Naruto and Hinata: Stories After "The Last"! (Bi-weekly Updates)

Back to the Past: Part Six

In conclusion ~ (sorry in advance for any typos, I shall clean it up asap <3)

The wind blew Naruto's headband tassles that wrapped fittingly around his forehead, as well as a small pack of leaves through the air and past the two that sheened against the glowing sunlight of late afternoon. It was both serene and unsettling in a strange combination, as the dark-haired girl stood politely with a package between her dainty hands. She looked as nervous as anything, only just finding the courage to utter his name. Naruto himself felt terrorized – so, it actually worked? Hinata had come to find him, as promised by that dumb, genius, little book.

If future him had barely a clue of how to handle his feelings in these situations, past him at this point was nearly a lost cause. It was as if some part of him had adopted the moment as the real reality, and he was back to hardly knowing this girl beyond a friendly relationship, even if this time around he felt his own anxiety mounting. And it seemed that his looming gaze in her direction had worked to make Hinata even more self-conscious, as she second guessed herself internally, coming to the conclusion that it was too late to turn around and run in the other direction now.

"I..." she began before correcting herself or changing exactly what she wanted to say, "Y-you didn't get a chance to open your present – at your party, that is..." her hair blew gently by a chill wind, and her unique eyes shifted uncertainly. She approached a bit closer, bending to place the small package into Naruto's lap and sit beside him. The Shinobi's ears twitched.

"Oh, uh...Hinata, you didn't have to do this..." he tensed slightly into a cringe. "You know, you went out of your way, and..." he reached upward to rub the back of his head in a nervous fidget.

"Naruto?"

She silenced him probably at a good time, before he rambled on some of the same nonsense. It worked to grab the blonde hero's attention, and his lips clenched shut.

"It...isn't your birthday today, is it?"

It was precisely the thing Naruto had been stewing over. He felt a bit of guilt over the lie, especially considering Hinata had actually gotten a gift and everything, even if she'd known it all along. How could he even talk his way out of this one? 'I was trying to fight your cousin and my friend to win you over'? What kind of explanation was that? Could it even get more pathetic? Instead, he let out an awkward laugh, a toothy smile coming over his features. "S-so you figured it out, huh?" he smiled through it. "I guess I should be giving this back to you, then." He made an attempt to gently hand her back the box, to which she paused, maybe in deliberation or preparation before giving a meek shake of her head seemingly only half convinced in her final decision. Naruto grinned in thanks of her kindness, glancing down at the container. Well, if she insisted, then what was the harm? He pulled the string that was keeping the pieces intact, and suddenly the byakugan – eyed girl seemed to lose confidence, body quivering and her fingers fiddling together furiously.

"I-I was thinking, if you wanted to have a party closer to your real birthday, well...I'm sure everyone would be happy to be there..." maybe she was taking pity upon the lowly showing for the false one that had just occurred, but to an anticipating Naruto, it sounded like a bit of nervous rambling and background noise, as the bow came loose and he was that much closer to revealing what was inside. Though it was the next thing that she's managed to let spill out that tipped him off on what might be hiding within.

"When the winter rolls around again, I'm sure you'll get much more use out of it...but..."

Naruto's fingers grasped the lid, lifting upward just until it separated from its cradle before stopping dead. Something to use for the winter...all that he could imagine was that beautiful red scarf he knew he'd cherish forever...it made the oxygen hitch in his throat, and he couldn't bring himself reveal the contents. No, this wasn't how this was supposed to go. For this – and maybe only this – he was okay with being patient, demonstrating his noble nature above all else that those had come to admire.