Rays of sunlight beamed through the translucent curtains, calling out to the sleeping form in the futon that was laid on the tatami floor. Beautiful shining azure eyes opened slowly and were almost blinded by the illumination of the sun. Warily, the figure rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, before tossing the blanket to the side. Sitting down, with her legs crossed, she reached out for her phone. She scrolled through the many files in her phone, before finding the one that she titled 'Good morning'.

"Good morning, Hina-chan!" The voice was softly spoken, which she had found very uncharacteristic of the loud boy. A smile crossed her face, as she closed her eyes gently, pressing the Next button on her phone.

This file was deemed 'Promise', and the girl's eyes lowered considerably, her emotions betraying her usually blank face. "Hey, Hina-chan! Remember that promise I told you about me getting to university for our sake? Well guess what! My GPA is 3.9! I passed everything and it was all thanks to you! Surely your father will accept me now!" The woman's lips quivered, as she listened to the voice note a second time.

Unable to handle it any longer, she then proceeded to the next voice note. Suddenly, she was overwhelmed by emotions the moment she heard the voice of the man she loved most in the voice note. Her breath was caught in her throat, and her hands began to shake, as she listened to his words intently.

"Hina-chan...I'm sorry but I guess I'm going to have to break the promise..." She could hear something falling. There was a long pause, before she heard his soothing voice again, "I'm sorry. Please forgive me...I hope you find someone else to love. I said that someday, I will be strong enough to lift, not one, but both of us...I hope I was." The man's voice was soft and slowly getting weaker after every word he said. At the end of the voice note, there was the sound of someone moaning her name, and then it was silent. She began to cry her heart out; as she repeated the name of the man she loved most.

"Naruto, Naruto, Naruto, Naruto...You broke your promise...You broke your promise."

Memories of the man she loved erupted in her mind, and she clutched her head, before burying her head in her knees.

"Hina-chan!"

"That's what Naruto-kun used to call me..." She hiccupped.

"...Hina-chan, I know your father dislikes me because of where I came from, but I'm telling you! Someday, I'll make him sorry that he ever doubted me!"

"And, you did, Naruto-kun...You did..."

The girl suddenly furrowed her eyebrows when the image of her cruel judgmental father popped into her mind. She was a bitter, angry girl who was brought into this world by this man. And if she was ever—heaven forbid—forced to speak to him again, she would rather make a death contract with the devil.

Closing her eyes shut, she tried to forget her time in that suffocating household.

"Hinata, that man is not worthy of you! He does not deserve a Hyūga! More or less, the Heiress of the clan!" She growled. She should have known that her father was going to end up breaking part of the deal. He was never the type to give in.

"But, father! Naruto-kun was able to get into college through his hard work! He worked day and night to earn money for it! He is worthy, even before he entered that stupid school! You promised you would let us be together-!" The dark-haired girl chuckled. It was hollow and dark, and it was not befitting for such a gentle-looking lady. After she desperately tried to defend the man she loved, her father had slapped her across the face in his anger. It was completely unpredicted. That would have been the second time that he slapped her that day.

The woman sighed waveringly, before she thought of the mother of the man she loved. A gentle smile graced her face, as she thought of the older woman's kindness towards everyone; to her. "Hinata-chan... I'm sure Naru-chan would have wanted this. Please accept... Not for my sake, not for his father's sake... But his sake. He loved you. Please..."

Her hand subconsciously landed near her eyes, stroking around it. His last words to her reverberated in her head over and over again.

"...Someday, I will be strong enough to lift, not one, but both of us. I hope I was..."

Shakily, she spoke.

"Y-You were."

One Year Ago...

"Hey, Naruto! Some hot chick is calling for you!" A loud voice was heard inside the classroom of Namikaze/Uzumaki Naruto. The owner of the voice pointed near the doorway where a beautiful dark-haired girl was sticking her head inside the classroom.

"Ano...Excuse me, but may I speak to Naruto-kun?" She flushed when she got whistles directed to her from the majority of the boys in the class.

The blond-haired man's face was suddenly plastered with a goofy grin when they met eyes. "Hina-chan!" He greeted gently, before he proceeded to walk down the theater-style seated classroom. He turned around to glare at his friend who just called his girlfriend hot.

The moment he reached his girlfriend, he gave her an affectionate long peck on the lip, which made the girls sigh at the cuteness of it all. He felt the eyes of his classroom, and he glared at his classmates, before dragging his girlfriend out of the room. "Come on, Hina-chan. Let's talk somewhere more private..."

"Hey, Naruto," Naruto whipped his head to look at the owner of the voice who just shouted at him, "Do it fast! Class is starting in fifteen minutes and you know how much Ibiki-sensei hates tardiness! If you don't want to get another ten page essay about psychology again, you better make your chat quick."

Naruto waved him off, "Yeah, yeah, yeah!"

He smiled the moment he heard his girlfriend giggle. "Naruto-kun, what a lively class you have!"

Naruto chuckled, as he intertwined his fingers with the girl, walking in a moderate pace towards the garden of the university. The trek was comfortable and short, before they reached a bench and sat down, enjoying each other's presence.

Deciding to start a conversation, Naruto looked at his girlfriend, and asked her a question, "So Hina-chan, how's your eyesight?"

He received a long sigh from the Hyūga, as she leaned her head on his shoulder. "Well...It's still pretty bad, Naruto-kun."

A frown adorned the blond's handsome face, before he suggested, "Why not upgrade your glasses, Hina-chan?"

Hinata moved away from his shoulder to look at his face, showing her incredulous facial expression. "Naruto-kun," She giggled, before leaning back on his shoulder, "That won't work. My glasses aren't the issue. It's my eyes. They're weakening."

Naruto was not happy at the news she just told him. "Did you go for a checkup with your optometrist yet?" He could feel Hinata shaking her head.

"No, not yet. But I did make an appointment after this visit, Naruto-kun."

Naruto hummed, "Mhm, I see."

"Naruto-kun..." Hinata began, waiting for her boyfriend to reply.

"Yeah?"

