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"I wonder who gave that scarf to him," she spoke gently in the silence of snow, invisible claws pulling at her throat. "I'm happy for you…Naruto…"
Like a string was plucked in her heart and vibrated all the way up to her eyes, her tears began to fall. They fell down upon the red scarf, infusing more of her soul into its creation, as if she hadn't given her all to it already. But she stayed silent, because the snow didn't deserve to lose its beauty because of her tears. There was no worth to them; to her.
Hinata breathed in, and held tight to the scarf as her lips quivered.
If I close my eyes, I can…just forget I went…there…
The silence was interrupted by footfalls on the pavement, but the claws of her self-loathing wouldn't let her move. She held her eyes closed harder, and willed herself not to be seen.
"Hinata!"
A lash went through her, like electricity from her chest to her fingertips, and she jolted in place.
"Hinata, why did you run off like that? I came to…" his rugged voice hitched as the footsteps fell beside her, so close she could feel a breeze and catch his scent, "Wha-Hinata, are you alright? Why are you crying?"
She clung to the scarf like a cliff's edge, her eyes falling open to see a blur of darkness in the snow before her, and…
Naruto kneeled down, cupping her jaw in the palm of his hand and lifting her head.
"I—" he paused, completely out of his depth in this situation. He never really understood girls, let alone Hinata, and he really didn't know what to do.
The golden-haired boy tilted his head, truly taking in what he was seeing. His eyes flicked down to something red on Hinata's lap, held tightly in her hands like she was afraid it was going to fly away. They returned to the pupiless eyes of his dear friend, and the tears that still ran from them. Her lower lip was trembling, and he could feel something wet running down his arm.
"Hinata," he spoke softly, almost a whisper, "did I do something wrong?"
She shrank from his hand, but he didn't remove it. Instead, he moved it to her shoulder, giving it a squeeze, because he was so lost. He didn't understand.
In the silence of the winter night, he waited for her reply. Occasional sounds stirred from her, a concerned frown overtaking his face as he picked out her soft whimpers. It had been so long since he had felt so helpless to help one of his friends…
She squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to ignore Naruto's warm hand on her shoulder, but was failing. Blood rushed to her cheeks, and she tried to curl up even further. The swingset under her tilted, and suddenly she began falling.
"Hinata!" Naruto said aloud, slipping his free arm behind her and pulling back towards him, in the process pressing her face into his shoulder.
Into his new, green-striped scarf.
She knew it was there, but felt so overwhelmed at that point that she froze. Her small frame began to shake, and like the snapping of a string, tears overwhelmed her attempts at silence.
Hinata sobbed, tears flowing forth with choked gasps for breath, as she leaned her entire weight into the confused boy's shoulder. "N-...Na, I'm…so…s- sorry…"
"It's…it's okay, Hinata, don't cry, you did nothing wrong," he spoke softly, kneeling down into a seated position as he pulled Hinata down with him. She shook violently with each wracking sob, so he held her tighter. Did I do this? Sakura did say I was an idiot, but she looked fine in front of my apartment. But…why did she say my name?
The tears slowed after a few minutes, but Hinata didn't move from his embrace. This…this isn't how I meant for things to go, I…
"Hinata," the voice rumbled as she leaned against him, and it soothed her, just for a moment, as she listened, "I'm not sure what's wrong, but if you wanted to talk about anything, I'm still up for making you that cup of ramen I promised." He pulled back, the cold air chilling her tear-drenched face, "That is, if you want. No pressure or anything, y'know?"
The nerves made his voice crack, bringing a glow to Hinata's cheeks again. She looked up, piercing blue staring down at her, those eyes smiling despite the concerned frown on his eyes. Naruto, you're too kind to me…I don't deserve this.
A smirk crossed his cheek, wary but playful, "Didn't hear a no, so…is that a 'yes,' or…?"
Her heart tugged as she gradually became more aware of everything around her. Of an aching hunger in her chest.
As though it knew it was in the spotlight, her stomach growled rather loudly. Naruto chuckled as Hinata's blush deepened. He stood up, reaching out for her hand.
"Come on, let's go."
She still held the scarf in her hands, wet from tears, but it was still her lifeline. She didn't want to give up yet; she couldn't. But…but his scarf…
Naruto noticed that she wouldn't look away from the red wool on her lap, and instead took hold of her wrist, gently pulling her upwards.
"Hey, let's go, you're not getting any less hungry, y'know?"
He smiled, guiding Hinata towards his apartment, the girl fixated on the scarf in her hands as she followed behind.
