Hi everyone.
New story. One shot. As a warning, this story seems... very rushed. Nonetheless I'm posting it. Sorry for grammar and other issues.
title- Gender Bent: Help Me Remember
Hinata laid back on the sand with his eyes closed. He was listening to the sound of the waves as the sun bathed his skin. The sand underneath him was so warm and relaxing. If he stuck his tongue, he was sure he'd be able to taste the saltiness from the water in the air. It was tranquil and calming.
"Hey Hina," spoke a loud cheerful voice above him, making him slightly tense. He kept his eyes closed but felt a small blush dusting his cheeks. It was easier talking to her without actually seeing her.
"My name's Hinata, not Hina," he softly corrected her once again. Ever since a week ago, she has been set on calling him Hina for unreasonable reasons. He's been very lenient with her for the most part on many things, with the exception of his name. It was the only thing that gave him some comfort of something familiar. He didn't want to lose that.
"Well, I've been thinking about that. Since you technically forgot everything about yourself, you might not actually know your real name and you only think you do," explained the girl. Hinata opened his lavender eyes to meet her deep blue ones. His thoughts immediately jumbled together as his face heated up even more.
She was leaning very close over him in a two piece orange bikini with a large unzipped jacket. Her long blond ponytails go down her shoulders onto his bare chest. If a stranger were too look over, they might get the wrong idea.
"So," she continued, oblivious to his discomfort and red face, "I thought of the ingenious idea of naming you. That way when you actually end up remembering who you are, you won't feel stupid for naming yourself a wrong name. Like who knows the name Hinata could probably be your father's name and that would just be plain weird. Plus I like the name Hina. It suits you," she finished with a large smile which quickly turned into a frown.
Hinata, who was trying his best to subtly move away from the girl without her noticing, froze. She leaned closer, her face centimeters away from his. She squinted at him while his eyes widened and was internally panicking.
"Wha- What are you doing?" he stammered out as he grabbed her shoulders to stop her. Either way it'd be too late considering she was already face-to-face with him. Right now, she could literally do anything she wanted to him. With a concerned expression, her hand lightly touched his forehead.
"You're warm," she silently observed. Her eyes searched around his face for any more symptoms. "I think you're sick."
"I'm okay," he reassured as he gently moved her hand away and scooted a bit to give himself some room. He silently let out a relieved sigh from having his personal space back and warily glanced back at the very unpleased blonde. She was frowning disapprovingly as she sat on her knees with arms crossed in front of her chest. Her lips were pouting out in a child-like manner. She obviously didn't believed him.
"You have a fever," she countered firmly. "We have to take you to the doctor's."
Hinata uneasily bit his lip. "I'm fine," he tried reassured. The last thing he needed now was to become more of a burden to her than he already was. He then noticed her eyes travel down to his exposed chest looking for any more signs that countered his statement. He quickly looked away, feeling thoroughly embarrassed and more self conscious of his body. He should have just worn a sweater with sweatpants to the beach. Shorts were simply not enough around her.
"Fine Hina we'll have it your way. We won't go to the doctors," she unhappily gave in after she finished her 'eye examination.'
"Thank you...," he mumbled. He grabbed his folded purple shirt beside him and threw it on himself. He also zipped up a large sweater over that. He paused as he looked at her apologetically. "Sorry, I forgot your name."
"Ha, amnesia forgot my name," she slightly joked but then turned serious. "But no worries after all I'm the one who hit you with my car. I'm really sorry about that. My name's Naruto."
Hinata instinctively placed his hand on his forehead when he heard the word 'accident.' He felt the bandages underneath his hand. "It's okay. Accidents happen all the time. My memory will come back to me sooner or later," he tried to reassure her and himself.
But even as he said that, he couldn't help but frown. The last thing he's been able to remember was waking up at the hospital with Naruto and some police men explaining how he, a pedestrian, was hit by Naruto's car in a practically middle of a nowhere highway at midnight. He lost all of his memories and the police have yet to figure out who he was and where he came from. Other than that, he hit a blank wall while getting a severe headache.
"Hey, are you okay?" Naruto's concerned filled voice brought him out of his thoughts. "Remember the doctor said to take it slow, don't strain yourself."
He tried to hide his obviuos distress of the situation. It's been more than week since the accident and he has yet to remember a thing. He feels so lost and scared. Will he ever remember who he is? Or will he be like this forever?
"In time you'll start remembering," she assured him as if she was reading his worrying thoughts. "But for now how about we forget about everything and get ourselves some ice cream? I've heard there's this new flavor called Blueberry Choco-Ice Cream that I've been meaning to try. Or if your hungry we can get ourselves some ramen again?"
He smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. "No, we've had ramen all week. Ice cream sounds good."
He sat up and dusted the sand off himself. He then began folding his towel and put everything nicely arranged in his bag. Something he learned quite early on about himself was him liking everything clean and organized. He was a very tidy person... or as a certain blonde haired girl would say a 'clean freak.' Naruto very much enjoyed teasing him for having such girl-like tendencies causing him to get even more flustered.
"Stupid bag," he heard Naruto angrily mutter behind him.
He turned back to see her shoving her items violently into the bag. Hinata cracked a nervous smile. "Do you need help?"
Naruto shot him a glare. "No," she snapped. Hinata visibly flinched which in turn made her quickly apologize. "Sorry, I keep forgeting how sensitive you are. I'm just not used to people helping me," she said with a hint of regret.
Hinata couldn't help but grimace at her statement. He was not easily sensitive, she was just... too direct. "No, it's fine," he said as he looked the other way while awkwardly folding his arms. He tried to make himself look as 'un-sensitive' as he could. He silently waited for a while as she wrestled with her bag for a few more minutes. Naruto, finally having enough, kicked her bag in frustration. She stubbornly looked down at her bag and then up at him.
