Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. How many times do I have to say that to make people understand, anyway? XD
BONUS CHAPTER WINNERS,
PLEASE PRIVATE MESSAGE ME YOUR REQUESTS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!
The bonus chapter winners are the following:
Shy-Princess (Deadline: November 19th)
kawaii chibi sasuke luver (Deadline: November 26th)
silverdragon994 (Thanks:D Your plot idea was hilarious XD)
rebel-girl (Deadline: December 10th)
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT BONUS CHAPTER REQUESTS, SEE THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER!
BONUS CHAPTER!!!!
dedicated to...
ME! XD Yes, this is my own bonus chapter, the 100th reviewer's bonus chapter is coming next week xD;
The couple(s) or character(s) it's dedicated to is/are: NaruHina and KakaKure!!
For everyone who doesn't know, I've lengthened this fanfic by throwing a bunch of fluff-and-non-fluff romantic/non-romantic bonus chapters into it! x3 For those who would rather like to read the end than those chapters... you'll have to wait some time XD; I don't know for how long, though - if there'll be more than 800 reviews, I'm afraid you'll have to wait until after New Year's if not even more XD; Anyhow, there'll be a maximum of 14 bonus chapters, whereas four of them will be my own :3
Enjoy!
---
♥ Chapter XXV: Double Matchmaking?! The Power of Love and Ramen♥
---
"SASUKE-KUN! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?!"
"Listen, Cindy..."
"I AM NOT LISTENING! AND YOU, YOU WHORE!" Cindy pointed accusingly at Sakura with bulging eyeballs that made her look uglier than ever, "YOU'LL REGRET THIS!"
"If you as much as dare to touch her", Sasuke growled, "You'll have to deal with me, Cindy."
Cindy looked at him helplessly, and then snorted and ran off. "I'll be leaving!" she shouted. "And I won't come back!"
SLAM.
Sasuke and Sakura exchanged amused glances.
"Will we miss her?" Sakura asked.
"No", Sasuke smirked and kissed her forehead.
"But, Sasuke-kun..."
"Aa?"
Sakura sighed. "My parents said I had to come home anyway. I'll be staying at aunt Cecilia's for another two weeks, but after that, I need to come home. I'll come back, though. I promise I will."
Sasuke's smirk widened. "I know, Sakura. I know." And he kissed her again, this time on the lips. (A/N: Aaaand... she's FINALLY dumped! Haven't you guys all been looking forward to this? XD But whether or not this is the last time we see Cindy is unsure... mwahahah...)
---
"Aaaah! I love the ocean, don't you, Shika-kun?" Ino smiled widely at her boyfriend, who yawned.
"How troublesome", he stated, but he had to agree in his thoughts that he liked the sea too. Though he liked the clouds more than the sea.
"Hey, isn't that Naruto and Hinata-chan? What're they doing here?" Ino hissed as she elbowed him. Shikamaru blinked a couple of times at the sight; it was without a doubt Naruto, sitting on the sand wearing a white t-shirt and a couple of blue shorts along with a couple of blue sandals, and Hinata, wearing a black t-shirt and a pair of black pants and blue sandals too.
"Hey, hey, hey", Ino said teasingly as she and Shikamaru approached them, "What're you doing here? Out on a date, eh?"
"Don't be silly!" Naruto burst out, but he was blushing, and Ino smirked at the sight. "We're just having a nice friends' chat!"
"Yeah, right. Only couples go to the sea, right, Shika-kun?" Ino chirped as she hugged her boyfriend's arm.
"Aa", Shikamaru agreed.
"I-Ino-chan!" Hinata blurted out embarrassedly. But Ino's smirk just widened.
"I really don't get why you two are so shy. I mean, you look great together, and there's nothing you can lose, right?" she stated. "Besides, we all know you like each other. It's so obvious."
"We don't!" Hinata and Naruto burst out at the same time, tomato-red in the faces.
"Yeah, yeah." Ino rolled her eyes. "I'm off anyway. Coming, Shika-kun?"
"Aa."
"Ja ne, then! Sayounaraaaa!" she shouted as she began dragging off her poor, lazy boyfriend.
---
"Win the one-of-a-kind Icha Icha Paradise book today! Just write 'Ramen Power!' on your forehead with a glow-in-the-dark pen and go to Ichiraku Ramen today and you'll receive –"
"Kakashi, what're you doing?" Kurenai asked with disgust as she eyed the pool of saliva on her newly cleaned living room floor. Kakashi tore his eyes away from the TV screen and looked at Kurenai on the threshold; she was dressed in a black tank top and a pair of white shorts that showed her slim legs, and she was wearing black high-heels.
He blinked. She glared at him.
Blink. Glare.
Blink. Glare.
Blink. Glare.
"Do you've an eye problem, Kakashi?" Kurenai asked at last.
"Whoa", he commented at last.
"'Whoa'?" she repeated in disbelief.
"Yeah. You don't usually... wear that, do you?"
"This?" Kurenai eyed her outfit, confused. "Uh... I do. Why?"
"I've never seen you in that kind of clothes before!" Kakashi exclaimed enthusiastically. "You look great!"
"Arigatou", Kurenai muttered, her cheeks taking a faint shade of pink. Kakashi grinned. "But anyhow", she added sharply, "Why the hell are you... drooling in my living room?"
