Author's Note: First off, let me say that I'm sorry that this update was so late compared to the others. There's a reason for that.
I now work in the mornings 5 days a week from 7:30 to 4. That time in the morning was my writing time, because I could be alone with my thoughts without my family around to distract me. Don't get me wrong, they're awesome, but blaring the TV while I'm writing isn't the best environment. But now that I work in the mornings except for weekends, I don't have that time anymore, and the last thing I want to do when I get home is write for several hours straight. I have to keep up my out-of-internet social life alive, you know.
That doesn't necessarily mean that the updates will be further and further spread apart now. It just means that I have to work out a new schedule. What'll probably do is power-write on the weekends when I have more free time, and only write as much as I feel like during the week. Still, expect the updates to not be as timely.
Now that that's out of the way, I'd like to thank the 5 (seriously, only 5) people who answered my poll about the music links. I know all of you have an opinion, but if you don't tell me that opinion, I can't make a very accurate decision. I'll keep the poll open for a few more days if you simply didn't know it was there, but do be aware that I will most likely plan on keeping the music links, albeit with much less. Looking back through the chapters I realize there were some instances where they got incredibly intrusive, so they will now only occur whenever I really feel the writing can be augmented through the music, or during a battle to help set the stage.
Technically this is supposed to be Chapter 13 since the last chapter was just an omake, but borderline OCD kicked in, and I had to put it as Chapter 14 to make it match when you're selecting chapters. It's not that big of a deal, so I'm not expecting any grief for it.
Thanks again for your continued support, and I hope you enjoy Chapter 14!
-Chapter 14: Naruto's Decision-
Dawn.
The nighttime had passed, and sun was just barely peeking over the horizon, not yet above the tree line. Rays of light shone through the leaves, heralding its ascent into the heavens. The lamps that dotted the corners and streets of the village slowly let their warm glow flit away into nothingness, waiting until the setting of the sun to fulfill their purpose once more. They almost seemed reluctant to let the day prevail, as the night that had come before it had been wonderful. The crisp air had drifted gently through the twists and turns of the village's streets, cooling the buildings it touched, and by extension, their residents. Yes, ask almost everyone in the village how they had slept last night, and they would tell you it was nothing short of heaven.
Almost everyone.
Once again, Naruto Uzumaki was unable to claim his own share of the slumber that had permeated throughout the rest of the village, but it wasn't because of his nightmares. No, Kakashi's gift to him would have certainly prevented such a thing from happening, at least until it ran out, so why was it that Naruto was so exhausted this beautiful morning.
Simply put, it was because he wasn't even home.
The front door swung open, and Naruto shuffled into his apartment, eyes glazed over with exhaustion. Behind him trudged several shadow clones, looking in no better of a condition. The blonde would have dispersed them by now, but was afraid the accumulated exertion would cause him to pass out wherever he happened to be. And so he waited until he was safely back in his own home to return the number of Narutos back to one. Not a second after he did so, he slumped onto the couch, fast asleep. He had neglected to use some of Kakashi's sleeping agent, but it didn't matter. Not even the Kyūbi's influence could wake him from this sleep. But questions remain: why on earth would Naruto stay up all night, and why did he have clones with him, looking just as tired as the original?
He had been planning. Scheming. Putting that infamous prankster mindset to work. His cunning would be repurposed for this particular day, but his skills were necessary nonetheless. There was something he had to be sure of, and being Naruto he figured he might as well have some fun with it. He would need the clones back later today to help enact his plan, but a short nap to regain his energy was the priority.
Falling into such a coma-like state alleviated Naruto from the horrible nightmares he had been suffering through for what was now close to a month, and his dreams had instead shifted over to what was now the dominant thought in his mind.
Hinata and Sakura. Sakura and Hinata. Two women who had now become the most important people of the opposite gender in his life. Granted he wasn't even that close to Hinata, showing just how unfamiliar with the other sex he was. Even after his talk with Iruka, the blonde found himself unable to truly comprehend his situation. He had cared for Sakura in that way for so long that he almost felt ashamed that those feelings were slowly shifting to the Hyūga princess. It wasn't necessarily his fault; growing up without family, and any friends for a great deal of it tended to stunt your emotional growth. Naruto had managed up until now, having to learn the hardest way of all what was right when dealing with people, and what was wrong. But these new, romantic feelings that he was unsure if he felt them for two separate women were horribly frustrating.
In his dreams, he would be confronted of these feelings by the two of them. He was completely lost on how to handle them, and could only watch as the two women slipped away, leaving him alone once more. In a way it was almost worse than his nightmares, as it least he knew why those were happening.
A groggy eye appeared from behind its lid, lazily taking in its surroundings. Upon seeing a brighter light bursting through his window, Naruto let out a single groan before sitting himself up, albeit with great difficulty.
Why was this happening to him? He was sure he liked Hinata now, but does that mean he stopped liking Sakura? Was Iruka's advice right?
"If you love two girls, choose the second one. Because if you truly loved the first, you wouldn't have fallen for the second in the first place."
It made a good deal of sense. Why would he have these feelings for Hinata in the first place if he truly cared for and loved Sakura? But that only served to make him even more unsure. If he had never truly loved Sakura in the first place, how was he supposed to know if what he felt with Hinata wasn't the same thing? What if this was just another passing phase, and Naruto didn't truly care for the Hyūga the way he thought he did?
If there's one thing that Naruto Uzumaki does not like being, it's unsure. He dunked his head under some cold water to wake him up, quickly heated up a cup of ramen for breakfast, and headed out the door. It was time for answers, and Sakura and Hinata would both need to be dealt with today.
Biting onto the lid of his breakfast, he used his now-free hands to weave the hand signs for his signature jutsu. Several clones appeared around him in a puff of smoke, greeting the original far too enthusiastically for his taste.
"Good morning, boss!" One clone shouted. "Whaddya need!"
The original Naruto didn't even acknowledge the greeting, and had already headed down the stairs, his clones hurrying to catch up.
"It's time we put our plan into action," the original Naruto explained. "Like we discussed and planned last night, you guys will be handling Hinata all day until I'm ready. Remember, you can't let her see you, or this whole plan goes to shit."
The clones nodded brightly, exclaiming a chorus of 'You got it!' and 'Right!'
"In the meantime, I'll find Sakura-chan and talk to her," Naruto continued, throwing his now-empty ramen cup into a trash bin nearby. "Once I'm done, I'll be heading your way to talk to Hinata, so your clones need to be finished with what I asked by that time."
Another clone snorted. "Yeah yeah, we'll be ready when you are. We're you after all, ya know!"
Naruto grunted in response, and when nothing else was said for about a minute, the clones took it as their hint to take their leave and begin the original Naruto's plan. They raced off to find Hinata, leaping to the rooftops to better survey their surroundings.
And in the meantime, the original Naruto Uzumaki lumbered towards the hospital, in search of his pink-haired friend.
"Th-thank you for coming, everyone." Hinata said softly, giving her guests a small bow.
The 'everyone' she was referring to was the rest of the Konoha 11, minus Naruto, seated in various places around one of the training grounds the lay scattered around the village's vicinity. Neji had helped his cousin collect everyone, as even though some of them hadn't been too keen on coming, the urgency in Hinata's voice and in Neji's eyes convinced them otherwise. Besides Tenten, none of them knew why they had been called together, and since Hinata was now here, they were starting to get a little nervous.
"No problem, Hinata. It sounded important, after all." Kiba answered, running a hand through his hair.
Lee nodded enthusiastically. "Of course, Hinata-san! As your friends, it is our duty to-"
"You can stop pandering to me; I know what's going on."
The bitter tone in Hinata's voice instantly shut everyone up. Even though Neji hadn't moved, subtle twinges in at the corner of his mouth betrayed his true feelings. He still felt horrible about his part in the scheme, and was feeling anxious for the others.
