Chapter Fifty
Endless Worry
May 22, 2010
He was distracted.
Ducking a fist, Hinata gripped the hard forearm connected to it and tossed the male over her shoulder to the dirt below. She elbowed the one at her back square in the face before driving both palms into the sternum of the next. Rather than waiting for the next barrage, she charged, striking two as she passed, a third in front of her, before spinning and launching sixteen quick chakra laden palms to the one she'd sensed heading for her blind spot.
He was beyond distracted.
Considering her own movements were a touch sloppy in places and completely monotone muscle memory in others, so was was she.
They had every right to be.
Kaguya was dead.
The greatest threat to the shinobi existence, gone.
Two days following the initial jonin briefing about Naruto's mission and the Otsutsuki text, Sasuke had sent word that he'd located Kaguya's resting dimension only to discover a corpse hanging haphazardly from a chunk carved from the moon that had been her prison. A corpse that had promptly crumbled into ash the moment he crouched to inspected its wrinkled form.
Just like 504 and 602...
She ducked an arm on her right, redirected a severely watered down Rasengan to a nearby tree on her left, then swept the feet of two clones as she pondered and worried over the news.
How long had she been dead?
What Otsutsuki had broken Hagoromo's seal and ended her life?
She was terrified to contemplate a being capable of such a thing, and yet, that was the reality they were living in. Driving her elbow into the chest of a clone at her back, Hinata willed her mind to focus, her body to tune in and be present in the motions guiding her offense and defense.
Her thoughts were so scattered.
If she wasn't worried sick about the looming threat, she was on the verge of tears thinking about her poor Shino in the hospital, or scared for her friend in the bowels of the intel department, or saddened by the tired gait of her pink haired woman struggling to help them both. She'd checked in with every one of her friends except for Tenten and Kiba today, her husband-to-be at her side, before coming to the training grounds with him.
She was startled as her own feet were swept and the hard impact of the ground spread along her left side. She rolled, avoiding a fist that sent dirt flying. Gracefully gaining her footing, she braced for the next barrage. She sidestepped one clone but took a none to gentle cuff to the ribs. Struggling to regain her balance, Hinata could only block as her lover went on the offense. His strike was hard and punishing, sending her skidding back several paces. Arms stinging, she launched her own offense, dispelling this clone with quick, well place Juuken jabs. She had not a moment to breathe before he was on her again. This golden haired, cerulean eyed Adonis was not like those around him. As they fell into a strenuous dance of hand to hand combat, she noted the far away gleam in his baby blues, the thoughtful frown turning his lips down, the drooping posture in his movements. Same as the hundred or so surrounding them.
Subtle details that sharpened her own wandering mind.
However, there was something different about this one.
This one was her fiancée.
Explaining how she was able to spot the difference was an exercise in futility. Like an elusive sixth sense, the knowledge surfaced from a unknown recess of her mind, one they attributed as yet another perk originating from Hamura's transfer.
It was a recurring theme, these mystery talents. Arising from nowhere in the midst of combat, they'd started cataloging her new abilities.
Though relatively short, the list was gradually growing.
A hard cuff to the abdomen jolted her back into the here and now. Being able to pick the Jinchuuriki out from his doppelganger meant next to nothing if she was to preoccupied to use the information to her advantage.
She ducked a high kick, blocked a hard elbow before returning his unforgiving force with her own.
Sixteen strikes to his torso sent him flying.
Hinata straightened, concern marring her brows as she watched her fiancé's body hurtle across the expansive combat area and disappear into the forest.
Her sweet Naruto-kun was incredibly distracted.
xxxxxx
Several vicious chakra laden blows snapped him from his tumultuous musing and knocked him right off his feet. He sailed across the training field, crashed through a few trees and skidded to a stop in the middle of a clearing. He lay there for several moments, stress rather than the heavy hit keeping him prone upon the grassy ground below. Birds chirped above head, drawing his gaze. He studied the sky as they coasted the very top of the treeline. Bright blue and luminous, fluffy white clouds drifting by with carefree leisure. All seemed right in the world despite the earth shaking revelations he was struggling to process.
A throbbing ache bloomed along his ribcage, clawing pain stung his spine.
"Fuck that hurt," he muttered quietly.
Served him right for trying to spar with his head all fucked up. It seemed like a good idea at the time, and this was usually what he did when he was trying to work out some frustration that was mudding his thoughts, but today, it seemed like nothing could pull him from the haze. He wasn't so sure it was just the news. Every night since his return from Suna, he'd woke both him and his lover with his nightmares. It was hard enough dealing with the horrors that filled his dreams, couple that with everything else and you had yourself a deeply distressed Uzumaki.
He closed his eyes.
How was he supposed to clear his mind after what they'd learned?
Kaguya was dead.
They'd already gotten to her, how long ago was anyone's guess. It was shocking to hear, almost surreal, and it opened new, unwanted questions about what was to follow the pillaging of what could very well be, the last daughter of Sylvana.
What tree had they planted with her essence, what new havoc and turmoil would stem from the fruit it bore?
What bloody battle would they have to fight because of it?
Throwing an arm over his eyes, Naruto grappled with the rising panic whispering through his veins. His stomach felt heavy and queasy. Anxiety pricked his skin as another thought blasted his brain.
What friends and loved ones would they lose in the process?
His mind shied from that painful question, and the even more agonizing flash of Neji's face, glazed and dulled with the finality that was death, Kago no Tori no Juin slowly fading from his forehead. Freedom from a burden he'd suffered for far too long, fading from his forehead, a gut wrenchingly fleeting experience for the Hyuuga genius that had spent his life beneath the thumb of another. He'd deserved more time on this earth, more time to live his life free of the shackles that cursed mark created.
Gentle fingers swept through his slightly dampened locks. Lifting his arm, he opened his eyes, and beheld an angel.
The angel Neji had paid the ultimate price to protect.
Pale skin flushed, a thin sheet of perspiration sticking her bangs to her forehead, a fetching speck of dirt on her cheek, his other half watched him with that quietly intense love and unending compassion that had become the center of his universe.
"Maybe we should meditate instead, Naruto-kun."
Her insightful suggestion was softly spoken, her melodious voice caressing his ears. Her presence was a gentle breeze on a peaceful day, cool water on a hot day. Her fingers gave his hair another pass. Naruto sighed contentedly, shamelessly basking in the idolatrous petting, stirring only after he accepted a tender kiss to his lips. Straightening, she took his hand and tugged him to his feet.
Twining their fingers, she led them off into the dense Konoha forest.
The couple found themselves amongst a grassy hill covered in pretty yellow flowers. He took a seat on his bottom, criss crossed his legs, then watched as she followed him down. He made short work of his necklace, retrieving both their engagement rings from the circlet with the mock battle officially over. Taking her hand, he slid it onto her finger, reliving that bare assed proposal in the kitchen, his tender blue orbs reading the same memory reflected in hers. She took his ring and returned it to its home on his finger, a light dusting coating her cheeks, a roughish grin gracing his lips as the steamy recollection of the night she'd given it to him out in the garden of their engagement party replayed between them.
