Chapter 16: Happy Birthday
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When the lights at Kankuro's tune-up station came on, Toneri had to shield his vision for a moment due to the sudden discomfort he felt from light sensitivity. Once it passed, the silver-haired Hyuga followed him inside.
The walls were white and grayish. Mounted on the ceiling and assembled in lines were several puppets with silver, almost invisible, strings that held Kankuro's puppet collections, as they hung lifelessly.
One thing Toneri had always admired about Kankuro was his organization, and it seemed that having a larger work area made that all the easier. Previously, the older man had turned his study room into a tune-up workspace but opted to upgrade the space by moving everything to the basement, which he shared with Temari's fan collection.
The walls had shelves installed with all different kinds of equipment, on different sides, separated, and labeled neatly.
While Toneri was wandering around, touching random tools inside the work area, Kankuro went to the corner of the room and sat down next to a black leather table. The adjustable table suspiciously looked like a piece of medical equipment.
"They got rid of a lot of old hospital equipment," Kankuro explained. "So I nabbed one table for myself and repurposed it. You like?"
Toneri's mouth tilted to a slight smile as he joined Kankuro and dropped his puppet down, for which Kankuro immediately went to work after setting it on the table.
"You've been harsh on your poor guy. I told you they're just like weapons, maintenance is a big part of it." He reprimanded his friend. He didn't even need to look inside the doll to know there was a lot of damage.
"Yes, I know why it doesn't move as efficiently anymore, it reacts with lag time to my chakra. But none of this wouldn't be an issue if you hurry up and open up your workshop, instead of doing these things from your basement." He said as he took a seat on a nearby spinning chair.
"Heh, why do you always see business opportunities in everything? It's just a hobby, I don't do this for the money,"
"A business can also be a hobby."
"Seriously though, this looks like it's been through a war,"
Toneri admitted it was because it had. After the war had ended, he didn't have time for maintenance or anything related to what he considered to be his hobby.
"Do you forget I belong to a very needy clan?" Toneri grunted out slightly.
"Brother! There you are!"
Both men glanced towards the door. Temari had waltzed in, wearing a form-fitting, strapless, teal, summer dress that stopped at her calves, and black heels. Her hair, which was normally styled in four pigtails, had been straightened, as it reached her mid-back.
"You can't just ditch your post at the station and drop everything the moment Toneri-chan comes around," Temari said, teasingly, before turning to the guest. "It's been a long time hasn't it?"
"Temari-chan, help me convince your brother to open up a workshop in Konoha," Toneri said without skipping a beat, as though the three of them had been continuing a conversation they previously had.
Temari huffed and folded her arms. "I doubt there's a market there for his ugly toys."
Kankuro made a face, as he pretended to be hurt.
"Ouch?"
"Well, I can't keep coming to Suna every time I need a tune-up," Toneri said, almost pouting, in a childlike manner.
"Where there's a will there's a way, buddy. So I say find a way." Kankuro replied, before addressing Temari. "Sister, did you need something?"
"Hyuga-san's birthday celebration is tonight, at 6. I already did all the work and picked up two presents to give to her on our behalf."
"Sweet, thanks," Kankuro said, almost rubbing the back of his head, but stopped when remembering he had a tool in his grasp. "Why are you ready so early when we still have so much time?"
"I'm on my way there to help them set up, I called them a catering company. I want to make sure the staff members don't slack off."
"Er," Kankuro looked away for a moment, turning his gaze towards the lifeless doll on the table. "You remember who's going to be there, right?"
"I know...that's why I don't plan on staying for long."
Toneri glanced up, eyebrows raised, silently questioning who this person they referred to was since they refused to name them.
"Temari's ex," Kankuro explained to a bewildered Toneri, who seemed taken back at the revelation that Temari broke it off with one of Konoha's most sought-out bachelors.
"I was informed by one of my clan members that Suna had somehow angered the Naras. Now I see how that occurred." Toneri said as he began to propel himself around with his feet, making the chair spin. "No wonder they decided to completely pull all of their investment from this village."
"Hey, Toneri, easy on the comments. She already feels like shit." It was still a touchy subject, as Gaara was still working on damage control.
She ignored Toneri's halfhearted apology, which had been spoken through a grin.