"I had been suspecting something was wrong for some time now," Hinata continued, "but it wasn't until I confronted Neji-neesan about it that he told me what he and you all have done."
The others hung their heads in shame, or averted their eyes. What had seemed like fun and innocent felt cruel and under-handed when you saw who it was you were messing with. Hinata's gaze glided over them, trying to find anyone who would look her in the eye, but no one did. She sighed. This was not how she wanted this to go. Yes, she was upset with them, but she wasn't immature enough to not consider their reasons. They had only intended something good, and had merely taken a route to that goal that Hinata hadn't been entirely accepting of.
When no one spoke for several minutes, Hinata tried a different approach.
"I understand that Sakura-san was the one who first influenced you to help her. Do any of you know where she is?"
A few of them shuffled their feet awkwardly. They clearly knew where she was, but were afraid that Hinata might seek out vengeance or something else drastic. The silence was torture to the Hyūga, and soon she could no longer stand it.
"Please everyone, I am n-not a child! I am upset with what you have done, but that does not mean I do not understand why. I only ask where Sakura-san is out of curiosity." Hinata exclaimed, almost pleading with them. They had to understand that she was not a child, and could handle what they really thought and felt about the situation. It is what friends do, after all.
Finally, Shino cleared his throat.
"Sakura-san has been busy at the hospital all morning. Neji-san and I urged her to accept your invitation, but she politely declined as she was too busy."
"Thank you, Shino-kun." Hinata said. The Aburame merely nodded in response, but having been his teammate for so long, Hinata could easily feel the apologetic and regretful undertones in his voice and body language.
"I understand why you agreed to help Sakura-san with this, I really do. You were only trying to accomplish something I was unfortunately too meek to do myself." Her tone was sad, and as an unintended response, made the others feel even worse.
"And while I felt upset at first, betrayed even, I can accept your good intentions. In a way, I am happy that you all wish for me to be with Naruto-kun." She offered them a small smile to give them a sign of peace, hiding her true feelings.
In truth, Hinata was by no means happy. She knew she should be, as their reasons for their actions were valid. Everyone supporting the idea of her and Naruto becoming a couple was wonderful as an idea, but just the way they went about that felt wrong, fake. Hinata could be a hopeless romantic at times, and the idea that a once unrequited love becoming returned only through the interference of others was about as poetic as Kiba's toilet jokes.
But alas, Hinata was too kind and polite a person to show how upset she really was, not wanting to worry them. So she decided to simply mask her true feelings, wanting to put this mess behind her as quickly as possible.
"Are you…really ok with this?" Ino asked hesitantly, still a little wary.
Hinata smiled gently. "O-of course, Ino-san. I wouldn't let something like this get in the way of being friends."
Ino squealed with delight, getting up from her seat to give the Hyūga a rib-crushing hug.
"Oh, I'm so glad you're okay with this! I've been just dying to get all the juicy details from you, and now I finally have my chance."
"Eh? W-what?" Hinata squeaked, surprised by the Yamanaka's instant change in mood.
"Oh, don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about! Tell me what it's like! You two are practically dating now, so you have to have some idea of what Naruto would be like as a boyfriend, don't you?"
Hinata began twiddling her fingers. She was a little embarrassed to explain, but even Kiba seemed slightly interested, his ears perking up showing that he was paying attention. It was most likely some macho thing he had with his 'rival', and Hinata inwardly rolled her eyes at the thought of Kiba acting like a gentleman so as not to lose to the Uzumaki.
"He's…amazing!" Hinata finally squealed out, the mood overtaking her more withdrawn nature. "He's sweet, attentive, and he treats me like a princess…"
Without even realizing it, Hinata began talking for close to 15 minutes, going on and on about how wonderful it was to be closer to Naruto. She was excited to think about what he'd be like as a boyfriend, since he was already this chivalrous as just a friend. Every now and again the girls would sigh dreamily, wishing they could be swept away like that, while the guys present merely grunted or rolled their eyes in annoyance and the slightest hint of jealousy. Who knew all you had to be the biggest chick magnet in the village was risk your life against one of the most dangerous shinobi of all time?
Eventually, Shikamaru realized how much time had passed, and seeing as how the original reason they had gathered had been settled, he decided it was about time to leave. With a brief wave, he got to his feet and disappeared through the trees, making his way back to the village. The other males present saw that as their only opportunity to get away as well, and soon only Tenten and Ino remained, so caught up in Hinata's gushing that they didn't even notice them leave.
"…And he never makes fun of me, unless he calls me Hinata-hime, but that's more like a nickname. Anyway, he also-" Hinata blinked several times, finally coming to the realization of how long she had been talking. A dark blush spread across her cheeks as she returned to her normal, shy self.
"Oh, I'm s-sorry for talking so long. I just got a l-little carried away…"
Tenten giggled. "Oh, don't worry about it! I thought it was kind of cute, really. Don't you think so, Ino?"
Ino hadn't heard her friend's question, having completely been drawn up in her own romantic fantasies once again. It wasn't until Tenten began snapping her fingers right in front of her face did Ino realize how mesmerized she had been. She gave the two an awkward smile, and rubbed her head much like Naruto would in the same situation.
"Well, seeing as how the guys ditched us, how about we go get us something to eat?" Tenten asked as she casually twirled a kunai in her hand.
Hinata smiled. That sounded rather nice, actually. "I would love to, Tenten-san. Ino-san, are you coming with us?"
Ino stuck her tongue out playfully. "Duh! Of course I would!"
Having somewhere to go, the three girls left the training ground as well, returning the area to peaceful silence once more.
At this time of day, the streets of the village were all hustle and bustle, more so since reconstruction was finally coming to a close. People everywhere were excited to put the finishing touches on their homes, and were rushing here and there to pick up the last amounts of supplies they needed for their projects. The summer heat had begun to fade away, and the three companions could feel the hint of autumn that was heading their way.
Hinata had in particular been drinking in the lovely atmosphere of the village, and wasn't exactly watching where she was going. Someone roughly slammed into her, sending her to the dirt.
"Watch where you're going, girl!" The stranger barked, brushing himself off.
Hinata's first instinct, naturally, was the beat the ever-loving shit out of him for being so rude. He was a greasy, foul looking man, covered head to toe with grime. He stared at her with surprisingly piercing blue eyes, sneering at her. Hinata pushed back her more violent thoughts, dusted herself off, and rose to her feet.
"I am sorry, sir. I w-wasn't paying attention to where I was going." She said calmly, giving the man a small bow.
The stranger spat on the ground, directly in front of Hinata's feet. "Whatever." He said simply, before trudging on his way, not even acknowledging the other two women around.
"That asshole!" Ino shrieked when he had turned the corner. "Hinata, how could you let him just get away with that? He was so rude to you!"
Hinata gave her friend a small smile. "Ino-san, it was nothing to worry about. I really wasn't watching where I was going, and it is better to simply apologize and put the incident behind you than make an enemy."
Tenten cracked her knuckles. "I don't know how you resisted the urge to clobber that scumbag, If it had been me, he would have been on his way to the hospital right now!"
The Hyūga stifled a laugh at the look in Tenten's eyes, one usually reserved for when Lee or Neji did something stupid. She motioned for them to continue on their way, and soon the three girls had all but forgotten about the man.
A large group of people were heading in their direction, carrying a number of boxes with them. When they had gotten close enough to see, Hinata took a quick peek inside. She couldn't make out the specifics, but they seemed to be decorations of some sort, and it clicked within Hinata's mind what they were for.
"Ahh, yes. The festival is s-soon, right?"
Tenten's and Ino's faces lit up when they realized what had been in the box. "You're right That's coming up pretty soon, isn't it?" Ino asked, watching as the group of people hurried through the streets to some unknown destination.
