Hey, all. Thank you for checking out my first story. I would highly suggest googling "Japanese Honorifics" if you are not familiar with them as I used them when possible. Also, I would highly recommend knowing "Naruto" up through the end of the "Pain Arc." I would love to keep writing more chapters, and I have a direction of where I want to take this, so please take the time to review. This would really help me to knock out the next chapters faster, and as well as helping me to improve my writing. Thanks again!
Last, this is a creative story based off of Kishimoto-sensei's "Naruto" manga. All names, places, etc. belong to him.
Chapter 1
"Serendipity"
An exhausted ninja is being carried by his Sensei, through the thick forest, littered with huge Evergreen trees. This ninja, a teenage blond whose short-spiky hair is the color of the summer sun and whose dark blue eyes portray resilient strength and deceptive naïveté, just saved his village from destruction.
His Sensei, a silver-haired ninja who is arguably the most powerful Jounin in all of Konoha asked his student, "Are you ok?"
Automatically, Uzumaki Naruto answered, "Yeah, Kakashi-sensei, I am."
In fact, Naruto was not alright. His Chakra levels were dangerously low, and his mental resilience almost gone. A lot has been weighing on his mind, lately.
First and foremost, he wanted, no needed, to save his best friend Uchiha Sasuke from self-inflected darkness and despair. Second, he promised his teammate and love interest Haruno Sakura that he would save Sasuke, whom Sakura loves, even if it took his entire life to accomplish.
Next, he has to find a solution to bring ever-lasting peace to the world, and somewhere in-between he needs to talk to a girl who almost sacrificed her life for him.
All these thoughts swirled lazily in his head as he rode on his Sensei's back to the village. Naruto did not know what to expect back at Konoha.
'Were the villagers ok? What are they going to do about their homes, food, and the injured? There should be nothing left of Konoha except a giant crater in the earth.' Naruto pondered lazily, his gaze on the passing trees.
However, hearing a loud commotion like a large gathering of people, Naruto focused on the destination in front of him. His spirits lifted heartily once he saw what was waiting for him back at Konoha. Everyone in the village was eagerly waiting his return, yelling, screaming, waving, smiling, laughing, and chanting, "Naruto! Naruto!"
It was a sight completely new to him. He was used to everyone shunning him or talking behind his back. Now those same villagers smiled joyously at him. He could not help but get caught up in everyone's excitement and smile with them.
He was escorted by laughing children and friends while he and Kakashi-sensei made their way to the middle of the crowd where a lovely young lady waited for him.
Sakura, Naruto's teammate and close friend, kept her pink hair professionally shoulder-length. Her green eyes were generously filled with kindness and compassion, yet those same eyes can quickly turn into jade demons when angered. As the successor to Gondaime Hokage Senju Tsunade, she not only inherited Tsunade's unparalleled medical/healing ninjitsu, but she also acquired her Herculean physical strength. Naruto has been at the wrong end of Sakura's brutality many times, but this time he was completely taken off guard as Sakura didn't punch him (as she usually does when he does something reckless), but instead gave him a tender and affectionate hug. Naruto, utterly surprised, relished in this rare form of affection from the girl he had a crush on for more than three years. He looked into her eyes and saw the bashful admiration she had for him. He almost completely forgot his problems when she said, "Come on, Naruto! Everyone wants to see you!" Sakura grabbed Naruto's hand and lead him deeper into the crowd to meet the other villagers.
As the evening turned into night, he was congratulated by virtually everyone, including Naruto's substitute captain Yamato-taichou and his other Team 7 partner Sai. The typically mysterious and antisocial elite ANBU ninjas clapped him on his back or praised him through animal masks, and to Naruto's utter amazement, even mothers whose faces he remembered, because they were particularly nasty to him as a child, cried joyously in thanks for saving their lives.
Of course, all of Naruto's friends from the other Teams his generation greeted him, often with a friendly jibe, such was the case with Kiba in which he said, "Took you look enough! If you would had taken any longer, I would have had to jump in to finish him off for you, showoff." Naruto just smiled at these acknowledgments, happy that his friends' spirits were still high after all of Konoha's destruction.
A few people could not commemorate his safe return and victory over Pain, yet these were the ones he wanted to see the most.
