Natsumi lay on her back on the futon with her arms behind her head. The howling wind of the sandstorm pounded on the shutters and she sighed after a long time.

"Sena? Are you awake?"

Sena blinked slowly and opened her eyes, then yawned. "Yes. I've been half-asleep for a while now, but I'm not used to all this noise, so I'm having trouble falling asleep all the way."

"Me too." Natsumi stared up at the ceiling, pressing her lips together tightly. "Can I... ask you something?"

"Hm? What is it?" Sena rolled over onto her stomach to look at her, propping herself up with her elbows as she rested her cheek in her hand. "You look so serious right now."

"W-Well..." Natsumi closed her eyes briefly. "Have you... ever had a crush? Or thought a boy was cute?"

Sena giggled and smiled. "Where did that come from? You've never been very interested in this subject before."

"I-I know." Natsumi turned her face slightly and puffed her cheeks. "I don't know why, but it just... popped into my head. And I was curious."

"So, that's it?" Sena watched her expression with a smile. "I guess there have been a few guys I've thought were attractive over the years. I never developed crushes on them, but I think that's just because it wasn't meant to be in the first place."

"I see..."

Sena giggled and waved her hand as she spoke softly. "You know, I'm not the best person to talk to about this subject. Kiri has a lot more experience with the opposite sex. Why not bring this up around her?"

"I..." Natsumi let out a breath. "She... she gets a little too intense about this subject, and then she starts telling lewd stories. I'm not interested in that discussion..." She paused. "I'm just... curious about the little stuff. Like crushes and how to tell if you like someone."

Sena laughed and nodded. "Yeah, Kiri isn't the one to talk to about that stuff." She rested her chin on her arms and settled down comfortably on her stomach. "Well, I think it's obvious how to tell if you like someone."

"It is?" Natsumi rolled onto her stomach, mimicking the older girl.

"I guess only having a brother around has kind of gotten in the way of learning about this stuff." Sena shrugged. "It's not a big deal. I've always had Kiri there to give me a less-than-child-friendly education on romance, so I shouldn't expect you to know it."

She looked up and tapped her cheek. "If I had to start somewhere, I'd say that the signs that you find someone attractive are about the same as the ones that indicate a crush." Her eyes lowered and she held up several fingers, lowering them as she listed them off. "Heart rate increase, blushing, thinking of them often, and finding it difficult to speak around them. At least, those are the four biggest ones. Having a crush on someone is like that, too, except that the symptoms are much worse."

"But... that's a horrible way to put it." Sena laughed to herself. "I made it sound like a disease."

Blushing... increased heart rate...

Her cheeks warmed slightly.

So... is that it?

"You're about at the right age to start taking an interest in boys. At least, a more serious interest in them. Most kids have little crushes while at the Academy, but once we hit a certain age and we're able to better understand our own feelings, we start noticing other people more."

"I... I'm not sure I really get it."

"Hm..." Sena held her cheek in her hand again. "It's like this... as you've gotten older, you're better at reading people's body language and expressions, right?" Natsumi nodded and she continued. "Well, it's like that a little bit. We can grasp our own emotional complexities, understand our quirks, and accept our flaws as we get older, and then we start to be able to understand other people for the same things. A crush develops when we first acknowledge another person for their looks, personality, and talents. But, falling in love is deeper than that. It's all of that, plus accepting each of their quirks and flaws, and caring about them despite that, and helping each other to be a better person."

Natsumi blinked and thought for a moment. "I thought you said you didn't know much on the subject? But you sound like an expert."

"I'm no expert, trust me." Sena laughed, then sat up and reach for her pack and met Natsumi's eyes. "What I'm about to show you... you can't tell anyone about, okay? Not even Kiri?"

Natsumi nodded slowly, sitting crossed legged.

Keeping a secret from Kiri? It must be something really serious.

"Here." Sena took a magazine from the bottom of her pack, and placed it into Natsumi's hands. "The latest edition of Teen Heart Magazine."

Natsumi's eyes widened slightly and she looked quickly up at her.

"Sena...! Why do you...?"

