Old Friends.

Hana had been sitting next to a girl on a bench. Some could say this girl was Hana's first friend, which would make Grey her second. The two had met in the academy and became friends. They were both made fun of for their differences, which caused them to grow close together. When they both graduated, things seemed to get busy for Hana. She didn't forget about this other girl per say but she didn't get pushed to the back of Hana's mind. Then, she met Grey and things seemed to pick up more. However after running into the girl this morning, Hana had quickly remembered her and promised herself that she wouldn't slip the girl away again.

Hana would be staring into the sky now. Silence had befallen the two as they sat on a bench, which in turn would cause the girl to have her own time to think. Most of her thoughts were about her father but that was a normal thing for the girl. She often thought about him and becoming just like him. She often found herself thinking about the hard work she's done and the hard work she still has ahead. However they started to change when she heard the voice of her friend next to her.

"Well Shika, I don't think I've ever been in love. I mean if I was I would know right? But, I think I may have a crush." Hana's words would come out almost hesitant as they did when she usually told people about herself. However, she had known Shika for a while so she didn't mind to let her know a bit about her.

She looked up, trying to almost look through Hana. She would learn how to use her Byakugan eventually. She wondered so much about the feelings of the heart. She wanted to much to find someone who would complete her, and sweep her off her feet. She wanted so much, yet had so little.

"What's he like?" She asked with a warm smile. She wanted to much to know. Maybe she could learn from her friend and find someone to love. Maybe there was someone out there who cared for her, and she just hadn't noticed him yet.

The fact she had one friend was enough for her. Sure she was older than most of the kids in her class, but that was because she had been advanced. After all, she was put into a class prematurely, and as a result, flunked. However, the attempts after were made with ease, and done quickly. She failed, only because she spent her time trying to train herself to see with her Byakugan. Then... she passed when she met Hana.
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WC: 176
TWC: 307

As Hana sat next to the girl, her thoughts would shift to this crush of hers. However, she wouldn't be thinking too long before Shika had come up with another question. The Uzumaki would smile and look to Shika. "Well, he's sweet, very nice, fun, and he tries to act tough sometimes. I think all boys do that though. When he smiles, well it's a really nice smile although, I think he tries to hold back sometimes. He doesn't make me feel nervous either. He makes me feel like me. I just can't tell if he likes me though. I doubt he does. It's probably hard enough being friends with me. I mean with my crazy red hair and all. I don't know. I guess I can only dream." Hana would sigh after speaking and rest her head in her hands.

Hana sort of like him even if she tried to tell herself they were only friends. However, her thoughts usually always drifted back to before she had tried convincing herself. Hana knew she would never have the courage to tell him. If it worked out, Hana may just have her a perfect someone. However, if it didn't she might just end up alone but that wasn't such a bad idea either. It meant she would have,more time for herself and her friends. However, she also liked the idea of love. It was confusing really, which is why she thought of it often.

She smiled as he listened to her friend. It seemed refreshing to know that there were some boys out there who really made a difference. She could only hope she would find that someone eventually.

"I'd rather have your beautiful red hair, than to be stuck with Empty Head as a name," her eyes fell to her hands once more, thinking about all the names she was called over the years. She could only hope that one day someone nice would complement her. Maybe someone who didn't like her for her family's power...

"I wish I could find someone." She began to frown. Maybe her only hope was maturing her Byakuagan... that was it.. then she could find her true love!
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WC: 121
TWC: 428

Hana would smile at the compliment she was given. "Thank You, Shika. You know I don't think you are an Empty Head. Everyone's smart in their own way. Kinda of like my ancestor Naruto Uzumaki. You should know him. He was the seventh Hokage! I heard he wasn't very smart but look where he got. So, don't give up ever because behind that pretty head of yours is a girl that's smart in her own way. You just have to believe it." Hana would smile at Shika so the girl would know that Hana's words came completely from the heart.

"Don't worry I know you'll find someone. Just be you and someone will come along and accept that. Go it? Oh and don't forget I'm always here for you." Hana's smile would only grow as she spoke to Shika. She really hoped her words were helping. Hana only wanted to make the girl happy because she knew how it hurt to be picked on. She knew it wasn't any fun and she knew that nobody else cared. So, Hana decided she would care and she wouldn't let anybody get her friends down.

After her words had been spoken, Hana started to hear something. She started to hear a voice in the back of her head. 'There's the compassion I've been looking for. Looks like the sage wasn't wrong. Then again, he never is." Hana would sort of freeze as she heard the voice. It hadn't been since the dream that she heard it. Now, it was there, which means it really had happened. Hana started to believe maybe the creature had disappeared but now she knew full well it wasn't. However, Hana didn't know what to do. Should she acknowledged it? Did she just sit there and do nothing? Hana's face would begin to turn red as she thought about it.

