Takes place during this scene www. youtube. com watch?v =03PHi40DbKU
Enjoy!
"Do you remember when you said you loved me?"
He stays silent at her words, his gaze tracing the shape of her legs under the thin blanket.
The air is cold around them; with its big, open spaces the cave offers no real refuge of the climate and the burning lamp beside her makeshift bed doesn't warm the environment, it just dyes the dark stone with smooth golden, the illusion of comfort.
Naruto doesn't know why Sakura is saying this, now. Now that there's too much on his head, now that the destiny of the world lies once again on his weary shoulders, and now that the burden of a maiden's heart also seems to rest on his hands and that he has messed up so, so bad.
He came to her for advice: he said what he said to Hinata and he isn't sure what to do with himself or the implications of what he just did.
Why does Sakura say this, he wonders, now that he can't really tell her.
"I wonder…did you only say that because I loved Sasuke and you simply didn't want to lose to him?"
His eyes sting and he blinks a few times to get the feeling away. 'Too tired', he's ready to say if she asks why his eyes are suddenly red, but she isn't even looking at him, too occupied reminiscing of the past.
Naruto listens to her and tries to think, to find it in his own memories if maybe she's right about this as she's always right about so many things, but he can't honestly even grasp the idea of liking her for such a petty reason, the idea that his love for her wasn't honest and sincere, because back in the day seeing her made him smile and his heart do funny things on his chest, and then when they actually became friends he can only remember how happy he was spending time with her and how the idea of something happening to her made him sick.
It still does. Seeing her weak and vulnerable worries him and knowing the reason of her exhaustion is his recklessness makes him want to punch himself in the face.
That…that couldn't have been born of trifling competiveness.
"But is real this times, isn't?" she continues, calm and impassive, like she's explaining something really obvious that doesn't deserve much thought precisely because how clear it is "Hinata is a great person; honestly she's almost too good for you."
He swallows, taking his mind away from the past and remembering why he came to Sakura in the first place.
"Yeah, but…" Naruto starts and stops for a significant second.
But I just said I loved her and it doesn't feel half as real as with you.
He would like to say that, but the words die on his throat, scare of coming out and finding the plane, direct rejection they always found, because Naruto would like to think he's stronger now and that he can withhold that kind of emotional pain but he knows he doesn't, and right now he knows he won't be able to smile it away.
"…but she left me to be with Toneri" he finishes.
If he's quite honest it really did hurt when Hinata went away with that guy, because Hinata has always tried to be there for him and she suddenly disregarding him like that was a shock but, if he continues being quite honest with himself, he was almost glad.
"You're such an idiot. It's obvious she had a reason she couldn't reveal to you" Sakura says in response.
And then she looks at the ceiling with a longing gaze that Naruto knows too well and his eyes suddenly sting again.
"When a girl falls in love and it's true love, her feelings don't change that easily, honestly they can't change. I understand… "Sakura says, quietly, and closes her eyes "…just how she feels."
Naruto looks at the ground. He blinks a few times but the sting in his eyes doesn't go away.
Sakura speaks true, he knows. After all these years and after all these fights and after all the wrongdoings throw her way, Sakura still gets that dreamy look talking about Sasuke. And if what the genjutsu showed him was true, Hinata is the same with him.
Naruto wonders what he did wrong, how bad he had to messed up for Sakura to think that his feelings for her weren't real. He wonders how much more did he need to show her, what exactly did he need to tell her, just what did he need to do…
Sakura has fallen sleep, her chest coming up and down slowly, peacefully, and he looks at her, longingly and love-struck.
Naruto sighs and seeing her sleep, so near yet so far away, makes him hope that taking what he can, that taking all that is ever going to be offer his way, can be enough, that it can heal, or at least, sooth the pain of his heart.
He sees Sakura and hopes that learning to love Hinata will be easier and less painful than loving her.
I just recently watched The Last, i was avoding it bc i'm not a NaruHina fan and bc i've heard that it was just bad like, in general, but my brother wanted to watch so i did to.
Well, everyone was right, the movie is bad as a whole, BUT aside from that I saw this scene and I was in utter shock, i'm not even a NaruSaku shipper, at all (SasuNaru until the end of the days) but this scene...idk, it didn't sit right with me how Sakura said that Naruto's love for her wasn't real bc damn, it was people, it fucking was.
So I had feels and I wrote this. I was thinking about writing another scene with Sakura's perspective but i'm not sure, if i do write it i'll post it as a second chapter.
Anyway, hope you liked it! Thanks for reading! Every comment will be appreaciate!