Forever Intertwined
Written by BokchoiBaboy
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
A/N: I'm sorry I made this so long. D:
"Look! It's the fox demon again!"
"Don't go near him!"
All he heard were whispers that spoke badly of him.
"Why not?"
"He's the fox demon."
He was becoming used to the glances and stares he'd receive from the villagers on his way home from Academy. All the whispers, gossip, and looks about him were the same; they never changed or wavered, not even for one second.
They would never understand.
He would always be alone and alienated from his own home.
He was only seven, and they would never understand.
"You're a disgrace to the Hyuuga clan!"
"You're weak!"
She was the heiress to one of the oldest and strongest clans of Konoha, but there was one problem: she was weak. Her movements were timid and hesitant, her jabs weak.
She was a failure in their eyes.
She felt so alone and depressed.
Her father wasn't proud of her.
It stung so much it seemed like she had no father at all.
"Get away from me! You're dumb!"
"Haha! You're still trying to become a ninja? Dream on, loser!"
No matter how hard he tried, he could never pass the tests. He would always fail and be looked down upon. The kids in his class would always laugh at him, calling him dumb, and telling him to give up. But he never gave up; he had a dream: to become Hokage, and prove the village wrong.
He was worth something. He was worth the attention, the friends, and the love.
But they found him unworthy. He had the Nine-tailed Fox Demon inside him! He was anything but a human being; he was a monster that deserved to find a hole and perish, away from mankind.
He was always so alone.
Each year he'd watch the same ceremony with different kids as they graduated from the Academy and became genin.
Each year he'd sit alone on the swing, tears not flowing from his piercing, cerulean orbs.
He would prove them wrong, no matter how many times he fell down.
He was always going to get up.
He watched as his first crush, Haruno Sakura, chased after his rival, Uchiha Sasuke. He watched as she was rejected, shot down, by Sasuke's harsh glances and few words. He was always watching, wondering if he were ever part of the team.
He was always watching over her, believing that she was his first and only love. He was always watching her, protecting her, even if she broke his heart countless times.
He found that unrequited love had such a different prowess than true love; feeling such a thing made him stronger, remorseful, and miserable. But it gave him power; he wanted to protect her, even if she didn't want him. He should have realized that the love he felt for her was not one of true love; it was a love shared between a bond between brother and sister.
It all changed when he met her and heard her words of kindness and love.
She was always watching him behind the scenes, watching as he got stronger and stronger as the minutes passed. She believed in him when nobody else would; and she would still believe in him, no matter what mistakes he made in his path. She cheered him on quietly, her voice unheard, but her intentions loud and clear. When she hid behind the trees as he hit the trunk continuously, she admired his strength and determination. She believed that he was the stronger than the Uchiha, and even her cousin; he had a quality that all of them lacked.
He had determination. He never gave up.
She wished that she could have this quality. She was shy, soft-spoken, getting depressed easily; she was weak.
She would fail and give up, staying on the cold floor when she had fallen. She wanted to get up and continue living, but the weak girl within her forced her to stay down. Her willpower was weaker than her physical strength.
It was not until the Chuunin Exams that she truly understood the feeling she had towards him. As she watched him fight, she saw the determination in his eyes. She watched as he surprised everyone when he won his match, a soft smile playing on her shy lips.
When she fought against her cousin, Hyuuga Neji, her weakness shone brighter than the sun itself. She was analyzed, underestimated, and humiliated by her own cousin, in his means to defeat her. When she heard his words of encouragement, she found strength and confidence in the deepest chambers of her soul, and she was able to let her potential shine. She found strength and confidence that she had deeply lacked, just to hear him cheering for her.
She found that they were the same, striving to gain acknowledgement in hopes to cover up the past.
He silently watched her as she walked towards him, his cerulean orbs wide with surprise. When she walked up to him for the first time without blushing or stuttering, he stared at her, awestricken, wondering why he had never noticed her simplicity and beauty before.
The words she had said to him were simple: "Please watch me."