"...Okay…"
"Here, I made this for you, just like I promised!" Naruto spoke nervously, wary of upsetting his friend any more than he had. He was still unsure what he did, but he figured it wouldn't be the first time he made a mistake. And just like all those times before, he had to keep moving forward, because forward was the only way through these sorts of things.
"Th-thank you, Naruto," her voice was very quiet, almost weak after all the tears she had shed. Her eyes and head ached, but the scent of ramen and the warmth of the apartment was comforting. She never expected to be invited here, even though he had offered before. Naruto was kind, and selfless…but…
But I'm taking advantage of it…I'm probably keeping him awake, I…I should go…
A hand settled on her shoulder, "Aren't you going to have some? I'm sorry those girls interrupted earlier, but I really did mean it when I said I wanted you to join us."
Her blush grew. She quickly grew aware of how bright the room was, and nervous that he'd notice the redness of her cheeks, so she took a decent helping of ramen and stuffed her face as politely as she could. It was warm. Warm enough he shouldn't notice, I hope…
"Are you okay, Hinata? Your face looks all red."
Shyly, hiding her face behind her hair as she held the ramen nearer, she nodded.
Naruto smiled warmly, and didn't press.
"I'm glad."
—
She finished the ramen in record time, and Naruto left the room to tidy up after himself. She had offered to help, but he steadfastly refused.
As he returned, his eyes drifted to the red woolen object that Hinata set down on the table. Tilting his head, he reached a hand down towards it.
Hinata froze.
"Hey, is this a scarf?" he asked, lifting it up without a thought.
Hinata's blush returned in full force, but she managed to just barely mumble an affirmative.
"Wow, it's so nice…it reminds me of my old one when I was a kid. I can't remember what happened to it though, huh."
As he felt the material, Hinata found herself unable to move from her position. Turning his head, he noticed her trepidation, a look of concern taking over his features once more.
"Hinata, are you sure you're—"
"I'M FINE!" she squeaked, grasping forward for the scarf and pulling it from his hands.
"Uh," Naruto backstepped, "I uh, didn't mean to touch your things without asking, Hinata! I'm sorry, forgive me!"
Her grip once against squeezed tightly to the scarf, tears welling in her eyes.
Naruto stared at her, worried and confused, "Hinata…I know it's none of my business, but is that scarf real important to you or something? Is that why you were holding it so tight before?"
The silence had weight as he waited for her response. Eventually, she forced out a small nod.
Again, silence took hold. A minute passed before Naruto had to speak.
"Can I ask what it means?" He back-stepped, "I-I don't mean to pry too much or anything, I just want to—"
"It's…o-okay Naruto, really. I-I made it." For you.
Her voice was almost imperceptible, as if she was trying to disappear, her thoughts starting to nip at her as her ever-present self-doubt reared up inside her mind and heart.
"Wow Hinata…that's amazing! I didn't know you could knit!"
His smile was blinding, but she relished it like a flower would the sunshine. In that moment, it didn't matter that she was nothing. She was near him; that was enough.
"I wonder who made mine," he began to mumble to himself.
Silence again.
"...sh…she might have…"
Naruto turned his head, "Huh?"
"The…the g-girl, who gave you your scarf, she c-could have made it…for you…"
Of all the responses Hinata respected, uproarious laughter was not one of them. Naruto cackled like she'd made a hilarious joke, leaving her completely confused.
"Oh Hinata, oh, that's a good one. My mom would have been terrible at knitting!"
As Naruto continued laughing, Hinata felt her entire body warm.
It's…his mom's scarf…
"I needed a laugh, thanks for that!" He smiled wide, holding on tighter to his scarf as she absently thumbed her wrist.
"...You're welcome, Naruto," she said meekly, looking down.
"So why were you crying holding your scarf earlier, Hinata? Did something bad happen?"
She looked down, afraid.
"I…I was going to g-gift it to someone, but…I d-don't think they'd want it…"
A look of anger crossed Naruto's face, "How could someone not want it? You made it, right? That makes it special!" He smiled, but the glow of it started to dim as he continued, "No one ever makes gifts for me. They just buy them. It's…you know, it's okay I guess, but it feels cheap. Anyone can buy something, but to make something you have to put your whole heart into it, y'know?"
He placed his hand on her upper arm, a look of understanding on his face.
"I'm sorry Hinata. Are you sure they didn't want it? Did you tell them you made it?"
Hinata's blush deepened, and Naruto didn't know what to think of it, so he didn't mention it.
"Hey, uh…do you want me to go with you, to make sure they'll take it and appreciate it? Because I will, I mean it!"
