Naruto 1. 002 Pain

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did... I'd probably screw it up :P_**

_Bonjour! Or Bonne Nuit, if that's what's up. This is just a short collection of one shots about who else, but NaruHina! What I basically did was get a list of 75 prompts, and divided them up between various pairings. So here's my NaruHina list! I hope you enjoy this one, and the rest to follow! (Heads up: this was written quite a while ago, pre-ending) Enjoy!  
_

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_Title: 002\. Pain_

_Genre: Romance/Angst_

_Length: 917_

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The pain was almost over whelming, and would've overwhelmed me, had I not known what this bitter pain meant. It meant that I was dying, and fast.

The sword that pierced my stomach and severed my last chances of life seemed like such a small, meaningless object in the events that it would disrupt. My future. The entirety of a life that I wouldn't ever see.

I wanted to get married. I wanted to gain my father and sister's acceptance. I wanted children. I wanted to teach at the academy. I wanted to grow flowers. I wanted everything I would never have, when I was so close to the end; so close to living through this abomination and attaining my dreams.

My pearl eyes slowly drifted shut to relieve them of the sight of the morose, navy, sobbing sky.

I saw the wedding I wouldn't have; I saw the white fabric cocooning me and I felt how soft it was on my skin. I saw the guests giving me happy smiles and wishing me luck - and there were my father and sister, smiling at me with the smiles I'd always wished they'd give me and the ones they'd never deigned to share with me. And my friends smiling and cheering me on, all leading up to my groom...

I heard the happy cries of my children - the three daughters and two sons I'd dreamt of. With their bright smiles and beaming whiskered faces. I could almost reach out and touch them and their joy as they frolicked in the wide open field I loved in life, before they faded into the summer sky and gently swaying grass. Oh, how I longed to embrace them just once, to know them just for a while.

I saw all the eager looks from the children in a classroom full of awaiting shinobi to be, and all the dreams that they'd accomplish, or never embark on. But when I blinked, I could see oh so clearly where my friends and I used to sit, back before this hell on earth descended, back when we were young and naïve and in the spring of our lives.

I could smell the sweet scent of lilies and lavender drifting up to me, and the feel of soft earth between my fingers as I cared for my plants that in reality I'd only ever pondered on the possibility of. Everything I'd ever hesitated over doing now seems like such a waste, such a huge waste if life...

"Hinata" I saw my mother, my ever kind mother. She looked down on me kindly with that soft, warm smile and her aubergine hair surrounding her like a soft halo as she reached out one gentle hand to me, just begging for me to give in to the warmth, and the light, and the never ending promise of peace.

"Hinata..." Her voice was drowned out as another, familiar voice called my name.

"HINATA!" They yelled and shook me by my shoulders, forcing my eyes to jerk open and my ears to finally pay attention to the slowly settling cacophony of war.

My friends were all there - well, most of them were. Those left alive were crowdingI felt his warm hands on my shoulders and noted with some sick irony that if I hadn't been fading away, I would've blushed and passed out by now. The blackly-hilarious thought was all I could think about to keep myself from slipping away in fits of bloody convulsions.

"No, Hinata... Not now!" I could just hear the anguish in his voice and if I had the energy, I would've winced from the pain that I caused him. His promise to Neji, broken, my promise to him, shattered. "The war was over Hinata! Why couldn't you have just lived? WHY?!"

He was right as always, I was so close to surviving that I couldn't help but die.

"Perhaps it was meant to be this way." I croaked with a voice far weaker than it should've been.

"But Hinata-"

"Shush! It'll be okay."

He looked at me with cerulean eyes streaming and full of the shock and agony. "How? How can it be okay?! My eyes were just opened to you, and now you're closing your eyes on me! It's not fair!"

"No, it's not fair," I said with the trace if a smile on my lips. "But life is not always fair."

"I swear, I'll make you live, Hinata. I'll do whatever it takes, I'll-"

"No. Stop. Don't sacrifice anything for me." My eyelids grew heavy again, and the world around me grew to a dull blur, even the friends who gathered in a tighter circle around me were all but gone. I blocked out the sounds of Shino's sobbing, I'd never heard it, and I never wanted to. "You know, I would've spent a lifetime and more with you, if I could've."

"Hinata... You will! I don't care what you say! I'll be with you forever!"

Hinata smiled slightly as her eyes drooped shut a final time and her breaths grew short in the tell tale sign of what was to come.

"This time... it just wasn't meant to be."

"HINATA!" His voice cried in total anguish, as though his heart had just been ripped from his still living body.

"Naruto, clam down!" The usually fiesty pink haired ninja hushed, before she was violently thrown off.

Even when the red eyed Uchiha tried to subdue the usually sunny number one ninja, he was thrown off as he violently transformed into the beast he'd vowed never to use against others once more.

The loss of love could do terrible things to a person.

And the pain could destroy a world.

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_Well... That's nice start. Nothing like an uplifting one shot to get us started! Anyway, I just was thinking one day about Naruto, and I thought 'what if Kishimoto decides to be an ass and makes the ending all angst-y and awful?' And this is what happened. _

_Regardless of angsty-ness, I hope you like it! Please review/follow if you did, I'd very much appreciate that, and I'll see you in the next one. Thanks!  
_


	2. 012 Blood

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**_

_Here's the second of my series. I hope you like it! It started out as kinda a train wreck, so this is really quite different... Enjoy!  
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_Title: 012\. Blood  
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_Genre: Romance_

_Length: 1,318_

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He didn't mean to swear on her blood against Neji. He'd never planned it out, he'd never thought about anything like that at all, but he was just so angry, so full of emotion that he couldn't help himself. He raced down from the balcony faster that anyone could restrain him, and knelt to the floor, putting his hand in the pool of her crimson blood, and soaking some into his fist, letting it stain the supple skin a maroon shade, and the words spilled from his mouth like the blood spilled from his palm before he could stop himself.

He knew he wouldn't stand much chance at winning against Neji - _the_ Neji, the Hyuuga family prodigy, pride and joy over their own heiresses - but that wasn't the point. He would try, for Hinata's sake, and he would change the way things worked for her, and for all those like her. She didn't deserve to get so close to death because her cousin was so spiteful about a curse that was nothing to do with her. It was such an off the cuff comment that he'd said it in too, so much so that he could barely believe he said it, and he was scared of seeing what would happen. But he wanted a better world, so he swore on her blood that he'd make it better for her and anyone like her.

Even though Naruto never did defeat Neji before he left, he certainly made sure to train for when he came back, if he had to fight Neji - he never did, he never had to fight him, and he was so glad for Neji's softening. But nothing had sent him so mind-numbingly angry as when he watched Hinata have her blood beaten out through her mouth and her heart very nearly stopped by the same man she called cousin and looked up to for so much. He'd thought that he would never have to see her blood again, and he went off in training again with Jiraya-Sensei, waiting eagerly the whole time to see her and his friends again. He came back, two years later, and initially he hadn't believed that anything much had changed. Sakura looked similar, if taller, and Kakashi hadn't changed at all - many of those older than him hadn't at all. Akamaru was probably the biggest change, although everyone else just looked a bit different. But Hinata didn't. Her deep eggplant coloured hair was long and silky, her eyes were softer and looked kinder than he remembered, and her face had filled out and thinned into a small 'V' shape. And as for the rest of her... She was beautiful. Older, and wiser too. But when he went to see her, she promptly turned red and fainted - _the illness she had was still in place then_, he thought.

But so much happened so fast, and he didn't have much time to talk to her at all. Before he knew it Jiraya had died, and this time he had no blood to swear on for vengeance, nothing to cling onto as proof that he really did once exist.

She helped him so much, then. He remembered sitting alone, the night after Iruka had come to see him. She found him, sitting alone in the middle of training ground seven in the middle of the night. She didn't say much, she merely sat beside him, and she listened to him. When he spoke for hours and laughed and reminisced and even when he cried... He thought she was just a good friend, and excellent friend at that.

So he left, and went to train with the frogs. That was when Pein attacked. He came back to see his hometown decimated, and his friends severely incapacitated or otherwise gone... And the flames of anger were fanned. He felt so hurt and guilty that he wasn't there when they attacked. But then he was loosing and he was pinned to the ground, and he was certain that he was dead, and he would be taken for the kyuubi that lived inside him. But she came and protected him. He was so confused at first, he wanted her to run, so he wouldn't do something awful again if he had to see her blood. But she wouldn't go. And she said... She said she loved him.

He'd never been so petrified. He didn't know how to react, how to feel when someone told you they loved you. No one ever had before, not in anyway at all. He'd never been loved by anyone. And now he had a girl who he'd valued do much as a good friend, and someone that well... He didn't know how he felt about her, but now she was telling him that more than liking him, he _loved_ her. He felt flattered and panicked and scared and most of all, worried. He worried that now, in her most selfish act which she claimed was selfish, she would die, and the only grasp and chance of love he'd ever got would be gone.

