Last Time:

Naruto and Hinata had stayed cuddled up with one another for a little while longer before getting dressed and slipping back into the party. Everyone had gathered by the pool area to watch the fireworks and with everyone watching the display and wishing each other a Happy New Year, Naruto and Hinata slipped in mostly unnoticed.

"There you are," Sasuke said as he looked at Naruto while Sakura continued to watch the fireworks and cheer with many of the others. "Congratulations."

Naruto blushed a bit as he glared at Sasuke before looking up at the fireworks. Sasuke chuckled in response before shouting out with a majority of the crowd as one of the larger fireworks were released.

Opposites Attract: Chapter 26 – "What's your resolution?"

"It looks like it might snow," Sakura commented as she strolled with Sasuke through the shrine grounds. They were hand in hand and Sakura seemed to be monitoring the sky while Sasuke led her around. She felt the way Sasuke squeezed her hand and she giggled a bit before catching up with him and linking her arm around his. "You're cold."

"Very," Sasuke verified. He lifted his scarf a little higher on his face and adjusted his beanie. "Didn't you say Naruto left ahead of us? Why isn't he here yet?"

"Hey," they heard Naruto call from across the crowd and when they turned to look, he was waving his hands in the air. "Sakura-chan! Sasuke! This way!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes on Naruto while Sakura tried to hide her face. They made their way over and saw Hinata walking over as well with a cup of hot chocolate in her hands, the entire top layer covered in marshmallows.

"Good morning," Hinata said before taking a careful sip of her hot chocolate. She wore an adorable smile as her cheeks turned pink, the warmth of her drink serving its purpose.

"Good morning," Sasuke responded before looking at Naruto who wore a large grin on his face. "We've been looking for you, what happened? We were supposed to meet at the front gate."

"Sorry, sorry," Naruto apologized as he waved his hand. "I left early because I had to go pick up Gaara and Hinata. Gaara got excited about all of the stands so I ended up taking him to a few."

"Where's Gaara now?" Sakura questioned.

Naruto pointed and they all turned to see Gaara in the middle of purchasing a charm. He fumbled awkwardly with his wallet but the attendant patiently waited and giggled a bit. Once the exchange was done, Gaara thanked her and hurried back over.

"Where's Temari and Kankuro?" Sakura questioned as she watched Gaara show his charm to Naruto.

"Kankuro met up with Sasori and Deidara at their shop while Temari got picked up by Shikamaru," Gaara answered. "I heard the charms from this shrine have a tendency to be very potent so I'm hoping for the best."

"Naruto!"

Naruto blinked a few times as he scanned the crowd for whoever called him until his eyes landed on Inuzuka Kiba walking alongside Aburame Shino, his dog Akamaru tailing alongside them. Naruto waved as Kiba approached, the two of them exchanging a special handshake before Naruto reached down and scratched Akamaru's head.

"Happy New Year," Kiba greeted them.

"Happy New Year," they all said in response.

"There's a lot more people this year," Shino commented as he looked around as the thickening crowd. "I wonder what it is this year?"

"Who knows," Naruto shrugged as he patted Akamaru's back and watched as he made his way over to Hinata and rubbed against her legs.

"Where's Kurama?" Kiba questioned.

"He's with Otou-san and Okaa-chan," Naruto answered. "I had him earlier but then he started pulling on his leash when he saw my parents so I let him go."

"Hi Akamaru-kun," Hinata greeted Akamaru by affectionately patting his head and rubbing his ears. "We should probably get in line to go ring the bell."

"You're right," Sakura said as they all looked towards the shrine and saw the line was already pretty long and getting longer. "Does everyone know what they're going to pray for?" she questioned as they all made their way to the end of the line.

"Grades," they all said in unisons before looking at one another and laughing.

"Naruto, you probably need to pray for your grade harder than the rest of us," Kiba teased.

"Hey, my grades aren't that bad," Naruto argued but flinched when he saw the way Hinata and Sasuke eyed him. He cleared his throat and muttered something into his scarf.

