The Date
The moment arrives when you interact with the opposite sex, seeking a lifelong partner or just a night of meaningless intimacy.
Then there's the third scenario: when you fail to find your soulmate or even a fleeting encounter.
It's an incredibly awkward moment.
And Naruto finds himself in the third option.
Since leaving his house with Azula, they've walked in stony silence through the bustling streets of Ba Sing Se, surrounded by people who appear infinitely happier and livelier than they are.
In his defense, he's never been on a date or even seen one, not even in movies.
At least he could have learned from them.
"So, how are you?" All he had now was Katara's advice: "Start by breaking the ice."
"As good as can be, on a date with a boisterous dwarf ape," his venomous words could only be compared to a snake's bite.
"You're so nice." Though Naruto had heard worse things as a child, he did what he always did: smile.
"Thank you." She didn't even bother to smile.
After all, this date was just a farce.
If it were up to her, she would take something sharp to slit his throat and watch him bleed to death.
But she wouldn't do it.
This could be seen as a form of compensation so her disdain wouldn't be revealed.
He had heard it in the store when his older brother asked if he would give them away. He looked into her eyes when he became serious and said no. The reason?
"You seem to be good people."
"That heart of gold and confidence will take you to the grave, Naruto," thought Azula as she continued walking through the streets, at a safe distance from the ninja boy—not far enough to seem obvious that she didn't want to be there, but also not close enough to give the wrong idea.
Unbeknownst to her, Naruto knew what she was thinking, or at least he had an idea.
At least this would keep things short, so they could both move on with their lives as if they had never met.
After all, their paths only crossed; they never walked in the same direction.
"Well, if we're going to keep up with this date, at least we won't do it on an empty stomach." There were plenty of food stalls to explore and sample.
"Sounds good to me." Maybe this wasn't the dream date they had imagined, but at least they could tolerate each other enough to not want to tear each other apart. That was already a good start.
30 minutes later:
Both teenagers sat on one of the many benches in the place, watching people continue to have fun in their own way, while silently enjoying candy apples.
"Is this the life you expected?" Naruto asked out of nowhere, taking one last bite of the apple.
"…" The girl raised one delicate eyebrow at the question but kept her gaze straight ahead. "No," she murmured softly.
"You don't like it?" He asked curiously without looking at the girl, who just shrugged.
"It's more than I thought I'd have."
"..." Frowning, Naruto turned to look at the girl for a moment. "How did you end up here?"
"My father banished me..." There was suppressed fury in her eyes.
Against whom? Perhaps against many people, or just against herself.
Naruto noticed her gaze, and curiosity made him ask another question. "Why?"
"For not ending your life," she said, turning slowly to look him in the eyes.
Blue and gold met in a tense and long moment, making the atmosphere between the teenagers feel like it could explode into a battle where only one would be left alive.
But laughter drew their attention elsewhere.
It was a young couple, perhaps a little younger than them, running side by side, holding hands with dazzling smiles on their faces.
Maybe they just had to stop dwelling on the past.
Surprisingly, it was she who took the first step.
"But…" Azula felt like she had to hold back about what she was going to say, several emotions swirling in her chest. "I have no regrets about the decisions I've made so far."
"..."
"At first, I hated you, and maybe I still do. But the more time goes by and I think about it, what if it hadn't been for you…"
"..."
"I would never have seen the world this way, never have met so many people who left marks on my soul, never have connected with my family... I... I would never have been so happy if I hadn't met you."
"..." Naruto had no words. He just stared at the girl, who refused to look at him, keeping her head down while a small smile formed on her lips. "That... Does that mean you like me?"
"A little more than before."
Naruto couldn't help but smile, jumping up from the bench and devouring the girl's apple in several bites.
He didn't wait to hear her complaints, nor did he give her time. He grabbed her wrist and made her stand up.
"That's all I needed to hear, Azula…"
…
He never liked the cold feeling of marble under his feet. It made him feel lonely, as if he wanted to destroy the ground beneath him.
The window wood felt dry and scratchy in his hands.
He could hear people passing by the house, all sounding lively as they went to the festival, accompanied by their families. There were also couples growing closer as time passed.
Katara was very worried. It had been almost an hour since Naruto left.
He was gone, and neither of them knew where.
The waterbender wanted to go out and look for him, to give him the beating of his life, to drag him back so he could apologize for his recklessness.
But, I didn't want to leave her alone.
The little earthbender was still sitting on the floor, with her arms resting on the window, with strands of her hair moving a little, revealing her white eyes that, as always, did not reflect anything.
Taking courage, Katara stood up and walked slowly until she was next to her friend.
"Do you want me to accompany you to the festival? Maybe we'll find him on the way," he offered as he put his hand on Toph's shoulder.
As soon as he felt the touch, she moved away from the waterbender and stood up.
"Let him rot..." she spat with fury, her tone and expression showing her anger. She forcefully grabbed the ribbon that tied her hair and took it off to throw it on the ground, "... I didn't want to go anyway."
"Toph," Katara was shocked to see how her friend became untidy. All the effort and care she had put into her appearance was broken in seconds.
"That?" growled the blind bandit, holding back to avoid destroying the house and throwing rubble at the people passing by.
They all… sounded so happy.
Having fun.
Playing.
Giving each other affection.
Hearing them so clearly, and even feeling their hearts beat with such joy, made her clench her hands until her knuckles were white.
Katara knew she had to choose carefully what she would say. She had to calm her down.
"Maybe something happened, you know he gets into trouble very often, if we just wait a little longer and-"
The waterbender didn't have time to continue speaking when the ground beneath her feet cracked.
"I'm not going to wait."
With strong steps, the earthbender went to the door and left the house, walking in a random direction, leaving behind a distressed Katara, who did not bother to stop her. She knew it would be useless.
"Naruto… you don't know how much you're hurting her."
Crossing her arms, she sought comfort, thinking that the boy was in some silly fight or dispute, and that once he could, he would come running.
However, everything indicated that this would not be the case.
Hugging herself, her eyes focused on the starry sky, silently asking the spirits to relieve the nerves she felt. For some reason, she had a feeling that this night would end badly.
She wanted to be wrong.
[ If you want to read advance Chapters then go to Pat reon and support me there.
PAT REON I'D:- Alzero ]