Chapter 17: Are we okay?

.

As much as she loved and missed her two best friends, Hinata couldn't help but begin to feel suffocated by their presence. Wherever she was, there they were, inseparable, stuck to her side. Hinata genuinely believed the overbearing attention she was receiving was because they missed her, and wanted to spend some time with her. It wasn't always like this, this bad.

She remembered during their Genin days and Chunin days they had allowed her space to breathe. But that had changed. And she wondered when the change first began. The more she thought about it, everything seemed to indicate that their change had to do with Neji's absence. It was hard to say anything.

They had always been tactical and subtle about their intrusions, so she couldn't speak up, even when they wittily baited her into inviting them to come along to the hotel Shikamaru was staying at.

The three-story hotel she had been invited to, by him, had a rooftop lounge. When she got there, the place gave the impression that the owner had wanted it to be an outdoor garden as they had decorated the place with succulents which overflowed in every tiny space, including on the ledge. Tropical foliage was crammed around each corner, by the tables.

Hinata settled on the chair, with Kiba and Shino joining her side.

Hinata smiled as she witnessed the interaction between two staff members who weren't afraid to be carefree and playful around one another. They approached her table, holding a pitcher filled with water. They filled their empty glasses as conversation flowed between everyone.

After flirting with a happy Kiba, and taking Team 8's simple orders of iced cold drinks, they retreated, using the water pitcher to water the plants while walking back to the bar.

"I like this place," Hinata said. "It has-"

"A chill vibe?"

Hinata sighed. Kiba had been completing too many of her sentences lately.

"Hn,"

Her lavender eyes glanced around, taking in her surroundings to find that most of the other customers were also from Konoha since they proudly displayed their headband which was incorporated in their casual clothes. Her eyes landed on the familiar figure standing towards the very end, smoking, as he leaned against the balcony railing. He was wearing sunglasses, his dark wet hair slicked back, drying in the sun.

Hinata immediately excused herself and left the table to approach him.

.

When Shikamaru turned, he moved to put out his cigarette the moment Hinata came up to him. As he greeted her, he removed his dark sunglasses. His eyes trailed to her neck, as she had decided to wear his birthday present. It was a simple necklace, not too flashy. The color of the stone represented the month of December. Her pastel blue dress seemed to bring out the turquoise color of the jewel.

Shikamaru's eyes danced past her, towards her annoying friends at the table. He didn't know where to begin. The disdain in his tone wasn't even on purpose.

"Ah, you invited your guards,"

"Eh?"

Shikamaru had always suspected that Hinata didn't know what her friends had been up to, and her reaction confirmed it. She appeared a little confused, which had lasted for over a second.

Her response was a sigh. And he could see she was just as frustrated as he was. He decided he didn't need to say anything else on the matter as he patted her on the head. After she pulled away from his reach, she glanced back at her table. Even if Shikamaru hadn't said much, he made her realize there was only so much she could tolerate.

It was time to set boundaries.

Shikamaru joined in as their fourth person, he occupied the last chair around the table. He sat around Kiba and Shino, as the two seemed to make it a point to make sure he was as far away from her as possible.

Soon, three drinks were served, and a fourth cup was added to the table as a staff member filled Shikamaru's glass with water, before taking his drink order.

At this stage, Hinata had no way of casually starting the conversation.

"I'm seeing someone," Hinata finally said, glancing up from her iced tea. "He's not from the clan..."

She had expected the questions, but not this. Shino and Kiba's killer intent aura was redirected towards Shikamaru.

"Wait… how did you know?"

Was she that bad at hiding it? No wonder Yoshino had been so angry with her back then. Maybe that was the same reason Shino and Kiba had been overbearing lately.

"We're your-"

"Oi!" Kiba cut in, while giving Shino a look, stopping him from what would potentially be a friendship suicide.

Hinata glanced from Kiba to Shino and could feel something was up. Her eyes then darted to Shikamaru, as he took a long sip of water. He also looked guilty, as if he was in on something.

"What were you going to say, Shino-kun?" She asked, obviously suspicious of his silence.

"Nothing important. What I don't understand is why you think this is going to work. What about your clan? Aren't they going to try to match you with someone else again?" Shino asked instead.

