I Do Not Own Naruto

Chapter 34

"Big Brother Naruto!" a voice shouted down the street had him turning.

"Konohamaru!" he grinned as he saw the bouncing brown and blue blur that was his younger friend.

"Hey, I just got back from a mission!" he grinned as skidded to a halt.

"That's great!" Naruto chuckled, he hadn't been on a mission himself because of his one hand situation. It was a bit frustrating in his mind since he was itching for a mission.

"Hey, what are you doing for the Rinne Festival?" Konohamaru asked as they walked together.

"Huh… I hadn't thought about it…" Naruto admitted. Perhaps the Rinne Festival was the perfect time to ask Sakura out, it was about five and a half weeks away, and this Tuesday he was having a dinner with Sai and Sakura. He should try to bring up taking her to the Rinne Festival…

"I'm going with Moegi to the festival," Konohamaru admitted.

"I thought you liked Hanabi," Naruto said remembering how his young friend had been mooning over the young Hyūga.

"Nah, Moegi is cuter!" Konohamaru declared. Naruto chuckled as they walked. "What about you? Who are you taking to the Rinne Festival!?"

"I'm thinking… I think I'll ask Sakura," he admitted. Kurama grumbled that Sakura was not the girl from him but Naruto shooed the fox from his mind and those thoughts. Sakura and he… they could work, Sakura and him had saved the world with Sasuke and she was his best friend. He also happened to like her, and with Sasuke gone, and good again; she might be willing to let Sasuke go and see him for the man he was. He had saved her life repeatedly and she had saved him; she had even said she loved him so why… why not?

"Really? That's bold," Konohamaru said. "Think Sakura will agree to try to date you."

"Well, I think that… I think we could try, and Sasuke is good again so maybe she'll stop loving him," Naruto said thoughtfully. Besides, he didn't think Sakura really loved the teme, it was just some crush or something, at least that's what he thought after years of knowing her. Sakura no doubt cared about Sasuke, but Naruto was pretty certain that once she stopped only looking at Sasuke she'd see that he was there.

"Well, that's good," Konohamaru smiled as they walked.

"Moegi though?" he chuckled.

Kurma griped about him not seeing what was in front of him and Naruto just dismissed the fox again as he walked with Konohamaru. The stupid fox, though they were becoming friends, didn't know the first thing about him and Sakura.

"Yeah, she's got those eyes, and her smile…" Konohamaru got all dreamy then as they walked and Naruto chuckled.

"'Sides, she's perfect for me! I've known her for forever!" Konohamaru announced. Naruto laughed remembering the years when Konohamaru had followed him around religiously and shouted that they were rivals, Moegi always followed Konohamaru.

"You two will have fun," Naruto predicted.

Hinata walked with Tenten through the village, the older woman was holding onto her arm as they both carefully navigated the crowd.

"H-How are you f-feeling?" Hinata chattered as they headed for the hospital to speak to Sakura. She, Lee, and Guy were helping Tenten were forming Tenten's birth plan, and they were going to speak with Sakura about it. They were trying to keep it so Tenten could be safe and today they were going to talk to Sakura about it.

"Cold!" Tenten gasped as she hugged her coat.

"Understandable," she chattered as they continued walking together.

"And nervous," Tenten whispered as they huddled into the hospital. Then and teeth were chattering.

"Aren't you excited though?" Hinata asked.

"A little," Tenten admitted once they were in the elevator. Hinata smiled as she looked at the baby bump.

"Neji would be excited too," Hinata whispered. She had a feeling her cousin had always wanted family, especially after Hizashi had died. "Have you read his letter and will yet?"

"N-No…" Tenten whispered then. "I… I'm nervous about what it will say…" she murmured.

"I don't see why," Hinata said as they walked together.

"Neji and I… we, we were a secret, just before we were all deployed to our… units, we… Neji and I… we were, we were going to come out after the war," she whispered.

"You were?" Hinata said softly.

"Yes… he was… he was going to… he wasn't going to marry Taketori," she murmured.

"He really loved you," Hinata murmured.

"I… I don't know about that…" she murmured. "But… I love, loved, him," Tenten murmured as they walked together.

"Why… why didn't you say something?" Hinata asked her.

"I… I told Neji about my love of him just… just before the deployment…" she murmured as they left the elevator.

"What did he say?" Hinata asked.

"Nothing, Neji and I… Hinata, Neji and I were lovers when we were fifteen, love… love had nothing to do with what we were," she said softly. "I liked him, I liked him a lot when we started our thing, but Hinata, I never confused friends with benefits with being in love but… when I told him, I meant it."

"I'm… I'm happy you loved Neji," Hinata said softly.

"Really?" she murmured.

"Yes, I… I don't think Neji loved enough when he was alive, I'm happy that you loved him and I'm certain he loved you as well," Hinata said firmly.

The only way she saw her cousin even engaging in intimate activities was if he cared about who he was with deeply because Neji was not one to waste his time or himself. Neji liked his personal space and he didn't like sharing his time with people he didn't like. He disliked many, tolerated others, but only liked a few.

