A/N: Whee! Chapter three. Enjoy!
-- Sakura Kaijuu
*~*
Chapter Three
As they walked, Shikamaru had something he needed to say, "Ino, I need to get Naruto and Kiba too."
"Right. Let's go then," Ino tried to smile. "Let's go get Kiba first. I think Naruto might still be mad at me."
"Sure."
They walked in silence until they reached Kiba's house. Shikamaru knocked on the door. When Kiba's sister answered, she took one look as the pair of them and said, "I'll get Kiba and Akamaru."
Kiba wasn't wearing his coat today. After greeting each other the door shut and silence fell again.
When Shikamaru knocked on Naruto's door, Naruto opened it silently and sighed. He barely looked at the four of them, and they kept going.
*~*
When they arrived at the memorial stone, Naruto remembered the first time he had been there, when he had stolen the lunches, and when Kakashi-sensei had told them that the stone was where the names of heroes who had died were engraved. And that his best friend's name was carved on the stone. He had thought that it was horrible, but he never imagined that he would see his own friends on there. At least not so soon.
Ino kneeled and laid down the flowers she had grabbed. Her shoulders started shaking and Kiba and Naruto looked on with uncertainty. Shikamaru, however, turned her around and they all saw the tears running down her cheeks. He sighed and patted her on the shoulder. Suddenly she let out a shuddering breath and just fell to her knees in tears. She had never wanted Chouji dead. Never ever. Chouji was her friend. Sure he had died a hero, but what did that matter? He was dead!
Shikamaru sat down in front of her and she looked up a little. "Ino...Calm down." She was surprised to see so much sorrow and empathy in those eyes. She let out a wail and threw herself onto Shikamaru, taking him completely by surprise and knocking him over. Kiba and Naruto stood there dumbstruck while a blush slowly creeped over Shikamaru's face.
Silently from behind them came Hinata bearing the flowers Ino had given to her. Kiba and Naruto watched her as she too placed her flowers in front of the stone and bowed to it. She wasn't crying, but she didn't look too good...
Naruto sighed in exasperation. When the other four looked at him, he looked away and frowned, "If we're going to visit these people, why do we always have to be sad? Why can't we remember stuff about them? I hate this!"
Naruto flopped down on the ground violently and crossed his arms. Kiba and Hinata were looking at him, kind of startled by the break in the silence. Shikamaru and Ino, on the ground already, blinked at him.
Ino breathed deeply and sat up. Shikamaru, while relieved that Ino was okay now, was a little jealous. Why had Naruto been able to calm her down? He blinked. 'Why should I care? At least she's off me now.'
Ino looked up and sighed. "I'm sorry, Shikamaru. I mean, thank you. Oh...I mean...um..."
"You're welcome, Ino," Shikamaru said.
"I'm sure that Neji-ni-san and Chouji-kun appreciate this," Hinata smiled at the sky.
"Yeah..." Kiba grinned. Akamaru barked in agreement.
After about 15 minutes, Shikamaru stood up again. "Well, I have to be going. My mom will kill me if I'm late for dinner. Now that I think about it, I think I was supposed to train with my dad today. Oh well."
Naruto looked at the sky. It was getting dark. "Yeah, I gotta go too. Iruka-sensei said that he'd treat me to ramen tonight!"
"How come?" Kiba looked genuinely curious.
"Because my birthday's next week! He said he'd treat me all week, unless something came up!"
"That's sweet of him," Ino smiled. Maybe Naruto wasn't as much of a dork as she had thought. 'I mean...if Hinata thinks that he's so awesome, there's gotta be something more to him than meets the eye...Just like Chouji and Shikamaru...'
Naruto grinned his goofy grin and hopped up. "Well I gotta go now! Seeya later guys!"
"Yup. Definitely SOON," Ino replied, remembering the master plan.
"Hee hee..." Naruto snickered, and then started humming a stupid little tune as he walked away from the field and back into town.
