Hey everyone! So glad some of you enjoyed the last chapter. It was tough to follow up on the previous one, but I'm happy that I did. Hopefully, you all enjoy this one too! Thank you!
Xxx Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me, but Masashi Kishimoto xxX
It was… weird coming back to the shop as if everything was perfectly… normal. As if the three of them hadn't made an enormous fiasco just over a week ago. Yet here she was, standing beside her cousin with a tray of coffees, hot chocolates, and teas in hand, making eye contact with the two redheads she couldn't get out of her thoughts since that night.
It was nerve-wracking being the first to arrive out of the three of them. Neji had insisted on coming with her and paying for all the drinks so that he could ease into an apology. Lo and behold the first words he hears upon entering the shop were "fuck Neji, man". She could see the instant regret in his apologetic actions just from the twitch in his eye. But once the jovial greeting came her way, she could see him bite his cheek to refrain from badgering Naruto with a rebuttal. She was very appreciative of his effort to swallow his pride for her.
When both Naruto and Karin came rushing toward her, it was at that moment they realized Neji was with her. The light in their eyes dulled and their smiles turned upside down. She was worried that an argument would break out for sure, especially when all three of them scowled at each other. Yet, her saving grace came in the form of Kushina, strutting down the stairs with a bubbly grin and a pep in her step. She walked right between her family and asked which was her low-fat latte. Neji pointed to her drink and she took it gracefully. After chugging a sip and humming her delight, she turned to her son and niece with a nod of her head and exclaimed, "well don't just stand there - hug the girl!". However, before the two of them could even react, Tayuya and Karui came rushing over with their own greetings - Tayuya cursing her yet in the same breath being happy to see her, and Karui being genuinely pleased to see her back and asking where she's been.
The back and forth between the girls was slightly raising her anxiety, especially when everyone looked at Neji who stood there with his eyes closed, taking deep breaths. Hinata was going to respond… eventually… once they stopped talking or once she finally had a reason to give. She couldn't very well say it was because her family technically grounded her for kissing their coworkers. Not only did it sound ridiculous, especially with her cousin standing right there, but again, Neji was right there. Talk about a bad first impression. She did not want to know what Tayuya would say to something like that.
Just then, the doorbell chimed and everyone went silent. When Karin and Karui gasped, Hinata gulped and Neji visibly tensed. It was like slow motion when she locked eyes with him. His fiery mane was even more unkempt than usual and his dark-rimmed eyes which were normally calm were wide and surprised. Instantly her face went red as her gaze shifted to his lips before roaming over his physique. He was dressed for the cold weather in his typical scheme of auburn, black, and brown. This time she couldn't tell if the bulkiness of his clothes was due to the weather or to hide, but either way, her heart fluttered.
He looked handsome.
It might have just been her eyes deceiving her for a moment, but she swore she saw the tiniest hint of a blush touch his cheeks right before his face hardened. Now he just looked scary. Once more, Neji was met with coldness, which again made him tense and clench his fists. Of course, he knew this was going to be the outcome, but that doesn't mean that his pride will allow him to constantly take it. She could tell every time his gaze would shift to her that he was repeating in his head like a mantra that this was for her. But she knew if Gaara or Sasori tried to fight…
Speak of the devil and he shall appear in all his devilish glory.
Hinata gulped rather audibly to her chagrin. When the bell chimed for a second time and everyone turned again to see who came in, it was silent. When he tousled his hair, removed his sunglasses in style, and gazed upon her with an intensity she can only begin to recall from that fateful night… everyone was dazed. And then his eyes met Neji and once more it was as frightful as the weather outside.
And that's how they ended up here now. All staring the other down, no words spoken for the anticipation of what might happen if the wrong thing is said. So perhaps it was a little presumptuous of her to think that things were back to "normal". If normal meant death stares and heavy tension over their fiasco, then yes, everything was perfectly "normal".
Hinata could tell that Sasori was just itching to say something snarky, something to really piss her cousin off. But she would not have any of that. He was here on her behalf, putting aside his differences to make amends for his intolerable, yet well-meaning behavior. If he can do that for her, then these two, as well as everyone else involved can too.
Before he can even begin to breathe an offending quip, Hinata drags Neji's arm forward, thrusting the drinks in front of the boys. Gaara and Sasori snap their attention to the tray before looking at her quizzically. Neji, too, questions her actions with a raise of his brow and a turn of his lips.
Despite the pressure of having all three eyes on her, especially the two she was the most anxious to see, Hinata musters up as much gusto as she can and hopes she can prevent a disaster.
"P-Please no f-fighting," she stumbles. "This is our olive branch. We're sorry."
"No. This is my olive branch, Hinata-sama," Hinata looks up at Neji with a gasp. Everyone else turns to him in surprise as well, since they weren't expecting that. "You have nothing to be sorry for. It's me."
Neji's pale gaze turns to the two redheads his precious cousin has become… well acquainted with. He forces down his discontent and breathes deeply, especially when Sasori looks so smug.
"I'm…" he inhales once more, "... Sorry."
Gaara was impressed.
Sasori was tickled.
Hinata was on the verge of happy tears.
