Author's Note: Hey, if you're reading this, you're awesome! Why? Because you're checking out my other story, of course!
Like I've said, this is on the back burner, but I still like to delve into it every now and then. Unlike my other story, Entwined by Love, Enslaved by Fate, these chapters won't have set minimum lengths, and will end simply when I feel like it's a good time for them to.
Also, I'm a little bit conflicted. I was expecting this story to be mainly about Naruto and (as I explained in the first chapter), Kurama. However, there's a strong sense of NaruHina in here, so I don't know which section to put it in. For now, I'll switch it over to just Naruto since that's the only one I'm sure of, but we'll see.
Onto the story!
Chapter 2 - And Your Name Is?
"Why do we have to go through this shit every day?"
"Why do you have to bug me about this every day? You see what I did there? I turned it right back around on you."
The person who was currently 'bitching' was none other than Kiba Inuzuka, a foul-mouthed young man with a passion for the ladies, but with about as much charm as a rotting log. It didn't help that he relied solely on complimenting their 'feminine part's in order to pick up girls, but the occasional success left him 100% sure that his patented, tried and true method would one day score him what he liked to call the mystical 'Mega-babe'.
The bitchee, as it were, was his friend and occasional sexual-harassment-lawsuit-preventer, Naruto Uzumaki. They had been friends since high school, sharing such passions as skipping class and cutting up on the few occasions they decided to show up. But that didn't mean he was a bad person, not by any means. He was just loud, possessed little manners, and could possibly be a contender for the densest person in the entire world.
Maybe that was why he and Kiba got along so well.
"Turning it around on me my ass!" Kiba snorted, punching his friend in the back. "You just avoided my question, which is a valid one, by the way."
He jumped ahead of Naruto, spreading his arms wide for all passerby to see. "Every day, it's the same! While I go to work, you go to that coffee shop and stare at that girl for God knows how long! And you say I'm the one who creeps on women?"
"How do you know what I'm doing when you're supposed to be at work?" Naruto asked. "Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of having a job if you're not going to stay?"
"I do get a lunch break, dumbass," Kiba retorted. "And after you walked with me for the fourth time in a row, I got a little curious. Imagine my surprise when I put the pieces together that the only reason you show up at this dinky little place is so you can chat up that waitress! I mean she's hot as hell, I'll give you that one, but that's just the problem! She's outta your league, man!"
Naruto spat on the ground. "What? And you telling her how nice her ass looks would work better? And who was it that had to bail your ass out of jail last month?"
Kiba's face puffed up at the scalding remark. "I already paid you back for that, so there's no reason to hold it against me! But if you have to know, I wouldn't try that because she doesn't look like my type. She's too sweet."
"Now who's the creep? How do you know how she acts?"
"Duh…I listened to her talk to some of the other customers. If I hadn't had to go back so early, I would have helped her out last time I checked up on you. She's gotta put up with some real shitty fellas in there."
Naruto leaned forward, concerned. "Who? Was someone bothering her?"
"Yeah, a couple of douchebags were giving her a hard time. Apparently they like to frequent the place almost as often as you do. You know, you might be able to actually learn a thing or two from them; at least they talk to her, even if they're assholes about it."
Now it was Naruto's face to turn red. "I've talked to her! It's not like I just sit there and stare at her all day long; that would be just weird."
"Ordering your coffee and saying 'thank you' don't count as you talking to her, moron. You're gonna have to try a little harder than that."
His blonde friend kicked an empty can into a nearby alleyway. "How am I supposed to do that? Just waltz right up to her and say 'Hey…is it weird that I've been coming to this coffee shop for the past few weeks for the sole purpose of seeing you? My name's Naruto, by the way'."
Kiba laughed. "I'm sure that would work. Might even get you laid!"
"Is that all you think about? And you wonder why you get slapped in the face nearly every day…"
"Oh yeah, I forgot that you want to be some white knight who's gonna ride in and save some damsel in distress. C'mon man, this isn't some fairy tale. You have to man up if you want to start something with this girl."
"Nothing wrong with hoping…" Naruto muttered to himself.
Kiba leaned in, ready for another round of taunting. "What was that, Naruto? I couldn't hear you all that well?"