*~*
As Naruto approached the Ichiraku Ramen stand, he smiled and waved, "Hi Iruka-sensei!"
Iruka grinned and waved back. When Naruto was finally at the stand, Iruka just kept smiling, "Well, Naruto, here begins your week long birthday treat from me. Turning 17 is always a big deal. So I have another surprise..."
"Surprise? What?" Naruto looked as excited as a little kid.
A very tall familiar form came out from behind Ichiraku's curtain. A guy with long, long, white, bristly hair. "Hey Naruto. Long time no see."
"Ero-sennin? What are you doing here?" Naruto looked pleased. He wasn't as tall as he remembered.
Jiraiya flinched a little. "Naruto...Please don't call me that. Haven't you grown up at all?"
Naruto grinned, "I know, Jiraiya-sensei. How have you been?"
"Excellent, actually. Have you been practicing the Rasengan?"
"A little, but I'm a little stuck. I think I need your help."
"All right. How about tomorrow afternoon?"
"Cool! Now let's go eat!" Naruto pushed back the curtain and followed Jiraiya and Iruka inside.
*~*
Sakura sat up in her bed. She couldn't sleep. Looking at her clock, she saw that it was midnight. "Wow...Well..." she looked around. Her room was lit with moonlight. "I'm gonna go for a walk."
Sakura got dressed and went to the door and slipped on her shoes. As she stepped out into the cool, calm night she sighed. "Where am I gonna go?" she asked herself out loud. She saw some flowers on the side of her house. She knew her mother would kill her, but she needed those flowers.
*~*
Sakura smelled the flowers she was carrying and pushed her way through the trees to the training grounds. She gasped slightly. There was someone else there with his hands in his pockets, staring at the stone.
"Sasuke-kun?!" Sakura's arms dropped in shock. "What are you doing here?"
Sasuke turned and saw her. "Hi Sakura."
Sakura approached the memorial slowly and placed the flowers on the ground. She stood and bowed. "Well, Sasuke? Why are you here?"
Sasuke flinched. He rubbed the spot on his neck where the curse seal used to be. "I come here every night."
"Oh..." Sakura remembered that chase...She remembered finding out that Chouji and Neji were dead. She had been there for Ino. It was the first time in a long time that they were really there for each other. She knew how much Sasuke must be hurting. Sasuke reached up to his forehead and pulled the leaf band off. After staring at it for a moment, he threw it. It hit the stone and clattered to the ground. The sound of the metal hitting stone hung in the air for a moment.
Sakura was taken aback by this. She picked up the hitai-ate. She ran her fingers over the surface of the metal plate. It was scratched and dented all over. "Sasuke-kun..." she looked at him slowly, "Have you been coming here every night for the past four years?"
They both knew the question that she'd asked was really, "Have you been throwing this at the stone for the past four years?"
"Yes." Sasuke was struggling. He never liked admitting weakness. But Sakura deserved to know. So did Naruto. And Kakashi. He had been acting so strangely since he returned to Konoha. He held his head in his hands, "Shit!"
"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura wasn't sure if she should comfort him or not.
He stood up straight and looked at her, "I'm going home. You should too." He put his hands back in his pockets and left the clearing.
A few minutes later, Sakura realized that she was still holding his headband. "Damn! Oh well...I'll give it to him tomorrow. She thought about where he had rubbed his neck. She remembered that day. Tsunade-sama and Jiraiya-san had worked together to remove the curse seal while Sakura and Naruto watched. At the time she hadn't understood why they wanted both of them there. But now that she was under both Tsunade's and Kakashi's tutelage, she understood. Tsunade was passing down her skills to Sakura, as was Jiraiya to Naruto. She was scared to think now that Sasuke really was like Orochimaru.
She sighed. She was thinking too much about the past. She had to get back home. She was getting sleepy, and she could never be sure if Kakashi would be late or not.
