Long time, no update, I know! It was hard to take time and get back into the story after returning from Easter vacation... But never fear, I have a few chapters written ahead, so the next update should come much quicker. Thanks to all those who reviewed :)

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"Naruto…"

The blond-haired ninja crinkled his nose. He vaguely felt something on his face – a fly, or a stray blade of grass. It brought him back from the light sleep that had dulled his senses and made his mind stray away to distance, unfathomable places.

"Naruto, get up, you lazy ass."

Naruto opened his eyes to find a huge pile of white fur right next to him – that's what had been tickling his nose. Akamaru looked down at him and gave a small whine, his master standing right next to him.

Naruto sat up and realised the sun was hanging lower above the horizon. He must have dozed off for quite some time. At first he'd just intended to take a little rest after practice, and the lush grass had been so inviting he hadn't been able to resist.

"What are you doing here?" he asked Kiba, brushing stray blades off his vest.

"Looking for you, what do you think," Kiba answered, rolling his eyes. "I've got exciting news – Shikamaru's back in town."

"Really? That's great!"

"So I thought it might be fun to get all the guys together – have a drink or two. What do you say?"

Naruto sat up, fully awake now. "Great idea. Who did you tell so far?"

"Shino, obviously, and Neji. Lee said he'd rather not be tempted by any alcoholic beverages." Kiba raised an eyebrow. "I thought you might – uh – ask Sasuke to come along."

"Oh." Naruto was relieved before he even had time to consider the problem. It would be the first time that Sasuke and the rest of their group would actually have a chance to interact since his return, and doing it over sake sounded like a good idea. "Sure, I'll do it."

"But first, there's someone else we need to invite."

Naruto followed Kiba back to the main street. Shino and Shikamaru were waiting for them, and Naruto noticed that like Shino, Shikamaru was starting to grow out a goatee. They looked more and more like their fathers… Naruto wondered if he, too, resembled the Fourth Hokage. His father. It was still a bit strange calling him that in his head.

He didn't get the feeling of having changed so much since he was a genin, even if he was certainly taller. He felt just as awkward and clumsy and helpless in the face of complications as he was back then. After all, he still hadn't figured out what exactly was going on with Hinata, and what he should do about it. He decided to save that thought for later.

"Shikamaru, it's good to have you back," he said, slapping his friend on the shoulder. "How did everything go in Suna?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "Well, the trip was a pain in the ass, as usual, and there were dinners to attend, and speeches to listen to…" He gave out a loud sigh. "All very boring."

"Surely not all of it was," Kiba remarked slyly.

Shikamaru ignored him. "Anyway, I'm glad to be back. I was wondering how Choji was doing and all…" He scratched the back of his head.

"That's where we're headed, isn't it?" Shino said. "Let's go."

As they climbed up to the Akimichi clan's domain, Naruto couldn't help but feel a pang of apprehension. Choji had refused most visits while he was in the hospital, and the only time Naruto had managed to see him, accompanied by Sakura, he'd been a mere shadow of his former self. The nurses said he had hardly any appetite at all. He had lost a lot of weight, which made him look surprisingly unhealthy, and had barely spoken a word to them. It had taken a much harder toll on him than he'd expected, and Shikamaru was Choji's best friend - there was no telling how he'd react.

Choji's mother saw them coming up the path, and ran out to greet them.

"Oh, Shikamaru, I'm so happy you're back," she said, pressing him against her as if he was still a little boy. "It's been so terribly difficult here… but now it'll get better, I'm sure of it."

"I'm sorry I couldn't be here," Shikamaru replied. "I didn't have any choice, unfortunately. Where's Choji?"

"You'll find him out back," his father replied from the doorstep. "That's where he's been spending most of his time."

The four of them made their way around the house and to the rocky gardens that lay behind it.

"Choji and I used to hang out here all the time," Shikamaru said, leading them down a stony path. "It's a good place to practice - "

Shikamaru stopped in his tracks. Choji was there, but he wasn't alone.

"What's Ino doing here?" Kiba asked, squinting.

"I think they're practising," Shino said.

Indeed, it appeared that Ino was helping Choji with chakra control of some sort. His new arm was rather life-like, moulded in the right proportions and moving nimbly, but it gleamed like metal in the sun. Choji seemed to have gained a little weight back, at least, Naruto thought as he watched him make a fist and attempt to crush a medium-sized stone that had been placed in front of him.

"You have to let the chakra flow in your arm," Ino was saying. "Just do it like it was the old one."

"But it's not, Ino," Choji replied, his frustration evident. "It's heavier and – for crying out loud, I take the damn thing off when I go to sleep."

Ino placed a hand on his chest. "We've talked about this, you know you should keep it…"

"Choji! Ino!"

Kiba was waving at them, but Shikamaru frowned slightly at his intervention, as if he had been waiting for the rest of the scene to play out. In fact, Naruto realised, confused, he looked almost embarrassed.

