Hey, a quick question...why did they start making up big words if all the little ones hadn't been used up yet?
Hello there! AProcrastinatingWriter here with the much-delayed-yet-shorter-than-usual fifth chapter of my story! For those of you wondering what's kept me, you can check out my profile to get your answer. For those of you who don't care, you can keep reading with this in mind: I may be updating even less frequently than usual from now on. I'm not quitting, though. Not by a long shot.
At any rate, in this chapter, we shall see how Hiashi Hyuuga handles inner conflict! I for one am looking forward to it. Have a nice read!
CHAPTER FIVE
CONFLICTION, CONVICTION, AND A PROPOSITION
-OR-
HOW NOT TO LET YOUR EMOTIONS GET THE BETTER OF YOU
-I wonder how much Sage chakra I could have gathered up by now?- wondered Naruto vaguely, as he continued sitting extremely still on the pillow that had been provided for him. The other pillow, across from him, was conspicuously empty. -To think I was worried that I was going to make Hiashi wait.-
Naruto hated waiting. Naruto hated waiting with a passion. Waiting was the antithesis of everything Naruto was. It really was startling that in his past and everyone else's future, he had become quite the ninja, despite this obvious handicap. If waiting was a living being, Naruto would strangle it until it was good and dead. Naruto really hated waiting.
But for Hinata? He'd wait until the moon fell from the sky and the stars ceased to shine, and then he'd wait some more. He loved her, darn it. The only difficult part was proving that to her dad.
Who still hadn't shown up, by the way. -This is getting ridiculous. Where is that blowhard, anyway?- Naruto thought, a bit disrespectfully. -I mean, I know that the old guy's always busy, but come on!- He narrowed his eyes slightly, suddenly suspicious. -Is he trying to ignore me?- His nose scrunched. -Yeah, that's gotta be it...I mean, what else would he be trying to do?-
0-0-0-0
From a secret panel in a nearby wall, Hiashi watched Naruto. -Hmm. He is waiting much more patiently than I expected.- he thought to himself, not being able to read Naruto's mind. -Then again, it has only been twenty minutes so far.- Still, a reluctant point in the boy's favor, Hiashi supposed.
"F-father?" came an exceedingly meek voice from Hiashi's right. He turned, doing his best to not show that Hinata had startled him.. "Y-you summoned for me?" Twiddle, twiddle.
Hiashi looked stern as ever he had before, though if Hinata had been a bit braver, she would also have been able to look up after seeing this stern face, and therefore also would have been able to see him gulp. Nervously. "Hinata," he said. "Your...chosen one is here." And that was as close to saying Naruto was Hinata's boyfriend Hiashi was certain he would ever get.
Hinata blushed slightly, though nowhere near the level one would expect. Was Naruto rubbing off on her? "H-he is?" she asked, looking up slightly.
Hiashi stepped away from the wall he had been peering into (or, rather, through) just a few moments before. "See for yourself," he told his daughter. -That will give me more time to think of exactly what I should say when I get in there.- To think Hiashi was as nervous as Naruto was about all this! Though, admittedly, for very different reasons.
Hinata took a hesitant step forward, turned towards the wall and, with a deep breath, activated her Kekkai Genkai. "Byakugan!" she said as she did so. Naruto's chakra network, more bursting-at-the-seams than any other she had ever seen, was plainly visible. Hinata was honestly a little surprised she couldn't somehow see it even without the Byakugan. Then again, maybe she could. -Perhaps that is the look of determination he carries around in his eyes,- she smiled to herself as she thought. She turned to her father again, veins around her eyes relaxing back into her skin.
"Well?" asked Hiashi, as if he needed to confirm that chakra network was Naruto's. Who else had such a large amount of such phenomenally persistent chakra in them? It was almost unastonishing that he had managed to beat Neji, that one time. "Is it Naruto Uzumaki?"
"It is," said Hinata, no longer twiddling her fingers, and no longer looking downwards. Her voice was still quiet, but it was a little bit more hearable, and nowhere near as shaky. Baby steps. She grinned a little. "I am certain that person is my boyfriend." And she wasn't sure whether she hoped her father would, or wouldn't catch the double-meaning there.
Hiashi turned around, something he usually didn't do when addressing people after he'd already turned his back. His mouth fell slightly open, surprised, as he looked down at his daughter. -She actually seems sure of herself,- he thought, feeling the heat of her gaze, serious, respectful and determined. -I have never before seen her like this in my entire life.- He turned his head back to the wall as he re-closed his mouth, as if somehow he could see Naruto without using his Byakugan. -Is this Naruto's influence?-
"Father," Hinata suddenly spoke, unable to hide her concern, both for herself and her father. Still, though, she did not stutter. "Is something the matter?"
-Get a hold of yourself,- Hiashi continued thinking as he narrowed his eyes, dropping back into his 'boyfriend is the enemy' mindset. Not that one could blame him, it's simply that that is what happened. -If he is capable of affecting her so strongly in such a short period of time, then that means he is able to manipulate her to his wishes.- Obviously, Hiashi did not know very much about his daughter and apparent-future-son-in-law's relationship.
"Father?" Hinata asked again.