And when she was knocked down and he thought she was gone, he felt the anger course trough him like a vicious poison, and he let his mind fall to the Kyuubi, only regaining it with the smiling face if his father - the only man he'd ever wanted as a father. But he promised on her blood before he lost himself to the fox that that would be the last time he saw her blood. He thought that when he saw her before the fox took over, that maybe the last time he ever saw her, and he may never tell her; he may never have his chance.

And now, here he was, next to the girl who's blood she'd sworn on twice, he found himself swearing on another's blood for her. He found his hand clenched with crimson blood and his palms stained the dusky maroon colour, as she silently shuddered beside him, and Neji asked Naruto for his vow. His vow to value Hinata, to protect her, and to realised that he would live life for them both. He swore, not on her blood for once, but on another's and watched as the light faded from his pupil-less eyes and as the seal incumbent on his forehead slowly shrank and the caged bird was finally free, to fly wherever it wanted, without the bounds of humans, and clans and any other organisation or person in the world. But his blood was still binding to Naruto. It bound him and Hinata together in the most physical way; she was his to protect for as long as time would allow.

Years later, he still remembered Neji, and his sacrifice; they vow he'd made in the middle of the raging battle field, with Hinata's soundless sobbing on one side, and the stony grieving silence of Hiashi Hyuuga. He still remembered the promises everyday, and now he had sometime more material and physical item on his hand to remember it by. But the oath taken in Neji's blood would eclipse all others. He'd protected Hinata and he'd never seen her bleed that much in or outside battle since the Kyuubi struck, and he never let a day go by since the day he told her he loved her that he let her feel alone; even when they were on missions he made sure that she knew he loved her, whenever he could. In a strange way, he had to thank Neji, his blood had allowed this to happen. But no matter the payoff, the price wasn't worth it. Neji wasn't going to be there with them again. His blood would bind them, but they'd never see him again, or hear his wise words. Although he could've sworn on the ground - he loved Hinata either way.

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_That's the second of my series, done. I hope you enjoyed it! Please follow for more, or review if you've got time. See you next time. Thanks!  
_


	3. 018 Share

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto._**

_It's only a short one today. Although it was originally just 100 words so yeah... here you go. Enjoy!  
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_Title__: 018\. Share_

_Genre:__ Romance &amp; Family_

_Words:__ 635_

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I hope she turns out like her mother. The woman I love, the woman I'd share everything with. Shy, peaceful and so kind. Serene despite her past of being trampled down, day by day. I hope she's got the same pretty lavender eyes, the ones that shine in the sun and almost glow white in the moonlight; the eyes that see everything, but say nothing more than they need to. I hope she's got the same soft eggplant hair, which will lay down her back like a steady waterfall that trickles in the gentle wind. I hope she walks with the same poise, elegance from the endless training of her mother's prestigious clan. I hope she blushes whenever she looks at the person she'll one day love, even if that's too far off to think about now. I hope she doesn't have any cursed marks from the fox, my friend; I hope she has the same soft, porcelain skin of her mother untouched by all including the burning sun. I hope that she never has to see her best friend abandon her, I hope that she never as to watch as they leave her for their destruction. But most of all, I want her to have that beautiful, shy, elegant, graceful smile that lights up the whole world. I want her to be just like my love. Not me.

I don't want her to be like me. I don't want her to be too timid, and weak, and easy to walk all over. I want her to have her fathers' lucid cerulean eyes, the eyes that beam with his smile and are sincere with his voice. She'd have eyes like her grandfather, according to my father. I hope she has sunny blonde hair, bright like the midday sky on a summer's day; shining in the sun and moonlight, soft to the gentlest touch. I hope she doesn't walk looking down at the ground, but she's confident in every aspect of her life, and as strong as she can be. I hope she doesn't take years to finally admit her love to the person she'll one day love, even if I hope that maybe it'll be easier for her to love another than it was for me. I hope that she never has to live through war and strife; I hope that she never has to watch her family die at the hands of a crazed nihilist. But most of all, I want her to have that most genuine of sanguine smiles that lights up the whole world when it splits across her face. I want her to be just like my love. Not me.

But our daughter wasn't like that. She was peaceful and kind, as noted by Iruka on the first day at the academy, with a genuine, sanguine smile and pretty lavender eyes that gleamed in the sunlight and shone in the moonlight. She had hair, so soft to the touch that shone in the light and cascaded like a river down her back, gurgling in the spring breeze. But she didn't have sunny blonde hair that shone like the sun, and she didn't have the eyes of her grandfather. She had the marks of the fox, so cute on her porcelain skin untouched by the sun and all else; the whiskers her father had cursed and blessed. She never had to watch her family die, nor did she ever see her best friend leave her. She never saw the true face of a nihilist, nor did she taste the bitter flavour of betrayal from one so close to her. She wasn't easy to walk all over, and nor was she overly bumptious. She was serene like the moon, and bright like the sun. She was beautiful, and shared what they both had.

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_Just some nice, pointless fluff! I couldn't think of too much for this prompt, and the idea I did have was a bit samey with all of the others, so I went 'screw it, it's fluffin' time!'. And Viola!_

_Please, review if you'd please and follow for updates. Thanks!_


	4. 016 Crystal Clear

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto _**

_O hai, fourth one shot. Little bit of angsty-romance here. Enjoy!_

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_Title: 016\. Crystal Clear_

_Length: 2690_

_Genre: Romance &amp; Angst  
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I'll never forget the day that Pein invaded Konoha. I'll never forget watching my home burn and crumble to an empty husk of the memories it had been. I'll never forget as I watched my clan, my stoic people, fall into a disorganised chaos, and as pandemonium struck the village. But most of all, I'll never forget when I finally confessed my love for Naruto, whether that was wise or not.

I remember clearly that I used to debate every single night whether I should confess to him; whether I should even speak to him. Every night I'd decide I was going to speak to him, and every day I'd get too nervous and become a stuttering mess or pass out if he came near me. I was so sure that we would all die that day though, after Naruto came back from his training and was struck down after having fought so valiantly. I knew it was a selfish thing to do so, and I said as much; I was weighing him down with the weight of my feelings and clouding his mind, when all he could do for us was fight, with a clear mind. But I couldn't not tell him. The only thing I'd ever been sure of in my life was that I loved him.

I understood, at first, why I'd had no response. He was busy, we all were - we had a village to rebuild. And then he focused on Sasuke, and tried to bring him back, and I understood - I'd do anything to get Kiba and Shino back, and we had just a fraction of their powerful bond. And then Tobi caused all that trouble as 'Madara', and we were at war. And then he was gone.

I understood why he'd never got back to me, he was busy - the Naruto I knew would never leave me without an answer - but then I heard that everyone else but me had seen him. And they all knew far more about his whereabouts than me. They all had been contacted more than I had. That's when I started to doubt.

I knew that he'd always had a crush on Sakura, but he'd never said that recently... I thought I might've had a chance, but it seems not. I thought that maybe, he might have felt differently about me, but it seems not. I felt awful; heart broken in those times before we were called to action. But then I heard of his acts in the war, and I remembered how much I loved him; how much I cared. I vowed that I would walk alongside him.

But the war ended, and I still had no word from him. I still understood - he'd been away from Sasuke for a long time, they needed to catch up. And the village still needed to be built up. And he was a hero now, he had his pick from them all. That was when I really saw it, crystal clearly. He didn't reciprocate, not even a bit. Whenever we'd meet up, I was always on the sidelines - my team and I were never the centre of attention. We'd barely spoken since the war ended. I thought that that was all it was ever going to be between us, a few short conversations once a month.

He asked to meet me, four months after the war ended. It'd been nine months since my confession; on that fateful day.

I met him, where he asked me to, by the burbling river that lay beneath the small waterfall just outside the village, in the middle of the starry night. I waited under the starry moon admits the gentle wind, the pastel green dress I'd worn during the stifling hot summer's day gently swaying in the breath like breeze. It felt like I'd waited a year by the end, although it could've only been a few minutes. I felt his chakra signature before I heard his feet hit the ground just behind the rock I'd chosen to perch on, gazing out over the sparkling river and beyond. I felt my heart tighten and speed up slightly. I'd stopped stuttering, and the fainting had all but stopped - although I was still prone to blushing.

"Hinata." I heard him call out.

I stood, brushing out my dress and turning to face him, trepidation in every step I took, the soles of my shoes clacking softly against the pebbles beneath my feet.

"You came." He acknowledged. I nodded, being unsure of what to do - I wasn't used to this kind of thing. I wished I had Ino and Sakura's confidence and TenTen's wit more than ever.

