Shamera fic thing: Naruto-verse #...whatever. :P NaruHina (3106)
So I changed the layout! 'Cause, yanno, Marissa said it was too beige. :P Now it just looks... err, strange. Maybe 'cause I'm more used to red and blues and blacks rather than the natural earthy tones. But she requested brown. And who was I to deny?
Anyway, I'm not dead! And to prove it, have a Naruto fic that I wrote for tigressflowers~ NaruHina, over 3000 words. ^^;;
She wants a fairy tale ending and once upon a time, he could have given that to her.
He wasn’t the ideal prince charming. Nothing of the sort, nothing even closely resembling princely. He wasn’t suave or handsome, wasn’t graceful and admired by everyone. No, no. That image might suit other people, but she liked him the way he was, and no was none of those things.
And she admired him for that.
He wasn’t afraid of failing, wasn’t afraid of falling down. He wasn’t afraid to embarrass himself, or to act in manners that got him laughed at, got him scolded. She knew. She watched him. She always watched him. He would laugh off his mistakes, and grin even as people laughed maliciously at him. He always got up after being shoved down, and was all the more determined for it.
He was her inspiration.
He was her reason, he was her hope. All those times when she searched desperately in her father’s eyes for affirmation that she had to right to be his daughter, that she might one day be good enough that he might actually acknowledge her… she would remind herself of his struggles to be acknowledged. She would remember that large, foolhardy grin on his face and she would swallow down her fear of facing that one person she sought approval from the most.
Her father had yet to acknowledge her as his heir.
But that was okay to her. Hanabi was good, was so much better than her in everything they did, even though she was the older sister and Hanabi the younger. She had known from the beginning that being the Hyuuga heir was too much to live up to, and she didn’t want to rule this fairy tale kingdom made of angry subjects and fierce expectations.
But still, in her mind, she was the princess of the play. She was the one who was overlooked, the one who didn’t quite want the responsibility but was ready to accept it.
Only, she didn’t want to be a princess who would not be able to marry that strangely happy outcasted boy whom no one quite liked. If there was one person in all of Konoha that she could have picked to dedicate her life to, she knew that it would be him. Just to see a genuine smile on his face. Just to know that somehow, she had been able to make that one person who inspired her so, to be happy.
But she was afraid that he was better than her as well, just as Hanabi was better than her. The reasoning shouldn’t have made sense, but her fear only swelled when she saw how he had changed her cousin, how he had changed the lives of so many people.
His persistence was paying off, and people who had once sneered at him and bullied him were now acknowledging him, respecting him. He was changing the world he walked in, and Hinata feared that he would be far too good, and she would be swept under in a tide of people who would now see him for that wonderful boy she had always seen him as.
And maybe it was part possessiveness on her part, because she had been the first one to watch him. She had been the one who had shied around the corner where he used to train, wanting nothing more than to find the courage to face him and tell him how much he meant to her, a princess of such a prestigious clan.
But he was no prince. And she never got the courage to speak to him. And now that he was gaining the attention of so many people, she feared that she would never be able to claim her spot as his first admirer. He should know. He should know that he had been able to change her life, that he had influenced her for the better.
He should know about how much she admired him, how much she adored him.
He should know about how much she was growing to love him.
But the situation was a little different than from a fairy tale. No… a lot different.
He was no prince. She wasn’t quite in the position to be in distress. Not to mention, he didn’t know her at all. He was chasing after his own dreams, and those dreams didn’t have her in mind. He had his goals to reach. His promises to fulfill.
And he was slipping away from her grasp before she ever had him. She wanted that chance to make him smile. Just for her. Just once, and she might be happy.
***
Hinata took a deep breath as subtly as she could with all the people around her, and eased her way out from behind Kiba, swallowing nervously as she watched the blond boy at the center of attention, laughing and rubbing the back of his head in such an innocent gesture. He was leaving with the legendary Sannin Jiraiya that very afternoon, and might not be back for a while, he had said.
This was her last chance in a very long time, Hinata knew, but that didn’t help at all to quell the butterflies that were twisting around her stomach, threatening to attack if she panicked more than she already was.
