Author's Opening Rant- Oh…my god. I cannot even begin to tell you all how happy I am with the reviews I got from the last chapter! 19 reviews in one shot! And all of them wonderful! (I nearly cried!!) I had to dodge a few rockets here and there—save for the heat-seekers! Dodging doesn't help!—but I'm glad for the feedback! And since you all reviewed so much and so quickly, here it is, as promised!
Again, as always, I'll have to start off with a great big THANK YOU to everyone who's been reading and reviewing my fic! (over 100 reviews! WHOO!) It's only because of all of your support that this story has turned out so well! So a million-thousand-hundred times, Thank you all!
But enough of that! I'm sure you're all very anxious to get to the NaruHina chapter! And don't worry; Chouji will make an appearance! ::Smirk::
Chapter 16- Reluctant Hearts United"Hinata? Ohh…I guess I've been waiting for you!" Naruto's soft smile gradually spread across his whole face as he eyed the shy kunoichi in her dark violet yukata. He wasn't quite sure what Sakura-chan had in mind exactly, but reflecting over his conversation with Iruka-sensei, this would be the perfect opportunity to ask Hinata to a dance! The band was playing only a short distance from them, a soft and melodic tune that served as unusually perfect background music.
But the shock of it was too much at once for Hinata, like being thrown into a deep river of ice water. Her hands flew instantly to her face, hiding behind her long, dark sleeves and hoping that she might somehow just vanish from the face of the earth. "Naruto-kun is staring right at me!! What should I do, what should I do?!" Hinata closed her eyes tightly as her face exploded in a blush.
Naruto's ocean blue eyes fluttered as he watched her cringe over nothing in particular, "Hinata? What's wrong…?" He only received a whimpered reply from behind those long sleeves as she took a nervous step backwards. A frown immediately dotted Naruto's face. There was no need for her to act so shyly around him; hadn't he explained this already? The blonde felt a twinge of guilt shifting in his stomach, she had been just fine until he opened his mouth, and then she turned into a nervous wreck all of a sudden. He didn't want Hinata to feel so uncomfortable and nervous, he wanted her to enjoy the dance! Slowly, Naruto strode up to the shy kunoichi, the expression on his face softening. He lifted his hands to hers and very gently pried them away from her face, "You shouldn't do that, you know."
Wide pale eyes stared up at him timidly, unable to speak very clearly due to the fact that he was now holding her hands down at her sides, "Do…do what…?"
Those bright blue eyes lit up with a smile, "Hide such a pretty face! Don't you know that?"
Hinata was going to faint, she was sure of it. Or she had died and gone to heaven. Or she was going to wake up from this dream any minute now. Her face flustered so badly that she could feel the heat burning on her ears and down her neck--which was where her heart was currently residing. She took a moment trying to catch her breath, her eyes refusing to look away from the ground and into those hypnotizing blue eyes. "Na…Naruto-kun, I…"
"If you're embarrassed cuz you can't dance, then you can just hang out with me…if, you know, you want to." Naruto blindly continued speaking, "I mean, we can go around to all the festival booths and junk, and do other stuff."
"Why…" Hinata ventured a quick glance at him, pale violet orbs meeting bright blue, "…why…are you…b-being so nice…?" The thought dryly poked at the back of her mind, that since this was a set up after all, maybe he was only here because someone had bribed or ordered him to. Or worse; he pitied her so badly that he'd rather force himself to hang around her instead of seeing her drag her lonely self around.
Very surprisingly, Hinata caught the slightest beginnings of a blush break out across the blonde's cheeks, "Well, uhm…" Naruto's gaze went to the ground, trying not to stumble over his own words as he practically whispered a response, "I…don't like seeing you upset, you know. I like it better…when you smile, Hinata." He looked back up, nodding as he decided that it had been a sufficient explination. Hinata could feel her limbs shaking, her eyes locked solely on Naruto's face. She hadn't imagined that, had she? Naruto had said he liked her smile, hadn't he? Again, she was sure she was just going to pass out right where she was. "Hinata? You cold or something?" Naruto blinked a few times, glancing down at their hands still intertwined, "You're shaking real bad."
"Huh…?" the Hyuuga heiress followed his gaze down to their hands. The sight of her slender fingers tangled with his began to dissolve the lump of tension that had lodged itself in her chest. Gradually, a faint smile touched across her lips as she watched Naruto's fingers wriggle curiously between her own. Hinata just shook her head; even if they never got to dance, this moment right here meant all the world to the shy girl, "No…I'm fine, Naruto-kun…"
"Good!" A toothy smile broke across the blonde shinobi's face as he noticed her own grin, "Ah-ha! That's much much better, Hinata!" A light giggle escaped Hinata as she lifted her head to Naruto, her eyes serenely closing shut. The both of them just grinned at one another for a brief instant before Naruto pulled his hands away, sure that she wouldn't try to hide again, "Okay then! What do you say we go get some ramen? Then we can make fun of all the people at the dance!" The blonde was still under the impression that Hinata herself didn't know how to dance, so he was only trying to think of a way to make her feel less embarrassed about it.
