Disclaimer: Don't own any characters from Naruto, I only own the characters I create. Like Inari, Miyuki, the bad guys, etc. Oh, and the plot, that's all me.
Note: The timeline of this story changes from around the start of the Chuunin Exams in the manga. I'll explain what parts changed in their due time. For now, Naruto is 14 and has just started on his long journey with Jiraiya.
I am so very sorry for the ridiculously long wait.
I said I was only going to be gone for a month for a contest but it ended up being over two.
I'm sorry, I'm way behind on a lot of projects and this fanfic always takes the backseat on priority.
But my birthday's in May so I told myself I couldn't enjoy it unless I uploaded more chapters.
Really hope this makes up for the wait. If not I'll work harder in the next chapters.
Fingers crossed I'll be able to write another chapter before the end of the month.
Also edited a bit towards the end of chapter 10. Nothing much, just had to change a bit so it wasn't inconsistent with this chapter. That's all.
Chapter 11
Not a date, right?
Hinata wavered by the entrance of the restaurant, watching as a couple entered hand in hand. Her blond companion was already inside, asking for a table. The young heiress bit her lip in worry as she waited for his return. Would they really be able to get a seat? Hinata pressed her fingers nervously at the thought of eating inside, surrounded by other couples.
Before she could even register her words, Naruto returned.
"Everything's all set, let's go eat Hinata."
His bright smile eased her nerves and with a timid nod she entered the restaurant a step behind him.
The two were lead to their table by the lady they had met earlier. By the looks of it, there only seemed to be a few other couples already seated.
"Here's you table, thank you for coming to our grand opening. Now, what can I start the young couple off with?" the woman smiled, handing them each a menu.
Hinata quickly hid her blushing face behind the menu, while Naruto scanned all the dishes.
The older woman happily took their order and proceeded to attend another new couple.
While they waited for their food the two teens chatted about this and that. Talk of training mostly, on Naruto's part, as he seemed very excited to share in his accomplishments.
"So even though Pervy Sage knows a lot of cool jutsu, he hasn't been teaching me much." the blond wore a pout, which Hinata found adorable. "But, I'm sure you're getting pretty strong regardless of that," she tried to reassure him.
A wide grin made its way to Naruto's face. It really was captivating, Hinata mused to herself, feeling her cheeks warm up a little.
"Aww, this is exactly why I decided to open up my own restaurant."
Both teens turned towards the voice and noticed the older woman had returned.
"Huh, what do you mean?" Naruto asked; his head tilted in confusion.
The woman sported a bright smile, "I love seeing young couples. Everything about them brings back memories of when my husband and I were dating." Hinata noticed the woman bring a hand up to play with a loose strand of her hair. "Our first date took place in a restaurant, and it was quite memorable."
"Was it because there was lots of yummy food?" Naruto asked with hopeful eyes. It was clear to see where the boy's mind was at the moment.
The owner laughed in response. "Actually the food was so bad we both threw up afterwards. I'd say it was most likely undercooked. But," she brought her hands together, "even after that, we both still wanted to go out together. My husband, he worked so hard to cook me dinner for our second date. Afterwards he discovered his love of cooking and I discovered my love for him." She blushed at her declaration, "It took a few years but through hard work we were able to save up enough money to open this restaurant. My hope is that many first dates will take place here and that people will find their special someone."
Hinata blushed at that and stole a glance at Naruto, who seemed a bit interested in the story. Her breath caught in her throat when he turned to look at her. She felt her chest tighten and hoped no one could hear her beating heart.
Naruto noticed Hinata's face turn bright red. He was tempted to ask if she was okay but there was something nagging at the back of his head. It had to do with the older woman's story. Something about it left him wondering.
"Well, I'd better go check on your food. It should be ready by now."
At the prospect of eating Naruto brushed away the nagging thoughts. Sure enough it wasn't more than two minutes before their food arrived. Naruto's eyes held a twinkle in them as he took in the aroma of his meal. A sight that Hinata didn't overlook.
