Konoha High
9 - At Last
Hinata Hyuga
Mid-length, spiky brown hair; gray jacket. No mistaking who this is.
"Kiba-kun!" I call out to him. He waves and starts walking towards me.
"Happy birthday," he grins and hands me a box, nicely wrapped in purple.
"Arigatou," I thank him, then motion for him to set next to me on the fountain's edge.
My phone beeps inside the small bag I decided to bring today.
New Text Message
From: Ino Yamanaka
Ran into Amaya on the way to the marketplace, so you don't need to worry about her getting lost c;
"Who is it?" Kiba asks.
"Just Ino-chan. She said she ran into Amaya, so she'll help her get here."
"Alright," he looks around. "Hey, look!"
I turn to face that direction.
Sunglasses; beige hoodie with the hood pulled over his head. Shino-kun. I wave at him, and he just walks to us slowly.
"Happy birthday, Hinata." He gives me an envelope with Hinata Hyuga written on the front.
"Thanks, Shino-kun. You're early, too," I say, but he shakes his head and points to his wristwatch; 12:00. Shino-kun's so precise about being on-time.
"Hey, Kiba," he greets.
"Oi, Shi- NO!" Kiba almost smacks an insect out of the air.
"Watch it!" Shino cups the bug in his hands, then places it in a small vile with about a dozen others.
"…Tell me why, again, you still keep these around?"
"For emergencies."
"Like what?"
We sit and wait for everyone else to get here, Shino and Kiba arguing about old shinobi wars and ninjutsu.
"Hinata!" I look up. Blue jacket over a white t-shirt. Naruto-kun.
Amaya Shimizu
"We turn left here," Ino's helping me get to the marketplace. I'm so glad I ran into her because earlier I was actually headed in the wrong direction…
"And then another left…, then up ahead, we'll take a right, k? But this is just if you're walking or running there. Once I get my license, I'll just pick you up," she smiles. "Just two more years…"
"Yeah, thanks Ino."
"By the way, why didn't your sister take you? She can drive, right?"
"She can, but today she said she had to leave early to go meet someone."
"Well okay. Anyways, we're gonna pass by Shikamaru's house. It's just on the way there."
"Alright."
[…]
"Oi, Ino, Amaya," Shikamaru greets us as he closes the door behind him. He's wearing a beige sweatshirt, gray pants, and has a small rectangular box in his left hand. Ino takes his right.
"What'd you get for her, Shikamaru?" She asks.
"Just a gift card to the book store. She likes reading, right?"
"Yeah…, you can usually see her reading for basically the whole time during school."
"Okay, good."
"What about you, Amaya?" She taps on the gift bag I have.
"A bracelet, a blouse, a beanie." Before I left for the Christmas party the other day, I decided not to bring these things because it would seem unfair for the other girls.
"Cool," Ino holds up her smaller gift bag. "I got a necklace."
I just nod as a response, and we continue walking. I'm still pondering how close Shikamaru and Ino are. I mean, at the Christmas party, they kissed, but I thought it was just as a joke under the mistletoe. Now they're holding hands. Are they…? It doesn't seem like they would, but…
I try not to think about it. I should just ask Hinata, Kiba, or Sakura when we get to the marketplace.
[…]
"Here!" Ino, Shikamaru, and I give Hinata our presents. She already has two other envelopes on top of a purple box next to her.
"Thank you," she says. Kiba stands.
"Do you need a bag, Hinata?"
"I-If you don't mind getting one, Kiba-kun."
He shakes his head, "Nah, I'll go get one from the convenience store. Be right back, guys!" He jogs off.
"So what are we gonna do?" Naruto asks.
"E-Eat lunch, then go buy dessert, if you want," Hinata stutters.
"Cool," he says. "Who else are we expecting?"
"Choji-kun and Lee-san said they couldn't make it today," she says, "so probably just TenTen and Sakura."
"Alright."
I can already see Kiba running back, a blue plastic bag flapping around in his hand.
"Here," Kiba starts putting the gifts inside.
"Thanks Kiba-kun."
"It's nothing."
"Well, guess we should go eat?" Naruto pipes up.
"Y-Yeah," Hinata agrees.
Hinata Hyuga
"I'll take this ramen," Naruto points to something on the cover of the menu, "and water."
