A.N: Chapter twelve! Almost halfway through… just letting you know that this one chapter will have a lot of fluff BUT it might cause you to shed a tear (I did shed a few when writing and then editing this). thank you everyone for the lovely comments you've been leaving, I'm still astonished by the amount of love my baby's getting (don't mind me pls, I've been going over every comment to see if there's something I should 'clarify' and the only thing that comes to mind is that yes things are only getting better for our baby Hina and the second part will be more focused on their relationship and also all that good stuff I've been working on that explore more of their D/s relationship. Also! When the trial chap comes (don't know but it should be soon-ish) pls don't judge me too hard since my basic knowledge of court-related stuff comes mostly from law and order lol… I'm rambling now. Updates will take a bit more time due to the other pieces I'm working on and also cause the new semester is right around the corner and I don't know how much time I'll have available to write. But as always, if you have any questions or want sneak peeks or updates on echoes or other fics you can always pass by Tumblr (same ) and drop your questions there!

!ALSO VERY IMPORTANT PSA!

be careful when reading the first two flashbacks (the first one towards the end of it and overall the second one) since **spoiler** Toneri will be taking advantage of Hinata, although she doesn't acknowledge it at the time. I'll put a warning in the second one since it's more 'explicit' than and in the first, after they get into the car if you are uncomfortable you can skip it to the next part, that one being 'present time' where Hinata gets ready for her first official date with Naruto and you get all the fluffy fluff.


songs for the chapter

champagne problems by Taylor Swift (*A/N: I heard this song and immediately got the idea for the parallels)

two ghosts by Taylor Swift

Sorry by Halsey


Chapter 12

FLASHBACK ON

"Do you know where Mr. Ostsutuski is taking you, Miss?" Natsu helped Hinata tie the bow in the back of her dress, smoothing down the small lines that had begun to form in the fabric.

"I believe he's taking me to the theater." Hinata looked over her reflection in the mirror, her slightly flushed cheeks were more pronounced due to the makeup Toneri had asked her to use.

"You're going to see the new play?" Hinata shook her head, looking over her vanity where her phone sat with 5 unread messages. "Oh! That's right, I almost forgot about the opera. I thought you didn't enjoy going to the opera Miss." Natsu's brows furrowed but she didn't elaborate further than that.

Hinata ruffled her bangs a bit, nodding towards the older woman who smiled sweetly at her. "Toneri says this one will make me change my mind about it… we'll see about that." Chuckling, the bluenette went to open her unread messages when a knock came through the door. Natsu muttered a small "good luck!" and left the room only for her cousin Neji to enter.

Neji leaned against the wall across from where Hinata stood, an eyebrow raised as he inspected her figure. Hinata wore a beautiful pale blue ankle-length dress with some ruffles on the bottom half, which might have been a little too revealing on the top due to the dress's low neckline that showcased a lot more cleavage than she was used to.

"Where did you get that dress?" He asked, concerned evident in his voice as he carefully watched her give said dress a little twirl with a silly smile on her lips.

Hinata, who at the time was too enamored with the Otsutsuki, grinned up at her cousin. "Toneri did! Isn't it pretty? He said when he first saw it that I'd look beautiful in this and so he bought it for me!" Her cheeks were tinged pink from the blush Natsu had helped her apply, but Neji could still spot her natural one as she showed him the designer box the dress had come, as well as the flowers and small note that came attached.

"Do you like it?" She asked, moving to sit on the bed to check if the heels she'd be wearing fit nicely or not. And of course, they did. Toneri had hand-picked them for her.

Stoic as usual, only Neji's eyebrow twitched as he reached for the note, but Hinata's nimble fingers got hold of it first, holding it close to her heart. "Now, now brother Neji. You can't read this." Hinata then turned and put it inside the bag she'd be bringing along. "Toneri wrote this for my eyes only. I intend to keep it that way…" Noting how displeased he looked, Hinata tried to tune down her excitement for her date.

But it was simply inevitable. The constant urge to check her phone every time a new 'ping' sounded, the butterflies in her stomach whenever she thought of many scenarios of where the night would take her and her boyfriend. The need to check if there wasn't a strand of hair that had fallen out of place or the makeup that might have been slightly messed up due to some droplets of sweat that bloomed on her forehead with the rush as she finished getting ready.

The anticipation of what that night would mean.

And of course, the fact that a guy like Toneri, handsome, intelligent and, in her eyes, so amazing was interested in someone like her...

She had had boys trying to get her attention before, but none were like him. He just radiated a special kind of energy Hinata was obsessed about. The way he knew exactly what to say to have her even more enamored, his little gifts that always made her cheeks hurt from how big her smile was when opening them. He was just perfect.

And to know he was equally obsessed with her…

It only made her giddier; cheeks burning due to all the fuzzy feelings he erupted in her.

Hinata could tell Neji wasn't all that happy, but it mostly had to do with the dress she wore. The two were good friends and Neji approved of him. It was everything she could have had asked for.

But if Toneri found the dress beautiful, who was she to say otherwise and decline his gift?

Once again the bluenette reached for her phone where several messages from Toneri awaited. He asked whether or not the dress fit if she was wearing everything he had sent; if she was on time, and if not to hurry cause he'd be at her house soon enough.

Hinata noted through her peripheral vision how Neji only rolled his eyes as he sat down on her bed and once again looked over her outfit as she stood to grab her lipstick and keep it in her purse. Toneri's favorite color. It was already the second one she had bought since she began wearing makeup. Well, up until meeting Toneri, her go-to makeup was a few strokes of mascara to make her lashes pop and a light coat of lip gloss, always transparent. Color ones were for when she went out on special occasions.

But now, Hinata could proudly say she was getting better and better since then, having achieved a somewhat decent wing when doing her eyeliner, but she still asked Natsu for help when doing so, to make sure she was utterly perfect. Just the way he liked it.

Having completely finished going through her routine, she saw through the vanity's reflection Neji's deep scowl.

"You know, if you keep scowling like that you'll get wrinkles in no time." The bluenette laughed as she picked up the shawl and the small handbag, ruffling her bangs once more so that they framed her face perfectly, just how Toneri liked them. She had considered growing them out, having sported that look most of her life, but he seemed to like it, so Natsu had trimmed them so that they were just at the right height touching her eyebrows softly; instead of touching her cheeks, part of the tedious process of growing them out until they looked acceptable.

"Don't you think that dress might be a little… improper?" It was Hinata's turn to frown. She didn't see anything wrong with it. Toneri knew how self-conscious she got and if he chose that dress for her, handpicked it actually, then, in her eyes, the dress was perfect.

"No. I love this dress. I can't go to an Opera wearing something boring and basic." She had nearly spat the last words, showing Neji how displeased she was by his attempt of trying to get her to change her mind.

"You're seventeen Hinata. Right now you look like you're twenty or more. And why the hell are you going to an opera? The last time uncle took us to one you wouldn't stop bitching about it."

Hinata pouted, shrugging as she adjusted once more her shawl to cover her chest area. "That was so long ago… I'm gonna be an adult in a matter of months, I need to start diversifying my hobbies and likes and dislikes."