"Ano...Are you actually taking Law...?" She continued, biting her lower lip. She looked up worriedly, when she received no answer. "Naruto-kun?"

Her boyfriend sighed, nodding, with a forced grin on his face. "I am, Hina-chan..."

The Hyūga Heiress gasped, her face looking visibly upset. She stood up, ignoring the sudden headache that attached itself to her head. "What? Why would you?"

The young man sighed for the umpteenth time, before scratching his cheek, seeking an answer that wouldn't get her too upset. "Well, I thought that since your father owned a Law Firm, I'd best try to fit in and become a lawyer myself, so he can accept me more. I want him to not see me as a joke..."

Hinata's fierce eyes softened, before she sat back down on the bench, next to him. She stroked her boyfriend's hand, which was gripping his knee tightly. He stared her in the eye with sadness.

"Naruto-kun...You don't have to change for my father. Doing what you love is what's more important. It is what you'll be doing for the rest of your life. You shouldn't give up on your music..." Hinata whispered lovingly in his ears, earning a tired sigh from Naruto.

"I know, Hina-chan, I know... But in the music industry, it's either going to make me or break me. I don't want to give your father another excuse to call me unfit for you. I'm not going to risk anything...not when it involves me being with you." Naruto explained, looking thoughtful.

Hinata's eyes softened, before she squeezed Naruto's hand. "Naruto-kun...You are already taking a risk."

Naruto bit the inside of his cheeks hard, as he contemplated the whole situation. He exhaled audibly when he saw the time, before standing up. Hinata followed suit, giving him a silent peck on the cheek, before grabbing his face and giving him a long peck on the lips. Naruto's arms snaked around her hips, and she rested her head against his chest, listening to his heart beat incredibly fast.

"Hina-chan, be careful on your way to the optometrist, okay?" Naruto said.

Hinata nodded in his embrace, before they broke apart. Naruto walked away, waving goodbye to her, before quickly walking back to his class.

Hinata waited until he reached the corridors of his university building, before she turned away. All of the sudden, her sight began to blur, and her world seemed unbalanced, moving back and forth like a pendulum. Her eyes went droopy, until she lost consciousness completely on the spot.

"Will she be alright, doctor?" A handsome young man with long brown hair and pearl-like eyes asked, as he stole another worried look at the woman lying on the bed. She was staring at the ceiling with a blank expression on her face.

"You are her cousin, correct?" The doctor tried to confirm, as he looked through the forms in his hands, "Ah, Hyūga Neji. Alright—" He nodded firmly, before looking at Neji in the eye, with a grim look on his face, "I'm afraid that your cousin's eyesight is deteriorating."

Neji hissed, "Excuse me." His eyes narrowed a fraction at such terrible news.

The doctor shook his head up and down. "Unfortunately, you heard right, Neji-kun...You are aware of the fact that fair skinned people are more likely to get melanoma of the skin than people with darker skin, yes?"

Neji nodded. Being a student himself in the field of Science, he knew some information about the risk factors of cancer. "More or less..."

The doctor continued his explanation, "In comparison, people with bright-colored eyes are more likely to develop eye melanoma than people with brown eyes."

"What is the stage in the melanoma of her eyes?" Neji desperately hoped that it was small. Hinata was his favorite cousin, even though he wouldn't admit it in person. She was important to him; almost like a little sister, in fact.

The doctor shook his head. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to tell you that it is approximately between 4 millimeters and 7 millimeters. It is in the medium stage of ocular melanoma."

Neji's eyes widened and he fell back, landing on the chair behind him. The doctor excused himself, and Neji ignored him. He stared at his cousin who was still staring at the ceiling.

A pregnant silence quickly enveloped the room, before Hinata spoke, "Neji-nii...?" She sat up slowly, squinting her eyes towards Neji's direction.

Neji stood up and sat beside her. "Yes, Hinata-sama?" He asked softly, his eyes filled with sadness.

"Did you call father?" Her gentle voice met his ears.

Neji pulled out his phone. "No, I did not. I was aware that you two are currently not at the best of terms, so I waited for your confirmation. Would you like me to call Hiashi-sama?"

Hinata frowned visibly, as she stared curiously at her hands, squinting occasionally. "No, thank you. Could you please call Naruto-kun instead?"

Neji sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, before he questioned her, "Are you sure, Hinata-sama? I am aware of the rules that you and your father created. I know that seeing Naruto while he was still in college is going against the contract."

Hinata went silent, but she nodded her head nevertheless. Her decision was final, and Neji understood that.

"I'm sorry I'm getting you involved, Neji-nii..." The kind-hearted Hyūga murmured.

Neji nodded, choosing to ignore it. She had no need to apologize at all. Dialing the number of the blond-haired college student, he waited for him to pick up the phone. Finally, someone on the other line, answered rambunctiously.

"Hey, Neji! It's been a long time! How are you?"

Neji growled, "Don't worry about me. Worry about Hinata-sama!"

"What? What happened to Hinata?"

"Her eyesight is deteriorating. Come to the University of Konoha Hospital immediately!"

"Okay, I'll be right there," The panicked voice across the phone replied, "What room is she in?"

Neji replied back quickly, ignoring Hinata's gaze, "Room 302, and make it quick!"

"I will!" Naruto was panting. With that, Neji hung up.

"He's on his way."

"...Thank you."

Room 302 was silent and unbearable. Occasionally, Neji would answer calls from Hinata's father, Hiashi, which was quite annoying, considering the fact that every time he did, Neji had to lie. If there was anything Neji hated most, it was lying. Every time the Hyūga clan head called, Hinata tensed and held her breath, afraid that her father would hear her.

"Do you know where Hinata is, Neji?"

"No, Hiashi-sama," Neji sighed, rubbing his aching temples

"Alright... I am just trying to reassure myself. If Hinata were to meet up with that Uzumaki, she would have broken the deal. You are aware of Hinata... She is willing to go to extremes to get what she wants... Especially if it involves that Naruto." The tired voice of Hiashi was heard in the other line. There was a long pause, before he asked once again, "Are you sure you haven't seen her at all, Neji?"

