Sorry i haven't updated this in a while...

High school was crazy..

WAS!

As in, i'm not in high school anymore!

More free time!

Thank the lord!

Well, let me get out of your hair and let you get started on the story...

Enjoy!

Chapter 21: Simple and Clean

I don't own Naruto

Bits of sunlight shined through the gaps left by the door's edges as it pierced through the eyelids of a sleeping demon. His eyes scrunched together tightly before slowly opening. Glassy jade eyes looked around the room to see two coats hanging over him with four or five other clothe hangers as well. The demon tried to speak but soon found tape over his mouth.

He wanted to rip the tape off his mouth and burst through the door to look for the one responsible but unfortunately, his arms and legs were tied up at the moment. He mumbled incoherent words under the tape before struggling against his bonds.

After a few minutes of unsuccessful attempts, the demon relaxed and decided to try again after getting his second wind. As he did, he got lost in his thoughts, thinking of the perfect way to get revenge. He started to laugh as more ideas popped into his head until he started to choke on his spit.

The demon's ears perked up at hearing a door open and close a second later.

"What am I going to do?" A voice said and the demon recognized the voice. He started thrashing about and screaming under the tape, trying to get the voice's attention. Silence then came, and after a few moments, the first voice said, "What was that?"

"Nothing, ignore it," a second voice said, the demon recognizing that voice as well. It was the voice of the man who was responsible for his current predicament. "So what the hell is the problem?"

Naruto sighed as he sat on the couch. "I'm nervous!"

Inuyasha walked into the kitchen, looking for a quick bite to eat before returning to the living room with a sandwich.

"If you didn't make Sasuke go out on a date with what's-her-name,"

"Sakura," Naruto said and Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders as he took a bite from his sandwich.

"Whatever. If you hadn't done that, chances are you wouldn't be going on this date with Hinata," Inuyasha concluded. "So really, this is all your fault."

"Very helpfully," Naruto said sarcastically.

"What's the problem anyway? Do you not like Hinata?" At this question, Naruto blushed a little.

"She's a great person but…"

"But what?"

"I don't know!" Naruto yelled as he grabbed his hair and tugged on it. Inuyasha shook his head as he took another bite of his sandwich. Naruto once again heard something and it was starting to bug him. "What the hell is that?"

"Listen, you're being forced to go on a date with Hinata and you're here complaining about it to me? I get the feeling that you don't like her," Inuyasha said quickly, hoping to change the subject.

"I never said that!" Naruto argued, keeping himself from attacking Inuyasha.

"So why exactly did you come to me?" Inuyasha asked and Naruto opened his mouth but whatever his response would've been was interrupted but the closet door bursting open by green flames. Both Hanyō jumped to their feet in response and readied themselves to fight but were surprised to see Shippo glaring at Naruto. He pointed a finger at Naruto.

"You," Naruto blinked and looked around before pointing a finger at himself. "Yes you! You're hopeless!" Shippo jumped and slapped a leaf on top of Naruto's head. Naruto looked at the leaf for a second before he fell forward, his face slamming into the floor. He groaned and tried to pick himself off the floor but found that his forehead weighed more than the entire apartment.

"WHAT THE HELL? WHAT DID I DO TO YOU?" Naruto yelled as he unsuccessfully attempted to get up. Shippo turned to Inuyasha and his glare intensified.

"What?" Inuyasha asked and Shippo's face began to become red with rage.

"You tied me up and kept me in the closet for a week!" he yelled and Inuyasha scoffed.

"I fed you," Inuyasha said offhandedly, as if it made everything better. Shippo was now fuming with rage. He jumped and landed on top of Inuyasha's head and bit down on his ear. Inuyasha bellowed in pain as he stood and ran around, trying to remove the kitsune off his head.

"Get off!" Shippo shook his head, adding more pain to the already pain-filled hanyō. Inuyasha decided if the demon wasn't going to voluntarily get off him, he'd have to force him to. He slammed his head against the wall multiple times but Shippo seemed to avoid getting hit.

Bright stars became to come into Inuyasha's vision but he shook them off and ran straight for the door and threw his body through the door, head first. Just before he hit the door though, Shippo jumped off and watched Inuyasha shatter the door and land outside. Inuyasha's body twitched with pain and didn't move until Shippo attached his fangs back on his ears.

"GET OFF!" Inuyasha shouted as he ran in a random direction. Even in his current predicament, Naruto couldn't help but laugh, having seen the entire event.

"Stupid aniki," Naruto chuckled and heard footsteps just outside the room. He strained his head to look up and saw Kagome, blinking and scanning the splinters just outside his apartment. She then looked up and saw Naruto's forehead touching the floor.

"A little help?" Kagome smiled as she entered the apartment and examined Naruto closely. She saw the leaf on his forehead and easily plucked it off his forehead. Naruto rolled his head, feeling and hearing a satisfying pop from it and he sighed contently.

"Thanks," Kagome nodded and sat on the couch. Naruto remained on the floor but in the lotus position.

"Do I want to know about that?" Kagome asked and Naruto shook his head. "Ok then,"

"Hey nee-chan, you're a girl right?" Kagome leveled Naruto with a glare.

"What kind of question is that?" She demanded and Naruto sweat dropped.

"I-I didn't mean to offend you, I just need a girl's perspective on something," Kagome bit her lower lip but said nothing. "Will you help me?"

Kagome hesitated but soon enough, she nodded her head. "What's up?"

