Hey guys! Sorry for taking so long, but with Christmas and new years and studying for mid-terms I have had literally no time to post . It's such a stupid time of year. Anyways I hope you all had a happy holiday! Everyone seemed to show support for the first kiss being in this chapter so I guess I have no choice… but I guarantee its not going to be what you expect. Mwhahah! Get ready for a super twist!

Disclaimer: This is as useful as a pedal-powered wheelchair or a submarine screen door.


Kakashi and Guy had just arrived at Naruto's broken and bleeding body.

Kakashi knelt next to Naruto. "I'm sorry, Naruto. Once again I have arrived too late." Kakashi picked up Naruto and carefully placed him on his back. "Come on, Guy. We need to get Naruto to a hospital immediately."

Guy nodded and followed after him.

Minutes later, they arrived at the hospital. A nurse quickly noticed the bleeding body in Kakashi's arms and immediately found him a room.

Kakashi laid Naruto down on the bed. "I'm sorry, Naruto. I played favorites and I've never taught you anything. But most of all, I'm sorry for not being there when you truly needed me."

Several nurses suddenly burst into the room. They stripped Naruto off his bloody clothes and began administering their healing chakra all over his body.

Guy put his hand on Kakashi's shoulder. "He's in their hands now." Kakashi nodded and they both left the room.

After leaving the house, Kakashi headed towards a small apartment district. He knew there was a certain person he should tell about Naruto's condition.

He searched for the source of her chakra and when he found the apartment, he knocked on the door. There was no reply for a few moments, but when the door finally opened, Hinata stood behind with red and puffy eyes.

Kakashi smiled sheepishly while Hinata quickly wiped the tears from her eyes. "Naruto is back."

Hinata's heart surged with relief. But she did not like the look in Kakashi's eyes. They seemed sad for some reason. "How is he…?"

Kakashi couldn't seem to find his voice so he shook his head. Hinata misunderstood his expression and assumed the worst. She sprinted towards the hospital, leaving Kakashi with a bewildered look upon his face.

Tears slid from her eyes as she ran for the hospital. He can't be….. It's not possible….. I can't live without him! Hinata shook her head and increased her pace. He has been everything to me since that day.

Flashback

"Take that, you pupil-less freak!" Some kid yelled as he pushed a young Hinata onto the ground. "Who would ever want to play with a girl with eyes like yours."

Hinata's eyes filled with tears. "P-Please…. S-stop."

The kid grinned at his observing friends. "You're a FREAK!" The kid pulled back his arm for a punch and Hinata closed her eyes, bracing for impact.

"STOP IT!" A voice shouted from behind the bully. Hinata opened her eyes to see a familiar blond kid jump past the group of kids and kick the bully in the face.

"Naruto?" Hinata whispered in disbelief.

Naruto jumped onto the bully stomach and began pummeling his face. The bully's two friends ran up and pulled Naruto off their friend. They both held onto one of Naruto's arms. The bully stood up and wiped the blood of his face.

"Who the hell are you? And what do you think you're doing?" The bully asked.

"I'm Naruto! And I'm going to kick your ass." Naruto replied angrily.

The kids laughed. "And who is this girl to you?"

Naruto grinned. "She is my friend."

Again, the kids laughed. "This freak is your friend?" The bully asked as he drove his fist into Naruto's stomach. Naruto doubled up in pain and gasped for breath.

"NO!" Hinata shouted. Why was Naruto doing this for her? Why was he taking her punches like this? Tears filled Hinata's eyes again.

"Please, don't hurt him." Hinata begged.

The bully sneered. He walked over to Hinata and yanked her up by her hair. "Shut up, you freak! Nobody-"

"SHUT UP!!" Naruto yelled. "Stop calling her a freak!" Naruto swung his leg back hitting one of the kids between the legs. The kids grip on Naruto loosened and Naruto wretched his arms free. Naruto swung his fist and nailed the other kid square in the nose. The kid fell back holding his bleeding nose. The two friends shared a quick glance and took off running.

Naruto turned his attention to the bully. He kicked the back of the bully's knees, forcing him onto the ground. Naruto then raised his foot over the kid's hand. "If you ever touch my friend again, I'll KILL you!" Naruto brought his foot down.

The was an agonizing scream from the kid as the bones in his hand snapped. The sobbing kid jumped up and ran after his friends. Once they were out of sight, Naruto kneeled down beside Hinata

"Are you hurt?" Naruto asked softly.