"You should've seen! If I wrote 'Ramen Power' on my forehead and went to Ichiraku Ramen I'd receive a one-of-a-kind Icha Icha Paradise book –", Kakashi exclaimed but was hit on the head by Kurenai. "Ow! What?"
"Perveeeeert", she hissed with a mad sparkle in her eyes, "Haven't I told you not to read those goddamned perverted books?"
"Yes, ma'am", Kakashi muttered.
"You called me what?"
"I called you ma'am, ma'am."
Another whack. "Ow! What now?"
"I'm for god's sake not a... a... a oba-san!" she burst out. "I'm still a very young woman!"
Kakashi snorted. "Yeah, right. OUCH!"
"I'll clean up that later, we're late already. Tsunade told us to come to her office, right?"
"Yes, ma'am. OW!"
"If you don't watch out, pervert, I'll personally make sure that..."
"Make sure what?" Kakashi asked and leaned close to her. He saw Kurenai's face go tomato-red as his face was inches away from hers, and he smirked triumphantly.
"T-t-t-t-that..."
"That?" he breathed in her face.
"Ah, forget it already!" Kurenai blurted out angrily, turned around and marched away. Kakashi's smirk widened and a halo appeared above his head. That works every time...
---
"Shika-kuun! What do you think about this? And that, and that, and that!" Ino asked rapidly as she appeared and disappeared with new outfits each time in the hall of dressing rooms in the clothes boutique. Shikamaru sighed. Shopping had to be the most boring thing ever...
"Shika-kuuun!" Ino pouted as she reappeared in a pastel pink wool sweater and a white skirt.
"Hai, hai", Shikamaru sighed.
"What do you think about this?" she beamed and twirled around.
"Very kawaii. Glad?" he said and looked at her boringly.
"You only say that because you're too lazy to care, ne?" Ino wondered with a bit of disappointment.
"Aa." Though I really do think that she looks kawaii in it.
"Okay!" Ino went into the dressing room and came out in the clothes she had entered the boutique in – an orange, loose sweater and a pair of black pants. "Let's do something else, then! What do you want to do, Shika-kun?"
"Play shougi."
"But Shika-kun, you know I'll lose!"
"Okay... watch clouds?"
"It'll probably rain today."
"I don't know", Shikamaru sighed. "How troublesome."
"Anou, I think I know now..." Ino's lips curled into a wicked smirk. "Look there", she whispered and nudged Shikamaru, pointing at another part of the shopping center. There Kurenai and Kakashi walked together, apparently discussing something.
"Nanda?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Kurenai-sensei and Kakashi-sensei! C'mon, Shika-kun! Let's go over there!"
Shikamaru could only groan when his hyperactive girlfriend began dragging him towards the couple.
---
"Okay, it'd be the easiest thing to make Hinata and Naruto go to the ramen store, but how are we supposed to spy on them there?" Kurenai asked in a low voice as she walked side by side with Kakashi. Kakashi shrugged.
"Hide behind tables?" he suggested with a bored voice.
Kurenai snorted. "Are you really a genius, Kakashi?"
Kakashi smirked. "Who said I was?"
"Well... all the women that get around you go insane, they say you're sexy, they say you're a genius, they say you're DA BOMB –"
"Oh?" Kakashi leaned close to her face. "So you think so about me too?"
Kurenai's cheeks got bright red. Got'cha, Kakashi thought triumphantly.
"I said all the insane women, and I remember that I'm p-p-p-p-p –" Kakashi had leaned even closer. "-p-p-pretty –"
"Pretty? Well, I agree on that", Kakashi laughed, making Kurenai blush the more.
"NO! I meant that I'm pretty... pretty... pretty..."
"That you're pretty pretty pretty? Does repeating the word give it another meaning?" Kakashi smiled at her goofily.
"No, idiot!" Kurenai snarled, now blushing madly. "I meant that I'm pretty sane!"
"Ah." Kakashi backed away, and Kurenai sighed out of relief. But Kakashi was still smirking. The day was far away from over...
---
"Oh my gosh, I think Kakashi-sensei has a crush on Kurenai-sensei!" Ino squealed as soon as they were out of hearing range.
Shikamaru sighed. "Ino, why do we've to meddle with their business?"
"Shika", Ino sulked, "Don't you realize it's not just business? It's love! Love is in the air, Shika!"
Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "So what do you intend to do?"
Ino grinned slyly. "Play matchmaker."
---
"I really don't get why Tsunade made us to do this", moaned Kurenai. "I mean... why is Tsunade interested in who the pupils are with? I mean, I know she kind of like Naruto in an aunt-like way, but why would she want to match him and Hinata together?"
Kakashi shrugged. "I don't know."
Kurenai recalled the meeting. Right after they had left her apartment and went to Tsunade's office in the school...
Flashback.
"Tsunade-sama? You called us to come", Kurenai said as she closed the door after they had entered.
"Ah, yes. Sit." Tsunade did a gesture at the comfortable chairs in front of her desk. Kakashi and Kurenai did so obediently. "I've a, er, mission for you."
"Mission?" Kakashi repeated, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes... or quest, if you want to call it so."
"Tsunade-sama, I think you've played too much RPGs", Kurenai grinned. "Did you really play that RPG... what was it called again, Maple Story? ... that Anko recommended?"
