hina & R3DX

𝑰 𝒈𝒐 𝒃𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆 "𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒂", 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒆 𝑨𝒍𝒚. 𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑹3𝒅'𝒔. 𝑯𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉, 𝒊𝒇 𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒍, 𝒔𝒐 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒉𝒊𝒎. 𝑰 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝒂𝒔𝒌𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒔, 𝒔𝒐 𝒉𝒆'𝒔 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒖𝒕.

𝑰 𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝑯𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒂-𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄 𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒔 𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓. 𝑯𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒍𝒚, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒏𝒐 𝑵𝒂𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝑰 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒐𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑫𝒂𝒏𝒛𝒐, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝑰'𝒎 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈:

♡𝑺𝒂𝒔𝒖𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒂 (𝑺𝒂𝒔𝒖𝒌𝒆/𝑯𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒂)

♡𝑵𝒂𝒓𝒖𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒂 (𝑵𝒂𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒐/𝑯𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒂)

♡𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒌𝒂𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒂 (𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒌𝒂𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒖/𝑯𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒂)

♡𝑺𝒂𝒌𝒖𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒂 (𝑺𝒂𝒌𝒖𝒓𝒂/𝑯𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒂)

♡𝑨𝒈𝒆-𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝑲𝒂𝒌𝒂𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒂 (𝑲𝒂𝒌𝒂𝒔𝒉𝒊/𝑯𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒂)

♡𝑮𝒂𝒂𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒂 (𝑮𝒂𝒂𝒓𝒂/𝑯𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒂)

𝑰 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒂 𝒑𝒐𝒍𝒚 𝒇𝒊𝒄 (𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝒐𝒓 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆), 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆! 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒐 𝒊𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒚.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆 𝑰 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒐𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒊𝒔 𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒃𝒆 𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔. 𝑾𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈: 𝒔𝒎𝒖𝒕. 𝑰 𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒊𝒕. 𝑰'𝒎 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒔𝒆𝒙𝒖𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒔 𝑰 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒚! 𝑰 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒓𝒚 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒏 𝒑𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒔, 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒏-𝒕𝒚𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒗𝒊𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆, 𝒆𝒕𝒄. 𝑻𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝑯𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏-𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝑰'𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒐 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆.

𝑰 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒃𝒆 𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝑴 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒏-𝒕𝒚𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒗𝒊𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆, 𝒔𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒍𝒐𝒘-𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒎𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒅. 𝑺𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒚! 𝑶𝒏 𝒂 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆, 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚 𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒖𝒏𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒅.

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝑀 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑣𝑖𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒

𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐌 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐘

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑛𝑜𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑠𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔. 𝐹𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑏𝑖𝑟𝑡ℎ, 𝐻𝑖𝑏𝑎𝑡𝑎 𝐻𝑦𝑢𝑢𝑔𝑎 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑙𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑈𝑐ℎ𝑖ℎ𝑎, 𝐼𝑡𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑖, 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑤𝑎𝑠 6 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑜𝑟. 𝐼𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑝𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙. 𝑁𝑜𝑤, 𝑎𝑡 𝑎𝑔𝑒 12, 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑖𝑑𝑑𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎 𝑏𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟.

𝐓𝐚𝐠𝐬: 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑛-𝑑𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑡, 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑛-𝑡𝑦𝑝𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑣𝑖𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒, 𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑠, 𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑤-𝑏𝑢𝑟𝑛, 𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑠𝑡, 𝑓𝑙𝑢𝑓𝑓, 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑛-𝑟𝑒𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒, 𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒, 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑚 7 𝑤/𝐻𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑎, 𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑜𝑛𝑒-𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑠, ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑦 𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬: 𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑑

Series: Part 1 of Harmony

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠(𝐬): 𝑠𝑎𝑠𝑢ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑎, 𝑜𝑛𝑒-𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑛𝑎𝑟𝑢ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑎, 𝑜𝑛𝑒-𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑡𝑎ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑎, 𝑜𝑛𝑒-𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑘𝑎ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑎

FFnet | Ao3 | Wattpad | Ch. 29 Artwork

𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝑇𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑢𝑝

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: 𝐻𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑎'𝑠 𝑓𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑔𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑛 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑔𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑑, 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑙. 𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑎 𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑆𝑎𝑠𝑢𝑘𝑒 𝑈𝑐ℎ𝑖ℎ𝑎, 𝑎 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑛 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑

𝐓𝐚𝐠𝐬: 𝐴𝑈, 𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒, 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓-ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑚, 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑠𝑢𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑡, 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑠, 𝑎𝑠𝑒𝑥𝑢𝑎𝑙!ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑎, 𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑐!ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑎, ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑦 𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬: 𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑑

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠(𝐬): 𝑆𝑎𝑠𝑢ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑎, 𝑛𝑎𝑟𝑢𝑠𝑎𝑘𝑢, 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑛𝑎𝑟𝑢ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑎, 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑜𝑛𝑒-𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑎𝑠𝑢𝑠𝑎𝑘𝑢

FFnet | Ao3 | Wattpad

𝐓𝐇 𝐂𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐋𝐄𝐒

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: 𝑊𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑁𝑎𝑟𝑢𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑆𝑎𝑠𝑢𝑘𝑒 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑣𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑎𝑔𝑒, 𝐻𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑎 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑓𝑜𝑐𝑢𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑘𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑟𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝐷𝑎𝑛𝑧𝑜 𝑆ℎ𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑟𝑎. 𝐻𝑒𝑟 𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑔𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑒𝑢𝑣𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑘𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝐾𝑜𝑛𝑜ℎ𝑎 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑒 𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑜 ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑠ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑖𝑔𝑛𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓. 𝐶𝑎𝑛 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑜 𝑖𝑡? 𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝐷𝑎𝑛𝑧𝑜 𝑎𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑐𝑡 ℎ𝑒𝑟...𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑒𝑟?

