Being stubborn about not sleeping is the only way I'll get any writing done.

Enjoy!

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Sulking.

"It's not like she's doing this because she wants to."

Annoyed.

"She said it's just a formality, right? It's nothing."

Frustrated.

"Things will be back to normal by tomorrow."

"Feh!" Konohamaru turned away and glared at the wall.

Moegi, Udon, and Hanabi sighed, varying levels of emotion directed at the matter at hand. It was late afternoon, and they were in Moegi's living room. Konohamaru was laying on his side on the floor, glaring at the wall trimmings with an irritated scowl. Udon was on the floor next to him, leaning against the sofa, alternating between reading a comic and assessing Konohamaru's demeanor. Moegi was on the sofa, conflicted with Konohamaru's dilemma, and Hanabi was seated next to her, arms crossed and eyelids lowered critically.

Hanabi and Konohamaru had come to something akin to a truce late last year because they realized they could not sabotage each other without getting Hinata involved. She was all too skilled at detecting the budding animosity between them, and she tried her best to put them in situations she hoped would help them get along.

She was partially right.

The two may have realized they both had more common ground than they would like to admit, but they still vied for Hinata's attention, and neither would fully yield to the other. So, they were at a standstill while denying a friendship was on the horizon.

Gradually, Hanabi had integrated herself into Konohamaru's team, and they put up little resistance to her arrival. The young Hyuuga rarely mingled with her own team, claiming it was too late to form any real interest beyond professional encounters. Moegi, especially, appreciated the Hyuuga's warm-tempered nature, and the two had grown on each other rather quickly. If Udon had a strong opinion of her one way or the other, he kept it to himself.

By this point, Konohamaru's teammates knew about his crush because it helped to explain the new friendship that had seemingly come out of nowhere. Moegi had been supportive yet voiced her skeptical opinions every now and then. The age difference didn't concern her as much as the improbability of things turning out the way her teammate wanted it to did. Udon neither voiced an approving or disapproving opinion, and his words of comfort varied depending on the emotions Konohamaru presented.

So it was on this day, five months after Hinata's eighteenth birthday, that Moegi, Udon, and Hanabi had gathered to comfort the young Sarutobi through this (trivially) tough time.

"This is so stupid," Konohamaru muttered. "Stupid!"

Hanabi rolled her eyes. "You're just jealous. Rationalize it and you'll be fine."

He groaned louder.

"It's just one night, Konohamaru," Moegi said. "Normal tomorrow, remember?"

"Normal," the Sarutobi scoffed. "Like it'll ever really be normal." He yelled, shooting up and looking at them. "Wedding arrangements?!" He directed his anger at Hanabi. "Why does your clan even do stuff like that?!"

"Calm down," Hanabi said. "It's more or less a formality. Believe it or not, my clan's traditions have lessened by a lot. Instead of arranging her for a marriage at sixteen, she's being officially 'put on the market' at eighteen."

"You call that lessened?!"

Hanabi shrugged. "If you're this worried, you must think something will come of it."

"Hanabi..." Moegi nudged her.

Konohamaru grumbled, settling back on the ground. "Forget it, Moegi. She doesn't understand what this is really about."

Hanabi scowled.

"What is it really about?" Moegi asked. "When Hinata told you about it last year, you joked about it for a while. Now that it's actually happening, you're acting like she offended you or something."

"It's not about her. Wait...no. It is about her, but not that. No way she's comfortable meeting all these people and putting herself out there. It just seems stupid that her family is putting her through all this for appearance's sake."

"She agreed to this, you know," Hanabi reminded.

Konohamaru laughed, humorless. "Yeah. To please your father."

"My father just wants the best for her."

"The best for your clan. And what about you, huh? Kiba is gonna be there, right? I'm not the only one who has something to lose tonight."

Hanabi grit her teeth, her posture straightening. "Don't drag me into your self-induced drama. You of all people should be glad she's seeing what else is out there besides Naruto. She's never actually looked at anyone else. Now that she has to, you might have a better chance at her looking your way, considering you haven't helped yourself on your own."

Konohamaru didn't say anything. He had to admit he was handling this poorly, but Hanabi rarely had words of encouragement that actually uplifted him. She said things to rile him up. He would either get so upset or so defiant that he'd force himself to change his situation just so the emotions would go away. However, her words now just worsened the mood he was already in, and he wished this day would end and tomorrow could continue as usual.

But maybe it really wouldn't.

Konohamaru held small hope that he was just similar enough to Naruto to get her looking at him but held enough differences that she actually became interested in him on her own, but tonight could prove to mess all that up. Maybe Hinata's eyes would be opened and she would start looking at other guys. Maybe she'd want someone different. Maybe she'd want someone her age or older. Maybe this was the end of their time together.

