Into the Woods

Yay! I know you're all proud of me for getting this up here so quickly. *chibi-kyubi rolls his eyes at her as he marches across the backround with several large bamboo polls slung over his shoulder*

And yes Hyugafan, there be smut in this here chappie, as well as some drinking but nothing out of hand.

I'm rather pleased with this one, not as fluffy as the last one, not as dirty as I had originally planned, pretty good length. A good chap me thinks, right kyu....uh...Kyubi? What's with the polls? *chibi-kyubi glares at her for a moment before angrily writing her a a note and handing it over smugly. Teaser reads it and looks back him* NOT THOSE KIND OF POLLS DOBE!!! THE VOTING KIND!!!

*chibi-kyubi ignites the bamboo polls and storms off, grumbling to himself about how is he supposed to know*

Anyways, I need your help!! I have two very important Polls for you to vote in on my lj! http://kyubiteaser.livejournal.com/

I need you to vote on #1, which scean I ask Madame Mere *waves madly and tosses cookies to her* to make a comic of. and the second on *looks around* is for the next story. I need help picking a male half for another couple that's gonna be in the story. What's the catch? You can't know who the female half is. *gryns* The only thing I can tell you is the title will be "Into the Desert" and all four of the males will definately be in it....but depending on your votes will make a big difference in the way the story plays out.

Please help me out! Vote early and often! Get your friends to vote! Hell talk your family into helping to!

Anways...on to the smut!


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It was a beautiful spring day when Naruto finally got released from the hospital. Tsunade had laughed at him as he ran circles and turned somersaults once outside the doors before he went laughing across town towards home. By this time it had been nearly 4 full weeks since he had been back there, and he dreaded the idea of what was now living in his refrigerator....not to mention his laundry pile. At this thought he slowed down, deciding to enjoy being outside again. ’It waited this long already, what could a few more hours hurt.’

He took the long way home, stopping past all his favorite places on the way. At Ichiraiku’s he was pulled inside by a beaming owner and his pretty daughter and treated to a free bowl of miso pork ramen. They rambled on about how they had been worried for him, and all the food that had been sent over had been on the house, with hopes of speeding him towards recovery. Hearing this he felt guilty of taking advantage of their kindness and insisted on paying for his second and third helping. He passed Kakashi-sensei at the book stand, picking up the latest copy in the Icha Icha series. Naruto paused as he made his way past the academy. Iruka-sensei was having shuriken practice outside, the standard medics on standby as the group of 7 and 8 year olds proceeded to do more damage to themselves then the targets. The three members of his fan club actually seemed to be doing a decent job. Konohamaru spotted him and started waving madly, Udon and Moegi turning and joining him. Iruka had started to yell at them for losing their focus when he noticed who it was who had distracted them, and instead decided to join in the waving. The blonde laughed, flashing them his standard grin and victory salute before heading on his way. The trio saluted back, Iruka just shaking his head with a chuckle before ordering them back to their practice. It was life as usual in the peaceful village hidden among the leaves, and it was a beautiful thing to the Naruto. He paused for a moment walking down the busy main street as a terrible thought crossed his mind.

’What if we hadn’t been so lucky? What if we had brought back that virus and infected everyone? How many of these people would be lying in the hospital right now...’ A group of small children ran past, nearly knocking him over as they continued on their game. ’How many of them would be dead already?’ He reached up without thinking and held his necklace for a moment, rubbing the pendant between his thumb and forefinger before shoving that thought aside and continuing on his walk.

It was late in the afternoon when he reached his last stop before heading home. He hated going there, at least he told himself he did, but for some reason he was drawn back. It was the same thing everytime, and he didn’t know why he kept doing this to himself. But no matter what he kept going. As he stepped out of the trees in into the clearing, three training posts stood like sentinels, and just beyond them the large black stone. He paused about 25 yards away, staring as the memories flooded back to him along with the same bitter taste in his mouth and the stabbing pain in his chest.

Naruto didn’t know how long he had stood there before the arms wrapped around him from behind. He threaded his fingers with those of the slim, soft hands and pulled them tighter around him. A small chin rested on his shoulder as the breeze picked up the scent of her shampoo. He leaned his head over and nuzzled her gently for a moment.

“Why is it, out of everything I’ve done, out of all the people I’ve helped....why couldn’t I have saved him too?” his voice was choked with emotion. As many times as they had come here together since his failed mission, neither of them had ever dared break the silence of this, their sacred spot. She squeezed him tightly, continuing to stare ahead of them at the posts.

“He never wanted to be the one being saved.” she replied quietly. “He wanted to be the strong one, he wanted to be the avenger...but I think...somewhere deep inside...he felt the same way we do.”

