Six: Epiphany

I felt warm. Like I was sitting in a hot spring or something. I open my eyes and fog appeared before me. Looking around, I saw that I was definitely siting in a hot bath. But how did I get here? And how long was I here for? From the looks of the lack of pruning on my hands, I must not have been here for a while. Did I even get a chance to fall asleep last night? There was a lot of questions to ask but not a damn person was near to answer my question.

I sighed a bit for deciding I might as well just stay in here anyway. I sort of needed this. I was such a mess yesterday. Hell, I have been a mess for quite a few days and I don't know what to do next. The amount of trouble I caused for Hinata is completely unforgivable and I won't be surprised if Shino or Kiba got the heads up on how much I had put poor Hinata through. Sigh...

I sure miss her.

Wait.

What? Did I really just say that? Is that my guilt talking or... Or did I really mean that? I mean, of course I would miss her! She's been my friend for so long, it's only natural for me to miss her now that I know she will forever hate my guts now.

I sat in the bath silently, sighing again. Why the hell am I sighing so much?

And why do I keep thinking about her? Am I really feeling that bad about what I said to her? Sure it was blunt but if it was the truth, I shouldn't be taking it so hard. Ugh. I shut my eyes tight, trying my best to avoid any imagery of what happened yesterday. Before I told her that I couldn't love her, she seemed so happy then. Her smile and how she was just holding my hand... It was like all of her happiness came rushing to me. It felt really good to be around her.

"I'm so sorry, HInata." I mumbled to myself. "I'm just a confused idiot."

What did I know about love anyway? When did anyone ever pay so much attention to me like she did? And when did anyone's face turn that red when I was around them? When was there ever a time someone would so easily forgive me or protect me, not because they are my friends or because it's their duty but simply because they loved me... Just thinking about how someone could do all of that just for me scared me.

Was I... Am I scared to be loved by someone? By her?

By Hinata?

I felt a pair of hands wrap around me, causing me to almost jump out of my skin. I was so stuck in my thoughts that I had almost forgotten where I was. These hands don't feel very familiar. Who's were they? Before they got any tighter around me, I turn around and saw Hinata. My eyes widen, almost falling back into the water. I set some space between us, trying to figure out why the hell she was here!

"H-Hinata?" I said. "What's going on? Where are we?"

I looked at her again, realizing that she was naked like me. I looked away quickly, trying not to stare at her. Aside form the fact that I wanted to keep looking, I'm sure I wasn't the only one who already knew that Hinata had a glorious body on her. Even clothed, her boobs were near impossible to not notice them. Don't even get me started on trying not to bump into those things. But now that she was before me naked, it was a task that no one should take lightly.

I took a super quick peek to only find that she was gone. What the hell? Am I dreaming or something? Maybe I was. The fog from the bath made my vision only a bit blurry but not enough to make me hallucinate her being here. But if there was someone I should have been dreaming about sharing a bath with, why didn't Sakura come to mind? I always thought I loved her but it's been a while since she even crossed my mind until now. I almost laugh at myself. Because once again, I lack the understanding of what it means to fall in love with someone. Maybe I do love Sakura, maybe I don't. But what I'm feeling right now...

It wasn't for Sakura.

"Naruto." A voice calls my name again but I didn't feel a trace of anyone's presence. It was just like before but more eerie. If this was a dream, this wasn't funny anymore. Now I'm looking around, trying to pinpoint where the voice is coming from. It disappears again and I quickly splash my face with the water I was sitting in. Even the water felt like a dream. There was no more warmth coming from it and the sound of water had ceased. Splashing my face with the water again, I open my eyes to see the water that was once before me was replaced with blood. Lots of it. It smelled of rotting steel and now I'm starting to panic. This was becoming one of those nightmares I had before. Only difference now is that it's much bloodier and much too vivid to snap myself out of it.

This is fake, this is fake, I know it is. I just need to wait for my eyes to open.

I turned around to head out of the blood bath but I bumped into a figure. I looked up and there I saw her again. Hinata was standing before me with a hole in her chest. It looked like her heart was yanked right our of her chest. I'm standing there, horrified. I didn't understand why I was dreaming of this but I want it to go away. I shut my eyes tight, hoping she would be gone. I don't want to see her like this again. This was so painful to watch.

It pains me so much to see her like this. I don't want her to suffer anymore. I want...

I want to save her! I need to save her! I need her to save me!

I need her...

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Dripping with perspiration, Naruto sat up panting harshly, almost choking on his saliva. Instantly, he hugs his knees and cries frantically. All of the emotion, the stress, the anger and confusion all came out at once. He didn't know that he had been holding back for so long. All of the things he thought he knew was right thing, wasn't after all. The dream horrified him but he understood what his mind was trying to tell him.

