NARUHINA MONTH
DAY 1—SUNSHINE
Her shoulders felt heavy and light at the same time. It was an incredibly odd feeling; one that she doubted would disappear any sooner. Hell, it'll probably never fade, just shoved somewhere in her mind to make room for the more pressing thoughts. Guilt was not an alien feeling for a ninja like her and majority of the people who attended the funeral. Still, the feeling gnawed on her insides and the weight of her conscience dragged her head down to a bow.
Lee's sobs were audible and quite loud, yet no Hyūga dared shush him. Tenten was stone-faced, though her eyes were raw and puffy from crying herself to sleep, Hinata surmised. Gai-sensei sat on his wheelchair pensively, tears silently streaming down his face as he watched the remnants of his team.
The pain was so intense that she wanted to keel over.
Many have tried to console her. 'It was not your fault, Neji did his duty.' Their words only buried the stake deeper. The truth was plain, Neji had died for her. It was supposed to be her body buried six feet under and it was supposed to be Neji standing there, at the spot that where she stood.
Her eyes swept across the ocean of dark-haired Hyūga clansmen. It was only Neji's teammates and family that were left and the sky was beginning to darken. She spotted him, the only head of sunshine hair amidst the hordes of brunettes. The pain dulled somewhat, and Hinata found the courage to stand a little straighter as he approached her, a bottle of water in hand.
"Drink up, Hinata-chan." He twisted the cap off and handed the bottle to her.
"Thank you, Naruto-kun." No stutter. No fluster. Just pure guilt. Hinata gulped down the entire contents in hopes of chasing away the bitterness in her throat.
"I feel it too." He said quietly, staring at the distance. "You don't have to keep it all to yourself because I feel it too."
The relief in her chest was sudden and wanted. It reminded of her the time when she had asked Sakura if her breasts also become sore before her period, just so she'll know that she was not the only one. It was that sort of comfort, and so much more.
She looked at Naruto and he looked at her. His hair was bright but there was no sunshine in his smile.