Behind the Scenes

Chapter 14

{High school year: Junior year}

Hinata eagerly made her way to Sasuke's house, ready to confess her feelings. However, when she arrived, she was met with a startling sight.

As Hinata opened the door to Sasuke's bedroom without knocking, time seemed to slow down. Their eyes met and she saw that Sasuke had his hand in a compromising position, with his pants midway down his thighs, while watching porn on full screen. The shock of the situation made her blush brightly and she quickly turned away, giving him privacy to adjust himself.

She walked out of Sasuke's room, feeling embarrassed and unsure of what to say. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude," she stammered as she closed the door behind her.

Sasuke quickly followed her out of the room, looking embarrassed and guilty. "Hinata, wait," he said, trying to catch up to her. "I didn't think anyone was home."

Hinata turned to face him, still blushing. "It's okay, Sasuke. I just came to tell you something, but I think it can wait. I should probably go now," she said, trying to avoid eye contact.

Sasuke nodded, looking at her with a mix of regret and confusion. "Okay, if that's what you want. Is everything okay?" he asked, concern etched on his face.

Hinata smiled faintly, trying to put on a brave face. "Yeah, everything's fine. I'll see you around, Sasuke," she said before turning to leave.

---

Sasuke watched intently as Hinata focused on the class, tapping her pencil on her lips in thought. Sitting behind her, he couldn't see her face, but he knew every curve and angle of it from years of observation. He couldn't resist reaching out and taking a strand of her hair, feeling its softness between his fingers. Giving it a small tug, he watched as Hinata turned to look at him.

"What are you doing?" she whispered, trying not to draw any attention to themselves in class.

Sasuke shrugged nonchalantly. "Just felt like touching your hair," he replied quietly.

Hinata blushed slightly and turned back to face the front of the classroom. "You're weird, Sasuke," she said with a small smile.

Sasuke chuckled softly. "Hn." he said, looking at Hinata with a hint of something more in his eyes.

They had been friends since childhood, and Sasuke had always had a soft spot for Hinata. But he was always too afraid to act on his feelings, afraid that he might ruin their friendship.

Meanwhile, Hinata had always thought that he was too cool for her and that he could never like her back.

---

"Sasuke, I like you. Please, give me a chance!" Sakura pleaded with Sasuke as they sat on the roof of the school. Sasuke looked at her impassively before slowly nodding his head. Though Sakura wasn't the girl he truly wanted, he knew that Hinata would never see him the way he saw her.

Sakura let out a squeal of excitement as she hopped over to him and wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. Sasuke stood there with his hands in his pockets, not returning the hug or showing any emotion on his face.

"I'm glad, Sasuke. I knew you would eventually see how perfect we are together," Sakura gushed, pulling away from him with a wide smile on her face. Sasuke simply nodded again, not bothering to correct her assumptions.

As they walked back to class together, Sasuke's mind was elsewhere. He couldn't help but think about Hinata and how much he wanted her. But he knew it was too late now. He had made his choice and he would have to live with it, even if it meant pretending to like Sakura in front of Hinata.

---

For months, Hinata had been silently observing Sasuke and Sakura's blossoming relationship, feeling a mixture of envy and sadness. However, she realized that her feelings were not healthy, and she decided to let go of her romantic interest in Sasuke. Despite this, she couldn't help but feel hurt when Sasuke and Sakura's relationship caused a rift in their friendship. They had stopped hanging out as much, and Hinata felt like she was losing someone who had been a close friend since childhood.

Eventually, Hinata met Naruto and they started dating a year after Sasuke and Sakura got together. She was happy with Naruto and grateful to have him in her life, but a small part of her still wondered what could have been if things had gone differently with Sasuke. Despite this, she was determined to focus on her present and future with Naruto, and not dwell on the past.

Despite being in a relationship with Naruto, Hinata still missed her friendship with Sasuke. She remembered the promise they made to never leave each other no matter what, but it seemed like Sasuke had broken that promise when he started dating Sakura.

One day, while walking home from school with Naruto, Hinata saw Sasuke walking alone. She hesitated for a moment, but then decided to approach him. "Hey Sasuke," she said, trying to sound casual.

Sasuke looked up and saw her. He nodded his head in acknowledgement but didn't say anything.

Hinata took a deep breath and continued. "Can we talk for a bit?"

Sasuke looked at her, then nodded again. They walked to a nearby park and sat down on a bench.

Hinata broke the silence. "I miss our friendship, Sasuke. We used to be so close, but now we hardly ever see each other."

Sasuke remained quiet for a moment before responding. "I know, Hinata. Sorry I've been distant. But you know how it is with Sakura. She's my girlfriend and I have to spend time with her."

Hinata nodded understandingly, but couldn't help feeling hurt. "I know, Sasuke. I don't want to come between you and Sakura. I just...miss our talks and hanging out together."

Sasuke looked at her and sighed. "I miss it too, Hinata. You were always there for me, even when I was at my worst. I don't want to lose that."

Hinata smiled softly. "Me neither, Sasuke. We made a promise to never leave each other no matter what, remember?"

Sasuke nodded. "I remember."

Hinata's smile grew wider. "Then let's keep that promise, okay? Let's make time for each other, even if it's just a little bit."

Sasuke looked at her and smiled back. "Let's do that."

---

The manager greeted Tora with a warm smile, "Congratulations on entering the music industry, Tora!" Tora returned the smile and bowed gratefully, "Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity."

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the lobby, another employee welcomed Susanoo, "Welcome to the music industry, Susanoo." Susanoo simply nodded his head in acknowledgment, "Thanks."

Despite their closeness, they failed to recognize each other. To add to the irony, he held the door open for her just as she was about to exit the building. For a brief moment, their eyes met - her red eyes and his blue eyes - but she quickly averted her gaze and walked away.