Naruto Fanfiction - Okaeri (Part VII - ii)
Naruto Fanfiction
Title: Okaeri (7[part i]/?)
Genre: General/Romance
Pairing: SasuHina eventually (various other pairings)
Disclaimer: SasuHina canon? No? Then Naruto is still not mine...
Summary: Sasuke is back in Konoha, Hinata is still in love with Naruto. Enough said. Prequel of sorts to ' Snapshots: Black and White' - How SasuHina came to be :)
A/N: I did say that this update would be long in coming… I just didn’t think it would be this late. Since the last update, my finals have come and gone, I passed, went abroad on holiday, come back and started working. That basically summarizes my life thus far…. Now on to the extremely late update! Apologies to everyone, and thank you to those who kept encouraging me to write!
-v-v-v-v-v-
Part VII
-v-v-v-v-v-
---2nd part---
She had been right about one thing. Things would not be all right for a long time to come.
She hadn’t realised so many people had noticed the extent of her feelings towards Naruto. The other kunoichi would fall into an embarrassed silence if they were discussing Sakura and Naruto’s wedding plans when Hinata approached, or adroitly change the subject. Her team mates and Kurenai watched her covertly during practice and were overly cheerful when she was about. Even Ayame at the ramen-shop squeezed her hand and whispered that she was sorry when Hinata went there. These instances made Hinata cringe whenever she thought about them, and were it not for the thought of Sasuke’s disappointment, she would have turned tail and fled.
Indeed, it had taken all her self-restraint to keep herself from bursting out when finally Kiba, affectionate and loyal had wrapped his arms round her shoulders - just like Naruto used to do, with the same wide-eyed concern and honesty shining from his face - and begged her to tell him if she was breaking her heart over Naruto. Hinata had looked at the other two and neither looked surprised at Kiba’s question; Kurenai nor Shino were both watching her, waiting for her reaction.
She couldn’t help the blush which suffused her cheeks but she forced herself to speak normally. “Breaking my heart over Naruto-kun?” she asked, keeping her face blank. “Why would I d-do that?”
Kiba stared at her as though she had grow horns. “Naruto and Sakura got engaged,” he said slowly as though speaking to a small child. Hinata shrugged in a way that if she could have seen it herself, was oddly reminiscent of Sasuke. “I was there at Sakura's party, Kiba-kun,” she pointed out mildly.
Kiba exploded. “Then why aren’t you saying something, screaming your head off or crying!? Everyone knows you were crazy about Na-omph!” Kiba turned to glare at Shino, whose elbow had accidently-done-on-purpose dug into his side. “What?” the Inizuka asked angrily.
“Your lack of finesse grates on my nerves,” the Aburame replied smoothly. Hinata looked from one to the other. These were her friends and she was barefacedly lying to them, pretending that nothing had happened. She wondered at how shocked they would be if she told them that that she had screamed and ranted and in front of Sasuke of all people, even trying to beat him up, and how it hurt to be reminded of Naruto and Sakura and what made everything worse was all the pity she was getting.
She felt a bubble of hysterical laughter rising to her throat, and when she thought of how Kiba had looked. Did he think she had lost leave of all her senses? A sort of post-traumatic stress disorder which all love-sick girls go through? She giggled. And when the others turned to look at her, concern creasing their faces, looking as though they thought she really had been driven over the edge, she simply couldn’t contain herself any longer and started laughing. She laughed and laughed, until her sides ached and tears were streaming down her cheeks, at the absurdity of it all.
“I-I am s-so sorry,” she gasped, wiping away her tears, “b-but y-you all l-looked so s-serious!” Hinata saw how Kiba and Kurenai looked suddenly relieved, how Shino’s shoulders relaxed by a fraction and she felt something inside her twist and she felt almost like crying. They had been worrying about her, and all she had been thinking about was was about how she could try to save face. Hinata wrapped her arms round Kiba and smiled brightly at the other two. “I’m fine,” she lied. “It was just a little crush, a bit of foolishness, but I never thought people would think I was so serious about it.”
She always thought of herself a poor liar, too honest and naive to fool others, and yet here were the people who knew her best believing her implicitly, Kiba grinning cheerfully and hugging her and saying that he was glad, he’d seen that she seemed bearing up exceptionally well but that they’d wanted to make sure that she was really ok with it all, Shino and Kurenai looking relieved.
As her teammates and her sensei left, telling her that they were always there if she needed them, Hinata smiled and nodded at them as she waved goodbye.
