Author' Note
No one's the bad guy.
There will be no character bashing as I don't really appreciate it.
I believe that people misbehave because there's always a deeper meaning behind things.
It's a story about Hurt and Comfort. Sure you will think sometimes that one of them will misbehave, but it's for the three of them. There is not just one "mean" person.
It's always like this in this type of love stories.
Chapter title are not referring to the story. I just liked listening to the songs while writing.
Space Song- Beach House
September of their senior year (Present)
The beginning of their last year of high school had finally started. The seniors were looking forward to their last year, even though they knew that after their final exams, everyone would go their own way.
Classes had started two weeks ago. The September temperatures were pleasant, the leaves were changing color showing that fall was fast approaching.
A strange atmosphere still prevailed, and it was noticeable among the students of the Senju Institute, in the small town of Konoha. One class in particular no longer had that unique vibe, for which it was well-known in school. Everyone knew why and it wasn't easy to see past the problem.
Everyone in school knew about this class, both the teachers and the students. There were only sixteen in this class, due to the fact that they chose to major in mathematics and physics (and that wasn't so popular among students). You could say that they were a nice bunch of different personalities.
Each of them was special in their own way. Maybe that was exactly what made them so dynamic. They were all friends, and one could even say that they were their own big family. And it was also exactly for this reason that when two people were arguing that the good atmosphere, which normally lived in this family of friends, could be affecting the whole group.
This made the students at school talk a lot, and rumors were spreading fast through the corridors.
Why was the question.
Well, it seems that a love triangle was formed over the summer. A love triangle that resulted in bestfriends becoming enemies for a girl who never wanted to cause that.
That's why Hinata had been waiting in front of the door for five minutes now, alone, not daring to knock.
She never wanted to cause such a thing. She never wanted to do anything like that. She blamed herself and her two idiot friends. She blamed everyone in fact because each of her friends meddled in business that was only three people's concern in the end. Those three people being Naruto, Sasuke and herself. No one else. Not Neji, not Sakura, not Kiba, not Ino, not anyone else.
Hinata took a deep breath, motivating herself a little, while repeating that she would have class with Ms. Yuuhi, her favorite teacher, and she could eat her cinnamon rolls without being told to put her beloved pastry away.
She will sit in the back, next to Kiba who will play a game on his phone with her. She'll be able to sleep peacefully, without getting scolded. There were good arguments to why she should take her courage in both hands and just knock on the damn door.
And finally, she knocked three times, waiting patiently for Ms. Yuuhi to ask her to come in.
"Come in." Her teacher's soft voice was heard from outside and Hinata felt like her heart could explode at any given moment with all the pressure of drawing attention to herself, because of the tardiness. Slowly, she turned the doorknob, then slyly entered the classroom with a small nervous smile on her lips.
She felt all the piercing eyes of her classmates on her and did everything to avoid them.
"Hinata, come in and sit down. You didn't miss much." She wanted to apologize to Ms. Yuuhi, but seeing the tender smile the woman wore, she just snuck through the rows, sitting down quietly in the back where Kiba was already waiting for her.
Hinata tried to avoid making any noise, quickly removing her jacket before taking out her French class materials.
She felt the insistent gaze of a certain blond on her, and unable to ignore it, she glanced in his direction, seeing that he was indeed watching her with a sad face that reflected his unhappiness caused by her doing.
Not knowing what to do, she looked away from him and fixed her gaze on her desk. She sighed, heavy.
The hour passed slowly. Kiba had been talking to her a bit, but after being reprimanded by the teacher, the conversation had to be stopped. She stared at the clock on the right side of the board, counting down each resting second, until the bell finally rang.
The class has been quieter in general since the beginning of the year. One could assume that this was due to them becoming more mature, but anyone who knew them, knew that it wasn't because of that.
She didn't hurry to put her lessons away. She took her time, not seeing the point.
Even though no one was accusing her of being at fault, Hinata still felt like her friends were judging her a bit.
