Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Cliche Guide to a Classic Romance ❯ Communication ( Chapter 23 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

‘Dammit, Shino, why did you let her in!’ Kiba screamed in his head as he stayed in his hiding place. Cramped and curled into himself in the corner of Shino’s closet behind a box of something he was sure hi didn’t want to know about and hidden by the oversized coats and mission gear.

He could hear Sakura and Shino walking up the steps, Shino’s steps were calm and balanced. Sakura’s wear confident, quick and hard, unlike her usual light and steady way over walking.

And all this was to find out where naruto had gone off to with Hinata? What was she going to do follow them? Then what find her next victim to drag along. Seriously, did she have to stick her nose in Naruto personal life all the time? If she was dog she would have gotten swatted with a newspaper.

“So, Where is he?”

Sakura’s voice covered be a false contentment. Shino, picked up on it quickly but, ignored the underlying anger. The situation wasn’t that serious. If she found Kiba he would just mock her then run off somewhere else. Then he could have his peace and quiet again. “Hiding.”

Sakura raised a curious eyebrow and pointed to the bed. “May I?” She asked with unwarranted politeness as she walked over and pulled on the skirt of the bed..

“I harbor no secrets.” Shino replied as he sat at his desk picking up a book he hadn’t finished. Sakura would be silent until she found her prey or felt a need to lure it out.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

“-And they bloomed! Ino helped out a lot, She guided me through the whole thing.”

Naruto listened carefully holding Hinata’s hand in his own as she told him about when she first learned to grow flowers. It was a small hobby she had. He had found out that more about her in one day then he had since they started dating. Like how she stuck up bird feeders and other animal habitats on her clans property so she could see the different types of wildlife without having to go far.

That she didn’t have a favorite color or animal, But she did prefer fruits over meat and her favorite time was right before sunrise. She did like to train, she just didn’t like the thought of actually hurting someone, but she understood that on mission it would have to be done sooner or later.

He also found out that she used to follow him around a lot, trying to get the courage to tell him about how she felt.

Like Iruka had said, it was small things about her that he never noticed before that maybe he should have. Somethings he did notice and just didn’t know that he had picked up on, like her blushing or the way she walked when she was thinking. Looking down but keeping her head straight, and she would bring her hands in front of her and it would look as if she was having one of her shyness episodes but, her hands wouldn’t move nearly as much and her face would remain a normal color.

“That’s great Hinata!” He said grinning at her. He really didn’t have any interest in the plants but, accomplishing something as simple as growing a flower seemed to give Hinata a bit happiness and he didn’t want to ruin that for her.

Hinata could tell that Naruto wasn’t interested in the flowers, but she did notice he wasn’t going to stop her anytime soon. She had tried to tell the story as quickly as possible to save him from boredom, it seemed to have worked since his grin didn’t look immensely strained afterwards.

The blonde had seemed like a curious child today, asking questions about her since the morning and going on nonstop. He had even asked her if she preferred warm meals or cold meals and not once had he commented negatively on any of it. Hinata knew that he didn’t like everything she did, and she could tell what he didn’t like by the faces he made every now and then

Hinata looked up at him, He was gazing up at the sky which seemed to be darkening more quickly then usual. Most likely a storm on it’s way. “Hey Naruto, why are you asking so many questions?”

“Huh?” He looked down, confused.

“N-nevermind. I was just. . .It’s nothing.” She stuttered, turning pink because of it. Did she really even need to know why he was asking questions? She should have been happy at all that he was even there with her. How could she ask such a question.

She could feel Naruto shrug. But she didn’t turn to look at him, still pink and unwilling to speak again.

The blonde looked at the girl, amused. He didn’t know why she was so emarassed by her question but as long as he could see her blush it wasn’t going to bother him. “Well, Iruka said that, it was a good idea to find out more about you before I. . .anyway you seemed to know a lot about me, so why shouldn’t I know stuff about you?”

“Iruka-sensei?”