Bringing her hand to his lips, he place a gentle kiss to twinkling diamonds and the soft knuckle below it.
Peace seeped into his skin, permeating far deeper than his soul. With every fiber of his being, with every part that made him Naruto Uzumaki, he loved this woman. Never in his life had happiness ever hurt so bad in such a wonderful way.
Offering both his hands palm up, he watched as she placed her soft, dainty hands in his. He brought them both to his lips briefly, meeting her gentle pearlescent depths for a beat, before they both closed their eyes. Naruto focused his mind on the soothing energy of the natural world, much as he did when entering Senjutsu. This was not that, this was much simpler than that. This was meditation, a unified clearing of their minds the couple indulged in at least once a week. He could feel her butterfly chakra fluttering in front of him, so velvety soft, breaming with love and kindness, he couldn't help but bask in its quiet radiance. His world, his focus, his energy strained for it, bathing his entirety in its tranquil flow.
A quiet, stress free hour passed by and as another began, the peaceful solitude was disrupted.
His brows furrowed as his senses brushed some unknown presence.
A buzzing that felt...
He strained, chasing the small spec, a frown marring his lips.
It was tiny, nearly negligible, zipping left, then right...
Like an annoying gnat whizzing around her chakra.
What the fuck was that?
It wasn't a part of her chakra, nor did it feel strange like Hamura's chakra had initially. Just...there. Nothing more than a mass, small as it was, it felt weighty. It neared his own chakra, circled twice, then whipped erratically through hers. The strange energy zipped again and began drifting away.
His eyes snapped open.
"Hinata, I need you to check for chakra or anything out of the ordinary," he commanded urgently, "3 o'clock. Hurry."
Her own eyes opened, confusion blazing even as the tale tell veins denoting the Byakugan crept into the soft skin around those questioning orbs.
"It's small, like the size of an insect."
He could still feel it, but just barely. Concentrating in the area he indicated, several seconds passed before she spoke.
"There isn't anything unusual around, and I don't see any indication of chakra that size," she informed him, "what's going on, Naruto-kun?"
Fuck...
"While we were meditating, there was something buzzing around us," he explained, "like a bug or something but it wasn't a bug. I know what those feel like, this was different, dattebayo."
Worry suffused her face but her milky eyes turned sharp.
"It didn't come from you," he assured her, "it was just...there."
"Do you still feel it?"
He shook his head.
"We need to report it to Kakashi-sensei," he replied, "I don't know what the hell it was, but I'm not taking any chances."
He stood, pulled her up and started in the direction of the tower. With the Otsutsuki at large, any abnormality was report worthy. It was an all encompassing mandate handed down from their leader that included every citizen in Konoha, be they shinobi or not and he intended to follow through on that order at every opportunity.
xxxxxx
Sakura trudged down the last sidewalk leading home. She felt sore and drained, her eyes were throbbing, her head hurt, and her heart ached so bad it was a wonder that she could even breathe. Neither Shino nor Ino were conscious, and when they woke, they were in for a world of hurt, she could already tell.
Reaching the gate leading to her property, she stopped at the small box on a wooden stake.
She opened her mail box, grabbed the quite sizable stack that had piled up inside, then walked the short distance to her front door. Exhausted, Sakura let herself inside, made a beeline for her couch and sat heavily. She hadn't been home in five days. Between meeting with the Akimichi, checking in on Shino, watching over Ino, there wasn't time to go home. There wasn't reason to go home.
She was dead on her feet, and not only had the Akimichi sent her home, so had the Aburame and Yamanaka.
Rest, they said.
Take a break they urged.
Get good night's sleep, they coaxed.
What they didn't understand was that she couldn't rest, she couldn't sleep, she couldn't take a break, not when her friend's health depended on her ability to concoct long term care for a damaged chakra network, not when Ino lay trapped within her own mind alongside an ungodly presence determined to drive its victims beyond the threshold of madness.
Placing a hand to her pounding forehead, Sakura allowed her drooping posture to sag even further. As if sensing her lowered defenses, anxiety rose to the forefront. The shaking began gradually, and within minutes she was shuddering worse than a leaf in a hurricane.
A deep sob left her throat, fresh tears dripped down her cheeks.
Ino...
Shino...
Her friends needed her.
She couldn't afford to slow down. She could bring herself not to throw herself one thousand percent behind their recovery...
But it was hard.
It was so hard shouldering these emotions, these responsibilities, to watch and process these traumas holding her friend's hostage. It took everything in her, every ounce of energy she possessed to focus on filling the role of top notch medical doctor and hopeful, supportive friend. The former was taxing on any given day, the later atop it was overwhelming.
It was exhausting.
She was exhausted.
But she had to press on.
A shinobi was one who endured.
Despite her tears, she was determined to endure.
She wiped her eyes and sniffled. Crying wouldn't help her nor anybody else but...it was therapeutic and a necessary function of any human being.
And that was what she was.
Human.
She had limits.
She had a breakpoint.
She had times where tears were the only way to cope with the stress in her life and that was okay. As long as she dried those tears and kept on going, she
Tsunade had told her that long ago.
Feeling a bit more composed, more in control with herself, Sakura reached for the distraction the envelopes on the coffee table offered her. Sifting through bills, scientific research magazines and miscellaneous advertisements that were going straight into the trash, she froze on a compact manila envelope. Making quick work of the package, she shook out its content onto the table.
A small scroll rolled out.
She picked it up, unwound it and froze again at the neat script on the parchment.
Sasuke had...written her a letter.
She hadn't sent him a single one since he'd left, and despite being extremely busy with the tragedies around her, Ino's condition and finding treatment for Shino, she hadn't intended on doing so even if she had the time to do it. She meant what she said to him and herself, she was done chasing after him. If he wanted her, he'd have to do the chasing. Judging from this letter, the hope in her chest wanted to believe that's exactly what he was doing. Maybe she was reading too much into these sparse words and painfully awkward attempt at conversation but, she couldn't help it.
Sasuke never reached out to her first.
Sasuke never did anything without purpose.
So why had Sasuke written her?
What was behind this letter, that was the real mystery.
Mystified, she read through it;
'Sakura,
Since my departure, I have not encountered any significant discomforts.
My meals are adequate.
I am unhindered by weather conditions.
My health remains unchanged in the time I have been away.
I will write again in a few weeks time.
Sasuke.'
Woefully barren, bordering on impersonal. It almost read much like a mission report, short and to the point, naked of small talk and emotional zest one would expect from a letter to a friend or whatever the hell they were to each other. A lot of women would have balled it up and tossed it, unsatisfied with the sparse sentences scribbled on the scroll. Sakura, however... found herself rising from the couch, taking a seat at the desk in her office, reaching for the pen atop it along with a fresh scroll, and starting her own letter to the former rogue reaching out to her.
xxxxxx
The meeting was fairly lengthy. Kakashi-sensei contacted the Kekkai-Han immediately and a full scale search had been undertaken. The Detection Division confirmed every individual that had crossed into the village was accounted for, while the Interception Division reflected that report; no foreign intruders had entered. Still on edge and wanting to be as thorough as possible, Naruto alongside the best sensory shinobi in the village swept the entirety of Konoha and several miles in every direction. Not one trace, not one spec had been found. Even so, not one shinobi questioned his report, not one fellow comrade eluded to the idea that it may have been nothing more than his imagination running wild.