"Okay, I need your help," she admitted defeat. Hinata fought against the smile forming on the corners of his lips. He took out all her items and folded them properly arranged back in the bag. Now, it was easily zipped up. "I don't get how you're so good at this stuff," she said closely behind him.
He turned to respond only to find her face neared to his once again. He gasped and jumped back before looking down and hiding his eyes with the purple locks of his hair. "Don't do that, Naruto."
The blonde innocently raised an eyebrow. "Do what?"
Hinata shook his head and muttered nothing under his breath. This girl didn't seem capable of grasping the concept of personal space. He grabbed both his and her bags and followed her lead to this supposedly amazing ice cream shop.
"This ice cream shop obviously doesn't compare to ramen but I heard it's tastes super delicious. I can't wait to try it," she rambled on.
As they walked, Hinata couldn't help but turn his gaze to the blonde girl beside him. She was very much like a burst of energy. She bounced at every step she took while animatedly waving her hands around as she spoke. Her long blonde locks framed her face so ever so perfectly and her long two pony tails swished behind her. Her blue eyes were so warm and happy while the marks on her cheeks make her look unique, so very much like her. Before looking any lower, he anxiously bit his lip and looked away. His hands began to play with the zipper of his sweater to distract himself.
He can't believe he's gained a crush on her. For holy sake, he could have a girlfriend and simply not remember! He had to get rid of this feeling before it became an infatuation. She most likely won't return his feelings either way. He glanced back at the talking blonde once more and his eyes droop down to her bust.
"Are you checking me out?"
Hinata shocked, gasped as his eyes snapped to hers. He then looked at the ground in shame. He wanted to disappear and never be seen again. "I-I'm sorry. I don't know what got over m-"
"Relax, Hina. You're a guy and I'm a sexy beast. Don't sweat it." She gave him a playful suggestive wink. He felt his face get hot. Her arm curled around his as she dragged him out of the sand and into the ice cream booth where a elderly male asked for their order. Naruto ordered a Blueberry Choco-Ice cream cone and noticing Hinata was still too flustered to speak she ordered the same for him. As the man scooped their cones, Hinata's tomato face finally started to go back to normal. Through this though, he couldn't help but overhear some rude men farther down the booth talking quite loudly and vulgarly.
"That's the Kyuubi slut, isn't it?" one man with short green haired asked.
"Yeah, what's she doing here? Didn't anyone tell her no animals are allowed?" sneered the red head.
Hinata followed their glaring gaze to a tense Naruto, who was looking down with her blonde bangs covering her eyes. Her clutched hands on her sides were shaking. Then it slowly dawned on him... They were talking about her.
Hinata stepped in between the glaring men and Naruto, effectively cutting off their view. He frowned at the men with distaste before turning to his friend.
"You want to take this to go?" he gently asked her. He didn't want any problems and it was obvious she was uncomfortable. Naruto looked back at him. She had so many emotions swirling in her eyes; anger, worry, and guilt. He returned her a warm smile showing it was okay. After reading his expression, the blonde forced a grin.
"You know what? No, I'm fine! We came here to eat and that's what I plan to do," she said determinedly.
He was unsure of whether or not that was a good idea. Not only was his gut feeling telling him they should leave but these guys started making more uncalled for comments directed to them... well, her. As seconds turned to minutes, he saw Naruto slowly get angrier and angrier. She was reaching her boiling point. Hinata was about to suggest them to leave again but was cut off.
"How about you shut the fuck up," Naruto finally boomed.
The two men, and including himself, looked at her in surprise. The man with green hair broke out in laughter. "Look at this girl thinking she can boss people around," he told his friend before calling out to him and Naruto. "Want to shut me up? What are you going to do 'bout it?"
Hinata nervously gulped as he saw the two men getting up from their seats and making their way towards them. As they neared the blonde, he summoned some courage to place himsef between them and her. This was getting blown out of proportion.
"We don't want any problems," Hinata tried to dissuade with hands raised in a surrender-like manner.
"Oh look the little boy is scared," the green haired man taunted as he towered over him. "You obviously don't have the balls to do anyth-"
Naruto suddenly shoved herself between them and socked the guy right in the face. Hinata gave her an horrified look. What in the world was she doing?
"I'm going to kick your asses!" she fiercely yelled, obviously ignoring him. "No one talks down to me! Or my friends!"
The man held his bleeding nose as he furiously cursed at her. He was about to make a grab for her but Hinata out of instinct got his arm and twisted it back, making the man fall vulnerably onto his knees. Hinata, taken aback by his own actions, held still with the green haired man's arm painfully locked in place. He screamed in pain to be let go.
"Kick his ass, Hina!" Naruto encouraged. "Show him who has the balls now!"
Hinata looked at her with panic and slightly disprovingly at her statement. What was he doing? What was she doing!? What were they doing?! He had to stop this from getting worse than it already was.
The red head sneaked up behind Hinata and was about to throw a punch, but Naruto jumped behind the man's back and began brutally scratching his face. After some yells, the red head managed to shove her off his back and angrily turn on her.
"You Bi-" the red head was cut off as Hinata let go and kicked his friend's body toward him. They both fell.
"Woo!" Naruto cheered.
"Both of you! Out of my booth now!" screamed the ice cream owner, who had served them earlier. It suddenly dawned on him that the worker was talking to them! They weren't the ones to cause this. These men walked up to them and invaded their space. Before he could get a word in, he saw Naruto flick off the old man. "Out!" the old man yelled as he threw scoops of ice cream at them. They avoided the flying treats and ran off.
"Screw you and your ice cream!" yelled the girl once they reach a good distance away. Hinata, still in shock of what happened, was silent as they slowly made their way to the car. She kept jabbering the entire way there of the whole injustice it was. She unlocked her car and threw her bags in the back seat and sat down on her driver's seat. He calmly sat down next to her.
