Disclaimer: That damn Kishimoto-ojii-san owns Naruto. I only own the words that make up this story
A/N: Well here is a one-shot for time to pass. I had actually started writing it over a month ago, but after reading Bumblemarks newest one-shot, I don't know, something sparked in me to finish this one. Hope you guys enjoy.
Anyway
ON WITH THE TALE!!
Eyes Of The Beholder
She could swear it... whenever she looked in this sky blue orbs, she felt her heart getting ready to launch out of her chest. She felt her world going dizzy, she felt everything around about to fade, leaving only her and the person that this orbs belonged too...
How she wished he could see her in the same way...
How she wished he could feel for her the same way...
How she wished...
He didn't like someone else...
He could feel his world being drown. Whenever his gaze locked in this lavender moons, his heart could skip a beat. Why? He was seeing her in a new light. But why? That old feeling...
He remembered a girl at a waterfall, dancing with the waters. The light of the moon majestically showering her perfect figure. He hadn't seen who she was. But...
Whenever he looked in this pale lavender pools, he could feel like he knew her. He could feel it...
Why did she remind him so much of that girl?
FlashBack
He had finished just another tiring day of training. It was nightfall now and the forest was set in a tranquil state, the low sounds of the night taking his mind to different worlds. Then... he heard splashing. It came from his left, at a nearby waterfall he knew that was nearby. He quietly rushed through the bushes, trying to be as silent as possible...
When he finally made it to the small lake, he hid behind the bushes, concealing himself from sight. When he saw who was in the middle of the lake... he gasped as old feelings rushed in him once more...
Beautiful was only an understatement for this sight. She moved her hands majestically, her body moving in perfect fluid movements, the water dancing with her, nature herself seemingly being one with the divine form that danced in the glory of the moonlight.
He also noticed something else. Unlike the last time, she was now even more well curved if that was possible. Her body was bigger, more mature, her hair were longer, and he could swear that they where soft like silk, her figure shadowed in the darkness of the night, yet the light of the moon allowed him to gaze at her, gaze at a gift of heaven, an angel.
This time, he didn't react, he didn't move forward to talk to her. He was too stunned to do anything. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen...
End FlashBack
Naruto walked aimlessly the streets. He was thinking, yes strange as it is, that was what he was doing. Lost in a trance, he thought and thought, over and over again. It wasn't a dream, this girl was real. He knew she was real, for the emotions were too real. Could it be Sakura? Nah, her pink hair are way too outstanding, you could spot her in a crowd.
Could it be Tenten? No, TenTen wasn't that good in chakra control. He knew that mystery girl should be an expert for he could feel the chakra channeling around the waters.
Could it be Ino? Nah, Ino's blond hair were outstanding too.
Then the only one remaining was... Hinata...
Now that he thought about it, that girl seemed to look a lot like her. Hinata had long, straight dark blue hair, like the girl. Her body, though he hadn't seen much of it for she nearly never got out of that jacket of hers, was somehow the same...
But those eyes... whenever he looked into them, it was as if his body reacted on its own, as if his own soul saw something he didn't...
At that moment, he was shot out of his trance as he pumped into someone... but not just anyone...
"G-Gomen, N-Naruto-kun... I-I..." she began apologizing, the usual stutter always there. He sighed. He placed his hand on her chin and lifted her head. He nearly gasped but held it back.
It was this feeling again... when he looked into this lavender eyes... into this lavender pools that many could think that no emotion resided... yet he could see the world.
Why...? Why did she make him feel this way?
A small pink blush painted her cheeks, but her eyes didn't leave his, not for a second did she falter, somehow been stunned...
What was that? What was that in his eyes? Why did such an emotion appear on his eyes whenever he looked into hers? He had told her he liked someone else...
Flashback (Dual flashback, they both have the same one)
Naruto was sitting at a stool at Ichiraku Ramen stand. Hinata had come for lunch, though in reality, she just wanted to meet a certain blond haired teen, a teen that she needed to see...
Somehow, he noticed her before she could even sit down. Looking up from his bowl and back at her, he grinned widely
"How's it going, Hinata-chan?" -chan? When did he start calling her chan? He smacked himself mentally. What was happening to him? He felt so strange when he was around her...
She blushed slightly, and somehow... he found it so familiar and adorable, something so hers, something...
