Someday Love Will Find You
Ch. 10 "Just the Beginning."
I don't own Naruto, but I wish I did.
Neji watched as Hinata struggled on what she needed for her trip. She was holding a purple two piece bathing suit and was debating on if she would bring it.
"We are going to the beach." She murmured. "But then again, it is cold, because it is winter."
Neji went into the kitchen. His phone was blinking red. A missed call?
Hinata gave up on packing and lay on the floor. One more week left.
She had recalled Ino's sadness and determination to making her last days worthwhile.
"We're so totally going to make the best out of this trip! Even if it is only me, you and Sakura!" Ino had said when they were walking home after school.
Hinata felt sad that Temari and Tenten weren't able to go, just because they weren't at the same grade.
"Have fun for us, okay?" Tenten held her hand and winked. "And I'll take care of Neji when you're gone so don't worry!"
"Make the best of it, kiddo!" Temari smiled, handing her an envelope. "And this is from Gaara."
Hinata sat up. She had just remembered about the envelope. She reached in her bag and got it out. It was a plain red envelope. It looked like the ones you receive when it's New Year's from your elders. It usually contained money.
It was a Chinese tradition, but the Hyuuga family celebrated it. Probably to show that they had wealth.
She opened it and almost laughed when she saw it was money inside. Aww. Gaara.
Her eyes glanced up at the clock. It was getting late.
She walked over to the light switch and switched the lights off. She walked to her bed, only to stumble on her open suitcase. Her arm reached for whatever was in front of her. It was her dresser.
Her hand slipped, causing the contents on top of the dresser to fall down on the floor.
"What happened?" Neji flicked the light switch on. "I heard some noise!"
Hinata gave a small laugh. "I just fell. I was heading to bed."
"Oh." Neji caught sight of the fallen items. He bent over to pick them up. Hinata helped him.
She reached for the picture frame. It held a picture of the nine people who had came from the same starter school, the Academy.
She frowned. Right over Naruto's face, the glass was cracked.
"Let's get this show on the road!" Naruto yelled, running out from the bus. A few hours cramped in the bus made him jumpy. "Race you to the beach!"
"Naruto come back!" Jiraiya yelled. "I swear one of these days I will just murder you!"
"Calm down!" Anko petted Mambo, giving him a dead mouse to eat. The nearby students shivered, happy they weren't the mouse. "They're just a bunch of kids, leave them be. And we were cooped up in this stupid bus for a long time."
"This is what you would expect if you just headed straight to the beach and not the hotel." Kakashi yawned and stretched. He was wearing a navy blue turtle neck that was sleeveless, exposing his arms. He wore shorts and sandals. "I'm going to go and sun tan."
Kakashi headed towards an open umbrella carrying a towel and a book.
"I never knew Kakashi-sensei was muscular!" Sakura whispered to Ino.
"Yummy." Ino giggled. "He did say he was going to sun tan. Time to show off the body!"
"All right, students!" Guy came out of the bus. Everyone was glad that he wasn't wearing his usual spandex body suit, but was still disturbed by his showing of his legs. "Let loose your youth and enjoy!"
Naruto cheered, quickly pulled off his shirt and jumped into the water. "Cold!"
"The idiot's already getting into it." Sasuke began to pull off his shirt.
"Oh. My. Kami." Sakura's jaw almost dropped to the floor when she saw Sasuke. "I'm blinded!"
Sasuke had taken off his shirt, revealing his upper body. Every one of the girls but Hinata squealed in delight.
"Sasuke!" Ino shouted, laughing as she did, nudging Hinata on her arm, "What have you been hiding the whole time! Who knew you had such a hot body!"
The boy population of the student body rolled their eyes.
Hinata felt very self-conscious. Under her light purple surfer shirt and short khaki shorts, was a two piece dark purple bathing suit with a tied dye design. She didn't want to take off her over clothes, but after five minutes, she was the only one not showing off her body.
"Come on, Hinata!" Kiba called her over. Everyone but the teachers and her were already in the water. "What's wrong?"
Hinata was sitting near the shallow end, letting the water touch her feet as it passed over to the land. Ino came over and sat by her.
"Girl problems?" Ino dug her toes into the wet sand.
"What? No!" Hinata turned red. "No. I just don't want to show off anything. I should have just brought a one piece!"
