Hinata winced as she stitched the shallow gash on Naruto's arm. She mightn't have been formally trained as a medic-nin, but being on a team with Kiba and Shino… it never hurt to know the very basics of healing. Still, her natural aversion to all things brutal extended to blood– a natural by-product of violence– so she couldn't suppress the light shudder that raced down her spine.
Naruto used his free arm to rub the back of his neck. He wore that bashful expression that, many months ago, would have rendered Hinata unconscious. He chuckled nervously, at a slight loss for words.
"S-sorry for making you do this, Hinata. I know you were only at the hospital to visit Sakura-chan," he awkwardly began.
"Was that a stutter I detected? It would seem the tables have been turned," Hinata joked, a small smile tugging at her lips. With a shock, Naruto realised how beautiful Hinata was, when she wasn't blushing furiously. When he was younger, he'd found that blush weird. Now that he was older, it was endearing. And now that it was gone…
Hinata looked up from Naruto's newly healed arm to see him frowning. "What is it, Naruto-kun?" she asked. "Did I h-hurt you?" Her brows furrowed over her pale eyes.
Blue locked with lavender as Naruto looked into the girl's eyes. He sighed before looking away and saying, "No. You did an excellent job– thank you." Hinata just smiled in response, packing away the hospital's first aid kit.
"You're welcome, Naruto-kun. You're free to go," she told him placidly, smile still in place. But he didn't move; he'd had something to tell her for a while, and now was the right time.
But, as he thought about it, his rehearsed speech didn't seem adequate now, face-to-face with the beautiful Hyuuga. Hers was a silent type of beauty, equal with Sakura's loud, dramatic type. Where one was vibrant pink and shocking emerald, the other was midnight blue and creamy violet. Still, Naruto knew which he preferred, so with a sigh he began speaking.
"Hinata… I know I've been a bit slack responding to your… confession, but you should know that I don't want to hurt you. I'm sure we can be fr-..." Naruto trailed off as he saw a stray tear roll down Hinata's cheek. "I'm sorry." The words seemed awkward and meager, but it was least he could offer.
"N-no, Naruto-kun… this isn't your f-fault," Hinata admonished, gesturing to her watering eyes. "No, that's the problem. I'm not crying because of you, even though I should be. I should be up-upset, I should be mourning the loss of our f-future together, should be mentally preparing a shopping list including lots of i-ice-cream and ch-chick flicks, but…" Hinata stopped abruptly, choking on the giggles in her throat. "I'm not. And that's the problem. I mean, I still get butterflies battering my stomach wildly. A-and I still get that warm feeling when I see that smile. And I can practically taste the lips, but…" Hinata ignored the blonde's reddened cheeks as she stared him in those incredibly blue eyes. She took a deep breath and said, "but it isn't you. It should be you. It is you. It must be you. B-because if it's not, then… well, what then? What do I do then? How do I even… ugh," the girl let out a frustrated groan, craning her neck towards the ceiling. A single tear clung to her chin.
"E-erm… if it's not me then who is he?" Naruto ventured. He'd never exactly been fond of tact.
Hinata lowered her head, but her eyes were closed. Thinking about him had caused that familiar warmth to flow through her, set that smile on her face, sent those butterflies into a frenzied ruckus.
Which is why, when she did slowly open her eyes, she was disappointed to see the boy opposite her did not a have those stark tattoos on his cheeks, or those protruding canines, or that wolfish, sexy smirk.
Hinata chuckled, a small, self-deprecating laugh, before simply saying, "He's my everything."