After this, there's only the epilogue. So stick around until next Monday if you want to read it.
Iron Threads
Chapter Seven:
Dancing Memories
Neji crossed his arms in annoyance as he followed his former teacher Gai to their old training grounds. He hadn't wanted to come, knowing that Lee and Hinata would probably be there sparing like they usually did, but Gai said something along the lines of seeing whether or not Hinata was truly meant for Lee by seeing how she fought. Neji didn't see the correlation, but his former teacher insisted that they spy. Although their fights were never boring, Neji had no desire to hide in the snowy bushes to watch the two of them. Hinata would spot them with her byakugan anyway…
As they came up the stairs, the fight was about to begin. Lee was a good five or ten feet away from Hinata. He smiled that bright, tooth-paste endorsing smile of his and gave her a thumbs up.
"Are you ready to start, Hinata?" he asked with a wink. Much to Neji's surprise and horror, she responded by placing her hand on her hip, flashing a similar smile and giving him a thumbs up as well.
"You bet!" she replied. Both men stopped dead in their tracks, Neji was going through several stages of shock while Gai was so happy he could hardly speak. Before either of the sparring duo could begin their session, Neji had walked out into the middle of the training grounds and knelt in front of Hinata with a blank expression.
"Hinata-sama, please disown me from the family right now. I fear I might do something strange and drastic because of what I've seen…" he said bowing low to the ground.
"Ah…you saw my 'nice girl' pose?" she asked. Gai had finally snapped out of his ecstasy and snatched Hinata up in a hug.
"Lee, this girl is most certainly your soul mate! Only she has captured the essence of youth in a single expression as well as we have!" the older Jounin cried. Lee laughed and walked over toward Hinata who gazed at him pleadingly because of the unwanted and unexpected attention.
"Okay, you guys, I'm sure Hinata really wants to start our spar," the taijutsu specialist said.
"Please…never do that in front of me again…" Neji said, as he tried to cover his twitching eye. The two friends shared a nice laugh over the encounter.
"Remember, we're all going to Naruto and Sakura's New Year's party later, so don't tire each other out!" Gai told them.
Neji gazed at his cousin and smiled slightly. Today was going to be a very special day for her. It had only been a few weeks ago since that night at the clan meeting when she had defended Lee against their disparaging remarks. She still hadn't told Lee exactly how much she cared for him, but tonight that would all change. It was going to be a new year, a new beginning.
Neji, Tenten, Hanabi and Hinata entered the large room where six months ago, Naruto and Sakura had their wedding celebration. Now the room was filled with New Year's guests. It was a formal affair, how Sakura managed to get Naruto to consent to that Hinata was interested to find out. Neji and Tenten separated from the two sisters not long after they arrived and Hanabi was accosted by her rival in obnoxious behavior, Konohamaru.
"Well, if it isn't White Eyes and Messy Hair," the brown haired boy said crossing his arms, "Looks like your sister finally managed to clean you up for one night."
"What do you mean, Konohamaru? I always look lovely," Hanabi shot back tossing her dark hair, "It's too bad your goggles are always on too tight and your hair gel has seeped into your brain, so that you can't judge my beauty properly."
"Well, I'm sorry I can't see through that horridly ugly mask you wear every day," Konohamaru replied, "But you can see through everything, can't you, Konoha's Best Peeping Tanya."
Hinata raised an eyebrow, "Peeping Tanya?"
"Yes, Hinata-san, Peeping Tanya, the female version of Peeping Tom," the boy continued, "Did you know your sister was a pervert?"
"Is that so?" Hinata said, an amused smile on her face as she saw Hanabi's reaction.
"Yeah," Konohamaru added, "she used to spy on old Thick Brows—"
"His name is Lee," Hinata corrected. The younger boy blinked.
"She used to spy on Lee in the shower while he stayed at your house," Konohamaru said, "And according to her, his eyebrows aren't the only thing that's bushy."
