A/N: It was really hard to make time to write last week. But, here we are at last. Enjoy!
—
(lazy yoga)
—
When Naruto woke up that morning in Sasuke and Sakura's guest room, he did not expect his pink haired friend to push a small, black purse against his chest on his way to the bathroom. Sakura had a huge to-go mug of coffee in one hand and her short hair was messily tied up on the nape of her neck. He tried to hear the words that she was hurriedly saying as his mind was still turning its first gears of the day. Something about a work emergency, Hinata and the bag, and please, please, please, do her this favor.
"I'll text you Hinata's address!" She shouted from the end of the hall, already making her way out of the apartment.
"Oh-I know where she lives!" He was able to shout back before Sakura disappeared through the front door and a muffled 'awesome' could be heard as a reply from the other side.
He was more or less aware of what he needed to do, and the prospect of seeing Hinata again so soon was definitely not too soon for him.
Excitement steering inside of him.
Here's her security code. She said to NOT buzz, go straight in. No need to text or call. Sakura had texted him the number combination by the time Naruto had reached his own apartment first–where he showered and changed into a clean set of clothes. So, naturally, the young blond was fully expecting Hinata to know he was the one coming to drop off her lost item.
What Naruto did not expect, however, was for Hinata to answer the door so promptly with the least amount of clothes he had ever seen on her. He expected even less to see her greeting smile morph into a feverish stunned expression, followed by a struggling yelp of his name and the door being banged on his face at lightning speed.
The echo of the action reverberating around the empty foyer.
Left alone, Naruto's brain went into overdrive.
Images of Hinata's body clad only by a sports bra and spandex shorts were replayed before his eyes over and over.
Heat climbed up his back and neck, burning his ears.
Why is it so hot in here?
Oh, but he knew why.
After all, Naruto had never been blind to Hinata's beauty.
Hell, he was attracted to her the moment his eyes met hers at the grocery store.
Everything about her was a matter of interest to him.
And, of course, he always thought of her as beautiful and cute–no matter if she wore a sweatshirt or a thin-strapped dress. But the detail was that Hinata always managed to make her outfits look somewhat modest with something like a cardigan or a loose skirt.
But now, that modest image was erased from his mind forever. For the five glorious seconds before she shut the door loudly, his heterosexual male mind had a whole new perspective of the sweet girl he was getting to know.
Girl. Pfft. Please. Wrong word.
Hinata was a woman. A freaking gorgeous woman. With curves. And toned legs. And curves. And slender arms. And curves. And breas–STOP IT! Naruto mentally screamed, slapping a hand over his burning face. Yes, she's f-ing gorgeous, and hot, but stop it! Don't be a perv and get over yourself. She'll be back any second now. He reasoned, trying to tame his thoughts.
After a moment of calming the whirlpool of emotions, something crossed his mind. Hinata had been quite flushed before locking herself inside the apartment. Naruto had never seen anyone's skin reach that shade of red so quickly. What if she had passed out on the other side of the door? Should he ring the bell again? If she weren't to answer, should he be alarmed? Shit.
Okay, now he was worried.
—
One. Two. Three. Repeat.
The feverish blush of her skin slowly–oh, so very slowly–was fading into her natural milky pale.
One. Two. Three. Repeat.
Hinata did not know how long she's been there, holding the frames of her floor mirror while doing her breathing exercises.
One. Two. Three. Repeat.
A small voice in the back of her mind told her to hurry up, Naruto could possibly be freaking out at her foyer. Or worse. He could have left, hurt or offended. But she ignored such thoughts, focusing instead on calming her thunderous heart.
One. Two. Three. Repeat.
Once she felt mostly under control of her body again, Hinata combed her long indigo hair with her fingers once–a last effort of self-assurance. From her dresser, she grabbed an oversized white t-shirt that sported the Hyuga Gym's logo and pulled it over her head, covering most of her body. The loose sleeves almost reached her elbows, and her butt was completely out of sight. Before she could start over thinking again, the young woman took slow yet steady steps towards the apartment entrance.
She tried on her best welcoming smile–although still a little stiff–before opening the door.
The image that greeted her awoke new butterflies in her stomach.
Good butterflies flapping around giddly.
