Awakening Love

One day in Konoha, a 16 year old boy was walking home after eating 12 large bowls of miso ramen at Icharuka's ramen stand. He was walking slowly towards his apartment in deep thought. That boy was Naruto Uzumaki. He wore an orange and black jumpsuit. His eyes were a sapphire blue and he had bright yellow spiky hair that pointed out in all directions. Upon each cheek he had three whisker marks. On this same day a teenage girl as old as Naruto was walking home from the grocery store with a large brown paper bag filled to the brim with veggies. She wore light blue pants with a lavender and cream long sleeve jacket. She had dark blue-violet hair that hung down past her shoulders. Her eyes were a pale cream color. Little did they now that their lives would soon be connected and they would be inseparable

Naruto could not stop thinking about what Hinata said to him when she tried to protect him during the Pain battle. He had a dream about it the night before and when he woke up she was all he could think of all day. He kept thinking about how Hinata had confessed her love for him.

It had been 5 months since the Pain battle and the village was near completely rebuilt. (After the Pain battle nothing else happened.)

'Did she really mean it? Am I actually loved? What the hell is wrong with me? Do I love her back? Do I even know what love is?'

'Of course you don't love her. Love is for the weak and we are not weak' came a demonic voice into Naruto's mind. 'Shut the hell up you stupid fox' Naruto thought back at the demon housed in his body. 'I can love. And I sure as hell won't let you stop me.'

A demonic laugh rang through Naruto's mind. 'Kit, don't be foolish. You would have been died long ago if it wasn't for my chakra. Your life is mine and I'll be damned if I let you destroy it by pursuing love.' Naruto had had enough of that damned fox. 'Who is he to say my life is his . I wouldn't have needed his chakra if it wasn't for him being in me in the first place.'

He was suddenly pulled from his thoughts when he bumped into mass. He reacted naturally as he realized he hit a person carrying some groceries. He grabbed the bag in his right arm and wrapped his left one around that person's back.

Naruto was surprised to see Hinata in his arm. Hinata soon realized it was Naruto and began blushing as he helped her regain her balance. "Sorry Naruto-kun, I didn't see you there." Hinata said kind of embarrassed.

"No, no, Hinata-chan don't worry it was my fault I was lost in my thoughts." He said sheepishly as scratched the back of his head.

"Oh, okay Naruto. It was nice to see you again but I have to go home to cook, Neji and his teammates just got back and are coming over later." Naruto handed her the brown paper bag and she started to walk away.

"Hey, Hinata-chan" Naruto called out "I have something I want to ask you." The young bluenette turned around to face the equally young blonde. "Hinata-chan, do you remember during the fight with that Pain guy what you said to me when you tried to protect me."

The young Hyuga stared at her long time crush and turned red faced. "Y-yes, I do. I said that I loved you." She blushed an even darker red. "I loved you when we were kids, I love you know, and I will love you for forever. I always loved you and all I want is to be accepted by you."

Naruto was a little stunned to learn that she used to like him as a child. 'how could I have been so blind' he thought to himself. "Naruto, I want to know how you feel towards me" she said with her head hung down.

'Do I love her. Do I even know what love is?' Naruto thought to himself. 'I may not know what love is but I do want to find out. And I want to learn to really love with her. I…' His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of crying and Hinata running away.

'I have to tell her how I feel' he thought as he ran towards the fleeing girl. He caught her by the hand and made her face him.

"Hinata, I'm sorry. I sorry but I don't think I know how to love. I don't think it would be fair to you if I pretended to. I think you're great, you're strong and beautiful but I not sure that I know what love is. All my life I've been hated and only in the past few years did I find people that I care about immensely, and you are one of them. I want to learn to love and I want to learn with you. Hinata Hyuga will you give me the incredible honor of letting me take you out on a date.

Hinata had so much emotions flowing through her that before she could say anything she fainted and fell into Naruto's arms.

Naruto created a shadow clone that carried the groceries as he carried Hinata (bridal style) towards the Hyuga household.

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