Chapter 11: Saturation

Aomori City, The Nebuta Festival

Naruto was out of coffee, and he needed it to get his day going. Luckily for him, there was a convenience store close by his apartment that had supplies of coffee beans. It wouldn't take long to grab what he needed and to come back. On his way there, he passed the elementary school kids at the park and smiled as he saw the elderly people mixed in with the young ones doing radio calisthenics, or rajio taiso, that occurred in the summertime when the kids were out of school. This early in the morning, at 6:30 am, the usual city noises of cars, trains, and people were muted. All Naruto heard was the NHK announcer's voice from the radio guiding the students and the retirees through their exercises.

When he got back to his place to brew his coffee, his phone rang. He picked up and heard Sakura's voice exclaiming, "Finally! Why are you ignoring my texts and calls?"

"Oh, sorry, I just forgot to call you back."

Sakura laughed. "I know. I'm just kidding. But I just wanted to tell you that your mom called me and asked about your love life."

He almost dropped the coffee mug he was holding.

"She did?!"

"Well, not directly. She was fishing. You know that thing she does of trying to find out information?"

He winced. "Yeah, I know exactly what you mean."

"I didn't mention anything at all about this girl you're interested in."

"Thank you."

"What's her name again?"

"Hinata."

"Right. But I think your mom sensed it somehow, that you've got a girl you're pursuing."

He groaned. Of course she would. "How many times did she call you?"

"A couple times." Then he heard Sakura muffle the phone and mutter something to Sasuke about some keys he couldn't find. She turned back to him. "Why's she calling me? Did you guys have a fight? You normally talk to her or your dad about everything."

"I know, I just haven't had the time. I've just been busy."

She whistled. "Really? That busy? You always make time to go see them."

"Right, but on top of my regular job, this contest was a lot harder than I thought. I really have to work to make sure my photos are better than what I normally produce."

She was silent.

"Sakura?"

"Sounds like you're really taking this whole thing seriously now."

That had him frowning. "What do you mean? I've always taken it seriously."

"Mmm, maybe that's the wrong way to phrase it…Before, you were kind of ambivalent, but it sounds like you really want to win this. It just seems like you're making an effort to really beat your fellow competitors. Is there anyone in particular?"

He could hear the smirk behind that question.

"No."

She chuckled. "Admit it, a part of you thought you had this easily in the bag, right? You being a famous photographer and all."

He could feel himself getting hot. "No!"

"Right. An in-demand-fashion photographer who's worked with big name actresses and models."

"Sakura…"

"Just kidding. Still, though, what's the reason for the change of heart?"

Hinata. A vision of her sprinting to catch up with mikoshi men, taking her shoes off and wading into the pool to capture images of the children in their yukatas and their parents yelling in the background, forgetting her step stool and standing on her tiptoes to snap a shot.

He shook his head to clear the image from his mind. "I just didn't want to be the only one not putting in the hard work, you know?"

"Gotcha. But for real, though, how's the contest going?"

Naruto launched into an excited account of his exploits in Kyoto.

Sakura listened for as long as she could, but she eventually had to go, too. She had a busy day ahead of her at her job in the design firm. Today, she was giving a presentation to the representatives from Toshiba for the advertising campaign she was in charge of.

"You sound really inspired, and I'm glad," she told him.

"Inspired?"

"Yeah, different from before, when all you did was complain about Ino and her situation with Sai, when you complained about editors and their demanding schedules. Now you're all about getting down and dirty to capture that perfect shot."

"I didn't realize I've changed so much."

"Hmm, I wonder what caused all this."

Again, there was that knowing tone in her voice that made Naruto remember that Sakura had always been very perceptive.

"Anyway, just make sure you stop by and see your parents when you have the time. I think they miss you. Plus, it might make your mom stop fishing for information from me."

"I will, but I have to go or I'll miss my train to Aomori, Sakura."

"Good luck!"


Aomori City had the hustle and bustle of a big city, but not as much as the Tokyo Metropolis, of course. On the train, Hinata had watched as the scenery change with each kilometer the shinkansen roared north. Her view during the three-and-a-half hour train ride started with the large skyscrapers of central Shinagawa to the tightly packed residential areas of Utsunomiya, the fields and farmlands of Fukushima, and finally the uncrowded city streets of Aomori City.

When her train pulled into the station and she walked out to see the nearly empty station, she was glad she'd gotten up early to catch that train. At least it wasn't that hot yet. Hinata was really proud of herself for recently being able to finally wake up without oversleeping.