"Hinata," Hiashi finally responded, "Stay in here and keep an ear open." He looked at her. "Watch us, if you like." And as he reached forward towards the secret panel's handle while a confused Hinata looked on, he thought: -This will be a difficult lesson for you Hinata...but it's one you have to learn.-
0-0-0-0
Shikamaru slowly (though that goes without saying) stepped out from the doors to the Hokage's building, scratching his nose as he went. It was itching a lot lately. Maybe this timeline was causing him to develop allergies or something. -Lady Tsunade was surprisingly cool about all that. I barely had to argue with her at all. Maybe she's got a soft spot for romance.- He smiled a little bit. -Or maybe she just wants me out of her hair for a couple days.-
"Shikamaru!" shouted a feminine voice from nearby. Perhaps a little too feminine, considering her young age.
The young shinobi Ino was speaking of and to actually froze in his tracks, momentarily panicking. Thankfully, that moment passed quickly. He turned, and two familiar figures were walking towards him. "Hey, there, guys," he said, as both his closest friends, each one smiling slightly, arrived at a comfortable talking distance. "What's up?"
"What's up?" repeated Chōji, a bit incredulously, as the smile dropped off his face. "What's up with you, man? You disappeared on us during training!"
Shikamaru's eyes widened just slightly. He was very surprised, but this wasn't a situation that required him to show it, so he settled for the slight-eye-widening. "Didn't Asuma tell you?" he inquired.
Chōji shook his head, while Ino actually thought about his question, finger tapping chin. "No," she finally confirmed, "He never mentioned anything." She tilted her head to the side, now confused. "So what's going on?"
Shikamaru took a split-second to think about the oddity of the situation. -Not like Asuma to pull a Kakashi,- he thought. -Does that mean he's come back too, somehow? Or is the answer much more mundane than that?- He finished his blink. For some reason, a lot of people thought he took a brief pause before responding sometimes in order to think about what he was going to say next. Well, they were half right at least. "I had to talk to Lady Tsunade about something." Another blink, giving his comrades enough time to burst in with comments.
"What?" Ino startledly asked.
"What's going on?" asked Chōji.
"Relax," said Shikamaru. His usual advice. "It's nothing bad, or even that big a deal." -At least not a big deal for you.-
Shikamaru had blinked again. "So, what's going on?" Ino butted in, while Chōji realized that he really should be patient and let Shikamaru get to it on his own.
Shikamaru actually took another blink. -Everyone's so impatient,- he murmured to himself, albeit only in his head. "I requested the day off. Considering heading to the Village Hidden in the Sand with my new jutsu."
"WHAT?" shouted Ino, boisterous as ever. Shikamaru didn't even have to blink this time. "Are you crazy?"
"The Sand just tried to attack the Leaf not that long ago!" Chōji said, quite logically considering what little information he had. "And you, a Leaf ninja, are going to just stroll into their home village, unannounced, with no protection whatsoever?"
"They won't attack me or anything," Shikamaru said, "I have the all the right paperwork from our Lady herself. And I don't care if the Sand is suspicious of me."
"Are you off your rocker, they'll lynch you!" responded Ino, the beginning of her sentence coming before the end of Shikamaru's.
"They won't lynch me," said Shikamaru. "They're in a vulnerable position right now, so they need to keep their alliances as open as possible." He turned slightly away, looking up towards the clouds. "And we're the best alliance they've got right now." He smiled a little. "Nice day today."
Chōji looked up, too easily led by changes in subjects. (That said, it really was a nice day.) "Still, I don't understand why you'd want to go to that village," said Ino, still concerned for Shikamaru's safety but unable to put exactly why into logical reasoning at that exact point of time. "It's hot, then it's cold, and it's all sandy-"
"I have my reasons," interrupted Shikamaru, turning to leave.
"And they are?" asked Ino.
"You don't want to know, believe me," said Shikamaru, quite accurately.
"Oh yes I do!" rebutted Ino, a little louder than she had previously been talking.
Shikamaru turned. "I can already see where this is heading," he grumbled. "Ino, you're really-" he stopped himself. "Sorry. I didn't mean to snap like that."
Chōji and Ino looked at him, concerned and confused respectfully. "Are you alright, buddy?" Chōji finally asked. "You seem pretty off right now." A tilt of the head. "You hungry?"
Shikamaru rubbed the bridge of his nose. It still itched. "Yeah, no, I'm fine...just stressed." -From trying my hardest to avoid the subject at hand neither of you are aware of...well, you kind of are.-
"Why are you going, Shikamaru?" asked Ino, sounding much more upset about this than anybody would expect her to be.
Shikamaru looked at her with the usual pause, though this time there was no blinking, for he was staring, wide-eyed. He sighed a little. "Okay," he said through aforementioned sigh, "I was going to wait on this until I had some time to think it over, but it's obvious to me," and here he stepped towards Ino, passing by Chōji, who was feeling more and more out-of-the-loop and worried for both of his friends every second, "That we really need to talk."
"Hey, what are you-" began Ino, before being grabbed by the arm and dragged away by Shikamaru. "Let go of me!" Chōji blinked after them for several seconds as Shikamaru pulled Ino just around the corner, Chōji now wondering what the heck was going on.
Then something occurred to him. "Ah, man, I still gotta talk to Shikamaru!" he groaned, scratching his head. He sighed. "Well, I guess I can wait until tomorrow...". And with these words, he slumpingly turned and walked away.
Ichiraku's would later cheer him up immensely.
