I'm gonna try to update all my unfinished fics more than the other years. I'm back in school, doncha know?

Enjoy!

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Age fifteen had not been kind to him so far.

For starters, Hinata had started dating not long after her nineteenth birthday. Was he surprised that she started dating Naruto?

Not exactly.

It made sense.

Konohamaru had always known that Hinata liked the village's shining star and he also knew that if she were to ever start dating then the guy would have to be Naruto. Konohamaru was even aware that the time he spent with Hinata had caused Naruto to take an interest in her because he was seeing her around more, but even then Konohamaru never thought it would be a problem.

He never thought Naruto would make a move.

And, honestly, Naruto didn't make a move. Hinata did.

Hinata did.

And it was Konohamaru's fault.

He groaned, turning over in his bed and pulling the covers up to his eyes. He constantly thought of the weeks leading up to Hinata and Naruto's first date—the date that officially started their relationship—and it was Konohamaru who encouraged Hinata to spend more time with Naruto, but he only did it out of bitterness. He was tired of the increased appearances of Naruto whenever Konohamaru and Hinata were hanging out, and he was irritated with Hinata for not telling Naruto to go away. Konohamaru was logical enough to understand neither of them knew just what effect they were having on him, but he was impudent enough to not care.

He was neither happy for nor envious of their relationship. They had a dynamic that was different from what Hinata had with Konohamaru. With Naruto, she was agreeable and demure. With Konohamaru, she was compromising yet stubborn.

Sly.

Cunning.

No, Konohamaru didn't like the Hinata she was around Naruto, but it stung all the same to know that she really wasn't looking at him like that. It would have hurt more if she dated anyone but Naruto because that would have meant she was actually looking at other people, so the aching was more because . . . no matter his efforts, he would never be Naruto.

But two months after the two started dating, Konohamaru realized with an air of pity that his feelings for the heiress had not gone away. They had dwindled for a time, but his mind would always wander back to her late at night until he couldn't deny that he still held onto those feelings.

A lot.

Maybe . . . in more inappropriate ways, which was the other reason age fifteen was not being kind to him.

He knew growing up would get difficult at some point, but he expected that to be in the forms of harder missions, tougher opponents, and higher expectations. He even started to suspect he'd grow out of his crush completely because feelings couldn't stay the same forever.

Well, all of that came true.

The missions, opponents, and expectations were all more difficult to overcome, but he did overcome them. Even as stated before, his crush on Hinata went away every now and then. There was a friendship between them that he had grown to value, and sometimes he could look at her without a surge of emotion reminding him that she wasn't just any other girl to him. Sometimes they could hug or innocently touch and he didn't have to tell himself to calm down.

And every few months, even before Naruto came into the equation, he was sure he was over her. There was a spark of happiness he felt whenever he saw her, but that was it.

But only for a few months.

And even then he realized his emotions would probably never go away; they would just constantly undergo a change to the point that the simple formula for emotions and crushes didn't apply to him and become something complex and wholly impossible to separate from his sense of being. In fact, he could say . . . Well, he had to admit . . .

He loved her.

Simply put, at this stage in life, he loved her.

He groaned, rolling over in his bed and squeezing a pillow over his face.

But he wasn't in love with her. Certainly not. He wasn't sure how to explain it, but his feelings for her were more mature and more solidified than the feelings he had when it was just a crush. Saying he liked her just didn't carry the impact that saying he loved her did.

But he never said he loved her, not even out loud to himself.

He just thought it.

For some reason, admitting it to himself felt incredibly stupid. Love was for the grown ups who had emotional experience, not for a teenager who could only think past confessing a crush to Hinata. How the hell was he supposed to confess he loved her? How was he supposed to be taken seriously that he loved her? Sure, she was going out with Naruto now, but would she still be in three years? Should it matter? All Konohamaru wanted to do was confess, so it wasn't like he was going to ask her to be his girlfriend.

Or was he?

Should he?

What exactly would happen after he confesses his feelings for her? The future of his efforts stopped right at the moment Hinata, I love you left his lips, so . . . what comes next? Rejection? Reciprocation? He was still trying to figure it all out himself, but for now, he knew that this had gotten more serious than he had ever foreseen.

And also . . . puberty was happening.

Two years worth, to be exact.

