Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Protector	By : djserani Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female Views: 1759 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, and I do not make any money from these writings.

Chapter List
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The next morning greeted them with sunshine and a beautiful clear day. Autumn had firmly settled into Konoha and Hinata stood on the balcony of their suite taking in the fresh crisp air and beautiful reds, purples, oranges and golds as they floated gracefully to the ground. As she closed her eyes and felt the warm rays of the sun soak into her face, she felt Neji behind her.
"We should get ready, Koishii." He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back against him, nuzzling the soft spot behind her ear.
"I know." She sighed. "I guess I wanted to just hold on to the quiet, peaceful morning for a little longer." She turned around and her lips met his in a soft, loving kiss. "I have a wedding gift for you."
"We've been married for a while. This is only a renewal." He chuckled at the small scowl that bunched her forehead up.
"I know that." She punched him lightly before stepping out of his arms and back into their room. She pulled her yukata up and knelt next to the bed. She looked over her shoulder. "Close your eyes." When he complied, she pulled a package out from under the bed and stepped over to him. "Okay, open them."
Neji opened his eyes and stared at the long, thin gift lying on Hinata's hands. He knew what it was. His eyes met hers. "I can't take this." But instead of anger, upset or hurt, she simply smiled.
"Yes, you can." She held it out a little further to him. He gently untied the string holding the canvas together around the item.
As the edges of the fabric fell away, his eyes took in the details of what he knew was there. The scabbard was made of a beautifully crafted supple leather surrounding a feather-light steel frame. The guard was polished steel, the hilt, wrapped in black leather that matched the scabbard. From the pommel dangled the deep purple tassel, reflecting the color of the Hyuuga clan.
Neji carefully took it from her and unsheathed it, holding the perfectly-balanced sword in one hand. He didn't see her turn away. Instead, he was reading the Kanji inscription of the Hyuuga name that was etched down the blade. So, when she was standing in front of him with a sword that was a twin to his, he simply stared at her.
"We are the leaders of the Hyuuga clan, now. Not me. Not you. We are." She unsheathed her own sword and sure enough, he could see the very minor imperfections that reflected the long history of the blade in her hand.
"When�?" Was all he could say.
"I commissioned it a while ago, with very exact instructions. Look closer at your sword." She pointed to a spot along the blade where the slightest nick marred its surface. She turned her own blade and he saw the same nick in the exact same spot.
"There is no difference between the two." She didn't need to say any more, he knew. Neither of them was inferior to the other. They were both leaders now. And perhaps they always had been, though he'd never expected it.
Neji was humbled. He resheathed his sword and set it carefully on their bed. He took her sword from her and did the same with it. Then, very slowly and very deliberately, he knelt in front of her. She shook her head and tried to pull him up, but he took her hand and stopped the motion.
"This is the last time that I will ever kneel before anyone. But I want you to know, Hyuuga-sama, if anyone deserves the respect and adoration of everyone, it is you." And he bowed, all the way, placing his forehead on the floor in front of her.
When he sat up a few seconds later, she was on her knees in front of him, her tears coursing down her face. "You should never have to bow before anyone."
"That's just it, I didn't have to. I chose to." He pulled her into his arms and kissed her so tenderly, so lovingly, that she started crying even more.
"Now, you must stop this. We have much ahead of us." He kissed her gently on the tip of her nose, her forehead, her cheeks and her chin before placing one more light one on her lips. "We must get dressed."
* * *
When she and Neji married in the Hokage's offices, she'd worn a semi-formal Homongi. With the limited time they'd had to put the clothing together, that was all she'd been able to have made. However, this time, she would have a furisode, along with the longer tails for her obi. Hyuuga tradition would normally dictate that she wear the fully-formal junihitoe kimono that dated back to the Edo period, however, she refused to go that far. She would need to be able to move quickly and the many layers of that style would be too much for her if things went the way they suspected they would.
Even so, in the furisode, she had no place for her sword, but she would still have it nearby. The thought of being too far from it made her nervous. It was also another ploy. One she'd devised on her own, but that Neji had eagerly agreed with after she'd presented her wedding gift to him that morning. He would be wearing his sword for ceremony. This was likely to annoy the elders who were already having problems with them. It would appear to them that he was taking over completely as leader.
