Hey, a quick question...why does my shoelace keep coming untied even when I triple-knot it?
Hello there, AProcrastinatingWriter here with chapter seven of, you guessed it, No Regrets this Time Around! How do you enjoy the story so far?
This chapter has a couple major events occur, but they're surrounded by a bunch of really minor ones. Horrors! But seriously, this is my longest non-fight-scene chapter yet...which isn't saying much, considering I've only written seven chapters so far.
Anyways, please enjoy the chapter, careful your mind doesn't go anyplace too bad with some of the lines jokingly and non-jokingly said in this chapter, and be amazed as Gaara acts even more strangely than usual when he's at a festival. Read, and hopefully love what you read!
...also, watch out for the inaccurate food being sold at this festival.
CHAPTER SEVEN
A DIFFERENT KIND OF DATE THAN USUAL
-OR-
HOW TO PROPERLY APPLY FIREWORKS TO YOUR LIFE
Shikamaru stood before the door of his potential-girlfriend's house. He blinked a couple of times, then sighed. He checked a nearby clock on a street post. 6:55, according to the clock atop of it. -Well, here goes nothing, something, and everything all at once,- the nervous young man thought to himself. He knocked on the door, shave-and-a-haircut style. Except he didn't bother with the last knock.
Once again, Kankuro opened the door. He looked a lot less confused and a lot more annoyed this time. He grumbled out: "Yep. Right on time." Then, with a smile so false it simply had to be on purpose: "Wait here. I'll go get Temari." And he slammed the door in the Chunin's face.
The Chunin, who did have a mischievous streak even if it was a small one, leaned his head up against the door, ear first. In this position, -I can clearly hear everything going on inside.- And he smiled.
"Hey, Temari," Kankuro said, muffled. "Your date has arrived. Last chance to tell him it was just a cruel practical joke and avoid dating a twel-"
"Are you still on that?" Temari's voice cut through Kankuro's words. "Look, I've made my choice, okay? And I don't care what anyone thinks!"
"It's not about what everyone thinks!" Kankuro lied. Well, half-lied. "Look, Temari, I'm just trying to think about what's best for you. I know it's been a while since you've had a date-"
"Yeah, because every one of them got scared off by Gaara!" Temari shouted. "Now you wanna move in on his turf, too?"
"That's not what I-gah!" Kankuro exasperatedly tried to defend himself against this slander. As he said this the door opened inwards, nearly sending Shikamaru stumbling into the house. No one noticed but the door-openee, and Gaara did not seem to react, positively or negatively.
"Oh, uh, hey, Gaara," Shikamaru smiled, as the two siblings continued fighting, sounding for all the world like an overprotective dad and his rebellious teenage daughter. -Would that make Gaara the level-headed mother, then?- Shikamaru thought, trying not to laugh at the mental image.
"My sister might be a little late," the redhead deadpanned. "Sorry."
Shikamaru shrugged. "It's alright." As soon as he said this, Gaara raised his fist into the air. Shikamaru, befuddled, looked at the fist for a moment before remembering. "Oh, right," he said, raising up his own.
Fist bump.
"See ya round," Gaara said, closing the door. Shikamaru didn't even have to put his ear to the door to hear the shouting now. They sounded less like father and daughter and more like siblings now.
"Look, if you really want me to take your advice seriously, stop wearing that stupid black costume!"
"No wonder you're so good at controlling the wind: you're such a airhead!"
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?"
And then the windows buckled with a burst of air. Shikamaru sweatdropped.
0-0-0-0
Hinata was having a good dream that didn't involve Naruto in any way. Yes, that was possible.
Hinata was dreaming of a world where ninjutsu wasn't required for peace, and she was a famous singer with a legion of adoring fans. It was a little-known secret desire of hers; though to be honest she didn't think it could ever happen. After all, it wasn't like she could sing. (Or, at least, she thought she couldn't. In reality...well, perhaps not a superstar, but she was pretty good.) Also, she wasn't nearly that confident to get up in front of people like that, at least not yet.
Knock, knock, knock.
Hinata, a light sleeper, momentarily scrunched up her face before her eyes slowly brushed open. She gradually sat up in bed, turning towards her door with a rather comically messed-up head of hair. "Come in," she mumbled, rubbing one eye with her clenched fist.
"Don't mind if I do," whispered a voice from behind her as her room's window opened.
Hinata did a very over-the-top double-take (comedy enhanced by virtue of her normally-styled-perfectly hair being, once again, rather messy at the moment) and almost screamed before realizing that the person coming in through the window was "Naruto?"
"The one and onl-AH!" Naruto gasped out as he tripped a little bit, sending himself to the floor. Thankfully for him Sasuke was nowhere nearby to laugh at him.
"Naruto!" Hinata gasped, attempting to get out of bed and run over to him.
"Shh!" Naruto pleaded, raising one finger to his lips and his other hand to stop Hinata from moving. "It's alright, I'm okay...no, don't turn on the light!" Hinata had almost turned on her lamp again, to better see her...
...ex. Sniffle. "What are you doing here?" Hinata whispered back, blushing a little. She probably could have thought of a few reasons why Naruto was in her room, but as she and her father had not yet had 'The Talk' she could only assume Naruto was probably here just to kiss her. Like, a lot. She wasn't sure whether she hoped that was or wasn't really the case.
"If you turn the lights on," Naruto mumbled as he stood, brushing imaginary dust from his pants. Hinata was barely able to see any of this, thanks to how dark the room was."Everyone's gonna know I'm here. Then I won't be able to talk to you."
"Sorry," Hinata whispered. Naruto had mumbled a little too loudly, he realized. But before he could apologize for accidentally making her apologize: "Um, what were you wanting to talk about?"
"Oh!" Naruto said, remembering. There was a short silence. "I dunno."
Hinata facefaulted, but thanks to the soft bed not making noise upon impact, Naruto didn't realize it. "You don't know?" She actually seemed a little annoyed with Naruto as she got back up. And believe it or not, Naruto was happy about it. As nice as Hinata's affection felt, Naruto was really wanting (and subtly trying to accelerate the process that would eventually lead to this anyway) Hinata to feel happy about things besides him, too. And, yes, occasionally to be angry with him, if he did something stupid enough.
"Yeah," he whispered in return, attempting to find any chair nearby. He hit his knees several times, but didn't cry out in pain once. Still, each time a 'thump' was heard, Hinata felt a little less angry with him, and a little sorrier for his injuries. She was about neutral by the time he actually sat down, left leg throbbing in pain. "I just wanted to talk with you," he said through the tears. "Not about anything in particular. Just...talk."
Hinata blushed, again. "You came all the way here just to talk with me?" she quietly asked. Even though she couldn't see Naruto nod in the dark, it was rhetorical question anyway. She thought for a moment. -To go so far...for me,- she blushed a little more. Finally, as if remembering where and when she was, Hinata turned back to Naruto, smiling a smile that one could easily see even in the dark. "Alright," she happily agreed, "What shall we talk about?"
0-0-0-0
6:59 now. Though it had only been a few minutes of waiting at the door, Shikamaru would have sworn up and down and throughout all time, under oath, on any religious text you wanted, that it had felt like years. He did manage a chuckle, though, at the thought: -And to think it's usually me making others feel like things are going too slow.- He blinked, face suddenly turning to that of a startled man's, for he had heard Kankuro's last-ditch attempt at reasoning Temari out of dating him. -Huh...well, that's just silly.-
THWACK.
Approximately one second after this sound was heard, Temari opened the door, all genuine smiles. Kankuro, a few feet behind her and turned away from the door, was clutching his head in agony. A large, swelling bump was rapidly forming, straight through his cap. "Sorry about that," Temari said. "Ready to go?"
Shikamaru was wide-eyed and wide-mouthed as well, and also was silent for a few seconds. "You..." he breathed out. "You look..." he partially smiled as his mouth fell even further open. "Beautiful." Temari had changed outfits since he'd seen her last. The Chunin was expecting that, but he wasn't expecting her to let her hair down and change into a pink, slightly-loose-fitting kimono. Sure, it was a festival...but still, unexpected. So unexpected and, indeed, beautiful, that it had broken Shikamaru's mental vow to not do that specific cliché among first-date-clichés.