After a few minutes of sobbing, he wipes his eyes and face, doing multiple attempts of catching his breath.

Naruto might have been crying but he was very upset with himself. Upset that he went to such work to deny himself these feelings for Hinata. All of the urges he felt when it came to her touching his hand or his shoulder were as clear as day but he kept it in the back of his mind. Whenever he thought of Hinata, he did his best to deny it and replace Sakura as an idea of someone he should be with. He was fully aware that Sakura loved Sasuke to death and dying for him was probably second nature for her. Naruto would fight to death for everyone because that's just who he was but when it came to Hinata and the idea of her just dying, it broke him down badly.

And if it meant keeping her for himself, as selfish as that sounds, he would want to do that.

His sobbing stops and he runs his hands through his messy hair in stress. The idea of running to her home, calling her name out and cradle her like a child, came to mind. But it was quickly averted when the image of her crying when he told her that he couldn't love her was carved into his memory. It was punishment for him and as much as he thought he deserved it, he wished that yesterday he could have just kept his stupid mouth shut.

"I'm so sorry, Hinata." He whispered to himself, sniffing like a child. "I'm so sorry!"

He coughed once, doing his best to hold back painful tears.

Everything felt like it was closing in on him. It felt like he was that same child that once sat on that lonely swing. That swing he always swung on while the others stared at him with eyes of doubt, pity and fear. Those eyes made him feel lonely and hateful. The same feelings that he had when he was once a child had returned. The room was cold and dark and Naruto just wanted to just sit there and cry. Cry in hoping that these past weeks were just part of a sick joke or dream.

Naruto felt like this was the last moments of his sanity. All he wanted right now was Hinata to at least be there to warm his body. As long as she was there to smile at him or hold his hand- even words of comfort, he would have felt alive again. But even thinking that would happen seemed like the impossible...

"I have to... at least explain everything to her." He said blankly to himself. Naruto's swelled eyes stared in space, in his final attempts on maintaining is stability. It was hard to swallow down that nightmare and the tears but he knew that the only way that he can walk away from this all without feeling like this is to tell Hinata the truth. Nodding at his thoughts, he rubs his eyes again and surprisingly stands to his feet. His heart still beats frantically but the boy's mind was already made up.

Hinata had to know the truth and Naruto was willing to use the bit of his energy to find her. Now.

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It could be that the world was just against Naruto. After making a solid decision on looking for Hinata, it has been two hours since he has been scouring the village and there has not been one lead on where to find her. To make things worse, it has been pouring buckets the moment he stepped out of the tent. While the weather halted civilians on their construction, the streets were still active with others at least trying to get anything done. It was more of a natural thing for the people of Konoha to do their best in rebuilding their home. They have a one track mind and this includes our boy Naruto.

The rain poured heavily but it hardly hindered Naruto's objectives as he continued to ask around for Hinata.

"Excuse me, sir." Naruto panted, running up to a guy carrying supplies from the downpour. "Have you seen a pretty girl with long purple hair. From the Hyuuga clan?"

The guy squints his eyes in thought. "Hyuuga? Sorry, no I haven't."

Naruto groans lowly to himself, nodding to the guy and heading off into the rain again. With a leveled head, he continues on with his objective. Little did he know, Sakura stood nearby, surprised that Naruto hadn't even realized that she was right there. For a moment, she wanted to call out to him to ask if he needed the help. But she smiles to herself, in good spirits that Naruto was finally thinking truthfully.

Sadly after midday, the blonde calls off his search for Hinata. Frustrated, he heads back to his tent in an attempt to cooling off and thinking some more. For a while he thought all this time thinking to himself, it would make things better. But Naruto felt that it was only this morning where he felt better somehow. Besides waking up in a cold sweat and tears, he felt there was some sort of calling from that horrific nightmare. He is now convinced that he knew his next move was going to be the right one. For everyone.

With the rain still pouring like crazy, he charges into his tent, lightly panting in relief to get out of the rain. It didn't take long for him to notice the figure that stood facing his bed though. His stomach drops and his blue eyes grew vivid in slight disbelief.

"H-Hinata?" He spoke, his voice dry from the recent runaround.

By the looks of it, her head and shoulders were just as soaked as Naruto's. She turns her body in his direction with a tiny unsure smile on her face. "I was looking for you."

Without another moment to spare, he walks over to her and pulls her into a hug. Although she was chilly from the rain, Naruto spent all day looking for her warmth. Even through her thick damp clothes, he felt her heated skin. He squeezes her tight, burying his face into her neck and sighing in complete relief. For a moment, he could have sworn his eyes were brimmed with tears from happiness. As much as he didn't want to let her go, he knew he needed to explain himself. And correctly this time.

