Disclaimer: I own nothing. Please also accept my humble apologies for the artistic licenses taken.

.deconstructing 'perfect'.

:::

.prologue.

…

Good Lord, he was screwed.

Hyuuga Hanabi – she's the perfect high society girl. The Hyuuga name signified old money, and its heir apparent was known for her flawless etiquette, refined looks and good grades. And if that wasn't enough to set the girl apart from the rest of the class, there was the fact that she had jumped two grades ahead back in elementary school, making her (hands down) the youngest in their class.

He groaned into the crook of his arm. Any other guy would probably be glad to have drawn her as his partner for the English class presentation but not Sarutobi Konohamaru. Sarutobi Konohamaru – as per his claim – was allergic to perfect, and especially the sort that came from high society. Goodness knows he has had enough of it for a lifetime back in the days when his grandfather would bring him along to social gatherings of the elitist kind.

Well, fuck. He hadn't even talked to the girl and he already knew the partnership was going to fall into ruin. Damn that paper box and damn his rotten luck.

He wasn't quite done moping at his desk when one of his friends came by and pulled the slip of paper out of his loose grip. After a moment's study, Inari whistled low.

"Hyuuga-san, huh?"

Snatching the piece of paper back, Konohamaru growled, "Give that back."

"She isn't bad, you know," said Inari, raising an eyebrow. If he was even the least bit unsettled by his friend's snappish outburst, he didn't show it. "In fact, she's actually quite nice."

"Right," Konohamaru snorted. "I'll take your word for it."

"Your tone of voice tells me you won't."

It wasn't long before the duo was joined by their friends from other classes. Udon and Moegi, Konohamaru's close friends for the longest time, always came by Class 3-A during lunch; and having known Konohamaru for as long as they have, they knew to leave him be when he was in one of his foul moods. Konohamaru wasn't about to complain, though. It gave him time to clear his mind – something that he desperately needed to do at the moment.

…Perhaps he was being hypocritical. After all, the three people who stood out in class were Hyuuga Hanabi, Tazuna Inari and Sarutobi Konohamaru himself. Inari was a transfer student from what is known colloquially as Nami no Kuni and a year older than most of his classmates. It was no secret that girls admired him for his mature-mindedness and sense of responsibility, often citing him as 'cool' though Konohamaru failed to find anything exceptionally cool about Inari. And they had different customs where he came from – customs that the class have come to get used to over time. Inari was different, yes, but he was popular for uniqueness.

On the other hand, Konohamaru was well-known for his boisterous personality that was just about the brink of being obnoxious. Notorious at being disruptive in class, he proved to be both a blessing and a bother to his classmates. Oh, and there was that almost irrelevant fact that he was the grandson to the late-president of one of the biggest corporations in the country – to the man who revolutionised the country's economics, in fact – but, like he insisted, that was beside the point.

Call it an underlying inferiority complex but he just couldn't stand the idea of perfection because it did nothing but rub salt in his wounds, reminding him that he just couldn't come to terms with the incarcerating rules of high society. He was uncomfortable riding on his grandfather's coattails, and that was what spurred him to be his own person, for better or for worse (though oftentimes the latter). High society life, he firmly decided, was not for him.

He let a small sigh escape; his friends took it as a sign that he wasn't all that worked up anymore. Moegi expressed her concern for him and he waved it off, apologizing for his behaviour as he did. Konohamaru made sure to send an apologetic grin Udon's way as well; Konohamaru had noticed that Udon had slowed down his eating when Moegi piped up. Udon was a person of few words but those that called themselves his friends had learned to take visual cues from him.

Inari, on the other hand, clapped Konohamaru on the back and said, "If you're quite done with your little episode, it would be wise to at least have a word with Hyuuga-san before break is over – just so she knows her partner for the presentation exists."

And that was what Konohamaru did, but not before grumbling a little to himself.

"Good day, Sarutobi-san."

God, did she have to be so polite? It wasn't making things any easier for him. The next eight weeks or so would be hell at this rate.

"Please, just call me 'Konohamaru'; we've been classmates for nearly three years now, after all," he mumbled. He took the time to unfurl the little piece of paper that he had drawn from the paper box being passed around earlier, and said, "So I guess I'm your partner for the presentation. I hope we can… I don't know… work well together and stuff. Maybe."

Shit, he couldn't even remember the last time he went through with such formalities. Eloquent, he certainly was not.

"If you promise to do your share of the work, I'm sure we can get along… and stuff."

Was that a hint of amusement in her eyes? Why that little–

"Great," he breathed. "You won't have to worry about me slacking off because I really can't afford to muck up my studies anymore – with the upcoming university entrance exams and all that jazz. So… Are you free after school today? For discussion, I mean. Or do you have club activities or something?"

"I'm afraid I have roster duty today, Sarutobi-san, but I'm free after. We could work together somewhere on the school grounds, if you don't mind."

"Umm, alright. See you later, I guess, Hyuuga-san," replied Konohamaru, shuffling off.

He arrived at back at his desk to find his seat occupied by a certain classmate of his. From the upwards quirk of his pursed lips, it was evident that Inari was trying to hold back his laughter.

"Way to look like a guy trying not to make a fool of himself when asking a girl out, Scarves," grinned the other brunet. "Very entertaining."

"Sod off, Tazuna," Konohamaru huffed. "Besides, I can't help that I'm allergic to perfectio– I mean, faultlessness."

Inari just shook his head, finally getting his ass out of Konohamaru's chair.

"It's all in your head, Sarutobi," he said, right as the school bell rang. "Just try and find something that would make her seem less perfect or whatever and keep it together. Oh, and the other two apologise for leaving so abruptly but they can't afford to be late for class."

Thinking of Inari's advice, it was something probably easier said than done. But, as Konohamaru grudgingly came to admit to himself, it was one way to start out. He can't knock it till he tried it, can he?

:::

.week one : smile.

…

So, there they were waving goodbye to the last of their classmates after roster duty (that Konohamaru decided to help out in on a whim) with the promise of locking up the classroom when they left. The pair aggregated at Hanabi's desk, Konohamaru having pulled a chair from the desk before.

"So, umm," Konohamaru started, "we can do a presentation about, well, anything, right?"

At Hanabi's affirmation, he ventured, "How about Shakespeare, then? It's a popular topic, right?"

"It is… but that would be a little boring, wouldn't it?" Hanabi asked, much to Konohamaru's surprise. "Besides, how much of Shakespeare have you read?"

"A couple of chapters."

"And how much of that did you really read?"

"… A couple of pages."

"Precisely why it would be too much of a hassle," said Hanabi. "We should take the opportunity of the open topic to choose one that catches our interest."

And while she talked, Konohamaru found himself preoccupied by her smile – and not exactly in a good way. Hanabi's smile was a newscaster's smile: impeccably symmetrical, showing off her pearly whites, and with a certain warmth that didn't quite reach her grey eyes. It was a pretty smile, he would admit, yet unnerving at the same time. It was just so…

"Artificial," he murmured under his breath.

"Excuse me?"

"That's fine with me," he said, covering up. "What are you into?"

How was it possible for a person to speak while keeping the barest hint of a smile on their lips? It had to be well-practiced, that's for sure – a rehearsed smile to accentuate her dimples and delicate cheekbones. Her smile was the kind that was meant to disarm people at socials, winning others' good graces and possibly some information.

"Hey, are you alright? You seem a little distracted."

Konohamaru blinked once, then twice, before answering.

"I'm sorry but I can't help– okay, it's your smile," he admitted. "It's the kind that people put on at socials. Seeing as we aren't at such a gathering or a business meeting, will you please put it away?"

