Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Note: This fanfic is set post time-skip, but was written before the actual time skip had been written in the manga, so I suppose its AU.

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Chapter One:
Learning to Scream
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Dawn began to settle across the skies of Konoha village. Bright streaks of orange and pink cut through the clouds like heavenly kunai. A light dew clung to the grass. The slightly chilly wind whistled through the trees. The field behind the old training academy was empty, save one solitary blond ninja slowly swinging on an abandoned tree swing.

Oh... and me hiding in the bushes.

I know the situation looks err... unwholesome. Please don't misunderstand me. I'm not stalking Naruto-kun. I AM going to go up and talk to him! I just need a moment to compose my self. Besides, Naruto-kun looks soo... Un-Naruto like so maybe he needs a moment too? What if I catch him in a moment of weakness and embarrass his manly pride? So I'm giving him a moment. Several of them in fact. I'm considerate like that.

Hmm... If he's depressed I could comfort him... in the moonlight... all alone... Eeek!

I repressed a shiver and put my hands in my jacket pocket. In front of me, Naruto-kun leaned forward on his swing, staring forward but seeing nothing. He was gently pushing off the ground with the tip of his foot, letting the swing sway back and forth.

When had his eyes become so blue?

Oh course, they've always been blue. But ever since he returned from his two year training trip, they've become bluer. And somehow deeper too, like a whirlpool I'd gladly drown in. You don't get to see his eyes very often. He closes his eyes when he smiles, like his smile is too big for his face.

I've always been fascinated by eyes. Blue, green, red, violet, brown, they reflect so much of a person's soul. He has such kind and terribly lonely eyes. Maybe that's why his smile covers them up? My own eyes are supposed to instill fear in my enemies, not reflect such "useless" emotions such as kindness. My clan will never be satisfied with the reflection they see in my eyes.

Still, the situation with my father and my cousin is better now. After my first chunnin exam, they both became... nicer. Father said something to him... I don't know what. And I know Naruto-kun beating Neji-nisan broke through his icy facade. I guess I have him to thank for that too, huh?

Kindness, fear, gentleness... A Hyuuga is meant to be a stoic mountain; unmoving and unyielding. But I know better now. Kindness isn't a liability. I know in my gut I'm right. It's funny really, that eyes that can see in all directions could be so blind when gazing within.

That is my nindo.

I've become stronger Naruto-kun. I want you to see. I want you to be proud.

And now I can finally tell him. He's finally returned from his training trip with that... that... MAN. Oh, it makes my stomach clench just thinking about it! When he had left on that sunny day years ago, I had been worried that he would come back different somehow. Would his eyes no longer sparkle, or crinkle at the edges when he smiled? Or worse, he would come back with that hardened, empty look that I have seen on so many other ninjas? Still, I knew deep down that Naruto-kun was strong. He could take anything the world could throw at him.

However, the news of what his legendary teacher was really like began to trickle down to me.

And that's when I became REALLY worried.

So worried in fact, that I bought a copy of Icha Icha Paradise with the help of an aging genjutsu Kurenai had taught me (obviously not intended to help me procure dirty books). I bought it purely for research purposes, of course! I was sure it would give me some kind of insight into what the man who had taken Naruto away was like.

...why oh why had I read it? Surely THAT should never go THERE normally! And I never knew that THAT could do... that. And honestly, if you tried to do THAT with THAT why... you would be arrested!

...wouldn't you?

For weeks, I couldn't sleep. What kind of horrible-womanizing-pervert-enemy-of all-women-evil-man had Tsunade-sama allowed Naruto to be trained by? How could she let him leave with such a man?! My faith in Konoha's leadership was shattered! But more importantly, what kind of womanizing pervert Casanova would NARUTO return as?

What if he got messed up expectations and expected all women to be like the ones in that book? I could never compete! I could never slink around and be all sultry like those women in the novel. I can't slink. I'm a shuffler. I shuffle.

Shuffle. Shuffle. Shuffle.

That's never the sound effect when a sexy woman enters the room!

And in the midst of my agonizing, the worst possible thing happened.

Neji-nisan caught me reading my copy of Icha Icha Paradise.

It was the first, and probably only time, I have seen Neji-nisan burst into laughter.

It's strange that a major turning point in my life would come with me in my pajamas and bunny slippers early Saturday morning, holding a dirty book, and turning strange combinations of red. And yet, it was. Something just snapped inside. The cage inside my mind smashed, releasing my inner beast.

A tiny, bunny slipper wearing beast, but a beast nonetheless.

I still remember what I said.

"S-So what if it is mine?!" I glared at him and tried to stand taller, even though I still barely reached his shoulders. "I was doing research cause I was worried about Naruto-kun! And-And now he's going to come back a super pervert and-- How could they print such horrible stuff?! How could this be a best seller?! What is the world coming to?!"

My cousin had looked taken back, but also oddly amused.

Which had made me even angrier.

"Wha-what are you so happy about?! Why oh why did Tsunade-sama let him go away with that man that... that.. Ero-Sennin! Yes, I said it! And it WAS rather disrespectful!"

Neji shrugged his shoulders in a placating kind of way.

I think I then became a bit incomprehensible, because Neji had put his hands on my shoulders and shook me slightly. I recall looking up dazed.

The corner of Neji's mouth twitched. "I'm sorry to break this to you but." He didn't look sorry at all. "Naruto is..." A smirk cracked his stone face. "ALREADY A PERVERT."

And then he had walked away, leaving me alone in my room with my mouth hanging open.

I think I threw the book at him too, but everything for the next hour or so after that is a bit cloudy.

I know it would have been a small moment for anyone else. But for me, it was important; defining. I had yelled at someone!

I know it sounds so insignificant, but it was the first time in my life I had left my true feelings flow out of me.

And little by little, it became easier.

The first week, my teammates went to eat after practice at the restaurant I picked out instead of simply staying silent and letting them choose. And then Kiba found out what I REALLY thought about him and Akamaru practicing lethal peeing practice only ten feet away from where I was practicing.

He was very polite to me for weeks.

Then I asked Kurenai to teach me a few Genjutsus. A month after that, I asked for the DANGEROUS ones.

And things progressed that way for two years, little by little.

I can speak now. I WILL speak now. I won't hold back. I'll be more like Naruto-kun. Stronger. LOUDER.

I really admire his ability to scream. I can understand why many people see it as an obnoxious trait, and it sort of is, but I envy it. To be able to scream your heart out until your throat burns, not giving a damn what anyone thinks, it's true freedom.

And I won't let him scream alone anymore. Two voices are louder than one, right?

I backtracked out of the bushes, and approached Naruto-kun from the walkway like I hadn't been staring at him from the bushes till nightfall like a disturbed person.

I still have some issues I need to work out, I guess.

I slowly approached Naruto-kun, who looked up at me as if waking from a dream.

"Hello Naruto-kun." I took another step forward and leaned down a tiny bit. Even from his sitting position on the swing, we were almost eye level. He'd gotten taller, not a lot taller, but still taller. It suited him. "Are you okay?"

Yes! No stuttering! Everything is going okay so far! No klutzy-ness either.

"Oh, hi Hinata." He smiled fleetingly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just weird being back ya know? And..." He trailed off and looked away.

"What?" I took another step forward. Wow, we're having a meaningful conversation in the moonlight! Not that Naruto-kun's pain is good. Er...

"It's just that..."

"Yes?"

