Suffering was nothing new to Naruto. He suffered since the day he was born. Both his parents killed, a demon entrapped in his body, dealing with the ire of the villagers for simply existing.
Suffering was nothing new to Naruto. He always picked himself up and dealt with it. No amount of pain would keep him from achieving his goals. His endurance is what allowed him to stop Gaara, to stop Pain, to save Sasuke, to save the world.
His ability to endure his suffering is what shaped him as a man. It was why he was currently on the path to becoming Hokage.
But now his suffering was too much for him to handle.
Naruto remained stoic during the funeral processions. He gave a speech, lowered the casket, and consoled his children. He did not shed a tear in front of his friends or his children. He soothed their worries and accepted their condolences graciously. But it was a farce.
He asked Sakura to watch his children while he remained at the funeral house. It was empty now; the funeral processions had ended. He grasped the locket hanging to the necklace on his neck and opened it. It contained a picture of him on one side of the locket and Hinata on the other side. He gently rubbed the locket with the thumb of his right hand, then closed it, clutching it near his face.
He could not hold back his tears anymore. It was not just tears but sobs as well. Sobs that wracked his whole body. His legs buckled and he could not stay on his feet and sunk to his knees. Bending over, planting his forehead on the wooden tiles and continuing to shake his body with his violent wails.
"Naruto?"
The man turned his head to see the ghost of his wife appear before him. Eyes blurred with tears, he called to his lover, his heart nearly exploding in his chest from amazement and fear. "Hinata?"
"No, no, Naruto, it's me." The figure approached him slowly. Her hair was a tad lighter than Hinata's, her facial features a bit sharper, her eye's tinted lilac, unlike Hinata's pure white ones.
"Hanabi…" Naruto choked out. Naruto attempted to wipe his tears away, but they continued to leak out. The two stared at each other for a moment, Naruto quieting his loud weeping into low whimpers, detesting himself for showing such a performance in front of his sister in law.
Naruto's eyes widened in shock as Hanabi wrapped him in her arms, far more gently then he would have ever expected from the naturally mischievous Hyuga. She leaned his body against hers, maneuvering his head into her chest. One arm stroked his back, while the other slowly petted his hair.
"It's okay, it's okay. Let it out." She whispered sweetly into his ear. He obliged, slowly drenching her black kimono as she continued to caress and soothe him. Naruto ignored his feebleness and basked in the younger girl's pacification, feeling his heart swell some for the first time in a while.
The night time darkness was illuminated by the full, piercing moon and the many lamp lights. The two mourning ninja walked side by side in silence, only the chirping of crickets making any noise. Naruto walked with his hands stuffed in his pockets, his sandals dragging against the paved road with each step. Hanabi walked with her hands clasped in front of her. Neither looked at each other.
As they were nearing the Hyuga compound, Naruto finally spoke. "Why did you come back?" Hanabi could barely make out the words he whispered.
"There…there was no reason…I just felt compelled to do so." Hanabi winced internally at her answer, hoping it would not upset her brother in law. It was the truth, but she knew it sounded silly. She peeked over at him. He was staring directly at her, eyes filled with emotions she could not place. It was too intense for her and she looked straight ahead almost immediately. She heard him chuckle humourlessly.
"It was destiny, huh." Hanabi tensed at the statement but did not reply. She was not good at comforting others, she had done her best earlier and she was not sure it was enough. If it were Hinata instead…Hanabi tried clear her mind of the thought as her throat started to ache.
They reached the compound and Hanabi faced Naruto once more. His normally brilliant cerulean eyes were dulled with grief. They stared awkwardly at each other for a while, unsure if anything needed to be said.
"Um, you did not need to walk me home, Naruto-san."
"It…wasn't really for your benefit. I just…didn't want to go home yet." Naruto said, closing his eyes in thought.
"Oh, well then…" Hanabi bit her lip lightly, contemplatively, "If you want, you can stay at the compound for the night. We have many guest rooms." Naruto's eyes snapped open at the suggestion. His eyes scanned the Hyuga girl's face intently. After a moment he smiled at her gently.
"Thanks for the offer, but I'm probably going to spend the night at Sakura's. My kids are with her."
"Oh, okay." Another silence was cast upon them. "I might, come by to your place tomorrow. To check on the children."
Naruto tilted his head, thinking, then nodded. "Sure, thank you. We will be back tomorrow morning. Thanks for everything, Hanabi. I'll…see you tomorrow." Naruto started to turn and walk away.
"Naruto, wait." Hanabi called out to stop the retreating blonde. He turned around and she stepped forward and encircled her arms around his torso. She felt his body become taut, for a brief moment, before he relaxed and wrapped one of his arms around her shoulder. Her head was placed against his chest and she could hear the rhythm of his heart clearly. He pulled his arm off first and that was enough of a signal for Hanabi to slip away from his body. Nothing else needed to be said. She smiled at him once more before she turned around and entered the compound.