"Oh, pardon me pal, but I didn't quite catch what exactly it is you're sorry for," Sasori taunts, much to the bluenette's dismay. She can hear either Naruto or Karin facepalm behind her, most likely because Karui and Tayuya are deeply invested in what's going on right now. This was not at all how she wanted the girls to find out.
"S-Sasori-kun..!?" Hinata harshly whispers, pleading.
"Dude, really?!" Naruto scolds, waving his hand across his neck. "Don't. Push. It."
Even Gaara was taken aback by his frenemy's statement. Was he entirely surprised? Hell no. Did he expect some form of retaliation once he saw this prick was here? Sort of. But as soon as he saw Hinata's doe-like eyes filled with hope, sorrow, and pleading for forgiveness, he almost expected Sasori to at least hold off until she wasn't in the room.
Nope. This asshole had an audience and he was going to milk it for all it's worth. He figured the jerk is either hoping this Hyūga fuck will submit or, preferably, fight back so that they can finally kick his ass for the trash he spoke.
The already stretched-thin line of Neji's patience was on the brink of snapping. The whites of his knuckles were showing, and his eye twitching and muscles flexing were more agitated. Hinata was very much worried now that her cousin might just say screw it and leave without making amends with their friends. Sasori and Gaara were one thing, but Naruto and Karin were still most likely peeved with him over everything. They were friends prior to this incident. She doesn't need Sasori's attitude to muck it all up.
She was not going to allow this pettiness to fester over her choice to be promiscuous one gosh darn time!
"Hinata-sama," Neji starts, turning to hand the tray of drinks over to Karui. His movements were stiff with irritation flowing off him in waves. "I think it's time I -"
"We will handle this later," Hinata states curtly. The fierceness in her tone and expression leaves no room for discussion.
The elder Hyūga is mildly startled by her conviction. Before Karui can take the tray, he pulls it to his chest, watching his cousin with interest.
Sasori and Gaara look at her as well. Sasori was intrigued that she would challenge him in this way, while Gaara was simply awed. The last time he'd seen her with such an expression was when that girl came into the shop to cause a fight with Karin. Seeing her defiance was kind of a turn-on.
Sasori held his gaze on her, milky white locking fiercely with hazel brown. With a smirk, he tried to intimidate her the best he could, yet she was not backing down. Little Hinata was stern, firm in her stance that they would indeed settle this little tiff later. He was honestly surprised her cheeks hadn't turned rosy at this point considering the girl damn near blushed at everything. He can see now why he liked her and how she managed to break down his precious Gaara's outer shell. Not only was she one hell of a kisser, but she was a little spitfire when she wanted to be.
How irritating.
"Alright, alright, that's enough! I said to hug the girl, not gaze longingly into her eyes, Sasori."
The tension swiftly breaks at the sound of Kushina's taunting voice. Hinata finally turns red and flustered, while Sasori looks at her with his head lolled to the side, his eyes rolling in annoyance. "Sorry, but I apparently missed the memo on that request, miss Kushina," he quips, his tone drenched with sarcasm.
With a cheeky grin on her lips and her favorite drink still in her hand, the fiery woman stomps back through the group of youngsters until she is between Hinata and Neji, facing her fellow gingers.
"Mom…" Naruto calls out, still not fully understanding where her forwardness in this situation is coming from. Part of him is still in denial that she may have something to do with everyone being here, but that's mostly because he doesn't want to admit that he and Karin got caught the other day. But even if she does, she still doesn't know the extent of how close to fighting everyone got that night and just exactly how much hostility there is between these guys. If Sasori and Gaara were to keep up their volatile streak, he'll have no choice but to step in on her behalf, and then there will be real hell to pay.
"Hinata is right. We will handle this later," Kushina states matter-of-factly. "But for now, since you two decided to show up, I can finally send Tayuya and Karui on their thirty-minute breaks!"
"What?!" The two redheaded women shout in unison.
"But it's still so early in the shift and-" Karui goes to protest, however, quickly shuts her trap when her boss turns to her with that sickeningly sweet smile.
"Grab the drinks that our lovely Neji, here, brought for you and go on break," the older woman says with finality.
Tayuya, for once in her time since being hired, opts not to argue. She grabs her drink and heads for the back room, snagging her coat to sneak out the back door. Karui quickly follows suit, staring quizzically at everyone as she leaves.
Karin, as if having been zapped, animatedly snatches her phone from her back pocket. Naruto eyes his cousin up and down for her bizarre behavior as she laughs weirdly to herself.
"Haha, oh wow! Ha! Would you, uh, look at that! Haha! Sasuke-kun is calling me!" She snorts, flashing her phone briefly, exposing a blank screen. Her abrupt mannerisms have everyone except for her aunt giving her raised eyebrows. "That's so crazy! Ha, well, I better go take this call before I miss it! Uh, I'll come see you when we're done, Hinata!"
The bluenette grows mildly concerned for her friend. She winces on Naruto's behalf when the bespectacled woman elbows him in the side as she moves to head upstairs. She looks up beside her when she hears Kushina hum and sees her smile widen. Just what is going on with the Uzumaki ladies?
"Ow! What the hell, four-eyes!?" He shouts at her retreating form.