"Ahh! Dance!" A surge of adrenaline and courage mixed unexpectedly in Hinata, and the Hyuuga remembered her promise to herself not to be so shy any longer. She suddenly jumped at the opportunity of asking Naruto to dance, quite literally.
"Gyahhh!! H-Hinata?!"
Hinata's legs sprung forward, and she effectively tackled Naruto right onto the ground, landing roughly on top of him. Not that any of this registered in her mind; all she was focused on was asking him, "Naruto-kun, wait!"
The usually hyperactive ninja gaped at her, dumbfounded, wondering what had caused this drastic change in her personality. One minute they were having a perfectly normal discussion, and the next, they were suddenly sprawled out across the floor, Hinata seated neatly in the lap of the stunned shinobi. Both arms stretched out behind him to hold himself upright, quivering lightly with the added weight of the kunoichi, "W-wait what? What's wrong now?"
Her courage at once melted back into the shy, demure qualities she was known for, and a single arm concealed her mouth behind that long dark sleeve again as she spoke, "…will…will you go to the dance with me?" Finally, after all the failed attempts of the week, Hinata had gotten the question out. It felt like a tremendous relief to finally be able to say it to him.
"Hinata, I AM at the dance with you." Naruto's eyes fluttered at the curious question.
She blushed even more with embarrassment, "O-Ohhh…" All at once, it struck Hinata just who she was seated on, and she scrambled to crawl off of him. The shy girl stared at Naruto; fingers poking together, her head bowed lightly and slouched between her shoulders, her lips twisted in a mix of embarrassment and anxiousness to see if the blonde would be interested in a dance or two.
Naruto just broke out in a wide, goofy smile, "If that means you want to dance, sure thing, Hinata! All you had too do was ask!"
"R-really, Naruto-kun?" Hinata's own mouth lifted into a happy grin.
"Yeah, but…" he suddenly pouted fiercely, and for a split second, Hinata was afraid that he might just back out of the whole thing. But the next sentence out of the blonde quickly quieted those fears, "…just don't get mad at me if I step on your feet a few times, okay?"
"Okay!" Hinata was swiftly on her feet, grinning from ear to ear. It was more than she could have ever asked for!
Naruto jumped up as well, taking a moment to straighten out his dark green garments—not that it helped with all the wrinkles still stubbornly clinging to it—before reaching over and taking Hinata by her wrist, "Hope you can keep up with me!"
"I'll try." She happily allowed the blonde ninja to lead her away by the hand, a smile permanently affixed to her features.
Close by, Inuzuka Kiba was watching the two of them, though with considerably less enthusiasm than Hinata. The dog-trainer slouched at the shoulders, hands buried deep in the pockets of his dark orange outfit, and a miserable grimace plastered clear across his face, "Ah, hell! Stupid ass, short, annoying, spaz…dobe!" Akamaru looked up at his master from the ground, his tail sadly swaying. On either side of the dog shinobi stood his two sentinels, Aburame Shino and Sabaku no Gaara. It was really the only way he could be trusted to be so close to Hinata without Sakura's careful plan being undermined. Shino shot a quiet glance of pity to his teammate through dark lenses. Although the Aburame heir was just as formally dressed as the others in a charcoal gray get-up, he still had his face half hidden by a very high shirt collar and kept his trademark sunglasses in place.
Just next to Gaara stood his older brother, Kankuro, neither of them caring very much for such formal attire. Both sand boys had their usual black shinobi clothes in place, Gaara with his massive gourd hanging on his back, and Kankuro with his marionette draped over a shoulder. The puppet master reached a hand over and slapped Kiba on the back, grinning through his face make-up, "Hah! Guess you got screwed, pal!" Kiba just growled as Kankuro harassed him with insults, "And to that little twerp, no less! How does that feel, huh?! Bet you're pretty pissed off!"
"Kankuro…" Gaara sent his sibling a warning glare. Not that he gave a damn either way about Kiba, but his brother's laughter was so grating that it quickly got on the younger ninja's nerves.
Kiba sighed out loud, "…Ahh well…at least she'll be happy."
"Very happy, it seems." Shino glanced over the crowd and Bee-chan fluttered her tiny wasp wings from her perch on Shino's shoulder.
Another familiar voice cut through the music, "Hey, you guys! What's up?!" The sound of it lifted Kiba's spirits somewhat. That was unmistakably the voice of Akimichi Chouji, and there was NO way he'd ever have a date to the Festival dance. Kiba smirked to himself, figuring he'd feel a little better after a few good hundred insults at the Akimichi heir's expense—though, he remarked mentally, he'd better avoid using the 'f' word.
