Naruto POV
"Summoning jutsu!!"
There was a huge puff of smoke, and suddenly, I was face-to-face with a strangely familiar grin. I backed up a bit and looked the toad over. Realization hit me almost immediately afterwards.
"Gamakichi?! Holy crap, dude, you're fricking huge!"
The once itty-bitty toad was now at least three feet tall than I was, for crying out loud!
Gamakichi chuckled good-naturedly and winked at me. "Nice to see you, too, Naruto." He laughed again. "You didn't think that I'd stay that puny forever, did you? I mean, have you seen my dad?" He laughed again. "And this is nothing. In a couple months, Pa says that you'll have to climb a tree to be able to look me in the eye!"
He was obviously amused. I rolled my eyes and stepped forward to touch my fist to the huge toad's nose. "Good to see ya, dude. Missed ya."
"Yeah, yeah," he said, shaking me off teasingly, obviously pleased and proud that he had the power to do so now. "Hey, don't tell me that you summoned me just to have a little reunion." He smirked. He was happy to see me, no matter what he said.
"Oh yeah," I said, putting my hand on the back of my neck. "Hey. Gamakichi, how good are you at tracking?"
"Pretty decent," he said, getting serious. "What are we tracking?"
I looked around. "A girl."
He blinked. "A girl? A girl-girl?!"
"Yeah, what of it?"
He laughed. "And why can't you just find her yourself? Shy?"
"Yeah, she is."
"I meant you."
We glared at each other for a moment in silence. My eyes dipped towards the box of bugs in my hand. Gamakichi looked at the box, sniffed it, and then looked back at me with a confused expression. "Naruto…what's with the bugs?"
"It's a gift…"
"For her?!"
"No!! It's for her friend!"
"Boyfriend?"
"Hell no!!"
"Why are you giving a girl's friend a box of bugs, Naruto? To creep him out? Jealous?"
"Ugh, no! Quit guessing, dude, you'll never get it right! He's an Aburame. He digs bugs."
Understanding entered the toad's eyes. "Ooooohh. An Aburame. I get it." He stared at the box, and licked his lips. "Okay, I'll help you find your girl. Just one thing."
"What is it?"
"Gimme a bug. I'm starved, man! We were about to have lunch, but someone decided to become a stalker all of the sudden and summoned me."
My fingers tightened protectively around the plastic. "You mean sacrifice one?! That's just wrong, Gamakichi! Besides, the bugs will tell Shino how I treated them. I sacrifice one, and Shino'll send a fricking hornet at me!!"
Gamakichi rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine, whatever. It doesn't even matter, anyways. After all, you're just bribing the guy so you can get in good with the girl."
My spine tensed up and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. I could just feel my face getting hotter, and I broke from his gaze, flustered and flushed. "That's dumb," I said. My voice shook, though, downgrading the threat in it.
He chuckled again. "Just gimme something of hers so I can smell her out."
I held out a bandage that had been previously tied around Hinata's hands. The toad sniffed it with hesitant eyes, obviously creeped out.
Hinata POV
I…I didn't want to go to Naruto-kun's training field.
Okay, I wanted to go—desperately, even—but at the same time…I couldn't bring myself to. I just felt…awkward about it. I mean, what could I say to him, after that crying jag? Would he expect me to say anything? Would he want me to? God, I didn't know what to do.
So I hid with my teammates as they sparred.
I fiddled with my fingers, picturing the feel of Naruto-kun's lips on them. I still couldn't believe that he'd done that. Kissed my hands like that.
God, I love him, I thought to myself and rubbed my scarred fingers.
My thoughts were disjointed and disoriented. I tried to focus on my teammates' spar, but it was hard. I was so distracted. I wanted to see Naruto-kun again, but I couldn't, I couldn't…
"God, Hinata! Quit moping and spar with me. Or are you chicken?" Kiba-kun called. My eyes shot up and I was on my feet before I knew what I was doing. I figured that it would do me good to fight a little—it would get my mind off of…him.
