A/N: I didn't take too long did I?
One-hundred and fifty-one days later - December 21st
Hinata gently pulled the long strands of hair away from Neji's face and began weaving them into delicate plaits to keep it out of the way whilst he played. He sat on the floor at her feet, his ceremonial kimono tucked neatly around him to prevent creasing as he lovingly tuned his shamisen(1). They were both dressed in lavish kimonos for tomorrow was the winter solstice, a celebrated time in the hunter world for, it was winter's extreme. This was an important occasion, for the dark powers of the world were at their peak and all hunters banded together in an attempt to combat their effects with bright celebrations. Yet even their best efforts sometimes failed. The winter solstice marked many dark events throughout their history. Neji knew for a fact that Sasuke's family had fallen on the very day they prepared to celebrate.
With his hair plaited Neji stood, smoothing out his kimono. He gathered up their cloaks and helped Hinata put hers on.
"I d-do hope N-Naruto-kun's initiation goes okay," she said quietly.
Neji nodded, he too was apprehensive; it was not usual to welcome new initiates on the darkest day of the year. But Tsunade had been adamant that as soon as he was ready he would take his vows.
"He'll be fine, it's not as though he's shown any demonic tendancies. In fact the initiation of someone so... good, will probably add to the magick of the celebration."
"You're p-probably right, I'm worrying about n-nothing."
"Let's wish him luck anyway," said Neji.
Hinata nodded and reached out to pull Neji's necklace out of his kimono so that it rested on top of the fine fabric. Only for days of celebration did hunters wear the symbol of their alligance proudly on their chests. By the end of the night Naruto would also display this pendant for all to know he fought alongside them.
-0-
A lungful of air expelled itself from Sasuke's mouth as he landed hard on the floor, Naruto pinning him down. Naruto let out a bark of triumphant laughter, pleasure at his acheivement gleaming in his eyes. A small smile tilted the corner of Sasuke's mouth; it was fun to fight with an equal. Naruto had come so far in these past months.
"Looks like you're ready," he said relaxing in Naruto's firm hold.
"Of course I'm ready," Naruto replied, a cocky grin on his face.
Naruto didn't even register the sly glint in Sasuke's eyes before the limp body beneath him tensed again. Sasuke threw all his strength into flipping their positions. Naruto's grip had lessened only slightly when Sasuke had relaxed but he still wasn't prepared for the sudden movement; it was his turn to be pressed into the floor. A shiver of excitement ran through him.
Sasuke leaned close, "You weren't ready for that," he panted, a taunting smirk displayed on his flushed features.
Naruto's clear blue eyes seemed to darken for a moment before he leaned up and pressed his lips against Sasuke's. To Sasuke the moment seemed to freeze, he could feel his heart beat an irregular pattern within the confines of his body. Everything faded away; where they were, who they were and what they should be doing.
Naruto pulled away, whispering against his lips, "You weren't ready for that."
But Sasuke was still frozen, his grip on Naruto's wrists almost painfully tight. He stared at the man beneath him who seemed to be trying to judge his reaction. In the tense silence Naruto began to look slightly worried.
"No, I wasn't..." Sasuke admitted after a interminable pause.
Still he didn't give any other indication. Sasuke was having trouble restarting his thoughts. His initial reaction would normally be to consider all possible implications of a situation like this and what the consequences of continuing would be. But he couldn't think. He didn't know what to do; get up and leave or lean closer?
"Sorry. Was that inappropriate?"
Naruto's apprehensive voice jolted Sasuke out of his reverie. He still couldn't think clearly but he knew the answer to that question.
"Yes," he whispered horsely before leaning forward and taking the plunge into a decision that hadn't been fully evaluated.
Like diving into a perfectly still lake and finding yourself in a world where everything outside of your own conscious is distorted, distant and irrelevant. Sasuke now found himself emerced in the sensation of Naruto's mouth over his. His lips tingled with pleasure that ran down his spine like liquid electricity. He ran his hands along Naruto's arms to grasp at the damp material of his vest and Naruto used his free hands to pull his sparring partner closer. Sasuke relished the feel of those strong hands at the small of his back and allowed their kiss to deepen.
