Naruto walked slowly. It's been so long now. And so many things have happened... But how come he can not forget him? They haven't even spoken to each other very much and it was to be after his death that Naruto even realised that he loved him. Could it even be called love actually?
His fingers brushed his ANBU mask. Being hidden like this makes it so much better. Makes it so much easier. Being like this means you don't have to be Naruto anymore. How is it that one single mission can make him change. A change so subtle it's effect takes so long to become visible?
What could he call this feeling? Love? Did he love once? Love someone who he had once tried to kill? They were brought together when they were young. He was inexperienced, idiotic and... So naive. Why didn't he think about things? If he did... Would things have tuned out differently for them? Love... He thought he had loved Sakura once. But it was just simple infatuation. Would this feeling turn out to be something else as well?
He didn't really think about it when he was younger. It was an incident in a mission. That was all. He was the enemy. But somehow his thoughts kept returning to him. The one single person.
Why?
Somehow when he could bear no more, he researched his past. Perhaps it might be a posthumus confession. To himself. He revealed each individual detail that defined the character of an enemy. And each led him to fall, just a little bit more. He supposed it was a love story of sorts.
His head dropped into his hands in defeat. Love story? It was with a dead man. But if this constituted as love... Then this was a sad love story. A love story that ended before it began. There will be no happily ever after.
The sun was about to rise. In this moment when the world hasn't begun yet, the hidden ninja village was already stirring. What was it about walking in the night that he was attracted to? The mystery? The anonymity? The distance?
The mystery became known. The Anonymity uncovered. The distance walked so many times. He was once fightened of the dark. It was hostile. It was dangerous. But it changed. Just as his views of the encounters changed. Having matured. Having understood every gesture. Naruto knew it was probable he already knew even then that Naruto was inlove with him. Knew from experience as a hunter-nin what every small gesture meant. How could he have not?
A life so alone, a life that echoed his own. He might indeed in time become Hokage. He might become famous and have everyone acknowledge him. But that young man left him with something so much more important. The ability to love.
His voice was a whisper in the cold air. An inexplicable call that was inevitably left unanswered.
"Haku..."