Chapter 2
When Naruto awoke the next morning, he was actually smiling. He wondered about that a moment, then realized he was just looking forward to seeing his friend, Hinata. He got up, showered, dressed, and got himself ready to go to the Academy. He was still smiling a little as he walked out his door. For once, Naruto didn't notice the looks of hatred and rejection from all the people around him that morning. He knew they were there, but for once, he didn't care. He had a friend now. He was chuckling when he arrived at the Academy, still thinking of seeing Hinata again.
As for Hinata, she awoke that morning as usual and got her shower and dressed. Putting on her normal bulky jacket, she walked out to the dining room to get breakfast. She smiled when a servant handed her a plate with two small cinnamon rolls on it. She bowed politely and carried her breakfast to the table. While she was eating, she was thinking about going to the Academy and seeing her new friend, Naruto. She ate slowly, savoring the sweet rolls, but soon enough she was finished. She washed her hands in the sink and made her way out the door. She arrived at the Academy and heard a small chuckle. She looked up and there, about ten feet in front of her, was Naruto. Hinata gasped.
Naruto heard a small sound behind him and turned around. He was a little afraid it would be someone coming after him, but all he saw was Hinata. He smiled hesitantly.
"Oh, g-good m-morning, Hinata," he said quietly.
"G-good m-morning, N-Naruto," she said back. She smiled softly, trying to comfort Naruto and ease his worries. It seemed to work as his smile relaxed a little and seemed more natural.
"I'm g-glad y-you're h-here, H-Hinata," he stammered, blushing slightly. "I w-was l-looking forward t-to s-seeing y-you again."
Hinata blushed at the praise. "I w-was l-looking forward to seeing you again, t-too, N-Naruto."
Naruto was surprised. This was the first time he'd ever had anyone say that to him. He found himself believing Hinata for whatever reason. He didn't know why, but somehow he just knew she was being honest. Something in her lavender eyes told him she meant what she was saying. He smiled, blushing deeply. Then his playful side took him over a little. He bowed to Hinata. "May I have the honor of escorting you to class, my lady?"
It was Hinata's turn to be surprised. She was used to being addressed like that, but by people who resented it. Naruto, on the other hand, did it in fun and sincerely. As he stood and held out an arm to her, she smiled and linked her arm with his arm, nodding. "You may, good sir," she said, smiling, surprised a little that she hadn't stammered.
So it was that the young friends entered their classroom with their arms linked. They were the first to arrive in the room, so they were able to proceed to their seats in the back row without anyone bothering them. They sat next to one another and separated their arms, both smiling. Once the contact broke between them, both felt the lack almost immediately. Both wished to feel the contact again, but neither was brave enough to initiate it, so both just sat there feeling shy.
After a few minutes, the rest of their classmates and Iruka arrived and class started. Like the day before, Naruto found himself developing a headache from concentrating so long, while Hinata was able to deal with it easily. Neither said anything, and Iruka seemed content to leave them both alone throughout class, seeing as neither one was causing him any trouble.
When time came for lunch, Naruto and Hinata wandered around the Academy grounds, looking for somewhere to be alone, where the other students wouldn't bother them. What they didn't know was that they were being watched very carefully by one of their fellow students in particular.
One Ino Yamanaka was watching the shy friends as they walked toward a small copse of trees just outside the Academy grounds. She had noticed how shy the two were, and she had noticed that the two seemed to have become friends the first day. She smiled to herself, thinking that these two might make good friends for herself as well. She was always confident in herself and knew that she had a similar effect on those around her, but she had never really tried to bring a shy person out of his/her shell before. Here, she saw a challenge for herself in these two. And if there was anything Ino Yamanaka loved, it was a challenge. She grinned and started toward where the two had disappeared into the trees.
As Naruto and Hinata entered the trees, the noises of the other students talking and training faded into quiet. They found a small clearing in the center of the copse of trees and sat down against a tree at the edge of it, enjoying the quiet and the peace they found here. They had only been there a moment when they heard a voice.
"Oh! I didn't know anyone else was out here!" Ino said, startling both. She saw them jump and move somewhat closer to one another as if in defense. She smiled kindly as she came out of the trees to where they could see her. "Hi."
