Hinata's Secret ♡

Everyone thinks I have a crush on Naruto.

But really, I love Sasuke with all my heart.

I can't tell anyone, I can tell that Sakura loves him too.

But it breaks me at the thought of ruining it for her.

"Hinata! Are you there?" Sakura is waving her chopsticks in my face.
"Oh yeah, sorry". Sasuke is always on my mind these days, will he ever come back to the Leaf Village?
"Naruto always comes here huh", Sakura comments with her mouth full of ramen. I agree, he does, it's basically his second home here at Ichiraku Ramen. The food is so amazing, it's no wonder.

"Can I ask you something Hinata?", Sakura suddenly turns to me.
"Ummm yeah?", I feel my face going red, is she going to ask what I think she is?
"Do.... do you....", she averts her eyes, "Do you like Naruto?" This time as she speaks her eyes are looking right into mine. Phew, she didn't ask Sasuke. This is my chance to fool her.
"Well..... I'm not sure quite yet, but yeah I guess", I force my face to go as red as tomato.
"Oh! I'm happy for you Hinata, you know, I think you'd make a great couple", Her smile is so genuine, I feel bad for lying. At least she won't ask me these sort of questions anymore.

And this is how everyone started to believe that I like Naruto.

It only added to the deep sadness within me.

When Sakura and Naruto were put on a team with Sasuke, I was so jealous. How come Sakura was the one to be with him almost every day? I thought it was destiny for Sasuke and I to be together. I silently watched them leave on missions, train and basically build a friendly relationship together. I was left in the shadows and my dreams started to fade away. Today, I still cling on literally by a single thread.

After saying goodbye to Sakura, I decide to take a walk through the forest where I train sometimes. The trees slowly waver in the wind, the leaves rustling peacefully. The stars are out and they shine their beauty throughout the cosmic sky. The moon casts mystical shadows in the landscape.. I take a deep breath of the fresh night air and feel the oxygen fill my lungs. Walking like this is so satisfying, it takes my mind off everything that happened during the day. The ground beneath me is perfect for my training, not so hard that if I was to fall, it would hurt. I remember my old days of vigorous hard work here, I would often lose balance and find myself on the dirt. It cushioned my fall like a patch of flowers, strange but I was grateful.

I have nearly covered the whole perimeter forest when I see a shadow moving within the tall trees. It is moving at such a high speed that it is going to meet me at any second. Is it an animal or a human?

Byakugan!

My eyes allow me to see far ahead and perfect details of the scene. Wait...... what? It can't be! It's Sasuke Uchiha! But... what is he doing here? Has he made the right choice to come back to the village? Oh no.... he's almost here. He can't see me, I have to hide! In a pathetic effort to conceal myself, I rush behind a tree.

"You sure don't hide yourself very well for someone from the Hyuga Clan", Sasuke has appeared out of thin air next to me. He is so close, I can hear his breathing in my ear. My eyes turn to look at him and our faces are only centimetres away.

"What are you doing here at this time of night?", he faintly grins in amusement.
"I.....um......I", I'm speechless, entranced my his sparkling black eyes. I can't move or breathe, I'm that embarrassed.
"Could you speak up? You've always been so quiet for as long as I can remember Hinata", he shakes his head.
".... what are you doing here?" Back to my senses, I change the topic.
"I come to see how the village is going from time to time. I get a little nostalgic and this just happened to be one of the times I decided to", for a second, I see something strange in his eyes. Is it regret? "So, I've told you my reason, why are you here?"
".... I just wanted to walk through the forest, it brought back memories", I admit.
"Memories of what?" He questions.

"Well....... of you", I blush for real. Sasuke seems to have lost his words and is looking at me differently now. Before I realise it, our noses are touching and his mouth is so close to mine.
"To tell you the truth, I wanted to see you again. I was getting tired of memories", He whispers. He strokes my face with his hand and then we are kissing. Wait, KISSING?!

I want it to last forever, I don't want it to be stored as one of my memories.

"Sasuke, I love you", I start crying. "Please come back to us, to me", I start to cry. I open my eyes but he is already gone.

Why, Sasuke? Why do you always just leave? You need to try staying for once. I have given up hope on my dream and I start to run home with tears glistening down my face.

"I'll meet you here the next full moon", Sasuke's voice murmurs in my ear. I reach out and grab his hand before he goes. I'm too late, he starts to fade away.
"I will Sasuke! I will wait for you, however long it takes!" Then he vanishes for good.

This forest isn't just full of the past, it's blossoming the future.