Chapter 33

-Hinata's POV-

Days passed and days turned into weeks while we dove back into our work. It was hard to squeeze time in for anything else for almost a month.

True to his word, Kiba refused to let my busy schedule faze him and chose to focus on making the small amount of time we could get together great. After drunkenly making out with him the night of the party, I thought it'd be relatively easy to approach that type of thing, but ended up being very wrong.

The first time he kissed me after that took me so off guard that I fainted, causing Sakura to panic when she came out of her bedroom to inspect the loud noise she'd heard only to see him knelt next to me on the ground. Since she screamed, the boys heard her and rushed over to join in the panic. The entire ordeal was a giant mess that left me completely humiliated upon waking.

After that, Kiba didn't ever kiss me without very clearly telling me first and even then I struggled if things got too heated. No matter how much I apologized, he swore he was fine with it. I'm sure he mentally was, actually, but it had to be getting physically tedious having to hold himself back so often.

He's a twenty three year old man who has most definitely had his share of girlfriends and sexual encounters, but now he's stuck babysitting a terrified virgin who can barely make out with him without getting overwhelmed. We were very slowly pushing further each time, but even I was fed up with myself so I know he must be, too.

Our debut album became certified platinum and Prestige began to reap the benefits from it. Our very first award was for our debut performance at LMC and all four of us went ahead and signed a five year contract extension with Evolution Entertainment, making our total agreement seven years.

Finally, money was starting to come in for our hard work and the topic of moving out of the dorms became popular for discussion. Kakashi and Tenten both assured us that we're more than welcome to remain living in the agency building, but we could all agree we wanted more privacy and freedom.

Sakura immediately expressed her desire to live together as a group and I thought for sure both boys would be completely against it. To my surprise, everyone was in agreement on sticking together so the search for a new residence began.

When we selected a place and broke the news to Tenten that we were moving out, the woman actually broke into tears, crying, "My baby birds are leaving the nest!" Naturally, we gave her, Ino, Neji, and Temari spare keys to the house.

The place was a new construction with a tall black fence surrounding the entire property. It was two stories tall with a finished basement, open floor plan, and modern amenities. We had the basement converted into an at-home music studio so we could focus on our work without bothering the rest of the house.

There were five bedrooms in total, three on the bottom floor and two on the second. The third one on the first floor was almost half the size of all the others so we easily decided to make that one the spare bedroom. That meant two of us would be on each floor of the house. There was a large bathroom upstairs that connected the two bedrooms, a matching one connecting the two bigger ones on the first floor, and then a guest bathroom as well.

Sakura, always the control-freak, wanted to keep things segregated and have the two of us take the upstairs rooms, but we quickly came to an agreement that we're all adults and shouldn't have to think that way anymore. So, it was decided we'd look at the rooms before deciding who'd stay where. Once we were given the clear to begin moving in, we visited our new home as a group to choose who would be going where.

After looking at them all, Sakura was the first to call dibs. She chose the one on the left, closest to the basement door, on the first floor because it had a closet twice the size of the other rooms. Gaara politely asked if we were alright with him taking the second one, the one that connected to hers via the ensuite bathroom, because it was the only room without windows and that might help with his insomnia.

No one could argue so that left Sasuke and I to fight over the upstairs rooms. I, true to my character, let him pick which one he wanted and ended up with the room furthest away from the staircase. Things hadn't turned out how Sakura had originally hoped.

Once we were successfully moved in, sharing a bathroom with the Uchiha man quickly became irritating. He spends more time doing his hair in the morning than I do and always uses all the hot water. He also has a habit of knocking and then not waiting for a response before coming in. Within twenty four hours of living there, he'd already walked in on me changing which led to me screaming and throwing my hairbrush at him with all my might.

Not only did he barge into the bathroom at will, but he'd use the bathroom entrance to come into my room whenever he got the urge to annoy me. Then, when he was satisfied he'd successfully pissed me off, he'd go back to his room and leave the damn bathroom door open so I'd have to get up and close it.

-Sakura's POV-

A soft knock came at the bathroom door from Gaara's room and I jolted in shock before looking at my reflection in the mirror. My hair was in childish pig-tail braids and I had a headband pushing my bangs back so they wouldn't fall into the thick, green face mask I just applied to my skin.

My fluffy pink bathrobe was on, but I had my pajamas on under it so I sighed in defeat, "Come in."

The redhead opened the door and immediately had to stifle a grin when he looked at the dark green substance on my face. Luckily, it hid my embarrassed blush as I pouted, "What's up? You need me to get outta here?"

