Notes: As always, thank you for the reviews! It is fun to read what you think of my story. Please keep telling me in the future as well! As for this chapter, I have a confession to make. I don't really remember if Hinata's mother's name is ever mentioned in the series. If it is and somebody knows it, please tell me and I'll change it for this story. That said, I hope you enjoy this!
Part 8
As soon as Hinata was left alone with the priest, she was overcome with nervousness and a heavy pressure settled slowly from her chest down to her stomach, rendering her unable to act as a responsible hostess. She waved her hand weakly in the general direction of two comfortable arm chairs which were conveniently placed near a fireplace and, after the priest had seated himself, sank in the chair opposite of him. She couldn't make herself meet the priest's gaze which she felt on her person. She had always feared confessing her sins -or rather exposing her innermost thoughts and feelings to someone else. She was terrified that the priest would laugh at her or look down at her or even despise her for her opinions. She was ashamed of some of her thoughts and actions and would've preferred them to remain a secret. She was also afraid that the priest would tell her father despite the vowed silence. Her father was not a religious man so he did not care for the sanctity of a confession and he was used to people obeying his orders. It was not an impossibility that he demanded a full report of every confession his family priest received. Hinata had sometimes seen people coming out of confession looking terribly relieved and happy. She wondered if she, too, could've been able to feel that if she had had a religious upbringing. She wondered if things would've been different if her mother had been alive.
The priest coughed lightly. Hinata was startled by the sound but managed not to jump in her seat. She understood, however, that the priest was tired of waiting and that she should say something very soon. It was to be expected, the impatience of the priest, he would still have to prepare for the ceremony for, as Hinata observed, he was still wearing his normal clothing, the casual black cassock. But Hinata could not utter a word. What was she to do in the chapel, she thought desperately, if talking to a priest was enough to make her speechless. She tilted her head and glanced to the side, feeling incredibly uncomfortable. She was about to stand up and bolt no matter how impolite it was, when the priest unexpectedly came to her aid.
"Is something bothering you, Hinata-sama?" he asked with a friendly voice.
Hinata looked up, surprised. She noticed for the first time that the man sitting in front of her was not the usual rector but a young clergyman with kind eyes and a soft look about him. She ventured to anwer but was still to overcome by her confusion.
"It is, perhaps," the priest continued after realising Hinata would not say anything, "difficult to put your thoughts into words right before such an important event. Especially so since I am a stranger to you."
"No, no such thing!" exclaimed Hinata, thinking that if the usual priest, who she had known all her life, were here she would've left the room already.
The young clergyman smiled but thankfully did not pursue the subject. Instead he proceeded to explain that it was only natural to hesitate revealing secrets to a man one had met for the first time only a couple of minutes ago and suggested they would continue the confession another day when they would've made a better acquintance of each other. "Would that be acceptable? Or would you prefer we do this now? I am at your command, Hinata-sama."
Hinata tried to digest what the man was saying. "Y..you mean I...wouldn't say anything now?" She looked at the priest with astonishment.
He nodded. "If you do not think it rude of me to suggest this, Hinata-sama, and above my station."
Hinata hurried to deny it and gladly accepted the postponement. She saw the priest to the door with a light heart, oddly contrasting with her usual feelings after a confession, and smiled shyly. "Thank you, Father...oh, excuse my rudeness...I seem to have forgotten your name...I'm terribly sorry..."her voice faded out and she was left standing with shame-coloured face.
The priest chuckled. "Don't worry yourself over it, Hinata-sama. I do not think we have been introduced as of yet. I am Yakushi Kabuto. It is a pleasure to meet you."
Neji hurried across a courtyard. The chapel was located about a hundred metres south of the Manor. Neji had no idea what had possessed the architect to reach such a solution as it was both impractical and unsightly, but since the chapel had stood in its place for centuries it was not likely it would be moved any time soon. At least it was better than the Hyuuga mausoleum. He closed his eyes for a moment to rid himself of these insignificant thoughts when he heard a weak sound of clothes rustling. His eyes darted to a certain spot in the snow-covered landscape. There were a lot of people walking to and fro near the chapel so that in itself was not suspicious. However, from the way it had sounded, Neji deduced that whoever was making the noise was trying to move in secret. And that was suspicious. He stood still, weighing his options. He could pretend he hadn't noticed anything and wait for the culprit to reveal his purpose or he could expose him now. The latter plan seemed better at the moment, since Neji did not want any disturbances today. He sighed, hoping Orochimaru had not chosen this moment to forward his plans.