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝑀 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑣𝑖𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒

𝐓𝐚𝐠𝐬: 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑛-𝑑𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑡, 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑛 𝑟𝑒𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒, 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑛-𝑡𝑦𝑝𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑣𝑖𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒, 𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒, ℎ𝑢𝑟𝑡, 𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑠𝑡, 𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑙𝑦!ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑎, 𝑏𝑎𝑚𝑓!ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑎

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬: 𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑑

Series: Part 2 of Harmony

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠(𝐬): 𝑠𝑎𝑠𝑢ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑎 𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑝𝑙𝑒, 𝑜𝑛𝑒-𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑘𝑎ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑎 (𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑡𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑑)

FFnet | Ao3 | Wattpad

𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐓𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐘

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝑇𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑈𝑝

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: 𝑀𝑒𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝐼𝑡𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑖 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐻𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑎 𝑑𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒-𝑠𝑘𝑖𝑝 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝐼𝑡𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑖'𝑠 𝑃𝑂𝑉. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑, 𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑤𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑚𝑢𝑐ℎ 𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑒.

𝐓𝐚𝐠𝐬: 𝑂𝑛𝑒-𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑡𝑎ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑎, 𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑖'𝑠 𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠, 𝑏𝑎𝑚𝑓!ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑎, 𝑚𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑐!ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑎, ℎ𝑢𝑟𝑡, 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑡

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬: 𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑑

𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: 𝑃𝑎𝑟𝑡 3 𝑜𝑓 𝐻𝑎𝑟𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑦

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠(𝐬): 𝑠𝑎𝑠𝑢ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑎 𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑝𝑙𝑒, 𝑜𝑛𝑒-𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑡𝑎ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑎

FFnet | Ao3 | Wattpad

𝙒𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙛𝙚𝙬 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙖𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄'𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚.

𝙄𝙩𝙖𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙖:

♢𝙤𝙣𝙚-𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙏𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙃𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙮 𝙐𝙣𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚

♢𝙏𝘽𝘼

♢𝙏𝘽𝘼

♢𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙗𝙮 𝙟𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚 𝙢𝙘𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙮

𝙎𝙖𝙨𝙪𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙖:

♢𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝘼𝙐 ✔️

♢𝙏𝘽𝘼

♢𝙏𝘽𝘼

♢𝙏𝘽𝘼

♢𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙮 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙩 𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙝 𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙥

𝙎𝙝𝙞𝙠𝙖𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙖:

♢𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝘼𝙐 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚

♢𝙏𝘽𝘼

♢𝙏𝘽𝘼

♢𝙞 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙚

𝙈𝙊𝙍𝙀 𝙏𝙊 𝘽𝙀 𝘼𝘿𝘿𝙀𝘿

𝙷𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎, 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎. 𝙸 𝚐𝚘 𝚋𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚁3𝚍𝚡, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝙸 𝚊𝚕𝚜𝚘 𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚖𝚢 𝚗𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚌𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚎 𝚋𝚢 𝚝𝚠𝚘 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚢 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚐𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚐𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚜

𝙸 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝙸 𝚖𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚢'𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝙸 𝚊𝚖 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚞𝚙𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚊 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚢'𝚊𝚕𝚕'𝚜 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜!

𝚃𝚎𝚊𝚖 𝙷a𝚛𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚢 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝-𝚒𝚏 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚊, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚌𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚜 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚘𝚏 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛. 𝙱𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚎 𝚔𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚒𝚝, 𝚠𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚊 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢! 𝙼𝚢 𝚖𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚛𝚘𝚕𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚞𝚙 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢. 𝙸 𝚊𝚕𝚜𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚏𝚝𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚒𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎'𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚗 𝚘𝚞𝚝, 𝚜𝚘 𝚠𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚋𝚎.

𝙷𝚒𝚗𝚊 𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚜 𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚜 𝙸 𝚊𝚖 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚊 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚜 𝚖𝚢 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚊𝚗 𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗. 𝙷𝚒𝚗𝚊 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚜 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚜 𝙸'𝚟𝚎 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛. 𝚂𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐.

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙸 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚞𝚛 biggest 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢, 𝚃𝚎𝚊𝚖 𝙷𝚊𝚛𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚢, 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚝'𝚜 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚊 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚒𝚝 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚊 𝚏𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙾𝙶 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢, 𝚠𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙷𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚊 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛. 𝙷𝚎𝚛 𝚞𝚙𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙷𝚢𝚞𝚞𝚐𝚊 𝙲𝚕𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙸𝚝𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚒 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚂𝚊𝚜𝚞𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚝𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚜. 𝚆𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚒𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝙽𝚊𝚛𝚞𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚌𝚞𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚏𝚞𝚗.

𝙸𝚗 𝚃𝚎𝚊𝚖 𝙷𝚊𝚛𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚢, 𝚖𝚢 𝚏𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚜 𝚂𝚊𝚜𝚞𝚔𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝙽𝚊𝚛𝚞𝚝𝚘'𝚜 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎.

𝙸 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢 𝚃𝚎𝚊𝚖 𝙷𝚊𝚛𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚏𝚞𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚙𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚑! 𝚆𝚎 𝚙𝚞𝚝 𝚊 𝚕𝚘𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚎𝚏𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚠𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗. 𝙸 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚢'𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚜𝚘𝚘𝚗, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙸'𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚛𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝙸 𝚌𝚊𝚗. 𝙸 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝'𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎!

