Hinata blushed as she picked herself from the floor; pulling off the covers she had tangled herself in.
Her blank stare scanned the room, then she placed the comforter back on the mattress: glad no one had seen her fall like that.
She had been having a dream, a nightmare really, before she found herself making heavy contact with the floorboards. It had scared her to the brink of screaming, nearly torn her apart inside.
She was stuck in a decision: choose between Naruto and the rest of the team. And though her heart told her to get the blonde, her analytical mind told her she should save the majority. Which should she listen to in a time like this? Save Naruto-kun from certain doom, or release the others from their personal prisons.
She shuddered just thinking about it, still not sure which course of action she would take. She certainly didn't want to be in that position.
She stumbled away from her bedding, still drowsy with sleep. The nasty taste of morning breath lingered fresh in her mouth and her eyes were still blurry. She wore black shorts that went just above her knees, a T-shirt to cover her chest. It seemed the most appropriate thing to wear for a hot summer night.
On her way to the bathroom, a small white box caught her eye, and she looked down at the object with curiosity. The box of ramen Naruto had given her rested next to her coat, her ninja band gleamed atop it.
She smiled, feeling her face flush red again as she remembered how Naruto had handed her the box. He was kind to care about her that way. She would cherish those noodles forever.
She finally made her way into the bathroom, splashing water on her face then brushing her teeth. She had a lot to get ready for. Today was the beginning of their Class-B mission with Team 7, and Hinata was excited to spend more time with Naruto-kun.
The dark-haired, female ninja cut off the water, staring at her reflection in the mirror. She looked blank, almost emotionless, short black bangs barely brushing the arch of her eyebrows. She looked somewhat sloppy in her rumpled white shirt and matted hair. Her eyes cast to the ground. How could Naruto-kun fall for someone like that?
She slumped back to her room and passed out on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. Why did she bother to go? If she went with Kakashi's team then she was sure to embarrass herself. Who knew what mess she would put them in? Or maybe she wouldn't do anything at all. Maybe she would become little more to them than another soul in the group. She was, after all, supposedly the shy and quiet one. The one everyone assumed useless.
She looked down at her knuckles, almost as if they were playing a movie before her eyes. An image of her came in slowly, but clear, punching into the sides of a wall. Her hands looked like a gnarled, bloody mess, but she continued punching. She had to prove herself. Had to prove she was toughed than she looked…
She tore her gaze from her hands and instead studied her room. It was simple, bland even. The girl seemed to have no personality at first glance. But you really had to look deeper. If she let you look that far that is.
Hinata sighed, sitting up slowly. She looked over at her blank walls and walked over to them, closing her eyes tight. The room was filled with a thick sense of power, almost disturbing as she was caught up in a state of focus. She built the chakra steadily, determination clearly readable on her features to anyone who dared watch her. Hinata's eyes snapped open and she moved one foot along the wall, taking a deep breath then lifting the other.
Slowly her body lifted from the ground, erecting horizontally along the wall. She had heard that Naruto had did this before their battle against Zabuza to build up strength, and she had tried it every day ever since.
She continued her slow stroll up the wall, breathing deeply with each step. She came to the corner where the ceiling met the wall and stepped her foot there too, now walking upside-down along the ceiling.
Her two dark strands of hair peaked down as she continued her walk along the ceiling, still moving at a dawdling pace. She was standing right above her jacket, and she reached down and yanked it upward, pulling it into her grasp.
She continued walking, trying to get to the other wall as she placed her jacket on. She was getting better at this.
Pop!
"Aahh!" Hinata screamed as she lost focus on the chakra and went sailing to the ground. She shouldn't have focused on putting on that jacket!
Boom!
Hinata gasped as she lifted her head from the cushions on her bed, her heart pounding wildly. She hadn't expected that to happen.
She lifted herself from her bed reluctantly, and threw off her jacket. She didn't have any more time to lollygag. She had to go meet the others.
She removed the jacket and pulled off the T-shirt, replacing it with a fresh black spaghetti strap chemise. She threw on her large tan jacket, and a pair of black Capri pants. She quickly made up her bed and then stuck her ramen box underneath for safekeeping.
She brushed her short hair until she was satisfied with its smooth texture then grabbed her ninja band. She had spent many a night reflecting over this thing. It meant more to her than she meant to herself. She placed it around her neck, slightly hidden in the oversized, light-brown jacket.
She placed on her black shoes, and then walked out the door without a bit of food. She suddenly didn't feel very hungry. She was much more excited to be heading out on the adventure of a lifetime with Naruto-kun. This could be her chance.
Naruto yawned, stretching his arms. He blinked in the morning's rays, and then swung his legs out of the bed, grinning widely. Today was the day of their first class-B mission. The day Naruto had long been waiting for.
He dashed over to the kitchen, opening up his cabinet.
Boxes of ramen were stacked one by one in steady rows, categorized by flavor. Naruto tapped his chin in thought, scanning over each carton. Then his smiled widened and he snickered.
"I think I'll have spicy chicken today!"