Sena put a hand over her lips and winked. "It's our secret, remember?" She laughed quietly and lowered her hand. "I've never been good and befriending people, and I'm even worse when it comes to boys. I'm just... not naturally very feminine, plus, I always feel self-conscious about how differently my mind works. Relationships always seem natural for everyone else, but for me, I feel like the part of my brain that handles that..."

She paused and bit her lip, lowering her voice to barely a whisper. "Well... I almost think that part of my brain was broken when I was in that accident."

Natsumi stiffened and her stomach knotted.

That's right... she was found by Leaf Shinobi when she was younger than me, trapped in a terrible rockslide. She was so injured that she nearly died, and she lost all her memories of her life before then...

"I've been too self-conscious about it to try to tell Kiri how I feel, so, when I was your age, I developed the guilty pleasure of hoarding all these magazines and reading their relationship sections." Sena sighed slightly and ran her fingers through her short hair. "I have hundreds hidden carefully at home. Luckily, Kiri's never spotted them, despite how much she loves to snoop through my house. It sounds really cliché, but those magazines actually are a really good source of relationship advice."

Sena turned the pages to the middle section. "Girls from all over write to Miss Teen Heart, and she responds to them here. That's where I've gotten all my information from." She looked away, blushing faintly, then turned back to her friend. "You can... laugh at me if you want to. I know these magazines are silly."

"Sena, this is great!" Natsumi smiled and her eyes quickly skimmed the page. "Why didn't I ever think of reading this stuff before?"

Sena giggled and moved closer to sit beside her and read over her shoulder. "You're not going to laugh?"

Natsumi shook her head and lowered the magazine. "It's not something I expected you to like, but it makes me happy to know that I'm not the only one who doesn't know about this stuff."

"I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment or an insult." Sena laughed and nudged her side, then looked at her from the corner of her eye. "Are you sure there isn't more of a reason behind your question? It was really out of the blue."

Natsumi shrugged, scratching her cheek as she blushed faintly. "Well... the topic just kind of popped into my head on my own, and then I started to think. My mind hasn't wanted to shut off, so I couldn't sleep, and I was just laying there thinking about it the whole time."

"Anything in particular?" Sena's lips twitched in a faint smile. "I'm sure Miss Teen Heart has some good advice in here, whatever it is."

"Do you remember... when we were first assigned that mission before?" Natsumi bit her lip, slouching slightly.

"The information retrieval." Sena's hand lifted on its own to touch the ribbon around her neck. She blinked, and lowered her hand to rest it on her lap. "What about it?"

Natsumi shrugged. "I-It kind of sounds stupid, putting it into words and saying out loud... but, when we were shown the picture of the informant... I thought he was cute."

"I know."

"What?" Natsumi blushed and her eyes widened. "H-How?"

"You still haven't mastered masking your emotions yet." Sena winked. "You tried, but I noticed anyway. I didn't say anything before because I kind of thought your reaction was adorable and I didn't want to point it out and make you embarrassed in front of the Hokage and the Captain."

"Gee, thanks." Natsumi crossed her arms and made a face.

"He was pretty handsome." Sena giggled and nudged her again. "And a prince, too. It's not as if you have bad taste."

Natsumi sighed deeply.

I wonder if he's even alive now... he was captured, so he could have died weeks ago from torture... after all... we totally failed that mission.

"To be honest," Sena continued. "When you first brought up the subject, I thought you were talking about... him."

Natsumi blushed and waved her hands. "W-What?! W-Why?!"

She laughed and put an arm around Natsumi. "Maybe it was silly of me, automatically assuming you were talking about him like that, but it's what I thought of first."

Natsumi's blush deepened and she turned her face away, muttering. "I should have never said anything about it before."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to tease." Sena patted her head. "I've just known Kiri so long that a little bit of her has rubbed off on me." She paused. "But, if you do have a specific question in mind, we might be able to find some good advice in here."

"Hmm..." Natsumi pursed her lips. "I guess... if you've already figured out that you think a boy is cute, what do you do next?"

"Hmm..." Sena tapped her cheek. "I guess that's up to the situation, and what you want to do. If the person is a good friend, trying to force your affection on him could chase him away. If it's someone you don't know well, the only thing to really do next is to try to get to know them better and see if it develops into a crush or relationship on its own."

