Hinata fumbles with the whisk and sends a fine spray of tea across the table before looking over nervously at Naruto. The questioning look in his azure blue eyes leaves no doubt who and what he and Sasuke had probably talked about last night. When she and Naruto had received this assignment she had decided that while they were safely away from the village that she would find the right time to tell Naruto about her confrontation with Sakura. This way he would be safely away from the village just in case he decided to do something rash that would get him in trouble. It seems as though fate, or more precisely Sasuke, may have taken the option of choosing the right moment out of her hands. Now all she can do is stare at him guiltily hoping that he will not condemn her actions, or her delay in telling him what had happened.
Seeing the look of guilt in Hinata's eyes, and how her body seems to shrink under his gaze, confirms what Naruto already knew had to be the truth. Say what you will about Sasuke, but being a lair is a word that cannot easily be added to that list. Irritating, smug, and all around pain in the ass are at the very top of the list, but liar is near the bottom. The lies he had told during his life where done more to convince himself that he was doing the right thing, than to fool others. Hopefully their last conversation will finally set the stubborn idiot straight, and he will finally let himself take a chance at being happy.
Seeing a look of guilt mixed with unease in Hinata's eyes makes Naruto feel guilty as well. He had planned on talking to Hinata later about what Sasuke had told him, but he was so desperate for something to say that he didn't even pause to think about the repercussions of bringing this up on the first night of the mission. Not to mention just before they were both about to go to bed. 'Man, I really need to stop and think about stuff before I open my mouth. Unfortunately, it is too late now and the fox is already in the henhouse.' He reaches out and places his hands firmly on top of Hinata's now trembling hands.
Hinata is startled by the sudden warmth of his hands touching her own and decides that it is time to take the initiative and explain herself before things get out of hand and ruin more than their mission. 'I have put this off for way too long. He has acted odd all day, but I think if he was angry with me that I would have sensed that already. So I think he just wants to know the truth, and probably why I haven't talked about it sooner.' Hinata feels another wave of guilt at her cowardice; especially how he may react to one particular question he will probably be asking.
While one hand sets down the bowl and whisk, her other gently takes a firm grip onto Naruto's. "Naruto-kun, I need to make a confession." As he leans in closer to hear her speak Hinata cannot help but turn her head away to the side. A gentle tug from his hands reminds her of a promise she made not too long ago, and she looks back up into his eyes. "Sak…, I'm sorry, I mean she came to my home while you were away on your last mission. She asked me to use my influence as your… girlfriend to get you to speak with her again. She said that she wanted to apologize for the incident that happened between the two of you that night." She pauses to wet her dry lips as his eyes bore into her own.
Now that the words have begun to flow Hinata feels her confidence grow as Naruto sits there silently listening. Hopefully his silence is a good sign. "I told her no, even though she begged me with tears in her eyes to please help her, but I just couldn't." Hinata reaches up and wraps her arms around Naruto's neck and buries her face under his chin. "I have to confess that it was for selfish reasons that I told her no. I was afraid… afraid that I might lose you again if the two of you were to have another fight like the last time." She hugs him tightly to keep from looking up into his eyes as she makes her true confession. "I am also afraid of losing you to her, most of all."
Naruto goes numb as Hinata's words strike him in his heart. That is absurd, he would not get involved romantically with… her, she has always belonged to Sasu… ke… The sound of a rumbling harrumph coming from deep within resonates with his own realization that those words had not always been, or at least seemed true on the outside. Guiltily he relives all those years as he pursued his old teammate for just a simple date as a sign of acceptance. How could Hinata not worry that he might still have those kinds of feelings, even after what happened between them that night? 'I can be very single-minded and stubborn at times, look how hard I fought to get Sasuke back even after everything he had done.'
Actually, when did his feelings change for his old teammate, or was Sasuke right and they were really never there all this time. Had he been unconsciously pretending to have romantic feelings for her as another way to compete against Sasuke? More than likely Sasuke was just being an ass and did not really mean what he said, but the accusation had stung and is still twisting in his guts.
