Hey, everybody. I apologize for not giving an introduction on the last chapter but I wanted this work to speak for itself. I hope you're all enjoying it as much as I am writing it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Enjoy!

Chapter 2: Morning's Rays

Freddie was pissed. He could not believe he had lost her. How could he have been so careless? After interrogating the dark-skinned man that he had given Hinata to, Freddie refunded him his money.

"You know, I thought you were a strong motherfucker from all those muscles you got. But you're telling me, some punk-ass college ninja broke your nose and took away my whore? You some bitch or something?" Freddie asked still in disbelief.

"I already fucking told you! He looked too old to be in college. And I ain't no bitch! That guy was unreal, man. He must of known some kung fu or some shit because I barely saw him move before I was on the ground. He was some ninja, man! Look, I already told you everything I know, all right? Now I gotta go to the hospital now, man. Bye." The dark-skinned man held a thick bandage to his nose as he stomped out of Freddie's office. He left so abruptly that Freddie didn't have enough time to say anything more to him.

Freddie glared at his door from his office chair, absolutely seething. Freddie really hated giving refunds. Out of the all things he despised, losing money was at the top of the list. But policy was policy. He should have had some guy keeping an eye on them but he was so sure no one would have been out in that kind of weather. However, it wasn't like he hadn't dealt with circumstances like this before. He had plenty of guys thinking they could help stop the sex trafficking movement by rescuing his whores in the past. He would always either buy them back or get them back by force. It was usually pretty simple. He never lost a bitch. He just hated all the hassle. He leaned back in his chair and fished out his cell phone from his pocket. He didn't want to bring him into the picture, so he decided to call his other guy. He went to his contacts and called the man who would always take care of these situations. A voice picked up on the other side.

"Why, hello! What can I do for you, Freddie?" an excited voice asked cheerfully.

"Another rescue happened a few hours ago. This time it's my best whore. Do your whole detective shit thing that you do and bring her back, OK Kabuto? I'll send you the location where it all happened, so you can check it out," Freddie said slightly annoyed. Kabuto always bothered him a little. That sickly sweet voice of his misrepresented a really fucked up mind. He always got the job done, though, so Freddie couldn't complain.

"Not a problem! Just make sure you pay me!" Kabuto said over the phone in a sing-song manner.

"Yeah, yeah, just get it done by the end of the week, alright?"

"You got it!" Kabuto chimed before he hung up.

Freddie put his phone on his desk and leaned back further down his chair. He was in a real sour mood. He had better get Hinata back soon, otherwise he would lose more money. Freddie really hated losing money.

Hinata awoke to find the bedroom flushed with beautiful morning colors. Her darkish, almost-blue hair was pasted to the side of her face. Her droopy eyes had trouble identifying the mirage of hues, vibrantly shining within the room. Vivid shades of orange, gold, and white washed over the room. She turned to the window next to her bed and discovered that they were on the top floor of what must have been a 10 or 15-story apartment building. The autumn sun was peeking over the horizon, shining brilliantly. It changed all of the glass skyscrapers surrounding the building into breathtaking prisms of lights and colors. Hinata gawked at the fantastic landscape before her. She could just make out the far foothills in the distance that aligned the city. She thought that she could stand there for an eternity and never be unsatisfied. She had never seen such a beautiful scene within the city before. The spectacle did not last for long, as the sun rose high enough to where the rays of light shone over the buildings.

As she observed the city skyline, Hinata couldn't help but turn her thoughts over to Naruto. He was responsible for all these strange feelings and experiences she was going through, after all. Why, though? Why was he doing all of this? What did he think of her? Naruto was full of charm and a natural flirt. He couldn't have any actual feelings for her. No one ever really cared for her anymore, so why would some random guy she just met yesterday care? Also, what did she think about him? She wasn't really certain, yet. She hoped she would figure all of these things out soon.

Hinata then turned her attention to her surroundings inside of the guest bedroom. The walls were painted a warm-tannish color and the floor was comprised of a white, soft, and lush carpet. The walls had various paintings of colorful landscapes strewn about. There was a dresser across from the window that had a lone picture frame standing on top of it. Hinata roamed over to the dresser and examined the photo. It was a photo of a lovely couple holding a brand new baby boy. The father in the picture looked so much like Naruto that Hinata almost pegged it for him, at first. However, upon closer inspection, she realized it was the city's previous mayor and Naruto's late father, Minato Namikaze. The woman next to him must of been Naruto's mother. She had long, scarlet hair in the photo and gorgeous green-grayish eyes. Her face was round like Naruto's was. Naruto was really cute as a baby and Hinata could not help but gush over him. All three of them had bright smiles on their faces.