“Yeah, I wasn’t going to listen to him, but then when we got to that spot, and I started thinking I realized it wasn’t fair. You know more about me then I thought you did. I don’t know anything about you.” Naruto found himself unable to look at her and instead glued his eye’s back to the dark grey clouds. Nothing he said was coming out the way he wanted it to. Why couldn’t he just tell her?

Hinata didn’t look up, but she took everything Naruto said in, processing it with record speed. She knew what he was saying. It wasn’t easy to decipher, but she picked up on it. She smiled to herself and squeezed his hand gently. “Does it matter to you to you because it’s unfair to you or because it’s unfair to m-me?”

She didn’t receive an immediate answer and looked up at Naruto. “Either way, You don’t need to learn everything at once.”

Naruto was amazed and confused. Amazed that somehow she seemed to know what he was thinking, and confused by what her last piece of advice was referring to. ‘Learn everything at once.’? he had a feeling that she wasn’t just talking about him learning about herself.

Hinata pulled on Naruto’s hand gently, offering a small distraction she knew he needed. He would get even more confused if he thought on it too much. “We should hurry up before the rain gets here.” She said starting to pull him along.

“You mean before Granny decides to send someone to look for us?” the blond said smirking watching the girl resist an urge to smile at his nickname for the woman.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

“Kiba! Get out of there right now!” Sakura shouted glaring at the door. She had been standing outside that bathroom door for a good two and a half minutes, having a shouting match with the Inuzuka member on the other side.

“Sakura, I don’t think shouting for prolong periods of time is going to cause Kiba to stray away from the protection my bathroom is giving him.” Shino stated calmly, however he was starting to get a bit annoyed with his home being used as the battle ground for the two.

“You better watch it, Shino!!” Kiba yelled from the Aburame’s bathroom, irritated by his teammates words.

It took only a couple seconds for her brain to come up with a reason for kiba’s threat towards the male standing next to her, and she narrowed her eyes suspisciously “Shino, did you word that sentence just so you can put ‘stray’ in the same sentence with ‘Kiba’?”

Shino didn’t respond to her question and instead opted to knock on the door. “Kiba you can’t stay in there. Eventually, someone will have to use the facilities.”

“Tell that nosy witch to leave first!”

“No.” The owner of the bathroom stated bluntly, already getting fed up with the game Kiba had started.

“Damn you, Shino! Why did you even let her in here to begin with?!” Kiba snapped out the question even though he didn’t even really care why in the first place. His best friend had betrayed him, that’s all that matter.

“I saw no reason to keep her out.” Shino replied in a low mumble, bored.

Even while she stood next to him Sakura had to strain her ears to hear him, but Kiba had now problems picking up on what his friend had said, hearing the words loud and clear. “Of course you didn’t. You didn’t offend her non-existent sleuth-skills.” He shouted, looking around the bathroom, smirking as he caught sight of the window.

The pink haired girl glared murderously at the door as she leaned against the opposite wall. The only thing stopping her from braking down the door was the common sense that it was Shino’s bathroom door. Breaking it would result in a lack of privacy until it could be fixed, and the fact she would have to pay for the damage.

“You can’t hide for ever you tick infested mutt!!” She yelled at him hoping the door would shatter unexplainably in her favor or at least provoke Kiba to come out on his own.

They were met with silence however and Sakura looked over at Shino curiously, probably thinking he had the answers. He didn’t but he had a way of getting them. He walked to the bathroom door and he let a small beetle crawl off his finger and onto the floor. The bug disappeared under the door.

“So did he realize he can’t stay in there forever?” she asked watching Shino curiously.

There was a moment that Sakura thought Shino was starting to ignore her, but as the detached as the beetle returned, he stood up straight.

“Yes.” he replied. Backing away from the door with an unreadable expressoin.

“So then I guess he’s siting there brooding and trying to find a way out, frying his few remaining brain cells thinking up another failure of a plan.” She crossed her arms in arrogance secretly plotting the Inuzuka’s downfall.