Hanabi beat the brown haired boy with her purse and Hinata turned bright red at the thought of Lee in the shower. She pushed the images out of her mind as she tried to calm her sister down.
"Stop lying about me! Just because you're perverted doesn't mean everyone else is!" Hanabi shouted, "You know I'm in a similar position. Just because I'm a talented Jounin doesn't mean I expect you to be just as talented, Hair Gel Brain."
"Oh, so it's a challenge then?" the boy continued settling into a fighting stance, "Well let's see if there's a hair gel jutsu that will beat your byakugan."
Naruto came up behind him and slapped Konohamaru in the back of the head.
"I'm enforcing a truce between you two," Naruto said, "If guys start fighting during this party, I will drop you both to Chunin."
The two teens grumbled.
"You…look really nice…" Konohamaru said finally. Hanabi glared at him as her cheeks turned pink.
"Thanks…you don't look so bad yourself…" she said. Hinata smiled and left the two of them to try and stare holes into each other's skulls. She walked over to a group she was familiar with. She spotted Temari, Anko, Kakashi and Gaara standing together and she headed over toward them.
"Good evening, Kazekage-sama, Temari-san, Anko-san and Kakashi-san," she said as she approached. Anko smiled as the younger girl got closer.
"It's good to see you, Hinata-chan!" she said and put her arm around Hinata.
"I see you've recovered from your illness," Gaara commented, "I heard that it took a rather serious turn once you returned home."
"Thank you for your concern, Kazekage-sama. I'm much better now," she told him, "Have any of you seen—"
"Lee?" Kakashi finished, "He and Gai might be running a little late. They'll be here soon."
"Oh…I see…" Hinata said. Anko smirked and linked arms with Kakashi.
"I was just telling these guys about how Temari's little Wind Country tradition with the bouquet at the wedding is absolutely true," The older kunoichi began.
"Oh, is it?" the white eyed girl said.
"Yep. Kakashi and I are engaged to be married in a few months," Anko announced. Temari smiled and Gaara raised one of his non existent eyebrows.
"I knew your chemistry was off the charts back at the summit," the blonde girl said, "You guys have been dating ever since the wedding?"
"Yeah," Kakashi answered, "I wasn't too keen on the whole relationship thing at first. I don't like to be chained to one person, it gets kind of stale. But let's just say Anko has ways of making sure I'm never bored."
"You don't say?" Temari said raising an eyebrow. Sakura ran up to the blonde girl and grabbed her arm.
"It's time!" the pink haired girl said. Temari laughed and started to leave the group.
"It's time for what?" Gaara called after her.
"Another Wind Country tradition!" the blonde answered. Gaara rolled his eyes.
"Next thing you know they'll be calling you Party Game Ninja Temari," the Kazekage said. Hinata laughed and allowed her eyes to travel across the room. She spotted Lee and Gai as they entered. She smiled and waved and Lee grinned brightly and gave her a thumbs up. Sakura called the room to order.
"Now, we're going to play a game!" she said in an excited tone, "Temari is going to tell us the rules."
"First, we have two boxes with everybody's name in them. One box has the name of all the girls present, the other has the name of all boys present. Girls will pick a name from the boy's box and vice versa," the blonde said. Kankuro groaned.
"Temari, you know I hate this game!" he cried. The older girl ignored him and told everyone to do as she said. Hinata reached in the box and looked at her slip.
"Sasuke…" she read. Of all the random people…
"Now go find the person whose name is on your slip and stand next to them," Temari instructed. Hinata wandered over to Sasuke and greeted him politely and he did likewise.
"Now what you do, is you do a simple dance like this," she said, grabbing Naruto as a makeshift partner, "And for thirty seconds you will be forced to face this person and talk about the year's goings on. Then you'll switch partners with the nearest couple and this will keep on going until the song is over."
Konohamaru huffed angrily, "Ninjas don't dance!"
Hanabi rolled her eyes, "Now they do."