She stood there for a while in silence before sighing slightly. “I really am all right, Shino,” she said.
Her teammate leapt down from his hiding place and came to stand beside her. Hinata looked at him curiously, wondering why he was frowning slightly.
“The Uchiha left with you last time,” he said, and Hinata felt cold all over.
“What?” she said weakly.
“You’ve been sparring with him often as well,” the Aburame continued. “My kikkai told me some time ago, but I assumed that you did not wish to speak of it.”
“Yes,” Hinata admitted. “He’s helped me improve my fighting skills.” She pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “We were both rather...upset about Naruto and Sakura’s announcement and we left. T-that’s all really.” No response was forthcoming from her teammate and Hinata turned to look at him half-afraid of what he would say. “A-are you angry with me? That I didn’t tell you?” she asked hurriedly
“I don’t trust him,” Shino intoned quietly, “but if he helped you, I am glad.” He adjusted his glasses. “I am sorry we could not do more,” he said, and there was a hint of regret in the normally stoic countenance of the Aburame.
Hinata swallowed. Why, why did everything she did cause pain to someone else? She reached out and caught at the sleeve of her team-mate’s jacket. It was a gesture reminiscent of their childhood, something only Team 8 understood. It was one small sign of affection the Aburame, who disliked people touching him, would allow.
“You’re my friend Shino, my best friend,” she whispered.
“And the Uchiha? Is he also your friend?” Shino asked.
“Yes.”
Shino stood silently for a while. “Don’t forget what he did to his best friends,” he told her and Hinata stiffened.
“That is all past now,” she replied, trying hard to stop her voice from shaking. “H-he’s changed.”
“I hope so for your sake, Hinata,” Shino said gently and plucked at her sleeve. “Please be careful.”
Hinata nodded, not trusting herself to speak. How could she make anyone understand that Sasuke was not the monster they made him out to be? How could she make them see the unusually gentle side the Uchiha was capable of showing without giving her own secrets away? She wrapped her arms round herself and shivered. Why couldn’t life be simple for once?
“Hinata?” Shino’s deep voice startled her.
“W-what is it, Shino-kun?” she asked.
“Don’t let him change you too much.”
***
tbc...
Link to Part VIII
Title: Okaeri (7[part i]/?)
Genre: General/Romance
Pairing: SasuHina eventually (various other pairings)
Disclaimer: SasuHina canon? No? Then Naruto is still not mine...
Summary: Sasuke is back in Konoha, Hinata is still in love with Naruto. Enough said. Prequel of sorts to ' Snapshots: Black and White' - How SasuHina came to be :)
A/N: I did say that this update would be long in coming… I just didn’t think it would be this late. Since the last update, my finals have come and gone, I passed, went abroad on holiday, come back and started working. That basically summarizes my life thus far…. Now on to the extremely late update! Apologies to everyone, and thank you to those who kept encouraging me to write!
-v-v-v-v-v-
Part VII
-v-v-v-v-v-
---2nd part---
She had been right about one thing. Things would not be all right for a long time to come.
She hadn’t realised so many people had noticed the extent of her feelings towards Naruto. The other kunoichi would fall into an embarrassed silence if they were discussing Sakura and Naruto’s wedding plans when Hinata approached, or adroitly change the subject. Her team mates and Kurenai watched her covertly during practice and were overly cheerful when she was about. Even Ayame at the ramen-shop squeezed her hand and whispered that she was sorry when Hinata went there. These instances made Hinata cringe whenever she thought about them, and were it not for the thought of Sasuke’s disappointment, she would have turned tail and fled.
Indeed, it had taken all her self-restraint to keep herself from bursting out when finally Kiba, affectionate and loyal had wrapped his arms round her shoulders - just like Naruto used to do, with the same wide-eyed concern and honesty shining from his face - and begged her to tell him if she was breaking her heart over Naruto. Hinata had looked at the other two and neither looked surprised at Kiba’s question; Kurenai nor Shino were both watching her, waiting for her reaction.
She couldn’t help the blush which suffused her cheeks but she forced herself to speak normally. “Breaking my heart over Naruto-kun?” she asked, keeping her face blank. “Why would I d-do that?”
Kiba stared at her as though she had grow horns. “Naruto and Sakura got engaged,” he said slowly as though speaking to a small child. Hinata shrugged in a way that if she could have seen it herself, was oddly reminiscent of Sasuke. “I was there at Sakura's party, Kiba-kun,” she pointed out mildly.
