I don't own Naruto.

AN: A Birthday gift for me! Enjoy =)

"Naruto-kun" yelled a flushed Hyuuga Hinata.

"Yeah?" said the owner of said name.

"Can I talk to you fo-for a moment?" asked the timid and shy pale eyed girl.

"Err… sorry Hinata I'm late for a mission, maybe when I come back we can talk ok?… See ya!" yelled the blond whiskered male as he run away towards the village's gates.

Naruto hated to leave one of his friends like that, but the blond knew what the shy girl wanted to talk about, and he sincerely didn't want to have that talk now… war was coming and he needed to keep his head in the right place, he couldn't afford to be involved with anyone now, lest of all THE Hyuuga heiress. He had enough in his plate as it was.

He was really flattered when she confessed her feeling for him, but did she have to do it in the middle of a battle with the freaking akatsuki leader right there? What was wrong with that girl?. Besides he didn't thought he could reciprocate her feelings since he still liked his pink haired teammate at the time.

When Sakura had said that she loved him, he could have died there a happy man, really. But as much as he wanted it to be real, he knew better. she was lying to him Right. At. His. Face. Sure he acted like an idiot sometimes, but he really was clueless sometimes, he didn't have some one to tell him what you did and didn't do in certain occasions, he was an orphan for kami's sake. But he did know when someone was lying, because he did it quite often. The blue eyed blond knew his pink haired friend loved him, but she didn't love him as a boyfriend or lover, she loved him as a brother, just like he loved her as a sister. He had come to realize this in his journey with the pervert of a sensei in those two and half years away from the village.

Naruto wanted to protect her, and comfort her when she was sad and depressed, he just wanted her to be happy.

The blond slowed his pace, he really wasn't late for anything, maybe training with his team, but he was sure Kakashi was going to be late, so he had one or two hours to kill.

"What to do? What to do?" mumbled the energetic teen.

He walked aimlessly and ended up going to his old training field, he smiled fondly remembering his first practice. But as he looked up at the black monument he saw a particularly annoying pony-tailed blond.

"Just my luck" he thought.

The blond haired teen, walked slowly and very careful not to make nose so he would startled the blond pony tailed kunoichi who was crouched in front of the black stone. As he drew closer he notice a slight shake of her shoulders, which puzzled him, it wasn't a cold day, so why would she be shaking like that. Maybe she was cold and he thought that maybe, if she didn't kill him, she could borrow his jacket to keep herself warm. With that idea in mind he took a step closer to her… and he heard it.

A sob.

He froze.

Yamanaka Ino wasn't one to show weakness in public, she was a strong kunoichi of the leaf, she was preparing and training herself with the help of her father to be an interrogator on the T&I department. She wasn't allowed to show emotions, but she was also a medic-nin and she had to be compassionate and understand the grief and pain of her patients, maybe that was why Sakura was so much better medic than her. Sakura could relate to the pain of losing someone who you love.

Sure Ino loved her family but how can you love someone who you've never met. She was supposed to love her mother, as any other child would, but she didn't remember her, she had died when she was two! For kami's sake, who remembers that anyway?.

She had thought she loved Sasuke, but when he defected and went running to the arms of that pedophile who wanted little boys bodies to play with, she realized she wasn't feeling sorrow or guilt for not being able to do something for him, she felt rage and anger and mostly Hate, she hated the bastard for what he did to her teammates, because of his stunt Chouji had nearly died, how could she loved someone who hurt even his own teammates, he left one unconscious and the other practically dead.

She had seen Naruto being brought to the hospital, she was just getting there to see what had happened when he was put on a bed and led to a room. He was pale and had a hole on his chest. A FUCKING HOLE ON HIS FREAKING CHEST! Ino couldn't phantom why Sakura and Naruto would want to still go out there and try to convince him to come back to the village. The day Uchiha Sasuke betrayed Konoha, he had died to her.

But now that Asuma was dead, she had experienced what the families at the hospital felt when they lost a love one, a member of their family, when a team lost a comrade, when a kid lost his or her parents. She had an ache on her chest and she had so much pain she only wanted it to go away. She'd felt useless when they'd fought the akatsuki members who had killed her sensei. She hadn't even fought!, she was support, the medic, always on the background. She didn't want that anymore, since then she had trained and trained to become a better kunoichi, a better ninja, and she had found her call on T&I, Yamanaka Ino was going to be the best Interrogator the Hidden Leaf Village had ever seen. She was going to prove to everyone that no one would ever mess with her family and friends again, she was going to be strong and she would show them all. No one messes with Yamanaka Ino and live to tell the tell.

But now, she was showing her weakness, here in front of the carved named black stone, in here she was truly weak. This was the only way she could let go and drown herself in her grieve and guilt. Here in front of Asuma's and all the other ninja that had died like his sensei doing their duty and protecting the village.

With shaky shoulders and a strangled sob, she let go of all her tears, and cried herself silly, just like the little girl she didn't want to be, just like the little girl who needs to be saved by the rest of the world. The genin who needs guidance and help. Just like the girl Asuma sensei saw on that one mission long ago. That little girl that was too scared after her first kill, the one who didn't want to be alone in the darkness of the night.

She just wanted to hear that everything would be ok. But she needed to hear it from Him, from Asuma's voice and tone, she needed to smell his cigarette stained breath, and hear him chuckle at her stupid behavior… but that was never going to happen again, so she came here and spilled all her tears and pain, in the only place she knew she could find comfort, here in front of this black stone, gently tracing her sensei's name.

Suddenly she felt a presence behind her, and she turn around on her crouched spot.

Sea green blue met with deep azure blue. And her eyes widened recognizing the orange and black wearing ninja.

