Part 1

Innocence

Chapter 10

A Night at the Carnival

Ungraded papers lie scattered on a coffee table. Kakashi intended to grade them early in the morning, but instead, he lies on his side curled into a ball with a book inches from his face. The words play with his emotion making his heart pound and his face flush. He holds back a squeal, but he blushes instead. A pulsing heat forms, and his body tightens. Kakashi repositions his body. He bites his bottom lip to relieve the tension, but it does nothing. He reads more, and more, and his excitement grows. The image from the story plays in his mind, and he wants to copy it. He wants to do what they are doing. His hand lowers.

Kakashi pants and moans. The story's so captivating, he can practically feel the wet heat. His face is still red, but he doesn't smile. He's too concentrated on his hand and what he is reading. His body sweats. He is so excited, his pelvis squirms. What he's reading gives him such good feelings that he needs to put the book down. Give himself a breather and concentrate on one thing only. He replays the story in his mind. The excitement speeds up. He gets faster. And faster. He is so excited that he pants harder and harder. The story is almost at its climax. Then his phone vibrates.

The phone buzzes underneath his student's papers. Kakashi unreluctantly grabs it and groans when he sees the caller ID.

"What!"

"Is that how you greet a friend you haven't spoken to in so long? What can warrant that reaction"

"I was grading papers. What is it, Obito? Are you calling to check up on Sasuke?"

"What makes you think that? I could have called to ask you how you're doing?"

"The fact that your nephew's in my class. I'm assuming you'd want a midyear update. Quite the coincidence that my childhood friend's nephew happens to be in my class."

"I wouldn't think too much about it. How is Sasuke?"

"Very well. He's still in the top of his class."

"That's good."

"He's off his crutches, but you probably knew that already."

"It's silly they still make him attend soccer when he can't play."

"He enjoys it. A boy needs more in his life than just school." Kakashi readjusts his pants as he scoots back into the couch.

"I can't do anything about that anyway. Is there anything else going on?"

"He has a girlfriend. Did you know that?"

"He has a what?"

Sai scores a goal on Team Stone and ends the game. Pleased their team scored at least one point but disappointed that they lost another game, the home crowd unenthusiastically cheer. Most of the crowd leave without watching the teams shake hands, but Ino, Sakura, and Hinata wait at the corner of the field for Ino's boyfriend.

"It's cute that he left the art club for you, but was it worth it? Yeah, he scored a goal, but we still lost the game." Sakura mumbles.

"First, he did not leave the art club for me. He didn't like the people there, so he left."

"If you say so, Ino." Says Hinata. She taps her index fingers together as she tries to look like she's not staring at a certain blonde boy.

"So, what's second?" asks Sakura.

Ino cocks an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"You said 'first.' What's second?"

"There is no second. I'm done."

"Then why did you say first if you don't have a second?"

"Geez, it's not like I edit my thoughts before I speak. Chill."

"Maybe we would have won if Naruto played." Hinata's eyes stay on Naruto. She seems unaware of the argument she interrupted.

"Maybe." Sakura agrees. A thought pops into Sakura's head. "The carnival's almost over."

Mid September is when the Tada Carnival comes to Konoha [1]. Games and rides and delicious food pack together in one large venue for everyone to enjoy for one week.

"Shit! Our annual tradition! But I've already made plans with Sai." Ino whines.

"Oh, don't worry about it Ino. It's just a carnival." Sakura says.

"No it's not! This is tradition! I'll figure somethi – O my god, I have the perfect idea!"

"Sasuke, how did we end up here?" Naruto asks.

"I remember Ino talking, and now we're here."

"It's like our minds were transferred out of our bodies."

The sun hovers over the horizon and tints the carnival a pinkish orange. The grounds are nearly empty with only a few people in line for rides or food. Stalls line in two long rows that face each other, and rides rumble behind. With the sun setting, some of the lights in the stalls turn on and create orbs of light that float overhead those who stop at the stalls.

