A/N: Welcome to my new project… This is nothing more than a series of one-shots that are completely unrelated, to tell the truth. It will contain the main cliché het pairings, (SasuSaku, NaruSaku, ShikaIno, ShikaTem, LeeSaku, and NaruHina, which is the pairing of this first one-shot). I'm not saying I vote for any of them or I hate them, it's merely an exercise for my writing spirit, as I will attempt to write each one in a different way and form. If you enjoy them, then feel free to read away ^^
Summaries and main characters are subject to change.
Dedicated to: Oblivion's Demon, because she helped beta it and came up with this idea all on her own… Thank you! *HUGS*
Disclaimer: I make no profit from Naruto.
Protector
Being Hokage meant that Naruto had several duties.
One was all the paperwork and official documents he had to wade through daily, cursing it the whole time. Another was supervising the village and settling skirmishes or creating truces; the more political side of being leader. A third was going around the village, greeting the small children and older shopkeepers who'd finally learned to accept him for who he was.
Yes, Naruto loved being Hokage. However, there was one thing he missed: missions.
Sure, he could still give himself missions whenever he pleased, but he was well aware that going out on a more dangerous mission was not beneficial to Konoha—he knew he would return, but the worry would drive the village sick.
In that way, Naruto was forced to watch from the side as countless shinobi teams gave him reports and more, including his own personal guard, the ANBU.
Naruto was allowed the special privilege of picking his own ANBU and even giving them specific missions. After all, their purpose was to protect him, so he had to give them missions accordingly. Sometimes, though, the ANBU captains he selected would choose individuals to become ANBU without his recognition; of course, those who did were highly respected by him and had his full trust (such as Hyuuga Neji or Inuzuka Kiba) so he allowed them to do so without thinking of any resulting consequences.
That was the greatest mistake he could have made—and he would never have taken it back.
Naruto first saw her at a debriefing for the ANBU newbies.
It wasn't much of a glimpse. In fact, he hadn't even really been paying attention during the whole 'I'm-explaining-the-rules-so-you-better-listen-or-else-you'll-get-yourself-killed-okay-newbies?' speech Neji was currently giving. It was the same thing anyway, Naruto thought as he stared off into space, wondering if he could coerce old man Teuchi into giving him some free ramen again.
"…-sama? Naruto!" Neji's hiss finally woke him from his stupor as he jerked his head up, blinking a few times. The Hyuuga's countenance was mildly angry as he made a small motion toward the waiting crowd of ANBU newbies, all with masks in place and katanas strapped to their backs. Oh, so it was that time again. The first mission.
"This first mission is no different from any other you've been on as jounin," Naruto began, going through the well-rehearsed speech in his mind. His eyes scanned the endless sea of brown and blacks, with the occasional starkly bright yellow or strange gray-white sticking out among the other hair colors. "It's nothing to be afraid of. You have your team, and this is where teamwork is vital. To save your mission is condoned more than looking out for your teammates, because in the end, you want to have a team for the next mission, understood?"
"Yes, sir!" the sea of newbies shouted. Some sounded scared, some foolishly confident, some neutral. Completely normal.
Naruto dismissed them casually, watching as they thundered through the door in their haste to find their team assignments and missions. Neji stood next to him stoically, arms crossed as they observed the last stragglers disappearing through the entryway.
He was sighing and beginning to get ready to exit himself when he saw her.
She was lingering near the door, white mask placed pristinely over her face. She seemed to be looking in his direction, but as Naruto turned his head toward her, she flinched in a miniscule motion and flew through the door, long violet-indigo hair fanning behind her.
"She's an odd one," Naruto couldn't help muttering, just as he couldn't help feeling a thrill of intrigue tingle through his mind.
Neji gave him a strange look. "That woman was…"
But Naruto had already forgotten about her (for now) and was swinging through the door too, arms behind his head as he called cheerfully behind, "Going to Ichiraku's! Find me if you need me!"
Neji could only sigh.
One of Naruto's best buddies and most trusted comrades was Kiba from Team 8.
He hung out with him every day, if not in the Hokage Tower then in some obscure restaurant where they constantly plotted out new pranks to baffle Sakura, his assistant, and the other uptight people they liked to torture. Just because he was Hokage and had a new sense of dignity didn't mean he couldn't resort to his childhood antics; old habits were hard to break, after all.
