Another Impulsive Date After Some Weeks

The night of the gala opened the floodgates to the Hokage's personal life. The masses' attention focused on their relationship and Hinata found herself reeling from the reality of dating a public figure.

The weeks that followed the event were a blur for her, and she spent it mostly trying to avoid everyone's scrutiny. Since that day, the cameras had followed her around, and Hinata's life was constantly disrupted by reporters screaming impertinent questions about her and Naruto's love life. Not only that, she had to deal with the flashes that blinded her every time she stepped out of the Hyuuga gates.

Naruto did his best to shield her from the public's eyes, but it was difficult because the media loved it whenever he swooped in protectively around her.

On one occasion, a male reporter had gotten too close, brushed against Hinata's body, and had grabbed her waist to prevent her from falling. Naruto had seen it and hadn't been able to prevent his instinctive reaction at seeing her so roughly handled. His snarl of rage had startled everyone, but of course, the cameras had been quick to capture his angry reactions.

Nobody had been surprised to see his face splattered all over the newspapers the next day.

Besotted Beast! The Hokage finally tamed! screamed one headline underneath the large photo of Naruto's enraged face.

Hinata sighed as she glanced at it sitting so prominently at the newsstand she passed on her way to her school. Today, she'd managed to slip away from the reporters under the not-so-clever disguise of her dark sunglasses and her long hair tucked underneath a cap.

That, and Hanabi had volunteered to be the decoy to distract the reporters while Hinata had quietly slipped out of their home.

The smell of fresh flowers greeted her as soon as she unlocked the classroom.

With the additional attention that the community was giving her, she found her school flooded with new students. Hinata became busier, accommodating the genuine ones who'd come to really learn about the art of arranging flowers and also firmly turning away the fake ones who'd come to snoop around her school.

The interest in ikebana flattered her, but the interest in her puzzled her. Just the thought of continuing to date the Hokage and being constantly photographed made her even more anxious. She didn't like everyone staring or whispering about her.

It made her feel even more awkward and unsure, always wondering about what they thought about her and her relationship with Naruto. What she feared most was people thinking she was unworthy to be with such a great man, how a small nobody like her could ever grab the attention of somebody as amazing as he was.

She'd run into Haruhi once, and the two of them had just decided to grab coffee at Emi's shop. There were the usual customers, their neighbors, and so the two felt comfortable enough to talk openly about what was happening.

Haruhi was the perfect person to talk to about the unwanted press about her and Naruto. As a geisha, Haruhi was aware of how different and how special her role was compared to the rest of society.

"So what? People are entitled to think whatever they want about you and him. In the end, they're just thoughts and opinions. Don't let it affect you too much. Just learn to brush it off," she said in answer to Hinata's question.

Hinata stared at her cousin, disconcerted. "I guess, but how exactly do I do that?"

"Just focus on the Hokage and everything will be okay."

Hinata blinked. She hadn't expected to hear that answer. "Just focus on Naruto?"

When put that way, it didn't seem so bad. She could focus on how attentive he was with her, how lovely their dates were even though they spent it mostly at each other's homes recently because they were trying to lie low from the media.

Hinata looked at her cousin and slowly nodded.

Haruhi took a sip from her drink. "Who cares what other people think about you and Naruto? Why should you worry? He likes you enough to be with you. He sought you out—and nobody else. You need to think about that instead of what others are thinking. That's all that matters."

"I think you're right, Hi-chan," Hinata finally said with a smile.

"I'm always right. Look how breaking my leg was so good for you!"

They both laughed.

Then Haruhi tilted her head to the side. "All this will die down eventually, you know. Some other scandal will break and it'll be the new juicy gossip that grabs everyone's attention."

"I really hope so."

Haruhi grinned at her. "Trust me, Hinata. Everyone will get bored of you guys soon enough. The news cycle moves fast."

Hinata took a sip of her coffee and Haruhi waited until her cousin had put down her cup before she suddenly leaned in and grabbed Hinata's hands.

Hinata's eyes were startled when they met Haruhi's.

"You know, Hinata, I never got to thank you for dancing in my stead that night. I appreciate you doing it for me. Our house has gotten lots of attention and more customers now because of that night."

Hinata shook her head. "I don't think it was me, Hi-chan. Your house has a wonderful reputation and all the girls are very good at their jobs."

"True!" Haruhi exclaimed with a cheeky laugh.