She looked at him with eyes slightly narrowed from incredulity. "You have a problem… with my smile?"

"Yes– I mean, no. Well, maybe a little," he offered.

Hanabi then muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like, "And I thought I've finally got it down to an art."

Now it was Konohamaru's turn to be puzzled. "Umm, what?"

"Nothing. Now for the task at hand…"

They locked up the classroom and left the key with the administrative office once they've settled on mythology as a topic, promising to meet-up on Saturday with some research done. He offered to walk her to the train station since he was heading that way himself and they parted ways there.

It wasn't too bad, he decided during the train ride home. Maybe Inari was on to something after all.

:::

.week one : numbers.

…

He met her at some café near her place that allowed students to linger around for hours, so long as they were studying. She brought her primary research on printed out sheets while his work was done in a jotter half-filled with handwritten scrawls. After they exchanged formalities, it was down to business going through the other's work to find some common ground.

Scarcely fifteen minutes had pass before Hanabi said, "I'm sorry but your handwriting is rather hard to decipher. What are the words here?"

Konohamaru had the decency to be a slight bit embarrassed about his penmanship. The shame only intensified when he realised that he could hardly read the words in his own hand; it was marked by the prickling heat that crawled its way right up to the tips of his ears. As he stumbled over the words, she made superscripts in her own hand. He wasn't exactly surprised to find her handwriting about as neat as print.

It was when she went about noting down some dates that his interest was caught.

Bubbly, he supposed, would be the most apt description he could give on the way Hanabi wrote her numbers. With the exception of numbers five and six, most of them tended to be rather… top-heavy, he reckoned was the way to put it.

But what caught his attention the most was the way she wrote her eights. They were not done in a continuous line but in two separate loops that met in the middle. Hmm, perhaps there was something that this perfect high society girl couldn't do after all.

"Umm, did I misread the dates or something?"

Interrupted in his musings, the word "What?" slipped out of his lips before he could even mind himself.

"You've got them right," he finally replied.

His response prompted her to ask, "So, why were you staring so intently at the work?"

"It's just the way you write," he said, deciding to be honest. "It's… different."

"Thank you?"

"Why did that sound like a question?"

"Because what you said could have been interpreted as a compliment, critic or statement," said Hanabi. "I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt."

After a moment's pause, Konohamaru declared with a nod of his head, "It's a statement with a subtle hint of praise behind it."

She raised a hand to hide her laugh but the amusement in her eyes could not be missed. For a moment, her eyes did not seem to be their usual stormy grey but crystalline.

"Right," she said curtly once she had collected herself.

"Damn straight," said Konohamaru with a grin before resuming work.

:::

.week one : speech.

…

They agreed to have lunch in the café itself before starting on their written proposal and preliminary ideas on Mythology Across the Globe.

"So, are we going to write a draft in Japanese before translating it to English, or are we going to start with English right off the bat?" asked Konohamaru once they've eaten and drank.

The question earned him a small frown from Hanabi, who said, "Wouldn't it be easier to write in English right away?"

"Well, yes, but English isn't my best subject, that's for sure."

"It'll actually be trickier if we did it in Japanese first, seeing as our vocabulary is narrower in English than it is in Japanese," she reasoned. "Plus, the grammar and syntax is different for the two languages."

The points that Hanabi brought up was fair enough, Konohamaru acceded. He did warn her to be patient with him, though; it was obvious that she was confident in her command of the foreign language whereas he thought– no, knew that his mastery of it was severely lacking.

Yet, it was he who required the patience more than she did. It soon seemed like she was correcting one sentence for every three that he wrote down. And if that wasn't frustrating enough, there was that accent of hers when she dictated the amended sentence – one that made her sound like a reporter on BBC News. It was strange, almost like listening to someone speaking in dialect while others used the standard version of the language. It was crisper, sterner than the one they often used.

And then it hit him.

Good Lord, she was speaking in British English when they've only ever been taught the American version of the language. That was really weird. But strange as it might be, he found himself shrouded in an emotion that felt oddly like jealousy. Now that was weird because he certainly didn't fancy speaking in what he deemed an abnormal fashion.

"How did you learn to speak British English?" he blurted.

"I don't follow," she said. "It's only English – much like what we learn in school."

"How are you so good in English, then?" he pressed.

"I, umm," said Hanabi, "I sort of had a tutor back in middle school."

Konohamaru sighed, grumbling under his breath. "Sure you did."

:::

.week two : focus.

…

He was glad when they handed in the proposal and other written work; it meant that he wouldn't have to meet up with his partner until they've received the green light to carry on from their teacher. With that being said, the short reprieve did nothing to stop the ribbing from his friends. Well, actually, it was more like one friend in particular. Inari.

"So, Sarutobi, I take it that the date with Hyuuga-san went well," said Inari with a grin when his friend passed by his desk.

"Shove it, Tazuna," snapped Konohamaru in retaliation although the grin on his face betrayed that it was all in jest.

He knew that they were probably out of earshot but he looked towards Hanabi's direction anyway, just to make sure they were in the clear. After all, Hanabi's seat was at the front of the class. Inari's seat, on the other hand, was more towards the middle of the classroom, right up against the window. Konohamaru would catch Inari staring at the outside at times. He knew that the guy was probably homesick but that didn't stop the Sarutobi from making a joke or two at his friend's expense on occasion.

Konohamaru's own desk was in the second row from the back – the closest one to the backdoor. It had been quite some time since he ditched class but he was always compelled to choose the seat that would best allow him to make a discreet exit. These days, it was a seat that granted him a pretty good view of most of the class and their habits.

Physics was brutally boring, in Konohamaru's opinion, so it was no surprise when he found his focus slipping. Without thinking much of it, his attention flitted over to where Hyuuga Hanabi sat. Just as he had expected, the girl was hanging on to the teacher's every word, making quick (and undoubtedly, neat) notes on the topic. Typical, really.

Except…

Every time her pen was not in use, it was sent spinning expertly about her hand. The pen darted between her fingers and flipped over the back of her thumb, only to return comfortably into her grip. It was deft and precise work; so much so that Konohamaru felt his jaw slacken the slightest bit at the feat. He decided to give his own pen a spin only to have it clattering against his desk. It didn't take long before a familiar warmness inched its way up his neck. Okay, maybe he couldn't spin a pen but she could send it back and forth between her ring and index fingers impossibly quick, using her middle finger as a fulcrum.

Wait a minute… Wasn't fulcrum a term in Physics?

Damn it. He should be paying attention, shouldn't he?

:::

.week two : taste.

…

As it turned out, more than half the class' proposals were rejected, including the one that Konohamaru and Hanabi worked on. Their work looked too descriptive, or so it seemed; they needed to add in more of their own ideas and bring in some development in the points. With the revised paper due by the end of the week, their deadline was rather uncomfortably tight. And of course, Hyuuga Hanabi was not one to stew in failure for too long. The two of them agreed to an 'emergency' discussion scheduled at six, after his club practice.

Or at least, that was the plan. He was running late.

"Sarutobi-san, you're dripping."

"It's from the shower," he insisted firmly, and it was. The jog from the locker rooms to the school gate hadn't been enough to make him break into a sweat. "The guys from club thought it would be funny to hide my towel. Again."

She nodded before pulling out a packet of tissues.

"Here," she said, offering it to him.

He waved it off, saying that it was fine.

"You might get a cold," warned the Hyuuga. For the briefest of moments, Konohamaru entertained the idea that she was at least a tad concerned about his wellbeing but he banished the thought almost immediately. It was probably just a formality.