"Just don't be late..." Temari said, before leaving, visibly upset.
Kankuro sighed.
"You strike me as the guy who doesn't have any friends back home," Kankuro mumbled, as his attention went back to the puppet at hand, which resembled a Hyuga.
"Who needs friends back home, when I have you."
"Whatever dude, I don't care what you do outside Suna, but when you're here with us, you need to be nicer."
Toneri, who had been spinning on his chair, stopped. He didn't care about angering others, but Kankuro was a person he never wanted to anger. After all, he was like a father to his puppets.
Sensing his friend's slight discomfort, Kankuro decided to change the subject.
"Oh, that's right, you haven't formally been introduced to our younger brother, have you?" Kankuro said without looking up from his work.
"There was never time to," Toneri replied, seemingly having a similar revelation.
Finally finishing up the last touches, the Hyuga puppet looked as good as new. Kankuro rose from his seat and moved away to give Toneri some space to inspect his work.
Quickly lacing his chakra around the strings, it began to move with no lag. Toneri's eyes lit up. He looked like a kid that had just received a new toy.
"If you ever bring it back in this condition again, I swear I'm going to have to start charging you money," Kankuro said as Toneri continued to puppeteer his weapon.
"Alright." Toneri wrapped the doll, before mounting it on his back. "Give my regards to Hinata-sama." He said as he lifted one hand to wave, his body already out the door.
"Wait, you mean you weren't invited?" Kankuro quickly followed after him, prompting the silver-haired Hyuga to turn around to wait for him to catch up. "Your family is pretty cold."
Toneri almost opened his mouth to reply, but quickly closed it when he recalled a memory.
When he was young, his clan had nearly exiled his family because they believed Toneri to be a child of an outsider. The incident was quickly dissolved when his DNA came back showing that he was a Hyuga. As an apology to his family, they promised not to discriminate against Toneri, by offering him a promised position as an elder, and was groomed to be so. Even so, they made sure to keep him away from ever meeting Hinata, something about that being a conflict of interest if she ever came into power.
His clan did tend to be cold. But he decided to keep his comment to himself.
"I'm just kidding, buddy," Kankuro said after the silence had stretched for far too long. "Come on, you'll be my plus one." He added as he patted Toneri on the shoulder.
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Temari had never noticed how inverse the two Hyuga sisters were.
There was something about Hanabi's eyes that whispered never-ending mischief, even while in her girly navy blue sunflower patterned dress. Hanabi was on her best behavior, holding herself in a ladylike manner. The reason might be because lying next to her, on the sofa, was Hinata Hyuga, whose legs were hidden underneath her flowy white dress as she rested her head on Hanabi's lap. Despite little effort, the two Hyuga sisters looked like a painting.
Two pairs of lavender eyes glanced up with opposite reactions. While Hanabi looked like she wanted to jump up in excitement, to greet her, the older Hyuga seemed guarded, as she slowly lifted her head from Hanabi's lap, offering a hesitant smile. Perhaps it might have been due to her innate shyness that Hinata had reacted that way, that's how Temari had chosen to look at it at the time.
"Happy birthday, Hinata-san. This is from Kankuro and me. My brothers will be joining us later," Temari handed her a gift bag, as she was doing so, she noticed an opened magazine on the table, forgotten. Medicinal herbs seemed to be Hinata's interest.
"Thank you," Hinata said, accepting the gift on behalf of her and Kankuro.
Her lavender eyes trailed to the young woman behind Temari who seemed to be close to Hanabi's group age. The girl had light brown hair and brown eyes. The familiar face had opted for a pastel yellow dress.
"Hello, nice to meet you,"
"That's Matsuri!" Hanabi said, finally jumping off the sofa to link arms with the girl, for which Hinata smiled softly.
"I see. Hanabi-chan has spoken to me about you, thank you for being her friend during her stay."
"Y-You don't have to thank me for doing something I want to," Matsuri said. "And happy birthday, Hyuga-sama," It was customary to bring something, and even if the Matsuri did not know Hinata, she had gotten her a gift using Hanabi's recommendation of what her sister likes.
"Thank you, Matsuri-san,"
Hinata finally stood, turning slightly to Sakura, who had gravitated towards a pastel pink dress.
