Categories > Anime/Manga > Naruto > Helping Out
Author's Note: Another time jump. This chapter is when they're all adults. Twenty or so.
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Helping Out
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"Oh, Sakura, that's great news!" Hinata exclaimed.
"Oh yeah, forehead girl." Ino grinned.
"Ino, you porker, then you're not invited. Sweet little Hinata is, of course." Sakura stuck her tongue out at the blonde as she hugged her Hyuga friend.
"Can I drag Shikamaru along? I'd love to see him in a tux." Ino snickered.
"Sure, sure, bring your boyfriend. Like I care. 'Cause I'm GETTING MARRIED!" Sakura squealed, putting an arm around Ino as well.
"Hinata, are you gonna bring Naruto?"
"I...I don't know...It wouldn't feel right inviting him to someone else's wedding..." The raven-haired girl blushed, smiling.
"I'll make Sasuke invite him. Those two are so stubborn, it's funny." Sakura laughed. "Oh, Hinata, would Neji want to come? Or either of your old teammates?"
"I'm sure Kiba and Shino would like to come...but the wedding might be sort of hard on Neji..."
"Oh, well, that's okay. If he doesn't want to, he doesn't have to." Sakura said brightly. "Wait, would Kiba bring Akamaru?"
"Probably...he'd probably dress him up in a tux, too!"
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Naruto returned to his apartment to find a note taped on the door. Taking it off, he read it aloud. "'Idiot: Sakura said to invite you for Hinata. Come or else. Sasuke'. For Hinata...? What's that supposed to mean?!" Of course, he really didn't expect an answer.
"It means that Sakura invited Hinata, and she'd like you two to go as a couple. It's your stubbornness between you and her, anyway." Sasuke snorted, leaning against the wall at the end of the hall. He crossed his arms, rolling his eyes. "And, of course, she said that she'd like me to invite you. She and Ino think it's adorable when we fight."
"And you couldn't say no to her? Typical." Naruto grinned. Sasuke blushed and growled at him.
"Just come. And invite Hinata yourself, idiot. Or better yet, go out with her." It was Naruto's turn to blush.
"And who asked you, anyway?"
"Hmm, well, maybe I'm offering you advice because I have more experience with girls." Sasuke said sarcastically.
"Yeah right."
"I had fan girls before you even had a crush. Besides, whose wedding is it?"
"Yeah, whatever. I'll come with Hinata, but not because you told me to."
"Sure."
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The day of the wedding...
"SHIKAMARU, GET DOWN HERE NOW!"
"How the hell did you get in my house?!" Shikamaru snapped, coming down the stairs while trying to straighten his bowtie. "You troublesome--"
"Save it. We're going to be late the way it is."
"WE STILL HAVE AN HOUR!"
"I want to help Sakura prepare. It's not every day your ex-ex-best friend gets married." Ino grinned. "Plus, I'll want plenty of time to get into my beautiful dress."
"And here I was, wondering if you'd go to the wedding in your training outfit." Shikamaru replied airily.
"OF COURSE I WOULDN'T!" Ino snapped. "It's custom for all the girls to change there."
"So where is this dress?"
"Over there. Hinata and I dropped them off earlier. Oh, did you know that Sakura invited some foreigners? I think Sasuke did, too."
"Since when have they ever been out of the country?" Shikamaru growled, following Ino out the door.
"And I thought you were supposed to be a genius. They went to the land of the mist when they were still kids, for starters, and we all met a ton of other ninjas in the journeyman exams, remember?" She sighed.
"We have to go pick up Chouji."
"Why?"
"Because I'm not going to be waiting alone while all you girls giggle in your dressing room for an hour."
"Sasuke and Naruto will be there." Ino rolled her eyes, but agreed to pick up their teammate.
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"Oh, I'm nervous, I'm nervous, I'm nervous, I'm nervous, I'm nervous..." Sakura repeated, pacing back and forth.
"Take a deep breath..." Hinata said soothingly.
"Oh, but something will mess up today..." The pink haired ninja bit her lip, continuing her pacing.
"Nothing will go wrong. It's going to be perfect."
"Of course it's gonna be perfect. I'm here to help." Ino arrived at that moment, grinning. Sakura rushed over and hugged her, rambling on about how something was bound to go wrong.
