Even though Sakura said I would be the last one to be picked up, I wake up two hours early. I get ready in a matter of minutes and sit around anxiously to fill my free time. At 7 o'clock sharp there's a tap on my front door. I open it to reveal Sakura, Tenten and Hinata at my door with Kiba, Choji, Shikamaru and Naruto behind them.
"Ready to go?" Tenten questions.
I nod and quickly exit the house. The distance between Konohagakure and the Fire Village is only forty minutes. We spend the walk hyping ourselves, with the boys daring one another to go on the scariest of rides. Turning around to the boys, I announce, "I'll buy the guy who can ride the Slingshot whatever they want for dinner!"
"You're on," Kiba responds triumphantly. He rubs his stomach and cheers, "I'm having a feast tonight, boys!"
"Lifetime supply of ramen, here I come!" Naruto exclaims.
"Ino, if you can ride the Zipper and not have a heart attack, I'll pay for the winner's dinner instead of you," Tenten challenges.
I grin from ear to ear, "You're on!"
We continue challenging one another to ride the scariest of rides until we reach the Fire Village. We don't pay attention to our surroundings as we make our way to the carnival, but as we make our way through the entrance onto the carnival grounds, I notice many people staring in our direction.
Placing my hand on Sakura's arm, I ask, "Why are so many people looking at us?"
Sakura shrugs, "A lot of people from other villages come to this carnival. Maybe it's just appealing since there's so many of us together."
Somehow, I don't get the feeling that's the reason. A part of me feels strange and extremely uncomfortable with the staring, which is unusual. I turn around to look at my group of friends, but they don't seem all that strange; staring is unnecessary.
"So where should we start? Should we head over to the Slingshot?" Kiba asks.
"How about we start with the Mega Drop?" Sakura suggest, pointing directly ahead of us. Agreeing with her suggestion, we move to stand in the line up. This ride rises into the air ten stories high before suddenly dropping you almost completely back down.
Our group is split up before riding. Sakura pushes Hinata forward so she'll have to go first with Shikamaru, Choji and Naruto. We watch from our spots as the four of them are rising into the air. Hinata looks terrified between Naruto and Choji, while the latter two are waving down at us with grins on their faces. Shikamaru yawns and I can tell he's wondering why he came here in the first place. When they are suddenly dropped, Naruto cheers in thrill while Hinata screams. Choji is laughing all the way down and Shikamaru even smiles.
Next is Sakura, Tenten, Kiba and I. We find our seats and I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding. As we begin to ascend I realize there's no going back and I immediately regret my decision of riding this ride. However, I look down to see Hinata giving us an encouraging smile and Naruto giving us two thumbs up. I smile back down at the two but can feel my smile dissipate when we make our sudden descend.
I let out a shrill cry along with Sakura and Tenten but all I can hear is Kiba's cheering. The feeling of falling is exhilarating. My stomach feels as though it's in my chest, but once we stop falling I feel normal. As soon as our safety bar is lifted I dash off the platform and down to where our other half of the group is waiting.
"That was awesome!" I exclaim.
"Eh, wasn't that bad," Shikamaru responds.
When the group gets back together, we walk around to find a new ride. We settle for the Fireball. This ride seats 24 people and turns in a circle while it is swung into the air. It doesn't go too high and it doesn't go upside down, but it goes high enough that you face the ground and feel as though you may fall, but you never do.
We take the seats that are left, so we are mainly scattered. I'm seated next to Sakura and Shikamaru, across from us is Choji and Naruto and on the left is Hinata, Tenten and Kiba.
As we begin to turn, Naruto shouts at me, "No hands!"
He raises his hands in front of him to emphasize. Kiba has his hands in the air, also not holding on to any safety bars. I turn to see Tenten also daring to let go. With a sigh, I decide to place my hands in front of me. I look up at the smiling Naruto and feel assured. However, when the ride swings us higher and we turn so my side is at the top, I scream and alternate between holding on and letting go. Naruto laughs the whole time as we continue to turn, and is met with the other cheers from the others as well.
When it's over and we exit the ride Naruto is still laughing. He places his hand on my shoulder to hold himself up. "Ino, that was the best! It was like you went from being in a romantic comedy movie to a horror movie, and you kept alternating!"
