A/N: This is an idea that's been on my mind for awhile. More specifically, ever since I saw the movie 5 Centimetres Per Second for the first time.
I thought that movie was brilliant! Granted, it was incredibly sad (those of you who have seen it will know what I'm taking about), but I don't necessarily perceive that as being a bad thing. I mean, it was so emotional that it stuck with me long after I'd finished watching it and I just felt empty; almost depressed, even; for like, three days after. I can't really think of many over movies that have evoked such a strong emotional reaction within me. The story was so mature and realistic that I had no problem relating to it and empathising with some of the characters, despite the fact that it was only half as long as most regular movies. I won't go into too much detail in case any of you haven't seen it already and want to, but basically, it conveys many of the struggles people face in life, such as time, love, the slowness of life and how people may be close at one time, but will inevitably drift apart and go their separate ways. I would definitely recommend seeing it! If not for the plot, then at least the art, which was also absolutely stunning.
Anyway, this story will be based loosely on that movie. I don't want to completely rehash it and just replace the characters in it with ones from Naruto, but I will be delving into similar themes. It's an AU (as I already mentioned) and there will be a few significant alterations to the original story, i.e. Naruto's parents are still be alive and he is currently living with them in Uzushiogakure (The Land of Whirpool), meaning it, consequently, was not destroyed. Oh, and the characters aren't ninjas... Yeah, I always forget that one, even though it's arguably most major alteration. :P
The title for this comes from The Blackout song of the same name, which also gave me some inspiration for this story. The Blackout are a great Welsh band, who I have both seen live and met in person before.
Anyway, I've taken up enough of your time: enjoy! :D
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
It's High Tide, Baby
Chapter 1: Horizons
.
Dear Naruto-kun,
How are you? It's been such a long time since I've written to you! I hope you're still doing okay.
I'm sorry I haven't been keeping in touch lately. I've been busy, what with school and spending time with my family and friends... Well, other friends, of course.
I am really looking forward to meeting with you again in Uzushiogakure. I can't remember the last time I saw you, or heard your voice. I hope you haven't changed much.
I have... a little bit. Otou-san says that I am a woman now, but I don't feel that way. I still feel so naive, so young.
My hair's a lot longer than you might remember... You probably won't even recognise me.
See you soon.
- Hinata.
This was the letter she sent him.
.
He loved the water.
His body seemed to have a natural affinity for the dark, mysterious blanket that pooled around him as his body surged through its depths. It was an infinite entity that carried no boundaries or limitation. It was majestic and free, so unlike the nature of his own existence.
He was a mere mortal; a finite mass of feeble flesh and bones that would inevitably rot and decompose with time. Whereas, in spite of everything that happened around it, the water would continue to flow, the tide would always rise and fall and the waves would always crash rhythmically along the vast, seemingly endless plains of sand that glistened upon the horizon. It would never change, no matter how much the world around it did.
It was for that very reason that Naruto often found himself envying the water, wishing that he could make his own life could remain constant.
But unfortunately for him, that was not the case.
He'd lived in Konohagakure originally.
They all had.
Well, technically his mother had grown up in The Land of Whirpool originally, but eventually she met and fell in love with Naruto's father, moving with him to Konoha once they'd married.
She'd been understandably; somewhat saddened and reluctant at the prospect of leaving her home and extended family, but she grew to love the village as her second home.
It was their place.
Their home.
The one place he felt he could seek refuge, whenever he was feeling down or uncertain.
He'd been born there, spent most of his childhood there, and attended their local Academy. He'd had friends there, teachers and classmates who'd he known and liked, he'd learnt to navigate his way competently around the village. It was a sea of familiar places and people.
If only it hadn't been for his father's work constantly moving him, maybe he'd still be there.
His father was the C.E.O. of a major corporation and often worked late hours. Naruto hated it, because it often meant that they had little or no time to spend together, but he managed to tolerate it. However, when he'd found his dad was being transferred to Uzushio, and that they were going to have to move, that was a completely different story.
By no means did Naruto dislike his mother's homeland. If anything, it was quite the opposite. He'd been there several times with his family on vacation, and was always ecstatic at the oppurtunity to spend more time in the water; the one advantage he felt it had over Konohagakure.
But it wasn't his home.
.
He'd lost that familiar place
This was the closest he'd ever come to finding it again.