"I apologize if this is rude, but I have to disappear upstairs for a moment, and check on some letters," Hinata announced after setting the gifts down on the table.
Although it was just an excuse to get away from the blonde woman, part of it was true. There were some messages from home which she hadn't replied to just yet. While on vacation, Hinata still had to keep tabs on her clan.
"You can leave the planning to us, Hinata-chan," Sakura said while smiling at her.
"Your sister is so frigging beautiful," Matsuri commented as Hinata's form disappeared from their view.
"I know."
"It's a shame she couldn't be Gaara's wife," Temari's comments had everyone's attention on her.
"What do you mean by that, Temari-chan?" Sakura asked.
"The reason for my brother's visit to Konoha about a year ago…" She went on and recounted the story about how his brother almost asked for her hand in marriage and did not expect both young women to look so displeased. Temari had suspected that Matsuri had a crush on her baby brother, and the girl's reaction had confirmed it. Meanwhile, Hanabi was probably angry at the concept of her sister nearly being married away, had she not been a clan leader.
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When the doorbell rang, Hanabi rushed to open it, anticipating it to be Kiba and Shino, the two guys had left to explore Suna early in the morning and had yet to return. Instead, standing outside the door was the catering company, made up of five staff members. Upon arrival, they immediately got to work, as they were familiar with the mansion's layout since they had been called there before for other events.
Not before too long, lunch was served, with dishes displayed elegantly on the low tables, as the four girls arranged themselves around the living room. Sakura and Temari were sitting on opposite sides of the sofa, while Hanabi and Matsuri sat next to each other.
During the middle of lunch, Sakura's messenger bird found its way inside, through a window. It had dropped by with information, stating that the rest of team 7, along with Shikamaru had arrived in Suna a few hours ago. In the letter, Naruto had requested more information on Hinata's birthday party location, to which she immediately replied.
"I didn't know Nara-san was coming as well," Hanabi commented. As she was looking around, she quickly noticed she was the only one suspicious of that fact. It also didn't escape her notice how Temari tensed up at the mention of Shikamaru's name.
"He probably has business with Gaara," Temari theorized.
"Yeah. Probably." Hanabi replied, not too convinced about why he was here. Hanabi caught the look Sakura gave the older woman. Although the details were unknown to her, she was keen on the situation. Hanabi knew her sensei long enough to tell when she wanted to speak on something, but Sakura seemed to hold back over grownup reasons.
"Hey, Matsuri-chan, I'll show you to the pool," Hanabi said, pulling Matsuri along. She had a feeling Sakura wanted to talk to Temari alone.
Glancing at Hanabi, Sakura sent a nod her way, as a way of silently thanking her for the privacy. Sakura waited for a moment for the two girls to leave, before turning to Temari.
"Why did you end it with him? Was it something that he did?"
Temari tried to simplify the story, knowing it was more than just her being unable to leave her village for him. One of the things Temari had always wanted was for Shikamaru to be more affectionate toward her. That had also been part of the issue.
Sakura's features softened up, and she moved to sit next to Temari's side.
"I understand your side, but why did you drag it out for a few months instead of just telling him?"
"I know I fucked up, and I regret it…"
"What if he's here to get you back, Temari?"
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Hinata had come downstairs after one of the staff members knocked on her door, announcing lunch was already served. When she was about to walk into the living room, she stopped and remained hidden behind a large indoor plant, when she heard Temari's voice almost breaking.
"I don't know. I just know I still love him so much," Temari's voice had said.
Hinata's hands naturally formed into fists by her side. Love? That was quite a heavy word. Does Shikamaru still love her too?
Moving away from her hidden spot, Hinata decided she had heard enough. She hadn't meant to eavesdrop and was beginning to think all of this had been a mistake. She slowly let go of the grip her hands had naturally formed into.
As a cue, the doorbell rang.
This time it was Kiba and Shino. They entered the mansion first, while explaining they had bumped into Kankuro and one of her family members and decided to bring them along.
"Hyuga-san, happy birthday," Kankuro said. "My brother is pleased that you've chosen our country for your celebration,"
Hinata's gaze moved past him. Standing behind Kankuro was Toneri.
"Happy birthday, Hinata-sama," Toneri said while handing her a small gift bag.
"I hope you don't mind me bringing him along," Kankuro explained apologetically.