Neji gritted his teeth, and lied. "I have not seen or heard of Hinata-sama since this morning in the household."

Hiashi exhaled audibly. "I understand. Please do call me when you hear from her. She is supposed to be home by this time."

"Yes, Hiashi-sama. I will do just that..." With that, he hung up. Ignoring Hinata's squinting gaze, he stood up, and walked towards the door, "Excuse me, Hinata-sama. I will go get myself some coffee. Would you like some too?"

The Hyūga Heiress nodded, still struggling to keep her eyes on her cousin. "Yes, Neji-nii. Please put two cubes of sugar in mine."

Neji nodded, making his way towards the door, before stopping when Hinata called out for him.

"Neji-nii..." She started, "Thank you for everything lately. I will remember this kindness for as long as I live."

Neji nodded wordlessly, before sliding the door open.

At the same time, Naruto came barging in, a worried look evident in his face. Neji shook his head, before proceeding to walk out, Naruto watching him slide the door closed.

"Naruto-kun..." Hinata muttered, trying to sit up to make some space for Naruto to sit on the bed. Naruto quickly walked up to take her offer. They sat there like that for a while, before Naruto broke the silence of the room.

"Hina-chan..."

At the sound of his voice, Hinata embraced him and cried her heart out, sobbing quietly in his chest, as he drew soothing circles on her back, trying his best to comfort the woman he loved.

"Shhh... Everything will be all right, Hina-chan..."

Hinata was now wailing, "N-Naruto-kun...I-I'm so scared...I don't want to die..."

"You won't, Hina-chan. You have a strong will. I assure you, you will not. Don't say such ridiculous words." Naruto's voice was shaking, but Hinata knew he wasn't lying.

"B-But, Naruto-kun...I-I have to f-find a-an eye donor a-and f-finding one i-is r-rare."

"I will make sure that you get one. You will live, Hina-chan, you will. I promise." Naruto whispered.

Hinata nodded, as her sobbing died down to quiet sniffling. Their embrace tightened, and they just stayed like that for the whole time. No one said a word until Hinata fell into a slumber in his arms. Kissing her forehead, he sighed. His mind was jumbled with thoughts and he couldn't think straight.

His head whipped up when he heard the sliding doors open abruptly, "Hey, Neji-!"

Unfortunately for him, it was not Neji.

"You worthless liar," came the booming voice of Hiashi, as he stomped towards the bed, pulling Naruto away from Hinata. Hinata woke up, breathing heavily as she desperately tried to hold onto Naruto's hand.

"Naruto! Father, please! Don't hurt him!" Tears began to further blur her deteriorating eyes, as she tried to make out the forms of her father and her lover. She gasped when she heard a sound of a thud and saw a blurred form of her blond boyfriend hit the wall opposite to her bed. She suddenly heard the drop of glass, and she thanked God that her cousin was back.

"Hiashi-sama!" Neji ran up and hopped in between the enraged Hyūga clan head and the defenseless blond who was letting himself get beaten to a pulp, "Control yourself! Stop—!" He suddenly found himself falling to the floor when the back of Hiashi's hand made impact with his face. He felt blood run down his nose and a giant cut on his upper lip.

Hinata was screaming and begging at this point on, her face now flushed. "Please stop!" She tried to feel her way towards her boyfriend and cousin, but felt herself fall to the floor. She did not care. She crawled towards the three men, and kneeled between Naruto and Neji, and her father.

Her father was beyond infuriated. "How dare you all treat me like a fool! Neji, the moment we get to the household, you pack your things and get out of my property—!"

"Father, please don't do this to Neji-nii-!" Before she could complete her sentence however, she found herself slapped across the face.

"Don't you dare!" Naruto and Neji both yelled, looking quite pissed. They jumped on their feet and stood between the father and daughter, glaring daggers at the Hyūga clan head. Hinata was crying and clutching her pained cheek with both hands, as she weakly stared at the scene before her. Unconsciousness overcame her, and the last thing she saw and heard were three figures trying to reach out for her.

When the Hyūga Heiress came to, her eyes felt as if they were on fire and her vision was more blurred than ever. Looking to her side, she saw her father with his head on her bed while holding her hand. He was sleeping. A look of anger crossed her face, and she pulled her hand away from her father who stirred at the sudden movement.

Hiashi sat up, staring at his daughter who stared at the wall opposite to where her bed was. She had this yearning look on her face that her father managed to catch. "Hinata," his daughter ignored him, but he knew she could hear him, "You broke your part of the deal."

This caught Hinata's attention. Growling, she looked at the blurred figure of her father before her, "Why would you forcibly pull Naruto-kun and I apart?! That deal made no absolute sense!"

Her father kept a calm façade, as he stared at his daughter's troubled face. "Even if you say that, it is still a deal, nevertheless. A deal that you promised you'd follow."

Hinata looked down. She knew what her father was trying to say. She still stupidly agreed to it, and has been lying constantly because of it. She heard her father sigh, and the chair he was sitting on by the bedside made a skidding sound, as he stood up and paced back and forth.

"Father, please let us be together—!" Hinata begged, a pained look in her blinded eyes.

Hiashi looked away, not wanting to see his daughter with such a face. "Hinata, that man is not worthy of you! He does not deserve a Hyūga! More or less, the Heiress of the clan!"

Hinata yelled back, an angry look on her gentle face, "But, father! Naruto-kun was able to get into college through his hard work! He worked day and night to earn money for it! He is worthy, even before he entered that stupid school! You promised you would let us be together-!"

Before she could, however, finish her defending sentence, she felt a burning sensation on her right cheek. Tears fell down her face, but she fought the urge to sob there and then. She refused to show that level of weakness, as she continued to defend the person she loves the most.

"I love Naruto—!"

Hiashi boomed. "Love does not make a living! Though you say you love him, it is not enough to give you a happy life; shelter, clothes, food! Love does not give you money to continue on living! That is why I asked that worthless boy to get an education! So, he can support you throughout your whole life!"

Hinata understood that, but money also did not give you happiness. "Father, love gives me hope. Naruto-kun makes me happy and that's all that matters to me. So please...Let us be together for once!"