"Believe it..?" he echoed. Hana smiled at her, only to assure her everything would be okay. She wanted to believe it. She wanted to hope that someone would catch her when she fell. But she was right. Shika did have Hana... That was enough... for now at least. They would care for each other when the world was harsh.

She looked up at Hana, only to see a collection of lines and darkness. She wasn't there.. to Shika at least. "Did I..." she thought to herself. "I DID." Her arms shot into the air, "I ACTIVATED MY BYAKUGAN!"

She cheered, only to fall off of the bench and onto her face. She could see the chakra... but she couldn't see anything else...

She was a mess... but maybe that's what made them who they were. They were both messes, in their own little way.
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WC: 144
TWC: 572 : Byakugan Immatured

Hana would be frozen in her own little world until she heard Shika yelling. This would cause the girl to jump slightly and look around frantically. However, when she looked over Shika wasn't there but she had fallen over, which would cause Hana to panic. " Ah! Shika, I'm sorry! I was lost in thought! Are you ok! Sorry! " Hana would stand up and rub her hands against her head very fast. ' Oh look! You distracted me! ' Hana would be speaking to the creature she had heard in her head. However, the reply would be different from what Hana expected.

'I was beginning to wonder when you'd acknowledged me.' This would make Hana stop and blink. ' Oh I'm Sorry. I just didn't know what to say. ' Hana's face would turn red as she replied to the creature. She would then rub her head again in frustration and look to Shika. She really hoped the girl was alright. It was quite obviously though that Hana wasn't used to hearing more than just her own voice in that head of hers.

Shika lay there on the ground, looking at her friend. She had her ind full of all of the adventures. Anyone looking at the both of them would just silently nod to themselves and walk on. "The troubled girls" they started to call them. Shika just looked up, ignoring the people that walked by. Hana and Shika got away with a lot of odd things just by being who they were. They almost never needed to apologize... but not many had high expectations of them.

"Who are you talking to?" She asked her. "... Is he nearby?!" she was curious to know. She wanted to know so much about love.

Hana would stop rubbing her head and blink at the people walking by. ' Troubled. Great now people think I'm crazy. ' Hana would say the the creature. ' Well, when you speak every word you think. ' Hana would blink once more as she began to reply. ' I am not speaking every- ' Hana would then be interrupted by Shika who was still lying in the ground, who had proved the flaming cats theory. Her question was sort of odd but Hana was used to them by now.

" No. I don't know where he is but it's not here. I was just talking to.... myself. " Hana would then look around to make sure her mysterious crush wasn't around. With a sigh of relief, Hana would speak again. " Shika, why are you still on the ground silly? You should get up. " Hana would smile at the girl as she offered her a hand. ' Usually, when I speak I know what I am talking about, child. ' The voice would say once again. Hana would then make a blank face with a hint of anger. ' Yeah. I'm sorry. ' Hana would think this time making sure not to speak and smiling when she didn't.

"Oh?" She got off the ground to roll away from the chair, eventually returning back to her seat. She looked at Hana, she seemed a bit off. But Shika was over joyed with her Byakugan to really delve into her detective work.

She peered at her friend once more. "... You gonna marry him?" She asked. She always seemed to fancy powerful heroes from novels and stories. She even sneaked a peek or two at the Make-Out Tactics series. She wanted to know everything. She just.. wanted someone.

Hana would watch Shika as she rolled over and stood up only to sit back in her seat. So, Hana would sit back down in her seat as she looked over at her friend, who seemed to look fine despite having fallen on her face. It always amazed Hana how the girl did it but she never really got hurt. However, the Uzumaki was not the same way. If it were possible, the girl would probably hurt herself with a pillow. Other than the suffocation fact of course.

The girl's mind would be caught off track when,she heard Shika's question. This would make the girl's face turn red. " Ma- Marry! I think I'm a bit young to be thinking about Marriage! " Hana would say with a frantic voice. "Well, maybe I've thought about it but don't all females at some point. " Hana would say a little quieter. Her face turning redder than before. In the distance she could hear voices shouting, " Cherry... Cherry... Cherry. Almost as if they were mocking her. However, she payed no mind to them.

She looked over at her friend, only to watch her colorful display of emotion. She seemed to panic over it, which meant she probably considered it. Shike just smiled, clueless to it all.

"To have a place to call your own... to have your own family..." She lived in her fantasy. He imagined her wedding. Her husband a big and strong man. Maybe he would be the brother of Hana's husband and they all would be related. She looked over at Hana, blushing with her thoughts, "What's his name?" She asked. "... If you want to tell me... I'm here... I always listen."

It was true. She was the best to tell secrets to. After all... she usually forgot them no more than a few minutes later.