One of Naruto's arms was extended towards the doorbell as if about to ring it a second time. His blue eyes made immediate contact with her lavender ones and seemed a little surprised. The obvious blush on his whiskered cheeks is, however, what made her insides dance.
Was that blush the result of him seeing her exposed body?
Could she–Hyuga Hinata–be physically attractive to him–Uzumaki Naruto?
She knew she wasn't ugly but when men would check her out on occasion, well, it made her extremely uncomfortable, and she would drown in self-consciousness. Hence, her near combustion reaction earlier. So why wasn't she embarrassed about it now? Did it matter that it wasn't just any man but Naruto who actually saw her? Why was it… suddenly exciting?
"H-Hey there!" He temptavely said, a little more high pitched than his usual, taking his extended arm back and using its hand to rub the back of his neck. "I mean, hi!" He chuckled at his mishap, and she thought he was really cute when a blushing mess. "I guess we both caught each other by surprise?"
Hinata's soft giggle visibly relaxed him, his body losing its stiffness. She felt lighter as well.
"I'm so sorry for being so rude." Hinata looked at him from under her long lashes while adding pressure to the doorknob she was holding. She hoped he would excuse her earlier weirdness. "I was expecting Sakura?" She kind of stated, kind of asked.
"And I was expecting that you knew about her work emergency?" Naruto replied in the same tone, a humorous hint to it, returning to his normal jovial attitude. He gave the gold chain across his broad chest a pull, and Hinata finally noticed her jelly bag safely hanging right above his left hip.
The Hyuga finally relaxed her mind and body for good. Seeing Naruto carrying her girly bag was comical yet sweet. And realization hit her that this didn't have to be weird. In the end, Naruto was just doing Sakura and herself a favor. Plus, he seemed to be doing his best to not make this situation any more awkward for her–choosing not to comment about what had transpired, or what he had seen since she clearly felt distressed about the whole thing. He truly was a nice person.
"Thank you so much, Naruto." Hinata smiled at him and motioned towards her bag which he promptly removed from across his body and handed over. "I have my driver's license here." She added, trying to convey her gratitude and the importance of this favor.
He simply returned her smile with a wide grin, shoving his hands in his shorts' pockets before saying nonchalantly, "No problem, I was kinda happy with the excuse to come say hi." But she could still see a light pink hue dusting his cheeks. She bet her own cheeks matched his.
A moment went by in which she chewed on her bottom lip. He had come, dropped the bag off, and said hi. He was probably about to leave if she did not react in the next second or so, something she did not want to happen. The idea of spending more time with him also made her happy.
"Do you-" She paused to clear her throat, focusing on his cheerful eyes. "Do you have any other plans for today?" Naruto's smile became even wider when he shook his head no. "Would you like to come in? I was about to do a little bit of yoga then cook some late lunch. You're welcome to stay." She invited him, feeling enthusiastic and encouraged by his sunny disposition.
"I'd love to."
—
Naruto looked around Hinata's living room while said girl went to put away her bag and retrieve her phone from the bedroom. Her apartment's layout was very much like his, small yet sufficient for one person. The kitchen, small dinning, and living area were all connected by an open floor, all decorated in neutral hues but accentuated by pops of different colors.
He smiled softly, noticing the details that made the space hers. The assortment of pot plants on her windowsill. The white curtains pushed to the side allowing as much as natural light as possible to take over the room. The knitted cushions of different sizes sitting on the comfy-looking sofa. The tasteful display of framed pressed flowers on the wall behind said sofa. Naruto could tell that each detail was thought carefully about, that Hinata had put her time and energy into all of them.
Everything was so clean and organized yet well lived-in.
It really felt like a home.
Naruto was still admiring the flowers on the wall when he heard her coming back into the room. "Did you press all of these?" He asked curiously.
"I did." Hinata answered to which he whistled, impressed. "Most of them are from my family home. And some are from other special places or occasions." He looked towards her and caught her smiling fondly at her work.
"They are beautiful, the whole wall is quite impressive." He complimented getting her attention.
"Thanks." She answered bashfully before looking towards the flat screen mounted on the wall–the yoga video still paused. "Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, Sakura was quite upset at you for caring weight last night. Are you still hurting?" Hinata stepped closer to him, scanning him over as if she wanted to check for injuries herself. He waved dismissively at her concern, but happy for having her worried about his well-being.
