HEY GUYS! I am back with another chapter! And I think this may be one of the longest ones! :D
So, I hope you guys like it! Please rate and review! PLEASE! ;)
And, I guess I have to say it again. I DON'T OWN NARUTO! He belongs to Masashi Kishimoto!
Minutes later, they reached the ride. Naruto and Hinata waited for about five minutes until the boarded the ride. "Finally! We've been waiting for like half an hour!" Naruto said, clasping his hands behind his head.
"We were only wait for five minutes, N-Naruto..." Hinata laughed.
"Oh! My bad!" The two boarded one of the cars and the Ferris wheels started to turn. "Gosh, this ride's high!" They were nearing the top of the ride.
"Y-Yeah..." Hinata sighed. 'This is my chance!' She thought. ' To tell him how I feel again...he might have forgotten my confession to him during Pain's invasion...or did he...? But forget that! Now's the chance! Now's my opportunity to-'
"Hinata! Hinata! Hinata? You okay?" Hinata snapped out of and alighted off of her thought train.
"What?" She asked, puzzled.
"I said that the workers announced that something went wrong with the Ferris wheel. So I'll be stuck up here with you for an hour." Hinata slightly frowned.
"I-I-I'm sorry, N-Naruto. I didn't mean for you to get stuck here with me. I must b-be a n-nuisance-"
'Baka! Why'd you say that? Such an idiot! Now look what you did!' The Kyuubi had stated flatly in his mind. Realizing what he had said, Naruto quickly replied. "Oh! I didn't mean it like that! I-I think it'll be fun spending time with you up here." Hinata blushed.
"R-really? You mean that?"
'Nice save, Kit,' the Kyuubi said, impressed. 'So you actually have a brain somewhere.'
"SHUT UP!" Naruto said aloud. Hinata pretended not to hear that, but her eye showed many emotions. They shifted from surprise, to confusion, to anger, then sadness, and then to hurt. It was amazing what those pale eyes could convey by on glance. Naruto did a mental face-palm.
'Right when I praised you,' the Kyuubi said flatly.
"BE QUIET!" Naruto noticed he yelled out loud again and he quickly covered his mouth.
"Ano...g-gomen, N-Naruto. I-I didn't mean to-"
"NO!" Naruto interrupted her, panicked. "I-I-I...It was just the...um..." 'Great,' Naruto thought. 'Now I'm being like Hinata!'
Hinata had noticed Naruto's stuttering. "W-what?"
"I was just...talking to the Kyuubi." He hung his head in shame.
'Like she's gonna accept that, Kit."
'I hope she is! I mean, Hinata's nice, right? She'll forgive me! Right?'
'Haha, you're on your own, Kit!' The Kyuubi smirked and slipped into slumber soon after.
"Oh..." Hinata began. "Well, i-it's all right. I-I forgive you."
" What?! Are you serious?! You don't think I'm lying?!"
"Why...why would I? I-I mean, that's your nindo, right? To never go back on your word? Thats mine, too."
Naruto sighed, both relieved and confused. "Uh..oh! Yeah! Yeah, of course... But you seriously believe me?"
"Hai." Naruto put on a cheeky grin and hugged Hinata, much to her surprise.
"Oh kami! You are so nice, Hinata! I'm sorry!" He let go of Hinata, who was blushed to extent no one ever knew could happen. "Sorry, but I was just happy. I mean, if I was with Sakura, she'd probably have thrown me off of this thing!"
"Really?"
"Of course! Like you said, I never go back on my word! Believe it!" Naruto grinned and laughed as Hinata smiled.
"So...what are we supposed to do for an hour, N-Naruto?"
"Well, let's play a game."
"What do you w-want to play?"
"How about...Twenty Questions? You just ask the other person a question and they answer. We take turns."
"OK. Y-You start."
"Hm...Favorite flavor ramen?"
"Um...I-I'll say miso ramen."
