One of my favorite songs, "Statues Without Eyes" by Kill Hannah, reminds me of my fanfic, so I incorporated a few of the lyrics in the story, mostly in this chapter. :)

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me.

Chapter 6: Downtown

It's weird how things can change so much, and so suddenly. I've been a loner for so long, but only a couple of days ago, gained a friend. Someone I could trust. I've never dreamed that I ever would, and yet here I was, walking home with her. We weren't the closest friends and we didn't know much about each other, but she was all I had, and she seemed to like me pretty well.

"Where should we go, tomorrow?" Hinata's soft voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Uh, wherever. Doesn't matter to me." I answered indifferently. It didn't seem like there was much to do, here. Hinata turned her head to the black sky, her bangs bouncing as we walked.

"We could take a look at s-some of the shops downtown, a-and maybe stop by the park?"

I coolly put my hands in my jacket pockets, but little did Hinata know, I was intrigued by the plans she so easily put together. My deep voice cut in, "Yeah, sure." With that, her face lit up.

"Okay! Hehee!" With a light skip to her step, she asked when and where we should meet.

"Um . . . I dunno." I wasn't much help with planning, but Hinata didn't seem to mind.

She pondered for a bit as she looked to the ground. "Does e-eleven sound okay? We can meet at the bookstore." Nodding, I kept note of it in my head. This would be my first time going out with a friend during the weekend. I had no idea what to expect and felt kind of anxious, without showing it, of course.

That night, after I had dinner and gone up to my room, I decided to relax a little since I didn't have homework for once. I turned off the light, took off my shirt and collapsed atop my bed, arms folded behind my head. Staring at the ceiling, I recalled the look that Sasuke gave me that day. He looked like he was ready to kill me at any second, but I hadn't even talked to him lately. He didn't give a smartass remark, he didn't pick a fight. He just scowled, as if he was thinking of ways to murder me.

I let out a deep sigh, turned over to bury my head in my pillow and closed my eyes. Tomorrow was Saturday and I would go meet Hinata at the bookstore. I was so relieved that I didn't have to go to school or work tomorrow. It had been a tiring week filled with all kinds of emotions that I was unfamiliar with. Without another thought, I drifted off to sleep, then and there.

Leaning calmly against the brick wall of the bookstore, I waited for Hinata. I studied the crumbling street, the cracks that were forming and the small blades of grass peeking out. It was 11:13. Glancing over to the side, I caught a small girl rushing down the street, toward me, bumping into people, and tripping over her own feet. Yep, it was Hinata. Silly girl. She's always late. I inwardly smirked. Once she appeared in front of me, she stopped, put her hands on her knees, and tried to catch her breath.

"I'm . . . s-sorry! You . . . weren't waiting . . . l-long, were you?" She took a breath between every few words. I stood up straight and walked calmly toward the direction of the bus stop, then stopped to look at her over my shoulder.

"You coming?"

"H-huh? Oh . . . y-yes!"

I didn't bother to ask her why she was late. We boarded a bus that would lead us downtown. The engine was noisy and graffiti was written all over the seats, but the two of us didn't mind. Passing highrises, pedestrians, and traffic lights, the bus brought us to a more metropolitan setting. The area where we lived was more on the outskirts of the city; this busy area was downtown. Hinata twiddled her thumbs as she sat next to me, bored. I turned back to the window to see many small shops along the sidewalk. There were business men, teenagers, and dressy women passing by. Crowds scurried across the crosswalks, sounds of beeping cars filled the air, and so did strange smells. I've only been here once a while back. The bus stopped and I followed Hinata out. Smiling, she asked where I wanted to go first. I shrugged. Again, I wasn't very helpful when it came to figuring out what to do next.

She asked in her sweet tone, "Are you hungry? We could eat lunch."

"Sure."

She led me to a hotdog stand, and after ordering, we sat at a bench to eat. I looked over to her, and she suddenly started giggling, hand over her mouth. I raised a hairless eyebrow.

"You h-have chili on your face," Before I could think, she wiped my cheek with a napkin. There was her gentle touch again. I felt a slight chill and then looked away. When we finished, she hopped up from the cold bench and adjusted her winter hat.

"Let's go look at the shops!" Her big round eyes glistened. Grabbing my hand, she lightly pulled me toward the clothing store. As she led me down to the first shop, I focused on our linked hands, which caused a tickle in my stomach. Strange. I must be sick from the chili dogs. Yes, that's it.