Naruto looked down at his feet, messing around with his toes. His tail swayed lazily behind him.

"…am I… What I mean is," Naruto paused as he decided to organize his thoughts and how they were going to be worded. "No, let me start over," Kagome waited patiently as Naruto took another moment to think.

"What do you do if… if you think you like someone but you're not completely sure?" The question threw Kagome threw a loop. This was not the kind of question she expected from the usually fun-loving, childish Naruto. Still, she had to laugh at the irony of it all.

"This doesn't have anything to do with our favorite raven-haired girl and a certain bet from a certain Uchiha boy, is it?" she asked and Naruto gulped and blushed.

"M-Maybe," Naruto answered with a slight pause. Kagome giggled and patted the space next to her. Naruto stood and sat beside Kagome. She placed her left arm over Naruto's shoulder and pulled him close. He leaned his head on her shoulder and sighed happily when she started to rub his ears.

"Love is a complicated emotion that no one can really understand," she began, "Over the years; thousands among thousands of people have tried to personify love through words, images and even music. They get close but none have ever accurately pinpointed love. But I'll give it a shot.

"Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the desire to mate every second of the day. It is not lying awake at night imagining that he or she is kissing every part of your body; don't blush," she scolded at seeing the already pink tint in his cheeks turn red. "I am telling you some truths. For that is just being in love; which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over, when being in love has burned away,"

Naruto hummed to himself as he closed his eyes. "So… how does that apply to me," Naruto asked.

Kagome struck a thinking pose. "Well, liking someone is a form a love, I guess."

"Ok but my problem isn't if I'm in love but how can I be sure if I like someone?" he asked and Kagome giggled.

"I'm sorry Naruto-kun but I'm not really sure what to tell you," Naruto looked down in disappointment.

Kagome giggled. "Think about my words, now and while on your date. You never know, they might help you with your problem," Naruto nodded and wrapped his arms around Kagome's waist in a hug.

"Thanks, nee-chan," Kagome hugged him back and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. They parted and Naruto stood to stretch. "Well, I should probably get ready. Uhm, can I ask for one more thing?"

Kagome nodded again. "Can you help me get ready?"

"Sure Naruto-kun," she answered with a smile and Naruto responded in kind.

"Thanks," Unknown to either of them, Inuyasha stood near the doorway. He lost Shippo a while back but it wouldn't be long before he'd be found again. He let out a soundless sigh and ran off.

[*.*.*.*]

Hiashi walked around the Hyūga compound, looking left and right as he did. His brow furrowed as he couldn't find Hinata anywhere. After she got the clear from her doctor, Hinata returned how with Neji and went straight for her room. She mumbled something about going out but Hiashi had been intently focused on Hanabi as she practiced her forms.

Now, she was nowhere to be found.

"Neji," Hiashi called out as he saw the Hyūga boy pass. "Have you seen my eldest daughter?"

Neji remained stoic, even as his mind came up with a devious plan.

"No, Hyūga-sama but I do know that she has a date tonight," he answered with a bow, hiding his smirk.

"Date? What date?" Hiashi asked. Neji rose and explained everything that happened in the last forty-eight hours. Hiashi was thrown off by the events, though he refrained from showing it. Neji had told him of the fights, even though he was vague on his defeat. Hiashi didn't focus on that, though.

"I see," Hiashi stated at the end of the summary. "A date with who?"

"Naruto, Hyūga-sama," At this, Neji expected Hiashi to yell or something similar to that effect. However, he was disappointed when he saw his uncle leave. If Hiashi had been anyone else, Neji wouuld've chased him down and asked him why he didn't care but Hiashi had the means to forcefully silence Neji with pain so he decided against it.

Unknown to Neji, Hiashi hadn't entirely been paying attention to him, he was lost in his thoughts, thinking of what Neji had told about his team's fight with Hinata's team.

'Bow and arrows… It couldn't be…'

[*.*.*.*]

"Stupid dobe," Sasuke mumbled as he began to put on his date clothes. "Geez, I was trying to avoid dating a fangirl for a reason, but he had to mess it all up," he mumbled as he checked himself over, making sure that he didn't have any wrinkles.

He made sure his white shirt and black button shirt had no stains. His ruffled out the wrinkles in his black shorts and one last look at his white sneakers. No stains.

"I don't even know why I'm trying so hard. It's just a date with Sakura, it doesn't mean anything to me," he mumbled harshly under his breath but for some reason, he couldn't find the emotion to back up his words. That vile, unadulterated hatred he held for his fangirls just couldn't be found at the moment.

"Whatever," he was about to walk out of his home but stopped himself. He took a jutsu from Naruto's handbook and summoned a Shadow Clone. The clone stepped outside and began to walk off before disappearing around the next corner. He snuck a peek through his window and saw a bunch of shadows jumping around. As he expected, a platoon of fangirls were waiting for him.

He sighed and walked off, locking the new locks on his doors. Even though he'd never admit it, Naruto was really a good fangirl detector and knew his stuff about locks.

So far, no fangirls have been able to break into his home.

"Still, they probably heard about my forced date with Sakura. Hm, how annoying," He said to himself, before a thought hit him.

"If they heard about it, then Sakura might be in trouble," Sasuke clicked his teeth and began to run to Sakura's house. "Damn it, she might be one of them but no one deserves to fall to the fangirls' petty jealousy," Sasuke shivered as he tried to imagine what the girls would do to Sakura.

