I am sooooo sorry! I got banned slash grounded for a week! Sucks! It reeked! No computer, going out, etc etc! It was living torture! I'm so sorry…

I was going to get the chapter out last Tuesday but… that's the day I got banned! Suck eh?

Well…. I'm thinking of about one more chapter then a sequel… or something like that… I haven't abandoned this story!

Stupid parents… well I deserved it….


Admiration

Chapter 8

Father's Respect


It has been five days since Hinata had confirmed something and in five days she would be married. Her name, Etiao Hinata, and the thing was… it didn't ring…

Uzumaki Hinata… now that was awesome… but Hinata knew that could never happen.

She sighed, today she had to go over the wedding… over the last past five days that's all she'd be doing. Going over the plans, set ups, dinner, etc, etc, and Hinata didn't pay attention because they had already gone over it for the 6,120 time.

She guessed the Etiao clan wanted it to be perfect, absolutely perfect. She sighed, another perfect clan that wanted no; needed everything perfect. I guess the perfect Hyuuga clan heiress and the perfect Etiao clan heir were perfect together…

Kori was a nice person, don't get it wrong. But ever since Hinata was little… she had her eyes on Naruto. Naruto this, Naruto that, Naruto was her hero; her admiration. She had always wished Naruto would notice her and ask her out, but he never did.

And soon after… he became Hokage and all she could do was feel all smug and smile. She was the only one who believed him, and was the only who told him that before he came Hokage…

"Damn it! I'll show then when I become Hokage!" Naruto cursed as he clenched his hands. He was on a mission with Hinata, Lee and Neji escorting a princess to her castle. Apparently nobody believed he was going to become Hokage and he stormed into the woods…

"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked timidly as she sat beside the raging blond kitsune, "Get the fu- Oh it's just you Hinata,"

"Hi, Naruto-kun,"

"Hey…"

"Umm… you know what?"

"I know what your trying to do Hinata… its going to be something about ramen to cheer me up isn't it?" he asked thinking ahead, "Umm… no… that's not what I was thinking…" she answered, still a smile on her face.

"Then what were you going to say?"

"I was going to say… b-being a Jounin is hard and you shouldn't push yourself; you might get hurt. And…"

"Hinata, we're shinobi, we're always in danger." He replied coldly interrupting her.

She nodded, "Yeah, but… I meant… not physically… m-mentally…" her voice hesitantly told him, he looked up at her and stared into her lavender eyes.

It made Hinata blush and push her index fingers together, "Mentally, huh?" he asked, stopping her fingers, "Don't do that, it shows your not full of yourself. It shows you have no confidence… I am a Dobe but even I can see… you have confidence hidden inside you."

"Naruto-kun… you're right… I want to be confident… so I will say this… I…I…Ithinkyouwillbeagreathokagesomeday…" she said quickly and stuttering.

Naruto looked blankly at her, "Uh… sorry… Hinata… but could you run that again? Slowly…even you know that I'm slow and dense…" he laughed, smiling a grin at her.

"Gomen… I just lost my confidence...-" "Why?" he asked curiously, "Because… I always do… I'm a failure that won't stop trying… a stubborn failure…"

Naruto burst out laughing, "HAHAHA!"

Instantly Hinata shadowed her eyes and a tear ran down her cheek, and it took a while for Naruto to notice. "Uh? Hinata-chan? Why are you crying?"

"You… (Hiccup) You're (hiccup) laughing at me…" she began making little hiccupping noises from trying to keep her tears in, Naruto instantly began stroking her back while keeping his laughter in, "No… I would never laugh at you, unless it was funny. I'm laughing at me…nobody can be as dense as me!"

"You're not dense, (hiccup) Naruto-kun, you're just special…"

"Then you're special too!" She wiped her tears and looked at Naruto's cerulean eyes that shimmered with determination; that was their job. "I think… You will make an excellent Hokage… and you will surpass all the other Hokages… because you know why?"

Naruto looked at Hinata blankly and with hesitation asked, "Why?"

She smiled, "Because you have a heart of gold and your eyes give me pure determination… I feel like I can do anything if I try… and that's a quality you will always had… and will have… that's one of the many qualities that make me admire you."

