Chapter 8: Blue Hour

Kyoto, The Gion Festival

For Kyoto, Naruto figured that he would have to change things up. No more tripods, he decided as he looked at his gear spread before him in his apartment. He was pretty sure he'd barely squeaked by to the next round on his photos. This time around, he was going to try something new—the way Hinata had done hers.

His phone suddenly pinged with an alert. He picked it up and smiled when he saw the message. He called her instead of simply texting back.

"Naruto?"

"Hey, Sakura. Love the gift for Itachi. Thanks for sending me a picture of it. "

"Sure, but you didn't need to call me, though."

"Mmm."

"What are you doing now?"

"Packing for Kyoto."

"Oh, right. What time's your train?"

"I'm getting there in the afternoon."

"Okay, good luck." There was a pause on Sakura's end when he didn't respond immediately. "Naruto?"

"Sorry," he apologized then quickly added, "I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"I just felt like I need to take a different approach, maybe something like the other competitors are doing—"

"Women's intuition is telling me that this is only one competitor in particular you're thinking about."

Shit. Was he that obvious?! And his silence must have been damning because Sakura laughed. He could almost hear the satisfaction in her laughter when she'd guessed right.

"Ding, ding, ding! I knew it!" She added a squeal, making him wince and take his ear off the phone momentarily.

"Come on! Tell me who it is!"

"No! There's nobody."

"You can't fool me, you know. I'll find out eventually so you might as well spill it now."

"Fine. There's this other photographer. Her name's Hinata Hyuuga…"

A blast of water jetted upward and hit her asshole with such precision and such icy coldness that it made Hinata howl with surprise and irritation. She almost leapt up from her toilet seat. Thankfully she didn't, which prevented a bigger mess from happening. Instead, she reached for the switches on the side of their washlet, the bidet-like contraption attached to the toilet bowl, and adjusted the temperature of the water to a more bearable level.

"Nee-chan, sorry!" came Hanabi's apologetic voice from behind the door. Hinata could hear her outside in the hallway. "I forgot to tell you that I dropped the temperature and made it cooler because it's been so hot outside."

"Dammit, Hanabi! You don't need to set it this freezing cold! I keep telling you to let me know sooner when you do that," Hinata grumbled in response but she finished her business in the toilet and went to wash her hands.

Hanabi was already at the sink, putting on the finishing touches to her makeup, applying the blush to her cheeks.

Hinata stood beside her and shared the bathroom mirror with her sister. She grabbed the wooden brush from behind the messy array of cosmetics, sprays, and bottles and then ran it through her hair, trying to untangle the mess.

Their eyes met in the mirror, and they smiled at each other.

"Good morning, Hanabi."

"Morning, Nee-chan."

"Do you have enough money for today?"

Hanabi nodded. "I do, thanks! You gave me enough last week. Plus, Neji-niisan slipped me some last night, too."

Hinata eyed Hanabi's fashionable dress, the one Neji had gotten for her for her birthday a couple months ago when all three had gone shopping together. It was a white dress patterned with tiny red polka-dots all over. Hanabi had cinched it at the waist with a wide black belt. "You look really cute, Hanabi. That's such an adorable dress."

Hanabi beamed at her. "Thanks!" She glanced at her sister's sleeveless turtleneck and then pursed her lips. "You sure you don't want to borrow my blouse, Nee-chan? It's breathable fabric, good for summer." She glanced away briefly but then met Hinata's eyes in the mirror again, adding, "And it still covers up what you want to hide. At least you'll be cooler in the heat."

Hinata shook her head and kept brushing her hair, concentrating on the strands that refused to unravel from the complicated knots but she smiled at her sister's reflection. "I'm fine, Hanabi, thanks. I've switched to the summer turtlenecks with the fabric that cools you."

"Okay."

They fell into silence again, continued to share the mirror and their usual routine of getting ready in the mornings.

Hanabi reached for a hairpin and twisted her hair. "Nee-chan, did I ever tell you that I saw Orochimaru the other day when I was at the studio while you were in Osaka?"

