Two years have passed since the war ended. And three years since the confession. At the beginning of the year, she told herself that she wouldn't torture herself like this anymore. Just as she had the previous years... it was the same thing every year with her, and honestly, she thought of it as repetitive. It's getting annoying. Her feelings for him felt like a burden to her. A heavyweight on her chest that won't let her breathe. She told herself year after year that she needed to move on, drop it, and just let it go.

Yet she couldn't, no matter how hard she tried. He was her light, a beam of sunshine that faded away from the darkness in her life. He was the motivation that kept her going. His words of encouragement, the boisterous laughs that could be heard from a mile away, the eternal promise of becoming Hokage. Naruto Uzumaki was everything that screamed "Naruto" and she loved every inch of him.

How could she not love him? How could she, Hinata Hyuga, ever try to forget him?

How could she not love those cerulean blue eyes that radiate such intensity and reflect mischief? His golden blonde hair was cut short now, in a way where it made him look more mature. The baby fat in his face was gone but maybe not so much in the cheeks, and his jawline had a nice sharp edge to it. His trademark whiskers lined each cheek. The way his broad shoulders complemented his strong physique, and Kami, his sun-kissed muscles were so nice from endless training throughout the years that included his bandage-wrapped prosthetic. The new mission gear also added a little flavor to his look, at least in her opinion.

He was just so perfect. The type of perfect to have no type of flaws whatsoever. She once told him that he was perfect when they were having lunch together at Ichiraku's one summer afternoon. Together they sat at the countertop, eating their freshly served pork miso Ramen while Naruto was telling her about his recent mission.

" Yeah, and then I accidentally spilled tea into Temari's lap! And then she bitch-slapped me...but get this-Gaara laughed! It wasn't a big laugh but like one of those low chuckles that Neji used to do, y'know?"

She loved how comfortable they were with each other to the point that when Neji's name was brought up, the air around them would still be the same and full of warmth. She loved his verbal tic, the phrase that's embedded into his vocabulary for as long as she could remember. Before she could stop herself, the words slipped from her tongue.

" You're amazing, Naruto-Kun."

Naruto stopped talking and just stared at her.

And then she realized what she said. Her face paled, and horror-struck her eyes as she quickly turned her face so he wouldn't see her turn red from embarrassment. He mumbled a quick, although confused "thanks" and continued with his story as if nothing ever happened. Hinata was thankful that he was humble enough to pay no mind to her complement. She'd be too embarrassed to explain herself if he would've asked what she meant by that, but what did she expect to happen? It's not like he would ask her to elaborate, simply because he is Naruto. He wouldn't think anything of it, because he only sees her as a friend . A slip-up of words with an underlying meaning would simply fly over his head, because he has never seen her in that way, and unfortunately, will never.

Of course, she knew this already, he would never see her in that way. She's certain of it. There were times that she had been hopeful, but they were disregarded completely. She contemplated if he knew what love was. If all of those years of him being alone altered his true definition of love.

Did he know the difference between loving ramen and loving a person?

At least that's what Sakura questioned, but deep down she had a feeling that he did know the difference; his infatuation with Sakura could pertain to that alone. This made the Hyuga envy her, and she hated feeling this way towards such a close comrade.

Sakura has been one of her dearest friends since the academy days; they grew up together, as did everyone else who belonged to Konoha's 11. Envying her was just wrong to Hinata, but how could she not? Soft pink hair that resembles cherry blossoms, emerald green eyes that revealed her strong nature, and most of all her bold personality that expressed the assertiveness her voice possessed. She was the strongest Kunoichi now, and nobody dared to mess with her (the exception being Ino). Though just because she envied her, didn't mean she wasn't satisfied with herself.

Hinata laid sprawled out on her bed in her casual clothing; an oversized lavender sweater that covered her pink top, a frilly white long skirt to cover her legs, with, of course, leggings underneath. She was a little bit on the modest side because she didn't like showing off her body.

She knew she was a favorite amongst Konoha men, at least that was what Sakura and Ino would say, so she wasn't insecure. But what she couldn't understand was that if men all around her thought she was beautiful, then why couldn't she get that one person's attention? What about her didn't cut him?

Constantly, she reminds herself that she is enough. She doesn't want Naruto to be the reason that she isn't enough, because she is.

She accomplished things that she couldn't. She proved to the clan that she wasn't weak, and she proved her leadership skills during the war.

A knock on her bedroom door interrupted her thoughts.

"Um, come in."

