Crush, Crushing, Crushed
"Why does this kid always cause trouble?"
"Stop dreaming! You can never be Hokage!"
"Dead last."
"Stay away, monster!!"
"It's the Kyuubi brat. Good thing he's stupid. What if he became a ninja?!"
"Stupid demon killed my parents."
The insults fell on deaf ears. He neither understood their insults nor did he care—outwardly, anyways. Their comments and actions were tearing him up inside, but he wouldn't show those people that they were succeeding. He'd hide it, and keep his honor, as Uzumaki Naruto.
"…Weaker than her younger sister."
"Losers are losers; they can never change."
"Little girl."
"You are average."
"It's disappointing that the heir to the Hyuuga clan is like this."
Their words impacted her. She became quieter, afraid of their scornful glances. She knew she was weak, a disappointment; they didn't have to remind her. Every look they threw her, every rumor she heard, scarred her. The effects of their malice was evident to all.
They were completely different.
They were exactly the same.
She saw something no one else saw in him; something that was lost to others.
His courage.
He stood up to them. He looked his accusers in the eyes and swore he would overcome the obstacles, defeat the odds. That one day, he would make them acknowledge him for who he was, not what he contained.
She knew of his feats. She knew how hard it was to face people, how terrifyingly cruel those hateful glares could be.
However, deep down, Hinata could not say that she wholly wanted his dream to be fulfilled. For now, for this brief moment where only she recognized his value, it was almost as if he belonged to her. At this time, she could hope that one day, he would see her too.
She watched him grow, watched as slowly, people noticed his bravery.
Hinata watched as Naruto slipped away. She was happy for him; he was accomplishing what he had always dreamed of doing. He was successful, he was achieving, being acknowledged; she remained in the shadows. As he illuminated others' lives, she couldn't help but feel the light leaving hers.
She was everything he wasn't. Everything he had once wanted to be.
Her name was prestigious. She was mild, and well liked. No one trash-talked Hinata. She was kind, and gentle. She had a family, people who needed her.
Yet as he spent more time with her, he learned the truth of her life.
And he admired her more than ever.
Over the few times he spoke with her, she always grew. She became stronger, more independent; leaving Naruto feeling secretly diminished. This was not her fault, she did not mean to hurt him. Her presence made him avow to become stronger. He would fulfill his dream, and prove his worth to Hinata.
As they journeyed toward their dreams, both felt the other drifting further and further away.
Perhaps in another world things would have been different for them. But their dreams were so different—it was inevitable that they would suffer changes with them.
She changed outwardly more than he did.
To the public eye, the change was visible. She stuttered less; she stopped fidgeting; she became more confident and less fearful; she was more involved with training. However, she remained reclusive, preferring solitude to people most days while he was gone.
He grew stronger while he was training.
Both physically and mentally matured, he returned with a greater sense of confidence, his purpose burned passionately in his eyes.
Both were people devoted to their dreams, both willing to sacrifice for their ambitions.
Or so most thought.
But when no one was looking, when they were by themselves, without anyone to save them from themselves, they fell to pieces. Here, in the darkness where there was no driving force, no light, no distractions, where they had focus on themselves, on the things—or persons—they were lacking.
Both were masters of concealing their pain.
Both had learned this skill at a young age.
He sat on the swing where as a child he had pondered his existence. She sat on the training posts where as a teen she had chided herself and trained earnestly.
Things would have stayed this way, were it not for a sheer coincidence.
There was a brief lull in missions for a week; most of the chuunins were mission-free, something that was worth celebrating. All of the Rookie Nine were out partying. All except, that is, Naruto and Hinata.
He was feeling a little sick of his façade. Needing a break, a time to be honest, he retreated to his childhood meditation spot.
She just didn't want to participate today. Her team had been extremely exuberant lately, with the introduction of Kiba's newest girlfriend. Hinata didn't really get along with the woman, and decided to visit her own special place.
The two were lost in their own worlds, so completely absorbed in piecing themselves together, they didn't realize that they were not alone.
The downpour was sudden and violent. The night had been clear, the moon bright in the sky. Yet a wind swept from the west, bringing with it a large thundercloud. The rain penetrated every possible crevice, saturating every article of clothing. Hinata raised her jacket hood and shoved her hands into her coat pockets, jumping down from her perch on the training posts and running under the trees.
Naruto didn't even notice it was raining.
He did notice, however, when the woman charged into his field of vision. His shinobi-sense raced, and his calloused hand leapt to his kunai pouch. He drew a kunai in an instant and slashed at his foe.
The sharp clang of metal on metal pierced the night.
His assailant had met his attack with a parry of equal force. She was a worthy opponent, a kunoichi wearing a thick hooded jacket; her features obscured in the darkness. A loud clap of thunder resounded, he struggled against the force she was exerting. This fight could go either way, each ninja pouring their strength into their respective kunais.
A flash of lightning illuminated the training grounds. He gasped as he saw her face, quickly dropping his knife and choking out, "Hinata-chan?!"
"N-Naruto-kun?!!" she exclaimed, startled. She lowered her weapon.
The rain distorted vision. Both shinobi stared in shock at each other. If it hadn't been for that lightning…who knew how long that struggle would have continued. Anything could have happened.
