Chapter Two - Kiss Me, Kiss Me

Dancing, Dates, and Other Dumb Things

- From before -

A tap on my shoulder - oh yeah, it was a partner swap. I take back my "ruining someone else's night." I'm definitely going to be a burden, most likely. I can't dance, I know I look horrible...

I turn around.

Kamisama!

I have no idea what my face looks like, but I should, any moment now, keel over and die.

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January 3, Year of the Koi Pond

Neji. My partner is Neji.

Thoughts overlap. I haven't seen him since a few months ago - somehow I'd avoided him through the remaining few school days, though I sat at his lunch table... But now it's inevitable... From that time I'd stood up for myself, he'd always ignored me, so it wasn't much of a problem.

But now...

His hair, as usual, is brushed back in a shiny ponytail, and today it's more radiant, if possible, under the bright glow of the disco ball. He's wearing completely black. Emo. (But no, that's not fair - so many people are dressed like him. I'm just derogatory when it comes to details when I'm going to freaking dance with my freaking cousin.)

He stares at me for a second, his eyes widening.

"What," he says, "the hell. I'm sitting down."

I bit back a stream of useful insults as he stalks away to the nearest concessions table. But yes, he's right, this is the best idea in this situation. Never mind that I feel ridiculous in high heels and a stupid dress. It's all for nothing. I'm sitting down.

We're the only people at the table, though a few idiotic-looking ninja are looking at us as if torn - I also notice that their partners look very clumsy. So who cares. They don't make the decision - they're not smart enough. Either way, the music starts, and bam, they're locked in another frenzy of toe-stepping, uncomfortably-closeness. Much like a jail cell, if I substitute the jail for a dance floor.

I feel alone...my friends are out there somewhere, dancing the night away. Ino, Naruto, Kiba, even Sasuke. Yumeki; she's visiting again...TenTen, Chouji, Shikamaru - his head still looks like a pineapple - my sister, the other small Genin I've met, like Konohamaru, Moegi...and Sakura. She's having a better night than me, it's true.

Two utterly slow songs pass. My leg itches and my throat is very, very dry. But I'm tougher than that.

"So..." he starts suddenly, and the laconic image is broke. "I'm sorry for how I acted at the hospital. It wasn't my best day."

Forgiveness is on the tip of my tongue, but before I can spit out anything, the dance ends and Hana's voice rings out, more annoying to me than anything, "Next, switch partners again! Anyone you want, be it a childhood sweetheart or a long-term crush, or just a acquaintance!" So many people are looking happy. I don't want to dance to ruin the moment. Before long, Yumeki comes over and shyly offers her hand to Neji, who takes it, after giving me a doubtful glance. Of course I don't make eye contact. It's much easier that way.

I'm so bored out of my wits, if I had any to start in the first place.

I would dance if I could dance. I would be friendly if I knew how.

It's dark and I'm nodding off to sleep. I wonder what time it is...

"Hinata." It's Sasuke's voice, or an impersonator with that accent just like his.

"What?" I stay sitting uncomfortably.

The dance would be ending soon...

"Hinata." This time there's an edge to it. A grip encircles my wrist tightly, possessively. I'm forced to stand up.

It's all black save for the meager light in the colors of the disco ball and from that light I can see that Sasuke's face is tense.

"What is it?" If I'm supposed to be concerned, I'm not - just surprised. What's he up to?

His hand drops and I feel the rush of cold air on my arm. "Just that idiot Ino is is annoying the crap out of me." Only he didn't say 'idiot' or 'crap.'

"It's no big deal," I start hesitantly, still feeling the chill up my arm, "was she your partner?"

A scowl showed on his features. "Unfortunately," he says grimly, his eyes narrowed in some unseen anger, "and she tripped on my feet a million times, and swooned like a piece of crap." Only he didn't say 'crap.'

I smile. "Young love." He rolls his eyes, but I continue seriously, "Why me, though?"

"You're the only friend I have," is his taciturn answer.

"Huh? I am?"

He leans against the wall, a faraway look in his onyx eyes. It's dark... "Remember that day you said...ah...confirmed, that we were friends?

"Yeah...but only friend you have?!"

He laughs suddenly, the sound harsh. "I guess so. I can't - I can't tolerate anybody else. They all get on my nerves."

"Hey," I say lightly, "Ino's not that bad."

He's looking secluded again. "Well, I shouldn't know. I'm not a girl."

"Crushes are important for making decisions later on in life." As soon as I say it I wish they'd never existed in the first place. Stupid me... Making those obtuse, split-second choices again.

He leans in, his face impassive. "What about secrets?" he whispers, placing a hand on the wall an inch away from my left ear. We're exactly one arm length away...my heart beats are nonexistent. I'm waiting...

