The SEAL'S Kiss

Celestia193's Author's Note: Okay, time for a dancing lesson, and it's going to get very…touchy. But hey, that's what you're all here for, right?

Chapter 10

Sasuke's hand presses itself to Hinata waist as he envelops her in his presence. The dress did look rather fetching on her, just like he'd said, even more so when the two of them were in motion, as he guides her forward, before twirling the two of them around.

He was showing her some basic footwork, things that she likely wouldn't have learned for a waltz, but movements that were standard, yet varied in the many forms of Latin dance. "Stay light on your feet. Remember that this is all about motion. Being able to move your feet quickly is the trick to the tango, the cha-cha, and the salsa." They could work on the upper body movements later, once he was sure that she wouldn't trip over her own feet in those heels.

"Alright." Hinata smiles at him as she tries her best to keep up with him. "Can you say cha-cha again?" There was something rather amusing about hearing Sasuke say that phrase. She didn't know why, but it made her want to giggle.

"Really?" Sasuke shakes his head. "You're amused by me saying cha-cha?" The things that this woman did…they were so…cute? It wasn't a word he used often, seeing as she was far more innocent than…well, other people.

The bluenette nods her head without any sense of shame. "I don't know why, but it was cute." She laughs quietly as she sways in his arms. "Probably because you're a Navy SEAL and it just seems like such a silly name for a dance."

"I suppose it is, but I'm not the one who named it." He tightens his grip on her, changing the movement of her hips to match his exactly, before turning her around, pressing her body quite firmly against his. It was a fairly intimate dance, after all. "Step with me on every beat, and when I say eight, I want you to jump as high as you can, whirling your legs up in a circle to the left."

"That's true." She blushes slightly at the more intimate turn the dancing was taking. "Are you sure? I can jump pretty high." That was an understatement.

"Yes, it's fine." He turns them around, taking her down the middle of the room. "One…two…three…" A turn. "Four. Five." He twirls her in his arms, stepping back, before bringing them back together. "Six. Seven…" He turns her again, taking an extra half turn for himself as he steps behind her, putting his hands on her waist. "Eight!"

Hinata takes a flying leap, hoping that Sasuke would catch her. "Okay!" Otherwise, this was probably going to be painful.

But his hands never leave her waist, keeping a firm, strong grip on her that shifts with the motion of her hips. Not letting her out of his grasp for an instant, he pivots on the ground, bringing them full circle before Hinata's weight shifts back down, bringing her in for a graceful, feather-light landing. "Well, you can certainly get the height, but try not to fly off, alright? This isn't ballet. Focus more on the vertical motion than the horizontal."

"Vertical. Got it." She nods sheepishly at his tip. "Thanks for catching me."

"You're welcome." Not that he would actually let her fall anyway. "Just try not to go into orbit next time." She'd learn control soon enough. "Apart from that, just watch your hips, you have a tendency of getting too far from me." Which, from a technical aspect, was very annoying.

On the other hand, he was very conflicted about whether or not he wanted her pressed against him, or shying away. Well, he WANTED her there, but he didn't want to have her there, and then not have her there. That would be just…agonizing. "Are your feet feeling alright?" They'd been dancing for a while now, and she was still adjusting to dancing so much in heels, even if they weren't nearly as drastic as the heels that her sister sometimes convinced her to wear.

She nods at him reassuringly. Her feet felt fine for the moment. "My feet are fine. Your massages can work miracles, it seems." The bluenette smiles as she continues dancing with him and tries to move closer.

"Good." As the music changes, Sasuke's hands move, pressing the two of them appropriately close as he takes them both through their paces, the middle strip of the room getting the most use as they took two steps every second or so. "Lucky for you that this isn't the Argentine Tango. If you ever perform that one, remember not to say a word."

"Why aren't you supposed to speak during that one?" Hinata looks at him in confusion as they take another series of turns.

"It's a cultural expectation." Sasuke had the rules of dance beaten into him long ago. "It's considered rude to have a conversation on the dance floor during the Argentine Tango. Even to initiate a dance, you do it silently. It's ballroom dance etiquette."

She blinks at that and nods. "Well good to know, if I'm ever in Argentina, or dancing with someone from there." Well one learned something new, everyday.

"Exactly, and seeing as you have projects going on in Latin America, I thought that you should know that before making a grave social faux-pas." If nothing else, Sasuke certainly knew how NOT to embarrass himself. "It's different in Europe, where it's polite to ask for a dance. Since you're going to be an ambassador, it's best that you know how not to offend anyone by accident." Because if there was anything worse than offending someone on purpose, it was offending them through ignorance.

"You sound as though you missed your calling as a dance instructor." She laughs softly at the thought. "Did you ever want to be anything besides a SEAL? I know that you stumbled into the bodyguard position."

