Teenage Hearts

by Free Mentality

HIATUS. It's always been said that your high school years are always your best: fun, memorable, and full of firsts. But no one ever warned that it can get complicated, especially when it came to your first love. AU.

"We've already talked about this a dozen times, Hinata. You're going to this bonfire whether you like it or not," Ino Yamanaka scolded, poking her blonde head out from behind a dressing room curtain and shooting the dark-haired girl a look. "Even if Sakura and I have to drag you there."

The day before a new school year began, Konoha would throw an event in order to celebrate the end of the last school year as a final "hurrah!" before the teenagers had to return to school. This year, the event was a bonfire at the beach. Ino had dragged Hinata and Sakura to the mall to do some last-minute shopping because Kiba Inuzuka had asked them to go, and she refused to be seen by him in anything other than the "perfect outfit".

The curtains to the room next to Ino opened and out stepped Sakura Haruno, donning a flattering sundress. "Ino has a point," the green-eyed girl agreed, propping a hand on her hip. "Even if she's only saying that because Kiba invited her." At that, Sakura glanced at the blonde and raised an eyebrow suggestively, to which Ino giggled.

Sakura, Hinata, and Ino have been something like sisters since their preschool days, so the term "best friends" just didn't cut it for them. All of those years spent developing their bond meant that now, at sixteen years old, they knew each other better than they knew themselves. Realizing that Ino had found herself a new beau to crush on was as effortless as breathing—all it took was a bat of her eyes and a twirl of her cornsilk hair, and they knew.

"You know, I still can't believe Kiba asked you out, and I find it even harder to believe that you like him. Didn't he chop off a big chunk of your hair in the fourth grade?" Sakura mused, gazing at Ino expectantly. "I'm pretty sure since then you've avoided him like the plague, so why the sudden change of heart?"

The four had known each other since childhood. While he was never as close to them as they were to each other, and although they had met after the three girls had already become inseparable, he was still good friends with them, though particularly so with Hinata.

"I don't know, Sakura," Ino sighed, leaning against the empty doorframe and gazing up at the ceiling. "He's gotten a lot cuter and more mature since we started high school. Plus, he's always been a lot of fun… When he's not chopping off my beautiful hair, that is," she interjected, shuddering at the memory. That day might as well have been the end of the world, what with how Ino had reacted; you'd have thought that her hair was her life source.

"I would really hope he's gotten more mature. It's been a whole seven years since that incident." Sakura rolled her eyes playfully. "Anyway, Hinata," she said, returning to the previous topic. "The whole town is going to be at the bonfire. It might make your father look bad if you didn't show up, so it's a good idea that you go."

Hiashi Hyūga, Hinata's father, was a well-respected official of Konoha City and the one who had organized the bonfire; Tsunade, the person charged with watching over the town, was always looking for excuses to do some sort of event (in exchange for not doing paperwork, of course) so, for some unimaginable reason, she always went to Mr. Hyūga for the task.

"That's beside the point, though!" Ino protested. "As long as we're there with you, you're going to have fun. I pinky swear." She stuck out her smallest finger for emphasis. "There'll be fireworks, a dance floor, concession stands, game booths..." The blue-eyed girl wiggled her perfectly-plucked eyebrows. "Lots of fun," she sang.

Hinata sighed in response, but she smiled nonetheless. She could never say no to her best friends, especially when they were looking at her so pleadingly. "Then I guess I might as well try something on while we're here," she said, standing from the bench she had been occupying.

"That's the spirit!" Sakura grinned while Ino clapped excitedly. "I'm going to try on a couple of other things, too."

"Oh no you're not," Ino said, so quickly it was a wonder that her tongue didn't knot up.

"Huh? Why not?" Sakura asked cautiously, her eyebrows knitting together in suspicion.

"Because," the blue-eyed girl continued, stepping out from behind the curtain to get a better look at her other best friend, "that is your dress."

The girls looked at Sakura with obvious approval. The sundress hugged her feminine curves in a flattering way, until it reached the pleated skirt, where it swished around comfortably just below the knee. The light green hemming made her eyes stand out vividly.

"Ino is right," Hinata added, a smile curving her full lips. "You look beautiful."

"Of course I'm right," the blonde dismissed with a wave of her hand as she returned to her dressing room. "Now go buy it. It took us seven boutiques to find your perfect dress for tonight. All that's left now is mine and Hinata's."

Sakura's cheeks were pink with pleasure, but she rolled her eyes at Ino, muttering, "We'll go through this entire shopping plaza before you find a dress you're satisfied with."

"I heard that!"

Hinata giggled.

---

Three hours later, after jumping from shop to shop (sifting through racks of perfectly good—but ultimately rejected—dresses, as Sakura had predicted), the girls returned to the Hyūga estate, each sporting shopping bags on either arm.

"C'mon, guys! We've got to hurry! We're going to be late!" Ino shouted as she sprinted up the stairs, taking them two at a time.

"And who's fault is that?" Sakura shot back breathlessly, rushing to keep up with the blonde.

Hinata cringed as their voices echoed throughout the halls.

"Don't talk so loudly," she pleaded, her voice hushed. The last thing she wanted was to give her authoritarian father a reason to address her in the way he usually did: angrily.

"Sorry!" the other two chorused as they pushed into Hinata's bedroom, the door slamming open and making her wince.

Just before she could softly close the door behind her, she heard the faint echo of a door opening and closing somewhere in the house, alerting her of her father's approach.

Hinata sighed heavily as she turned to watch an oblivious Ino and Sakura twirl in front of the full-length mirror, their new clothes held to their bodies as they modeled for each other. They were grinning at their reflections, arranging their hair this way and that, debating what style to use for tonight. They exhibited the kind of carefreeness Hinata had always longed for in her regular life, something she only experienced when she was with these two girls.

But she knew all she could do was hope for something like that. The two urgent taps against her door—the knock of a man who was just as dignified as he was furious—reminded her of that fact.

"Good evening, Father," Hinata greeted, a nervous smile tugging at her lips. She didn't have to turn around to know that Ino and Sakura had stopped what they were doing, no doubt taken aback at the sight of Hiashi Hyūga in a bathrobe; he rarely showed his face when his daughter's friends were over, but even in the times where they had come across each other, they had never seen him in anything other than a suit, though the bathrobe was just as refined.

In his usual fashion, Hiashi got straight to the point. "Is it necessary to be so rambunctious at this time of night?" It was more of a statement than a question, but he expected an answer nonetheless.

The carefully concealed chill in his otherwise formal tone was undeniable, and Hinata shivered.

"I am to blame for the noise," Hinata said at last, her voice soft and her gaze on her feet. "I apologize. It will not happen again."

"I would think you have more respect for your mother," was all he said before he turned on his heel and shut the door behind him.

Hinata released a heavy sigh.

"I'm so sorry, Hinata," Sakura blurted, dropping her clothes on the floor and throwing her arms around the dark-haired girl. "Why did you take the blame for us? You shouldn't have done that."

Hinata merely shrugged, a sheepish smile tugging at her lips. "He would've told me you two couldn't come over anymore, and I don't want that."

It was then that they realized how uncharacteristically quiet Ino was. When they turned to look at her, they were taken aback by what they saw.

Ino's face was a violent shade of scarlet, her magnificent golden locks looking bleached where they framed her face. On either side of her, her hands trembled, clenched so tight her knuckles were the color of bone.

"Oh no," Sakura groaned, before Ino exploded into a hushed rage.

"I can't stand that man!" she whisper-shouted, kicking a nearby bean bag across the room, the two other girls jumping when it smacked the wall at an unexpected volume. "All he does is treat you like crap! If you guys didn't look somewhat alike, I would even doubt whether or not you two are actually related! He doesn't treat you like you're his daughter, he treats you like you're one of his brainless employees, only you're at his house and he can't find a way to fire you!" The blonde was huffing and puffing by this point, but she wasn't finished yet. "If I didn't love you so much, Hinata, I would have told him off ages ago!"

Hinata simply stared at her, utterly speechless. Ino stared back, her brilliant blue eyes livid and passionate and her breathing heavy. Her fury quickly morphed into frightened concern when she saw tears well, then spill, down Hinata's pale cheeks.

"Look what you did this time, Ino-pig," Sakura reprimanded harshly before putting an arm around Hinata. "Don't listen to her," she murmured consolingly. "She didn't mean to say all those things about your father."

"Yes, I did, Forehead," Ino said through her teeth, seething at the loathed nickname. She looked at Hinata and sighed. "I didn't mean to make you cry, Hinata," she said gently, remorse bleeding into her tone. "I'm sorry. I was just... angry and I got carried away." She reached forward and tugged at Hinata's fingers. "Please don't be sad."

The dark-haired girl looked up in surprise, blinking away her tears. "I'm not sad, Ino," Hinata sniffled. "I'm happy."

That took the girls by surprise.

"Happy?" Ino repeated uncertainly. "Why? How?"

"Because you care that much." Hinata squeezed Ino's hand warmly. "You get so frustrated with him because of the way he treats me, and yet you restrain yourself anyway," she explained. "And we all know that restraint isn't something you have much of," she joked.

"No kidding," Sakura snorted, jabbing a thumb at the abused bean bag across the room.

Ino shot Sakura a withering glare that went ignored, rolling her eyes before she brought Hinata in for a hug. "Of course I care. What kind of best friend would I be if I didn't?"

Hinata giggled.

"As much as I'd love to let this cute mushy moment last, I have to remind you guys that we're going to be cutting it real close if we don't start getting ready this very second," Sakura spoke up casually, pointing at the clock on the nightstand. "Besides, it looks like Ino is going to cry, and if Ino starts crying, I'm going to start crying, and then we'll all be red-eyed and snotty."

Ino pulled away from the hug and ducked beneath her cornsilk mane, grumbling, "I wasn't going to cry," as she tried to discreetly rub at her eyes.

Sakura simply shook her head good-naturedly. "You, especially, need to get ready immediately, Ino. You take longer than Hinata and I combined."

"Alright, alright, I get it already."

And so, the girls started preparing for the long evening ahead of them.

---

One hour. That was all Hinata and Sakura needed to get ready for the bonfire. Ino, however, needed another two to primp and groom herself until she was satisfied with her appearance. After all, if she was going to be in the company of the guy she's set her sights on, she'd need the extra time to make herself absolutely irresistible; her Yamanaka charm wouldn't work on him otherwise.

And tonight, Ino was especially alluring. She looked fashionable and mature in her pink button-down blouse, which was tucked into her black high-waisted skirt; yet her over-the-shoulder fishtail braid gave her a softer look, a few loose strands of silky hair tickling her pretty face whenever a breeze blew. The confidence and femininity she radiated was simply the cherry on top.

Sakura was wearing the floral sundress she had bought at the boutique earlier that day, her long strawberry mane pushed back by a headband that matched the green in her dress. Hinata had on a black and white polka-dot romper, her hair styled to fall in soft, loose curls over her shoulders and down her back. While Sakura and Hinata looked equally as ravishing as Ino, they weren't emanating the same eye-drawing vibe, but they didn't mind; it was Ino's night to shine, and that's exactly what she was doing.

