literature

When Trees Shed Their Tears

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Chapter 1
“I know it’s around here somewhere!” she thought to herself. “Kiba said that the store was right…around….ah! There it is!” she exclaimed.

It was a cool and crisp day in the Hidden Leaf Village, and the start of what felt like winter. Hinata had been told from her teammate that a new ramen shop had opened up by Ayame, the daughter of Teuchi, the owner of Ichiraku Ramen. At first, it was rumored that the daughter had a falling out with her father, but the second shop was to help spread business and convenience to other parts of the village. This was not, however, why Hinata was interested in the new shop.

“T-there he his!” she gasped silently to herself.

Standing in the window was Uzumaki Naruto, the object of Hinata’s affection. He was busy laughing and taking the orders of two boys, Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Chouji, and seemed to be enjoying himself.
Hinata had debated for a long time if she would go and visit the one she secretly loved. She couldn’t do it with her teammates, for Kiba would surely make fun of her, and although nice, Shino seemed to greatly annoy Naruto. Asking her sensei to accompany her was also way out of the question. The only plausible excuse to see him without seeming stalker-ish, she had reasoned, was that she wanted to have something to warm to eat on a cold day. She had only thought up to this point, however, and was now hiding behind a lamp post right outside of the shop.

“C-come on, Hinata, you’ve already made it this far,” she whispered to herself, “Just go in and try to act normal.”

She paused and giggled for a couple of seconds. Normality is not a characteristic that Hinata sees herself owning. She took a deep breath, and took her first step toward seeing the boy she had admired for the last several years of her life.

“Ooof!”
“Ah!”

Hinata had seemed to have tripped on something next to the post. She had gotten back up, blushing, and quickly scanned the window to see if her love had seen her fall. It had seemed that Naruto went to take the order back, so she heaved a sigh of relief, angry at herself for being clumsy.

“This is no time for me to be acting clumsy!” she scolded herself.
“I’ll say…” grunted a voice from the ground.

Hinata quickly looked down and gasped- the object she had tripped on was a person, who was lying flat-faced on the ground.

“I-I’m sorry!” she cried as she went to go pick the person up. “I’m so sorry, let me help you up!”
She bent down and noticed that it was a middle-aged man, with very blue eyes, wearing a very shabby cloak and hood. She helped him up and then quickly bowed, embarrassed that someone had seen her act so clumsily.

“’Salright, ‘salright,” the man laughed, dusting himself off. “If all that’s happened to me to day is you tripping on me, I’ll consider myself lucky!”
“N-no! I’m really sorry! P-please, is there anything I can do to make it r-right?” Hinata mumbled.

The man looked at her, then at the window of the shop, where Naruto had just brought two big bowls of ramen to Shikamaru and Chouji. He then turned to Hinata once more and smiled. He pointed to the shop, and his smile stretched even wider.

“Weeeeeell,” the man said with a glimmer in his eye, “I am a bit hungry from my travels, how about you join me for lunch? I get lonely on these trips of mine, and it would be wonderful to have someone to talk to…and besides…I could tell by the way you were staring in the window…”

Hinata gasped. Was it that obvious that she had been staring at Naruto? If she agreed to join him, he might let her secret out. She had to stop him.

“That you must really love ramen!” the man exclaimed.

Hinata nearly fell over. Her secret was safe, and it seemed as though the man was oblivious to what she was doing earlier.

“W-well, it’s alright…Alright! I guess I can join you for lunch!” she said, leaning against the post, and smiling at him.

The man’s face was suddenly close to Hinata’s. This startled her, but she could not move.

“You…” the man breathed.

Terrified, Hinata closed her eyes and her hand slowly crept down to grab a kunai knife to defend herself.

“You have a very nice smile,” the man smiled, and turned away.

This caused Hinata to open up her eyes, and then blush furiously. It was always a rare occasion for someone to compliment her, and getting one from a complete stranger felt very good. She looked down, and started to fidget with her fingers.

“N-not rea,” she mumbled, before she was cut off by the man.
“Yup! You remind me of myself when I was a little girl!”

Hinata immediately looked up, in shock, at the man, and then started to look terrified. The man, seeming to sense the reaction, turned around and started to laugh.

“That is what is known as a joke. You need to lighten up if you’re going to have lunch with me,” he said, and started to walk towards the shop, still laughing.

Hinata stood there, staring after the man, and started to wonder if it was a good idea to follow him. He was strange, yes, but he also seemed genuinely nice and caring. He also seemed to give Hinata confidence in herself, the way a certain someone did.

"Well," she thought to herself, "What is the worst that could happen?" and with that, she caught up with the man and entered the store.