Right, like he was ever going to be a professional dance instructor. "Well, I briefly considered going for a position in the CIA or FBI when I was little, but then, when I was a teenager, I decided that I really didn't want to know what was going on in criminals' heads." He couldn't imagine taking such a draining job. "But Father was in the military before I was born, and hearing some of his old stories inspired me, I guess. Naruto came along for the ride with me, and not long after we met Sakura and Sai, the four of us decided to all go for the SEAL training once we were out of the academy."

"I suppose you were one of the lucky ones then." She smiles at him, trying to ignore the prickle of jealousy she felt at the last part. "Most people don't know what they want to do so early on."

"I guess so." But it wasn't really as simple as that. "In my family, you're expected to excel. I knew that my brother was better in politics, and you know how much I hate politicians, with only a few exceptions. So, I decided that since no one too closely related to me was in the navy, let alone a SEAL, that it was a good place for me. Father did it, so it was my turn to prove that I could do it too." He resists the urge to shrug, as it would mess up his posture. "I guess it helps that Grandfather used to take me and Itachi out on his boat just off Quantico."

She smiles at him. "Well I know what its' like to live in a family filled with overachievers." She twirls around with him. "It can be rather daunting at times."

"More like annoying." Continuing the spin and flitting behind her with a deft pivot, Sasuke reaches down to slide his hand along her thigh. They'd made it through most of the basic positions, and now it was time to try a harder one. "Kick your leg up as high as it will go, and try not to hit me in the head, alright?"

"Alright." She laughs quietly at that. "I'll try. Though I doubt I could do much damage." The man's body almost seemed like a tank in some ways, Hinata muses as she kicks her leg up as high as it would go.

The skirt flutters attractively as a long leg enters Sasuke's field of vision. And, reaching forward, he runs his fingers along it, guiding it back down in the semi-circular fashion that had ended up a little skewed with her earlier attempt at a jump. "Just like that…"

Hinata shivers slightly at the sensual touches. "G-Good." Damn it. Her stutter was back. In her defense though, it was a rather intimate dance. "Want me to do it again?"

"Yes." He ignores the music, this time, focused solely on the technical aspects. "This time, I want you to kick straight up, and then, bend it back in and bring it straight back down, like you're kicking a giant in the chin." There were a variety of ways to perform such movements, and it was best to get her accustomed to several. "Pause when your knee is bent, before kicking it up, and make sure to bring it as close to your chest as possible." As possible as it was…with two rather nice-looking pillows adorning it.

She blinks. That sounded rather complicated. "Um alright. I'll try." Kicking a giant in the chin? That sounded like a rather suicidal thing to do in her opinion, but she believed that she understood the general point as she kicks her leg up high and then brings it as close to her chest as possible.

Sasuke runs his fingers down the soft flesh of her inner thigh, making sure that the pressure was right. "Good, remember to take this position as you go into the kick, and when you come out of it. Once you get used to it, it will look like a fluid snap." Like silk…that's what her skin reminded him of as he brought her leg back down. "In the tango, the foot and leg work is more important than anything you do with your arms. I can guide your upper body, but your footwork is entirely up to you, alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine." She assures him with a shy smile. "I think I've got it." Hinata was better than alright actually, but she couldn't actually say that. Sasuke had made it clear he wanted a professional relationship, so she would do her best to give that to him.

"Good." His touch lingers perhaps a moment longer than it should, but ultimately, he releases her, finding that the music has already stopped. "Well, looks like that's enough for today. I'm sure that you'll be even better next class." They'd been through four of them so far, and it was something…easy, if a little awkward. But maybe that was just on his part. In any case, it at least gave them time alone, with no one around to hurt his charge.

"I hope so." She smiles at him and decides to take the gamble. "Ino, invited me to go clubbing and I imagine she'll somehow manage to talk Sakura into it." Those two had surprisingly hit it off rather well. "Which means Naruto and Sai will likely be there as well. Would you like to join us?"

…You had to be kidding… "You want to go clubbing?" That was not something that Sasuke expected that Hinata would want to do, and certainly not something that he expected would be part of his job description. In retrospect, he really should have seen this coming.

She smiles at him. "Well I enjoy it every once in awhile and Ino has a habit of dragging me to a club every few months." He seemed so shocked. She didn't know why though. It was a normal activity for their age group.

"Yeah, I just forgot about that possibility." He shakes his head as he traverses the room, reaching for his bag with a change of clothes in them. "You really want to go with her?" He keeps his voice neutral, not wanting to impose any of his own feelings and worries about it on her.

"Mhm." She nods at him. "Besides, it's a chance to see you in less formal setting."

