OK! Like, half the reviews I got were correcting the mistake I made with saying "Hinata" instead of "Naruto", and for that I apologize. I didn't catch it till after I updated, and I couldn't change it back. I hope you like this one too guys, thanks so much for reading the first one. Also, I really don't mean to be rude, honest, but If you find any other grammatical errors could you please PM them to me instead? Thanks!
Chapter 2:
Walk Down Memory Lane
After a long afternoon chasing one another around with snowballs aimlessly, all the teens' legs gave out due to tiredness, and they plopped to the ground.
"You're never too old for snowball fights…" Ino smiled as she started making a snow angel.
"That's for sure," agreed Tenten, throwing her arm over her forehead.
They all lied there for about five minutes, catching their breaths until the boys all stood up.
"Hey, this was fun and all," said Shikamaru. "But we really got to head out. Lots of work to do." Lie…but we have to discuss some stuff.
"Yeah," said Neji. Sasuke nodded.
"Oh…" said all the girls, feeling rather depressed that their meeting after one and a half years was cut short.
"We'll see you later then?" Sakura asked.
"Definitely," said Sasuke.
"Bye!" said Ino.
"Bye," the guys said.
As the guys walked away, the girls couldn't help but gawk.
Tenten stared at Neji as he walked away. She was happy that Neji had participated in the snowball fight. Had he been the person he was three years ago, he would have leaned against a tree with crossed arms, muttering things about how childish they were…but no. He joined us. The only thing that had ever made Tenten doubt her feelings for him was his attitude. And now that that's changed…he seems perfect to me. Then realizing Neji had what she called 'a third eye', she painfully tore her eyes away in embarrassment. Frickin Byakugan…she thought grumpily. Keeping me from my view.
Hinata looked at Naruto. He had ditched the orange jumpsuit for a pair of well fit jeans and a large short sleeve shirt and a blue zip up hoodie, making him look more like a regular teenager than the daring kid he once was. Hinata didn't care, because she liked Naruto regardless, but his style certainly did peak her interest more than it had a few years ago. She just wondered how on Earth he stayed warm.
Sakura watched Sasuke. As the rough snowy wind blew, his hair flipped to one side. Wow…it looks so…HOTT. Even more so than before. I mean, it doesn't look like a chicken anymore! This was true. After many months of convincing by his friends, Sasuke finally succumbed to the cutting of his bird-like main. Thank God it was definitely not crew cut. It was just short enough to deplete the bird effect. It was still very thick and mysterious. This apparently was a good choice, as Sakura nearly drooled while watching.
Ino's eyes on the other hand, were focused on Shikamaru's build. Wow. Who'd have thought the lazy genius would get so fit? Shikamaru, like Sasuke, had undergone much convincing by his friends and had many expeditions to the weight room everyday, giving him breath-taking pectorals and well-sculpted biceps. Better yet, they weren't the freaky kind of muscular. They were the kind that was just right. Not ripped, but toned enough to make Ino swoon. I wonder if his abs are chiseled! Ooh, how I'd like to know that…pfft, like he'd be open to me lifting up his shirt randomly to check for chiseled abbs. I'd pay to see someone attempt that act.
"Why did they go all the way to the sand country again?" asked Hinata softly. Tenten shrugged.
"They were sent on a long-term mission to find information from a bordering country. The sand country has more advanced spy techniques, so they had to get training for it," she answered.
"Ah," said Ino, falling back into the snow. "Do you think they missed us?"
At this, they went silent. They had all been thinking the same thing. Had the guys missed them?
"Probably not," said Sakura in an unfortunate voice, falling into the snow next to Ino. "I mean, the day they feel for us the way we feel for them is the day Sasuke actually gives someone a gift for a the holidays!" They all laughed, knowing this was the last thing Sasuke would ever do.
After the laughter died, Ino rolled on her side to face Sakura.
"Hey, do you still have those scrapbooks?" she asked.
"Which ones? You know I have an infinite amount."
"The ones from all those years ago, our first year at the academy? It was the holidays celebration?" Ino explained, hoping to ring bells in Sakura's head.
"Oh, those!" Said Sakura, brightening up. "Of course I still have them! They're my favorites!" Tenten and Hinata lightened up too.
"Holy crap, I totally remember that day!" Said Tenten, recounting the celebration. "I so have to see those pictures!" She walked towards the house without another word.
Hinata shrugged and followed.
Ino and Sakura watched them walk to the house, looked at each other and chuckled.
"Alright then, I guess we're going in!" said Sakura, pulling Ino to her feet. "Come on!"
The two girls ran into Sakura's house, happily anticipating the warmth awaiting them.
With the boys…"They're all so different!" said Naruto, kicking sludge as they walked.
"I didn't really think so," shrugged Sasuke, looking at the ground also.
"Nice try, Uchiha," said Neji, smirking. "We all saw how you looked at Sakura." Sasuke flushed and looked away.
