Sorry for not warning about the toxic levels of fluff last chapter. Ah yes by the way, there is a song that I simply could not get out of my head as I was writing that, "Moving Forward" by Hoobastank. I'm not going to put the words in because this is not a song fic. But that song quite accurately reflects how Naruto felt at the moment he left Konoha.
Disclaimer: Chapter one.
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Hinata woke the next day feeling wonderfully refreshed. Her hand immediately went up to trace the engraving on the necklace she had kept on while she slept. She felt like taking a shower but didn't want to part with her gift for some reason. So she opted to leave it on while she freshened up. After she got out of the shower she made sure to thoroughly dry the silver before drying the rest of her body and combing her hair. This took a while as her long tresses now fell all the way down to the small of her back.
Dressing in her normal black t-shirt, she pulled on capris that were so dark a purple so as to seem black and threw her jacket on over that. She left the bulky thing open in the front as it was quite warm inside the house. She walked out into the hall shutting the door to her room and headed toward the kitchen to get some breakfast. As she was passing her sister's room the door opened and out strode Hanabi. "Good morning, Nee-chan," the younger sister said looking a little tired from having just woken up. "Good morning, Hanabi-chan," Hinata replied, uncharacteristically happy as they walked together towards the kitchen. Her father's cold demeanor would not bring her down today. "Where'd you get the necklace, nee-chan?" Hanabi asked, causing Hinata to stop in her tracks, the younger Hyuuga walked a few steps before coming to a stop herself.
Hinata hadn't realized that the necklace was out for all to see, and quickly attempted to hide it beneath her shirt. Hanabi however had come up and quickly grabbed it to get a better look, "It is beautiful. So did a certain someone give this to you?" Hinata smiled at the compliment and nodded to answer the question. Hanabi knew about her relationship with Naruto and had kept it a secret all this time, which Hinata was grateful to her for doing so. Naruto had encouraged her to become closer with her sister since he didn't have any family and she shouldn't take it for granted.
Hinata had found that Hanabi, like herself, felt a lot of pressure to not fail the clan, and while she did not show it to the rest of the family it was tough to deal with. The only one she would show any form of weakness to was her big sister, who wholeheartedly accepted her despite the distance that had formed between them over the years. Hinata encouraged her little sister when the pressure became too much and was a welcome pillar of support when Hanabi needed it. Bottling one's emotions inside eventually could cause a person to fracture, Hinata had seen it with Hanabi and she knew that Naruto was doing the same. She resolved that she would demand that he explain why he was acting so distant to everyone else and trying to hide the pain she knew he felt. Hanabi giggled and released the necklace allowing Hinata to hide it, "I think he likes you." The elder sibling smiled at the younger, "So do I."
They started walking again and arrived at the kitchen in time for breakfast to be served. They ate in the customary silence that prevailed when sharing a table with their father. Hinata quickly finished her meal soon followed by Hanabi. Hinata sat and waited for a while, looking at the clock and imagining how the morning training between Naruto and Sasuke was going. She wondered when they would finish as she really wanted to see the blonde man. "Hanabi, would you like to spar for a bit?" Hinata asked while she cleaned her plate at the sink. "Sure," her little sister replied. Hiashi said nothing, but gave a small nod as they asked to take their leave of the dining table, but he noted that Hinata rarely asked Hanabi to spar with her. He wondered if something was going to happen today that Hinata needed to keep of her mind. He dismissed the thoughts as he mentally prepared himself for the day.
Making their way to the courtyard the two sisters stood around fifteen feet apart and bowed to each other before taking up the Juken stance they had been taught since they could walk. During their infrequent sparring sessions both tended to hold back, since direct hits could send the one struck to the hospital to recover. But with the power of their taijutsu style even a scratch could prove deadly. Sometimes however the two of them would really get into the bout and would both end up needing a stay at the hospital.
Hanabi charged forward to close the distance and struck out with her right palm aimed at her sister's abdomen, but Hinata dodged to the left and brought her right hand forward to attempt to hit her younger sister's right shoulder. Hanabi rolled away from the attack and struck out with her left and which was knocked away. Neither gained ground as the fight continued as the object of this exercise was not to kill, so other techniques weren't employed. Their agility and flexibility kept them out of harm's way as the battle seemed more like a dance than anything else.