Quite the opposite actually.
Security had been tightened and though not a mandate, the Hokage encouraged the concerned Uzumaki to utilize his sensory abilities as often as he could while in the village.
Fine by him.
He'd had every intention of doing so anyway.
Naruto sat with a huff hours later. Night had long since fallen, moonlight streamed through the little sliver the curtain allowed. Fresh from a shower and with a full belly, the Jinchuuriki melded into the comfort their window seat offered. It felt heavenly against his spine. Tilting his head back, he let it fall with a muted thud on the surface just behind the cushion. He gave his eyes a rub then exhaled tiredly through his lips.
He was stressed.
He was worried.
He was mentally fatigued.
Seemed like everywhere he turned there were growing problems. Kiba, Shino, Ino, Otsutsuki, this new anomaly floating around Konoha, his letter to Sai.
He frowned.
As promised, the moment Ino had been assessed and the Yamanaka specialist administering treatment had given him a diagnosis and prognosis, he'd sent the information directly to the channel Sai requested. It would most likely reach him early tomorrow morning, the day after at the latest. Who knew a simple missive could take so much out of you. He hadn't wanted to send the pessimistic misfortune. Telling a man that his woman was going through nine circles of hell, to him, that was information you delivered face to face. Reading those words hundreds of miles away, unable to be at her side even if all you had to offer was your presence...
He hated that for his friend.
Torture.
A situation like that was nothing but torment.
An intimate touch roused his wandering thoughts. She was at his feet, his Princess, damp dark hair plastered to her naked skin, her lavender orbs heavy lidded and yet ablaze with gentle understanding. Engulfed in one plush hand, his flaccid sex. She stroked him leisurely, up and down, her grip delicate yet firm.
"Hinata," he murmured quietly, a bit taken off guard.
She shushed him, then placed a tender kiss to the inside of his hard thigh. Desire parted his dark skies akin to the force of a thousand suns. That familiar warmth kindled inside his abdomen. Anticipation swept his skin, desire knotted his insides. They hadn't been intimate in over a week. Maybe among the average couple this time frame was normal, expected, some would even argue seven days dry was still pretty frequent.
They were far from the average couple.
For the insatiable Jinchuuriki and his Princess, three days was pushing it.
Still, with all the upheaval infecting their everyday lives, sex hadn't been on either of their minds. Weathering the storm had been the primary focus. Maybe that was the reason he was having a hard time processing. Too focused on the issues that were stressing him in the first place. It was the simplest answer. Honestly, he hadn't taken his own advice that he'd given her during their battle with her depression.
'What happened on your mission, what happened on mine, what's going to happen in the future, we can't change it, but we can decide how we're gonna deal with it, and how much of our happiness we're gonna let it steal from us.'
He met her gleaming gaze and had his mind read the moment he did, returning his words to him.
"We're worried about our friends, the future, the village and everything else in between, its only natural, it's normal...but...we decide how much of our peace we'll allow it to take from us," she whispered as his cock hardened within her fist, "it's our choice, right, Naruto-kun?"
A new warmth unfurled in his chest, wrapping itself around his heart as he reached down and tucked strands of soft hair behind her ear.
He had said that and meant it.
"Yeah," he replied huskily, a tender grin curving his lips, "this is our time."
Her plump lips curled, pink dusting her cheeks, milky orbs turning to the stiffened length in her hand. Pressing a gentle kiss to his now throbbing cock, she spoke with a hushed sweetness that replaced the tension in his muscles with one he welcomed.
"Then lets enjoy our time, Naruto-kun," she hummed.
A shiver skated his spine.
He could feel the soft puffs of air along his flesh as she spoke.
She gave him no time to reply, no time to voice his agreement, to brace his body for bliss. Her lips parted, her dark crown descended and wet heat engulfed his cock. His head dropped with a thud, identical to the exhaustion driven one earlier, to the surface behind, but for a very different, definitely preferable reason.
Sucking in a harsh breath, Naruto savored the tight hand working the base of his sex, the tenacious suckling at his tip.
Suck, slow circling tongue, suck.
It was a pattern that quickly, efficiently, effectively blanked his mind.
Her tongue curled, tracing his tip, laving it wet saliva before latching on with a spine arching suction that hallowed her pretty cheeks. He grunted, gripping the cushions below as his hips lifted, eyes slamming shut as he grappled with the ruthless ecstasy her mouth created. Clenching hands found dark tresses as she descended, engulfing his cock to the very based of her fisted hand, the slow retreat that followed drawing the stress from his body along with the last braincell he had in the process.
Shit.
'She was right', he thought as his mind blew a fuse.
This was exactly what he needed right now.
A connection that always held the power to overwhelm his senses and empty his brain.
One he could only have with her.
A moment to fuck away their problems and hold the darkness at bay.
Her fist left his dick, her hungry mouth devouring the last few inches he had to offer.
"Fuck," he gasped, woefully unprepared.
She paused in his lap, mouth stretched wide, midnight tresses tickling his skin. His jaw tightened, fingers gripping her silken strands while he hovered on the pinnacle. Her tongue slithered and swirled, mimicking a dancing snake, circling the hardened sex lodged in her throat. Her gentle sucking, the heated saliva sliding slowly down his cock, her teasing tongue wiggling was a slice of hellish paradise he could barely tolerate.
"Hinata," he groaned, unable to ignore the urge to move.
He jerked his hips upwards, eyes rolling in his skull with each shallow thrust into her moist cavern. She struggled beneath him, her little nails digging into his calves, her petite body spasming as she battled her gag reflex. Carnally tenacious as ever, his lascivious Princess weathered the careful mouth fucking. A moan left her throat, her fingers stroked the groves she'd dug in his flesh, before sliding the velvety digits higher in a long caress. Up his calves, over his knees, between his splayed thighs curving over his flanks. She stroked him from flank to thigh, her tender caress at odds with the lewd sucking of his cock. Hinata wasn't trying to pleasure him, she was trying to kill him.
Cradling his working hips, his sexy fiancée encouraged his thrusts with light pressure, pulling him forward, pushing his dick deeper each time he rose from the seat below.
Helping him fuck her mouth.
Blinding rapture, sharp and potent thundered through his veins.
Never...
She had never done this before and fuck if he didn't love the greediness of the gesture.
"Oh shit," he panted hoarsely.
He arched, muscles locking, eyes tightly clenched, the gurgle of her throat an amazing torment to his ears. His dick was throbbing, his body screaming. Viciously, desperately he beat back the burgeoning orgasm barreling towards him. Sweat beaded his forehead, a deep growling groan coated in the profoundness of his struggle burst from his lips. Wave after wave of pleasure battered his brain, tension coiled. He was twenty seconds from blowing his load and he really, really didn't want to. He wanted to enjoy this, to savor the sensation of his prim and proper Princess on her knees, sucking his cock as though her life depended on getting him off as fast as humanly possible.