"What if... it's a complete stranger?" Natsumi muttered, staring at the opposite wall. Sena leaned close with a wry smile and Natsumi jumped and blushed. "W-What?!"

"I thought so." She giggled, and poked the girl's arm. "You thought one of the guys we passed today in town was cute, didn't you?"

Natsumi flushed a deep red and shook her head. "N-No! I..."

"It's okay. I won't tease you or tell anyone." Sena held her finger to her own lips.

Natsumi sighed and slouched slightly. "...I guess in this situation, it's kind of pointless to ask about this stuff, right? I mean, it's not like I'd see him again, even if I were to walk up and introduce myself."

"Maybe." Sena shrugged. "I know what Kiri would do, if she were in your position... but, I'm not sure what to tell you." She smiled. "This could be a good opportunity to test the waters, so to speak."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, even if you did introduce yourself or flirt, and if you did get rejected, I'd say you'd be pretty safe from embarrassment because you wouldn't be likely to ever see him again. You could kind of have a trial run, I guess, to figure out how to talk to boys."

I guess she has a point... even if I do see him again, and even if I did try to talk to him, and I end up humiliating myself, it's not as if anyone would ever find out. I could just pretend like it never happened.

"That might be impossible." She hugged her legs and drew them close. "The meeting with the Kazekage may have gone well, but we didn't exactly get a warm welcome from anyone else. I don't think anyone really wants us here."

"It's like Maisa said; there are a lot of people from the previous generation who haven't moved on since the Third Great Ninja War." Sena lowered her gaze to the floor, whispering. "Some lost people they loved, and can't move beyond grieving and pointing fingers, and some, I think, just like to fight. As much as I'd like to believe that the Leaf is better than that, I'm also not naïve enough to believe that there aren't people who think that way."

Natsumi nodded and kept silent.

There's so much more going on than I ever realized before I joined the ANBU. Everything's so complicated.

Sena yawned and glanced towards the shuttered window where the howling wind still beat against it.

"Even with all the noise, we should try to get some sleep. We're due to return home tomorrow after the sandstorm clears up, so we need to be well-rested."

Natsumi nodded again and laid down on her stomach with the magazine open in front of her as she retrieved the small flashlight from her pack.

"I'll go to bed in a few minutes. I'm not really tired yet, and reading sometimes puts me to sleep."

"Alright." Sena yawned again and covered herself with her blanket. "Goodnight, Natsumi."

"Goodnight, Sena."

She bit her lip as she started to read.

Maybe by morning I'll have a few things figured out, too...

Natsumi yawned as Sena set a plate in front of her and sat down.

"Were you up all night reading?"

Natsumi cracked open an eye and laughed under her breath as she rubbed her head. "Not the whole night. I tried to go to sleep, but my mind wouldn't turn off."

"Still stuck on that one subject?" Sena smiled and pressed her palms together and closed her eyes. After a moment, she opened them again and began to take small bites of her omelet.

"Yeah." Natsumi's cheeks warmed slightly as she pressed her own palms together and then started to eat. "Thanks for making breakfast. It's great, as usual."

"You're welcome."

"You guys look too happy. It's not fair." Aito opened the door and leaned against the doorframe, clutching a pillow as he looked over the girls with deep bags under his eyes. He shuffled to the table and sat down heavily on a chair, wincing as he laid his head on his arms with a groan.

"Aito, you look like death." Natsumi leaned forward slightly to examine his pale face.

"I feel like it." He muttered into his arms.

"Believe me, he looks much better now than he did yesterday." Sena retrieved a third omelet and set it in front of him. "I made one for you, too, but I wasn't sure if you'd feel up for eating."

"Thanks." Aito barely lifted his head as he shoved a large bite into his mouth.

Natsumi glanced toward the window as she ate slowly. "I wonder how much longer the sandstorm is supposed to last."

"I'm not sure. The wind's died down a lot, though." Sena finished her plate and leaned back in her chair. "I was hoping that we might have time to stop by to see Maisa before we have to leave. It'd be nice to stop by a few shops, too. Our Leaf cloaks aren't so great in the desert, after all."

