A/N: Hola! This is my first fanfic, so I hope you like it! Just please don't judge me to harshly! Constructive criticism and advice is apreciated! So please review!

Faded Memories

Chp. 1- How it began

By: HinaTink719

The pale moonlight reflected off her inky blue hair, as she silently swung back and forth on the old academy swing. She allowed her feet to gently graze the cool grass. Her sandals lay against the tree trunk. Though she still wore her usual clothes, she wasn't wearing her usual tan jacket. She just wore her usual capris with a black shirt. Her weapons pouch was also missing .

Hinata let out a small sigh of happiness. Here she was, once again sitting on the same swing that she had often seen Naruto on. Naruto-kun… She closed her eyes as she lifted her face towards the moon, a small smile across her lips. A gentle breeze ruffled her hair, causing a few strands of hair to fall across her face.

At the same time a rustling noise came from the leaves above. Hinata seemed not to notice, for she continued to swing. Another rustle and then a small soft thud, still Hinata paid no heed. Footsteps were closing in on her and she kept her eyes closed, though a small blush appeared on her cheeks. As she swung back, two rough, yet gentle hands closed on her own soft small hands. They stopped her motion, and held her there as they breathed into her hair. A small shiver went down Hinata's spine. She leaned back and turned her head to look into the sapphire eyes that were smiling at her. She felt the familiar blush crawl up her cheeks, but she did not turn away. Naruto grinned down at her, and whispered "Surprise!". Hinata smiled back at her four week boyfriend.

- Flashback-

After Sasuke had left, though the blonde had done all he could to prevent his friend from joining Orochimaru, he had sunk into a deep despair. He had lost all his spunkiness and belief in himself. In his grief he had convinced himself that he was weak, a failure, and worthless. Naruto had spent much of his time shut in his apartment, as he had lost all desire to train. Not even Sakura had been able to pull him out of his depression, though she did manage to get him to come out of his apartment even though it was not the same.

During this time Hinata watched Naruto as he was torn inside. The sight of him caused her unbearable pain, to the point that her body became exhausted and she performed worse than ever on her missions. Several times she had attempted to try to comfort Naruto, when she had seen him walk aimlessly through the village. However she could never work up the courage, and in the end only hated herself more. She had hoped that Sakura would have been able to get through to him, but she had only got him to come out into the village.

Their relationship had begun when she had been racing towards the Academy after her father had scorned and humiliated her once more in front of the clan for failing her third mission in a row. She had known that her father would be disgusted by her performance but she had not expected to be humiliated and embarrassed in front of the clan. Usually he would release his anger and contempt in private.

Hinata had been shocked when he called her out to the grounds. After her humiliating scorn she had left the house without looking back. Running at full speed, she made her way through the village towards the academy where she knew she could be alone. When she had neared the building, she heard sobs, that were full of despair and pain. Sobs that brought fear to her heart.

Hinata dried her tears, and cautiously walked towards the swing, where the sobs seemed to be coming from. As she turned the corner of the building, she caught her breath. There was Naruto crumpled and in tears at the base of the tree. Hinata had never seen him cry let alone see him in utter despair. It was as if her strong, spunky, joyful ninja, had shattered and what was left was a pitiful image of what that ninja used to be.

"Naruto-kun…" she spoke as she softly made her way towards him. He gave no hint that he had heard her. She knelt down by his head, and awkwardly spoke his name once more. Naruto seemed to register that she was there. He looked up into her pale lavender eyes. The pain that Hinata saw reflected in them, caused her to break into a wave of fresh tears.

"Oh, Naruto-kun!", she cried, and out of instinct she reached out and smoothed his hair. Something seemed to awaken inside of Naruto at her touch, for he let out a cry and clung to Hinata's waist as he sobbed onto her lap. Hinata was frozen with shock. She looked down at Naruto as he cried onto her lap like a frightened child. The sight of him caused new tears to stream down her face. She smoothed his hair once more too distressed to feel even the slightest embarrassment.

"Hinata..", Naruto managed to speak through his sobs, "Please….help me…"

Hinata felt her heart break at those words. She let a new wave of tears fall down, before answering, "Of course Na-Naruto-kun!, I'd do anything for you!…J-just please tell me what to do, to get you out this pain. I-I…." She broke off, to choked up to say anymore.

"Hinata…I….I…don't want …..to be ….alone! I've lost Sasuke…, I don't want lose anyone else!…" Naruto clung tighter to Hinata.

