Unknownfate
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Chapter 22 First date
🕑 Added 2025-06-09 02:00:04 +0000 UTCThe sun hadn’t quite set when a knock came at the gate.
My mother peeked through the curtains, gave a breathless little sound, and whirled to face me. “He’s here!”
“Yes, Mother,” I said calmly, tying the last knot on my sash.
“He’s early,” she fretted, fussing over my sleeves before I could stop her. “Do you think he’s nervous? Maybe he wants to impress—don’t slouch! Stand tall. Graceful, not stiff. Chin up—there, that’s perfect.”
“I’m going to a festival, it's no big deal.”
“You’re going with the heir of the main family,” she said, fixing a hairpin that was already perfectly placed. “That is a big deal.”
I was saved from further primping by the second knock—this time firmer, more polite.
“Let him in,” I said, gently brushing her hands away. “Before he thinks we’re hiding from him.”
Hiashi stood just outside the threshold, dressed immaculately in his deep-blue yukata, the one embroidered with the clan crest at the shoulder. He looked like he’d stepped out of a scroll painting. His hands were folded behind his back, posture perfectly upright.
And he bowed.
Formally.
At the door.
“Good evening, Hyūga Yuki,” he said with careful formality. “I’ve come to escort you to the festival.”
I blinked, then looked over my shoulder at my mother. She was already tearing up.
“Good grief,” I muttered, stepping into the doorway. “You’re lucky I don’t make you call me ‘princess.’”
Hiashi straightened. “If that is what you wish to be called—”
“It’s not,” I said quickly, grabbing his sleeve. “Come in before you give my mother ideas.”
He hesitated at the threshold, then stepped lightly onto the tatami. His gaze swept over me from head to toe—and lingered, just a second too long, on the silver obi tied around my waist.
“You look—” he started.
I raised a brow.
“—presentable,” he finished.
I gave him a long, slow look. “Presentable?”
He cleared his throat. “Graceful.”
“Try again.”
“…Beautiful.”
“There it is,” I said, smiling as I turned slightly to show off the detail of my yukata. “You can say it again, if you want.”
“I think once is sufficient.”
“Mm. Shame.”
My mother giggled softly behind her hand. “Don’t keep him waiting, dear.”
Hiashi bowed to her, properly. “Thank you for allowing me the honor.”
I waved as we stepped outside, sliding the door shut behind us. “You’re so formal it’s like you’re here to propose, not go to a summer festival.”
He looked at me sidelong. “We’re engaged.”
I grinned. “And yet, I still had to remind you to compliment me.”
His expression tightened just enough to make me laugh.
“You know,” I said as we walked toward the village gates, “you should relax tonight. Eat something greasy. Try a game. Smile more.”
“I do smile.”
“Not with your face.”
That earned a very quiet, almost imperceptible snort.
But it was a start.
The streets of Konoha glowed with lanternlight.
Red and gold paper lamps swung from every awning and pole, casting warm pools of color across the cobbled paths. Children darted between stalls with candied fruit on sticks, laughter ringing out like bells. The smell of grilled meat, fried batter, and sweet bean paste drifted through the air in waves.
It felt almost too peaceful.
“You’d never guess there’s a war going on outside the walls,” I murmured, watching a pair of little boys toss darts at a line of inflated balloons.
“No,” Hiashi agreed beside me. “But that’s why the peace is sacred. Because it isn’t guaranteed.”
I glanced at him—just a little surprised at the poetic answer. “That’s almost romantic.”
“I meant it strategically.”
“Of course you did.”
We strolled slowly through the winding streets, pausing here and there to watch a game or sample a treat. I made Hiashi try everything I could get my hands on. Skewered yakitori, sweet dango, crispy fried mochi. He claimed he wasn’t hungry. I didn’t care.
“You’re going to eat something fun tonight,” I told him, holding up a taiyaki stuffed with red bean. “Even if I have to feed it to you.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary—”
I pushed it into his hand. “Too late.”
He looked down at the warm, fish-shaped pastry, then took a small, careful bite. His brows lifted almost imperceptibly.
“Good?” I asked.
“…It’s fine.”
“That’s high praise coming from you.”
As we passed the ring toss game, I slowed down to take a proper look at the line of kids trying their luck.
