Hey Readers. This is a PoV story from Hinata's perspective. It is AU and she is a bit OOC, but nothing to bad. Remember to comment!


I force my eyes open at exactly 7 am. I'm dreading the day that lay ahead: my first day of school at Konoha Public High. Now, I think just about everyone would be excited for high school. I would be, but I've been terrified for school ever since I lost my best friend, Naruto Uzumaki, all because of a stupid dare. I close my eyes and ready for a flashback.

I remember being in my friend, Ino's, bedroom, playing truth or dare with 3 other girls.
"Ok, Hinata, truth or dare?" a girl named TenTen asked.
"Dare," I replied bravely. The girls all exchanged whispers and giggles before Ino said, " I dare you to call Naruto and ask him his biggest secret. On speaker," I thought that was stupid, and tried to deny it. Eventually, I got on my phone and called him. "Hey, Hinata. You still at Ino's party?" he asked in a cheerful tone that made me feel guilty. TenTen motioned for me to keep going. "Uh, no, I... came home early," I lied. "So Naruto... what's your biggest secret?" There was silence, then he said, "Well, I know I can trust you, so here: I slept with my teddy bear, Mr. Jingles, until half way through 8th grade," The girls roared with laughter, and I felt teary eyed. "Hinata, what's going on?" he asked shakily. "Hinata? Where are you?" Naruto asked quietly.

"My party!" Ino cried out, rolling on the floor. "Mr. Jingles? Wow, Naruto,""Naruto, I'm so sorry, I am an idiot and never should of done it," I said, running out of the room with my phone. "Yeah, Hinata, you shouldn't have. I trusted you with my second biggest secret. Thank God I didn't tell you the real one," "Naruto?" I asked quietly, but the call ended. I stood in the hallway, wondering what the heck was wrong with me. I then ran in the bedroom, grabbed my bag with watery eyes, and said bye to Ino. "Hinata, please, we're sorry," TenTen called out as I ran downstairs and out the front door. I don't need your apologies, I thought. My daydream was interrupted when I heard a knock on my bedroom door. "Hinata, come on!" yelled my little sister, Hanabi. "We have 10 minutes before the bus!" "I'll be down soon," I replied, feeling more awful than ever. I was 10 minutes away from seeing Naruto again. After showering and putting on my favorite jean capris and blue t-shirt, I carefully went downstairs. I gave each step a reason for why I missed Naruto. At the bottom, I hesitated, then took the step that felt like the biggest jump ever. I walked in the kitchen, where my mom and Hanabi were having breakfast.

"It's about time, sweetie!" my mom smiled, kissing my forehead. "You have 5 minutes until the bus, eat up, hon,"
I moved towards the table and sat in my favorite chair in front of the big window. I took a warm, vanilla frosted cinnamon bun from the plate in the center and a glass of milk. Hanabi caught my eye and mouthed the word "Loner". I just looked down. We ate in silence, and you could feel the stillness in the room, making me uncomfortable. I finished my milk as the bus pulled up, and I was the first to jump up. "Hinata, wait," my mom quickly said, and I froze. Hanabi kissed her good-bye and ran out. "Mom, please..." I started, but she cut me off. "Hinata, just promise me this... just, talk to him at least. Maybe he's not mad anymore," "I highly doubt that," I shot back, running out the door and on to the bus.

I passed the middle schoolers and headed towards a seat between the popular kids in the back and the preppy kids after them. When I sat, I felt a pair of eyes on me from the back. I turned, and nearly lost my breath. Naruto. In the backseat. Between Shikamaru Nara and Kiba Inuzuka. He looked me dead in the eyes, with his sky blue colored eyes. His bright blonde hair hung just below his eyebrows, making his stare more intense. I had expected for him to look away by now, but he didn't. I was caught in his stare, like a fish in a net. (Bad metaphor, I know) His light pink lips just stood out from his light tan, and I couldn't help but think he looked really cute right now. The bus stopped again, and that's when he looked up. Ugh. Sakura Haruno's stop. My face glared automatically as she stepped on. Pink hair, shiny and long down her back. She wore an electric blue top with a white mini skirt and white strappy sandles with heels. She walked down the aisle like a model, her make up caked on her face. She gave me a sneer, which I didn't return, and sat down next to Naruto. Then, I nearly fell over. HE PUT HIS ARM AROUND HER. She pecked him on the cheek, looking at me out if the corner of her green eyes. I turned around, heavy hearted, and tried not to cry as the bus pulled up. Because I knew I wouldn't get Naruto back as hard as I tried.

