I've been listening to the Legend of Korra soundtrack and I gotta say that it's actually really amazing. Also Ghost in the Shell "Inner Universe". So Beautiful.
Himawari took in a breath before looking around. "Grandpa?" She said as she squinted her eyes. It was completely dark in the woods, besides the light of the fire flies.
"Yes, Hima-chan, it's time for you to leave now."
Himawari glanced back at her daddy as he was running in circles and laughing happily at flickering bugs. She pursed her lips with a conflicted expression. She knew he wasn't real, really she did, but something felt wrong about leave him so suddenly. She could picture the betrayed look in his eyes when he turns around and she was gone. The thought made her heart sink to the pit of her stomach, she put a hand to her chest with a furrowed brow.
"I'd like to say, just a little longer." She said.
"...Hima-chan, I'm afraid we can't-"
"Please! If it's only a little while, I just don't want to leave him alone out here." Himawari pleaded. How she can feel so guilty over a dream, she'd never know. "I promise I'll go back, so just a little longer."
There was a sigh. "Alright, but you will have to come back."
She nodded. "I know." The wind blew slightly to signify that his presence had left. Himawari turned back to Naruto. He was smiling up at the fire flies before he looked over at her.
He raised his brow. "What's wrong, Hima?"
She tried her best to smile at him cheerfully. "It's nothing, I think I'm getting tired though."
He grinned at her. "Oh, well we can head home now if you'd like. But don't fall asleep, you still haven't eaten yet, dattebayo!"
"Okay." She giggled at his enthusiasm.
"Let's go!" He held onto her hand as he led her back to his apartment.
When they arrived, he led her inside. She looked around and saw that it was a rather untidy place. She sat down on his unkempt bed and tucked her legs under her knees.
He rubbed his cheek a bit with an embarrassed smile. "Sorry, I forgot that my house was a mess."
She shook her head. "No, it's okay..." She yawned. "I don't really mind."
"Oh, you really are tired. I'll make something before you actually fall asleep." He said hurry over to his refrigerator. "So, I have ramen and...ramen. Which do you want?
"
Himawari laughed. "Hmmm, both sound so good. I think I'll take ramen."
He grinned at her from behind the frig door. "Great! 'Cause that's all I have!" He walked over to the stove and started to heat the ramen up.
Himawari decided to lay back on the bed and look up at the ceiling. Even if this was a dream, she wondered. Was this really where he lived when he was a boy? Why were people so mean to him, he wasn't any different from the rest of them. However, she wouldn't ask, that would ruin the last bit of time she had left with her daddy. She sighed and leaned over on her side to see Naruto staring at her.
"Ah!" She yelped.
The boy laughed. "I actually scared you? Wow, you must really be tired."
She shook her head. "No, I was just thinking..."
He sat down beside her. "About?"
"...Hey Naruto? Why do you want to become the Hokage?" She asked. Of course, she had asked her real daddy this same question. However, she wanted to know if this Naruto's answer was any different.
He sat back against the wall. "I want people to see me, to respect me and know that I'm important. Then they can't treat me like an outsider cause I'm in charge."
Himawari nodded in understanding, but somehow that wasn't the answer that se wanted. "You don't want to protect Konoha?"
He looked over at her and blinked. "Well, of course I do, but..."
"My daddy says that a Hokage is only as strong as his village." She said as she looked over to him. He nodded for her to continue. "If you have no one behind you, what are you in charge of and who are you fighting for?"
"Yourself." He said bluntly.
She nodded. "Yeah, but...where is the honor in that? For me, I think I'd rather have a 'nobody' protect the village than someone that's only in it for the glory."
Naruto looked down at his feet, before he crossed his arms. "Yeah..."
"I can see that the people are mean to you and that makes me mad too." She gave an embarrassed smile. "You saw that yourself."
He grinned back at her. "Sure did, you're super strong."