But Naruto was ready. "Oh, I just said that you're gonna be late for work now, and I hope you're sister leaves you in one piece." He pointed to a digital clock that could be seen from another window, to help make his point. A stream of curse words, some never before heard by man, spewed forth from Kiba's mouth as he turned suddenly, and ran across the street. A car had to slam on the brakes, and the only thing louder than its screeching tires, was Naruto Uzumaki laughing his ass off.
He wiped his merriment away as Kiba grew further and further away, a small part of him genuinely worried for his safety. Kiba's sister had a foul temper, even worse than his own, and if he was even one minute late for work, a fresh set of bruises would remind the 'runt of the litter', as she called him, who the boss was among the two of them.
It was only a short distance from the café Naruto and Kiba had been arguing about, and Naruto was starting to get nervous. Namely because no matter how much he hated it, he knew Kiba was right. If this was going to evolve beyond 'obsessively shadowing' as he preferred to put it, he would need to grow some balls, and actually say something to the girl worthwhile.
'Man, I HATE it when Kiba is right.'
Hinata Hyūga was not in a good mood.
Once again, one of her lazy co-workers had dumped her shift onto Hinata, citing some sappy story about an ill family member. Hinata could see through the obvious lie, and cursed through gritted teeth that once again she didn't have the proverbial balls to tell said co-worker to shove that lie up her ass.
To make matters worse, it was the lunch rush. But Hinata was an optimist if anything, and she blew a few strands of hair out from her eyes, and tried to put on a happy face.
"You do know how obvious you make it when you're in a bad mood, right?"
Hinata sighed. Her friend Tenten could always see right through her, no matter how hard she tried. Maybe that was because they were close friends, and had been since before Hinata could even remember, but more than likely it was just because Hinata was terrible at lying.
She smiled. "Tenten-san, I don't know what you're talking about! I feel fine!"
"That's bullshit and you know it. I could have backed you up if you had let me, Hinata. You don't have to let everyone else walk all over you."
"Thank you, Tenten-san, but really, it's alright. It just means more money to take home, right?"
Tenten laughed. "Yeah, I guess there's always that!" She ducked underneath the counter to grab some fresh grounds, before dumping them into one of the machines. Being the barista certainly had its advantages over working out from the other side of the counter, especially since Tenten didn't have to deal with people. It was an advantage for everyone, really, since her infamous tendency towards violence might have led to a few assault charges with some of the more obnoxious customers they had had to put up with. Tenten could never really understand how Hinata dealt with them, but then again, there was a lot about the young woman that Tenten found strange.
There had been hordes of guys over the years who had flirted with her endlessly, trying to get her attention. And despite several of them looking like real winners in Tenten's opinion, Hinata always quietly denied their affections, and sent them out the door with their tails tucked in between their legs. She didn't think Hinata had ever had a steady boyfriend, or maybe not even a single date, and she was starting to get worried.
She waited until Hinata had finished up another table, before beckoning her back over.
"So get this: me and the girls are going to go out dancing tonight, and I'm not going to let you get-"
"I'm sorry Tenten-san," Hinata interrupted, "but I was going to visit Tō-san and Hanabi-chan tonight. Please, don't let that ruin your night. You and the others should go have a wonderful time."
Tenten scowled. "I would if I knew you were actually going to get laid. Like seriously, have you even seen a man's penis?"
Hinata blushed a bright red, and she glanced around to make sure no one had heard Tenten's bold remark. "Tenten-san, please!"
Tenten laughed. "I'm only messing with you! Trust me, I know by now that you're content to wait for your knight in shining armor to come rushing in and whisk you away!" She added in a girly sigh for effect, and Hinata's cheeks puffed up with mock anger.
"There's nothing wrong with believing in a fairy tale!" she protested. "And b-besides, I just haven't been interested in any of the boys you've tried to set me up with."
"Oh yeah, I forgot you're only into Mr. Tall, Blond and Handsome." Tenten was grinning cheekily, pleased as punch she could make Hinata squirm the way she could. "Who, by the way, just showed up."
She pointed to somewhere behind her, and Hinata tried to hide a quick peek. She gasped when she saw who it was, and when she turned back around, she found Tenten covering her mouth, trying not to laugh.
This stranger was a frequent tool for Tenten to poke fun at Hinata. He had been coming in for the past few weeks, and despite Hinata's best attempts, hadn't even told her his name. He had a well-built physique from what Hinata could see, and his messy blonde hair was practically glowing from the sunlight from outside.