She gave him a soft smile, and outstretched her hand. He looked at her delicate hand hesitantly, his eyes wandering to her serene face. Her skin remained pale and beautiful, her cheeks showing off a light rose blush. He smiled at her and took her hand as she gently lead him away from his swing.
He watched with his cerulean orbs as she trained, the tree trunk shattering to splinters. He smiled as she took a second's breath, and then immediately continued to obliterate the wood with her Gentle Fist technique. He watched as the old, thirteen-year-old Hinata broke out of her soft shell that contained her full potential within, and saw the beauty of the sixteen-year-old girl blossom.
She smiled when he felt his eyes watching over her as she trained to become strong like him. It was finally the other way around; he was finally watching her.
When he trained, he smiled when he felt her familiar presence near him, always watching him with her timid Byakugan. It was a few weeks after her simple request that he had the courage and urge to call out to her on his training day.
"Come out, Hinata. I want you to watch me."
She bit her lip in embarrassment, and jumped down from the tree above him. He smiled as she landed in front of him, her eyes timid and embarrassed. He noticed this and smiled, he himself becoming embarrassed by his sudden urge to see her.
"I know you've always been watching. I just want to see you watch me this time."
Hinata's cheeks became a soft rose, heat slowly rushing to her face. She gave him a gentle smile and sat on the forest floor, leaning on the tree close to him, giving him support as he fell and got up again.
She silently gazed at him, not sure what kind of feeling to feel. He was going on an S-Ranked mission with Jiraiya, and he had told her that he was going to be gone for a few months. She stood with him on the gates as he patiently waited for Tsunade and Jiraiya to appear.
For once, he was early. She was surprised when she saw him arrive so early, especially when he was growing into a small Kakashi – always being late. He gave her a small smile when he felt her questioning gaze, his cerulean eyes quickly meeting with her lavender ones.
"I wanted to see you."
She smiled when she heard his words of kindness, never averting her gaze from him. He blushed when he felt her watching him, wondering why it was so different from before.
She was always watching him, and sometimes even sparred with him. She never complained about his obnoxious or annoying nature; she laughed and smiled instead of yelling and leaving. She was always by his side, always watching him.
He knew that he was always watching her in different ways. He knew that the day he watched her blossom into her full potential was the day that his eyes would never leave her. He would protect her if it cost him his life. He would help her get up when she fell, knowing that she still lacked some strength and confidence. But that's exactly what he was for; he would lend her his time, strength, confidence, anything.
They were the same; still trying to gain complete acknowledgement for what they've done.
They weren't there yet, but they were getting there – together.
She felt a strange weight take anchor in her heart when she realized that Tsunade and Jiraiya had arrived. She bowed respectfully to her elders, a faint smile present on her rosy lips.
"Naruto..."
He slowly turned his head towards her, silently cursing the plotting Tsunade and Jiraiya. His trademark grin was on his lips, his cerulean orbs gazing at her with intensity.
"Hinata, wait for me."
They were demanding words full of compassion. She smiled, too shy to embrace him or show any other form of compassion.
"Always."
He smiled at her words of affection, knowing that she didn't have enough confidence to do anything more. With a look from Tsunade and Jiraiya, he gave her a quick embrace, and ran off into the horizon, Jiraiya trailing behind.
She impatiently waited for him at the gates, the day being the day when he came back from his mission. It took exactly two months for him to complete it, and she was ecstatic when Tsunade received word from Jiraiya that they would be coming home.
It was the day when she would finally be able to see him again. She was terribly lonely in the two months he was gone; she was left to train alone, his cerulean orbs absent. But she knew that he was somehow still watching her, as she was still watching him. She knew that her small crush for him in her genin days had blossomed into something much more beautiful; she was in love with him, and she would never fall out of it.
It was too true to ever let go.
Her heart seemed to stop when she saw his figure quickly approaching her. Tears began to slowly fall from her lavender orbs, unable to hold them in any longer. She timidly waited by the gates, her confidence slowly building as he grew closer and closer.
