_._

The Story of Us

'For those who never gave up'

Naruto x OC

Friendship, Adventure, Romance

Chapter 17: Feelings

It's a strange thing, knowing you must protect someone from themselves.

"Simple Man"- Lynyrd Skynyrd

I had a hard time coming home.

I hadn't spoken much as our two groups travelled together, nor did I think that would change anytime soon. My head was muddled with the battle on the bridge, all the way up to the end of it. The end, where Haku threw his life away to protect Zabuza, and after some coaxing, the Demon of the Mist threw his away too.

Like Haku had said, Sasuke wasn't actually dead. But the fact that the boy, who hardly knew me, still risked his life to protect me opened a whole new can of worms. I didn't know how to react, what to say, and he wasn't making a big deal about it either. I think it scared him as much as it scared myself, so we didn't talk about it.

Then there was Naruto….

I didn't have a clue where to start about him. What was that? That chakra was so…. sinister. Where had it come from? Why did it suddenly vanish?

When the two jonin asked for a mission report, I offered to do it. Sasuke was being tended to by the three boys slowly pulling senbon from his body. Naruto's wounds seemed to have healed, so he was having a hay day pulling the throwing needles from the Uchiha. Every now and again there was a yell from one of the four.

I told the jonin exactly what happened, how we attempted to take on Haku, and ended up nearly losing Sasuke….. and with great hesitance I told them about the chakra. I explained how Naruto snapped out of it easily enough though. Neither jonin looked very surprised by the explanation, in fact both seemed more interested in the fact that I stopped him without restraint. I attempted to ask them exactly what was happening to Naruto, but neither were open to giving answers.

"It is forbidden that we ever speak of it, Hikari."

Thus presented the issue of acting like nothing ever happened. Because I didn't have answers. I didn't have clues. I didn't have anything or any way of proving what happened or how to fix it. There was nothing more frustrating than realizing there was something happening to my best friend and I was absolutely powerless to do anything about it. So I was, essentially, silently sulking on my own for the entire walk home. There was also the puzzle of how to explain to Naruto how he was and also wasn't why I was so upset. The boy had done nothing wrong, in fact he had probably saved us, but I was also unnerved by that chakra he exerted.

Terrified.

I was terrified.

Of the chakra, not Naruto, or at least that was what I kept telling myself. Naruto was my best friend, he had always been there when I needed him. He always stood up for me, protected me, and never once had he laid a hand on me outside of training. He didn't have a mean bone in his body, and getting angry at him wasn't going to make anything better. I tried to just tell him the mission took a lot out of me, but being my best friend he knew exactly when I was lying. Still, he gave me the space I needed while we returned to the village.

I wasn't the only one acting strange though. Sakura had constantly been looking at me, then away whenever our eyes locked. I didn't know what it was, but she seemed like she wanted to say something. What it was would be lost to me, as she never came forward on our way home.

My own team sensed I wasn't myself as well, but other than a few jabs from Akira nothing was mentioned about my mood. When we did arrive home, I was near ecstatic to just escape the lingering silent questions. Daisuke dismissed our team and I took off so fast I probably left skid marks. There was a good reason too, or so I told myself, as I had a painful realization my garden had not received water in well over two weeks! Everything was likely dead, so I had to do my best to revive what I could and dispose of what I couldn't. It was the end of spring, the rain wasn't as constant anymore and wouldn't be for several months. One down fall to longer missions, I supposed.

Imagine my surprise when I got to the roof to find a perfectly healthy, overwhelmingly full garden. When I said overwhelming I meant the fact that everything in those small planters was growing nicely, looking healthier than when I left them.

It could've been because of the figure sleeping on my self-made bench, though thinking Shikamaru Nara would water my plants the entire time I was gone would be a stretch. I walked over, stopping above his head to block some sun. He grunted, opened a single eye, before closing it again.

"So, you finally returned," he yawned once. I grinned.

"Yeah, I was fully expecting to have to pull all the dead plants from here. Did you water them?" I stepped back while he sat up, stretched slowly, and slumped over a bit. My eyes followed his as he looked to the planters sitting across from us.

"Not me. Choji was until Ino gave him hell for over-watering them. She took over and comes by everyday. It's become our unofficial meeting spot before going to find Asuma." Shikamaru said, crossing his legs so that he could rest his head on his palm and the elbow on his propped thigh. A small smile slipped onto my lips as I noticed how well groomed the planters were. I would have to thank Ino when she came by later.

