Did I mention I really love writing KonoHana? They're just too fun.
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Bonfire Nights
Chapter Two
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Hanabi
*The Interview*
Tuesday, March 24th 1:15 PM KST
Konoha
Hanabi looked around the restaurant while sipping on the brightly colored straw of her giant soda, startling herself when she made a giant slurping sound. She blinked twice and stared at the drink in surprise, while Konohamaru jerked his chin to the cup.
"Need a refill?" he asked, already standing.
"I guess?"
He gave a nod and stepped over to the self-serve drink counter, occasionally glancing around. Hanabi pretended to be otherwise engaged, noting that he scanned the room without appearing to do so. Despite being jovial and cheerful through lunch, his eyes had remained intelligent and sharp. He'd purposely positioned himself to be able to see who was coming and going, and had kept an eye on their beverages and the kitchens. He'd nodded to a girl that looked to be their age – she'd arrived about five minutes after they did and sat closer to the restrooms.
"Backup," Hanabi decided.
He was keeping an eye on her – or at least on their situation.
She was deciding what she thought about this (and if her father had put him up to it) when he returned to their table and handed her the cup. "I gotta say," he settled back into his seat with a quick glance around the room, (perimeter check, she thought) "of all of the places I thought you might pick, this wasn't one of them."
"You don't like it?"
Konahamaru smiled brightly. "Just the opposite. I love it. What's not to love about crazy decor and a fantastic burger selection? I just wouldn't have put it down as your cup of tea." He kicked his chair out and took a seat.
"You mean it isn't snobby enough."
"Something like that," he laughed lightly. "Or at the very least I would've guessed you'd order a salad. You look waaaay too healthy to tackle a burger that size," he nodded to the remaining half of her massive burger. "But either way, I am totally impressed."
"I've wanted to come here since I was a kid," she admitted. "I was supposed to come here for a birthday thing when I was eleven, but ended up not being able to go. Guess I was just curious."
His eyes took on a mischievous gleam. "So you've never been here before?"
"No, never."
"Mm," he signaled the waiter. "Just out of curiosity, when is your birthday?"
"Friday, actually," she drummed her fingers on the table. "The twenty-seventh." She suddenly narrowed her eyes at him, suspiciously. "Why?"
"So if you are a year behind me at KU, you'll be, what, twenty?"
"Yes," she arched an eyebrow at him. "Again, why?"
The waiter appeared back at their table
"Can I help you, sir?"
"No," he shook his head before smiling slyly, "but you can help the birthday girl."
"Oh!" the waiter turned to her gleefully, "is it your birthday today?"
"Well, actually,-"
"Sure is," Konohamaru shot her a look rife with amusement and let-me-do-the-talking. "AND," he said pointedly, "she's Never. Been. Here."
"You don't say?" the waiter cut his eyes to Hanabi and back, conspiratorially.
"I do. I do say," he shook his head sadly. "Tragic, isn't it?"
"Absolutely."
"Now wait just a second, what is tragic about-"
And that is when it happened.
The waiter jumped up on a chair from a neighboring table, and signaled everyone for their attention. Her confusion bled into something between horror and astonishment as he announced that it was her birthday, and calling for three cheers, while various staff members began to scramble and move to surround them.
Hanabi's instincts kicked in, and she immediately searched out the quickest exit. She pushed back her chair, ready to bolt, but Konohamaru stood behind her with two strong hands firmly on her shoulders. He was damned lucky she didn't act on instinct alone and gentle fist his smirking self through the wall, or maybe he was lucky that all of that caffeine that she never drank was coursing through her system and making her shake slightly.
"Can't leave yet," he leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Fun's just starting!"
"Fun?" she hissed in a whisper. "This is an ambush!"
"Trust me," he gave her shoulder a squeeze. "And while you're at it, please refrain from jyukening the snot out of me until this plays out."
"Why are the staff swarming us? Are they chanting? ….Is that a hat?"
"Go with it," was his parting advice before Konohamaru stepped back as one person plopped the hat on to her head, and another thrust a dessert with a sparkler under her nose. Hanabi stared deer-in-the-headlights at Konohamaru who had now joined in singing along lustily to the silly birthday song, and cheering the loudest when they all yelled "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" They dispersed amid a smattering of good-natured claps and cheers from the restaurant patrons, returning to their business as if nothing had happened.
