"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata stuttered in the doorway, as Naruto began to
assemble a box, also clearly ignoring her.
"Mm?" He replied coldly and kept himself preoccupied, not even bothering to turn around and look at her.
"Wh..What room should I start to pack?" Hinata asked as she walked further into Naruto's house, and silently closed the door behind her. Naruto held out a box to her, still not meeting her gaze.
"Try the kitchen or something." He put a box together for himself and headed to a nearby cupboard, opening it and pulling out a few glasses. He walked to the area in behind the door and grabbed a newspaper, ripping it apart and wrapping the glasses in it. Hinata shook herself back out of her stare and grabbed some newspaper herself, beginning the cupboard beside Naruto.
As she pulled a plate out, Hinata noticed the awkward silence and decided to try and start a conversation.
"So.... why are you moving?" she asked quietly as she carefully wrapped the plate and placed it in the box, grabbing another.
"Why shouldn't I?" He noisily placed the set of glasses in his box.
"Y-you're a Genin now."
"They're sending my ninja status with me, so wherever I go I'll still be a Genin."
"Oh." Hinata kept packing, and after Naruto didn't talk for a few minutes, she closed her cupboard and moved to another.
"N...Naruto-kun?" Hinata paused.
"What!?" Naruto seemed exasperated.
"...Are you okay?"
Naruto's fist clenched and he dropped the glass he was holding.
"No, I'm not. Do I LOOK okay? I'm going into another room to pack." He left his box and stormed out of the room, turning down the short hall. Hinata ran after him, pausing in the doorway to his room. She watched as Naruto looked out the window, and saw his shoulders tremble as he sobbed. She looked on like this for a few moments, and mouthed the words
'Naruto...' as she walked away. Heading back to the kitchen, she got an idea. Hinata reached into Naruto's unfinished box, grabbing a pot. She placed it on the stove and filled it with water, pouring some ramen noodles in. She chopped up some spices and mixed them in, searching the house for vegetables.
There were none. Hinata grinned at this. She waited for the water to boil and started to stir the noodles, pouring in some more spices for flavor. Finally, she drained the pot and poured the Ramen into a bowl. Opening a package of Chopsticks, Hinata carefully brought the bowl to Naruto's room. The door was now closed, so she knocked, not wanting to barge in on the boy.
"Go away."
Hinata looked down at the ramen and sighed, opening the door. Naruto jumped up from the floor and quickly wiped his eyes, shouting.
"Hinata-chan! Don't scare me like that!"
"You knew I was here, Naruto-kun."
"I know... but..." Naruto trailed off. "Don't call me Naruto-kun. It's just Naruto. Hey... is that Ramen?" He sniffed the air, as Hinata gave the bowl to him.
"Oh, yes... Here you go, Naruto-kun..."
"I told you not to call me Naruto-kun, it's a sign of respect you know."
"But..." Hinata was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing. Naruto ran out of the room, bringing the Ramen with him. Hinata heard the door open, and suddenly, there were yells. She ran out into the hall, peeking around the corner so that Naruto and whoever was at the door couldn't see.
"NARUTO! Where WERE you?" Sakura shrieked, hitting him over the head. "You missed THREE missions, you BAKA!" Naruto, landing on the ground, looked limply up at Sakura.
"You just noticed?" He mumbled his voice cracking. Sakura stumbled on her words, pausing.
"Uhh...."
"I figured." Naruto got up and took his Ramen, heading to his room. "Goodbye, Sakura-chan."
As Hinata watched him pass, she wondered how Naruto could still hold respect for Sakura, after she did those things to him. She followed him numbly down the hall, and managed to get into his room before he closed the door. He placed the untouched ramen on the dresser and looked over at Hinata.
"I think it'd be better if you left. Thanks for helping."
"Is that why you're leaving, Naruto-kun?"
"I told you not to have respect for me."
"It is why you're leaving, isn't it?" Hinata looked at him expectantly, but he continued packing without a word. Hinata stared at his back as he worked, sitting down on his bed.
'I always loved him... and right now it seems like love is all he needs...' She looked down at her feet. 'He's always been so strong... but maybe even the strongest people need help...'
"It hurts, doesn't it?" Hinata spoke quietly but evenly, and she continued to look at her feet.
"What?"
"Being alone. No one loving you." She didn't look up.
"How would you know?" Naruto's growl returned to his voice.
"I don't know exactly how you feel. But I do know it hurts, because all my life... all my life my father has expected so much of me, and has been disappointed. I live below my little sister, and I have always admired your strength. I am envious." Hinata looked up now, to see Naruto, again, sobbing.
"B-but... Hinata-chan... I have given up. I am not strong." He stopped packing and simply sat, sobbing. "Leave, please."
At this, Hinata stood up, but she refused to leave. She walked up to Naruto, and sat beside him. With shaking hands, she wrapped her arms around him, looking up admiringly. "Strength is not only persistence, Naruto-kun. Strength... is so much more... knowledge... faith... love..." She turned his head towards her, and felt a blush crawl up her face as he looked into her eyes. The boy smiled meekly, tears still streaming down his cheeks.
"Hinata-chan..."
---------------------------------------------------------------- A/N - Okay now it's just bluntly obvious. Hehe. I think I might actually get someone to BETA this chapter!! Wiiie! And I even wrote the last part with a headache..... I'm proud of myself, even if this chapter IS really short.
