A/N: Ok people, Soulmate: By Your side is currently under rewriting progress. This is the first brand new chapter. The updated chapter two and three will be here soon, though I gotta work really fast since the fic is now Submitted in the Awards contest... yeah, I've got a lot on my hands :/ Oh, btw, this story is Romance focused with action and a little drama here and there.
Enjoy...
Soulmate: By Your Side
Chapter1: Everything Has A beginning
Naruto… 5 years had passed since he was a naïve twelve years old boy, since he was just a kid. Wish he had that these times would never go away, would never fade. But time had other plans... So much had happened…
Uzumaki Naruto… a legend that many would remember for a long time in the future. He grew up being hated by everyone in his village, in the very grounds that he called home. Being only human, he hated them back for it but didn't retaliate, didn't seek revenge. No, this boy was special, for he knew other ways of avenging, other ways of opening ones eyes. After so many years of scorn, hate, he kept striving on to prove to the people of Konoha what he truly was, to show them a human being worthy of attention.
And all these… all this pain, all this misery… all of it for just one thing, and that thing was the bane of his life till now, it was the destruction of his happiness.
Kyuubi no Yoko. The lord of demons, the mightiest being known in existence. A single swing of his kilometre-long tails could undo cities and mountains alike, make tsunamis rise from the seas and devour all. The mightiest demon… in the body of a child. It was a burden… his burden… and all this time he had to endure alone, he had to move forward alone, he had to take each step on his very own. But aside being a jinchuuriki, he was also human. And humans all have a weak point, don't they? His was his emotions, the lack of human contact not allowing him to grasp the meaning of feelings as those of love… be it romantic, parental or brotherly.
Loneliness… it was his greatest enemy, the black mist of his life that he fought to erase, the flame that consumed his heart yet he strived to extinguish. Such was he, Uzumaki Naruto, a lonely human that sought acceptance for being different, a little boy that needed the love he was deprived, and a now grown man that wanted to prove his worth.
But, since his adventures began, so did change come in his life. His first real friends where Haruno Sakura, classmate of his till their graduation, afterwards his team mate. The girl he sought after all this time, the girl he wanted to take away from the Uchiha that didn't even acknowledge her existence less he was forced to. Was it really love that he felt towards her? Was this the real thing? And if it was, how could he really know…?
The Uchiha… Uchiha Sasuke. He was and is his greatest rival as a ninja, his best friend in life and death, his brother in all but blood.
And so as life went on they 'communicated' in their own way. In between their spars and rude words, their curses and injuries, their missions and contradictions, they trusted each other…
Yet fate is a cruel mistress. Sasuke was an avenger… his very heart could sink to the darkness, if it was for him to gain power, to become strong, in order to defeat the one he despised. The one he hated. The murderer of his family, the bane of his existence. Uchiha Itachi, his once older brother… For this very reason, he left his village, his home, his life, to finish his quest for revenge. And the snake sannin, the slithery man known as Orochimaru, was more than happy to give it. But the cost would be great…
Naruto wouldn't let this slide, wouldn't let his best friend, his brother slip away in the darkness, slip away in the cold again. So he journeyed on, to find him.
At the first attempt he failed by an inch, Sasuke slipping from his grasp if only because of his own foolishness, or maybe the light of his heart. After three years, after his training along side the frog Sannin, along side Jiraiya, he ventured once more in the darkness to retrieve him. And he succeeded, for his brother was finally free from the madness of the Cursed Seal, was free from the binds of Orochimaru. And so he returned, back to Konoha, back home. Even so, the Uzumaki had yet once more to deal with another problem that arose… or was always there. He had left out of account that, bringing Sasuke back would most likely ruin his own life in a way… for Sakura once more had eyes only for him, had eyes only to help him recover and reacquaint him with the life he once had. Her affections didn't go unnoticed by the blond, but neither did the fact that she cared about him too, if not as much. At the very least, she finally no longer punched him on sight…
But the problem magnet his whole life seemed to be wouldn't relent so soon. Now the hunters came into view, the hunters of what lied within him, the ones that sought to destroy his very soul in order to take what lied behind. A criminal organization known across the elemental nations for the various nuke-nins that occupied it. The ones that called themselves, 'Dawn'…
Akatsuki
They have been hunting him for years and now was at long last their final strike. A battle raged on at the Valley of the End, where once two brothers in all but blood fought against each other, now combined their powers to bring down the common enemy. Swords clashed, techniques light up the sky, explosions and scorched earth accompanying it all. The battlefield clearly showed the marks the combatants left behind, marks of devastation. But none was about to relent, none was about to give in.
Naruto, having trained under the legendary Sannin, Jiraiya the frog summoner, was a force to be reckoned with as he battled to overpower Kisame. Both shinobi had chakra reserves beyond humanly possible, both had stamina far from normal. And both, wanted each other's blood…
Sasuke, the younger of the last Uchiha's, that had trained under the other Sannin, Orochimaru, had somehow managed to take the best out of the man, and these 'best' things where quite few, considering the man's reputation and character. Speed, strength, cunningness, elusiveness, these four attributes alone where enough to keep the young Uchiha alive as he clashed his blade against his brother's, the noise of metal against metal echoing for a split second before the blades clashed again and again in a wild dance that one wrong step could mean their death. Falter they did not, Sharingan ablaze and eyes locked as their smooth and experienced motions kept them alive… for now.