"I'm surprised you're going to pray for your grades though Sasuke-san," Shino commented as he adjusted his glasses. "You're on track to be valedictorian, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Sasuke answered nonchalantly. "But it doesn't hurt to solidify it, right? Plus, with entrance exams coming up, I'm going to have to be studying at least six nights a week. Konoha City University's entrance exam is ridiculously hard for the sake of being hard."

"Hey, Sasuke," Naruto moved so he was standing next to Sasuke and playfully nudged him, "let's study together, huh?"

"No," Sasuke answered bluntly.

Naruto hung his head, all of them laughing at his response. He sulked over to Hinata and hugged her from behind, his face nuzzling into her neck as she continued to casually sip away at her hot chocolate.

"So, Gaara, how long are you in town?" Sakura questioned.

"I leave the day after tomorrow," Gaara answered.

"Oh, well if you're gonna be around tomorrow, why don't we all head over to Arcade Lane and set some new records?" Kiba asked as he eyed the guys in particular. "I can call Lee and some of the other guys and we can head down there. Make a day of it."

Sasuke shrugged, "Might as well. After tomorrow, I have to register for entrance exam prep at Fujiwara Prep and then classes start the day after that." He groaned as he scratched the back of his head. "And I have to look for an apartment too that's near campus because I'm not going to want to commute like I do now. All of this is just so frustrating."

"Let's get an apartment together," Naruto perked up as he hopped over to Sasuke. He had a particular shine to his eyes and seemed to bounce in place. "We can go half and half on the rent and it'll definitely make things cheaper. And we'll take turns paying for certain utilities and even on groceries. Let's do it dattebayo!"

"Usuratonkachi," Sasuke narrowed his eyes at his best friend, "I've spent a week living with you and that was more than enough time for me."

"Come on," Naruto pleaded as he clung to Sasuke and began to lean against him, "let's get an apartment, Sasuke!"

"You're heavy," Sasuke complained as he struggled to hold Naruto up. "Get off," Sasuke demanded as he began to try and push Naruto off of him but that just made him cling to him more. "Hinata, get him off of me!"

"Naruto-kun," Hinata sang and gave Naruto a sweet smile as he looked at her. She opened her arms, "Come here."

Naruto immediately released Sasuke and went to Hinata. He nuzzled his head against her chest and seemed to giggle a bit as Hinata hugged him and played with his hair.

"I thought I heard Naruto and Sasuke making a ruckus," Ino commented as she walked up alongside Sai and Chouji, Shikamaru and Temari trailing not too far behind them. "Happy New Year everyone."

"Happy New Year," they all said in unison and greeted one another either through hugs, quick kisses, or handshakes.

"Naruto-kun and Lady Hinata seem as close as ever," Sai commented as he eyed the lovey-dovey couple. "I wonder if something good happened last night while they were gone?"

Hinata and Naruto tensed up. Naruto immediately stepped out of Hinata's embrace and merely stood beside her while Hinata quietly sipped her hot chocolate. They were both blushing which caused everyone to become suspicious.

"What's this?" Ino questioned as she walked around to Hinata's front and pressed her nose against Hinata's. "Don't tell us, did the Heiress pop her cherry last night?"

"N-N-No!" Hinata shouted a bit too loudly. "Naruto-kun and I haven't done anything like that and we aren't planning to for a while."

"So, you've talked about it?" Chouji asked.

"Of course," Naruto began and saw the way Hinata looked at him, "not! Of course we haven't talked about it. It's just a simple understanding between the two of us that we're going to wait. When we're ready, then we'll talk about it and see how things ago."

"Of course," the others said in unison, all of them clearly not believing a single word either of them said.

"What's going on?" Tenten questioned as she approached with Neji and Lee following behind her. "Why is Lady Hinata so red?" She immediately looked to Naruto who then immediately tensed up in response. "You didn't do anything weird to Lady Hinata did you?"

"Of course not," Naruto said as he put his hands up in defense. "They were teasing Hinata about something and she just got a bit embarrassed. Everything is fine."

"Don't tease Lady Hinata," Tenten said as she went over and hugged Hinata, their cheeks pressing against one another as Tenten eyed the rest of them. "She's very fragile."

