Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Memories ❯ The Beginning: Perfect Day ( Chapter 1 )

Part 1: The Beginning
Perfect Day

It was a bright and sunny day in Konoha. The birds were chirping happily as if this was the happiest day in their lives. The townspeople gleefully exchanged words with each other and the merchants set up their stalls in the early morning. It is only 5:00am; most humans would still be in their dreamworld where all their inner-most fears and wants are open to their viewing.

But in the world of shinobi, things are different. There is no such thing as `sleep' for even in the times of rest, the mind and body is constantly alert and aware of dangers that may be possible.

Such inhabitant of the shinobi world is Hyuuga Hinata who lived, breathed, and ate the `shinobi way' for all roughly sixteen years of her young life.

She slowly sat up from her comfy futon and brought her arms up in the air, letting out a soft moan as she stretched her muscles, yawning. She then lazily dragged her body to her personal bathroom, hoping the rush of cold water could wake her mind.

When finished, she walked over to her closet to pull out her usual garb of ninja gear that made the more fashionable kunoichi shiver in disgust. She did not know why her dark hooded sweatshirt was such an `abomination' as Ino mildly put it. Hinata reasoned that it was great in the shadows as she was always the one to stealthly creep in during their missions, plus the hood makes her inconspicuous in crowds. Her billowing black cloak was a gift from Shino. In addition, it was great for hiding weapons and carrying them.

Hinata shrugged, tying her hitai-ate around her neck. She could never in a million years begin to understand why Ino and Anko frown upon her choice of clothing. For years, they had been trying to at least make her lose the baggy navy pants, but she always said `no'. Was it such a problem she liked it?

She quickly put these clothes on and left the overcoat open and strapped her weapon holster securely on her right leg. She brushed a hand through her hair, feeling the wetness, leaving her hair flat. She tucked a few strands beind her ear. Her pupil-less eyes glanced up to the alarm clock next to her bed.

6:30 it read.

There's still time left, she thought, slipping out of her room. Using her amazing stealth that could only be honed from years of experience, she roamed the empty corridors of the Hyuuga Estate with ease and casually walked into the kitchen, relieved to see that nobody else was there. She then reached for a kettle in one of the cabinets and filled it with water to boil. She also went ahead to make herself an onigiri for breakfast. After a few minutes her daily meal of onigiri and tea for morning are in front of her. She quietly gulped down her food and made way outside to Training Ground # 10, Team 8's place to meet.

She arrived at the entrance only to hear the hushed voices of Kiba and Shino, but mostly Kiba due to the usual silence of the bug user. The dark haired kunoichi strained to hear the conversation, but only got bits and parts of it.

"--an't do that to her!--No, I ain't saying she's weak. I'm saying she ain't strong enough for it.--Dammit, Shino! This is Hinata we're talkin' `bout! Ya know how she is--,” said a voice which the kunoichi decided belonged to the dog boy, Inuzuka Kiba. Her heart sank, but she refused to let it get to her. Biting her lip, she smiled ruefully.

She knew she was weak. How could she forget? Her father is very much alive to remind her that every single day. But over the years since the first Chuunin Exam, she fancied thinking that she had grown, that her confidence had grown. Even the damned nervous stammering of hers went away!

She felt a lone tear went past her cheeks as she remembered the many times people called her weak and a piece of trash, the many times she felt like she was a burden, and the many times she believed she was the reason a mission was failed.

She quickly wiped away her tear and looked up to the sky, noticing that it got slightly darker. She slowly reached one of her pockets and pulled out a pair of black fingerless gloves and slowly slid her hands on each one. Sighing deeply, she got out of her hiding spot and rushed over to her teammates, making sure to keep smile on her face. No one really seemed to know that past the happy, kind-hearted face of Hyuuga Hinata was a broken soul only being kept together by the hope that no matter how weak she may be, there is still purpose for her existence.

