"Kagome kagome,
The bird in the cage,
When, oh, when will it come out?
In the evening of the dawn,
The crane and turtle slipped.
Who stands right behind you now?"
If someone were to have told me I would one day be playing Kagome Kagome with a bunch of children, I wouldn't have believed them. Yet, here I am, playing just that with my circle of friends. Naruto was currently the oni in the center of the circle. He had his eyes covered and, upon hearing that we had stop singing, he started guessing whom it was that stood behind him.
"Umm…Neji-san?" he guessed.
…
Wow, Naruto actually guessed right. Neji certainly didn't looked too pleased. Of course, the only reason Neji was even playing in the first place was because Hinata somehow managed to convince him. It did help that Hinata also had Itachi to help. Itachi, by the way, is also playing.
After Neji and Naruto switched places, Neji covered his eyes while we started singing as we circled around him.
"Kagome kagome,
The bird in the cage,
When, oh, when will it come out?
In the evening of the dawn,
The crane and turtle slipped.
Who stands right behind you now?"
The song's pretty creepy when you've gone into some of the theories of what its origin and meaning really is. If anything, it might have just usurped Ring Around the Rosie for most disturbing children's game. That may just be my opinion, though…
"Uchiha-san…?" Neji guessed.
"Which one?" Shikamaru asked. "There are two."
Neji scowled. "Itachi-san…"
"Ah, you finally said my name." Itachi nodded his head. "Does this mean I can call you Neji-san?"
Only Itachi would take this opportunity to move onto a first-name basis with Neji.
You sly dog!
"Do whatever suits you." Neji scowled. "Was I correct?"
"Nope!" Sasuke exclaimed. "Wrong Uchiha, Neji-san! You're still the oni!"
Neji was not happy, but said nothing about it. We started singing again as we circled around Neji, the process being repeated a few times, with Neji guessing the wrong person each time. Around the sixth time we circled around Neji, I started noticing something was off about him.
Is he…is he okay?
On the seventh time, I looked closely at Neji as we started to sing. I saw him visibly twitch upon hearing us start. He must've not liked our singing… Come the tenth time, I was able to confirm that Neji was slowly growing distressed each time we sang as we circled around him. His voice was starting to grow a tad bit desperate each time he guessed. At first, I just thought Neji didn't want to play at all, that he hated our singing, but that was not the case…
It's more than that, but what—I don't know…
Around the sixteenth time, Hinata cried out when she saw that Neji was actually crying. When he had started crying, I don't know, but it was disturbing that he was trying to hide the fact that he was crying.
Neji, you don't do stuff like that—you need to tell us if something is wrong!
We're here for you!
We all stopped holding hands and knelt down to Neji's level. Neji tried to look away from us, but Hinata refused to let her cousin hide. She was adamant about his wellbeing, as much as he tried to push her away.
"N-Neji-nii-sama…are you okay?" Hinata wanted to know—no, she needed to know.
Neji remained silent, tears continuing to stream down his cheek as he bit down on his lip.
"Neji-nii-sama…" Hinata said in a firmer tone. "Answer me."
Hinata startled all of us with her firm tone and lacking stutter. She meant business and even Neji knew that, and yet…he was having trouble answering his cousin. He had such difficulty even saying anything coherent, as all that came out of his mouth was a jumbling mess of words. It took him a moment before he finally replied, in a steady, but shaky voice, "The bird in the cage…when, oh, when will it come out?"
He choked back a sob.
"N-Neji-nii-sama…" Hinata frowned as she placed her hand on Neji's shoulder.
Neji twitched visibly. "D-Don't…touch…me…"
At that moment, Itachi pulled Hinata out of the way of Neji's palm strike, which would have struck Hinata right in the chest. Did…Neji just try to…hurt Hinata? Oh hell no…you have crossed a line, boy.
"What the hell, Neji?!" I yelled, about ready to lunge at the boy. Of course, Itachi decided he didn't like my somewhat offensive stance and grabbed me by the back of my haori, pulling me as far as he could, away from Neji. "H-Hey!"
"Calm down, Chōko-san…" Itachi said coolly. "Violence will get us nowhere."
Dammit, why do you have to be right? "Tch, fine…"
Thank you, though…seriously, thank you…
Since Neji was currently acting hostile to anyone who got near him, Itachi decided to take matters into his own hands. Itachi made all of us distance ourselves from Neji as he walked closer to the Hyuuga, as carefully as he could. Neji was trying his hardest to stop crying, choking back sobs every few seconds or so, but he couldn't.
When Itachi tried to approach Neji, Neji nearly struck him in the chest with another palm strike. Except, unlike with Hinata, Neji's Byakugan was activated and he had tried to use the Jūken on Itachi. Itachi was quick to dodge, but Neji kept attacking, to which Itachi kept evading.
Oh my god!
Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata, Chōji, Shikamaru, Shino, and I spent the next few minutes watching the scene before us. Neji kept trying to land a hit on Itachi, but Itachi was just too fast. Ten minutes had passed before Itachi formed a hand seal and said something so quickly that I couldn't make out what he had said.
