Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, obviously.
A/N: This is my first ever Naruto fic, I hope I did pretty well and made a good entertaining story for everyone.
Bijuu/Summon – Voice is in bold.
'Whispering looks like this.'
"Regular speech."
Flashback speech/thoughts – are in italics.
Chapter 1 : Goodbye
"HINATA!" screamed Naruto in a panic.
But it was too late.
As Hinata plummeted she thought only her failures.
And of her last one, the failure she was so dearly infatuated with.
'Goodbye, Naruto-kun.'
Naruto reminisced on the memory that would forever haunt his nightmares.
She had been alive only a week ago.
The only girl who had ever loved him had died with a broken heart, all because of him.
As he looked down on her coffin he contemplated what could have- no SHOULD have been.
He could have loved this girl, and they could have had a life together and so much more.
Pain.
Pain and guilt were his only comforts.
Before he walked away back to his seat in the rows of mourners, he uttered his final words to her.
"I will always remember you."
"Hinata-chan, I'm sorry." he whispered under his breath before his sadness took the ability to speak from his throat.
Naruto was forced to sit through another half-hour before she was finally buried. Every second spent at the funeral that was never supposed to happen.
'I can't stand this, I don't want to see her dead... I just need to be alone... If I could only get away without someone from the other teams stopping me..' he thought grudgingly.
Kiba was in hell. 'Damn it... She wasn't supposed to die... she was like a sister to me..'
'This is his fault! Why couldn't Hinata-chan just forget about Naruto? Then she wouldn't have died like this, she would've died after a long, happy life...'
'Damn it's my turn already..'
Kiba looked at Hinata's corpse tiredly.
'So this is what it's like to lose a comrade.'
'Hinata-san... it was not your time.'
'What is this feeling I have now that she is gone..? I-I miss her..' Shino was distraught, confused by emotions that were alien to him.
'… My turn..'
"Hinata," spoke a soft voice, almost inaudiable. "I know I'm not supposed to pick favorites... but you were always like the daughter I never had.. Goodbye, Hinata.
Kurenai couldn't help but let a few tears roll down her cheeks as she gentlely placed her bouquet of yellow daisies by Hinata.
Naruto walked home feeling empty.
Dull aches droned on in his head as his mind still tried to comprehend the thought of love and loss in such a short span of time.
There was nothing that could help his misery.
'It just had to happen like this.'
'Once again, I've failed. Only this time I failed her. Her. The one who loved me so much, and I was such a baka that I couldn't- I couldn't see it, her love for me.' thought Naruto.
As he passed by Ichiraku's, Teuchi caught on to his downtrodden mood quickly.
He had heard the news about the Hyuuga heir's suicide.
Nearly the whole village had, it was such an unthought of and unexpected end to the young kunoichi's life.
He hadn't known her, but surely Naruto had.
"Naruto!"
Naruto looked to find the origin of the voice and realized he was across the street from Ichiraku Ramen.
Forced out of politeness for some of the only villagers that didn't despire him before the Sound or Akatsuki invaision, Naruto slowly walked over to the familiar pair of ramen vendors.
"How are you doing, Naruto-kun?" came Ayame's cheery greeting.
"Terrible." Naruto answered as honestly as he could.
Ayame blinked away her surprise as Teuchi set a bowl of his best customer's favorite miso ramen with extra pork as always.
"What's wrong Naruto-kun?" inquired Ayame.
Naruto cringed at the suffix once again.
It took all he had to not break down and cry from the memory of Hinata using that suffix whenever she said his name.
"Thank you old man. I am fine, Ayame."
He slowly ate his ramen dreading every noodle he slurped.
'I don't deserve to have any kind of happiness after what I've done.'
Noticing Naruto's lack of enthusiasm for even his beloved ramen and his odd, both Teuchi and Ayame worried.
"Naruto, it wasn't your fault." said Teuchi.
"Yes it was." Naruto sullenly replied.