Not just her friends, in the end, as the whole school thought they could give their opinion on it. Even the teachers must have already known about it with all the rumors going around.
A feeling of being avoided by her friends was felt on her part. Something inside of her told her so.
So, once again, she sighed ignoring her classmates to head to the next class that would be held by Mr. Hatake, their math and homeroom teacher.
"We need to talk, Hinata." The handsome blonde cut her thoughts short which preoccupied every hour of her day.
He had surprised her. Instead of smiling at her like he usually did, Naruto stood straight in front of her, holding her wrist with little pressure. She hesitated before looking into his face. That beautiful face she had admired since their freshman year of high school.
How she had loved him so much. With every fiber of her being. She would have followed him everywhere, so much she admired him. He gave off such a peaceful aura, representing the joy of life with his smile that lit up any place. And even now, she couldn't help but love him.
But things had changed. It was better that she got away from him before she caused any more damage.
She grabbed her backpack and untied herself from his grip before walking out of class. The tears already built up in the corner of her eyes, but Hinata wasn't going to cry, she promised herself so.
So instead of torturing herself even more, the pretty blue haired girl went to look for her twin brother.
And she found him, talking with Lee in the yard, playing basketball.
"Hinata. What's wrong?" He came running, having noticed her from afar with a pitiful look on her face.
"I wanna go home." He took her in his arms as if he wanted to protect her from all the prying eyes.
"Mom's not going to like it if we both go home. In two weeks, you've already missed three days." He heard her quiet sobs and didn't wait to give Lee a look that said to take care of the others, while pushing Hinata into a less crowded area.
"There's nothing to see, here. So, move!" Lee shouted, having understood his friend's silent message.
Once away from the crowd, Neji asked Hinata to sit on the bench. He didn't like seeing his sister in such a state and he knew it wasn't her fault at all.
It was those two idiots Naruto and Sasuke who had caused this situation. He was ready to make them pay for causing this pain to his twin. He felt the suffering she was feeling and wanted to take away that pressure and discomfort.
Neji knelt down in front of Hinata, watching her carefully. She had lost a lot of weight over the end off summer. Her cheeks had become hollow, the baby fat gone. Her eyes looked empty of emotion, due to the many nights spent crying alone in her room, remembering everything that had happened.
"You just need to give me the green light and I'll take care of this morons." He finally broke the silence between the two.
"They didn't do anything, Neji. There's absolutely nothing they can do about their feelings." He sighed. So, who was the culprit if it wasn't one of them? Certainly not Hinata.
"They can't do anything about their feelings, but they're the reason why you're in such a state." Hinata remained silent at that.
"Stop taking the blame on yourself." He continued, stroking her cheek tenderly to remove a tear.
"But everyone thinks I'm the bad guy. Everyone. All our friends. All the students. Even Naruto and Sasuke, I'm sure of it." They stared at each other for a moment, neither she nor he able to tear their gaze away from the other.
"What can I do to see my sister smile again?" He smiled at her, but Hinata remained impassive.
The bell rang again, indicating that classes would resume in a few minutes. This was going nowhere, Neji concluded. He had to take matters into his own hands if he didn't want to see Hinata even sadder than she already was.
He stood up and pulled Hinata with him, who was only staring at her shoes.
"We're going to have a lovely afternoon today. I'll even go with you to that thrift shop you like so much. But stop crying, or I can't promise you I won't make them see reason."
Finally, she smiled. A small smile, but it was a start.
What they didn't notice was how a certain young man with jet hair was watching them from the window.
(…)
Another week had passed without Naruto being able to talk to Hinata. This situation was bothering him more than anything else. How could it get so out of hand?
He was tired of ignoring his feelings just to make room for Sasuke's. In two years, the teme had failed to confess. This was their last year of high school, they should have been enjoying the time they had left, not arguing so much to the point of destroying their group of friends.
And what did come out of this? Absolutely nothing. Neither of them could conquer Hinata. The group was sliced into two parties. The two bestfriends became enemies, and he was sure this was the last thing Hinata had wanted.