"Hinata, it was three months ago. I doubt your opinion changed in such a short span of time. But do whatever you want. I'm not going to be bothered with this matter anymore. You're not listening anyway." Neji stood with his hands in his pockets, shaking his head as he let out a frustrated sigh. "Just… be careful." His pale lavender eyes softened as he saw how happy she was for going on her first official date with her unofficial boyfriend. Hinata could tell he was ready to go off on her but was holding back to not ruin her night.

She appreciated it.

The last thing she wanted was to have her mood ruined and it ending up spoiling her night.

"I will." Another ping sounded and Hinata checked the text and nearly ran to the door of her room as soon as she read "I'm outside"

"Make sure you stay by Toneri's side at all times. You can't trust those snobby people that go to the opera." The two of them chuckled as they left the room, Neji taking hold of her arm as he guided her to the front door.

Once more, she was thankful for it. Helped calm her heart that beat faster and faster with each step they took.

"Thank you." With a quick hug, Hinata then turned to her father who stood by the door with his arms crossed.

"Home by midnight. I checked the opera's schedule. Fifteen-minute tolerance." Hiashi placed a kiss on top of her head, lips tightly closed in a firm line. It was easy for Hinata to read the nervousness in her father's eyes. He also liked Toneri, but it was his daughter's first date, and he wanted it to be perfect for her.

"Yes, father." Smiling, Hinata waited for him to open the door, her leg twitching and teeth biting down on her lip as Toneri's figure was slowly revealed. A black tux, his usually messy hair slicked back so he looked proper to go to an event such as the opera. He looked so handsome Hinata nearly squealed as she rushed forward.

Ever the gentleman, he took her hand and kissed the back of it. "You look absolutely stunning." His beautiful blues eyes never leaving hers as he tucked her arm into the crook of his, using his free hand to shake her father's and greet him properly.

"Midnight she's home. Fifteen-minute tolerance but any more than that and you two won't be going out again so soon. Got it?" Hiashi nodded towards Toneri who gave him a lazy smile, agreeing with his conditions.

"Understood, sir." He met Hinata's eyes once more before turning back to her father. "Thank you for allowing your beautiful daughter to go out with me tonight. I'll be sure to have her home right on time, sir."

"Good." With that, her father waved them off as they walked in the direction of the car. As they got further away from her father's view, Toneri's arm let hers go to slide down towards her lower back.


**WARNING**


Hinata adjusted her shawl so it still covered her cleavage, but as soon as the driver open the door and they got in, Toneri immediately pulled it off. "The dress looks better than I thought. You really are something, Hinata Hyuga."

Too flustered to say anything coherent, Hinata settled herself next to him, letting him place his hand on the exposed skin of her leg by the carefully hidden side slit. "You too look so handsome…" He wasted no time in bringing their lips together, his tongue licking her bottom lip so she got the message to open her mouth and let the kiss deepen.

As Hinata lost herself in the moment, the hand on her leg made its way to her inner thighs. "Open for me." His demanding tone gave her no other choice as his free hand held tightly to her jaw to keep her mouth open as he slipped to fingers inside her mouth. Nodding, Hinata obediently complied with his request, placing her right leg on top of his to give him better access. "Suck." Once again Hinata complied, eyes getting teary from how he was pushing his fingers in her mouth, but the last thing she wanted was to disappoint him, so she did the best she could, inexperience showing as she couldn't help the gag reflex.

Tsking, Toneri held her leg in place and used his now lubricated fingers to mess with her some more.

Lavender eyes widened, both the driver and his bodyguard were in the front seat and although there was a partition it didn't mean it was soundproof. "Toneri, the driver-" Hinata's worries were soon forgotten once he pushed the fabric of her panties aside, letting his fingers tease her bundle of nerves.

"Don't worry about him, beautiful." Hand abandoning her leg, he cupped her face and pulled her to another kiss, ruining her lipstick completely.

"Focus on me." And she did. Letting him play with her until they finally reached their destiny, her lipstick messed up and her underwear a soaked mess as they walked inside the theater, him with a Cheshire cat worthy grin and Hinata with red-tinted cheeks and both arms tightly wrapped around his in an effort to hide her embarrassment.

FLASHBACK OFF


"Oh, c'mon help me! I don't know what to wear tonight." Hinata looked over her outfit choices. There was a black bodycon dress that she had fallen in love with but never gotten around to actually wear, a long white flowy skirt with a lavender off-the-shoulder blouse, and a skimpy green dress Ino had thrown in the mix, calling it "Spicy."

Sakura entered the bedroom with a beer in hand, shooing Ino away from her spot on the bed. "Wear what you feel comfortable in. Naruto doesn't seem like the type of guy to care much about that." The pinkette said with a cheeky grin. "But definitely not the green one."

"Hey!" Ino interjected from her side of the room where the mirror was. She placed down the clothes she had been ogling at that Hinata had said she could choose from to keep. "That dress is beautiful, 'kay?!" Hands-on her hips and a menacing glare thrown Sakura's way, in an instant she snapped out of that mood and a cocky grin found its way to her lips.

Ino snorted and threw her long hair back off her shoulder. "Not that you could ever understand fashion, forehead."

Mid sip, Sakura looked towards the blonde, truly offended by her comment. "Excuse me for not wanting to look like-"

"Okay. That's enough you two." Hinata lifted both of her hands, stopping her two best friends from engaging in yet another fight.

Having them help with her hair and make-up had looked like the greatest idea in the world. But Hinata quickly came to regret it once they began arguing over shades of pink and purple, straight hair or curly hair, and last but not least, outfits. The black one had been chosen by Sakura and the green one by Ino. The skirt and blouse were something Hinata had sneaked in since she wasn't sure where Naruto would be taking her, and in case it was somewhere outdoorsy she wanted to wear something warmer.

The fading bruise on her face had been carefully hidden by Sakura's makeup skills and Ino had helped her with the hairstyle that would conceal some dark spots in her neck that not even makeup was able to hide.

"Well, for once forehead is right. Naruto won't care if you show up with your pj's or the nicest lingerie you own… although the latter might lead to another type of date." Both Hinata and Sakura gasped, while the blonde merely shrugged, leaning against the window sill as she flicked off a piece of lint from her clothes. "Just saying."

"Ino-pig! It's obvious tonight's not about that. Stop being such a pervert." The pinkette threw one of the pastel blue decorative pillows at her blonde friend before she turned to Hinata, Ino's mumbles being background noise. "Which one are you most comfortable in?"

Hinata's eyes focused on the skirt and the long-sleeved blouse, something Sakura and Ino had both agreed would look good paired together. The bloused helped cover her injured wrist and allowed her to move more freely since she wouldn't need to worry to check if everything was in place like she usually did when wearing bodycon dresses. Besides, there was always the possibility of layering, but since summer was coming to an end, the night seemed pleasant enough that she could go out without those.

Momentarily her eyes drifted over to her phone, wondering if should just send a picture to Naruto and have him decide this for her. After all, even if they had never talked about the possibility of having him make such decisions for her, Hinata knew that there were some Doms who made those kinds of decisions.

And she was used to having someone making them for her.

"You're not asking him shit. You decide what you want to wear. You decide what you want Hinata. Period." Ino's voice was a bit colder than moments ago, her steely blue eyes hardening as she carelessly threw the pillow down onto the floor, having noticed how her eyes drifted towards her phone every now and then.