Hiashi shook his head. "No, Hinata," He said, with a tone of finality, "I will never ever hand you to him."

Neji was increasingly distraught.

Walking around with a backpack of clothes and necessities, he was thinking of a place to crash for the meantime. He thought of his girlfriend, Tenten, but she was living in the dorms of her university with a roommate. He sighed.

His best friend, Lee, also crossed his mind but he shook his head remembering that the strange man was about to go abroad for a business trip and he needed all the rest he could get. Neji did not want to bother the busy guy.

Sasuke was out of the question either. He lived in an apartment with Sakura that was in the other side of Konoha. Neji did not have a car or money to take the public transit. This option was additionally not a good one, as he did not want to disturb the engaged couple.

Shikamaru was a good option, but then again, the guy was already a young doctor, and Neji had no intentions getting in the Nara's way if he was ever paged to go to the hospital to check up on a patient.

Shaking his head, he realized that there was only one person out of all his friends who could give him a place to live in and that was Naruto, much to his chagrin. Naruto did not only live on his own, but he was also nocturnal as he always tried to study. Neji could easily leave him alone. Additionally, Naruto had two bedrooms, so Neji could just stay in his guestroom until he earns enough money to move out and find his own place.

Neji's decision was clear. Adjusting his backpack, he walked towards the apartment of his cousin's boyfriend.

The trek wasn't too long, and Neji was relieved that his friend's apartment was only a thirty-five minute walk. The Hyūga was tired and all he wanted to do was sleep. Looking at his clock, it read 2:35AM. Nodding his head, he thanked God that Naruto was active at night and entered the high-rise in front of him.

Upon entering, the bellman noticed him and they nodded, a sign of acknowledgement. Neji walked towards the elevator and pressed the arrow pointing up. He got on the elevator and waiting until there was a ringing sound that meant that he had reached his destination.

Walking out of the elevator, he made his way to Apartment 1110. Knocking, he waited for Naruto to answer the door.

And he did. "Hey, Neji! I was expecting you!"

Neji stared at the blonde strangely. "What do you mean, Naruto?"

Naruto chuckled. "Well, Hinata sent me a voice note. She was worried about you and she knew you would willingly leave the Hyūga household as they were too much for you now. She asked me to give you a place to stay." He waved him in, and Neji slowly entered.

"Thank you—" Before he could say what he wanted to say, his nose sensed what smelt like herring soba: his favorite food. He turned around and raised an eyebrow at Naruto who chuckled.

Shrugging, the blond replied. "I was craving herring soba. Don't worry about it, man! Let's eat!"

Neji knew that the Namikaze/Uzumaki had cooked it to make him feel more comfortable, and the Hyūga silently thanked him for his attempts. Neji joked, which was an uncharacteristic thing for him, "Craving? Are you a woman?"

Naruto stared, surprised, before he started to laugh out loud. "Neji, just shut up and eat. I know how much you love herring soba."

Neji flushed and sat on one of the barstools of the island in his kitchen. He dug in, thanking the deity up there for blessing him with a great friend. "Naruto, what are you planning to do with my cousin now that the deal is off?"

Naruto sighed, staring absent-mindedly at his own bowl of buckwheat soup. "I won't give up. I love your cousin, and I am willing to do everything to be with her."

Neji nodded. He won't admit it out loud, but he liked Naruto for his cousin. He accepted them and he was happy that Hinata found the person that she could love unconditionally. "Naruto, I know you love her...But so does her father. Her father won't give in too easily and he is as stubborn as you, I know this much. Until you graduate, he won't let you near his daughter. As of now, I am willing to bet that there are some securities throughout the hospital."

Naruto shrugged, not wanting to talk about that for now. "What about you, Neji? Now that the Hyūga clan isn't funding you, what happens to that degree that you've always wanted?"

"Don't worry about that..." Neji trailed, before frowning, "Naruto, do you happen to know anyone who could give me a job for the meantime?"

A thoughtful look crossed Naruto's face, before he chuckled.

"Neji...Do you know how to cook ramen?"

Hiashi sat, his back straight. Sitting across him was a man around his mid-forties, sipping on his coffee.

"Hiashi-sama, I have an offer for you," The man held an air of sophistication, as he stared at the Hyūga clan head in front of him.

Hiashi looked up, lifting a brow. "Are you talking about a donation of corneas for Hinata?" Hiashi did not trust the man. Though he was the Head Doctor of the hospital that Hinata was currently in, the man seemed overly confident and gave a vibe that made Hiashi feel like he had bad intentions.

"Aa..." The man said, sipping his coffee silently. A small smile plastered his wrinkled face. "But there's a catch, Hiashi-sama."

Hiashi propped his elbows on the table, and intertwined his fingers together, his eyes narrowing at the man across him, "What would that be, Hōzuki-sensei?"

The Head Doctor chuckled, before giving his reply to the man, "Currently, there are no donations, but we are willing to get one—" He sipped on his coffee. Hiashi's patience was running thin, "—If you agree to a deal..."

Hiashi nodded. "Go on..."

"My son is quite interested in your daughter, it seems." The Hōzuki man implied.

Hiashi caught on quickly. He would have immediately refused and said no. He hated arranged marriages, and he did not want his daughter to go through such a thing, but seeing as his daughter's vision and life depended on it, he thought it over.

"We will get a donation if you agree to arrange a marriage between my son, Hōzuki Mangetsu, and your daughter, Hyūga Hinata." The Head Doctor smiled.

Hiashi gritted his teeth, and he shut his eyes closed, his mind reeling. "I'm sorry, Hinata... Please forgive me."

"Well?" The doctor said.

Hiashi nodded, his eyes downcast. "Yes...I agree to this contract."

"Forgive me, Hinata..."

It was a Saturday morning, and Naruto was glad that he did not have any classes. He was home alone; Neji being at work.

Naruto missed his beautiful girlfriend. Her smile...Her eyes... He was going crazy just thinking about the situation they were in at the moment. He knew that he broke the deal with Hiashi, and he knew that he was no longer permitted to see the Hyūga clan head's daughter.