"Damn it Naruto! I'll get you back for this!"

Off in the distance, Naruto sneezed and wiped his nose with his sleeve.

"Don't do that!" Kagome scolded and Naruto chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry,"

"So when is your date with Hinata-chan?" Kagome asked as she gave Naruto one last examination. He wore a black shirt with the words 'Hokage in progress', courtesy of his number one shy fan, and blue jeans with his blue ninja sandals. Kagome debated whether or not he should dress a little fancier but Naruto assured her it was just a date to the movies.

Naruto looked at the clock. "In a half hour, but I think I should get there early," Kagome nodded, agreeing with that idea. He headed for the door but before he even reached for the doorknob, a flash of light shined before him. He turned and was assaulted with another flash of bright light.

"What the hell?" Naruto cursed as he rubbed his eyes. When his vision cleared, he saw Kagome smiling widely with a camera in her hands.

"It's your first date, I couldn't resist," she justified and Naruto sighed and left the room before Kagome could stop him for more pictures. He closed the door to the apartment behind him and relaxed for a second before walking down the steps. When he reached the sidewalk, he walked for a few minutes, taking his time to arrive to Hinata's home.

"Hey," Naruto looked around until he spotted Inuyasha sitting on a white fence. "Going to pick up your girlfriend?" he teased. Naruto growled at his taunting.

"She's not my girlfriend, I'm only going on this date because of the teme," Naruto retorted.

"So you don't want to go out on this date?"

"I didn't say that," Naruto admitted with a slight blush. Inuyasha jumped down from his place with a laugh.

"Man, it's really weird seeing you with a blush," Naruto growled at him but Inuyasha ignored it before getting serious. "What Kagome said earlier, about the love thing, she's right ya know? Well, as right as a stupid girl like her can be,"

"You agree with her? That's not like you," Naruto said and Inuyasha nodded.

"I know. Tell anyone and you're dead," Naruto chuckled and nodded. "Have fun and most importantly, don't be afraid to tell her how you feel," Inuyasha advised and Naruto blinked. He then looked down, depression written all over his face.

"I don't even know how to put it into words; and even if I did, how do I know she won't reject me or make fun of me?" Naruto asked.

"Are you kidding? How long have you known Hinata?" Inuyasha asked and Naruto remained quiet for a few seconds.

"About a year or so,"

"Right, so does she seem like that kind of person?" Inuyasha questioned and Naruto shook his head without hesitation. "All right then."

"But what if-?"

"Just shut up and go," Inuyasha interrupted. "Look Naruto, you're like me; if you over think a situation, then you'll start to panic and bail out at the last second," Naruto stared into Inuyasha's eyes and nodded dumbly.

"Go, before you're late," Inuyasha said as he walked in the opposite direction.

"Wait," Naruto shouted, catching Inuyasha's attention. "Where's Shippo?" he asked. Inuyasha looked up as he became lost in his thoughts.

*.*.*

Shippo woke up to see that he was surrounded by trees. The leaves in the trees blocked his view of the sky but he knew it was starting to get late.

"Stupid Inuyasha, always being mean to me," Shippo grumbled as he rubbed his eyes. He heard a twig snap behind him. He twisted his body to see what was behind him and when he did, his eyes widened.

The giant centipede screeched as it made eye-contact with Shippo.

"INUYASHA!"

*.*.*

"Beats me, I lost him at the Forty-Fourth Training Ground," Inuyasha said as he walked away. Naruto looked at him incredulously before shaking his head and walking off as well.

He kept walking, losing himself to his thoughts of Hinata until he bumped into a group of six girls. He blinked when one of them pushed him away and kept walking. Even stranger was the fact that three of the girls were holding a big bag. Naruto kept watching them until they disappeared from his sight.

"That's… weird," Naruto said. "For a second there, I thought that bag smelled like Sakura," Before he could shrug his shoulders, he was knocked down to the ground by a black and white blur.

"Dammit, dobe!" Sasuke cursed as he stood, helping Naruto up as well. "You're always getting in the way,"

"What the hell's your problem, teme?"

"I'm looking for Sakura, you've seen her around?" Sasuke asked and Naruto frowned.

"You actually want to go on this date with her?" Naruto whined and clicked his teeth. "Damn it all!"

"Listen, I think my fangirls heard about this date you set up and took Sakura," Sasuke told him and Naruto looked at him skeptically.

"How do you know Sakura isn't home?" Naruto asked.

"I was just there, her mom said she left with a few friends to help her get ready," Sasuke answered as he slipped his hands into his pockets.

"Sounds solid to me," Naruto said with a shrug.

"It would be… if it wasn't for the fact that someone was tailing me the whole time since I left her house," Naruto blinked and looked around, his fox ears twitching at every angle. "I lost them a while back," Naruto's frown deepened.

"This is bad," Naruto's eyes widened as he realized that the girls holding the bad that smelled like Sakura actually had Sakura in the bad. "That's really bad. What do we do?"

"Well, I was going to run around the entire village but now that I found you, maybe you can summon thousands of clones to look for her," Sasuke said sarcastically but it passed over Naruto's head. He nodded and was about to summon his clones when Sasuke slapped his hands away.

"You idiot, you can use your nose to track her!" Sasuke scolded and Naruto blinked before slamming his palm to his forehead. He looked around before falling on all fours and began to sniff the ground. He walked in the direction the previous group of girls was heading.