The blades clashed one more time, the sound echoing once more, the Sharingans locked to each other as nearly identical frowns faced one another. "Give up Sasuke… we both know who will win in the end…" he whispered, his whole strength focused on keeping his brother at bay. Sasuke's frown seemingly deepened
"You're right… we know" smirking, he stepped aside, letting his brother's blade fall for a second at the sudden movement and release of resistance. Sasuke spoon on one feet, his blade prepared to cut off the older Uchiha's neck at the end of the motion. Though said brother didn't falter for more than a split second, regaining his stance and quickly dodging the lethal strike with a duck. He smirked as he did a spoon of his own while ducked, using one leg to kick the younger one off his feet. Sasuke hit the ground… hard.
The lethal blade of the former Leaf ninja found it's tip right at the young avenger's neck, an emotionless Itachi over him, any frown or smirk he held before now vanished.
"It is over… Sasuke" the blade went down…
And all the fallen ninja did was poof in a cloud of smoke, a tree chunk in his place. Itachi's eyes didn't have time to even open in surprise as he felt a blade going through his heart…
"You're right... it surely is, Itachi" the older one could only smirk. How could he miss this…?
Most certainly, he did not…
For his body dissipated in a cloud of crows, leaving the young Uchiha with wide Sharingan eyes and a mind in wonder as his brother quiet laughter echoed… the world gone dark for a second before he returned to reality, the sight of his best friend meeting his gaze, he fighting against one of the seven Swordsmen of the Mist…
Kisame proved quite the challenge. Naruto had already launched a Rasengan at the swordsman who absorbed it with his Samehada, the legendary sword that devoured Chakra making the mighty technique dissipate as if it was nothing. Naruto knew he had to act… fast. His hands came to a familiar seal as shadow clones made their entrance into existence with several poofs of smoke. They all charged the shark man head on, the smoke of their birth giving them a slight advantage in the element of surprise. Kisame faltered for a moment after hesitantly killing one of the clones that came out of nowhere. This moment was all the clones needed…
Naruto's patented move, the Uzumaki Barrage, could be seen happening right before ones eyes as Kisame's body was kicked and punched to oblivion. After many moments that seemed to touch eternity, the body hit the ground…
And turned into nothing but a liquid substance… what people came to refer to as water. A few feet further, the swordsman rose from a pile of said liquid, a wide grin on his fish-like features.
"So… is that all you got?" He said as he took down each and every clone with ease. Naruto only frowned. Without a word, he unsheathed a Whirlwind Shuriken, opening it and throwing it at his opponent. Kisame's smirk could be seen widening as the weapon was even larger than the normal shuriken of this type, making it slower and easier to avoid. He just caught the weapon in one hand, a slight trail of blood falling for the cut skin. He threw the weapon behind him as if it was nothing, bringing his hand before his face, licking the blood of as if he enjoyed it…
Naruto charged forward, kunai drawn in one hand as he prepared to clash with Samehada. Kisame's smirk seemed face braking as he brought his mighty blade down with a swing, cutting Naruto in half…
Only for him to dissipate into smoke, the Fuuma Shuriken from a mere minute ago lying before him.
The former ninja of the mist knew better though than to allow himself to be caught in such a simple trap. Turning around, he blocked an incoming hail of shuriken and kunai with his blade, the weaponry hitting the ground.
And as if on cue, a company of seven more ninjas arrived in the scene, all in black cloaks with red clouds… more members of the 'Dawn'. They stood still and waited upon Uchiha Madara's head, seemingly just sitting back and enjoying the battle before them. Naruto frowned as fear gripped his heart… he and Sasuke were clearly outnumbered…
He turned around to see the swordsman holding Samehada high, preparing to strike the teen town and probably cut him in half. His wicked smirk was all across his face, as the blade descended upon the blond. Naruto was frozen for a second before registering what was going to happen in his troubled mind. In the last split second, he jumped out of the way from the fatal attack.
He charged another Rasengan and in anger flew towards Kisame, his rage building on as survival instincts kicked in, the fact that they were outnumbered making him take even more haste in his actions. Kisame only smirked and raised his sword to block the Chakra ball as he had done before.