"Na-Naruto-kun you'll never be alone! We'll never leave you! I-I will never leave you …because…because…" Hinata trailed off, a blush appeared as her heart began to race. I have to, I have to tell him he needs to know! He needs reassurance! Now more than ever, I have to let him know how I feel! "Because…I..I..I love you Naruto-kun! I love you with all my heart!" Hinata closed her eyes as fear and hope over took her. Naruto quieted and slowly released Hinata. She began to breathe heavily. Oh no! Oh no! What have I done! Inside her head was screaming, yet she remained silent, her eyes on Naruto. He kept his head down as he too, kneeled. A minute passed in silence, though to Hinata it seemed to be an eternity. She waited with bated breath as Naruto began to open his mouth to speak, though his eyes remained hidden.

"Hinata….do…do you mean it?" Naruto's voice came out calm and clear. Hinata didn't know what to make of it.

Whether it was a good sign or not she didn't know, but at least he didn't seem angry.

She quietly responded in a quavering voice " Y-Yes."

Naruto slowly raised his head. His sparkling sapphire eyes met Hinata's soft pale lavender ones. They searched her intently, looking for any signs of deceit. Hinata felt a blush rise in her cheeks, but she did not turn away. She held Naruto's gaze, her heart beating to loudly to think, not that she could. She focused solely on those eyes, that seemed to plead with her. Several unbearable minutes for Hinata, passed. Finally she couldn't stand it, she had to say something to break the silence that pressed around her.

"Narut-." she was cut off by Naruto as he placed a finger on her lips. Hinata turned several shades of red, as she stared at Naruto's hand that pressed against her lips. She looked up into his face and was shocked to see, Naruto blushing. Though it wasn't as bright a blush as hers, but there was not mistaking that reddish tint across his cheeks.

"Hinata….Sakura…" he stopped searching for the right words. Meanwhile Hinata felt an icy cold wave wash over her. Sakura, of course! He's going to tell me that he loves Sakura! I'm so stupid! She felt her throat begin to constrict. She wished that Naruto would quickly reject her so she could run away as fast as possible. Naruto sighed he wasn't very good with words, and he wasn't sure how he was suppose to say things to Hinata. Oh well! I'll have to just come out with it! He looked into her eyes once more and was surprised to see a flicker of sadness reflected in them. Gently he reached out and took her hand. Hinata felt like she was dying inside. She didn't think she could stand much more of this. She didn't want to be pitied

"Hinata…Sakura…has always been my biggest crush. I… I've always claimed to be in love with her." He looked into Hinata's pale lavender eyes. She held his gaze, determined not to show any emotion, just like a Hyuuga should. Naruto racked his brains for how to explain his feelings, as he did he absent mindedly ran his fingers through his hair.

"Yet, now that I've gotten to know her better and have gotten closer to her, I've come to realize that I love her…like my sister." Naruto's heart began to beat rapidly, while Hinata's skipped a beat at his words, and she dared to hope.

"Hinata…I'm not really sure how this is done…,but I want you to know that ever since I watched you at the Chunin exam….I…I've felt things I'd never felt before…they made me think of you all the time…at the time I just brushed them off, thinking it was because of the vow I had made. But after I had fulfilled it, they wouldn't go away...….Soon I came to realize why…." He paused as the nervous tension between them increased. Hinata felt the heat begin to radiate from her. She thought she knew what was coming next but she wouldn't believe it until she heard it from his lips. Naruto meanwhile began to fidget out of nervousness something that rarely occurred. He suddenly became extremely interested in the blades of grass as he stared intently at them, his blush becoming more pronounced

"Hinata…" his voice came out soft though Hinata detected a hint of tension. "I really like…no…I really love you too Hinata.." he squeezed her hand, Hinata squeezed back. He looked up at her, as saw that she had broken into a smile that seemed to glow with her happiness, and her blush. Feeling all tension leave his body Naruto broke into his usual toothy grin. They sat there holding hands, unsure of what to do next.

Just then however Hinata remembered that Naruto had been crying earlier. She gently released his hand and scooted across to his side. Naruto gave her a small questioningly look. She smiled, before timidly asking, "Naruto-kun…um…are you…feeling better now?" Naruto's smile drooped a little before replying.

"Yeah,…I guess I was feeling alone and insignificant…but your words have really knocked some sense into me!" He flashed her a grin. Hinata noticed that he was becoming more like him self by the minute. "You've made me realize that I'm needed, wanted, and most importantly loved. After Sasuke left, I felt that I had failed in everything I believed in. I had let him go, and I had never felt so powerless. I let myself drown in my own misery without second thought. But now I've realized that my friends need me, you need me, and I'm not a help to anyone if I continue with my pity-fest." He took her had once more and smiled a reassuring smile that washed away Hinata's worry.