"I'll have onigiri and miso soup," Amaya tells the waitress.
"I'll take… Hmm…"
We all order, one person after the other.
"Hey guys! Sorry I'm late!" TenTen calls from the entrance. She's with Sakura, and they both take a seat at the end, next to Amaya at the table. TenTen asks for strawberry Ramune and pork buns, and Sakura asks for onigiri and water.
When the waitress leaves, they both give me gift bags.
"Thanks."
"Sorry, Hinata-chan," Sakura apologizes.
"It's okay."
"So what do you plan on doing after this?" She asks.
"Get dessert," I tell her, "if you want."
"Of course we're getting dessert," Naruto adds enthusiastically.
"O-Okay, Naruto-kun."
[…]
When our food arrives, we talk about school, and Sakura brings up Sasuke.
"I really wouldn't wanna go to school, except that that's the only place I'd ever see Sasuke-kun," she says. "I've never seen him around at the karaoke bar, or the mall, even. The only time I have ever seen him outside of school was this one time I ran into him at the convenience store."
"Did you talk to him there?" Ino asks.
Sakura cups her face into her hands and starts swaying slightly. Her voice seems to get a little higher; "Well… No…, he seemed like he was busy so I didn't wanna bother him…, wouldn't wanna be rude."
"Well if he was interested, he would've talked to you first," Naruto mumbles.
"What, Naruto? Eh?"
"N-Nothing, Sakura-chan."
I sigh. Naruto-kun…
As much as I tried to keep it to myself, Sakura and Ino managed to force the fact that I love Naruto out of me over the last three years.
"Hinata-chan, why are you blushing?"
"Hinata-chan, stop stuttering!"
"Hinata-chan, are you okay? Do you have a fever?"
At some point, they realized my behavior changed around Naruto-kun. I'd become more nervous and shy than I usually am. Sakura and Ino would wonder why, but they became more supportive as we got closer. Kiba would always tease me when Naruto was around, but he probably figured it out even before Sakura and Ino did.
He never asked, but it seemed he would take note of my actions whenever Naruto was around.
"Calm down, Hinata." He would and still does help to comfort me whenever I start to hyperventilate or something.
[…]
"Instead of ice cream or yogurt or something, can we just go get coffee?" Ino asks.
"Is everyone else okay with it?…" I ask, but I know that Naruto, persistent as he is, won't change his mind.
"Yeah."
"Sounds good."
"It's alright."
Everybody agrees, except, as I expected, Naruto-kun.
"But guys!…"
"Naruto!" Sakura shouts at him. "Can you be less selfish?! Today is Hinata's birthday. Don't make it about you."
"S-Sorry, Hinata-chan," he apologizes. No…, I can't have him upset because of me.
"Y-You know…, I felt like getting dessert, too," I say. Naruto's face brightens.
"Alright, Hinata-chan! See that? Let's go!"
"Actually…," Ino says, winking at me. "The rest of us will go get coffee. You two go ahead and get ice cream or something."
"Uhh okay," Naruto starts walking. He stops and turns around. "Hinata-chan? Aren't you coming?"
"Ah- Yeah!" I'm literally stumbling just to cover the small distance between us.
[…]
"Okay, is that all?" The girl at the counter asks.
I nod, and she hits a key on the register.
"That'll be 800 yen," she says and waits patiently while I take out my wallet. Naruto extends his arm to stop me.
"I got this, Hinata. Consider this another birthday gift."
"I-It's o-okay…"
He pulls out a pouch designed like a frog, so that whenever you open it to get money, it looks like it's eating your hand.
"Here ya go," he holds out the money for the cashier.
"Oh, right! For here or to go?" She asks before taking it.
"For he-"
"To go," Naruto interrupts. To go? W-Where does he want to go?!
The cashier puts a lid over the paper bowls of ice cream and puts them in a bag with two spoons and a few napkins. Naruto hands her the money, takes the bag, and she smiles, "Have a nice day!"
We leave to go back outside. I feel can feel my heart beating faster. Is it possible that he likes me back? Or is he just being nice?…
I'm growing frantic… Or is this just excitement?
[…]
"N-Naruto-kun…, where are we going?" I finally ask.
"To the park area," he says, his voice nonchalant.
"W-Why?"
