Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. I also do not own the Denver Broncos or any of its players. Just wanted to make sure there was no confusion.

(Told from Naruto's perspective)

It was truly great. For the first time in my life, I felt a kind of happiness I couldn't even imagine before. I felt no need to hide behind my mask, disguising the pain brought on by the hateful glares of the villagers, and I donned a sincere smile. For the first time, I felt… loved, just like everybody else.

As the vessel of the Kyuubi, I was used to being constantly slandered with false names and insults. "Monster," "demon," "garbage," "filth." There's one insult which I'll concede to, though – DENSE. Boy was I.

After rushing an unconscious Hinata into the hospital for the umpteenth time, and receiving a (rather painful) lesson from Sakura about wasting her time, I heard something I never expected to. She let slip a (not-so-well-kept) secret that changed my entire world.

"You baka! For the thousandth time, she'll be fine! She's not sick! She's not over-heated! And she didn't hit her head! I swear to Kami how long is it going to take you to see that she likes you, Naru-….. oh!(covers mouth with hands)"

For a second, the words almost didn't sink in. And when I realised what Sakura had said, it felt very… surreal…

HINATA. HYUUGA HINATA. HYUUGA HINATA, HEIRESS TO ONE OF KONOHA'S NOBLEST CLANS. LIKES ME. NARUTO. UZUMAKI NARUTO, PENNILESS ORPHAN, VILLAGE PARIAH, AND DEAD-LAST ACADEMY STUDENT.

Obviously Sakura didn't know what she was talking about. If I were to believe this, I would need to hear it from Hinata. So I waited, sitting beside her, waiting for her to regain consciousness.

Fifteen minutes later, her eyes slowly fluttered open, so I greeted her with my usual enthusiasm, which she returned with a rather shocked greeting one of her own.

"N-Naruto-kun, hi! W-what are you d-doing here?"

"Well Hinata, after you passed out I brought you into the hospital, and I didn't want to leave til I knew you were ok."

"Arigato, N-Naruto-kun, but that y-you didn't h-have to, you don't n-need to worry about m-me…"

"Don't say that, Hinata! I'd never leave you alone if you were hurt! You're one of my precious people Hinata!"

"R-really?" A hopeful smile lit up her face.

"Of course! And, there's actually something I gotta ask you, Hinata-chan…"

An even bigger, surprised smile appeared on her face as she blushed and looked slightly to the side, fingers twiddling.

"Well, you see… Sakura, sorta… told me that you… liked me. Is… that true?"

So after Hinata regained consciousness the second time, I asked her again. And even after hearing it from her, I still didn't believe. Somebody liked me. Not just anybody, Hyuuga Hinata, the sweet, shy, heiress.

There was one burning question inside left inside me.

"Why?"

"B-because, N-Naruto-kun, you're everything I want to be. Courageous, kind, and determined. You n-never give up, no m-matter how many times you fail, or how many p-people say you w-won't achieve anything. You believe in yourself, and you make others b-believe in you too. You're my inspiration, N-Naruto-kun. You m-make we want to persist, even w-when I've given up hope."

Wow. Her inspiration? The academy's class clown, Konoha's dead-last, an inspiration?

While part of me still couldn't accept this, I knew every word she said came from the heart. And that's when it all started to make sense. The blushing, the fainting, how she always seemed to be there when I turned around, and the look of shock and nervousness whenever I saw her.

Again, I was very dense.

Then I took a minute to think about Hinata. Just thinking of the time we've spent together sent some weird feeling I didn't yet recognize flowing through me. She was always so kind and sweet. Smart too, but usually too soft-spoken to let people see it. I always enjoyed the little time we spent together, and she was just so…. cute.

More than satisfied with her answers, I asked the only question left unsaid.

I asked her out on a date.

After coming to for the third time since I brought her to the hospital, she immediately agreed. I walked her home, and we agreed to meet the next day for our date. Somewhere along the way, my hand unconsciously slipped into hers. It felt so warm, and… safe.

The next day, I took Hinata out for a romantic dinner of fine cuisine at one of the classiest restaurants in Konoha.

Ichiraku Ramen.

We had fun, and we really got to know each better. It was the first time Hinata's managed to say more than a few sentences to me. I was glad too, she has such a nice voice. Like a chorus of angels with a slight stuttering problem. Just hearing it made me feel very… at-ease…

The date went on without a hitch. The only thing that bothered me was the reactions of our friends, many of which happened to pass by us at Ichiraku's.

"Eeeeeeeee! I can't believe you finally asked him out, Hinata! I'm so happy for you two!"

"Yosh! Finally, your youthful love for Naruto has overcome your unyouthful nerves! It is so beautiful seeing such a love bloom in the springtime of youth."