The deepening of his voice and subsequent growth was slow acting, but at the age of fifteen he finally noticed these changes.

Among other things . . .

He groaned, ignoring the discomfort in his groin, and waited for things to calm down.

Guilt.

He shouldn't be thinking about her this way.

"This is getting ridiculous," Konohamaru exasperated. He was sprawled on a bench, taking up all the space so that Udon was forced to stand.

Udon's hands were pocketed, and there was a slouch to his stance mainly because he really wanted to sit down after the extensive day of training they had. "You were late this morning. What kept you?"

Konohamaru flushed, covering his face with both arms. "Don't mess with me right now."

Udon rolled his eyes, resigned, and took a seat against the foot of the bench. "I don't get how you can be such a pervert with everything else but you can't deal with this."

"It's different when it's her," Konohamaru spat. "Joking around with jutsus and whatever is one thing, but, ah . . . Having trouble in the morning is different."

"Morning wood?"

"Stop."

"We learned about puberty in the Academy, so I don't really understand why you're acting this way." Udon rolled out his shoulders, stretching the muscles. "But maybe you wouldn't feel bad about getting erections if it wasn't because of Hinata."

Konohamaru shot up, glaring out of embarrassment. "Don't say it like that, stupid! You make it sound so dirty!"

"It's not dirty. It's just the way things happen. It'd only be dirty if you spent your free time thinking about Hinata in ways that gave you erections." Udon looked at Konohamaru coyly. "But I'm sure the Honorable Grandson is much too poise for that."

"Shut it!" Konohamaru kicked at him, but Udon was gone before the attack was fully executed.

"Even then, that would still be a natural reaction to someone you find attractive." Udon collapsed on the bench head, his face buried in his arms and his knees slumping together. "Listen, Konohamaru, this isn't as bad as you're making it out to be. Maybe if you stop fighting it you can get past this faster." He lifted his head slightly, tired eyes staring at his arms. "I mean, really, what's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that it's wrong! Hinata respects me and sees me as a friend."

Udon gave him a look. "You really think her teammates never thought about her that way? You think anyone hasn't thought about their teammate that way?"

Konohamaru frowned indignantly. "We never thought about Moegi that way."

Udon's face scrunched uncomfortably.

"That's not the point." Konohamaru said. "I keep explaining this to you, but you're never gonna understand unless you like someone yourself."

"Not like this will help you any better, but I do like someone right now."

Konohamaru faltered, eyebrows raising. "You do? I didn't know that."

"There's a reason for that, but I will say I haven't quite experienced your situation just yet."

"Wait, hold on, hold on, hold on." Konohamaru sat up straighter with evident heightened interest. "Who is she? What's she like? How long has this been going on?"

Udon sighed, uncomfortable. "She's a kunoichi. I don't feel like describing. It's only been a few months."

"Months?! Why am I just now-"

"I'd rather not focus on my problems today." Udon stared at Konohamaru. "And, anyway, you really don't have to beat yourself up over how your body reacts." He straightened his posture and thought for a moment. "You've never really had the sex talk, huh?"

Konohamaru nearly fell off the bench before catching himself. "I-I already know everything."

"I don't really think anything Naruto told you counts."

"Hey," Konohamaru said defensively, "it's not all jokes with him. He told me stuff we never learned in the Academy."

"Yeah, but you're freaking out anyway. Maybe if an adult tells you it's normal, you'll actually listen." Udon stood, stretching. "But who knows. Naruto probably would have some experience he could tell you about. Not sure if it'll help that you'd be imagining the same person as you talk, though."

"Udon . . ."

Udon looked at Konohamaru, guilt tinging his mind when he saw welled eyes. "Sorry."

It didn't take much convincing for Konohamaru to go seek help, but it came with a lot of shame on his part.

Konohamaru knew better. He knew that he knew better. Deep down he knew that this was all normal and that he was being ridiculous, so he didn't know why he wanted to be stubborn about this. He didn't know why he wanted someone to tell him that he was disgusting and that he was going to ruin his friendship with Hinata. He wanted someone to tell him that it was wrong to think of her that way because it was Hinata Hyuuga, heiress to the Hyuuga clan for crying out loud!

Sweet, kind Hinata!

Honest, pristine Hinata!

