Destined for Each Other?
Chapter 8 – Nervioso, Citas y Jueces
Naruto steps away from the urinal and begins washing his hands. He stops then a fellow classmate walks up next to him and slaps him on the back. Naruto, startled, turns around to see that its Shikamaru.
"Whoa, I didn't see you their Shikamaru." Naruto says while taking a breath of air to relax himself.
"Yeah, I get that." Shikamaru replies condescendingly, "We never get to talk... how've you been?"
"I've been pretty well, a little tired from all the stuff going on in my life but otherwise okay, how 'bout you?" says Naruto.
"Me too man. Hows Hinata doing?" Shikamaru asks.
"She's okay, I guess..." Naruto replies not really knowing how to answer the question.
Shikamaru then nudges towards Naruto suggestively, "You know..." he says, "Not to over share or anything but you have a pretty cute sister, be careful with her."
Naruto gets seriously red as he turns to Shikamaru, "What do you mean by that?" he asks.
"Whoa whoa whoa!" Shikamaru replies, "I didn't mean anything bad, I just meant that you should take care of her."
"OH" Naruto takes a sigh of relief, "OK."
"But..." Shikamaru says smirking to himself, "By the looks of it you're doing a pretty good job already."
Naruto, embarrassed again, replies, "Well... you know! We're kind of close and... you know! We are twins after all!"
"Okie dokie then." Shikamaru says as he continues to smile to himself.
Naruto can feel his heart beat, "I wonder if its that obvious." he continues to look at the way Shikamaru smiles to himself, "Does he know... Does he know? Oh god..." Naruto wonders on.
"Well then, see you in class!" Shikamaru says exiting the bathroom.
Even though his classmate has left Naruto still feels his heart beat rapidly. He finally leaves the bathroom and heads toward the classroom.
"What if people know." He thinks as he sees the smiling teenagers at their lockers and in the hallways.
"What if word gets out." Naruto feels his feet getting heavy and his palms sweat.
"What'll happen then?" He whispers quietly to himself his footsteps continue to gain weight.
"What then." He whispers again as he stumbles into the classroom.
Narutos friend, Sasuke, is sitting on his desk in a rather casual way as he enters the room.
Sasuke can see despair in his friends eyes, "Everything good?" he asks.
Naruto replies, "I'm okay." he takes his seat nearby.
Sasuke scratches his head, "What's up with him?" he asks himself. "I wonder if right now is a good time to tell him I'm going on a date with Hinata." Sasuke thinks, then sees Naruto dig his head onto the history textbook on his desk, "In second thought..." he takes another look at Naruto, "Probably not."
Little by little the classroom fills up with students waiting for the teacher until the bell rings and the Sensei walks in.
After class
Naruto, still moping at his desk, finally gets up after the final bell rings. He looks around and doesn't see Hinata or Sakura, but Ino is still at her desk putting things away into her book-bag.
Naruto walks up to Ino and she looks at him, "Oh hey Naruto!" she says happily.
"Well at least her happy face kinda makes me feel happy too." He thinks to himself.
"Whats up?" Ino asks.
"Not much, how about you?" Naruto asks.
"Same here, I've got some organizing to do in my room." She replies.
"Really?" Naruto asks, "Do you need any help with that?"
"Oh... you don't have to..." She says but Naruto interrupts, "No, no, its not a problem, I don't mind at all."
"Well... if you don't mind, OK then!" Ino says.
"Great, I can go by your place tomorrow, if that's okay with you." Naruto says.
"That's fine, thanks so much! How can I repay you?!" She asks.
"How about you fix us a bento lunch we can share?" He replies.
Ino shines with happiness, "That sounds great! Its a deal then!"
"Well..." he says as he picks up his small bag and starts exiting, "See you tomorrow, definitely!"
"See you!" She waves goodbye excitingly.
As he leaves she feels her heart race and her body feel warm, "Maybe this is the start of something amazing." she thinks to herself, "Maybe... just maybe..."
He races outside, "Crap! I totally forgot I was supposed to meet Sakura at the fountain!"
Naruto continues to run until he reaches the courtyard and sees Sakura sitting, waiting patiently for Naruto.
She makes eye contact with him and then smiles to herself, "You forgot, didn't you?" She asks Naruto.