Hinata paused brushing and looked at her sister, her eyes wide and excited. "No way! You did? Shit, I can't believe I wasn't there to see him in the morning!"

"I know, right? I wish I'd stopped by and asked him for an autograph! But I just didn't want to interrupt them in the office. They looked like they were talking about something important."

Hinata made a face, which made Hanabi laugh. "That's so rare that he came to visit Jiraiya. In broad daylight, too?! I swear the man must be a vampire. The couple times I saw him was in the dead of the night."

Hanabi laughed again and continued styling her hair. "That's what Kiba said, too. But I swear that was him in Jiraiya's office that morning. Orochimaru still had the long hair but this time, it was the white and purple makeup. Maybe he had a show the night before?"

"You're probably right. Purple makeup, huh? I think I like that look better than the black and white. That one made him look too much like the frontman from KISS."

"Agreed!"

Hinata chuckled as she continued brushing her hair. "Orochimaru's what, fifty-something, right? I think him and Jiraiya are the same age, but he's still going strong with his heavy metal band. I'm surprised he's kept up the drumming for this long even though his band's no longer that popular and a couple of the members quit."

Hanabi finally finished her hair. "I love that they're still friends after all these years in the music business. I still say they ought to do a collaboration. I mean, Jiraiya can still sing. Orochimaru can do the accompanying vocals and instruments." She then grabbed pink lipstick, applied a light coat, and pressed her lips together before placing it back on the mirror shelf. She glanced accusingly at her older sister. "You still haven't taken me to one of Orochimaru's live shows, Nee-chan."

"I'll find out from Jiraiya when the next show is then we'll go." Hinata frowned at her own reflection in the mirror. She'd done her best making sure her hair was not so tangled, but she turned to Hanabi to get her opinion. "No time to braid my hair today 'cause I should probably get going soon. I think just a bun will do. It'll still keep the hair out of the way while I'm taking shots in Kyoto. What do you think?"

Hanabi nodded, reaching out to fiddle with Hinata's hair. "You want me to d—"

"If you guys have this much time to chit chat, please hurry up!" a voice interrupted. Neji poked his head into the small room. "Other people have to get ready for work, too, you know."

"Sorry, Nii-san. We're done!" Hanabi said as she inspected her face one last time.

Hinata grabbed the thick rubber ponytail holder from a hook and hurriedly twisted her hair up into a bun. "All yours, Neji," she said as the girls left the bathroom.

Their chatter filled the hallway and followed them to the dining room where they both reached for their favorite coffee mugs.

Left to himself in the utility room, Neji grunted, looked at his reflection in the mirror, rubbed his stubbled chin, and then grabbed his electric razor from the drawer underneath the sink.

Hinata hated summer, especially the oppressive humid kind that perpetually plagued Tokyo. She wouldn't mind the heat if the air was drier, but the humidity always wilted her and drained her energy.

And sure enough, as soon as she stepped off the shinkansen, Hinata almost melted from the oppressive heat and the suffocating humidity of summertime mid-day Kyoto.

The sweat dripped down her back and Hinata grabbed the cold sports drink from her bag and took a long swallow, trying to cool herself down. God, she felt so sticky, she thought with irritation when she felt her damp clothes clinging to her.

Ugh. If Tokyo was hot and humid in the summer, Kyoto was even worse.

Unfortunately, though, she had to be here, but it was definitely worth the price of becoming an imperial photographer.

She'd hoped to arrive in the city before lunch today, but she hadn't been able to get a booking for the earlier trains. The salarymen and business folks had beaten her to those seats and she'd been forced to grab the only available one on a later train.

Consequently, when she finally got to the Gion district of Kyoto's city center, the festival was already taking place. The parade was already in full, the people gaily clapping along to the music and cheering on the mikoshi floats as they were carried down the streets.

Hinata wasn't worried, though. She had a plan in mind and she knew exactly what she wanted to photograph. Since she'd gotten late to Kyoto today and missed her chance, she would have to start working on the competition tomorrow morning—really early.

Now, though, all she wanted to do was find her hotel and then grab lunch from the convenience store around the area.