"Naruto, sweetie, didn't you mention earlier that you had something you wanted to talk with Neji about?" Kushina asks, placing a hand on the elder Hyūga's shoulder. Neji winces at the touch, feeling something devious in her actions.
Naruto, however, pouts and squints his azure eyes at his mother. "What the heck are you talking ab-"
"Naruto, sweetie." An intense chill immediately runs down his spine at his mother's tone. The whiskered man knew that one more out-of-line response from him meant certain doom for him later at home. Why he was in trouble, he doesn't know, but he'll play along for now to spare him the beating.
"O-Oh, um, ye-yeah! Hehe, I remember now! Yeah! Come on, Neji! Let's have that talk!"
"Wait, what?" Neji protests as he is suddenly dragged along by the blonde. He looks back to Hinata and those hooligans she's surrounded by, only to understand what was going on the second he sees Kushina put her arm around his beloved cousin.
The Uzumaki woman wasn't slick by any means. She's just lucky that not only does her son have an idiot's strength, but he was also here to make amends, not make things worse. He'll surrender this once, but if he hears of any funny business, he's out.
Hinata watches as Naruto drags her cousin off with wide eyes. Even as his mom drapes her arm across her shoulder, it didn't keep Hinata from staring at the spot Neji once stood. Everything happened so fast that it was hard for her already frazzled brain to keep up with it. Kushina's satisfied grin was well-earned at this moment. She really just cleared the room so that it was only herself and the boys left.
She wasn't ready for this.
"Ah, well would you look at that?" The Uzumaki mother comments. "Rooms cleared and I still have so much to do upstairs. Say Hinata, would ya mind watching over these two for ol' time's sake, yeah?"
The young Hyūga hears a mixture of groans and sighs at the older woman's poor acting. Matter of fact, the entire Uzumaki family's acting skills were atrocious. Yet, it worked wonders and left everyone confused until the final three were left to watch the matriarch's back as she bids them adieu.
Thankfully, by the grace of the heavens, there were no customers in the shop to witness this sinfully awkward trio. Hinata didn't want to turn around to face them. She didn't want to look into their eyes this time since she didn't have the comfort of everyone around to balance out her embarrassment. She didn't have the bitter taste of liquid courage to back her up in this endeavor like she did the last time. Although, it's probably for the best since alcohol is the reason they're in this very mess.
Why did she kiss them?!
What compelled her to let loose and kiss the two men who have given her nothing but strife and mixed signals and attitude and butterflies in her belly every time they so much as glanced at her in passing?!
Ugh! I am so not ready for this!
Breathe.
She reminds herself to breathe. There was nothing she could do about her situation now. They were alone together in this store, guaranteed no interruptions aside from the possible customer. She might as well take advantage of the opportunity given to her by Kushina lest she mucks up what she initially came to do.
Breathe. You can do this.
And so she turns and immediately freezes. The butterflies were back and making her ready to throw up.
The intensity. The gleam! The heat that swirled in the pit of her stomach because of it! The way they looked at her left little room for her to formulate a coherent thought. The bluenette may not know exactly where their minds are at regarding everything, but one thing was for certain.
That night was something that was not easily forgotten. That moment they all shared left a lasting spark in the air around them. If one of them wasn't careful, that fire will surely ignite and who knows what will come of their acquaintanceship then?
She needs to do something to cut this atmosphere - cut through their ardent stares. Gaara, with his misty green eyes boring into her with a hidden desire that made her knees weak; Sasori with his golden gaze swirling with a myriad of emotions she couldn't decipher other than the blatant sheen of remembrance of their fleeting passion.
Goodness, she was in trouble with these two. Especially if they could see her own greediness for their time that night replaying behind her eyes. Again, she needs to say something - anything! Anything to get this stare down to pass! Cuz she fears if she doesn't, she will cave under their pressure.
Breathe…
"I…"
"Are you sure that we're getting more than a thirty?"
"Positive. Did you see the way the bitch was looking at us? We've got all the time in the world as far as she's concerned."
"If you say so."
Tayuya and Karui converse with one another as they seat themselves at an open table for two. Swiftly after Kushina dismissed them for their breaks, Tayuya hopped in her car to head to her favorite maid café, extending the invitation to her fellow rosette. Once fully settled and promptly served by their icy blonde server, a quiet hum lingers between them as they both work up the gusto to address the elephant in the room.
"They're fucking."
"Yeah. They're totally fucking."
Karui breathes a sigh of relief when her vulgar companion agrees with her. She even chuckles when Tayuya sips her tea with her eyes closed, further emphasizing her petty nature.
"Okay, I'm glad it wasn't just me that thought so," the dark-skinned woman states. "They were making it so freakin' obvious, it's not even funny."
"Are you kidding me? If they thought they were being slick with keeping secrets, then they need to go back to ninja school or something," Tayuya jokes as she takes a bite of her bagel. "And what's with the tall, pale guy anyway? Who the fuck is he supposed to be? Her butler?"
Karui grimaces at the prospect. "Ew. They look too alike for him to be her butler. More like he's probably family."
"Then why the fuck is he calling her 'Hinata-sama' if they're related? That's fucking weird," the brown-eyed woman scoffs. "Either way, man must have fucked up something in that threesome shit 'cause why else would everyone look like they were ready to rip him apart?"