Neji had informed him that there were most likely security around the hospital, to make sure that he didn't go anywhere near it. The blond sighed, before plopping himself on the couch in his living room. He took a pillow and hugged it, wishing that it was Hinata. Grabbing his phone from his pocket, he looked through various pictures that he had with Hinata during many of their dates. His eye went glassy when he saw a particular picture of Hinata and him when they were younger. He stole the image from his mother's camera from long ago.

In the picture, Hinata was pretending to be a bride and had a translucent orange curtain as a veil, while Naruto was wearing one of his mom's blazers. The picture was taken in Naruto's old room in his parent's house. Unbeknownst to the two, Naruto's mom was around the corner and saw the whole episode. She immediately took a picture of the Kodak moment.

Naruto sighed. If only Hinata and him were young forever. They would always be together. No one would say a word about it.

Naruto bit the inside of his cheeks. He knew this was going against everything Hiashi told him to not do, but he no longer cared. Going through his phone, he went to the voice note section and pressed record. He tried to sound as happy as possible to make Hinata comfortable.

"Good morning, Hina-chan...!" He immediately pressed the Stop button, glad that he did because his voice cracked and he felt hot tears pour down his tanned cheeks. Skimming through his contacts, he found Hinata's name and sent her the voice note. He laid silently on the couch, flipping his phone open constantly, and waiting for Hinata to reply.

Finally, he felt his phone vibrate in his hands and a message popped up on his main menu screen. Accept Voice note? Smiling, he accepted and listened to the gentle voice that belonged to Hinata.

"Hey, Naruto-kun. I miss you so much—" Her voice cracked and he could tell that she was crying, "Really... So, so, so much."

Naruto, himself, fought the urge to cry, as he went back to his recorder to send a new voice note. "Hina-chan...I'll do everything in my power to be with you again. Hina-chan, I know your father dislikes me because of where I came from, but I'm telling you! Someday, I'll make him sorry that he ever doubted me!" Pressing stop, he sent the voice note.

Almost immediately, he received a voice note back from Hinata. He could hear her giggling, "Naruto-kun...I know that you'll do everything. So, I promise you that I will get better!"

Naruto's lips quivered, as he sent another voice note. "I love you, Hina-chan..."

The moment he received the voice note from Hinata, he no longer cared about staying strong and cried until his eyes were bloodshot.

"I love you too, Naruto-kun."

It has been over a month since Hinata and Naruto were sending voice notes to each other. Naruto had about ninety-nine voice notes saved up in his phone already, some of which were his, some being Hinata's.

"Hey, Hina-chan! Remember that promise I told you about me getting to university for our sake? Well guess what! My GPA is 3.9! I passed everything and it was all thanks to you! Surely your father will accept me now!" He said cheerfully to his phone. Pressing the button Stop, he then sent it to Hinata.

A smile etched on his face. That was his one hundredth voice note to her.

Suddenly, his phone suddenly made ringing noises. Naruto tilted his head to the side, seeing as it was Hinata calling him. Upon answering, Naruto's heart skipped a beat. In the other line, Hinata was sobbing and stuttering inaudibly.

Naruto tried to calm her and hide the fact that he was panicking. "Hina-chan! Please talk to me!"

The voice in the other line just continued to wail.

"Hina-chan...Why are you crying?"

Hinata sighed waveringly, and forced herself to stop crying. "N-Naruto-kun...F-Father...He-He betrothed m-me...I-I... F-Father t-t-told m-me t-that i-it w-w-was t-the o-only w-way f-for m-me t-to g-get a... a d-donation... I-... N-Naruto-kun... P-Please... Help me."

At that very moment, Naruto's world fell apart.

"Hey, Hina-chan—!" Naruto's cheeks had tear stains, but he tried to sound as cheerful as possible, as he recorded his voice on his phone.

(Why are you doing this?) Naruto bit his lips, as he stared at the rope that was tied around his living room's ceiling fan. He whispered, "For Hina-chan sake..."

/Naruto-kun!/ Hinata's voice was playing in his mind over and over again. The thought of her made it harder for him to do this. Cussing, he suddenly found himself tripping on his own feet when he was about to get the barstool in his kitchen. The envelope that contained letters that he wrote for his mother and Hinata fell on the floor, but he ignored it.

(Stop! Don't do this...) Naruto's conscience was driving him insane. "No..."

Placing the stool right below the ceiling fan, he climbed it, fear evident as his body began to shake.

"—I'm sorry—" Fresh, warm tears flooded out of his eyes like a dam.

(Don't do this! Hinata needs you—)

"—But I guess I'm going to have to break the promise—"

(—DON'T FUCKING DO THIS!) Naruto winced, before falling of the stool. He cursed himself for his stupidity, before going back on the stool, remembering Hinata's cry for help.

/P-Please.../ Hinata's desperate voice broke his heart, and he dug his teeth on his lips, drawing blood. He couldn't feel it. The pain in his heart was far more intolerable than such a cut.

(—YOU DON'T WANT TO DO THIS!—) Naruto was going crazy. He whispered, "Yes, I do...I have to..."

/Help me./ Her words were his strength.

(—NARUTO!)

"—I'm sorry. Please forgive me—"

/Uzumaki Naruto. You are not worthy of my daughter. Get out of her sight, this instant!/ Naruto smiled sadly, remembering Hiashi's cruel words. "I have to prove you wrong..." His whisper was inaudible.

(—YOU DON'T HAVE TO PROVE ANYTHING TO ANYBODY! DON'T DO THIS!—)

"—I hope you find someone else to love." He cried out.

(...Don't...Do...This...!) Naruto shook his thoughts aside, before he stood on the stool, his spiky lemon-blond hair brushing against the rope.

/Naruto-kun...I love you./ Naruto shut his eyes closed, before he placed the loose rope around his neck.

"I said that someday, I will be strong enough to lift, not one, but both of us...—"

(Goodbye, Hina-chan...)

