Author's Note: How come I'm not getting that much reviews anymore? Yeah, I hope you liked the chapter about Ino and her father. I have friends that have gone through early divorces, or their parents are currently separated or separating. I, by all means, did not write that chapter to offend anyone. All of my writings and stories are just a mere reflection of my thoughts and what I thought of in my head that was creative and I decided to put it in words. Once again, I apologize if I offended anyone.
Previously on Dangerously Sixteen: Ino finally found her dad home, and reminisces through the corners of her past.
Disclaimer: I have no sole ownership of the copyrighted characters of Naruto, however, I do own the characters that you have never heard of.
Title: Chapter 26
The ticking of his clock echoed in his bedroom. The blonde sixteen year old approached from his shower and wrapped a white cotton towel around his waist. He headed over to the mirror and glanced over at his reflection and washed his face.
Naruto went over to his bedroom and headed to the drawers to find the best dress shirt he could find, one that is appealing.
From the clothes he would normally wear, it was not suitable for a date…a first date.
"Where is it? I thought it would be somewhere here…" Naruto muttered to himself as his hands rummaged through his closet.
NOTE: THERE WILL BE FLASHBACKS.
"Naruto! Honey!" Mrs. Uzumaki hurriedly slid down the stairs in her new Ann Taylor suit. On her way to the door, she grabbed her keys from the counter and two suitcases.
From the second floor, Naruto woke up and groaned.
"Naruto!" Mrs. Uzumaki called out to her only son.
The blonde groggily walked up to the top of the stairs and rubbed his eyes. When he looked, he saw his mom dressed up for a marketing business trip.
"Breakfast is on the table, I cooked up your meals for this week. They're in small containers, and each is labeled breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I'm sure that you're smart enough to know which one is which, and please honey, try to slow down on the Ramen noodles, you know how it's not healthy for you. Anyhow, I love you honey, I'll be back next Tuesday night ok? Be good while I'm gone!" Mrs. Uzumaki bid her son farewell.
Naruto nodded and walked downstairs into the kitchen.
A few minutes later, his mother came back into the house to remind him, "And be sure to tell the gardener to trim the bushes and water my Dandelions and Petunias, ok?"
Grabbing a milk carton, he peered from the kitchen and nodded.
"Thank you honey!" Naruto's mother ran to her car.
"There it is!" Naruto gave a smug smile as he held out a nice clean shirt. It was a pale blue dress shirt with a slit near the neck and five buttons sewed onto it. Naruto later went over to his bed and wore his faded dark blue jeans.
An orchestra was playing in unison in the background as silhouettes in black made their way to a vast space of grass and tombstones.
Sakura, dressed in a black halter gown, walked over to Naruto and said her comforting words, "I'm sorry, Naruto," she wrapped her arms around him, as Naruto held her hand.
Much to his surprise, a tear fell down from Naruto's eye as he watched a coffin being lowered into the dirt.
"It was so sudden, Sakura…I didn't even say goodbye," Naruto tried to hold back his tears. He knew that many people were watching him and his mother grieving.
His father had passed away from a tragic car accident. It was a hit and run.
The young man tried to look for his mother, and he found her in the arms of close friends and neighbors who knew Naruto's father.
All he heard in his head were words of how they knew his father, what he did, and how they are sorry for them.
"Naruto?" Sakura walked over and grabbed his hand.
Turning to face her, he tilted his head down to gaze into Sakura's sparkling emerald eyes.
"Just remember that he's in a better place now," Sakura squeezed his hand.
Smiling, Naruto thanked Sakura for her comfort.
Naruto fumbled through his room. He knew he should have cleaned it when his mother left for her business trip two days ago.
However, he didn't have time to clean up, he was getting ready for his first date.
It had been awhile, for he and Hinata to come along.
For Naruto, it seemed like it was only yesterday when he met Hinata.
"Good morning, Mr. Hyuga and Mrs. Hyuga!" a boy at the age of ten greeted his elders when he approached his best friend's house.
In the living room, Neji ran over to greet Naruto at the doorway.
"Come in, Naruto! I want to show you something! My dad got me these trading cards!" Neji grabbed Naruto's hands and pulled him into his house.