"I'm close to abolishing that," Hinata was aware that she was distorting the truth.

The reality was that the process just recently got started. Even she wasn't sure whether it would go her way or not.

"So you might be leaving the clan," Shino said. "Hanabi-chan is next in line to rule. You should start preparing her for that possibility,"

Hinata knew she couldn't voice the same thing she had said to Sasuke. Back then, she had surprised even herself when she first toyed with the idea of ruling both clans.

Such a Hyuga thing to say. Sasuke would always be telling her similar phrases. Yet that night, in particular, Sasuke's words struck her differently. Hinata had always believed she was different, special, and not like any other Hyuga until she began to question the extent of her own greed. She didn't want to be like her clansmen.

"Yeah, it's a possibility,"

Shikamaru placed his drink, slowly. Her hesitation, and her response, had struck a nerve. His gaze trailed towards the succulent bouquet displayed in the middle of the round table. His mind immediately visualized a shogi board in its place. Several shogi pieces were laid out at random places, coming alive, moving to capture spaces on their own.

His eyebrows furrowed. It became obvious that Hinata's situation was strikingly similar to something he thought he had left behind.

Was this going to be like Temari all over again?

Her friends also remained silent, until Kiba attempted to change the subject.

"Tomorrow's New Year," Kiba began, he tried to be friendly on Hinata's behalf, but it was coming out as forced. "I guess you're going to be there celebrating with us, huh?" Kiba downed his drink, before placing the empty cup on the table.

"Yeah," Shikamaru replied, uninterested.

Hinata immediately sensed something was off.

"Shikamaru-kun?"

Finishing his drink, Shino stood up from his spot. "I'll see you back at the mansion, Hinata."

Hinata's reluctance to admit out loud that she was willing to leave the clan for Nara, left Shino surprisingly calm. He got the sense that perhaps this wasn't as serious as he originally thought it was.

"Huh? We're leaving?" Kiba asked Shino.

"You can stay if you want," Shino said while placing his hands inside his coat's pocket. "But read the room, Kiba," He said as he began to walk away.

"Kiba-kun, can you close the tab on your way out?"

"Er sure," He didn't like being kicked out. "See you later Hinata-chan..."

.

As Shino and Kiba were coming down the stairs, and exiting the hotel, Shino had a frown on his face, hidden behind his high-collar coat.

"You stopped me from telling her the truth. Why?" Shino asked his friend.

"You once told me to read the room, and I did. Hinata wasn't asking for our permission. Do you want to know what happened to my older sister when we told her she couldn't date some guy? She went ahead and did it anyway," He was beginning to realize they couldn't control her, but they could only guide her. "I say we jump ship now and take this secret to our grave. She doesn't need to know we were her Anbus. I believe what she needs right now are her friends,"

After much contemplation, Shino added, "I suppose that means we won't be renewing the contract,"

"Exactly,"

"But Nara knows,"

"If he hasn't told Hinata by now, then I doubt he'll say anything,"

.

Kicking her shoes to the side, Hinata silently followed him while barefoot, inside the large hotel suite, which he shared with Sai and Naruto. Shikamaru had mentioned earlier the two were out at the moment, exploring.

"You're kind of quiet," Hinata commented as she stepped into the living room, and settled down on the sofa.

Shikamaru sunk on the opposite side, across from her, while spreading himself on the sofa. Aburame's earlier question, and Hinata's response, had triggered him. But slowly, he was beginning to find himself ready to talk about it.

"Do you know why Temari broke it off with me?"

She had an idea, but was more interested in his side of the story, thus, Hinata denied knowing anything.

"It's not going to work if you're not willing to leave your clan," He looked away, his eyes fixed anywhere else but her. As he opened up, everything became transparent, and things were made crystal clear as to why Shikamaru seemed upset with her. When he finally met her eyes, there was a vacant icy dead stare that had never been directed towards her before.

She didn't like being on the receiving end.

"Shikamaru, I think I was misunderstood earlier," Hinata said, her hands clasped in front of her.

He studied her face and determination for a moment before replying.

"How so?"

Looking down, Hinata realized her hands were clasped together as she fidgeted nervously, before looking his way again. Raising from her side, she walked around the low table.