Naruto-kun locked gazes with me, and it felt like he was boring in my soul. Have we finally made a connection? A gentle breeze blew a few tendrils of his golden hair across his forehead. As if in slow motion, he opened his mouth to speak.

"The... ramen shop is closed today!"

I took another step and promptly fell face first into a mud puddle.

A muddy, squishy, dirty, mud puddle.

My nindo still needs some work.

Why me?

...maybe if I don't move he'll think I'm dead and leave me alone.

Or... maybe he'll think I'm dead and give me CPR!

Visions of lips and fingertips, of random twisted ankles and piggy back rides, of midnight confessions of love, contrived blanket scenarios and sudden rain storms flashed through my mind.

...I never should have read that book.

"Oh crap! Hinata are you okay?" Naruto-kun grabbed my arms and lifted me from the puddle. My fall had splattered him all over with mud too.

"Oh my gosh Naruto-kun I'm s-so sorry! I didn't mean to get you all muddy!"

"Eh heh heh. It's okay. It's not like ya did it on purpose or anything." He smiled. "Don't worry about it. Trust me, I've stepped on and fallen into lots of stuff way more gross than mud. Why I remember this one time..." He paused and looked sheepish. "Oops, sorry about that. Girls probably don't want to hear about my adventures of stepping into gross stuff."

"Oh no, I don't mind." I'd listen to him read off his grocery list if I could. I paused and looked down... he was still holding me.

Naruto must have noticed too, because he let go of me gently and stepped back. I watched as he wiped a bit of mud absently off his cheek, and I had a strange urge to grab his hand and wipe it off myself... His deep blue gaze turned to me and his head tilted curiously.

"You're so... weird Hinata."

My heart took a plunge into the cold dark ocean of despair.

"But in a good way."

My heart jumped out of the ocean and went to a beach party; the happy drunken kind.

Naruto looked away. "Do you think anyone would mind if I took this swing?"

I was having trouble throwing off the after effects of Naruto-kun's "compliment no jutsu". "Huh?"

He looked back at me, and his expression was blank, unreadable. "They're not doing anything with it. If I just swipe it, no one will care right? I used to sit here all the time as a kid." He shrugged and brushed some mud off of his pants. "I dunno, just bothers me that it's just gonna sit here and rot."

"I promise I won't tell a soul!"

Naruto blinked. "Wow Hinata, you're talking in exclamation points and everything!" He smiled, and the smile reached to the tiny creases in his eyes.

A little dark spot inside me warmed and I couldn't help smiling back.

"Ok then!" He jumped up to the lowest branch in one leap, pulled a kunai from his pants pocket, cut the top of the rope with one smooth motion, jumped down, and caught the swing before it fell to the ground. "Operation complete!"

"What are you going to do with it?"

"Eh? I dunno" He shrugged, and I could have sworn the tips of his ears turned red. "I guess I'll take it to my apartment. Maybe I'll keep it and some other kid someday will swing on it. Oh well, I'll figure something out."

Some other kid? Like... his own someday?

Or... OURS?

EEK! Bad Hinata! Block the Icha Icha Paradise thoughts out! You are a properly brought up lady!

I took a step forward and felt a sharp jab of pain shoot through my ankle. I tried to keep my balance, but it was hopeless. I was going to meet Mr. Ground again today.

Then Naruto-kun caught me in his arms.

My breath caught. My heart forgot to beat. My face burned. I looked up and our faces were only inches apart. He smiled a cheshire grin at me, but I could see his cheeks turning rosy.

"Heh, can't stay out of my arms eh?"

We were so close I could feel his breathe on my face. He smelled like ramen... Should I kiss him? Is this my chance? Or would that be weird?

I accidentally leaned back and winced in pain.

"Ah jeez. You're hurt aren't you?" He stepped back a bit but still kept a loose hold on my arms.

I felt the mood crumble like Tsunade-sama in a poker game.

"Um... I think it may be twisted." TWISTED ANKLE PIGGY BACK RIDE! Eeek! No! I have to stop jumping to conclusions! He wouldn't do anything like... I blinked.

He had let me go gently and was now standing with his back turned to me, holding his arms out behind his back.

"Here." He looked over his shoulder at me. "I'll give you a piggy back ride home."

My heart remembered to beat, and then started pounding so hard it made up for all of the missed beats at once.

Oh my gosh! NarutowantstogivemeapiggybackridewhatshouldIdo?! That would involve touching and stuff and.. Eeek! I can't move! But I have to go for it! Then I can be pressed against him and... Oh no! I'M THE ONE THAT TURNED INTO A PERVERT!

"Err..." He paused, looking so lost for a brief second before he covered it up that my heart clenched painfully. "If you don't want to that's--"

"OKAY!!"

I clamped my hand over my mouth, but it was too late. I'd just screamed so loudly half of Konoha had to have heard it.

Naruto stepped back in surprise. "Whoa, I didn't know you could be that loud!" He smiled again, a smile just for me. "Here." He walked in front of me and showed his back again. "On the count of three I'll pick ya up... one, two, three!"

He latched his hands behind my knees as I hesitantly leaned forward. Seemingly effortlessly, he lifted me up onto his back.

I was so close his scent filled my nostrils; it was sweat, fresh cut grass, and just a hint of miso ramen. I thought he said the ramen shop was closed today? Oh well! Who cares! Naruto-kun was giving me a piggy back ride!!

"I know you had it in ya." He started walking off toward the Hyuuga estate. Was it my imagination, or were his ears turning red again? "I've always found, that if ya want people to notice you, ya gotta shout above the crowd. Know what I mean?"

"Yeah... I know what you mean Naruto-kun."

And so, he carried me off into the night, talking all the way until we came to my home. And although we didn't do THAT or THIS... Not that I expected to! I felt that today, and from now on, my voice would be loud enough for him to hear.

I had learned to scream.

Which sounds a bit perverted now that I think about it...

Darn Ero-Senin.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

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Chapter Two:
Learning to Shut Up
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"Do you think Hinata likes me?"

Kiba and Shikamaru stopped eating ramen, turned around, and stared at me like I'd just asked them if they wanted to buy some Orochimaru porn.

“Wha-what the hell?” A noodle was hanging from Kiba’s lips and he was scrunching up his eyebrows at me like he was trying to add one plus one in his head.

“I SAID-“

“We know what you said Naruto, we’re just in awe of how dumb you are.” Shikamaru turned around and started to eat his ramen again (Shika’s a genius and knows you don’t waste good ramen). “Troublesome dumbass.”

What’s their problem? Hinata’s so quiet… How am I supposed to know how she feels? It’s not like she has ‘I love Uzumaki Naruto!’ tattooed to her forehead. But she has been talking to me a lot lately. She’s nice and friendly and she seems to actually want to talk to me. So she could like me.

Then again, maybe she’s just being nice? I don’t want to see more into it then is there and be all pathetic. I’ve already done the whole ‘throwing myself at someone’ thing with Sakura. That situation turned into a big pile of crap and I’d rather not step in anything again.

So why are Kiba and Shika… oh.

“So you think I’m not good enough for her huh?” I looked away and glared down at the countertop. Sure Hinata’s practically the princess of the Hyugas, but love could overcome status. It’d be like that one story… Homeo and Ruliet? Except without the stabbing-poisoning-dying thing.

Speaking of Homeo I shoulda just asked Lee. He’d be all supportive of the power of love to conquer all. He wouldn’t get all clan snobby with me. Sure, I’d have to suffer through a gay-ish speech, but if Lee wants to ride the green leotard dragon who I am to judge?