And since he hung out with Kiba every day, he consequently hung out with Shino and Hinata, though not necessarily in that order. In fact, Shino was even darker and more mysterious than before, flitting around the village and appearing in the most random of all places—yes, Naruto preferred Hinata's company, though the girl was a little soft-spoken around him. She had learned to be more confident, though, through the years, and had lost her stutter.
Today was one such day where Naruto found himself in the company of Kiba, Akamaru, and Hinata. That was, until Kiba suddenly had to leave.
"Sorry, man," Kiba said apologetically as he shrugged one shoulder. Akamaru was already standing and panting, wagging his tail so furiously it made a white blur through the air. He waved once and then they were gone, leaving a slightly stunned Hinata and Naruto alone on the grassy, soft hill.
Naruto was the first to break the silence, laughing a little awkwardly to fill the air. "So, how've the missions been lately?"
Hinata stared at him with wide eyes, something questioning and unreadable in her milky white eyes. They were like pearls, Naruto discovered, with a faint tinge of lavender to them, ringed by thick dark lashes. They drew him in, enticing him—
"Naruto-kun?"
He blinked, snapping himself out of his semi-lucid trance and blushing for an inexplicable reason at being caught staring. "Oh, sorry, Hinata! Just thinking about some…Hokage things I have to finish up," he blathered, tipping his head and smiling widely. Hinata's porcelain cheeks flushed a light pink as she hastily stood, those pearly eyes snapping toward the Hokage monument for a brief second before flashing back, looking embarrassed.
"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun, but I have to go," she said in a rush. Hinata looked positively antsy as she fidgeted around, as if waiting for him to dismiss her.
Naruto stood too, wondering what the strange feeling nestling inside his heart was as he nodded casually to the pale-skinned girl. She hesitated briefly once more, afternoon sun streaking across her skin and highlighting her hair with a halo-like glow before nodding firmly and vanishing.
As he made his slow way down the hill, Naruto couldn't help but reflect on the suddenly, strangely beautiful girl again and again.
Hyuuga Hinata, huh?
It was another slow day, but not for long.
He sat, bored and beginning to feel the pangs of hunger assault his stomach, waiting for someone to come in the building and relieve him of this terrible infliction, at least until his lunch break. "Anyone…" Naruto moaned, dropping his head down on his arm.
Almost like it had answered his unspoken prayers, three gentle knocks sounded on the wooden door directly in front of him. He straightened instantly, smiling and yelling, "Come in!" Finally, something intriguing, even if it was just another ANBU report.
The first man filed in, papers clutched in his hands. He dropped them on Naruto's desk before the second member, a woman—the woman—made herself known, approaching with cautious strides to stand next to her teammate. The man took off his mask laxly, showing his face to Naruto as he gave a summary that the Hokage couldn't even pretend to listen to—instead, he found himself continuing to gaze at the long-haired woman who seemingly deliberately had turned her head away from him, staring out the window with her mask still on, an oddity on its own.
"…encountered hardly any adversaries, Hokage-sama. Missing-nins were easy to dispatch, as they didn't put up much of a fight..."
Her mask was delicate in the soft lighting, making the swirling blue lines stand out even more against the pristine whiteness that reminded him of snow. Her skin was only a shade darker than the mask, creating the image of an angel of death…if not for her mask. Naruto could honestly say he didn't remember seeing any masks like this before; dogs, cats, birds, yes. But never this; this, what could only be described as a wolf. Fierce lines but a gentle body.
"…Kiri ninjas, easily dispatched. And then we came directly back, sir, without further trouble," the man said briskly, finishing his report as he failed to notice that his superior's attention had not been directed to him in the slightest throughout those three long minutes.
"Thank you," Naruto said, waving his hand. "Dismissed."
The man disappeared in a cloud of smoke. It was then the woman chose to turn her head, staring at him with a strange sense of purpose, like she could see through his secrets—like she found them utterly captivating.
A wolf, Naruto marveled as she too teleported away. The brilliant red streak of blood on her mask's cheek could have belonged to no other.
Who is this to hold so much power over me?
Hinata was there more frequently now.
He would be walking with Kiba and she would show up from around the corner, choosing to walk with them instead of visiting her father. Sometimes he would be leaving his apartment only to find her dashing around the corner; when he called out to her, she would stop and bashfully smile (that wonderful, wonderful smile) and accept his invitation to go eat ramen. Once in a while, she would even run up to him while he was making his rounds about the village and walk boldly by his side.