"Really?" Naruto said, amazed. "That's my favorite, too! Awesome!" He yelled as he gave Hinata a high-five." Hinata smiled as she returned the high-five. "OK! Your turn!"
"All right...Um...Favorite dessert?"
"Uh...Let's see...oh! I know! Cinnamon buns!"
"R-Really? T-that's my favorite dessert, too!"
"I thought so!"
"Are y-you being a copycat?" Hinata teased, smiling.
"No! Honestly, I think they're great! And you make them best!"
"T-thank you, N-Naruto. Haha, anyway, your turn!"
"Ok...What's your favorite thing to do?"
"I-I-I like p-pressing flowers..." She said shyly.
"Cool! Haha, you gotta show me some of your work! And then teach me one day! It'll be a good way to decorate my apartment!"
"Oh...um...OK. I'll gladly do so!"
"All right! Your turn!" They kept asking each other questions until it was Hinata's turn once again. She pondered a bit, thinking of a question.
"Uh...well..." Hinata was twiddling her index fingers and biting her lip. 'This is my chance! Don't mess it up! Just ask him one simple question! Come on! I can do this. I can do this!' She gulped. "I-I-I wanted to ask..."
"You want to ask what, Hinata?" Naruto's voice was soft and gentle.
"Do...do...you..." Hinata couldn't say it. "Don't you think the weather is great today?" she asked. Hinata cursed herself. 'Well, there goes my hopes and dreams...' She thought.
"That's easy! The weather wears really-"
"NO!" Hinata interrupted, covering her mouth afterwards and surprising Naruto by her sudden outburst. "I mean..." She said quietly.
"Huh?" Naruto said patiently, prompting her by raising an eyebrow.
"P-please...forgive me, b-but I need to ask..."
"Out with it, Hinata! It's okay! You can ask me anything! I don't really care! You can even ask me if I've read Icha Icha Paradise yet!" Hinata gasped at the remark. "But I haven't read them, promise!"
"Well...Do...do...DO YOU LIKE...um..ramen?"
"Yeah, I of course I do."
"T-that's nice..." Hinata sighed at another failure to admit her feelings for the blonde-haired blue-eyed knucklehead ninja, which Naruto actually noticed. "That wasn't the question you wanted to ask me, was it?"
"No..." Hinata answered after hesitating, her eyes downcast.
"Like, I said, it's all right. Ask away, Hinata!" Naruto grinned and gave a thumbs up, giving Hinata a boost of courage.
Hinata exhaled, mustering her bravery. "D-d-d-do y-y-you l-like m-me?" Hinata's face was tomato red and she avoided looking at Naruto. 'Agh! I messed up badly! I can't believe it! It was my one chance...b-but I failed...' She sighed sadly. 'He's gonna reject me! I should have known! He loves Sakura!'
"Hinata," Naruto began. Hinata's lilac eyes met his sky blue and cerulean eyes. The two couldn't read each other's expressions.
"G-Gomen, N-Naruto. It's all right. I know you like Sakura because she's more prettier and smarter and stronger and more confident than me-"
"Hinata," Naruto interrupted, his voice slightly firm. "I-I-I..." For once, the loudmouth ninja was at a loss for words.
"W-w-well?" Hinata's voice was barely audible.
Naruto thought long and hard until he opened his mouth to speak. "Hinata I-" Naruto's reply was cut off by a loud BOOM! Startled, they glanced at the night sky.
The fireworks display had begun.
"Wow," Naruto breathed. "It sure is beautiful, don't you think?"
"Y-yeah. It really is." Hinata noticed Naruto had forgotten about her question, and she didn't dare bring it up again.
"That reminds me of a day back when we were still genin-or actually, not even genin yet! I'll tell you, that is, if you want to hear it..."
"Oh, I don't mind, N-Naruto."