Sasuke followed after Naruto, making sure not to lose the fox boy… but he followed him from about ten feet away. As helpful as Naruto was, Sasuke found it embarrassing being seen following a fox boy who was sniffing the ground like a mutt.

He kept following Naruto until he stopped a few feet away from an old shed behind a playground.

"The trail ends there," Naruto said and Sasuke eyed the building suspiciously.

"You sure?" Naruto nodded and the two hesitated to move. Fangirls were crazy, that fact has already been established. Who knew what craziness lay inside the walls of the shed?

"We have to go in," Sasuke stated and Naruto gulped. The two looked at each other and nodded. They walked up to the shed and before touching the door; Naruto stopped and sniffed the air and then the ground.

"What?" Sasuke asked and Naruto sniffed the ground one more time before growling.

"Hinata's in there, too," Naruto said, his fists clenching and unclenching in a repetitious motion.

"Easy there, we don't want to do anything-" before Sasuke could finish, Naruto burst through the door. He saw Hinata and Sakura lying on the floor. He ran to them and began to gently shake them. "Rash. Should've known better…"

"Hinata-chan, Sakura, wake up!" Sasuke warily walked into the house, activating his Sharingan to make sure the insane fangirls didn't set up any traps. When his eyes landed on the girls, his eyes narrowed.

"That's not them," Sasuke snarled and Naruto looked back at him and then at the girls.

"What do you mean? It looks like them, they even have their scents… but now that you mention it," Now that Naruto really took the time to examine the scent, he found something odd. True to his word, it was their scents, however, underneath it were the scents of two other unfamiliar people.

Naruto's eyes widened. 'It was a set up,' he thought, but it was too late for right as he thought that, the two exploded and two green plumes of smoke enveloped Naruto.

"Hold your breath!" Sasuke said as his left hand immediately shot into the smoke and he grabbed on to Naruto's collar. With a thrust, he was able to get both of them out before they got a whiff of the green gas… or so he thought.

Sasuke stood and checked his person to see if he was ok. Then he looked down at Naruto and was about to ask if he was ok, only to sweat drop at the sight of Naruto rolling around the ground, chuckling madly and childishly.

"Oops!" Naruto said as he covered his nose. "I smelled it," Naruto cheered as he tried to stand only to fall on his backside.

"Naruto, snap out of it," Sasuke said as he grabbed Naruto's collar, picked him up and gave him a light slap to the face.

"Stop!" Naruto growled as he pushed Sasuke but didn't put enough effort into it so he was only able to push himself back. He laughed as he hit the ground again.

"Hey, can you try finding their scents again?" Sasuke asked and Naruto continued to laugh but shook his head.

"It all smells the same!" he was barely able to talk as his laughter kept stopping him.

"Great," Sasuke moped while dragging Naruto by his collar as he headed to the only person who could help him now. He shivered as a mental image of him asking the certain person for help. But drastic times calls for drastic measures.

To find a fangirl, or in this case fangirls, you have to think like a fangirl…

[*.*.*.*]

Ino was originally going to hang out with her team since Naruto had ruined her plans of attempting to date Sasuke, but now her evening just got interesting.

"Well, well Sasuke-kun, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" Ino asked, smiling like a madwoman.

"Hiya Ino!" Naruto greeted from behind the frowning Uchiha. Ino gave him a shallow smile and a wave before eying Sasuke as if he was wearing just the shorts.

"So?" she repeated and Sasuke sighed.

"I'm looking for Sakura," this immediately depressed Ino but Sasuke didn't let her voice her thoughts. "I was wondering if you know anything about fangirls abducting her," Sasuke said.

Ino blinked. "They kidnapped Sakura? Wow, that's messed up," Ino stated and Naruto and Sasuke nodded, one more enthusiastically then the other.

"So, do you know anything?" Sasuke asked again but Ino shook her head.

"Sorry, I didn't, but you can hang around me instead, Sasuke-kun," Ino suggested with a wink and Sasuke forced his expression to remain neutral. On the inside though, he wanted to run like there was no tomorrow.

"Ino," Sasuke paused as he tried to force his thoughts into words, ignoring Ino's suggestion. "I need your… help," he strained to say and Ino blinked. "What would you do if you were in their shoes?" he asked. Meanwhile, Naruto played with his tail, trying to bite it. He chased after it, yelling at it to stand still.

Ino blinked once more before she bit her bottom lip. Sasuke waited as patiently as he could as Ino stroke a lot of poses while she thought. Man, what was up with fangirls?

"They kidnapped her and then what?" Ino asked and Sasuke summarized what occurred what happened after he bumped into Naruto. "Wow, impressive," Ino said.

"This isn't the time to be impressed, Ino," Sasuke chided and Ino put her hands up in defense.

"I know, I know," She hummed as her mind processed all this information before she snapped her fingers. "This is just a guess but chances are they took Sakura and Hinata to the Academy; specifically in the Iruka's classroom closet." Sasuke eyed Ino suspiciously.

"How-?"

"I… might've helped plan this two years ago," Ino answered with a sweat drop. Sasuke just stared at her, emotionlessly. Even Naruto stopped chasing his fuzzy golden tail to look at Ino oddly. She frowned. "Don't judge me,"

"Too late," Naruto mumbled, covering it up with a chuckle.

"Thanks," Sasuke said before walking off. Naruto looked at Sasuke and began to follow him.