Another downward stroke tightened jaw.
Pleasure blasted his insides.
A delicious ache filled his balls. As if sensing their erotic discomfort, soft fingers fondled the dangling sac.
Naruto sucked in a harsh breath.
He wasn't going to make it.
She drew back, releasing his length with a smacking pop, leaving him winded but grateful for the short reprieve to gather his scattered control. Moist lips pressed a loving kiss to his throbbing sex, her pearl colored eyes watching him with an arousal he felt to his core. Baby blues half lidded, he traced the elegant features of the beautiful woman at his feet, lingering on the glossiness of her pretty plush lips, her delectable nipples, the stark contrast between her white skin and midnight strands.
Listing forward, and with only the tip of her little pink tongue, she gave his glistening head a long adoring lick.
He shuddered.
She was getting way too good at this.
Way to efficient at turning the simple act of fellatio into something dangerously creative and decadently destructive.
She was going to be the death of him one day but what a fantastic fucking way to go.
Wet heat engulfed him again, drawing a ecstasy laden grimace from his face, a hitched grunt from his lips. She set a maddeningly leisurely pace, tormenting his tightly coiled body, pushing him higher, closer to his peak. He was shaking, blonde brows furrowing deeper with every agonizing trick she employed in her arsenal. Random flick of her tongue stoked the heat in his abdomen. Hard suction at his tip raised his hips. Sporadically descending until her plush lips met the skin of his groin forced a long, roaring groan from his throat.
This ethereal siren was driving him insane.
Her mercurial sucking settled abruptly, melding into a smooth glide of up and down, monotone enough for him to catch his breath. Awash in a pleasure filled tide, Naruto sagged along the cushioned seat, tense muscles lax. The loud, sloppy slurping in his lap curled his toes, coaxing a blissful hiss from his lips.
Her mouth felt so fucking good.
Tight and wet, the depth she allowed so deep it blew his mind. Her tongue swirled his tip, lapping up the beads of moisture weeping from its slit in the process.
A harsh breath left his lungs.
"Fucking amazing Princess," he moaned as she returned to that easy glide.
She hummed her own pleasure, her soft palm cupping his sac. He groaned, dropping his head back with a thump for the second time that night, affectionately stroking the bobbing head between his hard thighs as his eyes drooped closed. Unfettered bliss unfurled, thundering through every nerve ending in his body. It swept his mind with the thorough ruinous force befitting a tornado, whipping the burdensome harsh realities from his mind in the process. There wasn't enough room in his head for his problems and the devout devouring of his cock.
He could only suffer one.
The later won out.
She took him deep again, swallowing him too quickly for him to brace for it.
His fingers clenched, gripping the silky strands hard enough to sting. His lungs emptied in a rush. He felt lightheaded and weak, his tense trembling muscles seconds from snapping.
The pressure pounding at the base of sex was more than overwhelming.
Agonizingly delicious.
Painfully heady.
She rose abruptly, dislodging his grip and cock, leaving his fingers trembling, his heated length dripping. Dizzy and aroused, Naruto wrapped his fist around his saliva slick sex, pumping hard and fast as she rose. He pressed excited lips to her succulent flesh, tonguing her bouncing breast and flat tubby as she climbed onto the seat with him. Spreading her legs, Hinata straddled his hard thighs with her soft ones. He wasn't the only one aroused by the blow job she'd given him.
She was drenched, slippery with desire.
He arched, sliding his dick between those sodden neither lips. Smooth, slippery heat brought goosebumps to his skin.
Fusing their mouths, he gave her right buttock a hard slap, a silent demand to be enveloped within paradise. She gasped against his lips, then let lose a wanton mewl as she rose and engulfed his dick in tight, wet heat. Hard hands latched onto her spread thighs. Deep gratification hissed between his teeth as she sank slowly down his shaft, her own whimpering ecstasy filling the room. Grip tightening, Naruto sank pearly whites into his bottom lip as he ploughed through slick inner muscle trying their very best to squeeze him out. It drove him absolutely crazy, that struggle her clenching sex had yet to overcome; the delicious battle to make room for his dick. Like the untried virgin she had once been, his seductive little sex kitten felt akin to a latex glove two size too small. Petite on the inside as well as out, every inch he crammed into her snug cunt was met with the most divine resistance.
She barely gave them a chance to breathe before she rose again and plopped back down. Hot lips pressed along his jugular, the kisses wet and loving, ending with a hard suck that curled his toes. Gripping her lushly curved hips, Naruto held on to his writhing Princess, panting as she rode him quick, frantically, each sensual roll of her body flaying his skin with desire, fanning the flames of his lust.
The blow job had wiped his mind, her wild gyration obliterated it.
How could he think of anything other than the soft flesh beneath his groping hands, her rapidly heightening, sinfully lilting moans in his ear, the pointed nipples sliding against his chest...
The plump bottom bouncing in his lap...
It felt so fucking good.
Shoving every negative though from his mind.
He could think only of the ecstasy roaring through his body. He could hear only the shrill cries and drawn out moans of his Hyuuga lover. He could only feel the smoothness of her damp skin, the voluptuousness of her feminine form beneath his rough hands.
His world had narrowed to the messy meshing of their sexes, the delicious friction of their joined bodies.
She hitched his name, the tenor and pitch one he recognized.
Warning contractions told him what her voice had already.
She was seconds from orgasm and nothing was stopping it. Savage satisfaction erupted, the primal desire to watch her come apart goading him to fulfill that lust driven urge. Fisting her hair, he tilted her pretty face towards him, hawkish blue orbs watching the sunrise of ecstasy. Face flushed, lips parted, the cutest furrow between her arched brows, nirvana erupted, suffusing her face in an expression of a pleasure so exquisite, so deeply profound, her entrancing lavender eyes rolled back into her pretty little head.
Panting, desire churning his insides, Naruto latched onto smooth skin, feasting on the vulnerable column of her throat as she cried his name to the heavens, tasting the vibrations on his tongue.
Shaking, trembling like a flower caught in a windstorm, Hinata clamped desperate fingers onto his arms.
Digging into his flesh as her pussy contracted.
Harsh air left his nostrils.
It wasn't enough, he needed more.
Spanning her hips, he lifted his own, thrusting up, forcing her clenching muscle to part. A sobbing breath left her throat, her sweat slick face dropped to his equally moist shoulder. She whined, her whimpering moans a wanton melody to his perverted ears. She moved against him, hunching desperately, rubbing her clit on the hard planes of his abdomen. His own groans filled their air as the warning tremors began anew. She was nearing another explosive crest. Gripping the succulent cheeks of her ass, he rocked her frantically, excitement crashing through his veins as he lifted his hips again and again. Pounding her pussy with enough force to send her careening from the edge into another gushing climax. Trembling knees gripped his obliques, desperate fingers yanked at his stunted locks, his ears rang as she screamed her ecstasy to the ceiling, bathing his cock in heated bliss. Her delicate form shuddered, mirroring the hard pulls milking his dick. He closed his eyes, tightening his jaw as he fought the vicious call of orgasm her body demanded from him.
