Redemption In Your Eyes

Release

Biting her lip hesitantly, Hinata raised a delicately curled fist and knocked on the door. The sound rang out lazily into the early afternoon sun. A pair of startled birds squawked loudly in a nearby tree, protective of their nest. A breeze rolled through, lifting the ends of her long hair. Her hand shook.

She knocked again with more force. This time there was no rhythm. The rustle of trees shuffling in the wind was the only reply. Maybe he's still asleep... Her knees shook as another possibility crept into her mind.

Once more, she knocked on the door. Panic pulsed in her, making her hazy. Focusing and trying to pierce a fog of confusion, she listened carefully. The inside of the apartment was mute in seclusion. Letting her quaking hands fall to her side, she leaned to peer through the nearest window. Familiar disarray met her.

Terror washed through her. "N-naruto?" She called into the abode. Silence stood sentry. But, we were supposed to... Oh no! I knew it was too good to be true! Hinata wheeled around, clasping her hands around her mouth to subdue an audible sob. As she moved to run, her foot slipped on the mat in front of the door.

She met the wooden porch with her shoulder as the doormat skidded away. The crash of her fall broke through the calm afternoon and the birds in the tree flew off. Feeling tears well in her eyes, Hinata pulled herself to her knees. I need to replace the mat... I can't let him know I was here.Another sob rose up her chest and she choked it back. Her bleary eyes scanned the porch.

And then she froze. A piece of folded paper, now slightly crumpled, had been under the mat. So... She picked it up, half afraid of what it might be. This is why it slipped? Nervously, she opened it. Naruto's wild scrawl stared back.

Hinata-

We got called on an emergency mission. Sorry about ramen this afternoon. How about when I get back?

She held the note gingerly, reading again. Sighing to herself, she let it fall into her lap. The birds from the tree were arguing loudly overhead in the blue sky. Wiping away a stray tear, she started to laugh.

Aster leaned towards Itachi and they started to chatter in front of him and just out of ear shot. Desperate, Sasuke tried to focus and guess what they were saying. A persistent itch on his neck shattered his attention. Kakashi's quiet steps echoed in his skull. His ex-sensei's scrutiny was excruciating. Dammit...

And then blissful distraction caught him. There was a sudden movement ahead and his mind honed in on it without effort. He watched with complete concentration as Sakura approached Naruto and tapped him on the shoulder. Smiles flashed between them and Sasuke wished he had kept his attention to Kakashi's overbearing suspicion.

"Naruto," Sakura's voice was gentle, careful. He turned, flashing her grin that she warily returned. Sighing they trudged in silence for a moment. Slowly her smile faded and dropped from her lips.

"Ne, Sakura... Something wrong?"

She jumped at the sound of his voice. "Oh, um." Her pause settled between them. "Naruto... I have to tell you something."

"And?" He raised a friendly eyebrow to her hesitation. "What do you have to tell me?"

Sakura shifted uncomfortably. "You were right."

He laughed and clapped his hands. "Of course I was!" And then his smile turned to confusion. "By the way, what was I right about?"

A glare wiped the humor from his face. Sakura turned her stony gaze to the path ahead. "You were right... about Sasuke. And how I feel about him."