Is this fluffy? Is this angst filled? Is it sad and dramatic and heartbreaking? Yes.
Do I know what I'm doing? Ehhh...
A steaming bowl of ramen was placed on the counter with gusto, the broth inside barely managing to avoid spilling over the edge.
"A third bowl of miso pork ramen for my favorite customer!"
"Thanks, old man!"
Naruto abandoned her empty bowl in favor of digging into the perfectly full one sitting under her nose. She breathed in the aroma and sighed in delight as hot noodles filled her waiting mouth, thanking the heavens above her for such simple pleasures.
"Seriously?" The voice of her pink-haired teammate groaned. "You can breathe, you know. It's not going anywhere. There's really no sense in scarfing it down like that. One day you're going to choke."
"Hm?" Brown liquid trailed from the corner of the blonde's overstuffed mouth. "What was that, Sakura?"
"Pretty. Very ladylike. Tell me, Hinata, how do you manage to be seen with this one?"
"I think it's cute."
Hinata squeezed the blonde's hand, blushing prettily like she always does. Hinata had a natural gentleness and a grace that Naruto admired. Naruto took a moment to look at her girlfriend. The girl was stunning in so many ways and so obvious in her love for her. She still couldn't believe the Hyuuga heiress wanted her for so long; or, rather, she couldn't fathom how she never noticed before. The blonde gave her a small smile, hoping the other girl understood how much it meant that someone cared for her enough to wait for her. She owed Hinata her gratefulness.
"Of course you do." Sakura shook her head with a teasing smile. "Forget that then. How does she manage to drag you to Ichiraku's every damn day?"
"I-I don't mind."
Naruto threw her arms around the girl in a playful hug. "That's because she's the best girlfriend in the world, dattebayo!"
Hinata's face was so red it practically glowed.
"Room for one more?"
Big arms wrapped around the entwined girls. The moment was effectively ruined.
"Don't be such a creep, Kiba!" Ino smacked the dog lover on the back of his head. "No one would want that."
"Right." Naruto dug her elbow into his side, making him yelp. "And back off, would ya? I'm trying to eat here."
"I hear ya, I hear ya. Geez." He scratched at his tattooed cheek. "You girls know I'm just kidding, yeah? I respect your relationship and...uh, stuff."
"We know."
Hinata. Bless her.
"So what brings you here, Ino-pig?" Sakura asked before turning back to her own bowl of ramen. It wasn't her favorite, but it was filling and she had a long shift waiting for her at the hospital.
"Not much. Shopping a bit for tomorrow." She flipped her pale blonde hair over her shoulder, approaching the other three girls at the counter. "You three are coming, right?"
"What's tomorrow?" Naruto asked while continuing to make an impressive size dent in her lunch.
Sakura slapped her on the shoulder with a disgusted look.
"Ow! What the hell was that for, Sakura-chan?"
"Don't talk with your mouth full, idiot! You practically sprayed ramen everywhere!"
The blonde grinned sheepishly, rubbing at her abused arm. "Heh. Sorry 'bout that."
The pinkette just sighed. Meanwhile, Ino looked offended. And a little pissed.
Naruto was confused. "Wha...what's with the look, Ino?"
"Really, Uzumaki?"
Dark blue eyes squinted. Naruto was trying desperately to remember what she was supposed to be remembering.
Ino placed her fists on her full hips, her attractive face glaring down at the clueless kyuubi container. "My party, Naruto. I've told you about this like three times already! Two of those times being yesterday."
"Uh..."
"You said you'd be there!"
"Oh!" Naruto smiled, nodding her head excitedly. She waved her bandaged hand carelessly. "I'll be there."
"You better, Naruto." Then a sweet smile lit Ino's face. Naruto didn't trust it one bit. "You promised to bring the booze."
Naruto panicked. "I did?"
"Yes!"
"R-right! Of course I did. I'll remember, Ino. You can count on me!"
The others watched Ino's grin turn wicked and felt bad for their slow, blonde friend. Naruto had been played. Still, no one said anything. Free alcohol is free alcohol.
"Shoot!" Ino threw her hands up. "I forgot. I'm in a hurry. There's a top I want to get for the party and I need to get to it before someone else buys it first." She hurried out into the street, throwing a half-hearted goodbye as she went.
