Chapter Sixteen

Naruto could see the training areas from afar, and as he got closer the shape of the memorial stone in the distance clarified, as well as the outlines of a person. There she is. He sighed in relief, this was the first time he saw her since he had delivered her unconscious body at the Konoha hospital two weeks ago, and he was glad to see that, as far as he could tell, she showed no signs of any serious injury .

He'd come back from his mission only this afternoon. It had been a mission that had come most inconveniently; right after he'd returned from his mission with Hinata. He had objected at first, because it would mean he had to leave an unconscious friend in the hospital as he went. Not only that, but the mission given to him would take him two whole weeks to accomplish, two weeks in which he couldn't be with her right when she needed him. But Tsunade was not the person to pick fights with, and so he went. He'd felt guilty when he left, but in the end he'd decided that if he had to leave her for a mission, it'd better be one he'd finish successfully.
And so he had. And now that he was back, impatient as he was, he wanted to see her as soon as possible, happy to have found out she'd been released from the hospital.

Kakashi's words floated through his consciousness as he got nearer to the form standing by the memorial and he decided to approach her silently, as not to startle her.
She looked so vulnerable as she was standing there: staring at her shoes, her arms held at her chest, yet there was this vibration coming from her that made him look at her differently in one way or another. Was he witnessing her hidden strength coming out?
Hey, she looks up. The long black hair that had been hiding her face up until now, did not any longer, and Naruto was surprised to see how beautiful she actually was.
I never noticed…

He saw her mouth moving, but he couldn't hear anything she said from where he was. Carefully he sneaked closer, still hidden from her sight, but to an audible distance. Hinata had never been a loudmouth, and now that she was almost whispering, he had to fully concentrate to be able to hear her.

'…-taught me some truly valuable lessons of life, and I plan to hold on to them until the day I die. So that's why there's this one thing I have to do. And that is…it's….something I need to confess to you, Naruto…'

For a moment he thought she'd seen him, but as he was about to act as if being caught, she continued, and he silenced his apparently still unnoticed self.

'I have always admired your courage. You know that, I told you so several years ago, remember? But, you see, there's something more to it. There's more to you than just courage, I discovered. You're also the most kind and caring person I've ever met, and one of the most amazing ninja's I've ever seen. You would have made such a great Hokage, Naruto…And I'm so proud of you, even though you don't know, and…never really will, I guess…But that doesn't matter, because to me you are…well…you are you, and that's what I admire about you the most, and what I've loved for so long. You see, I…I love you, Naruto.'

Had it been possible, the sound of Naruto's lower jaw dropping on the ground would have alarmed Hinata. Words, feelings and memories were overwhelming him, causing him to be frozen on his place.

'I know I'm a little late in telling you, and I apologize for not doing so sooner, before you left this earth.' She felt her throat tightening. 'I promise you'll never leave my heart.'
She placed her hand upon the cold grey stone in front of her, and she could swear it felt a little warmer than before. She put her other hand next to the first, trying to make contact with the Other Side through the stone, to reach him through all that had been and now never would be. She swallowed.
The incredible amount of emotions waving through her chest was painful as well as it was a relief. Knowing she had finally done it, the tears she'd been holding back for so long, finally came out.
Slowly, one tear after another, everything came out. No sobbing sounds. Just cheeks getting wet and a heart getting poured out in every single drop escaping from her lavender eyes, each one shimmering in the moonlight.
Then, there was the feeling of a hand on her shoulder. The tender gesture of compassion. She turned her head to see who-

'Hinata? Hinata?!'

A/N: I know.