He shook his head, leaning forward to look at the small container on the counter that the rest of my mask reserves were, "I was going to ask what your Halloween costume's going to be, but I can see now that you're going as the wicked witch of the west."

The spooky holiday is tomorrow and we're hosting a joint housewarming and Halloween party to celebrate. His attitude was more carefree than usual, telling me he's been sleeping well lately and making me feel happy.

An annoyed sound rumbled through my chest and I shook my head, "You know what? Sit down. I'm putting it on you, too. Then you can go as The Hulk." He swatted at my hands, but ultimately gave in and sat on the closed toilet seat so I could easily reach his face.

I pushed his hair back out of his face with one of my girliest headbands, one with cat ears on it, and laughed loudly at his embarrassed blush.

"That'll teach you to make fun of me! Here, hold this." He groaned, but also seemed to be holding back a smile as I sat the small container in his hands before dipping my fingers into it so they'd be coated in the good-smelling substance.

Then I raised them to his face and froze, smile dropping when our eyes met. We're close, but it isn't every day that you get up close and personal with someone else's face. Since we're dance partners most of the time, I'm no stranger to Gaara's handsome features, but even after all this time it takes me off guard when I get a closer look.

Quickly, I overcame my hiccup and carefully drew a barrier around his eyes. He sucked in a breath, "It's cold!" I shushed him, grinning.

It took a few minutes to finish applying the mask to his face and then I took my phone out to snap a photo of him before he could escape. The tiny amount of skin that was left bare on his face was almost as red as his hair as he tried to wrestle my phone out of my hands.

"What a cute kitty!"

"Stop it, Sakura! Delete it!"

I held him at bay with a big smile, wiggling the phone in a taunting manner with my free hand, "I've got blackmail now! You better be careful."

To my surprise, he chased me into my room and somehow managed to pin me to the floor before taking his phone out and snapping a picture of my face like I had his. He smiled victoriously as he climbed off of me, "Now we're even."

I accepted his hand and he helped me to my feet, but frowned, "You're no fun."

A knock came at my bedroom door and Sasuke immediately opened it to glare at us, "Can you two flirt more quietly? I'm trying to watch a fucking movie out here."

Gaara and I tensed up and I know his face was probably just as red as mine, but I yelled at our bandmate as I crossed the room to casually push him out of my room, "Don't just knock and walk in, asshole! Get out!"

-Hinata's POV-

Come afternoon the next day, the house was in the midst of being decorated for the party. Kisame, Deidara, Sasori, Kiba, and Ino have come over to help, too.

"Yo, Sasuke, your brother wants to know if he can come tonight."

I glanced up from the caramel apples I was finishing preparing to see Sasuke glare at the tall man from the top of the ladder he was using to hang fake spider webs near the ceiling, "Why the hell did you tell him about it?"

Kisame snickered, "Well, he asked what I was doing later. Do you want me to tell him no?" Sasuke scoffed and gave him a glare that said he should already know the answer before returning to his work.

The blue-haired man laughed and went back to playing on his phone. He was supposed to be helping Sasori string orange and purple lights around the staircase banister, but hadn't lifted a finger to aid him. The redhead smacked the side of his head from halfway up the stairs, "Get to work, you oaf."

Deidara snickered from beside me and I smiled to myself as I finished dusting the apples with sprinkles. The lively nature of our house just days after moving in was comforting. It already feels like a home to me.

Sakura and Ino stole Kiba away and took him outside with them so he could carve pumpkins and hang the roof decorations while they held the ladder. Gaara was holding Sasuke's to make sure he didn't tip and fall while talking on the phone with his sister, who was supposed to come tonight with Kankuro, too.

Deidara took the finished tray of candied apples with a smile and a wink, making me blush as I shook my head at him, before crossing the large living room to deliver it to the massive drink and snack table that was in the process of being filled with halloween-themed goodies. The blonde man surprised us all with his baking abilities and was subsequently put in charge of food. He took his role very seriously and went above and beyond everyone's expectations.

There were white cupcakes that looked like ghosts, black ones that looked like spiders, alcoholic jell-o shots with little gummy bones in them, and even a huge fake cauldron of a deep purplish-green punch that somehow had fog flowing up around its surface. I'm most nervous to try the punch since he refused to tell anyone what its ingredients are.

Kisame was dressed in a shark costume, Deidara was dressed as a knight, Sasori was dressed as a prisoner to match Sakura, who was going to be dressing up as a police officer, and Ino was dressed up as a Elle Woods from Legally Blonde (the bunny costume she wears in the movie).