"You have five seconds to come out," he demanded curtly, preparing for an attack.
It didn't take five seconds for the culprit to show himself. In less than two a lazily grinning face of a young man appeared from the snow behind a low hedgerow.
Neji's stance relaxed. He straightened and stared at the man with unbelieving eyes. "Nara?" he ventured.
The man saluted. "As expected from lieutenant," he drawled, stepping over the hedgerow and coming next to Neji. He wiped snow from his clothes which, oddly enough, were obviously originally intended for the wedding. Why the man had bothered wearing such fine clothes and then go crawling around on the ground, escaped Neji's understanding.
"What in the world are you doing here, Nara?" Neji was still in shock.
Nara grinned. "I heard lieutenant is in trouble so I came," he explained.
Neji stared at him. Then raised an eyebrow. "So your new commander is too demanding for your taste?"
Nara's grin turned sheepish. "Hmm'mm," he vaguely admitted. He covered a yawn and then looked around. "I heard you were getting married but didn't really believe it. I see that it's true, though. Who's the lucky lady?"
"Your sarcasm is not appreciated."
"I wasn't being sarcastic."
Neji sighed. Somehow arguing with Nara Shikamaru was always very tiring. Perhaps it was the peculiar air surrounding the genius strategic. Time seemed to slow down near him. "She's my cousin," he said.
"You're a heartbreaker, lieutenant," Shikamaru stated calmly. His inspecting gaze had now reached the chapel.
"What?" Neji was honestly surprised.
"Just after you left, Tenten got really depressed and walked around like a ghost for several days. Then she set out after you. She hasn't contacted you yet?"
"Who is Tenten?" Neji asked, bewildered.
Shikamaru spared him a glance. "That's why I say you're a heartbreaker. Strange though, that she hasn't arrived yet. Perhaps she has met with some misfortunes. A lot of unpleasant things can happen to a woman travelling alone."
Neji was beginning to get tired of the conversation. Besides, he was in a hurry. "Look, Nara. I don't know who this Tenten person is so whatever she does has nothing to do with me. I am getting married very soon so if you don't have anything to say, I'll be on my way." He made a move to leave.
"Wait, lieutenant. I did have something to tell you," Shikamaru said, putting a restraining hand on Neji's arm.
Neji glanced at it impatiently but then sighed and turned back. "So what is it?"
"Are you aware that Orochimaru is on the loose here in Konoha?"
"And why are you asking me this?" Neji inquired in return.
"Just thought you should know. Honestly speaking, that new commander of mine is a real slaver so when I heard you're getting married I decided to take a vacation. I trust you will offer me lodgings in the name of our long friendship."
"You are very welcome to stay in the same inn as Lee."
"You mean the one near the palace?"
"That's the one."
"I can't. It's full. I already checked. It was really annoying."
Neji suppressed another impatient sigh and told Shikamaru he would see what he could do about it. "But don't expect me to continue with the favours. I don't have the time to run around doing errands for you."
Shikamaru saluted and said he appreciated it.
"A lot of good that'll do," Neji murmured, turned on his heels and headed towards the chapel with brisk steps.
Sasuke and Naruto scurried into the already full chapel and slipped into their places which Iruka had reserved for them.
"What took you so long?" Iruka whispered to Naruto as he wiped snow from the boy's jacket.
"Various things," Naruto answered vaguely which made Iruka glance at him a second time. It wasn't at all like Naruto to be vague. He asked if they had met with trouble but the boys merely shook their heads. "Look, there's the priest," Naruto suddenly pointed out, "It'll begin soon. I wonder what Hinata will look like? I haven't seen a bride before."
"I'm sure she will be very pretty," Iruka said, forgetting his worry over the boys as he began to remember all the brides he had seen in his life. He liked weddings very much as it gave him pleasure to see happy people.
"I bet she will appear her face all red. What do you think, Sasuke?"
Sasuke shrugged, quite disturbed by an image of Naruto in a wedding dress, which stubbornly refused to leave his mind.
