Hello my lovely readers! :D New chapter! Oh and... Has anyone seen the new Naruto Shippuden ending?! Ah! It's so great! I can't get enough of it! The episode was okay. The animators are trying real hard not to catch up with the manga too fast. Which, I for one, am perfectly okay with! We've got like, two more years of Naruto manga, and then probably 3-4 years of the anime. X3 Good... I don't want it to end!
Time-skip BTW. A week after the friends meet...
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"...so that's why I was wondering if it's okay for Naruto to stay with you until I get back...," I finish drowsily. Hinata looks at me inquiringly. "A-ano... Shikamaru-kun... Why is it you want... N-Naruto-kun to stay again?," she asks, hiding behind the door. I sigh and scratch my head. "As I said before-," she probably only heard the words 'Naruto' and 'Stay with you' "-i'm leaving to go on a mission, and Naruto's going to get bored. I would have him stay with Kiba or Sasuke, but i'm pretty sure they would rape him if they got the chance... So can he stay with you guys till I get back? It's only a one or two week mission...," I say. Hinata shuffles her feet, and gulps before saying "I-if N-Naruto-kun is... o-okay with it... We have a guest room... s-so he can stay there... f-for the t-time being...," I smile at her. "Alright... Thank you. I'll send him over just before I leave... That'll be around-," I look at my watch "-5 o' clock," I say. She smiles and nods. I turn and wave my goodbye.
"Don't pester them, okay? I can barely deal with you-," "I know! I know! Geez, Shika-kun you're so mean sometimes!," Naruto interrupts me. I shrug. "Whatever... Why are you still hiding your ears and tail? I would have figured you wouldn't care by now...," I say, lifting up his hat to reveal the golden/orange beauty's. He quickly retrieves it and slams it atop his head. "Shika-kun!," he reprimands. I roll my eyes.
"It's because of... them...,"
Naruto whispers.
I look down at him. I don't question. I know who he's talking about...
The villagers.
I look up at the Hyuga mansion. "We're here...," I say. He grins at me. "This is gonna be fun!," he shouts, throwing his arms in the air and bouncing on his feet. I smile.
How cute.
"N-Naruto-kun!," we hear from above. We both look up to see the Hyuga Heiress shyly waving at us, or more... at Naruto. "Hey Hinata!," he yells. She blushes and says "I-i'll be right t-there!," Naruto's grin widens.
I shimmy my pack higher up my shoulder.
"Well, I'll be going...," I say. Naruto's grin fades, and I can't help but feel... accomplished over something. He sets his stuff down. "Leaving? Already? Shika-kun!," he says, frowning. I smile lazily at him. "I got to go... Remember, don't be too troublesome...," I say. He gulps, and scratches his arm, before making up his mind and sprints towards me, nearly knocking me down with his hug. A slight blush reaches my pale cheeks. "Be safe, okay Shika-kun?," Naruto's muffled voice asks me. I sigh shakily and wrap my arms around him. "Y-yeah...," I say.
The door opens, and I untangle myself from him... Missing his warmth.
"Hinata-," I say a little breathlessly "-i'm going now...," Hinata looks confused, but smiles at me anyways. "O-okay... Be safe, Shikamaru-kun," she says. I nod and give one last look towards Naruto, before heading down the road.
When I look back, they've already gone inside...
"A-ano... Y-you c-can stay in t-the g-guest bedroom... N-Naruto-k-kun...," Hinata says to me. I grin at her. "Okay! That sounds great! Uh... Where is it?," I ask, looking around the giant room. She gasps and blushes. "S-sorry! T-this way, p-please...," she says, walking through a door. I lose my smile and grab my bags, following her.
When she's settled me in my room, and told me what time dinner was, she left saying she had to speak with her father. The door clicks shut and I turn to take a look around. It's way better than Shika-kun's house... i'm not very good at describing things, but when Shika-kun asks me what it looked like, i'll say 'A five-star hotel'. I plop down onto the bed. I sigh and mumble into the pillow "This is fun...,"...
I miss Shika-kun...