Konohamaru groaned, rolling on his stomach and burying his face in his arms.

Moegi frowned at Hanabi. "Why do you always have to tear him down like that?"

Hanabi wasn't affected. "He needs to handle stuff like this better. He won't exactly run out of obstacles."

"Why don't we hang out at Hanabi's place tonight?"

All eyes turned to Udon, who was still focused on his magazine. He looked up when he felt eyes on him, and it almost made him fall back.

"I mean," he began, "it's big enough that we won't disturb what's going on, right?" He shrugged, sniffing. "Maybe we'll even get to see who all is there."

o0o0o

"We're only going because Hanabi's house is the biggest out of all of us!" Konohamaru declared as they walked down the streets.

"Then why are you walking so fast!" Moegi called.

Konohamaru hesitated, peeking behind him. Everyone else was a good few yards away.

He tried to appear casual with his arms behind his head, but he hadn't taken notice of the gap he had put between them. The evening sky was just an hour away, and the setting sun instilled a calm yet adventures hue. It was the kind of setting that made him excited for no reason, but he was currently feeling a bit on the queasy side.

Nervous.

Anxious.

Uncomfortably so.

When they arrived at the Hyuuga compound, Konohamaru started to have second thoughts. He was here for all the wrong reasons, and it was gnawing at him. He was essentially trying to spy on Hinata, even if his main goal was to scope out the competition, but he was already feeling outmatched by the guys he hadn't even seen yet. There would be nobody his age there, and most of these people were training to be jonin, if they weren't already. The only thing he would accomplish by being here would be hurting his own feelings, and he didn't need more of that.

Walking through the Hyuuga home, Konohamaru was surprised he did not see any outsiders yet. They passed residences of the house, but there was no flow of people from outside the clan walking about. There wasn't even a line forming anywhere. A small part of him hoped no one would show. Maybe no one would come to this match-making farce, and Hinata would be free to do as she pleased without her family interfering.

Then again...

There had been invitations sent out. Hanabi had told them how the Hyuuga elders sent out notices to various prestigious people in other villages, so there should be someone. The invitations around Konoha were more of a public announcement stating Hinata would be willing to meet with any male of a high standing, so there definitely should be somebody here. They wouldn't all be opposed to being paired with Hinata, would they?

That was absurd. Utterly impossible.

"So," Konohamaru said, a curious scowl on his face, "where the heck is everybody?"

"If Hinata is already prepared for tonight," Hanabi said, "then she should be in the Ceremonial Room with our father."

"Can we stop by to say hi?"

"No. Only suitors with their respective guardians or witnesses will be able to enter until the night is over. Hyuuga members who have no need to be with them are not allowed either."

Konohamaru rolled his eyes. "So where are these 'suitors'?"

"Our father does not like non-family members in the house. We've arranged for them to wait in the courtyard until it's their turn."

Moegi made a sound of unease. "It's pretty warm out, Hanabi. Isn't it a bit rude to invite people who got all dressed up and then make them wait out in the heat?"

Hanabi smiled at her, amused. "After all this time I've spent around you guys, you still think my family is so calloused?"

They arrived at the courtyard doors; a great deal of talking could be heard. When the doors were slid open, they saw the space was full of people dressed in varying forms of formal attire. Paper lanterns hung on the walls, and bamboo torches were placed around the area. Tables and chairs were set out, decorated with simple white cloths and slim vases filled with lilac larkspurs. Further in, food stations were on the far left of the courtyard while Hyuuga Branch members carried around refreshments. A large canopy was overhead to block out the waning sunlight, making the overall temperature rather cool.

"Wow," Moegi breathed. "This is kind of nice."

Hanabi nodded to make a point.

Udon eyed the food stations.

Konohamaru couldn't stop staring at all the people.

The group walked around, occasionally launching questions at Hanabi about who a certain person was or what kind of decoration was sitting out. There were a lot of people not from Konoha, and many of the older patrons (assumed to be guardians or witnesses) were grouped near the sides and conversing among themselves.

After about ten minutes, Moegi spotted Kiba and Shino. They were talking to two other boys and one girl, and they were also in very formal, very nice clothing.

"Kiba, Shino," Konohamaru greeted, albeit cautious. "Hey..."

"Hey," Kiba said, eyes lighting up. His opinion of the Sarutobi had improved over the years. "Was hoping I'd see you guys tonight."

"Hello," Shino said, looking a tad uncomfortable in his kimono.

Kiba gestured to their guests. "This is Tama, Ginjo, and Miki. They're from Suna."

The kids introduced themselves.