“It’s not that. It’s just… ugh.” Shikamaru rubbed his temples. “It’s not my place to explain this.”

Kiba was still squinting at me and seemed to finally make his mind up about something and grimaced like he tasted rotten milk. “I can’t believe you even have to ask that. She IS too good for you.”

“The future Hokage is good enough for anyone!” I’m Uzumaki, Naruto! I’m great, I’m stylish, I’m strong, I have great taste in food, I’m nice, I brush my teeth almost every day, and I’m gonna be the leader of the village someday! What’s not to like?

And check it out. I just rhymed.

“Feh.” Kiba’s chopsticks broke with a snap. “I thought you liked Haruno? Pretty damn fickle aren’t ya? So any chic that pays attention to you ya suddenly just throw yourself at her?”

“The Sakura thing was years ago! She’s just a friend now! What the hell’s your problem?”

Kiba’s face was turning all red and his other chopstick went to join the first in the ramen afterlife. This is freaky. Kiba’s hotheaded but he’s not some psycho. Why he blowing his top? It’s almost like he’s…

Oh. Ohhhhhhhh. Heh. Heh.

I leaned forward and grinned. “Jealous?”

I could practically feel the air freeze up.

Shikamaru slapped some cash on the counter and walked away muttering something about not getting involved in triangles… What the hell does geometry have to do with anything?

The corner of Kiba’s lip was curling backwards like he was snarling. He tensed up like he was getting ready to pounce and then suddenly deflated. A kinda dark look had come over him, but he seemed like he wasn’t going to freak out. I don’t know if it’s a good sign or he’s just decided that stabbing me to death with broken chopsticks just wasn’t going to be satisfying enough and he was planning something worse.

He ran his hand through his hair (picking for fleas?) and sighed. “Do you like her?”

“Sure I like her. She’s nice and-“

“No. I mean do you LIKE her.”

Oh.

“Well I… um I…“

Damn.

I never even thought about it.

“I don’t know.”

I could see that was so not the right answer.

Akamaru, who’d been sitting quietly on the ground near Kiba like a good little doggie was now growling at me like some kinda seven headed hell mutt. Akamaru had grown huge while I was gone with Jiraiya, and now he looked like the world’s ugliest pony. With fangs. Yeah, I should back up a little bit.

“Then what the fuck does it matter if she likes you if you don’t like her back? You just gonna use her for kicks and throw her away when you get bored?” Now Kiba was growling, too.

“No! I’d never do that to any girl! I’m not that kinda guy!” I’m a nice guy! I can even do the pose!

“Then what are you gonna do?” Kiba’s voice was getting louder and people were starting to stare. And was that killing intent? “What if she does like you and then you find out later, after she’s all attached to your sorry ass, that you don’t like her? Then what are you gonna do?”

“I don’t know! I’m resourceful and strong! I’ll think of something!”

“I don’t care how strong you think you are Uzumaki.” Kiba’s voice got all deep and threatening. “If you don’t treat her with respect...” Kiba leaned down and got all in my face. “Or if you break her heart… I WILL RIP OUT YOUR HEART.”

Akamaru barked.

Kiba leaned back and absently patted his ugly pony. “And feed it to Akamaru.”

Huh…

“So you’re saying she DOES like me?”

“Gah!” Kiba banged his head against the counter a few times. “Just forget it!” He put some money on the counter. “You just sort out your own shit Uzumaki before you go stepping into any more.” He gestured to his horsey. “Come on Akamaru.”

Kiba and his pony jumped up and walked off, without so much as a goodbye. It’s the sort of thing that could really hurt a guy’s self esteem.

Whatever, me and dog breath never got along that well to begin with. Besides, I guess he is looking out for her (but he’s SO jealous).

He’s wrong about me though. I’ve been kicked around enough in life that I never want to make anyone else feel that way. If I had a girlfriend, I’d be the best damn boyfriend in the village. I’d be the Hokage of boyfriends! I’d be charming, buy her ramen, and maybe even share my ramen.

Hell I’d be a great husband and father too! I’d have all sorts of little blond haired brats running around that I’d teach techniques to, take out for ice-cream, and tell stories to. We’d have a swing in the yard and huge birthday parties on their birthdays. No past-Hokage funeral remembrances on my kids’ birthdays. They’d never feel lonely or not loved, I’d hug them everyday, and maybe we’d have our own ramen chef in the Hokage mansion. Wouldn’t that be great?

I guess if they were dark haired kids that wouldn’t be that bad either…

Argh. Damnity damn damn! I’m so confused!

“Naruto, please stop hitting your head on the countertop. You’re going to dent it.”

I looked up, and Ayame (the ramen chef’s daughter) had this... smug knowing expression on her face.

What does everyone else know that I don’t’?

Five minutes later, I’m walking home with that nice sloshy-full of ramen-feel in my stomach and for the life of me I can’t enjoy it.

How do you find out if someone likes you?

Why can’t I just ask her if she likes me? Ok let’s think this through… I go up, ask her, she turns me down nicely or she turns red, maybe passes out from embarrassment, ANBU spring outta nowhere and go, “You’ve killed the Hyuga heiress! Prepare to die Kyuubi fiend!” And then I gotta bust out the kage bunshin and…

Ok, so maybe just asking her isn’t the best way to go about this mission.

As much as it rips me up inside I think I’m going to have to take Kiba’s advice. I can’t just half ass this. A girl’s heart is like a dangerous jutsu, and not everyone’s got Kyuubi healing powers if things go wrong…

Three days and one D-rank mission later and I still haven’t figured anything out.

How do you find out if you like someone?

In the movies your eyes meet across the distance, cherry blossoms fall from the sky and you just KNOW. But life isn’t like the movies. There’s no background music to tell you how to act, and the orphan doesn’t end up with a brand new family after some amusing hijinks.

You can’t expect anything to fall into your lap. Everything I’ve ever gained was through blood, sweat, and tears. Hell, I even had to give up a normal life for the Kyuubi. But love isn’t supposed to be like that right? It’s supposed to be soft and warm. I’ve never really had it, but it’s got to be like that, otherwise why would everyone want it?

I now a lot of ninjas think love and kindess makes you weak somehow and holds you back. But that’s a bunch of bullshit! Having precious people and protecting them is the most important thing in life. I know in my gut I’m right.

That’s my nindo.

Jeez, the way Kiba talked it sounded like she was already in love with me or something. But that’s nuts! How can you love someone you just recently started talking to? She might really be in love with some kinda image she’s made up rather than the real me. Sure I’ve known her since we were kids, but I’ve only recently started to really KNOW her. Can you really know someone that well, if you just started talking talk to them?

And hell, even if she knows me I know she’s got no idea about what’s inside of me. If she finds that out, all of this shit might not even matter.

…. I’m so confused. I’m gonna have to kick Kiba’s ass later for making me think all these deep thoughts.

I should probably just ask Sakura, she’s my link to girldom. Well, Granny Tsunade is sorta a link too, but it’s more like a missing link. I’m afraid she won’t be able to wipe away the mental cobwebs to think that far back. Her stories would probably involve hitting the guy she liked over the head with a club and dragging him off to her cave.

I stopped in front of Ino’s flower shop. That bit of pink hair has got to be Sakura. I’ll just stand in front of Ino’s family flower shop and catch Sakura as she’s coming out.