This diner was at the outskirts of town, near the bus stop for travelers. It was a good location to set up a shop like this. The owner was also able to sell bus tickets here, but Hinata herself was too young to legally sell them. Eighteen was the minimum, but she wouldn't hit that until wintertime. Once she could sell those, she would get a dollar raise and be making four-fifty with tips; she just had to wait, which was easy enough.

She perked up instantly when the bell on the door rang and someone walked in.

"Hello, welcome to the Corner Diner," she greeted kindly. A tall young man with short blonde hair and pretty blue eyes walked in and gave her an apprehensive smile. Ah. He was dressed in a military uniform. Things had been looking shaky, and an increasing number of young men were enlisting. How much longer until a full draft was called? She hoped things calmed down before then. As it was, they had a weekly announcement at the high school honoring past students who had lost their lives in the war or were missing.

Truthfully, she was terrified. Her cousin had enlisted out of high school, and she hadn't gotten a letter from him in a while. She tried to keep her mind in a happy place, but it was difficult. Things were getting tense, and she had seen more posters and announcements calling for women to begin thinking about entering the workforce spaces men typically did.

The young man took a seat in one of the booths, and she went to take his order. "Hi! What can I get for you today?" She asked, handing him a tall menu.

He flipped through it, eyes scanning over the options. "I'll just...have a coffee, please."

"Sure thing." She left the menu in case he changed his mind about ordering food while she was getting his drink. She returned with the cup of coffee. "Here you go. Sugar and creamer are right there. Would you like something to eat?"

He shook his head, staring down at the cup in his hands. "I'd probably throw it up," he said, huffing out a laugh. "My bus is supposed to be here in a couple of hours."

Hinata gave him a soft smile. "Stay as long as you'd like until then."

His eyes moved up to hers, and he smiled at her nervously. "Actually, um, if you don't mind... I'm feeling pretty down. Do you mind if we talk a little?"

Usually, she wouldn't have, but that scared look in his eyes hurt her heart. "I'm off in an hour," she replied. "And I know just the place to go for some peace."

His face brightened, and he nodded enthusiastically. "Thanks," he looked down at her nametag, "Hinata. I'm Naruto."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Naruto. I'm going to continue cleaning, but please let me know when you need a refill or if you change your mind about food."

He went back to his coffee with a small thanks, and she continued deep cleaning the sitting area, occasionally looking back at the boy's back to make sure he wasn't trying to get her attention. After a half hour, she went back and refilled his mug. He thanked her with a wobbly smile, the nervous kind.

When the hour was up, Ino came in. "Hinata! I'm here to relieve you!" She said happily.

Hinata smiled. "It's been extremely slow this morning," she warned her friend. Ino had gotten her a job at the diner when it became evident Hinata needed to get out of her home. She currently lived with Ino and her family until she raised enough to get an apartment. By the time her birthday came along, she would have enough to support herself, making for a great birthday present.

Her blonde friend groaned dramatically, looking around and easily slipping into a more professional demeanor when she saw they did have one customer. "Well, at least you cleaned the hell out of this place, so I can just read my book."

She chuckled. "I had to keep busy somehow. I'll be punching out now," she said as she pulled off her apron and grabbed her bag. She took her time card and punched a hole in the time it currently was before putting it back in the slot. "I'll see you at home later."

Ino stopped her as she was stepping out of the back. "That guy is waiting by the front door. Be careful," she said quietly, nodding to Naruto who was standing outside the door with his suitcase, staring out at the road the bus was expected to come from.

"It's all right. I know him," she said, stretching the truth a bit. "We're going for a walk."

Ino's eyes turned teasing. "Oh? A walk, huh? Well, I hope you have a nice walk. He's handsome, too," she giggled, waggling her brows.

Hinata smacked her shoulder lightly. "Ino! Don't be so crass," she scolded, but couldn't hold back the same she had on her face. It was true that the blonde man was exceptionally good looking, fit, and tall. She would be lying if she said she didn't feel attracted to him on a physical level, but it was more pressing to her that he looked so...terrified.

"I'll see you at home."

She nodded and waved to her friend and their cook Teuchi before walking out into the late morning air, the sun high and warm. Naruto looked at her as she came out, stepping aside to give her more room. "Sorry to keep you waiting," she said.

He gave her that same uneasy smile. "No worries."

"The owner keeps a little space cleared out back this way for us to clear our minds and not get harassed by random men," she explained, leading him toward the woods.

He hesitantly followed her. "Should I be going there?" He asked. "I don't want to...taint the space, I guess? If it's meant as a safe space for you and the other women working." It warmed her heart that he thought of it that way and even asked permission.

"Don't worry. The fact that you're conscious of it tells me that you're safe to be in it," she assured him, leading him through trees and bushes.

"I can't say I've ever been led into the woods by someone," he admitted. "Should I be worried?"

She laughed, looking back at him and seeing his playful smile. "Not even a little." They came into a nice clear, surrounded by flower bushes and sitting right next to a stream. There was a single bench facing the gently flowing water, but it remained empty otherwise. The loud bustle of the village disappeared as they stepped inside the tranquil space.

"It's...pretty here," he mumbled, taking it all in. His beautiful blue eyes stared at the flowers the longest, a soft, melancholic smile slowly appearing on his face made Hinata's head tilt in curiosity.

"It is. Do you like flowers?"

1. Last song: Songbird by Oasis ← 🔗 to music video

2. Favorite Colors: Royal blue & pastel pink

3. Watching: I'm constantly rewatching Unsolved Mysteries, Call the Midwife, and the third show is always up in the air. Right now, it's the Idol I Korean drama, which I highly recommend!

