Chapter Nine

Walking into school Monday morning with her sunglasses on, Sakura sighed as she heard a locker being slammed shut. "Can you not be so fucking loud?" She mumbled while massaging her temples.

Her horrible migraine, and aching stomach cramps, made her nauseous as she took a Tylenol from her backpack. She had to keep reminding herself that the intense withdrawal's were only temporary, or at least that's what her web search said.

"Princess, what are you doing Friday night?" Naruto asked his girlfriend. "I had nothing planned." She said before yawning. "Did you get any sleep last night?"

He asked her, and truthfully she had been up crying all night. Hinata realized that she still had deep rooted self hate, because of trauma that she thought she had taken care of. It annoyed her to say the least, and she knew she had to tell Naruto about it, because due to it she questioned everything he did, when all he deserved was her trust.

It hurt her that she couldn't seem to trust him, it hurt even more that she had to keep lying about it. "I did, I'm just still tired." He nodded.

"Well I was wondering if you wanted to come to a match." She could tell he was nervous by the way he scratched the back of his neck. A smile came to her lips, "I'd love to, Naruto."

His infectious smile came to his face, "Okay. It should be a good one." "I can't wait. Do you want to come over tonight? I know you're probably training after school."

He nodded, "I'll come over right after, is seven okay?" She nodded, "Yeah, my Dad is away on a business trip until Wednesday morning.""Oh? Sounds like a fun time for us." Placing his hands on her hips, he pulled her closer to him.

"It does. You can even spend the night, if you want." She said with a small smile, "I'd love to, Princess."

"Okay, I can't wait." Kissing her forehead he looked at her lovingly while she clutched the textbook in her arms. The way he looked at her made her blush, and get butterflies in her stomach.

"I-I'll see you in first period." She said abruptly, before walking away. Naruto looked at her with his eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "Okay?"

"Hey." Hinata said to Sakura as she leaned against her locker. "Hey."

"Do you have a headache?" She nodded, "The sun seems extremely bright today." She said while closing her eyes at the sight of the shining sun that came from the large awning windows.

Hinata nodded, even though she didn't really understand. "Do you know if Ino ever talked to Shika? She never mentioned it."

"She hasn't told me if she did, but they didn't seem to talk much at the party." Hinata nodded, "You wouldn't know though." Sakura teased, making her blush.

"You know he's a boxer? Apparently he's really good." Sakura looked just as surprised as Hinata was when she found out.

"Really? I couldn't see him harming a fly." She nodded in agreement, "Right? But he wants me to go to one of his fights Friday, and you have to come with me."

"Okay, for sure. Are you sure you're down for that? You're probably going to cry." Hinata laughed, "I won't!"

Sakura just shook her head, "You can't stand to see anyone get hurt, especially not Naruto." As her friend spoke, Hinata looked at his back while he talked to Shikamaru and Neji at their lockers. "Well I can tell he really wants me to come, so I am."

"Okay, I'll be there." Sakura said, opening her eyes, just to see Sasuke walking in the front doors. He hadn't spent the night with Sakura the last two days, but she didn't mind it too much, because he said he was busy doing work.

Every time she saw him he seemed a lot more tense than usual, and she wanted to ask him what was the cause of all of it, but she didn't want to be over stepping her boundaries. Even though that's all they seemed to be doing lately. She constantly had to remind herself that they were just friends, and it wasn't because her feelings had grown, it was simply because she wanted to be available for him to vent if he needed it.

  He couldn't see her eyes as he walked down the hall, due to her tented sunglasses, but he looked at her and smiled anyway. Sasuke had been going over the file that he had bribed off of the investigator sent to track down his brother. For two days he had been reading everything thoroughly, examining every picture, yet he didn't even know where to start.

  "What's up, Man?" The boys said to him as he walked past them, Sasuke nodded at them while saying, "Hey."

  Before going to his locker about a yard away. Naruto knew how stressed and tired he was, but he knew it wasn't his place to tell him that. If they had nothing else in common, they both were incredibly stubborn.

"Do you get any sleep at night?" He heard someone ask as he yawned. Karin smiled at him, "Apparently not enough." She laughed, before touching his bicep.

"Well I was wondering if you wanted to work on that project that Oricharmru assigned us?" He gave her a questioning look, making her blush. "Last Friday? I know we're in two different class periods, but I assumed he brought up to your class too." He sighed while realizing what she was talking about.

"You're right! It's due Monday." She nodded, and he thought about whether or not he should work with Sakura on it. Sakura watched the pair talk from her locker, and she rolled her eyes as Karin's hand rested against his bicep.

She wasn't sure if it bothered her more so much because it was Sasuke, or if it bothered her so much because Karin was just that annoying. "Literally she flirts with him all the time, it's laughable." Ino said, noticing that Sakura had zoned out of the groups conversation.

Sakura watched as the corners of his mouth twitched up and he slightly smiled, "Well he seems to be enjoying it." Hinata looked at Sakura questionably, "Are we seeing the same thing here?" TenTen asked, before the bell rang, and Karin walked away from Sasuke. 