First, Naruto's master Jiraiya would never again be in Konoha with his impressive height and raucous laugh. He missed his old master and surrogate grandfather, remembering the wisdom Ero-Sennin imparted onto him, mostly when it didn't include anything that had to do with women. Bitterly, Naruto pushed the memories away of his old sensei. 'Now is not the time,' Naruto told himself automatically just like the other times since Jiraiya's death. 'He'll always be watching me from somewhere just like my dad,' Naruto thought with a smile.
However, his thoughts about the other two people were harder to suppress.
Tsunade was in a coma. Naruto learned this fact from Kakashi on the way back to the village. He wanted to see her to make sure she was alright. Ever since Naruto helped convince Tsunade to return home to be the next Hokage, she has affectionately become his surrogate grandmother.
Unfortunately, upon arriving to Tsunade's medical tent her host of ANBU would not let him through. Loud and throwing a temper as usual, Naruto almost punched the ANBU guard in front of him.
Tsunade's majordomo Shizune, hearing the obvious noise, came out of the tent.
"Shizune-oneechan!" Naruto yelled, "Talk to these guys. They won't let me through. I want to see Tsunade-obaachan…" Naruto looked into Shizune's eyes. All his anger left him when he saw the sadness etched in her face.
"Please, Naruto, Tsunade-sama does not want to be seen in this condition by anyone, most especially you," she said as quietly as possible.
"But…" Naruto weakly spoke. Just then, he felt a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Come on, Naruto. It is the Hokage's wish; give her that much." Kakashi said with his usual perceptiveness. "Plus you will get a chance to see her later. In no time at all, Tsunade-sama will be barking orders from her room in the make-shift hospital." The last statement gave Naruto a small bit of comfort.
Kakashi, Sakura, and Naruto of Team 7 left the Hokage's tent to tour the rest of Konoha, and see the extent of the damage to their home.
The last person Naruto wanted to see he kept as a secret. A delicate situation, Naruto did know how to explain to Sakura and Kakashi-sensei his need to see Hyuuga Hinata. He always liked Hinata because she was the only one who respected the totality of his being, meaning that he didn't feel like he had to act a certain way around her.
Around everyone else, he usually behaves like a complete, reckless, and foolish idiot because it is what was expected of him. It is not ideal but at least people noticed and accepted him saying, "Well that's Naruto for you."
Even the friends closer to him, like Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei, didn't know the complete Naruto. They acknowledge his strength, will to never give up and persevere through anything, as well as his dream to become Hokage.
However, Naruto cannot just be "himself" with them. Not the hero, not the idiot, not the guy they've all expected him to act like.
Naruto cannot remember the last time he hung out with Sakura after a mission, not even on a date but just as friends. Kakashi-sensei almost always disappears once they get back from a mission probably to read his dirty novels. Naruto likes Sai but, since he is just learning the concept of emotions again, Naruto does not want to have to teach him the concept having a naturally good time with a friend, without the need of a book.
It is not just because of her absolute acceptance of Naruto that made him want to see Hinata. Since she almost died protecting him, and confessed her love to him to boot, Naruto felt he owed it to her to at least see to her.
About what, he was clueless. He was not in love with Hinata, but not because he was not attracted to her.
Honestly, he just never really gave much thought about love and romantic relationships. Rescuing Sasuke is what usually dominated his thoughts, and every now and then he thinks about Sakura.
On the other hand, this time it was a very different situation. Acting on instinct, he pushed his rational mind aside. 'I just need to see her,' Naruto kept telling himself as he searched for Hinata.
As the night wore on, families started migrating to makeshift homes or shelters to rest.
During the celebration, Naruto discreetly kept a look out for Hinata. He never thought it would be this hard to find her, but then again he hardly noticed her before. During the occasional times when he did bump into her, she would often play with her fingers, and constantly stumble on her words. Naruto barely had a lengthy conversation with her, especially outside of missions.
As the crowds thinned, things were starting to become quieter around Naruto. Older children were called back to their families while younger ones were scooped up into their parents' loving arms. His friends all went back to their clans or parents.
The happiness he felt during the festivities quickly became replaced by ponderous sadness and responsibility.
