As I Spread These Broken Wings by baldragnarok16
Summary: She brought him a bento when he got out of the hospital. She never expected him to return the favor. Set after Sasuke Retrieval Arc.
Categories: Het Romance > Top Six Pairs Characters:
Genres: None
Warnings: None
Challenges: None
Series: Take Care of Yourself
Chapters: 1 Completed: Yes Word count: 946 Read: 1808 Published: 24/09/06 Updated: 24/09/06
Chapter 1 by baldragnarok16
As I Spread These Broken Wings

Rating: K+

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There is no duty more obligatory than the repayment of kindness.

-Cicero

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‘What’s keeping me here, in this village? It’s not as if I’m appreciated here; all they do is insult and ridicule me. They call me “weak” and “fat ass” and yet here I am, just barely alive after killing that sound shinobi. But would it have been easier to just have died; to get away from the mockery and the derision permanently? Would I have been missed? Would anyone have cried for me; the broken butterfly of the Akimichi clan?’ mused Chōji morosely as he sat upon the Hokage monument. Ever since Naruto had shown him this place it had become the place that he visited most often to reflect, train, or just relax.

Sometimes Shikamaru would come with him, but today wasn’t one of those days. No, today Shikamaru was on a “mission” with Temari, which become more and more frequent; so Chōji sat on the surprisingly fertile mountain peak watching the sunset alone, or so he thought.

“It’s beautiful up here, isn’t it?” asked a quiet voice in awe behind him. Chōji didn’t even need to look behind him to know whom the voice belonged to.

“Yeah, this is where I come to think,” explained Chōji as he lied down onto his back and linked his two hands behind his head. “It’s just so peaceful here…” he trailed off.

“Ano…I brought something for you,” she whispered as she placed a bento next to him. “I heard that you had just got out of the hospital and I thought you might enjoy it,” she explained.

“Thank you Hinata,” answered Chōji as he sat up to examine the bento. “But why?”

“What do you mean?” Hinata asked as she sat down next to him.

“Why did you go through the trouble of making this for me? I thought that you would rather me look like this instead of well…you know…” Chōji tried to explain.

“Chōji…I’m sorry that you would ever think something like that,” apologized Hinata as she hugged her knees to her chest, intently gazing into the pastel sunset.

“Don’t be; I don’t your pity, or anyone else’s for that matter,” retorted Chōji. “I can’t stand the thought of it,” he said in a much quieter tone.

“I’m sorry…I should have known; I feel the same way sometimes,” apologized Hinata. An uncomfortable silence then settled on the two. And then Hinata saw it.

“Aren’t the butterflies wonderful?” inquired Hinata as she watched the insects majestically flap their wings of bronze and gold.

“Yes…yes they are,” distractedly answered Chōji as he spotted an injured butterfly, which he tenderly picked up with his two hands. “It’s wing is broken,” he stated.

“How much longer do you think it’ll live with that wing?” Hinata asked.

“Only a little while longer,” said Chōji. “It won’t survive unless it can fly.”

“I think you’re mistaken, Chōji. I believe that as long it has the will to survive, even broken wings will be strong enough to fly over oceans,” remarked Hinata and then, as if by fate, the butterfly grasped in Chōji’s large hands began to slowly ascend into the air, flapping its wings sporadically. It was able to fly for a few minutes before crashing into the ground, only to try again.

“I should be going Hinata, thank you again for the bento and for the conversation,” stated Chōji as he got onto his feet and carried the unopened bento clutched in his hands. Hinata could have sworn that she had seen butterfly wings coming from the boy’s back, but dismissed it as a trick of the light and resumed to watch the sunset.

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The next morning Hinata awoke to find a parcel sitting on her bedside table, a bento to be exact. As she picked it up, she noticed that there was an envelope attached to it. And so she picked it up and slowly tore open the seal, to find that within it was a beautifully drawn sketch of a butterfly flying over water in the sunset. Hinata gasped at its simplistic beauty, and turned the paper over to find that someone had hastily written something on the back.

Hinata-chan,

I know this will not remain forever

However it's beautiful

Your eyes, hands and you warm smile

They're my treasure

It's hard to forget

I wish there was a solution

Don't spend your time in confusion

I will turn back now and spread

My broken wings

still strong enough to cross the ocean with

My broken wings

How far should I go drifting in the wind

Higher and higher in the light

My broken wings

still strong enough to cross the ocean with

My broken wings

How far should I go drifting in the wind

Across the sky, just keep on flying

Thank you for fixing my wings.

Sincerely,

The Broken Buttefly

P.S. Thank you again for the bento.

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My first attempt at almost completely eliminating angst from the story; it didn’t work exactly, but if I say so it’s less angsty than some of my others.


I seriously wish that I could have written those lines in the letter but they’re from the song “Broken Wings” by Tomoko Tane from the anime “Trinity Blood,” if you get a chance try listening to it; it’s a beautiful song in my opinion.
This story archived at http://www.narutofic.org/viewstory.php?sid=1961