I turned on my Byakugan and waited for Kiba-kun to come at me. Akamaru sat beside Shino-kun, tired and resting. Kiba-kun studied my stance, and then slunk into his own crouch. The world was still for the whole of 2.27 seconds, then we struck out at each other—him with his claws and me with my sharp chakra.
He had this way of nicking me just hard enough to make it hurt and even to leave a mark, but not make it bleed. This was his way of telling me that I needed to dodge faster. And since he had the ability to hurt me without hurting me, he used it. I, on the other hand, had to be even more careful. If I hit him in the wrong place, even softly, it could knock him out. His body had built up a bit of an immunity against my Byakugan in some places, having been up against it so often, but it was impossible to really be prepared for one of my blows.
After one or two minutes of circling and striking, Kiba-kun nicked my side with his fist, but this gave me time to knock him in the back with my palm. He tumbled forward, landed on his knuckles, and dodged just before I could kick him in the shoulder. I ended up slamming my leg into his forearm, and I saw an angry, nameless hormone swirl around the places I struck. I was worried about the chakra point I'd closed on his back. It would make moving difficult for him…
But he didn't seem to notice—or care. He ran at me again, feinted, and then slashed my back with his claws. I yelped and swirled around, solidly striking his jaw with my foot. Kiba-kun went flying to the side, and I smiled when he hesitated to get back up.
He raised his hand, panting, and this gave me sign that he was done. I quickly scurried to his side to make sure he wasn't too hurt, then gasped. Poor guy was out cold. Trying to be gentle, I lifted his shoulders up a bit to open up that chakra point, and then watched for about 3 seconds as he snored.
Then, I heard his voice.
"Hey, Hinata!! Awesome KO!"
My blood ran cold. My body completely froze up. I didn't turn around. I didn't even breathe. But I'd forgotten to turn my Byakugan off, so I could still see him.
Naruto-kun. He found me.
But I was in love with him, not afraid of him, so only milliseconds later, everything—my breathing, my blood flow, my movements—sped up.
I'd turned around and turned off my Byakugan before I registered the movement.
Naruto-kun met my gaze for a whole second, and nothing else existed. We grinned at each other, both of us red-faced and giggling, and that was all there was.
Then he turned away from me, to Shino-kun. He handed Shino-kun some kind of plastic box, which I could tell by my teammate's posture interested him immensely. I considered walking closer to examine the little scene more intensely, but I would feel bad if Kiba-kun woke up and no one was there to make sure he was okay.
My lower lip jutted out just a little bit. I wanted to be near Naruto-kun…
Suddenly, Shino-kun ran off into the forest. Naruto-kun waved, crinkling up his eyes with teasing pleasure, and then looked back at me with a warm grin. The skin of my cheeks heated up as he walked towards me, his entire being just calling to me. 'Come here,' his smile seemed to say. I had to bite my bottom lip to keep myself from throwing myself at him. It'd been a mistake not to come see him. I needed him.
"Found you," he said quietly when he was only two feet away from me. He looked as if he was going to walk closer, but stopped at the last second. "It was my turn to be the stalker," he said, laughing. I shivered. I couldn't even count how many times I'd called myself a stalker. It made me giggle ashamedly that he'd come to the same conclusion.
I had to say something, so I fumbled around for a second. "W-what did you give Shino-kun?" I asked, looking towards the forest where my teammate had disappeared.
Naruto-kun laughed again and poked my nose. "A box of bugs," he chirped cheerfully. "I was supposed to exterminate them on my mission today, but I figured that you guys could figure out something better to do with them. I mean, it should be easy, considering Shino's insect-fetish."
I smiled. I tried to take a step back, but my foot collided with Kiba-kun's ribs, so I actually ended up jumping a few inches closer. (Naruto-kun didn't seem to notice, but I did.)
"He seemed excited," I told him.
He made a face. "Really? He just said thank you, Naruto, grabbed it, and walked away."
I had to remind myself that nobody really knew Shino-kun as well as Kiba and I did. Of course, to Naruto-kun, he was cool and aloof. But I was sure that right now, he was giggling like an idiot over his new friends.
