"I'm looking forward to it," he replied as he lied to the girl.

"I want to say thanks, for everything. Even though we've only just met a month ago, it feels as if I've known you forever..." she admitted, a light blush adorning her cheeks as she told him all this.

Gemini frowned. While most people would never have picked up on it, the vixen had gotten close enough to him over the month to know that he was lying. Still, if he thought it was important enough to keep secret, then it probably was. "Okay then. I'm almost done with the basket. Will you grab a blanket?" She asked.

Naruto smiled softly, a different smile than his usual grin. "It's no problem, Kitty-chan. I like having you around. I feel like I've known you for a long time, too, and...I like you a lot." He said, turning pink as he said it.

"Sure," he replied as he went to fetch a blanket, not knowing that Gemini knew he was lying, but didn't call him out on it.

"Y-you like me a lot?" she asked, surprised as to how easily Naruto admitted his feelings to her. And while she knew that she had feelings for the blonde as well, she wasn't sure how to come out and say them. She never thought in a million years that he would do it first...

Once everything was packed, Gemini picked up the basket and turned, smiling, to Gaara. "Looks like we're all ready. Let's go." She said, leading him out and into the streets. It wouldn't take long to get to the forest clearing.

Blushing brightly, the blonde nodded. "Y-yeah. I really...like you...I just wasn't sure how to say...'cause I didn't want things to be awkward...b-but if you don't feel that way, then j-just forget I said anything..." He stammered.

Gaara took the blanket with him and followed Gemini to their destination. He felt bad for lying to her, but he wasn't going to test his father and sensei; the threat of her dying because he couldn't keep a secret was something he wasn't going to test. Not when it was Gemini. Though he was wondering why he cared so much, even now and vowed to talk to his sister about it before tomorrow.

"How can I forget what you just said, when I...when I feel the same way about you?" Yugito asked. She could feel the heat coming from her cheeks, but she didn't care; she had told Naruto and there was now no going back.

(yes yes, I know it's full of cheese)

Gemini led him into the forest, and they walked for a good ten minutes before reaching a clearing. It opened up before them like a secret garden, lush green grass swaying in the light breeze. Across the clearing was an outcropping of rock the jutted out from the base of a wooded mountain. From the rocks came a rushing waterfall, cascading hundreds of feet down into a crystal clear pool of water that took up most of the clearing. The sun shining through the mist created sparkling rainbows, and tiny butterflies fluttered around. It was a beautiful, idyllic spot. "Here we are, my secret hideaway. No one else knows about it."

Naruto felt his face turning five shades of red as he stared into the eyes of the girl before him. "Y-you...you do? Really?" He asked, unable to really think of anything else to say. Seeing from her expression that she was serious, he suddenly felt extremely happy. With a smile spreading over his features, he leaned forward and hugged her. "That's great. I'm so happy, I can't even think of anything to say!"

((Wolfie likes cheese. Cheese, in moderation at least, is good.))

"Wow...thank you Gemini-chan," Gaara said as he was led into her secret area. He was truly honored to have gotten to see this spot that Gemini hadn't shown anyone else.

Yugito returned the hug, glad that she could make her friend...boyfriend? happy. "Um...you said something about a festival?" she asked, curious as to what it was like.

Gemini smiled as she led him to a spot at the water's edge that was perfect for picnicking. "Thank you, Gaara-san. I've always wanted to share this place with someone, but I've never felt able to trust anyone enough. It's a special place that I wanted to share with a special person. And I know I can trust you enough to keep it between us." She lay out the blanket and set the basket in the middle of it. Sitting down, she patten the blanket in an invitation for him to sit as well.

Naruto, still smiling, pulled away and led her towards the door. He was holding her hand without really seeming to realize it. "Yeah, right, the festival. It's really fun. I'll show you all around. Oh! I almost forgot! At night, they set off fireworks over the village. It's amazing! You're gonna love it!" He said excitedly.

"What about Naruto, or your father, now that you know who he is?" Gaara asked curiously as he sat down next to her. He wasn't saying that he was ungrateful or anything like that with his question, he was just curious as to why it was him and asked that very question to her.

Yugito followed Naruto, a light blush on her face as she realized that he was still holding onto her hand. "I'll hold you to that then," she said with a cheshire-like grin on her face. It sounded as if this festival would indeed be able to. distract her from the transformation that would happen

(What if they forget about the time and the transformation happens during the fireworks?)

