What is love...

"Who is she? That purple-haired kunoichi you were with yesterday?"

Love is passion... obsession... the feeling you feel for someone you can't be without...

"My partner,"

Love is opening yourself up to someone and showing them your deepest, darkest, most dreadful secrets, that no one else in the world knows...

"The way she looked at you... and you, her, I find it hard to believe that's all she is to you..."

And yet, knowing all your darkness, that one person does not think any less of you... even when the rest of the world does...

"You're right... that's not all she is... To me, she is my world..."

Now no one is going to love you exactly the way you imagine. No one is ever going to read your mind and take every star from the sky at the perfect time and hand them to you.

"How so?"

But love is also patient... kind...

"Hmm, I mean I could try forever to compile a list of things to explain it but... I'd get lost in a world of words so deep I wouldn't be able to keep my head up..."

Falling in love is following your heart and not giving a damn about what your head says for once because when you find it... everything seems right.

"Do you... you know... like her, then?"

If you're looking for a word, that means caring about someone beyond all rationality, and wanting them to have everything they want, no matter what you have to go through it's...

"Love... I love her..."

"Have you told her?"

"..."

"No," I turned my eyes down to the wooden table my family and I were seated at.

"Why not?" My loving mother asked with an unbelieving face.

"Because, for the first time in my life... I've found someone I can be myself around... and I'm afraid if I tell her she's everything to me she'll run away, and I'll be all alone again..."

"Ukai I want you to promise me something..." She leaned forward, placing her right hand on my folded ones.

"...?"

"If you love someone... you tell them..." She uttered softly.

"Even if you think it's not the right thing, even if you're scared that it will cause problems..."

"You say it and you say it loud..."

I raised my eyes to the bright green ones of my mother, and the gleaming onyx ones of my sister, and just stared at them as they spoke to me.

"Open your heart to love it's so worth the risk," My mother spoke softly with a smile, turning her head up only slightly and closing her eyes for a split second.

"True love, isn't something you just find it's something you have to fight for... something that grows between two people..."

I lowered my eyes to the table and thought to myself for a second.

"What if she doesn't feel the same?"

"Has she given you any indication she doesn't?" Sarada asked, tilting her head at me with a soft smile.

~"I like you ok!"~

"No... in fact she told me she like me... but we haven't known each other very long," I narrow my eyes slightly at the table and clench my fists slightly tighter.

"Just talk to her Ukai... you will never know unless you do,"

"Yeah... I guess you're right," I mumble, nibbling my lip.

"By the way big brother... may we know her name?" Sarada chuckled.

"Huh? I haven't told you?" I lift my gaze to them.

"Nope," She laughed a little louder.

"... It's Kazane," I answer, smiling slightly as I say it.

"Kazane? Uchiha Kazane...?" Mother put her finger to her chin and looked up in thought.

"WHA~ Mother!" I exclaim, furrowing my brows and lecturing the older woman.

"I like it," Sarada nodded.

"!? Sarada!" I stared at the two females in awe before scoffing a laugh and standing from the table.

"Ok, you know what... I'm going to go before this gets any more awkward for me, and I will go see this girl whom you two haven't even met, and tell her she doesn't want to join this nutty family," I say turning away from my family and heading for the doors, pulling my shoes and jacket on.

"Oh! Come on Ukai, we're just messing with you!" Sarada called out.

"Though that is a problem we need to address, I need to meet this girl, we should have her over for dinner sometime,"

"I'm leaving!" I called over my shoulder exiting the apartment and heading back onto the streets.

'Just tell her how I feel~ pfff, what would they know,' I snicker to myself as I walk, thinking about how I was going to do this.

'Haaaaaaa what am I going to do...' I ruffle my hair in frustration.

'How do I even tell her? Hey Kazane listen, we haven't known each other long but, I've been thinking I should probably tell you I'm in love with you... yeah right, she'll probably reject me with a slash of her wind style...' I sigh, lowering my gaze before my eye caught a stall with purple Clematis flowers.

The color reminded me of Kazane's hair and eyes, I could see her smile in my head with the flower tucked behind her ear.

'Dammit~' I roll my eyes at myself.

I then headed up to Hokage rock... Every time I need to think or clear my head, I always head up there.

'Just tell her how I feel...' I look down at the purple flower in my hand and sigh.

"Kazane... I... uh... Ugh~ why is this so hard!?" I growl, pacing back and forth as I think of what to say.

"I~ I know we haven't known each other very long... but being with you... stirs something inside me, and... no that's not right... ummmm," I grip the flower in both hands and lightly tap it to my forehead, closing my eye as a light breeze blows through my clothing.

Reopening my eyes, I lifted my gaze to the village and all the people walking around. I could see children and some of Sarada's classmates walking around enjoying life. I could see young and old couples, smiling and laughing together as they walked. That's what I want. I want to be able to spend the rest of my life with Kazane... she's done so much for me... pulled me out of the darkness, saved my life more than once... changed the way I see the world. She's managed to slip past every wall I've put up, managed to break my heart-broken view of love... and she's always there if I need someone to talk to...

I looked back down at the swaying flower in my hands and smiled, softly twirling it.

"Kazane... I have to tell you something..."

"And what would that be?"

"!?" I spazzed straight and turned at lightning speed to face behind me, my eyes meeting Kazane as she stood there with her hands behind her back and a smile on her face.

'Crap...' I think, swallowing hard.