"How do you know all this?" Sakura asked. A quick glance showed Hinata crying a river and Moegi wiping her eyes. Sakura felt her own cheeks and found her own tears were starting to get heavier too.
"I'm someone Naruto knows he can trust. He tells me quite a lot about what he goes thru. He's learned to feel safe and comfortable around me, and you three are going to have to do the same with him."
"Hold on, what do you mean 'you three'?" Sakura asked. "Don't you trust us anymore Naruto?"
"I don't know what to think anymore." He quietly said, looking at no one.
Hinata came up to him and sat down in front of him, holding his face so he couldn't look away. "Naruto-kun, I want you to do something right now. I want you to remember your promise to me to beat Neji-oniisan. I want you to remember when you saw me in the hospital while I recovered. I want you to remember our talk before you went to the chuunin exam finals. I want you to remember the day you decided to give me chance." She paused for a moment and drew him into a kiss much like when she found him at the Valley of the End. "Now, do you feel like I'm wrong for not hating you?"
"Hinata-chan..." Naruto softly said, then got out of Ayame's embrace and hugged the Hyuuga heiress tightly, as if afraid she'd disappear if he let go.
Ayame smiled at the scene, then quietly got up and came to the other two girls. "Here's my advice you two: Give Naruto time to come to terms with your friendship with him, and do what you can to let him know you don't hate him. It likely won't take that long, but don't expect it to be quick. I don't know exactly how those two got together, but I'd bet my life savings it didn't happen by simply asking 'Will you go out with me?' Understand?"
Sakura and Moegi nodded. Sakura looked at the young couple and saw Naruto looked more relaxed, making her smile softly for him. "Hey Hinata, Naruto, while we have time, could you tell us what exactly brought you two together?"
Ayame smirked. 'Smart move girl. Give Naruto something positive to think about and he'll get out of his funk quicker.'
Naruto didn't look that talkative, but he did look at his pink-haired teammate. "Well... in a way I guess it started when I visited Hinata-chan in the hospital during the month before the finals. I didn't train 24/7 so sometimes when I had free time, I went to see her, and get more inspiration for kicking Neji's ass. We chatted and got to know each other a little more, but we... didn't start acting like this until after..." Now he cut himself off.
"After what?" Sakura curiously asked.
Naruto sighed and broke eye contact with the pinkette. "After I brought Baachan back to heal Sasuke."
'He sounded so hurt remembering that. Why?' Sakura asked herself. "Go on."
Hinata spoke next. "That day, I found Naruto-kun at that bridge your team always met at, just staring into the water, looking so forlorn."
-Flashback-
"Na-Naruto-kun?" Hinata said as she cautiously approached the young man.
He turned to her and smiled. "Hi Hinata-chan."
Hinata could immediately tell his heart wasn't in his greeting. "What's wrong? You brought the next hokage here and thanks to her those injured from the invasion are getting better treatment. Konoha can get stronger and it's all thanks to you. Why are you so unhappy?"
Naruto sighed and looked away. "Hinata-chan, you're the only person who's actually thanked me for doing this."
"What?"
He nodded. "It's true. No one's even said so much as thank you to me for what I did. The old lady didn't even want to look at Konoha and even though she told me I helped her change her mind when I saved her from Orochimaru, she never actually thanked me for doing it. Sure, she gave me this necklace, but she never actually said the words. Ero-sannin and Shizune didn't either. Heck, I thought at least Sakura would thank me for bringing the only person who could heal Sasuke to him, and... she didn't even look at me."
Hinata gasped but let Naruto continue. "What will it take? What do I have to do before someone finally acknowledges it? I protect my team on missions, but I only get insulted. I make us pass the first test of the chuunin exams, and I'm called an idiot. I save her life from the sand-user and the only person she or anyone else give credit or thanks to is the teme. And now, I brought the world's best medic to Konoha to heal everyone, and no one even says 'Good job Naruto'."
Hinata put her arm around him. "I thank you Naruto-kun. I know it's not much, but I am grateful for what you do for us all." Naruto tensed, but he didn't ask her to let go so she didn't. "I'm sorry Sakura isn't."
Naruto sighed. "I don't think I can take it anymore Hinata-chan. I think this may have been the last straw for me. If me saving her life and Sasuke's too won't get her to at least give me a little respect, what will? I have no idea, and I think I'm tired of trying. Do you think I should?"
That was a tough question for Hinata to answer. "Na-Naruto-kun, I... I can't tell you what path to take in life. Only you can do that. I just want you to be happy. If you feel you n-need Sakura to be happy, then... I w-will su-support your choice. But if you're having doubts about that, then m-m-maybe... you sh-should consider alternatives instead."
"Like maybe trying to have someone else be my girlfriend?" Naruto asked, and Hinata nodded. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I should." He then looked at the Hyuuga heiress. "Hinata-chan, would you like to go get ramen with me?"
She blushed, and placed her hand over his. "Na-Naruto-kun, a-as m-much as I want to say yes, I h-have to s-say no right now. Listen first. I do want to say yes, but right now you're hurt and grasping for straws. Take some time to think it over please. Then if you r-really do want to try something wi-with me, ask again when you know you're not just trying to replace Sakura."
Naruto slowly nodded. "I'm sorry if I offended you."
Hinata wrapped her arms around his waist. "You didn't. I understand why you asked. The problem is I want you to ask because you want me, not because you can't have your first choice."
-End Flashback-
"After that we had to go to Tea Country so I had plenty of time to think things over." Naruto said to Sakura. "When Sasuke had to be treated again and you went off on your own, I found Hinata and told her I thought over things and decided that I did want to see what would happen if we tried to be couple. That time she accepted."
Sakura was silent for a moment, but Ayame smiled. "Looks like it was a good decision for you two."
"I can only hope so." Naruto said, but he now looked like he was feeling better.
"Naruto, did I really hurt you that much?" Sakura asked.
Naruto struggled to phrase it right. "Sakura, I'm not going to lie. Yes, you did. I could handle the hits and the insults because they actually weren't the worst I've gotten, but every time you ignored me, that I couldn't handle. It got harder to handle it when we were on a team and you wouldn't even hold a conversation with me. But when I brought Baachan to save Sasuke and you hugged him so lovingly while never saying one grateful word to me before or since, I realized I just couldn't take it anymore. I spent thirteen years being unloved, enough was enough."