So, he laughed instead. "Haven't you heard? Idiots don't fall sick. Besides, I've got my scarf, haven't I?"

It looked like she had some sort of a comeback on the tip of her tongue when she chanced a glance skywards and left it at that. Well, it was getting late, Konohamaru had to admit. The sky was already glowing pink, purple and orange as they made their way to the train station. The train ride to his place was silent, as per the expected conduct; Konohamaru spent the time as he always did – staring at the city lights streak by against a rapidly darkening backdrop.

Konohamaru couldn't help but feel a little ill at ease when he let them into the studio apartment that he shared with his bro. The place was a little messy (as it always was when the two young men weren't expecting company) and small; the single room unit was sectioned off using temporary screens and dividers, providing just enough privacy for each of the two occupants. The kitchenette comprised of a refrigerator, a stove that has done little more than bringing water to boil, and a couple of drawers and cabinets that held a meagre amount of cutlery and a whole lot of junk food. At least there weren't any dishes left unwashed in the sink.

He led her into the living room after providing her with some indoor slippers, silently thankful for her tact. Konohamaru could hardly imagine what the living room in the Hyuuga Manor looked like; what he was certain of was that the living room looked nothing like his own. His living room was simple, to say the least. It was home to a low wooden table atop a simple rug and a small television pushed against the opposite wall. The table was bare, which he preferred over hastily stashing away the manuscripts his roommate wrote as a joke.

He served her tea he didn't even know they kept around the place, and she thanked him for his hospitality. They then got to work.

It was only when his stomach grumbled that Konohamaru realised that his guest might be hungry. As host, he offered to make them dinner but Hanabi politely declined, saying that she would feel bad for troubling him.

And then her stomach growled.

Konohamaru could barely hold back his chuckles when he extended the offer once more. Hanabi accepted it this time but asked that she be allowed to help – which was completely fine in Konohamaru's book as far as he was concerned. He did curse, however, when he realised that the fridge was empty save for half a tray of eggs, a carton of milk, some beer, and a packet of sliced cheddar.

Damn Naruto; it had been his turn to get the groceries.

"Umm… We're a little cleared out at the moment. Are you okay with instant ramen?" asked Konohamaru, closing the fridge door before Hanabi could manage a good look at the fridge's contents (or lack thereof). "If you aren't, we can always go get takeout or something."

There was an amused lilt in her tone when Hanabi answered, "Instant ramen is fine, thank you."

The ingenuity of instant ramen – especially those that came ready in a cup – lay in its simplicity; there wasn't much else to do besides adding hot water to it. In other words, there was a bout of awkward silence that followed Konohamaru putting the kettle on, and it was one that they couldn't just pretend did not exist.

He cleared his throat, wracking his mind for something to say.

"Would you like something to go with your ramen? We have some eggs lying about – oh, and some of those seaweed snacks if you're into the stuff."

Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. And people claimed he was a chatterbox.

"You wouldn't happen to have cheese available, would you? If you don't mind, that is."

With a nod, he went to fish the cheese out of the nearly-barren fridge, thankful that he didn't sound like a complete idiot. But at the sight of the expiry date on the packet, any sense of relief that he may have had left him in that instant.

He pulled a face, dropping the miserable pack of processed cheese into the rubbish bin. "I think it's safer if we put this away."

Konohamaru was just about to offer to run to the convenience store when a thought struck him.

"Wait. You put cheese in your instant ramen?" he asked. "That's kinda… really strange. No offence."

Hanabi's simple reply: "That's what I thought when I first heard of it. It's really not bad – it's pretty good, actually."

The Hyuuga heiress ate instant ramen on her own accord? Wow. Not that he was dissing the invention that probably saved a bunch of students with tight budgets but wasn't instant ramen some sort of a commoner food? He had always reckoned that the Hyuuga clan was above such cheap dishes.

"So," he began, resuming his host duties, "should I go buy cheese?"

"You're going to give cheese ramen a try?" asked Hanabi.

"I think I'll pass this time around."

It could have been his imagination but he thought he saw her shoulders slump just a little. Could it be that she was passionate about the dish?

He still had half a mind to run to the convenience store even when she insisted that plain ramen was fantastic in its own right.

:::

.week three : glitter.

…

They didn't speak to one another till the middle of week three. It wasn't because they were disagreeing but rather because they didn't have a reason to do so. Konohamaru did notice, however, that they've started nodding to one another in greeting when they passed each other by.

Hanabi approached him after class on Wednesday with their reviewed proposal. Their teacher might have accepted Construction of Knowledge in Mythology as a plausible topic but there were still some revisions that had to be made to their approach.

So, they were pretty deep in discussion when a rap came on the door. He jerked his head up on reflex to find one of their schoolmates at the door. He didn't know her – the girl from another class – but she definitely knew Hanabi. Konohamaru sent a warm grin her way, letting her know that she wasn't intruding. What she had to say to Hanabi seemed urgent as compared to their presentation project at the time being.

It was when Hanabi turned to speak with her friend that he noticed it. He saw it the moment the sunlight filtering in through the classroom windows caught in her dark brown hair.

Konohamaru couldn't help but bring it up when Hanabi's friend had left with a word of thanks to Konohamaru for letting her borrow Hanabi for a while. He said: "You have glitter in your hair."

She frowned, a hand reaching up to touch the top of her head as she did.

"Really?" asked Hanabi.

He nodded. It wasn't as if her hair was full of that stuff but it was speckled with just enough glitter to have caught his eye. And once he noticed the sparkling, he couldn't stop noticing it.

"I'm sorry. We tend to get stray glitter in our hair from club."

Konohamaru understood. "You're in dance, right?"

She shook her head. "I'm in gymnastics, actually. Rhythmic gymnastics, to be accurate."

Okay. That was a pretty embarrassing blunder on his part.

"Besides, wouldn't you have noticed me if I were part of the dance club?"

"I'm actually part of the street dance division, and we rarely end up collaborating with those from the more 'disciplined' styles," he fumbled, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Plus, I kind of vaguely remember that your performances are often accompanied by music, so I reckoned, you know, that you were in ballet or something."

"It's cool. Don't worry about it."

Konohamaru grinned. "Did you just say 'it's cool'?"

"Well, yeah," she admitted. "Is there something wrong?"

"I just didn't think that you high society people were even capable of sounding so casual."

"Yeah, we can; especially those of us from the younger generations," Hanabi rebutted. He watched as she frowned for a moment before saying, "But we don't use that sort of language around the elders; they can be so uptight that you would want to strangle either yourself or them by the end of the conversation."

At his stunned silence, she added, "Hey, I'm just playing."

He grinned. "Don't worry about it. It's cool."

:::

.week four : sweet tooth.

…

It was as if something has shifted after that time with the glitter. His morning routine changed, for one: after greeting his friends at school, he would make his way over to Hanabi's place to wish her a good morning even before dropping his bag. And (to his own surprise) he would find himself approaching her with questions about their coursework or to ask for notes if he happened to space out during the lesson. To Konohamaru, who was (allegedly) allergic to perfect, this was incredibly bizarre behaviour on his part.

It was almost as if they were friends. Almost.

She still called him 'Sarutobi-san' and it would be improper of him to address her by anything other than 'Hyuuga-san' in return. It was starting to bug him.

Come to think of it, he has never really addressed anyone so rigidly for such an extended period of time. He called Udon and Moegi by their given names right off the bat, and the way he addressed Inari was more out of jest than for courtesy's sake. Hell, he didn't even know his old teacher's surname; the guy was just 'Ebisu-sensei' to him all along.