Tsunade coughed. "Well, yes, I have, but that has nothing to do with this. Um, anyway... call it whatever you want. Mission, quest, task."
"So what's the task? Carrying piles of papers on a weekend?" Kakashi wondered.
"No." Tsunade smirked. "Play matchmakers."
Kakashi and Kurenai just stared.
End Flashback.
Sometimes, Kurenai thought with a sigh, Tsunade is just downright weird. But... she glanced at Kakashi with a smile, who was drooling at the sight of Icha Icha Paradise in a bookstore they were walking past. ... I guess everyone in my life is.
And I'm not complaining about it.
---
Ring, ring.
The boy who watched TV furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance.
Ring, ring.
The blonde boy now turned up the volume.
Ring, ring.
The blue-eyed blonde boy sent death glares in the telephone's direction.
Ring, ring.
The blue-eyed blonde boy – or should we just say Naruto? – looked at the TV screen in frustration, trying to concentrate on the football match that was going on.
Ring, ring.
At last, he stomped towards the telephone and snatched the receiver from its place.
"Moshi, moshi?" he snapped rudely in Japanese.
"Hullo, this is Ichiraku Ramen Store", said a familiar voice. Naruto frowned. The voice was very, very familiar... but who did it belong to? It sounded a bit weird, though. As the person who was the owner of the voice had some kind of throat problem.
"Ichiraku?" he said excitedly. "Have you gotten my order of 100 instant ramen packages yet?"
"Uh, no", the voice replied. "But... you've won a prize!"
"Really?" Naruto laughed out loud. "That's awesome! What did I win?"
"Free ramen for an entire day!"
"Oh my god! Is it true? Is it true? Is it true?" Naruto asked rapidly in the receiver, almost dancing around out of enthusiasm. "Can I bring all my friends?"
"NO!" the voice yelled. Naruto blinked.
"Why?"
"Because... um... they aren't members of the Ramen Club."
"Ramen Club?"
"Yeah. Everyone who has eaten here 100 times – we count them, you see – becomes part of the Ramen Club. And there are only two winners in Ramen Club today."
"So... if my friends come along..."
"... they'll have to pay for themselves. Besides..." The voice lowered into a whisper. "... the price has doubled from today, so I don't think they'll be pleased... but we've a... crisis if you know what I mean?"
"Oh...", Naruto said understandingly, even though he didn't get it at all.
"So if you come today, there'll be free ramen, just for you and another person!"
"Another person?" Naruto repeated. "You mean I can invite someone?"
"Ah… uh… yes! But only if it's a girl," the voice added swiftly. "And if the girl has no boyfriend."
"Uh, alright," Naruto replied with a shrug. "I'll come to Ichiraku in a couple of minutes then. Ja!" Click.
Naruto narrowed his eyes as he began thinking. "A girl without a boyfriend…?" he mumbled for himself. He eyed the telephone again, picked up the receiver, and dialed a new number.
---
"Kakaashi-sensei! Kurenaiii-sensei!" Ino shouted as she approached the two teachers. Kurenai's eyes darted to Kakashi's hands, and sighed out of relief as she saw that the mobile phone was gone. Thank God Naruto was so easily tricked. Kakashi had done quite a good job on tricking him to go to the ramen store.
"Konnichiwa, Ino," she greeted the blonde instead, and then eyed the boy beside her amusingly. "Konnichiwa, Shikamaru."
"Yo," Shikamaru muttered, but Ino grinned tauntingly at the two teachers.
"Are you out on a date?" she said in a sing-song voice. Kurenai's cheeks turned pink.
"No! Tsunade-sama actually gave us a task…"
"On a Saturday?" Ino's eyes twinkled evilly.
"Yes," Kakashi coughed, and to Kurenai's… triumph? and surprise, he was flustered, too. "Actually, she did."
"And what task is it?" Ino pressed on.
"Uh, well, it's a secret," Kurenai stuttered. Which is actually true, she added in her mind.
"Really." But the evil sparkle in Ino's eyes didn't disappear. "So, hmm… what're you doing in the shopping center?"
"Well, we decided to drop by and buy a cup of coffee," Kakashi responded with his calmest voice. Even though it did shudder a little.
"Oh? Just one cup of coffee? You mean you're going to share?" Ino wanted to know, chuckling. Kakashi's blush became more indiscreet, as did Kurenai's. In fact, Kurenai's face resembled one of those tomatoes Sasuke had bought years ago with the discount Sakura had given him.
"No!" she said shrilly. "Kakashi is going to buy coffee, and I'm not going to buy anything at all. I'm not thirsty."
"Hmph. How unromantic," Ino snorted.
"We're not dating anyway," Kurenai answered stubbornly.
"So?" Ino smirked. "I've heard rumors that you're, so to say, having interests in common…"
"What do you mean?" said Kurenai defensively.
"Ah, well." Ino grinned at them. "Why don't we have a double date?"
"Well, actually, we're quite busy," Kurenai argued. "We need to get the task done fast, and…"
"Sure," Kakashi interrupted her. Kurenai looked up at him in shock as she saw him grin back at Ino. "Why not?"
---
"Hinata-sama! Hinata-sama!"
Hinata looked up at the urged servant standing in the door. "Nani?"
"It's urgent, Hinata-sama!"
Looking alarmed, Hinata put down the hairbrush she had brushed her little sister's, Hanabi's, hair with. "What has happened?"
