"Are you okay, Sakura?" asked a young boy nearby.
"Na-Naruto?!" asked Sakura, putting the situation together with that weird voice talking about-
-starting over again?
"NARUTO-KUN!" said a brunette blur as she launched herself and then latched on to Naruto with a ferocity that surprised everyone in the class. "Please. Please don't die again."
"EHHHHHHH?!" asked most of the class.
"NARUTO!" exclaimed Sakura, winding back for a punch when things caught up with her again. Hinata wasn't acting as she had back then, was she? Hadn't Hinata been darn near terminally shy?
Which meant - she hadn't been the only one sent back?
Sakura settled for tapping Hinata on the shoulder. Much as she wanted to grab Naruto herself, or hit him, or both. "You remember, we're twelve now. You're using your courtesan training."
"Ehhh?!" asked Hinata, jumping back and turning red. "That is-"
Iruka frowned. What was Hiashi doing, forcing a little girl to have courtesan training?
"I know, it's pretty much automatic due to the training regimen," noted Sakura, realizing that would mess HER up too.
"What's going on?" asked a completely lost Kiba.
"Rowrr rowr," softly growled Akamaru, sniffing heavily.
"We'll talk later then," said Hinata, turning Naruto loose to go back to her seat. Clearly reluctant to do so, but doing it.
"Huh? Wha? What?" asked Naruto, having absolutely no idea what was going on.
Sakura took her seat. They'd have to confer between themselves, figure out what was what. Make plans. A glance at Naruto (still completely at a loss for things) and then at Hinata with a slight nod.
If they actually could change things - there was no way either of them would let it happen again.
Everyone knew that SOMETHING was going on. Hinata's little display had certainly been a clue of that.
Not that Sakura could blame Hinata. Sakura could admit she'd been about ready to do the same thing.
Once, long ago by her reckoning, she'd said something to Naruto. It hadn't been completely true, but it hadn't been completely a lie either.
She'd confessed that Sasuke turning down the path he had was breaking her heart. She'd confessed that there had been no use loving a missing-nin and a criminal. She'd gone on to tell Naruto that he'd appreciated her, encouraged her, been there for her. That by that point he'd matured, become less the class clown and more the sort of hero who actually had a shot at becoming Hokage as he'd always wanted. He'd actually gone from no-good prankster to someone admirable.
If, as in some old stories, there actually were love potions - she'd have taken one voluntarily to love Naruto back then. To love someone who wasn't breaking her heart and who could love her back. Unfortunately, such things were just old folk tales. Falling in love wasn't something that could be controlled, and falling out of love was just as uncontrolled.
A tap behind her announced that Hinata had arrived.
What she didn't expect was a second arrival a moment later.
"So, you too?" asked Sakura, getting a nod in reply.
"Three of us then," said Hinata softly, noting that the third of their little group was:
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(Posted Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:03)
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