Chapter one – Our meet cute
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Warnings: ~Contains minimal swearing~
It had been one whole week since he last saw the girl of his dreams. Seven long days spent with a hole in his heart and a longing that reached all the way to his stomach. "Maybe I should've been a poet" he said to himself as he sipped on his coffee. He had just finished his last class for the day, when he decided he should start on that project which was due the following week. College as it turned out, wasn't only about partying and sex. It was about pulling all nighters, sucky group members (which he was sometimes apart of), too much homework that would send any sane man insane, and grumpy lecturers who went out of their way just to pick on him. So instead of lying on his couch, watching TV, Naruto was forced to actually do some work for a change. His phone buzzed and he knew it was Sasuke. The Uchiha had promised to help with the assignment, seeing as Sasuke knew everything there was to know about everything, and well if there was anything, Naruto often exploited that fact for his own gain. "I'll be there in a bit, dobe. Keep my seat warm for me" he read and snorted. Placing his phone down near his text books he looked out the window that was frosted with snow. People came and went, but mostly the café he often frequented was empty. "Can I get you another refill, Naruto?" his favorite waiter, Iruka asked. The smile from the scarred man lifted his spirits immediately.
"Thanks, 'Ruka" Naruto said and Iruka nodded as he poured him the coffee. "You're a life saver" he mumbled as he wrapped his hands around the cup once the deed was done.
"It's all for the cause" Iruka said, patting his head and looking down at his notebook. "Since it's only around this time that you manage to get some work done" he added and Naruto shrugged. Iruka shook his head as he walked off. "Make sure you pass or your mom will punish you like the last time" he said and Naruto shivered. His mother had almost bit his head off after he failed just one of his courses last year. He learnt this lesson after that. Mama Uzumaki did not allow for any failures.
"Still moping I see" Sasuke said as he approached his table. "Honestly what the hell man? You don't even know this chick" Sasuke said, as he wrapped his blue scarf from his neck.
"It's not a chick, Sasuke. She's THE chick" Naruto refuted as he threw his pencil at him. "There was a spark man" he mumbled as he ran a hand through his hair. Sasuke rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"You said that about Sakura, Megumi and Fuu" Sasuke said, throwing all of his previous failed relationships in his face.
"Ouch, brutal" Naruto said, taking a long sip of his coffee as Sasuke ordered for himself. "And this is different!" he added.
"How so?" Sasuke asked, leaning on the table once he had placed his order.
"I felt it here, bro. Here!" Naruto said, pounding his chest, right over his heart. Sasuke studied his face for a minute before rolling his eyes again. "You don't even believe me!" he added.
"Of course not because you do this every time, Naruto" Sasuke replied as he took out his books.
"Stupid Sasuke" Naruto said, watching as the black haired boy spoke on his phone. Someone (whose caller ID was blocked and yes Naruto tried to catch a peek), had called the Uchiha who almost immediately answered as well as rushed outside to take the call. Naruto sighed and pouted at the work that kept glaring at him. They hadn't even made headway as yet. Naruto stretched his legs out now that Sasuke was gone, before he stared at the ceiling. He knew that Sasuke was right, the teme was always right but Naruto wasn't wrong either. He had felt something like a spark that night when he saw that girl. It wasn't the booze as Kiba claimed either. He knew he had fallen for that girl and he didn't care that it was cliché as those sappy romance movies Tenten always watched. He had fallen in love at first sight. "Damn, when did my life become a crappy sitcom?" he asked himself aloud, his eyes straying outside when a flutter of purple made his blood run cold. "I don't believe it" he whispered as the girl walked by with her friends, a smile spread across her face. She was just as he remembered. Pretty, innocent and so...
"It's her!" he shouted and Iruka who was serving someone else jumped at the declaration. He grabbed his jacket and dashed out the café, leaving behind a clearly confused Sasuke. "I just saw her! I'll be back!" he shouted, as he hurriedly slipped his jacket on. He almost stumbled over his own feet as he ran down the street, trying to catch up with the girl. However, the asshole traffic lights decided to turn green just as Naruto was going to run across the street. "Come on!" he hissed, already bouncing on his heels as he watched as the girl got further away from him. "Shit" he swore, the urge to just try his luck and tear through the traffic of cars was increasing by the minute. His fingers twitched, sweat trickled down his face and his heart was thumping against his ribs as his nerves worsened. He was so focused on the lights that he almost missed out on witnessing how a strong breeze blew the girl's pink scarf from her neck. He could see how frightened she was as the salmon colored scarf drifted up in the air and away from her. He knew then, that the universe had given him his chance. When the lights switched to red, he didn't lose even a second. He ran towards that scarf like his life depended on it.
