Hinata P.O.V.
My dull unenthusiastic life seemed a little more exciting after my first encounter with Naruto-kun. It had been a few weeks since then and we had met almost every day. We had a perfectly synchronized routine: I would go meet him, he would arrive late, we would laugh and have a good time. Sometimes Naruto would buy an apple for me and the man behind the counter would shake his head and smile.
"Young love." He would chuckle and pass the fruits to Naruto who was oblivious enough to ignore the comment while I was too shy to address it. I never minded though.
The quality I loved most in Naruto was the thing I envied. He, for some inexplicable reason, could easily express himself and his emotions even if he didn't want too. With one look anyone could tell if he was feeling upset or excited. Just by walking down a road he was able to make a whole street cheer up with one smile. Naruto made friends with everyone and anyone within a foot radius. He had an aura of strength and confidence that influenced those around him. It was because of this nature that Tenten eventually softened up to him. They showed their familiarity through sharp insults and comebacks, most of which were aimed at Naruto by Tenten. He could never keep up with her words and most arguments ended in laughter by the both of them.
I had laughed and smiled more in those last couple weeks than I had my entire life. There was an evening when I had come home to find my jaws were sore from overuse. Each smile he threw at me forced my mouth into a grin. His words brought brightness to my eyes. Every joke unleashed a sensation in my chest that forced me to giggle. Each and every day made my life better. It made me happier.
I knew the whole Hyuuga house could tell something was different about me. Hanabi smirked when I passed by. Hiashi-sama would raise an eyebrow when he saw me smiling because I was thinking of a joke or story Naruto-kun had told me. Neji looked ready to admit me to a hospital when I laughed in the tea room. I wasn't deaf; I heard what they said about me. The three different compounds had three different theories.
"I suspect she's taken a liking to one of her suitors." A more optimistic elder had ventured a quiet guess as I walked about of the room. It was almost laughable to hear how optimistic the woman sounded. If that was the case, that this woman's suspicions were correct, my father would be very pleased. He had been looking for an acceptable suitor for some time now. However, all of the eligible men who entered the compound seeking my hand in marriage were rejected for one of three reasons. Hiashi-sama may not have thought the man's achievements were outstanding enough to marry into the Hyuuga family. In the case that the man passed the first test, the elder's would consult an astrologist to see if our signs and typology aligned. But more often than not, the suitor would be rejected by Hanabi. She maintained final say as potential head of the house and if she didn't deem the suitor fit, then he wouldn't marry me. I was thankful Hanabi was picky in this regard for it granted me a few extra years.
The branch house had a completely different theory on my enthusiasm.
"She knows she's doomed." Neji said in a low voice to another member of the branch house as I passed by smiling to myself. His theory was that I finally accepted the misery that was my future and the hellish vision muddled my brain. I wasn't truly happy but in a delusional stupor and perhaps they were right.
Finally, it was the servants who recognized the truth.
"Poor girl," I heard them saying as a sauntered through their quarters. "She fell in love."
"No!" A particularly old and bashful woman shook her head in shock. The first maid, younger in years but still old enough to be my own grandmother, waved her hands about.
"I'm telling you she fell in love with someone. All the signs are there! Don't you recall being in love? She laughs when no one is near and just look at the way she holds herself. Her head is in the clouds!" The maid pressed her point by jabbing a finger into the chest of the second woman.
"If she is, as you say, in love….it won't end well. Poor thing." The older one said with a sigh as she folded white linens.
"Poor thing." The first repeated.
My heart gave out.
Poor thing.
Naruto P.O.V.
"Isn't life such a beautiful thing?" I shouted as I slung an arm around Jiraiya's shoulder. He gave me with a questioning look as we walked back from an early morning practice. I felt alive and spirited after hours of rigorous training.
"The sunrise looks beautiful! The wind feel so good! Everything just seems so amazing." I sighed putting all of my weight onto the old pervert. He pushed me off and allowed me to fall onto the ground. It took me a few seconds to stand back up because part of me would have just laid there.
"Naruto," He began, "why are you acting so strange?"
I gave him a quizzical look.
"Strange?"
"You seem a bit….different. What exactly is it you've been doing during the day?"
I sighed as we stepped in front of the apartment door.
"Just hanging out with a friend." I said vaguely. Jiraiya gave me a knowing smile as he closed the door behind me. I ignored him and rushed over to the kitchen and began drinking the carton of milk in the fridge.