By the time the girls had departed for the bonfire, the sun had already set. Neji, Hinata's cousin, had offered to accompany them on their walk to the beach. Hinata had turned him down at first—it wasn't very far from where they lived and the street lamps provided plenty of illumination—but he had insisted until she finally agreed. He had always been uncharacteristically protective of her, and although she never fully understood why, it was one of the few things that really strengthened the relationship between the two Hyūgas.

They all had been strolling along the sidewalk for only about ten minutes, but as they drew closer and closer to the beach, a loud cacophony of crashing waves, upbeat music, happy chatter, and raucous laughter reached their ears. The glow of the towering bonfire soon came into sight and then, finally, they arrived at the beach. It was far more packed than the three girls had anticipated. It was a lovely surprise because, by the looks of it, several of their classmates were milling about. Their peers were idling around, chatting, dancing, or eating, and as the three joined the midst, numerous people greeted them. Hinata even spotted Lee and Tenten, Neji's own personal trio. While they never interacted very often (due to the one-year age difference), they were always friendly towards each other, so when she caught their eye, she gave them a small wave, smiling to herself when Neji excused himself to join them. It always made her happy that, although he appeared standoffish, he still had friends. And from what Hinata had gathered, they were great ones, too.

As the three wandered through the clusters of people, they stumbled across Shikamaru Nara, another long-time friend, who was seated in the sand, his back propped against one of the dozens of logs on the outskirts of the bonfire. He was munching on a dumpling and staring out into the waves when Hinata, Sakura, and Ino approached him.

"Hi, Shikamaru-kun," Hinata greeted with a warm smile.

"How's it goin'?" he replied, returning her smile with a lazy one of his own.

"Have you seen Kiba?" Ino asked him, her pretty blue hues scanning the crowd for a familiar dark-haired teen.

"Hello to you too, Ino. I'm doing great, thanks for asking. How about you?" Shikamaru shot back sarcastically, rolling his eyes before taking another bite into his food.

Sakura laughed as Ino looked over her shoulder and gave Shikamaru the full force of her glare.

"Ignore her," Sakura said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "She's in her boy-crazed mindset right now."

"Uh-oh, is Kiba her next victim?" Shikamaru asked with a smirk as Hinata and Sakura took a seat on either side of him. Hinata giggled at his remark, which quickly turned into a chortle when Ino turned around and planted her hands on her hips, an irritated expression on her face.

"Kiba isn't a victim, Shikamaru. And neither were all of my other love interests, for that matter," she huffed, folding her arms across her chest. Though Ino came off as such, she wasn't actually angry with Shikamaru. Their parents have been best friends since their schooldays, so it was only natural that they'd drag their own kids on play dates. Shikamaru and Ino were actually pretty close, close enough to bicker and tease each other without taking their "disagreements" to heart.

Shikamaru's lips quirked into an amused smirk, his eyes fixed on something over Ino's shoulder. "You should tell him that yourself, since he's coming this way now."

The blonde's eyes widened in surprise before she spun around, brushing her hands over her skirt and applying a flirty smile on her face. Before she could say anything to him, however, Kiba made a beeline for Shikamaru, seeming completely oblivious to the three girls around him.

"Shikamaru, you won't believe who I just saw!" he exclaimed when he finally reached the group. Akamaru, Kiba's enormous dog, was barking excitedly at his side.

There was an eager glint in his chocolate eyes that piqued Hinata's curiosity instantly. Huh. That's strange, she mused, studying her friend. He doesn't usually get this excited when he sees someone he knows.

"Hey, Kiba," Ino greeted, sidling up next to him in a way she reserved for the guys she was interested in.

Kiba blinked in surprise, glancing down at the girl beside him. "Oh, hey, Ino. I didn't see you there." He turned his eyes to the other girls. "Or you guys, for that matter. It's great to see you! When did you guys get here?" he asked, going around and giving the girls a hug each.

There's only one person who can make those around him feel as animated as Kiba is now, Hinata continued to think to herself. A pair of mischievous eyes and a laughing grin flashed across her mind's eye.

"About five minutes ago," Sakura answered as she returned Kiba's embrace. "Who were you talking about just now? You seem unusually thrilled."

No... Hinata shook her head, staring down at her knotted hands in her lap, trying to focus on calming the sudden thundering of her heartbeat. Not likely. Stop looking for reasons to hope, Hinata.

"Yeah, who were you talking about? And did you bring me another dumpling?" Shikamaru asked.

Kiba tossed him a steaming bun wrapped in a clear plastic. Shikamaru nodded his thanks as he popped in the last piece of his first dumpling before working on the wrapper of his second one. Before Kiba could answer Shikamaru's initial question, though, a loud and nostalgic voice joined them.

"Yo!"

The sudden interjection made everyone blink, but the only one who didn't look towards the source of it was Hinata, because she already knew who the voice belonged to. Watching everyone else's eyes widen and familiarity and excitement register on their faces simply confirmed her suspicions. His voice was deeper than the one in her memories, but there was no forgetting it, nor the feelings it stirred.

Hinata swallowed nervously as she slowly turned around and rested her sights on none other than Naruto Uzumaki.

It's him... she thought, awed.

Her pale eyes drank him in like he was the sun that rose in a sky that had only ever seen nighttime. And in a way, that was exactly what he was: a sun. They were six when they had met, and it had taken a total of two minutes for his sunshine to pierce the veil in what had been her gloomy little world.

It's really him!

The hot dumpling was halfway to Shikamaru's mouth when he froze, astonished at the sight of one of his oldest friends. Without a moment of hesitation, he scrambled to his feet and made his way over to him, his food long forgotten.

"Naruto! It's been ages! How've you been, man? When did you get back?" Shikamaru asked, uncharacteristically enthusiastic as he brought Naruto into a quick one-armed hug, each thumping the other on the back.

Naruto had been a close friend to everyone when they were in elementary school. He had been the class clown, always the source of laughter and the center of attention. He was the kind of person you either loved or hated, but, in the end, he had always managed to find a way to wiggle into your heart. And with Hinata, he had done so effortlessly. He had entered her world in a flurry of flying fists, fending off her bullies in the playground behind their school until they had run away. His hands had been gentle with her while his face and words had been fierce, angry that she had been attacked and refusing to leave her side until the nurse had confirmed that she was alright. She had walked away from that encounter with a few scratches and bruises, but the loss she had felt the most was her heart—Naruto had taken it with him that day, and he had never given it back. Since then, he had always looked out for her, no matter how shy she would become around him. But then, a few years later, he had stopped going to school. When three days had gone by and no one had seen Naruto, their teacher had finally announced that Naruto had moved to a new town, and the matter had been left at that. No one had bothered explaining why he had moved away to the class of ten-year-olds, and it still remained a mystery to this day. It had devastated everyone, especially Hinata, when they had realized that he was gone from their lives.

Kiba draped an arm around the boys' necks when they pulled away from the embrace, each grinning like they were brothers who had been apart for years. And that is what they might as well have been. The three of them, as well as Chōji Akimichi, had been inseparable throughout their childhoods. There were more things they did do together than they didn't, and that went from eating together, playing together, scheming together, ditching school together, and getting in trouble together. They shared a bond similar to Ino, Sakura, and Hinata's. While it may have been a bit different, it was just as strong, and it was apparent that time and distance had no effect on it.

"Got back this morning," Naruto replied cheerfully. "Been away from here for too long. The old man decided now was as good a time as any to come back." He grinned. "It's so good to see you guys!"

When he finally looked away from his best friends, the first person his eyes settled on was Sakura. He blinked slowly, a tinge of pink blossoming on his cheeks as he looked her up and down, before his gaze finally rested on her dancing green eyes.

"Hey, Sakura-chan," he said, her name coming from his lips like it was a delicacy he hadn't indulged in for years.

"Hey, Naruto," Sakura greeted, a grin stretching wide across her face as she bounded forward and threw her arms around their long-time friend.

"It's amazing," Naruto commented when they separated from their embrace, beaming down at Sakura.

"What is?" she grinned, propping her hands on her hips and posing nonchalantly, waiting to hear about how much she's matured since the last time they had seen each other.

"It's been six years and you look just the same!"

Sakura's smile instantly became forced, and while Kiba and Shikamaru hid their silent chuckles behind their hands, Ino laughed outright.

"What do you mean, I haven't changed?" Sakura asked through an irritated smile, each word punctuated with a punch to Naruto's shoulder.

"He means you still look like a ten-year-old," Ino supplied breathlessly, an arm draped around her stomach as she bent forward in a fit of laughter.

"Ow, ow, Sakura-chan," Naruto winced, trying to fend off her lethal fist. "That hurts! You're more violent than I remember!" Naruto's pout quickly morphed into a grimace as his last comment provoked a fresh round of punches.

"You really don't get women, dude," Kiba chuckled, shaking his head as he approached Ino and nudged her arm with his. "Do you think his friendship with Sakura will survive at the rate he's going?"

"Doubtful," Ino giggled.

"Shut up, Kiba," Naruto grumbled, shooting a glare at him, though it would have been twice as piercing if he hadn't been blushing.

It was then that he noticed how close together the two were standing; their arms kept brushing each other's and their gazes always somehow met, but it didn't look like they minded much. In fact, they seemed completely at ease in the other's presence, an observation that interested Naruto very much.

Slowly, a devilish grin lit up his features. "You sly dog," he said, an impish glint in his clear blue eyes as he elbowed Kiba teasingly. "You didn't tell me you were dating Ino."

At Naruto's comment, a surge of blood rushed to Kiba's face. He glanced at Ino for her reaction, his eyes quickly darting away when he realized that she was staring at him, waiting for his answer. "We aren't dating," he mumbled awkwardly, crouching down to pet Akamaru in an attempt to hide his embarrassment.

The statement, while true, left Ino disappointed, her shoulders sagging slightly at his response. Although she was sad about it now, it was a guarantee that determination and perseverance would soon take its place. After all, Ino Yamanaka was never easily dissuaded when she had her eyes on the prize. She still had enough spirit, at least, to sneak a hard punch at Naruto's already-tender shoulder.

"Ow! What the hell?" he grunted, placing a protective hand over the abused spot.

Ino merely sniffed before taking an empty seat beside Hinata.

"I see you're still the same idiot you were back then," Shikamaru grinned, entirely amused.

"And you're as condescending as ever," Naruto shot back with a smirk, proud of his vocabulary.

"Condescending? That's a pretty big word for you."

"Oh shut up."

While the boys bantered playfully, Hinata fidgeted in her seat, grateful that Naruto had yet to notice her. She was trying to sort through her jumbled thoughts and decide on how to greet him, but the crazed butterflies in her belly made it nearly impossible; she was still reeling over the fact that Naruto was standing right in front of her. More than anything, she wanted to approach him, but she could hardly string together a coherent thought, let alone an intelligible sentence.

I am so not ready for this! she groaned internally.

The universe must have thought otherwise, however, because at that moment, when Naruto hmphed at something Shikamaru had said and looked away in faux indignation, his gaze landed squarely on her.