Hopefully, I can convince Sakura not to say anything to Hinata. You’ve got to be careful when telling girls things. They’ve got this amazing communication system. Tell one girl and the next day everyone with breasts knows about it. It’s sort of like that game Telephone you play as a kid only really evil.

“Hey, Sakura-chan!”

Sakura looked up and waved at me. Her smile put the white flowers she was carrying to shame. Damn, she’s pretty. Oh well, I never had a chance with her. Besides, now that I stopped hitting on her, she’s doesn’t hit me as often.

Have I mentioned how great it is that Granny Tsunade taught her to punch EVEN HARDER? Yeah, it’s just friggin fantastic.

“Hi Naruto! How are you?” She stopped in front of me and absently shifted her grocery bag to her hip.

“Eh, I’m okay. Who are the flowers for? Is someone in the hospital again?” Maybe Chouji swallowed a spoon again. Man, had that been funny.

“No, nothing like that. It’s my parents anniversary.” She held up the bag that held a bouquet of white roses. “My dad doesn’t know the first thing about flowers and asked me to buy a bouquet of my mom’s favorite flowers.”

“Ah well, that sorta ties in with what I want to ask you. See um, I need some advice about um… about girls and relationship stuff.”

Ero-senin once told me that veteran ninja sometimes gain a sort of six sense that warns you when you’ve made the wrong decision and the mission is about to go to hell. He said that greenhorn ninja most of the time don’t realize immediately when a mission goes south. Sometimes they’re not able to figure out what went wrong weeks afterwards either (assuming they haven’t been cut up into ninja mush). But the hardened veterans got this sense that tells them, right after a kunai is thrown, or seconds after they zigged instead of zagged, that they made the wrong decision.

I think I’ve suddenly developed it.

Sakura was like some kinda spider woman, lit up with happiness that some unsuspecting victim had fallen into her lair and now she was going to wrap him up in a steel web of girl babble and suck him dry with deep meaningful questions about… feelings.

“Walk with me to my home Naruto. Sakura the Doctor of Love is here to help.” She started walking in the direction of her home and I very bravely resisted the urge to run the other way and followed her instead. “So what seems to be the problem?”

“Eh, well I think someone might like me, but I’m not sure. And I don’t want to go up and ask or anything cause if I’m wrong she’ll be embarrassed. Hell, if I’m right she might be embarrassed too, but it’ll be not as much. It’s a whole big embarrassing thing. So how do you find out if a girl likes you or not?”

Sakura turned to look at me with a dazed look for a sec, then grimaced. “You’re not talking about me are you?”

“No!”

She seemed sorta annoyed and relieved at the same time. Jeez, Girls. They’re so weird. “Ok so it’s not me. Who is it?”

“It doesn’t matter who it is! Heck, how do you know if you like someone?”

Sakura shrugged. “Well how did you know that you liked me? Was it my great smile? Kind personality? Brilliant intellect?”

“Yeah right, I just thought you were hot.”

Danger! Danger!

Sakura lifted up her sack of groceries to hit me with them and then stopped mid air. “No, can’t hit him now, I’ve got eggs and flowers in this bag.” She mumbled something to herself that sounded like ‘vengeance later’.

I put a few feet between us while Sakura was busy making an appointment with herself to beat me up. After a few moments, Sakura’s rage seemed to have been filed away for later and I figured it was okay to talk to her again.

“So um, you got some girl wisdom to impart on me or what?”

Sakura shrugged. “All right, let’s see…” She looked thoughtful for a moment. “First of all, it doesn’t matter if someone likes you if you don’t reciprocate their feelings. Dating them anyway simply to kill time is… well it makes you a jerk and if I hear you’re doing that to some girl I’ll hurt you.” She cleared her throat. “So moving on, the real question is; do you like her? That’s not too difficult to determine; you simply just have to ask yourself a few questions.”

“Like what?” And what does reciprocate mean, anyways?

“Such as… do you enjoy spending time with her?”

Hmm… well, lately we have been spending more time together. She’s a great listener, when I talk I feel like she’s really soaking up everything I say and taking me seriously. I don’t get that very often. I’d wish she’d talk a little more, though. “Yeah, I guess I do.”

“What kind of things does she say when you’re with her?”

“Eh? Well mostly It’s just me talking. I talk about a lot of things like—“

“Hold on.” Sakura stopped and rolled her eyes at me. “You talk constantly and don’t let her get in a single word during the entire conversation, don’t you?”

“Hey! She says stuff!” Like, yes and no… and head nods count don’t they? Well there’s sentences in there a lot more than there used to be.

Sakura threw her arms up, bag and all in the air. “Gah! No wonder you have no idea if she likes you or not! You don’t shut up long enough for her to say anything! Maybe if you learned to shut up for five seconds and actually LISTEN to her you’d know if she liked you or not!”

Damn. I guess she’s got a point. I’ll try to ask questions and such more often. But it’s not like she’s such a blabber mouth. It’s hard to get her to talk for very long. And jeez! I don’t talk all that much. Sides, talking a lot is part of who I am.

“But talking a lot is my secret Hokage speech training. ‘Cause Hokages make speeches all the time, ya know?”

“I’m serious Naruto. Actually listening to what girls say is important. And listening is an important skill for leaders as well.”

Oh. The Hokage does need to listen to his people too doesn’t he?

“Maybe you’re right. I’ll try to listen more. I am the listening guy. Beware my listening skills. So what else do I got to know?”

Sakura sighed. She didn’t look convinced but she wasn’t nagging me anymore either. “All right. Back to if YOU like her or not.” She paused for a second. “When other guys talk to her do you get jealous?”

Well the only guys she talks to are Kiba and Shino. Stupid Kiba. The joke’s on him, ‘cause if he wants to rip my insides out he’s going to have to get in line behind Akatsuki. Excuse me Mr. Itachi I need to get to Naruto first. Yeah, that’ll work out rrrrrreally well for dog boy. Since I wouldn’t mind kicking Kiba’s ass right now so I guess he counts.

“Yes?”

“All right next--”

“What about if I think she’s hot?”

“A relationship is more than…” She broke off and stared and me and seemed to see something in my expression that made her roll her eyes. “Fine, do you think she’s hot?”

This question I can answer! “I wouldn’t use the word hot, but there could be hotness there. Maybe a better word is pretty? And while I thought the white eyes were weird at first, now I think they’re kinda—“ I cringed. “Oops.”

“You mean, it’s Hinata?!” Her eyes got wide for a moment. “It’s… not Neji is it?”

“No!”

“Well, Neji DID say you were instrumental in turning his life around…” Sakura grinned her evil spider woman grin again.

“I’M NOT IN LOVE WITH NEJI!”

“L-love?” She brought her hand to her mouth in shock. “You think you might be…” Her face turned red. Her eyes were the size of plates now. “You think you might be in LOVE with Hinata?”

“Who said anything about love?”

“You did!”

“Well, I didn’t mean to! I was just trying to deny your stupid theory about—“

“Now your ears are getting red!” Sakura raised an eyebrow and grinned at me. “Your ears always get red when you’re embarrassed.” She giggled and patted me on the back. “Don’t worry Naruto, I’ll help you out!” She sighed dreamily and looked off into the distance. “You may be from the wrong side of the tracks and she’s a Hyuga, but love will conquer all!”

“Hey, Sakura don’t say anything to her, I’m not even sure if she likes me.”