"So it's a girl?" He shot a wolfish grin. Jiraiya dropped his equipment bag and move towards the door. "Use protection."
Before the carton could make contact with his head, he had vanished behind the green door. Instead milk splattered across the floor.
"Pervert." I mumbled and threw a dish towel over the spill. Stupid Sensei. I hope those whores steal his clothes. My relationship with Hinata wasn't like that. We were just friends and besides I liked Sakura. But I wasn't going to let his comment ruin my day. I grabbed my jacket and went to the mirror to get one last look at myself before leaving.
"Looking good Naruto!" I winked at my reflection. A huge smirk played on my face. Suddenly a memory of Sasuke flooded into my brain. Idiot he used to respond whenever I did this. I shook the thought from my head closing the door behind me.
I walked down the street taking notice of new tents and stalls that had popped up in the last few days. I thought to stop and look for a necklace or dress for Hinata, anything to make me seem less useless. Hinata had a vicious habit of buying me whatever item my eyes had lingered a little too long on. Almost like a reflex she would grab the product and buy it before I could protest. The small compartment under my bed was quickly filling up with new kunai or toys.
She would try to do the same for Tenten but years of practice made her skilled in the art of thwarting Hinata's advances. Bunhead was skilled at persuading Hinata away from the stall but how she did it I could never understand. Hinata would stare up at us with innocent eyes that screamed 'I need to buy this for you'. It was almost as if I were taking some sort of joy away by saying no. I couldn't say no. Not when those pearly lavender pupils lit up when I tried on a stupid yellow band or some lame necklace. So I let her shower me with presents as I stood there like a buffoon.
I wanted to give her a present that she wouldn't be able to refuse but would absolutely love and cherish. Something that would make up for the multiple frog figurines littered across my apartment.
I wanted to stop and pick something up but the bell chimes rang and I knew I was late again. Hinata wouldn't care because she was the most patient woman in the world. It was Tenten that frightened me. She acted like an older sister to Hinata. I respected her, I suppose, but she scared the shit out of me.
I hurriedly raced through the crowd when I saw Hinata and Tenten. Hinata was having a chat with apple man, whose name I still didn't know, and Tenten was flirting shamelessly with the many guys crowded around her.
"It's their company that appeals to me. Not them." Bun Head scoffed when I told her to stop being such a player. The hoard of men scrambled away, some even daring to glare at me. I ignored it.
"Jeez why don't you just pick a guy already? Unless you already have a boyfriend?" I gave her a smirk. She turned to Hinata and asked her why she was able to stand my voice. Though she evaded the question, I knew there was an answer. However something kept Tenten from saying anything about her personal life. When I asked Hinata about it she told me Tenten had always been that way, even keeping detail of her life from Hinata.
"Sh-She r-r-refuses to speak anym-m-more on the subject," was all Hinata could say.
The apple stall man threw an apple my way. I caught it with minimal effort. Grinning, I took a chunk out of it. The beefy vendor snickered and gave a thumbs up indicating it was on him. I mimicked to show my thanks. He always had the best apples. There wasn't an apple on earth that was sweeter and crunchier than these. It was almost as if God himself had blessed this guy as 'Apple Guy' and all the apples he grew had magic in it.
We took the same streets we always took. Occasionally we'd watch a performance or I'd talk to someone I just met for the fun of it. This time Hinata was greeted by someone she knew. A guy who looked to be in his late thirties. Tenten almost growled as she quickly stood beside Hinata. Although her face was calm I could see the tension in the Hyuuga's eyes. I know I should have taken to her other side the way Tenten had but something caught my eyes. A small blue pendant, barely bigger than my thumb, attached to a silver chain was being sold at a kiosk. Immediately I knew it was the perfect necklace to give to Hinata. The blue would compliment her ivory skin and the silver matched her cool tone. I tapped Tenten's shoulder and whispered to Hinata I would be right back. She looked slightly frightened but nodded in understanding. I rushed over to the stall and hastily asked for how much it cost.
"Well I'm not sure you can afford this." He analyzed me. I growled in impatience and grabbed all the cash in my pocket. Since I hadn't paid for any of my expenses thus far, I had saved quite a few coins.
"Is this enough?" I shoved the money into his hands and the shopkeeper took his sweet time flipping through all the coins making sure none of the bills were counterfeit. Finally he nodded and handed me my change. I grabbed the locket and turned to leave. A few feet away I saw Hinata without Tenten by her side looking extremely uncomfortable. The man looked lecherous and was moving ever so slowly towards her, closing the gap between them. I rushed to aid her.