"I wanted to talk about-"

"A-Are you sure that talking would solve anything? I already know, I understand." I preempted the bullet; perhaps if I told myself out loud then I'd accept it better when the time came.

"You do?" His sober expression morphed into one of disbelief, and then into relief and joy.

"It's crystal clear." I uttered with as still a voice as I could. I wouldn't last and other five minutes like this.

"Then, I guess I need to tell you my story anyway." He rubbed the back if his neck sheepishly, his eyes closing in a smile. I cocked my head to the side, surely, if he knew how much I loved him, he wouldn't do this to me? This wasn't the Naruto I knew.

"You know, I saw a girl in a waterfall like this once." He began, his voice settling down into a sobered tone. He sounded so un-Naruto like, so serious. But my ears perked at the setting - he'd seen me once, in a waterfall like this. It was difficult not to blush - it was the only time I'd been seen that way by a man, not counting missions.

"She was dancing on the water, it was so beautiful, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven." He grinned, teeth glinting in the ethereal moon slightly. My heart sped up as my hopes climbed again, could it be? "She was slim and athletic and her portrait was beautiful, and her hair flowed down her back-"

I stopped listening then. I'd never had long hair as a child. He was talking about someone else. _He was talking about someone else_. He saw a beautiful girl dancing on the water, and he watched her, and he loved her, not me. I was certain. It was crystal clear in my mind. I felt sick, my heart stopped beating for a second, and I thought I was going to faint. I understood that he'd fallen in love with another, but it was just too much to tell me how it'd happened.

"-she was always so _weird_, but I liked-"

"Naruto, I have to go. I'm sorry, but I'm... Needed for a clan meeting. I understand how you feel, and I won't bother you again." I bowed slightly, before hastily walking away, breaking into a run as soon as I reached the tree tops. I tired not to cry, I tried with all my might - I wasn't a little girl anymore, and I'd known this was coming. Why couldn't I accept this? I made it back to the Hyuuga complex before I'd finished my thoughts and ran in. I missed when Neji would stop me in a corridor, I missed the look in his familiar eyes whenever he'd pass me. Oh Neji... It only fueled the onslaught of tears that wound down my face. All the pillars tones of my life were crumbling, one by one. Next it would by me team, and then my other friends and then my garden would die... I never deserved such a wonderful start to life; maybe this was my just desert.

It took me a week to recover enough to finally go and meet my team again. I'd feigned illness, and I'd barely left my room since I'd come back that night. I think Hanabi caught on - she have me a look of the utmost pity whenever she came to visit me, she'd begun to emote so much more since the war and Neji's death.

My team looked at my as though I were a ghost when I first saw them.

"Hinata? Are you certain you're recovered enough? You look so pale." Kurenai fretted as we walked to training ground #47. She'd begun to leave her lovely daughter, Asuna at the Sarutobi's household twice a week so that her daughter would grow up with her father's heritage, and she could train with her team - it was awfully kind of her to think of us like that.

I nodded mutely. My feet felt like lead, and my ears swam with all the unfamiliar sounds of the outside.

"Are you certain that it was the flu you caught? Seems very careless if it was." Kiba remarked, peering into my face, staring into my eyes that were all too easy to make emotionally blank.

I nodded hesitantly, blinking my eyes slowly - they hurt so much recently.

"My bugs might tell me otherwise." Shino muttered in his low baritone, making me raise my head and widen my eyes in alarm; I couldn't let them know! It would be so humiliating and could only serve to upset me more. I needed to focus on other things now, not the ground up remains of my heart.

I let my head drop back down as we neared the training ground and absorbed myself into my thoughts, when I heard a nonchalant 'Yo', followed by a pleasant greeting by Kurenai.

"Hey, Hinata!" I heard a voice yell at me. I turned my head up, despite my brain's insistence, and saw Naruto, waving at me and smiling sunnily. Did he not understand that I wanted to be left alone? Did he not understand that he'd broken my heart?

I heard Saukra - or maybe it was Sasuke - suck in some breath between her teeth at the sight of me. I knew I looked bad. I only looked at Naruto for a second before casting my eyes downwards again, but in that second I saw worry cross his face, and some extent of horror.

"I dropped by your house. They said you were ill. Get well soon!" He merrily continued, although his voice was more like a cloudy day than the usual sunny sound.

I nodded minutely, and continued on to the training ground, not daring to look at his face again. I was dreading what would happen once we got there.

"It's Naruto. I knew it was! It's always Naruto." Kiba hissed, throwing his arms up and frowning like a brewing storm, kicking the poor ground at his feet repeatedly.

"Hinata? Are you... You aren't pregnant, are you?" Kurenai asked tentatively, a doubtful expression on her face.

I was horror stricken, equally in shock and in upset, "No!", I shouted. I'd never expected that anyone would assume such a thing, although it only brought to my attention another of my foolish follies. I'd often dreamt about what our children would look like - would they be blond or have my eggplant hair? Would they have the byakugan or sport his cerulean eyes? Would they have his cute whiskers? I'd always wanted four children, a son, two daughters and another son, and I'd always wanted to call one daughter something like the sun, for his sunny disposition and hair and eyes and voice...

That would never happen now. I'd never really see any of them.

"I would know if she were, my bugs would tell me." Shino commented stonily. I loved Shino as though he were my brother, but he did have some odd habits sometimes.

"H-He rejected me." I finally whispered, fighting off the tears.

Kiba stopped his angry pacing and turned to look at me with shock slapped across his face. Kurenai recoiled and her mouth set in a firm line. Shino's eyebrows shot up from with his hood. I felt the shame pile down on me.

"But- what-how?!" Kiba spluttered, falling over himself. "Only the other day he was telling us all how-" Akamaru cut with Kiba off with an immense whine, and he came and sat next to me, trying to lick my face from where I sat on the resting bench.

"Are you sure he rejected you? Did he say that?" Kurenai prompted carefully.

"He didn't say the words, but I told him I understood how he felt, and he smiled at me. Then he began telling a story of a woman he'd fallen in love with who he'd first seen under a waterfall, and I hoped it was me again but he described her with long hair, and when he saw me, I had shirt hair. I knew it wasn't me." I sniffed, trying to explain it to the best of my ability. "He described the woman he was in love with to me." I muttered softly, staring off to nowhere in particular.

I heard Kiba growl and called Akamaru over to him, grumbling something about being back later. I barely noticed it through the hug Kurenai was giving me. At some point, Shino slipped off too, but I barely registered anything. I couldn't think after reliving that awful moment. The man I'd loved since I knew what love was had told me about the woman he loved after rejecting me. To me, the incident seemed crystal clear, and it seemed to be staying that way in my mind.

"Go home, Hinata. Get some rest. I'll be over soon. Take care of yourself. But please don't hide away again." I saw the same pity in her eyes as I had in Hanabi's, and I was grateful for it, to an extent. It was better than a cold, stone faced 'get over it'; that would be the worst thing I could receive at this point.

That afternoon, I went home, and tried to thinks bout anything by him. And that night, I didn't dream of him, or my lost future. But next morning, a note had been posted through my window, written in scrawling script, and on the faintest orange paper.

_Hinata, please meet me at the same spot as before, at the same time, I have to explain something._

_Naruto_

So, despite my minds' ardent urging, I did go. Dressed in a pastel yellow sundress and green bracelets, I arrived at the burbling lake and the softly crashing waterfall that night under the glistening sky's tears, and to my surprise, Naruto was already early.

He wasn't wearing his usual orange, in fact he was wearing a deep navy, almost purple t-shirt with his signature whirlpool symbol on it, and casual grey trousers. He looked so relaxed, that I almost didn't want to disturb him. I reached out to touch his shoulder when he sprang round, looking up at me with shiny cerulean eyes, more mature than I'd ever seen.

"Hinata, I'm so glad you came."

"What did you ask me here?" I asked timidly. I wanted to be firm, but it wasn't working. I never could be more than shy.

"I wanted to explain - there's been a misunderstanding." My heart clenched again, and I held my breath. "The thing is, I saw _you_ dancing under the waterfall only a few months ago, it reminded me of just how beautiful you are."

My eye widened and I stared at him with disbelief - surely, he must be lying! That must be a joke!

"I'm sorry, I didn't know that you'd take it that way." He rubbed the back if his neck nervously and had an aura of shame about him, something I wanted to fix. I put a hand on his shoulder gently and he looked up at me, the aura dissipating immediately.

"I may not love you now, Hinata, but I certainly like you close enough to it." He admitted slowly, with a somber voice.

So it was a misunderstanding. So it wasn't crystal clear to me then.

I fainted.

