Disguised Curses

Holy beautiful joy. Does anyone realize how LONG this chapter has been waiting to see the light of day??? I celebrate the current -20 F weather ( -28 C, for those on metric) with slight flurries, with this piece of cute fluffy crap that has been BEGGING to be written fully and shown the light of day.

All mistakes are mine. My heart to Katrin for helping me with the tough spots and giving me support these last few months as I've pounded out some near 12000 words (chapter 33 to the end of this one). I really wouldn't have been able to get back on a role with this story without her. You can thank her for me giving you the fourth chapter since Thanksgiving.



No warnings this chapter that no one shouldn't already be used to. (mentions of sparring related blood and violence, but no sex). I'll beg for feedback on this one, considering the overall topic of the chapter. Thanks.

 

 

 

Chapter 36

 

 

 

“Naruto. Are you okay?” Hinata slid her hand into his, threading her fingers carefully to avoid getting scratched on his claws. He smiled down at her, leaning forward to press his lips softly against hers. The chaste kiss always made his gut turn with need for more, always more. He wasn't going to do anything about it on Hyuga property, though. “I'm here to speak with Hiashi- san.” He spared a glance at the ball of fur in Hinata's other hand and dismissed the sleeping ermine.

“Father is observing a fight between Neji and Kimi- san.” She turned away and he followed, keeping their hands touching as much as possible in the narrow hallways of the main house. Finally they stepped outside, across a path toward another building with training rooms. The sounds of a complete beat-down greeted Naruto's ears before he even entered the door. He squeezed Hinata's hand a little harder and stepped through.

Neji was bloody, shirt clawed open, hair loose. He was circling Kimi, who was on her knees, one arm dangling uselessly. There was fire in the hawk's eyes and defiance in her body. Neji spun in to strike and she blocked it viciously, raking her claws down that arm. Naruto wasn't sure who he should cheer for, or if he was supposed to pin them both down and lick every drop of blood off. He could feel the siren call of his demon in the back of his head, coaxed out by the blood of prey and lesser predator, kept at bay by his recent claiming of Sasuke. Hinata's presence helped as well, and he squeezed her hand gently and led her back outside. He really didn't want to break his tenuous control.

“They fought like this two weeks ago, injured themselves so badly Tsunade- sama had a fit. They refuse to explain why, so they're getting one last chance to solve their issues like that before Tsunade- sama either bans them from tearing each other apart or sends Kimi back to Sand.” Hinata offered him a slightly shaky smile, and Naruto wrapped his arms around her. There'd been a strain of tension between Kimi and Neji from the start, and he wasn't about to get involved.

“They'll get it sorted out. Your cousin is stubborn.” He didn't have to say Kimi was just as stubborn, maybe even more so. Everyone that had been around Kimi for anything longer than a few minutes understood she was bold, brash, stubborn, and very calculating. “I'll talk to Hiashi when they're done beating each other into pieces. C'mon, let's go for a walk, okay?” He left his arm curled around her back, startled a moment later when he felt the needle-pricks of small claws digging in the sleeve of his shirt. He hid a smile and walked away from the training rooms, keeping himself loose and relaxed. Despite his initial reaction to Takeshi, he'd gotten used to the ermine's presence. When he felt the claws pass his elbow and saw Takeshi perched on Hinata's shoulder, he finally acknowledged its presence. The ermine nodded sagely in return to the greeting, bobbing his head over the buckled collar fixed around his body.

Naruto guided their walk, winding through the buildings he'd become familiar enough with, walking with Hinata and her father. It was not long before Hinata stopped them at the main house, a hand sliding into his and leading him to sit on the porch. “You never told me if you were alright.” She brushed a hand through his hair, fingers scratching behind the furred ear-tips hidden behind his illusion. He tipped his head subtly, arching into her touch as he preened under the attention. He choked back a moan, the noise sliding from his lips in a whimper filled with need and longing.

“Hinata-” He shifted, pulling away just enough to break their physical contact without leaving the comfort of her presence. The smile he tipped her way was soft, welcoming, but his eyes were molten with heat. “I gotta talk to your dad. I know you're mine, you know that, just about everyone that has seen us knows it. But I still have to ask him, ya know?”

“You haven't...?” Her eyes grew wide with disbelief. “I thought you'd done that already. I know he asked about your intentions, I thought you had told him then.”