Tenten nodded. "Yeah, it should be within the next few days. It's exciting, isn't it? The village will be completely rebuilt and we can finally stop working our butts off every day."
Ino sighed appreciatively. "I know what you mean. All that construction was murder on my manicure!" she exclaimed, admiring her nails as she spoke. Tenten, the more tomboyish of them, merely rolled her eyes. Suddenly, a mischievous glint appeared in her eyes.
"Soo…I hear the festival is one of the most romantic times of the year! You think the boys will ask us to accompany them?"
Hinata lowered her head, blushing slightly. That had been on her mind sporadically ever since she knew about the festival's coming arrival. But it was actually Ino who spoke first.
"It is, isn't it! And guess what…I have a date!" she squealed, earning a number of strange looks from passerby.
The other two girls' jaws dropped at Ino's reveal, before they began bombarding her questions.
"Well, who is it!" Tenten hissed. "Who asked you?"
For a moment, Ino's more outgoing air disappeared, replaced with a quiet joy that Hinata knew all too well. There was only one person who could change her personality like that.
"Ino-san…did Chōji-kun ask you to the festival?" she asked almost innocently, smiling as her blonde friend began sputtering in surprise.
"H-how did you know?" she demanded, inwardly cursing herself for being so obvious.
Hinata smirked. It wasn't usually in her nature, but teasing people really could be fun.
"You only act like that when Chōji-kun is involved. Did he ask you to the festival?"
Ino said nothing, but after a few brief seconds of fiddling with her hair, she nodded shyly. Hinata smiled warmly, pulling her friend into a small hug.
"That's wonderful news, Ino-san! When did he ask you?" Hinata asked excitedly, genuinely happy for the girl.
"Just a few days ago!" Ino answered, looking overjoyed as the memories played themselves out once more again in her head. "He just showed up at my house out of the blue, with flowers and everything! It was…magical." She sighed again, lost in her fantasies. Hinata laughed softly at her friend's happiness.
"You have no idea how lucky you are, Ino." Tenten responded more bluntly. "I've been trying to get Neji to stop dragging his feet forever now. Why is your cousin such a wet sandwich sometimes?"
Despite the odd wording, Hinata knew what Tenten meant. "He can be a little stuffy sometimes, Tenten-san. But I'm sure that if he cares for you, he will ask eventually."
"He better. If I have to wait any longer, I might just have to find a way to…speed up the process." She was once again twirling a kunai as she spoke, and Hinata couldn't help but say a little prayer asking for Neji to come to his senses before the weapons specialist made good on her threat.
Ino's voice brought her out of her thoughts. "So…you think Naruto is gonna ask you to the festival?"
Hinata's heart leaped at the idea. She had played the scenario out in her head many, many times. He would come up to her, maybe with some flowers or something corny (just like Naruto), and act incredibly nervous. Hinata would innocently ask him what he needed, and he would finally fess up his feelings for her. He would offer her the flowers, and formally ask her to be his date to the festival, which she would readily accept. It would be a dream come true.
"I…h-hope that he does…" Hinata finally answered, bringing both of her hands close to her chest. She and Naruto had certainly become closer, but there was always the possibility that he would not ask her, an idea that terrified the girl. Tenten picked up on this, and gave her friend a gentle pat on the back.
"Hinata, you have absolutely nothing to worry about. I am 100% percent sure that Naruto will ask you to the festival."
The Hyūga rose her head to meet her friends' eyes. "You…r-really think so."
This time it was Ino who spoke. "We know so," she said firmly, giving Hinata a bright smile. "I've seen the way Naruto looks at you. He'd be stupid not to ask you!"
Hinata smiled inwardly. If her friends were this confident, it certainly wouldn't hurt for her to be as well. Her mood lightened, they continued the trek through the village, close to their destination. Ino had suggested a small restaurant a while ago, and while Hinata hadn't ever eaten there, the vivid description of the food there made Hinata's mouth water.
Just before they turned their last corner, Hinata spotted something out of the corner of her eye. Across the street from them stood an old woman. She looked extremely frail for her age, and was currently attempting to carry a large amount of bags and packages. The poor woman wasn't faring well, always dropping something whenever she picked another item up. Dozens of people simply walked right past her, and Hinata felt pity for the elderly woman. She immediately marched up to the woman, giving her a warm smile.
"H-hello, Obāsan. Would you like some help with those?" she asked.
The woman raised her head, and Hinata felt a wonderful warmth grow within her heart. The elderly lady looked so relieved, so happy someone had finally come along to help her.
"Thank you so much, Onēsan! I've been trying to get these things down the road for almost a half hour now, but I'm afraid my back isn't what it used to be."
Hinata motioned for Tenten and Ino to join her, who despite looking impatient and ready to eat, helped Hinata pick up the majority of the woman's things.
"Where do you need these to go?" Hinata asked from behind a towering pillar of packages.
"Just a little ways down the street." The woman responded. "My husband is at a store nearby, and he can help me take these home once he's finished." She scurried off in that direction, now much spryer for her age than Hinata originally anticipated. It was only a few short minutes before they had arrived at their destination, a small grocery store.
"Are you sure you don't want us to help you take these things home?" Hinata asked, feeling like she would be abandoning the old woman. But she shook her head.
"Please, don't trouble yourself any further. My husband will be along in time. Thank you so much for your help, Onēsan. So kind and generous…and such a beauty! My, any man would be lucky to have you."
Hinata blushed underneath the praise, but could see the sincerity in the woman's words through her striking blue eyes. They hinted at a vitality much more lively than the woman let on.
"Th-thank you, Obāsan…but there is only one man who I could ever give my heart to."
The woman smiled. "I'm sure he he'll come around eventually. Thank you once more for your help. You make an old woman very happy."
Hinata bowed in farewell, before rejoining her friends. Now thoroughly hungry, they nearly raced back to the restaurant, eager to enjoy an early lunch.
The placed was already packed wall-to-wall, but thankfully they were still able to find an open booth. They enjoyed a pleasant enough lunch, despite the fact that they were served by what was most likely the most incompetent waiter of all time. He spilled their drinks twice, switched their orders with another tables, and brought them one dessert when they had ordered three. Hinata was the only one to remain patient with him, always assuming that it was his first day, or something out of his control was affecting his work. Ino and Tenten preferred the idea that he was just an idiot, but Hinata insisted they shouldn't assume.
After he added their checks wrong for the third time, the girls were finally able to escape from his ineptitude, making a break for the door. Hinata was about halfway there when someone from behind her cleared their throat, wanting her attention. She turned around to find their waiter standing in front of her, looking very nervous.
"I'm so sorry about today…" he muttered, keeping his head down. "I j-just wanted to thank you for being so patient with me…"
Hinata couldn't help but feel sorry for the boy. He obviously felt as if he had ruined their day, and she empathized with him.
"Please, don't worry about it," she told him. "I'm sure you did the best you could."
The boy raised his head to meet her eyes, and Hinata couldn't help but admire him. He had short cropped, brown hair and a very angular jawline. Normally, the boy wouldn't have stood out that much, but he had these vibrant blue eyes, filled with joy and livelihood.
'They remind me of Naruto-kun's…' Hinata contemplated to herself as she bowed in farewell to the boy, heading outside to rejoin her friends. The boy had said nothing, instead only bowing in return. But there was this look in his eyes…something strange that Hinata couldn't pin down. She decided to shrug it off; no point in worrying about something like that.
"So…what do we want to do now?" Tenten asked, stretching her arms as they wandered aimlessly through the streets.
Ino shrugged. "That's actually about it for me. My dad needs my help later today, so I need to get going."
Tenten pouted for a brief moment, before nodding her head. "What about you, Hinata?"
It would have been nice to spend the rest of the day enjoying it with friends, but Hinata had some unfinished business to take care of.
