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Naruto's Confusion: Sand in the Hourglass

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He didn't know her favorite color.

If he had to guess, he would say it was a shade of purple, probably a light lavender.

But he couldn't say for certain.

It was long past the usual time he headed home, and the sweat from the day's training session had dried and would be unnoticeable if not for the gross, tangy stench. He raked at his skin, grey dirt caking underneath his fingernails. Oh, he guessed that was pretty gross too.

He brushed thoughts of personal hygiene to the side and sprawled his limbs out wider, his arms stretching to the sides of his body and legs spreading apart, as if making a snow angel. The grass felt cool against his back, and he barely noticed the itchy blades digging through his jacket and into his skin. The night sky was devoid of a moon, but the stars glowed like dim candles to compensate.

He didn't know her favorite food. He didn't know what she did in her free time, what hobbies she enjoyed. Frankly, it all dwindled to the conclusion that he…did not know her well. His chest pinched.

How much did she really know him? Could she list off his favorite foods and colors and hobbies? Could she not know them and still call it love anyways? …Was she sure she wanted to be in love with him?

Granted, the aftermath of the war had made him a busy man. He had immediately been whisked away on diplomatic missions and obligations and responsibilities rushed through his mind one after another. But that didn't mean there weren't lulls in his journey where her words, her confession−determination resounding in her opening, honesty saturating each sentence, and lastly, the farewell declaration-played themselves over and over in his head.

He thought he was going crazy, seeing her in everything. Her eyes in the moon, her silky hair in every dark-haired villager, even her scent in a homey tea shop he visited. He knew he felt something for her, something he had never felt for anyone before. But, a label like love or a crush only served to confuse him more.

However, he knew one thing for certain: he had never felt more overwhelming rage and pain drench through him than the moment he believed she died. Despite how strong and capable he knew she was, he never wanted to see her hurt again. He wouldn't forgive himself, or anyone, that inflicted pain on her.

"Hinata…" Her name rolled off his tongue with a familiar ease.

Ironically, she probably knew how to phrase his feelings better than he did. After all, she had a knack for saying the right things exactly when he needed them. His mind rummaged through memory drawers, picking up the ones that contained any shred of Hinata.

A hushed conversation during the written exam, heartfelt encouragement before his Chuunin match, protecting him not once, but twice…she had always been there. Always. From the start. Even as the village pariah and weakest ninja, she had been on his side. That fact alone made him eternally grateful for her.

But…was this romance? Love? How was this love different than Iruka-sensei's support? Where were her constant requests for dates? Endless proclamations of her undying love? Or the cute gifts in neatly tied boxes and ribbons? That was what people in love did…right? In all honesty, he still couldn't believe that someone like her loved someone like him before it became some cool fad to do so.

He wanted to tell her only truths. He wanted his feelings to be genuine and boldly stated with every fiber of his heart. And well…one and a half years later he still didn't know what to do. On top of his own muddled understanding of romance, everything he had admitted at Ino's party was true. He didn't have a clue about being charming, romantic, or the means to give her the world. She deserved the best, and he didn't know if someone like him− someone who underneath the Village Hero glamor was really just an average guy far from a prince− could fit that criteria.

x-x-x-x-x-x

The next morning, when the sun had barely risen over the horizon, he flipped the covers off his body and sat up, slouching as he watched the orange sphere peek through his blinds. Running his hand through his mussed hair, he collected his training supplies and headed to Team 7's training grounds.

Dark circles hooded his eyes, but to make up for cutting yesterday short, he planned to push himself to the limit today. Besides, it's not like he could sleep anyways.

Quieting the brewing storm in his mind, he summoned two shadow clones. One created sharp blue wind, while the other began to whirl it into the shape of a spinning blade.

Although his arm was a small price to pay for the return of his best friend…being one arm short did have its shortcomings. Namely, mastering precise control of the Rasenshuriken. New struggles cropped up, whether it be controlling his chakra blades correctly or steering his attack. He shuddered as he recalled almost harming Hinata and Sakura.

His prosthetic throbbed, and he carefully glanced around the training grounds before unraveling the bandages on his hand. Pale, wrinkly skin exposed itself to him. The thin skin, akin to a sheet of translucent paper, wrapped over garish green veins. Red incisions lined his hand, and he grimaced at the possibility of the Rasenshuriken causing microscopic damage.

A warm chakra pattern approached him, and he immediately recognized the familiar presence. He fell off the log, landing on his rump with a startled yelp. The figure slowed to a halt a few meters away from him.

"Naruto-kun…?" She began, eyes shrouded in worry.

"Hinata! Hi," he greeted cheerfully, slipping his hand behind his back. "Are you going to be training with us again today?"