Luckily, Kiba had managed to find her a cheap business hotel that was only a few blocks from Kyoto Station. It was only a ten-minute walk and Hinata found it immediately. After dropping off her stuff and eating her quick lunch, she headed for the festival to see if there was anything, some new angle, item, or perspective that she could focus on. She wandered the streets and took some shots, but none of them felt special to her, so she just let herself enjoy the food, the noise, and the atmosphere. She didn't like forcing things, so she let it be. Uninspired, she gave up for the day. Tomorrow might be better, especially if she got to the festival to watch everyone setting up. Those shots might be more interesting to capture.

The lure of the cool temperature forced Hinata to wake up. Normally, she'd be struggling to open her eyes this early in the morning, but knowing she could escape the heat and the humidity if she got her work done earlier, Hinata woke up refreshed and eager to get started.

The curtains to the windows of her room were open. The sun, not so brightly yellow, was a dark orange against the dawn sky. Hinata smiled as she watched the slow sun rise while she drank the coffee that the hotel had helpfully provided in the room.

She was walking towards the main event venue when she suddenly noticed the tall figure talking to a crowd of workers. She sighed.

So he was there—again! She tried to be discreet, but he must have sensed her because Naruto turned around. He hesitated, a startled nod was all she got from him in greeting. He didn't approach her, which slightly irritated her, and spurred her forward to go to him.

"What's up, stalker?" she mumbled when she was close enough.

He blinked at her in surprise. "I wasn't stalking," he said very quietly. "But good morning."

She sighed because she realized that he was not at fault for the sudden bad mood that came over her. In fact, Hinata felt like she was the one hounding him.

"I'm sorry. It was a joke—a very bad one." She smiled at him, apologetic. "Good morning to you, too."

He inclined his head politely, which made her laugh. She was starting to really like the reserved way he handled himself.

She kept the grin on her face. "You're very literal, Naruto."

He shook his head but responded honestly. "It's not that. I just don't know what to do when I'm around you."

Her grin spread even wider. "Mission accomplished."

But then suddenly she frowned when she realized something. "Wait a sec, why are you out here this early in the morning, too?"

His brows knitted, too, because he realized the same thing. "I think maybe we had the same idea?"

She glared at him suspiciously. "What was your plan?"

"Shots of the workers maintaining the floats."

She groaned. "Crap! We did." She closed her eyes briefly. "Dammit."

Then she opened her eyes and smiled shortly at him. "Okay, sorry I bothered you. Have a good day!"

Before he could answer, though, she quickly dashed off.

No time for chitchat, she told herself. If they were here doing the same thing, she wanted to get those shots first before he did.

While she walked hurriedly, she looked up at the sun. She usually shot in color, so she wanted to take advantage of the shades of dawn, with natural light and shadows. If she could capture them right, she wouldn't have to edit the photographs later to get the effect she wanted.

Yasaka Shrine came into view, the concrete steps led her up and through the outer walls with the white facade of the building trimmed with red-orange edges. She was instantly immersed in work, snapping photos of the people working, those who were inspecting the niwatoriboko parade floats and checking if the ropes holding the lanterns were strong. A few people walked out from the inner courtyard glancing down at their clothing to make sure that their traditional robes were straight. The musicians also trickled out and played a couple of practice tunes on shakuhachi flutes and taiko drums. Some of them stopped and talked to her and she explained what she was doing, that she was taking photos for the competition.

And while she worked, she was aware of Naruto also busily snapping his own photos, the clicking sounds of his shutter audible in the calm quiet of the early morning when none of the city folks were out just yet.

Eventually, the city's morning rush started, the workers out in full force trudging to offices and factories. The last days of school meant that kids were dragging their feet to class, the sweet reward of summer vacation was soon to start.

Hinata smiled at the older students, the high school kids walking with their friends. Some of them were holding hands with each other, obviously couples. The kids had given up the formal school blazers and button-down shirts in favor of the summer polos that gave them relief from the broiling heat.

Bits of their conversations floated toward her.