0-0-0-0
From Naruto's point of view, Hiashi suddenly opened up the wall and stepped out of it with absolutely no previous sign he even existed. Understandably, the young ninja fell over in shock. "GAH!" He sat up quickly again, looking angry. "Don't do that!"
Hiashi looked down on Naruto literally as well as metaphorically, raising an eyebrow as if to put himself up even higher without actually moving his body. "Young man, do you really think you're in any position to give orders to me?"
Naruto regained his composure. "Uh...heh, heh. Sorry," he smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. Still not exactly respectful, though. Figures that Naruto would miss the point. Unless...?
Hiashi looked angry. Moreso than usual. "Of course," he stated evenly, slowly sitting down. "I assume that, in preparation for this encounter, you have taken the time given to you to study the traditions of the Hyuuga household?" -Please,- thought Hiashi secretly, -I doubt he's had even time to read them with such short notice.-
"Uh..." intoned Naruto. He smiled, sheepish again. "Sorry, can't say that I have."
Hiashi blinked, then slowly closed his eyes completely to think. -Hmm. From what little I have heard about this boy, I would have expected him to lie...- "Well, if by some broad chance you do manage to impress me today, I would suggest studying up as much as possible. You would be coming over much more frequently, after all..." He looked at Naruto pointedly. "Perhaps even to stay, someday."
Naruto grinned at this sentence like that was exactly what he wanted, where Hiashi expected him to suddenly look very scared that he was being expected to, quite possibly, marry Hinata someday. Perhaps the boy simply missed the subtle phrasing of Hiashi's sentence. "I'll get right on that, sir. That's a promise." The grin grew bigger. Yet, where most people would look goofy wearing it (and, technically, Naruto was no exception) on his face, it looked absolutely perfect. "I want to spend as much time as I can with Hinata!"
"...see that you do," responded Hiashi after a few seconds. He retreated slightly into his own mind. -Hmm. Perhaps he caught my meaning after all. Odd. The boy doesn't seem the type for commitment.- His brow deepened as his thoughts did as well. Paranoia will do that to a person. -Unless, of course, by 'spend more time with her', he mean...,-
"Yeah, but anyway! I need to introduce myself, right?" Naruto said, breaking Hiashi from his thoughtfulness to look at the boy before the middle-aged man could jump to any inaccurate (And potentially deadly for Naruto) conclusions. The young Naruto's hand was outstretched, and that grin, as boisterous as his personality, was still on his face. "Hey there!" he said. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki! And someday..." Hiashi could honestly say he had never seen controlled and focused ferocity like this before, "I'm gonna be the Hokage!"
0-0-0-0
Shikamaru finally stopped in the grassy clearing that Team Asuma would commonly train in, loosening his grip slightly so as to let Ino think she'd escaped his grasp on her own. "What is this all about, Shikamaru?" demanded Ino as she pulled her arm back from the boy, rubbing it as if he'd been grabbing it anywhere near hard enough to hurt her.
Shikamaru turned around. He looked at Ino harshly for several seconds. She looked back, just as fiercely. Finally, the boy's face softened, and he appeared as exhausted as Ino had seemed earlier that day. "Uuuugh," he groaned, looking up slightly to the heavens. "Ino," he said, looking back at her with a sad look on his face. "Earlier today," he paused, and for once Ino did not interrupt, now curious as to where this was going. "Me and Asuma were training with trench knives."
Ino looked to the right, then to the left. "And...?" she motioned, palm up.
"I'm thinking," said Shikamaru, rubbing his nose.
Ino's head involuntarily moved backwards slightly. -Shikamaru's actually thinking about what he needs to say?- She thought some more, as her heart slowly sank within her chest. -Oh, gosh...that doesn't mean he...-
"He wanted me to practice stealth, for some reason or another," the young man continued, though only for a moment.
"You heard us, didn't you?" cried the blonde-haired girl, bringing her hand to her mouth.
-Darn it. I was trying to be subtle about the whole thing.- "I didn't mean to, but..." he looked at her. "Yeah. Yeah, I did." And he didn't need to clarify exactly what he'd heard them say, either.
Ino's hand slowly moved down from her mouth. "So," short pause, "So now what?" she asked, after several seconds. Shikamaru sighed, deeply. Ino's pupils shrank with a sudden realization of a fear. "Well, I mean..." she smiled, now acting perfectly natural. "So, where are we going for our first date?"
"Ino," groaned Shikamaru sadly.
"We could go to the BBQ place like usual. I know you don't have much money for anything else, so that's alright," Ino blabbed on, as if somehow not hearing what Shikamaru had to say would make it go away.
"Ino..." Shikamaru restated, a little weary.
"Or we could always go to the park for a walk. Keep things simple, you know?"
"Ino," another restating.
"So what time are you available?" Ino asked. "I'm good for pretty much any time Friday or Saturday, but I guess if that really doesn't work for you-"
"Ino!" Shikamaru shouted sternly, stepping close to her and cutting off her sentence."For just once in your life, listen to me!"
The smile dropped off of Ino's face as she shrunk back in surrender. "A-alright," she said, attempting to seem natural, simply by not thinking too much about what was happening.
Shikamaru sighed again, eyes closed and rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm sorry, Ino," Shikamaru finally said, as quietly as he thought he could, "But it's not going to work between us."
Ino's world seemed to fall out from underneath her.
