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Sakura's Heart: To Fall on Thin Ice

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Light filtered through the blinds, casting thin slits of sun over Sakura's sleeping form. She stirred, her green eyes blinking open. As her mind slowly registered the morning washing over her room, she scrambled up in a tangle of sheets. Panic surged into her as the prospect of being late for her shift zipped into her mind. But as she organized her mess of thoughts, she remembered that Tsunade-sama had given her the day after the summer festival off. It was probably more for the Hokage's sake than hers...she knew that her teacher had no doubt spent the previous night drinking and gambling.

"Well, since I'm up already, might as well start the day," she reasoned, swinging her legs over the side of her bed and stretching her arms up high.

Memories of last night flooded back to her as she began her morning routine. Everything had unfolded relatively normally, except for the fact that the entirety of Team 8 had missed the fireworks display. When Kiba's raucous voice and Hinata and Shino's calming presences failed to arrive, she and the rest of the rookies searched every nook and cranny for the tracking specialists. Shikamaru stayed especially on edge when he thought that something might have happened to Kurenai-sensei.

As a result, they were scattered when the fireworks began blossoming in the sky. While Sakura marveled at the beauty of the lights, Naruto consecutively sneezed next to her. She was about to berate him for being noisy and ruining the atmosphere…but let her chastisement fade away when she noticed his expression. Blue eyes conflicted, he admitted that it just wasn't the same with Hinata missing the fireworks she loved, again.

She unconsciously slowed in brushing her teeth, the white foam dripping off her toothbrush and trailing down her sink. She hadn't thought much of Team 8's disappearance at the time− after all, they were ninja and things do come up− but maybe there was more to it. Sakura spat out toothpaste and rinsed her mouth before splashing cool water onto her face.

When she exited the bathroom to pick clothes from her closet, she couldn't help but flit her eyes towards the giant frog plushie tucked in the corner of her room. No…it couldn't have been, she thought, reminding herself that she was grasping at straws. But her self-reassurance did little to alleviate the wave of inexplicable confusion and guilt that rolled through her.

She took a deep breath as she picked up her forehead protector from her vanity and wrapped it in her hair, tying the red fabric in a secure knot. No matter…she could see Hinata herself today and ask what happened. She needed to find her anyways. No need to create a big deal in her head…right? She turned her thoughts to her agenda, which consisted of tracking down a small list of people for a certain best friend of hers.

Before leaving her room, Sakura gave her reflection an once-over and smiled. Everything was going to be okay, she was sure of it.

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As the volume of "YOUTH!" increased, Sakura knew she would stumble upon Team Gai soon. When Sakura stepped into the training grounds, the crisp "thwock" of kunai lodging into target dummies added to the soundtrack.

The weapons master smiled when she saw Sakura approaching, folding her scrolls and pocketing her kunai. "Hey Sakura-san, what's up?"

"Sakura-chan!" Lee flashed her a brilliant grin before resuming his one-handed push-ups. "One, two, three, YOUTH! One, two, three, YOUTH," he chanted, sweat dripping from the tip of his nose.

"Wow, Lee-san sure is energetic today. Or actually, this might just be normal," Sakura noted, nodding in his direction.

Tenten followed her gaze. "He usually is pretty crazy, but he's going all out today. We've just been notified that they're looking for a replacement for our team...anytime Gai-sensei or Lee hear anything that has to do with Neji, they go into overdrive. It's like his name is an energy drink," she chuckled to herself, though a tender…ache reflected in her dark eyes.

"Tenten-san? Are you okay?"

Tenten blinked, swatting her hand dismissively. "Yeah, I am. I'm okay," she pulled on a bright smile. "So what can I do for you today?"

"O-Oh okay. Well, Ino's birthday is coming up soon, and I wanted to throw together a small surprise party for her," Sakura explained.

"Oh! That's so thoughtful of you, I'd love to help." She clasped her hands together.

Sakura beamed. "That's great! I was thinking about having me, you, Hinata, and Ino get dressed up together like we're going to have a girls night out, Ino loves those things, and then stop by at her house where Chouji and Shikamaru would have gathered all her friends to surprise her. She'll never suspect it. Which reminds me, have you seen Hinata lately?"

Tenten shook her head. "Can't say I have. I might have seen her from afar sometime yesterday with Kiba and Shino, but they never showed up for the fireworks."

"Ah, I see... I tried finding her in the Hyūga compound earlier, but her father told me that Hinata had been out since early morning."