Naruto shifts his thoughts back to when things had seemed to change for him and the pink-haired kunoichi. His mind slowly goes back, back beyond their fateful encounter, back to when she had come every day to his room in the hospital to see if he was recovering from the wounds he had sustained in the war. She was doing her job and his heart told him that truth, but her caring about his recovery still touched his heart as she sat on the side of his bed while they chatted and even laughed a little.
His memory stops at the time when she had told him that she loved him in bid to stop him from pursuing Sasuke anymore. That had been a lie and for the most part he had recognized the truth of her words. A small part of his soul still could not help but celebrate at finally hearing her say those words to him out loud. Though it had not been as wonderful to hear as he had imagined it would be growing up, and at the time he had guessed it was because he knew she was lying.
He ignores the building pain in his left side as his memory goes back to the time that she had come to the practice field to deliver those terrible tasting food pills. He can remember the feeling of joy at having her acknowledge her feelings for him by fixing him something to eat. At the time he didn't really care how bad they tasted, they were from her and that was all that mattered. His feelings for her only seem to intensify as it progresses backwards through his short life, back to the time when they first met on the playground, and he chased the girl with the pretty pink hair with a bug to get her attention. She had knocked him flat on his back with a single slap when he had cornered her and she had no option but to defend herself. He had rubbed the spot where she had touched him with a smile on his face.
So what happened in that short period of time to change how his heart felt between the food pills and her proclamation? The truth of when his heart began to change hits him like a punch to the face, or more precisely like a chakra rod through the body of the only person to jump down and risk her life to keep Pain from taking him away. The person who said that she would save him, or die trying because… she loves him. The first person to ever utter those words to him, and mean it from the very depths of her heart; except probably his parents, but he didn't know them but for the first few moments of his life before they died. That is why he knew his teammate's confession was a lie; he knew what a truly heartfelt confession sounded like and how it made him feel.
That true confession came from the very same person who is in his arms right now. The one he is afraid of losing because of the nightmares that still haunt him nearly every night. The irony of how cyclic things can be in his life makes him shudder, whether out of its absurdity or tragedy he is not sure. The two of them keep worrying about the other and do what they can to protect something, no… someone very precious. Her feelings for him keep causing her to put her life at risk for him, and he holds himself back from completely embracing his feelings for her out of fear that it will finally make the nightmare a reality. Why else would he still be having the dream if it isn't a prophetic warning?
His shudder startles Hinata, but instead of allowing herself to become distracted by his reaction she decides that it is too late to get scared and back out now. Instead she continues to tell him about her encounter with Sakura. "She became upset with me for saying no and we quarreled. She tried to tell me about what happened that night. I guess she hoped that I did not know the truth, or that you had not yet told me either, so that I would see the event from her perspective. She was surprised when I explained that I had been hiding in the bushes and knew exactly what she said to you that night." Hinata hunches up her shoulders and buries her face a little deeper in his neck out of shame of being a spy on their private conversation.
"She was not expecting to hear that I knew the real truth, so she became desperate and said that I owe her for keeping you alive during the war." She hugs him tightly as his body begins to tense in anger. Underneath his clothing the anger fueled tension of Naruto's lean muscle feels more like wrapping her arms around a spool of braided steel cables than the gentle man that had wrapped his arms around her in affection just a few moments ago. Hinata knows that she needs to be careful, or things might get out of control, but she is also determined not to hide the truth about Sakura anymore. "I pointed out that she had done that out of duty and her own personal survival, and not as a favor to you or me. Ultimately, when I would not capitulate she threatened to one day punish me for being so stubborn, and not helping to mend what she had so carelessly broken."