I elbow him in the side, "Shut up, nitwit."
"Can we ride the Claw?" Tenten pleads, slowly inching her way to the direction of the said ride. None of the rest of us have a suggestion on what to ride next, so we follow Tenten.
The Claw is similar to the Fireball; however, it doesn't swing you high in the air. Instead, it spins you around and gradually turns upside down as it continues to spin. Rides that go upside down easily make me sick, so I really dread this one.
As we walk over to the next ride, Naruto nudges my shoulder, "Nice necklace, who bought it for you?"
I stare down at the diamond rose and play along, "Some idiot costumer of the shop. He always buys roses for his unrequited love."
"He sounds like quite the charmer. Not to mention handsome," Naruto wiggles his brows.
I scoff, "Hardly."
Like last time, our group is split. This time, I sit next to Choji and Hinata. Naruto, Sakura, Tenten and Shikamaru are across from us, and Kiba is on his own but he doesn't seem to mind. As the ride begins, Naruto repeats his previous motion of raising his hands and ordering the rest of us to do the same. I immediately shake my head, "Not this time, Naruto!"
Just then we're flipped upside down and I can't help shutting my eyes while screaming at the top of my lungs. I feel as though I'm the only one screaming until I peek my eyes open to see Sakura and Tenten just as frazzled as me. I begin to calm down as we slowly come to a stop. We follow one another off the platform and search for a new ride.
"I think we should go to the Slingshot before we eat," Kiba says, eyeing the Slingshot.
"Sounds good to me," Naruto says smugly. The two head off on their own before Naruto turns back around and calls out, "Ino! Aren't you coming? You're the one who called for the challenge!"
I look at the group for some help but none is given. Tenten points to the food carts and says, "We'll wait in line for some food. Hurry up, okay?"
I groan and jog my way to the Slingshot. As I approach the line up, I see Kiba and Naruto standing off to the side, scratching the back of their heads. I smirk and cross my arms in front of my chest, "What's wrong? You afraid?"
"This ride isn't free," Kiba explains. "You have to pay 100 ryo."
"Hey, Ino, you wanna pay?" Naruto suggests.
"What? No!" I immediately refuse.
"It was your idea!"
"If you're not paying, you're not riding."
"How about you pay half?"
"How about you pay me?"
"Guys, stop," Kiba intervenes. "Let's just pay for ourselves, Naruto. Ino will be paying a lot tonight for our food expenses."
That seems to be enough to get Naruto in line. I scoff and choose to stand by the railings rather than in line with them. I watch as two people get straddled into a ball structure before being flung into the air. This ride is the highest ride, a lot higher than the Mega Drop and slightly higher than the ferris wheel and Vertigo. As I watch the ball spin and begin to bounce once it descends, I can't help thinking there's no way Naruto and Kiba could ride this.
Soon enough, the two make their way to the ball after paying entrance. They take their seats fearlessly and I feel worried about all the possible outcomes. They could win which would suck for me, they could lose which is good for me but bad for them which then would make it bad for me (because I'm too nice), or this ride could break; and the last thing I want is for them to get hurt.
Naruto looks at me from his seat and yells, "Thanks for paying for my food in advance!"
"In your dreams!" I respond.
"We'll see," Naruto says smugly.
After checking the safety gears, the worker starts the ride. Kiba howls as they are flung into the air. Damn it, this means I'm paying for dinner. The two finally get off the ride and make their way towards me. Naruto runs a hand through his hair while grinning, "Does this mean I'm dreaming?"
I roll my eyes and slap his stomach. I instantly regret it when I feel how hard his abs are. I hide the flush of my cheeks by turning the other way, "Let's go get something to eat."
The three of us head to the food carts and find Tenten waving us over from a line up. We join the rest of our group, much to the dismay of the people standing behind. I hear a few complaints and a lot of whispers. Looking around, I notice it's not just the people in line staring at us. I had a feeling people have been staring all along but now it's just ridiculous.
"Sushi? Why did you guys choose this line of all lines?" Naruto questions, seemingly unaware of the glares he was receiving.