But that was a thought that could be explored some other time.

Hanabi had yet to arrive when he found his attention drifting towards the little shop opposite the train station. He was early, the weather was sweltering for a winter's day, and he was starting to get hungry. And did he mention that he was a sucker for chocolate-covered bananas? Chocolate-covered frozen bananas sounded so good at the moment.

Konohamaru stole a quick glance at the station's digital clock before making up his mind. There was still approximately fifteen minutes of waiting, assuming that Hanabi would arrive five minutes before their agreed time. Fifteen minutes: plenty of time to make his way across the street, grab a snack and skedaddle back.

And so he did. The shop was a quaint little place, complete with a small antiquated bell ties to the door's handle. It specialised in frozen treats, which was a godsend on such an unusually hot day. Konohamaru was almost taken in by the rustic charm of the place (and the shade available) when he caught a glimpse of the clock. Tick tock. It wouldn't be long before Hanabi arrived.

Remember when he said that it was as if something had shifted recently? Well, the proof of it was held in the brown paper bad that he took with him when he left the shop a scarce five minutes later. Now, Konohamaru wasn't exactly well-to-do (seeing as he adamantly refused to lay a finger on his inheritance), and he didn't really indulge in such snacks very often. Yet, despite his frugality, a banana gelato stick accompanied the chocolate-covered frozen banana stick that he had intended from himself.

(And why a banana gelato stick? That way, he wouldn't exactly be losing out if Hanabi picked the chocolate-covered banana instead.)

Not ten minutes later, Konohamaru found out that Hanabi loved milk and bananas – and, by golly, was she bouncing on the spot? If that excited glimmer in her eyes was any indicator, she would do just about anything for a dessert that incorporated both her favourite foods.

:::

.week four : recalcitrance.

…

So, what did Sarutobi Konohamaru do with that bit of newfound leverage? He wasn't going to let it go to waste, that was for sure.

"What's the magic word?" he asked, withdrawing the bait when her fingers were just shy of grazing it.

"'Please?'"

"Wrong answer. Care to try again?"

"Sarutobi-san, what are you talking about?"

"No clue?" he asked, not even trying to keep the teasing tone out of his voice.

He then grinned, leaned in, and told her in a voice barely above a whisper: "Then catch me." Then he tore down the street as fast as he could, leaving a trail of appalled pedestrians in his wake.

He laughed when he could hear her sputter in surprise some distance behind him. "Sarutobi-san!" called Hanabi indignantly after him. It was then that it occurred to him that she might not give chase after all. Konohamaru slowed down and chanced a quick glance over his shoulder.

Hanabi was standing there, hands upon her waist with her arms akimbo, with narrowed grey eyes glaring at him when she shook her head – and, goodness gracious, did she just smirk? Well, that was his cue to pick up speed because the chase was on.

Konohamaru knew it was a bad idea at best, a disastrous one at its worst. They were being public nuisances, selfishly disrupting the peace on a Saturday morning. What they were doing was dangerous, too, with regards to those around them. And the desserts were melting; they had to be on such a mercilessly sunny day. His money would then join the sweets in the litter bin. What a waste that would be.

And he might be just a little embarrassed by the fact that she called out his name every few minutes. Everyone on the sidewalks probably knew him as 'Sarutobi-san' by then.

It didn't take too long for them to tire out, though; they were sprinting – trading stamina in for speed – after all. She must be tired by now, and with fatigue came the frustration that was leaking into her tone.

"Konohamaru!"

He came to an abrupt stop, sliding maybe half an inch along the path and probably burning the rubber of the soles of his trainers in the process. Konohamaru was winded, and there was a stitch in his side for what it's worth, but he was grinning in spite of it all.

"So you do know the magic word after all," stated Konohamaru as Hanabi jogged up to him.

A snort of laughter escaped him at the sight of her. Her face was flushed from exertion, and her hair was windswept and in disarray. Her grey irises were barely there, just rimming her dilated pupils. She said nothing in response for her breath was still coming in puffs. No perfect high society girl would be caught dead in such a state of discomposure.

But when the amusement dissipated, he was left feeling kind of bad about the whole debacle. So strong was his sense of guilt that he found himself handing her the paper bag with both sweets intact. She deserved the treat – and maybe even an apology.

"Hyuuga-san, I–"

"Hanabi," she said, interrupting him. "If I'm going to address you by your given name, we might as well be on a first name basis."

They Hyuuga then fished the chocolate-covered banana out of the bag and handed it to him.

"And thank you for treat," Hanabi added. Needless to say, Konohamaru was relieved to see that her eyes held no animosity. In fact, they've sort of acquired a mischievous gleam to them.

In retrospect, it was actually quite incredible how bold and spontaneous she could be. The heir of the Hyuuga family had actually been game enough to chase him around, reproach be damned.

And what was even more amazing was the sudden degeneration of her pen-spinning abilities. It took a lot of self-control for him to bite back a grumble when the stray pen clipped him on the side of the head yet again – on accident, of course.

Well, maybe he did deserve that.

:::

.week five : wordsmith.

…

"I don't understand how you girls do it."

In the short trek from their school gates to the train station, they had passed numerous banners and reminders that Valentine's Day fell within that week. It was rather overwhelming, all that red, white and pink. The plethora of chocolate brands promoted during the season, on the other hand, was intimidating.

"What do you mean?" asked his companion.

"The whole Valentine's Day business," clarified Konohamaru. "How do you decide on who to get gifts for? I mean, most of us guys just return the favour. Are there politics involved?"

Impassively, the brunette responded, "With girls, there are always politics involved."

He was stunned silent for a beat before he realised that it was a joke, and he couldn't help but laugh in appreciation when he did figure it out. As it turns out, the girl was a deadpan snarker but his friendship with Udon had taught Konohamaru to pick up visual cues. Hanabi would bite her bottom lip just a little, and the left corner of her lips would be upturned ever so slightly. His laughter would then trigger a full-fledged, genuine smile – one that favoured her left side enough to reveal only one dimple. He liked this smile a lot more than the one she finally learned to put on after hours of practice in front of a mirror.

"So," Konohamaru drawled, "is there a lucky someone who would be receiving honmei choco from you this year? C'mon, you can tell me; girl or guy, I won't judge."

She made a show of rolling her eyes at him. "I don't do that sort of thing; actually, right up to this point, I can't make homemade chocolate – there never was a reason for me to learn how to."

"Ouch, that's cold," commented the boy. "Let's find someone to thaw out that heart of yours before it freezes over. I know! Inari's available–"

"Konohamaru."

"What? You're not into guys? Okay, then. There's always–"

"Konohamaru."

Over the time that he has spent with her, Konohamaru had learned (the hard way) that Hanabi really lived up to her name. If any soul were to mess with fireworks, they would have to brave the possibility of getting their fingers burnt. In other words, there was no way that girl isn't going to get even with him.

Come February fourteenth, everyone in Konohamaru's small circle of close friends had received giri choco – obligation chocolate – from the Hyuuga girl save Hanabi's presentation partner himself (much to the surprise of Udon, who barely knew the Hyuuga at all).

"Where's my giri choco?" asked Konohamaru, acting petulant.

"Are we friends?" she asked. "Besides, you're popular with the ladies; you could do without one more piece of chocolate, right – to save you the fats?"

With that said, she threw a smirk his way before sauntering off, leaving the poor Sarutobi to the mercy of his chuckling friends. Talk about getting burned.