"Shopping might be fun." Natsumi nodded "We should see if Maisa wants to come."

"You guys are girls, all right." Aito sighed and chewed slowly. "On a mission, and talking about shopping."

"New cloaks would be practical." Natsumi pointed out. "Ours are too hot."

Sena nodded. "Not to mention, it might be nice to be able to bring home a souvenir. I was hoping to be able to bring home some seeds. I want to try to crossbreed some berry bushes from our region with desert plants to see if any would survive the desert. It might be a fun project, and I'd be able to send some of the seeds to Maisa as a thank you if I succeed."

"That's if the villagers will even sell to us in the first place. They weren't friendly yesterday." Natsumi let out a short breath.

"It is the Hidden Sand; what do you expect?" Aito sat up slightly, resting in his chin in his hand. "The Hidden Sand has always been home to a stubborn, tough, resilient, and strong-willed people. It's a tough environment, so it makes sense that the people here also have to be tough. Wildlife here is more dangerous than we're used to, also."

"I guess you're right." Natsumi pursed her lips. Even so, it wouldn't hurt for them to be friendlier to their allies.

"Still..." Aito trailed off, his eyes darkening slightly as he talked to himself under his breath. "...it's unnatural for them to be so unwelcoming..."

The girls shared a look and Aito blinked suddenly and laughed to himself.

"I'm feeling better enough that it would probably be fine if I go shopping with you. It'd be rude to make you carry your own bags. Not to mention, you're bound to get lost without me."

"Actually, the Kazekage assigned a group of Chunin and Jonin to escort us." Sena took up her and Natsumi's plates and went over to the small kitchen in the suite to wash them. "So, you won't have to worry about us losing our way."

"Huh?" He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "An escort?" His eyes narrowed again in thought as he muttered to himself. "That's not how it usually goes."

"It does seem a little disheartening, as if they don't trust us, but I don't mind putting up with it for the time being." Sena smiled. "After all, we're all out of our element here, and we would get lost without them."

"Hmm..."

Natsumi looked at Aito out of the corner of her eyes.

He looks so serious... I wonder just what he was thinking about?

"Well, I can still go with you." Aito nodded and took another large bit of omelet. "I don't mind carrying shopping bags. I used to do it for my sister all the time, and I feel bad for making you meet with the Kazekage by yourselves yesterday."

"Don't worry about that. It went fine." Sena dried off her hands and turned to him. "I was so nervous that I thought I would faint, but I think for my first attempt at diplomacy, it wasn't so bad. If not too formal."

"I think it could have gone better, but it was still good overall." Natsumi nodded in agreement and stood, stretching. "Well, I'm going to get dressed to go out. Maybe the storm will be over by the time I'm ready."

"I'll make a list of everything we should pick up that we might need for the trip home." Sena looked at Aito. "Is there anything specific you'd like for us to look for?"

"The sweet chestnuts here are really good. I could eat buckets of them." He grinned and patted his stomach. "I haven't had them in a while."

"Fine, fine." She nodded and took his he shoved the final bite into his mouth. "I'll put it near the top of the list."

"Well, I think I'm going to shower before we head out." He stood and stretched as well, then doubled over and clutched his stomach as he groaned. "O-Or... maybe I'll just wait for you to get back."

He ran out of the room quickly and Sena shook her head slowly as she crossed her arms.

"Guys are so troublesome..."

"Thanks for inviting me along." Maisa smiled and titled her head, clutching a shopping bag in her hands. "I don't have a lot of friends, and they're always off on missions, so it's nice to spend time with someone besides Granny."

She covered her mouth with a giggle. "Don't tell her I said that. She seems tough, but she's actually a very sensitive person."

"We won't." Sena put a handle of chestnuts in her mouth, swallowing before continuing. "Thanks for coming with us."

"And thanks for helping us ditch the escort again." Natsumi laughed quietly and kept her voice low. "It's so uncomfortable to be followed around like that."

"Are you sure you can't stay just a little longer?" Maisa's smile faded slightly. "If you had more time, I could show you around to all my favorite places."