As she strutted down the hall, she glanced at Sakura, because she could feel her eyes on her, even through her sunglasses. Flipping her crimson colored hair, she smirked, making Sakura's blood boil. "I hate her."

Sitting in her seat, with Sasuke in front of her, she took off her sunglasses, before their teacher asked her to. Immediately regretting it, she cursed under her breath. "Headache?" He asked, and she nodded while pressing her forehead against her palm, trying to see if she was warm.

"So we have that project due for fourth period soon, do you want to do it together?" He asked, "Do you think I feel warm?" She asked while taking his warm hand, and pressing it against her face. "I think you're normally warm. Do you think you're getting sick?"

"Maybe. But you were saying, the project? Shikamaru and I already are partners, you're welcome to join us." He shook his head, "No worries, I'll just pair up with Karin."

Her eyebrows scrunched, and he realized that he had struck a nerve. "Karin? Why? You guys aren't even in the same class." Her friends heard their conversation, and they glanced at each other.

"She asked." Rolling her emerald eyes Sakura asked, "Are you guys friends or something?" She watched as he shrugged his shoulders, "I guess." Her eyes narrowed, "Why?" He could've laughed at the way she acted.

"Do you not like her or something? What's the issue with me working with her?" "If you don't have an issue then I don't either."

Crossing her arms over her chest she sat back in her seat, "Is there something I should know?" She shook her head, "Not if you're friends with her." "Are you going to tell me why you don't like her, or am I just going to have to read your mind?"

"Work with her, I don't care." Turning around in his seat, he glanced at his friend, who had a confused look on his face too. Ino and Hinata just shook their head, hoping that Sasuke wasn't stupid enough to actually work with Karin.

"What was all of that about?" Naruto asked his girlfriend as they walked to their second period class. "We don't like her." "Why not? She seems cool." He said making even Hinata roll her eyes.

"It's a long story. We just don't like her, and she's not cool, she's just a horrible person." She said simply, and Naruto looked at her questionably, but decided to drop it.

"Okay, well what was that about this morning?" He asked while grabbing her arm, and pulling her closer to him so she couldn't walk into the classroom he was walking her to. "What?" She asked, acting oblivious. "You know what, Princess."

As she looked into his eyes, she couldn't help but be truthful for once. "You make me nervous when you look at me like that." He laughed a little, "Like what?"

His eyes held a certain sparkle that made her heart beat fast every time she looked into them. "All dreamy, you look at me like you're in love with me." She said with a smile, "I am." He said impulsively, making her eyebrows raise, and her blush a deep red even he hadn't seen before.

"I-I." She tried, but couldn't get it out. "I-it's hot." With that, she walked into the classroom, and he was stunned for a moment himself, before slapping himself on the forehead. Walking in the class with his head low, just as the bell rang, he plopped into his seat before putting his head against the cool wooden desk. Sakura glanced at the both of them, while Sasuke did the same.

Her headache seized, only for her stomach cramps to become intense, and the feeling of nausea to wash over her, it didn't help that Sasuke suddenly was friends with someone she strongly disliked. In an attempt to take her mind off of her friend and her archenemies, she began to doodle in her notebook.Sasuke watched her hand move vigorously across the paper, but he didn't think too much about it. He wasn't a mind reader, and he tried to get her to tell him what the issue was, if there was one.

When the bell rang for their second period to end, Hinata packed her things up, and looked at Sakura, who was tying her hair into a low bun. "It's incredibly hot." She complained while fanning herself with her thin notebook.

"Right?" Hinata agreed while they walked together in the hallway. "I can't believe Sasuke is actually friends with her."

"I don't think he's stupid enough to actually work with her though." Hinata said and she nodded. "Hopefully."

"What was going on between you and Naruto?" Hinata blushed just thinking about it, "He said he's in love with me." "What?"

They stopped abruptly, making the person behind them mumble under their breath, before walking around them. "I was saying how it makes me nervous when he looks at me like he's in love with me, and he said he is." Her friends eyebrows rose in surprise.

"Well, it's early, very early." Sakura said, making Hinata nod in agreement. "But if he's already there yet, then that's okay. It's also okay if you're not there yet either. Don't think that you have to say it back."

Hinata nodded while biting her bottom lip, and palming her forehead. "All I said back was that it was hot." Sakura laughed hysterically, "God I think you just cured my stomach pain. That may be better than you puking all over Kiba."

She rolled her eyes while laughing herself, "Bye, Sakura." She said before walking into her class. As soon as she walked in, she saw Sasuke talking to Karin. "Perfect! My house after school?" He nodded, "Sure." Hinata just shook her head while taking her seat.

"You're making a huge mistake." Ino said to him as he took his seat next to her. "I needed a partner."

Ino just shook her head, "Hinata? What are you up to tonight, want to come over?" She blushed, "Sorry, Ino, but I'm supposed to spend time with Naruto. My Dad's gone till Wednesday."

"You two are like rabbits." Sasuke laughed a little, "Honestly? Most times we just sleep. It's really nice." Ino rolled her eyes, "Bull." Hinata laughed, "No really!"

Down the hall sat Naruto, Kiba, and Lee in their science class. As their teacher showed them an instructional video, Naruto couldn't stop thinking of Hinata. When he sighed deeply, practically begging for attention, Kiba looked at him,"Why do you keep doing that?"

