Disclaimer – It's right at the top of the first chapter. Read it again if you're desperate. A/N Just trying a different method of formatting.
Chapter 3
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"Ramen! Ramen! Raaaamen," chants Naruto as he proudly marched through the streets of Leaf Village.
"Ramen for me because I did a dangerous mission! Hooray!"
"Ramen for me because now I've got some money for doing a dangerous mission!"
It's quite obvious that the young kid is quite ecstatic about his good fortune. He could remember quite clearly the events of that morning, when after two days the two groups made their way out of the forest, into the mission office and delivered their report and information personally to Tsunade.
He could remember looking at the pay slip Tsunade handed him for his services. He couldn't remember exactly how many zeroes were on it.
He remembered trying to figure out how much would have to go into his expenses for the basics of living – rent, milk and instant ramen. He remembered failing miserably and eventually managed to bug Sakura into doing it for him. ("If you don't, I'll give you a big, sloppy kiss!")
He still couldn't remember how many zeroes were on the slip after Sakura handed it back to him, with her neat calculations down the side. There were just too many.
Naruto remembers trying to think how on earth he could eat all the ramen he could buy with the left over money. Immediately he thinks to invite his friends to eat with him, explaining the plan to cut away at his newly rejuvenated flog-wallet by paying for all his friends.
He remembers Sakura getting up him for being such an idiot. ("Who'd want to buy a whole heap of ramen just to cut away at your bank account?!") He remembers laughing as Sasuke told him they were all capable of paying for themselves anyway, as they got the same amount as he did.
He remembers asking all of them if they want to come anyway. Shino politely refused, stating simply that he had to keep to a special diet. Kiba refused as well. It was something about 'family reasons.' Naruto was somewhat surprised when Sasuke agreed. ("I've got nothing left in my cupboards.")
Of course, that meant that Sakura-chan would be coming as well. ("Sasuke-kun…"). Hinata said she'd be there, ("T-Thank you for inviting me, Naruto-kun"), which had Naruto slightly confused as well. He was under the impression she didn't have much of a social life. Maybe she was trying to open up or something?
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And now, the blonde chuunin strolls marches through the streets to his home while chanting some very strange things about ramen.
He passes by the academy and chuckles at Iruka, who is trying desperately to chase down little Konohamaru.
"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto calls out, causing Iruka to momentarily lose his concentration. Konohamaru leaps to the trees and Iruka curses.
"Naruto! You did that on purpose, didn't you!"
Naruto sticks his tongue out at his old teacher, who looks furious for a second but he quickly mellows out and begins to grin.
"So you got back from your mission alright? How'd it go?"
"Too easy for me, Iruka-sensei. Those guys needed stronger shinobi's!"
Iruka chuckles at the arrogant little brat in front of him.
"Well done. I'm sorry I can't hear more right now, but I should be teaching. When you catch up with your little friend, tell him I want him back in my class."
"Sure sure."
And Naruto continues on his merry way, eventually arriving at his house.
Just in time for lunch!
Just as Naruto is about to tuck into some instant Miso ramen, Kakashi strolls through the front door, book in hand.
"You know, you should really learn to lock your door."
"Kakashi-sensei! You should have seen it! I totally kicked ass!"
Kakashi's surprise entrance doesn't seem to perturb Naruto. It's hardly a surprise for the young ninja. Kakashi shows up where he wants, when he wants.
Kakashi grins under his mask. "I'm sure you did. I just thought I'd pop by to see how you were going, and to tell you that I've got another mission for you tomorrow. Same time, same place."
"Yeah yeah. Hey! We're going to have ramen tonight. Want to come?" enquires Naruto hopefully. "That way I can tell you about my cool moves!"
Kakashi's grin widens.
"If you're paying"
"Of course! I'm so rich after that last mission! It's so awesome!"
"Well I'll see you at the ramen stand later tonight then. Bye"
Kakashi waves cheerfully as he strolls out the door, leaving Naruto to his steaming bowl of ramen.
Ah ramen. How I love thee
When darkness descends around the village, Naruto decides it's time to go to the ramen shop, giggling in his mind.
