This is the first part of my story. It was super long, so I decided to split the story in half, one chapter for each verse. (The second part is currently being written.) I really hope you enjoy reading it! Please review. Thanks a bunch, Kinsey.

Disclaimer
- Naruto and its characters belongs to Kishimoto Masashi.
- The song is "Blue Lights" by Eleventyseven.

Blue Lights : Verse One

The boy walked home alone, as always, his feet moving him forward without conscience thought. His feet kicked at the dirt, sending a rock flying across the gravel path. His cerulean eyes followed the pebble's path as it bounced across the way before disappearing into the dust. He sighed and shoved his hands further into his pockets, his eyes returned to his shoes, and his feet walked again. He walked alone. He would go home alone. He would be alone. That was how it went every day, and that is how it would always be.

He came into the commotion of the town, slowing down the slightest bit to avoid hitting the people around him. Like him, they all had their patterns of life. He had his. Without the routine he would not have been able to navigate the streets as easily as he did. The boy kept walking home. There were so many people around, and yet he was still so alone.

Suddenly something caught his attention in his peripheral vision. Bright blue eyes darted to the right for the slightest second before another body crashed into his. It had been moving too quickly for him to avoid it, and it was definitely not part of the schedule. It wasn't as if he had anywhere to be, specifically, or anyone to be with, but who was this person to disrupt his lonely day?

The boy's hands hand flung out of his pockets to catch himself, but there was pressure on top of him, sitting on his abdomen, that made him collapse on the ground anyway, stirring more dirt up around them. There was a pair of hands on either side of his head and indigo hair smothered his face. He opened his mouth to speak, but the sound was muffled as strands of it fell into his mouth. He made little spitting sounds and reached up with one hand to pull the strings out.

"Gomen!" a voice came from above him. One of the hands that was placed next to the boy's head came up and pulled away the midnight blue curtain, tucking it behind an ear, then went back to the side of his head. He looked up into a pale face before his eyes locked with a pair of purple-white orbs. Suddenly the pale skin of the girl's cheeks was bright pink and she was scrambling to stand up.

Her legs, both of which had been on either side of the boy just seconds before, came up as she pushed herself up with her hands, also, her face dipping close to his for a fraction of a second. She backed off, staring at the boy at her feet for a few minutes before she exclaimed, "Oh!" and offered her hand to him.

He took it obligingly and stood up, brushing himself off after letting go of her hand.

"Gomen, N-Naruto-kun!" she fussed over him, waving her hands at shoulder height a little, as if tempted to help at any cost, even if it meant brushing him off. She settled for running her fingers through his hair quickly, picking out some of the dust, before whipping her arm back to her side. The girl looked down at her feet, the indigo curtain of hair concealing her still blushing face. "Gomennasai."

Naruto brushed his right hand across his left shoulder one more time before looking at the girl and smiling his signature grin. "Really, it's not a problem Hinata-san," he replied. "Just don't go so fast next time. I mean, where's the fire?" His day had been interrupted already. Why not make this interesting?

"Ano…" The girl's head shot up, sending her indigo locks flailing around her face before they settled on her shoulders. There was dirt plastered across her cheeks in dark streaks like her face had been wet. Little specks of dust fell through the air to the ground as her hair moved, the strands filled with dirt. Her knees and arms were covered, too, but she didn't seem too worried about it. "Ano," she repeated, "Father s-sent me out of the h-house." Her words faltered. Hinata could not meet Naruto's eyes and instead settled for fixing her eyes on something just over his shoulder. Her pointer fingers pressed together in nervous habit.

"What would he do that for?" Naruto asked, scratching the back of his head in his very clueless manner. He didn't really expect an answer from the girl. Maybe a shrug and a brief laugh along with an "I don't know" or a "He just wanted some alone time." Instead he looked up to see that Hinata was looking right at him and the dirt on her cheeks was getting wet. It wasn't raining. Konoha hadn't seen rain in almost a month, although the clouds had started to look darker the last few days. Then he realized she was crying and internally berated himself for hitting a sensitive topic.

"He… I f-failed my tr-training." Hinata's gentle voice was nearly a whisper and her voice quivered with the tears. Naruto bit his lip and closed his eyes, sighing heavily. When he opened them again Hinata was looking away, back at that mindless point just over his shoulder he couldn't turn around to see. And, even if her were to turn around, he doubted he would see anything where her eyes were concentrated.

"Don't… Don't cry," he said. He really didn't like it when people cried. It made him feel bad, even if, when it came down to it, it wasn't his fault they were upset. He reached up and brushed his hand across her cheek, taking the tear away but smearing the dirt across her pale skin. Naruto sighed again then reached for her hand. "Come on." His hand interlocked with hers. The boy felt the slightest pull of reluctance before she gave in and her fingers relaxed in his hand. There was still a tension in the way she held his hand, but at least she was following.