"I'm sure I'll be fine. I haven't been sore for a couple of days. See?" He tells her, giving a squeeze to his side ribs to prove it to her. "I'm still on a break from training, and I'm starting to feel stiff, I need this!" He pumps his fists in excitement and determination, getting a laugh out of her.
"We can just skip ahead to the food." She offered, still unsure of his condition.
"As tempting as that sounds, if I keep just eating my way into next week, Jiraya will drop my ass. Or worse, cut off all the ramen forever." He joked and wiped an invisible tear off the corner of his eye, making the girl bite a smile. "Com'n', 'Nata, yoga is good for digestion." He stated matter of factly, the nickname slipping off his tongue naturally. He watched the soft blush he adored take over her cheeks again, and Hinata finally let out a conceding sigh.
"Okay, but…"
"But I won't be stupid, and I promise to stop if I feel any unnatural discomfort." He says crossing his heart with a finger and raising his other hand.
She shook her head but could not hold back a smile from forming. "Alright, I'd already chosen a more relaxed routine anyways." She said and added cheekly, "It's Sunday!" To which he chuckled and agreed with a nod.
The Uzumaki listened to Hinata telling him about Sakura's missed texts while she got another yoga mat for him from a basket in the corner. He again dismissed her apology, affirming to her he wanted to come. When they were both making themselves comfortable on their respective mats, he watched her from the corner of his eyes pull her hair up. Her normally straight hair was messier and more voluminous today, making it a little difficult for Hinata to form a neat bun. Indigo strands escaped from the knot, and Naruto decided he really liked that relaxed look on her.
"Ready?" She asked him, looking around for the controller.
"Yes, but I've only done yoga a handful of times." He confessed scratching a cheek with one finger. "So, if I look dumb, promise not to laugh?"
She turned around to face him with a serious expression. "Never." Then, a small smile cracked her lips. "Well, I'll try my best."
"Hyuga, you're such a bully." He teased, pushing her lightly by the shoulder, making her giggle and lose a bit of her balance.
"Just try to copy me if the instructor goes too fast and, of course, if it's not hurting you." She offered after recovering her composure.
"Alright, master!" He unnecessarily copied her immediately, getting more giggles out of her. The video was unpaused.
—
Hinata didn't know one could laugh so much while doing yoga. She just could not keep a straight face. Her form has never been so poor in her entire life. If they were part of a real class, for sure they would've been kicked out! And it would all be because of Naruto.
The blond did his best at first, but once the names started to become too foreign and the stretches too intense for him… Well, he just started making up his own, insisting that Hinata should follow him because his yoga positions were 'better'. Hinata actually argued he could be more creative, and they compromised on creating their own together, completely deviating from the routine playing on her television. When the instructor of the video finished with a 'namaste', both Hinata and Naruto were splattered on the floor, catching their breath from laughing rather than exercising.
"Namaste…" She heard Naruto say breathlessly, and she giggled at his silliness.
"Remind me to never take you to a yoga class." Hinata said after a few more minutes, sitting up. She watched him, still laying down, grab the hem of his shirt and wipe his face off.
Hinata gulped.
She had seen him before, once live and then many times on video, fighting in just a pair of grappling shorts–but never had his exposed skin been so close to her as of right now. She watched his tanned stomach bend a little, the muscles of his six pack picking out and flexing his tattoo. "Com'n, yoga would be so much more fun with me, ya'know." His voice came out muffled by his shirt, breaking Hinata's trance right on time for her to busy herself with rolling her mat and not getting caught.
Hyuga Hinata, you shut the door on his face earlier but are now ogling him so shamelessly? Control yourself.
"Yes, it would." She managed to say, hoping her voice didn't come out squeaky.
"I can help you with these." He said already taking her mat off her hands and getting up, rolling his own before looking for the security bands in the wicker basket. "So what were you planning on cooking before I crashed your party?"
"I hadn't decided yet." Hinata replied while thanking the heavens for Naruto leading the conversation. Her mind was still indulging itself with images of a spiral sun flexing over carved tanned skin. Seriously, Hinata? She pinched herself under a sleeve, desperately trying to focus on their conversation. "Do you like curry?"
"It's only in my top five." He said showing five fingers, making her smile–her skin finally feeling a little cooler.
