Author's Note: Wow, I didn't update in ages! Sorry! I decided that I would do a Naruto+Hinata today and maybe Neji+Tenten next time if enough people want it. Okay, I found that it's hard to choose which pairing, so I decided to give you people some possible pairings I could do for the next chapter. For example:

Neji+Tenten

Sasuke+Sakura

Sasuke+Hinata

Shikamaru+Temari

Shikamaru+Ino

These are the pairings I saw in the reviews. Now, all you have to do is choose which pairing you like. Say Neji+Tenten received 6 votes while others got lower than 6 votes. Then I would do Neji+Tenten for the next chapter. Get it? You can keep suggesting pairings, and I will put your pairings on the list every chapter. I'm going to see how this works out for a while, and then I'll decide if I want to devise a new plan to make things easier for both me and all you people who review.

Anyways, this idea of Naruto+Hinata inspired me by a song I was listening to. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own anything!

By the way, this chapter takes place after Naruto's fight with Gaara after the invasion of Konoha by the Sound and the Sand. Be warned, there are a bit of spoilers of episode 25 to 75 in the anime series and manga volumes 9 to 15.


Red Carnations

Hinata drew open the curtains, and sighed as she saw that it was pouring rain outside. Grey clouds covered the sky, adding to her already gloomy mood. She glanced back at the figure on the white hospital bed. The figure was Uzumaki Naruto. He had been brought into the hospital along with Sakura and Sasuke. Hinata had heard that Naruto had won against Gaara, but was injured. With Ino's reassuring words and a single red carnation, she had visited Naruto in the Konoha hospital, only to find him sleeping. Currently, Naruto was snoring away. Hinata couldn't help but smile at his sleeping form. She looked at the red carnation, which was inside a small vase, and back to Naruto's peaceful-looking face. 'Red carnations…They mean admiration, right? That's exactly what I feel when I look at you, Naruto-kun…' she looked out the window again. It was still raining, even harder than before. 'I remember when I first met you, Naruto-kun…It was raining then, just like right now. I watched as you sat on the swings alone while it rained…I wanted to offer you my umbrella, but I was too scared and too shy to do so. All I could do was to simply watch as your tears mingled with the raindrops…Now that I think about it, that little moment on that rainy day was the only time I've ever seen you show any sad emotions.' Hinata looked at the empty table by Naruto's bed. She thought about the many fruit baskets that had been placed by Sasuke's bed and Sakura's bed, but none by Naruto's bed. She wondered why. 'He's such a good person…He's always strong, he's always willing to protect his comrades…Why can't anyone see him as the wonderful person he is?' Hinata stood up from her stool to head over to Sakura's room.

"I guess I'll borrow a bit of fruit from Sakura-san…" she muttered softly to herself as she walked down the white-painted hallway. She was soon entering Sakura's hospital room. Sakura was sitting up, reading a book. She looked up.

"Oh, Hinata-san! What brings you here?" She asked with a slight smile on her face and she marked her page and set the book away. Hinata found herself feeling a bit flustered.

"Um…I…Is it okay if I…um…borrow a few fruits?" Hinata asked, trying to stop stuttering. Sakura looked a bit surprised, but then smiled warmly.

"Sure you can! I have a lot of fruits and I can't eat them all by myself, so you can take as much as you want." she replied, pointing to a table with lots of fruits piled on top of it. Hinata quickly nodded.

"Um…thank you…" she said softly, and gently grabbed a few apples. Sakura watched her with a curious look.

"They're not for you, are they?" she said flatly, and Hinata blushed.

"I…um…uh…y-yes, but…um…no, they aren't." she confessed, twiddling her fingers nervously. She didn't really want others to know about her feelings for Naruto. Sakura giggled.

"Hey, you don't have to be shy about it. So does this person have no fruits at all?" she asked. Hinata shook her head.

"Um…no." she replied uncertainly, feeling flustered again. Sakura had a look of pity on her face.

"Oh really? That's too bad…That person must be feeling a bit lonely. You know what, just take one of the baskets. Think of it as a little gift from me, although I didn't buy them myself." she said, and reached over to grab a small basket of assorted fruits. Hinata accepted it with a quick bow of gratitude.

"Th-Thank you…And…um…I hope you feel better soon…" she stuttered, and left the room.

As she walked back to Naruto's room, she studied the basket of fruits clutched in her hand. It was a nicely woven basket with a few apples, bananas, pears, and a few other fruits.

