Author Note: This is just a simple one-shot. Consider it a birthday present for our dear Hinata Hyuga!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
The Ultimate Snowball Fight
Ew…Snow. Sasuke glared at the offending white flakes dancing outside his living room window. The sun was shining, yet there was no warmth. Every inch of the ground was covered in the same color, and it glittered under the sun's rays. The trees outside his compound were leafless, but speckled with the same white substance. To anyone else, it was a beautiful December day.
To Sasuke Uchiha…it was just plain disgusting. He had planned to go train with his team today, but now he really didn't want to. A day off began to sound really inviting at the moment. After all, the dark-haired, ex-traitor, and ex-avenger just didn't do…snow.
With a snort, he collapsed back onto his couch and stared up at the dull ceiling. As much as he didn't want to go outside, it was still very boring inside the old Uchiha compound. Hmm…maybe I could take a walk around town. Only for a few minutes, though. Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll run into—
A loud banging sounded at the door followed by loud shouts. "Sasuke! Open up, bastard! Come on! Open, open, open, open—" his fist hung in mid-air when the door flew open revealing a very pissed Uchiha. The blonde grinned brightly. "What's up?"
"Naruto…" Sasuke scowled darkly. "What the hell do you want?"
"Well…" he laughed while rubbing the back of his head. "I wanted to tell you that Kakashi-sensei canceled training today."
"Oh joy…"
"Let me finish!" Naruto interrupted while adjusting the orange scarf around his neck. "Kiba told me that all the senseis canceled training today. But, we're all gonna go down to the training grounds and hang out for Hinata-chan's birthday party."
The entire time Naruto was talking, Sasuke wasn't really listening. That is until her name was mentioned. Immediately, his ears perked up in interest, but his face didn't reveal that.
Naruto continued, "She's turning eighteen! It's supposed to be a surprise birthday party too! Isn't that awesome? Come on, you're going!"
Sasuke stared at him blankly for a moment before turning back into his home. Before Naruto had a chance to say anything, Sasuke spoke up. "I'll get my jacket."
Hearing that, Naruto was dumbfounded. "Wow…that was easier than I thought…" he grumbled feeling slightly confused.
"Hn." He grunted while slipping on his black jacket and wrapping a red scarf around his neck. "Let's get this over with."
Naruto pumped his fist into the air happily. "Alright! Let's do this!"
"Come on, Hinata-chan, this way!" Kiba hollered as he pulled Hinata behind him.
"B-But, Kiba-kun…I thought…that we didn't have t-training today." Hinata stumbled a little bit as her dog-lover friend was dragging her along.
Shino appeared at her side with Akamaru on her other side and Kiba in front. "We don't have training, but there is something we would like to show you."
"Oh?" she questioned while securing her white hat since it was slowly beginning to slip off her head. "W-What is it?"
Kiba glanced back at her over his shoulder with a toothy grin. "You'll see."
Hinata furrowed her brows and glanced at her stoic teammate, who just barely managed to conceal his own mischievous smile.
Sasuke leaned against one of the trees in the clearing where the birthday party was going to be held. His arms were crossed over his chest and his eyes scanned the area around him before closing his lids hoping to gain some peace in the midst of all the excitement. Hinata and her team hadn't arrived yet, which was probably a good thing since the girls were still decorating.
Sakura, Ino, Tenten, and Kurenai were busy making the snowy clearing look inviting. While the boys were setting up a fire pit with sitting logs around the fire, Ino and Sakura were placing a tablecloth on the picnic table as well as setting up the plates and utensils. Kurenai was putting candles on the birthday cake, and Tenten was making a large batch of hot chocolate.
Off on one end of the picnic table, Sasuke's eyes stared intensely at the many presents there. There were fourteen presents from what the Uchiha counted, and he knew there actually should've been fifteen. He didn't get Hinata a present, and he blamed his best friend because of that. He hated Naruto for not telling him about Hinata's party until only a few minutes before they had to get there. Naruto had already bought a present, but there was absolutely no time for Sasuke to even enter a store. With an indignant grunt, Sasuke leaned his head back against the tree.
Neji walked up to the group making sure everyone was paying attention to him. "They're on their way."
Everyone stopped moving and stared at him. Sakura was the first to speak in response. "How close?"
"They'll be here in a minute at the pace the Inuzuka is leading them."
The girls gasped and finished setting up the decorations and food. Naruto threw his hands into the air with a wide smile on his face. "Hurry everybody! Let's hide, come on!"
At that, everyone vanished into thin air hiding behind the different trees or behind the snow-capped boulders.
Kiba slowed his run into a walk, but his hand never lessened its grip on Hinata's wrist. When he stopped suddenly, he looked back at her to see her questioning stare. "What's wrong, Kiba-kun?"
He shook his head and smiled toothily. "Close your eyes, Hina-chan."
