"No matter who you are, you do not know what kind of human you are until the very end.
One realizes their true nature at the moment of death." - Uchiha Itachi
That moment defines you.
What will be your defining moment?
Based on a true story:
"This movie better be good," Naruto grumbles, stuffing his hands in his jean pockets. "It's freezing out here."
I smile broadly up at my boyfriend, enjoying the way the icy breeze tosses at the tufts of unruly blonde hair sticking out of his baseball cap. He's so cute when he's pretending to be grumpy. "Don't worry. They should let us inside soon."
"I think you said that like half an hour ago," he pouts before grinning down at me. "At least I have something pretty to look at while they make me wait."
My numb cheeks start to grow warm. I breathe out a shy giggle, my breath floating between us in a small, swirling cloud.
He chuckles in return. "I love it when you blush."
Biting my lip to hide my widening grin, I glance up into the night sky and stare pleasurably up at the stars. Their white light cuts through the crisp air in sharp contrast to the pale, yellow glow of the street lights outside the movie theater. Somehow they look even brighter on such a cold night. Another biting gust of air sweeps up my coat, causing me to shudder.
"Hey, Hinata," Naruto's voice causes me to look back at him. His eyes, a startling cerulean blue against his flushed cheeks, meet mine with concern. "Are you cold?"
I smile at his sweetness and shake my head hurriedly. "I'm fine."
He arches an eyebrow at me, studying me as I try to keep myself from shivering, an innocent look plastered on my face. "You're lying."
"N-no, really," I protest, but he's already taking off his coat.
"Here," he wraps it around my shoulders, and zips me inside, arms and all before I can stop him.
"B-but – " I try to object, watching sadly as he shoves his hands back in his pockets and stands in just his hoodie, flapping his elbows back and forth to try to keep warm.
"Hey, it's fine," he insists, giving me his signature grin. "Standing here watching you be cold makes me just as cold. One of us might as well be warm."
Unable to think of anything that could persuade him otherwise, I give him a grateful smile and snuggle my chin into the coat's collar. I might as well be in a tent, the thing is so big on me and I can feel his warmth seeping inside my own jacket.
Glancing over towards the theater doors, where the long, snaking line of extremely cold patrons ends and the line of warm ones begins, I squint to see the clock through the glass. The movie starts in a little less than an hour.
Gasping as I suddenly feel strong arms envelope me, I whip my head around to see Naruto's face right next to mine. He bends down to rest his chin on my shoulder as he squeezes me a bit tighter. "Ok, so I guess I need a bit more warmth."
I laugh lightly and lean my head against his. His breath is pleasantly warm against my wind-raw cheek. Closing my eyes, I simply enjoy the moment until my over-hyper boyfriend jumps, jarring me forward. Thankfully, his strong grip keeps me upright.
"Hey! They're opening the doors," Naruto exclaims along with multiple other cheers and sighs of relief from the freezing crowd.
We start to shuffle awkwardly along through the line, Naruto still hugging me from behind, laughing each time we stumble over each other's feet.
"I'm so sorry!" I gasp for probably the hundredth time as I trip him yet again.
He snorts loudly. "Okay, I think we should just agree to stop apologizing. We've done it enough times for the rest of the night."
I nod in cheery agreement just as his toe catches on the back of my shoe. "Oh, I'm so sorry!"
He bursts out laughing once again, his boisterous amusement causing those around us to chuckle good humouredly as they glance our way. "Oh, I give up."
A few apologies later, we make it through the door, the sudden weight of warm air a welcome relief. Releasing his hold on me, my boyfriend quickly spins me around to unzip his coat. "You're gonna turn into some sort of roasted hot dog in a few minutes if I don't take this off," he chuckles.
"Thanks," I tell him, quickly swiping off my mittens and hat. Stuffing them in my own coat pocket, I run a hand through my messy hair, shaking my head back and forth to release it from its stiffness.
"Hey!" Naruto exclaims as a piece of my hair swats him across the face.
Throwing a hand up to my mouth, I gasp. "Oh! I'm sorry!"
"You better watch it with that stuff," he laughs, "It could be deemed a lethal weapon."
I smile apologetically at him and continue to sort out my hair, more carefully this time, before removing my jacket and hoodie which are already causing me to sweat. Better to sweat than freeze I suppose.