They stood there together, surrounded by birdsong and the rustling trees before Sakura released him from her arms, tugging him gently back towards the village. As they broke through the tree line she absentmindedly wiped at her cheeks.

“We’d better hurry up and get you ready, they’ll be worried if we’re late.” she said matter-of-factly to herself.

“Who’s they? What are you talking about?” he stated, puzzled over her statement. The pink haired girl at his side giggled and pushed him playfully.

“You’re friend’s idiot...tonight’s the last night we’re all off together, they’ve all gotten their dose of vaccine and are starting back on missions in the morning. And since you and Hinata are finally out of the hospital it was decided maybe a get together was in order.” She watched with a smirk as it sunk in and he smiled widely from ear to ear.

“That,” he said, “is the best idea I’ve heard in a long time.”

She left him at his apartment, heading off to get herself ready. As Naruto walked through the door, he stopped to make sure he was at the right place. The whole apartment was impeccably clean, his pile of dirty laundy gone, his closet and drawers full. The fridge was stocked with edible food, the garbage can empty, and the pile of dirty dishes apparently already washed and put away. Even the bathroom appeared to have gotten a good scrubbing. As he stumbled dumbfounded around the place he eventually found the note taped to the cupboard where he kept his ramen.

Naruto,
I’m sorry I couldn’t get away to visit you while you were in the hospital.
You know what a handful these academy students can be, especially your three.
When I heard how bad off you were, I figured you’d appreciate this more then
some stupid fruit basket anyways. I’m glad you’re home again, and I’m proud
of what you’ve done for the village. Get some rest, and don’t do anything stupid.

Iruka

PS - please don’t trash the place all at once, I don’t think I have the guts to clean
It again...at least not any time soon.

He laughed, deciding to leave the note taped there, for a little while anyways. As he went to get changed he thought how lucky he was to have such great people who cared for him.

~*~

The schedule for the vaccinations was Medical Staff, Hospital patients, ANBU, Jonin, Chunin, Genin, Academy Students and Civilians. Since they had received their shots a few days before, Kiba’s mother and sister we already out trying to help clear up the backlog of missions. This meant that the dog boy had the Inuzuka residence, and it’s liquor cabinet, to himself and his friends for the evening. Everyone else was already there by the time Naruto and his teammate showed up, but no one seemed to mind them being a little late. Ino and Tenten were already in the kitchen working on dinner, with Shikamaru trying to keep Choji from eating everything before they could cook it. Kiba and Lee were arguing about drinks, the green clad one spouting off how he’d rather be“drunk on the springtime of his youth” while the other grumbled he would need more alcohol to put up with this crap all night. Sakura excused herself to go help out in the kitchen while he made his way to the back porch, looking for the others. Hinata had been banished from cooking, being told she needed more rest and with Choji and his guard there were already to many people in the kitchen. The usually quiet Hyuga had been rather insistent on doing something, so she was now parked comfortably on the porch swing happily peeling vegetables. Her cousin, Neji was sitting be her feet, propped against the wall, watching her closely and warning her to be careful not to cut herself. Shino was acting as a runner, carrying bowls of food back and forth between her and the cooks. Naruto couldn’t help himself and laughed at the scean.

’Damn it’s good to have everyone together again...well...almost everyone..’

“Naurto-kun!” Hinata chirped, being the first to notice him there. She moved aside a bowl of unpeeled potatoes and pointed at a vacant seat. “Come sit with us!” The blonde couldn’t help but comply with that order, and made his way over. He took the bowl of potatoes from her and looked around for another peeler to help.

“Take hers, please” Neji said, “She’s making me nervous, I’ve never seen you peel a vegetable in your life.” he said in a teasing tone to his cousin. She surprised him by sticking out her tongue at him, but handed over the peeler as well.

“Neji-niisan has been nothing but stick in the mud since I got out...I’m telling you I’m fine.” She folded her arms indignantly at him for a moment before she grabbed the one bowl and rose to head inside. “In fact, I’m going to go see if there is anything else I can do.” Naruto chuckled again at the shocked looks on the other two’s faces as she walked through the door. Until they turned to him.

“Naruto...just what on earth happened in that hospital? She’s been....odd ever since she came home.” the pale eyed man questioned him suddenly.

“Yes...it’s a most interesting phenomenon.” Shino chimed in, raising an eyebrow. The blonde stopped peeling for a moment and looked back and forth between the two.

“What do you mean....odd?” he asked, suddenly wondering if he’d done something suspicious.