"I'm sorry, Tenten-san…but I need to go find Sakura-san and talk to her."
The weapons specialist's face darkened somewhat. "I figured you would eventually. Don't be too mad at her, okay? She really was only trying to help."
"I told you, Tenten-san, I'm not mad anymore. I j-just need to talk with her about this."
For a minute Tenten looked anything but convinced, but Hinata wasn't the kind of person who would hold a grudge, so her gaze softened.
"Alright then. Just…don't say anything you'll regret, okay?"
"Don't worry, Tenten-san. I promise I won't." Hinata said, giving her friend a small smile. Tenten returned the gesture, before turning around and making her way down the streets.
Hinata turned in the direction of the hospital, and with a final reaffirmation, she began to walk.
"Can you get rid of these, please?" Sakura panted out, handing several blood-soaked rags to one of the nurses who surrounded her. This would be her third hour straight in surgery, and she was starting to feel the effects of it. But she couldn't stop, lest the badly wounded shinobi beneath her perish from his wounds. So Sakura merely dismissed her aches and exhaustion, wiped the sweat from her brow, and continued working.
In an attempt to capture a large band of bandits who had been terrorizing the roads for some time now, a small band of chūnin had been dispatched to deal with them. The bandits proved more clever than they originally thought, and had ended up greatly wounding all of them with traps they had laid ahead. Assuming the ninja would perish from their injuries, the bandits fled. Had a passerby traveler not heard their calls, they most certainly would have perished. But the traveler had been able to drag them into a cart he had left on the road, and wheel them back into town, directly into the care of Sakura. She had been busy with managing their injuries since nearly dawn. One had already succumbed to his wounds, they were so great, and Sakura was not about to let another one slip away. She refused to take any sort of break, pushing herself to the absolute limit with soldier pills the only source of energy she had left.
"His chakra network is beginning to circulate again, Sakura-san." One of the nurses exclaimed excitedly. "I don't know what you're doing, but it's working!"
Sakura merely grunted in response, not willing to break even a single ounce of concentration. Using chakra control that could boggle the mind of anyone but Tsunade and Shizune, Sakura continued her delicate work of reforming the nervous system in conjunction with the man's chakra network. If any part was done before the other, their respective systems would begin to spiral out of control, and he would be dead in seconds. She had just finished one of his arms, and had started working on the other. Since she was already familiar with that particular process, she was able to progress through it a little faster than she had the first time. But his chest still remained, and from the exhaustion of the other nurses, who were currently supplying the man with extra chakra to keep his systems functioning, she didn't have long.
The next half hour was nothing but a blur in Sakura's memory, not having worked that fast in quite some time. But in a miraculous achievement, she had been able to successfully resuscitate the chūnin, who was immediately carted off to another wing of the hospital to rest.
Sakura plopped back in her seat. That had been the roughest morning/afternoon she had had in quite some time, and wanted nothing more than to take an 18 hour nap.
But that just wasn't in the cards.
"Sakura-san, there's someone waiting for you in the lobby," one of the nurses informed. "She insisted it was important."
The medic-nin groaned. This was the absolute last thing she wanted to deal with right now.
"Who is it? I'm not getting up unless it's an emergency," she responded, cracking only one eye open.
"Hinata Hyūga."
Sakura sat up from her seat, looking more alert than her condition would have led people to believe. Neji and Shino had come by earlier that day, inviting her to something Hinata was doing. Sakura had been a little suspicious, but couldn't leave work to see what the Hyūga wanted. But now that she was actually here, whatever it had been must have been important. There was a very short list of things that Hinata could talk to Sakura about that hey both considered important, and she unconsciously swallowed the lump in her throat.
"Uh…okay. I'll be out to meet her in just a few minutes. Can you tell her that?"
The nurse nodded, before scurrying out of the room. Meanwhile, Sakura rose from her seat, albeit very reluctantly, and headed off to grab a quick shower and change into some clothes that didn't reek of blood and rubbing alcohol.
Just as she promised, within several minutes, she was able to join Hinata in the lobby, who was patiently sitting in wait, idly fiddling with her jacket.
"Hey, Hinata. What's up?" Sakura asked brightly, giving her friend a warm smile despite her worries.
Hinata nodded in response, but remained quiet. She hadn't really expected this, but a small amount of anger was bubbling to the surface, and Hinata had to focus to hold it back. Standing in front of her was the mastermind of the scheme to push her and Naruto into a relationship, the puppeteer who thought it best to interfere with something she really had no business in. Why that pompous, arrogant little…
Hinata took a deep breath. That was most certainly not like her, and she quickly managed to get her anger under control. Yes, Sakura had effectively interfered with something she had no business in, but Hinata reminded herself that it was only in their best interest. She shouldn't jump to conclusions, as maybe there were other circumstances that Hinata did not in fact know about.
"G-good afternoon, Sakura-san. I was wondering if you had some free time?"
Sakura shrugged. "I just spend the last 3-4 hours in intensive surgery. They better damn well give me some free time. What do you need?"
Hinata kept her gaze firm, but Sakura could see the anxiety hiding behind those white eyes.
"There's something you and I need to talk about." She said quietly, her body tensing up ever so slightly.
'Yeah, that doesn't sound bad or anything…' Sakura thought to herself, noticing the serious look in Hinata's features.
"I guess I have some time to spare. I'll grab us something to drink, and we'll meet outside, okay?"
Hinata nodded, standing to her feet, before wordlessly heading out the door. For a few brief seconds, Sakura considered just high-tailing it out of there, afraid of what Hinata might want to talk about. But doing something so cowardly could only serve to make matters worse, so she trudged into the cafeteria to get them some tea.
Hinata had found a quiet spot just outside the hospital, seated at a bench underneath a recently planted tree, off from the main road. While she could still hear the bustle of the people on the streets, no one would be able to hear them, allowing them some manner of privacy.
"Please, Sakura-san." Hinata spoke quietly, patting the open seat next to her. Sakura gingerly took it before offering the Hyūga her drink, who took it gratefully. She took a small sip, an inhaled the aroma deeply, letting it soothe her nerves.
Sakura rubbed her arm nervously. "Sooo…what did you want to talk about?"
"I know w-what's going on, Sakura-san." Hinata answered immediately, shutting down any attempt to dodge the conversation.
Nothing was said for several minutes. Hinata's eyes searched Sakura's face, trying to get any sort of response. But the medic-nin remained absolutely silent, keeping her eyes downcast.
"How…how long have you known?" Sakura asked finally, her voice void of emotion.
"After that night at Ino-san's house. I saw you when I was talking with Naruto-kun, and confronted Neji-neesan about it. He told me everything." Hinata answered, sounding just a little accusing.
"Hinata, I just want you to know that I'm-"
The Hyūga cut Sakura off with her hand. "You will let me say what I came here to say, Sakura-san. When I found out what you had done, and that you had involved every one of my friends, I felt hurt and betrayed. I felt like all my time with Naruto-kun has been a lie, an illusion."
Sakura could hear the sorrow in her voice; see the inner pain etched into her face. It made her feel horrible that she had been the root of all of this pain.
"For a while, all I could think about was how angry I was with what you had done. I was bitter and confused," Hinata continued, "…but then I began to remember the reasons the others told me for why they helped you. They told me they truly wanted Naruto-kun and I together, and that they only sought my happiness. At first, I didn't really believe them, but the more I thought about it, the more I could see the sincerity of their words."
Hinata turned to face her companion, any anger or pain now absent from her face. Instead, she merely looked lost and confused.
"But why did you do it? Do you feel the same way about Naruto-kun and I?"
Sakura let the words sink in for a few moments. She would have to choose her next words carefully, lest she throw Hinata into hysterics.
"Actually Hinata, I'm doing it for me."