Eventually they called the match a draw as they were breathing heavily and had earned a nice sheen of sweat from their exertions, despite the chill wind. Hiashi watched the conclusion of the match from an upstairs window with approval, neither of his daughters had any glaring problems with their technique. He saw them bow before heading inside to take a shower to get rid of the greasy feeling that accompanied sweat.
After her shower, Hinata sat on her bed and looked at the bouquet of flowers Naruto had given her the day before. Though they wouldn't last very long, the message they represented would remain. She turned to the flower pot next to the window and smiled. Each spring this exotic flower would bloom a deep purple that she adored. It had six petals three formed a shell around the stamen while the other three were set opposite those to hang down loosely though slightly out from the stem. He had called it an iris and it came from far to the west. As she thought on these gifts she wondered if Naruto would be done with his training soon. Sometimes the two of them, Sasuke and Naruto, would go on for hours, and they'd go to eat, utterly exhausted, at Ichiraku's Ramen. The noodles would give them the energy needed for the rest of the day.
She decided that she would go to their training field to determine if they were there, but she would swing by Ichiraku's first, to make sure they hadn't already finished. She felt as though yesterday hadn't been enough, despite spending most of the day with Naruto. She already missed being with him.
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Naruto looked over his shoulder, back to the west, and saw that the Hokage Mountain was no longer in view. He stopped on a branch and turned to face the trail behind him. Now that the mountain was out of sight he was truly gone. He had left his home, where he was accepted and loved and now faced a cold and indifferent world. He doubted he would ever return to see his friends, his adoptive family; which included Tsunade, Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Iruka; he might never see Hinata again. Solemnly and with great sadness he removed his forehead protector. He held the metal, running his thumb over the leaf symbol etching for a bit and then extended his hand out in front of him and prepared to drop it.
He paused, unable to let go, and though of the years this very item had been in its proper place, covering his forehead. He remembered receiving it from Iruka, fighting for it in the land of waves; his mind played over the hundreds of missions he had worn it on since then. With a sigh that regretted his weakness at being unable to let go of the past, he slipped the thing into his pack and began running again. He was determined to find the answers he knew he would be denied in Konoha before the beast within him killed him.
His momentary lapse in concentration had caused the fiery pain to return, reminding him of how dangerously close that time might be. He had put it off for as long as possible, attempting to savor every moment he had with those he loved, trying to make sure that they would be happy when he was no longer there. That was why he had nudged Sasuke towards Sakura, he was sure that together they would find happiness, even without their best friend around to help them. He also knew that his sudden departure would cause Hinata a lot of pain, but he could not allow her to see him at the moment where he either took his own life or the demon came free of him. The nightmares he had been having seemed to point towards either of those two conclusions, either death at his own hands to save others, or death at the hands of a demon that would wreak destruction on the world yet again.
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Sasuke had reported to the ANBU headquarters like instructed yesterday when he had been told that he was to be accepted into the ranks of the elite group. He stood in a dark room lit only by a single fluorescent light that gave the entire scene a pale sheen. There was a table next to a chair with armrests that had blood stains on them and he wondered if that chair had seen some peculiar uses in its time. On the table was the garb that all ANBU wore. A gray combat vest and black pants and black sandals made the cloth parts of the apparel. Gray bracers came next and normally he would also be issued a katana, but since he already had the Kusanagi they decided that he had actually saved them some money.
Twelve masks were lined up on the table each representing an animal from the zodiac. His eyes lingered on each as he was told to choose one. There was the rat, the ox, the tiger, the hare, the dragon, the serpent, Sasuke's lip curled in disgust but he said nothing as he continued to look down the line. Next was the horse, the sheep, the monkey, the hen, the dog, and finally the pig, but none of these called to him. He briefly considered choosing the dragon considering his penchant for using fire jutsus, but decided on the tiger since that was the sign that ended most of said jutsus.