A grimace passed his face as he struggled against the tide.
He wasn't ready to cum.
He wasn't ready to relinquish his place hedonistic paradise.
His muscles locked as he teetered on the brim. He swallowed, taking steadying breaths through his nose, reaching for restraint that seemed hell bent on eluding him.
Hinata stirred, remnants of her orgasm humming from her throat.
Her dazed, doe eyed gaze, trembling body, and drenched insides, doing nothing to calm the raging fire in his loins. She looked breathtakingly fucked, drunk with passion, deliciously sated. Ready for a long, stress free slumber, however...
He wasn't done.
Gripping her plump buttocks, her rolled his hip beneath her, stirring her listless body back to life.
"Naruto," she moaned, "please..."
He sucked hard at her lips, before delving between them with a aggressive sweep of his tongue. Spanning her waist Naruto nipped the soft underside of her delicate jaw. As a tremor wracked her body, he slid his hands down, gripping the swell of her hips and initiated another ride. He bounced her, jolting her body with each hard thrust, fierce cerulean orbs rapt on the seductive bounce of her titties. Hot moisture bathed his cock, her trembling pussy clamping hard. Exhaling a harsh breath, he bent down for a distraction, capturing a pretty pink nipple between his lips. He sucked then laved the pointed tip with the flat of his tongue, reveling in the tugging his short locks received in return.
"Harder," she gasped.
Without a beat of hesitation, he complied. Her spine arched, silky mane sliding over his knees as she sang her pleasure to their bedroom ceiling. She picked up his rhythm, rocking her body in time the quick pace he set. She reached for him, gripping the side of his head none to gently, dislodging the pert nipple from his lips before ravaging him mouth with mounting excitement, muffling her mewls in the frantic tonguing she demanded.
His stomach clenched.
Awash in his own excitement, he slapped the well endowed ass beneath his groping hands hard enough to sting his own palms.
Her answering cry was lust inducing.
Her lips left his and found his neck, desperate fingers gripped his shoulders, damp limbs tightened around his back.
Her whimper into his throat lashed his spine with bliss.
He loved making her feel good, it turned him on like nothing else. He was a glutton for her ecstasy, greedy for her desperate cries, enthralled with her reverberating screams but he was far beyond his limit.
The need clawing his insides was intense, agonizing.
Unable to to stand another moment hovering on the pinnacle, he reached between them, desperate thumb finding her slippery button. A gasping whine left her throat, her body shuddering as he rolled her clit in hard circles. The sharp bite of teeth sank into the meaty muscle between his neck and shoulder, the sting of clawing nails stretched across his sweaty back as the wailing female in his arms gushed scorching climax, her milking contractions whipping him into a frenzy. Gripping her ass hard enough to leave imprints, Naruto relinquished the fight against the tide, thrusting fast and hard; clumsily, mindlessly as he chased his own destructive end. Pounding her pussy to a hedonistic, gut wrenching orgasm. It slammed into him violently, wrecking his mind, launching him into a land beyond nirvana. White spots dotted his vision as he blew his load in a torrent of ecstasy, the exquisite rush from his cock bordering on painful.
His head dropped with a resounding thunk for the third time that night.
Chest heaving, mouth dry, Naruto wrapped arms that felt like over cooked noodles around the trembling, whimpering woman on his lap.
Her delicate muscles jumped beneath his hands. Every sporadic spasm echoes of her sensitive sex.
Blowing relief between his lips, Naruto closed his eyes.
He felt weightless, so fucking satisfied and tired he knew he'd fall on his face if he even attempted to get up. Rather than test that theory, he basked in the afterglow of their lovemaking, stroking tender hands down her delicate spine, over her naked cheeks and back again. It had been far too long since he'd felt this relaxed, this contented with the love of his life wrapped around him.
He finally felt like he could breathe.
That the break neck pace the outside world garnered had slowed just for a moment. Heaving rapid but gradually calming breaths, Hinata nuzzled the underside of his jaw, her soft moan of contentment vibrating his neck..
"That's one way to clear our heads, dattebayo," he grunted.
"You're a physical person, Naruto-kun," his Princess reasoned breathlessly, her words puffing against his damp throat, "you've always absorbed and learned through physical means. Processing stress and adversity...the easiest way for you to do that is through physical means. When we spar, when we make love, I can see the easing in your expression, I can feel the strain leaving your body. Like now."
She cuddled closer to him, cradling him between her thighs as they struggled for breath.
"I can feel the calmness in your chakra, the lax in your muscles. If even for a little while, you're at peace."
Warmth unfurled in his chest.
She knew him with a depth that always left him flabbergasted and feeling so unbelievably loved he could barely stand it. tightening his arms around her petite form, he held her against his quietly aching heart.
"That's true," he chuckled quietly, "I've been wound up since the incident at site 9, haven't felt this relax in a while. I had been hoping our sparing would help clear my head. It usually does."
"Usually," she agreed, "but I think fighting, even if it just sparing, was exasperating our stress. Having a confrontation with the Otsutsuki is the biggest crux driving our stress. This type of physical contact, this is about love, connection and peace. We're using our bodies in a way completely opposite of combat, and yet, the release from stress is comparable."
His lips curled upward.
True enough.
"You're definitely the brains of the duo," he grinned.
She giggled, squeezing him inside in the process. He gave a low groan, and she, an amused, unapologetic kiss to the underside of his jawline.
"I needed this closeness too," she admitted, "when you touch me, when we make love, I feel like no one, and nothing can hurt me. I feel safe and loved, protected and...perverted."
His lips curled as she shook with silent mirth, even as his heart, and another part of him, throbbed.
"Me too, dattebayo," he confessed, his voice roughed with emotion.
"Then for us, this is the connection we need right now. To keep us going, to ease our minds and support each other, this is the outlet that'll help us sleep another night."
"You're so good to me, Hinata," he confessed, stroking calloused hands along her back, "I don't know what I'd do without you."
He felt her smile against his neck, and her whispered words of love that mirrored his own...
He awoke fighting hours later; scratching at his skin, heart hammering uncomfortably in his chest, bed sheets tangled around his sweat slick body. A startled, high pitched cry writhe with pain from his left snapped him from his dream scape. He struggled to identify what had drawn it from her lips for several moments before his brain began to paint him a cloudy picture. Despite the cobwebs in his head, Naruto was sure he'd felt it, brief but hefty contact with warm flesh next to him. Propelled by his desperation to free himself from the fodder digging through his spleen, he'd struck his wife-to-be.
"Shit," he panted harshly, "I'm sorry sweetheart."