"Anyways, that being all said and done, you were AWESOME, Hinata! You kicked their asses! Were you holding me out on some secret ninja moves?"
"..."
"I mean the way you got his arm and got him to fall on his knees was amazing."
"..."
"You have to teach me your moves and -"
Hinata cut her off. "Why'd you hit them?"
She blinked in surprise for a few moments before answering. "What do you mean why'd I hit them?" she asked incredulously. "They were being douche bags!"
"That doesn't mean you shouldv'e hit them," he softly disagreed. He tried to make himself sound more firm and steady but instead came across as unsure. "Fighting isn't always the answer. They could have been armed. They could've seriously hurt us."
"So what? You expect me to just lay back and take their insults?!" Her tone becoming sharp as she let out a sneer. Her eyes were dangerously narrowed as she tightened her fists.
"I-I just thought it would be safer to ignore them. I didn't want you getting hurt." His voice lowered to a broken stutter. He regretted bringing it up. He shouldn't have said anything. Having her look at him like that... that look of disappointment really rattled something in him. It was unexpectedly painful.
"But they hurt me either way!" she loudly countered with watery eyes as she grounded her teeth. He looked away from her as he let out shaky breathes, his vision going blurry. He was trying to calm himself down but his head felt unbearably painful. "I'm not like you. I have to stand up for myself, Hina! Just cause you can't doesn't mean I can't either," she continued.
He froze at her statement. She thought he could never stand up for himself...? He's heard that before... He's heard that repeatedly before. His breathing became more irregular as he shut his eyes in pain, feeling so very overwhelmed. Words whirled around his brain.
Weak.
Disappointment.
Failure.
You are a failure.
A person who does not stand for his own is nothing to me. You stand for nothing.
He shook his head vehemently trying to shake away the words. What was this? What was he hearing?
"You just have no idea how much it hurts hearing them say things like that to me everyday," Naruto's voice finally softened, bringing him out of his inner turmoil. She angrily rubbed her tears away with her arms.
Putting the weird vision aside, her words sunk in. "This... this happens often?" he timidly asked when he got his breathing under control.
She folded her arms and looked out of her car window. "It doesn't matter."
He wanted to say more. He wanted to say it did matter. It matter a lot to him. But a part of him, the failure part, didn't let him. If he stood for nothing... he shouldn't say anything. "Sorry," he silently apologized and moved his gaze to his hands on his lap. Naruto didn't respond as she put the car in drive and blasted the radio.
As noisy as it was, his thoughts were louder. They violently whirled around his head repeating what the blonde had said. Naruto was being harassed... and according to her it happened a lot. He looked at her from the corner of his eye and frowned. This piece of information didn't sit well with him. It didn't sit well with him, at all. His hands clutched one another. How he wished he could help her. She's done so much for him...
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Naruto being an orphan as a child meant she could not afford much, that including having a decent place to live in. Her home was in a run down neighborhood with crime and drugs littered in the streets. This was the type of place where 'no one sees or speaks of anything.' He walked near the blonde while glancing wearily around them.
They made it to her door as she fished for her keys. When Naruto first offered the suggestion to have him live with her, the police were firmly against it. But she managed to put up a good argument. If no one ever claimed him, he couldn't live in the hospital forever. Plus since Naruto hit him, she felt she was responsible for him. The police finally gave in after a day of her pestering and, in return, Hinata felt guilty for being more of a burden to her. Naruto brushed it off saying it was nonsense and to not fret over it.
"Were Home!" she shouted in relief as she threw her arms in the air. Hinata wearily put the bags down by the door. Where had this bright mood appeared from? Just moments before she was so upset. She walked to the couch and dramatically collapsed onto it. "I've missed you so much sofa. You have no idea how much I love you."
He smiled slightly at her over exaggeration. "I think we both should call it a night," he carefully suggested, testing her mood. Maybe it was best not to bring up what happened today... or ever again.
The blonde moved her head to better look at him. "But it's too early," she whined.
"And you're exhausted," he softly pointed out, internally relieved. Aside from today's hectic toll on them, her eyes looked slightly droopy from her lack of sleep. Ever since he started staying over her place, she'd make them both stay up all night marathon-ing Netflix TV shows. It had something to do with 'Yolo-ing.'
She complained for a little while longer before finally coming to terms with Hinata. As the girl left to her room, he took the couch and stretched a bit before lying down. His eyes began to droop before closing them and dozing off to sleep. At some point in the night, rattling noises made his eyes snap open. "Naruto?"
It was dark but he was able to make out her form with a blanket in her arms. She looked at him with full of determination. "Sleep in the bed," she demanded.
"What?!" His tried to blink out of his grogginess. He must be hearing things. She would never sa-
"Just take the damn bed, Hina. I don't have all night."
He sputtered out unintelligible nonsense. He can't sleep in her bed! He was a guy and she was a girl. Not to add to the fact that he had amnesia!
"I'll sleep out here tonight," she added.
He paused before grimacing. He glanced at the time reading
1:34 am.
He rubbed his eyes before throwing an arm to cover his face. She should have been sleeping by now. "Naruto go back to bed," he tiredly pleaded. He felt too exhausted to try to figure out why she's acting so strangely. Maybe it's another of her pranks. He tried to ignore her.
"C'mon Hina!" she complained. Hinata kept silent, assuming she'd give up soon enough. Instead he heard a frustrated sigh escape her lips. He removed his arm and opened an eye to see her glaring at the floor. "I feel bad about what happened today. To make it up to you I want you to take the bed," she quietly confessed.
Hinata couldn't believe it. She was apologizing to him? He shook his head at her and leaned up to sitting position. "It wasn't even your fault. It's mine."