The blonde boy let the girl with midnight blue hair back to his home. Once inside he showed her the bathroom and told her to wash up. Naruto heard the water running and plopped down on the couch. It was strange for someone else to be there, at his home. He was so used to it being lonely all the time. But his routine had been so screwed up already that day, why not just go with it?

Within ten minutes the water was turned off and he could hear the girl shuffling around in the bathroom. Until the moment it hadn't even occurred to him who exactly it was in his house; all he had been concerned with was the fact that there was someone else. Then it hit him like a ton of bricks: Hinata, a girl he didn't know all that well, was in his house using his shower and was naked in his bathroom. A girl! Despite the fact that he didn't know her very well, it was still somewhat awkward. He would just have to act otherwise.

The door creaked open, causing Naruto to turn his head to see Hinata walk out. Her dark hair fell down to her mid back, almost reaching her butt, and was still slightly wet. A droplet of water hit the floor at her feet. When she turned to him the folded towel was in her arms and she was looking around nervously, her cheeks still pink, but from the heat of the water this time. When she spotted him on the couch she walked up to him slowly and held the towel, looking down and shuffling her feet a little. "Arigato, Naruto-kun," she said without stuttering. "Where do you want me to put the towel?"

He looked at her for a moment before shaking his head some. "Ano… there's a hamper in the corner of the bathroom," Naruto informed her.

"Hai," she nodded and walked back to the bathroom. When she came back a moment later the towel was gone from her hands. She hovered awkwardly between the couch and the door. After a moment she looked over at it then began pressing her fingers together again. Through the window she could tell it was getting late. "Ano… Arigato, Naruto-kun," the teen repeated, taking a step closer to the door. She reached for the handle but stopped at the sound of his voice.

"Hinata-san," Naruto said, tilting his head to the side, "where are you going?" He was honestly curious. Her father had wanted her out of the house, hadn't he? Why would she go back? The girl's hands dropped to her sides and she returned the boy's look with one of her own. It was gentle and understanding, but also reserved.

"I'm going back home, Naruto-kun," Hinata answered, her voice almost dead. "If father doesn't want me back in the house yet, he won't let me in. When I'm allowed back he'll send someone to get me." Naruto took great offense to how she said this, as if it were her routine. She couldn't honestly go through that all the time, could she? But the look on her face said she could, and she did. He couldn't just let her go back to that.

"Hinata-san, why don't you stay here for the night? You're eighteen. You have the right to stay out for a night. I'm sure your father is well aware of the fact that you can take care of yourself." Naruto's voice was a little hesitant and embarrassed, but he kept on anyway. She tried to refuse, but he insisted. And, in the end, he won that battle.

Hinata threw another piece of popcorn up in the air and caught it in her mouth. She chewed and swallowed then smiled brightly, making Naruto laugh. The silliness of it all made her laugh. And Hinata's laugh, of course, was contagious, making both the teens fall on the floor in a heap. It was nighttime now and both Naruto and Hinata sat on his living room floor with a big bowl of popcorn between them. Naruto wore his usual pajamas while Hinata had donned and old tee shirt of his along with a worn pair of shorts that were both just too big for her. The sleeves on the shirt alone reached her elbows and the shorts might as well have been capris.

She stopped giggling and looked over at the boy beside her. Never in her wildest dreams had Hinata believe she would be in this position, let alone with the boy she had had a crush on when she was younger. The girl believed she was over him, but being around him so much had made her think otherwise. Her heart was beating in that funny way she couldn't ignore. Since they had both become chunins, they had seen even less of each other than they had when they were younger, meaning hardly ever at all. Neither of them had realized how much the other had changed, yet stayed the same in a lot of ways, too. Naruto looked over at her and smiled brightly, making his guest burst into another giggle.

"Alright, Naruto-kun," she said, both of them sitting up again and reaching for some popcorn, "Truth or dare?"

"You realize how cliché it is that we're actually playing this?" the blonde asked, stuffing some more popcorn in his mouth.

His guest nodded but continued to smile. "Of course I do. That's why it's so much fun! Now, Naruto-kun, truth or dare?"

The boy thought about it. He had chosen dare three times already. Might as well mix it up. "Truth."

Hinata ate some while she thought of her question before it came to her. "There was a rumor once…" she said teasingly, getting his attention. "Did you really kiss Sasuke on accident, or was it on purpose?" The girl tried to stay serious about it but couldn't help laughing. Her shoulders shook, flipping her indigo hair, which had curled slightly at the ends from drying naturally.

