Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, we would all be in serious trouble.

Warnings: This fic has bad language. Virgin ears be warned!

Chapter 12: Burn Down Hot Topic

"Okay, let's go in here!"

Gaara glanced once at the sign of the store and felt his eyebrow begin to twitch. "No."

"What? Why not? Don't you shop here all the time?"

A growl started low in the redheads throat and increased in volume as it rumbled up. "No, I most certainly do not."

"Huh? Why?" The blond looked closely at his slighter friend's clothing, as if examining his style for the first time, then towards the store, then back once more. "It looks like clothes you would wear."

Gaara grunted and slowly inclined his head in agreement. "Some of it's not so bad."

Naruto's eyebrows twisted in confusion. "Then I don't understand! If you like some of the clothes, why wouldn't you shop here?"

Gaara scowled further. "Because it's Hot Topic, Naruto, that's why?"

"So?"

"It's- I- godammit, Naruto, haven't you ever seen South Park?"

Shika, whose mind had indeed been on the show during the entire conversation, lit up at the redhead's words. "Got a lighter?"

After a moment of surprise, Gaara offered his best version of a smile.

Naruto, however, who had obviously missed that episode, crossed his arms stubbornly over his chest and declared, "Either we go in here or we go to... I dunno, Abercrombie and Fitch or something."

Teal eyes narrowed dangerously. "You wouldn't dare."

"I would."

They held a silent staring contest then while the others watched on. Gaara internally debated which store would do more to ruin his self-respect and pride before finally giving in with a sigh. "Fine. Hot Topic."

"All right, dattebayo!" Naruto dashed into the store, the others following leisurely behind, Gaara last and most reluctant. After they had been kicked out of the theater, the boys had walked for about ten minutes down a rather busy road to end up at the mall instead. For lack of something better to do, Naruto had gotten it into his head that he wanted to buy Gaara a shirt that wasn't black, and his cause had then been picked up by the others, which was why Gaara now found himself entering the local Hot Topic, trying to remind himself that he should take this all in stride and not get pissed off about the whole thing; it was just Naruto being Naruto.

"Hey, Tanuki-chan! How about this one?"

Gaara's eyes wandered over to the bright fuchsia t-shirt that proudly stated in black, bold letters across the chest 'Real Men Don't Wear Pink'. He stared at it a moment longer... and grinned. That was just brilliant. It would piss his macho brother off to no end, since Kankuro was just about convinced he was a fag anyway... Like the face paint wearing freak had any room to talk about anyone. "I like it."

"I knew you would," Naruto said proudly, already leafing through the rack for the redhead's size. "I'm gonna get one too, okay? That way we can match!"

"And look like a flaming gay couple?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Sounds good."

Naruto, pleased with the outcome of this adventure, turned towards the others brightly. "Hey, any of you wanna be gay with us?"

To no one's surprise, Chouji shyly shook his head, Kiba gave them a look, letting them know his masculine pride was just a bit too strong to allow such things, while Shikamaru considered before declining. "Not my style," he said simply; not that he really had much a style. Slacker was the closest thing that could be said for the Nara's clothes and his wide array of worn jeans, t-shirts with sarcastic sayings, and run-down hoodies.

"How 'bout you, bushy-brow?" Naruto asked cheerfully, but Lee remorsefully shook his head. "I am sorry, Naruto-kun. I would very much enjoy portraying the image of being in a homosexual threesome with you and Gaara-kun," -the other boys all grinned at the image- "but unfortunately, I cannot afford to buy much of anything at the moment."

Naruto nodded to show he understood. All too well really. He hadn't always lived with Iruka where he got a steady allowance.

Dattebayo!

Disgusting couldn't even describe what being puked on was like, and it probably didn't help that vomit was, in Sasuke's opinion, one of the most vile substances on the face of the planet. He stared in horror at the foul, mostly liquid mess that now covered his front, and felt bile rise up in the back of his own throat. Dear God, he was only a second away from puking because of puke.