The 'kimono-girl' giggled. "Well, duh," she said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Inside, of course, her heart was beating faster, in satisfaction, relief, and happiness. Then, shutting the door, she stepped outside, a little to the left of Shikamaru. "So," she reiterated, gently reaching down with one finger and snapping her date's open mouth shut. "Are you ready to go?"
Shikamaru kept smilng. "Definitely," he said, after a quick (And purposefully obvious) look up and down his girl's body. She giggled again as she took his arm, and they turned to face the city streets.
The clock struck 7:00.
With a suddenness that had to be timed, festival lights suddenly turned on at every corner of the city, sending beacons of brightness scattering across the sandy ground. Voices of every tone and inflection began shouting hoorahs, laughing with joy, gasping at the spectacle, and even selling their wares. Patterns of multiple colors seemed to swirl in the air as one looked around, for the festival in all its controlled chaos and glorious celebration had begun.
The two took in the sight for a few moments, their shadows standing up in just as much wonder and awe a few feet behind them, thanks to the shut door blocking those shadows from extending into the house. "Wow," breathed out Temari, who had been to her village's festivals before, but never to any so grandiose and spectacular as this. "Amazing..."
Shikamaru blinked a few more times, then chuckled, breaking the spell as he was wont to do. "Well, would you look at that," he said, getting Temari's attention. He made sure she was turning to him before he turned to her. "Even the festival itself supports us being together."
Temari rolled her eyes. "You sweet talker, you," she sardonically said, raising an eyebrow, smirking, placing her hand not occupied in wrapping itself around Shikamaru's arm on her hip in mock-exasperation.
Shikamaru took note of the fact she was blushing again. "Well then," he said, beginning to walk forward. As per usual when the shadow-user faced off with his opponents, Temari copied his movements partially against her will. Not because he was possessing her, however, merely because she was holding onto his arm. "Where do you think we should go first?"
"Hmm," Temari thought to herself as the two's shadows finally relaxed, far away enough from the door to lay back upon the ground again. "I don't know. I'm kind of hungry, I guess."
"Alright," Shikamaru acknowledged and agreed as his voice began fading in the distance. "We'll go to one of these stands first. Do you like dumplings, or would you prefer..."
A few moments of silence.
The door burst open again. "And don't even THINK about doing anything to my sister, you hear me?" Kankuro shouted, uselessly, after Shikamaru. Obviously trying to compensate for being humiliated...while still being concerned for his sister. "I asked if you heard me, you prepubescent little...just because you've got a bunch of hormones raging through your body right now MMPH!"
"Kankuro," Gaara said, using his sand to pull his brother back by his mouth. "Shut up."
0-0-0-0
"So what's your favorite food?" asked Naruto as if he didn't already know, continuing the conversation that had begun only in the past five minutes or so.
"Cinnamon rolls," Hinata enthused, for she really loved those things. Not that she ever got much of a chance to eat them, but when she did: bliss.
"A sweet tooth, huh?" Naruto asked, smiling. Honestly, alternate timelines or not, it had been far too long since he and Hinata had just talked about nothing in particular like this.
Hinata giggled. "I suppose," she said. -Perhaps that is why I like you so much.- "So, besides ramen, what's your favorite food, Naruto?"
There was a long silence.
"Huh," Naruto finally said somewhat embarrassed. "I really can't think of anything...heh heh..."
"Um..." Hinata was unsure how to respond. "Th-that's okay, Naruto...you like ramen just fine, and that's enough."
"I guess," Naruto finally agreed, a bit reluctantly. -Man, I really need to extend my palate...-
"Anyway," Hinata said in a slightly different tone of voice as she shifted in her bed, trying her best to change the subject. "It's really nice being able to talk to you like this, Naruto."
"Yeah, it is!" Naruto agreed wholeheartedly. And enthusiastically. "Usually when I try talking to you, you faint every time I say something. It's really cool being able to say stuff without you going all red in the face like you usually do!"
Hinata's head drooped. "Thanks, Naruto," she said sadly.
Naruto set a new record for backpedaling, even for him. "Oh, no, I mean...it's really not that bad! You're cute when you're all blushy! Really!" He laughed, forced. -Way to overact your part, Mr. Obliviousness,- he grumbled in his head.
Hinata sighed. "It's okay, Naruto, you don't have to make me feel better."
"Of course I do," Naruto said, almost reflexively it was so natural. "That's what a boyfriend's supposed to do for his girlfriend, right? You know, make her feel better when she's sad and stuff."
Another silence, though this one was rather short. Eventually, Hinata turned away, as if somehow Naruto couldn't hear her when she did so. "EEEEE!" She squealed in her most high-pitched voice. Naruto, understandably not wanting to be seen in Hinata's room at the moment, unsuccessfully tried to calm her down.
0-0-0-0
"Bleh...ugh!" Shikamaru gagged, drawing the dumplings away from his mouth sharply.
"What's the matter?" asked Temari in an overly-concerned voice (obviously fake), that usual smirk that Shikamaru used to hate on her face, "You don't like our delicacies?"
"Not cooked like this," Shikamaru responded truthfully, giving the food-on-a-stick one narrowed and one widened eye. He could honestly say he had never used that expression on foodstuff before.
Temari chuckled, not giggled, as she took another bite of her own meal while Shikamaru tossed the dumplings behind his shoulder and into a conveniently-placed garbage can. "So," she said, then swallowed, tossing her stick away as well, though hers had been picked clean. "What's next? Are you going to try and win me a prize at one of these booths?"
"No I am not," Shikamaru groaned, the very picture of a man at his wit's end. He'd learned long ago that he needed to overact to keep up with Temari's snark. "Please give me a little credit for imagination."
"Alright, then, pineapple-head, what are we doing now?" Temari asked.
Shikamaru flinched. Since Temari hadn't seen him crying over his failed mission, she had been forced to come up with a new pet name for him, rather than 'crybaby'. Pineapple-head would not have been Shikamaru's first choice. Or his second. Or even his third. "Well," he said, blinking his slow blink while patting his side absentmindedly. "I was thinking..." and he smiled, reaching back into the past for inspiration, "We go skinny-dipping."
"WHAT?" Temari shrieked, her hair suddenly becoming frazzled for no apparent reason.
"Joking," Shikamaru said softly, sincerely, as he shoved his hands in his pockets and walked away, still smiling. "Just joking. Don't worry."
Temari pouted, folding her arms and walking after him. "Another joke like that, Shikamaru, and I swear-"
"Here we are," Shikamaru said as if Temari wasn't even talking, stopping in front of a nondescript booth. Well, nondescript except for the sign next to the old man who was currently operating the booth. "Hey, mister."
The old man looked up, moving his head slightly away from the hand he was leaning on, and acknowledged Shikamaru in no other way. "Shikamaru, what is this place?" Temari asked, trying to look past him at the sign that would tell her, well, what this place was.
Shikamaru pulled out a wad of paper and unfurled it. Inside of it was another wad, this one of neatly folded paper. Paper money, that is. A lot of ryo. A lot a lot of ryo. Temari's jaw dropped at the sheer size of the amount of money Shikamaru apparently carried around with him as the young man casually flipped through the creased currency, most likely in order to make sure the proper amount was there. "I know it's a longshot, but think you could do this for me?" he asked the booth's proprietor.
The old man grabbed the paper, pack of ryo still inside of it. He moved the paper aside to better look at it, though crumpled up as it was he still had a hard time reading what was written there. After a minute or two, the man suddenly smiled (the two shinobi believed he did, anyway; it was hard to tell with the great white beard he was wearing). "Aha," he said, looking up knowingly at Shikamaru. "Well, the amount of money you've given me should be just fine for materials, but for labor you come up just a little short."
Shikamaru grimaced. "Must have miscalculated," he murmured as Temari blinked back and forth between him and the elderly man. "Well, I've got a little more here in my pockets, but-"
"Eh, get outta here, kid," the man said, placing the money in some secret pocket or another beneath his counter. "It's a festival, after all."
Shikamaru blinked, quickly for once, then smiled a thankful smile. "Thank you," he confirmed his expression, "I won't forget this." And he turned and walked off again. This, finally, gave Temari the chance to lean over and finally inspect the sign.