"Alright, let's dig in!"
"Welcome to our grand opening, we are currently having a special on couples." a young woman said with a smile, handing the two a flyer.
"Oooo I wanna try this place, let's go in here!" she squealed in excitement. The male next to her sneered, although the restaurant had a nice appearance it still paled in comparison to the dining establishments he was accustomed to. And while he was all for fulfilling his date's wishes, this didn't seem very enticing.
"Ah, maybe next time sweetie. Today I would like to take you to a place that serves some of the best desserts I've ever tasted. It's a very high class place that only a select few know about." he grinned slyly, watching as the beauty before him took the bait.
"Really? Oh my, I can't wait, let's go!" her voice took a more girly tone as she wrapped her arms around the boy's left arm. The two headed north through the crowd of people. How the two had ended up in this part of town he had no idea, but he made a mental note to take a different path on his next outing.
Meanwhile the young woman holding the flyers stood there dumbfounded, a flyer still held out in front of her.
"W-what just happened?"
"My you sure finished fast, I hope that means you enjoyed your meal." the restaurant owner, who had introduced herself as Peg, asked with a hearty laugh.
"You bet, everything was great." the blond grinned, patting his full belly. "Although," his face and voice were suddenly serious, "I was wondering something about your menu."
"Um, w-what is it?" the older woman tensed at the sudden change in the blue eyed teen.
"Why is it that there's no ramen on the menu?"
"Huh?" Peg held a dumbfounded look, "What?" she asked, unsure if she has heard right.
"Ramen, there's no ramen on the menu. Why not? It's the most delicious thing ever!" the boy proclaimed as if it was common knowledge. Hinata stifled a giggle; really, her crush could be so adorable at times. "Right? Tell her Hinata."
With an eep the young girl snapped out of her daze and faced the blond with a full blush on her face. His piercing blue eyes were locked onto hers. Hinata quickly tried to think of what the boy had possibly asked her. She was too embarrassed to ask him, as well as worried he might take offense.
"I'll take your word on it Naruto," the older woman said, coming to Hinata's rescue. "Ramen huh? I'll be sure to discuss it with my husband when I get the chance." she reassured him with a smile.
"Awesome, I'll be sure to come again the next time I get the chance."
"Excellent, I'd appreciate the business. And please be sure to recommend us to your friends and family."
"Y-yes, of course," Hinata timidly joined the conversation.
Peg seemed to hold back a squeal of joy. "Honestly Naruto, how'd you ever find yourself such an adorable girlfriend?" she asked with a grin, hitting the blond on his back in a playful way. Although she had put a little too much power and nearly knocked the wind out of the Uzumaki teen.
The sudden motion as well as the newfound stinging pain kept the boy from registering what the woman had said. As he looked up he noticed his Hyuuga friend was looking down nervously, face completely red.
"Um yeah, oh man how long have we been here? Sorry I think we better get going." the boy stood up from his chair and placed some money down on the table. He went to his friend's side and gently helped her up with his hand. "Let's go Hinata," he turned once more to the restaurant owner, "Thanks again for the great food." Hinata followed along as her crush started heading out the door.
"Sure," Peg said, wearing a confused expression. She soon sighed, chalking it all up to young love.
As Naruto stepped out the door he took in a big breath of fresh air. "Ah, that's much better; I think it was starting to get a bit stuffy in there." He turned to look at the Hyuuga female, whose face was now a light shade of pink. With a sigh of relief he smiled at his companion. 'Good, it looks like she's okay now. So she just needed some air? Well I guess that's okay, it was about time for us to leave anyway.' The boy thought to himself.
Hinata looked on in confusion; she hesitated asking about the sudden urge to leave the restaurant. Could it really have been because the boy merely wanted to get some fresh air? Such it had gotten a bit warm inside, but nothing of an uncomfortable level.
Still, she didn't want to press the matter. Their time together had been really enjoyable and the last thing she wanted was to ruin it.