The door creaked open just a little bit, and Ko peaked her head inside.

"Sakura-chan is waiting outside for you. She said something about meeting friends at Yakiniku Q?"

Ko watches Hinata perk up from her bed.

She'd been so lost in her thoughts that she forgot about tonight's outing. She thanked Ko and hurried out of her room, quickly slipping on her sandals, rushing out of the Hyuga Estate to meet Sakura outside the gates.

"Sorry I'm late, you didn't have to come and get me, Sakura-chan," Hinata muttered nervously. Sakura nods in understanding.

"It's okay! But you got a couple of us worried that you wouldn't show up! A few volunteered to go get you, including Naruto." Sakura wriggled her eyebrows.

Then why isn't he here? Hinata shook her head at the impertinent thought. She was thankful that Sakura came to get her.

The two Shinobi started from the Main House, walking in the direction of downtown Konoha. The night air was crisp against her face, and she could see goosebumps appearing on Sakura's arms. It was a cool night, after all.

She also noticed her toned muscles underneath her olive skin. Sakura had a nice athletic build to her Hinata noted.

"You're probably wondering why he isn't here," the medic smirked. "Well, I specifically wanted to talk to you about something, so I told them I was checking in at the hospital for a quick second."

She knew where this conversation was going. Many of her friends would try to persuade Hinata into making a move on Naruto, but it never worked out in the end. She didn't know why they kept pestering her about it after all these years if things were going to be the same as usual between them. They would remind her that he was a 'blockhead' and was too dense to understand the so-called connection they had between them.

She knew there was no connection between them. It was just a platonic relationship between two friends, and it was going to stay that way, no matter how much she hated it.

"Oh, well I-"

"You know his birthday is coming up right?" Sakura interrupts.

How could she not forget? October 10th, Naruto's birthday, and the anniversary of the Fourth Shinobi War.

"You got anything planned that day? Sai and I were thinking about taking him out to this fancy new restaurant across town for a little get-together. Maybe you could join us?" Sakura smiles.

Hinata thinks about the request. "I don't want to intrude or anything-"

"You're not intruding if I invited you."

"That's true, but isn't this a team seven thing? He's eating out with his team on his birthday. I think it's best if I don't come this time." Hinata politely declines.

"I knew you were going to say that. So...instead of coming with us, why don't you meet him after at his place?"

What?

"You know, wish him a happy birthday, give him a small gift, and you could be off with your day! No biggie." Sakura urges on. Well...when she put it that way, she could do that. She tried to give him a gift all the previous years, but her anxiety said no. Maybe this year, after finally acknowledging that their relationship won't go anywhere further than just being friends, she could give him a small gift, and thank him for always being Naruto Uzumaki.

No, she won't profess her undying love for him. She will thank him. For being her friend. No matter how much it hurts.

"You know what, that does sound like a good idea Sakura-chan. I'll do it," Hinata smiles, nodding her head in determination.

"That's the spirit! Let's talk about what you could get him! Maybe some flowers? I don't even think guys would care about that...maybe Ichiraku coupons? Or what about..," as Sakura continued with potential gift options, Hinata's mind slowly started to drift, her thoughts centered around the Uzumaki.

They continued their walk, passing by food stands and outlet stores. The street lights were bright, people were out and about and the nightlife was alive. They were close to their destination.

She's going to see him again, just like all the other times that she saw him. It's a regular outing with friends, so it's not like she'll be alone with him. She's been on lunch dates with him before, nothing too special because they were just ramen dates between two comrades. So she reminds herself that this will be like every other time when they all finally get to hang out with each other again. It'll be fine.

"Earth to Hinata!" Sakura called out to the Hyuga.

"Oh, sorry Sakura-Chan," Hinata said softly, "I didn't recall the last thing you said."

"It's fine," Sakura reassured as they approached the restaurant, "but we should hurry up and run in. I'm starving!"

Soon enough, Hinata and Sakura made it in and walked up to the table with all of their friends seated around it. But the two noticed that the group's food hadn't been served to them yet, and Hinata noticed an empty seat right across from Naruto. Seated at the table, on Naruto's side sat Shikamaru, Choji, Tenten, and Lee on the far end. On the other side sat Kiba, Shino, Ino, and now sakura, with an empty seat right across from Naruto.

"Hey, Hinata! We thought you would never show up, y'know?," Naruto said cheerfully. She slightly blushed at his kindness.

"Yeah, we had to hold off on ordering," Choji puts his hand across his grumbling stomach.