Sakura and Ino's voices could suddenly be heard yelling at one another outside, punctuated by Kiba hollering down at them from atop the ladder to shut up and focus on making sure he doesn't fall to his death. Gaara and I shared a knowing look and I came over to switch places with him so he could go out and try to remedy whatever spat the girls had gotten into.

I just smiled to myself as I got a firm grip on Sasuke's ladder, only for the man in question to speak, "So Hyuuga." I looked up at him and saw he was nearly done with the section he was working on. "What are you and the good doctor dressing up as?"

My eyebrow twitched at his obnoxious nickname for Kiba. He's not yet a doctor, but only has a couple years left before he'll graduate college and be able to start practicing.

After drunkenly cuddling after the ball at Masquerade a few weeks ago, Sasuke and I wordlessly came to an agreement that we have to pretend it didn't happen for everyone's sake. We crossed a line that night. Luckily we had alcohol to blame. If we'd been sober, it'd be a bit harder to find an excuse. I kept teetering between being grateful to the Uchiha man for not forcing me to talk about it, especially since I have a boyfriend, but a small part of me was angry at him for the exact same reason.

All of it inevitably comes back to the fact that Sasuke and I are not allowed to feel those types of things for one another. We're not supposed to get involved in ways that constitute more than friendship. The thing is…something about how taboo it is makes me want to explore it even more.

As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I shook my head to push it away. I'm with Kiba now and he's been so patient and wonderful with me. It's awful of me to have even a single lingering thought toward another man. I do like him, very much in fact, and can't deny I'm physically attracted to him, but it somehow feels like something's still missing when we're together. I can't put my finger on what it is, though. All I know is that it's completely my fault, whatever the issue is. He's done absolutely nothing wrong. Kiba's been the perfect boyfriend since the first day he asked me out.

"Is there a thought inside that head of yours?" I blinked, jumping slightly when I realized Sasuke had come down from the ladder and was standing in front of me with an amused smirk, "Welcome back."

My face heated and I pressed my hands to my cheeks in an attempt to cool them, "S-Sorry! We're going as a cat and dog."

He rolled his eyes as he picked up the ladder to move it a bit further down the wall, "Cliche."

I followed, handing him some webbing once he climbed up, "Well, what about you?"

"Ami and I are going as vampires."

I wanted to make a comment on how his costume was just as cliche as mine, but instead felt a pang of jealousy in my chest when he indirectly let me know he has a date. My lips pressed into a flat line when he glanced down at me with an expression that told me he at least suspected it, too.

Before I could try to come up with a response, the front door burst open and I nearly jumped out of my skin. In walked Tenten, striding pridefully to the center of the room with a super sexy Chun-Li costume that looked like it was painted to her very skin. Sasuke let out a low whistle, earning a look of appreciation from the popstar.

She did a pretend ninja kick before posing and laughing loudly, "Thank you, thank you!"

Neji came in behind her carrying multiple bags of drinks and an irritated glare. My bandmate came down from the ladder, finally finished with the webbing, so I hurried to take one of the bags from my cousin's arms. He followed me around the large island counter into the kitchen without a word.

I began unbagging the tall bottles of liquor with a small grin on my lips, "No costume, Cousin?"

The stoic man shot me a warning glare and shook his head as he sat down the other two bags and turned around so he could lean against the counter and look at Tenten, who was learning a proper karate move from Kisame. The hard expression on his face softened slightly and a warmth rose in my chest at the sight.

He'd finally found someone he can tolerate. Neji's never been open about his relationships, but the one time I managed to ask him why he never dated a woman for more than a few weeks he said it was because they begin to grate at his nerves. Perhaps this time, since he was friends with Tenten first, things will be different. I hope that's the case.

In the next hour, the preparations were all finished and it was already dark outside. Our friends promised to keep an eye on things, so the four of us returned to our bedrooms to get ready for the party. When I got to my room and pulled the shopping bag containing my costume out from my closet, my heart sank down into the pit of my stomach. I should've known better than to trust Ino and Sakura. They'd promised it was as casual as a cat costume could be, but I should've double checked before now that they weren't lying. It's too late to go out and buy a new one now.

It was an all leather bodysuit with a low v-neck and a zipper that ran up the entire front of it. A loud groan left my lips and I threw it on my bed before turning to tear through my entire closet in search of clothing I could somehow use as a makeshift costume, anything to not wear the monstrosity sitting atop my blanket, but came up empty.