Sakura stopped in her tracks and slowly turned towards me. She stared in shock at me for a few moments, blinking in slow motion for several moments until she finally came back to earth and shook her head sadly. “You DEFINITLY need my help.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I gave her what I thought was an intimidating glare, but it must not have worked cause she just patted my head absently like a little kid. “Yeah yeah. Don’t worry clueless, Sakura the love doctor is here to help.”

It’s time to get the hell out of here before she uses the ‘m’ word.

“First off you’ll need a makeover and…”

Ack the ‘m’ word! She used ‘the m word’! I’m out of here!

I created a kage bunshin, had it take my place, and ran the hell away. I could hear her still talking in the background as I jumped across the rooftops.

“And then we’ll get you a new outfit. Orange is SO not your color. But is orange ANYONE’S color? Hmm oh and we should cut your hair and… you know your skin looks awfully rough you should really exfoliate…”

Her voice faded off into the distance and I admit, it gave me cold chills just a little bit.

Ok so mission ‘Ask Sakura for Advice’ was not so successful (freakin terrifying was more like it). But at least I escaped the dreaded ‘m’ word and all it comes with. Damn, I’m going to have nightmares now of Doctor Sakura…. Or possibly really kinky dreams… I wonder what Hinata would look like in a nurse uniform?

It’s a good thing Hyugas can’t read minds or I’d be a dead man. Neji and her dad would kick my ass and use that sixty-four palms technique on me. And sixty four times sixty four is… uh… six carry the one plus uh twenty something er other and uh… Well that’s a hell of a lot of hands!

Damn I can’t believe I used the ‘l’ word. But maybe things aren’t so out of control? There are two ‘l’ words after all, I’m sure I meant “like”. It’d crazy, how could I l-love her? Oh hell I’m stuttering in my mind! Ok sure, she’s awfully pretty when you can get her to smile. And I know from that piggy back ride that her jacket is SO covering up some assets.

Not that I’d ever say that to HER. Neji really would try to kill me. Well, try at least ‘cause I’m too awesome to get taken down by him, jounin or not. Sides, she wouldn’t even hit me after saying something like that. It’d probably just hurt her feelings and then I’d have guilt and guilt sucks.

Not that she couldn’t hurt me. I heard that she has gotten a lot stronger while I was gone. Kiba told me how his team did in their last chunin exam. Hinata hit a Lightning Country nin so hard, he was knocked clear through a concrete wall! I’d have paid good money to see that!

Ok so sometimes I catch myself wondering where she is and what she’s doing… But that’s not that unusual right? Everybody wonders what they’re friends are doing at odds hours of the night. Or I think of a joke and wonder if it will get her to laugh and not one of those polite proper laughs either but one of those embarrassing loud snorting pig laughs.

And once, near the old academy swing, I almost kissed her.

But none of that means anything. I’m just curious… I’m a natural curious kind of guy. And what guy doesn’t randomly think about making out with pretty girls? It’s a guy thing. It doesn’t mean anything. A shallow non-feelings guy thing. That’s what we do. We’re animals.

It doesn’t mean anything…



----

C&C is appreciated. Please review!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto anime or manga.

Note: This is the final chapter of this fanfic. Also, remember that the first chapter diverged from canon right after the time-skip. I also took a tiny bit from an anime filler arc, specifically episode 148.

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Chapter Three:
Learning to Listen
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Sunsets at the Konoha training grounds are beautiful. The high elevation gives a breathtaking view of the sky over the Hokage monument. Right now, it looks like a painters daydream. A few streaks of vibrant orange were painted on a canvas of deep purple. The thick summer air sparkled with fireflies.

Once, during the quiet moment of a mission, I asked Shino-kun, ‘What do fireflies talk about?’

His response had been interesting to say the least. He’d taken a moment to contemplate my question seriously and after several minutes finally responded, ‘Fireflies lives are short-lived and focused primarily on procreating their species. I suppose they would all repeat the same mantra. I must mate. I must mate.’

I was much more cautious about asking Shino-kun bug questions after that.

There are so many fascinating questions in the world! How ever did I survive so long in silence? It’s like I can’t stop asking questions now, like a flood gate’s been opened and every question I’ve ever wanted to ask has come tumbling out of me at once. I finally have the courage to scream… well I don’t actually scream most of my questions because that would be terribly rude and just a bit crazy. But there is definitely a raised decibel level to my voice!

I’m talking so loudly now, that even Naruto can hear me! For months now, we’ve been meeting twice a week when neither of us are on missions at the ramen stand and having long conversations. It’s not just there though, anytime we see each other in the street he comes over to me and talks to me!

I’ve come to really look forward to our bi-weekly ramen chats. Goodness, does Naruto LOVE ramen.

I remember as a child if you ever expressed a great attachment to something, another child would often reply, ‘Well if you like it so much why don’t you marry it?’

If ramen was a woman, Naruto WOULD marry it.

… if ramen was a man he’d probably marry it then as well.

My greatest rival is a bowl of soup.

Although, I do wonder if his love of ramen partly stems from the way the ramen shop owner and his daughter treat him. He isn’t just a customer to him. He’s treated like a long lost relative and that’s not because he’s must be single handedly paying several of their utility bills.

I wonder if Naruto spent the day training as well? Today was a wonderful day for training. My muscles ache from practicing throwing kunai and doing katas on the surface of the nearby lake. Practicing katas of the surface of the lake barely even feels like training. Gliding on the water, moving with the ebb and flow of chakra pulsing through your body… it feels like freedom. I’m exhausted, but it’s a pleasant sort of fatigue. Every cut, scrape, and sore muscle are proof that I’m becoming stronger.

I sat down upon a nearby fallen log and rubbed my sore bare arms. Well, perhaps training isn’t all an uplifting grrl-power experience. The heat forced me to shed my jacket sometime in the afternoon… I know I shouldn’t be embarrassed, but I can’t help it. I’ve grown.. in places that… boy’s notice. Part of me knows that I should never let anyone make me feel uncomfortable about my own body… but I can’t seem to make my heart stop feeling self-conscious even if my mind knows better.

Well, perhaps if it was Naruto looking… What if he was staring at me right now with my jacket off? The stars are starting to come out, and the moon is shining off of the surface of the lake… it’d be really romantic and the perfect setup for a--Eeep! Stupid Icha Icha Paradise! Will I ever be free from your thrall? Besides, who am I kidding? Even if I did want him to look, I’d still probably pass out in a pool of my own blood from embarrassment!

A flash of color and movement out of the corner of my eye jolted me out of my thoughts. Something was in the bushes! It’s probably only a rabbit or a fox… To be certain I activated my bloodline limit.

It… was a person.

A BLONDE person.

Wearing orange.

Staring at me.

From the bushes.

Right now.

Narutoisstaringatmefromthebushesrightnow!

W-What’s he doing!? Why is he hiding in the bushes and frowning?

I turned around and resisted the urge to push my fingers together. “Naruto-kun? Um… you do know that I can see chakra through bushes, don’t you?”

Naruto bounded into the open like a spooked rabbit. “Of course!” Twigs and leaves were sticking out of the sides of his hair. “I was just tying my shoes! Untied shoes can be real dangerous, ya know.” He grinned and rubbed the back of his neck.

He had not been tying his shoes.

“Oh. Of course, Naruto-kun. Is there anything I can help you with?” Why do I have to sound so formal all of the time?

Naruto frowned and walked up to me. “Jeez, Hinata, ya sound like a store clerk.”