Fire in the Hole
Chosen to Provide the Post-Festival Fireworks
You may also Purchase Fireworks Here
Temari blinked again, still confused. Especially since the sign, clear though it may have been, wasn't exactly the usual kind of advertisement. Still, he must do quality work if he was chosen to provide the fireworks for the Festival .-And more importantly, why did Shikamaru want fireworks for? He didn't even take the merchandise after he paid for it.- As with their usual battles, she attempted to out-think him, trying to figure out what Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Handsome was up to. -Hee,- her mind wandered. -I like that nickname.-
"Interested in buying something for yourself, missy?" the old man asked, more to make her aware that she was loitering than to actually see if she needed help.
Temari snapped her head up. "Oh, uh, no thank you," she said, waving her hand rapidly as she straightened her back. "Have a nice evening, sir!" before she even finished saying this, she was already running off after her date, deciding that it wasn't worth it to win this battle and that she would just ask for the explanation as per usual. "Shikamaru!"
"Heh," the man chuckled softly, staring after her, and also after Shikamaru, whose slow walk had not carried him very far away. "I like those kids."
0-0-0-0
"Sorry, Naruto," Hinata had finally gone back to whispering again. "I guess I got a little overexcited."
Naruto sighed wearily. "Just a little?" he asked. Not usually being this sarcastic, he did not raise his eyebrow, for he had not mastered that maneuver.
Hinata rubbed the back of her neck with a very sheepish smile on her face. "Sorry," she said again.
Naruto sighed again. "It's okay, Hinata," he said. Unseen to her, his eyes shot towards the door for a split second as he wondered: -Is it time yet?...no, it isn't. That's good. I like talking to Hinata.- "Alright, then," he said aloud. "What now?"
"Um..." Hinata started. Her fingers twiddled. "We could talk about our jutsu?"
"Alright, then," Naruto said, leaning back in his chair. "Jutsu it is!" He grinned, and began bragging. Another occasional burst of acting twelve years old so that people wouldn't question the rest of the time. "Gotta warn you, though, Hinata, my jutsu are all pretty powerful! Are you sure you can handle them?"
Hinata outright laughed. "Naruto," she said, in a voice still smothered by giggles, "We're talking about our jutsu, not performing them for each other!"
"I know," Naruto still grinned, crossing his arms, "But my jutsu is just that powerful!" And Hinata laughed some more, as the first half hour or so of conversation passed. There would be a lot more conversation between that time and 10:33, the time when (unbeknownst thus far to Naruto) it would be time to put Step 2 into action.
And really, despite all the mystery surrounding it, it was only a two-step plan.
0-0-0-0
"Shikamaru!" Temari caught up to him, and he finally turned, with one last (slightly angry) cry of his name. She stopped, panting slightly.
"Yes?" asked Shikamaaru, unsmirking, because that would have been redundant with the voice he was using. "What is it?"
Temari looked just a little angrier. Still not quite all the way to angry, though. "What was that all about?" she asked.
"Sorry, but that's a surprise," Shikamaru shrugged. "But before you get angry and start demanding exactly what just happened-"
"I wasn't gonna do that!" Temari snapped, blushing, because she really was.
Shikamaru ignored her: "Look where we're standing in front of." he finished.
Temari blinked, then looked at the booth Shikamaru spoke of. It was almost completely covered in festive lights, so much so that it was hard to see the sign that identified the booth. Not to mention that it was a couple of feet further back than most of the booths, so that added distance into the equation. Still, Temari saw the sign eventually, and she gasped when she did. "Karaoke?" she cried, taking a step backwards.
"Not much less cliché than winning you a stuffed animal, I admit," he said, "But it's something."
"No way, no, uh uh!" Temari vehemently refused. "Since when do you enjoy karaoke anyway?"
Shikamaru turned to her, smiling that heart-fluttering smile. "Believe me," he said, "You have no idea some of the things I enjoy."
Temari blushed while her eyes involuntarily grew wider. "Um..." she said, feeling suddenly uncomfortable.
"Not like that," Shikamaru clarified, shaking his head slowly. "Anyway, come on," and he began walking towards the-
"No!" Temari interrupted the course of events before he could take a single step. "There's no way I'm embarrassing myself in front of all these people just because you like to sing, pineapple-head!" She seemed to be using it more as an insult than a nickname now. It was a bit too unwieldy to really be used as a nick/pet name anyway.
"Aw, come on," Shikamaru urged, hiding his annoyance at having that nickname used on him again, "Singing a romantic song to each other? What could be better on a date?"
"I'm not doing it!" Temari crossed her arms, straightening her back to emphasize the height difference between her and him.
"Oh, yes you are," Shikamaru raised an eyebrow as he smirked, closing one eye.
"Oh no I'm not!" Temari partially shouted, closing her eyes, turning away from the Leaf shinobi in order to emphasize her point.
"Oh yes, you are," Shikamaru almost whispered, moving his hands into a familiar position.
"Oh no I'm-" her face suddenly froze in an expression one didn't normally see on her face: shock and surprise. Then it softened into one of 'oh no, not again', another expression one did not normally see on her face. "Oh, shoot," she lamented, as her hands moved into a position identical to Shikamaru's.
"My Shadow Possession Jutsu says you are," Shikamaru said with an air of finality as he turned (and therefore Temari turned) to the 'Karaoke Shack'.
"No fair..." Temari pouted as she was forced to walk along with Shikamaru towards the stand she hated.
"What, and spitting in my eye earlier was?" Shikamaru asked.
"I didn't spit in your eye!" Temari defended herself as a figure slowly emerged from the shadows of a nearby roof.
"I dunno," Shikamaru said, as whoever it was's eyes narrowed, "Pretty sure I felt something wet in my eye."
"Yeah, tears!" Temari's voice began fading as the vendor of songs looked very confused. The figure upon the rooftop sweatdropped a little.
0-0-0-0
Whump.
Sasuke landed upon the ground, knees bending to absorb the impact of his falling. He slowly stood, slowly moving his head to the left and to the right, observing the general area around him to see his handiwork. He smirked. -Finally,- he said to himself. Every single target, each one in a wildly different position, some on nearby trees, some on the ground, one even behind a rock. A very familiar seemingly-haphazard combination of targets...with a kunai at the very center of every one of them. -I finally did it...and all on my own.-
"Wow! That was incredible, Sasuke!"
The person being spoken to flinched, clutching at his now-heavily-beating heart. After a few deep breaths, he put on his angriest face (to compensate) and turned. "What are you doing here, Sakura?" he asked angrily.
"You hit every single one of those targets!" Sakura continued. "I could never do that!"
"Sakura," Sasuke smiled, upper corners of his mouth twitching downwards to show that it was fake. (Or that he was trying not to smile and desperately failing.) "What...are...you...doing...here?"
"Do you think maybe you could show me how to do that?" Sakura asked, still 'oblivious' to Sasuke's questions.
"I'm leaving now, Sakura," Sasuke said, turning away.
"Alright, alright, alright," Sakura gave in, causing Sasuke to reluctantly turn back, an annoyed look on his face. "I came here because I..."a pause. Then the pink girl continued: "Well, I wanted to come after you and see what was going on." She smiled, placing one hand on her cheek as she blushed a little. "At first I wasn't going to, but Naruto told me I should, and-"
"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait," Sasuke interrupted. "Wait."
There was a long silence. "Uh..." Sakura finally said. Before she could say anything else, Sasuke spoke up again.
"You actually took Naruto's advice on romantic issues?" Sasuke pointed out, a very good point as a matter of fact.
"Eh heh heh heh..." Sakura giggled sheepishly. Then, she suddenly stopped, and blinked. Her face almost instantly turned expressions, and for all the world she looked like a mischievous cat."Sasuke Uchiha...did you say 'romantic'?"
Sasuke straightened his back involuntarily, teeth gritting into an expression of horror. His entire face turned extremely red. "Well, yeah, I mean," he said, very loudly, as if somehow the volume of his voice would make his words more believable, "You have a crush on me, right?"
Sakura giggled, then chose to ignore where this conversation was heading. "So," she finally said, "What are you doing training out here so late?"
