Bozenjishitsu

Heylo!! I have returned! Sorry for the long wait!

AND NOW....

My review answers!

Dragonman 180: Yes, Neji is the poster child! Can you imagine how fast Eggo would sell waffles if that was their tag line, using Neji? I mean, everyone knows about Naruto now! EVEN MY MATH TEACHER DOES!

Kyuubi: Only because you told her.

Shut up..

Kie-san: Funniest yet? BOO-YAH! Me so happy!!

Sariachan-Marina: Your name is so pretty! I like it! Thank you for your review!

Junsui Kegasu: Is it ok if I just call you Midori? Your new name's a mouthful! I know, I have strayed from Gaara... Someone told me I promised Naruto/Hinata in A.N.T.R., and never got around to it, so I'm making up for it. But don't worry. It all ties together in the end. I've been home sick for the past two days, working on this, so I know how it ends (finally!). But I'm feeling better now... unfortunately... so I have to go to school.

BTW, to those who care, the school play was a success! We had a cast party last Saturday, and it was AWESOME! We watched Shrek 2 (very hilarious) and me and this Techie (Member of the Technical crew) snuggled in the recliner chair because he wouldn't let me have it. Oh well...

Enjoy!

....Neji rules.

Chapter Twenty-one: Nope, not nervous!

A few days later...

"The hell?" Sasuke starred at Naruto, who starred back. "What are you wearing?"

Naruto scowled, drawing himself up. "My date clothes!"

Sasuke sighed. "Very original."

Naruto looked down at his orange-and-blue jacket and orange pants. He glared up at Sasuke, who was wearing a blue turtleneck and white shorts. "And I suppose you're Mr. Originality?"

Sasuke glared back.

SPARKS!

Later...

"Why am I even here?" Neji snapped, walking some distance behind Naruto and Sasuke.

"Because Sakura made you," Naruto responded, glaring at him.

Neji just huffed. "A years supply of I.H.O.P. gift certificates better be worth it!"

Naruto stopped dead, as did Sasuke. The two (don't want to admit it to each other) friends turned and looked at the young Hyuuga, who just glared. "What?"

"Nothing," the younger two said together, and walked away.

"Ok, so you guys just need clothes, and that's it?" Neji asked, deciding to get it over with.

Naruto nodded, crossing his arms. "I don't see what was wrong with my clothes!"

Neji rolled his eyes. "Well, for starters, they're an accident waiting to happen. Orange and blond? Get a life."

Sasuke and Naruto continued to stare at him.

"Don't ask, ok, just don't." Neji glared.

"Wasn't gonna," Naruto said under his breath, turning around again.

Sand

"Come on, it's not that hard," Kyu insisted, sitting at the edge of the hot tub.

Kankurou gave her a look from where he was standing in the middle of the hot tub. "It just doesn't feel right."

"It really is, it's fine." She smiled happily, slipping into the water.

"No, it's not."

She rolled her eyes. "You're not going to do that whole Shikamaru thing where you say," here she put on a very bad Kankurou impression, "'I can't hit girls, it's against the code!' are you?"

"Well, it is!"

In case you all are wondering what the hell is wrong, Kyu is helping Kankurou develop his taijutsu, since he sucks at that. The idea is that they go under water and he tries to fight her, with the weight of the water helping him to build strength. Kyu is already a really good taijutsu person, like Lee and Gai, so she already went through this. Kankurou is just throwing a tantrum.

"Look," she said angrily, treading water. "We can discuss sexism and extreme situations when you actually hit me."

"Are you saying I couldn't hit you?!" he cried, offended.

(A/N: Has anyone besides me noticed that Kyu and Kankurou are having problems? DING! LIGHT BULP! I have an idea now! But I shall never tell!

Kyuubi: THEN WHY BRING IT UP!?)

"Pretty much," she said with a shrug.

Kankurou's ego kicked in. "I can hit a girl!"

"Ok, then, let's go," she said with a shrug, pulling on a scuba pack, complete with air pack.

"Yeah, let's go," he said haughtily, fitting his mouthpiece in his teeth.

It was harder then he thought; Kyu, who had already done all this before, could move with unnatural ease through the water, while he suddenly felt weighed down, his fists annoyingly sluggish in the hot water. He felt her palms against him, pushing him back; in an above-water fight, he would undoubtedly have the upper hand, if he could bring himself to hit her (which he couldn't), but underwater, he couldn't even touch her without her getting out of his reach.

