Last Time:

"Say, Hinata –." Naruto turned to look at Hinata, and his sentence was cut short by Hinata's lips pressing against his owns.

Naruto was caught off guard by the sudden contact, but what surprised him was the fact that Hinata didn't immediately pull away. He wasn't sure how many seconds passed before Hinata finally pulled away.

"Um," Hinata got off the couch and pulled her hoodie up onto her shoulders, "I should head to bed. G-goodnight."

"Goodnight," Naruto responded quietly and watched as Hinata hurried out of the lounge. It took him a few moments after Hinata had gone to realize what had happened, but once he had fully processed it, his face flushed red, and he buried his face into his head.

Well, aren't you lucky? Kurama teased.

"Shut up," Naruto groaned.

Synchronicity: Chapter 21 – Menma's Anguish

Menma couldn't stand the silence.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Menma glanced over at the clock on his nightstand and saw it was nearing midnight. He let out a heavy sigh as he climbed out of bed and shuffled out of his bedroom and towards the door. He half-expected to see Sakura at his door again since she'd been the one to come and check on him every other day or so, but when he opened his door and saw Naruto, his body moved on its own.

He threw his arms around Naruto and hugged him tighter than he ever had before. Naruto returned the hug as well, and the two of them stood there in silence for a very long while. When Menma did finally let go of Naruto, he began to exam his twin as if he were their mother, but all he saw were faded scars he was already familiar with – some he wasn't too familiar with – and nothing more.

"You're okay?" Menma asked.

Naruto nodded, "I'm okay."

Menma let Naruto into his room and shut the door behind him, "I wasn't sure when I'd see you… if I'd see you."

Naruto smiled a bit, "You know I'd always come back for you, no matter what."

Menma nodded a bit, "Yeah."

Then, Naruto noticed it. All of it. For a moment, he hardly recognized his twin, and it wasn't because of his blonde hair or blue eyes, but it was how he stood that threw him off. Before, Menma would always stand with his back straight and his head high, and he would always lean to the left. And though condescending might not have been the appropriate word, Menma always exuded a level of confidence that Naruto barely knew how to obtain for himself.

Now, however, Menma stood with a slight slouch, and his everpresent smirk was missing. His eyes were low as if he were avoiding eye contact when before, Menma would be able to stare down a brick wall and win. His shoulders that he used to keep back were now forward as though he were trying to fold in on himself.

Then, he felt guilty. Naruto gritted his teeth as he looked at his seemingly lost twin. He placed a hand over his stomach and gripped at the fabric of his shirt, bunching it up beneath his curled fingers.

"Don't," Menma spoke softly as he shook his head.

"I'm sorry," Naruto apologized.

Menma let out a light-hearted chuckle, "It can't be helped, ya know? I'm supposed to be the big brother here, and you're the one who always seems to be saving me from myself."

Menma couldn't stand feeling weak.

"You're only thirty seconds older than me," Naruto reminded him. "It doesn't matter who's the big brother or the little brother here. What matters is that we are brothers. We promised each other to have each other's back no matter what, and it doesn't matter if I save you from you or if you save me from me, it's what we promised each other."

Menma looked at Naruto, and that's when he saw his eyes. Before, they had always been a brilliant blue that could rival the sky on a clear day, but they were darker now. They were almost the same shade as Kushina's, but it wasn't as if his eyes had suddenly decided to change shades. Menma could see something behind his eyes.

Menma walked over to Naruto and took his face in his hands, "Naruto."

"Huh?" Naruto was caught off guard by Menma's sudden approach.

"It's okay," Menma said.

Naruto wasn't sure why, but that caused something in him to break. Naruto had spent the last few days enduring anything and everything they did to him in Haven, and he had been broken in more ways than one. Except in all of that time, he didn't let it show.

Naruto crumbled to the floor and let out an agonizing wail that sent chills down Menma's spine. As Menma slowly got to his knees, he could see the tears that poured from Naruto's eyes and flooded his face. His body quaked, and as he sobbed, he could hear every ounce of pain he'd been carrying. He pulled Naruto into his arms, and he held onto him as Naruto wrapped his arms around him as tightly as he could. It was a desperate grasp, and all Menma could do – and wanted to do – was sit there and let Naruto let out anything and everything he needed to let out.

