Overcoming the Odds.

Chapter 18

Chapter 18: "Don't Leave."

How easy it would have been. Forgetting everything. To forget that he had ever knew a beautiful redhead by the name of Karin. The girl who had been his close companion for the better  for the better part of the year. Every moment would be non-existent to him.

On hindsight, that should have been the first thing he should have done the moment he realized that their chances were practically non-existent. Now he saw the truth as to why Sakura had been so upset at him - what they were having was ridiculous. Him, an aspirant to the post of the village leader and Karin, the imprisoned subject of the greatest traitor to the Leaf and the worst scum out there.

'This was doomed to fail from the start,' he realized.

But now, presented with the choice to just forget everything... He was at the crossroads: to proceed with Karin or to forget that he ever had a friendship with her. To forget Karin would have been the easiest solution at the moment.
 

'Yes, I can just flip the switch... and-'

"Don't leave me!"

He was so lost in his thoughts that he flinched at the sudden and loud outburst. He looked at the hysterical girl and saw her kneeling on both knees and clinging desperately onto the sleeve of his black and orange jacket

"Please! Please, Please..." She begged breathlessly while tugging roughly on the fabric. "Please don't leave me!"

Naruto felt more tears coming to his eyes as he felt nothing but sadness for the girl in front of him. He never thought something this terrible would completely ruin their chances together, but now that he knew of her grim fate he cursed himself for how much of an idiot he was.

"What the hell was I thinking?" He pondered to himself while worriedly looking at the sleeve Karin had a grip on, which was being pulled so hard that he feared the stitching would soon tear out.

"I don't wanna be alone!" She wailed as her hold on him tightened. She looked up at him and through her blurred-out vision she saw his tear-filled eyes were unwilling to meet hers. Not only that, but the look on his face said everything: he was obviously conflicted on what he were to say or do next. Noticing this she knew she needed to say something or else he might just leave her forever.

Karin let go of Naruto's sleeve and quickly grabbed and held his hand with both of her own, then she let anything and everything out of her mouth to change his mind.

"I know you may see me as a burden, but please look inside of yourself and see me differently. A-and, I... I know you might not think it, but Naruto I swear that if you stay it'll be worth your while! We can go back to how things have always been!"

Memories of the time they spent together bombarded her mind, from pointless arguments to ones of genuine laughter from their shared stories. She remembered the time he was mad at one of his friends for stealing his ramen vouchers, and the time she got so embarrassed when he said her hair looked nice. Every moment that was spent with him was cherished more than any other and to think that he could vanish from her world was an unbearably awful thought.

"Forget about the sentencing, forget about everything you want, just please don't forget me. Remember when we first met? I used to hate you. Now... Now you're my best and only friend and-and I don't ever want you to go." Her voice cracked and she tried her best to hold back the new wave of tears. "And if you need a break from me I understand, you don't even have to come every day anymore! You can come whenever you want, any day any hour, I don't mind, just please I'm begging you don't leave!"