We continue on to the very next December night, Naruto's on edge and Sakura wants a fight. She heard the footsteps; the timing could not be better. She had just come home from shopping for ugly Christmas sweaters. Does Naruto have a family? Where does he work, she wonders. She'll have to work hard to get find out more after last night's blunder. So, Sakura swiftly took to the hallway without making a peep, only to find Naruto, trying to lurk and creep.

"Naruto!"

"AHHH!"

His noisy rude neighbor made him drop his keys. He grunted and stood still, clearly displeased. The blonde then turned around; his poker face intact. For as angry as he felt, he must keep up the act.

"You scared me. They ought to put a bell on you. I mean you have NO presence... AT ALL... It's almost like... you snuck up on me... On purpose..."

An awkward pause ensued; Naruto ready to hear what she wants. But something tells him she won't dignify it with a response. A little unsettling, she's acting like his superior. It seems he can't ward her off with a calm exterior.

*Clears Throat* "Sakura... Is something WRONG...?"

"Oh, I don't know. I mean I just feel like after you had said yesterday that you were inviting me to your home today..."

Uzumaki looked confused, he never said that. She was twisting his words around like a deranged rat.

"Oh wait. No. You said you MIGHT invite me today. and I just wanted to check and see if... you know... you were... going to...?"

"Oh... No, I was NOT going to invite you. It was more of a joke that I said yesterday. I wouldn't have got your hopes up if I had known you were gonna... hunt me down... ha ha..." *Glares*

"..."

"..."

Finally, he dropped the act, clearly been made uncomfortable. He knows Haruno's boring game, trying to talk him through circles. He needed to redirect the conversation, and end it just like before. He then started to turn his body around until he faced the door.

"Well, moving furniture doesn't happen overnight, and I still need more time. And I don't know. I just don't want anyone in my space right now."

"I mean, I get that... Naruto... But you're not giving any real dates as to when you think it'll be ready. When do you think you'll be ready by?"

"Oh... sometime... sometime soon... in the near future maybe..."

He swiftly bent down to pick up his keys, almost forgotten; stood back up, and aimed them towards the door that needed unlocking. As it started to creak open, he put his keys back in his pocket. Sakura started to get frustrated. He was clearly trying to change topics.

"It might be the far future though..."

While seeing the answer as extremely wishy washy, Sakura couldn't think of a retort that wasn't sloppy.

"Who knows, I'll figure it out. I'll get around to it when I get around to it, Sakura. I just don't understand what that has to do with you and why you're so interested in my home."

Naruto had found an opening; everything fell into place just right. It was time to give Nosy Nora the spotlight.

"Don't you have uh-uh your home to worry about, Sakura?"

"Well, no, I'm just trying to strike conversation. I mean these conversations we've been having on our way inside our houses. I mean, they're short and, to be honest, I feel like they're a little... dry... and I'd like to get to know each other. You know, because you are my neighbor and everything and-and I don't know. Like I said last time, it just feels like sometimes... you're avoiding me. I just don't want you to walk away with the feeling that we're... *Squints and Glares* NOT friends."

"Oh! That's right Sakura... speaking of yesterday... what was it you were saying? I could hear you saying something at the door as I was walking away."

A simple diversion, but a fair question to ask. Some introspection is clearly what pinky here lacks.

"You aren't upset that I had to go inside quickly, are you? I just had-I had things to put in the fridge. That... weren't in the fridge... previously..."

"Oh no... I understand... I NEVER would INTENTIONALLY try to hold you up. But uh... Naruto, I didn't see you holding any groceries, yesterday. Now, I think you're maybe just... making excuses."

"Excuses for what? You don't think I'm actually AVOIDING you, do you Sakura?"

"..."

"..."

While the facade of being friendly neighbors is now clearly shattered, it seems we're going to get down to what really matters. Because this isn't about a friendship, at least not yet. It's about a girl, and a boy, and a secret.

"Sakura. I feel like you've been insinuating something; something that I don't necessarily agree with. Something... that probably isn't true..."

"Well... I just think-"

"What-what do you think? What do you think's going on? What exactly do you think I'm hiding, Sakura?"

A chance to clear the air and put it all on the table, but without full on proof, Sakura is unable to declare that there is indeed something to dig up, Uzumaki Naruto had just flawlessly called her bluff.

"Exactly! Maybe YOU are hiding something! Maybe there's something you don't want ME to find out! Maybe you're just deflecting to avoid me actually looking at you and your life!"

"Naruto, I'm not deflecting from anything. I invited you to my apartment the first chance I got; you just didn't accept the invitation. You never came over! I thought we were pretty clear on that yesterday, but I guess not... And... you know... I don't want to have to fight a verbal battle with you just to try to like... you know... be friendly... I mean you could say that we're friends, right?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

*Scrunches Face* "Well, I guess we're just ACQUAINTANCES then. And there's nothing WRONG with that... Naruto. I just didn't know where we stood... you know... UNTIL NOW!"

With his inability to even attempt to lie about how he feels, he can now only feel regret as he is going to have to deal with a legendary instigator, and gaslighter too. Oh, Naruto Uzumaki, what will you do?

"You're just so secretive and you refuse to talk to me. I just want YOU to know that I tried MY best to get to know YOU and YOU'RE pushing ME away. And I'm not sure I appreciate that sentiment, Naruto."

"Well, you know, I don't think I'm the one pushing anything here. I think you're pushing a narrative... Sakura... and you're also pushing my limits... So, I'm just gonna go in... and do what I need to do..."

Slowly he crept into his apartment space, grimacing her presence. He finally is now able to leave her, a major antidepressant. Finally, able to crack a smile as he exited the grand battle, he just had one last petty assertion to rattle.

"Maybe YOU should focus on what YOU need to do. I know YOU have a TON of stuff going on... Maybe..."

"Oh, trust me Naruto, *Squinting* I'm focused on what I need to do."

She could claim that all she wanted, but Naruto knew she had nothing better to do than nag about friendship this late in December. Internally snickering, he knew Sakura had nothing going on. So, again with a goodbye, Naruto closed himself off from her con.

"Good. BYE!"

Naruto had gone and hurriedly locked the door. A slide, 2 clanks, and pop sounds, locks galore. Though Sakura acknowledges, she practically started this war, the amount of passive aggression much uncalled for.

To add insult to injury, Naruto being a complete troll, he stuck his blue retina into the door's peephole.

Sakura, continuing her losing streak admits that he'd won this round. But she's in too deep, she just couldn't give up now.

As she glared with grimace, biting down a pointless remark, wasting any more time with this was clearly not smart.

But this time, Sakura's excited, she's got a new plan up her sleeve. For tomorrow, December 24, was Christmas Eve.

As she went inside, she whispered…

"This isn't over yet..."

Naruto Uzumaki, what is your secret?