Within seconds, puffs of smoke gave way to three identical clones of Itachi. This caught Neji completely by surprise, leaving himself open for a very brief moment. Itachi was quite quick to use the opening he had as a chance to have his clones apprehend Neji. They were shadow clones, as shown by the fact they were corporal. With Neji detained by shadow clones, the real Itachi walked up to the Hyuuga and knocked him out. Almost immediately, Itachi's clones dispersed.
Itachi caught Neji as he fell. With Neji no longer being a threat, Itachi turned to face us, his gaze falling upon Hinata, who seemed absolutely horrified with what she had to witness.
"You…you know something, don't you?" Itachi asked Hinata.
Hinata bit her lip. "…"
…
…
Several minutes later, under a big, shady tree, Hinata began telling us everything about the Hyuuga Main Family's Juinjutsu. About how the seal is branded on all Branch House members in the Hyuuga clan—Neji included. That was the reason why Neji kept his forehead covered at all times—because of that seal.
"N-Neji-nii-sama was branded when I turned three…" Hinata explained.
"So he's had the seal since then?" Sasuke asked.
Hinata nodded her head. "Y-Yes…"
"Why do you need a mark to distinguish the Main and Branch families?" Naruto questioned. "What's the use of that?"
"I-It's not just for show…" Hinata looked down. "A M-Main House member can activate it using a hand seal to d-destroy the wearer's brain cells."
"Oh god…" I had nearly forgotten how horrible the Branch House had it. Sure, I have been holding it against Neji, but only because he didn't need to take it out on Hinata for it…
"The s-seal will only disappear after death, sealing up the ability of the Byakugan along with it," Hinata continued. "The Branch family is meant to protect the Main family…th-that's why Neji-nii-sama is always with me."
"So this seal…what does it look like?" Itachi asked.
"I don't kn-know…" Hinata replied. "When I asked N-Neji-nii-sama, he said…the c-curse of the mark is meant to represent 'a bird in the cage'…"
A bird in the cage…oh shit!
"The bird in the cage, when, oh, when will it come out?" Shikamaru suddenly brought up. "Neji-san must have not liked hearing that part of the song."
"I feel bad…" Chōji remarked. "He was playing with us, even though the song was bothering him…"
"I-It's my fault," Hinata stated. "I-I convinced him to p-play…"
"Do not blame yourself, Hinata-san," Shino tried to reassure Hinata. "How were you to know he would react in this manner?"
…
"You don't know, do you?" Shino had made a point.
Hinata shook her head. "N-No…but I do kn-know it's my fault Neji-nii-sama's father is dead."
Oh god, not this incident—wait, Hinata's blaming herself? No wonder she has self-esteem issues! "How would that be your fault?!"
"If I d-didn't nearly get kidnapped, then my father w-wouldn't have killed the Head Ninja of Kumogakure!" Hinata was adamant about accepting the blame. "I-If that hadn't happen, then Hizashi-sama wouldn't have had to take my father's place when Kumogakure demanded my father's body! The only r-reason that even happened was because they were t-twins and Hizashi-sama was a member of the Branch family! So, e-essentially, it is my fault."
Wow, I never thought Hinata would be one to talk this much when she's adamant about something…I think I learned something new about my soft-spoken friend. No, it's not just me, but also all of us… Is this what Hinata's been dealing with since the incident? Goddamn, I feel so bad for her…that's a lot for a four-year-old to be handling…
"Hinata…how long ago was this?" I need to make sure, before I say something I might regret.
"Almost two years ago…" Hinata answered. "Why?"
"Wouldn't that make you like three-years-old at the time?" Sasuke looked questioningly at Hinata. "Hey, hey…aren't you still four?"
"…" Hinata looked down and said nothing.
Hinata was pretty much the youngest out of all of us. Excluding Itachi and Neji, Shino was the oldest out of all of us.
"I'm still four!" Naruto exclaimed.
"We're not talking about you, dead-last!" Sasuke snapped.
"Stop calling me that-ttebayo!" Naruto scowled at Sasuke.
"Both of you, shut it!" You two can be bickering rivals some other time! Right now, Hinata needs some moral support because she is blaming herself for something she should not be at fault for. "Shikamaru, if you say anything, I will smack you."
I know he's still four years old as well, but I didn't want to hear it right now.
"I wasn't going to say anything." Shikamaru made a face. "How troublesome…"
"S-So what does being four have to do w-with anything?" Hinata was confused.
"I'm just saying…you're still pretty young," Sasuke replied. "Right, Nii-san?"
Itachi nodded. "That is correct."
"B-But…" Hinata began.
"Hinata-san, know your limits," Shino said firmly.
…
"Fine…" Hinata sighed in defeat. "Y-You win…"
"So…what are we going to do about Neji-san?" Chōji looked at Neji, who was currently passed out on the grass.
"He's gonna be a bit mad at us, isn't he?" Sasuke frowned.