But that wasn't what made Hinata strangely drawn to him. Despite how shy he was the moment he set foot inside the shop, whenever his vibrant blue eyes locked with hers, if only for a moment, she felt incredibly ignorant. Like there was an entire world out there for her to see, and he was the only one who could show it to her. It was the kind of fairy tale stuff that Tenten made fun of her for.
"You're drooling on Table 7's order, you know."
Hinata snapped back to reality, and turned red as a tomato when she realized that Tenten was only making fun of her again.
"You think he'll say more than two words to you this time?" Tenten asked, though her voice said that she had already decided.
Hinata didn't say anything, but the look in her eyes practically screamed 'I hope so'. She took a deep breath, and after she had dropped off the order she was carrying, slowly made her way over to where he had sat down.
"Hello, sir. Is there anything I can get you today?"
The young man just stared at her, like it was the first time he had ever seen her. Hinata squirmed a little, but tried to hide it since he was most likely unaware of what he was doing.
He muttered something under his breath, and Hinata leaned closer to try and hear what he had said.
"I'm sorry sir?" she asked, making sure that she hadn't missed what he ordered. The young man seemed extremely flustered all of a sudden and mumbled something about the special they were serving for that day.
Dejected, Hinata wrote it down, and headed back up to the front counter. Tenten was waiting for her, ready to console her friend.
"Okay, so either that's guys really dense, or he's gay. Looks like I need to step in if you're gonna actually get to talk to this guy."
Hinata didn't like the sound of that. "Tenten-san? What are you talking about?"
"Nothing weird, so wipe that scared look off your face." She reached under the counter again, and pulled out a piece of pie. Along with coffee and similar beverages, they also offered a small variety of pastries for patrons to enjoy with their drink.
"Take this to him, and just tell him it's on the house. If he doesn't take the bait, hint that it was you who set this up. That should get his mouth open."
"Are you s-sure about this?" Hinata asked, nervous.
"You can't be serious. It's like, two dollars. Just take the damned pie over to that idiot, and don't come back until you get his phone number or something juicy like that!"
Before Hinata could protest any further, Tenten got a firm grip on her shoulders, whipped her around, and shoved her back towards the young man's table. Her heart was pounding, and her palms felt a little sweaty. What if he didn't like pie? Or worse…he was diabetic!
'Okay, Hinata….you're overthinking this,' she thought to herself, trying to calm down. 'Just act nice, and hope for the best. That's all you can do right now.'
This time the young man noticed her coming, and hurriedly cast his eyes back down to the newspaper he had grabbed. Hinata felt her confidence take a blow, but didn't stop.
She smiled as warmly as she could, and set the plate down next to him. "Would you l-like something for dessert, s-sir?"
She winced. She sounded like some frightened school girl what that stutter. Now he probably would think she was some kind of weird, awkward-
"Th-thanks." His voice was soft, and sounded nearly as nervous as she had. But there was a hint of surprise hidden somewhere under there, and Hinata felt her hopes rising.
The boy set the paper down, and looked at Hinata proper. He seemed to be struggling with something for a few seconds, before his face erupted into the most adorable grin Hinata had ever set eyes on.
"You know…" he began, speaking a little louder, "I've been coming here for quite a while now, but I don't think I've ever got your name. Is it alright if I ask?"
Hinata froze. Great, the first cute guy she was actually willing to talk to, and she can't even remember her own name. That's a great first impression alright.
"It's okay, I don't bite," the boy chuckled. He was still smiling at her, and Hinata squirmed under all the attention.
And then, suddenly it came to her. Her name was Hinata! At last! There was still hope she could salvage this thing!
"My n-name's Hina-"
"There's my favorite girl!"
Hinata was suddenly engulfed in the arms of some stranger, and the awkward angle she was standing in didn't give her the opportunity to see who it was. What she could see, however, was the adorable blond boy looking horribly dejected, under the impression that this was Hinata's boyfriend, or at the very least that Hinata even knew who the hell this was.
The stranger finally let go, and Hinata recoiled when she realized who it was. This complete ass had been coming in for the past few weeks with a posse of like-minded douchebags, intent on making Hinata incredibly uncomfortable.