Coherent thought was a concept entirely lost on him at this moment. For once Sasuke wasn't thinking. He didn't care about consequences for what did they really matter anyway? This was the only moment that mattered. This person, the only thing he cared about.
-0-
Naruto kissed the intoxicating hunter with a feverish passion. Nothing could stop him now. He was on top of the world, his head spinning with giddy desire. Elation flooding his senses. He couldn't imagine wanting for anything more than this perfect moment.
"Ahem."
Sasuke pulled back abruptly and looked up at someone out of Naruto's field of vision. He saw Sasuke's throat move as he swallowed. Then he was rolling away. Naruto was in half a mind to stop him but he was slowly remembering where they were. He turned over and looked up to see Hinata and Neji in their most formal clothes. Hinata was flushed beetroot red but Neji was giving Sasuke a mildly surprised look that Sasuke returned with a glare.
"We came to see if you were getting ready for the evening celebration but obviously you have better things to be doing."
Sasuke gave a stiff nod and brushed past him hurrying around the corner and out of sight. Naruto pulled himself to his feet his heart slowly returning to it's normal pace though still pounding in his ears. Now it beat a different rythm; a nauseating, lurching beat. He'd fucked up; Sasuke regreted it. There was no other explaination for the look he'd seen on Sasuke's face.
Naruto wanted to punch something, release his frustration and annoyance at his own lack of self control. But he didn't, because Neji was still watching him. Hinata had disappeared.
Neji's pale eyes blinked slowly, "Give him some time. Sasuke isn't used to such matters." Naruto's surprise must have shown as Neji smiled knowingly. "We may not get along but that doesn't mean we don't understand each other," he said softly. "Go and get ready, tonight is your night; doubtless you will remember it for the rest of your life."
-0-
When Naruto returned to his cabin he found Hanabi waiting for him. She smiled and he was struck once more by how much older she seemed. Hanabi always appeared wise beyond her years and she made Naruto feel a little awkward.
"Your friends from the coven have been arriving all day and Sakura-chan asked me to give you this," she said holding out a shopping bag.
Naruto peered inside and was surprised to find that the package was nothing like the usual clothes Sakura felt the need to buy him. He led Hanabi inside and pulled the kimono out to lay it on the sofa. It was a beautiful burnt orange colour with black swirling patterns running down the sleeves. The cotton was fine and soft as Naruto ran his fingers over it. He took out the matching black hakama and placed them on top of the kimono. Naruto turned to Hanabi, speechless.
"You didn't expect her to let you attend your own initiation without the correct outfit now, did you?"
"This is for tonight?"
"Of course, and all other formal occasions. There should be some geta in there too. I think she wanted to give you the haori in person tonight. You'll probably need it; it's going to be cold tonight even with the bonfire. Anyway the main purpose of my being here was to deliver this." She held out an ornate scroll. "I don't know whether or not you intend to take the binding oath but my father thought you should read the scroll anyway. Even if you don't take it tomorrow you probably will one day."
"The binding oath?" asked Naruto, puzzled as he took the heavy scroll from her.
She paused and looked at him with those pale Hyuuga eyes that made Naruto feel as though he were being x-rayed. "He didn't tell you," she said with certainty. "Hmm this really should have been Sasuke's job. But I suppose it doesn't matter, he probably believes you are not ready to make that decision. Still it would be wise to give you the option..." she spoke as if to herself, almost ignoring Naruto's presence.
"What decision?"
She looked back at him. "The decision to bind yourself to another hunter. Two souls, one promise. Most hunters bind themselves to another at some point in their lives, for security mainly. It's a way of ensuring that someone will always be there to protect them and bring them back should they wander from the correct path. It's a permanant vow so of course it's essential that you are completely decided on your choice. It is usually taken at your age but of course most hunters have had their powers for a few years by now and have already connected with the one who will be their bonded.
"That scroll will explain how the ritual is done and the full repurcusions. You should read it before you go up to the celebration, give yourself time to think it over. The binding oath is always taken at sunrise on one of the 4 main geshi(2). Make sure you're at the lake by sunset for your initiation. Ja ne."
Naruto watched her leave before sitting down on the sofa next to his new kimono. He lay the scroll across his lap and set about reading it.