But the attack never came
He lowered his blade a few inches to see that the boy was still there, Rasengan in hand and smirking at him. "Hmm?" He questioned. Suddenly, he felt his whole back burning and be ripped apart. He felt his skin being violently destroyed. The last thing he saw before oblivion took his soul was the chakra sphere before him dissipate, the blond holding it poofing in smoke…
"That was easy!" Naruto exclaimed with a wide grin from behind the swordsman's now corpse, the Chakra ball fading from his hand. He turned around to face the rest of the organization, knowing that this was probably his last fight. From the corner of his eye he saw Sasuke approaching him, his facial features graced by a seemingly never fading smirk as they stood upon the First Hokage's head, gazing down upon their opponents. Naruto grinned back at him as he prepared yet another Rasengan. The black haired teen nodded as electricity coursed through him and to his blade, making it light up as if thunder itself had took hold of it…
And out of nowhere, a glimpse of hope rose in the heart of the two Konoha combatants as blurred figures run towards them, Sasuke's Sharingan able to recognize their fast moving figures…
"It's… it's…" the Uchiha's quiet mumbling was cut off as an even wider smirk found its way on his face. Turning around he faced the Dawn once more…
With five more to aid him. Lee, the green beast of Konoha was striking his 'nice-guy' pose, toothy smile and thumbs up accompanying. Sakura cracked her knuckles, her smirk one that would make any Uchiha proud.
Choji was for once not munching on something, hands itching to prepare his family jutsu and crush something… Kiba stood beside the Akamichi on his white-brown dog, a feral grin on his face as he whispered to the large canines ear, which replied with quiet woofs. And last but no least, was Hinata, the lavender eyed girl prepared in her Jyuuken stance, Byakuugan glaring daggers at their opponents.
Both blond and dark haired brothers looked at each other and back at their friends, a smirk and a grin on each respective face. Without further ado, Naruto exclaimed the only word that was needed at the moment…
"Ikuzo"
And it was on…
XxxxX
Sasuke took on a man that looked more like a plant, his face painted black in the one side and white in the other. He had something like a giant plant mouth around his head. Sasuke's smirk was never fading…
He began the seals for a special fire Jutsu that could burn this plant-boy to ashes if it hit, leaving his friends and himself with one less thing to worry about…
Naruto engaged combat against Kakuzu, a man with most of his face and hair hidden by a mask, green eyes meeting cerulean. The blond didn't know if he had to be disgusted or filled with horror, that the man seemed to have tendrils that poured out of his body under his control…
Sakura and Lee found it hard to combat against Hidan and his techniques, his powers over immortality and specialization in close combat efficient against the Konoha shinobi, who's whole power lied in melee and their strikes couldn't possibly destroy him…
Kiba, Choji and Hinata all fought against Pain… or his six bodies whatsoever. Choji's 'oversized' abilities seemed efficient at some point since his massive strikes needed a good deal of speed to avoid. Plus that whenever each of them tried to escape Choji's crushing attacks, Kiba and Hinata waited for them…
An hour, a decade, an eternity, none of them knew how much time had passed as the sun was beginning to rest into the forest, the light of the sunset washing the battlefield…
The Uchiha had managed to set his opponent ablaze quickly enough. When he was done with the seals, he had charged Sechou head on, the plant-man only smirking as he vanished in the ground. It didn't take much for Sasuke's quick mind to know what was coming next. In a matter of a second, he turned around, his grand fireball technique shot straight on Sechou's face… incarnating him to dust.
Sakura's mighty punches had managed to literally make a hole in the concrete ground. Lee's blinding speed without his weights was enough to outmanoeuvre Hidan's slow yet lethal attacks. And so on, they had managed to throw the immortal into the pit, Sakura's explosive tags scattered throughout the hole as Choji's enlarged hands kept Hidan from escaping. When it was all over and after a plenty of threats and curses from a now buried Jashin follower, the three went to keep on their fight against the leader and his six bodies, against the Rinnengan.
Naruto's battle was simply spectacular as he had managed to defeat the tendril man with one of the mightiest techniques any of them had ever seen… Fuuton Rasenshuriken. Unfortunately though, the blond was utterly exhausted after he had managed to hit his opponent, the remaining of his chakra lost in one mighty move.
And now, all his friend's combated against the Six paths of pain. The God realm seemed quite the hard one to beat as his power pushed back any attack or jutsu. All the bodies worked in perfect coordination, not a single mistake made. On and on they fought, each ninja falling one after the other, yet taking one of the bodies with him. In the end, only Kiba and Hinata remained vigilant…
"Gatsuuga!" the Inuzuka shouted as twin Kiba's charged forward against the final body, God realm. The attack was easily repelled though…
"What insolence…" he said emotionlessly, his hands forming quick hand seals and then slamming to the ground, the still recovering Inuzuka caught in and caged in a small dome of rock and earth, no escape visible as he and his dog where lost from sight…
After a few seconds and another set of hand seals…"Katon: Dragon Destroyer no Jutsu!" Pain exclaimed, and out of his mouth flew an enormous fire dragon. He let out a fearsome roar and went directly on Hinata. Said girl couldn't run, she knew this dragon could follow her anywhere until it hit her. So she did the only thing possible. "Hakeshou Kaiten!" She exclaimed and started spinning. The mighty Hyuuga technique finally came in handy as the dragon was repelled by the blue barrier.