"N-no! I, uh…" Hinata grasped for words, "I um, I think he's g-got enough gifts, and it's…it's really…not that important…"
A tug on her arm pulled her to face the blue-eyed boy, the caring look in his eyes making her chest flutter, "It's important to you, Hinata, so it's important to me! And it'll be important to him, too, I promise. Come on, let's go find this guy and make him realize how amazing your gift really is!"
He grabbed her scarf off the table, and started to pull Hinata towards the door by her hand, only to be baffled as Hinata wouldn't move.
He frowned, his tone growling, "Come on, Hinata, if it made you cry, it's important enough to deal with now! Let's get moving!"
She slumped, gingerly pulling her hand from his grasp.
He was confused, looking back as she held tightly to the scarf.
"N-Naruto, I—"
"It'll be okay, Hinata, I promise. I'm not gonna take no for an answer. You're important to me, and I—"
Looking down, she held her hands out to Naruto.
The scarf, limp and folded, trembled in the grasp of the shy girl holding it. Her eyes were screwed shut, but she didn't budge as Naruto took stock of the situation.
He didn't understand.
"Hinata, I want you to give it to him, not me! It'll mean more coming from you," he chuckled, smiling nervously.
"I," her voice trembled, "I…am…"
Silence. Snow had begun to fall, delicate flakes visible through the dirty window panes behind her. Naruto's lips parted as he stared at her, the world around him becoming unimportant as the final pieces clicked into place.
"Y-you…made this," his voice cracked, "for me?"
There was no grand evil to distract her mind this time. No threat of death, to free her from consequences, as there was before during his battle with Pain. She stood there, red with nerves and fear, shaking to her core, as she presented her soul to the boy she loved. He w-won't take it…I just…need to go hom—
The scarf shifted in her hands, and her eyes flicked upwards. Naruto ran his fingers over it, expression puzzled, but she couldn't be sure what he was thinking. His fingertips pressed against hers through the wool, and she shrunk in on herself, fear overriding any enjoyment she could have. J-just tell me to go, we'll pretend this didn't happen and nothing will chang—
"Y-you can't be serious…right?" Her heart dropped for a moment, an invisible lance cutting through her, but he didn't leave it at that.
Their eyes met.
"Hinata," he took another step towards her, one hand still on the scarf, the other hidden in his pocket out of nervousness, "Why?"
Why would you make something for me?
Despite all the tears she had shed, there were still more inside of her. They crept up, and Hinata, too weak at this point to hold them back, let out a small sob.
"Hinata," he spoke quickly, voice filled with so much concern that it played across his face, "please don't cry, Hinata. I…I love it."
She fell to her knees and sobbed. Naruto quickly knelt down and pulled her into a tight, purposeful hug. He rested his cheek against her hair, breathing her in as he let her cry.
"You're such a strong person, Hinata…why are you crying?"
With a sob, she choked out, "I don't want to lose you, Naruto!"
His grip only tightened as his brow furrowed, "You're not gonna lose me, Hinata. I'm not going anywhere."
Time passed as Naruto held her there, idly running his fingers through her hair, toying with the fabric of her jacket.
Hinata felt numb, but every breath she took…was him. She wanted nothing more in life than for this moment to never end. To spend the rest of her remaining days and nights in his arms. But she knew, if she never said anything, this night would come to an end…and then…she'd have nothing else to show Naruto how much she…
"Naruto," she whispered, voice fragile and muffled against his own jacket.
"Yeah, Hinata?" He yawned, but made no move to leave the position he was in.
If this is what she needs in order to feel better, then damnit, I'm not gonna move an inch!
"I—...I should get going, it's getting late."
Gently she tried to remove himself from his hold, but he didn't budge. Instead, he seemed to pull her tighter to him, renewing the blush on her cheeks.
"Do you really want to go?" Naruto inquired, pulling back to look into her sad, lavender eyes. She quickly looked away, her blush deepening as the intimacy of their position truly dawned on her.
No, but I…"Y-you needn't stay awake for me any longer, N-Naruto, I'm s-sorry I interrupted your evening." She spoke numbly, with no life to her words, only apathy.
Naruto sighed quietly in his chest, loosening his hold on her but not letting go. "I'm really not upset, Hinata, I'm not. You didn't interrupt anything. But, um…can I at least know why you made this for me?"
He stared down with concern at the flush of her cheeks, but knew it was fairly normal for her. True, it was more normal when she was younger, but he figured she was just under a lot of stress, so it was coming out more.
