Of White Couches and Wine
The girl slumped down onto the couch exhausted from a day of training. You would think with Kurenai gone training would have been easier, but Kiba and Shino were working so hard she certainly did not want to be left behind. Hinata put forth extra effort just to keep up with their pace. Heading towards the bathroom the girl showered washing away the sweat and dirt of the day then drifted off on her sensei's couch.
KNOCK KNOCK
…she ignored it. In a sleepy daze she thought 'one of the maids will get it.'
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
"HINATA GET YOUR ASS UP AND OPEN THE DOOR!" Came the muffled yell through the window. The girl sat up suddenly looking to the window where a slightly annoyed blonde stood with her hands on her hips.
"GO-GOMEN!" she yelled as loud her quiet voice allowed then jumped up to open the door. Ino barreled in with a large suitcase and a backpack.
"So where are we sleeping? Right here in the living room? great. Wow. Kurenai has good designing tastes!" the girl rambled all in one breath. "Surprising when you consider her fashion tastes." Hinata only stood behind her smiling oddly.
This whole situation was awkward to the girl. She was never really close to Ino or Sakura or any girls at the academy truthfully . When she was little her closest friends had been Neji, until that abruptly ended, and actually Chouji, and Shino.
Since all of them were from what were considered Noble clans, their parents often engaged in village council meetings and other such events leaving the children to run free. Sasuke would be present often too but would go off on his own or train outside. His brother usually got to sit in with the adults which often put the boy in a sour jealous mood. So the other three let him be unless he was feeling social and approached them.
So her Shino and Chouji would find themselves seated in a neat row outside on the steps, porch or whatever landing the building their parents were holed up in had to offer. Their interactions consisted of Chouji eating and Hinata sitting next to him, occasionally eating a chip, or two. Shino would usually hunt bugs even at that age but often he would sit beside the two and engage in their silent or brief conversation. These included comments on the weather, or editable plants, bugs native to Konoha, and what barbeque was having what sale when.
When she had become a team with Shino and Kiba, it was strange at first. Shino was quiet not quiet like she was, but quiet none the less and Kiba was loud and a big gossip. He was almost like a girl friend to her. Everyday he'd show up to training with some new gossip he heard from his mom or his sister, or even his dad. Kiba's dad was a home maker, and one of the most well known gossips in town. Sometimes at lunch him and Kurenai sensei would just yak on and on about the most asinine things.
Her and Shino took to throwing shrukens at trees or playing tic tac toe in the dirt.Somedays they'd discuss family issues. Shino would always give her the best advice on how to handle her father or what to do when Neji got mad at her for one reason or another.
Hinata and Neji had patched their relationship up, but it was just that, patched up. Hinata may have been kind and forgiving but its hard to completely forgive someone who tried to kill you. Even if they had apologized. Her and Neji were close, but every now and again something of irritation would flare up between them. Him using her shampoos or her wearing his clothes. They would both grow irritated with one another but it would blow over and the two would find themselves laughing about different family members and their strange quirks.
Ino however was different. Kiba wasn't a girl, and neither was Shino. Her and Neji may have talked about girly things like skin and hair care, but he still was a boy . Not knowing what to say to the girl, Hinata smiled and then asked, "Are you hungry?"
As it turned out, Ino wasn't hard to get along with for Hinata, because where the girl lacked something to say Ino had everything to say.
"And I am so happy you decided to grow your hair out. I mean it looks awkward now but it will look so good when its longer. I mean you have a cute face but that mushroom cut… I mean really Hinata, what were you thinking all those years?"
"Well, father insisted on it. He thinks he's very good with hair and since Neji and Hanabi won't let him touch theirs…he would always style mine." Ino couldn't help but chuckle a little and then laugh loudly.
"That's so weird! Your fathers so stern and mean and secretly, he wants to be a hair designer!" Hinata couldn't help but smile looking down at her bowl of rice.
"It is funny when you put it that way."
"Man the next time forehead wants her hair cut, I'm gonna send her to your dad." Ino only laughed harder at the thought of her best fri-enemy with Hinata's former hair style.
"Umm Did Sakura-chan decide not to come?"
"Oh, like I'd let her not come. She has training with Shizune and then another session with Tsunande, so shell be her later."
"Oh." the blue haired girl smiled.
For dinner, Ino had requested just rice and steamed carrots insisting she had to watch her figure. Looking in the fridge Hinata saught out something to offer the girl to drink. Standing there, in front of the door she frowned.
"What's wrong?" the yamanaka questioned looking at the sour face the blue haired nin made.
