"

"Stop talking nonsense. There's no one here." I got up laughing and went back up to Hinata.

"My hero." she said relieved, now holding onto my sleeve and the branch.

"Jump on my back, Hinata."

"No. I'm too heavy. We'll fall down."

"You don't weigh anything, now stop and do what I said."

I got on my knees so that she could get on my back and finally she obeyed. After almost fifteen minutes of Hinata screaming and crying, the food had turned cold and the ice cream had melted, but we were safe and sound on the beach.

"You know, I still wonder how we didn't fall. It's physics. You, of all people, should know that. A hill plus a lot of weight equals to risk of dying faster." She bit into her burger watching the sea that seemed black.

"That's not exactly how it works, but you can see we're in one piece. No one is dead." In turn I took one of her fries and watched her as she enjoyed her meal.

"Still, it was worth almost dying for. Thank you, Naruto. This is the best midnight trip I've ever had." She laid her head against my chest, and I wrapped my arms around her.

"We can do this anytime you want. There's nothing keeping us from it." She nodded, but then sighed heavily.

After she finished eating, she sat between my legs, remaining in the same position as before with her head lying against me. I stroked her arms, just enjoying the moment.

The sun would soon rise as it was already 4:30 in the morning. You could hear the crickets and birds waking up. The sky lightened changing from orange to yellow to light blue.

"Do you want to go for another swim before I take you home?" I offered jokingly. I knew she would refuse as it was so cold. Although it was already the beginning of October, the temperatures were still pleasant, but not warm enough to swim.

"Why not?" She turned her head towards me with a smirk that promised nothing good.

"You will always amaze me, Hinata Hyuga." I took off my shirt and threw it aside and did the same with my sweatpants, sneakers, and socks.

I had only the plaid boxer shorts left and without waiting I headed into the freezing water to give Hinata time to undress, while also respecting the fact that she might not want me to see her completely naked.

Out of respect for her, that's what I kept telling myself to prevent myself from turning around and when I felt her hugging me from behind and her breasts pressed against my back, I could only stop breathing for a moment, surely thinking that it must be a dream.

"Naruto, thank you. I was really having a tough night and you managed to cheer me up. Thank you." She placed a tender kiss on my back, and I could only smile. I took her delicate hands in mine and moved deeper and deeper into the water without ever turning around to see her, until we were deep enough to see nothing of her but her shoulders and face.

I took her in my arms, letting her surround me with her legs. My hands resting on her buttocks, I lifted my head to look into her eyes. I could smell her chocolate breath and had only one desire and that was to kiss her in front of this splendid sight. "Did I already tell you that you look beautiful this morning, Hinata?"

"No, thank you very much. Did I already tell you that you look handsome this morning, Naruto?"

"No, thank you very much." Her forehead was resting against mine and we could only enjoy the first rays of the morning sun.

"I love you, Hinata."

"I know and I still wonder why." She leaned against me even more and I could only hold her even tighter, knowing she needed this even more than I did.

Nothing more needed to be said. Our mutual presence was completely enough for us.

Yes, she was worth it.

So, guys. I hope you liked it. They're so cute, I can't help it.

It was the first time we had a chapter where they weren't fighting and seriously we all needed it.

Can't wait to show you the next chapter!

Lots of love

PisaVisa