"I'm doing well, N-Naruto-kun" she replied and sat next to him. She blushed another slight shade of pink as she realized what she had done, yet she didn't back up. It would be rude now, wouldn't it? Aside the fact that she enjoyed it.
Naruto was tortured by this. After he saw that girl again, every time he looked at Hinata, she painfully reminded him of her. Why? Why did Hinata trigger this? What was wrong with him? Or... what was with her?
"You know, Hinata-chan" he didn't restrain himself from using the suffix now. It would sound rude and it might offend her to take it back now, though he knew that somewhere deep inside, he didn't want to take it back... not now, not ever.
She turned to look at him questioningly. He looked at her too, and this feeling filled him again. He couldn't help but stare in her lavender pools, her pale face, her dark blue bangs. Why...
She blushed and it was then he understood that he was staring. He blushed a little himself...
Did he just blush? Even if it was slight, did he blush? She felt her heart flying. She made him blush!
He continued as if nothing had happened "Well, there is a girl..." he said and her heart dropped. Did he just wanted to tell her that he liked a girl? That he liked another girl? They were a little closer since for some odd reason the Hokage had put them together in various missions, long lengthed or short. But now... why had the world to be so cruel...?
"I've... only met her a couple of times... well not actually met her... the first time I screwed up a little, and the second she didn't even know I was there. But I don't know... I feel strange..." he said, but Hinata was just staring wide eyed. What did he mean? She didn't want to know. If he said it right in her face, that he liked someone else, then she couldn't stand it... and she knew it. She had come over the idea of him being with Sakura, since the said girl seemed to have little to no interest in romantic involvements with Naruto. But him being with another girl... she silently stood up, and left, without him even noticing...
"And the strangest thing is that... you really remind me of her" he said, not turning to look at 'Hinata' who now wasn't there. He was answered only with silence, so he HAD to take a look. Turning around, he found only empty air, and his heart ached. He didn't really understand why, but it did. Much. But something else bothered him too...
Why did she leave...?
End FlashBack
They both blushed now and backed away. "N-N-No, Hinata-chan, I was just out of place and..." he said and sighed without finishing his sentence. Looking at her again, he saw something really unfamiliar...
Hinata didn't wear her trademark white-lavender colored bulky jacket. Instead, she wore the usual kunoichi shirt, along with a slight purple sleeveless shirt. She also wore her usual ninja pants and sandals...
Now he was more than stunned and couldn't bring himself out of staring. Damn didn't she look hot. Another solid clue, she had a nearly perfect body, though he couldn't see any flaw right now, and it was as if the girl he had seen at the waterfall had materialized in his mind with the picture of...
'Hinata...' it was she wasn't it? It was she all along... and he was just too blind to see it. But what could he do? How could he know she liked him back? He needed proof...
"Well, I can make it up to you. Want some ramen? My treat!" he said cheerfully, extending a hand for her to take, a gesture that brought a tiny blush upon his tanned face as he realized his action, but he didn't back away. She blushed too a little, less than usual at least, but managed a shy smile. "O-Ok, Naruto-kun" she took his hand and they walked towards Ichiraku. Her blush never left her face as she realized he held her hand all along the way, even when she tried slightly to take it away, he squeezed it gently, pretending it was just a nonchalant action and he was thankful that Hinata didn't force herself away. He was thankful... really thankful. She herself relaxed, allowing him to keep hold of her hand, not that she wanted to back away, but she was afraid she would faint from the contact, and right now, it was the worst thing to do...
Sitting at the stools, side by side, they ordered their preferences and Naruto couldn't help but blush slightly when Ayame secretly winked at him, after throwing a glance to Hinata that is...
Hinata didn't notice his slight blush. She was looking straight at the counter as if the wood was interesting, being a little embarrassed to be so close to him, yet him being so out of reach...
Naruto just looked at the counter himself... thinking. Yep, once more he did the unexpected. But what did you expect from the number1 unpredictable ninja of Konoha?
He thought about her... how she acted around him all the time... how she blushed and stuttered madly when he was close... how cute her blush was...
How she helped him, how she bolstered his determination at the Chuunin exam a few years back... their time together on missions...
He wanted to make it up to her. All the clues pointed that she liked him, yet he couldn't help but hesitate...
Another thought struck him though. When she learned about Kyuubi... she didn't go away... (a/n timeline:After the Sasuke retrieval mission. I think they all know Naruto is a Jinchuuriki?)
Like any of his other friends, she kept being her usual self. And he liked it...
