Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.
Special Thanks: goes out to DivineGlory, mangetsu no hime, lilshadow lover, Break Blade, Guest, Kibachow, Danish78, Sachiko Heiwajima, mimimi, Tamani, SahelTheWaltzingDinosaur, NeverInUrWildestDreams, WarFlower, Dani Stark, wolf-enzeru, TheseFourWords, and sirenmergirl for all your lovely reviews! Also thanks to everyone who's added this story to their favorites and follows lists!
Author's Note: At long last - the group date! So many interesting things to happen this chapter. I hope you enjoy it, and thanks for reading!
*~Chapter XXX~*
~Tension~
A motorcycle?!
Hinata watched in dumbfounded amazement as Hanabi and her boyfriend - shockingly enough, the former mayor's grandson Sarutobi Konohamaru - strolled toward the front door as if they hadn't just come roaring up on something so expensive. And dangerous. And huge. And dangerous.
Behind and to her right, Hinata heard Neji draw in a deep, sharp breath. She didn't have to turn around to know her cousin looked angry enough to boil eggs at three paces. While she knew his reaction to Konohamaru and his particular mode of transporation would be tame compared to Hiashi's, she also figured Hanabi was going to be in for a very interesting conversation sooner rather than later. Probably before the evening was out, as a matter of fact.
"Hello," Hanabi greeted them cheerfully as she and Konohamaru ascended the porch steps. Now she was closer, Hinata could see the tension in her younger sister's shoulders, and the begging look in her eyes. Please, please don't freak out too much, Hanabi pleaded silently.
Clearing her throat, Hinata scrambled to draw her wits back about herself. Forcing a smile, she said, "Hello, Hanabi. You're early." And she was, by about three minutes. For a girl who liked to be "fashionably late," being early (even if only by a few minutes) made it clear how much she wanted to make a good impression with Konohamaru.
"Yeah, just a little." Hanabi stopped on the porch, since the doorway was blocked by her gawking relatives (plus Sasuke). "This is Sarutobi Konohamaru. Konohamaru, this is my cousin Neji, his wife Tenten, my sister Hinata, and her date-" She stopped abruptly, her mouth and pale eyes popping so wide she looked vaguely like a goldfish. "Uchiha Sasuke!" she finished on a distinct screech. "You're dating Uchiha Sasuke?!" she demanded of Hinata.
Hinata's polite smile froze on her face. She sensed Sasuke pulling into himself behind her. Why did her sister always have to be so over-the-top? "And you're dating the late mayor's grandson," she replied with a calm she didn't feel, not missing Konohamaru's slight twitch or Hanabi's quick frown. "It seems we both had our reasons for keeping mum until now."
Hanabi tugged on a loose lock of her hair. "Yeah," she admitted. "Now then, can we come in, or...?" she trailed off pointedly.
Everyone shuffled out of the way. Hanabi grabbed Konohamaru's hand and pulled him into the house after her. "Love the wind chimes, by the way," she told Tenten on the way past. She added, "And that's a nice car," as an aside to Sasuke.
At Hinata's side, Sasuke smiled politely and thanked Hanabi. Hinata could tell he wasn't quite sure what to think of all this. She also knew he was wondering whether to be relieved Neji's attention had shifted away from him, or if he should run from this loony bunch now, while the door was still open and clear.
Tenten closed it then, though, and Hinata never got to find out if Sasuke seriously meant to bolt or not. Turning her back to the door, Tenten smiled a little too brightly at the group around her and said, "Dinner will be ready in just a bit. If you guys would like to adjourn to the sitting room until then...?" She pointedly nudged her husband in that direction, her brown eyes flicking purposefully in Hinata's direction. Taking the hint, she briefly tucked her hand into the crook of Sasuke's arm, squeezing it lightly as she gave him a reassuring smile, while watching Tenten neatly snag Hanabi by the arm and tug her into the kitchen. Hinata followed, burning with curiosity about a number of subjects.
Once the three women were sequestered in the kitchen, Tenten spun around to face her cousins-in-law. "Okay, Hanabi, spill," she said softly. "You know how Neji feels about motorcycles, after all the gruesome injuries he's had to deal with in the ER from accidents involving them. Why did you just show up here for dinner on the back of one? You could have just driven your car, and saved yourself and us a lot of grief, you know!"