Seeing Hinata so sad, he felt bad for doing things the way he did. But he couldn't go back in time to change them, and even so, he never would.
Naruto loved her for a very long time now. That summer was just the trigger that pushed him to make his confession.
He was tired of holding back for Sasuke.
Always everything for Sasuke.
He knows that if the roles were reversed, Sasuke would never have waited this long. Even though he was his bestfriend, Naruto knew him like the back of his hand. The brunette wouldn't have given up his love towards Hinata just for him.
So, why should he keep pretending? The blond could no longer hide his feelings.
"Hinata's not well and we both know it's our fault." Hearing Sasuke's voice had surprised him, who stood in the doorway, watching him with a disgusted expression.
"I know." The blond avoided the gaze of his 'supposed' bestfriend. He smirked as he felt the same disgust towards him.
"Hn." Sasuke took one of the chairs, sitting down in it comfortably. Classes had been over for a while now, with only a few students left in the school doing afterschool activities.
"What do you want?" The blond was curious to why he had the pleasure to talk to the teme, who didn't appreciate his rival being in the same room as him. He was tired of his arrogant airs, feeling superior to the rest of his classmates.
He felt how his childhood friend examined him up and down, before rolling his eyes and redirecting his gaze to the board, still with his feet on the table.
"Answers." Naruto raised a questioning eyebrow. Answers to what, exactly? To why he loves Hinata? To why he finally confessed his feelings? He didn't owe him any answers.
"To what?" he finally replied, amused by Sasuke's attitude.
"To why you betrayed me."
"I didn't betray you." Naruto snapped back.
Sasuke stood up from his chair, walking towards Naruto who couldn't stand his bestfriend anymore.
"You betrayed me by confessing your feelings. You knew I loved her before you even considered that you might be interested in her. What a friend, really!" A mocking laugh escaped him, glaring at Naruto.
"I already thought she was interesting when you told me you loved her. Yes, I didn't love her yet, but I knew she was special to me. Then you confessed to me that you were attracted to her and for you, I held back. For your sake. And after three years, you showed nothing more than friendly feelings. You acted like a friend to her. So don't come crying to me because I did what you wanted to do for three fucking years, moron."
They were face to face, and if a look could kill, both of them would be dead by now. The tension in the large empty classroom was cumbersome. Naruto was tired of his friend feeling for himself.
"Because you think I do this with all of my female friends? Because you think I really need help in class? No, I'm not as dumb as you. Because you think I didn't know she liked you all along? You think it was easy to get close to her when she only had eyes for you? You're the moron, asshole."
Naruto grabbed him by the collar, fed up with his excuses. Sasuke did the same, wondering how he could consider him his brother.
They were sure it would end in a fight, and no one would be able to stop them from smashing their heads, this time, as everyone else had already gone home.
"Tsk." Sasuke finally let him go, as this was going nowhere. Though he didn't come in peace, he wanted to make sure that, for Hinata's sake, they made up, but hearing this dumbass talk like that, he felt how his heart shattered, once again.
Just like the first time he noticed that Hinata would never have feelings for him, only for the dobe.
December, from their junior year (Flashback)
The Christmas holidays were fast approaching. For many of them, the holidays of this season of the year were the best. The group of friends would go on a trip like every year to celebrate the festive days together, giving each other gifts, preparing food together at Ino's parent's vacation house, where they would spend four days together to also celebrate the New Year.
Sasuke walked beside Hinata through the corridors of the empty school. They both had a big break of an hour before they would attend their last class of the day. It was Sasuke's favorite part of the whole week as none of their friends had taken music as afterschool activity.
He played the piano while she played the violin.
He loved to watch her concentrate and lose herself while she played a harmonious melody with great precision, while he played the piano.
They were just the two of them, talking quietly before they finally decided to go outside, so Sasuke could have a smoke.
Hinata was bundled up in her heavy winter jacket, the scarf hid half of her beautiful face. She looked so pretty with the snowflakes falling on those thick, black lashes.