“No.”

“What?”

“He escaped out the bathroom window.” Shino stated like it should have been obvious already and started to walk back to his room. He didn’t have time for this, he had more important things to do.

“Damn you, Shino, why didn’t you say that sooner!” Sakura shouted running off towards the nearest exit.

Shino let a fleeting look of irritation pass over his face. She should have saw that move ahead of time, and was it really necessary for both of them to curse his name for their misfortune? Was it his fault that they were acting like they were five?

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Naruto and Hinata finally arrived back at the village, just as it started to drizzle. But even though it was a light rain they knew it would start pouring soon.

Hinata was happy that she was home, but at the same time she wasn’t. She didn’t want to go home and leave Naruto’s side. It was the first time they had truly gotten time to themselves, no mission, no interferences and no friends to spy on them to see how they where doing or to snap photo’s of them in poses they deemed ‘cute’.

Kiba had shown her a picture he had gotten from Sakura of her and Naruto holding hands on the training field.

It was embarrassing.

However their date was nice, relaxing, and worry free. They had spent most of the time just talking. Even though Hinata was still curious about the incident at the store. Naruto had acted strangely for a little while after that. She had asked him about it only once but, he just shook his head and told her it wasn’t anything to worry about.

She wasn’t going to keep asking, it probably wasn’t any of her concern anyway. If he was ever going to tell her, he would tell her when he thought he should.

The blonde was still feeling a trace of lingering jealousy, he didn’t like the feeling. It always came accompanied by anger and then sometimes even a sad feeling. Right now it was anger, the only thing that was keeping him from yelling out his thoughts to the girl on arm was the simple fact that, that guy was a couple miles away and away from Hinata.

He knew he shouldn’t feel the emotion, It wasn’t like Hinata was going to chase after someone for years then suddenly drop them because someone else showed interest in her. Why would anyone even waste their time trying to get someone if they were going to drop them so quickly anyway? It was pointless.

How many guys were interested in her? Did she even realize that the store boy was looking at her? She hadn’t said anything if she did. She didn’t blush when she saw him so maybe there was a chance she didn’t even have a quick thought about the guy in that sort of way.

Was she that oblivious to the guys behavior?

“. . .Hinata?” Naruto’asked hesitantly as they continued walking towards her home. The rain was starting to pour.

Hinata gave him a curious look, adjusting her bag on her shoulder with her free hand. “What is it?” she was pulled to a stop, making her look at the blond apprehensively. Why would he stop it was raining, they were going to get sick if they stood around to long.

“How many guys do you know that, like, you?” He asked

Hinata’s face practically caught fire at the bluntness of his question. What was he thinking about that would cause him to ask such a question out of the blue? “. . .e-eh. . .?” How was she supposed to answer that, as far as she knew she couldn’t answer that.

Naruto fidgeted in his spot nervously. Maybe that wasn’t such a good question, but it was bothering him! Who else would he have to watch out for and how many did he actually have to worry about? “Hinata?”

The girl shook her head, “I-I. . .I can’t answer that. I. . .I don’t know. I didn’t think anyone would. . .”

“Oh. . .”

He didn’t know what else to say to her answer. He was slightly dissappointed but he was even more happy. She hadn’t noticed the guy at the store, she didn’t even think that anyone had showed interest in her.

Which most likely meant that the question probably made her realize that, to her at least, no one thought she was dating material. And he was the one who brought it up. . .

Happy feeling was gone now, replaced by a harsh inner loathing and panic. “I-I don’t think that’s true, I mean you must have. . .Well you probably never noticed because you were to busy chasing me!” The setence left his mouth and then he noticed what he had said.

He started trying to correct himself, not able to completely tell her what he wanted to say. Although he thought he was getting closer.

Hinata blinked. She was sure that he didn’t mean for it to sound so conceited or make her sound pathetic, but she wasn’t sure how she should respond to his statement. She was raised in a way that told her in a situaution like this, were someone was trying to make you feel better. It would be rude to laugh. She just wasn’t sure if she could hold it in.

