She heard his voice, hid around the corner, and hoped she could get the courage to speak to him without stuttering and fainting.
He swore she was just there. He had missed her so much over the years. One of the few reasons he had come back safely and unharmed was her. He stood there; wonder, that if maybe he had over looked her somehow. He knew she could have changed over the years, just like he had, but hopefully not enough to where he could not recognize her just like he had not recognize an earlier friend. He still remembered her faint purple pupil less eyes that made her seem like she was blind, but she had more excellent vision than he had. Her beautiful purple hair and her light tan jacket she had always worn. He wondered if her hair had gotten longer or if she had changed the style to it. Had her outfit changed? He heard the slightest sound and started toward it.
She stood there, breathing quickly. She leaned forward; about to gather up all her courage and step out to talk to him again after all these years; but when she took a small step, he came right around the corner.
"Hinata!" He shouted.
Her light eyes widened in shock. He still remembered her, even if she hadn't changed all that much. She began to stare into his deep blue eyes. The same beautiful blue eyes that belonged to the once childish foolish young boy she had fallen in love with. She tried to speak to him, but he had caught her before she was ready to confront him in a conversation. She felt her face get warm as it began to turn a bright red. She gasped for air and tried to say hello, but everything began to go dark while she attempted to gain balance and not fall forward.
He smiled. She had changed a bit yes, but not as much as he had wondered before. He still recognized her. He noticed she was starting to react like old times and stepped in front of her to catch her as she fainted. She fell right into his arms like he had expected. He never knew why she blushed and fainted when talking to him or when he had caught her off guard. He thought it was cute, even if a teammate of hers had told him she was trying to over come it. He carried her and went back to the tree he had stopped at earlier and set her against it. He heard a thud and realized that he didn't exactly set her against the tree gently as he had planned. He wanted to make sure she hadn't hit her head so hard that she would not wake up, so he sat on the branch above her, watching her with a shine in his eyes.
She Woke up and looked around. She wasn't where she had been before she fainted. Instead she was by the tree she had fled from hours before when she spotted him coming her way. She looked around some more and noticed he was not in sight. She heard rustling above her and looked up. Nothing was there. It must have been the wind. She looked back in front of her trying to find out how she had gotten there if she had passed out thirty feet away. He was right there in front of her. He smiled at her and she swallowed. If she was going to talk to him she needed to do it now! She took a deep breath and said the words she should have said long ago.
"Naruto-kun…I love you."
She didn't faint. She didn't stutter. Her face didn't go red like she had expected. Maybe that's because he knew know and she had nothing to hide from him anymore.
He smiled at her. He wanted to tell her how he felt about her. But would she run? Would she faint? How will she react when he tells her? He went to go tell her when he heard her speak to him again for the first time in years.
"Naruto-Kun…I love you."
He smiled widely. She didn't faint, stutter, or blush. He took her hand gently and kissed her lips. When he pulled back he repeated her words in the way he had wanted them to sound.
"Hinata, I love you too. I came back unharmed just for you. I didn't come back to see just Sakura. I missed everyone but I missed you the most."
She heard his words and smiled. She hugged him tightly knowing that she didn't have to let go until she wanted to. She felt him hug back. She had missed him so and loved the feeling of having his strong arms around her.
He hugged her back tenderly and picked her up. She had hit her head pretty hard on the ground and decided he should take her home for her to rest some more. He was glad she hadn't fainted yet, but the image of him carrying her while she slept in his arms made him smile on the inside. Half way there he had gotten his wish and cherished the moment as he laid her in her bed and lay next to her. He watched her sleeping form for a while before falling asleep himself.