-0-
In the hour approaching sunset Naruto donned his celebration garb. He tied the final knot on his hakama, slipped on his geta and left the cabin. He took the path that led around the edge of the cabin where the assault course lay hidden in the trees rather than walking down to the main house.
The sounds of celebration pierced the still night easily and Naruto could hear the low pounding of drums from as far away as his cabin. As he grew nearer he realised that voices were interspersed with the drums singing in time to the beat. Climbing the steep stretch to the stony lake bank he saw at last the great bonfire built up on the stony bank of the lake. It wasn't lit yet but the impressive pile still drew the eye as it sat directly in the middle of the celebration ground.
Many people milled around the area, more Hunters than Naruto had ever seen before. Tables of food and drink stood sentinal at the edges of the celebration ground before the forest took over and great torches of witch fire created a border. The sky was beginning to darken and soon their light would be needed. Naruto saw many familiar faces, people he had met at the coven but most he didn't know. At these times of year Hunter's from all around gathered together, he knew this, but their numbers still surprised him. The Hyuuga's were easily distinguishable, all had the same pale eyes, though unliked Hinata and Neji they had pupils. But most of the Hunters looked like ordinary people, different from each other in their unique facial features yet most were well built from a lifetime of fighting.
However they all had something in common. Each wore the same pendant displayed proudly over their varying formal garb. Naruto shifted uncomfortably as many pairs of eyes sized him up. He felt suddenly self conscious and glanced around quickly for some people from the coven to integrate himself with. He didn't have to look for long, Sakura had spotted him. She came hurrying over immediatly, dressed elegntly in a pale green kimono patterned with sakura blossoms. She embraced Naruto fully and then stood back to get a proper look at him.
"Ah I knew that one would suit you, just had to get it as soon as I saw it. Here put this on too," she dug into another bag on her arm and pressed a black haori into his hands. "Sasuke said I should sew the symbol of the Namikaze clan onto it. I didn't know you were related to them, did you know our last coven leader before Tsunade was a Namikaze?"
"Yeah, I did. Thank you for this Sakura, it means a lot."
She moved closer and did up the ties of the haori for him. "Don't thank me, Sasuke was the one who asked me to go shopping, I assumed you already had an outfit sorted out."
Naruto looked at her in surprise, "Sasuke did?"
Sakura nodded and smiled at him. "There, don't you look hansom. We're all proud of you Naruto, especially Sasuke. You'll be a great hunter."
Naruto nodded and returned her smile. He knew Sasuke hadn't said anything about being proud; it wasn't like him at all. But Sakura knew Sasuke well and it cheered him that she thought that. She led him over to where a group of Hunter's from the coven were gathered, it looked like everyone was there. Ino was here with Sakura of course and Naruto was glad to see Kiba talking to Hinata and Lee and Tenten standing by the food tables. Sai, Karin and Suigetsu were also there and Naruto was surprised to see Juugo with them. He thought about asking who was guarding the coven if the strong hunter was here but decided against it at the last moment; he didn't know the man, and it was rude to assume he didn't get holiday time.
Instead he whispered his question to Sakura, "The coven is well guarded, right?"
"Eh? Of course, Tenzou and Kakashi are both on the job. Tsunade will be there as well and Shino is watching the surrounding area plus most of the watchers stay in the city. The club is closed on nights like this but it's still very likely they'll be an attack. We'll send all our power to them tonight and tomorrow morning the brightness of this world will begin to grow again."
"Right," said Naruto nodding nervously. He didn't quite understand what everyone meant by 'sending their power to the others' or 'fighting the demons in spirit' but he hoped things would be clearer by the morning. "Where's Sasuke?"
"I thought he might come up with you to be honest. He doesn't usually attend celebrations anymore but I did think he'd come for your initiation. He's probably lurking somewhere."
Naruto nodded absently. If Sasuke wasn't already here he didn't really expect him to show; it was quite obvious that he didn't want to be around Naruto anymore. Naruto wanted to leave this crowded area and find Sasuke but he didn't know what he'd say anyway. Besides the sun was low in the sky and an air of expectation hung about the lakeside gathering.