Seeing her suffering in the cold because of him, he decided to put his cap on her, so she wouldn't get sick.
"But now you're cold, Sasuke-kun." She exhaled her warm breath onto her hands to warm them. He smiled at her before tucking a stray lock behind her ear.
"Hn." He didn't say more, just wanting to enjoy the presence of the young woman beside him, while smoking the rest of his cigarette.
"Who did you get?" He didn't understand to what she was referring and waited for her to pursue before asking what she meant by that.
"For the gifts. What name did you get?" Ah. Now he understood.
He thought this game was silly. If he wanted to give someone a gift, he would decide by himself.
"I can't tell you. The surprise would be ruined." She pouted like a child, but he thought she looked cute with her puffed cheeks. He took one last drag of his cigarette, before tossing the remaining butt into the ashtray in front of the school.
"Hm. So keep your secret. I won't tell you mine either, then." She smirked, challenging the handsome brunette with her eyes.
"Shikamaru." He finally revealed.
"Oh nice! What are you going to give him?" she asked curiously, moving closer to him. She cupped her ear, so he could tell the secret.
What did he care in the end? If it would make her happy, who was he to deny her that one?
"Cigars." He moved closer to her to whisper into her ear. He noticed how her posture straightened and how his hot breath on her skin made her shiver.
"But that's a gift from death! Christmas represents life, the birth of baby Jesus! The cigars represent sickness! Death!" He laughed as he watched her try to regain her composure, while hiding her nervousness by changing the subject.
He shrugged his shoulders as a gesture of indifference and looked up at the sky with its heavy clouds.
"If it'll make him happy… He told me about it."
"You're right. If it makes him happy, who am I to judge?" She sighed, her hands tucked deep in her coat pockets.
"What about you? Who did you get?"
"Ah, I have Lee. I'm going to make him a green, hand-knitted beanie, as he likes to play sports outside, never minding what the weather is like. And his favorite color is green. I'm sure he'll be happy. But this stays between you and me, right?" She winked and giggled. This was like a lullaby to his ears, hearing her laugh.
She was a great friend to everyone, and he was glad to have meet her.
Sasuke wondered at that moment if she also knew what his preferences were. If she knew what his favorite color was or what he did in his free time, what he loved to eat…
A little jealous of Lee, he decided to remain silent, lying back against the wall of the large building.
Lost in his thoughts, he didn't even notice how Hinata was frozen on place. Only her chattering teeth snapped him out of his trance. He took her by the hand, leading her inside the school.
"Come on, I'll buy you a hot chocolate to make up for letting you freeze to death." He offered and she rewarded him with her most beautiful smile before following him to the cafeteria.
Yes, he knew that this was exactly the reason why he loved her. Because no one could make Sasuke Uchiha as vulnerable as her.
(…)
They were all gathered in the living room of Ino's big holiday house, decorating a mini-Christmas tree which the boys found on the side of the road. In the basement, the girls had found some old Christmas decorations, very dusty but it would have to be enough.
The presents were already under the tree and the pizzas were cooking slowly in the oven. Choji even prepared a dessert, his father's secret recipe.
"It's time for presents! Everyone gets his own to give it to the person!" Shouted TenTen, the girl with the fierce temper. Everyone obeyed, then sat quietly on the couch, excited about the reactions to their gift.
"Who wants to give it first?" asked Ino, sitting on her boyfriend, Sai's, lap.
"ME!" cried Kiba who was holding a large box in his hands. He hadn't even taken the time to wrap it properly, but Sasuke figured the size of this large gift would make up for the appearance.
Kiba walked over to Shino, a mischievous smile on his lips. Shino sensed that this had to be a scam as his bestfriend was always up to no good.
"This is the best present ever, so you better thank me by passing me the homework when I ask for it, dude. Merry Christmas!" Kiba placed the box very carefully in front of Shino, who only raised an eyebrow.
