Psych!
"I always was told that l-love was a good thing. That love was euphoria—unimaginable bliss…but…"
"Go on."
"But…when I fell in love….w-with Naruto-kun…there was this pain," she gestured towards her heart. "Right here. Every time I looked at him, the pain got worse and worse."
"And?" asked the Chair on the other side of the room.
Hinata really hated these psychological examinations her father made her take annually. They were annoying; she was sick of bearing her soul to someone just because they had a scrap of paper called a "PhD", an office that smelled of Windex, and a silly lounge-chair. Worse still was the fact that her normal psychiatrist had left the village, forcing her to disclose all her darkest secrets again with a person who kept their back to her, probably sketching away on some masterpiece drawing instead of paying her the slightest attention.
"And…I don't know….I've l-loved him since I was in the Academy." Normally she'd have been stuttering more; but for some reason, it was easier to talk to the chair backing, almost as if this person was someone she was familiar with. "He hasn't a clue about the way I feel."
There was a slight noise from the Chair. Maybe the shrink had sneezed.
"B-bless you. Like I said, at first it hurt so badly." It really was easy to talk right now. "I kept telling myself that he would never notice me…a-and then…"
"Yes?"
"He did! I-it was right before the Chuunin Exams…and h-he told me that he liked people l-like me."
"So?"
Hinata stared at the Chair with intense dislike. "It was the best moment of my life. I thought that h-he would never see me; but at that moment, he d-did." She smiled at the memory; a blush crept across her face.
Silence came from the Chair. Hinata thought she saw clouds of doom swirling the seat. She blinked and rubbed her eyes before continuing, more than ready for this stupid test to end.
"I sort of imagined…I hoped…that things would be different after that. But n-nothing changed. He's still Naruto; and I am still Hinata." Her voice dropped unhappily at her statement. The shy smile slipped off her face.
"You know, I still hope that things will change." Her hands must have seemed very interesting, because her lavender eyes lingered on them as she laughed softly. It was dry laughter, not a trace of humor in it. "Sometimes I even watch him—half-expecting him to call out to me and realize who I am…"
There was a brief shift in the Chair. Hinata guessed what the psychiatrist must be thinking and quickly corrected her statement.
"N-no!! I'm n-not a stalker! I…I just…when he's there, I can't take my eyes off him. But I'm not a stalker! I s-swear it!" It was quite possibly the closest thing to yelling she'd done outside the battlefield.
The Chair made an odd shocked sound. Hinata assumed it was because the therapist didn't trust her answer. She gave up on convincing and resumed.
"E-even if…" Hinata didn't want to say it, fearful that by speaking it, the words might become truth. "If h-he doesn't feel the s-same way, I w-won't regret it! I won't take my feelings back! I-it's my nindou!"
The Chair held its peace.
"I-I think he loves Sakura, anyways." She could deny it; however, her denial wouldn't change reality. "She's so much prettier than me, she's not afraid to speak her mind, she's strong…but sometimes I think she might be a little too violent…"
Suddenly a muffled sound erupted from the closet to Hinata's left. It was soon cut off, to be followed by a…snicker?...from the Chair. Vaguely, the Hyuuga heiress wondered if she was imagining things. Maybe she was losing her mind.
She rose from the couch and straightened her jacket, mentally willing herself not to fidget. "Umm….c-can I…go now?"
There was no response from the Chair. Hinata took that as a yes, desperate to leave the building and get as far away from any and all psychiatrists as she could humanly be.
As the door closed, a shape rose from his seat. The figure—who had been known as the Chair until now—was identified to be a tall blonde, bearing the kunai pouch and hitai-ate of a Konoha ninja.
The Chair was none other than Uzumaki Naruto.
"Get out," he demanded of the closet. The knob turned and out poured four shinobi acknowledged as Ino, Sakura, Sasuke, and Kiba. Each wore identical smirks. Naruto sheepishly looked to the cheaply-carpeted flooring.
"See?! I told you so!" Sakura practically shouted, pointing triumphantly at her teammate.
"I soo told him first, Billboard Brow!" Ino accused.
"Dobe," muttered a certain Uchiha Sasuke.
"Heh. I was wondering how you'd find out." Kiba stuck his hands into his coat pockets, secretly wishing that Akamaru was still small enough to ride around on his head as he handed Sasuke money he'd lost in their bet.
Naruto continued staring at the floor, his newfound knowledge was so….unexpected? No, that wasn't it. Overwhelming? Maybe, just a little.
Needed. Yes, very much so.
"I guess I just—"
Whatever he was going to say was interrupted as Hinata burst through the door. "Sumimaisen! I forgot my…" Her eyes adjusted to the lighting of the room and made out not one Chair, but instead four ninjas. Four of her friends.
And Naruto in the midst.
Hinata being Hinata, she quickly drew the accurate conclusion. She'd told Naruto her deepest secrets—her feelings about him! As the weight of the situation hit her, she felt an odd sense of relief, as if a weight had been removed.
At least, she did at first. But then blood rushed to her face and the room began to spin. The last thing she remembered was everyone's shocked expressions.
"HINATA'S FAINTED!!"
A/N: I hope that was cute. Cheers for Naruhina!
thanks to chibi neko-dono for BETAing this! yay!
If you liked my story, please review; input is very much appreciated, as is constructive criticism!