Konohamaru turned his attention back to Kiba and Shino. "So, you guys actually came to this thing."

Kiba laughed. "My mom and sister came along to enjoy the free food." He gestured between him and Shino. "We're more like moral support."

"Hinata has had great anxieties about tonight," Shino said. "It would be cruel not to come."

"So you're not taking this seriously?" Moegi asked.

Kiba snorted. "Like a real marriage deal? If that was gonna happen, then there wouldn't be this whole thing going on."

"That's a relief," one of the Suna guys said. "The less competition the better."

"Don't worry about it, man," Kiba said to him. "Hinata's making the choices around here, and, trust me, she's not looking at a lot of these people."

Konohamaru coughed. "We're gonna walk around some more. Enjoy your," he gestured around them, "this."

Kiba called goodbyes after them as they left. Konohamaru's outlook was beginning to brighten after that comment. Maybe any familiar face here was not planning to pursue a future with Hinata. Maybe they came simply because it was a Hyuuga celebration, which did not happen often, or to give the heiress a moment's reprieve.

The group ran into Shikamaru and Choji on separate occasions, and both were here on family orders—nothing else. Sai was also here, but he informed them that some ninja were acting as casual security in case anything happened. There were other familiar faces they recognized from other villages, and some admitted to securing a marriage proposal for the sake of merging clans and inevitably villages, but Konohamaru felt little threat from people such as these. Hinata would see through them immediately, and if her father was intent on persuading her to think the same as the others, then no one here would greatly impress Hiashi either.

However, there were some admirers in the mix. Some hailed from villages Konohamaru had never heard of, and others were ordinary villagers lacking ninja abilities. There was one man whose family had made exceptional ninja weapons for generations who admitted to developing a crush on Hinata a few years back when her team saved him from being kidnapped. Another was a young man a few years older than the heiress whose family's ninja bloodline had dwindled quite a bit due to an increase in civilian marriages, and he had supposedly fallen for Hinata the moment he saw her picture, which was conveniently around the same time the invitations were sent out. And the bulk of many others were heads of restaurant chains or ninja specific lodgings that hoped the Hyuugas would see them as useful and heal the hearts of their love-stricken children.

"So, what do you think?" Moegi asked Konohamaru as the group lingered around a free table. "The turnout here is a bit intimidating."

Konohamaru shrugged, looking around the courtyard with a new eye. "Sure, it's a lot of people...but none of them really feel Hyuuga impressive—Hinata or otherwise."

"But some of them lead impressive lives," Udon said.

"Yeah," Konohamaru agreed, "but... I dunno. The ones who like her lack any real defining traits, and the ones wanting to use her name lack...covering up that fact." He shifted his gaze. "What do you think, Hanabi? You think your dad will approve of anybody here?"

Hanabi looked at him for a contemplative moment before sighing. "I don't think so, but who knows how father is feeling tonight."

Konohamaru nodded once, smirking at all the company here. "Yeah. I don't think there's much to worry about."

o0o0o

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen."

All eyes turned to the Hyuuga members standing in the doorway of the courtyard. A man and a woman dressed in formal kimonos and holding one clipboard each smiled graciously at everyone.

"We believe all our guests are here for the evening," the woman said, "so we will now begin calling each suitor one at a time to meet with Lord Hiashi and Lady Hinata."

"Lord Hiashi reserves the right to hold each meeting as short or long as he wishes, and we hope you will fully comply," the man said. "When your name is called, please bring no more than two people with you."

"We will now begin in no particular order..."

Konohamaru sighed after the first name was called, neither relieved nor stressed. The courtyard continued with conversation shortly after.

Konohamaru looked at his group. "You guys want to stay longer or can we go?"

"Let's go," Hanabi said, walking to the door with the group following behind. "This could take a while, and we can always come back later."

Konohamaru snickered to himself. "Feel better knowing Kiba isn't serious about this?"

Hanabi ignored him.

They reached the door right as it slid open. Konohamaru's head nearly split upon seeing the different sets of eyes staring at them. Iruka had been the one to open the door, and standing next to him was one Naruto Uzumaki. Looking farther behind them, Kakashi, Sasuke Uchiha, and the Sand siblings were also in attendance. Each and every one of them was dressed in formal kimonos.

"Hey, Konohamaru!" Naruto greeted, blue eyes shining.

"Uh... H-hey..." Konohamaru shook his head, staring at Naruto as though the blond was disappearing every few seconds. "What are... You're actually..." He looked around. "You actually came to this?"

"Yeah, Kiba said it'd be good if Hinata saw some friendly faces. Besides," he jabbed a thumb at Iruka, "this guy here said I needed to see something."