He finally opened the gift, while everyone walked over curiously, trying to get a look at this mysterious box and when Shino took off his tinted glasses, with his mouth wide open, everyone knew it must be extraordinary.
"Did he really take off his glasses?", "I'm dreaming!", "This is the first time in three years I've seen this!", "A Christmas miracle!". The girls cried out as if it was more important than what was in that box.
Shino got up from the couch and hugged Kiba, who was smiling like he had just won the lottery.
"No need to thank me, bro. I knew you would like it." He patted his best friend on the back before taking his seat.
"So, what is it?" Naruto shouted, curious now as to what caused Shino to even take his glasses off.
"An ant farm." Shino replied seriously, while putting his glasses back on his nose.
"Huh? All that for this?" The girls screamed in disgust while the boys laughed.
"Thank you, Kiba."
"You're welcome, man."
"Who's next?"
An hour passed as everyone opened their gifts meant for them. Sakura rejoiced over the earrings TenTen gave her, Sai was happy about the watercolor Neji gave him, Choji was spoiled with the goodies from Suna, given by Gaara. Kiba was given tickets to go see a boxing competition with Naruto. He already thought it was going to be gift tickets for ramen at Ichiraku's.
He himself received a watch from Sakura. He thought it looked nice, simple in black but had something classy about it. He had thanked her with a hug which almost ended in Sakura passing out, but Shion was able to catch her quickly.
Everyone seemed happy with their gift this year, so happy that Shikamaru went straight to the terrace to smoke that famous cigar which Sasuke had given him. Of course, those who wanted to join in were welcome and that's why Kiba, Sasuke, Shino, Neji and Shikamaru himself were sitting around the terrace table, passing the big cigar around.
There was one gift that hadn't been given yet though, and that was the one Sasuke had hidden well in his bag to discreetly give to Hinata when everyone else was busy with theirs.
He got up to search for her. He was a little nervous, thinking about the reaction of the pretty bluenette. Maybe he could even take his courage in both hand and finally ask her out. So, without waiting, he took two little boxes out of his backpack, one with cinnamon rolls in it and the other one with a bracelet he had bought for her.
Sasuke, usually very sure of himself, couldn't help but doubt his gift, thinking it might be too cliché to give her a piece of jewelry. But as he walked through the small streets of Konoha, he had stopped in front of this shop and this bracelet immediately reminded him of Hinata.
It was a gold bracelet, discreet with a very thin chain and a small lavender stone in the shape of a heart. Beautiful but discreet. Captivating but not screaming 'Watch me'. Just like Hinata.
His heart was racing, hiding the gift behind his back, so that no one could ask questions if by chance someone came across him.
He strolled around the large house and passing the long hallway with many doors, he heard a soft voice that made him stop dead in his search for Hinata.
"Here. I made you this. I hope you like the color, I wasn't sure if it would be of any use to you, but I always see you running around and I thought it might warm you up, now that the temperature has quickly changed." She spoke fast, as if she was nervous and apprehensive of the reaction of the other person, who surely had to be Lee.
He remembered Hinata telling him that she had knitted a beanie for him, all by herself.
But Lee already received his gift.
"Hinata…Thank you so much. It's amazing." The voice was husky, almost not audible, as if the receiver of the present was very touched. But it was a man's voice, Sasuke was sure of it.
And he already had an idea who the person behind the door might be.
His grip on the small box in his hand tightened, trying to release the hatred and sadness which suddenly filled him. He felt stupid. So stupid.
Later, Sasuke saw Naruto running around with a red scarf around his neck, answering everyone who asked him about it, that a precious person had given him it.
Naruto never told him who it was.
But he knew.
And the bracelet ended up in his deck drawer and had never been taken out again.
October of their senior year (Present)
October had finally arrived. The leaves were falling and turning brown, the trees were dying slowly.
The general mood of the whole class had been restored. Though Naruto still didn't have a chance to talk to Hinata again, he saw her happier, smiling from time to time.
As hard as it was for him to only admire her from afar, he accepted the fact that she wanted to distance herself from him, if it would avoid even more trouble.