Something between a gasp and a squeak slipped through her lips as Naruto's expression promptly transformed from surprise to delight.

"Hinata-chan!" He closed the distance between them with a few long strides and crouched down in front of her so that they were eye-to-eye with each other. "I didn't see you there! How come you didn't say anything?" he grinned, his warm blue eyes twinkling before they properly took her in. "You grew out your hair." He reached for her shoulder and tugged on one of her styled curls playfully, stretching it out to its full length before releasing it and watching it bounce back. "It's nice."

And the butterflies went insane.

"I—Um—Uh—" She was blushing so furiously, she could feel heat radiating off of her skin, and the fact that his face was less than a foot away from hers sent her mind spinning; the sudden proximity was too much for her to handle after six years of distance.

"Are you okay?" Naruto's blond brows knitted together in confusion.

"Don't worry, she's fine," Sakura answered, taking the empty seat beside Hinata and draping an arm around her shoulder. A knowing grin had stretched across her face.

"Yeah, it's just the heat of the bonfire," Ino added, not sparing a glance at her friend as she bumped her shoulder teasingly, her expression mirroring Sakura's.

Naruto's eyes darted between the two girls suspiciously, not trusting their word considering that they were one of the farthest groups away from the towering pile of wood and smoke, but he decided to drop it, convinced that he would likely earn another punch if he attempted to counter that statement.

How fortunate, Ino and Sakura thought, that the one person Hinata became flustered and weak-kneed over was gullible enough to not question the stories they used to keep her feelings a secret.

"So, Naruto," Sakura said loudly, distracting him from Hinata's burning face. "Where have you been all these years?"

"Oh," Naruto blinked, surprised by the question. He straightened up and cleared his throat. "The capital in the Land of Wind. Sunagakure." Something about his tone seemed abrupt, like he wasn't comfortable with the question and the direction it would surely lead into, but Sakura didn't notice.

"That's so far! Why did you move all the way out there?"

In her peripheral vision, Hinata noticed Kiba and Shikamaru stiffen at the question. Her eyebrows knitted together as she looked between the two of them, confused, before her eyes settled again on Naruto. Only a few seconds ago, he had had a cheerful and carefree expression. Now, his smile looked strained and it was apparent that he was anything but complacent.

"Personal reasons," was all he said.

The vague explanation piqued the girls' curiosities, but even they knew by the finality in Naruto's tone that it was better not to ask questions. The fact that his happy blue eyes were now somber was reason enough not to pursue the subject.

There was a moment of awkward silence that not even their rowdy peers nor the upbeat music could diffuse, but that was where Hinata found her opportunity.

"N-Naruto-kun," she said abruptly, startling everyone, including herself.

The blond looked down at her, surprised to finally hear her voice. "Yeah?"

She flashed him a warm, red-cheeked smile. "Do you want to go dance? Or get something to eat?" She paused, looking down shyly at her fidgeting fingers. "O-or something?" Her pale lavender hues returned to his face, looking up at him hopefully.

It was her attempt to alleviate the uncomfortable atmosphere, and by the obvious relief in his expression, she could tell that he recognized the effort and appreciated the rescue. "Sure!" he agreed, a grin stretching across his face before he offered her his hand. Blushing, she took it and stood, praying that her palm wasn't sweaty.

Encouraged by Hinata's bravery, Ino decided it was time she took the initiative as well. "C'mon, Kiba. Let's go for a walk." She hooked her arm through his, her flirty smile back on her face. It didn't surprise anyone that she had already bounced back from her short-lived bout of disappointment.

"Oh, okay," he answered before looking down at his dog. "Let's go, Akamaru."

The two pairs broke off from the group and began heading in different directions.

---

"So what do you think of Naruto?" Shikamaru asked, taking his previous seat in the sand as he and Sakura watched their friends disappear through the crowd of people.

Sakura faced Shikamaru and shrugged, tapping her chin as she pondered the question. After a moment of thought, she decided on an answer. "He's just as loud as he was back then. And still pretty clueless," she replied with a chuckle. "But he's gotten really tall. And there's something different about him that I can't quite put my finger on."

Shikamaru was surprised by her last statement, but he remained quiet; he had a feeling he knew what direction this conversation was heading into.

There was a brief moment of silence as Sakura debated whether or not to ask the question that had been bugging her for the last six years. She decided to throw caution to the wind and ask anyway.

"Do you know why Naruto left?"

Shikamaru sighed.

I was right.

"Yes," he answered.

"Can you tell me?" She looked down at him, her mint-green eyes burning with curiosity. "I know he said it was for personal reasons, but it's something I've been wondering since the day he left and I can't get it off of my mind..."

He stared at Sakura, mulling over how he should answer, before expelling another sigh. "I could tell you if I wanted to, but in all honesty, it's not my place to share. Naruto will tell you when he thinks the time is right, but for now, you might have to wait. It's been a while since he's seen you and everyone else, so I'm sure he wants to settle in and build up his old friendships again before talking about it."

Sakura frowned in disappointment, but she nodded quietly. "That's understandable." While Shikamaru hadn't answered her question at all, it had certainly raised her interest in the matter even more. By the way he had replied to her, however, she got the impression that this wasn't something to go poking her nose into, so she decided it'd be best to be patient and wait for Naruto to open up all on his own.

"So what do you think of them?" Shikamaru asked, raising his eyebrows inquisitively at Sakura.

"What do I think of who?" Sakura's brows scrunched together in confusion.

"Naruto and Hinata. I had no idea she still had feelings for him."

Sakura giggled. "It looks like they never really went away. And it seems Naruto is just as oblivious about them now as he was back then."

Shikamaru's mouth slipped into a crooked grin. "That's true," he admitted. He studied Sakura for a moment before speaking again. "Then again, you and Naruto also seemed to be pretty comfortable with each other."

Another laugh bubbled up at the back of Sakura's throat, and soon she found herself shaking her head. "As comfortable as good friends can get. Emphasis on the word friends."

"Alright, alright, I get it," Shikamaru shrugged, holding his hands up in submission. "It's not like any other guy could ever compete with Sasuke. Not in your eyes, anyway."

Sakura's cheeks instantly burned a bright shade of crimson, her eyes widening at Shikamaru. "W-what?" she stammered, mortified.

"Oh c'mon, Sakura. You don't have to play dumb with me. It doesn't exactly take a rocket scientist to notice your attentiveness when it comes to him," Shikamaru said with a roll of his eyes. "Besides, it's not like you're the only girl who's got feelings for him. Picking out Sasuke's admirers gets easier and easier each year."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Shikamaru," Sakura replied shortly, refusing to meet his shrewd, steady gaze. She heard him sigh in resignation. A few quiet moments passed before he spoke again.

"Where the hell did Kiba and Ino go?" Shikamaru asked, more to himself than to Sakura, though she had just begun to wonder the same thing.

---

"Thanks for coming on this walk with me," Ino purred as she rested her hand on Kiba's forearm.

After the two of them had departed from the group, they had spent the evening ambling around the beach, snacking on different foods and drinks with the occasional dancing in between. Now they were taking a break, sitting on the shore and watching as the gentle waves lapped at their feet. Ino was having the time of her life and, if the smile on Kiba's face was any indication, so was he.

"It's no problem," Kiba replied, tilting his head as he offered her a friendly smile.

"You know," the blonde began, inhaling deeply as the refreshing ocean breeze caressed her face. "I've been having a really great time. With you, I mean."

"I've been having a great time with you, too." Akamaru, who had been splashing around in the water, came bounding up at them and pounced on Ino's feet playfully, nibbling and licking her toes. Kiba laughed. "And it looks like Akamaru has been enjoying himself too."

Ino giggled at the cheerful dog, bending forward to wrap her arms around his neck and planting kisses on his soft head. "You're so cute, Akamaru!" Ino cooed, grinning as he returned her kisses with warm, wet ones of his own.

"He seems to really like you," Kiba mused with a fond smile.

"I like him too," Ino grinned, massaging Akamaru's ears. They both grew quiet as they watched the dog close his eyes and lean his head into Ino's hand, obviously enjoying her touch. The blonde peeked up at Kiba from the corner of her eye, her heart racing as she gave herself a mental pep-talk. You can do this, Ino. Swallowing nervously, she turned to look at Kiba. "I… I like you too, you know," she confessed, eyeing him shyly.

Kiba looked down at her, astonished by the sudden proclamation. He opened his mouth as if to respond, but he was speechless. Ino plucked up her courage and leaned forward slowly, allowing him enough time to withdraw, before melding her soft lips with his. At first, he didn't respond to the contact. After a few seconds, however, his mouth began to move against hers and, with a new surge of confidence, she raised the hand she was using to pet Akamaru and rested it on Kiba's cheek, caressing it with the pad of her thumb. She hummed into the kiss when he moved in closer to her, basking in his touch as one hand (his other too preoccupied with propping himself up) slid to the nape of her neck, cupping it. Entirely self-assured now, Ino raised her other hand to his face and, now holding it between both hands, took this opportunity to part his lips with her own and run the tip of her tongue along his bottom lip. The move seemed to have crossed some invisible boundary, however, because Kiba suddenly tore away from her and scrambled to his feet, stepping back to put some distance between them, leaving Ino shocked and cold on the ground.

"I like you too, Ino," Kiba began, voice husky and cheeks aflame as his chocolate eyes darted around, reluctant to rest on the stunned girl at his feet.

"Then it works out perfectly," Ino replied, her eyebrows scrunching together in confusion. "So what's the problem?"

Kiba heaved a sigh as he combed his hair with his fingers. "I like you, Ino. A lot. But… not in the way that you want me to." He finally met her gaze. An awkward smile curved his mouth when he dealt the final blow. "I have feelings for another girl…"

Ino jerked back as if she had been slapped. She might as well have been, though the stinging sensation wasn't on her cheek—it was in her chest.

"Who?" she asked quietly, reluctantly, unsure as to whether or not she actually wanted to know the answer.

The question surprised Kiba, however. "W-who?" he repeated, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. "Um, well... H-Hinata?"

The agony was instantaneous.

Ino sucked in a sharp breath, the pain stabbing at her heart like acupuncture gone wrong. Gritting her teeth together, she turned away from Kiba and stared severely out into the sea, refusing to give him another glance.

"You're not going to cry, are you?" he asked hesitantly, trying to get a good look at Ino's face.

She angled herself in a way where he couldn't see her expression before promptly snapping, "No." And it was the truth. There was a very short list of things that Ino cried over, and being rejected by boys wasn't on it.

"Oh, okay… Good..." Kiba nodded uncomfortably, still scratching at the back of his neck. "Do you think that maybe you could keep this between us? Hinata doesn't know anything about it and I kind of want to keep it that way." He was well aware of just how selfish his request was, but the thought of Ino telling Hinata about this left a cold pit of dread in his stomach.

"Fine, Kiba. Go away already." Akamaru rubbed his head on Ino's chest, nuzzling his wet nose against her neck and whining at her noticeable change in demeanor. "Not now, Akamaru," she murmured, nudging him away gently before bringing her knees to her chest and resting her chin atop them.