"Sorry." Sena shook her head. "We have to leave this evening, otherwise we'll be caught up in the next sandstorm."

"Sorry." Natsumi sighed quietly and held her own bag in her hand as she looked around to the various shops, with eyes staring at them from all around. She turned back to the older girls and smiled. "We can always keep in touch, though, if you'd like."

"Really?" Maisa's eyes widened slightly and she beamed. "I'd like that!"

They laughed for a moment, then Sena pointed to a booth where jewelry glinted in the sunlight.

"What's there?"

"You'll like this." Maisa led the girls over, and held up a pair of pearl earrings. "Pretty, right?" She smiled down at them in her hands. "My mother had earrings like these, except the pearls were purple. Purple pearls are extremely rare, so that means they're also very expensive. My father gave them to my mother when he proposed to her."

"Purple pearls?" Natsumi smiled and leaned closer to look at the earrings, then up at the girl. "They sound beautiful."

"They were." Maisa set the earrings down and her smiled faltered. "She died on a mission when I was young, and they could never find her body... but I've always wished that I could have at least had her earrings."

"Oh." Natsumi straightened, pressing her lips together. "I'm sorry."

Maisa shook her head slowly. "Don't be; she died with honor, as a Shinobi should. I may not have her earrings, but I resemble her, and I'm following in her footsteps as a healer. That's enough for me."

It's the same everywhere... people are hurting and grieving... so why are there people in the Hidden Villages who still can't even try to get along or be friendly? Don't we all know some amount of the same pain?

"Sorry for saying that so suddenly." Maisa sighed softly. "I don't get the opportunity to talk about my parents much. Every time I try, Granny goes quiet and hides away in her room for the rest of the day. It just slipped out, since you're so easy to talk to."

"Don't apologize." Sena smiled and touched her shoulder. "You should never be sorry for thinking of the people you love. Could you tell us more about them?"

Maisa blinked. "Really? You don't mind at all?"

Sena and Natsumi shook their heads.

"Not at all."

"Nope."

"Okay!" Maisa beamed and led them to look at another shop as she talked. "Well, my mother was born naturally gifted at Medical Ninjutsu and Herbalism. My father was born naturally gifted as a troublemaker, so he ended up getting hurt a lot. He tried to hide it from his family, so rather than going directly home, he would sneak into my family's apothecary for my mother to heal him at all times of the day or night. As they got older, they were assigned to a three-man squad together, and they ended up falling in love."

The girls listened as she talked, never interrupting as she went on as they shopped with a shared smile on their face. After a while, Maisa laughed and turned to them, standing still as she looked at them.

"Sorry; I've been going on and on for such a long time. I'd love to hear about your families, too."

Natsumi blinked and lowered her eyes. "I..."

"Oh." Maisa paused and stared at the ground. "...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed..."

"Don't apologize for it." Sena smiled and was quiet for a moment. "I don't remember my parents at all. I was in a terrible accident as a kid, and since then, I can't remember anything about my life before. But I imagine sometimes what my parents were like."

She closed her eyes as she thought. "...Sometimes I like to think that my mother loved to keep a garden like I do, and that I would help her in it. I think my father probably was a quiet man who liked to read. We would have enjoyed festivals, I think, too. My parents probably were terrible at the games, but I would always win a prize. We'd all eat sweets together and stay up late for the fireworks..."

Her eyes opened and held a faraway look as she smiled, then she blinked and her focus returned to her companions. "At least, that's what I imagine it was like before. Even if I don't know for sure, having those images in my mind make me happy."

Natsumi stared at her and clutched her bag tighter in her hands.

Sena... you've never told me all that before... have you been hiding that inside all this time?

"My Granny always says that I have good intuition." Maisa took Sena's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "And my gut tells me that your life must have been like that. I can tell you're a really good person, so I know that your family must have been good people, too."

Sena gave her hand a squeeze in return with a smile on her lips, though faint traces of sadness in her eyes. "Thank you."

Was it... because you were afraid to say it out loud? Does it hurt so much to think about, even if you've said before that you're okay not knowing?

"Natsumi... what about you?" Maisa spoke softly. "Do you have family? Or... did you?"