"Oh hm," Tenten placed her thumb and index finger to her chin, "I guess that's not too odd though, Hinata tends to be an early riser. She used to do morning training everyday with Neji."

The pink-haired girl hummed. "Hinata is as impressive as ever, still working so hard." I'm worrying about nothing, she thought, lightening the weight that pressed on her chest.

A sudden, battle-cry worthy yell cut their conversation short. Both kunoichi turned their attention towards Lee.

"One, two, three, YOUTH! One, two three, YOUTH! ...I did it." Lee collapsed onto the grass, still wet with morning dew, and rolled onto his back. He thrust a thumbs-up into the air, his fist covering the yellow sphere of the sun. "I completed 1,000 consecutive one-handed push-ups. Neji would be proud."

"Lee! Don't overexert yourself already, we still have a lot of training to do today," Tenten chided, rolling her eyes, but she nonetheless wore a proud smirk.

Sakura smiled at the pair before turning back to Tenten. "I'm afraid I must be off, I still got to find the others. I'll keep you updated on the plans."

She bid her farewell to the remainder of Team Gai and sought out Shikamaru and Chouji. Both of them were lounging in Shikamaru's living room when she knocked on the Nara residence's door.

"A surprise party? Sounds so troublesome..." Shikamaru sighed.

"I vote for the barbeque house!"

Sakura ran a hand through her hair. "Last time I talked to her she said she was on a diet, I don't know if she'd like the temptation."

"She doesn't need to diet," Chouji said in between mouthfuls of chips. "Besides, it's her birthday, and even if she can't admit it we know that she loves stuffing herself with barbeque."

She brought her hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose. "Fine, we can go to barbeque after. But in exchange can you get Shikamaru on board? The girls can take care of all the decorating, I just need you two to gather all her friends and dump them in her house. Oh, but make sure everyone looks…presentable."

"Sure, sure no problem," Chouji grinned. "Don't worry about Shikamaru, he always ends up getting roped into things anyways. I think he secretly enjoys being included."

"Oi, don't speak for me when I'm right here," Shikamaru drawled, however, he didn't refute any of the claims.

"By the way, have either of you seen Hinata?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "Not recently, I checked up on Kurenai-sensei earlier today and she said her team didn't come around last night. Not sure where the three of them disappeared to yesterday."

"Why don't you ask Naruto?" Chouji suggested.

Sakura huffed. "Naruto that idiot, I doubt he could notice anything even if it was shoved in his face."

Chouji laughed heartily, digging his hand into the bag to pick up crumbs with his fingertips. "You don't notice 'cause you're always by him. You've developed this perception of him as a slow idiot."

"He is a slow idiot."

"He can be, yes," Chouji nodded in agreement. "But he pays attention to Hinata. He gets super worried and protective over her."

"Oh?" Sakura raised an eyebrow. She leafed through memories in her mind. Hinata's Chuunin battle, her confrontation against Pain, and even her disappearance last night. Huh. Maybe the idiot had made more progress than she gave him credit for. "Hm. Okay, I'll go look for him."

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It wasn't particularly difficult to find Naruto despite his vagabond tendency to wander around. Luckily, she managed to peg him at the first item on the list of "Most Likely Places Naruto Would Be": Ichiraku Ramen.

"Hinata?" He said quizzically, pausing in slurping up his noodles.

"Yes, Hinata," Sakura repeated. "Have you seen her?"

"Hmm..." Naruto wiped ramen broth from the corner of his lips. "No, not lately. Why? Did something happen to her? Does she need to go to the hospital Sakura-chan?" Concerned eyes widened as his chopsticks clacked against the table.

"No, at least, I don't think so." Her forehead creased as she too considered the possibility of Hinata being hurt. "It's nothing really, I just wanted to invite her to something," she explained.

Naruto visibly relaxed. "Oh, okay. I did see Kiba earlier...he was acting weird. It was like he either wanted to punch me or get away from me, maybe whatever bug that bit Sasuke in the butt bit him too."

Sakura laughed. "Why didn't you ask him about it?"

"I was gonna!" He sniffed indignantly. "But he just shoved his hands in his pockets and slouched away, hmph. Anyways, I can help you look for Hinata."

"Nah, you'd get in the way," she said cheekily, feeling no remorse at the resulting puppy-dog pout.

"No I promise I won't! I've got great Hinata-senses," he protested.

"Yeah, and Sasuke-kun's 'Sakura-senses' are going to tell him to serenade me at my window and throw flowers at me," she replied flatly.

