-A Sakura x Hinata Story-
It had not been too long since Naruto came back from training with Jiraiya. Everyone was surprised about how much he had changed, both physically and mentally. But one thing stayed the same..Hinata still had a crush on him, or what was now love. Naruto was still somewhat oblivious to her feelings, but Hinata didn't mind.
"As long as I can be near him.." Was all she thought.
In the time that Naruto was gone, Sakura had given up on Sasuke. But surprisingly when Naruto came back, Sasuke was with him. Sakura, surprised, realized that those feelings of love were replaced with relief that he was back and she only felt a friendship between them. Sasuke had felt the same way so now him and Sakura were good close friends.
There was a slight breeze flowing throughout all of the Hidden Leaf Village that was almost too subtle too notice. It was autumn with red and maple colored leaves strewn about the streets of the village.
Hinata along with Naruto,Sasuke,Sakura, and Neji were on there way to Ichiraku Ramen with small chit chat amidst the group.
"Man I can't believe I have to treat everybody to ramen. Last time I take a bet from Naruto!" Neji complained.
Everyone had a laugh as they were a mere ten yards away from the entrance to the ramen shop. All this time Hinata was silently listening to the chatter among her friends gathering up her courage to confess to Naruto.
She started fidgeting with her fingers when she decided to just confess already.
"N-Naruto-kun.." Hinata quietly said.
"Huh?" Naruto turned around to Hinata and tilted his head with a smile, "What's up Hinata?"
The rest of the group went ahead and waited for them, Sakura a little behind the group just within earshot of Naruto and Hinata.
"U-uhm..I've been t-thinking and.." Hinata's face quickly turned red as she glanced at Naruto from under her deep blue-purple bangs. "Uhm..I-i love you..N-naruto-kun.."
The smile on Naruto's face turned into a somewhat twisted disgusted expression, his eye twinging with irritation.
"Heh..so what Hinata? You love me? You expect me to return your feelings?" Naruto's tone of voice was monotone for the most part but had a hint of a smug attitude, "Who would love a girl like you? You can't even hold your own in battle. And what's worse is that you barely even speak. You're dull in so many ways!" Naruto started snickering rather rudely. "Hahaha! Who would want to be with you?"
With all the words she had just heard, Hinata started clutched her chest and tears started streaming down her face, making her cheeks shine with salty stinging tears. Hinata could barely breathe, she bit her lower lip and started sniffling with a hint of whimpering that started to get louder.
Before Naruto could say another insulting word, Sakura had charged in with her fist clenched so tight her gloves tore a bit at the knuckles.
"You..BASTARD!" Sakura yelled as she hurled her fist at Naruto with such force that it sent him flying towards a nearby building, making him crash right into the pillar just inside. She walked up to him and grabbed him by the collar glaring at him with a face full of disgust and seething rage. "You watch what you say to her Naruto! How can you be so damn insensitive to her feelings! She's loved you ever since you two met! Next time I won't go so easy on you."
Sakura dropped Naruto onto the rubble and turned around to find Hinata gone, her headband on the ground with dark spots on the cloth from where her tears fell. Pained, Sakura picked up Hinata's headband and walked over to Sasuke,
put her hand on his shoulder and told him something that no one else was able to hear. A look of exhaustion and worry was spread across her face as she ran to go find Hinata.
Sasuke walked over to Naruto with a look he hadn't seen for a long time,annoyance.
With his arm draped over the handle of his sword, Sasuke picked Naruto up by the collar and sneered. "Oi baka, you got alotta nerve to say crap like that when we're around."
"Guh..Sasuke. Why do you take their side? I thought we were friends man..." Naruto choked.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he talked with more irritation in his voice,"We are. But don't expect me to tolerate shit like that. You insult Sakura's friends and you insult me. Watch your mouth little man.
You better hope Tsunade-sama isn't the one that treats your wounds because they'll just get worse if she finds out what you did."
Sasuke dragged Naruto towards the medical ward as Neji looked back at them with a quiet sigh,"..."
~On the outskirts of Konoha~
"Why..why did Naruto-kun say all those things? M-..maybe I am useless." Hinata sat down against a tree and buried her face into her arms which were propped up against her knees. "What do I do now? How can I face everyone after what they saw?..*Sigh* I wish Sakura-san was here.."
There was the sound of shoes brushing through the grass, Hinata so deep in thought looking out at the lake that lay before her she did not notice someone approaching.
"Hey are you alright?" Came a dreamy yet somewhat monotone voice.
Hinata turned to see Sai holding his sketchbook and his drawing implement, his other hand resting on her shoulder with a concerned look on his face.
"Oh Sai it's you. Y-yeah I'm fine.." Hinata sniffled as she wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "I just got my heart broken haha.." Hinata tried to cover up her pain with,clearly obvious, cheer. "Things..just didn't go the way I hoped it would.
And this person was not who I fell in love with.." Her eyelids drooped slightly with a sorrowful smile on her face, gulping with a bit of difficulty as she choked on that last sentence. "Maybe he's right..who would want to care for someone like me?