It was lunch hour. I already had English, Math, Science, and Study Hall, and they were all ok. I got in the lunch line, and saw crusty pizza, green beans floating in some sort of liquid, and an apple, so good looking that I didn't trust it. I suddenly did not feel hungry, so I went out to the courtyard. It was empty, besides me of course. I spotted a bench, and sat down. It was covered in carvings and initials. I noticed a very sharp rock next to me, so I picked it up and scratched on the seat: Naruto, I miss you. I examined it, thinking if how true it was, when I heard the door open. My first thought: Hide, now. I jumped behind a large bush just as Naruto came out, arm linked with Sakura.
"I'm so happy we're going out," Sakura cooed as they sat on the bench I had just been at.
" Mmmm... me too," Naruto forced a smile. I could tell he was lying. I had been his best friend for 9 years, and I knew he didn't love her. Just then, I lost my balance and fell. I tried reaching for the bush, but then I remembered it was a bush. It couldn't save me from falling 6 feet over a miniature cliff. I then felt something on my back. A strong, large hand that had stopped me from falling. "Hey, careful there," Naruto said, straightening me back up. Sakura came around towards us. "Naruto, what the hell are you doing?" she demanded, crossing her arms and glaring at me. "Hinata almost fell," he said simply and coolly. Sakura didn't say anything, but I knew she wanted to have just let me fall. "Come on, Naruto," she said, holding out her hand. " I'll be right there," he said, looking down slightly. Sakura gave him a strange look, then marched in. Naruto then looked up and straight at me. "Um... hey," I said awkwardly. He said nothing, but leaned in closer to me. I froze for a second, then realized I kind of wanted him to kiss me. But he didn't. "I miss you, too," he whispered in my ear. Then he backed up and walked quickly inside. I just stood there, filled by an emotion so strong I could burst out singing. But I wasn't all happy. My heart was pumping, my cheeks were red. I had wanted him to kiss me. "I love him," I whispered to myself. The thought that ran through my head the rest of the week: I've got to see him again. We've got to make up. I have to tell him. When I woke up on Saturday, though, I forgot. I was too happy that it was finally the weekend. I put on white shorts and a red top and ran downstairs.

My mom was in her bathrobe, though her curly hair was perfect. My sister sat at the table, looking exhausted. She was in her soccer uniform for her 9:00 game.
"Good morning," I smiled, kissing my mom. "Morning, sweet. Are you coming to Hanabi's game?" my mom asked as I poured myself a bowl of Frosted Flakes. "I won't be ready for it," I said, sitting down to eat. "But I wish you good luck, Hanabi!" "Thanks," I heard her mumble. Maybe she isn't a heartless middle schooler after all. As soon as I finished, I walked outside. My mom (now in jeans and a t-shirt) and Hanabi got into our Volvo and drove off. I jumped on my bike and headed to the town park, which wasn't that far at all.

While flying down the road, I noticed that it was slightly chillier, the first sign of Autumn. Soon, it would be a lot cooler and leaves would be changing colors. Then, there came Fall, where the leaves fall off. I had done this when I was 11, split the season into two parts. The only other person who would do it is Naruto. I arrived at Konoha Park, chained my bike to the rack, and walked in. It was pretty empty. I saw an elderly couple walking together, a lady doing work on a laptop, and Naruto arguing with Sakura. WAIT. What? I turned to the gazebo, where Sakura was standing up and yelling at him. Naruto sat, looked up, and coolly argued back. He never lost his temper at anyone or anything. I was about to go hide in a bush to listen when Sakura said, "I'm getting a lemonade," and marched off. I watched her for a second, then looked at Naruto. He was sadly looking in his wallet at pictures. I couldn't tell of who, but when he smiled I figured it was the picture we took in Sea World last year. That one always made us smile. In the picture, Naruto is laughing really hard as I scrunch up my face while being soaked by a dolphin. The memory is enough to make me giggle. Then, I feel something cold, wet and sticky going down my arm. I look over, realizing Sakura just spilled her lemonade all over me. "Don't check out my boyfriend next time, loner," she mumbled with a sneer. I was far too shocked and embarrassed to reply. Naruto came around. "Sakura, what the hell?" he asked while Sakura pretended to look sorry. "Babe, I didn't mean to. Honest," she purred. I ran away to the pond. I couldn't believe her. Doing that! The nerve of her. I sat down near the ponds edge feeling very sorry for myself, but I perked up when I turned around and so Sakura leaving. Naruto sat on the gazebo, not going after her. I then remembered: I've got to talk to him. Tell him how I feel. I stood up quickly, but lost my balance. I barely got a breath of air before tumbling backwards into the pond. I was shocked by how freezing the water was, and couldn't move my arms or legs. I couldn't get back up. I was about to die. I was losing the air I had quickly. The water was dark and cold. I never knew it was this deep.