"Come back anytime, Sasuke-kun!" Ino shouted.

"Bye crazy lady!" Naruto answered in kind before the two disappeared. Ino frowned and continued to watch them before sighing and walking back into her house.

[*.*.*.*]

"Where's Nata-chan?" Naruto asked in a childish whine. "Heh, I said Nata-chan. Her name isn't Nata. It's Hinata. Oops," Naruto laughed and Sasuke was close to punching Naruto's lights out.

"Just shut up, we'll find your 'Nata-chan' eventually," Sasuke grumbled and Naruto laughed again.

"You just said it too!" Sasuke groaned as Naruto continued on and on about Hinata's name, eventually, he became quiet.

"You dead yet?" Sasuke asked but was somewhat disappointed when Naruto grumbled a yes. His eyebrow rose, he's never seen Naruto so quiet unless he was either thinking or depressed.

"I know I'm going to regret it but what's wrong?" he asked and Naruto took in a deep breath.

"It's Hinata-chan," Naruto answered. Sasuke looked at his teammate and saw that he was still affect by whatever was in the gas but instead of being silly, he was acting depressed.

"What about her?"

"She's only going on this date because she's being forced to," Naruto said.

"Aren't you doing the same?" Sasuke asked once more and Naruto glared at Sasuke before blinking.

"Oh crap, I am!" Naruto said in shock and Sasuke sweat dropped. "But, it's not like I don't wanna go!" Naruto assured.

"What makes you think she doesn't want to do this out of her own free will?" Sasuke continued the assault of question but Naruto didn't seem bothered.

"I don't, but who'd want to go out with me. Look at me!" Naruto's glare intensified. "Look at my fox ears, look at my tail! My eyes even look like a demon's!" Naruto was able to swallow his tears but Sasuke still heard his voice waver.

"I'm a freak! A half-demon freak. Humans don't accept me, not even demons would accept me! I'm rejected from both sides. Both sides!" Naruto lowered his voice and looked down. "Who'd want to be with a freak like me?"

Sasuke remained quiet and Naruto took his silence as him agreeing. What he wasn't expecting was Sasuke to grab his shoulders and drive his left knee into his gut. Naruto fell and held his stomach.

"Listen up dobe, and listen well," Sasuke grabbed Naruto by his collar and forced him up, bring Naruto's face just a few centimeter short from his own. His voice was low and in Naruto's gassed up mind, dangerous and impatient.

"I am an Uchiha, a natural-born warrior, yet you have beaten me just as I have you. As much as it pains me to admit, at the moment, you and I are equals," Sasuke growled. "A freak is not my equal… I am above them," Sasuke released Naruto and started to walk away.

Naruto watched him go before standing and chasing after him.

[*.*.*.*]

Hinata sighed as she once again found herself in the damsel-in-distress role. She should've known better when random girls wanted to help her prepare for her date. However, she wasn't the only one with her. Sakura sat next to her tied to a chair, just like Hinata.

It looked like they were in a closet in the academy, which meant there wasn't really that much space.

And it looked like Sakura was beginning to get claustrophobic.

"Relax Sakura, we'll be fine," Hinata assured her. "We just have to be patient,"

"How can you remain so calm?" Sakura asked, her breathing becoming more labored.

"I was taught to remain calm in these sorts of circumstances," Hinata answered calmly. "Besides, these are fangirls, they might be crazy but they wouldn't do anything too harmful,"

"Obviously, you've never been a fangirl," Sakura mumbled under her breath. Hinata heard her but pretended like she didn't. She sighed and relaxed her body more.

"Remain still," Hinata told Sakura as she closed her mind and concentrated her chakra to the bracelet in her right hand. The bracelet in her left wrist began to shine and within seconds, a lavender arrow materialized in Hinata's right hand. Sakura watched with wide eyes.

"That's… new," she commented and Hinata smiled.

"Yes, it is but I'm still weak from the tournament, I can't…" Hinata trailed off as she winced, causing the arrow to flicker in and out of existence until Hinata was able to find enough chakra to keep it going. "I can't keep it for long,"

Before she could completely lose her concentration, she was able to cut the rope that kept Sakura's wrist tied. Sakura massaged her wrists one at a time before untying Hinata's.

"We gotta get out of here," Sakura said and was about to open the door when Hinata stopped her. "What?"

"Be patient, sit with me," Hinata said and Sakura blinked but obliged. "I need to ask you something Sakura,"

"What is it?" The way Hinata spoke made Sakura feel a bit uneasy.

"Why do you chase after Sasuke?" The question seemed innocent enough but Sakura still hesitated to answer.

"Because I love Sasuke-kun," Sakura answered confidently, yet still hesitantly.

"How do you know?" Hinata asked and Sakura blinked.

"How do I know?" Sakura repeated and Hinata nodded. "I…" Sakura stopped, unsure of what to say.

"What is it about Sasuke that makes you love him?" Sakura couldn't meet Hinata's eyes. She didn't have the answer, any answer actually.

"Do you know anything about him?" Hinata asked, still getting no reply from Sakura. "Did you know he hates sweets and nattō? That the only other thing he likes to do besides training is taking walks?"

Sakura felt her jealous rise. "How would you know all of that?"

"Because I've spent time with him," Hinata answered. "I treat him like a normal person. Do you want to know why? Because that's all he is,"

Sakura gasped as Hinata's voice had a biting tone to it. "I took the time to get to know him as well. You'll be surprised how easy-going he is when you're not drooling over him,"

"Easy for you to say, you're too busy drooling over Naruto," Sakura retorted. Hinata only smiled.