Hinata was able to maintain her pleasant demeanor, but inside, she was fuming. Having Toneri's presence there meant she couldn't truly be herself. She was aware that Kankuro didn't mean anything malicious as he watched the entire exchange with his arms crossed.
Well, she had to earn Toneri's favor, Hinata thought she might as well start now.
"Toneri-san, it's so refreshing to see another family member. If I had known you were here, I would've invited you,"
He seemed to accept her lie.
"Kiba, Shino, how have you guys been?" Sakura had joined the group in the foyer, with Temari behind.
"Sakura, it's so good to see you!" Kiba said before greeting Temari.
Soon, the foyer came alive as voices spoke over one another with greetings and pleasantries. Afterward, the group relocated outdoors, by the pool, where Hanabi and Matsuri had been. They took their place around the outdoor sofa, located under an awning that was decorated with tropical greenery everywhere. The view faced the pool which had a very happy Akamaru swimming in it.
The catering staff fanned out, setting food and drinks silently, like shinobis, working around the group in a non-intrusive way. The staff's goal was to not be seen or heard.
Toneri settled next to Hinata, he glanced at everyone sitting around them, dressed in casual clothes, talking and looking happy.
"Is this the reason you wanted to postpone all clan meetings?" Toneri asked as his eyes returned to Hinata.
"Aren't you being a little presumptuous, Toneri-san?" She reached for two glasses of wine, handing one to him.
"I'm on vacation, not a diplomatic mission, so you must understand why I have no filters right now." His eyes then lingered on Hanabi who was conversing with Matsuri. "It must be nice being close to a sibling. That's rare in our family,"
"I see that you've done your homework on me..."
"I don't know how you got Hiashi-san to approve her leave. Having Hanabi-san far away from your reach is a liability, seeing how you two are so close. Anyone who would want to hurt you could easily do it in Suna,"
"I doubt that could ever happen since I have someone very reliable looking after her. Someone that I trust,"
His eyes trailed towards Sakura, for he had assumed that the only person taking care of Hanabi during her stay was the amazing medic.
"You have powerful allies, don't you?"
"As you mentioned earlier, this is a vacation, so let's not get into that right now," Hinata said while bringing the glass to her lips.
When Gaara arrived, he was led to the pool area by a staff member. Crowded around Hinata were familiar faces he's known for a long time, along with friends and family.
Matsuri glanced up from her conversation with Hanabi and moved to greet him with a brief hug. Temari waved from her spot, while Kankuro joined his side, with a knowing smile, while handing a drink to him.
"Gaara-san," Hinata called out timidly from her spot. "I'm glad that you made it," She said with a small smile.
Gaara moved past Matsuri, Kankuro, and Temari, stopping right before Hinata.
"Happy birthday, Hinata-san," He said, placing his gift on a table that already had a collection of many.
Gaara's attention shifted, his eyes acknowledging the person sitting next to Hinata. He had seen him before, in passing, when they were younger. His eyes lingered on his silver hair, and knowing how the Hyuga clan tended to be, Gaara figured Toneri must've grown up an outcast.
Hinata gave Toneri an assessing look from the corner of her eyes, for he barely glanced up from his place and appeared disinterested. Did the two not know each other at all? Hinata then deduce Toneri was just waiting for her to introduce him.
"This is my cousin, Toneri-san," Hinata said, her small hands gesturing towards the person next to her. "He recently became an elder. So I imagine you two will be working together in the future."
Up until now, Toneri had been unreadable, he averted his attention towards Hinata's words as if stunned over the notion of working together with Kankuro's younger brother. Then lifting his gaze, Toneri acknowledged the Kazekage as he rose from his seat, bowing respectfully.
"Lord Kazekage-san,'' Toneri said firmly, before going back to Hinata's side, his expression vacant and unreadable once more, something the Hyuga elders were known for.
"Hyuga-san, how did you come to accomplish such a thing at your age?" Gaara asked, surprised that Toneri had similar accomplishments as him.
"Brother, I see that you finally met my friend. You three can talk politics later," Kankuro said as he pulled Gaara away from the two Hyugas, so they could hang out with Kiba, who had been talking about the places he has visited in Suna so far.
