Chapter 7: Macro

He was there again, Hinata noticed with a sigh.

She was on a rickety boat with the fireworks engineers, but she didn't miss Naruto Uzumaki standing on the banks of the river. He towered over the crowd, his eyes busy scanning as he searched for the perfect angle for his shots.

Damn. He was in earnest then. He really meant to compete and win this.

But she wasn't going to go down without a fight. She knew it was unreasonable, but in her heart, in her imagination, she'd already decided that on February 23, she would be the one snapping photos of the new emperor.

However, as she watched him point his camera up in the air just as the fireworks exploded, a sliver of doubt snaked through her confidence. She knew his photos might come out clearer because he was on steady ground while she was caught in a balancing act between the shaky boat, the rushing river water, and the limited amount of light. She knew she was pushing it, but none of the other photographers had thought to join the men in the boats, which meant this was one aspect of the festival she could show the rest of Japan, something to make her stand out from her competitors.

The next round of shooting flames came with a warning shout from the men in front of her. "Hyuuga-san, here comes the money shot!"

Her camera eagerly pointed upward, Hinata shouted back, "Ready!"

The hiss of the rockets toward the sky was dizzyingly fast, and then color and sound exploded to the applause and the cheers of the crowd. She couldn't help but be caught up with the excitement, but she kept her focus and kept her finger pressed to the shutter button of her camera.

If there was any justice in the world, let this be an opportunity to show itself, Hinata silently prayed. I hope Naruto fucks up and all his photos come out blurry.

A drop of rain hit her on her cheek. She smiled.

Thank you.

The fireworks show was over, which signaled the end of the festival. Most of the crowd dispersed. As one, they all walked in the same direction, towards the station, because everyone relied on public transportation to get where they needed to. In this case, to their respective homes.

Hinata, too, was probably on her way to her hotel. Her being so tiny, however, she got pushed around, but she either didn't notice or didn't really care.

Concerned, Naruto followed her discreetly, noticing that she kept shifting her backpack over her shoulders as if it was weighing her down.

He felt a spurt of sympathy for her. Cameras and the accompanying gear were heavy, and that backpack containing her equipment looked like she could fit in it.

His hotel was far away from here and required him to ride the train as well.

Fate seemed determined to throw them together because they found each other riding in the same car. She was at one end, but she noticed him first and he was relieved when she only nodded politely at him when their eyes met. However, she didn't make another move to come talk to him or acknowledge his existence.

How unfortunate, he thought with a pang of regret. She really was determined to hate him.

But as the train barreled towards its destination, each stop discharging passengers and picking up more, the press of the crowd eventually pushed them into the center of the aisle.

Naruto noticed that at first, Hinata had refused to budge from her spot, trying to stubbornly stay put in the area around the doors, but with so many passengers moving in and out of the exits, she eventually had to move.

It took him a while to realize why she'd tried to fight to keep her place by the train doors, but when he did, he waited to make sure first before he moved to act. She struggled to keep her balance, but when she was driven away from her chosen spot and closer to where he stood, he steeled his heart and inched his way closer to her.

Because he remembered. The first time he'd seen her up close at that information session, she'd been slumped over that desk rolling her shoulders.

Probably still experiencing pain from her encounter with that lion.

She was undoubtedly going to reject him, but he wanted to help her anyway.

Hinata suffered through the ride, very aware that her nemesis was in the same car as her. But at least it would only take twenty minutes on the train before she got to her hotel. She wouldn't have to wait long before she could escape.

Still, she was trying to make this ride easier on herself by staying in the area of the train where she could easily anchor herself and avoid getting stampeded. Here, the vertical handle bars alongside the doors were easily within her reach. By force of habit, she'd checked and noticed that this train didn't have the vertical bars in the middle, the ones that ran from the ceiling to the seat so that people standing could hold on to them during the ride—which was something she always needed.

She'd wanted to avoid the middle aisle because her arms were too short to reach the circular handrails hanging from the ceiling of the train. With a sigh of regret, though, she took off her backpack and moved to the center to make room for the others entering the train. She wasn't surprised to find herself standing next to Naruto as she placed her bag on the floor between her legs. She ignored him then rose up on her toes and reached for the handrail with her right arm—the good one. Still, though, her fingertips were barely able to curl around the handrail.

He looked at her for a moment, saw her straining, and cleared his throat before he quietly said, "Maybe you can grab on to me instead? That is, if you don't mind."

Hinata glanced at him in surprise. There was a blush on his face. He rushed to explain, "This isn't meant to be a come on or anything sexually related, I just thought it would be easier if you held on to me so that you wouldn't have to reach that far up?"

