Warnings: a little fluff and maybe a little OC

HANAMI

"Nock Nock" Karin was surprised by the door knocking.

"what an unusual day. Now I have visitors… and at this hour of the night…"

After Karin entered her apartment she changed her ninja clothes for a more comfortable one. Now she wore a dark blue silk pajama that consisted of a pant and a little straps shirt. She was preparing her tub for a relaxing bath when she heard the door.

"Hi Naruto. What's up?" Karin said mascaraing her surprise

"Nothing, I just thought… that we may share dinner tonight. I don't think that you could prepare anything with your arm like that."

"Well… true, please come in" she told him while smiling.

Naruto entered the room. It was a little cold, there were no curtains or drapes of any kind and little furniture decorated Karin's home.

"What do you have there" she ask her still smiling

"oh, this? This is just one of the best dinners that you ever tasted. It is the super special premium ramen! Only sold in spring time for Hanami! Easy to prepare and feeds a whole family!"

Karin looked at him perplexed for an instant, blinking in confusion. Noticing her look and to get out from the awkward moment, Naruto made his way to the little kitchen and started heating water and reached for two soup plates.

"Emm Naruto, how long do you think the ramen will take to prepare?"

"five minutes tops"

"ok, it's enough"

"enough for what?"

"well before you got here I was about to take a bath and finish healing my wounds"

Naruto stopped what he was doing and his expression changed. He turned a little serious and confused.

"Did you go to the hospital? Naruto asked"

"Sure. It is protocol. But they always leave me half way"

"That is not possible. Sakura-Chan is very careful with her patients" Naruto said with a frowned and serious look.

"Amm yes… maybe, but she did not attend me" Karin proceeded to take off her glasses and looking up she turned to Naruto and ask with a tired and sweet voice

"emm Naruto, can you help me with the sling? I can't unzip it alone"

Naruto walked towards where Karin was sitting and placing himself behind her, unzipped her sling while holding her dislocated shoulder. Then, Karin with her other hand finished healing her shoulder with the medical ninja technic.

"Thank you Naruto, I'm done. I think one more day with the sling and I will not be bothering you again."

"it's no bother"

"Don't say that, you could be anywhere but here tonight, I just ruined your plans"

"Really Karin? Well my ruined plans consisted in eating alone in my apartment an instant ramen dinner. But wait, I'm now eating instant ramen in my very own floor."

Karin smiled. It seemed that she was not the only one with lonely plans for the night.

"At least tonight I will not be eating alone" Naruto smiled as well. They looked each other and in that gaze they recognized that they understood what it meant to be alone. They didn't have to come up with fake plans or lie about the fact that they spent a lot of time by themselves. It was weird. They felt quite comfortable in each other company, they felt that they could let their guard down and be themselves without masks or acts, that they could be free and say whatever. That was what a gaze could tell.

"Well today you have the privilege to dine with Karin, a privilege that just a few have!" Karin broke the silence amusingly.

"Well, just a few have the privilege to eat with the Konoha hero, you know?" imitating her partner in the bluffing.

Both looked at each other and smiled again, although it did not last much as in that moment the teapot whistle, announcing that the water was ready. Naruto zipped Karin's sling, and while doing it, accidentally he moved her hair which release a pleasant aroma of roses that he liked and later wouldn't forget. Naruto set out to serve the dinner dividing in two the content of the instant ramen box in separate bowls, placing chopsticks for two.

"It is a relief that I dislocated my right arm; otherwise you will have to feed me and put the ramen in my mouth!" Karin said laughing a little.

"by the way…, what happened to you? I seems like Akamaru gave you one of his special hellos" Naruto said mockingly

Karin became serious, picked the chopsticks and started eating the ramen bowl that Naruto kindly set up for her.

"Well, I just… trip with a branch in a mission. It can happen to the best of the Kunoichis out there as you can see" She fixed her eyes in her plate, quietly, remembering that that clumsiness was the result of, not she had arrived from a mission where she could not catch a second of sleep in two days in a row, she was assigned immediately for another mission not been able to rest. She took another bite.

Naruto did not understood what could possibly upset her, maybe it was something that happened at the mission that she did not wanted to share… because falling, everybody falls. He couldn't even recall a time where he did not fell somehow in a mission. So been Naruto the way he is, he couldn't keep it to himself and asked what he was thinking.

"It is something wrong Karin? I don't think falling is something that you should worr..—"

"Why do you say it?" Karin asked defensively

"ehh well suddenly you kinda change, it was something I said? you can trust me, maybe I can help you with something!" Naruto rub the back of her neck while he waive his other hand trying to reassure her.