Hana's mind seemed to drift off as she thought about it. Marriage. She started to think about what she might wear. She started to think about where it would be and what everything would look like. She started to think about who all would be there but then the thought would quickly change. Hana was afraid of that thought because it brought about bad emotions. It would eventually bring about tears. So, she decided that avoiding that emotion was for the better.

Hana's head would jerk up as she had been,asked what the boy's name was. At first, she may, not have wanted to say until Shika told her that She was a good listener. That would cause the girl to cave. " Well, his... he told me his name was Grey... but I think that's just a nickname. I'm going to find out his real name. " Hana would giggle as she said this.

"WAIT..." Shika looked at Hana with bitter curiosity, "Doesn't he have that one weird eye?!" She was surprised to find that she liked him.. but what wasn't not to like?

"Isn't he an Uchiha?" She turned away to face before her. She brought her legs up, folding them and resting her feet on the bench, and her chin on her knees. "I bet you can learn all kinds of jutsu when he awakens his Sharingan..."

She was happy for her... but then again... he just activated her Byakugan... the last one out of her siblings to do so.

Hana would look at Shika with a bit of a confused expression. " Weird eye. You must mean the Grey one? " Hana would then make n "ah" type sound when she realized why he liked to be called that name. It honestly hadn't crossed her mind before and it made her feel slightly dumb. However, she shrugged that off as well.

" Yeah he is. "Hana would watch the girl as she changed sitting positions. Hana would start to think of Grey before she shook her head. Hana would listen to Shika as she spoke and then reply. " Well, he already has but I don't really care for that. I like him for him not to use him for some silly Jutsu. Sure I wanna be the best, but I want to do it on my own. " Han would then look back to the sky only to see white fluffy clouds.

She gave a surprised look, only to find that he already had his sharingan. Hana went on how she wasn't going to use him for jutsu teachings... which could only mean she really cared... or she was a good person. Shika couldn't quite find the words.

She thought about how she said she wanted to be the best, only for Shika to react a certain way...

"His strength, is your strength. His weaknesses, are you weaknesses. Just as you learn to live with each other... you have to learn to fight together or you'll keep fighting with each other..." She had been thinking about boys for a long time, only to find that it was probably best to wait for romance. Young teens probably weren't the romantic type, and would end up using Shika for her Byakugan later on possibly.

The words Shika had spoken would make the young Uzumaki seem to freeze. She hadn't had much time to consider boys but it seemed as if Shika might have. Every word she had said would be true but Hana didn't really quite understand it. She knew what Shika was trying to say but maybe she was just too young to get it yet. Maybe, it was just the fact she had no experience with boys or love. Whatever the case it didn't matter because a new thought had just popped into the girls head, which would make her smile and look back to Shika.

" You know Shika. You're right. You know a lot more about this than I do. I guess I'm not quite ready for boys or love yet. " Hana would continue to smile as she paused and then she would speak her next few words. " I think we've just found something you're smart with. See smart in your own way. Let me tell ya it's a good thing to be smart with. " Hana would continue to smile but look back up at the sky as she awaited Shika's reply.

" I think we've just found something you're smart with. See smart in your own way. Let me tell ya it's a good thing to be smart with. " She smiled and looked into the sky, only confusing Shika greatly.

She thought about things for long periods of time, and not being alone was one of them. Maybe she would have run away from the village if she didn't have at least Hana. "...What?" she asked. He thought about things constantly, only to have them return to her mind in short bursts. "...Uh... What am I smart with?" she helplessly asked.

Okay, maybe I lied. She read the entirety of the Make-Out Tactics Series. She wanted so badly to live a life where she could come home to a loving family... not the one of the Hyuga. Not to say they weren't loving... But Shika didn't even know the Gentle Fist... not even the first palm.

Hana would sit as she listened to Shika ask her questions. Maybe, she didn't notice or maybe she just got lost. Hana didn't know but she didn't mind to explain. So, Hana would do just that. " Well, you're smart when it comes to love and boys. That's a good thing because if you don't know anything.. like me.. then you'd be too gullible, which could cause you a lot of pain. But you know a lot about it so you could see if a boy really likes you or not. Smart. "

Hana continued to look at the clouds but by now a small bit of sunlight started to peak through them. The sky was beautiful and Hana wanted nothing more than to see it everyday. She didn't care wether it be alone or with someone she loved.

She was dumbfounded at the comment. What in the world was she talking about? Shika was lost in it all. She looked at her friend, waiting for her to explain more, only to leave Shika confused in the end. She was always confused.

"Love and boys?" she begun to ask, "Wait, does someone like me?!" She freaked out. Had she told Hana? DID SHE TELL HANA WHO SHE LIKED? Wait, why was she worried... he wasn't even real. Wait... maybe this was all a dream. No wait... that doesn't make sense. "... What are we talking about again?"

Shika was definitely confused.