-Right From The Start-
Everyday time is passing, growing tired of all this travelling. Take me away to where you are. -Greyson Chance (Home Is In Your Eyes)
Prologue
An old woman stared at the window, memories of the past were rushing to her mind. All about how she met her loved one for the first time. The once black-as-night locks that turned to grayish-white tied in a bun like always, as they had been for the past twenty years. A teardrop fell from her eyes down to her hands that was on top of her lap. His eyes. The very part she missed so much, two black deep seas that would drown her everytime her eyes locked with his. His smile, oh how she would do anything just to see that rare smile of his just for her again. His lips, part of him that would make her lose herself, go high and never go back without him. His touch, the feel of his caress kept fading even though she tried so hard to remember every caress every night before she went to bed.
With trembling hands she tried to wipe away her tears. Her eyes wandered around the room. A habit she had to make herself relax. Her wandering eyes stop at a picture frame standing delicately alone on top of a nightstand. Delicate and yet proud to be framing a picture of a couple. Young couple. Young love, she thought to herself. The raven haired man streched his arm over her waist. With his loving gaze, his gaze only for her. Trying to meet her eyes, but could not. Hers met the camera. With blushing face and a wide grin that represented her feeling at that time. Happiness, for eventually being together with her love. A little bit contradicting by his expression. Just a small smile that was barely seen, but there. Just for his love.
Tears seemed unstoppable right then. Like every other day, she let her tears streamed down her face, not bothering to wipe them away with her hands, with anything. She always hoped, somehow, from whereever he was, he could see how she was doing after he left. She was bad. Tired. So tired. Sometimes, she just wished to end it all. So she could be together with him. But she knew, reluctantly, that he would not be happy. If he was there right then, she was sure that he would have been glaring at her like there was no tomorrow. And she would do whatever he told her. That was how much she loved him. But then, he was not there. But she knew, somewhere, he was watching her. With that loving gaze he always had for her. Just for her.
There was knock on the other side of the door. She wiped her eyes and turned her wheelchair so she was facing the door. There were sounds of excited footsteps, muffled laughter, and hushing from the outside.
"The door is unlocked. Come in!"
She tried so hard to put all of the happiness she could muster to utter those words.
The door slowly swung open. And she was smiling, just like that. A genuine smile, honest to God smile. It was as if, the past twenty minutes mourning over her love was easily paid by this incoming happiness.
Chapter One: Stares
"I hate him."
"Oh, come on. You do not," said a pink haired girl.
"Whose side are you on?" She could not believe this girl that sat beside her. She is her best friend for God's sake and then she was just like rest of their group: the girls. And the group never stopped mentioning to her that she did not hate him. It was just a silly competition. And she was just too ambitious about it.
"There are no sides, Hinata. Anyway, where is our sweet Hinata-chan? Because she wouldn't hate anyone. She couldn't, to be exact." She knew, her friend just tried to reassuring her about her hate towards him did not exist. But still, she would not agree with her.
"It's different Sakura! Oh God, I don't know what to say. I don't know anymore about anything." She could not snap. And it sounded like a desperate whine. How everyone knew, but that was her climax of rage.
"Let's forget about it, then."
"How can I just forget it? He's the first again Sakura! I've tried so hard for the last exam. And I got second place while he doesn't even seem to be the type of person to even be bothered to open a book to read at all!" She was desperate. It just... the way it turned out, it just seemed impossible.
"Maybe he's just smart to the bones, Hinata. Even without trying." Sakura felt like laughing. Looking at her bestfriend desperate like that.
"Just because you like him doesn't mean-"
"I don't. Come on. It was just a crush anyway. And it was long time ago. When we're in the middle school. And we never saw him with a girl. Maybe he's gay. I don't care."
A small smile formed on her face. How could Sakura said she did not care but keep ranting about it over and over? Even until then. And they were in sophomore year of highschool.
"Oh, you do care, Sakura."
"I.. I don't know Hinata. I mean if I like him or not, which I don't even know myself, but he won't care. With so many girls oogling at him, I don't even know if I can keep up with him. Well, if we decide to be a couple. Which is, impossible. How funny. Even me, the girl who, well, has liked him since elementary school-"
"Oh! How cute. Sakura just admitted her feeling towards the highs chool heartthrob!"
Sakura blushed. "I'm not finished!" she yelled. Hinata giggled softly. Seeing her friend being shy like this was priceless.
"Well, even me, the girl who likes him," Hinata's eyes widened. She amazed that there was no hesitation when Sakura said those words, "feels impossible to be with him. How about you? The one who admitted herself that she hates this guy."
Sakura laughing over her friend's anger.