"What's the matter?"

He caught me off guard with the question. I looked down at him to see his lazy eyes had wandered over to me. At first I said nothing, but he waited patiently for a reply. With a deep breath, I prepared myself to say it was nothing.

"Ah, is that you Hikari?"

I looked over my shoulder to see Choji and Ino both arriving from the stairs. Such normal people, using the stairs. I greeted them with a wave.

"Hey guys! Yeah I just got back! Oh, Ino, thank you so much for taking care of my plants. And thank you for trying Choji! One less thing to worry about." I said as they both walked up to us. Ino looked embarrassed for a moment before shooing the emotion away literally.

"It was nothing! Besides, I had nothing else to do while I sat here waiting for these two to show up. Speaking of, you're early Shikamaru! Did you fall asleep here last night?" Ino flawlessly redirected the conversation, but I allowed it. While Ino seemed to enjoy being in the spotlight, I got the feeling Shikamaru wasn't supposed to mention he act of kindness to me. Shikamaru in turn rolled his eyes.

"My mom got me up early. She wanted to do some spring cleaning, even after I told her it was kind of late to do that. So she booted me out of the house. Such a drag." He drawled while Choji opened a bag of potato chips. He offered me some, which I took gratefully.

"So you guys meeting up to do missions today?" I asked, noting they all had their ninja gear. Ino sighed.

"If you can call walking dogs and babysitting ninja missions." She cried, but I just gave a soft smile.

"Well, sometimes a mundane mission is better than an overwhelming one, right?" She sighed again.

"I guess so, but still, I would love to do something other than pull weeds once and a while." Ino countered. I could agree with her on that one. Being a genin felt hopeless sometimes.

"You know what? Let's go get barbecue today!" Choji cut in. I turned to look at him, surprised. Ino and Shikamaru looked surprised as well. Choji turned to grin at me. "What? Let's celebrate you going on your first C-ranked mission Hikari!"

"We can't. Asuma's probably waiting for us. So troublesome." Shikamaru muttered before collapsing back against the bench. "I'd rather watch the clouds."

"How about later? We could go as a big group?" I offered, to which Choji seemed thrilled about.

"A bigger table means more meat! You got it! Tonight at seven?" I nodded, and watched with mild amusement as fire danced in his eyes. Whenever food was involved, Choji was always game. He waved goodbye as he and Ino started to walked for the stairs again. Shikamaru muttered something again as he sat up, then got up. He walked by me, but stopped a little ways away.

"You should talk to Naruto," he blurted out. My eyes widened as I stared at the back of his neck. The Nara looked over his shoulder at me, his usual lazy gaze traveling to meet mine. "I don't know what that kid does, but you always look a lot happier when he's around."

I was so taken aback that I couldn't find any words to say. He didn't wait for a reply anyway, turning back around and slowly yawning as he made it to the stairs. A low mutter of "what a drag" left his mouth as he waddled down the steps. I stared at the spot for a while longer, replaying the words in my head a few times.

Unfortunately, talking to Naruto about this wouldn't be enough. So…. I had to go to…. Higher ground to solve this puzzle.

So to speak.

The last time I had been alone in the Hokage's office, he had been telling me the deal I was offered to join the academy. That was almost six years ago now, but it felt like a lifetime ago.

When I arrived, the Hokage was speaking to an assistant. He saw me then, and whispered something to the ninja. The unknown man left, closing the office door behind him.

"Hikari, it's been some time," the Third said before taking a drag of his pipe. I bowed politely, not immune to the dense silence in the room. "Come closer. I have a feeling I know why you have come."

Of course he did. He was the Third. Kakashi-sensei and Daisuke both likely gave a debriefing of what happened before filing paperwork. And if they weren't afraid to tell the Hokage, it meant the Hokage knew about what was happening with Naruto. Which meant that they could tell the Third. If they could tell the Third and not me, that meant the Hokage might've been the person to hide all of this in the first place and forbid the jonin from talking.

"You probably do, sir." I stepped forward, stopping a polite distance from his desk. He watched me, taking a drag from his pipe again before closing his eyes.

"You wish to know what happened on the bridge, I presume." He supplied before opening his eyes to watch me carefully. I nodded, no hint of hesitation present, because all I really wanted was answers.

"You should know, Hikari, that some truths are more of a burden than a release." He answered cryptically. I didn't move a muscle until an answer came to me.