When Gaara sat down next to Shino, his eyes eventually found themselves looking back again towards Hinata's direction. The two Hyugas, sitting side by side, dressed in light color palettes with identical lavender eyes, appeared a little on the supernatural side. From her bluish-violet hair, which starkly contrasted his rare silver locks, Gaara almost couldn't peel his eyes away from Toneri, for he looked like one of Kankuro's alluring dolls.
The party became more alive when another wave of guests arrived. Hinata glanced up when Sai greeted her while placing their gifts close to a pyramid of many. She had remained by Toneri's side, half of her attention fixated on Shikamaru's voice, as he stood next to Naruto, exchanging awkward greetings with the Suna siblings before turning his attention towards her.
He didn't approach her just yet, choosing to wait until Naruto was done greeting Sakura.
Sakura hadn't realized how much she missed Naruto until he pulled away from their brief hug before moving to greet Shino and Kiba. The outdoor patio vibrated with noise and footsteps with everyone suddenly moving about while talking over one another with drinks being poured or passed around.
Pulling Naruto with him, Shikamaru strolled toward Hinata with a smile on his face.
"Shikamaru-kun," She greeted shyly.
Naruto blinked, as he was used to being at the receiving end of her blushes. He gave his best friend a quick side glance, just to see if Shikamaru had caught how enamored Hinata seemed to be with his best friend. Shikamaru's feelings seemed mutual, Naruto came to know, since he had never witnessed Shikamaru look at another woman like that before, with a happy glint in his eyes. His best friend appeared like the happiest guy in the world and didn't bother hiding how happy he felt to see her.
Shikamaru, you bastard, so this is why we're here, Naruto thought to himself, slightly amused. Now he understood why this whole trip was orchestrated.
"Happy birthday, Hinata-chan!" Naruto said from his spot, not minding feeling invisible.
"Thank you,"
Gesturing to the guest next to her, Hinata introduced Toneri.
Shikamaru's smile faltered.
He hadn't been aware that out of all the guests present, a recently appointed elder would be one of them. The secret couple shared a sympathetic look, as if acknowledging they probably won't be able to spend much time together. Shikamaru felt relief that the family member didn't know enough about Hinata, and probably believed that his leader was overall a very pleasant person towards other clan heads.
Naruto had been the first to complain that he was hungry and ready to eat, and asked when Sasuke was coming.
Glancing at the time, it was 8 pm.
"I doubt he'll make it. He hates parties," Sakura said as she convinced them to get started without him.
Dinner was lively, with Naruto and Kiba being the natural life of the party. After dinner concluded, the large group broke off into smaller ones as they left the dining room, and were led to the bar area by Kiba.
"Temari-chan," Sakura called out as she walked between Naruto and Shikamaru. "You should give Shikamaru-san a tour of this place."
"Oi, what are you doing, Sakura?" Naruto whispered, almost as a warning.
When the pink-haired woman seemed oblivious to the situation, Naruto decided to keep quiet as he wondered how long Shikamaru had liked Hinata. Is that the reason they broke up? But then again, how long had they been together for?
Naruto kept his eyes on Temari, as she looked away from her conversation with Matsuri in confusion. It took her seconds to catch on to what Sakura was up to. She glanced in Shikamaru's direction, looking away before their eyes could meet.
"That's a fantastic idea," Kiba replied, as he walked between Shino and Sai. "You've been here a few times before, so you know the place, right?" Kiba said to Temari.
"Right…" Temari replied, unsure if that's what she even wanted to do.
Hanabi immediately glanced in Hinata's direction, to gauge her sister's reaction. She was aware that her sister, for some reason, had a crush on the Nara clan leader.
Hinata hadn't reacted, as she pretended to be interested in the conversation Toneri and Gaara were having. However, Hanabi knew better, she could tell that her sister was waiting to hear Shikamaru's response while they all made their way to the bar.
"Onee-chan," Hanabi called out, she didn't understand why she was getting involved. "Shouldn't you be the one to show Nara-san around?"
"He can explore on his own later," Shino cut in, as if to remind Shikamaru to stay away from his friend.
Hinata seemed to remain quiet, as she gave Shino a halfhearted smile. By then, they all stood in front of the bar.
.
