"Konoha Law Firm, how may I help you?"
The nervous gulp that slid down the back of my throat made me want to hurl. I had been putting off this phone call for far too long, but I needed to speak to him. He would be able to help me, he said he would always be there for me.
"I-I was looking for someone-"
"Do you have a name?" The receptionist interrupted me.
"Y-yes," I stuttered. Whether it was the impatient tone of the lady on the other end of the phone, or whether it was just me; I couldn't bring myself to say his name. It was such an easy name, much like my own, but my lips wouldn't move!
"Ma'am? Are you there?"
My hand tightened around the phone, my eyes clenching shut tightly. A part of me didn't want to bother him. He hated to be bothered. But another part of me was screaming for me to call him. He told us all that if we ever needed help, we could count on him, free of charge. He said he would always be there for us, no matter what the circumstances may be. He wouldn't judge me. He knew me too well.
"Ma'am?"
"I'm l-looking for... Mr-Mr. N-Nara."
Shikamaru Nara, to be exact. I may not have been able to say his first name, but he was a well known lawyer, the best in Konoha, surely this lady would have known who he was.
"Oh, I'm sorry," she said blandly. "Mr. Nara doesn't answer phone calls. He only speaks to people via appointment only. I can book you in if you want-"
"No," I said sternly. "P-please just tell him, its Hinata calling."
"I'm sorry, like I said before-"
"Please," I begged.
There was an awkward silence, a bit of ruffling coming from the other end, before I heard her sigh. "Okay, just wait on hold."
Just like that, her voice disappeared and music started to play. My heart was getting a beating lately. I was sure sooner, rather than later, that it was going to fail on me. The past three days had been chaos: I had never been through such torment in my entire life. I was the good girl, the one that always finished her homework on time, the one that always smiled and cheered people up. I wasn't the one that got accused of anything, the one that was told they were filth or looked upon like they were scum. That wasn't me.
When I exhaled, I didn't expect to hear a voice on the other end so soon. When he said my name, I screamed a little. He said it with such worry.
"Hinata? What's wrong? I heard about Hanabi, I'm so sorry."
So news had already traveled to Konoha? I wondered if they new about the accusations against me. "Sh-Shikamaru," I managed to say. "I need your help."
He pause slightly on the other end. "So it's true then, the rumors?"
I let out a small grunt that sounded almost like a child's snore. "I-I'm afraid so."
"Hinata," he trailed off.
I bit my lip lightly. This was hard for me, asking for help; I had never had to ask for it before. I knew Shikamaru would understand, I knew he was the best at his job and he would be able to help me get my freedom. But there was a part that told me that he didn't want to help, that he thought I was guilty, just like the rest of them did.
"Give me your number," he said roughly. "I have business I need to deal with tomorrow but after that I will ring you and we will make a plan, alright?"
A plan? "Y-yes," I said quickly before giving him my number.
"Alright, in the mean time, don't speak to anyone, got it? It's important that you don't speak to police officials until I'm there. Do you understand, Hinata?"
"Y-yes," I said again.
"Okay," he sighed. "Don't worry about a thing. I'm going to help you."
Don't Worry.
Don't Worry.
Don't. Worry.
My fingers trembled as I reached for a can of soup.
All I was doing was worrying. All I could think about was my future. How would it be determined if I were found guilty? What sort of prison would I be sent to? Would I be sent to confinement away from everyone else because I was clinically insane, or would they put me with the rest of the murderers?
I shouldn't have come to the convenience store, but I thought a bit of fresh air would have done me some good. I was obviously wrong.
I slipped the can of soup slowly into my basket, keeping my head low as I walked further down the isle. People were staring at me, I could feel their eyes boring into me like I was crazy. The stares were beyond deafening; the small murmurs and grunts proving to be cruel. News had traveled fast in this small town. Everyone knew about me.
I tried my hardest to direct my focus on something else; what other food did I need? Canned soup wasn't one of them, but it would do. Maybe some bread... and some butter...
"Hey, it's that murderer."