Hehe. If I'm there early, I can slip a few extra bowls in without anyone noticing
The hyperactive ninja's eyes roam all over the place as he strolls leisurely towards the ramen shop, not really finding anything to keep his attention for more than a few seconds at most. A cat running across the street. A tree shedding a few leaves. A bird diving from another tree to land on a power line. A sobbing Hinata on a park bench. The sign above the ramen st…
Wait a minute.
A sobbing Hinata on a park bench. That didn't feel right. A medium sized backpack was on the bench next to her.
Naruto didn't have a mean heart. So he went to find out what was wrong.
"Hey, Hinata," says Naruto as he sits on the park bench next to her. "What's the problem? What's in here?"
Naruto pokes the backpack suspiciously, as though expecting the thing to explode. Hinata stifles a giggle through her tears, with the net result being some kind of snort. Naruto bursts out laughing.
"What's gotten you so down?"
"N-nothing."
"You can't fool me. I know something is wrong. Or else you wouldn't be crying."
Hinata stops sobbing and wipes away a tear.
"I'm not crying. I'm strong enough not to cry."
"Come on Hinata…" Naruto coaxes, and he finally gets a substantial response.
"I told my parents about how I completed the mission and killed that jounin and everything… And they just didn't care."
Hinata stops to rub her eyes, then continues on.
"And I kind of snapped. I couldn't take it. I told them I was packing up and going."
Hinata turns to look Naruto dead in the eye.
"And they didn't say a thing. Not a single thing. I went to my room and packed up without considering the consequences. I've got no-where to stay and I'm not going back."
Naruto looks at Hinata proudly and stretches out to pat her on the shoulder.
"Well done. Stick to your word. Now grab that backpack of yours and lets get some ramen. I'm sure everything will sort itself out."
Naruto's optimistic attitude must have instilled some sense of hope into Hinata, that somehow, just somehow, everything will turn out just right after a bowl or two of ramen. She grabs her pack and slings it around her back and begins to follow Naruto into the ramen shop.
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"Hey old man! A bowl of miso ramen!"
"Ummm… I'll have one too please."
"No worries young-un's! Give me five minutes!"
The silence is unbearable for Hinata, who can't find anything with which to occupy her while they wait. This isn't a problem for Naruto – the smells emanating from the kitchen have him in a trance.
Eventually, Hinata decides to break the silence rather than stare at the empty table.
"Naruto-kun, why did you come here so early?"
Naruto's face flips away from the kitchen in a blink and looks at Hinata in absolute seriousness.
"You've gotta promise to tell absolutely no-one what I'm about to tell you, okay?"
Hinata nods in nervous agreement. Naruto takes this at face value and moves closer, glancing left and right as he does so.
"It's because I wanted to eat a few bowls of ramen before anyone else got here. If Sakura knew, she'd chuck a fit and call me a fat pig," the blonde ninja whispers conspiratorially.
Hinata does a minor sweatdrop.
"T-that's a good plan."
And the ramen arrives. Naruto doesn't waste any time gobbling his down and asks for another. Hinata eats at a more leisurely pace and just finishes when Naruto's second bowl arrives.
Naruto eats slightly slower this time. Just as the waiter takes his bowl back, Sakura walks in. Naruto heaves a sigh of relief.
"Sakura-chan!"
He stands up and waves. Sakura notices them and walks over. Just as she is about to take the seat next to Naruto, a puff of smoke heralds Kakashi's arrival… In the seat Sakura was about to use.
"Sorry Sakura. I hope you weren't about to use this seat?"
Sakura grunts and sits next to Hinata instead. Kakashi grins wanly under his mask.
"Is Sasuke-kun here yet?" Sakura asks hopefully.
"Use your eyes Sakura," admonishes Kakashi. "Does it look like he is?"
Sakura pouts. Why is he so damn annoying?
Kakashi, Naruto, Hinata and Sakura order.
"I'll have a garlic ramen thanks," mentions Sasuke to the old fogy as he silently slips into place next to Sakura.
"Sasuke-kun!" She gasps. "How was your day?"
"Boring."
He shrugs. It's a good thing Sasuke chose not to elaborate further, because at that moment, Naruto chose to launch into a graphic description of his fight with the jounin.
What a moron
Sasuke attempts to fend off several advances made at him by Sakura, but sort of fails. He won't admit it openly, but he's actually trying to listen in on Naruto's explanation of the fight.