"But Doms can-" Ino interrupted once again, shaking her head as she walked closer to the bluenette.

"You're not going out with his Dom persona. You're going out with Naruto. There's no need for you to be this nervous." Sakura sat up straighter in bed, throwing the green dress towards the dresser.

"Ino's right. Sure, it's normal to be nervous… but you two have already spent quite some time together." The pinkette got up and turned a pajama-clad Hinata towards where the clothes lay instead of the table where her purse and phone were. "Did he tell you where you're going?"

Shaking her head no, Hinata looked down at her fingers as she twisted them. "Nope. Has been very secretive about it. I asked him a dozen times but he always distracted me before I could get my answer. He only said there wasn't any dress code so I didn't have to worry about wearing anything fancy."

"Hmm." Sakura's echoed Ino's hum as Hinata picked the skirt.

"Just in case. I doubt we'll be going to a club or whatever." Shaking her head, she rushed to put on the clothes, Ino helping with her hair and making sure everything was okay, while Sakura scrolled through her phone and sipped her beer.

Then a smile popped up on her lips and both Hinata and Ino could tell she was texting someone as they exchanged looks and decided to tease her a bit.

"Talking to Lee again?" Hinata prompted as she placed the other dress back inside the wardrobe, pushing it to the end of the rack since she probably wouldn't be wearing it for a long while.

"Is he asking you out? You should go, that way you can finally get over that asshole." Ino tried to peak onto the screen but the pinkette hid it and pushed her away with her free hand.

"It's someone from work. And you don't have to worry cause Sasuke and I have barely spoken since he passed by that other time.

Hinata frowned as she grabbed her purse, having the slight suspicion that her friend might be lying since the previous night she'd heard them talk on the phone. But she still chose to not speak up about it since Ino would probably start yet another rant and Hinata didn't want both of her friend's moods to sour.

"Naruto says Sasuke has been kinda radio silent. But he also said it was normal and that usually happens when he's busy with work." Hinata explained as she went through the contents inside her bag one last time, watching as Sakura bit on a nail and turned the phone down to lay on the covers.

Ino rolled her eyes and groaned. "It's amazing how Sasuke is always so busy to answer Sakura's texts but has time to go out with his coworkers and do other shit."

"It was a business dinner Ino!" Sakura tried to defend, but even Hinata gave her a strange look.

She had her doubts about Sasuke, especially after that last encounter with him. The feeling of his hand grabbing her so suddenly and the way he was constantly eyeing her still left a weird sensation on her chest. "He's strange. I honestly think you should try and find someone else."

"Like Lee?" Sarcastically, Sakura smiled towards her friends and playfully kicked Ino again when she said mid snort, "seems way better than Sasuke and at least has good eyebrows."

"Listen, tonight is not about me. So can we please go back to the subject at hand? Also known as Hinata going on her first date with Naruto?" She said 'date' with air quotes since everyone knew this wasn't exactly their first date. But it also technically was their first date-date. Which also reminded Hinata she should bring along a coat just to be sure.

As she rummaged around her clothes she heard the two arguing about Sakura's weird relationship.

"Look at her, Hinata, she's so cute trying to shift the conversation away..." The bluenette turned around only to shake her head and give a disapproving look towards Sakura and went back to her search as Ino got up from the bed to grab her belongings as well. "You're lucky I have stuff planned for tonight, otherwise you and I would be having another talk." The blonde pointed towards Sakura with determination written all over her face. "I'm watching you Haruno. And if I find out you're following him around like a lost puppy you and I are going to have problems."

"You're such a drama queen," Huffing, Sakura drank the rest of the contents inside the bottle as Ino continued to twist the knife in Sakura's figurative wound. "always exaggerating…"

"I'm not the one calling at three am crying that my boyfriend is an ass and ignores me all the time and how he doesn't take me out on dates other than meeting me to fuck whenever he feels like it and then ghosts me for days." The blonde listed off, choosing not to mention that he was shit in aftercare, and more often than not it's Ino who's there to do the job instead.

"Oh shit." Hinata muttered, already imagining the pinkette's face all scrunched up with anger. Sakura didn't particularly enjoy being confronted with the status of her relationship when the two were on good terms, that Hinata suspected the two were. And she now partially regretted not sharing the information with Ino in order to prevent her from going too deep.

"You're such a bitch sometimes. Really, I can't." Sakura then got up and Hinata could hear the distinct sound of footsteps leaving the room.

"You should try and be a little nicer. Sakura's hurting right now." Hinata tried to put a cardigan on top of her clothes but Ino stopped her.

"One, you and I both know that if I act nicer and tell her the shit she wants to hear then in no time, Sasuke is going to be back and breaking her heart even more. And we don't want that do we?" Ino had both hands on her hips and that 'you know I'm right so don't bother' look.

Sighing, Hinata agreed but she hated it when she saw someone she loved suffering, so she always felt kinda in between and not knowing what to say whenever the two were alone and the Uchiha subject came up. "We don't."

"Good. Now, onto number two, you won't be needing this." Ino took the piece of clothing away and shoved it back onto the wardrobe and immediately closed the doors to it.

"But what if it's cold out?" The weather had been strange lately and the last thing Hinata needed was getting sick if it changed suddenly.

"Oh, poor thing." Ino tutted as she patted her friend's head, pulling her out the bedroom towards the door. "If you're cold take his jacket instead. I'm sure he won't mind, bet he'll give it to you either way."

"But I already have like three of his sweaters," Hinata glanced back towards her room, seeing as said clothes sat neatly folded on top of her dresser. "I can't keep stealing his clothes." Sure they were comfy, and she loved to sleep in them and wear them around the house, but she always intended to return them!

"You can, and you will. That's one of the benefits of being in a relationship." Ino shrugged and passed by the kitchen to say goodbye to Sakura. Hinata followed behind waving her friend goodbye.

"I'll wait with you outside. Forehead!" Sakura left her current task of preparing some snacks for herself to glare at the blonde. "I'm counting on you. If you feel lonely hit me up in two hours and we'll go get our asses drunk."

"Sure thing. Have fun Hina!" Sakura waved back with a warm smile as Ino scoffed for being ignored.

They didn't have to wait that long since five minutes later Naruto pulled up in a vintage car he'd once told her about that he and his dad had worked on. Part of his dad's retirement hobbies had he called it.

"Nice ride." Ino whistled, walking down the steps towards her own car, parked one spot away. "Just be sure you two wear lots of protection tonight kay? Don't want to tell my future nephew or niece they were conceived in that!"

The bluenette who had begun playing with her fingers anxiously and watched as he stepped out of the car and walked towards her sporting his trademark grin wearing a simple black button-down and jeans, hair in slight disarray she had already grown accustomed to; jumped once she heard the last words her friend said, squeaking out a loud "Ino!" wanting to hit her best friend for implying that.

"Hello to you too Ino." Naruto just laughed at his fellow blonde's antics, coming up to Hinata's side, hands in his pockets.

"Just saying. That would be corny as shit. At least give me a proper story to tell." Winking at the two, Ino quickly got inside her car so as not to hear Hinata telling her off. "Have fun guys!"