"Is that what you want? I could put in a word for you−"

"Goodbye Naruto."

"W-Wait, Sakura-chan don't be so heartless!" He stumbled out of his chair and face-planted to the ground. "Ow..."

Sakura crossed her arms over her stomach. "I can't believe a ninja of your level is still tripping over his feet," she started, but stopped abruptly.

Naruto stood up to fish through his pockets and dropped a handful of bills on the counter. Her mouth dropped open. She had never seen Naruto of all people not finish his ramen.

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The sun's hot rays were beginning to beat down, causing beads of sweat to prickle on the back of her neck. Clouds rolled past overhead, offering some reprieve by dappling the pavement with bouts of shade. The pair had roamed around a decent portion of Konoha before Naruto recommended that they return back to where he had bumped into Kiba. After a bit more aimless ambling, they soon saw her coming out of a forest path. Perhaps he did have good Hinata-senses.

"Hinata!" Sakura called, waving in her direction and walking towards her. "We've been looking for you!"

Hinata stilled at her voice, slowly craning her neck back. "Ah, good morning, Sakura-san, Naruto-kun." She bowed politely.

"Hinata!" His loud voice boomed as he came up from behind, Sakura swore that one day her teammate would burst her eardrums. "Where did you go last night? Are you alright?"

The usual reaction typically consisted of Hinata stuttering, blushing, and well, leaving. But this time, Hinata tilted her head upwards and met Naruto's eyes, not saying anything as her lips curved into a thin smile. Her eyes were intense, yet not unkind, as if she was crushing glass shards in her hands and trying to conceal the pain.

Even Naruto noticed her odd expression, confusion etching his features. "Eh? Is there something on my face? Oh, maybe there's seaweed in between my teeth, I was eating an early lunch before." Naruto swiped his tongue over his teeth.

"No you're fine, Naruto-kun, it's nothing. Anyways, I'm sorry for disappearing like that yesterday and making everyone worry. It's...my fault that my team was missing. How were the fireworks from your vantage point?" Hinata's smile curved a bit tighter.

Sakura moved to speak but Naruto beat her to it. "They were pretty! Bright and flashy like last year. But..." He scratched at his cheek nervously. "I felt guilty, and worried, that you weren't there."

That familiar blush surfaced to Hinata's cheeks and the boldness in her gaze reverted to a shyness. "It's okay, y-you shouldn't have been. It's not your fault." She averted her eyes. "I'm sorry you two, I must get going." She kept her tone cheerful, but it was plain as day that her wan smile would shatter as soon as no one was watching.

Once she had walked a fair distance away, Naruto spoke up, "Huh...that was kinda weird."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked, only half-listening.

"The conversation just felt...incomplete. Like there was a lot more on her mind."

Sakura remained quiet, mulling over his words and coming to the disquieting conclusion that...Naruto was right.

"Hinata!" She cried, speeding off in the direction she had gone. Familiar footfalls could be heard from behind her, and she skidded to a stop. Whirling around, she affixed Naruto with a glare. "You're not coming this time! Girl talk."

"Whaaat!" He stretched out the word. "How'd I mess up this time?"

The medic-nin frowned. "I don't know, but I have the feeling she doesn't want to see you right now," she said bluntly. This time, she did feel remorse from his crestfallen expression.

"So you think it has something to do with me too?" He said uncharacteristically softly.

"No, I−I said I didn't know." Her words fell to deaf ears, and she honestly did not know what else to say. "I'm going to lose her at this rate, so I got to go," she spun around and ran off, her own steady footsteps the only sound that followed her.

While her feet ran laps around Konoha, her mind muddled through why every fiber in her being demanded that she must seek out Hinata. It didn't take long for Sakura to realize that Hinata strayed away from the Hyūga compound and carefully hid her chakra pattern. In spite of her guilt for leaving Naruto confused and desperate for answers, she cursed him for slowing her down enough to lose Hinata!

She halted in her running, resting her hands on her knees as she waited for her breaths to even out. "Hinata..." She murmured, swallowing gulps of air.

"She wishes to be alone," a voice stated plainly.

Jerking her head up, she found herself face to face with Shino Aburame. "Shino?! When did you get here?"

His brow furrowed. "...I happened to be on the side of the road when you stopped to rest. You didn't notice me."

"Oh, sorry," she pulled an apologetic smile.

He sighed…at this point he should be unsurprised. "It is of no matter, I suppose. Back to the matter at hand, why are you searching for Hinata?"

Sakura ran a frustrated hand through her hair. "I-I don't know, I feel like there's something wrong− and I just want to see her."