Tenten rolls her eyes, "The ramen stand is a few feet away if you want to go there."
"Sounds like a good idea to me," Naruto states, heading over in the direction Tenten points to. As he walks away I notice all the eyes that were on our group disappear. They all stare at Naruto. That's strange, why is everyone watching him? Well, I guess I'm doing the same thing, but I know Naruto personally. These strangers are too interested in him and I don't understand why.
"Ino? What are you looking at?" Shikamaru asks, although he seems to already know by the warning tone in his voice. I know he's really telling me, If you keep staring at Naruto, you're going to get caught.
"I was just considering whether I should also have some ramen," I lie, "but since Naruto is heading that way, there's no way I'd follow him."
"Hey, good idea!" Sakura exclaims. "Hinata, go over there!"
"What? Me? No!" Hinata protests, turning different shades of red whilst covering her face with her hands.
"Hinata," Tenten says while crossing her arms, "are you going to be able to confess today or not?"
"I will, but we said during the ferris wheel, remember?" Hinata says.
"Yeah but you can give him a heads up," Sakura says, imitating Tenten by crossing her arms. "You can tell him you're really excited about the ferris wheel and you want to ride with him."
Before Hinata has a chance to reply, Tenten has already guided Hinata in Naruto's direction. Tenten smirks and says in Hinata's ear, "Look at him all alone over there, don't you think you should keep him company? Even as just a friend?"
"I guess you're right..." Hinata says before making her way to approach him. Sakura forces us to act natural, therefore none of us are allowed to look in their direction at all. We order our food individually and carry it over to a bench nearby. It's in an area visible to Naruto and Hinata, so they can find us easily.
During the groups conversation, I sneak a glance at Naruto and Hinata. Naruto has just come up to order before the worker seems to say something rather rudely before shooing Naruto away. I watch as Hinata is shocked by the words and Naruto convinces her to forget it. The two head over to our bench with disappointment.
"Hey, why didn't you guys order anything?" Sakura questions.
Naruto takes a seat next to Shikamaru and pouts, "They ran out of my favourite ramen! I didn't want any other kind other than the pork, but it was gone."
I see Hinata give Naruto a look which he ignores. That was definitely not the case, but no one else seems to see through the lie.
"Ino, can I have a bite?" Naruto asks.
"No! Get your own," I respond. "What makes you think I'd give you any of my food?"
"I thought I'd try my luck," Naruto shrugs. "Shikamaru, can I have a bite?"
Shikamaru sighs and pushes his tray between him and Naruto in order to share. Naruto cheers and digs in. Sakura, Tenten and I each offer food to Hinata to which she gladly accepts.
"So since none of us want to vomit, what should we do when we're done eating?" Tenten wonders.
"We could walk around and maybe go on less extreme rides," I suggest. "Like the Merry-Go-Round or the ferris wheel?"
"Save the ferris wheel for night," Sakura quickly orders. With a wink she adds, "It's gonna be a show stopper."
"I'm still anticipating the ride on the Zipper," Kiba comments. "It's one of my favourites."
I gasp, remembering Tenten's challenge, "Tenten! I'm totally going to ride the Zipper and you'll end up having to pay for Kiba and Naruto's dinners!"
I begin cheering loudly at the memory. Tenten scoffs, "We'll see if you'll actually be up for it or not."
"You guys ready to ride more rides?" Kiba asks once everyone—except me—is done eating. I decide to carry my plate with me while following the group as we rise from the bench and begin walking around. At the back of the group, I get a chance to speak to Hinata.
"Hey, Hinata," I start, not taking my eyes off Naruto who is standing at the front of the group, "what happened back there with Naruto at the ramen stand?"
Hinata looks at me with a saddened expression before answering, "They refused Naruto service. They gave him no reason, they just told him to beat it while calling him rude names."
I can feel my blood boil at the sound of that. I ask, "Have you been noticing the stares Naruto has been getting?"
"I thought it was just me who noticed it."
"I have a bad feeling... Not that I care about the idiot but it worries me if he's being treated harshly like this for no reason."
"I want to ask, but there's already enough I'll be doing tonight."