Normally Naruto would've pressed the matter until Sasuke would finally feel forced to answer but today he let it go without argument. The kiss was still too vividly in his memory. He wondered how long it would take for him to forget or if they could ever go back to their friendly bickering. He wished he could turn back the time and that Sasuke hadn't kissed him. Then everything would've been much easier. He wouldn't have to feel so self-conscious around Sasuke and he wouldn't have to avoid thinking about the Uchiha boy. He hadn't really realised before how big a part Sasuke had in his thoughts. All he ever thought about was how to beat Sasuke, how to make Sasuke compliment him, how to make Sasuke see how much he had improved in this and that. Even when he mooned over Sakura there had been the want to surpass Sasuke and to show Sasuke what a cute girlfriend he had. Of course Sakura wasn't exactly his girlfriend...at all, but still. He wanted to show Sasuke he wasn't the kind of unpopular loser people said he was. But, he suddenly thought, why was that? What did it matter what Sasuke thought of him? The Uchiha was a boring, cold person who only ever ridiculed Naruto and sneered at him. So why? Why was it Sasuke he wanted so desperately to make recognize his existance? Why not Iruka or Jiraiya? Why Sasuke?
"Oi, dobe. You all right?"
Naruto was shocked to see Sasuke leaning a little in his direction and looking at him intently. He was completely unable to stop the blush which spread over his face, starting from his cheeks and going all the way to the roots of his hair. For a second he was unable to find words. His stomach twisted into a knot and a tremor ran through his body.
Sasuke frowned. He reached a hand to feel Naruto's forehead. "Hey, Naruto. Do you feel ill?"
Naruto gulped. The cool fingers on his forehead threatened to steal all of his attention.
"Naruto?" Iruka had noticed the strange situation beside him and let his worried gaze travel over Naruto's body.
Iruka's words broke the spell Naruto seemed to be under. He slapped Sasuke's hand away and gave a bit forced burst of laughter. "What are you talking about? I'm fine. What do you think you're doing, Sasuke, getting all fussy? It's creepy." He flinched at the sudden coldness which took over Sasuke after hearing his words. The Uchiha snorted and turned to face forward in his seat.
"Just making sure you don't die in here, dobe. I would have to dump you outside and that would be too much of a bother."
Naruto frowned angrily. "What? You think I'm a bother?"
"Yes. You're a dead weight dragging me down all the time, everywhere. It's annyoing."
"Fine! If I'm such a bother, I won't keep you company anymore. See if anyone else will want to stay with you, you anti-social, rude son of a..."
"Shh! Enough, Naruto, keep quiet. It's about to begin," Iruka shushed.
Naruto grumbled about the unfairness of life but quieted down to look as the doors to the chapel opened.
Hinata's heart beat so hard she was afraid it might burst. There was a low humming sound in her ears and she could not stop her body from trembling. She was very cold, the freezing wind had found its way up her skirt and she could hardly feel her toes. Her only source of warmness was Neji's arm which supported her down the endless aisle leading to the altar. Hinata wondered if the chapel had always been this big or if it only seemed like it today. She could hear the rustling of clothes all around her and she vaguely noticed the sea of faces turned to follow their journey to the altar. She could feel hundreds of eyes on her body. She suddenly realised she hadn't had the time to check her appearance after reaching the chapel. What if there was dirt on her dress or on her face? Her cheeks felt hot. She closed her eyes for a moment in despair. She was sure she looked very bad next to Neji whose appearance had made a great impact on her when she had first seen him.
Hinata tripped. Her eyes flew open and she staggered but managed to keep her balance with the help of Neji's arm. Her face flared. Now she looked like an idiot. She was sure everyone was laughing at her. Her father was probably angry. Was Neji angry as well? It had to be humiliating to have such a clumsy bride. What if Neji would say no at the altar? Hinata's head bowed and her shoulders slumped. She wished this nightmare would end soon.
A light tug from Neji stopped Hinata right before she collided with the altar. She almost started to cry. How much more would she embarrass herself before everything were over? Suddenly she felt a gentle squeeze on her arm. She looked up, startled. Neji faced forward and all his attention seemed to be on the priest but there was a ghost of a reassuring smile on his lips and then he briefly glanced at her from the corner of his eye. Hinata blinked. Then she turned to the priest as well, feeling as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Neji was with her here, he wasn't angry and was trying to calm her down. She was doing the right thing, marrying this man. She was sure she would be happy. With the aid of these unexpected and sudden feelings she answered the priest's question quietly but firmly. She heard Neji sealing their union with a clear voice and a smile quirked her lips before she could even think. She was a bit shaken but not afraid when Neji leaned over her and touched her lips lightly with his own. The closeness felt good. She couldn't suppress her smile. She was hardly aware of anything when Neji led her back through the masses of faces and the crossfire of curious gazes. She only woke up from her reverie when the chapel doors slammed shut behind them and they stopped. She looked up shyly at Neji and offered a wavering smile.