By the way Sai-kun what are you doing here?
Sai had sat down next to Hinata as he looked at her with worried eyes , frowning as he pat Hinata's head with slight gentleness, "Ah I usually come here in my free time to sketch. And Hinata-san if that were true..would she be here?"
Sai genuinely smiled and motioned to Sakura who was propping herself up on a nearby tree with one hand as her other was clenching Hinata's Konoha headband,gasping rather heavily. Hinata stared at her with an unbreaking vision, her face growing hot as she realized that Sai was right. Hinata gasped realizing she was blushing and hid her face in her arms again as Sakura smiled and nodded to Sai who took his leave on that note.
"Hinata-san don't believe what some blockhead says to you. You'd be pretty surprised at how wrong that statement can be proven." Sai got up and smiled,walking somewhat briskly towards Sakura.
"Sakura-san," Sai whispered as he passed her, "Take care of her. If someone can cause those wounds, there is surely someone who can heal them." Putting his hand on Sakura's shoulder he smiled and jumped off into another part of the village's outskirts.
"H-Hinata.." Sakura weakily said as she leaned her back against the tree,sliding down so she was right next to her,"You..forgot this.." Sakura smiled as she held out Hinata's headband,neatly folded. "I dont..want you wandering off like that again..Hah MAN did it take me a while to catch up to you." Sakura laughed as she breathed out again after wiping some sweat from her forehead.
"Sakura-san..how come you're sweating? It's rather cold isn't it?" Hinata frowned.
"Oi Hinata...is that a way to greet someone who made sure you got your headband back? Haha I'm just joking..I ran as fast as I could to find you. I didn't want to leave you all alone at this time." Sakura smiled as she still held her hand extended towards Hinata, still holding her headband.
Hinata blushed slightly having forgotten to take it from her hand, "Oh sorry Sakura-san!.." She took the headband back and had noticed Sakura's torn gloves as she rested it on her leg. "S-sakura-san! What happened to your gloves? Did something bad happen?" Hinata quickly took Sakura's hand in hers and cradled it gently,looking down at it with a frown.
"Ah you don't need to worry Hinata. Please don't get mad but I was listening to the whole conversation between you and Naruto. I got really pissed when I heard him say those terrible things to you so I decked him. Haha..I guess I was angrier than I thought haha..tore my gloves." Sakura said in a joking tone as she let Hinata cradle her hand in such a way that prompted her to speak again, "But you know Hinata.." Sakura said quietely as she took off her torn gloves, "What I did to Naruto, what he said to make me so angry at him,
what made me punch the living hell out of him was worth my time because I wanted to make sure that what he said to you.." Sakura scooted in front of Hinata and turned to face her, gently pressing her hand against Hinata's cheek, smiling warmly, "Was something that he'd regret.." Gently rubbing her thumb against Hinata's smooth cheek, Sakura placed her other hand up against Hinata's other cheek looking directly at her, making Hinata blush.
Hinata smiled and held Sakura's hands against her face as she thought to herself, "Sakura-san..you know when to be tough.." She gently squeezed Sakura's hands and closed her eyes, "But these hands are so gentle. Filled with warmth I never knew of."
Hinata opened her eyes to see Sakura gazing back at her, blushing with an embarrassed look on her face. Hinata was so taken aback by Sakura's beauty. Her soft and layered pink hair, her slim but attractive body, her beautiful jade-green eyes, and along with her beautiful smile..Hinata loved it all.
Hinata found herself feeling spellbound by Sakura's beauty as she gently let Sakura's hands down and placed her own hands around Sakura's face, bringing her closer as her index finger carressed Sakura's jawline.
Sakura began blushing like mad as her eyes never broke sight from Hinata's beautiful pale ones. She opened her lips to speak but Hinata gently pressed her index finger against her lips and smiled, leaning in closer until their faces were a mere half-inch apart.
"S-..sakura-chan.." Hinata muttered as she closed the distance between their lips,kissing Sakura rather lovingly as her fingers ran up the side of Sakura's face,running through the soft pink hair she loved so much rather thoroughly.
Sakura had tensed up when Hinata kissed her but made no attempt to break away from her, blushing as she wrapped her arms around Hinata's mid-section. "This feels..right" Sakura thought in her mind, slowly closing her eyes as she felt herself melt more and more into the kiss.
Suddenly Hinata broke away from Sakura, horror broke across her face as she hunched over and leaned heavily against Sakura, a kunai dug into her back. Sakura's eyes widened with more horror as she saw the bloody kunai in Hinata's back, somehow digging deeper into her back as Sakura cried out, 'HINATTAAAAAAA!"
Sakura's scream echoed throughout the village, alerting nearby shinobi who ran to the source of the cry.
The assailant jumped up into a distant tree from the bush from which he was hiding and gritted his teeth, "Tch.." He scoffed as he jumped off into nearby darkness.