I could left him speechless

It was Saturday. The day of the Ball. And just like every year I wasn't brave enough to ask him out. I thought this year things would be different when Sakura-chan told us what Sasuke-san had done for her. I thought that if he could change for her, maybe I could too. But I guess I was wrong after all and again I'm going to the Ball with the girls and the rest of the boys.

My girl-friends and I decided to get together to get ready for the Ball. I suggested them to come to my house, as it is the closest one to the place where the Ball would take place. And also because Neji-niisan would not allow me to walk there without him.

So we got ready, talking about how this year we won't feel sad because the boys did not ask us out. Actually, Ino-chan and Tenten-chan made that statement, and I could only nod as I thought of it. 'It's easy for them cause even if they do not have a relationship, they share close relationships with their beloved ones.' But me... Well HE thinks I'm a weird girl, and although he respects me and thinks of me as a good cook, he is totally oblivious to my feelings.

When it was 10 o'clock, we heard a ring on the door, and then my sister called: "Sakura-chan! Uchiha-san is here looking for you. And Neji is waiting for you girls, specially for his training partner." Six pairs of eyes turned to see said friend's reaction to my sister's words and we saw her blushing. 'She is so lucky. They all are. I wished I had been assigned in the same team with him...'

We went out of my room, and headed to the door. There we saw Sasuke-san with a bouquet of pink roses in his hand. He and my cousin were glaring at each other. I remembered that my cousin saw Sasuke-san as a rival, in a Byakugan vs. Sharingan kind of way. 'Maybe my shyness and calm personality is not a familiar thing'. As Ino-chan started tapping her foot, both shinobi looked in our direction. Instantaneously, Sasuke-san glare transformed in the most loving look I' ve ever seen. He even did something unexpected: he smiled. Sakura-chan blushed and smiled back at him. 'Sakura-chan must be the luckiest girl on earth in this moment. Her true love has finally returned, and I think he did it just for her.' I thought I saw my cousin's expression change too, but as I saw him a second time I realized it must have been my imagination.

We started heading to the Ball. To give them privacy, we started walking faster and Ino-chan and Tenten-chan started talking of the different couples we would see this year. I turned to see my cousin and I confirmed what I thought I saw earlier: he was staring at Tenten, with his eyes wide open. I couldn't help but giggle, I'd never seen him like this. But now I understood completely. The training sessions, the way he worries about her. He didn't just respect her as a partner, or even just like her as a friend. It was something else. Something more. But why didn't he asked her out if he felt that way? She would have accepted. And then I realized it. He was afraid of losing her: losing the only one that supported him, the one that never thought of him as a monster. 'Maybe we do have something in common after all'.

When we arrived we saw the rest of the boys waiting for us in the door. Kiba-kun playing with Akamaru-kun; Shino-kun, who was still wearing his sunglasses; Chouji-san eating some chips; Shikamaru-san, who was apparenty sleeping in a standing position, which made Ino dissapointed; and Lee-san with a pretty girl I haven't met. 'Everyone thought he was weird and still he is the only one, appart form Sasuke-san, who actually has a date. I guess everything is accomplished with hard work'.

"Hey guys we're here! Let´s get inside. What are we waiting fot?" Ino-chan shouted, which still failed to wake Shikamaru-san up.

"We would enter, but there's someone missing..." Kiba-kun answered, and glanced at my direction. He was right, there's someone missing. And not just anyone, the one who was missing was...

"I'M FINALLY HERE, BELIEVE IT!" I heard his familiar voice yelling.

"NARUTO! Why are you so late? We said 10:15, not a quarter to 11." His female team mate yelled back.

"Sorry Sakura-chan! I forgot it was today!"

"Dobe."

"Don't call me that, teme!"

"Dobe"

"Te.."

"W-well.. we are all h-here now so w-why don't we go i-inside", I suggested.

Everyone turned to look at me, including him. And he did something I had never seen. He just stayed there, staring at me with the same look Neji-niisan had a while ago. And then he opened his mouth and spoke:

"H-H-Hina-chan! I-is that y-you? Y-you look, hmm.. well, you see... y-your face a-and your hair, a-and...."

"IT CAN'T BE! Naruto is speechless... and stuttering!" I think I heard Kiba-kun saying. And he was right. I had made something no one had achieved before. I left, for the first time in his life, the number one hyperactive, knucklehead ninja not knowing what to say.