I don't own Naruto. But I will say this. If Kishimoto doesn't start having Hinata show up more in act 2 and get some NaruHina action going, there's going to be hell to pay.

This is a one shot story that's a little AU but if I get enough request I might do a multi-chapter sequel. This is also my first fanfic story.

Her Sanctuary

For 7 year old Hinata Hyuga, life has had it's ups and downs. Take now for instance. She has just been disowned by her father, expelled from her clan, kicked out onto the streets, and was now hiding in an alley way feeling droplets of rain starting to fall on her. She was sitting on the ground, her legs pressed against her chest and arms resting on her knees, and her face buried in her arms as she cried her poor little heart out. She had nowhere to go and all she owned was in her backpack laying next to her. She didn't know who she could go to for help except for one person. But she didn't know where he lives and she didn't want to trouble him. After all, he was her best (and only) friend.

At first, her life was a joy to live until that one night on her 3rd birthday when she was kidnapped by the head ninja from the Hidden Cloud Village. Despite the official story the village was told, her father Hiashi had not stopped the man inside the Hyuga clan compound. He had actually gotten Hinata away from her family and had nearly made it to the entry gate when he was stopped by a boy. She had awaken at this point and had been trying to free herself but could barely move as he had cast a silence jutsu on her as well as a paralysis jutsu that made it very hard to move. When her abductor had stopped, she managed to look up and see he was looking at a small boy no older than she was.

He had spiky, golden blond hair, several whisker marks on his face, and intense ocean blue eyes. He looked at the man and asked what was going on. He must have realized the girl was being kidnapped as he brought his small hands up, ready to fight. Her kidnapper responded by charging forward and kicking the boy, sending him to the ground. As he started to move towards the gate again, the boy jumped him from behind and covered the man's eyes with his hands and bit his left ear. The man cried out in pain and dropped Hinata. The moment she was free from him, the jutsu was broken. Pumping her chakra into her hands, she struck the man's knees causing him to collapse. The boy then grabbed her hand and they both ran as fast as they could.

Just as they got to the Hokage tower, the boy cried out as he was hit by several kunai in the back and fell. She screamed and tried to help him as he told her to run. The man arrived and pinned the girl to the ground, having decided to just take her eyes and go. She was to scared to move or scream as he brought his weapon within inches of her right eye when suddenly, a wave of killing intent paused his actions. He looked to see the boy standing up, his eyes glowing red as he let out a feral scream and launched himself at the man. The cloud nin stabbed his kunai into the boy's stomach which proved to be his final act as red chakra wrapped around the boy's right hand, forming a claw, and struck at the man's heart killing him instantly.

His eyes returned to normal and he looked at the girl and asked "Are you alright?" she nodded and was about to say something when she noticed the blood falling from the wound on his stomach. He collapsed to the ground and she found herself screaming again as she moved to him and begged him not to die. It was then that the 3rd Hokage appeared and saw what had transpired. Immediately, he had several Anbu take the cloud ninjas body to be examined, another to fetch Hiashi, and several more to locate the rest of the Cloud delegates. He then took the boy into his arms and along with Hinata following right next to him, made his way to the hospital.

Her father soon arrived and spoke with the Hokage. Soon it was time to go and her father assured her that the boy would be fine and that she would see him again. It would be a year later before she finally saw him again. She had left the compound to go play at the park while her parents rejoiced at the news that they would soon have another child. As she arrived, she noticed a group of people in a circle, yelling at something. She heard them say "Just hurry up and die demon spawn" or "You should never have been allowed to live monster" among other thing's. They soon left and she saw the form of a small boy laying on the ground. He was badly hurt and she could hear him whimpering in pain, so she decided to help him. As she got to him she realized....

It was the boy who had saved her only a year ago. Letting all calm fly out the window, she ran to him and dropped to his side and she was able to see just how badly he was hurt. He had several deep cuts along his body, a swollen black left eye, his clothes were a mess, and it looked like he had a broken right arm. She started to cry at the sight. 'How can people be so cruel' she thought as she pulled out some healing ointment and began to rub it onto his cuts. He had realized she was there and was confused as to why she was helping him. No one had ever helped him before except the old man. 'She looks familiar' he thought as she continued her work. He saw she was crying and wondered why.