Hinata gave him a confused stare before glancing at Shino warily. The bug-user nodded, and that managed to give Hinata some comfort. She could trust Shino, but she was still very skeptical and unsure. Hesitantly, Hinata nodded and shut her eyes while gripping Kiba's hand tighter.
Kiba winked in Shino's direction and led Hinata forward entering into the familiar clearing. He looked around to make sure nobody was in sight before letting go of his teammate's hand. "Okay, Hina-chan, open your eyes."
The young Hyuga slowly fluttered her eyelids open and gasped at the sight that greeted her. It was a very large clearing, but it seemed that only half of it was being used. On that half, there was a long picnic table decorated with a purple tablecloth, many settings with plates and cups, a couple large thermoses, a pile of wrapped presents, and a cake at the end. Besides the table, there was a large fire pit with sitting logs surrounding it. And of course, the whole clearing was beautifully dusted with snow. Hinata loved snow.
She gasped inaudibly and partially covered her mouth with her gloved fingers. "W-What is all this?"
Suddenly, a group of familiar people jumped out in the open all shouting, "Surprise! Happy Birthday Hinata-chan!" The only ones that didn't do this were Kakashi, Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Shino. Instead, they just offered small smiles.
Hinata giggled as Sakura, Ino, Tenten, and Kurenai embraced her. "Thank you so much." Hinata smiled appreciatively.
The girls pulled away and Ino laughed. "What are you thanking us for? It's our job as friends to throw you a huge party when it's your birthday! You're finally eighteen like the rest of the rookie nine."
Sakura looped her arm with Hinata's and Tenten took the other arm. The pink-haired girl smiled warmly at her friend. "Let's go eat some cake!"
"And don't forget the hot chocolate too! It's cold out here." Tenten added as they walked the timid girl over to the picnic table.
Ino walked alongside them happily. "Can't forget the presents either! Let's do those first and then cake!"
"Um…O-Okay…"
When the presents were opened and Hinata thanked everybody, the cake was distributed. The picnic table was full with people, which was something Sasuke wasn't too fond of. Rather than dealing with it, he pushed aside his uneaten cake and went to go sit down by the fire alone. At least by the fire, he didn't have his loud "friends" conversing loudly in both his ears.
Hinata ate her cake happily as she sat quietly and listened to her friends talking around her with enthusiasm. They would occasionally turn to her with a few questions, and she would answer quietly before they returned to whom they were originally talking to. Hinata didn't mind this at all. She always rather enjoyed being the listener rather than the talker. Shino was like that as well as Sasuke. Sasuke… Hinata knotted her brows together as she scanned the table noticing that he wasn't there. She could've sworn she saw him there earlier. Where had he slipped off to? Did he leave?
She bit down on her lip and finally spotted his still form sitting alone by the fire. She tilted her head to the side and smiled timidly.
Sasuke hunched over resting his elbows on his knees and stared blankly into the fire. He sighed as thoughts swarmed his mind, which was already engulfed by confusion. Until now, he hadn't been able to keep his eyes away from the Hyuga heiress. This wasn't new either. Ever since he came back after the killing of Orochimaru and his brother, she had interested him in a way nobody else had.
He had recognized her from back in the academy days, but he never gave her more than a thought. He hadn't really noticed her until he came back and she was assigned to be his caretaker, other than Sakura. He knew that was where it started, but he honestly couldn't recall how his affection for her escalated. Over time, Hinata had unknowingly burrowed her way into his icy heart and stayed there.
To her, Sasuke knew that she only thought of him as a friend since their relationship had turned into friendship, one in which made the rookie nine quirk their brows in curiosity. Unlike Hinata, Sasuke saw these inquisitive looks. They were confused and immensely curious as to why he treated Hinata so differently from the others. The Uchiha had strange friendships, which entailed him being harsh to everyone despite how much he inwardly valued them. In Hinata's case, he wasn't harsh with her and sent her secret smiles that anyone else would consider a miracle in itself. Yes, Hinata was naïve and a bit dense, but Sasuke was hoping that one day he could change that.
"Sasuke-san?" a soft voice broke him out of his reverie.
He looked over his shoulder and widened his eyes slightly at seeing an angelic face so close to his. "Hinata,"
She smiled shyly and a blush rose to her cheeks. "M-May I j-join you?"
He looked away from her and stared into the fire once again. "Hn," he scooted to the side giving her enough room to sit down.
After sitting down quietly and warming her hands by the fire, she peered over at his expressionless face and glanced away when he met her gaze. "Um…S-Sasuke-san?"
"Hn?" he trailed his eyes back over to the fire once he saw how uncomfortable she was getting while he was staring at her.
"Um," she gazed down at her hands in her lap. "I just…w-wanted to tell you that…that I'm s-sorry that you had to come…to my party."
Sasuke smirked. "Well, Hyuga, if you wanted me to leave, you could've just told me sooner and I would've left."
"Huh?" Hinata snapped her eyes to look at him and immediately she panicked. "N-No! That's…not what I meant, I just…um…I just know that y-you don't like parties…or being around people, so…"
"Relax, Hyuga." He resisted the strong urge to chuckle at the heightening blush on her porcelain cheeks. "I know."