A knock on the door interrupted her. "Anyone changing?"
"No..." Hinata replied. The door opened, and three women walked in. Tsunade, Kurenai and Tsunami. "Kurenai-sensei!"
"Hello, Hinata." Her old teacher smiled. Sakura managed to hug all three of the ladies and tell everyone how much everything was going to go wrong in about two minutes before there was another knock on the door.
"Is anyone changing?"
"Not yet." Tsunade called.
"GET AWAY FROM THAT DOOR!" Sasuke's voice shouted.
"Hey, they're not changing. Besides, it's not like I'm Jiraiya. Oh, wait, Sasuke. You can't come near the door. You might see Sakura, and it's very bad luck to see your fiancé before the wedding."
"Oh, so Kakashi made it after all." Kurenai commented.
"Kakashi, you open that door and you've got five angry ninja ladies who would want to kill you!" Tsunami called, grinning at Sakura.
"Oh, Tsunami did Inari and Tazuna make it, too?" The pink-haired one asked.
"Who are they...?" Ino whispered to Hinata. She shrugged.
"Inari did, but my father couldn't make the trip. He's getting pretty old, you know." She smiled.
On cue, they all heard Naruto's yelp as he discovered Inari. "Wow, you've grown so much!"
"Of course he has. If you haven't noticed, you have, too, idiot." Sasuke said. "Kakashi, I SAID GET AWAY FROM THAT DOOR!"
"Hey, I'm not the one try to peek at the girls through the other door." All the women in the room instinctively turned to the other door, which was open a crack with the white-haired pervert looking through.
"JIRAIYA!" Tsunade screeched, stomping over to the door. "Naruto! Get your stupid perverted sensei away from that door!"
"Which one?"
"The author of the book, not the reader."
By now, Hinata, Ino, Kurenai and Tsunami were all pretty much lost. "Boys are so idiotic sometimes..." Ino sighed.
"They don't mature when you marry them, either." Tsunami nodded.
"Hey, Hinata, I'm going to go change. Can you give me a bit of warning when one of the freaks comes by either of the doors again?" Ino said, walking over to rack full of dresses. Hinata nodded, deciding to change herself now.
"I'll keep watch if you want." Tsunami offered.
"No, I'll take care of it."
"But aren't you going to be changing...?"
"Tsunami, this is Hyuga Hinata. She belongs to a special clan whose bloodline allows them to see 360 degrees around them without obstacles such as walls or trees." Sakura said, nodding knowingly.
"If you are done acting smart, forehead girl, wouldn't you like to change into your wedding dress?" Ino asked. "Or do I have to possess you to get it on?"
"Ninjas are remarkable." Tsunami shook her head disbelievingly as Sakura flounced off to change. "All-seeing, possessing others..."
"Heh, we're a race of our own. And those three are normal Nins. You should see some of the crazy ones." Kurenai smiled. "Like Tsunade over there. Super strength, amazing healing abilities, and she's over fifty years old."
"She's that old? With that figure?"
"She uses jutsu to make herself look younger."
"Amazing..."
"Let's see...Sakura's fiancé, Sasuke, I believe you know him, possesses the sharingan eye, so does Kakashi, and two of the boys that are going to be here are mine, one uses his dog while the other uses chakra-eating bugs, and..."
"Ninja are...inhuman."
"Sadly, a lot of them are."
"Hey, piggy, could you zip this up for me?" Sakura asked, trying to reach the zipper on the back of her dress.
"Um...me too, please...?" Hinata asked, smiling awkwardly.
"Wait, where are your dresses?" Ino asked, nodding toward the three older women.
"We're part of the audience. We don't need to dress up."
"Hey, this is my wedding! I say you have to." Sakura stuck her tongue out at them, smiling.
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"Hey, Hinata, if I'm the best man what are you? Best lady or something?" Naruto asked.
"Shut up, you idiot." Sasuke hissed at him.
"Well, sorry. I'm asking a simple question, Sasuke."
"I'm a bridesmaid, Naruto..." Hinata replied, breaking up any arguments.
"Hinata, um...how did Sakura look in her dress?" Sasuke asked awkwardly, ignoring Naruto's snicker.
"She looked beautiful. You'll probably faint when you see her." She giggled.