"No, it's not," she sharply disagreed.
He intensely stared at her for a moment before letting out a sigh. "Whether it's my fault or not," he quickly added when she opened her mouth to disagree. It was still way too early to be dealing with this kind of thing right now. "I'm still sleeping on the sofa."
"But you were right! I shouldn't have socked that guy's face. I shouldn't have said those things to you. I was being mean..." she insisted with her eyebrows furrowed.
"You were defending yourself from a fight and I angered you more than you already were," he countered and let out a sigh. "And letting a girl sleep in the couch is not very gentlemen-like."
She pouted. She must have been able to tell the he wouldn't budge on this. "Fine, we're both wrong so we'll both sleep out here."
"Naruto." She ignored him and took the floor next to him. He was at a loss at what to say as he leaned over to see her trying to get comfortable on the floor. After a few passing moments, he finally spoke. "At least take the couch."
"God Hina, you're too damn nice. No."
And that was another night spent with them disagreeing with each other.
*Next Morning*
He got up at 6:00 am exact. He always seemed to wake up at this time.
Hinata stretched and made sure to not step on Naruto on the floor as he made his way to the restroom. He closed the door and looked at himself in the mirror. He ran a hand over his short purple locks and squinted his lavender colored eyes. He was so pale compared to the blonde and the bandages on his forehead made it worse. He brushed his teeth and quickly did his morning routine.
Once he dried his hair with a towel, he walked out to the messy cluttered living room. He remembered yesterday's events, from the fight, to hearing voices, and Naruto's dark confession. To think this happened a lot to her made him anxious. To take his mind away from such thoughts, he impulsively began rearranging stuff around.
An hour later, Naruto slowly got up from her floor with tired eyes glancing around the room. Now daytime, he could clearly see she was wearing a large orange shirt with some blue short shorts. A green nightcap that looked like some kind of frog hugged her head.
"Morning," he nervously greeted.
"What...what did you do to my apartment," she exclaimed in a silent horror as the sleepiness wore her. Her eyes wide and mouth open.
He shrugged. He tried to look as indifferent as possible but he was really worried he might've crossed the line. Maybe he shouldn't have folded some of the clothes or washed all the dishes or even wiped down the tables... He saw her seemingly overwhelmed right now. Tensing, he was about to apologize before she interrupted him.
"I can see the floor!" she exclaimed. "I have carpet! And its brown!" Hinata let out a relieved smile. She wasn't angry. She looked at him with a giggle. "Are you sure you're not a girl under this clothes, Hina?"
"My name's Hinata," he corrected as he felt a blush dusting his face. She got up and told him not to move an inch. She went to fix herself up.
When she returned, Naruto prepared her favorite ramen breakfast for both of them as a thanks for his hard work. Hinata though was becoming slightly concerned with how much ramen she and now him were consuming on a daily basis. This must not be a healthy meal to eat everyday. He'd try to convince her later on to add some fruits and veggies into their diets.
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"Why are you being so difficult? You look hot!"
Hinata frowned at her statement. He was currently standing in front of the fitting room mirror with Naruto sitting cross legged on the side. She was attempting to persuade him to buy a tight grey muscle shirt with some loose basketball shorts that went below his knees. "Can I at least wear a sweater over this?" he uneasily asked.
The whiskered girl whined exasperatedly at him. "You live in California, Hinata! And it's the beginning of summer," she drawled out.
"I just don't feel comfortable," he admitted as he eyed himself through the mirror.
She rolled her eyes at him. "If I wore a big sweater and baggy pants, I'm sure you wouldn't want hang out with me," she told him.
His expression turned serious. Sure, Naruto tended to dress attractively. She wore a orange sweater and short shorts. But to hear her say something like that about him was a little insulting. Did she really think that low of him? "I would never force you to wear something you wouldn't want to wear, Naruto. I'd hang out with you no matter what you wore," he firmly stated. She could wear a tomato costume for all he cared and he'd still have a crush on her, he was sure. Wait... He can't have a crush on her...
"Arg, now you're making me feel bad," she said with pouted lips. He rose an eyebrow in confusion so she continued. "Well, here I am trying to change you into wearing something you don't feel comfortable in." She stood up to retrieve a sweater and handed it over to him. "So, here you go."
"I didn't mean-," He began but was cut off by a wave of her hand.
"I understand," she reassured. "I'll just have to put up not being able to ogle at your sexy self in public. Now hurry up and dress. We're going to the defense store next."
Blushing at her tease, he quickly did what he was told and they made there way to the mall walk way towards the store. Her hand clutched his, causing him to nervously fidget while his heart soared. Her hand was so warm and soft...
"Naruto?" asked a disbelieved voice behind them. They turned to see quiet a handsome man, about Hinata's age, with alluring green eyes and short pink hair. He wore a sleeveless red tank top with black jean and gloves. He had a raised pink eyebrow with an incredulous look on his face.
Naruto let go of Hinata's hand and latched onto the pink male's arm. Hinata flinched at seeing her so affectionate. "Hello, Sakura. What are you doing here?" suggestively asked the whiskered girl.
Sakura shoved the blonde off him. "Just had to buy myself some shampoo," he explained to the blonde before turning to Hinata with a smile. "Hello, I'm Sakura Haruno and you are... ?"
"Oh, um, Hinata, just Hinata" he introduced himself with a bow.
Sakura bowed in return. "Hinata huh? So what are you doing here hanging out with this childish brat. You surely must know there are better people around to be with?" he teased. Hinata knew he was joking but couldn't help but feel a hint of anger. Their teasing showed how comfortable they were with one another... Naruto didn't mention having a boyfriend but who was he to know if she had one.