"I figured it'd be nice. I mean, I play a lot of video games and tend to be really lazy sometimes, but I actually like the outdoors, ya know?" He grins like he always does, with his eyes shut and his teeth out, proud. The way that for some reason, makes you want to smile back, every time.
"O-Oi, Hinata… Are you okay? You're getting red again…, are you feeling sick?" …So oblivious, I can't help but think.
"I-I'm fine. Great, actually."
He stares at me, his eyebrows raised in curiosity. He's so close… My breaths become more frequent. No. Don't do this. Kiba-kun isn't here this time. What's Naruto going to think if I faint again?
Yes…, again. It happened once in elementary school, before his parents decided he should be home schooled for a couple of years. Elementary school?… Has it really been this long?
[…]
I remember when I first started liking Naruto…
I was a lot younger, (I'd say around the first three years of primary school), and I'd be a target of bullying because I was a quiet, shy girl that people saw as a sort of outcast. Neji would defend me if things got bad, but he also had studies and Taijutsu training to attend to, so he wouldn't always be there for me. And then there was the fact that, at that age, we weren't quite as close. You could say Neji didn't even like me very much, and was just doing what he had to as my older cousin.
Shino and Kiba were also there for me, as we'd been friends ever since year one, when everyone was put into groups of three for a school-project. Whenever someone messed with me, they'd be there in an instant, their arms crossed and tough-kid looks on their faces.
Neji-nii-san always told me to avoid Naruto, being the kid whose parents "didn't discipline him properly".
"He causes plenty of trouble, and you're not to get involved with any of it."
Kiba, however, told me otherwise:
"Class is so boring, Hinata! Why don't you just come with us and skip out on class for just one day?" Kiba would occasionally skip classes with Naruto, Choji, and Shikamaru, but I would never join them. My parents were strict about education and doing that would have resulted in some form of punishment.
One day- I remember so clearly- I had to walk home from school because my parents were too busy to pick me up. Neji had after-school training, and Kiba went to the park with Shikamaru and Choji, leaving me to walk alone.
I'd been walking for less than five minutes- but it didn't take long for things to go wrong.
While trying to avoid a particular group of older students, one (whose name I can't recall) stepped back, right into me.
"S-Sorry! I-I didn't me-mean to… I just…" I apologized frantically.
"Watch it," he sneered.
"Well what do you expect?" One of the other students smirked. "It's that Hyuga kid!"
"W-Wait…" The first stuttered, then looked around cautiously. He started whispering, but I could still hear: "Idiots! Her brother or whatever is gonna kill us if we do anything to her!"
"Brother?"
"…Or cousin. Whatever. Bodyguard, there." At this, the other kids' eyes widened with realization.
"Y-You mean Neji?!" They all took another look to see if he was anywhere near us- to see if he'd heard anything. When they found he was nowhere to be seen, their lips turned up into malevolent grins.
"Oh, I don't see Neji around anywhere!"
"Neither do I! What about you?"
"Nope! But wouldn't it be such a shame if something were to happen to Hinata without Neji-san to come save her?"
My lips started quavering with fear. I tried to run, but they were taller than me and caught up quickly. Once they had a hold of me again, we were in a more isolated area. They weren't smirking anymore; they were just annoyed.
"You see this?" One kid pointed at a nasty bruise near his collarbone. "Your damn cousin gave me that yesterday."
"M-Maybe you d-deserved it," I managed to say. I don't know, maybe I just didn't like that they were blaming Neji, but I knew I wasn't helping myself much.
"What?!" I remained silent. He started yelling more, then landed a hit to the right side of my face. I could feel my cheek swelling, and I started to shield myself from the next one, but it never came.
"Oi! Leave her alone!"
"What the hell are you gonna do?" They laughed. "Whatever, it's just Naruto." They turned back to me.
"H-Hey! Don't ignore me!" Naruto shouted again, louder. "You guys are so weak that you have to pick on defenseless girls!" This was enough to provoke them. Naruto ran, and they followed. I did, too, but at a slower pace. When I caught up to them, I saw that they'd already had him surrounded. Through their legs I could see his blond hair suspended over the dirt. Had he already been beaten?
He stood. At first, I was going to go give him what little help I could, but he gave me a grin with so much pride and confidence… I just stood and watched.
"Are you an idiot?" He said to me from within their circle. "Go!"