“Well...for one thing, I haven’t heard her stutter once since she came out of quarantine...” Neji offered.

“Nor has she been seen to fidget...” added Shino.

“She looks people in the eye...”

“She’s stopped wearing her jacket...”

At which point she returned with a tray of drinks and a frown, forcing the two to stop pointing out their observations. Naruto noticed for the first time that she had indeed forgotten that bulky jacket of hers and was wearing a light blue wrap around shirt that accentuated her figure and even showed off a little cleavage. Neji smirked at him as he accidentally cut himself in his distraction, sticking the injured finger in his mouth till the bleeding stopped. Hinata handed out the drinks and then parked herself back on the cushions with a sulk. Akamaru , who had followed her out, jumped gleefully into her lap and snuggled up after giving her a friendly lick.

“They chased me out again...why won’t anyone believe me when I say I feel fine.” she asked as she scratched the mutt fondly behind the ears.

“Awww...let’em fuss.” the whiskered boy announced as he finished the potatoes, drawing her attention. “Milk it for all it’s worth. They’ll stop when they get sick of it, just make sure you get something good out of it while you can.” He winked at her as their eyes met before he stood to head inside. She smiled and blushed at him, shaking her head slightly. Shino and Neji looked at each other. At least Naruto still made her blush.

Dinner had turned out splendidly, even with Choji filching food. Afterwards they had moved outside with a few drinks and gotten into animated story telling sessions about hysterical mishaps on various missions. As the sake was passed (though Neji and Tenten made sure the bottle mysteriously missed Lee every time around), Kiba and Ino tried to pry the truth out of Naruto and Sakura as to just what happened in that hospital, only getting a smug “If I tell you, I have to kill you” from the prankster king. Eventually, in various stages of inebriation, they separated between the girls and the guys. Sakura, Tenten, Hinata and Ino went and huddled under the giant oak tree in the yard, talking about kami know’s what. They’d lean in close to each other, then suddenly turn and look at the guys staring back at them before erupting into a fit of hysterical giggles. The guys would then look at each other before shaking their heads, not understanding what was so funny.

“They’re even more troublesome when they’re drunk.” Shikamaru stated, lying back to watch the stars.

Somewhere around 10:30, Neji stood and walked over to collect Tenten. A collective moan was heard from the females, but the small brunette complied. She hugged and kissed the others before getting up and wrapping her arm around the Hyuga prodigy. The other three followed behind as they headed back towards the others and the house.

“Tenten and I are turning in for the night. We’ll have to be up early for our first mission.” Kiba had just been about to sneak Lee some sake when he jumped up suddenly.

“You’re right Neji-san! I too should go home and rest up! My youthful fists can’t wait to be put back to use!” Lee bounced around happily at the thought of getting back to work. Some of the others also started muttering that they should head home and get some sleep. Kiba sulked and jumped up suddenly.

“Wait! You can’t go yet!! We should have a toast!” He grinned and ran back into the house for more sake.

“I thought you’re supposed to have the toast before dinner, not at the end.” Choji stated, somewhat confused.

“He’s still hoping to get Naruto drunk so he’ll spill the story.” Shino stated quietly, rubbing his head at the thought of the hangover his teammate was going to have in the morning.

“I am not!” Kiba yelled as he made his way back out, a fresh bottle in one hand and a glass of ice tea for Lee in the other. “I just think we ought ta do something...special...while the 11 of us are all together for once.” He was right, they hadn’t really spent any time all together since the chunin exams...and who knew when the next time they would have this chance again. They all filled their cups one last time and gathered in a circle, looking to Kiba to do the honors.

“I offer this toast to the three who made tonight possible for us. To Naruto, for being the only bastard I know who can not only talk the Hokage into giving him a vacation, but also every other fucking ninja in the damn village! How the hell you do it, I’ll never know! But next time, see if you can talk her into paying us for it while yer at it, would ya?” Naruto grinned wickedly, throwing his fist in the air victoriously as the others laughed and cheered.

“To Hinata! For going along with said bastard even though it nearly killed her! What on earth you were thinking, we’ll never know, but damn if you’re not the bravest one among us girl!” She gave a silly giggle, hiding behind her hand as her entire face turned bright red as she nearly spilled her drink. The other kunoichi cheered ecstatically for her.

“And to Sakura, who not only volunteered to be locked up with the blonde nutcase and his partner in crime, but looked damn sexy in that medical get up while she was at it!” Green eyes went wide in shock at the last part, her jaw near on the ground as Kiba gave her a teasing wink and a smirk. Cat calls went flying as Lee threatened the dog boy to stay away from his delicate blossom.

