AN: This is likely to be rendered AU by next chapter, but perhaps it'll tide some of the more anxious Naruto/Hinata fans over. I'll try my best, everyone. Also—spoilers ahead.
Catharsis
A golden orange haze had settled into the sky, just allowing for enough light to reveal the remainder of what was once Konohagakure.
Despite the hue being of his favorite color, there was no sign of peace upon the face of the lone ninja sitting atop the Hokage monument—seemingly the only part of the village that remained untouched. Naruto closed his eyes in another failed attempt to calm down. He had thought sitting atop his father's stone head would give him some reprieve, but he fell into restless anger once more.
Danzou had been named Hokage by the Daimyo of Fire country.
'No—he stole the title from Tsunade-baachan!'
Once again, Naruto's right fist slammed against the rock slab and chipped another part of his father's hair away. No matter how he tried, the joy and relief he felt at seeing the lives of the villagers restored was brought to a somber standstill as he learned of Tsunade's current state, and that she had been robbed of her position while in service of the village.
To make matters worse, her position was taken by one of the very roots that started the whole vendetta against their home by Nagato, and his team. The minute he learned of this outrage, he tried to protest before Shikaku Nara intervened.
"Not now,' he had said, eyes darting from side to side suspiciously. 'I know how you feel, Naruto, but now is not the time. We must assess the situation stealthily—let me handle that for now. You've done more than enough for right now…get some rest before we come back to this," the elder Nara suggested with a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.
Naruto could almost feel the familiar boil of blood that was usually reserved for the procession of the Nine-tailed beast within him—the events of the last forty eight hours tore incessantly at the boy, as he tried and failed to process it all coherently; Fear, rage, shock, relief, joy…he had experienced almost the entire emotional spectrum within a short amount of time, yet never had enough to process it thoroughly, resulting in an adrenaline rush that just served to power a rather massive migraine.
'I feel like something…no, many things are trying to burst out of me and they're all stuck! I swear, if one more thing goes wrong, I'm gonna--!'
...
At that moment, however, his thoughts seemed to pause. Someone had just barely caught his eye—and despite his mental exhaustion, he found it impossible to overlook the small figure just stepping out of one of the many medical tents.
Hinata sighed in relief and brushed her jacket absentmindedly. Though the village was currently in ruins, she found some comfort in the relatively unscathed Hokage monument.
Then she spotted the blonde sitting atop the head of the Fourth Hokage, knowing all too well who it was. Instinctively, she activated her Byakugan, concern welling up within her for the boy she loved so dearly.
Then she gave a start as he did something unexpected—it seems he knew she was looking at him, for he smiled and waved as he stood up. The Hyuuga heiress returned the gesture, slightly abashed. Looking at him again, she saw him making gestures as if to say 'give me a minute'—he began making his way down towards her. Hinata met him half-way, at the bottom of the monument.
"Naruto-kun, you must be exhausted—I would have come to you…if…if you wanted company, that is...,' said the girl, fighting back the warmth that always leapt to her face in his presence. She was understandably anxious now that her longest kept secret had been made known to him, but she was determined to keep her voice from wavering in front of him.
Naruto took a few deep breaths and held a hand to his temple for a moment before answering her.
"No, Hinata—this time, I definitely want to come to you, so—"
"Naruto-kun!" He had stumbled slightly, the pain in his head pulsating with white-hot intensity. She had caught him before he had fallen to one knee.
"Naruto-kun…let's get to a medical ten—"
"I'm ok, Hinata. Really, I—" Naruto interrupted.
"But you're in pain, Naruto-kun," Hinata interrupted in turn, placing a cool hand on his forehead. While the touch was welcome to his hot head, Naruto inwardly groaned—this was not what he had in mind. He placed a hand firmly on her shoulder and looked her in the eyes.
"Hinata…I really want to talk to you right now. I swear I'll do whatever you ask me to after, but I need to talk with you now." He was very serious; Hinata could tell there was no arguing with him on this, especially after he had been silenced on another very important issue. She frowned as she recalled the news of the new Hokage with distaste, but nodded to the boy looking so intently at her. Even now, she felt the color surfacing to her cheeks, and swallowed determinedly.