Their bowls arrived, Naruto's being enough to feed a household. Hinata had only one bowl. They ate in silence for a few minutes, Naruto being careful to act as properly as possible for some odd reason. Strange eh?
Finishing his last bowl of ramen, he noticed Hinata was around halfway eating her own. He sat there, waiting for her to finish as well. He didn't have a problem. Somehow, he found it relaxing to just be next to her. Somehow, he found it relaxing to just sit there, enjoying her presence while stealing glances at her form.
The way she slurped the noodles, the slight cute pink blush, her pale lavender eyes, her feminine eyelids... at this part, he thought that they where blinking in slow motion, as if time had slowed down just for him to take in the sight, just for him to take in her form, just for him to see what seemed like the majestic, yet so simple move, of this girl blinking.
He loved it... he loved the way her eyelids faltered, he loved the way she blushed slightly, he just couldn't help it...
But call it the magic of the moment, call it a trick of fortune, hell you can even call it a sick joke fate wanted to play on him...
He saw Sakura stomping at the other side of the road, Ino beside hers. She moved towards the ramen stand... and she was pissed...
"Where is that baka?! I'm gonna kill him!" he heard his pink haired teammate yelling in irritation as she neared the stand. Yet Naruto didn't feel the urge to jump out and invite her on a date, he didn't feel the urge to play all strong, cool and powerful in front of her, he didn't feel the need to show her affection. All he could feel was tranquility, calmness, peace...
He averted his gaze from the raging pink-haired that Konohamaru had come to call 'pink banshee', not in front of her that is for the kid thankfully had enough brains to stay alive, to the ink blue haired girl that had stopped her meal to worriedly look back at her fellow kunoichi.
He saw it, he saw fear, he saw animosity, he saw what some could call horror. She gave him the idea that even the sight of Sakura close to Naruto tore her heart apart. And he felt it, he felt pain, he felt sorrow. Sorrow for what he was giving her right now, pain for he couldn't stand it... couldn't stand to see her like this... he wanted her to be happy...
But he wouldn't let it last. No, he was Uzumaki Naruto, and not even his long time teammate, maybe former crush, wouldn't hurt his friend. His most precious friend...
Oooh no people. If you think Sakura was pissed, you are terribly wrong. She wasn't just pissed; She was a raging inferno. Why?
Simple, yet so complicated. She, Naruto and Sai had a mission today, a mission of importance, and Naruto wasn't just late, but the Hokage, her TEACHER appointed the mission to someone else! The blond better have had a good excuse, otherwise she wouldn't be responsible for possible limbs missing...
The Hokage could tolerate tardiness, but this one wasn't to be late. It had to be appointed somewhere as soon as possible, so Gai's team went for the task instead of team Kakashi. And Sakura... well lets just say that many children that saw her stomping towards Ichiraku started running to their parents, crying that a pink haired banshee was let loose in the village...
And now was the time. The time for her fists to talk, since she was sure Naruto would much less listen. Also, she just needed to take her frustration out on somebody...
Naruto calmly waited for Sakura to arrive, his eyes fixed on the counter, hidden by his golden banks, since he wore no hitai-ate today. Hinata herself looked worriedly between the incoming form of the Haruno and her secret love. She didn't want Naruto to get hurt, but she didn't want to hurt Sakura either. She was Naruto's teammate and crush! He would hate her if she combated one of his best friends. So, she settled in her stool, her heart aching...
"Naruto you baka! You know what you've done today?! We lost an A rank mission because you were freaking late! We..." she stopped her rant when she realized Naruto was strangely not giving her any attention. This pissed her off even more...
Naruto calmly turned towards her, serious blue orbs meeting... what Naruto eventually came to call the 'White eyes of Doom'
"Are you even listening to me?!" she asked incredulously. She felt strange. Anger, for what Naruto had done, or rather hadn't, frustration, for she was impatient as she would love nothing more than to endlessly rant in his ear, and shock for he not only seemed to haven't payed attention to her, but also he hadn't started jumping and asking her on dates yet. Weird...
"What is it Sakura?" he asked nonchalantly, seemingly bored at the all to familiar scene before him. A fuming Sakura, a vein on a forehead that an airplane might as well land twiching wildly, white eyes of Doom, fists shaking, ready to strike, and generally, a Sakura that was ready to kill.