I'm scared, Naruto…I don't want you to think differently of me, if you can't return my feelings. I can't lose you…I can't…
Not getting a response, Naruto sighed again, and shifted. His grip left the quiet Hyuga as he stood up, pulling her up with him. He set the scarf on the table, having not let go of it until just then. He sat back down on the couch, patting the seat beside him. "Look, I promise I won't mind whatever you say, I'm just, you know, curious what the reason was. I mean, it's not like I've done anything recently to deserve something from you, so…"
"T-that's not true," her voice slipped in, and immediately her face went red again. Naruto cocked his head. "Y-you're always doing nice things f-for people in the town. You're such a k-kind and brave soul, N-Naruto. Everyone admires you."
He rubbed the back of his neck, looking up, embarrassed, "Yeah, well, it's been getting kinda weird lately, what with all the gifts," he noticed her look down at his words, and immediately held his hands up, shaking them, "N-Not that I don't like them! I never said that! I just, you know…don't get it. They ignored me my whole life," he voice fell in volume a little, "and now they're finally seeing me as someone worth knowing. It kinda stings, y'know?"
Her head still leaning down towards her lap, she let his eyes look over to meet his, "You've always been worth knowing, Naruto. Every day of your life, you bring so much joy and happiness to everyone around you. I envy you," he noticed that her stutter had ceased, and there was determination laced into her voice, but it started to fall away as she continued, "I've watched you from afar for so long, afraid I wasn't worthy of your attention or time. You've always been so strong, and work so hard to become even stronger, so you can protect the ones you love. I want to be strong enough to protect you, too, Naruto, but…I'm," her eyes looked down, barely-opened, "I'm so weak that I couldn't even muster up the courage to give you the gift I made for you."
"Don't say it like that, Hinata," Naruto said, his usual rasped voice taking on a more comforting, thoughtful tone, "To me, you're the strongest person I've ever known." His eyes glazed for a moment, memories of past incidents playing behind them, "You were willing to give everything you had, just to save me, Hinata…no one has ever done something like that." He turned his body towards her, staring directly into her eyes, "W-why would you do that? I was so afraid of losing you."
"Because I love you, Naruto," she spoke resolutely, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Once the words left her mouth, she closed her eyes, a chill of fear shooting through her.
His lips parted, but nothing came out. Pure confusion played across his face as he stared at Hinata with a pleading look.
"But…what does that mean, Hinata?" he questioned, mumbling the word quietly to himself, "you…love me…?"
Hinata, lost for words, reached out slowly and grabbed the piled scarf sitting on the table. Her fingers gently teased over each ripple in the fabric, as she timidly found her voice, "I made this for you, because…w-when we first met, you protected me from some bullies who were making fun of me for how I looked. Th-they hurt you, and ripped your scarf, and I-I felt so bad about it. But I was so w-weak…how could I d-do anything? I j-just let you get hurt and cried."
Naruto's gaze was fixated on her as she continued, "B-but I knew you were stronger than me, and you j-just let it go. You let them go…and I-I wanted to be able to be that s-strong, so I…I watched you. All these years, I've been following you, t-trying to be the person that could s-step up when a bully p-pushed you down. A-and I-I m-made it, b-because…
"I…I thought that, m-maybe, no one had shown you w-what it meant to c-care about someone, like I do about y-y-you. S-so I, I made you a new s-scarf. S-so maybe you could take it wherever you went, and I c-could be with you, even i-if…you didn't want me around any more…"
A strong arm encircled her shoulders, pulling her into a sideways hug.
"Hinata…I've always wanted you around. You're just so…shy, and you always seem to run away when I ask you to join me anywhere." A slight smile touched his lips, amusement playing in his eyes.
His scent sent her heart aflutter as she instinctively hid her face against him, despite how nervous she was.
"I-I know, Naruto…b-but what I wanted most is," she blushed, a pang of fear settling in her as she spoke, "t-to be c-close to you. T-to be by your side. As…"
She went silent, and he pulled away just enough to look at her questioningly.
"As, what?"
Hinata shivered, "A-a-as…m-more than a…a f-f-friend…"
Silence once again reined, but her heart pounded in her ears as she fearfully awaited a response.
"Hinata…what do you mean? As…a teammate? A-a sister?"
"As a…p-partner," her soft voice trembled out.
For the first time in a long time, a flush of red came to Naruto's face. Something deep inside his mind chuckled darkly, having been keenly aware of this for some time; but he had kept it to himself. Kurama could only do so much whilst inside his host, but enjoying his captor's idiocy was like a fine wine, at least when it caused no harm to himself.
Shaking his head quickly to rid himself of the callous laughter of the Kyūbi, he didn't drop his hold on Hinata, who still trembled in his arms. She retained her blush, and Naruto became aware, for the first time, why she might even be blushing in the first place.
"U-u—...Oh," he replied suavely as he could in his addled state, stuttering out the word with a nervous laugh following it, before berating himself internally.
