Oath 8

[catriana_fiction]

Title: Oath
Series: Naruto
Rating: M
Pairings: GaaHina, NejiHina, SasuHina if you squint
Chapters: 8(incomplete)
Summary: When the villages were first established the founders tried to acquire many clans under their banner, the two most sought after being the Hyuuga and the Uchiha. Konoha acquired the Uchiha, Suna acquired the Hyuuga. Hinata, an outcast socially and in her family at her young age one day runs into a red-haired child who just so happens to possess a demon. A 'What If' story. The initial idea was from a fanfic I read but it was never finished. I'm going to completely different route for the most part, but I thought the premise was intriguing. The story has actually taken a really huge twist, to the point where I'm not entirely sure the story will still end with Gaara and Hinata together romantically...I honestly don't know. It might turn into a friendship fic and they end up with different people...I have no clue and I am baffled by what's going on ATM.
Warnings: I've taken huge liberties with the actual series and the general flow doesn't 100% match the Anime...and it ain't gonna.


AN: This is where the fic can really start to go either way, I'm not sure yet. We'll see.

8

 

Being born and raised in one of the harshest environments in the world and having a previously insane demon possessed boyfriend one would think nothing could shock and surprise Hyuuga Hinata. In the span of five minutes Gaara had managed to devastate her in several rather significant ways.

One – and this was a shocker for everyone involved – Gaara had claimed to his siblings and ‘wife’ that he wished to become Kazekage. He wanted to form and understand bonds better, he wanted to protect those precious to him. Technically Gaara was still a genin although his skills and power far surpassed that. Regardless, he told them that he wanted to start from where he was and work his way up, to prove to everyone that he was serious about changing and becoming a better person. He told his siblings he wanted to spend more time with them, to get to know them. All these years he had held them in contempt and hadn’t cared one way or the other about them, they had been like strangers to him. Now he wanted to truly be around them and learn what it was like to have a family.

Gaara wanted to make all of these changes, to become closer to people he had shut out of his life in the hurt and pain of the betrayal he had experienced as child by someone he had loved dearly. He wanted to train with everyone as well as train alone, he wanted to learn all the different types of ‘love’.

So why was he pushing her away?

Hinata sat in her old room of the Hyuuga estate, looking out the window. Nothing had changed except for the bed, they had replaced it with something larger. Nothing had been touched, everything had been kept exactly the way she had left it and she couldn’t understand why. They should have discarded all of her things once she had left for good, right? Hadn’t they branded her as an outcast, a failure? Why had they kept her room in perfect condition as if she had never left?

She felt so alone and miserable. Upon their return to Suna her boyfriend…no…best friend, had sat down alone with her after his proclamation that he wanted to become Kazekage. He had told her several things. One, that he would have to train very hard to control his emotions, thusly controlling the demon inside of himself. It meant that he would become distant with her and seem almost unemotional.

“But I don’t want you to think that I will stop loving you.” He had reassured her “That…that is something that will never change, not as long as I am alive. I will always love you, Hinata-chan.”

It was understandable and she had told him that she would support him and continue to show that she believed in him and that she loved him. Then he went and dropped probably the largest bombshell ever on her.

He no longer wanted them to be together as a couple. Not only that, he was going to get the council to nullify their marriage contract. Basically, he had broken up with her and divorced her all at the same time. The last and final bombshell: He no longer wanted them to live together.

Initially, she had burst into tears when he had told her and it had taken a good hour and a half for Gaara to calm her down and explain to her why he was doing all of these things.

“I want to start over,” he had explained “I want to be with you, but not like before…what we had wasn’t healthy, Hinata, mostly on my part. I forced you to be with me initially, even if you had stopped loving me you would have been too terrified of me harming you to contemplate leaving. You can’t deny the fear you had of me, I knew it was there and at the time it had fueled my insecurities.”

Hinata hadn’t denied it and she had been able to tell that it had, just slightly, hurt him. It had hurt him to get that confirmation from her, to know that she had loved him and yet had feared him as well.

“You deserve a chance to start over as well. The Hyuuga want to take you back, they want to make you heir once more. You want to change your clan, that was the entire reason you had wanted to fight Neji, wasn’t it? To show them the flaws in their ways.” He had smiled at her startled expression “It had taken me a while to figure it out but…we’ve been together for too long for me not to know your heart.