"N-No. I'm f-fine." Hinata shook her head. Naruto was too close and too cute. Hinata couldn't stay focused. Just remembering to breath took most of her concentration.

Naruto smiled warmly. "Good. I'm glad. You shouldn't let what those boys said hurt you. You are not a freak."

Hinata sniffled. "B-But my eyes…"

Naruto laughed, "They are beautiful."

Hinata gasped and glowed bright red. 'R-Really?"

"Yep! They sure are!" Naruto gave her another dazzling smile that knocked the breath out of Hinata.

Hinata struggled to regain her composure. "S-So… where did y-you learn to fight like t-that?"

The smile vanished from Naruto's face. "I have had a lot of experience with bullies. You see, I really am a freak." Once the word freak was out of Naruto's mouth, he took off running.

Hinata gazed after him wondering what he could possibly mean. She stood up and followed after him. She didn't know it then but she was starting a pattern that she would keep for many years to come.

End Flashback

Hinata wiped the tears from her eyes as she entered the hospital. There were several nurses running around in a frenzy. Hinata tried to make her way to the front desk when something orange caught her eye. She turned her head only to see several nurses carrying somebody in a stretcher.

"Naruto!" Hinata shouted as she recognized the body. She ran to catch up to the nurses, matching her pace with the front nurse who wouldn't stop running.

"Where are you taking Naruto?" Hinata asked the nurse.

"To the surgery room. He is in critical condition. If he doesn't get serious medical treatment soon he's going to die!"

Hinata's world crumbled around her. She stopped running. Her body felt like lead. The nurses sprinted past her not even bothering to look back.

Fortunately Tsunade was nearby and spotted Hinata. She pulled her aside and followed after the nurses. They stopped at a door marked Surgery. There was a blinking red light above the door that meant there was an ongoing surgery behind the doors.

"I'm sorry, Hinata. This is as far as you can go." She sat Hinata down on a nearby bench and sat next to her.

"W-What happened to him…?" Hinata asked, her voice only barely above a whisper.

Tsunade sighed. "You already know he was on a mission to try and find Orochimaru. I didn't think it was a possibility that Orochimaru would dare to be so close to out village, but he was and he found Naruto. They got into a fight and Naruto took some heavy injuries. The amazing thing is that he managed to inflict some injuries on Orochimaru as well. They were bad enough to force Orochimaru to flee the scene. That kid never ceases to surprise me."

Hinata nodded her head slightly. Naruto certainly was strong, and it made Hinata proud to know him. But now he could be dieing and Hinata couldn't even see him. There was nothing worse than this.

"Listen, Hinata. This surgery is going to take all day and I can't stay here to keep you company. You may want to go home."

"I'm staying." Hinata said defiantly.

"Ok." Tsunade smiled weakly and walked through the doors. Hinata turned her head trying to steal a peek through the doors, but it was pitch black inside and Tsunade quickly shut the doors behind her.

Hinata folded her arms stubbornly and waited for the light to turn off.

Several hours later, Hinata eyes began to feel droopy. She had spent most of the previous night wide awake worrying about Naruto and was now feeling the effects. Hinata fought to stay awake. She wanted to know if Naruto would be okay, but her body needed rest and it soon won the battle. Hinata closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Many hours later, Tsunade watched as Naruto was wheeled out of the surgery room. Shizune walked up beside her. "Naruto sure is amazing. No normal person could ever have survived that. He has an incredible will to live."

Tsunade laughed. "He refuses to die until he becomes the Hokage. Place him in his room and let his body take care of the rest." Tsunade sighed tiredly when out of the corner of her eye she saw Hinata sleeping on the bench beside the doors. "That girl really does like him… Shizune have somebody take that girl to her home."

Shizune nodded and bent over to pick up the napping girl.

Several hours later, Naruto started to wake up. He looked around sleepily and noticed that Tsunade was standing next to him.

"Finally awake? Good. I have your chart right here. It says you're going to make a full recovery. But listen, you took some serious damage. You need to stay here and rest." However, even as Tsunade said this, she knew there was no hope. Naruto would be gone by morning and there was nothing she could do to stop him.

"Oh and Naruto… Hinata stopped by."

Naruto gasped in surprise. "She was?"

"Yeah. She was here for hours waiting for news of your condition. She fell asleep so I had Shizune take her back home, but you might want to stop by and say hello."

Naruto didn't say anything and Tsunade could tell he was deep in thought. She turned and shut the door behind her as she left.