After a few seconds of immense pressure, the spin stopped and the dragon faded. Hinata had used the last of her Chakra to block this rather powerful attack. The rest was gone in her Jyuuken, the intense melee battle she had with God realm having exhausted her. She faltered, if only for a moment, and Pain rushed in and gave her a good kick in the stomach that launched her on the nearby tree. His deathly pale face didn't betray any emotion as he neared…
She groaned in pain as she tried to stand, her body though faltering. She felt as if her 'inner-world' was about to come out at the bare thought of standing and her feet felt numb from the extensive battle. They gave away and gravity took it's tall as she fell back on the tree… helpless.
Pain went forward to complete his task, a kunai in his hand and Rinnengan eyes gazing down upon the weakened Hyuuga, she weakly looking up at him, trying to force her hands to move, to do something. But right as the leader of the Dawn was ready to let his blade slice her neck, his sensitive ears picked up a silent growl… and this growl made him feel something that he hadn't felt in years… an emotion that he had forgotten it even existed.
Fear
Naruto could only watch the battle that took place before him, his friend's lying around the battlefield, most of them unconscious or incapacitated from their fights. They where helpless… Pain would slice through each and everyone of them when he was done with her… wait… her… Hinata… he was going to kill Hinata! He was going to kill them! No, he wouldn't allow this… he had the power to retaliate… he knew he had it… but… what if his friend's saw him? What if they saw what lied within…?
Pain's blade was now inches away from her neck…
He couldn't stand it. He couldn't lose her. He couldn't allow one of his closest friend's to slip away, to fall in the grasp of death. He would stop it, he would stop him. He tried to imagine her corpse… and that only added in the rage that had began building inside, the bloodlust that was about to conquer his senses, the fear that gripped his heart, the dread that filled his soul. No… Pain would die.
And so he let it free… he let the power consume him as the red demonic chakra coursed through him, empowering his weakened body. Any injury his arm had suffered from the Fuuton Rasenshuriken had vanished as the evil chakra enhanced his healing process. Unconsciously, he let out a silent growl, two tails forming behind him as he fought with every ounce of his control to not let any more of it sip in. He opened his eyes to gaze upon emotionless Rinnengan ones, gazing at him with wonder from afar.
"So… is this the power of a jinchuuriki?" he could smirk at the scene, but Naruto didn't reply as the 'Cloak of the Fox' took hold over his body, blood red eyes glaring at the Rinnengan wielder. Said man only ignored the boy as he returned to his task…
Hinata watched in awe and fear at the same time at the blond, his golden hair now gone wild, his whisker marks thicker, his nails claws. She felt awe, for it was the first time she saw him giving off so much power. And fear… for the chakra was just swimming with evil, bloodlust, hate. Was Naruto really capable of such emotions…? But all these thoughts left her mind as she saw Pain returning to get done with her and then face the jinchuuriki… and dread took hold on her once more…
She hated herself… now she would die… without ever allowing the boy she loved to know… to know of her affection, to know of her feelings, to know that he really wasn't alone… that there was someone there the whole time… she wanted to scream it at him right there and then, yet she found her voice disobeying as fear had tightened her lips shut. The emotions overwhelmed her as her grip on consciousness faltered, allowing her to fall in an abyss of darkness without at least feeling the physical pain. But her heart ached… so much that she was worried she would have a heart attack before Pain would kill her. Only one image and two words laced on her mind before darkness took over.
It was the image of a grinning blond teen… the words 'I'm sorry' intertwined with the picture…
Pain didn't hesitate as the tip of his blade touched her soft skin. His muscles where ready to move and slice it open… before a clawed hand gripped it, the iron grip seemingly impossible to escape from.
The Rinnengan master only glanced at the possessed blond, the slightest raise of an eyebrow the only emotion of surprise evident in his features. A second before this boy was nearly 50 yards away, and now, in the blink of an eye he was right in front of him, giving him a death glare and having a frown on his face that spoke volumes "Don't… touch her…" He said in a dark tone, his eyes full of hate.
If the leader of the Dawn had emotions, he would certainly smirk at the boy's foolishness. And seeing what his friend probably meant to him, he would sincerely take great pleasure in cutting her throat… without further ado, he used his power to send the jinchuuriki away, several yards beyond. He once more turned to finish what he had started, kunai in hand. Yet again, before he could end this…
A claw made of seemingly dense red chakra crushed on him, sending him flying in the sky. His eyes widened slightly in amazement that he hadn't seen this coming. He witnessed the birth of several clones on the ground, three groups, haste evident as each team prepared their respective Oodama Rasengan. Pain could see what was coming…
He prepared a dozen of kunais and shuriken in each hand, sending the weaponry flying at the clones. He had to take out at least two groups… otherwise... it would be the end of him.
The weapons never met their target though as two giant red claws protected the clones from them. The cloaked man then did the last thing that came in his mind…
He prepared another Dragon Destroyer, sending it flying against a group of the clones, the Rasengan and the fire technique clashing and dissipating against each other…
His special ability repelled the next Oodama, sending both technique and clones away.
Yet he knew that the third couldn't be stopped… he couldn't dodge in mid air neither could he repel it since his powers needed at least two more seconds of cool down, two seconds that he didn't have. He closed his eyes, prepared for the end…
Yet the technique hit nothing but paper, as both Pain and the one that took him away seemingly disappeared into nothing...
