#6. Close Quarters
Following the sucess they had had saving the world from Toneri's clutches, the team of Sakura, Sai, Shikamaru, Naruto and Hinata became highly sought after, with mission requests pooling in from all corners of the land, specifically asking for them.
Hinata had been the only one to decline, initially. Understandably, she had wanted to spend time with her family after the Otsutsuki had attacked her father and kidnapped her younger sister. But she insisted that the remaining four take on the missions without her.
It wasn't until Hinata returned to active duty a few weeks later that Sakura noticed things suddenly weren't running so smoothly.
It wasn't a sleight against Hinata, or her capabilites as a kunoichi. Usual, Sakura was thrilled to have the chance to work with her. Any time they were teamed up with someone outside of their regular four-man squad, Sakura found herself exposed to different perspectives, new ways of thinking and approaching complex situations. It always proved a vital opportunity to learn and grow as a shinobi.
Hinata was co-operative, level-headed and possessed the well-honed, unique abilities of the Hyuuga clan. Under normal circumstances, she was a valueable addition to their team. It was only recently though, that teaming with Hinata presented something of an issue.
Naruto and Hinata were still in the early stages of their blossoming relationship, where everything was exciting and new. They relished every moment they could spend in one another's company and would rarely part… Even while in the middle of a mission.
At first, Sakura had thought it was cute. It was refreshing to see how much things had developed between, in such a short amount of time. The two had become much more confident in openly expressing their feelings for one another.
The way they would shyly brush hands when passing one another, the deliberate, lingering gazes they exchanged, Naruto spacing out in the middle of a conversation with Sai as Hinata stretched in front of him, thick locks of hairs of hair falling in front of her eyes.
Recently, they had even begun sneaking away from camp at suspiciously similar times, claiming that they were going to bathe or collect firewood. They returned together, looking flushed and short of breath. Naruto didn't have any firewood, and Hinata's hair was dishevelled, specks of dirt lining her clothes and traces of bare skin.
For professional ninja, you'd think they might be subtler.
Still, the relationship was good for them, Sakura thought. She was pleased that her friends were able to find such happiness in one another, that Naruto returned Hinata's feelings after so long. Though, at the same time, she couldn't help but wish that they would focus more on the task at hand.
It was funny. Less than a month earlier, she had been growing increasingly frustrated with them. Hinata for being too shy to confess her feelings and Naruto for being too dense to notice them. Now, it was the complete opposite case. They were both much more open and clear about their feelings for one another… Perhaps too much so.
Sakura almost preferred things the way they were before. Almost.
Though, she suspected her frustration might also be rooted in jealously, to some degree. There was a part of her that found it hard to watch them happy and in love, especially when he was still aimlessly walking the globe, away from her.
It had been so long since he'd last visited, or even left a message asking her how she was.
Sakura's eyes traced the darkened roof of her tent with a sigh, burrowing deeper into her sleeping bag as she turned over. Weary, but restless. With her mind wandering she was unable to find the sleep her body so desperately sought.
As she moved onto her side, her ears strained, picking up the sound of footsteps padding softly along the grass outside. Her pulse remained steady and her breathing calm as she realised that the presence was not a threat. Though, her eyebrows furrowed upon recognising the familiar, warm chakra, wondering what they were doing out so late.
She could hear Hinata's voice whispering from a few feet away and the creak of a zipper unfastening, as the flap to a nearby tent was opened.
"Hinata?" Naruto's voice echoed from outside. "What is it? Couldn't you sleep?"
"Well, I- it's just… I wanted to-"
Hinata trailed off shyly and Sakura smiled, picturing her friend glancing downward and pressing her fingers together in that old, nervous habit. For all the growth their relationship had seen in such a short time, there was something endeaaring about the rare occasions when Hinata acted shyly around Naruto.
Despite falling silent, Naruto appeared to have understood what she was asking and chuckled warmly.
"Alright…" He answered. "Come on then."
There was a distinct rustle of clothing as Hinata slinked closer to him, the sigh that broke softly from her throat, telling. Catching her lip between her teeth, indecisively, Sakura surrendered to her curiosity, momentarily, glancing over to watch the silhouetted couple through her tent's thin wall; their shadows moulding together as their lips traced over one another's.
It surprised Sakura to see Naruto holding Hinata so gently. He had never once doubted her strength, never made out that she was someone who weak or needed protecting; quite the opposite in fact. Yet his hand caressed the side of her face, restrained, as if afraid his very touch might bruise her skin.
Sakura smiled, before falling back against her mat as Naruto and Hinata moved inside his tent. Her curiosity sated, she decided it would be best not to intrude any further on her friends' privacy.
Sakura drifted off into sleep soon after, the fatigue clouding her body becoming too much for her to fight. Though, her years of camping out in dangerous territories during missions and working on-call as medic had left her something of a light sleeper, and it wasn't long before she was ripped jarringly from her slumber; woken by the sound of a strangled cry.