4. Currently Reading: Report from #24 by Gunnar Sonsteby, If Only I had Told Her by Laura Nowlin, Vanished in Vermillion by Lou Raguse. I usually enjoy reading memoirs, biographies, etc.

5. Current Obsession: Xavier and Caleb from Love and Deepspace

6. Currently Working On: Writing Universal Harmony, working on my other fics that we have planned, crocheting, and cooking and meal planning (the last one shouldn't be so difficult 🫩) I'll be sharing some of these fics down below soon now that Logically is pretty much finished!

7. Last Google Search: "gluten free bakery (my location)" because I want a cake for my bday that I don't have to make myself. I got a cake from Nothing Bunt Cakes! (I bought two to try one and omfg it is SO good, sad that it was small though)

8. Current Phone Wallpaper: It's a theme from my Samsung, so I'll just share a screenshot

True to their word, Kakashi and Naruto came over every single night. They all became really close, and Hinata had even started helping Naruto with his studying. Shikamaru would call it convenient that he was suddenly able to retain information when she was the one teaching him, but it made his job much easier in the end, and Naruto was respectful of their marriage so he let it go.

Kakashi, of course, had eagerly begun teasing him about it. It was annoying. Incredibly. But he also couldn’t deny how happy it made him to have friends he was close with that hadn’t already been decided for him like Ino and Choji.

They came over quite a bit, too. Usually, Ino would bring Sakura and Tenten and they would have a girl’s night that he made himself scarce for.

Their newly built house had become the designated hang out spot for their friends. It was always loud and lively.

But, at night, when everyone else had gone home, and it was just them… they held each other in a loving embrace—tangled in the sheets with their skin shining with sweat. For as much as he hadn’t known coming into this, he had sure learned a lot about her body. He was patient and took his time making sure she was enjoying herself.

It wasn’t until over a year into their marriage that Hinata had called him a tease in the middle of their lovemaking, after he had unknowingly pulled her back from the edge when he had to stop and rub his jaw. It made him laugh with his whole body.

He never thought she would even know that term and what it meant.

He blamed Ino.

But with the way Hinata had become an expert on things in the bedroom he didn’t know she was even aware of, he should probably thank the Yamanaka more than blame her.

Hinata had always made his life easier, even before they started trial-dating, and that never changed, except that he was finally able to return it. After a long week, he would stop by her favorite bakery and pick her up a dozen cinnamon rolls she would happily eat over the weekend.

One thing he never thought he’d ever do for his wife would be tying her hair back as she competed in ramen-eating contests against many villagers, including Naruto and Choji. He noticed that she kept pushing her hair out of her face to make sure it wouldn’t land in the bowl, so he began tying it up. So far, she had been named the Legendary Queen of Gluttony, a name she wore proudly.

Strangely, he thought it was extremely attractive to watch her eat with as much gusto as she did during those moments.

His life was perfect.

Naruto rubbed his temple as he watched Shikamaru pace around his bedroom. “How are you actually worse than a bridezilla? I don’t see what the big deal is.”

Shikamaru nearly launched himself at the Uzumaki, but used all his restraint to hold back, taking a deep breath to calm himself. “We picked an outdoor wedding!” He exclaimed, throwing his hands up. “Everything’s ruined.” Honestly, some part of him actually felt like crying a little.

“I don’t think Hinata’s gonna mind, you know,” he pointed out.

It made sense to him logically, but his heart just couldn’t accept the downpour. 

Hinata is meant to have sunshine on her wedding day, dammit!

Suddenly, his mother rushed into his bedroom without knocking, the doors smacking open with one strong shove. “Shikamaru!” She said, eyes wide and full of worry. “Get over to the Hyuuga Estate, now! It’s Hinata!”

His eyes widened and he was rushing out of the bedroom door at full speed, barely registering Naruto standing up with a panic. He dashed outside, not caring that his wedding kimono was getting soaked and clinging to him. He ran faster than he thought was possible, and cursed when he saw Hinata already running toward him, also drenched.

“Hinata, what the hell are you doing?!” He asked, gathering her up into his arms. He took off his haori and put it over her hair, which had been intricately styled and pinned up but was now drooping from the weight of the rain. The Hyuugas resided nearly on the other side of the village, so just what had she been thinking?

She smiled at him warmly, as if they weren’t getting soaked to the bone. “I thought you might be upset about the rain, and stressed out. I was afraid you’d want to postpone it,” she admitted softly. “I don’t want to postpone it, okay?”

He let out an incredulous laugh, cupping her face in his hands, and pressing their foreheads together. “You are absolutely unbelievable, Hinata, and you’re mistaken if you think I wasn’t gonna make you Hinata Nara today.”

Her face turned a pretty red, and they couldn’t stop themselves from laughing, straight from the belly, just holding onto each other.

And it was like that, standing in their dripping clothes, facing each other, hand-in-hand that the ceremony went on. Everything was soaking, and most of the guests, other than their closest friends, hadn’t attended, but neither of them realized—only focused on one another.

Their lips met innocently, Shikamaru wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her in close.

He looked down at his large folder, everything they had picked out for the wedding threatening to fall out. “Then…is there another wood of similar color and likeness that wasn’t infected?” He asked. “My wedding is only a couple of weeks away, and I—We need those customs chairs!”