"Correction: He's going to be mad at me, not you," Itachi remarked. "I was the one who knocked him out."
"P-Please don't tell anyone that Neji-nii-sama nearly attacked me!" Hinata was quick to say. "H-He'll get in trouble with my father…"
"Speaking of your father, you two need to have a talk with him," Shikamaru suggested. "If Neji-san's having issues like this, then he needs to talk it out with his father's twin brother."
Way to go, Shikamaru, doing something that actually displays your actual intelligence instead of slacking off!
"So I guess it's safe to say that, after this, we are no longer playing Kagome Kagome, correct?" I looked questioningly at everyone. "Well?"
"I never really liked the game, anyways." Shikamaru rubbed the back of his head. "It's too troublesome…"
"And hard!" Naruto added.
Sasuke nodded his head. "There are too many of us, that it makes the game difficult!"
"There is a limit to how challenging a game could be," Shino noted.
"We're better off playing ninja," Chōji commented. "It's more fun than Kagome Kagome."
"I-I feel the same way," Hinata agreed.
"You guys were the ones who suggested we play it…" I didn't even want to play it because I found the song creepy…thank you, Vocaloid and morbid theories about the song's origin! I will never see this game the same way ever again. "You know what, I'm not even gonna argue…so it's settled! We're never playing that game again!"
…
"You know, for someone who refuses to be leader, you actually make a pretty good one." Oh shut up, Itachi!
"You say that now, but just you wait!" I will fuck up badly one day and make everyone realize how bad of a leader I can be! You guys will regret everything!
…
…
About half an hour later, Neji woke up. He was a bit disoriented, but relatively fine overall. When Hinata tried talking to him, Neji looked away, possibly in shame. Frowning, Hinata decided to take a more active role and lunged at her cousin, wrapping her arms around his frame in a tight hug. This caught Neji completely by surprise. He stiffened, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
"I'm so sorry, N-Neji-nii-sama!" Hinata apologized frantically. "I-It's all my fault th-this happened!"
"Wh-What?" was all Neji could say. Before Neji could do anything else, Naruto latched onto him in the same manner Hinata had done. "G-Get off!"
"Neji-saaaan!" Naruto whined. "You don't have to hide it anymore!"
"I'm not…I'm not hiding anything!" Neji was slowly growing annoyed with the physical contact coming from his cousin and Naruto.
"Don't lie!" Sasuke exclaimed as he joined Naruto and Hinata as they continued to hug Neji.
Pretty soon after that, the rest of us started hugging Neji as well. What was initially supposed to have been a single hug turned into a group hug, one that Neji had no interest, whatsoever, in partaking…at all.
"There is no escape!" You are gonna be part of this group hug, whether you like it or not!
C'mon, man, we're here for you!
Please…don't push us away!
It's okay!
It's…okay…
"Do you not wish to accept our platonic affections?" Shino asked. "Isn't it customary for friends to embrace one another when one is emotionally hurting?"
"F-Friends?!" Neji exclaimed, his eyes widening. "Since…when—since when…are you my friends?!"
Neji, are you serious?!
"Now, now, Neji-san," Itachi said as he joined in on the group hug. "We are only concerned for the well-being of our friend."
"I-Itachi-san?!" Neji was baffled.
"Ah, you said my name again…" Itachi said in a slightly amused tone. "See? We have started referring to each other by our first names. Surely that is meant to signify something?"
"Y-You are doing this on purpose!" Neji yelled, his face turning a bright shade of red.
"Of course I am," Itachi admitted as a small smile formed on his lips. "We are friends."
By now, Neji's anger was starting to fade as he began growing emotional. He was having trouble breathing, his eyes glistening with unshed tears as he choked back a couple of sobs. He tried to hide it, but after hearing Itachi's remark, he started bawling.
"I-Is he supposed to be doing that?" Chōji asked, sounding rather concerned.
"He's finally opening up instead of suppressing his emotions," Shikamaru pointed out. "I'm sure you've noticed."
"H-He does that…" Hinata said softly. "I-It's okay, Neji-nii-sama, we're here for you."
I nodded my head. "Yeah, we're here for you—and don't you forget it!"
Neji seemed to cry even harder after hearing that.
It hurts.
My head hurts.
Everything hurts.
But it's going to be okay.
It's going to be fine—right?
"It's going to be fine," Itachi reassured, having heard me ask a question that should have stayed in my head. "Because we are friends."
Yeah…that's right…
Thank you…
…
…
We all saw a different side of Neji today, one that I, and everyone else, could have never predicted. It still scared me that he nearly hurt Hinata. I have never been so glad to have Itachi around us. At the same time, I was actually concerned for Neji. I think it's safe to say that all of us were.
When Hinata and Neji left us, Hinata was holding onto Neji's hand as he continued to sniff and cry. That was the first time I've actually seen them hold hands—and the first time that Neji actually acted his own age. That was the last any of us had seen of them for this week, because after that, Hinata and Neji stayed home.