"Get ready!" Temari said as she grabbed Kiba, her real partner. Lee and Hinata glanced at each other from across the dance floor. Lee was with Kurenai and Hinata grinned. They would enjoy each other's company. The music started and she glided easily on her feet with Sasuke. He wasn't at all like Sakura had described him a few weeks ago. She said he was crazy, but he hardly seemed so.
"How was your year, Hinata-san?" he asked. She shrugged.
"There were good times and bad times…but that's life, isn't it?" she replied.
Sasuke nodded, "I guess. I've had more bad times this year than good, but I'm willing to move on to the next challenge."
Hinata decided that she knew why Sakura said that Sasuke was crazy. Sakura didn't want to distract her from liking Lee. Hinata smiled slightly at the thought. She wasn't easily swayed by a pretty face. Sasuke was physically appealing, but hardly the sympathetic, kind person Lee was. To most people, Lee wasn't worth a second glance, but they missed out on so much. He was more than just his green jump suit, thick eyebrows and bowl cut. He was strong beyond belief, compassionate and determined. Sasuke was a kind person deep down inside, but Hinata didn't need the drama that came along with him.
"That dress suits you," Sasuke commented, "Light green seems to be your color."
Hinata smiled a little, "You're too kind, Sasuke-kun."
Lee kept his gaze fixed on Hinata as she chatted pleasantly with Sasuke. Perhaps he had waited too long to make his move again. Maybe this exchange with the charming Uchiha Sasuke would change her mind about him. Lee sighed in a forlorn manner. He always seemed to lose out on the things he wanted most. Kurenai smiled up at him serenely, knowing what was going on in the younger boy's mind.
"You know Hinata well enough to know that she could care less about people's looks," she told him, "Besides, thirty seconds with Sasuke isn't as lethal as it once was back in the day."
Lee looked down at Kurenai with surprise.
"Hinata cares about you far too much and I can see why. I don't think I'd approve of anyone else for her," the older kunoichi said. Lee smiled and nodded.
"I'll take good care of Hinata, Kurenai-san," he told her. Kurenai nodded.
"I'm sure you will," she answered. Everyone switched rather neatly. Hinata sailed into the arms of her cousin and didn't lose the beat of the song and Lee transitioned to Sakura easily.
Neji smiled down at Hinata as she grinned up at him.
"So, are you ready for your confession?" he asked. Hinata nodded.
"Yes," she said, "I've never felt more ready for anything in my life."
"Don't waver now," Neji said, "You've come too far to look back."
"Don't worry, Neji-niisan, I won't stop now," she said. Not far from the dancing cousins, Lee was face to face with his former love, Sakura. She glanced over his shoulder at the white eyed girl.
"She's lovely tonight, isn't she?" the pink haired girl commented. Lee nodded dreamily.
"She's even wearing your favorite color," Sakura added. Lee grinned down at Sakura.
"Thank you, Sakura. If you and Naruto had never gotten married, I would have never realized how much Hinata means to me," he said brightly.
"You're welcome," she replied with a wink. The couples switched again, Hinata glided into step with Naruto and Hanabi ended up as Lee's new partner. Naruto gave the Hyuga clan leader his trademark grin.
"Kiba and Shino have told me that they can finally remove all surveillance at the Hyuga compound," he told her.
"My family is finally transitioning a bit more smoothly than it has in previous months," she sighed, "If it wasn't for your help, Naruto-kun, I don't think I could have managed the whole situation."
"I think you're wrong," the blonde replied, "You've always been strong Hinata, I think you could have taken them, my rulings just made it easier for you to enforce what you had already decided. Besides, Bushy Br—I mean Lee, would have easily taken down anybody who tried to hurt you."
Hinata giggled despite herself and Naruto gave her a quick twirl.
Hanabi on the other hand wasn't quite as easy on her feet as her sister. While she didn't step on Lee's toes, she certainly had trouble keeping time with the music.
"Hinata was always the more artistically inclined of the two of us," Hanabi lamented, "I can't dance to save my life, and she takes to it easily. I can do Sixty Four Points in the traditional sense, while she puts her own spin on it."