They reminded her a little of her family when she was little. She barely remembered them after all that had happened. She used to have such a shy and timid nature. Obviously, if anyone went through what she did, then it was no surprise to expect someone becoming a completely different person because of it. Not just different, but a shell of the person they used to be. She had gone through a life that she regretted everyday. It was never her choice to begin with but the past was the past. The past still hurt, though. The pain and frustration from that whole ordeal chilled her to the bone just thinking about it. She did not want to ponder that right now. She suddenly remembered that she needed to get back to Freddie. She had not planned on spending the night.

She quickly opened the door to the hallway and suddenly smelled a delightful scent. Without really thinking, she floated towards the smell. As she entered the main room, her eyes widened in bewilderment. An attractive, dark-haired man, probably Naruto's age, was conversing with Naruto in the kitchen. Naruto had a big grin on his face as he was flipping a flapjack over the stovetop. Kurama was staring up at the dark-haired man happily, it was apparent the dog really liked the stranger. The dark-haired man was sitting across the counter from Naruto with an amused expression, petting Kurama. Hinata made a small gasp when she recognized the stranger as the other teacher in Naruto's photo of his Karate Club. Naruto and the dark-haired man immediately stopped their conversation and glanced over at Hinata.

Naruto beamed at her, slightly relieved. "Good morning, Hinata! I hope you like pancakes because I made a lot of them! This is my best friend and coworker, Sasuke Uchiha." Naruto gestured over to the dark-haired man now known as Sasuke. The young man nodded and stood up from his chair.

"So you would be the young lady that my idiot friend invited over last night?" He sighed sounding annoyed. Although, Hinata detected a small smile that formed on Sasuke's face when he mentioned his 'idiot friend'. She also noticed a silver wedding ring on his left hand. "He's always playing the hero. Everybody finds that charming, though. Whatever, you seem to be an alright gal," Sasuke presumed.

Hinata's blood boiled at his words. "Don't put me on the back burner so fast, you jerk. You don't even know me, yet!" Hinata exclaimed. She knew it was rude, but she hated when people quickly assumed things. Freddie did it all the time. She also had a problem with trusting new people. Hell, she had trouble trusting anyone.

Sasuke's expression showed amusement when she yelled at him. He was impressed by this girl. "Sorry. Fair enough. And your name is…?"

"Hinata," Naruto and Hinata said in unison. They both looked at her each other in surprise and started to laugh. Hinata giggled and Naruto chuckled. Sasuke raised an eyebrow in confusion. He sighed and waited patiently for them to stop.

"Oh man, you can't plan stuff like that. Anyways, breakfast is almost done!" Naruto cheerfully announced, once he had ceased his chuckling. Sasuke nodded and got some plates from a nearby cupboard. Kurama cheerfully followed behind him. As he was setting the table, Hinata had a doubtful expression appear on her face.

"Um, maybe...not. I think I need to go-," Hinata had protested but was cut short by Naruto's immediate reply.

Naruto's face had just changed to a serious and aggressive look. "Hinata, I'm not letting you go anywhere unprotected. I know you were doing things against your own free will. You don't wanna go back there. It's all a part of this disgusting sex trafficking operation that I would love to see terminated. I don't know who your boss is but I do know you must loathe him and would be perfectly fine in never seeing him again. Please, correct me if I am wrong?" Naruto asked.

Hinata was startled by his observations and a little upset. How did he figure all of that out? Why was he controlling her? She could do whatever the hell she wanted. She didn't need to hear any of this, even if he was right in his assumptions. "Look, I appreciate everything you've done for me but I am an adult and I need to go back. You don't get it, Freddie is a very powerful man and he could easily kill y-." Sasuke cut her off.

"You underestimate Naruto's abilities, I'm afraid. He's quite capable of protecting himself and those around him." Sasuke's expression was stoic. "Trust me, I have sparred with him enough times to know what I'm talking about," Sasuke stated coolly.

