Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto.
Author's Note: I wrote this during a school day, but I've been planning it out for weeks. I hope you all freaking appreciate that I typed this up. I really don't want to!! Damn you all!! Anyway, I suggest that you listen to this song before reading the songfic. I think songfics are slowly becoming my specialty, most people like them. Hope you like it!
Most of the background is explained in the fic, so just keep reading if you're confused about something it'll most likely be explained.
Song: "Against All Odds" by The Postal Service.
"How can I just let you walk away, just let you leave without a trace."
"Please don't go," Hinata begged her fiancé. "It's too dangerous!" She couldn't let him go. They had just become engaged a month ago, but their wedding was in only a week. Her father had insisted on it.
"Hinata-chan," he said softly, "I have to do this, if I don't I wouldn't be able to live with myself." He spoke quietly despite her hysteria.
"B-But I can't lose you!" She couldn't control herself, "Please Naruto-kun!" She burst into tears. "Not again," she whispered.
"You won't," Naruto whispered back, leaning in to her ear. "I'll always come back to you, I promise." The way he said it made her believe him.
"While I stand here taking every word of you, ooooo."
"You'd better," she said, drying her eyes with her sleeve. "If I lose you again… I don't know what I'll do." She whimpered a little, remembering last time.
"You'll move on…" he said supportively, "But that's not gonna happen!" He put his middle and forefinger under her chin and pulled her head up to look at him. He stared deeply into her eyes, and said in his soothing, yet stern voice, "I promise." He kissed her romantically, pulling her head towards his, and she knew he meant it.
"You're the only one who really knew me at all."
She didn't stop worrying, but she felt slightly more at ease. He had a way of calming her with just the sound of his voice and the touch of his lips. She felt so safe with him; he would protect her from anything.
"I love you, Naruto-kun," Hinata whispered when their kiss was broken, now smiling at her true love. "Please be careful." She was still afraid he would die apart from her.
"I will," he replied, "and I love you too, Hinata-chan." She smiled wider, remembering the first time he had said those three words. "Now," he continued, standing up from the bed, "I've got to report to Granny Tsunade before I leave. I will bring Sasuke back, even if it's over my shoulder without a heartbeat, Dattebayo!"
"How can you just walk away from me, when all I can do is watch you leave?"
Hinata laughed to spite herself. Sometimes it felt as though he cared more for Sasuke than for her. Last time he went after his friend he had actually died. If it weren't for Hokage-sama he would still be in that condition. It was lucky she was prepared to start his heart so quickly after it had stopped.
The amazing thing is that just seconds after being revived, Naruto went back after Sasuke. He'd brushed death too many times, but he was confident and it made Hinata slightly less scared.
He had improved tenfold since his last meeting with Sasuke, and Itachi was dead so Sasuke's resolve should've been weakened significantly. Maybe he would just return with Naruto this time. The only thing blocking that possibility was his murder of Uchiha Madara and his taking over of the Akatsuki. It seemed less probable considering those instances.
"Naruto!" she suddenly said, forgetting the suffix in her excitement. Naruto turned from the door smiling questioningly. His blue eyes met her steady gaze and began to well with small droplets of water. "I believe in you!"
The tears began streaming down her lover's face and he turned back towards the door, but changed his mind and twisted back, rushing to her side. He wrapped his arms around her and they wept together.
"'Cuz we shared the laughter, and the pain, and even shared the tears."
"I'm scared," she mumbled through her tears. She didn't want him to go; why wasn't he happy enough with her. Then Naruto said something that surprised even her.
"You're the only one who really knew me at all."
"I am too," he sobbed weakly into her hair, squeezing her tighter to his chest. She loved when he did this; held her tightly, but she'd never known Naruto to be scared of anything. She looked up at him, staring down at her. He gazed into her eyes and repeated his favorite thing to say to her. "Your eyes are as beautiful as the moon of the horizon."
"So take a look at me now. There's just an empty space."
She sniveled, wondering if it would be the last time she'd hear him say it.
"There's nothing left here to remind me, just the memory of your face."