"I swear one day I'll get my payback for all this teasing. Just you wait, miss Ino Yamanaka." Hinata muttered to herself, already planning on talking to Sakura so both could get their revenge for the amount of teasing Ino badgered them with. Naruto who was standing right next to her was surprised to hear such a threat coming out of Hinata's mouth but was overall amused and excited to get the night going.

Feeling a kiss being placed on top of her head and an arm circling around her, Hinata couldn't help but jump a bit, now realizing that the two were finally together. "Ready?"

Blinking several times, Hinata shook her head off to clear it a bit, smiling up to him, as she said, "Oh! Yeah! Totally. Ino's teasing just distracted me a bit." She got on her tippy toes to kiss his cheek before leaning into his warmth. Oh, she was definitely going to steal the comfy sweater she spotted on the backseat of the car as the two hugged.

"Well then, let's get going." Naruto opened the door for her while holding his hand out to help Hinata to get inside, which made her laugh a bit at the formality of the action. Not even him had done stuff like that.

"Are you sure that thing is not breaking down on the highway?" She playfully asked as a way to divert the nerves that had settled deep in her stomach. Not the bad kind of nerves tho. Hinata simply didn't know how to process the fact that the two wouldn't need to sneak around any longer, that the two could go out and enjoy themselves as any other couple would. It was strange, but the good kind of strange. And that made her happy. Happy to know Naruto was different and would never do anything without her consent.

The hand that had been extended to her came up to his chest as he stared at her open-mouthed, feigning shock. "Ouch, Hina. Are you doubting me and my dad's mechanical skills?"

"Considering this thing broke down three times and you two had to take it to a sleazy mechanic in the middle of nowhere to get it fixed so you could get home…" she paused for a dramatic effect before she continued, "yeah I am."

She still remembered how Naruto excitedly told her the story of how he had gotten the car for his dad who had taken an interest in mechanics in the first few months of retirement.

How the two had spent a long time rebuilding it, only for it to break down every time they convinced Kushina, Naruto's mother, to finally test it out and her making them taking it to the nearby mechanic when the three were stuck on a road neither knew where it lead to and Naruto and Minato's experiment as mechanics was quickly cut off once Kushina demanded Naruto kept the car at his house so Minato wouldn't get any ideas to tinker with the motor anymore.

Naruto put his hand back out for her to hold, and winked. "Well, good thing where we're going is not that far from here."

"Is not?" Eyes narrowing but still with the same gleeful expression, she tried to see if he would offer any more information before they went on their way.

"Get in and you shall see." Blue eyes shining with the now-familiar look Hinata associated with when he was plotting something and didn't want to tell her, she finally accepted his hand and sat down.

"Still not trusting this car." She said, buckling herself in and putting her bag on the backseat, right next to the comfy-looking dark green sweater.

"You know, by the end of the night, you'll be asking me forgiveness for those cruel words of yours after this beauty surprises you by how well she drives." Rolling up the sleeves of his black shirt, Naruto soon started the engine, eyeing through the mirrors to see if any car was coming.

"Whatever you say..." Hinata said, trying not to let her smile get too big when slight indignation seemed to cross his features, skilfully hiding it as she brought a hand to cover her mouth as she leaned her elbow on the door.

Of course, Hinata could admit the car was actually very nice, well taken care of, and driving real smoothly. But it was funnier to mess with him a little since usually, the roles tended to be reversed. Turning on the radio for some background noise, Hinata got herself a bit more comfortable laying her head on his shoulder, since the bench had the space for her to move closer, as he kept driving through the busy streets.

Momentarily looking down to meet her eyes, he asked, "Cheeky today, aren't we?"

"With you? Always." Smiling, she looked up only to see him bite his lip and then give her a smirk full of mischief.

"Agree to disagree on that… usually when we're together your mouth is occupied with other stuff." He looked down at her watching as she pulled back from him, clearly indignant.

Not being able to respond to that, other than whining a "Naruto!", Hinata hit him lightly on his arm, both of her hands coming up to cover her red cheeks. What is it with people today and teasing me relentlessly?

"Such as the great food I cook you or the lovely treats I feed you. Get your mind out of the gutter, Hinata. Honestly, such a perv… I'm feeling slightly insulted you know? Starting to think you only care about my dick." Tutting, Naruto shook his head and although he sounded serious, once Hinata dropped her hands on her lap she saw that he was trying his best not to laugh.

"You!" Cheeks puffing, Hinata wanted to say something else but she was still much too flustered to come up with anything that would throw him off his game as well.

They stopped at a red light, and he took the opportunity to steal a kiss. "You. Me. Us, together on a date that's gonna blow your mind for how much you're gonna love it."

"You're so full of shit." She was still somewhat pissed but decided to indulge as long as she possibly could until he had to pull back once the light turned green.

"Again? Questioning my skills? Oh, baby, you're honestly breaking my heart right now. So much so, I don't know if I want to continue our date if you're going to be so mean, ya know?" Hinata saw that he was only joking, so she laid her head back on his shoulder and let her hand rest on his thigh.
"Poor baby." With a quick kiss on the cheek and another on the corner of his mouth, she said. "Promise I'll be good. The last thing I want is to break your heart."

"You better, otherwise no dessert for you. I'll eat all of those cinnamon rolls myself." Pointing behind him, Hinata turned to see a wrapped box hidden on the backseat as well.

"Ah! You wouldn't!" Now with both hands on his thigh, she pleaded with her best puppy eyes for him not to do such a cruel thing to her.

"I once won a ramen competition by eating thirty bowls of ramen. So yes, I can, and I will if you continue with that attitude." Flicking her nose playfully, Naruto focused back on the road as they approached their first destination.

"You wouldn't do that to me… you like me too much for that." Crossing her arms with a knowing smirk, Hinata sat back confident he didn't have it in him. A slight thought crossed her mind that he had it in him to do that and more, but that night she wasn't supposed to think about that.

"You're right, I do" He admitted, elbowing her lightly as he whispered, "but it still wouldn't stop me. You know how good the rolls from the Akimichi bakery are."

The smirk was immediately wiped off her face, replaced with her staring open-mouthed at him. "No… you went to the Akimichi bakery?" The bakery founded by Choji Akimichi parent's, Hinata's favorite chef, that always had crazy lines in front of them.

"Only the best for my girl." Smugness coated his being as he met her eyes, "You should know that by now."

Humming in agreement, Hinata noticed that more and more restaurants were coming into view.

"Where're we going? Is it still a state secret or am I allowed to know?" She asked, eyeing a few restaurants she had gone already with her friends and others she had never gotten the chance to try before cause they were deemed not adequate.

"Well, you still haven't redeemed yourself to the point where you deserve to know." He reminded with a pointed look in her direction, tongue clicking as he made a turn.

"If I give you another kiss will you tell me?" She mumbled with a cute pout, loud enough for him to hear as her fingers traced patterns on his dark jeans.

"I might…" Head tilting to the side, his index finger tapped the side of his face, and she obliged with a smile as she peppered kisses along his cheek, coming down his jawline and onto his neck.

"And now?" She asked with rosy cheeks, as he finally stopped in the line of the Lightning Burger's drive-thru. Another popular restaurant that Hinata had been obsessed with since moving in with Sakura.