Smooth, shapely, attractive Hina-

Konohamaru shook his head fiercely and scanned his surroundings just in case somebody was able to tell what he was thinking.

Hanabi and Moegi didn't know he was going through this, but maybe they just accepted that he would at some point.

Because these things happened.

It was normal.

But something in him strongly felt that thinking about Hinata in a sexual way just wasn't right somehow. She never tried to entice him or flirt with him in any way, so he wasn't sure what started these urges. Especially since he was two years into puberty.

Late bloomer?

But would he be thought of so poorly when Naruto was the one dating her? If anyone was to be thought of as a pervert, it'd be Naruto, who was in the best position to . . . to . . .

"Whatever," Konohamaru grumbled. He knocked on the door of his uncle's new house. It was pretty big, he thought. He wondered why he didn't visit more.

The door opened and Kurenai greeted him with a smile, tailed by a jubilant Mirai.

"Hi!" Mirai said, shuffling to stand right in the doorway to stare up at Konohamaru. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," he said, allowing a smile for the four-year old. "Hi, Kurenai." She gave him a stern look. "Ah, aunt Kurenai. Is uncle Asuma home?"

"He's home!" Mirai grabbed Konohamaru's hand and pulled on him. "Come on, he's home!"

Kurenai laughed. "Is everything alright?" she asked Konohamaru. "We usually don't see you unless it's after something bad happens." Her face fell a bit. "Did something bad happen?"

"No, no, I just need, ah, some advice, that's all."

"That's good to know. He's out back."

"Yeah, come on!" Mirai pulled Konohamaru through the house to the backdoor; she released his hand to yank it open. "Daddy! Konoha is here!"

Asuma turned around. He had a lollipop in his mouth and smiled upon seeing them. "Hey. Nice seeing you, Konohamaru."

"Hey. Can we talk?"

"I guess." He gestured to the spot next to him.

Konohamaru sat but stared at Mirai, who sat in the spot between the two. "I need to speak with him alone."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because I do."

"But you can speak to me, too."

"Mirai," Asuma said, "go keep mommy company, okay? This'll only take a second."

She huffed but obediently got up and sauntered into the house, closing the door halfway.

Asuma looked at Konohamaru. "Nothing bad happened, did it?"

"No, but I'm realizing I should visit more." He ignored Asuma's confusion. "Eh, but I came here because . . . I think . . . I have a problem."

"Mhm. Is it mission related?"

"No . . . No, it . . . Eh, well, it's more like . . ." He cleared his throat, looking to the sky. "I . . . like . . . eh, this, uh-"

Asuma laughed. "So, you like someone, that it? Can't say I'm surprised, though I'd never thought you'd tell me that." He noted Konohamaru's completely flushed face. "Nothing to be embarrassed about, kid. You don't have to tell me who she is if you don't want to."

"Eh heh . . . Well, I've liked her for a while now, and I hang out with her. She's got a boyfriend now, but that's not really the issue. I just don't like how she acts differently around him."

"Ha, yeah, people in relationships do seem to have two different sides to themselves. So is it jealousy that's got you?"

"No, not really. I'm not happy about it, but the guy she's with is pretty cool, so I can't complain. It's just that lately I've been . . . seeing her differently. It's like . . ." Konohamaru bowed his head, squeezing his eyes shut just to get the words out. "Why do I feel bad for wanting to sleep with her?"

Asuma's jaw dropped, his lollipop almost falling with it. Konohamaru knew the silence would happen, so he didn't dare look at Asuma until he finally said something. However, the awkwardness of it all was stretching the seconds out horrendously, and Konohamaru was tempted to make a dash over the fence.

When Asuma realized his reaction was having a poor effect, he quickly tried to recover. He knew he himself had urges around this time, but now that he was older, fifteen seemed entirely too young for Konohamaru to be thinking about these things.

At least his nephew didn't go straight to acting on these urges.

Hopefully.

Asuma rubbed the back of his own neck and removed his lollipop. "Ah, only you can answer why you feel about that Konohamaru, but . . . I mean, you did say that she has a boyfriend. I don't think anyone would blame you for feeling bad for wanting someone who's taken. We all go through it."

"No— I mean, yes her having boyfriend doesn't help, but the fact that I'm looking at her this way at all is what bothers me. Even if she didn't have a boyfriend, I still feel like this is . . . wrong."

