Categories > Anime/Manga > Naruto > Ain't Misbehavin'
Chapter 4: Ah, Youth!
Hyuuga Hiashi regarded his daughter with stern, slightly narrowed eyes. Hinata stood before him, her head lowered, occasionally stealing a glance up at him as she waited nervously for his answer.
"I suppose so," he growled finally. "But you are through that door by nine. Not one minute later. Is that understood?"
Hinata resisted the sudden impulse to throw her arms around him. He just wasn't that type of dad. She bowed. "Yes, Father, I understand. Thank you!"
Hiashi watched his daughter walk sedately from the room. As soon as she was out the door he heard a little squeal and the sound of running feet fading away. He shook his head. "Teenagers..." he muttered disdainfully.
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"What're you fidgeting for?" Ayame chided the boy. "She's not late, you're early!"
"I know. I know." Naruto bounced one leg up and down as he sat on the stool. Ayame smiled to herself. Before he left, his feet didn't even touch the ground, she thought.
"Everything's gonna be fine," she said. "Don't be so nervous. I thought shinobi were supposed to be /fearless/." She pitched her voice low on that last word and flexed her arm muscles.
Naruto chuckled at her and shook his head. "They didn't teach us this stuff at the Academy." He glanced up at the clock hanging on the back wall. It was 6:53. He pulled his two coupons out of his pocket just to make sure he still had them. For the fifth time.
"Do I look okay?" he asked, sitting up straight.
Ayame looked him over. His yellow hair spiked up the way it always did, and his clothes were what he always wore. "You look fine," she assured him. She looked up past him and her smile broadened.
Hey, she's got dimples, too! Naruto was beginning to notice these things. No wonder Iruka-sensei likes her! Then it occurred to him to turn around to see what she was looking at. Pushing aside the curtain that hung across the entrance to the stand was Hinata. She wore a dusty pink blouse above her usual dark pants, and she had a pink flower pinned into her hair above her ear. She stepped up to the counter, smiling shyly.
Ayame leaned over to wipe a speck from the counter close to Naruto's elbow. "Close your mouth," she whispered.
Naruto, still staring, quickly shut his mouth, his teeth clicking together. Ayame seemed to be having a lot of trouble with that speck. "Stand up and say hello!" Naruto heard her hiss. He scrambled to his feet and stood before Hinata, a little closer than he had planned. Despite having the blood rush to her face, she began to feel slightly faint. Taking a deep breath, she struggled to regain her composure, and her lightheadedness began to fade.
"Hello, Naruto-kun," she managed to say.
The top of her head was just about on a level with his nose, and he could smell a light scent from her hair. He wasn't able to identify it, probably flowers or something, but for an instant, he probably would not have been able to remember his own name. The next moment, self-awareness kicked back in and he opened his mouth to say hello. He made a sound like air leaking from a balloon through a pinhole. He swallowed and tried again.
"H--hi, Hinata!" That was all he could manage at the moment.
Ayame rolled her eyes a little. "Why don't you two sit down?" she suggested. "I'll let Dad know you're here." She went out through a door in the back, smiling to herself.
"Oh, yeah, okay!" Naruto stepped aside and glanced down at the stools lined along the counter. Somewhere in the back of his mind he had a picture of someone pulling a chair out for a girl to sit in. Oh, no! They're bolted to the floor! he thought in a panic. He looked back at Hinata and with a gesture he hoped wasn't too stiff or peculiar, motioned her to one of the stools. She smiled back at him and sat at the counter. Naruto resumed his seat, his legs feeling wobbly.
He took a deep breath. "You, um, look really nice. I mean-" he added, suddenly not sure he was saying the right thing, "-I mean you always look nice! I mean..." His voice faltered a little, and he looked down at the counter, feeling his face get hot. "I mean...thanks for coming out with me."
Hinata studied his profile quietly for a few moments. She had successfully cleared the first hurdle by saying hello, and had even been the first one to say it. She was feeling very pleased with herself.
"Thank you," she replied, then after some hesitation, she went on. "I'm really glad I'm came."
Almost startled, Naruto raised his eyes to her again and found her looking right at him, and this time, she didn't play with her fingers or look down or even blush. Well, her cheeks were pink, which looked really nice. Kind of went with her blouse. "Oh...um...that's good!"
Ichiraku came out from the back, beaming a great smile, and prepared two particularly appetizing bowls of ramen. He placed them in front of the young couple, but waved away the coupons Naruto handed him. He gave the boy a wink. "You're my best customer, Naruto. This one's on the house."
