Naruto's POV

I don't get why Hinata just got all mad at me. I mean seriously? What did I do this time? I know I did something wrong before but I got her back and now...

It hurts even more.

"What did you do this time to have pissed off my cousin, punk?" Neji asked as we were settling down. Sasuke and Sakura sat in front of us, Tenten and Temari behind us, Ino and Sai across from of us, then Hinata is sitting with damn Kiba in front of them. To make things way better, she sat by the window seat; further away from me.

"I don't remember doing anything to have hurt her," I answered honestly. "Ever since I left the hospital, we've been getting along quite well."

Neji studied me a bit more, "The only reason why I'm tolerating you is because Hinata asked me to. If I were to be honest with you, I would've beaten the living hell out of you by now."

"Hey, calm down a bit why don't ya?" I snapped. "And I'm pretty sure you'd get your pretty little ass whooped if we did fight. Hinata's the only reason why I haven't kicked your ass into tomorrow yet!"

The older guy just looked away, "Don't talk with me for the rest of the ride or better yet, the rest of the trip."

I glared at him for a bit. Coming up with ways to rip his head off and give it to the captain as a gift. I turned away not long afterwards only to catch a frowning Hinata looking back at me. She was getting her carryon from the cabinent. She shook her head before turning her pale eyes away from me.

I groaned and rested my head in my hands. This was going to be a long trip.

~~~~~

I've always loved Los Angelos. It was always so warm, unlike Konoha and it was home. So right when we stepped foot off at LAX I threw my arms up and yelled, "LA I'm home, baby!"

"Shut up, asshole your voice makes my bones ache even more," Shikamaru smacked the back of my head.

"Then get into better shape, Lazy Pants," I ran away just before his hand nearly made contact with my head again.

Everybody else was exhausted from the eleven hour flight but I was energetic as a feather. Well, besides the fact that Hinata still hates my guts for some unknown reason.

I thought she'd know by now that I suck at reading people. I looked at her, a feeling of longing tugging at my chest. She was joking around with Kiba, her ex, right in front of me.

The two used to date, for crying out loud! They use to be lip locked, in each other's arms, holding hands, and just plain in love before she broke up with him.

And now Kiba is like her best friend.

If I did something wrong, let me know so I can fix and you could only look at me, all the energy I was feeling, now drained just at the plain stupid sight.

"I'm going to go rent a van for us," Sasuke announced when we left the airport. It was warm, just the way I liked it.

There were benches where thousands of people and buses were coming to and fro. The family from before were greeting some of their other family members and having a conversation not too far from us. The rest of the girls were sitting on their own luggages talking. Hinata was still with Kiba. Shikamaru was chatting with Neji, Sai had tagged along with Sasuke just in case the guy needed help.

I was alone, sitting on the bench. I didn't mind this time. I needed to figure out what I did to piss off Hinata so much, anyway.

Okay so she was happy for the past month ever since I left the hospital. Everything was going well. She helped me study for finals every single free minute of my time and I had passed, much to everyone's amazement. Then, it came time for us to go.

She was all giggles during the taxi ride from the campus to the airport. She was not on her phone once so I ruled out her father being an issue.

Then we were in the airport and I gave her my sweater, which she had put away earlier on the ride. She was still fine then.

Was it the girls that were checking me out? I thought I cleared any kind of misunderstanding by giving her the backhug and the soft kiss.

Wait, she's mad at me because of that? That might be it.

Then Sasuke and Sakura came along. That was when everything went down hill. Her tone completely changed.

I scratched my head in frustration, "Why the hell are girls so complicated?"

"Because we just are," the familiar cherry blossom smell settled in my nose and I looked up out of the corner of my eye.

"What's up with you?" Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Where's the happy Naruto that passed the finals?"

I sighed and looked away; my arms resting on my thighs, "His soul was crushed because of you complicated girls."

"I didn't do anything."

"Not just you," I glanced at her before fixing my gaze on Kiba and Hinata, again. "Just girls in general."

Sakura seemed to have followed my eyes, "Is it Hinata?"

I nodded once.

"What did you do this time?" she sighed.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out! I can't remember doing anything wrong but she just got all mad at me when you guys came into the picture! Is she mad because she thought I invited you guys or something?"

Sakura crossed her arms, "She invited us, Turd."

"Oh."

"Shut up, let me think for a second," she rested her chin in a thinking position. I directed my attention back to the ex-now-best-friend-couple.

He leaned in. I wanted to smack him.

He whispered something. I wanted to strangle him.

She laughed. My heart ached because I'm not the one making her happy.

Instead, I was the one that made her frown.

"Wow, you can be deep when you want to," Sakura sounded impressed.

I chuckled quietly, "Yeah. Hinata makes me so poetic."

"I think I figured out the issue," she smirked.

My eyes immediately lit up and I shot up, "Really? What's wrong with her? How can I fix it? Huh, Sakura? Tell me!"

Sakura blinked twice in utter confusion, "Naruto?"

"Stop with the suspense and just tell me!"

"Do you like Hinata?" she asked in a hushed voice.

It was my turn to blink, "Huh?"

"You do like Hinata!" Sakura realized.

I-I-I like Hinata? But how? I thought I was confused about it but I love her? I glanced at her. The girl suddenly looked like an angel in my eyes. She was only wearing a plain lavender t-shirt and some short shorts but like I said, an angel! Her raven hair was billowing slightly in the LA wind and the sun only illuminated her hair a lot more. And don't get me started on those drowning pale eyes.

"I like Hinata," I murmured to myself in confirmation. I don't believe this at all but all those feeling of hurt whenever she was with Kiba or any other guy in general... there's no other explanation.

I looked at her again and caught her pale eyes staring. Surprised registered her beautiful face and she turned away.

It clicked...

Something like keys hit me in the back of my head. I doubled over and rubbed my head, "What the hell was that for?"

All our friends stopped their chatter and their attention was on me and Sasuke.

"It took you long enough to realize," Sasuke smirked. "About time."

"You're not making it any better."

"Anyway, got the van, let's go!"

Everybody cheered until the guys had to carry all the girl's luggage. Neji got to Hinata's before I did. Oh right, I still haven't apologized for that yet.

The van was a 15-passenger one. It was nice and roomy but I still got shotgun as Sasuke drove. I argued with Sasuke about random crap but all the while my eyes were still on Hinata and Kiba who were still chatting amongst one another.

I like you, Hinata. So please don't go to anyone else and wait for me... Well at least until we get to the hotel. I'm going to win you back... Believe it!