Getting annoyed at his sudden incompetence, he swam forward, grabbing her around the waist. She struggled slightly, beating his shoulders with her fists (which honestly didn't hurt) and digging her heals into his knees. Finally, annoyed, she spat her mouthpiece out to hit in him the face.

"Ouch!" he cried, emerging and spitting out his own mouthpiece, though not releasing his hold on her. "What was that for?"

"You cheated." She crossed her arms and legs, letting him hold her in the water at arms length while she pouted.

"No, I didn't. You wouldn't hold still."

She continued to pout, giving him a look like someone had killed her puppy. (A/N: I always do this to my guy friends... gets me whatever I want.)

"Don't look at me like that."

She stuck her lower lip out.

"Don't look at me like that!"

Whimper.

"Don't LOOK at me like that!"

Her lower lip trembled.

"Ok, ok... sorry." He sighed a little, pulling her closer. "I don't want to hurt you," he said softly, starring at the wall over her shoulder.

She looked up at him confusedly, her arms resting around his neck; as usual, he was supporting her in the water.

"I talked to Watase the other day, about you being sick every morning," he explained. "We looked through some stuff, and he suggested that maybe you were... you know..."

She continued to look confused while he continued to give her pointed looks. Finally, comprehension dawned on her face. "My parents are going to kill us."

Kankurou's eyes widened. "I hadn't thought of that..."

Konoha

Naruto gulped, tugging at his new clothes. Sasuke stood next to him with his hands shoved in his pockets, looking harassed. With Neji's strangely acquired knowledge of fashion, the two of them had attained new outfits for the date. Naruto was clad in a black, loose-necked shirt with three-quarter sleeves and baggy black pants. Sasuke wore all black, with a black, button-up shirt and black baggy pants. The top two buttons on his shirt were unbuttoned to reveal a black woven necklace with a small silver pendant hanging on it with the Konoha leaf symbol carved in it. Naruto wore no jewelry except the necklace he had won in the bet with Tsunade a few years back.

"You're not nervous, are you?" Sasuke asked, looking at the blond out of the corner of his eye.

"Nope." Naruto shook his head, his bangs flying into his face. He immediately pushed them back. He and Sasuke had decided not to wear their head protectors, and instead used hair gel (in Naruto's case) to keep their hair out of their eyes. Sasuke didn't need anything for his hair, since his hair had grown enough that it naturally went back. "You?"

"Nope."

"Ok. Just checking."

"Yeah."

"Sasuke?"

"What?"

"Do your clothes itch?"

"Unfortunately."

"Should we have worn our regular clothes?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Naruto."

"What?"

"You're nervous."

"...No I'm not."

"You always ask stupid questions when you're nervous."

"I do?"

"Exhibit A."

"Hey, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried, waving as she and Hinata entered the ramen stand. She was wearing a white mini-dress with a pattern of pink flowers across the skirt, and spaghetti straps. Her pink hair, which had grown out over the years, was held back with a light pink ribbon. She actually looked pretty good, Sasuke noted with a slight blush he quickly repressed.

"H-hello, Naruto-kun..."

Naruto grinned hugely, turning around. "Hey, Hina-"

His jaw dropped.

Hinata was wearing a dark blue dress made like Sakura's, reaching her mid-thigh, with spaghetti straps and a dark blue mesh reaching her knees lain over top. The dress fit her in curves Naruto had no idea she had, and was paired with a small, blue barrette in her hair. She even had a little make-up on, curtsey of Ino and Sakura's magic. Light blue color was brushed over her eyelids, along with a light lip-gloss and soft pink blush on her cheeks. She looked... was gorgeous too soft a word?

"H-hey, H-H-H-H-"

"Her name's Hinata," Sakura supplied, taking a seat next to Sasuke.

Naruto just nodded, starring at Hinata, who was starring at her feet.

"Is it... too much?" she asked quietly. "I told them not to put the eye shadow on..."

"N-No..." Naruto shook his head rapidly. "You look awesome."

Hinata's head snapped up, a natural blush creeping over her cheeks. "Arigato... Naruto-kun. You look nice, as well..."