Hinata bit her lip, not completely warded of her concern, but fortunately didn't pry. "No, not today, though yesterday was very fun," she smiled, and Naruto mirrored her with a grin, "I just thought that I'd pay a visit before training with Team 8. Kiba-kun always wakes up late, and Shino-kun usually is an early riser but strangely, he's not there yet." She paused, and tentatively said, "I'm sorry Naruto-kun, did I interrupt you from your training?"

"Nah Hinata, I was taking a break anyways," he assured. As he waved his hand to dismiss her qualms, a wince shot across his face. His injured prosthetic quivered as it suddenly had to support the brunt of his weight.

"Naruto-kun, what's wrong?" The alarm surged in her tone. She trotted towards him and knelt down, eyeing his propped arm suspiciously.

"It's nothing! Ah…don't worry about me," he said quickly, inching away from her.

"Um…okay," she replied uncertainly, tucking her calves under her knees and sitting on them. Prim, proper, and straight-backed, she emitted the aura of a princess. Hell, she probably was the closest thing to a princess. The glazed look in her eyes made him want to explain himself, and before he knew it he spewed out more words.

"D-Don't think that means I feel uncomfortable around you or anything like that. I just…don't want you to have to see it, don't want anyone to have to," he amended, turning his head back and lifting his chin towards his arm.

Shock replaced her solemn stare. "How did you…?"

"I can see it in your eyes," he teased.

"Oh, am I that obvious?" She blushed prettily, looking down at her hands.

"No, you're not. I can just tell," he answered honestly, not quite sure why her face heated up even redder.

Hinata took a deep breath, and seemed to will her face to return to a normal color. "Naruto-kun, I will not force you to share something you wish to keep hidden, but," she met his eyes, her sincerity and full attention making his heart pump faster, "I want you to know that I am not afraid of anything about you. No physical affliction changes who you are."

His mouth dried, and he suddenly became painfully aware of how chapped his lips were. Something about Hinata made him want to pour his soul on her; shower her with his insecurities and let himself feel really small because he selfishly knew she'd pick him back up.

Naruto hunched forward, legs splayed apart in front of him, and laid his good arm over his knee. His prosthetic fingers twitched as they slowly crawled out from behind his back.

"Are you sure?" Hinata asked politely, to which he nodded in response. "In that case, may I see it please?" She coaxed.

He brought his hand out a little closer until it rested in the shadow of his knee. His eyes widened as Hinata boldly took the initiative and lifted his hand, laying it like a feather onto her palm. Her nose scrunched as she inspected it, and his shame multiplied ten-fold.

She noticed, and gave him a reassuring smile. "It's okay, there's nothing to be embarrassed about." She gently massaged the crease between his fingers before continuing, "Naruto-kun you have cuts all over your hand, you have to give yourself a break," she reprimanded, though not unkindly.

He chuckled nervously, trying to stealthily wriggle out of her grasp. "They're so small though! It's no big deal."

She shook her head and pulled out a brown jar with her free hand. "Please, allow me to apply my Hyūga clan ointment on your wounds," she insisted.

"No, you don't have to, um I mean, I appreciate the thought but…" he trailed off.

Her fingers interwove with his, her thumb rubbing circles on the back of his hand. "It doesn't matter what it looks like because it's Naruto-kun's hand, and I like..." She hesitated and swallowed her words. But it didn't take long for her to restart, "I like that Naruto-kun's hand is so big and warm." She lightly squeezed his hand.

His face inflamed red, and the normally loudmouth clumsy ninja found himself speechless. He didn't protest as she generously slathered white ointment over his cuts, sealing them almost immediately.

"Dobe."

His head snapped up to the rude interruption.

Before he could answer with his own brash comeback, Hinata spoke up.

"Hello to you too, Sasuke-kun," Hinata said cordially, although the tinge of sarcasm was far from subtle.

Naruto blinked, completely unfamiliar to the sweet girl having a drop of sass.

"Oh," Sasuke glanced over to her as if just detecting her presence. "I was referring to him."

"I guessed as much."

"You're training with us again?" Sasuke asked.

"Not today, I'll be training with Kiba-kun and Shino-kun soon," she replied.

"Oh," he said noncommittally, though the smallest twinge of disappointment flashed across his eyes. In those few exchanges of words, Naruto felt that familiar hollow pit forming in his abdomen. His fingers clutched onto hers.

"Maybe later," she added, "after all we still didn't finish our competition." Hinata directed her attention back to Naruto, "Sakura-san and you are very fierce competition. It's as if you two can read each other's thoughts."

He jumped at being addressed, but recovered quickly. Unconsciously, Naruto puffed out his chest. "Pretty much, that's the result of training together everyday for the last…forever. At first, our teamwork wasn't easy to get down. And even now, half of our training sessions still end up in an argument," he ended with a huff.

Hinata finished healing him and slowly drew her hand out of his grasp. She didn't look up as she screwed on the lid. "But isn't that good, Naruto-kun? You like girls who are able to speak their minds," she said, carefully nonchalant.