I ran, but I couldn't help but look back. Naruto was already thrown back to the floor. I had to go get help. Luckily, I ran right into Neji-nii.
"Hinata-sama?" He gave a questioning look. "Where did you just?…" His eyes affixed to something else on my face. "Who did this to you?!"
I was still trying to catch my breath, so I just pointed in the direction I ran from. Neji started walking, but I urged him to run.
When he saw the group of delinquents he'd known from the day before, he immediately took action.
When it was over, Naruto stood up. He looked at Neji, then at me, and grinned even wider, despite how beat-up he was. Neji just glared at him, then turned to talk to me:
"I told you to stay away from him."
"B-But Nii-san…, he helped me…"
"No, he didn't. It's a good thing you found me before things got worse. Now come on, let's go home."
"O-Okay…" While walking back, I glanced back to find Naruto, but he wasn't there anymore.
From that day on, I started to notice him more and more, despite Neji's warnings. I observed, and soon found that I noticed more than others had bothered to about Naruto.
Even though he wasn't good at something, he'd try hard at it, and when he would fail in front of everyone, he'd just make it a joke. So to everyone else, and much to the teachers' annoyance, it seemed he was just the class clown.
After school, instead of going home, I'd see him run to the park. I followed him once out of curiosity.
He played around with some of the other kids and after an hour or so, the other kids' parents would start calling for them to go home. He, on the other hand, would stay there, watching the other kids go, his face full of longing. When they were all gone, he'd sit on the swing by himself, letting his feet hover off the ground by a few inches but not actually swinging. His head would be down, his hair hanging down over his eyes so they weren't visible. Thin, perfect lines streaked his cheeks; tears streamed down his face and dropped down into the sand.
I outstretched my arm, trying to reach out from where I was standing. "Na-" I tried calling out, but then I found somebody else's hand on my shoulder.
Neji. He looked down at me coldly. "Hinata-sama." I looked down and started walking back home with him. I knew he wouldn't approve if I had continued.
Later, I found out that his family was very high up. His father was the Hokage, and his mother worked under him. They were both too busy for him and would often leave him in the care of his godfather, Jiraiya. But Jiraiya, it seemed, was very neglectful. He drank a lot and was frequently found with various women around Konoha.
Naruto had no one but himself for almost his whole life.
In the beginning I pitied him, but soon I found I'd developed an admiration for this boy. Despite the pain and loneliness he suffered through during those years, he put on a strong façade and kept going.
Observing him taught me so much, and what started as curiosity became admiration, which eventually developed into a crush. Years passed and my feelings still haven't changed- if not, they've only intensified.
[…]
Naruto takes a seat on one of the benches. He gets comfortable, stretching his legs out and digging his heels into the grass, then he pats the spot next to him.
"C'mon," he says.
I take a seat a few inches away from him. He puts the bag down on the bench between us and fishes out the bowls of ice cream. He uses his fingers to pry the plastic lids off of both of them, then hands me mine;
"Happy birthday, Hinata-chan."
The way he said that… I feel my cheeks reddening, so I look down at my bowl and start to dig my spoon into the ice cream, but I only take a small amount. It's already cold outside, so I don't know why he wanted to eat ice cream, but I guess I don't really mind. Naruto's already taking big spoonfuls and eating too fast. Should I tell him?…
"N-Naruto-kun…," I start. I actually have his attention now, and my cheeks are burning once again. "I-I just-"
"Yeah?"
I hesitate. "-don't think you should eat too fast!…, you could get a brain freeze."
His chewing slows as he considers this. "True, true."
A few minutes pass in silence. I continue eating slowly, while he's already down to his last spoonful.
"Dang, I'm already out," he says. He stands up to throw his bowl away and sits back down, seemingly closer than before. Before I can open my mouth for the next spoonful, I notice his lips curl into a mischievous grin.
"N-Naruto-kun?…"
He doesn't respond; instead, he leans in, closer to my face. My heartbeat has once again quickened into an irregular pattern. My blush deepens. But I don't jerk my head away. Naruto-kun… He's so close… Is this it?
"Naru-" Before I finish he opens his mouth and takes the ice cream straight from my spoon. He laughs.
"Sorry," he scratches the back of his head, "I guess I didn't get enough."
Amaya Shimizu
"Peppermint mocha," Ino chants before taking a sip. "Want some, Shikamaru~?" She asks while walking away from the pick-up counter.
