NaruHina: Postscripts

Forty-one

Hello! I have a drabble request for you, could you please do one of an older (19 year old) Naruto going to the past and flirting with 16 year old hinata in front of his young self, to make him jealous and reminisce of how beautiful and kind hinata always was?

He was falling, falling, and Kurama wasn't helping him because there was no way they could stop from falling.

But still, Naruto kept yelling his head off and cursed himself for being so stupid to wander off away from his teammates and managed to slip into the cave where Yamato had specifically told him not to enter.

"Orochimaru used to hide here, so we need to be careful because we still don't know what he did in this cave," his former captain had warned. "Who knows what kind of magic he performed that cursed this place?"

"Dumbass!" Kurama howled. "How did you not listen to him?!"

"No time to answer because I'm going to die!" Naruto yelled back.

He closed his eyes and thought of her. "I love you, Hinata!" he yelled, hoping she would be able to hear him—if these words were the last ones he would ever utter.

But that seemed to have done the trick because he suddenly found himself smacking into the hard earth and cracking his face on the ground. He shook his head to loosen his bones and was happy to see that he was still alive.

He rolled onto his back and breathed out a sigh of relief.

Then he gingerly got up and brushed at his uniform, only to find himself staring at the Hokage Monument—minus Kakashi's face.

But he had no time to ponder that fact when he heard crashing, branches cracking, some cursing and a voice that was distinct and familiar.

He quickly hid behind a tree and sure enough, his sixteen-year-old self dressed in those orange and black trainers came bursting into the clearing. He was followed by a more subdued Hinata, who was anxiously trying to calm him down.

"Naruto," she said softly. "It's not there. I already checked with my byakugan. I don't think you dropped your forehead protector in this area. Are you sure it's not back in your apartment?"

"Pffft!" Naruto answered. "No way! I wouldn't forget something that important! I can't be that dumb!"

But 19-year-old Naruto slinked further into his hiding place and fought a blush.

Oh, yes, he was.

Because he was suddenly reminded of the way he'd thought Hinata was a friend all along, those years before he knew what love was.

He watched as the two younger teens searched in the bushes for this phantom head-protector that he suspected was probably back in his apartment—as Hinata had said.

They continued looking, making his older self sigh with frustration.

"I know it's here, somewhere!" sixteen-year-old Naruto kept insisting.

But Hinata had given up and was just humoring him, pretending to look for something that she knew wasn't there.

Until finally, the older Naruto couldn't take it anymore.

"Hinata!" he cried out suddenly as he strode toward her and gave up his hiding place.

Before she could react, his arms were around her and he was breathing in the familiar scent of her hair. He smiled to himself because at sixteen, this was the maximum height she was ever going to be. Her older self never grew past this height, he thought happily as he tucked her head under his chin the way he liked.

"Get your damned hands off her, you bastard!" younger Naruto cried out.

But older Naruto ignored it and looked at the young Hinata who was now blushing and bewildered. She tried to remove herself from his embrace, but Naruto knew exactly what to do to relax her. He rubbed her lower back, and murmured softly, "I'm a friend and I won't do any of you guys any harm."

It was the tone of voice he often used to calm her older self.

She blinked, and the adorable shy smile suddenly appeared, making older Naruto grin back at her.

But it made the younger Naruto livid, and he started to weave hand signs to call upon Kurama, but the older version quickly put a stop to that with his own stronger version of the Nine-tails.

Kyuubi arms suddenly shot up and imprisoned the younger Naruto, who couldn't shake them off. But he was even more shocked to know that this other guy had the same power as he did.

"Dumbass, shut up and pay attention!" Older Naruto said with satisfaction.

Finally! Whatever this was, he had the chance to try to make his younger, stupid self see what he'd been missing.

But younger Naruto kept cursing at him, not really seeing and understanding what was happening because all he could see was red, he was so pissed—especially since this other rival was touching Hinata.

Touching Hinata...so familiarly, as if he knew her.

"Let her go, you bastard!" young Naruto kept screaming.

And continued to do so until the older one gently took hold of Hinata's cheeks, caressed her jaw soothingly, shocking the younger version of himself, and of course, Hinata herself.

But Older Naruto somehow felt he needed to tell her a few important things. He looked into her surprised face and was gratified to hear silence from his younger self. He glanced at the teenager and smiled when he was met with the same blue-tinted glower. Young Naruto tried to shake himself free, but he said nothing else, only noted how close the blond guy in the dark jacket and orange pants was holding Hinata.

But the guy ignored him and stared instead into Hinata's eyes.

"Know that you're beautiful, Hinata," he said into those lavender eyes. "Don't ever doubt yourself when it comes to love. You'll find yourself someday with a man who will love you with all his heart, who will spend his days thinking of you. This guy will adore you to the moon and back, will gladly give up his life for you. Because you become such a part of him that he can only exist with you in this world."

Young Naruto heard it and yelled, "You better not be talking about yourself because she's my friend, a very important part of my life!"

Older Naruto grinned at him and shook his head. "Yikes. You really are an idiot. I really hope you learned something from today."

But the girl in his arms was finally becoming overwhelmed by everything happening and Naruto knew she'd reached her limit. In a few seconds, she was going to faint.

"I love you, Hinata," he managed to whisper before he was ripped away from her and he was falling again...

But not before he saw his younger self finally tear himself away and grab hold of Hinata before she fell.

Older Naruto smiled to himself.

Because he'd figured out that when he'd originally thought he'd been dying, those impulsive words he'd yelled out to her was the key that would bring him back to the present.

And true enough, he landed back inside the cave where he'd accidentally wandered in—only to meet Captain Yamato's brown eyes glaring at him.

"Where the hell did you disappear to?"

Naruto sighed. "You won't believe me if I tell you."

But then he sighed and said, "But I'm just glad to be back because I have someone special waiting for me at home."