My hands trembled and tears rose in my eyes as I turned to look at it in defeat, deciding to see what else was in the shopping bag to go with it. The dread eating at my chest only got heavier when I found simple black cat ears, strappy black stilettos, and a little post-it note from my awful friends that said "no undies with this outfit!".

Feeling helpless, I snatched the horrible leather thing off of the bed and stomped angrily into the bathroom, only to squeak in surprise when I lay eyes on Sasuke. He'd broken into my make-up bag and seemed to be struggling to make it look like it wasn't done by a five year old.

Normally I'd laugh at such a sight, but he immediately turned to look at the clothing in my hands and laughed so loud it nearly sounded like one of Tenten's notorious cackles, "Let me guess: Sakura and Ino pranked you."

I swiftly hid the item behind my back with a blazing red face, "Y-You're not helping."

He shook his head with a knowing grin, facing the mirror, "Come on, Hyuuga, live a little. I'm sure the good doctor would appreciate some eye candy. I know I would."

My mouth fell open in disbelief at his unfiltered flirting, making him snicker once more at my expense. I furrowed my brows and turned to retreat to my room, only for him to stop me, "Hey, help me out with this, will you?" When I looked back at him, he looked irritated to have to drop his pride and ask for assistance.

A small smile tugged at my lips, "Let me change real quick." He didn't stop me when I left and shut the door behind me. I don't know why I was agreeing to help him after that eye candy comment, but I have bigger things to worry about right now.

It took almost ten entire minutes to struggle into the overwhelming outfit because it was so skin-tight and the material had zero give or stretch. When I finally managed it, I took a calming breath before turning to re-enter the bathroom with the intent to look into the tall mirror on the other side of the door.

Sasuke was leaning against the counter with his phone in his hand as he waited, but froze when he looked up at me. Dark eyes danced over my appearance slowly, from my feet to my face, when he finally sat his phone down and turned his body to face me. There wasn't a single bit of his guard up and he looked entirely stunned.

My entire body felt hot with humiliation and I had to turn my back to him or else I'd end up passing out. When I looked at my reflection, my lips tugged into a frown and I was temporarily distracted from Sasuke's staring. Every single little problem with my body was on full display. There's no hiding anything in an outfit like this.

Tears rose in my eyes and I opened the door again with the intent to go through my closet again with lower standards to find something else to wear, but felt a hand grasp my wrist. I turned to look up at Sasuke, just barely fighting the urge to wrap my arms around myself to try and hide my flaws. It was mortifying that he was seeing me like this.

He shook his head, "Don't change."

The fingers around my wrist tightened slightly as I stared wide-eyed at his face, only for him to suddenly turn away and release me, "We need to hurry or Sakura's gonna come up here and throw a fit."

"U-Uh, yeah, you're right!" I kept repeating a mantra in my head as he sat on the edge of the tub so I could reach his face. I don't like him like that. I don't like him like that. I don't like him like that. He'd cleaned his face while he was waiting for me to finish getting dressed and when I began applying toner to his unbelievably clear skin, I became a bit annoyed. It's just not fair that he gets to be so irritating and still look so flawless without an ounce of makeup.

-Sasuke's POV-

Jesus fucking christ. That's all I have to say about what just happened in the bathroom.

Hinata helped me with my costume makeup which usually wouldn't faze me in the slightest. There was nothing "usual" about that outfit she's wearing, though. The entire time she was half-knelt forward to apply something to my face, the zipper holding the thin leather together across her chest was having its abilities tested to the max.

She didn't know what a risque view she was giving me, she couldn't have. If she did, she would've fainted right then and there. Me, being the selfish asshole that I am, refused to break the news to her and greedily enjoyed it as much as possible without her noticing my wandering gaze.

A knock came at my bedroom door and I answered it distractedly, snapping out of my stupor when someone was suddenly kissing me. It was the model Ino recently did a bikini photoshoot with and had asked her for my number. The Yamanaka woman knew I wouldn't complain and passed it along with little hesitance.

What's this girl's name again? …Ami! It's Ami Yamada. I reacted to her onslaught easily, pulling her inside the rest of the way and closing the door so if someone came up the stairs they wouldn't see us.

Ami's hot, that's for sure. She's nearly as tall as Gaara with hair almost the same color as Sakura's, dark eyes, and a slim figure that had just enough curves to make things interesting. This was the first time we're hanging out, so I definitely hadn't expected her to come on so strongly, not that I mind in the slightest. In fact, after suffering through the visual teasing I just went through in the bathroom with Hinata, I was more than happy to let this woman think she's taking advantage of me.