"…I just think it's weird, you know, the way we have to change how we're being addressed at school. Just last year, I was Akari-chan, but this year all the teachers are calling me Endou-san. You were Yuuto-kun but it's strange to hear you being called Minami-san."

"Yeah, well, school rules, so there's nothing to do but get used to it."

"I like it!" another girl said. "I think it's good we're moving on to this whole genderless thing and keeping up with the rest of the world, you know? Getting rid of -chan and -kun makes everyone equal. It shows Japan is changing."

"Well, if we're going to change the way we're being addressed, then I prefer something better than regular -san." The student laughed with glee. "Can you imagine Nohara-sensei calling me Minami-sama?"

"Hahahaha! Baka!"

Hinata, overhearing the conversation, chuckled, too. But the kids saw their other friends and ran up to them, distancing themselves away from her.

A few feet away, she saw two students, a boy and a girl with different uniforms, hugging. It looked like they were about to part and continue their separate ways to their respective schools.

The boy leaned down and hugged his girlfriend, and Hinata quickly slung her camera back to her eyes and squinted into the viewfinder. Her finger was a steady press on the shutter button even as she adjusted the lens to get a clearer shot of the two kissing—a rarity in conservative Japan, and even more conservative Kyoto.

"What are you doing?" she heard him suddenly say as he quietly sidled up to her.

Without taking her eyes off and stopping, she murmured, "Taking pictures, duh."

"Without their permission?"

"They're animals caught in the wild and just happened to be included in my shot."

"Hinata, they're not animals." His tone was slightly disapproving. "They're kids. What about their privacy? Their right to kiss without anyone watching them?"

She ignored him as the kids took their time saying good-bye. They were still kissing, unaware of their surroundings. She continued snapping photos of the couple. "Then they shouldn't be out here. They should go somewhere more private to say good-bye."

"They're young. That's what teenagers do, hang out with friends, with their boyfriends and girlfriends. Be stupid and enjoy themselves."

She snorted, still not looking at him and still with her trigger finger happy to keep pressing on the shutter button. "Exactly my point. Animals. Wild young things."

"Hinata…maybe we should give them privacy."

But as if finally aware of what they were doing out in public, the couple suddenly broke off and smiled at each other. With one last hug, they finally said good-bye and walked away from each other.

Hinata, deprived of her subjects, was forced to stop taking photos. She looked up at Naruto, her expression disgruntled. Why was he all up in her case?!

And she became even more irritated when she noticed that while here she was already dripping with sweat, he was looking so calm and composed in his perfectly pressed, wrinkle-free, button-down shirt. Today he was looking really handsome in a shirt in a light shade of purple, the collar open to expose the white shirt underneath it.

Those buttons need to be popped off, she thought with amusement.

A sudden idea struck her, and her expression turned teasing when she looked into his eyes.

"You said kids, Naruto."

Naruto frowned at her, suddenly suspicious, not liking that expression in her eyes, but at least she'd finally stopped taking photos of those poor kids.

Her camera out of the way, he saw her upturned face, tanned and make-up free, but still beautiful as before. She was smiling now—the devilish kind he was starting to distrust.

"So what about adults then? People our age? What do they do, Naruto? In private?"

"Huh?" He was suddenly finding it hard to think because he couldn't look away from her when she was gazing at him this intensely. He held up his camera. "They work."

She laughed, a low, husky sound deep in her throat. But other than that, she was still. Her eyes were locked on to his.

No doubt about it. She was up to something. He was fairly sure those were horns sprouting out of her head.

Her voice dropped and she waved her hand at the departing students on their way to school. "We only work while the younger ones have all the fun? No kissing for us adults?"

Kissing.

No, no, no! he wanted to say. He'd already had too much stimulation from that brief moment they'd shared, that night they'd been pressed together in that Osaka train. The fact that she'd let him hold her luscious curves—albeit with the valid excuse that he was helping—and then called him by his first name made him feel he was getting sucked into something dangerous.