"Can you keep...?"

"Um, yes," I stammer. I clear my throat. "Um, I've kept a lot of...secrets." He nods imperceptibly. I blurt out, "What about your neck?"

Sasuke's eyes flash and he studies me intently. I know I've gone too far, over The Border. "First I'll ask you if you can keep secrets."

"Yes..."

"What kind?"

"Um, a lot of secrets...passwords, feelings, crushes..." This is true. TenTen likes Neji - technically it's a secret, since she told me she'd bash our (Ino, Sakura, and me) heads out if we told. (I think it's slightly obvious, though, but that's not the point. It's a secret.) Hanabi crushes after Konohamaru. "...the mark of your neck? It's more important than these things," I add.

His arm bends a little as he moves closer. "More important than a ...crush?" he murmurs. I bet he can hear my heart beating right now. Hah! It's not beating...I feel my breath stop, anticipating. "Are you...sure?"

"Y-yes," I whisper back. "So...what happened to you underwater?"

His eyes are hidden by a thin curtain of hair, but I can see his mouth convulse, something ominous, and he turns and walks away without answering. My head feels like it's in a black hole, swirling. Dizzy.

Beside me, the wall has a clear dent where his fingers had clenched.

- Still dancing...or the lack of dancing, thereof -

"It's nine o'clock!" announces Hana Inuzuka. "We're having a few fun, thrilling relay races!"

Excited mutters run through the crowd. I can't care less. "Same partner as you had previously chosen! The boy will run as the girl cheers him on, from one end of the gym to the other!"

Naruto? I spot his thick blond hair in the crowd. He waves me over. "Yeah, Hinata!" he says enthusiastically. "You can cheer all you want, but I'm going to win anyway even if you don't!" He rearranges his ninja band proudly, and I grin back. Eagerness is contagious... "I'm going to win! Believe it!"

The races fly past, Rock Lee winning the first. The second is the girls racing while the boys cheer. I hear Naruto's voice loud and clear, but come in, sadly, second. Oh well. It's not as if I really wanted to win...

"Fifth race! Switching partners again! The boy will carry the girl."

Naruto gives me puppy dog eyes. I sigh, but nod half-heartedly. He goes over to try to convince Sakura, who says something along the lines of, "Over my dead body. I don't want you to carry me."

I guess I'm sitting down...again.

Maybe...Sasuke... But no; he's looking extremely ticked off and cross, but I can tell he's agreed to Ino's perpetual pleas. My best friend shoots Sakura a boastful look. It's supposed to be a partner switch, but...somehow she managed to get it past the onlookers.

Sakura glares back and stomps on Naruto's foot; he yells, and I can tell how fast his crush on her is wearing off.

Neji's chosen TenTen (not that I would've chosen him, anyway, but - !) Chouji has Temari, Shikamaru has Yumeki, and a few others have girls I don't recognize. This is sad. Very, very sad. I have no one.

"Hey Hinata!" It's ironic - and I just about have a brain aneurysm right then and there.

I know it's Kiba. Gratitude encircles my smile as we take out places (me, very uncomfortable and trying to be as still as possible.)

"Ready, set, go!" I"m in Kiba's arms, and we're speeding ahead. My eyes adjust to the crazy velocity. Sasuke reluctantly carries Ino as if she were a bag of mulch, Neji mutters something and TenTen looks furious, Sakura's not getting on; the sulker. Kiba runs, whether I'm comfortable or not, but I don't care. Relief is like ignorance. But in this case, not bliss. I clench my teeth with his long stride.

We are first by about thirty seconds. Finally he lets me down and grins to his sister, who rolls her eyes. She fills out a paper, writing down our names. "Here, little brother," she says. "You won the date to Expresserique, fanciest restaurant in all of Konoha!"

We...won? I wonder. Things had sped up exponentially.

Kiba gives his sister a confused glance. "I thought the prize was two gift cards."

"No," counters Hana, smiling a little too proudly in the event that her brother had won, "I can choose...whatever."

"But - " I start.

She interrupts, "I think you guys look awfully cute together! You should date, anyhow. I'm doing a favor." On Kiba's face dawns an expression in which I can only describe as 'What the heck?' "Besides, little bro, you should stop moping around with nothing to do. It's healthy.

Last contest for the night!" she yells out, our predicament clearly rolled up, flattened, and tossed aside, but I can't hear anything but the flush of my thoughts down the toilet.

A...date? ...But...we're not...??

"Oh. And by the way?" adds Kiba's sister to us, whose voice is much less intimidating without a microphone, "you're not participating in the last because you already won. And?" Her smirk rises at Kiba, "the gift card to Expresserique?"