Naruto grinned back at him and dove into his bowl. Figuratively speaking. With noodles hanging out of his mouth, he glanced at Hinata. She was delicately slurping her noodles, barely making a sound. Realizing that he was inhaling his food as though it were his last meal, he made more of an attempt to pace himself. This was Ichiraku ramen, after all. Food of the gods and breakfast of champions. Courage for the fearful and strength for the faint of heart.
Hinata was still feeling a bit tongue-tied and was desperately trying to think of something else to say. Ino and Sakura had both tried to coach her earlier that day. Ino subscribed to the batting your eyelids and trying to look coy yet alluring school of thought. Sakura had put her hands on Hinata's shoulders and told her simply to be herself. Only not quite so shy. "Just say what's in your heart!" Ino dismissed this as not playing hard to get enough.
Hinata was busy musing over these words of advice when Naruto set aside his empty bowl. He felt its magical powers coursing through his veins.
"Y'know, Hinata," he ventured to say. "I...guess maybe I should sort of...apologize for-for not really noticing you. I mean-" he added hastily, "-I did notice that you were-well-/there/, but I never really noticed-um-/you/." He gave an embarrassed little chuckle. "I'm sorry! That sounds really lame." He thought for a moment, then went on. "I guess what I should really say is that I hadn't really noticed before how pretty you are."
Hinata's chopsticks froze in midair over her bowl. Her heart sang. Then it pounded its little fists against her ribs, begging to be let out. She smiled and took a deep breath.
"It's kind of funny, in a way," she said quietly. "I've always been so shy around you, but you've always been my greatest inspiration. I always think about how you never give up." She looked up at him, stunning him with a pair of very sincere dimples. "I'm glad I never gave up."
At this point, if it had occurred to him, Naruto probably would have said something like "Gosh, you're swell!" But he pretty much had it written all over his face.
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Iruka walked up the street towards Ichiraku's, a pile of completed schoolwork behind him and the prospect of an extremely pleasant evening before him. It was about 8:30, a little earlier than he needed to be, but he thought he might get lucky and Ayame would get off sooner. As he neared the ramen stand across the street, he could see Naruto and Hinata sitting side by side at the counter. The curtain obscured his view somewhat, but he could tell by their postures that they were probably leaning as close to each other as the stools would allow. Iruka slowed and stopped. Smiling, he decided to wait, not wanting to intrude on them.
"Step aside, Flipper," he heard a deep voice say behind him. "You're blocking the view."
Iruka gave a start and spun around. In the shadows of a narrow alleyway behind him, he could see the figure of Jiraiya. The white-haired Sannin was sitting on an upturned crate, leaning against the wall.
"Jiraiya-sama!" Iruka exclaimed after recovering from his initial shock. He stared at the older man, who, although perhaps still a little fuzzy around the gills, seemed to be perfectly at ease. "What...what a remarkable recovery!"
Jiraiya drew himself up with world-weary dignity. "Hair of the dog," he replied. "I'm living on borrowed time right now. So if you don't mind..." He waved his hand dismissively at Iruka.
Iruka glanced over his shoulder. The young couple across the street were oblivious to anything else going on, fortunately. He turned back to Jiraiya. "So, what brings you out here this evening?"
"It's a nice evening, Mr. Voice-Dripping-With-Suspicion!" Jiraiya snapped in an undertone. "I'm taking in the air."
"In a dark alley?"
"I'm also checking out the local wildlife," Jiraiya added with the hint of a smirk.
"You're spying on Naruto."
Jiraiya folded his arms with a wounded look. "The hell I-/Crap/! They're on the move!" He hopped up from his crate.
Iruka looked back at the ramen stand and saw that Naruto and Hinata were walking away. He hurriedly blocked Jiraiya's way. "For god's sake, Jiraiya-sama, give them a little privacy!" he whispered urgently.
"I'm just doing a little empirical research! They won't even know I'm there!" Jiraiya scrambled to try to get past the younger man.
"Research?" Iruka exclaimed incredulously.
Jiraiya grinned evilly. "For my next work. Icha Icha Puberty."
Iruka stared at him, wide-eyed. "You sick bastard!"
"Oh, look!" Jiraiya pointed a finger straight up. "The word 'gullible' is written in the sky!"
"What?" Iruka frowned and looked up. The next instant, feeling like a complete imbecile, he looked back to the spot where Jiraiya had been standing and from which he had since vanished. "Shit," he muttered. He turned and looked across again at the ramen stand. He did not see Ayame. She had probably left to get ready. Torn between staying there and chasing after Jiraiya, he finally chose the worse part of valor. Vaulting up to a balcony railing on the building he was standing next to, and then onto the next building's roof, he bounded off in pursuit.