Next to him, he could see Hyuuga convulsively swallowing, meaning he was having the same trouble as Sasuke, which actually made the Uchiha feel just the slightest bit better. Turning furious black eyes on the blond girl in front of them, he was about to completely snap and just start yelling (something he very rarely did), when the stupid girl just had to burst into loud, strangled sobs. Well shit...

Again, it seemed Neji and he shared the same line of thinking when the fury in the older boy's ivory eyes slowly dissipated. Just how the hell were they supposed to yell at a girl when she was crying like that? And shit, everyone was staring right at them, seemingly frozen in shock. God, he should kill the bitch for this.

"Ino... Ino, stop crying."

Yeah, a lot of good that did. If anything, her sobs just got louder as she sputtered out something that he suspected was meant to be an apology. Fuck.

Steeling his stomach from another dry heave, he slowly stood, trying his best not to watch the way the junk slid down his pants legs. "Ino, knock it off," he hissed, hoping no one else could hear him over the music. "It's- it's fine, just stop." He clenched his teeth. It wasn't fine, but what else could he say? "Come on, we'll get cleaned up."

Though still crying pitifully, the girl nodded, allowing him to take her by the arm, and he shot a glance down at the Hyuuga. Neji, looking like he'd really prefer to sink into the couch cushions and never come back out, climbed to his feet as well and offered a brief nod, signaling he would accompany them. Might as well, he couldn't exactly just sit there in the girl's filth.

Sasuke considered going to search out one of the several bathrooms a house of this size must have. That seemed like the logical course of action. However, the moment he took note of all the eyes (and there were many) watching every move the trio made, he immediately changed his mind. He didn't know what exactly he was going to do, and he was still covered in puke, but he did not want to stay in that house any longer; and (while it made no real difference since he would do whatever the hell he wanted anyway) knowing Neji, he felt the same way. So instead of continuing on, he tightened his grip on Ino's thin... very thin wrist and pulled her out the front door, Hyuuga trailing obediently behind, not questioning the sudden change in direction.

Once safely out on the front porch, door shut tightly behind them to dull out the pounding bass, the three teens exchanged rather wary glances, unsure of what exactly to do. After a moment, Sasuke sighed, looked down at himself in disgust, and muttered, "Think there's a hose somewhere around here?"

"Pool." Ino shook her head, trying to clear the haze away, slightly glazed blue eyes turning to the boys intently. "There's a pool in the backyard. It didn't look like it was covered for winter yet."

Dattebayo!

Sakura blinked in surprise at the sight that greeted her leaving the Hot Topic. Naruto (chattering loudly, of course), Gaara, and Lee... Wait, no strike that, Naruto, Gaara, Lee, Shikamaru, Chouji, and Kiba. Holy shit. With Hinata and herself there, that meant over half the kids in the therapy program had chosen to go to the mall at the same time. It was an oddly disturbing thought.

She heard a small gasp followed by a breathless, "Naruto-kun," from next to her and turned to see her best friend's very flushed face. Unconsciously, she narrowed her eyes at the sight.

"Sakura-chaaan!"

Wincing a bit at the exuberant call of her name, Sakura glanced up warily to see the hyper blond streaking towards her, wide goofy grin fully in place. "Hi, Sakura-chan! What're you doing here? We bought Gaara a shirt that wasn't black, dattebayo!... Oh, hi, Hinata-chan," was added only as somewhat of an afterthought, not that the girl in question seemed to notice. She blushed even redder and managed to get out a squeak.

"Naruto, you're so loud!" the pink-haired girl scolded sharply. "The whole mall probably heard you!"

His smile only widened further. "That's okay. Just more people to share my charming personality with."

"There's nothing charming about you!"

"Hey, Hinata!"

"Oh. H-hello, Kiba-kun. How are you?"

The brunette shrugged. "Not bad. We got kicked out of the movies earlier for pretending to jack off."

Hinata managed to keep an expression of polite interest. "Oh?"

"I'd actually like to hear that," Sakura interjected, drowning out whatever crap Naruto was spouting.

Kiba grinned, knowing he'd captured a more than willing audience.

Sigh. "Troublesome."

Gaara shot a teal glare the lazy, taller boy's way, looking him up and down carefully.

"You say that about everything."