That was why he found himself here every morning; his feet perched upon the fibreglass board, as his arms remained outstretched to maintain his balance. The waves tossed and turned wildly, spraying a mist through his damp blonde hair, drizzling slowly down the lean, lightly tanned contours of his arms and legs.
In that moment it didn't matter that he was finite.
It didn't matter that he was mere mortal.
It didn't matter that he was miles away from everything he loved and cherished so dearly.
Because it was in that moment that nothing else mattered.
It was in that moment that he felt truly alive.
"Naruto!" the blonde teenager suddenly heard a voice calling from the shore, and turned to see father wading through the shallow, flowing current toward him, his own surfboard tucked loosely underneath his right arm.
"We better go back in," the man continued, as he slowed to a stop before his son. "You've to get to school, after all."
"Oh, come on dad," the younger of the two blondes whined childishly "Do I really have to? I wanna stay out longer."
"Sorry son, but you know the rules," Minato beamed in response, ruffling the boy's already unruly hair playfully.
Naruto scoffed at the gesture, an indignant expression immediately crossing his features, feeling like he was being patronised by the older man.
His father could only chuckle in response; he was so much like his mother.
Although his father was nearing his forties, his appearance seemed to completely contrast that fact. His face was a near-perfect carbon copy of his son's with vibrant, blue eyes, full of an overwhelming sense of youth and vitality, bright, spiky blond hair that framed his face in long strands, and a cheesy, mischievous grin, that Naruto seemed to have inherited from him.
"Anyway, you know how your mother will react if you're late again." Minato continued.
"I guess you're right," Naruto responded, shuddering at the thought. His mother was generally quite a kind, level-headed individual, but she was also renowned for her temper, and would often lash out because of it. Naruto certainly didn't want to get in her bad side by being reported as arriving late to school again. Once was more than enough.
Finally convinced, Naruto turned, his board still in and slowly began to make his way sandy bank from the beach. Their house was only walking distance from the water and it wouldn't take them long to get there, even if they went at a slow pace. However, today it didn't appear like he would be granted that luxury.
"Race you."
The moment those words had left has father's lips and the challenge had been proposed, all Naruto saw was a flash of yellow as Minato immediately dashed off in the direction of their house, going as fast as his legs could carry him.
"Eh? That's not fair! You got a head start!"
But the teeanger's indignant protests fell on deaf ears as Naruto struggled to catch up with his father, who was already a significant distance ahead of him.
"Shit," Naruto panted, already feeling a stitch build in his abdomen as his feet tread lightly up the sandy hill; the thick fibreglass board he lugged under his arm certainly did not make the treck easier either. For a middle aged man, his father sure damn was fast.
Minato was nowhere in sight when Naruto finally arrived home. Huffing in annoyance at the man's antics, Naruto washed off his board quickly and and left it on the deck, before sneaking into their house through the back. He showered quickly, allowing the cool water to cleanse his body of any stray grains of sand or dirt that had covered it during his time out in the water, before changing and heading out to the kitchen.
"Morning, Kaa-san," Naruto called, as he made his way into the kitchen, finding both his parents waiting for him there.
"Good morning, Naruto," his mother answered from behind her seat at the kitchen table "You better hurry up and eat your breakfast otherwise you're going to be late."
"Yes, m'am!" he saluted humorously, perching in his chair across from her and devouring the meal set before him greedily.
He always built up an appetite after surfing.
"And as for you," the woman chastised, turning to the older of the two blondes with a mischievous glint in her eyes "You told me that you were leaving more than half an hour ago."
"True, but I never said I was going to work, now did I?" The man responded, rubbing at the back of his neck sheepishly.
"Minato..." she reprimanded with her arms folded; despite the hint of a smile pulling at the corner of her lips.
"Sorry, sorry." he grinned "I was just kidding. I'm leaving now, honestly."
Minato then leaned in towards her and gently brushed his lips against hers.
"I'm going to be late again tonight, so don't wait up for me." Minato murmurmed against her lips "You need the rest."
Kushina looked like she was going to make some form of protest but was promptly silenced by another chaste kiss.
"I'll be fine, Kushina," he added reassuringly, before he turned to leave.
"Bye Naruto!" he added, as he closed the door behind him.
Naruto could only raise his hand and wave in response to the man, as he continued to wolf down his breakfast, thus rendering a verbal response impossible.
He glanced momentarily across to his mother, who was sighing and shaking her head; most likely at how stubborn and engrossed his father was becoming with his work.