By the morning, Naruto and Menma had fallen asleep there on his dormitory floor. Naruto woke up first, feeling more exhausted than he had been before he fell asleep, and forced himself to sit upright. His eyes were sore, and he was sure they were swollen too.

He reached beside him and shook Menma awake, and as he sat up, the two of them looked at one another and chuckled.

"We haven't slept on the floor like this since we were kids," Menma noted.

"I was wondering why we stopped, but now that we've done it again, I know why," Naruto commented as he rubbed his back and groaned. He got up and cracked some bones before helping Menma to his feet.

"How do you feel?" Menma asked.

Naruto sighed, "Better."

Menma smiled and nodded, "Good. Don't let it build up like that again."

"I won't," Naruto assured him. He rubbed his face and groaned before wandering off towards the bathroom.

Just as Menma was about to head into his kitchen, he heard knocking on his door. He checked the time on his Aide and saw it was almost nine. He opened the door, and not much to his surprise, he saw Sakura, but then he saw Shion standing beside her.

"Shion?" Menma was stunned to see her, and then he realized he had forgotten to even ask about her when Naruto showed up last night.

"I found her wandering the hallway," Sakura answered as she watched Shion hug Menma and bury her face into his chest. "She said she woke up and couldn't find Naruto in his room, so she came out to look for him and got locked out. Do you know where he is?"

"He's here," Menma answered as he hugged Shion back and rubbed her head. "He fell asleep over here. Sorry Shion, that was our fault."

Sakura sighed and shook her head, "Honestly. Keep an eye on her, will you?"

"We will," Menma assured her.

"Is Naruto doing okay?" Sakura asked.

Menma nodded, "He's okay. He's in the bathroom."

Sakura nodded, "Okay. I'll talk to him at breakfast then if he decides to come down. If he doesn't feel like coming down, then tell him I said 'welcome home' and that I'll be by later to check on him."

Menma nodded, "I will."

With that, Sakura wandered off. Menma shut his door and looked down at Shion, who was misty-eyed.

"Don't cry," Menma requested as he rubbed Shion's cheek.

"I'm not going to cry," Shion argued as she sniffled and rubbed her eyes.

Menma chuckled, "Liar."

"Shion?" Naruto hurried into the main room and saw Shion standing at the door. "I'm sorry, Shion. I forgot you were in my room."

"Jerk!" Shion whined as she began to land soft blows to his chest. "Idiot! Stupid! Traitor!"

"I'm sorry," Naruto apologized again as he rubbed her head. "There, there. Calm down."

Shion puffed out her cheeks, and Naruto couldn't help but chuckle. He began to play with Shion's cheeks, and even though she fussed and tried to push him away, he wouldn't stop. Eventually, Shion relinquished herself to Naruto's torment and allowed him to play with her cheeks to his satisfaction until he finally let her go.

"Sakura dropped her off," Menma announced as he opened his arms and allowed Shion to wrap her arms around him again. He gently scratched her head as Shion nuzzled her cheek against his chests. "She said 'welcome home.'"

"I should go see her," Naruto muttered. "Did she say where she was headed?"

"The dining hall," Menma answered. "I'll come with you. I've been hiding out for the last few days because I didn't want to face them on my own. I've only seen a few people since I've been back."

Menma couldn't stand feeling scared.

Naruto nodded. He looked at Shion, and for a moment he could see the distant look she would get in her eyes when she didn't want to do something, but couldn't find the words to say so. Naruto and Menma made eye contact, and as Naruto shifted his eyes towards Shion, Menma rested his chin atop her head.

"Just hold my hand," Menma told her.

Shion nodded. It took her a little while before she finally let go of Menma and took hold of his hand. Once Shion had calmed down enough to step outside, Menma and Naruto walked on either side of Shion.

Together, the three of them made their way out of Building B and headed towards The Hub. As they walked, Naruto and Menma could notice a majority of their classmates, both upper and lower, eyeing them. As Menma had mentioned, he'd been hiding out in his room since he'd returned, so all in all, this was the first time that the two of them had made an appearance on campus in almost five weeks.

Not only that, they were accompanied by a third mystery person that very few people knew of outside of those who participated in the practical exam. Nevertheless, Naruto and Menma didn't let their stares bother them.

However, when they stepped into the dining hall, and everything stopped, that's when they began to feel uncomfortable. Everyone stared at the three of them for an agonizingly long time, but then they heard clapping.