Shikamaru shrugged and offered a small smirk. "Well, it's always true."

Gaara grunted a bit. Fair enough. "Hey... you're in Sarutobi's group, right? Is he...?" The boy trailed off uncertainly, not sure how to ask what he wanted to know. Hell, he wasn't even sure what exactly it was he wanted to know, it was just... He mentally growled at himself. No. Not everyone over the age of twenty-five was out to get him. He was not afraid of adults anymore... Not even big ones with beards.

Shika, though not sure what had brought about the sudden question, had a fair idea of what Gaara had wanted to ask. "Asuma's a good guy. I like him." He couldn't stop his frown when Gaara's tense shoulders seemed to relax. "Did something happen with him?"

The red-head looked away and shrugged. "No. I just need help in his class. I hate math."

Ah. Shika nodded. That made sense. "So you need a tutor."

God, did that make him sound stupid. Gaara was not stupid. He had absolutely no problem in any of his other classes. It's just that when it came to numbers... they just didn't make a whole lot of sense to him, not the way words did. And... he found he didn't want to go beg his brother for help. Again. "... Yeah."

"Uh-huh." Shika's brown eyes fluttered closed for a moment and he appeared to be thinking something over. When they reopened the lazy genius smiled. "Okay. I'll do it."

Gaara blinked. "What?"

"I'll tutor you. I'm in pre-calc and trig anyway, so anything you're learning I already know."

Gaara did his best not to frown. "I didn't ask you."

"No, but I'm offering." Of course, he had absolutely no idea why he was offering. For someone as lazy as Shikamaru, offering to do much of anything was a rarity, but... "We can do it after the program. I'll come over to your place and help you with your homework."

Teal eyes narrowed a little in uncertainty. "You're sure?"

"Yeah, of course. We can start Monday."

Dattebayo!

This was a stupid idea. Sasuke clawed violently through the liquid ice surrounding him, trying desperately to reach the concrete side. At first, jumping into the pool to wash off the vomit had seemed like a good plan. Like a giant bathtub of sorts. And though he'd be soaked through afterwards, he was going straight home anyway, so who cared?

Then he had actually hit the water in question. And he wondered just where all of his supposed intelligence had gone running off to, because it certainly hadn't been working if he ever thought this was a decent plan.

Grasping desperately at the side of the pool, he hauled himself up, panting harshly in the process. The fucking water had been so damn cold it made it nearly impossible to breathe. And climbing out of it, soaked through, with the winter wind blowing full force... Shit, he was going to die of hypothermia right there.

Neji cocked a brow at the gasping, shuddering mess. Thank God he hadn't blindly followed the Uchiha into the water, but instead had waited to see how it all played out. "A bit chilly?"

Sasuke had several biting comebacks in mind, but his teeth were chattering so badly he couldn't get them out. Fucking Hyuuga prick.

Sighing, Neji frowned down at his disgusting clothes, really not wanting to ride all the way home covered in vomit. He had already called his driver, saying he needed picked up, and the man would be here any minute. Maybe he'd just have to give it a shot and hope for the best.

"Sasuke," the previously quiet blond all but whispered, taking a hesitant step closer to the violently shivering boy. "Are you okay?"

Okay? Sasuke's eyes tightened into a fierce glare. Had she really just asked if he was okay? "No, I'm not okay, you stupid whore! This is all your fault! You just had to drink so much you got yourself wasted and then came over, probably to flirt with us like you always do, even though we've both made it clear we're not interested, and you fuckin' puked on us! Then you suggested jumping into a pool in the middle of fucking November, and like a complete dumbass I actually listened to you, which is why I'm pretty sure my balls might have just frozen off! So no, Ino, I am not fucking okay!"

Flinching back instinctively from the tone and harsh words, Ino bit her lip and let blue eyes fall to the ground. "I only had one..."

"Right. And I'm a fucking fairy princess."

The girl took a step back again, but insisted stubbornly under her breath, "I did. I only had one drink, that was it."