Neji returned the smile with more feeling than Hinata had ever seen on his face. "How are you feeling?" he asked. They could hear people starting to chatter and move around behind the doors.
Hinata blushed and let her eyes drop to the ground. "G-good," she stammered.
"That is a relief." Neji looked up and scanned the area. "We should get going now, before the people start coming out," he said.
"Yes," Hinata answered, looking around as well. The cold winter sun nearly blinded her. She squinted her eyes and shaded them with her hand to look up at the sky. It was crystal clear without a cloud in sight. Hinata could feel her limbs quickly stiffening from the cold. Her dress left her shoulders quite bare and her arms were entirely without any protection. She shivered involuntarily.
An arm wound around Hinata's waist and she was drawn against a solid, warm body. She looked up at Neji.
"Let's hurry inside," Neji said, shifting his gaze to measure the distance to the Manor, "so that you won't freeze to death."
Hinata flushed and her blood started flowing faster as a response to Neji's thoughtfulness. "I...I have to admit that...it...it is a bit cold."
A smile passed Neji's lips. "Indeed. Let us go then. Are you ready for a little spurt?"
"Eh?" Hinata glanced back. "But...shouldn't we wait for Father?"
"I'm sure he can find his own way. Let's go."
Before Hinata could object any further, Neji grabbed her by the waist and half carried her up a path leading to one of the Manor's minor entrances. At first Hinata could only think of her father's anger but then the excitement of doing something against the rules took over her and she could hardly suppress a giggle. Her breath hitched at the thought of Neji being her accomplice in this endeavour. She looked down at her feet, covered with little dancing shoes completely inappropriate for walking in snow. And she wasn't walking. She looked on as one of her feet occationally touched the ground very lightly before Neji's steps carried them forward again, leaving her feet dangle in mid-air. She was very conscious of the strong arm around her and of the body against which her own seemed to fit so naturally, and before her morals, her experience of what was proper and what was not, took over her, she felt a touch of the raw pleasure of contact with the person she loved. Her breathing was irregular because of an invisible weight suddenly placing itself on her chest, hindering her speechless and obstructing her thought. She felt like crying and she felt like laughing; as a result, a kind of half-smile plastered itself on her lips and would not leave. The closeness of Neji further confused her and all in all, she felt terribly uncomfortable and out of order.
Hinata's unorganized thoughts were interrupted by their arrival at the Manor. Neji set her down, opened a beautifully carved door and kept it open for her. Still baffled by her emotions, Hinata stepped inside, followed closely by Neji.
"It's awfully cold, even given the time of the year," Neji said, shifting in his place and flexing his fingers to get his blood circulation back to normal.
For a fleeting instant Hinata felt irrational anger towards Neji due to his choice of such an unimportant subject of conversation when her own thoughts were occupied with something she had never experienced before. She didn't know what it was but she was sure it was something important and therefore it required careful consideration. But as quickly as her temper had risen it subsided, leaving her shyer and more conscious of herself than ever before. "Yes. It is. Quite."
Neji threw a puzzled look at her but before he could say anything more the door was opened again and Hanabi stepped in. Both Neji and Hinata turned to look at her, Neji with decided indifference and Hinata with anxious discomfort. Hanabi spared them a glance.
"Father says it's fine that you ran along ahead of us but that you must quickly come to the dining room. Everyone is waiting for you."
"We'll be there in due time, thank you, Hanabi," Neji said rather coldly. Hinata threw him an alarmed look. Neji had always spoken coolly but politely to Hanabi and she wondered what could have caused the change in his tone.
Hanabi looked at them calmly. Her features were set in impassive lines and were not disturbed by either Neji's coldness or Hinata's apparent nervousness. "Well, as long as you know," she merely said, shrugged and went past them with light and graceful steps, disappearing from view behind a corner.