This was her last chance. Naruto was so popular now. He had everyone’s respect, and he was the pupil of a sannin. A sannin. Rumours were spreading that it had been Naruto who defeated Gaara of the Sand during the attack on Konoha, and that it had been Naruto who had convinced Princess Tsunade to come back and protect Konoha. Rumours that it had been Naruto who had gotten to Uchiha Sasuke, even if he wasn’t able to bring the other boy back.
So many whispered rumours all throughout Konoha because of the blond boy, and it wasn’t all slander like it used to be. No, the rumours were now in slight awe and disbelief, frightening in its own way that Naruto could have changed so much from the village idiot and dead last to who he was now.
It was only Hinata who knew that he hadn’t changed that much- it was only because Naruto was finally given that chance to flourish in the type of situation where he was in the most control- at being able to convince and change people. Influence and inspire them to be something better than themselves.
She had been changed by him and he didn’t even know it.
“Just spare a minute,” Hinata could hear Shino saying to Naruto in his usual soft but commanding voice. “She wants to say goodbye directly.”
Naruto looked confused for a moment, but broke away from the throng of people that consisted mostly of Sakura, Lee, Neji, Shikamaru, and Chouji, and nodded. Hinata silently thanked whatever deity was watching over her for her team-mates. She knew she wouldn’t have gotten very far without them… without Kiba to hide behind when things got turbulent, and without Shino’s silent support, always so helpful and appreciative of her quietness.
Kiba gave her a nudge on the shoulder, grinning at the brilliant scarlet that covered her face, and then rolling his eyes silently at her when she grasped at his shirt, entirely too nervous to be talking to her crush, to the person she’s looked up for since they were barely old enough for the academy.
“Yo! Naruto!” Kiba called out, waving an arm at the blond boy while the other arm pushed Hinata forward discretely. “Over here, man!”
Naruto grinned back at the boy and bounded over, the skip to his steps light and warm-hearted. “Yo Kiba… what’s up?”
Kiba gave a matching grin, and Hinata marvelled at the similarities between the two outgoing boys for a moment, before she realized that Naruto was giving her a curious look, and her cheeks heated up.
Suddenly self-conscious, Hinata pried her hands away from Kiba’s shirt, face red as she desperately tried to present herself properly- to stand up straighter rather than slinking back behind her team-mate, to stop fidgeting and wanting to run away from the gaze of those blue eyes, to unconsciously try to stop her stammering before she could even open her mouth.
Confidence! Hinata told herself, her eyes still lowered to the ground as Kiba and Naruto talked. She needed confidence if she ever wanted to face Naruto and tell him how much she liked him, how much he had changed her.
It could be like a fairy tale, except she would play the part of a more confident princess who would go after the boy that she liked rather than wait to be rescued by some random prince. Hinata wasn’t indecisive; she knew exactly what she wanted and she didn’t want to settle for anything less.
And then Kiba was turning to leave the two of them alone, and Hinata could feel her panic rising again, her heartbeat racing as her line of vision came across Naruto’s blue sandals on the ground, at the hint of orange he wore everywhere. She had always been amused at his choice of clothing, amazed because he had the courage to wear what he wanted without caring what other people thought of him. She would never be able to dress as she liked, it seemed, because she couldn’t even find the courage to shrug out of her large white coat on a hot day. She didn’t like being stared at, and she couldn’t stand people whispering behind her. Naruto was brave to be able to withstand that.
“Are you okay, Hinata? You’re all red… you should go home and rest if you’re sick!”
Hinata ‘eep’ed as a warm hand rested on her forehead, checking her temperature. Her face only heated up more, until she was sure she might pass out from the overflow of blood to her head as she looked up into Naruto’s eyes, wide and blue and looking concerned for her.
For her. He was…
She felt light-headed.