Karui nods and stretches her back with her arms raised behind her head. "I don't know, man, but the animosity in that room was suffocating. The fact that even Naruto and Karin were a part of it was something unreal."
"You wanna talk about unreal," Tayuya scoffs. "Why not talk about the fact our bitch of a boss was the mediator in that dumpster fire? The woman with an even bigger temper than me was playing peacekeeper?" She all but guffaws at her own statement. "I mean, surely you've heard the rumors about the 'red-hot habanero', right? There's a reason I applied for this job."
Karui rolls her golden eyes as her companion snorts her way through her laughter. "Well duh! It's kind of hard to ignore a rumor as big as hers when you've got a reputation named after the color of your hair 'cause you beat up people who make fun of it."
"I strive for her level of petty." Tayuya sighs with a smirk. This earns her a chuckle from her fellow redhead.
"Of course you do."
"You seriously need to stop letting this dude get to you like this, Sakura." The cherry-haired women suddenly perk up at the sound of a discussion that isn't their own. "It was one date. Let this Sasori thing go."
"Huh?!" Karui gasps, her eyes widening as she locks eyes with an equally shocked Tayuya. "Saso-"
"Shh!" Tayuya whispers rather harshly, hiding her face with her hand. "Just shut up and listen! Act natural!"
The dark-skinned woman composes herself and quickly turns to look out the frost-covered window. "Right, right," she mumbles, her ears tuned into the waitresses' conversation.
"I know that Ino, but it still doesn't make it better! I don't know why I'm so hung up on it! Especially when it was so fuc- er, freaking weird!" The pink-haired waitress responds to her bleach-blonde coworker.
"Exactly! It was weird! All the more reason to get over it already! It's been weeks and he's been occupying your mind just as bad Sasuke-kun did so long ago!" The blonde, Ino, states forcefully, sighing as she pinches the bridge of her nose. "For heaven's sake, you actually dated Sasuke-kun so you at least had a reason then."
The rosette's pretty face turns sour at the mention of her ex, leaving Tayuya racking her brain for the knowledge of where she's heard that name before. "Don't go bringing Sasuke-kun into this, Ino. That's a low blow and you know it. Besides, you're preaching to the choir here. The sensible part of me knows to stop harping on it, but there's this nagging in the back of my mind wondering just what the actual hell- argh… heck happened!"
Ino's brows dip and she gazes apologetically at her friend. "You're right, I'm sorry. But you asked for my opinion then and my opinion still stands. I think you liked him 'cause his attitude was kind of like Sasuke-kun's. Only in the way where they're both blunt and kind of calm. I think you just have a thing for intimidating men at this point."
Sakura groans and plops her head dramatically on the counter, earning her a pitiful giggle from Ino and judgemental stares from both patrons and other coworkers.
"Alright, alright, stop pouting already," Ino laments, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You keep going on about this, but you've never actually told me what happened before and after our movie date. Sai and I got our impressions of him then and didn't really see the appeal, but what actually happened to make you so upset over him? Did you guys bang afterward? Was he that go-"
"I-I-Ino! Oh my God!"
"What?" Ino is mildly taken aback when Sakura abruptly jumps up, red and flustered by her comment.
"Ino! The order for your table is ready!" A fellow coworker suddenly chimes in with her hands on her hips. Ino rolls her eyes, sticking her tongue out in response to her sass. When she looks back at Sakura, she holds back a laugh when seeing her holding her cheeks, glaring back at her in mortification.
"Hold that thought. Tell me all about it when I come back."
Upon hearing this, Karui and Tayuya scramble to appear as if they hadn't become fully invested in their conversation. Karui hastily chugs down her tea, choking when it goes down the wrong pipe after Tayuya kicks her under the table. She glares at her fellow redhead, trying not to cough so loud, but only makes it worse when their blonde waitress, Ino, saunters over to check on them.
"Gosh, are you okay? Would you like a glass of water, or maybe another tea?" She asks sweetly. Karui can't help but look away to try to handle her coughing fit, hating Tayuya for inadvertently causing it.
"She'll take both," Tayuya replies, silently shooing the girl away. Despite the puzzled look given to them, the waitress caters to her job, assuring them she'll be back in a jiff. With another kick under the table, the brute woman once more shields her face. "Get it together!"
Once more, Karui chokes on her spit, slamming her hand down on the table and kicking the woman back. "I… had it… together… be… fore… you… ki-kicked… me!... Bitch!"
Karui turns away again with a quick thanks offered once Ino returns with her beverages. Chugging down the water, she's grateful that her coughing is quelled.
"For fucks sake!" She growls. "Don't do that again!"
"Don't be so obvious and I fucking won't!" The brown-eyed woman whispers back harshly, her glare sharpening. "Anyway, onto more important shit. Does the name Sasuke ring a bell to you?"
Karui quirks a brow. "Yeah, same name as Karin's boytoy or boyfriend, whatever the hell they are. You think it's the same guy?"
"Well I don't know many Sasuke's, do you?" Karui shrugs, eyeing down the pink-haired waitress, who was still moping as she waited for her friend. "And Sasori went on a date with her? He doesn't really give me the player vibes."