Shino considered her, his eyes piercing her even through his tinted glasses. The silence spiraled into discomfort, at least on her end. Maybe Shino communicated through bouts of silence and hard stares. But before Sakura could formulate a way to politely excuse herself, he finally spoke up.

"She is most likely in the forest. Amongst the branches of a tall tree," he supplied, lifting his chin to the right.

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Her hair was a mess. Her skin too probably, after the dirty brambles and thorns she waded through to get into the forest. It didn't matter, it was worth it.

"Sakura-san?" She tentatively asked, bewilderment saturating her eyes.

"Yes, Hinata. Hi." Sakura wiped the sweat off her brow, then made a futile attempt to smooth her hair down.

"What are you doing here?" She queried, her eyebrows knitting in confusion.

"Uh," Her mouth ran dry as she became conscious of how ridiculous she must have looked. "Because..."

Hinata looked up at her patiently, frowning when she noticed the bright cut on her forehead. "Did you hurt yourself getting here?" The Hyūga immediately hopped to her feet and brushed locks of pink hair to the side.

Sakura instinctively put a hand to her forehead, slick with hot sweat and warm liquid. She pulled her hand back to inspect the glistening blood. "Oh, I guess. It's just a small cut, it's nothing."

Hinata fiddled with her pouch and pulled out a brown jar. "Would you mind if I put some ointment on your forehead? It'll help the wound heal faster." She stepped closer towards the medic-nin and unscrewed the lid.

"It's okay, it's really not that serious." Sakura smiled at her friend's sincerity− Hinata practically oozed out kindness.

Shaking her head, Hinata dipped her finger in the smooth, white ointment. "I insist," she encouraged.

The strong smell of spearmint permeated Sakura's nose. She didn't lean away as Hinata applied the medication. When she finished, Hinata pocketed the container and smiled...just a bit too forcefully.

What she had stated earlier to Shino suddenly returned in full force. "Hey Hinata, let's get lunch together?" She blurted out.

"Eh?" Shock colored her white eyes. "Did you come all the way here to ask me that?"

"Getting here wasn't troublesome at all." Sakura chuckled bashfully. "So what do you say?" She lifted her arm to sheepishly rub the back of her neck, exposing more scruffs and bruises. Sakura watched Hinata's eyes travel to her scratches, the Hyūga's lips twisting into a frown.

It was unintentional, Sakura didn't mean for the guilt card to come into play or even to have one, but it did work out in her favor. Hinata nodded, just a touch hesitantly, before reaching for Sakura's hand and gripping onto it as they jumped out of the tree.

They settled on a quaint bakery on the outskirts of Konoha, both girls requested milk tea, then Hinata and Sakura ordered cinnamon buns and mocha roll cakes respectively.

"Ah, for once I'm not confined to only eating ramen," Sakura exclaimed, biting into her cake with fervor. The sweet smell of confectionery sugar floated through the cafe.

Hinata giggled, a cute, girlish laugh that suited her petite nature. "How often do you eat ramen?"

"Once a week minimum." Sakura narrowed her eyes in frustration. "That's not to say there haven't been days when it was ramen breakfast, lunch, and dinner."

"Ah, but it's a way for Team 7 to bond isn't it?" She said, delicately neutral.

She popped a piece of cake into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. Creamy chocolate filling soaked into her tongue. "When you put it that way, I suppose so."

Hinata made an agreeable hum but didn't say anything more, opting to cut her cinnamon bun into pieces.

After a stretch of comfortable silence, Sakura perked her head up as her original intents flooded back to her. "Oh yeah! Hinata, Do you remember that Ino's birthday is coming up?"

Wiping off cinnamon dust from her lips with a napkin, she put a finger to her lips. "Yes, in late September, correct?"

"Yup! I was planning to hold a surprise party for her."

"Is that why you wanted to see me?" Hinata's shoulders loosened and she sat up straighter.

"Mhmm. I was thinking about having the four girls in our group get dressed up like we're going to have a girls night out, and then stop by at her house where Chouji and Shikamaru would have gathered all her friends to surprise her." She took a sip of her milk tea and casually gestured at the shyer girl. "She'll never suspect it, especially since she pounces on any chance to doll you up. Not that you aren't a hottie already."

A grin spread across her lips at Hinata's reddening face, she could understand why Kiba liked teasing her so much.

"S-Sure I'll be happy to help you. Although, I don't know about that last part..." Her eyes shifted to the food on her plate and her fingers fidgeted.