"I am proud of you, Hinata-sama. I regret that I must admit I did not think you had it in you before. Naruto – touch her any way you shouldn't, and you're dead."

"Aaaawww, you two are so cute together! Took you long enough, Hinata! Don't worry, I'll try to keep Neji off your backs for you."

"No way! You weren't lyin' Shino. Damn… You win, here's the money, man."

"Good goin' boss! I knew you were just waiting for the right moment to ask that pretty Hyuuga girl out! You must've been playing hard to get, right? You gotta teach me how to be so smooth with the ladies too!"

"…Hn. Dobe."

Did I mention I was dense? I mean seriously, even Konahamaru! Did Iruka teach a lesson on her crush that day I skipped class to paint the Hokage monument? And why did everyone assume Hinata was the one that asked me out! Oh yeah… 'Cause I was so very, very dense.

Well, they supported us, and that's all that matters. –Except Neji. Whatever, I beat him once, I could beat him again. No one was going to stand in between me and my Hinata-chan.

All-in-all, the date went well, and after I had walked her home we set up another one. And another one. And another one. And after every date, Hinata got a little bit more confident being around me, and I began feeling a deeper connection to Hinata.

We shared our first kiss, our first Christmas together, our first Valentine's Day together, and so much more. As the days went by, this feeling that I couldn't quite describe slowly got clearer. I loved Hinata-chan.

Our relationship was getting serious, and as much as I enjoyed it, there was one thing I had to confess to her before I could let it get any further. I had to confess the one secret I had kept locked away from everyone I knew. It scared me to death, but Hinata had been so honest and open to me, I had to do it. I owed her this.

When I told that we needed to talk, she was worried at first, but I assured nothing was wrong, that I just had to get something off my chest. I led her to the top of the Hokage monument; I wanted to be as far away from the village as possible. I wanted to make sure we would be alone, the last thing I needed was to be interrupted by angry villagers, or have another one of my friends overhear me.

I gathered a deep, calming breath, and I began to speak. I told her everything. I told her about the Kyuubi. Every word made me feel like I was choking on the air, and every time I glanced up into those beautiful, lavender eyes, my heart stopped.

By the time I had finished my confession, I just sat there, staring down at my feet, in fear. Fear of her reaction. Fear of rejection. I was waiting there for a response, any response, just to end this torment, but the air was eerily silent.

After a minute of waiting, I looked up, hoping she would say something! Though she kept quiet, I got my answer. It came in the form of a look. But not just any look – one that I was all too accustomed too. Those deep, lavender eyes, which help nothing but love and admiration whenever I was stuck gazing into them, now held a totally different emotion, alien to those eyes, but all too familiar to me.

I was a look of hate. A look of disgust. A look of contempt. No words needed to be said, I had my response. As if she knew I understood her silent answer, she got up, and left.

I sat there. I watched her walk away. I was hoping, praying, she would just turn around. Just once. I wanted to see those eyes just once more, regardless of the look they bore. I wanted so badly to just look into them, and convey my feelings towards her just as clearly as she had done to me. I wanted to tell her I loved her, but it didn't matter. She wouldn't listen to me. She probably didn't even want to see me. My heart was shattered.

Just like that, the world went back to normal – almost. The brightness and warmness I had experienced when I was with Hinata faded back into the dull, coldness I had known for most of my life. Things seemed pretty normal, except when I turned around, Hinata wasn't there watching me like she used to. I wished so badly to just catch her staring at me again from behind a tree or a pole, without that look on her face. I went back to eating without Hinata by my side to talk to. I went back to celebrating the holidays alone in my apartment. I went back to crying myself to sleep, rather than cuddling into the warmth of the girl I loved.

I rarely ever saw Hinata anymore. It seemed like she avoided me. When I did see her though, the first thing I saw was always her eyes. Those beautiful eyes, which no longer warmed me with their love. Instead, they glared back repulsively at me, with that familiar menacing look…

…Just like everyone else.

:''(

A/N: Well, this is my first fanfic ever, so please fave/review! Could really use some feedback, not really much of a writer, but I had an idea one night and decided to give it a try.

So, this turned out a longer than I expected. I wanted it to be a short angsty oneshot, but I ended up with a much longer setup than I planned. It almost made me put in more romance than intended, and even a little bit of light comedy (hopefully).

The concept that inspired this story came from what is always a big moment in any good NaruHina series; the moment when Naruto tells Hinata about the Kyuubi. So far, every reaction I've read has been pretty much the same – Hinata always accepts Naruto, without a second of hesitation. But what if that's not how it went? What if she didn't accept Naruto? What if she hated him for the Kyuubi… just like everyone else?