"Shikamaru! You're back!" Ino cried, rushing up to him and giving him a quick hug. Choji stayed rooted on the spot, his expression unreadable.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here," Shikamaru pointed out. "I came to invite Choji out for drinks. What do you say?"

Choji seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then smiled and made his way to Shikamaru to greet him. "It's good to have you back."

"That's why we're celebrating," Naruto said. "So come on, we'll treat you and Shikamaru to dinner!"

"I don't know… I'm still a bit tired," Choji said, glancing towards Ino. "Besides, we were supposed to keep practicing."

"Oh, come on, you can take a night off," Ino said, nudging him. "I'm sure I'll come up with something to do on my own…" She winked at the group.

Choji scowled, but before he could say anything else, Shikamaru took him by the arm and dragged him away.

"Nobody's going to miss out on tonight," he said firmly. "Friend… former foe… we're all equal when we're drinking."

There was nothing to answer to that, Naruto thought as they started down again. He simply hoped Sasuke would see it the same way.

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The least that could be said was that he was certainly trying, Naruto told himself, slamming his glass down on the table and wincing against the burning trail of liquid sliding down his throat. Sasuke had joined in every round, although so far he remained his usual quiet self.

Sasuke hadn't taken that much convincing to come, but it had certainly been awkward at first, especially since Neji had never hidden his aversion towards him. But Shikamaru, who Naruto was starting to think had genuine diplomatic skills, had fuelled the conversation with sufficient ease for everyone to calm down, and by the time they started talking about ninja training in Suna, the drinks had started to loosen tongues.

"Come on, you have to tell us," Kiba insisted, looking at Shikamaru. "What happened between you and Temari?"

"Stop pestering me," Shikamaru said, shaking his head. "I don't understand why you're so curious about this."

"Well, we always share advice and techniques when it comes to fighting," Neji pointed out as he served them all another round. "I don't see how this is any different."

"The peace and welfare of the village doesn't depend on it," Shikamaru replied.

Naruto grinned. "That's a matter of opinion. If the Kazekage's sister herself has a lover in Konoha…"

"Lovers? What are you talking about?"

"That's how you call two people who've had sex," Neji said flatly.

Naruto clinked his glass against his. "No, that's how you call two people in love."

"I agree with Naruto," Sasuke said. "Sex doesn't equate to lovers. There has to be something more than that."

"Perhaps you don't even need sex at all," Choji suggested. "Or else I'm in a lot of trouble..."

Kiba laughed. "Choji, what are you talking about? There are dozens of girls in this village who would be thrilled to nail a ninja, not to mention a war hero."

"I'm guessing you speak from experience?" Shino asked.

"A ninja, right," Choji muttered. "Some ninja I am now… I'm not even capable of crushing a pebble with this… this…"

Everyone seemed to have sobered up, listening to Choji's words.

"Give it time," Shikamaru said, rolling his glass in his hands. "Just give it time. And as for women, I mean…" He seemed uncomfortable with the subject.

Each one of them seemed lost in their thoughts. Finally, Choji started to hoist himself up, toppling slightly.

"I'm tired… I think I better go home."

"Wait, I'll come with you."

"No, no – this is your welcome home party, Shikamaru, you stay."

Shikamaru and Neji's eyes met, and Neji got up as well, helping Choji to his feet. "I'd better get going as well. Come on, man."

Once they were gone, Kiba served another round to lift spirits, and soon had to be taken home by Shino, who only seemed slightly deterred by the amount of alcohol he'd had. Naruto's head was already starting to spin, and he barely noticed their departure until he realised the noise level had gone down.

"Shikamaru, now that we're alone – almost," he painstakingly said, "you can admit what happened with Temari."

"Good grief…" Shikamaru downed another shot and made a face. "We did it. Okay? Are you happy?"

"Wasn't it too troublesome?" Naruto asked, smirking, and Sasuke gave a slight laugh.

"Extremely. It was messy and tiring and, well…" Shikamaru slumped against the wall, his gaze far off in the distance. "Sometimes you have to make amends."

"Make amends," Sasuke repeated. "That's an interesting way to put it."

"To life, I mean. You have to stop pretending you don't care about stuff, and just go out there and try to get what you want… Am I even making any sense?"

"I think you're absolutely right, Shikamaru," Naruto said. "In fact, I'm gonna – I'm gonna do that right now!"

"You idiot, you're in no state to do anything," Sasuke said.

"No, I'm serious," he replied, getting to his feet and gripping the edge of the table for support. It seemed to him that what he had to do simply could not wait until morning – then perhaps it would be too late. Besides, he had waited long enough, and he was tired of stirring the problem around in his mind. He needed an answer.

"For fuck's sake… Go with him, will you?"

"What about you?"

