Chapter 2: Echoes of Friendship

Hinata and Naruto sat on a hill facing away from a bunch of trees in which a pink haired kunoichi was hiding. The cool breeze rustled the long grass at their feet creating subtle movement around them. Naruto once again took the initiative to begin a conversation with the shy girl to his right. "So, what did you do while I was away? Did you go on any exciting missions?" Hinata tucked her legs into herself and wrapped her arms around them. The breeze was cool against the skin that peeked from under her jacket, but being around Naruto made her feel warm.

"I didn't do too much. I really wasn't allowed out of the village much except a few missions that my team absolutely needed me for. Mostly I just helped prepare my sister so that she may later take up the Clan Head position." Hinata stared down at the grass remembering how her sister had treated her the entire time she was around her. Hanabi had used to be so loving, but she had recently become much like their father. Having Hanabi's once warm demeanor turn cold had been difficult for her to experience.

"Oh? I didn't know you had an older sister." Naruto turned his full attention to her, and Hinata tried to sink deeper into her sweater.

"I don't. My father disowned me while you were away and gave my position to Hanabi-chan. I am just grateful he didn't put the caged bird seal on me. But that's really out of pride." Hinata felt herself fighting tears that were harshly trying to make their way to the surface. Then she noticed that Naruto was silent and it occurred to her that she may have sounded bratty. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't speak of my father in such a disrespectful way." She leaned her head on her knees turning her head away from him so that she couldn't see what ever angry expression Naruto had on his face.

"No, I think your father deserves more than a few impolite words." Hinata sat up and turned her head to Naruto so fast that she nearly gave herself whiplash. "He shouldn't treat you like you don't matter. You're very strong, Hinata-chan." He beamed at her proudly, and Hinata felt her heart soar. It was exactly that smile that had always managed to pull her out of her darkness. The smile that saved her. It was nice to be seeing it up close when she had used to be too scared to even look him in the eye.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun." They sat in a comfortable silence for a bit longer before Hinata found the courage to speak.

"Do you mind telling me about your travels while you were away. You were sorely missed." She blushed deeply at the admission. Vague as it was.

"Uh well." Naruto scratched the back of his head trying to remember what had happened on his travels. "I found out that Jiraiya is a huge pervert. So be aware of him, Hinata-chan, he likes pretty young girls." The remark had been so off-hand that she knew that Naruto had probably noticed that he had said it, but that fact did not lessen the effect on her. She blushed deeply. "But in between all of the times he was off chasing women and drinking, we did have a few exciting missions. There was this one time that..." And Naruto went off telling the stories of his adventures. Hinata listened with rapt attention, never letting her mind stray from what Naruto was saying. Occasionally, she would laugh or smile or put in her thoughts but for a while she just listened with admiration; enjoying the time with the boy she loved. A boy who was becoming a man. A very handsome man.

Sakura stood behind a tree watching her teammate and friend interact. She felt a seed of jealousy be planted within her. She would be stupid to not have noticed how attractive Naruto had gotten on his trip, although, he still did have terrible taste in clothes. For the most part, he was still the same young man that had left, if only a little bit more reserved and careful. It disturbed her that when she finally had decided to give him the time of day, he let his attentions be spent on a shy little wallflower that he had hardly ever spoken to before. Sakura glared at Hinata who gazed at Naruto with such love and devotion that it made her sick. Who was the girl to think that she had a chance with the teammate who had showered her in attention since they had become a team. However, it unnerved her when she realized that Naruto paid Hinata a good deal of attention whenever she spoke as well. Sakura consoled herself with the fact that perhaps this occurred simply because the ex-Hyuuga heiress was so excruciatingly soft spoken. Angrily, she stalked off, not knowing what to make of the developments.

Sooner than both the young teens on the hill had realized, it had become dark and beautiful stars sparkled in the velvet sky. Hinata realized this in mid-sentence and her heart leapt into her throat. If she couldn't get home in time, her father might lock her out or worse. She sprang to her feet, a startled expression on her face. "I'm sorry Naruto-kun but I have to go. It was really nice talking to you." Naruto stood up, confused by her urgency.

