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Hinata had taken the day off from training and was in the kitchen of the Hyuga main residence. She was visibly busy with dishes and molds covered in chocolate leftovers.
“So you replaced your training with this today?” his cousin said as he walked in and looked around the mess
“Neji-niisan!” Hinata reacted startled to her cousin’s sudden presence, “Y-yes, I’m…”
“Don’t worry, we’ll get back to it tomorrow,” Neji said with a relaxed expression, walking towards her with his hands in his pockets, “You’ve made very good progress, you deserve to rest.”
A faint blush spread across Hinata's cheeks at her cousin's compliment, causing her to lower her gaze to the ground. "It's thanks to you, Neji-niisan," she said shyly. She turned around and took the tray of chocolate truffles, offering them to him. "Please take freely."
“Thank you, Hinata-sama but don’t worry, I’ll just have a taste” Neji brought his hand towards her face and with his thumb wiped away some chocolate that had splashed on her cheek without her realizing it, then the ninja brought his thumb to her lips.
“Well, it's a little too sweet for my taste. I prefer it bitter, but I'm sure Naruto will like it.”
Hinata blushed and shuddered nervously at being discovered, “N-no! Well, I just wanted to give him something to cheer him up. I heard he came back injured from the mission.”
"That's right. Apparently, it was a tough mission, but his condition is stable. Would you like me to accompany you? I mean, he might want to make a pass at you."
Hinata laughed, “D-don’t say such things nii-san, Naruto wouldn’t be capable of doing that, much less with me.”
"Hmm, why are you so sure? I've witnessed that boy's indecent behavior at the hot springs, so I'm telling you to be careful."
Hinata blushed, “Well… Naruto may be a bit naughty and get into trouble a lot. But he's never been, nor would he ever be like that with me. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t like me.” Hinata felt sad as she said the last sentence.
Neji frowned and crossed his arms. “Don’t say that. That insecurity won’t get you anywhere, Hinata-sama”
Hinata lowered his head, fidgeting with his fingers. He regretted that his cousin was right.
“You’re really pretty, Hinata-sama. Of course Naruto would take any opportunity you give him.”
Hinata didn't know what was causing her to blush so intensely, whether it was the thought of Naruto being interested in her or the fact that her cousin had just called her pretty. Neji had often acknowledged her discipline, her effort, and her progress in training, but she had never heard him admire her appearance.
The truth is, Neji has always been attracted to Hinata. From the first time he saw her, her tenderness and innocence took his breath away. However, after a while, the resentment in his heart blinded him, and he hated Hinata for make him have feelings for her when the main branch had condemned his father.
Now that he knows the truth and has found his way again, he has spent more time with Hinata, and his feelings have blossomed freely…
“Actually, I’d be fine just getting closer to Naruto and at least being his friend,” Hinata added shyly.
…Even knowing that it cannot be reciprocated.
Since Hinata's heart clearly belongs to the stubborn blonde.
"To be his friend, you should stop being embarrassed every time you see him. That's where you should start."
“I-I can't help it, nii-san. I get so embarrassed.”
“Gai-sensei has taught me that facing things that embarrass us also helps us prepare for situations of uncertainty. What I mean is that you should expose yourself to that discomfort until you get used to it.”
Hinata nodded, agreeing that the theory made sense.
“Let’s practice something. Imagine I’m Naruto. How would you approach him to give him the chocolates?”
“Ah y-yes…” Hinata took the tray with chocolates, “Na-naruto-k-kun… erm… I hope y-you l-like them! Here, please!” Hinata stammered with her head down. The tray shook, causing some truffles to fall to the floor.
Neji looked at her with an awkward expression, “This clearly isn’t going to work. Just offer the chocolates like you offered them to me!”
Hinata nodded with her cheeks still flushed, “N-naruto-kun.. please take…” she said holding out the tray of chocolates.
Neji smiled with satisfaction at this second attempt. “Thank you, Hinata,” Neji said in his best Naruto impression. He took the tray and leaned close to her cheek, planting a kiss on it.
“Kyaa!” Hinata shrieked instantly, turning around and covering her reddened face. Neji looked at her, perplexed, a slight blush on his cheeks.
“W-what’s wrong, Hinata-sama? It was just a kiss on the cheek.”
“I-I wasn’t ready f-for that, nii-san!”
Neji put away the tray of chocolates and crossed his arms. “One is never prepared for a kiss, Hinata-sama. It’s not something you warn in advance. I just wanted to prepare you for a possible response from Naruto. But if it bothered you, please forgive my boldness.”