Ino scoffed. "Calm down! This is just nothing! Now, come on, let's go. Boys are waiting you know. It's time you show off."
She grabbed Hinata by her arms and dragged her into the ocean. "Come on!"
Hinata gave up resisting and let herself be dragged. She felt the cold water as she submerged into the sea. She immediately jumped up to the surface, gasping for air. "Are you trying to get me killed?"
Naruto waded over to her, laughing. "Aww, now! Any longer under there and I would've gotten the chance of mouth to mouth."
Hinata blushed when he gave her a wink. He must've gotten over the fiasco a few days ago.
"Shut up, dobe!" Sasuke came and whacked him in the head. Sakura soon arrived and did the same thing. "Don't tell her something that's so perverted! If Neji were here, he'd bash your head in."
"Hey, you might as well take off your shirt and shorts." Sakura went over to help her with it. "They're already wet."
"A-all the more r-reason to k-keep them on!" Hinata protested, covering herself as if she might be touched inappropriately.
"Relax!" Sakura was already pulling it over her head. Hinata's stomach was exposed. "There, see, not bad!"
"Not bad at all! In fact," Ino agreed. She grabbed her by the waist and dipped her, as if they were dancing. She placed her face closer towards her. "I would want to bring you in bed right now, and see more of what's underneath."
"I-I-I-I-Ino-san!" Hinata reddened, squirming uncomfortably in Ino's grasps.
Naruto and Sasuke just stood there. They were trying so hard not to look down, past Hinata's collar bone and anything below it.
Naruto gulped. H-h-h-he-he-he-her b-b-b-bo-boo-body's sh-sh-showing!
Sasuke regained his composure. Earlier he was faced with many mental images that would make Jiraiya's perverted books run for the hills. "Y-yeah! Stop making sexual references every time you talk Ino!"
"I do not!" Ino stomped, forgetting that Hinata was in her arms. "And you're just jealous because I'm getting a lot more action done with her than you do!"
Hinata yelped as she was submerged underwater once again. This time a pair of strong arms carried her up.
"Are you okay?"
She turned around, only to cause her cheeks to turn redder than they already were. "Y-yes! Th-thank you, N-Naruto-kun!"
He just smiled and looked into her eyes. I could just look and get lost in those eyes!
Hinata's heart was calming down a bit. Her face slowly returning to its original color. H-he's l-l-looking at me with b-b-be-bedroom e-eyes!
She turned her face away from his gaze, blushing hard. N-no! Hinata, snap back to your old self! He has someone of whom he likes! How can he look at you that way? It's just you being greedy!
Naruto realized he still had his hands on her arms. He slowly let them down to his side. She must be mad about the other day that she can't even bear to look at me.
Sasuke cleared his throat. "I bet neither of you heard what we just asked."
"What?" They both turned and asked in unison, causing Hinata to blush even more.
"I knew it." Ino clasped her hands together, obviously happy. "You guys are totally in love!"
"What?" They both exclaimed.
"I-I-I m-mean, h-he—!" Hinata tripped over her words. "T-the other day—!"
"There's no chance! Besides," Naruto distanced himself from her, turning red. "I already rejected her!"
Everyone stopped cold.
"I-I m-mean—!" Naruto faced Hinata, only to be silenced by her expression.
She looked like she was going to cry. Her lips were trembling and her eyes moist. Her eyebrows were furrowed, trying to contain the tears back. She clenched her hands as she turned and ran away, towards the changing area.
"Way to go, dobe." Sasuke glared at him before he went after her.
"Harsh." Ino gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry you're such an idiot."
"It's not like that!" Naruto groaned as Ino followed the dark haired boy. "Why does it always end up this way?"
Sakura placed a hand on his bare back. "Why don't you tell her how you feel? I'm sure she'll understand."
"Yeah!" Naruto pounded his fist at the water, creating a splash. "And what she'll understand it that I'm just telling her that out of sympathy! That I don't mean it at all!"
"Go after her." Sakura lightly pushed him. "It makes—!"
"Thanks." Naruto shrugged her hand off. "But I screwed things one too many times that I'm not sure a person like her can ever tolerate me again."
Sakura watched as he sadly trudged towards the beach of sand. Oh, boy. Kami help us all, especially these two people who are constantly misunderstanding the other. I mean, what is up with that?