“Oy, oy, Hinata!” Naruto’s voice sounded a little far away, but it managed to pull her back to reality to realize that she had been swaying on her feet, on the verge of fainting from the overdose of blood to the brain. Her eyes sharpened with realization. No! She couldn’t faint! If she did, then by the time she woke up, Naruto would be long gone and she would never get the chance to him that… to tell him…
“I..I-I…” Hinata panicked. Why was it that she stuttered so badly around this boy when she needed to talk with him most? Her speech was just fine around Shino and Kiba! It wasn’t fair, she despaired.
“It’s really nice of you to come if you’re sick,” Naruto was saying, since he hadn’t even heard Hinata’s weak attempts at coherent speech. “But your health is more important than anything else, Hinata! You need to take care of yourself.”
“I’m not sick.” Hinata protested weakly. Naruto had removed his hand from her forehead, and somehow she could breathe easier now, without her crush touching her. “I j-just…” oh, how was she supposed to tell him?
The blond boy stared at her for a while, waiting for her to speak up, before making a face in his impatience, and then giving an amused grin. “You’re so weird, Hinata.”
Weird? Hinata wilted just a bit. That always seemed to be Naruto’s first opinion of her. Sure, she was different from the other girls in that she didn’t fall to goo over the Uchiha, but that was because she adored Naruto. Did that make her weird? That she might be the only girl in the village that adored and looked up to Naruto so?
“Eh?” Naruto must have noticed her sudden deflation as he raised both arms to wave in front of him in a panicky manner, trying to cheer her up. “Not that weird is a bad thing! You’re different! What would Sakura-chan have called it…? Unique, yeah, that’s it!”
Really, Hinata thought to herself privately, a smile tugging at her lips even as Naruto continued to make a fool of himself to cheer up her. She was filing this memory away already, to be cherished during the times when she wouldn’t be able to see him anymore. She couldn’t understand how no one else liked Naruto- he was really sweet and kind and considerate of other people when they weren’t being jerks to him. He was willing to do anything for the people who were precious to him.
Hinata swallowed up her fear and tried again.
“I-I… I… I r-really…” She voice stuck in her throat. How would he react to her confession? He didn’t even know her that well! Just because she adored him and followed him and watched him all the time didn’t mean that he even knew she existed until recently! What kind of fairy tale was she expecting, anyway, when the main male character barely knew the princess existed? What could she do, though? To tell him everything that she felt? “I really admire you, Naruto-kun! P-please… please stay safe on your journey!”
And come back to me, she wanted to add. And please don’t ever change. Don’t ever lose that spark of determination. Don’t ever give up. Don’t give up on bringing Sasuke back.
Don’t give up on me.
For a moment, Hinata was tempted to say all of that, even though her face was already as bright as a tomato from the things she did say. It would have spoken of her devotion much better than the words she had picked, after all. It would be more thorough, it would be more forceful and more encouraging. It would have been more the words that Naruto deserved, rather than the bumbling attempts of a stuttering girl to send him off. She wanted him to know that she loved him just as much as she admired him, and that to her, even if the rest of the villagers hated him and couldn’t see him for such a charming boy that he was, he would always be her fairy tale prince.
No matter what he did, and no matter what happened. She had her trust in him, and Hinata knew for certain that she would never be let down.
Her misery and indecision must have shown on her face, because Naruto had a sympathetic grin for her when she looked up at him (Hinata was very glad, actually, to be the shortest in the rookie nine if only because she would actually be able to look up at Naruto rather than everyone else looking down on him- she suspected it gave her a very unique view of him, and that was one of the reasons she could see him differently than everybody else.) and had his hands at the back of his neck in a very casual stance, one that she had secretly thought was cute because it really did show he was nervous and didn’t know what to do with his hands.