Try to swim, I thought, but I somehow managed to get my ankle tangled in a stray fishing line. Only I could do that . I reached up and my fingers just reached over the surface. I splashed as loudly as I could, but I knew I wasn't doing 's when I saw a new shape above water. A person, but I was so light headed I couldn't tell who. The person jumped in, and soon a tan boy, who was maybe 15, was floating next to me. He had nice brown hair and was pretty cute. He put his arms around me and tried to swim up, but I was tangled. My eyes were closing, but he shook me awake. I watched as he swam up, grabbed something off the ground, and came back down. With a sharp rock, he swam down, quickly located the string, and cut me free. He lifted me up, and I broke through the surface, sobbing. He put me in shore and climbed up after me. "Oh man, Hinata, are you ok?" he asked, hugging me. "Wish I had a jacket for you," "I was going to...to.. drown!" I choked. "Hinata, you'll be okay, I promise. Come on, we're bringing you home," he whispered, holding me in his arms. He carried me out of the park and to my house. Once he put me on the couch, he called my mom. I wrapped a blanket around myself, and listened to him talk. Soon, he walked back in. "Your mom is coming," he assured me. He smiled at me. "N... Naruto?" I whispered. "I'm... so sorry for... embarrassing you last year. I was such an idiot," I shivered and started crying again. "No, Hinata. It was me. I over-reacted. I was just in a bad mood cause I don't like Ino. I had wanted you over to celebrate, and I just..." he slapped his forehead. "Yeah. I was an idiot to hurt you like that. I missed you so much," he hugged me. "I missed you too," I said, hugging him back. "Also... I..."

That's when my mom ran in, face pale and sweating. Hanabi was the color of a sheet. "Oh my God, Hinata!" my mom cried, throwing her arms around me. "Are you ok, sweetheart?" "Yes. Mom, Naruto saved me," I told her, and she sobbed as she hugged Naruto. "Oh Naruto! You... oh my gosh, I could never thank you enough," she whimpered. Naruto said nothing, but just smiled. I totally loved this guy. But I still have to tell him. Naruto and I were basically best friends again. Everyone knew Naruto as a hero, and Sakura took advantage of that as much as possible.

"My boyfriend's a hero!" she announced loudly at lunch. Naruto just rolled his eyes and walked to my table. "Hey, Naruto," I greeted as he sat down. "Hey. Sakura is so mood swing-y. I think I'm going to break up with her," YES! I cried in my head, but in reality I said, "Oh... well, it seems for the best," "I trust you, Hinata. I need you to tell me if we should break up or not," he said, squeezing my fingers and looking me dead in the eyes. Shivers went down my spine. "Well, I think you should do whatever you think is best," I told him, squeezing back. "You're right, Hinata, thanks," he smiled. He pecked me on the cheek and walked towards Sakura. He made the motion for her to follow him, and they walked outside to the courtyard. I swung around the building and went out another door. I ignored the 40 degree December wind blowing and hid behind the bush as they talked at the bench. "I don't get it, Naruto, why would you break up with me! You're nothing without me! Is there another girl who's prettier than me?" Sakura cried. "It's none of your information, Sakura. Maybe I just want to break up..." "Ohmygosh, it's Hinata, isn't it? You're breaking up with me for her, right!" she shrilled. Naruto didn't answer. "I was right! Well, Naruto, listen to this: I wish she died that day in the pond, Naruto. I wish she was DEAD!" "How do you live like that, you dirty Daddy's girl. What do you hate about her? Oh, she's nicer, sweeter, selfless, smart, funny, beautiful, and she's the greatest thing that ever happened to me. You ruined our friendship, too, not just Ino and TenTen. I could have been her everything, but I had to stay with you!" Naruto snapped. My eyes watered up. "She doesn't love you!" Sakura hissed back. "Either way, you're still holding me back. You're single. Get the next boy on your list, and get out of my face," "Fine, you player. Break up with me for Hinata. She doesn't like you anyway!" Sakura sobbed, running out. I watched Naruto through the leaves. He just sat there, looking at nothing. He usually spaced out when he thought. Then, he picked up the carving rock, scratched something on the bench, and walked out. I waited until he was out of view before coming out. I walked to the bench and found the new writing. It said, "I love you, B." I smiled with tears in my eyes. He loved me. But I still had to tell him how I felt. The leaves fell. Then the snow. Christmas trees were going up in every home, and holly was in the air.

I was doing homework at my desk on December 21st when I heard a knock at the front door. I looked out the window to see if my mom and Hanabi had come home from shopping, but I saw a man dressed in blue walking away from the door instead. A little nervous, I went to the front door to see what he wanted. I opened the front door, but he was gone. I saw an envelope laying on the ground, a rose on top of it. I picked them both up and read the front of the envelope. It had my name on it, so I opened it and read the note.