"I wonder how they're doing." Tenten muttered as she searched her backpack. "I know it's in here somewhere!"
"I don't know." Temari looked at the sky, her back against the tree. "Knowing them, they're probably in some dramatic problem right now, especially if it involves Naruto and Hinata."
They were both at P.E., but since the majority of the class and the coach were on their grade-level trip, the class was forced to have free time for the rest of the week until the coach came back.
"Aha! Pocky!" Tenten happily rubbed her cheek on the box. "And no Sakura to eat it all!"
"Would you please focus on your own topic?" Temari sighed. I am surrounded by nitwits!
"Sorry!" Tenten said through a mouthful of Pocky. "And yeah, I think they already are in a dramatic situation. Probably Naruto said something and Hinata misunderstood it and ran away or something."
"Or something." Temari murmured as if she was zoned out.
"Temari?" Tenten stopped stuffing her mouth with Pocky sticks and gave the older girl a quizzical look. "Yoo-hoo! Earth to Temari!"
She gave no response.
Tenten stared intently at her face and began to move her hand, bringing a Pocky stick closer and closer to Temari's nose.
"Don't!" Temari turned and bit the stick. "You even dare!"
"Hinata!" Sasuke huffed. Why does it always end like this?
"Hinata, honey, please stop!" Ino was having troubles keeping up with the two. No wonder Hinata has a nice body! She runs fast! Even with her cast!
"Just go!" She shouted over her shoulders, her tears escaping. "Leave me alone!"
"We can't do that!" Ino felt relieved when Sasuke caught her wrist, jogging to a stop. "Look, who cares what comes out of that idiot's mouth! Naruto is so stupid! He doesn't think before he says!"
"He's not stupid." Hinata shook Sasuke's grip on her wrist.
"She's right, Hinata. He's a huge dobe." Sasuke pulled his hand back.
"He's not like that."
"For Kami's sake," Sasuke threw his hand up in frustration. "Stop being so stubborn!"
"Hinata."
The trio turned to see Naruto, panting. He obviously ran after them.
"What do you want?" Ino asked him coldly.
"Can I speak to you?" Naruto looked into Hinata's eyes, pleadingly. "Please?"
"What is it?" Hinata said with no emotion whatsoever.
Naruto flinched at her tone. "Alone."
"The hell you are." Sasuke went in front of Hinata as if he were a shield, and Naruto was a bullet.
"Sasuke." Ino shoved him forward lightly. "Let's go."
"But—!" Sasuke saw Hinata nod and gave in. "Alright."
Naruto waited for them to reach the water before he spoke.
"I'm sorry."
"Like I haven't heard that before." Angry hot tears ran down her cheek. She knew it was unlike her to speak to him in such a way, but her fury got the better of her.
"I know, and I'm sorry."
Hinata gave no response.
"Hinata, look what I meant by 'there's no chance!'," Naruto scratched the back of his head nervously. "Was that, you don't love me because I already rejected you, so there's no chance that we would love each other."
"I would never stop loving you!" Hinata looked at him as if he had told her to go and kill her family, through her tears. "Even if you don't return my feelings, I will never stop loving you! Never. Ever."
"You would?" Naruto was shocked. No one's ever loved me; not to that point!
"Never." Hinata found the courage to speak without stuttering. I guess it's because of the thought that I will never love him. "I mean it."
Probably somewhere deep inside me, I always knew it. That she loved me. I guess I ignored it, because I mean, who would love me? Me? A dense, inconsiderate, loud, obnoxious, unintelligent and annoying pervert?
"I don't know what to say." Naruto gave a small laugh as he glanced at the ground. Who would love Naruto? Someone you would hate to even be with?
Well this chapter surely was rushed.
I am posting this along with Ch. 8 and Ch. 9 because of the decision I came up with, (Thanks for the PMs.)
This is a sorry for not doing the mass update.
Forgives?
My cousin helped me write this, since she just came from the beach, but neither of us was really good at describing the events here. (Haha, it was so late!)
And a surfer shirt is just a long sleeved shirt with a hoodie that reaches to the thighs. It's usually worn after a surfer had surfed. My cousin refers to it as a towel.
;b
Thanks for R&R!