The Moon's Desire

The Moon is Meaningless Without the Sun

All of the guilt was eating away at me. I wasn't actively trying to stop Naruto's maneuvers towards me, in fact, I was more than encouraging them. I liked them. I absolutely loved having Naruto's lips locked onto mine, and I know he felt the same way.

I walked around the perimeter of the village, kicking rocks in front of me. Walks are supposed to clear your head, right?

It wasn't working. All I could think about was how much guilt I felt.

There was a part of me that screamed to stop this nonsense and leave again—this time permanently. There was, however, another part of me saying to completely disregard Hinata. She wasn't my problem, and Naruto is his own person. There was a part of me that didn't want to take any responsibility for my actions whatsoever, and that part of me was dangerous.

Naruto was someone who shared pain equal to mine. We share an inseverable bond, him and I. Like he's said to me days before, it feels... easier to breathe whenever he's near me. It feels like a clear sky on a sunny day. Like millions of stars on a cold night reflecting on my skin all at once. I'm truly blessed to exist in a world such as his.

Today was pretty. There were clouds sparsely spread through the sky, and the air was just warm enough to be comforting and not overbearingly hot. The greenery around me felt so saturated, which only added to the beauty of the nature around me. Days like this make me feel nice, make me feel almost... pleased to be back.

Patrolling the perimeter was something I decided to do out of my own volition, as Naruto hasn't given me anything else of importance to do. Who knows? There could be... I don't know, bears or something. It's better than doing nothing, and I've already been doing plenty of that while I've been here.

~~~~~~~~~~

"It's so... bright. In here." I looked around Toshiko's nursery. The walls were painted a bright green and the furniture was pink, like a flower petal. Sakura scoffed at me. 

"Colors are good for the baby. I think she would be depressed sitting in a boring room, wouldn't you? Yes, you would." She spoke to me at first, then directed her words to the cooing child sitting on the floor playing with various toys. Sakura and I were also on the floor, folding some of her tiny onesies and organizing her little shirts. I shrugged. 

"Sooo," She tucked her hair behind her ear, "How'd things go cleaning? I didn't get the chance to ask you. Knowing Naruto, the mess was probably up to your neck." She let out a soft chuckle and continued to fold. I wasn't sure how to answer the question in over five syllables. 

"Lots of documents. He should hire someone to keep it organized every day." I tried to focus on the folding, silently hoping that she wouldn't press any further. 

"Heh, well, if you did a good job, he'll probably force you to do it, silly. Did you guys end up doing anything else? I'm assuming he's the one that got you to extend your stay." She swung her head back and forth, folding the clothes in an almost rhythmic manner. I bit my lip. "I couldn't even get you to stay. Did he offer better missions or something?" She added on.

"Well... no." I muttered. She turned towards me, her head tilted, clearly waiting for me to elaborate. "I don't know, I-I don't know. I just decided to." My words all seemed to come out in a jumbled mess, which only made her more suspicious of me. 

"You just... decided to?" She, clearly, wasn't amused and easily detected my lie. "Come on, tell me!" She lightly pushed my shoulder, her focus still on me. 

"Naruto is a very convincing person. You know that." I tried to regain my composure, still folding clothes. Sakura folded her arms. 

"What, did he threaten you to stay or something?" Her tone became one of concern. I'm surprised she would even consider that Naruto would do something like that, but he would do a lot to convince me to stay. She knew that more than most people. In a way, I suppose he did threaten me. It felt more like a physical threat. Like I wouldn't have the pleasure of his touch, his scent, his voice if I left. I wouldn't have the pleasure of him. "Sasuke." Sakura's tone was one of immense curiosity, but also worry. "I've been wondering this for a while now, and it might honestly be a silly question," she nervously giggled, "You... you don't have feelings for him or something, do you?"