Natsumi laughed awkwardly and rubbed her head. "I... Well, I must have at one point, or else I wouldn't have been born." She lowered her arm slightly and gripped her bag again. "I don't know who my parents were, or even what they looked like, but I do have a brother. Every time I felt lonely, he was always there to cheer me up." She smiled faintly. "We're twins, so we've always been really close. We look out for each other, so it isn't so bad to not have our parents with us, but I think it would be unbearable if we weren't twins and had to bear it alone."

"You have a brother?" Maisa leaned closer to her. "I've always wished that I had a sibling. What's it like?"

"Well... he is pretty messy and tries to avoid helping with chores at all costs. He also hogs the bathroom sometimes and he used to get us into trouble often with his pranks and schemes. But at the end of the day... he's the one person I know that will always be there for me, and I don't know what I would do without him."

"He sounds great." Maisa smiled and glanced down at the watch on her wrist. "Oh! It's already lunchtime."

"Is it? It hasn't felt that long." Natsumi's stomach growled and she touched it. "But my stomach disagrees.'

"What should we get?" Sena looked around. "I'm hungry, too."

"I almost wish we were back home." Natsumi sighed and patted her stomach. "Some Ichiraku ramen sounds really good right about now."

"I know something better than ramen!" Maisa giggled, then pointed over to a bench. "Wait for me there, and I'll be back with something really good!"

"Okay." Sena sat and nodded, holding her hands in her lap.

Natsumi sat beside her with a small sigh, peering into her bag before leaning back and smirking slightly.

"'Something better than ramen...'" She giggled quietly. "If Naruto was here, he'd have gotten offended."

Sena laughed. "He would have caused quite the scene."

Naruto...

Natsumi looked up at the deep blue cloudless sky.

I wonder what he's up to right now.

Natsumi looked back down the street at the row of shops, breaking out into a blush suddenly and turning her head away.

Again?!

Sena blinked at her expression, and then smiled as she lowered her voice. "Is that boy here? Where?"

"Don't look!" Natsumi hissed as her face grew hotter. "He'll see."

"I think he already does." Sena giggled and glanced over to where a Sand Genin stood, watching them out of the corner of his eye. "Is that him?"

"W-What?!" Natsumi turned, meeting his eyes by accident and turned to face away again as her blush deepened. "Y-Yes... that's him."

"He's pretty cute, after all." Sena looked at Natsumi, gently nudging her side. "Why don't you go say hi? We have time to spare while we wait for Maisa to get back anyway."

"W-What?!" Natsumi shook her head quickly and moved a piece of hair in front of her face. "...I can't. I don't even know what I would say. I'd die of embarrassment."

"Well, as a Medical Ninja, I can assure you that you can't actually die of embarrassment." Sena put a hand on her shoulder. "But you don't have to if you don't want to. I'm only suggesting it because you subconsciously seem like you really want to."

"I-I don't..." Natsumi hugged her bag closer to her. "Besides, he was standing next to a girl yesterday. I'll bet that he's already got a girlfriend."

"Well, I don't see her now." Sena winked, and looked back to where he had been standing. "Huh. He's gone."

"He is?" Natsumi looked, then let out a sigh.

Well, now I don't have to make a decision anymore. That's a relief.

"I'm back!" Maisa grinned as she ran over and joined them. "Crêpes! Filled with fruit and chocolate."

Sena's eyes widened and she took one. "It looks so good! Thank you."

Natsumi took one for herself and took a large bite. "It tastes good."

Maisa sat beside them, taking a bite with a satisfied smile. "I know they're more of a dessert, but I have a real sweet tooth, and it's always better to eats sweets with friends."

"You know, with the Chunin Exams coming up, maybe you'll get the chance to visit the Leaf." Sena smiled as she ate. "A lot of people will be coming from different places to watch the matches in the third part. You could come visit then, and we could have our turn to show you our favorite shops. You could see my garden, too."

Maisa's eyes widened. "Really? That sounds great!" Her expression shifted and she sighed. "But... I don't think Granny would let me. She's entirely against me leaving the village at all, and she needs me to help her with the shop." She paused, then clenched a fist. "But I won't give up! I'll do extra chores and do whatever it takes to convince her to let me come!"

