Butterflies

"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 28 – Chouji: Under your spell

8-8

"Alright, team. I'm not sure if you know this or not, but Kuranai here is called Konoha's Genjutsu Misstress. This is because she's the best genjutsu user in Konoha." Asuma-sensei explains. We nod, mostly to show we're still following him. "I've asked her here to help train you kids in recognizing a genjutsu, releasing it, and if you can't, how to make sure you're teammates know so they can release it for you."

"And this has nothing to do with you wanting to spend more time with her?" Ino asks, a knowing smile on her face.

Sensei clears his throat, for some reason. "Kurenai, if you would."

"What I'm going to do is simple. I'm going to start you off casting E-rank genjutsus on you, and you are going to dispel them. Once I believe you can do this well enough, I will move up to D-ranks. Then C-ranks. I believe Aya uses mostly only E and D-ranks, so this should be enough for now. But… it wouldn't be a bad thing if you guys learned to recognize and dispel up to A-ranks, just in case. You never know when you might need to use that to save your life."

"Now," She continues without missing a beat. "The safest way is called the Genjutsu-Release. It's not technically a jutsu, so we don't call it that. I'll show you this in a moment. Another way is to overload the senses, causing the brain to reanalyse what's going on. Via pain, sudden and loud noises, things like this. In fact, some taijutsu specialists have trained so that they can continue to react to outside stimuli even while under the influence of a genjutsu. It's nearly impossible, and practically suicide work, but it's been done."

"Any questions so far?"

"Yeah, actually." Ino isn't going to ask about what was just said. "You had a meeting with Aya-chan yesterday, about Hinata-chan's training? Would you say you're happy with the current agreements in place?"

"I'm not sure what that has to do with anything… but, yes." Then comes the 'Why is that?'. I'm not sure if Kurenai-sensei is used to people like Ino, but answering anything with a yes or a no, is just asking for another question. It's why Shika and I ignore her so much, and she knows it. "Aya's ideas of training and my own do not differ too much. But even on things we disagree on, she's willing to listen to my logic behind it and decide peaceably what's in Hinata's best interest."

I try not to, but I sigh. I'm just too tired to deal with this right now. Between extra clan trainings, Asuma-sensei deciding to up our training so we start earlier and train longer… I'm just not built for this kind of thing. I mean, three hours nonstop!? That's madness!

8-8

"Chouji-kun…" Aya murmurs, her head tilted back slightly, her eyes twinkling like the night sky. Her pupils are slightly dilated. She bites her lip nervously. The she closes her eyes, puckering her lips.

She's allowing me to see her vulnerable like this. More vulnerable that she'd let anyone see her.

I lean in, unsure what in Kami's name I'm even doing. Our lips meet, but I taste nothing, feel nothing. Right. Genjutsu training. Crap!

8-8

"Man! I can't believe we weren't even allowed to stop for lunch!" I complain, my tummy growling angrily.

"Oh, would you quit it already! I already told you this is the shortest route to a restaurant I know!" Ino isn't in much better a state than I am. Luckily, with all the extra training, she was sort of forced to eat considerably more food than she normally would. I might say she has an average appetite now – still too skinny though.

"Would the two of you please quiet down…" Shika's annoyed. Ouch. Being annoyed is usually too troublesome for his tastes, I guess that means we'd better not get on each other's nerves right now. We're all tired. So we continue on, walking through… the Shinobi District? Whatever. Ino is hungry, she wouldn't dare make us take longer than needed.

"Hey, Chouji-ku~uuuuun!" Huh? I hear… Sakura calling me? I blink. Why would she call me? Well, she's walking over to us. She's smiling brightly? She never smiles at me. Still walking towards me. I blink. This is just like that genjutsu from before. Only, that should be Aya-chan. So why is it Sakura? I mean, that doesn't make sense.

She walks up to me, throws her arms around me, tugs me down a little – since I'm a bit taller than her. And she kisses me. I blink. She kisses me again. I blink again. I can feel her breasts against me. I can feel her warmth. This is pretty realistic! Don't tell me Kurenai-sensei cast a higher rank genjutsu on me! Just to test if I'm paying attention after 'class' lets out?

Sakura kisses me a third time. And I think I feel… her tongue in my mouth? Ew! I push Sakura-genjutsu back, making a Tiger seal with my hands and doing the genjutsu-release like Kurenai-sensei explained it. It's worked on all the other genjutsus. So why isn't this one fading.