Leaning back against the counter, Hanabi crossed her arms and shrugged the shoulder not covered by the top Tenten had brought back for her from the Bahamas. "It might have been easier, but it wouldn't have been as honest." She sighed. "Look, I figured it was time to get this all out in the open - at least with you and Neji. I - really like Konohamaru, and just the way he is. Yes, he rides a motorcycle. But that doesn't necessarily make him an evil person right out of the gate, does it?" Though her expression was slightly defiant, Hinata could see the pleading still lurking in her eyes.
"No, not at all." Tenten cleared her throat. "I see now why you've been keeping him secret - especially from your father. I can only imagine the look on his face if he finds out. Or more like when he finally finds out."
"I've considered bringing it up by telling Father I'm dating the ex-mayor's grandson," Hanabi said glumly. "But we all know he'll figure things out from there. Konohamaru is far more like his Uncle Asuma than his grandfather. Besides, he hates the way everyone always refers to him as the ex-mayor's grandson." She shot a quick, sharp look in Hinata's direction. "Konohamaru is his own man, with his own dreams and aspirations and abilities. So what if none of those include taking a political office?" Hanabi broadened her glare to include her cousin-in-law, daring either of them to argue.
"And what, exactly, are his dreams and abilities?" Hinata asked, out of true curiosity.
Hanabi relaxed slightly. "He can really play guitar. Did you know that? He's pretty modest about it, doesn't have a big head, but he is truly gifted. And he doesn't want to ride his grandfather's coattails to fame and fortune. He's going to make it on his own. And I really think he can do it. He's applied to Berklee College of Music in Boston, and he got in." She lifted her chin slightly. "At the same time, I applied to the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, for a major in 3D Fine Arts." She tilted her head slightly and smiled proudly. "I just heard back from them two days ago. I got in."
"What about Colorado State?" Tenten asked. "Hadn't you been accepted there, too?"
Making a face, Hanabi huffed and shook her head. "That's where Father wanted me to go. Yes, I got accepted. But I've already contacted them, thanked them politely for their interest, and told them they're not quite right for my needs."
Hinata had always known her younger sister had been the gutsier of the two of them. Where Hanabi went and did her own thing, Hinata was more likely to bow to their father's wishes. She went to college where he wanted her to go. She stayed close to home because he decreed it. She bought a condo with Tenten because Hiashi didn't want her to be out on her own. She allowed Hanabi to move in because Hiashi ordered it to be so.
But Hanabi always rebelled. She started out small, just little things here and there to let everyone know she wasn't happy with the tight control Hiashi kept over his daughters. But this - this was beyond the scope of anything she'd ever done before. And Hinata couldn't help but admire her for it. She knew Hanabi wasn't doing it just to rebel - though undoubtedly that was part of it - but because she wanted to go to that college since it offered the perfect degree for her, and was close to where the man she "really liked" was going.
"I'm proud of you." The words slipped out of Hinata's mouth without permission, but she did nothing to recall them.
Hanabi blinked. "What?" she whispered.
"I always knew you would go crazy studying accounting, even if you do have a knack for numbers." Stepping forward, Hinata enclosed her sister in a tight hug, feeling more love for Hanabi than she'd felt in a very long time. "I'm proud of you for following your dreams." She sighed as she stepped back. "Even if Father will kill you when he finds out what you've done."
"Yeah, I know." Hanabi looked back and forth between Hinata and Tenten with a hopeful expression. "Either of you got any bright ideas of how to head him off at the pass?"
"Sorry, no idea." Tenten lifted the lid off a pot on the stove, releasing a rush of fragrant steam which filled the air. "I'm still a pariah in the family because Neji married me, and I'm not the daughter of some shipping magnate or the sister of an actor or something."
"You're not a pariah to us," Hanabi said firmly. "In fact, I say it's about time we get some normal people in the family - and yes, I mean that as the highest compliment possible." She grinned, a lot of the tension in her shoulders and expression easing away.
"Thanks, I think." Tenten stirred the contents of the pot, then replaced the lid. "Ten more minutes."
Hanabi turned to Hinata with a wicked grin. "So now that we've got all my secrets aired out," she said in a tone which implied she found her sister's coming discomfort great fun, "let's talk about you, Hinata. And," she added in a whisper, "your affiliation with one Uchiha Sasuke. You two certainly didn't act at all cozy at the meet 'n' greet."