“To our friendship!” Kiba called joyfully

“To our teammates” Shino added with a small smile

“To family” Neji stated, raising his cup towards Hinata, who smiled back softly

“To Love” Tenten chimed, poking Neji

“To Lust!” Ino tossed in, getting a ‘hell yeah’ from the girls and surprised looks from the guys

“To YOUTH!” Lee threw in, assuming his good guy pose

“To trouble” Shikamaru muttered, shaking his head at the fuzzy brow and the blonde chick next to him

“To Food!” Choji offered, getting a laugh from the others.

“To our dreams!” Naruto beamed, raising his glass high

“To the past” Sakura mused, a sadness to her voice suddenly

“To our future” Hinata added hopefully

And with that they raised their glasses and drank. They stood and chatted for a while longer before starting to break into little groups to wander home. Lee and Shino offered to stay and help clean up the dishes. Hinata had wandered over by Neji while Tenten said her goodbyes. The young man glanced nonchalantly at the starts, acting as if he hadn’t noticed her.

“Hinata I’m going to be escorting Tenten home.” he stated calmly, before turning to look at her. “Perhaps you should see if someone else would be able to take you, since I’ll be heading in the opposite direction.” She looked at him, surprised. He smiled softly at her, indicating with a nod she should look over her shoulder. Turning she saw Naruto and Choji having an argument over ramen. Turning back to her cousin, he only shrugged and continued to smile quietly. Hinata’s face lit up, and before he could react she jumped forward and squeezed him in a big hug. After a moment he hugged her back, unable to remember the last time she had embraced him.

“Thank you, niisan” she stated softly.

“Don’t be out to long. You may be on medical leave for a while longer, but you still need plenty of rest.” He watched her for a moment longer as she ran off to say her goodbyes. Tenten came over and put her arm around him.

“Isn’t she coming with?” she asked.

“I simply suggested that since you live the other way, she might want to ask someone else...for example a certain annoying blonde we know.”

A puzzled look crossed her face till she saw the smile in his eyes. “You teme! You knew all along didn’t you!?!?” she hissed quietly at him, jabbing him in the ribs.

“Actually I didn’t know anything, but now I think I might get to.” Neji smirked at her as she turned bright red. “I’ve told you before, I don’t like secrets.”

~*~

Naruto strolled leisurely through the starlight, enjoying the warm breeze and the companion smiling brightly at his side. They had behaved themselves till they got a little distance from the others, at which point Hinata couldn’t take it anymore and attached herself to his arm. He was relieved to see that the effects of her illness appeared only temporary, her face filling back out and though her limbs still graceful and willowy she no longer had that emaciated look. The moonlight made her skin seem to glow and indigo highlights in her hair shine...

“Naruto...are you alright?”

He snapped out of his daydream, realizing she had caught him staring at her and zoning out. Her soft eyes gazed up at him, her cheeks flushing slightly, he couldn’t help it any longer.

He kissed her.

His lips met hers softly, sweetly pressing together. She let go of his arm and moved closer, letting him draw her in. His hand moved up to her cheek as he turned his head slightly to gain better purchase on her mouth, she followed his lead. The kiss deepened, lips parting, tongues playing lightly amidst the bitter taste of the sake they’d been drinking. Hands gripping cloth, pulling each other, clinging, pressing their bodies together as if they could merge into one until the burning need for air forced them to pause and breath. Hinata nuzzled against his neck, resting her head on his shoulder as she ran her hands along his powerful chest.

“Take me home, Naruto.”

He felt a twinge of disappointment at her request. He had hoped for some time to show her how much he missed her, to make good on that promise in the woods.

“Alright, if that’s what you want..”

She looked up to meet his gaze, confused by the pain in his response. Realizing what he misunderstood, she smiled and rubbed her nose against his.

“No silly...I mean...take me home...with you.”

He couldn’t remember how they got there, or how they had done it so quickly, but before he knew it they went from kissing by the stream to kissing in his living room. Her shirt had been untied and unwrapped, revealing the delicate lace bra beneath. Her skin was as soft as he remembered, the perfume of her hair just as intoxicating, and the taste of her lips just as sweet. He fought his urge to pull her down here, to ravage her on the living room floor. But he had made a promise.

Naruto reached down and scooped her up suddenly, a startled laugh escaping her swollen lips as he swept her feet out from under her and whisked her away to the bedroom. He set her down gently on top of the covers, smiling down at her as she blushed back at him.

“I promised you I would do it right this time, and I fully intend to make good on that.”

A mischievous fire sparkled in her eyes, a delicate finger caressed his jaw.

“Everything you’ve ever done to me has been right.”