I suddenly remember that the girl standing next to me is planning on confessing to the boy she's loved since we were still in ninja school. Swallowing back a lump in my throat I ask, "Are you ready?"
"It's not like I'll be any more ready tomorrow, so I should just do it today. Right?"
I laugh but nod, "Go for it; full stead."
Hinata nods with determination before starting a conversation with her team mate. A moment later, I realize Naruto has fallen behind the group and is now walking alongside me. I hold out my left over food to him, "Can you please eat this? If I eat any more, I might vomit."
Naruto doesn't need to be told twice. He takes the food and scarfs it down. As he takes his last few bites I can't help but ask, "Hey, Naruto, what happened back there at the ramen shop? I saw the old man say some stuff to you and it looked pretty harsh."
Naruto stiffens at my words before placing a fake smile on his face and responding, "He must have been in a bad mood since today is a busy and hot day."
I take a look around and the staring hasn't stopped. Turning back to Naruto, I ask, "Have you noticed the amounts of stares you've been getting today? It's so annoying! The people in this village are so goddamn rude."
Naruto scoffs, "Don't worry about it, Ino."
"Don't tell me what to do, whisker face," I threaten. "Do you have any idea why they're looking at you like that? I've never seen—"
"I said, don't worry about it," Naruto interrupts in a firm voice.
"Naruto..." I stare at him. He looks just as perplexed as the first day of our mission together. So much is on his mind right now, I can tell.
Baka, I mentally curse myself, of course he noticed all the stares and of course he's upset about them. Who wouldn't be? I shouldn't have drawn attention to it.
"Let's go ride the Merry-Go-Round," Naruto exclaims cheerfully again.
The ride was over as quick as it took us to get on it. Immediately afterwards Kiba drags us to the Vertigo. This ride is similar to the swings but instead of riding individually, you ride in pairs. It's also the second tallest ride and the view is amazing. It's always been my favourite.
Sakura and Tenten make it their mission to pair it off so Hinata and Naruto are together. Tenen announces, "Alright, Shika and Cho can sit together for this one, Sakura and I will pair up together here and so..." Tenten gives Kiba a look, signalling for him to move closer to me.
"Oh, hey, can I sit with Ino?" Kiba volunteers, pointing his finger at me. "I haven't gotten to ride any rides with her yet."
"Damn, I'm jealous of Ino," Naruto jokes.
"Next time," Kiba promises.
"Cut the bromance," Sakura orders, feeling satisfied with the arrangements. "So that leaves Hinata and Naruto! Great!"
We spend the next few minutes listening to Naruto and Kiba banter as we wait for time to pass. When we finally reach the front of the line, I can feel my heart beating quicker. The view from this ride is none like any other. I sit in the inner seat and wait for Kiba to strap himself in next to me.
Slowly the swings begin to turn and lift higher and higher and I'm breathless by the beauty below me. I don't even pay attention to Kiba sitting next to me, or even look ahead where Hinata and Naruto are. The breeze is light and slightly chilly and whips my bangs away from my face. I never want the ride to end.
But of course, it does. And as it begins to die down, I finally notice the boy sitting next to me. I ask, "Wasn't that the best ride ever?"
Kiba shrugs, "It's nice and all, but where's the adrenaline? The Slingshot is better."
I roll my eyes, "Whatever, I knew you wouldn't be able to appreciate such a simple yet magnificent ride."
"Oh yeah, sure," Kiba laughs, "magnificent indeed."
I sigh and pout until we're finally done with the ride. When our group recollects together off the platform, I say, "Hey guys, Kiba wants an adrenaline rush. How about we go on the Zipper now?"
"Yes! Now you're talking!" Kiba cheers, punching a fist in the air.
Tenten smirks, "This will be the deciding moment to see who has to pay for Dumb and Dumber's dinner."
"Hey!" Kiba and Naruto complain, before getting into an argument on who's Dumb and who's Dumber.
"Obviously you're both dumb for even having this stupid argument," I mutter.
"We heard that!" The two shout simultaneously. I shake my head, why was Naruto's best friend Sasuke? He seems to have a lot more in common with Kiba.