Sitting up, her gaze cut through the darkness, indiscernible shapes clouding her vision. As her consciousness slowly returned, Sakura couldn't help but note how much that broken voice had sounded like Hinata; as though she were in trouble and calling out for help. Though, with her mind clouded, still on the cusp of sleep, it was difficult to tell if what she'd heard had even been real or merely part of a dream still clinging to her memory.
Sakura's heart jolted unsteadily as the cry broke out again, rising abruptly before descending into muffled whimpers. The lone sound was enough to quell any doubt within her. The voice was unmistakeably Hinata's.
Alarm gripping her, Sakura wiped the covers of her sleeping bag aside and grasped the kunai she left beside her mat. She wasn't sure what would be waiting for her outside.
"Hinata?!" Sakura called, hand clawing desperately at the flap of her tent door. "Hinata, are you okay?!"
Her friend called back, as if to answer her. Though, the words that trickled from her mouth came as something of a surprise to Sakura.
"N-Naruto-kun."
Sakura froze, the hand that had been pulling her tent's zipper down suddenly falling limp at her side as she registered Hinata's voice. There was an odd quality to it; something that, in her panic-stricken, fatigued state, she hadn't picked up on initially. There was something unusual about the shakiness in her voice, how heavy and uneven her breaths were, not to mention the low, sultry moans spilling again and again from her friend's lips.
Sakura's face flushed, as the slow, mortifying realisation set in. Hinata had stopped by Naruto's tent in the middle of the night. As far as she knew, she had never left. And now…
"Shh, Hinata, not so loud." His whisper carried through the otherwise still night. "We can't let the others hear us."
"Naruto," Sakura growled, heat pooling in her cheeks.
Sakura set the kunai down and promptly submerged her head beneath her sleeping bag and covering her ears.
It was going to be a long night.
.
Sakura's dragged herself groggily from her sleeping bag well before dawn had risen the next morning. After the horrifying sounds she had been subjected to last night, despite her best efforts, she realised that any attempts to get back to sleep were futile.
Seeing as she was awake, Sakura decided she may as well fill the time with something productive, like packing up their camp and getting ready for their next day. She stepped out of her tent, rubbing at her heavy, tired eyes, before stopping to warm herself against the morning chill, crouching by the dying embers of their campfire.
"You too, huh?" Shikamaru asked as he emerged from his tent, stooping to sit across from her.
"Yep," Sakura drawled, rubbing her hands together and holding them out in front of the flame.
"Remember last time when she was shy and he was oblivious?" Shikamaru sighed, tucking his arms behind his head. Man, it was so much easier to get to sleep then. Troublesome."
"She kept calling his name out. 'Naruto-kun, Naruto-kun'. It was certainly a learning experience." Sai said, taking the seat on Sakura's opposite side and pulling out his sketch book. If she could have summoned the strength, Sakura would have glared at him.
"I think we should say something."
Shikamaru sighed again, conflicted. On the one hand, he agreed with what Sakura was saying. Yet, he wasn't sure if this was the right time or place for a confrontation. Knowing Sakura and Naruto, the conversation would likely escalate to raised voices, back and forth, something that he really didn't want to have to deal with first thing in the morning. Besides, it's not like wasting time arguing was going to help their trip home pass any faster. Surely it would be better to just let it slide for now and bring the matter up in private?
"I don't know if now's the best time to-" He began.
"I don't care." Sakura snapped. "We can't operate like this. It was fine when they were just making kissy faces at one another, but this- This is too far! We're supposed to be here on a mission and they're having se-"
"Mmm," Naruto's interrupted with a content sigh as he stood tall, stretching out his loose muscles. His chakra was flaring brightly, his lips set in a satisfied smirk as he stepped out of his tent.
He seemed to be in a good mood.
It wasn't difficult to figure out why.
Sakura grit her teeth, as Shikamaru set a hand on her shoulder, steadying her shaking fist. She resentment seeing him so refreshed and well-rested. It was as if he was taunting her.
"Morning guys." Naruto greeted cheerfully. "Ready to head off again?"
Naruto's features crinkled in confusion when none of their friends spoke up. His eyes rested on Shikamaru, who, beyond his normal, bored expression, offered little more than a discreet shake of his head, as if warning him. Beside him, Sai was watching Naruto closely, his gaze lingering much longer than what could be considered polite. Naruto shuddered, finding something strangely disarming about the way he was being studied. Glancing lastly, over to Sakura, he could tell that she was upset about something. The way she was glancing downward and refusing to make eye contact made that much apparent. The small crack in the earth where her fist rested was probably a good indicator too.
"Uh…" Naruto began, growing uncomfortable beneath the collective weight of his friends' gazes. "What is it?"
"I have to say, Dickless…" Sai said, holding in his hand to his chin as if deep in thought. "It seems that I was wrong about you."
"Sai? What the hell are you talking ab-…?"
Naruto trailed off, his skin paling.
"No… No. You didn't."
"Oh, we did Naruto."
"But- But how? We were so careful-"
"The walls are made of canvas, Naruto." Shikamaru sighed. "How much sound did you really think you were going to drown out?"
A/N: So... Prompts for Naruhina Week were just released. I'm hoping to have something written for every day again, so you might get some more stuff from me very soon.