Team Harmony

KC45: Trouble

Hinata left her home quietly the next morning. The sky was still dark, but the sun was going to be appearing soon. Sasuke had stayed until she felt her father lingering and even though Sasuke fought against her saying it was getting too late, he relented in the end and left her after squeezing her hand.

She blushed when she thought of the look in his eyes. She genuinely saw the emotion in his eyes whenever he looked at her, and she couldn't deny that her heart sped up when he did so. She took a deep breath to calm herself and continued walking. It was a cool morning and she could feel the goosebumps rising on her skin, but it didn't bother her. Her hot face could use a cool down.

"Hey, Hinata! Ready to go?!" Naruto suddenly called out with a large wave. When she looked, he was running toward her with a large grin. He jumped on her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

She laughed, patting his back. "Yes, I can't wait! Did you pack everything you needed?" She asked, always worried about her teammates and best friends.

"Yup. My mom helped me pack everything, and also gave me...the weirdest talk," he mumbled with a red face after he pulled away.

"Weird how?"

After a moment of hesitation, he shrugged a shoulder. "Well, you know how he writes those pervy books?" Hinata nodded. "Mama talked to me about sex."

Hinata's face went bright red. "Wha-what?!" She squeaked. Then, she exhaled to calm herself. "Well, we are considered adults now, so it's completely understandable," she admitted.

Naruto laughed at the color of her face even though he was sure his face looked similar. "Yeah, it was really awkward, but we got through it. She just wanted me to be careful while traveling with Ero-Sennin." He nodded toward the direction of the village entrance and they began walking together. "Did you get to see Sasuke?"

"Yes. He visited me at the Hyuuga Estate. Did you see him, too?"

He shook his head. "We're not that close," he laughed. "I just wanted to make sure you're not too sad or anything."

She giggled. "I'm not sad. I will miss him, of course, but I'm very excited to meet Tsunade-sama."

Naruto tilted his head. "Y'know, I've always been curious, but do you like Sasuke? Like, real feelings other than friendship?" He asked. Hinata had never really expressed any interest in anyone before, and he knew how insecure Sasuke was when it came to their relationship.

Hinata opened her mouth to speak but then hesitated, thinking to herself momentarily. "I...I don't know," she admitted softly. "Romance has never exactly been one of my priorities. I don't think I can confidently say yes, but I also know that I cannot deny it either."

Seeing how conflicted she looked, Naruto took pity on her. He put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't stress about it, Hinata. I was just curious. Besides, it's not like it's something you have to know for sure or anything," he assured her. Frankly, he was glad Sasuke hadn't been around to hear her say any of that. He felt bad for the Uchiha and didn't quite envy his position anymore.

He still felt very fondly for Hinata, but he understood that love just wasn't on her mind. It was as though there was something else preoccupying her mind. It wasn't her training or studying, but something else stopping her from making any sort of leap. It wasn't necessarily his business, but they were his best friends and he cared.

"Thank you for asking me," she suddenly said. "I think I've just been trying to not think about it or even voice it aloud, but it's something I have to do. It wouldn't be fair to Sasuke otherwise." She knew there was a wall there that she had been putting up, but she didn't know why. She had addressed her fear of abandonment to him, but she still hadn't torn that wall down and she didn't understand why. Did she like Sasuke?