Just then a man appeared standing next to them. He was wearing blue pants and a blue shirt, green Jonin vest, and he had a mask covering his mouth and nose while his Leaf headband covered his left eye. The ninja known as Kakashi Hatake had seen the angry mob leaving the park followed by seeing a small girl run over and kneel beside another figure. He put two and two together and realized what had happened. He reached down and picked the boy up and looked at the girl. "We better get him to the hospital before another mob comes screaming for his blood" he said to Hinata as he broke into a run. She followed as best she could. She decided that she was going to stay with the boy this time. She didn't want to risk another year going by before she saw him again and thank him.

After they had arrived, the boy had been taken by some nurses to be helped while Kakashi left Hinata to keep an eye on him while he goes to report to the Hokage. Over three hours passed but Hinata didn't care, she wasn't leaving till she had a chance to talk to him. Finally a nurse appeared and told her she could go in. Hinata thanked the nurse and entered the room and at the site of her rescuer, she felt herself began to cry. His right arm was in a cast, his left eye was covered in bandages as was most of his body, and he had several IVs in him. He opened his eyes when he heard her sniffle and smiled, motioning for her to sit down. She did as he indicated and sat by him, taking his left hand in hers and giving him a small smile.

"Hey, I know you, right? Your the girl who was almost kidnapped last year by that Clound ninja." he asked looking at her.

"Yes" she replied as a slight blush appeared on her cheeks. "My name is Hinata Hyuga. I'm sorry I never thanked you for what you did for me that night. I was planning on coming to see you after that incident, but my clan became a little over protective after that and I wasn't allowed to leave the compound until just recently. Please forgive me?" she asked as she bowed her head.

"You don't have to thank me. I was happy to help out. I figured your family wouldn't want you around me like all the other kids families." he said with a smile. He then looked away from her as a tear slid down his cheek and he frowned at the thought of the parent's of the other kid's telling him that they never want to see him around their children again or he'd be sorry. Hinata saw the look of pain cross his face and was about to ask what was wrong when he turned back and smiled again as he said "By the way, I'm Naruto Uzumaki, future Hokage of the village. It's nice to see you again Hinata".

They sat their for several minutes before Hinata decided to break the silence. "Um Naruto, did what happen to you today happen often?" she asked with alittle concern in her voice. She became more worried when he looked down and started to tear up.

"Naw, most days it's a lot worse than that but I've gotten used to it." he said as he continued to look down. Hinata was shocked that such a kind boy like Naruto had such a hard life. She asked why his parent's don't do something about this. When he told her about being an orphan and the treatment he receives daily from the village, it was enough to start her tears falling anew. But before she could ask anymore question's, the door opened and Kakashi and the 3rd entered. They talked with Naruto but he asked them not to punish the people for the attack. Hinata was surprised by this but kept quiet. Soon it was time to go and the 3rd asked Kakashi to escort Hinata home.

Before leaving, Hinata and Naruto made a promise to meet at the park on Sunday for little play dates. He nodded and she left with Kakashi. As they walked, Hinata decided to ask Kakashi the question's she had on her mind.

"Um, I was wondering why does Naruto get treated so badly by the village and why does he not want to punish them? Why isn't he angry at the treatment he receives?" she asked while looking at the Jonin.

"Well, most of the village blame Naruto for something that isn't his fault. He doesn't realize it yet, but Naruto is a real hero. And not just for saving you during that incident either. Let's just say that he is protecting the whole village if not the whole world from a dangerous power and the 4th Hokage wanted him to be seen as a hero for bearing this burden. Unfortunately, most people who know of this refuse to see the truth and think he is a danger and not a protector. Despite the 4th's wish and the 3rd's many attempts to help him, most refuse to see any good in him and pass their hatred and fear onto their children. And the village council doesn't make thing's any easier either." Kakashi said while looking off into the distance.

