だってばよ！

❝ What I've learned is that when you mess up, you pick yourself up, and figure out what to do next. ❞[affiliated with Iwakiri Academy]

[naruuto]

Shopping time! ;; open

[lucidxveil-deactivated20161010]

It didn’t take long for the unconscious girl to come to. Unable to focus at first, seeing nothing but a dull beige wall. Which didn’t change a whole lot as her vision gradually returned.

The chill of the room did seem to work, snapping her back to reality. In glancing down Hinata lets out a startled gasp. Pulling up the slipping straps of the dress. Arms immediately encircle her chest while she looks around the cubical. Relieved to see that she is alone. The embarrassment sinking in, realizing just who she fainted in front of, again.

 ”Kami, why cant I just.. be normal?" Wanting nothing more but to return back to her dorm room and hide under a bundle of blankets.

Quick to change back into her regular clothes, she hesitates over the dress. Not that she didn’t have the money to spend. Just finding it very difficult to buy herself stuff. Hanging it over an arm, she exits the room. Jumping at the sight of an all too familiar face. “Nn-Naruto-kun!??”

[naruuto]

That seemed to happen a lot back in Konoha, and Naruto thought about it as he was standing guard. It was kind of amusing, cute even, but all the same it was weird. He didn't really get why it happened, but he also didn't really question it. It was just something Hinata did.

In the little bit of time he'd been standing there, another female wanted to get into the dressing room. She seemed rather adamant about using this one, despite the blonde's suggestions to use another, since this one was occupied. "C'mon lady, there's somebody in there!" He'd practically yell, but after glancing back to see Hinata standing there, he had to let the lady through.

"Hey, Hinata!" He called, despite her being just behind him. Seeing the dress she was just wear draped over her arm, the boy got a slightly confused look on his face. "Why'd you take that dress off? I thought it looked good on you." He really thought so. But, if she didn't like it, oh well. 

"Are you alright? You kinda passed out again."

[shintenshin-archive]

Ino had missed Naruto a lot. Even when he had gone on his trip with Jiraiya and now, at Iwakiri. He wasn’t a family member or even such a close friend… but she had come to like him a lot because of his attitude and how much he cared for others. The florist flashed him her usual smile after he started apologising.

He looked incredibly happy to actually see her. Perhaps because of the amount of strangers he had met.

But the light dulled somewhat when he mentioned Sasuke. The florist felt bad that his heart would still ache for the broken promie to save his friend. Her smile became softer and she patted his arm before leaning forwards to offer him a hug. He looked like he needed it and it was the least she could do after he had done so much for her and her team.

"He’s here. And he’s alright. I don’t know about Sakura or Kakashi-Sensei."

[naruuto]

Ah yes, Sasuke. Now that the blonde knew his squadmate was there at the school, a whole new journey would be started. Maybe since they were in a different setting, the constant tug-of-war that was Naruto trying to get him back to Konoha wouldn't be as big of a problem. At least, until he found a way to get out.

"Alright..." He began, "Maybe they'll show up soon!" That bit of sadness seemed to fade away when he spoke a little more optimistically, and after he'd gotten a hug, of course.

There were so many questions he wanted to ask. Like what the different sights were, or if there was a way out. Any normal person would probably realize that if she'd been there for four years, there probably wasn't, but Naruto was a little clueless. Maybe if he thought on the subject a little more, he'd realize it. For now though, he had to catch up with an old friend.

"So, four years, huh? What all's gone on?"

[ramenfiishcake-deactivated20150]

"This place represents the truth inside my heart. If I concentrate, I can show it to you directly. This is my autograph."

[naruuto]

Would you ever not eat ramen for a month if you were promised a kiss from Sakura?

"Eheh… well, I did tell mom that I was going to eat more vegetables instead~"

[naruuto]

Would you ever lick the underside of a shoe if it meant you'd get the chance to see Kakashi's face unmasked?

"…"

"… Maybe."

[acuteguy1121-deactivated2015040]

Let's play the "would you ever..." game. Send me "would you ever..." and I'll answer with yes or no.

[shintenshin-archive]

Whilst he talked a mile a minute about all the people he had seen and met, the florist’s expression soured as the pink Mohawk guy was mentioned and she even made a noise of discontent. Naruto still didn’t know who was friend or foe- but it was ok- he was a surprisingly good judge of character. Ino trusted his judgement.

Glancing over at the nostalgic face, cerulean eyes staring at her with something close to hope and happiness, Ino found her expression softening. Did he not note how different she looked?