"I understand—but you must get yourself taken care of afterward, Naruto-kun. You've been through so much recently…" Naruto smirked and gave a hollow laugh as she put his arm around her shoulders in an attempt to seat him somewhere comfortable.
"Not here—up there,' he said, pointing back towards the top of the monument. '--I don't want any chance of someone interrupting us,' he explained. Hinata could feel her anxiety build, but proceeded to help him up the stone steps.
As she eased him into a comfortable sitting position, she seated herself about a foot away and waited while Naruto tried to steady the throbbing in his head.
Taking a deep breath, Naruto opened his eyes and got a good look at the girl sitting beside him; from the indigo lock of hair she tucked behind her ear, the worried expression in those pale moon-like eyes…
…the dark red stains across the front of her jacket. With a swell of pain, Naruto felt his heart pound against the underside of his ribcage.
'…because I love you, Naruto-kun…'
A hoarse chuckle escaped his throat as he attempted to grab his heart and force it still. Hinata's concern only increased.
"Naruto-kun…?"
"It's funny,' he said, not believing himself, 'I was so surprised…so happy to hear you say that. And at the same time, that was easily one of the most terrifying moments of my life." He had stopped laughing, though his pained smile remained. Hinata looked down apologetically.
"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun…that was not my intention…I just had to,' she trailed off, looking into those blue, blue eyes where it was evident that he understood her all too well.
"Hinata…why me? I heard what you said, but I didn't even know that I…you..." Naruto felt his hands ball into fists, frustration pounding in his ears. Hinata gently placed a hand over his fist, squeezing ever so slightly. He looked up into her eyes guiltily.
"How can you love some idiot like me, that didn't even see you for so long!? How can I have helped you become the amazing person you are when I wasn't even aware you were there? I'm not brilliant or talented—I don't really know anything except how to be loud and—!"
Hinata, feeling bolder than she had since she received her battle wound, wordlessly placed her fingertips over the harsh self-criticisms pouring from the boy's mouth.
"I am who I am today, because you were you, Naruto-kun. That is all you have ever needed to be…I just wish…I wish I had been able to face you and say it a long time ago. Don't blame yourself for not noticing me before—at that time…I didn't feel…that I was worth noticing,' Hinata could practically see the protest in Naruto's mind as it tried to make it out through his mouth.
'But you made me want to try—so I did. I kept trying…and hoping that one day, I could tell you everything you needed to hear…and that it would…have meaning," she finished, flattening her palms over the stone surface.
"Hinata…it means a lot. It means so much…you have no idea,' Naruto answered her, feeling a peculiar fluttering in his abdomen. For just a moment, they sat there, smiling at each other and reveling in the inner warmth that each inspired of the other. Naruto then looked down at his hands awkwardly.
"Shit."
"Hm?" Hinata's face twitched visibly, stirred by the sudden broken silence. Naruto looked at her apologetically before explaining.
"I-I just…I feel stupid right now. I demanded that we talk, but I don't even know what to say. I'm worried I'll just mess it up somehow," he explained, running a hand through his disheveled blonde hair. Hinata nodded understandingly.
"Naruto-kun, please allow me to explain myself,' started the kunoichi, folding her hands in a bracing manner. Naruto raised an eyebrow and waited for her to continue.
"When I told you…everything…I did it because I wanted you to know it. I…I didn't tell you because I wanted an answer. I don't even expect you to have one right away, and you've already given me so much, it would be greedy to ask for more—"
"Hinata, that's not—"
"Please…please let me finish first, Naruto-kun,' Hinata took a steadying breath. 'I told you that I love you because you deserve to know; Nothing more than that." There was a meaningful silence before Naruto murmured a question.
"How long…?" A shy smile tugged at the corner of Hinata's lips.
"I'm…not exactly sure…I mean, it just sort of…evolved over the years—'
"Years…?" Naruto whispered, forcing down feelings of guilt over his ignorance. Hinata turned her face towards him with a genuine smile.
"Yes…years. I've been a coward that long…" Naruto swallowed thickly as Hinata considered her next words.
"I have always had this intense feeling when I looked at you back before we became Genin…but I think I realized it for what it was around the time of the Chuunin exams." Naruto's memory recalled that particular ordeal, and he grinned.