"Tenten," Hinata whined.

"There are a lot more people here than usual," Neji commented as he shoved his hands in his pockets and looked away. He watched as Tenten released Hinata and immediately went to his side to link her arm with his and cuddle up against him.

"It's because the Priest here declared it's the Year of Prosperity," Rock Lee answered. "He gave a prophecy or a sermon of some sort the other day on the steps and said he saw a vision from The Sage of Six Paths himself that declared that all who prayed here would see nothing but prosperity over the next twelve months."

"I heard that too," Shikamaru said. "I think it was just a hoax though to get people to come and buy their charms though," he suggested with a shrug. "Not that it matters, this shrine always gets a lot of people throughout the year anyway."

"You think everything is a hoax," Temari complained.

"If there's no physical proof that this deity spoke to him, then I'm not going to buy it," Shikamaru responded. He yawned and sniffled before adjusting his scarf.

"Such a skeptic," Naruto commented and chuckled when Shikamaru shot him a nasty look. "Hey, since you're all here, the guys are going down to Arcade Lane tomorrow to set the new high scores. Are you in?"

"Of course!" Lee declared enthusiastically. "I have to reclaim my position as the King of Fighting Games before someone takes my crown!"

"That's all he screamed about the other night just before they wiped all the machines," Neji complained as he let out a heavy sigh. "But, I don't have anything tomorrow so I guess I'll come along."

"Me too," Chouji added. "And there's a new sushi place opening up in Arcade Lane next door to or above the music rhythm arcade."

"I suppose I can come along," Sai said as he tapped his chin. "I don't believe Lady Mari has me scheduled for work tomorrow but I'd need to double check to make sure. I'll let you know."

"Perfect," Naruto said with a grin.

"Naruto, aren't those your parents a people up?" Gaara questioned, all of them turning and spotting the blonde haired and red-haired couple about twenty people ahead of them.

"That's them," Naruto said before whistling and both of them turn to reveal themselves as Minato and Kushina. They both flashed a smile to the lot of them, all of them smiling and waving back in return before they continued with their conversation. "I figured they would've prayed already but I guess not."

"What's everyone doing after this?" Ino questioned. "Because we were going to go to Chouji's parent's place and get lunch together. Do you want to join us?"

"Hibachi does sound good," Sasuke muttered.

"We'll come," Sakura spoke for the rest of them.

While they continued to wait and move with the line, they chatted amongst themselves about generic things. They mainly talked about school or work and dreading having to return in the next day or two. As they waited, there were times when random girls would approach and speak to either Sasuke, Sai, or Neji, all three of them standing there confused and uncomfortable while their girlfriends casually clung to them a little bit tighter. And of course, while they waited, Outsutsuki Toneri walked by with several of his clansmen, all of them pale white with white hair and turquoise eyes.

"Lady Hinata," Toneri spotted her as they were passing, "I didn't know you were coming to this shrine. Had I known I would've offered you a ride."

"Outsutsuki-san," Hinata gave him a formal greeting, "Happy New Year."

"Yes, Happy New Year," Toneri responded with a smile. He took note of the crowd that was around here and gave them a look that caused the rest of them to become slightly agitated. "So, Lady Hinata, are you doing anything after you pray at the shrine? If you're free, you're more than welcomed to join my cousins and I for lunch. We're going to Higurashi."

"Isn't that that really pricey place in the First Ward?" Sakura whispered as she looked at Sasuke.

Sasuke nodded. "It's about seventy-five dollars a plate and that's just the main course."

"Thank you for the invitation but I already have plans with my friends," Hinata answered with a sweet smile.

"Oh? Well if you don't mind, we would love to join you," Toneri suggested.

"No, we wouldn't," one of his cousins commented with a clearly agitated voice. "Let's go, Toneri."

"Naoto," Toneri looked back at his cousin, "don't be rude."

Outsutsuki Naoto sucked his teeth and rolled his eyes. His hair was wilder than Toneri's and he was a bit shorter than Toneri. "I'm cold and hungry, if you want to stay and hang out with them then you can but the rest of us are going to eat."