Owing to the exaggeration of Naruto's story, he's barely halfway through when the noodles arrive. The arrival of food doesn't prevent him from continuing, indeed, the only change is that now Naruto somehow seems to be telling the story with a mouthful of noodles.
"And then, Hinata killed the guy with her kunai as he came past the corner. Of course, I was all ready to do my Naruto Rendan combo, but she saved me from wasting all that chakra," Naruto finishes while slurping up the rest of his noodles.
Kakashi hasn't even touched his.
"Oh yeah," mentions Naruto as an after thought, "Hinata ran away from home. Does anyone have any ideas on where she can stay?"
Hinata blushes and attempts to hide under the table. Kakashi remains ambiguous behind his mask. Sasuke's eyes widen oh so slightly.
Sakura slams her hands on the table and screams directly into Naruto's ear.
"You great big moron! You need to sort out your priorities! Hinata's problem is a heap more important than your 'great victory'! Idiot!"
Sakura calms down slightly and turns to talk to Hinata.
"I'd let you stay at my place, but I don't think my parents would enjoy having anyone stay over for more than a night. Sorry."
"No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to put anyone on the spot like this. The threat of my parents suddenly wanting me back is quite a deterrent as well."
"Actually," says Sakura, "I don't think that would matter too much to most of us here. What I don't understand is why that idiot didn't invite you to stay at his place straight away."
"Eh?" grunts Naruto as he looks up from a bowl of ramen that has mysteriously appeared in front of him.
"YOU TOTAL MORON!" *Thump!*
Naruto quickly rights his seat and climbs back on it then scratches the back of his head in thought.
"I guess I was thinking too much about ramen… But that would work well! It'd be cool having someone to live with me, and you stay for as long as you want, cause I've got no parents who might get annoyed, and I don't give a stuff about your parents. This is gunna be fun!"
Naruto prances around in excitement, and Hinata blushes as she watches him.
"Thank you so much Naruto. It – it means a lot to me, having someone who is willing to take me in like this."
"No problem. Like I said, this is going to be awesome!"
Kakashi turns around and grins at his student.
"Well Naruto, it'll be interesting to see if you change with a new roomie. Speaking of her – Hinata?"
"Yes?"
"You're being split off from your team to help these guys with their next mission. It's a tough one and will require a medic, that's why we've gotten you."
"What about my team's mission?"
"Don't worry. I've talked to Kurenai about it, and she said she'd give your team easy missions until you get back."
"…" Hinata doesn't look too convinced.
"This is an extremely important mission in the overall scheme of things. If you feel like coming, Naruto will show you where to go in the morning. Anyway, I've got to go now. Thanks for the meal Naruto!"
"But Kakashi-sensei, you haven't…" Naruto begins, gesturing to Kakashi's – empty - bowl of ramen.
Naruto hmphs. When'd he eat that?
Sasuke stands up to leave, and Sakura turns with him.
"Thanks Naruto," says Sasuke. "It was an interesting experience."
The corners of Sasuke's mouth lift up in a small grin.
"Sasuke-kun! Are you leaving already? Would you walk me home please? My mum would have a fit if she knew I was walking home all alone at nighttime…"
Either the fact that Sakura is one of the best leaf genins around has evaded her notice, or she's up to something. Sasuke bets on the latter – The fact that she is smiling coyly tips the odds in his favour.
He sighs, and not for the first time wonders what he's done to attract the attention of all the girls his age. He visibly rolls his eyes into the back of his head before replying.
"Come on then, I don't have all day."
*Thunk*
The pink haired shinobi and Naruto both pick their jaws off the ground at the same time and spend some time trying to shove them back into place.
"Ahh… Thank you. My mum will be so pleased."
"Whatever. Let's go"
Sasuke slides past the corner of the stand, with Sakura following like a meek little dog. Naruto sighs as both of them pass out of view, then shakes his head.
"Ah well," he says, grinning in that foxy way of his, "we may as well get going as well, eh?"
Hinata nods in agreement. "Ah, okay."
Naruto counts out some money, hands it to the geezer behind the counter and walks out of the stand with his new roommate next to him.