Hinata wasn't dumb. Strain and possibly re-injure herself, or grab on to this beautiful man?

Between the two choices, she would rather hang on to him.

"Thank you," she whispered. Then without any more hesitation, she dropped her arm from the handrail and quickly wrapped it around his torso.

She heard him gasp, but she didn't see it. She was concentrating on trying to keep her hold on him light. Slightly embarrassed to rely on his help, she remained silent and kept her gaze down, content to watch her backpack on the train floor. When he didn't say anything else, she leaned in closer to him and smiled into his shirt, feeling the press of its buttons against her cheek.

He sure liked his button-down shirts, she thought with amusement, recalling that like the last couple times she'd seen him at the info session and yesterday, too, he'd been equally as stylish today.

Discreetly, she took a deep breath and inhaled his scent.

God, he smelled good, too. Soap? Maybe, but she loved it. And probably his laundry detergent. No cologne, though.

At first she tried to keep herself from grabbing on to him too strongly, her hands barely making contact on his clothes. He was warm, she felt the heat of him through his shirt, and it only made sense because it was early summer. But the train lurched suddenly and she felt herself propelled forward, almost landing on the person sitting in front of her, but his hand snaked around her middle and anchored her closer to him before she could topple over.

She finally looked up and saw him gazing at her with concern.

"Thanks," she said with a smile.

He smiled back at her, a small, hesitant curve on his lips.

Hinata felt herself suddenly losing breath. Wow. Her hands tightened on his clothes.

His hand tautened briefly against her back, sending a fizzle of awareness coursing through her.

Shit.

Even from a young age, Hinata knew that she was a creature attuned to her senses. In her adulthood, she recognized that she was a person who enjoyed the sensual. Being pressed against him in this crowded train only emphasized this truth in her. She breathed in his scent again, enjoying the flutter it brought to her stomach. The hard muscles underneath her arm and against her side made her revel in his masculinity. And she couldn't resist shuffling closer into him, into that space between his free arm and his side because the press of the crowd around her forced this proximity and prevented her from moving away. The door had opened again to let more passengers in, and she had to squeeze more tightly into him.

Besides, she didn't really want to move away from him, not when he was this comforting and so relaxing.

But she was in trouble, she knew.

This felt almost too intimate—and especially since he was already involved with somebody else.

Ah, but.

It was only just for a few minutes. Only until she needed to get off this train. That was it. She wasn't poaching another woman's man.

"Where are you getting off?" he asked, his voice drifting close to her left ear, warm breath brushing against her temple.

"I'm three stops away."

Unfortunately.

"Will you manage to get through the crowd?"

She laughed. "Yeah, I can push my way through, don't worry."

"Okay."

Maybe she imagined it, but she could have sworn that sounded like regret in his voice, that maybe he didn't want to let go of his arm around her, that her station was too damned close, their time together like this too short.

But she stayed where she was and let him hold her, not saying anything, and just enjoyed the touch of a man pressed against her.

When she was a few minutes away from her stop, she looked up at him and smiled again. "Thanks again."

"Yeah, don't worry about it."

Those eyes snared her, made her remember she'd compared the blueness in their depths to the ocean once.

She looked away and glanced down once more at her backpack.

"Dammit," she mumbled.

He heard her and quietly said, "Hm?" His tone was understandably puzzled.

She raised her head and met his questioning gaze.

"God, you're so fucking nice."

A startled expression puckered his face. "Um, thank you?"

"It's not a compliment. You're starting to make me feel guilty now." She frowned at him. "I mean, I really don't want to be nice to somebody I want to annihilate. My job in this competition is to completely destroy you into little pieces."

He blinked and spent a few moments trying to compose himself because he obviously didn't know what to do in this situation, which made her happy to know that she could affect him this way.

After a few moments, though, he rallied. In a friendly tone, he said, "Okay. That's fair, I guess. I mean, we're fighting for that one spot so it's unavoidable." He cleared his throat awkwardly. "But you know, we never properly met. I'm Naruto."

She smiled at him, she couldn't help herself. What incredible grace and poise he had. "I know."

Again, the soft, startled flush bloomed over his face. "Oh."

She laughed. "I guess it's my turn. Hinata."

He smiled back, relieved. "Hinata. So we're on a first-name basis?"

"I guess." She pursed her lips and then wrinkled her nose. Despite the fact that they'd exchanged first names, she was not going to let him forget. "This doesn't mean anything, you know. You're still competition."