We made our way backwards until we reached the bed and then I pulled her down on top of me, quickly ridding her body of its shirt as her hands unbuckled my belt.

When it was done, we wordlessly redressed so we could finally join the party downstairs before anyone noticed how late we were. I glanced at her side profile with a frown as she reached back to hook her bra.

It was good, the sex. Ami knew what she was doing to the point that I was sort of impressed. The thing is…I just wasn't into it as much as I wanted to be. For the life of me, I can't figure out why that was.

The attractive woman noticed my staring and smiled seductively, "The rumors about you were true. Lucky me." My teeth grit as I realized what it was that I didn't like about her. Since I only realized after she spoke, you'd think it was her attitude or maybe her way of approaching me, but that's not it at all.

Her eyes were empty, as hollow as a drum.

That's been my problem for years now. It's the reason I haven't been able to make myself suffer in the company of any of these women for too long a period of time. Looking at their faces, into their eyes, and seeing nothing there but superficial masks pisses me off to no end. Every single one of them just says and does what they think I want rather than having an actual personality. I don't want to fucking date myself. If the sex wasn't as good as it is, I wouldn't bother at all.

I pulled her along behind me as I walked down the stairs and she didn't argue. At least this one wasn't talkative. The house was alive with music and people. A purple hue lit the room from the decorative lights, truly giving off the spirit of Halloween.

Gaara was standing in the kitchen with a frown as he stared out at the crowded room. When he noticed me, he nodded in greeting before noticing Ami trailing behind me and giving me a knowing look. He didn't have to say anything for me to understand that he was concerned I was going to go back to having a new fling each week. Ever since Aiko stirred up so much trouble during the party at the agency's dorm, I've been hesitant to bring anyone around.

Irritation brewed in my chest and I rolled my eyes at the redhead before following his gaze into the crowd, only to instead begin to pity him. Sakura and Sasori were dancing.

Gaara doesn't need me to tell him that I think he should just forget about her for now because he already knows my opinion. He knows I'm right, too. Sakura's too stubborn and controlling to let anything so unprofessional happen between her and a colleague. It took us all by surprise that she dared to mess around with Sasori because he's signed to the same label as us. She irritates me to no end because she leads him on without even trying, so I can't blame her. Gaara sure doesn't and he's the one who's suffering.

"Ami, you made it!"

Ino's voice had all three of us turning to see her drunkenly stumbling in our direction. She wrapped her arms around my torso and buried her face in my shirt once she was close enough, "God, Sasuke, you've gotta slow down or I'm gonna run out of friends for you to sleep with!" She shared a small laugh with her model friend, who didn't seem to care that she was getting close with me.

I picked up an abandoned cup from the counter and took a drink of whatever was in it with a glare. If she wasn't drunk, I'd push her away, but she is, so she's harmless.

"Is that Hinata Hyuuga?" Ami finally found her voice and I was relieved her tone wasn't negative or else I'd get irritated further.

Instead, the other three of us followed her gaze to see the Hyuuga herself standing next to her boyfriend with a cup in one hand. The memory of the visual dessert I was given in the bathroom returned because her costume was complete now. Earlier, she just had on that leather bodysuit. Now her hair and makeup was done, cat ears and drawn on whiskers and all. I couldn't even put much attention on the shoes because it'd be too much to bear.

It's all just so different from what she usually looks like so I can't help but stare. Ino and Gaara seemed to feel the same, the model responding verbally, "What I'd do for a body like that…"

"What did you guys have to do to get her to wear that?" Gaara's tone was less serious than usual. Ino and Ami didn't answer him and instead started talking about their modeling work, the former finally releasing her hold around me so I could slip away.

Once the shock of Hinata's appearance faded a bit, an emotion I very much didn't want to feel began to peak its ugly head: jealousy. What reason do I have for being jealous, though? We both came here tonight with other people and she even has a boyfriend.

The hate that'd been directed at Kiba quickly turned onto me as I berated myself for having a moment of weakness. If she ever finds out I've been having thoughts like this, she'll hate me. At first she'd just been hurt, but in the end she won't be able to look at me the same way. My thoughts were saying one thing, but my feet took me right up to the couple regardless.

When her eyes locked onto mine, they widened and the usual blush rose to her face, "S-Sasuke! How are you?"