"—I hope I was." With that, he kicked the stool and suddenly found himself wriggling in pain. His neck was burning and his lungs were begging for air. He felt his face flush, as he shut his eyes closed, doing his best to send the voice note to Hinata.

"—H-H-Hina-chan..." He moaned.

Click. Hearing the sound of his voice note sending to Hinata, he let the darkness consume him completely...

...

...

...

...

...

...

"Hey, Naruto!" The voice of Hyūga Neji echoed through the deadly silent apartment. "Naruto?"

Keys met the floor.

A gasp reverberated throughout the whole apartment.

"...N-Naruto..."

...?!

"N-Naruto! W-W-What...!"

A soft thud is heard, as Neji fell on his knees before Naruto's hanging body.

"W-W-Why...W-Why?!"

His eyes widened.

"Y-You idiot...!"

Neji shakily stood up, before he slowly walked towards the living room. His breath was caught in his throat as he took the rope necklace off of Naruto's neck and held the blond in his arms. His lips quivered, as he frantically looked around the apartment for a phone.

"911, how we may help you?"

"Ah…" Neji was shaking. "T-T-There's b-been a-an a-accident! Please help! Please!"

"Please calm down, sir! Can you tell us what happened?"

"S-Suicide…There's been a suicide."

Hinata had always hated the hospital. The smell of disinfectant was all that would flood her senses the moment she walks inside her assigned room. Even her cousin's cologne held nothing against the stench, and she wrinkled her nose in disgust when she thought of those two combined smell together. It was no wonder why she didn't pursue a career like nursing, researching or being a surgeon. The boring, sterile white walls made her feel like she was nearing death.

Ironically, she was blind.

A dark chuckle emitted from her.

Suddenly she jumped when she felt her phone vibrate on her lap. She smiled when heard the ringtone she used every time Naruto called her or sent her a message. She was guessing it was a voice note. Feeling the buttons on her phone, she hoped that she pressed Accept.

"Hina-chan..." Hinata closed her eyes, waiting for Naruto to say soothing words, instead what she received was:

"I'm sorry but I guess I'm going to have to break the promise..." Her grip on her phone loosened, as she snapped her eyes open.

"I'm sorry. Please forgive me..." Her eyes became watery. "What are you saying all of the sudden, Naruto-kun...?"

"...I hope you find someone else to love." Hinata was now sobbing, furrowing her brows in confusion.

"I said that someday, I will be strong enough to lift, not one, but both of us...I hope I was." Hinata quickly nodded. "You were, Naruto-kun...You were!"

The rest of the voice note was silent, and Hinata still did not understand why Naruto sent her the voice note.

All of the sudden, her cousin's voice, Neji, met her ears. "Neji-nii...Why is he here?" She quickly got off her bed and felt her way towards the door. She could hear a kind of rolling sound and she recognized it as a gurney.

"Neji-nii...?" She called out unsurely, standing near the sliding door with her robe.

Neji whipped his head around and embraced her, shocking her.

"N-Neji-nii? What's wrong...? What happened?" Hinata felt like something was wrong... Terribly wrong. She felt hot tears drip down her cheeks. It was not hers...

It was Neji's.

"Neji-nii? Please talk to me!"

Neji fell on his knees, his hand gripping his cousin's tightly.

"Naruto...He...He's gone..."

Hinata's eyes dilated and she too fell on her knees. "What...?" She whispered. She began to hysterically sob, and yell, "NO! NO! NARUTO-KUN ISN'T GONE! NO!"

Neji held her shoulders and told her straight out.

"He's gone...He-He...committed suicide."

"Please...What happened to him? WHAT HAPPENED TO MY NARUTO?!" Kushina's screaming voice surprised everyone in the hospital. Naruto's friends, who were all there, were all looking grim and had saddened looks on their faces.

Sasuke, being the best friend of Naruto, stood up. He slowly walked towards the sobbing Kushina, who looked at him expectantly. Without a word, Sasuke hugged her.

"NO...!" Kushina's eyes widened. Sasuke was never the type to just hug you. He-... "NO! NO! WHAT HAPPENED TO MY SON? WHAT HAPPENED TO MY BABY?!"

This time it was Neji who stood up. He trudged towards his close friend's mother, before falling on his knees. "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry."

Kushina snapped. "WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO MY SON?!" Sasuke tried to restrain her, as she tried to slap Neji. One by one, Naruto's friends came to defend Neji, who was staring at the white tiles blankly, with a hint of guilt in his eyes.

"He-...He committed suicide...Naruto-He..." Sakura murmured.

Kushina was now on her knees, shaking her head frantically. "No...No...NO! MY BABY!"

Neji stood up and took out a folded envelope in his pocket. "H-Here...I f-found t-this i-in N-Naruto's apartment. I-It's f-for y-you a-and H-Hinata-sama..."

Naruto's mother shakily accepted the letter, and opened it. At the same time, Neji guided his cousin to Kushina.

"D-D-Dear Okaachan..." Kushina begun, her sight being blurred by her tears. Wiping them anyway, she continued after a sob, "I-I'm really sorry f-for doing this. I had to...It was for Hina-chan's sake...Please don't get mad at her...I-I love her, as much as I love you." Hinata was now huddled next to her, and Kushina stared at her pitiable form. She wrapped her arms around the frail Hyūga girl, and continued reading the letter, "Y-You s-should know that e-ever since otouchan p-passed away, I-I've tried my b-best to make you s-smile, so p-please...Let me see you smile—" A forced smile graced the red-haired woman, "A f-friend of m-mine got disowned b-by h-his own f-family... I hope you watch after Neji, okaachan... Also, y-you should k-know that H-Hina-chan's e-eyesight has deteriorated..."

Kushina's eyes widened, and stole at glance at Hinata's eyes. Biting her lips, realization finally dawned her. "Naru-chan...He..."

Hinata looked up, a questioning look on her face.

"He committed suicide so you can see again..."

Sakura, being an excellent doctor, knew where her best friend's mother was going with this. "Yes...I can't believe he did this...He must've known that you cannot donate your corneas if you are alive...The donor must be dead to do so..."