Kiba exploded. “Then why aren’t you saying something, screaming your head off or crying!? Everyone knows you were crazy about Na-omph!” Kiba turned to glare at Shino, whose elbow had accidently-done-on-purpose dug into his side. “What?” the Inizuka asked angrily.
“Your lack of finesse grates on my nerves,” the Aburame replied smoothly. Hinata looked from one to the other. These were her friends and she was barefacedly lying to them, pretending that nothing had happened. She wondered at how shocked they would be if she told them that that she had screamed and ranted and in front of Sasuke of all people, even trying to beat him up, and how it hurt to be reminded of Naruto and Sakura and what made everything worse was all the pity she was getting.
She felt a bubble of hysterical laughter rising to her throat, and when she thought of how Kiba had looked. Did he think she had lost leave of all her senses? A sort of post-traumatic stress disorder which all love-sick girls go through? She giggled. And when the others turned to look at her, concern creasing their faces, looking as though they thought she really had been driven over the edge, she simply couldn’t contain herself any longer and started laughing. She laughed and laughed, until her sides ached and tears were streaming down her cheeks, at the absurdity of it all.
“I-I am s-so sorry,” she gasped, wiping away her tears, “b-but y-you all l-looked so s-serious!” Hinata saw how Kiba and Kurenai looked suddenly relieved, how Shino’s shoulders relaxed by a fraction and she felt something inside her twist and she felt almost like crying. They had been worrying about her, and all she had been thinking about was was about how she could try to save face. Hinata wrapped her arms round Kiba and smiled brightly at the other two. “I’m fine,” she lied. “It was just a little crush, a bit of foolishness, but I never thought people would think I was so serious about it.”
She always thought of herself a poor liar, too honest and naive to fool others, and yet here were the people who knew her best believing her implicitly, Kiba grinning cheerfully and hugging her and saying that he was glad, he’d seen that she seemed bearing up exceptionally well but that they’d wanted to make sure that she was really ok with it all, Shino and Kurenai looking relieved.
As her teammates and her sensei left, telling her that they were always there if she needed them, Hinata smiled and nodded at them as she waved goodbye.
She stood there for a while in silence before sighing slightly. “I really am all right, Shino,” she said.
Her teammate leapt down from his hiding place and came to stand beside her. Hinata looked at him curiously, wondering why he was frowning slightly.
“The Uchiha left with you last time,” he said, and Hinata felt cold all over.
“What?” she said weakly.
“You’ve been sparring with him often as well,” the Aburame continued. “My kikkai told me some time ago, but I assumed that you did not wish to speak of it.”
“Yes,” Hinata admitted. “He’s helped me improve my fighting skills.” She pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “We were both rather...upset about Naruto and Sakura’s announcement and we left. T-that’s all really.” No response was forthcoming from her teammate and Hinata turned to look at him half-afraid of what he would say. “A-are you angry with me? That I didn’t tell you?” she asked hurriedly
“I don’t trust him,” Shino intoned quietly, “but if he helped you, I am glad.” He adjusted his glasses. “I am sorry we could not do more,” he said, and there was a hint of regret in the normally stoic countenance of the Aburame.
Hinata swallowed. Why, why did everything she did cause pain to someone else? She reached out and caught at the sleeve of her team-mate’s jacket. It was a gesture reminiscent of their childhood, something only Team 8 understood. It was one small sign of affection the Aburame, who disliked people touching him, would allow.
“You’re my friend Shino, my best friend,” she whispered.
“And the Uchiha? Is he also your friend?” Shino asked.
“Yes.”
Shino stood silently for a while. “Don’t forget what he did to his best friends,” he told her and Hinata stiffened.
“That is all past now,” she replied, trying hard to stop her voice from shaking. “H-he’s changed.”
“I hope so for your sake, Hinata,” Shino said gently and plucked at her sleeve. “Please be careful.”
Hinata nodded, not trusting herself to speak. How could she make anyone understand that Sasuke was not the monster they made him out to be? How could she make them see the unusually gentle side the Uchiha was capable of showing without giving her own secrets away? She wrapped her arms round herself and shivered. Why couldn’t life be simple for once?
“Hinata?” Shino’s deep voice startled her.
“W-what is it, Shino-kun?” she asked.
“Don’t let him change you too much.”
***
tbc...
Link to Part VIII