"Really, what's in your top five? Besides ramen as number one, of course." She made him chuckle, and Hinata felt her lungs doubling in size. Being able to make him smile or laugh always gave her that sort of tight feeling–something very close to what she was starting to identify as pride. For almost two weeks, they only maintained contact over the phone, so being able to be face to face like this with him, not only last night but on that lazy Sunday afternoon as well, made Hinata feel grateful. And content.
"Hmm, you tell me your top five first since you already know two of mine." He proposed while joining her on the floor again, his legs criss crossing while she hugged her own.
"Okay, so, I have to say that ramen from Ichiraku has become my number five." She confessed getting a loud 'yes' from him.
"They are so good, probably the best! We need to go back, 'Nata!" She noticed the nickname again which made her tug at a loose strand of indigo hair–she was instantly fond of the abbreviation.
The young Hyuga nodded enthusiastically in agreement before continuing. "Four, green tea ice cream." She giggled at his wrinkled nose. "Three, sushi. Two, red bean soup. And one, cinnamon rolls…" She completed her list covering her cheeks with both hands, signing longingly at the thought of the sweet pastry.
"Damn, look at you daydreaming about cinnamon rolls." Naruto teased her to which she just signed another time. "This is serious business."
"It is." Hinata nodded. "You can bribe me anytime with them." She laughed with him at her own kind of serious joke.
"The same goes for me and ramen, miso pork, believe it." He grinned widely and then continued, "My number two is also red bean soup!" He gave her a thumbs up of approval. "Three is barbecue, especially if Choji is the one grilling. Four, curry. And five is instant ramen."
"Ramen twice?" She arched a delicate eyebrow only getting in response a shrug of his shoulders.
"Why are you even surprised?" He questioned her, humor swimming in the blue of his twinkling eyes.
"So…" She started after a moment of soft giggles and comfortable silence in which they just maintained eye contact–Hinata taking the opportunity to bask in his contagious bright personality. "In one of our phone calls you mentioned cooking for yourself most of the time. Are you good enough to be my sous chef today?"
—
"Hmmm, maybe not sous chef level yet." She joked lightly, gently tapping the cut on his finger with an antibiotic on a cotton ball. Naruto felt the sting and hissed a bit but did not jerk away, allowing her to continue to touch his hand and attend to his small injury. He didn't mind being this close to her.
"I never said I was good." He chuckled a bit. "I said you could test my skills."
"I have to admit, you're managing your way around my kitchen quite well." She said honestly, still keeping her eyes on her task. "Well, that is until you spilled blood."
"The Hyuga can be quite dramatic, hn?" Naruto tried to have a closer look of what she was doing, their heads almost bumping. The young men could vaguely smell the scent of flowers coming off of her hair.
"Never, we only state facts." She reached for a circular container from her first aid kit. "This–hm, this is my homemade healing balm." Naruto thought she seemed somewhat shy when telling him about it, so he grabbed the container from her with his free hand. It was small enough that he could twist the cap open while still holding it.
"I bet it does wonders." She looked up at him and seemed a little surprised at both his confident words and close proximity. Naruto watched her lips form that smile that pushed the apples of her cheeks up high, and his stomach flipped upside-down.
"It also smells good." She added bashfully, resuming applying some of the cream on his now clean cut. She finished off with a purple band aid, and let go of his hand slowly. "There, and we should be almost finished with the food."
"Thanks." Naruto admired her careful work for a moment before rejoining her by the stove.
—
"That was delicious." Naruto said slowly, laying on her living room floor with eyes closed and tightly hugging a pink throw pillow.
From her sofa, where she laid tummy down, Hinata signed happily. "I think I'll roll my way to the gym tomorrow." Her voice is a little muffled by the proximity of her lips to the cushion.
Naruto opened his eyes to look at her with interest, crossing his arms behind his head. "You won't be covering for your dad in the main office anymore?"
"Uhum, father is feeling better. Neji and I can go back to our regular roles." She explained, propping her chin up on her hands to better see him. "I'll be teaching at Maito Guy's location tomorrow. I love going there, we'll be doing a special aikido class." Naruto looked at her in that way that felt long, as if admiring something she couldn't see.
"That sounds so fun. I heard of the Green Beasts." He finally said, sounding a little wishful. "I wonder if it would be too weird for me to show up at you guys' gyms when I'm already affiliated with another one."