With just Kakashi-sensei and Sakura-chan left of the huge crowd that followed him for most of the day, Naruto sighed and resigned himself to finally request some help in locating Hinata.
Sakura, somewhat taken aback by the surprising question responded, "You of course know that Hinata is still alive." Naruto nodded and was very relieved by that vital tidbit of information. Even though he learned of her condition during his fight with Pain, hearing it from Sakura lifted his heart a little.
"I healed the damage as best as I could in the field. She's in stable condition but is currently under observation at the make-shift hospital erected by Yamato-taichou."
Naruto, having abandoned his prior secrecy just asked, "Sakura-chan, where is this hospital and which room is she staying in, since I assume there is no desk attendant this late."
"Stupid, it's currently the largest, and only, building left in Konoha. But since it's you, and you'd probably get lost, the hospital is due North-West of here about 500 meters," replied Sakura with a smile. "She's in room 14B, I believe, near the end of the East Wing."
Sakura asked Naruto with a bit of sadness in her voice, "Why do you want to see her this late at night, anyway?"
Naruto was hoping to avoid this question. He put his hands behind his head, put on his famous mischievous smile, and answered, "Because she didn't come see me when I got back."
Then Naruto became serious. "I want to make sure she is okay." Something about the way Naruto said the latter statement plus the sad look on his face gave Sakura the hint to not pursue the inquiry any further.
"Naruto," Sakura said, "Be careful. Even though it is just a make-shift hospital, I'm pretty sure visitor hours are over. The night staff would not like young boys visiting young girls in their rooms, even if the young boy is the hero of Konoha. Also, Hinata is in a private room probably guarded by the Hyuuga clan under Hiashi-sama's (Hiashi is Hinata's father) orders. If you thought getting past ANBU to see Tsunade-sama was tough, you better be extra careful around the Hyuuga clan. You would probably end up in a hospital room, as a patient, if Hiashi-sama found you in there."
Naruto gulped. "Thank you, Sakura-chan. I will be careful."
Short goodbyes and last minute congratulations were exchanged between Team 7 members before going their separate ways. As they were leaving, a certain green-eyed Kunoichi looked back at her friend with some worry.
-/-/-/-/-Meanwhile, at the Konoha make-shift hospital outside room 14b:
"What the hell happened to my daughter, Ko?" Hinata's father roared. "I just got back to Konoha with Hanabi to learn my house is destroyed, my clansmen are injured, Konoha is razed to the ground, and my daughter is in the hospital!"
"My Lord, I was injured. I am sorry. I could not stop her from attacking Pain. I tried..."
"Yes! Yes, I know that, Ko. I will address your failures as Hinata's bodyguard later." Ko bowed his head even lower as Hiashi continued, "But now, I want to know why she did it. She is a low-talent shinobi who always fails in her missions. Hinata does not even have the self-confidence to talk assertively, and she always follows whatever Kurenai or the rest of her team does." Ko hesitated as he rapidly tried to formulate his response in his head.
Hiashi glared at Ko with his intimidating white eyes. "I'll ask one more time. Why did she do it, Ko?"
Ko blurted out, "I think it was to protect Uzumaki Naruto, the one who was fighting Pain."
"Okay," Hiashi said the word condescendingly like an impatient parent indulging his brat.
Then he exploded, "The damn Kyuubi boy, but why? Hurry up and answer me!"
The third and mostly silent Hyuuga of the trio spoke up, "Because she loves him, Ojisama."
Beyond the heavy wooden door, resides a sparsely decorated room reminiscent of a modest cabin rather than a hospital room. In the middle of the room, against the wall opposite the door, lays a girl on a sleeping mat. Above the girl, a window exists illuminating the room solely in moonlight. The overworked and exhausted mid-shift nurse probably forgot to close the blinds in her rush to check all the patients in the East wing.
The girl lay serenely in creamy silk sheets, her long blue hair nonchalantly laid across her bare shoulders. The girl's arms cupped each other over her midsection unconsciously over the spot she was stabbed earlier in the day. Virtually, her entire torso was covered in bandages, however one could not tell because her body was covered by a medium-thin but warm blanket. The moonlight illuminated her figure under the blanket, as well as her pale but pretty face.