0-0-0-0
Hiashi stared at Naruto's hand for a few seconds. "Of course you will be," he finally said, taking the hand with a sardonic smile. But, as Naruto noted,
-He did take my hand,- and the knucklehead ninja smiled a little larger.
"My name is Hiashi Hyuuga," Hiashi continued, a bit unnecessarily. He let go of Naruto's hand. "How are you doing today, young man?"
"I'm doing great!" Naruto said, eager to make a positive impression in any way possible. "I've really been looking forward to meeting with you, sir."
"I'm sure you have," Hiashi responded, not believing a word Naruto said.
"Well, yeah, I mean, I wasn't doing anything else today, so..."
Hiashi actually chuckled. "So, Naruto," he said, smiling (and faking it) as he poured some tea for himself and none for Naruto. Technically, Naruto should have been pouring tea for both of them, but as the boy had said, he hadn't studied. "Why have you come here?" As if Hiashi didn't already know. Still, traditions must be adhered to.
Naruto bowed low to the ground. "Please, sir...I wish to date your daughter."
There was a long silence, wherein Hiashi gripped his cup tightly. Very tightly. "I see," he finally said, voice emotionless. His other hand clenched at his side as he took a drink of tea.
Naruto looked at him. -Alright, Plan A probably won't work because the old man used to be so stubborn, but I've got to try it anyway, just in case.- He smirked within his head. -Impress Hiashi with maturity and reasoning beyond my years...while still somehow seeming like I'm twelve years old.- Now the smirk became a frown. -On second thought, Plan A probably won't work because I don't think I can pull it off.-
"Well, Naruto, if that is what you really wish," Hiashi finally said, with a slight pause between "Naruto" and "if", for he was uncertain of how to proceed. "I suppose we should get down to business, then?"
0-0-0-0
Ino stood there for several seconds, feeling for the second time in as many days like she was going to throw up. "But...why?" she finally said, straining to force the words past her lips.
Shikamaru shoved his hands in his pockets, shoulders falling slightly down his back. He looked down at the ground for a few seconds. Then, he looked back up. "Honestly, Ino?" He frowned slightly, as it hurt to say these things, even though it obviously was hurting Ino even more. "You're too much like my mom."
Ino blinked. Then, as a defense mechanism, she got angry. "Too much like your mom?" she repeated, much more loudly and with much more inflection. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Rather than answer that question (as he knew it would only make her angrier if he answered truthfully, and he did not want to lie), Shikamaru placed his hands on Ino's shoulders. "If I were more like my dad," he partially changed the subject, "Things could work between us. But as is, you're not my type."
"Shikamaru-"
"And I'm not yours," Shikamaru interrupted.
"What?" Ino responded as quickly as possible. Which is to say, not very quickly at all.
"Look me in the eye, Ino," Shikamaru said, for Ino was looking slightly downwards, trying to get things straight in her head, or rather, trying to think of what to say to prove Shikamaru wrong. She did so. "Alright, now...I'm willing to give you a chance-"
"Really?" beamed Ino desperately.
"IF," Shikamaru capitalized, taking one hand off Ino's shoulder in order to place one finger in front of her face, "You can keep looking me in the eye, and honestly say that you're sad to lose me, and not sad to lose 'another guy'." He put his finger and fist down, waiting on Ino's answer.
There was a long silence.
"I thought so," said Shikamaru, leaning back and letting go, hands now back in pockets. "You don't really have a crush on me. You're just upset about losing Sasuke."
Ino was still silent. This spoke volumes.
Shikamaru sighed, again. "I was afraid of this happening," he murmured. "I know, everything I've said sounds totally harsh, but I really don't blame you." He looked at Ino, who was still contemplating what had been said. "You're lonely. I get that. I know it hurts a lot." He shook his head. "I wish that..."
Time seemed to stop for a moment. Not that the wind stopped blowing and the birds froze mid-flight, or anything, but neither of them said anything for a few moments. Ino was contemplative. -I'm not upset about losing Shikamaru.- She thought for about the sixth time. She was finally beginning to accept it, too. It was a relief and a terror.
For Shikamaru, however, the pieces were all beginning to fall into place. -I...I think I have an idea.- He finally managed to say to himself as the flashes of insight stopped blinding his mind's eye. -And with a little luck, I do believe it could be my best one ever.- He looked at Ino, now smiling. "Give me time."
Ino looked up. "What?" she asked, quietly.
"Give me a little time," Shikamaru said, "And I'll get you the best boyfriend you've ever dreamed of. That's a promise." He smirked a little. "Forgive me for sounding like Naruto, but hey, I'm excited. And you know that something big is about to happen..." he turned, and began walking away, "If even I'm excited."
Ino blinked after him, all the sadness that had entered into her mind and body a few seconds ago just as suddenly replaced with confusion. "Seriously?" she whispered, blinking several times., for she was unsure whether or not to believe him. She smiled, a little sadly. "Thanks, Shikamaru," she said, too quiet for him to hear, "But let's face it...no boy would ever want me." The sadness came back quickly, as sadness often does.
Shikamaru, meanwhile, was looking straight forward with great focus (an unusual sight) in unknowing opposition to Ino's feelings of sadness as he headed towards the Village gate. -And now,- he thought to himself, -I have two very important reasons to go to the Village Hidden in the Sand. -
0-0-0-0
"Business?" asked Naruto, feigning confusion pretty well, actually. "What do you mean?"
