NaruHina: Salvage

Chapter 18: Confession

Chapter 18: Confession

Naruto woke up with a start, sitting up abruptly. The hospital sheets fell off him as he swung his legs over the bed. He needed to find Hinata. He took a deep breath and focused his attention inward. In a few minutes, his eyes warmed and the area around his lids glowed orange.

He put his hands in his pockets and found the note he'd meant to give to Sakura. He went to find her and disrupted her work with her patients.

She took one look at his face as he burst into the room and knew she wouldn't be able to brush him off.

"Can you leave us for five minutes?" she asked the man she was talking to. He nodded and was about to leave, but Naruto was faster.

"Here," he said as he grabbed her hand and thrust Sasuke's note into it. "From Sasuke."

Then he ran out calling, "Need to find Hinata!"

Shocked, Sakura could only stare at the closing door. She looked down at the note and smiled. Sasuke. And now Naruto was off to find Hinata. Her smile widened.

Finally...you stupid idiots.

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Naruto flew out of the hospital, almost running over everyone he met. He flew through the streets of Konoha, trying to locate her.

So this is love? he thought to himself. The feeling of bliss that filled him when he thought of her. The warmth that came from within him right where his heart burned. He realized now that Hinata's presence had been that one unwavering thing in his life that he'd taken for granted. In his lonely childhood, she'd given him words of encouragement and tried to help him during the chuunin exams. During his teenage years, as he'd battled all sorts of enemies, physical and emotional, he'd had to rely on her strength to lift him up. And now, as an adult, he couldn't imagine her not being there for him.

It hurt just to think about it. He shook his head, scared to let any thoughts of Hinata disappearing into his mind.

She'd survived her battle with Pain, and he'd taken it for granted, her existence. He'd never imagined an alternative reality if she hadn't. What if she'd died that day? How different his life would have been. He shuddered.

Looking back, he had loved her all along, but he'd never realized his feelings for what they were until Tsunade had put it into terms he could easily understand. He'd never envisioned Hinata gone from his life. She'd always been there, her presence so constant that he'd never imagined her not being in Konoha, not being able to see her in town. But now, as he searched for her in the village, he panicked at the thought that he wouldn't be able to ever find her.

This was what Shikamaru had talked about, he suddenly realized. He was actively seeking her, fighting for the chance to maybe experience happiness.

It was just, he didn't know where she was. He concentrated again, trying to search out her chakra.

Hinata, where the hell are you?!

He probably shouldn't be using his sage mode this way, but he needed to find Hinata as quickly as possible. He was getting desperate, but he would eventually find her and he wouldn't let go.

Naruto didn't know what to do with these feelings, but instinctively, he knew that she would be the only person in the world who could help him.

He finally found her at the Ninja Academy but cursed when he found her with other people. He wouldn't be able to talk to her now. He forced himself to calm down.