I blushed and he smiled again, the kind of smile that makes his eyes crinkle at the edges.

“So uh… Naruto-kun what brings you to the training grounds this late in the afternoon?” Had he been looking for me? No, he couldn’t possibly be… I caught myself about to push my index fingers together and hastily pushed my hands in my pants pockets. I will NOT fall back on old nervous habits.

“I was looking for you!”

“Eh?” My hands left my pockets and my index fingers pushed together of their own accord.

“I’ve got a joke to tell you! And then I’m going to listen to you talk.”

Huh? This is rather random, even for Naruto. “W-What do you want me to talk about?”

Naruto looked panicked for a moment, as if he had not thought it out that far. “You can talk about um, yourself. If you want. It’s for um… Hokage training.”

Is it simply my imagination, or is something wrong with his ears? They look terribly red. Perhaps Haruno-san punched him in the head again. She can be rather rough sometimes.

Naruto scratched his nose. “A leader has to be able to talk good right?”

“Speak well, not talk good.” I smiled softly. When he becomes Hokage, it’s really going to be a public relations nightmare isn’t it? I can already picture my father’s shock at having a Hokage with such atrocious grammar.

I can’t wait.

“See? I need help! So will you help me train?”

This situation is so odd. Why is he worrying about this now? He is right, but it seems strange for Naruto to be worrying about such things at all. Perhaps, Tsunade-sama suggested he needed improvement?

“Of course I’ll help you Naruto-kun! So you want me to teach you how to speak properly?”

“Yeah, you can teach me the proper way to use my mouth.” His grin grew wider and he wiggled his eyebrows at me.

Is… is… he flirting with me? I haven’t had much experience with that sort of thing but that definitely sounds like flirting to me. What should I do? Um… I have to act coy and flirt back!

… how am I going to do that?

I started with my mouth slightly open as a mini panic attack landed a lethal blow on my composure.

My idea of coy is apparently a lot like an impression of a fish.

Oh! Like a KOI fish!

“Okay?”

Naruto laughed. “Thanks for the help!” He stepped back and stood several feet in front of where I was sitting. “I’ll show you my joke first.”

“Alright.” I sat down and folded my hands in my lap. This is strange, even for Naruto-kun. Did I get hit in the head during training and now I’m hallucinating? …No, if this was a dream there would be a lot more Icha Icha Paradise influences.

I really have quite a love/hate relationship with that book.

Naruto made a big wide sweeping gesture with both of his hands. “Ladies and gentleman! I will now present the greatest joke ever created… five minutes ago.”

“Gentleman?”

Naruto shrugged. “I’m sure some of these glowing butt flies are guys!”

I smiled. Shino would have been very annoyed.

“Anyways…” His hands made seals. “What do you get if you take Sakura.” A kage bunshin who looked just like Haruno-san appeared. “And Lee.” A kage bunshin of Lee appeared wearing his typical green leotard. My eyebrows rose. What in the world? “Aaaaaaaand you marry them off?” The Lee and Haruno-san bunshin were suddenly in wedding attire. The Lee bunshin was crying hysterically. “Then what do you get?

Naruto leaned forward like he actually expected a real answer. I looked up and met his sapphire eyes for a moment. I felt my heart beat start to race. Behind him, the bunshins popped out of existence.

“Oh, you get… um… a very happy Lee-san?”

Naruto leaned back on his heels and sighed with mock disappointed. “Tsk. Tsk. No you get…” He made some hand-seals and his grin became slightly… evil. “THIS!”

A cloud of smoke erupted before my eyes and when it finally cleared this… thing stood before me.

Oh. My.

“Yo! I am Rockette!” The thing had these giant furry pink growths extending from its large shiny forehead, bright pink bowl cut, and the most unflattering bulgy pink leotard I have ever seen.

It was… It was….

Sakura and Lee’s future child.

I laughed so hard, I snorted like a pig.

“Oh! Hehhehee… um ah… heheheheh…. excuse me!” I covered my mouth and nose quickly as another snort escaped. For some reason, this seemed to immensely please Rockette who grinned like a maniac every time I snorted.

When I finally managed to recover from my unsightly state, Naruto-kun had sat down next to me, still grinning from ear to ear.

“It’s okay.” He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Its cute when you snort like a pig!”

Oh! Naruto thinks I’m cute! ….and that I remind him of a pig.

“All right!” Naruto punched the air. “The joke thing’s done.” Twigs and leaves were STILL in his hair. “Now I’m going to…” He paused. “Listen to you talk!”

I froze. “Listen to me… talk?”

I have to talk to Naruto-kun?

For an EXTENDED period of time?

With only the two of us?

In the Darkness?

Under the moonlight?

In the perfect set-up scenario for a… oh curse you Icha Icha Paradise!

“How about you speak and I listen?” I put my hands back in my pants pockets otherwise I was going to start fidgeting again.

Naruto scowled. “It’s not supposed to work like that! A girl is supposed to talk and then a guy is suppose to try to listen, then she complains that he’s not listening. Then he tries harder. You’ve got to take turns talking if you want to get to know somebody better. I’ve seen it in stories all the time, Hinata. And possibly on a greeting card once? Anyways, it’s common knowledge.”

“I thought this was Hokage training?”

“Uh, it is! It is!” I saw his adam’s apple bob up and down. “I was just talking in general terms and stuff. It’s definitely training.” He rubbed his ears absently.

“Oh. All right.” I can do this! I think… possibly? “What would you like to hear about?”

Naruto scratched his nose and shrugged. “Eh, how about your last Chunin exam? Your whole team got promoted right?”

“Yes.”

“I heard you really beat the hell out of the guy you fought!” Naruto punched the air several more times.

“Oh well… it was certainly a decisive victory.” That horrible Lightning nin, I had really lost control of myself. But he had been just so… he had no right to say the things he did. And with Neji watching! How DARE HE… Oh it just makes me so angry…

Naruto must have picked up on my anger because his eyes narrowed. “Is something wrong?”

“I was…” I swallowed and fought through the butterflies swarming in my stomach. “I was emotionally invested in the fight. The Hyuga clan has a dreadful history with the Lightning nins. The Lightning ninja I fought with voiced many cruel remarks regarding this history and I got a little… upset.”

“You mean he royally pissed you off.” Naruto snorted. Who sounded like a pig now? “So what went down in the past to make you want to break him into itty bitty Lightning ninja pieces?”

“Well…” This is so hard to talk about, even though I don’t remember it happening. “When I was a baby I was almost kidnapped by Lightning Country ninjas.” Naruto looked up and I lost my nerve and looked down at my hands. “They wanted to know the secret of the Byakugan… and maybe have some kind of political leeway against Konoha.”

I rubbed my arms as a cold chill went threw me. What would my life have been like if they’d succeeded? Or would they have simply dissected my dead body?

“My father stopped their attempt and killed the kidnappers. However, killing them created a political scandal and there were threats of war… The Lightning Village demanded retribution… they wanted a life for a life. Neji’s father, my father’s twin brother, died in his stead.”

Naruto scowled. “But they attacked you first! Why didn’t Konoha just kick their assess?”

“But that would have resulted in a war Naruto-kun… We’re not really old enough to remember a real war. Our lifetimes have been relatively peaceful. The Sound Village attack was just that, an attack. It was over in hours… a war is an endless series of attacks with both sides forever trying to even the odds…” I gulped. “I have heard stories from a few of the Hyuga elders of finding children dead in the streets…”

Naruto looked stricken and I regretted being the one to put that serious expression on his normally cheerful face. But… if he truly wants to be Hokage he needs to think about these kind of decisions, doesn’t he?