Himawari shook her head. "No I'm not, and that's not the point. When you become Hokage, there's going to be people that don't like you and you'll have to protect them too." He frowned. "It doesn't sound nice, but that's what heroes do."
"Hero?" He repeated. "You think that can be me?"
She gave him a warm smile. "Yeah, I do." He looked as if he wanted to say something else, but Himawari interrupted. "I think the ramen is burning."
Naruto jumped up and scrambled over to the stove, turning off the fire. Himawari watched as he prepared two ramen for them. She waited until he came over and handed one over to her. "Sorry it's not that good."
"It's fine." She said with a smile.
"No, there's this really awesome ramen place and it's always good. I could take you there tomorrow." He said with a grin.
Himawari's smile dropped slightly. "Tomorrow..." He didn't seem to notice.
"Yeah! Oh, and the old man could get you enrolled with me in classes. Though you're so strong you'd probably be at the top of the class. Better than that teme, Sasuke."
"Mmhm." She said twisting the noodles with her chop sticks.
Naruto looked up at her when he noticed her tone. "Hey, are you alright? Are you sick?"
She shook her head. "No, I think I'm just tired, is all..."
"Oh well, we can go to sleep if you want. I wasn't that hungry either." He said, looking her over.
"Sure." She said, trying her best to keep smiling.
Naruto set the noodles down on the nightstand. "You can sleep in my bed with me, is that alright?"
"Mmhm." She said, crawling over to the pillow and gently laying her head down. He plopped down beside her and they both looked up at the ceiling for a few minutes .
"Hey...Hima what was your family like?" He whispered. She turned over to look at him. "Sorry, I can't fall asleep."
She shook her head. "It's okay, me either." She paused for a moment. "What is...was my family like, well I had a mommy, daddy and a big brother."
"Keep going." He said with half opened eyes.
"Daddy was always busy with...work and mommy would always wake me up early for school. I would wake up my big brother, he would always be so cranky." She whispered with a smile. "Mommy would make breakfast for us and sometimes daddy would be there so it was family time. Big brother would fight with me about bringing my panda of the house, but it wasn't his so..." She turned when she heard him snoring. He looked so peaceful.
Himawari waited a moment longer before calling out. "I'm ready to go back now."
"Alright."
She closed her eyes. "Goodbye daddy."
When she opened them, she was in her room looking up at the ceiling. "I'm back...no I never left, it was just a dream..."
Getting out of her bed, she noticed something. She was still in the green jumpsuit from her dream. Her eyes suddenly went wide. "It wasn't a dream...that was all real?"
A faint voice in the back of her head answered. "Yes, it was real Hima."
She swallowed hard. The whole time she assumed that it wasn't real. That was the past wasn't it? Himawari ran out of the room and jumped to the bottom step. She skid into the kitchen, making her mommy jump. "Hima-chan, you scared me...what are you wearing?"
Himawari saw her mommy looking her over carefully, as if trying to recall something. "Mommy, do you remember me?"
She blinked. "Remember you? Your my daughter, of course I do silly." Hinata said with a smile.
Himawari felt conflicted, was her mind playing tricks on her? "Yeah...sorry..Daddy is at work, right?"
"Oh, yes he is, but-" She was already out of the door. Hinata shook her head with a furrowed brow. "That's impossible, it couldn't be..."
Himawari ran through the crowds of people and was determined to find her daddy quickly. Mommy didn't remember, but maybe he would. She ran into the building and went up the stairs as fast as she could. The ninja knew her so they question why she was there, only why such a quick pace. She opened the door and looked to see her daddy in discussion with Shikamaru, the advisor.
For a moment he looked at her with no expression before his eyes widen as he looked her over. Himawari felt hope fill inside her. His expression changed to a smile and said, "Hello Hima."
She wasn't sure if he knew or not, regardless, she smiled back. "Hi daddy."
Shikamaru examined her with his eyes. I see...so it was time travel.
I like open endings some times, makes you wonder sometimes. This was fun, thanks for reading.