"Hinata... Hinata... Hinata!" A rambunctious voice rang through the clearing and threatened the hearing sense of those around him. The Inuzaka managed to capture her attention -finally- and threw her a concerned look. "Hey, what's the big idea, Hinata?" The entire training session had only gone so far with the missing attentiveness the girl usually displayed. She had blanked out in the middle of a spar; he had to forcefully stop his fist before it collided with her pale face.
She blushed out of embarrassment. "Gomen, Kiba-kun, I'm just a little bit out of thought is all. Thank you for your concern."
He waved the thanks off. "Yeah, yeah, but why are you thinking so hard? Thinking about N-Naruto-kun?" He mocked her high voice and stutter, although a teasing grin played on his lips.
She hugged her knees to her chest, a pout hidden by her head bowed down.
"It seems, for once, you are right, Kiba." Shino observed.
"Aw, thanks Shino- wait, hey!"
Hinata shook her head. "You guys are right." She breathed a heavy sigh. "It is of him."
"Excuse me if my assumptions are incorrect, but you don't seem too happy about this Hinata." Shino sat with her teammates upon the ground, concern for his friend welling up inside, though only the teammates themselves could ever really tell what he felt.
"Ano," a word -habit- from her past that she has been desperately trying to remove showed its ugly face, "I don't want to think about him anymore."
Kiba did not understand one bit. "Wah? What does that even mean?"
She looked at the darkening sky. "I don't want to like Naruto-kun."
Kiba was about to yell, but was stopped by Shino's hand on his shoulder. "Sorry Hinata, but it would be logical if you continued to explain."
"It's been almost two years since I told Naruto-kun that I-I l-liked..."
"Held feelings for," Shino finished.
"Hai, that. It's been so long, it's hard to remember a time where I wasn't racing after him, always trying to catch up because all I wanted to do was walk beside him. That's all I ever wanted to do; however, he always had such bright horizons and I couldn't bring myself to slow him down. I would only slow him down."
Kiba slammed his fist upon the ground. "Bullshit! I won't take you talking shit about yourself like this Hinata-"
"Gomen Kiba, but I wasn't degrading myself. I was only trying to convey that I now believe I am reaching too far. He... he never gave me a reply to my confession after two years." Her foot slowly rubbed away at the grass. "I tried to go for something so far out of reach that I am teetering on the edge of a cliff." She let out a dry chuckle, making the hairs on the back of Kiba's neck stand. "I would never hold it against him if he never bothered to catch me. I don't expect him to or hold it to him. I... I told myself it's time to let go. I-I still love him, I'm not denying it and I cannot simply change my feelings at will, that would be a lie if I said otherwise. H-He only sees me as a friend, and I can live with that. When he finds someone he can love and who loves him in return... I find I am fine with that. I just want him to be happy, even if I'm not the one who does this. I can be happy if he's happy."
Shino let out a small almost soundless sigh. She was too selfless and kind for her own good. His bug friends buzzed with discomforted as Hinata began to cry.
"B-But... it really hurts. My unrequited love stings like a bad strike of a gentle fist that never stops racing through my entire being. Letting go hurts so bad -this happy ending I gave myself- it's eating me alive." A sob racked her chest and tears flew uncontrollably. "I-I'm letting go of someone that was never even with me in the first place. How pathetic is that? "
Kiba shook his head. "It's not pathetic. Don't be stupid. Anyways, we'll always be here for ya, right Shino?"
Shino nodded. "Did you even need to ask?"
Akamaru licked Hinata's leg and nuzzled against her. She let out a laugh through her tears. "Arigatou. So much."
Kiba growled quickly after. "I'll be right back. I'm going to go bash someone's head in."
Hinata quickly recovered. "N-No! Kiba, please don't. This isn't his fault. It's all on me and is my choice. I expect you to respect that, please, both of you. And I will also ask both of you not to treat Naruto-ku... Naruto-kun differently after today."
"Hinata, come on! One punch to his stupid head!"
"Kiba... Shino... please." She gave them soft gazes, but her resolve was firm. There was no arguing with her, but that did not mean they have to be happy with it. They nodded in response.
She shook her head. "Promise."
Kiba nodded. "I promise."
"I, too, promise. Unless the circumstances change and I will be forced to act."
"Shino," Hinata began to protest.
He shook his head. "That is I can give you Hinata."
She sighed but wiped her tears. "Hai. Arigatou." She stood up and dusted off her shorts. "Now, I do believe we were training?"
Shino nodded and Kiba whooped and hollered. "Damn right! I'll take you on bug boy!"
The glasses upon the bug boy's nose glittered dangerously. "Do not make promises you cannot uphold."
"Oh yeah? Gatsuga!"
Hinata smiled. It was true. She had them, her best friends. Friends. That's really all she needed (she felt greedy wanting more). Shino and Kiba were more than enough.
She plagued his thoughts when he least expected it, or slipped in his mind like a snake at times. He didn't mean to think about her, but he did and he couldn't do anything about it. Not that he thought it was necessarily a bad thing, but it got him thinking. (He ignored the memory of when Sasuke told him not to think to hard or he might hurt himself.) He couldn't complete this one sentence: Hinata is... nope, he can't. But why?
He knows she's strong, awesome, nice, makes really nice ointment, cooks, wants acknowledgment from her family (he doesn't even know if she got it) oh and he couldn't forget the fact that she confessed her love to him after almost dying and then waiting for his reply for two years. Yeah, he couldn't forget that.
But did he really know her? He couldn't say yes without lying. He couldn't possibly and that's because he doesn't know her. Does she really know him? Is she sure it's love? What if... what if it's not love?
This thought plagued him the most.
He thought about her constantly. Breaks in training, right after a meal, looking at the sky (particularly the moon), before meals, walking home, and drifting off to sleep... and walking right towards him with a grocery bag in her hand. She was holding a conversation with a salesman, laughing lightly and tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. He suddenly smirked.
He knew exactly what to do.
Hinata finished talking and spun around only to find herself blocked by a really really hard chest. She peered up at the smiling face, golden hair, and whiskers, cursing herself as her heart skipped a beat and promptly ran a marathon. "N-Naruto-kun?"
He grabbed her hands, mindful of her bag and peered in real close.
Hinata's eyes widened and she blinked twice. Nope, not dreaming. Was he... was he going to kiss her?
"Ne, Hinata?"
She didn't know where she managed to find words. "H-Hai, Naruto-kun?" Oh god, he smelled so nice. Maybe he was going to answer to her confession, or maybe ask her out, or maybe he was going to kiss her in front of all of these people. Though, she'll have to be mindful of her father and the Elders, but she's sure she can get them to approve and if not, they'll run away and have kids and-
"Let's be friends Hinata!"
Yeah, way to break a girl's heart. No, she should be happy. He wants to be friends, just friends and she'll comply and be there because he just looked so happy and hopeful that she couldn't break that. She wouldn't. "A-Ano... O-Okay, Naruto-kun." She blushed harder and let out a smile at his whooping of joy and denied the twinge in her heart. He was so happy. He was happy and she couldn't be selfish and greedy by taking that away. A part of her wasn't satisfied and she knew then that she was a horrible person. Maybe Kami knew this and let the most important person to her be close yet so far.
Naruto nodded eagerly. "Okay Hinata! Get ready for the best friend you'll have yet!"
And she didn't doubt it for one second.