Hinata froze for a minute before sighing in relief. A small smile appeared on her lips. "Sorry…"
"Don't apologize. It's not your fault that humor obviously doesn't run in my family."
Hinata giggled and bit her lip afterwards to help suppress any more laughing. "D-Don't worry, Sasuke-san. The Hyuga family doesn't have a s-sense of humor either."
"Hn." He smirked wider in amusement. "Pathetic, isn't it? The two greatest clans in Konoha and they can't even tell a joke."
Hinata stifled her laugh behind her hand and nodded in agreement. "That's true…"
"Kakashi," Kurenai called his attention away from his book. "Look over there."
Kakashi tore his eyes reluctantly away from his book and followed Kurenai's gaze to the two clan heirs sitting on a log by the fire. He could only see their backs, but their faces were turned to each other as they were talking about something or other. Hinata was smiling bashfully with her usual blush on her cheeks and Sasuke was giving her a soft smirk. "Hm? What about them, Kurenai?"
She folded her arms under her chest and leaned her back against a nearby tree with her eyes never parting away from her former student and the cold Uchiha. "I think that's the first time I've ever seen that boy with anything on his face resembling a smile."
"Shocking, isn't it? And of course, a little weird, but you get used to it." He looked away from them and began reading his favorite book once again.
"You've seen him 'smile' before?" Kurenai asked with a raised brow.
Without even looking towards her, he answered nonchalantly. "A few times, yes." He paused to turn the page. "And every time, it was around Hinata Hyuga."
The red-eyed sensei couldn't mask her surprise at that statement and faced the two sitting by the fire talking as if there was not a care in the world. It was true; she had never seen that Uchiha boy look more peaceful than he did with Hinata sitting next to him.
"Alright, everyone!" Naruto shouted to get everyone's attention. When he was able to see all their faces, he grinned and continued. "Let's have a snowball fight!"
Kiba hollered happily in agreement and Lee went on a "youthful" rant about how fun it would be. A few others seemed excited about it, but the quietest people of the group didn't appear to be too thrilled. By this time, the entire rookie nine and Neji's team were standing near each other with Naruto in front of them. Gai, Kakashi, and Kurenai were standing a good distance behind them only observing the group.
Neji took his place by standing next to Hinata, who had Sasuke standing in boredom on her other side. With his arms crossed over his chest, Neji stared sternly at the future hokage and spoke with finality. "No. We are not going to have a snowball fight."
"What? Oh, come on Neji! It'll be fun!" Naruto pleaded trying to sound convincing.
Sasuke sighed. "It may have been fun when we were younger, but now it's just childish. Don't be an idiot, Naruto…as hard as that may be for you."
"You take that back, bastard!" Naruto growled.
"Why should I? If you want to play your children's games, then go on ahead, but don't involve me."
"Or me." Neji added followed by a nod from Shino and Shikamaru.
"Ah," The blonde whined. "But it's no fun if we're all not playing!"
Sakura and Ino exchanged a glance before the pink-haired girl shook her head at her hyperactive teammate. "They're right, Naruto. We'll just find something else to entertain us with."
"A-Actually…" Hinata murmured pointing her fingers together.
Normally, no one would've been able to hear her, but they were lucky that she decided to speak at the one time it was actually quiet. It was because of this that all eyes turned to her curiously.
"Um…" Hinata looked up and smiled at her old crush. "I-I've never been in a snowball fight before…so…m-maybe it will be fun. I…I'd like to play, Naruto-kun."
And just like that, Naruto was beaming. Not only was he thrilled that Hinata wanted to play, but as he looked around the group, he began to notice that all those who refused were now looking reluctant.
Neji sighed heavily and massaged the bridge of his nose before speaking. "Fine. I'll join."
Naruto smirked and glanced at Shino, who nodded hesitantly, and Shikamaru who agreed after being elbowed by Ino. Gradually, everyone who was once against it were now agreeing that it would be fun to try. Almost everyone agreed to play except for the stoic man standing next to the timid Hyuga. Most of the eyes turned to him to await his answer, which they assumed would be a defiant 'no'.
Sasuke merely tilted his head and glanced at Hinata out of the corner of his eye. She was smiling at him with a light blush painting her cheeks and her white orbs glistened innocently and hopefully. With an inward sigh of defeat, Sasuke grunted. "I'm in."
"Yes!" Naruto was obviously ecstatic and immediately pointed at his former sensei with hidden authority. "Kakashi-sensei! Be the referee, okay? We're gonna do a full-out war!"
Kakashi closed his book and folded his arms over his chest. Even though he looked utterly bored on the outside, inwardly, he was actually kind of excited to watch this shinobi snowball fight. "Very well. But I'm going to go over the rules with these two before you start. While I'm doing that, you need to pick teams. There will only be two teams going against each other and it will be six on six, got it? Now, who are going to be the team captains?"