The line continues to inch forward until we make it to the bored looking ticket officer who holds out her hand expectantly as she smacks a wad of chewing gum loudly between her teeth. Naruto stares in concentration up at the ceiling as he digs through his pockets one after the other. "Um, let's see. I know they're here somewhere."
The girl rolls her eyes with a loud sigh.
"Aha!" Naruto triumphantly yanks a piece of paper before grimacing at it sadly. "Whoops! That's a coupon."
I hold back a giggle as he glares determinedly into the pocket of the coat in his arms.
"Did you try your hoodie?" I finally ask.
His eyes widen as he shoves his hand into the pocket of his hoodie. "Hey!" He whips out two crumpled tickets and hands them to the girl who gives him a rather annoyed glare as she rips them in half with a pop of her gum.
"To your left," she drawls, giving the tickets back. "Theater 6."
"Thanks," Naruto chirps, wrapping his arm about my waist as he steers me down the hallway. Leaning down towards my ear, he blows out a relieved breath. "Whew! That was a close one. Sorry I almost lost the tickets."
I smile softly up into his face. "I wouldn't have minded too much."
He grins down at me and squeezes me a bit tighter. As we enter the theater, I stare up at the large screen, the size of the images overwhelming me a bit as they always do.
"Where do you want to sit?"
"The top," I say, knowing that Naruto likes to sit in the back. He likes to toss popcorn at the people he deems "annoying" when he thinks I'm not looking.
Scanning the already crowded top rows, he frowns. "We may not be able to sit at the very top." Grabbing my hand, he leads me up the stairs, but stops about halfway up. "I think this might be the best we can do."
"That's fine," I assure him as we start to crawl over people towards the only two empty seats in the row.
" 'Scuse us," Naruto says as people good naturedly pull their feet in to let us by. When we finally reach our seats, he helps me toss the clothing in my arms over the backs, although I hardly need any help. Once I'm seated, he plops down next to me, shifting comfortably as he leans his head back. "Ah, finally."
I giggle at his dramatics and start to dig through my purse for some chap stick. The wind has made my lips very dry. "Why don't you go get some popcorn," I suggest, knowing that he absolutely adores the heavy, buttered air they serve in theaters.
"Nah," he says, leaning back in his chair as he folds his hands over his abs. "I think I'm good."
I give him a stern look. He's only saying that because he knows I don't like the smell of it. "Naruto," I say warningly.
"No, really!" he insists. Bounding up in his seat, he leans towards me conspiratorially. "If you must know," he murmurs. "I'm kinda scared of that ticket checking girl. I think if I went through there again she might stick her gum up my nose and bite me or something."
I chuckle and let the matter drop as my fingers finally curl around the small plastic tube I've been searching for. Pulling out my chap stick, I coat my lips in a thick layer before holding it out to Naruto, who shakes his head.
"But your lips will get all dry and start to bleed!" I protest. The only thing I ever nag him about is chap stick, which he seems to hate with a fiery passion, but desperately needs.
He gives me a wolfish grin and leans in towards me. "I know a better way to get some." He gives me a quick peck on the lips. Gasping in surprise, I pull back, feeling a hot flush work its way up my neck and onto my cheeks. "Mm." He licks his lips. "Cherry."
I give him a small playful shove before ducking my head to hide my embarrassment. I don't like kissing in public, but his charming teasing never ceases to get me.
Chap stick put away, we both settle back into our seats, Naruto's arm quickly working its way around my shoulders as my head droops onto his chest. I stare sleepily at the commercials on the screen in front of me, simply enjoying the warmth and security of my boyfriend. My eyes are just about to droop closed when the theater suddenly goes pitch black, booming with sound as the movie begins. Shifting slightly so that I'm a bit more alert, I sigh as I snuggle deeper into Naruto's chest.
"Hey," he shakes me gently. "Don't fall asleep yet. We waited outside for two hours for this you know."
"Don't worry," I assure him softly. "I'm still awake."
I'm quickly enraptured in the plot of the movie, only becoming aware of my surroundings when Naruto guffaws loudly in my ear. After one such outburst, I glance up to watch his enthralled face, tinted blue in the pale light of the movie screen, his eyes darting back and forth to take in the action. Placing my hand on his chest, I clutch his hoodie lightly. It's moments like these, when I wish that maybe time could just freeze, only for a little bit, so that I could capture it and keep it for later. It's moments like these that I wish could define us, but I know there's much more to come. In the end, something much bigger will define both our lives.