He reached for her with shaking hands, straining to see in the low light of their bedroom. She shushed him, wrapped her arms around his shoulders and tugged him down to bed with her, trying sooth him in the process. He resisted, untangling himself with gentle hands, deeply disturbed he'd hit her in the midst of his nightmare fueled swinging.
"I hit you," he insisted, sickened with the words leaving his mouth, "where'd I hit you, let me see,"
She gripped his seeking hands.
"It's alright, Naruto-kun, I was startled, that's all. You didn't hurt me."
Didn't hurt, not didn't hit.
He had hit her.
"Hinata-"
"It's was only a tap," she tried to placate gently, "it wasn't that hard."
He was having none of it.
"It was hard enough for you cry out."
"I was startled, but I'm alright. It was hardly a hit, we've sparred with greater force than what-"
"On the training field, where you're expecting a blow and can brace for it," he countered, a stubborn, hard edge bleeding into his tone, "this is different, dattebayo. You were sleeping unguarded and I wasn't pulling any punches when I woke up. Let me see."
He wasn't budging.
Knowing him as she did, his fiancée released her grip, rose gingerly from the pillows and lifted her hand.
Green light illuminated the room.
He leaned back, watching as she guided the healing jutsu to the delicate curve of her ribs. Slightly red, her pale skin had already begun bruising. It upset something deep inside of him to know he'd hurt her, inadvertently as it had been, small thought it may have been. He'd rather lob off the last three extremities he'd been born with using a dull spoon than cause her pain. Exchanging blows in mock combat was different than hitting. Love taps and hard smacks to the bottom in the throes of passion was different than hitting. He couldn't explain in words the exact divider among them, he just knew there was a difference.
"I'm sorry," he repeated, stomach knotted.
"It was an accident, Naruto-kun," she cooed as the glow began to dim, "you didn't mean to. I know that, you know that. I promise you didn't hurt me."
As if to punctuate that point, she lifted her arms out to him.
"Will you come to me now, Naruto-kun?" she pleaded gently, "I'm worried about you, I can't sleep if I'm worried."
He was tempted to sleep on the couch until he was able to get his shit together. If it meant she could rest peacefully without being beaten up in the middle of the goddamn night, he'd rather sleep on the floor.
"I won't sleep in this bed without you," she told him, "I'll wait until you fall asleep and follow you to the couch. Or the floor."
He sighed.
Knowing her as he did, hearing that quiet steel inside her voice, she'd do just that. Follow him around their apartment and cuddle up next to him, risking a black eye in the process if she had to. As accommodating as she often was, his Princess could be just as bullheadedly stubborn as he was. When it came to him, there was no line she wouldn't cross.
"Fine," he huffed.
She circled his head and tugged him down to the comfort of her bosom. He settled between her soft thighs, wrapping his arms around her body as he settled. As she had after knocking him on his ass during their failed sparring, she slipped pliant fingers through his stunted locks, banishing his emotional ails as she did so.
"But if I hit you again, hit me back. No pulled punches, really let me have it," he muttered to her tits, his lips curving despite himself as her laughter shook them both, "I'm serious, one Juuken to the tenketsu and I won't be bothering you for the rest of the night."
"Noted," she giggled.
"I mean it..." he replied, amusement leaving his voice, "I can't believe I...I'd never hurt you, Hinata. I never want to hurt you. Never."
"I know."
Feeling the knot in his stomach loosen, he nuzzled the bouncy mounds cushioning his head.
"Good," he sighed tiredly.
The room grew quiet.
Seconds later, he spoke again, albeit sluggishly, "don't forget. Hard as you can, right upside my thick head, 'ttebayo."
"Goodnight Naruto-kun," she soothed with quiet mirth before placing a kiss atop his blonde head, "I love you."
It seeped through his skin again, that peace only she could give him. Feeling safe, feeling loved and comforted, his eyes grew heavy, the darkness his nightmare had wrought quickly fading in the face of the brightest light in his life.
"Love you too, dattebayo," he returned, his words laden with sleepiness, yet blaring its soul deep sincerity.
A tranquil hush bloomed and his body grew lax. Hovering on the edge of consciousness, he spoke one last time.
"And I'm buying you cinnamon buns tomorrow," he declared drowsily.
Her subdued laughter shook them again.
"Alright darling," she whispered, her fingers passing through his hair once more as he drifted off.
xxxxxx
May 23, 2010
"I think Shino's gonna wake up soon."
Munching on the last bit of her cinnamon bun, Hinata gave her fiancé a side glance.
"You noticed it?" she questioned a bit breathlessly.
She really thought it was her own mind playing tricks on her, a symptom of her desperate, heartfelt desire for her brother to leave his never ending dream world and finally open his eyes, but if Naruto had seen what she had...
He nodded, turning hopeful blue eyes down to her.
"His finger twitched twice and it looked like his eyes were moving behind his eyelids, dattebayo."
He had seen what she had seen! She beamed up at him, her shimmering gaze aglow with optimism. His own lips curled, and a softness swept over his face.
"I feel like I haven't seen this smile in ages," he said quietly, tracing the happiness curving her mouth, "I missed it."
"I feel the same," she replied, basking in his own radiant smile, "we've smiled here and there but...something about this is different. With all the terrible things happening around us, good news, no matter how small feels massive."
Shino waking was a double edged sword, they both realized that. The moment he roused, harsh, unforgiving reality would be there waiting to tear him apart. This was a tiny sliver of light in their dark sky, even so, they couldn't help but list towards its warmth.
Finishing off her treat, they stopped at a nearby eating establishment. Hinata tossed the cinnamon bun wrapper in the trash then went into the bathroom to wash her hands. She was wearing the cute little bouffant dress Naruto had picked out for her, and the last thing she wanted was to get sticky cinnamon icing on the vibrant orange fabric. Once her hands were clean and dry, she stepped from the women's bathroom and took the hand her lover held out to her. Hand and hand, they left the establishment and wondered back out into the morning crowd.
"Naruto-kun?"
"Hm?"
"Can we stop by the Hyuuga compound? I want to pick up some ointment for Kiba-kun and take it to him before we visit Tenten."
There was a brief pause.
She gazed up at him, a little perplexed.
"Uh, yeah," he replied, giving his cheek a scratch.
Her brows furrowed as he turned them in the direction of the compound.
He sounded...less than enthusiastic.
"Did you...not want to go?" she asked.
"Of course I want to."
A frown marred her lips, confusion blooming.
"Then what's wrong?"
"Nothing's...wrong," he negated, "it's just...uh..."
"Just what, Naruto-kun?" she questioned, turning perplexed eyes to his shifting ones.
"Kiba's kinda...going through some stuff, dattebayo," he said awkwardly.
She realized that too. Concern bloomed in her chest. The Inuzuka had been making himself scarce lately, short of visiting Shino, she didn't really see him during the day and by night she was home with Naruto.
"I know, I saw the bruises on his face," she replied quietly, turning jer distressed gaze to the ground, "he won't tell me what happened, why it happened. He gets upset and says its no big deal but...it is to me. Kiba-kun hasn't been in a fight in years. He's not like that anymore, and whoever hit him really hurt him. I've never seen him so beat up."