Blue eyes met pale lavender as another thunderclap shattered the night.
Naruto, unsure as to what to do next, sank into the swing once more, his eyes never leaving Hinata. She stood unmoving, transfixed by his intense cerulean gaze.
No words were spoken; the rain continued its onslaught.
Maybe she saw something in his eyes that night—something she had never seen before. Or maybe it was merely the fact that it was raining and she was cold. Whatever her reason, in an act of unprecedented boldness, Hinata walked towards the swing and seated herself on the small seat next to Naruto.
And there they sat, water dripping off the trees, streaming into their eyes. The couple swung on the seat, involved again in their own thoughts. For some reason, however, sorting through their problems wasn't so lonely this time. They stayed there in the training grounds until the rain let up.
The rain slowed to a heavy drizzle. Hinata stood from her seat and began to walk away in silence. He interrupted her.
"Hinata-chan," he jumped up and called embarrassedly to her retreating figure. She turned to face him. "I'm sorry about earlier; I didn't know you were there and you startled me."
"I-it's fine, Naruto-kun." Her quiet voice was reassuring; she paused, hesitating before she asked, "N-Naruto-kun? W-why were you here tonight?"
He sat back onto the swing and looked at his feet. Taking this as a bad sign, Hinata instantly continued, "I mean, I-I thought that you would want to be at the party with everyone else."
He grinned at her. "I don't know. I just didn't really feel like it, you know?" She stared at him incomprehensively. He dropped the fake smile and stared at the ground again. His voice was empty as he replied. "I just kinda like to be alone sometimes…this is where I come when I feel like that. I guess it's my haven…Why were you here?"
"I wanted to think. I come here when I need to think." She supplied softly.
"Someone like you shouldn't have to be alone to think. Someone like you should have friends that you can confide in." She held her peace; Naruto suddenly realized she may have misinterpreted what he'd said. He hastened to correct his statement, unsure why he was so concerned about a few words. "I mean…you know…." he raised his hand to his neck nervously, "you're such a great person; isn't there someone you talk about your problems with?"
For a reason unbeknownst to Naruto, the Hyuuga's face turned an intense scarlet. She diverted her gaze to the nearest bush and began twiddling her thumbs. "A-arigatou, N-Naruto-kun…umm….I-I sometimes tell Neji-nii-san. B-but he's a jounin and h-he has many duties, so he's not a-always around." Her voice fell to just above a whisper, "And there are some things I don't like to talk t-to him about…"
Naruto stared at her for a while; he'd never heard her say so much about herself before. Ever. He let his hand slide back into his lap. His mind caught up with his thoughts as he replied, "Yeah. I know what you mean."
Once again lost in their musings, the two shinobi stood (or in Naruto's case, sat) in silence, each waiting for the other to speak.
"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata was surprised at her own daring.
"Hn? Ne, Hinata-chan?"
"Ano…umm…y-you shouldn't have to be alone either." Strength rushed to her voice as she continued, "You're too good a person to be shunned."
Naruto's eyes glazed, he looked away from the kunoichi with a half-smile that held no joy. "I'm glad someone thinks that. I'm beginning to wonder myself."
The byakugan user hesitated, stepping toward the swing once more. Her voice was soft, her tone certain, "I don't believe you."
"I-I know my opinion pr-probably doesn't matter to you, N-Naruto-kun; b-but you should know that m-my view of you h-has not lessened since the chuunin exams." Hinata allowed her mind to replay what was, in her mind, some of her finest moments.
A raindrop fell through the branches, landing on Hinata's pale cheek. The staccato increased in momentum as the clouds once again burst forth their wrath.
As if brought on by the storm's reincarnation, Hinata felt a fresh wave of despair overwhelm her. This emotion was much more powerful than the first. So much so, in fact, Hinata felt as if her knees might give way beneath its weight. The raindrop, still sliding down her face, was soon joined by more water—her tears.
The blonde teen would have been extremely disturbed by her crying; he would have, except he too had felt the strange onslaught of sadness. It took many moments for him to become aware once more of his surroundings. Only then did his trained ears detect the silent sobs emanating from the kunoichi no less than two feet away from him. Her tears mirrored the heaven's waters, whose current assault was flowing into a street drain.
Something, an unnamed instinct, prompted him to move. He rose from the swing, slowly stepping away from his childhood retreat. It was out of control, he didn't even know what he was doing anymore. The distance between him and the sobbing girl closed in mere seconds.
Destinies collided in a powerful moment as Naruto gently placed his hand into her soft, rain-drenched hair and pulled her into an embrace. She melted into him, logic's protests conveniently ignored. She let it all go, crying into his shoulder as he stroked her back, gazing into the vastness without seeing anything.
Rain tore through their garments, saturating them both; a chill wind rose from the west. They refused to care. They'd found warmth, finally, in the most unexpected place—each other.
A/N: I previewed this in one of my stories, so now I've uploaded it! yays! now I can focus on all the other stuff I have to write...nooo...
okay...well, I hope you liked it! nee! I love it when people leave comments, so please review; it'll make me very happy. Suggestions are welcome. Please don't flame.
(thanks to my editor, chibi neko-dono, who BETA's everything I write. She deserves some serious kudos.)