Naruto and Sasuke wait with Ino and Sai by the carnival's entrance. Ino clings to Sai's arm while they wait.

"Don't worry, boys. Your dates will be here soon." Ino winks.

"Dates?" Naruto raises an eyebrow.

"Speak of the devils. I see a familiar pink spec coming our way. Oh, no. Now she's carrying a tiny person the other way. Will you excuse me for one second?"

Ino tackles Sakura and Hinata from behind and latch onto their waist. "Hello, ladies! Where are you two going?"

Sakura shout whispers. "Why - are - they - here?!"

"What do you mean why? Sai needs company and would feel much more comfortable with two other boys his age." Ino leans into Sakura with a sly smile. "What other possible reason is there?"

"Ino –" Hinata winces.

"Just relax and follow my lead." Arms still wrapped around Sakura and Hinata, Ino swings them around and guides them towards the boys. "Sorry for the pause, but Sakura remembered that I left my jacket at school and was going to go grab it. Isn't that very thoughtful of her, Sasuke?"

Naruto answers, "Yeah, that's very thoughtful, Sakura."

Sai interrupts Ino. "But you didn't bring a jacket at all. I don't think I've ever seen you wear a jacket."

"Which is what I told Sakura, but you know her. So motherly and attentive to other's needs. She's such a kind person, right, Sasuke?"

"You're right, Ino!" Naruto replies again.

Sasuke makes his way to the entrance. "Let's go." He continues walking with the group following behind him.

They drag their feet along the dusty fair grounds. The rollercoasters rumble accompanied with screams and laughter. More people have shown up, but the lines are still unusually short. A light wind blows by and picks up the loose dirt.

Ino pulls Sai towards the Merry-Go-Round. She smiles playfully at him as he follows without resistance.

"It didn't take long for them to ditch us." Sakura complains.

"Who cares?!" Naruto wraps an arm around Sakura's shoulder. She stiffens. "I'm hungry. Do they have ramen here? I only saw udon."

"Naruto, get your arm off me, or I swear you will lose your jewels." Naruto raises both arms and steps away from Sakura. "Now then. Hinata, what do you want to do?"

"Um, it's okay, Sakura."

"There's a stand that sells cinnamon rolls. You want to get some? They are your favorite."

Naruto swings his head to Hinata. "Really? Your favorite food is cinnamon rolls?"

"They are my favorite, but it's okay."

Naruto wraps an arm around Hinata's shoulder and pulls her in. "What? No. I'll get you one. It's on me!" He presses his cheek against Hinata's, and she convulses from the sudden intimacy. Her mouth stutters and arms flap as Naruto drags her unaware of Hinata's predicament. He truly intended it to be friendly display of affection, but that only looks like it to him.

Sakura and Sasuke stare at them fascinated. "I … What?" Sakura tilts her head to the side with pursed eyebrows and an open mouth.

Sasuke straightens his back and looks around. There are still not many people at the carnival, but there is enough to do what he plans to do. "Let's ditch them."

"Wha-what? Are you sure?" Sakura's cheeks tint pink.

"Yeah." Sasuke grabs Sakura's arm and sprints away from Naruto and Hinata. As they run, Sasuke's hand slides down Sakura's arm until it interlocks with her fingers. The two weave in and out of the crowd. Sometime in their escape, Sakura bumps into a stranger. It briefly stops them until Sasuke tugs Sakura, and they continue their sprint. Hand-in-hand.

They reached the entrance, and their hands separate. Their bodies bend over and pant heavily. When they look up, their eyes meet. They smile. Maybe it's the runners high. Maybe it's something else.

"What were you thinking, Sasuke?"

"That Naruto learns best with hands-on experience." Sasuke pulls himself up and murmurs under his breath. "And something else."

"What was that last part?"

"What do you want to do now?"

"Um." Sakura scans the carnival. "Honestly, I'm not really feeling the carnival tonight."

"Wanna go somewhere else?"

Sakura jerks back, startled. "But, what about the others?"