Instantly she blushed and Naruto tilted his head slightly; stunned of what Hinata just said. She looked at her feet, trying to avoid his gaze, "Thank you Hinata-chan. But I have nothing to give you… you don't have to feel sorry for m-"

(The same music that when he was at those three poles and she corrected him started to play lol)

"I don't! It's the truth! Just be happy Naruto-kun, show your smile. That is all I ask for, your smiles are the best gift you could ever give anybody…Anybody would be lucky to see them…"

"Hinata… Arigatou… I feel so much better! I will become Hokage!" He yelled, 'I will just for you,' he thought as he saw Hinata smile. 'I promise you… I will become Hokage…'

(Awwww… How Kawaii)

"Hinata-chan! Hinata-chan! Are you listening?" Kori called, as she snapped back to reality, "Umm… Gomen! I'm just a bit sleepy…" she smiled, "So after me and Hinata-chan greet the entire guest then…"

Kori went on and on and when it was over he said it again and again. Repeating the same thing over and over again… it got monotonous… and Hinata accidentally yawned…

And before Hinata knew it… the next five days flew as fast as she blinked. And she found herself in a formal white kimono with the Hyuuga clan symbol. The last Hyuuga kimono she would ever wear in her life…

"Hinata-sama! You look lovely, absolutely beautiful!" Kori's mother chirped, "You will make an excellent Hyuuga head and wife!"

She nodded, and gazed at herself in the mirror… oh how she hoped it was another she was marrying… even though Kori-san was nice… she had… another in mind… and he couldn't say out of her mind. His denseness, clumsiness, his ability to never give up, courage and determination… all his wonderful qualities… clinged to her mind…

She remembered when she gave the invitation to him… it was his blue eyes…it showed everything… and she was about to recall that flash back when Kori's mother was frantically waving her hand in front of her.

"HINATAAAAAAAAAAA-SAMAAAAAAA!"

Hinata closed her eyes and opened them, "Hai?"

"Are you ready for the ceremony?"

She nodded and headed towards the front; where she would meet the guests.

Almost everybody came… Kiba, Shino, Kurenai, Kakashi, etc and etc but Hinata's thoughts were smuggled in a certain blond Hokage…

"Hinata-chan?" her future husband called, "Yeah?" she asked,

"Don't worry he'll come…"

"Huh? Who?"

"The person you're waiting for, he'll come… I'm sure of it."

"How would you know Kori-san?"

He smiled, "I see it in your eyes Hinata-chan; you are worried and feel insecure."

"No, how do you know that he'll come… it's getting late and almost everybody is here… how do you know he'll come?"

"I know… instinct, Hinata-chan… instinct…"

"Oh… I understand…" 'I want you to come… I want you to. Your eyes are going to give me the courage I need to go through with this; I need you Naruto-kun!

"Naruto-kun?"

Naruto looked up from his big stack of papers and grinned at her, "What's up Hinata-chan?"

She smiled and blushed, "I…" she shoved an envelope on his desk,

To Uzumaki Naruto and Uzumaki Sakura

It looked like when she was… or whoever wrote Uzumaki Sakura did it hestitantly since it was blotchy. Naruto opened the envelope and scanned the contents… "I'd be honored to attend your wedding Hinata-chan…"

Though it may not have been detected Hinata could hear his voice crackled at wedding Hinata-chan. She smiled… "I…I…hope you can come…I…" she was hesitant to use the word need. "I…really want you to be there… without you… I just don't know if I can do it… but with you there… I feel stronger… like I can accomplish the task a- ahead of me…"

He grinned, "Of course I'll be there Hinata-chan! You can count on me! That's a promise of a lifetime!"

She smiled, "Arigatou,"

"Is there anything else you need Hinata-chan?"

"Ano… no…"

"Okay…"

She nodded…

"Sorry Hinata-chan, for making you worried," he said sheepishly, "Naruto-kun, you're not late…" she smiled, "This baka doesn't know anything, just like when we were younger!" Sakura sighed smiling.

"Hokage-sama!" Kori bowed, "It's an honor you're here! I'm sure Hinata-chan feels splendid that you came!" he said straight as a soldier,

The Hokage grinned,


The wedding music was playing and everybody was waiting for the Hyuuga heiress to walk down the aisle… but she never came… and people started to get worried.