"You're always hungry you nitwit!" Ino scolded and then with a swift change in attitude, she smiled towards the Hyuga, patting to the seat right next to her, "Hinata! Come join us, take the seat right across from Naruto. You know, the only other seat option."

Kiba snickered while Shikamaru rolled his eyes. The shadow user was probably done with all of their antics, although he would never show it, he was slightly amused. Akamaru could be seen in the corner of the enclosed space taking a nap.

Typical. Hinata took a seat at the table and everyone resumed their small conversations. On Naruto's right were Tenten and Lee, whilst on the left were Shikamaru and Choji on the far end. From across the table, on Hinata's right were Kiba and Shino, while on the left were Ino and Sakura. She sat in between her friends, which she didn't like. Especially being right across from Naruto, the situation made her nervous. Were they all expecting her to converse with him? What if she wanted to talk to Lee, or Choji even?

"Where were you anyway? You had us waiting, Hinata. Honestly hun if you wanted us to walk with you just say something next time," Ino said.

"I'm sorry Ino.." How could she tell them that she was sulking in bed, drowning in her thoughts? "I'll be on time next time," she gave her a reassuring smile.

The food was eventually here and they all dug in, and Choji as usual was hogging the majority of the meat. Of course, everyone knew how much he liked to eat, but Kiba wasn't having it. "Hey, fa-" Shikamaru quickly kicked his shin. That put an end to things that could have escalated quickly.

"Fuck that hurts," Kiba hunches over, his arms ducking under the table to cradle his now bruised shin.

"What Kiba means, Choji," Shino begins, "is that you're taking all of the meat for yourself. Do you mind sharing it with the rest of us, so we can have some meat as well?"

"Yeah, what Shino said... agh damn that hurts," Kiba groaned out, shooting darts into Shikamaru's eyes, who simply rolled his own.

"Oh...well ask the other end if there are some more left, the quality of this meat is quite nice tonight!" Choji mused.

Now Kiba was angry.

"I'll show you the quality of my fists if ya' don't start sharing you hear me?!" Kiba bellowed.

Well, enough of that conversation. Hinata wasn't feeling all that hungry anyway. It was always a good night with her friends. She even got small talk with Naruto, which was a plus. She looked around and noticed that everyone was enjoying themselves. She snuck a glance at Naruto. He was talking to Lee about training. It kind of sounded like a debate about who was better in taijutsu. She then tuned in on the girls.

"...You guys just don't know how romantic Sai can be! He gave me pink roses and calla lilies, meaning that he appreciates me and thinks that I'm beautiful! Isn't he just so romantic? Honestly, I couldn't be any luckier to have such a man… " Ino sighed dreamily.

Great, they were talking about boys...and love. Hinata rested her cheek on her hand, her eyes involuntarily looking in Naruto's direction. He was now yelling at Kiba about the fang over fang Jutsu he used every time, and then Kiba attacked him for spamming Rasengan, which then escalated into the boys arguing over who could beat who in taijutsu, with an annoyed Shikamaru caught in the middle of it, and of course, Choji stuffing his face.

She decides to tune back in with the girls.

"Who needs a man when you could improve your training?" Tenten remarked. Uh oh .

"You're just saying that because you're jealous! Admit it!" Ino bit back.

Tenten stuck up her hands in self-defense. "I mean, I never said anything bad about your sappy relationship. If you're happy, you're happy I guess. But I mean like, so many men are sexist and have this mentality that all Kunoichi thought about is being in a relationship, sometimes I feel like we're feeding into that stereotype" the weapon mistress sighed.

Huh? Is that what most men think about... Hinata shook her head. Certainly, that couldn't be true, can it?

"Oh get that bullshit out of here!" Ino argued. "Us Kunoichi can think about whatever and whoever we want, whenever we want! Who are men to go around and judge what us women want? Well, I'll tell you...men who have no lives. They are all power-hungry anyways, and we can beat their asses any day." The Yamanaka finishes. Hinata thinks that's a good point.

"Oh take it easy Ino-pig , Tenten is only stating what half of Konoha thinks is true, and this is why we break those stereotypes to prove them wrong" Sakura chided, crossing her arms.

"Not the forehead whose man hasn't been home in decades telling me what men think about other women!" Ino dared.

Sakura's eyes bulged out of her head. "Take that back or I'll make you!"

And Hinata thought that was enough of that conversation. She tuned out, thinking about what Tenten said earlier.