Sasuke quirked an eyebrow.

Naruto furrowed his brow. "Huh?" Leaning forward, he tried to catch her eye. "What do you mean by that?"

"Hinata," Sasuke called, and when she turned to look at Sasuke, he drilled her with a reproachful glare. Instead of becoming intimidated, Hinata merely sighed. She stood up and brushed the dirt off her Chuunin attire.

"It's nothing, Naruto-kun. Anyways it's starting to get late, so I should check up on Team 8's training grounds. Good bye Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun," she bowed to them and then left the area.

A few minutes after she departed, Naruto groaned. "Teme, you ruined the mood!"

"Hn. You would have ruined it soon anyways," Sasuke curtly retorted.

The blond ninja sunk his face into his palms, fingers coming to a rest right below blue eyes. He wanted to grumble a crass comeback, but instead, let the truth in the words sink in.

The next few days panned out relatively normally: Training until his body wore out, lollygagging around town chatting with the villagers, awkwardly accepting gifts from fan girls, and eating Ichiraku ramen as a good percentage of his nutrition. Even though everything appeared fine, he had a lingering feeling in his gut that something was not fine at all.

It didn't help that Hinata didn't show up to the training grounds again. Or anywhere in his life.

Apparently, he hadn't been the only one to notice.

"Hm. I wonder where Hinata has been," Sakura wondered out loud, taking a large swig of water from her bottle. She decided to take a break from practicing her punches to observe Sasuke and Naruto's sparring match.

"I don't know either," Naruto responded, keeping his voice casual as he blocked Sasuke's kick.

"She's on a mission with her team," Sasuke answered, not batting an eyelash as he observed Naruto's jaw clench.

"Oh, since when?" Sakura inquired, surprised that Sasuke of all people knew the answer.

"The day after she visited the dobe here."

"How do you know that?" Naruto tried to ask neutrally, but nevertheless, impatience spilled into his tone. He thrust a fist towards Sasuke's face.

Sasuke caught the sloppy punch effortlessly; shoes skidding back at the immense power Naruto poured into it. "Saw her and her team before they left," he replied shortly, with an informal familiarity that twisted Naruto's stomach in knots.

"When did you two become so chummy?" Naruto blurted out, borderline snapping, "You were so mean to her before."

Sasuke sighed, he had a feeling he knew where this conversation was headed. He leapt back a fair distance away. "I wouldn't consider us that familiar. Besides, aren't you the one always complaining about how I need to open up and make more 'friends'?"

"Yeah, but…" Naruto fiddled with the loose end of his bandage, ending his two-word argument with a pout.

The Uchiha scowled as he strung the pieces together. "You're jealous. Are you kidding me?"

When it seemed Naruto didn't plan to answer, Sasuke continued, "You are friends with literally everyone in the village and you're jealous that I have three−maybe four− people I interact with."

"No it's not that," Naruto refuted, and then sighed himself. "I'm happy that you're friends now, at least I think you two are? Really, I am. I guess…I just want to get closer to her too."

Sasuke snorted. "If that's the case, then you should know that the lack of said closer friendship is your fault. Completely."

Perplexed, Naruto crossed his arms over his chest. "Completely my fault?! That's pretty harsh don't ya think…How? I've always been nice to her."

"Yes, completely," Sasuke candidly repeated. "So what if you're nice to her? You're nice to everyone."

"Yeah so, what's wrong with that?"

"All I'm saying is that," Sasuke paused, lips curling into a slight frown, "you're not doing anything special."

Grinding his feet into the crusty dirt, Naruto breathed out in exasperation. "Why does everyone keep talking to me in these sort of riddles?!"

"They're not riddles," Sasuke dryly replied, "It's exactly as I say." He rolled his eyes as Naruto's lower lip jutted out even further. Sasuke didn't feel particularly inclined to elaborate, and more importantly, something else in his peripheral vision suddenly attracted his attention.

"You're leaving?" He questioned, the tiniest lilt hidden in his monotone.

Sakura stopped gathering her supplies and looked up in surprise. "Oh−me?"

Sasuke answered her with a straight stare.

"Yeah," she said, interpreting his gaze as a 'yes,' "Sai asked me to help him prepare before we headed over to Ino's tonight. Something about 'procuring an appropriate gift.'" Sakura finished pocketing her kunai and senbon before speaking again, "You're coming tonight too, aren't you Sasuke-kun?"

His lips pressed together. "I don't want to," he admitted plainly.

"Aw come on Sasuke-kun, please? It'll be fun," she encouraged.

Sasuke remained silent, but his eyebrows drew closer together.

"I want you to come, but," Sakura lightly chuckled, "you don't have to if you really don't want to. I know how that kind of setting isn't your thing."

"Wait what? Ino's throwing a party tonight?" Naruto piped up, scratching his blond hair.