They talked some more about Chie and more news about their geisha house. They also discussed what was happening with the Hyuugas and Hanabi's continued success as a niwashi before they finally left the cafe and walked home together.

All the while, Hinata really hoped that things would die down.

Haruhi's words ended up being partly true.

Tensions between Kiri and Kumo escalated into a minor skirmish at the border. Fortunately, it resulted in no bloodshed, but Naruto still needed to defuse the hostilities between Konoha's allies. He'd suddenly appeared at her school to inform her of the news. After pressing an apologetic kiss on top of her head, he'd left with Shikamaru. Legitimate news reporters had followed them to cover the incident and the public's attention shifted to these more important matters.

Hinata, though, was left to deal with some of the more aggressive paparazzi in Konoha. Luckily, they kept their distance and lurked quietly while she went about running her school. Soon, it became easier to ignore them.

However, the next time Haruhi and Hinata met, a little bit of tension underscored their conversation.

"Toneri?" Hinata blinked at hearing the name.

"Yes," Haruhi said. Her tone was defensive. "He asked me out and I said yes."

Hinata was concerned but she remained silent.

"We've gone on a few dates these past few weeks."

Right after the gala, Hinata thought, still looking at her cousin.

"Haruhi, just be careful. He's not…as nice as he seems."

"Oh, Hinata!" Haruhi said. "I'm not as nice as I seem, either!"

Hinata smiled, but she was still worried for her. "I just don't want to see you hurt."

Haruhi laughed. "Listen, don't worry about me, Hinata. I can handle myself. I'm a lot tougher than I look. You and I are different. I know it didn't work out with you guys, but I know how to read guys like him."

"Hi-chan—"

But her cousin cut her off. "Let's be honest, Hinata. I'm more confident than you and know my own worth so guys like Toneri can't hurt me. I chose to become a geisha because I can handle the attention and have the drive to ignore slights. And really, this relationship with Toneri is more of a business arrangement. I know my role; he knows his. It's all fun and casual."

If anything, that made Hinata even more apprehensive about their relationship, but if Haruhi insisted that she was fine, she was going to believe her cousin.

"You're really sure about this?" she asked, her lavender eyes full of concern.

Haruhi shrugged. "Yeah." Then her eyes turned shrewd. "But now I'm thinking that whatever this is with you and the Hokage is different from my relationship with Toneri?"

Hinata drew a startled breath. "Huh?"

Haruhi laughed and continued to tease. "Will I be hearing news of an engagement soon?"

Hinata's eyes were horrified. "Wait, no! That's too much of a commitment so soon!"

"Oh, yeah?" Haruhi's brows were raised. "From what I've seen and heard, he's really earnest—if you like that kind of thing in a man."

Hinata did, but that was something too personal to admit to her cousin.

Haruhi backed off with a knowing chuckle and didn't add anything more. Still, she gave a reassuring pat on her cousin's arm and said, "Anyway, I just wanted you to know about me and Toneri so that you wouldn't be caught off guard."

"Thank you for telling me."

Hinata watched her cousin walk away, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Coming home to Hinata in his apartment was the best thing in his life, and he liked that it had nothing to do with the perks of being Hokage but had everything to do with him being the kind of man he was.

She stood at the doorway, waiting for him, opening the door and turning the lock when she'd heard him put his key in the knob.

She opened it and flung herself at him and he caught her in his arms, so warm and so wonderfully welcoming when he'd walked in.

"I'm home."

"You are!" Then she kissed him with enthusiasm.

Before he'd left for his trip to the border between Kiri and Kumo, they'd split their "dates" between his place and her family's to hide from the media. They both agreed to curtail going out on formal dates and instead decided that the informal, more intimate time spent at their respective homes seemed ideal for the type of people they were.

He'd given her a key to his apartment despite her protests, but she'd eventually seen the merit of using his place freely when she could slip in at night, during those times the reporters seemed too tired to follow her after her day of teaching. Plus, the invisible barrier that guarded him at his home, that extra protection placed around his apartment that repelled the paparazzi gave Hinata some much-needed privacy and peace of mind.

Since Naruto spent most of his time out in the public eye as Konoha's Hokage, he infinitely preferred staying home with her. He liked getting back to the apartment and seeing Hinata there waiting for him with her home-cooked meals. Whenever she was home early enough from work, she'd made sure to prepare something for the two of them. He loved it when they ate dinner together and she was there to talk about the issues he was facing at work, listening attentively to his problems and offering him advice.

It was so cozy and intimate, everything he'd ever dreamed of.