"Maybe, but he'd never notice me," she said under her breath.

"Why do you say that?" Sakura asked and Hinata shook her head.

"What I'm trying to say Sakura is that maybe you should get to know Sasuke before you go declaring your love for him. Otherwise, you're no better than the fangirls that did this to us," Hinata informed her sagely and patiently.

"…" Sakura wanted to say something, anything, but no words ever came from her mouth. She looked down at her feet and remained silent until a question popped in her head.

"How long do we have to wait?" she asked.

"Only a little longer, I'm activating my Byakugan once in a while to take a look outside. I'm waiting for a good distraction," she answered and Sakura nodded. She just had to be patient.

…Easier said than done.

[*.*.*.*]

Eventually, the two reached the Academy and once again, they were wary of entering. As they learned from their last attempt, repeatedly reminded by Naruto's occasional chuckles, Sasuke activated his Sharingan to take in his surroundings.

"Clear on the outside," Sasuke said. Naruto nodded with a grin and burst through the Academy's doors.

"Where is Hinata-chan?" Naruto yelled and Sasuke groaned into his hands.

"Subtly is not your friend, Naruto," Sasuke said as he walked into the Academy. He walked past the many classrooms until he reached Iruka's classroom. He kicked the door open and saw three girls sitting on the desks, each facing the door.

"We've been expecting you, Sasuke-kun," One purred, the red-head.

"Yes, we have," the second said, this one had green hair. "Right ladies?"

The third, a girl with onyx hair and eyes, nodded and got off the table. "Where's your friend?" she asked. Sasuke blinked and looked behind him and saw no one there.

"Tch, damn it," he turned back to the fangirls and scowled. "Let them go, you've done enough this evening,"

"What do you mean? We've done nothing but sit here," the red-head said with mock-innocence. The other two nodded in agreement. Sasuke almost spat in disgust.

"Whatever," Sasuke said as he walked towards the closet on the other side of the room.

"Wait Sasuke-kun!" the green-haired girl stood in front of the door and smiled too sweetly. "Wouldn't you rather go to the movies with us?"

"I'll pass, now move or I'll move you," Sasuke said but the girl only purred.

"Is that a threat or a promise?" Sasuke rolled his eyes and stepped closer to the door. The black-haired girl panic and through reflexes, threw a small black pellet right in front of Sasuke, who covered his face before being completely enveloped by the green gas.

"What the hell?" the red-head chided but the black-haired girl shrugged her shoulders.

"I panicked!" she answered. The three waited patiently for the smoke to clear and when it did, they were surprised to see Naruto, not Sasuke, lying on the ground. The three stood over Naruto in a flash and growled.

"What the he-?" Before the green-haired girl could finish, Naruto's golden tail grasped her ankle and hung her upside down before slamming her into her two comrades. The three were sent flying back until they hit the desks, where they lost consciousness.

Naruto held his head but laughed.

"It was so hard not to laugh," he said, clearly exhausted but still able to smile.

"Don't move," Naruto froze as he felt cold steel pressed against his neck. He looked back and saw angry blue eyes staring at him. Still, the smile on his face never faltered.

"You know," Naruto said as he reached into his pocket, making the girl apply more pressure into his neck, cutting it slightly open. Naruto didn't flinch. He took out a small acorn and the girl raised an eyebrow. "This hurts like hell if it's thrown hard enough,"

Before she could ask what he was talking about, he flicked the acorn to the girl and it hit her squarely at the center of her forehead. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and released Naruto. He sighed, before seeing another girl appear out of nowhere. He whined before falling on his butt and pouting.

"I'm tired of fighting," Naruto grumbled and the girl gave him a puzzled look. He turned his back, rejecting the girl and ignoring her. This upset the girl and she made a mad dash at Naruto with a medical needle in her right hand. She pulled it back before thrusting it forward but was caught by Sasuke just as the needle was about to hit Naruto in the neck.

"Sasuke-kun!" The girl gasped in surprised, she gasped again when Naruto's tail wrapped around both her legs and tripped her. She fell with a thud and was tied up before she could even blink.

"Stay," Naruto commanded as if speaking to a dog. "Good girl," she glared at Naruto but said nothing more. Sasuke smirked and then faced the closet with a serious demeanor. He walked up to it and opened it, only to see a small black ball roll up beside him. His eyes widened and before he could hold his breath, he was surrounded by the green gas.

Within seconds, he hit the floor like a sack of potatoes. Naruto looked at his friend and growled but he was suddenly hit with grogginess.

"I was wondering when you'd start feeling the gas's true effects." Naruto looked around and saw a blonde walk out of the closet. She had cold green eyes and her entire outfit consisted of black. She smirked at Naruto whose ears drooped as he yawned.

"What did you… what is this gas?" Naruto asked, a chuckle bubbling up in his throat.

"It's knock out gas," The girl hummed to herself for a second. "Well, it's my own special brand of knock out gas. It appears that in light doses, it's good to incapacitate nosey foxes too."

"Damn it," Naruto mumbled as he hit the floor and closed his eyes. He began to snore within the second and the last remaining girl shook her head. She looked at Sasuke with mad desire.