Now he was told to sit in the chair while this shifty looking man came in bearing a case in his hand. Realizing what was to come, Sasuke bared his left arm to allow the tattooist to ply his trade. The man sat in a stool that had been provided and sterilized his needle before wiping the spot on Sasuke's arm where he would place the symbol with alcohol. 'Well he doesn't really look trustworthy, but at least he's a clean guy.' Sasuke thought as the man turned on the needle. Sasuke didn't flinch at the pain as the needle pierced his skin, but he did smirk. Naruto would be so jealous, he had finally one upped the blonde, though it had taken longer than truly necessary because he had had to prove his loyalty before being accepted. He knew how Naruto would react when he found out, which is why he didn't tell the blond about it yesterday.
Or, at least, he thought he knew. Naruto had become a different person over the past few months. He seemed like his old self when he was around Hinata at least, but any other time his ever present smile was decidedly missing. To the casual observer he was just being quiet and thoughtful, but to those who knew him, his silence and mood did not bode well. He wondered what Naruto would do without a sparring partner this morning as the tattooist rubbed away the blood with a white cloth revealing a black tattoo of the leaf symbol on the Uchiha's arm.
As he put his tiger mask over his face he nearly laughed when he realized the kick Naruto and Sakura would get out of his choice for a mask. He had dropped his forehead protector to hang around his neck so as not to block the mask he now wore. He would inevitably see Naruto later that day so he decided to go to the hospital to surprise Sakura.
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Tsunade was behind her desk quietly reading her paperwork when the door suddenly opened. In strode Sakura with a stack of folders in her arms, "Good morning, Tsunade-sama. Do you have anything you need me to do today?" The older woman looked up at her former apprentice before gesturing to a smaller pile of folders at the corner of the desk. Now that Sakura oversaw the hospital, Tsunade had an easier time running the village. She had much less paperwork, but still didn't feel like doing it and took every opportunity to avoid it. Perhaps she should get Naruto to come do her work under the guise of preparing him to take over. True it would help him to understand what would be required of him as the next Hokage, but she just wasn't as young as she used to be, or looked for that matter.
"There are a few injured genin coming back from a mission today, but it is nothing serious," Tsunade said before pausing over a memo. "Well as long as they're not dead it's not too bad of a disaster. What was the mission rank?" Sakura asked as she looked over the new files she had picked up from the desktop. "It was a C rank that got complicated," the Hokage replied absentmindedly. Sakura giggled lightly, "Yeah I know how that goes."
"Sakura," Tsunade started to get the young woman's attention. "Yes, Tsunade-sama?" "Did you know that Sasuke has been accepted into ANBU," she watched the Med Nin's reaction. "Really? That's great news," Sakura replied, beaming, as she closed the folder she had been looking through. His being accepted meant that he was forgiven for leaving without permission those years ago and that he was trusted despite several attempts on Naruto's life. Sakura turned and headed to the door, "Well, I have a long day ahead of me. Ja ne." The pink haired woman was out the door before Tsunade could begin to speak.
'That's funny, she didn't mention anything about Naruto being in line to become the next Hokage,' Tsunade thought, a little bewildered as that should have been the first thing out of Sakura's mouth when she came in. But she didn't have long to ponder it before Shizune strolled in carrying a stack of paperwork that needed attention. Tsunade sighed; she would definitely need to bring Naruto in to help her out.
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Sakura arrived at the hospital a short while later and handed a few files to a nurse while assigning med nin to each of the patients with instructions to wait for her approval before giving treatment. She walked down the sterile halls to her office and entered the neat room whose back wall was covered with bookshelves lined with texts on nearly every known medical condition. She opened a filing cabinet and put away those files she was already done with. She turned back towards her desk and came face to face with a tiger masked ANBU member. She jumped a little at first, but calmed quickly and went around the man. "Good morning, Sasuke," she said as she sat down behind her desk. "Huh? How did you know it was me?" Sasuke asked.