We went from shop to shop, browsing. At the toy store, Hinata picked up a bunny plushie and hugged it close to her chest. I could swear she was almost like a child. At an antique shop, I touched my fingers to a wind chime that was delicately crafted with wood. We went to the pet shop next, and there were animals of all types, but Hinata seemed to take special interest in the puppies. One place had nothing but apple products. There were apple pies, apple cider, apple-scented candles . . . apple everything. Another had a lot of outdoor gear. Visiting each of these places, I saw so many things I've never seen before. We didn't buy a single thing, but it was still amusing just to look around.

I could see that Hinata was getting tired, and I was as well. Deciding to stop at the central park, we found a secluded area near the lake and sat in the grass. It was kind of nice, watching the water flow with the wind, light reflecting off of it and the birds flying in 'v' shapes to the south. The spot was perfect, as it was a good view of the city skyline. The two of us watched a couple of squirrels chasing each other around a tree.

"So cute," Hinata's innocent voice was barely audible.

"Hn," I responded.

Laying back on the grass, I watched the jets pass by, overhead. A while later, Hinata laid back next to me and watched them too. We stayed that way for a long time, listening to a million sounds of busy people around us, but feeling relaxed. The jets left behind long strands of light that eventually disappeared into puffs of smoke. The sun set behind the city skyline causing everything to become darker, and before we knew it, the colorful city lights lit everything up. When the cold wind picked up and thunder could be heard, I knew a storm was closing in.

"Ready to go?" I asked. She nodded in response, and then we got up to head out of the park and back onto the now lit up streets.

Under the downtown city lights, we stood together, waiting for the bus. "Did you have fun?" Hinata asked warmly.

"Yeah,"

"Me, too." She played with a button on her jacket. "I'm glad you came, I don't remember when I've had this much fun."

I nodded. I've never had this much fun. I finally turned to look at her, and we locked eyes. Staying that way for a while, I felt another tingle in my stomach and needed to look away. Hinata did the same, with an embarrassed expression. I found it kind of funny that she mimicked everything I did, even if she didn't mean to. People scurried all around us; we might as well have been invisible, yet neither of us cared. We stood still at the bus stop, as if frozen in time. I felt a cold droplet of rain fall on my nose, but kept my stoic face. Then I felt another, and another. A minute later, it was pouring, and once the bus arrived, we rushed inside. Sitting in the same spot as last time, I looked out the window again. Little neon drops of water slid down it, while the rain continued to pour. The wet streets reflected the colorful lights of the city, and the loud bus kept stopping with traffic. Honks of taxis could be heard above the downpour.

It was a pretty long drive back to our town. The pattering sound of the rain on the bus's roof made Hinata fall asleep on my shoulder. I didn't know how she could look any more innocent than this. With a sigh, I rested my large hand on her head as the bus traveled down the road.

The weekend had ended and it was time to go back to the terrible confinement, also known as school. When I woke up that morning, though, I didn't feel quite so depressed. I actually had someone at the school waiting for me. This, I kept in mind when I left home.

Walking through the school gates, I caught Hinata under the same tree that she waited at the other day. But she wasn't alone. Two girls were talking to her, and by the look on her face, she did not seem happy. One girl had long blonde hair pulled into a ponytail. The other had short, pink hair. Both girls had their hands on their hips, weight shifted to one side, and they were talking to Hinata with menacing glares. I sped up into a hurried walk toward them.

"You think you can just talk to any guy you want? Sasuke doesn't want to talk to you!" said the blonde girl.

"Yeah, I bet he couldn't care less about you! You're just a bother to him, so stay away." the pink haired girl chimed in. Hinata was backed against the tree, her hands brought together at her chest, and with each insult, she flinched. Once she saw me approach, the hurt in her eyes ceased. When the two noticed the change in her expression, they turned around only to see my scowling face.

"I-it's him. He's gonna kill us!" whispered the blonde.

"I told you they were close!" yelled the pinkette as they ran away. I hated girls like them. All they cared about were appearances and reputations, they talked too much too. After those satanic girls were out of sight, I looked at Hinata, who seemed depressed.

"You alright?"

She nodded, trying to fake a smile, but I saw right through it. Those bitches made her think even less of herself. I walked off, sure that she would come running to my side, but she didn't; she stood next to the tree, spacing out in contemplation.

"Come on." I ordered. Shaking her head to snap out of her thoughts, she ran after me like she normally did. That's better.

She needed to stop talking to that Sasuke bastard. He would only cause her problems.

I love the city setting in this chapter. When I first wrote this, I had never been to the city, but it was my biggest dream. Now that I have been to New York City and Chicago, I went back and added more imagery to it :)