As he'd suspected, Hinata represented everything about home. He'd known since their first date, during that breakfast at Emi's cafe.

She, meanwhile, had always been a private person and always preferred staying in for the night instead of going out to restaurants. She enjoyed the closeness with him during the nights, the way he lifted her spirits up whenever she was down or feeling unsure of herself.

Sometimes, though, they spent their evenings with her sister and her father. And it became a habit for all four of them to stop by Chousa Akimichi's place where all of them chatted while eating sushi and sipping green tea. Here, Chousa provided them the privacy away from prying eyes. He watched with satisfaction as Hinata deepened her relationship with Naruto.

Inevitably, too, Hinata met Naruto's friends.

Kiba had questioned him on how he'd met Hinata. Knowing he had to protect everybody's identities, Naruto had explained that after the night of Shikamaru's engagement party, he'd arrived at the Hyuugas to seek her out.

"She's a friend of a friend."

He'd flubbed and said he'd met her through the geishas that had worked during the engagement party, which contained enough of a truth that made it easy to remember the lie. Naruto continued to explain that one of the geishas had thought that they both would suit and had introduced them.

"Haaah?!" Kiba had yelled in disbelief. "You got a date out of that night?!"

Kiba had grumbled about the unfairness of it all, but upon meeting Hinata, he found out the reason why Naruto was so taken with her.

He peered at her intently, and Hinata nervously and unconsciously scooted closer to Naruto to hide her fear of being discovered.

"You look familiar," Kiba mumbled, frowning with concentration and trying to remember where he thought he'd seen her before.

"I think you might be thinking of my sister," Hinata responded. "She's more in the public eye than I am and people have said we look similar."

He nodded, seemingly satisfied.

"Yeah," Kiba admitted to Naruto. "I can see now why you're so attracted to her."

Naruto could only grin.

Temari had also expressed a desire to meet her, and Naruto was excited to introduce the two to each other. Shikamaru laughed at his enthusiasm.

Hinata invited them all to her home for a small intimate dinner with her family. She was nervous, but Temari and Shikamaru did their best to make her feel at ease.

"I have to say that he's being a bit of a lovestruck dummy," Temari said with a teasing glance at both of them. Naruto blushed but he made a face at her. Hinata smiled demurely and continued eating, then took another drink from her wine, trying not let her nerves get the best of her. She didn't know exactly how to respond to that comment.

At the entranceway, when they were saying goodbye, Temari laughingly explained, "He was never like this when we were together. And dinner was excellent, but I have to admit there were times when I felt like throwing up with all this lovey-dovey stuff."

"He's not like this when he's around me, either," Shikamaru joked.

Temari glared at her fiance. "Honey, the way you drive everybody to work, I doubt anybody could relax around you, let alone be all lovey-dovey with you."

Shikamaru shrugged. "Running a village isn't easy, you know."

"So you keep telling me."

But Temari turned back to Hinata, her eyes sincere. "I've always been a fan of his. Naruto's a great guy and I'm glad you're together."

"Me, too, Temari," she said with a quick, shy glance at him.

He met her gaze and smiled.

"Ugh. Lovebirds!" Shikamaru said with a shudder, but he shot a knowing look at his future wife and she grinned back at him.

The newness of their relationship soon faded and another event caused a tizzy among village residents. The annual Konoha Shinobi Calendar was soon going on sale and the men featured for each month had just been announced. As always, the calendar was meant to raise money for charity, but demand for this year was especially high because the normally reclusive Kakashi Hatake had agreed to pose for the month of December—minus the mask. And of course, that news had to be covered.

Naruto was eternally grateful that as Hokage, he was prevented from participating in the calendar, especially if he had to pose half-naked. He walked towards Hinata's ikebana school and noted the absence of photographers and reporters. That night, he impulsively decided to take her out to his favorite ramen restaurant. She immediately agreed to it.

"That's a great idea! I haven't been to Ichiraku in a while!" she said as she tucked the strands of hair that had escaped her bun behind her ear. She then swept an arm at her workshop. "Can you give me a moment while I clean up in here?"

Instead of answering though, he strode towards her work table and started picking up her shears and gloves. "Where do you want me to put these?"

"No, Naruto! You don't need to help me! I can't ask the Hokage to do menial work and clean up the mess at my school! What will everyone say?!"

He ignored her protests and shook the tools expectantly. "Hinata, should I put it in that closet over there?"