"Hinata-chan, I'm as scared as when I asked you to marry me," he said kindly. At first Hinata was shocked at this news, then he elaborated. He opened his heart and left himself entirely vulnerable to her. "I was afraid you'd say no, that you're father wouldn't approve, that I wouldn't be good enough for you…" He paused as she gazed up at the future Hokage, hanging on his words. "I've never loved anyone like I love you… and I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you, and start a family. I didn't want to hurt you inadvertently, or upset your father, or seem as though I just wanted the physical connection that is forbidden before marriage."
He avoided saying anything too specific as to avoid distracting either of them to trivial jokes. "And when you said yes, after your father had given his blessing, my heart became whole and glowed with the intensity of that great fireball out in space…" He stopped for a second as tears dripped from the end of his nose and his chin. "But if I don't do this… I… I'll never be able to forgive myself… No one would truly consider me a ninja if I went back on my promise now."
"Take a look at me now, there's just an empty space."
Hinata understood. Even though Sakura had taken back the promise, she understood. Even though Tsunade had offered him an Anbu ranking not to go, she understood. Even though she wished that he would just stay with her, and make love to her, she understood. He had to do this, not for himself, or Sakura, or even for Sasuke. He needed to do this for the village. Sasuke was a threat now that Akatsuki was under his control. Konoha was his enemy and he wished to crush it. Naruto was the only one who could stop him, even though no one wanted him to go. She understood.
"And you coming back to me, is against the odds, that's what I've got to face."
"I understand," she muttered solemnly, wishing she didn't. "That doesn't change anything though… You'd still better come back…" She didn't want to utter the final word, but she knew she had to, to get it out, "… alive."
He kissed her again, and she kissed back, wishing, hoping, praying that this moment could last forever. She wanted time to stop, for this place in time to be stuck in repeat, so she would never have to watch him go. It didn't.
He broke the kiss, as they cried on each other and leaned their heads on each other's faces. He pecked her again on the lips and got up quickly, but walked slowly to the door. Neither of them said anything, nor did he look back. There was no need to; they both knew everything.
As Naruto left their house, and began opening the door, Hinata whispered just loud enough for both of them to hear faintly. "I'll never love anyone like this." Naruto took it unflinchingly like it was a shot at him. He then closed the door and Hinata burst into tears and fell to the floor. She bawled, allowing her tears to fall and puddle by her head.
"I wish I could just make you turn around, turn around and see me cry. There's so much I need to say to you, so many reasons why."
Hinata knew what he had to do, but even with that knowledge it scared her.
"You're the only one who really knew me at all."
She pulled herself to her feet and stumbled to the window to watch the blond man outside of it. He turned back to the house and tears flowed from his face as he lipped, 'I'll always love you,' and stuffed a kunai in his pouch. He disappeared.
"So take a look at me now. There's just an empty. There's nothing left here to remind me, just the memory of your face."
Hinata staggered back to their room and collapsed on the bed. She tried to imagine Naruto lying next to her but was unsuccessful. They'd never made love on this bed, or anywhere for that matter. Naruto insisted that they wait, and their honeymoon was to be in this quiet house.
In fact, they'd never done more than make out in their room at night. Before he proposed and she moved in they'd hardly even kissed. He respected her more than anyone she'd ever known. She practically had to force him to kiss her the first time, because he was moving in to kiss her so slowly. She missed him already and it had only been a few minutes. She wallowed as she thought of the first time they met.
"So take a look at me now. There's just an empty space. But to wait for you, is all I can do, and that's what I've got to face."
She laid her head on Naruto's pillow, trying to smell him on it. It felt weird doing this, but she needed to remind herself that the last few years had been real.
"I'll just be standing here, and you coming back to me, against the odds, and that's a chance I've got to face."
All Hinata could do was just stay and wait for her Naruto to return. She began to whimper silently as she buried her face into his pillow. She could feel his warmth on his side of the bed. She could almost feel his arms wrap around her as she drifted off to sleep.
"Take a look at me now…"
I hope you bastards all appreciate this! Actually I had more fun typing it than I first predicted. I loved writing it, and it's personally my second favorite of my fics, after "Sleep the Pain Away" of course. Make up your own epilogue on that one; I left it open for several options, the last one being hinted at in the last real line. I like that option the best.