There's a party here in Konoha
And this party's all for me
My childhood dream is with me now
I feel so strong and free
Kiba's face crumpled into a painful smile, broken at the edges, but Hinata didn't seem to notice and returned Kiba's smile with her own demure one. He'd always liked that smile- it was sweet, shy, kind and unimposing, all rolled into that slight curve of her lips. He would have told her if he could actually get his thoughts coherent enough. Told her how much he wanted to stay with her, how he didn't mind that her strength was still below his- because together, they were something to be reckoned with. But now, he was standing all by himself, unpaired and watching the only girl he'd ever liked talk, laugh and walk away with someone else.
Hinata watched with her white eyes, that she'd thought, over the years, were only for Naruto— but now she thought, that in fact, she hadn't caught onto that dull sheen of blue in Naruto's eyes, or how they resembled Sakura's. Over the years, she had matured and understood with these eyes, that she sometimes cursed, that her other team mate had feelings for her. Yes, Hinata did know Kiba held fond feelings for her, feelings that he still hadn't managed to kill (like her own for Naruto). Byakugan could pick up on body language as good as a wise man who had been observing people for over a decade.
But… the party was for her… and and… how could she stop all this by herself and trouble her father and everybody else by suddenly saying: "Oh wait… I think Naruto-Kun would be a lot happier with Sakura-San and the same for her…"
And Hinata would say that as well if she had the courage to match her shyness. After all, if you care about someone as much as she did about Naruto, she'd rather want him to be happy.
His happiness over my happiness always.
As clichéd as that line was, for every love struck kunoichi in the novels or their autobiographies wrote that, Hinata truly believed it, with all her heart.
Even if it would be a lonely kind of happiness.
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Author's note: Once again, a great big thanks to those who are reading. An extra thank you to those who review and add comments, you make a stressful and long day end with a nicer note.