"Naruto-kun we know about what happened with Hinata. She was confused and didn't know what she was doing-" Ayame explained before Naruto interrupted.
"She DID know, she WASN'T confused! I.. I.. broke her heart..."
"..."
"I was so stupid just like always, and because of my stupidity she's dead, DEAD! The only person that ever-" Naruto broke off and cried.
It was silent, so silent.
'Naruto-kun...'
Not only Teuchi, but also Ayame were both at a loss for words. Teuchi then solemnly replied "I can't imagine what you're feeling right now, but Ayame and I, we care about you."
Naruto quitely continued eating his ramen.
He was about to pay when Teuchi said, "This bowl's on the house if it helps at all."
"No it won't help." Naruto left the money on the counter.
"See ya later, old man, Ayame-chan."
'Naruto just passed up on a free bowl of ramen. Hinata's death must be troubling him even more than I thought.' contemplated Iruka as he jogged to catch up to Naruto who was walking away from Ichiraku's.
'If only I hadn't hesitated, if only I had answered her question.'
"Hey Naruto, wait up!"
Once again his thought pattern was interrupted.
Sighing to himself he looked back at Iruka, all life drained from his eyes.
"I heard what happened." Iruka stated.
"..."
"Just because you were there, doesn't make it your fault."
"You weren't there. You didn't see the look in her eyes, Iruka-sensei."
"She was so hurt. Because of me."
Naruto stared ahead as he continued to walk down the empty street.
The sun had finally set.
"Naruto."
"..."
"I know it hurts to lose someone you consider precious."
"She wouldn't want you to be sad." sighed Iruka.
"She loved you, that means she would want you to be happy. I don't expect you to rebound quickly from this, but you need to remember she loved you and wouldn't want you to beat yourself up."
"..but Iruka-sensei." Naruto said, his voice barely a whisper.
"...I killed her."
"I know you're hurting, but blaming yourself with her death won't solve anything." Iruka tried to reason with him, but was failing as his favorite student seemed to be drowning in a sea of guilt, and self-loathing.
"Do you know how she died, Iruka-sensei?" questioned Naruto.
"I know it was a suicide Naruto, and that you witnessed it." said Iruka.
'Where is he taking this?' thought Iruka.
"Let me tell you just how she died. It was last week, a Friday. We had a picnic date on top of the Hokage Mountain at noon to talk about what she said during my fight with Pain."
Flashback
Hinata blushed as she saw Naruto stroll up towards her and the picnic she had set up.
'I wonder what he's thinking behind those beautiful cerulean blue eyes.'
"Hello Hinata!" Naruto said exuberantly.
"H-Hello Naruto-kun."she softly replied.
"Guess what I brought for our picnic, Hinata-chan!" he continued.
"Ano-umm, Ichiraku ramen?"
"Wha-What! How'd you know Hinata-chan!" he exclaimed.
Hinata smiled and said "I-I knew it was your favorite, so I thought you'd bring it."
"Ah, your so smart Hinata-chan."
She blushed a deep red.
"It's a l-lovely day." she stuttered.
"Yeah it is, isn't it!" he exclaimed.
Naruto set down their bowls of ramen next to the rice balls Hinata had brought.
He then set down on the white blanket across from Hinata.
"Let's eat!" he said happily.
"H-hai." she answered.
'I hope Naruto-kun doesn't think less of me for not making conversation..' she thought.
'Maybe he doesn't want to talk? No, of course he wants to, otherwise he wouldn't have come right?...'
"These rice balls are delicious Hinata-chan." he said contentedly as he resumed munching on his rice ball.
"Naruto-kun..."
"Yeah, Hinata-chan?" he cheerfully replied in between a slurp of ramen.
"Ano-umm, I-I heard what happened with they K-Kyuubi during your fight with Pain."
He visibly flinching.
'So this is what she wanted to talk about... she probably doesn't even love me anymore after knowing I lost control..' he contemplated miserably.