"He's my best friend sir. I want to know, I want to…." He waited for me to finish, and even when the silence dragged on he didn't speak. I wasn't sure what to say though, and my eyes drifted to the floor.

"Perhaps the future will be bright, if people like you are in it."

What did Haku mean? The only thing bright about me was my features and name. There was nothing extraordinary about me to speak of. What could someone like me do for Naruto? Nothing, I could do nothing. Yet my mind drifted back to that moment I jumped in front of a sure to be lethal attack.

He had stopped because I was there.

I had stopped Naruto in a way. Which meant that I could potentially do it again. I looked up to the Hokage with more resolve.

"I want to protect him. I want to stop that-that chakra from leaking out of him again." I confessed, and once again the hokage searched me for something. Whatever he found, it satisfied him enough that he told me.

"I want you to understand, Hikari. I am not telling you this because I pity you, or consider you special. I have made it a strict rule that those who speak of the truth would be severely dealt with. Under normal circumstances I would tell you to be on your way, but these are not normal circumstances."

He was silent, seemingly weighing something in his mind, before he spoke again.

"The chakra you felt, and likely saw, belonged to the Nine-tailed fox. The same one that attacked the village twelve years ago."

….

What?

I felt cold.

Memories of the wrath, the anger, the fire….. it all made sense.

Those feelings weren't necessarily Naruto's, they were the fox. The Kyuubi, as some called it.

But that chakra…..

"It was sealed inside Naruto when he was just born. The Fourth Hokage sacrificed his life to do this." Third continued, as though unaware of the dizziness I felt.

That…. That thing was inside Naruto?

Suddenly it all made sense. Why the adults treated him so badly, they were afraid. The children fed off of it, and the adults did nothing to stop them. An endless cycle, and Naruto was trapped in it.

Naruto…..

He didn't even know, did he? Oh God, he didn't know that monster was inside of him!

"Why?" I whispered, but continued in a stronger voice. "Why would you let something like this happen?"

Why did it have to be Naruto?

"Why does he have to suffer?!" I couldn't help myself, I started to cry. But I was so sick of crying that I ignored the fresh tears. "It's-It's not fair! He's an orphan! And now he has to deal with this? Does he know? Did you tell him?"

The Hokage gently ducked his head, more than enough of a cue. I balled my hands into fists, ground my teeth, but kept the nastiest comments to circle inside my head rather than blurted out to one of the strongest men in these lands.

Third waited until I was settled slightly before continuing.

"I take it, by your reaction, that your feelings for Naruto haven't changed."

I scoffed, before realizing that that was exactly what he had expected to happen. My eyes narrowed.

"You think, after all I've been through, all we've been through, that I'm going to run away and hide?" I was furious, and it took all of my training not to slash at the man in front of me.

"I will always, always, stand by Naruto," then quieter, I added, "someone has to."

The Hokage smiled then, catching me off guard. He gave a short chuckle to boot, which had me even more confused.

"Naruto is not the only person to have grown. I am happy to see your feelings have not changed." He paused, lacing his fingers together on top of his desk. "I must implore you not to tell anyone of what you've learned, including Naruto."

I went to argue, but he cut me off.

"While your feelings may not have changed, the fact that he never told you speaks volumes of his own fears. I must request you let him tell you in his own time." I nodded, expecting to be dismissed so I could go take a frigidly cold shower. He didn't dismiss me yet though, and instead continued on with possibly the most confusing line I'd heard all day.

"I wish I could protect you both from the truth, but it seems the world is much more cruel than I had hoped. You were destined to find out eventually, and I am thankful it was under these circumstances. I hope for the best in your future, as your paths have been intertwined since the day you were born. Hikari, don't lose track of what matters most to you."

A cold shower might've been exactly what I needed. I still felt dizzy with all the information, but I dressed myself like a normal person and towel dried my hair in a functional manner. I also put on a nice bold green summer dress and black sandals. My hair hung loosely just past my shoulder blades, and felt relatively soft considering I hardly ever touched it.

All of this was done in my own apartment, and I knew I should go over to see Naruto soon enough. It was hard though, because I didn't know what to say to him. I didn't know how to act like a huge pile of information hadn't been dropped on my head.

Instead of going over I took a walk, and found myself wandering the streets for the afternoon. Shop keepers still scowled at me, but for some reason knowing the truth made me glare right back at them. It caught a few off guard, and they ducked back in to their shops as I passed.

