Love Pattern
Risako Matsuki

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Summary: Twins Hyuuga Hinata and Hanabi share the same face, the same voice, and the same love for a particular person. While Hyuuga Hanabi has happily found the love of her life, Hyuuga Hinata hides in the shadows, afraid to let her love for the same man to be known to her sister – and to him, Uzumaki Naruto. For the sake of her sister's happiness, Hinata has given up her own, and watches while the lovers blossom from dating, to a marriage proposal. One day, while shopping with Naruto one day for a wedding ring for Hanabi, a faulty rooftop construction site sparks a fatality, where Naruto is severely wounded. The trauma has caused him to lose his eyesight, and with his dreams shattered, he can only bear resentment towards Hinata, who had caused him this pain...

Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, own the concept, original story/plot, canon characters, etc. of Naruto/Naruto: Shippuuden. The images, animations and publishing all belong to creator Kishimoto Masashi, TV Tokyo and Shounen Jump!. The original story concept was done by a one-shot romance plot in a comic anthology.

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First Pattern: Tragedy

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"Hmm... maybe a gold band is the best to go? It's clean and simple."

Smiling a little at his response, Hyuuga Hinata shifted the weight of her purse strap a little over her right shoulder, trying to match her pace a little with the tall blonde beside her. Looking up, past the telephone lines and towering buildings, the sky was a beautiful blue, with a few wispy white clouds dotting the distance. "If you feel that best represents Hanabi-chan, then that should be the one."

"Isn't it? Well, Hanabi's really cute, so maybe her cuteness won't match a plain gold ring..." Fussing over invisible details, Uzumaki Naruto leaned back a little, his face twisted into an expression of deep thought. Hinata chuckled a little, a faint redness coming to her cheeks. 'If Hanabi's cute, then I wonder if I am too...' Shaking her head slightly, Hinata inhaled deeply, tearing her gaze away from Naruto.

'No, no Hinata... don't be such a narrow-minded and ugly woman... Hanabi has her good points and Naruto is the one who sees that...'

"Ah! This is it, isn't it?" In a spur of excitement, the blonde male rushed over to the jewellery store, towards the entrance where a set of glass double doors adorned the opening. Motioning for Hinata to come faster, he opened the door, waiting for the long-haired Hyuuga. Laughing slightly, Hinata half-dashed after the Uzumaki, and entered the store, where a sales clerk immediately winged their right.

"Welcome sir! How can we help you today?"

"We're looking for a set of wedding rings, but we're not sure what sort of style to buy." Naruto answered firmly, his blue eyes twinkling with merriment. Hinata gazed at his eyes for a moment, before catching the grin that was plastered over the clerk's face.

"Ahh, so are you getting married to that lovely miss over there?" The sales woman chirped, and Naruto merely smiled in response.

A certain Hyuuga turned flaming red from head to toe, and she waved her hands dismissively, pale opal eyes wide from the statement. "O-Oh no, we're not... I'm... we're... I'm here to help him..."

"Oh, you're not? Shame, you look so pretty beside each other. Anyway, why don't you two sit down by the showcase tables? I'll go fetch our collection for you." The clerk then scurried away, leaving Hinata alone with her own struggling emotions and a ravaging blush that surely meant embarrassment on her part.

"Well, if you think about it this way, from an outsider's point you could probably be Hanabi-chan, since you two are identical twins." Naruto remarked with amusement, and Hinata tilted her head in agreement, clasping the hem of her crème blouse top tightly. 'That's right... we're identical twins...'

Sitting down beside Naruto, they looked over at some of the rings on displayed. Hinata's eyes marvelled at the glitter and shine that was radiating from within the glass case. 'If I get married... then it would be nice to sit down like this, and choose a ring with...' Halting the flow of her thoughts to a grinding stop, she jerked upwards, carefully staring back at Naruto, who was busy peering at the display case intently. She closed her eyes, turning away, folding a hand over her chest.

"This is harder than I thought..." His voice came suddenly, and Hinata opened her eyes. "I didn't know there were so many rings..." Sounding rather exasperated, Naruto leaned back in his chair, overwhelmed by the different series, sets, and styles the store clerk had provided for them not too long ago.