I was worried at first…then Chōji mentioned my koto lessons with Himawari, to which Shikamaru suggested I use that chance to check up on Hinata and Neji. Naruto and Sasuke wished me good luck, Itachi did the same, and Shino told me to take care.
So as I made my way to the Hyuuga compound, my pace somewhat slower than usual due to the fact that I was wearing my kimono, I thought about what could have happened during the past few days Hinata and Neji hadn't come out to play with us. I wondered quite briefly if Hinata had followed through Shikamaru's suggestion regarding her and Neji talking with Hiashi. It would have explained their recent absence…
Though, when I approached the Hyuuga compound, Hinata was outside, waiting for me. She was also wearing her kimono, so that meant lessons with Himawari were still on. Upon seeing me, Hinata ran up to me as fast as she could in her kimono. She grabbed onto my hand and started pulling me towards the Hyuuga compound. When I tried asking her what was going on, she shushed me.
"J-Just follow me," was all she told me. "Y-You need to see this…"
I was confused at first as to what she wanted me to see…but then I saw it. Within a room, the training room most likely, Neji was sparring with Hiashi. The two had yet to notice our presence in the room, which is what Hinata had been going for. I honestly was surprised with the scene before us.
Like…holy shit. This feels like something that should happen in the future, not now…what the hell happened—oh crap. Didn't Shikamaru tell Hinata that she and Neji needed to talk with Hiashi? Then, with what had happened…did Hiashi tell Neji the truth? That seems highly plausible, considering that Hiashi and Neji were currently sparring with each other.
"Chōko-chan, l-let's go…" Hinata whispered to me.
I nodded my head and followed after Hinata as we left the room.
…
Himawari was waiting for us, somewhat impatiently. She scolded us lightly for what we did, but then proceeded to tell us to take up our positions. I usually leave my koto at the Hyuuga compound so I don't have to lug it around with me everywhere. Of course, I can store it in a scroll, but considering how often I lose my tsume…it's better this way, so I don't end up losing that scroll. It's not as if it's that heavy to begin with…well, it is, but it's not a problem for me. It's just an inconvenience, just having to carry that thing around.
Lessons with Himawari proceeded as usual, with me having my sitting position corrected by Himawari every other moment or so. Seriously, how the hell am I going to get used to this? Ugh, I hate this freaking koto…
About an hour into the lesson, Himawari gave us a well-deserved break and left the room. As she left the room, I noticed something off about her. Hinata must have noticed that I was staring, because the next thing she said caught me by surprise.
"I'm g-going to be an older sister soon," was what she said.
I turned to Hinata. "Wh-What?"
Hinata smiled. "I've been m-meaning to tell you."
"So your mother…" Himawari is—no wonder she seemed a bit rounder around the stomach! I was quick to hug Hinata. "Congratulations, Hinata!"
Hinata blushed. "Th-Thank you…"
That meant Hanabi was going to be born in…March, if I'm correct. So Himawari is close to two months pregnant, then. Huh, I wonder how that is going to turn out…ahaha, Hinata is going to be an older sister. She certainly seems happy.
"Am I interrupting something?" Hello Neji, didn't see you there and—you seem oddly calmer. His expression certainly seemed softer…and it seems that Himawari put him on tea-bringing duty again.
"N-Neji-nii-sama!" Hinata exclaimed. "I was just telling Chōko-chan about how I'm g-going to be an older sister!"
Neji blinked and nodded. "Ah, I see…tea?"
"Th-That would be fine!" Hinata smiled. "Hey, Neji-nii-sama…w-would you like to stay and have tea with us?"
Neji stiffened again. I was expecting him to decline like last time, but instead, he actually said, "Only for a short while."
And that was how Neji sat with us as we drank tea. Himawari must have wanted Neji to stay with us, assuming from the fact that there were three cups instead of two on the tray. Neji still refused to look at me, which is nothing out of the usual. The only difference was that, instead of staying quiet, Neji tried to join in our conversation. He was a bit awkward about it, but he was trying.
"It's nice to see you being more social!" I smiled at Neji. He really deserves a gold star for trying!
Neji looked away, probably not knowing how to react to my comment.
"Heehee…" Hinata giggled. "He's sh-shy!"
Oh man, if that isn't the most ironic thing I have ever seen and heard!
…
Since that day, Hinata and Neji returned to our circle of friends. Upon returning, Neji found himself being swarmed by Naruto and Sasuke. Itachi just patted Neji on the head when Neji tried to pull Naruto and Sasuke off of himself. Chōji offered some potato chips to Neji, which Neji politely declined. Shikamaru made it a point that, by even offering potato chips to him, Chōji had considered Neji a friend. This caused Neji to blush, his blush growing even worse when Shino made it clear that we have missed him in his and Hinata's absence.
"Th-Thank you…" was all Neji managed to say.
Smiling, I walked over to Neji and smacked a gold star sticker over his forehead. Neji did not appreciate the act, but said nothing. I just laughed and held out the packet of gold star stickers I had bought the other day at a shop.