"I mean, we both agree that he must've been fucking Hinata going off how everyone was acting. Maybe he is really just a hoe and she ain't as innocent as she looks. Then again, I see what you mean. She's too pretty for him."
Tayuya cringes with disgust, feeling her body shiver at the thought. "I don't know, man. I agree with the blonde bitch on this one. I don't see the appeal. He's a prick."
"Takes one to know one," Karui mumbles, earning another kick. "Ow! I said fucking quit it!"
"Shh!"
"Okay, my tables should be set for a bit," says Ino as she saunters her way over to her coworker. Facing each other on opposite sides of the counter, she leans in, resting her head on her palm, twirling her ponytail between her polished fingers. "Spill the beans, girlie."
Sakura's gem-colored eyes gaze down at her friend with trepidation. She worries her lip and rubs her arms, her anxiety being palpable even to the eavesdropping duo.
"I wish you wouldn't be so blunt about things, Ino, but unfortunately yes, we did end up hooking up that night," Sakura confesses, her cheeks stained the same color as her hair. "That might have something to do with it, but I don't think so, at least not entirely."
Ino's crystal blue eyes shimmer at the news. "Was he good at least? 'Cause, that's the only reason-"
"Oh my God, pig, please!" The rosette exclaims, lightly shoving the other girl. "Get your mind out of the freaking gutter and just listen!" Ino caves and reigns in her sniggering to ease the flustered girl. "It doesn't matter if he was good or not because he immediately kicked me out and ghosted me after that!"
Both Kauri and Tayuya, along with Ino, gasp collectively at the information. Where Ino insults his coldness, the two gingers share a look of interest.
"I honestly couldn't tell you what went wrong," Sakura continues. "Everything was fine for the most part, up until we saw that girl at the park. His attitude changed completely, but I still didn't try to worry too much. For fu- for goodness sake, I even ignored his creepy puppet collection hobby because he was fine in the beginning."
Ino and the girls all cringe. "Ew! You never told me about this puppet collection."
Sakura looks doubtful. "I'm sure I mentioned something before, since you know, I told you he asked me to be a model for him."
"Oh yeah! I forgot that's how you two started talking."
The rosette nods and holds herself in mock comfort. "Yeah. I didn't really trust him at first, but when he sent me pictures of his work, I'll admit it was weird to see life-sized puppets, but they did look really cool and I was flattered. But I told him I wouldn't do it unless you met him first, just in case he was some creep."
"I'm proud of you for that thought," Ino compliments. "With all the weird disappearances going on, that's why I brought Sai along too. You can never be too careful with people these days. Which is why I'm still shocked you even went back to his place."
"I was just trying to save the date, to be honest. Like I said, after he saw that girl, he stopped being charming and was just more standoffish. It was like he couldn't wait for everything to be over and done with, which is what you said back then too," Sakura says, shaking her head at the memory. "Thinking back on it, I remember being amazed at how grand his house was. I had never seen a house like his in person, so I think I was even more flattered that he wanted to use me as a model."
"I'll admit, seeing his workshop in person was scary, but he did his business, rather seriously actually. Then afterward his charm was back like he hadn't been zombified the whole day and we hooked up." Sakura can feel her emerald eyes begin to water, prompting her to rub them and turn away. "Then he just went right back to being a jerk and kicked me out as if he hadn't just rocked my world like no one has since Sasuke-kun."
Despite her better judgment, Ino still can't help but gloat at her confession. "See! I told you! Right there you just admitted to his similarity to Sasuke-kun! I knew that had something to do with it!" When Sakura glares fiercely at her in response, she holds her hands up defensively, opting to save that topic for later. "Right, well, uh, aside from that, you keep mentioning this girl and her being the reason for a mood change. Why do you think that?"
Sakura softens her glare and sighs, exasperated by this chit-chat already. "You know that girl that comes into the shop all the time? The one that religiously gets a cinnamon bun and occasionally the chai latte?"
Ino brings her fist to her chin in thought, before her eyes glimmer with remembrance. "Oh, you mean that sweet girl with blue hair and really pale eyes? What was her name? Hinata, right?"
"Yeah, she's the one," the cherry-haired girl confirms. "We ran into her at the park on our way to see you guys and she snapped a picture of us. She said it was for her portfolio, and I told her to keep it because it was actually really cute. Sasori wasn't in agreement, though, and was honestly pretty cold towards her until we convinced him to let her use it."
"If he was mean to her, then why do you think she changed his mood?" Ino inquires, flipping her blonde ponytail. "I mean, now that I think of it, they came in together one time and he didn't act at all like how he did on the double date."
"I don't know, but like I said, after running into her, even for how brief it was, he wasn't himself anymore. He was distant and damn- shit!- darn near abrasive towards me, up until we went to his house. Almost like he was lost in thought the entire time."
Both girls grow quiet, adjusting to the information they both shared. No doubt the situation was bizarre - even Tayuya and Karui agreed to that.
"Are you girls done talking or do I have to continue doing all three of our jobs myself?" The worker from before calls out, her voice laced with annoyance.
