Chapter Thirteen
"What's the situation?" A voice whispered, eyes darting from side to side.
"It's all clear on my end," another voice responded from the floor above, keeping their voice as quiet as possible, but loud enough so that their 'accomplice' could hear them.
The first person nodded. "Looks like he's still out at the moment." They said, standing up from their slightly crouched position, letting out a sigh of relief. "Makes our job a hell of a lot easier, eh Hinata?"
Hinata smiled. "I guess it does, Karei" she replied, walking slowly back downstairs. "It would be a lot better if we knew when he'd be back, though."
Karei rolled her eyes. "I guess we can always rely on Naruto to keep us on our toes," she moaned. Hinata laughed, nodding her head in agreement.
It had been several days since the two's first date, and life in Fushigakure had started to become a lot more natural to the two. They were quickly falling into a daily routine – something that had been absent in their first few days since arriving – which consisted mainly of training, conversing, taking a break and then training some more.
Most of the training was done by Naruto, though. Hinata wasn't quite up to the inhumane schedules Naruto kept to. She wasn't far off, oh no, but she wasn't there, either.
Karei had had her fair share of entertainment off of the two – especially the night of their first date – but she'd started to lay off a little. She had been a little too excited at having new people to terrorize that she'd gotten a bit carried away.
Only a bit, though – that's all she was willing to admit.
Naruto, Hinata and Karei had ran into Hideki and his friends a few days after the group had first met the two teens, and it turned out that Karei knew the lot of them. Knew them quite well, in fact. Being one of the few young women in the town, Karei had quickly become an 'older-sister' figure for many of Fushigakure's teenagers – especially Hideki and friends – so it was only natural that when Karei found out everyone knew each other, she had devised a small plan.
A plan that would be for the benefit of someone else, surprisingly – not for her twisted desires.
As it stood – Naruto now had an additional six people willing and ready to attend his surprise birthday party. And, being only a day away, the two main organizers had their work cut out for them. Trying to keep things from someone was one thing – but keeping them from a shinobi was in a whole other league.
For once, Karei was glad that the teen was a dense as he was – it made their job that much easier.
The two had taken every opportunity they could to get even a few minutes extra planning time, which usually meant that they had to form some reason to get Naruto away from the house, more often than not tempting him with a reward of some sort.
This time, they had asked Naruto to drop something off at Kahame's house, with the bonus of being allowed to pick up some ramen on the way back.
The two had never seen the boy move faster.
"You got any ideas as to what he like in parties," Karei asked, "y'know – times you've been to other ones he's had?"
Hinata's eyes widened for a second, before closing slightly in sadness. Karei raised an eyebrow.
"What's up?"
Hinata turned to face her. "It's just that… Naruto-kun's never had a birthday party – or any party, for that matter." She looked down at the floor. "No-one's ever thrown him a party and he's never given a thought to hosting one…"
Karei frowned slightly, before something sparked in her eye. A slow grin spread across her face, a small utter of a laugh passing through her lips.
Hinata looked up in response to the noise, a well-deserved sense of worry forming in her stomach at the sight of a grinning Karei.
"What's made you smile all of a sudden…?" Hinata asked cautiously, not sure if she really wanted to know.
"Oh, nothing," Karei replied. She turned and began to walk towards the front door, having heard someone knock at it. "Just thinking of ways to make Naruto's party that much more special," she looked at Hinata over her shoulder, "most of them involving your partaking."
For the first time in a few days, Hinata blushed.
Naruto leisurely walked back to Karei's house, a bag full of ramen in hand, whistling an unknown tune of some sort, barely focusing on the path ahead of him. The past few days had been what he assumed most of his time at Fushigakure was going to be like. In fact, they had started to become so ordinary he was beginning to suspect that something was amiss.
The first few days of his arrival had been jam-packed with events of all sorts – some of which he didn't want to recall – others he was all too happy to remember. But lately his life had seemed to slow down considerably, to the point where he almost forgot that he was on a mission… or living with Michiko Karei.
That brought a smile to his lips. Although she tormented the hell out of him, he couldn't help but admit he liked Karei a lot. He imagined that Tsunade and her would've been exactly the same, if Tsunade wasn't considerably older. That was only part of the reason though. The second reason, and the most prominent, was the fact that even in just over a week she had become the older-sister Naruto never had. Just like most other teenagers in Fushigakure, Naruto saw Karei as an unofficial member of his family – personality wise, at least. Yes, she was sadistic, relentless and a little on the annoying side at times, but she certainly made things entertaining, even if it took her victims a few days to realise it, still licking their wounds after their last 'battle' with her.