"It's not funny, Sakura. I don't hate him, maybe. I don't care. I am however, upset that he once again ended up beating my test scores."
"Did I say it was funny?" She was laughing hard with Hinata's expression of fury, which looked a little too much like an angry kitten.
Hinata pouted and went toward the door leaving a laughing Sakura alone in the library.
Hinata went to her locker to get her notebooks. She felt content until there was someone clearing his throat behind her. She turned her head so she could face the guy. Her pale eyes met the brightest sapphire blue that were eyes. She was stunned at that very spot. Her cheeks reddened to see her crush actually made an effort to actually talk to her.
"Hi Hinata," he greeted.
"H-Hi, Naruto-kun." She was upset because of her stutters. Her stutters were her past. She never stutters anymore around her friends. Except to certain blonde guy with bright blue eyes that stood infront of her.
"We are in the same class now, no?"
"Yes." Fortunately that did not come out stuttered.
"Can I borrow one of your notebooks? It's not like I need it. Hell, I'm not going to write anything, anyway. It's just, I don't want to get in trouble with-"
Not even able to finish his speech, the notebook he was talking about was shoved to his face. That action actually made him step back one step.
He put his right hand behind the back of his head. His lips formed his typical grin. Without hesitation, he took the book from Hinata's hands. Their hands touching ever so slightly. She blushed again. And of course, Naruto was oblivious about it.
"Well, thank you Hinata."
"A-anytime, Naruto-kun."
And then there was a thick awkward silence. Chuckling nervously, he kept on talking, saying words, that in middle school Hinata would have fainted from.
"Well, since we have the same class, we can walk there together, eh?"
She was blushing madly. She could not utter a single word without stuttering so she just nodded. She tried to close her locker, but in her excitement the edge of her locker door ended up hitting Naruto's head. He instantly lost his balance, and nearly fell on the floor. With quick reflexes, she caught his shoulders to keep him steady. Blushing madly while doing this. With her head facing down, she uttered her apologies.
"I'm so s-sorry, Naruto-kun! I really didn't mean to.."
Her head snapped up. There was a hand on her shoulder. And the hand was Naruto's.
"It's okay. Calm down. People make mistakes, right?" His voice and eyes softened when he told her to calm down. And his smile. She could have fainted on the spot. Not caring that she had known him for five years. She smiled back. Maybe imagining her together with him was not that impossible.
He put his hand back to his side. The other hand holding up his bag strap. He took one step toward the hallway. Turned his head back once more, he smiled at her.
"Come on, we don't want to be late, right?"
She nodded and hugged her notebook to her chest while walking by his side.
The walk was silent. But despite the awkwardness, she felt content. She just couldn't stop smiling. Finally, they arrived infront of the class. Naruto opened the door for her to let her enter first. Hinata waited until he closed the door, glanced back at him, and locked eyes briefly. She smiled, he smiled. So she went to her seat in the second row. While his seat was at the back of the class, next to him.
"You're thinking 'when will I start dating Naruto?'" A blonde haired girl teased her.
"Ino!" she mumbled not without blushing madly. Nevertheless, she went to sit next to her.
Their English teacher will be late like always. Hinata sighed to herself. Ino turned her head to her.
"Mind telling your bestfriend what happened?" Not bothering to lower her voice Ino asked her.
She just nodded, there's no other way she could pass through up. Ino would keep insisting, even though next day was the end of the world.
"Not now," she whispered back.
Ino grinned and nodded. She took her novel from her bag and started to read. And now she hoped she was smart enough like Ino. She should have brought her book today. She was bored. She hoped the door would open and the teacher would come to the class.
The class was never quiet when there was no teacher. That day was no different. But she still barely heard it as she perked her ears to listen to Naruto and him.
"You look like shit, dobe."
"Shut up, Sasuke," Naruto answered him while laughing.
"You dating her?" She could hear it. The emphasis on the word her.
"What now? You jealous?" The laughter didn't stop.
"I don't care if you with her, Naruto," Sasuke said. His words came out emotionles.
"I didn't mean if you are jealous of me with Hinata, Sasuke," he clarified for his stoic friend. She was blushing while listening in. "What I mean is, if you are jealous because I got a girlfriend before you."
Sasuke didn't answer. She turned her head facing their seats. Sasuke stared at the window. His pose made her wonder. He really seemed does not care with anything except himself. He seemed.. distant. She felt pity for him sometimes, about his loneliness because-
"What made you think otherwise, anyway? Oh! Do you like her, teme?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively to Sasuke.
Her wandering mind stopped for a while. Her eyes widened. She glanced at Ino, who seemed really into the story, not caring about anyone around her anymore.
