The first thing Hinata had noticed about living in the countryside was that it was much more quiet than the city. It was an obvious fact to consider yet the peacefulness astonished her whenever she sat on the terrace of her new home. Together with the view, the stillness was so different from the world she had lived in until now.
After just a few days of settling in, her little sister had already found friends to explore the village with. With her fair 12 years, Hinata should do the same instead, she studied the curves of mountains from her bedroom window. How they were stony and grey at the tip but plastered with trees and little houses when decreasing. How distinct the different shades of green were that surrounded her, some dark, seemingly absorbing and others glowing brightly from the sunlight.
They were somewhat far from the village center so there weren't very many people to see on the street in front of her house. Except for that one boy who always passed by on a bicycle. He carried flowers in a basket in the front of his bike and in a bag around his shoulders. Usually, he would be gone rather quickly. Only on the day they had moved in, he came down from his vehicle. Shortly roaming his eyes over the building, he unintentionally made eye contact with her.
Hinata remembered how hot it was that day and that he was carrying sunflowers as yellow as the far-reaching fields of the same kind of flowers behind him. She would probably meet more people once school started but until this day, he was the only local she saw regularly. Maybe it was because she hadn't much to do but she started to wonder where he brought that flowers to every other day. The imaginations in her head degenerated the longer she thought about it but she couldn't control her mind from drifting away. It had become a hobby of hers that brightened her day a little bit because there were no borders to her ideas.
Hinata looked up from her book and took a deep breath of the fresh air that smelled like grass. The sunflowers on the field behind the roads and the bushes had started to wither. Their color had once greeted her every morning and now she was sad seeing it fade into brown. The leaves of the tree above her rustled and for a short while outweighed the singing of the cicadas when she heard the sound of a bike approaching. The Flower Boy was driving down the road, his hair seemingly golden in the sunshine. From the distance, she couldn't see what kind of flowers peaked over the basket of his bike but they were surely bright.
Her gaze followed him closing in even when she was aware that she shouldn't be staring. He first glanced at her house, that towered over the trees before his eyes met hers. His expression changed into a stunned one; she also had to raise her brows. Both sides refused to avert until Flower Boy departed from the path and drove into a pit at the side of the road, disappearing from her sight. Hinata could hear the bike crashing to the ground and jumped up to run towards him.
"Are you okay?" He had fallen to the side, his bike on top of him. Hinata carefully stepped down to help him lift the vehicle off his body. The grass was moist and cold and had stained his clothes.
"Yeah." Mumbling he scratched the back of his head. The flowers, the basket had carried, were scattered on the ground. Panicked he examined the ones in his bag pack, which had survived the drop without falling out. He laid his bicycle down and got on his knees to pick up what he had lost. After glimpsing at him and watching his movement for a while, Hinata assisted him.
Once he got out of the pit he grunted and held his ankle, the bike they had pushed up falling down for anew. "What's wrong? Are you in pain?" Hinata switched between eyeing the grip around his foot and the distorted expression on his face.
"Guess I hurt it when I fell down." The words hissed between his clenched teeth. He stood upright again and Hinata trailed him limping to his bike.
"Thanks for helping," he said and tapped away the dirt on his shorts, the area around his knees had green-brownish stains.
"Will you be able to ride your bike?" Hinata was still looking at his foot, which he refused to fully support his weight on.
"Ah, I'll manage it somehow. I don't have to go very far, just the village center." The Flower Boy swung his leg over the bike and gently stroked the blossom in his basket. But instead of taking off, he remained in his position, only few steps away from her.
Hinata brought to mind that this was the longest she had ever spoken to a resident of this village and it made her hands sweaty. The rays of the sun seemed hotter and the singing of the insects urged her to speak up. She wasn't good at making friends but maybe this was an opportunity to work on that. Even when she felt sorry for him for falling down and getting hurt, she still believed that she should seize this chance.
"Should I..." Her shyness was not as easy to overcome as she had planned, her voice had lost its volume and her face felt hot. Hinata pushed her insecurities away and clenched her fists. "Should I take you there?" Her firmness surprised her for a moment but when she saw him raising his brows, she pressed her lips together, nervous that he would reject her as soon as she had found the bit of courage that was in her.
He shook his head. "Don't worry, there is no need for that," he stated, laughing awkwardly.
"Oh." The tight knot in her chest loosened and left a dull ache where her tension had been. She felt very stupid for even asking and imagined herself jumping into the pit to hide from his view. "Okay."
"See ya." It appeared like he hadn't noticed her disappointment and placed his feet on the pedals shortly before driving away.