“I want to…do things the right way with you…with us. If you stay with me we’ll continue to be as close as we were before and that…we can’t do that any longer. We’re getting older, it’s starting to affect us differently.” She hadn’t replied although her face had turned bright red at what he had been implying “You need to be free of my influence, free to do anything and go anywhere and experience everything. It’s not that I want to do this, I don’t…want to be separated from you, ever. I don’t ever want you to leave my side, but it can’t be in the way we’ve been doing it. You deserve to live a normal life, to make choices without having to worry about my reactions.”

But what about their vow? Their oath to always stay together no matter what?

“It doesn’t have to change, but that’s the biggest thing that has…tied you down. That oath, that promise I had forced you to make. If we remain together it’s because we want to, not because we’re obligated by our words and honor.” He had looked at her then and his face had been…there really weren’t any words for the way he had looked at her. He had framed her face in his hands and had kissed her. The kiss had lasted for a long while and she had realized that it would be their last one for a long while…if ever again. “I don’t want you to leave me.” His voice had sounded strained “Hinata, this is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life but I can’t…it’s not about my feelings, it’s about doing what’s right. I might not have loved you properly but I do love you…immensely. No matter what happens, please never forget that.”

Had he not reassured her she would have felt as if he had been discarding her, throwing her away to pursue his new life. That wasn’t it and while it had taken her a few days to think on it and realize that he was in fact right about everything it made nothing easier. Today was the first day back in her old home and she missed Gaara so much it was almost a physical ache. Since she was five she had never been without him and if so it had never been for any extended period of time. Now it was completely different. Now they would have the option to be together but they would also be able to live their own separate lives. Logically, she knew this was what needed to happen and not just because Naruto had literally beaten an epiphany into him. Emotionally she was torn. She hated this and yet…she was happy. Hinata would be able to, for the first time ever, truly bond and become close to people. She would be able to have friends, to be around Neji outside of training. Besides Gaara, her cousin was the most important person in her life, she loved him and was excited that they could finally be together casually.

A loud bump outside her door drew her curiosity and she got up from her bed to slide open her door. As she did she almost bumped into her cousin who was carrying a rather large box in his arms. Startled, she took a step back so she could bow and apologize “I-I’m so sorry Neji-niisan!” her pearl colored eyes looked up at him pleadingly but his expression was blank as he regarded her. Then he briefly closed his eyes and smiled ever so slightly.

“It was an accident, Hinata-sama, there is no need to apologize. Besides, the noise must have caught your attention, I apologize.”

Shaking her head her gaze rested on the box itself “Why are you carrying that?”

Motioning for her to follow she walked out of her room, looking around the hall that was familiar and yet foreign. Sliding the door open to the room next to hers he walked inside and placed the box on the ground. The room was as simple as hers; a bed, dresser, desk, and closet.

“Your father requested I move into the main branch house.” He told her and his slight smile widened when she stared at him in shock before moving forward, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“It worked!” she was so happy for him; this was what she had wanted, this was the beginning of a much needed change for the Hyuuga “Neji-niisan, I am so happy for you…they’re treating you as an equal now.”

“Yes…” the tone was slightly guarded and he did not return her embrace although he did not look uncomfortable either “I never thought I would say this but…your insane plan actually worked. Hiashi-sama and the council have been going back and forth about the direction the clan should go in now. Although it is good that things are changing…not everyone enjoys change.”

Pulling away slightly she took his hand, blushing at the contact. Because she had grown up being so affectionate around Gaara she felt herself wanting to be affectionate with everyone she cared about, especially Neji. She liked being able to fully relax around him “I…well I’m here now and you’re still my guardian so…I won’t let anyone try to hurt you.”

An arm moved around her waist and he tilted his head, raising an eyebrow “You claim that I am your guardian and yet you will protect me in the same sentence. I do believe there is a conflict of interest.”

Giggling at the slight teasing note she leaned against him once more, enjoying the feel of being close to someone. There was guilt there, of course, and fear that something bad would happen to Neji by her just being by his side like this but this was the life Gaara wanted her to live now. He wanted her to live a normally. It had felt so devastating at the time and it still was, but she liked the little things as well. “We can protect each other.” She told him “I don’t want to stop training or becoming stronger.”

The small smile faded and his expression became completely devoid of emotion. Confused, she raised a hand to brush her fingers lightly along his jaw when he caught her hand. His arm dropped from around her waist and she felt herself paling. Had she somehow gone too far? Was he upset with her?

“Do you plan to regain your status as heir and become the eventual clan head?”

This was somehow a loaded question and she was confused by the seriousness in his tone “I…would like to. I’d…I want you and everyone else to be able to live freely.”