Naruto learned that Hinata wasn't quite as timid as she once seemed.
As if triggered by some sort of event, Hinata had begun talking more and more, maybe softly, but still conversing with him nonetheless.
He learned she didn't have a favorite color but she liked bright and dark colors the same. She didn't hate her sister, but loved her, just like how she loved Neji and her father (Hinata never could bear hate in her heart); in the end, some shinobi were just born stronger than others. She enjoyed little kids and being around them. She liked eating in the sunset. She liked helping others who had a similar background to her own. She liked…she liked…
And yet, while Naruto began to learn more about Hinata, she never revealed what went on in her ninja life. He didn't know what sort of missions she went on or how dangerous they were. The only clue that she sometimes unconsciously threw him was when she would hurriedly ask the time before departing, signaling she was supposed to meet with her team within minutes.
Naruto didn't think too much about it, though. He just liked spending time with the pale-skinned girl, and he knew she liked it too.
Secrets were a burden and easily ignored.
"Hey man," Kiba greeted as he shrugged into his standard outfit for ANBU duty. Naruto nodded back at him amiably, pretending not to search the meeting room for a now-familiar head of inky hair. He only came to talk to Kiba—didn't he?
"Did you need something? I need to go soon." Kiba glanced at him, waiting, his mask clutched in between gloved hands. Appropriately it was in the shape of a dog.
Naruto opened his mouth, purely intending to do nothing else but ask if he was free to join the others at the restaurant later that evening…that wasn't what came out. "Do... doyouknow what team she's on?"
Kiba gave him a confused look, running a hand through his messy hair before grumbling, "You need to speak up, and that's something I usually never say, Naruto. Is something wrong?"
"No," Naruto answered, hating himself for blurting that out. Why was it bugging him so much? He opened his mouth again (I will I will Iwillwillwill not ask that) and the same question came out, much to his frustration. Even his own brain was rebelling against him! "Just—that girl. The one with the long hair? What team is she on? No, what captain is she under?"
His friend sighed, leaning against the wall exasperatedly. "Okay, you're serious then. Let me start: what girl? There's a ton of them with long hair, if you haven't noticed." Kiba waved his arms around, looking kind of idiotic (at least to Naruto). But since he was helping him, Naruto couldn't really say anything derogatory toward his friend.
"The one with the wolf mask," he said, resigned to the fact that his mind was retaliating against his body. "You know, pale skin, dark hair." Utterly captivating.
"Her? You mean Hin—"
"Kiba. You need to go to the mission room, now." Neji suddenly appeared behind the captain, startling the man into releasing a loud curse that had everyone staring. Blushing, Kiba shot a glare at the oblivious man before poofing away, an apologetic 'sorry' hanging behind him in the air.
Naruto couldn't help but feel a lingering sense of disappointment. "Come on, Neji! You couldn't have let him finish his sentence?"
"Was it so important?" Neji asked, raising an eyebrow before slipping his own mask on his face. "What was it about then?"
He hesitated before shaking his head and turning away. "Sorry I bothered you, it was nothing." Nothing other than learning about her.
He was almost out the door before Neji called, "She's under one of my lieutenants, if you really wanted to know that badly."
Naruto couldn't stop the smile from spreading involuntarily across his face.
It was another hot, humid, lingering summer day—perfect for evening fireworks, but terrible for doing the standard Hokage duty.
He was doling out missions off-handedly, yawning in the heat that threatened to make him fall asleep at the table. Naruto honestly couldn't count how many teams had come before him, ANBU and jounin and chunin and beginner gennins. It was all just so dull.
Speed up, he pleaded, staring at the clock across the room. Please…so this can all be over…
The door racked open, a new ANBU team standing in its place.
Naruto sat up so fast he could feel the vibrations tingling down his spine. It was her team—her! The one with the wolf mask. He noticed absent-mindedly that the red streak was gone from the wood, probably carefully brushed over with paint. It was hard to wash off blood, from one's conscience and objects alike.
"Hokage-sama," the man in front was saying, nodding respectfully. Naruto nodded back, none of his inner tumultuous conflicts showing on his face as he riffled through scrolls, stalling for unknown reasons. His eyes flickered back to her wolf mask only to look harshly back down as he saw her staring at him, probably wondering why he was taking so long. He finally pulled out one at random from the 'S' ranked pile, tossing it to the man in front.