“I told him I wanted to date you and I wouldn't take no for an answer. Swore that I would never hurt you intentionally, always guard you and defend you with everything I am. And then I told him that I would do anything to prove to you and him that I was worth having around. I did not ask him if I could keep you, to be my bride.” He reached over and curled a hand around hers, so careful of his claws. His eyes followed Takeshi as the ermine squirmed away to sit a few feet away, pointedly not looking at them. “I don't want to cause problems by stealing you away. I’ll ask, because he'll want that, but I'm not letting him tell me no, either.”

She leaned forward, pressing a kiss to his cheek, and he turned so their lips met. She stayed close, lingering even after their lips parted. “You're stubborn and possessive, and I still love you.” She smiled as his nose brushed along hers, feeling the soft skin as he tipped his head and stole another kiss.

“Uzumaki- san.”

Naruto groaned softly and pulled away, instantly missing the contact. But he lifted his head to look up at Hiashi Hyuga's pale, stern eyes. Neji was just barely behind him, Takeshi sniffing around his feet and squeaking. Naruto stood as Neji stiffly bent to pick up the ermine, and stayed clear to allow them both passage into the house. It was weird, and slightly disconcerting, to see the ermine sniffing over Neji like it was scenting out the wounds. Naruto was fairly sure that's what it was doing, anyway. “Hiashi- sama, can you spare some time?” Naruto used as a greeting. “I would like to talk with you about something that's on my mind.” The semi- formal words slid from him smoothly, hours of practice paying off. He'd never been so eager, so uncertain about anything like this conversation- not because he didn't know of the outcome, but because he wasn't sure how long Hiashi might drag this out.

Hiashi glanced over Naruto, along where an arm draped around Hinata's shoulders, and finally nodded. “I have a spare hour, Uzumaki- san. Will that be enough?”

Naruto swiftly nodded, grateful for the neutral tone and words. He could make an hour be enough. “Yes sir, Hiashi- sama.” He let Hiashi proceed him into the house, then gave Hinata one last kiss, this time on the cheek. “Check Neji, make sure he's still in one piece. It will keep your mind off this.” He pulled away, a smile on his lips, and followed Hiashi into the house.

 

 

Hiashi's private office was almost bereft in its simplicity, just a low desk and a chair on either side of it. A small lamp sat in one polished wood corner, and Hiashi flicked it on as he retreated to his side of the desk. Naruto turned and closed the door, nails biting into the frame and sinking in a jutsu he and Sasuke had prepared. It was a combination of silence and proximity jutsus, and the seal overlapped the doorjamb like it was supposed to. He sat door in the chair opposite Hiashi, fingers tracing over the whorls of the wood grain.

Hiashi looked as collected and calm as he had a few moments ago, but the first current of angry suspicion filled the air, stinging Naruto's nose. “I mean no offense, but I don't want my personal business all over the clan and this village. That's all.” Hiashi didn't move, posture still as stiff as when he first settled into the chair. But finally the Hyuga elder nodded his consent.

“Your concerns, Uzumaki- san?”

Naruto inhaled, partly for show and partly to test the air. Hiashi was a hard man to read, but his scent would give critical things away if things went bad. “I want to marry Hinata. I know you don't really approve of me, but me and Hinata, we want this. She loves me and I can't live without her.” He held Hiashi's gaze, briefly wondered how much crimson stained his eyes. This was one thing he, his demon, and Kyuubi all agreed on- Hinata was his. Pure and simple. “I understand it is respectful to ask your permission to ask her before I put a ring on her hand.”

“It is custom, yes.” There was just the slightest less tension in the room, even though nothing Naruto could see had changed about Hiashi. His nose twitched, but he listened to Hiashi's voice, his breathing. “I would have preferred she marry high, someone with status, respect; into another clan, even. I would have consented even for an Aburame marriage, providing it brought a further alliance between the clans.” No aggression hidden in those words, just pure facts. Naruto waited and tried not to dig his claws into the wooden arm of his chair. “You have proven that you're a capable ninja; you work hard, can come back alive, and protect what is yours. A husband should be able to provide that for his family. But you are both young, and I will not bear shame marring our name if you should make a spectacle of yourself.”

The first bite of warning entered Hiashi's voice, and under the illusion Naruto's ears twitched. He kept from baring his fangs at the man, but didn't stop the warning in his own voice. “Excuse me?”

“You've lived with the Uchiha for just under a year. While it is not uncommon for teammates to share housing or even engage in stress relief on missions, it will look bad to have Hinata join you and Sasuke at his house. It would threaten her reputation to join you in these conditions.”