The worker flinched. “We’re looking through all our inventory, I promise!”

He gathered up his things. “I’ll check back in at the end of the day. I need to check this off our list by today at the absolute latest, or I will raise hell.” He left in anger before the worker could say anything else. Once he was outside, he sighed heavily. “Unbelievable.”

“Shika!” He turned to see Hinata running toward him with a smile. “I just came from the Yamanaka Flower Shop.”

“Did Ino manage to secure the flowers we wanted from their merchants?” He asked.

She shook her head, smiling apprehensively. “They couldn’t get lilies of the valley and calla lilies, unfortunately. But I assured her that anything similar they had was fine,” she explained.

He put a hand on his hip. “Fine? Hinata, I won’t accept anything but those lilies!” He exclaimed, walking around her and marching toward Ino’s flower shop. “First our custom chairs, and now the flowers? This is ridiculous!”

Hinata rushed to catch up to him, biting back an amused smile. She wouldn’t mention it aloud, but Shikamaru had turned out to be a bit of a bridezilla. He was very particular about their color scheme, the invitation design, flowers, custom decorations, and all. It was actually quite cute.

“Shika, honey, you know that Ino can’t control what her merchants bring if the seasons don’t call for it,” she reminded him. “We’ll make due. The wedding is still going to be beautiful.”

He slowed to a normal pace and sighed heavily. “This wedding needs to be perfect, Hina. It’s our wedding, and the only one we’ll be getting. It’s gotta be grand.”

She took his hand and brought it up to her cheek, leaning into it. “All I need is for you to be the groom. It doesn’t need to be perfect and grand,” she reminded him.

He looked down at her and then at the large folder he had spent weeks pulling together of all his—their inspiration, and still knew she was right.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me,” he said quietly. “I even nearly scared the crap out of the worker here at the woodworking place.”

She giggled softly. “You’re excited to marry me. I can’t be mad at that, and you shouldn’t apologize.” Then her smile turned teasing. “But you shouldn’t be so hard on the workers, okay?”

He sighed heavily, trying not to actually pout in public. “All right.” He paused. “But let’s go check on those flowers anyway. I wanna see what Ino says for myself.” She followed after him with a small smile.

He entered the store with a bit more of a push on the door than was standard for him, still obviously a little upset. “Ino, what’s this about the flowers?” He asked, putting the thick folder on the counter. “You gave me your word that getting them would be no issue. I understand that these things happen, but—”

He trailed off when he looked over to see her smug reaction. “Simmer down, loverboy. The flowers are still coming in. I just wanted to cause you some stress,” she admitted happily.

He groaned, as standard when interacting with Ino. “Why, you sicko?”

She shrugged. “I hadn’t in a while. It was either I do it now, or on the wedding day.”

A heavy sigh came from his lips. “I guess I should just count myself lucky that it was now.”

“That’s the spirit!” She pulled out a scroll. “Anyway, here’s the proof of those flowers on their way, just to ease your mind. We’re getting a large batch of all the ones you ordered, and you should count yourself lucky because calla lilies aren’t even in the proper season yet.”

Hinata rubbed Shikamaru’s back as he slumped over the desk in relief. “Thank god.” He flipped through his folder and checked it off. “All right. Now we’re just waiting to confirm the number of guests to give to the caterer, and the chairs.” He nodded to himself and shut the folder. “We’ll see you later, Ino. Thanks again.”

Hinata smiled at Ino. “Thank you so much for all your hard work,” she said, hugging the Yamanaka tightly.

“It’s no problem. And now that Sakura’s back in the village, we can finally go dress shopping.” Hinata had been putting it off while waiting for her friend to return, and Shikamaru was kind of confused on how his fiancée could be such great friends with the woman Naruto used to chase after. But Hinata was a sweet girl, and she just wanted her people to be happy.

“She looked so tired last time I saw her,” Hinata said worriedly. “I hope she’s getting plenty of sleep. Why didn’t Sasuke accompany her back?"

Ino shrugged. “Something about a huge fight, and him having to remain behind to go undercover or something,” she replied, waving her hand dismissively. Then, she leaned in closer. “But apparently she wanted to get officially married and start a family but he wasn’t really into the idea. It led to a fight, and she decided to stop wasting her time. She told me they only kissed once, and he seemed to be disinterested after. She wasn’t really feeling the fireworks either.”

She frowned, sad for her friend. “I hope she’s okay.”

Ino nodded. “Honestly, I think she feels better. I think she needed a solid answer from a Sasuke who was no longer obsessed with revenge. She can move on now.”

“I guess that’s good, then. May she find happiness.” Ino hugged her again before Shikamaru led her out of the small flower shop by the small of her back.

He could only hold it in until they were down the street. “What if she and Naruto suddenly decided to go out?” He asked curiously, trying to be nonchalant.

She seemed to think for a moment. “I would be happy for them, but I don’t think it’ll happen. Naruto only sees her as a sister, and he won’t cross lines that he drew,” she replied.

He put an arm over her shoulder, pulling her close to his side. “Good. Because you’re mine, and I won’t let anyone else have you.”

She giggled. “No one could take me from you. And no one could take you from me either.”