Naruto grinned hugely, regaining his powers of overly loud speech. "Thanks," he said, gesturing her to sit between him and Sakura, and turned her to face the counter. (His way of pulling her chair out for her, I guess.)

He grinned at Sakura behind Hinata's back; Sakura winked, giving him a look as if to say 'I told you so.' Naruto tried to grin at Sasuke, as well, but found the black-haired Uchiha wasn't looking at him.

"Sasuke!" he said loudly.

"Hmm, what?" His rival tore his eyes off Sakura to glare at Naruto. "What do you want, dobe?"

Naruto shrugged. "Nothing. Oi, old man! We're ready to order!"

Later...

Naruto sighed heavily, pushing his fifth empty bowl of ramen away from himself. "That was good..."

Sakura raised an eyebrow in disgust.

Hinata giggled. Naruto-kun never changes...

Sasuke wasn't paying attention.

Why?

He was looking at Sakura. Again.

"Come on, let's go for a walk," Sakura suggested, getting up.

"Ok" Hinata said, getting up, as well, closely followed by Naruto.

Sasuke sighed and followed, looking reluctant to leave the shelter of the ramen stand.

They soon saw why.

"SASUKE-KUN!"

Sasuke groaned as a pack of fan girls ran their way. "God, why..."

"Oh, my..." Hinata's eyes widened.

Naruto gulped in fear. "We're gonna die!"

"No."

They looked at Sasuke, who stood behind Sakura with his hands in his pockets, looking annoyed. "Leave it to me."

Naruto shrugged and stepped behind Sasuke with Hinata and Sakura. Sasuke stood with one hand in his pocket, and the other hanging at his side. The pack of girls came closer.

"Sasuke, I thought you were gonna do something?" Naruto said nervously, peeking out at the pack.

"I am."

"In case you haven't noticed, you're the reason they're coming over here!"

"No shit, Sherlock."

"So, what're you gonna do?" Naruto looked from Sasuke to the pack of girls and back again.

"You'll see."

"I'd like to see soon!"

Sasuke tossed him a look over his shoulder. "Just shut up and watch."

SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH.

The pack of girls stopped dead, less then two feet away from the four. Naruto, peeking out from behind Hinata, saw Sasuke holding his hand out like a traffic director, the girls stopping exactly one inch away from his palm.

"Listen up," Sasuke said coldly to the pack in general. "See this girl?" He gestured to Sakura. They nodded, looking at her. "We're on a date. Now beat it."

Ino, who was at the front of the group, laughed. "That's funny, Sasuke-kun!"

"You think I'm being funny?" He glared at her.

"Well..." She looked to her friends for assistance. "I did... right up until you asked that, and now..."

Sakura winked at her friend, sticking her tongue out. "Buh-bye, Ino-pig!"

Ino glared. "Sakura...!"

"Get lost," Sakura snapped, walking away, Sasuke, Naruto and Hinata in close pursuit.

Hell, yeah! Sasuke-kun defended our relationship! Inner-Sakura shrieked, punching the air. That means he is so ours!

On the outside, Sakura gave Sasuke a small smile. "Sasuke-kun..."

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "What is it, Sakura?"

Sakura gulped. He said my name! "Nothing."

"Hey, why is everyone gathered?" Naruto asked, pointing to the gate to Konoha up ahead.

Sasuke shrugged. "Someone important must be coming in."

"Or going out," Naruto added, remembering Rynn and Shikamaru. "What's today?"

"Saturday," Sakura answered, walking next to Sasuke.

Naruto gasped, realization crawling over his face. "Rynn and Shikamaru are going back to the Sand!"

"Who the hell is Rynn?" Sasuke asked raising an eyebrow.

"Kiba's little sister," Hinata supplied quietly. (Kinda weird to think of Kiba as being older then Rynn. You're only young once, but you can be immature forever!)

"How did you know that?" Naruto asked, grinning at her.

She blushed. "Well... Kiba's in my cell..."

"Oh yeah." Naruto laughed. "I forgot. Let's go say bye to them," he cried, grabbing Hinata's hand and running over to the gates.

Sakura gave Sasuke a smile. "Let's go," she suggested, grabbing his wrist and pulling him after Naruto.

Sasuke sighed, following her. If he had been Shikamaru, he would have groaned and said, "How troublesome."

TBC