He laughed. "Yeah, you've been very clear from the beginning that you hate my guts."

"I don't hate you," she swiftly replied. "I just want to crush you."

"Is there a difference?"

She thought about it. "Yes. I can still admire your work. Like I said before, you're a good photographer. I just want to do better than you by winning this contest. And I can't hate somebody who obviously puts out amazing art."

Maybe it was her imagination, but that felt like a caress on her back. She leaned in to him and hid her face again. That was way too much truth to reveal about herself, the fact that she really did love his photography style.

"Thank you." She felt, instead of heard, him say it into the top of her head—almost as if he was pressing a kiss into her hair.

She nodded but then she stared at him once more with a challenge in her eyes. "Just be ready to eat shit when I eventually win."

He met it bravely, his face serious, but there was a flicker of humor behind his eyes. "Maybe."

Hinata glanced outside the train windows. They were slowly pulling into the station.

"This is my stop. Thanks again."

Then before he could react, she bent down to grab her bag and did what she promised him earlier, pushing her way towards the train doors without looking back at him. A few passengers got off at the same stop, the doors closed, and her view of him suddenly faded.

She stood at the platform and watched the train disappear into the tunnel.

Naruto Uzumaki.

Shit. This little encounter with him had gotten her curious about him—and when Hinata was curious, she tended to do stupid things.

She turned around and tried to tell herself to forget about him. She shifted the backpack so that it would feel less heavy and started walking.

Oh, and Lady Justice? she silently entreated. Please disregard that earlier prayer about Naruto. He's not too bad. Please make maybe just a few, and not all of his photos, blurry.

They didn't cross paths in Osaka anymore after that night.

Too bad.

No. She shook her head. That wasn't disappointment she was feeling. It was just the breakfast she'd had at the hotel. She was full. That's all there was to this feeling of discontent.

But Hinata forced herself to focus on work despite her lingering interest in Naruto—the man. She was not going to let anyone distract her from winning; she was deadly serious about giving this competition her all and dutifully went through the rest of her stay snapping more photos in Osaka, capturing some of the aftereffects of the event: the cleanup crew outside with their brooms and dustpans, the local residents collecting garbage strewn over the streets and washing away the stains on the pavement.

She forgot all about him when she got back to Tokyo. At the studio, Kiba and Shino were helping her decide which photos to send into the imperial office.

Shino had the afternoon free and had come by with some iced coffee and maritozzos, the latest sweets craze that had gripped Japan. He'd waited to interrupt until Kiba and Hinata had finished a session with their client, a beautiful girl who spent her time being photographed petting and hugging Akamaru and another golden retriever.

Over the coffee break, the three of them huddled over her desk to go over the photos she'd taken. They were debating on the ones she should submit.

Personally, Hinata adored the photos she'd taken from the view of the boats. Her favorite was the one she'd taken when she'd been beside one of the guys who'd been holding the canons that held the fireworks. She was proud of the way she'd been able to perfectly capture the images considering how dark and how rainy that night of the fireworks had been. Despite those obstacles, one could clearly see the man and the cannon aimed at the sky, the strain of holding such a powerful thing in his arms, the worker's pinched face.

Kiba's pick was the one she'd taken of the men carrying the heavy mikoshis all over the city. Shino was in agreement. "You can see the men really struggling under the weight, and yet they're still parading across the street with the cheers of the people around them. It conveys teamwork, in a sense."

"Oh, I like that!" Hinata cried, nodding her head as she glanced once more at the photo. It was true. She looked at the photo she'd picked and made a mental note to make the final decision later.

"Did Jiraiya behave around Hanabi when she came in?"

"Yeah, he was a perfect lamb around her."

But Kiba didn't add that it was because Neji had insisted on dropping Hanabi off and glared a warning at Jiraiya before he'd left.

"I have some bad news, though," Hinata added after licking the cream off her finger from the maritozzo she'd just taken a bite from. "Naruto Uzumaki was at the festival taking photos, too. I also saw the Deidara and Sasori team from Akatsuki Studios there."

"Woah! They came out of retirement to join the competition, too?"

"Yeah," Hinata said dejectedly. "I didn't see them at the info session, but I guess they signed up, too, huh?"

"Well, they're true artists, so what do you expect?" Kiba said as he sniped one more maritozzo off the tray.

"You'll probably be seeing a lot more photographers at the other events, too," Shino said as he took a drink from his coffee.

She nodded. "I guess it's inevitable."

"You got this, Hinata."

"Thanks, Kiba."

