Butterflies

Beta'd by: Setokaiva

"Me? I'm nobody. I'm not skilled like Uchiha-san. I am not passionate like Haruno-san. I am not smart like Nara-san. I'm not as strong as Chouji-san. I'm not as collected as Aburame-san. Or as pretty as Yamanaka-san. I'm not as confident as Inuzuka-san. If anything, I'm like Hyuuga-san, socially awkward. Oh wait, no, she's just shy. The socially awkward one is me." OC! Team 7 remix!

Chapter 6 – Chouji: A hunger for life

8-8

They say that when you dream, your mind shows you the things you didn't want to deal with while you were awake. I'm not sure if I believe that. Not right now, at least. This isn't something I wouldn't want to deal with while I'm awake, but this is too much like a dream to be anything else.

Namiki. Aya. Is. Wearing. A. Dress! Little stringy, noodle-like straps. Hugging her curves. Flowing over her hips. Showing off her legs. Bright red. Dress.

And if I'm not mistaken... she's wearing perfume too. There's also something different about her... but I can't pin down exactly what. Something... Her arms are completely bare for the first time. I didn't know she has a scar on her right forearm! Roughly in the middle, lengthwise. It looks like a burn scar, about the size of an apple.

Well, I can say I know all that much about her anyway. But maybe this is a chance to ask... her...? Yeah, no. She gets annoyed quickly when people start asking her things. I'm still not really sure why that is, but I've seen just what happens to people that annoy her! I was there for almost every scene!

No. No. No! Not asking about that. At all.

"Hey, looking good, Aya-chan!" Naruto greets her. I wonder about that. I mean... what exactly is their relationship? They're teammates, I know that much. But, even before they were, Aya-chan didn't mind him around her... not as much as she did with pretty much every other person.

I mean... Kiba was openly flirting with her. He got a concussion. Hirota was simply talking about her liking Naruto and got a broken nose! But what does that mean?

I shake my head. It's pointless to think about things I can't figure out. Maybe I'll ask Shikamaru. He's good at understanding people. "Th-thanks." Aya stutters a bit, blushing too. Oh. I guess she does like him.

"What do you think, Shikamaru? Not bad, if I say so myself." Ino nudges Shika. That means she's the puppeteer behind this show. Figures, Ino's always been into fashion and that sort of stuff. Still, Ino'd never looked this good!

"Girls and compliments. How troublesome. She should know she looks good in that." Shika complains. I shake my head with a smile; that's just something to expect from him. She doesn't seem too phased this time though. Instead, I see her look to me. I see the question in her eyes, briefly, before she looks down and blushes deeper than before. Much deeper. And when she looks away, I can see that even her ears are somewhat pinker than usual.

"I think you look pretty." The words fly out before I can hope to stop them. My eyes widen in shock. I rub the back of my head, a bit embarrassed. Still, it's the truth. "Red... it really suits you." Her ear and cheek I can still see turn a bright red. I hope she knows I was talking about the dress and not her blushing! Why is she blushing so... completely?

Datou got kicked in the nuts for telling her she's pretty. Hard. Naruto tells her the same thing, and she blushes. I tell her the same thing and she looks almost like Hinata-chan when Naruto strays too close. Girls make no sense.

Still, I count myself blessed that she's not in a punching or kicking mood. "Should we head outside? The weather's really nice right now!" Ino suggests. I nod, wondering why they took so long to get here in the first place. I mean, I just washed my face. Maybe putting on a dress takes longer than pants?

8-8

Once we're outside, I reach into my green haori jacket and pull out a bag of chips. Shikamaru suggests a spot on the hillside, to better see the clouds, but Ino prefers the shade of the tree. Aya rubs her arms when Ino says that though. Hmm... she might not be used to not wearing a jacket. "I think sitting in the sun is better. Aya-chan would feel cold in the shade."

Aya's eyes go wide with shock. Huh? Why would pointing out the obvious affect her like that? She slowly turns to me, blushing deeply. Girls are so weird. Then she smiles... it's little, and shy at first, but... I've... never seen her smile. Slowly, ever so slowly, the shyness to her smile fades. Her eyes soften. Her arms wrap themselves around her middle, almost like she wants to hug herself. Then... I'm not sure if she knows it or not... but she beams at me. Just at me. Her eyes lock onto mine. Her eyes dilate slightly, suddenly half lidded.