Neji stayed silent through this, still wondering just what he should do. He had a feeling his driver reported rather frequently to his uncle, not a surprise considering how obsessed the man was with appearances, and chances were Hiashi wouldn't be pleased to hear about his nephew's state on his return home from what was obviously a party. He would probably think Neji himself got wasted to the point of throwing up all over his front, despite the fact that Neji never drank, and the last thing he needed was an interrogation with the cold man who wore his father's face. He sighed. What to do?

"Maybe we should have just taken our clothes off instead," Ino mused aloud as Sasuke continued to practically writhe on the ground.

Immediately, Neji brightened. That sounded like a plan indeed. Take the clothes off, soak them in the pool and get most of the vomit off, and then go home in just his boxers with wet clothes in his hands. If his uncle asked about it, he could simply say someone started spraying a hose around and had soaked him. The action was rather juvenile, but even Hiashi never expected a teenager to be perfect and proper all the time. It was a wonderful excuse.

So he stripped, dipping the clothes into the water and shivering the moment it touched his pale hands. Uchiha had actually jumped into this? God, how was he not dead yet? Speaking of which, "You know, Uchiha, it's probably colder for you to keep your wet clothes on then it would be to just take them off." Unsurprisingly, the moment those words were spoken, the younger boy began to violently shed his clothing.

As Neji continued to meticulously wash his pants, he was startled into staring when Ino knelt down next to him and began doing the same with her own clothes. Not because she was following her own advice, simply because... well, Ino didn't look nearly as good with her clothes off as one would imagine. Her breasts really weren't as big as her shirts always made them appear. Where girls were supposed to have supple, plump curves, Ino had straight, flat lines. Her arms were so thin they looked nearly skeletal, and her ass, rather than being delicately rounded, was nearly nonexistent. Her waist was so thin, Neji imagined he could just about fit his hands around it. Hell, the blond couldn't possibly weigh more than ninety pounds, at most, and she was a pretty tall girl. Even Sasuke, who had wrestled out of his own clothing and now sat shivering in a pair of blue boxers, stared shocked at the sight. Maybe she had been telling the truth about having only one drink after all.

Dattebayo!

"Hey, we should all go out to eat before we go home!" Naruto insisted excitedly, waving his arms just to emphasize his point. "We can go down the road to Denny's!"

There were muttered agreements from all the other boys, but Sakura frowned at the offer. Did she really want to willingly spend her Friday night with Naruto and the rest of those boys? More importantly, did she really want to give up her precious alone time with Hinata?

The opal-eyed girl, however, turned a pleading look her friend's way, knowing the final decision would be up to the pinkette; and Sakura could never say no to that look. She sighed heavily. "I guess so. Why not?"

Naruto crowed in happiness, grabbing her, to her undying annoyance, by the hand and dragging her insistently towards the mall exit, Kiba going through a rather similar, yet slightly less enthusiastic, procedure with Hinata, the others all trailing behind. Another death defying walk down a few busy roads with no sidewalks, and the kids found themselves seated around a large table at the local Denny's, a rather harassed looking waitress taking their drink orders and scowling angrily Kiba and Naruto's way when they weren't instantly ready.

Naruto sniffed when the woman walked away. "Cranky old bitch."

"She's not old," Gaara grunted.

"She's like thirty."

"Exactly, she's not old."

"Old enough."

WHAM! "Naruto! Thirty is not old!"

"Ah-ha, sorry, Sakura-chan."

Sakura rolled her eyes and let her head rest against a propped up fist. How exactly had she ended up sitting next to the blond idiot? Despite his clear attempts to make it that way, she hadn't wanted to... Then she had noticed that Hinata did want to and was trying to hedge her way in. And that... that bothered her. A lot. So she had taken the seat next to Naruto, much to his joy, and Hinata sat on her other side. She ignored the way her stomach clenched when the dark-haired girl looked so disappointed. Besides, Kiba had taken up residence on her other side, and he was busy keeping her thoroughly engaged in conversation... Actually, that wasn't so great either. Just what the hell did the brunette think he was doing, clearly trying to flirt with Hinata? At least she didn't appear overly interested in his advances.

Gaara, meanwhile sat across the table from Hinata, watching the interactions and reactions between the four other teens before smirking rather evilly. This was better than TV.