Lee dipped the younger girl, just in the fun of throwing her off and laughed as she huffed at him for getting her all muddled up.
"We all have our strengths and weaknesses. I used to be very self conscious about the things I couldn't do, but then I focused on the things I could do and I got a better outlook on life," Lee told the younger girl.
Hanabi smiled and tossed her dark hair, "I'm sure you'll make a good husband to somebody someday. Maybe someone like…I don't know…my sister?"
Lee smirked at the younger Jounin, "Perhaps, Hanabi, perhaps."
Hanabi glanced over at the Hokage who worked his way over toward her and Lee.
"Well, it's about time we switched," Hanabi told the older boy, "Hinata's your next partner, sweep her off her feet. She deserves it."
The sisters switched places. While Hanabi and Naruto smirked evilly, Lee and Hinata gazed into each others eyes as they worked their way across the dance floor.
"You're wearing less green tonight," Hinata noted. Lee raised a thick eyebrow.
"And you're wearing more," he replied, "I like it."
She smiled, "I hoped you would notice."
Lee was suddenly very aware of the way her hip curved under his hand and the dreamy look in her eyes. He wanted very much to steal a kiss from her soft, pink lips, but his better judgment decided against it. Not while Neji was looking, and Gai-sensei could easily run up to him and talk about his first step toward true love and the joys of youth. Lee always enjoyed a good youthful pep talk, but not now.
Perhaps the song had ended, perhaps it hadn't. Either way, the two of them left the dance floor hand in hand wandering out into the courtyard to the bench where the two of them sat crying over their broken hearts. Here they were again, both with gentle smiles on their faces and the pieces of their hearts back in place. Hinata sat down on stone bench and looked up at the moon. Lee sat on the ground right in front of her and rested his head on her lap.
"Lee, your suit is going to get dirty," Hinata told the older boy. Lee ran his finger over her knuckles.
"I don't care," he replied. She looked down at his hand as it covered hers. The night was cold, she had left her jacket inside and her arms were bare, however, her hand remained warm under Lee's. She gazed down at the scars that crossed his skin. Her skin looked like untouched porcelain in comparison to his.
"You're beautiful, Hinata," he said. She thanked him for his kind comment. He reached up and ran his fingers through her hair. She had curled it for the night and it framed her face with luscious black ringlets.
"I don't think you understand what I mean," he said, "You're beautiful to me in every way. I've seen you sick as a dog and I've seen you as stately as a queen and no matter what you looked like, still you managed to draw me to you. You have the kind of beauty that radiates from your heart under all circumstances."
Hinata looked down at him solemnly with her white eyes, "Lee, I…"
Her voice was failing her again. Old Hinata was threatening to come back after all those years of growth. However, she couldn't allow her old self to hold her back anymore. She was a different person even from the girl she was just six months ago, and her new self wouldn't let Lee leave her alone.
"Lee…I love you," she said softly. He looked up at her wordlessly. Was this all a dream? If it was, he should hold on to it as long as he could. He stood up, rousing Hinata to her feet with him. He then held her close, unwilling to let the moment go. Hinata returned the embrace feeling warm in his arms despite the obvious cold. She shivered a little and it was then Lee realized how close they were. Her breasts were pressed against his chest and he could feel every shift in her body. It took every thing he had just to remain focused on what he wanted to tell her and keep himself under control.
"I love you so much," he told her, "I didn't think anything could make me love you more, but the confirmation of your feelings…you don't know how much that means to me."
He took off his jacket and put it around her shoulders.
"You're cold, aren't you," he said. She nodded and pulled the coat closer around her shoulders. Lee's hands lingered on the lapels of the jacket for a few moments.
"Forgive me, Hinata for being so forward," he said. He pulled her to him once again, this time by the lapels of the jacket, and kissed her deeply. His hands found their way to her hips and slowly traced the curves of her body. Hinata leaned into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck to savor it more fully. Lee, although always gentlemanly and polite, had definitely taken Gai's fire of youth speeches seriously. His kiss was full of passion and tenderness. Soon, the kiss was broken, but the spell of love had only just begun.
