NaruXHina
How to say I love you
Part 1:Watching her fight
Naruto saw Hinata fight against all odds in the chunin exam preliminaries. She was pit against her cousin Neji, who some called a the prodigy of the Hyuuga clan. The gifted boy. Facing Hinata, he was the boy everyone knew was going to be the victor, the boy everyone knew would win.
Everyone except Naruto. He was looking down on Hinata. He was almost certain that she knew what she was up against as much as anyone else. Everyone else says it's a hopeless case. A logical impossibility. Everyone else knew Hyuuga Hinata was doomed to fail. So why even try? Why fight fate?
Naruto thought he knew. He remembered when he first met Hinata, how she had tried to hard to impress him when he returned from his mission to the land of waves and all it got her was a ripped night mare and white hair (which took days to wear off). But this wasn't like that. Naruto wondered if she would still be fighting the same way if he wasn't here. He remembered back the day after he came back, how he wanted to make her feel better.....
---------------FLASHBACK--------------------
''N-Naruto-kun, you d-don't have to do th-this.''
''But I want to.''
''J-just because I'm l-like this....''
''I'll be fine Hinata. Besides, this is kinda fun.''
Naruto and Hinata were walking down the Konoha streets on their way to the park where a matsuri (festival) was taking place. Hinata so desperately wanted to go, but she hid her hair under a hat because she didn't want anyone to see her white hair. Naruto took her there to make her feel beter after the troubles that happened the night before. But Naruto was also wearing a hat because.....he wanted to know how she felt! They were just now outside the festival when....
''Naruto-kun, are you sure?"
''Don't worry. Besides, who cares if they laugh?'' Naruto took off his hat. As they walked into the festival there were a lot of people who stared at them. Not that it was to unusual for a boy to have white hair, it was that most people knew the blonde prankster who was no longer blonde.... at least for tonight! Hinata wasn't embarased to be seen with Naruto, she was just wondering why he wasn't embarased to be seen with white hair. But if Naruto was doing it.....
Naruto soon found himself having more fun than he had ever had in her life, and by the way Hinata laughed Naruto suspected she was just as happy! She and Naruto had been to almost every booth. They had been eating, snatching fish, and watching the fireworks. Naruto had completely forgotten about her white hair. All she could think about was how much fun she was having with Naruto. Laughing with him, playing games with him. And when the fireworks came out, he did something without really thinking about it. He placed his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close.
Naruto thought almost nothing of it. He hadn't known how much this made Hinata blush, or how happy this made her feel. If he had, maybe he wouldn't have done it. Or maybe he would have done it sooner.
-------------------END FLASHBACK--------
Naruto was standing by Hinata. She was lying on her back, coughing up blood. She stared back at him, her eyes begining to close slowly. Naruto knew she wasn't going to die. He knew she was goin to be alright. But a small part of him couldn't help but think.....he had mixed feelings when the medic-nin took Hinata away. He was glad she was taken care of before it was too late. But part of him wanted to follow the medic-nin and stay by her forever.
Naruto blinked. Forever? He shook his head of the thought of it. He was worried about her, sure, but to stay with her forever? Why had the thought even crossed his mind? He wouldn't have even thought of that if Sakura was injured. Why was Hinata different? All he knew was that Hinata was a friend, and if a friend was mercilessly beaten by a ninja, then Naruto was surely going to repay the favor. He stood up and began to tell Neji off......
Part 2:By the tree
Over the next month Naruto was training for the final stage of the chunin exams with Jiraiya. And through all that time he never stopped thinking abouth Hinata. But everytime he did, he found himself wondering why he was thinking about her. Finally, after all his training was done, Naruto was heading towards the final stage of the chunin exams. He decided to find someone along the way.
That's when Naruto saw Hinata. She was all alone, just standing behind a tree. He decided that now was as good a time as ever to figure out how he felt.
"Hinata.'' Naruto walked towards the blushing Hyuuga. She hid behind the tree, only peeking her head out to see Naruto. ''Hinata, there's something I need to talk to you about.'' Hinata nodded slowly. Naruto stepped a bit closer to her. And a bit closer.
Hinata slightly drew back behind the tree. Why was Naruto doing this? She felt odd. ''Naruto-kun, what are y-you doing?''
''Hinata, how is it that every time I'm with you, I can't help but smile?'' Hinata blushed. Naruto was happy whenever she was with him? Hinata knew they had fun together at the matsuri and he had really missed her when he left for his misson, but was he......could he maybe be..... Hinata scolded herself for being so foolish. Of course Naruto didn't love her. He hardly knew her. Just because she loved him didn't mean he had to love her.
''I d-don't know Naruto-kun. Maybe it's b-because were such g-great friends.''
''That's just it, I think I want to be more than that.''
Hinata froze. What was Naruto saying? No, he wasn't saying anything. He couldn't be saying this. Why would he be saying this? ''What d-do you m-mean?''