“Ah… about four years now,” she was happy to inform him, except that some of the things coming out of his mouth made no sense. “Naruto… that guy with the Mohawk, is his name Bazz-B? You should stay away from a bad guy like that. And don’t say that word in front of a lady!”

Yeesh. If she didn’t know him any better, she’d think that the little kid was Inojin. But that couldn’t possibly be true. He was an angel.

[naruuto]

Four years. That was crazy to think about. Naruto hadn't noticed the girl's change in appearance at first, but when she said that it'd been four years, the little differences seemed to show themselves. She seemed a little older, a little more mature. But, she'd always been a little more mature than the jinchuuriki.

"Huh? No, I never talked to him," He commented, that warm smile fading into a slightly confused look. "He just looks weird is all." A lot of the people in Iwakiri looked a little... off. Not everyone could be bad though, there were plenty of people who looked weird but were pretty cool!

After getting scolded, Naruto shrugged it off. It wasn't like Ino hadn't heard worse. Regardless, the boy apologized with a somewhat defeated expression on his face. "Yeah, yeah. Sorry, sorry."

This was the first time he'd actually been able to converse with someone from Konoha, and it made his day. But, it was time to bring up a certain subject that was always a downer. "Say...  you're here, and so is Hinata and Sai..." A short pause. "Is Sasuke?" That bright expression that he'd been maintaining not even five minutes before had faded, and all that was left was concern. "And what about Sakura? And Kakashi-sensei?"

[kitteninspaghetti]

[naruuto]

"Naruto, out of curiosity, did I just lose a game of introductory chicken?"

"… Huh? I guess, ‘cause I don’t know what that means—" His expression quickly changes. "But hey! Neji! When’d you get here?!"

[naruuto]

shintenshin:

Finally, a fun and happy face. Someone who inspired her to be strong despite the odds. “Narutttooo!” She laughed, holding on to him. “Waah, when did you get here?!”

That one blonde kid did tell him that Ino was here, but Naruto didn't want to believe it. "About a week or two ago!" He replied in an excited tone. "This place is crazy! There are weird kids, weirder than the ones in Konoha! I saw this one guy with a pink mohawk, and some little kid that looked like you called me "Uncle Dickless"--" He was rambling on.

"What about you, though?! When did you get here?"

[naruuto]

[Tacklehugs]

[Falls over] What the heck was that for?!... Wait, Ino?

[naruuto]

Valentine's Day! ;; Naruto/Nel

[antelope-knight]

Valentine’s Day…. A day when human males and females demonstrated how much they cared for various individuals by giving them gifts, traditionally in the form of flowers and chocolates but not limited to said things. It seemed that any form of affection could be celebrated, even that of a platonic nature between two friends and while the tall woman wouldn’t particularly say she had many of those there, was one person she would specifically like to thank for showing her kindness in the past.

Nel had taken the liberty of ordering the person in question flowers but had in hindsight wondered if they would be appreciated and if she should rather have gotten a different kind of gift. It was this line of reasoning that had brought her to the shopping district and more specifically the area that was the most chaotic. The ex-Espada had wandered around for a while but had received no inspiration for what else to get as a present of appreciation or gratitude but really was starting to feel slightly aggravated from the madness of the overly excited crowd.

Having had enough, she had turned to make her way back to the academy where she could hopefully find some peace and quiet when she was approached by a blond human.

"Eheh— Hi there! My name’s Uzumaki Naruto, what’s yours?!"

The introduction was somewhat unexpected to say the least and for a moment Nel was thrown for a loop. Despite how puzzled she was by the encounter, she didn’t wish to be rude without due cause so only after a second of hesitation she introduced herself to the seemingly nervous male.

"Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck…. but you can just call me Nel."

A vague hint of familiarity had been tugging at her but it was only after her introduction that she become aware of why that had been the case. She could now faintly recall having seen this Naruto around before on the academy grounds although only at a distance which was why she hadn’t recognised him sooner. Being a university student, there was little time to interact with students still in the school division unless they paid frequent visits to the library and she would guess that he was probably still in high school unless she was mistaken. Only one way to find out…

"You’re a high school student at Iwakiri Academy, right?"

[naruuto]

Feeling like this wasn't a common event. In fact, it never happened. He tried avoiding acting like that, since he saw the reaction people had when the perverted old coot when he reacted this way. But, something in him just kind of switched. At least, for this girl. She was insanely attractive, and anyone could see that. That's what Naruto thought, anyway.

