Naruto New Year's
Greetings from XMidnightXWerewolfX, this is a story narrated by everyone's favorite Knucklehead Ninja! Happy New Year's!
To Naruto
I walk around the buzzing village, despite the fact it's only seven in the morning people are already on the streets and getting ready. It's already New Year's Eve and everyone is bustling about trying to get to parties, gatherings, or just checking out the festival. I am personally heading to a party with the Konoha 12, The Sand Siblings, other people we know around the village, and-unfortunately-our teachers (thank Sai and Lee for telling them).
Luckily when we asked Yamato to build this place for us we had him build an extra spot just for the teachers, since we knew they were coming. Two entrances, two parties. That means that the teachers can't ruin any fun we have.
I'm about to head toward the location to get an early start on the party prep when someone unexpected steps on my way. "Hey Naruto," says Kakashi reading his stupid perverted novel. "How is your New Years going? Thanks for inviting us to the party!"
I roll my eyes. Kakashi may have been cool when I was young and naïve, but now that I'm older he's just a childish pervert most of the time. "It's alright Kakashi-sensei," I say. "I didn't think you were going to make it to our party."
Kakashi puts his book down and smiles. "Not coming? I never miss a New Year's party with my favorite students!" he says. "Not to mention Anko's bringing the boos!" I raise a brow at him and as soon as he realized what he said and starts stammering. "Uh… I mean… I… uh… I mean Anko's bringing the…" he slams himself in the forehead and sighs. "You didn't hear anything I just said…"
"I never do Kakashi-Sensei," I say.
"Good…" he says then he stands up confused. "Wait a second…"
"Just kidding!" I say surrendering with my hands in the air.
"Good," says Kakashi. He starts walking away and I decide to mess with his one more time.
"Maybe," I say then I run off toward the gates. Kakashi turns around and starts shouting at me for messing with him. "Man I love messing with Kakashi-sensei!" I sprint toward the gates and eventually the house Yamato made for our party. I see the gates in the distance and start to sprint even faster toward them. The gates grow bigger, and bigger until I pass through them and start walking through the woods towards our secret location.
At first, it doesn't appear that I'm heading to anything or anywhere, but eventually if you look close enough then you see signposts at the occasional tree. Eventually in the distance, I see a large wooden building and sprint forward ready to meet the other people prepping for the party.
I walk through the door and expect to see a lot of other people getting ready, but right before I shout out. "Happy New Years!" I realize that I'm alone and go to work on the room.
Within minutes, others on the preparations team get to the location and go to work with me. We put up streamers, places to release balloons, confetti cannons, and fireworks outside, all to launch when it hits New Years. "Hey Ino," I say. "Can you do an hour or so without me?"
Ino gives me a questioning look, but shrugs her shoulders. "Sure," she says. "Why not?" Ino goes back to making the punch and I walk over to the corner and grin.
"This is going to be a great New Year's!"
I finish my little secret project and party guests start pouring in. Next door the adults are arriving as well and I hear the shouting of Tsunade as she asks where the boos are.
Well now that my side of the New Year's story is over time to go to our other star…
To Hinata Hyuga
Hinata walks down the path out of the village feeling completely embarrassed. She's wearing a dark purple dress that shines in the dark. "I can't believe Sakura made me wear this dress," she says. "I feel so exposed…" Hinata tries to bring the dress down, but it refuses to move even an inch. "I'm just going to stand in a corner and avoid the crowd…" Hinata walks down the path and through the woods until she sees the location of the party and she hesitates to go in.
Before she can try to go back or forward Ino and Sakura walk outside and greet her. "Hello Hinata!" says Sakura. "I'm so glad I bought you that dress!"
Ino smiles at Hinata, who has begun to turn the color of a tomato. "You look so beautiful!" she says. "That 'special someone' is going to love you!"
Hinata looks away and pokes her fingers together. "I don't think so…" she says. "I was just going to go home and…"
Sakura and Ino grab Hinata's shoulders and pull her toward the house. "Ya right!" they say in unison. "There is no way we are going to let you miss out on this golden opportunity!" they near-drag Hinata into the party and set her right next to the door.
"Now Hinata," says Ino. "You stay here while we go look for him!" Ino and Sakura run off in opposite directions and instead of listening to them Hinata walks over to a dark corner to try to hide herself.
"Maybe I can just wait the party out here and then sneak out so nobody notices me like this…" before she can think of any more ways to get out of the party she sees a little note attached to the wall and something etched into the wall behind it. She takes the note and it reads…
There are three notes you shall find,
You shall only win by using your mind.