"Be careful," Naruto yelled as they exited, not looking behind.
Why does she hold so much power over me? No…
Why do I feel like this?
What is this?
"What attracts you to her?"
"Hm…I don't know."
"I can't help you then." There was a lazy sigh before the crunching of fabric as someone sat up.
"Wait! Shikamaru…"
"Don't look at me with that face, jeez. You're not a kid anymore, grow up."
"I don't know why I feel like this though," Naruto complained, staring up at the azure sky. "Why do I want to know everything about her? Why do I want to see her face? Why do I want to touch her? Why do I want to talk to her? Why do I want to see her, to fight her, to know everything about her? Why do I—"
—feel this way about two different people?
"Ahh, you ask too many questions," Shikamaru moaned as he fell backwards onto the grass, closing his eyes lazily. "Just like Ino. Besides, who's the woman?"
Naruto's eye twitched. "Did you just compare me to…Ino?!"
"…what if I did?"
"You know, just for that, I'm not gonna tell you!"
The man watched indolently as his leader stalked angrily away, smiling slightly. It didn't matter if Naruto didn't tell him about the 'two' women in his lives—Shikamaru already knew who she was.
"It's a beautiful sunset…"
Naruto smiled as he felt Hinata's familiar chakra—quiet, docile almost, but with an explosive hidden edge—buzz faintly into existence behind him. If he hadn't been Hokage and familiar with these suspiciously faint signatures that all higher-level ninjas carried around them (in comparison to the chunin, who blatantly let their chakras flare) he would have been startled.
When did she learn to do this? He wondered faintly before answering, "What brings you here, Hinata?"
"I just wanted your company." There was a faint movement behind him before she sat down on the stone Hokage's head next to him, head tilted back and eyes half-closed. Her hair flew back softly in the wind, dark and reminding him of a very similar shade and length of a certain other ANBU-masked woman… "I've been so busy lately." And then the thought disappeared.
"Me too," Naruto answered, sneaking a look at Hinata. His heart skipped once before he directed his gaze forward again, pressing his lips together. They sat in a companionable silence for a few minutes longer before Hinata stood.
"My father needs me," she said in response to his questioning gaze as he lithely stood too. She turned her head to him, smiling once before saying a farewell that barely reached Naruto's ears before disappearing in a wisp of smoke.
However, the image of her face had already been imprinted into his mind—as well as the startling splash of dark crimson, just beginning to turn rust brown, on her cheek…right where the blood splotch on the ANBU woman's mask had been.
Whenever Naruto got anxious, he made a plan. In order to make a plan, he had to consume many pounds of ramen in order to get his 'brain cells' thinking…or so he said.
"Naruto, really," Iruka sighed as he watched his former student shovel another bowl into his mouth. "What's gotten into you this time? You don't normally eat so much—or so messily." He watched as another bowl was thrown precariously onto the already towering stack, soup splattered around on the counter.
"I'm just confused on what to do," Naruto explained after swallowing, signaling for another bowl with his right hand.
"For what?" The older man finally gave up on trying to get Naruto to eat less and concentrated on his own cooling ramen, still keeping one eye on his wayward blond pupil.
Naruto bit his lip, staring down into his reflection of the leftover broth in his latest bowl he'd quickly consumed. Should he tell Iruka—? He was his 'parental' figure, after all, maybe he would know something about these strange feelings he was having… Then again, he'd tried talking to Shikamaru, and look how that had turned out. Still—it was Iruka, the more logical side of him argued, and finally he caved.
"So…I was having, um…"
"Woman troubles?"
Naruto stared, wide-eyed, at Iruka, who merely had one elbow propped up on the counter and a casual expression. "W-what are you? Some mind reader?"
"No, Shikamaru just told me," Iruka said, smiling slightly at the blond's childish antics. "It seems like you've been struck by the greatest disease that plagues mankind."
"Really? Ne, what is it?" Naruto leaned forward eagerly, ramen forgotten.
"Love."
Iruka watched fondly as a myriad of expressions played across Naruto's face, ranging from blatant disbelief to open-mouthed-gaping and finally, to some semblance of acceptance. He watched as the young man chuckled to himself, shaking his head before slamming it against the counter quite abruptly. "Naruto!" the teacher cried, half-standing. This wasn't exactly the reaction he'd been going for.