"Eh, she looked like regular old forehead girl." Ino commented, coming out of the dressing room.
"She could never look regular!" Lee exclaimed.
"This is not your wedding, so give up on her already!" Shikamaru growled.
"Never!" One glance at Sasuke, however, and he at least shut up.
"Well, well, don't the little ladies look lovely in their dresses?"
"Kakashi! Quit pestering the girls!" Sasuke hissed.
"Hey, I'm complimenting them."
"Why are you wearing that mask with your tux...?" Hinata asked.
"So I can look dark and mysterious and maybe I can impress all the ladies." Their old teacher grinned (as well as he could with his mask), and gave Sasuke a thumbs-up before departing to who-knows-where.
"Lee! Why aren't you wearing your hitai-ate?"
"Gai-sensei?!"
"Oh, great, uber-brows." Sasuke sighed. "Who invited him?"
"Kakashi did. Of course, he asked Sakura's permission first."
"It's funny to see you get so flustered, Sasuke." Ino laughed. Gai grinned (with the usual pling of his teeth), then noticed Hinata.
"Ah, Hinata. Have you seen Neji? He said he was coming..."
"He...was? I'm sorry, but I haven't seen him...I thought he wasn't coming..."
"Yes, I thought it would be difficult for him as well, but hasn't lied to me yet..."
"Oh. Gai. You're here." Kakashi said, coming back (much to Sasuke's annoyance. He was annoyed at pretty much anything that moved by now, however.)
"Ah, Kakashi."
"Could you two have your reunion somewhere else?" Sasuke asked. He looked like he was about to kill someone, however, when Akamaru showed up (wearing a bowtie and doggie-tux) to greet Hinata. She would've picked him up, but by now, he wasn't a puppy anymore. He was much bigger and unfortunately louder when he barked with joy.
"We'll take our leave." Kakashi said, grinning as he bowed out with Gai.
"Come on, Akamaru. Let's leave Sasuke alone right now..." Hinata gave a small wave to Naruto as she took Akamaru. He bounded ahead of her, losing her in the maze of hallways and corridors.
"Akamaru...come out...come here, Akamaru..." She called softly, not wanting to disturb anyone. "Maybe he went back to Kiba or Shino..."
She heard barking to her right and ran down the hall. Akamaru was standing beside Neji, tail wagging and barking happily.
"Shh, Akamaru..." Hinata said, looking up at her cousin. "I'm glad you made it."
"Why did that dog sniff me out?" Neji asked, looking down at the pair of them as she scratched the dog behind the ears.
"I...don't know. Maybe because you smell like me...?" Hinata shrugged, standing up. "Akamaru, go back to Kiba." The canine nodded, barked once more, and bounded off.
"Gai was looking for you."
"I figured as much." Hinata waited for him to say something more, but he didn't.
"Um...why aren't you wearing a tuxedo...?"
"Because."
"Alright..."
"You're here with Naruto?"
"Yes..."
"You're happy with him, right?" Neji asked suddenly. Hinata blinked, then nodded.
"Of course I am...why would you ask that?"
"I don't want you to get hurt." He turned on his heel and disappeared into a room to her left. She didn't follow him.
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The wedding went by without a hitch, although Sakura looked like she wanted to throw up about five seconds before she walked up the aisle. It was the after-party where things got interesting.
Hinata wished she would've seen it, but since she was in the bathroom changing into a more casual (and comfortable) outfit, she missed almost all of the excitement. But apparently, Shikamaru proposed to Ino, who started crying and basically tackled him. He had to use his me-and-my-shadow technique to get her to stay in one spot, but she just possessed him to make him stop. When Hinata arrived again, the pair were shouting at each other. She never would've guessed that he proposed if Sakura hadn't told her.
"You never said yes, you know." Shikamaru snorted.
"Of course it's a yes, you troublesome guy!"
"Hey! That's my word, you pig!"
"And that's mine, Shikamaru." Sakura pointed out.
"Crazy in love. So sweet." Kakashi commented.
"Well, they're crazy at least." Naruto grinned.
"So, Naruto, who are you going to marry? Might as well propose to someone now while everyone is drunk...or at least they're acting like they are..."
"You think I'd propose when I'm drunk?!" Shikamaru snapped heatedly.