"You're mine now Sasuke-kun," she said but before she could even touch him, an arrow of lavender light zipped past her and hit the wall behind her. Her eyes were wide and she looked at the entrance of the door way to see Hinata panting heavily with Sakura beside her. Hinata had a matching lavender bow in her left hand but its light was slowly dimming down by the second.

"So you got free, huh?"

"It's over, Kiyomi," Hinata said though not as strongly as she would've wanted it.

"Not yet, it isn't," she said as she threw another pellet at the two. Sakura and Hinata immediately jumped out of the way but nothing came out of it.

'It was a distraction,' Hinata and Sakura thought simultaneously. Just then, Hinata received a harsh punch to the face, sending her across the room and stop on top of Naruto. She winced as she felt her lower back ache.

'I can't move,' she thought sadly. Sakura moved to punch Kiyomi but she was too slow as Kiyomi jumped back.

"You've always been the weakest out of everyone in our class," she mocked as he easily dodged another punch. "How you even passed amazes me," Sakura scowled and her punches doubled in speed. Kiyomi swore but still managed to maneuver around Sakura's assault. Hinata noticed that Sakura was making Kiyomi back up, near a tank across the room. When she saw that, Hinata began to summon up what little chakra she had left into her bracelet.

After a while, Sakura was beginning to tire and Kiyomi smirked.

"Looks like times up," Kyomi said and Sakura smirked.

"Sakura!" Hinata said loudly and Sakura jumped back just as she released her last arrow. Kiyomi moved out of its way, only to see that it wasn't aimed at her, but at the tank behind her. Her eyes widened before the arrow hit the tank and released the green gas into the air. Sakura reached Hinata's side and smiled.

"Nice job," Sakura complimented and Hinata nodded. "Come on, let's help get the boys out of here," Sakura picked up Sasuke and opened the window, climbing out with Sasuke on her back. Hinata was able to sit up but when she looked at Naruto, she saw only a puff a smoke.

"Hiya," Hinata gasped and looked behind her to see Naruto walking in, rubbing his eyes.

"Naruto-kun?" Naruto smiled.

"The one and only, babe," Hinata blushed and Naruto laughed. "Come on," He picked Hinata up bridal-style and her blush intensified. Naruto almost dropped her but after taking a moment to breath, his hold steadied. He jumped out the window and landed beside Sakura and Sasuke, who was just starting to wake up.

"Are you two ok?" Sasuke asked and Hinata nodded.

"A little tired but I'll be fine as long as I don't do anything strenuous," she answered.

"The gas is still affecting me," Naruto said with a smile. "But I'll be fine, too,"

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked, just narrowly beating Hinata who was one second away from asking.

"Well teme, can't say this was fun but we're going to leave… now. See ya," Naruto began to walk away ignoring Sakura's question.

"Wait, Naruto-kun!" Hinata began to protest but Naruto seemed to ignore her. "Oh my,"

Sasuke rubbed his neck as he leaned on Sakura for support. "Dobe,"

"You think he likes her?" Sakura asked and Sasuke shrugged his shoulders.

"Guess we'll see," Sasuke said before looking back at the classroom. "What about them?"

"Leave them alone," Sakura said. "They've been punished enough,"

"That's pretty mature," Sasuke said and Sakura looked at him, and then shrugged nonchalantly. Hinata's words rang in her head and Sakura thought twice about following it.

"You don't have to go on this date you know," Sakura said, trying to look indifferent. Sasuke stared at her.

"So if I went home right now, you'd be ok with it?" Sakura couldn't help but bite her bottom lip but managed to shake her head.

"You're probably tired anyway," Sasuke gauged her reaction and gently pushed himself off her. He stuffed his hands into his pocket and cleared his throat.

"All right, then," Sasuke said and started to walk off. Sakura watched him go and sighed sadly. That was the last time she'd listen to Hinata about anything.

"Are you coming?" Sasuke asked and Sakura looked up with wide eyes.

"M-me?" she wondered aloud and Sasuke nodded.

"It's not that late and we should be able to make it to that Princess Gale movie everyone's talking about," Sasuke started to walk again and Sakura ran after him with a smile. She stopped after she reached him, walking shoulder to shoulder. "Can you take a step to the left, you're kind of…"

Sakura blushed. "O-Oh, sure, sorry," Sasuke looked away and smirked as he noticed Sakura all flustered.

[*.*.*.*]

"I can walk on my own, Naruto-kun," Hinata told Naruto.

"You know what, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked, seemingly ignoring Naruto as he continued to walk aimlessly. "You're lighter than I thought you'd be," Hinata blushed at Naruto's bluntness.

"U-Uhm, thanks," she said with a sweat dropped. Naruto, though, smiled idiotically.

"No problem," Hinata just remained in his arms, trying to guess where he was going to take her. It wasn't too late. The sun was close to setting and the moon still hadn't appeared.

After ten minutes, Naruto put Hinata down in front of a cave's entrance. She blinked at looked into it before looking at Naruto.

"What are we doing here?" Naruto only smiled goofily at her before grabbing her right hand with his and leading her into the cave. Hinata had spent the last year hanging out with Naruto, thus, her blushing and stuttering had reduced considerably. However, she was still working on overcoming them whenever Naruto established physical contact, especially when it was as intimate as hand holding.

If her blush could be converted into light, the entire cave would light up, making it easier to navigate through it. For now, Hinata would have to trust Naruto to get them through it without a problem.

"I-It's pretty dark in here," Hinata said, trying to start up a new conversation.