Seeing that determined glint in his eyes, Hinata gave up and allowed him to help. He put away the tools and the flowers to where she directed while she wiped down the tables and counters that her students had used.

When she was done, she glanced at him apologetically and pointed to her rough clothing. "I'm sorry, Naruto. I'm not very presentable tonight. I didn't expect to be going out so I didn't bring a change of clothing."

He grinned at her, loving the disheveled attire and the less-than-perfect picture she made. While he appreciated the fact that she was always lovely, he felt even more blessed to see the messy side to her personality, when she wore the tattered overalls she considered her uniform at work. He especially loved that thing she did with her hair, when she pulled it up into a bun, but the unruly tendrils still refused to be bound and would eventually spill out of their bindings.

He walked over and poked the bun on her head a couple of times, which made her laugh.

"You look beautiful, Hinata. Always. You could be covered in mud and you would still look amazing."

She waved the compliment away, shaking her head but still, she smiled at him. "Stop it!"

He didn't say anything, only kissed her. "To me, you are. No matter what you wear, how you look. It's just such a part of you."

"You know, I'm starting to get suspicious. So many compliments in the space of a few minutes." She leaned back from his hug and grinned up at him. "I see what you're doing, Naruto. I think you're just trying to get me to pay for dinner tonight!"

He laughed and kissed her again on the forehead. "Yup! I'm having two bowls of ramen tonight, so make sure you have enough money in your wallet."

They walked to Ichiraku, where Naruto delivered on his promise and devoured two bowls of ramen. He'd skipped lunch that day because he hadn't been able to get out of the meeting with the Tsuchikage's emissaries who were eager to negotiate an energy trade with the Konoha.

Hinata encouraged him to talk while she listened and ate her own ramen. When he was finished eating, he looked happy and satisfied, and he waited for her to finish hers. She ended up paying for their ramen that night, causing the friendly Teuchi to raise his eyebrows at Naruto, who only shrugged and grinned back at the ramen chef.

"I deserve it. It's my reward because I helped her earlier today."

Still, Teuchi took her money.

They were walking back towards his place when she suddenly realized that she'd left at her school the gift she'd gotten for Temari's party they were attending in a couple of weeks.

She was rummaging for it behind one of the shelves when she became aware of the silence from the main classroom. She looked up and saw him staring intently at something outside.

She reached his side and looked out the window, at whatever it was that had made him suddenly tense and become eerily quiet.

Haruhi was passing by, her arm around that of a tall man with silver hair. Hinata heard them both laughing and saw the way Naruto's jaw clenched when his gaze lit on Toneri's face.

"Naruto?" she said into the taut silence. "I've got the gift. Do you want to head out?"

He jerked in surprise at her voice, but he turned to face her just as the couple outside passed by without any incident.

"Sorry, Hinata. I knew it was him, and I knew it wasn't you because you're here with me, but I had to stare and make sure. She looked just like you. I was just startled."

"That was my cousin Haruhi," she admitted, her tone apologetic.

"The geisha?"

She nodded. "I'm sorry I never told you that they were dating. It slipped my mind."

He shook his head. "There's no need to apologize."

But a feeling of dread slivered down her back. She felt it coming, the inevitable conclusions that people made when they compared her to Haruhi.

"I knew you were cousins, but I just never knew how much you guys resembled each other."

She smiled uncertainly. "I know. It's uncanny, isn't it?"

"Yeah." But he just stood there and continued staring at her.

And Hinata was suddenly hit by a wave of confusion and distrust.

Oh, god.

She really hoped Naruto wasn't comparing the two of them, thinking of a few minutes before when she'd heard Haruhi's lovely, infectious laughter.

Anybody who'd heard that would think of a bright, bubbly personality, and they'd be right. The fact that Haruhi was also a geisha only added to her mystique, her appeal—while here she was, the shy wallflower who was forever plagued by doubts.

"She seems—" Naruto started to say but he broke off when he saw the way she jerked back. "Hinata?" he asked instead, concern in his voice.

She felt herself folding in. "Please don't compare me to her."

His brows rose up in surprise. "I wasn't going to, Hinata."

"I'm sorry, I just don't like being compared to other women." She took a deep breath then added, "Toneri used to do that all the time."

He wasn't able to control the sudden flinch that crossed his features at the mention of the name. "I would never compare you to anyone because I can't. There is no comparison."

"What were you going to say about Haruhi?"

He shook his head. "Forget it, Hinata. It's not important."

