Worthless.
Worthless.
Worthless.
That word stung like a dozen knives, bringing her tears and pain like no other she felt. How many times had she heard that word in her lifetime? Too many to count.
She struck the tree with another palm, just as fiercely and angrily as she had before. The night air was thick and cool, and she could smell the oncoming rain. It was fresh and welcoming to her nostrils, but she was too caught up in her misery to care that she would be soaked any minute now.
Her breaths were sharp and hard, and she struggled not to cry. Her father said tears were a sign of weakness, that Hyuugas didn't cry. And the last thing she wanted was to disappoint him further. But thinking of her father only upset her more.
No one understood what it was like to be so close to perfection and so far from it at the same time. She had never wanted to be a perfect ninja, simply one that met her father's standards, which meant absolute perfection.
No matter how much energy she put into being a kunoichi, no matter how much dedication, she simply couldn't be what he demanded she be. It was infuriating and frustrating to put your whole being into something and not be able to have it. It felt as if she was reaching her hand out to grasp it, but all that met her fingertips was air.
She wanted to be something of value in his eyes so much that she physically ached for it. Her heart yearned for it, and her body thirsted for it.
His disappointment with her didn't stop at her inability to be a perfect ninja. Her developing relationship with Naruto Uzumaki had him on edge, consistently telling her that he was no good and just as worthless as she. But she refused to stop building her relationship with him.
To put it simply, she loved him. They'd been meeting up at Ichiraku's or anyplace possible for the past eight months. No, she hadn't told him that what she felt for him was beyond friendship, but she was just content with being near him.
But her father had to ruin that too! He had personally gone up to Naruto and ordered him to stay clear of his daughter, that there was no need for her to be associated with such scum.
Hinata had been hurt at the fact that he would go to such measures but was even more hurt when Naruto obeyed him instead of telling him to fuck off. He had simply walked out of her life without looking back once.
The rain had begun to fall now, a steady and thrumming rhythm. She let it soak through her clothes, clinging to her skin and chilling her to the bone. She was now gasping for air, tears beginning to blur her vision of the tree. With a final punch that sent an ear splitting crack along the tree trunk, she sunk to her knees.
She wanted to be important! She wanted to be someone worth fighting for, someone that would be carved into the heart of another and not easily forgotten. Was that so much to ask? Was it!
Finally, a sob broke through her shaking lips. It came from somewhere deep inside her, bubbling in her throat and causing her whole body to quake uncontrollably. All those emotions she'd kept bottled up inside her exploded into a hysterical fit of tears.
She clenched the muddy earth in her fists, and a thick curtain of midnight black hair fell forward to shield her face. What did she have left anymore? Her life was being wasted away, trying to live up to the impossible standards of a man that was supposedly her father and mourning the loss of the most important person in her world.
Friends, she had friends, but they wouldn't solve all her problems, and they had lives too. She was just a tiny speck in this huge world, a worthless little speck.
Gradually, her sobs quieted, and she trained her eyes on the watery mud beneath her that was tinted with a soft red. Red? She raised her hands to eyelevel and noticed that they were battered and her skin had split in the middle of her palms, accompanied with a few cuts and scrapes.
It wasn't anything severe, and she could heal it easy enough, but she didn't. Having them there gave her some sort of comfort, a symbol that she did indeed bleed for her father and was willing to do so to gain his respect. Shouldn't that be enough to convince him that she was worth more than he thought?
She tilted her head back, allowing her eyes to slide closed and the rain to patter against the defined structure of her face. It ran along her cheeks in small rivulets, joining with the flow of her tears and steadily washing them away.
As she brought her head back down, she opened her pale eyes and stared at the figure standing only a few feet from her. His blonde hair clung to his forehead and fell over his eyes, allowing only a bit of the ocean blue orbs to be revealed.
He stood stiffly, shoulders hunched and hands in his pockets, his eyes locking with hers. He's witnessed the whole thing; she could tell by the look in his eye. And strangely, the embarrassment she thought would come rushing on her never came.
They held each other's gaze for a moment, and she tried to swallow the thick lump in her throat. Slowly, he made his way toward her, kneeling before her and gently grabbing her hands to gaze at them. Her wrists burned where he touched them, and she watched him breathlessly and curiously.
He carefully tore two strips off of his white t shirt and began to gently wrap them around her hands. She didn't flinch, just watched him work. When he finished, she raised her eyes to his and finally swallowed. Why was he here?
Seeing the question in her eyes, he took a deep breath and pulled her to her feet. He was a whole head taller than her, and when she tilted her head back to look at him he was struck with the earlier picture of her leaning her head into the rain.
It had been so beautiful that all he could do was stare, mesmerized by it. His heart had clenched when she began to cry, and he'd been frozen to his spot, surprised because she had always been so composed around him, her stuttering even evaporating.
Now, she still looked beautiful, and the guilt of leaving her like that pounded into him. He was a fool for ever listening to that bastard. He had been angry that Hiashi had even approached him like that and demanded that he leave Hinata alone, so angry that he'd walked around the village all day trying to calm himself down.
Of course he'd gotten into it with Hiashi, stating that Hinata was a woman now and she could do as she pleases, but that comment Hiashi had made about Hinata not needing to be associated with someone who attracted danger had really gotten to him.
It was true, he did attract danger, but he would do everything in his power to keep Hinata safe, but he was sure she could hold her own. She may not have known it, but she was a strong kunoichi, despite what her father said. So instead of listening to what his heart told him, he went with Hiashi's demand and left her alone.
Two months, three weeks, and five days. Yes, he had counted the days since he had last spoken to her, and he was ready to stop counting.
"I'm sorry," he finally said, and those words brought more tears to her eyes. "I was an idiot for listening to that asshole, and I know it may be hard for you to forgive me but-"
While he began his apology, Hinata stared at him and saw the sincerity and regret in his eyes, and felt her heart swell. So she kissed him during his rambling apology.
He blinked, surprised by her audacity, but responded to the kiss as soon he regained control of his body. His strong arms wrapped around her small frame, pulling her as close as physically possible and securing her in a protective and loving cage.
The kiss was so wonderful and exhilarating, that it actually made her eyes water and her heart beat erratically. He let his hands tangle in her hair, pushing her head closer to his as to deepen the kiss. She let her arms dangle around his neck, lifting herself up on her toes to gain better access.
They finally parted, breathless and flushed, and she smiled weakly up at him. He returned it with ease.
"When exactly do you turn eighteen?" he asked softly.
"About nine months," she answered, unsure of his reason for asking. "Why?"
He smiled widely. "Because that's how long I have to wait before you get to come and live with me. Even if I have to kidnap you, you're coming with me."
The grin that split her face was radiant and true, and she threw herself at him, laughing. His deep laughter combined with her bell like one, and he lifted her from the ground and twirled her around. And suddenly she felt so big, like she could stand on top of the world and have no fear of falling because Naruto would be right there at the bottom to catch her.
A/N: Sorry if that last line was too corny or cheesy or whatever but I was having trouble trying to end it. Lol. Whatever. This couple grows on me everyday. They're just so cute. (girly squeal) Hinata rox!