Ino's looking at me, completely gobsmacked. Shika's not exactly doing much better. And Sakura looks put out. Try again. Got it.

…

Nope. Nothing. I shuffle my right foot twice. Then my left foot twice. That's our code for 'stuck in a genjutsu, help!'

They just look at me, even more out of it now. Fine! I bite my lip, so hard that I taste blood. Quite a lot of blood actually. I think I bit it too hard. The scene doesn't change at all, and I KNOW that pain would have done it.

"This isn't a genjutsu, is it." I drone.

"No. And I think that was Aya-chan just now. Sakura… you didn't just kiss Chouji to get back at Aya, did you!?" Ino sounds… what's the word? How would you describe being so mad that a mere glance would call down hellfire and brimstone on someone? Whatever, Ino's that!

Oh? Sakura looks quite pleased with herself? Like she just hit the jackpot?

"Ino. Would you support my right to react like a girl that just had some creep walk up to her and kiss her out of the blue?" I ask. It's a no-brainer how a girl reacts to that, but Ino and Sakura were friends at some point.

"Please do!" I punch Sakura right in the face. Hard. She flies back, and right into auntie's grip. If anything, auntie looks even more that than Ino ever could. Act like a creep? Get treated like one. Equality working with me for once!

Auntie walks up to us, Hinata-chan and Hanabi-chan right behind her. "YOU!" She shouts, getting some random chuunin's attention. "Take this girl to T&I. Have her charged with sexual assault on a genin. Have her treated accordingly." Sexual… assault? For a kiss? Well… a kiss isn't technically illegal, but you can't just walk up to everyone and kiss them as you please! Not to mention I'm pretty sure if I kissed some random girl in the street, it'd get treated as exactly that.

I nod, ignoring what happens to the pinkette. "We need to check on Aya." We nod. Food can wait.

8-8

On arriving at the gate to Aya's home, we ring on. I'm not entirely sure what to expect to be honest. It takes a minute, before Asami-san comes to the gate? Why is she even here?

"I take it you know what happened?" The redhead asks.

Auntie nods, worry plain in her eyes. "Is she alright?"

Asami-san opens the gate, letting us in. "She shut herself up in her room. Activated the seals and all. We don't know, but I can guess."

"No way in then. All we can do is wait for her to come out." Asami nods, agreeing with the assessment. "You three should go into the family sitting room. Try to find Yasu-san if you can, ask her about something to eat. Asami, where's Naruto?" Auntie takes charge of the situation, even as we're taking off our footwear.

"In front of her bedroom door. He and Sasuke haven't moved from there since she came barging in."

"'Barging in'?"

"Just like it sounds. Thundering footsteps, slamming every door she touched, but… she never made a peep other than that. Just what happened exactly?" Asami-san sounds worried. I won't lie, I'm worried too. I mean, Aya-chan can be unreasonable sometimes, but she's never been this upset before!

"An old classmate of theirs… kissed Chouji to upset her." Auntie explains. Judging from Asami-san's shocked expression… I'm guessing she understands more than she probably should at this point.

"Please, whatever you do… don't tell Naruto-kun who…" Asami-san begs. I think Naruto-kun might end up doing more damage than I did. The worst she'd get from me is a bruise. From Naruto however… I just hope neither he nor Aya think I kissed her willingly! I honestly thought it was a genjutsu! And even then! I was so surprised I wouldn't have been able to react in time to stop her!

"When she's ready to talk… do you really think she won't tell him?" Auntie reminds her. "Better to tell him now, so he can be supportive when she needs him most." I'm actually glad Sakura's (hopefully) locked up; she's safer behind bars, and I think auntie knows that.

8-8

"Naruto." Auntie calls him cautiously. His eyes look… sharper than before. Almost feral.

"What happened?" Yeah, his voice is deeper now too. Darker, almost.

"She still inside?" She asks, trying to keep everyone's heads cool. It isn't working.

"I asked you what happened?"

"I'll explain it. I promise. But first you need to calm down." She tries, motioning for him to calm down a little.

"I AM CALM!" He bellows, every muscle in his body tensing. He isn't in any way calm. And what's worse, he isn't even pacing to soothe his nerves any. He's just sitting down, elbows on his knees, with his back to –what I would assume is– Aya's bedroom door.

"No. You're not. I appreciate you being worried and angry for her. And judging from… the situation… I'll assume she came in here crying." Naruto-nii is only becoming more and more agitated with every word he hears. It's hard to judge, with the shadows covering his eyes, but… it almost looks as if his eyes are glowing just a little. And not the blue they usually are, but crimson… blood red.