However, despite the comfortable position she was in, Hinata was not sleeping peacefully. She dreamt of her disapproving father telling her that she was not fit to be the heiress of the Hyuuga clan. He towered over her yelling all her insecurities to her face. Each word that came out of his mouth, materialized as snakes formed into words. The serpents latched onto whatever part of her body they hit, tearing away flesh and hair leaving gory holes in their place. When her father finally closed his mouth, Hinata was on her knees holding her head protectively.
Then, he shoved her aside, and Hanabi her younger sister appeared in front of their father. Hinata was horrified as her father opened his mouth and more snake-words came out, but this time to attack her sister. Fortunately, the snakes did not affect Hanabi, and just bounced right off of her. Hinata looked at her sister, bathed under a spot-light. She posed triumphantly with a smile on her face. If Hinata was not scared for her life she would have been jealous of her sister's resilience and strength. Everything faded to black and the only thing that could be seen was Hanabi in the light.
The dream then switched to Naruto, unconscious, impaled, vertically on a rock, with a black-metal pole through his stomach. Hinata ran over to Naruto wanting nothing more than to remove the rod. As soon as she touched it, however, painful visibly-black chakra burned her hands. She momentarily jumped back but grabbed the pole again steeling herself against the pain she knew would come. This time she held on and pulled with all of her being. The chakra didn't just burn her hands but traveled further along her body the longer she held on. In no time it engulfed her, burning her skin, and reducing all of her clothes to cinders.
Naked, burnt, bleeding from her raw hands and body, the rock behind Naruto became translucent and behind it, dozens of people appeared. All of them, some she knew and most she did not, either started laughing at or cursing her. Eventually, a good amount of them began humiliating and pointing at Naruto with their fingers. Some even had the audacity to pull the black pole on the other side of Naruto's body acting as a counter-force to Hinata's actions, applying just enough pressure to negate her struggle. Crying, Hinata wished the people would just stop and go away.
Suddenly, Naruto lifted his head revealing an eerie serenity about his face. He smiled at Hinata, and as he did the audience in the background became silent. She noticed that they were still pointing and laughing, but at least she could not hear them anymore. Desperately, she then tried to remove the rod again.
Naruto snickered and said, "Don't. You cannot pull it out. You do not understand."
Hinata pleaded, "Naruto-kun, aren't you in pain?"
Naruto lied, "Of course not." He smiled again. "I am fine. Go Hinata, do not worry about me."
"Naruto-kun, let me help you. Please!" She begged. "I see the rod, the rock behind you, and the people. I see them all. You are impaled! Let me help you."
For a split-second, worry creased his calm and serene face. "You cannot pull out the rod. You do not understand. You cannot know my pain. It is too much to bear…" Naruto said again. The audience started pulling the pole again, and this time Naruto's body was being pulled away with it.
Desperate and still holding on to the rod, Hinata did the only thing she thought she could do in this situation: she grabbed her end of the pole and with all her might pierced her side, effectively impaling her too.
Hinata then screamed, not from pain but because she finally saw Naruto's face, his real one. His skin was peeling in several sections, and in its place, blood poured out draining towards something behind him. All of it gravitated towards a large red demon-looking fox with nine tails. It looked like Naruto was struggling, pulling the pole himself, trying to get away from the Kyuubi. Everything about him looked ghastly and inhuman, like a man tortured for far too long.
The only thing not changed between his real and fake face were his eyes. They were still crystal-deep blue despite the torture. Those same eyes, focused on Hinata and Naruto asked, "Why, Hinata? Why do you do this for me?"
"…Because she loves him, Ojisama." Hinata awoke to her cousin's voice.
She was too tired to open her eyes so she just used sound and touch to assess her situation. First, she felt the spot where she was impaled, both earlier in the day and in her dream. It didn't hurt too much, but she told her self to not move for awhile so as not to feel more pain.
Next, she vaguely recalled being admitted into a hospital by Sakura-chan. She assumed she was in a hospital room, and that Ko, Neji-niisan, and probably her father were outside talking.
"What! Hinata loves that demon-fox-boy?" Yelled Hiashi.
"Yes, Oji-sama." Neji replied.
"But how? Other than Ko, Neji, as her cousin and strongest of the branch families, it was your duty to protect her!"
"Yes, Oji-sama."
