Naruto One-shots

[After the Pain fight]

"Our hero is safe!"

Hypocrites.

"We always believed in you!"

You never did...

"You are the greatest shinobi I've ever seen"

You've always told me other wise!

Hypocrites! All of you! All of y-

"You saved me...."

The surrounding world went white. His eyes, adjusting to the blinding white light, looked up and saw a lavender coloured flower standing tall. As his eyes adjusted more to the light, his saw the flower wasn't in the greatest of condition. Some of its smaller side flowers were torn, burnt, cut and broken. But the main one;the big middle flower was still standing with such fierceness that it created its own breeze. Some of its petals were covered in dirt and mud and rocks but its beauty was still breathtaking. The blond felt a quick sharp pain in his sides. Realization was trying to make him realize what he was truly staring at.

From her perspective, the world didn't go bright white but everyone human in existence disappeared. It was only her and him. The sounds of bird chirping, leafs flying and other small critters walking around the world were the only sounds she could hear. She was capable of standing up, holding tightly at her side wound that was bandaged up, as she spoke her first words to him. Her first words she ever said to him, to his face, with her eyes fully open to take in his inevitable reactions. Her first words she said to him without feeling that she was behind him. She was in front of him now.

"You saved me"

Those three words echoed through both bright white and  human-less worlds.

She took a step forward.

Her step made the three words echo again inside the mind of the blond. All the fog: all the blurriness that covered his eyes was gone and revealed the full pictures.

He saw a girl. A girl who seemed to have the perfect life. A big house, reputable clan name, a family. But as her core of memories opened infront of his very eyes, it wasn't. The young child had to bare the clan's name on her shoulders every walking second in her life. But she couldn't bare it. Such a young child couldn't bare such a weight. He saw the exact moment when that happened: the moment the weight crumbled and broke her small body. She was training, sweating to the bone, with her father. With such an emotionless face; the face no father should show to their child, he struck right at her stomach, sending her flying and tumble onto the hard bamboo floor. She felt her lungs pop. She couldn't move her fingers. They were broken, burnt, frozen, snapped and rough. Her knees bled. Her legs' muscle felt tangled. Her shoulders felt stuck. She tried to stand up, but she couldn't. She gave up. She was too weak. Naruto, as he stared at Hinata's life felt sorrow: that he wasn't able to see her pain. That he couldn't see her tattered hands, the hidden bags underneath her eyes by makeup, her rugged pants stained with blood. But as tears started to build up in his eyes, a bright yellow light emanated from her memories. A young blond child, same age as her, wearing green goggles, a woollen red scarf and bright orange coat was always there for her in times of need. In times of protection, he was always conveniently there to take the hit for her. Naruto, teared eyed, laughed at he saw those memories, rubbing his cheek as he remembered the bruises cheeks he would have after those one sided fights. He would then see himself through her eyes as he would say "are you okay?" and those carried such a warmth, such a calm feeling that even his present self felt moved by it.

She saw a boy. A young adolescent who carried and had to bare the pain of others: their sorrow, guilt, grief and hatred on his young shoulders. She saw a lost boy, running through the packed village streets with an oversized black shirt. His right cheek was bruised, cause by someone who smacked him away from their shop. His eyes were full of desolation. Full of loneliness. The boy with a black shirt was running, crying, in the midst of folk with white shirts. But before she could feel pity or empathy for that small boy; before her own tears fell, the boy grew up. He met friends, classmates and teachers who helped him remove the heavy blocks he was wearing on his shoulders. They made him smile. They lifted him up. They made him happy. And deep deep inside his memories, she saw her young self. That one time; those many times he came to the rescued and has gotten beaten up to protect from older kids. The pain seemed brutal: swollen eyes, blood-dripping nose, bruises as purple as her own hair and dirty all over his bright blond hair. But the pain didn't affect as he would turning around to face her and ask her "Are you okay?".

He took a step forward. And spoke out.

"You saved me"

He took another step. She took another. Each step would echo each other's words back until they were inches apart.

They were both in terrible condition. Hinata was still healing her stab wounded and Naruto was on the brink of exhaustion. But as they both stared at each other, both losing themselves inside their beautiful and vast eyes, their wounds didn't exist. No one exist. Nothing existed. Only themselves and their tattered clothes and past.

"I thought I lost you. I saw him stab you and I-"

"I thought I lost you too. I was in a dark place and I could feel such an evil presence being summoned. It was thick of hatred but I sensed something else. It was a ball of hatred and fear. Was that-"

"I let loose. My anger took control of me and everything went blank. I'm sorry if I scared you I-"

Naruto wrapped his arms around her. His let loose of his fear as he finally realized: she was safe. She was alive. But that didn't stop him from crying. He was never a person of confession; he never learnt that from his friends or teachers. But later on he will realize that that was his confession to her: his confession of his love to her.

Hinata returned the hug. He was shivering as he let loose of his fear and let the realization settle in. She patted his back and smiled. She felt his tears falling on her neck. His tears of confession were absorbed by her torn clothes and dirty skin. She let loose of her own tears. She smiled because even before this same moment, she knew he loved her. The moment he changed and became the red tailed monster, she was able to catch a glance as he was transforming...

He was crying.