"Yeah, Sasuke, she's the only girl you've ever warmed up to," said Naruto. "Ever," he emphasized.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Sasuke shook his head. "Even if I did…feel for her, it's not like she would still feel the same toward me as she used to."
"You strike a point," said Shikamaru. "You were quite the royal asshole to her back when you were on the same team." (AN: I don't use the language I use in my fics in real life. I'm very stern on cussing in real life, yet I don't have a problem with my characters doing it in my stories. Weird, but oh well.)
Sasuke swung his head to face him. "What's that supposed to mean?" he glared.
"Well, come on man," said Naruto. "She says she loves you, and what do you do?"
"I…" Sasuke began hesitantly.
"Say it…" said Naruto.
"I knocked her out." Sasuke admitted quietly, crossing his arms.
"Exactly," explained Naruto. "Now see, I'm no genius like my good friend Shikamaru here, but something tells me girls don't take kindly to that kind of stuff."
"And they do take kindly to snow being thrown in their face out of no where?" Sasuke shot back, regarding Naruto's little 'stunt' on Hinata.
"Hey!" defended Naruto. "That was a joke!"
"And I'm sure my cousin just loved it," Neji said sarcastically. "You'd be lucky not to get slapped by her one day."
"Hey!" Naruto said. "Just because you can never get your girl, doesn't mean you have the right to doubt the chances I have with mine!"
"Ahem, first of all," Neji said. "Tenten is not 'my' girl, and Hinata is most definitely not 'your' girl. Second of all, shut up about Tenten and me. She used to confide in me about everything…and none of it ever included guys. Weapons, jutsus, sparring…believe me, boys are the last thing on her mind."
"And don't you just wish it was different…" Shikamaru mocked him, punching his arm playfully.
"Hn." Neji turned away, which was his little way of saying 'end of discussion.'
"Ah, which brings us to you Shikamaru!" Naruto said. "What about you and Ino? She's grown to be quite the babe."
"Naruto!" Shika hissed.
"What? You had to have noticed it too, man! I mean, she wasn't that curvy when we were genins."
"Well, maybe I noticed a little," said Shikamaru, though his thoughts were saying true…very true. "But she never really liked me all that much. She was always yelling at me for being lazy or slacking."
"Well, now you're neither of those," winked Naruto. "So perhaps…she's changed her mind."
"You know what Naruto?" Shika said.
"What?"
"Shut up.
Naruto sighed. "Fine."
Back at Sakura's…"Oh my god!" Tenten nearly choked on her drink in shock. "Neji almost looked like Hinabi when he was young!" The girls laughed. (AN: Holy crap. He did.)
"I'm just imagining how my cousin would react had he heard that," giggled Hinata.
"I shudder to even imagine that," said Sakura.
"Watch it there, ladies…" Tenten joked, waving a finger.
"Right, sorry," laughed Ino.
"Besides," said Tenten, pointing at once picture. "It's not like Shikamaru was the epitome of male testosterone when he was young!"
"…I don't think he was ever the epitome of male testosterone," Ino said, scrunching up her face.
"Whatever. You know what I mean. Just look at it though!" Tenten said, dabbing the picture numerous times with her index finger.
"Fine, fine!" Ino said looking down at it. The second she laid eyes on it, she exploded into a fit of laughter. "His heads so huge!" She laughed, her torso hanging over the edge of the bed.
"I think," Sakura laughed. "We're laughing a bit too much today."
"Who cares, you can never laugh too much," said Ino calming down, lifting her torso back up.
"We certainly proved that when Naruto knocked down the Menorah when trying to dance!" said Sakura.
"Hey!" defended Tenten. "That was a real offense to my beliefs!"
"Oh yeah," said Hinata. "You got so mad at Naruto for knocking it over. See, there's even a picture of the outcome-" She pointed to a picture of Naruto with a large anime-style bump on his head, given to him by Tenten.
"Sorry Hinata, but the dope deserved it," Tenten said, holding her hands up. She brought her hand to the plate of ginger bread cookies they left baking before going out in the snow. She picked one up and hesitated. "Hey, are these kosher?"
"What? No…are there even such things as kosher ginger bread cookies?" Sakura asked. Tenten pouted.
"Well, there could be. They would just be extremely flat and un-fluffy…"
"In other words, gross," offered Sakura.
"No! Well…yeah actually," said Tenten sheepishly. She sighed. "Oh well…must stay true to my religion!" She said this dramatically, as she held the cookie out from her, acting repulsed.
"I understand, Tenten," Hinata smiled.
"Oh, oh, oh!" Sakura pointed at a particular picture. "That one's my favorite!"
They all looked at the picture she was pointing out. It was a picture of all eight of them, covered in flour. It was their first attempt to bake ginger bread men for their class, and it went a bit awry. Even so, in the picture they were all smiling and sitting by one another, as if they were having the time of their lives. Which they were.
"I really miss those days," Ino sighed.
"I know," agreed Sakura. "It'll be good to have them back for the Holidays."
"Sure will." Hinata agreed.
Hope you liked that one, another one is in the waiting if this one gets any reviews! Thanks guys, R and R!