Then of course there was the other person he was living with, the… other one he'd spent so much time with already.
Hyuuga Hinata.
This time, the thought brought a full-fledged grin to his lips, and he had to close his eyes to make room for his smile. If there had ever been a better mission to go on he hadn't heard of it. Who would've thought it!? A high-class, intelligent, sophisticated – not to mention beautiful – girl like her would even like a guy like him – let alone agree to be his girlfriend.
Fate, Karma, the act of a god – Naruto didn't know who or what had brought this miracle upon him, but he wasn't about to bother contemplating the nature of destiny, religion, life and the universe – he wasn't the type for that sort of thing. No, he was satisfied with just accepting the fact that it had happened.
…To hell with 'satisfied'! He was one big-blond-ball-of-happiness, and he owed it all to 'the fact that it had happened'.
His spirits as sky-high as ever, he decided to take a little detour through the park on his way home. He didn't have any particular reason to do so, but did he need one? With an imaginary crown chanting 'NO!', he strolled merrily along the tree-filled walkways, his second best friend in hand – and soon to be in his stomach.
As he walked, he glanced over at the bushes which led to the clearing he had dubbed 'Gourmet Green' – the name originating from his great one-shot restaurant of which he was still proud of.
He stared off into the sky, wondering what he could do with her next. For all he cared, they could just sit on a bench for a few hours – being with her providing everything any other activity could offer. But he knew that that was unrealistic… and a little cheap. He'd probably take her to see a movie next – he'd seen a cinema or two around the town. He made a mental note both to check what was on and to ask her if she wanted to go – the latter being highlighted in bold, red letters.
In the midst of his musing, he noticed a jolly-looking Hideki casually ambling his way. The two caught each others' gazes before smiling in acknowledgement.
"Hey there, Naruto!" Hideki called, raising a hand to wave at the teen.
"Yo," the blond replied, his free hand matching the boy's gesture.
The two walked together for a while, leisurely conversing and trading the occasional piece of idle banter – all the while Hideki trying not to give away any sort of hint about Naruto's surprise party. He didn't find it particularly hard – Naruto didn't seem to come across as the sort of person who suspected people for no apparent reason.
The topic was absent for a while, but, being guys, their conversation inevitably came to rest on the most prominent subject in any teenage boy's life and mind – girls.
It started of slowly, Naruto making a few comments about Hideki's friends, and Hideki noting the fact that Naruto was living with only two women, but it slowly progressed until Hideki asked the question that had been on the tip of his tongue for a few minutes, but in his mind for days.
"Hey, Naruto," the said boy turned to face Hideki, raising an eyebrow in response, "this may seem like an obvious question, but… do you like Hinata?"
Naruto blinked, slightly puzzled at the question. "Well… of course I like Hinata," Naruto responded, smiling at his friend's strange query. "Why wouldn't I?"
Hideki smiled too. "I thought so, but that wasn't what I meant." Naruto's eyebrow flexed its muscles, getting the feeling that it would be used a lot more than usual in the next few minutes, and raised itself again.
"Hmm?" Naruto mumbled, ushering the teen on.
"What I meant was: do you like like Hinata?" Hideki finished.
"Oh," Naruto replied. "Ohhhhh – do I like like her?" Hideki nodded, confirming that that was what he had meant. Naruto laughed. "Sure, I like like her. I really like like her, if that's what you were going to say you meant." He grinned at the Hideki, who smiled back in turn.
So open with it... so confident… Hideki sighed, wondering how the blond managed it. His head perked up a bit, another question forming in his mind. He turned to the blond, but didn't say anything. Naruto soon realised this, and met his gaze.
"There something on my face?" Naruto asked casually, trying unsuccessfully to look down at the abnormality he thought Hideki was looking at. The other boy laughed.
"No, no – that's not what I-"
"-meant?" Naruto finished for him. Hideki started at the boy in silence for a few seconds, before the two laughed.
"Yeah, yeah – well done." Hideki said cheerfully.
Naruto grinned. "Karei bugs the hell out of me when she does that. I guess it kinda rubbed off on me." Naruto admitted, rubbing the back of his head. Hideki visibly shivered.