Gentle fingers moved under her chin so that their gazes met. “To do this, you will have to sacrifice your freedom, Hinata-sama. The needs of the clan would always outweigh your personal feelings. It would be the same as your life before, except there won’t be someone there to love and care for you.”

Hinata laughed nervously “T-that’s why…you and I…we’re…”

“I am your guardian,” he reminded her “upon my birth it had been decided that I would protect the future heir, which is you. I will always remain by your side if you wish it but it would not change the reality or severity of the situation. You do have a choice, Hinata-sama, you don’t have to do this. You don’t have to bind yourself to a clan that had no qualms trying to forget you existed because of your situation. Hanabi is skilled and intelligent; she also has the same feelings as you concerning the clan.” His gaze shifted from hers to their hands, a thumb brushing lightly over her wrist “Right now you have true freedom Hinata-sama, perhaps you should take advantage of it.”

There was something else, something he wasn’t telling her. “Neji-niisan…?”

“If you allow the clan to gain complete control over you again,” he looked at her “you will go from having being manipulated to marrying a child to being placed in an arranged marriage in the future. You will not be able to remarry Gaara if that happens, if you allow them to control you. They will not make you clan head if you remain with him, do you understand the severity of your situation now? You can remain here, a member of the main house and not become heir. You would be given more freedom.”

The admission stunned her. They were going to put her in an arranged marriage if she took her place as heir once more? She supposed she should have expected it, no one liked or trusted Gaara and the Hyuuga were very particular about ‘purity’ concerning their bloodline. No one else in the village really knew about Gaara’s future plans so it was only natural that they would try to separate her as much as possible from him if she allowed it.

Hinata was at a complete loss as to what to do. There was absolutely no way she was giving up Gaara, that was impossible…but she wanted to be the one to truly change her clan, she really felt that she could do it. Because of her two cousins she was strong now, much stronger than she would have been at the pace she had been going. She had self-esteem, she had a bit of confidence and she had determination.

“The…reason I want to become clan head…” she sighed, looking down “I want…it’s like I said before, I want you and everyone else to be free as well. You especially, Neji-niisan, because you mean so much to me. I want you to be able to live the life you want…that’s why I want to do this so badly.”

This time he sighed “You didn’t ask who it was you’d be forced to marry.” He sounded almost tired. She frowned.

“Who?” she asked, curious.

He made sure he had her full attention before he spoke “You would marry me. The moment you decide to become heir, you and I will be engaged.”

xxxxx

“They are known as the Akatsuki,” Itachi explained slowly to Tsunade, mostly because it was difficult to breathe. He was lying in a special room of the hospital and only a handful of people knew that he was even in the village. His body had numerous patches and IV’s on and in him and his somewhat tanned skin now looked very pale. Obsidian eyes looked over at the Hokage tiredly and Tsunade noted that her very ill patient was still losing an alarming amount of weight. “Until I had known who the true master was behind the show I had easily infiltrated the group, even now they are unaware that I have left for good. My partner knows of my illness and will be stalling for me for as long as he is able.”

Akatsuki, literally meaning ‘red moon’. She had heard rumors of the organization but truly knew little about it; she hadn’t exactly cared while she had been traveling and as a newly appointed kage she wouldn’t know everything that went on in the shadows just yet. “Who is the leader?”

She watched tensely as he closed his eyes for a moment and she knew he was hiding the extent of the pain he was feeling. The entire time he had arrived in Konoha the most he had given the medical specialists had been small grimaces, that was all. His body was being destroyed from the inside out and she wasn’t entirely sure if she could honestly fix it.

“The proxy leader is known only as Pein.” He told her, shifting his gaze to the ceiling “He is extremely powerful in his own right, I would be hard pressed to defeat him in a true battle. In any case, the true mastermind behind the organization is actually Madara, although I truly do not know what it is he is planning. He’s been having us go and collect the demons from the nine jinchuriki that currently exist.”

“He what?” Her eyes widened in complete and total disbelief. “How can he…what would he do with all that power? He can’t think he can control it.”

“Not by conventional means, no.” he agreed “But that isn’t the case. He has a rather powerful artifact under his control, which is what he is using. None of us know what his true plans are, none of them really care as long as they get to do what they want. No one knows that Madara is truly running the show besides Pein and Konan, his confidant.”

That was curious “How did you find out?”

His smile was thin and humorless “I performed the Mangekyo on Konan and erased her memories of the event.”