Hiashi looked at him oddly. "I am, of course, speaking of Hinata, and of your dating her."
"And that's business?" asked Naruto, blinking a few times.
Hiashi blinked right back, furrowing his brow in confuzzlement. "Well, I...suppose..." He paused, unsure what to think. -Wait a second...he's trying to manipulate me!- His brows went back to their neutral position. -No. I have to come on strong. Test him to his limits.- "Indeed. Very, very serious business, Naruto Uzumaki."
"Hmm..." Naruto didn't have to feign his being unconvinced this time, for he really was.
"You doubt my words?" Hiashi asked, looking down on Naruto once again. Silence met him as a response. The elder Hyuuga gently set his cup down in front of him. Now it was his turn to smirk in his mind's eye. "Well, let me put things in perspective..." He glared at the boy in front of him, not angry, but very, very pointedly. "Would you be willing to die for my daughter?"
"What?" asked Naruto, surprised. Genuinely.
"Would you die for my daughter?" Hiashi rapid-fired his questions. "Would you undergo torture for her? Would you travel over scorching deserts and freezing mountains?" They were direct and cliched questions, admittedly, but then again, Naruto had to answer them honestly, and Hyuugas were experts in body language, and that included body language of liars. "Would you kill for her sake? Would you go farther for her than any ninja village would ever ask you to?"
"Lord Hiashi..." Naruto suddenly spoke up, head tilted slightly downwards. There was a sad look in his eyes. "I-I can't..."
-Oh, Father,- Hinata thought from her hiding place. This was her first independent thought since her dad had begun talking to Naruto, for she was being a passive observer in all that happened, as if she were watching a TV show. Like a TV show, though, several different emotions were stirred within her as she saw and heard the action before her. -Must you pose such difficult questions? Is all this truly necessary?- Hinata suffered from low self-esteem, which explained why she sighed and thought her next thought: -But then, of course, no boy would ever go that far for me. So, perhaps it is good that you let him realize now that he does not feel for me in that way.-
"I just can't...possibly..." Naruto started up again, then, with a halt, stopped.
-And there's what I wanted Hinata to see,- thought Hiashi. -That he doesn't really love her...he only wants to use her. Just like every other suitor who has come calling. Whether for wealth, for power, for village secrets, or for...- The elder Hyuuga shuddered slightly. Honestly, he probably was asking too much of twelve year olds, but then again, the twelve-year-olds were trained ninja, and as said before, young marriages among shinobi weren't uncommon. One wanted their possible son-in-law to be a proper one, after all. Not to mention that, as ridiculous as Hiashi might have been being, he was only doing it to protect his daughter. -Well, at least he's telling the truth instead of throwing out some pathetic lie.-
"I can't believe you would even ask that question!" Naruto shouted, standing up and forgetting about Plan A. He looked down, actually angry, at the man he was supposed to be impressing. "I'd do all that and more for each and every one of my friends!" He slammed his hands on the table, sending Hiashi an inch or two backwards with the force of his intimidation. "So of course I'd do all that for Hinata, too! I'd do even MORE!" He was shouting, now, and Hiashi's jaw was slack, for he was not expecting this kind of severe and determined answer at all, even in answers that would pass the test presented by this question. "I'd do anything for Hinata! Anything at all! Because I LOVE her!"
From a nearby wall, a soft thump was heard. Almost as if someone fainted.
0-0-0-0
With the sun beating down as it was in the Hidden Sand Village, there were plenty of shadows to choose from for exiting the Shadow Movement Jutsu. Shikamaru chose the one given off by Temari, Gaara, and Kankuro's house, and hoped no guards were looking while he did so. Otherwise his arrival could be seen as an attack by the Leaf Village. And that would be bad.
Thankfully, not only did the guards not see him, but no one appeared to see him at all. -That's a relief,- he thought. -Explaining my presence here is probably going to be difficult as is.- This was a correct sentence, even though he had all the proper paperwork.
After this thought and a couple more, with a slowness that was purposeful (for once), Shikamaru stood from his crouching position, and began walking a semicircle around the half-a-sphere house of sand. As he did this, he painstakingly calculated in his head exactly what the best thing would be to say to each person that could possibly open the door.
Speaking of the door, Shikamaru was standing at it now, blinking. Twice. Then, he raised his fist up, slowly, and rapped on the door several times. He doubted Gaara would be the one answering the door, even if he had come back in time too. So, that would leave Temari and...
Kankuro opened the thick wooden panel, one hand on a nearby puppet, wrapped in bandages. Self-defense, in case the person at the door tried to attack him. Or at least that's what Shikamaru guessed. The puppeteer stared at Shikamaru for a few seconds, for he was very surprised. "Shikamaru?" he asked, voice at a slightly higher pitch than normal. A few more seconds. "What are you doing here?" he finally asked. And it wasn't a 'I don't like you' kind of rhetorical question, either. Kankuro was honestly confused. (And he would be for most of the rest of the day.)
"Burning up," Shikamaru answered, and yet didn't answer the question at all at the same time. "Can I come in?" And before Kankuro could answer in kind, the boy suddenly zipped (Yes. Shikamaru. Zipping.) underneath the other's arm and directly into the group's living room. It was very unexpected and very fast, which is why Temari, sitting on the sofa, jumped and Kankuro stared, awestruck, at the now empty space before him.
