Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.
Special Thanks: goes out to Arasia, LaydiiV, Sachiko Heiwajima, DivineGlory, Dani Stark, wolf-enzeru, xlyphiechanx, Tamani, TheseFourWords, XxMelony-kunXx, Melanieciel, rockyourlove, mangetsu no hime, Marda, Fake Bliss, Monelos92, and rao hyuga 18 for all your reviews! Also thanks to everyone who's added this story to their favorites and follows lists!
Author's Note: I feel so evil after the last chapter. I really do. But it was fun... Anyway. I love this story, it's so much fun writing it, and reading your reactions. Seriously, you all leave some of the most fun reviews I've gotten in all my years of writing fanfic. Thank you all so much, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!
*~Chapter XX~*
~Twist~
Clatters and shouts in the kitchen broke the hum of conversation at The Yellow Flash when Hinata and Kiba met for lunch. Minato, the owner of the restaurant, met them within a few seconds of their coming in the door and escorted them to one of the last three empty tables in the room, in a corner by the window.
After giving Minato their drink orders, Hinata and Kiba settled down to look at the menu. Hinata always liked seeing what was new, because Minato's wife, Kushina, who ruled the kitchen as head cook, liked to experiment with new things. If she liked something, it got put on the menu. If not... Well, Hinata wasn't quite sure what happened, but knowing Kushina, it probably wasn't pretty.
A few minutes later, Naruto came by the table. He had one pen tucked behind his ear, another in his hand poised over his notepad, and his usual ebullient grin. He turned its full force on Hinata as he said, "What can I get you today?"
An engagement ring with a promise of happily ever after. Slamming the lid firmly on that mortifying thought (which she fortunately managed to keep to herself) Hinata hid behind her menu to camouflage her red face and half-squeaked, "Please t-take Kiba's first. I-I'm not ready."
She listened to Kiba order the restaurant's largest sandwich - a full half-pound of beef dressed with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions, bacon, and The Yellow Flash's special secret recipe sauce - and a side of onion rings as she desperately scrambled to find again what she wanted before Naruto turned his attention back to her. As long as she didn't look up at his face...
"Grilled chicken salad with your mother's special dressing, hold the onions," Hinata garbled in a rush, then let Kiba take the menus and hand them to Naruto.
"You orders will be out shortly." Naruto hurried back toward the kitchen. As he opened the door, Hinata - and probably half of Konoha besides - heard him shouting their order to his mother.
"So how have you been lately?" Kiba asked. He lounged back in his seat, ignoring his straw so he could down half the contents of his glass in three big gulps.
Hinata daintily sucked on her own straw before answering. "Hanabi's moving in this Saturday." Might as well go ahead and get it over with now, she decided, because she knew what Kiba was going to say.
"What?" Had Kiba's glass been any fuller, the liquid inside would have sloshed over the side when he slammed down his glass. "Hinata, you gave in?"
She winced at the disappointed note in his voice and made a placating gesture with her hands. She wanted to say inside voice, but even at its lowest volume, Kiba had a voice which tended to carry. "I fought my father on the subject as long as I could," she said tiredly. Which was true; it just wasn't the whole truth. "And you know as well as I that I was never going to win in the end. Once Father makes up his mind, there is no changing it."
Kiba sighed. "I know, I know. But I also know how much you were looking forward to having the entire condo to yourself. It's not fair of your old man to order you to let your sister move in with you."
It wasn't fair, but Hinata was used to it. She knew Hyuuga Hiashi possessed the reputation of being a shrewd if not Mr. Personality-type businessman, who made his fortune by treating those he dealt with fairly, usually with a tidy profit made on both sides. Unfortunately, that same fairness did not carry over into his personal life, in which he was absolutely ruthless. "Hanabi will only be living with me a few months. She goes off to college in January. It's July now, so I think I can make it that long." At least, she hoped she could make it that long.
"July to January..." Kiba trailed off and shook his head. "Let's put it this way: You're a stronger person than me. I can't imagine having to room with Hana that long. I spent eighteen years of my life with her at home, and I couldn't wait to move out and get away from her."
"She's your older sister," Hinata said, "and probably feels that gives her the right to boss you around."
"True. But even though Hanabi is younger than you, you tend to let her boss you around." Kiba looked over Hinata's shoulder and brightened. "Hey, here comes our food."
Naruto set down Kiba's plate and Hinata's bowl with a practiced flourish. "Everything look okay?" he asked with a grin.
"Definitely," Kiba said, already reaching for his sandwich.
"Wonderful," Hinata agreed, though she had barely glanced at her salad. Naruto was grinning again as he looked at her.
"Great," Naruto said. "I'll be back in a bit, then, to check on your drinks. Enjoy your food." And he took off, moving to his next table to ask if everything there was all right.