Maybe next time, she thought and looked after him. Her slacking shoulders tensed again when he halted a few feet away, the dry ground resounding under his feet. Then he got down from his seat and walked backwards, the bike still between his legs.
Hinata was paralyzed when he stopped right in front of her, obviously in pain as he returned her a twisted face. "Maybe you could help me after all?" He pouted slightly and didn't fully turn his head towards her.
It wasn't the right moment to keep silent but suddenly Hinata noticed how close they stood next to each other. She had only seen him from afar up until today even when she had looked at him many times when he passed by. She noticed that he had scars on his cheek and that his eyes were a peculiar shade of blue.
After learning each other's names on the way, there wasn't much more to talk about. Hinata now knew that the Flower Boy's name was Naruto and that he was helping to deliver local flowers from his family's farm to the village's flower shop. Except for the directions he gave her from time to time, it was silent. Hinata tried to concentrate on riding the bike. Sometimes she felt his hands on her back, which Naruto always removed again quickly. Still, it made her feel fuzzy, overshadowing the ache of her thighs from taking Naruto's weight up the steeper hills.
There were birds chirping in the air and occasionally the wind rustled up the wide and unending fields of crops —under them the bike's wheels resounded against the dry ground.
"Am I heavy?" Naruto asked, shifting his head as if he could see her face from his position. Even when she denied his question, he knew that she didn't have an easy time riding over the waves of the hills. When the road got steeper and stonier her body moved to and fro like a metronome. He persuaded himself that the apprehensive feeling in his gut was caused by his young pride being struck from her having to give him a ride. There was nothing he could do to help her and he felt useless watching the back of the head. She had a rash on her neck, that was exposed completely because of the short length of her hair. And somehow the view of her back made him gulp.
They turned into the main street and after only seeing single small houses, the buildings gained in density. The road was more even and asphalted, making it easier for Hinata to pedal. People greeted Naruto and exchanged few words when they drove by, glancing at the girl in the front. She had been here before, several times actually. But even in a small place like this, it appeared like she detected more things new to her. Like the old music playing at a cafe or the several pots of plants and flowers placed at the doors and windows.
There were cats sitting in the shadows of the buildings and around the water fountain by the town hall. A group of men, who had sat together at a small table next to it, waved at Naruto and laughed. "Bringing more than just flowers this time?" One of them had lowered his cigarette and held a hand to his forehead to prevent getting blinded by the sun. "Shouldn't the girl be the one sitting in the back."
"Shut up, old man!" Naruto shouted back but chuckled as they distanced themselves.
He pointed at their destination and Hinata stopped in front of the shop between a ramen stand and a supermarket, that wasn't much bigger than the flower shop. Naruto had explained to her that the shop wasn't very big so they didn't need many goods and he didn't have to deliver a lot, only ever a little when he came.
Hinata wasn't sure of what to do when he grabbed the flowers from the basket and adjusted them in his arms. She looked at the pots with cut flowers displayed on a wooden beam right in front of the shop's display window. Even from outside, she could guess how little it was inside. She saw that the flora overtook nearly all the space only the counter with the register soaring over the beautiful jungle. There was a person behind it who immediately walked outside when seeing who arrived.
"Naruto, you're late," a girl said as she stepped over the frame of the door that was kept open. "Again," she added in a scolding voice. The stranger must have been similar to her age. Her fair hair was put up in a ponytail and her body wrapped in an orange apron. Her eyes sparkled and she was even prettier up front.
"Sorry." Naruto pulled in his head as he handed her over the flowers and grasped over his shoulder to get a hold of his bag.
"Did you take a detour again?" The strict tone in her voice weakened when she detected Hinata, who had stepped away awkwardly. "Who's that?"
Naruto gestured her to come closer and she did after a while of hesitation. "This is Hinata, they moved into the big house down the hills." He pointed with his thumb over his shoulder. "The one that was empty for years."
"Ah right, the one by the large sunflower field?" She mirrored Hinata's nodding. "Typical, you try to be friends with everyone in this village."
Naruto narrowed his brows. "Why'd you care who I'm friends with?"
"I don't." She looked back at Hinata and smiled. "I'm Ino by the way. If you ever want to hang out with someone, who isn't an idiot come to me."
"Hey!" Naruto protested but flinched when he stepped down with his hurt foot. Ino ignored his outburst and gave Hinata all her attention.
"We could introduce you to the others next time." She thrust her slightly with her shoulder. Hinata was astonished at how friendly she was as if this wasn't their first meeting.