Letting out a loud sigh, Hanabi found that she didn't want to be around any of them. She was pissed at how disingenuous they tended to be. Claiming that she wanted to go swimming, Hanabi excused herself to change into her swimsuit.
Noticing how the younger Hyuga seemed a little upset over something, Temari patted Matsuri on the shoulder, as if prompting her to go entertain the younger Hyuga.
"But I want to drink with Gaara!" Matsuri whispered her complaint, as she glared at Temari.
"You will have time for that later, isn't Hanabi-chan your friend?"
"Fine."
Having sensitive ears, Kiba heard the words 'swimming' and 'pool', so he decided to join Matsuri and Hanabi since he didn't want to leave Akamaru alone.
"Shino," Kiba called over to his friend, and with one look he was able to communicate their mission. "Look after her."
Glancing over at the unaware Hinata, Shino nodded back to his friend.
"I was a bartender once, for an undercover mission," Sai explained as he hopped over behind the counter. "I can make some pretty good cocktails."
"No more alcohol for me, I'll just have water," Hinata said to the self-appointed bartender.
"It's a large party, so I'll help out," Shino said while leaving Hinata's side. He didn't quite trust anyone else with serving Hinata's drink, thus, he decided to join him behind the bar, freeing the empty seat next to Hinata.
Moving away from Naruto's and Sakura's side, Shikamaru slipped next to Hinata.
"Shikamaru-kun, let's disappear for a little while." She whispered to him playfully.
"You sure your friend won't notice?" Shikamaru turned half his body towards her as he leaned an elbow on the counter.
When she turned to where Shikamaru motioned earlier, she could see Shino's attention was on them. She innocently waved at her best friend, who went back to pretending not to notice them.
"For Kami's sake, we're shinobis. This should be easy, right?"
"Then tell me the plan," Shikamaru said while cocking an eyebrow and smirking. His smile slowly faded as his gaze moved past Hinata, towards the person approaching.
He didn't look up when Temari gently touched his shoulder before speaking.
"Hey…do you want to join me for a walk?" Temari asked.
His eyes didn't leave Hinata's, as he was trying to silently communicate that he'll be back soon. Hinata's head gave a slight nod before turning away to face the bar as Shino came over and placed a non-alcoholic beverage in front of her.
Temari had noticed their silent interaction and felt as though she was missing something.
"Troublesome," Shikamaru had murmured as he followed behind Temari. He gave one last glance at the group, noticing their curious eyes, before turning back to Temari. He was hoping to have this conversation some other time…but he might as well get this out of the way.
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"I know I ask you this question a lot, but how have you been, Sakura-chan?" Naruto said to Sakura after they both clinked their shot glass.
"I've been great," She explained the trip had been cathartic, and there was never a dull moment around her apprentice.
Naruto noticed she didn't mention Sasuke's name much.
"Is Sasuke treating you well?"
Sakura blinked.
"Huh? What are you asking me, Naruto?"
"Well, you left for Suna, and then he followed you..." He said, unsure of how to ask if his two precious friends were together.
"It's not like that at all. Sasuke unfortunately has a one-track mind. Right now, he's in redemption mode, so I'm not even trying at this point. And I don't know if I want to anymore,"
.
Hinata tuned out the conversations happening around her. She hadn't meant to keep track of his disappearance, but nearly an hour had gone by when Shikamaru finally came back with Temari. She couldn't do anything about Gaara calling Shikamaru over to join their side for a few rounds of drinks.
"Hinata-chan?" Shino asked, clearly concerned, as he placed another non-alcoholic beverage in front of her.
"Shino-kun, I don't think I feel very well…" Hinata admitted as she covered her pounding heart. She had believed she had more confidence than this. But seeing Shikamaru talking with Temari, and spending time with the Sand siblings, she knew shouldn't be concerned, but in the back of her mind, she couldn't help but wonder...
Shino averted his attention towards the root of Hinata's problem and saw Shikamaru sitting next to Temari, talking and nodding at something that was said. Shino almost felt bad, but he knew this was for the best. They couldn't have an important clan member find out about Hinata's other interests outside the clan.
Her best friend leaned over the counter, his voice low enough for only her to hear.
"You should go rest for a bit, and leave a clone behind. I'll cover for you," He said, as his head tilted towards Toneri's and Gaara's direction. He was aware it would be rude to just retire early and leave two important guests unattended.