"There are only two people in this village who come into my office without permission and can sneak up on me, and only one of them is an ANBU member, while the other has vibrant blonde hair that lets you know who it is from a mile away," Sakura said hiding a triumphant smile behind a paper she was reading. Sakura then noticed the mask he was wearing and giggled, "The tiger huh? How original." Sasuke snorted in a way that sounded sort of like a laugh, "Yeah, but I haven't told anyone yet," Sasuke said sounding a little disappointed. Sakura raised an eyebrow at his tone, Sasuke never showed disappointment, "Have you told Naruto yet?" Sasuke lifted mask to rest on the top of his head, but would soon wish he hadn't, "No, I wanted to tell you first." Sasuke's eyes widened and a faint blush could be seen bedecking his cheeks. Sakura hid another smile behind the paper before coyly asking, "And why might that be, Sasuke-kun?"
The Uchiha opened his mouth to say something, but could not form any words, and was now horribly flushed. Sakura giggled at his reaction, "You don't need to answer that," She watched his face return to normal before adding, "But on one condition." Sasuke looked a little guarded at that moment, "What might that be, Sakura-chan," he asked mimicking her earlier words. Sakura smirked at him he became paler wondering what she had in mind. "You," she paused for dramatic effect, "Have to join me for lunch." Sasuke gasped, but soon processed what she had said and gave her a barely detectable smile, "Oh whatever shall I do?" He asked in a falsetto mimicking a damsel in distress. Sakura rolled her eyes, Naruto had rubbed off on him; "You'll be here at 11:30 if you know what's good for you."
Sasuke stood up and went to the door and opened it before looking back at the woman with a genuine smile, "You know, threatening someone is not a very good flirting tactic." He pulled down his mask and walked out of the room leaving a blushing Sakura behind. 'I wonder if he's going to show up,' she thought. She thought about his new role as an ANBU member and smiled, 'I hope he waits to tell Naruto. I want to see his face when he hears the news.' The medic nin checked over a few notes before heading off to do her rounds, unaware that one of her best friends was steadily getting farther away from home.
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Hinata had been by Ichiraku's where she was warmly greeted by the owner and his daughter, but was told that Naruto had not been by yet today. She passed by numerous people who complimented her necklace, which she had taken out as soon as she was out of the Hyuuga complex. She thanked them for their words and continued on her path to the training ground hoping to find the blonde. She walked amongst the soon to be bare trees and thought about the changing seasons. Winter was not her favorite season, but she did like snow, Naruto had told her on her birthday last year that she looked like a beautiful spirit when she stood out in the falling snow.
The three log posts of training area three came into view, but she did not see or hear anyone sparring in the immediate area. Concentrating her chakra, she activated her Byakuugan and searched out the area from where she stood. She found only forest animals, trees, and rocks. There wasn't a human being in sight. With a sigh of exasperation, she turned and headed back into town wondering if she somehow missed Naruto as he came back from training. As she was walking amongst the buildings of Konoha she felt and heard her stomach rumble. She just so happened to be near Ichiraku's again so she decided to stop in for lunch. She sat down and ordered miso ramen and waited for her order to be filled.
Ayame watched her silently while Teuchi prepared the meal. Hinata was feeling a little uncomfortable under the woman's gaze, and started when she was asked a question, "So, after all this time, you are no longer watching him from the shadows, but are holding him within the light?" Ayame wasn't telepathic but she was able to tell what was on Hinata's mind just by studying her face. Hinata nodded her head when Teuchi looked back to see what her answer would be, "Hai." Ayame leaned forward so that the conversation was just between them, "So, how has Naruto been since you two started going out?" Hinata would normally have found this to be a bit too personal a subject to talk about with someone who was a near perfect stranger, but she saw in the woman's eyes that she cared for Naruto as a big sister might. "He has been wonderful; he is always so kind to me. He shows me how to have fun even when I am alone. He cheers me up when I am sad or lonely. I feel warm when I am with him, even when it is cold. It is warmth that comes from within at the sight of his face, the sound of his voice, the touch of his hand." Hinata eyes had unfocused as she thought about the man she loved. "He inspires me."