"You should probably go with them," Hinata advised. "We already have a pretty full group and I don't want you to cancel plans with your family because of me."

"See," Toneri's female cousin chimed in, "she doesn't want you abandoning the family to eat with her so let's go, Toneri-nii."

"Fine," Toneri submitted. "Well, I'll see you at school on Monday then."

"See you on Monday," Hinata responded and watched as Toneri walked away with his family. She sighed and went back to sipping hot chocolate but whined a bit when Naruto hugged her and rubbed his cheek against hers. "Naruto-kun, what're you doing?"

"Your cheek is warm," Naruto said as he continued to hug her and rub his cheek against hers.

"You're so cute it's almost sickening," Ino commented and rolled her eyes when Naruto grinned at her.

They waited a bit long until they finally made it to the shrine and went up. Naruto, Gaara, and Hinata were first, all three of them tossing in specialty coins before ringing the bell together and clapping. They held their hands together and prayed their own individual prayers before moving along. Sasuke and Sasuke went with Sai and Ino, then Chouji, Lee, Tenten, and Neji. Then Kiba, Shino, Temari, and Shikamaru.

Once they were done and hung around the shrine grounds for a bit more, they all made their way to the nearest train station. As they were getting to the closest train station, so was a train. So, of course, they booked it up three fights of stairs onto the subway platform and running onto the train before the doors closed, Kiba being lucky enough to slide in just before the doors closed.

"I hate when that happens," Sakura breathed as she sat down beside Ino, all of them trying to catch their breaths and beginning to remove their hats, scarves, and gloves except for Temari and Gaara.

"Are you okay Gaara?" Naruto questioned as he looked over at a now shivering Gaara.

"I'm very cold," Gaara answered and watched as Naruto rubbed his hands together before putting them on his face. Gaara smiled, "Much better."

"Honestly, Winter is the worse," Temari complained.

"You only experience Winter for the few days you travel anywhere outside of Suna," Shikamaru reminded her. "We get three months of this stuff with snow and colder temperatures than this."

"Ugh, please," Temari shivered at his words. "I'm cold enough as it is."

"Hey, why don't we go to Suna for Spring Break?" Kiba suggested. "Naruto, doesn't your dad have a hotel or a resort or something out there now?"

"Ah, yeah," Naruto answered. "Maybe we can ask him," he said as he looked at Sakura. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind but Suna is usually really packed around Spring Break. It might be difficult to get some extra rooms."

"We'll ask," Sakura said. "Since we're asking five months in advanced it should be okay."

"Does Konoha City Academy and Konoha High School go on Spring Break at the same time?" Temari questioned.

"The whole city of Konoha has Spring Break at the same time," Shikamaru answered. "We get two weeks and then the new school year starts right after."

"If we do go I'll probably only be able to stay a week," Sasuke answered. "Konoha City University has their new student orientation during the back half of Spring Break which is very annoying but understandable."

"Wait, Hinata," Ino looked over to Hinata who was in the middle of adjusting her boots, "don't you have a figure skating competition circuit you're participating in starting this weekend?"

"Ah, I do," Hinata answered. "The first round is going to be here in Konoha thankfully but I'll spend the next six or so weekends travelling to other cities."

"What's your theme again this year?" Sasuke questioned.

Hinata blushed a bit before answering, "Love."

The others whistled and hollered while Hinata buried her face in his hands and Naruto scratched his cheek while wearing a stupid grin. Neji patted her back while looking through his phone and Tenten cheered for her. Naruto declared his unwavering support while Sasuke merely pledged his support before reminding Naruto he still had other responsibilities that required his attention on the weekends. The two of them went back and forth while Sasuke reassured Hinata that Naruto would make it to ever competition.

The train made it to their stop and they all climbed off. They walked the few blocks away from the train station until they were in the Nineteenth Ward. Chouji led them down bustling street vendors and store fronts until they all began to gain a whiff of the various restaurants that were clustered together. When they made it to his family's shop, he led them to the suite his parents had closed off for them and opened the doors to reveal a full spread already available.

