Mashu: (looks around) "Is it safe?"
Lord Cynic: "Er… yeah, go ahead."
Mashu: "Yay!" (sees nuclear missiles headed straight for him) "AHHHHHHHHH!"
Lord Cynic watches the explosion.
Lord Cynic: "Just wait until after they've read the story." (turns to reader) "Okay, two things: Firstly, we decided wisely to omit the character categories. The story focuses on a one-sided NaruHina and features a mutual NaruSaku, thus we didn't think it safe to give it to either of them. Secondly, this will be a two-shot because we decided to include Japanese and English lyrics separately. Less messy that way. Um… NaruHina fans, please don't kill us. We'll make it up to you, we promise."
Mashu: "Stop hitting me with dead chickens!"
Lord Cynic: "Hrrr…"
Lord Cynic: "Real Life Geek doesn't own Naruto, nor does he own Usotsuki by Aya Ueto. If you want to listen to the song, search it on Youtube, she made a music video for it."
Mashu: "I like Binetsu and Kaze better…" (sulks off to listen to them while reading Tazaki4's epic fanfics)
Usotsuki
"Hey, Hinata!" Naruto's exuberant voice called out to her. Her body froze reflexively, her thoughts racing and her face aflame with a startled blush. She didn't even notice him approach until his babbling words rang in her ear. "… -ing here?"
"A-A-Ano, g-g-gomen, N-Naruto-kun," she stammered, her tongue hopelessly tied. "W-W-What did y-y-y-you s-s-say?"
She thought she saw a frown cross his whiskered features but it was replaced by a joyful smile … if it even existed. He waved a hand dismissively and scratched the back of his head with the other. "Ah, doesn't matter. So, uh, you like taking walks?"
She giggled at the self-deprecating grimace on his face. Then blushed for her daring. "I-I do. It's s-s-soothing. I-I-It makes me f-f-feel… f-f-feel at p-p-peace."
"Is that so?" A doubtful expression marred his face before it was swapped for a cheesy grin. Like a slideshow, she thought. "When I want to feel at peace, I go to Ichiraku's. Their ramen is heaven."
Shiroi kaze no naka wo
Kotoba sagashi aruku
Sameta tsuki wa zutto
Futari no ato tsuitekuru
Another giggle escaped her lips as drool slid from the corner of his. When he laughed with her, she felt her confidence skyrocket. She opened her mouth to speak but her voice abandoned her. She repeated the motion a few times before finally uttering, "N-N-N-Naruto-kun, w-w-w-would y-y-you … a-a-ano … w-w-would you l-l-l-like t-t-to … g-g-get s-s-some ramen … w-w-w-with m-m-me?"
Naruto stared at her gobsmacked. Suddenly, he slapped a hand to his forehead. "Gah! I can't believe I forgot!"
"N-Naruto-kun?"
"I promised Sakura-chan I'd go see her! Sorry Hinata, gotta split!"
She watched him run off and felt a dull thud in her heart.
GOMEN nante mou iwanai de
Betsu ni yoku aru koto da yone
Hito wa kawaru mono deshou
Hinata curled up in a foetal position on her bed. Her pale, half-lidded eyes gazed forlornly at the photo frame held limply in her hand. The cheeky and bashful faces of Naruto and herself respectively stared back at her. Lavender irises traced every inch of the still image as if to imprint it into her mind. A solemn smile graced her face.
"Naruto-kun … could I ever say what's in my heart? Or will you be gone before I can tell you I … I … I lo …"
Her eyes drooped and her arm dangled precariously over the side of her bed. The moment she drifted into a restless sleep, the photo frame slipped from her fingers, cracking as it hit the floor.
Zutto kimi wo matteru nante
Sonna fuu ni oma wa nai de
Sugu ni dareka mitsukeruto
Waratteru watashi wa USOTSUKI da ne
Hinata collapsed on her knees, face drenched with sweat and body aching. Beside her, Naruto was sprawled on the ground, breathing heavily. Her already crimson face heated at his close proximity. She could almost feel his body heat.
"That … was … fun," he gasped. When his breathing eased he turned to her and said, "You're a great training partner."
"Th-Th-Thank y-y-you." She closed her eyes and savoured the moment. Just her and Naruto-kun. Training together. Laughing together. Living together …
A cold sensation on her right cheek startled her into a sitting position. "Wha -"
"Hehe, here," he chuckled, presenting her with a canteen of water. He gulped liquid from his own container and sighed happily. "Wah, that's nice!"
She sipped from her own container and privately agreed. She was about to verbally respond when a resounding feminine voice sent her stomach falling.
"Naruto! Where are you?"
"Oh crap!" He scrambled to his feet and threw an apologetic grin at her. "I'll catch ya later! Gotta run! Literally!"
She watched him sprint away, presumably to Sakura, and sighed. Her canteen was cradled to her chest but the coldness in her heart had nothing to do with water.
Jidou hanbai ki de
Katte kureta kan KOOHII
Ryoutede tsutsumi kondara
Fui ni namida afureta
Hinata stared around her. A bitter smile spread across her face as she mentally relived the memories of the playground she often feared as a small child. Only this time, she didn't have her mother around anymore to tell her she was a brave girl and she was proud of her. Tears seeped at the corners of her pupil-less eyes and she shamefully wiped them away.