She fought tooth and nail to keep herself down and not strike him here and there, trying to find the portion of her mind that thought rationally before going out of herself.
"Why where you late...?" she finally settled with a sigh as she turned to normal, but still looked angry. Naruto was surprised with himself. After years of a delusional crush on his pink haired teammate, now he felt nothing. No remorse for being so straightforward, no fear that he wasn't good enough for her, no need to prove himself.
How the hell had he even managed to develop a crush on her? Maybe it was because she was a pretty girl back then, she still was pretty, but now, she looked ugly...
Not the bad ugly, but the way one looks when his nerves are ticked off. That way of ugly. And how hadn't he noticed before? He inwardly chuckled. He even wanted her for his girlfriend...
If you exclude the parts that Sakura is all angry and aggressive like a wild animal, the girl was nice and kind. But a trick of fortune, or Naruto's personality altogether, had made it so that the nice and kind part was really rare for the blond to witness... really, really rare.
He realized he was lost in his thoughts as both girls seemed to gaze at him questioningly. Sakura didn't seem to have acknowledged Hinata's presence yet...
"Well, I forgot" he said but before her fist would rise and hit him in the face, he continued "I also bumped into Hinata-chan on my way to the tower. I forgot about the mission, wanting to make it up to her and took her out for some ramen. Is it that bad?" If Sakura didn't know better, she had just heard Naruto saying that he had taken Hinata out for lunch...
Still not believing her own ears, she relied on her eyes. Turning slowly, she met the form of an ink blue haired girl smiling shyly at her. Her mouth twitched in what most could call a smile, but it had soon vanished. All he anger seemed to dissipate as she turned back to Naruto
"Oh ok. No problem, see you later" she said as she waved them off. Only when her face was out of vision did she finally allow a smirk to cross her lips. Finally... she was happy, really happy, for her friend and herself.
For her friend, for he had finally found someone who could truly care for him in more ways that just friendship.
And for herself, for he would finally, thank god and all the divines, stop nagging her for a date every now and then. God was it annoying!
Naruto sighed as he turned back to the counter. Hinata looked questioningly at him. He was acting way too neutral towards his teammate. She hated herself for this, but she felt relief. Relief that he didn't seem to have that infatuation towards his teammate anymore. Or...
He might as well be in a bad mood... yeah, that's probably it. And she was with him so it was most likely that she had put him in such a mood. She felt bad now... really bad...
Naruto though, grinned at her, that wide, trademark grin that made her heart melt. That grin that could overshadow the sun for her...
"Well, Sakura-chan really needs to find a hobby or something, you know, keep herself calm and such" he said and she couldn't help but smile shyly at his comment. But he liked it... he was happy that she at least dared a smile at his words...
"You know, last time, you left before I would finish what I had to tell..." he started as his eyes locked with the counter. Unknown to both of them, Teuchi and his daughter, Ayame, had their ears perked, preparing for what impact this conversation would have on their favorite blond customer. Thank god they didn't have other customers at the moment...
Hinata nearly chocked in the slurp of ramen she had in her mouth right now, though it went unnoticed as she kept it silent. She gulped down the food and left the rest of her bowl be, as she didn't want to actually die here. But she probably would, if he said what she thought he would...
But why her? Why did he have to put her in such a torment? She remembered that one-sided conversation they had last time, but why did SHE have to endure it?
"Well, about that girl I told you... I think I'm in love with her..." he said slowly, sounding rather happy, truly happy. Hinata's heart ached. She envied that girl, she envied her with all her being if she was able to make Naruto sound like that, sound so... happy, so sure... so calm.
She braced herself. It pained, but leaving again like last time would put a bad impression for her. And she wanted to at least be his friend... at least.
"But you know what's strange? I thought she was only a dream, I thought she was nothing but an illusion until..." he continued, sounding amused, happy, sad, all in one. Amused with himself because of his thoughts of her being an illusion. Happy, for it was the most beautiful being he had ever seen. And sad, for he knew that right now, she must be running an emotional rolercoaster...
Hinata couldn't stand it. Why? Why was the world so damn cruel? Why did he have to make a love confession to her if it was for someone else's ears? Did he trust her that much...?
"Until I saw you..." he whispered silently, almost non audible. Hinata blinked. She blinked again and several more times. Had she heard right? Or was it just an evil delusion of her mind, making her head what she wanted? No, no it couldn't be true! It just couldn't... could it?