But Hinata babbled on, something inside her wanted to explain why she couldn't hold a candle to her cousin. "She's different, I know. Physically, we're almost like twins, but Haruhi's got one of those personalities that draws a lot of people to her side because she's very vivacious like that. And when we're together, everyone always notices the contrast. They say I'm too qui—"

"Stop it."

Then long arms wrapped around her to squish her face into his chest, cutting off the rest of her words. Her face pressed against him, she heard Naruto say, "I was just going to say she's a little bit taller than you."

Oh.

Hinata suddenly felt embarrassed so she kept her face hidden in his shirt.

"But even more important, Hinata, she doesn't have the light you have that always leaves me a wheezing mess because you make me lose my breath."

She ignored that, his penchant for exaggerated compliments to flatter her. When she looked up at him, her eyes were vulnerable. "How is that possible, Naruto? You ooze so much confidence and charisma every day. I just don't understand why the Hokage, why someone like you, would ever choose to be with someone like me?"

He frowned.

"Hinata, whatever it is you think, of being Hokage, isn't real, you know. All this," he said as he waved an arm vaguely in the air. "It's not as glamorous as you imagine it to be. At the end of the day, I'm just a guy trying to make sure that the people in my care are safe. It's just a job I have to do. That's it."

She was still unconvinced. It was never that simple. People expected more from him, from the people he surrounded himself with. It was only fitting that a glamorous Hokage would be with a glamorous girl.

He must have sensed her doubts because his tone dropped and she heard a new depth in his voice. He then cradled her jaw in his hands. His voice was tender and she could almost believe his sincerity when he said, "If we break it down even more to this moment in time, I'm not a Hokage. I'm really just a regular guy, trying his hardest to get the woman he loves to love him back."

Love…

Love?!

Already? At this stage in their relationship? It was too soon!

What happened to slow?! Slow was meant to prevent this from happening so quickly.

No. It wasn't possible. Nobody fell in love this easily, this suddenly—and of course, not with somebody like her.

Hinata gasped. She couldn't stop staring at him in shock.

He didn't look away. "Isn't it strange to care so deeply about somebody I met just a few weeks ago? I'm surprised, too, but something about the way you danced that night called to me. I couldn't stop looking at you."

Still stunned from his admission, she could only remain quiet, but he was smiling gently again. "And when I got to know you better, I've fallen much deeper into whatever this is."

She shook her head, hoping to clear it from this fog of confusion.

Oh, god. This was unreal. He was expressing everything she wanted to hear…

But she couldn't lie to him. She just couldn't.

Hinata felt the ache in her heart because she wouldn't be able to reciprocate his feelings, not this quickly. Honesty made her admit: "Naruto, I don't know what to say, but I don't want to lie to you. It's too soon for me to know—I think. I just don't know how I feel yet."

While she floundered in the mess of her emotions, incredibly, he continued to smile at her.

"I know how I feel. I can clearly say that I love you, Hinata—plainly, unequivocally, wholeheartedly."

She could see it in his face, his eyes, but her view suddenly got blurry from her tears. "Naruto…"

He slowly wiped the tears away on her cheeks with his thumbs. "That night when I asked to walk you home, I knew right away you were special, that you would be so good for me."

Hinata suffered in silence. It instinctively rose up in her, the urge to respond with a similar sentiment, to be polite about his confession. She opened her mouth to say something, but part of her held back because she didn't know for sure about her own feelings. Instead of feeling wonderful, she felt guilty and confused—and scared. She just didn't want to lie to him, and to herself, if it wasn't true. Admitting a love she didn't feel would bind him to her and she didn't want that.

Instead, she closed her eyes and let the tears flow, frustration robbing her of the ability to speak.

"Hinata?" His voice was hushed, expectant.

But she knew deep in her heart that nothing she could say right now would make this whole thing easier for both of them so she mutely shook her head.

"I guess you can't say the same thing?"

Her eyes flew open.

It might have been a trick of the light, but she thought she saw something, a coolness in his expression, a dimming in the brightness of his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Naruto."

And in those moments of her hesitation, he seemed to have come to a decision. She saw it when his demeanor changed and his tone became more serious. His arms slowly dropped, the warmth of his body receding away from her when he took a step back.

Still, he looked at her squarely in the face, and she kept her eyes locked on his.

The corner of his lips tilted up, the angle wry, forlorn. "The moment of truth, huh?"

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine."

They were quiet for a few minutes, staring at each other until he sighed.

