Babysitted by the Uchiha Avenger

Chapter Twelve :3c

Kiba almost dropped his hot chocolates. "H-Hinata! Hi!" He stuttered, blushing. My chest ached. This would not go well. Not that I could tell them that. I just had to hope that I wouldn't witness it.

Hinata blinked and turned to Kiba, seeming to just notice him. "Oh, Kiba. H-hello!" Her cheeks were pink, though I presumed it was more from shyness than anything else. She fiddled with the strings on her cream hoodie. I smiled at her. "I'm Lucy. Nice to meet you."

Hinata smiled softly back, "Nice to meet y-you, too. A-are you two on a d-date?"

Kiba shook his head, a bit quickly. I wasn't sure whether to laugh or be offended. "Oh, no," I chuckled. "Apparently I'm Naruto's date tonight."

OH MY GOD DID I JUST TELL HINATA THAT I WAS ON A DATE WITH NARUTO LUCY HOW STUPID ARE YOU—

"O-oh," Hinata's face fell. I wanted to hug her, but with the hot chocolates in hand, that wasn't going to happen. "Have you been going out l-long?" She looked like she would burst into tears. I tried to laugh it off.

"Oh, well, we're not really going out. It was just a joke."

Her expression lifted. "Oh."

Kiba huffed. "Come on, Hinata, I'll show you where we're sitting. Where's Ino?"

"She's just g-gone to hang up her jacket," Hinata said. "Lucy, will you stay here and show Ino where we are?" I nodded. "Sure."

Hinata took two hot chocolates and followed Kiba back to the table. I hung back, heart beginning to pound. Should I warn Ino about Sasuke? Yeah, I probably should. Or should I? I mean, what would I say? She didn't even know who I was. I chewed on my lip, contemplating what I should do, until she nearly wandered past me.

"Oh! Ino! Hold on!"

She paused, glancing back at me. "Yeah?"

I drew back slightly. Whoa, she was beautiful. Her golden hair shimmered perfectly in the dim light, and her blue eyes were strong and steady. I almost forgot to speak.

"Er, hi, I'm Lucy. I, uh, I need to warn you— well, okay, first, I'm with Naruto. Well, not "with him" with him, but I mean I came here with him, and that's why I'm here and talking to you, because I'm supposed to show you where we're sitting. But I need to warn you—"

Ino raised an eyebrow, "Warn me about what?"

"Sasuke."

Her lips formed a thin, straight line. Her pale face went even paler. "What?"

"He's here," I breathed.

Ino froze. Her hand shot to her mouth. "He'll kill Naruto," she gasped, trying to break through the crowd. "Where is he? Where is he?"

I caught her arm and pulled her back. "Hold on, hold on."

"He's neutral. He's here tonight to just be here, no strings attached. He's not saying that he'll come back permanently, he's not saying that he'll stay away forever. He's just...here." I muttered.

Her arm was shaking in my fingers. I tried to smile. "They're actually getting along. Him and Naruto."

She rubbed her eyes. I swallowed. I knew how she felt. I had spent hours and hours just thinking of how much it hurt to have someone you loved and trusted cut you off completely and leave you. Like you were nothing.

And now he was back like nothing had happened. It must be killing her.

I loosened my grip on her arm and let my hand fall to my side. "I can't even begin to comprehend just how much this must be hurting you." I put a hand on my heart. "But it hurts me, too. It kills me sometimes. I couldn't stand it, if it ever happened to me. I admire you and the others for being so strong."

Ino sniffed, dabbing her cheek. I sighed. "But even if it hurts, you'll get to see him tonight, in his natural, cool-guy form. The Sasuke you used to know. Surely it will make things easier, if only for tonight?"

She gave a breathy chuckle. "Yes. Yes, I suppose you're right. I mean, who knows when I'll see him again? Be able to speak to him again?"

I breathed a sigh of relief. I hadn't done badly, breaking the news to her. There could have been a lot more waterworks.

She looked me up and down again. "What did you say your name was?"

"L-Lucy. I'm Lucy."

"And you're on a date with Naruto?" she winked. I laughed, feeling my face go red. "No! Dang it, Ino. Don't you start too."

She laughed. "I like you. You're funny." I smiled up at her. Ino's pretty tall.

"I like you too. Friends?"

She grinned. "Sure, why not? You've got hot chocolate."