"As far as him not wanting his many attacker's to be punished for what they do, that's just how he is. He doesn't hold grudges against others. He believes that one day he'll prove to everyone that he's not what they believe him to be. To that end, he has never once fought back during these attacks. He just let's them do what they want and get it out if their system's so they'll leave him sooner." he continued.

Hinata felt anger towards the village for this. What right did they have to treat Naruto like this. As far as she was concerned, Naruto was the best person in the village and everyone should follow his example. She also noticed that she was thinking about Naruto a little more fondly now.

"However, this dosen't mean he dosen't feel anger torwards anyone." Kakashi added. "He just pushes that anger down deep inside and locks it away. That may be fine for now, but I fear that some day he won't be able to keep it locked away and I feel bad for who ever is the one to force it all back to the surface."

As planned, they met that Sunday afternoon to play together and Hinata was surprised to see he looked fully healed, no bandages or cast or any sign that he had ever been injured. He said he had always been a fast healer. As the weeks and months past, they continued to meet every Sunday and spent several hours playing and becoming closer to each other. It wasn't long before he had become her best friend and she had become his. But the happy times were not to last, and soon Hinata's life started to fall apart. It began with the death of her mother at childbirth. When she heard the news, she started to cry and ran from home soon arriving at the park, where by luck Naruto was there. As they made eye contact, she did the only thing she could think of.

Naruto saw her rush him and wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace as she cried into his shoulder. He in turn wrapped is arms around her, rubbing his hands up and down her back so as to give her some comfort. They stayed like that for a long time till she finally spoke and told him what happened. Hinata felt safe in his arms as he was her protector, then her best friend, and now he was also her comfort and strength. Soon she felt a little better and as the sun was going down, she had to return home. They promised to see each other again soon, then Hinata gave him a quick kiss on the cheek as she left. Naruto placed his hand where she had kissed him, not sure what to make of the feeling he felt rushing through his 5 year old body.

Unfortunately, it would be a long time before she would see him again as her father and the clan council wanted her to stop being so frail and weak. To that end, she was training almost constantly and was being pushed far harder than she was able to handle and as a result she would end up stumbling and failing to meet their expectation's of her which would result in beating's and verbal assault. Nothing she did was ever good enough for them and every time she would try to sneak out to find Naruto and play with him, she would get caught and be forced to do drills that would leave her to tired and in pain to move. It was a few month's after her 7th birthday that brought her life to rock bottom.

She found herself sparring with her little sister Hanabi and lost badly. For her father and the council, enough was enough. After Hanabi left the room, Hiashi walked over to Hinata and grabbed her by her hair and lifted her off the ground so their eyes could meet at face level. "I've had it with you. You have been nothing but a failure since the day you where born and I am mortified to think that I could father such a weak child." he said with disgust as he tosses her back to the floor. "Go pack your thing's and get out of my house. As of this moment you are no longer my daughter or a Hyuga. As far as were you go, I don't care. Your no longer my concern."

One of the elders asked if she should be branded with the curse seal and Hiashi responded that her Byakugan is to weak to be a threat and if her children are born with the Hyuga eyes, they'll never be able to activate it because of their weakling mother so the seal would be a waste of time. Once she was able to move, Hinata went to her room and packed her things into her backpack and left, crying as she realized that she was now alone in the world. Remembering all this had started her weeping even more and as a result, she didn't notice her only friend coming to sit by her. Naruto had been using the alleyways to get home without trouble when he found Hinata and decided to comfort her. He sat beside her and wrapped her into a hug.

"What's wrong Hinata? Why are you crying?" he asked with concern.

She jumped at his voice as she had not realized someone was there. When she saw it was Naruto, she immediately threw her arms around him into a tight hug and wouldn't let go as she sobbed into his chest. She told him of what had happened and apologized for not seeing him in year's.

"It's alright. I kinda figured something had happened that kept you away. I'm sorry for what happened with your family. They're wrong to say and to do that to you. But don't worry, you'll show them one day." he said in an effort to make her feel better.