The attraction was there, he couldn't deny it. It was just, he felt really overwhelmed by whatever this was—that, like him competing in this contest, he was venturing into uncharted territory during these skirmishes with Hinata. He was that proverbial moth flying too close to that scorching flame. Except, in her case, she was not merely a flame, she was the sun, frying everything in its path. How was a teeny-tiny moth like him going to survive?

Naruto knew he was flushed, but he attempted to deepen his frown to prevent her from continuing. This was a dangerous conversation to have with her. He should tell her to stop, but to his horror, his mouth wouldn't cooperate because he was suddenly dying with curiosity to know what she was planning. Something in him clenched, everything tightened in his body. Instead, he asked, "What are you getting at?"

"Kissing," Hinata answered as she took one slow, deliberate step closer to him.

And he suddenly realized that this was what she probably looked like when she was out working in the wild.

Some kind of force, charisma, clung to her as she took one sinuous glide forward, and all he saw was her voluptuous body slink toward him, her camera held in one hand.

Everything about her screamed sexy, the way the strands of her hair kept trying to escape from her bun to fall charmingly around her face. It made him want to reach out and brush them away. The way her eyes were so bright and lush, lavender pools of temptation. He couldn't look away from her gaze even if he'd wanted to. And he could easily imagine her looking at him like that while she writhed under him and pushed her glorious breasts against his chest.

His heart pounded while he remained rooted to his spot, unable to stop her and unable to make himself move out of her way.

But really, who was he kidding? He was defenseless against this seductive power that clung to her.

This lady once stalked lions in Africa, hunted and photographed her targets with determination. She knew what she was doing. Intent clear, she had a predatory gleam in her eyes the closer she got to him. He felt like her prey, helplessly caught in the web of desire she'd cast when she'd first mentioned kissing.

He could smell her, a mild, citrusy scent that clung to her—pleasing, but not cloying. From her shampoo or soap, maybe?

But she was close. Too close. If he reached out, he could easily touch her. His eyes locked on to her lips, and he heard the unmistakable heat in her tone with her next words.

"Kissing, Naruto."

He watched with equal parts fascination and horror when her hand came up slowly to his face, giving him time to pull back, but he didn't do anything. He stood there, frozen—and allowed her to continue.

She smiled slightly when her fingers touched him on his lips, right in the middle where they were fullest. He wanted to close his eyes, but he felt that would make things worse. He needed to be alert. To watch her, to offer some kind of resistance because she was—

Her thumb rubbed a slow, erotic circle over his lips.

"I would kiss you here first—just a small peck to get you curious and wanting more."

Oh, god.

He already did.

His eyes moved to her lips even when she slid her thumb slowly to the corner of his mouth and gently brushed his sensitive skin again. "Then after that, I'd place my mouth right here. Another small kiss."

Gently, she trailed her fingers up to his cheekbone. "Oh, and here, too, because I want to feel your heated cheeks with the touch of my lips."

She was making him burn—with embarrassment, of course. Because that was the only reason why he felt this hot and shaky.

And something else that he didn't want to address just yet.

But she wasn't done. She was still tormenting him with what she would do to him. Part of him was ready to let her do it, but he couldn't open his mouth to protest.

"Then I would move my mouth here, press my lips right to this spot," Hinata whispered as she brushed her fingers lower, down to his chest, and stopped right over his heart.

"Can you feel it? Imagine it, Naruto?"

Yes, he answered her in his mind, because he could.

"Me, opening my mouth over your bare skin…"

Her smile was wicked when she saw the flush deepen over his skin.

"Imagine me…kissing…body parts…in private."

Then she abruptly turned around, leaving him standing in the middle of the road, disoriented. He was hot and feverish and… straining against the zipper of his jeans.

He winced, unable to believe that he was this turned on this early in the morning.

Her intoxicating scent and teasing laughter lingered in the space she'd left.

God.

Hinata Hyuuga.

This lady was a menace!

He didn't follow her because she'd suddenly disappeared from his view. She was probably off somewhere, taking more photos of the people around them, bothering them, getting into their minds and making sure they were unsettled and flustered from their encounter with her.

Instead, he took deep calming breaths and wondered if it was too early to head back to his hotel. He suddenly felt like he needed to take a cold shower.