The real Naruto didn't bother to look at the scene… the Kyuubi enhanced Oodama Rasengan had probably reduced Pain's body to nothing. He slowly approached the fallen form of his comrade, of his friend. She was just lying there, probably unconscious from exhaustion. The menacing power resided back in him and he immediately felt his whole body going numb at the sudden lack of power. He fell to his knees, right next to her. Looking up and groaning in pain, he was glad of her serene face greeting his gaze, her body worn out from the battle, evident as it was from the slight bruises and cuts she sported. He could chuckle if it didn't hurt his whole chest in doing so, at the thought that he probably wasn't much better. He only allowed his body to rest next to her, a glance thrown around the battlefield…
The statues that guarded over the valley where quite damaged now, the combat not allowing the landscape to escape it's destructive grasp. Atop the Hokage's head was Choji and Sasuke, both probably unconscious, on Madara's head lied Lee and Sakura, Pain's summoning body lying in between them.
And quite a few meters away from him was Kiba's chakra draining prison, which had now dissipated leaving a near dead Inuzuka and his dog behind from chakra exhaustion. Beyond the trees, he could see the ANBU along with medic teams arriving… good…
He let one last glance fall on the girl next to him, a small smile on his face. He had done it… they where all alive…
With these thoughts, he let unconsciousness grasp him as well, not knowing that the girl's head had somehow managed to rest on his shoulder…
XxxxX
He should have known better. Tsunade was less than pleased that the blond had encountered Akatsuki all on his own with only Sasuke for back up. If Hinata hadn't warned their friends about his absence and possible purpose, he would be long dead or lost in a cavern having his soul ripped out…
She had picked up anyone she found in her way, her concern about the blond more than obvious. Said girl was now lying on a bed next to him, vases with flowers decorating their respective sides. This room had only two beds… and strangely she was put in there with him.
The others where lost somewhere within this maze people came to call 'Hospitals', the bane of all Shinobi. He was in the least critical condition, having suffered only chakra depletion. Yet for some reason his legs didn't obey him, so he would have to stay in bed for the next few days…
He couldn't understand why. Before he fell unconscious, his legs where working just fine…
Later on, Tsunade had come in to inform him about her displeasure over his actions, hug him to death for being safe, berating him for making her worry so much, and finally telling him why he couldn't move his legs. Apparently, one of the medic nins had found it 'fun' to mess with the 'demon-brat'. Thus he had rendered the blonds lower limps useless and later on claimed that it had happened in combat. Yet this particular sannin wasn't a legend in the field of medics for nothing… the damage was way to clean and carefully made to be done in the stress of a battle. Probably, the man's only mistake was that he didn't want to utterly destroy the teen's legs. His carefulness was his undoing…
For Tsunade's punch was enough to probably send the man somewhere towards Snow Country.
And from then on, all Shinobi knew better than to touch the blond, less they desired to face the Hokage's famous fists…
So there he was. Lying in a hospital bed, waiting for something to happen. The whole day was utterly boring with most of his friends being in their respective beds as well, his legs useless, not able to support his weight yet. He was thankful that he could at least stretch and bend them, thus making his stay at least a little less uncomfortable.
And Hinata had yet to wake up. The girl was sleeping peacefully a meter or so away from him. He would have forgotten she was even there if he hadn't occasionally glanced at her form. God, she was just so quiet…
But he liked her that way. It wouldn't really do if he had another punch lunching Sakura or bitching Ino in the company. She was a pleasant change in the demeanour of girls that surrounded his life… in a friendly manner, of course. Maybe a Divine was in a good mood today, for his prayers for something to happen had been answered, though not in the way he really expected it…
Tsunade walked in again. Figures, she would probably start berating him again or something like that. Yet he was surprised that along with her where two medics, holding an aged man in their hands…
"Surprise brat!" the Hokage said cheerfully. Naruto looked at her clearly confused… was the old guy supposed to be a present or something? "You see, the hospital is quite full at the moment. We have no empty rooms so we will probably have to narrow you guys down a little" she kept smiling as if she knew a detail the blond didn't catch… then his mind came to a conclusion
"Oh my god! You're going to make me sleep with the grandpa?!" he practically yelled as he pointed a finger at the Hokage. He had absolutely no intention of staying in the same bed with an old guy…
"Shut up you little baka" she rubbed her temples as if trying to force back an oncoming headache… "This patient has a disease that is contagious on physical contact, thus the medics wear suits and gloves as they carry him" truth be told, he only just noticed the sickly colour the man had and the fact that the medic nins where garbed from head to toe.
"So! You'll just have to make some more room in there. Come on, these beds are big enough for two I think" as she said these, she neared Hinata's bed, slowly picking up the petite girl in her mighty arms.
Wait… did she mean that… "Holy crap! I can't sleep with a girl!" he pointed a finger at the Godaime once more…
"Would you prefer him?" she smiled sweetly at him, head gesturing towards the old man, glad at seeing his resolution falter. "Geeze…" he sighed as he made room. The Hokage's smile then broke to an unnoticed grin as she gently tucked the girl in next to the blond, he nearly on the edge of the bed as he tried to make room and probably avoid contact, a small blush on his face. It wasn't everyday that he had girls on his bed… hell he could even sleep on the floor.