Kiba looked down at his girlfriend and then me and then the spark of suspicion arose clear as day. Why the fuck did I come over here? Is this what I wanted, to make him feel insecure? Not consciously, no. When I think about the two of them not being together, though, I can't lie and say I don't like the idea.

"Shots?" The invitation left my lips as I forced myself to come up with something to say before things got even weirder. They glanced at one another before agreeing and then followed me back into the kitchen where I was surprised to see Ami and Gaara standing there with none other than my god damn older brother.

When his eyes locked onto mine, his lips twitched into a smug grin to make my blood boil, "Good evening." Hinata and Kiba exchanged greetings with him as I poured the drinks, hyper aware of both Ami and Gaara's staring. My teeth grit roughly as the trio shared a laugh.

Tonight's gonna be a long night.

-Hinata's POV-

It took a few moments to return to my senses once Sasuke finally left me alone so I could finish getting ready.

Truth be told, I've been getting better at doing my own makeup so I bravely chose to go with darker, sexier colors to match my outfit. It'd look weird to use the usual pastels anyway.

Once I was done with that and straightening my hair, I pulled on the god awful stilettos and tested walking around in them a bit. A small smile tugged at my lips as a teeny tiny bit of pride rose in my chest. A year ago, I would've fainted the moment such sexualizing apparel met my skin, but look at me now.

Someone knocked on my door, tearing me from my reminiscing. When I opened it, I came face to face with my boyfriend. Kiba looked even more stunned than me and I knew why. He was wearing a cute dog collar and a headband with puppy ears, looking adorable and innocent, while I looked borderline like a slut.

As his warm brown eyes danced over my appearance, he spoke in a hissed whisper, "Do we have to go downstairs or can we just stay up here?" Knowing what my response would be, he chuckled as he pulled me against him and after offering a short warning look, his lips were pressed against mine. My stomach flipped with glee as I accepted his affection, goosebumps rising on my skin where his hands danced near my hips.

After a few moments of attempting to physically tell me how happy he was to see me, he pulled away and interlaced the fingers of one of our hands before leading me toward the staircase, "You look amazing, Hina." My face burnt. If I met his eye, I might begin to feel dizzy, so I avoided it and simply squeezed his hand a bit more firmly.

The giant living area was full of dancing people, barely enough room for us to squeeze through and make our way to the table. An hour or so passed and we took a few jell-o shots with the Akatsuki boys, danced a bit, and then took a moment to chat and cool down.

Someone suddenly wrapped their arms around my waist from behind and I jumped in shock, letting out a small scream. Sakura's familiar giggle met my ears and I relaxed, shivering when she whispered into my ear with a husky voice, "You look so sexy. Ino swore you'd never wear it, but I had faith!"

When she finally released me, I turned to shoot a pout in her direction, "How could you do this to me!"

"I knew you'd look this hot, that's how!"

Her wrist was tugged as Sasori came up beside her to look over my appearance, "Nice costume."

Kiba turned to notice them as well, but Sakura waggled her eyebrows at him before he could get a word out, "You're welcome, Puppy." His and my face went bright red and she sent us a flirty wink before pulling Sasori along as she re-entered the dense crowd.

I glanced up at the Inuzuka man's face and met a look of understanding. We took another shot apiece before another friendly face showed itself in the crowd, coming our way, "S-Sasuke! How are you?" The heat on my face warmed even further as I took in his attractive features. The subtle dark makeup around his eyes made them seem even deeper than they already are and his costume seemed to be tailored to fit him perfectly.

Once he stood in front of us, I got the vibe that he was angry, but rather than act like it, he invited us to join him for shots. When we began following him, Kiba slid his hand into mine. I looked at him with a smile, only for it to falter slightly when his expression was more serious than before. What's that all about? Did something happen? I gave him a questioning look, but he shook his head dismissively so I didn't have a choice but to let it go.

"Good evening." A familiar voice met my ears over the loud music and I faced forward again to see Itachi giving us a friendly smile. My blood ran cold. He was one of the last people I'd want to see me looking like this. What if he goes home and tells his father about it and then his father tells mine? So far, Hiashi Hyuuga hasn't sent so much as a text message my way, but I didn't want his first attempt at contact after such a long time without it to be dripping with rage.

To my relief, the man didn't even mention my appearance and the group of us drank, Gaara and Sasuke's date joining us. At first, it was a little tense, but as the drinks flowed everyone loosened up and the mood became lighter.