Naruto turned the corner towards his home with his children in tow. He held his daughter in his arms, cupping her against the side of his chest. She was snoring lightly, too tired to be awake this early in the morning. Boruto was walking along side him, hand in hand. Hanabi was waiting for them in front of his locked door. She had several bags with her.
"Nee-chan!" Boruto escaped from his father's grip and ran toward the Hyuga girl. She grinned and let him tackle her, picking him up by his waist and swinging him around.
"Morning, a little early for your visit isn't it?" Naruto asked as he opened the door to his house. Boruto ran inside and Hanabi began picking up her bags to take inside. Naruto hesitated for a second but picked up the last bag with his off hand before he went inside. "I'm going to put Himawari in her bed and check up on Boruto, then we can talk."
Hanabi nodded at the blonde and moved into the dining room since it was connected to the main hall. She saw several pictures of the family hanging. One with Naruto and Hinata and her wedding day. She looked extremely beautiful. Hanabi expected her sister to be a shivering mess that day, but she carried herself in a dignified manner the whole time, and it showed in the picture. There were pictures of the whole family together and a few of just the two siblings together. Hanabi heard Naruto's footsteps as he walked down the steps. She turned to see him glaring at her with some annoyance.
"I don't think this is a good idea, Hanabi." He had already deduced what the bags were for.
"Can you cook? Do you clean properly? Can you watch the children while you are on missions or taking lessons from the Hokage? Are you planning to do everything by yourself?" Hanabi asked, her tone cool and composed. Naruto frowned in frustration.
"I'll hire a nanny, or something. I know Kakashi will give me time off. I appreciate the thought, really I do, but we can manage." Naruto crossed his arms in finality.
"The children lost their mother. Do you really think a nanny will be able to give them enough affection while their father is barely home?" Hanabi glared at the older man.
"I told you, Kakashi will give me time off." Naruto growled in defense.
Hanabi snorted, "For how long? One week? Two weeks? You're too important for anytime longer than that."
"…I don't have to take missions." Naruto remarked.
"Are you listening to yourself? Do you think you get assigned missions anyone else can do? Be realistic, Naruto. You are going to become Hokage. It will happen soon, there is no need to shake up your chances."
"What are you trying to say? My kids are far more important than becoming Hokage." Naruto snarled in disgust. Hanabi eyes widened in shock but she composed herself.
"Naruto…that is not what I mean. I know you love Boruto and Himawari so much, anyone could see that. But why shoulder everything, when I'm right here, offering help?"
"I just…I don't understand. Why go this far to help me?" Naruto ran a hand through his hair. He looked exhausted. Both from the funeral and from Hanabi's strange insistence.
Hanabi remembered walking on Naruto at the funeral hall. Him, by himself on the floor, his body quaking from the power of his sobs. The strongest shinobi in the world, suffering his greatest pain, and he had to hide it from the world. It made Hanabi's heart stir in an unexplainable way. It was not fair. Just because he was the strongest, it did not mean he could not receive help. She struggled to distill her thoughts into words.
Hanabi walked over to Naruto and grasped his left hand with both of hers. She felt the rough skin, and the callouses on it. "It's nothing special…you need help and I want to be the one to help. Won't you let me?"
Naruto gently tugged his hand away. "Hanabi, can't you think about yourself? You living with me, that would be too improper. You are going to lead the Hyuga clan eventually. Do you want salacious rumours swirling about?"
Hanabi looked up at him, dumfounded. Her voice lost its even temperature. She was angry now. "That's the reason? You're scared of rumours?"
"It's not just that Hanabi. You are in the prime of your life! You should be training, and thinking about what missions to take, and dating…not babysitting your niece and nephew everyday!"
"It's my life. I can do what I choose, and this is what I feel is the right thing to do." Hanabi stepped toward Naruto again, causing him to press back up against the wall.
"An unmarried man and woman shouldn't live in a house together." Naruto blurted out.
"Are you going to touch me?" Hanabi asked casually, as if she was asking him about the weather.
"What?! Of course not!" Naruto shouted.
"Then there is no issue." Hanabi smirked at him. Her tone become more even keeled once again. She stepped away, giving the blonde his personal space back. "At least let me stay here for a bit. Let's see how it goes?"
Naruto let out another sigh. "Does Hisashi even know about this?"
"I'm not a child. Am I supposed to inform him every time I go to the washroom as well?" Hanabi scoffed.
"You…you are nothing like your sister." Naruto was flabbergasted by his sister in law's attitude.
"So, I've heard." Hanabi said with a shrug and a smile. "Now why don't I make you and the children some breakfast, and then you can go and meet Hokage-sama?"
Naruto hesitated before speaking, "We are not done discussing this."
Hanabi ignored him, heading toward the kitchen, she began rummaging around the cabinets. "Do pancakes sound good?" Naruto heard the sounds of clanking as the Hyuga haphazardly dumped pans and utensils on the kitchen counter.
Naruto rubbed his face trying to drive out the fatigue. 'She's not like her sister at all!'