"I have some business to attend to myself."

Naruto frowned. What was Sasuke talking about? But before his mind could properly wrap itself around the question, Sasuke was already gone, and Shikamaru was helping him down the stairs of the izakaya. The warm summer air hit his face and made his head whirl.

"I can't believe… you banged Temari."

"Enough with that," Shikamaru complained. "Where the hell are we going?"

"We're going to… to… No, wait, she doesn't live there anymore. I got it! Kurenai-sempai's place."

"Are you mad? What do you want with Kurenai anyway?"

"Not her," Naruto said. "Hinata lives there now… I have to talk to Hinata."

"Hinata? I must have been away longer than I thought. Can't it wait until morning?"

"No. This is an urgent matter, very urgent. Kakashi-sensei told me so."

"Whatever, I'm too drunk to ask you what you're talking about. Everything is just so weird right now… I come back and my two teammates are making googly eyes at each other."

Naruto guffawed. "Choji and Ino? Are you kidding?"

"You saw them as well as I did… Choji's had a thing for her for awhile now, but I could just pretend it was nothing serious. But now, Ino looks like she's falling for him, and it feels like… like…"

"Like you can't do anything until they sort it out, and you're getting in the way, and you're afraid it's all going to change."

Shikamaru looked at him. "You're pretty lucid when you're hammered."

"Holy shit. There it is. Wait, wait, stop under her window. HINATA!"

"Naruto, will you shut the fuck up?" Shikamaru hissed. "You're going to wake the entire block."

"Hinata!" Naruto whispered. "Come to the window."

"Oh god, what a moron." Shikamaru picked up some pebbles and threw them against the glass pane.

"You have to throw them harder, or else she'll never hear!"

"Yeah, and break the damn thing? That's a wonderful idea. You're a ninja, why don't you just climb up there?"

"All right. Thanks for the advice. You don't have to wait for me, I'll get back home just fine."

"Yes, and make sure you do get back," Shikamaru said, rolling his eyes. "I don't want Sumei to wake up and see you passed out on the carpet in the living room, or asleep on the toilet bowl."

"Don't worry about me," Naruto said, giving him a thumbs-up and nearly tripping over the potted plants that surrounded the building.

The climb took longer than he thought it would. The gutter seemed to sway beneath him and he didn't quite remember which floor Kurenai's apartment was. He'd gone too far up and had to climb down two stories to finally land on the right balcony, where the poppies were. Everything was still and silent, and when he peaked through the bay window into the living room, he saw a familiar figure sleeping soundly on the couch bed, her dark hair spread out on the white pillows.

"Hinata," he murmured, giving a small knock on the window. "Hinata, wake up!"

She stirred, and he knocked harder. Finally, she opened her eyes with a start, scrambling to a sitting position as if she was fearing an intruder.

"Hi!" Naruto said, waving at her.

Hinata stared at him and closed her eyes again briefly, then quickly got up and opened the bay window to join him on balcony. She was wearing only a large t-shirt and Naruto's senses stirred with her proximity to him.

"Naruto-kun, what are you doing here?"

"I need to know…" He tried to concentrate, but the alcohol and Hinata's bare legs were making it hard to focus on anything else. "I need to know if you like me."

"What?" she squealed.

"Do you like me, Hinata?"

Even in the moonlight, Naruto could tell she was blushing. "Yes, I mean… Of course I do," she mumbled, looking down at her feet. "You're a good friend, and a wonderful ninja, and… wait a minute, why are you asking me this?"

"No, I mean, do you like-like me? For example, if I… if I tried to put my hand on your leg, would you let me?"

Hinata took a step back, alarmed. "Naruto-kun… are you sure you're feeling alright? You're not making any sense. I think you should go home and get some rest."

"No, Hinata, please… I've been thinking about this all week. I want to know how you feel about me."

Hinata bit her lip and looked at him warily. "It doesn't really matter now, anyway. Your heart belongs to someone else, and I'm not even sure you'll remember this tomorrow, but me… I've admired you, and cared for you, for so many years, just waiting for you to look my way and notice me. But now I'm done waiting." Her eyes filled with tears. "I – I'm in love with you and I can't help it, but I have to move on, and – Naruto-kun, what are you doing?"

He pushed a strand of hair away from her face, leaning in closer. Her words were like warm syrup pouring over him, and her lips were mesmerising. "I want to kiss you."

"Naruto, no, you're not thinking straight. Stop it!"

"But, Hinata-chan…"

"Don't. Please," she whispered. A tear rolled down her cheek. "Just go away."

"I don't understand… Why?"

"Because I won't be able to bear it when you realise tomorrow that this was all a mistake."

And with that, she turned around and ran back inside, closing the bay window behind her. Naruto stayed dumbfounded for a moment before he realised there was nothing left for him to do but leave. The way down felt much longer.