"I think you've missed a few stops." Twisting so that the two were facing each other, Hinata cupped his face, kissing his other cheek. "and now?" he shakes his head no, pointing to the other cheek again, and she cheekily bites his markings after kissing it. One of the most beautiful smiles she'd ever given him teasing at her mouth as she asked, "now?" Naruto couldn't help but shake his head again and she kisses his forehead, his nose, and then finally his lips. Naruto doesn't let the kiss progress that much since the line is moving, reluctantly pulling back. "Any special requests?" Hinata looked through the Lightning Burger menu, finger resting on her bottom lip as she decided what to pick.

"hum… large fries, that spicy burger, hum number three." Crossing over to the beverage section, Hinata wasn't feeling like having any of the sodas so she opted for a strawberry milkshake.

Naruto ordered himself two of a less spicy version of the same burger and a large coke. After waiting roughly ten minutes, Naruto gave Hinata the bags who held them on her lap and drove off in a completely different direction, one Hinata recognized to lead to the city's main park.

Taking out her milkshake, she couldn't help but start sipping on it as she tried to finally figure out where they were going."So?"

"Hm?" Naruto took the opportunity to steal fries from the bags as he drove, partially ignoring her question as he kept stealing fries. But before he could grab more, Hinata took the bag out of his reach, eyeing him closely and quirking an eyebrow up as she waited for the answer. "Oh. Drive-in." He finally conceded, entering the street that led to the park's entrance.

"Drive-in?" She parroted his words, mildly confused as to what he was talking about. She vaguely remembered seeing an ad online and mentioning to him that she'd love to go one day, but it had never crossed her mind that he'd actually remember it.

"Yeah. The one you saw the other day. You were all excited cause they were screening, I think old Disney movies?" He explained, trying to remember what the program said. "And I bought the tickets for tonight."

"Really?" Hinata couldn't stop the widening of her eyes and the breath being taken from her. When she'd been with Toneri, whenever she tried to suggest they'd do something or go somewhere she wanted he'd never listen, opting for his own programs and have her tag along whether she wanted or not.

Having Naruto actually listen to what she said, even if it were in passing and he'd been half-awakened and half asleep, made her chest tighten with more of that unknown feeling inside her chest she still hadn't grown accustomed to.

"Yeah. I mean we could have gone to see a movie elsewhere or do something else, but I thought here you don't have to worry about other people starring. I know it makes you uncomfortable." Hinata was out of words, completely entranced by his shy smile. Sitting back, she took a peek out the window, seeing as many other cars were already parked on the marked spots. Placing the bags back on her lap, Hinata was trying to sort out her thoughts and what to say to that, only able to come up with a quiet "Thank you." And reaching out to squeeze his free hand, but she was quickly pulled out of that trance once she heard and felt the paper bag rustling and Naruto searching for the package of fries. "And stop stealing my fries! I'll have none left!"

"No worries babe. You have the rolls remember?" Jokingly wiggling his fingers he snatched the bag that contained his burgers, sliding a bit down in the seat, as much as he could with the space he had, and began unwrapping his food.

"Not fair." Kicking him lightly, Hinata opened her bag only to find that more than half her fries were gone by now, eyes narrowing in the blond's direction who seemed to shift his eyes to the side whenever he met her lavender's and take large bites of his burger.

"Don't pout like that. The movie's about to start!" In a move Hinata associated with hiding behind his burger, he kept on eating with eyes focused straight on the white canvas that was now colored by local commercials.

Shaking her head, Hinata couldn't help but laugh it off, tasting her burger instead.

"How's it taste?" The blond asked, licking one of his fingers as the other hand reached for the second burger.

Hinata inspected her own, seeing as she hadn't reached the middle, where supposedly a spicy surprise awaited. "A little sour than I expected but it's nice! And yours?"

"I mean, it's not bad but ramen's better." He said after a couple more bites, already finishing his second burger while Hinata struggled to finish hers.

Looking at him wide-eyed as the blond simply rested back and sipped on his coke, eyes focused on the canvas that now played the Disney intro. "Naruto! One day you're getting a ramen intoxication from how much of it you eat." Wiping her fingers on a napkin, she turned the car volume a bit louder so she could hear the movie better.

Clicking his tongue, Naruto simply shrugged as he said, "Not likely. Mom and I are practically Ichiraku junkies. If you wanna complain I say you go to the source, Kuchina Uzumaki. She's the one who ate ramen all the time when she was pregnant and made me an addict." Once he noted she was finishing her food, he turned to get the box and placed it in between them.

"Still. It's not good for your health. You need to eat more vegetables." Hinata stated knowingly. Whenever Naruto offered to cook he was always magically out of vegetables, and Hinata knew he either hid them from her or didn't buy them at all, choosing to eat instant food when she wasn't with him.

"Only if you cook for me." He said with a lazy grin, moving to open the pastry box but she slapped his hand away and took the box for herself.

"You leach. You only want me for my cooking." Hinata muttered half-heartedly, cleaning her hands before diving in the rolls.

"It's not my fault it tastes like heaven babe. Besides cooking is not exactly why I want you."

Once again, she was surprised by his bluntness, but she wouldn't fall for the same thing twice. "Are you going to give me the sweet or pervy answer?" She asked, eyes narrowing as she watched him pick up two of the six cinnamon rolls with a clean napkin.

"Wow, Hinata. You're really dead set on ripping my heart out. I was gonna say it was your beautiful eyes and kind soul but now I'm not so sure about that kind part." Before he could take a bite of the cinnamon goodness, she decided to tease him further. "Is that a tear, Naruto?"

Now was his turn to stare at her open-mouthed, if only for a few seconds before pouting and reaching with his free arm towards the backseat. "That's it. You are not allowed to cross this line for the entire night." He drew an invisible line between them with the cinnamon roll and then bit on it. "If you want to cuddle up have this pillow instead." He threw the pillow onto her face but she blocked it in time, laughing as she stared at the thing. "You brought pillows?"

Huffing, he turned his head to the side. "To make you more comfortable, but see, all I've been doing is being extremely attentive and you're only hurting my feelings. If I'd known you'd be so mean I wouldn't have been so nice." Crossing his arms and playfully turning away whenever she tried to meet his gaze, Hinata simply awed and said, "My sweet baby."

Box forgotten and placed somewhere else safe on the backseat once more, she pulled him by the shoulders, and although he pretended to bat her hands away, he immediately snuggled into her warmth by laying his head on her shoulder and hugging her to him once she concedes a quiet, "thank you for tonight."

Hinata then kissed him on his forehead as the peter pan movie plays on the canvas. Naruto answered with a hum and said, "I can't tell you how happy I am you're here with me," to which she responded with another kiss before settling in better, watching the movie as she played with the soft strands of his hair.

The movie goes on smoothly, with more playful banter as Naruto refuses to acknowledge he's falling asleep, but when he really ends up falling asleep, no doubt being exhausted from work and making sure everything went the way it was supposed to; right when the movie was reaching its climax, Hinata started thinking about that night, years ago when Toneri and her had gone on their first 'official' date as well.

How he had arranged for a private balcony where only the two of them sat and watched as the prima donna gave her best on stage. How his hands never left her body, only ceasing its movements whenever he himself got lost in the music and the theatrics...