Releasing her, Naruto rests his hands on her arms and exhales sharply. "Hinata, I want to first apologize. For everything."

She stares at him, waiting.

"I don't think I've been honest with you! I've been an asshole to you and while I'm really troubled on why you came to see me, I'm really really happy that you did! I said such mean things to you and pushed you away all this time and, and... I'm just really stupid and I know that you deserve better than me but I don't want you to hate me! And now I'm rambling because I don't know how to be any more direct than this and what I really should have told you all along was..."

Naruto paused from his babbling to finally in her in the face again. "... That I love you."

With surprise, she stands there with a smile on her face and tears in her eyes. "Naruto." She whispered, closing her eyes, allowing the tears to fall.

Being his usual confused self, he frowns as he firmed his hold on her arms. "Hinata?"

Hinata sniffles, still smiling. "I'm sorry. But the tears won't stop falling."

"I fucked up, didn't I?" He asked. Naruto lets go of her and attempts to turn away. But she quickly grabs hold of his sleeve and she shakes her head quickly.

"No. No, you didn't." She admitted, her eye contact falling to the floor. "I'm... I'm just really relieved. When you told me that you couldn't love me that day... I wasn't crying because I believed it... I cried because I knew that you weren't completely honest with me. I was just waiting for you, Naruto. I didn't want to believe it but..."

In small steps, Hinata comes closer to him and rests her hand on his heart. "Your body and your heart... Told me the truth from the very beginning."

Naruto rests his hand over her small hand and sighs in complete relief. Had he known that the solution to his problems were so simple, there was no doubt that he would have done this from the beginning. He may not be too satisfied with his self evaluation, he was more than happy to hear that Hinata was once again willing to forgive him. A part of him still felt that he didn't deserve such a woman like Hinata but there is also a part of him where he felt that there was no other woman who could make his heart feel like it could burst in joy. He only felt this amount of joy when the fragments of his parents arrived in his subconscious memory. If there was anything in this world that could make his heart feel this way, Naruto wouldn't dare let this slip away. Not again.

"Hinata..."

She looks up to him before finding her lips being pressed to his. This kiss was much different from the one in the forest. Before there it was a kiss of desperation, a kiss of loneliness and sadness. But now, it was warm and gentle. And loving. A kiss where it felt like Naruto's life depended on it.

Naruto pulls away to stare at Hinata's face for a moment. He knew that he kissed her just now but for some reason he couldn't wrap his mind around it. It felt like a dream. A wonderful dream that should last forever.

"Naruto... I love you too." Hinata added, her face flushing in embarrassment.

He smiles, stroking her cheek then running his hand in her hair.

"It must feel nice to say it out loud now, doesn't it?" He teased, a grin appearing on his face.

It was a smile that no one had seen on his face for a long while. To be able to see that infamous goofy grin of Naruto's first in such a long time, made her feel special.

"It does." She admits.

Naruto strokes her cheek again before leaning in for yet another kiss. Hinata closes her eyes and whimpers lowly. With her timid hands, she rests her hands on his chest. He pulls away again and laughs nervously.

As much as Naruto would like to strip Hinata down to her naked beauty, he didn't want to ruin the moment by his perverted attempts. It seemed like a few kisses were only enough for the now and the least he can do is to take his time with her. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her away for the billionth time.

"Here about this, Hinata?" Grabbing hold of her wrist, he walks her over to his sad excuse of a bedding on the floor. "It's still raining outside so you should stay here and warm up. Your clothes are soaked."

With guidance, Hinata sits on his bedding while the blonde ninja rummaged through his things for a spare towel. While he was mumbling to himself, there was so much running through this girl's mind. For one, she couldn't believe that she was here alone with the guy of her dreams. Kissing him was already dream like enough but everything about Naruto just felt new. All these years, there was so many occasions where Hinata had no choice but to admire him from afar. But now that there's no need to, it made Hinata feel like she was on top of the world. She may have been sitting there in wet clothes and damp hair, but she was happy. And it was all that mattered.

She looks over at Naruto again right when he finds what he was looking for. A slight aha came from him and he turns facing her with two towels in his hand.

"Oh, right. Almost forgot." With that comment, Naruto puts the towels down quickly to undress his top half completely. Putting one towel to his wet hair, he finally walks over to Hinata and sits before her with a pleased look on his face. Hinata on the other hand suddenly felt nervous at the idea that he was sitting two inches in front of her with his chest bare. It probably wasn't the first time she had seen him shirtless but it didn't matter especially if she could see him in full detail.