Hinata gathered herself together, and forced a smile. "Just think about Hanabi-chan in mind, and with that thought, look for a ring that reminds you of you two together. I'm sure you both had a lot of memories you've spent together." Letting her opal eyes slide over the display once more, she slowly gazed at each ring. While some where clean and simple, they didn't represent anything significant with their plainness. On the other hand, some were intricately decorated with many gems and designs, but they were too floral to describe anything in particular – especially since it was Naruto's love that was at hand, Hinata felt that perhaps they were too... unfitting?

However, her hands stopped at a particular piece. Unlike the traditional gold band, the set piece was silver, with a white doff finishing that reduced the light shine, but kept a glow-like property when worn. Cut into the band was a square diamond, its height as large as the band itself. It looked like an almost-complete band trying to touch its ends together, only to have them meet a large diamond in the end and beginning.

Picking it up gingerly, she handed it to Naruto, an excited smile on her face. "What about this one? I think it describes you two perfectly."

Lies. The fact that the two silver bands will never meet each other seems more like you, Hinata.

Naruto's face brightened immediately, his hand picking up the ring. "Amazing, Hinata-chan! I knew bringing you along was the best option! No questions asked, this is the ring I'm picking." Handing it to the clerk, he beamed, before placing a hand on Hinata's shoulder, staring at her tenderly.

"I'm sure Hanabi will be pleased to see the ring as well, thanks to you."

Hinata's lip quivered, but she smiled anyway.

"It's my pleasure."

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Walking down the street with the purchased rings in a gift bag in hand, Naruto and Hinata was making their way back to the Hyuuga residence. Passing by a few shops on the street, Hinata allowed her mind to wander, but it avoided any thoughts about the wedding that was to take place next month. What could she say? She had already vowed to give it her all to support Hanabi and Naruto, but for some reason, she couldn't help but to feel a slight depression that was getting in the way of her daily routines.

Such as walking normally beside Naruto without feeling the aching pain inside her chest.

Her wish was partly granted, when her eyes caught the sight of white lace and silk. Stopping slightly, Hinata pressed a hand upon the glass, her eyes staring at a beautiful wedding dress that was propped up on display. Feeling Naruto stop short behind her, Hinata swallowed quickly, her heart pounding. She was still like this – with her heart racing and blushing like a schoolgirl whenever Naruto was close to her...

"That's a nice dress. It'll look nice on you Hinata-chan." Winking at her, Naruto then smiled slightly and looked back at the wedding dress. "I really hope you find a boyfriend soon too, you're too much of a nice girl to go by unnoticed, y'know?" He continued enthusiastically, his eyes wandering over the other dressed on display. Hinata laughed gently, looking away, her eyes stinging. "Well, we'll see sometime later in the future."

At the mention of the word 'future', Naruto glanced back at her, his usual grin coming back into play. "Don't be too down about it! I know what I want to do in the future already. I want to continue protecting the village as the future Hokage, and I want to protect Hanabi as well as many others." Easing herself into a relaxed smile at the mention of his long-old dream, Hinata nodded gently, a knowing smile gracing her lips.

"I'm sure you can do it, Naruto-kun. After all, you're..." Stopping herself half-way, Hinata blinked before covering her mouth. She couldn't say it. Not when they were like this.

"What was that?" Staring at her quizzically, Naruto leaned to look at her embarrassed face. "What're you blushing for, Hinata-chan? You can tell me –"

At that moment, a large shriek of metal sounded from above. Whipping his head up, Naruto's blue eyes only saw the silhouette of several metal beams falling down from the sky, and the instinctive thing he did next was to push the long-haired Hyuuga out of the way...

She was shocked when Naruto violently pushed her away, and tripping over her sandaled heels, she fell backwards, rolling back a few feet away when a terrible, ear-deafening sound rung through her ears. Pained, dizzy, and feeling a sharp, needle-like pain on her left knee, Hinata lay there for about a few seconds, her head ringing. However, she was up in a second, ignoring her bleeding shin, and merely stared at the scene before her.

Blood.