"Then why? Of all the people in Konoha why did she choose him! Oh my daughter, the grief she gives me. First, she is not even strong enough to carry on as the future head of the Hyuuga clan. Second, she is too timid for her own good. And now this?"
Neji could understand his Uncle's feelings for his daughter. It is the Main Family's duty to ensure the safety and protection of the Hyuuga bloodline and its techniques. The heir or heiress has to be strong; confident enough to command respect, and must keep the Hyuuga bloodline pure and untainted. On the other hand, Neji did not think his uncle knew the extent of Naruto's influence or power.
"Ojisama, Please listen. Remember the Chuunin exam where I fought against Naruto in the final matches? Well, after that match I was changed. Before, I was a caged bird always fighting against my destiny as a branch family member. Uzumaki Naruto taught me the valuable lesson of creating my own destiny, just like my father."
Neji momentarily paused to let this sink in. "Uzumaki Naruto has the power to change people. He makes them listen and believe in him. I did watch over Hinata-sama, Ojisama. I noticed how quickly she gained her resolve when Naruto cheered her on. Kurenai-sensei told me that she is one of the most valuable members of her team, not just because of her Byakugan but also because of her quick reaction times and will to finish the mission and protect her teammates. Ojisama, I think this is all because of Naruto's influence. I heard she even created a new taijutsu, different from the Hyuuga Gentle Fist style today, when protecting Naruto."
Neji stopped talking. He gave time for his uncle to soak in what he just learned. Waiting, Neji started listening to the stillness of the hall. Ten seconds turned into twenty, and twenty into thirty.
He watched the light fixture opposite of Hinata-sama's room. It cast a very large and ominous shadow from Ojisama onto her door. Forty seconds passed in silence.
Neji started wondering what was going through his uncle's mind. 'Maybe Ojisama will ban Hinata-sama from seeing Naruto.' Neji thought. 'Or would Ojisama do something more drastic like arrange a marriage immediately for her.' As fifty seconds of silence ensued, Neji contemplated his cousin's reaction to whatever actions her father might do "on her behalf." 'Would she just accept it or…'
"What is this new taijutsu Hinata created?" Hiashi surprised Neji with his deflecting question. Neji thought that maybe his uncle was stalling because he needs more time to think about this Naruto and Hinata development.
"Well?" asked Hiashi slightly irritated.
"Sorry, Ojisama. I was not there to personally witness the jutsu."
Ko blurted out, "I was Hiashi-sama. It was different from the Gentle-Fist Justsu. It seemed alive like…"
Neji stopped paying attention because he noticed a nurse walking hesitantly towards them. This female nurse looked from door to door and then to them and back to a patient's room. Neji could tell that this nurse was out of place. First, the uniform was not the standard uniform nurses wear in Konoha. On second thought, it actually looked attractive; probably something Jiraiya-sama wished nurses would wear. Next, the girl looked familiar. She was blond, young, pretty, sexy, and had two long pony-tails on each side under the cap. The image of the nurse gave Neji the impression that she should be in a brothel not a hospital.
"That idiot!" Neji whispered under his breadth.
"What did you say, Neji, I didn't hear you." Replied his Uncle.
"Sorry, Ojisama, I was just thinking that maybe we're too loud. Why don't we all go to the lobby and Ko-san can explain Hinata-sama's new jutsu to you without keeping his voice down. This way, we do not wake up Hinata-sama or any other patients."
"That is a good idea, Neji. Let's go, Ko."
"Yes, Hiashi-sama," and the Hyuuga trio departed to the lobby. Unfortunately, the only way to the lobby is West from where Naruto is trying to infiltrate. Neji, worried that his uncle would spot Naruto's stupid disguise as easily as he did, walked as inconspicuously as possible.
Fortunately, Neji noticed that Naruto was smart enough to stick to a shadow and pretend to read a patient's clipboard. As they passed him, Neji was surprised that his uncle did not even acknowledge Naruto's presence with a passing glance.
'Ojisama must really be intrigued or bothered by this recent development of his daughter,' Neji thought as his concern, for getting caught, ebbed away.
Once the Hyuuga trio walked around the corner, Naruto scolded himself for not trying to copy a real nurse's uniform. Unfortunately, Naruto was honestly not expecting Neji and Hinata's father to be there with the guard.