Hinata stared at him in disbelief. She gazed over at Naruto who was obviously wondering what she was thinking. "I want to help you, Hinata. Nobody is going to hurt you or me. You need to start believing me. Now, you didn't answer my question. Was I wrong in my suppositions?" Naruto inquired.

Hinata was baffled by these two. They were not only clever, but also ready to refute anything she said. Freddie was similar in that regard but she would be lying to herself if she didn't take into account the obvious kindness behind their words. Freddie was never kind to her. Maybe she could be here for a little while. Just a week or two, as long as Freddie didn't figure out who they were. She would not have their blood on her hands. She sighed in defeat. "Yes, you are correct. Fine, I'll stay for now but I can't live here forever. I can't promise your safety, either."

"Ah, but I can promise yours, Hinata," Naruto said as he smiled softly at her. "I always keep my promises."

Sasuke raised his hand with a glass of milk. "I can vouch for that," he stated.

Hinata noticed the ring on Sasuke's left hand, again. Her curiosity got the better of her, something that had been an increasing occurrence as of late. "How long have you been married?" she asked.

Sasuke looked at his ring and smiled gently. That was a new smile, Hinata thought. He must have been thinking of his wife because there was a romantic thought behind his onyx-colored eyes. "Two years. Two amazing years," He uttered softly.

Naruto beamed at his best friend. "Sakura's a real catch, my man! I should know! Now, let's sit down and eat!" Naruto pranced over to the table with the food piping hot and laid out upon it. He put down the plates of hot pancakes on the table and then proceeded to get Kurama his breakfast. Hinata casually approached the table and found a delicious arrangement of goodies strewn about. There were assortments of fruits and sweets. There was also oatmeal, bacon, eggs, hashbrowns, and, of course, big golden pancakes with maple syrup on the side. Hinata's eyes widened and her stomach grumbled just by looking at it all. Naruto smirked at her expression. "Dig in!" Naruto exclaimed as he took his seat. They all did just that.

Naruto patted his stomach satisfied. "Man, I thought I could eat, but wow! Hinata, you really put it away." They had just finished their meal and Hinata had devoured most of the food herself.

Sasuke groaned at his antics and Hinata blushed at his words. "I don't get to eat much" she mumbled.

Naruto frowned at that. He knew exactly why she didn't get to eat enough. "No, I suppose you don't. I'm sorry you have gone through so much but you're safe now. You really are." He hoped he was conveying his intentions accurately. He really wanted to help her.

Hinata did not want to comprehend it but she almost believed him. Who knows what this man was capable of making her think? He was so unpredictable. She could only guess that it was part of his charm. Sasuke shook his head in an amused fashion. "Always playing the hero. Well, I should probably get going. Sakura will be real upset if I don't get home soon. She doesn't get to see me much during the week, after all."

Naruto's eyes widened in remembrance. "Oh that's right. I forgot to ask, but is it alright if we head over to your place? I need Sakura to do a check up for Hinata. We don't know what drugs or injuries this Freddie guy has given her and I need to make sure that she's healthy. It's a Saturday, so you and I don't have to work today." Naruto was really worried about Hinata. Who knows what horrible things Freddie had done to her. He turned to Hinata for clarification. "Sakura's a doctor. The best one in the whole city!" He declared cheerfully.

Hinata's immediate thought was to challenge his suggestion, but he made a point. Freddie did have her on drugs that kept her submissive to him and she certainly did not want to go through the relapses that were to ensue because of them. She could only agree to Naruto's terms silently.

Sasuke nodded stoically in approval. "Of course. Let's go before I feel her wrath permeate over here. She's got a knack for doing that."

Naruto grinned happily. "Fantastic! Get your coats, guys. It's a little chilly out!" Naruto ran to get Hinata one of his spare jackets.

The jacket was too big for Hinata but it was warm. Naruto petted Kurama and told him that they would be back soon. All three stepped outside of Naruto's apartment through the front door. It was a crisp October day and Hinata was very thankful for Naruto's spare jacket. Sasuke mentioned to Hinata that his apartment building wasn't far from here and they marched their way there. On the way there, Hinata hoped this doctor could help her. She had seen what the relapses looked like before on other girls. It was not a pretty scene and she certainly didn't want go through that.