"Naruto let's have a barbecue tonight. Kiba is inviting. His parents are out of town." Sakura came running with her books in hand.
"But barbecue and these temperatures?"
"Come on, Naruto. This might be one of the last times we'll be able to do this before it gets too cold. Besides, I feel like we didn't talk like for months. Are you avoiding me, by any chance?" She smirked, elbowing him in the ribs. Of course, he wasn't ignoring her, there was just a lot on his mind.
"As if I could avoid you! OK, count me in. Who's coming, by the way?" He mumbled the last part. On the one hand, he definitely wanted to spend time with Hinata, to watch her from afar as she smiled with their friends. But on the other hand, he didn't want his presence to get in the way of her fun.
"Shikamaru, Lee, Ino, Kiba and Shino, TenTen and obviously Choji. He wouldn't miss this for the world. And then maybe Hinata. She's not sure yet as she has ballet till 8 pm. And Sasuke…" One look into Sakura's face and he could see the sadness she was feeling. One more reason why he was pissed at Sasuke.
"You know, who wanted to get your number?" Naruto tried to make her smile again by changing the subject completely.
"Huh? Who?"
"You're never going to believe me, but Obito told me he thought you were really cute. He asked me for your number, but I told him I had to ask first. So, if you're interested…" He saw how her face lit up all of a sudden.
"Obito, you mean the one who was two years older than us? But how does he know me?"
"Is that a yes or a no? I must know." She thought for a moment, but the answer was crystal clear.
"Yes, of course. I'm just wondering why…"
"Well, that's it. He's been bugging me about it for a while now."
"I have to tell this to Ino and Hinata." And so, she ran away, looking for her two best friends.
Naruto had wondered many times if Sakura was mad at Hinata. She could have been, even if Hinata wasn't at fault, but still. Knowing that her crush was in love with her best friend was not an easy pill to swallow. It wouldn't even have been surprising, considering how Ino and Sakura had both gotten tangled up with each other over Sasuke in our freshman year.
But Sakura had grown up. How could she even blame Hinata, who could do absolutely nothing about it? Other than being a good friend to Sasuke, the blond doesn't think she ever gave him hope. He's even sure of it. How could she when she was so in love with himself?
Again, a wave of guilt washed over him. Hinata was probably the nicest girl in the world, wearing her heart on her sleeve, and he, what did he do? Ignored her feelings for Sasuke's sake and their friendship when he loved her too.
All for his friend. Best friend. Rival. And now enemy. Enemy? No, perhaps not. He could never consider him as such. They've been through too much shit together for him to call him that.
All the silly things he dragged Sasuke into, all the things they went through together, all the evenings spent together, while just talking about their life. These aren't things they did with any other of their friends. They were brothers.
Brothers who love the same girl.
And maybe, it wasn't so bad that Sasuke wasn't coming tonight. Anyway, since the big fight, he hadn't come to any of the things they did together as a group. Not even the things with just the boys.
Once again, Naruto was angry with himself. He had unintentionally made the dark-haired boy distance himself from everyone.
He'd screwed up, but he wasn't the only one who misbehaved, he reassured himself constantly.
Sasuke could have any girl he wanted. So could he too, but it was different. The brunette was adored by the entire school, due to his looks and mysterious nature. Naruto always had to work hard to get what he wanted.
And Naruto won the heart of the most precious girl, just by simply being himself. The only girl who mattered in his eyes (their eyes).
He fought those feelings, constantly telling himself that she was just a friend, that she behaved like this with everyone, blushing for everything, that he was just physically attracted to her.
Nothing more.
Oh boy, how wrong he was! If he knew that by denying these feelings, he would eventually release them in an impulsive move, he would never have ignored him.
Why couldn't Sasuke for once be happy for him? He was sure that the brunette only wanted Hinata because she was the only girl who wasn't more interested in him. Like a challenge.
Naruto laughed softly, while shaking his head.
