Summary: She knew that but… she still kept on hoping.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

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There he sat, beside her with his hot tears soaking her shoulder. She didn't care, she just sat there with sorrow in her eyes. It wasn't new for her, she was always there whenever he cried. She knew he needed a friend to cry on, but she also knew that his friends were limited.

He never showed his grief to others, instead he always had that idiotic grin of his on, even if most of the villagers treated him bitterly. He didn't bother showing his true, innermost emotions for he feared that nobody would understand him.

Who was he anyway?

He was just a regular ninja. Nothing special. Nobody would care for him; all of them see him as a burden. A pathetic ninja with high dreams that they believed he would never achieve! But that was what he thought. Nobody cared? Yeah right.

He didn't know that he had friends.

Even if they can only be counted by your fingers! They accepted him, despite the fact that those oh so sympathetic people out there hated him. Nevertheless, he didn't know an even bigger fact that somebody actually cared.

Cared so much that she admired him. Looked up to him. Listened to his side's explanation.

Sure, he was loud, annoying, and a huge wannabe! But she didn't care, did she? She was always there. Ready to tolerate with him no matter who he was. No sane person could actually do that.

Not that she's not sane but… you know what I mean.

Unfortunately, he was too naïve to notice that she actually cared as more than a friend. Yes, he saw her as a loyal companion that he could always trust. Loyal companion? Hah! Who was she? A dog? Maybe. But she preferred to be a shadow.

No matter what happened, she will be there. If he falls, she will, too. If he stands, she will. If he got hurt… she will. She never really knew how she fell for this… unique young man. Her father hasn't approved him. Nobody did.

But she didn't care.

She knew. She knew that he had a heavy weight that seemed heavier each passing day. She knew his distress for she was once unwanted, too. Her father never supported her, and her sister… her cousin… they didn't help her at all. Nevertheless, she kept on holding on, anyway… because she had her inspiration.

Yes, the boy of her dreams.

But shouldn't Prince Charming propose to you in that romantic manner with gardens and fountains by your back. Then, you two will get married in a grand celebration with white gowns, a tuxedo, white roses, and a large wedding cake! Next, you'll have two? No, three! Or maybe a dozen children that would always make you smile!

Alas, that wasn't her fairy tale. She liked—loved this guy but he never noticed. But even if he did, he couldn't return it. Because he loved somebody else. A pretty, young kunoichi with a horde of fan boys that she can choose from. How she wished she was that girl. Everybody loved her. That girl was nice, attractive, and talented in many ways!

Back to our main characters…

Many said to her, "leave him. You're wasting time with him."

She just answered with a smile and said, "no."

"Are you still all right?"

She nodded.

"Can you still bear with it?"

Ah, this question was what always made a few tears drop. She always answered with, "I chose to love him. That only means that I chose to be hurt, too."

Oh she was a fool!

Fool, fool, fool!

Everybody said he was an idiot. An idiot who knew nothing! The idiot who always boasted to everyone that he could be the Hokage someday. But she didn't think it that way. Her friends always said to her, "you're an even bigger idiot because you fell for an idiot! Oh what will we do to you?"

But she always ignored it. She knew that, and she need not to be reminded once more!

Yes, she knew, she had been stupid. She fell for a loudmouthed, ignorant, dumb ninja everyone had been talking about. Hey, she didn't have any choice! Can she teach her heart not to? Nope. She loved him more than anything… more than herself.

But heck, he was being an equal dimwit. He fell for somebody he knew he could never take. Haruno Sakura. Yes, the pretty kunoichi we "talked" about earlier. He was dense! Falling for that girl who liked another? Why, Haruno Sakura was big fool, too!

Meanwhile, our central individual, Hyuuga Hinata, was an even bigger fool. She was the most unfortunate of all. Imagine a pyramid, Hinata was in the bottom, her most loved boy, Uzumaki Naruto, above her place, and above Naruto's location was Haruno Sakura.

It didn't end there, above Sakura was her dearest, Uchiha Sasuke. Now you see, Uchiha Sasuke only got one thing in his mind, revenge. See? She was topple by how many? By four blocks that built a pyramid!

Well of course, there was always Inuzuka Kiba, but that was a different story.

"I love you, though your love was not for me. I told myself not to cry for I saw you hoping for another. I love you, but I never asked that to be returned. I love you, because I do. But even if you're hoping for that girl of your dreams, remember, that I'm still here… damn, freaking in love with ya!"

That was pretty unusual for Hinata, right? But she thought of that a million times!

Anyway, she knew what mess she was going to enter the first time she met him. Sure, she tried to convince herself, he won't do you any good! But did her heart listen to her? Nooo. Instead, it just fell for him even more. Oh, what a fool!

He was a fool. Probably the hugest fool!

But she didn't care. Why?

Because she chose to be a fool, too.