"Hmm…" Hinata thought for a while. She knew Lee would love to spar with Naruto, but that was still a valid question. "Maybe… it would open for speculation for sure, we encourage our patrons to be active in sharing their visits on social media. I can see some fans coming up to you, too. But it could also be good publicity? I don't see how it could be something negative." She answered unsure, brainstorming different scenarios. It wasn't like professional fighters couldn't mingle with competition. At the same time, Naruto's Kitsune fighting persona was still quite the buzz online.
"If it's okay with you guys, I'd like to come someday, but I do have a busy day tomorrow." He said sitting up, matching her eye level. "I just thought it would be awesome to watch you in action." Hinata bit her lip, her ears burning at the smile he was giving her.
"It's nothing exceptional, really." Her voice dropped to almost a whisper, averting her eyes to a loose thread on the cushion below her, two fingers pulling at it.
"Doubt it." He firmly said, her eyes shooting back at him. She suddenly felt silly for feeling insecure when he looked at her with so much confidence–and not for the first time that day.
"It's actually gonna be a lot of fun. It'll be an exclusive skill mentoring session for our youth black belts." Hinata noticed him smiling at her change in attitude. "I'm excited."
"I wanna hear all about it, call me tomorrow night, all right?" She nodded at his request.
"Usual time?"
"You know it!" He winked at her, making her giggle at his boyish antics.
"What about you? What're your plans for tomorrow?" She inquired curiously.
"The biggest thing tomorrow will be meeting with a potential social media manager, he's a strong recommendation from Shikamaru." Hinata perked up at that. Wow, he's really following through with my advice. She was astonished at how seriously he took her words back at Ichiraku's. "Besides that I'll-" But Naruto never finished his sentence. His phone buzzed on the floor next to him, and for a split second Hinata could have sworn she had seen the word 'mom' displayed on the screen.
The indigo haired girl bit her lips again. This time, however, to hold back what she thought were intrusive questions. All this time they've been talking and hanging out, Naruto only referred to his friends as being his family. He had never once mentioned an actual family member. She was starting to assume that perhaps he did not have any, at least not blood related. Hinata, being who she was, felt that it wasn't up to her to pry on such a potentially sensitive topic.
But she was also human, and now her curiosity had peaked. Especially since he silenced the call, and was now texting.
"I'm sorry, Hinata. I think I should get going." He said as he stood up, looking around for any forgotten belongings.
"Is everything alright?" She sat up and soon joined him on her feet, her voice laced with concern since he seemed a little disoriented. He paused the search for his keys, picking up on her tone, and quickly broke his face into a smile.
"Yea! Hey, don't worry, it's just that I should return this call, and it might take awhile, ya'know!" He explained rubbing his neck. "But I promise it's nothing bad." He said honestly, and she allowed her face to relax.
"Okay, let me wrap some leftovers for you." She offered, trying to be helpful and not sure if he was truly okay–a small feeling bothering her. Her heart felt lighter, though, when his eyes sparkled in response to her statement.
"You're the best!" He exclaimed, skipping behind her towards the small dining table.
—
Hyuga Hiashi quietly watched the slow descent of the sun from his bedroom's engawa. The spring days were progressively getting warmer as the year made its way into May, but the nights were still pleasantly cool. A half-drank cup of tea was sitting next to him, and a lazy breeze hit the notes of the wind chimes above him.
He let a slow sign out, closing his eyes at his current predicament.
It was always an internal struggle whenever the respectable man had the urge to do what he was about to do.
However, he knew he was gonna do it anyway, so why prolong the issue any further? Without hesitation, Hiashi opened his eyes fiercely and fished out of his robes the company's cellphone. There, he had access to all Hyuga Gyms' accounts, including social media profiles.
Cousin Ko was responsible for managing the marketing department. Therefore, Ko and his team were the ones actively posting, sharing, and all the whatnots. But they still gave Hiashi full access to it all as a means of full transparency.
Hiashi, on his part, trusted their team completely, and used this opportunity for something that he secretly considered much more important.
Cyber-stalking his daughters.
The middle-aged man spent the next thirty minutes following a thread of tags of his younger daughter's handle name. She had gone out clubbing the night prior with some Sarutobi boy and Moegi–a girl who's been in their house several times before. The clubs that the small group visited seemed to have indulged themselves in using Hanabi's name as a promotional tool. The boy also seemed to be a popular target. So off went Hiashi, wasting several minutes looking up the boy who–by his investigation–was from a prominent political family.