This causes all four ladies to jump, making the two eavesdroppers yet again fidget to appear as if they hadn't been listening in the entire time. Both Ino and Sakura grumble their apologies and agree to discuss the matter after their shifts. With the waitresses dispersing, this leaves Kushina's workers with a heavy feeling lingering in the air.
"So…" Karui starts, squinting her eyes. "They're… not fucking..?"
"I mean, they're not dating so he can fuck whoever he wants," Tayuya shrugs, unsure of her own sentiment. "Must be, since she didn't get pissed seeing him with another woman."
"So… they wanna fuck?" Karui questions, unsatisfied with the lack of answers.
"Dude, I don't know!" The vulgar woman all but shouts, earning her looks from fellow patrons and staff. Seeing this, she composes herself and ruffles her hair. "I don't know what those three have going on, but clearly that bastard is not a faithful guy and he's gonna ruin her."
"At least she'll have Gaara to fall back on," the melanin-skinned beauty jokes. Tayuya scoffs, rolling her chocolate eyes.
"Yeah-fucking-right. That asshole ain't any better. He's just as much a fucking weirdo as that prick," she snorts. "Girl knows how to pick 'em, that's for sure."
Neji didn't like this one bit. Not one single bit.
Not only was his cousin by herself downstairs with them, but now he was forced to have both sets of blue and red glaring at him as if he were but a child. He could just barely deal with the judgemental heated stares from earlier, but he did not appreciate being looked at as if he were about to be scolded. Especially not when the thorn in his side was standing behind her son and niece snickering away as if his chagrin was the funniest thing in the world.
His cousin was so lucky that he loved her.
"You've got a lot of ass-kissing to do, Neji," Karin snaps, crossing her arms and huffing out her irritation.
"Yeah!" Naruto chimes in. "I don't care if you're pissed about what happened between those guys, but shutting us out too was not cool, ya know!"
"Especially since we didn't even do anything wrong!" Karin adds.
Neji breathes in deeply, trying his best not to look Kushina in the eye. "I wouldn't say you didn't do anything. You spurred her on, but that's beside the point."
"Oh my gosh!" The bespectacled woman groans, throwing her hands in the air. Naruto palms his face as he becomes just as defeated as his relative.
"How were we supposed to know it was gonna get that far, man?! And you overreacted anyway, so that's not on us-"
"I didn't come here to get into arguments," the Hyūga interjects. "I came here to apologize and that's all."
Hearing his words quells the cousins' growing annoyance with him. Their gazes become softer, and Kushina even eases up on her teasing glances.
"I know where my faults lie and I'm sorry for acting out. I just want what's best for her, and you all know that," Neji confesses solemnly. "If my actions right now don't reflect that, then I'll take my leave."
A deafening silence lingers in the air between the group. The long-haired man sits with a heavy feeling of apprehension, just waiting for the outburst from Naruto or the bitching from Karin. He knew at this time there was nothing he could say or do to quell their anger with him. If they needed more time, especially now that they had Hinata back, he would be more than willing to give them their space. He's not one so prideful to stay where he isn't wanted.
"Awh man, you make this no fun," Naruto suddenly drawls, causing Neji's eyes to shoot open in bewilderment. "You even find a way to take the joy out of busting your balls, Neji!"
"... Excuse me..?" Neji was confused.
"There's no way you can be this prim and proper all the time!" Karin jabs, pushing her glasses into place. "Especially when you hang out with someone as rowdy and rambunctious as Rock Lee! Did you see him at the party?! For someone who can't drink a sip of liquor, he treated that shit like a rave."
"... Uh…" Neji's pale eyes shift hectically between the Uzumaki.
Naruto laughs wholeheartedly at his cousin's statement, completely disregarding the puzzled look on the Hyūga's face. "Dude, I love that guy! He might be a bit much, but Bushy Brows is a cool dude! Maybe you should take a couple of lessons from him on how to loosen up."
Karin chimes in. "Yeah! Even prissy Hinata has some layers to her personality every once in a while. Maybe we should keep Tenten around you since she seems to know how to wind you down if you know what I mean," she snickers, rolling her body suggestively.
Neji immediately turns red at the implication, becoming even more mortified when Kushina giggles with her hand daintily covering her mouth before turning her head to the side. "I-I-I don't know what you're talking about!" He retorts weakly, standing from his seat.
He's swiftly pushed back down by the blonde, who wraps his arm around his shoulder as he sits beside him on the couch.
"Don't play coy now, Neji," Karin slyly says as Naruto pokes at his flushed cheeks and ears. "We saw you two clear as day at the party. I don't know what your relationship is, but it's clearly something you don't want your precious Hinata to take part in. Talk about selfish."
Though her voice was oozing with snarky sarcasm, her words did ring true. Enough so to have Neji halt in his futile attempts at fighting off Naruto's obnoxious poking. His shoulders slump and his head drops down into the palms of his hands.
"You're right," he confesses. "I was being selfish, but only because I - OW!"
"Stop being such a downer!" Naruto scolds after pinching Neji's ear and tugging. When the angry man starts swatting him away and actively trying to push him off the couch, his whiskered grin widens. "Hahaha! We're just busting your chops! Stop being so serious all the time!"