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_Oh, misunderstandings, how good of a literary tool you are! Hahaha. Well, anyway, please review if you've the time and follow for updates. Thanks!_


	5. 030 Sleep

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto; that belongs to Masashi Kiahimoto.**_

_**Thank you to CupCakeFan12 for your lovely review - it really made my day :)**_

_I don't have much to say soo... Enjoy!_

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_Title: 030\. Sleep_

_Length: 912_

_Genre: Romance, (humour, maybe?)_

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It was the middle of the night when I woke up. I couldn't really sleep that well tonight, despite the mountain of paperwork - if I'd known it was this hard, I wouldn't have teased granny Tsunade so much! I'd had a dream about training; it was just like any other dream really - nothing too crazy - but I couldn't _really_ sleep. You know, like when you completely black out?

So I sat up, in the darkness, and rubbed my eyes rid of the sleep. Judging by the faintly grey blackness of the room, it was just about to be four in the morning - way too early for anyone to be awake and happy. I sighed, letting out a harsh gust of air as the bed shifted next to me. I looked over to see Hinata, facing me, with an arm daintily placed under her head and her eyes shut contently. She looked so peaceful when she slept, as innocent and gentle as whwn she was awake. I twisted my head round to look at her in my happy curiosity; her lips were gently parted as she breathed, and her nose twitched every now and then as though she had an annoying fly perching on the fine tip. Her arms were cradled neatly around her head, and her legs were curled up to her body, just as innocently as her face looked.

I wonder if I look like that when I sleep. Nah, I'm all limbs and mess - nothing neat about me! Except my Ramen staking - that is neat.

She reminds me of a cat, just a bit. She's all curled up and cosy looking like cats are - like Kuruma is when he sleeps, he doesn't know I've seen him though.

**_Of course I do, brat. I know everything you think, and see._**

Right, yes, I forgot about that. I should probably get my mind out of the gutter so often.

I wonder if we had a daughter, she'd look like a cat. I wonder if she'd have my whiskers or not; if she'd sleep like Hinata and all cat like or not.

She's just so peaceful, she's the epitome of serenity. I remember seeing her under the watefall when we were older, how I found her dancing on top of the water in the middle of the night, when the stars were reflected on the surface of the slightly shaky water - like some kind of weird painting. I remember seeing the water droplets cascading around her, and how peaceful she looked hoping from foot to foot, pulling and pushing the water wherever she wanted it to go. I was amazed, and shocked, and I was very, very deeply in love. I can't imagine that Kurama was very happy though.

I still don't understand how I got so lucky; any guy could only dream of having Hinata in their life, and I got to see her everyday! And she chose me, the number one knucklehead ninja who slurped Ramen and shouted so loud that he got on everyone's nerves, to love. I don't understand it, but I'm thankful for it. I'll never know why I didn't spot it; why it took for Sakura and Sasuke to have their daughter and for Kiba to practically spell it out to me, for me to notice. I never was the brightest, but that's still impressivly slow, even for me!

I remember the moment I asked her to marry me. It felt like a dream then; my legs were so shaky that I felt like I was walking on clouds - I was so nervous. I remember parts of that day so clearly, it's as if they're in slow motion, and some parts just fly by in a blur. We were in the park, after we'd had Ichiraku's, and the cherry blossoms were blooming around the secluded path we walked. I remember being barely able to concentrate on the conversation I was so nervous, and I remember the heavy weight of the ring in my pocket. I'd tried Gai's tried and tested method of putting weights in socks, and that felt like nothing compared with the weight of the ring. Then, we'd reached the small grove and the crystal clear pond that I'd scouted out a while ago, and I realised that this was it - this was the moment.

I can barely remember the words I actually said, something about how much I love her - which I still think is difficult to put into words, even though I did trip up on several words a sentence - and how I wanted to be with her forever. I remember the look in her eyes, like she was just registering something, and the pure, lavender irises widened somewhat. I got down on one knee, wobbling with a lack of dignity, and finally asked her with a tumbling stomach, "will you marry me?"

I could barely believe my ears when she said a small, tiny, quivering 'yes' and nodded her head triumphantly. I slipped the silver ring with amber and some violet coloured stones onto her finger, and grinned as, for the first time since I'd told her I loved her, she fainted.

Back in the present, Hinata was still asleep next to me. Just watching her sleep so peacefully, deeply, makes me a bit lethargic too. Maybe I should just lie down... It's so comfy... maybe I should just... Sleep.

* * *

_Just pointless fluff here, nothing to see! Thanks for reading. Please leave a review if you've the time, and follow if you want to be updated for more chapters. Thanks!_


	6. 035 Follow

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nor Naruto Shippuden, nor Kishimoto Masashi's brain. Sadly._**

**_This is slightly more racy than the others, just a warning._** _Nothing too offensive, I don't think, but if you're easily offended then I guess maybe a skip might be in order? But personally, I'm quite a fan of this one. Well, whatever you decide to do, be it read it or skip it, enjoy!_

* * *

_035\. Follow_

It was so _hot_. Too hot, far too stifling to do anything. Naruto didn't even have much energy to train with Sasuke - they'd both shaken hands and called it quits after three hours. They were usually gone for at least five, much to Sakura's chagrin. Which left Naruto with an entire day he'd whiled away, alone, in his flat. No one else had been up for anything; Lee was training as usual, Sasuke was 'helping Sakura' with something, Kakashi was busy being Hokage, Shikamaru was asleep, Kiba was with the dogs (who smelt especially bad in this heat), Sai was drawing, Shino was well, creepy, and the girls were on a hill in the outskirts, sunbathing. Naruto only needed one glimpse over the group to see that wasn't going to work.

And so now, here he was, having willed the hours until he could try and sleep in the sticky heat until he woke up, and the sun made another burning cycle. But he didn't want to sleep anymore. It was cool, and he still had _plenty_ of energy left for the time being. He wanted to go out under the coolness of the fading orange sky and the rising of the full moon - the Kyuubi's best friend.

When he wandered down to the river to sit in the cool water and do nothing but count stars, it appeared he wasn't the only one who had that plan. He could hear the water splash and flow around another person before he saw them, and with his guard up, he felt for the chakra - and wasn't expecting such gentle, warm and soft feeling chakra. He didn't expect the wave of bliss that washed over him after he felt it. When he rounded the trees and could see into the river, he already knew who it would be.

Pale shoulders emerged from the water, a few pale scars pocking them every here and there, and even more tantalising flesh was obscured just too much under the crystal-like water; a small lavender strip covering too much clothing for his tastes. Her small hands, dainty, precise and deadly, went to her carefully arranged hair - the purplish-blueish hair he'd seen too many times in his dreams, and not enough.

He took a few more steps forwards, and his footfall alerted her, ears pricking up like a fox; a vixen.

"I-!" She leapt around, the water making little sound at her command. "Naruto." She said his name, slowly, savouring the taste of it on her tongue. A small blush rose on her face, and she went to cover herself with pale, dainty arms. "I-"

"Don't." He commanded with a strong voice, feeling the chocking heat contract around him - just as it had done all day. But it was more oppressive now, and it made him take leave of his senses and take a strong desire in one thing, and one thing alone: her.

"Naruto?" She questioned slowly, backing away slightly, but rose out of the water, mercifully.

"Please." He stated, half asking and half requesting, holding a hand out to her. She took one step towards him, but then turned tail and fled.

He wanted to find her; he wanted to follow her.

She had to go back for everything she'd left behind. She wanted to go back for him. It'd almost been like a scene from a dream of hers; she was so desperate for him, to _feel_ him. And the heat all day, it'd made her feel so lethargic, and the coolness of the night had made her alive. But he didn't seem right, something in his eyes - the deep colour, and the almost, but not quite there, red tint of her eyes instilled a deep fear somewhere inside of her. And she was excited by it.

Tomorrow, she would go back. Tomorrow, she'd follow him - like in her youth. She just hoped that no one stole her belongings.

* * *

Night fell over the village - but it was even hotter than the previous night. Sweat hit her skin the moment she stepped out of the Hyuuga complex, and she was as silent as she could be across the grass, through the flower beds, and over the back fence. She'd spent hours preparing for this, worrying over what she was doing, checking her actions against her own morals. But the heat within her was now too enflamed for backing down. She walked, padding as silently as she could in her sandals. Even the light covering of her lavender bikini and a long, sheer white t-shirt felt too much in this heat. She was glad that she'd finally decided to tie up her long, eggplant hair into the intricate bun she remembered her mother doing for her when she was younger - before she died, and she cut her hair for good. Her neck felt cool whenever the wind was kind enough to afford tiny little gasps of a breeze.

Like she'd hoped and thought, he was there - sitting in the trees, shorts and nothing else on, with glazed eyes that darkened when he saw her. Some part of her trembled, and some part of her sang, and tightened.

"You came." He said, jumping down to just before her feet.

"You came too." She replied, watching as he rose to his full height, never breaking eye contact with the eyes that now she knew were glazed with a tint of red - eyes that looked and felt like an animal's. "You followed me today - around town, to the Hospital. Around the Hyuuga complex."

