Shino's bugs buzz around him and he stares into the dark. He can't see, but he senses, feels, and his bugs tell him about the meeting happening a couple hundred meters away from him.
"I can't see shit," Kiba shares, right beside him in a whisper. He's on his stomach, with Akamaru right beside him. "We can't go closer though, they'll notice us."
"Correct."
Shino remains still and Kiba remains restless next to him.
"Fuck this."
Shino agrees but says nothing. Away from them, deep into the forest, Lord Graff meets someone whose scent they can't sense, whose voice they can't hear, whose presence they can't follow.
When the meeting finishes and the mystery figure leaves the place, Kiba and Shino try to follow, but they end their chase shortly after, with Akamaru sniffing around furiously and with Shino's bugs buzzing louder than usual.
"They're good," Kiba says, frustration lacing his words.
Shino usually lets Kiba's words hang in the air between them, especially if what he's saying is already understood between them. But this time Shino can feel his own exasperation rising, so he scoffs once, turns around and says, "I agree."
•····························•····························•
Shikamaru and Naruto sigh at the same time, and Naruto locks eyes with him a second before huffing out and shaking his head.
"I talked with him again, he knows nothing."
Shikamaru lets one of his hands press on his head. Tsume looks at Naruto with squinted eyes, completely concentrated.
"Or he's extremely good at hiding things? I don't know." Naruto opens his hand in irritation. They know Lord Graff has something going on. Out of everyone they have checked on, he's the only one that meets a stranger. And yet…
"What if he doesn't know?" Starts Shikamaru.
"How so?" Naruto interrupts, "a third party, you think?"
"Maybe."
Tsume stares at the two youngsters in front of her and raises her nose in dissatisfaction. "What does it matter?" She growls.
Shikamaru lets his head fall to the side with a tight smile. Because yes, but also no.
"We knew from day one that this wasn't going to be a walk in the park. I knew from day one this was a trap, and you two seemed happy to go into it anyways-"
"Well, happy is a strong word." Naruto chimes in, but Tsume stares him down and he looks down in embarrassment.
"So I say we focus on what we can do and prepare. Lord Graff is probably giving the enemy information, so what? We prepare. And what we need right now is not to prepare our defenses, but our attack."
Naruto looks at Tsume, her short hair framing her face, her eyes burning with passion. The fang markings on her cheeks crinkling as she smiles, showing her own teeth, "I am good with that."
•····························•····························•
Naruto finds Neji in his room. Deep into the night. Neji is reading a book under the candlelight and opens the sliding door before Naruto has a chance to even announce himself.
"My lord," Neji greets, and Naruto closes the mouth with which he was about to call for Neji before tilting his head and huffing out.
"Hey, sorry for making you wait too long."
"Not at all, my lord, please," Neji points to the two cushions laid on the floor before walking to them. He waits for Naruto to sit down before following through.
Naruto sits in silence and then breathes in and out loud enough. Neji looks at him with a blank stare and Naruto has to look away for a second.
"Shall I offer you a drink, my lord?"
Naruto raises his hand immediately, "No, no, sorry, it's just…"
"Are you nervous?"
Naruto scoffs, "Is it that obvious?"
"No. Not really," Neji bites down the remarks of how Naruto seems to only show this side of himself to Neji and Shikamaru. He bites down on his questions because he fears Naruto will change his demeanor, as if the only reason for this is because he somehow hasn't noticed.
Naruto lets his head fall back and moves it side to side. His muscles are sore. "Well, basically, you know we're leaving in a week, right?"
"Yes, my lord."
Naruto straightens, blinks hard. He needs sleep. "I'm only taking Shino, Sai and Ino with me. Nothing ought to happen in here while I'm gone. There will be guards and shifts and everything will be under control, you'll have Sakura right beside you if anything happens. Hell, my dad and my godfather are pretty good assets too, I would say, this place will be more guarded than any other place I know of." He takes a moment and Neji says nothing, and the anxiousness that eats at him tries to resurface, "I want you to stick close to Hinata, Neji. Fuck, not close, I want you to be her shadow."
"Yes, my lord."
"There will be guards and I have already talked with everyone about her being priority number one if… if anything were to happen. Which will not, you know," he adds, with a soft brisk in his voice. "But…" he hates having to put himself through these scenarios. "I haven't told her, you know? Haven't said a peep about things going wrong."
Naruto looks at Neji, at his white eyes, that seem impassive and full of knowledge. "You have her same look. She knows… I know she-"
There is not much he can say, and there is not much he can do. They have prepared and prepared further. And now Naruto needs to know that someone will have only Hinata's well-being on their minds. So he asks.
"Please just take care of her."
"Yes, my lord."
•····························•····························•
They are inside their room, and Naruto leaves a trail of kisses on her body. He engulfs her, her body against his, his hands roaming wherever they can. Hinata can only sigh and moan to the wall in front of her.
He has a meeting soon after.
"Y-your mee-" Naruto brings her mouth to his. He's eager, his hands caress her belly and he stops when his hands meet under her, he loves feeling the weight in his hands, the little sigh Hinata gives as her body feels some relief from her added weight.
"Do you think we can-?" he whispers. His breath hot behind her ear, his body ready.
It takes Hinata less than two seconds to nod. Her own body has undergone changes, her mind has become filled with worries, and Naruto's touch has become the only thing capable of overruling her mind, to keep her from spiralling down places she knows she can't go.
