Letting Go
A Naruto-Neko original
"Sakura-chan, please go on a date with me?" His voice was soft, pleading. You could see in his crystal cerulean eyes he was desperate.
"Naruto, for the last time, no! I won't ever go on a date with you! You won't ever be Sasuke! Leave me alone already, baka!" Her emerald eyes shone coldly, revealing no emotion at all. "Don't be such an idiot!"
His eyes flashed with hurt. Villagers' heads turned at them, surprised by Sakura's loud refusal. Before anyone could say anything, a flash of orange sped away, blonde head down. Unseen, light lavender eyes saw the whole thing, and burned with hidden rage. And now, the owner of those eyes finally released that anger.
"Oi! Sakura!" An unsettlingly loud voice called from across the way. It sounded hoarse, as if not used to speaking above a whisper.
"H-Hinata-chan?" The emerald eyes flashed with surprise, then hardened yet again. A small, dark head charged at the pink-haired girl.
"What gives you the right to treat Naruto-kun in such a way? I'd give anything to be asked on a date by him! How could you be so cruel as to bring up Sasuke, as well?" The normally gentle pale eyes glittered with blatant rage.
Haruno opened her mouth with a look of fury upon her face, but closed it again, reconsidering. Taking a second to think, her expression calmed. "I suppose I don't have the right. But who are you to defend him? He could have defended himself." Villagers passed by, ignoring the fight occurring between the two kunoichi. Jonin watched carefully from a distance, making sure the two did not become violent.
"I can't just watch you torture him anymore." And with this final statement, the Hyuuga heiress turned from the stunned pinkette and ran in the direction of Naruto.
Hinata… she didn't stutter even once… This was all Sakura could think.
Uzumaki Naruto, hero to the Village Hidden in Leaves, sat alone on the roof of his apartment building. His head was in his hands, and tears were visibly dripping through the cracks between his fingers. Yet, while he was in turmoil, all his feelings for Haruno pent up for years had started to fade slowly yet painfully.
In the darkness that threatened to consume him, Naruto felt empty, cold, and alone yet again. From behind, a small yet infinitely bright light approached.
"N-Naruto-kun?" A once again timid voice called from behind.
Light broke though and Naruto was free of the pull of darkness. He slowly looked up and the girl who was now timidly smiling at him.
"Hinata-chan? What are you doing here?" He asked in a cracked voice. Suddenly, Hinata sobered and what little color had been present in her porcelain face drained.
"I saw what Sakura did to you…"
Naruto's lips formed and 'oh' and he relaxed, staring at the moon that remotely reminded him of Hinata's eyes. He idly wondered why Hinata suddenly stopped stuttering. Silently, Hinata sat next to him.
"Why do you let Sakura-san be so horrible to you, Naruto-kun?"
"I don't know… I guess I've been so focused on her, I haven't thought about how she treats me." Hinata looked at him, shocked that he was so open with her. Well, then again, she wasn't too surprised.
Two young ninja strolled through Konohagakure. One was the village hero Uzumaki, the other, unexpected by most villagers, was the Hyuuga heiress. Even more surprising, the Hyuuga heiress seemed to be open, and was not stuttering.
A pair of emerald green eyes watched as the two walked past, relaxed. Envy flashed fittingly in them, and the girl frowned. Without saying good-bye to her platinum blonde friend next to her, Sakura strode off toward them.
"Hey!" She called, not keeping anger and a hint of resentment out of her voice.
Hinata stopped and grasped Naruto's arm, also stopping him.
"Yes, Sakura-san?" Hinata answered calmly, innocently. Naruto looked at Sakura, but the lack of emotion in his eyes nearly caused Sakura to flinch.
"I just noticed how… happy you two are. I'm surprised." The malice was now obvious in her voice, but Hinata remained calm, feeling strong with Naruto at her side.
"Sakura-san, I know you must be sad that he doesn't… care about you anymore, not like he used to. But, you can only blame yourself. He's finally letting go…" And Hinata started walking, Naruto at her side. Neither looked back, but Sakura certainly looked after them. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she realized what she had done… to herself.
AN: Hey, I think I'll make this into a short fan fic, but not a one-shot. I'll add to it as I get ideas. Please review! Watch for new chapters in the future! –Ana-chan