It didn't take long for the two medics to finish with the old man and leave along with Tsunade…
Outside, one of the medics couldn't help but ask "Hokage-sama, there are still plenty of rooms around the hospital. Shouldn't we let the Uzumaki know?" the blond woman turned to grin at him "No, you shouldn't" both men shivered, knowing better than to discard the small threat that accompanied these words…
If Naruto wasn't going to leave Sakura alone soon, then the Hokage would force him. The good way, of course. The blond had been bugging her apprentice for some time now, probably because she was more focused on Sasuke now that he was back, and who could blame her, really? Naruto just had to get over it… and she knew the perfect way. Plus, that girl already liked him, so no sooner that he was out of Sakura's feet, her discipline would return on her schedule with one less thing to worry about. Plus, the current head of the girl's clan had some plans rolling in his head nowadays… plans that the Hokage couldn't help but grin widely at.
Win-win situations… she liked them. Though there where other things to worry about right now…
The blond in the meantime though, had other things running in his mind. Or rather, his mind was in a blank state, the girl next to him having probably unconsciously stuck on him. She had even wrapped an arm over his chest… He could feel her slow warm breaths on his neck, the tingling sensation of her hair on his cheek, the warmth her body radiated filling everything… and what surprised him most was…
That it felt damn good
He wasn't used to so close human contact, especially from females. And especially from Hinata, the girl who fainted every single time he came too close. She was most likely going to faint the moment she woke up and realized where she was… and that would mean that she would keep herself stuck on him… and he wouldn't even be able to move away, since he was already near the edge of the bed and he couldn't even walk…suddenly it seemed as if fate itself had made a conspiracy over this…
He glanced at the girl once more, a small smile on her pale face as she snuggled a little closer, muttering something like 'warm'…
Well, he would at least enjoy it while it lasted, wouldn't he?
He smiled…
He sure would
XxxxX
The next few days rolled by fast, as if in a haste. Though for Naruto, it was as if the world was moving in slow motion, the warmth of the girl next to him making all his worries simply vanish… for he could hardly think of anything else for that matter. It was also very helpful when he went to sleep, for it was so easier to succumb to slumber when it was so warm… and strangely, Hinata just didn't wake up. Or rather, unbeknownst to the blond of course, when she did wake up the first time and realized her surroundings, she fainted on the spot of course. The next days when she kept finding herself in the same or a slightly altered position, she would just keep quiet and enjoy it… enjoy the fairy tale for as long as it lasted.
XxxxX
It was a few weeks after the final battle at the Valley of the End. Konoha had retrieved most of the corpses from the battleground, even Hidan's buried one… in pieces of course. It was a little creepy that the man's head kept cursing them to dear heavens, but the Hokage would make sure he would be buried again soon, somewhere safer.
Naruto in the meantime, while having recovered and out of the hospital, was walking down the streets of Konoha heading to the best ramen shop in the universe.
Ichiraku Ramen was the best ramen stand in Konoha for him, its flavours unmatched around the world. His casual stroll there was peaceful and quiet, the streets of Konoha being rather unpopulated today. He took a sit there, contemplating on things he would otherwise label as… trivial, maybe. All that mattered usually was to get a good deal of training, date Sakura-chan and rise to the top as the Hokage. What was bugging him right now then…?
His order of miso special came rather quickly, on the house from Teuchi who was more than happy to have his favourite customer out of hospital. Naruto smiled at the simple remembrance of the structure… wait, since when did he like hospitals? Maybe…
He was most likely hallucinating at the moment. If he said to anyone he liked hospitals, people would surely think he was crazy… so he finished up his ramen, and after, roughly counting, ten more bowls, headed towards the training grounds to probably call it a day. He knew a spot near the lake which was usually used for Suiton training. It was just perfect during the sunset, the waters glittering in the setting light and when the moon finally took it's place in the dark sky, it's shadow would be cast on the crystal waters of the lake… a majestic sight to behold and the perfect way to relax. He was training all morning now, and well earned rest was his favourite drug to close the day smoothly.
And there he was, a few meters away from his personal spot… when he realized that it wasn't so personal anymore. It was easy to notice who it was. Even from behind, the dark-blue hair and lavender-white jacket gave away everything. Unless if there was any Hinata-wanna-be in Konoha…
She wanted to stay somewhere away from her problems. Somewhere she could simply forget everything for a while, just escape reality. The demands of her father, the rules of the clan, her responsibilities as the heir, everything. She wanted all this to vanish. As she tried to let her mind drift away along with the setting sun, she noticed footsteps on the grass behind her. She turned around quickly to see who it was, surprise evident on her lavender eyes. She immediately blushed and turned around again to look at the lake, her cheeks having a rather bright shade of pink…
He walked closer and saw her turning around to look. Though weird as it was, she turned back to the lake, maybe too quickly for him to not get a little suspicious. True, he wasn't a genius when it came to other's emotions, but he knew all too well how someone acted when he wanted to avoid someone… humanity tended to do it to him occasionally anyway.