A sullen look made it's way to Naruto's features. "What are you talking about Sakura. Hina, here, knows I'm the best person to hang out with. Right, Hina?"
Before he could answer, Sakura beat him to it. "Yeah, he probably has amnesia or something to somehow end up wanting to hang out with you." Both Naruto and Hinata tensed at Sakura's playful joke. The pink haired man slowly took in their expressions and frowned. "Um, sorry, did I say something wrong?" he uneasily asked.
"While you two catch up on things, I'll make my way into the 'Self-Defense' store. It was nice meeting you, Sakura," Hinata waved his hand.
"Like wise," Sakura returned the gesture in confusion.
As Hinata left, he could hear the two bickering how 'Sakura's a moron' and 'its her fault for not telling him.' Once out of hearing range, he walked down the store's aisles and looked at the intimating products in display. There was pepper sprays, whistles, and exercise gear as well. Her reached one item that showed a fighting dummy. Hinata laid a hand on it.
Train.
Have to get better!
Worthless. Worthless. Worthless.
Never amount to anything.
"Hina? Hina!" Hinata snapped out of it and saw Naruto looking at him with concern. "Are you okay?" she asked in obvious concern.
He realized he was shaking and breathing hard. "Yeah," he stuttered out. "I-I just had a sudden headache."
Naruto put a hand on his forehead. "You're swearing like a pig. Do you want to go to the doctors?" she urgently asked. He shook his head. "You sure?" she stressed.
"Yeah, this happened before. It'll go away," he assured, trying to get his breathing under control.
Her eyes narrowed. "Before? What do you mean this happened before? When?"
"When we were fighting in the car."
She was surprised before thinking back in her thoughts. Her blonde eyebrows scrunched together as a frowned in concentration. "You did look like you were having some kind of meltdown... Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because it wasn't the right time... and it wasn't important..."
It was a bit humoring to think such a small statement caused such an angry ranting Naruto. After an hour of trying to relax Naruto's concern, they finally went home to relax. She apologized with the Sakura encounter but he simply brushed it off.
"He didn't know. It's understandable."
Her blue eyes scan his face, scrutinizing him, before slouching in defeat. "If you say so."
After a few moments of silence, Hinata let out a breath. Something has been eating at him for a while and he needed to ask Naruto for the answer. She turned to him questionably. "Naruto," he slowly began, "what is Sakura to you?"
"Huh?" Was her intelligent reply.
"Never mind." Hinata can't believe he even asked that. What was he thinking? He wasn't thinking that's what happened. This crush he had. He had to squash it.
"He's one of my best friends." Hinata faced her in surprise. "I had a crush on her when we were little but grew out of it as time passed. He's like a brother to me. He has a girlfriend now. He's dating my other best friend. I just like to mess with him for old time sake... "
Hinata's heart raced. He silently cursed himself for feeling so happy. "Oh." They both give each other a awkward but tense smile. "We'll lets make some food. How's ramen sound?"
Naruto cheered.
For the next month, it seemed Naruto was more careful of which friends she introduced. It seemed he only had girl friends With the Sakura exception. It was either that or Hinata was reading into things too much. They became closer to one another and learned to slowly depend on each other. Naruto's wasn't as loud and Hinata was slowly becoming more confident. They were having positive influence on one another.
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"Why are we getting that green stuff?" Naruto whined in disgust.
"It's healthy," he said he put the broccoli into the plastic bag and placed it into the cart.
"You have amnesia, remember? How would you know what's a healthy or not?"
Hinata gave her a slight disapproved look. "I may not have my memories but I can read and watch television, Naruto."
She whined some more as he pushed the cart towards the dairy section to pick up some milk. On the way, Hinata noticed the glares from the other customers directed to the blonde. He couldn't help but return the looks. What was their problem? Why did they always do this? As he grabbed the milk, he checked the expiration date and turned around to put it in the cart. A small child ran right in front of him almost causing him to drop the milk.
"Hey, watch were you going, you brat!" yelled an annoyed Naruto.
"Naruto," Hinata silently scolded. He might agree with her but she can't just yell at someone else's kid.
"But Hina, that kid almost clobbered right into you. I'm sure even if you dropped that milk you wouldn't have scolded him either way. Someone's got to defend you."
He opened his mouth and closed it. She was right to some extent. He just hated to admit it. "But... it's a child," he uneasily countered.
"You're just too nice, Hinata. But don't worry, I'll kick anybody's butt, including that kid 's, if they bother you," she vowed as she pat his back.
"But mommy!" screeched the child from earlier, earning both their attention.
"No buts no more running around the market or the Kubbi brat will take you. You do know what happens when she gets you, right?" the mother asked.
The child paled as she glanced at Naruto. "She'll eat me alive!"
Hinata looked at the scene in shockingly disgust. Who was this woman to make up scary tales about Naruto? He turned to see Naruto already pushing the cart toward the cashier section. "Let's go, yeah?" she said with a forced smile.
He was taken a back by her actions. He remembered her earlier statements.
"But they hurt me either way!" she countered with watery eyes as she grounded her teeth. He looked away in guilt. "I have to stand up for myself, Hina! Just cause you can't doesn't mean I can't either," she angrily lashed out.
She was backing down from a fight... Was he the one at fault for this? He faced the woman's and child's direction. Hinata for the first time since his accident felt a very fiery upsetting emotion. He was angry. How dare this lady hurt his friend's feelings. How dare anyone make her feel so low of herself. He glared at them so coldly that the woman fearfully rushed her cart and child away. At least having these freaky eyes were good for something. Glaring scared anyone.
"Hinata, let's go." His eyes snapped up to hers in surprise. She correctly said his name, the way he always corrected her to. 'Hinata.'... and it felt so wrong. He nodded his head in agreement and they went to the cashier.