Naruto leaned away from her and screwed up his face. "It was total accident!" he defended. "I swear! That's definitely one thing I never want to experience again… Kissing Sasuke on purpose… ha… I'll beat the bakas that made up that rumor…"

Hinata couldn't hold the laughs in any longer. "No need to get defensive!" she assured him. "It was just a joke. Chill out." Naruto crossed his arms across his chest.

"Fine then. Hinata-san, truth or dare?"

"Truth," the girl answered automatically.

"What's one thing, non ninja related, that you've always dreamed of doing?"

"That's easy," she said, popping some more kernels into her mouth. "I always wanted to be kissed in the rain." She answered without thinking, but when the girl realized what had come out of her mouth she paused for a second, a pink tint coming across her cheeks. "Ano…"

As if on cue a crack of thunder rumbled through the house and the pitter-patter of rain could be heard hitting the window. Hinata's pink face lit up and she ran to the door, flinging it open and running outside. Naruto shouted her name behind her, but she ignored him. He followed her outside, standing under the porch awning, and watched her. Hinata spread her arms out wide and closed her eyes, looking up at the sky as the rain fell down on her, plastering her hair to her back and face. She looked over at him as the rain fell down her cheeks, a smile on her lips. Hinata walked over to him and grabbed his wrist, then pulled him out with her into the rain.

He mimicked her and for a moment they both just looked up into the sky. "Isn't it pretty…?" Her voice wasn't a question, but he answered anyway.

"Yes it is." When the girl turned her head to look at him, she realized he wasn't talking about the rain. His eyes were trained directly on her and she felt herself blushing again.

"Dance with me," was the first thing she thought to say.

I'll dance with you when it's raining.

He stood still for a moment, but she didn't take it as a no. Hinata took his hands and placed them on her waist then settled her hands on his shoulders. She began to rock back and forth slowly, and he moved with her, wondering what they were moving too before he realized that it was the beating of their hearts. He pulled her a little closer, the rain falling down on them so that both were wet through. She resisted for the slightest second before stepping closer. Hinata's hands locked around his shoulders and Naruto's fingers laced together at her lower back. Her head rested on his shoulder, her midnight hair, dyed black by the rain, stuck to his shirt and hers.

She closed her eyes and, after a moment, pulled away when she realized they weren't moving. Her hand drew across her cheek as she realized they were wet from more than just the rain. "Why are you crying?" So he had seen. She looked at the boy she had been dancing with, spent the day with, and laughed with. She could trust him. She had too. Who else did she have?

"It rained the night my mother died," she whispered through the rain. "I like to play in it. It feels like she's here with me…" The girl's eyes returned to the sky.

Without a second though Naruto stepped closer and pulled Hinata back into his arms, his face buried in her hair. His thumb wiped under her eyes, not sure if it was tears and rain or simply rain he was wiping away. He just knew that he would rather cry a thousand times than have to see her cry ever again.

And I'll take your tears for my own.

He held her close for a moment before Hinata's slender arms snaked their way around his chest as she buried her head under his chin. He picked her up and carried her inside, lying down on the couch with her. Her back pressed up against his stomach and chest and his arms were wrapped around her waist. Hinata's hands found his and held them, and that's where they slept.

"Hinata, wake up," a voice whispered in the girl's ear. She felt arms around her and knew she had slept in a confined space. Who in the world was that? When the night before came back to her, Hinata's eyes flew open and she wiggled around a little to come face to face with Naruto who was still behind her on the couch in his apartment. Behind him the sky was just starting to lighten on the horizon.

"What is it?" she asked, regaining her composure.

"Get up," he whispered back. "I want to show you something."

Hinata stood, letting Naruto stand up also. They were both dry by then, but their clothes were stiff and wrinkled from drying funny. The boy took her hand and pulled her out the door. Once outside he basically broke into a sprint and pulled her just outside the village, about two minutes from his home at the pace they were running, onto a hill where the sunset was just rising above the Hokage monument.

"It's beautiful." The oranges, pinks, and yellows reflected out of her white-purple eyes as if there were two sunsets instead of one.

"Yes it is," he agreed. But she didn't need to look at him to know he wasn't watching the sunrise. He was looking at her.

We'll watch the sun every morning

Naruto stepped closer and shifted behind the girl, wrapping his hands around her waist and lacing them at her stomach, and rested his head on her shoulder next to her own. Hinata held his forearms as the sun came over the mountain and rested her head against his. The blonde pressed his tanned cheek against Hinata's slightly pink one. The girl closed her eyes and smiled. Her fingers tightened on his arms. "I really should get home. I'm sure I'm allowed in by now, and I'll probably be in trouble for being out all night."