"Aww, but why can't we go in?" a girl whined, tears forming in her eyes.
"That trick won't work on me," the boy said with a scowl, "Besides, there's nothing but couples in there and there's no way I'm going to be mistaken for your boyfriend."
"B-but."
"I said no way, I'll buy you a snack if that'll get you to shut up though." the boy sighed.
The girl pouted, but her resolve quickly dissipated, "Fine," she said, leading the boy to a nearby food stand.
Naruto couldn't help listening in on the conversation as he had yet to leave the restaurant's entrance. His brain seemed to be registering the conversation. Soon enough something clicked in his head. "Hey Hinata," he turned to the girl at his side and pointed at the flyer on the wall, "This offer for couples, was it for like boyfriends and girlfriends?"
Hinata's face turned red for the hundredth time that day. She had tried to clear that piece of information up earlier but in the end she had lost her resolve. With a hesitant nod she spoke, "Y-yes, I'm sorry."
"Huh, why are you apologizing?"
"I-I," she looked away, "I'm sorry because I wasn't able to tell you about this earlier. A-about the c-couple's special. B-because of me we entered the restaurant on false pretenses."
"Oh," the blond didn't really know what to say. I mean it wasn't like he was blaming her or anything. He sighed, a bit frustrated. Why did he always say things that made Hinata think he was scolding her? Is that why his friends were always mad at him? Did he need to be more careful with his words? For a boy who always spoke before thinking that would prove to be a difficult task.
"I-I'm sorry Naruto, because of me everyone must have thought that we…" Hinata hesitated.
"We?" Naruto gave her a dumbfounded look.
With a huge blush she stuttered out the last words, "T-that we were d-d-dating."
The final piece of the puzzle seemed to finally hit the blond. Of course, if a couple meant two people who were dating then that's what they had been posing as at the restaurant. Although it had been unintentional that's how they were perceived by everyone else.
A small blush suddenly appeared on the teen as he took in the newfound information. A couple. Two people dating. So, in a way, they had just gone on a date. I mean, if they had accidentally posed as a couple it had to have been a date right? But then, it wasn't done on purpose so did it really count? 'Ah, why does that matter! Why am I even thinking about this!' the boy thought to himself, his blush taking on a darker shade of pink.
With a hint of nervousness he looked to the Hyuuga heiress, whose face was red once again. He wondered if she had been upset about this all along and had just kept quite about it. "Um, I guess I should be the one to apologize. Sorry for not realizing this sooner Hinata." he laughed nervously, "That must have been embarrassing, to have people think I was your boyfriend." he scratched the side of his face and looked away. "Heh, sorry about that."
Hinata's heart seemed to drop to her stomach. It hurt to see the one she loved wear such a pained expression. She gripped her hands and gathered all her courage. "N-no, you're wrong Naruto. I-I would," she shook her head, "I would never be embarrassed by that. Y-you," she blushed, "You know, I think you're an incredible person, Naruto. S-so for me to be seen together w-with you I," her lip trembled as her courage started to leave her. But, she had to set things right. There was no way she'd ever forgive herself if her longtime crush thought this was how she truly felt.
Naruto could see the truth in Hinata eyes as she spoke. This brought an unexpected tight feeling in his chest.
"I-I've really been enjoying this time together with you. These past months without you… I felt like a part of me was missing." Her eyes were cast down sadly as she spoke. "So please," she looked up and stared the boy straight in the eyes. "Please, don't think that I would be embarrassed to be seen with you." 'Because, being with you, being at your side. That's what I most want in this world.'
"Hinata." Naruto stood speechless, eyes fixed on the girl before him.
She shifted nervously under his gaze, silently berating herself for thinking the last part to herself, instead of saying it out loud.
"You know, I really like it when you speak your mind."
Pale eyes looked up and met cerulean eyes.