The groceries were scanned and paid for and they went to the car. As they finished putting their groceries into the trunk, they got in the inside and drove home. It was another silent drive as the blonde blasted the radio. They made it home and carried their things inside. Once everything was organized, Hinata turned to the blonde.
As much as he hated confrontations, they needed to talk about what was going on with Naruto. He was worried for her. He wanted to understand why people treat him as they do. If he were to stand up for something it'd be for her. "Naruto, w-what was that today?"
She lazily shrugged her shoulders as she plopped herself onto the sofa and flicked the remote control through some tv channels. She didn't look at him. "What can I say, it was just some crazy lady."
"This is the second time this has happened," he pressed uneasily.
The blonde tensed. "There's just a lot of crazy people everywhere, I guess."
"Naruto, you told me... you told me this happens a lot," he slowly began.
The blonde put the remote down a looked at him with pain filled eyes. "Please let it go, Hinata."
"Stop calling me that," he snapped, making both the girl and him jump in surprise. He lowered his voice. "You always call me Hina. That's how your supposed to call me. Hina not Hinata."
Naruto slowly blinked her eyes for a moment before nodding her head. "Okay Hina... What happened today... It's just not important, okay? Just let it go."
"But it is to me. You're my friend I want to help you. I want to understand," he pleaded.
Naruto gazed away from him. "I'm not ready to talk."
Hinata nodded his head. "I'm okay with that," The blonde looked at him in surprise. "I just... I just don't want you to say everything's okay when it's not. I don't want you to act like everything's alright and give me fake smiles. Don't put that mask around me. I can wait till whenever you're ready to talk."
The whiskered girl was in shock. Her eyes wide with jaw open. Suddenly, shr gave him a large full smile. "Thank you," she murmured.
Hinata felt happiness and relief wash through him. He'd finally stood up for something in his own free will. He wasn't a disappointment, he'd make sure of it.
"Alright then, I'm sure your hungry for some healthy food?" He said to lighten the mood.
She groaned in defeat.
*late afternoon one day*
In a heated argument, more on Naruto's side, Hinata raised a drawing.
"That is a chicken. You drew a chicken," she vigously disagreed.
Hinata frowned at her statement. "It's obviously a peacock. You can tell by the tail," he empassased by pointing at the exaggerated lines behind the bird drawing.
"That tail looks like a ruffled chicken's tail," she whines. Playing any game was obviously a serious business for the blonde. Before yelling some more a knock interrupted Naruto. She pouted and went to open the door.
"Hello Hina and Naruto," said officer Iruka at the door. Hinata frowned at his nickname. He was okay with Naruto calling her that, but didn't want everyone else doing the same. "We finally got some news on your family."
Both look at him in shock. Hinata walked closer to him. "Did you find them?" He asked hopefully.
He takes out a photograph and hands it to him. "Yep, this is them. I guess you were right about your first name. Your full name is Hinata Hyuuga."
Hinata looked intensely at the overly professional family photo. It looked more like a business photo than family one. No one was smiling and it seems so... cold. These people... Were his family? He thought seeing a familiar face would jog his memory or cause some feeling in him to stir but... Nothing. These people were still strangers to him. His eyes scan the photograph till it landed on what appeared to be himself. Strange, he had long hair on the image yet his hair now was short.
"It seems we were looking for different descriptions of yourself. Which took a while to find you," Iruka explained.
"So why do I look so different now... From when I disappeared then?" Hinata asked as he looked up at them.
"I guessed you decided to cut off your hair and be rebellious or some thing," teased Iruka with a unknown shrug.
Naruto laughed. "Hina? Rebellious? I won't believe it till I see it."
Hinata kept her gaze locked onto the picture ignoring the rest of their conversation. Something seemed off about that. Why would he change his appearance the day he disappeared? Who were these people in the photograph? Who was he?
Naruto frowned. Her voice breaking his thoughts. "Does that mean Hinata's leaving for good?"
Iruka smiled. "I'm sure Hina will visit. Right, Hinata?"
Hinata nodded his head slowly in agreement. He felt so unsure and... frightened of the idea of leaving. He has grown so much here. A big part of him wished to never be found.
"So I talked to your mother, she's the one in the center," he said as he pointed to the most serious one out of the group, "and she said she'll pick you up tomorrow at noon. Does that sound good?"
"Y-yes, that's all right," he stuttered nervously.
"Alright then. My work here is done. Now it's time for me to get going. Justice never sleeps, you know," the officer joked. He fixed his paperwork and threw a hat on his head.
"Puh-lease Iruka, we know you sleep at 8 to 6 every night," the blonde countered.
After a few more teases and bickering, the man left and Hinata and Naruto sat down in the couch.
"So your family has finally found you, huh?" Naruto told him excitingly.
"yeah..." He murmured.
Naruto probably sensed him wanting to be left alone since she stood up saying she had to go out to do something. She left him alone in his thoughts.
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Naruto gave him many many cups of ramen packages. "Remember to eat one at least once a day. And call me. " she instructed.
"Naruto. I'm just moving with family, I'll still see you everyday," he tried to calm her. Apparently when she took off last night it was to buy bags full of ramen cups.
"So? this is imp-," she was cut off by a knock on the door. She went and swung it open. "Yes?" she loudly exclaimed.
"Uzumaki's residence?" asked a serious woman at the door. She flinched at Naruto high pitched voice.
"Yes! This is the one and only Uzumaki residence," exclaimed happily the blonde.
Hinata noticed this woman's stiff posture and obviously expensive business suit. Her eyes were cold grey that betrayed no emotions while her perfectly long, none out of place professionally done hair went down her back. She must be someone of much importance.
"Hello," Hinata greeted as he walked up to her to introduce himself to the woman. She was supposed to be his mother after all.