With relief, Hinata found an empty seat at one of the chairs and whipped out her phone from her bag. She frowned, however, when she couldn't find the hotel reservations in her email account. She closed the app and called Kiba. He answered right away.

"Kiba, where's the confirmation for my hotel here in Aomori City? I can't find it in any of the emails you sent me."

There was a heavy silence at the other end.

"Hinata, you remember when we discussed this a few weeks ago, right after we found out you got through to the next round, and you said—" Here, Kiba actually pitched his voice higher to mimic her lighter, breathier tone, and said, "Don't worry, Kiba, I got this."

"Uh…"

"And I trusted that you would do it because during that time my mom was in the hospital getting surgery? And I know Hanabi even reminded you to make the reservations. Remember that conversation? Because I clearly do. I have it burned in my mind, you promising that you would take care of your own hotel for the Nebuta Festival."

"Yeah, about that, Kiba…"

"Because I distinctly remember that you insisted on booking the reservation, and rejected every one of the hotels I suggested saying they were too expensive."

Hinata's heart started pounding because she remembered that she'd said that, and had promptly forgotten to book the hotel herself. She'd been busy with Neji's June birthday and the reservations had slipped her mind when she and Hanabi had been planning the party for him. "Shit!"

Kiba groaned.

"Hinata! I told you to book that hotel ASAP, right at the beginning of the competition! Most people plan for the festival a year ahead because Nebuta always gets crowded. You know how small the city is! It's always impossible to get reservations especially during this time. It might be too late!"

Hinata let out a pitiful whine. "What should I do?"

Kiba sighed. "The only thing I can think of right now is to book a hotel at the outskirts of the city, or maybe the next closest city. You're going to have to grab the train and travel back and forth to the festival that way."

"Okay. I can do that—I think."

"Argh! Hinata! I could kill you right now, but that's not going to help." He paused to take a calming breath. His heavy sigh made her feel guilty. "Right, I'll start looking on my end and if I can find a room, I'll send you the details. In the meantime, do what you can for now."

"Oh, Kiba, you're such a godsend!"

"You owe me so much!" he grumbled.

She cut off the phone when she heard Kiba cussing her out again.

But damn, she'd really fucked up. How the hell had she forgotten to make the booking for a room?! It had completely slipped her mind.

Because Kiba was right. She'd forgotten to make the reservations because she'd assumed he or sister had done it. And now she was in trouble because despite the popularity of the Nebuta festival, Aomori city still struggled to accommodate the many visitors who come for the summer to visit and witness the event—which meant she might not have a place to sleep for the couple days she was here.

Crap!

She scrambled on her phone and tapped at it frustratingly, but the wi-fi connection was so damned sloooow. When that didn't work, she switched it off and relied on her data, but this time, it was her phone itself that refused to cooperate.

It was taking forever to load, which made Hinata curse again and again.

Dammit! The fates were conspiring against her. Everything was falling apart. If there ever was a sign to get a new phone, now was it.

She switched it back to wi-fi.

She sat in front on the bench unseeingly, helplessly praying for those wifi curves on her phone to reach maximum level.

But just then, her phone vibrated. Kiba's news wasn't good:

Dumbass!

I looked online. No rooms in Hachinohe and Hirosaki. I'll see about Morioka.

Argh! Two options gone in one shot.

She walked around the station trying to find a spot where the wi-fi would work.

Ten minutes later, Kiba sent another text: No luck in Morioka, either.

"That means I have to travel more than two hours to find a place to stay!" she yelled at her phone.

Hinata wiped her clammy hand on her jean-clad thigh. She was in real trouble now. But she forced herself to calm down and think. If she couldn't find a place to sleep then maybe she could stay at one of those twenty-four hour cafe spaces…But did Aomori City have any of those? She had a feeling that might be out of her choices, too. If the hotels were crowded, she was pretty sure other people would have the same idea.

Maybe she should just camp out in one of the parks and hopefully a kind soul would take pity on her and offer her a place to sleep. People sometimes did that in Japan.

Kiba sent another text: I HATE you so much. Im going to have to start CALLING places individually.

Just when she was about to lose hope, a guardian angel approached her.

She looked up when a shadow crossed over her space.

"Are you okay?"

She looked up to see him there again. "Huh? Oh, you."

"Hi?" Naruto said, his tone and expression rightfully perplexed and slightly miffed for that unprovoked attack.