Sasuke took a quick look up at the night sky to confirm his thoughts. "It's only about eight o'clock," he said, blush slowly fading, as Sakura seemed to have accepted his answer. She seemed that way to him, anyway.
"Which is pretty darn late considering we had the day off," Sakura said. She began walking over to him, taking another look around at the kunai everywhere. "So, what's the point of this exercise, anyway?"
Sasuke looked at her like it should be obvious. "To improve accuracy," he said, moving his shoulders in a circular motion. His twelve-years body was not quite used to intensive workout like his adult body was.
"But what kind of situation could possibly require you to be accurate to exactly those eight points?" Sakura asked, estimating the number of targets that her love interest had hit as she walked closer to him.
"It's not about trying to be accurate to those eight points," Sasuke said, a little annoyed. -I really shouldn't have to explain this to her,- he thought. -She's a smart girl.- "If you can be accurate in situations like this, it's much easier to be accurate in much...blander situations, shall we say." And he threw another kunai from his pouch, hitting the bulls-eye on a nearby target again, from a slightly different angle that made sure two kunai weren't attempting to occupy the same space at once.
"That's very interesting," said Sakura, still walking forwards. "So, then..."
"Yes?" asked Sasuke, a little more annoyed, as he turned back to her. The Uchiha's eyes widened and his blush came back as Sakura threw her arms around him, drawing him close to her with such suddenness that both of them fell over. "GAH!"
"Oomph!" escaped from Sakura's mouth as Sasuke landed atop of her. Still, though, she smiled, a slight reddish tint coming onto her cheeks. Absolutely nothing compared to Sasuke's cheeks. "Hee, hee, sorry. I didn't mean to go this far!"
Sasuke nearly broke the laws of physics pulling himself as far away from Sakura as he could. Unfortunately for him, his brain was a bit scrambled at this time, so he didn't think of simply getting up and running off, instead scooting back into a tree and wishing it wasn't there so he could scoot even further away. Sakura's giggling broke him out of it. "Hey! Stop laughing! Why are you laughing?" he said, acting much angrier than he was, for what he really was was confused.
"You're so adorable!" Sakura said, trying to stifle her laughter. Her blush increased slightly as she realized exactly what she had just said to the object of her affections.
"I am not adorable!" Sasuke said, standing up quickly to better shout down at her to better emphasize his point to better get her to go away.
"Yes you are!" Sakura argued, still smiling, as she stood up, and began walking closer to the former evildoer.
"H...hey!" Sasuke said. "Stay back!" and he fumbled for one of the nearby kunai. Not that he'd ever hurt her...anymore...but maybe he could make her believe he would.
Yeah, she wasn't buying it. "Come here," she said, drawing him into another hug. "You big lug."
Sasuke froze as Sakura squeezed a little more tightly, happiness radiating from her face. He wanted nothing more than to hug her back, get a girlfriend, get her as a girlfriend, and live a normal teenage life, but each and every strain of guilt on his conscience weighed down his arms, preventing him from moving them upwards to embrace her. "Sakura, I..." -I don't love you,- he said very easily in his mind. -Just say it!- "...I..."
Sakura stretched upwards and kissed Sasuke on the cheek.
The person going through life a second time and feeling things for the first was expecting his heart to start beating like crazy at this. Rather than that happening, it seemed to stop. He knew it couldn't have, since he was still alive, but for the life of him he couldn't feel it beating. He couldn't feel Sakura's arms wrapped around him. He couldn't feel the night breeze. All he could feel was the spot on his cheek that her lips had touched. And it felt for all the world like Amaterasu had touched him there, without the usual pain that accompanied that sensation.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Sasuke," Sakura said, letting go and turning away from him. She began walking away, an absolutely serene look on her face. CHA! I did it! her inner shouted. I FINALLY DID IT! I kissed Sasuke! Who's the girl? You're the girl! YEAH!
Sasuke, meanwhile, simply stared after Sakura's retreating form, noticing things about it he hadn't ever noticed before. For example: Sakura actually had a little bit of curve to her, even at this young age. After a few seconds of this staring (and many similar observations), a small amount of Sakura-shaded-pink coloring his cheeks, Sasuke turned to the tree he had just been leaning against and began slamming his head into it repeatedly.
0-0-0-0
From the shadows of the rooftop he stood upon, the figure watched. Temari had apparently gotten over her earlier embarrassment and was now singing with great gusto. Shikamaru was singing too, but not nearly as enthusiastic. Considering that Shikamaru was, well, Shikamaru, he was proportionally about as enthusiastic as Temari was. -Enjoy your time, Shikamaru,- said the figure with disdain, -You don't have very much of it.-
"Kankuro."
The figure, identity now revealed, nearly fell off the roof he was standing on. After recovering, he turned to the one who had spoken. "What?" he loudly asked.
"Are you spying on Temari and Shikamaru?" Gaara asked.
There was a long silence.
"No," Kankuro finally said.
Another long silence. Gaara's eyes narrowed.
"Maybe."
Yet another long silence. Gaara folded his arms.
"Yes."
Gaara blinked. "Stop," he said simply, bringing up an ice cream cone to his lips and licking it.
"Stop?" Kankuro asked incredulously. "That's our sister down there, dude! Dating a twelve-year-old! Do you not get how...incredibly creepy that is?" He leaned in conspiratorially towards his brother. "Not to mention that he's from the Leaf Village." Another lick of ice cream by Gaara. "Our former enemies, remember? Or should I say: still enemies! He's obviously trying to sabotage our way of life!" Another lick, and Kankuro finally took notice. "Where did you get the ice cream?"
"The festival," Gaara said simply. "You should come down and enjoy it, too. It's a lot of fun."
Kankuro blinked. He then wrapped his arm around his brother. "And you should help me try to split them up. Whaddya say?"
"No."
Kankuro grumbled. "Fine then. I'll do it myself...GAH!"
"No," Gaara repeated, bringing his sand back and licking his ice cream again. Kankuro, his lower half encased in the sand, sulked. "Now let's go enjoy the festival." And he turned and began walking to the platform of sand he had used to carry himself up to the roof in the first place, dragging a still-sulking (And very uncomfortable) puppet-wielding ninja behind him. "I'll buy you some ice cream."
Meanwhile, just below Temari's brothers and across the street, the girl whose brothers were both looking out for in their own special ways and her date had just finished their last song and emerged, laughing, from the booth that supported their singing. The small but appreciative crowd that had gathered finished their clapping (to which Temari had eagerly bowed and Shikamaru had merely tilted his head) and moved on with the festivities "Okay, I admit it," Temari relented with a last few chuckles, "That was pretty fun."
"Of course," Shikamaru agreed, "You have a beautiful singing voice."
Temari hid her blush with more snark: "Thanks. You don't."
Shikamaru just grinned. "Alright, then," he said. "Well, my immense intellect and imagination seems to be coming up short tonight, as I can't think of a thing to do next." He looked around, for a few moments. "Let's see...eeny meeny miney mo?"
Temari giggled, then looked around for a bit as well. Her mind's eye zoomed in on a particular place, though: "Hey! How about we get some ice cream?" she asked Shikamaru, pointing over to another nearby stand.
Shikamaru looked where she was pointing for just a second or two. "Alright, then," he said. "Ice cream it i-" he stopped, surprised. He looked down at his hand.
Temari was holding it.
"Well, come on!" she said eagerly, rushing over to the stand and dragging Shikamaru with her. He was still too surprised to respond or resist (not that he particularly wanted to do either of those things, but still), but nowhere near too surprised to stop thinking.
-Okay,- he laid out the situation before him. -Temari took until nearly the end of our second date to hold my hand the first time around, and even then I was the one who had to grab it.- His eyes narrowed. -So, did she come back too, or is this just because she's still a young teenager? Or maybe some other reason entirely?- He shook his head. -Gah. You're way too paranoid, you know that, Shikamaru? Not everything that's happening differently this time around has a hidden, sinister motive to it.-
"What the heck?" Temari said, and Shikamaru noticed that they were standing still now. He blinked at his and Temari's interlocked hands one more time before looking up.
"Huh?" Shikamaru asked, wide-eyed. Now he was unable to think.
Gaara and Kankuro were standing in front of a terrified ice-cream vendor, and Gaara was ordering a fudge-flavored cone. Kankuro was being held in place by a large amount of sand flowing from Gaara's gourd.