"I want to!" Naruto raised his hand high.
Lee started jumping up and down in his excitement. "Oh! Pick me, pick me!"
Kakashi only yawned against his mask. "Okay, Naruto will be team one's captain and Lee will be the captain of team two. Start picking your teams." With that, the white haired man turned to Gai and Kurenai to begin thinking of rules for their snowball war.
Naruto and Lee stood at the forefront of the group glancing over each person with analytical eyes. To decide who would pick first, they flipped a coin between them, which ended in Lee getting first pick. Jumping up and down in his usual enthusiasm, he shouted. "I choose Neji!"
The Hyuga simply shrugged and walked to stand beside his green-clad teammate.
Naruto smiled widely and pointed to his stoic best friend. "I pick Sasuke!"
In return, the Uchiha sighed with his hands stuffed in his pockets and went to stand next to the blonde ninja.
Lee rubbed his chin thoughtfully as his eyes looked between Tenten and Sakura. Seeing his predicament, Neji stealthily mumbled in Lee's ear and stood back looking as expressionless as ever. Lee's face brightened at Neji's words and shouted exuberantly. "I shall choose Hinata-chan!"
Hinata looked surprised for being picked so early on, but one look at the smirking Neji and a slow smile appeared on her face. She shook her head at her cousin's over-protectiveness. As she walked over by his side, she missed the short scowl imprinted onto the Uchiha's face.
Naruto picked Sakura next followed by Lee choosing Tenten. Kiba, Choji, and Ino were eventually chosen to be on Naruto's team leaving Shikamaru and Shino on Lee's team. With the young shinobi split up, they turned to watch their senseis approach them. Gai looked like he was about to burst from excitement while Kurenai was wearing a simple smile. Kakashi's face didn't change from looking apathetic, but his visible eye said otherwise.
"Okay, everyone, here's the rules." The copy ninja started. "This war as you call it will be primarily held in, but is not limited to, that half of the clearing." He motioned to the side of the large clearing that didn't have the picnic table and fire pit on it. There was a fresh blanket of snow making it quite suitable for the soon-to-be activities. "Now, the rules are quite simple. First off, if a snowball hits you, you are out. The first team to run out of players or members will be considered the losers—"
"Wait, wait, wait!" Naruto interrupted waving his hands in front of him. "We get hit once and we're out? Just like that?"
"Yes, Naruto, just like that."
"But why?" he whined.
Kakashi sighed. "Did you forget that you are all exceptional shinobi? All of you are able to dodge and block kunai knives, shuriken, and many other things in the midst of battle, so I don't doubt you could easily dodge a ball of snow, right?" he paused seeing their nods of understanding before continuing. "The reason I mention that is because you are allowed to use your jutsu or any other special skills you'd like to. Of course, your only attack will be with snow and not your punches, kicks, or weapons."
Almost too quickly, the entire group seemed to get even more excited as the snowball fight gradually started to sound more like a strange type of sparring match between their own comrades.
Kurenai stepped forward gathering their attention again. "Also, like Kakashi said, this battle is not limited to this clearing. You are welcome to move around in the trees or do whatever you like, but leaving the general area is prohibited. All that means is don't stray so far as to wander into another clearing. Kakashi, Gai, and myself will be monitoring your moves and keeping an eye on all of you to prevent any type of cheating, such as claiming you hit one person when you didn't or saying that you didn't get hit when you obviously did. Understand?"
Most of them nodded eagerly.
"Good." Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck and glanced at the young adults wearily. "Any questions?"
Each of them glanced between each other while shrugging. It seemed that they were ready to go.
"Very well. You have five minutes to get your half of the clearing ready for battle. When I give the signal to start, you may begin your little snowball war." He pulled out his book again appearing uninterested. "Your five minutes starts now."
At that, the two teams dispersed to their own designated sides of the field and began either talking strategies with their teammates or putting up shields made of snow or situating boulders to act as shields.
The second the word "begin" escaped Kakashi's lips, the ultimate snowball fight had begun. Most of the shinobi were hiding behind miniature snow blockades before sneaking out to throw a snowball at the opposing side. Others used their speed and agility to avoid any oncoming snowballs without ever having to hide behind something. As innocent and playful as that may sound…it really wasn't.
In fact, Neji, Hinata, and Sasuke had their bloodlines activated, Naruto was fusing his rasengan with his snowballs, and Lee was running all over the place proving that he was an untouchable target. Every snowball thrown by Sakura was highly powered with her strength, which only ended up knocking down every one of Lee's team's snow shields and sometimes shattering the boulders. Tenten was using her accuracy quite effectively, Shikamaru would capture an "enemy" with his shadow technique giving his teammates a chance to nail the other person, and Ino would use her mind technique to make one of the opposing members run forward as an easy target.
Shino was mainly using his bugs to form perfect snowballs for the others to throw while Kiba and Choji were just throwing with whatever they had. Occasionally, big-time jutsus were used making the field really resemble a battleground. The ground itself was being torn apart and snow was everywhere. All anyone could see of that fight was pure white.