Somewhere in the quickly gathering haze of his anger Naruto remembers Sasuke saying something about a threat. Hinata's father had gone to the Hokage unhappy that his daughter had been threatened in her own home by a guest, a grave insult to his clan by the Hokage's prized student. He can tell by the way Hinata is desperately holding onto him that she is concerned by his reaction, a reaction that Sasuke himself had said might be the reason she had been withholding this information. With more self-control than he ever thought he could possess Naruto forces his anger down into a little ball and rubs Hinata's back reassuringly. He owes Sasuke bigtime for this moment, because without being forewarned about the incident he would not have had the clarity to stop his initial reaction. He would already be on his way to the Land of Lightning to hunt down and punish the person who would dare to threaten his Hinata. The thing is Sasuke only knew that a threat had been made, but not the specifics of that threat.
Naruto reaches up and gently takes a firm grip on Hinata's shoulders and slowly pushes her back so that he can look her in the eyes. When she looks up at him with a fragile gaze he cannot help but smile, even though deep inside that little ball wants to burst, releasing Kurama so they can go on a hunt. He clears his throat before speaking to make sure that his voice does not come out like a growl. "Sasuke said that your father came before the Hokage about this threat, and it seems like he was not too happy. He demanded that the Hokage make sure that… she is not welcome near the Hyuga compound anymore." By the sudden lines of concern popping up between Hinata's eyes, Naruto can see that she did not know of her father's involvement and quite possibly that he even knew of the threat. "Why don't you tell me what she said? I am the cause of all of this, so I should know how I am going to apologize to your dad for bringing my troubles into his home." That and whether it will be Sasuke he will talk too, or if it may be necessary for him to finally break a promise.
After how everything has been going so well for them lately, Hinata actually feels a little silly telling Naruto about Sakura's threat. If he had only said that he loved her by now she would feel like a complete fool for letting Sakura's threat worry her at all. Even before she tells him, Hinata already knows how he is going to react. Outwardly he will tense up and become angry, and even say words of assurance that there is no chance that Sakura could ever take him away from her side. She knows that when she looks deeply into his eyes she will see discomfort and pain for the loss of such an important friendship for a significant time in his life, and the hurt caused by Sakura's careless words.
Hinata does believe that Sakura is truly sorry for what happened that night. She would be a fool to think otherwise, but the gravity of Sakura's crime is such that even as forgiving a person that she is, she cannot just cast a blind eye to what was said. Naruto as the injured party has to be the one to make that decision of 'if and when to forgive'. She, as someone who loves him very much, will support his decision and will not hurry up or influence his decision. Well, at least as long as he doesn't try to do something rash that could bring him further harm.
That is why Sakura's push to force this issue to a close was a poor choice so soon after Naruto seem to be getting his life back on track. Naruto does need a little push in the right direction at times, something that she did not have confidence to try when they were younger, but sometimes when his mind is set he can become as immovable as a mountain. When he is like that she knows that he just needs time to clear his mind so that he can think clearly. Either that, or he just keeps attacking the problem in the way he wants till it and everyone around him gives in and follows along. Not unlike his usual strategy in combat.
Hinata takes one of his hands and places it over her left hand while her right gently strokes the back of his in a soothing manner. "The threat she made to me was that once the you two were friends again that she would come between us and lure you away. Eventually I would be left heartbroken and alone as my punishment for not wanting to help her fix what she had done . She said that Sasuke does not act like he is interested in becoming serious, so why not use that to her advantage and ruin my happiness. She said that even if she has to wait till you are the Hokage to corner you in your office when you can no longer avoid talking with her then she will just be patient." She averts her gaze a little, not wanting him to see that part of her reason for being so un-Hinata–like lately is out of desperation to have him to a point where Sakura could never take him away.
Naruto knows he should be angry, furious really at what he just heard, but his first reaction is guilt for how all of this is obviously affecting Hinata, the innocent party in all of this drama. Damn, why do things in his life always have to be so complicated? If the two of them had not had that fight, then Sakura would not be focused on the fallout of the fight. Sasuke wouldn't be holding back because of her unresolved issues with me, and they would most likely be happily together. That is if Sasuke is really capable of ever really allowing himself to be happy. Also, if she and Sasuke were already together then she would not have made that threat about wanting to try and interfere with Hinata's relationship with him.