"Come on, Akamaru," Kiba beckoned and, without another word, Ino was left alone to brood over her thoughts.

---

"You really know how to dance, Hinata-chan!" Naruto exclaimed breathlessly, wiping away the sweat dotting his forehead as they made their way off of the dance floor.

"You've got some nice moves yourself," Hinata giggled, her face flushed from both the dancing and the compliment.

Ever since she and Naruto had gotten on the dance floor, he had been nothing less than a blast. At first, she was nervous and unsure of herself, but once she started getting into the music and she began feeling reassured by his encouraging smiles, she completely let loose. By now, she felt entirely at ease by his presence, no longer nervous to the point where she could hardly speak. And while he wasn't the best dancer (and neither was she, for that matter), he certainly knew how to make her laugh, and to say that she was enjoying herself with him would be an understatement.

"Oh, my moves were nothing compared to that other guy we saw. Y'know, the one who moved like this?" Naruto broke out into some awkward jerking movements, perfectly imitating someone they had seen who had had a particularly interesting dance routine.

Naruto beamed as Hinata dissolved into a fit of laughter, seemingly content with himself. His grin only broadened as she wiped a tear away and tried to regain her breath.

"It looks like I still have that magic touch," he chuckled.

That took Hinata by surprise.

"What do you mean?" she asked, her lilac hues fixed curiously on the blond's face.

The question only made his smile stretch even wider, something that should have been impossible at this point.

"Well," Naruto began, placing his hand on the small of Hinata's back, a move that made the dark-haired girl's every nerve hyperaware of his touch. "When we were younger, I remembered that you were always really shy. You only ever had a genuine conversation with Sakura and Ino, and sometimes Kiba."

As he spoke, he directed her towards the shore, his hand only leaving her back once they were sitting near the water. An unnerving chill went up her spine at the sudden lack of contact, her body already missing his warmth, but she did her best to shake off the feeling and concentrate on what he was saying.

"I'll admit, I didn't pay much attention to you at the time, but that was because you were usually so quiet," he continued, quickly tacking on that last part apologetically. She only smiled, encouraging him to go on. Once he was reassured that he hadn't offended her, he did. "I don't know what had happened, but something or someone had made you laugh, and the first time I heard it, I remembered thinking, 'Wow. I like her laugh. She should laugh more.' And it was from then on that I went out of my way to say or do something stupid, just so I could listen to you laugh."

And that was it. That was the very reason why Hinata was so in love with Naruto.

It was the little things he did that could lift her up and make her feel like she mattered: admitting how he had always enjoyed her laugh, expressing concern for her wellbeing, and going out of his way to bring a smile to her face. He knew what to say to make a blush rise to her cheeks and send the butterflies in her belly into a frenzy, and he did it all unknowingly. He wasn't aware in the slightest of the effect he had on her. His mere company could make her feel more alive than anything or anyone else ever had. And she loved him.

He didn't need looks that made girls fawn over him, or a mysterious personality, or a special talent. All he needed was to be himself, because she found him extraordinary all on his own, and that was all he had needed to make her fall so deeply and helplessly in love with him.

"You must've thought I was so weird and dumb," Naruto continued, entirely oblivious to Hinata's soft, fond eyes and her tomato-red face. "But I knew I was one of the only people who could really make you laugh, and I'm actually pretty proud of myself for that. I still am, 'cause it looks like that hasn't changed," he added, shooting her a goofy smile.

Hinata's eyes never left Naruto's bottomless blue ones. Words still managed to elude her, but she didn't mind so much—she was too preoccupied with whether or not her flaming cheeks were apparent in the distant lighting of the bonfire.

Then, without warning, the blond began to stand.

"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, scrambling to her feet as panic stroked her heart. Did he want to leave because her silence made him uncomfortable?

"I was going to get us something to drink," Naruto explained with a smile. "You must be thirsty after all that dancing. I know I am. Just wait here, I'll be right back." He then turned on his heel and jogged towards the bonfire where the concession stands stood, beyond the endless throngs of people.

Hinata plopped back down on the sand with a soft, happy sigh. Although she was watching the ocean water approach and retreat in its steady rhythm, her mind was absorbed in something else: Naruto.

---

Kiba could feel his heart sink deeper and deeper into the pit of his stomach with every step he took. The guilt over what he had done was tearing him apart, but he refused to feel sorry for himself, because he knew he had put himself in this position; he deserved this. But more than anything, he wanted to steal a glance behind him just to get one last look at Ino, to see if maybe she would be turning her head to sneak a glance at him as well. But even as he craned his neck and looked back, he knew that her beautiful eyes wouldn't be following after him. Instead, her stony gaze was looking far out into the ocean with an intensity that could part its waters. Where he had hoped to see longing in her eyes, he saw anger. And that's how he knew he had made the right choice in rejecting her.

Akamaru whined then, nudging Kiba's hand with his cold nose and drawing his attention to himself before looking up at him with sad, intelligent eyes.

"I know, Akamaru," Kiba sighed, walking forward again and into the crowd of people near the concession stands. "I thought things would have played out differently, but it's my fault it turned out this way."

The gargantuan animal merely sighed.

"Two yakitori please," Kiba requested once he had reached the counter of one of the concession stands, holding two fingers up for the man who ran it.

He blew on the fresh chunks of marinated meat as they walked away, sliding a piece off of the sticks one at a time to offer some to Akamaru. They took turns eating the portions as they made their way back to Sakura and Shikamaru.

"Hey," Kiba nodded when he reached the two. It wasn't until he was standing a few feet away that he noticed the atmosphere. Shikamaru had a bored, but amused, expression, while Sakura looked ready to tear her hair out.

"About time you got back," Shikamaru commented, offering him a grin.

Sakura merely huffed.

"We bought a deck of Uno cards to pass the time," Shikamaru explained. "We didn't really feel like doing any of the stuff they had set up for us."

"Tsk tsk," Kiba shook his head, an amused smirk on his face. "Don't you know by now that it's pointless trying to beat him at this kind of stuff, Sakura?"

The pink-haired girl snapped her gaze to him, and as her mouth opened (to chew him out, no doubt), Shikamaru interrupted.

"Where's Ino?"

The grin instantly slid from Kiba's face.

He had allowed himself one moment of Ino-free thought, but at the mention of her name, a fresh wave of guilt crashed into him.

"Oh, um..." He scratched at the back of his neck and glanced around awkwardly, refusing to make eye contact with either one of them. The last thing he wanted at the moment was to see their expressions when he told them what had happened, seeing as they were both very fond and quite protective of the blonde. "I left her at the beach."

Sakura's eyes widened before they narrowed into slits. "Why?"

It was phrased more as a sentence than a question, but the single word held a chill that left Kiba shivering in the gentle summer night breeze. It still amazed (and terrified) him how two girls who bickered as much as they did could still feel so fiercely defensive of each other.

Shikamaru looked suspicious too, though not nearly as formidable.

"She wanted to be alone."

They both stared at him, and his eyes wandered away again. Still, Shikamaru quickly caught on; to him, reading Kiba was the equivalent to reading a grade school-level book. He knew him that well.

"What happened?" he sighed, setting down his cards on the forgotten pile in front of him.

More than anything else, Kiba wanted to ask Shikamaru for advice. And he easily would have if Sakura hadn't been there, dagger eyes or no.

With a deep breath, Kiba lowered himself onto the sand and propped his elbow on his knee, leaning his cheek heavily into his palm.

"I rejected her."

Shikamaru shook his head and groaned at the same time Sakura jumped to her feet and snapped, "What? Why on earth would you do that?"

Kiba glared at the sand between his legs. "Because I don't like her that way?" But the statement lacked total conviction, and all three of them knew he was lying.

"I can't believe this. I'm going to find Ino," Sakura grumbled as she dusted herself off and began to stomp her way towards the shore.

"Wait," Shikamaru called out, stopping Sakura in her tracks. "I'll go talk to her."

The angry set in her shoulders didn't ease, but she didn't protest as Shikamaru strolled casually past her, another heavy sigh on his lips.

Once she and Kiba watched him disappear behind the happy party-goers, Sakura turned to face him and crossed her arms over her chest. Her intense gaze bore holes into the side of his face, but still he refused to meet her jeweled eyes. The two stayed that way for a few moments until she began to get uncomfortable, where then she unclenched her jaw and exhaled.

"If you're going to look so ashamed of yourself, why did you reject her in the first place?" Sakura asked, dropping her arms to her sides and returning to her seat on the log.

When Kiba didn't say anything, she tried again.

"We all could've sworn that you were as crazy about her as she was for you. What happened?"

The only response she managed to get was from Akamaru, but a sad, knowing gaze wouldn't answer her questions.

She gritted her teeth.

"Running away and sulking isn't going to get you anywhere good in life, Inuzuka."

Without another word, she rose to her feet and stalked away, leaving Kiba to his thoughts.

How was he supposed to explain to two of Ino's closest friends that he didn't reject her because he didn't return her feelings, but because he knew she only saw him as another male to conquer, a boy to entertain her for as long he could manage? How could they expect him to admit that he was terrified of becoming another ex she had thrown aside simply because she had gotten bored of him? He didn't want to be another flavor of the month. As intense as his feelings ran, he just couldn't date her when he doubted the depth of her feelings for him. He had just wanted to save himself from the inevitable heartache, but if he had known that rejecting her like he had would take its own toll on his heart, he would have gone about it an entirely different way.

Akamaru sighed as he lowered himself to the sand, his head resting on Kiba's thigh.

"They wouldn't have understood, Akamaru," Kiba murmured, drawing comfort from the feel of the large animal's fur beneath his fingers.

---

"Kiba is such a dumbass," Shikamaru muttered as he weaved his way through the congregation of bodies, dodging elbows and heels before he managed to untangle himself from the crowd.

Taking a deep breath, he walked in the direction of the shore, his shrewd gaze quickly scanning over the dark shapes. Only a few people seemed to be sitting by the water, but as far as he could tell, they were all coupled up, and Kiba had said he had left Ino alone.

It didn't take long to spot her once Shikamaru began to move down the semi-long stretch of beach. She was huddled into herself, a lone, still figure staring out into the dark sea. He approached her slowly, admiring the way the moon and the smattering of stars bathed her in an ethereal glow, giving her an otherworldly look despite her somber expression.

When he finally reached her, he announced his presence with a sigh.

Her gaze snapped up to him, startled to find that there was someone behind her.

"Shikamaru?"

"Hey," he said, nodding in greeting before lowering himself into a crouch beside her.

"What have I told you about sneaking up on me?" she grumbled agitatedly, turning to face the water again. "You move quietly enough to scare a girl nearly half to death."

"Sorry," was all he said.

Ino didn't say anything in response.

Shikamaru sighed again. It didn't look like Ino was going to open up any time soon about what had happened between her and Kiba, which meant that he was going to have to bring it up himself, and he hated doing that—when she bottled up her negative feelings, she always ended up blowing up on him, whether or not he was the reason behind her anger or melancholy. But it was something he would readily put up with if it meant talking things out with her until she finally started to feel better, because if there was one thing he hated more than being chewed out by her, it was seeing her down and depressed.