“Ano sa, ano sa,” he said in that traditional phrase of his, “you shouldn’t worry over me too much!” He looked slightly shocked that he was saying that phrase, as if he couldn’t understand how someone was worrying over him at all. “I’ll be back within three years, and by then I’ll be more than strong enough to bring that asshole back!” He didn’t have to elaborate on who the ‘asshole’ was. “So during that time…”
Hinata startled out of even her blush as Naruto reached out and took her hands within his own, his palm rough and calloused, skin darkly tanned against the paleness of her own and so strangely free from scars when she knew that the rest of them had little nicks around the hand, mostly around fingers when they dropped weapons by accident. She marvelled that Naruto had no scars on his hands, but knew better than to assume that he had never trained or dropped a weapon. It was only when the thought finally registered in his brain that he was touching her that she turned tomato red again, this time nearly swaying on her feet by the sudden rush of blood. His hands were warm, she thought distinctly, so warm it could be considered hot… but his skin was dry, even though her own hands must have been cold and clammy from her nervousness. He didn’t complain.
“You stay safe as well, okay, Hinata-chan? You’re strong, even though you don’t seem to believe in yourself half the time, and I think all you need is more confidence. Speaking up, for example!” He tilted his head and gave her a more sincere smile than his usual grins. “You may be weird sometimes, Hinata-chan, but you’re still a very precious friend to me.”
The rest of the afternoon felt like a blur to Hinata- she only knew that she had nodded at Naruto’s statement, her knees weak as he gave her a stunning smile, a smile that she had wanted to see more than anything else, and that when Naruto left to say goodbye to the others, it was Shino that had caught her from nearly collapsing, a goofy smile of her own hidden behind her sleeves as she recalled the endearment Naruto had attached to her name, and how he had spoken warmly to her- spoken not as the ever-cheerful boy the others knew, but as just as himself. Someone who was too insightful for his own right, and someone who always knew the right thing to say.
And as she watched him wave goodbye to his friends at the gates of Konoha, spurred to hurry by the Sanin Jiraiya, Hinata clasped her hands together before her in prayer fashion, her skin still tingling with the remembered warmth. She believed in Naruto, and he had said she was strong. Therefore, she would try her best to believe it from then on.
She wanted a fairy tale ending for her story, and maybe Naruto could have given it to her… but Hinata was strong. She could learn, in the three years time, to grasp hold of the ending for herself rather than wait for him to realize. When Naruto came back, she would have the courage and the confidence to confront him, to tell him everything. He was the only prince she would accept, even if he wasn’t a prince at all.
She had made him smile sincerely. Just for her. Just that once, and she was happy.
Anyway, I'm not dead! And to prove it, have a Naruto fic that I wrote for tigressflowers~ NaruHina, over 3000 words. ^^;;
She wants a fairy tale ending and once upon a time, he could have given that to her.
He wasn’t the ideal prince charming. Nothing of the sort, nothing even closely resembling princely. He wasn’t suave or handsome, wasn’t graceful and admired by everyone. No, no. That image might suit other people, but she liked him the way he was, and no was none of those things.
And she admired him for that.
He wasn’t afraid of failing, wasn’t afraid of falling down. He wasn’t afraid to embarrass himself, or to act in manners that got him laughed at, got him scolded. She knew. She watched him. She always watched him. He would laugh off his mistakes, and grin even as people laughed maliciously at him. He always got up after being shoved down, and was all the more determined for it.
He was her inspiration.
He was her reason, he was her hope. All those times when she searched desperately in her father’s eyes for affirmation that she had to right to be his daughter, that she might one day be good enough that he might actually acknowledge her… she would remind herself of his struggles to be acknowledged. She would remember that large, foolhardy grin on his face and she would swallow down her fear of facing that one person she sought approval from the most.
Her father had yet to acknowledge her as his heir.
But that was okay to her. Hanabi was good, was so much better than her in everything they did, even though she was the older sister and Hanabi the younger. She had known from the beginning that being the Hyuuga heir was too much to live up to, and she didn’t want to rule this fairy tale kingdom made of angry subjects and fierce expectations.
But still, in her mind, she was the princess of the play. She was the one who was overlooked, the one who didn’t quite want the responsibility but was ready to accept it.
Only, she didn’t want to be a princess who would not be able to marry that strangely happy outcasted boy whom no one quite liked. If there was one person in all of Konoha that she could have picked to dedicate her life to, she knew that it would be him. Just to see a genuine smile on his face. Just to know that somehow, she had been able to make that one person who inspired her so, to be happy.