No, it wasn't like this. Deep down, the blonde knew exactly why. Because Hinata was simply amazing. Starting from her beauty to her character.
She was perfect.
Who wouldn't fall in love with her?
She was beautiful. Her black hair was long and silky, her face was angelic, not a blemish, with luscious rosy lips that you just want to kiss. Her large opaline eyes made you lose track of time, wanting only to drown in her vast crystals. Her cheeks were always rosy, and her nose was cute with little freckles on it.
And then her body reminded him of the one of a goddess. A slim waist with hips that you just want to grip. Long, smooth legs. And then her voluptuous breasts that no man could resist.
She was small but perfectly proportioned.
Just perfect.
The most beautiful girl he'd ever had the pleasure of meeting.
The blonde sighed, lost in thoughts with the perfect form of the Hyuga princess.
And to think that he was the lucky one to have this girl's heart. Even he couldn't believe it. But he didn't love her for her looks but mostly for her personality and person.
Hinata was sweet, kind, caring, always listening to others, funny and smart. He couldn't tell you a flaw, though she certainly had to have some. But that was the power of love. It fogs your view, and makes you fall into the abyss of feelings.
Again, a sigh escaped him. Again, this girl was invading his thoughts. Again, he was a slave to his feelings.
He felt someone take his hand. A small, delicate hand, one he would recognize any day. He looked down at the shape of this person and for a moment he couldn't believe it.
Hinata stood next to him, a little nervous, avoiding his gaze.
"Hinata…" He thought he was dreaming. What did she want from him?
"Can we talk?" He had missed her calm, loving voice.
He nodded slowly, still surprised.
"Now?"
"Now? But class will…" She didn't let him finish.
"Please."
"Sure. Just let me put my books in my locker." She sighed, relieved, then released Naruto's hand, much to his displeasure as he wanted to feel the softness and warmth of the bluenette.
The walk to his locker was silent, as no one knew what to say. It had been two months since they had spoken.
He noticed how the little Hyuga kept fiddling with her fingers to keep herself busy. A nervous tic she possessed to distract herself.
Naruto didn't want her to feel nervous around him. He wanted her to be relaxed, so once he had put his books away, he took her hand in his again.
She didn't say anything, just looked at their joined hands.
He pulled her out of school, not to be caught by a teacher.
He didn't know where they were going, but in any case, it was clear that Hinata didn't want to stay here.
Konoha wasn't a big city. Everyone knew everyone. It was a miracle that they had even built a high school in this dappled town.
He took the pretty blue-haired girl to the park which was a twenty-minute walk from their school. There, at least, he was sure that no one would disturb them.
During the summer, he and Hinata had spent a lot of time together, working at the same coffee shop in town. After work, they often spent time in the park, eating ice cream, talking, and laughing together.
She didn't ask where he wanted to take her, probably because she already suspected where Naruto wanted to go.
So, they strolled in silence, one next to the other, through the alleys of Konoha until they finally arrived in the flowery park.
There was a little river running through the big public garden, and that's where they always landed, sometimes, just to enjoy the silence, listening to the birds chirping.
"I'm sorry, Hinata. For everything." The blonde began the conversation first, not being able to stand the silence anymore. He had so much to tell her, but he felt like his throat was knotted.
"No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all the damage I caused." He didn't know what came over him, all of a sudden, but he took Hinata's face in his hands, cupping her cheeks, so he could look deep into her eyes. Again, he felt like he was losing himself in her lavender orbs, which he had missed so much.
A few tears had formed in the corner of her eyes, and he wanted to kiss them away, but he didn't dare. He didn't want to scare her with such an intimate gesture. A few months ago, he would have done it without worry, but not anymore.
"You have nothing to be sorry about. Nothing at all, you understand? I'm the one who should be begging for forgiveness. I…" The pretty brunette cut him off, closing her eyes as if she were ready to remove an old plaster.
"I still love you, Naruto." She spoke quickly, but every word was understood by the blond.
The boy couldn't believe she had said that. He thought she hated him after everything that happened.
