Games of Fate

I give my life to you..
And wonder all my way to death..
In hopes that you could find something that I couldn't..
Love..

1

An outright doomed failure..
I think those words suits me very well..
but in the last moments of my death?..
you see.. I was able to break free from that shell
And I was a fully grown butterfly who wont even live..
for a single day with my newly formed wings..
the life that was granted to me were only about..
30-180 seconds..
before I crash down, with unbelievable speed and magnitude..
falling away from life, facing death..

I couldn't make out most of my life that I've lived. It was all so blurry, mind numbing, filled with heart aches and purposeless.. I chased after someone that was never meant to be mine all this time. I guess Neji-nisan was right, I am a failure, I have been a sore loser all my life. But now, I am happy, that I have lived a purposeless life, to be able to throw it away for these two; my good friend, and my only true love.

Naruto-kun and Sakura-chan.. these two were selected by Godaime Hokage-sama for this mission. There were three group of us, Neji-nisan was with Kiba-kun and Lee-kun on the other side of the mountain, Sai-kun, Shino-kun and Shikamaru-kun were trailing behind us. We're near the borders of Otogakure, I was assigned to be with former team seven's two members. My job was to help them locate Uchiha-san's whereabouts, I was to borrow my power of white eyes to find and then tract down the last surviving Uchiha-san for his 2 team mates.

We had the war settled together with our allied countries' shinobis, Uchiha Madara and Tobi was defeated. Now since Orochimaru has been miraculously revived, we had an enemy to vanquish and a fleeing old friend to catch up with. Naruto-kun fought Uchiha-san with all his might, they were hospitalized in Konoha after that. 3 long weeks after, Uchiha-san elopes again, and we had to find for him. We have been travelling for what it could be counted as days, I was silent and barely spoke along the journey. The other two members would've thought this was a joke, Tsunade-sama sent me with the only two people who didn't want to see me, they must've thought, this as a sick mockery of the Godaime. I smiled pitifully, at myself.

I remembered his words, he said that he already had eyes for his team mate, and he could only regard me as a good friend of his, nothing more. I wasn't shocked by the truth he spoke, but I was relieved. That he finally showed his honest answer. He showed me that I was appreciated, and wasn't neglected, our bond of friendship will not change and that he will always be there if I needed him. He had assured me of that. Meanwhile, with Sakura-chan, she was showing the signs of guilty pangs, she sees me with a worried glance every time she had to look at me. I was sure that she thinks I am jealous of her, or hate her for taking away the only one I love. But no.. that wasn't it. She couldn't even look me in the eyes, I know that she still has lingering feeling for Uchiha-san. She didn't try to deny it, but her growing feelings for Naruto-kun weren't a lie either. I hope she had it enough, living with lies.. hopefully I was the only one left. I don't want any friend of mine to suffer the same fate as me. It is unbearable, even for the strongest, what off a weakling like me can do with it?

After passing the Valley of the End, we had a lot of steep mountains to trek down, I was feeling so useless, afraid that I would slow them down, I was pushing with my limit, until at one point I was depleted with chakra, and was severely punished with a terrible fall. Sakura-chan had to heal me, and Naruto-kun had to carry me along the journey. I felt hurt, I didn't know why I couldn't do anything right? Why I ended up doing the wrong? My eyes watered and I hid them under the veil of my bangs, so that Naruto-kun doesn't see them, I was pathetic.. I knew, he could feel everything going on inside me. Surprisingly, he could read what I was thinking with just by looking at me, was I that transparent to him? Honestly, both of us are alike, as if we came from the same core that is why he could see through me every time I was depressed.

I was stupid even to hide those tears, but what is the best that I could do? Nothing.. I felt his strong arms holding me in bridal style as he leaps of from branch to branch, I felt his gaze wasn't on me, but his mind was.. he gripped my shoulder firmly but gently re-assuring that I wasn't a burden. I knew, he was a kind man. I could feel Sakura-chan's fleeting gaze on both of us, from time to time, as if a live scare crow watching over its harvest of ripening corn field. I felt her worry, but it was unnecessary. I wouldn't take Naruto-kun away. I wasn't meant to be in his heart no matter how much it is alike to mine.

Maybe we weren't really meant to be together..

maybe I wasn't good enough for you..

I never was..

And.. you deserve better.

I never wanted to think about it, but my thoughts knew well of me. Truthfully, I was tortured to the maximum level by the rejection. Yes, as everyone could see, I was crying silently, as if the dam of tears in my eyes could put off the fire of hurt and agony rising in the pit of my stomach, as if it could calm my hurting heart, but it did nothing more than to add to the pain I have already been suffering. I had to try my level best to get out of it for this mission, but looks like Im still worthless, me being the emotional racket doesn't help always, and it didn't now. I cant hold those flowing tears back into my eyes as my body lay limp in his arms, I stared ahead as he did, watching with my doujutsu activated, at least I was useful for that. Thanks to the genes.