"No thanks," he says and smiles before taking her hand again. I wish Hinata was here… I think. Then I could ask without being called clueless or stupid for not knowing. Wait…, no. It's definitely obvious that they are dating… I think. I can't help but hold just the tiniest bit of doubt about it. I need someone to confirm it for me!
I pull Sakura aside.
"Sheesh Amaya, you're gonna make me spill my coffee!" She complains as she wipes a small drop off of her hand. "Anyways, what is it?"
"So don't criticize me for doubting something that may seem so obvious…," I begin, and turn to make sure Shikamaru and Ino aren't listening. "But are Shikamaru and Ino…?"
"…Going out?" She completes. I nod and she laughs. "Yeah! They actually started around… three months ago? I'm pretty sure."
"Oh okay, thanks."
"I can't believe you had to ask though."
"Whatever," I laugh it off. "I'm gonna go wait for mine."
I stand by the pick-up counter, waiting for my name to be called. Any second now… I look around the café. It's small but warm and cozy. The windows are tinted slightly blue, and there's somebody looking inside. Wait… He looks familiar, but all I can really make out from here is his short, choppy, dark brown hair.
"Amaya?" Someone calls from behind the counter. I take my order and on my way back I notice the guy from outside has come in. His hazel eyes meet mine for a second as we pass each other. I'm probably just imagining it…
"What'd you get?" Sakura asks.
"…Hot chocolate."
She starts giggling. "You're such a kid! It's cute," my face warms. I just take a sip and ignore it.
"I am younger than you, you know."
"Really? How old are you?"
"Fifteen," I mumble.
"Seriously?!" Ino joins.
"Y-Yeah…"
"Then how come you aren't a sophomore?"
"I skipped a grade when I was in Kiriga," I explain briefly.
"Ohh…" Sakura drinks some of her coffee. "Okay."
"You little nerd," Ino jokes. But it kinda hurts.
"Please, d-don't."
They look at me with concern.
"Sorry Amaya, was that too much?" Ino starts to apologize.
I shake my head. "No, it's just that that's what people used to tease me about at my old school. It's sick, I tell you. How some people immediately come to the conclusion that you're a freak just because you're smart."
"You just get used to it, and ignore it," Shikamaru tells me. "I mean…, you can't let it affect the way you act or think."
"Yeah!" Ino starts speaking again. "Shikamaru used to be teased a lot like that, too. May not seem like it, but he's actually a genius."
"'May not seem like it'? I'm offended," Shikamaru sighs.
"I'm just teasing, calm down," she nudges him.
"Well," I smile, "I guess I don't have to worry about that here."
"Of course," Sakura says.
My phone goes off.
New Text Message
From: Hinata Hyuga
Are you guys done? We should meet up again.
"Who is it? Hinata?" Kiba, who's been silent for this whole time, finally asks.
"Yeah. She asked if we were done."
"Then tell her we are."
I nod and begin pressing buttons on my phone.
Compose New Text Message
To: Hinata Hyuga
Yeah, what about you?
She replies immediately:
Yeah. We should regroup.
Where are you? I send.
The park. We'll wait for you.
"So?" Kiba urges, "What did she say?"
"We should regroup at the park area," I tell him. He stands and tells the rest of them. We all stand up and push our chairs back in, then throw empty coffee cups away on our way out.
[…]
"There they are," Sakura points. "Naruto!"
Naruto turns to us and waves, "Hey!"
When we get closer, I can see Hinata has her hands folded in her lap and she's twiddling her thumbs. Her eyes look down at her lap and her the red in her cheeks are fading to a softer pink.
"So what do you wanna do?" Ino asks. Hinata stops playing with her thumbs and looks at her.
"W-Well I dunno… What about you?"
"No idea," Sakura answers instead.
"I have one," Ino grins. "There's this new clothing store…"
[…]
"Hinata! Come here," Ino shouts from the fitting rooms. We ended up separating from the guys. TenTen went with them, too.
"Okay." As soon as she passes through the doorway, she's pulled in. I go there and check to see what's happening.
"Try these on," Ino and Sakura are both smiling and holding various articles of clothing in their hands.
"B-But-"
"Nope," Sakura starts pushing her inside one of the stalls and closes the door.
While Hinata changes, they start looking around more.