"We'll be back before they notice."

"That only gives us an hour."

"Why? It's only 5:00."

"Because Hinata needs to make her curfew."

"They ditched us!" Naruto yells. "Damn that jerk, Sasuke!"

"I-I'm sorry, Naruto." Hinata taps her index fingers together and looks at her feet in shame.

"What? Why? You did nothing wrong."

"Yeah, but," Is it okay to be with Naruto when he'd rather be with Sakura?

"I just feel bad for Sakura. Having to be alone with that wannabe."

Hinata avoids eye contact with Naruto hoping he doesn't see her jealousy.

"But don't feel for me sorry, Hinata. I'm fine so long as you're here." He bumps her side with his elbow making her blush. "You're almost finished with your food. What do you wanna do?"

"Huh? Oh, anything i-is fine." She tries to smile but quickly looks down at the ground.

Naruto looks around. What would Hinata like to do? Even though he has known her all his life, he doesn't know much about her. Since she's a girl, she'd probably like those slow rides.

Naruto finds the Merry-Go-Round. Behind it a short distance is the Fire Dancer. A ride that twirls you around as if you're on the tip of a fire dancer's stick. The seats light up red to look like a fire dancing from afar, but if you're inside, you feel like your brain will fly out of your head. Naruto so badly wants to ride it, but he doubts Hinata would like it.

"How about that ride?" Naruto points in the direction of the Merry-Go-Round, and Hinata's eyes light up. "Yeah! That looks fun."

She seems excited. Maybe the Merry-Go-Round was a good call.

They make it to the Merry-Go-Round, and Naruto gets in line. Hinata continues walking farther down.

"Hinata, where are you going?" Naruto yells out.

She jerks around, startled. "Huh? I thought you wanted to go on that ride." She points up. They are closer now, and the Fire Dancer rumbles over them.

"You wanna go on that!" Naruto's jaw hangs dumfounded.

"We-we-we don't have to. I-I thought yo-you were pointing at that, a-and I-I thought it looked fun." Hinata's blushes deeper. God, she feels so embarrassed.

"Of course, we can go on that!" With a big smile on his face, Naruto grabs Hinata's hand. Her heart beats faster from the touch. He doesn't let go until they reach the Fire Dancer.

The ride jerks and spins them violently. They fall, and rise, and circle making their brains go numb. Hinata flies an inch off the seat and screams. Then laughs because she screamed. Naruto lets go of the rail hoping to impress Hinata. Instead, she copies him, and they compete to see who can keep their hands up the longest. Both Naruto's and Hinata's hands stay up when ride ends. Hinata lowers her arms as they slow to a stop.

"Ha! I win!"

"Huh? But the ride ended."

"Doesn't matter. The bet was who can keep their hands up the longest." Naruto teases.

Hinata puffs her cheeks up as she pouts. "Fine. What do you want?"

"I'm not sure. Can I use it for later?"

Hinata giggles and nods her head.

"I thought you'd want to go on the less violent rides."

"Oh, no. I love roller coasters!" She smiles up at Naruto. "When I was little, Neji would always refuse to go with me, and Hanabi was always too scared. So, my dad would take me. It was one of the few times we could spend time together."

"Do you still go with him sometimes?"

"No. He's too busy."

"Well, for tonight, you can call me Daddy!"

"Excuse me?"

Naruto realized the double meaning and blushes. "I-I didn't mean it like that!" Hinata giggles at Naruto's embarrassment. Her laugh makes Naruto smile. "You know, Hinata, you stopped stuttering."

"Huh? Oh, I-I-I didn't no-notice."

"Haha! Never mind." Naruto pats Hinata's head. The feeling of his hand on her head comforts her. She is sad when it leaves. "So, what ride do you want to go on next?"

"That one. Bu-but, only i-if you want to!"

"Pssh! Of course!"

They go on rollercoaster after rollercoaster. As they spend time together, they talk and laugh about trivial things that only matter to them. Their hearts race. Hinata's not sure if it's because of the adrenalin or Naruto, but Naruto knows he feels a lot more at ease because of Hinata.

