It's so pretty...

[stillpure]

He was dressed up. Where his mother had managed to locate anything to dress him up with on such short notice with he had no idea, but it meant when he took off roaming he was a streak of dark blue and red amid those at the festival as he went here and there, utterly fascinated by the new sights.

He'd been to festivals in Konoha, yes, but those were different. This was -new-.

It also meant he wasn't exactly being the most attentive person ever, and had escaped the people he'd been with. Unintentionally, of course.

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[openedthebasket]

He's a little disappointed in himself that he hadn't asked, but really, it would be stupid. He was likely reading far too much into what seemed to be a simple gesture, after all. Instead, his fingers go back to gently combing through the ends of her hair, carefully, ready to stop the moment she tensed up or showed any kind of displeasure. "...I really do like your hair," he says finally without looking at her. "It suits you."

[fire_fox]

She had to giggle at that and look up at him:"You kind of said that dattebane, but thank you." She smiled and reached out to touch his bangs and move them behind his ear. "Your hair is really nice too, 'tebbane," she murmured.

[openedthebasket]

He goes still, not certain if he should be offended by her laugh. Before he could reach a decision, her hand in in his hair and brushing past his ear. A man of less control might have shivered; as it was, he couldn't completely control his dark flush. "It is very plain," he manages after a long moment, eyes sliding to watch her hand. "Hinata-sama's is much finer."

[fire_fox]

She didn't mean to offend. She found it kind of cute that he repeated himself. She repeats herself all the time.
The bangs didn't seem to want to stay where she put them so she kept on repeating the attempt to make them stay there. She shook her head:"I think it's really nice to touch," she smiled.

[openedthebasket]

There's a reason his bangs are always out the way they are; even if he tried to keep them back, they simply wouldn't stay. Eventually, he'd grown accustomed to them being there, though telling Naruto such would mean she would take her hand away, and he wasn't possessed of quite as much control as that. Instead, his hand rises against her back, just gently touching his fingertips to the hair covering the back of her neck. "...Thank you," he says finally, for lack of anything better. "I do not mind, should you choose to do so."

Because it was always a good idea to make something like that clear, right?

[fire_fox]

"Any time," she continued to smile and look him directly in the eyes. Her hand fell aside as she continued to watch him. She didn't mind the hand:"No, I don't mind," was somewhere between whisper and talking.

[openedthebasket]

His lips threaten to quirk into another smirk at the idea that she might be enjoying his touch to her hair, but it's buried beneath the nervousness of actually being in so close to a person without combat... especially when that person was Naruto. Experimentally, he brushes his fingertips against the back of her neck as if by accident, keeping his eyes on hers, ready to read the smallest gesture with his eyes.

[fire_fox]

Another tinge of rosy color across her cheeks appeared at the touch, as her eyes fell half-lidded, and she had the urge to shudder a bit, but not because she was cold. No... she couldn't really explain this feeling. Not at this current moment that is.

[openedthebasket]

There was no mistaking that reaction as one of enjoyment and pleasure, and his eyes stay on her own half-lidded ones as he does it again, only a cursory effort made to brush through her hair as his fingers trail along her neck. Her skin was soft in this place, perhaps surprisingly so for someone who was trained as a kunoichi. Then again, what was he expecting, the same kind of callouses as were on both of their hands? Ridiculous.

It was addicting, touching her skin like this, and somehow, he couldn't bring himself to pull back just yet.

[fire_fox]

If Neji even tried to pull away, she would probably ask to do it again. She leaned her head on his shoulder fully and closed her eyes, enjoying the touch of the fingers completely.

[openedthebasket]

His cheeks darken again when she rests against him, but he doesn't try to dislodge her. Instead, he continues to stroke his fingers gently along the back of her neck, half-worried that he might lull her to sleep like this.

...It would be a simple matter to lean down and press his lips to the top of her head, but he couldn't bring himself to do so, not yet. Not when he still couldn't predict how she would respond. A pause, his fingers tracing light circles against the back of her neck, before he murmurs as a quiet question, "...Why did you kiss me, before?"

[fire_fox]

She blinked. Was that what he wanted to ask her before? She couldn't help but smiled as she picked on the blanket.