She looked at his face and saw him smile at her and his blue eyes started to pull her out of her pain. She smiled back and thanked him for his friendship. He then asked her where she was going to stay. She told him that she would go and ask the Hokage for help, but to her surprise Naruto got up and offered her a chance to come live with him. She didn't need to think about it. She said yes without any doubt and he reached down and helped her up. Hinata had trouble walking as her legs were asleep, so Naruto kneels down and had her climb on his back. He brought his hands together along his back so as to support her (and causing her to blush as her butt came to rest against his hands) and he took off through the alley to take them both to his, I mean, their home.

By the time they arrived, the rain had become a down pour and they where both soaked. As they entered, neither noticed a pair of eyes watching them. As soon as the door closed, the person watching them walked away with a smile on his face. After closing and locking the door, Naruto put Hinata down on the couch as he went and got some towels for them to dry off with. He then showed her to the bedroom where he got some clean clothes for himself and told her to get her thing's settled while he went to make them some dinner. She pulled some dry clothes from her pack and changed, then put the rest of her things into the dresser besides Naruto (and blushed at the sight of her under garment's lying next to his). She then went to join him.

She walked up to him and asked "Naruto, were should I put my wet clothes?" He pointed to the washer/dryer combo unit int the corner and put them in alongside his wet clothes and turned the machine on. She then went back to sitting on the couch as Naruto continued to work on dinner.

"Um, Naruto?" she asked looking at him. "Can I help you with making dinner?"

He looked over at her and smiled. "Sure, you can help me if you want to Hinata."

She smiled back as she got up and walked over to assisted him. The next fifteen minutes was fun for the both of them as the cooked (and had the occasional cooking mishap) their food and finally, they where sitting at the table eating their meal which, big surprise, was ramen with sushi as a surprise bonus. Hinata couldn't help but think how much like a married couple they had seemed to be during the whole process and the thought of her and Naruto living as a married couple made her blush. After finishing eating and cleaning the dishes, they had gone to sit on the couch and started to talk and ask question's to each other. Finally, Naruto decided it was time to tell Hinata an important secret.

"Hinata, since we're living together now their's something you should know about me."

She looks at him and ask "What is it Naruto?"

"First close your eyes and don't open them till I tell you to." She did as he asked and after several seconds, he told her to open them and as she did, she gasped at what she saw. His eyes had changed as both his pupil and blue irises had been replaced by an ever shifting pattern of rainbow color's that reminded her of a picture of an aurora borialis she had seen in a picture book once and what it looked like to look into a kaleidoscope. She marveled at the sight.

"Naruto, what is that?" He smiled at her as he injoyed seeing her expression.

"This Hinata, is my blood limit, the Reikigan: the Aura Eyes. With this I can see the aura light that all living things generate."

'Reikigan' she thought. 'I've never heard of it before. What can it do?' She then verbalized her thought to Naruto so he could explain it all.

"Well, I'm not surprised you've never heard of it as it's not a well known doujutsu and it has only been seen in my mother's clan. And before you ask, I don't know who my mother is or was. All that I know is what the old man told me and what was inside the scroll he gave me. I let you look at it later if you want." She nodded as he continued. "As far as what it does, it allows me to see this energy that surrounds everything kinda like an aura. The color of the aura helps to determine thing's. Like if a person has white aura, it means they're neutral in they're feeling's. If it's red, it means they're angry. If blue, they're feeling sad. And many other such elements. It has helped me know who I can and can't trust around me."

She looked at him and couldn't help but smile. He was a really amazing boy. Then athought came to her.

"Naruto, can you tell me what color my aura currently is?"

"It's pinkish violet. Why do you ask?"he said. "What does that color mean Naruto?" she asked.

He blushed as he wasn't sure how to tell her, but decided to say it and hope she wouldn't be mad at him.

"It um, means that you're around...someone you......love." he said as he blushed himself.

Her cheeks glowed a dark pink, but she smiled at him and said "Really? Well to be honest Naruto, I kinda have a crush on you and have had it for some time now." "How long have you felt like this?" he asked. "I think it started the night you saved me. Your my hero Naruto." she said as her blushed deepened.