"Is that Ino?" Hinata points towards the Ferris Wheel. Inside one of the capsules is Ino with another figure sitting beside her.

Naruto squints his eyes. "I think that's Sai sitting next to her, but shouldn't he be sitting across from her. Why is he sitting – oh."

They don't want to watch, but Naruto and Hinata can't look away from Ino and Sai making out.

Hinata is the first to break the silence. "You know, there's a rumor that couples who have their first kiss on that Ferris Wheel stay together forever."

"But that's definitely not their first kiss."

"I know. It just reminded me of the rumor."

The Ferris Wheel slows to a stop, and Ino and Sai walk out hand-in-hand. Naruto and Hinata watch the two leave in the opposite direction. Not knowing what to say, Naruto makes a suggestion. "You wanna ride it?"

"Sure."

As they wait in line, Naruto and Hinata chats and enjoys each other's company. Especially Naruto. Hinata's kindness puts him at ease, and he can't help but smile triumphantly when she laughs at his jokes. He likes this feeling. He likes being with her. He wants to stay like this for as long as possible.

They sit across from each other in the capsule. The view below becomes smaller and smaller as they ascend higher and higher until the people become dots and the lights become small orbs like stars on the ground. The view is beautiful, and Naruto wonders what can be more beautiful. He looks at Hinata.

The tip of her nose and the palms of her hands press against the glass as she awes at the scenery below. Knees bend towards the door, and pale, thick thighs poke out of her flowy purple skirt. A loose white shirt folds over where it's tucked in, and long, black hair drapes over her breasts and falls around her shoulder and along her back. Light reflects from her eyes, and her smile. Her smile makes Naruto feel a wave of emotions that he is unsure of.

"The view is amazing!" Hinata's smile widens.

"More than usual." Naruto now knows what's making his heart beat so fast. Happiness. In this moment, he feels happy. His parents are dead, his god father is never home, school is hell, they just lost another game, but in this moment, he is with someone who means so much to him and that is enough to accept all the heartache and still be happy. This is definitely happiness he is feeling, and he doesn't want it to end.

A phone alarm chimes, and Hinata pulls it out of her back pocket. "We should go after this." She says.

Naruto feels shaken. "Why? It's still really early."

"I have curfew. If I'm late, my dad won't let me leave the house. That's why we came here so early when there's barely anyone here."

It's too short. Naruto wants more time. If he can have ten more minutes. Five more minutes? He needs to focus. Stay in the moment. Can he have one more minute? If he can do anything in this moment, what would it be?

"Hinata?" Naruto rests his hand on hers.

"What is it, Naruto?" She turns from the window, and he kisses her. Naruto cradles Hinata's cheek with his other hand and deepens the kiss. They continue kissing as Hinata talks. How can she talk so clearly with his mouth on hers.

"What is it, Naruto?"

Naruto breaks from the daydream. That kiss wasn't real. Why did he want to kiss Hinata?

"Never mind." He says.

The ride slows to a stop, and they get out. They make their way to the exit where everyone else stands.

"Hinata! I was just telling Sakura about the Ferris Wheel." Ino squeals.

"You're not convincing anyone that was yours and Sai's first kiss."

"Hi, Ino. Hey, Sakura." Says Hinata. "I should really get going."

"Text me when you get home, okay?" Sakura tells Hinata.

"Okay."

"Wait." Naruto reaches out a hand. Hinata looks at him, and he can't remember what he wanted to say. He only knows he wants to be with her longer. "I'll walk you home."

"Yo-you don't have to." Hinata insists.

"I want to."

"Re-really. I-it's fine."

"Remember I won our arm raising competition? Let me take you home."

Hinata and Naruto say their goodbyes before parting from the group. Why would Naruto want to kiss Hinata? He's supposed to like Sakura. Of course, he still likes Sakura! He loves Sakura! He remembers the feeling of when he first fell in love. He still feels that way around Sakura. That, he's sure of.