"OK! Anyway, when I was really young, people didn't really respect me much. Some even hated me. And every year, they had a carnival open. I always tried to sneak in, but people catch me. It's not hard to find a boy with orange clothes, blond hair, and whiskers. Haha, I remember that one time I dressed up as a ghost and snuck up on people. It was hilarious! But the beating that took place once I got caught sent me flying out of Konoha! Anyway, as I was saying, fireworks are awesome! I used to watch them shoot up into the sky on the roof of my apartment, and they were beautiful! But it's even cooler now since I can see them up close with one of my favorite best friends that I absolutely love!" Naruto grinned and winked. Hinata zoned out for a brief moment. 'Favorite best friend? That he loved?' She thought. 'And did he just wink at me?'
Naruto had a worried look as he snapped his fingers in front of Hinata's face.
"Hey, Hina-chan?" Naruto said, using a nickname. "You all right?"
Hinata snapped out of her daydreaming, but was taken aback by her new nickname. "W-what?"
"I asked if you were okay, Hina-chan," Naruto said, puzzled.
"Oh, yeah, I'm fine."
"That's good!" Suddenly, a man with a megaphone spoke out.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE HAVE NOW FIXED THE PROBLEM. PREPARE FOR IGNITION. YOU WILL BE DOWN SHORTLY. THANK YOU." Shortly was right. In less than a minute, the Ferris wheel lurched forward and soon enough, Naruto and Hinata had disembarked from the ride.
"Well, it didn't really seem like an hour, to be honest. But I'm kinda glad that we got stuck. It was fun sitting up there with you, dattebayo." Hinata smiled. 'Wow, Hinata sure is cute when she smiles,' Naruto thought. He turned to Hinata, who was blushing. "Oh, did I just say that aloud?"
"H-hai."
"Oh, haha," Naruto said, scratching the back of his head nervously. He decided to change the topic. "Anyway, it's getting late. We should eat somewhere first before we go home. How's that sound?"
"It sounds like a plan."
"So...where do you wanna eat?"
"Hm...anything?"
"Yup!"
"How about...the Dango Shop?"
"Sure! A change from Ichiraku's wouldn't hurt!" He grabbed Hinata's hand. "Let's go!"
The two had made it to the Dango Shop and ordered some food. They talked for a while, well actually, Naruto talked for a while, with Hinata nodding and sometimes asking questions and making remarks in reply. Hinata felt like she was dreaming, but oh...she was wrong. It was all real, which made her the happiest person in the world. Suddenly, no one other than Anko Mitarashi came rushing in. Anko ordered take-out and sat down. She noticed the two.
"OH MY GOSH! Cute." Anko said, smirking. " So either Naruto or Hinata had the guts to do it. I bet it was Hinata."
"Actually, it was me." Naruto said.
"Nani? Was it a dare?"
"No, it wasn't. Now please leave us alone."
"Ok, fine then. I'll leave you two lovebirds alone. Sayonara!" Anko said waving as she picked up her order and went out.
-Outside-
"Hey, so what's up?" Konohamaru asked as he saw Anko come out.
"You're right. The two are on a date as we speak."
"HAHA! Looks like Hanabi-chan's going on a date with me!"
"Ugh, really?" Hanabi groaned.
"Yup! It's part of the bet!"
"And my money?" Anko said interrupted teasingly.
"Oh yeah, thanks!" Konohamaru said, handing a wad of cash to Anko.
"Thanks, bah-bye!" She waved and disappeared in a swirl of clouds.
"So, Hanabi-chan, see you on a date tomorrow! I'll pick you up at 6pm! Got it?"
"Got it. But just ONE date, okay?" Hanabi said, stressing the word, 'one.'
"Hai! Bye, Hanabi-chan! Wait, I'll walk you home!" Konohamaru smiled as he and Hanabi walked off.
-Back to the Dango Shop-
Naruto and Hinata had just finished their meal and they walked out the door."Well, Hina-chan, I guess I'll walk you home. It's kinda late."
"Y-you don't have to, I'm fine going home alone," Hinata began.
"No, it's fine. I want to, so please?"