"What," she blinked at him, "was that?"
"That," Konohamaru, picked up the two forks, "was my birthday present to eleven-year-old-you. Congratulations," he handed her a spoon. She stated at the offered utensil mistrustfully.
"Wow. Neji makes that face when he isn't sure what to do with me. Is that a Hyūga thing or a cousin thing?"
She glowered at him. "Right now it is a 'give me one good reason I shouldn't jyuken the snot out of you' thing."
"I'm trying to hand you one," he waggled he spoon in front of her. "Besides. We can't have you turning twenty without ever having had a hugely embarrassing birthday moment in public involving a hat and a free dessert. It simply isn't done."
She blinked at him.
"What?" he arched an eyebrow. "You think you were the only kid in Konoha who grew up with 'what is proper' lectures? Believe me – as the only grandchild of the former director of the ASF in Konoha, and son and nephew to distinguished members, and the universally acknowledged brattiest child in all of Konoha, I've heard them all."
Something tugged at her lips.
"And did any of those lectures stick?"
"Some more than others. I'm pretty sure there was a long one about gifts and hospitality, and never, ever turning down cake and ice cream. Especially birthday cake and ice cream. It might be a law."
"It might be," she conceded, eyeing him calculatingly.
"So," he raised his eyebrows to her, flicking his eyes between her and towering dessert – clearly meant to be shared. "You in, or what?"
Hanabi felt the smile in her chest before it ever tugged at her lips. She could keep up her façade for just about forever, but there was something about this Sarutobi boy that inspired a measure of transparency… even if she was convinced he was not being wholly forthcoming about his objectives. Still, she managed to accept the proffered utensil with dignity and gravitas. "I couldn't possibly risk impropriety. Not with such an illustrious local celebrity as the former brattiest child in all of Konoha."
"I might still be the title holder."
"All the more reason to oblige."
"Well then," he held his spoon out to her. "To new adventures?"
She tapped her spoon against his. "To new adventures."
Konohamaru
*The Invitation*
Tuesday, March 24th 6:45 PM KST
Konoha
Konohamaru was having a long day. Early meetings, weird assignments, running into his Aunt and ending up having lunch with his protection assignment, returning to base for some serious training, running research on his latest assignment… it all made for a very tired Konohamaru returning to his dorm room with less than his usual energy. When he opened the door to his suite, the was greeted first by the enticing aroma pizza, and second by his roommate Inari.
"It was my turn to cook," he said nodding to the huge, hot, melty, cheesy goodness on the counter. "Hope you don't mind." At that moment, Konohamaru reaffirmed the guy was the best roommate ever.
"Nice," he breathed, closing the door and kicking off his shoes.
Next to Naruto, Udon and Moegi, Inari was Konohamaru's closet friend. Despite having ANBU combat and taijutsu training, he wasn't a shinobi. The latest in a long line of bridge builders, he was a structural/architectural/civil engineer, and a valuable member of ANBU. His job didn't technically call for espionage or combat, but he had bravely gone places to build where he might be attacked, and his life had been on the line plenty of times. Luckily, his quick wits, broad back, and strong arms were enough to deter most troublemakers – and being friends with Konohamaru meant there was never a shortage of those.
"Something waiting for you on the counter," he said over his shoulder. "It was delivered earlier by someone named Kō? Looked like a Hyūga. What did you do? Talk to the heiress in the halls?" he teased, sitting at the island that separated their small dorm kitchen from the living area and grabbing a big slice of pizza.
Konohamaru picked up the manila envelope and turned it over to undo the clasp on the back. The slight sizzle of chakra at his fingertips told him it had been sealed to be opened by him only.
He pulled out two envelopes and a printed sheet of paper "It's probably the formal invitation to her birthday dinner," he said, scanning the letter. "Oh," his eyebrows raised. "I take it back. It's for the one this week, and for the other one in June."
"In June?" Inari stared at him. "You got invited to that?"