Sakura laughed, a mischievous twinkle entering her green eyes. "Good good, don't worry, that Ino-pig knows exactly what to do to make sure that idiot Naruto can't take his eyes off of you."

The shift in the air was nearly tangible. Hinata's hands stilled in her lap and she refused to meet her gaze.

"Hinata?" Sakura said, worry seeping into her face. She poked said girl with the wrapped straw she hadn't bothered to use. "Is something on your mind?"

Hinata shook her head. "Everything's fine," she stated evenly.

"You're a bad liar," Sakura informed her, crossing her arms below her chest. "We're friends aren't we? You can trust me. O-Of course y-you don't have to if you don't want to," she added as an afterthought, reminding herself that brash and forceful may only be effective on Naruto and Ino.

With a resigned sigh, Hinata peered up at Sakura and offered her a tiny smile. "Yes, you're right we are friends. It's just...a little embarrassing."

"Nothing you can tell me would be embarrassing, Hinata!" Sakura mirrored Hinata's smile with her own encouraging one.

"O-Okay...it's just that," she exhaled another sigh. "If Ino-san wanted to make it so that Naruto's eyes never left me..." Hinata's brow scrunched up, as if it sounded so foreign in her mind. "Then she would have to change a lot more than my appearance. She'd have to change my shyness, my darkness, my weird nature...essentially, everything. All of me."

"Stop that train of thought right there," Sakura criss-crossed her arms into an 'X' shape. "Hinata what would ever make you think that? I think that the whole shy-girl thing you've got going on is very endearing."

The girl in question shrugged. "Maybe to some people it is. But that's not the type of...you know who."

Sakura's shoulders tightened, chest rising and muscles taut. She never imagined that she could feel so frustrated towards the sweet Hyūga. "How could you, someone who is brave enough to lay her life down twice for another, namely him, not be his type?! He was worried sick about you−"

"He does not owe me anything," Hinata cut off in a firm command. "It was entirely my own free will to protect him with my life. I don't want him to feel the need to return my feelings because I protected him, as if I deserve some compensation."

The edges of her eyes softened and a blush brushed her cheeks. "I'm sorry for raising my voice at you, Sakura-chan. That was rude of me."

Sakura pursed her lips, but refrained from speaking as Hinata unwound her thoughts.

"Besides, I am not the person he is attracted to. Nor, am I anything like the person he is attracted to." Hinata kept her eyes on her lap. "With the one-and-a-half year mark since I confessed to him recently passing...it feels clearer to me."

"The person he is attracted to? You don't mean−" Sakura froze mid-sentence. All the puzzle pieces drifted into place. "Wait did you...did you see us yesterday at the summer festival? Is that why you left? Why all of Team 8 left?"

Hinata avoided her gaze and returned to twiddling her fingers. "Yes," she reluctantly admitted, "I still feel bad that Kiba-kun and Shino-kun chose to miss the fireworks for my sake."

"I don't know what you saw but it wasn't anything. Naruto doesn't like me like that anymore, I'm pretty sure of it," Sakura barreled on, ignoring the fact that Hinata was answering her rhetorical questions. "'Come on Hinata, we both should know how hard it is for a girl's heart to waver once they're set on someone."

Hinata pursed her lips. "I-I'm not saying that I don't love him anymore, no quite the contrary, I still do. So much. I just...think I shouldn't pursue it anymore. I'm walking on thin ice and I'm going to fall one day."

How many times had Sakura repeated those same words to herself? Cold, onyx eyes surfaced to her mind. His lips pressed into a hard line, only opening to utter two words: "You're annoying." Like a match lit ablaze, the coldness in his eyes morphed into the most fearsome, hateful glare she'd ever been on the receiving end of.

"There's all this evidence stacked against me, and maybe I should...finally acknowledge it," she finished with a slump of her shoulders.

The crackling chirp of a Chidori grew in intensity. On instinct, she whirled around, only to be faced with sparking lightning inches away from her face; the most wild, feral look she's ever seen in his blood-streaked eyes. Who was this man?

Sakura trembled.

"Sakura-san? Are you okay?" Hinata's voice lilted in alarm.

The kunai in her hands was strong and steady. She could do this. The opening was right there. Same as always, focus the chakra into her hands, concentrate so not a single ounce was wasted, and...abandon the memories of the past. Useless memories of chasing down lost dogs, painful memories of clutching onto him−snapping him out of his curse-seal state, strong memories of protecting him from a frenzied Gaara...No...she was weakening. How could this happen? After the journey she embarked on to make herself stronger, her traitorous heart reduced her to the naive little girl all over again.