Surprised to see them when he turned the bend to the East wing, Naruto did the fastest Henge no-jutsu possible without being spotted. He scolded himself again for practicing so much Harem no-jutsu with his younger apprentice Konohamaru, and also for reading Ero-Sennin's "adult" manuscripts.
Once, at the end of the hall Naruto found room 14B. He tentatively opened the door praying it would not squeak too much. Fortunately, besides the door-latch making an annoyingly loud but succinct echoing sound down the hall, the door did not squeak.
Naruto immediately ran in and closed it as quietly as possible while simultaneously releasing the transformation technique.
What he saw stole his heart away. There was Hinata peacefully sleeping on her back, head slightly raised by a pillow.
He gingerly walked towards Hinata's left side careful so as not to wake her. Afterwards, he kneeled down close to her shoulder.
He didn't know what to do or say. He alternated looking between her face and her midsection. Although it seemed like Naruto was eying Hinata's body, he was actually using it as a catalyst for his own memories. When he studied her angelic and peaceful face, Naruto remembered the way it looked when Pain almost killed her. Her eyes were open and glossy, cheeks covered in dirt and cuts, and blood running from her mouth. As his eyes traveled to her midsection he recalled his futile scream as he begged Pain not to stab her.
He also remembers her weak whimper as the rod pierced her body. 'She Probably would have screamed if she wasn't already so close to death.' Naruto thought to himself. 'So close to death…for me…'
Suddenly it hit him. All his exhaustion and fatigue finally caught up to him. He couldn't dam it up anymore, bury it, or pretend it did not exist. Just that morning he was at Mount Myobuku training to perfect his Sage Mode technique, and now not even 24-hours later he snuck into a make-shift hospital on a crater that used to be Konoha, kneeling over a girl he barely noticed, yet who almost gave her life for him. She almost sacrificed her life because she…loved…him.
Naruto couldn't take it anymore. He started crying.
Hinata did not go back to sleep when she awoke to her family's conversation. She just sat there listening to mostly mumbled voices. The words and phrases she could make out were mainly about her not being good enough, so she didn't care to pay much attention because it's nothing she has not heard before.
Finally, the three voices started to trail off and get softer. Quiet was what Hinata wanted in order to go back to sleep, and she gave a silent sigh when the voices disappeared altogether. She enjoyed the stillness and peace of the night. Not even a chirping bird to annoy me,' she thought to herself.
Then Hinata heard the latch unlock and the door open. She mildly startled but then quickly relaxed when she realized that it was probably just the nurse. Her father and Neji-niisan would never let anyone enter her room without permission.
She sensed the nurse move cautiously towards her. 'Maybe that nurse can close the blinds because the moonlight is shining in my eyes,' Hinata thought to herself satisfied by her rationalizations.
Then she heard a "thud" and sensed a presence near her left did her best to relax with the person in her room, and so close to her.
As the minutes passed, however, Hinata started to get nervous. She started thinking that the nurse is going to give her an injection, or worse, that this person is an intruder.
Hinata was about to open her eyes when she heard sniffling followed by muffled crying. Worried, Hinata immediately opened her eyes to see the man she loved kneeling by her, tears streaming from his glazed eyes.
Naruto was not looking at her face so he did not see her eyes open. Instead, he was looking at her midsection where she was stabbed.
"Naru…Naruto-kun," Hinata silently mouthed. She did not know what to do. This was sudden and utterly unexpected. She wanted to say something, anything, to get him to stop crying. Unfortunately, she felt weak and embarrassed. Hinata barely had on any clothes under the thin blanket, and was essentially exposed to the boy she loved. She wanted to move, sit-up, cover herself more and be more presentable.
Instead, hesitation and inaction won in the end, and she just lay there, staring at this blond teenager in his most vulnerable state. She closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep, still seeing his face in her mind, hearing him cry and whimper. 'What should I do what should I do?' Hinata thought to herself. 'How can I help him?'
Suddenly, Naruto spoke, "Hinata, I'm so sorry." Slowly and hesitantly, Naruto said, "I should have been there to protect you. I should not have let Pain beat me."
