Young Buds
by
ILikeSlushies
Hinata's large, light lavender eyes sparkled as she gazed upon the glittering flower field before her. The young girls of the shinobi academy had been taken on a field trip to go flower-picking, a skill they needed in order to pass as a normal civilian during undercover missions. After brief instruction from the sensei, the Hyuuga child began to wander away from the group and into the fantasy-like floral scene without a second thought. Her small feet delicately stepped through the flowers and blades of grass, lest should she crush one of the innocent petaled creatures. Within a few minutes the young girl had found a small, secluded patch of flowers surrounded by some large bushes and shrubs. She bent her knees and gently sat on the soft grass, resting on her shins and laying her hands on her thighs. With a soft gasp she smiled and looked with gleaming eyes around her, gazing at the magical spectacle of floating dandelion seeds and flower petals.
After a few moments of staring at the beautiful scene surrounding her, she finally glanced down at the thicket of flowers, peering over each one carefully. Her white eyes eventually paused at a single Chrysanthemum. Its brilliant yellow petals stood up on end, almost giving it a familiar spiky appearance. Two leaves on either side of its stem reached up toward the sun, grasping for its greatness and warmth, relentlessly striving for a seemingly impossible goal. Yet it captured the brilliance of the sun in its bright bloom, setting it apart from the rest of the flowers in a dazzling uniqueness.
Hinata lowered her eyebrows and smiled warmly, reaching out and gingerly plucking the flower at the bottom of its stem. She gently held the yellow marvel in her nimble hand, treating the flower as if it were made of glass. Bringing it to her chest the child embraced it lovingly, closing her eyes as a slight blush streaked across her cheeks.
When her eyes opened a moment later she looked with curiosity upon another flower hidden among thick blades of grass. She pushed aside the plants to revel a small violet. Its long, dark blue petals were soft and beautiful and its stem was surprisingly thick and strong. The leaves, however, were folded around itself in a protective and shy manner. It had been facing the direction of the chrysanthemum, almost in tacit observation of the yellow flower.
Hinata tenderly picked the violet with her other hand, then held both plants up side by side. Her smile widened and her eyes softened. She looked with admiration and pride upon the two flowers she had especially chosen; her beautiful treasures.
The girl quickly gathered some baby's breath and other green plants around the violet and chrysanthemum, then stood up and ran back toward the others. Spotting the sensei, Hinata excitedly held up her humble bouquet to show her proud work.
"Hinata," the woman said, "those flowers don't go together." The child's eyes dilated, her cheerful smile instantly vanishing. "You need to pick flowers which accentuate each other," Sensei further explained. "These to are just too different. They would never be placed together in an arrangement."
Before the sensei went to talk to another student, the young girl disappointedly took back her small bouquet, still careful not to damage the flowers. She slowly trudged back to her secluded spot in implicit defeat. Her head tilted down and her eyes shaded by her midnight blue bangs, a small, silent tear crept down her soft cheek.
"Hinata?"
The young girl turned around, almost jumping back in surprise from who she saw. "Na-Naruto?" she stuttered shyly as she held the plants in her hand up to her face in a covert attempt to hide the blush streaking across her face.
"Are you okay, Hinata?" The young blond asked curiously, blinking as he slightly leaned his head forward.
"Naruto... Wh-what are you doing here?" The girl's light lavender eyes looked down at Naruto's shirt, nearly afraid to make direct eye contact with him lest she should faint.
He placed his hand on the back of his head and smiled. "Well, I... sort of snuck out of class," he laughed nervously. "It was boring," he explained matter-of-factly as he crossed his arms and closed his eyes, slightly turning his head to the side. In a moment his gaze returned to the girl as he finally noticed the flowers in her hands. "Did you pick those flowers?" He asked.
Hinata's blush deepened as she slightly nodded. "Y-yes..." she answered, almost shamefully.
Naruto grinned. "I like them," he said amiably. "They look good together."
Hinata looked up in astonishment. "N...Naruto... you... you really think so?" she asked, searching his face for a sign of sincerity.
"Of course!" The boy answered as he smiled warmly. "You must be really good at putting flowers together."
Hinata stared at the blond for a few moments, the girl's eyes widened in surprise. Without another word she held the boquet out toward the boy, looking down at the ground as she did so.
Naruto blinked. "For me?" He asked. Hinata wordlessly nodded, a slight smile on her face, her eyes looking down and to the side in timidity. The young blond's eyes dilated slightly as he graciously accepted the flowers, touched by such an act of kindness, the likes of which he was rarely shown. "Thank you..." he said sincerely and bashfully smiled, a light pink blush appearing on his cheeks. "...Hinata..."
Hinata looked up, finally glimpsing at his bright, shining blue eyes.
"You're..." Naruto beamed warmly. "The nicest girl ever."