"What?"

Hanabi was already stomping away with something disgusting bubbling in her chest.

What the fuck did you just do.

With her byakugan activated, she keeps an eye on Konohamaru as she gets ahead of the group for the rest of the travel.

The first kiss was strategy. It was, really. Sure, it was fun to catch Konohamaru off guard and it did quench a certain curiosity she had had for a while now, but that's all it was. Strategy. Then he kissed her and that wasn't strategy at all. Not on her part, or his, because he hadn't tried to attack after. He was just as confused as she was, though she let anger shine through over the confusion.

He's a good kisser.

When did he become a good kisser?

Who the hell was he kissing?

Why do you care?

"Shit," she huffs under her breath, hopping into a nearby tree to sit for a moment. She glares at her scratched-up hands. Then she pulls one up to her lip, feeling its plumpness from how hard he had bit it.

Hinata inquired about it when they caught back up.

"Ouch, dear sister."

Naruto laughed, pointed at it.

"Damn, Konohamaru! Old man Third never tell you not to hit ladies, at least not in the face?!"

Hanabi wasn't sure if either of them caught the immediate blush that had overtaken both of their faces.

Once she hears Boruto and Himawari's voices in the distance, she drops back down.

"I can see chakra networks popping up, we're close," Hanabi comments loftily as she comes up to her sister's side.

"FINALLY!" Himawari yelps, skipping forward.

Nearly an hour later, and they were coming up on the Great Naruto Bridge, which Naruto, of course, had to stop them at.

"And this, kids! This is my bridge!" Naruto declares proudly, gesturing at it. Hanabi looks down and lets a snicker slip at Boruto's bored expression and Himawari's curious one.

"Looks like they're not impressed." Hanabi smirks, folding her arms. Naruto scoffs, crouching down in front of his kids.

"Hey, c'mon! A little more fanfare for your dad would be nice, y'know!" Naruto chides, grabbing Himawari's shoulders. "It's cool, isn't it, Hima?!"

"Uhm—yes?" Himawari questions and Hanabi laughs.

"It's just a bridge!" Hanabi throws her hands up towards it. "A bridge, Naruto!"

"The Great Naruto Bridge," Konohamaru cuts in, lowering his eyes at her. Naruto nods enthusiastically. "I don't see any Great Hanabi Bridges."

"Exactly!" Naruto hops to his feet, swinging his arm around Hanabi's neck as he guides her towards it. "Look Hanabi, jealousy is a normal emotion, but it's ugly." Hanabi grimaces, pulling away from him while Konohamaru laughs from behind. "Once you have a Great Bridge named after you, come talk to me."

"Why did you fall in love with this idiot, elder sister?" Hanabi hushes a whisper as she comes up beside her sister. Hinata smiles.

"Because of the Bridge!" Naruto shouts after her with his hands cupped around his mouth.

"Don't worry, sister." Hinata pats her forearm. "I'm sure someone will name a bridge after you, too."

Hanabi groans exaggeratedly as she hears Konohamaru howling behind her.

Finally, they were checking into their little coastal hotel, and Hanabi can smell the ocean. It helps clear her mind and push down these weird thoughts invading it.

"Here you two go." Hinata drops a key into Hanabi's hand, then another into Konohamaru's. "You two are in 310."

Hanabi's jaw drops. "Wait-what—"

"Ah, yeah, sorry—" Naruto grins sheepishly, setting his arm around Hinata's shoulders. "I dropped the ball, blame me! I was supposed to book it and forgot about it until last week, by the time I called, they only had one room left!"

"Wait, are we all staying in the same room?" Konohamaru interjects, clutching the key.

"Of course not!" Naruto snorts. "Told 'em it was the Hero of the War booking and they suddenly found another room for us. All part of that magical charm, right?" He wiggles his eyebrows down at Hinata, who smiles and nods. "Right! Don't you two worry, there's a room for you!"

Hanabi grits her teeth. "I'll stay in your room with you guys."

"No—no!" Naruto cuts in, shaking his head. Hinata giggles next to him. "Give a family their privacy, Hanabi!"

"I'd rather sleep in the sand," Konohamaru deadpans and Hanabi nods agreement.

"Do what you want." Naruto waves them away. "Just leave my kids out of it. Look at Boruto."

Boruto groans, holding his stomach.

"That was Konohamaru's fau—"

"Anyway!" Naruto claps his hands. "Let's get settled in."

Hanabi and Konohamaru stand awkwardly next to one another for a moment before Hanabi sighs.

"I'm going to the beach." Hanabi shoves her pack into Konohamaru's chest, purposefully near the chakra point she had closed, causing him to groan.

"I'm not your pack mule, Hanabi—"

"See you later!"

If Hanabi was confused by what happened earlier, she never let him know it.

But Konohamaru is confused.

He's downright distraught.

Because the churning in his gut hasn't ceased once for the rest of their journey.

