Hey guys! Sorry this took soooo long. I am trying to balance my SATs and applications and entrance essays for college. I may be slow to post for a little longer… Anyways I would like to clarify a few things before the chapter starts: this will NOT become a harem! EVER!!!!!!!!! I might write a harem if you guys want me to but this story will not include any threesomes or harems! I promise! Another thing is I am planning to keep Hiashi the way he is. He has always seemed like a strong but silent type. I don't think he is abusive but he just doesn't know how to show his feelings. I mean he killed a man who was trying to kidnap his daughter and then was willing to sacrifice his life to protect the clan. So the feelings are there……somewhere. And I have no intention on putting Sasuke in this story. It's not that I dislike Sasuke or anything; it's just that I do keep up with the manga and I don't see the salvation or redemption of Sasuke working out. I just can't see how it could happen and still keep the character's personalities intact. Oh well I guess that is a job for the SasuXSaku fans. Also I have received some mixed support on Sakura's personality. Honestly, she is the hardest character to write out for me. I never know whether to make her a total bitch or to make her seem like she likes Naruto. I end up just making her bipolar, but please leave some opinions on how you think I should handle Sakura. I think that if Sakura ended up liking Naruto it could lead to some interesting NaruHina moments! Also I am really not sure how to incorporate the time skip into my story I don't want to separate them for so long! If you have an idea please let me know! Lastly, PLEASE remember to review! I can't stress enough how important reviews are! Anyways, on to the new chapter!
Hinata awoke to the streaming sunlight beaming down through her window. She kept her eyes closed as she nuzzled her cheek against the incredibly firm, but soft object beneath her. The object sighed beneath her and Hinata quickly sat up with a hot blush on her cheeks. She looked up at Naruto's peaceful face with a soft smile. He was the cutest thing she had ever seen.
Naruto moaned softly and began to stir. When his eyes opened, Hinata was already back in her own bed and Naruto was left to wonder why his chest felt so warm.
That was close! Hinata thought as she pulled the covers over her face and pretended to be asleep. She listened intently as Naruto got out of his bed. She steadied her breathing and relaxed her face making sure it looked like she was still sleeping. However, her heart skipped a beat as her covers were suddenly pulled down to her neck.
Naruto smiled to himself as he gazed upon Hinata's sleeping face. He was fascinated by how soft Hinata's skin looked. Her face just looked so… inviting. Her lips were slightly parted and Naruto spent several minutes just listening to the faint sounds of air entering and leaving Hinata's mouth. His gaze then drifted to her lavender hair. Her hair almost seemed to shine and Naruto knew that if he lowered his face, his nose would be tickled by the soft scent of flowers. Naruto reached over and curled a stray stand of hair around Hinata's ear.
Even through closed eyes, Hinata could feel Naruto's intense stare. She had to focus her entire mind on keeping her face and breathing calm. However, she couldn't stop a pink blush from creeping across her face. Hinata's heart leaped out of her chest when Naruto suddenly brushed her hair behind her ear. She wasn't sure how much longer she could pretend to be asleep. Just what was Naruto thinking?!
Thankfully there was a loud knock at the front door and Naruto left to go answer it. Hinata sat up and threw her face into her hands. She could still feel the heat from Naruto's hand on her cheek. Hinata placed a hand on her chest and felt her racing heart. Why was he being so intimate?
"Hinata! Your father is here." Naruto said from the doorway of their room. Hiashi was standing right behind him.
Hinata nearly jumped out of her skin and quickly pulled the covers over her slightly revealing nightgown. "Um…H-Hello, Father."
Hiashi eyed the makeshift bed on the floor and a vein pulsed out of his forehead. "What is this?!" Hiashi said quietly, pointing to Naruto's bed.
Naruto scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly. "Well, I thought it was a little… improper to be sleeping in the same bed-"
"Preposterous." Hiashi interrupted with a cold, stern voice. Hinata and Naruto both shared an audible gulp.
"You two are engaged. And you must uphold the image of an engaged couple. And I do believe it is customary for a soon-to-be married couple to share a bed!" Hiashi's voice grew louder with each syllable. "What if someone else had seen this? It would throw your whole marriage into question! And that would bring the Hyuuga clan's integrity into question! Is that what you want, Hinata?"
"N-No…" Hinata mumbled with downcast eyes.
"Then you two are to share a bed from this point forward. Do I make myself clear?"
Naruto felt a sense of defiance swell up within him, but as he gazed over at Hinata the feeling instantly evaporated. He could see the respect Hinata had for her father. It would probably hurt her even more to see him get in a fight with her father. Naruto sighed. "Yes, sir."
Hiashi raised an eyebrow as he turned his gaze to his future son-in-law. It appalled Hiashi to see that Naruto was still in his normal clothes. "Naruto? Since you are going to be sleeping next to my daughter from now on I think it would be polite of you not to sleep in the same outfit you train in. I simply cannot even fathom the smell."