"…" He doesn't answer. But I can hear his deep, rumbling breaths from here.

"Ino. Downstairs. Now. Chouji. Stay where you are." Auntie commands softly. Obviously she thinks he's volatile, but she doesn't think she's in any danger.

"Yasu's in the kitchen. Sakiko's in the back yard playing." Sasuke points out. He seems completely unfazed by Naruto's current state. I blink. I've never seen a person so upset that they physically change! Is that normal? That can't be normal! "A tip, sensei. Don't beat around the bush. He isn't in the mood."

Auntie snorts, obviously having come to that same conclusion already. I hear Ino and Shika moving away, slowly but audibly to not draw Naruto's attention to them too much.

"There was a situation in the village. Chouji is involved, but I assure you he is a victim and not the culprit." Auntie begins, obviously having noticed that Naruto's staring… no, glaring at me. Yes. His eyes are most definitely red now. And his pupils are slits instead of dots. Those markings on his cheeks are far more noticeable now too. "Sakura walked up to him and kissed him, in full view of Aya. He was so shocked he didn't even realise what was going on. And when he did, he thought it was a genjutsu and tried to dispel it. When it wouldn't go away, he tried to signal to his team to help him. When they wouldn't, he bits his lip so hard he bled. When he realised it wasn't a genjutsu, he punched Sakura hard enough to send her flying." She gives a play-by-play.

"Where is she." His teeth seem far more… like canines. Almost like a dog's. Maybe this has to do with signing that kitsune contract he was talking about? I've never asked a summoner how much their relationship with their summons can affect them.

"Safe from you. For now, at least. Aya will need you here when she's ready to come out. You know that." Auntie isn't sugar coating any of this. "We both know that you don't need this on top of everything else. That's why I am asking you to calm down. Please."

He snorts, but he doesn't seem to be calming down at all.

8-8

Two hours have passed. Still no sign that Aya's ready to come out. I've tried knocking a few times, but no response. According to auntie, there's a seal that activates a soundproof barrier, but still… you never know.

Naruto didn't end up calming down until Hinata came up and asked him (just him) if everything was alright. And even then, it took him a good five minutes before he told her flatly: no. She's been sitting beside him ever since. So have I. Even while he is clearly still upset, I understand why – even if I don't understand how upset he is.

The door opens without warning. "You don't have to talk. I already know." Naruto says, not moving. "Chouji's here. Yoshino-sensei explained what happened, and I already got the confirmation from Ino and Shikamaru. It isn't what you think you saw."

"N-nn." Aya noises.

"Everyone. Downstairs." Naruto orders. I nod, getti- "Not you, Chouji." O…kay. Not sure how to feel about this, but it's plainly obvious I don't have a choice in the matter. Auntie, Sasuke and Hinata make their way down the stairs without a word, but each offers a small smile to Aya. I still can't even see her, but they don't look too happy with what they see.

"He thought it was a genjutsu." Naruto begins. "So much so, he bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. Hinata says we can't disinfect it, so we've cleaned it and left it to heal on its own. This is all Sakura's doing. Not any fault of his. And I believe that." I can't help but wonder at how he's laying it out. Not giving her a need to ask any questions, but plenty of chance if she still wants to.

I still just barely hear the 'he's still breathing, after all' from him. I shiver.

Naruto stands up, turns around, and frowns at what he sees. "Since when are you allowed to cry without me?" He asks, no emotion in his voice. He holds his arms wide for her. "Two shoulders. Pick one." She doesn't move, almost as if she's deciding what to do. Almost a minute later –Naruto's arms held wide for her the whole time– she… well, she glides into his arms, and he wraps her in his embrace. It doesn't take a genius to tell the two really do love each other. I can sort of see Aya's face, but not well enough to tell anything about her mood – other than the obvious frown.

"I'm not going to tell you to talk to him, sis. But I still think you should." Naruto eventually says. "Do you want me to stay here with you? Or would you rather have some privacy?"

"I-I'll be f-fine." The colour drains from my face. Aya's stuttering? "Go on. And check if I still have some ice cream, please?"

"I already sent some clones to pick up like six tubs. Different flavours, all chocolaty." He waves, heading down the stairs to give… well, us some privacy. I look to Aya. I understand why everyone didn't like what they saw. Her eyes are red, almost bloodshot. She's obviously been crying. And she didn't do anything with her hair – I don't think I've EVER seen her hair messy before. I wish I'd hit Sakura a LOT harder now.