"Thank you." Her soft voice couldn't indicate how thankful she actually felt. Ino accepted her so easily that Hinata regretted having troubled herself with so many worries of how to make friends.
Ino said goodbye and took the delivered flowers to vanish in the shop but not without waving for one last time. Hinata smirked and regarded the building more carefully. Tall golden letters displayed the name 'Yamanaka' at the top of the display window. It seemed to be a family business since it looked like they also resided in the apartment above the shop. White curtains floated out of the open windows and she saw a shadow pass by.
"You wanna look around?" Hinata didn't notice how Naruto had walked up to her to examine her. She shuddered before thinking about his suggestion. Glancing at his ankle she couldn't accept it even when she really wanted to roam the spot, which today seemed more lively compared to her memories of this place.
Hinata's glimpsing at his foot reminded him that he was incapable of walking through the many winding streets. "You're right. Next time then." He laughed and even if his words meant that she wouldn't be able to see more of the village now, they also promised that he would do on another day and that was enough for her to smile, looking forward to it.
Naruto inspected his surroundings a little before his gaze stopped at the building next to them.
"We can get some ice cream though." He dug his hand deep into his pocket and produced some coins. "My treat." Grinningly he shook the collection of coins in his palm to make them resound.
They spent much more time in the village center than they had planned. Sitting next to the fountain and its cooling spatter of water they consumed as much ice cream and snacks as their pocket money could buy. Some kids their age, who were Naruto's friends, joined them shortly before continuing on their ways. Mostly it was Naruto talking between them but Hinata listened to every word with care. She felt like she had learned much more about this village like this than her father could ever tell her.
When riding the bike back, Naruto apologized for his inability to walk properly but Hinata shook her head saying that it was okay. Still, he insisted on making up for it later. The sun was descending towards the horizon bit by bit already. Any traces of clouds had disappeared during the afternoon, leaving only the sky that was dyed in colors of pink and purple. Over the tips of the mountains, the sky appeared much more vast and endless than she had ever seen it.
From the side Naruto could see the smile on the corner of her lips and even when he didn't exactly know what made her lips bend, it made him smile too. The wind blew, taming the trees and bushes. Her short hair danced in the breeze and tickled his nose. A familiar sweet scent addling him, that he assumed were the flowers they had carried earlier. But it was her hair that spread the fragrance, this realization instantly made his ears heat up.
Whenever passing her window, Hinata lingered a little bit more at the sill, hoping for Flower Boy to appear. Now knowing who he was and where he went, looking out for him carried different feelings than before. She was much more excited and eager to see him and far more disappointed when a day went by before having that opportunity.
Sitting outside on the bench beneath the peach tree had become her daily ritual to an extent where she had memorized every little detail about the view in front of her when she sat there. She could paint the arches of the mountains in her mind, the little houses between the trees, the shapes of the stones lined along the street, and she would know exactly in which shades to color everything.
She didn't have enough self-confidence to walk over to Naruto's farm herself so all she was left with was waiting for him to come by.
After several days of agonized waiting, Hinata saw his figure in the distance. He was riding his bike as he always did and, just like always, he had a basket of flowers in the front and in a bag on his back. Hinata stood up when he slowed down, his gaze dwelling on her, and finally stopped by her feet. They greeted each other but the atmosphere was awkward since they hadn't seen each other in a while. When each asked about the wellbeing of the other both answered in short sentences.
Naruto scratched the bridge of his nose and stepped down from his bike. "Wanna come with me again?" he asked and strode closer to her. Hinata eyes widened. She had pictured seeing him again one day but actually being asked to go with him still made her stomach prickle, no matter the countless times she had imagined this moment.
"I can show you around this time." With shaking his foot he revealed that he was healed and capable of taking that task. "Don't worry, I'll be the one pedaling." He grinned and Hinata giggled lightly. She nodded, it was too timid considering how much she yearned of accompanying him.
"All right." Naruto took the bag off his shoulders and moved even closer, wanting to help her wear it. He slipped the strap over one of her arms and walked around to do the same on the other side.
Hinata stiffened whenever his hand stroked her arms and she felt herself blushing.
"Let's go." He went back to his bike, unaffected by the scene when Hinata needed seconds to find her way back to the present. Naruto had equipped the back of his bicycle with a pillow and she smiled upon perceiving it. She sat down carefully, lifting her feet off the ground.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes."
"Cling on tight." Naruto put his feet on the pedals. Once again, his hair appeared like a wild shock of golden threats.
"Yes." Timidly Hinata rose her hand to grab his shirt, his back was warm. Then they took off.