Hinata P.O.V.
This man wouldn't stop talking and I was scared beyond anything. The man in front of me was one of my suitors who had been rejected. We were in broad daylight and I knew he could do no harm. But the fear was still there. He had approached me with only the intention to greet me but I could see past his shallow claims. In truth, he wanted an explanation why he wasn't good enough for the Hyuuga princess. He was commenting on the weather or something of the sort when Tenten left for practice. He grinned as she moved out of earshot.
"H-How is y-your m-m-mother doing, I-Izuka-san?" I asked quietly. He purred.
"You're very beautiful when you're shy. Why don't you look at me when you talk? Maybe if you had taken a better look then we would be married by now." He reached out to grab my face. I would have backed up if it was not for the arm that arrived from thin air. Naruto-kun had stopped the man's hands before they could touch me. Izuka stared bewildered at Naruto.
"How dare you lay a finger on me." He shrieked.
"I cannot allow you to touch Hinata-sama." Naruto said sternly though I could see a small grin tug at the corners of his mouth.
"It would be unwise to touch a lady so indecently in broad daylight. As you may understand, I'm only looking out for the women in my community." Naruto said with mock respect. Clearly he could tell the man in front of us was no ordinary individual. I was thankful Naruto had chosen a more tactful, and admittedly surprising, approach to handling the delicate situation.
Izuka's face turned red then pink. He clenched his teeth and forced his mouth into a fake smile.
"Of course. I bid you farewell Hinata-sama." He spat. As he walked away Naruto-kun guided me away from the scene, still in a serious character. Once we were out of sight, we both started giggling. Well, I was giggling. Naruto-kun on the other hand was howling, almost rolling on the floor.
"Did ya see the look on his face?! Priceless." He composed himself and looked at me seriously. "I'm sorry Hinata. I can't believe I ditched you like that." He was beating himself up over me and I could not let that happen. This was the second time he had valiantly come to my rescue but I was not sure what to do. I grabbed his hand. My face, I was sure, was brighter than ever but it was comforting to see a similar shade of pink spread across his own face.
"Thank you." It was all I needed to say. He gripped my hand.
"No problem." He gave me a wolf like smile that showed all his teeth. My heart was racing. My mind was confused. My other hand began to tremble. Friends did this right? They held hands like a brother and sister would. Before I had a chance to sort out my feelings something strange happened.
Without warning, a blur flashed before my eyes. In an instant Naruto had disappeared and I was left alone in the bazaar.
"N-Naruto-kun?" I cried out. "N-N-Naruto-k-kun?!" It was useless. I stood there in shock for a few minutes before racing through the streets calling his name. I didn't care how much attention I had brought to myself, I was panicked. Where had he gone? Was he safe? What had happened? It wasn't until 4 hours later that I convinced myself to go back to the compound knowing that my father would send out men to find me if I didn't return.
Dragging myself through the compound gates I knew the guards must have seen a pitiful eyesore but I didn't care. I went to my room and laid on my bed for the rest of the evening refusing to attend dinner, weeping silently into my pillow.
Naruto P.O.V.
One minute I was holding hands with Hinata trying to comprehend the strange shock I felt at her touch. Then suddenly I'm over Jiraiya's shoulders as he's speedily carrying me towards our apartment. Before I could protest, I was thrown hard onto the floor. Slowly getting up, I tried to respond but before I could I was hailed with a barrage of shouts.
"NARUTO, HOW DARE YOU! HAVE YOU GONE INSANE?! WHAT IN THE WORLD WERE YOU THINKING MINGLING WITH A ROYAL?! I CAME UP HERE TO TEACH YOU AND THIS IS WHAT YOU DO? JEOPARDIZE YOUR LIFE?!" He was mad. Beyond mad, he was seething. I could see his face turn scarlet.
"What the hell did I do?!" I retorted. Jiraiya squatted until we were at eye level. The position was meant to intimidate and intimidate it did.
"What did you do?" He said with venom in his voice. "You made friends with that-that girl!" He slapped me callously on the head. My skull hit the floor again.
"What the-How can you-what do you mean by 'that girl'?!" I screamed back at him, once again pushing myself off of the floor. "What did she ever do to you." I growled angrily. Jiraiya's face was going back to its original color.
"Let's be civil, Naruto." He said through gritted teeth.