“It’s still not right! You can’t just give up one of your people because another village threatened you!”

“You have to understand Naruto-kun… It wasn’t a matter of who was stronger than who. Maybe Konoha could have won a war with Lightning, maybe not. But either way, more people than one man would die. He knew it was either his life or the lives of many others. He was sacrificing one life for the safety of the entire village.”

Naruto looked even more stricken and for one terrible heart-wrenching moment, I thought he was going to cry. Then he blinked rapidly and smiled softly. “Yeah, I can understand that…”

I somehow had the courage to put my hand over his. “The Lightning ninja I fought with made several cruel remarks about Neji’s father’s sacrifice and I … won a very quick and decisive victory.”

Naruto’s smile lost its shadow. “You mean you made him wear his ass for a hat.”

“Naruto-kun!” I shocked myself by smacking him lightly on the arm. “That isn’t language very befitting of an Hokage!”

“What?” Naruto-kun tried to look innocent and failed utterly. “I can use it in future negotiations with Lightning Village! I can see it now… Dear Raikage, mess with us and I will make you wear your ass for a hat, signed, Naruto the Awesome-Kage.”

Oh dear mother in heaven. Please let him be kidding.

“I suppose I will have to find a position in the Konoha messenger division and intercept all of your mail.”

“Hey!” Naruto looked deeply offended, but I could tell he was actually quite pleased. “So, what have you been doing all day?” Naruto idly scratched a mosquito bite on his arm.

“Oh well, training mostly. Kurenai-sensei has been feeling a bit ill lately, so we decided to take a week off while she takes time to recover.”

“What kind of training? Like secret Hyuga glowing and spinning techniques?”

“We don’t just glow and spin!”

“Oh I stand corrected. You spin and glow… at the same time.” Naruto waggled his eyebrows at me again.

“I’ll have you know, that I was doing katas on top of the lake. It helps coordinate taijutsu with chakra control.

“Dancing on water huh…” Naruto paused and looked thoughtful for a moment.

“It’s not dancing, it’s training.” Honestly… I crossed my arms.

“Glowy spinny dancing?”

“It’s not dancing it’s training!” Oops! I didn’t mean to say that so loudly.

“Whoa, check it out. Hinata-chan’s using her outside voice.” Naruto brought a hand to his heart and feigned a heart attack.

Hmmf! “I doubt you even know how to dance.”

Naruto’s head snapped up. “I can SO dance! I’m like a dancing machine!”

I shrugged. “If you say so…”

“Feh, you don’t believe me do you? Well I can prove it!” He stood up, walked to the nearby lake, and leaped onto the surface of the water. “Would you like to dance?” He raised one eyebrow. “If you CAN dance, that is.”

I can’t.

“Ah um… of course I can!” I leaped and landed next to Naruto-kun, using chakra to stand on the surface of the lake.

I’m going to trip and knock both of us into the lake.

“I’m like a um… a swan.”

A dead swan.

I stepped closer, and then Naruto stepped closer… then we stared at each other for a few seconds. My heart thumped so loudly in my chest I thought for sure he could actually hear it. Finally, Naruto reached out and hesitantly put his hands on my hips, keeping several inches between us. “Um… Is this okay?”

I squeaked out something that sort of sounded like yes.

Somehow, I was able to rest my hands on his shoulders. His jacket was warm and he smelled… nice. Like ramen and sweat and something else I just can’t put my finger on, but it reminded me of trees. “Is this okay?”

Naruto’s eyes snapped back up to my face. He had been staring… well lower than my face. “Y-Yeah.”

I’m going to pass out in a pool of my own blood.

Naruto took a small step to the left and I followed, slowly but surely falling into a rhythm. I desperately wanted to look down at my feet, but at the same time I was transfixed by the edge of his jaw line. A soft patch of blonde stubble lined the right side of his jaw. It made me a little light headed and was just so very… grown up.

He picked up the pace a little, sending me along his glide to the music only he could hear but we both could feel. Like a dream, we glided along with no signs of comically falling into the lake or even stepping on each others feet.

Just… just wow.

“You… you CAN dance.” I raised my eyebrows at him. I hadn’t really expected him to know how to dance at all, to be honest, I had just wanted to see him try. I certainly hadn’t expected him to be so… good.

“Yeah, but don’t tell anyone ok?” Naruto surprised me again by twirling me and then grasping my hands with his. “Ero-sen—well my teacher the Frog Hermit devised this weird training to work on my agility and coordination with my clones. But I gotta say…” I almost passed out as he dipped me a little. “This is a LOT more fun and less stupid looking than dancing with one of my clones.”

“Your secret is safe with me.” Is it my imagination or are we standing closer than before? His muscular thighs briefly brushed mine and my face took on a brand new never seen before hue.

Yes, we definitely are closer.

“So…” Naruto casually turned my palm over where a long jagged white scar stood out against the top of my hand. For one crazy moment, I thought he was going to kiss it. “Was the fight in the chunin exam where you got this scar?”

If this is a dream, I hope I’m in a irreversible coma.

“Yes. Do… do you have any scars Naruto-kun?” That will give me an excuse to touch you?

“No, not really.” He lowered my hand and slowed down the dance pace again

Darn it.

“Not even one?” How can someone not have a single scar? And be a ninja no less? Unless it’s in an unmentionable place…

… I’m not even trying to fight the Icha Icha Paradise influence anymore am I? I’ve become a fallen woman.

“I… heal fast. Really fast.”

His hands were shaking.

“Is it like a bloodline limit?” I’ve never heard of him being part of any clan. Then again, he is an orphan. He’s never mentioned any family…

“Well it’s sort of like an… inheritance I guess.” His gaze focused to a point somewhere over my shoulder.

“Oh.”

His hands stopped shaking.

“You know about the lightning nin situation…” Naruto-kun frowned. “There’s always another way and if the Hokage can’t find it, then he should have put himself up instead. You can’t expect your men to make a sacrifice that you’re not willing to follow through with yourself.”

He’s not talking about… if he died I… no… I wouldn’t let that happen… No… NO…

“NO! I won’t let you!” My hands tightened around his, as if I could physically keep him here, wrapped up safe in this moment.

“You won’t let me?” Naruto’s mouth was smirking, but his eyes looked misty like he couldn’t quite decide what emotion to feel and his face had settled somewhere in between.

“I’ll-I’ll… beat you up and not let you go to the negotiations!”

What am I doing?! What in the world has happened to this conversation?

I jumped a little as Naruto stepped closer to me, brushing our thighs together. Lightning jolted through my body despite my worry.

“So ya think the Hokage’s life is more important than one of his ninjas?”

I almost opened my mouth to say yes but hesitated… I know it’s supposed to be but… do I really believe that? Do I really believe that one persons life has more intrinsic value than another just because of his station?

But… Naruto-kun dead…

I just couldn’t…

No… I can’t allow that to happen. I WON’T allow that to happen!

“Yours is…” I turned my head away unable to meet gaze as my heart pounded loudly in my ears. “…to me…”

Silence stretched out for what felt like lifetimes, until finally I heard a soft… “Oh.”

I looked up, but Naruto was looking away.