It wasn't until after club practice that a freshly-showered Konohamaru found an additional gift amongst his stash. Given that there were only two girls who knew of his fondness for chocolate-covered bananas, and that Moegi had given him a box of commercial chocolate for Valentine's day, it wasn't hard to figure out the person behind the gift.

Konohamaru smiled as he slipped his mobile phone out of his bag. He sent her an email that read:

{I thought you didn't do that sort of thing.}

It didn't take long before his phone chimed.

Her reply was simple. {I don't.}

{Yeah, right.} he typed before reaching into his bag to pull out a shirt. {Tell me, is it homemade?}

{What gave you that idea?}

{Hmm… I don't know – maybe it was the plain, brand-less paper bag I found it in? Hey – didn't you say that you didn't know how to make chocolate.}

His phone rang again as he left the locker rooms. He didn't check his emails till he was at the train station, switching his phone to manners mode.

{I said that up to that point the other day, I couldn't – and that's the truth. I said that I don't do such things, and that's true, too. And weren't you whining about not receiving giri choco from me?}

The snort of laughter that escaped turned heads his way, leaving him to whisper an apology to those in vicinity aboard the train.

{You know what? I'm leaving the wording of our presentation to you. And thank you for the homemade giri choco – the faith I had in you wasn't misplaced after all. See you tomorrow.}

:::

.week six : stubborn.

…

If there was one thing that was inescapable in every partnership, it was conflict. With two weeks left till the date of the presentation, the pressure was on.

The two were at his house again, working late into the evening. They had spent the entire afternoon sieving through their paper for factual errors and grammatical problems. Working in such close proximity when tensions were high, however, was probably not that great an idea.

And so Konohamaru was fuming silently to himself, and Hanabi was doing the same on the other side of the table. Hard-headed and a know-it-all, the girl couldn't stand being corrected even if she was obviously in making a mistake. Just because she constantly outscored him at school didn't mean that she was always right, damn it. Hey, he knew some stuff, too.

Their bickering had tapered off into a case of the silent treatment. Konohamaru was busy making edits to the presentation slides while Hanabi went through their sources with a kind of fervour possessed only by the furious. Both parties adamantly refused to make eye-contact; he didn't bother asking for her much-needed opinions on their presentation layout, and she refused to borrow his USB stick even if it would make the search for the answer a lot easier on her part.

It went on long enough that Konohamaru began to wonder if he should make amends just to put an end to the cold shoulder.

"I'm sorry."

His jaw dropped. Did Hyuuga Hanabi just apologise?

"I'm sorry," she repeated with a sigh. "The year that you insisted on was right all along. I'm sorry for my behaviour as well – that was really shameful conduct on my part."

Konohamaru wanted to crack a joke to lighten the atmosphere but not a single one came to mind. Instead, what tumbled off his lips was: "Don't worry about it. The stress gets to me as well."

"Tell you what," he continued. "Let's take a break."

"It's getting late."

"It's only for a little while," Konohamaru insisted. "We'll go out for a bit and have some fun to get the juices flowing again. We can do dinner after and then come back to the apartment to get work done again. Is that cool with you?"

She sounded a little hesitant but Hanabi relented. "It's cool."

:::

.week six : persistence.

…

"We're at the local youth zone."

"Astute observations there," he replied. She nudged him in the side as payback for the sarcasm.

Hanabi snapped back: "Do you even know what 'astute' means?"

"Ye– " he began but one look at the scepticism written across her face had him confessing. "No."

The air was warming up as February died, and Konohamaru would be the first to admit that he wasn't a fan of the flip-flopping weather. It could be crisp and chilly one day, and hot enough to leave skin prickling the next. At the moment, the air was cool but it was a little humid as well.

Nevertheless, Konohamaru turned towards Hanabi to ask: "Have you ever tried free-running?"

"Free-running?" she repeated before the confusion written across her face cleared up. "You mean like parkour?"

He nodded. "Yes, exactly like parkour. Would you like to give it a go?"

Konohamaru was pretty certain that she would agree even before she did; Hanabi wasn't one to shy away from a challenge. He was also pretty confident that she would take to it. Being a gymnast, he expected her sense of balance to be beyond reproach. He could tell that she would master the basics in no time.

And Hanabi's performance didn't disappoint. It was only when they tried to free-run that she was stumped. After a few false starts, Hanabi admitted, "I don't know where to go."

Well, there was only one remedy that he could think of on the spot.

"If you manage to get ahold me," he said, "I'll finally give that cheese and instant ramen thing a chance."

Without further ado, he took off towards the nearest bench and vaulted across it.

He kept it simple at first, making his way across long stretched of plains and over small obstacles like narrow drains, but when he found her catching up to him, Konohamaru decided to kick it up a notch. They went over walls just below the level of her shoulders; he paused each time to make sure that she had made it safely across the wall. Of course, he did take precautions to make sure that she was safe. At times, it felt as if he was looking back more often than he did ahead. The track he chose was also devoid of narrow ledges and risky drops, just to be on the safe side.

When he went around some steps that led to the skate park, it didn't occur to him that Hanabi might try vaulting off the railing. But she did, and it sent her careening right into him. It was quite a miracle that he managed to twist mid-air to avoid planting his face into the grown. With that being said, his back hurt.

And so did his ribs given that he had grabbed her forearm in reflex, effectively pulling the girl on top of him. Konohamaru groaned, tapping Hanabi on the side, wordlessly telling her to please get off.

"Sorry," she mustered. "I didn't expect that to happen. Are you alright?"

It took him a couple gulps of air before he could respond.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Though if your knees had landed an inch or so higher, you probably would have busted my balls."

"Oh."

"Yep. That would have been one hell of a catastrophic penis injury."

He cut her off when she opened her mouth to say something, adding, "And don't you tell me off for using such crude language."

"I wasn't going to," said Hanabi. "I was about to say that I'm really, really sorry."

"Right," Konohamaru said, getting up and dusting himself off. "Anyway, your perseverance is remarkable. Now, come on – let's go find out if cheese and instant ramen is as good as you make it out to be."

:::

.week six : uniform.

…

Konohamaru absolutely hated uniform spot-checks, and no wonder – no matter how hard he tried, there was always something about his uniform that violated the school dress code. Sometimes, he would get in trouble because his shirt was not tucked and was missing its top button; other times, it was because of his scarf; and other times still, it was because of his trousers – they were either hanging awkwardly above his ankles due to an unforeseen growth spurt, or they were too baggy for the discipline master's tastes.

This time, however… It was his blazer that did him in. The problem: he wasn't wearing one. He had forgotten it in his haste to get to school on time. Konohamaru was so going to have a word with his bro about turning others' alarms off in the morning; he set that alarm for a reason, damn it!

And then Hanabi walked out of the classroom. He raised his eyebrows in surprise. As far as he could see, her uniform was faultless. Her hair was neatly in a French braid; her shirt was impeccably white and tucked into her skirt; she had her sweater-vest on despite the increasingly warm weather. There wasn't a crease to her skirt and her socks went up to just below her knees.

At his curiosity, she tugged at her skirt. Not quite getting it, Konohamaru jerked his head in question. She rolled her eyes.

"They found out that my skirt is folded in at the waist."

He grinned. "Never pegged you as the type to roll up your skirt. What are you trying to do – nab a boy's attention?"

"Maybe."

Konohamaru frowned, lips pursed in a thin line. That didn't sit well with him; she was only just sixteen for goodness' sake! Didn't that make her a little too young to be thinking of boys that way? Well, not exactly; Moegi had her first boyfriend back in middle school. That hadn't sat well with him, either. The redhead had frequently complained that he was being overprotective back then, and the week's suspension from school for beating the bastard up when the guy broke Moegi's heart had been totally worth it.