"N-N-Naruto wha… What are you doing here?" she said as she furiously tried to clean and wiped her tears away.

"Err… Uh… I was actually walking aimlessly around the village trying to escape from talking to Hinata and I walk here with out thinking, and then I saw you here, and I saw you shaking, and I thought you might be cold, so I was going to ask you if you needed to borrow my jacket or something, but as I was coming closer to you I kind of heard you were crying so…" he rubbed the back of his head embarrassed and looked to the side so he could avoid her tears stained face. Since he didn't want to make her feel more uncomfortable than she already was.

A rush of blood made its presence on Ino's tear stained cheeks as she saw the concerned on his voice. She never in her life thought of Naruto being a gentleman like that, "Thanks, but I don't need it" she said in low voice.

"Ah it's ok I guess…So err…Um Ino… are you ok? Do you want to talk about it?"

That shock Ino to the core. Uzumaki Naruto, the most loud and annoying ninja in Konoha, wanted to comfort her? "No" she finally said with pink cheeks and avoiding his gaze.

"O…k, well if you ever want to, you know you can do it, that's what friends do, right?" as he grin at her.

Friends? Since when were they friends?, not that she minded really, but they never really talk much to each other, and they'd have like 3 missions together in all the years they'd been ninja, also in the academy she had made fun of him, occasionally hit him, and constantly belittled him over Sasuke… so why did he consider her a friend?

Well now that she thought about it, Naruto wasn't the same kid she used to know back in the academy, he was more level headed and he was powerful, now she even believed that he would be Hokage. He had the power and now the gratitude of the village after Pein's attack, sure he may be young, but he would get the title eventually, that was a given, so what could it hurt to be seen as his friend? He had earned that title when he help them defeat that weird five hearted guy with his improved rasengan.

"Sure, I'll talk to you, but right now, could we just… you know, keep each other company… I… I don't want to be alone". she said as she turned around to face the stone.

She heard ruffling from behind her and later a warm sensation settled on her shaky shoulders and looked at the side to see herself wrapped around orange, and she smiled at him as he sat down next to her.

Both teens were in silence as they stared at the black stone, both lost on memories of their precious people who's names were carved on that very stone.

The day was slowly ending and sky was turning from the clear light blue to a mingle and a mix of oranges, reds, purples and pinks. The few clouds that could be seen in the sky were slowly making their way across the infinite sky, traveling to places only they could see. The sun, in all it's red and orange fury, was slowly descending on the horizon. Claiming with it's fall the end of another day.

Both teens had been all day staring at the black stone, both deep in thoughts off their lost ones. Both keeping each other company.

Ino would never say this to anyone, but the fact that the blond boy beside her was there, silently keeping guard, and at the same time silently comforting her, made her feel warm inside.

She knew Naruto had lost his sensei too. She knew Jiraiya had lost his life fighting Pain in Ame. She had been there when her father had extracted the information out of an Ame shinobi. She knew the blond whiskered male had to be feeling the same sorrow and grieve as her. And for that she was grateful for his presence now.

Naruto shifted lightly to look at her, sensing her eyes on him. He looked at her curiously, neither had said anything for the past hours.

"Thank you" she whispered.

"What for?" he asked.

"For being here… keeping me company" she smiled sweetly at him.

The moment of course was broken and ruined by a very loud growl making the taller blond blush and the shorter one giggle at him.

"So… I take someone is hungry" she said with an amused smile.

"Sorry, I only ate breakfast" he answer rubbing sheepishly the back of his head.

"That's ok... And as a reward for being here for me, I'm going to cook you dinner"

"Err…that's ok Ino, I don't want to be a bother for your family or anything".

"Don't worry about that silly, my mom died when I was two and my dad is away on a mission and doesn't come back until next week, so I'm all alone, and I need someone to test this new dish I learned the other day, so you're going to be my guinea pig" she said with an evil smirk on the inside and the dreaded puppy eye on the outside.

Since he didn't want to be alone tonight and the fact that a pretty girl like Ino was inviting him to her house and have dinner with her, even if he was going to be a test subject, it was still a free meal and some company for the night. And also he realized that he couldn't say no to her looking at him like that. No one had ever attacked him with the puppy eye no jutsu. Sure he'd heard the stories involving this jutsu, but he's never been on the receiving end of it. He now joined the male population who cursed at the inventor of this particularly man whipping jutsu.

"Sure… let's go" he said defeated. He now understood Shikamaru's famous catch phrase 'Troublesome'.

Ino's house was rather small. It was a two bedroom, two bathrooms apartment, located near her family's flower shop. Just a couple of blocks away actually and a lot less from Naruto's favorite place in Konoha. Ichiraku's ramen bar.

As Ino made herself busy by making dinner. Naruto went about looking around the living room.

It was full of books and scrolls. All stacked neatly on a bookcase on far wall. The other side had a floor to ceiling window which led to a small balcony. The walls were painted in a creamy green color. The blond girl had a kotatsu in the center of the room. With every possible girl magazine out there. He curiously peeked at one that said in the cover "How to please your man and get him wanting more". and blushed.

Why was he imagining Ino being the one seducing him, when all his life instead of blond hair spread out on his pillow there was always pink hair and green eyes?. Maybe it was hunger. He mused.

He decided to stop looking at the magazines and look out the night sky. Ino's place had a great view of Konoha. It was on a fifth floor, were regularly apartments in this part of the city neither got close to the third flooring. Because most of them were shops.

Naruto was so entailed with the city lights and the stars that he didn't see Ino coming back from the kitchen with two plates.

A small smile stretched the corner of her lips… Maybe Naruto wasn't the idiot she always thought he was. Maybe there was something more underneath his childish ways… and she was starting to like what she saw.

Besides, he was good company after all.

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