Say it.

Ok Sasuke gets a bit out of character here but I’m sure he was emotionally scarred by Orochimaru and when he returned home they gave him some sort of counselling to sort his head out!!

Thanks for the reviews!


*-*-*


“There you are!” Sakura yelled as Naruto approached the training grounds where she and Sasuke stood. They hadn’t been on a team for ages but today they had agreed to get together and train just like the ’good old days’ “You complete and utter idiot, you‘re getting to be as tardy as Kakashi sensei. He‘ll be here any minute and… ” the pink haired girl took in Naruto’s expression frowning “hey are you alright?”

“Morning guys” Naruto didn’t even seem to have noticed the yelling that had come his way, this made even Sasuke raise a curious eyebrow.

“Naruto are you alright?” Sakura asked curiously

“Huh?” the blond looked up and seeing the curious faces of his team mates immediately straightened up placing his hands behind his head and smiling falsely “Hey Sakura-chan!!!!”

“Knock it off loser” Sasuke muttered “I hate that fake exuberance”

“Wow a full sentence” Naruto retorted with a smaller smile than before

“Yeah well you’ve been acting weird for a while so I might as well start.”

“Acting weird?” Naruto asked, he knew he’d been doing things differently but he hadn’t been aware that anyone else would have noticed it.

“You haven‘t asked Sakura out for months, almost a year by my calculations, you‘ve been only ever just making it to training on time, I offered to buy ramen the other day and you turned me down cos you had other plans and you never open your door in the evenings even though I know you’re in.”

“Huh yeah” he scratched his head embarrassedly

“So?” Sakura asked nervously, she hadn’t noticed half the things Sasuke had just mentioned “What’s up?”

“Ok…” Naruto sat down and leaned back on his elbows, Sasuke followed him down to the ground sitting up and facing his friend as one elbow rested on his knee. Sakura knelt carefully on the ground and waited for her team mate to speak.

“There’s this girl…”

“Well duh!” Sakura muttered

“Could’ve been a guy” Sasuke told her

“Shut up I‘m in crisis here!!!” Naruto moaned, why were his two best friends so annoying?

“Who?”

“I can‘t tell you, I promised I wouldn‘t!”

“So she‘s ashamed of you?” Sakura teased

“Hey that’s not it… but we have an odd relationship”

“You sleep with her” Sasuke stated knowledgeably

“Yeah but it’s not all about that…. I just… I just need to know.” he turned to look at Sakura properly “Would you ever say I love you to someone that you weren‘t in love with?”

“Me?” Sakura asked mockingly, then seeing his face she became serious as she shook her head “maybe when I was younger I screamed it at just about any cute guy (ahem!!). But these days? No I wouldn‘t tell someone I loved them unless I really loved them.”

“She said she loved you?” Sasuke asked, unlike Sakura he understood the implications of that statement for Naruto.

Naruto smiled nervously “Yeah”

“That’s the first time you‘ve ever heard anyone say that to you isn’t it?”

After a long period of avoiding his fried’s eyes Naruto finally looked over at Sasuke and nodded “Yeah, And I mean anyone. No one ever said ‘I love you’ in anyway or with any meaning to me before. How do I even know she means it?”

“What’d you do?”

“I… froze” Naruto admitted scratching the back of his head “by the time I came to my senses she had gone”

“You love her?”

He needed all of a millisecond in order to think of the answer to that question. “Yeah”

“So just tell her idiot” Sasuke lay back on the ground and sighed, for once Naruto made no retort, he just stared off into the distance gazing dreamily at the horizon

There was a sudden gust of wind and their sensei had arrived “yo!”

Without the anger that had once come with the statement both Naruto and Sakura turned at say “You‘re late”

“Whatever! You need to go to the Hokage‘s office” Kakashi informed them “Something’s up”

*-*-*

“Well, well, well, the rookie nine are together again!!” Tsunade teased the group of twenty one year olds in front of her.

“Well, well, well, the Hokage’s drunk again!” Naruto responded a little too loudly. A stifled giggle could be heard from the other end of the line and Naruto recognised it immediately and grinned proudly despite the oncoming threat that was the fifth Hokage.

The punch sent him flying back into the wall behind him but Naruto merely picked himself up and moved forward dusting himself off before standing back in line.

Carrying on as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened… which technically it hadn‘t as people that knew Tsunade and Naruto were very accustomed to their ’friendly greetings’ “As I‘m sure you all know there have been some security problems in Suna, they‘re pretty sure that the breaches are directly linked to the problems that have been happening here. We‘re pretty sure that someone is planning an invasion, we don‘t know who, or how or even why but both our villages need to be on full alert. I‘m taking you all off your regular duties and putting you back into your old teams. You‘ll all be given patrol rotas, and I expect you to take this duty very seriously. It‘ll mean a lot of work and a many long nights, you aren‘t the only teams doing this but you nine work well together, you all know each other and I know what to expect from you all.”