"Welcome, welcome," Chouza said as the lot of them removed their shoes and gathered around the large table while Chouji checked the temperature of the skillet. "If you kids need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you Uncle Chouza," Ino spoke first and they all chimed in after her. Chouza raised his chef's hat before closing the door and leaving them be.

"Don't let Kiba eat all the meat," Naruto warned, all of them muttering in agreement as they began to drop meat and vegetables onto various spots on the cooktop.

"You should be more worried about Chouji," Kiba argued as he struggled to keep Akamaru back from the table. "Akamaru, no. Stay back," Kiba demanded until he saw the doors open again and Chouza came in carrying a large plate with a large slab of beef on it.

"Here you go, Akamaru," Chouza said as he placed the plate down near Akamaru and watched him come over and start to gnaw away at it. "Good, right?"

Akamaru growled as he gnawed but his tail was wagging.

"Thank you, Mr. Akimichi," Kiba thanked him and watched as Chouza nodded before leaving the suite again.

Methodically, they all were able to cook and season their own – and each other's – food. They passed around meat and veggies with ease while carrying on their conversations. This was natural for them. Though they didn't meet up often, when they did, it was always like this.

Lee would talk passionately about his time in the university and developing his skills as a physical therapist. Tenten stressed about her abilities to become a cop and eventually work for the bureau while Neji shared stories about his internship at his father's law firm. Kiba talked about his part-time job at his family's animal shelter/vet clinic and even complained about his lack of a girlfriend (again). Shino talked about his time studying beneath his father as a botanist and entomologist.

Shikamaru complained about school and how annoying it was along with his time working underneath his father at the museum (though everyone knew he enjoyed the museum). Sai talked about his time working at Deidara and Sasori's art studio and also his classes at the university as well. Ino gushed about the work she was starting to do with her mother but also teased Sakura about the upcoming tennis season. Chouji talked mainly about food and the variety of restaurants he wanted to try and the restaurants that were going to be opening soon.

Sasuke mentioned studying and the work he was putting in on a new piano piece along on top of his college prep and apartment hunting. Sakura wondered about where to work for the summer and if she was to make it onto the varsity tennis team in the Spring. Hinata talked figure skating and violin on top of Hanabi's gymnastics and flute playing. And Naruto talked about the latest games and shared stories about the usual antics at his house.

They ate, drank, laughed, and talked for two hours. Most of the time they just sat around and talked, all of them catching up with one another in that time. When the bill was paid and they wandered outside, they stood around and talked for a few moments more before they noticed snowfall.

"There it is," Sakura said as she looked up with everyone and watched the snow begin to fall. "It looks pretty heavy."

"We'll probably get a couple of inches before the end of the night," Naruto commented as he adjusted his scarf and helped Hinata with her hat. He looked over at Gaara and laughed at his reaction. "I better get Gaara back into his hotel before the snow picks up. I guess we'll call it a day here?"

"Fair enough," Sasuke said. "I have to head home anyway. I promised my niece I'd make s'mores with her when I got back."

They all muttered their plans one after another. Shikamaru agreed to take Temari and Gaara back to their hotel since it was in the opposite direction of Naruto's house. They left first followed by Lee and Tenten. Sai and Shino left next followed by Ino and Kiba. Neji, Hinata, and Sasuke left next and lastly, Naruto and Sakura.

"It was good seeing everyone together," Sakura said as she linked her arms with Naruto and walked with him towards the train station.

"You're right," Naruto agreed. "Hey, if we get enough snow, do you think we can make an igloo in the backyard again?"

"Most definitely," Sakura cheered. "Maybe we can get Kakashi-nii to help us this time?"

"Maybe," Naruto shrugged. He shivered against the cold before pulling his scarf up over his nose and walking up the steps to the platform. "Oji-chan will definitely want to help though."

"And Oba-chan," Sakura added. "Hey, tonight, let's get everyone together and watch a shitty movie. We haven't done that in a while."

"We haven't," Naruto sighed. "We can probably marathon Sharknado."

To Be Continued…