“The Mangekyo…that’s one of the Uchiha’s forbidden techniques, isn’t it?”

“It grants the user with incredible power, more than one could ever imagine. It is also imperfect, the amount of stress it puts on the eyes is astronomical, eventually the user will become blind. Before the coup when Madara first approached me I learned there is a way to actually prevent blindness, he had shared the information with me hoping that I would join him. He had a lot of plans for using me.”

She could imagine. The Hokage had read up on Itachi’s profile before he had left Konoha and what she had learned and what she was seeing of this young man right now was…unreal. This seventeen year old boy carried power on the level of a kage…and possibly was stronger than even that. It was a relief and it was distressing; no one should be as powerful as this boy was right now and if he ever truly turned traitor many, many people would die before someone could finally take him out. How powerful would he be once he was actually a fully grown adult?

“Hokage-sama,” his calm, unhurried voice drove her from her thoughts “I am, in fact, going blind. I can’t…this can’t happen just yet…I’m the only thing my little brother has left. As long as Madara is alive I can’t die, I have to protect him.”

 The blonde frowned in confusion “I understand that Sasuke is also considered a genius but he’s no where near the level that you’re at…I don’t think that would even be possible.”

The smile he gave her was slightly annoying. It kind of irked her that this boy was so calm, controlled and…knowing. He seemed to project this aura to where there one felt that there was no secret he didn’t know or wasn’t privy to. The kid was too serious, way too serious.

“You sound like my father,” he said the words softly and Tsunade realized that the pain was getting to a point where he’d have to stop talking altogether “he also felt that Sasuke was inferior to me and would stay that way. He doesn’t have to be like me to eventually become more powerful than me, please do not underestimate him.” There was a small grimace, barely noticeable but there nonetheless “Danzou Shimura, the leader of Root, he was granted permission to extract the eyes of key Uchiha members and implanted them in his arm and one in his eye.” When she stiffened at this news he actually did frown slightly and once again her irritation flared at his disappointment concerning her lack of knowledge. She had barely been Hokage for a damn week and Danzou – she really hated that guy – had his little group tightly secured from prying eyes; including hers. She had already planned to get to the bottom of it but things like that took time “Danzou removed the eyes of practically every Uchiha that had the Sharingan he could get his hands on, Madara took the rest. I know he did not get rid of them, he wouldn’t be foolish enough.”

“While learning that is definitely disturbing and disgusting, I’m not entirely sure what you want me to do about it.”

“It does not matter who but in order to prevent my blindness I will need to replace my eyes with that of another Uchiha. There is no way around it if I am to protect my brother and defeat Madara.”

The Hokage had been unable to hide her shock and slight disgust “Itachi is this…”

“I will do whatever it takes to protect my brother and this village.” He cut off “I can tell you where he has them although it will not be easy to get to. If you can cure my illness and prevent me from going blind, I will eventually have the power to stop him once and for all.”

There was a long moment of silence “Alright, fine. How many other Uchiha know about this special ability?”

“Not many knew, only the highest ranking members of the clan and, of course, Madara. Sasuke also knows…” from his tone it seemed that he hadn’t been happy about that fact.

Standing, Tsunade rechecked his vitals and gave his IV as much medication as she could without it doing him more harm than good. It wouldn’t take away the pain but it’d make it less intense. “Try and get some rest for now. After this you won’t be seeing me as much, I’ll be doing research on your illness. Shizune will be attending to you until I figure out something.”

He said nothing, only closing his eyes, his body looking relaxed although she was sure he was anything but. A few more moments and then she departed, heading for the office she had set up that was full of medical books and charts. She was determined to save him because if she couldn’t he was more than likely doomed. If he died, there would be very few individuals who would be able to take on Madara…very few.

Mentally, she shook her head. It wasn’t going to end like that, not if she could help it. Itachi needed to live and so she’d make sure it’d happen, no matter what.

xxxxx

Gaara had been staring at the letter for about five minutes before he realized he was actually reading it upside down. Confusion was apparent as he turned the paper over, brows furrowing. He continued to stare at the letter for about a good ten minutes before his patience faded and he was up and out of his room, heading towards the common area where his siblings usually resided when not on missions.

Hinata would have been able to read it.

His gait slowed and bright green eyes dulled slightly. Six months. For the past six months he had suffered the loss of his best friend as a constant in his life. He saw her often, everyday practically, but beyond missions the two did not spend any significant amount of time together. His life felt extremely empty and it was hard not having her at his side at all times. It was very hard.