"I'm okay, sensei," Naruto said as he shook his head again, grinning widely. "Only trying to clear my head up. But how can I be in love with two people at once? Which one do I love more? I can't be with both at the same time!" He switched from panic mode to exhilarated within seconds, exclaiming loudly and throwing his hands up dramatically into the air to emphasize his point. "Tell me, sensei!"
"You can't really call me sensei anymore, but what I can tell you is that love is an enigma. Sometimes you love two people or more, sometimes you find your soul mate. Maybe these two women are merely very alike in personalities and appearances, and that is what attracts you to both of them—the only way to really tell is to trust your own heart."
At Naruto's stupefied look, Iruka sighed, shortening his explanation as he picked up the forehead protector he'd taken off in order to eat. "You love one of them more, so in order to find out which one, you must devise a test. Any test."
"Really? Well why didn't you say so?" Naruto beamed, slapping some money onto the counter and ducking out of the stand, his excitement clear in his voice. "I'm off then, Iruka-sensei! Wish me luck!" And he was gone.
Iruka tied his forehead protector on absently, dipping his head slightly as he exhaled.
"You grew up so fast, Naruto…"
Okay, so maybe this wasn't the smartest plan he'd ever had.
Naruto gulped under Hyuuga Hiashi's unwavering stare, completely impenetrable and different from his daughter's meeker eyes. Pleasedon'thurtme, he thought hurriedly in his head, hoping his happy expression was still glued firmly on his face. I—I'm the Hokage! You can't hurt me, so stop looking at me like that… I only asked if…
"She's not here," the head of the clan finally said, turning into the house. "She's probably on a mission somewhere."
"Mission?" Naruto asked, dumbfounded, as Hiashi began walking away.
"That's right."
"But… I was supposed to give her a mission!"
"Then it's too late, Hokage-sama. She's already gone."
Naruto stood there a full ten minutes after the civilian maid had kindly asked for his autograph before closing the door in his face (still softly and politely) declaring that his audience with Hyuuga Hiashi was now over, much to her earnest and sincere apologies.
Finally, he responded. "Wait a second! I'm the Hokage! You can't decide when to end it! Open up!"
Naruto's screams could be heard from the other side of Konoha.
Two days.
He propped his head on his hand, staring down at the small calendar on the corner of his wooden desk.
It had been two days (exactly) since Hinata's father had told him she was on a mission away somewhere. Two days since he'd sent out the indigo-haired ANBU woman. Both had yet to return, and while it proved Naruto's plan had worked without requiring extra effort, he was still unhappy.
"Naruto?" A soft rap sounded on the door before Sakura let herself in. She busily tidied the short stack of papers on his desk before replacing his old pens and giving him a cup of suspicious looking liquid, gathering the paperwork he had already signed for the day. "Are you daydreaming again?"
"Huh? Oh, no. I was just wondering about these two women I sent on a mission…"
"You mean the wolf-mask ANBU and Hinata?"
Naruto's hands flew up into the air. "I swear to God that one day, I will figure out how everyone can read my mind so blatantly! Do I wear my expressions on my sleeve or something?"
"It's 'I wear my heart on my sleeve,' Naruto. There's no such thing as expressions on your sleeve." Sakura had an amused expression on her face as she settled against the side of his desk, short pink hair expertly pinned up in a neat bun. She had evidently been working late in the hospital again, as a faint antibiotic smell clung to her clothing. "And besides, I only know because I saw the papers declaring their departure. They left around the same time, it seems."
"Have they come back yet?" Naruto slammed his hands on his desk, standing up so eagerly his chair crashed to the ground with a loud bang.
"I haven't checked the guards, but I'm assuming no. Relax, they'll come back. They're worthy women, after all," Sakura said, a glint in her eyes. There was something mischievous about her, like she knew something she didn't—which was most of the time, so Naruto didn't bother much with her.
Instead, he whined, feeling worry claw at his heart. How could he have fallen in love so quickly and so harshly? "It was my plan to see which one I loved more," he explained, even though Sakura hadn't asked for an explanation. She waited though, infinitely patient. "I was thinking that whichever one came back first or with the most successful results, I would love them more—because shinobi need capable heirs to survive, not weak ninjas. But then…"
Sakura smiled before embracing her old friend, muttering, "You should know love isn't something to play around with, Naruto."