He knew he could trust his daughters, he had raised them to be responsible beings, after all. And Habani herself was an open book, even telling him yesterday to not wait up. A thin smile formed on his lips at the thought of his wild younger child and her many shenanigans. The thing though was that Habani just wouldn't normally fill him in with all the details of her fun since she didn't believe he wanted to know. But he did. Very much. And without Neji or Hinata around for the teen to loudly tell her tales, the Hyuga father found himself behaving like a closeted old gossip.
Hinata, on the other hand, was more reserved. Not secretive, just reserved. They had been through a lot together. She was so much like his deceased wife, her mother. And since Hinata moved out for a second time, it was even harder to know what she was up to. She was actually the reason he started this little Sunday ritual.
Hiashi opened Instagram and typed Yamanaka Ino on the explore page. He had learned long ago that his older daughter was slow at posting if at all, making it extra challenging to find her current whereabouts. But he recalled Neji mentioning in passing that Hinata would be busy with her college friends this weekend, and he knew for a fact that Yamanaka Ino shared everything as it happened.
And he was not disappointed. Ino had so many stories of their get together that the individual story bars were almost dots. The first few featured mouth watering food and aesthetically pleasing party set ups. Then, the friends started popping up. Hinata smiled in a few photos of the two sharing a hug with Sakura. Next, she was included in a boomerang of the girls toasting to their night. And then, that's when the guys started to make appearances. He identified the Uchiha and Nara boys with ease, but what got his mouth slightly ajar was the presence of an Uzumaki Naruto.
The same Uzumaki Naruto that he was following through the kitsune_watch fan profile and respective hashtags because the man itself had no accounts.
Hiashi's interest spiked.
In one picture the Uzumaki was grinning widely, an arm around the stoic Uchiha who was somewhat smirking. In another one, he was openly laughing with Ino. A clip showed him giving a short speech as he toasted to his friends'–Sakura and Sasuke–engagement. What is this? The Hyuga thought confused. The young fighter seemed to be close friends with his daughter's friends. Had Hinata known him all along? No, she's been scouting him and his progress for months now. She would have mentioned it if she had met him. Right? She had probably just become acquainted with him that night by chance.
Yet…
The fine wrinkles around Hiashi's left eye twitched at the next images. In the following group shots, the Uzumaki was next to Hinata, either looking down at her or inclined towards her. Meanwhile, his daughter was always smiling–with a blush?
Hiashi's fatherly protectiveness set off red alarms in his mind.
The last story had Ino smiling with a guy he didn't personally know, but in the background he could see Hinata standing very close to the Uzumaki, she seemed to be saying something to him while he smiled down at her petite form, all eyes on her.
Oh bollocks.
That might... complicate things?
A call from his long-time business partner from Hosekigakure earlier that day scheduled an impending visit for next week. He had also received a message from Hatake Kakashi. A message about Uzumaki Naruto.
Hiashi set the phone next to the cold, forgotten tea.
His head hurt.
"This is not good for my health." He whispered into the dark night.
—
to be continued.
—
engawa: boarded floor running along the outside of a traditional Japanese home and is often used as a type of veranda.
A/N: So… I had so much writing this chapter, for obvious reasons, haha. Hope you all enjoyed the NaruHina. Ugh, I love them so much. And things gonna start to picking up.
I also had too much fun writing Hiashi as an old gossip, hahaha. I hope his internal conflict of presenting a strict image versus wanting to be a doting father was represented here. I honestly think that he could be this way without the whole clan political-tragedy. I mean, have you seen the way he wanted to protect his daughters from Toneri? Or how he looked at Hinata on her wedding day? I don't really follow the Boruto manga/anime, but I've seen the clips of him being such an extravagant grandpa, haha.
To the guest who reviewed Chapter 3, I hope Naruto's reaction was everything you craved and more ;) And yes, Sakura and Ino have learned to meddle more maturely after college, haha. And to MungBean, so excited you found this story! And thank you so much for your kind words. Hope to see you again!
As always, thank you so much for all the love shared for this story. Please, leave a review if you'd like–can't wait to hear what y'all think of this chapter.
Stay safe, and until next week!