*~*
A/N: Whee hee! I'm liking this fic. It's fun to write. Next chapter: a new mission, a new something, and probably some fluff ;p
-- Sakura Kaijuu
-- Sakura Kaijuu
*~*
Chapter Three
As they walked, Shikamaru had something he needed to say, "Ino, I need to get Naruto and Kiba too."
"Right. Let's go then," Ino tried to smile. "Let's go get Kiba first. I think Naruto might still be mad at me."
"Sure."
They walked in silence until they reached Kiba's house. Shikamaru knocked on the door. When Kiba's sister answered, she took one look as the pair of them and said, "I'll get Kiba and Akamaru."
Kiba wasn't wearing his coat today. After greeting each other the door shut and silence fell again.
When Shikamaru knocked on Naruto's door, Naruto opened it silently and sighed. He barely looked at the four of them, and they kept going.
*~*
When they arrived at the memorial stone, Naruto remembered the first time he had been there, when he had stolen the lunches, and when Kakashi-sensei had told them that the stone was where the names of heroes who had died were engraved. And that his best friend's name was carved on the stone. He had thought that it was horrible, but he never imagined that he would see his own friends on there. At least not so soon.
Ino kneeled and laid down the flowers she had grabbed. Her shoulders started shaking and Kiba and Naruto looked on with uncertainty. Shikamaru, however, turned her around and they all saw the tears running down her cheeks. He sighed and patted her on the shoulder. Suddenly she let out a shuddering breath and just fell to her knees in tears. She had never wanted Chouji dead. Never ever. Chouji was her friend. Sure he had died a hero, but what did that matter? He was dead!
Shikamaru sat down in front of her and she looked up a little. "Ino...Calm down." She was surprised to see so much sorrow and empathy in those eyes. She let out a wail and threw herself onto Shikamaru, taking him completely by surprise and knocking him over. Kiba and Naruto stood there dumbstruck while a blush slowly creeped over Shikamaru's face.
Silently from behind them came Hinata bearing the flowers Ino had given to her. Kiba and Naruto watched her as she too placed her flowers in front of the stone and bowed to it. She wasn't crying, but she didn't look too good...
Naruto sighed in exasperation. When the other four looked at him, he looked away and frowned, "If we're going to visit these people, why do we always have to be sad? Why can't we remember stuff about them? I hate this!"
Naruto flopped down on the ground violently and crossed his arms. Kiba and Hinata were looking at him, kind of startled by the break in the silence. Shikamaru and Ino, on the ground already, blinked at him.
Ino breathed deeply and sat up. Shikamaru, while relieved that Ino was okay now, was a little jealous. Why had Naruto been able to calm her down? He blinked. 'Why should I care? At least she's off me now.'
Ino looked up and sighed. "I'm sorry, Shikamaru. I mean, thank you. Oh...I mean...um..."
"You're welcome, Ino," Shikamaru said.
"I'm sure that Neji-ni-san and Chouji-kun appreciate this," Hinata smiled at the sky.
"Yeah..." Kiba grinned. Akamaru barked in agreement.
After about 15 minutes, Shikamaru stood up again. "Well, I have to be going. My mom will kill me if I'm late for dinner. Now that I think about it, I think I was supposed to train with my dad today. Oh well."
Naruto looked at the sky. It was getting dark. "Yeah, I gotta go too. Iruka-sensei said that he'd treat me to ramen tonight!"
"How come?" Kiba looked genuinely curious.
"Because my birthday's next week! He said he'd treat me all week, unless something came up!"
"That's sweet of him," Ino smiled. Maybe Naruto wasn't as much of a dork as she had thought. 'I mean...if Hinata thinks that he's so awesome, there's gotta be something more to him than meets the eye...Just like Chouji and Shikamaru...'
Naruto grinned his goofy grin and hopped up. "Well I gotta go now! Seeya later guys!"
"Yup. Definitely SOON," Ino replied, remembering the master plan.
"Hee hee..." Naruto snickered, and then started humming a stupid little tune as he walked away from the field and back into town.
*~*
As Naruto approached the Ichiraku Ramen stand, he smiled and waved, "Hi Iruka-sensei!"
