I Do Not Own Naruto

Chapter 21

"No, no, Temari, it's I have never, not have you ever," Ino corrected as they walked into the room. Hinata chuckled as they all sat at the table and she looked at the shot on the table where she was sitting. She hadn't ever been drunk before, it would not be appropriate for the Hyūga heiress to be drunk, and as she stared at the shot before her she decided to hell with what was appropriate. This was going to be a fun night.

"So long as we drink, I don't care," Temari replied and Hinata decided she agreed with the Suna kunoichi as she eyed the drink suspiciously.

"How about we have Sakura start!" Ino shouted and Hinata looked at the laughing pinkette who smiled arrogantly.

"Alright. Now, the rules are simple, instead of lowering fingers people who have done the implied never done event take a shot, everyone has three 'I have never' and then we go around the circle, and on we go, round and round until we have our first pass out or run out f booze!"

She nodded in agreement to the rules, she looked at the liquor before her and was going to have fun tonight no matter what.

"I have never kissed a girl," Sakura started and Hinata watched as Tenten and Ino take their shots and pour some more.

"Sexual experimentation," Ino shrugged.

"A dare from Neji," Tenten chuckled as she poured her tea.

"I have never walked in public without my clothes," Sakura declared.

Ino and Temari took their drinks and she frowned. She really wanted a drink.

"I have never been in love," Sakura said softly and Hinata looked up at the pinkette and downed her shot, the first taste of burning alcohol on her tongue, it scorched her throat, and it warmed her belly. It felt so good and she smiled then as she looked at the shot glass. Yeah she could see the appeal of the alcohol and she wanted a little more tonight as she poured herself a shot.

"Hinata! Who!?" Ino greedily demanded.

"N-Naruto," she stammered as she felt her face heat up at being put on the spot.

"Really! That's wonderful, does he know!?" Ino demanded.

"Hinata, what I said earlier, make that three people," Tenten said wryly.

"What! This is news to me!" Ino insisted as she took her turn. Hinata giggled a bit and after many drinks she found herself dancing with Ino, though she didn't lose her clothes like Ino was. She liked this as she swung her body around and laughed a bit as she tossed her long hair around and swiveled her hips as she wiggled a bit. Ino laughed and she grinned.

This was fun, she didn't think she had ever had this much fun and she didn't want it to stop. Never had she just danced to no music, it would not be appropriate for a Hyūga, but tonight she was just Hinata with her friends and she was going to have fun.

"No," Sasuke shook his head and Naruto looked at his friend. Everyone else got the meaning of a guys' night out, and that meant there was drinking.

"Come on teme! It's a night out, a celebration that Team 7 is whole again! Well, everyone is here but Sakura…" he said as he looked at the table and the people there.

"I'm not drinking Naruto," Sasuke snarled. Naruto frowned, this was not how the night was supposed to go. It was supposed to fun tonight.

"Come on, it's fun! And nothing bad is going to happen!" Naruto insisted. Sasuke gave him a blank look then and he felt like pounding his head against the brick wall.

"You're fine!" he insisted because Sasuke was fine. The teme hadn't had a break down or whatever since they had started being friends and training again.

The teme flinched at his words and Naruto frowned.

"Hey, he'll have what I'm having," Naruto said to a passing waitress.

"Alright," the girl giggled nervously and he smiled a bit as he looked at the teme who was glaring murderously at him.

"Naruto I am not drinking," Sasuke snarled.

"Come on Sasuke," Naruto pleaded. Just once he'd like something with the teme to go as he planned it and this was one of those things he wanted to go right. Just once! "Just this once don't be an ass," he pleaded.

"Naruto, I said no," Sasuke snapped and he watched as his friend left the table in a surge of motion. Naruto moved to follow and he managed to grab the sleeve. It was a flurry of motion and he was winded as he hit the ground.

"Ow," he groaned as he rubbed his stomach then. There was a snarl and he saw Sasuke leave and Naruto propped himself up then as he rubbed his gut where the teme had landed a strong blow. "That asshole! Why the hell did he hit me!?"

"You deserved that," he turned to see Sai sitting there looking levelly at him.

"I didn't do anything!" he defended as he stood up.

"No Naruto, you wouldn't listen to your friend. He said no and you pushed, you deserved everything that happened. Drinking might not be something good for his mind at this moment Naruto, think of that the next time you push someone," Kakashi said icily.

Naruto looked at the ground for a moment, he guessed that it was possible that he had overestimated Sasuke's health or whatever because he had been fine lately. Walking out of the bar he walked after Sasuke, he was going to try to apologize for that and he was going to get his friend to come hang out with them again tonight.

He caught sight of the teme just as he rounded the corner. Jogging after Sasuke he noted that the teme was walking the route to Sakura's.

"Hey!" he called out, Sasuke didn't slow. "Hey! Teme! Hey! Wait up!" he shouted.

Sasuke slowed and stopped, Naruto finally caught up and realized they were halfway to Sakura's.

