A/N: So, considering that about 60 chapters or so ago Hinata finally confessed her feelings to Naruto only for there to be no followup to this, whatsoever, I felt compelled to write this in order to vent my frustations. Though, to be honest, I do like where the manga is heading right now, what with Kishimoto providing further details behind Naruto's birth and insight into the lives of his parents (MinaKushi ftw). So, I guess you could say that kind of makes up for the lack of NaruHina.
But anyway, nothing too fancy. This is just a short NaruHina oneshot, following up after the events of Pain's invasion. Hope you like it! Please R&R! :D
Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto... Yeah.
All at Once
Good things take time...
This was one significant piece of knowledge Uzumaki Naruto had had to learn the hardway throughout the course of his existence. A philosophy on which his very life was based, day in and day out. The consistency of the young ninja's boisterous, determined attitude relied soully on the trust he put in tomorrow. The hope that a new day would always come and he could put everything behind him...
It was the only way he could survive emotionally and mentally, after spending twelve years of his life rejected, ostricised... Hated.
The story of a jinchuriki's life...
It had taken him everyday of his life thus far, to earn the respect and admiration of those around him. The friendship and affectionate he had desired, needed, for so very long.
It had taken him twelve years, and three failed attempts to finally graduate from the Academy and become an official, recognised Konoha shinobi.
It had taken him twelve years to finally find sollace and compassion in an individual for saw him for who he was. Not a monster, but an innocent, vulnerable, child.
It had taken him tweleve long years to find a place where he felt he belonged; a purpose, missions, teammates... Friends; and just one subsequent year for him to realise what it was like to have even the closest of those friendships ripped away.
It had taken him thirteen years to find sympathy in another just like him. Someone who understood how it felt to spend a lifetime feared and neglected.
It had taken him sixteen years to finally learn about his family, to finally discover the truth behind the people who had been missing from his life all along.
It had taken him sixteen years to finally prove his worth to village and gain their attention; not as a monster, or a demon, or a dilinquent, but as a man who was determined to lay down his life for the sake of their security, their wellbeing.
Sixteen whole years for them to see him for he really was.
A hero...
...
It had taken Hinata ten years to confess her love to Naruto.
Ten long, hard years of fighting, training to earn his admiration, overcoming her timidity, chastising herself over her stuttering and nervous fidgetting.
Ten years, but only a few seconds for her to make that decision.
A few mere seconds for her to throw her life on the line, and declare proudly what she'd never been able to even utter before, hoping to at least die fighting for the man that she loved.
...
So I'm not afraid to die protecting you!
Because I-
...
It had taken Naruto several hours, days even, of pondering, but just a few seconds for him to deliver his answer.
He now knew what had to do be done.
Love you...
...
He knew where to find her... Both of them, actually.
Konoha Hospital.
One, overwhelmed by a frenzy of patients still suffering from the damage of Pain's invasion; the other still recovering from what had been a potentially fatal injury herself.
Even the village itself was still undergoing major repair following the onslaught, which explained the makeshift tents pitched up that currently served as a temporary resting spot for the wounded.
Naruto certainly found it easier to navigate through than the complex array of wings and rooms their previous medical facility was comprised of.
He found her almost immediately, now finally having the time to get a moment's rest herself, as all of the individuals suffering under critical conditions had either fully recovered or were making significant progress towards doing so.
"Sakura-chan," he spoke softly, his hand touching her shoulder gently, altering her attention.
"Naruto?" she responded, looking up from the charts before her, somehwhat taken back by his appearance.
"Listen," he began, his hand rubbing at the back of his neck with uncertainty. "Do you have a minute? There's something I really need to talk to you about..."
She knew that gesture.
She knew where this was going, but felt compelled to ask anyway.
"Sure... So, what's up?" The young medic ninja asked, turning to her longtime teammate, friend, dreading what his answer would be by the saddened, forlorn expression on his face.
It had taken him ten years, and one signficant revelation,
"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan," Naruto began with a sigh "But I just don't feel the same way anymore..."