Suddenly the drums altered their steady rythm hitting a few fast beats before falling utterly silent. The cheery singing had stopped, as had the friendly conversations. Sunset was upon them.
A strong voice rang out in the silence.
"Since the beginning of time we have united in this season, on the Winter Solstice; the darkest of nights." All eyes turned to the east. There stood Hiashi, splendid in robes of palest blue, standing against the sun so that it seemed to shine from within him. He spoke to the gathering as a whole, commanding their attention and asserting himself as their leader. Hiashi didn't need to raise his voice for every hunter in the clearing to hear his every word. "We gather here, the Hyuuga Clan and our fellow Hunters to welcome the new light. Tonight we celebrate the joys of this world and accumulate our strength to ward away the evil powers that so relish this day. As we delve into darkness we shall send our power to those who need it most; our brave brothers and sisters."
As he finished his speech Hiashi spread his arms and turned to the east as though he were about to embrace the sun as it slid down into the ocean far away from their high mountain slope. The clearing was as quiet as the grave as they watched the light leave the world and Naruto thought he finally understood. Even though no one made a sound Naruto could almost feel a buzzing around them, as though something whispered among the trees and cast tendrils of warmth around them. His very soul seemed to lighten before the sun finally vanished. At the last moment he felt as though he was being pulled towards the horizon, he longed for the warmth to return.
Then Hiashi moved, stooping low he picked up two long branches. When he spoke his voice sounded more forced, as though it took a lot of energy to speak. "Behold the light that can never die," he muttered, then he whirled around pointing both branches at the great pyre and almost shouted, "Reborn anew in the Solstice Sky!"
There was a loud whooshing sound and a burst of pure white flames ballooned from the point where the branches met. There were gasps of apprieciation as the witchfire hit the bonfire heap and the flames turned red and flared high. The bonfire was lit.
"It takes a powerful hunter to pull off witchfire at the darkest of times," said a familiar voice behind Naruto as Neji rushed up to support a swaying Hiashi.
He turned to find Sasuke standing behind him. He wore a dark blue kimono with patterns of storm clouds and lightening. The Uchiha crest was emblazened proudly on his haori which was of the same navy blue as his hakama. He was looking over Naruto's shoulder.
"My father used to lead the ceremonies at the Uchiha celebration ground."
"Sasuke..." began Naruto. He needed to talk, he had to apoligise and make sure he hadn't fucked everything up.
"You need to go over to him, it's time for your initiation," said Sasuke flatly.
Naruto's heart sank. Sasuke wasn't acting like his friend anymore, they were back to being teacher and student and after the ceremony they wouldn't even be that. Naruto didn't want to walk away right now but Sakura was at his side.
"Come on Naruto, it must be now."
"We need to talk," said Naruto hurridly.
"Enjoy your night," replied Sasuke, moving away through the crowd.
Naruto lost sight of him as Sakura steered him towards the bonfire where Hiashi stood. She pushed him into position in front of the Hyuuga leader and stepped away. The crowd fell silent as they realised what was happening.
"Deshi(3) Uzumaki Naruto," began Hiashi, his voice restored to it's clear timbre in the light of the bonfire. "Son of..."
Naruto started as he realised he was expected to name his father, he swallowed, "Namikaze Minato."
Hiashi raised an eyebrow but more substantial whispers filtered around the circle. The Hyuuga leader nodded, "Son of Namikaze Minato, you stand before the winter solstice gathering and the fire of our kind in order to pledge yourself to The Hunt who seek to purge the land of all demonic forces. You hearby vow to maintain the purity of your own spirit and swear allegiance in the pursuit of this most noble cause. Speak of it."
"This I desire, so mote it be," Naruto recited the ritual words Sasuke had taught him.
An echo of, 'So mote it be' ran around the circle and there was a moment of silence before the drums began again.
Hiashi gave him a slow nod, "Congratulations Naruto, welcome to The Hunt."
(1)Shamisen = three-stringed Japanese guitar
(2)Geshi = Summer Solstice
(3)Deshi = Pupil/desciple/apprentice
A/N: I could make excuses for writing more boring magickal ritual stuff but I enjoy it and I figure since they kissed I can get away with it?
-Yasu