"I got these for you!" Really, I did. "Every time I think you deserve a sticker, I'll give it to you!"
"Did you have to put it on my forehead?" Neji looked sternly at me.
"I…don't know…" I wasn't really thinking. "S-Sorry…"
"It's fine," Neji huffed. "Uzumaki, Sasuke-san—get off!"
After Itachi decided he had seen enough of his little brother and Naruto messing with Neji, he pulled them off the Hyuuga. Neji gave out a quiet, "Thank you" before adjusting his clothes.
"Nice sticker," Itachi remarked. "How do you feel, Neji-san?"
Neji glared at Itachi, who just smirked at him.
…
After our reunion with Hinata and Neji, our summer days seemed to be more fun-filled than ever, now that Neji was trying to be more social instead of reluctant to interact. It was safe to say that he was an official member of our circle of friends (not that he wasn't before, but now he's aware he's part of this). I tried passing on the title of leader onto him, but Neji refused, saying that he had changed his mind about me.
I…was not expecting that. None of us had been expecting that…except for, maybe, Itachi, based on how amused he had seemed. He reiterated an earlier statement he had once told me about being a good leader and I just told him to shut it. Despite my mixed feelings, I smacked another gold star on Neji's forehead. Neji didn't really appreciate it, but I felt like he deserved it—for trying to change.
…
As we were watching the clouds, with our backs laid against the grass, on one particularly cloudy afternoon, Naruto started talking to Neji.
"If you don't like the way the Hyuuga have treated you, then I'll change them," is what he told Neji. "I'll change the Hyuuga when I become Hokage!"
What was stunning about Naruto's statement was that was the first time he had ever mentioned to us about his dream of becoming Hokage. It's honestly strange, but…somehow not surprising. I was expecting to hear that from Naruto eventually…I just didn't know when.
Itachi was rather supportive of Naruto, as was Sasuke. Shikamaru was a bit sarcastic, but otherwise, just as supportive as well.
"You're gonna need an advisor, though," Shikamaru remarked.
"Huh…you're right…" Naruto sat up and looked at Shikamaru, smiling widely as he did. "That's why you'll be my advisor!"
Shikamaru sighed loudly in exasperation, but was unable to stop the smile that had crossed his expression all of a sudden. "How troublesome…"
"But you didn't deny it!" Chōji was grinning widely.
"I feel left out…" Shino suddenly said.
"Well, what do you want to be?" I decided to ask Shino.
"I want to discover and tame new species of insects," Shino replied. "I also want to be there, when the day comes that Naruto-kun becomes Hokage."
"Thanks Shino!" Naruto appreciated Shino's support. "I hope you find a lot of bugs!"
Hinata laughed. "G-Good luck with that—b-both of you!"
"Heeey—summer vacation is almost over…" Sasuke suddenly said. "What do you think we'll be learning when we get back?"
"Possibly about hand seals," Itachi suggested. "You learned those first before you start working on any ninjutsu and genjutsu."
"Hey, hey, speaking of ninjutsu…what was that technique you used on Neji-san?" Naruto asked Itachi.
"Kage Bunshin no Justu," Itachi replied.
"Hey, hey…can you teach me how to use it-ttebayo?" Naruto looked expectantly at Itachi with a wide smile. "Eh, eh, yes or no?"
Itachi chuckled. "I'll teach you when you're older."
"No fair, Nii-san!" Sasuke whined. "You gotta teach me too."
"You need to work on your Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu first before anything." It is nice seeing Itachi acting like the older brother he is. "Can you promise me that?"
Sasuke sat up and glared at Itachi briefly before sighing. "Fiiiine…"
"Hey, Neji-san…what do you think?" I haven't heard Neji say anything in a bit.
…
"Neji-san?" I sat up to get a good look at Neji…he was asleep. "Ah, he's asleep."
"He m-must've been tired…Neji-nii-sama and my father have been t-training together as of lately," Hinata remarked.
"Hey, he's smiling, dattebayo!" Naruto exclaimed.
…
…
Summer soon came to an end and we returned back at the Academy. Classes resumed, as did kunoichi classes. The moment of truth involving our musical instruments came and…everyone passed. Suzume-sensei was quite glad and continued with the next lesson, which was singing.
This was when things started taking an ugly turn as, when singing lessons first began, it was revealed that one of Ami's friends, Fuki, had a hearing disability (I don't know the exact details, but it's not really any of my business to pry into the lives of others). Fuki had been hiding it for quite some time, but her secret came out when Suzume-sensei had tried getting her to sing. Fuki's singing was quite off-key and, when she tried to talk, she had a bit of a speech impediment as she paused between words and sometimes, she stuttered. It had taken me until then to realize that Fuki rarely ever spoke and the reason being was because of that.
Some of the girls in class had started making fun of Fuki for it, having decided to take their attention off of me for once. While I'm glad some girls have decided to stop picking on me, I wasn't exactly happy with whom they decided to pick on and for what reason exactly. Even if Fuki did pick on me, as Kasumi and Ami did, that did not mean I wanted her to go through the same thing as me. It was just so fucked up—the girls were picking on her because of her hearing difficulties and speech impediment.