But she was afraid that he was better than her as well, just as Hanabi was better than her. The reasoning shouldn’t have made sense, but her fear only swelled when she saw how he had changed her cousin, how he had changed the lives of so many people.
His persistence was paying off, and people who had once sneered at him and bullied him were now acknowledging him, respecting him. He was changing the world he walked in, and Hinata feared that he would be far too good, and she would be swept under in a tide of people who would now see him for that wonderful boy she had always seen him as.
And maybe it was part possessiveness on her part, because she had been the first one to watch him. She had been the one who had shied around the corner where he used to train, wanting nothing more than to find the courage to face him and tell him how much he meant to her, a princess of such a prestigious clan.
But he was no prince. And she never got the courage to speak to him. And now that he was gaining the attention of so many people, she feared that she would never be able to claim her spot as his first admirer. He should know. He should know that he had been able to change her life, that he had influenced her for the better.
He should know about how much she admired him, how much she adored him.
He should know about how much she was growing to love him.
But the situation was a little different than from a fairy tale. No… a lot different.
He was no prince. She wasn’t quite in the position to be in distress. Not to mention, he didn’t know her at all. He was chasing after his own dreams, and those dreams didn’t have her in mind. He had his goals to reach. His promises to fulfill.
And he was slipping away from her grasp before she ever had him. She wanted that chance to make him smile. Just for her. Just once, and she might be happy.
***
Hinata took a deep breath as subtly as she could with all the people around her, and eased her way out from behind Kiba, swallowing nervously as she watched the blond boy at the center of attention, laughing and rubbing the back of his head in such an innocent gesture. He was leaving with the legendary Sannin Jiraiya that very afternoon, and might not be back for a while, he had said.
This was her last chance in a very long time, Hinata knew, but that didn’t help at all to quell the butterflies that were twisting around her stomach, threatening to attack if she panicked more than she already was.
This was her last chance. Naruto was so popular now. He had everyone’s respect, and he was the pupil of a sannin. A sannin. Rumours were spreading that it had been Naruto who defeated Gaara of the Sand during the attack on Konoha, and that it had been Naruto who had convinced Princess Tsunade to come back and protect Konoha. Rumours that it had been Naruto who had gotten to Uchiha Sasuke, even if he wasn’t able to bring the other boy back.
So many whispered rumours all throughout Konoha because of the blond boy, and it wasn’t all slander like it used to be. No, the rumours were now in slight awe and disbelief, frightening in its own way that Naruto could have changed so much from the village idiot and dead last to who he was now.
It was only Hinata who knew that he hadn’t changed that much- it was only because Naruto was finally given that chance to flourish in the type of situation where he was in the most control- at being able to convince and change people. Influence and inspire them to be something better than themselves.
She had been changed by him and he didn’t even know it.
“Just spare a minute,” Hinata could hear Shino saying to Naruto in his usual soft but commanding voice. “She wants to say goodbye directly.”
Naruto looked confused for a moment, but broke away from the throng of people that consisted mostly of Sakura, Lee, Neji, Shikamaru, and Chouji, and nodded. Hinata silently thanked whatever deity was watching over her for her team-mates. She knew she wouldn’t have gotten very far without them… without Kiba to hide behind when things got turbulent, and without Shino’s silent support, always so helpful and appreciative of her quietness.
Kiba gave her a nudge on the shoulder, grinning at the brilliant scarlet that covered her face, and then rolling his eyes silently at her when she grasped at his shirt, entirely too nervous to be talking to her crush, to the person she’s looked up for since they were barely old enough for the academy.
“Yo! Naruto!” Kiba called out, waving an arm at the blond boy while the other arm pushed Hinata forward discretely. “Over here, man!”
Naruto grinned back at the boy and bounded over, the skip to his steps light and warm-hearted. “Yo Kiba… what’s up?”
Kiba gave a matching grin, and Hinata marvelled at the similarities between the two outgoing boys for a moment, before she realized that Naruto was giving her a curious look, and her cheeks heated up.
