Hello ! Nice to meet whoever you are ! I'm french so sorry for any grammar or spelling mistakes, I'm writing in english to practice :) Anyways, this is my first Naruto fiction, I just got this idea after reading the last chapter ! Be nice, I accept useful criticism, but don't just be mean to be mean ! Hope you enjoy it xD

Disclaimer : I do not own this freaking awesome manga.

Chapter 1

One week had already passed and I was still mourning over Neji's death. It was weak for a shinobi, everybody was back to work, building, healing, teaching... They were all doing something useful to help the village. They were moving on. I was still staring at the sunflowers I came to change everyday. Tears ran down my cheeks as I got up to go back to the Hyuuga compound.

Our compound, like everything in the village, had been destroyed, but it was already standing back in its place, proud and authoritary waved off of the building. I had always felt uncomfortable in my own home. Everyone passing by me would whisper. I had gotten used to it, afterall I was the actual chief's eldest daughter, but being too weak to be the heir, my position had been given to my little sister Hanabi. It didn't bother me, what bothered me was that my father had refused to seal me. I knew he decided what he decided out of love for me, and I could only love him more for that, but I wanted to feel what Neji felt, to bear what he had to bear. Now I was nothing, not the heir, not her protector. For someone born in my place there were only two ways, and both had been taken away from me. What was I suposed to do now ?

oOoOoOo

Tsunade-sama who has retired as the godaime, to pass the torch on to Kakashi-sama, had agreed to train me. She had trained Haruno-san for a few years, and Naruto-kun's teammate had become incredibly strong, she was even considered the strongest kunoichi, the only one standing through the whole war by the side of the two strongest shinobi ever and the new Hokage, known as Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha and Kakachi Hatake. Even Tsunade-sama admitted that the girl was likely to surpass her in the near future. When I asked her to take me as her new trainee, she told me that I would never be like Haruno-san if that was my goal. It had devasted me, I knew that the girl was always ahead of me, in studies, in strenght, in beauty, in love, but being told so directly was hard. She also added that I could be as strong as her but in my own way, Haruno-san exceed more at fighting than at healing, I on the other hand could only do the last one well. It hadn't comforted me in any way.

I was serious with my training, I had learned thousands of books already and even started creating my own medicines and ointments in secret, even though I would not tell anyone yet, not until I was the best medical nin out there. There were more patients than I would have thought. I heard from Tsunade that Orochimaru was starting to move again, but she stopped her explanation at this and I didn't ask more. The clan was busy following Hanabi's coming and going, also they were busy with other business I didn't need to know about. Most of my days were spent at the hospitals, I loved it there. I know it was weird, with all the blood and atrocities I got to see everyday, and of course the omnipresent death, but there was so much good about that place too, we helped people, we brought people who were inches from the other world back, we assisted miraculous recovery, we exchanged with patients, there was so much to learn in an hospital. In other word, I had finally found my place.

After changing Anko-sensei's bandages and checking on Gai-sensei's legs again, I went to the staff room. Today we were closing the hospital for a complete cleaning and a strenghtening of the building, the ninja charged to do the reinforcment jutsu would be there any minute, so the patients needed to be transported to the compound the hokage had lend us. Tsunade-sama had told me to go home and let her and the others do it since I hadn't slept in three days already. I changed into casual clothes, grabbed my shoulder bag and went out. It was weird to see the hospital so empty. I was halfway to the stairs when I heard someone growling in pain. It was stronger than me, before I knew it I was running toward the source of the sound. I stopped dead in track when I saw who it was.

"S-Sasuke-kun ?"

Sasuke POV

It had been three months now that we left the village to travel, I was seeing things differently now. Unfortunately, even though the prothesis was now a full par of my body, I still wasn't used to it, and when a bunch of rogue ninjas attacked us I had gotten wounded, of course they quickly died afterward. I had to come back to see a medical nin, but I didn't intended to stay. Naruto was too tired to follow me and he trusted me, so he let me go alone. I didn't want to meet Sakura, not yet. I was still sorting my feelings for her out, so I hid in one of the hospital room while they were emptying it for the big cleaning, and once everybody was gone, I started rummaging through the room searching for a needle, but each movement hurted like hell. I growled in pain.