Sasuke fell back against the wall. Bringing his legs against his chest, he silently wept, for his best friend... That stupid dobe was gone. Forever.

Suddenly the voice of Hiashi met the ears of the group, surprising them.

The man looked tired and frantic. Upon seeing Hinata on the floor, he ran up and gave her a tight hug. "Hinata...I'm so sorry..." He felt a hand on his shoulder and just as he turned around, he felt someone punch him across the face.

The group stared, shocked, to see that it was Kushina. Hiashi was on the floor, looking at her wordlessly, with his mouth wide open.

"K-Kushina..."

"HOW DARE YOU SHOW UP TO MY FACE AFTER EVERYTHING YOU PUT MY SON THROUGH? HOW DARE YOU LAY A FINGER ON MY NARUTO AND YOUR OWN DAUGHTER!"

Hiashi was on his knees, his pale eyes focused on Kushina's teary ones. What he did next caused everyone to gasp.

Hyūga Hiashi was begging for her forgiveness. "I am sorry... I... If I didn't push him to a corner... I-... I am truly sorry... I did it all so Hinata could live... I'm really sorry."

"MY SON IS DEAD! HE HUNG HIMSELF IN HIS OWN APARTMENT DUE TO HIS OWN CONFUSED THOUGHTS! HE WAS SHOVED IN THE CORNER AND IT WAS ALL BECAUSE OF YOU!"

No one said a word for the rest of the night.

"Okay, Hinata-kun... In the count of three, open your eyes slowly okay?"

...

"One..."

Blue eyes opened slowly, and immediately closed back the moment it met the bright illumination of the room.

"Two..."

Again, the young woman attempted to open her eyes, this time her eyes seemed more accustomed to the blinding light.

"Three...!"

With that final signal, she opened her eyes.

"What can you see, Hinata-kun?"

"I...I c-can make up the form of S-Sakura-chan..."

An excited giggle came from the roseate's mouth.

"...Sasuke..."

Smirk. "Hn."

Hinata and Sakura giggled simultaneously.

"Neji-nii..."

A relieved sigh could be heard. "I'm glad."

"Kushina-chan..."

"Ah...Thank God!"

...!

Hinata's eyes suddenly widened when her still adjusting eyes caught a figure with blond hair.

"...Naruto...kun...?" She tilted her head to the side.

Everyone in the room whipped their head, expecting to see the blond-haired goof.

"Hinata-chan...He's not here..."

Hinata winced. "I know..."

"They look beautiful...Your eyes..." Kushina whispered, before she embraced her.

Hinata's lips quivered. "I know..."

"Hinata-sama...?" A voice filtered through said girl's ears, and she whipped her head to the direction of where the person was calling her.

"Ah, Neji-nii..." She nodded, before looking back out at the view of the balcony. She was at Naruto's apartment, with the permission of his mother, and Naruto's mother was even kind enough to let Hinata take anything with her as a remembrance of...Naruto. She bit her lips, hard. As much as she wanted to remember, she also wanted to forget. It was like having one of those serious women-to-women talks she would have with her best friends, and she would be reminded of her old crushes—to which she would immediately cut them off; wanting to forget something so embarrassing.

She shut her eyes close, longing for his warmth...

The only exception was that Naruto was not just some silly crush. Sure, he was just someone she greatly admired, but as they grew older...that admiration slowly elevated to friendship then proceeded to something that Hinata has never felt before.

Love.

Hinata had family, sure. But they weren't very supportive people. And instead, they were always finding excuses to scoff at others and stare them down because they were the ' Hyūga' clan and people of this clan were superior. Heck even Neji had such a complex before and just thinking about how he used to treat Naruto made her blood boil (Neji suddenly tensed when he felt his cousin's glare on him).

Hinata sat down in comfortable silence on one of the patio chairs, only to jump when Neji suddenly threw something on her lap. She blinked and stared at the object, before her eyes widened. "I...I'm not sure I can do this..."

Neji shrugged. "It's up to you."

Hinata nodded slowly, and Neji made his way back to the living room to clean out the vacancy with such grace.

Hinata stared at the thing on her lap, contemplating whether she should open the blasted phone or not. Slowly, she reached out for it, and flipped it open.

Only to flip it back closed. Although, she did catch a glimpse of a picture of Naruto and her when they younger. They were having a wedding ceremony, where it only involved them. It was taken when they were perhaps in the fourth grade.

But now, there was no one. Their dreams of marrying and having a family was gone.

No flower girl.

No ring barrier.

No maid of honors.

No bridesmaids.

No groomsmen.

…No groom.

Because Naruto and Hinata were both so foolish when they were just eight years old.

Strangely enough, everyone else in their grade were always screeching things about girls and cooties and kisses and ridiculous things that got Hinata all nostalgic and in the brink of crying. Now, she was babbling and she was feeling nervous.

She felt rather...uncomfortable looking through her boyfriend's (she didn't even know what to call him anymore; she certainly did not want to call him her late boyfriend. It was too painful to accept at the moment).

Finally making a decision, she took a deep breath and flipped the phone open.

Her breathing became ragged, as her fingers slowly glided through the phone, typing down her boyfrie—...Naruto-kun's password.

Enter Password:
Hinata

She cursed herself for being so...so weak-hearted...and just...weak in general. She felt nothing without Naruto. Her heart was just a growing vessel of darkness. Her mind was jumbled with horrible thoughts and she too thought of...

Suicide.

Suddenly, the wind picked itself up and she shivered, ignoring her imagination when she thought that she heard the wind whisper her name in a gentle, yet firm cry.

She hopped on her feet, and hugged her midsection. Making her way inside, she closed the frosted glass sliding door and still hesitated to look at the phone.

Willing herself, Hinata went through their messages...

No, it was not to make sure that he did not talk to other girls. She...just wanted to see what it was like in his perspective to message someone in it. After all...Hinata had his eyes. His stunning cerulean-blue eyes that managed to brighten up her whole world with a mere eye smile.

Then, there was her. The girl who was so cowardly, and weak that his eyes seemed so ugly on her because she made it look so ugly because of how she was feeling and there she was again, babbling to herself.