If she had never said those words to him and hurt him to the very core of his soul, then maybe he and Hinata would have been a couple for longer than they already have been. Though it is possible that some other girl might have pushed herself into his life before Hinata had gotten the courage to step-up and invite him to dinner. He and Hinata might have never shared that wonderful kiss on her birthday. So did his fight with his old teammate stop him from being with someone that did not really love him like Hinata? Did she accidentally do him a favor by forcing Hinata to finally take a chance?
Naruto puts his palms against his temples as all of these thoughts swirl around inside his brain. If only he had known about the threat before last night maybe he could have told Sasuke and gave him the push he needed. Naruto looks up at Hinata, his eyes filled with frustration. "Why didn't you tell me about her threatening you before tonight? Instead I had to hear it from Sasuke of all people."
Hinata feels a pain in her chest like a knife in the heart as he asks the one question she was afraid that she would have to answer. Even if he did not mean to look at her accusingly, there is no hiding a hint of reproach for her inaction. Hinata crosses her hands across her heart as she looks down at the floor in shame. "I-I-I was afraid that you might get angry and go after her, N-N-Naruto… kun." She says the honorific hesitantly, hoping that it won't be the last time he allows her to call him that name. "I was going to try and tell you the night you came home from your last mission, I swear, but things became complicated with your confession and then talking with otou-sama. I didn't want to add any more stress to what you were already feeling, and I was afraid that you might…" Hinata bows her head in shame as her fingers touch together so intensely that her nails dig deep into the other's skin.
As Sasuke's words from last night reverberate through his mind once again, Naruto wishes that Kurama could just come out for a moment and give him a big slap with one of his giant paws. 'Sasuke was right, damn him for being right. When he finds out he will get that smug look on his face and tell me what an idiot I am for not realizing that my girlfriend was protecting me again, from myself no less.' He reaches out and places both of his hands on top of Hinata's to stop her fidgeting fingers before they draw blood. "You were protecting me again weren't you tenshi?"
Hinata glances up with tears in her eyes at hearing the word tenshi, she is relieved to see that his anger has subsided, somewhat at least. She hunches up her shoulders nervously as she gives him a fragile smile and a nod. "Yes, but I-I-I should have…"
Naruto squeezes her hand and shakes his head. "No, you were right as usual." He lets out a deep long sigh to collect his thoughts to try and make sure that he doesn't say something the wrong way and upset Hinata any more than he already has tonight. "I will admit that hearing that she dared to threaten you makes me want to run to the Land of Lightning, promise be damned, and make sure that she will NEVER bother you again." Naruto's focus on his resurging need to punish someone is broken when he feels Hinata's lips pressing against his knuckles. When he notices how pale they are he gives Hinata an apologetic look realizing that he was probably squeezing her hands hard enough to hurt, but she endured it and soothed him with a gentle kiss. "I would have done something really stupid that night for sure as upset I was about my encounter with those girls. Hell, I would be lying if I said that I don't want to go right now. It would have been the excuse I needed that night to let out all of the frustration I was feeling." Naruto bows his head till it is below her chin, nearly touching her lap. "Thank you so much for watching out for me Hinata. All the times that you have been watching over me protectively. I am sorry that my problems have caused you so much stress."
Naruto does not resist when Hinata reaches up and pulls his head onto to her shoulder, wrapping her arms around him in a comforting embrace. He stares at the wall wondering if his life will ever be as simple as everyone else's lives seem to be, at least when he compares their life to his own. He has only himself to blame that his romantic evening with Hinata has blown up in their face like a paper bomb. Why did he have to mention what Sasuke said right when things were getting… Well he is not sure where things were actually going tonight, but he is sure it would have been a hell of a lot better than how things are right now. He does not even have to look into Hinata's eyes to know that she is still feeling anxious, and that is his fault too. Fear and anxiety is radiating from her as if it was its own chakra nature.