Smiling, with a small sound that Naruto could swear was a giggle, the hyuuga girl shook her head.

“Naruto, I-“

“You brainless mutt!”

Sakura's angered shout came from no where and hinata and Naruto both looked around until they saw both Sakura and Kiba standing face to face, both red with anger and it appeared Sakura had cornered Kiba between the wall of a building and a pile of boxes.

However Kiba didn't look scared whatsoever when he shouted back with a slight snarl "Nosy skank.”

"Oh please that’s hardly an intelligent come-back, What’s wrong, Kiba, did you kill off the remaining brain cells from too many dog biscuits?” Sakura was apperantly trying to find a weak spot to poke.

“You know, just because your brain has been allowed extra room to grow, doesn’t mean you should show it off, Haruno, It’s really not attractive!” To bad kiba already knew one of hers.

“Ha! The only girl that could ever love you would have to be blind or deaf because noone in their right mind would be able to deal with both your looks and your stupidity.” She stated still attacking his intelligence but now going onto his looks as well.

"Your one to talk about looks. Short matted bristly hair, stiff facial expression, and not to mention you practically look like a guy!" He shout back glaring.

The girls shoulders straightened out with the tension building up, Key signs of anger. That comment seem to hit her ego hard, making Kiba grin.

"Excuse me! You’re the one without a girl attached to your arm. Atleast I have guys that like me!"

Kiba snorted out a laugh. "Yeah one moved on, the others a nutcase , and all the others are just desperate."

"Ass!" She yelled throwing a kunai at him with extra force.

Kiba moved back a step watching the projectile plant itself nearly all the way into the dirt. He looked back up at sakura with a smirk. “. . .And no one in there right minds would want a psychotic rampaging pink haired harpy who had PMS every day of the year!”

Sakura took a deep breath trying to calm her self. Okay maybe Kiba had a point on that one, throwing a weapon at a comrade wasn’t the greatest move. But just the same he, a guy, shouldn’t put the mention ‘the curse’. “. . . Never mind, scratch my last remark, Your idiocy is perfect for women.”

“. . .”

This time it was her who smirked. “Your much more easier to train this way.”

Kiba looked like he was ready to attack the girl standing not even a foot across from him. “At least I could get someone. No guy wants a woman who emasculates them just by standing there.” He growled out with disdain.

“You have a lot of room to talk for a guy with perfectly manicured nails!” Sakura yelled, giving Kiba the same hateful glare.

“There claws, Poindexter.”

“So origanal. . .At least if you did have kids you won’t have to spend money on toys. They can use your head as a rattle!”

Kiba growled again, and opened his mouth to yell out another insult, but a quieter voice stopped him.

“Um. . .Kiba, Sakura?” Hinata hesitated, but she was worried that there arguement would get out of hand. Maybe the fact that they had been spending to much time together recently was the cause of there random and easily instigated spats. “Is everything okay?”

Sakura smiled at Hinata in a way that was a little unnerving. When sakura looked innocently happy nothing good ever happened.

“ Hey, you two! Where have you been all day?” the pink haired girl asked with a sugary tone as she placed her arms behind her back and smiled sweetly.

The question sounded normal enough but The look on Naruto’s face told Hinata that it held another purpose.

“Forget it Sakura. No one’s telling you. We found a secret spot where you can’t find us and your never going to find it, so drop it.” He said with a dead-panned expression, ignoring the fake hurt look she gave him and the snickering Kiba. She had gone from the, over protective, worrying, sister type to the nosy, gotta-know-what-there-doing, type. At least she wasn’t trying to tell him what he should do and how he should do it.

But really, what if him and hinata got married? Was she going to spy on them durning the Honey-moon too? He was positive there was varies types of laws on that sort of thing. But even Sakura knew when to stay away, right?

He hoped so, cause that would be creepy.