Of course, he would never complain or hint at his unhappiness, not to anyone. He knew he was like this because of the heavy emotional attachment and dependency he had held for her since he had been a small child. Six months had felt like six years and it was only getting worse, not better. There were still times when he’d see something that she would like and when he would turn to show her it hit him that he was alone. Sometimes he would think that he had seen her out of the corner of his eye or had heard her soft giggle, only to realize it had been in his head. He thought about her constantly, every moment without her was agonizing to him.

When she was around the pain did not fade, mostly because he was forcing himself not to be so possessive around her and so refrained from being affectionate. He did not hold her or kiss her even though he so desperately wanted to. The most he allowed himself was to hold her hand and he relished every second of the much missed contact. Gaara wanted to give in, to plead to her to come back and live with him, for them to be together as they had been before. He felt as if a part of him had been ripped away and the more he tried to reach out the farther away it got.

She held no lasting attachments to him any longer. They were no longer married, she no longer lived with him, they weren’t even dating. She was still training dutifully and there were times when he had been allowed to sit in and watch but even that had reminded him that she was no longer his and he had stopped coming by so much. He didn’t know if he could continue to do this, even if it was the right thing to do.

Forcing himself to dismiss it for now he found both Temari and Kankuro lounging in the common area, watching some sort of strange movie. Upon noticing him they had both hesitated for just a moment before the smiles emerged. It would take time for them to feel truly comfortable around their baby brother and while he did not show it, it was affecting him and it made him feel lonely. Loneliness only made him wish for Hinata to see that she wasn’t there.

He needed her back in his life, he couldn’t stand the separation.

None of this showed on his face, however. In fact, he showed no emotional expression at all, simply walking inside to stand beside Temari, letter in hand.

“Naruto sent this to me,” he told her and she gave him a slightly confused look before taking the letter from his hands “I figured that since you can read Kankuro’s horrible handwriting you’d be able to decode…whatever this letter is.”

“Hey!” Kankuro had been lying haphazardly on a recliner and forced himself into a sitting position “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you have chicken scratch for handwriting.” Temari snapped but was frowning – scowling – at the letter “What the hell is this anyway? Do they not teach their shinobi how to write?”

“We can’t really say much, considering what you just said about Kankuro.” It was said flatly by the redhead and he ignored the finger his older brother gave him.

With a sigh she leaned back on the couch, sighing “Guess you’re right. Anyway, it’s really hard to tell but I think he’s saying that he’s left the village with some…perverted frog hermit...and that it’s ‘really awesome’ and he’ll be back in two years. Um he…” she frowned, squinting at the paper “wants you to tell Hinata – aka ‘That really cute girl’ – that he’s going to bring her back something ‘really cool’. He also wants to spar with you when he gets back because he’s going to learn hundreds of awesome jutsus or something, I have no idea what the hell he’s saying past that.”

That sounded like Naruto. Briefly he smiled slightly before taking the letter back. Well, he had no intentions of remaining idle, when they met again Gaara would have a few new tricks up his sleeve. He was looking forward to that day.

“Thank you Temari.” He said softly and she gave him a nervous but sincere smile. There was also happiness in there and perhaps even familial love, he wasn’t entirely sure.

Excusing himself he decided to go to the training grounds for the day. Tomorrow he would be going on a mission with Kankuro and Hinata so training would be beneficial. There was also the fact that the chunnin exams were coming up again and he had every intention of making it this time. He knew Hinata would make it, Temari had said that she had almost been selected but it had been given to her cousin instead. He was looking forward to seeing what new things she had learned over the past six months.

Although she had told him that she would stop by later in the evening he was pleasantly surprised when he found her training. Normally she trained on Hyuuga grounds and he always felt rather uncomfortable whenever he’d go visit her. Today he would be able to watch her without all the scrutiny.

Her moves were fluid and graceful, eyes slightly hooded although he knew she could see him with her exceptional vision. He remained at a polite distance, content to just watch her. She was so beautiful, the more he was unable to be around her the more beautiful she became to him. Just once…just once he’d like to hold her, to feel her lips against his once more. At thirteen he realized that his feelings for her were more than friendly and definitely intimate in nature. There was an ache he had for her and not all of it was entirely innocent.