"Now that's a tricky one." Asuma scratched the back of his head, thinking. "It's normal to want to, if that helps you feel less shame about it." He looked at him carefully. "But don't complicate your life with engaging in that. You don't need that right now."

Konohamaru flushed again, looking at Asuma stubbornly. "I'm not going to, okay? But no matter how many times I tell myself that this is normal or if someone else tells me that, it just seems like an excuse."

"Sounds to me like you really respect this girl. Or maybe this girl isn't the type guys, ah, would automatically think of that way." Asuma cleared his throat again. A thought occurred to him. "This girl doesn't know you like her, does she?"

Konohamaru huffed, deflating. "Of course she doesn't."

Asuma nodded, putting his lollipop back in his mouth. "So she doesn't know you have feelings for her. Your guilt probably stems from her not knowing that you're having these kind of feelings for her in the first place."

Konohamaru clenched his jaw. His first instinct was to be stubborn, but he tried to think this over. Sure, he wanted to tell Hinata how he felt, but he wanted to make sure she would take him seriously first. He was already taller than her by a couple inches, and his voice was deeper than when they first started talking, but she wasn't looking at him like a man yet. He'd never get around to telling her if he was waiting for her to like him, but he was determined to be seen as more than just a kid or someone she trusted.

He wanted Hinata to see him for who he was.

All he was.

And being eighteen couldn't come fast enough.

But maybe it was exactly because she wasn't looking at him like a man that he was having all this guilt. She was hanging out with him and opening up herself to him all while he's looking at her like a woman.

"Listen, Konohamaru," Asuma said, "these urges aren't going to go away. Maybe they'll fade for this girl, but as long as you find someone attractive, you're going to experience urges like this. You'll learn how to deal with them better, but if you keep trying to deny that you feel this way at all, you're only going to torture yourself. Or worse, you'll act impulsively."

Konohamaru huffed. "I guess . . . It's just . . ."

Asuma smiled sympathetically. "You really like her, huh?"

Konohamaru nodded slightly. "I really don't want Hinata to find out about this."

Asuma jumped, his lollipop flying from his mouth. "It's Hinata?!"

"It is Hinada!" Mirai slammed the door wide open. "Daddy, how you know?!"

Both Konohamaru and Asuma went rigid, looking behind them. Hinata was holding Mirai's hand, and it was hard to read the emotion on her face. Konohamaru paled, his stomach erupting in fear.

And then he really did dash over the fence.

Well, his erection problem was solved.

It was hard to be turned on when every time he thought about Hinata he would be consumed by horror and guilt greater than ever before. He played that day over and over and he was sure she heard something compromising.

She also hadn't come to see him since then.

Konohamaru groaned, rolling over in his bed. He shouldn't feel bad about that because he was determined to avoid her if possible, but it hurt to know that she was avoiding him, too. Which could only mean she heard something and was put off by it.

If he wasn't filled with dread before, he was certainly feeling it now.

There was a knock on his door. Konohamaru pulled a pillow over his head. Unreasonable or not, he needed a few more hours to sulk.

"TAH-DAH!" The door to his apartment banged open. "Honorable Boss arrived!"

Konohamaru stared at Naruto from underneath his pillow, his heart pounding. "What are you doing here?" he muttered.

"Asuma told me something happened a couple days ago. Then Hinata's been waiting to run into you, but she hasn't seen you." Naruto closed the door behind him and opened up the curtains in the room. "She left for a mission this morning and told me to come check on you." He sat on Konohamaru's bed. "So, what's up? Why is everyone so worried about you?"

Konohamaru sat up slowly, eyeing Naruto warily. "How did you open the door?"

Naruto laughed. "Funny things they teach you when you're Hokage bound. Did you know the locks on ninja homes are built differently than the ones on civilian homes?"

"Yeah." Konohamaru shifted awkwardly. "Why did Hinata want to run into me?"

"Hm . . ." Naruto looked at the ceiling briefly. "Ya know, that's a good question. I didn't think to ask before she left."

Konohamaru internally sighed.

"But Udon gave me a good idea about what might have happened."

Konohamaru went rigid, his body breaking out in waves of heat. Naruto looked at him, his eyes alight with that same air of clueless innocence that could throw anybody off.