"Hinata, I know you wanted to go slow. You've told me this from the beginning—and I feel really bad for being so forceful and so pushy this entire time—but I've now just realized that I think I did it deliberately to break you down so that you wouldn't be able to resist me."

"Well, it worked," she managed to sputter with a startled laugh.

He smiled briefly, but he didn't come closer anymore to her.

"Maybe I was wrong in doing that? For that, I apologize. I've been coming on so strongly that I probably overwhelmed you and never gave you the chance to think about all of this, what's been happening between us."

Something terrible was about to happen, Hinata realized, but she nodded in response to him.

Then it came. "I think maybe we need a break? Just for a little while, maybe cool our heads and do some thinking. What do you think? Only if you want to, of course. And I'm asking if you want to do it because we both said we won't make a decision about this relationship without the input of the other."

"Okay."

The word left her before she could stop herself, surprising even herself with the speed of its delivery.

"Yeah, I thought so." He laughed, but there was no joy in the sound, only regret.

"You know where I am, Hinata. And one day, I hope you'll be able to come to me with trust in your heart. Trust that I will never hurt you. Trust that I will love you until I die. Trust that you and I belong to each other."

He gazed at her and Hinata felt like he was giving her the chance to do something, but she suddenly felt frozen and didn't know what it was he wanted from her.

"Hinata." A brief smile, a hand out to pat her softly on the arm.

And then, without another word, Naruto turned around and left.

Hinata felt her heart splintering into a million pieces when she watched him walk out the door.

Somehow, she knew he wouldn't be coming in to sweep her off her feet anymore.

Naruto was mentally kicking himself for being stupid.

Okay.

She'd whispered it so clearly into that silent room.

A single, heartbreaking word that was still echoing in his head. He walked blindly forward, unsteady on his feet because he felt unsure of what was happening.

Damn it!

Why?! Why was he such a dumbass? What possessed him to open his mouth to ask her if she wanted to take a break?!

He looked down at his hands and saw that they were shaking. He let out a breath and shoved his hands into his pockets, but he continued walking, still jittery, confused, and lightheaded.

Naruto still couldn't believe he'd even suggested this, but he hadn't expected her to readily agree to it. When she'd said yes so quickly, it had shattered him.

He'd been testing her, hoping she would say no, that she would protest and insist that they stay together—his fantasy that she loved him back as much as he did her.

Instead, she'd done none of that. No protests, no trying to convince him to stay, no asking him to reconsider. And the silence after his confession was damning.

Oh, it hurt.

So damned much.

He continued walking away from her school, half-expecting her to run out and stop him, but he was glad when she didn't and the distance between them grew, forcing them apart.

It's fine, he thought, trying to convince himself.

This way, he could remain calm and hold on to his feelings, maybe hold on to his anger. This way, he could pretend that it didn't matter, that his heart wasn't breaking.

This had to be done, he told himself. The ball was in her court now. He'd been honest with his feelings for her, but she was still unclear with hers. He didn't want a future without her, but he wasn't going to push anymore even though he really wanted to.

He'd done all he could to convince her that he loved her, showed her in his own way, told her plainly that she was meant for him. But he grieved knowing it wasn't enough. He wanted to shake her roughly and demand some answers. Why didn't she return his feelings when it felt as if her every action, her behavior towards him proclaimed it?!

And damn it, he was sick and tired of being compared to her ex-boyfriend. How could she even think that he was the same as Toneri?! That he would do the same thing and compare Hinata to other women?

Naruto knew the smart thing to do was to stay and talk to her, to ask her, but he was scared of the answer. He didn't want to hear her say she didn't love him. He hadn't planned to say it today, but it had just slipped out, this disastrous confession. Looking at her so sad and miserable, he'd thought telling her of his love for her would solve the problem, but he'd obviously been dead wrong.

He sighed.

The silence from her had eaten at him. Maybe he was being petty, angry, but something inside him had made him ask for the break because maybe they both really needed it.

He nodded to himself.

Yeah, this was better.

She was just unsure of her feelings. That was all there was to it. She just didn't know that she loved him—yet. If she needed time, he would give it to her.

The choice was hers alone to make. He left, knowing she needed the space to figure out what she wanted to do.

Naruto steeled his heart because the urge to turn around and go back was still strong, but he forced himself to step up the pace and resolutely continued walking.

And as his strides widened, there was also one more truth he couldn't deny.

He had his pride. He didn't want to stay here and beg her to love him back.