~~~~~~

Hinata's POV

Kiba's been doing a pretty good job in keeping my mind distracted about the whole Naruto situation. He had scented the tension between me and Naruto right when he got on the plane and sat right down next to me. I talked to him about it but here's the good thing about Kiba and one of the reasons why I dated him in the first place; he could get your mind off of anything at anytime.

He suggested we played a game so I said I had Janga in my bag. He moved so I could get it but at the same time, I heard Naruto yelling and cursing out my cousin. I can't believe him but me being me, only met his eyes and shook my head. Since then, I've done a good job in ignoring him.

I was starting to feel a little better after the eleven hours flight but then I saw him nearly pouncing on poor Sakura earlier. I had to rip my eyes away from the sight.

"Alright here are your room keys," Sasuke handed me and Temari each a key. "Hinata's special since she gets the couple's suite with Naruto."

Neji snatched the card key right out my hand, "I don't think so. I'll stay with her and Naruto can get his own room."

"It's called a couple's suite, Neji," Naruto came up and yanked the key out of my cousin's hand. "Which means there's supposed to be a guy and the girl he likes in it; not a a guy, the girl he likes, and a spare wheel."

Girl he likes?

Neji took the key back, "It's called a third wheel, idiot. And don't think for a second I'd leave my little cousin with someone like you."

Naruto slipped the key out of Neji's hand, "Well, it was my tickets and I already wrote her name down on one of them. She's staying with me and that's final."

Our friends found it quite entertaining to watch the argument going on between the two of them. I was annoyed as hell that I didn't get a say in where I'm going to spend the 6 nights here.

The blonde, still being possession of the key, grabbed my upper arm and my luggage, "Well, it's been a long day. I know you guys need time to get use to the time so we should take naps until dinner time. So bye!"

And before I knew it, Naruto was dragging me to the elevators and pressing the up button.

"Wait, Naruto-kun," I tried to pry his fingers off my arm. "I think I'll sleep in the girls' room for the nights. You can have the-"

"Don't talk to me until we get to our room," he said, his back to me.

I stopped prying and dropped my hand to my side. He sounded cold and it sort of scared me. I've seen enough movies to know what happened next. Hopefully, this couple's suite isn't too high up that I could probably survive with only broken limbs if he were to try anything.

... My dreams were crushed when the elevator reached the top floor; 15.

The suite was the room at the end of the hall. I took a wild guess that the two closest rooms to the suite were probably the boys' and the girls'.

Naruto slid the key card into the slider, it beeped green, and he pushed it opened. I was overwhelmed by the sight. There was a kitchen, a balcony glass door showing the Pacific Ocean, a sofa set right in front of 45" Flat Screen TV and a dining table under a small chandiler right in front of the kitchen, beside the sofa set.

And of course there were only two doors. One leading to the single bedroom and one leading to the bathroom. I mentally groaned... Naruto and I have to share a bed after all.

"Wait on the sofa, I'm gonna take our luggage to the living room then we need to talk," he ordered.

I nodded once before he disappeared. I was admiring everything from the kitchen to the dining room to all the amazing channels on the TV to the amazing view of the happy people on the beach. I wasn't able to make out faces or anything but by the numbers the people were in, I was able to tell if they were a family, a couple, or friends.

And there were a lot of couples.

If Naruto still didn't have feelings for Sakura, could we have been one of those happy couples down there? I quickly scratched the thought.

"There's no way Naruto can like me the way I like him," I murmured to myself. "I'm doomed to always remain his friend, aren't I? Life is such a cruel game."

The familiarity of arms around my waist suddenly returned and this time, I yelped in surprise. A chin rested on my shoulder and the side of a head touched mines.

"Who said I can't like you the way you like me, hm?" Naruto murmured.

I couldn't answer. So does he like me or what? No, no better question; he heard me. Crap, crap, he heard that I liked him. I think it's time to test out gravity now...

"No, I don't like you," he answered my accidentally spoken thoughts.

See? I knew it.

"I don't just like you," his grip suddenly tightened. "I nearly fell off the deep end before I heard your shuddering voice for the first time. And that time you ignored me made it so much more worst that I was really close to doing almost anything to get you back. Then when I finally get you back, a little birdy tells me you actually love me. I was an idiot; I was confused because I thought all love was meant to hurt in the end. But look at me now, I'm being an idiot again. I'm in love again."

My heart suddenly increased again. There's no way he loves me; there's no way he loves me! Don't say you love me, idiot!

"I'm in love with you, Hinata Hyuga," Naruto said, sincerely.

And just like that, the tears came. I cursed myself for letting them come but I couldn't help it. Naruto spun me around so I was facing him. His thumbs brushed each side of my cheeks; wiping the warm liquid away.

"I'm in love with you, Hinata," he repeated. "Not Sakura, nor anyone else. I love you, and only you."

~~~~~~

Think it's the end? Oh, no... this is only the beginning;

Next update:

February 18, 2015