Although deep down Neji felt no remorse, he also knew that Naruto would never make that move towards her, it was just an excuse since he had wanted to kiss her tender blushing cheeks for a long time.
“N-no, it didn’t bother me but… I’ve never got one before, not even on the cheek” she said embarrassed and fidgeting with her fingers, “You took me by surprise”
“Well, I can see that you’ve never been kissed before. But tell me, what would you do after Naruto kisses you?”
“T-thank him…?”
“No, Hinata-sama. A kiss is not thanked. It is returned.”
“S-so should I kiss you?”
“If you want, remember that we're just pretending. In any case, I'm going back home. Good luck with Naruto-” Neji turned around on his way to leave but was stopped by a tug to his arm.
“S-so is it like… a t-training right?” Hinata asked without letting go of his arm.
“What do you mean?”
“And… i-if we kiss, would that be my first kiss?”
"Look, when we spar, I'm not really your opponent. It's just a simulation exercise. Just like if we kiss, it doesn't mean I'm your lover, so it doesn't really count as a real kiss."
“Ah -okay…” Hinata nodded, letting go of her arm.
“Why? Do you want me to teach you how to kiss?” Neji raised an eyebrow.
Hinata blushed intensely, “W-well, I’d like to know what it’s like… before giving a real kiss. Have you kissed before?”
The only girl her cousin had ever seen him interact with was TenTen. Although he'd never noticed any romantic tension between them, they spent a lot of time together and get along well. The thought gave her a strange feeling of sadness, almost like when she reminds herself Sakura is Naruto's partner.
“Excuse me, but my private life is none of your business,” Neji replied curtly, crossing his arms.
Neji, in fact, had no experience either, as he'd never been interested in any other girl besides Hinata. However, he's adept at learning by observing, and after all, the senseis Asuma and Kurenai aren't as discreet as they think they are.
“S-sorry, nii-san. But would you teach me? O-only if you agree, of course,” she asked, looking away, fidgeting with her fingers.
Neji smiled warmly. Hinata was one of the few things in life that warmed his cold heart.
"Of course. It'll be a pleasure," the boy replied. She didn't catch the last part literally, but he meant it in every sense of the word.
"You should familiarize yourself with the approach first so your nerves don't betray you," Neji took two steps until he was a few inches from her face. The height difference wasn't much, but it was considerable.
“Well then, let’s start with the kiss on the cheek. I think it was your turn, wasn’t it?”
Hinata nodded and brought her lips closer to her cousin's cheek. However, she hadn't counted on Neji turning his head slightly to clash her lips to his.
Hinata's face turned bright red again.
“N-neji-niisan! You said we’d continue with the kiss on the cheek!”
"I told you, a kiss should not be premeditated. Besides, kissing on the cheek is for academy brats. You want to experience a real one, don’t you?"
“Y-yes, but I wanted to prepare first.”
“Getting ready just makes you nervous. And you don’t have to blush. After all, I’m not Naruto, and this doesn’t count as a real kiss, remember?”
“B-but, nii-san. You're blushing too.”
Neji shuddered at the realization that his face had given him away. “I-it’s hot… I guess that’s affecting you too. We’d go outside, but someone might see us, so we’ll stay here… if you want to keep going.”
“Y-yeah, that’s fine, nii-san. I think we can keep on with a kiss on the lips then,” Hinata said with a shy, sweet smile.
Looking at her, Neji was sure the blush on his cheeks had deepen. “W-well, this time we’ll take it slow if that makes you feel more comfortable. Just repeat what I do, okay?”
Hinata nodded and closed her eyes once she saw Neji approaching. He realized he was right when he told her that getting prepared only gets you nervous. Unlike the times he had kissed her without warning, Neji felt his heartbeat increase as he got closer, and Hinata's lips seemed to be waiting for him anxiously.
Their lips finally met. Softly, Neji took her lower lip between his own. He did so gently, allowing her to mimic his movements. The fleeting nature of the previous kiss prevented him from admiring the softness of his cousin's lips, which, although trembling slightly from nerves and moving somewhat awkwardly, were the sweetest thing he had ever tasted.
Neji took her chin on his bandaged hand as a way of supporting Hinata's head. While she rested her hands on his chest, lightly gripping his shirt, some thoughts suddenly surfaced in her mind.
“Neji-niisan’s lips feel so good. I wonder if Naruto-kun’s feel like this.”