FLASHBACK ON - **WARNING** (there will be non/con in this part so if you feel uncomfortable and/or triggered reading it, skip to the next section)

Neji's words started to weigh heavily on her. Neji was right. As much as she tried, she couldn't find it in herself to enjoy the opera. It just wasn't her thing, but once more she decided to not speak up about it, afraid she'd hurt Toneri's feelings after he'd gone through all the trouble of planning the night.

Maybe when they went on their next date she could be the one choosing what they'd be doing? Yeah, that seemed like a nice plan.

Toneri kept a hand on her leg whilst his left supported his chin as his elbow rested on the armrest. Outside, to her, he also looked gloriously bored, but his eyes were entirely focused on the stage, lips mouthing the words here and there.

Fidgeting in her seat, Hinata wondered if she could ask him to just ditch the last part and go somewhere else. Her friend Tenten was playing with her band in a nearby cafe and Neji was probably there already, and given the time, they could still catch the end of the show.

But the way Toneri's eyes were glued to the stage made her question her own resolve. He was having fun, should she really ruin it?

Once the prima donna finished her solo and prepared for the next song, she took the chance to poise her question. Biting on her lip, she grasped his hand and held it close to her chest. "Toneri, can I ask you something?" He acknowledged her with a side glance, nodding once. "Well, you see, my friend Tenten is playing with her band, and I think we'd still be able to catch the end of the show if we went now," she paused, waiting for him to react to her words but he simply raised a brow. "I-I m-mean, the opera is almost done s-so I was thinking maybe we could-"

"Are you bored?" His voice was calm, gaze still fixated on the stage as the final act began. "Aren't you enjoying yourself?"

At that Hinata tried to find the right words, so as not to hurt him by saying something wrong. "I am. The thing is-"

"Good, the final act is starting. Stop fidgeting and watch carefully." He interrupted, not giving her the time to answer. "Unless you'd rather busy yourself with something else."

That suggestion made her look at him questioningly. He had just told her to pay attention to the opera, but immediately after suggested she'd do something else?

Frowning, but allowing curiosity to get the best of her, she asked, "What do you have in mind?"

Finally, he turned towards her, smiling as he used the hand that he'd perched his chin on to unbuckle his pants and then unzip them. "Get on your knees, Hinata." The hand that she'd been grasping took hold of her wrists, pulling her closer to him. "I get that this might be boring to you, so I feel like you'll be more entertained this way." Pausing, he waited until she finally settled between his legs. "Do your best."

With that, Hinata was left facing his already hardened cock. Both embarrassment and excitement were coursing through her veins as she struggled to make a move. Toneri was back to looking gloriously bored but that didn't stop him from pushing her head closer to him. "Hurry up."

Seeing as she had no other choice since the last thing she wanted was to not only not disappoint her boyfriend, but also cause a scene. If the two were to get caught, her dad would for sure kill her and make sure she never saw him again, so the faster she got through with it the faster she could get back to her seat and act as if nothing happened.

Trembling hands reached out to his base, eyes closing as she rested both arms on his thighs to get more comfortable. The fact that the music was reaching a crescendo helped to conceal the noises as she worked towards getting him off.

She'd only do this twice before. Always with him. The first time she'd been curious about it and he'd let her try, but she hadn't been able to take more than his head inside her mouth, scared she might choke if she did take him any further. Toneri hadn't said anything about it at the time, but the second time she'd given it a try he'd guided her to take at least half of him, which she had managed successfully.

But this time around, something felt different. She'd been doing everything just like that last time, using her hand on what she couldn't fit in her mouth, but the feeling of his hand on her head, pushing her further and further down, made her panic slightly.

Eyes watering, she tried tapping on his tight, a sign it was too much for her, but he seemed to not be caring about her distress. Head thrown back, eyes tightly shut as he tried to keep his moans in check, which were thankfully hidden by the loud music. Hinata tapped again, this time even pinching him, but he simply removed her hand holding him, and pushed her down till her nose was flush against the white hairs around his base.

Hinata tried swallowing and breathing through her nose but it was just too much, tears freely trickling down her cheeks as he finally spilled his load, warning her to not make a mess when he pushed her off of him and tucked himself back inside his boxers once he got over his high.

Coughing, Hinata crawled back to her seat, hands wrapped around her throat as the feel of having her airways constricted remained.

After what seemed like ages, his hands softly cupped her cheeks, thumbs wiping her fallen tears as he peppered her face with kisses, muttering in between how good she'd been to him, and that he'd make sure to properly reward her for one of the best nights of his life.

Her distress was momentarily forgotten, the praise fueling something inside that wiped all bad feelings off. Smiling through her tears, Hinata let Toneri hold her close, and the two stayed like that till the opera was finally over and she got to go home.

FLASHBACK OFF


Not wanting to relive another second of that night, Hinata shut her eyes tightly, the hand that had wrapped itself around her throat came up as she remembered how suffocating that had felt, to cover her mouth and prevent the sobs from spilling out. But the tears still fell, and she couldn't help how her body was shaking.

Only now had she realized that what Toneri had done hadn't been part of Dom/sub play. He had simply taken advantage of her and she'd been too naive to think otherwise. If only she had told someone, told Neji, told Tenten who'd for sure explain how what he had done wasn't right and help break things off with Toneri.

All the pain and suffering that could have been avoided if she had been true to herself and her gut feeling... But there was no point in crying now. The damage had been done and she could only move forward.

But how it still hurt. Unable from stopping the tears from falling, Hinata decided to wake Naruto up, wanting to go home and curl up in bed to try and erase the pain.

Although still a bit sleepy, once he saw and felt Hinata's tears and sobs, it was as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice-cold water on him as he immediately pulled her hands off her face, asking what was wrong.

"I c-can't." She said in between hiccups, realizing how although Toneri might now be awaiting his trial in jail, how her entire family was still exposed and could be targeted for revenge. "It's my fault. E-Everything is my fault." Hinata's hands held onto Naruto's upper arms, head lowering until it hit his chest. "I could have stopped it. I-I could have. But I was stupid. I still am f-for believing I'm going to come out of this unscathed."

It took a minute or two until Naruto realized that Hinata had been triggered by something since she'd been fine all night, no signs of her panicking. Taking a deep breath, Naruto took his time reassuring her that she wasn't stupid or the one to blame for what happened. That sometimes people were just wired wrong and thought they could use others however they saw fit not caring how much they hurt them and those around them as well. "Hey, Hina, you're safe now. Once he goes to trial Itachi is going to make sure he stays in jail for a really long time."

"B-But. What about his dad? He can get him out or-or take it out on my family." Her vision was blurry but she could still make out Naruto's worried frown as he brushed her hair back from her face. "I-I think it's too dangerous. Let me call Itachi and-"

"And have him drop the charges? Hinata! Focus." Hands cupping her face so she was eye to eye with him, Naruto tried to help her navigate through her panic. "Hina, if you drop them he'll do so much worst. You've come so far... you're getting so much better. Don't give up now. You have your whole future ahead of you. It hurts now, and it's scary, but you can do this. Don't let the ghosts of your past haunt you any longer." With that Hinata could only cry harder, head still swimming with thoughts of going back on her decision, heart hurting from all the pain she still felt. But among all those thoughts, Naruto's words, ever so slowly, seemed to take root in her mind, head-clearing once she realized she could only move forward and that she wasn't alone.