"Sakura," Ino holds up a frilly red skirt, waiting for some kind of response.
"Ew, no," she waves her hand dismissively.
Ino sighs, "Thought so."
"Oi, Amaya, don't just sit there," Sakura pokes me.
"But I don't really need anything," I tell her.
"So? Look around. Or we'll do it for you," she smirks.
I shrug. "Do what you want."
[…]
"Do what you want"?! I think, when they return with armfuls of clothing. What the hell was I thinking?
"And in you go," Ino shoves me into the stall next to Hinata's, and I'm about to object, when about three tons of clothes are thrown at me, causing me to fall back and let them pile up like a mountain on top of me. Dammit. Is this half of the store?!
I hear the door open next to me.
"You pulled it off better than I expected," Ino's voice is muffled as I try to change.
"You should get it, Hinata," Sakura says. "It's a nice… Well, a change of image, you could say."
"W-Well…" Hinata sounds hesitant.
"We'll buy it for you! It's your birthday, after all."
"B-But it's not really…"
"It'll make you stand out," Ino tells her. "It'll make Naruto notice you~"
Now I'm curious as to what it is they chose for her. I quickly slip on a random blouse and come out.
"Hey I'm-" I start, but I don't finish because I hear another door shut. I missed it!
"What the-"
"Um…" Ino and Sakura both stare at me. I look down to see what I subconsciously put on: black-and-white zigzag patterned leggings and a yellow-and-teal vertically striped blouse. They burst out laughing.
"I-I'm sorry, can I take a picture of this?" Sakura giggles.
"We gave you so many choices! Why did you pair them like that?" She gestures at the entire outfit.
I sigh. "I dunno, okay? I just took the first two things at the top of the pile. I'm gonna go back."
I walk back in and change into my original outfit consisting of light jeans, a blue/white striped shirt, and yellow jacket. When I walk out, Hinata is sitting on the bench outside the stalls. She isn't wearing anything different, just the white sweater, pants, and beanie she came with. Sakura and Ino aren't looking around the store.
"Where'd they go?" I ask. She points to two other stalls.
"They decided to try on some things, too."
"Ugh!" Sakura bursts through the door. "Nothing here works on me. Did you find anything, Hinata?"
"No…"
"Go look," Ino says from the stall. "Choose another birthday gift, k?"
"N-No, it's okay," she starts playing with her thumbs again.
"Not even for Naruto, Hinata?" Sakura pouts. "Even Ino's trying for Shikamaru."
"But t-that's different… I mean they're dating already."
"Well you still have to make an effort," she puts her hands on her hips. "I'm still trying for- for-" She hides her face between her fingers now, and her tone is suddenly dreamy; "-Sasuke-kun."
"Sheesh, I can't believe you still like him," Ino finally walks out with two blouses over her arm.
"Can't blame me. You used to like him, too."
"Point is, I got over him a long time ago." She walks to the register and pays for the blouses. Aside from Ino, we all leave the store empty-handed. Sakura looks annoyed and Hinata seems content despite not getting anything.
[…]
"So where'd you guys go?" Ino asks when we meet up with the guys and TenTen again.
"Some electronics store by the move theater," Shikamaru answers.
"It's getting late," says a boy with sunglasses on.
"Ah-" I look at Kiba and Sakura for some introduction. Sakura begins gesturing towards him.
"Amaya, this is Shino."
"Shino Aburame," he clarifies.
"Amaya Shimizu," I tell him, then put out my hand. Instead of shaking, he just nods.
"Don't take it personally," Sakura whispers. "He doesn't really like physical contact." I nod back.
"Anyways," Shikamaru interrupts, "the sun is starting to go down already. I think I should get home."
"Same here," TenTen says.
"I'll go, too."
"Yeah…"
"T-Thanks for coming, everyone," Hinata smiles and waves.
"Here, Hinata," Kiba hands her the plastic bag.
"Thanks."
"Like I said before, it's nothing." He starts walking away backwards, so he's still facing us, with one of his arms sticking out as he scratches the back of his head. With the other arm, he waves. "Ja ne~"
The rest of us follow as he did, saying bye and walking, eventually separating into different paths to get home.