"Kind of. More like, a get-together since she's still alone and she's bored that she didn't get a mission this week. Though knowing her, there probably is alcohol involved," Sakura added as an afterthought.

"Hey how come I didn't know about this!" Naruto whined.

Sakura shrugged and said bluntly, "It's probably because she's mad at you for turning down Hinata last week."

"I did not turn her down!" He rejected vehemently, startling both of his teammates. The guilt he had been quietly suppressing all week spilled into his mind, fogging up his already tumultuous thoughts.

Sakura grunted doubtfully. "Alright Naruto, whatever you say. Why don't you just come too? Ino's actually pretty good about forgiving her grudges."

Naruto pouted. "But I wasn't invited."

"It is likely that Hinata will be there…" Sasuke chimed in, and before his teammates could pester him with more questions, explained, "her mission was only supposed to last for a few days."

"Then that settles it, just go, talk to her, and get closer. Easy as crushing a boulder," Sakura said with a simper.

"What kind of analogy is that? Only you would think that crushing a boulder is easy, Sakura-chan."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Stop being such a baby! Well it's up to you two to decide if you want to show up, I'm starting to run late so I've got to go." With a quick wave of her hand, she turned and zipped out of the training grounds.

"Ergh." Naruto flopped onto his back and absently watched the clouds drifting across the sky. "What am I even nervous about? It's a party with all my friends. It's not like I'm about to take down a big bad guy or somethin'."

Sasuke didn't answer him; in fact, he hadn't been paying attention to anything. Naruto tilted his head, his eyes narrowed in curious slits as he scrutinized his best friend. Sasuke's eyebrows still knit tightly together, and turmoil reflected off his dark eyes…he was…conflicted? Naruto shot up to an upright position.

"You…you serious? You actually want to go?"

The dark-haired boy glared at him, though it definitely lacked the usual ice. "Shut up. Nobody asked you."

x-x-x-x-x-x

Not much had changed in the week since they were last at Ino's house. Except for one, glaring addition. Or to be more specific, multiple glaring additions.

As Naruto revolved in a full 360 degree turn, he wondered if he hallucinated all of it.

"Did…the Yamanaka's adopt Hinata?" Sasuke voiced Naruto's thoughts out loud as his dark eyes stared blankly ahead. Naruto followed his line of vision to a photo of Hinata in a little black dress. Her palm blocked the camera lens, shielding half of her figure.

Oh, so he wasn't imaging things.

"I don't…think so?" Naruto replied hesitantly. He rotated slightly, and found himself face to face with another photo of Hinata framed on Ino's wall. In the clearly candid shot of Hinata's side profile, she had bent over to slip her foot into a stiletto and adjust complicated-looking criss-cross straps. Her long ponytail cascaded down her back, completely exposing the side of her face. His eyes trailed from her foot up her leg and he waited and waited to meet some fabric that covered her skin. His throat tightened as no fabric concealed her skin until a good few inches above her knee, as her dress had ridden up when she sat down. Leaving nothing but pale, creamy legs− legs that he'd never seen more than a glimpse of prior to Ino's birthday party.

A pulsing pressure throbbed in his lower regions. He whipped his head down, and flushed at what had decided to make itself known. He had only seen a freakin' leg and that's all it took?! It's not like he peeked at anything else or, and he certainly wasn't a pervert that was trying to peek at anything else. Especially to a sweet girl like Hinata. Thank goodness he decided to wear loose pants tonight…he discreetly nudged his bulging erection to lay flat against his thigh.

"Kakashi's face has three stupid looking whiskers on each cheek. Oh, and hair. Hair everywhere. On the lips, chin, nose…everywhere."

"WHAT?!" Naruto instantly came to, jumping back and gaping at Sasuke.

"Tch, finally," Sasuke groused. "You didn't say anything for the past few minutes. Must be a new record."

"Oh um…s-sorry," he stuttered, eyes briefly flickering back to the photo of Hinata.

Sasuke raised both his eyebrows, but didn't comment on the matter.

It turned out that he didn't have to, as a hand shot out from behind the two boys and slammed the wall between them.

"Hey! Naruto, no ogling!" Ino glowered at Naruto, her fingers spread wide over the photo that Naruto had apparently, been conspicuously staring at.

The boy in question held his hands up, and the…problem in his lower regions shriveled back down. "I w-wasn't!"

"Hm…" Ino hummed, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"Why are there photos of Hinata all over your house anyways?" Naruto asked, hoping to re-direct the attention off of him.

"There are some photos of Sakura and Team 10 too." She gestured towards one photo of Sakura and herself as children, and another of Team 10 as genin, sprawled out asleep in the grass.

"Yeah but they're surrounded by…" Naruto raised his finger to point out the ten photos of Hinata that flocked the two photos she mentioned.

"Oh so what?" Ino brushed him off. "The world needs more photos of Hinata. I've put some up all over the Yamanaka Flower Shop too and business has been booming!"