"Yes." Ino replied, sticking her tongue out at him. She held up her hand. "Still, I have the ring to prove it when you're sober again."
"I'm not drunk! I don't drink, you troublesome woman!"
"So, Naruto, are you going to stay single forever?" Kakashi asked, chuckling.
"And what about you?" Naruto growled in reply.
"I'm married." The teacher smiled down at his ex-student.
"Huh? You are?" He asked in disbelief. "To who?"
"Naruto, he's joking." Tsunade sighed, shaking her head.
"Oh. He is?"
"Naruto, Kakashi-sensei...you're both idiots." Sasuke muttered in passing. Sakura pounced on him and dragged him off to dance.
"Uchiha Sakura..." Neji appeared beside Hinata, making her jump.
"Yes...it sounds nice."
"And Nara Ino..." He stated. Hinata nodded. "Uzumaki Hinata and Hyuga TenTen..." She looked at him in surprise. She swore she saw tears in the corners of his eyes, but she couldn't tell because he turned and walked away. She trotted after him. After they were outside, she spoke up.
"You know...Neji, you can always talk to me..." All she got was a nod.
"You should go back now. I'm just heading into the woods...you'll be missed at the party." Neji said quietly. In reality, he was saying that he needed to be alone.
"Alright...Bye..." She turned and left for the party again. Naruto was standing just outside the door.
"There you are."
"I was talking with Neji..."
"I know." Naruto nodded. "You're worried about him, aren't you?"
"Yeah..."
"He's worried about you, too."
"Why?"
"I...don't know. I guess he doesn't want you to get hurt..."
"...I know..."
"Um...Hinata, I just want you to know...I'd never hurt you..." He was avoiding eye contact. Hinata thought she knew where this conversation was going, and her heart was thudding loudly in her chest. She nodded, swallowing hard.
"Well...I don't want to rush into things like that fool...but...um...would...would you...um..." He paused, taking a deep breath, then continued at breakneck speed. "Would-you-like-to-be-my-girlfriend-but-it's-okay-if-you-say-no-because--"
"Naruto...Um...I'd love to be your girlfriend..." Hinata said softly, smiling. Naruto sighed with relief, then grinned down at her.
Neji watched them from a spot behind a tree, smiling slightly to himself.
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Helping Out
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"Oh, Sakura, that's great news!" Hinata exclaimed.
"Oh yeah, forehead girl." Ino grinned.
"Ino, you porker, then you're not invited. Sweet little Hinata is, of course." Sakura stuck her tongue out at the blonde as she hugged her Hyuga friend.
"Can I drag Shikamaru along? I'd love to see him in a tux." Ino snickered.
"Sure, sure, bring your boyfriend. Like I care. 'Cause I'm GETTING MARRIED!" Sakura squealed, putting an arm around Ino as well.
"Hinata, are you gonna bring Naruto?"
"I...I don't know...It wouldn't feel right inviting him to someone else's wedding..." The raven-haired girl blushed, smiling.
"I'll make Sasuke invite him. Those two are so stubborn, it's funny." Sakura laughed. "Oh, Hinata, would Neji want to come? Or either of your old teammates?"
"I'm sure Kiba and Shino would like to come...but the wedding might be sort of hard on Neji..."
"Oh, well, that's okay. If he doesn't want to, he doesn't have to." Sakura said brightly. "Wait, would Kiba bring Akamaru?"
"Probably...he'd probably dress him up in a tux, too!"
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Naruto returned to his apartment to find a note taped on the door. Taking it off, he read it aloud. "'Idiot: Sakura said to invite you for Hinata. Come or else. Sasuke'. For Hinata...? What's that supposed to mean?!" Of course, he really didn't expect an answer.
"It means that Sakura invited Hinata, and she'd like you two to go as a couple. It's your stubbornness between you and her, anyway." Sasuke snorted, leaning against the wall at the end of the hall. He crossed his arms, rolling his eyes. "And, of course, she said that she'd like me to invite you. She and Ino think it's adorable when we fight."
"And you couldn't say no to her? Typical." Naruto grinned. Sasuke blushed and growled at him.
"Just come. And invite Hinata yourself, idiot. Or better yet, go out with her." It was Naruto's turn to blush.
"And who asked you, anyway?"
"Hmm, well, maybe I'm offering you advice because I have more experience with girls." Sasuke said sarcastically.