Shikamaru smiled to himself. “Thank you. We’ve already started on the wedding planning.” As soon as Hiashi had accepted his marriage proposal, he immediately began planning. Breaking the news to his mom with Hinata by his side was its own ordeal. He had never heard his mother scream so happily and basically manhandle his bride-to-be into a tight hug.

One second, Hinata was next to him, and the next, his mother literally picked her up and pulled her into a hug.

“Damn, you’re strong,” was the only thing that left his mouth. Hinata’s expression was priceless, however, and made him laugh. The Hyuuga—soon to be Nara—squeaked, her face full of shock and colored that pretty red she wore so well. “Ma, you’re gonna break my wife.”

His mother, Yoshino, gave him a teasing smile. “You’re not even married yet!”

His eyes drifted to his girl as his mother finally put her down. “She is, in my heart. That’s what matters.”

Hinata’s face went soft.

Yoshino chuckled. “Who knew my son was capable of such romantic words?” Her voice was full of warmth and happiness. “As much as I liked Temari, you two only ever bickered. It was funny to watch, but I think Hinata suits you more. You’re the type who needs to sit in silence that isn’t only granted by anger,” she explained. “Hinata, honey…take care of my son.”

Hinata held his mother’s hand when the older woman grabbed it. “I promise we’ll take care of each other, Mother,” she replied. Yoshino’s eyes lit up, as though Hinata had passed some unspoken test only his mother was privy to.

Since then, Hinata had been regularly visiting his mother and even making time to go visit his father’s resting place, often cleaning the stone, and silently praying for him. Hinata knew what it was like to lose someone dearly, as she still carried the weight of Neji’s on her shoulder.

And, now, sitting across from Naruto, he could see that same weight on the blonde’s shoulders. It was a weight his wife and one of his best friends would carry together—something he could only support with his will, and nothing that could ever hold them together.

Naruto smiled, averting his eyes and choosing to look down at his notes. “Congratulations,” he said. It was sad, but also sincere. “Remember: no making her cry. I’m still one of the strongest shinobi in the world, and me and Kurama will kick your ass to the moon. He adores her.”

He laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He had no plans to make her cry anything but happy tears. “I’ll even report to you myself for that ass beating. My girl deserves nothing but happiness.”

Naruto’s eyes widened just a bit when he called Hinata by such a possessive petname. “Oh, I bet she loves that.”

He nodded proudly.

Kakashi had already closed his book, and was watching the interaction with interest. “I’m glad you two can still get along.”

“I just want my friends to be happy!” Naruto declared. Even at the cost of his own.

“Well, then…” Kakashi leaned forward, his chin resting on his hand. “You’ll be happy to hear that Sakura is returning to the village.”

They both tilted their heads curiously. “What about Sasuke?” Naruto asked.

There was a smile in his tone, even if they couldn’t see it. “Apparently, her and Sasuke didn’t work out. So…maybe you’ll have a chance,” he pointed out, knowing of the Uzumaki’s old crush on the girl.

Naruto made a face and shook his head instantly. “Nah, she’s more like a sister. Besides, who wants to be a consolation prize?”

Shikamaru laughed. “Agreed. Besides, we’re all young. There’s no rush.” He tapped on the books. “And you need to focus.” Naruto groaned, letting his head fall against the desk with a loud thud.

There was a knock on the door before it opened. It was Hinata, holding a large, tiered bento box. “I hope I’m not interrupting,” she greeted.

Shikamaru pulled her in. “Never.”

“I brought you all lunch. It’s difficult to study on an empty stomach.” She put it on the desk.

Naruto all but launched for the box. “Thanks, Hinata! Your food is the best!”

She laughed softly. “Once our new home is built, you’re welcome to come over for dinner any time. You, too, Kakashi-sensei,” she offered.

Her fiancé groaned. “He’ll never leave!”

The Uzumaki’s smile turned smug. “I might as well move in,” he teased, waggling his brows.

But her smiling face convinced him otherwise. She didn’t want ‘picture perfect’, she just wanted honesty and sincerity—things he had always been with her.

“Good morning,” she greeted.

He took her hand. “Morning.” He leaned down and kissed her forehead, smiling at the way she got a little shy. He never thought of himself as being a kisser, but he couldn’t stop himself. Rather than finding all of this courting tedious or troublesome, he was having fun. He liked how this made him around her.

“How did you sleep?” He asked as they began walking to the Hokage Tower.

“Honestly, I was a bit too nervous to sleep much,” she admitted with a soft laugh. He squeezed her hand. “But I’m okay. Seeing you just…gives me a burst of energy.”

Shikamaru turned his head away to cover his red cheeks. She managed to say the cutest things with her soft, sincere voice so easily. “I’m sorry if I made you nervous. I just wanted to do this right.”

She waited patiently for him to continue.

“I thought a lot about my place in the village, as a Clan Head, and as the Hokage’s Advisor, and about you, and my family,” he began softly, watching as the sun still hid behind the clouds. “I thought about what number you were at…”

She slowly came to a stop, looking up at him with guarded, but hopeful eyes. “Where do I stand with you?”

He grabbed her other hand, too, holding them both as he looked down at her. “You’re not my number one, Hinata…” Her eyes filled with tears, and she nodded slowly—accepting his decision. “Because you’re my number zero.”

Her eyes widened and the tears that had gathered from sadness now fell with happiness. “Z-zero?”