She knows that she fits into that stereotype. Hell, Naruto at one point was all she can think about. She was weak back then, and she needed an outlet, an escape from the harshness of her clan. That's when Naruto came along, and it all started from there. When he saw her outside running in the snow alone and took her back home. Or when he saved her from those bullies, hurting himself in the process. Her love for him could never disappear, and it was annoying. It wasn't because she found him annoying, but because it's a one-sided love. She was getting nothing out of it but a friendship, and she was grateful of course, but it was annoying because she wanted more.

For the third time that night, she took another sneaky glance at him, only to be met with cerulean blue eyes.

He was staring right at her.

She turned a crimson red and averted her gaze. She'd been caught red-handed!

However, she didn't expect that. Why is he looking at her? Did she have something on her face? She slowly lifted her gaze to make eye contact again, and he's still looking at her, albeit with a confused face now.

"You okay Hinata? Your face is kinda red..." Naruto says warily.

As if he wasn't just staring at her!

"Y-yeah, yeah, I-I'm good! Nothing wrong over here, Naruto-Kun!" She waved her hands frantically. What the hell? She hasn't stuttered in ages. What is he doing to her? She felt like rolling in dough and staying trapped there forever. Fortune favors the brave, and yet here she is cowering like a chicken in front of him!

Naruto's eyebrows furrowed as if he didn't believe her, "if you say so..."

She can't let the conversation end like this. To her left, Sakura and Ino were still arguing. Lee and Tenten seem to be in a dispute about Gai Sensei. To her right, Kiba and the rest were in a fixed conversation. Okay, she can do this- it'll be a piece of cake. Like a piece of a sweet cinnamon bun. It would be just like all the other times they hung out with each other. So she mustered up the little courage she had left.

"How is your night going so far?" Stupid, stupid, stupid! That was all that she could come up with?

"It's going great so far! The food was good, not better than Ichiraku's, but I'm enjoying myself y'know? Being with all of you again is fun" Naruto comments.

Hinata nodded, "yes, it's been a couple of weeks since we all hung out, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, but once this is all over, we'll go back to our regular lives."

? "Regular lives?" Hinata questioned, "Isn't this a part of our everyday life, I mean um...we usually hang out with each other- u-um, I mean all of us do! But we see each other almost most of the time anyway."

"Well yeah, but being a Shinobi, it means that we are expected to risk our lives for anything. To fight and protect our home, we have to constantly strive to get stronger, to live up to our ninja way." Naruto shot a genuine smile her way.

What a beautiful boy he is. Hinata smiles at this.

"Also we see each other when we're partners on missions, so that's a plus." The jinchuriki adds in.

"That's also true" Hinata softly chuckles. She watches how his face contorts into deep thought. She looked for the tiny creases in his forehead, to the way his eyes crinkle. She admired the way his tan skin contrasted with his golden hair. What a beautiful boy indeed.

"Wanna train with me sometime? It seems like I've never sparred with you before." Naruto comments after some time. "It'll be fun?" He adds a hopeful smile.

He wants to train. With her.

"Awe c'mon on Hinata, it'll be fun!" Naruto bribes. "I don't bite if that's what you're wondering!"

Hinata looked down, pretending to think about it. She didn't want to respond too fast, she needed to play it cool.

"Unless you want me to."

Huh?

Did she hear that correctly? Her eyes shot up in an instance. "What?"

"So is that a yes or a no?" Naruto continues.

Of course, she can never turn him down. So she agrees. "It's a yes for me, Naruto-Kun" she smiles.

"Cool! By the way, do you happen to-"

" Ino-pig when do you ever have the time in your entire life to not be the way you are? You should take some time off and save all of us the stress." Sakura called out.

"In the words of my lovely boyfriend Sai, 'shut up, ugly,' " Ino smirked. The vein on Sakura's head grew bigger by the second. Lee and Tenten watched in amusement as if they were watching the next big blockbuster in the movie theatre. Everyone else just sighed when they heard their bantering.

"Alright, I think this is our cue to leave everyone" Shikamaru sighs as he starts to get up. Everyone nodded in agreement and started to prepare their leave. Outside the restaurant, Sakura and Ino shoot daggers into each other's eyes before they part ways. However before Sakura fully left, Hinata noticed that she whispered something in Naruto's ear. He looked at her confused, mumbled something, and then was soon threatened by what looked to be a fist Sakura was holding.

Soon afterward, Naruto came jogging her way. "Hey, mind if I join you?"

Although she would've liked it if Naruto came on his account, she silently thanked Sakura and decided it would be nice to walk back with him alone. Just him and her.