Hinata was never the type to be so...thoughtful.

Her mind was about to explode from all this thinking and she's had absolutely enough.

Shoving his phone gently inside the pocket of her black jeans, she hastily took her pea coat and made a dash for it. She no longer cared. She had to get away. From everything. From this place.

From him.

"Naruto-kun..." She murmured, running towards the elevator shaft. Looking up, she noticed that the elevator was on the ground floor, and waiting for it would have taken too long. She cleared her throbbing head, and she failed to realize that her eyes were burning from the blasphemous thing called her tears.

She was so tired of faking it all.

Being okay? She was terrible. She wanted to run. Run until she wandered and wandered along the unknown streets of the downtown core of what was Konoha.

Being forgiving? She was so...mad. She hated her father, yet...she couldn't bring herself to scream at him; to take it all out on him. She knew that he meant well, but he took it a bit too far. She was not only mad at her own father, but to her...her...Naruto-kun, himself.

She growled at the sluggishness of the elevator, and ran towards the emergency staircase. She no longer cared about anything.

Her position in the clan as the heiress no longer held significance. She no longer fretted over who would accept her or who would not. She no longer fidgeted; no longer was she the same Hinata who cried on Naruto's shoulder when she was down.

Then, the tears fell like an exploding dam, because of all the excessive rainfall all year long—in her case, she was bottling up all these emotions and thoughts, and now she was ready to let it all out—and she just did not pay any attention to it anymore.

She let those blasted tears cascade down her cheeks.

Because, she had never felt so free of anything. The weight on her shoulder lifted slightly, and she wandered if it was Naruto's doing again.

She stopped at her tracks, almost falling off the stairs, before looking around frantically. She was so lost...metaphorically.

And, and, and...

She let out a frustrated call, before she continued her continuous running.

The girl was going absolutely insane and she was just so confused, but for the millionth time, she didn't care.

She let her legs bring her to wherever.

The girl looked up to see what was a greenish-blue blur of the bellman, before sprinting out of the high-rise building.

This time, she was laughing, and she was ignoring anyone who looked at her strangely.

Was this how Naruto-kun felt like when he would play on the swings and push himself up, then down, while simultaneously screaming at the top of lungs? What this how it felt like to be on top of the world? Hinata wanted to scream once more, but fought against it, as her legs brought her towards a familiar destination.

The park...

Slowing down, until she stopped, and was panting for air like her life depended on it, she sat down on a bench. She neglected her appearance, and quite frankly she didn't seem worried about it.

Right now, what was important was that she found herself.

Once and for all.

When Hinata got back to her late boyfriend's apartment, she immediately noticed the boxes that were taped and sealed. She suddenly felt guilty and sheepish. She left her older cousin to do all the packing.

"Ano...Neji-nii?" She called out, taking off her pea coat and placing it on the island in the kitchen. She walked into the living room and saw her cousin, playing with what looked like a video camera. He looked up and waved for her to come.

Hinata did, and she kneeled beside Neji, who was fidgeting with the camera.

"Neji-nii? What are you doing with that?"

Neji scrunched his brows and he was looking for frustrated by the second, "This was Naruto's. It seems that there are some memories in this camera, but the screen stays pitch-black every time I attempt to turn it on."

Hinata took it from him, before opening it, and taking a look at it. Looking at the bottom of the cartridge and pulling out the SD card, she hastily ran towards her laptop and booted it. Inserting the card inside the SD port, she impatiently waited for the card's contents to pop up.

The card was titled: With Hina-chan…

And, the contents of the camera were heart-wrenching.

Pictures…

Of Naruto and her. It was filled with memories of them ranging from their second year in high school to their graduation.

Videos…

A certain one caught Hinata's eyes. It was Naruto on one of his knees, holding onto what looked like a small box.

Neji felt Hinata's sudden discomfort and silently excused himself.

Hinata sat back in shock, shakily pressing the 'Play' button.

"Hina-chan," The blond boy cried out in the video, with his trademark grin, "I assume that your eyes are all better now since you're looking at this!"

Hinata gasped. She had a feeling that she knew where this was going.

"Hina-chan…I've known you for a long time. It was like fate when we met; that red thread that led us to each other. Literally! I remember when we were in second grade. We were assigned a project for Mother's Day. You were walking around Iruka-sensei's classroom asking everyone if they had a red colored string for the flower you were making for your mom. Everyone was too greedy to share—The boy's eyes had a sudden gleam of pride in them—except me! You marched up to me and shyly asked me for my red yarn and I gave you some! Ever since that day, we've been together like glue! We were the best of friends with Sasuke and Sakura-chan! Now that I think about it, I think I loved you then, I just didn't know the meaning of that word yet. We were so young.

The boy took a deep breath, before he opened the box. In it was a beautiful engagement ring. The rock in the center was violet and it shone.

"But now, I know very well what that word means…Love, that is. It makes you feel alive; immortal even. Love also has sacrifices, and if you ask me to give up one thousand days just to be with you for one day, I will. Hinata," Naruto grinned, taking off the ring from its box, "Will you marry me?"

There was a long pregnant silence, before Naruto stood up and wiped the bead of sweat that was accumulating above his brow. He nervously walked towards the camera and talked to it, "Man! Hina-chan's not even here and I'm nervous just practicing! Better try again until it's absolutely perfect!"

The video ended.

And Hinata could only cry as she stared at her laptop screen.

Their dreams were gone. It withered away the moment Naruto left.

Gone…

Hinata felt empty.

Hinata was never the same since then.

disclaimer: no rights.
author: you're beautiful.
notes: Yeah, I have a love for CharacterDeath! I'm guessing you want to bash my head in now, but meh! I know I rushed the ending. Really, I expect some reviews like: "WAI DID U KILL NARUTOOO?! HES STRNGER THAN DISSSS!" Yeah? Well, suck it. I don't care. No matter how strong someone appears to be, it doesn't mean they're not invulnerable. Everyone is driven to a corner, and sometimes they lose. And this is why I dedicate this to my great friend, Maria. Maria, my dear friend, thanks for everything.