"Hinata... I don't know why, but that girl I had seen at the waterfall, I know it was you. I just know it. And I can say, I haven't seen anything more beautiful..." he said, his gaze turning from the counter to lock with pale lavender pools.
He could see many things in there. She was shocked, sad, happy, relieved, all this in her eyes. He could see it, he could feel it. Maybe... she felt the same?
Ok, now it was getting weird. This had to be a dream. Oh yes, it was nothing but a cruel dream, a cruel manifestation of her deepest desires. She must still be unconscious from that bump she had with him before. Yeah, that was most likely it. It was nothing but a dream... a cruel one...
"No..." she whispered to herself, looking away from him and back at the counter. It was just too hard. She didn't want to feel the disappointment when she woke up, so she would better leave it be and wait till she returned in the real world. For this couldn't be real...
Naruto thought he misheard. What did she mean by that... what was that... no?
"Hinata..." he whispered, but she heard it. As if his words triggered her, she looked at him, tears falling down her pale cheeks as she fought back sobs that threatened to emerge.
"This can't be real... it's just too good to be real..." she whispered loudly, disbelief, fear, sorrow, pain in her words as Naruto's gaze hardened.
She thought it was her imagination?! Boy, this girl though smart, sounded stupid right now. Well, not exactly stupid. Something in her words, the way she said it... she touched him...
She was afraid, afraid of this all being nothing but an illusion, afraid that he didn't mean his words, afraid that he was just toying around with her. No, he wouldn't allow her to feel like this. Not as long as he, Uzumaki Naruto was in charge.
He had to make her see this was real, and he could only think of one way...
He grabbed her by the shoulders and spoon her around so she would be facing him. Her head was hung down, chin resting on her chest as she didn't dare to look at what she thought as nothing more than a wicked dream. He couldn't stand it... so much pain... imagine if he really didn't return anything... oh god he didn't even want to think about it...
He forced her to look up, to look in his eyes. She tried to avert her gaze, but she couldn't. There was nowhere else to look. Wait, why was he this close? What was he up to? Oh god, she wanted to wake up now!
But it wasn't meant to be as another feeling took over...
She was shocked at first, shocked, surprised and many other things literature can't describe. She felt a pair of soft lips against her own, she felt a bliss taking over her body as she let her eyelids falter, as she let her world to be taken away.
Her lips where soft... soft like silk... and they tasted... well, they tasted like... like Hinata. It was wonderful, it was something so new to him, having never kissed a girl before, but now, it was wonderful. Just that. He felt a surge of emotions, a tidal wave that crushed upon his heart, flooding it with everything he felt for her, every. Damn. Little. Thing.
He pulled away, slowly, extremely slow, yet his face didn't go more than an inch or two away from hers.
"Something that is too good to be true... sometimes is. I have the proof right in front of me..." he whispered, sadness, happiness, love falling from his lips and into the air as the words left his mouth. They had yet to open their eyes, wanting to savor this special moment.
But when they opened them, they saw something, something that both where denied in their childhoods, something they both sought and now, each gave to the other, so freely, so willingly. They saw what they wanted to see.
They saw love, in the eyes of the beholder...
And Naruto... couldn't feel happier...
New tears welled up in Hinata's beautiful eyes and even more rolled down her soft pale cheeks. It was true... god it was true... one of his hands had cupped her cheek, and she savored the warm feeling of his rough hand on her soft skin. It was so warm, so welcoming...
She brought one of her own hands on his whiskered cheek and cupped it, caressed it, wanting to really validate that what she saw was real. Then she did something Naruto could swear he had never seen her really do.
She smiled. Not that shy, nervous smile of hers, but a true one. A true, wide, happy smile that made his soul soar. And he grinned back in happiness...
It didn't take more than a second or two for the two to meet once more...
Behind the counter, hidden from plain sight, Teuchi and his daughter grinned at each other, a wide, satisfied, happy grin...
A/N: Oh god... if I hadn't wrote this shot, I would be crying. For real. I made it really emotional. :) And I'm happy. For I think it's worth it. It's worth every damn minute I'm spending in front of this pc to write it.
Now, for those that read 'Towards The Heaven', I don't really know when the next chapter is coming, so don't mention it. By the way, I want you guys out there to drop a nice review over here at this cute NaruHina one-shot. Come on, show me some love! (P.S.: You might see some mistakes. Please bare with it, it's a one-shot and I'm bored of checking it all over xD)