"I'm home!" Sasuke yells.

Itachi runs out from the kitchen wearing a black apron with small red clouds on it. "What's this? You never yell 'I'm home' when you come back home."

"So?" Sasuke heads to his room.

"Were you on a date with Sakura?" Sasuke closes the door behind him. "He was definitely on a date with Sakura."

Sasuke falls into his desk chair and folds his head over the head rest. His phone vibrates, and he pulls it out.

Sakura: Did you get home safe?

He smiles at the message. He begins to reply when he gets a call.

"Uncle Obito? This is Sasuke."

"Hello, Sasuke. How have you been?"

"I am well. Is there something wrong?"

"I heard you recently got a girlfriend."

"I don't have a girlfriend, Uncle."

"Then who is Haruno Sakura?"

"A classmate."

"Are you close with her?"

"I speak to her more than with others. We are both on the soccer team and class reps."

"Sasuke, I have not heard good things about this girl. I want you to stop interacting with her."

"Uncle, I don't know what 'bad things' you've heard about Sakura, but she's a good person."

"I heard her family comes from nothing.

"They're not the traditional – "

"She can only afford Konoha Academy on a scholarship."

"Yeah, but that shows – "

"That she has pink hair."

"What does tha-"

"Sasuke, stop associating with Ms. Haruno. You have nothing to gain from being with her and you have everything to lose."

"That is not true! She's amazing!"

"Do not raise your voice with me. Sasuke, this is very unlike you. She is obviously holding a negative influence on you, so you must stop associating with her immediately."

It is irritating how calm Uncle Obito's voice stays. Not once has he changed his tone. "But Uncle –"

"I have already discussed this with Itachi. You will do as I say. Understood?"

Sasuke sets the phone on his lap. He doesn't want to hear his uncle's voice, but he has to give a response soon. He needs a moment to breathe. "I understand, Uncle."

"Good boy. I will talk to you next week. Understand."

"Yes, Uncle."

"Good bye, Sasuke."

"Good bye. Uncle."

Sasuke hangs up the call and places the phone in his drawer. He doesn't want to be reminded of what just happened.

The door knocks. "Can I come in?" says Itachi.

"Sure." Itachi pokes his head into Sasuke's room. "This is stupid. What reason is there to avoid Sakura?"

"Absolutely none. I'd prefer you to keep hanging out with her. She makes my life easier. I only said yes to Uncle because he's annoying. I on the other hand refuse to let you stop seeing her."

"Thanks."

"Just be careful at school. Guaranteed Uncle has spies there."

"That's creepy." But it makes sense. How else could he have heard about Sakura.

"It's creepy, but I bet my savings on it. Is everything okay now?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Itachi."

"Oh my god, he thanked me! Definitely don't stop hanging out with Sakura. She works miracles! Good night, Sasuke."

"Weirdo."

After Itachi leaves, Sasuke swivels around in his chair before he pulls out his phone. He has no intention to stop "associating with Ms. Haruno." He needs to reply to her text.

Sasuke: I did. Do you mind keeping me company for a little while?

In love: Neji with Tenten; Tenten with Neji; Hinata with Naruto; Sasuke with Sakura; Sakura with Sasuke

In a relationship: Neji and Tenten; Sai and Ino

A/N:

[1] I couldn't think of a carnival name, so I used Tada, which means "just because" in Japanese.

I considered adding what Sasuke and Sakura did outside the carnival and what Naruto and Hinata's walk back to Hinata's house was like but decided against it. I'm considering posting them as separate short stories. Let me know if you think this is a good idea.

In the next update, we will learn how Naruto "fell in love" with Sakura. Warning, Naruto's stupidity reaches 1,000%. There will also be not one, but two kiss scenes! Can you guess who?

Thank you for reading! Next update will be Thursday, November 22nd. If you liked the chapter, leave a review! I enjoy reading those. You can also favorite and/or follow to know when it's updated.