"May I sit here or you don't want company?" He said, shooting her one of his trademark grins as she turned again at the sound of his voice. If he knew the girl well enough, she was most unlikely to decline… she was too kind to send someone away whatsoever.
Her eyes went wide and she looked down at the grass "I-It's ok Naruto-kun… you c-can sit here." She answered, her voice always in that soft tune… how could he describe her voice really? Maybe of an angel…? He let the thought slide away as he sat down next to her, gazing at the sunset with a wide smile.
"Thanks! You see, this is my favorite spot near the lake! I come here at times" He said, his voice a little quieter than usual. This place could so easily calm him down... the scenery was just too good for him to ruin with his yelling. The girl though, having her attention on other things, blushed at seeing how close he was. "F-for what?" She asked gently. He smiled even more, making her blush brighter.
"Well, I come to think usually." He said "What are you here for?" He returned the question, looking at the petite form beside him that was finding the ground before her strangely amusing all of a sudden.
"W-Well, I come to think too…" She said, her voice trailing off in the last words. He smiled again.
"For what?" He asked, his voice half serious, half teasing. She raised her eyes to meet his, and blushed again when she saw that he was looking at her, but she just couldn't get off these eyes…
She finally looked away and tried to gather the words "Ano… I just want to g-get away from my concerns about t-the clan, about m-my life. I just wish the problems could just fade away. I wish I wasn't that weak for them…
I just want to… to forget everything… if only for a moment" she said and suddenly she felt two hands holding her shoulders. He turned her around to look at him in the eye. She blushed a bright red, as she always did when he touched her of course, but simply couldn't avert her gaze from these two blue orbs… not anymore.
"Hinata-chan, how many times must I say it? You are not weak! We have talked about this before! Stop thinking so low of yourself! In their eyes, you might seem weak, but you and I know that you are not! Let them believe what they want. You are not weak! You never were in my eyes…" He said, trailing off at the last words and looking away. She could have swore she saw a small blush before he turned around to hide his features in the orange sunlight.
She smiled, for she knew better than to take his encouraging words for granted. "Thank you, Naruto-kun." She said and he lifted his arms from her shoulders. She felt so happy. For at least once, she made him blush, for one reason or another, she just did. And her heart was pounding even more now.
"You know, Hinata-chan… I… I feel confused. Sakura-chan was always a friend to me. I always asked her on dates and she turned me down every single time. I just hoped that she would see me the way I saw her… and now, that Sasuke is back, I just can't help but notice that there's no chance… not that there was before" He chuckled at his own words, yet Hinata couldn't believe in her ears. Naruto didn't like Sakura anymore? Truth be told, yes she was closer to Sasuke now, but that didn't hold Naruto back before. What had changed now? She had to confirm it "A-are you sure you like her? I mean, Sasuke-san w-wasn't a problem before, was he?" She asked calmly, lavender eyes locked on his form with care… the stutter nearly out of her voice.
She had become way more comfortable around him these last few months since they spent so much time together, on missions or on accidental meetings around the town. She was even able to not faint when he was very close, though the hospital thing was a rather more… complicated matter. "Yeah… but I don't know… it just doesn't feel right anymore… going after her, that is…" he said a bit sadly, as if it pained him to think this way.
Maybe she was right, maybe he didn't like Sakura that way anymore. She didn't return anything anyway. But what was wrong? What had changed so he didn't like Sakura now? He felt his heart getting heavy. "Maybe…" Hinata started to say, trying to comfort him after seeing the sadness in his eyes, but he cut her off and his next words was something that she never expected to come from his mouth… not his.
"What is love, Hinata-chan?" He asked, his sad eyes looking straight into her pale lavender ones. He could have sworn he lost a heartbeat when he saw her pale face been bathed in the fading orange sunlight. But that was trivial, maybe he was just tired. He couldn't help but notice the surprise these lavender pools held. Maybe she felt uncomfortable to answer, maybe she didn't even know. But she was better than that…
"Well… I think i-it's to devote yourself to someone. To want to be with him no matter his flaws, no matter his personality, you want to be close to him, to protect him. You love them for their flaws and respect them for their strengths. T-they mean the world to you…" She said and looked away from him at the last sentence, as if reminiscing something that she held dear, a dream that her hands reached out for, yet seemed so far away…
He could see sadness in her eyes, the pain that loomed inside for things that maybe belonged to the past, maybe belonged to the present or in the future. That's what he liked about her eyes… the eyes of a usual Hyuuga were always cold, uncaring, a block of ice that held back their soul. Yet hers where like twin moons that reflected her very essence in them, each feeling dancing in these pools as if wanting to catch someone's attention.
At that moment, he wanted to hug her tight and tell her all was alright. He wanted to take that sadness away. He wanted to make her happy, for she probably deserved it, and maybe more. She was a friend, a close one… and seeing friends being hurt in any way was a burden he would carry till it was solved.