The wait for the Zipper is torturous. This ride spins you vertically around its base and every time you go over the top, there's a large chance you will make a 360 degree turn since the seats are not tightly bound, but instead left to dangle. The only sense of security is that it has a cage to enclose you—even though with the safety bar, that wouldn't be necessary; but it is comforting.
"Yamanaka! You're riding this one with me!" Tenten orders. "I need to see it with my own eyes that you don't suffer from a heart attack."
"Honestly, if I had a heart attack up there, you would probably laugh and cheer instead of helping me," I state matter-of-factly.
Tenten thinks about it before shrugging, "That would be quite a bittersweet moment."
Predictably, the pairs are Kiba and Naruto, Choji and Shikamaru, Sakura and Hinata and of course Tenten and I. As each pair is strapped into their cages individually, I feel extremely anxious. I can feel my heart pounding inside my rib cage, and I'm most likely fearing for my life.
"You'll be fine," Sakura assures once seeing my pale face, "There's a cage to catch you if you were to fall, which you wouldn't."
I wish she would give me some more reassuring words but it's her turn to board the ride next. I look to my side to see Tenten smirking, "Not about to have your heart attack already, are you?"
"I just might," I truthfully confess.
The safety door is opened and Tenten makes her way to the cage we're mean't to board. I follow behind with heavy steps. I pray to Kami I will make it out alive and send my father a mental message about loving him and feeling sorry for all the wrongs I've done and to pass the message on to everyone else when I'm gone.
Before I know it, the safety bar is pulled down, locking Tenten and I into our seats before closing the cage. There are three cushioned handle bars for me on the inside of the cage door, directly in front of me. There are another three for Tenten. Why three? We only have two hands.
I shrug it off and grip two of the bars before I feel us rise so the next pair can take their seat. I protest but take a sigh of relief when we stop so the workers can add the last pair onto the ride. In a cage above us, I hear squeaking and look up through the cage to see Naruto and Kiba swinging around hard enough to get their cage doing 360 spins already. Their cheers match their actions as the laugh when they're back upright.
Slowly the ride begins to move and I curse for not paying attention. Before I know it we're at the top and we rotate so we're now upside down and we continue to spin. I scream in terror and clutch onto the handle bars with dear life. As the ride continues and I feel my soul leaving my body, there's a moment where we're jerked forward and my forehead lands on the middle cushioned handle bar and I realize what that bar is for. The whole time, all I can hear is my own shouts and Tenten's laughter.
Half way through the ride I lose my voice and energy to scream, but have it revived every time to are upside down. I shut my eyes and wait for the ride to be over. As we approach the top for yet another rotation which I dread, the ride slows down and stops just when Tenten and I are at the top.
I look down to see Naruto and Kiba exiting their cage. They have huge grins on their faces, and they stand just off the platform waiting for the rest of us. Two by two the pairs are let out of their cages. I can't even comprehend anything in the moment. When our cage door is finally opened, I run off the platform in an instant in the best way that I can with my shaky legs.
"Ino, you okay? You look like you just died," Kiba observes, poking my forehead.
I slap his hand away and glare at him before turning to see a smirking Tenten approaching us. I point at her face and say, "What's with that smirk, huh? I just won the challenge."
"Yeah," Tenten shrugs casually, "But getting to experience that with you was worth it. You were screaming so loud, I was worried you would pop my ears!"
While Tenten laughs, I bring my attention to the group. Looking at the sky, I realize the sun is beginning to set.
"Hey the sun is beginning to set! Think we should grab some dinner"—I smirk triumphantly at Tenten who is no longer laughing—"before riding the ferris wheel?"
"Sounds good to me," Sakura nods.
The rest agree and we head back to the food area. We seem to fall back in line for sushi, but I notice the ramen cart's line up is nearly nonexistent. I roll my eyes, obviously with their kind of crappy service this would be the result. However, I notice Naruto eyeing the cart longingly and I sigh.
Without the others noticing, I slip out of line and head up to the ramen cart. When the old man asks me for my order, even though I wish I could punch him or throw a kunai at his head, I order a bowl of pork ramen. To make sure Naruto will eat it and not tell me to eat it for myself, I order myself a bowl of chicken ramen.