She sighed. "Yeah. I'm sorry for being a bitch. I'm not having a good morning."

"I can see that," he answered mildly. Still his face was pleasantly patient.

She groaned. "Why is it that you're always seeing me when I'm down?"

"What happened? Can I help you in any way?"

"Unless you've got an extra hotel room lying around, I don't think you can help me."

He was silent, which made her hastily explain, "I somehow forgot to make the booking for my hotel here in Aomori for the festival."

He blanched. "Yikes."

Because he knew that she'd really really screwed up. There was no way to hide it, no way to hide that she was in deep trouble. She looked down at her six-year-old phone, at the wi-fi that refused to work.

"Kiba's helping me find a place to stay, and I'm also trying to see if I can book a hotel room in the neighboring cities but the internet here sucks!"

"Maybe I can help? I booked mine early…"

She frowned, trying to understand what he was saying.

"I'll just add you as a guest to my room."

"No! I don't want your pity!"

"Really? Are you sure, Hinata?"

Even early in the morning, the hot sun beat down on her. From below, the reflected light off the concrete sent up its own waves of heat. Cicadas buzzed in the distance, the sign of deep summer in Japan, especially up here in Northern Tohoku. Surrounded by nature, she felt the beauty of the land, but it also meant hot, humid, muggy, cloying air. A trickle of sweat dripped down between her breasts, reminding her of what she was refusing if she said no to his suggestion.

He was offering her an air-conditioned room in a hotel—for the whole trip that she was here.

Hinata forgot her pride. She would do anything to escape the heat—even bunk down with Naruto.

"Okay. I'll take you up on your offer. But I'll pay you back, I promise."

"No, it's fine," he started to say, but she cut him off.

"I might be poor, but I always pay my debts to others."

He looked at her determined face and capitulated. "I believe you."

She nodded, satisfaction on her face. "Thank you for the kind offer."

"You're welcome." He smiled. "By the way, this isn't pity."

"You're just helping out a competitor out of the goodness of your heart?"

"Yes," he said simply. She looked at him. Despite the hot weather, he looked composed and comfortable in his button down shirt and stylish cargo pants. How is it that the man didn't look sloppy at all?

"Okay, whatever. I'll still pay you half."

"Half?!" He squinted at her and it looked like he wanted to say something but he didn't.

"Yes."

"Fine." He looked at her implacable stance, the clenched jaw that told him she was going to be stubborn about this. "That's fair, I guess."

She offered her hand and he shook it.

She sent a quick message to Kiba.

I'll explain later but problem solved! Got myself a place to stay. Naruto Uzumaki offered me a room.

Her phone buzzed back immediately with his response:

WTF?!

But Hinata only ignored it.


Of course he would be staying at one of the more expensive hotels, Hinata thought with dismay as they walked into the lobby.

She usually frequented the more reasonable and smaller ones whenever she had to travel for her job—not a five-star hotel like Naruto did. Obviously, being a fashion photographer paid more than being a freelancer like her. She sighed inwardly, regretting her earlier offer to pay him half the cost of the room. She should have waited to see where he was staying first before she'd hastily offered to pay him back.

The gleaming chandelier lights sparkled cheerfully at her, mocking her impulsive decision.

Damn. She was going to have to do some penny-pinching later on, but she followed him silently as they walked towards the elevators.

He held the button and kept it open for her. His glance was apologetic when he said, "It might be cramped for the both of us, but at least you'll have a bed for the next few days."

She shook her head. "I'm sure it's more than enough room."

He slid the electric key into the slot and opened the door to the place they would share for the next few days.

Yeah.

His version of cramped and her version of cramped definitely differed, she thought as she gazed at the spacious room that overlooked the river.

They'd checked with the front desk if they could change the room for one with twin beds, but the popularity of the festival made it impossible. They were stuck with the room he'd originally booked, the one with the double bed.

Which meant Hinata would have to share not only the room, but the bed with him, too.

Hmm. She glanced at him furtively. He didn't seem bothered by that thought.

Strange because she'd thought he would balk at being in the same room with her, considering the many times she'd tormented him. But no, he was pretty composed even when he told her to do whatever she wanted in the room. He'd said it quickly, as if he was uncomfortable with the situation, but he was willing to go through with it. He didn't say anything anymore and placed his bag on the bed.

It all confirmed her suspicions. She realized he was shy. The wary way he looked at her, the pauses before he spoke to her, the bashful responses to her teasing. She hadn't missed any of that.