"So," Shikamaru began, clasping his hands between his knees. "Guys suck."

Ino snorted. "You can say that again."

"Guys suck."

The blonde rolled her eyes before elbowing him playfully. "I didn't mean that literally."

"I know," he shrugged. "But repeating it got a good reaction out of you."

Ino exhaled, chewing worriedly on her lower lip before turning her face towards him. Her normally bright and lively aquamarine eyes were sad and confused when they met his gaze. "What's wrong with me, Shikamaru?"

The brunet hung his head momentarily, trying to recover from the sharp pain that had sparked in his chest at the sight of Ino's dejected eyes.

"Nothing is wrong with you, Ino," he finally managed to respond, settling down beside her.

"Then why did he reject me?"

Shikamaru stared at her, taking in the way her cornsilk locks shined silver in the moonlight, and how a gentle breeze stirred the loose strands of hair framing her face. She had looked so pretty and so determined earlier, and he was positive she'd come back to him as a victor, but instead they were sitting as far away from the cheery crowd of teenagers as they could get, untouched by the distant sounds of laughter and music.

"I don't know," he whispered, reaching forward to tuck one of her loose strands behind her ear. "He didn't say." He watched her sigh before trying again for a joking tone. "Maybe he figured you were too high maintenance, and he couldn't handle it."

"Shut up," Ino shot back, shoving him sideways and into the sand.

But even from his position on the ground, spitting grains from his mouth, he could see the small smile that dared to grace her pretty features. And he knew that maybe things weren't entirely irreparable.

"I just like him a lot," she admitted when he was upright again. But it still wasn't enough. She didn't say it, but it was certainly implied, and Shikamaru caught it.

"I know you do," he answered, wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulder. She sighed and leaned into him. "I know you do."

---

When did Naruto-kun come back to Konoha? What made him return?

And why did he leave in the first place?

The questions burned in Hinata's mind when she wasn't so wrapped up in the subject himself, but she knew better than to ask him after seeing the way he had reacted towards Sakura's questions.

Just as Hinata breathed another sigh, something odd landed on her head, scaring her out of her thoughts. Her hand flew to the circular object around her head and she glanced up at the sky, nonplussed.

Naruto's warm laugh erupted behind her, making her jump with fright.

"Naruto-kun?" She turned around and looked up at the tall blond, her pale eyes wide with confusion.

All she saw was his mischievous grin before a sudden flash blinded her.

"I had a feeling it would suit you well, but that thing looks like it was meant to be on your head," Naruto commented as he returned to his spot beside Hinata, setting down a paper bag at his feet and handing her a plastic cup as he looked at something on his cellphone.

"What—"

Before she could finish her question, he tilted the screen on his phone towards her, edging closer so that they could both see. The proximity elicited another blush, but she didn't dare retract from him. Instead, she shifted her attention to the cellphone.

Naruto had taken a picture of her. She was looking up at the camera, doe-eyed with surprise, with her hand on the object atop her head, which she now knew was a flower crown. The flowers' vibrant colors stood out vividly against her long, dark curls, which were being pushed back by a lazy breeze.

"I think it's a nice picture," Naruto declared, playfully nudging her shoulder with his. He earned a shy, flattered smile from the dark-haired girl. "Oh, here, I got you something to eat." He stuffed his phone into his pocket before reaching into the paper bag and pulling out a large, warm cinnamon bun. "You still like these, right?"

"Yes," she said, a huge grin on her face. "Thank you, Naruto-kun!" She bit into it happily once it was in her hands, sighing as the taste of soft dough and warm, melted cinnamon filled her mouth. Yummy! she thought to herself as she swallowed her first bite.

"You know, I'm really glad that I came to this bonfire," Naruto admitted, a content grin on his face as he watched her chew. "I figured I would see everyone if I showed up and I had this idea that we'd all party it up together or something, but it looks like everyone has started getting into their own thing." He sighed. "I'm really glad you kept me company, though. You were the most fun tonight, to be honest."

Hinata was flattered, but she shook her head in disagreement. "Ino is the most fun, in all honesty," she replied, tucking a soft lock of hair behind her ear and lowering the cinnamon bun to her lap. "You just caught her on a day where she's got a boy on her mind."

Naruto chuckled. "I can tell. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that she's got the hots for Kiba, though I don't know if he feels the same about her."

"Oh, he will," Hinata nodded confidently. "Didn't you see her? She's gorgeous, she's fun, she's got a great sense of humor, and plus, she's really confident. All of the things most guys look for in a girl, or so I've been told."

Raising his eyebrows interestedly, Naruto asked, "And who said that?"

"Shikamaru did. But I knew Ino was all of that long before he told me. That's why she's got boys wrapped around her little finger like it's no big deal," Hinata explained, sticking out her pinky for emphasis, before raising her plastic cup to her lips and taking a drink of water.

"What about Sakura?" Naruto inquired a little too casually, taking a few sips from his own cup and looking out at the waves, his expression carefully composed.

Hinata glanced at the blond in surprise before slowly asking, "What do you mean?"

"Oh," he replied nonchalantly, "y'know, stuff. Like, what is she like after all these years? School, family... Guys..." The blond's hands flexed infinitesimally around his cup. He was completely unaware of his own action, but Hinata's sharp eyes caught it.

And just as easily as Naruto could take her to cloud nine with a few sweet words, all it took was a little fidget to send her crashing back down to reality; that minute reaction told her that the affections she had been hoping to claim for herself were already taken.

Swallowing down the lump in her throat, Hinata finally answered, "Sakura has always been really smart. She still is. She actually has one of the top five GPAs out of all of the students at Konoha High." It was an accomplishment the dark-haired girl had always been proud of, which was why she couldn't help the bragging tone. "She's also loyal and protective and always has the best advice. While she may not be the person to go to for comfort, she's really good at listening."

Naruto nodded silently to himself, tilting his head back to gaze up at the glittering stars in the velvet night sky.

Hinata stared down at the sand beneath her feet, tracing her fingers along the cool soil and leaving behind random patterns. She debated whether or not to ask him if he had any interest in her best friend, just to confirm her suspicions, but before she could say anything, he answered her question for her.

"I know this might be a weird thing to ask you, but do you think you could put in a good word for me with Sakura?" Naruto asked, looking down at Hinata with hopeful eyes. "I've been crazy about her since we were in elementary school and after I left, I swore that I would go for her with everything I had whenever I came back."

It took Hinata a few seconds, but she looked up at Naruto and gave him a smile, though it was pained. "Sure," she said with a nod. "She's really great. Not that you don't already know that, of course..."

And why wouldn't Naruto like Sakura? Everything Hinata had said about her was true. Sakura herself might not think as highly of her own accomplishments, but in Hinata's eyes, her dear friend was one of the best things to grace the earth. No matter how deeply she felt for Naruto, she wasn't going to down-talk the rosy-haired girl. And if two of her favorite people started seeing each other, who was she to get in the way?

Helping, however, would not be easy on her feelings.

"Awesome! Thank you, Hinata-chan!" Naruto exclaimed, reaching over and pulling her into a tight hug. "You're an awesome friend, you know that?" He leaned back and, his blue eyes dancing with excitement, gave her a huge grin that poked a painful hole into her chest. She couldn't say anything, so all she did was smile up at him.

Thankfully, before the situation could deteriorate any further, Neji approached them.

"Hinata, it's time to go home," he called to her, stopping a few short feet away. Her cousin's pale violet hues shifted to Naruto as if he only just noticed him. Without a word, his gaze flicked down and up, sizing up the blue-eyed boy. While Neji's face remained passive, his eyes hardened. There was no way of knowing what was going through his mind, but one thing was clear: he didn't like Naruto. "Who is this?" he asked Hinata, staring down the blond with a severity that left him taken aback.

"This is Naruto. He went to elementary school with me and my friends, but he moved away afterwards. And now he's back," Hinata explained, attempting to diffuse the quickly escalating situation with a calming tone. Naruto was staring up at Neji with just as much intensity, and the longer they stared each other down, the clearer it became that he had the same short fuse her cousin possessed. When nothing was said, Hinata added, "He's my friend."

At that, Neji turned his gaze to Hinata and sighed, nodding as he held out his hand to help her up from the ground.

"Well tell your friend that we've got to go. Uncle told me to take you home ten minutes ago, but I didn't get you right away because I wanted you to enjoy the bonfire a bit longer. Come on," he beckoned. "Let's go get Sakura and Ino."

Hinata took Neji's hand and stood before smiling down at Naruto apologetically. "I'll see you at school."

"Bye, Hinata-chan," Naruto said with a wave of his hand, smiling at her until she and Neji were out of sight.

---

It didn't take long for them to find the two other girls, and once everyone had said their goodbyes, they began to make their way back to the Hyūga estate.

"So? How was your night, guys?" Hinata asked Sakura and Ino, confused by the uncharacteristic silence and at the fact that she was the one who had to break it.

"It was... it was something," Sakura sighed heavily, glancing at Ino from the corner of her eye.

"It was kind of crappy," Ino replied shortly, staring straight ahead with a passive expression on her face.

Hinata blinked, taken aback. What on earth could've happened between the time Ino walked off with Kiba and now? It couldn't have been about him. But even as she continued wracking her brain for a reason why Ino's evening went south, she kept coming up blank.

"What happened?" Sakura asked, though she looked like she already knew the answer. Hinata glanced between her two best friends, feeling out of the loop.

Ino heaved a sigh. "I'll tell you guys later, so let's just not talk about it right now, okay?"

Hinata looked at her friend with concern in her lilac hues before nodding. "Alright."

And without another word from anyone, the four of them walked along in silence.

---

Naruto heaved a sigh as he watched Hinata walk away with some guy he didn't recognize. Their eyes said they were related, but he didn't recall Hinata ever having an older brother. Must be a relative, he decided. Still, it doesn't excuse the fact that he was a total asshole, Naruto grumbled mentally as he eased himself onto his back and looked up at the night sky. It's not like I had my hand up her shirt or anything.

Neither one of the two boys had said a single word to each other, but guys in general had an entirely different method of communication compared to girls. The female gender liked to talk. A lot. At least, in Naruto's opinion. But to him, guys were simple creatures of instinct. The way they dealt with things the majority of the time was through eye contact, and if that didn't work, fists came into play. That's what Jiraiya had always told him, anyway. Abiding by that philosophy was what gave Naruto the reputation that he had before he moved back. Beyond the "Welcome to Konoha City!" sign, he was notorious for picking fights and having a violent streak, though that wasn't always the case. All he ever did was protect himself. Very rarely did he ever instigate something, unless it came to protecting one of his friends. Other than that, he only raised his fists against anyone who came looking for a fight, whether to knock him off of his nonexistent high horse or just to earn the bragging rights for beating up the Naruto Uzumaki, though that rarely happened. But whatever name he had made for himself back there didn't matter anymore. He was going to do everything he could to shed that "delinquent" title so that maybe he'd have a more peaceful time at Konoha.