Blinking slowly, I pulled my shoulders forwards, keeping my head low and my face out of sight.
"Shouldn't she be in prison? She killed her sister!"
My head began to throb as I quickly grabbed some bread and butter, throwing it in my basket.
"I heard she did it because she wanted money."
I rushed to the counter, my head still low and my pride depleting rapidly. Who were these people? They had no idea who I was, they had no idea that I was innocent. But here they were, judging me because of something that would have turned up on the news.
With a quick thrust, I shoved the basket in front of the shop clerk. She looked at me cautiously, her dark eyes scanning me almost maliciously. I had to ignore it, I couldn't let little things like this tear me down.
One item after the other, she scanned them slowly, opening up a plastic bag and placing the items in carefully. It was like she was doing this on purpose. I had the urge to yell at her, to tell her to hurry up and stop mucking around; but the other part of me was forcing myself to stay calm.
"That will be fourteen dollars," she spat.
I flinched at her voice; it was so vicious. Quickly, I tore my gaze away from her and sifted through my pockets searching for my wallet.
It wasn't there.
I patted my sides, searched my bag, looked back in the isles that I had just come from; but my wallet was still no where to be found. The shop clerk stared at me impatiently, her finger tapping on the counter.
"I-I..." I began. "I can't find my wallet."
"No money, no goods."
"B-but.." But I had it five minutes ago.
"Look lady," she leaned over to me. "This isn't a charity case, we don't give out free food. You have to pay for it, just like everyone else."
"I had my wallet..." I whispered quietly, patting my pockets again just in case I had missed it.
The shop clerk scoffed at me so pathetically it made my heart burn. From the look in her eye, to the way she held herself, I could tell what she was thinking. She thought I was a murderer, she thought I killed my sister for my fathers fortune. I was starting to believe that I had...
"Here," a strange voice said from behind me.
From the corner of my eye, I saw a bare arm thrust towards the shop clerk, credit card in hand. My eyes slowly followed up the arm, taking in the defined muscle all the way up to the sleeve of an orange t-shirt. I trembled when I saw his face. I trembled when his blue eyes locked onto mine.
"I'll pay for her, take my card."
My heart was pounding as I looked back to the shop clerk. Her lip was pulled up into a sneer, but she took his card anyway, swiping it without complaining.
Why was he doing this for me? He barely knew me, he was one of the officers working on my case; but yet here he was helping me. Officer Uzumaki. He looked so different now compared to what he looked like in uniform. He almost looked like he was at peace, like he was relaxed. The only other times that I had seen him was when we were at the station. Though I still noticed the distant look in his eyes, the one that he tried to hide behind his uniform.
"Why are you doing this?" I said more sternly than I would have liked. "Why are you helping me?"
His eyes narrowed for a second, but then they became soft as he smiled a little. I felt like I was going to explode. The way he smiled brought back a rush of memories and I almost felt like I was going to faint.
I remembered him now.
"Neji would kill me if I didn't."
Naruto Uzumaki, the number one idiot in Konoha.
I was in love with him at one point of my teenage years; that was of course, before he left for the army. I didn't know that he was a police officer, he told everyone that he was going to do Konoha proud and protect the land of fire at all costs. Naruto left for the army with Sasuke Uchiha. Sasuke Uchiha went rogue.
He wasn't at all like I remembered him. The Naruto I remembered was always smiling, he was always laughing and looking out for others. Now he just reminded me of a doll, one that only spoke when spoken too, and one that only did things when told to do. He was empty now, he had changed so much.
The shop clerk pushed my bag food towards me and I grabbed it before all the contents spilled over the floor. She gave me a menacing look as she handed Naruto back his card. I turned towards him, to thank him for his gesture, but he was already walking out the door. The cold wind whipped at his blonde hair as he walked out of sight.
AN: Hey guys! Sorry its been so long and sorry this chapter is so short! But i thought it would be better than waiting another couple of months before I released another chapter haha. Please do me the honors of reveiwing and tell me what you think! Peace!