"GAH!" shouted Temari, at the same time wherein she jumped off the sofa, one hand reaching for her nearby fan. "What the...Shikamaru?"
"You both remember me. I'm truly flattered," responded the boy, sitting down on the couch as well. Kankuro, meanwhile, turned and looked at Shikamaru, his brain scrambling to catch up with whatever the heck was going on. A quick look over her, and he saw her new set of clothes. Seems like she had one each time he saw her. "Nice outfit. So what's up?"
"What's...you just! You..." began Temari, pointing to Shikamaru, in various directions, and back again. She could not finish.
Kankuro leaned down close to Shikamaru's face. "Alright, pal, what's the big idea?" he threatened. "I'll give you six seconds to answer that before I pummel your face in."
Shikamaru looked at Kankuro for three seconds. "I was bored," he finally said. "Thought I'd visit you guys." He looked back at Temari, smiling. "Anything fun happening around here?"
"Eh...uh..." blinked Temari. Today was a very odd day, and she needed time to gather her thoughts. So far she wasn't getting any of that time.
Gaara walked into the room, clothed in his red robes and staring impassively at the scene before him. Well, maybe not quite impassive; his eyes were slightly widened. "Hey, Gaara!" Shikamaru said, standing again and walking over to the redhead, leaving one very confused and one slightly befuddled sibling of Gaara's behind him. "How's it going?" and he raised his hand in a fist, slightly outstretched.
Gaara looked down at the fist and blinked. "What are you doing?" he asked. Very matter of fact.
Shikamaru smiled slightly. "It's called a fist bump. We just put up our fists like this and lightly tap them together." Gaara, blinking once more, slowly lifted his hand up and followed Shikamaru's instructions. The layabout grinned. "It's a sign of friendship."
Gaara looked at his own fist for several seconds. "Friendship," he murmured, slightly awestruck. He looked back at Shikamaru. "Thank you," he said, not smiling at all. Still, Shikamaru knew he was happy. Probably. "I'm sorry for trying to kill you."
"Uh...it's cool," responded Shikamaru. Sincerely, but also a bit awkwardly.
After several seconds of stunned silence over someone genuinely trying to be friends with Gaara, Temari stood. "Wait, wait wait, hold on," she said, waving her arms about while Kankuro looked at the scene in front of him, wondering what was making Shikamaru so buddy-buddy with his demonic little brother all of a sudden. "You were bored, so you came all the way out here to Suna to visit us? That doesn't make sense." Her eyes narrowed. "What's really going on here, Shikamaru?"
Shikamaru turned to her. He blinked. Serious-looking. "Has Gaara been acting weird lately?" he asked, not answering Temari in the slightest.
"Uh.." Temari was confused again.
Kankuro continued to be suspicious of the shadow-wielder. "Yeah, he has been, actually. Ever since we came back from the Leaf Village, he's been..." He trailed off, forgetting his suspicion while searching for the right word. "I dunno, he's been..."
"A better person," Gaara finished for him. Shikamaru turned back to him. "Or, at least, that's what I''m trying to be. Like Naruto." He paused, then looked over Shikamaru's shoulder. "That is what you were talking about, right, Kankuro?" he asked, hopefully. Not that anyone could tell.
"Yeah," said Kankuro, who hadn't been wanting to say it quite so bluntly for reasons he couldn't even begin to point to, let alone lay his finger on "That's right, I guess."
Temari stomped her way over to Shikamaru, looking angry. "Okay, stop dodging the question," she said, lifting up Shikamaru by his shirt and giving him a glare that put both her brothers in a state of fear even though she wasn't directing it at either of them. Yes, Gaara too. Though, once again, no one could tell. "What are you doing here?"
Shikamaru sighed, completely unfazed. He'd seen both Temari's true and false wrath too many times for it to scare him. Often. "Alright, fine, I'll tell you," he conceded, leading to Temari slowly putting him down. "Though I was hoping to wait until we were in private."
Temari reared her head back slightly at this, surprised. She recovered. "Spill it," she commanded. As a response, Shikamaru suddenly and slowly (if that paradox makes the slightest bit of sense) smiled a cocky smile that set her on edge for several reasons, about half of which she understood. Then, without any warning, he was on one knee, grabbing her hand with one of his own, other one splayed over his heart. "Wh-what the-"
"Temari," Shikamaru said in such a sweet voice one might consider it a parody, "Will you go out with me?"
0-0-0-0
"Is she okay?" Naruto asked, looking down at Hinata's unconscious form, leaned up against the other side of the wall she had been watching and listening from. There was a big smile on her face. -I've got to get her confidence up again, quick...no way all this fainting is good for her.-
"Yes, she will be fine," Hiashi said, standing up from the blissfully motionless girl. "Her heartbeat is regular, as is her breathing. And there is nothing that would suggest any problem otherwise. Still, just in case, I have sent for a medical unit to come and take a look at her. I have been instructed not to move her body until then."
"Ah," said Naruto, now feeling guilty for sitting her up in a more comfortable position. He didn't want to hurt her, after all. "Sorry."