So far, Choji and Tenten were taken out. Shikamaru and Ino followed after due to a double knockout. Shikamaru had captured Ino in his shadow technique allowing her to get hit just before she transferred her mind into his body causing him to get hit as well. It was now four on four and becoming more brutal than before.
Currently, Neji and Hinata were protecting themselves behind a thick boulder that Sakura hadn't destroyed yet. Interestingly enough, they were both breathing hard with their byakugans activated. Hinata had her eyes closed trying to catch her breath while Neji stared straight through the boulder at the opposite team. "Lee will be tiring out soon, and that bug friend of yours doesn't seem too keen on throwing at all." The older Hyuga's brows furrowed in thought. "Both mine and your ultimate defenses are very effective, but they're also draining our chakra quickly. As for their team," he exhaled deeply in frustration. "Naruto has an endless amount of energy, the Uchiha can read our movements before we even strike, Haruno is tearing apart our shields, and the Inuzuka's keen sense of smell can detect our every move."
"Y-Yes, but," Hinata smiled weakly at him with flushed cheeks. "Other than Naruto-kun, I'm s-sure the others are tiring out j-just like we are…"
"True, but—" Neji stopped suddenly and focused in front of him more intensely than before.
"W-What is it, Neji-kun?" Hinata asked following his gaze across the field at Naruto and Sasuke whispering to each other. She could see Naruto explaining something to Sasuke, and at the dark-haired man's nod, they both sped off into the forest in opposite directions. "Um, what are they doing, Neji-kun?"
"Hmm…it appears that they're planning on sneaking up on us from behind. It seems they forgot that there are two Hyugas on this team." He smirked. "We'll just have to remind them."
"W-What do you mean?"
He turned to face her then with his smirk becoming more pronounced. "We'll just have to meet them halfway. We'll follow them and attack before they'll even know what's coming."
"You mean 'we' as in us two go after th-them?"
"Of course, Hinata. We have the byakugan; we can track them down faster than anyone else can. Once we take them down, we'll come back here and finish off the rest of the team. Okay?"
Hinata inhaled deeply and nodded reluctantly. "O-Okay, Neji-kun. Who should I go after?"
"Hmm…" Neji's eyes shifted side-to-side as he thought through the advantages and disadvantages. "It'd be better if you went after the Uchiha."
She gasped quietly. "B-But, Neji-kun, d-don't you think it'd be b-better if I went a-after Na—"
"No, it wouldn't. You'd hesitate too much to hit him and by then he would've already hit you. He'd laugh about it jokingly, but he wouldn't hesitate because he's competitive and he wants to win this. At least with the Uchiha, you wouldn't hold back too much. Not to mention, I've fought with Naruto before and I know his moves. I can handle his clones."
Hinata agreed to his strategy and hurried to find out which direction Sasuke left in. With only a slight nod to each other, the two cousins disappeared from their spots and ran after the two members of team seven with the clear intention to strike before they were even noticed.
Hinata jumped from snowy branch to snowy branch making sure to be completely stealthy. She knew from the academy days and the chunin exams that Sasuke was one of the best, and his skills only enhanced after he came back from the killing of Itachi Uchiha and Orochimaru. The last Uchiha had the strength to beat a powerful Uchiha prodigy as well as one of the legendary Sannin. For a good while, Hinata could only feel like she was way in over her head with this. What had she accomplished compared to him? A promotion to the rank of jonin? It all seemed way too insignificant to her compared to how much the young Uchiha excelled at.
Either way, she wasn't going to back down…not even in a snowball fight between friends. She wouldn't let her team down even if the ex-avenger could probably sense her without even trying. She shook her head to rid herself of negative thoughts and instead told herself that she'd just have to wait and find out. She considered Sasuke her friend, and surely he wouldn't be too brutal with her…right?
Snapping out of her reverie, Hinata stopped short when she finally caught sight of Sasuke walking noiselessly between the trees. From her spot on a branch, she was easily able to look down at him, which led her to masking her chakra in caution. Even so, she couldn't help wanting to pray that he still wouldn't notice her.
Sasuke continued walking with a packed snowball in hand and his sharingan-activated eyes looking alert as ever. With her own snowball in hand, Hinata straightened herself on the slippery branch, licked her lips, and aimed perfectly. Now was her chance to strike, and she had to do it quick or else.
Hinata gulped in anxiety and clenched her small fingers around the ball of powdered ice. Finally, she pulled her arm back, checked her aim again, and threw with every bit of strength she had left.
What she didn't count on was Sasuke's fast reflexes.
He was able to sense it at the last second and turned to dodge before throwing his snowball in the same direction the other one came from.
Hinata saw it coming towards her with wide eyes and moved her footing to avoid it. However, her foot hit a patch of ice on the frozen branch and she lost her balance entirely. Before she even had time to scream, she was falling through the cold air heading straight for the equally cold and hard ground. Only while she was in mid-air did a shocked yelp escape her mouth.