"Isn't that more so because of the end of summer season sale rather than Hinata's influence?" Sasuke supplied.

"That's just a small factor, really. Business is booming because of Hinata!" Ino insisted.

Naruto only half-listened to the remainder of Ino's rambling, still fixated on the fact that Ino had tacked up photos of Hinata in a public store –a popular, high-traffic, public store. That uncomfortable hollow carved into his stomach again. He gulped down thick saliva, and then flicked his tongue over his dry lips. He barely noticed as Sakura and Sai entered the scene, his mouth offering his teammates an automatic greeting.

It was only when Sakura stopped next to him, grumbling something under her breath, that he pulled himself back to reality.

"What'd you say again?" Naruto asked.

Sakura berated him with a glare for not listening, but didn't verbalize any chastisement. "I said, that after all the suggestions I gave him, which were all great, I can't believe he decided on his own dumb gift."

"What? What are you talking about?" He scrunched his nose in confusion.

"You'll see," came Sakura's cryptic answer, motioning towards Sai. She crossed her arms beneath her chest and tapped her foot impatiently.

"Ino-san, I've prepared a gift for you," Sai announced, holding out a wrapped package to her.

"You did?" Surprise colored her face and her lips parted slightly. "What's the occasion?"

"Absolutely none," Sai replied, almost cheerily. "My research indicated that people enjoy spontaneous gestures of affection."

Giggles escaped out of Ino, and she happily took the gift into her hands. "Oh Sai, you didn't have to. Thank you." She tore into the wrapping paper…and burst out laughing at the contents.

Sakura slapped a palm against her forehead.

"It…it's perfect," Ino examined the bottle in her hand, holding it by the neck. "No man's ever given me booze before."

Sai plastered on a smile, or maybe it was even genuine, while Sakura's jaw plunged open.

"Wait, you actually like it?! Are you kidding me? What about I don't know, some flowers? Or that cute shirt you were eyeing the other day?" Sakura cried.

"I do like those," Ino stated. "But I like it when Sai acts like himself too," she admitted, smiling coquettishly at the dark-haired boy.

Sai blinked, tilting his head to the side.

Sakura heaved a sigh, but nonetheless, her lips quirked into a smile. "All for the best, I suppose."

On the other side of Naruto, Sasuke viewed the scene with an unusual interest. Contrary to his usual aloofness, he analyzed the interactions with a steadfast intensity.

"Huh? You're actually paying attention to this?" Naruto noted quizzically.

Sasuke glared icily at him through the corner of his eye. "Why do you only notice the most insignificant things?" He growled, before taking a deep intake of breath and walking away.

"What the– don't flatter yourself!" Naruto bit back.

From beside him, Sakura watched Sasuke head towards the window to brood, the most curious expression on her face.

x-x-x-x-x-x

"I asked for a dare! Not a truth!" Ino complained, sitting back in her seat and crossing her legs.

"T-Then I dare you to answer the question!" Kiba modified, retorting back just as hotly.

"Oh whatever, fine, it's an easy one anyways." Even though her cheeks already flushed a deep cherry-red, the blonde guzzled down more of her drink.

"Alright, first up, I'd kill…." Blue eyes shifted around the room in a slow circle. Her gaze hovered over the person beside Hinata. "Sorry Shino, it's got to be you. I know you the least out of everyone here…and bugs creep me out."

Shino didn't respond, but his rigid posture slackened and he sunk lower into his jacket's collar.

"Ouch…" Kiba sucked air through his teeth. "Maybe daring Ino to answer who she'd fuck, marry, and kill in here wasn't my best idea," he whispered to Hinata.

"Shino-kun…" Hinata glanced worriedly at her teammate before turning towards Ino. "L-Let's move on! Who would you marry, Ino-san?"

"That, is an absolute no brainer." She made a show of looking around the room before planting her eyes on Hinata. "You."

"Me?" Hinata peeped, straightening up in surprise.

"I can already imagine it…I'll be coming home from a long, hard mission. All disgusting and in desperate need of a shower, but when I come home I'll hear the sweetest 'Welcome back!' Can you demonstrate for me, Hinata-chan?"

"Oh um…w-welcome back," she said quietly, squirming uncomfortably as everyone's attention fell on her.

"Like I thought, so much cuter when you say it," Ino squealed, "anyways, then she'll already have a hot bath drawn for me and steaming ramen ready for my empty, starving stomach." With a dreamy smile, she propped her elbow onto the couch's armrest and rested her cheek on her palm.

"That does sound really nice…" Naruto voiced his thoughts out loud, eyes also locked on Hinata. The weight of his stare must have been heavier than he thought, for she looked up and met his gaze, curious bewilderment replacing her previous embarrassment. Naruto immediately flickered his eyes away. Only Shikamaru, who sat besides him, noticed the odd behavior.