"I like the woman and all, but I can't imagine having to live with her." His admiration for the blond grew slightly. "You must be going through hell each day."
Naruto laughed. "It's not so bad once you get used to it." Hideki laughed.
"I guess it wouldn't be," he agreed.
Seemingly back on topic, Naruto decided to ask Hideki what he was going to say. Hideki slowly turned to look at the path ahead of him, a little nervous about asking his next question. Why he was nervous he didn't know, but the absence of knowledge didn't lessen the feeling in the slightest.
"You know you said that you like liked Hinata?" Hideki asked, to which he received a nonchalant nod in reply. "Well, erm - I mean… do you," Hideki gulped, "do you… y'know… love her?"
Naruto's grin faltered and his feet stopped moving. It took Hideki a second to realise that his friend had stopped walking, and he turned to see the blond looking down at the ground, a puzzled look on his face. Before he had a chance to say anything, Naruto looked up at him, confusion – and a little bit of worry – plastered on his face.
"Do I… do I love her?" He asked Hideki. The said boy cocked his head.
"I dunno – I asked you first," Hideki grinned, trying to lighten the mood. When Naruto's expression didn't change, he knew his attempt had failed.
Hideki shifted uncomfortably from one foot to another. He had really done it this time – he didn't have the right to ask such a personal question. What had he hoped to get out of it anyway? Some measly insight as to whether or not people his age can find love? He gave himself a non-visible smack on the forehead. What had he gotten himself into this time?
"C'mon Naruto – I was only kiddin'," Hideki continued, trying to coax Naruto out of his… whatever he was in at the moment, "you don't halfta answer me if you don't want to…" Hideki sighed – still no reaction. He was just about to give up when Naruto slowly lifted his head. Hideki almost leaned in, eager for a reply.
"It's okay, I'm fine," Naruto smiled as if trying to prove his point. Hideki gave a lopsided frown – he wasn't convinced, but was reluctant to pursue the matter further.
The two stayed in silence for the briefest of moments until Naruto took the initiative and began walking again.
"Let's get going – I don't want Karei to be worried about me," Naruto laughed, "on second thought – I guess it should be me who's worried about her! Who knows what plans she's thought up while I've been gone!" He added, trying desparatley to prove to Hideki that he was fine – or at least seemed to be.
Hideki sighed, picking up his pace so that he didn't fall behind. Had he been in front of Naruto, he would've noticed the absence of his almost ever-present smile. Naruto was a veteran at masking his emotions but… something about this topic had affected him and his ability was faltering.
Do I… love her…? Naruto squeezed his eyes shut, his hands tightening on the bags he was carrying. Why the hell was he having such a hard time even thinking about the question? Of course I lo-… I mean, there's not reason not to l-... Do… Do I…? Something seemed to twist in his stomach and Naruto had to forcibly stop himself from reaching out and clutching it.
Hideki rolled his eyes, still embarrassed as all hell. How was he supposed to turn up to the guy's party after what he asked? He knew the blond could put up with awkwardness – he was living with Karei, after all – but how awkward would it be on the day? Would he get any better? Would it get… worse? The fact that neither had said a word to eachother for the past five minutes didn't help calm his fears.
The two eventually got to the section where they had to part ways. Hideki turned, still noticing the vacant aura about the blond.
"Hey Naruto, I gotta head back," Hideki called out, to which there was no reply. "Naruto, I'm leaving," he repeated, his words met with the same silence as before. "Naruto…?" Hideki closed his eyes. It was worse than he thought. "Naruto!!"
The blond's head snapped to attention in response to Hideki's shout, slowly turning to face the said boy. Hideki sighed, scratching his white hair in frustration.
"Hmm? You say something, Hideki?" Naruto asked, only half back in the real world.
Hideki nodded. "About four times," he replied, trying not to show any anger – Naruto didn't deserve it.
"Oh…" was all the blond said, a blank expression on his face.
Hideki tried stopping himself but found that his efforts were unsuccessful. With a growl of annoyance he grabbed the teen by his shoulders, hoping that contact would fare better than words had.
"Dammit man, snap out of it!" He yelled, shaking the blond by his shoulders. "I know my question was out of order but you don't have to go all absent on me!" He shook the boy some more, though getting slower and slower. "Please… snap out of it-"
Naruto placed a hand on Hideki's chest, pushing him away lightly. Hideki took a step back, only now realising what he'd just done.
