The early morning breeze was cold. Naruto walked slowly across the field towards the three logs that had been the place of their unity. The birthplace of Team 7. Now he came alone.

Why do I like her so much? Naruto thought sadly as he kicked a pebble. I never had a chance with her anyway.

Maybe it was similar to the reason he had wanted to befriend Sasuke. She had grown up teased and lonely. Just like him, just like Sasuke, she had grown up without any friends.

But then she had befriended Ino. Sasuke was the most popular guy in class. Naruto was still alone. But the solitude was worse. He had found others who knew his pain, but, in the end, they had been accepted, too.

Still, Sakura was never cruel. She yelled at him, was easily annoyed by his antics, but she didn't look at him with hatred in her teal orbs. Not like the others.

But, come on! Naruto tried to convince himself. I've got friends now! The village mostly respects me now. I don't have to wait for Sakura-chan anymore.

True enough, Naruto had gained fame in the village. He was surprised to find that he had his own share of fangirls. More and more, when he walked around town, stares from the young women of Konoha followed.

What makes Sakura so special, anyway? He thought. She doesn't really have any figure, she gets angry at me really easily… and that ridiculous pink hair… so soft and silky… the color of the sky in the early morning.

He shook his head angrily.

Stop it! It's over now!

Naruto wanted to be the bigger man. The kind that would want the girl he loved to be happy above all else. But…

Naruto sighed and lowered his head.

I wanted to be the one to make her happy.

He had always thought that Sakura was the perfect girl, but he couldn't continue to torture himself waiting for her. He couldn't try to take her from his best friend either.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Neji and Tenten getting ready to start their morning training. Even as early as it was, Tenten was bubbling with energy. She and Neji had become a lot closer after their mission in the Land of Wind. Neji held her close for a moment before giving her an awkward kiss, letting her go, and taking a fighting stance. Tenten laughed as she took out her summoning scroll.

Similar, but so different, Naruto thought. He wanted to give up on Sakura. He needed to. But…

There's no one like Sakura-chan, He sighed.

Tenten is exciting and kind, but she isn't strong willed. Ino is talented and serious, but she isn't caring. Temari… Naruto shuddered. …Is just scary.

He felt like he was forgetting someone, but he couldn't think who…

Finally, he made it to his destination. The three log posts greeted him like old friends. But he wasn't alone.

Hinata whirled around, aware of his presence through the power of her Byakugan.

"N-Naruto-kun!" She stammered.

"O-oi, Hinata…" Naruto was surprised she was there. But something in the back of his mind told him that this was familiar. That's right… the day of the Chuunin exams.

"Hey, Hinata, you're all better now?" He asked as he walked up to the posts.

"Huh?!" Hinata scrambled behind the post in a flash, partially hiding from him. "N-Naruto-kun! Wh-what are you doing here…? Aren't the finals today?"

"I just… felt like coming by here, that's all," he answered. "This is where I became a Genin."

"Oh… wow… b-but why?" She was so weird, always stammering and looking away.

"No particular reason," he told her. "Why does it matter, anyway?"

"Y-you're right… I'm sorry…" She avoided his stare.

He sighed, utterly confused by this timid, indigo-haired girl. "Hinata… Neji's your cousin, right?"

"Y… yeah…"

"…He really is strong, isn't he?"

"Y… yeah." She glanced away nervously. "B… but I think… of all people, you have a chance to win against him, Naruto-kun! 'Cause…"

"Ha ha, sure, because I'm strong too!" He laughed nervously. There was an awkward silence.

"Y…you know," Hinata continued. "When you cheered me on, Naruto-kun… I felt like somehow I became stronger than before… and when the preliminaries were over, I started to like myself just a little bit more."

He only listened, intent on what she had to say. He was surprised that he'd never noticed her before, surprised, because this was the longest string of words he'd ever heard her utter.

"From the outside, I may not seem any different, but… I… I feel like I've changed," she said. "Naruto-kun… It's all because of you… at least that's what I think…"

"Wow, because of me? I guess I am an awesome influence!"

There was another long silence as her words sank in. He felt she deserved more than that.

"Hey, Hinata… is that really how you feel?" He asked.

"Huh?"

"I might seem really strong, but… I'm usually just trying to act tough… 'Cause I'm embarrassed about how I screw up all the time."

"That's not true..." she answered. "And even if you do mess up… if you ask me… you're a proud failure! You're really inspiring to watch. Because you're not perfect… and… because you make mistakes… but you still have the guts to get up and keep fighting. I… I believe you're an incredibly strong person, Naruto-kun."

"… Thanks Hinata!" He beamed. "You know, I was feeling a little depressed earlier, but suddenly, I'm feeling a lot better! Y'know what I thought about you?"

"Huh?"

"I thought you were sort of a weirdo… dark and plain and timid." Her shoulders slumped. "But you know what? I think I kinda like people like you!"

"Um… Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked. He'd been awfully quiet. Not like him at all. But, then again, Hinata knew it wasn't like him to be up and around this early either. "Are you alright?"

"…" He just stared vacantly at her. It scared Hinata to see him like this.

"Naruto-ku-"

"Yeah…" he interrupted. "Sorry, Hinata, I guess I'm just tired."

"From getting up so early?" She asked timidly.

"I didn't sleep," his voice was hoarse. It sounded like he would cry, but Hinata didn't see any tears. "I had something on my mind."

"Um… can I help?"

"I don't think so," Naruto began to turn away. "Sorry for interrupting your training."

"Is it about Sakura-san?"