"Look who's talking." I glared at him
"Naruto." Jiraiya frustratedly sighed. "Talking to a noble is a taboo for you. No one else knows you're here to find Sasuke. That's not even the problem. What's more important is that the nine tailed fox is in you. If word got out you'd be shunned again. You think all these people accept you as the demon boy? They hardly remember how you look. You're safe here until your Hyuuga friend tells the world about what a freak you really are."
This time I had nothing to say. No retorts or comebacks. Instead I just sat there silently taking time to process what he had said.
"A noble?" I whispered.
"Yes Naruto. That girl belongs to a family that dates back to hundreds of years ago. They are among the elite of this nation, the top 1%. Her life is worth a thousand of yours and the Hyuuga do not take kindly to a commoner, especially a demon, interacting with their heiress."
Heiress. Hyuuga. Demon.
"I didn't tell her. I didn't tell her about the nine-tails at all. I told her nothing about my past, I mean, she doesn't even know about Sasuke." I let out surprised at the cracks in my voice. It wasn't until that very moment when I realized that I knew nothing about Hinata and she knew nothing about me. We had spent almost every day together and knew so little about one another. What was her past? What was her family like? Did she have a brother or sister? She didn't even know I was the demon boy. What would she say?
"I'll tell her everything. She's my friend and she has a right to know. Hinata would never judge me!" I roared at him in defiance. As if I was tied to shackles, my body refused to move an inch closer. Jiraiya's aura was enough to keep me in place.
"Naruto! Do you hear yourself? Do you hear the way you say her name? She's clearly more than your friend. Much more and you're fooling yourself. Besides, she can't give you friendship…. or love." He said softly. My eyes displayed the shock I felt. Love? What was he talking about? Hinata was only a friend.
"It doesn't matter! This is the first time in a long time someone has ACTUALLY cared about me. I'm going to be honest and I'm going to tell her!" I snarled. Jiraiya's face tensed his expression becoming darker.
"WHY ARE YOU HERE NARUTO?!" Ero-sennin said in a business like tone. "You're here to bring back Sasuke. Why is it that this girl had suddenly become a priority over the life of your best friend. As a noble, she knows that her time with you is short lived. The moment her family figures out you're with their heiress, they will HUNT. YOU. DOWN. The Hyuuga are an unforgiving family of cold blooded killers. They are not cruel but they're not people who will let the HEIRESS mingle with commoners." Heiress. Something stabbed me in the back. It kept hitting me. All this time I had been with her I knew so little. Heiress. She never told me she was the heiress. We both had our share of history and secrets that never came up. Why ruin a perfectly good day with depressing talk? Heiress.
"Naruto. I had a friend who was royal. This first Hokage's very own granddaughter. She was all I could ever ask for and more." His face hid a sad smile. "But as a royal she had certain duties to attend to and I wasn't one of them. Slowly I faded out of her life and she did mine. But the stakes are higher for you. Are you willing to give up on Sasuke to please a woman you've known for less than a month?" Before I could respond he added a comment that was like a chidori to the heart.
"If not for Sasuke and if not for yourself, think about her. Somewhere down your path, you will have to leave this place to find Sasuke. When the time comes for you to part, when you have to battle Sasuke, can you say goodbye and break her heart like that? I don't mean to imply that she loves you or that you love her. But could you be able to complete your mission knowing you would be leaving your friend, possibly for good? Knowing very well that she'll be crumbling inside knowing she may never see you again. Make the pain end before it begins. Let her gradually get over you now while the relationship is still small." Jiraiya patted me on the shoulder. He had an understanding look in his eyes the look of someone who had been through it before.
"I-I could do both! I'll still train. I won't let her come first. I promise to prioritize my mission. I just want to see her." My voice tried to remain confident but he could hear the plea. Jiraiya stiffened.
"If that's how you're going to play it then very well. But I promise you that if you take one step to go meet her I will drop you as my pupil. You can kiss your comrades goodbye." He was serious. He wasn't bluffing. I could tell that he would really leave without hesitation and it broke me. Finally I found someone who I knew wouldn't care if I was a fox or an orphan. I found someone who accepted me and laughed at my jokes even if they weren't funny. I made a friend who didn't look down on me and wouldn't leave me. Someone I could count on. Someone who was expecting me that next morning.
Someone who would worry for me.
I realize my face was in my hands, knees to the floor. I wasn't crying. I was just….
"Poor kid." Jiraiya whispered as he left.
Poor kid was right. That was all I was ever going to be. Poor kid.
A/N: Wow that was saaaad. But you know what's even more sad. Not leaving me a review.
-AC