On top of that, they'd decided to put a false seal onto Neji's forehead. Carefully drawn with make-up, it looked like his seal had never been removed, unless you got very, very close. All of these things were solely designed to push the right buttons. Hinata just hoped that when they got the desired effect, things still went as planned.
Hinata slipped on the comfortable Capri pants and short sleeved shirt she would wear under her kimono. She pulled on her tabi socks and the inner layers, carefully tying each one properly. It wasn't until the outer layer was put on that she would need help. At that point, she shooed Neji out to dress in another room. They would be meeting again outside of the clan shrine.
Tenten came in a few minutes later and they started the long process of assembling her kimono. The first tie went on and it was a bit difficult with her belly sticking out, but they managed okay. The kimono was then pulled up and the folds arranged properly. The second tie went on and the extra material around her waist smoothed down. Now, the obi. The two wrapped and straightened and tied and it took them several tries and a lot of tears later, but it was finally done.
Tenten helped her into her zori sandals and she was finally ready. Walking was�difficult at best. But she would manage it. She would only wear them for the ceremony itself, changing into her regular sandals for the reception. Tenten hugged her and kissed her carefully, then headed out to the courtyard to help oversee the final touches on the reception.
Taking a moment alone, Hinata took a deep breath and prayed silently for everything to go smoothly. She needed to get this over with so that they could concentrate on the things that were really important. She wanted to be concerned with having their babies, removing the brands and working through the rest of the plans they had for the clan. She wanted to stop worrying about someone trying to kill her.
She made her way slowly toward the clan shrine. Her feet would kill her, but thankfully the Shinto ceremony was short. She paused outside the shrine as she took in the sight of her husband.
He was beautiful. There were no other words for it. His thick, dark hair hung down his back loosely. The formal black kimono he wore didn't hide his lean strength as it might have on any other. On him, it simply accentuated it. The Hyuuga sword was sheathed at his back, easily within reach. She watched him study her, and his eyes heated as they trailed down her face and over the white furisode she wore. The obi was Hyuuga purple, but the tails, like the bottom of the kimono, were embroidered with flying birds.
She bowed her head formally as she met him in front of the shrine doors. He returned the bow before they turned to the blessed water to bathe their mouths and hands before entering the shrine itself. They walked together down the center, leaving just enough space between them to honor Kami and stopped at the altar before kneeling in front of the priest.
The drum was beaten, the paper streamers passed over and the priest chanted. It seemed a little silly to Neji, considering they were already married, to ask for the favor of the gods. But it would be good for the clan, so he honored them with his silence. The priest presented the food to the spirits and it was time for the sake.
They'd debated this quite a bit, but in the end it was Sakura who had decided it for them. She told both of them that, since it was only three REAL sips of sake, it wouldn't hurt the babies at all and, as such, there was no reason not to. So, when the miko poured the small cups of sake, Hinata took the two fake sips and the real sip. Neji followed with his own and then they took the medium cups and finally the large cups and before too long, it was time for their vows.
Hinata and Neji stood and approached the altar. Neji went first, reading his vows with a clear, strong voice. There could be no doubt of his commitment to her. Hinata followed, not a hitch in her voice, either. Despite the seriousness of the ceremony, they couldn't help but smile slightly at each other as they spoke.
This time, they sat close together and listened as the priest made his dedication and presented them with the sacred wood to be placed on the altar. Hiashi stepped up to act as host and Neji's father and after the priest handed the branches to him, he placed them back on the altar once more. He bowed formally and went back to his seat.
Finally, the sake was passed to the families and it was over. Hinata thought if she had to sit for any longer, her poor feet were going to fall off. She thought sitting would help, but apparently not. They stood and turned, were presented to the clan as husband and wife and they made their exit. Hinata made it about ten feet down the hall before she kicked the zori off her feet and walked in her socks.
* * *
As they got to the doorway to the courtyard, Neji helped Hinata take her tabi socks off and slip on her familiar, comfortable sandals. He took his own okobo sandals off and traded them for his normal sandals, both because they are more comfortable and because it would help Hinata be less self-conscious.