"...A-After I saw you lying there, I-I thought you were dead.. I felt like my world had shattered... I mean you telling me something like that, telling me you were freely giving me something.. something I had always wanted.. and then losing you only minutes later.." Naruto said as he struggled to find words.
"I was just so.. angry... at Pain, at everything.. it wasn't fair... I had someone who loved me and then she was gone before I even got to know her."
"It tore me up..." he finished.
"G-Gomen, Naruto-kun I didn't mean t-to upset you."
"No, you needed to know.. I should've told you sooner," he said. "we've just been so busy with missions."
They sat there in silence for a few minutes before Hinata asked, "What was it like living with the Nine Tails inside you?"
Naruto sat there unresponsive.
"Naruto-kun?"
He wiped the tears forming in his eyes.
"I was alone."
"I was young, hungry, and homeless."
"I was beaten and hated for no other reason besides existing."
"My only bonds were with an old man, and two ramen peddlers," he sobbed on.
'If only I had tried to talk to him sooner..' she thought to herself.
"I grew up in an orphanage until five, then I was on my own. I didn't know either of my parents, or if they were alive or dead."
"Gomen..." she apologized.
"..." No response.
"..Naruto-k-kun I h-had a bad childhood too." she spoke timidly.
"W-what? I thought you were treated like a princess at your place?"
"Otou-san u-used myself and my failures as an outlet for his anger over the deaths of my mother and uncle."
"It wasn't as bad as you had it though, Naruto-kun." she remarkably finished without stuttering.
"Looks like we're pretty similar, huh?" Naruto said back to his usual carefree attitude.
Hinata blushed a deep red and did not reply.
Silence reigned over their small picnic once again, however, this time it was much, much more natural and comfortable for both of them.
'We've been dancing around the subject for long enough.'
"... Hinata.." She flinched at the lack of the friendly suffix.
'I have to ask this. I have to know.' he strengthened his resolve.
"Did you mean what you said?" he asked with uncertainty.
"..."
"Yes, Naruto-kun, I love you."
'Damnit.' was all he could think.
'I'll have to do it, if only for her own safety.'
"Hinata, I don't like you like that." he said as blandly as he could.
"Oh, umm..ano-..."
"D-do y-you think i-it's possible f-for you to e-e-ever f-feel the w-way I-I feel for y-you?" she said her speech barely comprehendable behind her stuttering.
'C'mon Naruto, better to blow her off and let her be safe than take a chance for you own selfishness.' he contemplated. "No, Hinata. I really don't think your my type." he coldly stated.
"Oh."
"Naruto-kun?"
"Yeah, Hinata?" he nonchalantly answered.
"Have you ever felt empty?"
'This isn't good.' he thought. "What do you mean?"
"Like there is nothing left to live for." she solemnly replied.
"Hinata... are you okay..?" 'This is really bad.. Maybe I should have explained to her the danger.. No she would have refused to give up on me then.'
"No I'm not." she said with her back turned to her heading towards the edge of the nearby cliff that rested above the Fourth's stone head.
"Hinata-chan, I didn't-"
"I'm sorry for interrupting you Naruto-kun, but I think you did mean to hurt my feelings.." she said, her voice devoid of any emotion.
"Hinata I'm-" he tried to finish, but was cut off once again.
"Please... Naruto-kun... Don't make this any harder than it already has to be."
"Hinata... What are you doing near that ledge..?"
'No, no, no, no...' he was frantic.
"Just watching the sunset Naruto-kun." she smiled a heart-wrenching smile and stepped off.
Flashback end
"Naruto... I had no idea.." Iruka was stunned. Never would he have expected Naruto of all people to think ahead like that or much less the outcome of said foresight.
"Iruka-sensei, please just let me go home and sleep?" he pleaded dully.
"G-good night, Naruto." came Iruka's still shocked reply.
A/N: I would expect another update either this week or around that time, thanks to any readers, even more cookies to reviewers.