"H-here, just take it!" the vendor said, his outstretched arm shaking in fear. The fudge scoop was clearly in danger of falling off.
Gaara took the cone before it could be upset. "I insist on paying you-"
"NO! Just...just go away, please!"
Gaara sighed, then began to turn to Kankuro. "Oh," he said, seeing his sister and future brother-in-law. "Hey."
Temari and Shikamaru blinked a few times. "Okay, what's going on here?" asked Temari, placing hands on hips.
Of course, to do this, she had to let go of Shikamaru's hand. -Aww...- the young man thought, disappointed.
"Kankuro was trying to interrupt your date," explained Gaara. "I stopped him."
"You stay away from my sister, you little-" Kankuro began before being gagged by sand. It tasted horrible.
"Oh, he did, did he?" asked Temari in an overly-cheerful voice. "Well, then," and she began walking over to her non-demon-possessed brother, who suddenly looked very scared, while cracking her knuckles.
Gaara stepped between the two. "Please," he said, raising his free hand (for he had finished off his own cone just a minute or so earlier), "No violence." Upon hearing this come from Gaara's mouth, the vendor fainted from shock, but absolutely no one paid him any mind.
Even Temari, Kankuro, and Shikamaru were not expecting him to say this, and they already knew he was trying to be 'a better person'.(And that, evidently, his acting like a better person meant he was acting awkwardly instead of murderously.) "Are you sure?" Temari asked, partially out of concern and partially out of really wanting to hurt Kankuro.
Gaara nodded, but only a little. "I don't want anything ruining your date." He looked back at his brother. "Especially him." Kankuro fumed, crossing his arms much as a petulant child. Again.
"Alright, then," Temari said. "If you say so." She noticed, however, that Gaara seemed to be looking past her.
Gaara walked past her as well, heading towards Shikamaru. He stopped at what would normally be comfortable talking distance, except he wasn't talking. "Yeah, man, what is it?" Shikamaru asked. In response to this, Gaara blinked, smiled, and put up his fist. Shikamaru sighed, shaking his head, a smile on his own face.
Fist bump.
Gaara waved. "See ya round," he said, walking off past Shikamaru. Kankuro followed about ten feet behind, moved only by the sand. He still looked angry, of course.
It was only a few seconds after they left that Shikamaru spoke up again. "Right. Anyway, ice cream."
"Of course!" Temari eagerly agreed, turning to the vendor. Who wasn't there. "Huh?" she asked no one in particular as she looked around for him.
"Must be his break," Shikamaru shrugged.
"I guess," Temari said. A sigh. "I was looking forward to ice cream, too." She was slightly startled by a sudden warmth in her hand.
Shikamaru had grasped that hand, and she was now looking at him quizzically. He was smiling. "Don't worry," he encouraged, "I'm sure someone else at this festival sells ice cream. And I'm gonna make it my mission tonight to find them." The smile became a little flirty. "Want to come with me?"
Temari smiled back, gripping his hand in her own as well. "Sure," she said softly. And with that, they walked off together, the goal of their journey in the back of their minds as they went off in their search, enjoying simply being in each other's presence.
On the ground, the poor vendor moaned softly.
0-0-0-0
It was not a common occurrence for Neji Hyuuga to be unable to sleep, but it did happen, and he hated it when it did. Like tonight, for instance. Neji had been in bed for two hours now, and though he was very tired he was utterly unable to even come closer to sleep, nonetheless fall asleep. Perhaps it had something to do with the flashes of blinding pain focusing themselves behind the point directly between his eyeballs. Now he was going to get a drink of water, in some small effort to alleviate those bursts of pain.
-I cannot believe it's already 10:25.- Neji thought. This was late for him. For Hyuugas in general. -I have training tomorrow morning. I cannot be tired during training...Tenten would kill me!- And considering how ninjas, especially Neji and the gang, trained that sentence should probably be interpreted literally.
His thoughts shifted to other events happening tomorrow. -I hope Lee will turn out alright,- he thought. -That crazy fool. Going so incredibly far...and then dancing on top of it. What is wrong with him?- He shook his head. -I worry about him sometimes. Most of the time.- And, because he was in private and no one could see, he allowed himself the privilege of chuckling.
His thoughts shifted again to events from earlier that day. -Naruto,- he thought. He'd heard the basics of what happened (who hadn't on the Hyuuga estate?) but wasn't quite sure of exactly what was said or its result or anything. He'd heard things, but not from Hiashi. So he had no way to confirm. All he knew for sure was that there was a half-pulled up heart of flowers on the front lawn. -I shouldn't think you the fated one for my sister,- he thought, still believing at least partially in fate, though partially not in it as well. Such a strange paradox, the human mind. -But the way she acts around you...I am uncertain. I suppose it does not matter. From what I understand, Lord Hiashi has given you no permissions to see his daughter.- He stopped in his walk momentarily, in order to place his hand on his chin and think a little. -At least, that is what I have heard.-
"Hee hee hee!" Neji heard coming from a nearby door. Hinata's room.
He blinked. -Is Lady Hinata having trouble sleeping as well?- He shook of this thought with good old fashioned logic. -No...she wouldn't be giggling then...rather, she would be tossing and turning in an attempt to fall asleep. Perhaps she is dreaming?- He shrugged mentally, taking another step away from the door. -At any rate, it is none of my business.-
"And then," came a yellow spiky-haired voice, "We were fighting this huge clam thing!"
-Naruto?- Neji froze in his tracks. He turned on his heel, staring at the door to Lady...to Hinat...to his cousi...to his sister's room, acutely aware of the fact that there was a boy in it several hours after she had claimed to go to bed.
"Yeah, so we...with the...cannons..." Naruto's voice continued, though now more muffled, as if the boy had remembered he needed to be quiet.
"Oh my...that's..." Hinata's voice, though muffled, was actually louder than normal. This was also worrisome.
Neji blinked at the door a few more times, an expression of horror on his face. -I may not be certain how I feel about Naruto,- he finally managed to think as he turned, and began to run in a direction quite different from that of the nearest sink, -But I do know how I feel about him being in Hinata's room at this hour...and furthermore...- His eyes narrowed. -I do know what my duty is. I must tell Lord Hiashi!-
0-0-0-0
At approximately the same time, Temari and Shikamaru were having the time of their lives, though no one would call what they were doing 'exciting'. They had spent an hour or so trying to find some more ice cream and not minding at all that it took so long. Then, once they had finally gotten it, Shikamaru had made the fateful suggestion.
"So I was thinking," Shikamaru said, "What say we take these ice cream cones, get out of the city limits, and just lay down somewhere and look up at the stars?"
"Oh, please," Temari rolled her eyes. "How did I know that was coming?" As she said this, she grabbed Shikamaru's hand in hers again as she walked, a little faster than normally, to the city's exit. There, they had found a nice tall sand dune.
And they stared up at the stars, with the light of the festival shining below them, as they ate each and every bite of their cream of ice. They both intended, without actually saying anything, to leave as soon as their delicious dairy treats were gone, and yet both stayed without objection when their serving actually was. And talked. And identified constellations. And spent an hour and a half or so just doing nothing in particular, and not wasting a second.
Shikamaru checked the moon. "What time's the festival end?" he asked the perfect being lying next to him.
Temari looked at the absolute charmer young man lying next to her. "About ten-thirty." She smiled. "Short and sweet."
"That should work," Shikamaru said. "And the fireworks?"
"Just after the festival's lights go-" Temari began, only to be cut off by the gradual darkening of the lights they were looking down upon.
"Perfect timing," smirked Shikamaru, reaching over and drawing a now doubly-startled Temari into his embrace. She blushed for a few moments before slowly wrapping her own arms around Shikamaru and drawing him a little closer before looking back up at the stars. The fireworks would be starting soon.
Shikamaru looked at Temari, confused for just a second. -She's been so affectionate tonight, physically. At least for a first date.- The hand-holding had not been the top on the list of things she'd done, either, though none was as blatantly boyfriend/girlfriend as holding hands. He tilted his head to the side a little bit. -Why's she suddenly so nervous?-
What Shikamaru did not realize (at least, not at that moment, though even in years to come he only had guesses) was simply that Temari actually was still a little apprehensive about their age difference, though she really didn't want to be. Thus, all the extra touches she had shown Shikamaru were rebellions against her inner doubt, which she felt was dragging her down.