"Yeah right."
"I had fan girls before you even had a crush. Besides, whose wedding is it?"
"Yeah, whatever. I'll come with Hinata, but not because you told me to."
"Sure."
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The day of the wedding...
"SHIKAMARU, GET DOWN HERE NOW!"
"How the hell did you get in my house?!" Shikamaru snapped, coming down the stairs while trying to straighten his bowtie. "You troublesome--"
"Save it. We're going to be late the way it is."
"WE STILL HAVE AN HOUR!"
"I want to help Sakura prepare. It's not every day your ex-ex-best friend gets married." Ino grinned. "Plus, I'll want plenty of time to get into my beautiful dress."
"And here I was, wondering if you'd go to the wedding in your training outfit." Shikamaru replied airily.
"OF COURSE I WOULDN'T!" Ino snapped. "It's custom for all the girls to change there."
"So where is this dress?"
"Over there. Hinata and I dropped them off earlier. Oh, did you know that Sakura invited some foreigners? I think Sasuke did, too."
"Since when have they ever been out of the country?" Shikamaru growled, following Ino out the door.
"And I thought you were supposed to be a genius. They went to the land of the mist when they were still kids, for starters, and we all met a ton of other ninjas in the journeyman exams, remember?" She sighed.
"We have to go pick up Chouji."
"Why?"
"Because I'm not going to be waiting alone while all you girls giggle in your dressing room for an hour."
"Sasuke and Naruto will be there." Ino rolled her eyes, but agreed to pick up their teammate.
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"Oh, I'm nervous, I'm nervous, I'm nervous, I'm nervous, I'm nervous..." Sakura repeated, pacing back and forth.
"Take a deep breath..." Hinata said soothingly.
"Oh, but something will mess up today..." The pink haired ninja bit her lip, continuing her pacing.
"Nothing will go wrong. It's going to be perfect."
"Of course it's gonna be perfect. I'm here to help." Ino arrived at that moment, grinning. Sakura rushed over and hugged her, rambling on about how something was bound to go wrong.
A knock on the door interrupted her. "Anyone changing?"
"No..." Hinata replied. The door opened, and three women walked in. Tsunade, Kurenai and Tsunami. "Kurenai-sensei!"
"Hello, Hinata." Her old teacher smiled. Sakura managed to hug all three of the ladies and tell everyone how much everything was going to go wrong in about two minutes before there was another knock on the door.
"Is anyone changing?"
"Not yet." Tsunade called.
"GET AWAY FROM THAT DOOR!" Sasuke's voice shouted.
"Hey, they're not changing. Besides, it's not like I'm Jiraiya. Oh, wait, Sasuke. You can't come near the door. You might see Sakura, and it's very bad luck to see your fiancé before the wedding."
"Oh, so Kakashi made it after all." Kurenai commented.
"Kakashi, you open that door and you've got five angry ninja ladies who would want to kill you!" Tsunami called, grinning at Sakura.
"Oh, Tsunami did Inari and Tazuna make it, too?" The pink-haired one asked.
"Who are they...?" Ino whispered to Hinata. She shrugged.
"Inari did, but my father couldn't make the trip. He's getting pretty old, you know." She smiled.
On cue, they all heard Naruto's yelp as he discovered Inari. "Wow, you've grown so much!"
"Of course he has. If you haven't noticed, you have, too, idiot." Sasuke said. "Kakashi, I SAID GET AWAY FROM THAT DOOR!"
"Hey, I'm not the one try to peek at the girls through the other door." All the women in the room instinctively turned to the other door, which was open a crack with the white-haired pervert looking through.
"JIRAIYA!" Tsunade screeched, stomping over to the door. "Naruto! Get your stupid perverted sensei away from that door!"
"Which one?"
"The author of the book, not the reader."
By now, Hinata, Ino, Kurenai and Tsunami were all pretty much lost. "Boys are so idiotic sometimes..." Ino sighed.
"They don't mature when you marry them, either." Tsunami nodded.
"Hey, Hinata, I'm going to go change. Can you give me a bit of warning when one of the freaks comes by either of the doors again?" Ino said, walking over to rack full of dresses. Hinata nodded, deciding to change herself now.
"I'll keep watch if you want." Tsunami offered.