"So," Naruto gave a disarming smile, "how long have you had a thing for my girlfriend?"

Konohamaru went wide eyed, color draining from his face.

"Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa!" Naruto tried to smile soothingly. "Don't go makin' a face like that. I'm not going to do anything to ya."

"So what have you come to do?" Konohamaru turned away from him. "'Cause if you're here to make fun of me, I get enough of that from Hanabi already."

"C'mon, take it easy, Konohamaru. I just . . . had no idea."

"Yeah, well . . . It's just . . . It's just a crush."

"Haha, yeah . . . well . . ." Naruto picked his words as carefully as he knew how. "How long has it been? This crush."

Konohamaru looked at Naruto. The blond wasn't looking at him and appeared uncomfortable. He never anticipated a situation like this. Was Naruto going to stop talking to him because of this? Was he about to lose both Hinata and Naruto because of his crush?

"About three years," Konohamaru muttered, sinking into himself.

Naruto inhaled sharply. He ran a hand through his hair and reclined on the bed, using his other arm to support him. "So, way before this," Naruto said to himself. "I was afraid of that."

"H-hey, look, it's not gonna be a problem. It's not like anything was gonna come from it. She's older, and I'm just a kid to her. It's not like I was ever a threat to . . ." Konohamaru had to stop. His throat was getting tight and his eyes were beginning to water. Naruto was the very last person he wanted to voice his insecurities to.

Naruto bit his own lip nervously as he watched Konohamaru. He wondered if he should say something just so Konohamaru wouldn't feel obligated to say something. When it was clear the young boy wasn't going to say something, Naruto cleared his throat, self-conscious.

"I wish you would have told me sooner. I don't know . . . if that would have changed anything, but . . ." Naruto shook his head. "Ugh, it might have been obvious, but I honestly didn't know." He looked at Konohamaru in earnest. "Look, I don't know the full extent of things, but I've been there and know how it feels. I won't tell Hinata about this, but you should tell her yourself when you get the chance."

"What?" Konohamaru's sadness was immediately forgotten. "You're telling me to confess?"

"Well, yeah, why not? That's what I've always done, and it always makes me feel better."

Konohamaru's shoulder's slumped. "You've only liked two people."

"Yeah?" Naruto cocked his head. "What's your point?"

Konohamaru almost wanted to laugh. "You don't see me as a threat at all, do you?"

Naruto gave a confused smile. "A threat to what?"

Konohamaru bowed his head, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands. This didn't surprise him. In fact, it was more relieving than he thought it would be. Naruto wasn't here to tell him off or demand that Konohamaru stay away from Hinata; Konohamaru doesn't know why he expected that response. The fact that Naruto actually wanted Konohamaru to confess his feelings was both humorous and encouraging. He thought it ironic Naruto would be the one to make him feel normal.

Konohamaru looked up at him. "You're a real piece of work, you know that?"

"A masterpiece, I've been told."

"Yeah? By who?"

"Well . . . me, but I've still told it."

Konohamaru laughed, earning a genuine smile from Naruto.

"Are you ready to do something then?" Naruto collapsed on the bed. "I'm kinda hungry. And there's an event going on tonight. Some food festival or something."

"Food festival?"

"Yeah, something to bond all the Great Nations. Each one is going to host an event showcasing their best food. We're up first. Things are getting set up now." Naruto grinned, his eyes glazing over. "And the best part is it's all free. You just have to pay for a wristband."

"Sounds cool." Konohamaru paused. "Just wait for me outside and we can go look around."

Naruto sprung out of bed, radiating with energy. "Don't keep me waiting!"

"Ah, and Naruto?"

Naruto stopped. "Hm? Yeah?"

"Can we just . . . hold off on telling Hinata anything?"

"Yeah, sure, if you want."

"Yeah . . . You just never know what could happen, you know?"

"I get it, trust me." Naruto laughed, turning out the door. "Who knows? You might find someone else you like."

Konohamaru watched Naruto exit the apartment. A mixture of gloom and amusement filled him when he realized he's gone on more official looking dates with Naruto than he has Hinata. It was even more hilarious to think of Naruto's last comment.

Konohamaru laughed, getting out of bed. "Who else could there be?"