"S-Sasuke ?" a shy female voice asked.

I turned around to see the Hyuuga girl. I hadn't even heard her. It wasn't much a surprise now that I thought about it she had always been the best at being invisible.

"I only came back to treat my wound. Don't tell Sakura please."

Her eyes widened at my last word, I guess it was a shock to hear it from the traitor's mouth. But she didn't say anything, she simply gestured to the bed in a shy manner and gathered a pile medical stuff while I sat down. She was soft, her cool skin was kind of soothing and she was so gentle and quick that I almost didn't felt the needle sewing my arm back. She was really effective. It wasn't a small wound and I have never seen any medical nin doint such a quick job. She put ointment on my clean stitches and sent me a little bit of chakra to stimulate mine and make me heal faster. As she was wrapping my arm in bandages, I already couldn't feel the pain anymore.

I felt at peace with the girl, she had this soothing aura which made people comfortable around her. I remember wheen I've first seen her, she was looking at Naruto with so much love in her eyes it was enough to compensate for al the hatred others felt for him. She had always been in his shadow, even when he was nothing but the disgusting little boy parents would forbid their children to play with. She was the only person who had always been there for him through everything, she had never once gave up on her feelings for him. It was such a shame that my friend couldn't notice her. I actually pitied her. No, it was more than just pity, I have this brotherly feeling about her. She looked so fragile that just by seeing her you felt the need to protect her. How couldn't he notice such an innocent girl until now ? Really, he had been a heartless bastard.

"H-Haruno-san...She... i-is always thinking about...you" Right after she said that, she rushed out.

I couldn't help the warm feeling in my heart when she said it. The more I thought about my teammate, the more I felt things I didn't even know I could feel. It was as disturbing as amazing.

Hinata POV

A month had passed since I met Sasuke-kun. I hadn't tell anyone about it, because I guesses that he didn't want anyone to know about it. A week ago, a jounin came back from a mission and told the rokudaime that he had met the two heroes and that they had assured him they were coming back today. Everybody was ready to meet them, a big feast had been prepared and everybody was impatient. It hadn't been this lively since...I couldn't even remember when the village had last been this way.

Haruno-san had left the village to meet them in the wood. We all knew that she was getting less and less patient waiting for her beloved to come back. I decided to follow her, just the thought of seeing Naruto-kun was overwhelming for my heart and I too couldn't wait. If I didn't let it show, I had thought about Naruto-kun as much as Haruno-san had been thinking about Sasuke-kun, if not more. I was so good at being discreet and concealing my chakra thatt she didn't notice me. Hiding in a high tree where I could see everything without being seen.

When he appeared, my heart stopped beating and my lungs stopped doing their work. He was so much more handsome than in my memories, his smile was so bright, his eyes so blue... He was perfect.

"Sakura ! You missed me ?!" he asked in this joyful tone that was only his.

"Baka ! Of course I missed both of you ! Leaving by yourself !" she screamed but I could see in her eyes that she could only focus on Sasuke-kun. My heart ached for Naruto-kun, but I couldn't blame Haruno-san, I knew what it was like to be in love.

The next minute was spent in silence. Haruno-san was staring in the last Uchiha's eyes and he was staring back, they were in their own little bubble, it created an intimacy that would make anyone else uncomfortable, as if they were attending a show they shouldn't.

But I didn't even notice them, I only had eyes for the blond man standing down there with them, staring in the same eyes that seemed unable to stop on me. And a fire of an unbearable heat burned everything in me, everyhting that was left after Neji nii-san's death was being engulfed by waves of fire. My heart was beating so fast as if to escape its cage, I couldn't breath anymore, I was suffocating. I couldn't stay there another second. I ran away.

As I was running between the trees, it wasn't the green of their leaves or the brown of their trunk that I saw, it was his blue eyes. The look in them as he was staring at Haruno-san. Pain, regret and love. As if he was saying goodbye to the love of his life that he would never forget. I knew he loved her, I had always known it. But I don't know why this time it just hurted too much.