But now? Now she had genuinely forgotten about the difference. Now, when she remembered, it didn't matter. She'd had too wonderful a time tonight to care about a three-year difference, even if that difference meant Shikamaru was just twelve during this wonderful night. Thus, any feelings and touches she felt and did were now genuine, and unexpectedly enough, they scared her a little.
But gosh-darn it, lying here in Shikamaru's arms was too -Nice.- Temari thought. -Really nice.- The girl considered for a just a few seconds falling asleep like this, but decided that probably wasn't a good idea. And that the fireworks would wake her up anyway. -Fireworks,- she reiterated in her head, looking once more to the night sky. "Here they come," she whispered in absolute excitement, somehow just knowing that they were about to happen.
They happened indeed.
The sound of explosions echoed around them and even through them as the stars made new companions, companions that appeared in the night sky and then disappeared again as if they had someplace they desperately needed to be. Like in the couple's hearts below them, because both the Leaf Chunin and the Sand Genin lying below the quick-stars treasured this moment so very much and so very desperately that they doubted they could ever forget it.
Shikamaru leaned over to his girl. "Watch carefully," he whispered during a pause in the shooting of the celebratory shots.
Temari remembered. -He gave some sort of order to that man at the fireworks counter,- she thought. She stared at the sky more intently than she ever had. -So...is this it, then? Something about tonight's display he wanted me to...-
She suddenly sat up, while Shikamaru smiled despite the fact Temari had let go of him, for a bolt of light had suddenly burst into a multi-colored message written in heart-felt words across the sky. "I love you, Temari," Shikamaru whispered, reading the message aloud.
0-0-0-0
THUMP, THUMP, THUMP, THUMP.
Lord Hiashi bolted upright in bed. He blinked as the thumping continued. -Who could that be at...10:33 PM?- he thought, looking at the clock on the wall. He sighed, stepping into the slippers he kept below his bed. -It's always so much earlier than you think it is at night...- he grumbled mentally. He grumbled literally, too, but there were no distinct words that one could claim he grumbled as his thoughts.
THUMP, THUMP, THUMP, THUMP. "Lord Hiashi!"
"Alright, alright, I'm coming," mumbled the elder of the Hyuuga clan, reaching the door. "Neji?" he asked, looking down at the boy before him. He looked panicked. Neji Hyuuga never looked panicked, and that is what snapped Hiashi from his sleepiness and made him worried about what was going on. "What is it?"
"Lord Hiashi," Neji breathed, rapidly. He seemed tired, and more than just physically. "Something is horribly wrong." He swallowed. "It's Naruto."
"Naruto," gasped the elder. His face twisted with the rage that was beginning to build within him as he began to grasp what was happening. "What about Naruto?"
"He's in Hianta's room, sir!" Neji cried, just as worried as his uncle was. "He-he's-"
"What is he doing to my daughter?" cried Hiashi in anger and fear, loudly enough to wake up several estate members and alert even more guards.
"They're just talking right now...I think," Neji said, even at this point not being able to drop the logical procedures of his mind. He hadn't ruled out genjutsu, after all.
"Then there's still time," breathed Hiashi, a pained expression on his face. "GUARDS!" he shouted, running past Neji, who was pushed aside by his uncle.
"Lord Hiashi!" the branch-family member cried after his uncle, chasing him. -I can feel it...the wheels of fate turning.- The young man thought. -But what for?-
0-0-0-0
Temari stared up some more at the sky, completely blanketed by the works of fire. They spelled her name. Her name and a message that someone loved her. Loved her like that.
"Temari," Shikamaru said, sitting up as well. For the first time in a while, he looked completely serious. "Don't ask me how I know, but I do. I know that you..."
Temari eventually managed to tear herself away from the display above her head, looking towards Shikamaru. "I?" she prompted, short of breath and mouth slightly open.
"...you are my one and only," Shikamaru finished. "I meant every word I put up in the sky, in the deepest way possible.." His eyebrows creased. "And if you wanted me to for any reason at all, I would tear each and every word down to the earth with my bare hands. I'd find a way, Temari, because those words are true. And that means I'd do anything for you." He slowly reached out and brushed her cheek, smiling a little. "I love you, Temari. With all my heart."
Almost before the last word proceeded from his mouth, Temari shot her arms forth, grabbing her boyfriend by the collar of his jacket and bringing his lips forcefully to hers in an expression of passion she quite honestly had not expected to feel that night. Electricity formed, or at least, seemed to form between their lips, powering the two up; transforming them, sending their hearts into erratic beats. In the background, the heartfelt fireworks finally dissipated, falling down to the ground. But their image would be seen by the two below every time that they looked up at the night sky.
Not right now, though. They weren't bothering to check the night sky now, because they were too busy. They were too busy having their first kiss.
0-0-0-0
"That's quite a story, Naruto," Hinata said, giggling a little more. "I'm glad I got to hear it."
"I'm glad I got to tell it," Naruto replied. "I mean, every time I tell you a story, I get to spend some time with you, right?"
Hinata giggled, though nothing Naruto said was particularly funny. It just made her happy, was all. "I'm glad I get to spend time with you, too, Naruto."
Naruto grinned. Time to take pleasure in Hinata's blush again! "Yeah," he said 'obliviously', "I hope I get to spend a lot more time with you in the future. Heh, maybe I'll even spend the night here tonight!" Hinata did indeed blush at this. Naruto resisted the urge to giggle.
Then, with suddenness and without warning beyond any event in this story thus far, the door to Hinata's room flew inwards, slamming up against the wall. Hiashi stood in the hallway, flanked by approximately a dozen guards.
"Father," Hinata whispered, as Naruto slowly stood.
"Naruto Uzumaki," Hiashi said, barely-restrained anger in his voice. "You are trespassing. Leave the premises at once, and never come back. Otherwise, I will use force to remove you."
Naruto only responded after several seconds. A determined smirk. "Bring it on," he softly said.
0-0-0-0
It was a half hour after the incidents written above that Temari and Shikamaru walked back up to the door of Temari's house, Shikamaru with a visible hickey on his neck. They stopped at the door. Temari turned to her newfound love. "Well, Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Handsome," she said, and Shikamaru smiled a little. He liked that nickname, joking though it may have been. "I guess this is good night." She titled her head. "Sure your jutsu can get you all the way back home?"
"As long as I use it before these fireworks go out," Shikamaru responded. "My parents are probably sitting up waiting for me, so there'll be a light on at my house to create a shadow, too."
Temari giggled. "Cool." She turned her body to the door, still looking back at Shikamaru. "Well...good night again."
Shikamaru stood on tiptoes and placed a kiss on his future fiancee's cheek. "Good night," he responded, smiling. Temari smiled too, and he turned and walked away.
Temari opened the door and stepped inside as he did so. Yet she did not shut it. "Shikamaru," she finally said, softly, but between fireworks, so it was heard anyway.
The shadow-nin stopped and turned. "Yes?" he asked, having no inkling of what was coming next.
Temari hesitated. Then, turning: "What exactly made you fall for me?"
Shikamaru's eyes widened. As they went back to normal, he blew out a puff of air. "Tough question," he said, scratching the bridge of his nose. "I guess..." He paused for a second. "I guess it's because most girls, or at least most girls I've met, manipulate you and your emotions and actions every which way you turn, and then suddenly forget how to do so in battle." He smiled, looking his girlfriend in the eye. "You're the exact opposite. And even then, you only try and manipulate me in battle." He smiled some more. "Not to mention that you're pretty cute and sarcastic, too."
Temari giggled yet again. It was mostly what Shikamaru said, but part of it was endorphins left over from her and Shikamaru's kiss. "Well, then," she said, sounding much happier. She was happier, actually, because she knew she was unique in at least one way among all the girls Shikamaru knew, and that's why Shikamaru appreciated her. "I suppose that answers that."
Shikamaru smiled. "So what attracted you to me?" he asked. He'd wanted to know that since long before he'd even met Temari, timeline-wise.
