I got this idea today, and decided to write it. This is a one-shot that I suppose you could kind of say is a songfic, but not really. It takes place in the Sasuke and Sai arc, or the "Heaven and Earth Reconnaissance Mission", while the team is recuperating after battling Sasuke. Naruto is feeling depressed, and it is Hinata who comforts him. Future Naruhina implied. Oh, and, before anyone tears my head off, I know the song is out of place. It just seemed to fit really well here, especially for Hinata.
I own nothing. *sighs dejectedly*
Naruto wandered aimlessly through the streets of Konoha. It was well after the sun had gone down, but he couldn't sleep. Truthfully, though, he didn't care. There was too much on his mind. The normally energetic ninja had snuck out of his hospital room—Baa-chan had insisted he rest there for a few days—and decided to try and walk off his brooding thoughts. It wasn't working all that well.
Sasuke had defeated them. Sure the fight had been interrupted before much happened, but it was clear he was the stronger. He and that stupid snake Sannin, along with that Kabuto guy, had then all vanished into thin air. Team Seven was forced to return to Konoha empty handed. Naruto still couldn't believe it.
His musings brought him to the gates of Konoha without him realizing it, and he looked around. No one was in sight at this late hour, not even any stray cats. Sometimes he himself felt like a stray cat, the way he could wonder about. A sudden breeze brought him out of his thoughts, playfully ruffling his white t-shirt. It wasn't the wind itself that caught his attention, it was the scent his enhanced smelling was picking up, a scent the breeze carried. It wasn't food, though he was a little hungry. It was more of a natural scent, and a pleasant one at that. The young Jinchuuriki decided he would find out what it was, so he began following it. At least this would help keep his mind off of more... depressing thoughts.
He searched for a while, guessing which way to go when the breeze stopped blowing and then having to change course when it started up again, showing him he wasn't going in the right direction. After wondering around for about fifteen minutes, Naruto found the source of the smell when he entered a field. It was completely filled with lavenders. He had never seen so much purple in his life! The hyperactive boy wasn't usually one for things such as flowers, but the aroma seemed to calm his mind. He glanced around the field, but then noticed he wasn't alone. Surprisingly, Hinata was kneeling in the middle of the field, doing something Naruto couldn't see. What was she doing up so late? He was about to say hello when the sound of her soft voice reached his ears. She was singing! He didn't know she sang. Even though her voice was quiet, like it usually was, she sounded like she sang quite often. Her voice didn't crack or sound off pitch in any way.
Beneath a veil of starry sky,
As cold as winter's darkest night.
It's there you'll sleep, silent and deep.
You're all alone.
Those words hit a little close to home for Naruto, bringing memories of how he was only a few years ago. Thankfully, now he had more friends than he had dared to hope for in those days. Who knew where he would be now if he didn't have them.
I sing the prayer's
Soft melody.
Across the lonely silent fields,
A little light began to shine.
It shines on and on.
I watched you as you so peacefully dreamed.
You laughed like a child,
Happy and carefree.
It's so familiar and yet so far.
That's the future as promised for you and me.
A love song? That furrowed Naruto's brow. Was she in love? This was news to him. He wondered offhandedly if he knew the guy. Probably not, though. Being part of a prominent clan like the Hyūga, she probably knew a lot of people he didn't.
One day on a green and shining morn',
One day we will finally make it through
Because in this night,
So dark with winter,
We still have to believe that it's true.
Fields of Hope.
Naruto could only stand where he was and listen, mesmerized by the peacefulness and earnestness her quiet voice gave out. He couldn't bring himself to walk forward; she might stop singing if he did, and he wanted to hear the rest of the song. He felt his face blush slightly at the next few lines, though.
A gentle touch
A loving brush
Those things I still search for.
A prayer in
A melody.
It goes on and on.
I sing the prayer's,
Soft melody.
One vanishes, one dies,
And all in all
It starts again
A never ending cycle.
One day on a green and shining morn',
Through all the long nights we've been fighting for,
There lies a place
Far from disgrace
Where we won't have to hide from the world again.
Now there lies a deep love within my heart.
A yearn to protect you and keep you warm.
It's so familiar and yet so far.
It is made for the peace of mind.
Fields of hope.
It's so familiar and yet so far.
The fields of promise.
Fields of hope.
Fields of hope.
Her quiet voice ceased it's pleasant melody, and, by the end, Naruto was practically speechless. He couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Whoever she had been singing about, she seemed to care a lot for him. It was times like these he wished someone would care for him so deeply. The song had also seemed to carry more than a little meaning for his life at the moment. The idea of conflict and a desire for a better future. He could relate there. Realizing he was being rude by simply standing there and staring, Naruto left his refuge under the trees, approaching Hinata while trying to step on as few of the lavenders as possible. When he was closer, he called out to her.