Instantly, I receive my order and rejoice at the sight of the ramen. Damn, Naruto's love of ramen is wearing off on me. I pay for the food before taking them with me back to the bench where we last sat. I wait patiently for the group to join me.
"Where did you go?" Sakura questions, taking a seat next to me.
As the rest of the group takes their seats, I turn to Naruto who sits on my other side. Pushing him the bowl of pork ramen, I casually say, "Looks like they restocked."
Naruto's eyes widen and he stares at the ramen before staring at me. Even though I act as though it's nothing, seeing the happiness and gratitude in Naruto's eyes makes it feel special.
"Ino, you really didn't have to! You won the challenge, right? You didn't have to pay for my dinner," Naruto says, emphasizing by pointing to his dish of sushi.
I shrug nonchalantly, "Well it's here now so you might as well eat it."
"I could always eat it," Kiba suggests.
I shoot dog-boy a glare before adding, "Besides, like you'd really feel satisfied eating sushi."
I turn back to Naruto and feel slightly embarrassed to find him staring at me. "What?"
Naruto breaks out into a grin and I can feel the happiness radiating off of him. Knowing everyone is staring at me I groan and roll my eyes, "Seriously Naruto, are you going to just stare at me or eat? Because if you don't eat now, your ramen is going to be cold and soggy."
At those words, Naruto digs in. We all begin to eat our dinners and have casual conversation. I can see the secret looks Tenten and Sakura are giving Hinata, and my heart drops knowing things are about to change after this dinner. The thought makes me lose my appetite so I push my remaining ramen to Naruto, which he devours.
Once all the food is gone, Sakura grins, "Time to head to the ferris wheel!"
Tenten cheers as we all stand up and head towards the ride. There's quite a line up, but since there are so many seats, the line goes by quickly. As we wait, Sakura instructs, "I'm sitting with Tenten, Ino said she wanted to sit with Shikamaru, so that leaves Choji to sit with Kiba and oh—I guess Hinata and Naruto are left."
"I never said-" Sakura elbows me in the ribs. I dig my heel into her foot and laugh awkwardly, "Oh yeah, Shika, I thought you'd like this kinda stuff."
"How troublesome," Shikamaru says with an eye roll, seeing fully well through Sakura's tricks.
"Hinata, you okay with riding with me?" Naruto asks the bluenette.
Hinata's face looks like a tomato as she nods her head and answers, "Yes, I would like to ride with you."
Sakura and Tenten wiggle their brows at one another. I roll my eyes but give Hinata an encouraging smile when she looks. As the line shortens, I can see the determination grow in Hinata's eyes. Naruto is completely oblivious, but I catch him looking around the group silently; first to Sakura then Hinata and then he catches my eye. I quickly look away before he can read my eyes and suspect something. I don't have time to read his expression so I'm confident he doesn't read mine.
Shikamaru and I take our seats together first. When we rise, I see Hinata and Naruto taking the next seat followed by Sakura and Tenten and then Kiba and Choji. We're far enough from one another to not hear one another but since the ferris wheel turns in a circle, at the top we are in front of the group and at the bottom we are at the back of the group.
The ride slowly begins to start. Shikamaru asks me, "Why are you doing this?"
I don't quite know what action he's referring to but I'm guessing he means allowing Hinata to confess to Naruto. I sigh, "Because they're mean't to be together."
"How are you so sure?"
As the ride reaches the bottom and I catch a glimpse of the back of Naruto's head and Hinata speaking to him, I feel a lump in my throat, "I was never meant to like someone like him to begin with. I was supposed to continue chasing after the cold, pretty boys. Instead, I waited for this whisker faced idiot who is now finally going to be with someone who deserves him."
Shikamaru shakes his head, "You have never had insecurities when it comes to boys."
"Well, I guess we're all quite surprised, aren't we?"
Shikamaru and I ride in silence for the rest of the ride. I focus on the setting sun and how perfect this moment must be for Naruto and Hinata. Every time the ride is at the bottom I stare at the back of their heads. It's hard to tell what's happening, and I can only imagine how Naruto will be reacting.