"I saw you debate within yourself for hours."

"You watched me dress." She stated bluntly aware that as they spoke, she was being backed closer and closer to the trees behind them.

"I watched you undress too."

"You watched as I bathed." She said again, but couldn't help the inflection of a question that accompanied her statement, the impropriety of her situation getting to her. She felt some heat rise to her face as the tree bark collided with her back.

"Yes." He replied, his voice was husky and low and sultry, but something of the pure Naruto shone through then, and his eyes lost some of their red sheen. But none of the hunger nor heat, and he stepped closer to her, a hand going beside her head, the other to her waist and the hem of her t-shirt.

"Kiss me." She ordered, fiercely and watched as his eyes narrowed in glee and shone with heat.

She never did get her belongings back that night. Nor the following morning. He followed her the next day too.

* * *

_Not really something that I often write, but I thought that maybe this might be a nice take on this prompt. A little racy perhaps, but eh, I like it. I think you'd have to try fairly hard to be offended by this, but maybe that's just me. Well, review if you'd please and follow for more updates. Thanks!_


	7. 009 Appreciate

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**Thanks to Ayrmed for your review! I'm glad you liked it! :)**

_All right! We're onto like, what, 7 here? I'm not all that great at counting and I've forgotten a I type this... Whatever, it's not like I'm always told I need to be good at math! He..he...he... Enough self-pity, enjoy!_

* * *

_Title: 009\. Appreciate_

_Words: 733_

_Genre: Romance/Friendship_

* * *

Blue skies. Dewy Grass. Soft breezes in the trees. Perfect day. Perfect for school - although, not many days were perfect for school. In Hinata's opinion anyway.

She loved being there, for the people that she admired and the interesting facts and lessons she learned, but she never wanted to _be_ there... Although she never wanted to be at home either; she didn't feel right in any place. She didn't feel needed - appreciated. And they do say feeling appreciate or worth something is one of the keys to happiness.

Well, maybe that was just her being miserable. Besides, she had no business being that sad sitting under a sighing, green tree bursting with leaves and slowly waning flowers. And, the sun was shining - and she should be happy too. And she had History to get to.

Their teacher, Mr Hatake, wasn't an enthusiastic man - his blank face, half hidden by a mask of some sort that somehow didn't muffle his voice, and remaining eye that wasn't slashed shut (some assumed he'd been in some awful fight years ago) didn't move. Ever. And some people were about to nod off in her class, but she wouldn't. Even if Mr. Hatake could admittedly be somewhat dull, she enjoyed every detail.

"Hey, Sensei," a voice shouted from the back of the classroom; a sunny voice Hinata knew so well, "so these ninjas, they used to get to marry noble women for free? Awesome!" He declared with glee. She couldn't bare to look at his bright cerulean eyes, for fear she might faint or turn so red a tomato would envy her.

"Yes, Naruto." Mr Hatake replied, with a little eye smile. It was no secret Mr Hatake liked Naruto, he was after all the friend and mentor of Naruto's late father. And Naruto lived with him now, after his godfather had been declared missing - indefinitely. Plus, Naruto, along with Sasuke Uchiha (who also lived with Naruto and Mr. Hatake - whilst his older brother was A.W.O.L), and Sakura Haruno (their childhood friend) were all Mr. Hatake's mentees not too long ago. It really is a small world.

"And those noble clans continue on today." His eyes ghost over her face, and she can feel many more pairs lingering on her. It's no secret after all - the Hyuuga clan is well known; even by writing Hinata's first name, you write the name of the Hyuga clan. She might've called it arrogant if she didn't like her name. And Neji, dear boy he was, didn't keep their heritage quiet. "Maybe you can marry one of those women if you do something heroic enough." Mr. Hatake said, turning back to face the chalkboard, and Hinata was almost certain that for the first time, she saw a smirk under that black mask.

Hinata's face slowly blossomed into a burning blush, and she heard Naruto splutter some way behind her. As she glimpsed around, she thought she saw him blush.

But that day was an odd day, anyway.

And it was years ago - before the world changed. There's reason to be melancholic; there are no leaves on the trees, no shinning sun in the sky and no gleaming blue sky to look up to. For Hinata, anyway.

She'd been stolen, and locked in this room for nigh on weeks now, ripped from her home, her friends, and the light. Secreted away like the stolen good she is.

She almost lost her lunch when she heard creeping footsteps; the last time this happened... Well, she didn't want to think about it. The key clicks in it's lock, slowly turning inch by inch. She doesn't want to see the face of man who kidnapped her. She doesn't want to die, not this early! She had so many things she wanted to do... She wanted to finally be appreciated by someone!

A thin beam of light emerges from the now opened door, along with a few hush, curt whispers. As the beam of light grows in width, she knows something's off. The door's usually flung wide open, and accompanied by some crude, hoarse remark that makes the bile in my stomach turn.

And there she sees him, the man who's become her friend, her love, backed by golden sunlight that makes her pale eyes sting. He's come for her, cerulean eyes a hazy mix of worry, relief and urgency. She finally feels it; she finally feels appreciated.

* * *

_I wanted to go for an AU setting here. I ope you could tell because, I'll let you in on a secret, if you can't then you might just be in the wrong place... Thank you very much for reading, please review if you have the time and follow for future updates. Thanks!_


	8. 021 Moonlight

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I never will *the sobs of a thousand years*._**

_I'm baaack! Of course I am, I'm always here on a Sunday evening. Well, anyway, enjoy!_

* * *

_Title: 021. Moonlight_

_Length: 633_

_Genre: Romance_

* * *

24th July - the summer festival. Apparently, a really long time ago, this day was the day they always said summer starts. It seems like you'd think summer starts when it begins to get hot, not bang in the middle of summer, but maybe that's just me.

"Today's the longest day, you know." Hinata mutters from beside me. It's almost like she can read my mind. Let's see... When I turn to look down at her, I couldn't see much that wasn't in the gutter in my mind. I hope she doesn't see that.

"Naruto?" She looks up at me with large, round eyes and from the blank innocence in her silvery purple eyes, I think she didn't catch it. "I can't read your mind, if you were wondering."

I'm almost startled into place by her sharp reading of me. I _was _wondering. About that and other things, but mostly about her. She's unnervingly perceptive.

It almost causes me to feel worried, until the sweet scent of ramen drifts by my nose, and everything in the world is perfect. Well, Hinata already was, but you get my point...

"Shall we get some ramen?" I ask, guesting with my arms to the ramen stand and to her, the long, drooping sleeves of my reddish-orange ('auburn', apparently) summer kimono almost getting in the way. And this obi, the long, wide belt, doesn't allow much room for stomach expansion when you're eating a ton of ramen. Perhaps that'll have to wait until tomorrow. I should be courteous on my date, after all. Not like she doesn't already know what I'm like.

We were all out - all the remainder of us Konoha 11, that is - when I asked her to the summer festival with me. She blushed every shade between pink, red and edging into purple before she said yes, and Ino, TenTen and Sakura squeed themselves into a fit. After that, I just carried on eating a huge amount of ramen until Sasuke called me out on being a pig after everyone else had gone and it was just us two left. I did point out that I had an humongous nine-tailed fox inside me, but he tutted and called me dobe. What's new there? Besides, I got to call him out on being cold after his icy way of asking Sakura to go with him. I wonder where they are now. I saw them head off over to the woods some time ago... Eh, probably nothing.

We sat down in the stall together, greeting the Granpa Ramen cordially. Hinata was so delicate on perching herself on the stool, as she is with everything. Her hair is tied up elegantly on her head, deep blue strands shinning in the moonlight. And her kimono, a delicate silver edging on purple, shines with the embroidered silk, the pattern of a thousand small suns and swirls and slightly bigger intertwining flowers. It had been her mother's, she explained. But it looked cut to fit her, enhancing and sweeping around all of her curves. Looking at her, Naruto could barely believe he'd managed to persuade her to come with him - he'd bagged a beauty, as Granpa Ramen tactfully pointed out, much to Naruto's glee and Hinata's bashfulness.

Later that night, as they stood together on a verdant green hill in the hot serenity of the summer air, Naruto looked at Hinata, standing in the light of the moon. Her hair was glowing, her skin was shinning and her pale eyes shimmering with her kimono.

"Hinata?" Naruto asked hesitantly.

"Yes, Naruto? What's wrong?" She replied, looking up at him with round, innocent eyes much as she had done earlier that night.

He cleared his throat and look up at the flat moon before back into her shimmering, moon-like eyes. "I-... You look beautiful in the moonlight."