Hinata's eyes widened with shock, her mouth hanging just a little bit open. Her eyes desperately searched Sakura's for an answer, but found none.
"W-what…what d-do you…?" Hinata tried to say. The words refused to form themselves in her mouth, coming out as incomplete questions that resembled gibberish more than anything.
Sakura's mouth curved upward at the corners of her mouth. Despite the gravity of the situation, she couldn't help but feel a little amused at Hinata's sputtering.
"It's not what you think, Hinata. You see, when the five Kage met together in the Land of Iron, Naruto raced after them to beg them for Sasuke's forgiveness. He got on his knees, and groveled in front of the Raikage, asking for them to spare his life."
Hinata frowned. It pained her greatly to hear of Naruto suffering. Sasuke's betrayal had hit no one harder than Naruto, and to see him go to such great lengths to protect him brought Hinata close to tears.
"It was then that I found out just had much Naruto cared about me," Sakura continued. "He was doing this for himself, but even after all these years, he was still trying to fulfill that promise to me all those years ago. There's no doubt in my mind he would give his own life if he saw the slightest chance in making that come true."
Small drops fell to the bench between them, surprising Hinata. Sakura was crying, biting her lower lip as she continued to speak.
"Sai told me…he told me that Naruto loved me. That everything that hurt him or caused him pain was because of how much he loved me. I felt disgusting. I'm supposed to be his friend…"
Hinata felt a twinge of pity for the girl. This had started out with Sakura as the bad guy, and Hinata as the one confronting her. But now Hinata felt sick to her stomach. She was the reason Sakura was crying, and it didn't matter why; it still made Hinata feel horrible about it.
"He would be willing to do absolutely anything to make me happy. Even…fall in love with someone else."
"Sakura…san?" Hinata whispered softly, trying to grasp what had just been said.
The pink-haired chūnin smiled. "Hinata…I see the way that idiot looks at you, acts around you. It's the happiest I've ever seen him, more so than anytime he's ever been with me. Naruto is the hero of the village. He's kind, sweet, and loyal.
She chuckled lightly. "Almost like a dog, really." Hinata also smiled, not able to stop the image of a dog-like Naruto happily greeting her with a joyful bark.
"He shouldn't love me, Hinata. He deserves someone so much better. Someone who would treat him like he deserves. Someone who would give their life for him…like you did."
Sakura and Hinata were now directly looking at one another, staring into each other's eyes. Hinata could see how serious Sakura was, and how much she believed in her own words.
"You were the only one who defended him from Pain, Hinata. You were willing…to die for him. I can't think of anyone in the village who deserve each other more than you two do."
She stood suddenly, offering her hand out for Hinata to accept.
"That's why I did this; all of this. To make me happy. If he only wants my happiness, then there's nothing in the world that would make me happier than to see him love you as much as you love him. I want him to forget all about me, and see what's been in front of him his entire life. I want him to see…Hinata Hyūga."
Hinata felt her eyes beginning to water, and she attempted to hide her tears from Sakura. The medic-nin was more observant than she had anticipated, and swiftly brought her into a soft hug.
"I'm sorry I made you upset Hinata, but I'm not sorry for what I did. I want you two to be together so bad it hurts. And if you know my at all, you know that I will not take no for an answer.
Hinata laughed slightly into Sakura' clothing, before wiping her eyes on her own sleeve.
"I-I'm so sorry, Sakura-san…I shouldn't have gotten so angry with you-"
"It's ok, Hinata, really. I deserved that and so much more. But you're too kind and gentle of a person to treat me like I feel like I should be treated. I'll stop interfering if you want, but I'll never stop wishing for the two of you to be together."
Hinata felt so relieved to hear those words, to hear that so many people wished her to be happy.
"Hopefully, I was just a crush to Naruto, someone whom he can move on from. I suspect that may have already happened, thanks to yours truly."
Hinata considered her words. Did Sakura really think that Naruto was beginning to have feelings for her? To tell the truth, Hinata was terrified that Naruto would never stop loving Sakura, and Hinata would never be able to show him how much she loved him, but if Sakura was anything, she was confident. And to hear her say those words filled Hinata with hope.
"Thank you, Sakura-san. If I could put into words how I feel right now I would, but right now I can only say thank you."
Sakura smiled brightly. "No need. Just take good care of that idiot for me, will you?"
Hinata giggled. "O-of course, Sakura-san. I would be glad to."
The two girls, having gotten past all the drama and serious discussion, spent the next few minutes chatting with one another about whatever came to mind. Hinata would ask Sakura about what's been going on with the hospital, and since Sakura missed the meeting earlier that day, would ask Hinata what it's been like to grow so much closer to Naruto over the past few weeks.
A nurse appeared in the doorway, waving Sakura over.
"They need you back inside to look over the last patient, Sakura-san," she said briskly, before disappearing back inside.
Sakura sighed. "No rest for the weary, I suppose. Hinata, thanks for being so patient with all of…well you know."
Hinata smiled. "Please, Sakura-san…It's me who should be thanking you. I shouldn't have assumed your reasons for your actions, and I'm glad we were able to talk about it."
The two women shared a brief hug, before Sakura wandered back inside to get back to work.
Dusting herself off, Hinata left the bench, and started the journey home. It would still be a while before she got over everything, but to hear how much Sakura wanted them to be happy made her heart flutter.
She was about halfway home, when she heard some noises coming from an alleyway nearby. Cautious, she approached it to see what was happening.
Several children huddled around what looked to be like an orange tabby cat. The poor thing was obviously malnourished and frightened, and the children were currently trying to cover it in black paint.
Hinata's face puffed up. That was no way to certainly treat an animal!
"Get away from that cat!" she exclaimed, greatly surprising the kids. Upon seeing someone older and bigger than them, they attempted to flee the scene. But Hinata was faster, and she quickly got in between them and their freedom, and forced them to line up against the wall. While they stood there, paralyzed with fear, Hinata hurried over to the terrified cat, which was practically shivering it was so scared. She bundled it up into her arms, before marching back over to the kids, who were looking very guilty.
"What do you three have to say for yourself? What did this cat ever do to you?"
"We're sorry..." they mumbled, shuffling their feet as they kept their eyes downcast.
Hinata smiled a little. It was clear that the children hadn't really intended to harm the animal, but simply didn't know what they were doing.
"Maybe I'm not the one you should be apologizing to." She held out the cat, who hissed softly at the kids.
"We-we're sorry, Mr. Kitty…" one of the children said quietly, reaching his hand out to pet him. The cat eyed the hand suspiciously, for several seconds, making sure it wasn't being fooled. Satisfied with the child's intentions, it lowered its head, and began to purr softly as the child stroked the cat's ear lightly.
Hinata was almost caught up in the adorableness of the sight in front of her, but she wasn't done with the kids yet.
"Alright, now I want you to throw away that paint, and promise me you won't do something like this again, okay?" she told them softly, but sternly. The children, amazed that they weren't being punished, nodded vigorously. The quickly chucked the paint can and their brushes into the nearby trash bin, before rushing back up to Hinata with proud grins decorating their small faces.
"We promise we won't do it again!" They all chorused at once, making Hinata giggle.
"Thank you! Now, run along and I'll let this little guy go back home."
The children nodded one last time, waving goodbye as they sprinted out of the alley, yelling at each other as they tried to come up with a new game to occupy their time.
Hinata smiled brightly as they disappeared from her sight. Despite her father's harsher parenting, Hinata firmly believed that a softer approach was needed to properly nurture a child.
The cat, still snuggled into her arms, purred affectionately. It didn't seem to want to leave her side, but Hinata's father wouldn't be too keen on Hinata bringing a pet home warning. So, despite the cat's best 'begging' look, Hinata reluctantly set the cat down.
"Sorry, little guy…maybe some other time."