Although Ino, Sakura, and Hinata had already left the bonfire party, it was still going strong. Teenagers were starting to wander down by the shoreline in couples, giggling and kissing and whispering to each other, no doubt looking for a good spot for the short firework show that was about to start. When two people locked in a particularly heated make out session nearly fell over him, he took it as his cue to return to Shikamaru and Kiba.

"Hey, man. Where've you been?" Kiba asked when Naruto met up with them. He was lounging against a log, several Uno cards in his hand while Akamaru was rolling around in the sand.

"Just around," Naruto replied with a shrug before he plopped down on the ground beside Shikamaru. His shoulders were set tightly as if something was bothering him, but that thought was contradicted by the hint of a smile playing on his lips.

Naruto quirked an eyebrow at his friend's weird behavior, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he turned to Kiba with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"How'd things go with Ino? Did you hit any bases?" The blond wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, to which Kiba responded with a punch to his shoulder.

"Shut up," Kiba grumbled as Naruto massaged the sore area. After a moment, he finally answered, "First base." Shikamaru raised his eyebrows at that, though the rest of his countenance remained oddly composed. "It's kind of complicated," Kiba tried to explain.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "You either made out with her or you didn't, Kiba. What's so complicated about that?"

Shikamaru sighed. "You know you shouldn't lead people on like that. Seriously, what were you doing? You know she likes you. I know she likes you. Sakura definitely knows that she likes you, and I can promise you that Hinata knows too. Hell, I'm sure the whole world can tell." He shook his head sagely as if he were the epitome of tranquility, but his words held an undertone of irritation. "What was the point in rejecting her? I thought you had this huge thing for her."

"Whoa, wait, hold up," Naruto blurted, raising his hands, interrupting Kiba before he could speak. "Pause. You lost me at rejecting her." He turned to Kiba, giving his friend a look that said, what the heck bro.

"Keep up, Naruto. It's not that hard," Kiba said with a roll of his eyes. "We were having fun. A blast, even," he began, putting the cards down and running his hand through his hair. "We checked out the food stands, danced a little bit, walked around the beach, hung out at the game booths. I even won her this thing." Kiba dug a hand through a paper bag neither Shikamaru nor Naruto had noticed before, their curiosity piqued. What he pulled out was a stuffed animal. He held it out for his two friends to see. "It's a lioness," he explained, looking down at it with a fond sadness. "When I saw it among the prizes, I was instantly reminded of her. So I knew I wanted it." He sighed. "I wanted it to be a surprise, so I had asked her to get something for us to eat while I played." Kiba slowly spun the token in his hands, studying it as he spoke. "There was a bigger one, but I didn't get enough points for it, so I got this instead. I was planning on giving it to her before she left, but..." Kiba sighed once more as he replaced the stuffed toy into the bag. "Things didn't end amicably, to be exact. So I never gave it to her."

"Wow, Kiba..." Naruto said, awed by his friend. "I never knew you were such a sap."

"Shut the hell up, Naruto," the brunet growled, aiming another punch at the blond's shoulder. He turned away with a huff, pressing his cheek into his palm again in an attempt to hide the scarlet in his face.

"That doesn't explain anything, though," Shikamaru said aloud, more to himself than to them. "If anything, it's even more confusing." He turned to Kiba with a rare, determined look in his dark eyes.

Kiba instantly felt uneasy. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Why would you show her a good time and win that—" he threw a hand at the paper bag where the stuffed animal was, "—for her if you planned on rejecting her in the first place? I'm starting to think you're a sadist, Kiba."

The brunet glowered, angry at Shikamaru for noticing those things, for pointing them out, and for being right. As usual.

"I'm not a sadist, Shikamaru," he bristled, glaring at him. "If anything, what I did was masochistic."

"Whatever," Shikamaru dismissed. "All I know is that I've seen Ino get rejected enough times to know that she doesn't lose sleep over it."

Gloom settled over Kiba's features. "Great. That's just fantastic."

Shikamaru gritted his teeth. "But you're the only one who ever made her upset by telling her no."

Kiba's brown eyes widened, clearly taken aback by this admittance.

"What did you say to her?" Shikamaru asked quietly, an unreadable emotion in his serious gaze.

Naruto, meanwhile, was watching the entire exchange with rapt attention. I could really use a bag of popcorn right now...

"I, um..." Kiba hesitated, avoiding his friends' eyes. "I may have accidentally told her that I was into someone else..."

At that, Shikamaru groaned while Naruto did his best to hide a snort. "You've got to be kidding me, Kiba. How dense can you be?"

Kiba grimaced. "I didn't mean to!" he tried to explain. "It just sort of... slipped."

"Who did you say it was?" Naruto asked, coughing over a snicker. But nobody was fooled. It was a wonder that the blond wasn't set ablaze, what with the fire in Kiba's eyes.

Once he was certain Naruto felt too awkward to laugh, Kiba sighed. "Hinata."

Naruto wasn't able to restrain himself. "Okay, even I'm not dumb enough to do something like that," he said, eyeing Kiba in amusement. "Congrats, bro. It looks like you buried yourself an early grave. Can I be in charge of writing your eulogy?"

"Ha ha, very funny," Kiba shot back sarcastically, though it was definitely concerning to think that Naruto of all people was teasing him about how badly he had handled his situation. Since when did Naruto have better skills with girls than me? Or any skills, for that matter? his inner voice grumbled bitterly.

Shikamaru picked up the pile of discarded Uno cards sitting before him and shuffled them quietly, clearly lost in thought. The two boys watched him as he set them down with a sigh and spoke. "Dude, you told Ino that you had feelings for Hinata, her best friend. Do you have any idea how screwed up that is?"

"I know, I know," Kiba groaned. "Can we just talk about anything else? Literally anything else? The last thing I want is to be lectured by my two best friends on how much I suck with girls."

Naruto threw his head back as he laughed outright, ignoring Kiba's dagger eyes. "That's the understatement of the century."

"Did you get anywhere with Hinata? Since apparently you're so good with girls and all," Kiba retorted as he turned to scowl at the towering bonfire a few feet away from them.

Naruto instantly sobered. "What do you mean?" he asked, puzzled by the question.

"He's referring to the fact that you dragged Hinata off somewhere for the entire evening," Shikamaru answered in an agitated voice, clearly still unhappy with the matter about Ino.

"Oh, that? We just went to dance and then we talked. I was asking her about Sakura until that douchebag with an attitude problem showed up and told her that they were leaving." Naruto grimaced at the memory.

"Neji," Kiba and Shikamaru said in unison, nodding with understanding.

"Dude, don't go messing with that guy," Kiba cautioned, looking Naruto in the eye. "That's Neji Hyūga, her cousin. He's a real hard-ass, so don't go picking fights with him just because you don't like his attitude. Not many people do, but they avoid him instead of confront him about it."

"Oh please," Naruto scoffed, rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck casually. "I'll bet I can take him any day."

"Whatever you say, tough guy," Shikamaru said in a mocking tone, rolling his eyes at Naruto's little show. His smirk soon dissolved into a frown. "You've got a bigger problem on your hands."

At that, alarm bells went off in Naruto's head; he knew something was up if Shikamaru felt something was legitimately troublesome. While he may have always been laid-back and disinterested in most things, he had a knack for sniffing out trouble before it happened. "What kind of problem?" Naruto asked slowly, his eyebrows pulling over his cerulean hues in concern.

Shikamaru stared at him for a moment, seemingly debating something in his head, before he let out a breath. "After you and Hinata went off on your own, Sakura started asking about why you left Konoha."

At that, Naruto froze. His heart, however, quickly picked up its pace as his brain ran through all of the memories he had yet to discard. There were many things that ticked him off, but if you really wanted to get under his skin, all you had to do was ask about his history. Naruto preferred to live in the moment instead of dwell on the past but, in the end, it was his way of trying to run away from what he had to go through growing up. "And what did you say?" he asked quietly as he turned his restless eyes to the equally restless ocean waves.

"I told her that the only person who could ever answer her question is you," Shikamaru replied, watching Naruto carefully. "I don't think you'll have to worry about her asking, though, because Sakura isn't dumb. She could tell that what she doesn't know isn't meant to be taken lightly. So, for now, I think you're safe."

Slowly, Naruto nodded. "Thanks, man." While he and Shikamaru haven't spent much time together throughout the last few years, the two things that had always remained consistent about him were his reliability and his trustworthiness. Naruto offered Kiba and Shikamaru a crooked smile before easing himself onto his feet. "I'm gonna bail. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

Shikamaru and Kiba waved goodbye to Naruto as he walked away.

I don't want this crap to start up again, he thought with uneasiness, stuffing his hands into his pockets and heaving a sigh. He felt comforted the more he separated himself from the people on the beach, enjoying the brief periods of darkness between lampposts as he made his way home. He had figured that returning to the city where it had happened would stir up unwanted memories and questions, but he didn't think it would start so soon. Naruto blew out another breath at the prospect of having to recount the one thing he'd do anything to forget, the one thing that seemed like such a big deal to everyone else. Whatever, he grumbled internally. I'll just make up some story to get people off of my back.

The farther Naruto wandered away from the beach, the more he felt like someone was watching him. His skin crawled at the idea of having to fight someone in unfamiliar territory, but his instincts were beginning to take over, so he knew if push came to shove, he'd be prepared.

A hand came down hard on Naruto's shoulder and gripped him tightly before he felt himself being spun around. Without hesitation, his fist shot forward, but whoever it was that was attacking him dodged, much to his surprise. Without warning, Naruto's head was locked into a pair of powerful arms before he was thrown down to the ground and subdued.

"Naruto! Relax! It's me!"

At the sound of the guy's voice, Naruto stopped grappling. He sounded eerily familiar, but as his brain struggled to make the connection, he continued drawing a blank.

"Uh… Do I know you?" Naruto asked dumbly as he did his best to free himself from the chokehold. The question seemed to have caught the guy off guard because Naruto was able to hook his elbow into his gut. The guy swore before he pulled away and took a few steps back, stepping under the illumination of a nearby lamppost. When Naruto stood and got a good look at the guy, his eyes widened. "Sasuke?"

---

When Neji and the girls arrived at the Hyūga estate, there was a notable tension in the air. Most of it was directed at Neji for "bringing the girls so late", but once he was gone, Hinata got the feeling that her father saw her as equally responsible as Neji for their tardiness.

"Your dad should really go talk to a doctor about that stick up his ass," Ino grumbled once they finally reached Hinata's room. "It's not healthy."

"Ino!" Sakura hissed, glancing down the notably empty hallway with a relieved sigh before she shut the door. She turned to the blonde with her arms folded across her chest. "I get that you're still pissed about what he said to Hinata earlier, but don't insult him so openly!"

"Quit being so uptight for once, Sakura," Ino retorted with a roll of her eyes. "I got over that and we're in Hinata's room. No one is going to hear me but you guys."

"Seriously, what's your problem? Ever since we left the beach, you've been nothing but grouchy. Cut it out." Sakura stared hard at Ino for a moment to drive her point home before plopping down onto Hinata's bed.

Hinata noticed that the knowing look was back in her friend's mint-green eyes, yet still she didn't say anything. She frowned, but decided it was better to ask about it later.

