New Found Attraction

New Found Attraction

Chapter One
Behind these silver eyes

Naruto made his way down the streets of Konoha, his arms behind his head in a relaxed manner, dragging his feet slightly as he decided what he was to do for the day. He had woken that morning much earlier than usual, a strange dream at the edge of his mind. But as soon as he tried to think back on that strange dream it disappeared from his thoughts entirely, and no matter how hard he tried to remember, it just wouldn't come back to him.

He hated it when this happened to him; he was usually quite adept at remembering his dreams, but every now and then he struggled to recollect the memories involving, what he was sure, was one very specific dream. The most that he had ever been able to remember from it was the strange, sweet taste of fresh strawberries and bright, pale, silvery eyes so close to him that he could barely breathe…

Naruto started slightly at the thought of it, and brought himself back to the current situation at hand. The streets were mostly empty at this time; the various stores and restaurants around the village were still closed, besides the one or two restaurants that were meant for travelers and early risers. Naruto had never seen the village this quiet before, and he suddenly felt rather lonely, walking through he deserted, mist laden streets of the village that he loved so much.

He wasn't paying much attention to where he was going; his mind was still lost in thought about his dream, (and about what time he thought the Ichiraku ramen stand may open so that he could grab a bite to eat), when he found his feet leading him towards the park where he used to play as a child. It seemed odd to be so empty when he was used to the sight of many children running around, laughing and screaming, enjoying their youth. He walked towards the swing set, placing himself down delicately on one of the swings, which was cold due to the early morning mist, and he began to push himself slightly, the squeaking of the metal and the rattling of the chains giving a very nostalgic feeling…

He drifted back into thought as he was transported back to when he was a small child, playing at this very park with all of his childhood friends which were still there for him…those were some of the happier moments of his life while he was younger; Choji sitting on the swings, barely swinging himself, as he devoured a packet of potato chips; Shikamaru who placed his lazy bum on the round-a-bout and just observed the clouds as they passed by way above their heads; Kiba who sometimes had more energy than Naruto at times and would chase him around the playground, tackling him when he caught up and laughing the entire time…oh, and Hinata of course, who was always nearby, skulking behind one of the trees at the edge of the playground, watching them play.

Naruto looked towards the tree that she had often stood at in their youth, and was surprised to find her face poking from behind it as it usually had. He shook his head slightly, convinced that he was imagining it, but as he looked again he saw her clearly; standing there with a slight blush and smile on her face.

"Hinata!" he called and she recoiled slightly, but eventually stepped out from behind the tree, her hands clasped shyly in front of her.

"G-Good morning, Naruto-kun…" she trailed off slightly at his curious gaze, and she immediately felt the blush deepen on her cheeks.

"What are you doing up so early, Hinata?" Naruto asked, gesturing her to come over and sit alongside him on over the swings. Hinata moved slowly and shyly over to him, and sat down carefully upon the cold metal of the swing, and squeaked slightly at the sudden chill that shot up her spine.

"You okay Hinata?" Naruto asked and she looked shyly over at him, smiling.

"Y-Yes, it's just cold…he he…" she giggled, surprising herself slightly. She had never giggled in front of Naruto before…perhaps all the time that they had been spending together on missions over the years had spiked her confidence slightly, but she was still unable to hide her blush whenever he looked her way.

Naruto observed Hinata a she looked away and giggled slightly; he had never heard her giggle before, but it sounded very sweet to him, and he smiled in spite of himself. He dropped his eyes down to her feet, noticing that her toe nails were painted a bright, dazzling red, and he began to run his eyes up. She had elegantly shaped calves, which were covered by the female ninja attire which the majority of the girls their age wore; fishnet-like stockings which were covered in form hugging black pants.

She had very wide hips, he noticed, which gave her body an elegant curve. She was wearing her usual baggy jacket which she ad always honed as a child, but her style had changed now. Now that she was sixteen, the jacket had lost the hoodie, and was now coloured a light purple and suited her very well. His eyes trailed further up, and he then noticed how her breasts were so nicely formed, but at that moment he tore his eyes away and mentally shook himself. What was he doing checking Hinata out?

He had never actually checked a girl out before…he had never been interested in a girl according to her body shape or image…well, when he was younger he had crushed on Sakura an awful lot, and he had thought that she was pretty, but he had passed that phase now…he and Sakura were now nothing more that good friends, and once that was settled he had never really become interested in any other girls.

Although, lately he had been noticing small things about his female companions…he noticed when hair had been cut or coloured, clothes had been changed, make up had been applied…small things that he had never really been interested in before were now jumping out at him whenever he spent time with any of his female friends. And now, here he was, checking out a girl. And Hinata of all people! The shy, weird girl who had always been watching him, following him in a creepy manner…who always used to faint when he came near her…he had never figured out why that had always happened, but at least, lately, it seemed to have stopped.

"N-Naruto-kun," Hinata said, and Naruto looked back up at her, noticing that she must have noticed that he was staring at her from top to bottom "Is something bothering you?"

"Hm? No, no! Why would you think that Hinata?"

"Well it's just…you've been quiet for a while now…"

"Sorry, I was just thinking…" Naruto said, lifting his hand up to his head and smiling in his usual manner.

"What about?" Hinata asked, then she started slightly and hurriedly said: "I-If I may ask, you don't have to tell me!"