Dear Hinata, Meet me at the park as soon as possible. -Naruto

On the last word, I put on my coat and ran outside to the park. When I got there, I spotted Naruto in a blue coat. As I ran towards him, he saw me and smiled. "Hey, Hinata. Glad you could make it," he smiled, though he seemed nervous. "Well, it was either meet you here or keep doing Algebra," I joked. "So, what's up?" "Well, I've been keeping something from you," he said, looking away and taking my hands. "What is it?" I asked nervously. "Well, remember at Ino's party when I said I was glad I didn't tell you my secret?" he said, looking me in the eyes. "Uh-huh," I nodded. "Well, my secret is... I love you, Hinata. I always have. I was just always too scared to tell you, because I thought it would ruin our friendship. But I'm telling you now... I love you," I was shocked. I knew he liked me, but I didn't think he'd tell me. I also didn't know he'd loved me since we met. "So, Hinata, I've got to know... do you love me?" he asked, squeezing my hands. I didn't answer, instead threw my arms around his neck and kissed him. He seemed surprised for a split second, then put his arms around my waist and kissed me back. We stayed like that for a minute, then I gently pulled away. "Yes, Naruto, I do love you," I giggled. We went to kiss again, but his phone went off. "Oh man, I'm sorry Hinata, I've got to go. I'll call you later," he kissed me again, then walked across the road. I watched him cross, but I looked away when I heard the big honking of an 18 wheeler. "NARUTO!" I cried, but it was too late. He was struck by the truck, and went flying. I ran out to him without caution. The truck driver had jumped out and was calling the ambulance as I held Naruto in my arms. "Hinata?" he sputtered, eyes fluttering. "Yes, it's me," I whispered through tears. "Oh, Hinata... I'm so sorry for... this," he apologized, half alive. "No, it wasn't you," I assured him. "Hinata, if I don't make it, I want you to remember these words: I love you. If you forget me, I'll still love you. No matter who you meet, whoever you marry, you're always mine. Because I love you... more than all the men you'll ever meet," "Naruto, I'll always love you too. But you are not allowed to die on me! You can't leave me like this!" "I'll always live in your heart, baby. I love you," "I love you too," I whispered, kissing his forehead. The ambulance pulled up. "It'll be ok, Naruto," I whispered. And I really hoped so. The ambulance arrived at the hospital with Naruto still breathing. He was rushed to surgery, and all I could do was wait outside with my mom and Naruto's parents for 2 hours.

"Would you like to see him, Mr. and Mrs. Uzumaki?" a nurse asked later. His parents nodded and rushed in the room. My mom sat with me, holding my hand, as the family visited with each other. After 20 minutes, Mrs. Uzumaki poked out. "Come on in, Hinata," she said gently. I got up and walked in. Naruto was half asleep. "Hey Naruto," I whispered gently. "Oh... Hinata," he smiled, and I swear his whole face lit up. "Hey," "What did the doctors say?" I asked, sitting on his bedside and stroking his hair. "Aww, I heard them say I was pretty messed up and that I wouldn't remember a thing, but then you walked in and it all came back to me," he grinned goofily. I playfully smacked him, then kissed him on his forehead. "You'll be out of here soon, hun," I promised him. "I hope so," he yawned, then kissed me before he went to sleep. "Come on, Hinata, let's go home. It's been a long day," my mom grinned at me. We waved bye to the Uzumaki family and drove home. The cold days passed quickly, and soon it was Spring. I was hanging out on the green front lawn when the Uzumaki's white Escalade pulled up. I sat up happily as Mrs. U got out and opened the passenger door. Naruto got out, with crutches and a cast on his left leg. "Oh my gosh! You're home!" I cried, greeting him with a passionate hug. "Yes I am, baby. Oh, I missed you so much," he mumbled, kissing me. We kissed for a full minute before Naruto's mom cleared her throat and giggled. We separated, embarrassed. "So... what next?" I asked, grinning at him. "Um... how about we go out and live happily ever after?" he suggested goofily, kissing my forehead. "Hey, no permanent suggestions yet, young man. That's my daughter," my mom joked, hugging him. "Yes, ma'am," he saluted. Hanabi just stood there awkwardly. Later, when all the parents (and awkward Hanabi) were inside, Naruto and I sat on the bench outside. And as we sat there, hand in hand, I could almost see us 60 years from now, sitting on this same bench, with our grandchildren around us. I could see my future with Naruto, and even if we broke up a year or two from now, I knew our paths would cross again. Because out of a million, Naruto is the one for me. This one in a million guy had my heart forever. But I don't mind at all.