"What's wrong, do you need me to walk you home?" Hinata blushed deeply at his concern but smiled shyly and shook her head.

"No, that's alright, but I really should be going. I hope to see you soon." And then with that Hinata sped off. She wished she could have spent more time with him. She didn't know when the next time would be, but at the moment, getting home was top priority. Naruto watched her go and sighed happily as he lay down on the grass, planning on sleeping outside.

Hinata's heart was pounding painfully out of nervousness when she finally made it to the front gates of her home. She prayed that her father had decided to go to bed early or something similar. To her dismay, she saw the formidable figure of Hiashi Hyuuga behind the gate. As soon as she was in front of him she bowed deeply. Hiashi said not a word.

"I'm sorry that I was so late Father." Hinata looked up timidly. She searched his body language to gauge his feelings, she dared not look him in the eyes.

"Where were you?" Hinata began to shake.

"I was out with a friend." To her relief, her father didn't ask which friend it was. Instead, the man simply turned around and began to walk away. 'Maybe this time he'll...!' Her father's steely voice crushed her hope.

"Meet me in the dojo in five minutes. This time, be on time." Hinata felt her heart sink to the floor.

'Almost...'

Naruto lay on the grass nearly falling asleep. The cool night air felt nice on his perpetually warm skin. I'll never understand you. Angrily, Naruto groaned, not wanting to engage the Kyuubi in an argument or really any sort of conversation.

'What do you mean? You don't have to understand me.' He didn't really think that Kurama was concerned with the nuances of the human race.

I don't understand why you insist on making bonds now. Or for that matter, why you even used to insist on making bonds before we began our little partnership. You used to run around shouting to the world your goals. But these villagers have always treated you like shit. Even when I saved you, you had refused to fight back. Are you doing it for some strange reason that I am not aware of, or are you simply weak.

'I refuse to harm my precious people. Always have and always will. This village people all are precious to me.'

They hate you for something you couldn't control and had no choice in. You don't even remember it happening. They despise you.

'Not all of them.' Naruto pulled his hand up onto his eyes and lay there thinking of the true friends that he could count on his fingers. Iruka, Jiraiya, Hiruzen, Tsunade, Sakura, maybe someday Hinata. She was kind, but he wasn't sure that he could trust her yet. They had hardly ever spoken before, and though their conversation was nice earlier in the evening, he felt like she was holding things back from him. Still, she was part of the village and more specifically part of his academy class. She was one of his precious people.

Fine, but you'll have to face it boy, everyone dies. Eventually you will be sending away your own friends. The very same people you have vowed to protect.

With that, Naruto could feel Kurama's mind withdraw from his own. The blonde boy shifted over onto his side and could feel his thoughts quickly become tainted by Kurama's words. He thought of the people that he held dear. Within his mind he could see the strong Sakura become old and weak, and the beautiful, sweet Hinata become worn and tired. If he had to see that, he wasn't too certain he would want to build the bonds he had tried his entire life to build and preserve.

The terrible thoughts persisted on for a week and Naruto fervently avoided any people that he saw around the village. Occasionally he left his house in order to carry out his new duties, but that was the extent of his escapades out of his home. Suddenly however, on his way home, as he turned a corner in a street market, he spotted navy blue hair and a mostly lavender jacket on a slight frame. The blonde felt his spirits lift slightly as his eyes settled on the petite form of Hinata Hyuuga. Negative thoughts weighing in the back of his mind, Naruto cautiously approached Hinata. He was still wary of trying to befriend her, but they had such a pleasant conversation before, that he wanted to take the chance.

"Hey, Hinata-chan." The blue-haired girl was startled by his appearance as usual, but when she saw him she smiled sweetly.

"Hello, Naruto-kun. How are you?" Naruto's smile lost a bit of its brightness as he realized how much really weighed on his shoulders, but he just decided to grin and bear it.

"I've been fine. Tired is all. How have you been? I haven't seen you since last week…" His sentence trailed off slightly as the sleeve of her jacket was slightly pushed back by the basket resting on her arm. As the material was pushed away, Naruto briefly caught a glimpse of slightly yellowed bruising before Hinata hurriedly pulled her sleeve back into place. As soon as her clothes were back into place she looked up at Naruto with a concerned expression. Seeing that his friend was worried about him seeing what he just saw; Naruto pretended not to have noticed and grinned widely although he strained to. Hinata appeared relieved when he didn't ask about the strange markings on her arms. She fidgeted uncomfortably.