"Because you were really nice to me. You got me dango, followed me around to get shoes and even followed me home even if you didn't have to. So I thought...it would be... I don't know..." she glances up at him. "I shouldn't have done that, huh?"

[openedthebasket]

His fingers still against her neck as he laughs quietly, almost sliding his eyes away but unwilling to miss even a moment of her reactions in response to his question. "I... didn't mind," he says quietly, his white eyes on her own vibrant blue ones. "It was the least I could do."

It's a slow, cautious gesture as he leans in to just gently brush his lips over her cheek, then pull back, flushing again. "Thank you."

It's from the corner of his eye that he spots the torches below, and he almost curses. "It looks like they're about to light the fireworks."

[fire_fox]

It was so light. That small kiss on her cheek that had her smiling like a idiot they always point out she is. "You don't have to thank for a kiss, Neji," she smiled again broadly.

She blinks and looks over where Neji was watching and nodded:"Yeah, it seems so, dattebane." She looked at him, wondering why was he so displeased about it. "You sound a bit annoyed that they will start," she raises her eyebrows at him.

[openedthebasket]

"Don't be foolish." The words come out a little too quickly as his fingers tighten gently against the back of her neck. "I am hardly annoyed." Except for the part where they had interrupted what he's certain is commonly called a moment, one he doubted he would be able to get back.

Instead, he turns his attention to the torches, then to the sky as the first few are lit.

[fire_fox]

She giggled softly- way to go and confirm what she said Neji. She doesn't believe you one bit. "Of course you aren't, dattebane," she lightly poked his side, still smiling. She didn't know why he was annoyed, but it was so easy to tease him about it.

[openedthebasket]

He only grunts, hardly amused by her giggle, as cute a sound as it was. He almost blanches -- cute, was that a word he would really use to describe her? That sounded like something Hinata-sama would say. "Hush. They're lighting them now," he mutters, fingers lightly curling against her neck as he tilts his head toward the sky with the accompanying hiss and crack of the first fireworks.

[fire_fox]

She nodded once, looking up at the sky as first firework lit it up. "It's beautiful dattebane..." Naruto basically stared at it like in trance, mouth and eyes open wide with large smile.

[openedthebasket]

"Mm." He just nods, keeping his head tilted toward the sky, though his eyes slide toward her again. The way the exploding fireworks reflected off her hair and in those blue eyes was even better than he'd thought it might be, and try as he might, he couldn't return his focus to the bursts above. "It is," he murmurs, fingers stroking gently along the back of her neck again. "I am surprised."

[fire_fox]

She didn't know why he was surprised but he confirmed that it is beautiful, not noticing that he was watching her... yet.
It was that feeling you get when someone's watching you that makes you look away from what you are doing to catch the gaze of the other. And she looked away from colorful fireworks and had her eyes locked on his.

[openedthebasket]

He hadn't expected her to turn, thinking at she would be too distracted by the fireworks. His fingers still against her neck as his breath catches. Damn, he should have been able to see the shift in her face before she moved, but he'd been too distracted by... well... her.

A pause, then he coughs lightly, shifting his hand from the back of her neck to rub his thumb against her cheek. "You had a smudge," he mutters, his own cheeks flushing dark again.

[fire_fox]

Her cheeks burned at the touch, but she couldn't turn away. Or break the gaze she had locked with him at the moment. Her mind registered fireworks blowing up in the background, but his hands were too warm, too distracting and then there was the simple truth- she didn't want to look away from him. "Ah..."

[openedthebasket]

He keeps his hand against her cheek for a long moment, fingertips tracing those distinctive lines along her skin. "You're missing the fireworks," he says quietly after a moment, shifting in just a few more centimeters as he pretended to look for more imaginary dirt.

[fire_fox]

She can see him speak, something obviously related to fireworks. "Right..." but she doesn't moves, because she can see the fireworks. "... I don't think... I am," she murmured silently, eyes falling half-lidded at the gentle tracing of the fingers.

[openedthebasket]

Oh, that look on her face brings another heated flush to his cheeks, but he doesn't let her go or stop watching her, memorizing every detail of her reactions and her body language. "As long as you are pleased by what you see," he answers in a murmur, thumb brushing again over one of the lines on her face.