"Hinata."
She smiled when she felt her name come off of his tongue. She missed his unique voice. Her eyes widened in surprise when she felt his strong arms wrap around her, pulling her into a tight, intimate embrace. Her eyes soon closed as she came over the shock, her happiness too joyful to express with words.
"You waited for me."
She laughed into his shirt and nodded.
"Of course."
Their words were always simple; never too cheesy, but always showing their love for each other in ways only they could understand. They never minded much; they both weren't the type to confess their love in cheesy ways.
They were the same – confident in their abilities, but not so hot in the real world.
But they knew that they could overcome anything, even if all they said were simple words of compassion. Those simple words were enough to brighten any rainy day.
It surprised her when he wasn't at the training grounds one day. She looked around nervously, wondering if he had suddenly gotten a call for a mission. It was then that the shiny metal of a kunai embedded on the trunk of a tree caught her eye. She gently pulled it out, reading the note that was attached to it.
Surprise.
She jumped in surprise when he appeared behind her and embraced her. She laughed, his creativity always growing by the day. Her eyes widened in surprise when his head fit perfectly in the nook of her neck, and she smiled.
"I love you."
She quickly turned around to face him, her eyes wide with surprise. She was met with his gentle smile, a smile that he only reserved for her. Tears began to flow down her face, the joy too much for liquids to remain within her. She smiled and embraced him tightly, never wanting to let him go.
"I love you, too," She murmured.
He sat on the swing that had always proved to be his tranquil place where he wouldn't be bothered. His mind wandered to the days that he had first crushed on Sakura, wondering how he was able to ignore Hinata for such a long time. He wandered to the Chuunin Exams, where he had first seen Hinata's potential for the first time. He wandered to the day when she had asked him to watch her, the day when she had fully blossomed into the Hyuuga heiress. He smiled.
"What are you smiling about?"
He looked to his side and found her sitting next to him on the swing, her same soft smile present on her lips. His smile grew wider and he began to sway the swing higher and higher into the sky. She joined him in bringing them higher, like birds trying to reach the sky.
"I was just remembering when I first fell in love with you."
She laughed, her ears unaccustomed to hearing his cheesy words of compassion. She enjoyed them nonetheless, knowing that she wouldn't want it any other way. He smiled when he heard her laughter, a voice that only he heard on a daily basis. He was surprised when she felt her warm lips on his cheek, her gentle laughter dying into a sweet giggle. He looked at her and was met with an innocent smile. He was surprised when she jumped off the swing, freefalling towards the Earth below them. He smiled and jumped after her.
They fell together, and they always would.
She happily watched as he ate his ramen, not caring at all about his absent table manners. She had long ago finished her first and only bowl, and waited patiently for his stomach to be completely satisfied. Her mind slowly wandered to all the moments and memories that she had shared with him.
"Hinata."
She turned around abruptly at the sound of her name, and was surprised to meet her father. He looked disgusted that she was sitting in such a lowly stand, eating with the fox demon nonetheless, but he looked intensely at his first daughter.
"Hai, Otou-san?"
It had been so long since they had had a decent conversation. She remembered the day when he had told Kurenai to take her. She wasn't wanted.
"What are you...doing with him?"
She smiled, ignoring her father's looks of disgust. She felt Naruto's intense gaze, and her smile remained innocent as she looked at her father. She hadn't forgotten how he had just cast her away, nor would she ever.
"Because I love him, Otou-san."
She grabbed Naruto's hand and pulled him away, her gentle laughter surprising her father. He was left staring as the two disappeared in the horizons, their happiness leaving a lightweight in the air.
He silently watched over her as she was called into the Council of the Hyuuga clan, "charged" for her "actions". He was anxious to enter the manor, knowing that the whispers he had heard eleven years ago would return; but he shook away the feeling, knowing that his duty to Hinata was stronger than his feelings of sorrow.
"You must marry to become the heir to the clan," they had told her countless times.