Naruto's cheeks burned with embarrassment. He was so used to sleeping alone that he never even thought about how his clothes smelt. Hinata, however, secretly enjoyed Naruto's scent. It smelled like fresh dirt and ramen. But once in a while, the smell was a little overwhelming…
"However, I do have a legitimate reason for visiting you so early in the morning." Hiashi said folding his arms into his sleeves. "Today is the day we present your marriage to the entire Hyuuga clan."
Hinata's hand flew to her mouth as an audible gasp escaped from her lips while Naruto gulped meagerly. "T-That's t-t-today?!" Hinata stammered
"Yes. It has to be today. Several head clansmen have been asking about the purpose of this house and its new development. It's time we announce this "marriage" to the public. The entire Hyuuga clan and other clan leaders need to believe that this marriage is legitimate. And in order for that to work, you two will have to convince everyone that you are deeply in love."
Hinata and Naruto blushed and averted their eyes from each other. "But what about our friends?"
Hiashi shook his head. "This meeting is just with the Hyuuga clan and some other clan officials. When and how you tell your friends is up to you."
Hinata sighed with relief. Pretending to be in love with Naruto in front of her entire clan was bad enough, but at least she wouldn't have to do it in front of her teammates.
"The meeting will start very soon. You two need to be ready ten minutes ago. Get moving. Naruto, you can shower here. Talk with Neji to get your proper clothing. Hinata will come with me to get ready at the main complex."
Hinata quickly threw on a jacket and followed her father out the door and to the Hyuuga complex. Naruto meanwhile headed for the shower.
As he took his clothes off, Hiashi's earlier comment swirled around his head. He put his undershirt to his nose and sniffed. It's a good thing he was in the bathroom because Naruto felt like he was about to redecorate the walls. When was the last time he washed that thing?
Naruto shrugged, threw the shirt into a hamper, and got into the shower.
Thirty minutes later, Naruto stepped out of the warm bathroom with a towel strapped around his waist. Since today was a very special day he had made sure to wash extra hard in every nook and cranny. He would have to work extremely hard not to ruin today for Hinata and her family. After all, they would become his family very soon….
Suddenly, there was a loud knock at the front door and Naruto went running to answer with his towel dangling dangerously around his waist.
"Yes?" Naruto said swinging the door open. Neji was standing outside with a black set of robes in his hand. Neji's face erupted in color as his eyes fell on Naruto's bare torso.
"N-Naruto?! What are you doing answering the door while dressed like that? Here! Put these on!" Neji yelled thrusting the outfit into Naruto's chest.
Naruto smiled brightly and reached up to grab the robes. However, in doing so he removed the hand that was holding the towel up. The towel slowly untangled and began to slip down Naruto's waist.
Meanwhile, Neji, being quite the observant one, noticed Naruto's drooping towel and with ninja reflexes, quickly reached inside, grabbed the door knob, and slammed the door shut sparing him from being witness to Little Naruto.
Once the door was safely shut, Neji sighed deeply. "I truly do feel for you, Hinata. I simply will never understand how that boy can perform an intricate move like the Rasengan, but fail to grasp how to tie his towel around his waist."
Several minutes later, Naruto emerged from the house wearing the black robes Neji had given him. Naruto thought he looked pretty dashing in them, but his smile quickly faded when he saw Neji's frown.
"This is a very serious matter, Naruto! You have to convince every person at the meeting that you and Hinata are in love! And just making googly eyes with her isn't going to cut it. At this meeting you will also have to act like a proper gentleman worthy of entering the Hyuuga family. The best thing you could do is to just sit down, don't move, and let Hinata and Hiashi do all the talking. But I doubt you know how to sit like a noble."
Naruto shrugged. "It's just sitting down. How hard could it be?"
Neji laughed. "This is coming from the kid who mastered the Rasengan in three days. Let's see how long it takes you to master sitting down."
Ten minutes later, Neji and Naruto were in a large, empty room with several dozen round tables and chairs. Naruto was amazed. One hundred people could easily fit into this room. And at the very front of the room, there were two pillows rested upon a large platform that sat several feet above the ground. It looked much like a stage and Naruto could guess just who was going to occupy the two pillow-seats. Naruto gulped. He hadn't realized that he was going to be on display in front of hundreds of people.
Neji walked Naruto up to the platform and gestured to the pillow on the right. "Please, have a seat."
Naruto sat firmly on his butt and crossed his legs.
"Wrong." Neji smirked.
"What? How is this wrong?" Naruto asked incredulously.
"That is not how a noble is supposed to sit. Watch, I'll demonstrate." Neji walked over to the pillow beside Naruto and sat down with his knees bent so that the only part of him touching the ground was his shins and the tops of his feet. "Now you try."