Sasuke's own eyes widened and his sharingan deactivated at seeing who had thrown the snowball. And now, she was falling. His mind didn't have time to think as his body moved on its own accord. With amazing speed only he possessed, he managed to reach her in time and enfold his arms around her before they both impacted with the ground, Sasuke landing on his back breaking Hinata's fall, and then rolling over from the leftover momentum.
The two stopped anymore movement and realized they were on solid ground with the snow settling around them. A mumbled "Ow" was the first word to break the silence. What followed when their eyes opened caused a dark blush to spread over Hinata's entire face. Hinata knew that she didn't hit the ground like she thought she would, but there was some type of weight on top of her now. She was speechless seeing that the weight was none other than Sasuke Uchiha, whose body was lying directly on top of her own. As if that didn't embarrass her enough, their faces were so close that their noses were barely touching. Hinata could only gulp audibly while her eyes stayed widened in shock.
Sasuke appeared completely unfazed. His body was touching hers and he could feel her short breaths against his lips. His heart thumped against his ribcage before he lifted himself up onto his elbows putting a small amount of distance between their faces. However, he still didn't move off of her, and it seemed as though it didn't bother him at all. In fact, he only met her eyes apathetically. "Are you alright?"
Hinata's mouth opened and closed a few times before she was finally able to answer. "U-Um…yes, I am…" she licked her lips unknowingly drawing his attention to her delectable mouth. "Um, Sasuke-san? Thank you for…c-catching me."
His abysmal black eyes found hers again. "No problem."
"Are…Are you okay? Are you hurt?" she asked now remembering that he hit the ground harder because of her added weight.
He shook his head slightly. "Don't worry about it. I probably only have a small bump on my head. It doesn't even hurt."
Sasuke's arms caged her body in and one of his legs rested in-between both her legs making the entire position look as non-innocent as possible. Of course, Hinata didn't really take much notice of this and instead raised her hands towards his head. "M-May I?"
Sasuke only raised a brow. "Uh, sure."
Hinata bit her lip and dove her fingers into his dark unruly locks searching for any bumps. "Does it hurt anywhere I touch?"
He had to clear his throat and clench his jaw to keep from falling under the spell of her intoxicating touch. "No, it's fine."
She pulled her hands back and smiled in relief. "Okay…" There was another moment of silence as they both locked eyes. "Um, Sasuke-san?"
"Hn?"
"Shouldn't we get back to the others? I don't think the snowball fight is…over yet."
"Right," he was about to get off of her until an idea came to mind and he smirked. "But first…"
"W-What is—" Hinata suddenly inhaled sharply at the feel of a ball of snow landing on top of her head meshing with her white hat. Her mouth was opened partially in surprise at what he did.
He only smirked victoriously. "You're out, princess."
Her lips pouted adorably as she quickly grabbed a handful of snow and slammed in on top of his head mixing in with once dry hair.
Now, his facial expression mirrored hers. "You can't do that. That's cheating. I already hit you."
Hinata giggled. "B-But I'm the birthday girl. Naruto-kun told me that I can do whatever I want." Her smile turned mischievous. "Now, you're out Sasuke Uchiha."
"Hmm…" He smirked down at her and couldn't help loving that she was lying under him. "I suppose you get away this time, but next time you won't be so lucky. By the way," his smirk dropped and he looked stoic once more. "What do you want for your birthday?"
"Hm? What do you mean, Sasuke-san?"
"I need to get you a present since that idiot Naruto didn't give me enough time to do so this morning. So, I need to know what you want, and stop calling me 'Sasuke-san'. It's too formal."
"Um, okay…uh…You don't have to…get me anything, Sasuke."
"Isn't it like tradition or something to get a present for the birthday person?"
"Well…in most cases, yes, but…that's okay. You don't have to."
"I'm going to. Now, tell me what you want."
"I…" She stammered trying to think of material objects she could possibly want. "I don't know…"
He sighed. "Okay, then tell me what your idea of the perfect birthday gift would be."
"C-Can it be anything?"
"Sure."
She beamed and went into deep thought over what she has always wanted. "Um, well, the perfect birthday gift…would have to be…unforgettable. Something you can always remember vividly…and it's perfect and…it makes you feel happy…long after you received it."
He chuckled lowly. "You really narrowed it down, didn't you?" he muttered sarcastically.
"I'm sorry, I just…"
"It's fine." He tilted his head and gazed at every inch of her angelic features. "I think I have an idea of what I want to give you now, but…" the corner of his mouth twitched upwards. "It might be more of a present to me than you."
"What is it?" she asked curiously and excitedly.
"Close your eyes." He demanded sternly.
Without hesitation, she closed her eyes and inwardly felt frustrated that birthdays always required you to have your eyes closed a lot.
Sasuke smirked at her submission and slowly leaned down until his lips pressed gently against her own.