As Naruto let her curl up to him, a sudden thought popped up. One he was partially sure would wipe out any remaining doubt Hinata might have. "Hina?" He called out, feeling how she had somewhat calmed down and was just sniffling here and there and holding him tight to ground herself.

Humming, she encouraged him to continue as he stroked her cheek softly. "How about you call your sister? Just to check in and for you to be sure that they're okay."

At that, he felt her body freeze, pulling back only enough so that her lavenders could meet his blues.

Calling Hanabi...

It had been a while since they had last spoken. But Hinata was unsure if she'd be able to tell her everything that was going on.

As if sensing her doubt, Naruto lifted her chin with two fingers. "I'll be here with you for whatever you need. If you don't feel comfortable talking about everything, just... ask her how she's doing, how your dad's work has been going... stuff like that." With an encouraging smile, Naruto handed Hinata her purse.

Still uncertain, Hinata cleaned the remaining tears with her sleeve and pulled out her phone, scrolling down the contact list until Hanabi's appeared. The blond nodded and wrapped his left arm around her shoulders. "It will help lift the weight off of your heart Hinata."

The bluenette shakily calls Hanabi, pulling a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she waited until Hanabi picked up.

"Hello?" An uncertain voice answered. "Hinata?" She could sense her sister's confusion and surprise through the tone of her voice. Clearly, Hanabi wasn't expecting a call, and Hinata couldn't blame her.

"H-Hey!" In between sniffles she finally answered Hanabi's increasingly concerned 'Hinata?'s.

"Hinata? What's wrong? What happened? Is that jerk around? Did he hurt you?" Hanabi asked, fast as lightning.

Taking a deep breath, Hinata looked towards her right where Naruto sat and after receiving an encouraging nod from the blond, she spoke. "No, he's not here with me. I- I got help from a friend and Toneri's been arrested."

She was met with silence on her sister's line, only able to hear shuffling, sounds of footsteps, and a door slamming.

"Arrested? Arrested how? Hinata. What the hell is going on? Oh gosh." Another pause, and the sound of another door opening. "DAD! Hinata is on the phone and she says the cockless jerk is in prison." Hanabi pretty much yells out, clearly not caring to pull her phone away, making Hinata cringe and put the phone on speaker. There was also the faint sound of Hiashi's voice in the background. "Wanna talk to her?" For what seemed like the hundredth time that night, Hinata's heart stopped.

Talking to Hanabi was one thing. Talking with her dad... She didn't know if she could handle a conversation with him. But fortunately or unfortunately, Hinata heard his refusal.

Naruto distracted himself by looking towards the other cars, which were slowly becoming less and less as the movie had come to an end. Then the sound of Hanabi's slight distressed tone made his gaze snap back to Hinata's phone.

"Hinata please talk. Dad's on the verge of losing his hair. I think he's probably going bald from all the stress lately and these news are only adding up to that." Naruto had to bite down on his closed fist, so as not to laugh, the corners of Hinata's mouth also twitching up as she shook her head. Then they heard Hiashi's distant grumbling 'no I'm not. stop feeding your sister lies.' and Hanabi's answer to that, "Yes you are, those vee entrances are almost as big as Vegeta's." Again, Hiashi's voice was heard saying, 'shut it Hanabi before I cut off your internet.'

Hinata stared at the phone disbelievingly as her sister blew a raspberry before finally coming back to the call. "Dad's in denial of going bald. I'm always telling him that's like, normal for old people but he doesn't listen. Maybe his earing is also declining... I'll ask Neji to book you a consult." Hiashi, who even Naruto could tell he was about to lose it with his younger daughter, yelled out, 'i hear just fine. maybe you need some earing aid to understand that I'm not going bald.'

"Whatever you say, old man... Whatever you say." Taking a few exaggerated deep breaths, Hanabi once more turned back to the call, "Now c'mon Hinata. You never call and when you finally do you're being all weird and saying nonsensical things."

With a few deep breaths herself and a reassuring squeeze from Naruto, Hinata decided to explain what was happening, leaving the gruesome details aside.

"That son of a bitch! So what now? When's the trial? Does that mean the fossil is going down as well?" The fossil Hanabi referred to was Toneri's father, making Hinata smile a little as she then explained, "Itachi is working on it. It will be a long process but he's confident about us winning."

"That's- That's awesome. It's amazing Hina. But then... what's going to happen in the meantime?"

The million-dollar question.

The one that had triggered this call.

"Well, I called you mainly to let you know, and for you to prepare in case Mr. Otsutsuki has something up his sleeve." Unconsciously Hinata began biting on her nail, head resting on Naruto's shoulder.

"Damn bastard. Dad! Tell Neji he needs to start packing." More shuffling was heard, and then a'You tell him. Not going to interrupt those two.'

"Right. Right. Okay, so that also means you're coming home, right sis?" Hanabi's question weighted down on Hinata. She had never actually thought of what she'd be doing, living arrangement-wise after she managed to get away from Toneri.

"Hum, I don't know about that yet… but-"

"Oh, I see. That 'frieeend' is not just a 'friend' now, is it?" One could practically hear her wiggling her eyebrows. As Hinata had recounted the events she'd mention that there was a friend who'd helped her out of her situation.

Laughing, Hinata said, "Yeah. Kinda." Cheeks tinted a light pink, she ignored Naruto's snickering, clearing her throat to talk but Hanabi interrupted.

"Woah. Been a while since I heard you laughing…" All the playfulness was gone from her voice, and Hinata could picture her baby sister lying down somewhere and staring at the ceiling with a nostalgic expression.

"B-Been a while since I heard you at all. It's nice." Hinata shyly admitted, back to biting down on her nail.

"Well, you're the one who insisted we communicate through those silly memes. Not that I'm complaining, but I kinda missed hearing your voice Hina…"

Trying not to cry again, Hinata looked up to the car's ceiling, unable to stop the smile that formed as she then said, "Me too Hana. Me too."

Probably sensing how distressed Hinata was getting, Hanabi muttered a quiet, "I love you, sis."

With the sleeve of her blouse, she wiped the stray tear that had fallen, and after receiving a kiss on the top of her head from Naruto who was now rubbing her arm in soothing circles, she answered.

"Love you too, Hanabi. Very, very much."

A chuckle from the other line and some poorly concealed sniffling were followed by "I know. And before we get all mushy with each other, I just want to say that I'm glad you found a way to get rid of that asshole and that you're doing better. The last time we spoke you didn't sound very well, but now it's as if I'm talking to a slightly more mature version of my sis, the one I'd seen glimpses off of before shit went down."

"Hey!" Hinata yelled out softly, laughing as Naruto then whispered in her ear. "Don't like it when you're the one under fire now do you?" Naruto then received a light punch on his arm.

"Kidding. Well, I gotta go. Tomorrow I have to wake up early and from what I see on the clock it's not that early there either. So, sleep well sis. AND CALL ME IN THE MORNING! I'll see if I can get that bastard to talk to you as well." Hanabi spoke as she probably walked back to her room.

"Who, dad or Neji?"