"There's my two favorite men!" Sakura cheerfully exclaimed when she saw the trio enter into her apartment. She wasn't going to let the boys off the hook for leaving her alone, however. "I hope breakfast was good because all I had was oatmeal by myself," she pouted. Sasuke only smiled at her. The same smile that Hinata had seen earlier that morning. Sakura's attention then redirected to the pretty girl that had walked in with them. "Why, hello! My name's Sakura Uchiha. I'm Sasuke's wife." She raised her hand to say hello.

Hinata waved back and smiled respectively. "It's nice to meet you. My name's Hinata."

Naruto explained the situation to Sakura about Hinata's possible health problems. He told her about the forced prostitution and everything else he knew about her. He also mentioned his heroic rescue the day before. Sakura listened intently with a grim expression on her brow. When Naruto finished his explanation, Sakura sighed somberly. "God, this sex trafficking thing is getting ridiculous. I'd love to see the whole thing wiped out soon, but this city loves their dirty money too much." She shook her head disappointedly. "Anyways, I would be happy to help Hinata in any way that I can." She escorted Hinata to her private clinic/office that she personally had renovated into the apartment. Naruto and Sasuke followed along haphazardly.

Hinata took note of Sasuke and Sakura's apartment. It wasn't much different than Naruto's as far as layout and elegance was concerned. It did, however, have an apparent feminine touch incorporated throughout it. Sakura was a pretty good interior design. They walked into the office and Sakura gestured for Hinata to sit on the comfortable medical bed placed in the center of the room. Sakura began to collect some medical instruments. "Ok, so I'm going to examine your body for injuries and physical problems, first. These two will need to step out for that." Sakura motioned towards the boys to leave. "Especially, you Naruto." She narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion. Naruto smirked innocently and stepped outside the office with Sasuke.

When the door was shut, Sakura instructed for Hinata to undress and she began to inspect her body. There were purple and slightly yellowish bruises all over her delicate frame. There were also a few scars that had healed crudely. Sakura grimaced at the brutality of it all. She was a doctor and had seen a lot of things over her few years of practice, but she could probably guess the origin of these wounds and that made her stomach churn. Thankfully, there was no sign of bleeding and those bruises would heal in a few days. Sakura was more concerned about Hinata's mental state. She could tell by the dilation of her pupils that she had been under the influence of some nasty drugs administered by the sex traffickers. Sakura ran some medical tests on her to determine what kind of drugs she had been given. As she stared at the test results a little while later, she sighed in slight frustration. Hinata was going to have a bad relapse from the drugs if she was left untreated. Fortunately, Sakura knew what to do.

"Alright, so the narcotics you have been given are pretty potent. You will begin to relapse in a few days, however, I won't let that happen," Sakura declared in a strong fashion. She wasn't going to put Hinata through that ordeal. "Thankfully, I am aware of this drug and its effects. I have medicine that will prevent the relapse and will safely terminate the drug within your body. It's my own creation and has been proven to work before." Hinata's respect for this woman was gradually increasing. She was impressed by her medical skills. "I also dapple in pharmaceuticals," Sakura announced softly. She went to an adjacent cupboard and grabbed a small bottle of pills. She stepped towards Hinata and expressed a wry face. "I'm not a registered pharmacist but the city knows my success rate, more importantly the amount of money I make for them, so they look the other way about this kind of stuff. Anyways, take two of these every day. One in the morning and one at night. Start with two right now, though. Take them for one week and you should be fine. Make sure you eat regularly and get plenty of sleep or the pills aren't going to work correctly. You might experience some strange hallucinations but that should be only when you sleep. If things don't get better, let me know immediately, OK?" Sakura felt pity for this poor girl and great anger for the men responsible for her misery.

Hinata expressed her understanding and took the bottle. She put her clothes back on and thanked Sakura gratefully. Sakura fetched her a glass of water. Hinata took two pills out of the bottle and swallowed them with a gulp of water. Hinata thanked her and they both exited the clinic. Naruto was laughing at something Sasuke had said when the girls walked into the living room. The guys were seated on some comfy lounge chairs. Naruto suddenly looked serious when they strolled in; obvious worry etched on his face. Sakura smiled. "She's going to be fine just make sure she takes my medicine, OK?" Sakura inquired.

Naruto's worry melted away at her diagnosis into a bright smile. "Yes, ma'am! You can count on me!" Naruto declared. "Now then, Hinata, I realized you need some real clothes for a lady of your stature. So how's about we go clothes shopping for you. I'll pay for everything, of course." Naruto's amazing cerulean eyes gleaned cheerfully at her.