My feet eventually took me to the cemetery, where I looked to Mom and Dad's shared grave silently. I stood there for a while, not sure what I was looking for but somehow knowing I wouldn't find it there. Their stone was cleaned regularly by a good friend who never tried to get in touch with me, but I had stumbled upon them cleaning it a few times. Each time I waited quietly for them to leave, knowing that if they never reached out to me they also didn't want me to reach out to them.

"So, this is where you ran off to."

I turned to see Sasuke standing not too far off. He didn't have his usual snark, instead looking relatively quiet and normal for once. When I didn't reply he carried on to another stone. I silently followed him with my gaze, and observed as he cleaned what seemed to be a shared tombstone. Was it his parents? Would it be too much to ask if he wanted help? I found myself stepping forward, and instead of asking, I just gently brushed off the dirt and righted the fallen vase. He flinched next to me, but I didn't look at him.

"My parent's stone is always cleaned by a friend of theirs, so I often forget you have to do this." I confessed, looking to the giant monument for the will of fire at the front of the cemetery. My fingers hesitated. "Y'know, in the six years they've been gone, none of their friends ever came forward to claim me. I guess they didn't consider me to actually be their kid."

It didn't hurt as much to say it anymore. I used to hate it so badly, but now it felt like old news. Like a long since healed wound after you've ripped the bandaid off. It was there, but the pain was minimal if at all present. People didn't want me, I had come to terms with that. I wasn't a perfect child by any means, and I knew it. I didn't try to be and I didn't want to me. I was just… me. I was just Hikari. Yet when their friends didn't even try and find me I felt….. lesser. I felt so small and useless and unimportant…..

Sasuke resumed what he was doing, never commenting about anything I had just said, but also not stopping me when I helped him. We finished with that stone, and had to move on to a few others. I silently followed and never commented once about the names all being Uchiha. He was cleaning his entire clan's plot. This entire corner was just them. How often did he usually come to clean them? It must've taken a long time! Yet not once did he voice any complaints about the duration of the stay. Not that he said much of anything really.

"Naruto thinks you're mad at him." Sasuke blurted out. I stopped washing the stone from some sort of weird grime and looked up at the Uchiha. He ignored my gaze and continued working.

"The loser kept complaining after you left. And whatever affects Naruto affects our team. So fix it." He said in a neutral tone. I sighed, first Shikamaru and now Sasuke…. Unfortunately I couldn't ask anyone what I was supposed to say to him. So I treated it like everything else I didn't like and ignored it.

I looked back down at the stone briefly.

"I never did thank you, on the bridge… Ah, but I don't know how to say it properly. You-You saved me Sasuke. And I-…. There's nothing I can do to repay you."

Well that was a shitty way to thank someone. Not like I had anything better though. Sasuke huffed, turning his head away despite not looking at me in the first place.

"I told you, my body just moved. Wasn't like I planned it." He rejected my thanks, but I wasn't deterred. If there was anything I had learned, it was that Sasuke always rejected any form of emotion initially. It was likely his method of coping with his childhood trauma.

We all coped in our own ways.

"Still," I pressed, "I'm very grateful."

He hesitated minutely in his cleaning, but then ignored me and returned full force.

We finished about half an hour later, I looked at all the clean stones and smiled a bit. Sasuke was staring with a faraway look in his eyes. I intentionally cut it short.

"There's a small group of us going for Barbecue later at seven. You should come." I expected an immediate rejection, but to my surprise he simply huffed. Well, it was progress. Didn't mean he was coming, and I honestly didn't expect him to, but considering the fact that just a few months ago Sasuke probably would've tossed me across the cemetery for getting this close I considered this a win.

Sasuke turned away from me, walking off on his own. I waved, though received no wave back. This left me in the same situation as before, with no answers but less time. I stared at my feet, confused as to how I should move forward.

"Just talk to him already," my eyes snapped up to see Sasuke had partially turned to look at me. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Staring at your feet isn't helping."

"I-I don't-" I didn't know what to say at all. Sasuke scoffed.

"Speak your mind. Don't you do that anyway?" He taunted. I gasped, feeling heat rush to my cheeks.

"Not all the time! I don't say half the things I think y'know!" I cut in, but saw a little light dancing in his dark eyes. A tiny smirk was on his lips. He got the exact reaction he was looking for, which only helped to redden my cheeks even further.

