AN: This is my first story. I'd really appreciate your opinions, please. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy my story.
A soft breeze rustled leaves on the nearby trees and caressed the lone figure on the street. The night air was cool and still, as if the slightest sound would cause it to fall. Naruto shivered, hugging his orange jacket closer, and continued the trek back to his apartment in silence.
A shout pierced the silence as a couple of the village's academy students ran past, no doubt on their way home after a long game of playing ninja. Naruto felt a small smile tug at his lips and watched them turn the corner, thinking about his own academy days. He shook his head and renewed his pace, hoping to get to his warm apartment sooner.
Konoha had really come a long way since its untimely destruction at the hands of Pein. It was still in a giant crater, of course, but many of the buildings had been rebuilt and less than half the population was out of a home. Alliances with the other Great Shinobi Nations had formed after the Fourth Shinobi World War, and said nations had contributed to the rebuilding efforts. It seemed the world was working together to heal the scars left by the Akatsuki, Naruto thought. He felt a sudden surge of pride for his fellow shinobi who were beginning to come to an understanding. Nobody was out of the woods yet, but the young ninja was sure peace would come.
A muffled sob brought him back to reality, and he wasn't surprised at its source. Sasuke had perished in the war, but he had died as a hero, sacrificing himself so the Allied Shinobi Force could finally kill Tobi. Sakura took it the hardest, though Naruto could not say he wasn't affected. It's just that Sakura had no closure on the issue. She would never know if she had meant anything to Sasuke. Naruto, on the other hand knew exactly where he had stood. He could still hear the Uchiha's last words.
"Sasuke! Hang on, okay? I'll go get Sakura-chan and she can heal you and we can go back to the village and-"
"No. Stop. It's no use. But it's okay. I'm happy. And I'm sorry. Naruto, I'm so sorry. Will you forgive me?" Tears ran down the blonde's face.
"Idiot. Of course I forgive you. What are friends for?"
"Yes. Thank you, Naruto. I'm glad… you were my friend."
Naruto gave a sad smile to his teammate. "Sakura-chan… You've been so sad. I'm sorry I couldn't save him."
"And what about you? Naruto, stop blaming yourself, please. We both need to heal, but feeling guilty about something you couldn't control is just stupid. I'm crying, yes, and I'm sad, but I'm learning to let go of the past." She sniffed. "We're all worried about you, Naruto. You haven't been the same." Sakura wiped the tears from her eyes. She stood up from the bench she was sitting on. "I'm sorry. I need to get going." She ran in the direction he came from, and surprising himself, Naruto didn't stop her. Was he really that broken?
Resuming his walk, the jinchuuriki tried to push the thought from his head. Yet no matter what he did, Naruto found he could not disagree with his pink-haired friend. He really hadn't been the same. It would be dumb to even think he could be exactly the way he was before, but Naruto knew she meant something else. He hadn't been happy. His smiles were all forced these days and his friends had noticed.
His friends.
If it were possible to do so without looking like a complete moron, Naruto would kick himself.
Then again, everyone already thought he was a moron, so maybe he'd do it anyway.
The ninja sighed. All this time, his friends had been there to support him. They'd done their best to try to help him, and Naruto pushed them away to wallow in his self-pity. Kami, why was he so stupid? He'd sworn to protect them no matter what, and here he was hurting them. The number one knuckleheaded ninja in Konoha was fully prepared to begin a new self-pity party when a soft humming brushed his ears.
Naruto followed the sound to the new fountain in the middle of the park. The sweet sound was coming from a small figure sitting on the edge. The girl dragged her fingertips through the water, not noticing the young man walking up to her.
"Hinata?" Said girl jumped and turned quickly to face him.
"Oh, Naruto-kun. You scared me." She blushed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Would you like to sit down?"
"Thanks." He took this moment to study her. Naruto could be oblivious sometimes, but he was not stupid. That being said, he certainly did remember when she confessed her love for him and defended him from Pein. It made things awkward between them, and Naruto felt guilty that he did not love her back. Though, the jinchuuriki did understand one-sided love, seeing as he was still trying to get over Sakura, who saw him as no more than a brother.
What amazed Naruto was that she had always admired him. Even when he was the dead last, before he was the village hero. Hinata had always cared, even if she was too shy to admit it. When the Hyuuga had learned his secret, there was no hesitation or doubt. She had accepted everything. It made Naruto so entirely grateful to have friends like that. But it also made him feel guilty all over again because he didn't return her affections. "Listen, Hinata…"
"The stars are pretty tonight, aren't they, Naruto-kun?" He looked at the girl in surprise, then looked up at the sky. "Before she died, my mother used to say that each star was a soul that had passed and left the world behind. Yet they could not forget their loved ones, so they stayed in the sky to protect them."
"Hinata…"
"I believe in Heaven." The smaller ninja looked down at the water. "I have to. I couldn't bear the thought of never seeing my mother, or Sasuke-kun again. Do you believe, Naruto-kun?" She looked up at him with pale lavender eyes that reflected the moon light falling down on them.
"Yeah. I suppose I have to, too." The ninja thought of the man he considered a grandfather. Jiraiya. His Godfather. The Pervy Sage. Naruto didn't even want to think about never seeing him again. He decided to change the subject and approach an issue that had been avoided for far too long.
"I don't love you. Not the way you love me, I mean. Honestly, I don't know the first thing about love."
"I know." Naruto could tell by her voice she was hurt. The ninja thought maybe that was harsh, so he tried to amend his previous statement.
"That doesn't mean I can't learn, though. I… I'm still hung up over Sakura, but I've accepted the fact that she loves me like a brother." He looked over and saw her lip quiver, like the girl was trying not to cry. He set his face in determination and stood up, directly in front of her.
"Hello, my name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like ramen, learning new jutsu, and pulling pranks. I don't like people who think they're better than others and vegetables. My dream is to become the greatest Hokage Konoha has ever seen!" He extended his hand. Hinata caught on and her ever present blush turned a deeper shade of red. She smiled and spoke softly.
"Hello, my name is Hyuuga Hinata. I like flowers, cinnamon rolls, and training. I don't like people who belittle others and seafood. My dream is to become a strong kunoichi and walk by your side." She blushed and took his hand.
"It's nice to meet you, Hinata. You seem like an interesting person, so I'd like to get to know you better. We'll be great friends. As for anything beyond that… I guess only time will tell." Naruto gave their hands a firm shake. "It's getting cold. We should probably go home."
"Yeah." Did he detect disappointment? The answer would be yes.
"You like training, right? Maybe we could train together tomorrow."
"OK!" The kunoichi blushed at her enthusiastic response, and Naruto let out his first real laugh since Sasuke died.
"I'll see you tomorrow, then, kay?" He started to walk away. The ninja took no more than ten steps before he stopped abruptly. "And Hinata…?"
"Yes, Naruto-kun?"
"Thank You."
Pale eyes widened.
And as the orange-clad ninja walked home with a real smile on his face, he supposed that whatever was ahead, he wouldn't face it alone. His friends would be there, and that was all that mattered.