Naruto stopped.

Ah! What did I just say? Hinata thought.

The truth was, Hinata was happy when she heard Ino telling Tenten about Sakura and Sasuke. First, because she knew Sakura had liked Sasuke from the beginning, and Hinata knew the pain of unrequited love. But she was also happy because, maybe, Naruto would move on. She was sad that he would be hurt, but she was hopeful that he would see her.

"About… Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked curiously. Does everyone already know?

"H-hai…" Hinata replied hesitantly. This was dangerous ground. She wanted him to know her feelings; she couldn't offend him in any way. "I… I know you really liked her Naruto-kun… I'm sorry. I know what it feels like when the person you admire doesn't return it."

"… It wasn't like that," Naruto mumbled after a pause. "Sakura-chan wasn't just someone I liked. She was the only person who didn't hate me back then. I could feel that, even though she didn't like me, she cared about me. She didn't like the way I was treated."

"She wasn't the only person…" Hinata turned to hide her deepening blush. "Maybe you just didn't notice anyone else."

"You know what Hinata?" He looked at her like he was studying her. There was something different about her, he just couldn't figure out. She always knew what to say. Even now, he was beginning to feel more like himself again. "I don't know why, but talking to you always makes me feel better."

"R… really?" She looked stunned.

"Yeah… like the day I fought Neji," he continued. "I wasn't at all sure I was gonna win. But after talking to you, I was confident again."

There was a pause. Naruto waited for a response, but Hinata just stood there, with a shocked expression.

"Maybe Sakura-chan wasn't meant for me, but…" he smiled for the first time since he saw Sasuke and Sakura on the porch. "… I'm a 'proud failure.' I'll get back up and keep fighting."

"You… you remember that?" Hinata asked quietly.

"Yeah," he said, looking at her like she'd gone crazy. "It was something that kept me going some days. I'd get so angry at myself for not doing something right, and I'd just want to quit. But I remembered what you told me that day, and I'd keep going."

She didn't know what to say. It wasn't a confession of love, but it showed he cared about her. He valued her.

"Thanks, Hinata," he grinned, but his eyes were still sad.

She suddenly lunged forward, closing the short distance between them.

"H-hinata?!" Naruto yelled suddenly.

What's wrong? Hinata wondered as she continued to bury her face in his orange jacket.

Wait, what?!

She was hugging him! When did she do that? Hinata froze, unsure of what was going on. She had temporarily lost control of herself, encouraged by his understanding eyes. The eyes that knew the pain of unrequited love.

What do I do? Hinata wondered frantically. The moment I break away, it will be really awkward, but he's obviously uncomfortable as it is; I can't stay like this forever!

Her mind stopped once more when his arms wrapped around her back.

"Thanks, Hinata," he murmured. What was this feeling? His heart was a little less heavy, his mind a little more at peace. "When did you…?"

He didn't finish. He didn't know what he was asking. This girl was completely different from the Hinata he had seen during the Chuunin exams, or even during the fight against Akatsuki.

"Always," she whispered.

"What?"

"It's always been this way," she clutched the fabric at his shoulders tightly from behind. "I've always watched you, Naruto-kun. I watched you because you were like me. Lonely, and scared. But we were different, too. You always fought harder to change yourself. You never gave up. That's why I respected you so much."

Naruto had never heard her talk so much, not even to Kiba and Shino. As he recalled those lonely days, he began to remember another, like Sakura, who didn't look at him with hatred in her eyes. A timid, dark-haired girl who never looked him in the eye. She was always in the background.

Until the Chuunin exams. During the preliminaries, she fought Neji with determination he'd never seen before. He had respected her, too. That was why he fought so hard against Neji.

"You, too," he said softly. "You fought to change yourself, too. And I trained so hard that month because you reminded me of myself. When Neji hurt you, it became my goal to hurt him so much harder."

He rested his cheek against her head, and could smell the faint, sweet scent of her hair. It smelled like flowers. Had she always loved him? Had he been ignorant to such a caring person for so long?

"It was a different feeling for me," he continued, slowly inching his right hand to the ends of her indigo locks. He wondered if they were as soft as they looked. "I always trained to beat Sasuke or impress Sakura. It was the first time I trained for someone I felt connected to."

"Th… thank you, Naruto-kun." She stammered. She felt his fingers play with the ends of her long hair. Am I dreaming?

"I… I worked hard these past three years to change myself," she mumbled. "So I wouldn't just be in the background anymore. Am I still that dark, timid, weird girl you knew?"

Naruto lifted her chin gently so he could look into her eyes.

"… yeah," he said finally.

"O… oh," she tried to look away, embarrassed, but he held her face steady.

"But you know what?" He leaned in and placed a quick kiss on her lips. "I think I kinda like people like you."

Well, that's it! I hope you liked it. I think it turned out okay, I hope I did justice to this pairing. If you found any mistakes, tell me about it. If you just plain liked it, you can tell me that too! If you hated it... sorry. Either way, devote a minute of your time to sending a review, it really makes an author's day. I try to personally respond to each and every review I get. If I miss one, it's because I got a bunch all at once and somehow lost my train of thought.

If you like this, I ask that you check out some of my other fics. If you don't want to spend a lot of time on a fic and are a fan of NejiTen, then check out NejiTen- Burdensome, a Twoshot. It's gotten some really great reviews so far. If you enjoy SasuSaku and are in for the long haul, then read The Eyes That See All, Except What Lies Within. It's an ongoing fic.

Thank you for taking the time to read this!
-Ryken