After the irritable waitress had come back and taken their orders (Shikamaru frowned. Was Chouji really getting a salad?), Lee excused himself to use the bathroom, ignoring Kiba's jab at how formal he was. After taking care of his business, he washed his hands and left, walking through the front lobby to return to his table just as a group of mostly older girls he vaguely recognized from school came in. He paid them little mind until a particular bun-haired girl caught his attention, and he was powerless to stop the wide grin that spread across his face. "Hello, Tenten," he said politely, happily as she walked by him with her friends. The girl in question froze.

One of her friends, a decently popular senior though Lee couldn't remember her name, gave the boy a once over and actually chuckled lightly at what she saw. "Do you, uh, know him, Ten?"

Lee felt his smile falter just a little but kept it firmly in check. He knew when he was being made fun of. It happened often enough. In fact, it rarely even bothered him anymore, the trick was to just keep smiling.

Tenten, for her part, was nearly having a panic attack. She couldn't... this was... she should... Purposely looking away, she raised an eyebrow and said snorted. "Of course not. He's just in my class, that's all."

Lee's smile disappeared in an instant.

Giggling a bit and already changing the subject, the group of girls walked off, Tenten glancing back towards the silent boy even though every instinct told her not to... and immediately wished she had listened to herself. Lee looked... sad; but that word alone didn't do it justice. Rejected, hurt, crushed. And this was all made worse by the fact that it was Lee. The boy managed to keep a smile on his face when he told them in group he had no friends. She had seen him grin at a group of football players stuffing him into a locker, smile sweetly at the cheerleader who for no reason called him a freak, laugh along with the most sadistic of bullies... And despite all that, it was her simple rejection that had finally forced that look onto his face. Like a kicked puppy.

Forcefully turning away, she shook it off. It wasn't her fault, after all, she'd told the truth. She and Lee weren't friends, they were just classmates. They had no real connection besides being stuck in the same fucked up after school group. She had no reason to acknowledge him as something more. She hadn't done anything wrong.

The reason her stomach suddenly hurt so much had nothing to do with him at all.

Dattebayo!

Neji heard the familiar buzz of his phone and looked down, trying to ignore how damn cold it was outside in nothing but a pair of underwear. His button-up shirt had actually managed to survive the encounter with Ino's vomit, but he had taken it off and given it to the blond to wear instead. It wasn't the fact that she was shivering and shaking like she was about to turn into an ice sculpture that made him do it... it was just... well, the girl looked fairly reminiscent of Holocaust survivors, she really did. He was half tempted to ask if she'd spent the last several months in a concentration camp, and he honestly just wanted her to cover some of that up. It made him uncomfortable.

Noting the message now flashing across the screen, he saw that his driver had finally arrived. Well, it was about time. Glancing down, he examined the other male in the area, sitting on the ground, arms wrapped tightly around his legs and rocking back and forth, shaking like a leaf. Neji was amazed his lips hadn't turned blue yet. "Uchiha, if you want a ride home, I suggest you come now. I'm not waiting around for you."

Sasuke looked up, surprised by the offer. Hyuuga was being half-decent? Scrambling to his feet, he was immensely grateful for the older boy's sudden act of kindness. He really hadn't even thought about how he was going to get home while he sat there, he'd just been so focused on trying to get warm while being too damn stubborn to even consider going back inside. Hyuuga's offer was like a Godsend.

Ino watched as Sasuke climbed numbly to his feet, and the two boys, clad only in boxers started walking towards the front of the house. Shit, wait! They couldn't leave her there!

"Hey!" she called desperately, flushing a bit when they both turned and sent her nearly identical glares of ebony and ivory. Swallowing to regain her courage, she took a hesitant step forward, eyes pleading. "Can I... can I please have a ride too?"

Neji stared so hard the girl began to squirm. She really wanted him to do something nice for her after what she had done? Really?

Sasuke scoffed aloud and verbally answered, even though it wasn't his car nor his decision. "You're the reason this happened in the first place."