Hinata looked down at her salad - perfect - and sighed.
Kiba raised one eyebrow at her over the onion ring he was just getting ready to pop into his mouth. "When are you going to get over him, Hinata?" There was no condemnation in his tone, just something which sounded suspiciously like pity.
She shook her head. "I don't know if I can," she replied softly. "I know I'm being ridiculous. We've been nothing more than friends, and barely even that, for years now. He treats me basically the same way now as he did when we were in grade school. I know, logically, that's not going to change. But I still can't keep myself from hoping..." She trailed off, sighed again, and began pouring the special vinagrette-style dressing over her salad. To be honest, she wasn't even really sure what she hoped for anymore. Naruto was an impossible dream; and she knew it, even though she didn't want to admit it.
"There are plenty of great guys in Konoha, Hinata." Kiba tilted his head and smiled. "Lots."
"I know." One particular man with equally dark eyes and hair came immediately to mind, but she shoved the mental image away. Then, allowing a teasing smile to stretch her lips, she asked, "Are you including yourself in that number?"
"Of course," Kiba replied with a roguish smile. "I'm one of the best."
Hinata laughed. "Thanks, Kiba." They were great friends, and had been since kindergarten. He'd always protected her, somewhat like a big brother, while she always made sure to keep him out of trouble. But the love between them was purely platonic, though Kiba always teased her like that to get her out of one of her slumps - like, for instance, now.
They ate in silence for a while, content to enjoy their food and each other's company. Eventually people at other tables began to leave, and the noise level in The Yellow Flash dropped considerably. Only the soft murmurs of a few conversations and the music playing over the speakers placed in strategic places around the room, along with the diminishing sounds of clattering and shouting in the kitchen, filled the air.
At last Kiba pushed his empty plate away with a contented sigh. "Mm, that was good." Picking up his third refilled drink, he commented, "The Q and A with Uchiha was fun last night. I learned so much about his books that I hadn't even realized I wanted to know till I heard his answers."
"I heard bits and pieces of it from the front desk, and when I got a chance to listen in from the door." Hinata felt her cheeks color again. "Ino and Sakura, though - I can't believe they asked him that question. Poor Sasuke! If he'd been taking a drink at the time, I really do think he would have done a spit take."
Kiba chuckled. "That would have been something to see." Then something seemed to occur to him, and his eyebrows arched upwards. "'Sasuke,' huh? You're on a first-name basis with Konoha's famous recluse?"
Making a dismissive gesture with her right hand, as if it were no big deal, Hinata tried to brush the matter off. "Well, besides the time he's spent at the library the past two Wednesdays, he's come in a few times to do some research for his next book," she said. "And he accidentally left his library card one day, so I took it over to his house."
Hinata instantly regretted mentioning Sasuke's house when Kiba leaned forward with a grin. "Well, I gotta know. Is it as creepy up close? And what about inside? Does he have coffins and chain saws and freaky stuff like that?"
"It's actually a very nice house," Hinata said stiffly, pushing the rest of her salad away. Suddenly she'd lost her appetite. "It's got a lot of chandeliers, a vaulted ceiling in the entryway, and the back deck is beautiful."
Eyebrows creeping even higher Kiba queried, "Wow, I was just kidding! You've actually had a grand tour of the place?"
"Yes." Hinata pushed a loose lock of hair behind her ear and tried not to act too terribly ruffled, like she felt. "He's very nice, once you get to know him a little. He's not creepy like the subject matter of his novels or his dust jacket picture suggests."
"You talking about Sasuke?" Naruto paused next to the table, a tray tucked under his arm. "Nah, he's not creepy at all. Sometimes he can be grumpy, and he wants to be left alone more often than not. But yeah, he's an okay guy."
Kiba gaped at his blond friend. "You know Uchiha Sasuke?"
Naruto shrugged. "Yeah. Have for years. When I was nineteen I accidentally crashed my car into his. When I realized who he was, I thought he was totally going to freak out on me - you know, kinda go all Exorcist or something with the spinning head and you-know-what flyin' out of his mouth and stuff - but he didn't. He was really understanding about it. And then we just kinda started being friends after that."
Slumping back in his chair, Kiba looked from Naruto to Hinata and back in obvious disbelief. "The both of you," he muttered. "Both of you friends with him, and I had no idea!"
"I don't know what the big deal is," Naruto said, confused. "Deep down he's just a regular guy, you know? Just because he writes novels for a living and is as rich as that Midas guy doesn't make him the King of England or anything." Shaking his head, Naruto reached into his pocket and pulled out the check for their meals. "Here you go," he said, laying it on the table exactly between them. "While you two fight over that, I'll get these plates and stuff out of your way."