Then, almost as if her brain catches up with her, her entire face goes a deep crimson. She looks away, actually turns away, as if unwilling –unable– to face me any longer. Even the back of her neck is a bright pink. I just don't understand.

Still, everyone takes one look at Aya-chan and agrees with me. We move over to Shika's favourite spot and he lays down with a contented sigh. I sit next to him, as I always do. Then Ino, who usually sits next to me, sits Aya between us instead. I open the bag of chips, taking the first one and munch away.

I hate how I always feel hungry sometimes... well, that's not entirely true. I hate how people react to me always feeling hungry sometimes. Mom is always telling me how constant hunger pangs at my age are a sign I'll be a strong shinobi – she's always so kind to me, and not so kind to any she decides are unkind. She can be scary too, when she's upset... but I've never seen her upset at me.

"Hungry?" Aya asks, not looking to me. I noise, a bit nervous. She's never made fun of me, but she's never really said anything at all about it; I don't know where she stands. "May I...?" I hear her tummy growling like a lion. I smile, glad someone can understand – or, at least her stomach understands.

"Sure." I offer her a go. Her hand finds the bag without much effort, slowly tracing it up to the opening. I wonder why she wouldn't just turn to look, but she obviously still doesn't want to turn to me for some reason. She takes a handful of chips. A moment later I can hear her munching, but she doesn't seem too happy for some reason. Hmm. "Not your preferred flavour." I don't ask, I can tell just from how she's eating.

Let's see, so sour cream and onion isn't her thing. Maybe chives? It has a much lighter flavour, and is just barely not sweet, for some reason. I'm sure there is another ingredient in there I have yet to identify, but that's what I love about food; the subtlety, the delicate flavouring. I reach into my jacket and grab my other bag of chips and offer it to her, unopened.

She takes the bag from me. Her hand touches mine briefly. Hmm, her hands are always so soft. Even the calloused parts seem soft, compared to mine at least. Even mom tells me I have rough hands, but a gentle touch. I hear the bag open, it crinkles a bit as she reaches into it. The tension in her shoulders eases after I hear the first bite. Yup, she likes this one better. I'll try to remember that.

"Th-thanks." Her words come out soft, but I can hear something in them. Something I can't really identify. An emotion for sure, but...

"No problem." I rub the back of my head, embarrassed. If anyone knows the body's reaction to foods people like, it's me. I try to be around people that eat like I do... like Aya-chan, really. I mean, I've never met a non-Akimichi that could keep up with me! Other than Naruto, of course, but he only keeps up when it's ramen. She seems to not care, so long as the food's good and chocolate's for dessert.

I can respect that.

I turn my attention back to my chips. I don't mind the onion flavouring at all. It's not a favourite of mine, since it makes my breath smell a bit off after, but it's a flavour I like anyway. I offer Shika a go, but he's too busy cloud watching so he just shrugs.

"Shrimp." Aya announces, pointing at a funny looking cloud. Hmm, it kind of does look like a shrimp. I smile. Shika makes another amused noise – he does that a lot when Aya's cloud watching with us... or with him, really. I mostly just like relaxing and hanging out with my friends.

Soon, my bag is empty. So I fold it and return it to the pocket I took it out from. Not a second later, Aya hands me the other bag, practically empty. I... am not sure how to feel about that. Sure, it's a full sized bag, not the little ones. I don't carry the little ones. But... "You enjoy them?" I ask, wondering what the deal is.

"Nn." She noises. "You like the last chips, don't you?"

"Nn." I smile, emptying the bag.

8-8

I'm not sure how much time passes. What I do know is that I'm getting more and more nervous the more it passes.

Aya's been slowly inching towards me.

Not a world-shattering fact on its own. It's just that I'm scared I'll touch her by accident and she'll get mad and kill me. She and Ino seem to... hold on. Ino is chatting away and Aya's nodding every once in a while – let's be accurate here. I'm not really sure what they're talking about, I tend to blot Ino out as a habit.

Aya's getting tired, though; I can see it in how she's fidgeting. She does that while reading, right before she lays her head in Ino's lap. The only sign missing is tucking her legs to one sid... nope, not missing anymore. She just tucked her... legs... towards Ino? But that would... mean...

I feel a weight against the side of my arm. It's alright, Chouji. It's alright. Just don't move. She's probably just tired from whatever her test involved, and soaking up sunlight makes you tired as well. She probably doesn't even realise what she's doing – but she'll kill me if I touch her.