"No, I'll take care of it."
"But aren't you going to be changing...?"
"Tsunami, this is Hyuga Hinata. She belongs to a special clan whose bloodline allows them to see 360 degrees around them without obstacles such as walls or trees." Sakura said, nodding knowingly.
"If you are done acting smart, forehead girl, wouldn't you like to change into your wedding dress?" Ino asked. "Or do I have to possess you to get it on?"
"Ninjas are remarkable." Tsunami shook her head disbelievingly as Sakura flounced off to change. "All-seeing, possessing others..."
"Heh, we're a race of our own. And those three are normal Nins. You should see some of the crazy ones." Kurenai smiled. "Like Tsunade over there. Super strength, amazing healing abilities, and she's over fifty years old."
"She's that old? With that figure?"
"She uses jutsu to make herself look younger."
"Amazing..."
"Let's see...Sakura's fiancé, Sasuke, I believe you know him, possesses the sharingan eye, so does Kakashi, and two of the boys that are going to be here are mine, one uses his dog while the other uses chakra-eating bugs, and..."
"Ninja are...inhuman."
"Sadly, a lot of them are."
"Hey, piggy, could you zip this up for me?" Sakura asked, trying to reach the zipper on the back of her dress.
"Um...me too, please...?" Hinata asked, smiling awkwardly.
"Wait, where are your dresses?" Ino asked, nodding toward the three older women.
"We're part of the audience. We don't need to dress up."
"Hey, this is my wedding! I say you have to." Sakura stuck her tongue out at them, smiling.
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"Hey, Hinata, if I'm the best man what are you? Best lady or something?" Naruto asked.
"Shut up, you idiot." Sasuke hissed at him.
"Well, sorry. I'm asking a simple question, Sasuke."
"I'm a bridesmaid, Naruto..." Hinata replied, breaking up any arguments.
"Hinata, um...how did Sakura look in her dress?" Sasuke asked awkwardly, ignoring Naruto's snicker.
"She looked beautiful. You'll probably faint when you see her." She giggled.
"Eh, she looked like regular old forehead girl." Ino commented, coming out of the dressing room.
"She could never look regular!" Lee exclaimed.
"This is not your wedding, so give up on her already!" Shikamaru growled.
"Never!" One glance at Sasuke, however, and he at least shut up.
"Well, well, don't the little ladies look lovely in their dresses?"
"Kakashi! Quit pestering the girls!" Sasuke hissed.
"Hey, I'm complimenting them."
"Why are you wearing that mask with your tux...?" Hinata asked.
"So I can look dark and mysterious and maybe I can impress all the ladies." Their old teacher grinned (as well as he could with his mask), and gave Sasuke a thumbs-up before departing to who-knows-where.
"Lee! Why aren't you wearing your hitai-ate?"
"Gai-sensei?!"
"Oh, great, uber-brows." Sasuke sighed. "Who invited him?"
"Kakashi did. Of course, he asked Sakura's permission first."
"It's funny to see you get so flustered, Sasuke." Ino laughed. Gai grinned (with the usual pling of his teeth), then noticed Hinata.
"Ah, Hinata. Have you seen Neji? He said he was coming..."
"He...was? I'm sorry, but I haven't seen him...I thought he wasn't coming..."
"Yes, I thought it would be difficult for him as well, but hasn't lied to me yet..."
"Oh. Gai. You're here." Kakashi said, coming back (much to Sasuke's annoyance. He was annoyed at pretty much anything that moved by now, however.)
"Ah, Kakashi."
"Could you two have your reunion somewhere else?" Sasuke asked. He looked like he was about to kill someone, however, when Akamaru showed up (wearing a bowtie and doggie-tux) to greet Hinata. She would've picked him up, but by now, he wasn't a puppy anymore. He was much bigger and unfortunately louder when he barked with joy.
"We'll take our leave." Kakashi said, grinning as he bowed out with Gai.
"Come on, Akamaru. Let's leave Sasuke alone right now..." Hinata gave a small wave to Naruto as she took Akamaru. He bounded ahead of her, losing her in the maze of hallways and corridors.
"Akamaru...come out...come here, Akamaru..." She called softly, not wanting to disturb anyone. "Maybe he went back to Kiba or Shino..."