"Oh...Ok. Thanks."
"No problem, dattebayo!" They started to walk to the Hyuga Manor until Naruto jumped at a rustling sound. The rustling came again and shivers went down Naruto's spine. He quickly leapt and hugged Hinata in fear. Hinata was as red as a tomato.
"N-Naruto-kun?"
Naruto let go of Hinata and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, Hina-chan, I just thought there was a g-g-ghost!" Naruto stuttered as a rustling becam more prominent. He whirled around and noticed a large group of bushes were moving. Hinata quickly used her Byuakugan.
"W-wait, Naruto, those aren't ghosts...There are several people behind the bush." Naruto nodded and got ready to attack as Hinata followed suit. They were about to make a move until...
"STOP! DON'T ATTACK US! WE'LL COME OUT!" A voice shouted as seven people came out from the bushes. Ino came out first, panting. "Sorry, we-gasp-didn't-gasp-mean to scare you."
"Yeah, Sorry about that," Kiba said and Akamaru whined.
"B-but, ano, what are y-you g-guys doing here?"
Sakura sighed in defeat. She couldn't lie to Hinata. "We-all of us-were spying on you two..."
"Hmph. I told you it was troublesome," Shikamaru shook his head.
"But at least I got my chips!" Choji said.
"Hn." Sasuke closed his eyes and chuckled. "It was about time, dobe. And thanks to you, I win a bet. It's about time I actually earn some money."
"Yeah, and I'm happy and proud! Our little shy Hinata is growing up!" Hinata blushed a deep crimson and Sasuke rubbed his eyes. 'Ok, Sasuke, she's not a tomato,' Sasuke thought to himself.
"Haha, yet she still hasn't grown up as well," Kiba said, referring to the Hinata's still red face. Hinata bit her lip and tried to calm down.
"Kiba, that's not very nice!" Sakura said, frowning slightly.
"Oh, sorry Hinata..."
"I-it's nothing!" Hinata said. Her face was now a more normal color and she smiled sweetly.
"Ok, that's good! You're really nice, you never get mad at anyone!"
"Ano...thanks."
Meanwhile, Naruto had caught on to what was going on. 'So Sasuke set up the plan just so he could win a bet...and I was just gonna do it myself...' He thought. "Nani? You mean, you were all placing bets?" Naruto finally asked.
"Yes, dobe," Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Guess you finally figured it out."
"But why?"
"It was reasonable," Shikamaru answered. "Hinata had a crush on you ever since we were in the Academy. Believe it," he said, pulling off a Naruto.
"Shikamaru!" Hinata said, the blood rushing to her face once again. But Shikamaru ignored her.
"And it wasn't just us," he continued, "all the shinobi, even Kakashi and the other sensei and Lady Tsunade placed bets as well."
"What?! And I didn't even know."
"It's because you're so dense, Naruto." Sakura sighed.
"Ok...but, seriously, I need to bring Hinata home, so...bye!" Naruto and Hinata ran off and the shinobi gave a chorus of 'awwwwww!'
"Hey, no one told me we'd be spying on them." Shino came, hands in his pockets.
"Well, maybe it's because your name is Forg O'Ten!" Kiba said, smiling.
"You're gonna regret that," Shino said, bugs swarming around him.
Screams of fright pierced the night as Shino felt the taste of sweet revenge. (Dun dun duuuuuuuun! XD)
"Huh," Shino stated flatly. "Revenge tastes like waffles."
(A/N: Don't worry, he just scared them. In case you were thinking something else...:P)
So there you have it! Hoped it wasn't too bad.
I'm not much of a skilled author, and my lines a might have been irony and cliche. It's not too bad for a thirteen-year-old, if I do say so myself.
But I still hope you guys like it!
I know that there are grammar mistakes here and there. not to make an excuse, but one reason for it is the fact that I writer these chapters on my iPad and autocorrect can be stupid and annoying sometimes. I could turn it off, but meh.
See y'all!