Temari looked thoughtful herself for several seconds. Finally, she shrugged.. "I dunno...I guess it's just because I can't manipulate you in our matches," she smiled. "You're just a mystery to me, Shikamaru. And I want to know what happens when I solve you." She looked around, now, as if afraid someone might see her. Then, blushing: "And you really now how to make a girl feel special, too. You're a sweet guy, Shikamaru."
Shikamaru smiled a small smile. "I see," he said. "Thank you." Then, waving, he turned. "I'm glad I got to see you tonight, Temari."
"Yeah, you probably won't get to see me anytime soon, huh?" Temari asked, leaning her body against the door and her head against her hand.
Shikamaru turned again, this time back to her. "Yeah," he said, almost apologetically. Then, actually apologetically: "I'm sorry."
"Well, then," smirked Temari. A playful smirk. She slowly reached up and grabbed the inner edge of her kimono, agonizingly slowly pulling it down as she said her next words in a very sultry tone of voice: "What say I give you a little something to remember me until next time?"
"Guh...guh...what?" Shikamaru heavily blushed as he startled back slightly, eyes wider than they'd ever been.
"Hee, hee, hee," Temari giggled, letting go of her robe before she got anywhere near the 'good stuff'. "Joking. Just joking. Don't worry." She waved to her beau as she shut the door. "Have a good evening, Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Handsome!"
Shikamaru stayed frozen in that position before slumping. "Oh, wow," he groaned. Then, bursting out laughing: "She actually got me! I can't believe that!" And, still laughing, he turned and walked away, disappearing into the shadow cast by one of the last fireworks illuminating Temari's house.
0-0-0-0
The guards cam rushing in the room quickly. "HYAAAH!" screamed several of them, and all of them activated their Byakugan.
They all stopped in their tracks.
"Huh...what the?" one of them finally said.
"Where did he go?" asked another, utterly confused.
Hiashi blinked, confused at their confusion. Hinata reacted similarly. "He's right there!" the 'old man' shouted, indicating the twelve-year-old who, indeed, had not moved an inch.
The guards looked around after looking where Hiashi indicated. "Wh-where, sir?" One of them finally asked.
Immediately after asking this, he was suddenly tossed over Naruto's shoulder, flying into the chair Naruto had just been occupying and sending both him and the chair tumbling over. The rest of the guards reacted with due astonishment.
"What the-"
"Holy cow!"
"What's going on?"
Another one of them fell, this one having his feet swept out from under him. Then another aimed for where he guessed Naruto would be after the tripping and found his spear shoved back into his chest, sending him flying away quite nicely.
"He's blocking the Byakugan somehow!" a guard shouted immediately before being knocked over with a kick to the head. Not much power behind it, but properly applied.
"Nice job figuring it out so quickly!" Naruto shouted as loudly and sarcastically as possible before quickly and silently moving to another location. Because it was dark in the room and light in the hallway, the guards had much difficulty seeing Naruto even with their apparently-now-limiting Byakugan deactivated.
Hiashi looked on with increasing anger and frustration (for they are two slightly-different emotions) as his very well-trained guards were repeatedly sent reeling, never heavily injured but always humiliated, by a rookie Genin who was legendary for being bottom of his class. Hinata watched the same situation with a much different set of emotions. -Naurto...- she blushed, heart beating faster and faster as she observed.
"You morons!" Hiashi was not normally that abusive to his, erm, employees, but tonight he was worried about his daughter. "I'll do it myself!" And he began walking towards Naruto, as the guards all-too-gladly and very sheepishly moved away from the boy.
"Lord Hiashi, please," Naruto said. "Don't do this."
"Turn on the lights, Hinata, so that he may not hide within the shadows any longer," Hiashi said, bending into his Gentle Fist stance. There was no response. "Hinata! Do it now!"
"Y-yes, sir," Hinata cried, reaching over to the lamp on her bedside drawer. -I'm so sorry, Naruto.-
Click.
Naruto was finally revealed to those there, same blue eyes, blonde hair, and orange ensemble as always. The strange thing about his appearance, though, was the large amount of green dots speckled randomly across his face and hands, and presumably across the rest of his body.
"Oh my..." breathed one of the guards, dropping his spear. He took a step backwards, shaking his head. "There's no way!" he cried, taking another step. "No way!" The other guards, and Hiashi, and Hinata, and even Naruto, were looking at him now, their mild confusion at what was on Naruto's body replaced by major confusion at why the man was reacting this way. (Except for Naruto himself, who knew the reasons for both these things.) "He's a monster!" the man outright shouted, pivoting on his heel and running for the sake of his soul. "A demon! Run for your lives!"
And his unhinged screaming continued well out of hearing distance. Everyone looked in the direction he'd left in for several seconds. -What on Earth?- thought Hinata, blinking. She turned back to her crush. -Why would he be so scared of Naruto?-
Hiashi turned back to the Naruto next. "You. Boy." He narrowed his eyes. "What are those...stickers all over your body?" His offensive position shifted slightly now that he could clearly see his opponent. "Some kind of chakra enhancers?"
Naruto closed his eyes, grinning and chuckling. "Actually, they're pretty much the opposite. They're chakra stoppers."
There was a long silence.
"Chakra...stoppers?" Hiashi finally gasped, eyes widening as he slowly began to wrap his mind around how Naruto had manged to enter the estate without any guards seeing.
"Yep," said Naruto, placing his arms behind his head. "They're usually used for medical purposes, you know, redirecting your chakra in emergencies, or for operations, and stuff like that. But I swiped some of them and used 'em to plug up my own chakra so I could sneak in without any of the guards seeing me, 'cause I figured they'd all be using their Byakugan to look for intruders." He grinned a little more, obviously proud of his plan to enter the Hyuuga grounds. "Let me tell you, it took forever to meditate long enough to find out where my chakra was without that Byakugan of you guys's!" And he laughed, loudly.
Hinata's hands were placed over her mouth now, and she was frozen in awe. The guards were frozen, too, in fear. Hiashi as well, but he didn't know with what. Finally, he moved, letting gravity cause his arms to fall while he slowly unbent his back. "How many?" he asked, voice shaking.
"Hmm?" Naruto asked.
"How many did you have to place on yourself to stop the flow of chakra in your body?" Hiashi confirmed, clutching his fist.
"Oh!" Naruto said, understanding. "Well, I wasn't sure how to close off my chakra points to make none of them flow, and even then, there are alternate paths that could spring up..." he truthfully explained. Then, with a smile, the coup de grace: "So instead of just blocking off the flow like a dam, I pinned all my chakra points down so none of them were very active!"
"None of them?" Hiashi cried, stepping back. Most of the guards did more than just back off a step; they ran, screaming things similar to the first person, who obviously had knowledge of the 'stickers' before Naruto explained what they were. Even the guards that did not run away backed up pretty much to the doorway, looks of barely-controlled fear on their faces.
"That's...insane..." Hinata whispered, far too shocked to act surprised.
"Let's see...there's three-hundred and sixty-one chakra points in the body, right?" Naruto thought. "So I'm wearing three-hundred and sixty of these things right now!" He grinned. "Yeah, I'm sure at least one of your guards could see me, but with only one point of chakra visible and their Byakugan on all the time I'm sure they thought I was a butterfly or something!"
Another silence, tension so thick you couldn't cut it with a knife, as the knife would break. Despite how he was acting, Naruto was the most nervous: he had unveiled the workings of his plan, and now he could only hope that things would go according to it.
Hiashi finally stormed over to Naruto, drawing the boy up almost but not quite to eye level by his collar. "That's impossible!" he shouted, more out of astonishment than the anger he wanted Naruto to believe he was feeling. "There's no way you really did all that! You shouldn't be able to move!"
"I already told you," Naruto whispered, smirking up at Lord Hiashi, who actually stopped in his emotional flurry and simply stared at the boy, intently listening. "That I would protect Hinata with everything I had. And I still will, even if you don't want me to. I'm trying to prove that to you now."
"Wh...what?" Hiashi asked quietly, his heart beginning to somehow simultaneously rise into his throat and sink into his stomach.
"The one point I don't have shut off," Naruto said. His smirk turned into a genuine smile. "Use your Byakugan. See where it is."