The moment she reached him, he leaned further back into the sofa, as if moving would make a difference between their distance.

Troublesome. What a pain. She was too close to him. He could smell her pleasant sweet scent from where she stood, it was probably freesia, but he wasn't sure.

Shikamaru had to stop himself from reaching out to her small waist. Even so, his eyes glided up and down her figure, before pausing. Despite her large, innocent eyes, he began to suspect she knew what she was doing as walked even closer, the fabric of her dress brushed lightly against his knee.

Hinata explained her version of the truth. There was a possibility her sister might not even want to take her place as the leader.

"I don't mind helping my clan from time to time, if Hanabi-chan doesn't want to be the ruler,"

That's not how things worked in the Hyuga clan, Shikamaru knew this much. His brows furrowed. He lifted his eyes away from her hips, studying her for another moment, as he considered the implication of her words. Sometimes when it came to her, he realized her words sometimes held double meanings.

Did Hinata want to rule both clans?

Shikamaru quickly dismissed his assumption, as it was absurd to believe she might want to do so. If for whatever reason she was preparing herself for such scenarios, he knew it had something to do with her caring too much for her younger sister.

"Are we okay?" She asked, uncertain, for he had yet to give her any verbal or nonverbal indication to quiet her anxiety.

Their conversation was interrupted when they heard the sound of keys fumbling as someone struggled to open the door. Whoever was trying to get in was failing miserably.

Hinata's attention shifted back to Shikamaru as he stood, towering over her. She uttered a small cry of surprise when he picked her up like some kind of bride and carried her away to a different room. They might have been alone several times, previously, but never like this. Maybe it was because Shikamaru had never laid her down on top of a bed before.

She stared at him in confusion, as he sat on the edge of the bed. Her feelings of panic slowly faded when she realized his attention seemed elsewhere, listening in on the murmur of familiar voices down the hall, along with the sound of things shuffling.

.

"I can't believe it took me so damn long to notice I left my wallet. Thanks for covering for the ramen, Sasuke," Naruto said, he quickly took off his shoes by the entrance, before running into the suite.

"Don't thank me. It wasn't free." Sasuke called out to his retrieving form, his tone indifferent.

He removed his shoes and placed them next to Naruto's. He paused when he noticed a pair of nude, high-heeled shoes left by the entrance. Likewise, he felt like a creep for doing so, but he held the shoe in his hand and inspected it, the brand name stood out. Sasuke recalled when Sakura and Hanabi had first arrived in Suna, the girls felt like they needed some new clothes. Hanabi had been a big spender. She had purchased things that belonged to the same brand name of the shoe he held in his hands.

His mind drowned Naruto's curse words as he walked into the living room. Everything inside the room was neat, maybe except for a few personal belongings here and there.

As he continued to glance around, he noticed that there, on the sofa, was a woman's purse. Sasuke vaguely recalled seeing it before, hanging somewhere in Hinata's room, a few nights ago, as he had avoided looking at her, choosing to instead pay attention to his surrounding, and the purse had been one of the items inside her room. When it came to Sasuke, there was never anything vague about his ability to recall things, but he pretended it was so.

Sasuke approached the purse, noticing there was a long strand of hair attached to the strap, a straggler. He held the hair to the light as it shone a bluish violet hue. Even with his perfect memory, he hadn't realized this was the actual color of her hair.

She was here. But why was the suite so quiet?

He swallowed, his mouth pulled itself into a tight line. A feeling of utter annoyance simmered at the possibility she might be tangled in a mess of sheets right now, blushing, naked, in Nara's arms.

No. She wouldn't do that. She was a Hyuga. By default, he knew she valued her virtue.

"Oi! I found it!" Naruto stopped next to Sasuke after he had found his wallet. His blue eyes trailed towards the long strand of hair in his possession. He wasn't sure what to say, since he had known Shikamaru was still inside the house, and the blue strand just seemed to confirm who his companion was. "Come on, let's go."

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Hinata Hyuga was being very messy for someone who doesn't want the whole world to know of her affairs, since there was an elder in town who could just as easily activate his Byakugan at any time.

But it wasn't his problem.

.