She shivers. Crap! She feels cold!

Without even thinking about it, I slither my left arm out of my haori jacket and flip it around my back. I carefully tuck it between us and slide my right arm out from under her weight. She doesn't seem to notice, but gravity isn't that cooperative. I support her, making sure not to let her fall, and carefully hook the armholes over her shoulders. That, unfortunately, means there's nothing supporting her, so she leans into me. I feel her warmth against my side, against my chest. Her head somehow finds its way to the left side of my chest. Crap! She'll end up laying in my lap at this rate!

I think quick, shift my weight and ease her between my legs. This helps, for some reason, and she stops sliding wherever gravity pleases. I'm careful to wrap her in my jacket, pleased that she's no longer shivering.

Then... my brain catches up with reality.

Aya-chan... is in my arms, laying against my chest, and snoring lightly. Because of the situation, her legs aren't tucked to one side anymore. I'm half afraid the hem of her dress will ride up, but luckily my jacket covers...

She shifts to the right, leaning the side of her face against my chest. Her legs tuck themselves up, like she usually would. One of her hands falls onto my leg, the other is rested on my chest. I can sort of see her face like this... she seems at peace.

I hear a pleased noise, finding it's coming from me.

For a long moment, all I can hear is Aya's breathing. Then that moment ends. "Got her in your arms already, Chouji? You work fast." Naruto teases. I know he's just teasing. She's just tired, this isn't a big deal... unless she wakes up, decides I'm a pervert and kills me... but Ino would vouch for me. She's been watching me carefully the whole time! Not that that would help... I mean, didn't Aya beat her too?

I motion for him to be quiet. I don't know if she's a light sleeper, but she obviously could use the rest.

For the first time, I notice that Aya's shorter than me. She's shorter than even Naruto, who's the second shortest in our class, but... that was never important before now. Sitting like this, her head leaning against my chin, I truly notice that she's shorter than me. And her hair smells like lavender.

I don't know why that seems important right now. I mean, shouldn't I be freaking out? This is Namiki Aya we're talking about!? The only girl in our class, or guy for that matter, that's ever beaten Sasuke one-on-one... or at all!

Somehow though... I can't connect that Aya –the distant, reserved, and, often enough, violent girl– with this Aya – soft, demure, shy. The duality is enough to make my head hurt. I just don't understand.

8-8

We're called in for food an hour later. As always, I sit with Shika. And, as seems to be the case more often than not, Aya is seated with mom, right across from me. The table is full of all the yummy dishes, full of aromas that just beg to be identified.

Naruto is seated next to auntie Mariko. I kind of feel bad for him; she tends to demand you eat properly. I can already see her correcting how he's holding his chopsticks. Auntie's a character.

Once everyone's seated, we chorus our usual 'Itatakimasu!', and everyone starts to dig in. Normally, I'm not one to care what people are doing while I'm eating, but... the atmosphere is weird right now. Mom and both aunties keep eyeing Aya for some reason, smiling the whole time. Is something weird about her? Sure, she's still wearing my jacket, but she was cold! It'd be cruel to ask for it back now!

"Here." My eyes flick to Aya, just as she leans forward and grabs my plate. No, wait she's placing it in front of me! And with a little of everything piled up too! I smile brightly. "Th-thanks." She blushes again, pulling my jacket around her a little closer. I rub the back of my head, unsure what to say. I'm sure I'm blushing a bit too, for some reason.

Whatever. I start eating, tasting everything, carefully trying to enjoy every bite. From the different meats, to the salmon, to noodles, even two different kinds of rice. Everything is delicious, as always, but being delicious isn't enough. I savour it all.

After everyone's had their fill, auntie Yoshino strums up a conversation with Aya-chan. Not the easiest thing to do, but she seems focused. I try not to shiver. When auntie Yoshino is focused on something, she gets what she wants... every time!

"I hear Hatake Kakashi is your sensei." Auntie has a look in her eyes. This is the topic she wanted to discuss from the start, I can tell.

"Nn." Aya-chan doesn't sound pleased.

"What do you think about him?" The derivative snort says more than it should. "That bad?"

"Late. Uncaring. Smut reading." How does she manage to stuff so much meaning into so little words? And judging from auntie's annoyed rolling of her eyes, I'm guessing Aya isn't wrong.