The animal almost seemed to nod at her words, and Hinata could have sworn she saw what looked like understanding in the cat's giant blue eyes. It gave the Hyūga a soft meow of farewell, before slinking off into the darkness.
Hinata stared at the spot where the cat had disappeared for a moment, as if she was waiting for something. A sudden breeze caught her hair, snapping her out of her daze. With one final glance into the alleyway, she returned the main road, and continued on her way back home.
Hidden from the shadows, the feline watched Hinata leave, its blue eyes glinting mischievously in the darkness of the alleyway. It
leaped up into the air, landing gracefully on a high fence that separated the different streets in between the buildings. It nimble scaled over pipes and walls with a flow even a ninja would be hard pressed to match. It eventually arrived at a small open lot, hidden behind a ring of buildings that closed the area off from the rest of the village. Very few people knew of this place.
The cat stretched its limbs out, before lying down to take a small nap. It almost seemed as if it was waiting for someone…
AS if on cue, three figures approached the clearing, their faces hidden by the shadows. The cat didn't seem the least bit surprised by their presence, and in fact looked as if it was expecting them.
Stepping into the light, the three figures revealed themselves.
A greasy, grime-covered man.
An elderly, sweet-looking woman.
And a very nervous young man wearing an apron.
Now, normally these three people together would be a strange sight to see, seemingly having absolutely nothing in common. But these assumedly unconnected people did in fact share a vital trait, one that even the cat possessed.
They all had piercing, gorgeous blue eyes of immense depth.
The greasy man smirked. "Well, that worked out much better than the boss intended, didn't it?"
The older woman nodded sagely. "You got that right. And wow, Hinata sure is an amazing person!"
$ puffs of smoke appeared out of nowhere, hiding the figures in the dense fog. When it had cleared, 4 new figures had replaced them, though they all looked exactly the same.
"What's the original one of us even doing?" Naruto's clone asked out loud, putting his hands behind his head. "Wasn't he supposed to be finished talking to Sakura-chan by now?"
Another clone shrugged. "I heard from somewhere that Sakura-chan has been stuck at the hospital all day. He didn't have much of a choice."
All 4 Narutos agreed with their conclusion, before deciding it was time to disperse and give the original Naruto their findings.
It was Naruto's last investigation, so to speak. If he really had feelings for this girl, he wanted to be sure she was just like he had always seen her, even when he wasn't with him. And what the clones had seen would amaze the original.
Hinata Hyūga was perhaps the kindest, gentlest, most patient person he's ever known. She was so sweet and caring to everyone around her, even those that treated her wrong, that Naruto lost any remaining doubts he may have had about his feelings.
The original Naruto lay passed out on one of the couches the hospital had provided for guests to wait for loved ones to come out of surgery, although instead of a patient, he was looking for the doctor. He had been here pretty much the whole day, waiting for Sakura to have some free time so he could speak with her. Unfortunately for him, Naruto didn't possess the hindsight to simply ask for Sakura from one of the nurses, like Hinata did, which had forced him to wait around pretty much for the entire day, finding increasingly odd ways to entertain himself. He would have started throwing pencils into the ceiling had Sakura not finally pushed through the doors, much to the blond's relief.
"Sakura-chan! Thank goodness! I thought I was going to die from boredom out here!" he moaned, rushing up to greet her.
His pink-haired friend rolled her eyes. "Naruto, you do know you could have just asked the nurse there to come and get me? Shizune showed up for that last patient, so I was just hanging around.
Naruto turned around, and gave the nurse in question a very aggravated look, before weeping silently at his own stupidity. His rapid mood swing was over in just a few seconds, however, and he was back to his normal, hyperactive self.
"Hey Sakura-chan, you wanna go grab some Ichiraku ramen?" he asked casually, not really wanting to divulge his true reasons for inviting her out.
Sakura shook her head as she washed her hands from the sink nearby. "Thanks, but no thanks. I've been in surgery all day, so the last thing I want to do is go out for ramen. Sorry Naruto, but you'll just have to fine someone else to-"
"Sakura, please. It's important."
She froze. Naruto never dropped the –chan from her name. Whatever this was, it was important. Sakura turned around to face him, and could see just how serious he was. He didn't look angry or upset, per se, but the goofy smile that usually accompanied the Uzumaki was completely absent.
"Sure thing Naruto…I guess I can make some time."
The blonde's smile returned at her acceptance, but it was more of a content, calm smile, one that made him look more mature.
Their trip to Ichiraku's was done in silence. It wasn't awkward or anything like that, as they were so used to each other's company that this was commonplace for them. Still, something felt off in the way Naruto moved, and Sakura couldn't help but be a little anxious as to his true reasons for inviting her out.
"Naruto! Good evening to you and Sakura!" Teuchi greeted warmly, grabbing some bowls in preparation for their meal. "What can I get you?"
The blonde smirked. "Gimme the usual, old man. No surprise tonight, okay?"
Teuchi nodded, before taking Sakura's order as well. Once he had them written down, he turned his back to begin preparing their dishes, leaving Naruto and Sakura some time to talk.
Out of the corner of her eye, Sakura could see Naruto fiddling with his utensils. After spending years with him, you learn to pick up on the fact that he did that whenever he wanted to bring up something uncomfortable.
"Naruto, what's bothering you?" she asked bluntly, placing a hand on his shoulder. He seemed surprised she was able to see right through him so easily, almost dropping his chopsticks.
"Whuh? H-how did you know?" he asked bewilderedly.
"Naruto, I think I know you well enough to see when something's bothering you. Though since you always mess with your utensils when something's got you upset, that was kind of a giveaway."
Naruto shrugged, not able to refute her evidence. He began twiddling with his fingers, his eyes blankly scanning the restaurant.
"Where to start…" he mumbled to himself. He looked completely lost, anxious to say something but with absolutely no idea where to begin. He suddenly turned in his seat, and the expression on his face made Sakura's blood run cold.
"Sakura-chan, I've loved you from the first moment I met you." Naruto said quietly, averting his eyes.
( watch?v=R4ZxnpZoI6M)
Sakura froze. Memories of Sai revealing Naruto's feelings to her came rushing back to the forefront of her mind, made only more vivid now that it was Naruto who was confessing to her. She was absolutely speechless, and could only stare at him as he continued.
"Your smile, your laugh, your hair…I loved everything about you! Even if you hated me at the beginning, I knew from the moment I saw you that I would do anything to make you happy." Naruto was smiling, looking back fondly on the memories despite Sakura's less-than-kind treatment. It also had the unintended effect of making Sakura feel absolutely horrible. She knew that he wasn't intentionally bringing this up to make her feel bad, but that didn't help to ease the pain.
Naruto's smile stretched even wider. "We became really close over the past few years, and I was completely positive that I loved you. I would wait as long as it took for you to feel the same, and even if you never did, I would be happy as long as you were happy."
And then all that joy, all that happiness in his eyes just…faded. The usually vivid blue had flickered away, replaced by a lifeless grey. It shook Sakura to her core. She hated seeing him like this; it was like watching the sun, in all its glory just…disappear.
"But what happened in the Land of Iron…something happened. Sakura…I don't know what it is, but something changed. I tell myself I still love you, but…agghh!" Naruto held his head in his hands, groaning with frustration.
Sakura just sat there, feeling helpless. Her lip was trembling, and uncomfortable shivers ran up and down her body. It was torture, watching a boy who would give his life for you struggle with his own feelings, especially since this struggle was her own fault.
"What you did…hurt me. You were willing to lie to me, to tell me the one thing I wanted to hear just to stop me from going after Sasuke. Maybe that just shows how much you really do care about me, but still…this is really confusing." He attempted a weak smile, hoping to ease the tension.
Sakura vigorously shook her head. "Naruto, stop beating yourself up about this, right now!" she had shouted a little louder than intended, but Teuchi's only reaction was a slight grunt as he continued to prepare their meal. He was too polite of a man to hint that he could hear practically everything they were saying, and instead concentrated on his cooking.