Such games could be difficult, mostly because kids weren’t untrained in throwing things at others. Even if some civilians were poor shots, the number of kids with some training was enough to ensure that the games were made to be difficult.
Not that it mattered much to anyone having real training, since any Genin would ace the games easily, so all shinobi needed to pay a much higher fee to play.
After all, when every attempt was guaranteed to hit, the cost had to cover the prize in full, and often even higher than that.
“Yuki?” Hiashi asked as I slowed down to a stop.
“Let’s play,” I said, tugging on Hiashi’s sleeve.
He glanced at the sign, then at the rings, then at the stack of oversized plush prizes on the back wall. “This is a children’s game, for civilian children. Why would you want to play?”
“Do I need a reason to want to play? I just want to have fun, so let's play!” I said, dragging him along over to the stand.
I couldn’t really tell the truth, but after so long sealed in the moon, I was itching to experience life, all of it. And while I worked towards my own plan, working hard and training, that didn’t mean I didn’t desire more.
And this was an excellent opportunity to do something else, even if it was dumb.
“And I want that big white fox.”
He frowned slightly. “You don’t need a fox plush.”
“I want one.” I folded my arms. “And you’re going to help me win it.”
A long pause.
Then, with the slow acceptance of a man already in too deep, he reached into his sleeve and handed over the coins.
The vendor beamed. “One round for the lovely couple?”
“One round each, we compete for a prize.” I said, interrupting whatever Hiashi was about to say.
The vendor chuckled, clearly entertained. “Oho? A duel between sweethearts, is it? That’s always fun.”
Hiashi gave me a sidelong glance. “What sort of prize?”
“Why the big white fox I want… but if you win, I could give you another prize as well, so try your best.” I teased.
His eyes flicked toward me, but his mouth didn’t move. Then, with all the dignity in the world, he looked at the vendor and said, “Two rounds, please.”
The old man grinned as he laid out the rings. “Ah, young love.”
“But,” I added, picking up one of the plastic rings and spinning it on my finger, “let’s make it interesting.”
Hiashi raised a brow.
“Anyone can toss a ring around a pin. That’s boring.” I pointed toward the row of narrow wooden pegs. “Let’s see who can land a ring on its side—so it balances on the tip.”
The vendor blinked. “You want to what?”
“Make it a real challenge,” I said. “If we’re paying shinobi rates, we should prove we’re worth it.”
“People don’t usually—” the man started, then just sighed. “Alright. Rules are rules, but I ain’t liable for any bruised pride.”
I stepped back and motioned for Hiashi to go first. “After you, future clan head.”
He took a breath, studied the pins, and narrowed his eyes with that signature Hyūga intensity.
Then, after spending the briefest moment to feel the ring, he tossed it with a bored look on his face. It arced gracefully through the air, and landed right on the tip of the pin, and stood still, as if he had carefully put it there rather than tossed it.
The vendor gawked. “Well I’ll be damned, you shinobi types really are different from the rest of us.”
Hiashi calmly looked over at me. He didn’t say anything, his face said it all.
Well, if he wanted to play like that, then so be it!
“Well, if you are that desperate for my reward, I guess I will concede to you, congratulations, Lord Hiashi, you win.” I spoke with a tone dripping with mock sarcasm.
Hiashi’s brow twitched—barely—but it was enough to tell me he caught the sarcasm. And the bait.
“I wasn’t desperate,” he said, reaching out to collect the plush fox from the vendor, who looked far too entertained for someone just running a festival stand. “Merely... efficient.”
I folded my arms, watching as Hiashi turned and offered me the fluffy prize with both hands, like he was presenting a scroll of alliance between two great nations.
“For you,” he said, tone as stiff as ever.
I accepted it, hugging the large fox in my arms. “Thanks, my lord,” I grinned as I quickly turned around and slowly started walking away.
He looked confused for a moment, but quickly caught up. “What happened to my prize?”
I turned towards him, big grin on my face. “So you are desperate for it! And don’t worry, I’m sure I will find something here for you.”
Hiashi’s steps faltered.
“I just meant we had a deal, is all,” he said, just a touch too fast.