Hiashi ignored what Naruto said, but he definitely did not ignore the boy's presence. He pivoted to the blue-eyed dreamer. "Naruto. I know we have not had much of a chance to talk," he paused. "But I think it would be best if you left us for the time being"
"If this is about my getting mad at you, sir, I'm...I'm really sorry..." Naruto would have to remember he was still technically twelve years old and not in nearly such good standings with people as he had been in the future. Still, when he got angry, it would be tough to keep that in mind. Naruto was never good at thinking things through when he was angry. Or distressed, like he was now. "Or if it's about moving Hinata, then I...if you give me another chance-"
"It's not about either of those things," said Hiashi, creasing his brow. "Or, at least, not directly." He placed his hands inside his robe. "You, young man, are not at all in control of your emotions. Hardly a good quality in a future son-in-law."
"But, sir," began Naruto.
"And more importantly," Hiashi spoke over Naruto, "That indicates that you are prone to making promises and grand statements that aren't true, even if you yourself believe them." A closing of the eyes. This upcoming sentence was the one part of the small lecture he wished to avoid. Still, whatever it took to keep this...unsuitable...away from his daughter. "It also indicates that you are, more than likely, not in control of the beast inside of you, either."
"Oh," said Naruto, quietly. "That's what it comes down to."
"I do not wish for you to be a danger to her," Hiashi said, turning back to his daughter and looking down at her. "And the elders do not wish for there to be a demon in the clan."
"Yeah. I get that," Naruto said softly, cutting off Hiashi before he could continue.
Hiashi stared at the smile on his daughter's face. -Though, looking at the way she is when you're around...the way she smiles, how confident she is in herself, the new person that she seems to become the hope you give her when she so much as mentions your name...- Perhaps Hiashi knew more of the two's relationship than he originally let on. He slowly knelt down as he thought, reaching out and brushing his daughter's cheek ever-so-softly. Smiling a little. Just a touch of emotion. Just a hint of a father. "I almost wish you could stay," he murmured softly.
"What?" asked Naruto, hopeful that drastic measures would not have to be taken.
"Leave. Now." And Hiashi stood again, all his movements and talking sharper, perhaps, than absolutely necessary. "Do not worry about Hinata. She will be taken care of." He began to walk away. "Put her out of your head. She is only a fellow shinobi to you, nothing more."
Naruto looked down at the girl before and a little beside him. "Hinata," he breathed. He showed his teeth with his lips curled upwards, though none would call these movements a smile, for he was suddenly nowhere near certain that any of his plans would work at all. "I...I'm going to...I'm going to make you happy, Hinata."
His talking was nowhere near quiet enough, as Hiashi stopped in his tracks, having heard what Naruto said. He trembled with some undefinable emotion. Then he turned, quickly, making a large movement towards Naruto. "Just leave already!" he shouted. He actually shouted.
"S-sir?" Naruto asked, stunned, as he took a step back.
"I know what you're really up to!" Hiashi scolded, an inner conflict tearing up the landscape of his heart. The quickest, though not the best, solution was to get rid of the source of the conflict. "Boys your age only have one thing on their mind!"
"No, that's not how I think of Hinata at all!" Naruto.
"You little liar!" growled Hiashi, clenching his fist. He suddenly reached out behind Naruto and grabbed him by the back of his collar and the seat of his pants, heading towards the mansion's exit. "You demon brat!"
The 'old man' didn't really mean what he said about Naruto, the young one realized. But that didn't change the fact that Naruto was being forcefully picked up by the scruff of his neck and his waistband by Hiashi Hyuuga, and it hurt like heck. "Hey, lemme go! Let me-"
"Get out and stay out!" Hiashi stereotypically shouted, reaching the front door and quite literally tossing Naruto out of his house. He landed on the soft grass right in front of the Hyuuga flower bed. Hiashi turned, then stopped and turned back. -We don't have a flower bed.-
NARUTO & HINATA
Spelled out in orange and purple flowers, with a pink-flower heart surrounding them.
Hiashi sweatdropped, managing to calm himself down slightly as he shoved the current conflict out of his mind by focusing on other things. -How did he manage to get all that planted without anyone noticing?- He shook his head, then facepalmed. -We'll have to get those uprooted, and quickly at that.- With this, he turned one last time and shut the door behind him.
Naruto slowly blinked his eyes open, adjusting to the extremely bright sunlight coming from what seemed to be directly above him. -Well, that figures,- thought the youth. A silhouette suddenly was in between his face and the sun, looking down at him. -Ah much better.-
"Yep, this is how your plans usually work out."
-Scratch that, give me back the blinding sun,- Naruto thought. He sat up. "Hey, Sasuke. What's up?"
Sasuke was looking behind Naruto now. "Seriously? You planted these flowers? Do you have any idea how sappy that is?" And then, before Naruto could answer: "I just thought I'd come over and see how much success you had with 'wooing' the old man. Not much, from the sound of things."
"Yeah, well-"
"Nice landing, by the way," Sasuke continued. "Nine out of ten, maybe even a 9.5."
Naruto glared at him pointedly. Then, sighing, he slowly made his way back to the land of the standing. Which is to say, he stood up."Yeah, well, that was only Plan A, and I really didn't think it would work. Plan B was my real plan all along!"
"Been taking lessons from Shikamaru, have we?" smirked Sasuke. "Alright, I'm curious. Tell me: what's Plan B?"
"Ah, ah, ah!" sing-sang Naruto, waving his pointer finger. "That'd be telling!" He grinned. "You'll just have to wait and find out like the rest of the world!"
With these words, he walked off in a seemingly random direction, Sasuke staring after him with a bemused look on his face. -This is either going to spectacularly fail, or phenomenally succeed. And either way, it'll definitely be worth watching.-
0-0-0-0
There was a silence in the house of sand.