"Oh, he was," I said, smiling. "I could tell."
Naruto-kun crinkled up his eyes. "Awesome!" Then, he paused and averted his gaze, as if suddenly remembering an ulterior motive for coming all the way out here. "You weren't at the training field," he said in an almost-hurt tone of voice.
My heart thudded against my ribcage. I bit my lip even harder. Had Naruto-kun been expecting me? The idea made me smile. Did that mean that he liked being around me? A painfully hopeful warmth suddenly oozed through my body.
"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun. I had to train a bit with Kiba-kun. He's been battling with just bugs for t-too long. He's been feeling neglected, I think."
Naruto-kun smirked and looked down at my unconscious teammate. "Hey, is he gonna be alright?" he asked, not sounding too concerned at all.
I turned slightly to look at Kiba-kun. He was snoring still, but it didn't seem to me like he'd wake up anytime soon. I smiled weakly and looked back at the golden-haired angel in front of me. "I…I think so. He'll just be out for a while, I think…"
Naruto-kun smiled at me. "That KO was pretty cool, Hinata."
I felt my face heat up. "Er, thank you…"
We fell into silence. I had the distinct feeling that he was trying to figure out how to tell me something, and the suspense of watching his face as he battled it out was terribly unnerving. I ended up having to turn away, even daring to take a step to the side.
Then he grabbed my hand. "Where are you going?" he asked quickly, holding on as if I was going to disappear if he loosened his grip.
I looked back and met his oddly panicked gaze. "Nowhere," I whispered, my eyes lingering in his, trying to read and understand them. "I'm not going anywhere."
He nodded slightly, a serious expression suddenly on his face. He didn't let go of my hand—and that was just fine by me. I liked the feel of his fingers…
But it was a little odd when he brought my hand up to his face and started studying it. He was acting so weird today. Did something happen? What was going on with him?!
"The scars are fading," he said in a low, husky voice. He ran the fingers of his free hand across the just-a-bit-paler-than-yesterday maroon marks that botched mine. His eyes were wide and amazed. "They are definitely fading!" He looked up and met my gaze with a wild grin. He wasn't thinking straight by this point. But he seemed…happy. So that was good.
He started playing with my fingers, stretching them out and twisting them to get a better view. He continued like this for a good two minutes, reveling in the fact that all signs of the damage he'd done was disappearing. He was so happy. It must've really hurt him that he'd hurt me, a friend. I smiled and let him enjoy the moment.
Finally, he calmed down. He kept my hand, holding it tightly in his, but he was casual about it, looking into my eyes with a small, wistful smile. He seemed finally ready to tell me what he'd come here to say. He rubbed the back of my hand with his thumb for some reason. "I…I had a talk with Sakura-chan today."
My blood ran cold again, and my body started to tingle uncomfortably. 'Good or bad?' I thought desperately, my stomach doing a back flip. I studied his face for a fraction of a moment, but it gave nothing away.
I just barely managed to get out a quiet squeak of a "Yeah?"
He looked around. He slowly let go of my hand, then sunk to the ground, pulling his knees up and leaning back on his hands, looking up at the sky. Almost on instinct, I followed suit, sitting across from him, my back against Kiba-kun's. He grabbed my hand again, obviously in need of comfort. I scooted a little closer to him. Just a little.
"Hinata, I…I'm going to back off. I'm giving up on her." His expression was solemn, and I knew from the look in his eyes that the loving feelings he held for Sakura-san were still there. But there was something different about the look…he really had given up. I blinked in shock, trying my hardest not to be happy. This wasn't a good thing. This must've been hurting him…
"Are you okay?" I asked, knowing that what he'd done was something I could never do, knowing he was stronger than I was. I put a hand on his knee.
He glanced my way and seemed to really look at me. He suddenly smiled, and the look of pain was gone. Almost like it had never existed. This wasn't the mask I'd seen on him so many times. He was genuinely happy. He stretched towards me, put a hand on my waist, and pulled me across the ground until he and I were hip-to-hip. Then he moved his arm so that it rested around my shoulders. I blushed intensely, but made no move to squirm away. Naruto-kun…why was he touching me like this?