"Okay!" Sakura intervened, hoping to prevent Hinata from fainting out of embarrassment. "Ino-pig, spin the bottle and let it be someone else's turn."

"Hey! She didn't answer the last one yet!" Kiba interjected.

Sakura rolled her eyes, but Ino merely shrugged. "Isn't it already obvious? Sai-kun, of course. The things I would do that boy−mmph!" She struggled to pry Sakura's hand off her mouth.

Sai perked up at the mention of his name.

"Really? It is me?" Honestly perplexed, he pointed a finger to himself and exchanged glances with Sakura. His pink-haired teammate nodded slowly, smiling dryly as Sai soaked in this 'new' information.

"Hey! What gives Billboard brow?" Ino demanded, finally yanking off Sakura's hand.

"Your sober self will thank me later," Sakura droned, "anyways, spin." The pink-haired girl pulled Ino's arm towards the empty bottle on the floor. After a few rotations, the bottle innocently pointed at…Shikamaru.

"Leave me out of this game," the shadow-user stated.

"Shikamaruuuu," Ino whined; she reached over to tug on his sleeve.

"Troublesome woman…I don't want to be involved," he rejected again.

Unlatching her hands, she straightened up and folded her arms beneath her chest. "Fine," she clipped, leaning towards the bottle and spinning it again.

Shikamaru inwardly groaned. He knew that tone of hers very well.

Little did he know that his suspicions would be answered sooner than he thought.

"Yes!" Ino pumped her fist into the air. "Chouji, you're up!"

"Oh me?" He finished munching on his potato chip and swallowed. "Alright, lay a dare on me."

"Lick barbeque sauce off of Shikamaru," Ino instantly replied.

Shikamaru heaved a groan, eyebrows rising towards his hairline. "That is disgusting. Chouji−"

"What part of him."

A thoughtful look replaced Ino's pleased expression. "Hm…just somewhere off his face." She opened her palm as Lee returned from the kitchen with a bottle of barbeque sauce.

"I definitely do not agree to this," Shikamaru flatly said.

"Even if you're not part of the game, Chouji still is," Ino rationalized with a wink.

Before Shikamaru could refute, something very cold and sticky splattered onto his chin, followed by a large shadow looming over him. "Oi, get off of me." Shikamaru attempted to shove his best friend away from him.

"Sorry Shikamaru, a dare's a dare. It'll only take a second," Chouji said apologetically, as he hovered closer Shikamaru could smell the distinct bitterness of alcohol on his breath.

Giggles and chuckles chorused around the room as Chouji's tongue took a generous swipe across Shikamaru's chin.

"Ergh," Shikamaru wiped off the remainder of the barbeque sauce and Chouji's saliva with the back of his hand. "That settles it. I'm going to grow facial hair so that never happens again." He turned his glare onto Ino who looked entirely too entertained. "Are you happy now?" He asked sarcastically.

"Yes. Very," Ino grinned. "Oh come on, it totally could have been worse," she teased.

"Why did I even come here…" He grumbled, making sure to be audible enough for Ino's ears.

Chouji spun the bottle with minimal force, ready to return to his beloved bag of chips. The bottle slowed to a stop at its next victim, Naruto.

Naruto grinned, adrenaline coursing through his veins. "Yosh! It's my turn now. What will it be Chouji? Run laps around the village? Prank call someone? Eat Sakura-chan's awful cooking?"

"HEY!" A magazine expertly aimed at Naruto's head soon followed her outburst.

"Hmm…" Chouji hummed lowly. "Let's just do something simple. How about you kiss someone in this room, someone you like," he casually offered, unaware that he had lit the wire to a dynamite bomb.

"Alright! Kiss someone in this room! Wait…" Naruto paled. The warm anticipation that had been rolling through his body became cold unease. He gulped thickly, fidgeting with his fingers.

Sensing his discomfort, Chouji spoke again, "I can just give you another dare, if you want."

"Y-Yeah, can you−"

"Nope," Ino cut off suddenly, "A dare's a dare right? Besides," she turned to Naruto with a strangely sober, and strangely knowing stare. "You're getting another chance."

"Um…okay, I…" He trailed off. Unsure what to do, he turned to the person next to him, Shikamaru, and looked at him like he was the answer key to an exam.

Shikamaru sighed, pushing himself up to stand. Without a word, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and headed towards the kitchen.

Well, that was no help. Naruto bit his lip. It was just a stupid game, but his rapidly beating heart told him otherwise. The person who had been popping up in his mind for the past few days, weeks, months, surfaced to mind. Long dark hair, gentle pale eyes, a warm aura that perpetually radiated kindness. Naruto squeezed his eyes tightly shut.

Just do it already, a voice inside his head nagged. It's not a big deal. You would have pounced on any chance to get your lips near Sakura back in the day, what's the difference now?