His hand twitched in hers, but he didn't say anything.
"I'm worried, Naruto-kun," she told him, gazing up at him, "not just about that...even before his fight, Kiba-kun was behaving...strangely."
Assessing cerulean orbs turned to her.
"Strange how?"
"He kept saying really strange things that I didn't understand. When I talked to him about...refraining from causing a disturbance at our engagement party, he started talking about how he couldn't give me what I wanted, that he never could. I thought he was talking about brining a gift to the party, but it didn't seem to be what he was referring to," she mused, "I couldn't really follow the conversation, but from what he said, he seemed upset about the past and perhaps worried about the future? And then at our engagement party, when he started drinking, the things he said, the way he spoke..."
She shook her head.
"I've never seen him that way. I'm not sure what's bothering him. He won't talk to me about it," she repeated glumly, "I wouldn't say we share everything, Shino-kun was more of his confidant of course, they're both men, but he at least told me about his fights and what caused them in the first place. That he won't tell me anything concerns me the most."
Her lover gave his neck a rub, his face a strange combination of disconcertion, annoyance and exasperation. His face was turned from her, but she could swear the knitting between his brows, the slight downturn of his lips was tinged with...discomfort?
Or guilt?
She was more than confused now...and a bit suspicious. Did her lover know what Kiba was 'going through'?
"Naruto-"
"Let him tell you in his own time what's bothering him," he suggested, "you know what's he's like when he's got a thorn in his paw, dattebayo."
"I suppose you're right, but-"
"It'll be alright. Don't worry so much."
With that, her Jinchuuriki hubby-to-be fell silent. Unsure what to make of his responses and silence, she too lapsed into quiet, though her thoughts were the opposite.
Something was up with him, of that she was certain.
They reached the compound moments later, Hanabi was the first person they ran into.
"Onee-san, Naruto-onii-san, good morning," her little sister greeted.
Immediately thrust from her contemplation about Kiba's behavior and now, Naruto's, Hinata gave her younger sibling a once over. The teen was decidedly...subdued. Alarmingly so. Even on her worst day, Hanabi still held a bright, bubbly energy with ever present mischief in her white eyes. She looked hard for that gleam and was more than a little dismayed when she wasn't able to find it. Troubled, a bit withdrawn, Hanabi greeted them both.
As he was in most situations, her blonde haired lover was blunt and to the point.
"You alright, Hanabi?"
Her slight frown deepened, anger flared across her face.
"No."
Short and a bit snappish, this was certainly unlike her sister. Though she took her teasing a bit far at times, she wasn't one for outright rudeness.
"Hanabi," she admonished quietly, leaving the rebuke light but leaving the disappointment plain on her face.
Naruto took no offense.
"What's the matter?"
As if the words had broken a damn, Hanabi spent the next few minutes outlining what exactly was fanning her anger, though Hinata couldn't say she was surprised. Their mother wanted peace, their father wanted peace, Hanabi wanted a war. She was becoming irritated with her mother's lack of righteous indignation, and downright enraged with her father's growing intolerance of her outbursts. In her mind, her mother should be seeking some retribution for the suffrage their father had orchestrated and because she didn't Hanabi saw it not as peacekeeping, but as a stand against her.
"How can she take Oto-san's side?" she questioned, a sharp edge to her voice, "after everything he did, everything he allowed, how can she take his side?!"
Turning burning eyes to her sister, Hanabi glared. Not at her, Hinata knew, but at whichever parent was upsetting her the most at the moment. The fact that their mother could be one of them, both surprised and dismayed her. She didn't think her mother was taking sides, rather attempting to ease tension and merge the growing rift between her husband and youngest daughter.
"How can she-"
Breaking off her tirade abruptly and taking several breaths, Hanabi glared off into the distance.
"It's like she doesn't care that we lived without her," the youth accused hotly, "like it doesn't make a difference that if it hadn't been for Oto-san, we would have grown up with a mother."
"Hanabi, you know that's not true. She not dismissing the severity of what happened, or father's hand in it, mother just wants peace in our family. It was hard growing up without her, but we have her now. We can't return to the past and right father's wrongs, we can't undo our childhood years, those days are gone, and nothing we can say or do will change that. We can, however, choose how we deal with the here and now. We can spend our lives angry, or we can spend them happily, as a family and-"
"Easy for you to say that," the girl snapped, turning her glare on her sister, "you actually had time with her before she was exiled while I-"
"Hanabi," Naruto warned, blonde brows drawn, "that's not fair and you know that. Hinata didn't have any control over what happened with your mom, you can't resent her for having your mom around before things got bad. Her life was just as hard growing up without Hanako-san,. Just because she had time with her before the exile doesn't mean this is any easier for her now. She's trying to make the best of the situation. Don't do that to her."
Mutinous eyes blazing with rebellious indignation, Hanabi met his sharp blue gaze with a stubborn tilt to her jaw. Tense silence spanned several moments before she relented, averting her glare to the floor, her white eyes temperamental, but her slumped posture chastened. She knew her sister didn't mean it, she was hurt, angry, sad and lashing out at everyone around her because of it. Rather than feeling attacked or upset by the accusation, Hinata felt nothing but aching compassion for her younger sibling. She was really having a hard time with this.
"If she could go back in time and give you those years instead of her, you know she'd do it in a heartbeat," Naruto continued, the tenor of his word gentle and placating, "more than anybody, you know Hinata would want it to be you rather than her. "
"I know that," Hanabi murmured, gripping the fabric of her kimono tightly, "I'm sorry..."
"Hanabi," Hinata murmured, reaching out to comfort the teen.
Hanabi shook her head.
"No...I shouldn't have said that and...now's not the time for this anyway," the younger Hyuuga iterated calmly, "you have enough to deal with right now Onee-san, even more so when Shino-nii-san wakes from his coma. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."
"This is just as important too, honey," she negated, "I always have time for you and our family, no matter what's happening."
"It's fine," her sister replied, glinting eyes staring hard at the ground, "I'm not in the mood to talk about it anyway. I'll see you later, Onee-san, Naruto-onii-san."
That said, her little sister quit the room at a clipped pace, headed for the compound's main entrance. Hinata watched her with worried eyes.
Naruto wrapped an arm around her.
"She's just upset, don't take it to heart, Princess."
"I know," she murmured, lacing her fingers with his, "I understand how she feels...striving for peace doesn't mean that I don't feel hurt, that I don't feel resentful of the years we lost. It just...it's not healthy to let these feelings fester and it doesn't help us heal. Me and mother, we don't intend to sweep thing under the rug, or make light of it. I've spoken to her and to father, there are more questioned that need to be answered, from both of our parents, but I don't think we can have that discussion together if we can't even remain civil before that conversation takes place."
"Maybe you should share that with her. Tell her you're pissed off too."
"I don't want to kindle her anger with my own resentment," she admitted softly.
"I don't think you will. In fact, if she knew that you're striving for calm even though you have your own negative feelings, it'll make her feel a little less defensive and more willing to figure out a healthier way to deal with what she's feeling, dattebayo. Confronting hatred is the only way to get rid of it."