“Oh, I know what you meant,” I said airily, spinning on my heel and hugging the fox tighter. “But I assumed you didn’t want a prize from a mere branch member. After all, it wouldn’t be proper.”
His expression tightened. “Yuki.”
I looked back at him, eyes wide and innocent. “Yes, Hiashi-sama?”
He sighed, long-suffering. “You said you would give me a prize if I won.”
“And I will,” I said sweetly. “Eventually.”
“That wasn’t the agreement.”
“It wasn’t not the agreement,” I replied, turning forward again. “You should learn to be more precise with your terms, future clan head.”
I could feel he wasn’t satisfied, he might act like a dignified young master, all cold and grace, but he was still a young man, and getting teased like that… it wasn’t easy to accept.
Still, even though he wasn’t happy about it, he still managed to hold himself back, fully channeling that famous main family arrogance on his face, acting like everything, including the reward, was beneath him.
We continued along the festival, traveling all the lantern-lit streets. I kept having us stop at the different food stalls, trying all the different things on offer.
That was when I started noticing the others.
Half the village was out here tonight, well half of the half that still remained here, with so many on missions due to the war.
But among those that remained were a lot of younger people. While Hiashi’s generation had graduated, and many had been out to fight, they were still not fully deployed.
This meant that they could be seen around here, and I spotted multiple familiar faces.
I spotted the rare red hair of Kushina Uzumaki, the future mother of Naruto. She was walking around hand in hand with Minato, the future Hokage.
But it wasn’t just those around, but also people I knew from this life. Such as Kazou, my former sensei from when I was just a semi warrior, or around the level of an elite Genin and low Chuunin.
It was almost funny to think back to those days; they hadn’t been long ago at all, yet I had grown so much stronger. Strong enough to be his equal now.
But I guess that was the normal state of things in this world, those with great talent reaching Jōnin rather early on.
And it wasn’t like I had done it that early, Kakashi would reach that rank even earlier than I, though, whatever, he would be stronger than me… I didn’t believe so.
Sayo looked lovely in a pale pink yukata dotted with tiny floral prints, her hair done up with ribbons. Maro, for once, looked more nervous than stoic, tugging self-consciously at the collar of his slightly crooked robe. I gave her a look. She blushed. He stammered. It was cute.
We didn’t linger long. Just a few polite greetings, a shared smile, and then we continued on.
As the night wound down, the crowds began to thin. Children were carried home asleep on their parents’ backs. Vendors started packing away their wares. The paper lanterns flickered gently in the warm breeze.
Hiashi and I stood at the edge of the festival grounds, where the lights dimmed and the sound of music was a distant echo behind us. The path leading back toward the Hyūga compound stretched quiet and empty ahead.
The plush fox was still tucked under my arm, its little stitched smile oddly appropriate.
We said nothing for a moment.
Then Hiashi cleared his throat. “You promised me a reward.”
I turned to face him, eyes soft. “I did.”
He didn’t ask again. He didn’t even look expectant. He just stood there, watching me, patiently—like he always did.
I stepped closer.
“Close your eyes, Hiashi.”
He blinked. “Why?”
“Because,” I said, reaching up to gently adjust the collar of his yukata, “you’re finally getting what you earned.”
Slowly, with the hesitation of someone trained never to lower his guard, he did as I asked.
I leaned in.
And kissed him.
Just a soft, brief touch, lips to lips, like the brush of a breeze across still water.
His breath caught, but he didn’t move.
When I pulled back, he opened his eyes slowly, and for once—just for once—he looked utterly, completely lost.
“Reward delivered,” I whispered, amused at the stunned look on his usually unreadable face. “You did very well tonight.”
He swallowed once, visibly collecting himself. “…Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, future clan head.”
We walked the rest of the way in silence.
But I could feel the warmth of his hand just barely brushing against mine with every step.
And I didn’t move away.
(End of chapter)
A little date, a bit of peace before war. I feel that the Hokage would have done everything he could to maintain a good vibe inside the village even while the war was going on. To not let normal people realize just how bad it was.
And this is still a bit before that, about maybe 4 years before the end of the war. So, a small break in the war, before it enters its most brutal stage.
I did think about having more familiar faces around, but we can always do that, no need to cram them all in here all at once.