"I know. It has been that long, hasn't it? I haven't seen you around at all, not even training." Hinata looked up at him questioningly as though asking him why.

"Yeah…" Naruto scrubbed the back of his head in a habit that he had never quite grown out of. "I guess I just haven't been feeling up to training much lately." Hinata looked downright flabbergasted.

"You don't want to train? But why? I mean...isn't that against your nindo. To never give up?" Hinata was flustered by the end of her sentence as she realized that she had revealed just how closely she had always paid attention to him.

"Wow, you actually remember when I used to shout that?" A large grin broke over Naruto's face. Hinata simply looked down, embarrassed. Naruto then quickly noticed that many people were looking at him accusingly, probably thinking that he was harassing the ex-Hyuuga scion. Chuckling darkly, Naruto pushed them to the back of his mind and turned back to Hinata. He would show them.

"Do you have time to hang out today or are you busy?" Hinata looked up surprised, but then a shy smile crept onto her delicate features.

"I would love to Naruto-kun, but I have to take this to the Hyuuga Compound-" Naruto suddenly cut her off as he realized that she really didn't want to spend time with him and was looking for excuse. She was just too polite to tell him outright that she didn't want to spend time with him. He felt stupid, of course she wouldn't want to.

"It's okay. I get that you probably can't stay out so late." Naruto felt his stomach drop, but he pushed the strange feeling to the back of his mind. Hinata was confused by his reaction. She was eager to spend time with her long time crush, she had never said she wasn't. Especially now that he was giving her the time of day. Naruto looked around and then turned back to her scratching the back of his head slightly nervously. "So, ummm...I guess I'll see you around." He turned to go, but in a rare show of courage, Hinata spoke out to him.

"-first. I have to go to the Compound first. But I'm free after...if you would like. My father is not in town because he's out on clan business, and he won't be back for a few days so I can stay out a bit later than usual." Hinata raised her light lavender eyes up slowly.

Naruto felt his heart squeeze tightly at the realization that Hinata was willing to spend time with him. Part of him didn't want to believe it. It was infrequent that people wanted to spend time with him without some ulterior motive, but he was willing to tuck his self-consciousness aside for a bit. Once again, the blonde demi-god pushed his strange emotions away and grinned widely at the small girl in front of him. His mischievous nature suddenly emerged.

"How 'bout I help you carry that basket home and then we can go for a walk in the park?" Hinata smiled shyly and nodded.

"That sounds very nice Naruto-kun. But I think I can carry on my own basket." Naruto laughed a bit.

"I don't doubt you can, but I'd like to help with something instead of standing here looking like an idiot." He reached out and took the basket, noting that Hinata winced slightly when the basket bumped her arm. Soon after she winced, the girl smiled, and left Naruto wondering if he had just imagined the pained look that had crossed her face. The pair set off in the direction of the Hyuuga Compound.

Conversation on the way to the Complex consisted mostly of small talk as the pair strolled comfortably. When they finally arrived at Hinata's house, the girl took the basket from Naruto and hurriedly ran into the house. Once inside, she left the groceries to the cooks, and ran up to her room. She quickly brushed her hair, and glanced in the mirror. She automatically didn't like what she saw, but turned away before she could scare herself out of meeting with Naruto. Rushing back down the stairs, Hinata rushed right up to her crush. The pair walked away not noticing the pair of sealed Hyuuga eyes watching them as they went.

Once again, the ninja pair found themselves on a hill looking out over the rest of the park. Hinata shyly started the conversation. "Naruto-kun, why haven't you been feeling up to practicing? You always want to practice." Hinata looked at him with her concerned eyes, and they appeared to glow in the moonlight.

"Well, I don't know. I guess that...I just don't love it the same anymore." Naruto let out a sigh that was very uncharacteristic for him. Hinata stared at him shocked.