He gained momentum as he kept speaking. "If I was stronger none of this would have happened. You wouldn't have jumped in to save me, and you would have never gotten hurt."
Naruto cried a little more. "It's all my fault. If I was not so weak then Tsunade-obaachan would not be in a coma. Sasuke would not have made it to Orochimaru, and Ero-Sennin would still be alive!" Naruto stifled a sob at admitting the last part, taking some time to recover.
"I even broke my promise of not using the Kyuubi's power anymore. I vowed never to use it again when I injured Sakura-chan. This time I almost completely allowed the Kyuubi to take over. If it weren't for my dad…" Naruto whimpered and then continued, "Thank God I did not injure you or any of the other villagers. I was too weak to resist the Kyuubi…"
Hinata heard Naruto's confession of weakness with a breaking heart. She could not understand everything he was saying, yet she was wise enough to know that this was not just about her, but instead, concerning everything that's been weighing on his soul.
She wondered if anyone knew just how much pressure was on Naruto. 'Does Sakura-chan or Kakashi-sensei even know?' she asked herself. 'If that's the case then why is he here?' Hinata resolved to help Naruto. She loved him, cared for him, so why should she not be a friend when he truly needed her?
"Naruto…Naruto-kun." she said softly. "Please stop crying. Everything will be ok."
Naruto immediately looked at her face with shock and sadness. "I'm sorry, Hinata, I did not mean to wake you." He then smiled, wiping the tears from his eyes, "Well I guess it would happen if I cry like a baby next to you while you sleep."
Hinata could see that Naruto was doing it again. He was flashing his famous smile, the one that dispels worries, makes people want to follow him, and melts the ice around people's hearts. 'I could look at that smile forever,' she thought. However, Hinata also knew that he was trying to bury his sadness within himself like he always does. Now that he knew she was awake, Naruto would try and play it off as some joke or just do the shallow-idiot routine he has become infamous for.
Hinata did not know why Naruto was here or why he was crying. Still, it was obvious he was hurting badly. She could not bear the thought of looking at his face and seeing the insidious pain behind it. She did not want him to repress his unspoken emotions, around her, like he does with everybody else.
Despite her body's objections, Hinata sat-up a little bit and looked straight into Naruto's soul. A firm believer that the eyes are the windows to one's soul, she looked straight through those bright cerulean eyes to see the agony underneath. Similar to her dream, she saw it, felt it, held it, and tried to understand how it affected Naruto so gravely.
Finding an answer, Hinata used his pain as resolve for what she needed to say.
Naruto was captivated by her eyes. Usually, lavender in the day light, they glowed silver-lavender in the moonlight. He could not help but keep staring into them, enchanted by their ethereality. He honestly felt like he was looking into an Angel's eyes.
"Naruto-kun you are brave," the Angel spoke. "You are the bravest person I know. Please do not worry. It was not your fault what happened to the village (or to me she thought to herself). Nobody knew what Pain was capable of. It is not fair to you to always be the one to save everyone else, to be everyone's hero, especially, when you cannot confide in anyone else." Naruto gasped audibly.
"Yes, Naruto-kun I know. I do not need my Byakugan to tell that you are hurting. Ever since we were young I would watch how my parents and everyone else's parents treated you. If it were me, I probably would have cried myself to sleep every night. But not you, Naruto-kun. You took their insults and turned it into fuel for your self-confidence. I was jealous and very intrigued. I wanted to talk to you and be friends with you, but I was too timid. I'm sorry, Naruto-kun. I believe you would have had an easier childhood if I just spoke up." Hinata said that last statement with a forlorn smile, remembering past events.
"Instead, I admired you from afar. I noticed your strength and your self-confidence increasing as time went on. People started noticing you. I cannot tell you how happy I was when you became a Gennin and made your first bond with Iruka-sensei. I wish it could have been me who was your first bond, but I was just happy that you were not alone anymore.
"You saved me. If it weren't for you I would probably still be at home timidly listening to my father's insults. Instead, I fell in love you with you, Naruto-kun. I didn't realize it at the time, but it happened during the Chuunin exams. Your confidence in me inspired me to fight and face death. I knew Neji-niisan wanted to hurt me, probably wanted to kill me, but I did not care because I was fighting in front of the person I admired. You, finally noticing me, gave me the strength I needed to stand up for myself."