"Have you ever been in love?" Kiba blushed, "W-what?" Naruto repeated his question, "Have you ever been in love?" Kiba just smiled adorably, "I'd like to think so."

"What did it feel like?" Lee gave his friend a look, but Kiba tried his best to answer his friends question. "The love I have for her is ever lasting, I want her happy, even if it's not with me." He spoke truthfully.

"Do you think you're in love?" Naruto smiled a little, "I know I am." Kiba smiled too, "I'm happy for you."

"Don't be, I didn't even say it all the way yet, and she's already freaked." Kiba just laughed, "That's Hinata for you, but don't worry. We all know she feels the same."

Naruto nodded, "You think?" His friend nodded, "I know." He smiled, "What happened to the girl?" He asked Kiba, "She loved someone else."

"Aw I'm sorry. Don't worry, they'll be someone better." He tried to reassure him, oblivious to the fact that his friend was talking about his girlfriend. "She might've been the best."

Across the hall, sat Sakura and Shikamaru, at their table working on their project. Sakura usually did most of it, while Shikamaru dozed off, after promising that he'd do the rest of the task at home for homework, but today was different, he was very anxious and she could tell.

"What's going on, Shikamaru?" She asked her friend while glancing up from her paperwork, as he tapped his pen against the table top. He looked at her for a moment before asking, "She told you, didn't she?"

Although she knew what he meant, she asked him to clarify. "Who told me what?" He rolled his eyes, "You know what I mean."

"I don't, which is why I'm asking." "Ino." She put her red pen down, before looking into his dark eyes. "She finally told you?" He nodded, "Well when is she going in?" She whispered, "Friday."

"You're going with her right?" Sakura asked, he shrugged while putting his hand behind his neck. "I doubt that she really wants me there." She shook her head, "I promise you that she does."

He just sighed deeply, "Everything has always been so complicated with us." She nodded in agreement, before he asked, "Does she seem happy?"

Her heart ached for Shikamaru. He was obviously still in love with his childhood best friend, and he couldn't do anything about it, but watch her love someone else.

"She is, Shikamaru. You'll be too, you just need to find the right person." He nodded, "At this point I'm convinced she was the right person." He said with a short laugh, "She'll never forgive me."

"She did. You just have to be there for her." "How will I even do that? I don't know how she'll react after everything." Shika said with a sigh leaving his lips. "I have no idea, you're definitely just going to have to improvise. You know her well enough to know if she's truly okay or not, right?"

He nodded, "Of course." She smiled, "Then your presence will be soothing enough.""Did she tell Sai?" Sakura shrugged, "I doubt it, she's just taking this day by day." He nodded, before another exasperated sigh left his lips. "Thank you, Sakura." ~ "Hey, I'm sorry." Sakura said to Sasuke while standing at his locker. "I blew up on you for no reason. I don't like her, but I never told you that, so it was irrational for me to assume you'd feel the same."

He nodded, and just as he was going to say how he accepted her apology, Karin approached them. "Hey, Sasuke, I sent you my address, see you later." She said while touching his arm, making Sakura roll her eyes.

"Hi, Sakura." Karin said with a smile, and Sasuke could just see her eyebrows twitch from clear irritation. Karin walked away, and Sakura looked at Sasuke.

"You're actually working with her?" "I don't have any other choice, Sakura." "And you're going to her house?" "You're acting like a brat. I don't have a problem with you working with Shikamaru."

"He's not a huge bitch." She said with her arms crossed across her chest, "You literally said it wasn't an issue. It's just Karin."

They looked into each other's eyes, and he had to wonder why she was even so upset. "No, I said that I was sorry for blowing up on you, not the fact that you're actually working with her."

"Sakura, come on. Don't be jealous." Her eyebrows rose, "Me? Jealous of her? Are you kidding me? She's the one who's always been jealous of me."

Sakura said, while causing a scene around them. "Sakura, calm down. It's not even that serious." Her eyes widened, and her lips parted as Sasuke prepared himself for a tirade.

  "Fine, you know what? Have fun." She said before walking away from him, and heading out of the front door, while pushing them open angrily, before throwing on her sunglasses. Sasuke watched her walk away, and just closed his locker with a sigh before heading out to his car.

"Naruto?" Hinata said while walking up to his car, as he threw his backpack in the backseat. He looked over his shoulder and smiled at her. "Princess?" She smiled a little while blushing, before standing closer to him.

They hadn't spoken most of the day because he knew that she would need her space after what he said. "I'm sorry for being so awkward." Shaking his head he grabbed her hands while saying, "Don't apologize, I'm still trying to figure it out myself."

He leaned his back against his car, while wrapping his arms around her waist. "I just think we should have more of the conversations we need to be having, you know?"

She nodded in total agreement, "You're right, we should." His fingers rested against her soft cheek, "Well what do you want to know?" She asked him, "I want to know everything." She smiled before he kissed her lips, "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay, I'm making dinner." "Sounds good, Princess." "Be safe while you're boxing please." Kissing her forehead he said, "Always."