His mother was beautiful; and a strong, independent woman, who he had always and admired, and; according to a number of those who knew her well; supposably inherited a significant amount of his personality from. Even through all the struggle and hardship his constantly mobile life had faced, she, just like his father, had always been there for him. She had always shown him support and love when he needed it the most.
However, there had always been one thing about her that had always baffled him. Her hair.
Granted, he'd always thought her hair was a very pretty, vivid shade of red; to the point that there were times he almost felt disappointed that he had inherited his father's blonde mane instead. What confused him with the sheer length of the tresses. They stretched past her shoulders, her back and waist, hanging as far down as her calves. As if that wasn't odd enough, she rarely wore her hair tied back to keep it out of the way! It couldn't have been practical!
Whenever he asked about it his parents would just share a knowing look and promptly change the subject. He really didn't understand why they wouldn't just tell him!
Tch. Parents are just weird, I guess.
Kushina suddenly noticed Naruto staring at her, seemingly deep in thought. She stuck her tongue out at him playfully, knocking him out of his stupor.
"What is it, Naruto?" she asked, flicking a particular long and wild crimson strand out of her face.
"Nothing," Naruto smirked, as he cleaned off the remainer of his plate, before taking it back into the kitchen. "Nothing at all."
.
Heya Hinata! It's great to hear from you again!
Don't worry about not keeping in touch, 'cause there's been a lot going on in my life too lately. Heh, even if you had been able to send me something earlier I'm not sure if I would've been able to reply to it immediately anyway.
Are you looking forward to coming to Whirlpool? I'm sure you'll love it here! It's an amazing place, especially in the summer.
The water is always great, my dad and I go out surfing together almost every morning... It's nice. Especially seeing as how little I see of him nowadays. I should take you out there if we get the time. I'm sure you'd love it!
Anyway, I'm really excited about seeing you again soon!
- Naruto.
This was the letter he would send her in response... Well, part of it anyway.
.
P.S.
When we meet, there's something I have to...
.
No, that's not it...
.
Look, I just...
.
"Yo, Naruto?"
"Naruto?"
.
I just wanted to say...
.
"You there man?"
.
Just wanted to say...
.
"Naruto!"
"Ah! What the f- Kiba!" the blonde exclaimed in surprise, wincing at the loud, sharp tone his friend as it reverberated through his ear drum.
"There you are!" the dishevelled, dark haired male sitting adjacent to him replied "What's with you, man? I was trying to talk to you but wasn't getting a response. You're spacing out more than Shikamaru nowadays."
"Sorry... I've just had a lot of my mind lately."
"Clearly," was his friend's sardonic response "What's with the note?"
"Huh?"
Kiba pointed out the crumpled page, hastily torn from a notebook, marked with ink smudges and several paragraphs scrawled messily upon it. There were several sections crossed out, or with arrows directing it back to another passage, as if to reiterate the exact sequence of what he was trying to say.
"What are you writing?" his friend queried further "Is it for school?"
"Uh, well..." Naruto responded, immediately hiding the scrawled note amongst the growing pile of papers surrounding him.
"It looks kind of important... What is it, study notes, or a report, or something?"
"No, that's not it. I- It's not school related at all. I-"
"Oh, I've got it then." Kiba interrupted, snapping his fingers in realisation "It's for a girl, isn't it?"
I hate it when Kiba tries to be perceptive.
"What the hell is it to you?"
"Ouch. Well, fuck you too then. Sorry for showing concern."
...Especially when it turns me into a jerk.
"Sorry... Again. Look, I just don't really feel like getting into it now, okay?"
"Okay man, but I'm still not convinced you're okay... If you ever feeling talking, you know you can come to me, right?"
"Yeah, I do... Thanks."
"No problem. Anyway, we should probably get going. We've gotta get to back to class."
"Go ahead, I'll catch up with you."
"Alright man, see you in a bit."
"Yeah... See you."
Naruto liked Kiba, he really did. He liked all the friends he had made at his new school; but he always felt somewhat reluctant about really opening up to them.
His father's work had his familiar constantly transferring.
Always moving around, never remaining.
Naruto was reluctant to open and up and try to make new friends, because it seemed every time he got close to someone they were torn apart; every time he finally got comfortable with his new bedroom, in his new house and made it feel like it was his own, he was; every time he memorised the route he had to take to get to school, the local mall, the beach, a completely new one was presented before him.