Sakura felt herself swallow instinctively as those words formed across his lips, knowing immediately what he was referring too. The confession of her feelings, telling Naruto to forget about the promise he made her to protect Sasuke, that she had moved on...
Maybe she hadn't been the only one...
"Maybe some time long ago, when we were younger, I would have jumped at this oppurtunity," the boy continued, almost sombrely, "But so much has happened since then. We've changed... I've changed."
"I see," she replied, her throat dry and eyes downcast, stinging, as she felt moisture begin to build in their corners.
She glanced upward, surprised, however, as a pair of warm, tanned hands were placed firmly upon her shoulder blades in comfort. Her vision was met with the alluring, vivid blue of Naruto's eyes, boring with a strong sense of sympathy and compassion into her own.
She could tell by the sincere exmotion in those vibrant irises of his that he was being sincere, he was telling her truth, but at the same time, was pained with knowing what he had to say was hurting her.
"I love you, Sakura-chan," he whispered softly into her ear "Just not in the way you want me to..."
...
The very sight of her was agonising to him.
Granted, her current state suggested significant recovery from when he'd last seen her, following the onslaught she'd experienced at the hands of Pain.
He remembered her previous condition too vividly, almost like a horrible, recurring nightmare. Her lavender irises glazed over, seemingly lifeless, as her body lay slumped limply against the earth, blood trickling from her mouth.
At least now, though still bed-ridden, she appeared much more healthy. The colour and vitalty seemed to have returned to her face, while her enchanting, lavender eyes were open, focused, and indicidating her clear consciousness.
It brought him an overwhelming amount of relief to learn that she was okay.
She was alive...
"Need some company?" Naruto spoke cheerfully, alerting the young woman before him of his presence.
"N-Naruto-kun!" Hinata squeaked in surprise, the colour rising quickly to her pale cheeks as she turned towards him.
Naruto's lips turned upward and smiled, relieved.
She was still her old self...
Even after the incredible feat of courage and strength he had witnessed he demonstrate in order to save him, she was still the same old, nervous, self-conscious Hyuuga Hinata.
Though, as she winced upon sitting up - her head rushing as she rose too quickly from the makeshift bed - Naruto couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt at the sight, believing he had let her down.
Believing he had failed to protect the one who loved him the most.
"Hey, Hinata..." he replied awkwardly, suddenly not knowing where to take the conversation from here.
She had told him she loved him. He couldn't just leave that hanging in the air.
He had to say something... But, what? He wasn't sure of his feelings for the young Hyuuga heiress. He knew that he cared for her, very deeply.
The fact that witnessing her supposed death right before his own eyes caused Naruto to awaken the power of the Nine Tails fox alone was he evidence enough of that.
"So, how are you feeling?" he asked suddenly, the genuine concern in his voice clear.
He glanced back over to Hinata, who appeared to be very interesting in the plain white sheets adorning her bed. She pressed her fingers together nervously, her heart beating at a much faster rate.
She couldn't help but feel uneasy around Naruto after what she'd done, she'd told him everything.
Everything she'd been afraid to even utter in the young's man presence previously she'd revealed proudly before him.
She felt like she was living out a fantasy.
She had wanted to show Naruto just how much she had grown, how much she'd been able to change thanks to him.
He was her inspiration.
It was because of him she continued to fight, no matter how slim her chances may have seemed.
It was him who taught her to never go back on her word...
She'd thought that if maybe she saved him, she'd prove herself worthy of being able to walk alongside with him, just like she'd always wanted.
But she'd failed in the end.
She couldn't save him...
"I've heard you can be released soon, you must be happy about that, huh?" Naruto pressed, after not receiving a response from the young woman. He wanted to try and avoid any significant lapses in their conversation - he didn't want this to be any more unnerving than it had to be, for either of them.
When he was query was met with another silence, Naruto grew anxious and began to ramble, hoping to keep to the keep the conversation flowing at least one way. He realised that the girl before him wasn't exactly renowned for being the most vocal of people, but this was just making him uncomfortable.
"I know I sure would. I hate being cooped up in hospital beds, especially on days like this! It just seems like such a waste. I mean, I could be out training or..."