"Naruto… I'm sorry… I didn't mean to-"
"It's okay, Hideki, it's okay. I just…" Naruto sighed, "I just want to be alone right now." The blond turned on his heels and walked away, leaving the now seriously worried Hideki to reflect on everything that had just happened.
If just asking something like that can cause this then… He sighed, the face of someone special appearing in his mind. I wonder how I would've reacted had he asked me the same question…
"Aha! You're just in time - I was in need of some help," Karei proclaimed, ushering her visitors in incase a certain blond was in the vicinity.
"It's not problem!" A girl's voice said.
"We're happy to help!" Another's happily rang out.
"Yup! Yup!" A third sounded, its speaker nodding her head.
Hinata's ears perked up, having found the voices coming from the hallway familiar. She turned to see Karei striding into the living room accompanied by the three visitors whom Hinata instantly recognized.
"Mieko! Kyoko! Asami!" She called out, smiling at the sight of her new friends.
"Hinataaa! Hinataaa!" Asami cried out, throwing her arms around the girl in an over-the-top show of affection. Hinata was a little taken back, wondering whether or not she should hug the girl back. The three onlookers laughed, remembering that Hinata wasn't accustomed to Asami's… enthusiasm, to put it nicely.
Asami suddenly sprung off of Hinata, eyes darting around the room. The other two girls took the opportunity to greet their friend.
"Hey Hinata." Kyoko said, smiling sweetly.
"How's it going with the part arrangements?" Mieko asked, wondering how far along they were.
"Oh, they're going fi-" Hinata began, only to be interrupted by the self-appointed chief organizer.
"The kid's damn hard to plan for, but we're managing!" Karei declared, wiping her nose triumphantly. "We've already got the major things sorted: food, music, games etc. It's really just decorations that need doing."
Kyoko spoke up after hearing this, a little concerned. "Isn't setting up everything a day before the event a little risky? What if he comes in here and sees them?"
Karei looked at Hinata, who looked back in turn. They had thought about this possibility, yet hadn't really thought of anything solid to work on.
"Well… that's the problem," Karei laughed, rubbing the back of her head, "we don't really know to be perfectly honest…"
Hinata slowly nodded. "We… we were hoping that maybe you would have some ideas…" She added, feeling the need for some outside assistance.
The three girls furrowed their brows in thought – some more than others – trying to think of some way to keep the blond they knew so little about out of the living room for the remainder of the day. Questions such as 'What is he easily persuaded by?', and 'Can't you just lock him in a cupboard for the rest of the day?' were passed around but didn't bare the answer the group was searching for.
It was only until Mieko spoke up that everyone realised how stupid they had been.
"Hey, have you thought about just asking him not to go in there?" The said teen asked, raising an eyebrow at Karei. "He seemed like the kind of guy that sort of thing would work on – at least from the limited knowledge I have of him."
Karei rolled the proposition around in her mind, analysing what the group had come up with so far and comparing them with this new idea.
Seeing at how nobody was completely persuaded, Mieko decided to add a little to her suggestion.
"You could always throw in something else, for instance: a reward for doing what you ask." She paused, thinking for a more specific example. She looked towards Hinata. "Is there anything in particular he likes to eat?"
As soon as the question left her lips, Karei slapped herself on the forehead and let out a groan of frustration.
"Dammit – of course! How could we have been so stupid." She turned to Hinata, a smirk on her lips. "I'm blaming you for this, y'know?"
Before Hinata could protest, Kyoko asked the question that was playing on the tip of the three teens' tongues.
"What's going on? Have you thought of something?" She asked, a hint of hopefulness present in her voice. Karei grinned, nodding triumphantly.
"Oh boy, have we! The kid's damn near obsessed with ramen – he'd do just about anything to get some." She scratched the back of her head, glad to have that 'dilemma' done and dusted. "Keeping him out of there should be a piece of cake now!" Her eyes suddenly lit up. "Speaking of cake – take a look at the one I got!"
The group spent most of the afternoon discussing ideas, putting them into motion and generally preparing for the day ahead of them. Tetsuya and Daisuke even showed up for a brief moment but soon left when the possibility of manual labour floated their way.
