Next Lifetime
by
Raiha Laf Qyaza
Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, I receive no profits from writing this fiction
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She was 8 when she first dreamed of her hero, except her hero was more of a loud, cheerful man than a gentle, romantic, and a mysterious one. In her dreams, nothing was imperfect. They met at an academy of some sort, and everything was sweet, wonderful, and naive. In the dream, they knew each other from childhood and will continue to be around one another until they grow up.
She turned 13, and her hero was no longer a just a hero. He was Uzumaki Naruto from Konoha. He had loving parents, one annoying white-haired uncle, one godfather, and a grandfather that he cherished completely. She loved his family as her own, and she would often attend family dinners, movie night, and laugh alongside them. She became part of their lives, and she thanked God for the joy He gave.
15 hit, and things started to get rocky. Papa found out of her Naruto. He tried everything he could to get rid of him. Papa told her he and Konoha didn't exist, that hero Naruto is just a mere imagination. Papa said her obsession with Naruto was unhealthy, and he couldn't understand what she was thinking. Naruto was waiting for me, she told Papa. Can I go to Naruto, she asked Papa. She made an enemy out of Papa, but she didn't care. Papa had her for 15 years, it's Naruto's turn now.
The roughest was when she blew her candles of her 18th Birthday. It was harder for her to see her Naruto. She didn't know what it was, but Naruto started to walk away, and it scared her to death. It was suffocating. It was painful. It's hard to breathe without Naruto. It's hard to smile. She realized it must be because a handsome, young guy—a son of a well-known family—was attracted to her. She turned him down in an instant, of course. She was Naruto's. She giggled, of course Naruto was jealous. This was why she didn't engage any relationship with anyone.
Her wedding bells were a cry of the devil she feared to hear, but alas, it rang on her wedding day as she stared back into her reflection. There stood a young woman at the age of 22. Her makeup was running down her face. She couldn't do this. She begged for Papa to hear, but Papa was getting old and he wanted her to start producing children. Children from a man she didn't love. Papa said they were perfect, and that if Naruto really did loved her, he would be here by now. She hated Papa for being right, and she hated Naruto for not being the groom in her wedding. She could imagine him being all annoyed in his suit that is not orange. She sobbed again, staining her white dress. The guests won't appreciate it, but she didn't care. She was betraying Naruto. Her heart was breaking apart. She couldn't care less of what they think.
30. She kissed her second offspring goodnight. The tiny bundle of joy inherited her father's black lock and not the blonde she kept seeing in her dreams. Naruto was back to just some kind of a bright hero. No, scratch that. He's just a hero now. Not bright at all. Not his bright grin, not his sunshine laugh.
50. The hero was long gone. Right now, she was crying because her first child just received his PhD. What would he be like if his father was a different man? Throwing riots all over the place, her subconscious told her. His son would not want to have anything to do with education and find his freedom somewhere far away.
70. Her husband of 48 years passed. She shed no tears as she laid one last rose. She felt a hand as light as breeze on her shoulder. She shook it off. She didn't need comfort. If anyone, her children needed the comfort that she couldn't give more than anyone else.
75. Strolling down at a park was one thing she did quite often these days when she was not with her grandchildren. It was relaxing to see all the children laugh so freely, it kind of reminded her of—no, don't go there. As she rolled around, her wheelchair suddenly bumped into a boy. She was ready to apologize, but he stole her words with a sunshine grin and three whiskers on each cheek.
She asked him of his name as her hands tightened around the wheels of her wheelchairs.
His grin took her breath away.
"Naruto. I'm sorry for bumping into you, bye!"
She shook her head, feeling dazed. "Naruto-kun!" she called, and she almost bit her tongue in regret. She wasn't ready.
He stopped and turned to her with that oh-so-familiar expression from her dreams.
"Yeah?"
Her words were stuck in her throats. "B-be careful next time, o-okay?"
She never stuttered in her whole life. She was taught to be strong, elegant, and graceful. Stuttering was what the weakling does, or so said he father long ago. The familiarity that came rushing out of nowhere brought her to tears, and she avoided her hero's sapphire irises that turned sharper, more focus, and less childish unlike a few moments ago when he came bumping into her. His stare was deeper and she could feel his eyes on her. He pressed his lips together, like as if he was remembering, hard. He shook his head eventually and waved, excusing himself in a hurry. She kept her eyes on him until her nurse came. She didn't know how long she cried that day.
80. Her last breath was taken right how she hoped it would be. Naruto was holding her cold, wrinkly hands in his. He was by sitting her sickbed. He had been visiting her for five years, with new flowers to bring each week. He had been making up for the lost years, though he probably hadn't realized that that was what he had been doing for five years. He was 13 now, and she was 80.
"Tell me what you're thinking now, Naruto-kun," she whispered to him.
He heard her. Oh how she wished she could take the grave in his voice. She liked him better when he is loud and bright. "I wish I had found you sooner, Hinata. "
She gave a breathy chuckle. "Some things are not meant to be."
Naruto gripped her hand tighter like as if he could keep her by his side far away from her fate. "Not in this lifetime."
She felt hear heart give away. "You were such a great Hokage."
By the looks he gave her, he was just as clueless of what Hokage means, and yet it made sense somehow. How many lifetimes ago was it? Was it ten, thirty, fifty lifetimes ago?
"I will find you sooner in the next life, I promise," he choked between tears. It was all blurry, and she could see the dark coming her way. She smiled and caressed his hand with one thumb, asking the permission to slip away.
She exhaled one last breath.
Darkness took her sight.
She was back to 8 now, with small hands and red cheeks.
She was breathless from running away from her sister. They were playing hide and seek. She wasn't good at hiding, she never liked hiding.
She felt a tap on her shoulder.
She turned to the person, expecting her to be the 'it', but her pout didn't make it. She recognized him, with all his glory. She recognized the same blue eyes, the same wide grin, and she suddenly remembered the smell of the hospital, the white gown, and the promise a boy made one life time ago.
"Hinata!"
A teardrop fell. She remembered who he was.
"Naruto-kun."
This lifetime, their path crossed.
The End
First English Naruto/Hinata fiction. I was inspired by a post in tumblr abour Enjolras/Grantaire from Les Mis fandom. Let me know what you think about this soulmate thing!