"W-Worms?" She said, peering closely at the creature on his palm. "Yeah, they're these wriggly things you see in the dirt." Her big opaque eyes blinked and squinted towards the ground beneath them. She didn't look very impressed, which Naruto was surprised at.
Who wouldn't think a collection of worms was beyond cool?
"Anyway, there's no need to be afraid of them. They just squirm." He explained, grabbing yet another worm and taking it for his collection.
She didn't say much afterwards, she shifted her attention back to her doll. It was dirty and barely stitched together but Naruto could tell by the smile on the small girl's face that it meant a lot to her. "Whats with that doll, anyway?" He asked. It was strange for him to try to start a conversation with someone. Everyone judged him - he could tell. But with this girl, he felt none of that tension he'd grown so used too. He felt welcomed, almost equal to her.
"Her name i-is Momo. She's my best friend." She replied, not taking her eyes off the hair she brushed on the doll. Naruto stared at her, at first he'd mistaken the meek girl for a boy due to her boyish haircut but her big innocent eyes told him otherwise. "Momo?" He repeated, taking the doll out of her hands abruptly. The girl squealed quietly. "Be c-careful..." She protested anxiously.
Naruto narrowed his eyes at the doll, trying to figure out what it was that made the girl so interested in her. By the looks of it...nothing. The doll's hair was brown and knotted in some areas, and it had stains on her dress. Naruto did notice however that the doll and the girl shared the same eyes. Big, white eyes.
"And yours?" He said, handing it back to her. "M-My...?"
"Name."
"Hyuuga H-Hinata." She squeaked, happy to have the doll back in her arms. She set it between her legs. "What's your name?" She asked with a slight blush. Naruto found it an odd time to be blushing, but he didn't pay too much mind to it. "My name's Uzumaki Naruto! I'm going to be Hokage one day!"
She stared at him for a few seconds before giggling. "Is that your dream?" Naruto didn't hesitate to nod, sure of himself. "I hope...you accomplish it." She said with a genuine smile.
Naruto didn't expect that. He wasn't used to encouragement. He was ready for some belittlement; just like he'd always received after sharing his dream. "T-Thanks..." He said, scratching the back of his head before finding it safe to beam a smile.
He heard a quick trail of steps come his way, he looked behind him. A boy with long brown hair came his way. He too shared the big pupil-less eyes of Hinata, but instead they looked dangerous on him. Almost sinister, like weapons. "Hinata." He hissed before glancing at Naruto with a menacing glare. Naruto narrowed his eyes at him. The boy grabbed Hinata's wrist without much grace and made Hinata flinch. "N-Neji..." She whined.
"Who the hell are you?" Naruto hollered, angered by his actions. "Don't worry about it." He replied. Naruto gritted his teeth. The boy grabbed Hinata and pulled her up from the ground, making her drop her doll. "Leave him alone." She protested with a quiet anger. "H-He's...my friend." She explained as the boy dragged her away from Naruto.
Naruto felt his heart drop. Not only had he gained a friend, but she was being dragged away from him right before his eyes. He quickly picked up Momo from the ground.
"Your father wouldn't approve of that." The boy simply replied. The girl flashed him an apologetic look before leaving the playground entirely. Naruto dropped his gaze to the doll in his hands. He had never felt so alone before.
Authors Note: Wow! Hey Everyone long time no see, hope everything is well. Sorry for lack of stories, life has been busy hahah. I wrote this story years ago for a prompt that I got from a livejournal community. I would consider continuing if that is something you guys would be interested in? Let me know. Hope you enjoy.