“Ah! Didn't see you there,” Kiba said, surprised. He whistled for Akamaru and the dog came running to Hinata, giving her doggy kisses. She dutifully patted his head, earning an adorable bark from the now grown dog-nin.

“Let us commence,” says Shino, his tone clearly meaning business. Hinata and Kiba glanced at eachother. The Inuzuka rolled his eyes, mocking Shino behind his back.

The corners of her mouth quirked up into a small smile. She shook her head and tugged on her gloves once more, readying for what promised to be a grueling training session.

Uzumaki Naruto was not a morning person. It is quite obvious due to the mountains of broken alarm clocks near his bed. You see, every time the alarm clock rings, he smashes the poor thing in a million pieces.

He got up and walked to his window, happy to see that it is a beautiful day. He freshened up and wore his usual clothes of black shirt, matching pants, and the green Chuunin flak jacket that he left open. Under his shirt was the necklace Tsunade gave him. His hitai-ate on his forehead, keeping strands of his unruly blonde hair out of his eyes.

Naruto had grown up to be 6'4, muscularly built, and the marks on his face were considerable darker, giving him a rugged look. He looked matured for his age, but his actions and personality always made people wonder how old he exactly was. Those who knew him, however, wonder if there is hope for the immature, energetic 16-year-old.

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During the first two months, in which he came back, he was often seen talking or just hanging out with a certain dark haired kunoichi with pale pupil-less lavender eyes. People were generally confused about the sudden appearance of the two together, but they shrugged it off, reasoning that they were most likely paired off in missions and such.

Many joked that there was `something' between them and that he was secretly in love with her. He shook them off and apologized to Hinata for any embarrassment. It always calmed him when she would just laugh along to the accusations, roll her eyes with a slight blush, and take his hand, ready to be hauled off to Ichiraku Ramen House.

Her companionship was what he needed to take his mind off the Akatsuki, the dubbed `Sasuke Incident', and the relationship of the Team 7 bunch.

So it was painful when the meetings between them became less and less until it diminished into nothing. It never occurred to him when the atmosphere between them became tense and uncomfortable. A sudden memory creeped into his mind…

“Congratulations,” she had unexpectably told him. He stared at her, confused. “You and Sakura…getting together…” she hinted in a slow tone, shaking her head.

“Uh, yeah,” he said, shrugging, “We got together recently.”

“Eight months is recent?” she questioned. She played with the blades of grass she pulled from the ground. She took his silence. “You were not going to tell me, were you?”

“I didn't want to make things different,” he lamely tired to reason.

“How are things going to be different?” she stood up, patting away dirt from her cloak. “Why would a relationship between you and Sakura…did you think it would bother me?” she said in a slightly louder tone. Naruto looked up to her, his eyes widening. “I am your friend, and I would continue being so.” She turned her back and started to walk off.

“Where you going?” Naruto asked, standing up as well, “It's still quite early for bed time.” He tried to joke. She did not stop walking, waving a nonchalant hand in the air.

“I have things to do. Clan duties.”

Naruto did not bother to point out it was a lie. Her father had casually thrown her aside and deemed her weak, never letting her in the clan business. He thought that it would `soil the honorable Hyuuga name'. She told him this long ago. He yelled out a goodbye and she waved once more before pocketing her hands.

After that night, it was hard to catch Hinata. She always seemed buried in errands and missions. It was almost as if she disappeared or just plainly ignored him, which was not how she was. Every time he would go to the Hyuuga Estate to ask where she is, Neji would always say that she is busy training, or in a mission, or she could not be disturbed right now. He found it really funny that he had not seen her, considering that they both live in the same village which is considerably huge, but still.

Naruto's relationship with Sakura was quite rocky. The two of them were a mess: him, afraid of her choosing him just because Sasuke is gone, and her, constantly worrying about Sasuke. That subject was touchy between them, and the reason they were together. He supposes he should be happy. The girl he vied for and longed to have for nearly half of his life is with him.