"It's good to see you in one piece," she formally responded. Awkward silence surrounded them. It felt so robotic and unnatural. Shouldn't seeing someone missing for a month be... I don't more emotional?
"Yes, it's all thanks to Naruto's hospitality here. I don't know what would have happened if it wasn't for her," he responded in an unsure voice. He just wanted to ease the tension from the room.
"It was seriously nothing," bashfully added the blond as she threw an arm around his waist.
His mother's eyes narrow at the gesture before looking back at him. "So, you really have no memory of being a Hyuuga."
He nodded his head in nervous agreement. "Yes, it seems as if I can't remember a-anything till after the accident. I assume you're my... mother?"
"Yes, I am."
"Well, uh, um hello," he repeated, sounded like a fool. This was one scary woman. What was he supposed to say?
The woman seemed to be growing more and more displeased by something but he couldn't pin point the reason. The woman looked at Naruto and kept her thanks professionally to her.
"It was seriously nothing," exclaimed the blonde running a hand through her blond ponytails. "If I could, I'd do it again. Hina's awesome company."
"In a week I will arrange a bank transfer to your account to show my gratefulness," said the powerful Hyuuga.
Naruto's eyes widened. "What?"
"A Hyuuga keeps to their word. The person who found my son must be awarded. Please don't refuse my offer. It's the least I can do."
"Oh, uh, okay. thanks?" the blonde looked unsure at Hinata then back at the woman.
"Now me and my son must leave. Thank you for your hospitality," she said.
Naruto walked them to the door as they went outside. "See ya Hinata and Hinata's mom."
Hinata waved and disappeared down the stairs. Saying the ride with his mother to his 'home' was awkward was an understatement. It was so uncomfortable he was sure the driver couldn't speak from so much stiffness in the air.
Once they passed the gateway to enter the closed off area, Hinata immediately knew this community was different from Naruto's. This was... a rich area. Hinata thought he entered into some royalty city. The houses were huge with even more ginormous yards. Everything was finely maintained, from the paint on the houses down to the flower designs near the sidewalks. It was awe to look at.
The limo pulled up to a white castle like house and someone opened their door. His mother and him walked out to see the workers bow to them in greeting. Hinata was about to bow in return when his mother stops him from his action.
"We lower our heads to greeting. We don't bow to them. Only servants do that," explained his mother.
Hinata nodded her head and followed her way inside.
"So if I heard correctly when you injured yourself in that car accident, you've been living in that... dangerous area."
"Naruto's apartment," he clarified with a light glare in her direction.
She nods her head once. "Yes... Naruto's apartment. I'll be prohibiting you to go anywhere near that place."
"What? Why?" he asked incredulously and stopped walking. It mustn't been the wrong thing to say considering the woman hardened her glare.
"That's a bad area to be in, Hinata. I'm not risking you to be... kidnapped again."
"Look," his soft nature coming in," I don't want an argument. You say your my mother so it's natural for you to worry about me but Naruto saved me. You can't expect me to just avoid her." Hinata wasn't sure where this defiant mood was coming from. Maybe it was the fact that the only person he knew and hanged out with was that fiery blond. He couldn't bear the thought to not seeing he again.
The woman narrowed her eyes. "You're not going over there."
"Then let her come here?" He tried to comprised.
The Hyuuga woman frowned in displeasure. After a few moments of being grilled by her intense stare, she gave in. "Fine, but she's only coming during day hours."
Hinata smiled in relief. His mom called a maid to show him to his room while she went to her office.
"Remember you are a Hyuuga first and foremost. Making friends is not of importance," was the last thing she said As she left. Hinata put a arm on the wall as he rapidly blinked his eyes, trying to see. His vision was disappearing and instead something else appeared before him?
You're a Hyuuga first, Hinata.
Don't disgrace the name.
Youre an unworthy Hyuuga.
Before him, was his mother. She was disappointed.
How are you supposed to run this company with such weakness! She rhetorically asked.
weakness, weakness, weakness.
Hinata having his back on the wall slide onto the floor. His heart thumping like a humming bird as he shook in fear. He was reembering his mother... hating him.
"Hinata! Are you alright? Do you need a doctor?" Asked the panicked maid.
"I'm fine," he reassured her. Once getting himself together, he followed the concerned lady to his room. He again tried to calm her nerves, telling her he was fine. Once she left, he sat on the bed to dwell on his dark discovery. His mother hated him...
Dinner was ready a while later. Hinata nervously dressed up for the occasion and made his way to dinner to meet his family. He met his little brother, Hanabi, and many others. One that stood out from all the rest was his cousin, Neji. She had very cold glaring eyes that never looked away from him. He felt frightened.
"Today we feast in celebration at having found my son. Fate has been fortunate to us. Now we eat," declared his mother.
No one spoke. The silence overbearing. Every moment that passed, he wished he could be back with Naruto. He missed her face, her smile, her everything.
He closed his eyes. He just had to live through another day to see her tomorrow.
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"So how was your family?"
"They hate me," he admitted in defeat as Naruto's eyes flash to him.
"They don't hate you," she disagreed.
"They do," he repeated. "My mother... And my family all keep giving me this look like I'm worse then scum. Like they're disgusted by me and i don't know...i just know they hate me."
"I think you're being over sensitive," she say as she turned on her stomach and laid her chin onto her hands. She was laying on his bed while he sat on the floor. "Your family is just worried about you. I mean you disappeared for practically a month, you know."
"But a concerned family doesn't give off such a cold aura, Naruto. Maybe... Maybe I disappeared for a reason," he uneasily confessed the thoughts that been plaguing him for a while. He laid his head back on the bed. He feels so unwanted, so hated... That adding to the fact the he looked so different how he looked now to his family photograph.
"What do you mean? You think they kicked you out?" Her voice raising in disbelief.