It was a warm and sunny day, a great day for a swim.
"WHOA! You guys have a pool?" Naruto's eyes gaped open as if he has never seen a swimming pool.
Laughing, Neji jumped in his shorts.
"I've lived in his place since like forever, but my parents are going to move with us to this other house!" Neji urged Naruto to jump in.
A few minutes later, Naruto heard footsteps coming from behind him. He turned around and didn't see anything. He looked down, and saw a cute miniature of Neji, only, in a female figure.
"Hi there!" Naruto smiled at the little girl. He stood at least a foot taller than the girl.
From behind, Neji began to make strokes and splashed water.
"Hey!" Naruto playfully laughed as he tried to dodge Neji's splashing.
From behind him, he felt the little girl cling unto him, from behind.
"Who are you?" Naruto asked her.
The little girl hesitated and crept a smile on her face.
"My…my…my name is…" the dark-haired girl was cut off when her guardians went into the backyard to call her in.
"Hinata! Come back in here! Let Neji and Naruto play in the backyard ok?" Mr. Hyuga walked onto the smooth concrete floor.
"Oh, hi, Hinata," Naruto grinned at Neji's cousin.
Hinata gazed into Naruto's electric blue eyes, and flushed pink in the cheeks. A few seconds later, she ran back inside.
Following after his niece, Mr. Hyuga smiled at Naruto, before he went into the house.
From behind Naruto, Neji crawled out of the swimming pool and headed over to a lounging chair to pick up his towel. When he approached his best friend, he patted Naruto on the back.
"My cousin is a little shy, don't worry," Neji gave him a thumbs up, "come on, let's eat some sushi my mom made for us," the two boys ran back inside the house.
"Does it really match?" Naruto mumbled to himself as he stood in front of a full view mirror.
The blonde walked around and made a few turns to see his full body view.
Much to Naruto's disappointment, he walked back to drawers and pulled out another dress shirt.
Again, he went over to his mirror and dressed up in the shirt.
"Nice, very nice, she'll like it," Naruto gave his reflection a pearly smile. In just a few moments, the phone rang.
"Hello?" Naruto picked up the phone and answered it. When he heard a voice he longed to hear, he smiled and greeted the person.
"Hey, Hinata," he smiled.
It was Naruto's first week at school. The school bell rang numerous of times to receive the student's attention. All of the lower graders and upper graders ran to their classes and lined in alphabetical order, as their teachers took attendance.
"Uzumaki, Naruto," the first grade teacher held a clip board as she announced the names of her students.
"Present!" Naruto called out.
In the line, Naruto turned around to see who was in his class. Much to his dismay, he was the shortest boy in his classroom. He felt tiny compared to some other girls who were a head taller than him.
One of the girls was laughing and giggling at another girls' joke.
When the girl who was laughing turned to look at Naruto, he looked the other way trying to hide his bashful face.
Dressed in a frilly orange skirt and a light yellow tank top, the girl walked over to Naruto. She tapped Naruto, on his shoulder.
"Hi, Naruto," she welcomed the boy.
Naruto's blue eyes stared at the girl. She seemed nice, in his opinion. Of course, she was also the loudest and always threatened some of the boys in his class to do whatever she wishes.
"Hi…" Naruto choked on his words. Near him, some of the boys, who had obvious crushes on the girl, stood together in envy.
"Aw, are you shy?" the girl's voice calmed Naruto down. Her shimmering long hair curled above her shoulders, with an orange bow tied to her hair, above her right ear.
Naruto couldn't get the courage to even answer. He just stared down at his shoes and scuffled it against the ground, with his hands in his pocket.
"Guess what Sakura? Naruto is shy!" the girl called out to her best friend, who was dressed in a white shirt and a blue skirt.
Naruto could hear some of the boys in class whisper to each other.
He could hear someone saying, "What an idiot, how can he not say anything to that pretty girl?"
"What…what's your name?" Naruto pinched himself with his hands in his pockets. What question was that, he asked himself.
The girl's sapphire eyes lit up.
"Ino. Yamanaka Ino," a satisfied smile appeared on Ino's face.