Maybe they should just call it a night and go to bed before something else can go wrong. Not that he is going to sleep much tonight, but at least Hinata can get some rest while he stares up at the ceiling trying to balance what his gut wants him to do, and what his mind tells him is the right thing. If Hinata and Sasuke both had not said that were expecting him to go and confront the person who dared to threaten his girlfriend he might just have done that very thing, promise be damned. Just shows how well both of them know him, or is he just that transparent off of the battlefield?
Maybe that is why she made the threat? Is she expecting him to seek her out and break his promise as soon as he finds out about the threat? Well surprise, thanks to Hinata he is not going to fall into that trap. Well, at least not this time, but can this really go on forever. She is right; he will be Hokage one day, of that he is absolutely sure, but that means sending her on missions and reviewing mission reports and stuff. Maybe she and Sasuke will get married and settle down someplace outside the village and not come back. No, doing that might just get Sasuke labeled a rogue again for breaking away from the Leaf Village, which would get a death sentence put back on his head. Plus that will take away the best medical ninja the village has after Tsunade. Naruto squeezes his eyes shut tightly trying to force away the migraine that is building up inside his head.
Hinata is relieved that so many potential disasters were somehow avoided and begins to wonder if Naruto's talk with Sasuke last night might have something to do with that. She will have to ask Naruto about what else they spoke about when the time is right. For now she will stroke Naruto's back soothingly and hope that she doesn't feel any tension growing in his body that may signify that he has decided to confront Sakura after all. If he does try to use that Flying Thunder God jutsu, then hopefully her physical contact with him will draw her along and she can hopefully diffuse the situation before even more harm can be done. Her pulse quickens as she feels Naruto's body become tense and he lets out a long breath through his nose. As he raises his head up from her shoulder she slides her hands down and takes a gentle, but firm grip on his hands.
As he opens his eyes Naruto immediately sees the unease in Hinata's eyes and knows that she is worried that he is contemplating a rash course of action. "Hinata…"
"Yes?" Hinata mentally kicks herself for rudely interrupting Naruto, but does not break eye contact. Until his voice had broken the silence in the room she had not noticed just how tense her own body had become.
Naruto jiggles his hands back and forth a little to reassure Hinata that he is okay. "I was thinking that maybe we should call it a night. We have a lot of walking ahead of us tomorrow and I would feel guilty if you were exhausted from a lack of sleep." He gives her a big smile as a silent promise that he does not intend to sneak off and do something stupid while she is asleep.
This time when they enter the main room they are prepared for the sight of a full size futon laid out for two people to sleep together. After a nervous smile towards each other Hinata motions towards the bathroom and offers for Naruto to go first to brush his teeth and get ready for bed. After he grabs a small kit from his backpack and heads into the bathroom, Hinata leans up against the wall for support while she stares at the futon. Her hands cover her mouth as she absently begins to rock back and forth as all sorts of thoughts race through her brain.
She had been excited, and a little nervous when she first found out that she and Naruto where going to have a room to themselves on their very first night away from the village. Sharing a room together is one thing, they shared a tent with the rest of Team 8 on missions before. Being alone and lying next to him under the covers with no barrier between her body and Naruto's is something she was not prepared for yet. Hinata drops her hands away from her face and clutches them to her breast against her now racing heart.
She is not afraid that Naruto would willingly do something unseemly while she is asleep. She knows him better than to be worried about that, but she remembers from the missions they have done together before that he does tend to be restless when he sleeps. What if they were to wake up in some sort of compromising position while she is wearing Hanabi's pajamas? As she un-wedges the extremely tight pajama shorts out her butt crack the fear that Naruto might wonder if she actually wears such childish clothing to bed all of the time begins to worry her again. He might even tease her a little at how silly they look. Oh when she gets home Hanabi is going to pay.