He didn't know. He couldn't answer what the difference was. He…couldn't figure it out here, with everyone watching and expecting a show. No. She deserved far more than that, far more than a haphazard lip-on-lip contact where he didn't know what he was doing. He wanted to tell her his feelings himself. He needed this to be his own decision. No pressure of everyone's expectations, no being told what to do, just his heart−exposed, vulnerable, and honest.

His heart thumped against his ribcage; sweat accumulating in the creases between his fingers.

I can't do it, not right now, he realized miserably, sinking as deeply as possible into the floor. Maybe he could turn this around into a humorous situation, after all, making people laugh at him had always saved him in the past. His eyes automatically darted to Sakura. She would slap him, pummel him to the ground, and then that would be the end of it.

He didn't know what he was expecting, but it wasn't the absolutely horrified expression that drained the color from her skin. She dropped eye contact with him the second he looked at her and anxiously watched someone across the room. Naruto was in the midst of tracing her line of vision when Sasuke appeared next to him.

"Naruto," Sasuke said lowly. "You are taking too long," he announced impatiently, as if explaining something to a child.

"What are you−" He began, but the words died on his lips as he followed Sasuke's furtive glance.

Hinata had taken an intense interest in plucking at a loose string of carpet. She refused to look at him. No, wait…she refused to look at anyone. Actually, now that he observed the room, no one was looking at him…but rather her.

Why did they all look so…worried?

"Wait, is this dare still for me?" Naruto asked in confusion.

Everyone heaved a collective sigh.

"Yes, Naruto, still for you," Tenten broke the silence. "Have you chosen someone to kiss−oh, did you choose Sasuke?" Her eyebrows waggled suggestively.

The reaction was immediate, Naruto scrunched up his nose in disgust while Sasuke flat out blanched, setting his lips in a hard frown.

"No," they simultaneously answered.

"Aw," Sakura pouted, "I'd actually pay good money to see that again. Naruto should be out of the picture though, it should be Sasuke-kun with maybe someone else…" Her gaze slid discreetly towards her other dark-haired, oblivious teammate.

"Oi, Sakura. Stop…that," Sasuke grumbled. Unfortunately for him, he had a good idea of what fantasies Sakura weaved in her head.

Shuffling footsteps came to a stop a meter away from Naruto. "So I take it you haven't chosen anyone while I left, am I right Naruto?" A bored voice drawled.

Naruto turned towards the boy plopping down beside him, an ice cold drink in one hand. "Shikamaru? Where'd you go?"

"Just answer the question," he said.

"No, I didn't," Naruto replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Okay then."

An unopened can of beer appeared beneath his nose. Naruto tilted his head, but automatically accepted the beverage.

"Drink this. We're changing the rules of this game. It's now Dare or Drink," Shikamaru stated, channeling an authority that he seldom used outside of leading missions.

"Shikamaru! You can't just change the game like that!" Ino protested. Leaning towards her teammate, she swayed slightly as her body refused to stay straight.

"Yes I can, I just did. It's still in line with your normal 'fun party antics' so there shouldn't be a problem."

Ino huffed, blowing her long bangs out of her eyes. "Fine, whatever."

As Naruto popped open the cap, he shot Shikamaru a grateful, if not a little embarrassed, smile. Shikamaru nodded in return, but he had a feeling the hole he dug for himself could only get deeper.

A few rounds went by without much of a hitch: Lee ran three laps around Konoha clad solely in his underwear, Kiba found himself encased in a buzzing bug cocoon when his dare to steal Shino's glasses went awry, and Sakura practically inhaled her drink when dared to prank call Gaara.

It seemed that Naruto's awkward disaster of a dare would soon be swept neatly under the rug. That was, until the bottle swiveled to a stop at Hinata.

Ino clapped her hands once and lolled her head back, thrusting her arms in the air. "Yes finally! I'm going to dare you Hinata-chan!"

Hinata tried to match her enthusiasm with a smile, but her eyes shimmered with apprehension.

"Ino-san, it's not your turn to pick a youthful−"

"Can it Lee!" Ino chirped gleefully. "Okay Hinata-chan! I'm going to give you the same dare that Naruto screwed up on, kiss someone you like in this room!"

"Oi, Ino," Sakura hissed, dragging Ino's ear towards her. "Are you crazy? What are you doing giving her a dare like that? You're drunk."

"Billboard brow, have some faith in me. I've got a plan! I know she's going to say no, so at least she'll drink a little and loosen up," Ino whispered, but her voice carried loudly enough to be heard throughout the entire room.

Sakura rolled her eyes, "At least make it a cheek kiss."

Shikamaru sighed a long, deep breath, emptying his lungs as much as possible. Naruto peered at him curiously.

"What's wrong Shikamaru?" Naruto asked distantly, distracting himself from the butterflies that had suddenly taken roost in his stomach.