* * *

_Well, I hope you enjoyed this one! It's not very long, I'll admit, but I kinda went over the obvious plot for this prompt in other chapters... And I wanted to do a festival one, so I was like screw it! Let's go!_

_I hope you liked it, please follow for updates and review if you'd like. Thanks!_


	9. 050 Flower

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nor Naruto Shippuden._**

**_Thanks to Ayrmed for your review!_** _I'm glad you liked it, even though it was short :)_

_So, this is the penultimate prompt! Oh, M, Gee! It feels like I've been doing this for so long too... Well, it'll be goodbyes next chapter. For now, enjoy!_

* * *

_050\. Flower_

_Jasmine._

I will never forget how the flowers looked in her hair. How they became entangled in the eggplant strands, and the soft petals of the small jasmine flowers resting in her hair. How they were pressed between her fingers as she put her hand in her hair, a newer sign of nervousness. How gentle she was with each of the petals. How calm and serene they looked in her hair next to the endless lavender eyes. How the delicate, papery, whitish, reddish flowers looked next to her soft creamy skin. I will never get how they look in her hair out of my mind.

It seems strange, but I can remember how they looked when we were young. Before we started school, before I even knew her name, I saw her. She was alone, in her garden, I guessed - although I later found out it was her mother's. It's all a bit fuzzy at first - but it was so many years ago now. She was sitting under a tree coated in white, reddish flowers, whilst another woman with purple eyes and dark purple still hair was a way off, singing gently as she dug into the shallow flower beds, her stomach protruding just enough for it to be noticeable. She was almost asleep, looking up at the branches above her, but the flowers that had fallen from their high up perch were resting all over her - in her hair, and falling down her clothes. I was mainly struck by how weird her hair and eyes were, but I remember thinking that the flowers were pretty. It must've been something if, even now, I still remember how she looked.

I didn't see her much until, many years later, I'd come back from training. It must've been at least thirteen years; I was sixteen now, and she was just two months behind me. It was a few days that is been back, when I saw her, sitting under a tree far up in the hills. I didn't know it at the time, but Granny Tsunade told me later that Jasmine trees grow all over Konoha - but I just thought that it was her, and her beauty. I'd never really noticed them elsewhere. There she was again, sitting under the tree, writing in a book this time. I didn't get close enough to see what was in it, but it's always bugged me. She had just a few slight fallen flowers resting in her hair, and when she ran a hand through her hair, she picked out each of the flowers gently, smiling as she looked up and saw the tree above her. She looked so serene, so happy.

After the war... I was split. I was so happy, that Sasuke was back, and that we'd won, and I'd seen my father again, but then there were the casualties - Neji from the Konoha 11, and we thought that Hinata wasn't going to wake up from her dream at first... she was so peaceful, so calm. I sat by her and, when there was too much space in the tent during the day, I carried her out and sat her under a tree. I didn't care what tree it was, nor did I even notice, I just focused on her, and her face, and waited for her eyes to open. When they finally did, only then did I notice the reddish white Jasmines in her hair.

I took her to the biggest grove of Jasmine trees I could find when, a few years later, I proposed to her. I was nervous, and my hands were shaking, but I'd prepared everything and even roped in Sakura to practice on - much to her ire, when I inevitably got distracted. She looked at me with such placid eyes, and I calmed down so much. And the white jasmine flowers, falling all around us in the late spring's gentle breeze, settled on her hair amidst the deep blue-purple strands, and I knew I didn't have to worry.

Now that my daughter sits under the Jasmine trees too, the whitish flowers settle in her reddish-purple hair, and the petals are shaken out with a flick of her head, or she'll take then in her narrow fingers. I recognise the look that that boy gives her all too well, when he sees her with the flowers in her hair.

* * *

_Jasmine = Unconditional and eternal love (in the Philippines, particularly – I know that Jasmine flowers are big over there) in Plant Symbolism_

_Yeah, quite fluffy, mostly family-centric there. I don't think I've done a family-focused one-shot for this pairing before... Well, please review if you liked it and follow for more. Thanks! _


	10. 050 Eyes

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**_

_Well, this is it guys!__** Thank you to Armyed for your review **__\- thanks for your feedback! And I'm sad too :(. I want to say thank you to all 3,900 who have read this collection as of this point, I've appreciated you reading this so much, and seeing the views pile up has made me immeasurably happy!_

_On another note however, I do have some more prompts lined up, which I will get round to writing at some point, and they should be published in around 3-9 months. So finally, I'd like to thank you all once more, and hope to see you all soon._

_For now however, enjoy!_

* * *

_Title: 050. Eyes - Empty_

_Length: 658_

_Genre: Romance and Humour_

* * *

When I was younger, I thought that her eyes were kind of weird. I mean, they were blank, huge slates and completely white then - maybe a little pink. They took up too much of her face, but I could never work out what she was thinking. It was so weird... I didn't really like it. I mean, yeah, they were a pretty shape and all, but I just couldn't get anything from them. It didn't help that I thought that she was a bit weird too... She had a funny hair colour, which I liked and all but... I just didn't get her. She looked so scared all the time, and I used to think that she must've had some disease or something because she kept on fainting around me. But then again, she was all soft and dainty and considerate when we were younger - and she still is to this day - and I had a crush on Sakura who was loud and bright and way too invested in Sasuke to notice me.

But now, I couldn't call my younger self any more stupid. Whenever I look into her eyes now, I can see the whole of her being reflected there. I can see everything - her love, her hate (although she doesn't really hate, ever), her sadness and her joy... She's more emotive than any person I've ever met. You can see her softness in her eyes, in the gentle lavender hue. How the shape curls and narrows when she smiles, and how it widens whenever I say something lewd that makes her blush... Whenever anyone says anything vaguely lewd in fact...

I remember when we were moved in together, and the girls took her out for a night out. Somehow, Sasuke got roped in. Perhaps that was Sakura's fault, although Ino wouldn't surprise me either. Anyway, they'd cornered her, as expected, and started asking her questions.

"So Hinata, what base are you at?" Ino asked nonchalantly, eating some rice from her bowl.

"I'm sorry? What do you mean... There are no bases around here?" She put down her chopsticks and took a sip of her drink.

"Oh, you know, how far have you gone with him?" Sakura prodded with a grin.

Sasuke stopped eating as Hinata chocked on her drink and blushed a shade of light pink - and achievement, considering what colour she could get.

"Come on Hinata, we're just interested in your life." TenTen cajoled, trying not to snigger.

"Well.. I um..."

"Hinata, I don't want to-"

"Shush Sasuke, I want to hear!" Sakura interrupted, waving a hand in his face. He stopped bothering to listen after that he didn't want to think about Naruto like that... No matter what anyone thought of the two of them.

"Well... I um.. We uh.."

"Have you kissed?"

"W-Well yes..."

"Come on TenTen, we've seen that!" Sakura tutted, grinning all the while.

"Y-You have?" She stuttered, her face deepening a shade and her eyes widening.

"It's fine, Hinata." Ino smiled.

"You kissed - of course you've kissed him - have you slept with him?" Sakura asked, checking off her fingers as she went.

Sasuke chocked, and watched as Hinata froze, her face darkened and her eyes widened.

TenTen couldn't in her laughter any more, and Ino was offering her a glass of water, a chuckle in her chest.

"So? Have you?" Ino asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Well.." She looked down, and shook her head minutely, her pink face being reflected in her eyes.

Even Sasuke's eyes widened then. That dobe had got with Hinata before he had with anyone. And many times at that.

Naruto couldn't help but ask her slightly lewd questions after that, and watched as her eyes widened.

But he loved the slight surprise and the warmth that came through in her eyes every time that he told her he loved her, and the joy that shined in her eyes.

* * *

_Well, it all seems kind of underwhelming for the momentum this story gathered (thanks, of course, to all of you!)._

_For one last time: Thanks for reading, if you liked it then please review and follow for (future) updates. Thanks!_


	11. 018 Beach

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto_**

**_Thanks Ayrmed for your review! _**_Indeed it is ;)_

_Hello everyone! It' so good to see you all again. Now, I don't want to disappoint you, but this isn't the set of updates I promised, rather, I just wanted to write something and viola! I've actually only just got back to the time where I have any free time, so sorry, you're going to have to wait a few more months for the next set of updates. Anyway, enjoy!_

* * *

_Title: __018\. Beach_

_Length: 667_

_Genre: Romance and Humour_

* * *

The sand felt coarse, hot, and dry in my small hands. Under the shade, it was still somewhat cool, but if I poked a pale foot out of the blue umbrella's shade, it would be very hot, nigh on scolding. The wind was just as dry as the sand, and the air was almost still, heavy with heat. Even with more than enough sun cream on, I still felt weary about going out into the sun. The blue sky was cloudless, and the burning sun beamed down even brighter than ever. At the height of the day, it was extremely hot – at least 28 degrees. If I just went down to the water, maybe it'd be cooler.

