AUTHOR SAYS: HEY GUYS! WAHOO! XMAS ISN'T TOO FAR NOW. I DON'T RECOMMEND THE GLITTER WRAPPING, IT HATES CELLOTAPE. 30 MORE PRESENTS TO GO 0-0 I'M HAVING A BREAK, SO HERE'S ANOTHER CHAPTER FOR YAH! THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS TOO, THAT'S A GOOD ENOUGH PRESENT FOR ME :D
ALSO: I'M SORRY IT'S SHORT. REALLY AM!
R&R PLEASE - REALLY
Legend:
'Thoughts'
"Talking"
"Jutsu"
Previously...
Sasuke smirked as he raced back to beat Hinata home. That damn Kazekage, he was always able to read Sasuke well. He even had the nerve to look him dead in the eye and tell him he was engaged. Sasuke picked up speed. No matter, as long as Gaara understood not to step into his territory, he was content.
'Home.' Sasuke's mind kept repeating. 'She called my place home.'
Sasuke entered through the window, "Hinata." He whispered. Their was a rare smile on his face.
Chapter Twenty Two
Don't Falter
"Oi, Shikamaru!." Temari called out.
The shadow nin stopped in his track. Obviously she wanted to talk more about the Sasuke/Hinata situation and also the Jounin exams. He sighed and mumbled something she couldn't hear before he summoned a clone. Out from the smoke his clone waved lazily at him before heading off towards Kurenai's house.
"Yo!." He greeted, facing her with what he thought was a happy look. 'I'm starting to sound like Kakashi.' He thought.
Temari frowned, "No need to for the disgust." She hissed, "I want to discuss..-"
"The relationship is fine. Both have consented. And as for the Jounin exams, Naruto's planning on setting everything up tomorrow."
Temari's eyes widened, "Tomorrow? That's..-"
"Naruto is doing it for Gaara." He said. 'Yeah right.' "He's got it stuck in his head that at least someone close to him should be happy."
"Well..." Temari said, "...I don't know what to say? Their is one more thing that I want you to answer for me."
Shikamaru raised a brow, "What?."
"If I'm too face Hinata tomorrow, what are the odds of that Uchiha interferring?." She said seriously.
"Chances are pretty slim." He replied, "Sasuke's on house arrest."
Temari snorted, "If Gaara could become Kazekage, then Sasuke could risk prison."
Shikamaru chuckled, "Everything will be fine. Naruto will have an ANBU squad watching over him. Give it all you got tomorrow if you are selected, it will make Hinata happy."
"Why would that make her happy? Just thinking about it does my head in. She's not the type of person I'd want to fight seriously even if I tried." She explained honestly.
"She's been looked down all her life." Shikamaru offered, "Her father has always considered her a failure, her clan thinks she's weak and unfit to lead, and many like yourself don't recognise her as what she is: A Kunochi. Hinata didn't look the part then, but now she does."
"So." Temari said with a smirk, "You have confidence in her abilities which is a rare sight. Now I hope I get selected tomorrow."
Shikamaru started walking away, "Remember how I forfeit our match?."
Still in earshot, Temari smirked, "Yeah, how could I forget."
"I'd do it again in a heartbeat, if it were me facing Hinata tomorrow. Ja ne." Shikamaru fazed out of her sight before she could question his statement.
'Does he mean to say I should forfeit?.' She asked herself, shocked. 'Has she really come so far, Shikamaru?.'
"Ano, Sasuke-kun, are you ok?." Hinata asked, she'd just made them dinner and had cleaned up after them. Sasuke sat at the table, arms crossed, almost as if he was brooding over something. Hinata wondered if she'd done something wrong? Maybe he didn't like what she'd prepared afterall. For the first time in a while, Hinata started twiddling her thumbs together.
Sasuke grabbed both her hands and yanked her onto his lap, "Don't, hime."
Hinata turned bright red, 'H-hime?.' She thought, excited, happy and yet shocked.
Sasuke seemed to catch his slip and chose to hide his face in her shoulder, "Don't...say...anything." He said in between inhaling her scent.
Hinata relaxed in his embrace and started caressing the back of his neck gently. 'He's..changing.' She thought, smiling to herself.
A minute of silence.
"I want to give you something." He whispered.
Hinata stopped rubbing his neck and removed her hand. She then grew bold as she planted a light but firm kiss on his forehead, "You don't have to give me anything Sasuke-kun. You're more than enough." She answered, trying her best to look strong. However her voice came out completely different compared to her expression.
"It's for me." He said, he had yet to look at her. 'I sound... weak.' He thought.
"Oh." Hinata said, deflating just a bit.
Sasuke suddenly laced Hinata's right hand with his own and without warning Hinata felt a sharp pain stab at her palm. She yelped and tried to make space between them, but he just wouldn't let go. After a few seconds of panicking, Hinata calmed as the pain eased away as quickly as it had come.
"W-what..-"
"Like I said..." He murmured, lifting her into his arms, "It's for me."
"Ahem."
Sasuke gripped Hinata closer to him as she hid her face in his chest. He would kill the guy, but she was in his arms. "Do you have a death wish?." He hissed.
"Gomen, Uchiha-san, Hinata-sama. I'm here on strict orders from the Hokage." He said, with that maddening smile that Sasuke wanted to tear apart.
"You have ten seconds." He muttered. He did a few hand signs beneath Hinata and a clone popped up.
"Sasuke-kun?." Hinata said.
"Ten." He started, his clone's Sharingan activated.
"The Hokage..-"
"Nine."
Sai crouched low so that he was touching the ground, "Eight."
"The...-"
"Seven." His Mangekyou came to life.
