Sakura's lips appeared pinker than Hinata last remembered. The feeling it brought quickly disappeared, and she wondered if the thought was actually true. Then that thought was gone, and she wasn't sure what she had been thinking about. What she did know was that she was sitting on her bed with Sakura—or was it Sakura's bed?

It didn't matter. The girl she was infatuated with—no, loved—no, that didn't matter, either. Whatever it was called, all that mattered was that she brought a feeling to Hinata's chest. A painful but intoxicating heat choked her heart, made her gulp, and tried to pull her to Sakura. But, it was more than that, too. She didn't want to just touch Sakura. It was like she wanted to share something very special with her. To think she wanted to become one with the other girl seemed weird, but it was something like that.

"Hinata?" Sakura asked. She brushed some pink bangs out of her face, then rested her hands at either side of her and grasped the comforter. Her head was tilted a little down, and her eyes were glancing up at Hinata. Sakura leaned closer to her, but despite every urge, Hinata couldn't budge. Sakura's cheeks grew red, and she barely managed the words, "I said you can kiss me, if you want. I don't mind."

Nothing would have pleased her more, if it were true. Her father was oddly supportive, and she didn't know what she would have done otherwise, but something still felt wrong. She couldn't quite understand what it was, so she rationalized the only way she could. If she kissed Sakura right now, would she never know the touch of a boy? Was that something she wanted? Would that be the worst thing? Was there going back or had she already lost?

Her vision became hazy, or maybe she was only now noticing. A strange, sinking feeling, like her heart was falling out of her upside down, overcame her, and she sat up.

Hinata, for a long while, wasn't sure if the dream had happened or not. It didn't seem to matter, either, until she remembered she hadn't seen Sakura since she confessed days ago. No, it was almost a week now. The realization brought back a numbing sensation that made Hinata want to fall down, but she got up, and got dressed without thinking, almost unaware, and instantly forgetting the process. The thoughts she did have no longer felt like her own. Would she ever see Sakura again? Did she even really want to? If she could ignore it all, life would be easy. That's what she wanted, she thought, as she sat down to eat breakfast with her father and sister.

"What's wrong with you?" Hanabi asked. She had that detached expression and lifted a cup of water to her lips, all the while watching Hinata. Eyes—Hinata had grown more aware of them lately—added a certain pressure to her.

Why was everyone asking her if something was wrong? Kiba had asked, too, and when Hinata had denied it, Shino had pointlessly pointed out that they were teammates. Hinata assured them that if there was a problem she'd take care of it soon.

Hinata glanced away from her sister. "Nothing's wrong," she said.

"Oh? Then you are just getting worst?" Hanabi asked. Those eyes never left Hinata. If they blinked, it was when Hinata had herself or whenever she glanced away.

"M-maybe you are just getting stronger, H-Hanabi."

"I am. Everyday. But I'm not a fool, sister, and I don't think you are, either. You're sloppy."

Hinata wouldn't look her sister in the eyes. There was no place to hide. Yet, others were able to keep secrets from Hinata. Was that why she was so weak? Why she didn't feel like a true Hyuuga?

"Is it because you're gay?"

Hinata felt air fill her lungs so quickly she thought she was going to choke. A chill filled her body, and a desire to leave the world shook her.

"Hanabi!" her father said.

"Father?"

"Drop it. And don't ever speak of it again."

"Yes, father."

Tears welled up in Hinata's eyes. Her father met them, and she turned away.

"Unless Hinata wants to, that is," he said.

Hinata felt a smile tug at her heart, but she couldn't be certain that it reached the surface. He'd know, though.

"Hinata. Look at me," her father said. She complied. His eyes had that softness in them again. "You need to talk to her, or you may regret it all your life."

Hinata glanced at Hanabi who looked down at her food and continued to eat. She looked back to her father and said, "I'm scared. I-I don't really know what...any of this means. I'm scared she won't accept me."

"It does not have to mean anything, Hinata. For you, this is normal. You might have to be careful outside, and some aspects of your life might be difficult, but there is no reason why it has to personally affect you negatively," her father said. "As for your friend, I, you, or anyone for that matter, cannot know what will happen, but you should not ignore it. You have to decide if you can still be friends or not."

"Friends," Hinata said.

"It is highly unlikely that you will ever be anything more, and you'll probably have to accept that," her father said. Hinata felt her cheeks heat up at the acknowledgment that she wanted something romantic from Sakura, but then the true meaning of her father's words sank in, and she looked down.

"If you'll excuse me," she said. Her father nodded, and she got up.

"Good luck, sis," Hanabi said without lifting her eyes from her plate.


