0 AGW

"Why are you avoiding me?" Naruto repeats, anger coloring his voice.

"I—I'm not—"

"Don't lie to me!"

"I'm not!"

"Really, Hinata?" Naruto bites out. "So it's totally a coincidence that I haven't been able to talk to you in months?"

"I've…I've just been busy—"

"Come on, Hinata! I had to henge into a child for you to look me in the eye. Don't do this," he pleads. "I'm so sorry for Neji's death, Hinata, I'm so sorry, it was my fault…but please don't avoid me anymore—I can't lose anyone else!"

Hinata's heart is beating so fast she thinks she might faint and she curses herself. How did she let it get to this point? It was completely her fault; Naruto was sweet and kind and hurting—he'd clearly needed some closure of his own with regards to Neji's death. She stares into her friend's wild blue eyes. His eyebrows are furrowed tightly, and she sees new lines etched into his young face. How could she have been so selfish and lost in her own grief?

A wind blows through the training ground, gently rustling the surrounding canopy.

"Naruto-kun…" she starts, struggling to find the right words. There's so much to say, and she finds herself lacking the eloquence to say it properly. She curses herself again.

The anger immediately drains from his body and his shoulders slump. Naruto's eyes squeeze shut for a moment before he looks gathers courage to look determinedly at her. His lower lip trembles. "I'm sorry, Hinata. Neji's death…it's my fault. I should've protected everyone."

Hinata wonders how her heart could break any further. This cannot continue.

"No. Neither I nor anyone else has ever held you responsible for Neji-nii-san's death, Naruto-kun."

How could it be Naruto's fault when it was so clearly hers, she wonders.

Naruto…Hinata-sama is willing to die for you. So you hold more than one life in your hands.

"We didn't deserve his sacrifice," Hinata says quietly, feeling the familiar, guilty grief crawl up from her stomach into her throat. She swallows it down forcefully. "But we need to respect his gift to us. That is our duty."

Naruto reaches for Hinata's hand and holds it tightly.

"I'm still sorry, Hinata."

"So am I, Naruto-kun."

"Will it ever stop hurting?" he wonders.

"I don't know."

Probably not.

Thank you for all your wonderful reviews and PMs. I've read them all multiple times. xx