That's so fucked up!
You don't do that—you just don't!
It went on for nearly a week until Ami finally had enough. Ami got into a fight with a girl name Sayuri, who had decided it would be "okay" to openly insult Fuki, just because "she wouldn't be able to hear" her. I saw a different side of Ami that day…and since then, Ami and her friends have stopped picking on others. Ami, from time to time, does act up, but not in the way she used to.
Not anymore—not after that.
Kunoichi classes aside, Itachi had been right about hand seals. That was what we were learning and we would keep learning about them until we had them completely memorized. Hoo boy, I had issues with this at first. I wanted to go to Itachi for help, but Neji got to me instead. Apparently, Hinata had told him to help me with my hand seals because I was having trouble. I was honestly surprised that Neji had even followed through with what Hinata had said because he was still rather wary of me. I counted this as Neji wanting to change, so after he had finished helping me, I slapped another gold star sticker onto his forehead…for being a good friend.
Neji still wasn't amused, but he said nothing.
Shikamaru's birthday came and went by. Nothing significant happened there, as we treated as a usual day at the Nara compound. Then, by the end of the month, during one particular lunch break, I got tackled by a boy with messy brown hair, tan skin, and red markings on his cheeks not unlike those of San from Princess Mononoke.
"Hey, hey, you're leader, right?" he asked me while our faces were literally centimeters apart, his sharp black eyes staring directly into my brown eyes.
I blinked a few times, needing a moment to gather my thoughts, and scowled before kicking the boy off of me. "I am not!"
The boy landed back a few feet away from me. I took this time to adjust my glasses and clothes…before getting tackled again by the boy (this boy has no concept of personal space!). Around this time, Sasuke and Naruto decided to stop watching and got the boy off of me. I glared at the boy as he smiled sheepishly at me.
"The hell was that for?!" Not cool, dude, not cool—I was eating!
"Let me into your group!" the boy demanded as a fanged grin crossed his face. "My name is Inuzuka Kiba!"
I blinked again and looked at Chōji, Shikamaru, and Hinata. They all shrugged, saying that it was up to me whether or not I should let Kiba into the group…the traitors! I seriously wasn't expecting Kiba, of all people, to want to join our group…yet, by the end of the day, Kiba joined our circle of friends.
One thing about Kiba that makes him different from everyone else is that he does want to be leader…except he's not accepting the position right away when I suggested it to him. No—oh no, he's fighting for dominance over it, so unless I lost against him, I would stay as leader. I, for one, don't like losing easily (I am many things, but a loser is not one of them!) and with the way Kiba keeps initiating a fight, I'd rather not lose…or prolong the fight, as I do not want to accidentally hurt Kiba with my strength.
…
I'm never going to get rid of this title, am I?
…
…
With Kiba having joined our circle of friends, you can bet that whatever sense of quietness and tranquility went out the window as Kiba introduced a sense of energy that wasn't there previously. If Kiba and I weren't fighting, then he and Naruto were, because it turned out, they have the same dream of becoming Hokage. Sasuke wasn't exactly happy with this because he felt that Naruto was his rival and it was just hilarious. Itachi certainly found it amusing.
Then Kiba found out about the stickers I gave Neji and wanted one as well, so I had to go buy another set of stickers for him. So while Neji got gold stars, Kiba got paw prints. Kiba was quite pleased with his stickers and actually started doing little things to get them, that being, "Don't fight with Chōko while she's eating." I am quite happy he's doing that a lot.
During a visit to the Inuzuka compound, in which Kiba wanted us to meet his mother and older sister, we found out that Naruto's birthday was coming up. Naruto said he wanted to take us somewhere on his birthday, that we had to be ready for it.
When Chōji and I got home that day, I was quick to run up to Mama and suggest an idea I had involving Naruto's birthday. Father was told about this and he was quick to send the message to the rest of the Four Noble Clans, and the Nara clan. I have no idea what they were planning, but they told Chōji and I to keep Naruto busy on the day of his birthday until the evening, which was when we were supposed to bring him to the Akimichi compound.
As Naruto was already taking us somewhere that day, keeping him busy until the evening wasn't going to be a problem. It was a school day (a non-kunoichi class day at that) as well, so really, it wouldn't be too difficult keeping Naruto busy.
…
On the day of his fifth birthday, Naruto, with help from both Neji and Itachi, managed to sneak all of us into the Hokage's office. Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime, had been doing paperwork when we had entered the room. Sarutobi arched his eyebrow at the sudden increase of people in his office.
"Hey, hey, Jiji!" Naruto called out to Sarutobi. "Look at how many friends I've made!"
Sarutobi looked over each and every one of us, looking rather impressed with the friends Naruto has made. He must have noticed that there were two Uchiha, two Hyuuga, two Akimichi, an Aburame, a Nara, and an Inuzuka in the room, based on how stunned he looked at the moment.
