Chapter 16: Idilio
"I'm not cold anymore," Hinata replied, and the blush on her cheeks expanded as she became aware of their closeness. He nodded his head. She praised him, smiling. "You got so good at this."
That brought a smile to his face. "Thanks."
In the past, little Hinata grew tired of him never properly tying her kimono. So once, after another scolding from her father, she complained about him saying, 'Obito-kun, I got scolded again because of you!'.
Obito recalled that incident. His teenage self was at a loss for how to respond to the complaint. He knew he was indeed terrible at his servant duties but Hinata had never complained about him before and he felt offended. He blurted out that there was no way he would be good at dressing spoiled little girls like her, that he didn't even like her (he liked her a lot), that if she hated his service so much then she should tell her father who he really was so he could send him back to the dungeon. He was an ass. Regret immediately flooded over him as Hinata started crying and ran off to her room. After what happened, he vowed to improve as a servant, even though he sometimes hated the job.
At the same time, Hinata also remembered that event. After Obito said those hurtful things to her, he later entered her room with cinnamon rolls and gave her a heartfelt and awkward apology. It didn't take him long to get better at his job. Hinata was very excited and confessed her joy to Natsu, who told her that Obito had secretly asked her to teach him how to be a better servant.
The Obito of the past may have complained a lot, may have been short-tempered and whimsical, but he couldn't bear to see her unhappy.
Obito spread a blanket that he took off the Kamui dimension, and they sat down by the shore of the lake in comfortable silence. Hinata, although a bit hesitant at first, rested her head on his shoulder. He ran a hand around her waist as if it were already a natural gesture for him.
After a few minutes, he said, "Do you mind if I kill your cousin a second time?"
Hinata laughed without mirth. "Not funny, Obito."
"Just kidding." He kissed the top of her head. "I'm just annoyed that those guys came all the way here to spy on us. By the way, are you hungry?"
"What do you have in mind?" she asked sweetly, delighted by the kiss.
"Getting rid of the guys spying on us."
"Obito…" Hinata couldn't help but laugh at his irritated tone. "Maybe they are just worried."
"Yeah, I can imagine that from that grumpy guy and your sister. They sure worry about you, but I bet all my fingers that the other three are not worried about me."
"Hehe." Obito raised an eyebrow when he heard her unexpected and childish giggle. "Always expect the best from people. You'll be surprised!"
Obito began hysterically laughing his ass off until he realized Hinata was blinking her eyes innocently and looking at him as if she didn't understand what was so funny.
Oh wait, Hinata was serious?
He nibbled his lips to stop laughing. He didn't want to spoil her good mood. He would still bet all those fingers though.
Hinata seemed to be aware of his sour mood, so she got up and sat between his legs, her back facing him.
"What's on your mind, now?" he asked, amused by her actions.
"Let me warm you…"
"I'm not…" Then Hinata made his arms wrap around her waist, "I'm freezing."
Hinata panicked. "S-sorry! You must be freezing because I am wearing your clothes."
"Oh no, no. You look so much better on them than I do."
Hinata smiled. "Am I warming you?"
He pushed her hair to one side, resting his chin on her shoulder.
"Yes."
Obito took a deep breath and smelled her familiar floral scent. He closed his eyes and something clicked inside him. For the first time, he understood what true happiness felt like. It was like time stood still for a brief moment, and he found inner peace like never before.
Obito was so caught up in that comfort that he just… "Even my heart feels warm."
That cheesy line somehow came out of his mouth.
Hinata let out a hearty, endearing giggle. "That makes me so happy."
She placed her hands on his, intertwining their fingers. Her body, initially tense, finally relaxed in his arms. Hinata found it amusing that Obito had become silent, clearly embarrassed.
"Remember our first hug?" After a while, Hinata was the one who broke the silence.
Obito didn't answer, afraid that he would utter another cheesy line if he opened his mouth.
Hinata murmured in an intimate tone, "I never told you, but that was the first time I remember receiving a hug... My father did not allow anyone to have any sort of physical contact with me. He was the type who believed that displays of affection would weaken a person's character." Hinata smiled wistfully. "I never knew I was starving for affection until I met you..."
After little Hinata decided to save him, she asked his cousin (who was a bit older than her) for help and ordered him to keep the secret. At the time, Obito stank, and they were only children, so they didn't think any better than to throw him badly wounded into the hot spring water. While she stayed there, his cousin stepped outside to make sure nobody came in.
The teenage Obito woke up completely when he felt the hot water on his wounds, and he started shouting, 'These brats are going to kill me!'. Then, his gaze falling upon little Hinata, he uttered something along the lines of, 'You can't just go around undressing people as you please.'