"Cool," Naruto grinned back.
"Yeah, I'll come pick you up around 7 at night, ok?" Naruto walked around with the phone to his ear.
"I know, I agree with you. I'm excited too," Naruto flushed pink in his cheeks.
There was laughter and giggles in the classroom. Naruto sat in his seat beside his best friend Neji.
"Are you done making the Valentine's Day cards?" Neji asked.
"Yeah," Naruto answered.
Neji looked around and then moved closer to Naruto and whispered into his ear if he had anyone special on Valentine's Day.
Naruto nodded. Neji's eyes were full of wonder and he kept badgering Naruto to spill the beans.
"It's…" Naruto's voice trailed off when he saw Ino shyly walking up toward his desk with her arms behind her back.
"Hi, Naruto," Ino smiled.
There were students who were receiving cards from their classmates. Naruto's teacher walked around the room and helped Sakura with her card making.
Naruto stood up from his seat and smiled.
Ino hesitated to speak, and she beamed brightly in front of the boy. She held out her hands toward him and showed Naruto a big red paper, shaped in a heart.
"Happy Valentine's Day," Ino tried to make contact with Naruto, as she handed the hand-crafted card to him.
Smiling, Naruto received the card and thanked Ino.
From behind, Neji nudged Naruto.
"Oh," Naruto knew what hint Neji was giving, and remembered something.
Naruto reached into his pockets and held out his first toward Ino. In front of her, he loosened his grip and held out his hand toward her, revealing a small heart.
Some of the girls in the classroom turned their heads to watch.
"It's candy," Naruto held his hand closer to Ino.
"It says…" Ino squinted her eyes to read the small words on the small candy heart.
"Kiss me," Naruto read the words for her. Ino looked up and giggled.
With the class watching, Ino walked up and ran her hands through his short blonde hair. She gazed into his eyes and closed hers and leaned in for a small kiss. When she gently pulled away, she whispered in his ear, "Happy Valentine's Day."
"Ok, I'll see you in an hour, bye," Naruto hung up and walked over to his bed and rested his head on his pillow.
Tears fell from Naruto's eyes as he held onto Ino.
"Do you really have to go?" Ino held Naruto's face and caressed his cheeks.
"I have to move, my mom got a new job at this business place, but I promise that I will write to you," Naruto kissed Ino.
"I don't want you to go," Ino wiped her tears.
Naruto nodded and held his girlfriend close to his body and Ino rested her head against his chest for warmth. He didn't want to leave her, but he had to move with his mother.
"How long will you be gone?" Ino asked.
"Back in time for our anniversary," Naruto tried to cheer Ino up.
"Promise?" Ino held up her pinkie and Naruto wrapped his pinkie around hers.
"Promise," Naruto planted a kiss on Ino's cheek.
Naruto reminisced on his childhood years, before his date.
He shuddered at the memories during junior high, after he moved when his mom got a new job.
Naruto couldn't face going outside after he moved into his new home. His mother was downstairs unpacking their belongings, and Naruto sat on his new bed.
He looked at his hand and smiled at the ring Ino bought for him. Naruto remembered when he showed it to his mother. She laughed it off saying that they were young and shouldn't be thinking about commitment.
Naruto was only 11 years old, back then.
"When you know you are in love with someone, you don't need a ring to show it off. People who do that, will break up soon, honey," his mother once told him.
"But, you have a ring for you and dad," Naruto said.
His mother laughed and kissed Naruto on the forehead.
"Honey, it's different. Your father and I married and then we had you, surely, all of you teenagers aren't doing that these days, hopefully," his mother eyeballed Naruto.
"Mom! I don't do that kind of stuff!" Naruto defended himself.
"Oh?" Mrs. Uzumaki walked around, "you and Ino have been getting cozy lately,"
"Yeah, I really really like her, but we're not doing that," Naruto answered.
Mrs. Uzumaki sighed and sat on a couch and patted the seat beside her motioning her son to sit next to her.
"I never thought I would have this conversation with you. I thought your father…would talk with you about this. I think you're too young for this conversation, mister," Naruto's mom smiled.
"Oh come on, tell me," Naruto pleaded her.