Neji succeeds in shoving Naruto flat on his ass, much to the delight of his family. "You are so much like Lee it's irritating!" He scoffs, pouting and crossing his arms.
"Oh my goodness, so you do know how to show something other than indifference!" Karin cheers, clapping her hands and smiling at him as if he were a toddler.
Neji turns his glare on her and barks back a retort, leaving Naruto and Karin laughing and continuing to nitpick at his sturdy wall of snooty callousness. During the entirety of their bickering, Kushina stood behind with a growing smile, relaxed and pleased at the outcome so far from her meddling the prior day.
She is proud to see that her son and niece have matured enough to not hold a grudge against Neji, and chose the route of humor to tease him instead. Knowing that her kids were this kind made her feel as if she had done something right with her parenting… at least for one of her children. She still questions to this day what she could've done differently with her daughter, but it's too late to dwell on such thoughts. Things were going decently in the right direction, and that's all that matters to her.
Although, speaking of her daughter and her meddling, she had a phone call to make.
Wordlessly, the matriarch excuses herself from the bickering animated trio. Kushina enters one of the spare guest rooms, silently closing the door behind her. She proceeds to dig her phone out of her pocket, skimming through her recent contacts until she finds who she's looking for. Pressing the call button, she waits patiently for the dial tone to end.
"Hello?" Her anxiety rises slightly when the caller answers. She has to calm her rapid heartbeat with a few deep breaths before she can say what she needs to. "Kushina?"
With one final inhale through her nose, the redhead steadies her resolve. "Nagato, I need you to listen to me, okay?"
There's silence on the other end, but she knows that he's listening to her, most likely guarded due to the seriousness of her tone.
"You told me that you aren't associated with that group anymore, correct? You aren't working with them?" She asks, clenching her fist.
"No, I am not. I assure you this, Kushina," Nagato states earnestly, almost sounding desperate. "I may have done a lot of wrong in my life, but this is one thing I'm serious about. I promise you my relationship with them is done. I just want to redeem myself and make amends with what family I have left."
Kushina closes her eyes and breathes deeply after hearing his words. Though it kills her to think of their troubled history, she can't pretend that she doesn't find him sincere given his past actions and current attitude.
"Well…" she sighs. "If you truly mean that, I need you to do me a favor."
"A favor?" He questions, the hesitation evident in his voice. "What kind of favor?"
"The kind of favor that can help determine your place in my family's life, Nagato," she replies sternly, her voice shaking due to her conflicting feelings.
"What?!"
"Now this won't be an easy request I have for you, but you're the only person I can rely on for this. I know there is a possibility it'll be impossible, but I at least need to see some effort that you tried," Kushina continues. "For if I don't, then don't bother ever showing your face around me nor my kids ever again."
Breathing. She can hear him breathing heavily on the other end. No doubt his mind was racing and his anxiety was getting to him. But she can't be lenient. She can't mince her words towards him, no matter how harsh they may be. She knows family is important to him, hence why he's in the position he's in now.
"What… what do you need me to do?" He inquires, sounding defeated.
Kushina breathes a sigh of relief that he's willing to hear her out at least. Now does this mean he can help her? There's a low chance, very low chance of it, but she's gotta at least try something. If today taught her anything, it was that sticking her nose in business where it doesn't belong can actually be helpful. Will the same be said for a task at a level this extreme? She can only pray.
"Okay, so there's this woman…"
Breathe…
"I…"
"Excuse us."
Hinata blinked. Her breath hitched. Her cheeks flushed. Her entire being became rigid with her mortification at the fact that she was so effortlessly silenced before she could even speak when Gaara tugged Sasori along, brushing past her. She watched, doe-eyed, as they disappeared behind the counter into the back room.
While abrupt, she didn't miss the sparing glances they sent her and to each other. The quick flash of confusion that graced Sasori's handsome face replaced the tempestuous stare that he held on her. A passionate visage of determination danced across Gaara's soft features just before he grabbed his fellow redhead by the wrist.
What was Gaara planning to do?
To be honest, this was not at all how she thought things would play out. Did she think they were going to be all over each other after a week of not seeing one another? That would be ridiculously presumptuous and downright conceited of her to think they would fall into the other as such. Yes, they shared a delightful impassioned moment, but at the end of the day, they were practically strangers - well at least she was to them.
"Ugh~~..." Hinata groans into her hands. "What has my life come to?"
It took all of her willpower, plus the fact that she was entirely too socially awkward and shy, to not march back there and demand they all talk together about what happened. For now, she will let them share their piece since she's pretty sure Kushina mentioned they've been avoiding each other, as well as everyone else when she was texting her the night before.
Thankfully, as she wallowed in her inner turmoil, the door chimed and she rushed into position behind the counter. All this overthinking and worrying was killing her. She was in dire need of some reprieve, no matter how brief.
Matter of fact, the boys can take their sweet time talking. Kushina managed to thrust this solitude upon them so curtly after they all arrived, so again, this is her blessing in disguise and her time to breathe.
Sasori eyes Gaara carefully.
This wasn't like him to be this worked up without provocation first. His Gaara was usually calm, scarily calm if you asked the average person. He's come a long way from the abrasive and damn near homicidal attitude that he maintained in his childhood - which was rightfully warranted if you asked his siblings.