"Naruto! Naruto?!" She suddenly screamed, lunging forwards. Naruto was there, lying face-down in his own pool of blood, with a single metal beam crushed over his back. Running past a few shocked spectators, she was about to shove the metal beam with her own hands when she was roughly pulled back by two men.

"Miss! Please don't touch him! The ambulance will be here soon!"

"N-No! This... this can't be... ha... ahhh..." A sob came out of her dry throat, tears already running down her face. Not like this. It can't end like this.

"NARUTO!!"

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The low hum of the soda machine in the hospital waiting room was the only thing that penetrated the silence. Sitting on one of the many chairs that were pinned in neat rows in the waiting area, Hyuuga Hinata looked like a mess. With her usual neat, long hair unkempt and tangled, her face was marked with dried tears and her eyes were swollen from crying. Burying her face in her cold hands, Hinata restrained another sob, crying and sitting alone by herself. The day was almost over – by the large window pane beside the waiting area, the sun had already set long ago, and nothing but a dark blue covered the area.

Sounds of heels dashing through the hospital echoed. Looking up tiredly, Hinata saw the figure of her sister running, running towards her. Hyuuga Hanabi arrived, her face white with worry, her complexion as pale as her eyes. "H-Hinata-nee-chan! W-What happened?! You called me that Naruto got into an accident, and..."

Hinata gazed at her younger sister, where they stood facing each other in the same height. Brushing a strand of hair from her sister's side fringe, Hinata opened her mouth, before she closed it, and sank back down in her chair, weeping hard. Hanabi stood still, rooted to the spot, unable to comprehend the situation. She had never known Hinata to cry like this – not like this...

"H-Hinata! What happened?!" Hanabi pressed urgently, crouching down beside her crying sister, eyes shaking, heart pounding.

"He's alive. He's alive." Hinata whispered between sobs, the back of her hand wiping away at tears that continued to roll down her face. Hanabi's once frozen expression eased into incredible relief, and she hugged Hinata tightly, her own tears fringing the edges of her lashes. "Thank goodness... thank goodness he's alive...!"

Hinata gently pushed Hanabi back, her shoulders shaking. "But... Hanabi... his eyes... his eyes!"

Hanabi stared back at her twin. "E-Eyes...?"

"His eyes! The surgeon... he said he can't see anymore..." Covering her face shamefully, tears squeezed through the cracks of her fingers, running down her arm. "He's blind, Hanabi, he's blind..."

Standing up, Hanabi stared wordlessly at her sister, before running down the hallway. Hinata could only watch her own sister run after the man she loved as well...

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Throwing back the hospital door open, Hanabi's worried eyes fell upon the familiar blonde. He was quietly sitting upright, his forehead and torso as well as his limbs were heavily bandaged, but overall he looked like he had suffered a few scrapes and large bruises. With a gasp of relief, she surged forwards – but stopped when he tilted his head to look at her.

His eyes – they were unfocused, and they looked frightened.

"N-Naruto...?" Hanabi started worriedly, approaching him slowly. Naruto's eyes widened – though he wasn't staring at her directly, he knew it was her judging by her voice.

"H-Hanabi...? Is that you, Hanabi?!" He cried out, his arm reaching out. Hanabi took a step back, her frame shaking. Disbelief flooded her mind – his once beautiful, sky-blue eyes – they were now a dead white.

Blind, dead, white.

"I... I'm so sorry, Naruto. I..." Before she could finish her sentence, Hanabi had dashed out from the hospital room, running back, with her heels clicking loudly in the silence.

Naruto dropped his arm back, tears streaming down his face. His hands clenched into a fist, and he bellowed out a cry of anguish.

"Dammit! Damn it all!!"

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End of First Pattern

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Author's Note: The setting of the story is a bit complicated. For one, Naruto mentions 'Hokage' and 'village'; which leads us to presume that the setting and circumstances are canon. However, 'Hokage' in this story is merely a title. Konoha is a small city or a town, but lots of people in the future chapters will refer it as their 'village'. 'Hokage' can be presumed as the town mayor, or the head 'villager'. Hopefully this will clarify some things.

- Risako Matsuki