The Last Chinoike [A NARUTO LOVE STORY]

Afternoon in Konoha

Hayami hurried down the steps of the Hokage tower, basking in the warm afternoon sun of the place she could now call her official home. Even the weather seemed to know that this was a time to be thankful. Her legs carried her toward where she remembered Naruto's apartment being. After racing up the steps, she excitedly knocked on his door. 

'Ugh, if that's Sakura or Kakashi-Sensei coming to bother me again after I already told them I was waiting for Hayami...' The teenager complained in his head, already mentally gearing up to tell them to leave him alone. Naruto didn't mean to be in a snippy mood with his teammates after Kakashi forced him out of the Hokage's office. 

However, the boy couldn't deny he wanted to spend as much time with the brunette as possible. 'Stupid Kakashi-Sensei, making me leave before Hayami and I could go get ramen at Ichiraku's together.'

He groaned before unlocking the door. "Not now, I'm still waiting on-" The blond young man started out, clearly expecting to see someone else. He shut his mouth as his blue eyes were met with that striking purple he had come to fall for.

Hayami smirked before jokingly turning around. "Ah, am I interrupting something? I'll just head out..." Hayami was intuitive enough to know he was waiting on her. 

Naruto, obviously stunned, quickly shook himself out of his shock then reached out to grab the girl's wrist. She snickered to herself as Naruto started apologizing for answering the door so rudely. 

"It's okay, I swear!" She tried to comfort the blond shinobi by grasping on to his hand and leading the way back into his apartment. "Now go ahead and get your shoes on, we're going out to lunch then a walk, remember?"

"Of course I remember, ya know! That's what I've been waiting on," he shoved on his black ninja sandals, "now let's go!" He placed a hand on her lower back and gently guided her out of his apartment, locking it up behind him.

She glanced down at the strong and tan hand that moved from her lower back to her waist. Her face warmed up to a bright red as she suddenly shivered under his touch. Once he felt her shiver, Naruto suddenly recoiled his hand and nervously chuckled as he crossed his hands behind his head. "Oh, I-uh, sorry-"

She shook her head, trying to think about something else to rid herself of her blush. "You're okay, but what'd you want to talk about?"

As the two walked, Naruto felt his heart clench. The boy lost whatever nerve he had earlier to tell his favorite brunette his true feelings. "Oh, um..."

'I need time to find the right words to say... buy yourself time, buy yourself time, buy yourself time!' Naruto repeated to himself. He began doubting that the girl still had feelings for him, that she would want to be together, or that she even remembered kissing him before she left. 'Or worse- what if she remembers and she totally regrets it, ya know! Or she didn't like kissing me or she won't want to go out with me! Oh no, oh no, oh no!!' He was spiraling at an exceptional rate, and all because of a shiver of pleasure that was mistaken for one of annoyance or irritation.

"What are you so worried about?" Hayami asked, snapping him out of his unproductive and worrisome thoughts. Her soft voice somehow felt more mature than it had three months ago, wiping away Naruto's self-doubt and immediately brining on waves of concern.

"Ah, it's really nothing, ya know." The blond genin regained a small spark of confidence and grabbed the girl's hand. Her hand for just a brief moment, laid loosely in his hand. She soon gripped on to his tanned and calloused hand, administering a reassuring squeeze. "But hey, Hayami, what happened those last three months? I'm sure you trained a bunch but..." 

Naruto let himself drift off as he noticed the depressed aura that subtly came over the girl. The blond mentally cursed himself for letting his curiosity get the best of him. Of course Sakura knew what Hayami had explained to Kakashi because she was eavesdropping on their conversation. However, Naruto- albeit a righteous attempt- wanted to give her as much space as she needed before the brunette could really tell him how it went. 'It couldn't be that bad right? Why can't she just tell me? Did I do something that makes her not trust me?' Naruto's internal monologue was going haywire.