“Yes Hokage-sama” the nine all bowed respectfully

“Good, your duties start tomorrow night, take one of the scrolls upon leaving my office and it will give you full details of what to expect and when you‘re working.”


*-*-*


After leaving the Hokages office the rookie nine made their way to the their separate training grounds agreeing to meet up for a late lunch at Choji’s favourite BBQ restaurant. Naruto had tried to argue the case for Ichiraku ramen instead and Hinata had shyly backed him up but Sakura’s argument had been the loudest as she stated that she hated ramen. Despite it not being Ramen lunch was loads of fun according to Naruto. They nine of them had sat together and

“After this what shall we do?” Sakura asked the people around table as the meal wound down “We‘re not needed to work until tomorrow”

“Well since this is our last night of freedom until all this is cleared up” Ino said loudly “Why don‘t we all go out, we haven‘t had a night out all together in ages”

Everyone else seemed to be in agreeance and they began to discuss where was best to go. Sitting across from each other at the table Naruto and Hinata hadn’t looked at each other properly until Ino made the announcement that they all ought to go on to a nearby club for drinks. Immediately murky lavender eyes raised to gaze into bright blue, they barely looked at each other for a second but it was enough.

“I can‘t come Ino I‘m not feeling too good” Naruto stood and rubbed his head. “I’ll get an early night, see you all tomorrow!”

“He‘s going to meet his mystery girl” Sakura remarked as he left

“M-mystery girl?” Hinata asked suddenly noticing that Sasuke was smirking at her

Hearing the stutter Sakura turned immediately apologetic “I‘m sorry Hinata… he‘s got a girlfriend. He really likes her”

“Yeah” Sasuke agreed in a taunting voice “and she loves him.”

“I see” Hinata stood “I think I‘ll head home instead of going out”

“Oh c‘mon Hinata, there‘s plenty more fish in the sea, you might meet someone”

“Clubbing isn‘t really my thing” Hinata said with a wry smile

“I‘ll walk with you” Sasuke spoke decidedly surprising everyone “I need to speak to Neji about something anyway. I‘ll join you guys later.”

The two left together with a whole host of curious eyes watching them.

“He and Neji hardly ever talk to one another” Shikamaru remarked “why would he want to go with Hinata. Something’s going on”

“Sasuke and Hinata?” Ino and Sakura asked disbelievingly before laughing and shaking their head “Nah.”


*-*-*


“I know what’s going on” Sasuke told her as they walked out of the restaurant

“He told you?” Hinata asked as soon as they were out of earshot of anyone that they might have known

“He mentioned a mystery girl but I‘ve known it was you for some time” Sasuke smirked as she turned to face him surprised “he talks in his sleep”

“Oh” blushing Hinata stared at the ground “Yeah… I didn‘t realise he‘d do that when I wasn‘t there.”

Sasuke nodded, they walked on together for some time each one knowing that they weren’t heading for the Hyuga complex but neither bringing it up. After a while Sasuke looked over at the shy girl blushing as she walked next to him and asked “How the hell did you two get together anyway?”

“What does that mean?” she asked offended

“It means you two are the most bashful, shy and awkward pair of ninjas I‘ve ever known. You two getting together is actually theoretically impossible.”

She blushed vividly as they continued walking in the direction of Naruto’s apartment.

“I‘m really interested”

Turning to face the dark haired man on her left and seeing that he was serious she thought back to her first time with Naruto and how they had ultimately ‘got together’

“We had a mission to escort a family from Konoha to their home town, not a big deal exactly but they already had an escort with them and refused ours. Tsunade didn‘t want them to get hurt, it would look bad for our village so she sent us out to travel the same roads under the pretence of a newly engaged couple on our way to visit family. She didn’t want us to get any attention whatsoever so we were to set out the day before and travel slowly. It had been easily decided by Tsunade that Naruto would go as he doesn’t act like any normal ninja and that I would be the only girl of Naruto’s age who wouldn‘t get annoyed at pretending to be his girlfriend.”

“In fact you loved it”

“Yes” Hinata admitted feeling annoyed at his mocking looks “anyway we were travelling for two days scouting around for any bad guys until we found some. These creeps were so dumb, they talked about they‘re plan within easy hearing range of any self-respecting Shinobi. Naruto and I decided to hang around at the inn but in keeping with our status we only got one room”

“Now we get to the interesting bit!” he chuckled darkly

“You know I think Kakashi is rubbing off on you” Hinata teased

“It was bound to happen sometime, you‘re just lucky Naruto stayed normal.”