"Sounds about right. If he shows up late, or if he's being his usual charming self, just come to me. I'm sure I can teach you as much or more." Auntie offers. She has a sharper than usual glint in her eyes. Something's going on here...

"... missions?" Aya seems worried. I'm not sure what about, but I can tell that she is.

"I'm a jounin. I can just as easily fill in as your sensei. Besides, the more missions you guys do, the better. Right?" Auntie sounds pleased with herself. I roll my eyes, but keep my opinion to myself. She can be scary sometimes.

"Nn!" Aya doesn't just agree, she's happy about that. I narrow my eyes at her, trying to understand her a bit. Nothing comes. "Thank you." She bows to auntie, obviously feeling grateful for the offer.

"That goes for you as well, Naruto-kun. And don't either of you dare show up for training here without Sasuke." I smile. Auntie's a character.

"R-really!?" Naruto's shocked. I don't know how to feel about that. I don't like it that so many people pick on him, but I'm glad auntie isn't one of them!

"Of course! What kind of person would I be to offer Aya-chan guidance, but leave you and Sasuke out to dry?" She sounds amused. I'm not sure what to make of her right now. She's usually so sneaky with things that I can't even figure out what she's getting at until it's too late. "The three of you are always welcome in our home. Never forget that."

"We won't, 'ttebayo!" Naruto promises. I guess we'll be seeing more of them around here. The more the merrier!

"By the way, Aya-chan... have you given any thought about... that place?" Auntie asks, vaguely.

"... n-nn..." Aya-chan noises. I'm not sure what to even make of that.

"Your mother and I were best friends. Please keep in mind that you can come to me for anything... okay? Even something like that."

"... n-nn..." The lack of eye contact, the slight frown, the tense posture; this isn't something she wants to talk about.

"Yeah, yeah, mom. She gets it." Shika intones.

"Nara Shikamaru. You should say 'yes'. And don't you use that tone with me." I shiver at auntie's tone. She's scary when she wants to be.

8-8

Ino drags me and Aya back to her place about an hour later. Aya needs to change again, and I kind of need my jacket back. I wait outside though. Auntie would have a fit if I entered the house while a girl is changing. Never mind that I'd just wait downstairs in the living room! The entire house is off limits!

Auntie's a character.

Fifteen minutes pass before Aya comes outside, once again wearing her usual black clothes and jacket. She hands me my haori jacket, stutteringly thanking me again. "Hey, Chouji, you should walk Aya-chan home. It's improper to let a girl walk home alone." Why does Ino sound so amused? And why is Aya-chan blushing again? She just managed her first word to me without blushing, and you go and do that?

"True. Auntie wouldn't forgive me if I let that happen." I admit. I remember letting Ino walk home from Shikamaru's once, alone... I got grounded for three weeks! She lives down the street!

What would auntie do if I let Aya-chan walk home, to the other side of the village, alone...? I shiver at the very thought.

"You coming, Aya-chan?"

"... n-nn..." She's blushing again. Deeper this time.

Not much is said en route. Not that I'm surprised really. I don't think Aya-chan talks much to anyone. The silence is kind of comfortable, I find. Just like with Shikamaru.

"It's from a cooking accident." I turn to her, unsure what she's even talking about. "The burn." Ah. She noticed I saw the mark.

We keep walking for a bit. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to ask, but she brought it up. "What happened?"

"Soup. Nearly a year ago." She explains. I nod, not sure what to say. I mean, 'soup' could mean anything. But at the same time, I'm so shocked she's talking to me. "I'm still learning to work with it."

"Your fine motor skills?" I ask.

"Nn." She nods. "It affects my index, middle, and my thumb."

"So that's why you suddenly become left-handed." The timing fits. At the beginning of the year she suddenly started wearing this jacket of hers, covering her hands, and writing with the wrong hand. One girl asked, and Iruka-sensei set them up for a spar that same day... That was the first time I'd seen Aya fight. Really fight. She was embarrassed?

"... n-nn..." She's blushing, looking away and frowning slightly. Yup, she's embarrassed. Anything that she sees as reflecting poorly on her embarrasses her. Good to know.

"It happens to the best of us." I shake my head with a smile. "I got a scar on my back from my training. I ended up needing physical therapy to learn how to use my left arm again. I don't remember the details, but I do remember there being a nerve issue. If it wasn't for the medics, I'd never have been able to use that arm ever again."