Even thought Hinata's voice seemed to have been too soft at some parts, Naruto felt like he got the gist of it. She had said she wasn't embarrassed to be seen with him, and that made him really happy. "I'm really glad to have a friend like you Hinata. You don't yell at me or call me stupid like everyone else. You're always so kind and considerate. Sometimes I think everyone takes you for granted, including me," he said in an amused tone.
Hinata blushed; her face held a shy smile. "I think that about you too Naruto. Everyone takes you for granted, labeling you one thing or another. But one day, I'm sure they'll see the wonderful person you really are." she whispered to herself. Her last ounce of courage long gone.
"Huh, did you say something Hinata?"
Hinata blushed, "Um, n-no I," she paused, catching sight of something, or rather someone, off the corner of her eye. She quickly took a few steps to the right, attempting to hide herself behind the blond. Naruto noticed her strange behavior and turned around to see what Hinata has spotted.
His eyes narrowed, face set in a frown. Just a short distance away was that punk client that Team 8 had been assigned to protect. The Uzumaki teen had not interacted much with the other boy but he knew he'd prefer not to see him again. He turned back to Hinata, who was still trying to hide her presence.
According to Kiba, that snobbish punk had pestered Hinata all throughout their mission. Naruto too had seen first hand how uncomfortable Hinata had gotten around him.
"Don't worry Hinata, I'm not about to let him bother you." he whispered, taking hold of Hinata's left hand. His hand seemed to magically rid her of her anxieties. "Thanks Naruto." Hinata said with a warm tone, a truly grateful look on her face. With a genuine smile he led the Hyuuga heir away from the front of the restaurant and towards the bustling shopping area.
Kiba and the two pups watched from the alleyway as Naruto led Hinata away. It took a minute to shake off the initial shock of seeing two of his friends walking away, hand in hand, like a couple. He knew there was probably some sort of explanation, and debated whether or not to follow after them.
However, Akamaru's growl informed him of an unwanted person approaching.
Sure enough within seconds a teen male with an air of 'I'm better than you' walked right by them, heading in the same direction as Naruto and Hinata.
"Dammit, where's that guy think he's going? He better not be planning on bothering Hinata again." Kiba growled slightly. The two pups seemed to share similar thoughts as they resisted the urge to chase after him with their sharp teeth. "I think we'd better follow him and make sure he's not up something." the teen said, his eyes locked on their ex-client.
The two pups barked in agreement.
Dark eyes peered from behind a food stall, watching the young couple walk around from shop to shop.
"I can't believe Hinata's out on a date with this loser." he growled under her breath. His eyes had caught their entwined hands as he was walking his date back home. After a quick apology he had left his date and followed after them.
As he spied on them from a distance, he noticed their hands were no longer joined. However, their chipper little faces were starting to rub him the wrong way. In all the time he had spent with Hinata she had never once looked that happy. He couldn't understand it, what made the stupid blond before him so special? Nothing, he assured himself. Hinata must be crazy to prefer the blond's company rather than his own.
He tried to convince himself that pursuing the pale eyed girl was a waste of his time and that he was better off forgetting about her. However, he felt that the young ninja deserved some kind of punishment for wasting his time.
As he watched them blissfully unaware of his presence he started formulating a plan. A plan to ruin their little outing together. One way or another, he was going to make sure those two would end the day absolutely miserable.
Ahh! I feel like I don't even know what I'm doing anymore ;^;
Am I just repeating the same thing over and over again? Does this story even make sense?
I feel like Naruto act this way in one scene and then this way in another scene. Is he even the same person anymore?
This is what I worry about when I'm writing.
I miss those first months where I was super excited with every chapter.
To be truthful I'd much rather read fanfiction than write it.
I grow less and less confident in my writing capabilities as time passes…
But I'm not one for leaving stories incomplete. (At least not ones I post.)
So I'm really hoping to find my motivation soon. There's no point in writing chapters if they suck and make everyone lose interest. (Biggest worry)
Hmm, I should probably start writing on a notebook. Maybe that will help me get in the writing spirit.