"There's someone who wants to speak on you. Some boy. On the phone."
Exhaling sharply of relief, Hinata smiled back at the servant. "Ah, I'll get it then. Can you please tell Neji-onii-san that Tenten-chan is coming over for dinner this evening? I think I've forgotten to tell him."
The servant looked disapprovingly at her, but nodded reluctantly. "Hai, Hinata-sama."
"Gomen nasai, Hanabi-chan," Hinata smiled at her little sister. "Let's do your hair some other day."
"Okay, onee-chan," Hanabi smiled back. Then she winked mischievously. "A guy, huh? I bet it's Uzumaki Naruto."
Hinata flushed. "Naruto-kun is just a friend! Anyhow, I've got to go. Ja ne!"
Walking out of the room, she walked in quite a daze towards the phone on the other side of the hall. Picking it up, she said cautiously: "Moshi moshi?"
"Ah? Hinata-chan!" she heard Naruto's familiar voice say. "I'm glad you were home! The woman who answered said you were really busy…"
"Nanda?" Hinata's cheeks turned redder than they already were. "No! I was… I was just doing my little sister's hair. Konnichiwa, Naruto-kun."
"Hai, konnichiwa. Anou, I was wondering, Hinata-chan, are you busy this afternoon? I was wondering if you wanted to come to Ichiraku. Apparently they were, um, having this special offer and I could bring a friend of the opposite gender as long as the friend didn't have a boyfriend… and since all girls, except Kari-chan who's not my friend anymore, have boyfriends except you and Temari, I wanted to ask you if you wanted to come along? Besides, I think Kankorou is going to beat me up if I ask Temari out."
Hinata almost dropped the phone in astonishment. He was asking her out? Like a date?
"Hinata-chan?" Naruto's worried voice said in the receiver. "Daijoubu ka?"
"N-nani? Ah… um… yes, daijoubou desu."
"So… you coming along, then?"
He paused, waiting for a response. Hinata could hardly breathe out of excitement. A date? A real date? With… Naruto-kun?
"Hinata-chan?"
"Ah! Yes, I'm coming."
"So… how about if I pick you up in, uh, 15 minutes?"
"Fifteen… minutes?" Hinata stared in disbelief at her wristwatch.
"Yeah. If that isn't too late? What about ten minutes?"
"N-n-no! That's not necessary. Um… Naruto-kun?"
"Yeah?"
She thought a while. She had her own beauty stylist at home. And she could do emergencies… well, maybe they could make it in time…
"Um. No. It was nothing. Well, see you in fifteen minutes then."
"Yea! Bye!"
"Bye." Putting the receiver back into its place, Hinata felt her entire body shaking. Then she pulled out her mobile phone from her pocket and dialed a number within the gigantic Hyuuga mansion. "Tara-chan? Um, I've a bit of an emergency…"
---
Naruto felt a sudden feeling of hyperness and excitement as he saw the Hyuuga mansion come into view. Normally, he was always hyper, but somehow he had managed to stay calm the fifteen minutes the limousine had driven from his own house to the Hyuuga mansion. And somehow… he felt nervous, too.
Nervous? Naruto laughed a bit for himself. He was never nervous. Uzumaki Naruto was never nervous for anything.
Especially not one single, measly date – uh, I mean, a dinner – with a friend.
Even if that friend was a super-cute, super-kind, super-wonderful, super-shy and super-everything girl.
Even if that friend was Hyuuga Hinata.
Naruto didn't know why, but he had always, kind of, had this thing for Hinata. Sure, he had liked this little pink-haired girl back when he was little – which he assumed was now Sakura, hearing Sasuke talk about the tomato discount thing on their way home after the airport event – but after she had moved to another place, his crush had kind of faded away. Instead, he felt protective of Hinata.
Not to mention slightly jealous. Especially of that guy in her 'team', Inuzuka Kiba, who was protective of her too, even though he said it was in a more brotherly sense. Besides, Kiba had always teased Naruto for liking her.
But Naruto? Liking a girl? Hah. He's just too immature for it…
… at least, he thought so, until he saw that gorgeous girl at the Hyuuga mansion's doors. He gaped at her in disbelief. Was it really Hinata?
"H-H-H-Hinata?" he stammered as he walked out of the car, looking at her from top to toe. He could see a faint blush on her cheeks, but he was a bit too occupied to admire the dazzling beauty queen in front of him to bother thinking why she was blushing.
Normally, Hinata had really short, dark-blue hair. If she ever let the hair grow long enough to reach her shoulders, she'd have it in a casual horsetail… but today, she had tied into in a very pretty, and neat, knot, and as a decoration she had a yellow diadem today. He looked at her outfit too; a matching yellow, sleeveless dress with a huge ribbon on her chest, underneath a black, tight jacket (which's sleeves only reached to her elbows) which only reached a bit further down from her chest. She was wearing black sandals with a diamanté yellow flower on them too, and small white socks. (A/N: Um, this was a bit hard to describe… the dress exists in real life, it's a "Shantung bow dress, A+Eve from Adam+Eve, $495" according to Elle.)