"I completely forgot, sorry about that." Naruto answers, "Its just... Its just that its been a while since I've done this kind of thing at all."
Sakura smiles and takes him by the hand, "Don't sweat it." she says, "I'll make this as painless as possible."
Naruto blushes and replies quickly, "That's not what I meant!"
"Ok then, well, do you want to go right away?" She asks Naruto.
"Sure." he replies.
And so they head onto the new restaurant. Naruto and Sakura continue to hold hands as they wait in line for there turn to be seated.
"Aw man, this place is pretty full." Naruto remarks.
"This is a new restaurant after all." Sakura answers back.
"Good point." He says.
They wait until finally its their turn.
"We only have two chairs left but its in a table already with a couple in the other two chairs, you'd have to share a table. Is that alright with you?" Asks the waiter.
Naruto turns to Sakura, "Is that OK?"
Sakura shrugs, "I don't mind." She says.
The waiter takes them to a table, as they get closer they see that the couple sitting in the two other chairs are Hinata and Sasuke.
Sasuke yells out, "Whoa! What are you guys doing here?"
"Weird, that's exactly what I was going to ask you!" Naruto says.
"We're on a dinner date! Come on and sit down with us! We'll make this a double date!" Cheerfully Sasuke says.
"That's a great idea, come on Naruto!" Sakura says pulling Naruto into one of the chairs.
Naruto can see Hinatas face is displeased and he doesn't feel very comfortable.
"She doesn't look very happy at all." Naruto thinks, "To be fair neither am I."
"What a coincidence that we all go to the same restaurant right?!" Sakura asks.
"Yeah, like, I'm so surprised that all our minds work the same way." Sasuke replies.
"I guess after all these years we're still as close as we were." Naruto says.
Both Sasuke and Sakura nod in agreement, then Naruto thinks to himself, "Well, at least subconsciously."
"Remember when we were like thirteen years old when all the 8th grade had to do a science project and Sasuke did this weird project about planting a CD in soil and seeing how long it'd take for the CD to not be able to play?!" Sakura remarks.
"Oh yeah, I think I made like a D that year in science class, that was a bad idea for a science project!" Sasuke replies.
"I told you, just go with a mini volcano, but you said NO,you wanted to be different." Sakura says.
"Yeah, that's the way I've always been." Sasuke says.
Naruto then looks at Hinata who is, just like Naruto, pretty silent. Sakura takes notice.
"You guys OK?" Sakura asks Naruto and Hinata.
"Yeah I'm fine." Hinata says.
"Well then, I think I'm going to freshen up in the bathroom." Sakura says as she gets up and goes towards the restroom.
Sasuke then says, "I think I'll go to the restroom too. I'll be right back."
Both Naruto and Hinata are now left alone together at the table.
"What are you doing here?!" Asks Hinata angrily.
"What do you mean 'what am I doing here', what are you doing here?! You should be at home! God! You sure get around pretty quick don't you, with my own best friend!" Naruto replies steaming.
"Oh, you're one to talk! You're here with Sakura, you and I are in the same boat! How dare you judge me!" Hinata replies.
"Oh, I'm judging you am I? I just think its funny that you and I decide not to see each other and you go straight for my friend! I know Sasuke wouldn't ask you out on a date, it must've been you who pulled the trigger, wasn't it?!" says Naruto.
"For your information it was me! So what? You said we couldn't be together for obvious reasons. Why can't I be with anybody I want?" Hinata says.
Naruto takes a deep breath and says, "Listen, we need to calm down, I don't want to make this night awkward for any of us. Lets just try to compose ourselves, OK."
Hinata also takes breath in, "You're right." she says, "I'm sorry."
"No, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have judged you." Naruto says.
They wait a few seconds longer but their friends continue to take their time. Naruto then sees Hinatas face and notices her lip gloss.
"You..." Naruto says.
"Hmn?" Hinata asks.
"You look pretty tonight..." Naruto says which makes Hinata blush.
"Uhm... well you look pretty good too Naruto." She says slightly biting her lips our of embarrassment.
To be continued...
*Note I own none of these characters. This story is completely fiction (Fan). Please support the anime/manga series of Naruto and its creators. Please support Shonen Jump. And please review!