The others were frolicking there, splashing and pushing and swimming and falling and grinning in the cool crystal waters of the sea. Naruto and Kiba had devolved into a fight long ago, splashing and wrestling each other into the shallows, where the water shone almost white over the golden-platinum sand. Sasuke was sitting near the shore, with his feet resting in the cool water, shouting taunts at Naruto every now and then. Sakura was playing in the deeper water with Guy and Tenten, with Neji, Shikamaru and Ino sunbathing (or sleeping, or watching Tenten), a little distance away. And here I sat, further back, near where the sand began to grow and the huge, pointed leaves, rose out of the ground, with the silent Shino to keep my company.

It's not that I minded I was so far back, I didn't mind the silence, and Shino was always good company, even in silence – even if it did mean having to scrub bugs off me occasionally after hanging out with them. It's the same during school hours; I'm always with everyone, and they're always there for me – I'm just too shy. Kiba berates me for being so. Not that he means to be mean by it – not at all. He, Shino and Neji are my oldest friends – aside from Neji, who had always been my kind, older cousin, we met at the very beginning of school, were placed on a table together, and never looked back.

"Oi, Hinata!" Kiba hollered, running out of the water as Naruto lunged once more for him. "Why so shy?" He grinned and ran over to me, water droplets flying to the sand like raindrops. Naruto was looking after him, looking at me. I suddenly felt a burning blush rise up my cheeks like a serious case of sunburn.

He approached our corner of shade quickly, what with his good athleticism, and picked me up, slinging me over his shoulder in a very undignified manner. I think I squealed, probably louder than I would've liked before, next thing I knew, I had been plopped down on the ground, with the cool water up to my knees, and the burning sun beating down on my back.

"Hey, Hinata!" Sakura called, rushing over to me with a grin on her face, and only a small, pink bikini covering her body. As I looked over to her, I became acutely aware of the lack of clothing I was wearing – only an orange swimsuit which, no matter how conservative it was in comparison with Ino's bee striped bikini, or Sakura's magenta, strapless bikini, or Tenten's red, cut out swimsuit, it still felt awfully skimpy. "Doesn't the water feel great," she asked, taking hold of my wrists.

The water was warm, keeping my body cool enough, but the beating sun was boiling, and I felt that if I didn't move soon, it might burn my easily burnable white skin. But I couldn't. I felt someone's eyes on me, a pair of bright, cerulean eyes that shone like the sun and held all the happiness, hope, and joy in the world.

I slowly turned my neck, catching his eyes like in those sweet, unrealistic romance films the girls and I watch and pour over, but don't admit to. And then-

I fainted.

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_There we are, just a light little something to keep you all tided over until the next update set. Oh, and the outfits (not that they're that integral to the plot but…) are based of Naruto Shippuden ending 10. Thanks for reading, if you enjoyed it please leave a review, and follow for updates. Thanks!_


	12. 058 Dream

**Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own this series.**

**A/N: I'm back, finally! Took me long enough but... I actually had some free time in this crazy life of mine. Hope you enjoy!**

**A huuuge thank you to everyone who reviewed in the down time of this series! Reading those reviews seriously make my day ^_^**

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_Title: 058\. Dream_

_Words: 621_

_Genre: Romance/Hurt/Comfort_

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My eyes fluttered open, and I could see a world, bright, and happy, and glorious like a spring morning. The trees effervescently bright, branches groaning under juicy emerald leaves, and delicate pink and lilac and yellow and red and organs blossoms. The grass was trimmed to perfection, not a single spot of it lay threadbare or limp in the bright sunshine. And the air was perfect temperature, and somewhat still - yet with a slight, pleasant breeze.

She could see herself, down below in this utopia, leaning on the shoulder of Naruto. The man she'd always loved beyond belief, and the man she valued like none other. Yet could not for the life of her could she get close to him. Before this high pressure, life-or-death war, she couldn't even look at him square in the eye without blushing madly and then fainting, but there she could see herself, looking at him directly in his bright, lucid, cerulean eyes, with nothing but love oozing from them.

In the blink of an eye, the scene had changed. There they were again, but the beautiful spring morning had changed. It was now nighttime, and the cacophonous howls of thunder clapped outside. They two lay on the bed, clinging onto each other with relaxed limbs and vaguely smiling faces. Hinata could see herself wearing a white vest top and short shorts, whilst naruto wore much similar attire beneath the navy blue sheets. Normally, she would be awoken by the loud thunder, but she could see herself there sleeping, the utmost picture of peace. Never had she been so relaxed as she could see herself here.

Again she blinked, and the day returned. She and Naruto were in a park, the sky almost blocked out with a cloud of pink cherry blossom. The air smelt fresh in the morning and she imagined it felt cool on her skin. Naruto suddenly pulled a small, square box from his pocket, and whispered some words she couldn't hear. And yet there was a ring, on this alien version of herself's finger, glistening lavender in the golden sunshine.

Another blink saw a flurry of white and lavender and an unfortunate burst of orange amongst the pastel shades. But this pair bore smiles of unstoppable joy, and before all their friends were bound together by law.

Blink. Noise assaulted her ears, at the screaming yells of a very young baby.

Blink. That baby had grown somewhat into an adorable toddler, with a beaming smile and the trademark Uzumaki whiskers.

Blink. Another screaming voice, shriller than that one before.

Blink. Two children ran around in almost complete havoc, the elder egging the younger on into all sorts of mischief.

"Hinata..."

Blink. The first entrance day into the academy.

"Please, Hinata..."

Blink. First accidental Jitsu causing all kinds of mess inside the house.

"...wake up!"

Blink. Second academy entrance day. She was vaguely aware of the pull at the back of her mind, but she did not want to go.

"Please, Hinata, wake up! Wake up, Hinata."

Blink. Those two children grew older with others, and looked back at this new Hinata with love, and respect, and the eyes of the man she loved with all her being.

But it was all being undone.

"Hinata? Hinata!"

Her eyes were clamped shut, and everything that she'd witnessed rewound in hyper speed.

Her eyes shocked open to see the tarpaulin of a white tent, shadows cast everywhere signalling night, and the worried face of some comrades she knew.

"Hinata?"

"It hurts too much..." She let her head fall back to the floor. "All that future, all that happiness, gone..."

She closed her eyes. "Just a horrible, beautiful, dream..."

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**A/N: Nothing much but I hope you liked it! Follow for more and review if you have time. Thanks!**


	13. Handmade

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto! As for he concept of sewing however..._**

Hi everyone! I'm sorry it's been so long... I suppose that's what life does to you. However, I'm back just in time for Christmas with a oneshot that I hope warms the soul! Enjoy!

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_Handmade_

Tie up the tread. Pull it taught. Cut. Rethread the needle with red thread. Tie a knot at the end, and begin again.

The fire crackled lowly beside me as I sat, cross-legged, in the dim light of the quickly setting sun, preparing my Christmas gift. My nose was cold and my hand were beginning to tingle with the repeated movement, but I continued. Because this gift was for him, and I was in love.

Hopelessly, unequivocally, unjustifiably in love. In love with a man who never batted an eyelid at me.

I paused, meddle in between thumb and forefinger, thread half pulled through the aida cloth.

Naruto wouldn't love me. He didn't. He had Sakura, and any other number of girls. And now he was slowly but surely and deservedly accruing fame, he'd never look my way.

I shook myself. I was better than that. After he war ended, I thought I might mean something to him. I assured myself he would look my way, what with the leering glares of men at night and unsubtly at day assuring me of my relative attractiveness. I told myself that if I finished this gift for him, I'd meet him, and speak to him. I rationalised with myself that if I cared enough to do all this, I cared enough to talk.

Tie up the tread. Pull it taught. Cut. Rethread the needle with orange thread. Tie a knot at the end, and begin again.

I'd been sitting here for hours on end, day after day. Labouring over my creation until I was satisfied. Satisfied that it was good enough to give to the one I love.

I made a half stitch. Pulling the thread I lost myself in a memory. Of the time he came to my aid when I was lost in the deadly desert of Sunagakure.

It was after the war, and I'd been sent to accompany the Daimyo to Sunagakura with Naruto. When there, I ran into Omoi - who Sakura and Ino insisted had a crush on me. I guess he did. He persuaded me out into the desert with him, claiming he'd found an oasis amidst all the barren land. I followed him, thinking he was showing me as a friend, a companion. I waved off Naruto's offer of assistance since it was one of few chances he got to spend with Gaara.