"Um… do I look weird?" Hinata asked nervously as she eyed him anxiously. "Uh, I didn't have that much time… so…"
"No, you look… you look… really…" Naruto fought with the blush that was clearly visible on his cheeks. He realized he didn't look all that handsome, and regretted having not put on any deodorant when leaving. But he had thought he was going to see Hinata… not Hinata the beauty princess, who looked as though she had stepped right out of a fairytale. He looked at her slender arms, and slender legs… and how come he had never noticed those big, pearly eyes of hers that were so beautiful? And sparkly?
"Uh, um… why don't we… err… go into the car?" he suggested with a sheepish grin as he opened the limousine door. Hinata blinked at him in surprise.
"Oh. Right," she blushed, and stepped into the limousine as well. Naruto closed the door and walked to the other side of the limousine, going into the backseat from there.
"Ichiraku," he said to the chauffeur, who nodded and started driving right away. Naruto gave her a slightly bothered glance.
"Uh… what I wanted to tell you before was…" His voice came in a rush, unsurely, clumsily. He cursed himself for his uncertainness. "You look fab. Really."
"Oh." Now Hinata's cheeks turned bright scarlet. "Arigatou, Naruto-kun." She eyed him shyly. Somehow, he couldn't recognize that shy smile in her face. She just seemed so… mature. So ungirlish. Now she seemed like a… woman. Or a young lady, at the very least. Now she didn't seem like the uncertain schoolgirl she was anymore."
"Naruto-kun?"
"W-w-what? Uh, I mean… aa?" Oh my god! Inner Naruto was shrieking. I'm turning into a goddamned Sasuke clone! OH NO! A SASUKE CLONE? A S-A-S-U-K-E CLONE? AN UCHIHA SASUKE CLONE? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
"You look…" Hinata's entire face turned a deep shade of tomato red. She looked as though she was on the verge of fainting. "You look… you look great, too."
Naruto looked at his clothes, and then looked back at her with a grin. "Hey, you don't need to be polite, Hinata. I know I don't look as great as you… I just didn't expect that we'd, err…" Go on a date, Inner Naruto supplied.
Shut the hell up, you! Naruto thought angrily. We're not, and I repeat, NOT, on a date! We're just totally normal friends who're going for dinner…
Yeah right! Is that why you're totally weird?
I am NOT!
You SO are!
Am not!
Are too!
Am not!
Are too!
Am not -
Oh, just shut the hell up and finish that goddamned sentence.
Hey, you're right. For once. "… I don't know", he finished at last, grinning nervously.
"No, it's not just that I'm polite!" Hinata looked shocked at the remark. "No, Naruto-kun, you look great whatever you're wearing. You always do."
"Really?" Naruto's grin widened. And Uzumaki Naruto has SCOOOORED! The Uchiha Sasuke team has lost with 1000000000-0! The Uzumaki Naruto team has won the entire tournament! The Uzumaki Naruto team is undefeatable! UNDEFEATABLE, I SAY! UNDEFEATAB-
Shut up. I'm trying to listen to that broken iPod that goddamned Inner Sasuke gave me last time. That bastard. He went to buy a new one as soon as he had given me his old one… argh, the sound quality is LAME…
"Y-y-yes", Hinata stammered. "Really."
"Thanks, Hinata! You look awesome too, whatever you're wearing. Even though…" He glanced at her. "You look even greater now."
"Uh, oh, eh… th-th-th-thanks!" she stuttered.
Whoa. Somebody has learned to flirt, eh?
Just shut the hell up and listen to your goddamned iPod.
---
"Why don't we go to some café? Like…" Ino looked around. "Starbucks?" she suggested with a grin and gestured at the familiar coffee shop with 'Starbucks' written on its large window in black, huge letters.
"Okay," Kurenai replied calmly. "But I'm sure Kakashi would rather grab a cup of coffee at…" She paused and looked about, and then gave him a glare as she added: "… McDonalds. Yes, why don't you go buy your coffee and we buy ours, and we can meet at Starbucks?"
Ino lifted an eyebrow and gave Shikamaru a questioning glance. Shikamaru shrugged, not bothering to answer. "Fine by me," she said at last. "See you later, then! Ja!"
As the blonde and the black-haired boy walked off into Starbucks, Kurenai started to drag Kakashi towards McDonalds. As they were in the busy line to the counter, she gave him a death glare.
"What was all that about?" she hissed.
Kakashi gave no answer. He looked at the menu lazily before giving Kurenai a carefree smile. "Why not? They might actually be helpful."
"Helpful?" Kurenai echoed in disbelief. "What do you mean, helpful?"
"Well…" Kakashi paused. "For instance, if we tell them our task, they could actually help us putting Naruto and Hinata together. Those two would be a pretty good team when it comes to that… Ino's sense for gossip and matchmaking, and Shikamaru's brain. A winning combination."
"But… but…" Kurenai searched desperately for a reason not to do this. I don't want the two of them to interfere! she was screaming in her mind. They… we… I… oh god, I don't know!
You do know, Inner Kurenai yawned. You do know Kakashi is oh my GOD so sinfully sexy, have you noticed just HOW sexy he is today?
STOP BEING A LOVE-SICK WOMAN AND HELP ME INSTEAD!
Hmm, maybe you're right. They're stealing our precious time with Kakashi.
THAT'S NOT WHY I DON'T WANT TO DO IT!
Whoa, hey, calm down. But actually, that's the truth. You want to be with Kakashi, don't you?
You… you… NO! I DON'T WANT TO BE WITH KAKASHI!