And Hinata found perverse pleasure in the knowledge that they were polar opposites. Still, she admitted to herself that his shyness was charming, that she liked the quiet way he held himself whenever he talked to strangers, adored that hesitant way he would approach his subjects. Meanwhile, here she was, instantly ready to get in everybody's faces and just burst out with her requests. She found that it was easier to just do what she wanted and then regret it after. He, however, worked to assure everyone first. How typical of him.

She continued observing him because he was meticulously unpacking his things, first taking out his camera from its case, inspecting it before placing it carefully on the bed. That done, he slowly unpacked the various wires and little gadgets that every photographer carried. These, too, he made sure they were okay before he placed them lovingly on the bed.

Naruto had beautiful hands. Long fingers, perfectly trimmed nails, the veins defined.

One can tell a lot about a man by the way he handles his camera gear.

Hinata remembered when she'd watched him take his photos in Kyoto, the way he was careful with his belongings then, too. He cradled his camera protectively, his hand curled gently against the lens. She remembered watching him tuck it into the bag to make sure it was in the right position, slung his camera to make sure it was behind his back, between his shoulder blades so that it wouldn't be swinging haphazardly if he had to move or run, but it would still be within easy reach if he had to take a shot.

And if he was careful with his gear, he would be careful with everything else, and maybe especially with a woman's body.

Hinata smiled, giving her thoughts free rein to imagine because she just couldn't help herself.

Those beautiful hands on her skin, skimming down her back, gripping her butt and pushing her against his lower body. Those palms kneading her breasts, those long fingers trailing caresses over her stomach, between her legs, ins—

As if he sensed the lurid direction of her thoughts, Naruto suddenly stopped what he was doing and glanced up at her, rudely interrupting her daydream. Their eyes locked. She couldn't help the wicked smile that curved over her mouth to have been caught gazing at him and fantasizing about his hands all over her. She watched the puzzled frown that stole over his features. He probably couldn't tell she was already mentally undressing him and had even continued beyond that stage because in her mind, they were now on the bed and getting to the good part.

Or maybe he did—because he was suddenly tense and that was definitely a blush on his cheeks.

Hinata's grin widened but she said nothing aloud.

Yes, Naruto Uzumaki, she promised him in her mind. If you would let me, I would—

"Stop."

Her lips pressed together, but she didn't heed his command.

"Stop what?"

"Whatever it is you're doing in your mind."

"I'm not doing anything," she said innocently.

He wasn't buying it. "I feel like you're ogling me or something."

"Ogling?!" she snorted with surprised laughter. "Now that's a word I've never heard somebody say aloud."

This made him even more flustered. "Ugh. Yeah, my dad's one of those vocabulary nuts so I've heard him say it many times."

"Ogle." She was still chuckling. But yes, ogling him she was, as she swept him another heated glance from beneath her lashes. She couldn't help it. Naruto was one of the most attractive men she'd ever laid eyes on. There was no way she could ever deny that. He made her curious. She wondered what he would be like in the bedroom, when he wasn't so put together and always in control of his emotions. What would he be like without those perfectly pressed button-down shirts?

"I said, stop."

Again, she pressed her lips together and fought her grin. She shrugged an apology. "Tell you what, Naruto, you can do the same to me. I give you free reign to indulge in your own fantasy about me."


As soon as she'd said it, the image of them tangled up deliciously on the bed suddenly popped into his head. Because unbeknownst to her, he'd been fantasizing too much about her ever since she'd teased him in Kyoto, when she'd whispered how she would kiss him.

He was a photographer, he was steeped in visuals everyday, with an imagination so powerful, he could easily picture what she was suggesting. He knew her shape, that heavenly hourglass figure underneath the uniform she seemed to wear, those tight turtlenecks of hers, those thigh-hugging jeans.

Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He kept his lids pressed together and refused to look at her even as he heard her soft laughter echo in the room. It was full of teasing, and there was a promise there, too. With her personality, he knew what she would be like between the sheets. She would be such a wonderful sexual partner in the bedroom, playful and fun.

He shook his head to clear his head.

God. This is what happened when he tried to be nice, to help her despite knowing how dangerous it was to be in such close proximity to her.

"So are you undressing me mentally, too?" Hinata quietly murmured.

"No!" he snapped.

And then the meaning of her words finally made sense.

Too?!

So she had been ogling him. And he had been naked in her mind…

Gah!