Meanwhile, Hinata was also just waking up. She immediately sat up and looked up to see if the red light had turned off. When she saw a ceiling fan she became confused. She looking around and realized she was back in her apartment. Was the whole thing a dream? It was all so real…No I remember being there. It really happened.

Suddenly, Hinata gasped. Naruto was in surgery! She ran out the door and headed back towards the hospital.

However, Naruto had just left the hospital. There were a hundred thoughts flying though his head and he needed a place to think. His fight with Orochimaru, Sasuke, and his memories of team 7 were flooding through his head, but surprisingly Hinata was the dominant thought.

Tsunade has said Hinata had waited for hours to see if he was ok. Was it possible that she liked him? Or was she just being a good friend? And what were his feelings about her?

Naruto shook his head. He was never very good with thinking this much. Normally he would just make a snap decision and hope for the best. But Hinata was much too important for that. He needed to consider her feelings as well as his own.

Is was possible that she liked him as well…

Flashback

I',m sorry, Naruto. You fail." Iruka said as Naruto failed to create a successful clone.

"But Iruka-sensei… This is the second time I have taken this exam. Please give me another chance!" Naruto begged.

"Being a ninja is a serious matter, Naruto." Iruka frowned. "The entire village depends on the missions you will complete. You could even die on one of these missions. I'm not going to pass you until I'm sure you are ready. You are going to have to repeat the academy training. NEXT!"

Naruto walked out with his head hung in shame. He left the academy and headed towards the mountain with the Hokages' faces in it. Surprisingly, he was not the only one there.

"Hinata?"

Hinata gasped in surprise and turned to face Naruto. "Um…H-Hi Naruto. W-What are you

d-doing here?"

Naruto's face slumped. "I just failed the Academy exam for the second time. I had worked so hard, too. I really thought I could pass this time. But Iruka always tests me on that stupid clone jutsu!" Naruto stamped his foot in frustration.

Hinata smiled weakly. "I-I failed too."

"What was that, Hinata? Did you say something?"

Hinata blushed and turned her head away from Naruto. "I-I… uh I just t-think that you are a really strong person… a-and … I think you could do a-anything if you believed in yourself…"

Naruto's brow crinkled in thought . "So all I have to do is believe it? Hm… I like the sound of that. Believe it!"

Hinata giggled quietly. Nothing could ever keep Naruto down for long.

Naruto grinned widely. "Thanks, Hinata. I will pass the next exam. BELIEVE IT!"

End Flashback

After that day, Naruto had started training so hard, he completely forgot about Hinata. Every minute he had was dedicated to his extreme training.

Naruto mood worsened. As he thought back, Hinata was always there for him. In the Academy, in the Chuunin exams, she made lunches for him on missions, and comforted him on his failures. Naruto saddened as he realized that he had never really done anything for her.

But then a phrase entered his mine. 'You make my life so much better just by being alive.' Naruto remember Hinata saying that a while back, but he had never thought of it since then.

Maybe she really did like him… Naruto felt a small surge of happiness flow through his body at the thought. However, this confused him. Why should Hinata's feelings for him make him so happy?

Maybe I like Hinata….

As soon as that thought entered his mind, Naruto smiled. Strange… he had not tried to smile… It was if his face had acted upon its own desire. Naruto frowned. Why did Hinata have this effect on him?

He had just reached the top of the Hokage Monument. He sat down with his legs hanging off the edge that was the Fourth Hokage's face.

Meanwhile, Hinata had just reached the hospital. She burst through the front doors, gasping to catch her breath.

Shizune noticed her entrance and walked over to her. "Hey, Hinata. I assume you're here for Naruto."

Hinata nodded, still panting heavily.

"Hey, Yumi! Can you please show this girl to Naruto's room."

The nurse called Yumi smiled and headed down an adjacent hallway. Hinata followed after her. The nurse opened a nearby door and let Hinata walk in. "This is Naruto's room."

"Huh?" Hinata asked. There had to be some mistake. This room was empty. "Where is he?"

The nurse grabbed the chart. "When Naruto was admitted he had…. Oh my…."

Hinata held her breathe waiting for the bad news.

"It says here that he had over a hundred broken bones, a punctured lung, a ruptured spleen, and deep gashes all over his body."

Tears welled up in Hinata eyes. There was no way someone could survive all those injuries.

The nurse placed a hand on Hinata's shoulder. "I'm sorry, but we did all we could." Suddenly the nurse gasped and dropped the chart.