Little Hinata was startled. She said, 'But you're a vampire, not a person'.
Teenage Obito was dumbfounded and offended by her words. He told her that even if he was a vampire, he could still feel emotions like a normal person. Like love, for example.
She tilted her head. 'Love?'
He frowned. 'You know... Feeling happy when you're with someone. Getting affection from that person. Those kinds of things.'
Little Hinata finally seemed to understand what he meant.
'My dad says those kinds of emotions are a weakness,' she said then, like a mantra burned into her head.
He asked her, 'Are you saying your father doesn't give you affection?'
'Affection?'
She was lost in the conversation, and teenage Obito seemed to take pity on her. He asked her to come closer.
Little Hinata obeyed, feeling curiosity. However, when she reached the edge of the pool, her Geta sandals slipped against the wet asphalt, and she fell on top of Obito, who caught her in his arms. The expensive kimono the maids dressed her in got soaked, but at that moment she didn't care. Obito caught her and Hinata felt an unknown emotion she had never felt before.
That was their first hug. He asked her, 'So, what does it feel like?'.
Little Hinata closed her eyes, fascinated by the sound of his heartbeat. She exclaimed, 'Amazing!' and asked out loud if the heartbeat of his father sounded the same.
Hinata's wandering mind was brought back to reality by the sound of Obito's quiet laughter.
"You also used to sneak into my room at night," he added, in a false accusatory tone.
"Because I could listen to your heartbeats until I fell asleep," Hinata admitted softly. "I remember them clearly. Your heartbeats were like this lake, serene. They made me feel at peace."
"So that's why…" Obito pondered. Then he asked, curious, "And how does it sound now?"
Hinata chuckled. She turned her head around a bit, and he raised his own head as she brought her face down, resting her cheek against his chest. She listened closely to his heart beating beneath her ear.
"Your heart is beating so fast," she whispered humorously. "I think I'm making you nervous."
Hinata could feel his heart beating faster and faster in response to her words.
She looked up, meeting his gaze. Hinata instinctively leaned on her hands, pivoting her body to face him fully. A wave of desire took possession of her.
Obito watched with bated breath as Hinata closed her eyes and leaned in for a kiss. But as their faces drew near, she ended up bumping her nose against his own.
"I-I'm so sorry! I don't have much experience with kissing..." Hinata opened her eyes and apologized hastily, red flushing in her cheeks. Her brows set with determination. "Can I kiss you again?"
Obito resisted the urge to laugh at the question. "As many times as you like."
Hinata nodded, her gaze locked on his lips as her face drew closer to his. Now tilting her head to one side, this time her lips gently brushed against his, a tinge of pink coloring her cheeks. Obito kissed her back with the same tenderness, burying one of his hands in her hair as one of his arms wrapped around her waist.
Hinata's heart raced wildly. She was nervous. She had no idea what she was doing, but it felt amazing when Obito kissed her.
After a while, Obito pulled away, and Hinata could feel his hand pulling down the cloth covering her neck. His lips traveled down her throat, kissing and gently nibbling. She asked, "Are you hungry, Obito?"
"I am starving," Obito replied in her ear playfully. "I can't get enough of you."
Hinata let out a nervous chuckle.
"Oh?" Crimson red quickly covered her cheeks and Hinata hurried to hide her face in the crook of his neck, shy.
Obito chuckled in a rather flirtatious manner in response to her nervous laugh. "Do you feel like passing out?" he had to ask, just in case.
No response. Hinata just buried her face down further in his neck.
Obito couldn't help but chuckle again.
Her ears perked up as she heard his laugh.
Hinata finally lifted her face, and Obito's eyes widened slightly in surprise as she stuck out the tip of her tongue to lick his right cheek.
She pulled away with a giggle, but then she noticed Obito staring at her in a daze.
Nervousness rose from the pit of her stomach. Had it been too strange to lick him?
"Obito?" Hinata called him out.
Obito's lips overlapped on hers. Hinata, startled by the sudden kiss, partially opened her lips, and his tongue made its way into her mouth as if he had been waiting for that to happen.
A shiver ran down her spine. Hinata instinctively placed her hands on the back of his neck, her limbs trembling with anticipation. She attempted to match the intensity of the passionate kiss, and Obito responded by tightening his arms around her waist.
At some point Hinata ended up climbing atop him and straddling his lap. Obito had no idea how it exactly happened, but hey, he certainly wasn't complaining.
Obito grabbed a handful of her hair and tugged, making Hinata weakly moan into his mouth. And as she was running her hands along his shoulders and down his back, Obito sprinkled soft kisses along her jaw and down her throat. Hinata threw back her head, holding on to him to steady herself.
