I was shaken awake by Sasuke who had a concerned look on his face.
"Hotaru, wake up," he mumbled and my eyes fluttered open.
"Did I fall asleep again? Sorry, my head was hurting so I took a rest and I guess I fell asleep," I said and smiled sheepishly. Sasuke sighed and shook his head.
"Stop being so careless, you're lucky I found you before dark," he scolded and I apologized.
"What time is it anyway?" I asked. "6:00." I nodded and I stood up. My head hurt a little, but it wasn't as bad as it was a few hours before. We walked back and Sasuke sighed again.
"I told you to stay at the house, and then you end up passing out in the middle of a forest," he muttered and I looked down.
"Sorry..." I mumbled and we made it to Tazuna's home. Everyone was there, even Naruto who had just made it moments before us. We started eating, and Sasuke and Naruto ate like pigs, finishing a bowl of food in around 5 minutes.
"I want more!" They both yelled and proceeded to throw up in their bowls. I looked away in disgust.
"You'll get sick if you eat so much and so fast," I scolded and Naruto smiled sheepishly.
"But...I have to regain my strength if I want to beat him," the two said at the same time and glared at each other. Their rivalry was serious, but deep down they shared a strong friendship they don't even know they have. I lightly giggled at myself, but stopped when Inari stood up made another remark about heroes not existing, and left. I sighed heavily, interrupting Naruto and Sasuke's glare.
"Thanks for the food, Tsunami!" I thanked and went over to where Inari's room was. I heard sniffling.
He's...crying? I should leave him be, it wouldn't be right to barge in on him...
I walked over to the deck and looked up at the sky. The stars sparkled and lit up the dark night sky.
"Watching the stars, eh, dobe," Sasuke interrupted my star gazing. He sat down next to me and looked up along with me.
"They're beautiful, aren't they? It's crazy how bright they are...I'm glad I represent them," I said admiringly and he gave a soft "hm," in return. It wasn't the sarcastic, angry "hm," but a smirking, kind of happy one. After the time spent together, I've learned the difference between them. I was slowly cracking into the difficult code that was his personality. I always thought he hated everything, but that wasn't the case. Deep down inside him, he had a playful, caring side of him.
"So...feeling any better?" he asked after a long, comfortable silence.
"I guess. The headache's gone, but I still feel kind of weak," I muttered and he gave a light chuckle.
"I'm sure that by tomorrow you should be fine," he reassured and I nodded. "I'm going to train, you should go sleep."
I nodded. "Don't stay out too late." We went our separate ways, him towards the forest, and I tucked myself into my futon.
---------------------------
The next morning, I woke up to the sound of rattling and Tsunami's screams. I shot up and ran stealthily to the kitchen where she usually was. There were two bandits that knocked her out and they were about to attack Inari. Acting quickly, I made hand signs for star shuriken. I threw my jutsu at them, knocking them out quickly. Naruto showed up at the same time, reassuring Inari that everything was okay. We commissioned him to take care of his mother as we made our way to the bridge old man Tazuna and the others were at. When we arrived, there was a thick mist clouding our vision, but what we could see was a structure made of mirrors. I furrowed my eyebrows as I felt a cold breeze.
Cold? Maybe the mirrors are made of ice...
I looked over to Naruto, but he was gone.
What the-
"Heroes always show up at the right moment!" he yelled and I sweat-dropped.
Idiot! You should've concealed your presence and plotted a secret attack at the right moment...
To add to his stupidity, he went into the prism of ice mirrors. I sighed heavily.
In order to break the Jutsu, you need to be on the outside...thankfully I'm still hidden.
I concealed my chakra, scent and overall presence and got closer to the mirrors. I saw that Sasuke and Naruto were working together, but Sasuke was seriously injured. I waited for the right moment, but my concentration was interrupted when the boy in the mask threw multiple senbon needles at Naruto. My eyes widened and I was tempted to run in and help him.
Unexpectedly, Sasuke jumped in, shielding Naruto, but got hit by all the needles. At that point, I lost all rationality and screamed. My blood boiled and I shot a giant star shuriken at the ice mirrors, making them shatter. Naruto passed out and Sasuke stared wide eyed at me.
"Hotaru?" he asked softly and collapsed on the ground. I caught him before his body could hit the concrete.
"Yeah, it's me, don't worry, you'll be alright," I whispered, tears forming in my eyes.
He smirked. "It sounds like you're trying to comfort yourself more than me." I shook my head and pressed my hand against his chest, green chakra flowing from them to his body. He was severely wounded, but surprisingly no vital spots were hit. I removed all the needles, forgetting about the boy who caused these injuries.
My mistake.