Naruto is a little surprised when he leaves the bathroom and sees Hinata leaned up against the wall, her face red and one fist clenched while the other seems to be... So far there are very few things he has noticed to have such an effect on his usually gentle natured girlfriend. On the very top of that list is Hanabi, who seems to take great delight in making Hinata's life more interesting. The last thing that he wants to do is to fall asleep beside an upset girlfriend on their very first night alone together. He steps up to Hinata and gives her a curious look. "Hey, is everything okay?"
She is startled at first and gives him a quick nod to say that she is fine, but when his eyes narrow incredulously Hinata knows that he is not going to believe her little lie. She might as well just tell him the truth and get this over with and avoid an embarrassing situation in the morning. Hinata clutches at the yukata in shame and lets out a heavy sigh. "Alright, the truth is that Hanabi played a trick on me and replaced the nice pajamas that I packed with one of hers that are too small and uncomfortable. They look so very dreadful and childish that I am terrified you might see them accidentally." She points her little finger in the direction of the futon and turns her face away from her boyfriend.
'If they are as small as she is saying then that explains why she seemed a little uncomfortable most of the evening, and Hinata can't just wear that yukata to bed because they do tend to gape open and…' His face reddens as his mind finishes his sentence with mental images of what he could possibly see in the morning with Hinata all sprawled out asleep and exposed. He is pretty sure that knowing what he knows now, that he is probably not going to be able to sleep a wink tonight. Instead of thinking of the threat against Hinata he will be wondering about what secrets the morning light might reveal tomorrow if only he can wake up before Hinata. Alternatively he might just stay awake all night so that he can witness it as soon as it happens.
As Hinata's head begins to turn in his direction he has to turn his away, less she see his guilty thoughts plainly painted on his face. "Uh, yeah. Somebody needs to pull a major trick on her and let her see how it feels to be on the receiving end of a prank for a change." He looks about the room, still trying to avoid eye contact with Hinata till he is sure that there will be no sign of perverse thoughts running through his brain. That is when his eyes fall on his backpack and he remembers something extra he packed away for the trip. "Wait, I think that I might have a solution to your problem."
Hinata watches curiously as he goes over and begins to dig into his backpack. She cannot help but smile broadly as he holds up a sloppily folded black t-shirt and a rolled up pair of orange shorts, before giving him an excited nod of acceptance.
Naruto walks over and holds them out to Hinata. "I always bring at least one extra set when I am going away on a potentially long mission. Sometimes I get hungry late at night and I will make some instant ramen." He gives her a big sheepish grin as she takes the clothing from his hands. "You know that I am kind of a messy eater so I need the spare clothes, not that these are stained or anything. I washed them the other night and packed them for this mission, so you can keep them for as long as you want okay."
Hinata gets on her tiptoes and gives Naruto a quick kiss on the lips. "Thank you so much, I really can't say how much I appreciate you loaning me these clothes." She picks up her bathroom kit and steps into the bathroom to change and getting ready for bed.
After the door is closed Naruto takes one look at the futon, wondering if he should be polite and offer to sleep in his bedroll tonight. He would be a complete liar if he could not admit that he is excited about the prospect of falling asleep beside Hinata tonight. One or the other has fallen asleep while taking a break from training, but that was with all their clothes on and the very real chance that somebody from the Hyuga Clan could show up at any moment. Hell, somebody was probably watching from afar anyways. Tonight is different, tonight they are for all real purposes alone and the clothing they will be wearing is made for comfort, not to protect from an attack. Naruto can't help but evilly giggle a little at how funny that actually sounds at the moment.
That is where the issue is, because maybe sleeping with him while wearing something so un-protective is making Hinata feel a little vulnerable. She probably packed something warm made of some sort of thick material to make herself feel less vulnerable, which means that thin t-shirt and shorts is not going to be much of an improvement. The last thing he wants to do tonight is to make Hinata feel uncomfortable and be put into a situation that she is not ready for. Just as Naruto is undoing the last strap holding the bedroll to the bottom of the backpack he hears the bathroom door open. He cocks his head to the side as he tries to figure out why Hinata looks different.