From across the room, Naruto could see Shikamaru standing on his chair and bringing his hands together to make a resounding clapping sound that resonated across the massive dining hall. Then, Chouji joined in. Followed by Ino, then Kiba and Akamaru's booming bark. And soon, everyone in the dining hall was clapping, even their instructors.

Sakura approached them first and smiled at both Naruto and Menma before looking at Shion, who had retreated behind the two of them. Sakura poked around Menma and saw Shion peek at her with wide eyes, and when Shion saw Sakura's warm smile, she hide herself a little less.

"We haven't gotten the chance to formally introduce ourselves to one another," Sakura said as she held out her hand. "I'm Haruno Sakura."

"Matsuzaki Shion," Shion said quietly as she reached out and took Sakura's hand. "Thank you for helping me find Menma and Naruto-nii."

"You're welcome."

Slowly, the rest of their classmates approached them and bombarded the two of them with questions. Some had questions about why Menma's appearance had changed, and they had questions about who Shion was and where she came from. Most of their questions, however, consisted of them wondering where the three of them had been for the last five weeks.

"Just a minute," Naruto requested with a nervous laugh. "Are you all okay?"

"Are you seriously asking us that after you've been incognito for the last five weeks?" Ino questioned in an irritated tone. "We were worried out of our minds wondering where the two of you had disappeared too after Marshal Jiraiya arrested you! And no matter how much we pestered Hatake-sensei, he wouldn't – or couldn't – tell us anything."

"You were worried?" Naruto asked.

Shikamaru arched an eyebrow, "Why do you seem surprised by that? Of course, we were worried. Did you really think you went the first three months here without beginning to form some type of bonds with us?"

Naruto wasn't sure how to respond.

"We're okay," Sasuke finally answered Naruto's question, and they could all see he was relieved to hear that. "Are you okay?"

Naruto looked at Menma, and together, they nodded.

"We're okay," Naruto answered. "It just feels good to finally be back here with everyone."

"Don't do anything to get yourself arrested again," Tenten warned.

Naruto chuckled, "We'll do our best."

"Don't forget that you all still have a training session this morning," Kakashi warned as he walked up and clapped his hands together. "We have a lot of work to catch up on, and we aren't going to go easy on any of you. Go eat."

After breakfast, they headed off to their morning training session while Shion went off with Anko to get her Aide and measured for her uniforms. Menma wasn't entirely comfortable with leaving Shion on her own, but after meeting a majority of their classmates, Shion seemed to have relaxed.

"Ah, Menma, Naruto," Kakashi caught up with the older of the Uzumaki Twins, "just a moment."

Both Menma and Naruto stopped walking and turned to look back at Kakashi.

"What is it?" Menma asked.

Kakashi sighed and folded his arms, "It seems that Grand Marshal Hiruzen has requested that the two of you retake your Alpha Class Aptitude Evaluations. What with the circumstances of Kurama being extracted from you Menma, and with you having all of Kurama, we need to make a note of any changes an adjust your training regiments accordingly."

"I feel the same," Menma lied.

"Menma." Naruto eyed his brother and could see the evergrowing frustration start to appear on his face.

Kakashi pursed his lips together, "I don't doubt that, but we'll need to conduct the tests regardless of what you say. Asuma is waiting for you in Examination Room One, Menma. Naruto, you'll be with Yamato in Examination Room Two. They'll be monitoring your tests today, and by tomorrow morning, I'll be able to decide on what to do with your training regiments."

"Is my position in Alpha Class in jeopardy?" Menma asked.

Kakashi shook his head, "It's not. Regardless of the presence of Kurama, I've always thought you were talented. If there is a change, I doubt it's substantial. All of this is just precautionary measures so that we can say we did it rather than having a situation arise and wishing we had, ya know?"

Menma nodded, "Sure."

"Just relax." Kakashi placed a hand on Menma's shoulder. "You'll do just fine."

Menma didn't say anything. He simply smiled before heading off in the opposite direction of the training field. Kakashi watched as he headed back into the locker room, and though he wasn't entirely sure why, an uncomfortable chill ran down his spine.

Naruto let out a heavy sigh and followed Menma into the locker room. By the time Naruto walked in, though, Menma was already heading out the other door.

You're worried. Kurama noted from deep inside of Naruto.

"You're not?" Naruto asked.

I never said I wasn't. Kurama admitted.

To Be Continued…