Naruto went back to the kitchen, and Kiba turned his gaze back to Hinata. "Friends with Uchiha Sasuke," he repeated.
"Yes." Hinata reached for the bill with her right hand and her purse with her left. "Lunch is on me, by the way."
She knew Kiba was completely flabbergasted since he didn't argue, or just reach out and snatch the paper away. "Friends. With Uchiha. Sasuke."
Rolling her lips to hide her laughter, Hinata put down a twenty to cover the food and slipped six dollars under the salt shaker for Naruto's tip. "Yes, Kiba. In this case, I have to agree with Naruto. I thought he'd be some weird creep, especially after seeing the poster at the library. But he's actually very polite and kind."
Kiba folded his arms on the table, hid his head in them, and mumbled something.
Hinata leaned forward and tilted her head toward him. "What did you say? I'm sorry, I didn't hear."
Lifting his head, Kiba stared at her with wide eyes and said, quite clearly this time, "Here's an idea: You're a librarian, and he's an author. So why don't you date him?"
Jiraiya flew back to New York Thursday morning. Itachi, Temari, and Karura got ready on Thursday night so they could leave at four in the morning to get to the airport in time for their flight back to Florida.
"I can't believe I'm saying this," Sasuke remarked to his brother, "but I'm actually going to miss you."
Itachi looked up from the screen of his laptop, where he was checking to make sure their flight details were still the same. "I'll miss you, too, little brother." He glanced back down at the screen and said nonchalantly, "You know, you could come out and visit us in Florida. Weather's pretty much always nice, there're miles of sandy beaches, and the ocean..."
His brother painted a very idyllic scene, very peaceful. Perhaps he'd be able to get a good deal of writing done in Florida, simply because there would be nothing else pressing going on at hand. But conversely, the scenery would be all wrong for him to capture the mood he always went for in his books. "We'll see," he said vaguely.
A brief, amused smile flitted across Itachi's face, but was gone just as quickly. "Uh-huh." He closed his laptop and looked up again. "Don't be a stranger, though, okay? Even if you don't come visit us, just call us, any time. You can pretty much always get me on my cell."
"Sure." That promise was much easier to make; easier, even, than Sasuke thought it would be. Somewhat diffidently, he added, "It's going to seem very quiet in the house without all of you in here making a racket at all hours."
"Yeah, and you're a regular mouse yourself, creeping around like a ghost or something." The brothers shared a chuckle, and then Itachi sighed. "I hate to say this, but we're all crashing early tonight. We need to get some sleep before the flight."
"It's fine." Sasuke brushed off his older sibling's concern with a wave of his hand. "I understand. Naruto's coming over for dinner, but we'll eat on the deck and keep the volume down. Promise."
"I'm glad you've got friends here, Sasuke." A slow smile tilted up the corner of Itachi's mouth, and then he added, "And maybe a little more." He escaped out the door of the library before the pillow Sasuke threw could smack him. His laughter floated back to his younger brother's ears, making Sasuke smile.
Until he remembered the scene he'd witnessed the night before. The word date and that kiss on Hinata's cheek made him burn: partially with anger, partially with embarrassment. He couldn't deny his attraction to Hinata, and though the idea of pursuing a long-lasting relationship still gave him chills, he couldn't help thinking about it. Especially if that relationship was with Hinata.
But clearly, she was dating someone else; the K-9 officer who had thanked Sasuke for not killing off the dogs in his books. He began to regret feeling anything favorable towards the man now, after that little spectacle in the library.
Hinata had never let on to him that she was dating. But then again, he reflected moodily, why would she? Sasuke slumped down in his chair and stared sightlessly at the towering bookcases all around him. Clearly whatever attraction he thought existed between them was one-sided. She saw him as a friend, and barely that.
His hand went to his pocket, and he pulled out his phone. Staring at the still-dark screen, Sasuke toyed with the idea of calling her to cancel their lunch Sunday. Despite his desire to see her family's Japanese heirlooms, he didn't know if he could take spending so long with her, knowing she was dating someone else.
He needed to rearrange his priorities. He liked Hinata, yes, but he didn't want to risk losing her completely. If he could just smother his own thoughts and feelings, he could remain her friend and have her in his life in some capacity. Morosely he tried to convince himself it was certainly better than nothing at all.
Ninja bolted to his feet from his place curled up on the rug and let out a bark. Sasuke quickly hushed him, thinking of his family upstairs, then followed the big black shepherd through the house to the front door, opening it just as Naruto reached the porch.
"I was beginning to wonder if you even realized I was on the place," Naruto said around the paper bag clenched between his teeth. His arms were full of others, from which wonderful smells drifted. "I didn't hear Ninja barking. Hey, big guy."
Tail wagging, Ninja eyed Naruto's bags of food, tongue darting out to lick his lips hopefully.