Chapter 2
The shop was warm and inviting. The sound of talking and slurping were bouncing off of the walls, while the succulent aroma of different broths filled the shop.  Hinata made sure to quickly look around the shop before joining the man. She did not want Naruto to see her under these circumstances. She glanced around and having made sure she wasn’t seen by the customers in the front of the shop, followed the man to the back. The two sat down at a table, and started to look at the menu. Hinata’s choice was near the top, so she took an opportunity to study the man. He seemed to be humming to himself as his eyes darted back and forth along the menu’s list. The longer she looked, the more she could not help feeling that she saw something familiar in him. She closed her eyes and started to think about where she had felt this before.

“Imagining the ramen already? You sure must be hungry!” the man laughed.

Hinata immediately opened her eyes and started to blush. She looked up at the man, and then quickly looked away.

“N-no, that’s not it at all!” she stammered, still embarrassed.
“Huh, then I guess you must have been dreaming about that blonde kid over there then,” he said nonchalantly, while raising his eyebrows.

With this, Hinata nearly lost consciousness. She quickly looked around, knocking a bottle of soy sauce over, and saw that Naruto was no where in the front of the restaurant. She looked up at the man, and gasped. The soy sauce had landed on the man’s head, and was pouring its contents down his face.

“…It was only a joke,” he mumbled, wiping his face with a napkin. He then smiled and said “But I guess you really do like him, eh?”

Hinata proceeded to talk in a very fast slur of apologies and denials, while handing the man more napkins. The state of blush she was wearing before did not compare to the crimson-scarlet she was wearing now.
“It’s all right, it’s all right. It’s just a little soy sauce. It’s also alright to admit that you love someone,” the man said, grinning widely.
“I-I wouldn’t call it…l-love,” Hinata said shyly. “J-just more of a…deep respect,” she said, fidgeting with her fingers.

A waitress appeared with a scroll, ready to take their orders. Hinata noticed that it was her upperclassmen, Tenten. The two briefly talked and Hinata placed an order for a Miso Ramen Lunch Special. Tenten looked at the man with a smile, and he ordered the Super Deluxe Bowl. Hinata and the man thanked Tenten before she left to deliver the order. The two sat in silence for a minute, studying each other. The man smiled and chuckled to himself.

“I remember what it was like to be a teen in love,” he laughed.

He seemed to see that Hinata started to blush again, but this time, became a little teary-eyed. He frowned slightly, and then smiled again, eyes full of life.

“Now, now, I’m only teasing,” he said in a gentler tone. “You will have to forgive an old man’s memories. I only say that because I sense that you really do love him. If you do feel that way so much, why not tell him? Those tears do not suit you, and I think he might be able to fix them for you.”

Hinata wiped her eyes quickly and then looked up at the stranger. “I-it’s not that I don’t want to tell him I love him…it’s just that…I just can’t bring myself to do it…”she trailed off.
“And why is that?” the man said, still smiling.

She paused. She of course, knew the answer, but she did not know if telling it to a complete stranger was such a good idea.

“W-what if he doesn’t l-love me back?” she said, unconsciously fidgeting with her fingers.

“Who the hell cares what he feels about you doing that?” the man said, in a louder voice.

Hinata stared at the man. She could not tell what he was thinking. His expression had lowered, not quite angry, but not quite happy either.

“I-I don’t think Naruto,” she began.
“You don’t have to think for him! This is about you! If you truly love someone, be it as a sibling, parent, admirer or lover, then you should shout at the top of your lungs! You love him because you admire him! He has that special quality that makes your stomach produce butterflies! You believe that with him, not only will you be happy, but he will as well! He has suffered things so imaginable, has been through a pain so few have, and yet you still love him-that you know that you can cancel out all of those bad times as long as you two are together!”
Hinata stared, open-mouthed. She realized this, and quickly looked down. Not more than a second passed, but it felt like eternity. She finally spoke, in a quiet tone:

“B-but what if he doesn’t love me back?” she said, still unsure of herself.

She had expected the man to turn red with anger, but again, she was shocked. A small smile had appeared on his face. His brilliant eyes seemed to darken a fraction.

“Then at least you tried. There are very few things in the world that burden us more than regret. Not saying the things you wished you could have said to the ones you love hurts more than any physical damage you can take. If you tell him how you feel, I am sure he will appreciate it, at the very least. He may be a goof-ball, but I truly believe that when you decide to tell him how you feel, you will be happier than you will have been in your entire life,” he said, finally smiling.