Years for this, you have hunted,
The thing you have always wanted.
Hinata scratches her head at the meaning of this, but underneath is another, much clearer, set of directions.
Hinata Hyuga
Head to the 3rd set of stairs on the first floor
Carefully inspect them, as would you on a mission
Even though it is not as confusing, it still confuses her. There is only one staircase, but she heads there anyway. She inspects the stairs for another message and raises an eyebrow. "No way," she says. She looks at the third step, but there is nothing there. She sighs, thinking of any third staircase when she remembers the last line 'Carefully inspect as would you on a mission.' "Worth a shot," she thinks. "Byakugan!" and there it is, another message meant for her.
Hinata Hyuga
If you have found this, then you are surely the one I seek
Head to the third floor and find the rear garden of stone.
Hinata walks up the stairs still confused, but now intrigued. Who would go to such trouble to lure her somewhere? And more importantly, why? What motive would someone have for luring her there? Is it Ino and Sakura luring her to Naruto? Is it just some prank being pulled by some of the other partygoers? Is it Kiba trying to get her alone to hit on her again? Or could it be… she didn't even want to get her hopes up by thinking about it.
She reaches the third floor and tries to find the 'garden of stone' She walks down the hallway and something catches her eye. A solitary grayscale painting hung on the wall. She admires its beauty, but also wonders why it's there. There are no other paintings hung on the walls.
Closer inspection reveals that it is a painting of stone flowers, tree, and animals, not a grayscale painting. "The garden of stone!" she says. "I wonder… Byakugan!" she looks at the painting, and inside it there is invisible ink that only someone with the Byakugan can see.
Head toward the room at the end of the hall
Then you will be at the end of the call
Hinata looks to her left at the end of the hall. "Who would go through all this trouble when they just wanted me to come here?" she asks herself. She walks down to the door and scratches her chin. "They must be really cunning, smart, and creative." Hinata opens the door and looks around.
"Hello?" she asks. "Is anyone here?"
"Well," I say walking out of the bathroom. "You found my notes!"
"I was right," she thinks. "Yes, I did. Why did you bring me here?"
"Well…" I say. "I wanted to talk alone…"
Hinata suddenly takes a great interest in the flooring and turns a fiery red. "I-I-I-I-I…"
"It's okay Hinata," I say. "You don't have to say anything, just listen." I shift my feet; in my head, this seemed so much easier. I give her a little riddle to try and find me, I talk to her, and tell her how I feel, but now that I'm here it's like trying to hold the sky on my shoulders. "Hinata… I remember what you said… when I fought Pain…"
She looks up in surprise, "Huh?"
"I used to always cry and give up… I made many wrong turns… But you… You helped me find the right path… I always chased after you… I wanted to catch up to you… I wanted to walk beside you all the time… I just wanted to be with you… You changed me! Your smile is what saved me! That is why I'm not afraid to die protecting you! Because… I love you…"
"Oh…" she says. "That was-"
"Amazing," I say surprising her. "It was amazing, brave, and most of all foolish…" I smile at her. "Something I would have done myself. What you did-You, are amazing!"
Hinata looks at me like I just proposed to her. I can see she wants to faint, but also wants to stay awake to hear what I'm saying. "Y-y-y-y-you t-t-t-think I-I-I-I'm am-m-m-mazing...?"
"Yes," I say. "I do, and I thought about everything you said… and… I realized something…"
"What?" she asks.
"I realized that throughout the years you have always shown you liked me, but I was too dense to realize it," I say. "After remembering everything you did for me, I finally realized…" I look back at the floor; I don't even know what to say now. "I've never really been good with words…" I say. "I'll explain it to you in another way."
I step forward toward Hinata. She looks nervous, but stays there anyway-even more so, when I put my arms around her awkwardly. I lean down and she steps up. Our lips connect on the exact stroke of midnight. We hear fireworks going off in the background, but we're not paying attention to them, we're paying attention to each other.
We hold each other closely; I wrap my arms around her waist tightly, she wraps her arms around my neck, and we pull each other even closer. The heat and light from the fireworks bounces off our bodies and makes our first kiss that much more romantic. We pull apart only when we both need to breathe.
"The fireworks are beautiful…" I breathe.
"I know…" instead of me pulling her back in, she pulls me into another kiss, even better than the first.
At this moment, I think to myself, "I can't believe I've missed out on this my entire life."