"Thank you, Shino-kun. I think I'll do just that..."
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Sasuke had arrived less conventionally, as he dropped into the mansion, landing by the pool area, still in his Shinobi uniform.
"Sasuke-kun!" Hanabi called out while waving at him from inside the pool. She swam over to him as he bend down by her side.
"Come, you should join us! The water is great!" She said as she reached for his arm and pulled him slightly towards her.
Chuckling, he pulled away.
"Maybe another time, Hanabi." He replied while standing back up, his eyes surveying the lack of people around. Where is everyone?
"Oi, in case you were wondering, Naruto's inside, at the bar," Kiba said as he sat next to Matsuri, as they had been taking a break from the water.
Sasuke raised a brow his way. It seemed Kiba had naturally assumed that's what the ex-avenger was there for. Still, he nodded.
Sasuke went inside the mansion and followed the verbal directions which Kiba had spoken to him. As Sasuke was turning around the corner, he quickly retraced his steps, his back suddenly against the wall as he hid from her view.
He had just caught Hinata in the middle of casting a clone Jutsu. She instructed it to go back inside the bar to entertain her guests. Curious as to what would prompt her to use deception, he followed what he presumed to be the real Hinata, up the stairs. He stole a glance around the corner, as she disappeared into what seemed to be her chambers.
Sasuke figured she must've been tired. He almost went back downstairs to give the present to her clone, but quickly shut down his idea as he theorized that it probably wasn't the greatest one, because the gift might get lost if her clone were to disperse.
When he knocked on the door, it was hard not to ignore her puffy eyes.
His eyes softened up a little.
"Why do you look like that?" Sasuke asked as he leaned partially against the door frame.
"Why do I look like what...?" She replied while wiping her tears away as she joined him outside in the hallway as he moved away to keep a proper distance.
"Nevermind," If she didn't want to talk about it, he wasn't to ask about it any further. He had mostly come out tonight with one intention, and everything else was inconsequential.
Sasuke reached inside his pocket to take out something, but paused when he heard the sounds of footsteps getting closer down the hall. He looked down the hall and waited, not expecting Hinata would grab his wrist and pull him inside her room.
He got over his initial confusion after she had clarified that it would cause a misunderstanding if anyone saw him there outside her room.
"Toneri-san is here," She also added, her voice frustrated with emotions as she let go of his wrist.
"And bringing me inside your room is somehow supposed to avoid misunderstandings?"
"Let's go outside to the balcony,"
Sasuke nodded, striding past her. He approached the arched double doors that connected to the balcony and flung them open as he took a step into the night.
Joining his side slowly, Hinata decided to answer his first question as to why he had caught her in mid-tears.
"I had this idea of how I wanted to spend my birthday, but that didn't happen. I should've just stayed back home..." She admitted lamely.
As she spoke, Sasuke reached into his pocket and pulled out a bracelet made from beads and charms. He handed it to her and smirked at her reaction. What could he possibly gift a rich girl who has everything? He realized this was perfect. Might help bring her back to earth.
"Um, what's this?" She said as she eyed the ugly bracelet suspiciously. She took his intentions to be malicious.
"Your present," He explained that it was something a child from the orphanage had made for him, but he believed she needed it more than he did.
"This is so like you, to remind me that my problems are so small," She said while slipping the bracelet on.
"You got it right on the first try, I'm impressed,"
She rolled her eyes and fidgeted with the bracelet.
"My problems may seem small to you, because you don't understand how truly frustrating it is, to want to be with someone so much that sometimes it hurts," She said vaguely, already knowing that he somehow knew about Shikamaru.
He remained quiet for some time, as he didn't even know how to reply to something heavy like that.
"Tell me then something, Hinata, are you willing to leave your clan just to be with someone else?" He finally said and watched as she went through a range of emotions, which mostly leaned toward confusion. "Idiot, you haven't thought this through, have you?"
Hinata leaned over the balcony railing, this time it was her that had remained silent for the most part. Part of her reflects on Sasuke's words about having to leave her clan.
"And why can't I just rule both clans?" She said almost jokingly.
"Of course, such a Hyuga thing to say," Sasuke said through a smirk. Lifting his new arm, he flicked her on her forehead.