Maybe that was it: he was overprotective of his friends.

He was just about to ask if she was serious when he caught sight of that telltale almost-smile.

"You're joking."

"What? Did you think I was being serious?"

:::

.week seven : animation.

…

That was it. It was done.

A wave of victory washed over him as he hit 'CTRL + S' for (hopefully) the last time. After slogging through numerous revisions and countless edits over the week, their scripts and presentation slides were ready. All that was left left to worry about was the actual presentation itself but there were only so many times one could rehearse before being driven insane. It couldn't be helped – they were taking the weekend off, be it to celebrate the end of their preparation work or to enjoy a well-deserved breather.

So when Udon, Moegi and Inari agreed to hang out over the weekend, Konohamaru nearly leapt for joy. Yes, please. He was dying for an excursion with his friends. It has been ages since they hung out together as a group–

And then Inari suggested inviting Hanabi along.

Konohamaru rolled his eyes; he was about to snark back at Inari for his jab when Moegi seconded the idea. What a traitor, Konohamaru thought, so much for being friends. But Moegi did look earnest enough about the idea for Konohamaru to check if Udon was on board with the idea. The bespectacled boy just shrugged and nodded. Well, then.

"Hey," Konohamaru greeted as he approached the Hyuuga. "Would you like to hang out this Saturday? We agreed to take a break from the presentation after all, and Moegi's looking forward to having another girl around for once."

"Are you sure your friends wouldn't mind?"

"Them?" he asked, jerking a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of said friends. "They're the ones who insisted that I ask you to join us. The plan is to just roam the mall together; we'll most likely have lunch, window shop, and maybe catch a movie if something catches our eye. So, what do you say? Are you game?"

Hanabi hummed to herself before nodding. "That sounds cool to me. Why not?"

"Cool," Konohamaru echoed, offering a smile as he did. Over time, the word 'cool' had evolved into some sort of an inside joke between them. When he thought about it, Konohamaru came to realise that he didn't really bring up that word all that often when conversing with anyone else, and he doubted that Hanabi did either.

In hindsight, it was kind of embarrassing how eager he had been over trip but that enthusiasm definitely wasn't misplaced. It had been so long since they've hung out together that Konohamaru almost missed Moegi stringing them along to ogle at whatever shop had caught her fancy. When they went to lunch at some fast food outlet with a free-flowing soda, the three boys' agreed to put their stomachs and taste buds to the test; they placed themselves at the mercy of some vile blend that the girls concocted. It was, hands down, the most disgusting thing that Konohamaru had ever tasted; he could have sworn that some of his nose hairs were singed in the process. Konohamaru was genuinely impressed when Udon managed to down the whole thing, and Inari was left slackjawed at the feat. The boys of class 3-A could barely hold down five gulps of the 'drink' between the two of them.

The gang decided to catch a movie when lunch was done and out of the way. Moegi was looking forward to the latest blockbuster but Konohamaru reckoned he might die in his seat before the protagonist in the romantic tragedy did. Konohamaru, in turn, was looking forward to something with elements of comedy in it, and that led to a short bicker session between the pair of close friends. As the mediator of the group, Udon then saw it wise to suggest something else – something like the latest sci-fi movie, perhaps. That idea seemed like a good one to Inari; he was just looking for some action. The boy in the bucket hat was interested in a thriller but he wasn't really particular. Moegi and Konohamaru, however, were pretty passionate about their choices. It looked like they were on the brink of an argument when Inari cut it short with a blow to Konohamaru's ribs.

The complaint on the tip of Konohamaru's tongue died on the spot when he realised what Inari was trying to point out to him. Some distance away, the youngest of their posse was staring rather fixedly at a movie poster.

"You into animated films or something?" called Konohamaru.

Most teenagers would strongly deny the accusation – Konohamaru knew he definitely would even if animation was sort of a guilty pleasure of his – but not Hyuuga Hanabi.

"I wouldn't know," she said evenly. "I've never watched one."

Konohamaru sputtered. "You've never…? Not Disney–? Or even Studio Ghibli–?"

When Hanabi continued to shake her head, Moegi decided that it was time to intervene.

"That settles it," announced the redhead. "We're watching an animated film."

:::

.week seven : underwater.

…

He was partway through the movie when he remembered that there were two packets of banana milk stashed away someplace in his backpack. And just to be clear, the Sarutobi boy didn't intend to smuggle beverages into the theatres. He didn't think anything of it either when he slipped an extra pack of the drink into his bag. And seeing as there was a wall to his right, it made perfect sense to offer a Tetra Pak of the lukewarm drink to the person on his left, who just happened to be Hanabi.

What he found when he turned to offer the girl a drink was a truly amusing sight. Highlighted by the blue glow of the big screen, Konohamaru could just make out the slightly puffed contour of Hanabi's cheek. Her lips were pressed tightly together into a thin line. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Hanabi was holding her breath.

She didn't seem to notice that he noticed her odd behaviour for she was staring fixedly at the screen with her eyes narrowed. Perplexed, Konohamaru turned towards the movie. On screen, the hero and his friends were sinking towards the seabed in a heavily damaged car. It took the brunet a lot of self-control to keep himself from bursting into laughter when he realised what exactly was Hanabi up to.

Instead, he settled back into his seat and patiently waited for the underwater scene to end before wordlessly handing Hanabi the drink.

:::

.week seven : premonition.

…

It was pretty late in the afternoon when the movie ended, so Konohamaru thought it would be grand idea to invite his friends over to chill at his place. He suggested getting pizza for an early dinner and even offered to buy it. The ruse didn't go unnoticed, however; Udon and Moegi knew Konohamaru well enough to know that he didn't want the day out to end just yet.

So when they declined, it was done with no small amount of regret. They had promised that they would be home for dinner with their families, and Inari had agreed to meet up with the rest of the basketball team. Konohamaru understood, of course; he waved it off saying that it was no big deal. Disappointment had become a familiar friend over the years and he was pretty good at hiding it.

After his friends left, he couldn't help but ask Hanabi, whom he was accompanying to the train station:

"Would you like to come over? My offer still stands. We can try getting you up to speed on animated feature films if you like."

She agreed to the idea without hesitation. He flashed a grateful smile in return; Konohamaru might be dense at times but he could that tell that she was doing this for his sake. It was something about Hanabi that he had learned over time. Despite her status as heir apparent to one of the richest clans around, Hanabi was kind, and that kindness showed itself in a subtle way. It kind of humbled him.

But instead of watching countless movies, they spent the evening trying out various card games – something that Hanabi wasn't exposed to as well. She was in the midst of fishing out a card from the deck when she paused and frowned.

"What's up?" he asked. She remained frozen for a while before shaking her head, saying, "No. It's probably nothing."

Konohamaru was about to let it slide when a peculiar noise caught his attention. Was that giggling outside his door? Before he could even get up to investigate, a key jiggled in the lock and the door burst open to reveal his blond flatmate in the company of a young lady. They were so caught up in each other that the presence of the two teenagers went unnoticed by them. And as much as he looked up to Naruto as an older brother figure (although it could be because he looked up to Naruto as an older brother figure), the display of affection at the doorway left Konohamaru rather uncomfortable.

Konohamaru cleared his throat. "Welcome back, onii-chan. I didn't expect you to be back so early – not when you said that you would be back late."

The face that Naruto made when he balked in surprise was priceless. "Konohamaru! I thought you would be out with friends."

