Fight Against Fate

Author's Notes: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this fic.

This is my rendition of the first time Hinata met Naruto when they were still kids. There might be some wrong events or miscalculations, but please pardon these little mistakes. I'll correct them as soon as I spot them.;D There may be a few spoilers ahead, so those who have not read Volume 11 might be risking the fun. Anyway, I find these two a cute couple and perhaps I might write a romance on them someday. As for this fic, it's probably a one-sided thingy, I dunno yet. Please leave your comments after you read. Thanks~

She had failed again.

As the six years old girl got up slowly, her father's look of disappointment pierced her deeper than her wounds. Hinata bit back her tears and prepared for another hit, her little limbs already shaking from exhaustion. Hiashi stared down at his injured daughter, admiring her diligence. However, diligence alone was not enough. He had been training Hinata for three years now, but the result was not satisfying. He did not want to admit it, but he realized that his daughter was not cut out to be a warrior. Hinata could have been powerful, if she had the confidence and courage. She would disgrace the Hyuga Clan if she continued this way. Perhaps he could only pin his hopes on his second child, may it be a boy or a girl.

Hiashi started to attack. Hinata dodged his blows beautifully as she was quick to learn the hard way. Her attacks were deemed useless, so she had concentrated on her speed. She did not expect the wounds to be so serious though. Apparently her foot had been bruised and that made her lose her balance. When Hinata avoided the next blow, her foot yelled out in pain and she crashed onto the floor of the dojo.

Her swollen foot looked serious. A few years ago, Hiashi would carry Hinata to her room and have the family physician treat her right away. Now, he just turned away and told her in a stern voice,

"I guess that is all for today. I will see you here first thing in the morning. Now go rest...and get your foot nursed."

Her father walked out of the dojo, sighing quietly. Even at the age of four, his brother's son, Neji, could defeat the current Hinata. He could only pray that the child in his wife's womb would make him proud.

All around the dojo was nothing but silence. The last ray of sunlight was fading away, inviting a cold and dark night. There was no wind of comfort, not even a sign of the little critters that usually settle in the garden. Hinata was alone. And hurt, both physically and mentally.

She had not meant to be weak. All these years she had trained hard to meet her father's expectations, but she kept failing. She had no confidence that she could fight her father, and she lacked the courage to try. No matter how hard she tried, there would be a constant fear in her, which encouraged her to give up or run away.

Run away...

That idea had crossed her mind an unhealthy amount of times for a little girl like her. When she went out with her mother, Hinata noticed all other girls of her age would be smiling and playing with their friends. Her shyness caused her to have no friends and her nervousness didn't make things any better. Overall, Hinata was one lonely kid.

That made her sad, but it drove her to work harder, to get her father's approval. To have her family acknowledge her existence would be enough for her. At least that was what she thought.

Gradually Hinata got up from her forlorn position and limped across the cold wooden floor. As she walked along the narrow corridor towards her room, her foot complained and once again, she tripped and fell out of the corridor into the garden. Fighting her tears, Hinata was about to climb back up when she heard two pair of feet rustling towards the dojo. From their voices she could recognize the house servant and the physician,

"Miss Hinata must still be in the dojo."

"Hai, Master told me to fetch her here. You could have just waited in miss Hinata's room, Doctor."

"No, it is best that I go to Miss Hinata as soon as possible. A young body like hers should not be taking these wounds."

Hinata liked her family physician. The old man had always smiled to her and talked to her in a gentle manner. Only with him could Hinata feel safe and relaxed. She was going to call out to him when she heard the next words,

"Well, Miss Hinata would not be getting hurt anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Doctor, I'll tell you this because you're a close friend of this household. Apparently, Madam is having another child..."

Mother's having another child? I'm going to be a sister?

Hinata listened more carefully. She felt hurt that she had not been told about this when she was part of the family, but the prospect of having a sibling, perhaps a real friend, made her somewhat glad.

"...and everyone is saying that this unborn child is going to be this household's new hope."

Hinata froze. New...hope? All her thoughts shattered to pieces when she heard that she was going to be replaced. Was she that naïve that she thought her sibling would be her friend? The new child would replace her position in her family's eyes and she would be neglected. Hinata felt fresh tears stinging her eyes.

The door to the dojo opened and the two of them stared at the empty hall. Where was Hinata? The servant was confused while the physician turned around,

"Perhaps Miss Hinata had gone back to her room first. Come, let us make haste."

The two of them hurried down the corridor away from Hinata. Now she was alone again and the night was turning colder. Hurt, anger, disappointment, sorrow all jumbled in her. Her chest felt heavy and when she choked she realized that she had been holding her breath. Finally getting up, Hinata hobbled as fast and quietly as she could out of the house. She needed fresh air.

______________________________________________

Everyone was staring at the young boy as he walked down the street. If he knew there would be so many people outside tonight, he would not have stepped outside his flat. All of them were giving him that look again. That look of disapproval, as though he was being looked down upon. And the way they turned their heads in disgust when he glared at them.

Naruto hated that look, and since everyone looked at him that way, he hated people. He had no family and no friends ever since he knew how to take care of himself. How he had been able to afford food, he did not know. How he had come to have a house, he did not know. How he had become so hateful, he did not know. All he knew was that he was alone. Alone in this village, alone in this world.

The only person who had ever talked to him was probably that old man in long robes. That old man claimed to be the Head of the Village even if he did not seem like it. However, Naruto had to admit, the old man did resemble one of the carved faces on the Hokage Memorial. In fact, he remembered vaguely that the old man told him that those faces were the faces of the heroes of Konoha village, called Hokage. Recently he had been sent to school by the old man. That was a dreadful place. He had to sit in one place for hours listening to an adult drone on while the kids beside him make noise. There was particular adult, or teacher, as they called them, who had been nice to him though. A man called Iruko, or Iruki, or something. He had talked to him and asked about him, even though Naruto had been rude to him. He didn't know if he dared to trust that friendly-looking man.

Whatever...

Naruto was hungry when he came out, but his appetite had been ruined by all the hostile stares. He was heading for the ramen stall, but changed his course when he saw a huge crowd inside. He turned towards the forest, as it was the only place where he could find some peace, but even for a kid like him, he knew not to venture too far in it, as one could get lost. He decided to return to the ramen stall later at night, when people have gone home.

Home.

A word unfamiliar to him. He has seen many homes from his window, warm and cozy homes where a family cares for one another. A place that is so near to him, yet he would never be in one. At the beginning he felt sad, but now he felt angry, angry at why he was the only one alone, the only one being stared at. Needing the peace the forest offered Naruto quickened his pace.

As he reached the border of the village, Naruto thought he had heard someone crying. He felt something crawl up his skin.

Could it be...a g-ghost?

No one would blame him if he went away, right? It was best to leave these spiritual things alone. He laughed nervously even though he could feel his knees shaking. Perhaps being stared at was better than meeting a... Before he could finish the thought, Naruto heard a shaky cry, a surprised cry, a girl's cry. His male instincts told his legs to move towards the sound, but his inner child screamed for him to leave. As Naruto stepped closer towards the sound, he could see figures ahead.

There he found her.

To be continued...