Stress relief? Naruto caught the murmur of laughter deep in his mind, Kyuubi cackling at the wording. Bastard fox. Naruto forced himself to lounge back in his chair, despite the tension coiling in his chest. He wasn't happy about the implications of Hiashi's words. “I'll risk asking you to be blunt and simple, Hiashi- san, regarding your concerns of Hinata's reputation.”

“I won't allow you to marry Hinata just so you can have someone else to fuck other than the Uchiha.”

The chair arm splintered in his grip, vision turning into blurred grey as his brain caught on those words. Won't allow.. he wouldn't allow him? Hiashi thought he was just looking for some sex, a reliable piece of ass? And keep him from his rightful mate? Hinata, his blessed mate with her balance and calm soul, denied from him as long as he had Sasuke? Naruto opened eyes he couldn't remember closing and settled back in the chair once again, relaxing his hand and rolling his fingers to free himself from the splinters pressed to his skin. His vision was still grey around the edges.

“I'll say this once, Hiashi Hyuga. Hinata is mine as long as she chooses to be. Not you. And regardless of anything that may happen between me and Sasuke- no matter what that is- that is only between her and us. Not you, not the clan, not this village.” He inhaled slowly, trying to calm himself, and only succeeded in being able to grin fearsomely. “I don't actually care what you think, Hiashi. But Hinata does, and I will do everything I can for her, including having this talk with you. But don't you dare forbid anything about my personal life.” He had enough presence of mind to halt his words, before he said anything about the sheer need for both of his mates, the need that tore at his control every day. He knew he didn't have complete control, could admit to himself that he needed his mates to help keep him balanced. But he wouldn't admit that to just anyone.

Hiashi sat still, a stillness that betrayed his surprise as much as his scent did, and didn't answer Naruto's blatant speech. There was an edge around Naruto, now, a tension that lingered in every fiber. And Hiashi pondered that difference in the boy, nearly a man, thought about that and his daughter, and their familiar relationship, so very unfamiliar to him. Hiashi sat, and watched, and waited while he watched Naruto's stress build, betrayed only by the way his hand moved now that it didn't have something to cling to. Watched those fingers roll across each other, visible claws clicking slightly at intervals; observed the crimson tide in Naruto's eyes grow until nearly all that blue was swamped out. When all but a single thin ring of blue was gone, Naruto become motionless, eyes fixed on Hiashi and the rest of him loose, waiting.

“Are you Naruto, or Kyuubi?”

“Kyuubi would take your throat, raze the village, and break every seal he can between him and full freedom. I am merely a glorified prison cell.” Naruto's lips barely moved, his words clear and quiet within the space of Hiashi's office. “If Hinata can love me in spite of the demon inside, then why can't you be willing to give me the one person I really want? Consider it a service to Konoha if you must, a wife for the Kyuubi vessel.” Naruto paused, then shook his head. “No, not a service. A blessing. She's a blessing to my life, Hiashi Hyuga, and I won't let go of her just because you worry about her reputation. She will never be treated as anything less than the gift she is, and to imply I would dare do so is an insult I will not tolerate.” The growl undercut the words, but he'd made his point without actually threatening anyone. He shifted in the chair slightly, eyes never looking away from Hiashi. He refused to give the man even a token amount of submission.

Luckily, thankfully, Hiashi nodded his agreement after a long moment of silence. “She is my daughter. Someday you might understand.” He hesitated but a moment, weighing words and still daring to utter them, but this time with no heat to spark Naruto's anger. “I expect my grandchildren to carry your name. And any that show the Hyuga bloodline will be welcome here to train.”

Naruto smirked. Of course Hinata's children would carry his name, no matter the genes. He wouldn't say he was planning on anything, but Sasuke was his, period, and if that meant the only way he had kids was with Hinata, Naruto wasn't nearly going to object. “I assume I have your permission, then?”

“Take care of my daughter, Naruto Uzumaki. Welcome to the family.” Hiashi glanced at the wall, noting the time on a small clock. “You still have a few minutes. Anything else you need to address, Naruto- san?”

Naruto grinned fiercely. “Who won, Kimi, or Neji?”

“My nephew, of course.” It had been a close battle, but Hiashi wasn't going to admit that. The boy would do it on his own, if he wished.

Naruto stood and offered his hand. “Thank you, Hiashi- sama. I will take care of her, I swear.” They shook hands, and Naruto left, nose leading him down the hall to where his mate waited. Just a little longer, he promised himself. I can wait.

 

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Everyone enjoy what's left of the holiday break, if you have it, and good luck regardless.