"I… I wish I was as certain as you were in that matter," Tenten admitted. Again Hinata desperately wished that her cousin hadn't died in the war because then he'd be here with Tenten instead of her.

Naruto was certain that Sakura was the girl he wanted to take to the Rinne Festival now, but now he needed to figure out how to ask her out and get her to the Rinne Festival. Stupid as it seemed he did not have the confidence that he should in asking a girl he loved out.

And Kurama was not helping because the stupid fox was pointing out every reason why this wasn't going to work.

Sakura was the girl he wanted, and the girl he loved, and he would make it work. Just because she happened to be hot headed, slightly violent, and hardheaded did not mean she wasn't going to be the perfect girl for him, it just meant he was going to have to work harder at getting her to see that she was better than all that.

Sighing he dragged a hand through his hair and pondered all the ways he should ask her out. he'd have to do it when they were alone and in private; he didn't want her to feel obligated to say yes, and it would have to be when she couldn't refuse him because he was making her happy. That made things difficult in his mind as he sat in his apartment staring at the ceiling.

Why couldn't things with him and Sakura just be simple?

Seriously! Things between them were always so complicated that he didn't know how to handle it sometimes because it shouldn't be this complicated. Groaning he dragged a hand over his face and rubbed his eyes as he thought about this.

They would be good together, he knew that, they'd be a good couple, he didn't doubt that since they already knew each other very well and they would… they could be perfect for one another. Once Sakura's temper got under control.

Kurama just snapped that he was missing what was in front of them and Naruto shoved the fox from his mind.

Haruno Sakura was right in front of him, and he wasn't going to lose her, he wasn't going to let her slip through his fingers, and he was never going to stop loving her. Sakura was his best friend, she was his person, and she was a pretty girl who he happened to like. They could work!

A knock on his apartment door had him sitting up to get his door.

"Hey," Naruto greeted then. "Come in…" he gestured and his friend walked in.

"I… I was, I was wondering how you were doing," Hinata shyly said as she hugged herself and rubbed her arms.

"I'm good, how about you?" Naruto asked.

"I'm cold," she whispered.

"Yeah, it is bitter out," Naruto agreed and pulled out his portable heater as Hinata sat at his table. "Ramen?"

"Thank you," she said and he went about making it.

"What's up Hinata?" he grinned as he waited for the water to heat up.

"N-Nothing, I'm… I just wanted to see how you were," she admitted.

"I'm great, Sakura is making my arm, I still suck at being left handed," Naruto admitted as he gave her a warm cup of ramen.

"That's good," Hinata smiled as she started nibbling on the noodles of ramen. She had been with enjoying the warmth of the noodles after freezing outside. Tenten's appointment had opened their eyes today, especially with how it had upset her. At least until Sakura had explained the reasons and assured Tenten that it was going to be fine.

"How about you?" he asked as he sat with her.

"I saw Sakura today with Tenten," Hinata admitted. "It was… encouraging," she admitted.

"How's Tenten doing anyway?" he asked as he got up for his ramen.

"She is… well, she was not happy with the news, but Sakura helped her," Hinata admitted. The news was a bit disconcerting to her, and it was a bit painful to hear but it was healthier with what Sakura had proposed they do.

"That's good," Naruto grinned.

"Yes," Hinata smiled shyly. She liked being with Naruto, she liked being around him because he made her feel happy and safe. She liked that because she hadn't always been happy or safe in her childhood.

"Are you looking forward to the Rinne Festival?"

"Y-Yes, I… I think so…" she stammered and felt her face heating as her tongue grew heavy.

Now one must understand, the Rinne Festival was an important, spiritual festival, but it was also an important event for the single young people of the village. It was a festival for confessing love, and affections for others. It was an important festival in that regard, and her heart was pounding away at the thought of going to the Rinne Festival with Naruto. At least, if he were to ask her she would say yes.

But… she was not so hopeful as to thinking Naruto would ask her to the Rinne Festival right now. no, she knew better than that.

"I'm excited for it, it'll be the first good thing since the war," Naruto admitted with a grin.

"Yes… I… I think it will be good for the village," she admitted as she ate the ramen. There had not been many good things to happen after the war.

"Hey, what do you think a girl would think if I asked her to the Rinne Festival?" Naruto asked abruptly and her heart slammed painfully in her ribs then.

"Um… you did save the world… Naruto," she whispered painfully as she looked at him and he sighed.

"Yeah," he scowled and she smiled.

"S-She will… she'll be lucky to have you," Hinata managed as her throat constricted painfully to get those words out.

"Huh… I guess so, thanks Hinata! You're the best!" he grinned.

She smiled weakly as she felt her stomach twist and churn painfully at Naruto words as she looked back at her ramen cup.

He wasn't going to ask her to the Rinne Festival. But she hoped, and it hurt to know it wasn't her he was going to ask.

That's all for now folks!

Enjoy Until the Day I Love! =)