Only the sounds of crickets and night owls could be heard while my faced burned like wild fire. I just… confessed didn’t I? Was I direct enough? Is his silence a rejection? Please say something, anything!

Finally, he looked back at me and our eyes met. And then Naruto did something I never would have expected.

He blushed bright red.

And then something in my head just clicked. Everything suddenly made sense and my eyes were open so wide even the Byakugan’s blind spot didn’t exist. It was so simple, so true, that I don’t know how I never noticed it before.

Naruto was just like me.

But he wasn’t the same type of shy that I was. Naruto shyness came through in his smiles that he didn’t truly feel or in his laughter that came in inappropriate situations. It came through in his constant talking… He often wasn’t saying much, just filling in the void by talking to distract others from seeing how lonely he was, from seeing that maybe he didn’t believe everything he boasted of, talking so that he could hear some human voice close to him even if it was his own, wanting… no NEEDING someone else to listen but knowing that there wasn’t anyone there. He’s embarrassed and nervous, too...

Just like me, he needs someone to listen.

Finally, his voice broke through the night air. “Well, I guess I have something like a scar… it’s more like a birth mark though.” Naruto’s hands tightened to match my own vice like grip.

“Oh?”

“When I was a baby, there was a terrible Kyubi attack on the village.” His gaze became distant. “Many people in the village died. The Fourth Hokage in a last ditch effort to save everybody used a forbidden jutsu to-“

“Are you talking about being the vessel for the Kyubi?”

Naruto-kun froze and nearly dragged both of us into the lake.

“…eh?”

“Tsunade-sama already told everyone you’re the vessel for the Kyubi while you were on your training trip.”

“Eh?”

“There was a presentation on an overhead projector with graphs and charts… It was quite informative.

“EH?”

“There was a little commotion with a few of the older ninjas, claiming that you were the Kyuubi and not just the vessel. Tsunade-sama was quite… persuasive.”

“EH?!”

“I thought the whole argument was quite strange. How could they think you were anything but Naruto-kun?” Many ninjas seemed to have a change of heart that day, but I suppose having the Hokage threaten to detach your arms from your body is enough for anyone to reevaluate their opinions. “Are you alright Naruto-kun? You look a little pale.”

I found the whole debate difficult to fathom. What was wrong with those people? How could anyone think that Naruto was the Kyubi? How could you look at Naruto and see a blood thirsty beast? Did they live their whole lives with their eyes closed and their hands covering their ears? I had always wondered why many of the villagers treated him so badly… Many of them treated him quite horribly… And for something he had no control over!

Hmmf! Well, the Hokage isn’t the only one who knows how to revaluate someone’s opinion!

Naruto was staring at me, eyes wide open and mouth hanging open. I shook his right arm a little, but he just continued to stare at me in shock as if… as if a bowl of vegetables had mysteriously morphed into a bowl of ramen.

He’s… but he couldn’t be could he? It’s impossible… isn’t it? Naruto-kun can’t be… it’s just not possible for him to be… struck speechless?

I must have broken him!

I shook him harder.

“Naruto-kun! Are you okay? Um… ah should I get a doctor or—“

“I…” His voice came out a squeak and I saw him finally close his mouth. His hands went slack and I released my tight grip. Slowly, both of his hands came up to cup my face. He stared in my eyes, eyes wide open and gently rubbed circles with the pads of his thumbs. His hands were warm, wet and calloused. I watched transfixed as he wet his lips and opened his mouth. “I think I…”

“Y-Y-Yes?”

He was leaning in closer, his deep blue eyes were locked with mine. Our noses touched.

“I think I like you as much as ramen.”

And then he kissed me.

His lips brushed mine softly, our noses got in the way, his lips were chapped and his hands on my face was shaking but it was… it was… I threw my arms around his neck and his shoulders were firm and solid like a… He tasted like ramen and smelled like trees and he was just… Naruto-kun. It was imperfect and wonderful.

All I ever wanted.

Finally, he pulled away and I gasped, needing to catch a breathe I hadn’t even realized he’d stolen. His face must have been as red as mine, his crimson blush went all the way to the tips of his ears. He smiled, and then I smiled, and I suppose we smiled like idiots for several minutes.

It was wonderful. Did I mention that already?

I just can’t believe it! Naruto-kun said he liked me! Naruto-kun likes me! He likes me as much as ramen! He likes…

…AS MUCH AS?

Oh my gosh…

He must REALLY like me!

“So um… you want to um… be my girlfriend and stuff?” Our bodies were pressed softly together, and I could see Naruto’s blush extended all the way down his neck as well. But oddly enough, even though my hands were around his neck and his taste was on my lips I felt… calm. As if I’d borrowed some of his confidence through the kiss and he’d borrowed a bit of my shyness. Or maybe I’ve finally peeled back his layers to see the true Naruto? Like an onion. Oh gosh, he’s MY onion now!

“Yes, I want you to be my onion!”

“Huh?” Naruto’s eyebrows sky rocketed towards his hairline.

Oh no!

“I just mean um… that you’ve got layers like an onion that I want to peel off. To get to know you better.” My hand went to my mouth in shock.

Oh god. I’m burning every copy of Icha Icha Paradise in Konoha!

“You want to peel off my layers eh?”

“I didn’t mean, it’s just…darn Icha Icha Paradise!”

Naruto eyes became as big as dinner plates. I’ve surprised the most unpredictable ninja twice in one day. If I wasn’t about to die from embarrassment, I might have felt impressed. Naruto gasped. “YOU’VE READ ICHA ICHA PARADISE?”

“No! I mean I-I just… It was for research!” Naruto’s grin was turning slightly lecherous so I smacked him on the arm lightly. “I was just wondering about the man that you went off to train with but I…” Naruto was wriggling his eyebrows at me again. “Oh fine! Yes, I read Icha Icha Paradise! Twice! I’m a fallen woman!”

I turned away, and willed the sky to fall down upon me.

“Not only are you beautiful and kind…” I heard faint splashes behind me and felt Naruto gently hug me from behind. “And accept me being the host of the Kyubi… but YOU’RE A CLOSET PERVET TOO?” Naruto laughed happily, grabbed my waist, and spun me around. “YOU’RE AWESOME!”

I turned around and he captured my lips again, and all thoughts fled from my mind and it was only me, him, and the night.

Is he kissing me to distract me because…

Well I’m perfectly alright with that in all honesty.

I broke away and smiled. My head still felt like it was wrapped in soft cotton. “Um, don’t tell anyone okay?”

Naruto, stepped back from me and led me off of the lake. “I promise. Your secret is safe with me. Don’t tell anyone about my mad dancing skills either okay? It’s not manly.”

“I promise.” We held hands as we continued to walk out of the training grounds.

“So… do you want to go get some ramen?”

“Naruto-kun! You just ate ramen!” I grabbed my jacket off the log on our way out.

“Hey, I’ve got to visit ramen to let her know our relationship is changing. Tell her there’s a new girl in my life and let her down gently ya know.” He tugged me into his side and wrapped his arm around me.

“How do you know ramen’s a she?”

“You haven’t been talking to Sakura have you? Cause I told her, me and Neji are not…”

“Huh?”

“Err, nevermind.”

And so, we walked off into the night, toward the ramen stand where I’m sure we will walk to many many times in the future. We had finally learned when to speak up and when to listen. And what we didn’t know, we could learn together.

“You know, any time you want to peel my layers you just gotta ask.”

“Naruto-kun!”

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The End
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