"The Jounin exams will be held tomorrow." Sai said quickly. On instinct, he was ready to materialize out of the compound and onto his awaiting bird outside.
"T-tomorrow?." Hinata said.
'Tomorrow?.' Sasuke thought and at the snap of his fingers, his clone poofed away.
"Gomen, it must be a shock." Sai said, "Hinata-sama, you will be properly briefed at the Hokage tower tomorrow morning at 0700. Uchiha-san, you will be briefed before the start of the exam."
'So the dobe wants me to stay out of it.' Sasuke thought with a smirk. 'Like that's gonna fucken happen.'
He nodded at Sai, who happily disappeared on the spot. Sasuke held that smirk as he carried Hinata to their bed. As for Hinata herself, she felt dread swell in the pit of her stomach. She was beginning to feel insecure about her abilities, her trial, her ninja way. All her insecurities were tossed out the window however when Sasuke dropped her to the bed roughly. She glanced up at him momentarily before tearing her gaze away.
Sasuke forced her chin forward, "They will hurt you..." He said, lifting 'his' top up and over her head. "They will lower you..." Hinata's eyes widened. Sasuke kissed each breast before moving to the string on 'his' pants. "They will taunt you..." He laid her blushing form down and stared into her eyes with his Mangekyou activated. Hinata's head fell to the side. She was rendered asleep in seconds.
"They will regret..." Sasuke grabbed her right hand and stared at his mark, "...ever, fucking with my hime."
Sasuke grabbed her left hand and applied pressure. A mark different to the one on her right hand appeared. 'I don't want anything to happen to her.'
Sasuke moved into her and curled her body to him. He took in her scent and closed his eyes, disregarding the fact that they were bleeding.
Meanwhile...
"Message delivered." Sai said.
"How did it go?." Naruto asked, he was gazing down at the village. He always felt breathless whenever the sun would set and how Konoha shined it's greatest during the night.
Sai brought him back to earth, "It went well."
Naruto nodded, "You can go, Sai, get some rest." He said, "And no painting, I mean seriously get some rest."
Sai chuckled, "Hai, Hokage-sama." Sai was gone.
"Naruto." Gaara said as he overheard their conversation, "Open your eyes."
Naruto spun around to face him, "They are open." He said.
"You can't mix your job with your personal life." Gaara stated, kicking off from the wall so that he was standing perfectly in front of Naruto's desk. It's the only thing that seperated them. "I consider you my first and dearest of friends, Naruto. So what I tell you now, can be helpful or pushed aside, it's up to you."
Naruto crossed his arms and with a nod urged him to continue, Gaara took a deep breath. "This vendetta you have against the Uchiha shows you are weak and unfit as Hokage. You fought long and hard to see him back in the village, only to resent him once he finds something close to happiness."
Gaara raised his hand so Naruto couldn't cut him off, "Your main priority and job is to protect this village, to see it prosper, to watch your people grow. So I warn you now, don't do anything that could jeopardise Konoha's safety. Starting something with the Uchiha is dangerous."
Naruto clenched his fists, "You should be glad for him. He lost everything, right down to the people he loved. If his change is because of her, then so be it. You never lost sight of the light because of your dream. I found my light because of you. So what about his light?."
Naruto's fist relaxed and slowly, he knelt to the ground, "Your right."
Gaara came to stand beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Now..." Gaara said, he wasn't finished, "...I'm speaking as the Kazekage. Before I retire to my quarters, I believe you owe me supper, Hokage-sama."
Naruto rubbed at his eyes and chuckled light-heartedly. "Ramen?." He asked. Somehow, a weight seemed to lessen on his shoulders.
Gaara held out an outstretched hand, "Yeah." He said.
Naruto accepted his gesture and stood, "Thanks, Gaara."
"Shikamaru?." Kurenai wondered as she opened the door to her home.
Shikamaru stepped out from behind the tree and scratched the back of his head, "I wasn't acting suspicious, I just didn't want to smoke near the house." He said.
Kurenai smiled. "You don't have to smoke all the way over there." She said. "I figured you were nearby, especially when your clone disappeared."
"Would you believe me if I said I was jealous it was my clone hanging with your child instead of me?." He asked chuckling, then he flicked his cigarette to the side, "Asuma hasn't eaten, right?."
Kurenai smiled, "Would you like to feed him his dinner?." She asked, opening the door for him.
Shikamaru smiled and nodded. He removed his sandals and followed her inside. Kurenai opened her son's door for him then left to retrieve his bottle. Shikamaru moved over to the small crib and stared at the boy who noticed him instantly.
"Hey." He greeted. "Thought I'd come feed you before I went home." He reached for Asuma's small hand with his thumb.
"Shikamaru, here's his bottle." Kurenai said.
Shikamaru took it from her then ever so gently lifted Asuma from his crib and into his arms. Shikamaru settled himself on the rocking chair Kurenai normally vacated. "Eat up little man." He said, urging the teet into the infant's mouth. Asuma took the bottle happily with his eyes closed. Seeing his eyes like that compelled Shikamaru to do the same.
'It's awfully quiet in there.' Kurenai noticed almost half an hour had passed since she left the shadow nin with her son, so she went to investigate.
"Shika..-" Kurenai paused, smiled at the touching scene, then grabbed a spare blanket.
Both were fast asleep. Asuma was wrapped protectively against Shikamaru.
AUTHOR SAYS: HERE WE GO. IT'S LATE I KNOW, I TOLD A FEW PEOPLE I'D UPDATE EARLIER :) MY BAD GUYS. WELL, JOUNIN EXAMS ARE ABOUT TO START TOMORROW. LIKE REALLY TOMORROW :) UNTIL THEN, R&R AND I HOPE YOU LIKED THIS CHAPTER.