Hinata's eyes snapped open, but she didn't pull away. He was being so gentle with her, and his mouth moved against hers with a sensuality that she wasn't familiar with. Those movements alone caused her eyelids to lower once again. Only a second later before she could respond, he had pulled away and stared down at her in question. "Did that match up to your birthday gift standards?"
"Yeah…" She replied breathlessly and couldn't tear her eyes away from his mouth. When her eyes found his, she smiled warmly. "But…"
His brows furrowed and his eyes narrowed. "But what?" Was I not good enough? Is she regretting it now?
Her smiled didn't fade as she murmured. "It was, um, t-too short, and, um…I m-might end up forgetting it…"
Catching her hint, his smirk dominated his face again. "I apologize. Allow me to fix my mistake." He bent down and captured her lips more aggressively than before. This time, she responded and wrapped her arms around his neck to ensure he wouldn't pull away again.
Naruto and Kakashi scoured the trees looking for the missing Uchiha and Hyuga. The others were also searching other parts of the forest for the two. Only moments before, the snowball war had ended and everything was tied. The winning team would be decided when they found out whether it was Sasuke who got hit or Hinata.
Before they found out about the two not returning, Sakura had taken out Shino followed by Lee taking out Kiba. Lee and Sakura were the only ones left in the clearing and were being supervised by Kurenai. Gai had gone off to monitor Naruto and Neji while Kakashi claimed he went off to find Sasuke and Hinata.
By the time Gai came back with a frowning Naruto and Neji, Lee and Sakura had taken each other out. As for the two Gai came back with, apparently they had a collision and both were taken out after a long argument about the other being the loser. After hearing about this, Kurenai was musing about whether or not they should just be disqualified. After all, halfway through their little battle, they reverted back to their old fighting ways instead of using the actual snowballs.
Now, the end of the snowball war was riding on Sasuke and Hinata's battle. Perhaps they would've found out the results sooner if Kakashi had actually gone to find them rather than finding a secluded spot to finish his book. Because of that, they were all searching for the two, who had not come back yet to report the outcome of their snow battle. They had split up into doubles leaving Naruto with his former sensei.
Naruto grumbled to himself with his arms crossed over his chest. "Stupid sensei…If you had just been supervising them like you should've been, we wouldn't be out here searching right now!"
"Now, Naruto, we all know that Sasuke and Hinata-san really didn't need the supervision. They're quite capable of having an honest snowball fight."
"Yeah, yeah. I hope Neji finds them with his byakugan cause we're sure as hell not finding anything!"
"Relax, Naruto. Maybe if you shut up then you would be able to listen for them."
"Yeah right! Those two are the quietest people on earth! What would we be able to hear? A whisper? A shout? Or maybe even a laugh." He snorted. "Right…and you call me the idiot."
Ironically enough, a quiet giggle sounded through the air before it was abruptly silenced.
Naruto froze and blinked a few times in shock. "That was Hinata-chan…"
"See, Naruto? If you listen, you can…" Kakashi watched as his former student ran ahead of him toward the direction of the giggle. The older man sighed and stuffed his book back into his pocket. "What happened to the old days when they looked up to me like a superior who always had words of wisdom to say?"
"Sasuke…" Hinata muttered in-between kisses as she tried to get his attention. "Um, I…"
"What is it, Hinata?" He muttered back while trailing a line of kisses along her collarbone.
"This…This changes things…doesn't it?"
He stopped his kissing and looked up at her flushed face and swollen lips. Instead of frowning like he would so often do, he gave her his typical soft smirk. "Yes, but in a good way I'd imagine. Although," One of his eyebrows raised. "I was a little curious as to why you submitted so easily. I had half a mind that you were going to struggle once my mouth came in contact with yours."
"Uh, well…" she lowered her gaze to her forefingers poking together as an attempt to draw attention away from her inflamed cheeks. "Up until now, I always assumed that you…that you just wanted to be friends…and nothing more."
He smiled slyly. "Did you want something more?"
"Um…maybe…"
A low chuckle emitted from his throat before he lowered his mouth above her ear and whispered huskily. "Same for me."
"R-Really…?" She looked confused and astonished at the same time. Hinata had always been so used to unrequited love, but hearing that her most recent crush actually shared mutual feelings for her…well, she couldn't fathom it. It seemed surreal and just too fantasy-like.
Sasuke could read all these thoughts going through her eyes and couldn't help adoring how her emotions were so clear and not hidden at all like most shinobi's. Man, he loved her. "Really, Hinata." He confirmed it with a passionate kiss.
The only downside was that they were interrupted after only a few minutes. "Holy crap!" Naruto shouted seeing his best friend making out with the Hyuga heiress on the snowy ground.
Both pairs of black and white eyes snapped their attention to the intruder and the gray-haired man following shortly after. Hinata buried her red face in her hands and tried to hide against Sasuke's chest. Sasuke automatically protected her and glared murderously at his best friend and former sensei. "What the hell do you two want?" he growled.