There was a tense silence. She did not dare to glance back. But she leaned her back towards her seat.
"You wish, dobe."
And there was it. She straightened her body. She felt..upset. She was unhappy not because he did not like her, well yes. But she was upset because she felt upset. And she did not know why she was upset. She felt like crying. Because she did not know anymore about her feelings. She kept telling herself she hated him and liked Naruto. Then, why now...
The door suddenly opened and to her relief it was their teacher.
"Open page 214 to 220. Read. And then make an essay about it for your homework. Ten paragraphs, no less no more."
Everybody groaned. Even Naruto shouted. All except three people.
"That's no fair, Kakashi-sensei!"
"Naruto, make it fifteen."
Naruto groaned louder. Everyone muffled their laughter, except three people. Kakashi, Hinata, and Sasuke. Kakashi, because he did not feel like wasting time for laughing. Hinata, because she just wanted to go home, forget about the day in school and think about what happened all of that day. Sasuke, because he was too busy staring. Unknown to Hinata, Sasuke was taking glances at her since she and Naruto came to class. And he was staring at her back while he answered to Naruto, and noticed when she tensed; what could that mean? Even until the last, he still was staring at her back.
She sighed to herself. How did she even agree with her friends from the start? She did not have a choice, either way. Now they have dragged her to sit in one of the chairs around the roung table in the canteen. Some chairs were filled even before they arrived at the canteen. There were thirteen people around the table including herself.
"Finally! We guys can get together completely. You two such homesicks."
"Shut up, Kiba. I'm here just because Tenten begged me to."
"Oh, did I, Neji?" Tenten glared at Neji. Hinata couldn't stifle her chuckle. Neji glared at her.
"Well, you asked me to." Hinata just laughed at her cousin's reasoning as well as at the size of his ego he seemed to have.
"And you are just his victim, Hinata." Her eyes widened at Sakura. "You can't go home if he doesn't. He drives you school, home, hell, he's like your chauffer."
Everybody laughed at this. Except Hinata and Neji. Hinata blushed and her head faced down, and Neji glared at everyone who dared to look him in the eyes.
"Shut up, I'm doing my essay now!" shouted Naruto.
"It's your fault you got extra, dobe," said Sasuke.
"Is the end of the world this close?" Sai asked.
"What do you mean Sai?" Naruto asked through clenched teeth.
"Well, this is you we see right now doing homework."
Everyone laughed again. Even Neji, Shino, and Sasuke; the silent guys were chuckling.
Naruto just groaned more and continued his homework.
"This is troublesome, really. Just what did you do Naruto?" Shikamaru asked.
"Like always, he whined when we were assigned homework and we all know Kakashi hates whiners," Ino answered Shikamaru for the rare concentrating Naruto.
"Naruto-kun, you need more zest to enjoy your youth!" Lee said, encouraging Naruto.
Time passed, they talked, shouted, laughed, and got on. Chouji stood from his seat and uttered his rushed reason to leave.
"My Mom wants me to drive her to get some groceries, see you guys later." And he left.
"Well I guess we should leave too, Hinata," Neji said glancing at his watch. "Your father will be worried."
"He's home?" Shino asked.
"Yes, Shino-kun." Hinata answered him.
"Woah, that's rare of him," Kiba blurted out.
"Well guys, see you later," Neji said and stood from his seat, Hinata too.
"See you, guys," Hinata said and waved.
Everyone answered, "See you!" and "See you." Without any exception.
They were already in the car. Neji was focusing his attention on the road. Hinata was just staring out the window.
"Something big happened?" out of nowhere Neji asked.
Hinata was startled by this. It was not unlike him. It was just, things distracting her.
"N-nothing," she stuttered. And she felt like slapping her forhead. She was even blushing. Neji knew her too well. She glanced at him. Neji raised an eyebrow.
"Hinata?"
"It's nothing! Naruto just walked with me through the hallways!" she blurted out. She quickly covered her lips. But she knew, it was too late.
Neji's lips formed a smirk. "Eventually! The long-awaited move! I'm looking forward for the next move, then?" He liked to tease her. Even when they were children. He chuckled. And pulled over in front of their house. The only thing that he did not see was Hinata's sigh of relief when he did not further pressure her for more details of the day, because if there was one thing she could not keep from her cousin-more to brother-it was her feelings.
Author's Note: (edited 07/20/14)
Hey guys. Thank you so much for reading this. This is my first fanfic, your contribution gladly accepted. Also, English isn't my first language. With this fanfic I hope to enhance my English.
One more thing: please review! And tell me what do you think of this story. See you soon!
-Crowds