He planted a tender kiss on the notch of her collar bone, causing a soft moan to escape her.

“Then I hope this time will be perfect.”

He proceeded to worship her like a goddess, his mouth trailing nips and teasing licks down from her earlobe to her supple breasts. Finding the clasp in the front, he freed her from the lacy prison, running his calloused fingers teasingly over her skin. He traced them lightly from her neck to her nipple, watching as goose bumps followed and she shivered beneath his touch. He made mental note of every moan, every twitch with silent amusement before he leaned down to run his tongue over the pert buds rising off her chest. Fingers found hair as her hands came up to cradle his head, unable to decide if they should pull him down closer or push him away. He decided for her, quickly taking it into his mouth and suckling her gently. Her body writhed beneath him as he switched sides, lavishing his mouth on her other breast while teasing the previous with his free hand. Naruto brought his knee up between her legs, startled when she eagerly ground herself against him. He sucked hard and pulled lightly on her nipple, letting it release with a pop and a groan before rising up to meet her hungry mouth again.

“Seems like you might be too wound up for me to have all my fun tonight.” he teased gently, watching that furious blush rise in those cheeks.

“I’m sorry...I can’t help it...” he silenced her with his lips.

“Don’t apologize, I’ll just have to compromise” he grinned at her as he pushed himself up on his knees, pulling his shirt off. Hinata sat up and took his own nipple in her mouth, causing him to growl softly. He let her play for a moment, but when she reached to undo his pants he gently removed her and pressed her back down on the bed. As he removed his leg and began to relieve her of her own pants, he smiled seeing how ready she already was, her lacy panties already saturated from her excitement. She giggled up at him as he tossed her now empty pants carelessly over his shoulder, then reached to do the same with the lace he’d found beneath. As the panties went sailing away, she placed a small foot on his shoulder, biting her lower lip and doing her best to look coy. Naruto leaned his head down and kissed her ankle before giving it a teasing nibble, watching her eyes roll back in her head. He smirked, undoing his own pants.

“I was going to go easy on you...but now you’ve done it...” her eyes grew wide as he said this “Now I’m just gonna have to make you squeal.”

Before she could react he had both her legs in the air and his mouth was on her sex, his warm tongue swirling firmly over her sensative nub before sliding down to probe her opening. She moaned before she could stop herself, electricity shoot up and warming her deep within her belly. Another gasp escaped as his fingers took the place inside her where that flexible pink muscle had been and began to probe deeper still, reaching inside for that spot he’d found that first time while his lips found her button again.

’he’s right...I am worked up...I won’t be able to take much more... her thoughts erased as her core exploded, his long fingers finding that spot deep inside and rubbing it. Her body quivered as he unleashed her inhibitions, causing her to cry out for him. Before the spasms of her ecstacy could die his fingers left and were quickly replaced as he drew her legs around him and buried himself inside her, stroking gently to ease her down slowly. She pulled him down to her mouth, his face damp and covered with her own tangy fluids but she held him there, his weight pressing her deep into the soft mattress as she rolled her hips back against him.

Naruto was surprised at how different she acted this time, no sign of any pain, just pleasure at what he did to her. He could feel her tensing around him again, that pleading look in her eyes just before she gives in and overflows, and he knew he wasn’t far off either. He drew himself close, burying his face in ner neck as she came again, harder this time, his name heaved from her body as she fought for air. Her thin fingers found their way up, dragging over his neck and up to tug on his hair again. As the fingers fisted and pulled gently he arched back, delving as far as he could go and releasing himself to her.

An hour later they were still tangled up in his bed, Naruto spooning behind her, their legs folded, fingers entwined. They had dozed off but she was awake now, and arguing with herself what to do. She wanted to stay, to sleep there with him instead of back in her own lonely bed. But she knew if she didn’t come back there would be trouble, and with Neji knowing who had taken her home, it wouldn’t be long before her father showed up and found them here like this. In a way that would solve everything, but she didn’t dare want to cause trouble for Naruto.

He seemed to have other ideas. Every time she had tried to slip out of his arms his grip would tighten, leaving her trapped. She had tried to wake him, to tell him she needed to leave, but he slept like the dead. She couldn’t blame him. His bed was old but in a comfy, broken in way. And the moonlight was shining in through his open window, a warm breeze blowing in. And she hadn’t gotten to nap nearly long enough today. As she shifted her weight, he squeezed her again, kissing her tenderly in his sleep and muttering about how he wouldn’t let anything happen to her again. Hinata sighed and closed her eyes.


’A small nap wouldn’t hurt, as long as I sneak back in before Neji leaves for his mission’