"H-Hello," Naruto stammered out, looking down.
"H-Hi," Hinata said quietly. "You're Ino, right?"
"Yep, that's me, Ino Yamanaka," she said back, smiling. "You're Naruto and Hinata, right?" The shy youngsters nodded. Ino approached them slowly, then crouched down in front of them. "Would you mind if I joined you?"
Naruto and Hinata looked at one another, surprised at this. Naruto shrugged. Hinata looked Ino up and down, her Byakugan active. When she saw no ill intent in Ino, she nodded. "You're w-welcome to j-join us, Ino," she said. She smiled shyly.
Ino smiled, glad to be given a chance at least. She sat down in front of them and all three pulled out their lunches and ate in silence. After a few moments, Ino smiled at the other two. "Hey, why don't you two tell me about yourselves?"
"W-What do y-you w-want to know?" Naruto asked back, blushing as Ino's attention focused on him.
"Well, all I know is your names," Ino started. "If we're going to be friends, I'll need to know what you like, what you don't, what happened that made you two so dang shy, all that. Besides, I'm curious about you, both of you, so I want to get to know who you are. All I know beyond what you've told me just now is that you're both shy and that you've become friends, and I know that from watching you. So, tell me about yourselves." Saying this, the blond girl sat back on her haunches, getting comfortable to listen to the two in front of her.
"Well, I'm N-Naruto Uzumaki," the blond boy spoke first. "I guess y-you w-want to know what I l-like. I like ramen and my friend, Hinata. I don't know much else that I l-like. I don't really h-hate anything. I've always been alone, and until Hinata here no one really accepted me. I g-guess that's why I'm shy. I think I'm going to like studying here, almost everyone seems nice." He stopped at that and looked at the ground, blushing a little.
"I'm Hinata H-Hyuga," Hinata said, speaking softly as always. "I like my friends here, Naruto and I h-hope you as well, Ino. My hobby is pressing flowers, so I guess I l-like flowers, t-too. I try n-not to h-hate anything either. My family always rejects me for my k-kindness, so I g-guess that's why I g-got to be so shy." She looked up at Ino. "I hope you won't end up rejecting me or Naruto in the end." She said this last with a look of hope but also a look of warning in her eyes.
Naruto looked surprised at Hinata's last statement, hearing the warning in it. Ino was taken aback a little, but she smiled. "I won't reject you. Actually, I can probably help you with your flower-pressing, Hinata. My family owns a flower shop, after all. And Naruto, you said you like ramen?" The blond nodded. "All right, how about the three of us go out for ramen after class today? I know a good place I'm sure you'd both like."
The two shy kids looked at one another, considered this a moment, then nodded. They'd give Ino a chance at least. "W-We better g-get back now," Naruto said. "It's almost t-time for class to start again." Ino and Hinata nodded, and all three made their way back to the Academy.
They made it back to their classroom just in time for Iruka to call class back to order. The three sat together this time, Ino on one side of Naruto, Hinata on the other, much to the annoyance of the original pair, since Ino seemed to make a point of speaking out during Iruka's lecture. This brought Iruka's attention to the two shy students, who found themselves constantly blushing during the rest of their time in class that day.
After class let out, Ino and Hinata waited by the Academy gates to meet the member of their family who was there to get them. Ino explained to her father that she wanted to take her friends out that afternoon and introduce them to someone. Inoichi, Ino's father, understood and gave his permission. Hinata told the Branch member who showed up for her that she was going out with a couple friends. He nodded and told her he'd let her father know, then bowed and took his leave. Then both girls went to Naruto, who was standing shyly by the main Academy gate, waiting to see what the two girls would do.
Ino approached Naruto first, smiling kindly. "Hey, Naruto, you OK?" she asked him.
"Y-yeah, I'm f-fine, Ino," he said. He tried to smile at her, but couldn't quite do it. He wasn't totally sure of her just yet. Then Hinata came up to them and smiled at Naruto, who returned it.