"But now, I know that whichever is hurt more, whichever can't stand without me, whichever makes my heart pound with fear and anger and passion, that is the person I will love more, without a doubt." Naruto closed his eyes. "That one will be the person I can't live without."
Because all I ask of you is to come back safely…
Safely, to me.
The sun and moon chased each other overhead as the clouds raced by and the stars watched coldly from the heavens. Days passed, and slowly, the heat of summer began ebbing into brisk autumn.
Time trickled on, and fate continued winding its way sinuously around the people of Konoha.
He continued waiting for that inevitable day.
"Emergency! Clear the way, please! Clear the path!"
"Her heartbeat is slowing! Is the room prepared? Get Sakura-san! And the medic tools—"
"What's the condition of the rest of her squadron? Someone!"
"They suffer little to no serious injuries! She was the most injured out of all of them!"
"What about—"
"It's not time to banter! Quick! Let me start the healing process…"
Naruto blinked as he walked by the hospital, hearing the commotion inside. What was going on? Was it just another emergency patient in need of Sakura's healing abilities?
His intuition was whispering no—it was something very different.
He was in front of the emergency doors before he knew it, hands outstretched and ready to pull. Naruto hesitated for one brief instant, wondering if it would really be okay, if what met him would truly decide his life once and for all, and then his hands were yanking the doors open hastily as his breath automatically came quicker.
"…pass me this!"
"Get her in the room first, you incompetent fools—"
"Who are you calling—?"
"Don't fight, dammit! We have to save Hinata's life here!"
Hinata.
Naruto's eyes opened wide. So it was her—she was the one who had claimed his heart. She was the one who was currently making it beat so wildly in his chest, making it hammer so hard it felt like he was about to keel over in a heart attack. His eyes were locked on the gaggle of white-clad medics attempting to enter a room, surrounding a blood-stained body on a stretcher. Dark hair streamed off the sides in an oddly graceful manner, despite the contrasting pale hand streaked with blood dangling by her side. The medics parted briefly as someone with pink hair flashed into the room, and Naruto saw her face.
Her eyes were closed, mouth open in a soft gasp (no doubt struggling for air, to breathe, to live—oh god, was this the aftermath of my cruel joke, laughing love off like it was nothing?) as dark red painted lines around her face. It was almost artistic in a fascinating, bloody way; and then the medics had closed in again, ushering Hinata into the room without a second's hesitation.
He heard a clatter as his eyes slowly redirected themselves to the pale, foreign object lying on the ground.
Ignoring the secretary's faint "H-Hokage-sama!", he walked toward the wooden thing as if in a trance. Before his hand even touched the mask, he knew whose it was and why she had kept it from his knowledge.
Hinata… is the same person as that woman?
The ANBU mask was drenched in blood darker than Naruto's soul.
"Hokage-sama…"
"Is she awake yet?"
"Not yet, but maybe you should go and get some true rest? It's been three days already—"
"I'll wait."
"Naruto!"
He blinked, jolting awake from his uneasy sleep. His hair was matted to the side of his face and he was pretty sure there was drool on his mouth and bags under his eyes from sleeping on an uncomfortable surface for five consecutive days. Great.
"K-Kiba?" Naruto rubbed his eyes before yawning exaggeratedly.
His friend looked harried and frantic, twisting his hands. "Did you say something to Hinata about being an ANBU?"
He snapped to attention, blue eyes focusing on Kiba with a laser-like intensity, causing the other man to back away a little. "Why? What happened to Hinata? And speaking of that, why didn't you tell me she was an ANBU?"
"Um, because I tried but Neji kept interrupting! And it shouldn't bother you…" Kiba looked confused.
"If I knew she was an ANBU I would've—" Naruto's mouth closed with a clack as he swallowed his words abruptly. I would've—what? You know it's against the rules to forbid someone from going out on a dangerous mission just because they're dear to you; that's why they're ninja, to protect those dear to them.
You cannot ever afford to be selfish.
"Anyway," Kiba was saying (practically yelling), "you need to come, fast! Hinata's disappeared from her room. The only thing she left on her bed was a mask and a resignation letter for the ANBU that I won't accept!"
"What do you want me to do about it?" Although his voice was calm, he felt about as tranquil as a thunderstorm. It didn't help matters when Kiba smacked him in the head harshly.