"You know, I've been thinking a lot about you lately, hn!" the man exclaimed, leering at Hinata's chest. He had long blonde hair, but his was pulled back into a ponytail, with a large tuft covering up his left eye.
"Umm…I don't think we've met before, s-sir…" Hinata answered quietly, taking a step back. Usually these guys would show up when there was more people in the shop, but as Hinata took a look around, she realized that the crowd had grown severely thin, and she began to worry.
One of the men behind the other blonde laughed. "Looks like you're still shit with the ladies, Deidara."
'Deidara' turned around, angrily shoving his companion. "Shut up, Hidan! Hn!" he took a deep breath, and turned back to Hinata. "You don't remember me, huh? Well how about we become a little more acquainted? I know a perfect little spot we can have some alone time, hn."
Hinata bit her lower lip. "Umm…I, uh…"
"Is there something I can do for you gentlemen?"
Everyone turned to look at Tenten, who had been worried for her friend. She was doing her best to maintain a civil tone, but Hinata could tell that she was holding back.
Deidara suddenly scowled, spitting on the floor. "I don't remember saying anything to you, hn. I'm not ordering any of your shitty coffee, so don't bother me. I'm busy, if you can't tell, hn."
Tenten wasn't the slightest bit put off. "Even if you wanted any of our 'shitty' coffee, as you put it, we're about to close for lunch break. So why don't you and your pals just go find someone else to piss off?"
"What did you just say to me, you bitch!?" Deidara exclaimed angrily. He stepped towards her, but a third member of their group stopped him, holding his arm out.
"This is neither the time nor the place, Deidara," the man said, quietly watching Tenten. "Don't let your temper get the best of your judgment."
Deidara chuckled. "Sasori, my man, you're always appealing to my good side, hn! What would I do without you?"
He offered a hand out to Tenten, forcing a smile. "Maybe we got off on the wrong foot. How about we call it square and make up, hn?"
Tenten folded her arms. Like she was going to believe that bullshit. "That's nice and all, but I told you we're closing soon, and I'd hate to call the cops just because of some loiterers."
Hidan laughed again. "Hahaha, this one's feisty! She's making you look like her bitch, eh Deidara?"
Things were getting tense. Deidara was staring at Tenten, trying to decide if he could tolerate her any longer. She put on a brave face, but Hinata could see a bead of sweat roll down Tenten's forehead. She was just as scared as Hinata herself was.
But then, the young man, who had remained silent the entire time, suddenly stood. He gathered up his paper, and smiled at Hinata and Tenten.
"So, you two ready to go?"
Hinata's mouth hung open, but the ability to speak hadn't left her just yet. "S-sir?"
The boy smiled. "We were all gonna go out to lunch together! What, don't tell me you already forgot?"
Deidara scowled, pointing a finger at him. "Sorry kid, but they're not going anywhere until we become friends got it, hn? So why don't you just skip on home; I think it's past your bedtime."
But Naruto just ignored him, walking around to the other side of the table until he was standing in between Deidara and Hinata. "You ready to get going then?" he asked, smiling.
Hinata suddenly gasped in fear when Hidan's arm draped lazily across Naruto's shoulder, brandishing a switchblade in his hand. In one fluid motion he opened the knife, and the blade stopped inches away from Naruto's neck.
"Maybe you didn't fucking hear us, so I'll repeat what Deidara just said. These two aren't going anywhere until we say they are, so leave if you don't want to end up with a hole in your fucking throat."
Hinata was starting to whimper in fear. She didn't want anyone getting hurt, especially someone who didn't even know her.
"P-please, sir…it's fine. Just leave before anything happens. I don't want anyone getting hurt on my behalf."
Deidara smirked. "Smart girl. You'd be pretty smart yourself if you actually listened to her before you lose your chance."
Naruto laughed softly to himself. It was unsettling. "Yeah…I guess I'm a little stubborn sometimes."
Everything happened so quickly. Naruto spun around and slammed his fist right into Hidan's jaw before he could react, sending him tumbling over backwards into the other two. Deidara saw what was happening, and had begun to pull out a gun before Hidan fell on top of him.
Hinata screamed in fear as Naruto spun back around and grabbed her shoulders.
"You two need to get out of here, now!" he yelled. Hinata was roughly pushed backwards into Tenten, who despite her pride, understood that they needed to get out of there as quickly as possible.