"I'm r-ready to g-go now," Hinata said to Ino. She linked her arm with Naruto's to show she was with him. Ino grinned at that and linked her arm with Naruto's other arm and began to lead them through the streets of Konoha.
After a few minutes, the trio arrived at a small ramen stand called Ichiraku's. Naruto had seen this place before, but never had the nerve to actually enter it. Naruto stopped and both girls got jerked back as they tried to step toward the stand. They looked back at him, confused.
"What's wrong, Naruto?" Ino asked him.
"I w-won't b-be w-w-welcome h-here," Naruto said, believing it was true, but not having any idea why, beyond the fact that no other place had ever allowed him in.
"What do you mean, Naruto? I know the guy who owns this place, his name is Teuchi, and I've never known him to refuse anyone who was willing to pay for their food. You are willing to pay, right?" Ino asked, smiling kindly at the shy boy.
"W-Well, of course I'm willing t-to p-pay, Ino, but I j-just know h-h-he won't w-want m-me here," he said, his eyes locked on the ground.
Ino reached down and lifted Naruto's face by his chin and looked into his eyes, locking his blues with her own. Naruto found himself believing in Ino for some reason. "Trust me, Naruto, he won't turn you out. He's a good man," she said, her blue eyes sparkling like she'd just told a great joke or something. "Trust me."
Naruto couldn't help it. He just nodded. He had no idea why, but for some reason, he believed in Ino. Her eyes showed such confidence, such strength, that he couldn't doubt her in even the slightest way. This time, when Ino stepped forward, Naruto followed her, bringing Hinata with him.
In spite of Ino's confidence, Naruto felt that he was getting strength himself from Hinata's presence beside him. He squeezed her arm a little with his own, eliciting a small squeak from the shy girl, who found herself blushing furiously. Naruto chuckled at her reaction.
The trio entered the ramen stand, their steps totally in tandem with one another. Behind the counter, an older man turned and saw Ino entering. He knew her; she had been there a time or two before, but today, she had two other youngsters with her, both looking to be her age, one blond and blue-eyed like Ino herself, the other raven-haired with lavender eyes. The blond was a boy, the other a girl, and both the raven-haired beauty and Ino herself were holding onto the boy's arms. The boy looked so similar to Ino, Teuchi thought for a moment they might be brother and sister, except he knew Ino was an only child. He turned and grinned at the three. "Hey, Ino, who are your friends?" he said, smiling.
Ino grinned back. "Hey, Teuchi, these are my classmates, Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga," she answered, indicating each one as she said their names. As she spoke, the three disentangled their arms and sat on stools in front of the counter, Naruto looking intently at the ground and Hinata smiling shyly at Teuchi.
Teuchi, still smiling, said kindly, "Well, it's nice to meet you, Naruto, Hinata. Now, what can I get for you three?" He was surprised when Naruto's head shot up and looked at him like he'd just had an electrical charge go through him.
The boy was clearly totally stunned at his reaction, though he didn't know why. Then Teuchi realized who Naruto was. He knew about the Kyuubi's true fate, of course, as did all the adults of the village, but he'd never met the young man before. Yet here he was, sitting beside Ino, with another young girl with him. Teuchi smiled at the boy, showing that he was all right in his book.
Naruto couldn't believe this man had allowed him to stay there, much less was offering to serve him food, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth, so he stammered out, "I'll h-h-have a m-miso r-ramen, p-p-please."
Hinata, who had never had ramen before, decided to trust Naruto's judgment on this. "I'll h-have the s-same, please, s-sir," she said. Naruto looked at her in surprise. She blushed at his attention, then stammered, "I've n-n-never h-had r-r-ramen b-before, so I f-figured I'd t-trust your j-judgment on what t-to try."
Naruto smiled a little, flattered that she trusted him and satisfied with her answer, then sat back to wait. He was enjoying himself quite a bit, really. He was with two people he considered friends and who accepted him, and now he was going to be served a meal for the first time he could remember.