Of course it was. But for something like that…he'd need to take some precautions. "When were you planning on going?" The longer he had, the better his chance of finding something appropriate to put on Hinata for an evening.

"Next Friday." Hinata smiles at him. "So that should give you plenty of time to do security." The bluenette figured that as what he was worried about.

That worked, that was long enough for him to arrange things. "Alright, I'll be there with you." Sasuke frowns as he scrutinizes her dress. "I'll pick an outfit for you."

She tilts her head. "I'm not sure if that's sweet or means you don't trust my judgment." He was going to pick out an outfit for her?

That had nothing to do with it at all, but Sasuke didn't want to scare her. "Do you trust me?" He just wanted to make sure that she was as protected as possible. And if that meant getting her special, bulletproof clothing for clubbing, then that's what he'd do.

"I trust you with my life." Hinata smiles at him. "Though you're out of your mind, if you think you're going to get me in one of Sakura's Seal uniforms though."

"The thought never crossed my mind." Sasuke's lips curl into a smirk. "Though I'm sure that you would fill out a uniform very nicely, if it suited your fancy to try one on."

"I doubt it." She blushes as she fidgets with her arms and legs. "I don't really have the muscles for that."

"Well, then I suppose that the dancing will help with that." Sasuke chuckles at her embarrassment. "You wouldn't think so, but dancing really is much better than you'd think for building up muscle." After all, it's how he got started as a teenager. There was no bodybuilding involved. Just dancing, and regular exercises like push-ups, sit-ups, and jumping jacks.

"Maybe, a bit." She was far from fat, but she had always been on the curvier side and she would never have the muscles of a SEAL. "Though well, I doubt dancing is as intense as the training you've gone through." Not that she really wanted those muscles on her frame. She had seen female bodybuilders before and well, to each their own...but that just wasn't her to say the least.

"True, it's not, but it was good preparation." Though mostly because he spent at least fourteen hours a week on his various lessons. "It trains up stamina, and works out a variety of muscles. Like gymnastics or swimming." But that wasn't what was important. "I'll see about getting you some new clothes for next Friday. I promise that you'll like them." Sasuke was confident that he could pick something that was comfortable and stylish, at least. You couldn't be around Sakura as long as he had without picking up a thing or two about that kind of thing. And he knew for a fact that he could pick better than Hinata's sister could. No torture devices needed.

Hinata nods at that. "Alright. I'm trusting you with my fashion choices." She laughs softly at the fact. "Ino would say that's even more sacred than trusting someone with your life."

In this case, Sasuke didn't see it as having much of a difference. "Well, you're already trusting me with your life, so I think I can manage to make you look presentable for a club." Besides, he could definitely get Sakura in on it, since he would have to order clothes for all of them.

"You, My Love, really need to learn the difference between when someone is joking and being literal." She shakes her head. "I was making a joke about Ino's obsession with fashion and of course, I trust you to pick something up." She smiles at him.

"Good, because-" Wait…what was that? Sasuke's eyes widen as he stares at Hinata. Did she just say…? "…What did you just call me?"

Her eyes widened at her slip. "My Love. Sorry..." She shouldn't have said that. "I guess I've been watching too many British Movies. It's a c-common expression over there."

"Hinata…" Against his better judgment, he raises a hand to stroke her cheek. "You shouldn't…" How could he possibly explain it without it coming out wrong? Did she mean it the way he thought she did? They'd only known each other for a couple of months. Was it too soon? Was it inappropriate? Was it dangerous? Could he trust that his father was right? He didn't know, and that was just a little terrifying. "Why?"

"Well I like the accents." She blushes at the touch. "I know that's horribly shallow, but still." Maybe, she could play off the My Love thing. Why had she actually said that?!

He shakes his head. "That's…not what I meant, and you know it." She was intelligent, there's no way that she wouldn't have understood. Sasuke sighs. "You've been trying to be close to me every time we dance, you blush and stutter when speaking to me, and you called me…" Well, he could be reading too much into it, but he was pretty sure he wasn't. "…Hinata…I don't want to hurt you. And I don't want you to get hurt because of me, either. It's my job to make sure that that doesn't happen."

"I didn't mean to say that." She sighs and looks away from him, feeling guilty. "You said that you wanted to forget about it and it is...well it's not smart to develop feelings for someone so easily." Perhaps, it was just a case of gratitude because he had saved her and that combined with his attractiveness was a recipe for a powerful infatuation, but she didn't think so. "So don't worry about it. I know that you're professional and your priority is to protect me over anything else." Not to date her.