"Hinata, let's go!" she exclaimed, grabbing onto her wrist. But Hinata resisted. How could she let someone die in her stead?
"B-but, I-"
"I said go!" Naruto yelled, before shifting his attention back to the three thugs, who were quickly picking themselves back up. Hinata watched in horror as Naruto grabbed a nearby table and threw it at them, while Tenten was dragging Hinata out of the store. They heard two shots being fired, and Hinata screamed again.
"Don't look back, Hinata. Keep going or we'll waste the chance he's given us!" Tenten screamed. She was just as shaken as Hinata was, and looked like she could barely keep to her feet. The commotion was attracting a large amount of attention from nearby passerby, with several of them pulling out their cell phones.
They started running down the street, desperate to put some distance between themselves and the store. Hinata was having trouble coming to terms with what happened, and suddenly lost her balance. She collapsed in the street, and Tenten was a ways ahead before she noticed.
"Hinata, watch out!" she screamed, pointing wildly. Hinata, wincing in pain as she got to her knees, turned her head to see a truck headed straight for her. He was honking his horn repeatedly, but even though he was slamming on the breaks, it didn't look like she could get away in time. Hinata's eyes widened in fear, but her legs would not obey her. She shut her eyes, and waited.
But nothing happened. Hinata suddenly felt her body jerked backwards, falling into someone's body. Hinata whipped her head around to see who had come to her rescue, and couldn't believe her eyes.
"You need to be more careful!" Naruto hissed, gathering the petite girl into his arms. He had a scratch on his cheek from where a bullet must have grazed him, but other than that, he looked relatively unharmed.
"Split up!" he called out to Tenten, who looked incredibly relieved to see the two of them alive. "We'll have a better chance that way!" He rose to his feet, and made to run off in the opposite direction.
"You take care of her, do you hear me!" Tenten yelled back. "You may have saved us, but I won't forgive you if you let her get hurt!"
And despite the situation, Naruto smiled. "Deal."
However, they didn't get far before Deidara and the others burst out of the shop. All three of them had produced guns now, and they spotted Naruto and Hinata a ways off. Ignoring the large crowd, Deidara pointed his gun at them and fired until he ran out of shots, sending pedestrians screaming and running for cover.
Sasori appeared at his side, slapping the gun down. "That's enough, Deidara. You let your temper get the better of you, and now we've paid the price. If we don't leave now, the police will get to us before we can get to them."
Deidara scowled, but threw his arm down. As Hidan and Sasori took off running towards their car parked nearby, he watched Naruto's body get further and further away.
"You got lucky this time, kid, but you have no idea what you just got yourselves into, hn."
The only thing Hinata could hear was the sound of her own heart pounding and Naruto's ragged breath. He grunted ever now and then, but other than that remained silent. The moment he had gotten the chance, Naruto had turned into one of the smaller side streets, before disappearing down an alleyway. Hinata clung to his body, paralyzed.
He took another turn, and suddenly cried out, tripping over his own feet. He was falling to the ground, but even then Naruto was more concerned with Hinata's safety than his own, turning his body so that he took the impact from the ground instead of her.
"A-are you alright?" Hinata asked, lifting his head up as best he could. His breathing was getting quieter, and Hinata could finally see why.
A large red stain sat on the lower left side of his shirt, and it was growing larger by the second. In the scramble to get away, he must have been hit.
"You know…" he grunted, in between gasps for air, "I never got that name." He laughed in spite of everything.
"Everything's going to be fine! P-please, just h-hold on!" Hinata was an absolute mess. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and they mixed with sweat and stung her eyes. She was trying to pound a number into her cell phone, but the adrenaline was keeping her fingers from staying steady, and she was getting gradually more desperate.
"I'm Naruto, by the way."
She stopped, and her eyes quickly locked with his. They looked so calm, he looked so calm. It was the kind of look that said that no matter what, everything was going to work out. Hinata couldn't explain it, but a feeling of calm washed over her, and she was able to steady her hands just as Naruto passed into unconsciousness.
He hated it when Kiba was right.
Author's Note: I hope you liked reading it as much as I liked writing it. If this is your first time checking this story out, maybe you haven't seen my main one, Entwined by Love, Enslaved by Fate. I hope you'll check it out!
Until next time!