Hinata recovered swiftly and soon her attention was focused, once again, on Naruto. No longer the childish, immature boy he once was, Hinata couldn't help but flush a bit at just the thought of how much he'd grown up over the years. Running her fingers shyly through her long hair-- it had grown so quickly she barely even noticed how long it had gotten-- she waited for the team that would set out. They were looking for Sasuke again, she knew, and it would be a long, difficult struggle for all of them.
"Did ya come to see us off?" Growing up or not, Naruto's voice was still loud.
Nearly jumping, Hinata spun around to come face to face with her crush. Her hand fell from her hair to lightly fiddle with the fingers of her other hand as a blush burned across her face. She nodded and offered a small smile. "Good luck."
Behind him, the rest of his team-- Sakura, Yamato, and Sai-- approached and walked past him ahead to the gate. He grinned down at Hinata and rubbed the back of his head. "Don't worry. We'll come back soon after we find Sasuke!"
"Naruto, come on!" Impatient as ever when it came to the blonde, Sakura tapped her foot impatiently.
"We should get going before it gets any later," Yamato agreed.
"See ya, Hinata!" Naruto waved to the quiet girl before joining his teammates and setting out.
Watching the four depart, Hinata remained by the gate just a little longer. "He'll be back soon," she thought, "that's what he said." Believing in his words, as she always had, Hinata turned back toward town, giving all the support she could from such a distance.
"Oi, there you are!" Haruhi waved an arm wildly at her friend. "What were you doing all the way out there?"
"Naruto-kun left just now," she explained.
"Oh." Haruhi never really knew how to react hearing such a thing, especially when the news was delivered by a down-trodden Hinata. "Well, he'll be back soon, I'm sure." Of course, whenever Naruto left out on a mission, it was never really assured when he would be back and in what condition he would arrive in.
"He will," the Hyuuga agreed, nodding. Though, if it existed at all, her confidence was evident in neither her tone nor her expression.
Haruhi had to agree that this time did seem a bit different, but refused to let that get her or Hinata down. Still, how was she supposed to cheer her friend up? Or, at the very least, distract her from thinking about that annoying boy. An idea forming in her head, she motioned for Hinata to follow her.
The pair walked for quite a while until they reached a rather remote location where few ever ventured. It was perfect for quiet talks, though, and she and Hinata had often come to the peaceful clearing, albeit more when they were children. Haruhi took a seat on a large rock that jutted from the ground while Hinata chose to stand at its base, leaning against the cool surface. The brunette looked down at her friend with a concentration that would raise questions if noticed. Still, she couldn't help but wonder if this was right or not.
"It's still so nice here," Hinata commented, raising her face to the warm sun and closing her eyes. It was one of the only things that hadn't changed since their childhood and it served as a reprieve from the strains of daily life when it got to be too much. Like a secret place only she and her friend knew of; something she would treasure most likely her entire life.
"Yeah," Haruhi agreed in a much quieter tone than she usually spoke in. She let her elbows rest against her knees and sat her chin on interlaced fingers. "Hinata..."
"Huh?" The bluenette tilted her head backward to look up at her friend, who was peering over the rock's edge, which sat about only a meter away from the top of her head, to look down at her. "What is it, Haruhi-chan?"
"I..." It was hard to say when she wasn't riddled with emotions. Before it had been so easy, not only because Hinata wasn't listening, but because she had been overwhelmed with feelings for the girl. Still, the temptation of finally having the confession out in the open was nearly enough to force the words from her lips.
"Is everything alright?" Now she was slightly concerned. Haruhi was never this hesitant with something she had to say.
"Just say it," she told herself. "It won't be difficult once you do. Just tell her you love her, that's all. Say it. Say it!" "I love you." By the time Haruhi realized that last part had actually been vocalized, Hinata's shocked expression had turned away from her and back to the ground. She tensed, unsure of what to say or do, and waited for what felt like forever for Hinata to make a move.
"Haruhi-chan," the Hyuuga whispered. Haruhi...loved her? Why? How? Questions that pleaded her to be asked were pushed aside for a statement that was hardly unknown yet potentially should have remained unspoken. "I...I'm flattered...that you would feel that way about me, but I...I love Naruto-kun."
Haruhi mentally flinched at the words, her guts twisting into painful reminders that she had plenty of time before Hinata became so infatuated to say something. No...that was hardly the issue. What was she going to say if Hinata rejected her? She couldn't remember. Something like 'don't worry about it' or something casual like that. This was hardly casual, though, and Haruhi's head spun with thoughts of everything she could have said and done differently to make sure she was the one Hinata fell for; that she was the one the Hyuuga girl loved.
"I...I have to go," she said, instead. She couldn't keep her thoughts straight enough to try and hold a normal conversation now and she felt like her mere presence was destroying the sanctity of the secret place they shared.