While Sakura and Ino bickered back and forth, Hinata entered her sizable walk-in closet and started picking out blankets, pillows, and pajamas for each of them. It was a tradition of theirs to spend the night at Hinata's house before the first day of school. In the morning, they'd get ready together. Ino would double-check that the three looked beautiful and polished before they headed to the kitchen, where Hinata would prepare everyone breakfast and bentos. Then they'd leave for school, arm-in-arm. It wasn't a tradition either one of them had planned, but rather something that fate had just thrown together, much like they had been. It was a custom that Hinata treasured dearly.

"Are you guys going to take a shower now or in the morning?" Hinata asked as she returned to her friends, tossing an armful of sleepover stuff onto the bed.

"Morning," Ino and Sakura said in unison before they glanced at each other and grinned, momentarily forgetting their squabbling.

"You guys are such dorks," Hinata giggled before walking into her bathroom to do her nightly routine. After washing her face, brushing her teeth, and dressing into something more snuggly, the dark-haired girl returned to her bedroom feeling refreshed. She noticed immediately, however, that Sakura wasn't there. "Where did Sakura go?" Hinata asked Ino as she pulled her purple beanbag closer to the bed and collapsed into it.

"She went downstairs to warm us up some tea," Ino replied distractedly as she inspected her fingernails with distaste.

"Oh, okay." Hinata quirked her mouth into a frown as she debated whether or not she should ask Ino about Kiba yet, but by the unusual fascination the blonde appeared to have with her nails, she got the feeling that now wasn't the time. Instead, she allowed her eyes to wander around her bedroom.

Despite the fact that the Hyūgas were easily one of the wealthiest families in the city, Hinata's room was as humble as they come—for a rich kid, anyway. The king-sized mattress that could easily hold four, the sweeping canopy, the silk drapes, the over-sized vanity, even the acrylic paintings of Japanese landscapes were unnecessarily extravagant. The bed sheets, with their high thread count, were no exception. While her family relished in the perks of being affluent, Hinata preferred the simplicities life had to offer, though that didn't stop her father from buying her superfluous things. It was another one of the many reasons why she couldn't see eye-to-eye with her father and her younger sister.

"So, Naruto looks like he's been doing well," Ino chatted casually, breaking the silence and Hinata's reverie. She gave the dark-haired girl a knowing smirk. "I heard you kept him all to yourself tonight."

A hot flush crept its way up Hinata's face. "I didn't k-keep him," she mumbled, looking down shyly. "Not like you did with Kiba."

Ino would have applauded Hinata's comeback, seeing as she rarely teased in return, if she weren't so ticked off with the boy she mentioned. She rolled her eyes. "Which was a total mistake on my part, but whatever! I was just saying because Sakura hadn't seen you or him at all after we all broke apart from the group."

At the mention of Sakura, Hinata remembered the way her evening with Naruto had ended. She was quiet for a few seconds as she stared down at her hands before murmuring, "We had a really good time. He said he was glad to have had me for company tonight."

Ino's jaw dropped in surprise before her face broke out into a gargantuan smile. "Do I sense some development?" she sing-songed, wiggling her eyebrows.

Hinata laughed softy before she shook her head. "He said I was an awesome friend."

When the words came out of Hinata's mouth, Ino finally met her steady lilac gaze. So it looks like I'm not the only one who got dumped into the stupid "friend zone" guys always complain about, she thought to herself, eyeing the pale-eyed girl sympathetically. "Same here," Ino admitted with a sigh. "Looks like guys who like to cut off chunks of girls' hair aren't worth pursuing after all." A wry smile tugged at her lips as she continued with, "Someone should tell him that he should never consider becoming a beautician."

"Rewind and start the story over!" came Sakura's voice as she elbowed the door open and walked in with three steaming mugs. "You guys know we're not supposed to talk about stuff unless we're all here."

Ino and Hinata scrambled to help Sakura with the piping mugs. It wasn't until the door was closed, everyone was comfortable, and they felt the relaxing effects of sweetened chamomile tea working through their systems that they started talking about their night. When Ino was recounting the humiliating scene between her and Kiba, however, she omitted an important little detail: the fact that he had confessed to liking her best friend.

Ino didn't blame Hinata at all for it because she knew very well that it wasn't her fault. She did blame Kiba entirely, however, for the way he had rejected her.

"When Kiba came back, Shikamaru went looking for you," Sakura commented. "Did he ever find you?"

A soft look came over Ino's features, surprising both Sakura and Hinata. The two exchanged a curious glance when she murmured, "Yeah. He did."

Her friends didn't say anything.

When Hinata's turn came and she shared a somewhat similar story to Ino's, she didn't leave out the part where Naruto had asked for her help with Sakura.

"He asked you that?" Sakura inquired in a surprised and flattered tone.

It wasn't the reaction Hinata was hoping for, but her altruism kicked in, so all she did was smile and nod. "Y-yeah. He's really sweet and he's a lot of fun to be with, so if he asks you out, I think you should give him a chance and say yes."

Ino wasn't fooled. She looked at Hinata with soft, sad eyes, both relieved and disappointed that even when it came to boys, she always puts her friends' happiness before her own. On normal days, Ino would lecture Hinata to think of herself more, but in a family where greediness seemed to be the most common vice, she just couldn't do it. Hinata was the black sheep of her family in almost every way possible, and while her father put a lot of strain on her for it, she shouldered it without a single complaint.

Sakura frowned thoughtfully. "But… Sasuke-kun…"

"You're still into that guy?" Ino scoffed, earning a frown from the pink-haired girl. "I'm sorry, Sakura. I love you to death, but I'm beginning to wonder if he's attracted to anything or anyone at all. If he's had girlfriends—or boyfriends! You never know—then they were kept on the down low. Either that or he's more straight-edged than you and refuses to date until, like, college or something."

"Your undying support is one of your best qualities, Ino. Did you know that?" Sakura said sarcastically. She sighed and looked down into her half-filled mug. "I don't know. We're friendly, but nothing like how you are with Shikamaru or how Hinata is with Kiba. As for Naruto," she added as an afterthought. "I don't really know if we could be anything other than friends. I've never looked at him that way, not even in primary school when he would come to class every day and announce how much he liked me." She paused and glanced at Hinata, whose eyes were downcast and shoulders slumped. "Besides," Sakura murmured with a small smile, reaching out to slip her hand into Hinata's. "What kind of friend would I be if I went after the guy one of my best friends is crazy about?"

Hinata looked up at Sakura with relief and affection. Ino surprised the lavender-eyed girl by grabbing her other hand, a happy grin on her face. She returned the smile with a serene one of her own, squeezing her two best friends' hands warmly.

"You know," Sakura said after a moment of contented silence, her mouth quirking into a thoughtful pout. "There's still one thing that keeps bothering me."

Ino set her empty mug on the nightstand before turning her questioning look at Sakura. "What is it?"

"I've asked Naruto and I've asked Shikamaru, but neither of them told me why Naruto left Konoha," she admitted. "Naruto's reaction wasn't a good one, so I didn't push it. But I couldn't help asking Shikamaru, though with the way he answered me, it looks like it's a lot more serious than just a simple 'my parents got a new job out of town'."

"Then maybe you should wait until he's ready to tell you himself," Hinata said with a shrug, though she knew she was just as curious as Sakura.

"That's what Shikamaru had said." Sakura sighed. "It's getting late. We should go to sleep now if we want a good night's rest and a decent amount of time in the morning to get ready for school tomorrow."

"Alright mom," Ino teased.

After the girls finished off their chamomile tea and got comfortable in bed, they drifted off into slumber.

---

"What the hell were you doing, lurking like that?" Naruto grumbled as he brushed off his clothes.

"I wasn't lurking, dobe," Sasuke retorted with a roll of his eyes. "I called your name, but you ignored me so I went up to you."

At that, Naruto didn't say anything because he knew he had been lost in thought. He just stood there and eyed the other guy warily. Sasuke Uchiha was another friend he had made before moving away from Konoha, though not many people knew this. In fact, they used to be neighbors, and their parents had been the best of friends. But that didn't matter now, not when his family was the reason why he left Konoha in the first place. The bittersweet memories he had shared with Sasuke resurfaced at the sight of him, along with the resentment he had never been able to shake off. It was because of that bitterness that they couldn't have maintained a long-distance friendship.

"I'd love to reminisce about old times, Sasuke, but not as much as I'd love not to." Naruto's usually lively eyes remained distant as he continued staring at his childhood best friend.

Sasuke didn't respond for a moment, his expression entirely passive, until finally he said, "I don't want to reminisce either, Naruto."

Naruto released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Combing his unruly hair back with his fingers, he edged past Sasuke and continued walking in the direction of his new home. "Then what do you want?"

Sasuke fell into step with Naruto easily, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he matched his pace. "To catch up. To see if we could be friends again, like we used to be." He glanced at the blond from the corner of his eye. "Is that so hard to believe?"

Naruto shot Sasuke an unreadable look before focusing on the path ahead of them. "No, not really," he sighed. "But do you honestly believe that it's going to be that easy? After everything?"

At that, Sasuke turned his head and looked at Naruto fully. "You still haven't learned how to forgive and forget, have you?"

Naruto's hands tightened into fists. He gritted his teeth together as he spat out, "Obviously not."

Sasuke heaved an exasperated breath. "Can you at least try? It's not like any of what had happened was my fault, but you seem to blame me anyway. Don't you understand that I had nothing to do with the incident with your—"

Naruto snapped before Sasuke could finish his sentence. He gripped his old friend by his collar and shoved him roughly against one of the lampposts, repeatedly throwing his fist into his stomach. "Fuck you!" he shouted into his face. "Do you have any idea how hard the last few years have been because of your parents? They screwed up my life! They took away the two people I need and loved most in my life as easily as blinking!"

As Naruto's fist hesitated, Sasuke took advantage of it to shove the blond away from him, catching him off balance. Naruto stumbled but almost regained his footing until Sasuke pushed him to the ground and crouched over him. He wasted no time pummeling his knuckles into Naruto's face, his elbow continuously jerking high into the air before his fist shot down and connected. "No, Naruto! Fuck you!" Sasuke yelled back between punches. "You can't blame me for what my parents did! How the hell is it my fault that they decided to not pay attention that night? Why the hell are you blaming me for my parents driving recklessly? I'm sorry that they killed your mom and dad! But you need to stop antagonizing me when I had nothing to do with it!" Breathing heavily, Sasuke shoved away from Naruto and stood, looking down at him with a ferocious anger.

There was a red trickle of liquid dribbling down Naruto's nose. When Sasuke finally relented, the blond spat out whatever blood had found its way into his mouth and he struggled to his feet, massaging his jaw once he was off of the ground. His left eye was throbbing and as he gently prodded the skin with his fingertips, he could tell that he was going to have a bruise tomorrow. He wiped his nose with his sleeve and spat again before finally turning to Sasuke. He knew perfectly well that he was in the wrong for taking out his anger on him, for pinning the responsibility of his parents' death onto his old friend's shoulders. But now that he had finally, finally released all of that pent up animosity, the heavy weight that he had been lugging around on his chest for years began to lighten.