Naruto nodded and spun her around, pulling him close against his chest. "Come back tonight," he said softly in her ear. He really wanted to spend more time with her. His heart was beating strangely and he couldn't ignore it. But what in the world was that feeling?

Hinata nodded into his chest, her indigo hair covering her face and his shoulders. "I promise… Even if I have to sneak out," she added with a giggle. She pulled away from him and smiled, letting her hand linger on his shoulder for a brief second before she turned and sprinted home.

And I'll never leave you alone.

A year later the couple, both nineteen, sat in the park on a picnic table. The area they were in was deserted, give or take the random passerby. Hinata's midnight hair was splayed down her back and across her shoulders, Naruto occasionally running his hands through a random strand or two. They say on top of the picnic table, the girl in the boy's lap, her back and shoulders against his stomach and chest. It didn't seem that long ago Hinata had shown up at her home the morning after that first night dressed in his clothes upon which her father had thrown her out of the house. He said she was a disgrace, but the person she ran to told her otherwise, and that was all she needed to feel loved.

Naruto had held her and told her it would all be okay. From that point on he had agreed to let her stay with him. They trained together and had gone on a few simple escort missions with each other. Hinata refused to leave Naruto's side, and Naruto would never let it happen anyway. They had gotten to know each other very well over the last year and there was one thing he wanted to do. They had talked about it, and she had told him she would when the time came. Naruto agreed, knowing he needed to let her take her time.

They watched the sun set behind the trees, its last rays of light sprinkling over them and reflecting in Hinata's eyes just like the it had that first morning. She was in a plain blue tee shirt and jeans. There was nothing special about the way she looked that day, but it was times like that when she had never looked prettier to him. They were honestly in love, and that was the way it should have been and was meant to be. Things like that rarely work out, but for those two it did.

Naruto played with Hinata's hair, pulling it a little. She shifted on the picnic table and turned to face him. She placed on hand on either side of his face and looked him in the eyes, a serious expression on her face, before she leaned in and kissed him. It started out simple, just the lips, until her hands found their way to the back of his head and pulled him in closer. It was when his tongue found her lips that Hinata stopped and pulled away. Naruto had always been a good kisser, but he still managed to take her breath away. His blue eyes looked at her curiously, then lit up, his eyebrows shooting towards his hairline at the hesitant look in her eyes. She slipped off the table and reached for his hand, and so they walked home, not talking all the way.

Naruto closed the door behind him and as soon as the door was closed she was on him. She stood on her tiptoes for her lips to reach his. His hands found their way into the crook of her legs and lifted her up, latching her legs around him and holding on to her, his hands around her lower back. The boy carried his love to the bedroom and placed her on the bed, crawling on, too. His knees were on either side of her waist, his hands on either side of her head, supporting him as he kissed her. Hinata's fingers found the base of his shirt. His eyes said, "Do you want to do this?" and hers replied, "Yes."

You know I've only got the best intentions,

He knew she was so fragile and was so afraid of hurting her. His shirt was off and his fingers were working Hinata's buttons. What if something… well, went wrong? What if they actually went through with it then she decided that it was a mistake? The shirt was off. Her fingers were playing with his pants. Of course he wouldn't do it if she didn't want to. He had never imagined anything of the sort. He was willing to wait until she was ready, and she had said she was. But what if he wasn't? No, that was silly. Of course he was. They were down to their underwear. She was so pretty… Maybe… Maybe this is just what was meant to happen. He only feared losing her for something he did. He could never imagine the pain of hurting her, but somehow it was in the back of his mind. What he didn't realize was that, despite anything that he might do, she would always take him back.

But I'll more than likely break you heart.
But I'll put it back again with the memory.
I swear I'll replace every part.

Her head rested on his bare chest, the sheets wrapped around her naked body. Naruto looked her up and down as she slept, her body cradled against him. His fingers ran through her hair and tickled the skin of her cheek. Who was he to have someone as beautiful as her? It was screwed up in so many ways. He didn't deserve her. She deserved so much more than he could offer. But Hinata had chosen him. She loved him and told him regularly, and he wasn't one to pass that up.

Cause I'm just as messed up as the next guy.
I can't help but walk beside insanity.

In the first weeks Hinata had lived with him, she had been down and somewhat depressed. But in the last year they had been together something had seemed to click within her and change her. She was always smiling and laughing (the most beautiful sound in the world), and she just wasn't herself. On top of that, something in Naruto told him she wasn't pretending, and he couldn't help but smile himself.

But there's something growing brighter in the corner of your mind
And I can't help but hope that it's me.