"Clearly there has been some miscommunication at hand," commented Konohamaru wryly. He was about to make another biting remark when he felt a hand on his arm.

"Didn't we always say we would try out that new place down the street?" Hanabi asked hurriedly. Konohamaru was left confused; the newly-opened diner never did crop up in their conversations. Taking advantage of his silence, Hanabi added, "I think it's high time we tried the food there, wouldn't you agree?"

Konohamaru pulled a face. That place would burn a whole right through his wallet. He had already spent far too much as it stood.

"I'll pay for dinner," said Hanabi in a whisper as she steered him towards the door and past the couple who appeared to have been shocked still.

"And by the way," she tossed casually over her shoulder, "a pizza will be arriving in about fifteen minutes or so. Enjoy your evening, onee-sama."

They had barely made it out onto the streets when Konohamaru blurted, "That was your sister?"

"Brilliant job, Sherlock."

"So when you froze up – was that some kind of sibling telepathic connection or something?"

She wrinkled her nose a little before replying, causing him to have to hold back a chuckle. "Let's just call it intuition."

:::

.week eight : kana.

…

All presentations for English class were expected to be carried out by Wednesday, and theirs – in particular – was due in the next two hours or so. Konohamaru was busy getting in the zone, pushing any and all of the anxiety gnawing in the pit of his stomach to the side. He was a performer and arguably the best at bullshit this side of town. A burst of adrenaline was all he needed to put on a good show.

Hanabi, on the other hand, had sentenced herself to exile. She was seated in a nearby corner with her eyes shut and ears plugged, reciting her monologue under her breath. Her stack of cue cards was placed on the table in front of her. She didn't need it, of course, but it was some sort of a security blanket. He wasn't judging, though. There was a slab of acrylic hidden amongst his own set of cards – just in case he needed to grip something hard to shake off the nerves.

Out of boredom, Konohamaru plucked his friend's cue cards off the table. His jaw dropped when he noticed a mixture of hiragana and katakana characters penned neatly above every printed word. From what he could discern from her mumblings, Hanabi was doing just fine. Her speech was eloquent and her diction was commendable. It was all very professional.

Konohamaru didn't bother hiding his grin when Hanabi finished her mantra to find her script in the boy's hands. And for the first time since he had gotten to know her, a trace of pink took to her cheeks. She gave a small cough and reached over for her things, and Konohamaru relented.

He thought that she might be expecting a crack from him over her nervous habit but that would be a jerkass move, even by his standards.

Instead, he bumped her shoulder with his, saying, "It'll be fine."

"Okay," she said, but he could tell that she wasn't convinced.

"Tell you what," he proposed. "I'll buy you a cupcake when this is all over – just to celebrate a job well done. And don't you start– With you as my buddy, there's no way that this can be anything but a job well done."

And when she smiled and thanked him for the pep talk of sorts, it was so warm that he thought he might melt on the spot.

:::

.week nine : cupcake.

…

He didn't really get to see Hanabi much after the cupcake celebration. The study break for third year students began the day after all the presentations were completed. As far as he knew, Hanabi was studying hard back at her family's mansion. They still traded email messages but that was all. He would never admit it but he kind of missed her.

He was working on the practices in his literature study guide when an elderly man walked into the café. The even went unregistered by Inari, whom Konohamaru was studying with. It had been a long day and he could feel his focus slipping. He wasn't physically and mentally conditioned for such intense studying and that was extremely frustrating for him because he knew that he should be studying. He was drained but Inari was still hard at work and Sarutobi Konohamaru, of all people, knew that there were no shortcuts to success; so he kept on trying to push through this barrier.

But all the fight he had left for the day fled him when he happened to overhear the conversation at the counter. The gentleman with the salt-and-pepper hair asked if he could make a reservation for carrot cupcakes, and as he filled in the details of the order and delivery of the baked goods, he talked about how much his wife loved them.

Now that shouldn't have caught Konohamaru concern – and if it had been any other time and place, it probably wouldn't have – but it did. That completely irrelevant conversation brought an image (a memory, actually) to his mind somehow. It made him think of the banana walnut cupcake that they had to celebrate the end of the presentation, and of the way Hanabi enjoyed hers. She probably wasn't even aware of it but she had picked all the walnut pieces topping the cupcake and popped them into her mouth one by one before finally digging into the cupcake itself. And for some reason, that brought a smile to his face.

He didn't even know what he was doing in front of the counter, and the girl who was manning it was asking if she could help him with anything. The request tumbled right off Konohamaru's lips before he could even pay mind to it:

"Do you have anything with bananas in them?"

Inari was a little surprised when Konohamaru returned to the table with a choco-banana muffin on a plate. The brunet looked a little dazed as he bit into the treat. This behaviour worried Inari. Konohamaru, for as long as Inari had known him, was always alert.

"Stress eating, bro?" asked Inari, trying to sound as if he was poking fun at the younger teenager.

Konohamaru just took another bite of the cupcake, frowned, and muttered, "No. This won't do."

The Sarutobi, looking as if he had just come back to mind, then posed a peculiar question. He asked: "Didn't you once mention a small oven available in your boarding school pantry?"

"Yes," said Inari. The upward inflection of his tone gave the single word an inquisitive quality.

"Can I borrow your keys?" asked Konohamaru as he began putting his things away. "You know – to borrow the oven?"

"Why? Are you planning on baking?"

"Umm yeah," said Konohamaru, zipping up his bag. "It's White Day tomorrow."

Inari frowned. "Didn't you already prepare the return gifts? You were there getting white chocolate along with the rest of us."

"I… had a change of he– mind. I had a change of mind. So can I borrow your keys please?"

The boy with the jet black hair wasn't entirely convinced but he fished the keys out of his pocket nevertheless. Konohamaru snatched them up immediately with a word of thanks, hoisting his bag up to his shoulder as he did.

"I didn't know that you bake."

"I don't," admitted Konohamaru. "But I'm pretty good at Chem Lab."

Konohamaru, Inari decided, was going to end up burning the dormitories to the ground before the next sunrise.

:::

.week ten : farewell.

…

He could hardly believe it – he had just graduated high school.

The graduation ceremony was over and done with, and the graduating students had been left to their own devices. Most decided to roam the school, spending precious time with their friends and teachers. Konohamaru, on the other hand, was alone at the spot he once deemed his hideout: the school roof. He leaned against the railing, watching students as they left the school grounds for what may be the last time.

He couldn't possibly describe his feelings at the moment for there were just so many emotions at play. Konohamaru was glad to have graduated high school and its rigid curriculum. He was also relieved to have been accepted into a more-than-decent university; it wasn't Todai but it was good enough. There was also nostalgia but the sound of footsteps cut him off his thoughts before he could inspect them thoroughly.

"Moegi said that I might find you here."

He didn't even need to turn around to know who had come to join him. Over the last school term, that voice had become very familiar to him.

"Congratulations," Konohamaru said. "The University of Tokyo, right? Todai?"

Hanabi nodded with a word of thanks before saying, "Nice shirt."

Konohamaru laughed at the 'compliment'. The button-down school shirt was a complete mess. There were well-wishes and doodles all over the shirt, and it had been completely stripped of its buttons. It made him kind of glad to be wearing a t-shirt beneath his school uniform. His school blazer was tied around his waist at the moment.

"It's been one hell of a ride the last three years," he said.

"Yeah," she agreed. "And I don't know why but I loved it."

Konohamaru nodded, staring at the red sun dipping behind the town's skyline. "I learned a lot in the last then weeks."

"My high school experience wouldn't have been complete without the last ten weeks," Hanabi mused. She paused for a moment before adding, "Thank you. I'm glad to have met you."