"When I beat up Neji for you? I have to admit, I did look pretty cool—," he grinned, remembering that particularly satisfying victory.
"A-actually, I didn't get to see all of your fight with Neji-niisan…I passed out from a minor relapse," Hinata admitted, slightly guilty. Naruto raised a perplex eyebrow.
"You did…? But then…when?"
"At the training grounds just before your fight with Neji-niisan…it was the first time I was able to say what I wanted-- to encourage you…and you didn't brush it aside. That was when I knew that even this small, insignificant me can do something worthwhile. A-and then you said…that people like me—"
"I could really like…" Naruto repeated for her, causing her to blush warmly.
"I know it wasn't a declaration or anything like that, but for me—it was more than I had hoped for," Hinata explained, gripping the hemline of her jacket and looking away.
Naruto could feel his heartbeat increasing with every passing realization, yet it did not bring the throbbing pain that it did before. He continued to stare at Hinata, not blinking for even a second; the gravity of it all had hit him.
She loved him before he had achieved anything worthwhile, maybe even before he had won any fights! Hinata—Hyuuga Hinata, heiress to the prestigious Hyuuga clan, had loved him--Naruto the orphan; Naruto, the Kyuubi vessel; Naruto, the one no one wanted.
…
'Guess that last one wasn't so true after all.' Naruto smiled, somehow feeling lighter. Hinata tilted her head up at him slightly, curious at his expression. His eyes met hers, and his smile grew into an all out grin.
"Geez, Hinata…you really know how to lift a guy's spirits, you know that?" She colored pleasantly and brought her knees up to rest her head upon them.
"I like to do what I can, Naruto-kun," she replied, closing her eyes in a contented sigh. Naruto's grin faded slightly as he then sat back and thought about everything that was going on.
"Hinata…I really want to have an answer for you, but I…there is so much happening all at once. Konoha is rubble…Tsunade-baachan is in a coma and that…that bastard Danzou has stolen her title—! "Naruto broke off here, seeing Hinata's usually kind eyes flash and narrow at Danzou's name; if the situation was different, he would have smirked at her unexpected but wholly appropriate response.
"The rest of the Akatsuki are still out there—they'll come again; and then there is…" he trailed off, eyes closing as he sighed. Hinata's gaze softened and she reached for his hand once more.
"Sasuke-kun…" she filled in his unfinished thought. Blue eyes met pale grey, and Naruto nodded.
"I understand, Naruto-kun…and I agree. There really is just too much going on right now; as shinobi of Konoha, we have our responsibilities to take care of. Especially with our new…Tsunade-sama's stand-in—' here, Naruto did smirk. Even polite Hinata had her limits, it seemed; '—Konoha will require all of us if it is to ever be restored…in any case, I really did mean it when I told you that I never expected an answer. I'm grateful to you, Naruto-kun, so I—"
"That's not enough, Hinata. You deserve more than that!" Hinata was taken aback by the passion in his voice. Naruto could feel his pulse in his ears.
"I…I just…don't have one for you yet. I...I don't know how I feel about you, Hinata…"
Hinata looked down instinctively, bracing herself. She was not expecting the rough, callused fingertips to tilt her chin up, however, and she found herself looking up past the whisker-like birthmarks into impossibly blue eyes.
"But I know I feel something,' Naruto continued, determined to finish a thought. He may not have had a definite answer, but he could at least show what he had so far.
"Look, Hinata…this feeling…whatever it is, I'm not familiar with it--but I know it's important and I'm afraid of messing up somehow. I may not have an answer right now, but I swear when I figure this out, I'll definitely show you!"
Hinata squeaked, falling back on her palm. Naruto's exuberant speech had ended with him practically looming over her petite form. Seeing this, he straightened and sat back, mumbling an embarrassed apology. Taking a deep breath, Hinata found herself almost giggling—but she halted herself in time.
"I understand perfectly…it took me a long time to understand my feelings as well. When you have your answer, I'll definitely be waiting to hear it." Naruto finally let out a long, relieved breath.
"You're the best, Hinata,' he beamed happily; glad to have finally cleared the air for now. Then his eyes took on a serious glint. Hinata blinked at the sudden change.
"Naruto-kun?"