Geez, take it easy. It's just that it's so obvious you do… oh, whatever.
You're so annoying sometimes. God, can you stop obsessing over Kakashi?
Thanks for the compliment, I feel very honored, but the answer is still NO.
"Oh, okay then!" she snapped. "Let's do it with them. But if things go wrong, it won't be my fault, alright?!"
Crossing her arms, she turned away, fuming. Why does he have to be so narrow-minded? Can't he see it won't work? These two are… okay, so Shikamaru sure is intelligent, but… oh, whatever!
"Hey… if you don't want to, we don't have to," she heard Kakashi saying.
"Hmph. Whatever," she snorted. "Apparently, you don't think we're capable of doing it on our own."
"No… I just thought it'd be more fun –" Kakashi stopped abruptly, and then looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "You're not angry, are you?"
"… No," she lied, refusing to look at him.
"No?" he repeated with a smirk.
"No, I'm not angry with you!" she snarled as she spun around, facing him. "I'm not angry, okay?"
"Really?"
"Yes! I'm not angry! I'm not the slightest, tiniest –" She came to a halt, realizing she was sounding silly. "Argh! Whatever. Okay, so maybe I'm a little angry."
"With me?"
"… I don't know. Maybe. Besides, you didn't have to agree to their stupid idea of a… a… double date. For god's sake, we're not dating."
Kakashi didn't answer for a couple of minutes. Feeling the tension, Kurenai looked curiously at him, but just as she was about to ask him what was wrong, he said: "Would it be weird if we did?"
Taken aback by the question, she could only stare at him. "I… well, maybe it would. I don't know. I mean… I've never done it before."
"You have." He now was staring intently at her. The lazy amusement was gone, and was replaced by nothing but intensity. Kurenai felt some nervousness appear. "You dated Asuma for a while."
"Well… it didn't go well, did it? And… I don't know. Asuma is just… Asuma. Sure, he's handsome and cool –" To her astonishment, Kakashi's face turned into a grimace at this – " – and smart and all that, but I don't know, we just didn't… go. Now we're just friends."
"It wasn't weird for you two, was it? Then how could it be weird for us?"
"I… don't know." Kurenai looked uncomfortable. "I mean, I've never done it with… with you."
"Then maybe we should give it a try," Kakashi said abruptly. Kurenai almost gaped at him in surprise, and she could only stare, as she felt her talking ability faded away. Inner Kurenai, however, was throwing a private party inside her mind.
But before Kurenai could answer, Ino and Shikamaru came.
"Geez, you two are sure slow," Ino complained. "How come this line is being so slow? We got our coffee in like, two minutes. We were wondering what was taking so long."
It was just then that both Kakashi and Kurenai realized they had walked out of the line.
---
"Whoa, so who's your little friend, Naruto?"
"Oji-san," Naruto said embarrassedly, but the owner of Ichiraku only smiled.
"A girlfriend, huh? Well, I'll have some extra accessories put into the ramen for free… think of it, our Naruto on his first date at Ichiraku!" He laughed. "So who's the lucky girl, then?"
"Oji-san!" Naruto exclaimed again, his cheeks on fire. "She's just a friend."
"Just a friend." The owner raised an eyebrow. "Is that what you youths call dates nowadays?"
"No! She's just a friend," Naruto groaned.
"Fine, fine."
"And she's Hyuuga Hinata," Naruto added, glancing at Hinata who was smiling shyly.
"Hyuuga, eh? So your father's Hyuuga Hiashi, I assume? Or Hyuuga Hizashi?"
"Hiashi," Hinata corrected him. "Yes, my father is Hyuuga Hiashi."
"Ah." The owner's grin widened. "Well, welcome to Ichiraku. What an honor to have Hyuuga Hiashi's daughter here!"
"She has been here before," Naruto muttered. "And her cousin, too. Neji."
"Neji? As in Hizashi's son, Neji? Oh, dear! So you mean the two heirs of the Hyuuga company have been here before and I've not even known?"
"Yeah." Naruto rolled his eyes. "Never mind."
Hinata giggled. "Naruto-kun, it's okay." She looked thoughtfully around. "I've really missed Ichiraku. We haven't been here for some time, have we?"
"Nah. Not since Sasuke-teme and Sakura-chan began arguing," Naruto replied. "I'm so glad it's over. What a mess it was."
"Yeah…," Hinata agreed. "I'm happy for both of them. They're so cute together!"
"Uh-huh."
"But where's Kari-chan?"
"Hikari?" Naruto's face expression darkened. "I don't know. I think she went back to Tokyo, just like Cindy went to the U.S., but I don't know where James went, though. I hope he went somewhere far away, that bastard."
Hinata only smiled. "Everything's good now, isn't it?"
"Yeah! It's just so sad that Sakura-san has to leave again… I hope she's coming back soon, though."
A strange face expression appeared on Hinata's face. As she fell in silence, Naruto looked at her curiously. "What's wrong, Hinata?"
"Oh, nothing… I was just thinking," she said quickly. Another silence. Then… "Naruto-kun, if I were to leave, what would you do?"
"What?" Naruto looked startled at her. "You're going to leave? Why? And what're you talking about? Why? Is it because Sakura-chan's leaving, too? But everything just got fine! Why? And –"
"No, I'm not leaving," Hinata interrupted him. "I just meant… if. Hypothetically."