Naruto trailed off with a sigh, as he glanced once more at the fidgeting, vulnerable and tense form of the woman before him.
He couldn't put it off any longer.
They both knew why he had come here. It was obvious in the way she carried herself. She was anxious, as if afraid of his response was going to be.
She was afraid he would reject her...
She had pratically poured her heart out to him, revealing what were clearly some of her deepest, most personal secrets.
She deserved an answer.
Taking a deep breath, Naruto pulled up a chair, seating himself adjacent to the bed she lay in.
"Hinata..."
Naruto reached his hand out to gently cup her chin, turning her to face him.
"Why did you do it?" he asked, his vivid saphire orbs burning deeply into her lavender ones, genuinely curious.
She did not answer verbally but instead forrowed her eyebrows in confusion, silently requesting for him to go on.
"When I was fighting Pain," Naruto reiterated "you came and you... You could have died."
"Ano, I know... It's like I said. I wasn't afraid to die fighting for you."
Naruto looked down momentarily, breaking eye contact with her.
He still harboured guilt over what had happened to her.
"You would've done the same thing, right Naruto-kun?" Hinata tried to reassure him "Looking out for a comrade, a friend. It's just inst-"
"What you did out there..." Naruto interrupted, his hand suddenly reaching to grasp hers, unconciously.
"The things you said... Hinata, did you really mean it?"
His eyes were boring deeply into her own now, as if searching her very soul for the answer.
"Do you really... love me?"
Her heart lurched as she released a deep breath she hadn't been unaware she'd been holding in.
"H-hai, Naruto-kun. I really do... Ever since the academy I-"
She had wished to continue, but her sentence ended abruptly with a gasp as her body was embraced, swiftly and compassionately, by a pair of strong, warm arms.
Uzumaki Naruto's arms, to be more precise.
She could feel the heat in her cheeks rise as his cool breath caressed her bare neck.
She could feel sparks of excitement and fervour jolt through her stomach, as his calloused, worn hands held her body firmly, yet while still in a gentle, protective manner, being mindful of her injuries.
It had taken her off guard, the embrace.
Such a warm, loving gesture, something she'd been deprieved for such a significant part of her life living in the cold, strict confounds of the Hyuuga Clan. A gesture she received from an individual very much like herself.
It had taken her off guard...
But she couldn't deny that it felt perfect.
"Hinata-chan, thankyou..." Came the soft whisper, between the fervent brush of lips against her own, and fingers threading lovingly through silky, dark strands of hair.
She gave no verbal response - secretly trying to contain the elation she felt at his addition of '-chan' to her name - but instead gazed longingly into the vibrant blue eyes that had allured her for a large portion of her life in disbelief.
"Thankyou so much," he continued murmur, now repeating the words against the flesh of her neck.
Hinata was confused.
She couldn't understand why Naruto was thanking her.
She had failed, she hadn't been able to save him... She couldn
But little did she know, she hadn't failed at all.
She had saved him.
Much like his smile had saved her, the love she had shown him had given him the strength to carry on fighting.
For Naruto to learn that her gesture, her affections had all been sincere, filled him with an elation he had experienced a few times before.
It was the same feeling he'd had when he graduated, and became an officially recognised Konoha shinobi.
It was the same feeling he'd had when he first gained teammates, comrades... Friends.
It was the same feeling he'd had when he first learned who his parents were and that they always loved and supported him.
"I'm so relieved you're alive," Naruto continued, his voice croaking slightly as he continued to hold her. "I could never have lived with myself if you died because of me."
"It's okay, Naruto-kun," Hinata answered, moving in his arms to nestle her head against his warm, solid chest "I'm fine now..."
"Thank god..."
...
"Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked, his head resting comfortably against her own "Can you do me a favour?"
"What is it, Naruto-kun?" she asked, looking toward him inquisitively.
...
Good things take time.
...
"Please don't ever scare me like that again..."
Great things happen all at once.
A/N: Kind of a cliche'd line, I know, but I still like it... And I think it works well for this story. Anyway, please let me know what you thought!