"Er..." Konohamaru's gaze shifted to Sasuke and Gaara. "And...they're here..."

Kakashi roughly patted Sasuke on the back, who looked highly on the verge of killing someone. "This'll be good for him."

"And it's not every day Gaara gets invited to possibly marry an heiress," Temari said.

Kankaru wrapped an arm around each sibling. "And who knows what kinda love connection may happen tonight."

"It's just a formality," Gaara said. "It would have been rude to not come."

"Awww!" Temari gushed. "Look at how much he's matured!"

The new arrivals joined the other guests, leaving Konohamaru and his group silently walking to the other side of the door. When it closed, eyes were immediately drawn to Konohamaru. He said nothing for a long while, face blank, occasionally blinking as though he had a massive realization.

"Konohamaru?" Moegi finally said. "You're still not worried, right?"

"I'm fine." But his voice was a little off.

"Would it be better if we go back to my place?"

"No... No... We can, um... We should...stay here."

"Are you sure?"

He looked at her, smiling. "Yeah. I want to stay."

The group didn't make anymore of it and ventured off to find something to do. However, Konohamaru's smile didn't reach his eyes, and that bothered them.

o0o0o

Hours passed and it was well in to the night when Hanabi had finally fallen asleep. Moegi and Udon had gone home shortly before midnight, and it was now barely three in the morning.

Konohamaru had not been able to concentrate much on most of the activities he and his friends had agreed to do, and even Hanabi's attempts at distracting him were all for naught. It was not Naruto's presence that rattled him so much, but it was the combination of Naruto, Sasuke, and Gaara that made the young Sarutobi feel...lost. He still was not quite sure what it was exactly about the sight of those three that made him sullen, but he couldn't think about much else.

It was stupid.

He shouldn't get bent out of shape if he couldn't even place why.

Konohamaru put Hanabi to bed before leaving. The compound was rather silent as he walked through, which caused an odd fear to creep up on him. He felt as though he shouldn't be here, and it was late for him to be walking around the place alone. He picked up the pace, keeping as quiet as possible, and only stopped when he came to the courtyard doors.

He heard no more talking, which led his curiosity to get the better of him. He opened the doors to find no one else here. Few torches and candles were still lit, and the shine from the moon and stars were filtering through the canopy. He was impressed by how the guests had all had their turns so soon. He was sure there would still be a handful of people even now.

He walked into the courtyard, looking around. He let his mind clear as emotions flowed through him, and he decided to let them pass before he made the walk home.

"Oh. Have you not gone yet?"

Konohamaru's heart nearly burst at being spotted, and he quickly turned around. "Sorry, no, I'm not-"

Hinata stood in the doorway, hair down, wearing a pale kimono, looking as shocked as he was. "Konohamaru." She smiled, walking towards him. "I didn't know you were here."

He met her halfway. "Yeah. Moegi and Udon were here earlier, too. I was just heading home." And for a moment Hinata looked extremely beautiful standing in front of him. Her hair was tousled as though she had just taken it out of a previous style, and her lashes appeared longer than he remembered. He suspected she had rubbed her lipstick off because her lips looked rather red and swollen. But more than that, there was obvious exhaustion in her eyes that held a bit of joy at seeing him.

But maybe he was imagining that last part.

"Um," he knew he was staring, "how was tonight? Any fun?"

Hinata laughed, turning her head to yawn. "Some friends were here, so that was fun. There were some...interesting people, though." Her eyebrows creased before she smiled at him again. "I'll have to tell you more about that in the morning, though. It's been a long day for me."

"That's fine, that's fine. I'll see myself out."

She looked at him quizzically. "Are you sure? You can use a guest room since it's pretty late."

"No, it's fine." He wasn't sure why he didn't just agree. "A walk might help me fall asleep anyway."

Hinata nodded, her drowsy eyes struggling to stay open. She held on to his arm. "I'll see you out then."

Konohamaru swallowed hard. "You don't have to. You should go to bed."

She shook her head, urging him to walk. "It's fine. Besides, I didn't think I'd see you today."

Konohamaru didn't protest anymore, but he hoped she was too tired to take notice of his pounding heart.

o0o0o

They said their goodbyes when Hinata had escorted him to the front of the compound. He really wanted to know what she thought about tonight—about the people who showed up and about the arrangements all together—but he forced himself to wait until the next time he saw her. His main concern had been in wondering if she would get to bed okay.

Walking home, Konohamaru no longer wondered about the things that had been bothering him. Instead, a smile was on his face, an occasional laugh slipping through. He shouldn't think too much of it because the heiress was obviously tired when she first saw him tonight...

...but she thought he was a suitor for just a moment.