Chapter 7:

Treats and Toys

"Look, isn't that...?"..."The late Hokage's wife..."..."Poor thing..."

Hinata pushed through the throng of festival-goers, unable to completely block out the whispers that swirled around her. She was beginning to regret accepting Sakura's invitation to attend the summer festival with the remaining members of the Konoha 11. She hadn't been around so many people since Naruto's funeral, and seeing their lighthearted revelry only seemed to sharpen her own sense of grief.

Her eyes began to water, but it wasn't because of the numerous bright lanterns or the effusive steam coming from the food stalls. If only you were here, Naruto...

Raku nudged her hand, whining softly. She looked down at those adoring blue eyes and couldn't help but smile. "I'm alright," she told him.

"Hinata!" Sakura waved and hurried over to her, looking exquisite in a red yukata with delicate cherry blossom print. "Thank goodness!" she said breathlessly. "I was beginning to worry that something had happened."

"I left my house a little later than I had intended. I'm sorry for worrying you." This was the truth, but only because she had spent nearly half an hour standing at the gate of the Hyuga compound, working up the courage to go out.

"Don't worry about it," Sakura smiled easily. "You're here now, and that's all that matters." She linked her arm through hers. "Come on, the others are waiting."

Her arrival was met with a flurry of excited chatter and greetings, with Raku also receiving his fair share of attention. To her relief, none of her friends brought up anything about Naruto. She didn't think that she would be able to answer those types of questions right now without breaking down—no matter how well-meaning they were.

She and her friends explored the festival leisurely, taking in the colorful acrobat performers, the savory aroma of fried delicacies, and the various street peddlers selling hand-painted masks and charms. After a while, they gradually began to break off into smaller groups. Ino and Sai slipped away to enjoy some time to themselves, Choji dragged Shikamaru along for a tour of the food stalls, and Tenten and Lee went to watch a martial arts show.

"Oh, look at that, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura grabbed his sleeve eagerly. "It's a special game for couples. Do you want to"—she froze as she caught Hinata's eye—"ah...actually, never mind."

"Please go ahead," she assured her. "You don't need to worry about me."

Sakura eyed her dubiously. "Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"She'll be fine," Kiba huffed in annoyance. "It's not like you're leaving her with

strangers."

"Fine. But you boys better take care of her or I'll pummel you into the ground." She

raised her fist threateningly.

"Geez," Kiba muttered as she flounced away with Sasuke in tow. "I can see why they call her the second Tsunade." He turned towards her. "So what do you want to do, Hinata?"

"Anything is fine with me," she answered softly.

He shook his head with a disbelieving grin. "Same as always, I see. Well, it doesn't really matter to me either. How 'bout you, Shino?"

The Aburame merely shook his head.

"Alright," Kiba decided, "I guess we'll just keep looking around then."

They continued walking in comfortable silence. Besides Naruto and her immediate family, there was no one else she was closer to than her teammates. Although the three of them couldn't be more different, their years of history had forged a bond stronger than iron.

"I'm glad you came, Hinata," Kiba said, his voice uncharacteristically solemn. "How are you?"

She was on the verge of replying that she was alright, but she could tell from the way that Kiba was looking at her that he wouldn't accept that answer. He knew her well enough to see through any lie that she attempted.

"I miss him," she said at last. "But I'm doing better. Raku has been helping me a lot." She felt slightly silly explaining how a dog was helping her cope with her grief, but she knew that Kiba, of all people, would understand.

"I thought so," he nodded. "Dogs are amazing like that. I wish I had brought Akamaru so they could meet, but I wanted him to be well-rested for our mission tomorrow."

"You're going on a mission?"

"Yup, Shino too. It's just run-of-the-mill tracking and surveillance. We still get tapped for most of them, even though we're not nearly as good without you."

"I...see..." She lowered her gaze to her sandals. The normal leave for the loss of a loved one was two weeks, but she had been dragging her feet, making one excuse or another, for two and a half months. Naruto had been her driving force for being a kunoichi and without him, she hadn't been able to muster up the desire to go back on the field. But now, she knew that it was time.

"Kiba-kun," she said abruptly. "I—Can I come on that mission too?"

Naruto was gone, but the people he had devoted his life to protect were still here. As long as she was alive, she would do everything she could to carry on his work and protect them in his place.

Author's Note: Thanks so much for reading! I'll be posting another flashback chapter tomorrow, but until then, please leave a review to let me know what you think!