During the process Hinata grew slightly worried at the time it had been since Naruto was sent on his 'mission' to Kahame's house. It should've taken him roughly thirty minutes to get there and back, with a possible five extra minutes to stop off and pick up some ramen but he'd been gone for well over an hour.
Something was up – and she didn't like it one bit.
Moving over to where Karei was fussing over a banner streamed above the doorframe, Hinata tapped the woman on the shoulder.
"Hmm?" Karei asked, turning her head, "what's up, Hinata? Something the matter?" She enquired, noticing the anxious look on the girl's face.
Hinata nodded slightly. "It's Naruto – he's been gone a lot longer than he should've been…" Karei blinked in surprise, having failed to realise this herself, but soon gave Hinata a reassuring smile.
"He probably got lost on the way home or did something else Naruto-ish – nothing surprising there." She grinned when Hinata smiled slightly. She turned around, getting back to trying to pin up the banner. "We should be thankful actually," she continued, shoving a pin through a hole in the wall, "whatever the hell's holding him up is giving us a lot more time to get things ready."
Hinata's eyes drifted to the floor. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Karei was right. Had Naruto been on time, they wouldn't have been able to do half of what they'd accomplished that afternoon. She let out a resigned sigh, moving over to help Asami with the nail gun, why someone would give a tool like that to her was beyond her understanding.
I guess I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth… Hinata looked out of the window, wondering where the blond was. I shouldn't spend this extra time worrying about the person we're throwing a party for, but…
She was knocked out of her thoughts when something soft impacted with the back of her head. Turning, she saw Karei aim at her with a balloon, the one she'd just fired falling slowly to the ground.
"I'm not paying you to stare out of the window now, am I?" Karei smirked, knowing exactly what was going through the girl's mind. Hinata blinked in surprise, before smiling slightly.
Thank you… Karei… Hinata went to join the other girls, noticing that they were in some sort of dilemma over how many candles to put on the cake. They needed an expert on Naruto to tell them his age – and who better than Hyuuga Hinata!
Naruto stood outside of Karei's house, staring at the door in silence. He didn't know how long it had taken him to do what Karei had asked, but he had left in sunlight and had returned at the beginning of sunset. He sighed – he really didn't want to deal with anyone right about now, but he couldn't exactly stand outside forever.
With a sigh of reluctance he put his key in the lock, twisting it and pushing the door open slowly.
"I'm back," he called, realising that he really ought to announce his return even though he wasn't in a particularly sociable mood.
He stood in the hallway for a moment, the silence that followed his proclamation a little uncomfortable. His ears perked up when he heard a small crash coming from the living room, followed by a muffled curse, but were once again greeted with silence.
Great, everyone must be busy or something… He began to walk to the kitchen, deciding to drop off his supplies and make himself some ramen. Guess I can't really complain… I wasn't really feeling up to talking to any-
All of a sudden, the living room door flew open, revealing a slightly nervous-looking Karei, arms spread to either side of the door frame as if she was trying to hide something. The situation would've been deemed inspection-worthy by Naruto had he been up to it at the time… and had he not just had the life scared out of him.
"Dammit, woman!" He yelled, momentarily forgetting his state-of-mind in a fit of rage, "are you trying to give me a freakin' heart attack!?" By the look that suddenly found its way onto Karei's face, he began to think the answer was 'yes'.
"Call me 'woman' again and you'll find out," Karei retorted, whether or not the threat was serious unbeknownst to Naruto.
The blond sighed. "Whatever," he mumbled, picking up the bags he'd dropped in his shock and continuing his walk to the kitchen. Karei cocked an eyebrow.
"Hey, blondie," she called out, catching the teen's attention. "something crawl up your ass and die?" Naruto stared blankly at her.
"What?"
Karei sighed. "What's with the attitude?" she rephrased, "you're acting like someone you knew died or something-" She promptly shut her mouth, realising what she'd just said. Oh crap, what if someone actually did die? For the first time in her life, she visibly gulped in fear of someone's response. What kind of a person would that make me look like?
"No, nobody died…" Naruto said matter-of-factly, "though I came close just now…"
Relieved and once again safe, she decided to do what she had planned on doing since she opened the door.
"Speaking of Death," Karei began, causing Naruto to narrow his eyes in confusion, "you enter go in here," she gestured towards the room behind her, "and you'll be meeting him – understand?"
Now, let's see how the kid handles this! She grinned. He'll probably blow a fuse – and men are so much easier to rile up when they're mad.