She nodded.
"Perhaps that's a better approach. I'll talk to her."
That settled, the two made their way to the medicinal storage unit, grabbed a jar and set off for Kiba's apartment.
Naruto knocked five times before the feral shinobi answered the door.
"Kiba-kun, good morning."
"Mornin'," her lover muttered.
Looking uncomfortable, a bit annoyed, his dark eyes met hers then turned to the blonde holding her hand.
"Uh...yeah, morning."
Brows drawn, Hinata glanced at one man to the other.
There was tension she recognized, Lee had held the same uncomfortable air when he'd happened upon her and Kiba visiting with Shino. His dark eyes had glanced between them, his gaze lingering on the shaggy haired man that had been actively avoiding the taijutsu master's gaze. She'd asked the bowl cut nin if anything was wrong only to receive a slightly frantic, a little panicked response that everything was indeed fine.
Everything was not fine.
First Kiba with his bruises and secrets.
Lee with his fidgety behavior and blatant untruth.
Now Naruto with his quiet discomfort and mild irritation.
Something was very not fine.
"Can...we come in?" she asked hesitantly.
He looked reluctant, but opened the door anyway. Without a word, or warmth, Kiba led them into his little living room, plopped down on a comfy recliner, then looked expectantly as they sat on the fuzzy couch perpendicular to it. Akamaru wander through, whining at his owner before moving to Hinata for a scratch behind the ears.
"So...what'd you guys want?"
She turned her attention back to her teammate. Kiba appeared tired and a touch withdrawn.
Worry filled her chest.
"Oh, well I brought you salve from the compound," she said, digging into her little purse for the container, "it will help the swelling and discoloration."
His face was healing, but with her her clan's trademark medicinal ointment, it would hasten the road to recovery. Questions about his injuries teetered on the tip of her tongue, but as her eyes noted the tension lining his form, the belligerence tightening his jaw as he took the jar she offered, his quiet fuming quelled her desire to probe.
He looked...moments from losing his temper.
She was no stranger to hotheadedness, especially considering she was marrying a hothead, but the fire in his eyes was visceral.
She was a bit taken aback by it.
"Thanks Hinata..." he mumbled, looking everywhere but at her or her lover, "listen, I'm kinda busy at the moment. Hate to, ya know, rush you out the door but..."
She blinked.
"Oh...um that's alright Kiba-kun, I understand," she said standing, Naruto following, "we won't keep you. We just wanted to bring you the salve."
"Yeah, thanks for that..."
The trio stood in the small living room for several uncomfortable seconds. This interaction was...weird. It didn't feel...unfriendly, just...really awkward and for the life of her she couldn't glean why. She had hoped she could gain insight from observation, maybe some covert questions but she had absolutely nothing to even form a hypothesis. She was more than bewildered by Kiba's behavior, even more so Lee and Naruto's reactions around him.
Had her teammate said or did something at the get-together that had offended the bunch?
Was that why they'd let him leave inebriated resulting in his injuries?
And if so, what had he said? What had he done?
"Well...I guess we'll see you later then?" she questioned.
He nodded, "yeah, thanks for coming by."
"You're welcome. We've been trying to check on everyone, with the way things are now, we figured everybody needed support," she explained, "we're headed to Tenten's now. If you need anything or if you want to talk, please remember we're here."
She closed the distance between them, and like she had thousands of times, enfolded her big brother inside her loving, comforting embrace. He was stiff in her arms, his own arms circling her back lightly, hesitantly.
She drew back, showing him the full brunt of her confusion.
It was wasted effort.
He wouldn't look at her.
As they left his apartment, she shared her worry with her lover, asking what state her teammate had left their guy's night, if they had let him makes his way home drunk enough to end up in a fight with some unknown individual. Scratching at the back of his head, eyes wandering into the distance, Naruto told her the feral man left a few hours before the revelry ended, inebriated, but not completely hammered...before launching into a conversation about his plan to visit his genin, in case he was shipped back out to Suna before he got a chance.
She found his body language a bit...odd.
His quick changing of the subject a bit too abrupt.
His endless chatter and subtlety clipped pace to Tenten's apartment a bit strange.
Her lover suspected what was going on or Kiba had flat out told him.
Without his determination to avoid the subject of Kiba and his fight, the tension between the two men during their visit had already informed her that something was up. From that encounter alone and their behavior when questioned separately, Hinata was acutely aware that neither wanted to divulge the details. She knew both men extremely well, detecting their moods, gauging their willingness to be open about their problems, knowing when and how far she could push them to talk was second nature to her. What stumped her was whether their rebuffs were 'guy' coded silence, or an attempt to stifle her worry about whatever had driven Kiba to engage in a fight.
She was familiar with both instances.
The former she had never know about until her girlfriends told her, and was followed up with a guide to 'girl codes'. Unwritten, unspoken but somehow understood pacts, rules and respects women upheld when interacting with one another. She wasn't offended in the instances that these imaginary ordinances created a barrier in gaining information, she knew things about Sakura, Ino and Tenten that she wouldn't feel comfortable telling anyone simply because of those female etiquettes she'd been told about and picked up on her own. She wouldn't dare speak aloud the things they'd told her in confidence, or share the secrets they shared when it was no one but the women of their cosseted clique.
She understood this.
But...
There was limit to that courtesy. Having her friend battered and bruised was one of them, at least she thought so.
Keeping that kind of incident to themselves...
How could she leave it alone?
xxxxxx
May 24, 2010
"...no..."
Someone was calling her...
"...no...its...Sak..."
The inflections were muted, the words and their meaning elusive to her floundering cognition.
"Ino...can...me?"
Ino shifted aching eyes in the direction of the voice. There was a face bent over her, and a blinding light above head she hadn't realized she was staring right into. She felt drunk, helplessly weak and woefully disconnected from the world around her.
"Ino, can you hear me?"
She recognized that voice.
Sluggish, the psych kunoichi gingerly turned her head, the slight motion shockingly taxing her flagging strength.
Bubble gum hair.
Fair skin.
Distressed eyes glinting like emeralds.
"Sakura?" she whispered.
Dizziness followed the threadbare question. Talking was too much. As though she'd been running for days, exhaustion slammed into her body.
Never in all her years had she ever felt so tired.
A warm hand gripped her own.
"Thank goodness, Ino," her best friend breathed shakily.
xxxxxx
So, as I'm writing this chapter, I was doing my normal fuckin around, looking at shit online and watching Youtube when I should be focusing on the chapter, and I looked at this video of Boruto and Hima, and for some weird, dumbass reason, when I looked at their two whisker marks on their cheeks, my dumbass was like...Kurama ya'll daddy too, look at them whiskers...
I laughed so hard at that idiotic joke and as I look back on it now, I can only wonder why. Why am I like this, lol?
Anyway, hope you enjoyed.
Don't forget to star and comment!
We're nearly done with book one of two (or three, haven't decided)
Laters
Sessakag~