Ino flinched. She knew how angry they both were. "Please," she said softly, glad that she had felt better after throwing up and was now at least able to think clearly. "I... I really need a ride. I was coming over to ask you for one when..." She bit her lip and looked down in a very shy, submissive gesture foreign to the blond. Neji was reminded, with a jolt, of Hinata.

The Uchiha snorted and tightened his glare. "Like we care. Go inside and ask your boyfriend for a ride if you need one so bad."

The look of horror that fleetingly crossed her face was unmistakable. "I... I can't ask Brian. Just... please. I'll make it up to you somehow. Please."

Neji bit back a sigh. If what Ino said was true, she had likely searched for a way to leave the party after a pathetic, melodramatic lover's spat with Schaeffer, which was when she had found him with Sasuke and proceeded to vomit all over his expensive clothing. And now she expected him to take her home because she had had a fight with her boyfriend. Clearly she thought hell had frozen over.

"Sorry, no can do. Looks like you and Schaeffer will have to patch things up." Almost as an afterthought, he added, "You can keep the shirt, though." No need to make the girl go around in nothing more than her bra and panties; he was more of a gentleman than that.

His stomach turned a little when the girl just nodded dejectedly and hugged the shirt tighter around her skeletal frame. "Yeah... okay. I understand." She forced her feet clumsily back into her open-toed, heeled, sandal things (why did girls wear such complicated shoes?), gingerly picked her wet clothes up off the ground, and started walking... away from the house.

Both boys stared for a moment before Neji spoke up, "What the hell are you doing?"

The girl turned back to them with a surprised blink. "I live in that direction," -she vaguely pointed- "so it's easier to cut through the yards here and come out on Crestmont St."

There was a moment of awkward silence until Sasuke stupidly blurted, "You're walking?"

Ino, for her part, just looked confused by his surprise. "You said I couldn't have a ride..."

"So you're walking?"

"Well, how else am I supposed to get home?" she snapped, and crossed her arms over her chest with a huff, at least looking a little more like the Ino they were used to. But Neji still couldn't get the picture of her disappointed and accepting out of his head. It was making him feel... guilty? Really? Ino Yamanaka, probably the biggest bitch he knew, was making him feel bad?

He sighed in exasperation and told himself he only felt bad because of how freaking helpless her weight made her appear. Like she was fragile or something. Or just terminally ill. And you didn't make dying people walk home in their underwear in the middle of November. "All right, fine. You can have a ride."

She looked surprised by his sudden change in decision but not at all ungrateful. Trotting behind the two raven-haired boys, they made their way to the front of the house where the Hyuuga boy's usual towncar sat idling. Sasuke couldn't stop his smirk and a muttered, "What, Hyuuga, no limo?"

Neji staunchly chose to ignore him and climbed into the back of the car with the other two behind him, trying to ignore the surprised look his driver gave him as Ino and Sasuke told him their addresses, just knowing nothing good could come of it. Why the hell had he gone out that night?

Dattebayo!

"Don't worry about it, Hinata, Iruka can give you guys a ride home, dattebayo!"

The girl in question smiled gratefully the blond boy's way, closing her phone back up and putting it safely into her pocket. She had just called her driver, only to find he was busy with Neji and couldn't come for her right away. And she was terrified of what her father might do if she missed curfew, no matter what excuses she might give, so Naruto's offer was really a lifesaver.

And, just like he'd said, Iruka was more than happy to give both Hinata and Sakura a ride home, when suddenly Kiba, looking like he'd rather not say anything, offered grudgingly, "I can give Sakura a ride. She lives right down the street from me."

No one was more surprised by the dog-boy's offer than Sakura was. She knew how Kiba felt about her. "You're... you're sure?"

The brunette huffed and scratched uncomfortably at a red triangle. "Yeah. It's no big deal."

He was given a shy smile in return.

Naruto, though somewhat disappointed he wouldn't get to ride with Sakura and see where she lived, bid everyone a hearty farewell, climbing into Iruka's SUV and ushering Gaara and Hinata into the back. After only a minute, Hinata noticed Gaara staring at her and began to blush and shift awkwardly. Just what was he looking at?