My attention darts back to the screen with the sound of gunshots and screams from a few startled audience members. Surround sound can be so real sometimes.
More screams erupt from the audience as more gunshots go off. Confusion passes through my mind as the crowd in front of me starts to move in a sudden mass of chaos.
Then it hits me. The shots aren't from the movie. They're real.
"He's got a gun!" someone shouts.
A heavy weight suddenly crashes down on top of me, shoving me to the floor. "Get down!" Naruto's arms envelope me as his body curls over mine. I can feel the heavy rise and fall of his chest as I lay whimpering beneath him and the sound of screams and gunshots mixes eerily with the booming, dramatic music of the still-playing movie.
A hand runs its way through my hair and begins to stroke my head gently. "Shh," my boyfriend's voice hums calmly in my ear. "It's okay. It's gonna be okay."
I bite my lip in terror as cries of pain blend with the shouts.
"It's alright."
Everywhere. People. Pain. Scared.
"It's gonna be okay."
Cries. Shots. More pain.
"Shh. I'm here. It's okay."
More shots sound and the weight on top of me suddenly jerks. The hand in my hair stops moving.
My body goes rigid. No. No. No!
All of a sudden, nothing is on top of me anymore. Its comforting warmth is ripped away from me as someone grabs my arm, yanking me to my feet. "Come on!"
Staring blankly into the eyes of a strange man, I scream and pull away. I whirl back around and drop to my knees, groping in the darkness of the small aisle. My hands touch a warm shoulder. "Naruto!" I cry, in relief.
But no matter how much I shake him, he doesn't move. Maybe he's hurt. He needs my help. Wrapping my arms around him, I try to pull him into my lap. "Come on, babe. W-we need to go. It's okay."
"Leave him!" a panicked voice yells from behind me.
Why is he so wet? I shake him a bit harder. "Naruto!"
"Let's go!" A few more shots go off.
"Naruto! Wake up! We need to get out of here!" I gaze down at his face, just barely visible in the dim, shifting light of the movie. His eyes are closed, his cheek smeared with something dark.
An arm snakes around my waist and yanks me back, forcing me to drop Naruto. "No!" I scream, struggling against my captor.
"He's dead!" a voice shouts in my ear.
"No!" I shriek even louder, beginning to cough as the acidic air starts to burn my throat. The sound of an explosion cracks through my head and the theater is suddenly illuminated by a flashing light. Tears blur the vision of my boyfriend crumpled in the small aisle, his white sweatshirt streaked with dark blotches. He disappears as the light fades and then I'm dragged down the row, the stairs, and finally out into the hallway of the theater. My screams are quickly drowned in the chaos. I can barely see through my burning, watery eyes. Lights. Running. Shouting. Crying.
"Naruto!" my boyfriend's name rips through my throat as the crowd shoves me out of the theater and finally dumps me out onto the asphalt of the parking lot. The freezing air assaults me even as warm streams tumble down my cheeks.
"Naruto!" I yell once again, gagging on the thick air, as warm liquid squeezes between my fingers. I raise my hands in front of my face and stare at them in pure horror. The yellow street lamp illuminates long, hideous streaks of red.
This shouldn't be happening. How could one little moment ruin so many lives? It's so short and yet I know it will change everything.
It will define both of us, forever.
"Naruto!"
A/N On June 20, 2012, a gunman set off tear gas, grenades, and open fired on an audience inside a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. This fanfic is based on the true story of a couple who attended that night.
It really hurts my heart to think that someone could actually be evil enough to rip the lives away from so many innocent people, but it's also bitterly sweet that a young man would be willing to give his life for someone he loves. He embodied true, selfless love, something that few people understand anymore and I think his story deserves to be heard. It kind of makes me think, what moment defines my life? And is it one I'm proud of?
My heart goes out to all those who are still healing from this tragedy or any of the many other shootings which have occurred recently. You are all in my prayers.
I'm still working on my other fic as well as another one-shot. I was just suddenly inspired to write this. God bless you all.