"No, I think... I ran away."
Her blue eye widened. She sat up on her knees and made her way closer to him. "Runaway?" she repeated, "from your family?"
Hinata could see her disbelief. His face serious as he nodded his head once.
"But it's your family! You wouldn't walk out on your mom and everyone. They love you and you, you can't do that!" Her voice getting harder and more anguished throughout her statement. It was almost as if her idea of something was being crushed to useless little pieces. Almost as if... she was mad at him for doing such a thing.
"Not all families are perfect, Naruto," he uneasily countered. He knew how dearly she held the idea of family. She always seemed to yearn for one...
"They have-" she began. Hinata didn't want to fight, not with the only friend he had.
"I've been getting my memories back," he suddenly confessed. She stopped talking so he continued. "These memories... they're all dark and hurtful. I keep hearing my mother's voice call me a failure. The dinner I had last night with them... showed me my mother was not the only one to think like that. Everyone here hates me."
Naruto's features fell in realization. She looked away in devastation. After a moment, she shook her head and surprised him. "Move back in with me."
Hinata snapped his head up to met her eyes. He couldn't help but ask her to repeat her statement.
"Move back in with me," she said louder. "My place is practically yours already and we could live like how we were before."
His thoughts ran the pros and cons of this offer. He did enjoy living with Naruto, in fact he loved it. He felt more accepted and wanted compared to here in this mansion. But what of his mother? Would she allow him? Would she try to stop him?
"Ok," he agreed, having made his choice.
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To say telling his mother he was moving back with Naruto was easy would be a understatement. It was horrifying Discouraging. He currently sat on Naruto's couch with an emotionless face. "She called me a greater disappointment," he repeated today's events to the blonde.
He tried to contain his tears. He fought with himself for being so weak. He was a guy, he shouldn't cry! Naruto hugged him. "Everythings ok," she murmured to his ear. "Let it all out."
And he did. He fell asleep in her couch with her soothing words calming him like a lullaby.
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The next day, he woke up feeling so very hollow and emotionless. Naruto has been trying to cheer him up but nothing seemed to worked.
"Eat something," she demanded. He didn't respond making her let out a frustrated sigh. No humor was evident anywhere on her face.
"I'm not hungry," he finally mumbled.
She pushed her bowl away. "Fine, we'll both starve."
He looked at her sadly. "I'm-"
"You want to know why people treat me like a infectious disease?" she suddenly asked. Hinata looked at her confused. Why was she bringing that up? "My parents were well known government officials. They were good at what they do. They were considered heroes."
Hinata frowned, confused where her story was going.
"But the day I was born," continued the blond. "Something went wrong. A criminal, drug lord, went after my parents. They killed them and injected something in me..."
He gasped.
"My uncle saved me... he took me in and hid me for years in case those people would try to come after me again... but something went wrong. Whatever they injected me with, made me develop a double personality, a evil side. I viciously attacked people and... was practically a monster at some point. My uncle tried to help me control these urges and thankfully I learned to. But people don't forget easily. They remember what I did and don't let me forget. Hence the name Demon."
Hinata was in shock at the story. He was here, complaining of his small family problems and Naruto... Naruto had the whole world against him. He felt his eyes tear up. ""I'm so sorry," he whispered.
She shook his head with a smile. "Don't be. We both just have to stay strong and never back down. No matter what anyone says, okay?"
He nodded his head in agreement. For the first time in a long time, he felt... relieved. Even though his family forbidden him from returning, Naruto made everything more bearable. They gave each other a hug.
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*Month later*
Hinata just got home with a surprise. he smiled largely as he entered the door with a poorly hiding plastic bag behind him. "Naruto?" He shouted.
"In a minute! Don't come in the kitchen!" She shouted.
Hinata froze. The warm sugary smell alerting his senses. There's no questioning it. She was making cinnamon buns.
Naruto walked out the kitchen with pouder all over her face and body. Her hair was a mess anod the apron she had had smears of sugar cream. She smiled sheepishly as she showed the sweets on tray she carried. "Surprise month anniversary roommate!"
Hinata laughed as he showed the bag behind him. In it being ramen from Naruto's favorite restaurant. "Happy month anniversary."
She danced around in excitement once she saw the food. The tray almost fell off but she quickly saved them by readjusting her hands. Smiling, he set the bag at the table and retrieved a cloth before walking toward the girl. Naruto grabbed a pastry and held it to his lips. "Open."
He blushed and compiled. It was slightly burnt but tasted very sweet. "It tastes delicious. Thank you."
She threw a fist in the air with a large grin. He smiled as he began cleaning her face with the cloth. Naruto froze as a small flush dusted her face. "Thank you, for everything," he added. He hoped his face wasn't as tomato red as he felt.
He was so focused on wiping her face, he didn't see when she leaned closer. Her sudden kiss left him frozen. But he slowly melted into her lips. Their lips lightly touched, making a tingle run down his back. He kissed her slightly hard, loving the way the softness of her mouth moved with his.
When they pulled back, they were both breathless and happy. "Wow," he murmured.
She blinked at him playfully. "I'm just that good, huh?"
Even though she was making jokes, the blush was still very much present in her face and without a doubt his. She moved back and ran a hand through her hair with a smile. She looked down and gasped.
On the floor were all the cinnamon buns Naruto took so long to make.
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Months have passed, and these two very much enjoy their time together. They even started officially going out, which concerned Iruka slightly since they lived together. Hinata reassured nothing will happen while Naruto interrupted it wasn't the man's business. As for Hinata's mother, she may have completely disagreed with his decision on moving. She may never forgive him on what he did. But everyday, the more memories come back, the more happy he was with his decision. A Hyuuga life wasn't for him... But maybe a Uzumaki life is.