She heard barking to her right and ran down the hall. Akamaru was standing beside Neji, tail wagging and barking happily.
"Shh, Akamaru..." Hinata said, looking up at her cousin. "I'm glad you made it."
"Why did that dog sniff me out?" Neji asked, looking down at the pair of them as she scratched the dog behind the ears.
"I...don't know. Maybe because you smell like me...?" Hinata shrugged, standing up. "Akamaru, go back to Kiba." The canine nodded, barked once more, and bounded off.
"Gai was looking for you."
"I figured as much." Hinata waited for him to say something more, but he didn't.
"Um...why aren't you wearing a tuxedo...?"
"Because."
"Alright..."
"You're here with Naruto?"
"Yes..."
"You're happy with him, right?" Neji asked suddenly. Hinata blinked, then nodded.
"Of course I am...why would you ask that?"
"I don't want you to get hurt." He turned on his heel and disappeared into a room to her left. She didn't follow him.
---------------------
The wedding went by without a hitch, although Sakura looked like she wanted to throw up about five seconds before she walked up the aisle. It was the after-party where things got interesting.
Hinata wished she would've seen it, but since she was in the bathroom changing into a more casual (and comfortable) outfit, she missed almost all of the excitement. But apparently, Shikamaru proposed to Ino, who started crying and basically tackled him. He had to use his me-and-my-shadow technique to get her to stay in one spot, but she just possessed him to make him stop. When Hinata arrived again, the pair were shouting at each other. She never would've guessed that he proposed if Sakura hadn't told her.
"You never said yes, you know." Shikamaru snorted.
"Of course it's a yes, you troublesome guy!"
"Hey! That's my word, you pig!"
"And that's mine, Shikamaru." Sakura pointed out.
"Crazy in love. So sweet." Kakashi commented.
"Well, they're crazy at least." Naruto grinned.
"So, Naruto, who are you going to marry? Might as well propose to someone now while everyone is drunk...or at least they're acting like they are..."
"You think I'd propose when I'm drunk?!" Shikamaru snapped heatedly.
"Yes." Ino replied, sticking her tongue out at him. She held up her hand. "Still, I have the ring to prove it when you're sober again."
"I'm not drunk! I don't drink, you troublesome woman!"
"So, Naruto, are you going to stay single forever?" Kakashi asked, chuckling.
"And what about you?" Naruto growled in reply.
"I'm married." The teacher smiled down at his ex-student.
"Huh? You are?" He asked in disbelief. "To who?"
"Naruto, he's joking." Tsunade sighed, shaking her head.
"Oh. He is?"
"Naruto, Kakashi-sensei...you're both idiots." Sasuke muttered in passing. Sakura pounced on him and dragged him off to dance.
"Uchiha Sakura..." Neji appeared beside Hinata, making her jump.
"Yes...it sounds nice."
"And Nara Ino..." He stated. Hinata nodded. "Uzumaki Hinata and Hyuga TenTen..." She looked at him in surprise. She swore she saw tears in the corners of his eyes, but she couldn't tell because he turned and walked away. She trotted after him. After they were outside, she spoke up.
"You know...Neji, you can always talk to me..." All she got was a nod.
"You should go back now. I'm just heading into the woods...you'll be missed at the party." Neji said quietly. In reality, he was saying that he needed to be alone.
"Alright...Bye..." She turned and left for the party again. Naruto was standing just outside the door.
"There you are."
"I was talking with Neji..."
"I know." Naruto nodded. "You're worried about him, aren't you?"
"Yeah..."
"He's worried about you, too."
"Why?"
"I...don't know. I guess he doesn't want you to get hurt..."
"...I know..."
"Um...Hinata, I just want you to know...I'd never hurt you..." He was avoiding eye contact. Hinata thought she knew where this conversation was going, and her heart was thudding loudly in her chest. She nodded, swallowing hard.
"Well...I don't want to rush into things like that fool...but...um...would...would you...um..." He paused, taking a deep breath, then continued at breakneck speed. "Would-you-like-to-be-my-girlfriend-but-it's-okay-if-you-say-no-because--"
"Naruto...Um...I'd love to be your girlfriend..." Hinata said softly, smiling. Naruto sighed with relief, then grinned down at her.
Neji watched them from a spot behind a tree, smiling slightly to himself.
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