"Hey there, Chouji!" Smirking wickedly, Kiba turned to see the pudgy shinobi, "So what're you up to toni—AGGGGGHHHH!!!" Kiba felt the smirk melt from his face as he met the beaming expression of Akimichi Chouji, and his date: Mitarashi Anko. The other three boys turned to see as Kiba howled, "You gotta be kidding me!!" Shino's glasses nearly slid all the way down his nose in surprise, Gaara felt his jaw fall open, and Kankuro was so shocked that he couldn't even think enough to laugh more at Kiba.
"Ohh, You guys all remember Anko-sama, right?" Chouji very gleefully motioned to the much taller woman attached to his arm, dressed in a very vivid blue and purple yukata that was cut just a bit too low on her chest. And yes, the other boys stared for a moment. Chouji delighted in the heart attack he was sure he had just given his fellow Gennin, his smile almost outshining the light yellow fabric of his outfit.
Kiba's lips moved silently for a while, utterly flabbergasted and simultaneously pissed off, "W-wait…how…and, and why…"
"Isn't he just so cute?" Anko chirped, lifting a hand to pinch Chouji's cheek playfully, "Chouji-kun told me that all the girls had turned him down for a date, so I said I'd be more than happy to take him! Adorable little butterball!"
Kankuro finally regained himself and turned to point and laugh at Kiba, loudly. Shino shook his head a few times to clear it of the astonishment, slowly pushing the brim of his glasses back into place. Kiba…Kiba just wanted to kill someone. Chouji's smile only grew, though he was already done rubbing his little triumph in to these guys, "You'll all excuse us, right? We have a dance to attend to!" The portly ninja led his still giggling date away, looking for Shikamaru so that he could further boast about his good fortunes. The group of shocked boys watched them disappear amongst the crowd.
"That…seems so wrong." Gaara was the first to speak.
Shino just shrugged, lifting Bee-chan from his shoulder and onto his hand, "Good for him, I say." Kankuro was still laughing too much to form any real taunts, and Kiba had just about fallen over onto the floor in misery. "Well then," Shino began to follow suit and step onto the dance floor with Bee-chan, "Shall we dance?"
"Uh-huh." Gaara mirrored the bug shinobi. The cork of his gourd popped off and the sand began flowing out, forming the vague shape of a young girl. The sand-created girl followed Gaara onto the dance floor, mimicking every motion of the dark-eyed shinobi so that she almost seemed real.
Still chuckling, Kankuro hefted Crow from his shoulder and tugged the chakra strings taught. The puppet spun once, then dipped in a low bow in front of Kiba as the sand ninja snorted, "You'll excuse us, right? We also have a dance to attend to!" Kankuro roared with laughter as he took to the dance floor with his marionette, leaving Kiba completely alone, save for his dog.
Akamaru hopped up onto Kiba's head and perched there, whimpering lightly. Kiba just reached up and scratched the dog behind his ears, still grimacing sternly, "…dicks. I hope all three of them choke to death laughing at me." Akamaru barked a little for encouragement, but Kiba just huffed. Before he could delve any deeper into his depression, the dog-trainer felt a light tug on one of his dark orange sleeves. He glanced down to see who it was, and caught sight of a miniature Hinata, "huh?"
Hyuuga Hanabi shyly stared up at him, smiling weakly as she spoke, "Uhh…Kiba-kun, right?"
"Yeah. What is it?" he answered roughly.
"We…were just wondering…" Hanabi glanced backwards to where a whole group of younger ninjas in training were huddled in expectation, "If we could play with your dog."
"Excuse me?!" Kiba arched an eyebrow. Suddenly, he felt two tiny hands shoving him forward.
Konohamaru called out from behind the dog-trainer, struggling to move the much larger boy, "Yeah! Come and play with us! This dance is boring! We wanna play!" There was a chorus of 'Yeah!'s and 'Play with us!'s as the group of would-be-ninjas flocked around Kiba and forced the dog shinobi forward.
"H-hey! Wait a minute!" Kiba protested, but the children paid no attention to his reluctance. Akamaru wagged his tail gladly, is tongue lolling from the side of his mouth as he hopped down to join the kids. "Ahhh, hell…" Kiba sighed to himself as the little kids giddily cheered around him, "Beats being all alone, I guess."