“Well we were fine again until during the night he started to have this nightmare” Hinata went quiet as she remembered Naruto’s look of anger and fear during his dreaming “He was so scary, he pinned me to the bed telling me he had had enough. Telling me that if one more person looked at him with hatred all because of what he was then he‘d…”

“Destroy the town” Sasuke filled in “he used to have those nightmares a lot.”

“I didn’t know that they were always the same, it‘s been a while since I’ve seen him have any. I didn‘t realise they were common, he did say he had them...” Hinata shuddered a little before brushing off the misery she felt and smiling returned to telling her story. “Anyway! I let him ride the dream out, sometimes it can be dangerous to wake someone from a nightmare. He woke up and he was so afraid he‘d hurt me, we talked and then…one thing led to another”

“Is that it?” Sasuke asked annoyed “you‘re not going to tell me anymore?”

“No” she shook her head shyly flushing a dark shade of pink “that’s all you need to know, you want more information ask Naruto if he‘s willing to tell you”

“Which he won‘t be!” They had arrived at Naruto’s building and Sasuke decided that this was the time to tell Hinata what he had really wanted to say. “Hinata you know what you said to him. The ‘love’ thing”

“You mean he actually told you about that? I thought you were just teasing me before.”

“Yeah well… you do know no ones ever said that to him before?”

“Well I know he hasn‘t a proper girlfriend before me” Hinata responded uncertainly

“No… Hinata when you were a kid your parents must have told you they loved you right?”

“Well, father did when I was very young, mother used to, and Hanabi before she knew what a failure I really am. Kurenai sensei tells me sometimes. Shino and Kiba say it sometimes when I get injured or appear to be doing something stupid.”

“Right but no one had ever said it to Naruto, not that he remembers, until you”

“Oh” Hinata nodded suddenly grasping the magnitude of what Sasuke was saying “I see”

“He doesn’t remember his parents, neither Tsunade or Sakura would ever say it to him, and thought that feeling may be there guys just don‘t do that for other guys so…. you know”

“I see”

“I‘m just saying as you are the first to say it… please don‘t hurt him, it‘d kill him.” and with that the dark haired man was gone. Shaking her head Hinata headed on up to Naruto’s apartment trying to think of what she was going to say when she got there.

“Sasuke knows” Hinata told Naruto the minute the door opened, and smiled as she walked in. “About us.”

Naruto immediately felt bad “What? I swear I didn‘t tell him, I may have mentioned that I was seeing someone” the door closed and he turned to face her “I‘m so sorry”

“It’s Ok” she walked easily into his arms “apparently he worked it out”

“Hinata-hime I‘m so sorry”

“We are going to have to tell people about us one day” Hinata shrugged as she nestled into his embrace “You‘re so warm”

Naruto smiled as he held her tighter but he knew that what he said next might well cause an argument “I do want to tell them all… I’d like to do it soon”

“I know” she stood on her toes and kissed him coaxingly on the mouth “just a bit longer please?!?”

Deciding not to start an argument Naruto nodded “Alright, fine.”

“Thank you.”

“I guess we ought to talk about what you said last time we were together”

“Ok” Hinata nodded shyly keeping her gaze fixed on his chest

“Hinata I really…” Naruto paused, he couldn’t say it, he wanted to tell her he loved her but for some reason he just couldn’t “Well you know what you said?”

“Yeah?” finally she got up the courage to look into his eyes, he looked so nervous she smiled encouragingly “What is it Naruto-kun”

“Well… damn” he frowned “I feel the same way it‘s just.”

“That’s ok” she leaned in and kissed him

“No it‘s not, you told me! I should be able to tell you”

“It‘s alright I promise”

“It’s not enough. I want to say” there was a really long pause “I want to tell you…”

Leaning up Hinata planted a kiss on his lips interrupting his sentence “They’re just words, I know all I need to know from your actions. The way you kiss me, and hold me, that’s enough for me”

“I will say it” he told her tightening his hold on her “Until then I can only hope my actions will continue to be enough for you”

“Shh! I love you too”

Smiling the two of them began to kiss, although Hinata did want him to say he loved her what she had said was the truth. She knew from the way he was with her that she was different to his other girlfriends (if you could call them that, none of them had ever lasted more than a week and they had never actually dated) and she had dreamed of him holding her like this for so long that part of her knew that even if he didn’t love her she’d still be with him as much as he wanted. She loved him, being with him was the only way she’d ever be happy and even if he never told her he loved her at least she could say it to him.

*_*_*

Please R&R