Introductions

The flower shop was quite a walk away from the Hyuuga compound. Haru strolled slowly with Ichiru, pointing out all his favourite places. Kin walked a little behind them, humming to himself.
"That's the academy. That's where all the ninja of Konoha learn the basics, and if you do well, then you graduate as a Genin! The day I graduated, my mother cried. I suppose it's quite an emotional time." Haru smiled at the memories.
A little while later, they were at the house, and ready to go in. Ichiru's stomach flipped with nerves as they entered the garden by a little side gate. Even Haru gasped when he saw how many people had turned up. His best friends were there, but everyone seemed to have invited someone, who in turn had invited another. The garden was heaving with Konoha's teenagers, and all of them were ready for a good night.
"Well, I wanted to introduce you to my friends, but I think it's a little noisy and crowded for that. So I'll just point them out to you!" Haru yelled, above the music and talking.
He pointed over to a boy with bright pink hair, standing next to a girl with blonde hair, whom he seemed to find painfully annoying, and appeared to be ignoring.
"That's my best friend, and the Hokage's son, Uzumaki Dai. Your father was in the same 3-man-cell as his. And the blonde next to him? That's Etsu, his sister. I have to admit, she has an eternal crush on me, but I'm sure it won't last forever." Haru grinned.
Ichiru nodded, feeling more at ease when Dai waved over to them. He seemed friendly enough.
Next, Haru spotted some more of his friends. One was a tall, beanpole of a boy, with blonde hair, worn in a sort of mad ponytail near the top of his head. He looked as if he'd rather be in bed than at a party. Standing next to him was a smaller, chubbier boy, with red spirals on his cheeks. He was sneakily helping himself to the buffet, as his friend shook his head at him.
"The tall one is Nara Yukio. He's a genius ninja, but a lazy one. Apparently his father was just like him when he was younger. His mother's quite a formidable woman, a ninja from Suna. His friend is Akimichi Ryo. He likes…well… Ryo likes food. Both their fathers were best friends in their youth, and I suppose they've grown up pretty close.
Ah, and here's Aburame Taro-kun, the host himself!" Haru smiled, as the tall, dark boy walked up to them.
"Welcome, Uchihas!" Taro said softly, handing the brothers a cup of sake each.
Kin took the cup, but poured it into the next plant pot when no one was looking. Ichiru accepted it nervously, glancing around at the other guests. A girl bearing the same red markings on her face as Haru came striding over, her eyes the same translucent orbs he had seen yesterday, but that had been Hoshi. The girl smiled widely as she approached the boys, her long, blue-black hair twisted up in a bun.
"Nii-san!" She cried, hurling herself at her brother.
Haru ducked away from her, almost shrieking as she jumped on his back.
"So introduce me?" She said in his ear, blowing a raspberry at him afterwards.
"Akane-chan, you are so annoying!" Haru yelled, then, realising they had company, he composed himself, "Ichiru-san, this is my younger sister Akane. She is one half of a set, the other being her twin Aiko, and they are both real pains in the…"
"Don't finish that sentence, baka!" The girl growled at him, pinching him softly on the arm, "Pleased to meet you, Ichiru-kun."
She bowed to him, and then looked down at the ground and spoke, seemingly to nothing. Ichiru followed her gaze and found that a small, reddish-brown coloured dog was whimpering at her feet. Akane was murmuring to it, and reached down to scratch the dog behind the ears.
Ichiru had noticed that Haru's dog, Kibou, followed him everywhere, but had thought that was just because he was a loyal pet. But obviously dogs were important to this family.
Ichiru mentally hit himself.
Inuzuka!, he thought, Of course! Father told me about the famous clan from Konoha who have a very close brotherhood with their nin-dogs…
"What's her name?" Ichiru piped up.
Akane looked up at him from where she was crouched next to the dog. She looked shocked, but pleased.
"Akako-chan." She replied, "I'm just surprised you're interested."
Ichiru shrugged, "I want to get to know all the residents of Konoha." He grinned.
She smiled back at him. Now he was definitely in this pretty girl's good books.
"Ichiru-kun? I bet my brother hasn't introduced you to the girls yet, has he? He's much to scared to talk to them!" She whispered the last part, giggling as she did so.
Haru was looking the other way, watching as Dai argued with Etsu about nothing in particular. While his head was turned, Akane grabbed Ichiru's hand, and led him through the crowd.
"Now. That girl over there with long brown hair. She has her back to us, but that's my twin, Aiko-san. Next to her, the girl with the blonde plait is Nara Shinju. I think Haru pointed out her brother before? She's a nice enough girl, but don't piss her off! Then there's Aburame Kiku, with the flowers in her hair. This is her parent's garden. I think their family's a little weird to be honest. Her father's clan let bugs live in their bodies… urgh!" Akane shuddered at the thought.
Ichiru felt himself relax a little as Akane led him around the garden, pointing out various people, who to talk to, who not to talk to, and who never, ever to talk to!
"Oh, and there's Akimichi Takai-kun. He's a bit of a loner, but he's quite sweet. He's totally in love with Kiku, but I don't think she sees it at all."
Akane seemed completely at ease with the Uchiha as she continued to pull him by the hand through the crowded garden. Finally they emerged from the throng, and found themselves near the very bottom of the garden.
"It's nice and peaceful here." Ichiru sighed as he looked up towards the night sky.
Akane nodded, petting Akako's head absentmindedly as she plonked herself down on a nearby bench. Ichiru took a seat next to her, his nerves almost completely gone, and a nice warm feeling left in his belly from the sake.
Akane smiled at him and sighed.
"It must be weird, moving to a new place like this." She said.
Ichiru murmured in agreement, his head felling a little light.
"I mean, we're all ninja, and you're not trained at all. Do you even have the Uchiha Kekkei Genkai?" she asked him.
The boy shrugged, his hand raking through his hair.
"Probably." He said quietly, "But I don't really care…"
Akane looked around at him. He certainly was a pretty boy. A very pretty boy indeed! His hair was messy and a little longer than the norm, making it stick out at odd angles a little crazily. It was black in colour, but not the blue-black of her hair. It seemed to just be pitch black, like nighttime. His eyes were almost weighed down by his heavy eyelashes, long and dark like a girl's. They framed his black eyes perfectly. Black eyes? How unusual. she thought, instantly thinking of her own, milky-pale eyes.
The she realised those eyes were looking right back at her, and she blushed deeply, cursing her mother's porcelain skin and –not for the first time- wishing she were as tanned as her father or brother.
A smile played on Ichiru's lips as he saw the cute girl next to him blushing. She'd been practically gawping at him for a few minutes, seeming to drink in every detail of his face. He'd never had anyone pay him so much close attention before, and it made him feel unprotected. But not uncomfortable. This girl definitely had something about her.
"Akane-chan!" a shout came from a few metres away, "Ichiru-san! I've been looking for you all over!"
It was Haru, carrying what appeared to be a large bottle of sake.
"Fancy a tipple?" he slurred, laughing to himself.
Ichiru grinned at his new, foolish friend. Most definitely drunk! he thought, as he let himself be led away.