"C... can I h-help you, Gaara-kun?"

Teal eyes narrowed. "Purple."

Hinata blinked. "W-what?"

"You would look good with some black eyeliner and purple eyeshadow." He tilted his head a bit before nodding to finalize the statement. Definitely purple, to help bring out the natural lavender tint of her eyes.

"O-oh." She paused. Had that been a compliment of some sort? "Th-thank you."

Naruto laughed from the seat in front of them, poking his blond spikes around the side with his usual big grin. "Geez, Tanuki-chan, keep it up and people will have no trouble believing your new shirt."

Gaara stayed blank and silent, but Hinata was lost. "Shirt?"

Wordlessly, the redhead reached into the Hot Topic bag at his feet and handed the new t-shirt to her, Naruto reaching up and turning the small ceiling light on so she could read it properly. Almost immediately, she started to softly giggle, hand coming up to cover her mouth.

"I'm not really gay," Gaara felt the need to confirm, but she nodded , the thought never having crossed her mind.

"Th-th-this... this will look very cute on you, Gaara-kun. It really suits you well."

Gaara was a bit stunned by the girl's words. Cute? Had she really just said he would look... cute?

Snickering at his best friend's reaction, Naruto was startled into silent staring as Iruka pulled up the long, winding driveway of the Hyuuga manor, blue eyes wide enough to pop. "Holy hell, Hinata, this place is huge!"

Hinata flushed. "My father is the sole owner of Hyuuga Corp."

Even Iruka couldn't keep from letting out a long, low whistle.

Turning steadily redder by the moment, Hinata opened her door with a soft, "Thank you for the ride, Umino-sensei."

"No problem, Hinata. I hope you had fun tonight with the boys."

She smiled brightly. "I did... G-goodnight, Naruto-kun. Good night, Gaara-kun." She paused, shooting one more grin over her shoulder. "I can't wait until I see you in your new shirt."

Gaara watched in awe as she shut the door and hurried up her front steps. Cute. She had said he would look... cute. Him.

A chuckle brought his attention back to the present, where he saw Naruto looking back at him in obvious amusement. He glared.

"You're blushing, Tanuki-chan."

Hinata smiled softly to herself as she walked in the front door of her house, trying to be quiet in the hope that her little sister was in bed by then. It had been an amazing night. She and Sakura had had fun together, as always, but it had been even better when they had met up with the boys. Kiba was just as friendly as ever, she had always enjoyed talking with Gaara despite his antisocial nature, and, best of all, she had gotten to spend some time with Naruto. Her blush was so bright it was nearly neon. She had been able to spend real time, outside of school, hanging out with Naruto! It was like a dream come true!

Just as she was spinning around happily in the middle of the large entryway (yes, she was really so happy she was dancing) the front door opened once more and she immediately came to a dead stop. "N-n-niisan. W-welcome... home..."

She blinked, trying to figure out if her eyes were deceiving her. Neji was standing in the doorway in nothing but formfitting, black boxer-briefs, a rash of goosebumps encompassing his entire body, his soaked clothes in hand, ever present scowl set firmly on his face. She blinked once more. "Um..."

Neji lifted his chin proudly, gave her his usual glaring look and huffed a haughty, "Good night, Hinata-sama," before stomping moodily up the stairs.

Once she was sure he was gone, the girl broke out into fits of uncontrollable laughter. This was most definitely a good night.

FantasyChick, UberRandom, remychan123, sasunaru4evar, iscreamdrizzle, diadem-de-amor, miss kaitlin inuzuka, AspergianStoryteller, Magical Fox, midnight. wolf62, 3karen3, Alexilaihorox, The Epitome of Eccentricity, narutosavior, x-Malicious-Me-x, Norfolk, LilliesCry, Nostalgic Plastic Duck, poolday, TuffChick, ChocolateAngel-san, valenciadarkness, Genesisgoboom, melon42, Kaitlin Murasaki, mindcaster15, Fire-In-A-Tiger-Lily, ShamaLamaDingDong, I always wanted to post a fic, The Morbid Stilettos, Moonlit917

Thank you for reviewing! It really makes me happy!