Suddenly self-conscious, Hinata pried her hands away from Kiba’s shirt, face red as she desperately tried to present herself properly- to stand up straighter rather than slinking back behind her team-mate, to stop fidgeting and wanting to run away from the gaze of those blue eyes, to unconsciously try to stop her stammering before she could even open her mouth.
Confidence! Hinata told herself, her eyes still lowered to the ground as Kiba and Naruto talked. She needed confidence if she ever wanted to face Naruto and tell him how much she liked him, how much he had changed her.
It could be like a fairy tale, except she would play the part of a more confident princess who would go after the boy that she liked rather than wait to be rescued by some random prince. Hinata wasn’t indecisive; she knew exactly what she wanted and she didn’t want to settle for anything less.
And then Kiba was turning to leave the two of them alone, and Hinata could feel her panic rising again, her heartbeat racing as her line of vision came across Naruto’s blue sandals on the ground, at the hint of orange he wore everywhere. She had always been amused at his choice of clothing, amazed because he had the courage to wear what he wanted without caring what other people thought of him. She would never be able to dress as she liked, it seemed, because she couldn’t even find the courage to shrug out of her large white coat on a hot day. She didn’t like being stared at, and she couldn’t stand people whispering behind her. Naruto was brave to be able to withstand that.
“Are you okay, Hinata? You’re all red… you should go home and rest if you’re sick!”
Hinata ‘eep’ed as a warm hand rested on her forehead, checking her temperature. Her face only heated up more, until she was sure she might pass out from the overflow of blood to her head as she looked up into Naruto’s eyes, wide and blue and looking concerned for her.
For her. He was…
She felt light-headed.
“Oy, oy, Hinata!” Naruto’s voice sounded a little far away, but it managed to pull her back to reality to realize that she had been swaying on her feet, on the verge of fainting from the overdose of blood to the brain. Her eyes sharpened with realization. No! She couldn’t faint! If she did, then by the time she woke up, Naruto would be long gone and she would never get the chance to him that… to tell him…
“I..I-I…” Hinata panicked. Why was it that she stuttered so badly around this boy when she needed to talk with him most? Her speech was just fine around Shino and Kiba! It wasn’t fair, she despaired.
“It’s really nice of you to come if you’re sick,” Naruto was saying, since he hadn’t even heard Hinata’s weak attempts at coherent speech. “But your health is more important than anything else, Hinata! You need to take care of yourself.”
“I’m not sick.” Hinata protested weakly. Naruto had removed his hand from her forehead, and somehow she could breathe easier now, without her crush touching her. “I j-just…” oh, how was she supposed to tell him?
The blond boy stared at her for a while, waiting for her to speak up, before making a face in his impatience, and then giving an amused grin. “You’re so weird, Hinata.”
Weird? Hinata wilted just a bit. That always seemed to be Naruto’s first opinion of her. Sure, she was different from the other girls in that she didn’t fall to goo over the Uchiha, but that was because she adored Naruto. Did that make her weird? That she might be the only girl in the village that adored and looked up to Naruto so?
“Eh?” Naruto must have noticed her sudden deflation as he raised both arms to wave in front of him in a panicky manner, trying to cheer her up. “Not that weird is a bad thing! You’re different! What would Sakura-chan have called it…? Unique, yeah, that’s it!”
Really, Hinata thought to herself privately, a smile tugging at her lips even as Naruto continued to make a fool of himself to cheer up her. She was filing this memory away already, to be cherished during the times when she wouldn’t be able to see him anymore. She couldn’t understand how no one else liked Naruto- he was really sweet and kind and considerate of other people when they weren’t being jerks to him. He was willing to do anything for the people who were precious to him.
Hinata swallowed up her fear and tried again.
“I-I… I… I r-really…” She voice stuck in her throat. How would he react to her confession? He didn’t even know her that well! Just because she adored him and followed him and watched him all the time didn’t mean that he even knew she existed until recently! What kind of fairy tale was she expecting, anyway, when the main male character barely knew the princess existed? What could she do, though? To tell him everything that she felt? “I really admire you, Naruto-kun! P-please… please stay safe on your journey!”
