The Way Through Stone Village (Naruto)

55: The Tipping Point

[OP: "Second Child, Restless Child"--The Oh Hellos]

Naruto looked up at Momo. "Eh, but you guys are close, right? You have a bond. You don't just desert someone you have a bond with."

Momo looked pained. "Naruto, it's not that I want to, but I have to think about if...if I'm even doing anything for him this way. I feel like we haven't even had a real conversation in a long time. And this is...there's been a lot going on recently that's been very difficult for me to deal with, and I usually relied on Shoto, when people were judging me before, or when I was getting in trouble for slightly bending the rules... I knew he would support me. But I wonder if I can stand to be at odds with him, and with the world, at the same time... But then, I shouldn't rely on one person so much." She put her hand over her face, some tears fell, despite her efforts at keeping them back. "I'm so pathetic..."

"No, no!" Hinata forgot her shyness because Momo reminded her of herself. She put a hand on her shoulder. "It's not pathetic. I feel the same way about--" She stopped when she remembered that Naruto was right there. "--about some people I know."

"Who?" Naruto was so clueless.

Hanabi slapped her forward, sending water droplets out of her palm.

"Perhaps it's Neji." Sai was also clueless apparently, but at least he had an excuse.

"Oh, right." Naruto nodded.

"You just feel like you need him, right?" Hinata tried to be soothing. "And you feel like he's not been there for you."

"Yes...is it terrible how selfish I am?" Momo sniffled.

"Selfish? I wish you 'd tell him that and then punch him," Dabi scoffed. [😂]

"I could never!" Momo said.

"I think he's kidding," Hanabi said. "But still, you could just tell him you're done with this bull crap, and he should break up with his hate crush Sasuke and focus on his real girlfriend, you. I mean, honestly, this is getting ridiculous! And I've never had a boyfriend, but if I did have one, I'd just tell him."

"It's easy to say that when you haven't felt that way about anyone," Hinata reprimanded her. "When you love someone, you hate the thought of upsetting them more."

"I wish that was all," Momo said. "But I'm also starting to wonder if I'm more afraid that he'll just...end up not really caring."

"Did you ask him out first, or did he ask you out?" Hanabi asked.

"Oh...he asked me," Momo said. "I didn't have the nerve to tell him how I felt."

"Then he must like you enough to take the initiative," Hanabi mused, tapping her chin. "So why would he not care about you?"

"If he'd get his head out of his rear end," Dabi snorted.

"So he's neglecting both his brother and his girlfriend," Sai said. "I don't understand Shoto. Why would he focus on someone he can't stand so much when he has people who really want him around right here?" [Yeah, Sai! Can he be any more of a green flag?]

"Eh, some boys are so dumb," Hanabi sniffed.

"It's not just the boys, you know," Hinata said. 

"Well, the boys on this team are like this a lot," Hanabi declared. "I would never waste my time on this if I were Todoroki-san."

"There's more to it," Dabi said. "Sasuke has talked bad about Shine a lot, and Shoto feels like he had to defend her. He talks bad about all of us, in fact."