His hand lightly brushed the side of my neck and he said, "No worries. I'm okay."
The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, and a million questions buzzed through my mind. What was he doing?! What was he thinking about? He loved Sakura-san! Why was he doing this? What did this mean?
I leaned away, but he was determined to hold onto me.
He was looking at Kiba-kun's unconscious form. The crook of his elbow was warm behind my neck. He sighed. "So, Hinata…what do you think?"
I took a deep breath and allowed myself to calm down. I didn't look at him. We both stared at Kiba-kun just for the sake of a focal point. "Me? Well…I…I think this is a… a g-good thing," I said, quietly hating myself.
"Why do you think that?" His tone was without inflection. He was just curious, not accusing or playful or anything like that. He honestly just wanted to know my opinion.
I sighed. Because I'm so in love with you that every time you tell me how you feel about Sakura-san, I want to die. I want you for myself, damn it!
I took a deep breath; trying to find something I could say that was true but not so true that I might blush too hard or faint. "Because," I whispered, feeling my heart rate increase, "you've been so upset about this whole thing…it's better for…your mental health that you just…move on." My voice got very small, because I was feeling so selfish.
But I was happy, nonetheless, under the comforting weight of his arm.
Naruto POV
I rubbed her arm, enjoying how she shivered under my touch. For some reason, I got the feeling that she really liked it when I touched her.
So did I. I mean, Sakura would never let me touch her like this. She would've called me a pervert and hit me really hard. But Hinata…she liked it, didn't she?
I didn't really know what I was doing, or if this was the right thing to do right now, or if I was being way to impulsive today…but her body was so warm next to mine. I couldn't let go, now that she was here.
I thought about what she'd said. I bit my thumbnail. "That…that makes sense, I guess," I said slowly, noticing that she was nodding with my words.
Hinata squirmed under my arm, seemingly trying to decide if she wanted to stay where she was beside me. Poor thing, so shy. I was probably making it really uncomfortable for her. I was probably freaking her out. I briefly considered the option of removing my arm from her shoulders, seeing how red her face was. But, even so, I wasn't going to let go of her. I needed to hold onto something, or my body would probably shatter or something.
Kiba snored, and Hinata grimaced delicately. Worried about her teammate? Or thinking about our conversation? I couldn't tell.
Without speaking, she put her head down on my shoulder and sighed.
The words came from my lips before I knew what I was saying. "You know what's cool about you, Hinata?"
"What, Naruto-kun?" Her voice was soft and warm. The way she pronounced my name made my body tremble with a feeling that was strange. Nobody said my name like…that.
"You…you're still a dark and shy weirdo." I chuckled in her un-ruined ear.
Her face scrunched up under the pressure of some unnamable emotion. "Do you still like people like me?" she asked bravely.
"Yeah. Yeah, I really do." And the words were true. She was a good girl. She was more than dark and shy. There was so much more to her…
A comfortable silence fell on us and lasted a long time. Hinata was curled against me so neatly, breathing softly, peacefully.
I was in love with Sakura. I loved her. I really did. I would probably keep on loving her for quite a while. But the heart is strange. It has the ability to stretch and grow and care for a million things at one time an in very different ways. Nobody loves two people the exact same way. Some loves are stronger than others; some can be broken by the smallest things.
And, looking at Hinata as she leaned against my body, breathing with a soft purr, I figured something out…something that would either break my heart into a million pieces or make it a million times stronger.
I…I was slowly starting to…love this moon-eyed girl.
(A/N)
((Slams head on desk)) Okay, I did it. Deal with it. ((laughs insanely and runs off into the distance))
((comes back)) 12 chapters in, and Naruto-kun finally notices that Hinata is lovable. I'd say that this is going well.
If you think otherwise...sorry for disappointing you. ((bows))
Much love.
Miyazaki A2