"It is." And for so many of the wrong, or maybe right reasons. What if his father was right? …No…of course his father was right. The people he loved most, he always fought the hardest to protect. There was no debate about that. But could he be sure that this attempt wouldn't blow up in his face? There was always a risk. "But I suppose that Itachi always did call me his foolih little brother." He wasn't sure when it happened, but he did know why. Hinata was kind, gentle, soft, a balm, and so naturally drew him out of his shell that is was getting harder to see why he had one in the first place.

Foolish? Most definitely. "I'll protect you." He kisses her softly, and only for a moment, pulling away in case she really didn't want it. "I promise. I'll do everything I can to keep you safe."

She returns the kiss and smiles at him. "Well you might be foolish, but I doubt you're little." Her lavender eyes shimmering with happiness at the chaste kiss. "Perhaps one day, I can correct Itachi's assumption on that matter." Hinata laughs softly as she images the look on the normally composed older Uchiha Brother's face.

A little surprised, and his conscious thoughts screaming at him that this was a bad idea, Sasuke let his instincts take over instead as he smirks at her, wrapping his arms around her waist once again. "Definitely not little, that much, I can guarantee." Still, there was a matter to address. "I'm still getting you new clothes, though."

"Alright." She smiles and rests her head underneath his chin, blushing slightly. "I don't mind you getting the new clothes, but I am happy that you got the joke that time."

"Yeah…" Sasuke really didn't ant to spoil the mood, not when it was so nice to hold her, but there was something that needed to be addressed. "Hinata…if we…do this…then you're probably going to see things that you're not going to like." He wished that he could shield her from that, but there was only so much that he could do. "If you don't think that you can handle that…I'd rather that you tell me now."

"See things that I don't like?" She looks at him in confusion. "What are you talking about? If it's about the other night, you killed in self-defense Sasuke. I don't hold that against you." Granted, she didn't like seeing people die in front of her, no matter who they were, but still.

"It will happen again." That much he could guarantee with almost complete certainty. "To protect you, it will inevitably happen again, maybe even more than once. And when it does, you'll see a cold ruthlessness that I would rather not show to you." His team understood it, accepted it, but her…she was kind and soft and gentle, and there was every chance that she could hate him for it.

She looks up at him. "Sasuke, I'm not going to hold you doing your job against you. You're just trying to protect me." The young woman shakes he head as if to dispel these thoughts from him. "I don't like seeing people hurt but I'm also not a martyr for nonviolence, if it comes down to the life of an assassin or our own."

He shoots her a rueful smile. "Okay. I just didn't think it was right not to warn you." He kisses her forehead, before taking her hands in his and turning her away. "Now, why don't you try showing me what you've learned? If I'm going to put up with club dancing, I'm at least going to make sure that you can dance properly beforehand."

"I was going to see that whether I was romantically involved with you or not, but I appreciate the warning." She smiles at him as she does the kick once more, bringing her leg to her chest again. "And I'll warn you that Ino is likely far worse than your mother at interrogating people."

"Good to know." He slides his hands down her body, picking her up and spinning her in the air. "But if I survived my mother, father, and brother, I think I can handle Ino." After all, one nosy blonde was hardly enough to crack a SEAL.

Danzo calls forth another meeting. "Well have we made any progress?" All this waiting was trying even his patience!

"Yes, Sir." Fu comes forward, head bowed, and eyes on the floor. "I can report that we have successfully tapped the phone of Ino Yamanaka, and discovered that she and one of the targets will be making a public appearance in less than two weeks. It is informal, and they plan to go to the Amaterasu nightclub with what appears to be the minimal protection of the four naval officers."

He'd tapped his cousin's phone to find this out, but though he had done it with vain hope that it would pan out, he hadn't expected to be able to deliver such news. "She plans to try and convince two more of the targets to come along. The group, should all consent, will comprise of Ino Yamanaka, Hinata and Neji Hyuga, Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sai Shimura."

"Damn it." Why did his grandson always have to come along with that blasted team? "Very well. Do what you must to take out the targets." He pauses and adds. "Spare my grandson, if possible. If you can not take out the targets without killing him though, then do what needs to be done." It would be a tremendous sacrifice, but it was for the greater good.

"Of course, Sir." That meant that they would have three targets. The Hyuga cousins, along with the elder Uchiha. "And the rest of the team?" Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha could both prove to be problems, as they were related to various targets.

"Kill as necessary. I care little what you do with the other SEALS." Sai was his grandson. His death would be regrettable. His teammates, he cared nothing for though.

"As you wish, Sir." Fu takes his orders, disappearing back into the darkness, along with the three others who attended the covert meeting. Knowing where their targets would be, and knowing when they were vulnerable, their guards down, was key. And if that meant taking out other potential threats around other targets, then that is what they would do, if it came to it.

The Hyuga cousins and Senator Uchiha would die. As would anyone who stood in the way.