Naruto had his mouth hanging open and his blue eyes flickered between the two and their questionable position.
Kakashi shook his head and decided to be the one to answer. "We came looking for you two since the snowball fight is over and you hadn't returned yet."
"What do we want?!" Naruto now just started to respond. "What do you think you're doing, you bastard? We're in the middle of a huge snowball war and here you are making out with the enemy! What's wrong with you? Get off of Hinata-chan!"
Sasuke scowled and held onto Hinata tighter. "I don't have to do anything you say, idiot."
"A-Actually, Sasuke…" Hinata whispered catching his attention.
"What?"
"Um, I-I was going to mention this sooner, but…um, well…I can't really feel my back anymore. I think it's numb now."
Sasuke looked around her remembering that she was the one laying in the snow and not him, and they had been laying there for quite some time. "Oh. You should have said something earlier." He pulled himself off of her until he was standing erect. "Come on," he held out his hand for her to grab and lifted her up swiftly, but not letting go of her.
Naruto watched the way they looked at each other, and the way they so comfortably stayed near each other at all times. Their hands didn't part, and he had a feeling they weren't going to for the rest of the day. All of those things were obvious signs of two people dating, but one look in their eyes and how they shone with emotion just from being with each other proved to Naruto that it wasn't just a temporary infatuation. There was definitely something there, but what?
The blonde shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck looking sheepishly at the two. "Well, this is new." He mumbled gaining their inquisitive stares. "Uh…I don't want to ruin the moment or anything, but—"
"You already did."
"Shut up, Sasuke! Like I knew what you two were doing! I was thinking that you two were still fighting or something!" his face brightened and he strangely looked hopeful. "Hey, Sasuke? Who won, by the way?"
"What are you talking about?" The dark-haired man slipped an arm around the female Hyuga's waist in order to pull her closer. She, of course, didn't seem to mind.
"The snowball fight, remember? It's a complete tie between our two teams so whoever won between you two wins the overall war! Now, tell me, who won between you two?"
Sasuke glanced at Hinata, who was looking right back at him. They both exchanged a meaningful glance before Sasuke smirked and Hinata giggled quietly. With that same amused smirk on his face, Sasuke eyed Naruto and shrugged. "We both hit each other at the same time. It was tie."
Naruto's jaw dropped and his shoulders sagged. "You've got to be kidding me! You mean to tell me that nobody won? That it was just a freaking tie? No way!"
Kakashi placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and smiled beneath his mask. "Don't worry about it, Naruto. There will be other snowball fights. Winter's not over yet, you know."
"Yeah, I know…" Naruto turned and walked away with his hands in his pockets. "But next time, Sasuke and Hinata aren't allowed to play unless they promise to stay away from each other…"
The three watched the future hokage sluggishly walk away. When he disappeared to go inform the others, Kakashi stared seriously at the newest couple.
"What?" Sasuke regrettably asked when he recognized the look of warning on the older man's face.
"Oh, nothing. I just wanted to warn you two of some future problems."
Hinata winced as she could already think of a few big ones.
Kakashi continued. "You've got Ino and Sakura to deal with as well as all the rest of your fangirls. Then there's Kiba and Shino, who are quite protective of Hinata-san, and of course, her family in general. However…" he trailed off gazing blankly at the cloudy sky. "I believe your biggest problem will be convincing Neji. Lately, he seems to have gotten even more protective of Hinata-san than everyone else combined."
Sasuke glanced at Hinata only to see her nod in confirmation, which made him hold tighter onto his Hinata.
Kakashi chuckled and tried to smile encouragingly at his favorite student. "I know you can defeat Neji in a normal fight, but when it concerns his younger cousin, I think you should probably ask for Naruto's assistance." He watched amusedly as Sasuke tried to hide his gulp. "Just a helpful hint. Okay, well, I'm off to make sure Naruto told the others that we found you two."
They waited until Kakashi was gone before Sasuke gave Hinata his full attention. "Do you think your cousin can kick my ass?"
Hinata averted her gaze elsewhere. "I'd…rather not find out."
"Yeah…So…I'll walk you home."
"Um, okay. Thank you."
"Hn."
They both walked in silence for awhile and didn't speak until they exited the forests and stepped onto the main road. It was then that Hinata spoke up, albeit timidly. "Sasuke?"
"Hm?"
Hinata exhaled deeply. "Do you think we can…get a long-term mission from Tsunade-sama if we ask right now?"
"Uh…maybe. Why?"
"Well…I think we should stay away from Konoha…until Neji-kun calms down."
"Do you really think he'll take it that badly?" he asked skeptically.
Hinata only had to look at him showing the immense worry in her opal eyes in order for him to know her answer.
He cleared his throat uncomfortably and redirected them to walking towards the hokage tower instead. "A long-term mission it is."
Odd, yes, I know. But, it was stuck in my head for awhile after a snowball fight I took part in inspired me. Anyway, tell me what you think! Thanks for reading!