"I wouldn't know, I can't see," Hinata sweat dropped and Naruto laughed. "I'm just kidding, Hinata-chan. I know it is. But don't worry, I know this place like the back of my hand," Hinata nodded, even though she knew he couldn't see it.

"Trust me," Naruto said and tightened his hold on her hand. Hinata looked at where her hand would be and smiled softly

"Ok."

The rest of the walk was quiet, a comforting sort of silence between the two. A sense of peace overwhelmed the two and placed a smile on both. Finally, Hinata saw light at the end of the cave. She felt Naruto's speed increase and found herself running to keep up with him. Along the way, Hinata faintly heard the sound of falling water.

When they reached the end of the cave, Hinata was at a loss for words. The place was just incredibly beautiful.

The cave led to an oasis of water and of nature in general. Over them at the moment was a waterfall that partially covered the exit of the cave. It followed to a large pond where, while reflecting the moon's light, looked awe-inspiring and beautiful.

"You there, Nata?" Naruto asked with mirth in his voice. Hinata looked at him with wide eyes.

"N-Naruto-kun, how did you find this place?" she asked and Naruto chuckled with his wide smile.

"I just… found it," he answered and sat down near the edge of the pond. Hinata hesitated but instead of taking off her shoes, she just stood beside him, continuing to look at the beautiful pond surrounded but trees and an open clearing.

Naruto looked up at Hinata and took in her image with a silent gasp. She wore a plain light blue sundress with sleeves that fell just below her shoulders. The hem of the dress stopped just below her knees and she accompanied the entire outfit with blue sandals. Needless to say, Naruto couldn't help but stare, especially when the moonlight acted like a stage light and amplifying Hinata's beauty.

Naruto felt his breath hitch in his throat. Kagome's words kept repeating in his head and he put his right hand over his heart.

'I don't think this is love,' he thought to himself before looking back at Hinata, his heart racing under his skin. 'But I know for sure I like her,'

"This is a beautiful place," Hinata said, oblivious to Naruto's stare. "I'm glad you showed it to me,"

"Me… too," Naruto agreed breathlessly. He stood and stood close by Hinata's side. This caught her attention. She turned to ask him what was wrong but instead received his lips on hers. Her eyes widened and she pushed him back. She took in a deep breath and held a hand to her chest.

'He… he kissed me,' she thought before looking at him. She saw that he had a sad look on his face. His ears drooped and his tail remained stock-still, something Hinata rarely sees, if at all.

"I-I'm sorry, Hinata-chan," Naruto said as tears began to accumulate around his eyes. "I-I… I got carried away. I just… really like you," Hinata blinked, gasping at the revelation.

"Y-Y-You… you like me?" Hinata asked, her own heart racing and she could feel her head getting light. Naruto blushed as he looked away, as if to think, before turning his eyes to her and nodding.

"You have… pretty eyes," Naruto said, feeling his eyes shifting to hers. "And you're so kind, not only to me, but to everyone," Naruto put his hands behind his back and played with the rock near him with his left foot.

"I like that," Naruto said and smiled at her. "I like people like you… no, I'll take that back," Without prior warning, Naruto enveloped Hianta in a hug. "I like you," he confessed. Hinata could only let out a couple of squeaky sounds as she took in everything that happened in such a short amount of time.

"And I love your scent," Naruto said as he secretly took into another breath of her scent. "It smells so… good!" he added and snuggled against her neck, causing her body to stiffen.

"N-N-Naruto-k-kun?" she stuttered and Naruto laughed.

"And you have a cute stutter when you get nervous," he stated between his laughter. He then pushed himself back and stared straight into her eyes, barely any personal space between them.

"You make me so happy Hinata-chan," his laugh was nowhere to be heard as he gazed into her eyes, serious as ever. "I've never had anyone make me feel that way you do, especially when I'm around you,"

"W-What are you trying to say Naruto-kun?" she asked, feeling a fainting spell come over her soon.

"I like you… a lot," he repeated, following it up with a kiss. This time, Hinata didn't fight back, she couldn't. She was still in shock at the feel of his lips. Naruto backed up and smiled dreamily.

"Naruto…kun," Hinata said with a soft smile on her lips. She faintly heard a thud and when she composed herself, she blinked when she saw Naruto on the ground. He had the biggest smile she'd ever seen on him and it made her smile widened as well. She sat down beside him, watching the pond with unrelenting joy.

That is, until a thought popped in her head.

'What if this is the gas talking?' Hinata frowned and looked at the hanyō. She couldn't stop a smile from appearing on her lips again but her thoughts continued. 'What if it is?'

"Naruto-kun," Hinata whispered, her words falling on deaf's ears. "I hope you're telling me the truth,"

"Hinata…chan…" Naruto mumbled and Hinata giggled.

'I don't care if it's the gas right now,' Hinata lay down on Naruto, her head on his chest. Her left ear was pressed against his firm chest and Hinata heard his heart beating under it. She smiled and felt the rhythm of his heart lulling her to sleep. 'Right now, it just feels right,'

Hinata felt herself lose her grip on consciousness and soon enough, she fell asleep, not noticing the silhouette sitting on a tree yards away.

Hope you enjoyed it...

Sorry, it's still unedited but i'll come back to it soon...

See ya next time!

Good luck with whatever and if you got a problem with me or one of my stories, please feel free to: Deal with it, Get over it or Choke on it...