Naruto sat up and bent his legs just like Neji's, but when he tried to sit back down on them they buckled and he fell on his side. "How are you doing that?" Naruto asked as he tried to sit on his calves again.
"Discipline." Neji said calmly. "Ignore the pain in your legs. It will go away eventually."
Naruto took a deep breatfh and sat down on top of his bent legs. Pain flooded through his shins and feet, but Naruto ignored them and focused his mind on sitting perfectly still. "H-Hey, Neji! I think I'm getting it!"
"Wrong!" Neji shouted causing Naruto to fall over again. "Your back must be straight. Your hands must be unclenched and laid on your lap. And your face must be calm and emotionless."
Twenty minutes later, Naruto was sitting like a true noble.
"Good, Naruto. Now just hold that position for the next hour or so." Neji said as he got up and ran out of the room.
This is impossible! Naruto thought, completely alone in the giant conference room. How am I going to sit here like this for a whole hour?! Focus, Naruto! You have to do this for Hinata! Just…. Don't move!
"H-Hello, Naruto…" A timid voice called out behind Naruto. Naruto turned his head and found himself staring at a transformed Hinata. Her hair was done up in two tightly curled buns and there was traces of make-up on her face. She was dressed in a long, flowing pink kimono. There was a light pink blush on her cheeks, but her eyes almost seemed to sparkle as she gazed at her fiancée. She was absolutely…. stunning.
"H-Hinata… You look… different." Naruto said. Naruto kicked himself mentally. Different? Smooth, Naruto. I'm such an idiot!
However, Hinata giggled and her blush grew darker. "Thank you, Naruto. You look pretty different y-yourself."
Naruto smiled broadly. "This robe is probably worth more money than my entire apartment!" Both Naruto and Hinata laughed. It was going to be a very awkward day and the laughing felt really good. Hiashi stepped out from behind Hinata and the laughing ceased. "It is time to get into position. The clan leaders should be here very soon." Hiashi said in a strict tone. Hinata immediately walked over and sat next to Naruto.
Amazing… Naruto thought as he watched Hinata flawlessly sit in the position he had just spent twenty minutes getting into. She really is quite flexible….and that kimono is so pretty… She looks so… Naruto shook his head. This really wasn't the time for those kinds of thoughts.
Naruto closed his eyes and wiped all emotion from his face. A sweat drop flew from his brow as he focused his mind on one thing. Don't move! Don't move! Don't move! Don't move!
Hiashi nodded to Neji. It was time to let the guests in. Hopefully, Naruto and Hinata could pull this off.
Minutes later, the meeting room was filled with dozens of Hyuuga clan officials and several other leaders from various clans. Each person had their eyes fixed upon the young couple in front of them. Most everyone was talking amongst themselves on why this couple was wearing sacred clothing. Hiashi, who was standing in front of Naruto and Hinata, held up a hand and the room grew quiet.
"Now I am sure many of you have questions on why we are here." Hiashi began in a booming voice. "Unfortunately, based upon the intimate nature of this occasion, the amount of information I can give is limited. Simply put, we are here to acknowledge the marital binding of my daughter to this young man. Hiashi said as he placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder.
There was a loud outburst in the crowd. One elderly Hyuuga clan official, however, stood up from his chair. "Hiashi, this is preposterous! Do you have any idea what that boy carries inside-"
"That is enough!" Hiashi shouted, cutting off the elderly man and the entire chattering crowd.
Another man stood up, however, this one was slightly younger. "He has a point, Hiashi. When Hinata comes of age she will eventually inherit control over the Hyuuga clan. Her husband will also gain power over the clan. As such, it is customary for an heiress to choose a prestigious and powerful husband. This boy is an outsider. What right does he have to govern us?"
Hiashi nodded. "I can see your point. However, none of this is relevant. I am not doing this for the clan. I am doing this for my daughter. I cannot force her into an arranged marriage when she is already in love with another man."
Everyone looked to Hinata. There were several whispers around the room and Hinata's cheeks burned scarlet. She took a deep breath and stood up. "It's true. I am completely in love with the boy beside me. I have chosen him to be my husband and he has chosen me to be his wife. I will do whatever is necessary to validate this marriage."
Hiashi smiled. He was impressed by his daughter's boldness. She really seemed to convince a good portion of the crowd. Unbeknownst to Hiashi, Hinata had spoken the truth. Her words had come directly from the most intricate levels of her soul.
Naruto, however, heard none of it. His eyes were closed, but his face remained calm. All of his energy was being focused into one thought. Don't move! Don't move! Don't move!
BZZZ! Naruto flinched as a fly flew around his ear. His concentration slipped and Naruto felt a bead of sweat fall down his forehead. Naruto quickly regained his composure and tried to ignore the fly buzzing around his head. However, the fly had different plans. It flew right into Naruto's ear, tickling his inner ear and also deafening him with vociferous buzzing.