"Letter says I've been added on as an extra for Gramps. That's probably Genma's way of making sure I'm around for the job. What?" he arched an eyebrow at his roommate.
"You don't even know, do you," Inari narrowed his eyes at him. "She's twenty this year, and heir to the oldest, biggest clan in Konoha. That isn't going to be just 'a birthday dinner,' and that's not just a party. That's her seijin-shiki, and it will be a ridiculously huge deal."
"So… what? There'll be party favors? Maybe a goodie bag?"
"I hate you," Inari muttered with no real malice while Konohamaru laughed at him.
"Don't get so bent out of shape," he grabbed a slice of pizza and slapped it onto a paper plate. "I'm assigned to her security detail. Genma told me to tell you so that you didn't blow my cover."
Inari stared at him. "You get all the luck."
"Don't know that any assignment involving the Hyūgas can technically count as lucky." Konohamaru grimaced. "The minutia is pretty insane."
"And in return you get to guard the hottest, most unapproachable girl on campus," Inari snorted. "You realize most guys would kill to be you, right?"
"Most guys haven't met Hiashi."
"Hanabi was in one of my resource managment classes," Inari countered. "She was was unreal; ridiculously smart, calm, collected, and able to shut down stupid people with a single look."
Konohamaru tried not to frown at his roommate's sudden and unexpected enthusiasm for this subject. "She doesn't strike me as your type."
"Did I mention she is beautiful?"
"Rich, too," Konohamaru bit back sarcastically.
"Don't care," Inari shrugged. "I 've saved enough to take care of mom and grandpa; that's all I really care about. So back to me wanting to talk to the smart, beautiful girl for forever. How do we make that happen?"
"She. Is. An. Ah. Sign. Ment." Konohamaru said, emphasizing every syllable of his exasperation.
"Then. Why. Is. It. A. Prob. Lem." Inari mimicked him, punctuating each syllable with a whap to his roomie's head with a rolled up pizza flier. "She isn't my assignment. What would an introduction hurt?"
"No ANBU is supposed to interfere with an assignment," he pointed out. "And that includes you. Ask Udon or Moegi."
"Oh, Moegi already told me about lunch," he sat back and chewed on his pizza, smirking. "She just didn't say who you were assigned to. Is she going to have to shadow the two of you from now on?" he laughed. "And why doesn't taking her to lunch count? Just bring me with you next time." He looked down at the invitation. "At least open those things up. I'm dying of curiosity."
Konohamaru rolled his eyes. "If it will shut you up, fine," he muttered. He tore open the envelope and fished out the first invitation, scanned it, and handed it over to Inari.
"See? Just dinner."
The second invitation was on a much heavier paper, complete with response card.
Inari gave a low whistle. "Pretty swanky stuff. You sure you are up to this kind of classy assignment? Maybe you should have your Aunt Kurenai review all of the etiquette and rules for you, just in case."
"Whatever, man," Konohamaru grabbed another piece of pizza, accidentally knocking the manila envelope to the floor. As he bent to pick it up, a piece of paper fluttered out, and he snatched it before Inari could notice. He deftly took back the invitation and pretended to read it while he read the note instead.
Just heard that you will be attending. Maybe the events won't be as painful after all? Just kidding, if you survive the first one, I'll definitely owe you lunch. Perhaps somewhere they don't know it's not your birthday. –Hanabi.
Konohamaru smirked.
"So what did she say?" Inari asked, his chin in his hand, as he swirled his giant glass of milk the way Kiba might swirl a beer.
"Who?"
Inari just stared at him. "Hanabi. She must've written you something; you're blushing like a little girl."
"I don't blush," Konohamaru objected.
"You blush," Inari nodded emphatically. "Man, after all of that talk about ANBU and assignments?" he prodded his roommate. "You're really something."
Konohamaru looked up at his teasing roommate and took yet another piece of pizza.
"Inari?"
"Yeah?"
"Shut up."
The two friends finished their dinner with no further discussion on the subject, but when Konohamaru saw that Inari had put the invitations on the fridge (Hanabi's note was in his pocket) he knew that they'd only just begun.
Yes, Inari from the first incarnation of YMBIS is back because I love him.