He nodded. “You come before everything else, no matter what. I would give up my position as Clan Head to be with you, and I would hand the Hokage my resignation if it would please you. I could do other things, I don’t care what they are…as long as I can care for you, and be your husband.” His face had never felt hotter admitting these things to her, or saying them out loud, but he wouldn’t look away from her.

She deserved someone who didn’t shy away from his own feelings, and who wasn’t afraid to express his love.

She wiped her face and pressed herself against him, hugging him tightly. “Thank you,” she whispered. “I love you, Shika.”

He wrapped his arms around her, a hand on the back of her head. “Marry me, Hinata. I’ll spend the rest of our lives proving just how much I love you.”

She could only nod her head against him, the lump in her throat preventing her from speaking. But her hold on him tightened, clutching to his flak jacket.

He smiled against her hair, feeling a stinging in his own eyes. He never thought he would have this. He thought, after Temari married someone else, the best he was going to get was hopefully peacefully co-existing with another person in a shared home, and eventually having a kid or two. 

Now, however, this was perfect.

This was everything he never realized he truly wanted. Hinata was everything he didn’t realize he truly wanted. And she wanted him, too. He thanked the heavens above that she wanted him, too.

Holding Hinata’s hand, kissing her, seeing her blushing face, and her smiles, even her scent…he was beginning to wonder if he had truly liked Temari to begin with.

They were leaning against the wall of the Hyuuga Estate, something they began doing recently to talk more before she eventually had to go inside. He felt comfortable enough to actually ask her about these things, because she never judged him or took offense.

“Did you ever feel this way with Naruto?” He eventually asked, his voice soft and almost hesitant. She always provided insight, but part of him felt reluctant to hear her answer.

“What way?” She asked, looking over at him curiously.

He rubbed the back of his neck, a tell that he was a bit stressed about the subject. “I was just thinking that whatever I had once felt for Temari feels different from this,” he explained, gesturing between the two of them. “I enjoy our conversations, but I also enjoy kissing until we can’t breathe. I didn’t think about kissing her,” he admitted, his own face slightly red.

She took a few moments to think about it before nodding. “Naruto had always seemed unattainable to me. It felt almost… disrespectful to think about doing such an intimate act. There was a time when I thought he was going to kiss me, but he pulled back. I remember my heart pounding and being relieved that he hadn’t.”

He smiled. “I’m actually kinda happy that we were each other’s first kiss,” he said, clearing his throat.

She laughed softly. “Me, too. I was curious about how you felt about Temari. Ino told me you were heartbroken when she was getting married to someone else.”

“I was. Temari made the most sense. We kept in constant contact through letters, but now… not only do you feel more logical, I want it to be you. I want you to be my girlfriend.”

She smiled sheepishly. “I thought I already was,” she admitted.

“Then, if you’re okay with it, I’d like to ask your father for your hand in marriage.” He looked at her, reaching up and putting a gentle hand on her cheek.

She nodded. “But can you be sure that I’ll be your number one?” She asked, voice quiet and meek. She was afraid that she would still come second.

He didn’t know how to properly say how he felt. He couldn’t find the correct words, and it was important that he did. Hinata deserved nothing but his all. Not having the words wasn’t his all.

He stroked her cheek with the back of his index finger. “I can’t find the words to explain to you right now. I want to be with you, that’s never going to change. Can I…have some time to find the proper words?”

She looked deep into his eyes, and eventually nodded. She knew how much it bothered him to not have the most well thought out answer to any question he was asked, especially one he hadn’t been able to answer previously. She could wait.

“Let’s meet tomorrow morning before I head into the office. I won’t be able to focus all day if I don’t start my day with seeing you,” he said. It was so casual, but Hinata’s face went red at just how romantic that was.

The first time he saw her waiting there, she was reading a book, and it was then that he discovered the way the sunset looked on her. He thought he maybe enjoyed it more than seeing the clouds drift across the sky.

They were nearing the gate of her home, and he was about to pull her into his arms to finally kiss her, when he left out a soft grunt as she pushed him against the concrete wall that surrounded the Hyuuga property, her hand smacking the wall beside his head. She was much shorter than him, so seeing her struggle trying to make such a dominating move was cuter than sexy.

Her face was bright red, but there was a fiery determination in her eyes.

“What are you doing?” He asked, biting back a smile. He couldn’t resist licking his lips to prepare, just in case she actually went for what he thought she was going to.

“I’m…wooing you,” she explained, leaning closer as she watched him wet his lips. Her face was getting redder by the second, clearly out of her comfort zone but her determination persisted. “Ino said you like this kind of thing.”

He groaned. Damn Ino. “What kind of thing, exactly?”

“Um, she said you like it when,” she cleared her throat, “You like assertive women who make the first move and…and establish dominance.”

He couldn’t hold back his laughter, letting his forehead lean down against hers. “When are you going to learn she’s just trying to mess with me using you?” He chuckled, looking down into her eyes. “Though, I can’t fully deny that I’m really enjoying this.”

Her expression then turned mortified. “Oh, my God!” She exclaimed softly, realizing what she was doing. He couldn’t hold back his smirk. “This is so embarrassing…”

He pulled back slightly to cup her face in his hands, forcing her gently to look up at him. “Like I said, I can’t really deny the side of me that enjoys that side of you.” He leaned down, keeping her still as he pressed his lips to her.

In the end, he thought he should probably thank Ino after all.