"Not at all," she smiles.

As the two walked down the street, the nightlife has since quieted down into a blissful and calm night. The starry sky looking down upon them, twinkling in all directions.

"I love it when the stars are out" Naruto starts, "It's very pretty, y'know?"

"Yeah, it is." She turned to look up at him, watching him as he watched the sky. His blue eyes in the moonlight looked a sky blue, and it was electrifying. Butterflies formed in her stomach as she looked away, a light blush dusting across her cheeks.

She noticed that the wind started to pick up, and it blew a harsh, cold breeze right their way. She also noticed that Naruto was not wearing a jacket. He could get sick like this.

Hinata grew concerned. "Naruto, where is your jacket?"

He was wearing orange joggers and a white t-shirt, however, his usual grey sweater was nowhere in sight. She zipped her sweater up to her chin and stuffed her hands deep in her pockets. It was seriously cold out here.

"Yeah, I was pretty stupid for leaving it at home." She didn't think he was stupid.

"Next time I won't let my guard down like this, y'know," he shuddered. The temperature was dropping with each step they took. She felt bad now, having him walk her home like this.

"Naruto, you don't have to fully walk me home, I can get there on my own. I-It's c-cold outside," Hinata's teeth chattered. "I want y-you inside warm and s-safe, especially with t-this type of w-weather."

She could hear his teeth chattering as well, and a low chuckle came from his throat. Hinata could see his breath in the night air as if smoke was coming out of his mouth.

"You sound like Iruka Sensei," the Uzumaki commented because he didn't have parents to tell him to stay inside during cold nights. Right.

"I'm gonna be alright, Hinata, you don't have to worry about me y'know?" He reassures.

"B-but I do, N-Naruto-Kun," she chattered out. It's freezing out here to cry out loud. "Y-you can c-catch a cold in t-this weather!" She saw his apartment coming up in her peripheral vision. "L-look, your a-apartment is right t-there! It was n-nice seeing you, Naruto-Kun!"

As they reached his apartment they paused. Hinata was waiting for him to go inside, but he wasn't moving! "Naruto-Kun-"

She saw him make a hand sign, and a clone appeared out of thin air.

"Okay, I'm gonna listen to you, because I always do y'know," he flashed a cheesy smile. "However I'm not gonna leave you out here alone to suffer. Alright, off with you two!"

The clone swept Hinata off her feet and carried her bridal style. In a flash, the clone activated his bijuu mode. His speed was incredible as he flew through Konoha's streets, and just like that, they were at the Hyuga Compound in an instance. He put her down gently on her feet as Hinata quickly tried to figure out what had just transpired. He deactivated his mode and threw a quick smile at her.

"I'll be waiting for that spar, but until then, I'll see you later Hinata!" Then the clone disappeared, leaving behind a cloud of smoke.

"Goodnight, Naruto-Kun."

She entered the Hyuga Estate and was greeted by Ko. After taking off her shoes, she started to walk towards her room.

She couldn't help but think of the events that transpired tonight. Nothing big happened, of course. But it was the smallest interactions with him that made her not want to give up. Though it was weird, because he is like this way with everyone, she couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe…

There she goes again with the wishful thinking. They had a friendly conversation about sparring with one another and now she thinks of the impossible.

This is what normal teammates do, what normal friends do. This spar with one another, because why not. They are both Shinobi after all, so what difference does it make?

Once she reaches her room, she closes her door and starts to Andres. She looks at herself in the mirror, checking out her figure he thinks about the type of girls that Naruto likes. Does he like girls on the slimmer side, or does he like them on the bigger side? Does he like girls with long and dark hair? Or does he like the short and light hair...

Another sigh as she changes into her nightclothes. After taking care of her hygiene, she walks over to a full-sized bed and falls into it. She tries to sleep, but her thoughts keep her awake. She looks out the window and gazes at the stars.

She just couldn't seem to let him go, no matter how hard she tried. She knew she could never let him go, to never forget her love for him. Yet she also knows the pain that comes with it. A love that's not reciprocated…

It would've been easier if he would just brush her aside. If he would've just told her that his night was fine, and avoided her from there. If he would just have some type of backbone, and tell her if she was just being a nuisance in his life. She wishes for him to be straight up with her, and at least tell her directly that he does not have feelings for her. It wouldn't hurt as much as it does now, at least that's what she told herself. Because she would rather be confronted with the painful truth, instead of a sweet lie.