Ironically, I felt my heart sunken and it still didn't stop beating madly against my ribs, he was holding me against him so tightly, warmly, comfortably, this was the closest I could get to him. My heart doesn't seem to calm down from my past feelings for him. How can it be? It was there ever since I could think rationally.. it has been there for years.. and it isn't something I could forget that easily.. I hope I wont be living on it for too long. I think he knew I was crying against him, duh.. obviously, who wouldn't feel their shirt getting wet from tears of the woman in their arms? Naruto-kun wasn't exactly clever, but he wasn't an outright idiot like me either. His hold on me was getting even tighter, unable to hold my sobs with a byakugan activated, I hiccupped, it caught more unwanted attention from Sakura-chan. I clenched my sleeves trying to hold as much as I can. Oddly, I think I was lucky, who could have had the chance to weep on the shoulders of the one that broke their heart? I closed my eyelids tight, and suddenly my heart skipped a beat. He.. Naruto-kun, was hugging me. I snapped my eyes open, when I felt something.

"Uchiha-san.." I muttered, that is all it takes for Naruto-kun to grab the situation and release me of his embrace.

We rushed ahead in full speed as we felt a second of his chakra flaring nearby. I had jumped from Naruto-kun arms landing away from him, I started to go and move ahead of them. I didn't know my depleted chakra is back somehow, Naruto-kun was equaling me with his speed and Sage mode activated, he could sense his long time rival's chakra as well, I guess I wouldn't be needed any longer. We ran as far we could, as far as the earth stretched, as far as our feet could carry us. Uchiha-san should be re-captured, his purposes of this run should be known, his next move, what would it be? I wondered. We passed the hurdles that the earth and nature has posed on us, swiftly like the light of sun spreading on the surface, we knew nothing of tiredness for what all we could see was our friend and felt his chakra nearby. But then in a second, it was gone, his chakra couldn't be sensed again. We halted.

We were on a bridge, that was connected a cliff to another, in between the space was a worn out bridge underneath it was a huge river, dense with water, running in a high current. It was too high from there. The bridge was breaking apart, soon, it came rumbled down to us, and we tried to balance it off. Our chakras were depleted from the run for days, perhaps for weeks I daresay. On a simple snap of the rusty worn out rope we where swung from right to left, god knows where. I shrieked as Sakura-chan, Naruto-kun was worried and panicked, he reached to his three-pointer unique kunai and hit it on the cliff on the side marking it, he only had a bit of chakra to transport one with Hiraishin. I was hanging to Sakura-chan, below her feet clinging to the life saver rope, while the pinkette was holding Naruto-kun. The bridge dropped lower, getting the best fear out of us. I had to choose again, between my life, my friend and my love. I looked at Sakura-chan, I need her to know that its okay, that I am happy for both of them. I guess fate was getting this drama of life to an end.

I smiled looking up at them when I let go of that one last rope of fate that was supporting me from falling in to death. I let it go, in order for the two of them to survive, not to burden them by being alive. Naruto shook his head hysterically with widened ocean blue eyes as did Sakura-chan which was filled with tears for me.

I smiled softly.. knowing full well of what I just did.

I gave up.. finally.

"no, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO, NO, NO, NO! HINATAA! HINATAA NO!" Naruto yelled frantically in his raspy voice as she hit the invisible, weak barrier of air pressure consist of trillions of air particles mixed with dust and micro water droplets, she was floating downward in high speed.

She spared one last glance towards the blond, before gladly accepting the end of her time that was approaching her or rather, that she was approaching in a vast speed. She knows enough, that what was her one last glance was saying to him. As he looked through her as he always does, without a fail.

'I LOVE YOU..'

Her last thoughts reached him, tears oozed from the corner of his cerulean eyes, as he watched her in horror, dried lips apart.

"HINATAAAAAAAAA!" she could still hear him.

The last thing she remembered was herself being hit in the speed of running water, she was being engulfed into the water as it welcomed her with much coldness in its wet arms accompanied by the sounds of bubbling and gurgling, her back bonked on the huge bolder of rock under her, as she floated up again. She could still see them clinging to the falling bridge closely, but she could barely make of their faces, she could only see two small rice grain sized figures of them holding onto each other as the water that she loved so much was bringing her, sweeping her off along with its tide. She couldn't hear their yells anymore, nor the sound of the wind gushing, or the tide of the violently flowing water, all she could hear faintly was the thumping of her slow and very weakened heart. She smiled again, closing her eyes.

'was I.. any better now, Naruto-kun?'

Blood streamed to the sides of her as it mixed its red into the bluish transparent water, her head was hit onto a large rock, she felt the blinding pain, unable to take the intensity of it, she let the darkness seep through her letting her mind go off wondering somewhere. That was the end of her. This was the very end of Hyuuga Hinata. Kunoichi of Konoha.

But who knows hm? Ends are always connected closely to another beginnings..

So tell me how it was.. Review! Haha!

See ya again.. oh by the way, Naruto belongs to Kishi, this story belongs to me.. I just use up the characters for my imaginary benefits.. I hope he wont throw a fit for it.. huhu..

Anyway, dear readers, I will only continue if I got fair amount of reviews.. so start REVIEWING!

If no, this will remain as an angsty one shot. Hmmm..