I've had this idea in mind for a while now, since after seeing Naruto and Hinata standing at Neji's grave (699). I finally got around to writing about it, but I feel it takes place between that moment and the Last movie.
(I don't own Naruto)
It was well into the afternoon when Naruto decided to get out of bed. Since the final showdown between him and Sasuke, he felt a weight being lifted off his chest. He was able to keep his promise to Sakura, and seeing the smile on her face was well worth the time and dedication he went through to bring his best friend back. When him and Sasuke fought, he was able to sense the loneliness and pain both went through their entire life. He swore he wouldn't allow any of his friends to go through that pain alone ever again.
Despite making that promise, he felt that there was one person who was on his mind more than his teammates. He hadn't seen her since they were at Neji's funeral after the war and this caused him to frown. He checked every possible place he could think of but had no luck.
"Oi! What are you doing Uzumaki?"
He blinked before turning around to see Kiba and Shino standing there, their arms crossed.
"I've been looking all around town for Hinata-chan. Have you seen her?"
Kiba blinked before frowning, "I haven't seen her since she came back from her mission. I know she's been training a lot with her father recently, but I've seen her sister more than her."
Naruto put his hand on his chin, his brows creasing in frustration. If they didn't know where she was, who would?
"Naruto, did you check Ino's shop? From what I've heard, people have been seeing her go there almost every day since she came back."
"Are you positive Shino?"
"It wouldn't hurt to ask her. I'm sure she'd know more about it than us."
He nodded before running to the blonde's flower shop.
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.
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"You know... For someone who's supposed to be resting, you sure come here quite frequently."
A shy laugh escaped the girl's lips before she sighed. "I can't have him wait forever you know."
A hand rested on her shoulder, "I'm sure he'll love the flowers. After all, he was named after them. But more than that, I'm sure he's happy knowing you go and visit everyday. Does anyone know about this?"
She shook her head, "No. I felt I owe this to him. I never got the chance to thank him for everything he's done for me. This is the least I can do."
The young girl's eyes softened. "Well, I'm sure you're making him really happy."
She looked into the older girl's eyes, "Ino..."
"Today, they're on me. I wouldn't want to keep him waiting."
She smiled, "Thank you."
With that, the shinobi walked out of the store.
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.
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"INO!" Naruto yelled as he slammed the door open, revealing himself. The few customers in the store looked at him in shock before whispers were heard from them. He chose to ignore them and walk towards the blonde-haired shinobi.
"What's wrong, Naruto? And why did you almost break my door? You know my parents will be livid if you break it."
Panting, he rested his hands on the counter before looking at her, a serious expression on his face.
"I can't find Hinata-chan anywhere! Shino told me she's been seen coming here often and said I should ask if you knew where she was."
She blinked, "Why are you looking for her? I thought you were all about Sakura."
He growled, "Sakura-chan has nothing to do with Hinata-chan. Anyways, that's not important right now! I haven't seen her in ages and I need to know where she is! Can you help me or not?"
Ino sighed before looking at the clock above the door. Crossing her arms, she gave him a look before speaking, "Look, Hinata has been coming by quite often. However, I don't know where she goes. She does mention a guy every time she's in here. I assumed she was talking about you, since she usually talks about you constantly. But when she mentioned that he wasn't alive anymore, I kinda figure-"
"Wait! She comes in here to get flowers for a guy who's dead?"
She nodded, "She also says she can't make him wait any longer than she has already. Anyway, that's all I can really tell ya."
'She goes to visit a guy who died and gets flowers for him? There's only one guy I can think of...'
"Thanks for the help Ino! And I'm sorry for almost breaking your door down! But I gotta go!"
As soon as the young boy leaves, she chuckled, "Man, you can be so dense sometimes."
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She was very thankful the weather held up today. There were reports talking about possible rain showers this afternoon, but there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. Crouching in front of the tombstone, she placed the small bunch of sunflowers in front of his name.
"Sorry for being so busy. I guess I was trying to avoid seeing you again. I know I can't repay you for all the things you've done for me... But I figured the least I can do is bring these flowers for you. They are your favourite, after all."
Silence reigned over the land and her hand brushed across the tombstone. She could feel the tears threatened to fall, but she held them in, knowing he wouldn't want to see her that way. She felt her eyes close for a moment, visions of the young man appearing in front of her. A feeling of warmth surged through her and she vaguely felt a hand rest on her head. When she opened her eyes, she was shocked to see not her cousin but the man she loved.
"I figured you'd be here... Hinata-chan."
She swallowed, "N-Naruto...kun..."
He turned his gaze to the tombstone, not taking his hand off her head. "I should've thought to check here first. I wasted so much time running around looking for ya."
Her eyes widened before she fidgeted nervously. "You were... looking for me?"
He looked at her, his signature smile on his face, "I haven't seen you in ages! I wanted to see what you were up to, but then I couldn't find you at the compound."
"I'm sorry... Naruto-kun.."
He patted her head lightly, "You don't have to apologize, Hinata-chan! You didn't do anything wrong!"
Not looking at his face, she kept her attention on the tombstone behind him. She could feel the sadness rise in her body when she felt arms wrap around her frame.
Her eyes widened, "N-Naruto-kun? What are you-"
"I know how you feel, Hinata-chan. I feel that way everyday thinking about the people I lost in my life. But you know what? I don't feel as lonely anymore. I was always an outcast, being mocked and put down for having the nine tailed fox sealed within me. At first, I hated myself for having such a horrible monster inside me. But when I realized I could use his power as my own, to protect people I really cared about... I started to hate myself less and less. You miss Neji a lot, don't you?"
Subconsciously gripping his jacket, she nodded, "We weren't always close. Growing up, we were part of the same family, but he was a year older and a boy. Because our fathers were twins, we were both considered royalty. At least to our fathers. I didn't know about the branch or any of the politics that went on with our family until I was at least ten. After Neji-niisan's father's death, he was cold towards me. He always gave me the same eyes as the rest of the family. Eyes of jealousy and hate. Disappointment was always laced in his tone when he talked to me. I always felt so alone growing up; having no confidence in myself and being surrounded by people with high expectations of me. It was worse when I left the compound, I would hear the villagers talk about how who I was and how I was probably stuck up like the others. It wasn't until you beat nii-san that he started to change around me. He would help me train, along with my father, and was really supportive. Your words saved him, Naruto-kun. Much like they saved me. You have no idea how much you've changed our world."
Holding her tighter, he smiled, "The feeling's mutual then. You have no idea how much you've helped me. You were always there at my side, cheering me on. You would always find a way to cheer me up, even when no one else could. You never gave up on me, you never treated me differently than anyone else. You saw the strength in me that I couldn't find in myself. And for that, I thank you. Because of you, Hinata-chan, I was able to become the person I was today."
He could feel the smile gracing her lips as she leaned her head on his shoulder. They stayed like that for a long time before the sound of her stomach grumbled in the silence. Feeling the blush creep on her cheeks, she tried to bury her head in his shoulder as he chuckled.
"Sounds like someone's hungry. Come on, I'll get you something to eat!"
She blinked, "Are you sure?"
He raised an eyebrow, "I wouldn't be offering if I wasn't okay with it! Come on Hinata-chan! I know the best place to get amazing food."
Before she could stop herself, she went on her toes and lightly kissed his cheek, causing both to blush. She looked away but felt herself smile at being more bold. She felt warmth engulf her hand and she turned to look at their hands, intertwined. She looked at him and couldn't help herself as she laughed in happiness.
She wasn't alone anymore.