"You've sure made a lot of friends, Naruto," Sarutobi remarked. "Oh, and how has your birthday been?"
"It's been fine…hey, are you gonna take us out to Ichiraku Ramen?" Naruto looked expectantly at Sarutobi. "Like you usually do on my birthday?"
A strained expression crossed Sarutobi's face. "I'm sorry, Naruto…I'm very busy today."
Naruto looked absolutely crestfallen. "Jiji…"
"You know what, I guess I can put aside all this work for you and your friends." Sarutobi smiled at Naruto. He stood up from his seat and walked out from behind his desk. "Let's get going, shall we?"
…
I'm pretty sure Teuchi and Ayame were expecting to see that the Sandaime visit Ichiraku Ramen today, based on the fact that it was Naruto's birthday. As it was Naruto's birthday, Teuchi gave all of us discounts and a free extra-large bowl of miso ramen with roasted pork fillet for Naruto. Naruto was quite happy today. Of course, there was still much more for him to see when we take him to the Akimichi compound later.
…
Sometime later, in the evening, after the Sandaime had gone his separate way, Chōji and I led everyone to the Akimichi compound. Naruto had no idea what was going on as we rarely ever went to the Akimichi compound this late. He had tried asking us if anything was wrong, but his question went unanswered. Upon bringing everyone to a dark room in the Akimichi compound, Naruto asked us again if anything was wrong. At that moment, the lights flickered on and Naruto received the biggest surprise in his life.
"Happy birthday!" Chōji and I yelled simultaneously.
Naruto stared wide-eyed at the amount of people in the room. Aside from my family, Himawari and Hiashi were there, as was Shino's father, Shibi (his mother is currently on a mission and out of Konoha, so she's absent). Mikoto and Fugaku were predictably present, with Mikoto smiling warmly at Naruto. Shikaku and Yoshino were also there, as was Iruka-sensei, himself.
"Wh-What?" Naruto was practically speechless.
"It was Chōko's idea," Chōji was quick to out me, even though I wanted to stay anonymous. "Kaa-chan and Tou-chan called everyone else…"
"I-I told Iruka-sensei since he and you are close…" Hinata admitted.
"Wh-Why is everyone here?" Naruto was still having a hard time processing what he was seeing.
Mikoto had answered Naruto's question. "Because we didn't wish for you to be alone today."
"Alone…" Naruto repeated, his eyes widening. "I'm not alone…"
"That is correct," Shino remarked.
"I haven't known you for long, but I do consider you a friend," Kiba confessed to Naruto. "I'll be sure to invite you and everyone else over for my birthday…what do you say?"
"Ah…aaaahhh…" Naruto's eyes began to glisten with unshed tears. "I'm not alone…"
Upon saying that, Naruto started crying. Unlike the last time, during the day Chōji and I turned five…Naruto's tears were of happiness, not sorrow. He was just so happy that people would even do something like this for him.
Iruka-sensei smiled and walked over to Naruto to give him a friendly hair ruffle. "You should be happy…to have so many friends."
"I am-ttebayo…" Naruto sobbed. "Th-Thank you so much, dattebayo…"
Later into the evening, the Sandaime paid the Akimichi compound a visit, because he had finished his work. Iruka-sensei had told Sandaime about a birthday gathering for Naruto at the Akimichi compound. This managed to make Naruto cry for a second time today.
…
The month went by as usual after that. Naruto was much more energetic after that day. He was smiling much more often, as if that was even possible. He still had difficulties every once in a while, like his classmates picking on him, even though he was average as can be in class. Even though Sasuke called him dead last, Naruto really only tolerated the name if it came from Sasuke.
Kunoichi classes switched from singing to proper etiquette. I did somewhat horribly because I sounded a bit too "boyish" for Suzume-sensei's tastes. This is what happens when I grow up with someone as Chōji as a twin brother. I picked up his speech patterns…and because of that, Suzume-sensei kept telling me to sound a little more feminine. And it was thanks to that class that I now have two ways of speaking. There is my usual speaking manner, and then there's my more feminine, polite manner. It's…weird.
Regular classes were still focused on academics, as usual. We were still focusing on hand seals and gym class started turning a bit more strenuous now that we have mostly adjusted to it. Nothing much else happened after that. This continued onto the next month.
At least kunoichi classes had some variety… Of course, we started learning about cultures, which was going to last through this month, all the way up until we were released for winter vacation (so close, yet so far…). We were going to be quizzed on that when we returned from the break. I already went up to Hinata for help upon hearing about that.
Come Hinata's fifth birthday, it appeared that the Hyuuga had finally accepted Naruto, from the fact that he was allowed into the Hyuuga compound. When Hinata had also given Naruto an invitation, we were all surprised. Hinata was quite happy to explain that her father had told her that Naruto was allowed to come.
It would be Naruto's first time visiting the compound officially, as he had already visited once before during the summer festival when we had all snuck him in. Naruto had been extremely excited. I was just happy that Naruto was allowed to even come over the Hyuuga compound, just for Hinata's birthday.