"Well…um…I don't really have anything to offer you to drink…except water. All sensei has are boxes and bottles of wine."
Ino's mouth dropped. Pushing her self up on Kurenais wooden table she ran over to look in the fridge with Hinata.
"Holy…" she trailed. "And you've never…tasted it?" she whispered as if someone were ease-dropping on their conversation. The two girls looked at each other with slightly squinty eyes
---
Blue eyes starred into lavender as the girls sat across from each other at the table. In front of each girl sat a glass of wine. In Hinata glass the pink kind. Ino had commented when reading the box, "this one is called blush, so it must be destined for you." For herself she had selected a red wine because the color reminded her of Sasuke's sharigan.
Neither girl had really drank before. Hiashi had allowed Hinata small cups of sake at family celebrations for toasts, and Ino had once or twice stolen a sip of her fathers beer, and promptly spit it right back out disgusted. Each girl looked to the other waiting for her to act first.
"OK. Ok." Ino finally broke the silence, "On the count of three…" both girls lifted the glasses to there mouths
"One, Two"
KNOCK KNOCK
"Hello?"
"Sakura!" Ino spoke motioning to Hinata to let her in The Hyuga quickly sprang to the front door allowing the pink haired ninja to enter Kurenai's apartment.
"Good evening, Sakura-chan."
"Hi Hinata" she smiled. "Sorry I'm so late. Lee pestered me into grabbing dinner with him. Is pig-chan here."
"Yes, I am, Forre headdd" Ino yelled from the kitchen. Hinata took her bags from her then set them down in Kurenai's living room and motioned for Sakura to follow her back in the kitchen. Ino was in the fridge filling another cup with wine.
"This one is called Sangria. Sounds cheap, so I figured it's for you."
"What? Sangria…" Sakura starred at the cup Ino had placed before her. "You two are drinking!" she looked at the two puzzled and then turned her gaze again to Hinata. "You Hinata? Your like Konoha's resident good girl…"
"We just, um ,we just wanted to see what it tastes like." the nervous girl responded. "I've never had wine before."
"Me either." Ino added.
"Hmm. I never have either but are you sure we should be doing this. I mean I don't know about you two but I have training tomorrow, despite this girls weekend you planned Ino"
"It's not like were going to get drunk Sakura! We're just tasting it!" the blonde nodded at Hinata to back her up
"We were about to taste it, but we couldn't decide who should go first and then you knocked and-"
"DOWN THE HATCH!" Sakura shouted pouring the drink down her throat. The other two girls looked at each other and shrugged before following suit.
---
It was bitter and not at all appealing to the tastes. So why didn't they just stop at the first glass? Hinata pondered this through hazy vision as she lay under the coffee table centered in Kurenai's living area spinning the stem of the empty glass between her fingers. Ino had spread out on the couch while Sakura sat lazily with her feet dangling over one of the arms of the arm chair. Screw the kitchen. Ino had decided it best to leave the box of wine right on the table so the wouldn't have to get up for more.
"Its empty! Gotta fillll it up." Ino slurred taking the empty glass from the Hyuga's hand and turning the tap on the box of wine.
"I don't know why Lee wont give It up though." Sakura continued. "I'm just not into him like that. I mean yea, he's a great guy you know…yup… a great guy but I just don't like him like that."
"Yea…Chouji's the same." a drunken Ino replied "But you know what, I do like the little porker. I Confess it!"
"Demo I thought you liked-" Ino's hand flew drunkenly down in an attempt to cover Hinata's mouth, but instead ended up slightly slapping over it instead.
"Ow"
"Sorry?"
"It's okay you can talk about Sasuke around me. Sasuke Sasuke Sasuke!" skaura repeated "See? I'm okay with it. We'll get him back as soon as Naruto comes home and then…the competition is back on pig girl."
"Yea, and you'll lose because once he sees how perfect my body is he'll be like Sakura who?"
"Yea right! You just said you liked Chouji!"
"I can have both!"
"Can not!"
"Can too!"
"Can not !"
"Can too!"
Hinata couldn't help but giggle at the two in her own intoxicated state.
"The only way that he wouldn't choose me," Ino sat up now on the couch "Was if he was gay." Sakura laughed loudly
"Then he'd choose Naruto! There's a lot of tension there!"
"Aww, but that would break Hinata's heart!" the blonde spoke slumping off the couch and patting the blue haired nin drunkenly on the head.
"It would." Hinata whispered.
"Why do you like him anyway?" Sakura questioned poking at her with her foot.