"What happened?" She asks, worried for me. Wow, who'd ever have thought I'd be trading scar-stories with Namiki Aya.

"Clan training. I did the jutsu wrong and paid the price." I explain vaguely. I was the youngest to be shown the partial expansion jutsu; dad said I showed promise considering how easily I learned the Human Bullet Tank jutsu. "I've had to take it easy with training ever since, especially with my left arm."

"Nn." Silence returns, but I find myself liking it more now. As little as she talks, she's easy to talk to. "A-about earlier... Th-thanks..."

"Huh... oh that? I'm just glad you didn't kill me for it." I rub the back of my head, a bit embarrassed. Still, I'm being completely honest.

"Anyone else... and I would have." She blushes and looks away again. I narrow my eyes at her, trying to figure out what that even means. If it was anyone else, she'd have killed them? Why me then? Why am I the exception to the rule? And why is her neck turning pink again? That means she's blushing really deep.

Whatever her reason is, she finds it embarrassing... but not in a frowning/grumpy way.

The rest of our walk is silent. Only now, it's an uncomfortable silence. I want to ask what she means, but she won't talk about it. I'm still reeling from her talking to me at all. Today is just... one of those days, it seems.

"Thank you..." She tells me, just as we stop in front her door.

"No problem. Auntie Mariko would have my head if I let you walk alone." I tell her honestly. And really, I'm sure she would. Clan women are kind of crazy sometimes.

"Oh…" Huh, why does she sound sad? That doesn't make sense. She might now know how auntie is, but… wouldn't she prefer the truth? Or does she have a reason in her head why I should have walked her home? "Still… it was very sweet of you." She perks up a bit, but now she's blushing again. From one extreme to the next, it seems. It makes no sense.

I want to ask, I want to know. She seems pretty chatty, so maybe now's a good time? "Aya…"

What just happened? My hand touches the cheek she just…

8-8

"Don't you know how troublesome it is to kiss and tell?" Shikamaru teases the second he sees me. I narrow my eyes at him, wondering how he even knows what happened. He rolls his eyes. "Your cheek has the imprint of someone's lips in the exact shade of pink lipstick Aya was wearing."

"Shika…?" I feel… conflicted. It's not the thought of a girl liking me. This isn't just a girl. This is Namiki Aya. The prettiest girl in the village. The most likely to kill you if you do stupid crap around her – well, if she feels it's stupid crap involving her at least. "Am I supposed to feel threatened by a girl that likes me?"

"Usually it's the girl's father, brothers and male cousins and teammates doing the threatening. But yeah, a certain level of fear is always involved." Shika drones. So what, she doesn't have any of that, so she's doing all the fear-mongering herself? "The question isn't if she scares you. The question is whether you like her more than she scares you."

"Shika! She isn't even actively trying to scare me! She's being nice, and sweet, and soft, and…" I ramble before my brain even catches up to what my mouth is doing. I blush.

"This is me we're talking about here. You think I don't know you like her?" My eyes widen in shock. "You didn't even know you like her… troublesome. Why were you getting jealous with Sasuke around her, then?"

"Because Sasuke would never treat her… right…" Not like… not like I could…

Crap… I like her… I like the scariest girl in our class. And likely the scariest girl in the village! At least she's the scariest one I know!

"Ino knows… she'd never miss something like this." I mumble.

"Nn. Why do you think she started dragging Aya everywhere with us?" Shika confirms. Not that I need him to. It's kind of obvious… well, now it is.

"Who else knows?" Why am I asking? I know I'm not going to like the answer!

"Naruto, your mom, my mom, Ino's mom. I'm sure Sakura figured it out too. Aya isn't exactly very stealthy about this…" He complains. I knew I wasn't going to like the answer. If mom knows, and of course she knows, she's been purposely sitting Aya beside her every chance she gets to get to know the girl...

Is this the reason behind aunty Yoshino's things with Aya and her team? I wouldn't put it past her. Just what have I been missing? I mean, I thought Naruto was oblivious with Hinata… but it would seem I'm just as bad.

8-8

End Chapter 6

8-8

A/N: Okay... I can't believe I did this to myself again, wanting a male perspective chapter. BUT! I really like how it came out. And there'd be no better way to really show the changing dynamic. I'm not sure if Chouji PoV chapters will be a regular thing, but I needed to this for this chapter. We'll see if I'm feeling crazy enough to do this more often :P