NaruHina: Clandestine

Chapter Eight: The Provocation

A few weeks later, they left again for Kiri, but this time, the train left on schedule, and Hinata found the ride much more enjoyable than her first trip.

As before, she sat on his lap, but this time, she didn't hold back from freely indulging in her desire to keep running her fingers through his hair while they talked about their engagement that was no longer in their control.

The plans for a masquerade ball had pushed through, and both Hinata and Naruto had been horrified to know that the entire freaking village had clamored for it, had even begged for it to happen.

It had taken on a life of its own and they'd been unable to stop the momentum of the event growing far larger than what they'd wanted their engagement to be.

His family, along with the Sarutobis, had volunteered to organize everything, and the two of them had washed their hands of the event, neither of them particularly looking forward to getting dressed up for a ball.

His cousins had come out of the woodwork and taken time out of their busy lives to wish him happiness and to meet Hinata. They'd immediately loved her and approved of the way she traded insults with him, and Naruto was glad to be taking her out of the Hyuuga clan and folding her into his own family.

Hanabi had recruited her husband and his family to take the reins and worked with the Uzumakis to organize the entire ball. Naruto could still hear the piercing screams of delight that Ino, Karin, and Hanabi kept letting out whenever they brainstormed ideas.

"Out!" he yelled at the three of them when they'd gotten too carried away. His ears were ringing. "I don't care about any of the decorations, the food, the drinks, or the music! Go talk about this somewhere else. Don't make me sic Hinata on you three. You know she's going to lose it if she hears of you guys coming into my office to bother me with this stuff. You're clearly breaking her rules."

The girls had run out of there quickly, but he could still hear them squealing in the hallway.

Hinata, meanwhile, had used the excuse of her promotion to Shikamaru's deputy to hide from taking part in the planning. She wasn't completely lying, she really was busy and didn't have time to think about the details of the ball. She'd agree to show up with a costume on the appointed time and day. That was all she was willing to concede.

"I think Hinata would look good in one of those scanty, leather witch outfits," Ino was saying, comfortably sprawled on the sofa. Last week, Hanabi and Ino had barged into Naruto's home to discuss costumes with Hinata and she'd been unable to kick them out. They'd brought samples of cake to test out before approving them for the ball. She'd been unable to resist the call of dessert.

"Oh, I think she'd be smoking hot as a sexy witch, too!" Hanabi had cried. "But that's what she is in real life, so it wouldn't be much of a costume, though."

"Hanabi," Hinata growled threateningly, rubbing her temples. The sugar rush from the cake was disappearing. Her patience was waning.

Ino laughed. "Then how about a fairy? It would still be formal enough for a ball. A nice floor-length gown in sea green? And she could wear those sparkly little wings and twirl a little wand. We can go for something cute instead of sexy."

Seeing the sudden mutinous set to her sister's mouth, the continued irritated twitch of Hinata's left eye, Hanabi abruptly stopped Ino from describing more of what they wanted her costume to be.

"Ino, drop your hand right now and take one slow step back!" Hanabi hissed dramatically. "Don't make eye contact with my sister. She's frothing at the mouth right now. Just smile and don't make any sudden moves."