Hours passed before Kiba and I agreed it was time for us to retire lest we remain downstairs and risk drinking too much and getting sick. The both of us were plenty drunk. I even lost my shoes somewhere during the festivities. As I pulled a stumbling Kiba along up the stairs, a warm blush met my cheeks and I smiled widely as I recalled how much of a lightweight he is when it comes to alcohol. It was somewhere near three in the morning, but I couldn't be sure.

The moment my bedroom door clicked shut behind us, hands explored my hips and waist as Kiba pulled me against his chest and kissed me as though he's been waiting all night to do so. I drunkenly thanked the alcohol for giving me courage because this would usually have me light-headed as hell, but instead I enjoyed every little moment of it completely.

It was quickly warm in my room and he rasped out in between frantic kisses, "Is this okay?" Even drunk, he wanted to make sure he wasn't rushing or forcing me into anything.

Rather than verbally respond, I ran my hands down his shirt, unbuttoning it with eager fingers so I could feel the firm muscles that lay underneath. That was all the encouragement he needed. We moved slowly until we found the bed and then my head was hitting the pillows and he was crawling on top of me to claim my mouth once more.

He pressed his tongue past the threshold of my lips, making me gasp in surprise, but the sound was lost in our heavy panting. My fingers only barely trembled as I pushed his shirt off of his shoulders and he obliged by pulling it the rest of the way off and tossing it off the side of the bed. The piece of clothing seemed to have been blocking all of his body heat because the moment it was gone it was like a fire was lit between us.

His hands explored my body without hesitation and I absorbed each touch eagerly. Gradually, he forced my legs to spread further apart so he could reach down with one hand and hook one of them around his hip. After what felt like both a lifetime and only a few minutes, I had to tear my lips away from his so I could breathe. As smooth as butter, Kiba dipped down to hungrily kiss my neck and jaw as I clung to him.

His voice was much lower than usual when he spoke softly into my skin, "You're so sexy, Hinata."

Just like that, everything that was feeling amazing began to feel wrong and my eyes shot open wide. He didn't notice my sudden change in demeanor and continued his actions. Then he pressed against me, between my legs and I panicked, shoving him back slightly, "I-I can't!"

The moment he realized I was no longer enjoying myself, he sat back on his knees with a guilty expression, "Hey, it's alright, Hina. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to push you too far. We can stop." Kiba's words were reassuring, but for some reason his tone was off in a way it hasn't been in the past.

"I-I-I'm so sorry…"

He shook his head, eyes closed as he ran a hand through his hair, "Don't be, really. I know how hard this is for you." The man was saying one thing, but seemed to mean something entirely different that I wasn't understanding in my drunken confusion.

I sat up and he moved back a bit so I could cross my legs. For a few moments, we just stared at one another. His expression slowly morphed into a bit of a grimace and my brow furrowed, "What's wrong?"

He took a slow, deep breath before leaning forward to give me a quick kiss before pulling back, "We owe it to one another to be honest, don't you think?" I nodded, still completely lost.

After another moment of hesitation, he said what was on his mind in the most defeated tone that it broke my heart, "I think you and Sasuke have a thing for each other. Am I right?" So many incredibly strong emotions shot through me in that instant that I nearly fainted. Kiba's arms shot up to grab my shoulders and keep me steady, "I'm right aren't I?"

Tears began welling up in my eyes as I stared at him in disbelief. Earlier, when Sasuke was coming toward us and he got all serious, was it because he saw how I was looking at him? There's no point in lying to myself now that it's been brought to my attention that other people were noticing my inability to control myself. Kiba's right, about me having a thing for the Uchiha man at least. My hands shakily came up to cup his, only to pull them away. I have to come clean. The man in front of me deserves at least that much.

"I-I am…physically attracted to him."

Kiba searched my face for a few moments, neither of us saying anything, before nodding, "I think it's more than that, Hinata."

The feelings that rose in my chest when he said that were so awful that I had to put some space between us so I got off the bed and stumbled to my feet, a hand on my nightstand to keep me stable, "What are you saying?"

Kiba stood, grabbing his shirt off the floor and pulling it over his shoulders so he could begin buttoning it, "I noticed it when he walked in on us that first night…You looked like you'd been caught cheating."

The tears in my eyes became too heavy and slid down my cheeks, "K-Kiba, I don't know what to say…I-I don't know what to do. I'm so sorry. You've b-b-been so good to me." Above all else, I felt guilty. Kiba's been the perfect boyfriend this entire time: caring, patient, devoted. And how did I repay him for his efforts? By getting distracted by another man. He opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off, "You don't deserve this…"

His lips tugged down into a frown and I knew what he was going to say before he even said them, "I'm not angry. I can't blame you for having emotions, Hinata, but I can't…" the words trailed off, but their meaning didn't. He was leaving. Without another word, he gave me another kiss before walking out the door.

