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NaruHina companion story to SasuSaku's Somedays Lover, they happen in the same timeframe and - of course - both are in my Idol!verse AU. This is my first NaruHina fic, so I would appreciate any reviews and (constructive) flames that would help me encapsulate their characters as well as possible!
Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto.
chapter 1.
The first thing Hyuuga Hinata felt when she became aware that she fell in love with Uzumaki Naruto was that love hurt.
The second was that the pain she felt likely came from her injury. The third? The third was that it was most definitely the injury.
Because while love can be a dull ache, it never truly hurt. If it should, at least it hasn't happened. Over the four years that she has known Naruto, though they rarely met, she has been happier than she has ever been. He was the rare escape she has kept to herself, savoured through long days and tired nights.
And well... She had also suffered from a spinal disc herniation as she fell off the stage. And those tend to hurt.
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The first thing Uzumaki Naruto felt when he met Hyuuga Hinata was wet. Not wet as in wet. But wet as in 'watery grave' wet.
Or 'drowning rat', if one wanted to be technical. Since he fell while wearing a rat costume for the New Years special stage, it had seemed like a fitting description. And the author of the online article about the incident seemed to have had a similar train of thought.
The celebration stage had been covered in melted snow (whose brilliant idea was it to heat the stage floor again?) and the indent between the audience and the stage itself had been filled with water. Having spotted one of the other singers about to slip, he had tried to insert himself under her in attempt break her fall. Albeit, he was a little late and thus they had both soaked in the freezing shallow waters. While he was relatively unhurt give or take a few bruises, the girl had to be sent to the hospital, and Naruto has never felt worse at the beginning of the year.
New years were supposed to be filled with well wishes and happiness and hope and new dreams. Where you wished random people on the street good fortune, health and luck. It was not an event for you to accidentally send strangers to the hospital with spinal injuries.
So standing in the hallway of said hospital, Naruto debated whether it would've been better to just have sent a fruit basket and some flowers as an apology. She probably didn't even want to see him. Hearing his name being called out by their manager - Kakashi - damning him to enter, Naruto bowed upon stepping into the small, minimalistic hospital room.
"I. Um. I am so, so sorry about what happened. Really sorry."
There wasn't much in the white room apart from the IV drip, bed and ensuite toilet. Despite its size being domineered by his own build, leaving only two feet between Hinata and him, Naruto felt miles away from the frail looking girl on the bed.
Hyuuga Hinata had pale, translucent skin, and moonstone eyes with pupils equally light. Her long hair was spread along the bedsheets and he thought that if she closed her eyes, she could play the live action role for Sleeping Beauty in her current pose.
Shame he didn't look anything like a prince in his drowned rat costume.
"It's okay."
She had a singer's voice. It was as soft and sweet as rain, but not string thin, and it had a tiny bit of husk at the end of her syllables. Felt like a hearing little girl's voice trapped with a women's body. It was comforting yet filled with nostalgia.
But of course, he reminded himself, she was a ballad singer. Nothing like the mass produced idols such as himself. She probably had years of vocal training and recorded soundtracks instead of practicing her newest choreography with a bunch of trainees.
They had both just recently debuted, and he was already comparing himself to other artists. Falling into a bout of jealousy over a girl whose injury he partly caused.
He must've blanked out while staring, because a dusting of red covers her cheeks. A sharp contrast to the paleness of her skin. "By the way, Hinata-chan. I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I never got to introduce myself earlier. It's nice to meet you." Rubbing the back of his head, a habit he had developed over the years, he grins at her.
Hinata blushed deeper at the suffix. Nobody had ever used it so boldly with her name before.
She had learnt of how her saviour was being discredited online despite having prevented her from suffering worse injuries; and from his attire, she could tell that he rushed over to find her as soon as he finished performing. He hadn't changed out of the wet costume, nor did he have his hair and makeup fixed despite the reporters. From what she heard from Kurenai - who had been standing guard by her hospital room - he even helped to explain what had happened to the doctors and asked for them to take good care of her even though they were nothing more than two people who had never met before the day.
"Thank-you very much for helping me, Naruto-kun." She smiled up at him while trying to get up, only to be forced back down by Naruto. His large hands pressing gently on her shoulders to protect her injury. She may not have been able to sit up to greet him, but she hoped that her sincerity came through.
"I couldn't have just stood there and done nothing." Hands shooting up to cover the back of his burning neck as if just realizing their position, Naruto laughed. The sound of happiness coming from his belly and resounding through the small room, filling it with a bit of his cheerfulness.
And Hinata fell for his sunshine smile.
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I know. I shouldn't start something new when I have other fics to finish - but this has been sitting in my Doc Manager for over three months, only to have its 'Life' repetitively replenished. It was begging to be released to the world!
Rating is just to be safe, no idea if I will include anything smutty just yet ;]