"'Nata-chan, please, I'm begging you" Karin, one of her friends pleaded. The red head was bent on having Hinata attend a party that her crush was supposedly showing up to. The pale eyed girl frowned as Rukia, her best friend scoffed at Karin.
"Why the hell do you need Hinata-chan for? If you want to stalk the boy, stalk him on your own, you freak" Rukia said and Hinata frowned at her. "What? I'm just saying the truth" the brown haired girl added as she shrugged.
"For your information Rukia, even though this has nothing to do with you, the person who's hosting the party is none other than Haruno Sakura" Karin said, frowning as she used her nemesis' name. "And she didn't invite me, she invited Hinata-chan" she mumbled as she looked away as Rukia's face visibly brightened at the information.
"Pfftt, you mean you weren't even invited?" Rukia asked as she laughed as Karin's face turned beet red.
"Shut up" Karin shouted, and that started an intense fight between the two. Hinata, who was in the middle, drowned their voices out. She wasn't in the mood to act as mediator, so as always she faded in the background when conflict arose. She was tired from her part time job that seemed to suck the life out of her. She buried her nose in her scarf and as always, the smell that was permanently stamped into the fabric, would revitalize her. At the thought, her mind drifted to her mother who always smelt like sweet pomegranates and a bittersweet smile tugged at her lips. She was so engrossed with trying to relive some of the memories that featured her mother, so much so that when the strong breeze lifted her scarf away, she could only watch in horror as the last memento from her mother, threatened to leave just as the woman did.
"No!" she cried out as her body moved on its own. Her hand stretched out towards the woolen scarf as it mockingly danced in the wind.
"Hinata, you need to let it go" she heard Rukia said but that didn't stop her. She grabbed for the scarf, only for her fingers to slip right through its grasp. She almost fell forward but thankfully Rukia and Kari caught her just in time.
"It's gone" she whispered, her body shivering as Rukia held her. Her mother's love was weaved into the material, the last thing her mother ever made for her. "It's gone" she wept in Rukia's arms.
"Ano, excuse?" Naruto gathered the courage to ask once he managed to retrieve the stray scarf. The girl who was nestled in the arms of a brown haired girl pulled away just in time to look at him. The red around her eyes and nose made the strings he didn't even know he had in his heart to pull. What the actual fuck? Where the hell did that come from? He thought to himself as he pushed the scarf towards her. "I believe this is yours" he said as she stared at him with wide eyes, like he was the coming of the apocalypse.
"O-Oh my God!" she shouted and snatched the scarf from him so she could ram the thing in her face. Naruto arched an eyebrow at the action and chuckled.
"Ah, what did she say?" Naruto asked as the girl mumbled something while the scarf was plastered to her face. The girl removed the scarf before wrapping it around her neck.
"I said thank you" the girl said, tilting her head to the side as she smiled. God, why did she have to be so damn cute?! He blushed as flowers apparently blossomed behind her glowing face. Damn Tenten's girly manga.
"Ah, that's okay" Naruto said, rubbing behind his neck, trying to stop the blood from rushing to his face. "So...um...yeah" Naruto added awkwardly as he found himself openly staring at her face. Even though this was his chance to talk to the girl and get to know her name (maybe even her number if he was lucky), he couldn't do anything but gawk. The words he had rehearsed in the front of his mirror (don't judge him, he was THAT desperate), kept getting lost in his throat. It was almost like he was physically incapable of speaking to the girl. The moment she had turned around, was the moment his mind went blank. He was no longer in control of his body. A point that was emphasized as his body on its own, decided to flee just to avoid embarrassing himself further. He pivoted, ready to walk off, only to somehow completely miss the blaring red mail box in front of him. Of course the blonde walked into it. "You've got to be kidding me" he muttered as he fell on his butt, completely humiliated.
A/N: I know, poor Naru-chan...But love will make us do some silly things. You'll notice the changes I made to their personalities as well as my OC that I dropped in there. I totally took that name from Bleach. Yesss, I am guilty...BUT they're different so it totally doesn't count as a crossover. :/ sorry people.
