A/N: Damn you, Renalin.
He was always the strongest, the one that all the others wanted to emulate. He was always top of his class, even when he was young, and revered as brother of one of the best ninjas Konoha had ever known. He was always the first to be asked, and always the first to answer questions in class. He was a protégé in a sense, bound to be among th stars one day
She was always the shy, quiet girl, the one that stood in the shadows and watched nervously as the other children played kickball during recess. The one who was afraid of being called on in class, for fear that she would faint at having to speak aloud. Others never thought she would amount to much, despite her proud lineage. She was too weak, too shy to make a good ninja.
And yet the two were inevitably drawn towards one another, the boy with the red eyes of the Sharingan, and the girl, heir to the prestigious Byakugan. In certain ways, they were a perfect match. She would never compete for strength, as he was far stronger than she was, and she in return would never have to amount to as much as she would need to otherwise.
Yes, it seemed the two were perfect. Perfect match, perfect pairing, perfect in every way. Yet for years he didn't see it. He ignored her, didn't even know she existed. Hinata herself sat in the shadows, hoping the day would come when they would be together. Eventually they grew to be friends, through slow trial and tribulations. Eventually they were more than that, yet only she realized they were in love.
He didn't realize it until the day that she died. He broke down when he saw her small, lifeless body, seemingly so helpless. It was too late when he finally realized how important she was. He didn't go to her funeral- he never could stand to let others see him cry. Instead, he sat alone in his apartment, wallowing in his sorrow.
When they found him the next morning, he lay there with his eyes staring up at the ceiling, unseeing. Dead from shock. He would finally see her again…now under the realization of how much she meant to him. There would be two funerals that week.
At the ceremony, two birds were seen, flying together in prefect harmony. Curiously, each bird had one red and one black eye. The doubting pair together at last.