"We weren't - seeing - each other then." Hinata fixed her sister with a steady look. "He's super shy, and hates people freaking out over who he is as much as Konohamaru hates being referred to as the ex-mayor's grandson." She paused a moment for emphasis, and Hanabi nodded slowly in comprehension. "So I'll make you a deal, little sister: You treat my date like a regular guy, and I'll do the same for yours."
After the briefest hesitation, Hanabi thrust out her right hand, smallest finger extended. "Pinky promise, big sister," she said with a wide grin.
Sasuke felt oddly abandoned when Hinata followed her sister and cousin-in-law into the kitchen, leaving him alone with Neji and Konohamaru. Fortunately the former's attention was thankfully focused on the latter, and not Sasuke.
While Neji and Konohamaru spoke (read: argued) with each other in low tones in one corner of the room, Sasuke moved to the bookshelves in the opposite side (conveniently, closer to the door). He saw a section of books on weapons (ancient, modern, and everything in between), another containing medical texts and references, and lastly a widely varied selection of fiction. Some were classics, like Shakespeare, Poe, and Hugo, plus other, more modern selections, none of which looked familiar or interesting. Not a single one of the books, he noted with mild interest, bore his name.
Sasuke pulled down a particularly thick tome on Japanese ninja weaponry and paged through it, noting the title and author out of habit in case it would come in handy for research on later books. Illustrations painted particularly interesting pictures of things which would definitely come into play in future novels. Already he felt niggling stirrings of ideas (why not a Japanese-influenced thriller?) at the back of his mind.
He replaced the book with a medical text, only to put it back almost immediately. The first two paragraphs glazed his eyes over, making him glad he'd never even briefly considered going into the field of medicine. While forever grateful to doctors and what they could do, he had no desire to be one himself.
After an excruciatingly long time passed, Hinata appeared in the doorway. She spotted him by the bookshelf and smiled, then turned toward Neji and Konohamaru. Clearing her throat loudly, she informed them, "Dinner's ready."
Neji cut off mid-sentence, sent Konohamaru another disgruntled look, then headed toward the doorway and his cousin. "Tenten and Hanabi still in the kitchen?" he asked.
"Just getting the last dishes on the table." She caught Neji's arm on his way past. Standing on her tiptoes, she whispered something in his ear, then smiled at Konohamaru and turned to follow her retreating cousin. Wondering what had gone on with the women in the kitchen, Sasuke fell into step next to Konohamaru as they entered the dining room.
"So you're Uchiha Sasuke." Konohamaru grinned and rubbed the back of his head. "Never thought I'd get to meet you in person. I was on a trip with my uncle during the book signing, but I was at the meet 'n 'greet. That was the closest I ever thought I'd get to, you know, actually meeting you."
"If you want," Sasuke said hesitantly, "I could sign something for you before the evening's over."
Konohamaru lit up. "Really? I'm actually reading one of your books right now - Dangerous Habits. I've got it out in my saddle bag. Thank you so much!"
Tenten came into the room carrying a big, steaming casserole dish. "After we eat," she said sternly. "For now, everyone sit down and get it while it's hot."
Sasuke's mouth watered at the sight of the spread. Chicken, noodle, and mushroom casserole, hot buttery rolls, a crisp garden salad, and steamed broccoli with cheese sauce - it all looked so good, he felt like he might start drooling at any moment.
Sitting down between Tenten and Hinata, across from Konohamaru, Sasuke kept an eye on the expressions of the people around him as he served himself from the dishes as they were passed to him. Hinata looked serene, as if nothing which had gone on over the course of the past forty minutes disturbed her in the least. Neji looked thoughtful, and kept cutting looks in both his cousins' directions. Hanabi grinned and chattered on as if nothing bothered her, the bracelets lining her arm jingling with each movement of her hand. Konohamaru sat looking around with a wary expression (which Sasuke thought he mirrored), as if he expected someone to throw a fork at him at any moment. Tenten looked cheerful, smiling at all the people around her table like some proud mama panda.
"So," Hanabi said with a downright wicked grin in her sister's direction, "how did you two meet, hmm? I get the feeling there's a fascinating story just waiting to be told."