"What I did today was selfish. I'm sorry, Naruto-kun. I did not know you were constantly suppressing the Kyuubi's chakra." Naruto looked down momentarily ashamed of himself. "You make it seem so easy to do with your care-free attitude and generous smile." He looked back. "Only strong heroes can repress demons inside them, and you must be the strongest to have been able to hold back the Kyuubi for this long. I cannot imagine the pain it causes you everyday to fight the Kyuubi from taking over you."
Hinata paused as tears streamed down her face. "I could not watch you get taken by Pain. It was just too much to bear. I'd rather die a 100 times by Pain or even the Kyuubi if it gave you even a small chance of staying alive." Naruto was taken aback by Hinata's honesty. Tears started streaming down his face again.
He wanted to touch her hand, give her a hug, and do anything to show how much her words meant to him. Instead, he just kept staring into her eyes; watching the light glimmer off of her tears. The effect was surreal as if he was in a dream.
"All of Konoha is proud of you. We have acknowledged your strength and thank you for everything you have done, and everything you will do for us as the future Hokage." Naruto's eyes widened at the her complete affirmation of his dream. "Your dream will be realized, Naruto-kun. Your own self-confidence will make it happen.
"I know the pressures have been rough on you. You have done a lot for us since coming back with Jiraiya-sama. You do not have a person who you can confide in; I see it in your eyes. If you allow me, Naruto-kun, I will listen to you. I will take your pain away, make it my own, and do my best to help you get rid of it…together…as friends."
Naruto was stunned speechless. He came here on instinct not knowing why, what to do, or what to say. He couldn't even pinpoint his original reason for coming here in the first place. 'Was it for an apology, a sense of responsibility, or duty to a friend?' Naruto thought. 'Maybe it was because I just wanted to see her…could it be that simple?'
"I'm exhausted now, Naruto-kun." Hinata told her love after a few moments' pause. Naruto, still entranced by her eyes noticed the Angel close them slowly. When her eyes shut, the enchanted effect ended. However, her beauty in the moonlight did not diminish at all, nor the importance of her words.
He smiled quickly regaining some of the composure lost when his mental guard broke down.
"Hinata…thank you," Naruto said with rising confidence. "You're right. I do not know why I doubted myself in the first place," was all Naruto said with his famous smile, a bit of the usual sparkle in his sad eyes, and of course his care-free laugh.
Hinata's only reply was a small, yet genuine, smile showing relief and gratitude in its most basic form. Almost immediately, Naruto heard the familiar rhythmic breathing of sleep coming from Hinata.
Naruto slowly got up off of his knees. He was exhausted to the bone, but elated as well. He felt like he strengthened an important bond. 'It is true what Hinata told me,' Naruto admitted to himself in all seriousness. 'Maybe she can help me. How could I have not noticed her before? Was I this blind?' These new feelings and thoughts emerged as he turned to exit the room.
As Naruto walked towards the door, he stopped. On impulse probably from lack of sleep, and the impact of his visit, he reached over to Hinata's body. Tentatively, he touched her hand through the blanket, holding it as he hooked his fingers to cup her palm.
"Thank you, Hinata-chan; really… thank you," Naruto confessed dearly to his sleeping friend.
Her subtle reply had been a slight but definite squeeze to his fingers. Naruto then released her soft hand, feeling some reluctance from her, 'Or was it me,' Naruto hazily thought. Thoughts swirling and sleep quickly catching up to him, he left the room as quietly as possible.
If he had looked back one more time, however, he probably would have seen a deep-red faced Hinata with a sanguine smile on her sleeping face.
Author's Notes:
Well, that's the end to Chapter 1. I wanted to write a romance story where falling in love wasn't so easy and automatic (at least with Naruto). Obviously, I've delved deeper into the mindsets of Naruto and Hinata not expressed in the Manga, and I hated how Kishimoto did not even have Naruto address Hinata's confession of love for him.
I know there are tons of NaruHina love stories out there and I do not know how this one will do with the readers. Please review and comment because knowing people want the next chapter really helps me to knock them out faster. Also, I would appreciate any constructive input. Thanks again!
Edit: I fixed the horrible formatting and even added a real title.