Hinata is standing there with her hands up her sleeves to hide the horrid clothing her sister had put in her backpack. When she sees Naruto looking at her curiously she figures that he is wondering about the clothing he had loaned her to wear. Her heart flutters for a moment when she recalls holding the shirt up against her body a few minutes ago. She had almost let out a scream of delight when the t-shirt had unfolded and she looked at herself in the mirror with the red Uzumaki Clan symbol right there in the center of the black shirt. This might one day, hopefully soon, be the symbol that she can wear proudly and say that she is now a member. She had then hugged the material tightly to her breast and said a prayer that nothing else will stand in the way of her dream finally coming true.
It is when Hinata comes over to put something into her backpack that Naruto realizes what is suddenly so different about Hinata's appearance. "Hey, you did something different with your hair."
Hinata reaches up and touches the pony tail that she had put her hair into while getting ready for bed. "Oh yeah, I usually put my hair up when I sleep. That way it isn't a tangled mess when I wake up in the morning, plus it keeps me from laying on it weird in the middle of the night and hurting myself." She pulls the hair forward over one shoulder and begins to stroke it absently. "Does this bother you, Naruto-kun?"
"No, I like it Hinata." Naruto quickly shakes his head as her mouth opens to ask the next obvious question. "No, you don't need to wear it like this all the time either. I've known you since we were kids, and I have seen your hair cut short and worn long like you have it now. You are beautiful with it long and cute when it is short, so any way you fix your hair I win." He gives Hinata a grin so big that it causes his whisker marks to stand out even more prominently than usual.
Hinata reaches out and takes ahold of his right hand and pulls him towards the futon. When she feels him resist, she turns back to see him reach down and pick up his bedroll. She lets out a little mental sigh at how sweet and clueless this man she loves dearly can be sometimes. He is obviously going to offer to sleep in the bedroll so that she can have the futon to herself and be more proper. She had thought about offering the same deal to keep their promise to her father, but who is going to know that they shared a room beside Shikamaru and Choji. They won't say anything if she was to ask them politely.
Naruto, seeing a combination of disappointment and resignation in Hinata's eyes, tosses the bedroll onto his pack. He realizes that in the end it isn't going to matter, some people already believe that he is going to try something lewd the first chance he gets, but those people don't really know him or how he feels about Hinata. So why complicate this trip any more than it has to be and just enjoy being with Hinata. He can deal with those idiots later, besides the only people that know he and Hinata are actually alone tonight are Shikamaru and Choji. They won't say anything after he tells them to keep their mouth shut, or else.
They go over to the futon, each kneeling down on opposite sides and pausing before looking over to the other. A surge of nervous energy seems to leap from their bodies and collide over the perfectly smooth surface of the futon. They both quickly turn their head to the side blushing.
Naruto turns his body to the side and allows Hinata a moment of privacy to slip under the covers. He turns and looks cautiously over his shoulder when he hears her politely clear her throat. They both smirk as a wave of giddiness passes between them and Naruto lifts the edge of the blanket to crawl underneath.
Hinata is clutching the fabric of the blankets tightly, feeling like a child ready to dive under the covers in some vain attempt to protect herself from harm. She smiles as his yukata gapes open a little to reveal a white t-shirt with its red Uzumaki clan symbol blazoned on the front, a near twin to the one she is proudly wearing right now. She wonders when the time comes for their wedding night will she be as nervous as she is right now, or will it all seem familiar by then and not as magical as this very moment feels right now. Maybe there is a disadvantage to things moving so quickly, and it would be best to savor these moments as they happen before they become commonplace.
Naruto slides under the covers and his sense of touch immediately registers the soft warmth radiating from her body. It is a comforting warmth that seems familiar in a way that he cannot really put his finger on, but foreign in another way that threatens to drive him crazy. He suppresses his body's initial reaction to reach out and envelope that wonderful warmth with his own body. Instead he rolls over on his side and reaches out taking one of Hinata's hands in his own and gives it a gentle squeeze.