"That's the spirit!" Natsumi grinned. "We'd have so much fun together if you came."

"We could find out what happened to Saori's daughter, too." Sena nodded in thought. "Maybe we could find her, and you could bring a picture of her back to Saori. And you could stay with me while you're there. We could make it a sleep-over."

"In that case, I can't afford to not go!" Maisa looked between them. "I swear, I'll find some way to come."

"I look forward to it." Sena held up her Crêpe as if toasting. "To friendship?"

"To friendship."

"Are we all ready to go?" Aito looked between the two girls, who crossed their arms.

"If you are." Natsumi held in a laugh.

"Are you sure you feel fine now?" Sena raised a brow. "We don't want to have any... problems once we're in the desert."

"Hey!" He made a face. "If I say I'm fine, then I am!"

They shared a look and he put his hands on his hips.

"You guys don't have any faith in me, do you?"

Sena patted his arm with a small smile. "Sure we do."

"We also know that you downplay your problems."

"Ugh." He rolled his eyes, but smiled and reached out to ruffle their hair with both hands. "Y'know, I'm glad you two came with me instead of anyone else. They would have been teasing me the whole time instead of looking out for me."

"Oh, don't count on it not happening." Nastumi swatted his hand away and laughed as they headed toward the north entrance. "Once everyone finds out, I'm sure they'll tease you."

He squinted at her. "You're gonna tell everyone?"

Sena giggled and covered her mouth. "Even if we didn't, the truth would come out sooner or later."

"True." Aito let out a sigh, mumbling. "As if the Captain needed any more material to harass me with."

They neared the entrance and Sena sighed softly as she looked around.

"Not much of a welcome." She whispered. "And, no sendoff to speak of. I wish Maisa could have at least come to say goodbye."

"We'll see her soon, with any luck." Natsumi smiled. "So, don't worry."

"I know." Sena nodded. "Goodbyes are always hard for me. But don't tell anyone."

"I won't."

Aito groaned softly and the girls rolled their eyes.

"I uh... need a moment." He touched his stomach and Natsumi put a hand on her hip.

"Just one?"

He chuckled and backed away slowly. "Last time, I swear. Be right back."

He ran off, and the girls let out a heavy sigh and shook their heads.

"I knew we should have stayed another night." Nastumi mumbled.

"Maybe, but then we'd be too late." Sena shifted to stand in the shade, her eyes wandering to the narrow path of the entrance as she bit her lip and looked away.

Natsumi frowned slightly and stood closer to her.

"Can I tell you a secret?"

Sena looked over and nodded. "What is it?"

"I..." Natsumi scratched her cheek. "I'm afraid of deep water. It doesn't even have to be very deep, either. I'm not a good swimmer, and I always get anxiety even just thinking about water if it's too tall for me to stand up in." She paused. "I've managed to keep it a secret from Naruto all this time, even though he used to love to swim in lakes when we'd go fishing as kids. I always made up excuses to not get in the water."

Sena smiled faintly and leaned closer until their arms touched.

"Thanks." Sena glanced back at the path. "I try to act like small spaces don't bother me... but in reality, I'm always afraid of getting trapped. I just... don't want to be a burden if anyone were to find out."

"You're not a burden."

After a pause, the corners of Sena's mouth twitched in a smirk and she turned her back on the village street. "Don't look now, but your stalker is back."

Natsumi blushed and looked over her shoulder briefly, letting out a small squeak as she turned back around.

"He's here!" She hissed and Sena laughed under her breath. "W-Why?"

"Why don't you go ask him yourself?" Sena nudged her side. "No one else is here to see. Just go say hi. You won't get another chance."

Her blushed deepened and she bit her lip.

Even if she's right... I can't muster up the courage to even wave.

"How about this? I'll hide so you won't feel watched."

"I..." Natsumi shook her head, grabbing Sena's arm and pulling her toward the passage. "I can't. Let's just wait for Aito on the other side."

"Alright, alright." Sena smiled. "I won't push."