It is hurried and messy and full of hot breathed moans against her back. Naruto keeps his hands under her stomach and he takes care of not pressing her too hard against the wall. Just enough. Just enough to make Hinata tremble under his touch and grab onto his arms to keep herself from losing her footing.
Her kimono is all disheveled and Naruto presses her to him, keeps one hand on her stomach and the other squeezes her breast. He bites the nape of her neck and Hinata feels herself coming from a mile away.
"I'm c-comin-"
Naruto slows his pace and rides her high with her, he doesn't come. He turns her around with utmost care, keeping his hands on her at all times. "You all right?"
Hinata nods, but her legs feel weak and her hands don't leave his arms in fear of stumbling over. He looks tousled, and his erection stands in between his robes.
He starts undressing Hinata in order to help her get ready again, her obi falls and Naruto puts it over his shoulder. Hinata's hand ghosts over his glans and Naruto freezes.
The corner of his mouth rises, "Are you gonna help me take care of it, love?"
Hinata wants to whisper a yes, wants to be seductive and smirk back. But their desperation to be together has only grown bigger over these past weeks and she can't hide the sun with her thumb.
She's scared.
She moves closer to him and starts stroking his erection, her mouth leaving kisses on his chest. He doubles over, covers her hand with his and helps her make him come.
When he does, his mouth opens over hers and he spills himself over her stomach. Hinata brings his hand over her pregnant belly and rests it there for a second, before she steals a kiss from his lips and then uses a cloth to clean herself and Naruto.
They say nothing, and Naruto leaves her with her clothes as if nothing ever happened and with a kiss on her lips that lasts longer than usual.
•····························•····························•
It is morning and Naruto has been staring out their window for a while. He thinks she's sleeping, but she awoke the moment he stirred beside her and she has not been able to fall asleep again.
Naruto looks over at her out of habit and catches her eyes. He crawls to her, "Have you been awake long?"
"No," she lies and Naruto lies with her again, but outside the bedclothes.
"I'll be back before you notice."
He whispers and she whispers back. There is no one nearby, and what they are talking about is hardly important, but they mutter back and forth, with their hands interlocked.
Hinata rubs her thumb over his cheek, drags her fingers over his whiskers. "I'll be r-right here, w-waiting for you."
Naruto's blue eyes wrinkle and then Hinata's hand flies to her stomach, "We," she corrects herself, "we will be w-waiting."
Naruto smiles, lets out a snort before he rolls over and lets his elbows rest at her sides. He kisses her face, her neck, he sits and lets his hand come up in front of him, right over Hinata's tummy.
"Daddy's going," he whispers against her clothes and then comes up again for one last kiss. "Go back to sleep."
Hinata nods but sits and follows with her eyes as he grabs his bag.
Naruto checks his things before sighing and getting a shawl he then wraps around her body. "See if you can and get some more sleep, okay?"
Hinata nods again and her hands grip the shawl around her with too much force. Naruto notices and moves his hands over hers, "Hey," he calls, his voice low, full of sleep and wishes, "I love you."
A last kiss on her lips and then he looks at her eyes. "I'll be back before you even get to miss me."
He leaves and Hinata feels his absence immediately after. What a lie.
She misses him already.
•····························•····························•
His group waits outside the inner compound. With their bags ready and a look in their eyes that leaves nothing to chance.
They ride a carriage and Shino's bugs let out a soft hum that helps Naruto drift off into a series of naps before the sun hits his face.
They stop, eat, talk about their plans making sure no one listens, then ride again and keep on going.
Shino's surveillance never wanes and Ino has taken Sai as a chatting companion -with Naruto as a close second best option and Shino up to whenever he feels like sharing something-. Their travel is lengthy and without disturbances and Naruto somehow wishes something came out so he could take out his frustration on something.
Nothing happens.
And they reach the territory of the Two-Tails. Unlike what Naruto expected, no one is overly aggressive and they reach their dwellings without trouble. And all of this should make him sigh in relief, but somehow it only makes him more agitated.
"This sucks," he says under his breath.
Ino snorts and looks around with her high ponytail following behind, "Indeed it does, my lord."
"Just one of you is allowed inside, so Sai will be coming with me."
Shino and Ino nod and start checking their room with professional care. Shino's bugs fly around and Naruto can feel the buzzing outside the room already. One of his bugs crawling inside Naruto's clothes.
"We'll be on the lookout."
Ino opens the window and looks around for a bird. "Yes, my lord, we'll gather information while we wait."
Sai remains silent and the moment they leave he shadows Naruto with a confidence that makes Naruto smile.
The One-Tail, the Two-Tails, the Four-Tails, the Six-Tails, the Nine-Tails. All in one room. It sounds like the start of a bad joke.
His territory and the Four-Tails' are the farthest apart from here, so he knows the others will be more rested. He half expects for the Four-Tails not to appear.
A guard looks at him with a bored look Naruto returns before opening the door to the meeting.
The One-Tail, the Two-Tails and the Four-Tails stare at him and Naruto doesn't even get to give ten full steps into the room before the Two-Tails shakes a paper in front of her.
"My lord, a pleasure to meet you, the Six-Tails is dead."
Naruto snorts at her tone, walks the rest of the way to a seat away from all of them and lets his hand come to his chin. The Two-Tails locks eyes with him and Naruto tilts his head.
"Oh." He says.
Changed the text divider! I like this one better because it gives off a nicer look (?)
Also, off we go to meet the Beast Tamers!
Take care and see you next week!
PS. To the new guest that called this fic a gem (´▽`ʃ ƪ) Thanks for leaving such a nice comment