A song began to play just as Naruto and Hinata hit the dance floor, a fast paced and upbeat song. Anyone who thought Naruto was hyper before was in for something of a shock: the blonde shinobi absolutely jumped all around the dance floor, laughing at himself as he nearly toppled other couples over. Hinata offered quick apologies to the grumpy dancers her date went crashing into, though she herself was giggling so baldy that her explanations only made things worse. Naruto swung Hinata all over the dance floor, keeping one hand locked within hers so he didn't loose her. She herself was immediately enveloped in his contagious delight, adding a few spins and twirls. But for the most part, their dance was completely unorganized, and incredibly fun. Hinata felt a strain on her cheeks; she couldn't remember the last time she had smiled this widely for this long. Likewise, a permanent smirk was on the little fox-boy's lips. He swung his dancing partner around again; almost toppling the row of lanterns that Iruka-sensei had so carefully placed the day before. But he didn't care. Naruto was glad Hinata had shown up when she had. She didn't seem to mind that he was dancing in some in orderly fashion, and wasn't criticizing his unruly laughter. If he hadn't known any better, he'd almost say that she was the perfect girl for him! He gave Hinata one last spin as the song ended, then nearly fell over laughing at himself. Hinata twirled around to face him, giggling into a sleeve as she panted to catch her breath. Ninja training was one thing, but dancing could sure wear you out as well.
Naruto grinned so broadly that the whisker marks on the sides of his face stretched, "Fun, huh?"
"Yeah." Hinata nodded in agreement, letting out a happy little sigh of relief.
The band almost instantly launched into their next song. Naruto glanced around as the soft melody began to play, "Whoops. Slow song." He held both hands up in front of his face; his brow furrowing as he tried to remember which hand went where. Well, he was sure one of them went on her hip! So just to be safe, Naruto reached over and placed both hands lightly on Hinata's hips, pulling the bashful kunoichi a little closer. Hinata of course turned beet-red as he did, and shyly fiddled with her sleeves a moment before placing both delicate hands softly on the blonde's shoulders. She quickly found herself locked within those hypnotizing pools of blue again. "Remember," Naruto warned as he began to lead her in a dance, "you promised not to get mad if I step on your feet!"
"I-I know…" Hinata was more than happy to allow herself to be swept across the dance floor.
Much to her surprise, Naruto wasn't half bad at slow dancing. Every step he took flowed seamlessly into the next, carefully turning with each motion. He would grin, and lean his head in a little every so often just to show that he was having as much fun slow dancing as he did jumping around like a maniac. And each time he did, Hinata's cheeks flared red before she offered him a light smile in response. He didn't even come close to stomping on her feet. Not that Hinata was staring at her feet; her eyes were trapped, utterly held captive by Naruto's bright orbs. The contact between them had Hinata's lips stuck on a dreamy smile the whole time they moved. All of the attention made the little blonde fluster, and he offered Hinata a shy little grin as he pulled her along in their dance. "You know…" Naruto's head tilted slightly as his warm smile rose across his face, "I'm really glad I ran into you tonight, Hinata!"
"…So am I, Naruto-kun…" Hinata chewed her bottom lip. Then, very slowly and very cautiously, she leaned in. She had no idea where this courageous streak was coming from tonight, but she was very grateful for it. Naruto's whole face blushed bright red as he felt Hinata resting her head against him, her nose pressing right up against the nape of his neck. She giggled as she heard him gulping nervously, and noticed his legs stiffening slightly. The suddenly very red Naruto adjusted his arms, winding them all the way around her waist as he danced. Hinata's arms limply wrapped about his neck, and she subconsciously snuggled against him. Naruto's eyes trained on her, wondering why exactly she unexpectedly had the need to press against him. Not that it was bad, not at all, but…different. His nose filled with the airy scent of lilac and perfume. He could feel that her skin was very smooth, but warm, and somehow…inviting. Naruto never had very much experience with fondness, but somehow, dancing like this with this girl, he suddenly felt as if he needed affection. His grip around her tightened again, destroying whatever little space that had been left between them. So close. Neither of them had expected or even hoped to be this close; chests pressed together, hearts pounding so badly that they threatened to overflow. It almost felt as if the whole rest of the village had faded away into the darkness of the night, leaving only the two of them dancing to the nameless tune. Luckily, Hinata's shyness was held off by the wave of bliss that had swept completely over her, and by the unusually serene smile that had come to rest on Naruto's lips. She let out a contented sigh, allowing her eyes to close for an instant as the moment overtook her. Those pale violet orbs slipped back open, her breath once again warming the side of his neck as she spoke, "Naruto-kun…?"
"Yeah, Hinata?" he whispered back, his tone sounding nearly as wistful as hers.
"…thank you."
And very lightly, she pressed a kiss onto his neck.
Author's Closing Rant- Ahhhhh…well, I'm pretty happy with how that turned out! n.n Nice and warm and fluffy. And I just had to toss the kiss in there at the end! Please review and tell me if you like it, or if it came out all wrong.
And yes—Chouji gets Anko! I had that in mind since Ch3! Tee-hee! He sure showed them! And as I said before—I'm SORRY for what I did with Kiba! V.V;
But I'm not quite done yet! Remember: I warned you about my favorite pairings! ::SMIRK::
You'll find out next update!