"Now let me tell you the things I do know—Hinata, the things you say and do have always meant something. You matter; Always have, always will—and anyone who doesn't see that is a real fool!"
Hinata felt her heart skip several beats as Naruto wore an expression that dared anyone to disagree with him.
"There's more than that…I want to be there for you, Hinata! I mean really there—the way you have been for me. Only this time, we'll know we're there for each other—that's a promise!"
Tears welled up in the Hyuuga girl's eyes, and she held a hand to her rapidly beating heart.
"Naruto-kun…Naruto-kun…sorry, I…I don't mean to make a scene like this, but no one has ever…I'm just so..!" Hinata tried to apologize as tears spilt over, trailing down her smiling face. Naruto brushed a few stray tears from her cheeks and weaved his arms around her.
"It's ok, Hinata—it's not the reaction I was going for, but I get it."
The sniffling girl leaned back, wiping her eyes and smiling at the boy, who returned her shy expression with his own beaming grin. In that moment, they were able to forget about the destruction that lay around them, the troubles that were to come—and a part of their painful pasts.
The moment eventually did pass, as they all do, and the pair sat apart once more as they surveyed the damage of their beloved village. While they were grateful that those who perished in the initial attack were miraculously returned, it did not change the fact that the village was destroyed. The academy where they had studied hand seals for hours, or in Naruto's case, where he had snuck out and played hooky on numerous occasions—gone. The training grounds where they had honed their skills to pass the academy exam to become beginner level ninja and all the memories that went with it—reduced to mass wreckage and debris. Not even the public bathhouse had been left unscathed, and with a pang of guilt, Naruto simply knew that his late Mentor would probably have lamented this loss more than the rest.
The sound of his shaky breath as he inhaled alerted Hinata to Naruto's inner distress before he even realized he had let the sounds escape him. The breathy shudders became hoarse laughter, and Naruto shut his eyes painfully tight. Hinata watched him tentatively, gauging his emotions.
"What is it, Naruto-kun?"
With his eyes shut tightly, he cemented his grin and turned to answer her.
"Oh, I was just thinking of Ero-sennin and how he'd react to the destroyed bath houses down there—he'd probably say something like 'Aww no, how will I conduct my research now!?' and then set up a scope by some cliff overhanging the river, hahaha! "
The Byakugan wasn't even needed to tell Naruto was starting to break. Hinata swallowed carefully and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. She could feel him shaking as though it was from hearty laughter, but she knew better.
"I think I remember seeing him on the hill with a telescope while I was at the bath once or twice with the others—but I didn't say anything because Tsunade-sama was there at the time,' Hinata said with a fond smile. ' I remember actually feeling torn about this because I wanted to warn the others, but I didn't want Tsunade-sama to hurt him either…and she was getting a bit inebriated at the time, so I don't know if she would have held back…"
"Hah! You were right to worry—Old Granny Tsunade packs a punch, even when she's not serious!" Naruto covered his eyes with his hand and continued to laugh, though the tears revealed themselves anyway. Hinata could feel her own heart tighten as she watched him attempt to hide his pain. She paused before speaking again.
"It's hard to believe all this happened in such a short time, isn't it?"
Naruto's grin receded to a wry smile. Hinata took another breath, squeezing the hand upon his shoulder gently.
"There has barely been any time to even react to it all…' she continued, watching him intently.
"Heh…no kidding…" Naruto said reluctantly, trying to disguise the choking in his voice. Hinata bit her lip.
"It's a bit overwhelming when the gravity of it all catches up though, isn't it…Naruto-kun?"
Naruto's breath caught in his throat when he felt a delicate hand on his face, collecting the tears that betrayed his façade. Another equally delicate hand pried away his own from his face, and Naruto shut his eyes even tighter.
"But perhaps that is why people look to others in times of great crisis…the weight doesn't disappear, but the burden is made lighter with many people supporting it…and maybe that is why people are able to move forward…right, Naruto-kun?"
Naruto hesitantly opened his eyes, keeping them hard and unrelenting in their gaze. However, the moment his fierce blue eyes found her pale grey eyes, so calm and inviting with a tinge of subtle sadness, the dam of his frustrations began to crumble and seep through the cracks.
