A/N: First, to clear any confusion, yes, Hinata is indeed alive and well in this story. I'm sorry for not clearing that up, guys T.T. But anyway, I'm debating whether I should drop the rating down to T. I don't know if much foul language will be overused in here, like ever... Though on the same note, I am definitely adding some naughty bits sooner or later... Or maybe now! Muhaha, you will never know!

*runs off like a manic*

Okay, okay, back to the story!

Two: Reunion

"Lady Hinata, you must not associate with that boy."

"Huh? But, why not?"

A young Hinata looks over at the single swing where Naruto dully sat. With Kō, her bodyguard, by her side and pulling her away from the troublesome boy, all she could do is watch him until he was too far to see with the naked eye. She didn't know too much about Naruto back then but there was something about him that peaked her interest.

Coming from such a nobel family such as herself, it was always a struggle to balance her kindness with her strength. And watching Naruto grow before her eyes, not only gave her the courage to get stronger like him but it also opened a large space in her heart just for him. Just the thought of it, makes her heart flutter in wonder.

Hinata opens her eyes from her slumber, sighing from the thought of her blonde haired love. Waking up with him on her mind, a small smile appears on her lips. Little does she know, he also wakes to the thoughts of her as well. Just not in a pleasing way like her.

Unfortunately on the other side of the village, our young blonde has been fighting his sleep and perched in a tree since his encounter with Sakura. That was about two days ago. With the loss of appetite and lack of sleep, a delusional Naruto shouldn't be too surprising to anyone. While this may seem extreme to our eyes, it was the only way Naruto felt like he wasn't on the verge of insanity. But little does he know, it's only doing more harm than good.

The nightmares are now his daydreams and the images of Hinata only gotten more vivid. It's gotten so bad that whenever he's staring blankly in space, her figure appears before him. She would be standing there unharmed for one moment and another moment, her head would suddenly leak blood down her forehead. He groans lowly and closes his eyes in defeat.

"Please, Hinata... Just go away." He pleaded.

"Perhaps... It's love you feel for her, Naruto." The sudden words of Sakura echoed in his head.

No, he repeatedly tells himself. How could the answer be loved? If he loved her, why did he keep thinking about her like this? Why couldn't he dream of her in a more pleasant manner? Why did his mind keep thinking about her dying when he knew that as of right now Hinata was very much alive? If it was love...

"If it was love..." He mumbled to himself, "... The least my mind could show me is her face smiling at me."

Naruto's eyes flash open as if a sudden idea came to mind. Maybe the only way the get rid of these terrible images is to see the real thing with his own eyes. "If I tell my mind that she is doing okay, maybe the nightmares would go away."

With his mind made up, the young boy jumps out of the tree and runs off. The dull blue in his eyes had almost glowed from the thought of everything going back to normal. He smiles to himself thinking, "Right, everything is going to be okay."

/\/\/\/\/\

It was everyone's duty to participate in the reconstruction of Konoha. This includes not just the townspeople but shinobi as well. Everyone helped one another whether it may be giving a hand to rebuilding ones home or just putting together a decent lunch for someone. It wasn't just the strong and healthy people working either. Many elder and little children offered help to those who woke up at the crack of dawn. Surely, it was a beautiful sight to see everyone helping each other.

With the sun hitting its highest, many workers will take their lunch break. Around this time, Hinata appears with food she personally made for the men who did backbreaking work on the Hyuuga residence.

"Uhm, excuse me. I made lunch for you all." The perspired villagers turn with relieved smiles on their faces.

"Oh, thank you very much, Lady Hinata!"

"You are so kind to us! Thank you!"

Hinata smiled bashfully as she offered each worker a nice plate of plain rice, miso soup and vegetable sushi rolls. Of course, it wasn't bountiful but it was made from the heart. Keeping that in mind, the workers were very thankful that someone great and beautiful as her was there to feed them everyday and offer a helping hand. After feeding the workers, some men sighed in wonder during her departure.

"I feel so lucky! We get fed tasty food by such a beautiful young woman." One of them cried, grinning foolishly.

"Lady Hinata is so beautiful!"

Hearing those sweet comments from the workers made her blush in modesty. She bows halfway and takes a seat not too far away from the residence. Hinata looks up into the sky and squints slightly. It has been incredibly sunny today so she was relieved that she was able to wear her yukata today. Finding extra clothes was also a mission these days. Not too many people were fortunate to salvage clothes or belongings from the rubble. They were either unusable or they were burned up along with everything else. In a way, she felt somewhat guilty that she had this to slip into on her days of rest. Her nimble fingers traced the trimmings of her yukata, reminiscing about the time this was given to her.

It was a gift given to her by her mother. The words rang in her ears as if she heard them yesterday.

"Wear this on a beautiful day. When you have woken up to the thought of something beautiful, wear this." Her mother rests her hand on her daughter's chest. "I made this yukata just for you, Hinata. You will feel beautiful in this. I promise."

Unfortunately, there was never any given time to put this on. This was the only outfit that surfaced from the rubble. And to celebrate a beautiful day such as today, Hinata thought maybe the yukata deserved to be worn outside at least once. "And besides... I had dreamt of Naruto today... That must mean something, right?"

The image of Naruto appears in her mind. Having the thought of him seeing her in this yukata alone would have been just enough for her. With that given thought, she wished that she had seen Naruto right then and there. But just when her imagination was getting the best of her, the sound of feet running in her direction made her eyes avert from her thoughts.

"Hinata!"

The figure that yelled out her name came rushing towards her like a crazed bull. Once the person came closer, she rose to her feet in shock, unsure if she was just imagining things. Her lips parted to speak but her voice was caught. Before she had a chance to think straight, the figure stands before her completely out of breath.

"N-Naruto?"

As he continued to pant, he stares at her with a flushed face. "Hinata."

"..."

"I had to see you."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

A/N: Sumimasen everyone! I've kept you guys waiting for far too long! Sorry, sorry! It was a busy week for me- I've been working on some art and cleaning because I'll be leaving for vacation next week. I hope there's some wifi during my travels or I'll be super duper upset! And uh, sorry if the chapter was short or boring. I've got the next chapter coming up very soon and you will like it wayyyy more than this chapter. See you guys soon!~