((Ooh, that sounds good.))

Gemini smiled brightly at him. "Naruto-kun is very dear to me, like a brother, but he has the biggest mouth you've ever heard. He just can't keep a secret. Plus, he'd probably use this place for training." She said with a chuckle. "As for my father, I don't really know him all that well yet. I've only spoken to him twice, and...well, I just don't know how to feel about him." She said, now shrugging and taking out the food from the basket.

Grinning, Naruto tugged Yugito along through the crowded streets. There were paper lanterns hung everywhere, banners and food stands and games set up along the streets. It was bright and colorful and cheerful, with an air of anticipation for the upcoming exam. Though it wasn't night time yet, people were already out and about, shinobi mingling with civilians and visitors from other villages. "What do you want to do first? We could get some food from a vendor, or play a game, or there are a few rides we could go on..."

"Then I thank you for showing me such a special place," Gaara said after listening to Gemini talk about Naruto and the Kyuubi. "Naruto sounds like someone who would be willing to do anything for a friend," he admitted as Gemini took the food out of the basket, curious as to what she brought with her for them.

Yugito kept up with Naruto as she also looked around at the surroundings, impressed with how Konoha celebrated the night before the Exams, also noticing how easy going everyone felt around each other before she heard Naruto talking. Tuning in and listening, she thought for a few seconds before grinning. "Games sound like a good starting point though perhaps we could get some food later?" Yugito asked.

Gemini smiled. "Oh yes, he is. And he has. Naruto-kun has gone so far as to risk his life for perfect strangers, just because he liked them or understood what they were going through. He has a heart of gold, that boy, that more than makes up for his...lack of sense." She said with a chuckle. On the blanket she had set an array of sandwiches, fruits, nuts, breads, cheeses and meats. There was also a large bottle of sparkling apple cider, and another of grape juice. "I wasn't sure what exactly to pack, so I just packed...everything."

Naruto nodded. "Sure, no problem! I've got plenty of money saved up from my last mission, so we'll be set for the night. C'mon, lets start with this game." He said, leading her over to a knock-the-bottles-down game. "They make it difficult just for the ninja that come by, and have an easier version for the civilians, that way it's fair for everyone."

(Yay, snow day tomorrow)

"Wow, you really did pack everything. Though I think my brother would have stupidly asked if you packed the kitchen sink in there as well or something like that," he admitted as he just listened to Gemini talk, silently hoping that she wouldn't hate him after the invasion started.

"Makes sense. And that way the shinobi and kunoichi can't walk up to anything and just automatically win all the prizes," she replied as she then thanked him for the information. Once the evening was over would she thank him for taking her.

Gemini laughed. "That does sound like something Kankuro-san would say. Come to think of it, it's probably something Naruto-kun would say, too." She said, picking up a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. "Go ahead and eat, there's plenty for both of us."

Naruto nodded. "That's the idea. Old man Hokage thought of it, a super long time ago. Okay, you wanna go first or me?" He asked after buying the three rubber balls that they would get to throw at the bottles. He got three for each of them, so they each got three turns.

"I'll take your word when it comes to Naruto-san, but I do agree with you about my brother," Gaara said as he nodded his hand before taking a sandwich at random. Biting into it, he was overcome with the flavors of the simple sandwich.

"Perhaps we could alternate? I could go first, then you, then me again?" Yugito suggested. She found it quite interesting that the Hokage thought of this so long ago, sort of wishing that her own village would have this. Sure they did the same event, but the details within were vastly different.

Gemini was watching him intently. She had a hunch, one that she had gotten a while back, that Gaara didn't eat often, and that when he did it wasn't anything good. Her hunch was proven true when his face changed, imperceptibly to anyone who didn't know him, as he bit into the sandwich. It was simple enough, but he looked as though he were tasting something completely new and exciting. "Do you like it? I made them all myself."

Naruto nodded. "That sounds like a good idea. You're super smart, Kitty-chan! You go ahead first." He said, stepping out of her way with a smile. He was curious how well she would do, considering that the difficulty level was increased for shinobi. He watched as the man running the stand infused the stack of cups with chakra, and made it move around. The cups were still together, but the stack was now a moving target, going up, down, left, right, backwards and forwards.