"Well, to be honest with you Hinata, I've kinda have a crush on you too. I think it started the day you cared for me out at the park." he said as he looked at her smiling. Hinata was so happy to hear this that she ran forward and hugged him tightly. He returned the hug and they stayed like that for several minutes before Naruto pulled enough away as to look into her eyes. He decided to ask her a very important question.

"Hinata, if it's alright with you, can I kiss you?" She was surprised by this. But after several seconds, she smiled at him and gave a slight nod. They drew towards each other and let their lips touch lightly for a second before pulling away. They looked into each others eyes before closing them and kissing again. This one lasted a little longer but it was still a very innocent kiss (their only seven and eight year's old after all). When they finally pulled away again, they went and sat on the couch and cuddle with each other as they, for the first time in their young lives, felt truly safe and at peace.

NH

At the Hyuga clan compound, Hiash was in his study going over some paperwork. He sighed as he thought of Hinata. 'My daughter, I hope you can one day forgive for all I've done to you. At least now your safe and I know he'll never let anyone hurt you. After all, the two of you are the "promised ones" so your being with him, needing him, and loving him will make things easier for you both when the time comes.'

NH

It was around two in the morning and Hinata couldn't sleep despite how comfortable his bed was. She had insisted that she sleep on the couch, but he wouldn't hear of it as he picked her up bridal style and carried her to his bed, laid her down, and placed the covers over her. They had said goodnight to each other and he give her a kiss on her forehead, then went to sleep on the couch. 'He's been so nice to me since the day we met. He was my protector when I needed one the most, my first friend when no one else would have me, my solace when I needed someone to confide in, my benefactor when I was kicked out onto the street's, and know my one true love for both doing all these things for me and giving me my first kiss.'

She new what she needed to help her fall asleep, she needed him by her side. As she got up and walked to him, she thought 'he's been so many things to me, I wish there was one word that could describe all that I feel for him, but what word could be good enough?' She was now right by him as she whispered his name. He opened his eyes as he too couldn't sleep. "What is it Hinata?" he asked. "Could you come sleep with me Naruto?" she asked.

"Why? Is something wrong?"

"No, I just can't seem to fall asleep. It might help me if I'm near something familiar. Plus, I'm not use to being in a bedroom that isn't my old one." He thought about it for a second, then smiled as he got up and the two of them crawled into his bed, which was big enough for both of them. As he laid there, he felt her move over to him and snuggle up against him bringing a hand to rest on his chest. He blushed for a second, then he in turn wrapped his arms around her and brought her closer to him as if they were hugging. She didn't mind as it helped her feel even more safe. He quickly fell asleep and she soon joined him. Just before sleep took her, she finally thought of the perfect word to use for him.

'Thank you Naruto. for being my sanctuary!'

NH

(A/N)Well that was it. I hoped you all liked it or at least the read wasn't a waste of time. I will try to do better at writing more dialogue in future stories. This story is continued in Precious Bonds. Before I go, here's a few last minute bits of info.

The reason Hiashi kicked Hinata out and was so cold to her is all because of the clan council. He was tough because they told him to be or else. When she didn't meat their expectation's, they were going to brand her and sell her into slavery. Hiashi, in order to save her, kicked her out and denounced her as well as made sure Naruto found her and took her to live with him. He was the guy in the streets watching as NaruHina entered the apartment so I hope you all will forgive him. As far as what he said about them being the promised children, that's for the sequel if enough people ask for it.

Also in this version of the Naruto world, both Hiashi and the title of Hokage are just figure heads. The clan council of the Hyuga is more or less in charge though Hiashi still has some influence over some thing's. The Hokage, on the other hand has no real power at all (not since Sarutobi became Hokage again). The village council controls everything and uses the Hokage to comfort the people as well as be the fall guy if they screw up.

The Reikigan will have more info made avalible in either the possible sequel or any other story I use it in. And just so you know, Reiki is the Japanese word for aura as I looked it up pryer to doing this story so I'm right about the name, I hope. Till next time, Saint Keyote is outta here!