Sasuke caught Hinata's look out of the corner of his eye only a moment before she spoke. "Well, Hanabi, it happened something like this. Sasuke came into the library several times in disguise to sneak books off the shelf and sequester himself in a corner to read them. I officially met him at the meet and greet, but found out not that long after I already knew him, even if just as a man wearing too loose clothing, a hat pulled down low over his face, and sunglasses."
A unaccustomed sense of mischief came over Sasuke. "Actually," he murmured teasingly, "after talking me into taking out new library cards, she drove my profaning presence from her library once she realized my identity. I inadvertently left the new cards behind, and the following Sunday she braved the spooky mansion on the hill and its occupant to bring them to me - which displayed quite a bit of courage, I thought." He glanced sideways at Hinata, who had turned a becoming shade of deep rose pink. The attractive bow of her lips were half-curved in a rueful smile.
Everyone gawked at Sasuke and Hinata for a long moment in obvious disbelief. Sasuke cleared his throat and added, "Well, that's mostly the way it happened. I never actually wore sunglasses. In the library, anyway."
Hanabi was the first to break the silence with a half-giggle, half-snort which she quickly hid in her glass of iced tea.
"That's not quite how I had that pictured," Tenten said, a strange expression on her face. "It's not really very..." She trailed off, as if unable to find the word for which she searched.
"Romantic?" Hanabi offered.
"Perhaps not, but that's how it happened." Hinata picked up her own tea glass and took an unruffled sip. "One thing led to another, and here we all are."
Sasuke stared down into his own glass and thought about how things had so naturally fallen into place for them. Neither he nor Hinata had never really talked about being in a relationship, or even dating. He hoped that didn't mean they'd have problems later. But things were going so well now, he didn't want to rock the boat by bringing up something Hinata potentially did not want to talk about (at least for now).
"How about you?" Hinata said, staring pointedly at her sister as she turned the tables. "How did you and Konohamaru meet?"
"At school," Hanabi replied instantly, in a duh tone. "We've been in a lot of the same classes since we were in fifth grade."
"The first thing I noticed about her was her hair," Konohamaru admitted. He smiled crookedly and added, "That one strand hanging down between her eyes always made me want to just flip it off her face. I thought it would drive her crazy, but I never got up the courage to do it."
"He did, however, ask me to senior prom," Hanabi finished. "We've been going out ever since."
"That's only a few months." Neji set down his fork and wrinkled his brow. "Not very long at all."
Hanabi looked at her cousin with raised eyebrows and queried, "And how long did you know Tenten before you fell in love with her?"
Sasuke saw the tips of Neji's ears go red, and the male Hyuuga said no more on the subject.
"How did you manage to go to senior prom without Hiashi finding out?" Tenten asked. Sasuke could tell by the look on Hinata's face she wondered the same thing, and would have asked had her cousin-in-law not done so herself.
Hanabi answered with a careless wave of her hand. "I just told him I was going out to a friend's house. I already had my dress in the trunk of my car, so I went over to Moegi's house, and she helped me do my hair and makeup. Then Konohamaru and Udon picked us both up at her house. I spent the night at Moegi's, too, just to be safe."
Sasuke wondered what Hyuuga Hiashi would think of all this sneaking around under his nose. Hinata and Tenten didn't seem to disapprove, though Neji did. Sasuke knew better than to let on he found things weird, lest those icy eyes return to watching him like a hawk.
Hinata's sister certainly had guts. Sasuke had to admire her for that. As a matter of fact, aspects of her personality reminded him of Kurebayashi Riko, the heroine of his book Riptide. Riko'd had a Bohemian vibe to her, too, just like Hanabi. If he got out and about more, it would make him wonder if he'd encountered Hanabi somewhere and had subconsciously modeled his character after the girl. It wasn't unusual for such things to happen, since everyone and everything was possible inspiration for ideas and characters.
Despite the distinctly dysfunctional overtones of the evening, Sasuke could tell why Hinata always spoke so fondly of her family. Obviously they all cared deeply for their fellow family members, and the others' safety and happiness was important to each and every one of them. Even Neji's overprotectiveness was born of his love for his family, not a desire to control them.