"This is when I first saw him," she whispered, revealing to the air her real reason for being there. Her smile was bittersweet. "He saved me from bullies and asked if we could be friends." More tears welled as she mentally recalled her fierce Hyuuga minders chasing Naruto away before she could answer. They were removed with trembling hands as she breathed a sigh.
"Mother, please help me. Should I let Naruto-kun go or will he finally notice how I feel?"
She closed her eyes and waited for a response. She didn't get one.
Kogoe sou na nagareboshi ni
Negai koto wa hitotsu dake
Dakedo mou kanawa nai
When Hinata visited Ichiraku's the next afternoon, she was surprised and disappointed to discover Naruto's absence. She quickly huddled into a corner of the establishment, preferring to hide so no one could see her. When the kindly waitress took her meagre order and vanished into the kitchen, she wondered when Naruto was and whether she'd see him at all.
Her musings were disrupted when her bowl of vegetable ramen arrived. She tentatively nibbled at it, eager to return to her worries. She didn't notice the despairing looks of the chef and his daughter.
When Naruto finally arrived, he wasn't alone. Thankfully, Hinata had the foresight to sit in the shadows and out-of-sight otherwise hr devastated expression at seeing Naruto with Sakura would not have gone unnoticed.
"Ten miso ramen, old man!" he demanded. A swift slap to the back of the head was the response. "Hehe, make that eleven."
"Coming right up!" Teuchi disappeared into the kitchen.
"I'm surprised, Naruto-kun," Ayame commented slyly. Naruto blushed at the devious gleam in her eyes. "Is this a…"
"Hehe, well, I managed to talk her into it." The boy scratched his cheek. "Lucky me."
"And don't you forget it," the pink-haired girl huffed with a smile. Naruto laughed and kissed her on the cheek. Sakura blushed.
Hinata's heart stopped.
"Just wait until you get home," Sakura grumbled playfully. Naruto only laughed and gave her a one-armed hug.
It was too much for Hinata. She left money on the counter and snuck out before everyone else heard her heart breaking.
"Samishii yoru wa denwashite"
Sonna kotoba zuru sugiru
Kore kara mo tomodachi nante
Waratteru watashi wa USUTSUKI da ne
Delicate sandaled feet, usually nimble in their steps, traipsed along the busy Konoha streets. Hinata's shoulders slumped as she walked and occasionally she was forced backwards by a bustling civilian. No apologies were offered and they wouldn't have been received, so was Hinata's preoccupation. Passers-by gave her odd looks but she didn't notice them either.
She didn't know where her legs were taking her. She could've been walking around in circles, it didn't matter. She just needed to move. She needed to get away. She needed to clear her mind. She needed to escape.
Her languid exploration led her back home. She ignored the Branch guards, her nosy sister, her overprotective cousin and her strict father and marched to her room like a dead man walking. Oncer she was in the sanctuary of her own space she dived onto her bed and wept. She wept for what she'd trespassed upon. She wept for the affection she saw on their faces. She wept for her lost chance at true love.
She wept for her cowardice.
Zutto kimi wo matteru nante
Sonna fuu ni oma wa nai de
Sugu ni dareka mitsukereto
Waratteru watashi wa USOTSUKI da ne
Hinata quietly left her house the next morning after a brief breakfast. She wanted to bury herself in distraction. Anything, as long as she didn't have to think abo8ut her misery and who had caused it.
She remembered the promise she made to herself the night before: 'I must move on. I need to be happy for Naruto-kun. It's what he would've wanyed.'
A loud, famikliar voice diosrupted her thoughts and her stomach sank when she recognized its source. Naruto was running towards her, waving his arms animatedly and speaking one-hundred words a minute.
It suddenly hurt to smile.
"H-H-H-Hello, N-N-Naruto-kun." Old habits died hard.
"Hey!" He rocked on his heels and his teeth gleamed in a massive grib. "Glad you're here. Sakura-chan ditched me for Ino and they're off shopping." He grimaced, his eyes screwing shut. "I didn't even know shops were open this early."
She only nodded, too dazed to speak. Now she couldn't forget the image that haunted her dreams. It was too early to see him again.
"Hey, you wanna get ramen with me?"
"Huh?" She was startled by the sudden request. "O-O-Oh, u-u-um, o-okay."
"Great!" He pivoted clumsily and, with a cheer, soldier-marched in the direction of the Ichiraku establishment, the location of Hinata's nightmares.
She watched him walk ahead of her. Suddenly, she blurted out, "I love you!"
He stopped in his tracks and she clapped her hands to her mouth in horror. His intense blue eyes gazed into her lavender irises, compounding her dread. When they crinkled into a smile, her heart leapt.
"I love you too! C'mon, little sis! Ramen's a-waitin'!"
He resumed his victory walk with Hinata and her heart in his wake. She struggled to repress her tears and hurried after him, grim determination preventing her from imploding. She wouldn't break her promise; it was what he would've wanted. Even if she couldn't get what she wanted.
Itsuka kitto omoi de ni
Kawaru toki ni ieru deshou
Zutto zutto suki datta
Dakedo KOKORO wa mou todo ka nai
End.
Word count minus lyrics: 1,497
Lyrics from www(dot)cherryblossom-garden(dot)com , both Japanese and English