She likes…me? She LIKES me? She….I've been…holding her…and…
Hinata felt him tense, his arm now rigid around her, and she assumed the worst. Her heart had started to calm, but she still felt the edge of fear in her chest.
Gathering up her courage, Hinata moved her head slowly, her nose brushing upwards over his neck as she breathed him in. Her hair tickled at his throat, and he realized that, for once, he was the one who was nervous. He didn't know what to do, but he didn't…not like this.
Willing himself to relax a bit more, he let his cheek press against her forehead. This, in turn, coaxed the Hyuga princess to nuzzle a little closer to him, thoroughly exhausted as she was by the night.
Naruto winced, "Hinata," his voice drawing her out of the trance she was in. She tried pulling away in fear, realizing she may have crossed boundaries. I-I, what am I doing? I shouldn't—
He didn't let her go.
"You uh, d-don't have to stop, I uh," his breath caught as he looked at her face once more, seeing details he never really bothered to take in before. The puffiness of her eyes from her earlier tears, the way her hair caught on her cheeks she the tears had run. He regretted not having wiped them away. "I just, I don't know where to go with this. I…never had someone uh, like me, in that kind of way before…y'know?"
"I…I haven't either," she said softly, looking downwards and away from him.
He swallowed nervously.
"Naruto…does this mean you…?" Emotions ran across her face, clear as the sun in the sky. He had never looked long enough to realize; she was always hiding her face before.
"I don't know, Hinata…all I ever knew of romantic love was from my stupid crush on my teammate. I don't know the first thing about any of this."
He was lost, pursing his lips in thought. Noticing her expression falling, something tingled in his chest, spurring him to keep talking, "B-but if I wanted to try, I uh, guess I'd be happy to try with you, Hinata. That is, if you're okay with me being a total beginner at this?"
When she smiled, however slight it was, his chest felt funny. It made him want to smile, too, so he did. She returned his smile, even wider than his own, as their eyes met again.
"Naruto…I have spent all my days wanting to be by your side. I want to be there for you, from now until the end. I've wanted this for a long time now, and I want nothing more than to be with you, no matter what."
Their foreheads touched as they slowly turned towards each other, both red-faced from being so close to one another. She could feel his breath against her, and he could feel hers. Their noses brushed, and Hinata's chest seized with butterflies and bliss.
Naruto, however, was utterly overwhelmed by the intense feeling in his chest. It was suffocating, but it wasn't bad per-se. It was enough to distract him though. He wasn't afraid of what he was doing, he was afraid he might be doing it wrong.
"My chest hurts, Hinata…but in a good way, and I…I kinda think? I wanna kiss you, but I don't know how to do it right. What if I mess it up?"
The smile he watched form on her lips sent a whole new thrill of electric pleasure coursing through his body.
"To me,everything you do is perfect, Naruto."
He let out a shaky breath he didn't realize he was holding, and their noses slid past one another, agonizingly slowly. His eyes flicked down to her lips, wholly unsure of how to do this, but at least he knew one thing.
In his heart, this felt right. It would be okay. No matter what.
One thing he did not expect was for the touch of her lips to take his breath away like no punch ever could. With how she breathed out at the same time, he hoped it was the same for her.
Their lips shifted together as they tried to learn how it was done through trial-and-error, but eventually Naruto realized he was forgetting to breathe, and he had to pull away. He found his lips wet from hers, but the tingling feel of their lips touching lingered on his as he met her gaze once more.
Eyes fluttering momentarily as she looked down, she mumbled, "W-wow, Naruto…I-I n-never thought…it would feel…like that…"
That was enough to boost Naruto's confidence, as he smiled down at her, his face just as red as hers in that moment. He laughed nervously, whispering in a graveled tone, "Did you…want to try again?"
She didn't respond, only looking up at him, eyes flicking to his lips and back up to meet his gaze, before he leaned in and they kissed once more, continuing to experiment against one another's lips.
This time, he figured out how to breathe during the kiss, but the sensations stole their breath away despite their best efforts. Winded but euphoric, they stared longingly into one another's eyes. The blond-haired ninja felt emboldened by her half-lidded state. He leaned his forehead to hers and gently nuzzled his nose against hers.
"Hinata…I don't know how this will end up going, but I know if you're willing to put up with me, I want to see where it leads."
"N-Naruto?" She looked forward into his sparkling eyes, taking in every little detail of his face as she continued to catch her ever-escaping breath.
"Tomorrow, let's go on a date, you and me," he smiled, his eyes twinkling with mischief and promise.
"I…" her breath caught in her throat as Naruto's hand enveloped her own, and her insecurities fell away, one after another.
"I would love that…Naruto."