Hinata was captivated by those eyes, especially when he made promises like that. She could only agree with his gracious offer when those eyes were shining at her. She had no idea how he could do that but she definitely liked it. She would not tell him that, of course, or anyone, for that matter. "OK, sounds fun," she uttered.

Sakura glared at Sasuke. "Why don't you ever take me on a shopping spree?" Sakura wasn't serious. She had plenty of clothes, she just liked to get a rise out of Sasuke. He didn't take the bait, though. He only smiled softly at her and shook his head.

"I love you, Sakura," he stated simply.

Sakura beamed at him. She was greatly pleased by his response. "Oh, I love you too, sweetie! I'm sorry I always tease you. I just love your expressions," she cooed.

Naruto and Hinata felt a little awkward around the lovey-dovey couple so they slowly excused themselves and thanked their hosts. As Sasuke and Sakura gushed over each other, Hinata and Naruto left the room, donned their coats, and exited through the front door without another word.

"How does this one look?" Hinata asked. She was wearing a nice, black pencil skirt that really accentuated her hips along with a red, button-up blouse to match.

Naruto grinned, nodding his head. "It's perfect!" They were in a high-end department store that presented a wonderful assortment of men and lady's clothing. They were currently in a viewing area outside the changing rooms. Naruto must have visited the store often because it seemed all of the workers knew him by name. All of the women were especially courteous and friendly to him; much to Hinata's chagrin.

Hinata rolled her eyes at his reply. "You said that about the last nine outfits," she remarked.

"That's because they all are! Do you want me to lie?" he pouted playfully.

"No, I guess not," she stated as a smirk formed around her lips. "Hey, thanks for all of this."

"You're very welcome, my dear. Now is there anything else you want?"

"Nah, this is all fine. I can make do with these. They're all gorgeous clothes," Hinata commented. Naruto picked up all of her bags effortlessly and they strolled over to the cashier counter. The cashier was a young woman that stared at Naruto like he was a god incarnate. Hinata couldn't help but be slightly jealous towards the cashier. She had no idea why the hell she was jealous but she felt like punching the cashier's face. Her grin was so promiscous. It wasn't because she liked Naruto, it had to have been because of her distrust for lustful people.

"Hello, Naruto. It's been so long since I last saw you. Did you miss me?" the cashier asked seductively. Hinata's eyes narrowed in distrust.

Naruto looked at her like she was an old friend and nothing more. "Of course, Jenny! You've worked here for years and always have treated me well." He gestured to Hinata. "This is my friend, Hinata. We're going on a shopping spree for her today." Jenny, the cashier, turned her attention to Hinata. She smiled respectively.

"You're very lucky to have a friend like Naruto. He's the nicest guy you'll ever meet and the cutest!" Jenny added. Naruto smiled sheepishly at her compliment. Hinata subtly rolled her eyes. This girl was pretty predictable. Hinata nodded to her and turned to Naruto impatiently.

Naruto payed for the clothes with a credit card and they sauntered outside with Jenny waving goodbye. Outside, the city shone brightly with shoppers roaming about the shopping district they were in. The district was extravagant with its large advertisement signs and tall department buildings. The city looked beautiful but Hinata knew its dark secrets and it was not a morally sound place at all. As they strolled along the sidewalk, Naruto glanced over at Hinata. "Sorry about Jenny, she means well. She just tends to be…'emotional' when I'm around."

Hinata couldn't help but smirk at his comment. "Yeah well, a lot of girls are 'emotional' around you, it seems," she jeered.

Naruto chuckled. "Yeah, but I promise it wasn't always like that. Trust me, it took me well into high school to even get girls to look at me seriously. Even then, it took forever to get them to like me. One day, completely out of the blue, they all just started to talk to me like I was some kind of celebrity or something."

"Somehow I find that hard to believe, Naruto," Hinata mused.

Naruto's brilliant cerulean eyes gazed right into her gentle pale ones and he smiled that dazzling smile that made her cheeks warm.

"Then maybe you should start believing me, Hinata," Naruto chided.

Well, I hoped you all liked that. I'll try to update as soon as I am able. Please rate and review. Thanks for all of your kind words and encouragements. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

-CM