Shikamaru stood up, massaging one tense shoulder with the opposing arm. "Nothing…I'll be right back." He briefly disappeared into the kitchen, and then moved to the other side of the circle, stooping behind Hinata.

"Hey, Hinata." Shikamaru prodded her arm. "Ino's…drunk," he blatantly informed, "she will apologize to you tomorrow, but for now just drink this."

She craned her neck towards him, surprise painting her face at seeing him, but nevertheless kept her hands fisted in the fabric of her dress.

Shikamaru studied her, especially at how she eyed the full glass of gin in his hands nervously.

"Ah, it's too much," he observed. He tipped the glass to his own lips and downed half of it, wincing as the liquid burned his throat and left an acrid aftertaste on his tongue. The ice tea chaser he brought with him begged to cleanse his palette, but he shoved down those temptations and poured it into the leftover half-glass of gin. Shikamaru offered the new concoction to Hinata.

Her eyes stared at the caramel-brown drink before meeting Shikamaru's dark eyes.

"Shikamaru-kun, why are you trying to help me?" She inquired softly, still not accepting the drink.

Shikamaru shrugged, feeling himself redden either from the alcohol, her open question, or a combination of both. "I don't know, I guess it's because I understand how you don't like attracting attention. How you don't like to be noticed."

It didn't seem to be the right thing to say. Her eyelids lowered and shoulders slumped. "But Shikamaru-kun, you are noticed a lot. Everyone acknowledges you." Hinata took a deep breath and straightened her posture, determination entering her eyes. "Thank you for your concern Shikamaru-kun, but I choose to accept the dare."

"What are you−?"

"I accept the dare," she declared, lifting her head high.

As if on command, everyone gawked at her, jaws plunging open. Naruto's heart accelerated into overdrive, and imagined her soft lips pressing into his. He flicked his tongue over his chapped lips. If Hinata chose to kiss him, he definitely wouldn't mind. In fact, he found himself excited, almost giddy for it. It didn't really make sense− why he didn't feel ready to kiss her yet had no problem if she wanted to kiss him. The only thing was that, Hinata never looked at him. He might as well have been part of the background as a rock, an invisible rock.

"On one condition," she continued, voice clear and unyielding, "I have my own dare for all of you."

No one uttered a sound, so she took it as a cue to continue. "I dare all of you…to leave Naruto-kun's feelings alone. Don't pressure him into feeling things…that are clearly not there, please."

She looked up at him then, and that sad, painful smile had returned. Pale eyes crinkled gently at him, and gazed at him with the kind of tenderness that was attached to a parting farewell. It was better to be an invisible rock.

No, he wanted to counter. That's not right. I do feel something for you−something warm and fuzzy and burning and I want to burst with how much I want to protect you with my life. But his mouth said nothing, and he wished that she hit him, slapped him, something, anything. Because her closure and resolution hurt him more than any pain ever inflicted on him.

"Is that okay? Everyone?" Hinata probed when no one answered her.

"Yes," Ino confirmed; suddenly sober as a dry desert. She cast her full attention on Hinata. "If that's what you really want, Hinata-chan. We accept your dare." Her sky blue eyes held a glassy sheen to them.

"Alright then," she agreed. Turning to her side, she placed both hands on Shino's face and gently yanked him down, kissing him on the side of his mouth.

It hurt him a lot more than he thought possible, as if someone had taken a serrated knife and severed his heart strings. Hinata had never hurt him before, she had only encouraged and supported him. He had taken her unwavering loyalty for him as part of her, and evidently, for granted.

"There you go," she said happily. "The dare was to kiss someone I liked, and I like my teammates a lot." She smiled at Shino's beet-red face. "Shino-kun, I wouldn't want you to die, honest. So please don't be sad over people not noticing you."

The room froze, everyone slack jawed in stunned silence. That was, until Kiba sputtered out words that resembled noises more than sentences.

"H-Hey Hinata! I'm part of Team 8 too, how come you chose Shino," Kiba whined.

Hinata curled her lip, but relented. "Oh fine," She leaned over and pecked Kiba on the cheek.

What was this? Was she going to kiss everyone in the room? He sulked silently, turning to his best friend in hope for some solace.

Sasuke didn't meet his gaze, and he appeared unsurprised by the turn of the events. "Like I said, it's completely your fault," he reminded helpfully.

Naruto looked down at his hands in his lap, a smoking hole pierced where his heart used to be. He toyed with the loose bandage on his prosthetic arm. For once…he had to agree. The last sands in his hourglass slipped to the bottom.

He was too pre-occupied by the dull ache throbbing through his chest to notice that Hinata had plucked the drink still in Shikamaru's hand and downed it in one shot.

x-x-x-x-x-x

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Author's Note: Very tricky chapter to write, lots of sections needed to be re-written several times. This chapter also wanted to get longer and longer! (Is long good? Yes/No?) Please let me know what you think about everything, the next few chapters will be getting more NaruHina focus.