You love her.
The severity of the statement is so jarring that you can barely keep on your feet. You look at her as she works her magic to heal the wounds those years of war created. You look at her as her eyes dim with concentration. You look at her as she presses her lips into a thin line, with such courage, such strength enough to make you never want to look away.
You look at her…
…and you see her.
You see her…
…and you realize that you always have.
You remember when team seven joined the Chuunin Exam. You remember the sadness in her eyes, the slump of her shoulders and the frown on her lips. You saw her pain, her loss of confidence in herself and you helped her get through that. She thanked you and you saw her smile again. After that, you let her hold your hand as the three of you walked away… because you knew that it would make her happy.
When you woke up amidst a fight, the first thing you saw was her. She was bruised and bloodied. Her face, her arms, her legs were caked in blood and dirt. The first thing you realized was that she was hurt… and whoever did it had to pay. And so they did. You unleashed your power unto them, but it was never enough. You wanted their blood. You wanted them dead – they had hurt her.
…And then you heard her voice. And it was enough to bring you back.
This was not what she wanted, you told yourself. She wanted you to stop.
And so you did.
When she was unconscious with no way to defend herself, you gathered chakra to your feet to save her from falling. You wanted to stay with her, but you knew that to protect her, you have to fight. You fought for her… but you weren't really able to save her.
Someone else had saved her.
And she thanked you.
You remember the pain you felt when you told her that her gratitude was not meant for you.
And you remember the anguish gnawing your insides as she smiled… because you knew the smile was for somebody else.
You remember that dreaded night – the night you left everything dear to you. You had to be strong, you told yourself. You had to avenge your clan. Everybody else was a distraction – the feeling of not being able to be strong enough has always killed you. It killed you that night, too. When she told you she loved you… when she asked you to stay… when you realized that if only you were strong enough, you wouldn't have had to leave anyway.
But you cannot tell her this.
You cannot tell her anything.
Because if you do. If you did, she would have held on to something.
You didn't want that.
Because you have hurt her enough.
And so, you leave with a word of thanks, and wipe the tears from her eyes without her knowing it.
You remember the first time you saw each other in years. You remember the shock and the recognition in her eyes. She's changed, you realized. For the first time ever since you can remember, she looks at you…
…and she is not smiling.
You've seen it in her face the moment she walked into view in the Land of Iron. And in an instant, you feel betrayed. If she didn't love you anymore – if she hated you enough to want to kill you – then there was no turning back.
There was nothing in you worth saving.
When you landed on that battlefield, the first thing you heard was her voice. You looked at her and she looked at you. You said her name and you couldn't imagine why her name sounded so right coming from your mouth.
She fought with all her might. She fought alongside with you… and you won.
But did you, really?
Now that you don't have her anymore?
And then, sensing that you're looking at her, she looks at you.
She looks at you…
…and she sees you.
She sees you…
…and you realize what's written so clearly in her green, green, green eyes:
She loves you, too.
A/N: Naruto 631 was so beautiful I just had to.