This time Sasuke did actually leave me standing there, and all I could mutter under my breath was "jerk!".

I finally made it back to the apartments shortly before six. With one steady breath, I pushed open the door to Naruto's apartment.

The boy was laying on his bed, looking glum. Sasuke was right, he looked sad, had I really caused that? Had he felt neglected all the way home? Maybe that was why everyone was staring at me like I was going to explode. My heart sunk when he looked at me and a glimmer entered his eyes.

"H-Hi Hikari." He said it like he was nervous, why would he be nervous around me?

"I-I'm sorry I took so long, I needed-uh, I needed to clear my head." I confessed, leaning back against the wall. Naruto sat up in bed and looked at me like he had a million questions. I didn't know how to forward the conversation so I opened and closed my mouth several times before Naruto blurted out.

"I'm sorry!"

Well this was a bit surprising.

"What?" I asked, stunned to see embarrassment and sadness in his blue eyes. He shrunk, lowering his head to stare at the flooring between us. I couldn't see his face from this angle, just his wild blonde hair flowing freely without a headband.

"On the bridge…. I blacked out for a while, I know I did. I remember thinking Sasuke was dead, and then- then you're in front of me crying." He looked up at me, shame in his eyes. "I hurt you, right? I did something to hurt you?"

It still caught me off guard sometimes, when Naruto would accuse himself of something he didn't do. It was sort of frustrating, because he didn't do those things, but I couldn't lie and say it was nothing. I couldn't tell him it was just all bad timing, or the mission overwhelmed me. I couldn't lie to my best friend when he looked at me like that. Like he was a monster and I was a victim.

"The chakra you felt, and likely saw, belonged to the Nine-tailed fox. The same one that attacked the village twelve years ago."

Naruto was the victim in this story. A boy who never asked for any of this had to endure what was likely one of the darkest secrets the Leaf Village had to offer. Naruto, who was orphaned by the very creature that was sealed inside of him. Naruto, who had to endure all that pain because of something beyond his control. All the hatred of the villagers, the fear, he had to endure it and he had no say in it.

"Perhaps the future will be bright, if people like you are in it."

No, not people like me. I am not what my name suggested. I wasn't a light, I wasn't it's source. It was people like Naruto who brought that light out. People like Naruto, who had been kicked and beaten and spat on, and didn't give up. People like Naruto, who loved without restraint, and would do anything to protect those precious to him.

I wish I was someone with even half the determination that Naruto had.

"You didn't hurt me," I said in a shaky voice, he looked up at me then with a surprised expression. "You didn't- it wasn't you Naruto."

It really wasn't.

"I'm sorry you thought that, that's on me, but I promise it was just something I had to deal with on my own." I watched the hope fill his eyes, and immediately I knew what I had been wanting to say this whole time.

The same thing I told him every single day.

Closing the gap, I hugged my best friend to me tightly, nestling my chin to rest on his shoulder as he automatically held me back just as tightly.

"I love you, I love you so much Naruto. I promise that has never changed." I said softly, smelling the soap on his skin. He must've just finished showering before I got here. His hair was still damp.

"Kari…" He pulled me closer, his head resting on mine.

"So promise me, if you ever feel like you did something wrong, just tell me. I don't-" I gripped his shirt tightly, remembering the demonic look in his eyes again. But then the image melted, and I could see Naruto again. Naruto with his wild blonde hair and the bluest eyes I had ever seen. Naruto who would nudge me with his whiskers whenever he wanted to tease me. Naruto who huge a beautiful, cheeky smile that always made me want to smile along with him.

My Naruto.

"I don't ever want you to feel alone, alright?" I said quietly against his shoulder. We didn't move for a long moment, before slowly breaking apart. Naruto looked uncomfortable, which was not what I was expecting. He cleared the air though, instead explaining himself to me.

"Kari I-I wanna tell you something. But… I don't know how you'll react. I mean- I know you- We-" He ducked his head and rested it on my shoulder. I giggled.

"It's okay, you don't have to say anything. When you're ready, I'll listen, okay?" I grinned when his face flushed pink. It was pretty rare to make Naruto this nervous about something, so I was going to relish it for a bit. I leaned forward and kissed his forehead. His eyes widened as I pulled away, before he started to furiously wipe at the spot I kissed him.

"Kari! Don't do that! Mom's kiss their kids like that!" He was turning pink still, I laughed.