I don't even wait for Naruto to be out of hearing distance. "I might have broken her jaw. Sakura, I mean. Or was it her cheekbone? I'm not sure. I just know I punched her in the face once I figure out what was going on."

She snorts, amused.

"I… I'm sorry. If I were more aware… it wouldn't have happened." I tell her honestly.

"…" She eyes me, almost warily. Like she's seeing me for the first time. "it's f-" I cut her off, not with words, but by stepping towards her. She seems to be unsure how to react to me. Then again, she took almost a minute to decide how to react to Naruto. She probably just needs some time, and a lot of chocolate. But…

"May I come closer?" I ask cautiously. If Naruto's contract with the kitsune affects him so completely, what would her contract with wolves do to her?

She looks away from me.

"Aya-chan." She doesn't react. "Do you remember how you felt when Sasuke bruised my cheek?" I ask.

She still isn't reacting. "Sakura bruised your heart. May I see that bruise… that pain?" She slowly, ever so slowly, turns to face me. Fresh tears spill down her cheek. I take another step towards her. She doesn't shy away this time. I place my hands on her sides, gently tugging her to me and sliding my hands around around resting them on her lower back. She doesn't fight me, but she isn't as willing either – not when compared to hugging Naruto.

How stupid is this? I finally have her right here, in my arms again… and all I can do is feel jealous of Naruto.

She leans into me, her head placed against my chest. I almost believe she's listening to my heartbeat, for some reason – she's really short. My hand –moving on its own– caresses her cheek, drying her tears. She tilts her head upwards though, looking me in the eyes. She leans back a bit, tilting her head up even more – until her nose is pointing at mine.

Remembering what she did, the morning after the bruise, I lean in and kiss her gently on the cheek. "For balance." I say, half-teasing her… but as I'm straightening back up… as I'm leaning back… she gets this look in her eyes. Her pupils dilate, she's also biting her lips and looks very nervous.

This… this is that exact look, from the genjutsus earlier. The exactly look she'd have during the genjutsus. Well… even if this is just an illusion… I didn't really want to break out of it then either.

I lean in again, slowly. I keep looking into her eyes, trying to see if she'd want me to stop. She closes her eyes though. And she… she… she's so vulnerable. She's oh so vulnerable. She's allowing herself to be… for me.

I close my eyes, praying to any Kami that would listen to help me not mess this up.

I feel the moment our lips meet. How soft her lips feel, even though they taste a bit salty – probably from her tears, but that's just a guess. I also feel my lip complain, the wound from earlier isn't pleased with this whole 'contact thing'. I kiss her again anyway. Take the bitter with the sweet, eh dad?

I feel her arms wrap around my neck, so I pull her in closer to me, wrapping her tighter in my arms. This time she kisses me.

WRRRRRT!

"Ah… sorry. I kind of skipped lunch." I rub the back of my head, embarrassed.

"Go…" She pushes me gently. "I'll be down in a bit."

"I can wait." I say, smiling.

8-8

End Chapter 28

8-8

A/N: Didn't want you guys to wait too long ^_^ Before anyone complains, I really am for equal rights. And I believe that if a guy walks up to me and kisses me just because he wants to, I have the right to punch him in the face. I'm allowing guys that same right. Don't like it ladies? Don't walk up to random people and kiss them on the lips!

But anyhoo! The sexual assault charges would technically be accurate against Sakura in this case. I've heard of plenty of cases where a guy did the same crap and got charged with sexual assault. They got off with a slap on the wrist, which Sakura will as well, but the facts stand on their own merit. She should be fined for Public Display of Affection as well, but that kind of totally negates the whole 'assault' part of it. And yes, that really is a thing in some countries, where PDA is not the norm.

Next up is two Interludes. Should both be long(ish), but I'm not promising anything. They need to convey certain messages and hints, once they do, it's long enough ^_^

Oh! That thing I wanted to say in the Author's Note from the previous chapter. I've been hinting for a bit that Aya's still really immature about some things. She should have been able to see through Sakura's scheme, but didn't. She got emotional (an emotional 12 year old girl? the shame!) and simply couldn't think straight. If she was thinking straight, she'd know Naruto would be disappointed that she was crying by herself when she should know he'd want to be there.

And a side note: Chouji STILL hasn't actually asked her anything! Seriously, I would just come out and ask: Chouji, what are we? But... Like I said, Aya's still quite immature about some things.