But from the start, it was an unhealthy relationship where both parties are unhappy. Maybe, they really did know that they were miserable together. But they casually never mentioned it. Forgetting all in lust induce kisses and empty words of admiration.

Naruto crashed back on his futon. Not knowing how a family fuctions and never being shown what love is during his younger years had blinded him and confused him from his feelings. Never knowing what exactly he felt caused him to mix emotions with something else. He threw a glance on his clock.

“Time to get up,” he announced in the empty apartment. He never bothered to rise from his worn bed.

Hinata was distracted. Her thoughts were everywhere and nowhere. Even though it was just a friendly spar between Shino, Kiba, and herself, she still attained heavy damage. Her face and arms were full of cuts, but surprisingly enough, her clothes wasn't ripped into tiny pieces. They just had little tears here and there.

"Come on Hinata, focus! You can do better than that," Kiba said encouragingly.

"Agreed," Shino simply said.

Hinata just glared at the two. Summoning up some chakra she performed a series of familiar hand seals.

"BYAKUGAN!"

Using her bloodline limit she realized that they were not alone. Being a ninja, she assumed the worst; there was an enemy in their presence. Also being the ninja she is, she took a kunai from her weapon holster and spun around. She threw it in the bushes about 50 yards away from her. She heard the kunai hit something, but it did not sound like flesh. In fact, it was a solid THOK.

“Neh, that is quite dangerous,” a familiar man said, twirling the kunai she threw in his finger, “neh, Hinata-kun?”

She gave the man a strange look before taking the kunai. Two more figures emerged from the bushes, causing her other teammates to react, rather negatively.

The rivalry between Team 8 and 7 were known and even short of legendary in shinobi ranks. The two teams were generally frontal assassination squads. It was obvious that Team 7 would be that sorts of a team. However, Team 8 was publicly known as a retrieval and reconnaissance sort of team. Never in Konoha, had this occurred: two teams training for the exact thing. Needless to say, the rivalry was obvious to happen.

Despite the loud shouts, her focus was on the older gentleman reading his erotica.

“Hatake-san, why is your team here,” she pointed at the two remaining members of Team 7 who were in a shouting match with Kiba. Sakura was yelling at Naruto for yelling at Kiba who was yelling at Naruto.

“Kurenai didn't tell you guys?” he turned a page. Hinata shook her head, giving a pleading gaze at Shino who understood her. The silent man crept up behind Kiba and held him on a headlock.

“She just said she would not be joining us today,” she dutifully reported, watching the two teams from the sidelines. “So, why are you here, Hatake-san?”

She ignored Kiba's yell for her assistance, Shino was there anyways.

“Intergrated team training,” Kakashi said with a grin, though his mask hid it, “and enough with this `Hatake-san'. We were almost bethroted a week ago!”

That loud remark from the sensei of Team 7 broke the loud shouts from the group. To say they were shock was the understatement of the century. Shino was actually showing emotion, raising a curious brow. Kiba was more vocal, yelling out his surprise. Sakura raised a fist, shouting her promise to beat the notorious son of the White Fang. Naruto on the other hand was left with his fist hovering above Kiba's face, frozen. His eyes were wide and brows furrowed.

Hinata reddened and threw a glare over to Kakashi. “That was all of Father's intentions, not of mine,” she tried to explain. Then in a low voice she muttered childishly, “He's been trying to marry me to somebody, trying to get rid of me.”

Kakashi chuckled, tucking his book away. He then clapped his hands, ordering the group to warm-up and get ready. Naruto took this opportunity to talk to the close friend of his that he had not talked to in such a long time.

“Neh, Hinata,” he said, trying to catch her attention.

“Naruto,” she replied in return, sitting on the ground with her legs spread open. She bent over to her left side, reaching for her left toes with her right arm over her head.

“How're ya doing?” he asked. This was awkward for the both of them. She quirked a brow at this sudden `animosity' between them. She hid an amused smile.