"Come on then munchkin." I said, reaching to grab his hand. He glowered at me, making a laugh escape my lips again.

"Kari, if anybody's a munchkin it's you." He said while standing up. Naruto was right, I was an absolute midget compared to him. And Naruto was considered short too! I pouted.

"Just you wait! I'm going to be super tall and pretty someday! I'll be taller than you and Sasuke!" I declared, but it only made Naruto chuckle as he leaned an elbow on my head. I flailed, trying to get out from underneath his arm, but instead he wrapped it around my neck.

"Right, like that'll ever happen." I glared, but Naruto saw right through it so I dropped the look.

After some much needed giggles, I explained to Naruto we would be going out with Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino for dinner. When we arrived they had just sat down. We said our greetings as I sat between Shikamaru and Naruto. The Nara glanced at me, but when I turned to ask him what was the matter he muttered 'too troublesome' under his breath before looking away. I didn't push for an explanation, and soon Choji was cheering loudly for the meat to be served.

Between Naruto and Choji cheering for food and Ino yelling to calm down I almost missed the figure walking by the window. My eyes widened as I immediately stood up.

"Guys, I'll be right back!" I said while rushing out of the restaurant and into the street. I looked both ways, almost missing him as he blended back into the crowd.

"Sasuke!" I called, making the boy flinch as I stopped beside him. He looked down at me, then away again. "You came!"

"You didn't mention Ino would be there." He muttered.

"That's your big excuse? Sit between Choji and Shikamaru then." I countered. He frowned.

"Table's pretty full."

"We'll make room."

"You look like you're-"

"Sasuke," I cut in, making the boy look down at me. I offered a gentle smile. "Dinner's on me tonight."

That seemed to be the magical word, as moments later I was walking in with the Uchiha to meet a mixed chorus of voices. Choji looked pleased, knowing we would order more meat now. Shikamaru looked indifferent while Naruto glared at us both with a hint of betrayal in his eyes. Ino, on the other hand, looked so happy she might die.

"Sasuke!" She cried. Sasuke quickly filled the gap between Shikamaru and Choji at the round table, making her just a person over from him. I returned to my regular seat, and while at first the table was quiet it quickly refilled with chatter.

"Choji, order extra meat for everybody!" I declared.

"Oh boy! I want two extra servings!" Choji cheered.
"You're going to get indigestion!" Ino said, but I just wiggled my eyebrows at her.

"Is that a challenge?" I teased. Naruto was currently glaring across the table to Sasuke, who happened to have just taken notice to it then. Naruto slapped a hand down.

"I bet I can eat more than Sasuke!" He shouted, but Sasuke scoffed.

"It's not a competition, Loser." The Uchiha muttered. I looked between the two and saw the perfect opportunity to start what I thought would become a friendly competition.

"My money's on Naruto winning." I proclaimed. Sasuke scoffed.

"Of course you'd bet on Naruto." Choji stated, but then looked between the two. I frowned.

"Well excuse me! I've never seen Sasuke eat, for all I know he could eat like a pigeon!" Sasuke glared at that, Ino squealed.

"Don't talk about Sasuke like that!" She glared at me, but I smirked.

"Well," I looked between the two boys. "Care to prove me wrong?"

To my surprise, there was a hint of competitiveness in the Uchiha's eyes. I looked to see burning determination in Naruto's.

The meat arrived.

I realized five seconds in I had made a grave mistake.

Well, it was entertaining to watch as Sasuke took a civilized approach to eating despite practically inhaling every morsel he had. Meanwhile Naruto took no prisoners and gulped down whole chunks of meat. Choji and I helped ourselves happily, observing the aggressiveness between the two boys while also enjoying the meat we cooked for ourselves. Ino looked shocked to see Sasuke eating so much while Shikamaru just sighed.

"You're such a troublesome woman." He said, glancing between the two boys as he ate at a much more subdued pace. Choji got bored of just watching and declared himself part of the contest. He was easily gaining on the two. I smiled at Shikamaru.

"Maybe, but at least it's not boring." He stared at me for a moment before rolling his eyes and looking away.

The evening was great, the company was excellent, and the food delicious. The only thing I could think of that would tarnish the evening was the fact that I was probably going to need to roll Naruto and Sasuke home.

Eh, it could wait until later.

What's up my dudes? Hope all is well in your neck of the woods!