"You can be forward with me whenever you want…" Hinata whispered breathlessly into his ear. Lee blinked a few times as she leaned her head on his shoulder. The taijutsu specialist scooped her up into his arms and started carrying her away.
"H-hey! Lee! Where are you taking me?" the white eyed girl said.
"To my place. So I can be forward without your family watching," he told her. She turned bright red and playfully smacked his arm.
"I'm not sure I'm…ready for that yet…" Hinata replied. Lee stopped dead in his tracks and then turned completely around and walked the other direction.
"Well…to be honest, I'm not really ready either," he told her.
"So now where are you going?" she asked.
"Back to the party," the taijutsu specialist answered.
"Good," Hinata said, "Because I need to parade my new boyfriend around."
Lee gazed down at the dark haired girl in disbelief and she looked up at him with a devious smile. The two of them re-entered the party room to see everyone sitting down at their tables as Naruto was about to give a speech. The new couple sat down at a table with Anko, Kakashi, Hanabi, Neji and Tenten. Naruto cleared his throat.
"Now most of you know I'm not one to make meaningless speeches, so this is something that's important to me," the Hokage began, "War is on the horizon. Some of us here today will not be here in a few months. This war may very well change who we are as people. But let's not let that damper our hopes for the future. Let's celebrate who we are today, let's appreciate the people we are with right now. I propose a toast, to who we are now, and to who we will become in the coming years."
The toast was well received. From that point forward everyone partied until the sun rose and the new year began. The light of the first sunrise fell on Lee and Hinata as they both headed home in the early hours of the morning. Their fingers entwined as their souls were sewn together with iron threads of love. They both had learned something important that evening. Iron threads, such as the ones that bound them together, are not easily broken, but they can be easily made.
Well, I'm not sure how many people are actually going to read the epilogue so let me say my thank yous here.
Thank you FullMetal Saiyajin for prompting this whole story in the first place. If it wasn't for you, Rainy Day in Konoha would have never happened and this fic would have never taken shape. And thanks for being my beta reader. You really tightened some of the looser ends of the story.
Thank you Carly-chan for giving me a Lee keychain. I spent many an afternoon, just dangling him from my keys saying, "So…if you were randomly with Neji's cousin Hinata, what would you say?"
Thank you:
Funky Platypus: Thank you! My biggest fear was writing them older. I'm not even twenty yet, so I was worried I wouldn't be able to capture all our favorite Genin as more mature, well rounded people. However, most of my friends are about the age I'm writing Lee and Hinata, and I also took some cues from the time skip as to how they would grow and change. It wasn't as hard as I imagined it to be. I'm just glad everyone is in character.
HarpyGirl91: Yes, it's pretty much over. I could write a long and rather drawn out epic of what goes on during the war, but I think the epilogue suits me just fine.
mayashin: Yay! LeeSaku shipper! Yes, I am a diehard LeeSaku shipper despite the fact that I wrote this story. I just needed to get this out because there are so few LeeHina fics out there. My next Naruto story will be a LeeSaku…I haven't worked out the kinks in the plot yet, but I'm actually really excited about it.
Pyrinsomniac: You want me to be honest? I didn't want to write about their Genin teams at all. I was just going to leave them as a side note and never give them names. I really don't like to write OCs because it reminds me of my Mary Sue days. It almost became necessary. I wanted to use them as a device for certain events and I had to give them a little personality. As far as cousinly bonds go, I have enough male cousins to know that you don't have to fall in love with your cousin on order to love them. Hinata and Neji don't have to stick their tongues in each other's mouths and they don't have to continue to hate each other. She calls him older brother and I had her treat him like one. And yes…a fight scene would have been good…I was going to write out the entire battle when they were attacked at the summit, but that went on for so many pages I just cut it out.
Anime-Dudette: I'm so happy. The chapter wasn't just plain cute, it was kyute! That marks a new level of cuteness!