Kiba stretched his arms above his head. "Well, ladies..." He said between yawns. "I'm heading out to. Just got back from a mission and I am beat."
The girls muttered as series of "laters" before focusing their attention back on their original task of eating. Naruto had already forgotten about her confusion from earlier. Giving no more thought to the fact she couldn't for the life of her remember making any sort of promise to Ino. Specifically about alcohol. Naruto dipped her chopsticks in her now cold food, silently cursing her friends for interrupting her. Now her food lost that glorious appeal. The noodles were soggy and mocking her.
'Oh, well...ramen is ramen after all.'
Before she could take the next bite she stopped. The fingers of her prosthetic hand twitched before locking up and a flash of burning pain traveled up her entire arm. Her unfinished bowl of ramen tipped over in the process. Sakura was unfortunate enough to have all the contents leak on to her lap, the surprise of the liquid soaking through her clothes making her curse. She turned her pink head with the full intention of knocking her best friend's head off when she noticed the girl clutching her arm to her chest. The blonde's face was screwed up in pain, sweat slicking her forehead with the effort of not crying out.
"Naruto?" Sakura's voice was full of concern. She placed her gloved hand on the blonde's bandaged appendage, already lit bright green with chakra. "It's giving you problems again, isn't it?"
Naruto shook her head in the affirmative, clutching Hinata's hand tighter than she meant to. The heiress watched with a distressed look on her face.
When Sakura removed her hand the pain in Naruto's arm had lessened to a dull ache.
"Listen, Naruto." Blue eyes gave the medic their attention. "These pains will come and go for awhile. They'll lessen over time, but you need to cope with the fact this is an issue you'll be living with for a long time. You have me here if something goes on while you're in the village." She trailed off, averting her gaze from her teammate's. "We worry for you. Me and Tsunade, I mean. As of now, we're working on something to help manage the spasms and pain. The rigidity is an issue, as well. What if this happens when your on a mission?" Sakura sighed at the miserable look on the other girl's face. She felt horrible for her friend. "I know you feel confined here, but give it time, okay? You can be released for higher ranking missions soon enough."
The words didn't have the impact Sakura was hoping for. In fact, she wondered if the situation was made worse as she watched Naruto's face morph into a deeper set from. The three sat in silence for a long while. Hinata was distraught upon witnessing her lover's emotions darken. Sakura wondered if she should say more or if she should let this frustrating scene play itself out. Neither girl had to wait very long before Naruto's voice cut through the tension.
"Sakura-chan..."
"Hm?"
"This pain would be a lot worse without you and granny, right?"
"Huh?" The mixture of sadness and anger that laced her normally happy-go-lucky friend's voice threw Sakura off. "Oh...uh...yeah. It would."
"Even without the prosthetic?"
"Yeah. The pain would be about the same. Minus the other issues you're having adjusting to Hashirama's cells." Sakura had a feeling she knew where this was going, but she couldn't stop herself from asking. "Why?"
"Sasuke."
It was a broken whisper. It made Sakura's chest ache.
"He's suffering, isn't he?" But it wasn't a question. Naruto knew the answer already. The other two couldn't ignore the rage and sadness and frustration that building from the woman between them. Hinata jumped when Naruto finally released it all with a shout. Naruto stood quickly, ignoring the calls made after her as she rushed into the crowd.
Sakura pretended she didn't see the way Naruto flung Hinata's hand away from her, but it was impossible not to see the way the Hyuuga sat up a little straighter or the way she couldn't hide her expression behind a dark curtain of hair.
For some reason, no matter how hard Hinata was fighting it, Naruto's reaction was breaking her heart.
Sakura made a valiant effort convincing herself Naruto's reaction didn't slice her own heartache just a little deeper. She couldn't figure out why.
Unfortunately, Sakura and Hinata have never been stupid.
Why a genderbend? Several reasons...
1: I like the idea of a female character with the same attributes and recognition as Naruto.
2: I like girls.
3: I wanted to prove that SasuNaru/SNS isn't a popular ship to glorify a "yaoi" couple. It's because of their bond. And if you're wondering why I didn't change both of their sexes, well...to be honest...I wouldn't know how to go about writing a female Sasuke.
4: I personally consider Naruto as bisexual. I see a lot of male characters as bi in fanfics, but not a lot of females. So...yeah. Representing my people.
5: I like girls.