"Shikamaru! Pay attention, genius!," Ino says. I grumble and wave her away. "I'm listening... You and Kiba did... I don't know... Crack or something-," she punches me "-and then you two... did something else... whatever...," I say. Ino gasps and feigns sobbing. "I-it's not 'Whatever'! I-i could be PREGNANT!," she screams. I roll my eyes. "How many weeks has it been?," I ask. She smiles sheepishly at me and says "Actually, it's been four months...," I roll my eyes, again, and say "And have you gotten fatter?," She nods her head really fast. "Yes! Yes! Look Shikamaru! Look!," she says, pointing at her non-existent stomach. I sigh and turn away from her. "You are NOT pregnant Ino...," I say. I hear her sigh from behind me. "That's what Tsunade-sama said, too!," she says. I curse in my head.
So troublesome...
My mind wonders, and I can't help but think about the little Kitsune back at the village... "... don't you think, Shikamaru?," I turn to look at Choji. "Uh... What?," I ask. He frowns while reaching in his pack, trying to grab a bag of potato chips. "I said 'Naruto is pretty cute don't you think, Shikamaru?'.," he says. I frown slightly. "Uh... Yes... Why do you care?," I say a little defensively. He holds up a hand that's currently occupied by chips. "I was just askin' is all...," he says, throwing the chips in his mouth, and then repeating the action. I stare at him a little longer, and then slowly start walking again...
I catch the look Ino throws Choji, but let it slide...
"So, Uzumaki-san, how is your stay here so far?," Hinata's dad asks me. I lightly choke. "U-uh... it's been great!," I say a little too loud. He tightly smiles at me, and my heart clenches painfully... "That's good to hear," he says, continuing down the hall. I wait until he turns the corner to breathe. It's been like this for the past nine days. I only occasionally come out of my room, to get something to eat, and I run into him! Ugh... Shika-kun's supposed to be back by tomorrow... "N-Naruto-kun...," a light voice says beside me. I don't have to turn to see who it is. "Hinata...," I say. She smiles at me. "How are you today, N-Naruto-k-kun...?," she asks. I smile at her. "Pretty good... Hey, Hinata, let's go out, okay?," I say. She looks taken aback, and then blushes deeply. "U-uh... H-h-hai N-N-Naruto-k-kun... W-where would you w-w-w-want t-to g-g-go?," she says. I maul over the question, and then snap my fingers taking Hinata's arm. "Let's go to the academy! I've always wanted to go during the school hours!," I exclaim. She gives me a confused look, but nods and I lead the way.
I can see the kids through the window. See the teachers yelling at them when they did something bad, praise them when they did something good, give them motivational support when they screwed up... My heart aches.
I wish I could be one of them...
Hinata's standing beside me, watching them too. She says "I remember when I was in the academy... It seems like ages ago...," I turn to her. "Was it fun?," I ask. She gives me a guilty look. "O-oh my... S-s-sorry N-Naruto-kun... I forgot-," "Nah nah... it's fine... the best thing you can do for me is tell me what it was like...," I interrupt her. She smiles, and we walk to the tree with the swing I was always at when I was little. I sit on the swing and gently start rocking back and forth. Hinata sits beside me, placing her back against the trunk. "Well... I-I got t-to train with a-all my friends... O-our teacher, Iruka-sensei, w-was always p-pushing us forward... B-but... T-the one person w-who had the biggest i-impact o-o-on me... w-well...," "Was it Neji-kun?," I ask, cutting her off. She shakes her head. "No... I-it was... Y-you, N-N-Naruto-k-kun...," she says quietly. I lift a brow at her. "Huh? Me? But, I didn't even go to the academy...," I say. She glances at me and continues "Yes... but, you still t-tried h-hard to get i-into t-the academy... N-no one noticed, w-when t-the teachers were get-ting you o-off campus... b-but I saw...," I look up into the tree. The branches are trying to trap the light, but it finds the smallest of cracks, and breaks through... "I wish... I were light," I say. It's quiet, and I wonder if i've said something wrong.
There's a shuffling beside me, and then an unexpected warmth around me.
I look up, and see Hinata standing over me, close. I tilt my head. She smiles softly and removes my hat. I gaps and try to take it back, but she pulls it farther away. "I-I like you... w-without it... N-Naruto-kun...," she says, blushing. A light blush reaches my face, too.
I look down.
A gentle hand pets my ears, and I purr in content.
Hinata giggles, and she whispers softly to me:
"I think... light wishes to be you...,"
/
Short chapter. Naruto and Hinata get closer, but it's a friendship thing. Hinata does like Naruto, but the feelings are not gonna be neutral, but she'll get it. Anyways, hope you enjoyed! Reviews, please!