Naruto shrugged. "'Kay – I wasn't really planning on staying down her much longer, anyway." He turned around, taking something out of the bag and tossing it to Karei. "Kahame told me to give this to you," he informed her, "said it's exactly the sort of thing you'd love."
Karei looked down at the object in her hands. It was the latest video from her favourite comedian – five stars across the board. It was a downright rarity to find it in a place like this – probably costing Kahame a darn sight more than it would normally sell for. But…
Karei looked back up at the blond who was trudging towards the kitchen.
I never thought I'd say this, but I don't think now's a good time for a comedy.
She was about to head after him when she heard someone step up behind her. Turning her head she saw a concerned looking Hinata, one arm raised high enough so that her finger was gently resting on her lip.
"Is… is he going to try and come in here?" She asked, completely oblivious to how unimportant that was to her now.
"No… no he's not going to spoil anything for himself," she replied, earning a sigh of relief from the violet-haired teen. As she was finishing her answer, Naruto walked out of the kitchen – ramen pot in hand – and down the hallway. As he passed the living room's door, he caught Hinata's eye for the briefest of moments before swiftly turning his head away.
Hinata watched him ascend the stairs, a blank expression plastered across his face, before slowly looking up at Karei, who cast her a 'I-meant-to-tell-you' look.
"What... what's the matter with him…?" Hinata asked, wondering what had caused his sudden change in attitude and, more importantly, what she could do to help. Karei shook her head. Hinata frowned, looking at the room behind her. Their three helpers had left a good ten minutes before Naruto had returned, and the room had always sparked a feeling of excitement inside her every time she laid eyes on it.
Now, however, she was starting to worry.
She felt a hand land on her shoulder and she looked up to see Karei smiling despite the current situation.
"I know what you're thinking and it's wrong," she said sternly, "he'll remember tomorrow as one of the best days of his life – despite the way he's acting now." She gripped Hinata's shoulder slightly harder for a moment before letting go. "You've just gotta trust him." She looked back down at the girl. "That's something you can do, right?"
A slight smile crept across Hinata's face and she gave a reassured nod. Karei grinned.
"Great, now why don't you go and grab yourself something to eat?" She proposed, hoping to occupy her with something whilst she attended to other matters.
Unfortunately, Hinata wasn't as easy to fool as Naruto and, as a result immediately noticed something was up.
"What about yourself?" she asked, "aren't you going to have anything."
"Oh, I'll join you in just a sec," she replied, waving it off and heading towards the stairs, "I just gotta… 'take care' of something." She didn't even bother trying to mask her intentions any further than that, knowing that Hinata would see through them. Relying on the girl's tendencies not to butt into other people's business, she climbed the stairs and headed towards a certain blonds room, hands flexing for the possibility of a little violence… or a little comfort should the need arise.
Naruto finished off the last of his ramen, tossing the cup on the side and laying back on his bed, eyes staring at the ceiling.
"Do you… y'know… love her?"
He scrunched up his eyes, gritting his teeth and balling his hands into fists. Why the hell am I so hung up over this!? He felt like screaming. For heaven's sake – give me an answer, somebody!
Naruto's door slammed open, jumping him for the second time in a span of ten minutes. He was about to complain when he noticed the look on his visitor's face.
"Naruto…" Karei growled. Naruto almost made a move to run and hide in the bathroom, his sense of pride the only thing gluing him to the bed. "What the hell is up with you!?" Deciding that the forceful approach probably wasn't the most effective way at getting answers, Karei straightened herself and leant against the wall.
Naruto looked down at the ground, a lopsided frown tugging on his lips.
"You completely push me aside as if you can't be bothered to talk to me," Karei continued, "you toss someone else's property over your shoulder and expect the receiver to catch it." She scoffed, "I mean, do you know how expensive that video was? This isn't Konoha – we don't get luxuries like you do."
Naruto's eyes suddenly widened. He had been so caught up in that one question that he hadn't realised how much of a… well, how much of a 'Sasuke' he was being. It wasn't like him to get so fixated on something that he'd act like a jerk to his friends… I… I really need to get this off of my chest, but…
"You completely ignore Hinata's existence, acting as if you didn't even see her," Karei carried on, "you piss off upstairs with a pot of ramen without asking if anyone one else wants something and then you go and shut yourself in you room as if you're just screaming 'you're not worth my time' to everyone in the house-"
"How do you know if you love someone…?"