Her immediate reaction was a glare as she rubbed her forehead. His action had triggered a nightmarish image, a memory that didn't belong to her. Her hand paused, before falling back to her side.
There was never really a good time to ask Sasuke about the things he had shown her, and she had a feeling she wouldn't get another chance.
"When you shared all those memories…"
Sasuke understood the question before she could continue, and attempted to end the conversation before it even began.
"It was the easiest way to get my point across. I couldn't have you turning the space into a gambling sham," He said in regard to his Uchiha lands.
Even as he insisted that to be the case, Hinata suddenly began to look at Sasuke under a different kind of scrutiny, as she had a moment of Déjà vu and flawed logic.
"Careful, Sasuke," She joked lightheartedly, saying his name for the very first time, not realizing the shadow beneath her began to shift as a figure landed right behind her. "Don't go falling for me,"
Sasuke laced his feet with chakra before leaping onto the balcony railing, slightly turning to her, knowing she was unaware that they were no longer alone. It was unfortunate perfect timing, as Shikamaru had landed just in time, amplifying Sasuke's amusement at the prospect of causing the same kind of misunderstanding Hinata had been avoiding.
"Weren't you the one that pulled me inside your room to talk? Then I'm inclined to give you the same warning, Hinata,"
Shikamaru's confused and doubtful expression was the last thing Sasuke saw before he disappeared. He wasn't sure what drove him to react in such a way that would create a little extra chaos in Hinata's life.
Bewildered by Sasuke's odd behavior, it finally occurred to Hinata that he was not speaking directly to her. She slowly turned around to meet Shikamaru's eyes as Sasuke departed.
"Shikamaru-kun!" Hinata's smile faded into a frown. She didn't like feeling this way, as if she had been caught doing something wrong. "You can ask me anything and I won't lie to you, you know that, right?" She said, ready to explain herself.
The talk with Temari had stressed him out, and having to deal with Gaara's attempt to persuade him to reinvest in the village, was draining. So he took to the rooftop to have a smoke. As he was sitting in his solitude, he witnessed Sasuke pushing through some doors, with Hinata following him outside. Shikamaru's body moved on his own, and he suddenly found himself intruding into whatever moment was happening, on purpose.
"Let me guess, he forced himself into your room?" Shikamaru said, trying to evade the impending awkwardness. He wouldn't put it past the Uchiha to do something like that, because believing that was better than believing Hinata had willingly let him inside.
"I'm sorry..."
Shikamaru stalked inside her room, his eyes taking in everything. The room was neatly organized, not a thing could be found out of place. And most of all, the bed was perfectly made and appeared undistubed. He immediately felt guilty for even entertaining his earlier doubts. Yet what got to him was how blind Hinata seemed to be when it came to placing herself in situations where things might happen.
"Shikamaru-kun, please talk to me." She called out firmly as she followed him inside, closing the doors behind her.
Turning to her, he sighed. The logical part of him pointed out how theatrical Sasuke had been, meaning the Uchiha was just trying to mess with him. However, it didn't ease his thoughts knowing that the Hyuga leader seemed to be a natural flirt.
Hey, if you truly don't want the Uchiha falling for you, maybe you shouldn't be talking to him, can't you just stay away from him? It was among the things he wanted to say but held back, since those might be the kinds of words that may lead to the beginning of an early end. He knew firsthand about the psychology behind forbidding someone from seeing another person.
As his thoughts were trying not to go off the deep end, he finally figured out what the problem was.
He was afraid of losing her to someone else.
"Hey," Shikamaru began, more composed than his thoughts had been. When he reached her, his hand hesitantly intertwined with hers.
"Yes?"
He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and said nothing else about the situation. He figured she was lucky he had self-esteem, even if just a little.
"Have I ever told you how much I love you?"
Her lips curled into a happy smile, as his words eased her earlier feelings of jealousy she might've had towards Temari.
"I don't remember. You're going to have to say it a lot more often so that I don't forget..."
His pounding heart finally began to calm down, as he held her in his arms, his anxieties also easing up.
"Ah, I figured as much,"
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N/A: Edited: 4-30-2021. Ty Cat, Turtle, Endeavor! And everyone, be happy, stay safe!
Edited: 9-24-21 grammar
Edited: 9-8-22 Grammar and title