He yanked out the box and sat it on the table, then began to boil some water- his least favorite part of making ramen: waiting. He yawned once more, leaving the kitchen in search of something to keep him busy while he waited for his food.
He scratched his scraggly blonde hair, shocking blue eyes jumping with glee. He bit his lower lip and scanned the room as if checking to make sure everything was in order. Of course, the house was in great disarray, clothes thrown about and the bed unmade. Even ramen containers were scattered across the floor in various places.
"Maybe I should clean this place up." Naruto suggested to himself, and then shrugged, landing on the bed.
He didn't really mind.
By the time the water had come to a boil, Naruto had eventually decided to straighten up a bit. His restless personality caused him to be so impatient he had to give in.
Naruto's residence was coming along rather nicely, slowly looking tolerable as he placed each item in its rightful place. Finally, Naruto-kun heard a long, low-pitched whistle alert him to check the water. It was finally done.
He mixed the water with the ramen, a drooling look plastered on his face. He could smell all those delicious spices as the noodles softened in the water. His stomach grumbled. He was hungry. He hadn't eaten dinner last night.
He had given Hinata his last carton of beef ramen, one that he was saving just for last night. But she had really seemed so upset he couldn't help but give it to her. It was his fault she was like that, or so Sakura said. But he really couldn't figure out why. He hadn't really done anything but stare at her, but it was kind of hard not to.
It wasn't because she was ugly, on the contrary he thought Hinata was pretty at times, but she seemed so shy and quiet. He had seen Hinata express some emotions rather vividly: anger, embarrassment, sadness, but none of them were really enough for Naruto. Hinata-chan just seemed… odd.
Naruto twirled the noodles along his chopsticks, slurping down scoop after scoop. He enjoyed the spicy taste the noodles left in his mouth, at one point he even cried out for water, but to who was a mystery. Naruto did, after all, live by himself because he was orphaned.
The blonde ninja wiped the back of his hand along his mouth, hands rubbing across the whisker-like markings on his face. He burped, smiling slightly.
"That was great, believe it!" he laughed, jumping up from the table fully energized.
He was finally ready to go.
He removed his striped pajamas, slipping his body into his usual bright orange jumper. He didn't bother to brush his hair, but ran a hand through it instead, and then he slipped his band along his head so it rested like a crown.
Heh, heh.
He smiled, his squinty-eyed expression making him look overly confident as he cracked his knuckles.
"Let's go!" he yelled out to no one in particular, dashing out the door.
Kakashi sighed, his one eye following the approaching figure of Naruto.
"Mr. Uzamaki. So glad you could finally join us."
Hinata stood in between Kakashi and Kiba, watching the blonde approach them. Her thoughts suddenly flashed back to that dream and she grimaced and shivered, trying to purge the nightmare from her thoughts.
Kakashi looked down at Hinata, not letting the girl know he had seen her reaction. A soft humming noise escaped his lips, but his gaze turned back to Naruto then over to a book by his side.
"Naruto, what took you so long?" complained Sakura and Sasuke snorted in agreement.
"Late as always eh loser?"
Kakashi groaned, hands inching towards the book. If he could just get away in it for only a little while…
Kiba's eyebrow arced as he watched Kakashi's hand progress towards his book. What was he doing?
Hinata cleared her throat and everyone paused, all eyes on her.
"Where—" She glanced up at Kakashi, "Where is Kazimoto?"
Kakashi's eyes widened at the sound of her voice, and then narrowed again focusing out toward the distance. Everyone followed his gaze.
"Hello there!" called out a voice from beyond the trees.
Hinata squinted her eyes to get better focus on the man coming from the trees. No one she had recognized before. Slowly approaching them with the wide grin of a beggar was Kazimoto himself. Sakura inhaled sharply.
A/N: That's it for now. I'm going to be at my mom's for a week so I figured I'd update this before I go. I hope you all enjoyed it, no for the reviews. . (19 reviews for one chapter! I LOVE YOU GUYS!)
Anime/Manga lubber: You tell me… I have no idea how old they are. O.o
RawD: Ok, I'll keep that in mine. And plz keep reading! Thank you!
Saiyanprince1: Thank you.
Redfox: cowers Plz don't hurt me! BTW, that used to be my old screenname!
ShintaAzechi: I'll try to keep them good but quick at the same time. Promise.
Uzamaki-Girl: I'm glad you like the beginning. Writing style? LOL. I just write.
FlameOfFur: I love Hinata. It seemed like a good idea. And I dropped Shino b/c A) I couldn't remember his name, and B) it doesn't matter anyway. And I'd love to give pointers.. .
Kazal: I'm glad you like it. I'll continue.
Rook: The mission will come to make more sense later. Oh, and what's OOC?
DivineWind63: Your haircut looked the same. -.-
Sam: DIRT!
PsychoSybil: Ramen is the food of love Sybil. Remember that.
Justin: LOL. Thank you. .
Goldenflame911: I'm glad you liked it. I will try.
Jade: LOL. 8/10 huh? Not bad… I'll try and watch those details then…