amethyst solitary (naruto u.)

reunion

There he was, standing awfully still, eyes quaking in shock, and chest heaving up and down.

Manaka reflected his posture only a few feet apart, the back of her eyes burning as euphoric tears threatened to fall. She reached his neighborhood just before sundown and was lucky enough to run into him before he rashly left the village to look for her.

How ironic. Two souls desperately looking for each other in the midst of this devastating pit only to wind up on the same path when they least expect it. Seems like Manaka's prayers in wanting to see him again had been answered.

Naruto refused to blink, his piercing gaze defining her figure, assuring it wasn't a dream. But much to his relief, it was as real as ever.

"Naruto." She choked.

Brick by brick, her walls came crumbling down, and as much as she tried to hold it in, the tears sprung free and so did the sobs. A burning flood of unrestrained emotion engulfed her chest once she rushed and lunged into his arms, nestling into that warmth of his she's been yearning to consume for so long. Whereas Naruto, he hugged her so tightly that the thought of her slipping away and disappearing out of sight again terrified him.

The blond shinobi closed his eyes and absorbed her touch, listening to nothing but her cries as she quivered beneath his hold. He couldn't imagine the suffering she had to endure with Madara. Oh, how terrifying her journey must have been with that bastard.

"I'm sorry." He apologized, his jaw resting on top of her head. "I promised to be by your side, but I failed in protecting you. You should not have gone through this alone."

Within his clutch, she shook her head repeatedly.

"You're wrong." she drew back and sniffled her red nose. "This is completely my fault, I chose to do this, I chose to run away and fall into the enemy's trap. This has nothing to do with you!"

He looked down and watched her balance her weight on her tippy toes and bring her hands up to cup his whiskered cheeks. Her crying slowly diminished.

"I should be the one apologizing. I was a coward for failing to remain by your side. You needed someone, and despite promising to be there for you, I couldn't complete the task. I was afraid I've become a burden, lingering around you like a pitiful creep."

His face twisted with anger. "A burden? Manaka how could you think like that?" Those calloused palms of his quickly gripped her cold ones and lowered them, with no intention of letting go.

"Do you have any idea how worried I was when I found out you were missing? I thought I have lost you!"

Manaka dropped her gaze in shame.

Naruto was simmering with rage - yes - yet, he couldn't help but restrain his scolds upon perceiving how worn out she looked. She appeared awfully pale, paler than usual, and the blue and red veins beneath her puffy eyes seemed like they were crawling out her skin. Even the cape she was drowned in provided little to no warmth for her body. It caught him off guard how she was still standing strong on her feet.

The jinchuruki carrier sighed and knelt to reach her height, unaware of his action prompting her cheeks to flush. She couldn't help herself. Their noses were almost touching!

"You need to realize that you've become an important person in my life now." He stated in all seriousness, his gaze hardening. "Your presence is significant, not only to me but to everybody in this village. We're all lucky to have you in our life. If something horrible were to happen to you, I'd never forgive myself."

Manaka's body perked up. Was she hearing right?

"Really?" she inquired in an almost hush.

Naruto's scowl deepened. "Tch, of course! What kind of question is that!"