-Kounouri
"Mm?" He replied coldly and kept himself preoccupied, not even bothering to turn around and look at her.
"Wh..What room should I start to pack?" Hinata asked as she walked further into Naruto's house, and silently closed the door behind her. Naruto held out a box to her, still not meeting her gaze.
"Try the kitchen or something." He put a box together for himself and headed to a nearby cupboard, opening it and pulling out a few glasses. He walked to the area in behind the door and grabbed a newspaper, ripping it apart and wrapping the glasses in it. Hinata shook herself back out of her stare and grabbed some newspaper herself, beginning the cupboard beside Naruto.
As she pulled a plate out, Hinata noticed the awkward silence and decided to try and start a conversation.
"So.... why are you moving?" she asked quietly as she carefully wrapped the plate and placed it in the box, grabbing another.
"Why shouldn't I?" He noisily placed the set of glasses in his box.
"Y-you're a Genin now."
"They're sending my ninja status with me, so wherever I go I'll still be a Genin."
"Oh." Hinata kept packing, and after Naruto didn't talk for a few minutes, she closed her cupboard and moved to another.
"N...Naruto-kun?" Hinata paused.
"What!?" Naruto seemed exasperated.
"...Are you okay?"
Naruto's fist clenched and he dropped the glass he was holding.
"No, I'm not. Do I LOOK okay? I'm going into another room to pack." He left his box and stormed out of the room, turning down the short hall. Hinata ran after him, pausing in the doorway to his room. She watched as Naruto looked out the window, and saw his shoulders tremble as he sobbed. She looked on like this for a few moments, and mouthed the words
'Naruto...' as she walked away. Heading back to the kitchen, she got an idea. Hinata reached into Naruto's unfinished box, grabbing a pot. She placed it on the stove and filled it with water, pouring some ramen noodles in. She chopped up some spices and mixed them in, searching the house for vegetables.
There were none. Hinata grinned at this. She waited for the water to boil and started to stir the noodles, pouring in some more spices for flavor. Finally, she drained the pot and poured the Ramen into a bowl. Opening a package of Chopsticks, Hinata carefully brought the bowl to Naruto's room. The door was now closed, so she knocked, not wanting to barge in on the boy.
"Go away."
Hinata looked down at the ramen and sighed, opening the door. Naruto jumped up from the floor and quickly wiped his eyes, shouting.
"Hinata-chan! Don't scare me like that!"
"You knew I was here, Naruto-kun."
"I know... but..." Naruto trailed off. "Don't call me Naruto-kun. It's just Naruto. Hey... is that Ramen?" He sniffed the air, as Hinata gave the bowl to him.
"Oh, yes... Here you go, Naruto-kun..."
"I told you not to call me Naruto-kun, it's a sign of respect you know."
"But..." Hinata was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing. Naruto ran out of the room, bringing the Ramen with him. Hinata heard the door open, and suddenly, there were yells. She ran out into the hall, peeking around the corner so that Naruto and whoever was at the door couldn't see.
"NARUTO! Where WERE you?" Sakura shrieked, hitting him over the head. "You missed THREE missions, you BAKA!" Naruto, landing on the ground, looked limply up at Sakura.
"You just noticed?" He mumbled his voice cracking. Sakura stumbled on her words, pausing.
"Uhh...."
"I figured." Naruto got up and took his Ramen, heading to his room. "Goodbye, Sakura-chan."
As Hinata watched him pass, she wondered how Naruto could still hold respect for Sakura, after she did those things to him. She followed him numbly down the hall, and managed to get into his room before he closed the door. He placed the untouched ramen on the dresser and looked over at Hinata.
"I think it'd be better if you left. Thanks for helping."
"Is that why you're leaving, Naruto-kun?"
"I told you not to have respect for me."
"It is why you're leaving, isn't it?" Hinata looked at him expectantly, but he continued packing without a word. Hinata stared at his back as he worked, sitting down on his bed.
'I always loved him... and right now it seems like love is all he needs...' She looked down at her feet. 'He's always been so strong... but maybe even the strongest people need help...'
"It hurts, doesn't it?" Hinata spoke quietly but evenly, and she continued to look at her feet.
"What?"
"Being alone. No one loving you." She didn't look up.
"How would you know?" Naruto's growl returned to his voice.
"I don't know exactly how you feel. But I do know it hurts, because all my life... all my life my father has expected so much of me, and has been disappointed. I live below my little sister, and I have always admired your strength. I am envious." Hinata looked up now, to see Naruto, again, sobbing.
"B-but... Hinata-chan... I have given up. I am not strong." He stopped packing and simply sat, sobbing. "Leave, please."
At this, Hinata stood up, but she refused to leave. She walked up to Naruto, and sat beside him. With shaking hands, she wrapped her arms around him, looking up admiringly. "Strength is not only persistence, Naruto-kun. Strength... is so much more... knowledge... faith... love..." She turned his head towards her, and felt a blush crawl up her face as he looked into her eyes. The boy smiled meekly, tears still streaming down his cheeks.
"Hinata-chan..."
---------------------------------------------------------------- A/N - Okay now it's just bluntly obvious. Hehe. I think I might actually get someone to BETA this chapter!! Wiiie! And I even wrote the last part with a headache..... I'm proud of myself, even if this chapter IS really short.
-Kounouri