As they stepped through the doors, a huge cheer went up for them. They waved enthusiastically and moved out into the decorated courtyard to join their guests. Hinata paused a moment to take in the beautiful decorations. There were flowers everywhere, beautiful roses in so many colors, she couldn't count them. The Hyuuga purple was present in the streamers, and the tables were covered in white and loaded down with food and drink.
She made her way to the bar quickly and leaned over to speak with the bartender. She pointed to Lee and made sure he understood not to serve him alcohol, no matter what. The bartender nodded with a puzzled look and Hinata caught Tenten's grateful expression from across the courtyard.
She rejoined Neji and they made their way through their guests, greeting everyone that they possibly could. She sighed up at him as the music started quietly and he took her into his arms. "Have you seen them yet?" She said through a smile.
He kept his smile plastered to his face as he answered. "Yes. There are two in the corner to the right of the house doors and one more in the corner next to the front gates. As of yet, I haven't seen the others. They are, for the moment, keeping their own counsel. We'll want to watch them carefully."
He turned her and she glanced over his shoulder. "I see them. I wish I knew what they were planning."
Another turn and she was looked casually around in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the other one. "I wish I knew, too. Now that we're here, I'm not sure if this was the best plan. The last thing I want to do is see anyone get hurt."
"It's too late to second-guess ourselves now. The best we can do is make sure to protect everyone that we can. There are plenty of ninja here if things get out of hand."
He nodded and forced his smile a little wider. "You're right."
The music ended and they looked at each other. "Okay, here we go. Are you okay?" He looked intently at her.
She nodded. "I'm fine. I'll be fine." She took a deep breath and the moved over to the corner where the musicians had set up.
Her sword was right there, under the corner of one table, hidden from view. Her eyes took in everyone, each of their friends. Near the door, as they'd requested, were Ino and Temari. They would be the first to leave if things turned ugly. They'd made them strict promises. Temari was very close to term and she wanted her to take no chances.
"Ladies and Gentlemen. And Naruto." Everyone laughed, except Naruto who just shouted "HEY!" "Thank you for joining Hinata and I today to celebrate our marriage. Most of you know that we have been married for a while now, and that this was more of a renewal of vows. We wanted the rest of the clan to see how much we love each other. This was a love match. We married for that reason alone, no other." He turned to her and kissed her hand. There was no mistaking their feelings for each other.
Hinata spoke up. "We have a few announcements to make. First, I am expecting. We will be having twins in about five months." A very loud cheer went up at this announcement.
Neji watched the responses to the announcements. There were only a few, thus far, who had appeared that were openly hostile. There were a number who were more quiet about their allegiance, but Neji could tell who they were.
"Now, we have a few more things to say." Hinata cleared her throat and waited for everyone to quiet down, recognizing the importance of the next words. "There have been many rumors surrounding our plans for the clan. The first thing we want to announce is the dissolution of the lines between main and branch." This announcement was met with many rumblings and comments. She held a hand up and waited for quiet again. "We are all members of the Hyuuga clan. We can all work to make the clan a stronger one. We all bring important skills to this family, and I see no reason to divide us any longer."
She paused, allowing her words to be absorbed. "With that, I also want to announce that there will be no new branding." The murmurs grew louder and the first real unease snaked up Hinata's spine. She waited, watching carefully. Looks passed between branch and main, some disgruntled, some happy, some downright mean. This was going to take a lot of work to erase the old ideals. Hinata barely kept from sighing at the enormity of what was before them.
She cleared her throat. "With the dissolution of the lines, we will have many other things coming to help with the transitions. For now, I believe we should simply celebrate!" There was another cheer, this one less exuberant than the ones before, but a cheer nonetheless.
The music started up again and Neji and Hinata stepped down from the small dais. They danced again and Neji noticed the three that were there originally standing in the corners had disappeared. He checked the crowo-d, but could find them nowhere.
A few more turns, and Hinata heard the first stirrings of unease ripple through the crowd. She looked up at Neji and the moved over to the table that hid her sword underneath. She had it in her hands and turned, just in time to see Mondai, the elder who'd attacked her at the leadership ceremony, standing in front of her, sword in hand.
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