Karei stopped, taken back by the seemingly random and off-topic question.
"Wh… what?" She stammered, confused. Naruto looked up, a hint of worry in his eyes.
"How do you know if you love someone?" He repeated, a little louder than last time.
It took a little bit of thought, but everything that had happened so far starting making a strange sort of sense to Karei.
"Is this about-?"
"Mmm…" Naruto answered, knowing what she was going to say. "Hideki asked me and…" he sighed, "I don't know what I'm supposed to say to that question…"
A smile pulled at the corner of Karei's mouth. That smile grew into a grin, then a chuckle. Before she knew it, Karei was laughing out loud, clutching her stomach. Naruto stared up at her, one eyebrow raised in confusion, the other twitching in annoyance.
"Oh kid," Karei gasped, still chucking, "if it was just that then why didn't you say so?" Naruto's jaw dropped slightly in shock.
"Whaddya mean 'just that'?" He asked, her attitude towards his problem inappropriately lax. Karei walked over to the bed and sat down next to him.
"Naruto," she began, "how many relationships have you been in like the one you're in with Hinata right now?" Naruto made it look as if he was counting something up, trying to save himself some embarrassment.
"…None." He sighed, giving in. Surprisingly, however, Karei made no move to mock him in any way, shape or form, she simply nodded.
"Tell me – do you think love is so simple that you can tell when you feel it for someone just by thinking?" She asked, using her own experience with the emotion. Naruto thought for a little while, but shook his head. "And do you think that the word 'love' can mean different things to different people?" This time, Naruto nodded straight away.
"Yeah…"
Karei grinned, plopping her hand on the teen's hair in an 'annoying-big-sister-who-wants-to-belittle-her-kid-brother' fashion.
"Take it from me – there's no use fretting over that question, it won't ever give you a result." She gave him a smile – not a smirk, not a grin, but a full-fledged smile. "You'll know the answer to it when the time comes, trust me." She let go of the blond's hair. "And when it does, your entire life will change." She stopped there, letting him take in her pearls of wisdom. It took him a while, but he slowly began to sprout a smile of his own.
"I think… I think I know what you mean…" He said, his previous worry melting away.
"Aaaannnd?" Karei pressured. Naruto rolled his eyes, his smile destroying any sense of annoyance he tried to show.
"And I'll stop worrying about it." He said as if reciting it from a script.
"Aaaaaannnnnnd?" Karei pressured again. Naruto sighed.
"And I'll give you all of my ramen?" He guessed, back in his usual light-hearted mood.
"You will?" Karei asked in mock gratitude, back in her usual mood aswell. Naruto's smile slowly faded, his eyes widening. Karei grinned at the boy's change of expression.
"Wait, wait!" He yelled as Karei ran out of the room. He jumped off of his bed, chasing after her, "I didn't mean it! I was just messing around!" Karei leapt down the stairs, followed closely by Naruto. Hinata poked her head round from inside the kitchen to see what was going on. Karei saw her and winked, silently informing her that all was well again.
"Hinata, guess what? Naruto said he'll give me all of his ramen!" She laughed, "isn't that great?"
"Don't listen to her – I never said anything!" The boy protested, stopping when Karei suddenly stopped and turned to face him.
"What about your nindo? I thought you never went back on your word." Naruto froze.
"Please," he begged, his voice shaken, "please don't use that against me." Karei smirked, turning to Hinata.
"Whaddya say? Shall we make him stick to it?" She asked, the blond looking over at Hinata for support, shaking his head wildly. Hinata laughed.
"I think we can let him off this time," she said, causing Naruto's face to light up. Karei frowned in mock-sorrow.
"Oh, okay…" she said with a resigned sigh.
"Alright!" Naruto cheered, pushing past Karei and running up to Hinata, lifting her up and wrapping her in a grateful hug. Hinata smiled, laughing as he ran into the kitchen still carrying her, Naruto becoming filled with sudden urge to eat all the ramen he could.
Karei watched the two disappear into the kitchen with a smile on her face. Looks like everything's back to normal… She looked at the closed living room door, a sense of excitement building up in her stomach, one that had been uncomfortable absent. Tomorrow's going to be one hell of a day…
A/N: A nice and happy ending to finish off what was a rather... 'difficult' chapter to write.
And about the time it took to finish... Please don't kill me?