"Hinata," Naruto said, shaking his head, "You don't have to be so nervous! We're friends aren't we? He he, you'd swear we were still children sometimes by the way we behave when we're together!"

"What do you mean?" asked Hinata curiously. She watched Naruto as if she was afraid she would lose sight of him; she had always watched him that way, and she had begun to notice that he was changing…he, like her, was becoming older, growing up, and maturing. He was still very much the same as the twelve year old that she had first fallen in love with; he still had a sense of humour, was always full of un-ending energy and stamina, and was sometimes just a bit over-enthusiastic to engage in a battle. As a sixteen year old, though, he was all of those things and more. He was sweet, caring and immensely popular amongst his friends. He was always the life and soul of any party and the younger children in the Academy had begun to look up to him. The villagers had begun to respect him more, and on missions his opinion had become highly valued.

He was handsome too…his body had become toned and his attire had become more suited to his new image. He had finally become a Chuunin at the beginning of the year, and he now sported the green jacket worn by the higher-ranked ninja of the village. His bright orange jumpsuit which he honed for so long had now taken a back seat as he proudly wore the jacket and his new black trousers around the village. Hinata had become so proud of him, but she was a little disappointed as well. She had always been the one who loved and admired Naruto…she had always supported him from the sidelines when everyone else had abandoned him. But now, everyone else had moved closer into his circle, showing him all the support and admiration that she had secretly been showing him for years, and despite everything she was still on the sidelines, and Naruto was the shining star in the centre that she could never reach.

"Well," continued Naruto, and Hinata brought herself back and listened to him attentively, "You've always been really shy around me, and no matter how many missions we go on it hasn't really changed…"

Hinata looked down ashamedly, and Naruto quickly tried to make up for what he had just said:

"But, it's not your fault! It's no one's fault really, I actually think it's kind of sweet…" Hinata looked up at him quickly, smiling, her silver eyes sparkling, and Naruto cleared his throat and looked away. He didn't know why, but as she had looked at him with those beautiful eyes of hers he had felt a strange sensation at the bottom of his stomach.

"Besides," he carried on, "When you're around I seem to return to my old self…it just feels like we're little kids again when you act all shy and reserved around me, and I try to act all extra goofy to make up for it."

He grinned over at her and she smiled back at him. She couldn't believe that he found her shyness sweet. She only found it annoying and had tried to improve it over the years, but her fatal weakness had always been Naruto, and her constant blushes surely gave her feelings away…maybe it was a good thing Naruto was rather daft. She smiled even wider and blushed slightly at this thought, and Naruto, who was watching her carefully, was surprised to feel a blush spread over his own cheeks as well. He cleared his throat again.

"So, Hinata, what are you doing up so early anyway?" he asked again, and she looked up at him, still smiling slightly.

"I 'm usually up this early for an early morning jog, and then I usually come over to this park and sit exactly where we are right now just to think. I enjoy the quiet of the early morning, don't you Naruto-kun?"

"Actually, this is the first time I've really been up this early before…" he said looking around at the deserted playground and taking in the quiet of the morning, "But yeah, it is kind of nice."

"May I ask why you were up so early this morning, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked. She didn't know why, but all of a sudden she felt extremely comfortable sitting and talking to him.

"Couldn't sleep," Naruto replied simply, "Woke up from a really weird dream…can't remember what happened though. Been trying to remember for ages now, but the only thing that comes to me is the taste of strawberries…'

"Maybe you're yearning to eat some of them?" Hinata said innocently, and Naruto laughed.

"Ha, ha, yeah, maybe…but it's weird," he suddenly stood up, thrusting his hands into his pockets for warmth, "I get this weird feeling whenever I wake up from this dream…I fell…I dunno…safe and warm, as if the thing in my dream is something familiar and something that loves me…"

He trailed off, slipping back into thought as Hinata sat there watching him. She didn't know why, but she felt the sudden urge to comfort him…to ease him out of his worried, frustrated thoughts and back to her, so that she could make him feel safe and warm and loved…

Before she knew it she had gotten to her feet, walked over to Naruto and wrapped her arms around his waist from the back, pulling him into a tight hug. Naruto looked back at her, completely caught off guard. Hinata snuggled her face into his back, praying for courage to say what was on her mind.

"Hina-?"

"You are loved!" she exclaimed, slightly more forcefully than she had intended, but she had to say it nonetheless, "Naruto-kun…you are loved! You have always been loved, even though it doesn't feel like it sometimes, even though you feel as if the entire world hates you, remember that you are loved! Always…"

Hinata's eyes had begun to fill with tears, and Naruto only stood there looking back at her, his eyes wide at this sudden outburst.

"You've always been admired Naruto-kun! I have always admired you…you…you are loved…"

Her voice faded into a whisper as tears overcame her, and she sobbed quietly into his back as Naruto's eyes softened and a small smile crossed his lips.

'So that's how it was…' he thought to himself, 'I have always been loved…not by the village, as I'd wanted it…but I have always been loved…by Hinata…'

Naruto lightly unwrapped her arms from his waist, and turned around to face her. She was hiding her tear-stained face from him, but he brushed away her long, dark hair so that he could see her properly, and she looked up at him, slightly ashamed.

"Hinata…" Naruto whispered, "Thank you…"