"Ok…well, there are these bees ok? And then the birds…" his mother continued.
Naruto rolled around on his bed.
He got up and ran to the mirror and looked at his body. He smiled.
Naruto sighed and thought of the horrible memories.
It's been almost a year since Naruto moved. He received a phone call from Ino, and the couple knew that the distance couldn't make their relationship work. The two worked things out together and are not seeing each other.
Naruto, on the school field, kept on running around the track. His body grazed in the bright sunshine as drops of warm sweat strolled down his bareback.
Girls around the field, started to gather together and murmured to each other.
"He lost a lot of weight," a girl whispered to her friend.
"I know, he used to be a fat kid," her friend whispered back.
Naruto continued to sprint around the track. He stopped to take a breath and held out a water bottle to drink the cold water.
"Come on, one more lap to go," Naruto thought to himself, "then you can go back to Ino," Naruto ran down the field.
He finished his lap around 7 at night, when he came home, his mother was in the living room waiting for him.
"How was your run?" her mother peered from her book.
"Good, I lost three today," Naruto panted when he walked up the stairs.
Mrs. Uzumaki set her book down on the couch and started to head for the stairs.
"Naruto, what the girls said to you at school, don't take it too seriously ok? You look fine, honey," his mother comforted Naruto.
"I know, but I want to be fit again. Ever since I broke up with Ino, I started to eat horribly and gained a lot, and the girls at the new school make fun of me and call me fat," Naruto wiped his wet forehead.
His mother paced toward her only son and wrapped her arms around him and kissed him faintly on the cheek.
"Don't worry," she whispered.
The phone rang and Naruto quickly over to his desk and picked up the telephone.
"Hey Neji, what's up?" Naruto greeted his best friend, "oh, no, I'm not going to see her until a half hour later, why?"
Neji said a few words to Naruto on the few lines and he answered, "Don't worry Neji. I'll take care of her, don't worry."
Naruto held onto his book bag as he stepped out of his mother's vehicle. His mother bid him farewell and drove off into the parking lot, as Naruto started for the stairs. There was a long table ahead of him where teachers and volunteers helped the new students with their new schedules.
From the front of the building, there were adults walking around with the children into the buildings. There was also a long line of students waiting to check out their textbooks, and others were fooling around near the huge oak tree near the parking lot.
"Hey!" a familiar friend ran over to the blonde and greeted Naruto with a pat in the back.
"What's up, man?" Naruto did a handshake with Neji.
"It's all good, did you get your schedule yet?" Neji asked Naruto. Just then, a few new faces and old ones appeared from behind the two young men.
"Hey Neji! I haven't seen you all summer!" Ten Ten ran over and welcomed her long time friend with a kiss in the cheek.
"Hi, Naruto," Lee waved.
Naruto greeted his old friends and when he went to turn around, he stopped and gazed at the person he hasn't seen in a long time.
"Hey there, stranger," Ino sprinted over and embraced Naruto with her arms wrapped around his neck, making him bend over, "You grew a lot," Ino stepped back to reevaluate his image.
"I didn't know you were going to this school," Naruto pulled away from their embrace.
"Your mom didn't tell you? I had to transfer, things didn't go so well with my parentals, if you know what I mean," Ino winked at Naruto.
Before Naruto could answer, a young man dressed in a black vest and faded blue jeans walked up and placed his arm around Ino.
"What's up, Naruto?" Shikamaru took off his shades and shook hands with him.
After the handshake, Naruto looked at Ino and then at Shikamaru. Since he had come back, things have changed.
"Hey man, not all of us are back here you know. My cousin is over at the registration table," Neji informed his best friend.
"Oh right, Hinata…" Neji's voice jogged a piece of Naruto's memory.
"What time is it?" Naruto asked himself. He walked from his desk and ran downstairs to check over his dinner. His mother hasn't come back yet from the trip. His dinner was in the refrigerator.
Naruto gazed at the clock and smiled.
"Show time," Naruto grabbed his keys and walked out of his house and into his vehicle.
Author's Note: Sorry I haven't updated. I hope you liked it, it'll give you some more in-depth analysis on each other characters. Review!