Neji broke the kiss briefly but without separating from her.
“You’re doing very well, Hinata-sama. Just relax and remember to tilt your head slightly on the opposite” Neji whispered.
The warmth of her cousin's breath against her lips caused a particular tickle. "A-alright, nii-san."
When they resumed the kiss, this time it was her who took the lead. She placed her hand on his cheek while he grabbed her hips and back. A few seconds later, Neji slowly began to open his lips a bit, hoping to get the same response and deepen the kiss. However, she still seemed afraid to take it further. So, Neji decided to stop again and this time asked for permission first.
“Since you don’t want any more surprises, tell me, is it okay if I put my tongue in?”
“T-tongue? Oh b-but nii-san, that’s for adults!” Hinata felt so embarrassed that she hid her reddened face against his chest, and his reaction was to hold her by the arms.
“I’m… just saying, since we're at it. And there's nothing wrong with that, we're old enough to do it. But if you don't want to, that's fine.”
“N-no wait! …. y-yes I want to... P-please, Neji-niisan.”
Hinata's attitude confused him more and more. He worried that perhaps she wasn't as innocent and demure as she appeared, but he was relieved that she trusted him enough to explore these topics. It boosted his ego and he smirked at the feeling.
With both hands Neji took Hinata's face and approached her, while she waited for him with trembling lips and her hands resting on his chest. Neji began by taking her lower lip, this time it was no longer a simple lip union, he took her lower lip into his mouth, then he let Hinata repeat her movement while Neji's tongue peeked out at her upper lip, then when Hinata parted her lips, he introduced his tongue until she opened her mouth enough for both tongues to meet and rub wetly against each other.
They would break away just a little to catch their breath and continue for several seconds. Always following the same pattern, Neji would kiss her the way he'd seen other couples do it and let Hinata repeat it.
Neji noticed Hinata's clumsiness as he felt how her tongue had moistened the tip of his nose. "Control your tongue a little more, you have to direct it only towards my mouth."
“Y-yes… sorry,” Hinata nodded embarrassedly.
“Don’t worry, you’re doing great. Do you like it?”
“Y-yes, nii-san. It feels very good.”
Hinata's lips looked wet, swollen, and rosier than they already were. Neji couldn't resist the urge to kiss her again, this time passionately, taking her by the nape of the neck to allow his tongue to explore the depths of her mouth. Hinata moaned, struggling to keep up with her cousin's rhythm, but she couldn't deny how much she enjoyed it.
“I hope Naruto-kun kisses me like this someday,” Hinata thought.
They kept on kissing for several seconds, until suddenly they sensed footsteps in the distance approaching, walking within the clan's territory.
With his Byakugan, Neji was able to confirm that it was Hiashi and Hanabi.
_____________________
“...Hinata has made quite a bit of progress. At this rate, she could become a chunnin next year, Hanabi,” father and daughter were talking a few steps from the front door of the house.
Upon entering, the pair found Neji and Hinata sitting at the tea table. Their cups and pot were only set out for show, as were the chocolates in the centerpiece.
“H-hi! It’s good to have you back!” Hinata said with a fake but nervous smile that luckily neither her father nor her sister noticed. Meanwhile, Neji gave a small bow with his head, maintaining his distinguished serenity on his face.
“Ah Neji, it’s good that you came to accompany Hinata,” Hiashi said to his nephew.
“Yes, Hinata-sama invited me over for a tea. But I was just heading out,” Neji said as he stood up from his seat.
“Okay, come in anytime, Neji. Remember you’re welcome here”
“Thank you. With your permission, Hiashi-sama, Hanabi-sama,” Neji bowed to both on his way to the door.
Hinata hesitated for a moment but decided to follow his cousin who was already heading towards the hallway.
“W-wait, nii-san!”
Neji stopped and turned around. “Just tell me one thing, Hinata-sama.”
“Y-yes?”
“Did you ever think about Naruto? While… you know?”
Hinata blushed at the question, “Oh nii-san… the t-truth is… I-”
“On second thought, I'd rather not know. That's your business.”
Deep down, Neji didn't want to ruin what the moment meant to himself, knowing the answer perfectly well. For Hinata, her only real kiss will be with Naruto. But even so, although it may not have been a real kiss for her, just a practice experiment; for Neji, it was the realest thing he'd felt in years.
“Thank you, Nii-san. I couldn’t have done this with anyone else.”
Neji just responded with a smile, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Hinata-sama. So we can train…in whatever you like.”