"W-wait!" Hinata called, but to no avail. Haruhi fled from sight and left her even more upset than she had been previously. Quickly deciding that she had to straighten things out somehow, Hinata followed her friend's steps.
--Line Break--
"Anko-san, please open up," Hinata called through the door, feeling that her knocks wouldn't be urgent enough. A curious expression met her as the door swung open and she quickly bowed. "I'm sorry for disturbing you today, but-"
"You're looking for Haruhi." Of course she was-- why else would Hinata, who she had spoken to only briefly and formally, be at her doorstep. Though, the girl's slightly ruffled state did concern her a bit. "Come on in."
"Thank you," the bluenette murmured, stepping inside as Anko shut the door behind her. She sat in the seat the older female gestured to and fiddled with her fingers for a few moments before speaking. "I didn't have any idea..."
"Of course you didn't," the brunette replied, sitting across from the heiress. "Haruhi tried her best to keep you from finding out."
Hinata frowned at this. Why would Haruhi keep such an important thing from her? Weren't they best friends? They were supposed to tell each other everything, she thought. She shook her head lightly and looked up from the table to Anko, searching the other's eyes for any suggestion of what she should do next. "Do you know where she is?"
"Probably at home," the woman told her. "She stopped by here very briefly, but she wasn't making much sense. I figured it had something to do with you." It wasn't difficult to figure children out, though it was a tad more difficult to reason with and understand them fully.
"I don't know what to do," Hinata confessed. "Harhui-chan has been my best friend for as long as I can remember. What will I do if she...if she..." She couldn't even stand the thought of not seeing Haruhi every day; not talking with her and simply being around her.
Anko smiled slightly and reached across the table to take one of Hinata's hands in hers. Catching the young girl's attention, her lips tugged up just a bit more. "Tell me exactly what you feel for Haruhi."
What she felt for her? Hinata's mouth opened slightly, but no words escaped her throat. If she were to be honest, she wasn't sure she could put what she felt for her friend into words. They had always known, though never said, that they would do anything for each other. The other's happiness always came before everything else and everyone else. Was she dedicated to Haruhi? Perhaps admiring of her? She didn't know. It was like everything she felt for Naruto, only more...honest. It was almost like she was in love with her best friend.
Anko watched silently as the expression from Hinata's face changed from distressed to realization and finally settled on shocked. When Hinata's head finally raised again, the older woman nodded and released her hand. No sooner did she sit back in her chair than the young Hyuuga stood and bowed, shouting a quick 'thank you' as she ran out.
Hinata's blood pumped through her veins as she dashed through Konoha's streets. A path she would usually walk calmly down blurred by her in an instant. She only hoped Haruhi would listen to her. Worry and uncertainty nearly pouring from her lips, accompanied by heavy pants from running so quickly, Hinata disregarded all formality and pushed through the front door of Haruhi's home.
"Haruhi-chan!" she shouted out, her soft voice raising only slightly as a result. Dread filling her as she received no response, she forced her body to wait...wait for something, wait for anything.
Then, suddenly, a head stuck out from a room down the hall. Solemn gray eyes studied the panting figure in her doorway, a frown touching down on her face. She hadn't fully expected Hinata to follow her home so soon and she wasn't sure she wanted to face this conversation quite yet. However, she couldn't rightly ignore the other girl's presence, or push her away even more.
Giving a small sigh of relief, Hinata met her friend halfway in the hall. She thought for a moment of what to say, pressured by Haruhi's insistent stare, but all words fled from her mind as soon as she grasped them. She wondered if it had been this difficult for the normally straight-forward girl. She then tried to imagine holding such a realization in for so many years and wondered just how Haruhi had managed.
Just as the brunette was about to ask if there was something in particular Hinata wanted, her lips found themselves pressed against another pair. More correctly, Hinata's. It took a second for her to realize what was happening, but when everything finally clicked, her eyes widened. "What...?"
Hinata stepped back, her face redder than anytime before. She looked off to the side and drew her arms behind her back. "I...talked to Anko-san," she explained.
Anko. Haruhi would have to remember to thank her the next time she saw her. For feeling like she would never be able to smile again only a few minutes ago, the brunette was breaking out in a wide grin. She closed the distance between Hinata and herself and pulled her friend into another, chaste kiss. Hinata's arms wrapped around her neck and she tugged the Hyuuga closer. Definitely needed to thank her.
If there was any part of this story that was extremely crappy, please excuse it due to the fact that I think I'm delirious. I have no idea what illness I've been struck with, but it's increasingly irritating to try and think with it. And, before I start on some sort of rant, I'm just going to ask that you leave your reviews and I hope you enjoyed yourselves.