Naruto and Hinata: Stories After "The Last"! (Bi-weekly Updates)

An Old Friend Returns: Part Three

Naruto continued on his way back to Sasuke and Sakura, grumbling to himself and kicking various stones along the way. His hands were shoved into his pockets, and his blue eyes were narrow, searching the ground for nothing in particular. This relationship stuff...it was difficult. More difficult than he had realized. Though he felt that he was conveying a certain special kind of care, Hinata was taking it more as an insult than anything it seemed.

But then...

He turned his head over his shoulder to view her direction. His look softened. She was far out of sight at this point, but her image still lingered in his mind. This girl. Against all odds, she saw past what others had seen in him. She hadn't abandoned her adoration toward him after all these years. She was absolutely one of the most incredible person he had ever come to know. And when Naruto forms that kind of bond, it's a bond that can only be broken by fate – and even then, he wouldn't always accept it.

"Naruto, is that you?"

Naruto heard a familiar voice, turning his attention back in front of him. Surely enough, as he moved some shrubbery from his line of sight, he had appeared to already return to the resting site, Where Sakura had stoked a fire and boiled some water above the heat.

"There you are." She sounded mildly relieved. "I was beginning to worry, it's already dark." She poured from the boiling water into a cup. "Where's Hinata?"

Naruto grimaced, feeling a tight sensation in his chest.

"Haven't made up yet, have you?" Sakura questioned, looking up at him with a pointed view. Naruto sighed, feeling able to vent to his friend he walked to her side, sitting beside her with his legs crossed under him.

"I don't know what I'm doing wrong." He expressed himself, shaking his head. "I'm...trying to take care of her, but it's just coming out all wrong. Typical me, huh Sakura?" he chuckled ironically, giving a weak smile in her direction. She gazed back at him, a dewy quality in her eyes.

"No, why would you say that?" she was earnestly aloof. "I don't think that you tend to make a lot of mistakes. I think that...with pure intention comes no error."

It was Naruto's turn to raise an eyebrow. Well, that wasn't a typical response from his former teammate. Sakura usually jumped at the opportunity to tell him all about what he was doing wrong.

"Uh...okay." Was about all the shinobi could croak out, his puzzlement continuing.

"Here." Sakura said next, pushing the cup she had been holding toward his chest in a way where he'd have to clutch it. "It's tea. I thought it might be calming."

"Thanks..." Naruto muttered, taking a drink from the cup, his eyes skeptically looking over at the pink-haired kunoichi. She had been watching him all the while, her body leaning in his direction. Okay, perhaps she was taking pity upon his situation. That's the only thing he could certainly think of. She wasn't naturally so hospitable, unless it was for –

"Hey...where's Sasuke?" Naruto had finally noticed that Sasuke was no longer in the camp. Sakura looked around, as if she herself hadn't even noticed his absence.

"Hm. He should be back soon." She shrugged nonchalantly, clearly not thinking much of his disappearance. Now that truly struck Naruto as strange.

"He didn't tell you where he was going?" Naruto questioned next, placing his cup onto the ground. This time, his voice was a bit more interrogating than sincerely innocent. Sakura grimaced, looking toward the ground. A displeased noise escaped her closed lips, as Naruto kept his gaze upon her in deep scrutiny.