The exact words didn't need to be said out loud. I was just dumped. What made it worse was that it's completely my fault, so I don't deserve to feel as hurt as I do.

The moment the door was closed behind him, the tears fell a million times heavier and more quickly because there wasn't anyone around to hide them from anymore. I never expected us to break up in this manner and especially not tonight. The fact that I was incredibly drunk didn't help at all.

I stumbled into the bathroom and turned the shower on with the intent to get clean before going to bed. As I waited for the water to warm, however, a massive wave of nausea came over me and I shakily came down to my knees in front of the toilet, opening the lid with a cold sweat beginning to form on my face. No matter how much I wanted to puke, just so I could make the dizzy and unstable feeling go away, it didn't happen. Once I realized this, I broke into heavy sobs and let myself fall to the side so I could press my hot cheek to the cold linoleum floor.

It may have been five minutes that I wore myself out falling to pieces on the floor as the room filled with steam from the shower, but I must've passed out because when I woke to someone helping me sit up, the mirror wasn't fogged up anymore and the water wasn't running. When my memory returned, a choked sound left my mouth and I fell into tears again. Whoever was trying to help me stopped moving.

Everything felt dizzy and cold and I just wanted to not be drunk anymore, but there was no way to make that happen as quickly as I needed to so that only made me that much more upset. Another wave of nausea came over me and my body trembled as I struggled to the toilet again. My hair was pulled away from my face by someone, but just like earlier, I couldn't make myself throw up and ended up opening my eyes so I could stare at the clear water through my tears.

A feminine voice came from somewhere on my right, but I didn't dare look in their direction or else I'd get light-headed again, "She'll be fine. What girl hasn't spent a night passed out on the bathroom floor?" No one responded to her for so long that I forgot for a few moments that she'd said anything at all.

"If you're just gonna stare then you can leave." Sasuke's familiar voice came from slightly to my left and behind me. The door to his bedroom shut loudly, not quite a slam but still harder than usual.

I couldn't bring myself to move and look at him, so I settled for reaching over with my left hand and searching blindly for him. When he finally grabbed onto it, I squeezed his hand and closed my eyes as my silent crying evolved back into sobs.

He should be the last person I turn to for comfort at a time like this, right after I was dumped for my incredibly wrong feelings for him, but at the same time he was the only person I wanted to be near. I'm the worst human being. I'm a truly awful person. Do I have no shame? No guilt? Kiba was obviously hurt by my inability to give him my whole heart, yet here I am turning to the very cause of that inability because I'm feeling sad and sick.

"What are you talking about?"

I swallowed before chancing a response in hopes it wouldn't cause any backlash to my physical well being, "What?" God, my voice made it obvious how out of it I was.

"...awful person. Why?"

His question only half-made it to my comprehension, but it was enough to tell me I'd said at least one sentence out loud that I hadn't meant to. There wasn't a way for me to come up with a response in my state, so I just didn't answer him and went back to trying to stop my tears as I worked through my dizziness. My limbs were beginning to get sore.

The sleeve of my outfit caught my eye when I lifted my free hand, the one not holding onto his like my life depended on it, to wipe at my tears. Everything froze: my breathing, my crying, the sounds of my sniffling. Then I was angry, pissed even.

"Hey, hey, hey, don't-!" I shot up to my feet, only to stumble heavily when the blood rushed to my head. A strong arm wrapped around my waist to keep me upright, but I was too focused on trying to rip the sleeves of this god forsaken costume off so I couldn't see them anymore.

"What are you doing, Hinata? Stop it!" Sasuke tried to get a hold on at least one of my hands with his free one, but I fought him.

In the midst of weakly swatting his hand away, my eyes landed on the zipper of my outfit and I suddenly remembered how to get out of it. The hand that wasn't keeping Sasuke's at bay grasped it and pulled it down. In the blink of an eye, my back was against the counter and he was keeping me up with his body pressed against mine as he grabbed both of my hands before the zipper could be moved more than an inch or two downwards.

Dark eyes glared into mine and he spoke in a lower tone, "You can't. I'm still a guy, Hinata."

Rage rushed to my limbs and my hands clenched into fists as I tried to tear my wrists out of his grip, "I know you are! That's the fucking problem!"

He seemed thoroughly taken back by my outburst, but I passed out before I could dig further into his reaction.