"Hey, Hinata. I didn't know you could sing!" he said with a cheery grin. She promptly 'eeped' and immediately sprung to her feet, facing him.
"N-Naruto-kun! H-how long h-have you been there?" she asked, more than a little startled. Naruto grinned sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head, now standing only a few feet from her.
"Well, I got here when you started singing, but I didn't want to interrupt. You've got a pretty voice, Hinata." he responded, and the light moonlight made it near impossible to see the deep blush that spread across her face at his compliment, even at the close distance.
"A-arigato." came her quiet reply.
"But, if you don't mind my asking, what're you doing out so late?" the blond boy asked curiously. Though he was glad for the company, it seemed a little strange. She looked down at something at her feet, and Naruto followed her gaze to see a small book lying in the grass, a few lavenders laying on top of it.
"I w-was gathering flowers to press. I-it's a hobby of mine." she admitted quietly.
"Oh, that's cool. It's good you have something to do besides fighting and training." Naruto said earnestly, and she looked up at him, seeming as though she wanted to ask something.
"H-how are you, Naruto-kun?" she asked after a short pause, though he couldn't tell if that was what she had wanted to ask or not. At the question, his cheery demeanor fell a little, and she felt guilty for her question.
"Well, I couldn't sleep. Too much on my mind." he said, placing his hands in his pockets. "I decided to take a walk to see if it would clear my head, but... it doesn't seem to be working."
"I-is there anything I can do to help?" the lavender eyed girl asked nervously, and Naruto thought for a moment.
"I'm not sure. I don't know if anyone can help me with this problem." he admitted, eyes downcast as more painful memories began to surface.
He then remembered a specific part of what she had sung before. 'One day we will finally make it through because in this sky, so dark with winter, we still have to believe it's true.' He wanted to believe what the words said, but the young Jinchuriki was only reminded of all the things he had been unable to do and the people he couldn't save thus far. The deaths of Haku and Zabuza a few years back, people who hadn't been all that bad in the end. How he hadn't bee there for the old man when he faced Orochimaru and ended up losing his life in an attempt to take the snake Sannin down. How he had failed yet again to bring Sasuke back to Sakura after he had promised he would. Some aspiring Hokage he was.
None of this had actually been Naruto's fault, but guilt followed no logic other than its own. He looked down as this guilt once again hit him full force. He closed his eyes tight, trying to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat and stop the tears that threatened to fall. He refused to cry! It got nothing done! It wouldn't save people or bring them back. But, his dark thoughts wouldn't lighten up as he thought he was doomed to fail everyone he made a promise to: fail everyone he wanted to help. More of Hinata's song then reverberated through his mind: 'There lies a place, far from disgrace, where we won't have to hide from the world again.' Battle had changed him, even if he didn't show it on the outside often. He had become a different person, but he doubted many people had noticed. After all, most of them didn't care. Now, he hid behind fake smiles and false confidence, professing to things he himself didn't actually believe. Was there really a chance that he would be able to go back to the way he used to be? Would he be able to be happy again?
"Do you really think this will all be over one day?" the morose boy questioned aloud, though his voice wavered slightly when he spoke. He didn't know if he actually asked it to get an answer or not; he just wanted to get the words out, voice his insecurities. The sorrow on his face and in his voice caused a tightening in Hinata's heart, and she instinctively placed a hand over it. After everything that had happened, he looked to be loosing hope. She was one of the few who had noticed his change in outlook, though Naruto didn't know that. She felt terribly for him.
"I-I do." the lavender eyed girl replied, and, even though she still spoke quietly and the slight stutter remained, Naruto looked up at the confidence in her statement. He could see in her eyes that she believed it wholeheartedly. "Pain, t-though there is plenty of it in this world, was never meant to last." And the orphan boy had had plenty of it, to be sure. More than anyone his age should have had.
"Y-you really think so?" the blonde asked, his voice a fraction lighter than before, and Hinata nodded softly, a small smile on her face.
"Believe it." she answered quietly, reiterating the thing he so often told other people, and Naruto's eyes widened slightly in shock. No one besides Konohamaru had ever done something like that, but it wasn't the actual words that hit home. It was the promise that life would indeed get better... that he wouldn't always be surrounded by pain. That thought broke him, broke through the barriers he had put up when he was only a young boy being beaten by people he didn't know for something he didn't understand. This time, he didn't even try to stop the tears that fell from his grief-stricken eyes, but he did look down in an attempt to keep Hinata from seeing them.
"N-Naruto-kun!" she exclaimed softly as she had indeed seen them. She instinctively took a step forward but stopped herself short, unsure of what to do. He was always the strong one, the one she drew her confidence from. It broke Hinata's heart to see him so emotionally shattered, but what could she do?