"Kami you're quick," he huffed out and he decided he was going to need to do more training and get back into shape as his right stump throbbed and he moved to rub his arm and noticed it wasn't there.

"What do you want Naruto?" Sasuke demanded sharply.

"Hey!" he snapped back to tell the teme to stop being an asshole but stopped.

"I came to apologize," he decided was the safer course of action as he stood there. "I just… you seemed better, a lot better, lately and I thought that you'd be alright with this and… I guess, I was wrong. I'm sorry, Sai and Kakashi said that drinking was something you didn't want to do and I'm sorry for pushing you."

He noticed the way his best friend went slack then as his head drooped.

"I'm sorry for hitting you," Sasuke said in a tight voice and Naruto grinned in victory. He had Sasuke's apology. But he sobered up quickly.

"Sakura hits harder," he decided. Sasuke still wasn't looking at him and he decided to continue. "Look, can we try to be friends again."

Sasuke looked up and Naruto outstretched his hand. This could be the best fresh start either of them had ever had, after all, Naruto didn't think they had come back friends from the war, brothers for sure but friends…? Not so much.

"I'd like that," Sasuke said as he shook Naruto's hand.

"Well, this hasn't been a walk through the park for me either," he admitted. "And… I'm sorry I don't get it, but I guess you win the fucked up contest, if there ever was one," he said with a shrug and straight face.

"You're way more fucked up than me," Sasuke snorted.

"Eh," he shrugged. It was probably tied, and the thought had him chuckling a little. "So we're good?"

"Good."

"Where were you going anyways?" he asked.

"Home."

"Well, hey, why don't you come hang out with us, and I promise not to force you to drink, but it'd be really nice if you hung out with us again," he offered.

The teme seemed to think this over and finally answered with an answer that slightly infuriated Naruto.

"They don't want me," Sasuke said finally.

"Nonsense, Sai, Kakashi, and Yamato were all concerned for you when you left," he said.

"I meant everyone else," Sasuke said blandly. Naruto was confused then remembered the villagers and the glares.

"Well, they don't matter," he decided. "And you're my best friend, come on."

"What's it like living with Sakura?" he asked as they walked.

"Annoying."

"Damn, I thought her walking around in her underwear would be sexy, not annoying," he sighed.

"She doesn't do that."

"She doesn't!? I thought girls did that sort of thing," he lied. No doubt if Sakura was here and heard him, his ass would be on a painful, one-way trip to Suna. However, it felt good to have his friend back.

Hinata came to the painful conclusion that being drunk was not fun, she moaned in pain as she clutched her head and rolled away from the morning's light. She didn't know what it was about alcohol at this moment but as her stomach churned dangerously and it felt like there was a pike being driven through her head, she avowed to never be drunk again. Sighing she reluctantly cracked her eyes open and wondered if using her Byuakugan to filter out the sun would be a good idea.

She decided against it because chakra networks were just as bright.

Reluctantly she got to her feet, her stomach lurched dangerously and she covered her mouth as she bolted to the restroom. Skidding over the sink she heaved. Hands pulled her hair back as she clutched the counter with all her strength and trembled while she heaved.

"Better out than in," a soft voice murmured as she heaved. Cool hands touched her brow and Hinata savored the cool feel. Her temples were throbbing as she heaved with all her might. Finally, there was nothing left of her minimal stomach contents and she felt her knees give out as she slid to the floor.

"I am never getting drunk again," she moaned as she rubbed her eyes.

"Glad I'm pregnant and can't drink," Tenten said.

"Ugh, it was fun, but this sucks," Hinata admitted as she pulled her hair back, and let her head gingerly rest back against the wall as she sat on the cool tiles.

"That is the beauty of being drunk, and then hung over," Tenten mused softly. Hinata winced a bit though as all the sounds bounced around her skull and stabbed her brain mercilessly as her empty stomach churned violently.

"Well, this sucks," she admitted.

"It does," Tenten agreed and reluctantly Hinata got to her feet when her stomach snarled angrily, stumbling into the suit she saw Ino, Temari, and Sakura all sitting there eating. She envied the pinkette then for her seal, apparently Sakura hadn't joked when she said she couldn't get drunk.

"Here, water, medicine, and grease, and you'll be right as rain," Sakura said then.

Hinata downed the pills and the water in a single go as she sat down at the table and looked at the food before her.

Reluctantly she ate it all knowing it was all going to go straight to her hips. But it didn't matter because her snarling stomach demanded to be fed and she was not a particularly vain girl. Truthfully she envied the girls like Sakura and Tenten for their lithe builds, and then there was hers'. But it was not like she could change her body, just keep it in shape and taken care of.

Sighing she closed her eyes and savored the greasy food which she was devouring. It felt good to fill her stomach and it felt like a horrible morning could lead to an alright afternoon of traveling.

That's all for now folks!

Enjoy Until the Day I Love! =)