"That expires tomorrow."

If this isn't blackmail I can't put two and two together. A free dinner that's bound to cost a few thousand yen? No one can pass that offer.

And even if I got someone - fat, fat chance - to act as a surrogate for myself, or if I used the clone jutsu, Kiba would know immediately. And I don't know if clones can eat, either.

Really, there's absolutely no way out of this...unless - I peer hopefully at Kiba, who's watching the contest with little interest. ...Unless he doesn't want to go as well?

"What?" he asks, turning around. I blink. "Who doesn't want to go to where?"

Crap. I'd voiced it aloud. But it's better to spit it out sooner, I resolve. Inwardly sighing, I say, hopefully in a casual tone, "Are you going?"

"To where?"

"To the - to the dinner."

He stares at me as if trying to figure out how many eyelashes I have. "Of course."

"Are...are you sure?" I question again, and his brow creases. Then his eyes narrow; he understands my doubt.

"Do you...?"

What I expect is an easy question with an equally easy answer. Something like, Do you want to go as friends or as real dates? I'd answer as the former... But...I don't expect a more indirect, though incisive, approach;

"Do you hate me that much?" he whispers artlessly.

To this I get nothing save for a few stammers. "N-no." In the corner of my eye I see that the contest is nearly over. Thank Kamisama! Sasuke and Ino have won the three-legged race. Two free gift cards. I swallow, aware of his gaze. Lucky them...

"Kiba!" calls out Shikamaru. "Did you see that? We nearly won." He sighs at Temari. Then he sees me. "Hi, Hinata. Good job; you guys won. How lucky is that? Not for our skill...how troublesome." Temari hits him and he grabs his jacket, calls, "Bye!"

Kiba looks back at me. "I've got to get Akamaru," he says, almost to himself. "He wasn't allowed in. Six o'clock?"

"What?"

"Dinner. Unless..." His eyes are tender. I get a choice in this, right? "...You don't want to?"

How can I say know? I wonder crossly. "I'll be there." His sister calls his name and he follows. What have I done now? Another twist, another complication. As if my life can't hold anymore crap.

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January 4, Year of the Koi Pond

- Four in the morning -

I can't sleep. I know it sounds stupid, but I'd just dreamed about who's going to be my future husband. Ouch. This can't be good.

My subs-consciousness...the Oh Great One.

Naruto - possible ramen shop owner? Money? Not very much.

Sasuke - no family. Poor poor Sasuke! Very mysterious. Maybe has a stash of money somewhere? Don't know. (Why should I care????!!)

Kiba - we'll own lotsa pets! Fish, dogs, rats, rice, I mean, mice, frogs, cats, except he might be allergic to them?!

Chouji - I don't know. Why?

Shikamaru - we'll have a store full of strategic games. Then maybe he'll stop being so obsessed with Shogi.

Gaara - so I'll buy him cookies. I wonder where we're going to marry? In an igloo? I mean, a teepee? Or what are those things in the deserts? Those straw huts? Or was it adobes?

- Ten o'clock, morning -

It's a Friday. I love this schedule, though I hardly use it to my benefit. Kurenai trains with us every other day, so I can relax (though I'm supposedly training) today. Maybe I'll fall asleep again...

- Eleven thirty, late morning -

"HINATA!" screams that - that - voice. My eardrums throb, I have a sick taste in my mouth, and the blankets are way too hot. But I can't get up - the curtains are drawn open very, very wide. Curse Hanabi. I think he would see my tattered pajamies if I got out of bed. "HINATA! OI, HINATA! COME TO A MISSION WITH US!" shrieks Naruto, while a familiar voice screeches, "Shut up, Naruto!"

It's Sakura. I groan. I'm so not going I'm so not going I'm so not -

"Tell her to hurry up." Why do I have to be so good at recognizing voices? "Tell her we're not leaving until she comes."

"SASUKE SAYS YOU SHOULD HURRY UP, HINATA! AND WE'RE NOT LEAVING UNTIL YOU COME DOW - OWW!"

I choose this moment to slide out of bed, brush my teeth - wash my face - and comb what's left of my shoulder length hair - and yawn throughout the whole process. Oh why...? Why do I have to be stuck with them? Why not...? Kakashi always makes sure that his team trains every waking minute, every day. And now...I contemplate, opening the door reluctantly, they've made me a victim of the process.

