Red Butterfly

Chapter 92, There'll Be Plenty of Time For That

Seeing those blue eyes again wasn't something that I was mentally prepared for. I never thought that I'd be able to lower down my head just to look at Hanabi once again.

Her facial features had slightly been defined, but other than that, she's still the same girl from four years ago. Her bangs fell over her eyes as she looked at me just as hard. But unlike four years ago, I had gotten significantly taller than her, which is why she has to somehow crane her neck to look at me directly in the eyes.

Our eyes were unblinking and our tears were threatening to spill. The commotion waged on all around us, but we kept our distance as we stared at each other's faces. I wanted to tell her that she was beautiful and gorgeous as ever, and from the looks of it, there was so much on her mind too.

A single tear slipped past her reach an rolled beside the corner of her bitten lip before fading into oblivion. A breeze howled past us, sending her long bangs away from her face.

Sasuke had gone off to that red head in a moment's notice, as he got the cue that we needed some form of privacy. All these past years, I'd always have so much that I've wanted to tell her, so much that I wanted to get off my chest.

But in this moment, as I bore my scarlet eyes into her blue ones, I only felt my tongue being knotted in knots. All that I've always wanted to tell her had vanished in an instant.

"Do you have any idea how I have missed you all these years?", I clenched my jaw and gritted my teeth together. Tears spilled down from my eyes as I stared at her while the wind flailed our hair around.

She stared at my face intensely with blood stricken eyes as I heard her breathing heavily. She was clearly overwhelmed with everything just as I am.

"Do you honestly think that the feeling wasn't mutual?", she sternly says, her eyes unblinking as she stares up at me.

My lips part momentarily as I stare down at her. She looks like she's been miserable these past four years as well.

What else is there that I wanted to tell her?

"Hanabi..."

"Don't", she sternly cuts me off, a frown resting on her face as she stares at me through her brows. The tears in her eyes were yet to spill and when that happened, I want to hold her tightly for compensation.

"I have warned you, this wasn't supposed to happen", she growled, "you were supposed to look after Naruto for me..."

"Listen, I have tried my best just as you have", I step up, my chest clenching, "there was just too much going on with me and the village, and I-I couldn't register the fact that you had joined the Akatsuki".

"So what? You were scared for me?", her voice elevated.

"Terrified!", I inch closer, my eyes widening in frustration as I try to explain myself.

"Then where was my justice Itachi?", she demanded, rendering me silent at this, "why wasn't Danzo brought to justice then?!"

"Hanabi..."

"Is it because that I was already dead? Because it wouldn't matter anyways?", she glared at me.

"...Is that how you feel? You think that every time I saw that bastard Danzo, that I didn't want to kill him?"

"That's not important", she dismisses, "I don't want you to explain yourself for that...I could understand, but looking after Naruto was all I wanted from you and the Hokage, and you both have failed me"

"...are we seriously going to argue after all these years?", I question as I tune out all the other noises.

Is this our heart-touching reunion?