"O-obito, y-your hand…" Hinata muttered as one of his hands slid further up, now gently caressing her thigh.
The sight of Hinata trembling in his arms made it clear to him just how nervous she was, and that immediately snapped Obito back to his senses.
Obito pulled away from her. Shit! Why am I doing this out in the open? And I forgot those perverts are still spying on us!
Hinata caught that indecisive expression of his, and a shadow of distress flickered across her face.
"Obito?" she murmured softly, concerned. "I liked the kiss, I was just a little nervous."
Hinata leaned in to kiss him again, but he pushed her away by the shoulders. He gently moved her out of his lap and smoothed her clothes.
She dropped her head in defeat. "I see now."
As he watched her expression and listened to those ambiguous words, Obito immediately asked, "What's wrong Hinata?"
Hinata shook her head with a lovely smile. "While I was in the Kamui dimension, you made me reflect..." she began.
"Huh?" Obito was confused as to why she suddenly brought that up.
"I'm sorry for how I acted before and now," Hinata continued. She lowered her gaze, ashamed of herself. "I didn't know I was making you feel uncomfortable."
Uncomfortable…?
"You are right. We should take things slow."
SLOW…?!
For a moment, Hinata just stared at him in silence.
I'm not saying things out loud again, right?
She continued, ignorant of his worries. "I won't rush things anymore." Hinata grabbed his hand, intertwining her fingers with his. She said decisively, "Now that I know that you are alive, I promise to cherish you with all my heart."
Obito froze in his place.
"Obito…?" Hinata furrowed her eyebrows, worried by his silence.
He felt like crying without tears, but just as Obito was about to clear up the misunderstanding, Hinata's eyes started to water, and all of the lustful thoughts in his head immediately vanished. Now he was at a loss for words.
"Hinata, why are you crying?"
"Crying?" Hinata herself seemed confused. She brought a hand to her face and felt her wet cheekbones. "I… I don't know why I am crying."
As a kind of instinct, Obito pulled her into his embrace and her tears soaked his shirt. Hinata sobbed silently, shaking.
"What's going on?" Obito couldn't help but worry. He pulled back, reaching out his hand to hastily wipe away her tears (very clumsily though). She kept his hand in place on her cheek and locked her gaze with his.
Hinata finally said, "It must be because I am so happy right now."
Obito was even more confused. "What?!"
"I missed you so much!" she said, starting to cry again.
Obito didn't know what to say. Hinata rarely cried, and he was terrible at cheering people up. He racked his brain, trying to remember how he used to comfort her in the past. He sighed, and his cheeks flushed
"Twinkle, twinkle, little star. How I wonder what you are…"
Hinata stopped crying all together and looked at him, now giggling. "Pfft. What was that, Obito? I'm not a baby anymore."
Obito turned bright red.
"S-shut up! I'm not good at this." A minute passed, and Obito spoke with a much milder tone, "Sorry for shutting you up."
Hinata bit her lips to keep from laughing. "No problem. I actually find your Tsundere mood swings very adorable."
"I don't have Tsundere mood swings…!" Obito complained, embarrassed.
She kissed his cheek. "Whatever you say, cutie."
Groaning, Obito hid his face on her shoulder.
Hinata unconsciously softened her voice. "I didn't mean to embarrass you, Obito."
"I'm not embarrassed," he replied firmly, but his crimson earlobes were not doing him any favors. "And I am NOT cute."
Giggling, she stroked his hair. Somehow, being called 'cutie' by her was more embarrassing to Obito than making out outdoors.
"Mm gorgeous?" she said teasingly.
He groaned again. "Just call me Obito," he said.
She smiled sweetly, her eyes filled with tenderness as she ran her fingers through his hair. Obito closed his eyes and remained motionless. His muscles relaxed against her.
"... Why were you crying?" Obito asked after a while, lifting his head almost shyly.
Hinata's brows furrowed in concern. "Obito, what if… what if something happens to m—?"
Obito silenced her with a hand over her mouth, his gaze deadly serious. Hinata blinked in surprise.
His voice was so cold that it could freeze the lake in front of them. "Hinata, if anything ever happens to you, I'll make this world a living hell. I'll lose my mind and become completely evil. I won't stop until there's a third world war, countries unite against me, and some teenager changes my mind with some lame speech about friendship."
Despite the crazy look in his eyes, Hinata let out a giggle. "Obito, you're so dramatic!"
Hahaha so Hinata thought he was kidding… Obito smiled without mirth.
"Hinata, you are my world," Obito. said, his voice full of conviction. Hinata's face turned a deep shade of crimson as she gazed at him, her heart melting. "I will do whatever it takes to protect you and make you happy."