In a desperate plea for comfort, it was Naruto who covered the gap between them and pulled Hinata into a much needed embrace. Surprised, she didn't respond at first, her face heating up from his close proximity. But, the thought of fainting never once crossed her mind. Naruto needed someone now more than ever, and Hinata would not leave him, not even if her father were to see the "demon brat" hugging her and demand an explanation. Hesitantly, as though she didn't know if Naruto was completely aware of his actions and that he was hugging her, Hinata gently returned the embrace as Naruto choked out a few pained sobs. She wondered how long it had been since he had actually cried. How much pain had built up within him? The thought, in turn, made her want to cry for him, but she refused. He needed comfort now, and she would give it to him, just as he had unknowingly given her all the confidence she had for all these years.
"Gomen, I didn't mean to lose it like that." Naruto apologized, looking at the ground in front of him. The two hadn't moved from the field, but they were now seated on the ground, Naruto sitting cross-legged and Hinata kneeling a short distance in front of him. She shook her head fervently at his apology.
"Y-you do not need to apologize. E-everyone needs to l-let out their pain sometimes." she replied kindly, and he looked up at her and thought for a moment before a smile, a genuine one, found its way onto his face.
"Arigato. ...I don't know why, but I feel like I can be myself around you. You're a really nice person, Hinata." Hinata's cheeks turned pink at his praise, and her heart skipped a beat in her chest. She looked down in embarrassment and began tapping her two index fingers together, a habit she only seemed to have when speaking with him. He had complimented her singing, said she was nice, and she had been with him for a long time without fainting! She cheered internally at this small victory.
"You're really strong too." the Jinchuriki continued in a softer voice, and she looked at him surprised. "How have you managed to stay so optimistic?" Hinata thought for a moment, debating on exactly what she should tell him.
"I-I learned it from y-you." she decided to say, and this time he looked shocked.
"From me?" he asked, taken-aback, and she nodded, a small smile on her blushing face.
"I believe y-you will be Hokage one day, Naruto-kun. I-I know you have the heart for it."
"... A Hokage has to be powerful too, though." he said with a sad smile, his failure to bring Sasuke back crossing his mind once again.
"You a-are powerful. You d-defeated Neji-nii-san. H-how could you not be?" Hinata asked truthfully, shocking the blonde boy yet again. He recalled her saying a similar thing before the Chūnin Exams. But, he couldn't help but think he had changed in those few years. His confidence was waning. He had thought he had gotten stronger over the time he was gone, but he wasn't sure anymore.
"Well, that was a few years ago. Right now, I couldn't even come close to bringing Sasuke back." Naruto replied sullenly.
"I believe you w-will." She was just being full of surprises, Naruto couldn't help but think, and she seemed to have a lot of faith in him.
"...Arigato. Maybe if somebody actually believes it..." he trailed off as he appeared to be deep in thought. Hinata didn't disturb him, though not because she thought he was slow and such occasions were rare. She knew he actually spent a lot of time thinking, dreaming of what the future would bring.
"A place where we won't have to hide from the world." he finally said quietly. "I'd like that. I hope we'll all get there some day."
"W-we will." Hinata reassured him, and he looked at her once more, his intense gaze deepening her blush. After a moment of contemplation, he smiled again, happier and brighter this time, and nodded. She was glad to see that smile returned to his face. He then held out his hand to her, confusing the quiet girl.
"A promise, then. It's what we'll work towards." he said, erasing her confusion. Hesitantly, she placed her hand in his, her blush deepening even further, though Naruto still couldn't see it very well in the pale moonlight.
"A-a promise." she agreed softly, and his smile grew.
"I won't break this one." Hinata nodded fervently in full agreement. She wouldn't back down either.
Naruto then leaned back on his hands, sighing as though a large weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He glanced around at the surrounding area.
"How often do you come out here?" he asked curiously. It was a nice place, one Hinata seemed to fit in perfectly. It was calm, peaceful, and the lavenders reminded him a lot of her. He wouldn't mind spending more time here.
"N-not as often as I would like, but a-as often as I c-can." Hinata responded in her usual quiet tone.
"Then maybe we'll run into each other again, here. I think I'd like that." Naruto admitted with a happy grin, and Hinata did a double take. Did he just indirectly say he liked spending time with her? The thought made her heart leap.
"I-I would t-too." the lavender eyed girl replied, hiding her enthusiasm well, and Naruto's smile grew.
In the trees, not too far from where they were talking, Hatake Kakashi stood, smiling cheerfully beneath his mask. When he had found Naruto's hospital room empty, he had gone searching for the boy. But, it seemed as though his help was not needed. The quiet Hyūga heiress seemed to be just what the loud, energetic boy had needed. Kakashi too had heard her song, and it as well had brought a genuine smile to the copy-nin's face. She was truly a rare person. He had met few like her. He grinned once more and vanished in a swirl of leaves.
*plays softly in background during the end*
Now there lies a deep love within my heart.
A yearn to protect you and keep you warm.
It's so familiar and yet so far.
It is made for the peace of mind.
I hope you liked it. :D