He only needed reassurance and to hear that he was wanted and loved. Hinata thought to herself as her orange ninja began to grin even wider and reassured her that he was fine. She smiled and without thinking she rested her head on his shoulder just as the sun began to set. They sat there under the tree with the swing, Naruto's head against Hinata's, while hers against his shoulder. After the last few rays of light disappeared, Naruto realized that it was getting late and that he'd better get Hinata home, before she got in trouble with her father.

As soon as that thought formed in his head he felt as though the bubble of happiness inside him popped. He had completely forgotten about Hinata's father, and clan. However, now he saw the reality of his and Hinata's relationship. It would most definitely not be accepted by the Hyuga clan. Hinata sensed Naruto's tension, and so she lifted her head to look up at him. His eyes were full of worry and apprehension.

"Naruto-Kun, what is it?", she asked him with a small frown on her face.Naruto looked at her thinking, about how to explain their situation. He knew for a fact that her father, would not approve. To him that really didn't matter, what he was concerned about was what would happen to Hinata, if her father found out.

"Hinata, I just realized that our relationship isn't going to be the best news for everyone. Your family and especially your father, are going to hit the roof once they find out." He looked at her with sadness in his eyes. He didn't want to cause her any problems, and especially make her an outcast in the village because of him. He knew how half the village hated him because he carried the Kyubbi that was sealed inside him, and he didn't want Hinata to go through that. He froze as another wave of ice hit him full force. Hinata didn't know about the Kyubbi! I wondered when I'd be rememberedKyubbi spoke with a twinge of annoyance. Naruto and the nine-tailed fox had, over the years developed what Naruto called a "relationship" . Though he wasn't quite sure how he would describe it.

Another shocking realization hit him. How would Hinata react if she knew about the Kyubbi and his speaking to it? Would she still love him? He didn't think he could bare the thought of losing Hinata, but he had to tell her what he was. He loved her too much to deceive her. Before Naruto could even begin to ponder how to tell her, Hinata took his hand and looked at him with such fierceness in her eyes, that it took Naruto by surprise.

"So what !? So what, if my family finds out. They aren't going to break us apart! I won't let them Naruto-kun! I know that they aren't going to be pleased with our relationship, but I've dealt with their disappointments and disapproval all my life. It won't be anything new, and besides I have you. I don't care what they say about you not being high class, or what they say about you having the Kyubbi sealed inside you! I love you Naruto-kun, and I'm willing to fight for that love! Even if it means having to go against my family!" Hinata flushed with anger at the thought of her family daring to stop her. But that anger quickly simmered down, as she looked into Naruto's shocked face. He had literally been stunned, when he learned that she already knew about Kyubbi.

"Hinata…h-how?", he sputtered after a few seconds. Yes how? Kyubbi echoed irritably He rather liked being a well kept secret. She smiled timidly at him, as she blushed and began to press her forefingers together . It was one of her nervous habits.

"Naruto-kun, I've known for quite some time. Don't worry, this doesn't change a thing about how I feel about you!" She quickly reassured him, for she had seen a flicker of fear behind his shocked eyes. "Because of my Byakugan, I noticed that you had extraordinary amounts of un-normal chakra. I also noticed how the village seemed to hate you, and I once overheard Father talking with the clan elders about the Kyubbi being sealed inside someone. I just pieced it together myself." She gave him an apologetic look.

Naruto continued to stare at her in amazement, but he broke into a relieved smile. He felt his love for Hinata grow a thousand times stronger. She knows! She knows, and she doesn't hate me for it! . Smart Girl, Kyubbi acknowledged. Naruto ignored the fox, as he felt the bubble inside him swell once more, but just as quickly it began to deflate.

"Hinata are you sure you want to go against your family?" He asked her uncertainly . Naruto wanted to make sure that this was what Hinata wanted. She cupped his face in her small hands. Naruto felt his tension ease away. Hinata seemed that she had the power to sooth him by just even looking at him. He placed his hands around hers, and they looked her in the eye.

"Naruto-kun, I've made my choice and I don't go back on my words.", he smiled at his all too familiar words. Hinata also smiled and continued, " But if it makes you feel better, lets not tell. We'll let them and everyone else find out on there own." Naruto nodded his agreement at her. He then stood up and pulled Hinata to her feet. He grinned at her.

Um…hate to break the moment, but aren't you forgetting something?….Aren't you going to let her know about our little connection? Kyubbi asked his host.

That can wait. Naruto responded back. Then he pushed the fox out of his mind and grinned at Hinata.