Karin on the other hand stared at him for a while. She pondered whether it would be prudent to tell him. In those four years that she have been living in Konoha, she had not complained with anybody, not even with Hanabi. She knew that this could be used against her. Additionally life had taught her that friends could become enemies from one moment to another…, although Naruto didn't quite fit that generalization. He was known for his loyalty, for always keeping his word…up to the end, which made her reflect even more, she, what was she for Naruto? Up until that night they both were a couple of strangers that occasionally saw each other, whilst Tsunade, she had been his protector, almost like a mother figure for him. Obviously he would act as Naruto and would have stand by Tsunade's side. Some memories pop up in her mind of the moment when she barely mentioned that she was not properly taken care of at the hospital of how defensive he was. So the conclusion was that the best she could do was… not telling him of how she had been treated and still was treated in Konoha.

She thought about it while holding her piercing stare.

Naruto swallowed as he felt examined as a guinea pig, why did she have to think so much? Why the mistrust? He thought.

Karin noticing that she was making him uncomfortable, relaxed her stare, smiling. However that smile was not as the ones she had exchange previously that night, it was not free and uncomplicated it was rather planed and forced.

"It is nothing Naruto, don't worry. The ramen is delicious!"

Naruto noting that she would not tell him anything decide it not to force it and nodded.

"I'm telling you, this is a special edition, only sold for Hanami"

Karin remembered that the Hanami festival would be taking place the next day. Finally she had put together enough money to buy something that she had always wanted to have and by remembering it her face light up in a way that Naruto couldn't help but to notice. He was glad that Karin returned to her previous self as the free spirited girl of a few minutes back and not that girl that had just offered him a courtesy smile.

"Do you like Hanami?"

"Who doesn't? I'm soo happy that I can finally buy something I always wanted to have" She pointed a blank space in her living room "I reserved that space since I sealed the leaks, in my first day in Konoha, for my aquarium"

"An aquarium?"

"Yes, at first I thought that I should buy a small one, but then then… not a lot of fish will fit there. So well, I thought that I would like some colorful fish, you know tropical fish and algae and little rocks you know?, so the smallest tank for tropical fish well… is not that small it is quite large. Although… you know why did I wanted a small one at first?" Karin spoke a thousand words per hour, it was clear that it was a subject that she was passionate about. As she was pouring herself on Naruto, a little color on her cheeks appeared and her lips turned redder, she looked a little bewitching. Naruto found himself slowly but pleasantly trapped in that conversation and of course he wanted to know why she wanted to buy the small one.

"Have you heard about beta fish? They are beautiful, you can have them in almost any color, pink, red, electric blue, fluorescent green matched with black… the thing is… they tend to have rough personalities."

"fish have personalities?"

"yep, if two beta fish find each other in the same aquarium, the strongest one will bite the other to dead, it doesn't matter if they are boys or girls. They are quite something" Karin took a deep breath and smiled happily as finally she could share something she really loved with someone, even so, if that someone was her strange neighbor Naruto.

"I see you really like those aquariums…"

"aha, since I was a little girl. Orochimaru had tons and it was my duty to take care of the fish and the aquariums. They were beautiful; they kind of bring back memories" a tint of nostalgia could be heard in Karin's voice.

"Uooo I did not think that someone could have a good time with Orochimaru haahaha"

"you see, sometimes you think that you are better off with someone but it turns out that you are not" again Karin turned serious, leaving Naruto wondering about what was wrong with her.

"Anyway!" Karin said returning to her previous mood "Tomorrow, taking advantage of my leave I will go and buy the aquarium" She held herself for a moment, doubting if it was right to ask him, but her emotions could not be contained and she just spill it.

"omm Naruto… could you go with me to buy it? Of course if you have the time"

Naruto thought about his day. He had invited Sakura for dinner, but as usually she did not confirmed which always meant no.

"Yes I can go with you; I don't have anything planed for tomorrow."

"Great!" Karin said almost shouting. She was glad to have company the day she finally was going to have her beloved and treasured aquarium and by the way the day of the Hanami festival or cherry blossom festival.

The two new friends kept talking that night till their ramen was gone. After that was finished they talked a little more about fish and call it for the night. She walked him to the door and there they set the hour when they would meet the next day.

"So Naruto I'll see you at the aquarium store at 3:00pm ok?"

"I'll be there Karin…, well then, have a good night"

"Wait, Naruto…, thank you for tonight, I truly needed one night like this" Karin blushed slightly. She looked up and stared at Naruto while she said it sincerely and warmly. Naruto meet her eyes and a fleeting desire overcame him, he did not wanted to leave Karin alone.

"No problem, if you need something I'll just be a few steps away." He returned her stare and smiled.

The two of them blush a little and said good bye. It was an interesting night for the two of them.