By no means did Naruto hate his father, but he absolutely despised the man's job and the life he was forced to lead because of it.
He hated it.
This was the longest he'd remained in the one place. He'd lived in Whirpool, his mother's homeland, for about five years now, and was already somewhat familiar with the place after having visited it frequently with his parents as a child. But even with all the time that had passed, Naruto was still hesisitant about trying to create a new life for himself again.
It seemed pointless if he was just going to wind up losing it anyway.
...
I'm really looking forward to seeing her again.
It's been such a long time.
We met in High School, back when I was still living in Konoha. We were both Freshmen.
I don't know what it was about, but for some reason we just naturally bonded.
We were both social outcasts; but for completely different reasons; and often spent our breaks inside, alone... Until, one day, we noticed each other.
I was loud, brash and hyperactive; much like I am still now; and none of the other kids were able to tolerate me. They all thought I was annoying, and stupid, for that matter. It would be years before I they actually took the time to try to get to know me.
Whereas, Hinata was completely on the other side of the spectrum. She was shy and reserved, hardly anyone ever hung out with her. She could never work up the courage to approach anyone, and most found her presence discomforting.
But I don't know what it was about it... I just really liked it.
She wasn't like the others. She didn't make fun of me. She didn't groan or complain whenever I spoke to her.
She was the only person who'd ever actually listened attentively to me whenever I spoke. She seemed to be the only person who seemed to care about what I had to say.
Heh, I spoke enough for the both of us, I guess.
But she... She was truly different.
But now... Now I feel like we're drifting apart, and I'm afraid that eventually we just we be part of each other's lives anymore.
I'm not really sure what to do... All I know for certain is that I don't want that to happen. I can't afford to lose anything else.
She's one of the most important people in my life. I can't let her get away from me... Not without a fight.
I need for her to know how I feel. Maybe that'll help move things in my favour?
...
"Damnit!" Naruto seethed through his teeth, fisting his fingers into his hair in frustration. Why is this so difficult?
Clearly agitated, Naruto all but ripped the sheet of paper he'd been writing on from out of his exercise book and crumpled it up in a ball, dumping it unceremoniously amongst the small pile that was forming within his waste paper basket.
So much for getting my Algebra homework done.
He knew he would never be able to summon the courage to any say of this to her face, let alone the right words to express what he wanted to say, that's why he had decided to write a letter. In the end though, that turned out to be just as difficult.
It was ridiculous!
He would be sixteen later this year and he couldn't even talk to a fucking girl face-to-face! What the hell was wrong with him? Then, of course, as if that wasn't bad enough, when he began planning to confess through more discreet means, the very thought of Hinata alone made it seemingly impossible for him to even string a coherent sentence together.
"Shit," he breathed "How hard is it to tell her that I like her?"
"How hard is to tell her that I've really missed her, and how much I've been thinking about her lately?"
Very, apparently.
Naruto sighed heavily, lounging back against the back support of his chair, before reaching out and carefully slipping open the drawer before him.
Three days.
Three days until she arrived at Whirlpool Central Station.
On Platform 3.
At approximately 2:45 PM, give or take 5 minutes.
Not that he'd memorised the details of her train or anything.
He'd had a month to mentally prepare himself for the day he finally confessed his feelings for her, face to face.
He had failed, obviously.
Which was why he was now trying to harness the perfect words with which to tell her, so he could henceforth, construct the
At this rate, he was going to fail again; obviously.
Hello desk, meet head.
"Naruto? Is everything alright in there?"
"Yeah, it's fine, mom."
.
Dear Hinata.
I have missed ever since I left Konoha, and I cannot wait to see you again.
I'm always thinking about you...
All your friends and family really take you for granted. They don't appreciate the privilege they have to be with you every day. To see your smile, hear your voice, see your face...
Not like I do, anyway.
I hate that we live so far apart.
.
I really like you, Hinata-chan.
Please arrive in one piece.
- Naruto.
This was the letter he'd really wanted to send her...
A/N: Please R&R and let me know what you thought of this? Did you like it? Why, or why not? Is there anything I could do to improve upon it? Your feedback means a lot to me! I'm going to try and update this as soon as possible but be warned, I'm not exactly not renowned for my speedy updates, just ask anyone who's following my NaruHina drabble series All the Rage. lol :P