"You love me? Still?"
"I never stopped loving you. And I don't think I can. Even if I tried everything to make my feelings go away. Believe me when I tell you it was impossible." She wanted to look away, afraid of the blonde's reaction, but Naruto wouldn't let her.
"I love you, too. It was horrible not being able to spend time with you anymore. To hold you. To kiss you. Worst two months of my life, y'know?" She let out a laugh and he smiled because he still could make her laugh.
"But I don't wanna hurt Sasuke any more. Somehow, I love him too…" She whispered the last part and Naruto frowned, not sure if he understood correctly. She loved him and Sasuke?
"You're in love with both of us?!" He took a step back, coming to his senses.
"No, not in love. I love him like I love Kiba or Shino. But also, it's not the same. I can't describe how I feel when I'm with him. It's just a special kind of love.""
"What about me. Do you love me like them too?" Naruto asked shyly, fearing the brunettes' answer.
"No. No, I love you like I only love you." He sighed, relieved, and a big smile spread across his tanned face. Still he couldn't shake off the idea of Hinata loving Sasuke like love-love, even though she said it's not like this.
She moved closer to him, putting her arms around his neck and inhaled his scent that she had missed so much. The blonde instead placed his hand on her waist, pulling her even closer to him and kissed the crown of her head.
"And what do we do, now?"
"I don't know…Sasuke hates me, and I think he still loves you." Hinata sighed, tired of the whole situation.
At first, it was pretty easy to ignore Naruto and Sasuke. Three weeks before school started, when everything came to light, she could easily avoid all the problems, locking herself in her room. When school started again, she still hadn't been able to digest the whole thing and her body avoided them at all costs.
Then the parties started again, it was almost inevitable to run into Naruto who was often there. In class, she could ignore him just fine, concentrating on the lesson, just like Sasuke. But not on parties.
But during outings with friends, her eyes always wandered off to a certain blond boy she still loved, she had to admit to her great misfortune.
And now, almost three months later, she couldn't take it anymore. She had to talk to him. She must also talk to Sasuke too, obviously, but it would be harder to face him.
Just thinking about his face, when he confessed his feelings to her, haunts her. Then his face when she confessed to him that she loved Naruto. She will never forget that moment. And it was on that day, that she lost her precious friend, who meant the world to her.
Hinata had a special relationship with Sasuke. It wasn't like her other friendships with Kiba or Shino, but more intimate, deeper. He was someone who was very much like her, someone who didn't need to talk constantly, someone who likes the silence and someone who touched Hinata deeply.
They shared secrets with one another. Secrets that she didn't even tell Ino or Sakura. Because she had, and still has, absolute trust in him. But her heart belongs to someone else, someone who is not at all like her, even quite the opposite, but whom she admires and loves exactly because of the reason that he's so special.
Hinata knew that Naruto was partly responsible for all of this. If only he had been honest with himself and Sasuke, none of this would have gotten so bad.
But things are done, and they can't go back in time.
Naruto took her chin between his fingers, so she could look into his eyes, and she melted into his azure orbs. She could see how his face was getting closer and closer to hers, she knew what was going to happen, but she couldn't let him.
His mouth stopped inches from hers, their breaths mingled. He smelled like fresh mint. Before he could kiss her, she put her hand on his chest, to stop him.
"Not yet, Naruto." She smiled sweetly, and he nodded, understanding why.
"But one day, I might finally ask you to be my girlfriend, properly. I promise, and this time for real." The disappointed face turned into one of determination. He smiled showing his perfect white teeth.
Yes, he was determined. Determined to make up with Sasuke and determined to finally be able to proudly say that Hinata Hyuga was his girlfriend.
Because he loved her. He loved Hinata.
And he loved his brother with all his heart.
Next chapter will be the flashback of their summer, what happened, etc. It will be more interesting.
Third chapter is not written yet but will probably handle about the confrontation they must have.
Please, don't hesitate to review. Tell me how you imagine this story will go on, etc... I'm curious.