He hadn't anticipated something like that. The brunet turned to face the petite young lady with similar words on the tip of his tongue. The words died on his lips at the sight of her basking in the evening's orange light. It made him wonder if he was in the right frame of mind when he first thought that she was a cold person. Hyuuga Hanabi was nothing if not warm.

Hanabi turned to face him when she noticed his extended silence. It could have been a trick of the light but when she looked up at him, he could have sworn that she looked absolutely divine. There were questions in her eyes – those gorgeous grey eyes that carried wit, mischief and concern within them.

"Yeah, same here. I'm glad to have met you, too."

She could hear him perfectly fine even when he spoke in a voice barely above a whisper. The distance between them had vanished without either party noticing it. He could have kissed her if he leaned in right then.

And he really did want to–

But he won't.

Konohamaru has had time to think recently, and it was after all that thinking that he was struck with some sort of an epiphany. It was a painful piece of insight that he couldn't stand to face but it was one that was true nonetheless.

The last ten weeks of high school had revealed to him the many quirks and facets of Hyuuga Hanabi – the one whom he thought to be a perfect high society girl. And with every little gem that he unearthed about her, she had become that much more of an actual person in his eyes. Hyuuga Hanabi, with all of her flaws and idiosyncrasies, had become so real to him that he had started envisioning her as part of his reality.

But those traits that added much dimension to her character did nothing to diminish the fact – the painfully true fact – that she was, indeed, a perfect high society girl.

And perfect high society girls deserved better than mediocre, hedonistic rascals like him.

So he fished through his pockets instead, and pressed a button into the palm of her hand.

"Here," said Konohamaru. "I saved one for you."

"Thank you," said Hanabi, polite as ever.

And they just stood there in the silence. She didn't ask about the button, and he didn't tell her that it was the second one from the top.

"I guess I'll see you around. Maybe," he said.

Hanabi nodded. "Yeah. Maybe."

It was during the lonely train ride home that Konohamaru came upon the conclusion that Hanabi was really lousy at goodbyes.

But, to be fair, so was he.

.end.

A/N:

Thank you very much for reading. I hope that you've enjoyed the story.

And for the record, this is probably the longest oneshot I've ever written to date.

When I opened this piece with a disclaimer, I admitted to taking artistic licenses. I'm really sorry about that.

For those who might be interested, here's a list of changes that I've made for the benefit of the story:

* Inari's name. Officially, his name is recorded only as 'Inari'. 'Tazuna' is the name of his grandfather, the bridge builder.

* Academics. I've never studied in Japan so I'm not exactly sure of its curriculum and teaching methods. I'm not even sure if high school students in Japan are required to partner up for projects, never mind one in a foreign language. What would be interesting to point out is that the characters in this piece aren't as stressed out as they should be. Most third year students would have pulled out of club activities and enrolling in cram school by then in preparation of their university entrance exams.

* University entrance exams. The nation-wide exams are held over two days sometime during mid-January. This piece makes it seem as though the examinations are held shortly before graduation. I'm really sorry about this error.

* Climate. Coming from a region with tropical climate, I've really no clue what the weather in Japan is like from January to March (or all year round, actually).

* Culture. The culture portrayed is based off surface-level research and imagination. I deeply apologise for the inaccurate portrayal of the culture, and for any offence that I might have caused.

* Personality. It's been awhile since I've watched or read Naruto religiously, so the characters could be rather out of it.

Well, those are the major ones that I can think of at the moment. The whole list was actually just a ploy to try and hide an optional 'epilogue' scene below.

The following epilogue might end up ruining the whole piece for some. You have been forewarned, dear reader.

:::

.epilogue.

…

"CEO. Wow."

The young man looked up from his task of shoving papers into his bag and mustered a smile when she alerted him of her presence. The place was pretty quiet, save for the soft hum of distant conversations filling up the air. There were still occasional snaps from cameras here and there but most of the journalists had left with the audience of the press conference. Konohamaru supposed that it was private enough to hold a conversation.

"Congratulations."

"Thank you."

He couldn't say that he was surprised to see her. Konohamaru didn't manage to spot her face amongst the crowd but he figured that she would be present. After all, this was the public announcement of the company's new CEO, and the corporation that Hyuuga Hanabi belonged to was one of their closest business partners.

But he certainly didn't count on her approaching him.

"How are you?" Konohamaru asked. "It's been a while. I think we've barely spoken to each other since–"

"Since my sister's wedding, yes," agreed Hanabi.

He caught her eyes flitting away for the shortest of moments and found that rather strange. Hyuuga Hanabi – dubbed by the press as the most promising career woman of their time – was not one to break eye contact or show any other signs of distress. On the contrary, this young woman was famous for her poker face and collected demeanour. And yet, Konohamaru could have sworn that she bit her lip. Of course, the little tic was gone the moment he blinked.

The atmosphere was heavy, saturated with a kind of tension that refused to diminish over the years – in fact, it seemed to have grown. For the first time in the longest of times, Konohamaru didn't know what to say.

"You look amazing."

He had no idea why he said that but it was true nonetheless. Hanabi looked every bit the professional corporate woman she was decked out in a cream blouse, dark blazer and black pencil skirt. He picked up on her minimal make-up as traces of eyeliner around her eyes and gloss upon her lips; the Hyuuga Hanabi he had known back in high school never did wear make-up.

"Thank you," she said. "You look very dashing yourself."

And there was that burning sensation crawling up his neck yet again. Konohamaru adjusted his scarf (which had become a very defining feature of his) and thanked her. He shifted his weight between his feet; regardless of the time lapse, the young Hyuuga had a way of putting him on the spot. It was almost as if he was back on the school roof on that last day of high school.

"I wanted to kiss you."

Those words tumbled out in a hushed tone. He cursed at himself silently, hoping for the life of him that she didn't hear a thing. His luck, however, was as rotten as it had always been.

"I beg your pardon. I didn't quite catch that."

Don't even think of repeating yourself, Sarutobi–

"I wanted to kiss you that day on the roof, back when we were graduating."

Hanabi frowned, uncertain about this turn in conversation. Yet, she found it in her to admit, "I would have let you."

Konohamaru didn't know what to say in the face of that confession. This was just so Hanabi: brutally honest at the most unexpected times. He knew that he should probably say something but he couldn't.

And so she continued with a question of her own: "Why didn't you?"

He smiled a wry smile. The answer to that question was something that he had thought about countless times over the years.

"Perfect high society girls like you deserve better than good-for-nothing punks like me."

She wasn't fazed for even a moment. In deadpan, she asked, "So you decided to work hard and storm the corporate world someday to redeem yourself?"

Her underlying tone of accusation coloured his cheeks yet again. "Umm, yeah."

"That's stupid," said Hanabi pointedly and he found himself agreeing with her. "That's really stupid."

"I know," he said. "Do you think I can make it up to you over coffee?"

"No."

Konohamaru swore at himself silently; he had fucked up royally, hadn't he? But he couldn't blame her, either…

"It would take at least a week's supply of your homemade cupcakes before we're even. And a coffee date."

And there was that mischievous smirk on Hanabi's face. He had missed it.

"I can do that," he grinned, leading her out of the conference area.

It was on the way to the café that was once their haunt that Konohamaru had the cheek to ask: "If I still wanted to kiss you, would you still let me?"

Without missing a beat, Hanabi quipped, "Well, we'll just have to find out, wouldn't we?"

Good Lord, he was screwed. Hyuuga Hanabi was just so perfect – and he meant that in the best possible way.

:::