Hinata knocked on the door. As it started to open, she felt her breathing stop. She took in a breath as she saw it was Sakura's mother.

"Oh, hi Hinata. Come in. Sakura's in her room," she said.

"T-thank you, Haruno-san," Hinata said. She waited a moment after Mebuki stepped aside, then, against every attempt to try and not, she held her breath before entering the house.

The walk through the house was grueling. Hinata had never felt fear like it. That's not to say she had never been deathly afraid, but this feeling was different. Like so many other times she'd been scared, every step made her want to turn back. But there was a large change coming in her life. When she confessed before, it could have just been a fluke, and she wasn't sure she was ready to accept this part of herself. Maybe she didn't have to. Maybe she still liked boys and could just ignore this part of her. She should just do this another day, right? A day after she had figured it out. But could she figure it out on her own? It was the desire to overcome her own weakness and to find some type of truth within herself that pushed her forward.

She stood in front of Sakura's door for a long time, reciting every detail of what she wanted to say—which she had gone over on her walk there. A knock, a door opening, and the site of Sakura's face made every thought vanish. Hinata stared at the girl making her heart race—making her feel like she was choking on air. Sakura stared back. Why wouldn't she say anything? It was unlike her.

"S-Sakura. Ha-hi," Hinata said. She brought a hand to her chest and clenched the cloth over it. Her friend's stare shifted into a small smile.

"Hi, Hinata," Sakura said. Her voice seemed distant compared to what Hinata remembered. She worried if Sakura would have preferred if Hinata never showed her face to her again. "Come in." The words were like a memory Hinata had been chasing.

Hinata stepped forward, the whole while unable to unlock her eyes from Sakura. She didn't initially realize how conflicting, and perhaps strange, that actually was. Why couldn't she look away like she always did? She gulped and stumbled forward. Sakura caught her, and as Hinata felt Sakura's arms around her she felt warm all over. She looked up into Sakura's pretty green eyes, and knew.

"It's okay, Hinata," Sakura said. She offered another small smile but it was the sadness and love in Sakura's eyes that captivated her and made her wish she had the nerve to hug Sakura. The warmth in her chest twisted as she stood up straight, and Sakura let her go. Sakura shut the door.

Hinata stood quiet, then she glanced at Sakura's bed. Her mind wandered, and her pulse picked up. She looked away from it, but there was only Sakura to turn to. There was no other choice. "Y-you...you don't think I'm w-weird?"

"I...did," Sakura said. "I tried to convince myself that it was all just a misunderstanding. I resolved to ignore it all, and to go see you, make nothing of it—as if to prove that. But I decided that wasn't right. That if you felt that way—or at least thought you did—well, I wasn't really sure what to do. So I did nothing. And here you are." Sakura tilted her head, glancing away. "You—love me?"

"I-I don't know," Hinata said. "I mean, I think I love you as a friend, no matter what. B-but that's not really the eh-issue."

Sakura looked Hinata in the eyes out of the corner of her own. "You think I'm pretty? Like, you want to kiss me?"

"Yes," Hinata whispered. "But I'm not really sure what to make of it."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"What you said to me before. About being friends. No one had ever said anything like that to me," Hinata said. She loosely covered her mouth with her hand and glanced to the side. "I started to actively care about how you thought of me—without even realizing it. Then my father said something to me, and it clicked. I started noticing things about you. Things that I liked. Physically. Nothing specific, at first. Just that I wanted to be near you. But I'm not really sure what any of it means."

"It sounds to me like you do know," Sakura said. She stepped towards Hinata.

"S-Sakura?"

"It must be hard," her heart's desire said. She took another step forward and embraced Hinata.

Hinata's arms dangled by her sides as she tried to comprehend what was going on. The warmth, softness, and scent that was Haruno Sakura filled her with what she was only willing to call love. It didn't matter why Sakura had done it. All she knew was that she wanted to be held by her, so she accepted everything that was, relaxed, and rested herself in Sakura's arms as she brought hers around Sakura. "It has been," she whispered into Sakura's ear.

"I'm sorry."

"Wha-why?"

"I shouldn't of ran away. I should have been there for you. I didn't want to cause you any pain, but really, I just didn't want to deal with it."

"S-Sakura. I love you, Sakura. I don't care if it hurts. I just want to be near you."

Sakura began to move away, creating a vortex between the two. Or maybe Hinata just didn't want to let go. Sakura drooped her head, and she glanced up at Hinata, blushing. "I don't know if I can ever feel that way about you."

"I know." Hinata's attention shifted between Sakura's loving green eyes and her soft pink lips. Before she knew what was happening, those lips were on hers.