"Why?" The question hung in the air, and Naruto knew that he couldn't honestly answer. All of life had lost flavor for him. He had never been one for taking life. The only time he had felt the desire to kill had been after Sasuke had been injured taking a blow for him. Naruto remembered his friend with a sharp pain in his heart.

"Maybe it's just a phase. I really don't know." Naruto lied through his teeth and dragged his eyes away from Hinata's, not bearing to lie to her. But he still couldn't tell her. How could he tell one of his friends that he was a monster; an abomination. He had become the stuff that nightmares were made of. Over the course of the last few years, Naruto had developed a deep self-loathing and had cycled in and out of a deep depression. After all, the hardest thing was taking away the soul of a child, who had not even had the chance to live. True, he was only passing them on to a better place, and he had not done so very frequently having been off the hook while he was out of Kurama's jurisdiction. Still, some of the people he had 'helped' had looked so lost, scared, and alone that it had broken his heart a little more each time until it was shattered. He had yet to put himself back together.

"Well, maybe I could help you train." Naruto suddenly snapped his head around to Hinata. "I mean...I know I'm not very strong, but the gentle fist is something that is meant to be kept within the clan, so a chance to see it in action besides in battle is rare." Hinata hoped that Naruto would be willing to over look her weaknesses. The blonde boy next to her wasn't aware that he was as much a victim of himself as she was to herself. Hinata had been raised with the bar raised so uniquely that it was impossible for really anyone to attain it, but especially for her. She was expected to be beautiful, strong, proud, deadly, and to the essence a Hyuuga. Hinata was not capable of such sentiments. She didn't think herself beautiful, and would never wish to inflict pain on another. She thought pride was an emotion that could easily cause one to err to vanity. But the most stand out feature of this small girl, what made her the most unique, was that she was not a Hyuuga to the core. The blue-haired girl had too much of her mother in her, and not only that but she had become something that had never been seen before in the Hyuuga. Someone who had a heart bigger than their ego. And the village pariah had somehow captured her heart. To an outsider looking in, the whole situation was a mess, but Hinata and Naruto both had always been a study in the unexpected.

"I would be so grateful if you would do that. I'm sure it could help me get much stronger." Naruto looked at her eagerly with his blue eyes. Hinata smiled back. "But, are you sure it'll be okay with your dad?" Hinata's breath hitched. She knew that her father wouldn't approve, but she was willing to suffer the punishment if it meant that she would be able to spend more time with Naruto. Even as Hinata said her next words, she knew that she would regret them later.

"Oh, I know he won't be too angry Naruto-kun. I'll convince him that it's for the best." A slightly strained smile made its way onto Hinata's face, but past that she showed no apprehension. She did not intend to tell her father at all, but Naruto did not need to know that. If she had it her way, he would never know how much her father despised him. She was going to do her best to make sure of that.

"That's great." Naruto grinned widely. Quietly, both of the teen ninja turned to gaze up at the dark, all-consuming sky once again.

The next morning, Hinata woke up slowly. She was a morning person, so usually waking up was easy, but Naruto and her had stayed up late talking about whatever came to mind. When she finally returned home, the guards said nothing as though she wasn't late, and a servant girl simply rushed to get her back in her room with relatively little notice. Although they pretended not to know of her escapade; everyone's eyes had lingered on her a bit longer. The mouths of the branch members stayed shut, however. No one dared to even gossip of the whereabouts of their former heiress. They dared not get her in trouble. Especially since her father so rarely held back his anger when it came to her.

Hinata prayed to Kami that none of the Branch members would tell her father. That could be extremely detrimental to her. She trusted that they wouldn't by their own volition, but she didn't want her father to have even an inkling of what she was doing and how she was spending her time. 'Naruto-kun...' Hinata remembered the deal that she had struck of with her crush the night before. They had decided to train on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, because those were the days that neither of them met with their teams.

Hinata was extremely excited that she had such an opportunity to meet with Naruto. They agreed to meet at a secluded training ground at 10 on each of the mornings they were supposed to train. In fact, since it was Wednesday, she would be meeting with Naruto later that day. Finally rising from bed, Hinata decided that she would go out shopping. Sometimes she felt a little guilty of this habit of hers, but Hinata liked to shop. She wouldn't shop for expensive things, and she wouldn't buy much, but she liked to finding trinkets or delicacies out of everything the market had to offer that she liked enough to purchase.