So, I am hoping to get one more chapter in by next Thursday, after that I might be taking a quick hiatus to do IRL work (a lot is going on the next few weeks!) Cheesy chapter yes, but I had fun writing it. Hikari is wicked protective of Naruto, and I figured this chapter would really drive home an explanation for some choices she might make in the future. I'm also so excited to start making Hikari and Sasuke more amicable, and I can't wait to make them friends!

This is likely the last chapter focusing on Naruto and Hikari's relationship for some time, as the next few will focus heavily on Hikari and her team. Believe it or not, I haven't forgotten them.

Also, I have an idea for the story but am not sure if y'all would like it. You see, a lot happens in the time skip portion, and originally it was going to be an optional read, but I thought about it and realized: What if we did this story, then the Shipuuden one, then went back to see what happened in the time skip, then the war arc? I know it sounds messy, but in my head it seems like a really cool way to tell it, especially since Shipuuden will be pretty different, and it gives the element of 'what happened?' when you see how different everything is. Thoughts?

I'm also gunna publish a Shikamaru story in a few days. No real heavy plot, very slice of life and just fun. For those who want a not so emotional Naruto story, that'll be the one.

Someone commented some time back that this story needed more detail, and maybe they were right, but I find overly detailed stories so flipping boring. And Hikari doesn't think in minute detail, so nothing will be perfectly defined either as it's a story mostly through her eyes. originally this story was supposed to be only told through her POV, but I realized some hidden gems could be found when I circled other characters instead. Also, this story is officially longer than half the Harry Potter books. The first HP book was only about 77,000 words. This series, as a whole, is projected to be about 700,000 words. That's a lot! And anymore than that is way too much info IMO. Stories that have a recurring theme, or foreshadowing that requires you to go back and re-read the story to remember the importance of the revelation (Because it was so far back, not because the story took so long thanks to an author not updating it... hehe...) no longer holds the same level of awe and magic as it did before. Frankly, I usually drop these book because there is too much of nothing going on.

GamerX568: What a snarky person you are.

Guest: Yeah, neither do I know. I have been aiming for Thursdays, but it's become whenever I have time now. Yes admittedly that was the whole reason I wanted her to be on that mission int he first place. Because she and Naruto needed that moment on the bridge. It's really shifted Hikari in what her ambitions are, even if it doesn't look like it yet. Haku's words and death also had a huge weight on her, but more on that later one in the book. I think Naruto and Hikari both need each other a lot right now to keep going forward (As evidence by Naruto apparently being depressed after thinking he hurt Hikari.) and I agree that her role in Naruto's life is far more impactful than iruka or the third. It's set a standard to how he should be treated, and I'm not sure if it's been noted but the attitude of the other kids is a bit more positive to Naruto due to Hikari's presents. they react less negative to him immediately, and more on how he's acting in that moment. Part of that might be Hikari's intervention in that they've learned to talk to him more kindly, but I also think it's because Naruto isn't seeking attention as much since he has her. I'm an absolute monster to my OC's, but I promise Hikari and naruto are going to have a really wild ride before all is said and done. For the most part the story will follow the timeline... but Shipuuden is really... messy. I mean I changed about 70% of it and reorganized a lot of things too, so yeah, big plans.

YaoiLovinKitsune: Please send them if you ever do find any decent ones! I personally don't like Hinata and Naruto together. Frankly it would've been a really great story if he and Sakura got together (At least if Sakura wasn't so awful).

Spazster: Yeah it's funny but I have to remind myself Naruto in the anime/manga and Naruto in my story WOULD be very different because of the impact Hikari has had. So when I watch the anime I have to remind myself that, when I notice differences, it's not necessarily a bad thing. (I also totally picture Hikari and Naruto as a retired old couple peaking around the grocery store corners to play peakaboo. That's the kind of relationship I picture them in)

lovinurbuks: Yes! I agree, not every single moment needs to be written, because 1. You can always have a flashback if it was important and 2. I honestly wouldn't care about a goodbye to characters we won't see again, or at least not for a long long time.

Guest (2): You get to meet the summons in a chapter or two! I'm super excited for it! As for training... well... let's just say she definitely does train... it might not be what you expected though. The ninja war is already going to be really different too, IDK if we'll get that scene tbh.

Unamed: No problem! I understood, but figured I should give a fully detailed answer.

Anyway, hope you're all doing well! Wash your hands, and STAY SAFE!

Iland Girl