Though Sasuke was beginning to think, from what he'd heard so far, Hyuuga Hiashi was another matter entirely. If they all thought Hiashi would disapprove of Konohamaru, Sasuke knew the man would disapprove of a thriller novelist. He wondered when Hinata planned to tell her father about their relationship, not to mention the fact she was going to New York with him in just a few weeks.
"I'm going to New York." As if Hinata had read his mind, she blurted out the words loudly and unexpectedly.
Everyone at the table went completely silent as all eyes went to Hinata. She blushed under their regard but did not back down. "We're leaving two weeks from today, on the sixteenth."
"'We'?" Hanabi picked up on the plural rather quickly. A catlike grin which was becoming far too familiar curled her lips. "And who, sister dear, is the other part of this 'we'?"
"Me," Sasuke said. All eyes immediately went to him, and he fought the urge to slither under the table and disappear. He could sense shock, disbelief, disapproval, and even admiration (really?) in those varied gazes. He straightened his shoulders beneath them with effort. "The newest movie based on one of my books, Head Shot, premieres in New York on August twenty-first, you see, and I invited Hinata to come along with me. We'll attend the red carpet premiere, we'll go to the shops on Fifth Avenue, and we'll even take in a show on Broadway." The tickets Jiraiya had secured for them were beyond incredible, proving just how influential his agent was. Sasuke wanted to keep it to himself for a while, though, content to wait until time to leave for the theater to tell Hinata what they were going to see.
Hanabi cleared her throat and grinned. "Sounds like fun," she said brightly. "Don't suppose you have room for someone else?" She winked. "You do have a free arm for an extra escort, right?"
"Hey!" Konohamaru protested with a laugh. "What about me, Hanabi?"
"You'll be walking the red carpet soon enough," his girlfriend replied with a proud smile. "I just want to get in a little practice before then so I don't embarrass you, that's all."
"I promise to give you tips when we get back," Hinata told her sister.
Tenten smiled and added, "We'll all watch you walk down the red carpet and take notes. You're invited to come over that night," she told Konohamaru and Hanabi. "It'll be fun to watch a couple of people we actually know walk the red carpet. I've always wanted to say I know somebody who has - and now I can!" Snatching up her glass of tea, she lifted it and smiled at Sasuke and Hinata, no hint of anger or disapproval in her eyes. "To Sasuke and Hinata, and having a great time in New York," she proposed.
"Hear, hear," the others at the table echoed - even Neji, Sasuke noted. They all clinked their glasses together, then took sips.
"When are you going to tell Uncle?" Neji inquired after the toast.
Hinata looked down at the napkin in her lap and fidgeted with it, all the brightness leaving her expression. "Um, I, ah, already have," she finally admitted in a very low voice.
Sasuke felt his heart clench at the not-quite-concealed pain in her tone. As he unconsciously reached to cover her hands with one of his own, Hanabi said in a tone that tried to sound flippant, but failed, "So, did dear old Dad cast you from the family like he did Neji?"
"Not in so many words, but more or less." She looked at her cousin, an uncertain smile wavering on her lips. "I took your example, big brother. I'm not going to let him control my life any longer."
Sasuke tightened his grip on her hands. "Hinata," he said, very low. "I don't want to be the cause of a rift between you and your father."
"You aren't," Neji said unexpectedly. "Uncle is. It's his choice to disassociate from anyone who won't bow to his unreasonable demands."
Hinata nodded, blinking rapidly several times. "It's true," she agreed, turning her gaze to Sasuke. "But one good thing did come of our conversation this morning. I found out that your mother and mine used to be very close friends, despite their husbands' disapproval."
And wasn't that just like his Hinata, Sasuke thought, to find something positive in a situation so fraught with negatives, as a surprised murmur ran around the table. It didn't occur to him until much later to wonder when he'd started thinking of Hinata as "his."
*~To Be Continued~*
Author's Ending Notes: All sorts of crazy stuff going on! Hanabi's going cross-country to college, Hinata's going to New York to walk the red carpet, everyone knows about Hoshi and Mikoto being friends now... I've been looking forward to sharing this chapter with you all for quite a while now, for so many reasons. (Oh Sasuke, you're so falling in love, why deny it?) And the next chapter? New York or bust! The next several chapters will be all about their NY trip, and I am so very excited! I've got so much fun stuff in store for you all, it's crazy! I look forward to sharing the experience with you so much. Thank you all for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope to see you all again for next week's update!