And come back to me, she wanted to add. And please don’t ever change. Don’t ever lose that spark of determination. Don’t ever give up. Don’t give up on bringing Sasuke back.
Don’t give up on me.
For a moment, Hinata was tempted to say all of that, even though her face was already as bright as a tomato from the things she did say. It would have spoken of her devotion much better than the words she had picked, after all. It would be more thorough, it would be more forceful and more encouraging. It would have been more the words that Naruto deserved, rather than the bumbling attempts of a stuttering girl to send him off. She wanted him to know that she loved him just as much as she admired him, and that to her, even if the rest of the villagers hated him and couldn’t see him for such a charming boy that he was, he would always be her fairy tale prince.
No matter what he did, and no matter what happened. She had her trust in him, and Hinata knew for certain that she would never be let down.
Her misery and indecision must have shown on her face, because Naruto had a sympathetic grin for her when she looked up at him (Hinata was very glad, actually, to be the shortest in the rookie nine if only because she would actually be able to look up at Naruto rather than everyone else looking down on him- she suspected it gave her a very unique view of him, and that was one of the reasons she could see him differently than everybody else.) and had his hands at the back of his neck in a very casual stance, one that she had secretly thought was cute because it really did show he was nervous and didn’t know what to do with his hands.
“Ano sa, ano sa,” he said in that traditional phrase of his, “you shouldn’t worry over me too much!” He looked slightly shocked that he was saying that phrase, as if he couldn’t understand how someone was worrying over him at all. “I’ll be back within three years, and by then I’ll be more than strong enough to bring that asshole back!” He didn’t have to elaborate on who the ‘asshole’ was. “So during that time…”
Hinata startled out of even her blush as Naruto reached out and took her hands within his own, his palm rough and calloused, skin darkly tanned against the paleness of her own and so strangely free from scars when she knew that the rest of them had little nicks around the hand, mostly around fingers when they dropped weapons by accident. She marvelled that Naruto had no scars on his hands, but knew better than to assume that he had never trained or dropped a weapon. It was only when the thought finally registered in his brain that he was touching her that she turned tomato red again, this time nearly swaying on her feet by the sudden rush of blood. His hands were warm, she thought distinctly, so warm it could be considered hot… but his skin was dry, even though her own hands must have been cold and clammy from her nervousness. He didn’t complain.
“You stay safe as well, okay, Hinata-chan? You’re strong, even though you don’t seem to believe in yourself half the time, and I think all you need is more confidence. Speaking up, for example!” He tilted his head and gave her a more sincere smile than his usual grins. “You may be weird sometimes, Hinata-chan, but you’re still a very precious friend to me.”
The rest of the afternoon felt like a blur to Hinata- she only knew that she had nodded at Naruto’s statement, her knees weak as he gave her a stunning smile, a smile that she had wanted to see more than anything else, and that when Naruto left to say goodbye to the others, it was Shino that had caught her from nearly collapsing, a goofy smile of her own hidden behind her sleeves as she recalled the endearment Naruto had attached to her name, and how he had spoken warmly to her- spoken not as the ever-cheerful boy the others knew, but as just as himself. Someone who was too insightful for his own right, and someone who always knew the right thing to say.
And as she watched him wave goodbye to his friends at the gates of Konoha, spurred to hurry by the Sanin Jiraiya, Hinata clasped her hands together before her in prayer fashion, her skin still tingling with the remembered warmth. She believed in Naruto, and he had said she was strong. Therefore, she would try her best to believe it from then on.
She wanted a fairy tale ending for her story, and maybe Naruto could have given it to her… but Hinata was strong. She could learn, in the three years time, to grasp hold of the ending for herself rather than wait for him to realize. When Naruto came back, she would have the courage and the confidence to confront him, to tell him everything. He was the only prince she would accept, even if he wasn’t a prince at all.
She had made him smile sincerely. Just for her. Just that once, and she was happy.