As a ninja, it wasn't unheard of for them to wear battle scars. Whether they are on the arm or face, Hinata spotted ghostly scars on his chest. Without thinking, she lightly traces her finger over one scar that ran down from his collarbone. Naruto flinches a bit and she pulls away quickly. "I'm sorry. I should have asked."

"Hah, no worries." He said. But as much the boy tried to keep his cool, the sudden contact with her finger stroking his exposed chest, excited him a bit. It was the perfect excuse to hint at the idea but again, the last thing Naruto wanted to do was have Hinata running off again. He had to get the idea out of his head quickly. So, he picks up her towel and proceeds to dry her damp hair. It was a sweet gesture but it only made Hinata flush in slight surprise. With Naruto doing his best to remain on his good side, the reminder that Naruto was half naked, drying her off made Hinata's head spin a bit. If anything she was probably just a bit overwhelmed. Just the same with Naruto, she did her best to keep her cool.

"Uh, sorry. Is this making you uncomfortable?" Naruto spoke up, pausing at his current task.

"No, not at all..." She trailed off. Of course this was a nice gesture but Hinata was beginning to feel a bit awkward that he was more focused on her hair rather than the obvious. Her hair was damp now but her clothes remained soaked and she needed to get out of them before she caught a cold. The idea of running home to change came to mind but she thought that maybe this was just a chance to call for keeps.

It was sex that came to her mind. Just like any other warm blooded man out there, experienced or not, the idea of seeing a girl naked before them who was willing to give it all away, they would without a doubt feel tempted to take that offer. Unfortunately, Hinata was a virgin and the image of any man flesh driving deep into her center, scared her a bit. Pain wasn't something any ninja should be afraid of but she always wondered if it was worth all the anguish. Another thought that came to her mind was, if Naruto was experienced. Wth her imagination taking the best of the girl, she figured that it was possible he had slept with a couple of girls before. It wasn't what she preferred but if she really loved Naruto, he must have been the best choice for this job. With that quick evaluation, Hinata halts Naruto from the silly job of being her personal hair dyer and gently guides his hands down to his sides. Naruto looks at her, puzzled.

"Did I do something wrong?" Naruto asks, eyes widened in slight worry.

"No, but... I think I need help with something else." With timid hands, she reaches for the jacket zipper and slowly pulls it down. With ease, she tosses it to the side before attempting to peel off the top that desperately clung onto her skin. Naruto swallowed hard before quickly grabbing hold of her hands. Her eyes look up to his in worry, her face flushed bright red.

"Hinata. Wh-What are you doing?" Yeah, it was a stupid question for him to ask but he was so shocked that he had to hear it from her.

"... I thought you would like this." She mumbled, her face still rosy.

"O-Of course I would!" He stammered, trying his best to keep eye contact. "But we don't have to do anything you don't wanna do."

As much as Hinata hated to admit, she was quite relieved to hear him say that. It would definitely be something she wants to do with Naruto but her heart just wasn't into the whole sex thing completely.

"... You won't be mad?" She asked, her eyes losing contact long ago.

Letting go of her hands, he reaches up to her small face to stare long into her eyes. The blonde smiles and shakes his head a bit. "No way! There's no reason for me to be mad. Just being able to sit by you like this has already made me satisfied." While that may be true, we all know Naruto's penis would be sad for the rest of the night.

But Hinata exhales in relief before Naruto plants a kiss on her forehead. Afterwards, the two sat in silence.

"..."

"..."

"... Okay since we've decided that, how are we going to get you out of these wet clothes? You don't have any spare clothes here." Naruto mentioned, nervously laughing.

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After multiple awkward moments and a couple of simple kisses, the two got into some dry clothes and did their best to make some sort of comfortable bedding for two. With that no longer being an issue, it didn't take long for the two to be cuddling up against each other. Naruto was starting at the roof of the tent while Hinata rested her head on his chest, half asleep.

He thought that he was dreaming again but this all felt too real. Recalling how the day started, he never imagined that everything would have turned out so well. With so much stress he had not only put on others and himself, he just couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that Hinata had accepted him after all. It made his heart squeeze in excitement and a satisfied smile on his face. The boy was incredibly thankful and promised himself that he was going to put his life into making all of this stay this way. Hinata moans in comfort as she rests her right arm over Naruto's chest. He shifts slightly, kissing her forehead once more before drifting off into a light slumber.

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A/N: I know, I know I'm such a monster! It's been about a month since I updated, right? I'm going straight to fanfiction hell for that! As much as I wish I had an excuse, I don't. I was just stuck. But I unstuck myself and I hope that you guys forgive me TT^TT