"MmmmhmmmMmm" the girl hummed an 'I don't know' melody. "Well," her fingers drunkenly poked at each other "he's really cute and funny and kind and I bet he'll be really sexy," hic- up, "when he comes home."
"Naruto?" Sakura's face contorted into one of confusion, "sexy? Well, maybe…I read in Konoha Girl that scrawny boys often grow up the cutest…mmm but Naruto sexy?"
"SEXY!" the blue haired nin suddenly sprang up from under the table. "Speaking of sexy, I wanted to ask you girls if you knew who Kurenai sensei is dating?"
"Huh?" Ino perked up at the idea of gossip.
" Some guy called the other day for her and I picked up the phone, and he said," Hinata did her best to lower her overly feminine voice, "Hey Sexy."
"EW! I hope its not Asuma sensei! Those two are always together. Its probably him. No way." Ino spewed more to her self than to the two girls sitting before her. "But how would he have time if he's always training us, or going on missions unless he -"
"Well, Kakashi-sensei must have a lot of free time on his hands cause I'm training with Tsunade all the time lately."
"WHATEVER!" Ino shouted holding the wine box over her mouth and shaking it to retrieve the last drops "we can figure this out when we're more sober."
"You are such a pig!"
----
HUAH! Hinata sat up, waking from her slumber due to the strange noise. HUAHHH! Ino? Sakura entered the living room handing the girl a glass with some funny looking concoction. Then seeing that Hinata had woken returned with one for her and one for herself.
"Ino, go take a shower! Shit! Shit! Shit! We are so busted!" Sakura murmured. Hinata sat there feeling weezy and confused. "Drink it!" Sakura pointed at the cup in her hand. "I've seen Shizune do this a thousand times for Tsunade! It gets rid of your hangover and helps prevent you from vomiting…like Ino here."
"Shut up billboard!" the girl groaned.
"I have to go to training you guys, but when I come back we'll figure out how to clean these stains off the couch."
"Stains?" the hyugga questioned. Sakura pointed to the wine/ vomit stains on the once white couch.
"Shit." the Hyuga squeaked causing Sakura to laugh suddenly.
"Gotta book but I'll be back later to help you guys fix…this." As sakura swung the door open she found herself face to face with
"KIBA!"
"Sakura?…is Hinata here….?"
"Yea. Bye!" Sakura said sprinting off she was already late, after all.
"Kiba?" Hinata questioned pausing from drinking the absolutely rancid tasting mix Sakura had handed her. "What are you-"
"BLECH! What the hell is that smell?" the boy shouted entering the apartment.
"Um…"
"Where were you this morning? We were s'pose ta meet for training but you didn't show."
"Um…I-"
"Ugh!" the boy covered his nose. There are certain moments when having overly keen scent just isn't a plus. "It smells like throw up mixed with, with," he sniffed the air before gagging, "rice and carrots." Hinata pointed at the stain on the once white couch. Kiba's mouth fell a little then his eyes moved to the box of wine on the floor.
"You… got drunk?" he whispered inching closer to Hinata who only nodded shyly. Oh great. He was gonna give it to her. She was going to be in such trouble with Kiba, with Shino, with Sensei, and, OH KAMI! If Hiashi found out he'd finally make good on his constant threat to send her to the completely female temple one of the feudal lords wives ran.
"Kiba plea-"
"WAY TO GO HINATA! YAHOO I'm proud of you!" he said slapping his hand on her shoulder and shaking her. Shaking her too much that is
BLURGH…
another stain on the floor.
-------
Next chap.
With Ino scheming to have everything fixed how could anything go wrong.
"Its so simple!" the blonde said standing before Kiba and Hinata in an 'I love Sasuke' bathrobe. "HENGE!" she yelled. When the grey smoke dispersed from around Ino, Kiba and Hinata found themselves staring at the exact replica of their sensei. "Now I go into town as Kurenai to get replacements for the booze we drank… and you two stay here and clean the stains. Your good at that type of thing, right Kiba?"
I apologize twenty folds for the long ass time it took me to update. I didn't like this chapter so I kept rewriting and rewriting but whatever. The next one will be better. I realized I have like an issue with chapter length. I have so much written for this story and for the circle game and for shedding but the thing is I keep writing when really instead of waiting forever and posting a crazy long chap I could update sooner with a shorter one. So expect faster updates from me for sure! Ok ok now I'm gonna go work on the circle game so I can get the next chapter up! That's my most top story and I know ppl are waiting for it so lets do it! Hoorah!
Oh and always…please reviewwww!
Thanx everyone who did!