---------------------------
AN: Okay, short, but sweet.
Hyuuga Hiashi regarded his daughter with stern, slightly narrowed eyes. Hinata stood before him, her head lowered, occasionally stealing a glance up at him as she waited nervously for his answer.
"I suppose so," he growled finally. "But you are through that door by nine. Not one minute later. Is that understood?"
Hinata resisted the sudden impulse to throw her arms around him. He just wasn't that type of dad. She bowed. "Yes, Father, I understand. Thank you!"
Hiashi watched his daughter walk sedately from the room. As soon as she was out the door he heard a little squeal and the sound of running feet fading away. He shook his head. "Teenagers..." he muttered disdainfully.
---------------------------
"What're you fidgeting for?" Ayame chided the boy. "She's not late, you're early!"
"I know. I know." Naruto bounced one leg up and down as he sat on the stool. Ayame smiled to herself. Before he left, his feet didn't even touch the ground, she thought.
"Everything's gonna be fine," she said. "Don't be so nervous. I thought shinobi were supposed to be /fearless/." She pitched her voice low on that last word and flexed her arm muscles.
Naruto chuckled at her and shook his head. "They didn't teach us this stuff at the Academy." He glanced up at the clock hanging on the back wall. It was 6:53. He pulled his two coupons out of his pocket just to make sure he still had them. For the fifth time.
"Do I look okay?" he asked, sitting up straight.
Ayame looked him over. His yellow hair spiked up the way it always did, and his clothes were what he always wore. "You look fine," she assured him. She looked up past him and her smile broadened.
Hey, she's got dimples, too! Naruto was beginning to notice these things. No wonder Iruka-sensei likes her! Then it occurred to him to turn around to see what she was looking at. Pushing aside the curtain that hung across the entrance to the stand was Hinata. She wore a dusty pink blouse above her usual dark pants, and she had a pink flower pinned into her hair above her ear. She stepped up to the counter, smiling shyly.
Ayame leaned over to wipe a speck from the counter close to Naruto's elbow. "Close your mouth," she whispered.
Naruto, still staring, quickly shut his mouth, his teeth clicking together. Ayame seemed to be having a lot of trouble with that speck. "Stand up and say hello!" Naruto heard her hiss. He scrambled to his feet and stood before Hinata, a little closer than he had planned. Despite having the blood rush to her face, she began to feel slightly faint. Taking a deep breath, she struggled to regain her composure, and her lightheadedness began to fade.
"Hello, Naruto-kun," she managed to say.
The top of her head was just about on a level with his nose, and he could smell a light scent from her hair. He wasn't able to identify it, probably flowers or something, but for an instant, he probably would not have been able to remember his own name. The next moment, self-awareness kicked back in and he opened his mouth to say hello. He made a sound like air leaking from a balloon through a pinhole. He swallowed and tried again.
"H--hi, Hinata!" That was all he could manage at the moment.
Ayame rolled her eyes a little. "Why don't you two sit down?" she suggested. "I'll let Dad know you're here." She went out through a door in the back, smiling to herself.
"Oh, yeah, okay!" Naruto stepped aside and glanced down at the stools lined along the counter. Somewhere in the back of his mind he had a picture of someone pulling a chair out for a girl to sit in. Oh, no! They're bolted to the floor! he thought in a panic. He looked back at Hinata and with a gesture he hoped wasn't too stiff or peculiar, motioned her to one of the stools. She smiled back at him and sat at the counter. Naruto resumed his seat, his legs feeling wobbly.
He took a deep breath. "You, um, look really nice. I mean-" he added, suddenly not sure he was saying the right thing, "-I mean you always look nice! I mean..." His voice faltered a little, and he looked down at the counter, feeling his face get hot. "I mean...thanks for coming out with me."
Hinata studied his profile quietly for a few moments. She had successfully cleared the first hurdle by saying hello, and had even been the first one to say it. She was feeling very pleased with herself.
"Thank you," she replied, then after some hesitation, she went on. "I'm really glad I'm came."
Almost startled, Naruto raised his eyes to her again and found her looking right at him, and this time, she didn't play with her fingers or look down or even blush. Well, her cheeks were pink, which looked really nice. Kind of went with her blouse. "Oh...um...that's good!"
Ichiraku came out from the back, beaming a great smile, and prepared two particularly appetizing bowls of ramen. He placed them in front of the young couple, but waved away the coupons Naruto handed him. He gave the boy a wink. "You're my best customer, Naruto. This one's on the house."