'That was nice of Sakura-san to give away one of her baskets…But I wonder what she would have done if I told her that it was Naruto I was taking to fruits to? Would she have given more baskets to him? After all, he IS her teammate…But so is Sasuke-san. Oh well…At least you received a basket, Naruto-kun…' she thought, and entered Naruto's room. He was still sleeping, with the white sheets almost off the bed. Hinata couldn't help but smile at the sight. She set the basket down gently on the table and picked up the white sheets before placing them back on top of Naruto. She sat down on the wooden stool next to the bed and glanced at the window. It was still raining, but it was falling down more gently than before. 'Naruto-kun…I remember when you cheered me on in the chuunin exam during the fight with Neji-nii-san. Your voice and your encouraging words really gave me courage…Though I lost, I felt that I had changed. For the first time, I didn't feel worthless or weak. For the first time, I felt strong. Even now, when I'm watching you like this in the hospital, I still feel admiration and courage. Do you think that I'll be even stronger someday? Naruto-kun, you always seem to grow stronger everyday. Compared to you, I'm nothing but a weakling. I don't even get the courage to talk to you in public! But still…I wish I could be as confident as you.' Hinata recalled the third test for the chuunin exams, when Naruto had faced Neji. Though it seemed almost positive that Naruto was going to lose, he never gave up and beat Neji. She had only watched half of the match, but when she heard that he had won, she had been sure that Naruto had kept battling until the end. 'You defeated Neji-nii-san, Naruto-kun…And you also managed to change him. You manage to change many people, Naruto-kun, although you don't realize it. You changed me, you changed Neji-nii-san, and you changed many other people's lives…in a good way. How can you be so strong? I can only hope that I'll ever be like you…' Hinata began thinking about the little event that had occurred just before the starting of the third test, in the training area. Naruto had told her that he liked people like her. She had wondered if it was all a dream, but she knew it was true. She had been frozen in time, replaying Naruto's words in her mind. 'Naruto-kun…I still wonder if you really meant what you said on that day…I would be really happy of you did mean it. I know that you aren't the type of person to lie about things like those. Well guess what, Naruto-kun…Aside from the admiration I have in you, I also think that I have a crush on you. But I bet that you're never going to find out unless I tell you…And I'm not planning to tell you anytime soon. I can never get enough courage to tell you any of my feelings. And…I bet that's going to be how it is for a long time. How will you ever know my feelings towards you? Sometimes I wish that you would at least notice a hint of my feelings, but I know that you can't. Sakura-san calls you dense, but I know that it's just in your nature. But sometimes I still can't help but wonder when you will finally notice me.' Hinata looked up from Naruto's face. The sound of rain had stopped. When she looked at the window, she smiled softly at the sight. She walked over to the window, opening it slightly and enjoying the fresh breeze. The sun was out, and the puddles on the streets reflected the blue sky and the parting clouds. Hinata closed the window and turned back towards Naruto, and gasped a little as she realized that he was stirring awake. She breathed a sigh of relief when Naruto just turned around and went back to a light slumber. But she knew that he would be waking up very soon. So she went over to the stool and sat down. She picked up an apple from the basket, and after finding a small knife inside one of the drawers of the cabinet inside of the room, she began peeling the apple. As she peeled the red skin with the knife, she smiled sadly. 'Naruto-kun, I know that it'll probably take a while for you to fully notice me. You like Sakura-san, right? I can't blame you. Sakura-san is always so cheerful and outgoing…Unlike me, who's always shy and lonely. It hurts a little when I see you two together, but it's okay. I don't mind watching you from afar. As long as I see you happy, I'm happy too. Naruto-kun…the least I can do is peel an apple for you, so that you won't have to peel them yourself when you wake up. You're still recovering, Naruto-kun; it's better for you to relax for now.' Hinata cut the now-peeled apple into a few slices, and set them on a plate she had also found along with a fork. She placed the plate beside Naruto's bed. 'The least I can do…is to do this. I just want to show you that I care, and that you have many people who think greatly of you. I'll see you later, Naruto-kun…Perhaps I'll join you when you're eating ramen sometime.' Before she left the room, she glanced at the single red carnation and smiled.

"I hope you get better soon…Naruto-kun." she whispered, and walked out of the room, closing the door gently behind her.

A few minutes later…

Naruto opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a small vase with a red carnation in it. 'Huh? I wonder who placed it there…' he thought, confused. He sat up, ignoring the small pain on his head. He spotted a plate of freshly peeled apple slices on the table next to his bed.

"Apples? Who peeled them?" Naruto wondered aloud, and sniffed the slices.

'They don't seem poisoned…' he thought. He popped a piece into his mouth. After declaring that it was safe, he stuffed all of the slices into his mouth and chewed them happily, filling some of his empty stomach. 'But really…I wonder who peeled the apples and gave me the carnation?'

Outside the hospital, Hinata was walking back towards the Hyuuga estate with a smile on her face.

I wish you well and so I take my leave,

I pray you know me when we meet again.

-William Shakespeare-


Well, how was it? I read that quote from William Shakespeare in school, and that along with a song I was listening to inspired me to write this chapter.

Anyways, like I said at the beginning of this chapter, I'm going to give you people a list of possible pairings I could do for the next chapter, and then I'll write about the pairing with the most votes. The list is:

Neji+Tenten

Sasuke+Sakura

Sasuke+Hinata

Shikamaru+Temari

Shikamaru+Ino

You can also suggest pairings so that I could add it to the list at the end of every chapter. Let's see how this works out! Well, PLEASE REVIEW!