"Human food," Sasuke reminded his dog as he took half the bags from Naruto. "Smells good."
"Mom outdid herself this time," Naruto said, pulling the bag out of his mouth. "She sent over enough extra for your brother and his family. They here?" He looked around as they traversed the hallway.
"They've got to leave at four in the morning for the airport, so they're all trying to get some sleep right now. That's why I didn't let Ninja bark his head off." Sasuke opened the door to the back deck and stepped out into the heat, setting down his load before he could drop a bag on Ninja's eagerly awaiting head. "I'm sure they'll appreciate having something to eat later, though, before they head out."
The two men returned to the house briefly to get something to drink, then settled down at the table on the deck. As they sorted through the bags and pulled out many different kinds of food, Naruto mentioned, "Hinata came in for lunch today. I didn't know the two of you were friends."
Sasuke frowned at the container of Kushina's special-recipe dipping sauce he'd just opened. "Hn," he grunted.
Naruto raised his eyebrows. "Uh-oh. Not friends?"
"I don't want to talk about it." Sasuke's phone seemed to burn a hole in his pocket, begging him to call or text Hinata to cancel on Sunday. He needed more time to sort through everything, get his thoughts under control, find a way to treat her normally when he saw her next. Naruto really wasn't helping that agenda. At all.
But Naruto, being Naruto, refused to let the subject go. "Seriously, what's wrong with you? You're grumpier than usual tonight, and that's saying something. Did your new book idea not pan out or something?"
"No, it's going fine." Well, fairly fine. He hadn't had a great deal of time to work on it with his family there. The few times he sat down to do something, the ideas just wouldn't flow. He always had something - someone - else on his mind, preventing him from concentrating on what he needed to: his book. And he was rapidly running out of time to get it finished before his deadline, which raced toward him at breakneck speed.
He didn't want to disappoint his fans. Even more so, he didn't want to alienate them. A late release would do both, in a spectacular way. And without his fans, where - and what - would he be?
Sasuke didn't want to think about it. "I've nearly finished my plot outline, and I'll start writing within the next few days. So it's going fine."
"This one's a supernatural thriller, right?" Naruto rubbed his hands together gleefully before digging into his food. The only food Sasuke had ever seen his friend so enthusiastic about (besides ramen, that is) was his mother's cooking.
And boy, could Kushina cook.
For a while, the two men enjoyed their food in contented silence. Finally, Naruto leaned back in his seat and eyed his friend with an unsettling shrewdness. "So you and Hinata, huh?"
Freezing with his fork halfway to his mouth, Sasuke stared at his friend. "What?"
Naruto grinned lazily. "Oh, don't 'what?' me. You know what I'm talking about. You and Hinata. So when were you going to tell me you're dating?"
Sasuke's fork fell from his suddenly lax hand and landed on his plate with a loud clatter, scattering his food. Ninja eagerly jumped forward, tail thumping against the table's leg as he gobbled up what his master had dropped. Sasuke didn't even notice. "Hinata and I what?"
"Dating. Seeing each other. I really don't know how else to put it, Sasuke." Naruto shook his head. "Geez, you're a writer. Shouldn't you know the meanings of these words and phrases?"
Scowling, Sasuke snapped, "I know what the words mean, you unbelievable dork. What I don't know is why you think she and I are dating. I mean, she's already dating that officer, right? The one on the K-9 unit. Starts with a K..."
"Kiba. Inuzuka Kiba." Now Naruto's jaw dangled in shock. "Seriously? Hinata and Kiba? They've been friends since kindergarten. He's like her brother, not her boyfriend." Naruto's eyes narrowed. "What made you think such a crazy thing?"
Brother, huh? Sasuke stared at the remnants of his roast beef on sourdough, extra tomato, and shook his head. If the man hadn't so carelessly thrown out the word date, perhaps all his confusion - and embarrassment - could have been avoided.
There was the kiss, though. But - it'd been on the cheek; in retrospect, not romantic at all.
Sasuke felt like the biggest idiot who had ever lived for jumping to the conclusions he'd made. Why had he over-reacted the way he had?
Because you like her. Ironically, the little voice in his head sounded creepily like Naruto.
Sliding his hand into his pocket, Sasuke felt his phone. I'm glad I didn't call her to cancel, after all.
Now he looked forward to Sunday more than ever.
*~To Be Continued~*
Author's Ending Notes: Ah-ha-ha-ha, I love Naruto. He's so funny! I loved writing this chapter - poor Hinata, naive to the fact Sasuke thought she was on a date. And Sasuke, feeling all jealous over nothing. So many fun things... And now we're only one chapter away from what happens on Sunday! I'm really looking forward to that. Thank you all so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope to see you all again for next week's update!