Hinata heard Neji sigh quietly and glanced at him discreetly. Neji had his eyes closed so she dared to look more openly. For the first time she saw tired lines around Neji's eyes and mouth and it made her wonder why he had them and who Neji went to for comfort. Perhaps he went to confess to a priest. Or maybe he had a mistress. Hinata bit her lip. She had heard Sakura and Ino discussing this subject with hushed voices before but she wasn't sure just what to think of it. Apparently keeping mistresses was quite common and as far as Hinata had understood from the discussion she had overheard, it was considered something a wife was supposed to accept, but Hinata found her mood deteriorating at the thought of Neji having one. If he did indeed have a mistress it would not only be an unpleasant and heart-breaking thing for her but also an embarrassement to her father. She didn't dare to even think what Hiashi would say to her.
"Hinata?"
Hinata started at the sudden sound coming close to her ear. She glanced at Neji, not trusting herself to hold his gaze for long. "Y-yes?"
After a moment's pause during which Hinata did not lift her eyes, Neji said curtly: "We should go." His voice was laden with sudden coolness which made Hinata shiver. She nodded, feeling miserable all of a sudden. She wished she hadn't thought of Neji's love life.
The enormous dining room of the Hyuuga Manor was packed. Sasuke was squeezed between an elderly Hyuuga woman and Haruno Sakura. He kept forking his food around his plate while purposely avoiding looking up. It wasn't necessary to look up. Naruto sat opposite the Hyuuga woman and was staring at Sasuke and Sakura. Sasuke knew it. He could feel it so intesely that the hair on his neck bristled. He just didn't know what to think of it. On one hand, he was glad Naruto was paying attention to him. Being ignored by the other boy was indeed horrible as he had experienced during the time after the beginning of Neji and Hinata's wedding ceremony. Naruto was angry at him, the dimwit. Why couldn't he understand that Sasuke was only annoyed by the way Naruto had brushed off his worrying. Was it so wrong to show concern? Once the celebration was over, Sasuke would beat some sense into that thick skull.
Sakura's hand brushed against Sasuke's and he heard a sudden clink from Naruto's direction. Unable to stop himself, he glanced up. Naruto was indeed staring at them with such furious jealousy that Sasuke could almost feel his heart breaking. Forcing his features to remain impassionate he turned his attention back to the food. The salmon was served in a very peculiar way which Sasuke had never tasted before. It was quite wonderful. Looked good too.
"Sasuke-kun?" came Sakura's worried voice beside him. "Are you not feeling well?"
Sasuke didn't raise his eyes. "I'm fine." He could hear people around him turning towards him.
"What's this, Sasuke? You're quite pale." Itachi asked. He was sitting further up the table but leaned forward in his seat to properly look at Sasuke. Sasuke could easily detect the mocking tone in his voice. He didn't bother answering. He wished everyone would just drop the subject. Of course he was not feeling well! It should've been so obvious that even the dimwit could notice it. But even if Naruto did notice, he didn't say anything. He never had and he never would. Because the one Naruto liked was not Sasuke but the girl sitting next to him. Sasuke clenched his fist, causing his fork to scratch against the plate.
"Sasuke-kun! What's wrong? Are you..." Sakura's tirade was cut off by Sasuke suddenly standing up.
"I said I'm fine so just shut up!" His chest heaved with his effort to contain himself. Heads were turning in his way, alarmed by the angry voices. He dabbed his mouth with a napkin and then set it carefully on the table. "I'm full. Excuse me." He turned on his heels and left the room without making eyecontact with anyone. He wanted to be alone.
After getting out of the dining room he looked around, a bit lost. It wasn't that often that he came to this house and he wasn't very familiar with it. Where could he go where no one would come to disturb him. After a while's pondering he stopped a manservant and asked where the library was. The a bit puzzled servant led him to a satisfyingly remote room and left him with a respective bow. Being left alone, Sasuke let out a long sigh. He had already calmed down a bit and was regretting his outburst. His father would not like it. He would once again be told how much better a man Itachi was. His mother would be sad. Itachi would smirk at him and Naruto...what did Naruto think? Probably run to Sakura to tell her what a terrible person he was.
