Summary: Hinata reminisces as to why she feels so strongly for Naruto.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in Naruto, nor the series itself.
Author's Note: This story is dedicated to my good friend, Hiriku. Enjoy!
YabouNaruto Uzumaki was described at the Ninja Academy as one of the most irritating, immature and mischievous Genin. He was not considered particularily bright, but rather quite the opposite-an idiot. His appearance also did not help him to escape his contrasting strongly against the other students. With bright colored clothing, wild, unruly, spiky golden blonde hair, sky blue eyes and finally the marks on his cheeks that resembled whiskers, he was definitely set in his reputation as an outcast.
And yet, Hinata, thought with a hint of intrigue, his constantly being mocked and degraded-even by his own teammates-the lovely and incredibly intelligent Sakura Haruno and the stoic and handsome Sasuke Uchiha-never seemed to waver his determination to fulfill his dreams. No matter what the insult, Naruto just shrugged the unkind gesture off, tightened his beloved blue headband and put on that silly smile that warmed her heart.
"You just don't get it, do you? I will not give up! I will become the next Hokage-BELIEVE IT!"
His goal to meet was unrealistic and almost impossible to achieve, sure, but Hinata's admiration for the young ninja matched her faith in him. Unlike Naruto, who was able to ignore cruel remarks, she allowed herself to be controlled by them. Especially when the person speaking the words was her cousin, Neji. He sought for nothing other than her destruction, since the blood of the clan's line ran within her.
She recalled the preliminary round in the Junin exam that unfortunately destined her to face off against Neji. His treatment of her throughout their childhood as well as the present resulted in her low self-esteem and shy personality. In her mind at the time of the fight there was absolutely no chance of her winning the victory over the older Hyuga.
"Just surrender yourself, Lady Hinata. A failure always fails. It is inevitable that you will lose. A leopard never changes its spots!" The veins began to grow more apparent on her "Big brother's" face as if challenging her with his anger. That being combined with the immense strength and power Neji possessed she was certain in her defeat as well.
The younger Hyuga remembered how weak and miserable she had felt, standing there, knees quivering and arms raised shielding her body. The murderous look in her cousin's eyes desperately made her want to exit the match immediately. She was already on the verge of tears and did not desire to look any worse in front of Naruto. However, it was when she was about to give up that a voice rescued her.
"Hinata!" it cried, "Don't listen to this fool! Show him whose boss! Beat up this idiot!"
Noticing as she looked upward to seek who the person was who had addressed her was none other than her crush, Naruto Uzamaki, a sudden form of confidence awakened inside the girl. At that point, she feared her older relative no longer.
"It is the shinobi way," she quoted softly, a fierce, determined look planted on her pale face, "to never give up."
The metamorphosis Hinata went through that afternoon, on that fateful day, even at this moment, welcomed a rare, proud grin to her features. The boy who had earned her affections encouraged her to change. To stop letting manipulation by words be her ultimate downfall. She battled with all the strength she could muster only to lose, but gained so much more from it.
"Way to go, Hinata! Keep at 'em!" Naruto had cheered.
Oh, he must notice her now.
And she realized at the moment, even with the distraction of combating against her same-blooded opponent, that all was going to be well with her. Any further obstacles during the course of her ninja training could be overcome. In fact, she understood clearly what exactly drew her into the loud, obnoxious boy finally. What it was that made him so "special".
Laying on the hospital bed under the watchful eye of the doctors and her sensai, Hinata Hyuga allowed herself to open her eyes slowly, with a great amount of effort. She was nearing death still, however the medicine and herbal treatments were moving the recovery a little bit along. Large, round violet-blue orbs revealed themselves for the first time in weeks. Painfully she forced herself to sit up and observe her surroundings.
Bandages were covering almost each and every part of her body and. I.V.s were connected to the upper parts of her arms. Blotches of red decorated the white sheets of her bed, Hinata recognizing them to be, of course, blood.
A heavy sigh escaped her lips. Other than blacking out, nothing was making itself known in her memory. Except-
There standing, across from her, on the cream colored table provided by the hospital unit, was a vase of sunflowers. The sunny yellow petals, chocolate brown center and long green stems returned a sort of radiance to the place and thus, startled Hinata by its comparison. Automatically, at impulse, the navy-haired warrior believed it to be a sentiment of her teammates. It was certainly a pleasant surprise to wake up to.
"Well, well, well. Looks like your long sleep is over," said a voice sarcastically.
Turning to see the doorway, Hinata spotted Kiba, arms folded loosely across his chest, beaming. Directly behind him was Shino.
"Yeah, we were hoping you wouldn't be out much longer," he remarked flippantly, though she comprehended quickly he was only joking.
"Oh, I am…am…sorry," Hinata stammered, bowing her head. "I just…well, I…ummm…thank you very much for the beautiful flowers." At her reply she pointed out the gift.
Both Shino and Kiba studied the vase full of sunflowers carefully.
"We didn't give you these!" they cried suddenly in unison, raising an eyebrow towards their friend. "No offense…" they added hastily as an afterthought.
Hinata gasped. "You didn't?"
"No, no! Maybe it was sensai," Shino suggested.
Kiba walked lazily over to the table. "Let's find out." He grabbed the card hidden amidst the bouquet and read it aloud:
"Hinata, you were AWESOME out there! Great job! Don't worry-I'll get that what's-his-face jerk back for ya! Get well soon! From your friend, Naruto Uzumaki."
Heat rushed to her cheeks at the last sentence. "Naru-Naru-Naruto?" she managed in a stammer.
"Well, what do ya know? That loser! Ha!" Kiba scoffed tossing the card into Hinata's fumbling fingers. "C'mon Shino-let's go and inform sensai Hinata's can fight again."
She watched her two friends intently exit the room, laughing as they left.
"Thank you," she whispered softly, regarding the messy, scribbled identity of the person who'd written the card. Indeed, it was him, the boy she fell in love with.
And for that young ninja, who was unpopular, clumsy, and nothing short of oddball-Hinata swore to follow his example and take on any test and trial thrown at her in order to fulfill her dreams. To mimic Naruto's never ending ambition.
After all, Hinata thought dreamily, he was hers.
Author's Note Thank you very much for reading my first "Naruto" fanfic! It was most certainly fun and…different for me to write! My apologies for any misspellings on the characters' names or stuff like that. As much as I love this show, I am not yet too familiar with everything. ;
HinataXNaruto is a couple I support with enthusiasm so expect to see more stories involving the pairing in the future. Also, as I am short on inspiration for plots, feel free to suggest or request them. Unfortunately, I take no shonen-ai/yaoi ones because I am a Christian. Sorry!
Anyhow, please do review-constructive criticism is welcomed!
Oh, and wondering what the title means? "Yabou" translates into "ambition" in Japanese. This is the quality I think attracts Hinata to Naruto. (Remember: personal opinion!)
Once again, comments appreciated!