"Both. Although I should probably wait before I tell Neji you're on the phone otherwise I won't have time to talk to you. I swear he and dad are getting so similar as they age, but at least Neji would acknowledge if he was going bald!"'I'm going to bed. Tell your sister goodnight.' was her father's answer as Hanabi scoffed and said in a cheerful tone. "Dad says he loves you and to give you a lot of hugs and kisses from him, which I totally agree so I'm sending you double, from me and him and a pat on the head from Neji cause he's always like 'oh don't touch me. you're all sweaty from training and I don't want you to touch me blah blah blah' the usual." Another pause and the sound of a door closing as Hanabi said goodbye in a much sweeter voice. "Bye sis."

"Thank you and give a hug to dad and Neji and Tenten from me as well!"

"What about me? I'm your baby sis, I should get privileges." Hanabi's whining made Hinata's cheeks hurt from smiling so hard.

"You get a really really tight hug and a kiss from me."

"Ohkay. Now I'm happy. You can go to bed then. Love you." Hanabi said jokingly, as she laid down on her bed.

"Love you too. Bye." The bluenette said as she hung up, clutching the phone close to her heart.

Naruto waited for a moment or two, until Hinata's eyes focused back, and asked, "So?"

"You were right." Smiling, Hinata patted his cheek as she touched her forehead to his. "It helped."

Grinning back, Naruto decided to take advantage of her good mood to pull out an envelope from the glove compartment, startling Hinata since she wasn't expecting any more surprises. "Here. This might help even more." After handing it to her, the blond anxiously awaited for her to open it.

With an exasperated sigh, she lowered the envelope to her lap. "Naruto. You have to stop. Really. I don't deserve all of this!"

Naruto crossed his arms, giving her a pointed look. "I'm not about to start a discussion that you'll definitely lose and then you'll be all pouty about it and whine to me about how I'm mean."

Rolling her eyes Hinata muttered, "You're not mean. You're just insufferable."

"See?"

Snorting, she finally opened the envelope only to close it again and narrow her eyes. "One day I'm gonna be so pissed at you. Why are you like this? You really- Ah." After planting a huge kiss on his lips, she took out the two plane tickets with the familiar name of the city where she grew up in. "But... why?"

"Itachi has the house where your family is living in secured. Ino was the one who booked the flight but asked me to give you those." Naruto explained, glad to see how Hinata couldn't contain the happiness she was feeling at the moment as she admired the tickets. "We all thought you'd be happy to visit them after being apart from each other for so long.

"You're coming with me, right?" She asked with a hopeful expression, startling Naruto up a bit.

"You... want me to?

"I don't really wanna impose on something that's so important, and when Ino and I talked I told her she should be the one going since she's been with you from the start and-" Pausing mid-rant, Naruto looked towards Hinata to see if she really meant it when she said she wanted him to go with her. "I just thought you'd feel more comfortable with Ino."

Hinata gave him a really tight hug, nodding as she told him that yes, she wanted him to come as well. "I really don't deserve you guys..." Pulling back, Hinata brought back the plain tickets up, thumb passing over the airline name imprinted on it as the other arm was still wrapped around his shoulders.

"Oh stop that." Naruto grasped her chin with his right hand, waiting until she met his eyes. "There you go again, trying to start up an argument you're gonna lose. We all just want you to be happy and get your life back. That's all." Placing a kiss on her forehead, Naruto then checked the time and decided it was time to head back since Hinata must have been exhausted after the night's whirlwind of events.

Still smiling, Hinata sat back and buckled herself in, unable to put down the tickets as she stared incredulously at them. "I'm going to call Ino first thing tomorrow. I can't believe she did this." Closing her eyes, Hinata felt as if truly a weight had lifted from her chest. Not only had she loved her and Naruto's date, but also, talking to her baby sister and knowing that she would be seeing her soon brought her to happy tears. She didn't even know how to properly thank Ino for doing that for her...

"Silly." Naruto just shook his head, turning the radio to another station as he drove back to Sakura's apartment.


As the two stood outside the building's door, Hinata held onto Naruto's hand tighter when he turned to leave, asking him to stay the night.

"You sure? I thought by now you'd be tired of me." The blond joked, scratching the back of his neck as he looked uncertainly at Hinata, who was now wearing his green sweatshirt, completely engulfed by it as she also held the box with the leftover cinnamon rolls.

Part of him felt as if he might be somewhat imposing himself on her space. But since she was the one requesting it, and the fact that the next day his morning would be cleared of meetings. If it made her feel better then he'd do it for her.

Hinata then took a step closer, tugging on his hand as she told him firmly, "stay." And it was the combination of a shy quirk of the corners of her lips and genuine feeling conveyed by her gaze that really convinced Naruto to do so. Nodding, Naruto told Hinata to lead the way, who was glad he agreed to spend the night, handing him back the roll box so she could fish out her keys.

Once they reached the apartment door and walked in, they couldn't be more surprised by what they saw in Sakura's tv illuminated living room.

None other than the figure of a sleeping Sakura on Sasuke's chest, the latter who made a point to 'ignore' the two as they walked in.

After the shock wore off, Hinata muttered a quiet 'hi!', still not trusting what she was seeing, and practically fled to her room after Sasuke responded back with predator's grin and a "Hello." But as the bluenette went on her way, Naruto noticed how her face twisted in something akin to disbelief and disappointment towards her friend.

Naruto calmly placed the box on the kitchen counter and let his eyes rove over the situation in front of him. Besides Sasuke being sprawled shirtless on the couch, looking vaguely bored; Sakura, who rested on his chest also very undressed; had a distinct bruise in one of her arms and looked obviously exhausted, therefore Sasuke should have taken her to her room instead of remaining in the living room.

Naruto was sure Sasuke had the strength to carry her, but to stay out there, in a spot with a clear view of the front door, was as if he was waiting for something. For someone.

Frowning, Naruto prepared himself to speak up, but Sasuke got to it first. "Shouldn't you be leaving by now? Your date has ended, right?"

Ah... there it is.

"Hinata asked me to stay. So I am." Hands in his jean pockets, Naruto didn't miss the way Sasuke's jaw clenched. The blond knew that Sasuke wasn't really interested in the pinkette, having tried several times to talk him into breaking things up with her before he hurt Sakura bad, but seeing him now clearly using Sakura to probably feed into a ridiculous idea of trying to make Hinata jealous... Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous. Or to catch Hinata in a vulnerable position...

Tsking, Naruto walks in the direction of the hallway but before going to Hinata's bedroom, he turned back. "Ya know. I'm starting to feel sorry for you. If this is some kind of desperate attempt to catch Hinata's attention or even make her jealous..." Naruto spoke softly in order to not wake Sakura up, "just try and realize what you have in front of you before it's too late. Hinata doesn't give two shits about you, but surprisingly still, Sakura does. So if I were you, I'd treasure it since she seems to be the only one who can put up with your lovely personality."

With that, he left, not wanting to hear whatever argument Sasuke might have come up with.

The Uchiha might have thought Naruto hadn't picked up on his true intentions, but after that time where he saw how Hinata had been scared of Sasuke and how his obsidian eyes wouldn't leave her figure and was forcing her into an uncomfortable situation, possibly triggering an anxiety attack; Naruto felt that enough was enough and he wasn't going to allow Sasuke to hurt Hinata and Sakura. The pinkette didn't deserve it and Naruto would try and help Hinata and Ino to try and get Sakura to leave that toxic relationship however he could.

And that's a promise.