''I think that, maybe, there's a chance, possibly, I.....''
"Naruto, please just say it.''
''I...'' Naruto heard a bell sound. ''I'm late for the chunin exams. I need to go.'' Naruto turned around and ran towards the arena.
Hinata sighed. ''He was so close.'' She thought. ''If it were any other day, he might have said it. He might have said..... no, there's no way he was about to say he loves me. It was just.... a trick of my mind. That's it, my mind just made me hear what I wanted to hear. Or maybe I heard him wrong'' Hinata shook her head and looked at the ground. ''I'll see him again soon. Then I'll set things straight.'' Little did she know that because of the awaiting sand and sound-nin, it would be a long time before she ever saw Naruto again.
Part 3:Leaving Konoha
Naruto was packing all the essentials, preparing to leave with Jiraiya that day. He knew it would be a long time before he could see any of his friends again, so he had said goodbye to almost all of them the day before. Almost.
There was one sad kunoichi who knew he was leaving, but had been left out of the goodbyes. She was sitting atop the Hokage monument, wondering where Naruto was. ''Has he left yet? Why hasn't he said goodbye to me? Doesn't he care?'' Hinata had seen Naruto many times after the chunin exams. She had sat atop this monument many times with him, just watching the sunset and talking. But it had been weeks since then. She stared off into the village, feeling the crisp wind comfort her as it pushed the rain clouds towards Konoha. ''Maybe there's still a chance.'' She heard lightning strike. ''Maybe not. The weather is about to match my mood.
Naruto was near the village gates with Jiraiya. ''Hey, ero-sennin, how long do we have until we leave?''
''About twenty minutes, why?''
''There's something I have to do.''
''Alright, but make it quick. It's going to rain soon.''
Naruto jumped on top of a low roof and began his search. ''If I know Hinata, then she's probably where I think she is.'' Naruto quickened the pace and headed towards the Hokage monument.
Hinata looked at her feet in dissapointment. ''I suppose I'm just not important enough.'' Then she saw it. Out of the corner of her eye she saw an orange blur heading her direction. ''No, it couldn't be. Is it?'' She saw the orange blur stop in a puff of smoke. She looked closely. ''It's Naruto! But why did he stop?'' She saw Naruto just standing, looking around. He spotted her and waved. ''He saw me!'' Hinata waved back, only to see Naruto dissapear in a puff of smoke. ''What? If that was a clone, then the real Naruto is....''
''Gotcha!'' She felt warm hands grab her around the waist and pull her into a hug while she blushed. She also heard laughter and felt the same happiness she usually felt when Naruto was around. Another crack of lightning was heard, and rain drops began to sprinkle out of the clouds.
''Naruto-kun, have you c-come to say goodbye?'' Naruto stopped laughing and loosened his hold around the Hyuuga. ''That, and I've come to say something else to. Before I leave, there's something I want you to know.'' He let her go as she turned to face him. ''Hinata, remember when I was on my way to the chunin exams, and I ran into you?'' Hinata nodded. ''There was something I was going to say. Something I should have told you. Hinata, I know why it is that whenever I'm around you, I can't help but smile.''
''Naruto...''
''When I saw you, at the matsuri, when I came back from the land of waves, and even when I saw you in the forest.''
''Naruto.''
''I should've kissed you.''
''You still can...''
''I should've told you that I love you.''
''Tell me now.''
''I love you Hinata.''
Naruto wrappped his arms around the Hyuuga waist as she wrapped hers around his neck. Then he quickly bridged the gap between their mouths and kissed her. He poured all his passion into it, and she poured in all her love. They stayed that way for a minute, then stopped for air. Naruto pulled her close, not wanting to let go of her, fearing she might be taken away. She kept her arms around his neck, not wanting to release, afraid he might dissapear.
''Hinata, I need to leave.''
''No.''
''I have to go.''
''Naruto, please!''
''I'll come back, I promise I will.'' Hinata could feel tears welling up in her eyes. ''And I promise I'll still love you when I return. I'll always love you Hinata.'' Hinata couldn't hold back her tears. She buried her face in his chest and cried. ''How can you be sure?'' she cried into his chest. Naruto could see she needed assurance. He pulled back from the Hyuuga and looked her in the eyes. ''Because I never go back on my word. That is my ninja way.''
Hinata nodded. ''Thank you Naruto-kun.'' She rest her head on his shoulder. He stroked her hair and kissed her cheek. They stood together that way for as long as they could, the rain soaking their skin and their warm bodies keeping each other content. Naruto broke the silence.
''Hinata, I have to go now. But I'll never stop thinking of you.'' Hinata pulled him closer.
''Don't forget to write Naruto-kun.''
''I won't.'' Giving her one final hug and a soft kiss on her mouth, Naruto walked down the monument. When he reached the gates to Konoha, he looked back to the village one last time. He walked away, thoughts of his first kiss with Hinata filling his mind.
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