“I'm fine,” she simply answered, reaching for her right toes with her left arm. Naruto plopped in front of her, doing what she had done before.

“How's training?”

“Fine,” she said, smiling at Naruto's aggravated tone. He never did like it when anybody answers in less than two words. It always got a reaction out of him. One of his pet peeves, she decided a long time ago. “How's Sakura?” she threw.

“Fine.”

“That's nice,” she put her feet together and bowed her head, her forehead touching her toes.

“Stop doing that,” he finally said, putting his hands over his head, reaching for the skies.

“Doing what?”

“That!”

“What?” she innocently asked, looking at him naively. She felt her heart flutter when he playfully glared at her. She sighed, looking away. For the past few days, even months, she had to remind herself again and again that he was in a relationship. She was too late and could do absolutely nothing about it.

“I missed you, ya know?” Naruto uncharacteristically murmured. She felt her cheeks heat up at his blunt confession. “It's been so long since we last talked.”

“One week,” she told him. He stared at her with a questioning gaze. “It's only been a week since we last talked, Naruto.”

"Oh." He looked away, suddenly feeling embarrassed. "It felt like forever though."

Hinata smiled at him. The thought of 'What if...' always ran freely in her mind, along with the never ending 'If only...'. What if she actually plain out told him how she felt? If only she was strong enough to handle rejection. What if she wasn't afraid of anything and was a risk taker? So many 'What ifs..." and 'If only...'.

"So that was the clan duty?" he questioned, pulling her away from her depression induced thoughts, "You marrying Kakashi-sensei?"

Before she could answer a certain pink haired individual approached them. She gave a welcoming smile to Sakura who only gave a wierd look before pulling Naruto to his feet and yelled at him for something Hinata did not bother to comprehend.

Sakura looked different these days. She was thinner and had eye bags around her eyes. She sometimes wondered what happened to the girl who was so obsessive with her looks, especially her cherry blossom locks. Hinata eyed the greasy looking hair that seemed so unkept and untidy, even compared to her own dark locks which she never cared for. She unconsciously ran a hand through her hair, thankful there were no tangles.

She leaned back, her hands supporting her weight and looked up to the heavens. Even without the Byakugan, she knew it would turn into a rough day today. Her eyes caught a familiar blue, black, and white feathered bird with an orange beak. It was her bird, or rather, one of the messenger birds of the Hyuuga Clan. But this was the one that she personally looked after. It is one of the rare birds, not only in the continent, but in the whole world. For one of the clan's most precious bird only meant one thing, a meeting with Father.

She got up with a slight groan, tugging on her cloak. She gave a wave to Kakashi who looked up to her and continued to read his erotica with a giggle. She shook her head at his behavior, continuing her way out of the training grounds.

"Hinata!" Naruto yelled, stopping her from her tracks. She turned around and tried to smile at him but found it hard with Sakura clinging on his arm. "Where are you going?"

"Home," she waving goodbye and continuing to the direction of her house.

Naruto watched her figure disappear beyond the overgrow of trees. So it had only been a week since that time at night, the two of them lying underneath the stars, and her confronting him about his eight month relationship with Sakura. A week that felt like an eternity, he shook his head. He really was an idiot.

"You okay, dobe?" Kiba questioned from behind, a grin on his face. Inuzuka Kiba never thought he would see the day when the roles of Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata would reverse. He could only grin at the obvious look of longing Naruto threw at the direction Team 8's 'Princess' was previously at. His feral eyes switched to the leeching Haruno girl. Well this is interesting, he thought, throwing a look at Shino who caught on to his thoughts right away.

Naruto looked up to the sky, making note of the dark clouds rolling in. He chuckled at the ominous weather that is sure to come.

"Some great day this turned out," he muttered.

"Did you say something, Naru?" Sakura questioned, looking up at him.

"No."

The Hyuuga girl stood still in front of three wooden stumps that ninja use to train. She usually goes here to think, clear her thoughts, meditate, and be at peace. This place was importan to her-- is important to her.