He was just glad Hanabi was keeping ahead of them, because every time they came face to face again, his eyes immediately went to that lip. That lip he had bitten to the point it apparently looked like he had clocked her.

His stupid, ridiculous brain was telling him to bite it again.

His idiotic, horrible brain was envisioning Hanabi in a bikini.

His filthy, hormonal brain was forcing an image of a naked Hanabi underneath him, pushing her hips up into his again.

And suddenly, he finds himself unlocking the door to their room and throwing her bag on the floor.

Then, he's changing into a pair of swim shorts, and his feet are carrying him to the beach she had just said she was going to.

Finally, he's greeted with a sight that he couldn't help but admit was downright magnificent.

Hanabi Hyūga sprawled out on a towel, on her stomach, with her eyes closed.

In a bikini.

And now he knows that the churning in his gut could be nothing else but need. That punch of lust gripping him by the throat and dragging him straight to her.

He stops short.

What am I doing?

He sees her open one eye to glare at him, then her head nudges to the side. "Get my back, Sarutobi."

He swallows, looking down at the sunscreen she was referring to, then back up at her. "Seriously?"

"Seriously, dummy," she sighs, reaching out to grab it, then promptly throwing it at his chest. He reflexively catches it, then stares at it. She rests her head on her forearms, face turned away from him. "You see how pale I am! Don't be shy."

With a tightness in his chest, he lowers to his knees next to her and decides she couldn't fluster him like this. Swiftly, he uncaps the lotion and promptly squeezes a huge glob directly on her back, snickering as she gasps.

"Dick!" she growls, burying her face in her arms and he can swear he sees the start of a blush on her cheeks.

"You asked," he teases, reaching out to begin rubbing the lotion in and—wow. Her skin is way softer than he imagined. For someone so powerful, he expected her to be more…he didn't know. Muscular? But her body is plush under his fingertips, and he may have been pressing too hard as she wiggles under his touch. "Wait—" he chuckles, pressing into her waist as she recoils. "Are you ticklish?"

"You wish!" she snaps, scooting away slightly. He grins as he draws a circle into the bend of her waist and feels her tensing, abdomen clenching underneath her. "Just put the sunscreen on, perv!"

"Yeah, okay." He licks his top teeth as he relents, resuming spreading the rest of the lotion. "I'll just have to keep that one tucked away for later, then."

"Whatever," she grumbles and he actually finds it kind of…cute.

Once her back is covered, she rolls over to glare at him and he tilts his head at her, eyebrow raised. "What?"

"You enjoyed that too much."

"I'm just a man, Hanabi."

"A stupid one," she huffs, snatching the sunscreen from his hands. He watches her turn it and squeeze a generous amount into her hand, then yelps when she smacks the hand right into his chest.

"Damn!" he hisses, falling back on his behind as she crawls towards him. He doesn't have much time to process it as she gets right into his lap, legs stacked on either side of him, and she begins massaging the lotion into his chest. "What—what are—"

"Returning the favor," she replies, simply, running her hands over his shoulders.

"I can get my own chest, Hanabi—"

"What—" she starts, squinting at him, the lip he bruised pouting out, "—don't you want me to?"

He grits his teeth and swallowed hard as his eyes land on that lip. Reluctantly, he nods, and his eyes grow a centimeter as her lips split into a beaming smile.

When had her smile looked like anything other than sinister to Konohamaru?

It's…pretty. Pretty in that shiny way, as if her pearly teeth were sparkling. And that churn in his gut becomes harsher.

Disappointment grips him as she moves off his lap and crawls around to his back, and then the cool touch of lotion on her hands makes contact there, too.

He wills his breathing to slow as her fingers massage into his shoulder blades and he wonders if she's being purposeful with her movements. It's just sunscreen, it doesn't require a full-blown massage. Then he hisses in pain as she drags her fingernails from his neck down his spine.

"Aw," she whispers, too close to his ear, "don't like that?"

The shameful thing, he thinks, is that he does.

"Come on." He looks up as she climbs to her feet and grabs his wrist, pulling him up with her. "Get in the water with me."

Hanabi Hyūga, covered in the salt water of the ocean, dripping from her chin, down her neck, right into her cleavage.

"Gods help me…" he whispers as he watches her emerge from the water, swinging her hair back.

"Come here!" She waves her hands towards herself and his jaw flexes, hand reaching up to his hair.

"Uh—" he grunts dumbly, shaking his head, "I don't really like to—"

"Konohamaru!" she whines, and—yeah, when did her whine start sounding sweet? "What, you're afraid of messing up that hair you spend hours on?"

"Hours?!" he gasps, offended as she winks at him. Within seconds, she's closing the distance and grabbing his forearms, and he finds his will isn't so strong now. He's being pulled into the water.