On the other side of the door, Naruto's curses could distinctively be made out, as the new drama of the day had been something about him misplacing his wallet.

After proclamations of finding the said wallet, the main door was opened and slammed shut again, cutting off the fading voices.

Silence followed.

Then they were alone again.

Shikamaru turned to her, as she watched him, simply staring almost expectantly, with those wide lavender eyes that he loved. He wasn't sure how to describe why he liked to look at her so much. As she laid there with her hair fanned out, it reminded him of the first time he had realized he had fallen for her hard. He should've looked away. But there was something magnetic about her at that moment. He clenched his fist and ignored the nervous feeling inside the pit of his stomach. Being aware of himself, and his thoughts, he realized he shouldn't have brought her here.

Her hand made a soft, feminine movement as she gestured him over to her. He heard her ask, almost in a whisper, to kiss her. Her hand gripped his shirt as he kissed her. He appreciated the feeling of her lingering fingertips underneath his shirt, as she hadn't reached out to him like this before. Meanwhile, his own hands roamed around, seizing his favorite part of her body.

Love or lust, it was hard to tell at the time after a lifetime of suppression. She tugged and yanked annoyingly at his shirt, knowing he wouldn't deny her. When his shirt came off, he loomed over her momentarily. His hair, almost fully dried, draped past him and tickled the side of her cheek.

Still gasping for air, he was reminded this was one of the moments he was looking forward to, spending idle time like this with her. Her lavender eyes gleamed as she glanced up at him. She seemed to like ordering him around, demanding more of his kiss. Her demands were as favorable as his hunger for her.

At this stage, he had thought he would've taken her until he heard her stifle a laugh after pushing him away.

Completely taken out of the moment, he pulled away to glance at her, unaware of what she had been so amused at.

Her small hand reached and pinched at his shoulder to pluck something off. She retrieved something, before showing it to him.

It was a small bug.

All of a sudden, it began to make so much sense as to why her overprotective friends decided to leave them alone. Even though she apologized on their behalf, he knew she didn't mean it.

"I'm beginning to get sick of your friends,"

"No, don't say that,"

"Troublesome," He murmured.

He had been leaning most of his weight on his arms the entire time, before gently collapsing on her.

As he held her close, his view was filled with the color of her skin against her beautiful flowy violet-blue hair. It would've been perfect if they were underneath the sky, watching the clouds.

Hinata found that she liked feeling his weight on top of her. This was perfect. Like a long-lasting lazy hug. Unfortunately, there came a point where she needed to breathe again. Giggling, she pushed him off a little, as his lazy complaints were slightly muffled against her skin, before moving away from her.

He closed his eyes as he lay next to her. He hadn't smoked in a few hours, and he felt like he needed one now.

"You know, my shoes were at the door," Hinata said in contemplation. If hiding her identity had been the goal, what was the point if her shoes had been left at the door?

But then again, Naruto had been so frantic in finding his wallet, that he probably didn't even notice Shikamaru had a guest.

"Troublesome, if anyone had recognized that you were here, based on that alone, then they're highly a suspect on my list,"

He smirked. It was easy to make her laugh, it seemed.

She lay on the bed next to him, staring at him while his eyes were resting. She found his cheekbones to be one of his most attractive features, along with his dimples.

When his eyes fluttered open, his brown gaze bored into her, making her stomach flutter. She looked away, finding herself flushing. It was probably because the passionate moment had come to an end, leaving her to face the fact that she had touched him in such a way...like some sexually deprived person, or some kind of freak. It was even more embarrassing when he looked at her, as though he could read her thoughts.

Shikamaru sat up while fixing his hair with his fingers. His eyes were then back on her, his lips tilting into a slow smirk, a little different from his lazy ones. She avoided looking at him, but her gaze instead stayed fixed on his bare chest. A reminder of her actions. She immediately searched for his shirt and handed it to him before moving out of bed, to fix her dress.

"I should probably go now,"

"Ah, would you like me to walk you home?"

It was still daytime outside, and he still needed a smoke.

"Okay,"

When they said their farewells, that afternoon, it had been the hardest thing they could do.

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Edited: 4-23-21

Edited: 9-24-21

Edited: 9-8-22