Hinata snapped back to reality when a bowl of ramen was placed in front of her by Teuchi. He was smiling at her, but made no indication that he had heard what she had said. Regardless, Hinata was blushing furiously as she looked down at her meal and prepared to eat by saying, "Itadekimasu." Ayame came around the counter to sit next to her, "If I didn't know any better, I would say you're in love." Hinata quickly swallowed the bite she had just taken before looking at the smiling woman.
"You know, I've watched him grow up," Ayame said assuming a far off look. "Ever since the first day he came into this shop up until now." Hinata ate silently as the woman continued, but listened raptly to her words. "I wasn't sure about him at first, as I had heard some horrible things said about him. Like how he was a demon. But after a few visits I realized that the whispers of the other villagers were untrue. He was nothing like how they described him, and I couldn't see why anyone could hate him so much as they did. I mean, yes he pulled pranks, but that was to get the attention that all of us need. He was so cheerful despite it all and his wide smile always brightened my day."
Teuchi listened quietly to his daughter speak as he went about his daily routine of checking for ingredients and making sure the burner was at the proper temperature. Hinata wasn't quite sure what to make of Ayame's speech, but she knew that Naruto had positively affected yet another person's life. "However, despite all his cheerful words, I realized that he was still missing something, and that was love," Ayame continued, "Deep down I knew he was lonely despite his friends and I'm sure that is why he was always chasing after his teammate Sakura." Ayame turned and looked Hinata in the eye, "He may not have noticed but I did. You too, had been watching him grow stronger and more mature. You wanted him to succeed, you cheered him on; you wanted him to be happy, even if it wasn't with you. I had hoped he would notice you and the unique beauty you possess. It was never readily visible because you always hid it away, but it was there."
Hinata had finished her meal and continued to listen as the words forced her to walk in the past. The years since graduation sped by for her mind's eye and went to last night. Even though Naruto had shut down her advances, he did so out of love for her. Ayame had been watching her closely for several minutes once she had noticed that her listener was no longer present. Hinata blinked herself back into reality and looked at the brown haired woman. "I am glad that Naruto has you to love him," Ayame said giving her a hug. Hinata sat there frozen for a moment before returning the hug, "Thank you." Ayame broke away and looked out to the sky, "It looks like it may rain. You should get home to get an umbrella or to stay there and stay out of the rain."
Hinata stood after paying for her meal and had begun to say goodbye to the genial shop owners when she heard her name being called. She turned to see Sakura arm in arm with an ANBU member in a tiger mask. Seeing the hair sticking up behind the mask and the unique weapon draped over the man's shoulder, Hinata knew who it was and why he was wearing the mask. "Hello, Sakura-san. Hello Sasuke-san. How are you today," She asked cheerily. Sakura beamed at her, "Fantastic." Sasuke shrugged, "I'm fine, how about you?" Hinata smiled at them, "I am good. So you two chose to eat here for lunch?" Sasuke lifted his mask, "Ramen seems to have grown on me," He muttered looking away sheepishly. Hinata gasped as though suddenly realizing something, "Have you two seen Naruto-kun yet today?" The pair looked to each other then back to Hinata, "We haven't seen him." Hinata looked a little dejected, prompting Sakura to add, "If he isn't at his apartment, you could try the library. I hear he's been studying a lot of scrolls recently."
Hinata nodded and walked away from the shop towards Naruto's apartment. "Thank you Sakura-san. Have fun on your date," Hinata giggled at the sight of a blushing Sasuke and went her way. Soon she was standing on Naruto's doormat looking at the 'out' side of the sign on the door. Why she paused to wonder whether or not he was in there, she didn't know, because even if he wanted some alone time with her he would leave the sign on 'in' as he felt bad about lying to his friends. While she could check with her Byakuugan, Naruto had made it clear that he didn't like those who peep on others. His words had suggested that she wanted to see him naked and she had begun to squeak as she tried to defend herself, but her brain wasn't functioning properly with all the blood in her face. He had hugged her then, "I don't mind if it's you, but let's save that for later."