They were looking at her with pride in their eyes, the faith they had in her. She would win this. If not for herself, then for everyone who believed in her.

She glanced at the photos scattered all over the desk. She gathered the ones she liked the best, then laid them in a straight line and nodded, her choice set. "I've got my five, I think."

Shino looked through them, observing them with a neutral eye. He was not a photographer, but as a member of the general public, there was something about the photos he liked. He would definitely vote for them.

Kiba opened up his laptop. "Are you going to check out the other photographer's stuff when they go online?"

She shook her head. "No. I don't want to see their photos. I don't want their work to influence mine. I'm not even going to vote for myself even though Shikamaru Nara said we could."

A week later, Hinata sent an excitedly joyful text to her harem and her cheering squad: Made it through! Kyoto, here I come!

Naruto was quietly nursing his drink again at Tsunade's bar.

The door opened to let the warm draft of air into the room, but he ignored it and just sat smiling at his phone.

He'd just checked it for the hundredth time that day, re-reading the email from the imperial office informing him that he'd earned enough votes on his photographs to get to the second round.

He laid his phone on the countertop, still open to the app. He shook his head, unable to believe it.

No wonder his mother both loved and hated running for office. The waiting around for the results was nerve-wracking, but knowing that the people had made their approval clear to vote for him was something he could appreciate now.

An arm suddenly slung across his shoulder, surprising him and making him almost punch the owner of said arm but he held back when he heard Sasuke say, "Congratulations, Naruto!"

Then a female voice cried out, "Sasuke, you know he hates it when you do that!"

Naruto turned around to glare at Sasuke, but his smile for Sakura was welcoming. She came to hug him and in a calmer tone than her husband's, said, "We're so proud of you!"

She then turned to Sasuke and shot him a dirty look. "Naruto almost decked you, you dumbass. He could have killed you!"

Sasuke winced, forgetting that at a young age, Naruto had mastered karate and then kickboxing as part of his self-defense training—in case he ever had to deal with being kidnapped. "Oh, right. Sorry, Naruto."

They both slid into the available stools next to him at the bar and gave their drink orders to Tsunade.

"How'd you guys hear about the news so fast?" Naruto asked them.

She grinned at him. "Your mother texted me as soon as she found out. She knew you'd take longer to let us know."

His smile was rueful. "I was going to tell you guys eventually. I just wanted to soak it all in first before I told any of my friends."

Tsunade brought over their drinks, which both Sasuke and Sakura held aloft. Naruto clinked his sake with them and shared in the congratulatory toast.

"Congrats, again."

"Thanks, guys."

"Aren't you glad I convinced you to give this contest a go?" Sasuke's grin was smug.

Naruto had to laugh. "Yes. And I actually forgot to thank you for convincing me to do it."

Sakura was beaming with pride. "I saw the pictures online and I immediately recognized your style. They were amazing."

Naruto suddenly frowned, doubt on his face as he recalled being blown away by the photos that he was sure Hinata had taken. Something about the composition, the emphasis of strength and power of the men in boats launching those fireworks from canons reminded him of the wildlife photos she'd taken in the past. "You think so?"

Her brows knit together when she recognized his confidence waning. "What's wrong?"

"Honestly, I felt really out of place when I was shooting my pictures. Then the other photographers' pictures came out even more amazing than I'd expected."

"Nah, you'll get through to the final, I'm sure of it," Sasuke said loyally. "You'll only get better the more you get comfortable working outdoors and in this situation."

"Sasuke's right, you know." Sakura placed a reassuring hand on his arm. "Just relax and enjoy yourself. Don't put too much pressure on yourself because whatever you do, it'll work out in the end."

He smiled his thanks.

After taking a sip from her drink, Sakura turned back to Naruto and said, "By the way, are you still coming to the party we're having for Itachi's birthday?"

"Yes, of course."

"Have you gotten him a gift yet?"

"Oh, shit, I forgot to!"

She shook her head. "No, it's actually good that you haven't yet. You remember when we all came over to your parent's house for dinner a couple months ago and Itachi fell in love with your dad's Matsuo Basho haiku scroll hanging on the wall?"

He nodded. "Yeah?"

She glanced at Sasuke for confirmation, who nodded back at her "We were thinking if you wanted to go in with us, share in our gift?"

"We found another Basho kakejiku and were wondering if you want to split the cost? It will be a gift from all three of us for him," Sasuke clarified.

Knowing he made the most money out of his friends, Naruto agreed immediately. He was more than happy to help them share the cost of this expensive gift. "I'd love to!"