Natsumi sighed and let go of her arm as they started to walk through.

Look at me. I'm too much of a coward to even say hello.

She bit her lip and clenched her fists.

I'm the one who survived being a human sacrifice and then insulted the infamous Orochimaru to his face, dammit. I'm not that much of a coward.

Halfway through, she drew in a breath and turned, running back.

"Natsumi?" Sena hugged her arms close and turned to watch her go back, following her slightly and peering around the corner.

I am not a coward. I am not a coward.

Natsumi stopped in front of the boy, who looked down at her in surprise and crossed his arms.

"What do you want?"

"I..." She paused and met his eyes. "I'm Natsumi. And you're cute."

He blinked. "W-What?"

I am not a coward.

"I said you're cute." She lifted herself onto her tiptoes, grabbing his collar to pull him closer to press her lips to his.

"Hey—!" His eyes widened as she kissed him, and he leaned in subconsciously.

Natsumi pulled away after a minute, blushing furiously as she turned and ran back to where Sena stood, wide eyed.

"Natsumi!" Sena covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. "I said to talk to him."

Natsumi's ears reddened as she glanced over her shoulder at the stunned boy as he stood and stared at her. He moved to take a step toward her, and she started to push Sena forward.

"Time to go." Natsumi tugged her quickly through the passage until they stood just outside the village. She stopped to catch her breath with her heart pounding in her ears.

I did that. I really did that.

"I can't tell who is more surprised." Sena laughed quietly. "Me, him, or you."

Oh my gosh. I really did that.

"I just have one question." Sena leaned closer. "Was that your first kiss?"

Natsumi nodded after a moment and Sena giggled.

"I thought so... but it didn't look like it at all."

"...Please don't tell Kiri about this. Or... anyone else." Natsumi hid her face behind her hands. "Kiri aside, I think Naruto would freak out for sure."

"My lips are sealed." Sena giggled, then leaned closer to whisper. "Speaking of lips... you have some face paint smeared on yours."

Natsumi blushed, quickly wiping her face with the sleeve of her cloak, creating a purple smudge there.

"Sorry!" Aito ran up, waving until he caught up and took a breath. "I'm ready now."

"Are you sure about that?" Sena smirked faintly and looked up at him. "No more bathroom breaks?"

He made a face and stuck out his tongue. "Ha ha. Very funny." He walked in front of them, puffing his cheeks indignantly. "Come on; the sooner we get home, the sooner I can start washing sand off."

He looked over his shoulder at the girls, then pointed at Natsumi. "Are you okay? Your face is all red."

"I-It's nothing." She turned away, and Sena laughed and put an arm around her shoulder.

"We were just talking about girl stuff while we waited for you. Nothing important."

"Oh, I love girl talk." He laughed. "I used to eavesdrop on Asahi when she had sleepovers with her friends. You may not know this about me, but I love juicy gossip."

Natsumi and Sena shared a look.

"Oh, we know." Sena laughed.

"Hey! What's with that tone?" Aito crossed his arms and walked backwards. "Are you insinuating something?"

"Yes, Aito Tamura, I am." Sena walked past him slightly, then looked over her shoulder. "I'm insinuating that you act like a teenage girl sometimes."

"Hey! I do not!" He pointed at her. "You're the one who acts like a teenage girl."

Natsumi laughed and walked beside Sena. "She is a teenage girl."

"Well—" He lowered his hand, recrossing his arms as he walked faster. "Less talking, more walking. We've got to hurry back to deliver our report to the Hokage."

"He really doesn't act his age." Natsumi leaned over to Sena, lowering her voice.

"It's honestly hard to believe that he's eleven years older than me." Sena nodded and replied quietly.

"Really? He's that old?"

"I heard that!" Aito called over his shoulder. "And, I'm not old! I'm in my prime!"

"Right."

The girls giggled and winked at each other.

"Hey Aito... are you hungry? There's some cactus fruit there." Natsumi pointed, and he made a face.

"You know what?" He puffed his cheeks and turned around. "Say what you want, but I'm not gonna talk to you the whole way back."

He quickened his pace and Natsumi laughed.

"Oh, don't be like that! Wait up!"