But he couldn't move. What was happening? He never had problem to reveal his emotions to Sakura, or anyone else for that matter. But here, it just didn't feel right, though he wanted to do it, he wanted to give the comfort he was once deprived, with all his heart.
Before he could decide what to do, she stood up. Her eyes had sadness in them, reflecting emotions that where like the waters of a calm lake… disturb them, and the ripples will reach out till the very shore of each and every side.
She herself wanted to hug him in an attempt to find comfort. She wanted to hold on him and let him tell her it was alright. She wanted to cry all her problems on his shoulder. But she didn't know how he would react. He could freak out and run away. She didn't want this to happen. She wanted him to be close…
Her thoughts were interrupted when he stood up too. "Wanna walk? I don't have anything to do really, so we can go at a park or something" He said, his eyes gleaming with happiness. She smiled back. She had forgotten that the particular individual was special… sadness was a word he didn't accept in his vocabulary, really.
"I-I'd love to…" was her reply as she smiled shyly. He smiled back at her making her blush 'She looks cute when she blushes like that… eh?' He was surprised at his own thoughts, but before he could finish a complete estimation of what the words that popped in his head meant, a certain pink-haired girl came into the scene…
"Oi! Naruto! Tsunade-sama wants to see you!" She shouted from the other side of the training grounds, the fervour of her shout maybe even matching Naruto's usual tone, said boy only flinching. Was he really that loud?
The med-nin then finally noticed the Hyuuga who was blushing next to him 'Hmm? What's Hinata doing here?' she thought to herself, not quite used to the blond hanging around with her, since she could barely communicate properly with him as long as she remembered.
"Oi! Sakura! Want to go on a date?" Naruto shouted back while grinning widely. Sakura twitched an eyebrow in irritation… he was thinking about that even now? She would most likely have to tell her sensei that plan A had failed…
Hinata felt her heart fall to the ground, almost literally. Maybe… he liked Sakura in the end. He just hadn't really realized it yet and asked her so he could figure it out. Now she wanted the earth to swallow her, for even though Sakura was sure to decline, the blonde's feelings seemed unwavering…
"Baka! Tsunade-sama wants to see you! There's no time for such things!" She yelled back and walked away clearly annoyed, head held high. They would probably have to enter plan B… which was most certainly more dangerous, but most certainly would be more fruitful… and in the long run, he would at last stop bugging her on this, focus somewhere else, and leave her to finally tend properly to her obligations without the fear of a blond head jumping out of nowhere and asking her on a date…
Naruto turned to Hinata to see the sadness covering her whole face. Had he done something wrong? Well…
He grinned widely "See what I mean? It's like asking a wall on a date. No matter how many times you say it, the answer will always be the same" he said and began laughing lightly at his own little joke. Her eyes were wide as she looked at him. Maybe… there was a chance… wasn't there?
"Ah, it's getting funnier every time! If you exclude the part that she starts beating me senseless of course…" he said and began laughing again
She couldn't help but giggle at the comment. He smiled even more when he heard her laugh… it was… cute. "Hinata-chan" he began in order to get her attention. She stopped giggling to look at him with questioning eyes, seeking answers on his very face…
"You should smile more often" he said and gave her one of his toothy smiles. She blushed a crimson red and nodded while smiling, a small "mhm" escaping her lips.
He smiled again "Ok, I got to go! See you later Hinata-chan!" He said as he started running towards the Hokage tower while waving a hand at her in goodbye. She couldn't feel happier at the moment, for so many good and promising moments had made their appearance in only one evening… yet she herself had matters to attend to, if she remembered correct. Getting back to the manor would most likely be a good start…
When she finally reached the gates of her dreaded home, the guard on duty immediately spotted her. Who wouldn't spot or know the heir of the Hyuuga clan, anyway?
"Hinata-sama" he said while bowing lightly "Your father, Hiashi-sama requested your presence at his study immediately." he said politely. She nodded and smiled at him, one of the fake smiles she always used to hide her sadness within the cold walls of what she at least tried to call home. When she reached the door to her father's study, her knock on the concrete was answered by a serious, monotone yet commanding voice… the voice of the head of the clan, the leader of the Hyuuga.
"Hinata, come in" she heard her father calling. She obeyed and opened the door slowly. She walked in and bowed keeping her spine perfectly straight as she was taught to do always in the presence of an elder or higher up. Especially in the Hyuuga household, where its members where trained to be body readers, posture meant everything, for your body could speak volumes your lips could not.
"Did you ask to see me Otou-san(father)?" she asked with her soft calm voice, the fear hidden well. For whenever her father called her here… it surely wasn't good, at least for her.
"Indeed" Hiashi replied in his usual serious tone. "Sit down Hinata. I've got something important to tell you…" he said, a mild paint of amusement in his voice, something really faint, but Hinata caught it, for her father rarely allowed his tone to be graced by such emotions. She kept her posture steady, her mind waiting and running through endless possibilities as to what the elder would want. He took a sip from his tea…
"Hinata…" He began…
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More chapters incoming soon, no worries...