Distant Crush, a naruto fanfic

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me.
A/N: Second song-fic, one-shot. Hope you like =) . This time, it's Hinata x Naruto - or rather, it's more like a very strong crush, since Naruto is thick and still doesn't notice. At first, I wavered between Hinata x Naruto or Naruto x Sakura, or even Sakura x Sasuke. In the end, I concluded that Hinata's probably the one I related to the most out of all of them - not to mention, personally I don't like Sakura and Sasuke much, anyway. No offense to fans of those two characters! The song lyrics are from Celine Dion's 'That's the Way It Is'. Her songs tend to be 'aggressively sappy', for lack of a better term. This is set while Iruka was explaining the Genin exam to everyone in the classroom. Without further ado...

Distant Crush

From the back of the classroom, a short-haired brunette watched a boy in an orange jumpsuit trying to get the attention of a singular pink-haired girl. People were still hanging out, fooling around mainly because the teacher had not arrived yet. Sakura, one of the most popular girls in the class, bluntly ignored Naruto and the other boys, running toward Uchiha Sasuke. She was competing with her rival, Ino Yamanaka. Well, of course - almost every girl in the grade aspired to be the number one rookie's girlfriend. Oh, he's so smart, he's so cute... Hinata had heard it all. However, her focus was on the blond boy in the jumpsuit, Naruto.

Having been trampled on again, he sat back down in his assigned seat. The brunette's silver-grey eyes followed him. Her pale face was speculative. [You must be feeling very down now. I understand... I.. I wish... I could do something to help you.] She also thought back to the gossip that was said of Naruto. They said he wasn't worth anything, because he had no parents. They whispered that he was a demon fox, because the Third Hokage forbade anyone to openly say that about Naruto. It wasn't really his fault that there's a nine-tailed fox sealed inside of him. Still, the boy endured the village people's hatred with dignity, living in a carefree manner to the best of his ability. He was the strongest person Hinata had ever seen.

[Someday... perhaps you'll see someone who appreciates you, Naruto-kun. All you have to do is just turn around... or not. Either way, I will be here.]

I can read your mind
And I know your story
I see what you're going through, yea
It's an uphill climb
And I'm feeling sorry
But I know it will come to you, yea

She knew that he's strong. Still, his depressed expression at the moment made her want to comfort him. She even wished that the snobby Sakura would like him, so that he wouldn't hurt as badly. Though with his great personality, she had no doubt that he would find someone better than Haruno Sakura if he really tried. Human affections weren't that complicated.

Don't surrender
'cause you can win
In this thing called Love

Hinata yearned for him, as much as she knew he longed for her. It wasn't fair, really. Even though human affections weren't that hard to figure out when people were honest with themselves, there's a difference between knowing what one was feeling and knowing how to deal with emotions. She could see Naruto get up, wanting to try again. Then he sat back down in hesitation, no doubt thinking that Sakura would probably just ignore him again. [Go ahead... Try again. Approach her, Naruto-kun. Do it if that's what you really want. I only wish to see you happy...]

When you want it the most
There's no easy way out
When you're ready to go
And your heart's left in doubt
Don't give up on your faith
Love comes to those who believe it
And that's the way it is

"All right, everyone. Settle down." Iruka-sensei came into the room, going behind his podium, ready to start class. He began summarizing all they've learned from him. Hinata wasn't listening, though. Her thoughts were still lost to Naruto. She didn't quite remember when, but one day she was training in a small patch of woods near a pond; when she finished, she wanted to go use the water to wash her face, but bashfully ducked behind a tree at the sight of the blue-eyed boy. He was downcast, kneeling there staring at his reflection in the liquid.

Punching the water with his fist, he quietly said, "Nobody wants Uzumaki Naruto. They all look down on me." By this time, Hinata had jumped to a branch of the tree behind him. She vaguely saw her own reflection in the water as well, and hoped that he wouldn't notice. "Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun. All anyone ever hears about is that show off. Even Sakura-chan chases after him. What's so great about him, anyway?" His tone was angry. The girl felt like he was asking her, even though he was too absorbed into his emotions to notice another presence. She didn't see what's so great about him, either. He had a royal last name, so what. She had one too, big deal. People were so shallow. She wanted to tell him not to be upset, that it was all right. However, she was too shy to come out from in the tree - she wouldn't know what to say, anyway. [But Naruto-kun, you're so much better than this.]

When you question me
For a simple answer
I don't know what to say, no
But it's plain to see
If you stick together
You're going to find the way, yea

[I'm rooting for you... Do your best, Naruto-kun. When you fight and win against Uchiha Sasuke, Sakura would fall for you as well.]

So don't surrender
'cause you can win
In this thing called Love

Sometimes, Hinata tried to forget that she had this crush on the energetic blond. She distracted herself with chores, with training and reading, but his image stayed in her mind. She wanted almost desperatedly to go to him and tell him how she felt, but she never did. She was afraid... He might reject her. With that thought, she would also remember how when her mother was alive, she would soothe Hinata - she told her to believe in herself. "When you believe, you can do a lot more." Soon after, however, she died - leaving the girl without any sense of family or shelter. Her father only pushed her to be a strong ninja, never caring for what she thought of the matter.

One thing they had in common, if nothing else, was that both generally lacked support from their peers. Everyone needed attention. It got too silent, the world too large and indifferently threatening. It caused a sense of despair. All they could do is silently be there for each other, with or without the other's awareness. It was an invisible support system. [Please, Naruto-kun? Perk up... for me?]

When life is empty
With no tomorrow
And loneliness starts to call
Baby don't worry
Forget your sorrow
'cause Love's going to conquer it all... all

In fact, now that she thought about it - Sakura probably felt the same way for Sasuke. She wanted to be with him, and she's unable to forget about him. She's probably approached him numerous times, but Sasuke wasn't so easy to talk to. Sakura could probably be self-conscious, too. He was too obsessed with achievement. ...May she not have lost hope, as well.

When you want it the most
There's no easy way out
When you're ready to go
And your heart's left in doubt
Don't give up on your faith
Love comes to those who believe it

Human relationships might not be that complicated, but they sure were troublesome. She liked Naruto, Naruto liked Sakura, who's chasing after Sasuke, who seeks only strength, in love with power. Well, they all had their troubles. Even Iruka-sensei, who's talking about the Genin exam now.

(And that's the way it is
When you want it the most
There's no easy way out
When you're ready to go
And your heart's left to doubt)

These were people she'd known nearly all her life, by face and name, at least. With luck, with hope and belief, they would all make it through, right? For love, for the sake of being a ninja to protect those who were important to them...

Don't give up on your faith
Love comes to those who believe it
And that's the way it is
That's the way it is
That's the way it is
Don't give up on your faith
Love comes to those who believe it
And that's the way it is

"Hyuuga Hinata." She immediately sat up, alerting herself to her surroundings. Iruka-sensei was apparently announcing ninja teams. She was teamed with Shino and Kiba, two boys she didn't know too much about. After the teams were announced and the exam was explained, the class was adjourned. Her team was to meet Kurenai-sensei later. [Hope I do well... you too. Do your best, Naruto-kun!] With a smile, she set off to find her team mates for lunch.

A/N: End! Thanks for reading! What do you think? Was Hinata out of character at all? I think she might have been... Please review. I've had a thing for song-fics lately. Maybe it's because I listen to music when I'm stressed out; it calms me down. I've also been indulging in a lot of anime, of late. Well, it's just as well - I can't do that during the school year, now can I? =P