Naruto grinned back at him and dove into his bowl. Figuratively speaking. With noodles hanging out of his mouth, he glanced at Hinata. She was delicately slurping her noodles, barely making a sound. Realizing that he was inhaling his food as though it were his last meal, he made more of an attempt to pace himself. This was Ichiraku ramen, after all. Food of the gods and breakfast of champions. Courage for the fearful and strength for the faint of heart.
Hinata was still feeling a bit tongue-tied and was desperately trying to think of something else to say. Ino and Sakura had both tried to coach her earlier that day. Ino subscribed to the batting your eyelids and trying to look coy yet alluring school of thought. Sakura had put her hands on Hinata's shoulders and told her simply to be herself. Only not quite so shy. "Just say what's in your heart!" Ino dismissed this as not playing hard to get enough.
Hinata was busy musing over these words of advice when Naruto set aside his empty bowl. He felt its magical powers coursing through his veins.
"Y'know, Hinata," he ventured to say. "I...guess maybe I should sort of...apologize for-for not really noticing you. I mean-" he added hastily, "-I did notice that you were-well-/there/, but I never really noticed-um-/you/." He gave an embarrassed little chuckle. "I'm sorry! That sounds really lame." He thought for a moment, then went on. "I guess what I should really say is that I hadn't really noticed before how pretty you are."
Hinata's chopsticks froze in midair over her bowl. Her heart sang. Then it pounded its little fists against her ribs, begging to be let out. She smiled and took a deep breath.
"It's kind of funny, in a way," she said quietly. "I've always been so shy around you, but you've always been my greatest inspiration. I always think about how you never give up." She looked up at him, stunning him with a pair of very sincere dimples. "I'm glad I never gave up."
At this point, if it had occurred to him, Naruto probably would have said something like "Gosh, you're swell!" But he pretty much had it written all over his face.
------------------------
Iruka walked up the street towards Ichiraku's, a pile of completed schoolwork behind him and the prospect of an extremely pleasant evening before him. It was about 8:30, a little earlier than he needed to be, but he thought he might get lucky and Ayame would get off sooner. As he neared the ramen stand across the street, he could see Naruto and Hinata sitting side by side at the counter. The curtain obscured his view somewhat, but he could tell by their postures that they were probably leaning as close to each other as the stools would allow. Iruka slowed and stopped. Smiling, he decided to wait, not wanting to intrude on them.
"Step aside, Flipper," he heard a deep voice say behind him. "You're blocking the view."
Iruka gave a start and spun around. In the shadows of a narrow alleyway behind him, he could see the figure of Jiraiya. The white-haired Sannin was sitting on an upturned crate, leaning against the wall.
"Jiraiya-sama!" Iruka exclaimed after recovering from his initial shock. He stared at the older man, who, although perhaps still a little fuzzy around the gills, seemed to be perfectly at ease. "What...what a remarkable recovery!"
Jiraiya drew himself up with world-weary dignity. "Hair of the dog," he replied. "I'm living on borrowed time right now. So if you don't mind..." He waved his hand dismissively at Iruka.
Iruka glanced over his shoulder. The young couple across the street were oblivious to anything else going on, fortunately. He turned back to Jiraiya. "So, what brings you out here this evening?"
"It's a nice evening, Mr. Voice-Dripping-With-Suspicion!" Jiraiya snapped in an undertone. "I'm taking in the air."
"In a dark alley?"
"I'm also checking out the local wildlife," Jiraiya added with the hint of a smirk.
"You're spying on Naruto."
Jiraiya folded his arms with a wounded look. "The hell I-/Crap/! They're on the move!" He hopped up from his crate.
Iruka looked back at the ramen stand and saw that Naruto and Hinata were walking away. He hurriedly blocked Jiraiya's way. "For god's sake, Jiraiya-sama, give them a little privacy!" he whispered urgently.
"I'm just doing a little empirical research! They won't even know I'm there!" Jiraiya scrambled to try to get past the younger man.
"Research?" Iruka exclaimed incredulously.
Jiraiya grinned evilly. "For my next work. Icha Icha Puberty."
Iruka stared at him, wide-eyed. "You sick bastard!"
"Oh, look!" Jiraiya pointed a finger straight up. "The word 'gullible' is written in the sky!"
"What?" Iruka frowned and looked up. The next instant, feeling like a complete imbecile, he looked back to the spot where Jiraiya had been standing and from which he had since vanished. "Shit," he muttered. He turned and looked across again at the ramen stand. He did not see Ayame. She had probably left to get ready. Torn between staying there and chasing after Jiraiya, he finally chose the worse part of valor. Vaulting up to a balcony railing on the building he was standing next to, and then onto the next building's roof, he bounded off in pursuit.
---------------------------
AN: Okay, short, but sweet.
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