Each time, her Byakugan wandered to the man behind her, a gentle smile forming on her lips. She knew that even if he couldn't see her, he could sense his smile.
"You won't tell me whom to marry," She said forcefully, for the third time that day.
They had insisted she marry into a rich clan from a different country to strengthen the bonds between them. On their fourth try, she abruptly stood up, anger evident in her voice.
"The Uzumaki clan is worthy enough."
They stared as their "heiress" gracefully walked out of the room, pulling the man she loved with her.
He was surprised to see her confidence and strength grow tremendously. They had just turned eighteen, both on their way to become one of the best ANBU batches Konoha had ever seen. She returned his hesitant smile when they had stopped by the lake after her outburst. She gently held his hand in hers, their fingers intertwined.
"Hinata...thank you."
She smiled as he pulled her into an embrace, her nose inhaling his sweet scent of ramen.
"I love you," she murmured again.
He smiled at the girl in his arms, gently holding on to her.
"I love you, too."
They had grown together, putting aside the looks and whispers of disgust. And they would stay together; inseparable, unbreakable, and intertwined.
She smiled in all her pride and joy as he was announced the Sixth Hokage. She felt their friends' applause and joy, and the villager's surprise and anguish. He had finally made his dream come true; he was the next Hokage. And she would always be by his side, helping him on his missions and in making decisions. It didn't matter that she would have to give up her inheritance to the clan.
It was his turn to smile in all his pride and joy. She had told her father that she was not going to be the clan leader, and he should give the position to her cousin, Neji. Her father had yelled at her in an outrage, but she stood firm and strong, ready to fight with him if she had to. When her father saw such rare determination, he backed down, his eyes wide with surprise. His daughter was no longer the weak little Hinata that he was ashamed to have. She was the girlfriend of the Sixth Hokage.
Her lavender orbs widened with surprise when he held out a bouquet of lavender forget-me-nots, a red rose thrown in the middle of the arrangement. She timidly accepted the bouquet, but was surprised when she noticed something shining in the middle of the red rose. Examining it closely, she found it to be a diamond ring. A small smile formed on her lips as tears of joy rushed forth. He gave her a soft smile, his cerulean orbs gently gazing at her. He held her hand in his, feeling her smooth, soft skin. His smile grew wider.
"Marry me, Hinata."
She smiled as she took the diamond ring out of the rose and handed it to him, her playful laughter ringing through his ears.
"You have to put the ring on my finger, first."
He laughed, and gently placed the ring on her ring finger, the diamond shining and seeming to fit just right on her delicate hand. He leaned in and claimed her lips, smiling against her as she returned the chaste kiss.
"I love you," he said.
"I love you, too."
They both smiled as they lay in bed together, soaking in the darkness of the night. It had been a year ago that they had gotten married, and it was soon coming that Naruto were to take over for Tsunade. Hinata turned to her side, watching her husband silently sleep.
"Hinata."
She closed her eyes in mock embarrassment, a large, teenage-like smile on her lips.
"It's not nice to stare."
She quietly laughed, her lavender orbs opening to clash with cerulean. His arms snaked around her waist, and her head lay comfortably on his chest.
"I'm not staring. I'm admiring your handsome looks."
Naruto chuckled and closed his eyes, drifting off into slumber. Hinata smiled, slowly closing her lavender orbs as their hearts beat in perfect sync.
They started the same, both striving to gain acknowledgement for their skills.
They grew together, always watching the other, helping them get up from their falls.
They fell together, there to catch the other's falls.
And they were intertwined forever, their love forever etched in their hearts, knowing that they wouldn't want their life to go any other way.
A/N: Well, again, I'm very sorry I had to make this oneshot so...long. But I don't think it would have been...right if I separated it into separate chapters; it's such a one-way track I think it's better as a oneshot.
On a sidenote to the "swing" scene, where they're falling together. Just pretend that the swing was infused with chakra, so they were swinging REALLLY high. Okay. :3
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my NaruHina oneshot. :D
Thank you for reading!