"Well we better get you home before they start looking for you!" he took her hand and leapt on to the academy rooftop. They soon were leaping from roof to roof towards the Hyuuga mansion. As they traveled Hinata inwardly thought that if she ever did go missing, she was sure the clan wouldn't bother looking for her.

-End of flashback

Naruto gazed lovingly at Hinata's face, a shy blush visible on her cheeks. It was like this almost every night. He would meet her at the academy swing, and they would spend the night together. Ever since that day that Hinata had found him by the academy swing, and confessed her feelings for him, they had been almost inseparable.

It had taken everyone by surprise when they has seen the two of them together. Nevertheless, all their friends had been pleased by the news. Though Sakura did later admit to Ino that she had been a little heartbroken, since she had begun to develop feelings for Naruto. Kiba and Shino, Hinata's team members were by far the happiest. They were glad to see Hinata, whom they thought as a sister, smile, instead of always being secluded. Kiba congratulated them, and also took the liberty of threatening Naruto with bodily harm, if he hurt Hinata in any way.

Those who opposed were quick to show their feelings. Hiashi Hyuuga, had even locked Hinata inside the house and forbade anyone to see her. Naruto had caused an uproar when he attempted to march in the clans house, and free Hinata. The attempt had left his whole left side numb for three days. Kakashi (with some help from Kiba and Shino) had to practically tie him up to keep his stubborn student from going back to the Hyuuga mansion.

Though Kyubbi offered to lend him his chakra to, as he put it "rip that bastard apart for sealing Hinata (He had gotten usedto the girl, after Naruto had explained their relationship, and instead of being frightened had asked the fox how he liked Naruto as a host.) Naruto though tempted by the offer refused. He didn't need to give the Hyuugas a legit reason to hate him and forbid him from seeing Hinata.

However, after a week passed and there was no sign of Hinata, Lady Tsunade stepped in. She ordered and threatened Hiashi, to not intervene in his daughters life. He had never cared what happened to her before, why now? Hinata was happy and she as Hokage, would see to it personally that she stayed that way. Hiashi had no choice but to step down. This however didn't prevent him from being extra cruel to Hinata. He now pretended to have only one daughter; Hinata Hyuga did not exist in his eyes. Hinata was pretty much left to fend for herself. Though she did have the support of Neji and Hanabbi, who were both extremely happy for her. Despite Hinata's protests, they helped her in every way they could.

Naruto needless to say had not been pleased at the way Hinata was being treated, but he let it slip because according to Hinata, it was better to just leave things as they were, rather than cause more problems. He had agreed though rather reluctantly. The village had also been displeased, but only because according to some old guy, "he would corrupt Lady Hinata".

Yet they quickly got over it and everything almost went back to normal. Though the Hyugas were continuing to ignore Hinata's existence, and they would occasionally get dirty looks from some of the grownups from the village. But they didn't give them any second thoughts, and instead enjoyed every minute they spent together to it's fullest.

Now they were meeting once again at night. Naruto gently pulled Hinata up from the swing, and pulled her into his arms. He lightly kissed her on the forehead, causing her to blush even further. Despite the fact that they had been dating for four weeks now, She was still shy around him. It was her sweet nature he supposed, though she did seem more confident.

Also despite four weeks, neither had worked the courage to go beyond just kisses on the cheek. They didn't worry however the moment would come. Even though Kyubbi kept pressuring Naruto to quit acting like a pansy and make a move.

Hinata smiled at him and returned his kiss by snuggling into his arms. Naruto held her close and breathed in her light lavender smell. He had never felt more happy in his life.

"Um….what do you want to do tonight?" she quietly asked him as she pulled away and walked over to put on her sandals. Naruto watched her as he thought. They rarely planned anything, they would just do what ever came to their minds. Once they had ended up watching the stars all night atop the Hokage monument.

He thought a moment, he was feeling kind of hungry and ramen sounded perfect. Wow 10 points for originality! Kyubbi spoke sarcastically.

Shut up! Naruto retaliated. He grinned at her, "I know! Lets get some ramen, and then we can go for a walk!" Hinata broke into a smile, ramen sounded perfect. To her it didn't matter where they went. As long as she was with Naruto, that was all that mattered to her.

"Okay, but you're it! So you get to pay!" Hinata playfully poked him, as she leapt on to the nearest roof and took off in direction of the ramen stand. Naruto laughed and leapt after her into the night.

I Hope you guys liked it! Thanks for reading! The story gets a lot better I swear! Please Review! Pretty please, with sugar on top? .

Next chapter: The genin are assigned a mission that will change their lives forever. We also get to see every other character ,except sasuke. Sorry! It might take a while, but I swear he comes into the story! .