Naruto meanwhile, was shocked by Sakura's forceful tone, shutting up his gibberish immediately.
Sakura could feel her cheeks growing hot, and her eyes wetting ever so slightly.
"You're such an idiot, Naruto…." She muttered softly as she began to wipe her eyes in an attempt to hide her tears that were now threatening to spill over her face. Naruto reached up with his hand to wipe them away, but Sakura beat him to it.
"How can you be this way?" she asked him angrily, wiping her eyes so much they began to grow red. "After all I've done to you, you're still so…so good to me! I don't deserve this!"
Naruto reached his arm out again, but this time pushed back against Sakura's resistance. He over powered her, and began to gently wipe away her tears with his hand.
"Maybe it's because…I still love you, even after all of this."
His words snapped her out of her sorrow, staring at him with wide eyes. His smile was kinder, gentler now. He almost seemed to laugh a little bit.
"But…maybe it's in a different kind of way. I think a part of me will always love you, always be willing to do what it takes to make you happy. But I think what I want to do…the part of me that has a say…I think it's a different kind of love."
He rubbed the back of his head nervously. He knew he was terrible at explaining things, but this would just have do, and he hoped Sakura wouldn't ask him to repeat it, as he wasn't sure he would be able to remember all of it.
"I can't really speak from experience, but maybe I love you like a brother would a sister, you know? You're the closest thing I have to family now, and the more I think about it, the more we act like siblings. I'm not going crazy, am I?" his tone was pleading, but Sakura could tell he was just lightly teasing her, something that really helped to improve her mood.
"Idiot…though I see what you mean." She said softly, her eyes having dried. She returned the smile he was currently giving her, making his all the wider.
Her smile disappeared. "Naruto, I don't think I can ever apologize, or make up for all the horrible things I've done to you, but I'm afraid I'll have to add one more thing to that list."
Naruto looked puzzled. Sakura certainly hadn't just asked his permission to do something awful to him, so her true meaning eluded him.
"Sa…Sakura-chan?" he sputtered, blinking several times.
Sakura blushed slightly, amused at his child-like ignorance.
"You said you'd do anything to make me happy, right?" she asked with a hopeful tone in her voice.
"Of course, Sakura-chan! Anything!"
Sakura had to force herself to speak again, so amazed was she by his kindness and loyalty.
"Well then, Naruto…there's nothing in the world that would make me happier than to see you happy." She said this firmly, making sure it sunk into his sometimes-thick skull that she was taking a page out his book, and would stand by her words.
Sakura leaned forward, putting her own face inches away from Naruto's, and winked.
"You've done so much for this village, for your friends…for me. I'd say it's about time you got something in return.
"Sakura-chan…" Naruto breathed out, in a quiet awe. It was all he could really say, but Sakura could hear the volumes behind that name. His trademark grin began to grow and grow across his whiskered cheeks, before it threatened to consume his entire face. He couldn't help it! He was just so happy he felt like…
"So, when are you going to ask out Hinata?"
He felt like falling out of his chair, which is precisely what happened. Sakura knew she had caught him off-guard, and could only throw back her head and laugh as he scrambled back into his seat as quickly as possible, as amused bystanders took passing glances.
"W-what are you talking about?" he managed to spit out, in between the massive bouts of embarrassment.
Sakura rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, as if it wasn't obvious. I've seen the way you look at Hinata now; there's no denying it! You like her and want to ask her out, right?"
The blonde began twiddling his fingers together, much like the shy Hyūga did, which only served to strengthen Sakura's teasing.
"I knew it!" she exclaimed, snapping her fingers together as if she had just solved some mystery. "Why don't you just ask her!" Even though she wanted to just come out and say just how much Hinata would love or Naruto to ask her out, Sakura knew that that would be the absolute worst way to handle this situation.
"Don't you think this is kinda weird?" Naruto asked. "You talking to me about Hinata? Wouldn't that make you mad?"
"And why would it do that?" Sakura questioned incredulously. "You deserve to be happy, and Hinata would be the best chance of that happening!"
"But this just feels…weird. I feel wrong liking you and all of a sudden liking Hinata like this. You deserve better."
Sakura shook her head firmly. "No Naruto, I don't. And I have a feeling that your feelings for Hinata have just been a long build-up. Tell me, do you have one bad memory of her?"
It didn't take Naruto more than a second to get through his memories with the Hyūga, something that made him feel a little guilty. He had spent the majority of his life putting Hinata in the background, and now all of a sudden he wanted to ask her out? He couldn't help but feel a little sleazy by this, but at the same time he felt really happy. Even though his memories of Hinata were very few, they were among the happiest he had. When she cheered him up before the Finals during the Chūnin Exams, their night in Shizukana village, and pretty much everything that had happened in recent weeks. Even though he still couldn't remember 100% of what happened, his memory of Hinata rushing to his aid during his fight with Pain burned the brightest within his mind. She was willing to throw her life away for him, something no one else in the entire village had done, even Sakura.
Sakura smirked. "Well that answers my question! Come on Naruto, Hinata's a great girl. I'm sure she would say yes if you asked her to, say… the festival?"
Naruto spun around in his seat away from her, pushing his index fingers together.
"Y-you really think she would?" he tittered quietly, a hopeful tone in his voice.
"I'm positive! But if you don't get off your ass and ask her, it'll be too late!" she replied, pumping her fist into the air.
"But what if she says no!" Naruto countered, nervous at the thought of Hinata rejecting him. He had grown used to Sakura doing so, but if Hinata did it, it would hit him harder.
"Naruto, just trust me when I say that Hinata will not say no if you ask her." Sakura said, desperately trying to keep herself from spilling the beans about Hinata's true feelings.
"I don't even know how I would ask her!" Naruto said, exasperated. It was obvious from his experiences with Sakura that just asking at every given opportunity wasn't the best way to go about that. He needed a different approach.
"Do you think you could help me?" Naruto asked. "I know this is kind of weird, but you're kind of the only other girl I really talk to…"
Sakura smirked. "Oh Naruto, what would you do without me? Of course I'll help you. Here, I'll pretend to be Hinata, and you can practice asking me, okay?"
Naruto nodded enthusiastically. If he got practice asking Sakura, when the time came to talk to Hinata, he wouldn't sound like an idiot!
Sakura slumped her shoulders, lowered her head, and began twiddling her fingers together.
"H-hello, N-Naruto-kun…" she said in her best Hinata impression, making Naruto snicker. "W-what did you want to a-ask me?"
Naruto grinned widely. "Hey urr…Hinata! You wanna go out on a date!" His smile quickly disappeared as Sakura broke out of character and whacked him on the head.
"Owwwww! Hinat- uhh, I mean Sakura-chan, what was that for?" he demanded as he gingerly touched the growing lump on his skull.
"Naruto, you don't just go right out and say it! Hinata's shy, so you need to be a little more delicate!" Sakura barked, making Naruto jump with fright.
"Just try again, alright?" she said, massaging her temples.
Naruto cleared his throat. "Hey Hinata, listen I was hoping…and it's alright if you say no…but I was thinking that, if you had the time that is, we could maybe…you know, if you wanted-"
Sakura smacked him again. "I said be more delicate, you moron! Not beat around the bush!"
"Cut me some slack, Sakura-chan!" Naruto pleaded as he rubbed his newest bruise. "I'm not exactly an expert, okay?"
"You don't have to be an expert. Just be you. Listen, imagine everything you like about Hinata, everything that makes you happy. Think about that before you say anything."
Naruto let images and memories of Hinata's personality flood his mind. Her cute smile, her tenderness, the way she said his name…
Suddenly, Naruto seemed calm. He looked into Sakura's eyes, and she could see such serenity in them that she knew he had caught on.