He checked the prices on the menu of the place and was surprised at how cheap they were. He could eat here every day for years with just what he had saved up so far. He never got much money, but he didn't need much either, so he had a lot saved. This place could easily be his daily eating place without him making any kind of significant dent in his savings. He just hoped that this place wasn't like the place where he bought his clothes. That place was the only one that would even allow him to buy anything, and he knew they charged him way more than anyone else. Plus, they only allowed him to buy the orange jumpsuits he always wore. In point of fact, that's why he wore them.
Naruto only half-heard as Ino placed her order. The three sat quietly while they waited, Naruto smiling a little, Hinata happy to be with Naruto, who she was beginning to like quite a bit, and Ino glad the two were comfortable with her. Ino smiled and leaned over to Naruto.
"I told you he'd let you in here," she said.
Naruto nodded. He couldn't deny that; she had said he'd be welcome here. He turned his small smile on her; it wasn't large, but he felt it deeply; even Teuchi, who didn't know the boy, could see that. "Thank you, Ino. This means a lot to me," he said, then extended his hand. Ino took it, looking a little confused. "Friends."
Ino smiled, understanding that Naruto was telling her he accepted her as his friend now. Ino looked over at Hinata, who simply nodded. She accepted Ino, too.
Suddenly, Ino had a thought. "Hey, Teuchi, where's Ayame? I was hoping to introduce her to these two as well."
"Oh, she's here. Hey, Ayame!" Teuchi called out.
A flap opened at the back of the stand and a tall, thin brunette came in. "Yes, Father?" she said.
"Hey, Ayame, I wanted to introduce you to someone," Ino spoke up. She indicated her two friends and continued, "These are my friends, Naruto and Hinata."
Ayame smiled at both of them. "I'm Ayame," she said, bowing slightly. Naruto and Hinata both nodded to her, smiling and blushing slightly. Ino gestured for Ayame to come over.
"They're really shy," Ino whispered to Ayame. "I thought they needed a place where they could be themselves and be comfortable, you know? I'm trying to bring them out of their shells, and I couldn't think of any better people to help me out with that than you two."
Ayame winked at Ino. "I gotcha," she said. Then she turned to the other two. "You two will always be welcome here."
That simple sentence stunned both Naruto and Hinata. Neither had ever been told that before. Naruto had never been welcome anywhere, and Hinata had been welcome some places, but not quite so openly as that. The two bowed their heads as deeply as they could, considering they were sitting on stools, in thanks. Ayame giggled and went back behind the flap at the back of the stand. Teuchi turned around and set three bowls of ramen in front of the trio, then went back to what he was doing when they entered.
The three began to eat, all of them savoring the flavors in the simple soups. Naruto was pleased to find this was much better than what he ate at home, Hinata was surprised at how good the simple food was, and Ino was pleased with herself for having the idea of bringing her shy friends here. After the three ate, they all set down money for their own bowl, then stood and, with a short goodbye, departed.
Once outside, Ino turned to the other two. "I gotta get home now, you two," she said, grinning mischievously. "Naruto, why don't you walk Hinata home?"
Naruto blushed, then nodded, "All r-right," he said. Hinata nodded as well, then the three said their goodbyes and Ino headed off on her own, the other two walking together toward the Hyuga estate.
"That was n-nice of Ino t-to invite us out," Hinata said after a moment.
"Y-Yeah, it was. That's the first time I ever ate out l-like th-that," Naruto replied.
Hinata was stunned. She didn't eat out often, true, but that was because her family had very good cooks. She knew Naruto lived alone, so the thought that he had never eaten out like that was shocking to her. She didn't know what to say to that, so the rest of their trip passed in silence. Far too soon for either of their tastes, they found themselves in front of Hinata's home.
Naruto said goodbye, then headed home himself. Hinata went in to her home and straight to her room, where she washed up and got ready for bed, laying down and thinking for hours before finally falling asleep. She decided that night to be the best friend she could be to Naruto; he obviously needed it, and she could tell he deserved it even having only known him a few days.
Naruto arrived home and almost immediately went through his evening ritual, showering and getting ready for bed. Once he was laying down, his mind went into hyperactive mode, going over every detail of what had happened that day. He was still somewhat in shock when he finally fell asleep. He dreamed that night of being a rabbit surrounded by foxes, which he hoped wasn't a bad omen of things to come.