Her ocean eyes filled with tears. Seconds later, perhaps overwhelmed by the emotion of the moment, Hinata planted a brief kiss on his cheek. That simple gesture inexplicably made him blush.
Then Hinata finally noticed. "You shaved?"
"..."
"It feels so soft," Hinata laughed a little at the embarrassed expression that momentarily flashed across his face. Obito is so cute!
Blushing even more, Obito attempted to change the subject without being subtle about it. "When you stopped me earlier, I thought you were uncomfortable with people watching us. Sorry about that."
Hinata's smile froze in her lips. "..."
"Hinata?" Obito waved a hand in front of her face as she remained utterly stiff.
He blinked when he saw smoke coming out of her ears. Was that even possible?
"I-it can't be, all this time..." Hinata muttered, completely horrified. I completely forgot! So that's why Obito suddenly stopped?!
"If you don't pass out," he said, deadly serious. "I'll kiss you again later."
Hinata looked at him with a face red as a tomato, but her eyes were filled with interest. "Really?"
Obito had to hold back a snort of a laugh. "Yes."
"Okay." Shyly, she wrapped her arms around his neck and hid her blushing face in it. In response, Obito firmly grabbed her by the waist. "I-I… uh…"
"Yes?" He encouraged her to talk with a patient tone.
Hinata murmured in his ear, "I knit something for you." She stopped hiding her face on his neck and looked at him, her eyes full of determination.
"You knit something for me?" Obito was touched.
"I also prepared your favorite food," Hinata added.
"You even remembered that?" Obito now sounded excited. Hinata felt embarrassed for some reason.
"A-actually… We are adults now, so I didn't know how much your likes have changed… I asked Konan for some confirmation."
Hinata felt unsure if she had done too much for a first date, but then she felt a hand caressing her head. It made her blush.
"Thank you," Obito said, and she smiled happily. "Now let's get out of here."
And then they vanished into thin air.
Hiding behind one of the bushes, at a distance where he couldn't hear their conversation, Pain believed he had seen enough. He even felt a tinge of jealousy after witnessing Tobi and Hinata, of all people, doing nothing but smooching throughout their entire date.
"What a strange couple," he muttered to himself. Then he looked to his right, "Are you going to tell me what you're really doing here, Itachi?"
"My gut is telling me that something bad is going to happen," Itachi replied. "I have a feeling that someone has triggered it, maybe by saying a famous phrase for bad luck."
"The only bad thing around here is Hinata's questionable, or should I say, weird? taste in men," Pain said, not taking his words seriously. "Okay, let's assume you have a valid reason, but what are you doing here,Kakuzu?"
"I'm worried about Tobi," Kakuzu answered simply.
"..." Pain and Itachi's expressions said it all.
"There's a crazy conspiracy theory going around in vampire circles that Tobi is the true king of vampires. I can make a lot of money if I get pictures of him without his mask. What's the point of those deluded people existing if I can't profit from them?"
Itachi barely changed his expression.
"Seriously, people come up with the weirdest conspiracy theories nowadays," Pain commented as he nodded to himself.
Meantime, Neji and Hanabi…
"Why is my sister so interested in a vampire? Such inferior creatures." Hanabi was furious after seeing the passionate make-out session between her sister and that guy with her Byakugan. The guy even had the nerve to try touching her sister inappropriately in public!
"Don't say that, Hanabi-sama. Hinata-sama is a vampire now," Neji said in a scolding tone.
"My sister may be a vampire now, but she is an exception. She's a Hyūga at heart," Hanabi replied. "Why does she like that guy so much anyways? My sister is too cool to have a boyfriend!"
"Hanabi-sama, Hinata-sama is a person with emotional needs."
"Who is that guy again?" Hanabi asked reluctantly.
"He is Hinata-sama's childhood love," Neji explained to her.
"Childhood love?" Hanabi didn't know that part of the story.
"Long story short, Obito was Hinata-sama's personal servant for a long time, and she fell in love with him despite his vampire nature. They were separated by circumstances, but after some drama, they've finally reunited again. This time as lovers."
"Personal servant?"
"You were too young to remember," Neji replied patiently.
"And how was he?"
"A foul-mouthed, clumsy, and impulsive guy. A bad servant, who didn't even know how to dress Hinata-sama properly..."
"Then why did my sister like him?" Hanabi sounded confused.
"Obito had other special qualities," Neji explained.
Hanabi waited to see Neji explain himself better, but her cousin didn't carry on talking. Hanabi raised an eyebrow, "... And?"
"That's all I know."
Hanabi was about to say something else when she noticed that her sister and that guy were no longer there. "Quickly, Neji! Where did they go?"