When she finished her gaze immediately shifted to him and her eyes returned to normal, a soft smile on her lips. His breath caught in his throat as he took in her flushed face and her chest as she panted slightly. More and more Hinata’s body was shifting to that of a woman, it was very obvious that she no longer held the body of a child. Sometimes it was frustrating, he could exercise so much self control unless he was around her. When around her it was the same as when he had allowed Shukaku to influence him, she affected him in a way where he could never hide his feelings from her, not really.

She stood in front of him and he resisted the urge to pull her close, instead merely gazing at her impassively. Strangely enough, her small smile faded and a different, more distressed expression emerged. Gently, she raised a hand, brushing the back of her hand against his face. He closed his eyes briefly and leaned into the touch slightly, his moment of weakness.

“Gaara-kun?” her voice was soft but serious but he waited patiently for her to continue, tilting his head slightly to show he was listening “W-where do you…do you see us in the future?”

The question confused him “I am not sure what you mean. Do you mean as in our relationship or in general?”

The hand dropped and she looked down “Both…I think.”

Why did he feel like he was being tested? “It would…depend on what you would want, Hinata-chan. I hope in the future to become Kazekage and to protect the village and its people.” Unable to resist any longer his hands moved to her hips and pulled her against him, one hand raising to mimic her previous action “As for us I…would want to be with you, in whatever way you will have me.”

A pretty blush emerged and she looked up at him shyly “B-but…do you think that…it’d be possible? If I became clan head and you Kazekage? We’d be so busy with our responsibilities…”

Dropping his hands he took a small step back, thinking. She did have a point “I…suppose it would be difficult.” He admitted “We can never go back to the way things were, where we were inseparable.  But you truly wish to change your clan and I want to support you in whatever decision you make.”

“Even…if it meant we could never really be together?”

He did not initially answer her, he couldn’t really. What did she…mean by that? The redhead tried hard not to let the pain in his chest show on his face. “I don’t understand. You no longer wish for us to be together?” he had no idea how he had been able to ask that question so calmly, he felt anything but. What would he do without her by his side, really and truly? He didn’t want to live a life without her but…

“I…want to change the clan,” she said softly, still looking down “but if I do I’ll…we won’t be able to be together. B-but I can’t just run away…you’re fighting to change yourself and become Kazekage, I’m fighting to change the clan so that everyone can be happy and unified.” She looked as if she was going to cry “I-if this had been…before t-the…the change I…I’d know my answer.”

“You’d know because you wouldn’t have had a choice.” He countered softly “I wouldn’t have given you one.”

“I know but…”

“Hinata,” when she looked up at him he tried very hard to keep his expression as neutral as possible “you’re the type of person who loves unconditionally and you’re the type of person who wants to help those closest to you. If you…if you feel that you have to…do this, I will not protest. We both have goals that require a lot of our time and an incredible amount of responsibility. People in our positions don’t always have a choice, they have to think of what’s best for their people, our wants come separately or not at all.” But I love you and I don’t want to lose you. I don’t want you to walk away…I don’t want to give you up.

Hastily, she wiped at her eyes “I’ve been…giving it a lot of thought…but it’s too hard!” she shook her head “I really want to do this but if I do we…”

Closing the small distance between them he pulled her in a tight embrace, his head resting at the crook of her neck. He took in her scent and smiled slightly, a bittersweet smile “My feelings for you will never change, even if we end up going our separate ways. I’ll always love you and I will support any decision you make…even if it means we cannot be together. In the end, we were friends long before our feelings became more than that…as long as we can keep that friendship I will be happy. You’re my best friend, Hinata, we don’t have to be more than that to be together.” Even if he wanted it desperately.

Her smile was shaky “Y-you’re right…” she wiped away a tear “We’ve always been…best friends. We’ve loved each other as best friends so…” she looked up at him “Y-you…we…we won’t lose our friendship, right Gaara-kun?” it was a plea more than a question and he nodded.

“We will always remain best friends.” He promised “Besides you weren’t very comfortable about us being more than that in the beginning, I pushed it on you…perhaps I even confused you. You were happy just being my friend, so I’m happy too.” He tightened his arms around her, the sinking feeling in his stomach telling him that what he had always feared was happening…he was losing her. Not as a friend but nonetheless… “You will make the Hyuuga clan great, I believe in you.”

Pulling back he saw the slight indecision in her eyes but also the desire to follow her goal to the very end. There was also relief, relief that he would not hold it against her that they could not become more than friends. “We’ll believe in each other…we’ll always be friends.” She flashed him a beautiful smile and it felt as if the world had dropped from beneath his feet. Still, he showed nothing, only nodded slightly and gave her a small smile.

“Always.”

 

 

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