As the ride comes to a stop, Shikamaru and I exit the ride, followed by Hinata and Naruto, Sakura and Tenten, and Kiba and Choji. Immediately, Sakura and Tenten pull Hinata aside, saying they need to use the restroom. I skip out on the party; I don't want to hear the details.
Instead, I ask Choji, "Hey, you wanna go get some dango with me?"
"Yes! This ride made me hungry," Choji complains.
"Hey, buy me some!" Kiba pleads.
"We'll see," I tease, before turning to Shikamaru, "You want some, Shika?"
"If it's not troublesome," Shikamaru answers.
I turn to the silent Naruto. He has his hands in his pockets and looks to be deep in thought. I wave a hand in front of his face, "What about you, Naruto? Would you like some dango?"
Naruto looks at me and I bite my lip when I see the distant look in his eyes. He answers, "Can you and I go buy it together?"
"Yeah, you can come with me and Cho-"
"Alone?"
I freeze in shock. I've never seen Naruto like this. I turn to Choji, "I guess, if it's okay with Choji?"
Choji shrugs, "Go for it, but bring me back a lot of dango!"
I nod and Naruto and I begin to walk off. We're silent at first, until Naruto kicks a rock in front of me. I kick it back before speaking, "What happened on the ferris wheel?"
Naruto sighs, "I'm sure you know."
I roll my eyes, "Obviously I don't know the details, otherwise I wouldn't have asked."
"Hinata confessed her feelings to me," Naruto announces. "I was completely caught off guard."
"Well, what did you say?" I bite my lip as I anticipate his answer. I can feel and hear my heart beating; almost as hard as during my ride on the Zipper.
"I told her I'd think about it."
I blink. Think about it?
"But Naruto, how do you feel about Hinata?"
Naruto takes a really deep breath, "I don't know. Recently—and I know it's uncharacteristic—but somehow my feelings for Sakura have been lessening. Slightly, of course—but enough that I don't see her as the only woman in the world."
We stand in line for the dango. Naruto takes this moment to turn to me and I turn to him to listen to his words, "Hinata is a dear friend of mine. I think she's pretty, kind, strong, and very intelligible. But I don't know if I feel the same way just yet. I know she's liked me for a long time, and I'm worried all of her efforts will end up to be wasted."
Naruto's eyes land on the necklace he gave me. The diamond rose meaning devotion.
I hesitate before offering my 2 cents, "Listen Naruto, don't force yourself to be with her. At the same time, don't hide from her because you're afraid. You could give her a chance and see where it goes. I mean, for someone like Hinata to confess—it takes a lot of courage."
"Well I don't think confessing should be that hard. If you like someone, then they need to know how you feel, otherwise, what's the point?"
I feel my heart skip a beat at his words. He continues, "With that being said, I'm glad Hinata confessed. And you know what? I think I'll follow your advice."
I try my hardest to raise the sides of my lips in a smile while forcing out the words, "That's good to hear."
We pay for our massive amount of dango before returning to our group. Handing out the dango's, we come to a consensus that it's time to head home. Naruto places a hand around Hinata's arm, asking, "Can I walk with you?"
Hinata nods and the two move to the back. Sakura and Tenten give approving nods before dragging the rest of us ahead to give the pair some space. I don't mind. In fact, during our whole way back, I don't look behind me once. I head straight home, not adding into any conversations or playing any games.
When we enter the gates to the village, I give a quick goodbye to our group before walking home as fast as I can. I can't help breathing heavily as I walk. Entering my house, I feel all of the overwhelming emotions threatening to escape.
"Hey, Princess! How was the carnival?" Inoichi greets from the living room.
I bow politely, "Hi daddy, it was fine. I'm really tired though, all of those rides made me exhausted. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
I run up the stairs before I can hear his reply. I dash into my room and jump into my bed, allowing myself to finally breathe. I can't believe I was so stupid. And even now, I can't stop my feelings. Now I have to face the facts.
Everything's about to change.
A/N: Guys, this chapter is 6.3k words. That's the most I've ever written for any chapter for any story!
Reviews are very very very much appreciated!
Questions for today: When do you guys go back to school? I have another two weeks. (TT-TT) Are you guys excited or not?
Another questions: What was your favourite part of this chapter?