The village, the Hyuuga compound, my room. As soon as I closed the door, tears started trickling down my cheeks, and I cried. Hanabi then came into my room, I guess she saw me running in there, but she didn't say anything she just held me while I cried all the tears of my body out on her. I knew it. I knew it. But I just couldn't take it. A small part of me had always hoped that seeing Sasuke-kun and Haruno-san getting together would make him move on and...notice me. I was so mean, hoping for someone's unfortune. For my beloved's unfortune. I was horrible.

But the truth was that I knew he would never forget her. I was sure of it, because Naruto-kun was someone who never gave up on anything. And because I also could never forget him. Ironic right ? Love was such a mystery.

I loved him so much...

oOoOoOo

"Onee-chan, father is calling for you" Hanabi said as I was mixing plants to make medicine. I smiled at her and quickly got up.

I was quite surprised when a maid pointed the room we used to receive guest, since the war, guest were rare, everyone was too busy. I slid the door open and bowed.

"Father, you wante-" I froze and my eyes widened at the blond man turned away from me. His back was tense. It had been two weeks since he came back, two weeks sucessful in avoiding him. I would change my ways when I sensed his chakra anywhere near, I would only work at night, since he spent his day at the hospital joking around with friends or letting students examining his arm made of the First's cells, I would avoid every place he like to hang around (and I knew all of them by heart).

"Hinata, come and sit beside me" I looked down and kept it this way even as I was sitting across from him.

"Naruto-kun" I greeted him still not raising my head. He probably nodded, which was weird of him, he was the loud type.

There was a long silence and every second passing by seemed like an eternity.

"Uzumaki-san, to what do we owe the pleasure ?" my father broke the awkward silence after taking a sip of the tea a maid had brought us.

I was looking down at my cup, avoiding Naruto-kun's eyes, but I felt him staring hole at me. He cleared his throat and took a sip of his tea. I knew he hated tea because he found it too bitter, so it was obvious he was nervous. Why ? What was he going to say ?

"I've fought for the village, along with every shinobi, including your clan, and now I see things differently. I start noticing things I didn't before, and I... would like to..." he stopped and sighed. This kind of speech... wasn't Naruto-like at all "Hinata" he startled me "Will you marry me ?"

.

.

.

.

.

My heart was aboutt to explode, it was so warm. I loved him ! And he proposed ! I was filled by an immeasurable feeling of joy and pleasure- Wait, something wasn't right. I shyly looked up at him. I was right. His eyes were blank, he was kind of staring into space. His eyes met mine, and for a millisecond I saw what feelings they held, regret, guilt...

And it tilted. He was feeling guilty, I had confessed to him, my cousin died, he pitied me, being who he was he felt responsible for Neji's death. He was tryingn to make up for it by marrying me ? As if I would be happy seeing his eyes full of regret everyday for the rest of my life. My mind froze, it was too much, just too much. He loved Haruno-san, but he was proposing to me. It hurted my pride, it was humiliating in an indescribable way. And for the first time ever, I looked at Naruto-kun with dead eyes, not blushing, not fidgeting, not stuttering.

"No"

They both widened their eyes at me. It was weird to see this expression on my father's face, the Hyuugas were known for their expressionless, emotionless faces (the one I could never wear, my moom used to call me her open book).

"Hina-"

"I am sincerely sorry Naruto-kun" I cut him off in a cold tone "But I see myself forced to refuse your proposal, because we both know why you're doing it. Neji's death was destiny, he died in glory and honour, his story will be passed down generations. You don't need to feel responsible."

And I saw it in his eyes, I was really right.

"Hinata, please think about it again, this is not-"

"Hinata !" This time it was my father who cut him off "How can you ? You know how the clan is seeing you ? Most of them protest against you being unsealed ! But this is the hero of the whole world, he is probably the strongest shinobi alive, along the last Uchiha ! Who will say anything to him ?"

"I apologize father, but I cannot marry him just for this reason. You might seal me, I will do anything you ask me to."

"Then, you'll marry this man" he said in a tone that didn't left place for protest. But I couldn't just leave it.

"I-"

"In a week. Is that okay with you ?" He asked Naruto-kun, ignoring me.

It was a nightmare. It couldn't happen. Pease, wake me up !

"Yes" the Kyuubi's jinchuriki agreed.

And I heard a click. As if my life had been sealed for me. Tears gathered in my eyes as the two men destroying my life got up.

Review if you feel like it^^ If the story sucks, please, tell me !