Both of their breathing had started to slow when Naruto spoke again. "I'm sorry." It was short and simple, but it was genuine, and that had enough meaning in and of itself, because rarely did he apologize to anyone.

It took Sasuke by surprise, however, and as he slowly began to nod, he said, "I'm sorry too." And that was the end of that.

"Good," Naruto sighed, wiping at his nose again. The pain throbbing in his face reminded him that he needed to get home. He mulled over the thought of bringing Sasuke to his house, but when he saw that his fist was split from all of the punching, he made his decision. "Follow me," Naruto beckoned as he began to make his way home again. "There's someone I want you to meet. Besides, I don't want you going home looking like you just got roughed up," the blond added, suppressing a shudder. "The last thing I need is for your older brother to come looking for me."

The thought of Itachi, Sasuke's older brother, beating the living crap out of Naruto made him laugh. "Yeah, that'd probably be bad." He was curious to know who it was that Naruto wanted him to meet, though, but as they walked in silence, he was just relieved to know that he had his best friend back.

When they arrived at Naruto's new home, a man with long white hair answered the door. An amused smile curved his lips at the sight of the two boys. "Come on in. Let's patch you guys up."

It wasn't until Naruto had a pack of frozen peas to his face and Sasuke's hand was being treated when the introductions were finally made.

"Old man, this is Sasuke," Naruto began with a wave of his hand. "Sasuke, this is my old man, Jiraiya. He's basically my second father."

---

Sasuke visited for only about an hour before he left Naruto's house, though it certainly felt much longer than that due to the hint of awkwardness that still lingered between them. When the front door slammed shut behind him, a moment of unstirred silence encompassed the blond teenager and his perceptive caretaker. A heavy sigh punctured the quiet.

"Out of all of the people you could've brought home, an Uchiha was the last one I expected to see on the other side of that door," Jiraiya commented casually, studying his godson with unreadable eyes.

Naruto shrugged as he lowered the bag of frozen peas from his bruised eye. The tension that had lodged itself into his shoulders when he first saw Sasuke still hadn't eased, not completely. Although he had forgiven him for the past, his presence still impacted him in a way that he despised. Naruto was well aware that holding his childhood best friend responsible for something that his parents did was entirely unreasonable, and even more so now that they would be attending Konoha High together. The one thing that Naruto had sworn to himself before they had moved back was that he would shed all grudges and leave them in the past, where they rightfully belonged. However, he hadn't realized that it was much easier to make a resolution than to carry through with it. Despite that, he was determined to regain that sense of comfortable familiarity that he and Sasuke used to have when they were younger, even if it took them all year to reach that point.

"Is he the one that gave you that eye?" Jiraiya asked, gesturing at Naruto with the pair of chopsticks positioned in his grip before returning them to his instant ramen.

"Yeah," Naruto answered over his godfather's slurping. "Things got, uh, heated when we first started talking."

"It looks like he's the one that came out victorious," Jiraiya commented with a taunting glint in his eyes.

"Whatever, you old pervert," Naruto grumbled bitterly, sucking down the remaining liquid in his plastic ramen bowl.

The truth of the matter was that they had both been perfectly content with living their lives outside of Konoha City, though each had their own reason for it. It wasn't until Naruto had earned the reputation of a troublemaker that Jiraiya began to worry about him, and once his behavior had drawn his attention, he couldn't stop noticing the details. It had surprised him to find just how often Naruto's smiles failed to ring true. That was when Jiraiya decided that they needed a change of pace, a somewhat new environment; to move Naruto into scenery that was fresh, though not entirely unfamiliar, and give him a chance to reconnect with old friends and find an outlet or a resolution for the hardships that still weighed him down. And while Jiraiya had hoped that Naruto and Sasuke would be able to make amends and carry on the way they had in the past, this wasn't the way he had pictured them going about it, though he shouldn't have been surprised.

Naruto slammed the empty bowl onto their small dining table. He stared fiercely into it before he said, quietly, "He brought up my parents…" His chair scraped against the floor as he stood, before he walked into their new living room area.

Jiraiya didn't respond. Instead, he finished off the rest of his ramen before picking up Naruto's and Sasuke's empty bowls from the dining table and taking them to the kitchen sink. When he returned to where Naruto lounged on the couch, he leaned against the kitchen's doorframe and stared at him speculatively. Naruto was gazing at a row of pictures lined along the shelf above the fireplace, and by the faraway look in his eyes, he was lost in some childhood memory. At least, Jiraiya assumed so, because the photographs he had been so captivated by were of him and his parents when they were still alive. Jiraiya had been through more than his fair share of hardships in his life, but it wasn't until he became a parent—or as close to one as he currently was—that he realized that pain left a much rougher cut when he watched his kid suffer through it.

With another heavy sigh, Jiraiya seated himself beside his godson and placed a firm hand onto his shoulder, dispelling whatever image his mind had conjured him into. "What I'm about to tell you is something I should've told you about a long time ago," he began.

That captured Naruto's attention instantaneously. His bright cerulean eyes, while obviously curious, held an undertone of caution and an almost imperceptible trace of fear that disheartened Jiraiya to the core. If there was one thing that he would wish for, it would be the ability to give Naruto the life that was unrightfully stolen from him, if that meant that he could be as carefree and adolescent as people his age were supposed to be.

The blond nodded, urging Jiraiya to continue. He sighed. "Your parents aren't the only ones who lost their lives that night."

At that, a shock went straight through him. "Wait… What do you mean?" Naruto asked slowly, his eyebrows pulling together. "I thought Sasuke's parents were alive and well at the hospital. I remember the doctor telling him and his brother that they would be fine."

Jiraiya shook his head. "They made it out of the car accident pretty much in one piece, save for a few nasty scrapes and bruises. They were unconscious when they arrived at the hospital, but the thing is… they never woke up."

Naruto's jaw slackened as the full force of what he had just heard dawned on him. Suddenly, he was ten years old again, sitting anxiously beside Sasuke and Itachi at the Konoha City Hospital as they waited for someone to inform them on their parents' conditions.

The doctor had approached the Uchiha brothers first, with good news: their mother and father were going to be just fine.

"Can we go see them?" Itachi asked, his hand clutching Sasuke's small one tightly. They both looked up at the doctor imploringly, unbridled relief and hope in their onyx eyes.

The doctor, a man with salt-and-pepper hair and tight lines around his exhausted eyes, crouched down to eye-level with the Uchiha kids. "Sorry, boys," he said, a tired but practiced smile on his mouth. "Not just yet."

"Why not?" Sasuke piped up, his eyebrows scrunching angrily over his dark eyes. "If they're okay, I want to see them!"

"Sasuke, stop," Itachi scolded, tugging on his younger brother's hand.

"You can go into the room, but they're still sleeping, so you'll have to be real quiet," the doctor explained.

Itachi stared at him, his eyes serious. "Still sleeping? It's been almost twelve hours."

"They should be waking up soon, don't worry," the man quickly reassured them. "They were very fortunate."

That shot Naruto with a surge of hope. "Are mom and dad sleeping too?" he asked optimistically, an eager smile on his face.

But the way the doctor had turned to look at him instantly put him in a nervous sweat. A cold finger of dread slid down Naruto's spine when he saw the thinly concealed grief and heartbreak in the man's eyes.

"Not..." he paused, taking a pained breath. "Not quite, kiddo."

"So they're awake?" Naruto persisted, refusing to see the truth on the man's face. "Does that mean I can go see them?"

By then, Itachi had reached his unoccupied hand to grab Naruto's. When the blond turned to look at him, he saw the same sadness, the same sorrow, that the doctor was looking at him with. But his brain still refused to acknowledge it.

"I'm afraid not," the doctor said, regaining Naruto's attention.

Naruto swallowed hard. "B-but why not?"

"Your mommy and daddy, they..." he paused, took another deep breath. "They weren't so lucky, kiddo..."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked angrily, hot tears blurring his vision. "What does that mean?"

"I'm sorry," was all the doctor could manage to get out before he stood up and rubbed at his dry eyes, unable to withstand the look of despair and betrayal that had crossed the blond boy's face.

Naruto's mind had refused to grasp what everyone had been trying to tell him. It wasn't until Jiraiya had arrived a couple of hours later that the situation had finally hit him. He had spent a whole three days crying, but once his tear ducts had dried, not a single tear had ever rimmed his eyes again. Then, a week later, he was withdrawn from Konoha Elementary and they moved to Sunagakure without a word to anyone. The only people he told about what had happened were Shikamaru and Kiba, and that was after many months of writing back and forth to each other.

Naruto raked his fingers through his blond hair several times as his brain processed this new information. "I'm such an asshole," he groaned, dropping his head into his palms and slouching in his seat. "This entire time, I thought I was the only one who… Ugh…" Not once had he ever thought to communicate with Sasuke after he had moved away; the thought never failed to leave a breathtaking pain in his stomach, as if a professional soccer player had just kicked him there, cleats and all. While during the first few years he didn't know what to make of the feeling, he later realized that it was the product of envy, bitterness, and agony. Because of that, he refused to ever entertain the thought again.

"You didn't know, Naruto," Jiraiya insisted firmly, pulling the blond boy upright. "Don't blame yourself for something that was out of your control. I told you because I wanted you to realize that you weren't the only one who has been suffering." He shook Naruto's shoulder. "Are you listening to me?"

"Yeah," Naruto replied gloomily. He looked up at his godfather for a moment before asking, "And his parents are still… unconscious?"

Jiraiya nodded grimly. "Yes. But I don't want you to dwell on it for too long, okay? You'll get wrinkles before I do," he joked in a lame attempt to lighten the heavy atmosphere. "You should be more concerned with school and friends and girls." The old man's eyes lit up then. "Speaking of girls, did you meet anyone that caught your eye at that bonfire thing?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "If you need any help with making the ladies swoon, you know where to find me."

Naruto made a face at that. "Gross. You're probably the last person I'd ever go to for girl advice," he snorted, smiling weakly. He appreciated Jiraiya's lighthearted turn in conversation—it was unlike Naruto to be depressed over something for this long, so the playful banter was something he welcomed wholeheartedly.

"Then go to bed!" Jiraiya ordered in fake indignation, composing his expression into a serious one before his mouth curved into a grin moments later.

"Since when do you decide when I go to bed?" Naruto grumbled, making another face at his godfather.

"Since you decided you didn't want to talk about women with me," Jiraiya shot back. "Unless you want to stay up helping me unpack all of these boxes?" With a wide sweep of his arm, he gestured at the several piles of cardboard lining the walls and surfaces.

With a fake yawn, Naruto stretched his arms above him. "You know what? I think going to bed is a good idea," he said, trying not to grin. "Something about getting punched in the face really wears you out, you know?"

"Yeah, I'll bet it does," Jiraiya shot back sarcastically before waving Naruto away. "Go get some sleep. You'll need it for your first day of school."

They each said their goodnights before the blond made his way to his new bedroom. While they had succeeded in alleviating the somber mood, it didn't erase the heavy thoughts still lingering in each of their minds. That night, Naruto managed to fall asleep, though it was a light and restless slumber.