Kankuro spoke up first, as was usual when it came to awkward silences. "Okay, then. Didn't see that coming." He looked around. "Yeah, I'm...I'm going to leave now..." And he did so, shooting Shikamaru 'the eye' the entire time.
Gaara turned and headed for the kitchen, correctly deducing that now was not the time for him to be standing in the living room despite not knowing anything about social norms. "I'm...sorry?" asked Temari, unsure whether she really should be apologizing or not.
"Will you go out with me?" Shikamaru asked again in a much more normal tone of voice.
Another silence.
"AH HA HA HA HA HA HA!" laughed Temari, clutching at her sides as she fell back onto the couch, which actually wasn't that far from where she was standing.
"Ouch," mumbled Shikamaru, slowly standing up. "Didn't think I was that unattractive..."
"No, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's just..." and she chuckled some more, standing back up slowly. "You're, what, twelve years old? And we've met each other once, maybe?" She put her hands on her hips, cocking her head slightly. "Shouldn't you be going after kids your own age?"
"I'm more mature than most of the guys you've probably dated," Shikamaru shrugged.
"Accurate," shrugged Temari right back, closing one eye in a semi-wink. "But nonetheless, I'm afraid I just can't see myself robbing the cradle like that."
"You're afraid?" smiled Shikamaru.
"Oh, no," half-laughed Temari, not smiling at all. "Don't try and psychoanalyze me into thinking I really want to date you, deep down. Because believe me when I say: I don't."
Shikamaru gave a small note of disappointment to the air. "Alright, fine. I'll leave you alone, then." With these words, he began walking away.
But, before he even halfway reached the door, Temari spoke up again."Now, hold on, just because I don't want to date you doesn't mean-"
"You know what, Temari?" Shikamaru asked. He turned, serious. "You are radically different from the other girls I know. That's the main reason I asked you out, you know? I like you, and not just as a love interest. I haven't known you for very long, I admit, but I can already tell I like you as a person."
Temari blinked. "Oh, uh...thank you, Shikamaru." She blushed slightly, not because she was developing a crush of her own or anything, but simply because she was unused to being complimented.
"But, to be honest," Shikamaru continued, "I guess I did have a little bit of an improper motive in asking you, as well."
Temari smirked. "An 'improper motive'? Is that what they're calling it nowadays?"
"Yeah," he smiled. He half-turned away. "I wanted to ask you to a battle when you probably declined."
"A battle?" Temari repeated.
"A battle," Shikamaru confirmed. "Just you and I. See who would've won our match if it was the real deal." He smiled some more. "Seeing as you were purposefully holding back and I had such an unfair advantage with the environment."
"Let me guess," smirked Temari some more. "If I lose, I have to go out with you after all, is that right?"
"I'll leave that up to you to decide," Shikamaru responded, waving his hand back as he finished his journey to the door. "See you today at four, at your town's arena." He turned back, one last time, before shutting the door behind him. "Hope to see you there." He turned slightly away from her, towards a nearby room. "Safe to come out now, guys." he shouted, and the door squeaked shut.
Gaara and Kankuro, hearing the 'all clear', came out from their hiding place. "Wow," Kankuro said whilst Gaara stared at the door Shikamaru had just left through. "Did that kid seriously come all the way here to ask you out?"
"Can't say I blame him," said Temari, turning and heading for the couch once again while taking a health chunk of a self-esteem boost from getting a bit of confirmation that yes, she was attractive-looking.
Kankuro turned and looked her in the eyes as soon as she sat down again, unbelieving and slightly mocking smile on his face. "Maybe you can't..." he teased, and Temari stuck out her tongue at him. Gaara continued staring at the door as Kankuro went and sat down next to his sister in order to talk to her. Shikamaru had unknowingly interrupted family time, after all. A strange, but not unpleasant situation in this household, family time was. "Seriously, though, it's kind of creepy."
"Creepy?" asked Temari.
"It's like you said, he's twelve years old." Kankuro confirmed. "And you're-"
"Fifteen, I know," Temari finished, "But it's just a schoolboy crush, you know?" Meanwhile, Gaara was finally able, with a slight bit of reluctance, to tear himself away from staring after the strange boy who had just visited, walking back to his siblings.
"I guess," Kankuro mumbled a little skeptically. "Heh. Kid's got guts, though, I'll give him that."
"Yep," chuckled Temari. After a few seconds, she was suddenly angry as something just as suddenly occurred to her. "You were listening in to our conversation?"
"Guy's puttin' the moves on my sister and I'm supposed to not?" Kankuro responded disbelievingly.
Instead of dignifying this with a response, Temari simply smacked her brother upside the head.
The answer is, of course: not very well at all. Hiashi Hyuuga really needs to decide whether he wants his daughter to have Naruto as a boyfriend or not. For everyone's sake.
Also, poor Ino. Her psychology (at least in this fic, but I also believe in the actual series as well) simply won't allow her to be happy unless she either has a boyfriend, or is chasing after one. Maybe she'll learn differently someday, but I doubt it, to be honest.
...what? Oh, were you expecting Gaara to have come back in time already? Sorry, pals, nothing doing. The last two members of our comradeship will be along soon enough, though. In the meantime, thanks for reading.
And God bless, of course. Can't forget that!