Princesses, Knights and Heroes

Back-from-wherever-post 6/8

Summary: Childrens' dreams are seldom forgotten. Some wishes change. Some don't. A new generation of shinobi is growing up. Konoha and its inhabitants, OneShot

Warning: -

Set: Story-unrelated, future-fic

Disclaimer: Standards apply.

The restaurant is full of voices and laughter and music and it seems as if the entire generation of shinobi called The Konoha Twelve is assembled around the table. People talk and joke and – of course – drink.

But who could resent them for having fun?

Summer is slowly dying and fall is coming and the Summer Festival is one of the few festivals Hidden Leaf truly enjoys.

Alcohol is something all of them already have used to try to drown themselves in so it's not surprising none of the people at the table are strangers to the beverage. Some drink more carefully than others, though. There are other matters to attend the next day and a hangover isn't always helpful. Others don't have any plans for tomorrow save spending the whole day in bed or they simply don't care. There's always Sakura-chan's special medicine for hangover, even if it tastes like hell.

So they are a bit drunk. So what? Therefore, the direction the conversation is gradually leaning towards isn't too strange. It is, actually, rather predictable, because there is no child in the world that hasn't wished for something at some point and there are few adults who don't remember their childhood any more. People change. So do their wishes.

"Hey, Lee," Kiba calls across the table cheerfully and the jounin in his green spandex perks up. He hasn't been drinking, fortunately, because everyone knows what would happen if he did.

"What did you dream of when you were a child?"

Lee gives him a big thumbs-up, his face contorted in his usual, teeth-white grin.

"The spring of my youth was full of dreams and possibilities, Kiba-kun! I'm so glad you ask, because it shows the two of us are friends!"

Kiba splutters into his glass while his friends around him who haven't been listening, engrossed in their own conversation, slowly let their attention drift towards the tall jounin with the blood-red fangs tattooed to his face.

Chouji finishes another dish of spring rolls and chuckles. "That's your own fault, Kiba, you tried to make fun of my students."

"Hey!" Kiba directs a finger accusingly towards the shinobi. "You said your little one – what's-her-name – wanted to be a princess! I was just asking whether Lee had similar dreams when he was small!"

The whole room erupts in laughter.

"No," Lee says seriously when the laughter slowly fades. "I wanted to be a dragon hunter."

They all stare at him. "A dragon hunter?"

Lee gives them a sweet smile – or rather: it might have been sweet if he hadn't showed so many teeth – and nods enthusiastically. "A dragon hunter. I wanted to rescue princesses and kill dragons."

"And Sakura was the princess?" Naruto chimes in cheerfully.

"Naruto!" Sakura gives him a smack to the head. The highest-ranking jounin of the village rubs it dutifully but grins.

"You shouldn't assault your superior, Sakura!" Sakura gives him a death-stare but he doesn't cave. "Well, we all know Lee had a crush on you once, so the question isn't totally off topic, isn't it?"

All eyes wander back to Lee to see his reaction. Lee, never the one not able to make fun of himself, gives them a thumbs-up again. "As beautiful as Sakura-chan, the cherry-blossom of our beloved village, is, no. I actually wanted to rescue Tenten."

"What?"

Tentens voice rises above the sudden, speechless silence. Her face is red – whether from the heat or from anger or embarrassment or alcohol nobody can say. Silence is pierced by laughter again.

"Did you ever believe I was a little, helpless girl, a… a… a damsel in distress?" She splutters. "I am quite capable of rescuing myself whenever a… a dragon would kidnap me!"

"Don't take him seriously, Tenten," Hinata says, her silent voice still filled with laughter. "He's making fun of you."

"Well, I'm going to make fun of him the next time he asks for a sparring match!" The resolute kunoichi shakes her fist at him. Lee gives her a wide grin.

"So you dreamed of being a hero and rescuing princesses, Tenten-chan?"

"I always wanted to have an elder brother."

Ino helps herself to another drink. She's not drinking sake, either, because she knows she is on duty tomorrow. ANBU always are on duty. She says it absentmindedly, not actually thinking about her words until Sakura, eager for releasing Tenten from public interest, jumps at her comment.

"An elder brother? Why, Ino?"

Ino glances up to see said public interest shift towards her. Shit. As much as she loved being the center of attention in the past, she resents it today. She shrugs uncomfortably.

"Well, I always wanted to have someone else to talk to… But my mother told me getting an elder brother wasn't possible."

She pulls a face, hoping that joking about something that important to her would make it sound as if she hadn't meant it. Shikamaru gives her a hard stare, probably seeing right through her. Bastard. Thankfully, Kiba jumps in at that point.

"I tell you, having an older sister isn't fun at all! Hana used to push me into the pond whenever I did something to annoy her…"

Shino smirks. It's not easy to see behind his high collar and the dark glasses, but they know him well.

"I remember. One day she didn't only push you into it, she sent you flying. It was fun to watch."

"She shouldn't have reacted that touchy!"

"You shouldn't have tried to spy on her and Genma, then."

Chuckles all around the table let their minds return to the initial conversation. It is late, and they are enjoying themselves, and suddenly they reach the point in which they sigh and lean back and remember their childhood rather fondly.

Kiba lifts his cup.

"To the dreams we had," he says. They look at him and slowly lift their cups, too. "And to the ones we have today."

"Hear, hear," the friends mumble and drown their drinks.

...

At some point later that evening, Sakura notices that Naruto has slipped outside. She glances around and sees everybody deep in conversation. Lee, Tenten and Kiba muse about when their teams will be ready for the chuunin exam. Hinata and Ino quietly discuss Hyuuga politics in the main house. Shino is listening without expression but with rapt attention. The few other people missing now… Well. She doesn't want to think about them at this moment. She stands and makes her way outside into the still-warm summer night. Naruto isn't far: he is perched on the roof of the restaurant, his eyes fixed on the silhouette of his sleeping home village.

"I always wished for a family," he whispers quietly as she approaches. She knows he doesn't need to turn to know it's her. Sakura sits down next to her best friend and winds her arms around her knees. She doesn't know what to say: I'm sorry? You did well alone? You still have us? They've never breached this subject. She's his best friend but she doesn't know half of what's going on in his head most of the time.

Naruto doesn't say anything more. After a while, he shifts his intense gaze to her.

"What was it you wished for when you were a child?"

Sakura shudders. Something comes crashing down on her: realization, dread, maybe fear. Loneliness. Sadness. Anger.

The first thing she can remember wishing for is a friend.

The next thing was a person, as well…

She doesn't have to say his name for Naruto to understand. He chuckles, softly – it's no sound of anger or jealousy, just understanding. They're long past the point of wanting to be more to each other than just friends.

"Yeah," he says softly and watches his village sleeping beneath him. "Some wishes just don't change, do they."

Sakura nods and leans her head against his shoulder.

Some wishes just don't come true.

But despite the anger, the bitterness and the sadness, she feels content the way her life is right now. As long as Naruto and all her friends are there she isn't the only one whose childhood dreams never came true.