A/N: I apologize for the very late update. I had a little writer's block and I didn't know what to write, but good thing I came up with a good enough chapter. I've put some NaruHina as compensation so I hope you all like it! ^_^
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Chapter 21 – Naruto's Aching Heart
The school festival is drawing near and everyone at school is busy for the preparations. The student council is especially busy due to the fact that the success of this event lies on their managing skills and leadership.
Even if they had a lot of work to do, classes were still held, much to the students' dismay. It was already about lunch time and the guys headed to the cafeteria as usual to have lunch when Naruto remembered something. He stopped on his tracks, causing his friends to look at him, wondering what's wrong.
"Hey, what's the matter?" asked Kiba who looked at Naruto.
"Oh, I think I left my money back at the classroom…" said Naruto as he searched his pockets.
"Geez…how careless can you be?" commented Neji. Naruto just scratched his head and laughed.
"I'll go get it. You guys go get some food and I'll just catch up." Naruto said a s he turned around and ran through the hallway.
"Hurry or we'll eat without you!" Choji yelled and Naruto waved a hand. They turned around and continued walking to the cafeteria.
Naruto was near the classroom when he heard voices coming from inside it. He stopped and decided to let the people inside to finish their conversation before entering, rather than just barging in.
"Just give up, Sakura!" a voice from the room said. Naruto was leaning on the wall near the door when he heard the name Sakura. He leaned closer to the door to hear the voices clearly. 'So, judging from the voice, I bet Ino was the one who spoke just now…' though Naruto. Two female students just passed by and whispered something to each other. Naruto heard the word 'creep' from the two and he immediately straightened himself and acted innocently.
"Wait, why was I eavesdropping anyway? I DO feel like a creep now…" Naruto whispered to himself. Another voice spoke, and from the sound of it, it was Sakura's voice. Naruto leaned slightly to the door, just enough for him to listen properly. He completely forgot about the whole 'creep' thing.
"No way, Ino." said Sakura who sounds rather annoyed.
"You already know that Sasuke doesn't like you so why bother? You're just wasting your time, effort, and feelings on that guy." Ino hissed, also annoyed.
"I can't help it. I like him and that's that." said Sakura. Ino frowned. Naruto winced at what Sakura said. He's fully aware of the fact that Sakura is head-over-heels in love with Sasuke but it still hurts.
"Sakura, there are a lot of guys who like you. There's Naruto who likes you so much. Why go for someone who doesn't care about you if there is someone like Naruto who really cares for you?" Ino said. Sakura sighed. Naruto's heart is beating fast. He wants to know Sakura's answer to that, but at the same time, he doesn't want to know. He's scared at what Sakura might say.
"Naruto is kind, cheerful, adorable and hardworking…" said Sakura. Naruto feels that a blush is going to appear on his face but he feels really uneasy. "But…he's is more like a brother to me. Sasuke is the one I like. Please understand."
And with that, Naruto's heart started sinking. Before Naruto could fall into a depressed state, Ino's voice surprised him.
"Are you stupid or what? You'll only get heart-broken. I'm telling you this for your own good. You're pretty, smart, kind and strong. That guy doesn't deserve you at all. He's just heartless and stupid. There's nothing good about him. Think about it!" Ino said in a rather high tone but not exactly a yell.
"Ino! How many times do I have to repeat it to you? It's Sasuke I like! And don't be so mean about him! Just because he dumped you when you confessed to him doesn't mean that you have the right to insult him! I won't let you talk about him that way, Ino!" Sakura retorted in an equally high tone. Sakura's reaction made Ino speechless. They stood there for a while, trying to calm themselves, but they didn't know that a certain boy was listening to their conversation.
That certain boy is currently staring at nothing. The only thing in his mind right now is a continuous flashback of what he just heard. He stayed like that for a couple of seconds, until finally, a gentle voice reached him.
"Naruto…" said the voice again. Naruto blinked a few times and looked at the person calling him. It was Hinata and she looked quite worried.
"Oh, Hinata. What's the matter?" Naruto asked innocently.
"Naruto, I'm the one who should ask you that question…" she giggled sweetly. A small smile formed on his lips just from seeing Hinata. She stopped giggling and looked at him.
"Oh, really? Sorry about that." Naruto chuckled and scratched the back of his head.
"I tried calling you a couple of times already, but you didn't respond." Hinata frowned and worry is quite evident in her eyes.
"Did I really space out that much? I'm sorry to worry you, but I'm okay now. So please cheer up, okay?" Naruto grinned but it wasn't a whole-hearted one. Hinata blushed but she can sense that there's still something bothering him.
"Naruto, is something wrong?" Hinata said quietly, just barely enough for Naruto to hear.
"Hmm? What makes you say that?" Naruto asked.
"Well, you don't seem to be as cheerful as you usually are…" Hinata looked at the floor. Naruto was about to say something when the doors opened which surprised them.
"Oh, hey Naruto, hey Hinata!" Ino greeted as she moved from the doorway.
"Hey…" Naruto greeted back.
"What's going on?" Ino asked. Sakura looked at Naruto as she stepped out of the doorway. They looked at each other's eyes for a few seconds then Naruto looked away. Sakura wondered why.
"Oh, nothing…" Naruto answered, still not looking at Sakura's direction. He didn't mean to be rude or anything, but he feels so upset whenever he remembers Sakura's words that he doesn't have enough strength to face her right now.
"Naruto, is there a problem?" asked Sakura, wanting to know the reason behind Naruto's action. Naruto looked at them and smiled, but the three girls are all aware that there is something wrong.
"There's nothing to worry about. Oh, I forgot, I have to go get my money now. See you girls later!" said Naruto as he hurriedly entered the classroom and took the money in his bag. He ran straight to the cafeteria soon after.
After buying his lunch, he went up the stairs to meet up with the guys in the rooftop. 'What's wrong with me? I'm just making people worry about me. This is something I have to handle by myself, I shouldn't involve others...' thought Naruto as he walked through the hallways. He soon reached the door to the rooftop. Before he opened it, he put on a fake grin, hoping that it would successfully deceive his friends...
I know that it's pretty short. It's just that I haven't picked a suitable way of solving Naruto's problem yet and at the same time, I didn't want to make you guys wait any longer, so please bear with it for now. Do you think it was too early to have this scene in the story? I try to make it as realistic and romantic as possible so the progress of the story is similar to those seen in some animes…
By the way, I've been thinking of doing character POVs. I'd like to ask your opinion whether I should try it or just stick with a Normal POV…
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me. I'll do my best to avoid confusion. Anyway, please read and review! ^_^ Thanks!