He squeezed his eyes even more tightly and slapped a hand over his eyes.

"Hinata…stop, really."

"Stop what, Naruto?" Her voice was low again, huskier than before. "Do you need me to help you paint a picture in your mind? Should I describe things again?"

No. He didn't need her help, goddammit! He could perfectly imagine everything so damned clearly because in his mind she was already naked, her naked skin pressed warmly against him, her long hair ghosting over his stomach, kneeling over him, lips open—

He didn't want to look her in the eyes because he didn't want her to know the truth, he wanted to hide the lust blazing inside him.

He swallowed, and then reminded her of her promise when they'd been in Kyoto. "You said you weren't going to mock me any more."

She seemed to remember because she murmured, "I promised not to talk about adults kissing back then." His shoulders were about to slump with relief, but they stiffened again when she added, "But I didn't promise anything about what happens after the kissing. Because I'm not thinking about just kissing any more...I'm beyond that stage…Or maybe you can already imagine…more things?"

"Hinata!"

I beg you. Holy Jesus.

More laughter, this time filled with knowing. "Okay. I'll stop. I'm sorry."

He finally opened his eyes. She was smiling at him, almost kindly.

"Way to ruin my fun, Naruto."

She chuckled one last time, but she took pity on him and then injected professionalism into her voice when she said, "I think the festival just started. I'm heading to the information booth to pick up some pamphlets."


I shouldn't have done that, she thought to herself. It was getting harder and harder to stop herself from propositioning him. His willingness to not only forgive and forget her teasing was attractive, making her realize that he had a depth to him she'd never thought to discover. She'd thought him aloof and haughty in the beginning, but really, he had a heart of gold. His kindness was genuine.

Hell, he'd offered to share his room with her.

And kindness in a man was definitely a very sexy thing.

How could she not be attracted to somebody like that?

He'd stayed in the room to continue unpacking his things, terse and short with her while she'd quickly left her things in the corner where she thought would be out of his way. "I'll unpack later when I come back," she'd explained.

He nodded, still angry at her.

Still, he'd wished her good luck with her photos and told her to use the room freely, as she pleased.

Since she knew she was completely at fault, Hinata took the coward's way out and escaped instead of staying to deal with the mess she'd created. She would genuinely apologize—again—after she'd taken her pictures. She reminded herself that she had a job to do, especially now that everyone was in the thick of it, right smack in the middle of the competition. She and the other remaining photographers had three more chances to impress the public in order to secure that position as the next imperial photographer.

Hinata walked out into the harsh sun of Aomori heat and squared her shoulders.

If he wanted to brood in silence, she would leave him alone.


Fortunately, once she was out in the field photographing everything out in the festival, she was back to that laser-focused competitor determined to 'crush him' as she'd once proclaimed.

Naruto had only arrived at the event table a few minutes after she'd left him in their hotel room, desperately trying to claw his way out this quagmire of lust she'd plunged him in. He'd looked at the shower and debated whether to take another bath of ice cold water but decided against it. Instead, he'd taken deep, calming breaths and deliberately gathered his gear, taking his time to sort through what he wanted to use for the day. The cool metal of the camera body and his lenses helped to snap him back to his purpose, the reason why he was here in Aomori.

When he finally made an appearance at the event, though, Hinata ignored him completely and did as she pleased, flitting through the people, again running through and fro, chatting with everyone while she had her camera pressed to her eye. When she wasn't doing that, she was bending down to take pictures of the children holding their little treats of cotton candy, ice cream, or chocolate-covered bananas.

Even as he snapped his own photos he was still very much aware of her—and very much aware of her tactic to avoid him.

Yes, he thought to himself. It was a good thing that she didn't approach him at all, that she was no longer the teasing flirt from the hotel room.

Fortunately, of course.

He shook his head and went back to focusing on taking more photos of the people behind the food stalls, the floats, the men and women in costume. He heard her laughter amongst the children as she bent down to take a photo of a group of friends in their little yukatas and jimbeis. Her face fiercely crumpled up as she tried to keep her balance to avoid falling all over them. Her teeth gently biting on her lower lip as she leaned up now to photograph the mothers gossiping with each other and pointing to the exposed legs of the men supporting those floats.

Hinata completely forgot about his existence. She was very much oblivious to him, didn't even look at him, didn't reach out to touch him, didn't paint those naughty images of her slowly undressing him in his mind.

Fortunately, of course.