Naruto's hand quickly flew up to his ear, but the fly flew away with ease. Even with Naruto's ninja reflexes, he could not catch the dastardly fly that seemed to be able to predict his every move. Naruto opened his eyes a crack, noticing that Hiashi was shouting something at the crowd of clansmen and Hinata had just stood up and was also shouting something.
Naruto quickly spotted the fly. Its black body was easily visible when contrasted with the pink fabric it had just landed on. Naruto slowly raised his hand and prepared to stick. Stupid fly! You aren't getting away from me this time!
SMACK!
The conference room was filled by an eerie quiet as everyone turned their gaze to Naruto. Triumph was boldly written across his face. His hand was outstretched and placed palm first on pink fabric. Naruto had just slapped Hinata's butt in front of the entire Hyuuga clan.
Naruto pulled back his hand and frowned as he realized the fly was nowhere to be seen. His gaze drifted back to the crowd and he suddenly realized everyone was staring at him. He looked at his outstretched hand and gasped. He looked Hinata's butt and then back at his hand. Uh oh….
There were several hoots and whistles from the younger clansmen, but the majority of the officials just stared in shock. Hinata's face exploded in color and it was all she could do just to stay conscious.
Hiashi practically popped a blood vessel. Just what the hell was that idiot thinking!? Hiashi took a deep breath. This really wasn't the time to get angry. At least it seemed to convince some of the crowd of their marriage.
Hiashi smiled weakly. "As you can see, these two are deeply in love and it would be dishonorable to refute their marriage. But I do believe my daughter has made her point. There is no reason for her and her husband to remain here. Neji, please take them back to their home."
Neji tapped Naruto on the shoulder and together they half-dragged the catatonic Hinata all the way back to their house.
Hiashi smiled to himself. Maybe those two are more suited for each other than I thought…
"Do I need to remind you, Hiashi, that an heiress's husband must come from a high-ranking family?" A chubby, non-Hyuuga official said. "Perhaps my son would be a better choice than this-"
"Quiet, Asuka Kenji." Hiashi interrupted. "I can assure you Naruto comes from a very high ranking family. Quite possibly the highest ranking family in the village. But frankly, that is none of your business. I have already told you what my daughter thinks of your son."
Asuka slammed his fist on the table, got up from his chair, and left the room. Damn him! How dare he make a fool of my son! He has no idea who he is messing with! A Kenji ALWAYS gets what he wants!
Meanwhile, Naruto and Hinata were back in their house. Naruto was waiting outside the door of their room while Hinata got dressed.
"That didn't go so bad. Don't you think, Hinata?" Naruto asked as he stepped out of his robes and into his pants.
Not so bad? Slapping my butt in front of a hundred people is your idea of "not so bad"? I would hate to see your definition of a bad day! "Um… Y-Yeah… I really think some of them believed us." Hinata stepped out of her kimono and onto the soft carpet. She was completely naked as she had decided not to wear anything under her kimono.
Hinata half-expected Naruto to forget that she was in here and to come stumbling upon her nude body, but none of that happened. Hinata was able to slip on her underwear and regular clothes without embarrassing herself. She went over to the door and opened it, allowing Naruto to come in with his black robes in hand.
"So… are these ours now?" Naruto asked pointing to the robes and kimono.
Hinata nodded. "Uh huh. They are very special garments. This is the kimono my mother was wearing when she married my father. And those are the robes he proposed in."
Naruto gulped. "I had better make sure nothing happens to them then."
Hinata giggled. "Yup. My father would probably kill you for real if you ever damaged those robes."
After the laughter died down there was an awkward moment of silence as Hinata hung up the clothes in their closet. She turned back to Naruto and smiled brightly.
"So, Naruto? We still have most of the day to ourselves. Is there anything you would like to do?"
Naruto's eye twinkled as an idea popped into his head. The idea sprang from something Jiraiya had said a few days ago. "Let's go out. And not like to Ichiraku's, but a real restaurant. Someplace fancy. Just like a real date."
A d-date? With N-Naruto? Hinata's face slowly turned back. The world started spinning and Hinata quickly passed out.
There! I tried to make this chapter longer than normal since I haven't posted in a while. And as you may of noticed…No nudity in this chapter! Just a slight ass grab. Please let me know what you think of this chapter! Also some people have been trying to leave their email in a review…. Just so you guys know, Fanfiction blocks all emails and words ending with a dot com. So try to be sneaky when writing your email address. Also if you have any ideas on how to incorporate the time skip let me know. My only good idea so far is for Naruto to bring Hinata along for his journey. Not sure how that would work though… Anyways my SATs are over so I should be able to post soon. And hey… maybe if there are a lot of reviews I might post sooner… You never know!