At first Hinata had pulled the blanket up over her nose till she resembled Kakashi when Naruto had first pulled aside the blanket to crawl underneath. Now that their fingers are laced together, Hinata rolls over onto her side and stares deeply in his eyes as she tries to etch every detail of this moment into her brain. She wants to be able to relive this moment over and over when they return home again after the mission. These memories will dominate her daydreams and hopefully her night-time dreams as well while she lays alone in her own bed. This will have to suffice until her dreams can somehow become her reality. Hinata's body suddenly spasms in shock as something frightfully cold brushes up against her leg.
Naruto is immediately on alert and ready to fight whatever has upset Hinata. "What, what is it Hinata? Are you okay? Do you sense something dangerous?" His eyes begin to scan the room and he focuses his hearing to search out any unusual sounds, while his hand slides over to where he had hidden a kunai earlier.
Hinata points down towards her feet. "Cold! Something cold touched my leg."
Naruto cocks his head to the side for a moment and then smirks a little. "You mean this?"
Hinata nearly jumps out of the futon to get away from the icy foot that has brushed up against her shin. "Oh my goodness, is that your foot?" Hinata cannot suppress her utter shock at how cold Naruto's feet feel against her flesh. "How can somebody with such warm hands have such COLD feet?"
Naruto can only shrug at the question. "I don't know. I remember Sasuke once accused me having feet as dead as my brain when we shared a room during out first mission together. I had rolled around during the night and my foot somehow ended up brushing against his arm. They have always been cold I guess. I just don't think about them being cold, though."
Seeing a slight change in her boyfriend's facial expression, Hinata knows that he is up to some mischief. "Don't you dare Uzumaki. If you do that again on purpose I will make you sleep in your own bedroll tonight, with socks on." She knows deep down that she is lying, and she is sure that Naruto knows it too, but she has to say something or he will surely do it again. She had been planning on making him a gift for his birthday, maybe she should knit him some warm socks to wear to bed. She will have to stop by the craft store when they get home and get some nice soft wool for her to use.
Once he promises to be good they lie back down on their sides and just stare at each other, while occasionally giving the other a light kiss. Naruto pushes the thoughts of what to do about his old teammates for another time. He had gotten very little sleep thinking about them last night so why ruin yet another night. He needs to focus his mind on the mission and someone else right now, because his problem is not going to be solved tonight and can wait till he returns home to decide how best to deal with the situation. Also, this is just his first night of several together away from the village with Hinata, so why try to rush things tonight and potentially make things weird again, just when everything seems perfect. He closes his eyes and banishes the last of the anger by thinking about the walk in the garden with Hinata not long ago, and how wonderful it will be to wake up with her by his side in the morning, and for several mornings afterwards.
Hinata too is enjoying this moment of peace after such a chaotic day. Think about it, she woke up in bed with her sister and is now falling asleep with her boyfriend. Her pajamas were stolen and then later replaced with something of Naruto's, something that she will not want give back when it is time. She forces her mind to quickly skip over her bath, less Naruto see her blush and force her to tell him why.
Dinner and the walk afterwards was amazing, only to be marred by the news that Naruto had found out about her confrontation before she had the chance to freely confess. At least they are too far away from Sakura for him to easily run off and confront her. After what Sasuke must have said last night, plus her own words, they were able to disarm the situation enough to possibly keep things from being completely explosive when Naruto and Sakura do cross paths again. Hopefully.
Oh yes, the first day of the mission together has been something she will not soon forget. At least this day is finally coming to a close in the most perfect way she could imagine. Naruto's eyes are closed peacefully; his face is smooth and carefree, while his lips are slightly parted and so temptingly kissable as he snores lightly. Hinata closes her own eyes and presses her forehead against Naruto's. She lets this perfect moment take over her dreams and purge all of the stress from earlier out of her body.