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For a second.
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One shot! Catags is taking a break from Long Ass Chapters today.
Prompt by BoredomIsAnUnderstatement :
I remember looking up to the stars above me that night, and of all the things that I could've thought about, at that moment, I could only think of her, and nothing else. NxH
Settings : This takes place during the final battle against Madara. Naruto and Sakura started fighting against him, and Sasuke surprised everyone by throwing his Akatsuki cloak away and deciding to side with his old teammates.
Team 7 is back, people, and it's ready to KICK SOME SERIOUS ASS.
Thanks : I'm nothing without my beta. Kudos to you, girl.
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For a second, Naruto stopped moving. Madara's last attack had knocked him flat on his back again, and he felt like all his bones had been crushed by the blow. Fighting against Madara was like hurtling yourself from the Hokage Monument to the ground below. Repeatedly. Not to mention that the Kyuubi was going ballistic each time its host came near Madara. Kyuubi's random, angry bursts of chakra were not helping Naruto's already strained focus.
He knew that Sakura's control was near-perfect, but they had been fighting against Madara for hours: chakra depletion could strike any minute now. Sasuke did not seem to fare much better, and Naruto was pretty sure that the blood running continuously from his eyes was not good news.
For a second, Naruto felt like giving up. He opened his eyes and stared at the sky, marveling at the sheer number of stars, shining as if nothing was wrong down here. He wondered briefly if they were all going to die here. If this field would be the end of Team 7. There were so many things Naruto had wanted to do, but now time was running out. He had wanted to go eat some ramen with Iruka-sensei again. To punch Sasuke square in the face, at least once, before sitting down next to him and talking for hours. He had wanted to see Tsunade's smiling face again, to properly apologize to her for that day when grief and shock had made him say horrible things. But now, Naruto realized he might never see his village again. They were all going to die-
Your smile saved me, Naruto-kun.
For a second, Naruto felt like smiling. He was lying on his back in the middle of that godforsaken field and his clothes were soaked in blood. But Hinata's words made him want to smile. Shy little Hinata, who had liked him all along.
Hinata, who had looked up to him when the whole village could only see the Kyuubi. Hinata, who had believed in him when everyone had thought he would stay forever a dead last; who had admired him even when he had just been a snotty brat yapping about impossible dreams.
I love you, Naruto-kun.
For a second, Naruto forgot to breathe. He lay there motionless, looking up to the stars above him and thinking about Hinata. Of all the things that he could have thought about, at that precise moment, he could only think of her, and nothing else. He wondered what she was doing back in Konoha. Maybe she was looking at the sky, too. He wanted to see her again. He had so many things to ask her, to tell her. He could not let her down, not now.
Naruto balled his fists and sat up slowly, ignoring his body's protests. Today was not the day Naruto Uzumaki would give up. Not when people were counting on him. He watched Sasuke grab Sakura by the back of her shirt and yank her backwards, barely dodging one of Madara's blows.
'Teamwork, huh?' thought Naruto as a smirk stretched across his chaffed lips.
He had been foolish earlier, he realized. He had been foolish to think that they could die here. Now that Team 7 was back, there was no way in Hell they'd let a loony bastard break it up ever again. They were going to fight, and they were going to take that fucker down for good.
As Naruto got up and started to run toward Madara, his mind wandered back to Hinata, for a fleeting second.
'Hold on, Hinata. I'll be coming home soon.'
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Hm. This needs a sequel.
What do you think, people? 8D
ETA : okay, okay, got it! *Working on the sequel*