The Pros of Thunderstorms
Well, a lot of people requested that I do a NaruHinafic, and now I finally did one. Disclaimer – Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, not me.
Hinata couldn't suppress a shudder as lightning split the air and a boom of thunder made the windowpanes rattle. Even thought she was warm and (technically) safe in her bed, her heart hammered in her chest louder than the rain on the roof. She was terrified of thunderstorms! Buck up Hinata,She gave herself a mental pep talk. Babies are afraid of thunder and lightning. Are you a baby? No! Get a hold of yourself! She curled up beneath the covers and took deep, steadying breathes, but the next crack of lightening made her flinch. Oh, I'm such a coward, she thought. How will I ever get up enough courage to tell Naruto-kun how I feel about him? The mere thought of the Kyuubi vessel made Hinata's heart beat all the faster, yet calmed her down at the same time. She saw him clearly in her mind's eye; his spiky blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and childish grin. In her fantasy he held her tightly and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry Hinata, I won't let the thunder hurt you."
Naruto-kun, I'm sorry I'm not brave enough to tell you how much I love you.
…Two years later…
Hinata leaned her forehead against the rough bark of the tree she was standing (hiding) behind. Naruto had only returned yesterday from his two-year-long training mission and already Hinata had lapsed back into her old habit of spying on him. She hadn't even gotten up the courage to go say hello to her beloved (and much fantasized about, believe you me) Naruto-kun. At the moment she was watching him train, but she would probably have to leave soon, the sky above was dark, threatening a storm. She peeked around the tree once more. Naruto had gotten so much taller since he left. He was also stronger and more muscular. A slight blush came to Hinata's pale cheeks as she imagined what he would look like shirtless…
"Hinata, is that you?" Hinata's heart skipped a beat. Oh God he saw me!
"N-Naruto-kun! I was just out for a walk while the weathers still good, and I heard you training, and..." Hinata quickly tried to come up with an excuse, but didn't get to finish because Naruto wrapped his arms around her in a great big bear hug. "Naruto?!"
"It's so great to see you Hinata!" he released her, grinning. His smile was just like she remembered it, and he still had that mischievous twinkle in his eye. "I missed you, you know."
"I-I missed y-you too Naruto-kun" Hinata managed to stammer, her face burning dark red. He looked her over and, sadly, said the first thing that came to his mind.
"Wow Hinata, you've really grown up." Her face got redder and her eyes grew wide. Did Naruto-kun just compliment my body? Naruto's face got red too, as soon as he realized what had come out of his mouth. "I, I meant, uh you've gotten taller and… your hair looks good long... "
"It's alright; I'll take it as a compliment."
"Thanks, Sakura-chan probably would've punched me." Naruto laughed. Hinata giggled; his happiness was contagious. He gave her a lopsided grin, then tilted his head up and studied the heavens. "Hmm… looks like rain." As soon as the words left his mouth, water began pouring down. A more poetic person might have said that the rain was coming down in buckets, but that would imply that the rain let up a bit while the buckets were being refilled. Hinata felt as though someone was spraying her down with a high-pressure fire hose. The drops actually stung her skin; she thought she would have bruises in the morning. "We've gotta find shelter!" she heard Naruto yell over the roar of the rain.
"Y-yes" she managed to answer, too softly to be heard, but he didn't wait for her to respond. He grabbed her hand and pulled her through the forest towards where he thought the path was. Naturally he was incorrect, but before either of them noticed they saw a dark shape looming out of the rain in front of them.
"What's that?" Naruto yelled.
"I think its Lee-san's dojo." Hinata answered. (I've been wanting to work Lee's dojo into a story since I saw the filler episode. For those of you that didn't see it, Lee built a dojo out in the middle of the woods during the filler arc.) They didn't have time to think. A crash of thunder startled them and they ran, stumbling, towards the shaky wooden structure. Once inside they sank to the floor, watching the rain pour down.
Naruto broke the semi-silence first. "Heh. I remember when fuzzy-brows built this place. …I really have been gone for a long time, haven't I?" Yes, Hinata wanted to say, and I've missed you every moment. But she only nodded silently. "So how has everybody been? So far, I've only seen you, Sakura-chan, Shikamaru, and that girl from the sand."
"Everyone is fine, we're all chuunins now, and Neji-niisan is even a jounin." His face fell slightly and she quickly continued, "But you shouldn't worry Naruto-kun, they're having the chuunins exams soon and I'm sure you'll do fine."
"Thanks Hinata, I really-" Naruto didn't get a chance to finish his sentence because a huge crash of thunder made them both jump. Hinata, to her horror, landed right in Naruto's lap. (I understand that is very unlikely. Get over it.)
"s-sorry" she stammered, and tried to scramble away, but a bolt of lightening flashed right outside the door, followed immediately by a crash of thunder and she squealed and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shirt. She was terrified of thunder and lightening, but it would be wrong to assume that it was completely unintentional.
"Wha-?" Naruto, stupefied, awkwardly put his arms around her. "Don't worry Hinata," he tried to comfort her. "I won't let the thunder hurt you." Faintly, behind her fear, Hinata sensed the strangest feeling of déjà vu.
The rain only lasted about five more minutes, ending as quickly as it began, all of which Naruto and Hinata spent holding onto one another.
"Uh, Hinata?"
"Hmm?"
"The rain's stopped now." Thunder rumbled quietly in the distance, a clear message that the storm was now far away.
"Oh yes, so it has. We should probably be heading back now." But she didn't move and neither did he.
So I've finally written a NaruHinaI hope it didn't seem too cheesy. Please review, if you don't my cat Loki (yes I named my cat Loki, maybe you've read that manga) will come and bite your face off. Heh.