Hinata sighed as she turned away to head to the library, maybe Naruto was telling her something then that she should have paid attention to last night. As she walked out of the apartment complex and under the open sky she felt something hit her head. Looking up she saw an overcast sky that hadn't been there this morning. 'And the day started out so beautifully too,' She thought as another rain drop landed on her forehead. With a slight grunt she jumped off in a hurry to get home before the downpour truly began. She arrived in time to avoid the worst of it but was still quite wet so she kicked off her sandals and went up stairs to get into a dry change of clothes before coming back down to slip her sandals back on and grab an umbrella.
She stepped out onto the veranda and closed the door behind her then opened the umbrella stepping out into the rain. The rain was deafening and the wind that drove it was chill forcing everyone to take shelter inside, but there were a few people who had business too urgent to call on account of rain. She nearly passed the Yamanaka flower shop when she thought she might ask Ino if she had seen Naruto.
When she walked in she was greeted by Ino's cheerful demeanor, "Good afternoon to you. Even if the weather gets you down our flowers will cheer you up." Hinata giggled at her friend's attempt to sell her flowers despite the dreadful weather. Ino actually looked up at her supposed customer, "Oh, hey, Hinata. What brings you here?" Hinata smiled at her friend, "Hello, Ino. I was just going to ask if you had seen Naruto-kun today." Ino's cheerful face dampened a little, "No, I haven't seen him, do you need to talk to him about something?" Hinata blushed slightly, "No, not really. I just wanted to spend time with him." Ino's wide smile returned, "I can understand that." Then she paused as something caught her eye, "Hinata, are you wearing a necklace?"
Hinata nodded and took out the necklace so that Ino could see. She understood her friend's surprise; she never wore jewelry, it wasn't really her style. But she felt that Naruto's gift would be reason enough to change since it wasn't gaudy, but quite tasteful. The blonde kunoichi studied the necklace with awe before looking up at her friend, "I've never known you to wear jewelry. Did Naruto buy this for you?" Hinata beamed and nodded, "It was his anniversary present to me." Ino nodded sagely, "Oh that's right. That was yesterday." 'I shouldn't tell her that he nearly forgot about it.' Hinata decided that she should be on her way so she went to the door, "Goodbye, Ino." Ino went to open the door for her friend, "Goodbye, Hinata. By the way that is a beautiful necklace."
Hinata opened the umbrella again to go out into the rain drenched street. Hinata walked up a flight of steps as she wondered where she should check next and found Shikamaru lying down on a bench under an awning. She stood under the awning and closed the umbrella before holding it above the man's face to allow the water to drip onto his face. She watched barely controlling her mirth as a drop fell on his nose which he wrinkled to try to move it without too much effort. Another drop landed on his forehead and he opened one eye to look for the perpetrator. "You could have just nudged me," Shikamaru said looking at her wide smile. Naruto's mischievous nature had rubbed off on her. "Where would the fun be in that?" Hinata asked. Shikamaru sat up and shivered despite being out of the rain he was still a little damp from the mist thrown into the air when the rain struck the ground.
"Man, and today was such a good day for cloud watching," He groaned as he looked to the sky. "There are clouds up there now. Why not watch them?" Hinata asked a little confused as she too looked to the sky. "That may be true. But storm clouds are a little too exciting for my tastes," Shikamaru said, his words punctuated by a lightning strike. Hinata figured that this conversation was going nowhere fast, "Ne, have you seen Naruto-kun today?" Shikamaru, who had been leaning back against the back of the bench with his eyes closed and his hands behind his head, opened both to regard her, "No, I haven't seen him. But I was expecting a prank sometime today, but I thought it would have been by him." Hinata smiled at him and opened her umbrella, preparing to leave. Shikamaru shivered again and stood, "I guess I'd better get home, but this rain is so troublesome." He sighed and walked out into the rain, "Maybe Temari can help me warm up." Hinata saw the look in his eyes and the small smirk he had and blushed realizing what he meant by warming up. She started off in the direction of the library, looking to the sky and hoping Naruto would be there. 'Where are you, Naruto-kun?'
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Well there you have it I hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are appreciated. I won't be doing any previews down here because I believe that ruins the suspense of the moment cause by my choices of when to end chapters.
Many thanks to Lady Detia my Beta reader. You should read her fics "Revealed Connections" and "Mother's Instinct"