"Hypothetically?" Naruto repeated, puzzled.
"Yes. I mean… 'if'."
"Oh." Calming down again, Naruto retorted: "Well… I think I'd talk you out of it. And if that didn't work, I'd stop you!" He grinned childishly at her.
"You mean the way Sasuke-kun stopped Sakura-san?" Hinata smiled.
"What?" Naruto looked confused.
"Never mind," Hinata said quickly. Fortunately for her, the ramen arrived just then.
---
"Don't you think that Kakashi-sensei and Kurenai-sensei are acting weird?" Ino whispered to Shikamaru as they walked behind the two aforementioned. Shikamaru gave her a lazy glance and then yawned.
"Maybe a little," he admitted. "They're a bit tense."
"Uh-huh. What do you think happened while we were at Starbucks?"
"I don't know… and honestly, I don't care," he added with a sigh.
"Shika-kun! Don't be so boring!" Ino sulked.
"I'm not boring. I'm just not interested in other people's business," he corrected her.
"What are the two of you talking about?" Kurenai asked as she looked across her shoulder with a frown.
"Nooothing," Ino said in a singsong voice. "So… where're we headed? The… cinema?" she suggested.
"No, we're going to Ichiraku," Kakashi said, and then stopped, looking at Shikamaru and Ino sternly. "Okay, remember not to tell this to anyone, but Tsunade-sama gave us a task."
"You said that before," Shikamaru remarked.
"Yes, and the task is…" Kakashi paused. "We're going to play matchmakers."
Ino only gaped at him.
---
"I can't believe this! Tsunade-sama actually gave you such a task?!" Ino burst out.
"Yeah. I can't believe it either," Kurenai commented.
"So what have you done so far?" Shikamaru wanted to know.
"Well, we've phoned Naruto and asked him to bring a girl without a boyfriend to Ichiraku, and naturally, he phoned Hinata and both of them have already reached Ichiraku. We were kind of hoping we could cause a few 'incidents', but we need some help," Kakashi went on.
"Incidents?" Ino smiled evilly. "Well, this will be a challenge…"
---
"The ramen was delicious," Naruto sighed happily as they proceeded out of Ichiraku.
"Yes… as usual," Hinata added with a giggle. Something moved within Naruto as he heard that giggle. Has it always sounded so melodic? And… beautiful?
Geez, dude. You're head over heels in love with her and you can't even realize it.
Shut the hell up and listen to your iPod instead.
"Wow, it's already evening… come to think of it, did we really sit that long at Ichiraku's?" Hinata wondered, looking around as they came out.
"Nah… I don't think so. But time goes fast when you have fun, doesn't it?" Naruto grinned at her.
"Yeah," Hinata smiled back.
---
"Damn! They're already out of Ichiraku," Ino hissed as the four ducked into the bushes beside Ichiraku. "There isn't much we can do now."
"I'd prefer to go home," Shikamaru yawned.
"Okay, then…" Ino sighed. "Can we at least stop for some dinner on the way? I'm hungry."
"Sure," Shikamaru shrugged.
"Let's go then!" she beamed. "Ja ne, Kakashi-sensei, Kurenai-sensei!"
And they both carefully stood up and walked off. A tense silence followed as the two senseis watched Hinata and Naruto chat.
"Uh… I think I'm off too…," Kurenai began hesitantly. When Kakashi didn't respond, she heaved a hardly audible sigh and arose gracefully, disappearing into the shadows. Kakashi only stared after her, for a long time, before doing the same.
---
As Hinata and Naruto sat in the limousine, they kept chatting. Laughs, smiles and grins were exchanged as they started to come near the Hyuuga mansion. I'm so happy, Hinata thought, and with a thrill of excitement, she realized she wasn't nervous around Naruto anymore.
"The Hyuuga mansion," the driver announced as they came to a halt in front of the mansion. Both Naruto and Hinata walked out of the limousine, and then stopped in front of the gate.
"I… had a really nice time today," Hinata began, with a faint blush on her cheeks. "Thanks for taking me along for dinner."
"I had a great time too," Naruto grinned.
"So… good night," Hinata smiled.
Naruto's grin turned into a smile. Then he kissed her forehead. "Good night," he said hastily and quickly walked back into the limousine. Within a minute, the limousine had driven off, but Hinata remained in front of the gate, looking after him with a mingled expression of shock… and happiness.
This is the LONGEST chapter in the fanfic so far! XD; Actually, it was going to be much shorter, but since I wanted to add plenty of KakaKure fluff, it ended up being this much :3
I'll have to apologize about the 26th chapter, though. I was going to work on it during these holidays, but I read/wrote about the French revolution instead for my test, and went shopping once, had a 'movie night' with my friends and went to visit Zed's grave. Concerning the visit to his grave, I felt kind of weird standing there. I know that I was supposed to cry or just mourn in general, but instead me and my sis (who didn't know him, but I had talked about him so much when he was alive she practically knew him as well as me since I filled her in on almost everything we talked about) started filling him in on what had happened lately and stuff, and it was just like he was still there and we were talking to him on the phone or something, just that his receiver was broken and he could only hear us talking. My mom got a bit mad with us because we started laughing about something we said, but that was just because I didn't want to stand there crying and feel like the world was going to come to an end. I wanted Zed to see me the way he had known me, not see me as the wailing, mourning, complaining me, and somehow it felt like a relief to just talk normally like I was phoning him just to talk. I know it was wrong of me to stand there in front of a grave, laughing, grinning and joking because it's kind of inproper to do that, but...