It was the place where she first properly talked to Naruto. She remembered it like it was just yesterday. Naruto was feeling unnaturally nervous for his fight with Neji in the Chuunin Exams and the two of them talked and somehow she was able to raise his spirits up.

Hinata let a small smile escape her lips as she touched the logs that still had her blood on it because she was training that faithful day.

"But that was years ago," she announced to no one in particular.

The meeting with her father was nothing short of another 'marriage proposal'. This time it was with the Akimichi heir, meaning Akimichi Choji. The junk food loving friend of hers sheepishly bowed his head and scratched his neck, apologizing at her as soon as she opened the shoji doors and stepped into the room.

She could only look at her father bewildered. He was so desperate to get rid of her? With no offense to Chouji, she wondered if her father was this desperate that he would choose Chouji. Usually her fathers picks were attractive. Yes, she admits, that included Hatake-san.

She then felt horrible, she had left training early because of her being summoned, and now she had ignored it. She stayed at the nostalgic training ground, trying to perfect her Jyuuken. Hours had passed and she was exhausted, tired beyond imagination.

She looked at the now dark sky, deciding it was time to go home. With each step, the sky darkened, as if in tune with her emotions.

She greeted the guards with a polite smile. They relaxed their stance but said nothing, then returning to their stoic and tense selves.

Slowly she pushed the door open, hiding her surprise at the sight of her father, Hyuuga Hiashi, Clan Head of the Hyuuga. He looked like someone who had lost their patience, staring down at her.

"In my office," he said in his hard tone. He eyed her ninja garb, sharply throwing his nose in the air. "And remove that hideous wear you call clothes from my presence." He walked off in all his proud Hyuuga glory after that.

Hinata shook her head. Even her Father disliked her gear. She wondered if the Hyuuga Head paid attention to fashion or any of the sorts. She tucked in the humorous idea deep in the recess of her mind. It was safe if no one finds out her inner thoughts about Father.

After a few minutes she hurriedly walked to her father's office wearing a plain white yukata. She knocked on the wooden part of the shoji door, as expected of any member of the clan.

"Father you---"

"---are a pathetic excuse for a ninja," he said, cutting her off, "A little weakling. That is what you are. Do you know how long I had to endure this," he traced her lenght with his eyes, "Sixteen years. I had tried to make use of you, pairing you with influencial figures and clans. But you deny! You dare deny!"

Hinata looked down, praying to Kami that if there would be any time she would show some spine to her father that it would be now.

"Hanabi turned eleven three months ago," he stated, offhand. "The seat at my right hand seems to be the perfect gift for my perfect daughter."

Hinata flinched at the remark. Hanabi was always referred to as 'perfect daughter' along with the possessive 'my'. She, on the other hand, was always reffered to as 'pathetic excuse' never as a daughter. A sudden realization hit her.

"Right hand..."

"That is correct," Hiashi said with a raised brow. His tone then turned into a proud one. "Why the Council was so against my proposition is questionable, but as long as my intentions are in order, it is no matter." He then stared at her bare forehead. "Look at that clear forehead of yours and enjoy what short freedom you have."

He looked back down to the documents on his desk and wrote minute notes here and there.

She stood, shakily. Is this truly happening? Father lost patience and decided to quickly get rid of her. She put a hand on her forehead.

"What are you still doing here?" a brash voice interrupted. She stared at her father who had an annoyed gaze. She bowed her head and scurried away, not before leaving words that were firmly and strongly stated.

She retreated to her room, glancing out her window. She let out a sigh. I seem to be doing that a lot, she randomly thought. She watched the rain fall out of the sky, the tears that she tried not to let fall ran freely down her face.

"And to think today seemed so perfect." Thunder rumbled and lighting flashed, illuminating the dark town for a quick moment. "Such a perfect day," she announced in a sarcastic tone, watching the rain with a detached look.

To Be Continued