Sakura talks as we walk, "Kakashi's not here today - "

"He said that he was going to be stuck on the road to life!" Naruto chimes in, his eyes skeptical, "I bet he's not! I bet he's at the hot springs peeki - "

"Shut up, Naruto!" snaps Sakura, walloping him on the head before turning to me. I'm surprised her eyes aren't shooting venom darts, from all the anger of that one night... "Kakashi told us to substitute him for another teammate of another group for a D-ranked mission in our village. We've already tried a few other people, but they're busy training with partners or something." Her eyes are bright. "And then Naruto said - "

"I said that Hinata sleeps in almost every day!" He squints at me, grinning, "You're sure lazy! Even lazier than m - "

"No one cares!" Sakura shoots at him. We reach the Hokage's mansion; the wind isn't strong today and there are no signs of rain. Looks like I'm not going to have any excuse.

And I've noticed one member of the group has decided to stay quiet and invisible. Guess who.

We reach the Hokage's office and she surveys us. "It's a relatively simple, D-ranked mission," she says. "Help the print locate its scattered newspapers. You'll need to split up in three groups."

"Three?" Naruto's eyes are scrunched up. "Why not four?"

"Because," she answers tartly, "I said so. Besides my job as a principal, I'm the Hokage of this village. My word is law. And also," she leans in and Naruto backs away, "you're a klutz. You'll need someone to majorly help you in finding them.

Sakura Haruno!"

"Hai!"

"You're our first group, by yourself. Chakra control is excellent, so you'll have an easy time with the newspapers in hard to reach places in our village. I'm sure the wind has blown them across to the mountain.

Naruto Uzumaki!"

"HAI! I'm ready! I'm raring to go!"

"Hinata Hyuuga!"

"...Hai."

"You two will be together, since Byakugan is extremely effective.

Sasuke Uchiha!"

"What?"

Her eyes narrow. "You'll be by yourself. Sharingan is useful in locating things. All ready?"

I know Sasuke and I aren't exactly enthusiastic, and Sakura's sulking that she wasn't put in a group with her One True Love. Naruto, though - "YES! I'm READY! I've been ready ALL MY LIFE! BELIEVE IT!"

We split up quickly. Naruto and I have the easternmost spot of Konoha - there are so many houses, so many places where a thin piece of newspaper can get stuck into. Great. Just great.

"Hinata?"

"Okay." I activate Byakugan and rapidly scan the area. "Nothing."

We run over a few more blocks. "There's about twelve pieces of paper," I tell him. He uses his clones to pick up the papers.

"Any more?"

"No." A few more blocks...

- One o'clock -

Team 7 and I meet back on the training grounds, each holding fistfuls of newspaper. "How'd it go?" asks Sakura, mainly to Sasuke. He doesn't answer, but Naruto obviously does. He has his hands and pockets stuffed with newspaper.

"Good! We make a great team." He grins, looking at me.

"It did go well...and fast," I grudgingly admit. Ever since I'd been dragged into the mission, I've gotten less stoic. "We got one hundred and five."

"One hundred and twenty," reports Sasuke, shooting me a look I can only describe as smug, though concealed cleverly by a stray lock of hair.

Sakura says, "I got ninety-five." I know she feels a bit let down. "Let's go back."

After a few minutes, we're all finished the mission. It felt so fast, the first time I didn't want something to end. So transient...

"That was fun!" calls Naruto, with his usually upbeat countenance. I melt around the edges and smile back. "You should come join us again, Hinata! You're much more useful than Kaka - "

"Aw, shut up, Naruto! You're such a pain!"

We go our separate ways. Oh, and?

And guess who didn't talk - again?

- Six o'clock -

Kuso! KUSO! I hurry to put on something that doesn't involve gray or some other boring color, cursing all the while. I yank a brush through my hair and wash my face. I don't look presentable, in a dark blue T-shirt and a black skirt. I trip over my stupid sandals.

The most expensive, fanciest...restaurant in Konoha. I've gotta go - where the heck is Hanabi's wallet?! - but no, it's free! I throw open the door.

I'm late! I'm freaking late - I'll forget the stupid jacket and hurry up -

"Good luck, Hinata!" yells Hanabi from the window.

I wave back - and fall flat on my face.

I swear, if I ever get a chance to slit this dress I will! Hanabi has no fashion sense! None at all.

I reach the restaurant finally; why had I agreed to do this? It's not a good choice! The waitress looks at me as if I were a commoner (which I probably do look like) as I rush past her, breathing hard.

It's already seated; the chairs, the elegant table, even candles, glowing dimly. Somehow it's too seductive. And Kiba's already there, too.

If I survive this...

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There!! My longest chapter ever! That was fun :( My fingers hurt from typing so much!

Pleeeeeease review! Erk. Gotta go; it's really late! Byeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Next Chapter: Hinata and Kiba talk about life and feelings in general. And don't ask anymore; I won't tell. If you really want to be a voice, review or vote on my poll! Thanks!

Lumberry-sama,

The Great One