He found himself wondering why the hell he hadn’t pursued her much sooner.

After one of their evening walks, he turned to her just as they made it to the Hyuga Estate. “I was thinking,” he began. She looked up at him curiously. “We should kiss.”

Her eyes went wide and she covered her cheeks to hide the blush, but she couldn’t cover her ears at the same time. It was cute, really, seeing the blush go all the way down her neck. “Excuse me?” She finally managed to squeak out.

For as much as Hinata Hyuga had matured and grown into herself, there were still occasions where she looked much like the shy girl who used to follow Naruto around. It made him happy to see that war and losing Neji hadn’t completely stripped her of that childlike innocence.

“You’re not interested?” He asked.

She shook her head. “It’s not that,” she said hurriedly. “Um, but are you?”

He nodded. “I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t. Truthfully, I’ve been thinking about it for a few days now. I thought about just going for it, you know, trying to be somewhat romantic. But then I thought, ‘Maybe that’s actually not romantic’? It’s only really romantic if you wanted to kiss me, too. It’s creepy and violating if you don’t,” he explained, looking around at the trees swaying with the breeze.

Hinata giggled—a soft, pleased sound. “Then how about this? I give you permission to kiss me when you feel the time is right.”

He thought about that for a moment before eventually nodding. “Deal.” He held his hand out for her to shake. Her hands were small and delicate, but also had a light trace of callouses that exposed her shinobi background. He remembered often seeing her late in the evening hitting the training post to ensure her hits were strong and direct, often leaving them stained with her blood.

If there was something he could count on with Hinata, it was her determination to give it her all.

He cleared his throat. “Um, I’m—”

She looked up at him, eyes sad. “I’m sorry, Shikamaru. I shouldn’t have done that to you. It was unbecoming.” He paused at her apology. He followed her hand as she presented a velvet box to him, suspiciously in the same color of the gift he got her. “I know gifts can’t make up for it, but I still wanted to get you something as an apology.”

She opened it to reveal the exact bracelet he had gotten her, and he couldn’t help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it. Seeing her confused expression, he presented her with the velvet box he had been carrying around half the day. Her eyes widened when he opened it and she, too, began to laugh.

“Seriously, Hinata, I told you to woo me, but you’re doing it as though I were a woman,” he laughed, exchanging boxes with her. “You brought me flowers and jewelry. I wonder what you’ll try next.”

Her face went red. “Well, I’m not sure! Ino assured me you’d love something like this.”

He sighed heavily. He knew that girl was going to mess with him somehow.

“I guess we’ll just consider these…” His face went a little red at what he was about to say, but he promised he was going to give it his all for the woman standing in front of him, “We’ll consider them couples’ bracelets.”

Her eyes went a little wide before she burst out into giggles, covering her mouth gracefully the way an Heiress would—or former one. “Couples’ bracelets, it is.” She held her wrist out, waiting for him to put it on her.

He pulled it out of the case and clumsily put it on her. He couldn’t quite get the clasp right, and he kept losing his grip on it, but she just patiently waited for him without making fun of him. It was strange. He was used to other women in his life constantly getting on him for any little thing, teasing him whenever possible.

When he glanced up at her face, he saw her smiling with very soft eyes. They were focused on his hands fiddling with it, but her gaze was fond. Like she appreciated every bit of effort he was putting into just putting this bracelet on her.

He had always liked that about Hinata.

When he finally got it, he adjusted it until the clasp was on the inside of her wrist and the diamonds were shining brightly for anyone to see.

“Now give me your wrist.” He held it out to her, looking away with his face feeling strangely hot. She was much more efficient, and got it on his wrist in less than three seconds. But he could tell the care she put into it, by fixing it right on his wrist, and making sure it wasn’t twisted anywhere. “There.”

He looked down at their wrists, and smiled to himself. “We may succeed yet,” he said.

She smiled at him shyly. “Thank you for giving me another chance.”

“I should be thanking you. I didn’t realize I was being so insensitive,” he assured her. “And I talked to Naruto. I guess he gave his blessing.”

She nodded again. “He wouldn’t stand in the way.” She sounded so sure that he believed it, too. And he had seen it first hand, when he had his conversation with Naruto. But…

“Can I ask what really happened between you guys?” He was really damn curious.

“The love Naruto and I have for each other is strong and present, but I’ve lived my whole life in every position but first to those around me. With my husband, I wanted to be first,” she admitted. “And, even with Naruto, I was never always first. Sakura was, and then Sasuke, and then the village, and then it would be me.” She shook her head. “I can’t live like that.”

“And you think I would put you first?” He asked.

“I’m still trying to figure that out. Would you put me first, Shikamaru?” She asked, looking into his eyes, expect nothing but still carrying that hope she always did. Despite everything.

He hesitated for a moment, truly thinking about it. “I want to try,” he eventually settled on.

She accepted that easily. “Then I’ll try, too.”

He bit the inside of his cheek and stepped closer to her. Then, he pulled her into a hug. “No matter how this all ends, I guess I just wanna say that you’re worth being someone’s number one.”

Her eyes widened over his shoulder as her arms slowly wrapped around him, tears welling at his comforting words. Shikamaru wasn’t the kind to comfort softly, nor was he the kind to tell a lie for emotions. She could trust his words to be true.

“Thank you,” she whispered. 

Please, let it be you…

Let it be me.