Anyway, these holidays must've been the most boring ever. Except the visit to Zed's grave, I've done nothing particular and the FANTASTIC break from school I had been looking forward to for weeks was almost as boring as school itself. XDD
And for those who might wonder about my constant remarks about iPods, yes, I am obsessed with them, I've my own which has a pink rubber "shell" x3
A "tiny" little spoiler... since nobody apparently guessed what my super suprise was, I'm going to tell it... XDD
A SEQUEL! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I've scheduled to release a sequel x3 However, I'll let you choose... do you want it to
- STILL be in Paris, have LOTS of drama, lesser fluff and humor but still some fluff/humor, concentrating mostly on a new couple and a new love triangle featuring an old couple
- be in the classic scenario of being lost on an unknown island in the middle of nowhere, have lots of humor but much lesser drama and fluff, and concentrating mostly on the old couples
And yes, both will be SasuSaku, and have equally much of it :P
Reviews Corner
THANK YOU! We've almost reached 600 reviews... I'M SO HAPPY:D Arigatou gozaimasu, everyone!
For the reviews of the previous chapter, I must say a BIG 'thank you' to
Hanyue-Chan
rainingblood666 (Nah, I won't let you guys wait that long. XD But it's fine, I'm always stressed about everything anyway, so it's not like such a big deal that I'm stressed now too... the only times I'm not stressed are during the holidays, unless my parents drag me off to a 'vacation', which I should rather call 'culture sight-seeing journey', which still makes me stressed. XD)
mitzuki1290 (Wow, I feel so sorry for you... ;.; I know exactly how that feels now - but I never attended his funeral because I was ill that day, coughed so much I almost threw up and had a really high fever, so I couldn't go anywhere e.e But it still feels like I don't feel anything, though...)
Ur2tRoUbLeSoMe90
ruichi (No, new characters until the sequel. XD Then, we'll see a bunch of them. :) And sorry about not reading your fanfic yet, I'm so sorry! T.T Argh, if it only were the Christmas holidays now...)
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silverdragon994 (Lol, just have to say that your bonus chapter plot idea was hilarious!! XD Just to make it a surprise I'm of course going to change it a LITTLE, tiny bit, but I've GOT to have the quote, it was just way too funny XDD)
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Yukiru a.k.a. ninja (Yes, what's going to happen to her now... mwahahah... -laughs evilly-)
Crazy Gal42 (Oh, it hasn't ended yet, trust me... XD I've many, many evil plans for Sasuke and Sakura... nyahahah... but no, I haven't read Dramacon... I don't even think it's released in the country I live in yet -.-; The manga interest is growing here, so they're translating/importing more and more mangas, but they're pretty slow. I mean, they do have the entire Love Hina series, but they've just recently started translating Naruto, and the translation SUCKS... x.x)
everlasting memories
Latilen (Millions?! O.O Whoa... thanks... x3)
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Pale Moonlit Nightsky (No, it's okay, I'm kind of feeling better XD)
MidnightMoon93 (Mm... ramen... no, stop it! You're torturing me - mm, ramen... ARGH, NO! XD I'm getting hungry here! Even though I just ate... o.O)
Blackieismybaby
HeartAngel (Sorry about not publishing your chapter yet, it's coming next week :D And oh no, laps?! I share your pain... even though it's so cold now we don't have to do laps anymore XD;)
iyoku-ishi (I'm sorry about the Neji OOCness, but it's just that I prefer having him that way XD He's so boring when he's cold and emotionless T.T Even though when he is like that, he's still very cool... x3)
littlechineseazngirl (You're jealous of me? I feel honored! X3 And a Fruits Basket fic...? Hmm, I'll think about it. Lately, I've been thinking of writing one, since I'm obsessed with FB, but the problem is that they're already official, so there's not much left for me to write since they've practically added all the fluff I've ever wanted to add to Kyou/Tohru unless I make an AU fic about it... hmm... but I've been thinking more about Hiro/Kisa, sorry n.n;)
nickygirl
ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU FOR ALL THE REVIEWS, EVERYONE:D AND KEEP ON REVIEWING x3
Sneak Preview on Next Chapter: Fear and Confessions
"YOU SAID THAT YOU LIKED ASUMA BETTER THAN ME -"
"NO, I DIDN'T!" Kurenai interrupted him just as loudly and drained her glass of beer, putting it back on the table's surface forcefully. "SO SHUT THE HELL UP, IDIOT! I JUST SAID IT'D BE WEIRD!"
"And why would it be weird?" He glared at her intensely, then mimicked her by draining his glass of beer and slamming it back on the table.
"It'd just be... I dun' know, WEIRD!" she yelled. "It'd be just as weird as you kissin' me or somethin' -"
He leaned over to her seat swiftly, and caught her lips in an abrupt and forceful kiss, then gazing into her shocked eyes with his. "Now, that wasn't weird, was it?" he asked in a low voice.
(A/N: Uh-oh, Kakashi and Kurenai are getting drunk! And what confessions are there going to be? Don't miss the next chapter, HeartAngel's 100th reviewer bonus chapter:D)