A lot has happened since I first befriended Naruto. From one friend to nine friends, to being accepted by the Akimichi clan, to the rest of the Four Noble Clans of Konohagakure…it has been one hell of a year for Naruto. Aside from Naruto, Hinata and Neji have also experience some sort of change. Neji was no longer distancing himself from everyone and his fatalism had disappeared. He and Hinata have also been growing closer.
Neji still has some issues, but he was slowly adjusting to the recent changes in his life. I could've sworn I've seen him smiled at least once. I still annoyed him every once in a while by smacking a sticker on his forehead. He still didn't appreciate it, but he never said anything about it.
Itachi was someone I should be wary of, and yet…we were all very close to him. We have accepted him as the big brother of our circle of friends. He definitely acted like the type, helping us out if we had any trouble. I had a feeling he and Neji had a sort of rivalry going on between them, but Itachi was rather passive about it.
Considering all the changes that have happened, I wonder if there is anything I should be worried about. There is still the Uchiha Clan Massacre, an event that has yet to occur. I should be afraid because two years isn't a lot of time…yet, I'm honestly calm. Maybe it's the fact that the Four Noble Clans have forged a bond over the year. I have been wondering if that could have changed anything. It's difficult to tell right now, as this is a change that would only become evident over a gradual period of time.
Again, I'm not too worried. I guess, what happens, happens… I don't think I mind, with all the smiles I have seen coming from Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke, and the rest of my friends.
Really, I don't mind…
…
…
…
A/N 4-10-16 Annnd that's as much of editing as I'll do for now! By the by, I have updated Chōko's sprites and added even more to the profile, but do try to go to my tumblr to get access to the links, because they're still not working on this site! Oh, and expect the shipping poll to get updated, because I feel it's in need of an update soon! So yeah, keep an eye out for that!
OMG I FINALLY DID IT! A LONG chapter! I have been waiting for this so long, you have no idea… So yeah, a lot of things happened. Neji is no longer the stick in the mud he used to be, having finally reached a breaking point due to children's game. Let me tell you about Kagome Kagome…if you look into some of the theories regarding it's origin and meaning, it's pretty damn disturbing. If you wish to know about it, I suggest you look up on Wikipedia. I have also made a reference to the Vocaloid song, Circle You, Circle You, which is effing creepy and has forever ruined the game Kagome Kagome for me…and if that wasn't enough, then it was the theories involving the game's meaning. Just ugh…but yeah, one thing I remember about Neji is that he compared himself to the caged bird and just…it stuck on.
When you have a bird lover, like me, hear anything bird-related, it sticks. Just to clear everything up, when I decided to implement Kagome Kagome as a game for the group, I had nearly forgotten about the "caged bird" thing going on with Neji… That was until I checked the lyrics again for Kagome Kagome. I realized that this song was going to affect Neji in some way and this is what had happened. Yeah…I feel bad, because the song contained a set of lyrics that triggered Neji. The poor kid…
Though, it did allow for Neji to have some development of sorts. Hinata opened up and revealed that she had blamed herself for the incident that ended with Hizashi's death and started Neji's fatalism and disdain for the Main House. As Shikamaru had suggested they talk to Hiashi about Neji's issues, they had gone through with it and…the result was Neji having been told the truth at a much earlier age than usual. Neji still has some issues, but they're mostly about how to act now that he's known the truth. He now has to deal with Chōko smacking a gold star sticker on his forehead.
Itachi has become the designated Big Bro of the group, as he is close to not only Sasuke, but also the rest of his friends. He and Neji are now officially part of the circle of friends, as is Kiba, who is honestly an interesting addition. I'm honestly surprised I haven't snuck in a Princess Mononoke reference… Of course, it might end up coming up soon, knowing my love for Studio Ghibli movies.
And if you're wondering about Chōko sounding boyish…it involves Japanese pronouns. Chōko refers to herself as "boku", which is what Chōji refers to himself as. "Boku" is a masculine pronoun that might as well be gender neutral… If a female uses it, it's usually to sound tomboyish. In this case, Chōko uses it because she picked it up from Chōji. And because of that, Suzume, the kunoichi teacher, keeps telling Chōko to sound more feminine for the sake of the lesson to sound like a polite girl. In that case, Chōko uses "watashi", a standard, polite word for "I", usable by both men and women (pretty much also gender neutral, if I'm correct) in formal situations. In the case of children, watashi is often used by girls, but never by boys, who use boku. I hope that clears up everything.
Shout out to kpopisawesome for being reviewer #20! I've noticed this fic has reached over 74 favorites and 113 follows…ahaha, 13, there it is again! XD It just keeps happening! Anyways, thank you all so much for reading this fic, especially if you guys take the time to review! It really means a lot!
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter because a lot really did happen. I'm honestly surprise I've made it this far in such a short time. I'm hoping to continue making progress. If I've made any mistakes, please don't hesitate to tell me! So until next time, everyone! KD out! XD