Sasuke grimaced. He didn't want to think. He would have to do something to distract him. He glanced around and then started to read the names on the backs of the books. It was quite a big library and apparently filled with works on science. Sasuke moved forward along the shelf, determined to find something interesting. Philosophy, astronomy, biology, even studies on the newer ideas such as steam powered machines. Hiashi seemed to be a man who followed his time. Sasuke took a turn and went along another shelf and then another. The books gradually became novels and poetry and finally something which looked like family records. Sasuke stopped and took one heavy-looking book. It was indeed heavy. He opened it randomly and saw a list of names with dates after them. The book he was holding was really old. It looked ready to fall apart. Sasuke put it back. He wasn't interested in the Hyuuga's ancestors. He was about to turn back and go through the novels again when an idea struck him. Hastily returning he reached the family records and ran his hand on them. When he noticed the most recent one he took it out and opened it from the last filled page.
The first name to come to his notice was Hinata's. It roughly in the middle of the page, written in a careful handwriting. Her date of birth was cleanly recorded and there was even the date of her marriage, meaning today, with Neji's name after it. Some way up from it was Neji's name with its respective dates. Next Sasuke looked for Hiashi. For that he had to go a few pages backwards, the Hyuugas were a big family.
Hyuuga Hiashi, it said. Date of birth: 8.1.----. Spouse: Hyuuga Sonoko. Children: Hinata, Hanabi. Date of death: ----
Sasuke looked up Hyuuga Sonoko and noticed she had died the same day Hanabi had born. He checked the date to make sure although he thought it quite unnecessary. He had come to Hanabi's birthday parties for thirteen years. And true enough, it was the same. She must've died of childbirth. Sasuke closed the book, disappointed. He had thought he might've gotten some information on the rumoured Hyuuga scandal through Hinata's mother's death but it seemed there was nothing unusual about it.
He was startled by the sound of a door opening and he clicked his tongue, distressed. He didn't want to see anyone yet. Perhaps the invader would leave if he remained hidden. He drew closer to the bookshelf and tried to listen to footsteps but the person seemed to have already stopped moving. The silence of the room was deafening. Just when Sasuke was beginning to think that whoever had come in had also gone out an uneven voice called out his name. Sasuke froze. What was Naruto doing here? Wasn't this the perfect opportunity for him to get close to Sakura now that Sasuke was out of the way?
"Sasuke, are you here?"
Against his will his body anwered to the call and he stepped into sight. He stared at Naruto who immediately started to come towards him with a relieved look on his face.
"So you were here. A servant told me he had brought you here but it took me awhile to find the place."
Sasuke watched, speechless, as Naruto advanced between the shelves. Why was Naruto here? He just couldn't understand.
"Everyone was so surprised. You don't usually do that sort of thing. Itachi-san said you had finally cracked and that I shouldn't worry but..." Naruto had now reached Sasuke and peered up at him. "What's wrong, Sasuke?"
Worry? Naruto had been worried about him? Sasuke tried to ignore the rush of happiness which suddenly ran through him. It didn't mean anything. Naruto was just...
"Was it the salmon?"
"...What?"
"Was it the salmon?" Naruto repeated. "It tasted weird to me."
Sasuke stared at Naruto, disbelieving his ears. Then he suddenly burst out laughing. It came quite silently but there was no mistaking it sincerity. He had to back down and lean against a shelf to keep his balance.
"What? What is it?" Naruto demanded. He had first been really surprised by Sasuke's reaction but now he was a bit annoyed.
Sasuke tried to answer but couldn't. He couldn't remember when he had laughed this hard. Through the water gathering in his eyes he saw glowering at him and he felt, more strongly than ever, that he liked this boy, he really liked him. He needed Naruto by his side, even if the boy was not his to own.
"Hmph! Fine! See if I come after you next time. You can rot here for all I care." Naruto turned to leave but was stopped by Sasuke's restraining hand grabbing his wrist. "What!" he began but fell silent when Sasuke drew him into a hug.
Sasuke held Naruto closely, still trying to surpress his laughter. Naruto's back felt hot against his chest. After finally managing to control his laughs he released the confused Naruto and patted his head. "Always stay the way you are, won't you?"
Naruto blinked, clearly not understanding in the least what Sasuke was saying.
"Thanks for coming after me. I'm fine now. Shall we go back?" Sasuke directed them out of the library and they walked down the hall in silence towards the sounds of music and people chattering.
"So was it the salmon?"
Sasuke's laugh echoed through the long hallway.