Hinata Hyuga
Everyone's gone now. Today wasn't bad, but I still haven't confessed to Naruto-kun yet. I blew the one opportunity I had earlier, when we were alone…
"Oi, Hinata!" His voice makes me jump. I thought everyone left?…
I turn around. I half-expected it to be Kiba, deciding to stay for a while longer, but it's-
"N-Naruto-kun?…"
"Well who else would it be? Everyone else left already. Anyways, what do you wanna do now?"
"I-I…" This is my chance. "D-don't know…" Maybe not.
"It's only like six or seven, Hinata!"
I remain silent, so he speaks up again:
"You wanna walk to the park? Not this one, though. The one near the elementary school."
I smile. "Sure."
[…]
We're less than a mile away now, but even though it is only seven, it's already dark.
"Here," Naruto says. The park is right in front of us: a small area of sand with slides and swings, surrounded by a grassy field. He walks over to the swings and sits on one. Just like back then…, I think. He gestures at the swing next to him, so I take a seat.
I start moving my legs so that the swing sways a little, then I take a look up. I see Naruto in my peripheral vision, doing the same.
"They seem to get brighter around this season," I say.
"The stars?" Naruto pauses. "Yeah. They are." I guess he would know, if he's still been coming here often. Does he really want me to stay, or does he just need a reason to not go home?
I didn't really take Naruto as the star-gazing type, but I guess there's still a lot that I don't know about him. A lot I still have to find out. We're quiet, just looking up and observing the stars, but the tension is driving me mad. Should I say something? Should I tell him?
"Aren't you cold, Hinata?" I guess I never really noticed it'd gotten so cold because I was distracted by Naruto. My sweater isn't helping much.
"Here," he starts unzipping his jacket.
"W-Wait!… Y-You don't need to." He slips it off anyways.
"I don't really need it." He tosses it to me and watches as I stand up to put it on. "Sorry, might be too big."
Its sleeves go past my hands, and it looks more like an oversized dress with the way it goes down to the middle of my thighs. This is ridiculous, I think, but I'm grateful. Naruto's warmth lingers throughout the jacket, and more heat spreads up to my cheeks.
"A-Arigatou. But are you sure you'll be alright?" I ask a I sit back down.
"Yeah." He's wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt. How can he not be cold?
It's silent again. We find ourselves looking up again.
Naruto Uzumaki
Once again, I find myself in this place, star-gazing. Except this time, I'm not alone. Hinata sits next to me, looking up too. We don't talk, but I guess her presence is enough.
I know it's cold, but I can barely feel it. She definitely does, though, because she still shudders a little, even with my jacket on.
I can't tell if this silence is peaceful, or just plain awkward, but after five minutes of this, she breaks it.
"N-Naruto-kun…," she begins, "can I ask you something?"
"Yeah?"
"…What do you do when you like someone… But you can't bring yourself to say or do anything about it?" Why is she asking me, of all people?
"I guess…, you'd just have to overcome your fear of, I dunno… rejection? Because if you can just get it over with and tell them, you'd get some kind of response. It doesn't matter if you do get rejected- at least you got some kind of response, and that helps you either move on, or keep trying." I find myself telling her this from experience.
"Has it happened to you before?" She asks.
"Not exactly… I guess that in my case, I just need to learn how to give up- no, move on and get over it. It's hopeless, because I know that she knows how I feel, but she still likes someone else, and she won't ever give up on him. I need to find someone who'll feel the same way. I need to end something so…one-sided, but I guess I just…can't. " Sakura…
"I guess I need to, too…" Hinata's head is down so her bangs cast shadows over her eyes. She's twiddling her thumbs.
"Why, Hinata?"
"Because the person I like is so…oblivious. I can't help but feel a little selfish, though, because I know he likes someone already…" She stops playing with her thumbs and drops her hands into her lap.
"Isn't it ironic, Naruto-kun?" She lifts her head to face me. Her eyes close as her lips curve up into a smile, but I can tell how much pain she bears behind it. "Because the one I like…" She leaves a long, agonizing pause, and for a moment, I forget about Sakura, about Sasuke- about all of it.
"Is you."
Author's Note:
I know this chapter was a bit…lengthier, but it's okay. Anyways…, I'll give credit to evanestfacade for helping me write and giving me more ideas.
Chapter 10 has been released as of November 1st~!
Thanks for reading & being patient (:
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO/NARUTO: SHIPPUDEN!