"I do like it, a lot actually. Though perhaps it's because you made them for me?" he asked, unsure as if that were the case of not. Mentally shrugging, he continued to eat the sandwich before him. However, he was curious as to why she was staring at him so intensely as he ate...had she figured out the thing that he was hiding from her?

Yugito blushed at the compliment before thanking Naruto, both for the compliment and allowing for her to go first. Seeing the improved difficulty, she also saw the pattern that the cups were moving in, first up then forward, downwards and back, then to the left and right two times before repeating the pattern. Once figuring it out, all she had to do was wait. Finding a good spot, she quickly threw her first ball, which hit the cups, but didn't knock them down.

Gemini was taken by surprise by the comment, and smiled brightly. She knew he meant it literally, he wasn't trying to flatter her, but it felt nice nonetheless. "It's probably just good in general. I can cook and all, but I'm nothing special." She said humbly, taking another sandwich from the pile. This time it was turkey. She looked away after realizing that she was still staring at him.

Naruto watched carefully. She had spotted the pattern, he noticed. Her first throw hit the stack but didn't knock it over. Almost imperceptibly, the pattern changed, as Naruto knew it would. The pattern never stayed the same two turns in a row. "Good throw, not it's my turn." He said, watching for the next pattern. At least this one has a pattern. Some of them don't... He thought, finding the right spot and throwing. The pattern changed at the last second, and his pitch missed by centimeters.

Gaara saw Gemini blush and turn away and wonder if she was alright, though he knew she would tell him if anything was wrong. Taking another bite of his sandwich, Gaara felt himself relax against the vixen, though he did wonder what his siblings were doing today. "Hey Gem-chan? What do you think Temari-nee and Kankuro-nii are doing?"

Yugito was experimenting with the two balls that she had left in her possession as she watched Naruto throw. Seeing that they couldn't hold chakra in them, she sighed lightly. Then again, if it was possible then it would be too easy for shinobi and kunoichi, wincing lightly when the future neko saw that he had just missed.

Gemini thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Temari-san is probably out training, and Kankuro-san is almost definitely tweaking his puppet." She said, then paused. "Wow, that sounded really wrong. Hooray for innuendo!" She giggled.

Naruto frowned and moved out of the way. "This guys not pulling any punches. Your turn." He said, sincerely hoping at least one of them would be able to knock over the cups. Secretly, he wanted to win a prize for Yugito, but he wasn't going to tell her that. Yet.

Gaara turned and looked at her, confused as to what she just said. "Innuendo?" he asked. But it did sound like something that both Temari and Kankuro would be doing, Temari with her training and Kankuro with his puppets.

"So I see, and of course you can't add chakra to the ball itself, that would make it too easy," she replied as she stepped up to the plate as the cups started moving in a different pattern once again...or at least it seemed like a pattern. Last time she had hit the cups she hadn't thrown the ball with any chakra in her hand, but she wondered what would happen if she did and decided to test her theory as she threw the ball, letting her chakra add power to the throw.

Gemini turned to stare at her companion, wide-eyed. "You...you don't know...what innuendo is...?" She asked wonderingly. After the things she had heard about his demon, she would have guessed he'd know more dirty things than Kakashi-sensei. She chuckled slightly. "Oh my, you really are innocent aren't you? Okay let me explain..." She said, and began, haltingly, to explain innuendo. Her blush became more pronounced as she went. Sure, they were both old enough to have had "the talk," but it was still awkward talking about it to her crush.

Naruto saw that she charged her hand with chakra, and smiled. He wouldn't have thought to do that- most people wouldn't have. He was interested to see if her ball would hit and knock over the stack this time. He found himself excited for her, almost like a child at their first festival.

((If Wolfie recalls correctly, we made the characters a bit older than in the canon so that it would be more acceptable for them to be in love...right?))

(I think. I don't remember exactly to be honest with you)

Gaara was blushing heavily once she was done, surprised that she was able to explain it so well...

"Y-yeah, nice weather," he replied. Then again, with a conversation like that, who wouldn't stutter for a few seconds?

Yugito grinned happily when the ball hit the cups and knocked them over. She was actually surprised for a few seconds when she saw that it had worked...