However, right now, Gaara was frazzled. He was bothered in some way. Almost antsy, oddly enough.
Has he smoked yet today? Did he quit cold turkey? Sasori wondered. It made the most sense given his behavior and the fact that he hasn't heard from nor seen him in over a week. Surely this wasn't because of her.
There's no way.
Positively no way.
Gaara didn't like people.
He tolerated them.
He didn't even like his last girlfriend. Granted she was annoying and he didn't even consider it a relationship beyond fucking, but she put that label on them and he didn't refute it.
His Gaara didn't get smitten with anyone. He didn't have crushes. He lusted. There's a difference.
So there is no way he's this flustered because of her. The redness on his cheeks and ears can't be because of her.
He can't.
Because if so…
"I think… I like her," Shit… "Do you?"
God damnit Gaara, you jackass! Why must you make this hard?
"What if I do?"
It was just supposed to be fun! You weren't supposed to catch feelings!
"We can share, can't we?"
This is gonna ruin everything!
"We could, but I don't like you enough to do that."
I need to stop this.
Gaara glares and grabs Sasori by the collar of his shirt, pinning him up against the wall. Sasori doesn't react, maintaining his smug, uninterested facade.
"Feeling's mutual, pal, but I'm…" the minty green-eyed man falters, catching his words that his frenemy is silently dreading to hear. "I'm still willing to do it."
Sasori finally breaks, if only a little. He lets his face harden into a spiteful glare, earning him an even harsher one from Gaara. His pout deepens as Gaara's grip on his shirt tightens.
Don't make me do this…
"So what's it going to be?"
Don't make me hurt you in a way you can't come back from.
"Eeek!"
That squeak.
It was Hinata.
The tension between the boys breaks slightly as they snap their heads in the direction of the front of the store. A sense of deja vú washes over them, their minds flashing back to their first introduction to the bluenette.
Not moving an inch from their positions, they can see Hinata ducked down behind the counter, covering her head and cowering. It doesn't appear as if she had been eavesdropping on them, judging by her frantically sparing glances around the corner of the counter before tucking back.
Finally, her eyes meet theirs and the sheer panic displayed on her face has Gaara loosen his grip immediately and step back. Even Sasori was alert, momentarily forgetting his dilemma with his fellow redhead in favor of her wellbeing.
"Hinat-"
"Shh!" The Hyūga woman's harsh whisper and panicked hand gestures put the boys even more so on edge.
Was the store under attack again? What the hell was going on!?
"Oi! Isn't there any kind of service in this fucking shit hole?"
Sasori went still.
He paled.
What the fuck is he doing here?!
"I see that bitch isn't here. Skank learned her lesson from last time."
Gaara flinched.
He knew that voice.
That annoyingly high-pitched grating voice.
Don't tell me that she was…
Both redheads spare one more look at the trembling girl behind the counter. Her eyes were pleading, but not in the same way as earlier for her cousin. No. This time she was scared.
So they stepped out.
Without a second thought, Gaara and Sasori exited the back room, going behind the counter, forcing Hinata to be sandwiched between them. Gaara places a comforting hand on her head, making her still. She looks up, seeing he's staring straight ahead at those that made her turn tail and hide in the first place. Despite the lack of eye contact, she knew he was telling her to stay down.
Then she feels a brush against her fingers and looks over to Sasori who was in the same position as his partner in crime. No eye connection was needed to show his reassurance that they had her back thanks to him touching his pinky to her raised hand.
She can feel her cheeks burn at this. It was something so small, yet it held such a big impact on her. The similarities to how they first got along were so palpable and jarring, granted this was an entirely different scenario.
There was just no way this was happening to her right now. Why did he have to show up now of all times? Why here? And why with her of all people?! How did this even come about?! Thank goodness Karin and Kushina weren't down here!
"Hahaha! Well, would you look at that! Sasori, you bastard, I thought you gave up!"
What?! He knows Sasori?!
"Gaara!? I didn't know you worked at this dump! Says a lot considering this store is full of losers!"
She knows Gaara too?! What the heck is going on?!
"Hidan," Sasori all but growled.
"Matsuri," Gaara all but spat.
"What the hell are you doing here?!" Disdain coated their voices like a thick syrup.
Breathe, Hinata.
Breathe.
They said the thing! They said the summary of this story, finally! It took 16 chapters, but it's finally here! Let me know if you like how it came about, and if you're excited about what's next! To be honest, that one convo and what it's building up to were all I had in mind when I created this story. So to see it finally make its way to an actual chapter is thrilling! I have so much lore behind this that I type up that I'm excited to implement into later chapters! I hope those of you that read this continue to enjoy and stick around to see what happens til the end!
That's all for this chapter! I kind of dislike how I ended it just a teensy bit, but I figured I dragged this chapter on long enough, but it sets me up for my next chapter quite nicely. I know it's been a long time coming, but I've been writing this all from my phone now that I'm out of a computer, so it's just a little bit more difficult for me to try to push something out. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it! Please don't forget to review, follow, and/or fave this story! I like hearing the feedback as it keeps me itching to write and churn something out.
I hope you all have a great day and/or night! Please stay safe and take care!