Hinata had been looking down the entire time. Even though she had known this man for a short while, she had heard everything that could possibly give her the courage to confess her feelings. She felt as though he had assured her of anything.
A waiter had stopped by their table, carrying a large tray of ramen. He placed their orders down, and then looked up.

“Oh! Hey Hinata! I didn’t see you all the way back here!” Naruto exclaimed.

Hinata had quickly looked up. She had the same sensation in her stomach as when she had first fallen in love with him. She did not know what to say to his greeting. She looked down, and was about to fidget with her fingers, when she suddenly looked across the table. The man was giving a slight smile, and winked.

“H-HELLO NARUTO-KUN!” Hinata said in a loud voice. She had then realized how loudly she spoke and started to blush.

“Ha-ha, wow, Hinata! You’re not your usual gloomy self!” Naruto joked. “You should have told me you were here! I could have gotten you free ramen! Anyway, I hope you and your friend enjoy it!”

Naruto stood up properly and glanced ever so quickly at the man sitting across from Hinata. Hinata noticed Naruto look at the man. He seemed puzzled for a moment, but then he turned to leave.

“Talking to him normally wasn’t so hard now, was it,” the man smiled, and began to break apart his chopsticks.

Hinata looked at him and smiled. In their short time, this man helped her do what she never could do. She looked up and thought about her old self, the one that could never seem to find the right words to express her feelings. She decided that with this man’s words, she could summon up the courage to at least ask Naruto to a movie.
“I can never properly repay him for what he has given me,” she thought to herself. “I don’t even know his name, and yet he helped me out like I was a daughter to him.” She smiled and decided to thank him out loud.

“I-I would like to thank,” she started, opening her eyes, but then quickly looked at her hand.

A large drop of liquid was sitting on her hand. She felt another, and then another hit her on her face. She looked up at the man. The man had been slurping and eating his ramen at such a high speed that flecks of broth were flying everywhere. In an instant, it was over, and in the same instant, Hinata’s face was covered in speckles of broth. She sat there, shocked, both at the speed of the man’s eating and the outright lack of manners.

“Whoops, sorry about that!” the man said with a sheepish grin. “I guess I haven’t had ramen like this in a very long time! Err, you might want to go to the bathroom and clean yourself up a bit,” he said even more sheepishly.

Slightly offended, Hinata got up and went to the bathroom. She washed her face and began to dry herself off with a few paper towels.

“I guess I can forgive him. He did give me wonderful advice after all. I should also pay for lunch too,” she thought.

She had returned to the table, but the man was not there. She looked around the restaurant, but he was no where to be found. She sighed, feeling slightly sad-he could have at least said good-bye. She picked up the bill and walked over to the cashier. Just then, Naruto came running up to her, a smile stretched across his face.

“H-HINATA!” he yelled. “You won’t believe it! That guy you were with left fifty million Ryous on the table! He said it was a tip and then left!”
“F-fifty…million?” Hinata stuttered, shocked that a man in such a shabby state was carrying that kind of money.
“This is amazing! Say, with this money, do you wanna go to the Fire Country’s Grand Carnival with me?” Naruto asked, still smiling.

Hinata almost fainted at these words. She realized that the man had helped her with more than advice.

“A-alright,” she managed.
“Alright! I’ll pick you up at your place on Friday! Whoo-hoo! Fifty Million! I’m rich!” Naruto yelled, as he went back into the kitchen.

Still slightly stunned, Hinata quietly walked out of the shop and into the cold day’s air once more. Several leaves were gracefully falling out of their trees, as she looked up. She was shocked to see the man standing amongst them, smiling, with his eyes alive and dancing.

“I don’t know how I’ll be able to thank you,” she said, tears forming around her eyes.
“Hey now, you know, tears really don’t suit you,” the man said, still smiling. “Don’t worry about it. It was all my pleasure.”
“Y-you shouldn’t have left all that money just so he could ask me! I was going to ask him myself!” she said, laughing slightly.
“I know, I know, I just wanted to make it a little easier on you. And besides,” he said, pulling his hood off. He continued to remain silent for a moment, eyes closed, while making a hand seal. “Let’s just call it child support,” he smiled serenely. He opened up his eyes, while the wind made his blonde hair dance wildly.

And with that, he disappeared among the leaves, in a yellow flash.
Yay for Naruto saying "Believe it" :)

Well, there it is. I don't really like fanfiction, and this goes against alot of things I believe in when it comes to fanfiction...oh well, I hope you all like it :D

This was spawned from a conversation with :iconedoren: and one of her RPing sites.

Characters ((c)) Masashi Kishimoto
© 2007 - 2024 dagreenbeast62
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minicoopermaverick's avatar
I thought minato died?