There were whispers in the crowd and Kori looked quite worried. "Where the hell is that girl!" his expression was pleading, "Uhh… Sakura…chan… I'll be right back…"

"Naruto! If Hinata-san doesn't see you when she walks up she'll be very diss-" "Sakura, trust me… I'll be here if Hinata comes…I promised her…" he grinned. Sakura sighed, "You better, she's been through a lot… I don't want her to be depressed…"

"Sakura… I promise…I would do anything for Hinata-chan…to make her happy. I'm not that thirteen year old anymore. I grew up. I know my obligations… my hopes…" He smiled, "My duties… and my promises…"

"Okay, you better…"

And Naruto slipped away. He took a little walk… and closed his eyes… "This is Hinata-chan's big day… Why can't I get her out of my mind lately? I know I don't like Sakura anymore… but…"

He sighed and heard some weeping but he shrugged it off… he was too busy thinking. "I… I'm not sure anymore… she looks happy with her father's respect… but… but…"

Naruto bit his lip and shoved his hands in his black slacks, "What is this feeling in the deepest part of my heart?"

He slowly opened his eyes and the weeping grew louder, and Naruto followed it to the back of the chapel. There in a white kimono, sitting on the grass, her legs curled up to her arms, was Hinata and she had tears rolling down her eyes, "Hinata…chan?"

He called; she wiped her eyes and forced a smile, "N-Naruto-k-kun,"

"What are you doing out here?"

"I-I c-could ask you t-the same t-thing…" she whimpered; water still forming in her eyes, "I wanted to check up on you… seeing if you were okay… seeing if you would… uh… well… Actually go through with this… I mean…" Naruto sputtered.

"You're right!" she cried, "I k-know what your implying! I'm weak and you only c-came to see if I had the c-courage to go through w-with this… because I know… to get it the in a way of his approval… what I'm doing right now… isn't right… and does not have your approval," she recalled,

He chuckled, "Hinata-chan… that didn't make sense…Of course you are not weak, you're the Hyuuga heiress, and I didn't come because I wanted to see if you were going through with this… I came because I promised you I would."

"That's it! You came because you, Uzumaki Naruto, never break your promises!" She choked, "Not because of me… it's never about me… I don't exist… I don't mean anything… just a girl… that has no meaning except bearing chil-"

"No! I only wanted to see if you'd go through with it because I had come up with another option! I care about you Hinata-chan! I always have! You do exist! You have meaning! You are a beautiful person!" He chuckled, wanting her to listen, "You can run away from others just like you just did, but you can run from yourself."

"No you haven't. Not once…"

"You just think that Hinata-chan… and I know what you're referring to. People change. And lately my feelings have been changing. A lot. And lately the only thing I have been thinking about is… you, a lot. So I'm sorry! Okay! I'm sorry I haven't flaunted it! Okay!"

"N-Naruto-kun… Arigatou…You made me realize something…You are the only person that truly cares for me and the only person I have ever truly cared for. But…"

"But?"

"I can't back down now… I'm sorry." She was whispering now, "O-Okay! I'm sorry…"

"Hinata-chan! I said I'm sorry! What more do you want?" he asked, confused, "Naruto-kun… that didn't make sense…"

"And people say I'm dense…" said Naruto and earned him a giggle from the heiress, "I think I… like you… a lot… No… never mind… I know I like you… a lot… and maybe you like me too?"

Hinata stared at him; she was stunned; he was telling her this now?

"You're right. I do like you a lot… that's a fact… but… why are you telling this now?"

"Because I was scared, I was going to lose you if I didn't tell you. I was going to lose a perfect girl… that was perfect for me… and I was scared I was too late… but every time I tried to tell you… I couldn't. I can't find the words… but… if you want to go back to Kori-san… I can understand… who would like me?"

"I do," she said quietly and simply, "I have always liked you! But… I am sorry…"

"For what? We can still…" He smiled; she shook her head, "I want to be with you, but… I have to go on… I can't go back now. So I will say this… Uzumaki Naruto, I love you. But we can't be together… because I have realized something… I could only admire you… I can only admire you. You are too good for me. Admiration is the only…" she couldn't finish her sentence. She left a stunned Hokage as she ran into the chapel into her new life.