Iruka grinned and waved back. When Naruto was finally at the stand, Iruka just kept smiling, "Well, Naruto, here begins your week long birthday treat from me. Turning 17 is always a big deal. So I have another surprise..."
"Surprise? What?" Naruto looked as excited as a little kid.
A very tall familiar form came out from behind Ichiraku's curtain. A guy with long, long, white, bristly hair. "Hey Naruto. Long time no see."
"Ero-sennin? What are you doing here?" Naruto looked pleased. He wasn't as tall as he remembered.
Jiraiya flinched a little. "Naruto...Please don't call me that. Haven't you grown up at all?"
Naruto grinned, "I know, Jiraiya-sensei. How have you been?"
"Excellent, actually. Have you been practicing the Rasengan?"
"A little, but I'm a little stuck. I think I need your help."
"All right. How about tomorrow afternoon?"
"Cool! Now let's go eat!" Naruto pushed back the curtain and followed Jiraiya and Iruka inside.
*~*
Sakura sat up in her bed. She couldn't sleep. Looking at her clock, she saw that it was midnight. "Wow...Well..." she looked around. Her room was lit with moonlight. "I'm gonna go for a walk."
Sakura got dressed and went to the door and slipped on her shoes. As she stepped out into the cool, calm night she sighed. "Where am I gonna go?" she asked herself out loud. She saw some flowers on the side of her house. She knew her mother would kill her, but she needed those flowers.
*~*
Sakura smelled the flowers she was carrying and pushed her way through the trees to the training grounds. She gasped slightly. There was someone else there with his hands in his pockets, staring at the stone.
"Sasuke-kun?!" Sakura's arms dropped in shock. "What are you doing here?"
Sasuke turned and saw her. "Hi Sakura."
Sakura approached the memorial slowly and placed the flowers on the ground. She stood and bowed. "Well, Sasuke? Why are you here?"
Sasuke flinched. He rubbed the spot on his neck where the curse seal used to be. "I come here every night."
"Oh..." Sakura remembered that chase...She remembered finding out that Chouji and Neji were dead. She had been there for Ino. It was the first time in a long time that they were really there for each other. She knew how much Sasuke must be hurting. Sasuke reached up to his forehead and pulled the leaf band off. After staring at it for a moment, he threw it. It hit the stone and clattered to the ground. The sound of the metal hitting stone hung in the air for a moment.
Sakura was taken aback by this. She picked up the hitai-ate. She ran her fingers over the surface of the metal plate. It was scratched and dented all over. "Sasuke-kun..." she looked at him slowly, "Have you been coming here every night for the past four years?"
They both knew the question that she'd asked was really, "Have you been throwing this at the stone for the past four years?"
"Yes." Sasuke was struggling. He never liked admitting weakness. But Sakura deserved to know. So did Naruto. And Kakashi. He had been acting so strangely since he returned to Konoha. He held his head in his hands, "Shit!"
"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura wasn't sure if she should comfort him or not.
He stood up straight and looked at her, "I'm going home. You should too." He put his hands back in his pockets and left the clearing.
A few minutes later, Sakura realized that she was still holding his headband. "Damn! Oh well...I'll give it to him tomorrow. She thought about where he had rubbed his neck. She remembered that day. Tsunade-sama and Jiraiya-san had worked together to remove the curse seal while Sakura and Naruto watched. At the time she hadn't understood why they wanted both of them there. But now that she was under both Tsunade's and Kakashi's tutelage, she understood. Tsunade was passing down her skills to Sakura, as was Jiraiya to Naruto. She was scared to think now that Sasuke really was like Orochimaru.
She sighed. She was thinking too much about the past. She had to get back home. She was getting sleepy, and she could never be sure if Kakashi would be late or not.
*~*
A/N: Whee hee! I'm liking this fic. It's fun to write. Next chapter: a new mission, a new something, and probably some fluff ;p
-- Sakura Kaijuu