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Sasuke and Sakura have been walking for about five minutes in dead silence. The light patter of footsteps is slowly beginning to get to Sasuke, who begins to wonder why on earth he decided to escort this girl home.
Just to shut her up, I guess
"Sasuke-kun?"
Looks like it didn't work
Sasuke turns his head a little to look at Sakura. "Yes?" he responds in a somewhat defeated voice.
Sakura begins to fidget a bit. It seems like she's got something important on her mind. Something very important. Sasuke notices her fidgeting and stops walking altogether. He sighs yet again.
"You are allowed to speak you know."
Sakura jumps slightly.
"Sorry. Look, Sasuke-kun, could we sit down and talk?"
"About what?" he replies, somewhat distantly?
"About us… where our relationship stands…"
Sasuke had been expecting something like this, but his eyes widen slightly anyway. He leads them to a seat under a large oak tree, and sits down. Sakura takes a seat next to him, but avoids looking directly at his. Instead she stares at her feet.
"I guess I'll cut right to the chase," Sakura begins, "do you like me?"
Sasuke looks dead ahead, his face covered by the shadow cast by the big oak behind them. He exhales slowly.
"I… do like you Sakura, but probably not in the way you want me to."
Sakura's eyes drop lower, and tears begin to form at the periphery of her vision.
"Please… please don't get me wrong, Sakura. You're the only girl in the village who… I like… but I've got other things on my mind right now."
The tears swell up on the corners of her eyes, but don't quite flow over yet. She lifts her head, smiling.
"I understand. I guess I can wait a while, eh?"
As Sasuke stands up, the shadows play a game of chasey over his body.
"Thank you for understanding, Sakura."
The two ninjas finish their journey in silence.
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On the other side of town, Naruto is busy trying to open his door. He spouts several choice curses as he fumbles around with his keys, most of which are directed at Kakashi.
"This is why I don't lock the bloody door…"
Eventually the key clicks home and with a deft twist, the door opens. Naruto stumbles over the threshold and fumbles in the semi darkness for a light switch. Within seconds, light floods the kitchen area and entrance, illuminating Hinata, who is still at the door. Naruto peers at her quizzically.
"What're you waiting for? A written invitation? This is your house too you know."
"I forgot. This is just a bit… weird."
"I'm sure you'll get used to it."
Hinata steps in and surveys the kitchen area. Given her expectations about a boy living by himself, the kitchen is quite clean. Naruto gives her a quick tour of the house and Hinata finds herself quite amazed at the state of cleanliness.
"And this is my room," Naruto opens the door with a sweeping gesture, allowing Hinata to fully examine the room. "Tonight you can sleep on the floor here. I'll drag out a mattress."
A blush slowly begins to creep up Hinata's cheeks.
"Isn't there another room?"
Naruto grins sheepishly and scratches the back of his head.
"Well yeah, but it's kind of messy…"
"The rest of your house is spotless. I'm sure it can't be that bad."
"Well… hmm… let me put it this way," Naruto eyes roll up into the top of his head for a second as he tries to think of a way to communicate his exact thoughts. "That's where I put all the mess."
Hinata's eyes widen slightly in understanding. An image of mountains upon mountains of discarded lego, old toys and huge stacks of paper fill her mind. "Ahh…"
"Exactly," nods Naruto seriously. "But when we get back from tomorrow's mission we can clean it up for you."
Naruto opens up a cupboard, drags a mattress out and flops it on the floor next to his bed. He then digs around a bit more in the cupboard and pulls out a pillow and a doona. The blonde ninja flings them unceremoniously on the mattress and immediately begins to rip off his shirt, having somehow managing to forget the presence of his new roomie.
A gentle cough reminds him that at this exact point in time a person of the opposite gender is in the same room.
"…"
Naruto makes futile motions over his shoulder towards the door. "Umm… Hinata, could you, you know?"
Hinata quickly yet gracefully leaves the room, allowing Naruto to get changed in peace. He jumps into his bed and yells through the door.
"Hinata! It's ok, you can come in now!"
Hinata opens the door and lets herself in. She's taken the time to change into her pyjamas as well.
"Could you get the light?"
Hinata nods. "Sure"
She flicks off the light and blindly makes her way to the mattress, before collapsing into it and pulling the doona over her head.
"Goodnight, Naruto-kun."