The oasis truly was beautiful and, when I was caught in its wonder, dazzled by the verdant green of the leafy trees and the sturdy shrubs, I was caught unawares when Omoi tried to kiss me. From that point, I don't remember much until I found myself running into the desert, alone, at the brink of dusk. Evenings in the desert can be dangerous. Nights can be deadly. All I knew is that I ran and ran, until the sun was down and I was lost, alone, and confused. I'd hurt Omoi, a friend who I led on too far, and now I was alone and tired, losing the will to go on. I walk for what felt like hours in the bracing cold until I can across a cave and collapsed. If I slept until light then I'd find a way out, I bargained with myself. And so I collapsed in the half-shelter of a collection of rocks more than a cave.

I awoke in the morning to my name being screamed far away. And by a voice that inspired my dreams, too. I shot up, blinking the sleep out of my eyes and swallowing any saliva I had left down my parched throat. And there I saw him, running towards me, and hugging me tight when he finally reached me. I heard reports of his panic when it was found that I was missing. But I never put much stock in the tales told by my two gossip-loving friends - especially when it came to Naruto and me.

Tie up the tread. Pull it taught. Cut. Rethread the needle with black thread. Tie a knot at the end, and begin again.

This time, as I sewed a few delicate stitches in black, I was reminded of a sadder memory, of the night in the dead of spring, when he came banging on my door in droves of tears. I was caught off guard, and so overcome with emotion that I felt numb. I awkwardly brought him into my home - a section at the side of the Hyuuga complex, more than adequate for my needs, and a sanctity of peace at the end of my day, helping in the duties of the Hyuuga household. I say him down in my room, and let him say all he needed, and sob all he could. I watched him with sorrow and was left with a feeling of unworthiness when all I could do was offer him a few words of comfort here or there, and a tissue or hug when needed. It was only after he calmed down, and after I fed him copious amounts of ramen did I realise that he was in my bedroom, and he'd come to me - not any of the others. If shaken off the feeling of superiority to focus on making him feel better. I'd never told anyone about that night, and I shuddered to imagine what would be said of it.

Tie up the tread. Pull it taught. Cut.

I took the fabric out of the hoop and flattened out the creases carefully, before hold it back to check. The pattern seemed all in order to me, and I sighed in relief.

It didn't take me more than twenty minutes to pain the remained fabric not covered by thread in a tie-dye of orange and red fiery swirls in washed out water colour. Drying it with my limited fire-jutsus, I placed the small rectangle of Aida cloth into the frame I'd found specially for this, and checked the time. I was on track to catch him when I wanted. Grabbing my keys, and phone and scarf and gloves, I took one more look at the pattern in the frame. Perfect. The Uzumaki swirl, embroidered in threads of red and orange and black of all shades, looking like a true whirlpool of fire, on a lightly shaded background of reds and oranges. I didn't see often, but I was proud of what I'd made.

I rushed off to the other side of the city, my gift for the man I loved tucked into the side of my long lilac coat, my breath made puffs of condensation in the evening air, and I was regretting my decision to not bring my hat - although I knew that my long purple hair looked best when it caught the moonlight.

There he was, just about to enter his apartment.

"Naruto!" I called, catching his attention as he was just opening his door.

He made a slight noise and turned to face me, confused until he registered who I was. "Ah - Hinata! Merry Christmas!" He smiled widely, whiskers bunching up in a cute way as he did.

I smiled back at him as a walked over to face him, the snow crunching under my shoes as I did, I couldn't help but smile at the bright orange lights around his doorway.

"Merry Christmas" I replied, slightly breathless - and I didn't think it was from the two flights of stairs I just climbed.

"What did you want?" He asked, blue eyes expressive and full of curiosity.

"I-" I faltered. I looked down at the trodden on snow and cursed myself. "I wanted to give you something." I blurted quickly, and present him with my gift, wincing when I didn't get a response. I cautiously looked back up to his face and was confused. He was staring at it, almost baffled at the concept, it seemed.

He took it ever so slowly, eyes widened as he saw his family's crest behind the frame.

I felt my fingers and now going numb. I stopped breathing for a moment.

"Hinata I..." he trailed off, speechless.

"I'm sorry if you-"

He cut me off. "I love it." He looked down at the gift again, and then back up at me once more. "Thank you." I could feel him examining my face, staring intently at my eyes, and then moving around to rest at my lips. He flicked between my eyes and lips, and he seemed to be getting closer. I couldn't resist the pull and closed my eyes,

I felt his lips on mine, and nothing was numb anymore.

I was half tempted to call it a Christmas miracle, and rejoicing for all those hours I'd spent sewing by the dying light of the sun and the dim light of the fire.

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I hope you enjoyed it! I know it's not much, but I hope it was a reminder that no matter how badly things are going at this time of year, there's always warmth and joy in the world. Have a great holidays, and I hope to see you all soon. Thanks for reading!


	14. 074 Alone

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**_

Hi_ everyone! Me again. I thought I'd give you all a Christmas gift and update again. It's not entirely winter themed, but it's something I'd been saving for someday _nontheless_. Happy Holidays everyone, and of course, enjoy!_

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_074\. Alone_

It was a hot day in Konoha. The sun was shining for midsummer, and yet all the members of the Hyuuga main and branch families were dressed in black. It was the funeral of the branch leader's wife. Only thirty-six, yet her body was cold, and being lowered into the ground. They put flowers on her wooden casket - the flowers she loved - and then no one said any more about it. The deed was done, and she was never mentioned again.

I was three years old, too young to fully comprehend the tragedy of it all, yet old enough to recognise that there was a huge pain in my heart and that mama would never be back. Never hug me again, never enshrouds me in her perfume, never protect me from scary sights with a curtain of deep purple hair. She was gone, and I felt alone. There must've been hundreds of Hyuugas present, and yet they all ignored me at their feet. Not even Ao, not even father looked at me twice. All I could do was walk about the kimono covered ankles of my close and distant relatives, like a morbid bamboo forest of tall, black kimono wearing adults, as they walked as a shoal, murmuring lowly about my mama. I was surrounded by people, and yet completely alone in this crowd. I felt like I would suffocate, or cry, or scream. But I did none. For the first time, I fainted. Nobody found me until I woke up that evening, alone, as the sun set, with the shadow of a blonde boy in the distance.

Twenty-one years later, I felt that again.

The streets of Kumo were packed, noisy, and hot. If you were walking north, there would be a hundred people walking south. And if you were walking south, a hundred people would be walking north. It seemed like all the world was out walking sometimes. Hurrying about their business, rarely looking up into your eyes.

I was here on an exchange with the state's children's school, a prestigious opportunity that I was only too happy to take. Konoha held little future for me, I sometimes thought. I was a Hyuuga, and it sometimes felt like I was therefore defined by my surname. By the mother who bore me and the father who was bored of me. My friends were my lifeblood, and my job was my soul. But life was more than that, and so I accepted the opportunity. I only looked back when, as I left through the door, with all my life in my hands, Hanabi uttered a small 'goodbye'. I suppose she really did miss me.

Four months have gone by since. Omoi has consistently tried to court me, offering me countless dinners, dances and parties... But I can't bring myself to accept his invitation. I know I should be more lively, but I can't help but seclude myself in the standard room they allowed me, staring at the wall, and the pictures of the friends I couldn't bring myself to write to on it. It had been months. What if... Did they forget about me? What if they simply didn't care to remember me. With their lives full of busy jobs, social appointments, families who cared about them and... Their lovers. None of which I had.

I knew this well of self-pity would get me nowhere and yet, for once, I wanted to let myself drown.

I loved the school, and the children once again were the main source of my happiness, but I could do nothing to assuage the hole in my heart.

Another two months passed, and I made friends. I started to mend the pain. I loved the school, and it ravaged my emotions that I was going to have to leave. But yet the day was here, and I was packed up once more, staring at the spotless room that didn't even look like it'd been occupied by me. It made me feel like I was merely a ghost. With one briefcase in each hand, I left the room, with once glance by as I felt the whisper of a 'goodbye' in the sway of the translucent, white curtains.

I caught the train back home, delighting in the newly built transport system, forged in the hard aftermath of a terrible war. It had been six years; six years of pain.

I watched out the window over sixteen long hours as the scenery turned to sand, and ice, and finally, as I awoke the next morning, greenery. The leaves seemed to wave at me. I was home. I felt the addresses I'd taken from my new friends burning a hole in my pocket. That chapter was over, with only a few pin holes left to keep it open.

I got off the train with stiff, heavy limbs. I'm not sure what I expected as I stepped into another crowd, but I did not expect to feel so alone. Faceless men and women passed by me, families reunited in joy everywhere, and yet I stood motionless, alone, hoping for someone to have a face I knew.

I walked through the barrier, into the foyer. Even though I was home, there was still the small sting of being alone that dampened the feeling.

And yet, I suddenly caught sight of yellow hair, bright blue eyes, and a huge smile.

"Hinata!"

No, I wasn't alone. There was another who knew how it felt to be alone in a crowd.

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_There you go! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday time and I wish you all the best. Thanks for reading!_


End file.

Naruto, Romance