Soon, he completely fell into Hinata's embrace, barreling his way through every pent up ounce of sorrow, grief, fear and rage at all that had conspired in the last few days. Once he had mostly worked his way through the grittier emotions, the overwhelming relief took hold and he tightened his embrace around Hinata's middle subconsciously—but if he caused her discomfort, she never let on. The kind-hearted heiress merely shed quiet tears of her own and continued to stroke the messy blonde hair in a soothing manner until his ragged breathing began to slow and become even in its pacing.
…
When Naruto awoke, it was about mid-evening if the inky blue sky above were any indication. What surprised him, however, was not the peaceful sky above him, but rather the long dark tendrils of silky hair that danced around his face. He angled his head further back and found Hinata smiling at him in her gentle way.
"H-Hinata…" She smiled and gathered her hair away from his face to keep from tickling him.
"Do you feel a little better, Naruto-kun?" she asked earnestly, as he sat up carefully. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he inhaled deeply.
"…Yeah...I think I do, actually,' he concluded, somewhat amazed. Naruto tilted his head at the girl as she gave a smile of relief, curious if she had somehow magicked the tension out of his body. However, all he could see was her gentle smile, seemingly meant just for him—and he realized that somehow, that simple gesture held all the comfort of the softest fleece.
Finally, a genuine smile broke from Naruto's face as he pondered the last few hours—he had been trying for hours before to clear his mind and regain his bearings only to be distracted by Hinata's emergence from a medical tent—and somehow, in the wake of their discussion, Hinata had coaxed out his constrained emotions and released his resulting anxiety with only her kind, honest heart as her guide. She had even let him sleep comfortably upon her lap after his catharsis had ebbed, only to greet him warmly as he re-entered consciousness.
Oh, and how light he felt! Not enough to fly off the Hokage monument, perhaps, but maybe enough to glide lightly down? Now he was giddy with relief as he opened his mouth to tell Hinata how amazing she was—
Groooooooaaaaaarrrrrwwwwllllllllll~
--but his stomach beat him to the punch. Losing her calm composure, Hinata began to giggle slightly, eventually becoming bent over in laughter. Blushing slightly, Naruto scratched his head and stood up.
"Well…it has been a while since I had any food…oh man, what I wouldn't give for a bowl at Ichiraku's!" he moaned dramatically. Hinata stood and brushed her pants off with a knowing smile.
"You're in luck, Naruto-kun. Yamato-sensei was thinking of you when he set up shelters," she explained, leading the way down the monument. Naruto sped up after her.
"SERIOUSLY?! Oh man, Hinata, you are a godsend—where?!" he exclaimed, scooping her up and leaping down to the bottom of the monument. Standing her upright again, she hid her laughter behind her hand and led the way. They chatted about what parts of the village had been restored and who was in charge of each area until they were nearing the new makeshift stand.
Old man Teuchi caught sight of them and waved them over. Naruto waved back in his own enthusiastic manner. He glanced back at the monument once more, noting each Hokage with respect…and letting his gaze linger on the Fourth Hokage; his father.
Turning back around, he found Hinata tilting her head at him, slightly concerned that he'd look anywhere but his beloved ramen stand when he was starving—but Naruto merely shrugged at her reassuringly.
"It's nothing, Hinata…I'm just feeling my usual optimism returning!" explained the blonde ninja with his Cheshire grin. Hinata nodded.
"I hear Ichiraku's ramen will do that for a person. I'm glad to hear it, Naruto-kun." Naruto smiled and whispered conspiratorially into her ear.
"Ichiraku's ramen isn't the only one with that amazing ability—Thank you, Hinata." She blushed at the praise, and Naruto felt pleasantly warm inside. He took her hand and advanced towards the stall with his standard first bowl waiting for him.
"Come on, Hinata, let's eat! After that, I got something really cool I want to tell you…!"
And so they sprinted forward.
'Their problems and worries had not vanished, and they were aware that the next day could bring more bad news—but they strode forward regardless, confident that whatever lay ahead was no match for the solace they provided each other.
That was enough to keep smiling.
End
Wow. This took me ten pages? Holy shit. Well, if you're reading this, I commend you for your tenacity. Let's hope the canon discussion is better than that, right?
Regardless, I hope this story will help quell some antsy fans.