"What is it?" Hinata asked.

The nurse was almost too stunned to speak. "I-It says h-here that Naruto was r-released this morning! There's no way…"

Hinata was flooded with relief. She burst out of the hospital with a bounce in her step. Naruto was all right! Hinata couldn't be happier! But where was he now?

Hinata activated her Byuakugan and searched for Naruto. It took a few moments, but she finally spotted him sitting atop the stone faces.

Happiness bubbled up inside of her and she took off running toward him.

Naruto, however, was too deep in thought to even notice Hinata's presence when she arrived.

"N-Naruto?" Hinata asked. It was almost like a dream. It had been quite a while since she had seen him.

Naruto jumped at the sound of her voice. He quickly stood up and turned to face her. "Hey, Hinata."

"Oh, Naruto! You're alive!" Hinata shouted with joy and threw herself into Naruto's arms. She giggled delightfully and nuzzled her cheek against his chest.

Naruto was overwhelmed. Her soft hair was in his face and its smell was intoxicating. The urge to curl his fingers through it was almost uncontrollable. Her skin was soft and smooth against him as he wrapped his arms around her.

Naruto was having the effects on Hinata. She could feel his taunt muscles through his shirt. His scent was almost enough to make her pass out. She had always loved the smell of him. It was a mix of the comforting smell of dirt and grass and the delicious smell of ramen. When Naruto wrapped his arms around her, returning her hug, Hinata suddenly felt safe and secure. It was as if nothing could hurt her. All her worries and doubts vanished leaving only one certainty. She was in love with this man.

She looked up into his eyes and Naruto gazed back into her own. Suddenly the rest of the world disappeared. Time stood still and Hinata became lost in Naruto's eyes.

Suddenly Hinata saw it. She saw a beautiful wedding and a handsome Naruto in a tuxedo She saw herself raising two kids with bright blonde hair. She saw Naruto coming home from work and twirling her in his arms. She saw herself getting old with the man she loved.

She pulled back from the hug and sighed deeply. It was finally time. She took a deep breath as she prepared to empty out her soul to him.

"Naruto…. I have …l-l-… l-liked you for a very long time." Hinata couldn't bring herself to say love. She didn't want to put that kind of pressure on him so suddenly. "I've liked you ever since our days in the academy…"

Naruto smiled. "Wow. I don't think I have liked you for that long, but I think I really do like you now."

Hinata was on cloud nine. She had dreamed of Naruto saying this a hundred times, but it could never have prepared her for this feeling. Her entire body was as light as a cloud. Hinata felt as if

Naruto was the only thing keeping her on the ground. Naruto had become her gravity.

Hinata struggled to stay conscious. Suddenly she noticed Naruto leaning closer to her. Oh my god…. Is he going to k-ki… Hinata almost passed out at the thought. She concentrated as hard as she could and managed to close her eyes and pucker up her lips. Naruto did the same and leaned even closer. Their lips met in the slightest, softest of touches.

Hinata's world exploded in bright lights. She had never felt anything like this before. It was like a dream. No. Even better than a dream. Hinata could never have imagined a feeling like this. It was as if a thousand fireworks were going off inside of Hinata. Her lips were tingling, there were butterflies in her stomach and her cheeks burned red.

This started to become too much for Hinata. She started to feel light-headed and the world around her became hazy. Naruto's cute face became dark and Hinata lost consciousness.

Naruto was also feeling light-headed. So light-headed, that when Hinata's lips left his own, it took him a moment to realize what happened. He opened his eyes and realized that Hinata was slipping out of his grasp. Fear overwhelmed Naruto as Hinata fell backwards off the cliff

"HINATA!!" Naruto yelled as he stretched out his hand trying to catch Hinata. But he was too late. Naruto could only watch Hinata's peaceful face as she fell off the cliff. Naruto rushed over to the edge only to see Hinata fall hundreds of feet and then crash headfirst into the ground.

BAM! What a cliff hanger! I told you that you wouldn't expect that for a first kiss! Now wasn't that chapter worth the long wait? Now that finals are over I should be able to post another chapter within two weeks. I know you all cant wait to see what happens next but I need some time to think of it lol anyways, about that flashback scene with the bullies. Hinata was around 11 so puberty was just setting in. She knew Naruto before then but that day she saw him in a different light. I don't like putting in flashbacks because it goes against the anime but the readers like them so I don't have a choice but if you could please tell me your thoughts on my flashbacks. Thanks and see you next time!