Tears crept out from the corner of her eyes.

"Sakura!" Hinata jumped to her feet and rushed towards her. She shook her shoulder with one hand while the other slipped between Sakura's quaking fingers.

His fist rammed through her heart. The instant he cast it she could tell it was a genjutsu. But why...? Why was this the reaction to her heartfelt confession? She poured her heart to him, that's what she always did, and all he ever did was let her love sift through his fingers and trickle down the drain.

She finally came to when a warm hand caressed her cheek, a thumb wiped the tears away. "Sakura." The strength in which her name was called snapped Sakura's attention to gentle pale eyes. "It's okay, you're here now, stay with me," Hinata gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and pushed a strand of pink hair behind her ears.

Sakura sniffed, pressing a napkin to her nose. "I'm sorry...that you had to witness that. Pretty embarrassing."

"Not at all," Hinata bowed her head. "If anything I should be the one apologizing for triggering something...unpleasant."

Sakura shook her head 'no,' not wanting to say anything until she was certain her voice could be steady. She barely registered Hinata removing one of her gloves.

"These hands of yours...even though you wear gloves to protect them, they still get calloused." She ran her index finger over the hard bumps on the top of her palms, one under each finger. "But they're always so warm, as if you can feel just how many people you've healed with them."

"It suits you, don't you think? You're a medic-nin to heal, to stitch up people's scars and save their hearts. It's in your nature to want to save even the most hopeless cause. Were you thinking about Sasuke-kun?" Hinata asked, carefully saying the words as if she was picking up broken glass.

Sakura nodded, feeling a blush rise to her cheeks.

"Sasuke-kun is a very lucky man to have met you. He must not think he's deserving of your forgiveness. But he underestimates how strong you are."

"What do you mean?" Sakura spoke up, unable to reign in her confusion.

"Some people may believe that Sasuke-kun's actions, especially to you and Naruto-kun, are far from redeemable and shun him without a second thought. So I believe that you're incredibly strong to be able to erase the resentment in your heart and see hope. To give him hopes that he can be good." Hinata gave her a small smile.

A comforting aura naturally radiated around Hinata, pulsing brighter with the words she said. Sakura wanted to unravel her heart and let the scarred flesh bask in her sunlight. "What about you, Hinata? Do you think...that I'm a fool too? Or do you also believe that Sasuke-kun has had a change of heart?"

She didn't respond right away, no doubt thoughtfully selecting her words. "I personally don't...know Sasuke-kun that well. But we've seen...firsthand that your past doesn't necessarily define you. Take the Kazekage-sama, he still is quite reserved but you can see that his eyes now hold kindness. Even Neji-nii san. During the Chuunin exams, he had so much hatred for the main branch that he really wished to harm me. But his heart changed, and his feelings have come full circle since he..." Hinata trailed off, pinpricks of moisture coming into her own eyes. She brushed them away with the back of her hand. "The point is, no one knows for sure. But I believe it is an honest possibility. If he is proven to have really changed, I won't hold his past against him." Hinata moved her hand up to Sakura's shoulder to massage the tense muscles.

A laugh bubbled out of Sakura, startling Hinata. "There's not too many things I agree with Naruto on, but he's definitely onto something when he said that you always know all the right things to say."

Red suited Hinata well, she thought, as her face flamed again. "You're giving me too much credit..."

Sakura laughed, shaking her head. "Don't underestimate yourself like that." Her laughter faded as her face softened. "This is not how I thought today would go," the pink-haired girl confessed.

"Hey, but don't think you're off the hook yet!" She pressed her index finger to Hinata's forehead in an affectionate poke. "Nah uh uh," she pressed a hand to Hinata's protesting lips. "No fluff about 'other people's happiness is all that matters', we need to support each other! I'm certain that Naruto's just hopeless about romance. I'll always be by your side, okay? Believe it."

The small smile on Hinata's face grew a fraction wider, and it was then Sakura knew that despite sprinting, brambles, branches, and embarrassing breakdowns...it didn't matter. It was worth it. Hinata was worth it. Definitely.

x-x-x-x-x-x

Author's Note: Friendships between everyone are precious. I wish there was even more female-friendship development in Naruto besides only SakuIno. Thank you to the people who reviewed the first chapter! They made me feel happy the whole day, and I'm glad that other people love Hinata as much as I do. Updates will be about weekly until my exam schedule becomes horrid.