"Idiot! Find her!"
I like quiet places…
He racked his brain. Where could she be? Quiet places? What had she said about that?
They allow me to think calmly. Nighttime is especially relaxing, and… beautiful too.
Beautiful and relaxing—only a billion of those out there! Naruto sucked in his breath, wishing he could just remember what Hinata had said. Why couldn't he remember? Just this one tiny detail, he forgot? It was driving him insane as he slumped down next to Konoha's outer wall, head in hands. There was one particular place Hinata said she loved, somewhere they had been to once on a mission.
Of course it's too far away now to visit, but I found a different place…closer to Konoha, so I can visit it more often… you can see it from here. Follow the sunset…
Sunset? His eyes squinted as he stared up at the sky, noting the sun dipping toward the horizon. To follow it, he would have to go to the Hokage mountain, as that was where Hinata had been telling him about her favorite place—and from there—
Water is nice too. It flows like liquid silver in the moonlight, and waterfalls especially help keep you focused as you train…
"Waterfall! That was it! It was a waterfall!" Naruto jumped up, quickly teleporting to the second Hokage's head before narrowing his eyes against the weakening sunlight. If he followed in that direction, Hinata should be along the path somewhere.
It didn't matter how long it would take him to search for her.
Naruto would give up his life for Hinata a thousand times over, because she was risking hers already.
She didn't seem surprised when he appeared, interrupting her quiet meditating. In fact, she seemed more resigned than anything.
"Naruto."
"That's the first time you didn't add –kun at the end," he said, somewhat astonished. His hands were stuck casually in his pockets, the standard Hokage coat flapping behind him as he approached her. She remained sitting by the pool with water gently lapping at its banks while the soft roar of a waterfall could be heard over the smooth silence blanketing the clearing. Moonlight barely filtered past the dusky twilight clouds, and her expression was shrouded in shadows while her skin glowed a luminous white.
"I'm sorry." Her voice was as hushed as everything else in the silent forest, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. If you want to leave now, I won't find anything against you."
"Why would I want to leave, Hinata? I don't care that you didn't tell me! You were doing it for me, weren't you? For my sake?" Naruto reached his hands out toward her, glad she didn't flinch back. Instead, she sinuously stood, eyes finally rising to meet his passionate ones.
There were tears in those pearls, he discovered. Soft glowing drops that told volumes about her hardships and struggles, and he couldn't bring himself to hold such a worthless crime against her—Hinata, the one he loved, by mistake or by fate.
"I was just trying to protect you. Because you're always protecting me, I wanted to do something for you, and even if you didn't have to know about it, I would be able to guard you from afar! I was doing something worthwhile." She dropped her head forward, inky hair falling in thick sheets on either side of her face. Naruto tentatively brought a hand up to touch the strands, which slid silkily between his fingers. He was almost too captivated by Hinata to respond, but luckily her muffled, dry sob brought his attention back to her.
"Don't cry then, Hinata. If you truly believe you did something for me, you shouldn't be ashamed of it, because if even you are ashamed, then who will believe you? I admire your confidence, I admire your strength, and I admire that you are my protector. My own guardian angel," Naruto finished, smiling in a somewhat cheesy way but feeling proud anyway. And then his last words bubbled through his lips: "That's why I love you."
Hinata looked up sharply, eyes widening. "Y-you…love me?"
Naruto just smiled softly. This was a woman who had risked life and death for him, who had slaughtered for his safety, who had somehow captured his heart.
He wouldn't regret it—ever.
"Naruto!" Hinata was in his arms, hugging him tightly around the chest. "I—I promise, I won't let you down again… because…"
"You don't need to say it. I'll be protecting you too, from now on. This will be something we both will carry, our mutual promise." He grinned, feeling light and ready to explode with some strange tingly feeling. Hinata looked the same, except a little dizzier. "My dear protector."
The ending was very...sweet.
Well, as you possibly have noticed, I'm trying to keep my author notes more mature and less rambly. XD but still, I hope you enjoyed this (extremely) long oneshot! Alert if you want to read more of the pairings I've listed above, otherwise, it's okay if it's just NaruHina that rocks your boat. Also, reviews are very much appreciated :)
Stay tuned… although there's no telling when the next one will appear, or which pairing it will be. Probably NaruSaku though. Thanks for reading!