He gasps as he pulls himself back out, coughing slightly as he wipes the water from his eyes. He blinks them up to find her right in front of him, that smile still on her lips. "You don't look so bad," she whispers, reaching out to push his hair back and he leans into her touch. Shamefully. She draws her hand back slightly, tilting her head at him as he averts his eyes. "Do you like being touched there?" she chirps, sweet as candy, Konohamaru can almost feel his teeth rotting. She reaches back out, her fingers combing through his hair and he resists the urge to lean in again. He glances at her to find her smile growing. "Like a cute little puppy?"

He has no choice but to dunk her back into the water, or else he might…well, he doesn't know what. But it couldn't be good.

As she emerges from the water, swiping it from her eyes and twisting her hair in her hands to wring it out, she giggles.

When had a giggle from Hanabi ever made him do anything except cringe?

And as he fixes his eyes on her, he realizes she's stunning. In the sun, drenched in water, bright, lavender eyes shining up at him, pearly, white teeth sparkling, and divine body, she's drop-dead gorgeous.

And Konohamaru feels terrified as desire grips him.

Hanabi sighs contentedly as she floats in the water, eyes closed and letting it drift her wherever. Konohamaru had gotten out a while ago, not as much of a fan of the water as she.

Konohamaru Sarutobi was evidently succumbing to her charm, she supposed.

There was no other explanation for his change in behavior. She told him she was going to the beach, and he joined her. That in and of itself was completely out of character, he never dared to join her for anything before.

And if she's honest, it's kind of cute.

She wonders if he even realized how often he was turning red, or biting his lip, or rubbing the back of his neck. Or letting his eyes linger on everything except her eyes.

Now Hanabi is in the precarious position of deciding what to do about it.

It is cute, but it's also conflicting.

For the longest time, she had resented Konohamaru.

And it wasn't just because he had beaten her in the chūnin exams.

It was because he was the golden boy.

He tore through the village, doing as he pleased, when he pleased. He was the Third's grandson, no one willing to put him in his place except a certain blond-haired idiot himself. He was Moegi and Udon's best friend, people she also considered friends, but could never form a connection with quite like Konohamaru had as their childhood friendship. He was the village hero's little bro, commanding his attention whenever he wanted, boasting about it, training with him, picking up all his talents.

He was everything she wished she could be. But instead, she was the heiress to a prestigious clan. One might think that entailed certain privileges, and of course, it did. But none that Hanabi cared about. She didn't care to eat the finest food or be courted by the highest-ranking politicians. She didn't want to be pampered and fawned over. She didn't like watching her fellow Hyūga, the branch, bow to her and call her 'Lady.'

Konohamaru got the best of both worlds. He got to be a regular kid and an important figure in the village.

Hanabi was simply Lady Hanabi, heiress to the Hyūga clan.

Romance was never on her mind when she looked at Konohamaru. She knew other girls tripped over themselves to be close to him, she knew he was charming, and she had heard he was great in bed. But none of that mattered because he was still just Konohamaru. Konohamaru, who endlessly followed Naruto. Konohamaru, who struck down one of the Six Paths of Pein. Konohamaru, who took her out in the chūnin exams.

And now, Konohamaru, who was laying on a towel off in the distance, propped on his elbows, watching her through sunglasses covering those deep, blue eyes. Deep blue eyes that match the ocean she's drifting away in, lost in thoughts of Konohamaru.

And now, Konohamaru, who had let her drag him into the ocean and push him in. Who emerged with his hair slicked back and muscled abdomen shimmering with the water clung to it. Who, when he reached up to stretch, she could catch the deep v of his hips, carved like a damn statue. Who blinked down at her with those eyes that at that moment, matched hers. Laden with hunger.

And they were supposed to share a room together?

Hanabi was hardly surprised that, when she emerged from the ocean and told him she was going back to the room, Konohamaru immediately leaped to his feet and followed after her.

Like a cute little puppy.

Huh. Maybe I could get used to this Konohamaru.

"I'm going to shower," she says as she pushes the door to their room open. He's silent as he follows her in, and she shrugs, slipping into the bathroom.

Then, his presence follows her again and she squints at him, tilting her head. "I need one, too."

Her eyes blow wide and she lets out a surprised laugh. "You can wait, dummy!"

"Just keep your bikini on." He shrugs, closing the door behind him. She lowers her eyebrows at him. "I'll be my trunks on." He gestures down at himself and she can't help but let her eyes follow. That damn v. "I'm itchy as hell, come on—don't be shy."

"Pfft." She rolls her eyes, shakes her head. "Me, shy? Whatever."

"Thought so." His teasing voice is behind her as she swiftly twists the nozzle on. She reaches around and grabs his shoulders, then pushes him under the cold water, laughing as he hisses.

"Goddamnit!" he curses, back pressing against the cold tile.

"You insisted!" She pokes her tongue between her teeth, grinning up at him. She gasps as he reaches out and takes her hand, pulling her in, too. She lets herself 'stumble', and then they're chest to chest.

Instinctively, his hands come to wrap around her hips, hers on his shoulders, and they both pause.

And Hanabi knows exactly what's going to happen.