Huh, Nel. He'd remember that. He'd definitely remember it over her full name. There were angry mumbles passing by, since the boy had stopped her in the middle of the sidewalk, but he made no sort of reaction to it. "That's a pretty name~" He practically cooed. When the female asked him about the school he went to, it confused him for a brief moment. "Yeah! I'd ask if you went there, but there's no way! I'd've noticed a pretty girl like you!" A small bit of blush appeared on his cheeks.

It took someone nudging against him to take Naruto out of this weird daze, realizing how weird he must've been. The random attraction was still there, but the weird googly-eyed look he was giving her was gone.

"Eheh... Sorry about that.. Don't know what came over me-ttebayo." That was a lot more nervous than the excitement that was previously there. His nervous tick confirmed that. Everything up until that nudge was a little weird for some reason. It didn't bug him, it was just embarrassing that he'd acted so... strange. It was gonna ruin his chances with her!

"Do you wanna grab some ramen somewhere-ttebayo? I know a place somewhere close!"

[naruuto]

Never again.

A long day with nothing to do. There was training that could be done, but everyone deserved some r&r every once in awhile. Even Naruto.

The boy laid on his bed, trying to relax as best as he could, but his gaze kept shifting over to the bouquet of flowers Hinata had given him. His mind started going over different thoughts, like how he'd never understand how vegetarians could only eat vegetables. It was a random thought, but he'd just recently heard the term and found out the definition.

Curiosity was starting to weigh in. What was so great about vegetables that someone would cut everything else out just for them? They didn't taste that great. But maybe... Maybe other stuff tasted different. Surely flowers had to be on that list too, right? Plus, no one was around to judge him, and there was a lot of flowers there, no one would notice one missing...

He cautiously looked around to make sure no one was looking at him, not that there was anyone in his room, before quickly picking one of the flowers out, and quickly putting the petals in his mouth, biting them off. Making quick work of them, Naruto got a sour look on his face.

Nope. He'd never understand vegetarians.

[titanbender]

Sakura:"Naruto is late. what is that idiot doing?!"

[hiramaruh-deactivated20150723]

                                I am Uzumaki Naruto! And my future dream is to be the greatest Hokage! Then the whole village will stop disrespecting me and start treating me like I’m somebody. Somebody important!

[naruuto]

Thankfully, Naruto-kun didn’t seem to pay any mind to the meanings of things, such as flowers. Though he would understand the second half of her gift. Having found a local ramen shop, appearing almost as cozy as the one back home.

They didn’t have such a thing, but the owner was sweet enough to write up a few slips. Offering three free meals, as long as the customer presented proof.

Her note was simple. "Happy Valentine’s day, Naruto-kun. —I know it’s not the same, but it’s still pretty good. I’ve been there a few times myself for dinner. The owner is a sweet man, and he’s looking forward to meeting you. ~Hinata.”

"Huh..?" Naruto found the flowers in front of his door, and looked at the note to see that it as addressed to him. He thought they looked nice, but that was about all he knew about them. 

He smiled at the note, after reading over it a couple of times. That was really thoughtful. Naruto was absolutely abysmal at gifts, so he was lost on how he'd repay her, but, maybe asking her to go with him to this ramen shop when he went would suffice.

Making a note to ask her the next time they crossed paths, the boy brought the flowers into his room and set them on his nightstand.

[naruuto]

Valentine's Day! ;; Naruto/Nel

Valentine's Day. What a day. It sounded pretty nice at first, but when you didn't have anyone to spend it with, that's when things got bad. Naruto never really had anyone to spend it with, because the only female he had his sights set on never gave him the time of day. Well, the blonde wasn't gonna deal with it this year. He was going to get out, and just have fun all on his own!

Naturally, he didn't think it through. His first thought was to just get out, go to the shopping district, and enjoy himself. He'd be away from all the people getting flowers, chocolates, and gifts, and wouldn't have to deal with all the dumb lovey-dovey stuff. Well, that would've been a good idea, had he not went to the area where everything was purchased.

The place was full of people who were giving each other googly eyes, carrying around flowers and heart-shaped boxes. This was what he was trying to get away from! Frustrated, the boy was about to head back to the school and just lock himself in his dorm. But, before he did that, some green-haired girl caught his eye.

Now normally, Naruto would just pass it off and think she was attractive, and leave it at that. But today...

Holy cow.

The feeling that the jinchuuriki had could only be compared to what Jiraiya felt when he saw a gorgeous woman. The only thing he could do was approach her rather quickly, with bright eyes. Looking up to the taller female, Naruto spoke with excitement and nervousness in his voice,

"Eheh-- Hi there! My name's Uzumaki Naruto, what's yours?!" 

Not creepy at all.