Hiashi stared at Naruto for a few more minutes, mouth slightly open. Then, as if just hearing the orange-clad ninja's words, he closed his mouth, looking down at Naruto's body. "Byakugan," he said quietly, as his Kekkei Genkai activated.
"That's right," Naruto said quietly, but with as much determination as ever, as he smiled some more while Hiashi looked suprised. "Right over my heart." He shook his head. "And that's not trying to say to you that I'll die or kill myself if you don't let me date Hinata or something," he looked straight into the Hyuuga elder's eyes as his Byakugan faded. "It means that as long as I love Hianta, I will go this far for her. As long as I love her, I will use every bit of my strength to protect her...even just to make her happy." He smiled a little more, eyes closing. "That's what a good boyfriend does."
-Naruto...my boyfriend...he really is!- Hianta slowly smiled, wishing desperately to rush over and kiss the living daylights out of one Mr. Uzumaki.
Hiashi's hands were shaking now. "Why?" he asked, voice cracking. "Why would you do this?"
"I already told you," Naruto said. "To prove to you what I'll do for her. To prove I always keep my promises. That's my ninja way, after all." He smiled yet more, eyes fluttering. "And by proving that, I prove that I do love Hinata, because...that's what love is." His head nodded, and his voice became quieter, but the determination did not leave his voice, nor the smile his face. "Wanting and doing the best for somebody...and wanting to want to and do so. And this...what's happening right now...proves that as long as I have...a drop of chakra left...a single heartbeat...a single breath..." His eyes slowly shut, carrying Naruto into unconsciousness brought on by exhaustion, "I will always love her."
There was another silence, one of shock, of awe, and of disbelief. Finally, it was broken, by a slow rhythmic sound coming from the elder Hyuuga. "Father?" Hinata began, "Are you..." but found she could not finish.
Hiashi Hyuuga let off a great sob, accentuated by many smaller ones, as his tears flowed freely and unchecked down his face. "Naruto," he said, voice strained with regret and agony. "I'm sorry...I didn't believe you..." And he slowly moved removed his hands from Naruto's collar and to the young man's back,drawing the unconscious Genin into a hug. "I'm so sorry, Naruto...I'm so sorry..." And he sobbed and cried some more, tears falling on the blonde mess of hair.
Meanwhile, from just around the corner of the doorway, Neji listened, face as stoic as usual. "Impossible," he mumbled., for Naruto had done the impossible. He had done the physically impossible by sealing off those chakra points and seemingly suffering no loss of skill as he snuck into the Hyuuga Estate and past several dozen guards, and the managed to stay conscious afterward for several hours while talking to Hinata. He then performed the equally-as-impossible task of not only changing Hiashi's mind, but making him cry. "There's just no way."
"I'm sorry, Naruto," Hiashi sobbed out again, sinking to his knees and desperately wishing to make Naruto hear what he was saying. "I'm so sorry..."
Neji slumped slightly against the wall, trying to wrap his mind around this strange sequence of events. "I don't understand," he said, unable to accept this paradigm-shift. "How?" He closed his eyes. "How?"
And with this thought and many similar ones, he stood up again, walking away from the door and back to his bedroom. "How?" Going to attempt to sleep again, because he felt he needed it. Maybe he'd actually get some sleep before the morning...hopefully so. "How?" It would certainly help clear his head.
0-0-0-0
Shikamaru slowly opened the door to his house. It was about midnight now, and not a light within the house was on. He'd had to settle for a shadow cast by a nearby dog lying underneath a street lamp. A cramped exit, but it made due. Scared of punishment, or even just a lecture (though also feeling that if he did receive one, it would be worth it), Shikamaru looked around as if he could see anything. He tiptoed into the house, quietly shutting the door behind him.
A light clicked on, revealing a livid pair of parents, his father in a chair, and his mother in full-on lecture mode. -Oh boy,- he thought, mentally preparing for the worst.
"Where have you been?" shouted Yoshino. "Your father and I have been worried sick about you!"
Shikakau slowly stood. "And what exactly have you been doing with this girl you mentioned to us that takes over twelve hours to accomplish?"
"Well, you see," began Shikamaru,
"What exactly made you think it would be okay to stay out this late?" his mother continued her lecture, for hers and her husband's questions, at that current point in time, were rhetorical. "Do you have any idea exactly how long past your curfew it is?"
"And don't even think about the 'I was on a mission' excuse," Shikaku spoke up again. Almost like he and Yoshino had planned the whole thing out. "We already checked, and not only did you not receive a mission today, you got the whole day off." He raised his eyebrow. "For 'personal reasons'."
"Well, are you able to share your personal reasons with your parents too, Shikamaru?" Yoshino asked, now sarcastic rather than rhtetorical. "Do you think maybe you could tell us?"
"I-I just..." Shikamaru rubbed the back of his head, eyes darting around. They darted back to directly before him but past his parents a few seconds after darting there once, and his face scrunched up in confusion. His mom and dad, knowing by virtue of having memorized the entire layout of their house exactly where Shikamaru was looking, shared a suddenly scared glance at each other, then looked with apprehensive nervousness at their son. He looked up, saw his parent's shocked and slightly ashamed faces, and decided it was his turn to scold. "Mom...dad..." he emphasized his words, placing his hands on his hips. "Why is the dining room table broken?"
Once again: go Shikamaru's dad. Bow chika wow wow.
You know, I think I made the words I used in my writing more varied in this chapter than ever before, but the pacing of the chapters seems off. Maybe it's just me? I hope it is, anyway.
Also, never let it be said (especially in this fic) that Naruto can't come up with good plans. Remember, kids: if you're girlfriend's dad forbids you from seeing her, break into her room and wait for her dad to discover you so that you can impress him with your commitment. Heh, some plans are only good in fictional worlds, huh?
...also. Omake.
OMAKE #5
Though it's not anywhere near a perfect match, Kankuro and Gaara's banter did remind me of a scene from a certain Disney movie, and I wish to non-canonically express that reminding here. Please enjoy this little alternate scene, for it may be even more out-of-character than the last one.
0-0-0-0
"Come on, Gaara," Kankuro begged, hands clenched together. "You've got to help me! It's for the good of everybody!"
Gaara shook his head, feeling annoyance rather than anger for the first time in his life. He didn't like that feeling. "How do you figure that, Kankuro?" he asked reluctantly.
Kankuro walked back over to the edge of the roof, motioning for Gaara to follow. With a sigh, the younger brother did. "Look at them. So blissfully ignorant." Kankuro said.
"Ignorant?" Gaara repeated, still not getting what Kankuro was driving at.
Kankuro shook his head. "I can see what's happening."
Gaara blinked. "What's happening?" he asked, turning to his brother.
Kankuro threw his arms outward in exasperation. "And they don't have a clue!"
"What?" Gaara blinked, looking back and forth between the dating pair and his brother.
"They'll fall inlove," Kankuro finally explained, throwing his arm around Gaara's shoulder as he leaned close to whisper: "And here's the bottom line: our trio's down to two!"
"...I may not know much about Temari," Gaara responded after a few moments, "But I know she wouldn't run away from the village just because-"
"Zee sweet carezz of twilight!" Kankuro chose to ignore his brother as he let go, walking away and gesturing wildly with his most sarcastic voice. The french accent was just the cherry on top.
"Kankuro, are you feeling alright?" Gaara asked, raising an eyebrow.
"There's magic everywhere," Kankuro spit out, spreading his hands.
"Have you been standing in the sun in your black suit again?" Gaara asked pointedly, desperately searching for an explanation.
"And with all this romantic atmosphere," Kankuro sincerely said, taking a sorrowful look at his sister.
"I'm leaving now, Kankuro," Gaara spoke up over his brother, walking back towards his sand platform.
"DISASTER'S IN THE AIIIIIIIIIIR!"
0-0-0-0
...I just realized that I must really like the idea of romantic messages written in strange ways. We've got lights, flowers, and fireworks...huh. I seem to like glowy messages, too. Sorry, I'll try and cut back in future chapters.
Speaking of future chapters: hope to see you next time, when (finally) the next member of our group comes back to the past! Until then, good reading and God bless!
Note: Omake is Timon and Puumba's part for 'Can you Feel the Love Tonight?'...or at least Timon's. You know, for the one or two of you who didn't already know.