Naruto and Hinata sat side by side on the couch, enjoying each other's company. "I hear you're going to the concert with Sakura," Hinata remarked, breaking the comfortable silence.
Naruto's face lit up with a smile as he scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, she invited me. Too bad you can't come, babe. It would have been fun for you to be there. I was going to ask Shion if she wanted to join Sakura and I," he said, sounding a little disappointed.
Curiosity getting the best of her, Hinata couldn't resist asking about Shion. "So, um, what's up with her?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
Naruto shifted nervously, his eyes darting away from Hinata's. "Oh, uh, we decided to just stay friends," he replied, his voice a little strained.
Hinata wasn't convinced. "Well, isn't that weird?" she questioned, her tone laced with concern.
Naruto quickly reassured her, taking her hand in his. "No, don't worry, Hinata. I won't do anything, I promise," he said, trying to sound as sincere as possible.
Hinata furrowed her brow, still feeling skeptical about Shion. "I'm not worried, Naruto. It's just...I don't know, something seems off about her."
Naruto let out a sigh, feeling frustrated with the topic. "Come on, Hinata. I told you, we're just friends."
Hinata's eyes narrowed. "Friends who slept together," she stated, her voice firm.
Naruto's eyes widened in surprise. "Hinata, I already told you that it was a mistake, and it won't happen again," he said, feeling a twinge of guilt.
Hinata's expression hardened. "It doesn't matter if it won't happen again. The fact that you slept with her while we were still together is not okay, Naruto," she said, her voice rising in anger.
Naruto's own anger flared up in response. "And what about you, Hinata? You slept with someone else too, even though you knew we were still together," he retorted, feeling hurt and betrayed.
Hinata's face fell, her eyes filling with tears. "That was different, Naruto. You ghosted me for two months, and I thought you had broken up with me," she explained, her voice trembling.
Naruto stood up from the couch, his face tense with frustration. "You left me Hinata. In the middle of everything for work. I was angry and I told you I needed time," he reiterated firmly.
Hinata rolled her eyes in disbelief, her tone sharp with accusation. "Ah yes, time to sleep with another girl," she retorted, her arms folded across her chest.
Naruto had had enough of the argument and strode towards the door. "When did you become such a bitch?" he fired back before slamming the door closed.
Hinata slumped back against the couch, her eyes brimming with tears. She couldn't believe what had just transpired between them. The love they once shared had turned bitter. She wondered how they could ever move forward from this.
---
As Sakura sang one of Tora's songs in the living room, Sasuke paused his cooking in the kitchen to listen. Though her rendition wasn't quite as polished as the original, he recognized the tune instantly. It was a song that Tora had written and performed when she had first started out in the music industry.
(Just a friend to you by meghan trainer)
Why you gotta hug me like that every time you see me?
Why you always making me laugh
Swear you're catching feelings
I loved you from the start
So it breaks my heart
When you say I'm just a friend to you
Cause friends don't do the things we do
Everybody knows you love me too
Tryna be careful with the words I use
I say it cause I'm dying to
I'm so much more than just a friend to you
Memories flooded back as he recognized the song - it was a huge hit when Tora first started out, and it held the top spot until Sasuke released a song that surpassed it. That was back in high school when he was just starting out in the music industry.
Sasuke couldn't help but wonder how he and Tora never noticed each other before. After all, they both wore contacts, which covered their eyes, but that couldn't have changed how they looked that much. Maybe it was the makeup that made them unrecognizable to each other, or perhaps Sasuke styled his hair differently back then, in a way that he wouldn't in front of his friends.
Sasuke entered the living room and caught a glimpse of the music video that Sakura was engrossed in. It featured Tora and a male lead who appeared to be in a romantic relationship. As Sasuke observed, he noticed that the video portrayed the couple cuddling and expressing their affection for each other when they were alone, but the male lead acted completely different when they were around other people. Sasuke couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity with the storyline, as it reminded him of his own experience of hiding his true self from others.
Sasuke hummed to himself as he made his way back into the kitchen. He was lost in thought, trying to piece together the puzzle of Tora's music video. "Hey baby," Sakura called out, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"Hn?" he replied absentmindedly.
"Who do you think this song is about?" Sakura asked, pointing to the TV where the music video was playing.
Sasuke tried to act uninterested, but deep down he was curious. Who was the song really about? "How would I know?" he said nonchalantly, trying to hide his intrigue.
Sakura looked at Sasuke, noticing his slight interest in the topic. "I do know it's about Tora's friend who she had feelings for, but he only saw her as a friend. I just wonder who he is," she explained.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Interesting," he muttered, trying to hide his curiosity.
Sakura giggled. "Yeah, it's a common story, isn't it?"
Sakura sprang to her feet at the sound of a knock on the door. She rushed over to answer it, only to find Hinata standing there, tears streaming down her face. "Oh my god, Hinata, what happened?" Sakura asked, pulling her into the dorm.
As Sasuke poked his head out of the kitchen to see what was going on, Hinata struggled to speak through her sobs. "It's Naruto...I hate this," she managed to say. "First he ghosts me, and then I find out he cheated on me. And the worst part is, he's still friends with the girl. He just doesn't understand how I feel."
Sakura's expression turned to one of sympathy as she hugged Hinata tightly. "I'm so sorry, Hinata. That's awful," she said softly. Sasuke stepped out of the kitchen and placed a comforting hand on Hinata's shoulder.
"Come on, let's sit down and talk about it," he said, leading Hinata to the couch. As they sat down, Sakura grabbed a box of tissues and handed it to Hinata.
Sakura gave Hinata a reassuring smile before leaving out the door, saying, "I'll be right back. But Sasuke will be here for you, okay?" As she left, Sasuke and Hinata looked at each other. Hinata whispered, wiping away her tears, "She's going to kill him, isn't she?" Sasuke smirked and replied, "Maybe."
---
Naruto leaned against the wall, his arm stretched out while Shion stood in front of him with a wide smile. "And then I said-"
"NARUTO!" Sakura's voice rang out, causing him to freeze in place. Slowly turning to face her, Naruto muttered under his breath, "Oh shit." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously before attempting to greet her, "Hey Sak-"
But before he could finish his sentence, Sakura's fist connected with his gut, knocking the wind out of him.
Shion looked at Sakura in shock as Naruto doubled over in pain. "Who the hell are you?" Shion asked as she moved away from Naruto.
"None of your business, bitch," Sakura said, her voice shaking with anger.
Naruto was now on the floor, clutching his stomach. "I can't believe you would do this to Hinata," Sakura spat, grabbing Naruto's arm and twisting it.
Naruto cried out in pain as Sakura continued to twist his arm, not letting up even when he begged her to stop. "You're a pathetic excuse for a man," Sakura said, her voice dripping with venom. "You don't deserve anyone's love or trust."
As Naruto lay on the ground, whimpering in pain, Sakura turned to Shion. "You're the reason he cheated on Hinata, aren't you?" she said, her eyes flashing with anger.
Shion's eyes widened in shock. "What?! No, I didn't know he was with anyone."
Sakura scoffed. "You're lying. You knew exactly what you were doing. Stay away from him,"
Naruto groaned again, trying to stand up straight. "Sakura, please. It's not her fault. It's mine."
Sakura's eyes narrowed as she turned back to Naruto. "You're damn right it's your fault. And now you're going to pay for it."