Whatever she bought might be a book, or a bracelet, or a cinnamon roll, or a gift, but whatever it was, it was always something that she knew was useful or important. In the case of the cinnamon roll it was both. Donning her lavender jacket, the bluenette stepped out of the compound, greeting the guards as she went. Once outside, she felt herself awaken a little bit more with the chilly morning air. She could feel the cool air chapping her skin slightly and she was certain that her cheeks were red. The cold temperature reminded Hinata that September would soon turn into October and with October came Naruto's birthday. With that thought in mind, Hinata resolved herself to finding a gift for her crush. If she bought it early enough, she wouldn't have to worry, and then she could figure out how she would give it to him. It would take her a while to decide if she would give it to him in person or hide it where it would be safe until he eventually decided.

Hinata strolled along until she finally found the market place. As it was the middle of the week, the market stalls were sparse, and the market, in general, was empty. Seeing a store that carried organizational supplies for office workers; Hinata ran to check a calendar. Excitedly, she noticed that Naruto's birthday, the 10th fell on a Wednesday. This small coincidence made Hinata happy as she would have the opportunity to spend the day with Naruto and not have to desperately search for an excuse. A loose plan in mind, Hinata set out to find a gift.

The petite teen mulled about, searching for something that screamed out 'Naruto'. However, her crush was so unique that it was a fruitless search. A half hour later, as the small girl was about to give up because she needed to get ready to train, Hinata came across the perfect gift. A lonesome stand sold sleep wear and one of the items were sleeping caps. Hinata knew from missions that Naruto wore a strange looking sleeping cap that he had for a very long time. It was due time for a replacement. Rushing forth, Hinata picked out a cap that was entirely green and had a frog on it. She smiled at the similarity it held to the coin purse she frequently saw Naruto grumble over when they were younger. She passed the money to the store owner in return for the cap.

Looking down at the small item, Hinata had the strange feeling that something was missing. It was a cute cap, but it wasn't exactly the most unique. The frog stared up at her, relatively expressionless. Hinata liked it, but thought it was dull. The girl bit her lip in thought. Then it hit her. Standing up straight, the girl raced back to a tailor's stand that she had seen near the entrance. Hinata paid for a spool of orange thread and a pack of needles. Happy with her purchase, Hinata tucked everything into a bag and left to get ready for her practice with Naruto.

At home, Hinata took a bath and meticulously combed her hair. She knew that her hair would be getting ruined five minutes into a spar, but she wanted to look decent at least for when she greeted her crush. She cursed her vanity, but knew that it would bother her if she didn't give in to her compulsion to groom a bit. She slipped into her jacket once again and quietly stepped out of her house ready for the day. Upon arriving at training ground 22, where few people ever ventured for unknown reasons, Hinata sat down and waited. She was a bit early, but she figured it was okay if she just sat down to wait. The cool air that contrasted with the warmth of her jacket made her comfortable, and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.

Naruto arrived early to the training ground because he knew the true reason why no one ever trained there or even passed by. The training ground was often crawling with demons that would torment passer-bys. Kurama had told him of this when Hinata and he had agreed to meet at the secluded clearing, and Naruto knew that he would have to set up a barrier. Once he got to the clearing, he put some of his training gear down and as he straightened back up, he noticed a figure leaning against a tree facing the sun.

Hinata's small frame was illuminated by the sun. Her hair glowed blue and her skin practically shined. Her thick eyelashes brushed her ever-blushing cheeks, however, and Naruto realized that she was asleep. Hinata was a beautiful girl, and the blond had never really gotten a chance to realize this as she never really looked directly at him. Usually, she hid herself behind her hair or in her jackets. Naruto was still staring at the girl when his vision suddenly morphed. Hinata's alabaster skin turned gray and wrinkled. Her hair turned a silvery white. Her small frame became even frailer, and although her features were still delicate in age, her eyes were sunken as though she was no longer asleep, but dead. Naruto harshly turned away and he heard Kurama's sinister laughter in the back of his mind.

edit 8/12/17