"Would you like to go to the festival with me? As my date?" he asked softly, giving Sakura a warm smile, which she gladly returned.
"Of course, Naruto. I would love to."
The two friends grinned at one another, happy with their success.
"Hinata, I haven't seen you in a while! Want something to eat?"
Teuchi's voice snapped Naruto and Sakura out of their daze. They quickly turned around to find Hinata Hyūga standing behind them, looking utterly, utterly heartbroken. Tears welled up in her eyes, and before either of them could say anything, she had turned and run in the opposite direction, as fast as she could.
"Oh shit…" Naruto said blankly, watching her go.
"Don't just sit here, you idiot!" Sakura shrieked. "Go after her!"
With Sakura's orders, Naruto shot off like a rocket, desperate to catch up to Hinata and explain everything before everything was ruined. He and Sakura may have planned how to ask her, but they could have expected something like this.
Hinata needed some comfort. Her father had been more grueling in their training session that evening, citing a lack of focus in recent matches as an excuse. Hinata knew that in actuality it was clan matters that frustrated the head Hyūga, and he was merely finding a way to vent. Still, using your daughter and training as the chosen method of venting was not something Hinata was happy with. As soon as they were finished and she got a free minute to wash up, she decided to look for Naruto. She knew he could cheer her up, and she wanted to talk to him about the overall weird day she had been having, what with all the odd interactions with strangers.
She had first gone to Naruto's home, unaware that he had been at the hospital most of the day waiting for Sakura. When no one answered the door, Hinata considered going home. But then she remembered that if he wasn't at home, most of the time it was because he was out at Ichiraku's. She almost skipped as she made her way through the streets, weaving in and out between the crowds. It was just at the right time when the villagers were bringing home the fresh ingredients for tonight's dinner, so pleasant aromas filled Hinata's sense of smell, soothing her mood. But soon, a familiar scent dominated all the others, and Hinata knew she was getting close to Ichiraku's.
She turned the final corner, and much to her relief, saw that Naruto was indeed sitting at the counter, engaged in a conversation with someone Hinata couldn't see yet. As she got closer, she discovered that it was Sakura whom Naruto was speaking with, and from the looks on their faces, were discussing something very serious.
Now, normally Hinata wasn't a very nosy person; it just wasn't in her nature to prod into other people's business. But she had just spoken to Sakura today about her little scheme, and seeing her with Naruto made her feel a little uneasy. She tried to quell these feelings, telling herself that they were just talking about a mission or something of that nature. But soon her curiosity outweighed her better judgment, and she decided that she just had to hear what they were talking about.
Not wanting to intrude on their conversation, Hinata attempted to approach the small restaurant as quietly as she could, avoiding both Naruto's and Sakura's peripheral vision. She ducked and hid behind something whenever they seemed to be looking in her general direction, slowing her progress. She wouldn't be denied, however, and soon she was almost right behind them, now able to make out their words over the crowd.
"Would you like to go to the festival with me? As my date?" she heard Naruto say, looking at Sakura the way he always had, and the way she now knew he always would.
Hinata felt her heart explode, tearing itself into shreds, disintegrating into nothingness. Her breathing became ragged, and wild, unchecked tears began pouring down her face. After all of this time her and Naruto had spent together, she would still always be the number-two. She would always be the second best.
'This can't be happening…' she pleaded with herself, trying to convince herself it was just a dream.
"Of course, Naruto. I would love to," she could hear Sakura reply. It crumbled the last of her spirit, and Hinata took all that was left within her to remain standing. Still, a raw, horrible sob erupted from her throat, gaining Teuchi's attention.
"Hinata, I haven't seen you in a while! Want something to eat?" he asked happily, completely unaware of the situation.
Both Naruto and Sakura turned around to see who Teuchi was addressing, and they both seemed shocked that Hinata was behind them.
Hinata simply stood there, unable to speak. Her eyes locked with Naruto's, those gorgeous blue eyes, and Hinata could no longer take it. She needed to get out of there. Now.
She immediately turned around, and began to run. Run as fast as her legs would carry her. She heard Naruto mutter something as she disappeared around the corner once more, but she didn't care. Nothing seemed to matter anymore.
She ran, and ran, and ran. Hot tears blinded her, and she constantly found herself running into other people. She was too distraught to apologize however, and merely brushed right past them, too desperate to get away.
Hinata suddenly took a corner too tightly to avoid running straight into a food cart, and she began to lose her balance. She fell hard to the ground below, landing roughly on her arm and side. She simply lay there in the dirt, sobbing hysterically. Concerned villagers tried to help her up, but she ignored them, or more accurately, didn't even know what was happening.
As pathetic as it might sound, Naruto was Hinata's entire world. She loved him with everything her heart could give and more, and had just witnessed him offering it to someone else once again, someone whom had insisted Naruto no longer had feelings for. Her hopes and dreams of a future with the love of her life lay scattered among the dirt and filth that lay in the street, gone forever.
Suddenly, Hinata felt herself being picked up off of the ground. She simply let herself be handled, too weak to put up any kind of resistance. Strong, but gentle arms scooped her off of the ground, bringing her to her feet. Hinata's eyes connected with the person's, and she wished she had resisted. Naruto Uzumaki held her in his arms, looking absolutely mortified.
"Hinata, please let me explain.." he began, but Hinata cut him off.
"I-it's o-okay, Naruto-kun…I k-know you a-always loved Sakura-chan. I w-won't get in your w-way." They were the hardest words Hinata ever had to speak up until that point, every syllable another nail in the coffin.
She tried to break free of his grasp, but Naruto held her firmly. His boundless eyes search over her face, boring through her very soul. To her shock, his cheeks stretched in a small smile, a light blush dancing across his cheeks.
"Hinata...you have it all wrong. I wasn't asking Sakura to go to the festival with me."
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Hinata wiped her eyes, her breathing still a little ragged. She felt the urge to run away begin to fade as Naruto's words sunk in. Naruto…wasn't asking Sakura?
"B-but…then, why d-did you…" she tried to say, but couldn't come up with the proper words.
Naruto smiled even wider as he brushed her off. "Heh…I was kind of practicing to…man, this was supposed to be perfect!" he complained, throwing his hands up in the air in frustration.
He turned back around, a sheepish expression on his face. "This wasn't exactly how I had planned to do it but…Hinata, I was asking for Sakura-chan's help in asking you to the festival."
Hinata said nothing. Once again, she couldn't. Her mind had simply been overloaded, currently going through every scenario it could think of where Naruto would actually be asking her on a date. She almost slapped herself to make sure it wasn't a dream, but found even her own arms wouldn't obey her, hanging limp at her sides.
"Naruto-kun…w-what did you just say…?" she managed to squeak out, her eyed growing wider and wider. The next words Naruto said would always be, forever in her heart, the best thing that's ever happened to her.
Naruto grinned from ear to ear. Well, Sakura said to just be himself, right?
"You're so cute when you talk, Hinata! And I said…"
He took a few steps closer, gingerly taking one of her delicate hands in his own.
"Would you like to go to the festival with me? As my date?"
Author's Note: FINALLY! It only took over 100,000 words for Naruto to finally ask Hinata out, and to the festival no less! I can't wait to see what kind of stuff they get into in the coming future, but expect fluffy goodness and light-hearted humor galore! This settled pretty much all of the drama at this point, so we don't need to worry about that any longer.
A lot of people probably missed the last chapter since once the image manager came online, everybody and their mother updated their stories to test it out, and I watched my story get buried in the new pages deeper and deeper. So if you're one of those people, I hope you're enjoying yourself.
If you liked what you read, please leave a review if you have the time. I absolutely love reading them, and they make me feel awesome about writing. Even if it's only a few words, every little bit is just as important to me.
Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time!